"Thank you for stopping by!" Over time, Dakota had perfected her retail voice to the point that she almost fooled herself into believing she was as chipper as she sounded.

When she realized she was alone in the front of the store, however, she plopped down onto the stool behind the counter and sighed in relief. She might've been a good actress, but that didn't mean it wasn't exhausting. Even though it was just a summer job, Dakota felt like she was fighting exhaustion at every turn. She had no one to blame but herself, though, so she tried not to complain about it very often.

The bell above the door jingled, signaling the arrival of yet another person Dakota would have to pretend to be happy to see. She stifled a groan and stood up, pulling a plastic smile that didn't reach her eyes at all. "Anything I can help you with today?"

"Kota, it's me," a familiar voice called out from behind a shelf. "Chill out."

"Oh, thank god," she grumbled, flopping back onto her stool. "What are you doing in this part of town?"

Leah Clearwater poked her head around the aisle, munching on a bag of chips Dakota knew she had no intention of paying for. "Gotta go pick Seth up from a wedding, wanted to see if you'd tag along with me so I don't kill him. Plus, Ma wants to see you."

"I don't get off until 9:00."

"…Kota. It's 9:30. That's why I'm here."

She looked at the clock, surprised to see it was actually a little later than when she was supposed to clock out. "Oh, shit. My bad."

Leah strolled up to the counter and tossed the empty bag of chips into the trashcan at Dakota's feet. "So, you coming? We can stop by your place first and get you some clothes, and then go pick up the irritant."

She didn't bother defending Seth (he really could get annoying), instead choosing to call over her shoulder at her manager in the back room. "Marnie, it's 9:00! I'm outta here!"

Without waiting for her boss's response, Dakota punched her time card into the ancient machine and jogged out the door behind Leah, the tinkling bell in the doorway bidding them farewell.

0o0

Dakota had met the Clearwaters not long after she had moved to Forks with her mother, right after the divorce. She had been walking through town trying to make sense of things when a car ran into a ditch right in front of her, almost mowing her down. The driver of said vehicle happened to be none other than an 11-year-old Seth Clearwater, who would repeat the story of the dare that caused the whole situation to Dakota's mother at least 10 times before the woman got tired of dealing with it and decided not to press charges.

Instead, Seth mowed their lawn every week that entire summer to make up for the worry he caused, and his mother Sue agreed with that punishment. In fact, she agreed with it so much that she demanded Leah help her little brother with the yard work, seeing as it was her dare that sparked the fire in the first place. When Dakota saw the other girl out in her yard with Seth, she knew she was looking at the mastermind behind Seth's grand mistake. She walked right outside and grabbed a rake, helping Leah pile up all of the cut grass and put it in garbage bags.

Dakota and Leah hit it off instantly—both witty, smart-mouthed teenagers trying to grow up too fast. In reality, Leah did have about two years on her newfound friend, but neither girl really seemed to mind. They started hanging out outside of the two-hour window of opportunity on non-rainy Saturdays, and by the end of the summer, the two were inseparable.

Leah had been there for Dakota through all of her appointments and medications and emotional yo-yoing, and Dakota had been there for Leah when she got her first real boyfriend, when he left her, and when her father died unexpectedly. There was a period of time after her dad passed that Leah seemed to disappear, never answering her friend's calls or being at her own home when Dakota would drop by—but it passed soon enough. Leah reappeared, all new muscle and new hair, but the same attitude that Dakota had missed severely.

Although there was no explanation for the extended absence, she never tried to push Leah to explain herself. There was no need. The two were so close that they picked right up where they left off, as if nothing had happened. They were the best of friends, and each other's greatest comforts in times of need.

"So, who's getting married again?" Dakota asked, leading Leah through the front door of her home.

"The chief's annoying daughter and the youngest Cullenshit."

"Bella Swan? Is she pregnant or something?"

Leah snorted, as if the possibility was absurd. "Hell no."

"Well thank god," Dakota sighed, piling clothes into an old duffel bag. "I don't think I could handle hearing about that bullshit all next semester."

The dark-haired girl plopped on the bed, stuffing the other's pillows into a ball and curling up around them. "They invited the entire damn town: the Rez, too. It's so obnoxious, I want to puke."

"Oh, yeah! Mom did mention an invitation in the mail, but I wasn't really paying attention. Guess it's no big loss, huh?"

Leah opened her mouth to speak, but the shrill ring of her cell phone overrode her voice. With a dramatic sigh and some violent flopping on Dakota's bed, she wiggled it from her pocket and put it to her ear. "What do you want?"

Dakota chuckled at the cheerful greeting, returning to the chore of gathering her things to stay over. She slipped her camera into the bag out of habit, making a mental note to talk to Leah about taking some shots.

"What do you mean, 'freaking out'?"

She zipped her bag and sat at the foot of the bed, watching Leah's expression change from annoyed to mortified in seconds. "On the way—I've got Kota with me, so don't be stupid."

"What's going on?"

Leah dodged the question. "Text your mom and let her know you're with me. We gotta go, now."

Her friend sounded so serious that Dakota immediately complied, texting quickly as she followed her back outside to the car and climbed in:

Going to Leah's, see you tomorrow! Love you!

She punched send just as Leah whipped out of the driveway, causing Dakota's phone to fly out of her hand and into the recesses of the car.

"Oh, shit!" Dakota exclaimed, staying unbuckled and leaning into the back of the car, searching in the darkness as Leah took turns at full speed, as if they were in Tokyo Drift rather than Forks, Washington.

"Hold on!" Leah shouted, speeding down and old dirt road full of potholes. "We're almost there!"

"Almost where?!"

"The wedding!" She then slammed brakes, slinging Dakota violently forward. There was a moment of silence and, weakly, Dakota raised her phone in triumph.

"Are you alright?" Leah asked as she climbed out of the driver's seat, bouncing on the balls of her feet nervously. It had been a long time since the older girl had been so jittery, and her friend noticed.

"Not dead yet, so I guess." Dakota followed Leah's lead, pulling herself from the car with a grunt.

"Wait in the car," she commanded. "I don't want you to get any more hurt than you already are."

Dakota met the taller girl's gaze fiercely. "No. I'm coming with you."

She searched the girl's face for any sign of fear she could play on, but sighed heavily when she found none. "Just stand back a ways and don't bring attention to yourself, then."

"Yes, Drill Sergeant!"

Leah trotted off towards a faint light in the forest, and Dakota followed closely behind. It was hard to maneuver in the dark, but she managed not to trip or fall. When the light came into clear view, nothing really seemed amiss with the reception. People were milling about beneath a ceiling of fairy lights to a soft, classical tune, laughing and smiling and nibbling on appetizers.

In the far back, a group of women stood alone, looking towards the woods nervously. Dakota noted how similar they looked to the Cullens: lean, feral and beautiful, and surrounded by an invisible bubble that no normal person would dare cross. She followed their gaze, seeing nothing but mossy tree trunks.

"Why'd we rush out here?" She whispered, still searching for something in the overgrowth.

"Just stand over here," Leah murmured, walking away from the reception and deeper into the woods. "I'll be right back."

Dakota nodded, waiting for her friend to get a few steps ahead of her before following as quietly as possible. Leah shot a stern look over her shoulder, but didn't try to stop the younger girl from following. It was, at that point, a waste of breath to try and steer her away.

As they walked, Dakota's eyes adjusted somewhat to the darkness and she began to make out silhouettes of men amongst the trees. It unnerved her that she hadn't noticed them before because as she neared, the more intimidating they became. There were four of them, all ridiculously tall and broad-shouldered faceless figures in the dark.

"He's gone. Seth tried to stop him, but he's run off." Immediately, Dakota recognized the voice; she had heard it over the phone at least a thousand times when she used to stay at the Clearwater home every weekend.

"Any idea where he's headed?" Leah asked, oblivious to her friend's discomfort.

"North. I need you to go after him—you're the fastest."

"Sam, I've—"

"Leah," his voice had an unnerving ring to it. "No arguments. If he refuses to come back, you and Seth can come home. It won't take you very long, and Dakota can wait at Emily's until you get back."

Dakota piped up, albeit quietly. "Uhm, Leah… am I supposed to understand any of this?"

Leah turned to her, flashing a smile so forced it hurt Dakota's heart. "Nope. Just take my car to Sam's and get one of them to ride with you to give you directions."

She handed her keys to the younger girl before stalking off into the darkness, confusing Dakota to the point that she decided to actually speak to Sam for the first time in years. "What the fuck is going on?"

She couldn't see the other guys very clearly, but the exhaustion on Sam Uley's face practically shined. It had only been about two years since she'd last seen him, but his eyes seemed much older. He sighed before speaking, the kind of sigh that could shake mountains. "I couldn't tell you."

"Where am I supposed to be going, then? I'll get out of your hair," she spoke more kindly this time, although still rudely by typical standards. "I just need my navigator. I know you moved, but not where."

Typically, Dakota would've just gone home and made some soup before marathoning DVDs well into the night. It was the first time in months Leah had been available for more than a few hours, however, and even though sitting at Sam's would be awkward, it would be worth spending quality time with her best friend. Well, that and she was painfully curious about who was missing and why they had to drive there in such a hurry and, most importantly, why in the hell Leah was taking orders from Sam Uley.

"Paul, will you ride with her? I need Quil and Embry on the clock." Sam addressed one of the figures in the shadows, putting strange emphasis on his words.

"Yeah, okay," the man grumbled back. "Just put me on babysitting duty."

Dakota was offended. "If it's too much trouble, I can just find it myself."

"No," Sam interjected, using his harsh voice again. "Paul will go with you."

The shadow she assumed was Paul stepped forward, the stockiest of the men standing in the darkness. His facial expression mirrored his cocky attitude as he glowered at Sam, not even bothering to glance in Dakota's direction.

"Well, then," she quipped. "Should we go?"

Paul's head, as if yanked by a leash, turned towards her in a flash. The inherently pissed off expression dropped from his face, morphing into an odd mixture of terrified and amazed. He blinked slowly at her, as if she were some sort of inhuman creature he would never get to see again in his lifetime.

She squirmed under his intense stare, ready to leave. "If you'd rather stay here, I'll find it eventually on my own."

He snapped back to reality, the dazed look on his face returning to the original scowl. "No, I'm going with you. Let's go."

Without stopping to see if she followed, Paul stomped off through the woods. Dakota looked to Sam for an explanation, but he had nothing for her but an unexpected smile. The other two just shrugged.

"Unbelievable…" Dakota grumbled. She turned and followed the path she thought Paul took, cursing every other step of the way.

0o0

By the time she found her way back to Leah's car, Paul was already sitting on the hood waiting. Thankfully, he didn't look as pissed off as he had before, but Dakota was still annoyed with the whole situation.

"I'm driving," she declared, climbing into the driver's seat. "You just point where I need to turn and then this will all be over with."

"It's up to you." He shrugged, clicking his seatbelt and looking straight ahead.

Dakota pulled her door shut a tad harder than she meant to, and ended up startling herself. Next to her, Paul couldn't contain his snicker.

"Oh, shut up…" She started the car, remembering to jiggle the key as she turned so it would catch. The she threw it into reverse, backing all the way down the driveway before Paul spoke again.

"Go right."

"Like, your right as of right this second? Or right if you were facing the road head on?"

She saw him smirk out of the corner of her eye. "Maybe you should've let me drive."

Dakota turned and glared at him. Any friend of Sam's could kiss her entire ass. "Which fucking right, Paul?"

"Right if you were facing the road," he chuckled. "No need to be hostile."

She ignored him, instead choosing to hook her phone up to the radio and put on some music to avoid conversation. As she drove, the thundering of guitars and the familiar lyrics helped her calm down long enough to speak again.

"Are we close?" She turned the music down and glanced at him.

He looked shocked, eyebrows almost invisible under a mop of shaggy hair. "You listen to that?" He completely dodged her question.

"Yes, among other things—are we close?"

"Sam and Emily live on the other side of the Rez, near Third Beach," he rushed through his words like one would rush through a phone call with their mother. "What bands do you like?"

Dakota tried not to sigh aloud, navigating the winding roads through the reservation. She had an idea of how to get there, but if Paul didn't focus on where they were headed, they would end up driving around in circles forever.

"I'll make you a list," she barked, turning onto a side road that she remembered led to Third Beach. "But first we've gotta get to Sam's."

"Oh right, Sam's—turn left here, and follow the dirt road all the way back. It's the little red one."

Within a minute, they pulled up to the quaint little home. There was only one other car in the driveway, so she assumed they had beat everyone else there. She sat and stared at the home, wondering if Leah would've been inside if things had been different. It made her upset, seeing what could've been for her best friend.

Paul must've picked up on her dropped mood, because he reached over and squeezed her shoulder gently. Dakota tensed, but didn't say anything. He didn't speak, either, so her silence only seemed fitting.

"Do we just... walk in?" She finally broke the silence, still staring at the front door.

"Normally, yeah."

"How long do you think Leah will take?"

He shrugged. "Fuck if I know."

0o0

Two and a half hours. That was how long Leah took to get to Sam's, much to Dakota's dismay. For the first hour, she sat in the car, playing music from her phone and chain smoking. Paul had scrunched up his nose at the sight of her cigarettes, but she couldn't care less. He didn't have to sit with her in the car, but he chose to anyway. It wasn't her problem what he liked and didn't like. The two of them sat in smoky silence like that for a while, until Paul asked her for her name.

"Dakota," she answered tersely, staring at the cigarette between her fingers and willing her nausea away.

"I mean, your full name."

She gave him a funny look. "What does it matter?"

He had a deep gleam in his eyes as he spoke. "I need to know."

"What you need is to stop being so damn nosy and leave me in peace," she snipped.

"Not happening," he retorted, arms folded across his chest. "So you might as well tell me."

"You first," she challenged, not one to share with strangers without getting something in return. It wasn't a great quality, true, but it hadn't failed her yet.

"Paul Lahote. Now what's yours?"

She sighed heavily. Telling him her name wasn't really a huge deal either way, but he was obviously going to push the issue. "Dakota Moreno. Want to know my date of birth and blood type, too?"

"Well, I mean, if you're offering." He grinned at her, obviously pleased with himself.

"It was a rhetorical question, so no."

"I can see why you're friends with Leah," he noted.

"If you're gonna say something shitty about her, I suggest you stop right there."

He held up his hands in mock surrender. "Just observing. How did you two meet, anyway? I've never heard anything about you."

That hurt her feelings a bit, but she refused to take his bait. "We met at the Angry Feminist Bitch Convention in Seattle, and decided to be angry feminist bitch best friends."

To her surprise, Paul actually laughed. It was a warm, hearty laugh—and as much as she didn't want to think so, it was cute in its own right. She kept quiet, putting her cigarette out in the car ashtray and turning the music off on her phone. All she wanted to do was spend time with her best friend, and there she was, trapped in the driveway of a house belonging to a man she hated, one of his idiotic counterparts in the passenger seat beside her.

"Do you wanna go inside? I'm sure Emily would love to meet you."

"I've met Emily Young," she snapped. "And I think I'd rather sit in the car."

Paul was taken aback by the animosity in her voice. "Well, she's about to come outside, so either way you're going in."

As if on command, the front door swung open and Emily practically flounced outside. Leah might've been able to forgive her cousin, but the sight of her made Dakota even more sick to her stomach than she already was. When Leah had first told her what happened, it had taken every ounce of her self-control to keep from driving to the Makah reservation and telling Emily Young what a traitorous piece of shit she was.

"Dakota!" Emily called from the front porch, waving and smiling. "Come inside!"

The worst part about hating Emily Young was, undoubtedly, how genuinely sweet the woman was. "Fuck my life," Dakota groaned, returning the wave halfheartedly and turning to Paul. " I don't want to do this."

He just laughed again, getting out of the car and walking around the hood to open Dakota's door for her. "C'mon, let's go. It won't be that bad, I promise. Plus, I bet there's food."

She climbed out of the car, pausing long enough to shoot Leah a text:

Come the hell on, SOS. She's TALKING to me!

With a heavy sigh, she followed Paul to the porch. When Emily flung her arms around Dakota, she tried not to seem too standoffish and patted the woman's back politely.

"Come in, come in! I had no idea I'd be seeing you tonight, or I would've tidied up, so forgive the mess!"

Just as Dakota expected, the little home was absolutely spotless. The smell of something cooking wafted in from the kitchen, and on the short tour Emily gave her, she noticed there were three places set at the table. Didn't know I was coming, my ass, she thought bitterly. Leave it to Emily to be Martha Stewart Jr. in training, as if she couldn't get any more perfect.

"Are you hungry? I've got some burgers cooking if you'd like to eat with us!" Emily was trying so very hard, Dakota almost felt guilty for her dislike of the woman.

"Yeah, sure," she resigned, much to Emily and Paul's delight. "That sounds great."

"If you two want to just hang out in the living room while I finish up, I'll let you know when it's ready." Although Dakota knew better, she could've sworn she thought she saw Emily wink at Paul when she said it.

Reluctantly, she followed Paul into the living room, waiting for him to settle in on the couch before she perched herself at the opposite end. She didn't know what exactly was going on, but she didn't want to get mixed up in it.

They didn't speak the entire time Emily finished cooking, but Dakota could feel his eyes on her. She wanted to say something, anything, but felt that she'd be opening the door to a conversation she didn't want to have.

Thankfully, Emily called them from the kitchen with the news of food, and Paul was gone in a flash. Dakota followed slowly, genuinely considering stealing Leah's car and going to the Clearwater home alone. The thought of answering Sue's infinite questions was more appealing than having dinner at Sam Uley's house.

Still, she sat down at the table, absolutely horrified when Emily placed a plate of at least 40 burgers in front of her. Paul, however, wasn't at all surprised by the mountain of food, and piled six on his own place. Tentatively, Dakota grabbed a single burger and sat it in front of her.

"The boys eat a lot," Emily explained, taking one for herself. "So I always make a lot of food in case they drop by. I practically never have leftovers!"

Dakota nodded politely, watching Paul scarf down his food out of the corner of her yee. It was almost unnerving, the ferocity with which he ate. It was as if those burgers were his last meal, or his first in weeks—either situation applied.

"Paul," Emily chided, noting the mortified expression on Dakota's face. "We have a guest, you know."

He looked up from his place with such a look of confusion that Dakota couldn't stop herself from laughing aloud. Despite having a mouthful of food, he managed to grin back, his whole face alight.

"It's fine," she said to Emily, slowly eating her own burger. "I'm not shocked, after speaking with him."

"It's still disgusting," Emily said with a smile in her voice, obviously pleased the younger girl was speaking of her own volition. "But you get used to it."

Her retail voice came out again in the form of a chuckle, but that time Dakota knew how fake it was. The second Leah showed up, she wanted to get in the car and leave. She didn't like the way everything was making her feel there—angry, happy, vulnerable—and Emily's overbearing kindness had gotten old quickly.

"Aren't you gonna eat more than that?" Paul asked after she sat down her half-eaten burger, reaching for seconds himself.

She shook her head. "Not very hungry, really."

"Are you still on that medicine?" Emily inquired, a worried look on her scarred face. Dakota felt herself pale as she remembered that Emily was the one who brought Leah to visit her when she first got bad.

"A different one, but it's got pretty much the same side effects," she explained in a rushed murmur. "Loss of appetite and difficulty sleeping being the most notable."

"Medication for what?" Paul interjected, looking anxiously between the two of them.

"I have a third nipple—a genetic mutation," Dakota deadpanned. "I'm trying to kill the cells that compose it and the meds are harsh."

He glared at her. "Very funny. What's wrong?"

"I told you, I have a third nipple."

Before he had a chance to say something in return, the front door swung open and Sam charged in, flanked by Seth, the other two guys from the wedding, and lastly, Leah. Dakota practically sighed in relief at the sight of her best friend.

Almost instantaneously, the guys flocked to the food, making it very easy for Dakota to slip away from Paul and get to Leah.

"Can we leave?" She whispered, giving a pointed look in Paul's direction.

"Was he shitty to you?" Leah asked angrily, glaring at the massive man at the table. "I'll take him out."

"Not shitty—just weird. Like giving me googly eyes and asking me lots of questions, weird."

Leah paused and gave her friend a look that was eerily similar to the one Paul had given her when she first met him. "Like this?"

Dakota nodded, and Leah's face twisted in a mixture of fury and disgust. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

0o0

The entire ride back to the Clearwater home, Leah fumed silently. About what, Dakota couldn't say, but it was obvious the dark-haired girl was living about something. To make the silence less awkward, Seth chattered about the wedding from the back seat.

"…And the food—oh my god, the food. It was so good. There was this—"

"Seth! Shut the fuck up!" Leah shouted, cutting her brother off and whipping into the driveway of their home. He muttered something that sounded like an apology before slipping out of the car and walking ahead inside.

"Why are you so on edge?" Dakota blurted, unable to control herself. "He was just trying to ease the tension. You didn't have to yell at him."

Leah stared straight ahead, her body shaking slightly. "You don't get it, Kota. Everything I've ever cared about, it takes. I hate it. I can't escape it, either. It's everywhere I turn. It's not fair—I can't have anything to myself without it coming along and messing it up."

Dakota let her ramble on, not bothering to ask what she was talking about .Ever since her dad died, Leah was prone to outbursts of anger and other fiery emotions, often going on and on about seemingly nothing, never elaborating any farther than "it".

"You've got me, you grump," she joked, taking her best friend's hand. "And you couldn't run me off with a shitty mop."

At her kind teasing words, Leah's resolve cracked and she began sobbing. Dakota climbed out of the car and walked around, pulling Leah from her seat and taking her into a hug. "Everything's gonna be alright, and I'm not going anywhere."

Leah cried harder, her face buried in Dakota's shoulder. She said something between gasps, but it was muffled by the younger girl's shirt.

"What'd you say?"

Leah took a deep breath. "Don't let Paul hurt you," she demanded, still gasping. "Don't let him hurt you, please. I'll kill him, I swear I'll fucking kill him…"

"Shh," Dakota soothed. "Don't you worry about me. I'll be alright, Leah-Bean."

Somewhere in the distance, she heard a wolf howl, desperate and longing. Without another word, she rushed Leah inside.