A/N: So, I figured that shorter chapters means shorter waits between updates, right? So that's why this chapter's short too. Also, it wouldn't normally take this long to write something this size; we're having a sort of 'pre-christmas family get together' at the moment.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters and all credit goes to Stephenie Meyer.


Jacob Black

So there I was, working away on my Rabbit, listening to the rain smash against the plastic roof of my falling apart garage, when an overly-cheerful, soaking wet Seth Clearwater pokes his head round the corner with a huge, eye-crinkling grin stretched across his face. Jeez, where'd that kid get all his optimism from? Certainly not Leah. I chuckled to myself at the thought of Leah's face wearing an honest to god smile.

"Hey Seth, what's up?" I said cheerfully, not in too bad a mood myself. Funny how the kid's eyes seemed to light up whenever I said his name. Huh, I must just have been imagining things.

"Oh, same old, same old. You know, Leah being a bitch and my mom not getting off my back and all that." He held up his fist and I tapped it with my own. What was that about Sue? I thought she'd told me she needed to plan Seth's surprise birthday party. Must be discussing it with the unfortunate subjects she had chosen to help make preparations, therefore wanting Seth out of the way. The date was still almost 3 weeks away, though.

"Yeah, well, no surprise there," I laughed. "I'd be worried about the balance of the universe if Leah started being nice!"

"Aw, she's not that bad."

"Hmm, I'll think about that one," I said, feigning a deep-in-thought look.

We both laughed. Although he annoyed the hell outta me occasionally, being around Seth was pretty fun and almost effortless. I always felt as though his cheery aura swelled to engulf everyone around him. And he was a good kid – there's no denying that – it's just a shame he looked up to me. I was no role model, but at least I took some consolation from the fact that there was certainly no way I could've influenced him that much, else he'd definitely be nowhere near as kind and pure as he was.

I suddenly found myself remembering how we'd been put together as toddlers, like Rachel, Rebecca and Leah, whilst our dads were out fishing and our moms were chatting, and how that had grown into our brotherly relationship as slightly older children. I had ended up having the responsibility of helping Seth through all the difficult stages of childhood that only a slightly older child than yourself could empathize with and help you to overcome. I could clearly recall one such occasion…

"What's wrong, Seth?" I asked. He looked scared.

"It's nothing," he said, shaking his head.

"Don't worry," I comforted, curious as to what had him looking so shaken, "I won't tell anybody."

"You promise?"

"I promise," I said, smiling.

"Well, you know Erik Hudman? He's in your class, I think," He didn't give me a chance to reply before continuing. "I saw him… kissing Lance Delvecchio's girlfriend behind the school on Tuesday, and he said if I told anyone, he'd find me and beat me up."

"Seth," I laughed, though he honestly seemed upset…

I'd comforted him and then given him the obvious answer: don't tell anybody. Neither of us had seen the point in relationships back then – I'd been in fifth grade, for crying out loud – and I snickered silently to myself, remembering how there'd actually been a fight between the two boys when Lance had found out. To be honest, so much fuss over a girl still seemed utterly stupid to me. But then again, no girl had ever caught my interest. I mean, don't get me wrong, no guy had either. I wondered if I should've found a girl I like by now – I'd just turned sixteen.

"So, it was your birthday last week?" Seth asked, somehow on exactly the same page as me. "16…Wow. I guess I should start calling you gramps," he teased, being only one year younger than me himself.

"If I'm old, you're so middle-aged," I retorted, fueling the banter to keep it light.

"Cool, can I have a mid-life crisis?"

"Sure, Seth, anything you want." I cringed ever so slightly when he seemed to explode with happiness at my words. Way to keep it light – I was already plunging deep into thought. Maybe no girls caught my eye because I was gay. Maybe I was even so – I couldn't force myself to think the word, it wasn't true – that I was attracting guys to me, that I was attracting Seth to me. No, I was crazy. Seth thought of me as a brother, nothing more, as did I him.

"Er, so, did you have anything in mind you wanted to do today? Pretty limited choices though, considering it might as well be Niagara Falls pouring down out there." He seemed to process that I felt a bit awkward, though I doubted he had the faintest clue why.

"Um, hmm…" he deliberated. "Well, I don't mind staying here."

"No, no, Seth," I said quickly, "you'll get bored. Let's see… My dad's up in Forks with Charlie, so the house is empty. We could watch a movie?"

"Sure," he said enthusiastically, and something about the idolizing way he looked at me made me think he'd agree to anything I suggested. I got up, knocking a few tools over in all my glorious clumsiness, and smoothly pulled the rubber band from my hair. Seth practically gawked at me, making me feel a bit uncomfortable.

What had brought one this change in behavior? He'd started acting like this a couple of weeks ago: staring right into my eyes whenever I was looking at him, blushing whenever I commented on something he was wearing, his eyes lighting up whenever I said his name. And the worst part was, it reminded me of the look of unrequited love on a girl's face in some pathetic romance. After three days of this, he'd begun ignoring me and avoiding me, quite unsubtly I might add, right up until today. The only reason I hadn't brought it up was because I'd missed him. I mean, sure, Quil and Embry were my best friends, but I'd known Seth since the day he was born.

"You know the way," I said to him, gesturing towards the short dirt path that wound across the lawn up to my old, rustic-looking house.

"Right," he replied absently, as if his mind were elsewhere. Odd, he could've made any number of sarcastic comments in response.

He led the way across the back yard, through the door, straight through the kitchen and sat down on the tattered couch in my living room. I expected him to say something, so I hadn't been looking directly at him, but when the silence became long enough to count as awkward, I looked up. I was shocked by the vacant look in his eyes, glazed over like I would imagine the eyes of someone who had stared at the same spot for thousands of years. But I suspected that he was just thinking, and so I let him.

After the longest five minutes of my life, his eyes refocused on me.

"So, what film?" I asked. His expression was uncomprehending. "What movie did you want to watch?" I pronounced each word slowly, trying not to sound as if I were talking to someone mentally challenged.

"Oh, um…" He got up, strode the width of the room and pointed to a DVD, seemingly at random.

I pulled it off the rack. "This?" I questioned skeptically, holding a copy of Shrek 2 in my left hand. But then again Seth seemed young and innocent, bright and bubbly enough to be into that sort of thing.

He shrugged before reseating himself on the couch. Something was up, but if he wanted to talk about it, he'd have brought it up by now. I sighed quietly to myself, but put on the DVD. It played loudly, but I knew that neither of us was paying attention to it. I had my eyes closed, hoping for sleep, as I was strangely tired. But I could feel eyes boring into me, and my suspicions were confirmed as I peeked from under my heavy lids. Seth was gazing intently at my face with his warm, chocolate eyes. I couldn't describe the way he looked at me: a cross between a mother whose child has just been elected president and an atheist in the presence of an angel. Surely it must just be the dim lighting of my living room playing tricks on my eyes. I banished the thoughts and drifted off to sleep.

In a universe of swirling greys that painted a dull monotone of emptiness, a flash of colors, smells, and sensations suddenly burst from a warm, chocolate eye. The infinite expanse was shot through with vivid neon ribbons and sheets of luminosity. They faded, but only to reveal a beautiful tapestry of solid color: reds, blues, yellows, greens, purples, oranges, pinks, browns, golds, silvers – every imaginable shade dancing before me. And the smells wafting through my body were easily recognizable as honey, apples, and roses. These were the most exquisite scents my nostrils had ever embraced. I noticed my arms were curled before me, around a warm, soft, silky smooth body. I looked down, but before I could see who the angel in my grasp was, everything I could see, smell, and feel was seized from me just as quickly as it had appeared.

I awoke, confused and disorientated. The dream was so wonderful, so glorious, and it had all been taken away from me in the heart-wrenching moment in which I woke up. My eyes felt wet, and I reached up to find tears streaming down my cheeks. Since when did I ever cry?

I paid more attention to where I was. I was still in my living room, but it was dark now. The DVD was not playing anymore, and Seth was nowhere to be seen. I stretched, feeling the stiffness in my joints; I must've been out for a long time. Just to confirm, I pulled out my phone and it read 3 am. Three? I had been sleeping for twelve hours!

Obviously, I couldn't go back to sleep. I was certainly not tired anymore. But, man, was I hungry! Not just hungry either… I was freaking starving. I made a bee line for the kitchen, slamming light switches as I went. I practically ripped the fridge door off its hinges, and then raided its contents.

About halfway through my second pack of sliced turkey, I became aware of a shape in the doorway. Billy was staring at me with an amused expression painted onto his leathery features. I backed away slowly from the now almost empty fridge in extreme embarrassment. What on earth had come over me? Why had I just severely depleted our food supplies in a spur of the moment pang of hunger?

Billy studied my face carefully, seemingly waiting for me to say something, but my throat was closed up with humiliation. But finally he decided to speak. "Don't look like that, Jacob. I know what you're going through and I understand."

I was confused. "What do you mean?" I choked out, still embarrassed.

"I can't say anything to you yet – I shouldn't. But you'll find out soon enough. And I truly am sorry for that." Well that certainly cleared things up. I wanted to demand that he tell me what on earth he was rambling on about, but I couldn't find my voice again. And he had already begun wheeling himself back to his bedroom.

I had no idea what to do. I stood there motionless, praying for answers. Answers to why I was feeling tired and hungry for no reason. Answers to why Billy was being so cryptic but wise at the same time. And answers to why Seth was looking at me like I was the best person in the world.

Seth.

Where was Seth now? Was he home safe? Wait, why did it matter to me where he was? And why did I feel the faintest of tugs in my chest when I thought his name?

So many questions and so few answers.


A/N: Again, not much happened and I'm sorry if things seem to happen for no reason. But some interesting stuff is not too many chapters away! To those who review, I love you all!