I sat quietly atop the mountainous cliff, staring out at the crashing waves. The sound comforted me during this horrible time in my life…a time I would've never foreseen. This disgusting town known as Forks was a place I would never call home as long as I lived and I could promise that to anyone. The only place I ever found peace was the La Push Reserve, where I went nearly every day for hours upon hours. It was the only place I could think and clear my mind.
It seemed like so long since I last saw my friends…they were miles and miles away now. It felt like they were a universe away. Here, I knew no one, and I was stuck with the last person I would ever want to be stuck with – my mother. The person who understood me least. Everything with her was an argument, apparently I was always wrong about everything. Sometimes I just couldn't take it.
The sun was slowly setting over the beautiful aquamarine sea, a tell-tale sign that I should be heading home. I was smart enough to know not to stay near a forest with wild creatures at night. Though I wouldn't really mind the company…
I grabbed my bike, enjoying the last pure smell of the salty water and rush of sea air. I was so happy I'd discovered this place. It was the only good thing about moving to the middle-of-nowhere.
Pedaling was a feat feeling the weakness of pain overwhelming my body. It wasn't anything physical, but when emotions were as strong as mine it quickly became so. My only true downfall, or so I believed. Sometimes I wished I was cold – like a stone. An emotionless shell. I would be much better off.
Heading past the thick forestland, I remembered something. I had been reading the newspaper a lot recently, for lack of better things to do. I'd read several articles about huge "bears" being spotted in this area as well as many people disappearing. I had found it quite odd but I wasn't much for believing what I heard until I saw it.
The atmosphere soon grew quiet as darkness began to fall. The air chilled, as did my body. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up…I thought it was merely because I was cold. Until my heart began racing. This was like an extrasensory ability of mine to know when trouble was coming, and it most definitely was.
I stopped pedaling, glancing over my back. There was nothing. Everything was calm…almost too calm.
A breeze blew through a bush nearby. It continued rustling after the breeze had passed. My heart skipped a beat. It had been going so fast, I thought for sure I'd had a heart attack.
I heard the light thud of a creature moving through the forest…only one. I waited. Anxiety killed me. It was worse than whatever followed it, no matter what. I bit my lip in impatience. Whatever it was could jump out and kill me already, seriously.
Finally, I knew it was just behind the bush. It's dark eyes were piercing through mine. Perhaps it was one of those huge "bears" sizing me up to eat. I hoped it wouldn't be too painful, for I happened to hate pain. Though emotional pain was much worse than physical…
The creature snarled and leapt from the bush, illuminated only by the moonlight. It was quite fantastic, or it would've been, if you weren't on the verge of falling prey to it. It was huge – nearly the size of a horse. It had long, ragged, reddish-brown fur, and those deep, dark eyes. There was no way this was a bear. If anything…I'd have to say more canine-like. I couldn't exactly put my finger on it. I laughed at that briefly – putting a finger on this crazed beast. That was fantastic.
It stared at me for what seemed like hours, though I knew it was most likely minutes. I could feel my body growing weak from fear. Perhaps it was just the actual size of the creature that frightened me. Whatever it was, though, I quickly collapsed and everything went black. What a coward I was.
I awoke in a brightly-lit hospital room. My heart was beating at a normal pace, and I could feel a cold sweat throughout my body. The first thought that ran through my head was the question, "What will my obnoxious mother say??". Not that I was afraid of her. She was the last thing on my list of fears at this point.
As if she had known the second I'd awoken, there was my mother.
"Catalina, honey, you're awake! Thank God! I was so worried…", She said, hugging me. Instant, piercing hatred coursed through my veins. She knew I hated being hugged. Especially by her. I didn't care what the circumstances were.
"Mom, stop. You know how I hate that…" I snarled. I knew an argument was coming. Who cared? That was the only way we knew how to communicate these days.
"How can you be so mean like that, I've been waiting here for hours scared to death. I thought something awful had happened to you…and this is the thanks I get?? Well, you're welcomed!!", My mom retorted. Hmm, not as bad as I thought it'd be. She wasn't even making a big scene in front of the doctor standing just behind her. I hadn't even noticed he'd come in.
After it had been a safe amount of time after the argument, the doctor approached me. There was something strange about him. I didn't exactly feel too at ease around him. I'd never been much of a fan of doctors…they had needles, after all. I shrugged off the feeling of unease as he began to speak.
"Hello, Catalina, I'm Dr. Carlisle Cullen. I have a few questions for you and then you can be on your way home.", He said with a friendly smile, or what seemed to be, "Does anything hurt?"
"No. I have some bruises and scratches on my legs but that's about it. I guess I got lucky.", Which I knew was the truth. That huge creature could've more than easily torn me to shreds when I passed out, or even before. The more I thought about it, the more amazed I was that I was still alive. Maybe that wasn't necessarily such a good thing, though…
"Yes, those are all mild though. That's good. Can you tell me exactly what happened?" There was a curious look on his face, though it seemed as if he knew something I didn't. It seemed like he knew exactly what was going on here.
I pondered for a second, wondering if I should tell him the actual story. He might think I'm insane. I thought that quite often, however. I really had nothing to lose in telling him. He didn't seem like the most normal person in the world, either.
"Well, I was in the La Push Reserve. I go there sometimes. I was riding my bike home, and then I heard something…" I paused. Now I really thought it was a bad idea to tell him. I must've imagined everything. I had to.
"Go on", he urged.
"It jumped out of the bush just in front of me…it wasn't a bear, like the newspapers say. It was more…canine-like. I don't know what it was, but after that I passed out. And here I am", I finished. My eyes were wide, I was afraid he would call me crazy.
Dr. Cullen laughed, and then returned his glance to me. "That's a fascinating story, Catalina. Any speculations you can make, any guesses at all, as to what that creature was? I'm interested."
I thought for a good minute. Then it clicked. The only thing I could think of that was remotely similar to it. "I'd have to say it was like a…a…a werewolf."
This time Dr. Cullen laughed even louder. Great. Now he really thought I'd lost it. I had to go on and blab about a creature that most likely didn't even exist.
"You're free to go now, Ms. Catalina. I'm glad you feel alright but you should definitely get some rest.", He glanced at my mom, "Goodnight."
He left in a few short strides. He hadn't said anything about my speculations about a werewolf. Though he hadn't considered me mentally unstable, either. I supposed that was a good thing.
As I hopped into my mom's over-sized, gas-guzzling SUV, I knew there would be an argument. There always was. This one would most definitely be bigger than the one in the hospital room, though.
Sure enough, it began.
"Catalina, I am surprised at you. What were you doing, sneaking out to the reservation at such a late hour??" She nearly screamed in my ear. I hated when she did that. I could feel the burning hatred and anger building in my veins, consuming every fiber of my being. I could control this feeling, usually, though. I knew not why anger and hatred
burned so strong within me but I'd come to accept it over the years. I didn't answer my mom.
"You read the newspapers, I know you do! What were you doing…looking for those mammoth bears that have been killing people?? What's wrong with you, Catalina!"
"Yes, that's right mom, I was looking for the bear so it would rip me to pieces and eat me." I replied sarcastically. I was so tired of these stupid arguments. It happened all the time, or at least the only times I got to see my mom. That was rarely. Things were so financially difficult, we barely had enough money to survive. She was constantly working, therefore I never really saw her.
"Don't you be sarcastic with me! You think you know everything…" She answered bitterly. The same bitterness was the only way I thought of my mother. It never used to be this way. Though it continued fueling my inner emotional pain.
"What am I supposed to say?? It's like you purposely start an argument with me all the time. I can't take this anymore, mom!" I screamed, trying as hard as I could to control this burning anger which was flaring more every second.
She didn't respond. She had nothing to say, no clever retort to what I had said. Inside I smiled, feeling as if I had won. As much as I hated arguing, I still loved winning. Having the last word made me feel much better.
I slept uneasily that night, awaiting Monday when school would begin. It was not something I was looking forward to. New people, most likely strange, as most people here in Forks were. New classes, which my mom had forced me to take much harder classes than I was capable of. That mean a lot more stress on me. Also, college application loomed in my future. My grades altogether really weren't that great so there was no great promise of getting accepted. This alone was enough to make me feel like crying, for I was supposed to be the one in my family who went to college. I guess I wasn't the amazing person they expected me to be, despite the fact that I didn't even talk to my family anymore. They'd crossed the line, hurt me so much, I rarely even thought about them.
My mind wandered in my sleep, images flashing of things from the past. My family arguing, screaming, crying. The time my grandparents had kicked my mom and I out for good…the times when I had lost my best friends. They were all so clear. Not a single happy memory flickered through my mind. Finally, I saw the canine creature. It stared at me just as it had when I'd seen it before. Saliva dripped from its vicious fangs, which glistened in the moonlight. I realized it was a full moon…I began to run, running so fast it was strange. I didn't normally run like this. I could hear the padding of the creature's paws, the heavy breathing as it followed at my heels. Then, it knocked me over. I subconsciously stopped breathing, waiting for the end. It opened its mouth…and began licking me. I awoke with a start.
It was Saturday morning. I had survived the night, re-living the pain of the past. And being licked by a werewolf. I laughed to myself thinking back about it. It felt as if
the last part of the dream made all the bad memories disappear. For once, I felt barely any pain. It was nice.
The majority of my weekend was spent school shopping and mentally preparing myself. There was limited school shopping, considering the financial situation. It became more evident every day, more depressing. I thought I'd learned to accept it thought it was not easy to ignore at all.
Sunday night rolled around, and it was sleepless. Images of the werewolf played through my mind. I wanted to see it again, face-to-face. It had become something of a comfort to me. Whenever my mind went into pain-mode, I envisioned it: The mighty creature standing just before me, close enough to touch. It looked vicious, but it's eyes had some type of kindness about them. Something more human than anything else. The adrenaline rush had pierced through my veins, as had the fear. The more I thought about it, though, I realized the less I had to fear. In fact, I felt as if the creature was something good. I was definitely losing it, definitely over-tired.
The sun flashed, blinding my icy blue eyes. I silently cursed to myself as I realized I was late for my first day of school. Of course this would happen to me. My mother, being mad at me had not woke me up. I hadn't heard my alarm. Fabulous.
I rushed to the garage as soon as I threw clothes on and grabbed a pencil. Great first impression, I must admit. I threw myself upon my bike and began pedaling towards school as fast as my legs would allow.
Everything seemed like a blur, probably because it was, as I reached the school. I sprinted into the office and got my tardy pass still amazed at my stupidity. The first day of school. I would never forgive myself for this.
Luckily, I had gotten my schedule in the mail over summer. I'd actually remembered it. One thing that went right, not bad.
I glanced at it and headed to my first class – English. It was an AP class so it would not be easy at all. A hard class first thing in the morning, ugh.
As I walked into the room, I could feel every pair of eyes on me. I felt my face grow hot which meant I was most likely blushing. I hated blushing, it was so embarrassing. I wanted to disappear. I found the one seat that was not taken, right in the front row, and sat. I could hear whispers encircling the classroom. Yes, I was the new girl. I couldn't be the only one though, right? I'm sure other people moved to Forks. Not that I could see why they'd want to.
The teacher didn't say a word to me and went on blabbing about the class curriculum. I could care less. My mind was on the embarrassment that still played across my face. I knew it was still visible. Why couldn't I just be a normal person and
have a decent first day of school? I guess that was just too much to ask. Too much, just like a loving family, friends through high school, good grades, things like that. It seemed like these were things that everyone else had except me. All the things money couldn't buy…not that I'd have the money if they could be bought, anyways. I had nothing. I was a mess. I just wished that, for once, I wasn't.
The students in the class seemed relatively plain. No one had mohawks or insanely-colored hair. Most of them were rather pale. I'd heard there were very few sunny days around here, which depressed me even farther. I loved the sun, loved the heat. Everything here was the opposite of the sunny Florida weather I'd known and loved for my entire life. How I missed it…
Then, I noticed something strange. Sitting just to my right was someone who did look like a freak-of-nature. He broke all the rules for looks at Forks High School. His hair was reddish-brown, his eyes a honey-golden color. His features seemed immaculate, far too strange compared to anyone else at this school. He stuck out like a sore thumb. He was the type of guy, I knew, that all the girls would be drooling all over. I secretly wondered how many girls in just this class found him highly attractive, as I glanced around the room indiscreetly. His entire focus was on the teacher, he didn't cast a single look in any other direction. How peculiar. He was definitely not the type of guy I would ever find interesting. Despite how decent-looking he was, it was my best assumption that he'd be a jerk. Most guys like him were.
Class was nearly over, and I realized I'd been staring at this odd guy nearly the whole time. It was merely to see if he'd look at anyone, anything else. Break his concentration, just once. But he didn't.
The bell rang, breaking my obscenely rude staring, and he was off. I decided to follow him and see where he was off to, just out of curiosity.
I found my way to another class room, a ways off from my English class. The strange guy met up with a girl, who seemed so happy just to see him. Unnaturally happy. They stared at each other every second, as they walked to their next class. I'd never seen a high school couple this happy together. It intrigued me. Without thinking, I continued to follow them to their next class.
Along the way, the girl waved and spoke to several people. Apparently her name was Bella, and the guy's name was Edward. It seemed like a relatively unconventional relationship. Bella seemed average-looking for a girl. Just plain. As for Edward, he was anything but. Not that I had anything against them, I was happy for them, but there was just something strange about Edward. Something I didn't like for some reason.
They finally entered the classroom after a meaningful kiss. The show was over. So they weren't so bad, maybe people I could eventually even befriend. Who knows. There was still something strange about them, though. Something I didn't trust. I wanted to find out what it was. Badly. That would take time.
The bell rang shrilly, echoing in my mind. Again, I silently cursed to myself as I realized I would have to get another tardy pass. Late again. This was officially the worst first-day ever. I shouldn't have even bothered coming.
Minutes felt like hours, hours like days. Lunch wasn't even that eventful. I sat alone in the cafeteria, puzzled by the table of immaculate looking people, Bella, and some of her other friends. I sat alone at a table just watching them. I couldn't understand why they seemed so different – the immaculates. I felt like asking someone
about them…if only I knew someone. I wasn't bold enough to stroll over to their table and ask if I could sit there…I'd save that for another day that was going a little better than this one. For now, all I could do was watch and wonder.
At least I arrived home on time. My mother, of course, was at work. She wouldn't be home until around 10pm or so. I had no homework either, which gave me free time. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, no matter how crazy it sounded to anyone. I was going to find that creature again.
I grabbed my bike, setting off for the La Push Reserve once more. The adrenaline and excitement was already building inside me. I sincerely hoped my curiosity wouldn't kill me. I knew I was risking a lot in doing this, but I wanted to. I needed to for some insane reason.
The familiar site unfolded before me, the cliff for which I was so familiar with, the sea which was calm and serene today. The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange glow to everything. I laid my bike down on a bed of moss and sat at the cliff's edge, allowing my feet to dangle. I'd dreamed of cliff-diving so often but never actually been brave enough to do it, especially alone.
I sighed as the sea breeze rolled over me, putting me at peace. This was the only time I had to be free. What a good feeling it was. My black hair whipped in the wind, flying in every direction. Around other people, I would quickly fix it, but now I allowed it to flap wildly. It felt good not to worry, if even just for a little while.
After an hour or so I laid on my back, staring up at the blue-orange sky. It was getting dark and the stars were already visible. It was simply beautiful. The kind of setting one could only dream about. I sighed and closed my eyes, unknowingly drifting off to sleep. Until someone obnoxiously began poking me.
"…What??" I asked, jumping up in surprise. A slight surge of irritation swept through me. Who dared to disrupt my peaceful time?
"Who are you? What are you doing here? This is private land y'know…"The voice responded.
I looked up to see a huge human boy towering over me. I'd never seen someone so tall in my entire life, I felt as if I was looking up at the Eiffel Tower. He had shaggy, long, dark hair. His skin was perfectly darkened to a reddish-tint, and his eyes were deep and dark. I'd never seen anyone like this. He intrigued me even more than the immaculates at school.
"Uhm, no, I didn't realize that. Sorry." I answered. I felt that this strange guy didn't really need to know my name. There was a playful smile upon his face, so I knew he wasn't angered at me.
"Ok, but that only answered a few of my questions."
Argh. He was persistent. I guess he just had to know my name then. Oh well, what could telling him my name do?
"I'm Catalina. And you are?"
"Jacob Black. I live on this Reserve along with the other Quileutes."
So that was the name of the tribe on this reserve. Interesting. I didn't really feel like sticking around to meet the rest of them, though.
"Alright Jacob Black, I'll just be on my way now. Sorry to have bothered you—"
"No, wait. You like this spot, huh?" He asked, his smile growing a little wider.
"Yea, how did you know?" I asked, growing a little concerned to receive his answer.
"Hmm well, I've been watching you actually. Don't think badly of me…"
"What??" Yes, that had been the answer I'd expected. This guy was some weird stalker, probably up to no good.
"I told you, please don't think badly of me. I just got bored. Besides, I'm around here a lot anyways. I had nothing better to do." He grinned, trying to casually blow it off. As if that eased my mind at all. "Anyways, I can show you a place that's just as great. Maybe even better. Wanna go?"
"With you? You must think I'm really gullible or something."
"No, you just seem different from a lot of people. That's all. If you don't want to go, I understand…"
"No, no. I'll go. Fine. Lead the way."
With a big smile, this Jacob guy lead me off to some unknown location. I really hoped he wasn't some perverted stalker, I didn't feel like being violated tonight. Or killed either.
After walking several miles, I found myself at a beach. The very beach just below the cliff. The placid water floated silently, the moon and the stars being reflected within it. There was a slight breeze rolling through the trees. It was even better than the cliff top, just as Jacob as said it would be.
After walking down the beach a little ways, there was a series of flat rocks that looked like they would make decent chairs. Jacob sat upon one of them. After several minutes, he finally spoke.
"So, what do you think?"
"I think it's…beautiful here. Thanks for showing it to me." I answered shyly. I wasn't much for conversation with people I didn't know. I was always afraid of saying something stupid. I was horrible at expressing my feelings through words, as well. Unless those words were written.
"Of course." Jacob said, deep in thought. He was staring out into the ocean, I could see the moon reflecting in his eyes. I wondered what he was thinking about. I hoped it wasn't anything bad. For some reason, I didn't think it was.
"You're really lucky you live around here."
"Oh, yea I guess. It's pretty nice."
"Yea…" I laughed a nervous laugh. I despised that laugh so much. It was a tell-tale sign I was nervous. Looking at him only made me even more nervous…His long, flowing hair, his perfectly-tanned skin, his playful yet gorgeous expression. How could I bear saying even a word to him? Yet it seemed almost easy, at times.