Disclaimer- I don't own Twilight. Obviously. So on with the story!
CH. 1:
The bell rang, loud and angry. I was late. Already. My first day and I couldn't even manage to be on time in a school with less than 300 students. At least I'll make a first impression- which is exactly what my dad didn't want.
I checked my schedule-again- and adjusted my bag on my shoulder. My first class was on the other side of the building. Perfect. I waited for the squeaking of sneakers and the echo of voices to disappear completely before I glanced up and down the hall- and took off running.
Don't draw attention to yourself, stay inconspicuous. They can't know. Nobody can know.
Tall and lean, mostly muscle, I was too fast for a girl my age. Too fast to play gym without being plastered in the newspaper as the fastest girl in my state. Bye-bye New Mexico. The same thing happened in Florida, but that time I wasn't running. I had gotten a fever and been taken to the hospital. My temperature should have killed me, but I didn't feel a thing. No symptoms either. Just a really high temperature.
In less than a minute I was standing outside room L-3. British lit. The epitome of hell on earth. I looked down at my watch. 8:21. Only 8 periods till I can go home. Only 8.
"-is the symbolism of night in Dover Beach? Anyone?" My teacher, Mr. Foster, was in the middle of going over the homeworkd from the night before when I walked through the door. You couldn't tell I had just run through the halls to get here, my face perfectly composed and breathing regular. He held up a hand, telling me to wait for the answer before speaking. He was plain looking. Wispy gray hair and wire rimmed glasses matched with a plaid suit that should have been burned at the stake.
Nobody said a word. I pictured tumble weed in my head, crickets and howling wind. Typical. I knew the answer but decided not to say anything. I hadn't even said my name, why make myself look like a teachers pet?
Everyone stared at me, wide eyed and gawking. You'd think they'd never had a new student. But in a school of 300, I wouldn't be surprised.
Being in the spotlight made me uncomfortable. I looked down, around the room, not focusing on any one object.
"No one? Well, I guess we'll just have to have a quiz tomorrow then" Everyone, including me, groaned. Not even four minutes and already I had a quiz. It was not a good sign.
Mr. Foster turned to me, finally, and I was allowed to sit without going into my life history. One small blessing in a day I was sure was going to be full of curses.
It was like a gauntlet, walking down the rows to the one empty seat in the back. Girls glared at me and boys stared. I dropped my bag and was about to sit when a boy with close shaven hair and perfectly tanned skin turned to me. I was expecting him to introduce himself.
"You…can't sit there" He said loudly to draw attention. It of course worked, everyone within earshot turned to see my reaction. His friend, tall and muscular but decidedly more quiet gave him a warning look, a glare that I knew held a lot of meaning.
"Why not?" I asked sitting down anyway. I put on a confident front most of the time, but I was actually shy and awkward in front of crowds, self conscious after years of never fitting in.
"Cause Jake sits there" He said it as if I was supposed to know that. Maybe he had an extra chromosome or something.
"Well, Jake's not here now, is he?"
Throughout the class, I kept glancing at the students around me. Russet colored skin, dark hair and eyes. It was December and they all had huge, puffy jackets slung across their chairs, boots and sweaters. Despite the cold, I only had on a thin sweatshirt, barely enough to keep off a light breeze, but I never felt cold.
And apparently, neither did Seat Boy and his friend. Besides me, they were the only ones without jackets. T-shirts and jeans. That's all. I also noticed the way all the other students gave them space. I could tell that they were respected in the class, confident and sure of themselves. Being unaffected by the cold was where our similarities stopped.
Class ended, and I was at the door faster than anyone else, startling the boy in the first row. The hall was crowded and stuffy, bodies bumping into one another, shouts and laughter. I felt so out of place there. Alone in a school where the students had known each other since birth. I was used to switching schools- I had done it 16 times in my eleven years of education- but this time felt oddly different. I wanted to belong here, more than anything. More than anywhere else, I wanted to be accepted and have a place instead of just passing through, not bothering to learn the names of the faces around me.
If only it were possible to be really normal. No more secrets.
"Hey!...Hey new kid!" That could only mean me. How many knew kids could there be in one day? That might be enough to get the local news station out here.
Turning, I saw Seat boy, his friend in toe, and I regretted acknowledging the call. I should have kept walking, pretended I didn't hear. Why couldn't I just do that?
Students gave me curious looks as they passed, as if I had four heads and a tail. Hah. A tail, how ironic.
"Sorry about the seat thing. No hard feelings. I'm Quil and this is Embry" I shook his hand and was surprised at how hot his skin was. He blinked and looked at me more closely before turning to the other boy. They looked at each other for a long moment before Quil let go of my hand.
There was something going on between the two. They fidgeted and didn't quite know what to say. The one named Embry seemed distant now, his eyes glassing over. I might have been worried if Quil hadn't seemed so at ease.
"I'm Caralin…listen I have to get to class so if you don't have anything else to say…" I cleared my throat to break the awkward silence that had stretched between the three of us.
"Oh. Yeah, see ya around Cara" Quil and Embry turned on their heels and hurried down the hall with a speed and grace I hadn't expected from guys as big as them. They slipped through the crowds without touching anyone.
And he called me Cara… I thought just as the bell rang overhead.
"How was your first day, hon?" My father was sitting his regular spot. In front of the television. His muddy boots were lined up by the front door, his coat hung up. I put down my bag, kicked off my shoes and padded into the living room.
"Fine…" Chris Jamison looked nothing like me, except for his eyes. He had light hair, once blonde but graying now. His glasses were always carefully balanced on the tip of his nose, laugh lines brimming the corners of his mouth and eyes. When he smiled, his entire face lit up. But he never smiled as much anymore, not since my mom died.
My dark hair and tan color came from her side of the family, whom I had never met. As far as I knew, they hadn't approved of her marriage to my dad, so she left and never looked back. I remember her voice, and the stories she told me. How warm it was when she hugged me. But that's all.
"Fine? That's it? Well, what happened?"
"Nothing happened, dad. It's my first day and its school. I wasn't off having wild and crazy adventures. All I got was a quiz tomorrow" I went into the outdated 70's style kitchen and rummaged through the pink cabinets before sighing and giving up. I really had to go shopping soon. We had ordered take out every night since moving here, not having the time to cook and I was really feeling the effects of it. A girl can only eat so much Chinese and pizza.
My heart beat sped up as I got an idea. I hoped my dad would allow it, even if he stayed up all night worrying. But I hadn't gone out since before the move and I needed to relax. Be free, at least for a little while.
"Daddy?" He couldn't resist it when I called him that and put on my puppy dog eyes.
"What do you want?" He sighed. When he looked at me, he was already shaking his head. This was going to take some begging. "No way Caralin"
"Please? Dad I swear no one will see me" I hope no one will see me.
"No Cara. We just got here! Do you want to have leave already?" His clear blue eyes sparkled, but not in the way I loved. He was angry, furious, that I would ask for something that had been the problem in the first place.
"Dad. You can't keep me stuck in here all the time! I need to be out there….. just once a week. Please?" I wouldn't drop to my knees but if that's what it was going to take….
His shoulders sagged, and he got that look. I knew I had won, and though that guilty feeling was edging it's way into my stomach I ignored it. I had a right to be who I was born to be. I couldn't pretend that that other half of me didn't exist. It was like a writer ignoring his hands.
"Fine…alright. But be back in two hours or I'm getting the whistle" I shrieked and threw my arms around him before running up to my messy room to grab the bag I had especially packed for times like these.
My pulse was soaring, adrenaline building up inside of me to the point where I was running down the hall, down the stairs, and out the door without saying goodbye to my dad.
We had picked a house secluded from the others just for this reason. There was less of a chance of anyone taking a walk and seeing me. It's happened before and we couldn't be too careful. I just felt bad for that unlucky person back in Ohio, but his face was priceless.
Wind whipped my hair behind me, the cold air sliding across my skin making me shiver in delight. I layered on the speed, leaves barely moving behind me, my feet barely touched the ground. To anyone who might have been looking, I was a blur, a trick of the eyes they forgot as soon as they saw it. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and a shudder ran down my spine. The Change was coming, I could feel it.
Grinning, I leapt through the air- and as I spun, I shifted. My skin rippled and bones cracked. Legs and arms lengthened, my vision tunneled before expanding, improving. I could see everything 100 times better, clearer. My joints cracked and bones shifted into new positions. My body was covered in white fur, claws raking the ground as I hit the ground running. The bag still strapped to my back, I ran through the trees, feeling freer than I had in a long time. Too long a time.
My wolf eyes honed in on objects, focusing on new ones as I passed. I could here music coming from houses and cars, talking and-
I skidded to halt, instantly alert. My ears pricked, picking up the sound of… breathing. I wasn't alone. Heart pounding in my throat, I crouched low to the ground. I could smell him now. Definitely a male. He was surprised and curious. I just hope he didn't get too curious.
My dad was going to kill me, I was sure of it. This was such a stupid, bad idea. Why couldn't I have just listened to him. It was all my fault, we were going to have to pick up and leave- again.
A twig snapped to my right and I whipped around, fur rippling across my back, a growl deep in my throat.
There, staring at me with deep brown almost reddish eyes, he stood perfectly at ease. Almost indifferent to me. His coat matched his eyes, mahogany brown. He was huge, towering over me, but I wasn't scared, just curious.
This wasn't a normal wolf, that much was obvious. But then….
I backed away and he stepped forward, head tilted to the side, questioning. It couldn't be possible. Could it? I mean, it probably could, I was living proof of that. Why couldn't there be someone else like me? But what were the odds? and What did it mean...
Slowly, we circled one another, cautious yet growing more and more comfortable. His mouth drew back across his teeth in a snarl, but it became less menacing when his tongue lolled out the side. He was grinning at me. But his eyes seemed sad, lonely.
Suddenly, I had the urge to reach out, hug him and I couldn't figure out why. It was so strong though, a feeling like I needed to help him. Without warning I turned and ran through the trees to a spot I was sure he couldn't see. In less than 2 minutes, I was human again, shoulder length hair messy and tousled, tan body slim and muscled. I threw on the sweats I had packed in my bag and pulled on my sneakers.
Please, still be there, I thought as I walked back to where we had been. My heart hammered even louder- if that's possible- in my chest, blood rushing in my ears. My hands were trembling slightly.
For a heart wrenching moment, I was alone in the small clearing and disappointment flooded into me. Finally, I wasn't the only one with a secret like this, and just as suddenly as I discovered it, I was alone again.
My ears were still super sensitive from the change and the small sigh made me jump before I turned toward the sound.
Half naked, in just cut off shorts, stood a boy- barely, he looked around 25- he had the same russet colored skin as everyone on the Quileute reserve, his hair was shaggy and unkept, his face was handsome and open, but I could tell he was young, probably my age or a year older. When I got to his eyes, that feeling overpowered me. The need to comfort him for some reason.
I could see the pain in his eyes, though he tried to hide it. There was a warmth in the brown that automatically pulled me towards him. I couldn't understand what had gotten into me… Never, in my 16 years, had I ever felt like this before…. I wanted to be his friend so badly I would have moved the universe for him.
Slowly, he smiled and his features lit up. He stepped towards me carefully and I noticed he was barefoot.
Hand out-stretched, I walked towards him and he took my hand, shaking it slowly. I gasped at the heat radiating from his skin. Like the two boys at school, he was graceful and muscular and hot.
"I'm Jacob"
End of chapter 1- tell me what you think cause I'm not sure if I'm going to keep going with this one. It's my first Twilight fic so I don't really like it, but if you do, tell me and I'll write more. Hey, even if you don't like it, review.
