Sorry I didnt have it up sooner but, well, real life got in the way...read and enjoy!

Chapter 3;
First Beach

After a quick call from Mike, Bella informed her sister that the rest of the group were making a few stops to pick up a couple things and that they would be slightly late in meeting the two which seemed to make both girls let out a sigh of relief as Alyssa eased her foot off of the gas. She couldn't hold back the smile that the news caused to pull at her lips at the knowledge that she would have a little bit longer to prepare herself with the possible confrontation. As she pulled into the driveway and the clouds parted to reveal the sun she couldn't help but roll her eyes as she wondered if fate seemed to have it out for her for some reason.

It was pretty common knowledge that when it was sunny and above sixty degrees, which was considered to be hot in what the town considered spring, the Quileute's flooded the beaches more than usual. While most of them went to the beach that the 'palefaces' weren't allowed access to, a few went to First Beach and of those few it just happened to be her former group of friends that went to the one that she would be at that day. Despite the fact that she wasn't ready to see her former best friend slash the guy that she had fallen for, she was eager to see everyone else and that added to the fact that she'd promised Bella she'd go were the only things keeping her from finding a way to worm out of the trip.

"I thought you girls were headed straight to the Rez after school." Charlie said by way of greeting when they'd entered the house, causing Alyssa to jump and place a hand over her heart since she hadn't seen his cruiser in the driveway and didn't know that he'd gotten off of work early.

"We were but I wanted to change and we just learned that the others are going to be a little late anyways." She shrugged before standing on her tip-toes to give him a kiss on the cheek, "You scared the crap out of me by the way." She said over her shoulder as she made her way up the stairs to her room.

Pushing open the door she frowned at the disarray that she'd made that morning in her haste to get ready and made a mental note to clean it up when she got home, if she wasn't too tired, before pulling off her shirt. Not bothering to think about what to wear she grabbed the first thing that her hand came in contact with, a light green baby tee shirt, that she hadn't worn since the last time she'd gone to a bon fire. Trying to ignore the meaning and the irony she quickly grabbed her black zip up hoodie and pulled it on before kicking off her shoes and sliding into her seldom worn flip flops knowing that even if her feet got cold she wouldn't have to worry as much about getting sand into her tennis shoes. After a quick look in the mirror she pulled the zipper of her hoodie down to the middle of her stomach and pulled her hair into a messy pile on the top of her head before touching up her make-up.

"They're on their way to the beach. You ready?" Bella asked as she stood at the door on her side of the bathroom.

"I guess." She sighed before turning the light off and heading down the stairs giving her father a questioning look when he moved to the door also.

"Relax, I'm going fishing with Billy and Harry." He chuckled as he motioned for them to go first, "You guys be careful, Aly, you know where to find me if you need me."

"We will be. Have fun, catch enough for me to make some fry with." The blonde smiled as she slid into the driver's seat.

As they made their way toward the reservation taking a few back roads Alyssa couldn't help but notice her sisters confused and slightly worried looks and had to hold back a laugh as she informed her that she knew a few short cuts. It didn't seem to reassure the older girl who gave her a slight nod before turning to look out the windows, Alyssa guessed to see if anything looked familiar and shook her head before turning her attention back to the road. When they pulled onto the gravel that made up the parking lot of First Beach she couldn't help but give Bella an 'I-told-you-so' look before she exited the car, smiling largely when she noticed, Jason, who she hadn't known would be there before laughing when he quickly ran to her and lifted her into his arms.

"I didn't know you would be here." He smiled, his jade eyes sparkling as he lowered her slightly.

Instinctively wrapping her legs around his waist so that she wouldn't fall the blonde couldn't help but smile back, "I could say the same. Of course, it doesn't help that I don't see you in school and when I do you're surrounded by a bunch of jocks."

"Hey!" Mike and Tyler called with a playful frown.

"Sorry, but it's true." She called while rolling her eyes as Jason set her down.

Looking up at his six foot one frame the blonde couldn't help but admire his muscular build, everything about the boy screamed that he was a panty-dropper and could easily charm his way in or out of pretty much anything. Sandy blonde hair, strong jaw and jade green eyes were more than enough to make him good looking and the confident air that he had seemed to add to his looks as much as his body did. With strong legs, defined biceps and what Alyssa knew for a fact was washboard abs under the shirt that he was wearing, he was without a doubt the best looking non-Cullen male at Forks high school and despite how old he appeared to be he was only a Junior.

"Sorry about that. I've just been busy training. There's a scout coming up next week and I want to make sure I'm at the top of my game."

"Oh, you'll blow his mind." She promised with a smile.

"If the two of you would come out of the little bubble that you made and help us carry this stuff down to the beach, that'd be great. Thanks." Jessica called to them sarcastically and if she hadn't turned to look at the girl Alyssa would have believed she was simply teasing but she caught the look of hurt in the other girls eyes.

"We're coming." She called back, ignoring the boys comments as she turned to look at Jason, "What did you do?"

"What me? Nothing!" He frowned before catching her look of disbelief, "Okay, I may have gone out on a date with her last week. Don't give me that look! I told her when I dropped her off that it was fun but I just wanted to be friends. Besides, she's clearly not over Mike."

"Yeah, okay."

As they made their way towards the trunk of the Mike's mother's SUV Alyssa couldn't help but curve herself into Jason's side when he threw his arm over her shoulder and pulled her into him as he rubbed her arm. Biting her lip as she rested her head against his shoulder the blonde couldn't help but wonder if he was just being his usual flirtatious self or if she should be taking the small things that he was doing a little more seriously. Mentally shaking her head the blonde wondered why it was that she was worried about it and reminded herself that the football player was only her friend and she didn't need to worry about if he was flirting with her or not.

Walking up to the back of the SUV the blonde quickly grabbed the first bag that she saw and let out a small grunt as she lifted it before looking inside to see why it was that it was so much heavier than she had expected it to be. She got her answer as she took in the sight of the sheer amount of hot dogs and hamburgers that had been stuffed into it and briefly wondered if more people had been invited than she had been aware of. There was no possible way that eight people could possibly consume the forty eight hot dots the bag contained let alone the five pounds of hamburger that was resting on the bottom of the bag.

Deciding to wait and see who all showed up instead of simply asking someone she carried slash dragged the heavy plastic bag down to the rapidly growing pile next the portable girl that someone had brought. Lifting the cover off of the three coolers she made quick work of setting her bagful in it and wondered if what she thought was just a small trip was actually a party that she hadn't been aware of. If it was the latter as the cooler full of beer and other alcoholic beverages suggested, she could only hope that someone had thought to bring a radio and enough trash bags and other items that they would need or it wouldn't be easy to clean up when they were finished.

The memory of her first real high school party popped into her mind and she couldn't help but smile as she remembered the party-goers reactions when they first saw her step into the overly crowded room. It had been obvious that they thought she was wither a prude or was going to tell on them at the first chance that she got since she was a cops daughter and she quickly proved them wrong. Before anyone could say anything to her she headed to the keg that had been sitting on the back porch, a number of people following her and called out for spotters as she did a keg stand following it up with a few hits from one of the various joints that was being passed around the partiers. After that there had been no doubt in their minds that she could and would party with the best of them regardless of her fathers role in the small town and she had gotten invites to all of the parties, big or small, that the small town had to offer.

"What are you thinking about?" Bella asked as she caught up to Alyssa, the two making their way back up to the SUV.

"My first real party."

"P-party?" The other girl stuttered out, eyes widening as she took in the large amount of people that were gravitating to what had originally been their small group.

"Yeah, I guess people thought that since I'm a cops daughter I would either narc on them or be a total wet blanket.

"What about Charlie? I mean, won't he get upset if he finds out what's going on here?"

"If I hid it from him, oh yeah but if I'm honest and let him know that I've had a couple drinks or whatever, he's usually pretty cool. I mean, he's a cop, he knows what teens are going to do regardless of the law. So, as long as I get home safe and am responsible, he usually lets it slide." The blonde shrugged as she made her way to the coolers after seeing that the SUV was now empty.

"I didn't know it was going to be a party." Bella muttered as she took in the suddenly loud music and teens that were clearly enjoying themselves.

"It probably wasn't going to be. That's how these things usually start out. You think you're going to hang out with a few friends and the next thing you know…" She trailed off gesturing around them at the amount of people that had suddenly appeared, "Relax, have fun and just let go of whatever worries are in that pretty little head of yours."

The older girl nodded and Alyssa quickly realized that her sister wasn't going to let go unless she had a little help in that department or if she was asleep and could simply forget whatever it was that was bothering her. Letting out a sigh Alyssa grabbed the brunette's hand and all but dragged the girl to where Jason and a few others were standing, waiting for the blunts to be passed around. As soon as he saw the siblings he smiled and lit the marijuana he'd just finished rolling before taking a few puffs and handing it to Alyssa who didn't waste any time copying his movements as she took a few hits before holding it out to her sister, wondering if she'd be the typical cops daughter or would prove that not everyone with a parent in law enforcement followed the rules.

"Ah, so she's the narc." A boy passing the group called and before the blonde could reply in defense of her sister the blunt was taken out of her hands as Bella took a long inhale of it, "Or not." He chuckled as Bella passed it on and immediately started coughing.

"Next time, don't hit it so hard." Alyssa said quietly as she rubbed her sisters back, her protective instincts kicking in.

"Yeah, you're going to be coughing for a little while." Jason added, his voice matching the blondes in volume.

After a few more puffs the sisters left the group as they made their way to the drinks and food arm in arm, giggling about whatever it was that popped into their head before finding a place to sit fairly close to the grill. Before the younger girl could actually sit down and take a long gulp of the Twisted Tea that she'd been handed she felt a pair of large, warmer than usual arms wrap tightly around her before lifting her into the air effortlessly. The small shriek that spilled from her lips quickly turned into a giggle as she twisted around to see the familiar face of Quill, who simply smiled more largely before spinning her around and laughing deeply at her giggles.

"Q!" She gasped as her laughs subsided and she found it hard to breathe.

"Let her down so we can all get our hugs in." Emily's familiar motherly tone sounded from a few feet away.

"Or, you know, before she passes out due to lack of oxygen." Jared added just as she was released from the iron like grip holding her before being wrapped into another one.

After passing out hugs to everyone from the former group that she had considered family she glanced around and came to the quick realization that only one person was missing but decided not to comment on Jacob's sudden disappearance as they all moved to sit down. Out of the corner of her eye she could make out the out line of her sister and former best friend talking by the fire and felt her blood turn hot at the sight of them together. Paul, apparently noticing the same thing she had, quickly drew her attention as he filled her in on the latest happenings of their small group, including the recent addition of Leah who gave her a small nod before turning to glare at Sam and Emily, making the blonde wonder what exactly the story was there.

By the time that the large pile of drift wood was lit, it was just starting to get dark and Alyssa had what she'd counted to be her third beer in her hands, thought it didn't seem accurate due to her swaying and sense of ease that she was feeling. It meant that she had either inhaled more marijuana and drank more alcohol than she remembered or her tolerance for both substances had lowered considerably since the last time she'd enjoyed either. Frowning she lifted her cup to her lips and realized that it was empty before turning to head toward the coolers to get a refill but quickly found herself running into what seemed to be a slightly soft, warm brick wall that sent her spiraling backwards to the now cool sand.

"Careful." Paul's deep voice chuckled as he easily caught her and righted her, "Take it easy, by the way, the last thing me and Embry want is you hung over on our little road trip to Port A."

"You're both coming with me!" She beamed, excited to know that both of the large boys would be accompanying her on her trip.

"Of course, you didn't think we'd pass up the opportunity to spend a few hours with our favorite girl did you?" He asked, his signature smirk making its appearance.

"Good. I missed you guys." She frowned, her eyes suddenly stinging with unshed tears.

"Oh, Aly, don't cry. You know we'd be around more if we could." He mumbled as he pulled her into a tight hug as the tears that she'd prevented from falling for so long did just that.

While she knew that her tears were mostly a product of her drunken state there was no denying that they were also real and that she hadn't exactly had time to grieve over the loss of her second family the way she would have liked. They had been ripped from her so suddenly that she couldn't help but be hurt that none of them seemed to so much as try and reach out to her to let her know that they still cared about her. After a few minutes she stopped the tears as his words finally clicked into place and she pulled back looking at him with slightly narrowed eyes and confusion clear in her eyes as she digested the fact that he said 'if they could'.

"If you could?" She asked.

"Ah, I was hoping…" He started to say before trailing off and letting out a deep sigh before shaking his head, "I got to go. I'll see you tomorrow." He promised, kissing her forehead before all but vanishing into the tree line a few feet away.

Watching his large form walk toward the tree line and then quickly disappeared behind it she couldn't help the frown pulling at her lips as she slowly turned around to find her sister, who was talking with Jacob a few feet away. She knew without a doubt that whatever the meaning behind Paul's words they both knew what it was and she took a deep breath as she slowly made her way to where they were standing. There was no way that Jacob would answer her questions but she knew that if threw enough of them at Bella, she might break and reveal whatever it was that the secret everyone seemed to be keeping from her was.

When she was only about a yard away she watched as Jacob's body stiffened before he said something to Bella and walked away quickly, leaving the brunette looking confused and slightly hurt about the fact that he'd just turned and walked away. Rolling her eyes the blonde had noticed his eyes shift toward her for a second before he'd left and couldn't help but feel angry that apparently he couldn't stand to be in the same proximity as her. Tossing her empty cup in the trash she moved to sit beside her sister and was surprised when the older girl looped their arms before pulling her into a standing position again as they walked away from the large crowd to Alyssa's car.

"We need to talk." Bella sighed as soon as their feet hit the gravel.

"Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing." Alyssa nodded.

"How…not sober are you?"

Despite the tension running between the two the blonde couldn't help but laugh at the phrasing of her sisters question and how seriously she'd managed to say it as she ran a hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face, "Sorry, I've had my fair share and I have a feeling you stuck to soda the whole night so you drive." Alyssa said as she slid into the passenger seat, "Keys are in the ignition."

By the time that they arrived at the house, Alyssa was starving and went straight into the kitchen before pulling out a bag of chips as she waited for the pizza she'd set in the microwave to finish warming up. As she chewed on the salty pieces of potato she watched as Bella wrung her hands and jiggled her foot, obviously anxious or nervous about whatever was on her mind which seemed to be proven true when the microwave beeped and she jumped a foot in the air. Giving the older girl an odd look as she set her pizza on the table and sat down she wondered who it was that was going to break the ice first before deciding that it was better to just get it over with.

"What's the deal with the Cullen's?" She asked after she took a sip of her drink, "And don't give me some bull crap story. They all have cold skin, those freaky color eyes, any time someone bleeds they all get all tense before leaving and whenever the sun comes out they magically disappear from school. Please don't give me the camping story because we both know it's bull."

"Well…um…see…"

"Are they vampires?" The blonde asked with a small roll of her eyes before looking to see Bella with a mixture of worry and relief on her face.

Jumping up from where she was sitting the blonde quickly shook her head back and forth as she thought about her own description of the Cullen's compared to the old Legends that she'd heard Billy tell so often. They couldn't be true though, they were just old legends made up by the tribe to make children behave and scare them into checking under the bed at night, there was no way that they were actually true. Besides, if they were that meant that the story about the wolf warrior had to be true also and she couldn't imagine any one that she knew on the reservation suddenly turning into horse sized wolves when a vampire suddenly came around.

As she remembered the few 'unknown' bits of the legends that Jacob had told her she couldn't help but compare them to what had happened a few months after the Cullen's arrived. Apparently those with the 'gene' would grow suddenly in size much like her friends had and become much more prone to anger which seemed to fit them all to the t. They would also have to cut off all contact with anyone that wasn't in the pack except for what Jacob had said was an imprint and the elders that had known about them long before. Shaking her head she tried to silence her mind so that she wouldn't come to the conclusion of what had been going on for the last year, the blonde begged her mind to just stop or she knew for a fact she'd rush over to Jacob's and demand answers.

"Vampires and shape shifters?" She said shaking her head, "No, that's crazy stuff like this only happens in book and movies and…dreams!" She smiled, suddenly convinced that she was sleeping as she pinched herself on her arm and frowned when she didn't suddenly wake up.

I know, I kinda ended it suddenly but I knew that if I went on anymore I wouldn't be able to stop and it would be a MASSIVE chapter sooo...I cut it off, maybe at the wrong spot but...what can I say? It kind of seemed...RIGHT to me so I stopped it. Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon.