I know, oh yes
I know that we can't be together
But, I just like to dream
It's so strange
The way our paths have crossed
How we were brought together
Hmmm, it's written in the stars it seems

Flying High by Jem


As Ellie fearlessly dangled her legs off the side of a cliff later that afternoon, she drank in her surroundings. Noah had been right, this spot was incredible. The cliff overlooked the ocean and the rocky beach, in addition to the tops of the trees all around them. She could see for miles, and the view was breathtaking.

The wind that gently blew across them made her feel like she was a bird as her bronze hair flew out behind her. The sun made the rocks sparkle, and she was amazed by all the colors that came out. At first glance, you just saw boring gray rocks, but if you bothered to look closer, you could see all kinds of sparkling reds and blues and greens, sanded smooth by the sea salt in the air. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

She and Noah had spent the better part of the afternoon together. Noah was funny, and didn't hesitate to make a joke out of any situation, but he was also sincere and profound. He was like the La Push rocks—if you didn't bother to look closer, you would just see his irreverence. But by not looking closer, you missed out on his most beautiful, awe-inspiring parts.

Noah was 20, and after graduating the small Quileute school, had left to go to college and had just returned to La Push that month for the first time in two years. He had dreams of seeing the world, but he was returning to be a teacher at the school on the reservation in the fall instead. He had even bigger dreams for his tribe, and those dreams had the highest priority in his life. The country held deep-seeded prejudice for any Native Americans, and Noah wanted to inspire the children on the reservation to overcome these prejudices using their intellect. He wanted to help shape the minds of his tribe's future leaders, and help them become influential, intelligent adults. Ellie was blown away by his passion.

When Noah looked at her, shivers shot down her spine. His black eyes seemed to burn into her soul at times, and Ellie wondered if that was just a trick of the sun.

The pair had been sitting in amicable silence, drinking in the soon-to-be setting sun, when Ellie asked a question that had been bothering her all afternoon.

"Noah, I've been wondering something."

"Another question?" He was lying down with his eyes closed, absorbing the sun's rays with a smile across his face. The sun made his tanned skin glow.

"When I saw you on the dock that day, who were those other men with you?"

Noah hesitated, seeming to want to avoid the question but not able to do so. "They were other men in my tribe."

"No, I mean the three that were looking at my family so… intensely."

Noah sighed. "Those weren't men, not really. Those are my brothers. So to speak, I guess. The biggest one is my actual brother, Ephraim. The other two were Levi and Quil, who are both a little younger than me."

Ellie frowned. His brothers? They looked enormous, and all of them much older than Noah's 20 years. "They looked so angry. What happened?"

More hesitation. "We got into a fight. They're not so… uh, keen, I guess you could say, about newcomers in town."

"And you are?"

"I guess you could say that. They have very strict views over protecting the tribe. For instance, taking Levi and Ephraim's kids to the hospital was a big deal for them; they wanted them to see the doctor on the reservation instead. Even though we were closer to that hospital," he grumbled. "I'm not allowed to watch my nephews anymore."

Ellie stared in shock as the corners of his lips downturned.

"Just because you took them to the hospital?"

Noah nodded.

"That seems so… ridiculous. Extreme. I don't know."

"And now you see why I don't get along with them. Levi and Quil aren't so bad, but Ephraim…" He broke off.

"You mentioned your brother earlier. Are you two not getting along?"

He barked out a laugh.

"We never did. It got worse when I went away to college. This past year at school, my father passed away, completely unexpectedly. I dropped out to see how I could help out at home, but now, Ephraim, my brother, has taken over my father's role. It's infuriating. He acts like he knows everything; like he's the supreme ruler of the world or something. The tribe elders keep deferring to him like he has some kind of power over them now that—well, now that things have changed. It's been driving me crazy, to be honest. We have very different opinions on certain situations, and I think it's near impossible for us to ever be on the same page."

His hands shook slightly with emotion, and Ellie felt his pain as if it were her own. She wanted to close the space between the two of them and throw her arms around him and tell him how proud she was of him, and how brave she thought he was, but kept to herself. She had never really had the desire to get close to anyone outside of her family before. Looking down, she noticed the tattoo inside his wrist again. It seemed to be a random grouping of numbers, and she wondered about their significance.

Noah sighed. "They don't like that I went to college. They don't like that I cut my hair so short. They don't like anything I do anymore. It's infuriating knowing that whatever I do, someone disapproves."

"But going to college is a great accomplishment."

"They think I left the tribe in its biggest time of need. With the… influx, I guess, of newcomers in town." He smirked at some joke, and then was serious again. "My dad was proud of me, at least."

"I'm proud of you," Ellie whispered softly.

Ellie realized that seeing him in pain made her feel that way too. She wanted to comfort him. She threw caution to the wind and moved closer to Noah. He smelled like the beach around them. She reached carefully for his wrist which had the tattoo. His skin was incredibly warm. She traced the numbers with her finger. They were slightly raised on his skin, which shivered under her fingertip. She realized now they were a date. His father must have passed away on Christmas. 12-25-38.

"Now it's your turn."

She nodded, still holding his wrist between her hands. She had expected as much, and now, after hours in the sun with him, she finally felt relaxed enough to answer his questions as truthfully as she could. She felt bound to him in some way she couldn't quite explain. She slowly inched her pale hand into his large brown one, just to see the difference in size. He surprised her when he intertwined his fingers in hers. It was like she was wearing a big warm brown mitten. She liked the way their skin contrasted each other so well.

"Tell me more about your family," he asked softly.

"What do you want to know?"

"You said you moved in with your sister and her husband. Tell me about them."

Ellie smiled. "Esme and Carlisle are the two greatest people in the world, I think. I've never met anyone like them. Esme is so full of love and Carlisle is so full of compassion, it's almost insane. They complement each other perfectly. They didn't think twice before they took me in. I'm pretty sure they would do absolutely anything to help anyone."

"Siblings?" Noah prompted.

"Well, you saw Rosalie and Emmett on the dock. My sister, Rosalie, is absolutely beautiful, but she knows it. You know the saying 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?' I'm pretty sure that was written about someone just like Rose. I love her, but she can be a brat. She and Edward, my brother, don't get along at all. I'm pretty sure Rose's husband Emmett is the only reason the two haven't killed each other yet. Emmett is such a goof. He looks big and scary, but he's the most easy-going out of all of us, and I think he has the ability to make a joke about just about anything.

"Was Edward on the dock with you as well? I thought there were only five."

"No. He's my twin, you would know if you saw him."

Ellie thought about Edward for a bit and sighed. "I love Edward so much. He was my best friend. He can be a bit stubborn at times, but he means well, I think. A while ago he left to go see the world and find himself, or so he says, and we got into a big argument. I haven't seen him since. He's coming home now, and I don't know what to do or how to feel, really." Ellie paused as she finally voiced her feelings after five long years. "It just hurts too much sometimes. I feel like I'm missing my other half. I want to be able to hug him and welcome him home, but at the same time I'm still angry over what he said. It's confusing, you know?"

Noah squeezed her hand comfortingly. "What about your parents?"

Ellie frowned in confusion. She had just talked about Esme and Carlisle, hadn't she? Then her eyes got wide as she realized her mistake. Whoops.

"My parents died a long time ago. I don't really remember anything about them. Carlisle and Esme are my parents now." She shrugged. That was the truth, at least.

He nodded and smiled. "Well, that's quite a family you've got there."

"Don't I know it," she laughed. "I know we probably look strange all together, but it all works so well. It's the most functional dysfunctional family ever, I think."

"Tell me more about you."

"Okay." There was a long silence as he looked expectantly at her. Ellie smiled, suddenly shy again. "What? What do you want to know?"

"Well, what do you like to do?"

"You mean for fun?"

"Yeah, for fun." Noah was smirking at her, as if it was the most ridiculous question to be struggling to answer.

"I read a lot." She shrugged. "I like learning different languages. And I play the piano, but I like listening more than anything. My brother Edward is amazing at playing the piano."

"And what are you amazing at?"

"I don't know. No one's ever asked me that." She frowned as she realized she really had no idea.

"Well, no need to get worried about it. You'll think of it in time," he chuckled softly, smoothing the crease between her eyes. Ellie realized she loved that sound, the sound of him laughing.

They both grew serious as they locked eyes. They exchanged a look that made Ellie tremble. She couldn't look away from his face, even if she had wanted to. His eyes were black with intensity, and he was looking at her like he had never seen anything like her before. The setting sun reflected warmly off Noah's face, and she bathed in this, burning his image onto the back of her mind forever.

She leaned in closer to him as many things whirred through her brain at once. The heat coming off his body was making her cheeks blush, but even without that, they probably would have been red anyhow. She had never kissed anyone in her life, and at the same time she had never wanted to kiss someone so badly. Something about him called her closer and closer. Her heart raced. If she just tilted her head ever so slightly…

A wolf howled somewhere in the distance a few moments later, yanking the pair out of their reverie.

"Shitbucket," Noah cursed softly, jumping lightly to his feet despite his size, and pulling her to hers. "We should get you home. I bet your family's wondering where you are."

"I suppose," Ellie said reluctantly. It's not like she had to get back for dinner. Her family was probably out enjoying the nice weather, too.

The ride back was silent except for the loud roar of Noah's truck, and as he pulled to the front of the large house, he whistled.

"What a dump. I feel bad leaving you here," he joked.

"It's Esme's dream house. She designed it herself."

"Well, I'm impressed."

She got out of the car and was halfway to the house, when Noah called her name out the window.

"Eleanor!"

Ellie turned around. She could see his bright grin reflecting off the last rays of the sun from where she was standing.

"Yes?"

"Are you working tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Would it be okay if I stopped by after?"

"Sure." Ellie beamed out at him as he put the car in gear.

"Well then, see you tomorrow, Lenny!"

Lenny? Now that was a nickname she had never had before. Ellie sighed as she watched him drive away from her porch, and suddenly realized how much she didn't want to be away from him. It was like the half of her heart that belonged with Edward burrowed out a second, Noah-sized hole beside it. She would be getting herself into trouble with this one, she could tell already. Shitbucket, indeed.