I sat down with a sigh on a big rock just away from the edge of the cliffs. I drew my feet up underneath me, resting my chin on the top of my knees. It was early morning, nearly six, and the waves at First Beach were extremely calming. I shivered at the coldness radiating from the misty air coming off the water, but I didn't bother to move. I needed sometime alone to think and this seemed to be the only place where I could do so.

After the bonfire had ended last night, I had gone straight to bed in our new home. But after hours on hours of tossing and turning—and listening to my brothers snoring from across the hall—I had given up on sleep. I wrote a quick note to my parents at the kitchen table and had silently crept out my bedroom window. And after my long, hard hour run through the leafy forest, I had found myself back where I had started: First Beach.

I wasn't sure what it was about this place, but I found it alarmingly soothing. The sound of the waves crashing at the shore and against the rough grainy side of the tall, rocky cliffs could probably put me to sleep if I let it.

I thought back to last night. It had gone a lot smoother than I had expected it to. This wasn't really saying much considering I had expected a blood bath between my brothers and the other wolves. But, Andy had been so welcoming. He acted as it didn't matter that my brothers and I were different, new, and socially awkward. He had called us family.

We had met so many people last night, that even I had a hard time remembering the names of everyone. Andy had introduced us to his older brother Taylor, who was a splitting image of Paul. He seemed as genuine as his younger brother, but a little stand-offish. Then, we had met Jared and Kim's sons, Connor, Kevin and Avery, Seth's daughter, Anna, who was only two, and Sam's youngest sons, Alex and Mitchell.

I had felt overwhelmed when Andy had explained that we would meet "the rest of everyone" at another time. He had explained that Embry Call, his wife, Rebecca—my father's other sister—and their son, Jeremy, were out of town for the evening, but would be back today. He also said that a lot of the other kids our age were on evening patrol—for vampires.

That revelation had made me feel slightly sick to my stomach, but I tried to let it seep to the back of my brain for a later period to worry over. Despite being highly nervous and uncomfortable around everyone, I had actually had an alright time. We had sat around the fire and listened to the banter back and forth between the teenage boys and JJ had joined in on a game of beach football.

All, and all, it had been a good start to our new future in La Push. I just hoped it continued in the same direction.

I picked up a ragged-looking stone beside me and carefully molded it between my palms until it was a smooth pebble. With a quick flick of my wrist, I sent the stone spiralling into the water, smirking in satisfaction as it skipped over the surface several times.

I had only stopped listening to my surroundings for merely a moment, when a dark shadow appeared in front of me.

"You have a lot of nerve pretending like you actually belong here," a deep voice said.

I flinched and sat up straighter as I watched a tall, muscular figure appear out from behind the cliffs. I watched him, his bare feet splashed roughly in the water as he walked towards me. His fists were clenched at his sides and he wore only a pair of cut-off shorts. I could hear how loud he was breathing, sense how angry he was, and I didn't dare look at his face.

"Hey, Leech," he yelled, even though he was standing only a few feet away. "I said, what the hell do you think you're doing here?"

I hopped to my feet, staring at the ground as tears of embarrassment leaked into the corner of my eyes. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I was here last night and I thought—"

A hard hand grabbed my wrist and threw me against the side of the cliff, the one suspended right above the water. I fell against the hard wall with a wince, trying to ignore the pain coming from my ankle.

"Your kind isn't allowed here," he sneered, coming closer. "And I'm going to remind you that."

Before I could blink and begin to protect myself, he grabbed a hold of the end of my ponytail and with one fast jerk, bashed my hand against the edge of the cliff. I cried out in pain, doubling over as he kicked me in the ribs.

"Please," I begged, wheezing.

But as he kicked at me again, I clued in. He had no idea who I was. I didn't recognize his voice from the fire, though I couldn't see his face. He hadn't met me; to him, I was a vampire, a threat to the people he loved.

He didn't know.

I tried to explain, to tell him, but he flung me against the wall again, and I screamed as my arm snapped. I fell to my knees, trying to keep him in the corner of my eye despite the horrendous pain I was enduring. He was shaking; his body trembled in fury.

"I'm going to—"

"Noah!" a voice shouted from down the beach. "Noah, wait!"

The boy before me froze, his body turning slightly in the direction of the voice. I took his distraction to my advantage and clutched my arm to chest, biting my lip until I tasted blood to keep from crying out.

Footsteps pounded against the sand as they came closer. The person who approached us was panting heavily, like he had run a long way. I watched nervously as he approached, trying to desperately figure out how I could possibly take them both on, when I was seriously crippled and broken on a ledge above the now rough water. I risked a glance down and instantly regretted it as I became dizzy. I was evidently trapped in this position, because escaping over the edge of the cliffs wouldn't work to my advantage; I couldn't swim.

The other boy approached us; he too, unfamiliar to me. He took one look at Noah and then his eyes dragged over to my bruised, battered figure and his eyes widened.

Then, he went crazy.

"Noah," he cried. "What did you do?"

And then, he punched him in the face. The sound echoed off the rocks and I found myself cowering even more.

I'm going to die.

My attacker—Noah, threw his arms up in the air at the other boy, his face wild with fury. "She's a fucking blood-sucker, Jeremy," he exclaimed. "She was just sitting there, like she fucking owned the place and I—"

The other boy—Jeremy—growled. "You idiot," he hissed.

I started to hyperventilate as Jeremy slowly walked towards me. I glanced around frantically, desperate to find something to protect myself with. I found nothing and pressed myself even further up against the wall of the rocks.

I'm definitely going to die.

"What are you doing?" Noah cried in disbelief.

Jeremy ignored him. When he reached me, he slowly sat down a few feet away from me, his eyes soft and his movements exaggerated; as if to not scare me even more.

"Elissa," he murmured.

I started to cry. "Please don't hurt me," I blubbered uncontrollably. "I'm sorry."

He inched another foot closer. "Shh, honey," he soothed. "I won't hurt you, I promise."

I froze and cradled my arm to myself. I wasn't sure if I could believe him.

"Jeremy," Noah said again. "What the fuck are you doing?"

Jeremy's eyes never left mine as he spoke. "Listen," he ordered. "If you had even paid a single second of attention before you began your attack on this innocent little girl, you would have realized that, yes, she is half vampire, but she also has a fucking heartbeat."

Noah froze in his spot. "She," he stammered. "She has what?"

He moved an inch closer. "Noah," Jeremy's voice was incredibly quiet, soft. "This is my cousin, Elissa Black; Jacob Black's daughter."

My eyes bounced to Jeremy's face and my shoulders slumped in relief. Thank God, he had shown up because if he hadn't, I would have ceased to exist. Obviously it was completely rotten way to get to know my other blood-related cousin, but words couldn't describe how happy I was that he had been here.

Noah, on the other hand, seemed to be at a loss for words. He seemed to be numb, as he stood staring at me in utter shock. I forced myself to meet his gaze, studying his handsome face and short, spikey black hair until I finally found his bright green eyes.

And the world…stopped.

I couldn't stop staring at him. Suddenly, my head was consumed of thoughts about his eyes, his name—everything about him. I felt hot and cold at the same time, and unbelievably sick to my stomach.

Then, it went away. And, so did Noah. He tore off down the path, his clothes ripping away as he morphed from tall, teenage boy, to humongous teenage wolf, before disappearing into a section of forest.

I sat there, dizzy and unmoving.

What in the world had just happened?

Jeremy was on his feet instantly, cell phone pressed to ear. "You need to go get Noah, now," he muttered into the phone as soon as the other person answered. "No, I'm serious," he snapped, before letting out a defeated sigh. "Because he just fucking beat the shit out of Elissa Black and then imprinted on her."

I felt like something was crushing me. I couldn't breathe. Did Jeremy just say that the boy who had nearly killed me had imprinted on me? It wasn't true; it couldn't be! It wasn't supposed to happen like that! He was supposed to love me; not beat me to a pulp.

I started to cry all over again.

Jeremy looked back at me in concern. "Look, I have to go," he snapped. "I'm taking her to Sam's, he's the closest. Just meet us there."

I tried to stand up, but my legs gave out and I once again became a crumpled heap on cliff.

"Elissa," Jeremy whispered. "I know how terrified and confused you must be right now, honey. But, please, please, let me help you."

I shook my head and tried to move away, but I had no room to move. "I don't need your help."

He kneeled down in front of me. "I'd never do anything to hurt you," he told me. "But you're really hurt and my dad, Embry Call, you know him, he's a doctor. He's going to meet us at Uncle Sam's."

Uncle Sam—he must have meant Sam Uley. It sounded odd to hear out of someone's mouth. I didn't know how to take it. Was that what everyone called him? I knew Sam and Embry weren't related, which meant he wasn't Jeremy's real uncle. Was that what I was supposed to call him? I felt so utterly confused.

"Please, Elissa," Jeremy begged. "Let me just carry you—the house is just over there." He pointed to the right. "And then, if you want, I promise to never touch you again. Okay?"

I studied him, trying to think past the horrendous pain I was enduring. He seemed genuine—he saved me from becoming a half-vampire jigsaw puzzle. But, I was scared. There was no way I could ever defend anyone off with the way I was now. I could barely hold myself upright.

He's your cousin, the voice inside my mind told me. He's a blood relative, trust him.

Against my better instincts, I let out a shuttering sigh. "Okay," I whispered. "Thank you."

He hopped to his feet right away. "I'll be really careful not to jostle you too much," he said.

But, much to my dismay, when he gently lifted me into his incredibly warm, strong arms, the pain was stronger than ever. I whimpered and fresh tears streamed down my cheeks. I wiped them away with my good hand.

A pair of lips pressed against the crown of my head. "I'm so sorry," he murmured.

The last thing I remembered was Jeremy's desperate plea for me to stay awake and the brightness of the porch lights of the Uleys' house.

Then, there was nothing but complete, blissful darkness.

Please Review! :)