CHAPTER 1

SHINE

"Mom, do I really have to go?" I said from the front porch. She snapped her fingers and pointed to the car.

"In. Now." She said and hopped into the passenger seat, I sighed at least I got to drive.

My parents weren't exactly happy with what I was, not that they despised me because of it, just that they wanted more for me. As it stood my dedication was to the pack, I didn't even apply to college. I had no real motivation to move out, when I wasn't working I was patrolling, or sleeping. Sleep was rare these days, a few of my pack brothers were in college, or still in school, Sam always encouraged us to go and get our education, graduating High School was mandatory. Two of the younger wolves jumped ship to Jacob Black's pack thinking he'd allow them to drop out, but they were sorely mistaken. Sam had several talks with me about it on my parent's behalf about college, but I was happy to stay and protect La push and Forks with the pack. Paul and Jared weren't about to leave while their imprints Rachel and Kim stayed here. Embry had Amy now too. Amy was great, her dad owns the garage where I work, and she works there a lot too in the office. She's not the type to get her hands dirty, still sweet though.

I leaned on the shopping cart as Mom scanned the shelves; I heard laughing from the next isle over, a boy at first but then a girl's voice chimed in. They came around the corner at speed, the girl was standing on the end of the shopping cart, and the boy was pushing it. He gave the cart one huge shove and sent it barrelling down the isle. I laughed as the girl screamed "Gavin!"

When the cart got close enough I reached out and caught her around the waist; stopping the cart. The girl looked about 16, with long brown hair, and tall despite her petite frame and almost childlike face, she was 5"9' easy.

"Thank you." She said smiling a cute quirky smile almost like she was checking me out.

"No problem" I was suddenly embarrassed.

"Brothers!" she scoffed motioning towards the guy at the top of the isle "I'm Hope" she added extending her hand, which I took, strangely she felt warm. Nothing had felt warm to me since I discovered that I was a wolf.

"Collin"

"Well…." She paused briefly "Um thanks for the rescue!" She chirped and skipped back to her brother. She pushed him playfully and said, "Jerk!"

Gavin laughed and put her in a head lock, I remembered how I used to wrestle with my little sister like that on the days when they got along. Now I was afraid I'd hurt her, sometimes I didn't realise my own strength. Only a week ago after some stupid argument with Dad I punched one of the support beams on the front porch and the whole thing came crashing down. Luckily, Brady lives next door and the next day, we had repaired the damage. Dad only got a mild concussion.

"Collin! What you daydreaming about? Hurry up." My Mom's voice snapped me out of my daydream.

"Oh wait" I heard Hope from the distance; she ran up to me and pulled a crumpled flyer from her bag "We're having a big event; it's like a big music festival type thing. You should come. There's gonna be music and food and loads of really cool stuff."

I couldn't help but noticed her eyes were a very unusual shade of green; I tried not to stare at her, took the flyer and smiled at her and she skipped back to her brother again.

On the way back home I pulled the flyer out of my pocket. It had SHINE in big letters across the middle.

"A new community initiative run by teenagers for teenagers. Supporting amateur musicians."

There was a picture at the bottom, of a group of kids. Hope and her brother were in it. There was a list of bands and events.

Two days later, Brady, Seth and I found ourselves on the new Forks High football field there was loads of people jostling around and I could here the music. There were all kinds of things going on fundraising for various organisations and clubs. I spotted Hope.

"There she is guys." I said to others.

"Whoa, dude! You never said she was hot!" Seth said a little too loud.

"Seth she's practically a kid"

"And what am I ancient?" Seth retorted

"Your 19, she couldn't by a day over 16."

Hope went up onto stage and took to microphone.

"Hey everybody! How y'all doing? Having a good time?"

A huge roar came from a crowd of boys in the bleachers.

I watched as the bubbly, confident girl bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, in front of what must have been t least seven hundred people.

"Ok you guys I want to draw your attention to all the very special causes here today…"

She read off a list of charities then a list of local companies who supported the event including the garage where I worked, from a crumple sheet of paper.

"Ok guys! Whose ready to Rock?!" she screamed enthusiastically into the microphone; the whole crowd went wild this time. She picked up a guitar and pulled the strap over her head, as the rowdy boys in the bleachers clambered to the stage, and took up various instruments. The guy from the supermarket, Gavin, was there too, he moved to mic to the left of the stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Give it up for my little sister, the beautiful and talented, Faith Lehane, everybody!"

He applauded and hollered into the microphone, I was stunned "what?" I thought to myself. Gavin continued when the applause stopped "And, of course, the ever so talented, ever so clever, Hope Lehane the brains out the operation, without her none of this would be possible." He pointed to a girl who was hiding her face. The band members joined hands above their heads and bowed to her chanting "All Hail Hope"

The drummer counted them in, it was Tyler Crowley, they played familiar cords. Faith took centre stage with her deep purple guitar, there was a picture or words on it, but I couldn't read it.

The song was Pink, So What, Faith started to sing, to say I dislike that song would be the understatement of the century. All the girls in the bleachers and on the field roared in excitement.

Seth and Brady both looked from me to Faith to Hope.

"Dude!" Brady exclaimed with a cocky grin "Twins! Jackpot Collin!"

I couldn't help but laugh.

I walked over to Hope "Hi" I said. Brady was very obviously checking her out.

"Hey you made it." She said happily she handed me a clip board "Sign this"

The top of the page read "Stop the Logging" I signed it, not paying attention to the particulars, the more trees the better, especially when you're a huge wolf running through the forest on a daily basis, I handed it to Brady, Seth had disappeared.

"So you did all this?" I asked glancing around "Impressive"

"Not alone. Faith and Gavin helped" She pointed to the stage.

"I thought that was you. So you're a twin?"

"No" she said with a cheeky grin "Yeah, she's my identical twin."

The smell of barbeque filled the air, and a few seconds later Hope said "Hey let's eat"

She skipped of towards the delicious aroma.

"Hey dad" she said to the man at the grill.

"Who are your friends?" he asked while he dished out the free grub.

"This is Collin and um…" she wrinkled up her face embarrassed she'd never asked his name.

"Brady" Brady chimed in.

Hope's dad piled up three plates for us and we went to sit at one of the picnic tables. Brady was really gawking at Hope, I began to wonder if he'd imprinted. It would be about time, Brady was obsessed with finding his imprint, it had been 4 years since we went wolf and Brady still hadn't imprinted it drove him mad, he even refused to go on dates. We all tried to explain that imprinting was rare, and didn't happen to the majority of us, but it was like talking to a brick wall. It would be typical for Brady to imprint on a girl I was interested in… just to annoy me. I knew she was young, but she seemed mature, and it's not like I was some asshole out to take advantage of her. Still I had no intention of throwing myself at her or anything.

"How old are you Hope?" Brady asked breaking the silence

"15, how about you?"

"He's 18, so am I." I interjected "I brought my friend Seth too but he disappeared. He's 19." I looked around for him.

"Oh yeah, he's watching the band. I saw him walk off. We should go listen they're really good"

We finished our food -well Brady and I did, Hope barely touched hers- and went back to the stage everybody was dancing apart from Seth stand next the stage staring up at Faith.

"Oh Christ!" I exclaimed and laughed, he was literally gawking at her, I thought maybe he'd imprinted. A lot of that going around today. I walked up and shook Seth "Dude, chill! She'll think you're a stalker."

Faith was really good she was singing and playing guitar, she spotted Hope and when the song ended she said. "This one is for Hope, her all-time favourite song. This is Letters to Cleo I Want you to Want Me" her voice seemed a lot deeper than Hope's.

She started to sing, she had put the guitar down, and took the mic into her hand now and she using he whole stage and dancing. I stared up at her she seemed to singing to Seth.

"Collin!" Embry called "Collin!" I didn't answer

"Collin are you deaf?!" He said

"Oh hi Em… Hi Amy" I added when I spotted her.

"Hi Collin" she said and gave me a one armed hug "Don't mind him, he's just cranky today" she joked a nodded towards him. He just scoffed.

"Looks like Brady did well for himself" Embry said and then laughed

Brady was in the crowd dancing with Hope.

"He didn't…" Embry raised his eyebrows. "Did he?" I jus shook my head and watched them.

"Dammit" I thought to myself and turned back to Faith who was still singing a lyrically suggestive song directly to Seth.

I want you to want me

I need you to need me

I'd love you to love me

Embry laughed probably thinking that this could get ugly if we both had a crush or something more. The song ended and a huge roar came from the crowd. Faith introduced the next band. Hope ran to her as she jumped what was easily a 5 foot drop landing on her feet.

"Faith this is Brady, Collin and I'm guessing the guy staring at you is Seth" Hope said in perfectly level tone, which only made her statement funnier.

Embry burst out laughing and Seth's face turned bright red, he pushed Embry. Amy stood between them. "Hey guys, if you can't play nice, you can't play together"

"You guys are really good. What's the band called?" I asked.

"Fire Crackers" Hope answered. Faith took a huge swig from a bottle of water, her face and chest glistened as the light refracted from tiny beads of sweat on her skin. The roughly cut grey halter top she wore had The Eagles logo splayed across it. "That's awesome, she likes the classics." I thought

"Thanks, we try." She shrugged, still breathing heavy. She was gorgeous, they both were.

"You guys are exactly identical." Seth said finally.

"Really?" Faith asked sarcastically, there seemed to be a bitter under tone in her voice. "Wow! I never noticed"

Hope nudged her trying to shake her sister's surprising attitude change. She looked at her sister pleading eyes and yielded, she adjusted the elbow length red and black arm warmers that covered most of her hand, before smiling brightly and saying; "Hi I'm Faith" she extended her hand to Seth first; she stared at him for a few seconds before shaking hands with Brady, Embry and finally me. I took her hand, she felt even warmer than Hope did the other day at the supermarket, and she had the same unusually green eyes, I gazed into her eyes and almost became lost for a briefest moment.

"I'm starving" Faith said.

"Let's go eat" Seth said quickly before I had a chance. The pair walked off.

"Tough luck Collin!" Embry teased.