I took a deep breath as I knocked on the large wooden door. After a few short moments I waited patiently as a handsome mature man in a wheelchair answered. I recognised his kind smile immediately…Billy Black.

"Mr. Black," I smiled, trying to sound more confident than I was. I prayed Jacob wasn't home, keeping my eyes fixed on Mr. Black's face rather than his living room behind him.

"Azalea!" beamed Mr Black, opening the front door as wide as it would go as if he was going to pull me inside it. "Please come on in!"

"I can't," I muttered, my hands shakily holding the tray of cold lasagne I had cooked for him…and for Jacob. "Erm…I just wanted to drop by and give you this lasagne I made." He looked momentarily confused but covered it easily with another killer smile. He was always so happy and friendly…the complete opposite of Jacob. If they didn't look so alike you wouldn't even know that they were related.

"Well thats very kind of you," he beamed, taking it out of my shaking hands. "But I'm afraid Jake's not in at the moment."

"Its not for Jacob,'" I said, a little too quickly, he cocked an eyebrow at me. "It's for you, Seth told me you weren't well and I thought…well, it's one less thing to think about when tea's cooked."

"I appreciate the gesture," he said, his brow creasing, "and we'll happily eat this fine looking lasagne. But I'm not ill."

"You're not?" I asked, completely confused, why on earth did seth tell me Mr. Black was sick? That doesn't make any sense. I suddenly felt humiliated, my cheeks heating up. Here I was turning up at someones house giving them a random tray of lasagne. I was an idiot...

"No, I'm fit as a fiddle!" he smiled, I stared at him shocked, why had Seth told me that?, "Are you okay?" he sacked after a moment.

"Of course," I lied,

"Please won't you come in?" he said, looking concerned, I shook my head stepping backwards from the door. "Jacob will be home any minute. He'd be upset if he missed you." I felt like I'd been slapped, was he joking? Jacob hated me!

"I'm afraid I can't, thanks for the offer though." I was walking away now, I had to get out of there before I made more of a show of myself. "Bye!" I heard his shout out to me as I got to the bottom of his porch steps I bolted. I didn't care if i looked like an idiot…It couldn't get much worse than that Why had Seth told me that? I thought I could trust Seth and all along he was just telling me a lie. I'll bet it was some sort of joke that him and Jacob had thought up to make me act more of a fool than usual. I felt a wave of anger rush over me before I knew what was happening I was striding over to Seth's house to give him a piece of my mind!

It was a short walk before I walked up their neatly paved garden feeling more and more annoyed by the second. Had Seth set me up? Why would he tell me an outright lie? I looked like such an idiot in front of Mr. Black. It was so frustrating, if Briarwood found out god knows what he'll say!

I banged on the door, feeling jealous as I looked at their neatly trimmed red rose bushes. The whole house seemed to echo as I banged each time on the door.

The door opened just as I raised my fist to knock again. A pretty raven haired girl answered the door, she looked at me blankly while impatiently tapping her foot.

"What?" She snapped, normally when someone is upset/annoyed I would have buckled and tried to get her to calm down or cheer up but I was in no mood today. Her attitude just egged me on.

"Where's Seth?" I said, glaring at her.

"Out." She answered, before slamming the door in my face. I took a moment to recollect myself before hammering on the door again. She answered it again with the same annoyed tone.

"He's out!" She repeated, making an attempt to shut the door again. I stuck my foot out and stopped the door from closing. I was sick of this...

"I heard you the first time!" I yelled at her, she raised her eyebrows as if she wasn't expecting me to argue back. "Where is he out?"

"Who are you?" She said, eyeing me up and down like everyone did here. I was in no mood for this...

"Azalea, for gods sake, just tell me...I'm sick of this!"

"You're Jacob's..." She started saying amused by my anger, she had pushed me too far then. Before my she could say anymore I stepped forward pushing her front door open. She didn't back up she just watched me her eyes wide...

"DON'T YOU EVER MENTION THAT NAME TO ME AGAIN!?" I screamed at her. I was furious, I could feel the heat radiating from me. She looked surprised, but unphased by my anger.

"What...Jacob?" She repeated,

"That boy has nothing but make my life a living hell." I shouted, sick of it all. I could feel my throat closing up, feeling like I had swallowed razorblades. "He's insulted me in every possible way. He's done everything he can to make me feel like an idiot and it's not exactly easy for me to fit in around here. For God's sake, he's a bully! And a creep! I am NOTHING to do with him! I want NOTHING to do with him! In fact I would cross the street to avoid him!"

After my rant the girl just stared at me, I was breathing heavily, angry and letting it all out on this girl. She was simply just looking back at me, watching me to see what I'd do next. Although at the same time she seemed deep in thought.

"What's he done to you?" She asked, her voice sounding more patient than before. I sighed, flashes of his face filling my mind, distracting me, those brown eyes making my stomach sink.

"He's done enough." I answered, surprised that she wasn't upset with my sudden outburst. She nodded.

"Whats my brother got to do with this?" she asked, I looked at her, who was her Brother? "Seth" she said reading my mind.

"Oh…he…" I wondered how to tell her this… "He told me I should be more understanding about…him. And that he was going through a lot of stuff and that his Dad was sick. But when I went round to his house to give Mr. Black a lasagne I had made he had no idea what I was talking about. I looked like a right idiot."

"Yeah," she answered, nodding along with my story, a hint of a smile on her lips, I guess it was pretty funny. "Seth does tend to blurt out stuff that doesn't make any sense from time to time." Her brown eyes watched me a moment before she said, "You want to come in for a coffee or something?"

I looked at her wondering if she was joking or not. She didn't appear to be, "yes please, that would be great." She nodded, wondering off into the house leaving the door wide open. I assumed she wanted me to follow her so I did closing the door behind me.

The house was lovely, flowers and clean linen filled my nose. A woman's house, I had missed this touch. I quickly caught up to her as she flicked the kettle on in a china blue kitchen

"Coffee okay?" she asked, as I took a set on the breakfast bar. The kitchen was massive.

"Do you have any tea?" I asked, she nodded pulling out a metal tin from the cupboard. I could of kissed her, by god I missed tea. I didn't thin American's drank tea. Briarwood certainly didn't.

"I'm Leah by the way," she said, something about her just made me relax…I could really use making a friend here.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I said, she laughed at me. I looked at her questioningly, "you're so polite." She said, rolling her eyes. "I prefer you all angry and mad."

"You do?" I asked, questioning her. Why on earth did she prefer me like that.

"Yeah," she shrugged absently pouring the kettle into mugs. "Besides, I think Jacob is an idiot."

"You do?" I said, every single person I had met told me how great he was. It was refreshing to hear a change of pace.

"Yeah!" She said, rolling her eyes again at my repetitive questioning. "All those guys stick together, it just annoys me."

"You know them well?" I asked,

"uh-huh," she replied, sliding the mug across the counter towards me, she studied me for a moment until she said, "more than I'd like...so what happened with Jacob?" She asked.

I sighed and launching into the whole story, laughing at some parts that involved Jacob insulting me. It felt like I had known Leah for a long time. Although it was strange how she laughed at inappropriate things, it somehow lightened the situation. I didn't feel so bad about it, sure the image of his face was still etched into my mind but it felt so good getting it all out.

"I can't believe I've let someone get under my skin like that. I wouldn't even treat my worst enemy the way he's treated me. I really do hope he follows his own advice and stays away from me...I'm rambling on now." I finished, letting out a large sigh.

Over several days I met up with Leah more and more, and we became close friends. I was glad, I hadn't spoken to many people here and there was just something about her that made me feel safe and relaxed. Although on occasions she did odd things, like run off into the forest at a moments notice I just assumed that was one of the things that the locals did here. I mean I had seen Jacob do it every single time I had seen him. Besides I wasn't one to be picky, a friend was a friend.

Speaking of Jacob, I hadn't seen him since that day at the beach. Although he was forever on my mind I didn't mention it to Leah. I had the feeling she wouldn't be too impressed. Together we had boycotted all boys, which was fine by me. I had enough to deal with without throwing boys into the mix as well.

Briarwood's behaviour had started to become worrying, he was constantly sitting on the armchair on our porch, some times all night. I often woke up to hear him shouting into the darkness above 'staying away' and 'protecting his own'. I really didn't understand any of it but it terrified me.

Although Briarwood and I didn't have the most interesting or long conversations (he was a man of few words) I had grown fond of him and his stubborn ways. Always doing things a particular way, he made things a lot easier to bare here. Especially the occasions I woke from a night terror; which happened more frequently these days, he would come into my room and hold me and I cried into his shoulder asking for my dad… He was always so kind and gentle, stroking my back gently. I hadn't expected that from him, it touched me more than I could say.

It was after that that he started staying up late and watching outside for something, like something was going to come and hurt us…or hurt me. I didn't understand it, but I know that it scared him, whatever it was. And that alone scared me...

One night I decided to stay awake and watch out of my bedroom window for something, whatever it was I was supposed to be watching, as usual I fell asleep but awoke to a screeching howl which echoed throughout the entire house. I scrambled away front the window terrified and into the lounge and thud straight into Briarwood. He picked me up easily and placed me back on my feet, pushing me behind him as he edged towards my bedroom window. He looked menacing glaring out the window in the moonlight, his whole body shaking.

"I'll kill him…" he growled, staring off into the darkness. I tried as hard as I could to see what he was looking at but I saw nothing, only the blackness.

"W…what...was it?" I asked, hearing my voice tremor. I hadn't felt this scared when I was awake, not since my dad… Briarwood looked back at me and then looked back through the window.

"Nothing I can't handle," he said, after a long silence.

"It sounded like a howl." I said, wondering if there had been any animal attacks in the area.

"It's nothing for you to worry about." he stated, simply, closing my window and bolting it shut. My eyes widened as it suddenly hit me, Leah's dad was killed by an animal…oh god, what if it was still out there?

"Azalea," said Briarwood, in a softer tone than he had used before, one that he knew I couldn't say no to, "get some rest." I sighed nodding and climbing into bed.

I closed my eyes that night and dreamed of howls and tortured wolves, writhing and crying out in pain. It felt like they were being punished. It didn't feel like justice…it felt like torture.