Meeting Bella

Still don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does, yada yada yada, please review, this is the final chapter.

When we got to the beach, a small group of people -including one dark-haired girl who looked familiar- was just arriving back from the rock pools. Some other kids were sitting around the campfire, heaps of girls obviously wearing shoes far too stupid to wear rock-walking, and two boys who didn't look all too happy to be remaining with them. They were all a few years older than me, seniors probably. A bit younger than Sam too. That didn't seem to bother him as it did me, he just ambled right on over and introduced himself, Embry, Quil, Jessica and I while we followed him and sat on the stones. The girl that looked familiar looked up when she heard Jessica and my names. Then I recognized the face. Isabella Marie Swan, just moved back in with her dad from Phoenix. Billy was really excited, and I was too when we got rid of the rusty monster to Charlie. Now I could work on the Rabbit.

The food was being passed around by an annoying-looking boy called Mike. He looked at Bella a lot. I wanted to talk to her, but she was busy thinking deeply by the look of it. While we were eating, the sun suddenly disappeared behind a cloud. People walked to the water to have pitiful attempts at skipping stones. Mike and another stupidly-dressed girl left to visit our one shop, the one Quil lives over. Jessica and a couple of the other girls from our reservation joined them, and Embry and a couple of the other kids went on another hike to the rock pools. By that time everyone had left except for the meanest, and stupidest looking girl, another boy, Quil, Sam, me and Bella. The girl and boy were fiddling with the CD player and Quil was still arguing with Sam. I decided to take the chance to talk to Bella. As I sauntered over, I watched her assess my face. It was very obvious she liked it. I wasn't sure why that sent shivers up my spine. I decided to start with a friendly greeting.

"You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?"
She looked disappointed.
"Bella," she sighed.
"I'm Jacob Black." I reached out to shake her hand. "You bought my dad's truck."
"Oh." Now she looked relieved. I wondered why. "You're Billy's son. I probably should remember you."
I didn't want her to feel bad! I could be making a new friend! "No, I'm the youngest of the family – you would remember my older sisters," I said hurriedly.
"Rachel and Rebecca," she remembered. "Are they here?" She peered over to the water's edge.
"No," I shook my head. "Rachel got a scholarship to Washington State, and Rebecca married a Samoan surfer – she lives in Hawaii now."
"Married. Wow." she looked really surprised, I wondered why. Then I remembered. She would be about 17 now and the twins were only just past 18. She must be shocked at the early marriage, and probably disgusted. She knew that early marriage didn't always work out so well, her parents were proof of that.
I decided to change the subject. "So how do you like the truck?" I asked.
"I love it. It runs great." she replied happily.
"Yeah, but it's really slow," I laughed. "I was so relieved when Charlie bought it. My dad wouldn't let me work on building another car when we had a perfectly good vehicle right there."
"It's not that slow," Bella objected.
"Have you tried to go over sixty?" I asked skeptically.
"No," she admitted.
"Good. Don't." I grinned. Bella smiled back.
"It does great in a collision," she told me.
"I don't think a tank could take out that old monster," I agreed with another laugh. I was laughing so much today! It felt good, right.
"So you build cars?" Bella asked interestedly.
"When I have spare time, and parts. You wouldn't happen to know where I could get my hands on a master cylinder for a 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit?" I joked. I actually did need one, but it was practically a joke anyway, the likelihood that she would know what I was talking about.
"Sorry," she laughed, "I haven't seen any lately, but I'll keep my eyes open for you."
I flashed her an impressive smile, and took in her replying one. Man, she was good-looking. I looked her over appreciatively.

The girl with the CD player distracted me with a question –"You know Bella, Jacob?"
In an attempt to distract her –she was obviously into me, I knew that tone of voice- I laughed, "We've sort of known each other since I was born," and smiled at Bella, to show who I preferred.
"How nice," the girl's eyes narrowed. "Bella," she called. "I was just saying to Tyler that it was too bad none of the Cullens could come out today. Didn't anyone think to invite them?"
"You mean Dr. Carlisle Cullen's family?" asked Sam.
I groaned internally. Not this again.
"Yes, do you know them?" the girl asked.
"The Cullens don't come here." Sam's voice rang with finality.

Bella looked confused, and stared out into the forest. Trying to win back her attention, I asked jokingly, "So is Forks driving you insane yet?"
"I'd say that's an understatement," she grimaced. I grinned at her, yes, she was attentive again!
Suddenly she had a major change in expression. She looked like the girl had before! This was going well.
"Do you want to walk down the beach with me?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes. This was not how Billy had said Bella was, but I liked it! I jumped up immediately to join her.

The sky darkened again and raindrops began to fall. Bella shoved her hands in her jacket pockets and asked, "So you're what, sixteen?" with a flutter of her eyelids this time.
"I just turned fifteen," I told her, flattered.
"Really?" I was pleased that she sounded surprised. "I would have thought you were older."
"I'm tall for my age," I explained, while wishing I really was that old.
"Do you come up to Forks much?" Bella asked hopefully.
"Not too much," I frowned, wishing I had a better answer. "But when I get my car finished I can go up as much as I want – after I get my license."
"Who was that other boy Lauren was talking to?" –ah, so the ugly girl was Lauren- "He seemed a little old to be hanging out with us."
"That's Sam – he's nineteen." I informed her.
"What was that he was saying about the doctor's family?" Bella asked.
I groaned inside me again, but worked to make my tone friendly. I hated those old legends.
"The Cullens? Oh, they're not supposed to come onto the reservation." I looked away, over to James Island, and tried to keep my expression under control.
"Why not?"
Why, oh why, couldn't we talk about something else?!
"Oops. I'm not supposed to say anything about that." Nor do I want to!
"Oh, I won't tell anyone, I'm just curious," Bella said. I wondered if she meant her voice to be so convincing.
But at least it was a chance to impress her. I lifted one eyebrow and asked ominously, "Do you like scary stories?" in my huskiest voice.
"I love them," Bella enthused.
I strolled casually to a nearby driftwood tree with spider-leg roots and sat on the bottom of it. Bella joined me on an even lower part of the tree. I smiled. I was going to make this good.
"Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from – the Quileutes, I mean?" I asked.
"Not really."
"Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Flood – supposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive like Noah and the Ark. I smiled again. I didn't want her to think I actually believed the histories!
"Another legend claims that we descended from wolves – and that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them. Then there are the stories about the cold ones."
"The cold ones?" Bella asked with intrigue in her voice.
"Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land." I rolled my eyes. That treaty was totally unnecessary.
"Your great-grandfather?" Bella encouraged, eager to get on with the story.
"He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf – well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves," I clarified.
"Werewolves have enemies?"
"Only one."

Bella stared at me admiringly. That was encouraging.
"So you see," I continued, "the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this pack that came to our territory during my great-grandfather's time was different. They didn't hunt the way others of their kind did – they weren't supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale-faces." That was Bella. I winked at her.
"If they weren't dangerous, then why..?"
"There's always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they're civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist..." I ended menacingly.
"What do you mean, 'civilized'?" asked Bella.
"They claimed that they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals instead." I explained.
"So how does it fit in with the Cullens? Are they like the cold ones your great-grandfather met?"
"No." I paused dramatically. "They are the same ones."

Bella looked really scared. Good – if these stories weren't good for non-fiction, they were certainly good for scaring people! I smiled, and continued.
"There are more of them now, a new female and a new male, but the rest are the same. In my great-grandfather's time they already knew of the leader, Carlisle. He'd been here and gone before your people had even arrived."
"And what are they?" asked Bella. "What are the cold ones?"
I smiled darkly. This was the best bit of the story, the question I had been hoping she'd ask.
"Blood drinkers," I replied chillingly. "Your people call them vampires."

Bella stared out at the water.
"You have goose bumps," I laughed.
"You're a good storyteller," she replied, still distracted.
"Pretty crazy stuff, though, isn't it?" I didn't want her believing it too. "No wonder my dad doesn't want us to talk about it to anyone."
"Don't worry, I won't give you away," said Bella, still looking out over the waves. Why wouldn't she look at me?
"I guess I just violated the treaty."
"I'll take it to the grave," she promised, and then she shivered. Finally a reaction – if not an altogether positive one.
"Seriously, though, don't say anything to Charlie," I said, hoping for another reaction while making sure she would obey, "He was pretty mad at my dad when he heard that some of us weren't going to the hospital since Dr. Cullen started working there." Some, but not me. Stupid Sam.
"I won't, of course not."
"So, do you think we're a bunch of superstitious natives?" I tried unsuccessfully to hide my worry.

Finally, she turned to me and smiled. "No. I think you're very good at telling scary stories, though. I still have goose bumps, see?" She showed me her lumpy arm.
"Cool," I smiled. It felt strange to be smiling so much today, and it felt even stranger that I wasn't faking it.

Suddenly I could hear someone walking across the rocks toward us. Both of our heads snapped up at the same time, a natural instinct. It was Mike and the girl he went to the shop with.
"There you are, Bella," he called, waving. I didn't like the jealous edge in his voice.
"Is that your boyfriend?" I sneered-asked.
"No, definitely not," Bella whispered. Well, that was a relief. She winked at me. She was flirting! This day just kept getting better and better.
"So when I get my license..." I began.
"You should come see me in Forks. We could hang out sometime." I caught a note of something in her voice. Guilt? Why should she be guilty?

Mike had reached us now, with the girl a few steps behind him. He looked over at me, and seemed satisfied that I was younger than Bella. That worried me. Did she feel the same way? But she had seemed to like me better than him.
"Where have you been?" Mike asked stupidly.
"Jacob was just telling me some local stories. It was really interesting." Bella answered, and smiled at me. So she did like me. I grinned back.
"Well we're packing up – it looks like it's going to rain soon." "
We all looked at the grey sky. It certainly did look like rain.
Bella jumped up. "Okay, I'm coming."
"It was nice to see you again," I emphasized the last word for Mike's benefit.
"It really was. Next time Charlie comes down to see Billy, I'll come, too," Bella replied warmly.
"That would be cool," I grinned.
"And thanks."

She turned away, pulled her hood up, and left with her friends. I pulled my own hood up, shoved my hands in my pockets, and watched her go.

Hope you liked it guys, that's the end of the story. Um no one really for me to thank, except SM for letting me steal her story. Mwah. Thanks for reading and please please please review!!! Mwah mwah. (Kiss kiss, thanks for letting me steal that sis)