Thursday, October 27

"For someone who comes from a place with no color, you're unusually lively," I said to a persistent Jacob Black.

"At least you know you fit in. For a human being you're unusually dull," he retorted. I glared at him and he merely smiled.

"What do you expect? There's nothing to do in this state."

"Sure there is. You just need to know where to look. How about I show you around?"

"Are you asking me out Jacob Black?"

"I might be."

"How do I break this gently?" I started pretending to think it over. "No. I'm not looking to make a relationship here."

"How is that putting it gently?"

"I could've said, 'Hell to the no.'"

"Ouch."

"Get over it," I said walking away. He caught up with me easily. "You're not giving up are you?" I sighed and glared at him.

"No, but you are," he said grinning. I looked at him like he was crazy.

"Are you insa-AHHH!" Jacob slung me over his shoulder.

"Put me down," I struggled against his iron grip.

"Say you'll go out with me," he said, laughter in his voice.

"No! Put me down!" Some kids were beginning to stare, girls glaring, guys laughing. Me? Furious.

"Fine. FINE! Now put me down," I huffed.

"Good," he said, putting me down.

"But it's not a date, this is the only time, and you'll stop asking me out."

"Deal," he said, but I had a feeling he was far from done when it came to asking me out. "I'll take you out afterschool."

"Today?" I looked at him like he was crazy, something that was beginning to be routine every time I was around him.

"No," he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Tomorrow."

"What about homework?"

"You've got Saturday and Sunday don't you?"

"Yeah," I mumbled.

"You'll have fun. Trust me," he said and grinned. Trust him. No, because trust builds relationship."

XOXOXO

"So, Jake," a girl I didn't know pulled a seat up between Jake and me at lunch, "What's up?"

"I was just talking to my date about our plans for tomorrow," Jake said, emphasizing the accursed D-word.

"It's not a date," I reminded him. The girl turned and looked me up and down.

"Watcha lookin' at?" I said, irritated and letting my grammar, which my sister forcibly drilled into my head, slip. The girl looked at me, taken aback the she frowned at me.

"Who do you think you're talking to?"

"A desperate girl who acts like those plastic, phony ,shallow bitches on reality T.V. shows," I snapped, glaring at her. She flinched.

"Harsh much. Don't you think?" she said to Jake, using the she's a total-bitch-so-why-don't-you-just-drop-her-for-me trick.

"Feisty, I'd say," he said, giving an impish grin. I rolled my eyes.

"So you and Jake are going out now?"

"Yep," Jake said smiling widely.

"No," I said glaring at the both of them, "It's not a date. I'm being forced into this. We are not, I repeat NOT , dating."

"You know you love me," he said, batting his eyelashes. I fought a smile. I frowned instead. The girl looked between the two of us, undoubtedly wondering what Jake saw in me. How could someone who seemed to be my complete opposite display such an interest in me.

"Out of curiosity," I started, "What do you even see in me? Since you saw me you've been nothing but nice, and I acted like a bitch. What do you find about me that is, apparently, so awesome you keep coming back no matter how far I push you away?"

"Maybe because I know that there's more to you than just the way you've been acting."

"Suppose there is. What makes you so sure you'll get to see it?" I said folding my arms on the table.

"Call it a hunch," he said, leaning forward a little. I dropped my head to hide my smile. The other girl cleared her throat, and my head snapped up to look at her, my face expressionless. Then I looked bored. I was grateful for her interruption. I didn't want nor did I need to give Jacob any hope that he'd have a chance at me.

October 28 Friday Afterschool

What am I doing here? How did I get here? Oh, right. I was forced to spend time with Jake.

"You never told me where you're from when I asked you the other day," Jake said after five minutes of a silent car ride to Port Angeles with 40 minutes to go.

"N'Oleans," I said in my special way.

"What?" he asked his eyes glancing towards me before looking back at the road.

"New Orleans," I annunciated. Jake stiffened slightly.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Nothing. I thought I saw a deer that looked like it was about to run out into the street," he said. I let it slide although I could tell he was lying through his teeth. His were choked off and forced almost like it really wasn't what he wanted to say.

"how about we go see a movie?" he said, his tone of voice back to its original light care-freeness.

"Sounds fine," I mumbled staring out the window at the blurring scenery.

XOXOXO

The strangest chill ran up my spine followed by a blazing heat as I stared at the boy. I was in a food court at the mall. Jake had to make a quick run to the bathroom, and that's when I noticed a boy so pale it seemed unreal. He had purplish, almost bruise-like circles underneath his eyes which were pitch black. His skin was perfect and smooth and his honey blonde hair fell into his eyes in a cute way. He gave me an impish, mischievous smile as if he were laughing t a dirty joke I'd told or as if we were old friends or he was up to something, and I was more than willing to bet my life that it was the last one. A faint fragrance his my nose like nothing I'd ever smelt before. It was sweet and pleasant, yet at the same time it was sickly and unpleasant. At that moment Jake came back and the boy walked away with a graceful lope that put models to shame. I had no reason to dislike this boy, but I did. There was something inhuman about him that, strangely enough, ticked me off. He felt dangerous.

"You eat like a horse," I commented when Jake tore into what might've been his eleventh or twelfth cheeseburger. I'd lost count. I made a face.

"Big guy, big appetite," he said between bites.

"Yeah, but cheeseburgers?"

"Cheeseburgers are awesome," he protested.

"No, hamburgers are awesome, as in, no cheese."

"The cheese is the best part."

"No, it's gross."

"So what's your idea of good food?"

"Cajun style."

"Not sure we got a restaurant like that around here."

"Didn't think you did."

"What? Is it a New Orleans thing?"

"Yeah, it is."

"Do you think you could introduce me to it?"

"Probably not."

"Why do you insist on being antisocial?" he snapped, looking fed up with my attitude.

"I don't want to make a life here."

"Why? Are you leaving any time soon?"

It took all of my strength not to squirm under his gaze. I dropped my head. There was a .000001% chance of me ever getting the hell out of here. I looked back up at him, glaring actually.

"We're gonna be late for the movie," I muttered, standing up. He ran a hand through his shaggy, dark hair. He stood and walked along side me, giving a sigh of resignation.

XOXOXO

As I got ready for bed, the same sweet, sickly, unpleasant scent hit my nose followed by the same chilling, burning sensation that ran through my spine, like that boy from earlier was watching me. Though I can't see how. In the distance a wolf howled. If I'm lucky maybe it'll eat me.

Sneak peek: Rose finds out the definition of true fear with her changing body and encounters with things that just seem entirely too unreal.