Twilight and its characters belong to Stephenie Meyer and is no work of mine.

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Phases

Chapter One

"Kim?"

I looked up at Ms. Ayala, my English teacher, who stared at me expectantly.

"Right," I muttered, my eyes scanning the whiteboard for any possible clues as to what question she had asked. There! Written in sloppy writing was the question, "Who was Juliet?" Huh. Figures, really. The one time I decide that the class reading wasn't worth my time, she calls on me.

"Juliet," I started, struggling for the right words. My first initial reaction was to call Juliet an idiot, but for some reason, my mind drifted to my lifelong crush - who had been noticeably absent for the past two weeks.

Was Juliet pathetic? She had fallen in love with Romeo instantly… the same could also be said about me, though. So was I a Juliet? Waiting for the moment where Romeo would forget Rosaline and fall hopelessly in love with her? I wasn't sure if I was willing to impulsively die for love, though...

"Juliet… was reckless," I stated finally. "And an idiot. But love isn't easy and she was willing to die for the love of her life. So maybe she was noble." I paused, then added, "In her own way, of course."

Ms. Ayala raised a brow, but with a satisfied nod she continued her lecture.

"Overdramatic, much?" whispered Kenny, who rolled his eyes at me.

"I said she was noble."

I elbowed him in the side, earning a chuckle, before turning back to my spiral notebook. Glancing down at the name scribbled in the corner, I sighed before ripping it out and crushing the page in my palm.

Unlike my life, Shakespeare wasn't in charge of spontaneous declarations of love at first sight.

Maybe I was an idiot, too.

Of course his name was still visible on my paper; an indent from my pressured writing. My fingers traced every letter as I focused on the lecture.

Jared Najera.

The bell rang, signaling our lunch break.

Packing up my notebook and pencils, I stuffed them into my messenger bag and slung it over my right shoulder. Kenny waited patiently by the door, eyes roaming over the bulk of students in the hallway as I walked passed him. He quickly followed, falling into step beside me as we headed towards the cafeteria.

"I'm surprised your Najera Radar isn't on today," Kenny commented absentmindedly. He pulled out the chair for me before sitting down, then dug through his own backpack and whipped out his homemade pasta.

"Would you believe me if I said I officially packed the Najera box and stored it away for all of eternity?" He shot me a look. "Of course not," I sighed, unwrapping the grilled cheese I prepared this morning.

"He's been gone for… what, two weeks? That's an awful long time for someone with a cold," Kenny stated, chewing thoughtfully.

I shrugged.

Kenny and I, we've been best friends since eighth grade after an incident in gym. It was "Dodgeball Thursday" and he had been on the opposing team, and I caught the red ball that was intended to end my turn. He was a competitive one, that's for sure. Instantly called me a liar when I told him I caught the ball, because frankly, no one ever caught the "Kenny Ball" and lived.

Long story short—he still hasn't admitted he was wrong even three years later but I gained a best friend so who was I to complain? After that day, we were pretty much inseparable.

"Coming over today?"

"Only if you're going to cook again," I replied, remember the vegetarian pizza he made last week. My mouth watered involuntarily just thinking about it.

He mock-glared at me, poking my forehead. "Sometimes I wonder if you only like having me around because of my culinary skills."

"You're not THAT great of a cook." It was a lie, obviously. Kenny was amazing in the kitchen, one of his many talents.

"I'm wounded, really." The bell rang, interrupting our playful banter. Kenny stood up, stretching his legs. "Anyways, you have another class so I'll see you later. Bye Kimsey."

"Bye Kenny," I managed to reply, before struggling to get out of the death-trap called a hug.

I heard him laugh before walking away.

Das Residence (Kenny's Home)

"Are you sure you don't need a ride home, sweetie?"

"It's fine, Mrs. Das." I smiled, throwing on my jacket and wrapping my scarf around my neck. Kenny's mother treated me like her own daughter, and I couldn't have been more grateful. With my parents gone all of the time, I spent most of my time at Kenny's place with the exception of weekends. "My house is just a few blocks away."

"Well, if you're sure…" She still seemed skeptical, but she waved and gave me a tight hug. "I'll tell Kenny you left. Sorry that he fell asleep, poor boy's been studying nonstop these past few weeks."

"I understand," I replied, heading down the steps. "Have a good night, Mrs. Das."

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I really hated walking home alone.

Usually Kenny would walk me halfway, but that dimwit fell asleep on me… again. I laughed quietly to myself, remembering the look on his face as he completely knocked out after the first few minutes of "Click." Luckily I had my phone on hand, with proof that he talked in his sleep—let him try escaping that one.

I shivered, stuffing my hands in my pocket.

A small shuffling in the woods to my left made me freeze.

Usually I'm not the type of person to have irrational thoughts about monsters and ghosts, but with the recent sightings of large animals and disappearances lately - it really did a wonder on a girl's imagination. I was, of course, uselessly convincing myself that it was most likely a rabbit - but no matter how hard I tried, my feet would not move.

If this is how I was going to die, I probably deserved it.

I can see the headlines now: Kim Conweller mauled by wild animal due to fright.

The shuffling noise got closer, causing my heart to stop for brief second before the large silhouette of a man appeared. I sighed with relief. Sort of.

"Don't you dare, Ja—"

"I'm telling you, I smelled a bloodsu…" The deep voice came to a halt, and I felt a pair of eyes instantly land on me. "Never mind."

As if on cue, another man appeared from behind the rows of trees, a stern expression on his face. "Didn't I tell you how dangerous it was to be seeking them out on your own? Especially if you phased and accidentally—"

The first person cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Sam."

Sam… Sam Uley? There were horrible rumors about Sam circulating in La Push for the better part of last year after the incident with Emily Young. The reservation was a tight-knit community, so when you suddenly leave your long-time lover for said lover's cousin… well, people were bound to talk.

I wasn't much for gossip, so I took those rumors with a grain of salt.

'Sam' looked over at me as if I just magically appeared, then clamped his mouth shut.

"Hi," I managed to say awkwardly, rubbing my hands together for heat. "I'm sorry… for uh, interrupting your—sorry. I'll be on my way."

I cleared my throat to ease the tension, and tried to be on my way.

Keyword: Tried.

"Hey, you shouldn't be—" The man beside Sam said suddenly, most likely reaching for my arm. I moved further from his touch out of reflex.

"Jared," Sam suddenly called out, a hint of warning in his voice. "Your hand."

Jared? My head snapped over to the figure that moved in front of me, and my whole world stopped. Jared was here, Jared was here, Jared was here. My eyes finally adjusted to the darkness with the help of a nearby lamppost, and I felt my breath hitch.

He was absolutely gorgeous… even more so than before. While he still looked exactly the same, his features and visible muscles were more defined. His boyish and youthful features had been replaced with a defined nose and jaw, all noticeable baby-fat gone. All in all, he looked more - well - manly.

My eyes couldn't help but trail up to his face, wondering if it was still the same Jared I'd fallen in love with.

Our eyes met, and I lost myself in a hazel abyss.

Jared looked something akin to shocked, then his confused gaze turned calculating—then… understanding? "You…" he started, but was interrupted by a familiar voice.

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"Kim!"

I tore my eyes away from Jared's, turning around to see Kenny running towards me. "Why didn't you wake me up?" He asked, anger in his voice. "You know how dangerous it is to walk home by yourself at night? I thought we had a deal."

I suddenly felt guilty. "Well you were sleeping, and I didn't want to wake you."

"Jeez, Kim." He ruffled my hair and I swore I heard a growl, but Kenny's body blocked my view of the possible source. "Come on, let's get you home."

Kenny, who was oblivious to the two others, finally looked up. "Oh, hello. Is something wrong?"

"We were just patrolling," Sam answered, shooting a quick look at Jared who had remained eerily silent. "You folks have a good night, let's go Jared."

"Good night Sam… Jared," Kenny replied with a smile. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, leading me into the direction of my home. From the corner of my eye, I saw Sam and Jared speaking briefly before heading back into the woods. A part of me wanted to follow Jared; his sudden absence left an empty feeling in my stomach.

Kenny's arms tightened around me as he took a quick glance behind us.

"Did you see the size of those two? Amazing."

"Yeah, right?" I said quietly, wondering if I had imagined Jared's body trembling.

I shivered.

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That night I dreamed of wolves.