My wonderful readers and reviewers! The virus is now off my computer and I can submit chapters now! However, it can't be as often as I'd like because we don't have Wi-Fi in my house anymore because of the bills. Originally supposed to be 24.99$ a month, it came to be 60$ instead. So we cut it off. Anyways, Science fair projects are OVER (I got third place!) and I have some free time left on my hands. So, I'm going to continue writing on FF because quite frankly I miss the place.

Here's the first official chapter of Hanging in the Balance! (Ps: The first chapter wasn't a dream, it was a prologue.)

"Breathe, baby girl, breathe. It's okay, we're not going to be late; not with you driving. We're going to make it to the appointment on time, and have them find the perfect dress, okay? Relax and slow the heck down, you're giving me a heart attack!"

I glared at my brother Austin in the back seat of my car. He'd been complaining since I'd hit the freeway and I'd sped up the car just a little bit. Beside him was his girlfriend, Leah Clearwater, who was also a member of my pack. Leah and I are the only female werewolves in La Push, both in the same pack, but not exactly the same kind of wolf. Where she was small and fast, I was huge and strong, having just enough speed to catch up to her when I really tried. She had imprinted on my brother, meaning that they were soul mates and probably getting married soon. However, not as soon as me.

That's right! I'm getting married to the sweetest, hottest, and greatest guy I've ever met, who also just so happens to be my life-long best friend and my soul mate. Jacob Black and I have known each other since we were in diapers, having lived in La Push all our lives on the Quileute reservation. Right now, I was driving to a bridal shop for my appointment to try on dresses to find the right one for me. (Picture will be on my profile soon.)

"Shut up, Austin," I told him from the front seat. "Be thankful I even brought you along and didn't just take Leah for hours and hours until she had to go home and you wouldn't get to see her. Now that would be evil."

Beside me in the passenger seat, my father chuckled. Just turned 45 years old, he looked as though he were in his early or mid-thirties, with dark brown hair, dark eyes, and tan skin that didn't have even the slightest wrinkle. He used to smile a lot more, but ever since my mother died, seeing him smile genuinely had turned into a rare occasion. But he'd been smiling more now that my wedding day was coming. In three days to be exact.

I know what you're all thinking: Why would you wait until the last minute to find a wedding dress? It's practically the most important thing for a wedding! Well, to be honest, when it comes to wedding dresses and stuff like that, I'm pretty easy to please. And besides, I'm on a tight budget; nothing over 1,300$. But I'm not too worried about the dress; I'm more worried about the wedding ceremony, the reception, the honeymoon—everything except the dress.

"Ah, we're here! Let's go." I shut off the engine and hopped out of my car, key fobbing the doors locked. We all entered the bridal shop and looked around at the dresses that were on display before coming to sit down in one of the waiting rooms. I was jittery and excited and nervous about my appointment, wondering what dress I was going to find.

After about fifteen minutes of waiting, a woman dressed in black business attire with blond hair came up to us with a smile on her face. "Hello! I'm Donna, and I'll be helping you today. So, who's my bride?" she asked in a cheery voice.

I raised my hand shyly. "Me. I'm Serenity."

Donna smiled. "Hello, Serenity! Tell me a little about yourself and then who you've brought her today with you."

"Well, my name is Serenity White. I'm eighteen years old and getting married to my life-long best friend, Jacob Black. The wedding is in… three days," I whispered the last part, but I knew by Donna's expression the she heard it.

"Three days? That's a really short amount of time! Why did you wait until now?"

I shrugged. "Well, because I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to things like this."

Donna nodded for me to continue. "I brought with me today my father, Andrew." Dad nodded in greeting. "My older brother, Austin." Austin shook Donna's hand. "And his girlfriend and my friend, Leah." Leah smiled politely.

"Well, a small party; that makes things easier for us. How about mom?" Donna asked me.

We all visibly stiffened, but I answered her anyway. "I lost my mom in a car accident eleven years ago."

Donna tried to retreat from the touchy subject. "Oh, I'm sorry about that. Well, why don't you tell me about your preferences? Do you prefer lace, no lace, bling, no bling, ball gown, mermaid gown, fitted not fitted—the works."

"Well, I'd like some lace, a little bit of bling, um…not a ball gown, but something smaller than a ball gown and possibly strapless. Oh, and I'm not opposed to bohemian style stuff, either," I added.

Donna said, "One last thing; what's your budget?"

"Thirteen hundred, no more than that."

And with that, Donna and I went straight to the sales racks. I went through rack after rack after rack of white wedding dresses, some with little spots of color, but mostly full white. I pulled a few out, some that I thought looked really pretty, while Donna already had a stack. She called me into a dressing room and helped me change out of my floral printed sun dress—crazy to wear for this kind of weather, I know—and into the first wedding dress.

The dress was very beautiful, with the lace on the strapless bodice and some bling on it as well. It had a short train in the back and billowed slightly away from me as I walked out to the catwalk where my family was waiting. They gasped and clapped as I walked onto the catwalk in front of the mirror to get a better look at myself—as conceited as that sounds.

It flattered me in all the right places, but it didn't give me that flutter in my stomach that tells me that this was my dress. Besides, it was only the first dress; I still had plenty more to try on.

"So," Donna said, "What do you guys think?"

"You look gorgeous, Serenity!" Leah burst out.

"Um, I think you should try on some more dresses," muttered Austin. "Maybe one with more coverage." He gestured to his shoulders, indicating how his were covered and mine were bare. I rolled my eyes.

"Daddy?" I asked.

He was sitting quietly and seemed to be calculating how I looked. He looked the way I felt, like it wasn't giving him that emotional overdrive that should be sending him to tears at seeing his little girl in her wedding dress about to get on with her life.

"I don't think it's the one," he said, shaking his head. I nodded my head in agreement.

"Serenity, what's on your mind, dear?" Donna looked at my face in the mirror.

"It just feels like…something's missing," I confessed. "I don't have the flutter in my stomach, and I feel like someone's missing, too." I turned from the mirror to see three smiling faces looking at me. I was confused until I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder.

The hand belonged to my Grandfather. My Uncle Ian was right behind him. I yelped in surprise and happiness, hugging them both tightly. "You're here! Oh, my goodness! I didn't think you guys would make it!"

Originally, I'd invited both of them to my appointment, but they said they couldn't go. I'd been really bummed about it, so having them here was really nice and made everything happier than before.

"You didn't really believe I'd miss Serena's girl getting into a hundred wedding gowns, did you?" Uncle Ian said. Uncle Ian is my mom's younger brother. He's married and has a baby with his wife over in California. He moved from La Push about a year before my mom's accident and hasn't forgiven himself since. Grandfather also lived in California, but Grandmother had died when I was eleven, so he lived by himself with visits from Uncle Ian to keep him company.

You're probably wondering what the deal is with my dad's parents—or if you weren't, then you are now. See, my grandmother was glad that my dad had gotten married with my mom because she was Quileute. Both of them, I mean. My grandfather was American—full American. I have no idea how he came to marry my grandmother. My grandfather wanted my dad to marry a—and these are his words, not mine—"white girl" like he should've. It was an argument that tore my grandparents apart. My grandmother got fed up with his issues and filed for a divorce.

They got a divorce and my grandfather left. For a while they lived with her, to keep her company, but then after they got married they moved into the house we live in now. Grandma got lonely, but Mom and Dad called often and kept them updated on Austin and, eventually, me. They took me to meet her when I was about two and then when I turned six. When my mother died, both my Grandfather and Grandma stayed to keep an eye on us for a couple months, and when we seemed alright and I had finally stopped crying a river, they left. Grandma was crying with me for the first week, but she quieted many, many weeks before I did.

She lives happily in Arizona, soaking up rays of sunshine and getting even tanner. I invited her to my wedding, so I hope she will come.

"Grandfather, I was just going to go back into the dressing room to try on another dress. This was the first one, but not the one I wanted. So I'll be right back, okay?" Seeing his nod of agreement, I turned and took Donna's outstretched hand to help me down from the catwalk.

We walked into the dressing room and out on the second dress. This one had spaghetti straps and a fitted bodice that hugged my figure in all the right places. There were swirls of lace patterned on the bodice as well, and a heart-shaped neckline.

"Wow, Serenity," Donna said as she moved my thick, ankle-length hair out of the way of the zipper, "You've got really long hair!"

"Yeah. I know," I said with a eye roll.

We walked out and I once again took my place on the catwalk. It looked nice, but compared to the first one, I liked the first one better. My audience gave me praise, but still didn't approve of it. I donned several other dresses, and I was starting to lose faith that I would even find one, until I tried on one of the last few dresses. It literally took my breath away.

It was a spaghetti-strapped number that fit perfectly right on my waist, my chest, and my abdomen. It had swirly patterns of pearls on its bodice like the second one and flowed billowishly down to the floor where even the slightest movement made it seem like a wind-machine was blowing at it. It was perfect and it was giving me butterflies. I looked up as if I could see my mom gazing down on me and telling me, "This is your dress, baby. This is the one. Take it."

I went to the catwalk and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I looked and felt like a bride on my wedding day, walking down the aisle. The silence behind me caused me to turn around. The reactions were all the same, but I was left staring intently at Grandfather, Dad, and Uncle Ian. Because they were staring intently at me, too.

"I love this dress. What do you think? Leah?" I asked.

"Wow, you look so…. Wow. Like a bride on her wedding day," Leah said in a hushed voice. Since having imprinted on my brother, she has been nicer and less of a b**th to everyone. Especially to Austin.

I smiled and moved on to Austin. "What do you think, bro?"

"It looks… perfect. I absolutely think it's the one." Austin's smile was one of older brotherly pride.

"Daddy?"

He didn't say anything for a while. "It's perfect. I agree with Austin. It's got to be the one."

"Uncle Ian?"

"Believe me when I say you're a spitting image, kiddo. It's your dress," he said, shaking his head as if to clear it.

"It all comes down to you, Grandfather. I really think mom would want me to buy this dress," I confessed. Embarrassingly, tears began to slide down my cheeks and I reached up quickly to wipe them away. "Oh, here come the water works," I laughed tearfully.

"You look exactly like your mother on her wedding day, Serenity. Absolutely ravishing in that dress and glowing with happiness. Your mother would very much want you to buy this dress. It is the one. End of discussion." Grandfather smiled at me and nodded.

"So," Donna said, "Is this your dress?"

"Yes, absolutely; this is my dress," I laughed. Cheers erupted from my family and we all hugged. Donna took me to the dressing room where I changed back into my floral print dress and bagged up the wedding dress. She took it to the cash register and rang it up, the numbers 1250$ showing up on the computer screen. I handed her a check from my checkbook and she started working behind the desk.

We finally left the bridal shop with my dress in a giant black bag, which we stuffed in the trunk. Uncle Ian had driven in his car with Grandfather, so I told him to meet up with me at our house. I was in such a good mood that I turned on the radio and sang along with it for the entire two-hour ride home from Seattle to Portland to finally La Push.

I parked in my driveway, hopped out of the car, and gave a little shriek when I was snagged from behind by my waist. I hit my fiancée in the shoulder as he chuckled at my shriek.

"Jacob! You scared me!" I accused him with a glare. But I couldn't hold that glare for long before it melted into a loving gaze.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Jacob apologized with a kiss on my lips. I smiled against his lips as I leaned in closer. The simultaneous slam of five car doors broke us apart, but I winked at Jacob before I turned to face them.

"So how did the appointment go? Did you find a dress?" Jacob asked me. I came around to the trunk and opened it, taking out the bag and shaking it a little to answer his question.

"Yes I did, and it's absolutely perfect. But you can't see it until I see you at the altar in the chapel," I tell him, a teasing smile on my face. Jacob pretended to pout, but I just rolled my eyes. "Let's go inside, I gotta make dinner."

We all complied, shuffling into our cozy house and making ourselves at home. I ran upstairs to leave the dress in my closet and then ran back down into the kitchen to make dinner. While cooking, I couldn't help but think about tomorrow. Tomorrow would've been my mother's thirty-ninth birthday. Since the day she died, I have gone to the cemetery on her birthday every year and went to my mother's grave to leave a bouquet of carnations before her gravestone and talk to her. I would talk to her for hours as if she were sitting right in front of me and listening to every word I said.

Extremely warm arms wrapped around my waist from behind me as I chopped at some peppers to make spaghetti. I leaned backward into the backwards embrace and sighed happily.

"I take it from the way you're not even looking at the pepper you're slicing while slicing it that you're thinking of tomorrow. Correct me if I'm wrong." Jacob's breath was warm at my ear, making me shiver involuntarily.

"You're… not wrong," I told him, pausing as the heat of his face, which he'd buried in my hair, warmed my neck.

I knew he noticed that he'd distracted me because of what he did next. He blew his hot breath down my neck. "Mmhmm."

I closed my eyes and stretched my neck to the side, sighing a little. There was tension in my neck and shoulders, so what he was doing felt good; way better than I'd admit to him. It might be too much for his ego to take; cough cough. "Babe, no don't do that…" He started nipping at my neck a little. "No, seriously, don't do that. We have people here, and unlike your house, I don't have a wall blocking the kitchen from view," I protested.

He ignored me, seeming not to care if we were caught. I groaned softly at his stubbornness. But I had to smile nonetheless because this hunk of stubbornness was mine. And in three days, even the law will say so. "Babe, really, please stop, I'm trying to cook!" I laughed. He finally let off, laughing with me.

"Okay, okay, I surrender. So what are you making?" Jacob looked at the pot of boiling noodles on the stove, the tomato sauce in the jar, and the meat cooking in another pot as I continued chopping the peppers.

"Spaghetti. You wanna taste?"

Jacob's eyes lit up, but he knew I was teasing. That didn't mean he wasn't hopeful. "Sure, why not? But maybe later. I'm in the mood to just… be with you. I haven't seen you all day, and it's already six o'clock in the evening. Hours away from you make me twitchy and nervous. Imagine what days without you would make me," he chuckled humorlessly.

I nodded in agreement. "You would be a mess." Jacob glared playfully at me. I smiled at him lovingly. "But you'd be my mess." I kissed him sweetly before returning to my chopping. He sighed and rested his chin on my shoulder, watching me as I rapidly minced pepper after pepper.

"How do you do that so fast without cutting yourself?" He asked after a while.

"Practice," I replied, mincing two at a time to emphasize. I heard him mutter something under his breath. And it sounded suspiciously like "show-off." Hmm. I'd be having some words with him later for that...

"Are you wondering if your grandmother might come, too?" Jacob asked me. In truth, I had been wondering about it, but not right at that second. So I shrugged by way of answer. He shook his head on my shoulder, making his chin dig into it. I made a sound of indignation and hitched that shoulder up, knocking his chin with my bone. The audible sound of snapping jaws was oddly satisfying.

"If you aren't gonna help, then go to the living room so I can get something done over here," I told him. He rolled his eyes, but complied nonetheless, rubbing his jaw when he thought I wasn't looking. I sighed and shook my head affectionately. I looked up at the window above the sink right next to me, still chopping peppers.

I nearly screamed at what I saw. In the window, distorted by the dirt and grime on it, was a face as pale as paper and hair as black as the night behind it. The only things I could see clearly were the eyes, which were trained on me so maliciously that I would never forget them. When I'd looked up I hadn't stopped mincing, so when I'd gotten scared, I'd actually sliced my own finger. Not off, of course, but I had sliced a long line into my forefinger.

"Ouch!" I cried out and looked down as blood started pouring from my cut. And when I looked up again a second later, the face was gone. As if it'd never been there at all. Jacob was by my side in an instant, taking my bleeding hand into his and inspecting it.

The rest of them trailed in behind him worriedly, crowding around me and making inspections of their own. Through all of this, Uncle Ian came up with a Band-Aid, anti-septic spray, and a dark colored towel. He pushed his way through the crowd and abruptly sprayed my finger with the anti-septic spray without a word.

"Ow!" I yelped, irritated by his brisk manner. I mean, seriously, I just cut open my finger and all he does is put a stinging spray on it? Talk about rude. But I know he's just doing what everyone else should have—at least in his eyes—done. I clutched my finger to my chest and glared at him through narrowed eyes. Uncle Ian just stood there calmly, ignoring Jacob, who was also glaring at him beside me. Finally, I just thrust my finger toward him to he could put the Band-Aid on it.

When he finished he raised his eyebrows at me as if to say, You gonna thank me, or what?

"Thanks, Uncle Ian." Thanks for spraying my finger with that venom-in-a-bottle and making it sting even more!

"No problem, kiddo. You just have to be more careful in the kitchen. I'm pretty sure those peppers are inedible now, so I'll just throw them out." And so saying, he did so. With me glaring at his back.

"Well, I had an excuse to have cut myself!" I said without thinking. I clamped my hand on my mouth, shaking my finger when I felt the sting of the cut. In a few hours it would heal completely, but until then it would still hurt.

"What excuse would that be?" Jacob crossed his arms and looked at me in concern. I swallowed before looking at the window. Imagining the face with large dark eyes staring at me in the window made the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up. I shuddered all over just thinking about it.

"I saw… something out the window. A face, all white like paper, and really dark hair. The eyes… they looked so… evil and they were just staring at me like that, like… I don't know, I can't describe it, but it was so scary. I think I actually stopped breathing." A breathy laugh escaped my lips.

We were all silent, contemplating what I'd said. On impulse, I looked up at Grandfather, a question in my eyes. Is it one of them? My eyes asked.

He didn't answer my unspoken question. And, of course, being me, I took his silence as an answer. I could feel the blood drain from my face, and saw Dad and Leah and Jacob watch me blanch. I silently turned and drained the pasta noodles of water in the sink. Then I added the sauce to the meat and put them on the counter, reaching into cupboards and bringing out plates and cups. I served one plate, then another, and then another until they each took one.

We sat at the table and ate in almost silence, occasionally talking to each other and then eating again. I noticed how often my eyes kept flickering to the window all through dinner, and Jacob probably noticed, too because when I was next in line to wash my dishes, he offered to wash them for me. I sat down on the couch in the living room, intending to stay for a while, but getting sent to bed after yawning just once.

I thumped around upstairs, changing into my usual tank top and shorts, brushing my teeth, braiding my ankle-length hair after taking it out of my messy bun, and climbing into bed after saying good night. I waited about an hour until everyone was long gone and heading into their rooms to climb out of bed and unlock the window. I had only been in bed for five minutes before Jacob opened the window and climbed into my room. Locking it firmly behind him, he climbed into bed next to me and held me close.

"Just go to sleep, babe. You need as much as you can get. The wedding's in only three—no, two days. Tomorrow Emily and Leah are taking you out in the morning until four, and then the pack is coming to get me. Then the night before the wedding I'm not allowed to come here at night. We need to spend as much time with each other as we can," Jacob whispered huskily in my ear.

"And then we get married and go on our two week only honeymoon. It kinda sucks that it's limited, huh?" I turned to him under the blankets to see his expression.

He brought his face closer to mine, our noses touching. "I guess. I mean, if you say so," he answered.

I pulled my face back slightly, smirking and arching an eyebrow. Jacob rolled his eyes, looking slightly embarrassed. "Well, I guess I do think it sucks. But I wouldn't admit that in your house, under your father's roof, especially when I'm in his daughter's bed."

I laughed softly, pressing my lips to his. His response was immediate, his hand appearing behind my head, tugging me closer. In turn, my hands tangled themselves in his hair, trying to get as close to him as possible. I caught his bottom lip between my teeth and gently tugged. A growl, low and possessive, escaped his lips as he crushed his lips back to mine. The depth of my own response unnerved me slightly, but I was too far gone in sensation to care. His scent filled my senses, drowning out everything else as hot, tingling sensations spread out through my body.

We probably wouldn't even have stopped if we hadn't heard the muted thuds of pillows hitting the floor after we accidentally pushed them off the bed. For several heartbeats, we just panted in each other's faces in the darkness. I leaned my forehead against Jacob's, kissing his lips once more before sitting up to retrieve the pillows.

Stuffing them under our heads, I plopped down beside him, stomach down. His arm curled around my waist under the covers. I turned my head in his direction.

"Maybe we should save that for after the wedding," I suggested. I don't have the slightest idea how I kept a straight face while saying that, but I managed it. Even in the dark I could see his face darkening with embarrassment. But I just kissed his nose, put my arm around his torso, and closed my eyes. "I love you."

A pair of scorching lips kissed my forehead. "I love you too."

We both fell asleep quite quickly after that.

So, what do you think? I hope you guys like it! Took me three days to get this done, due to time shortage, but I finished it! Please review, I would love to know what y'all think, especially since I haven't heard from you guys in such a long time, like you haven't heard from me. Until now.

Review!

Ciao!

~Alee V.