Embry POV

"I hate everything!" I exclaimed, walking into Sam and Emily's living room the next morning.

"Why?" Emily asked, and I could see the concern in her eyes.

"I imprinted," I grumbled.

"That's amazing!" she exclaimed. "Why are you so upset!"

"Because I'm an idiot," I said. "And I didn't get her name and I can't find her anywhere. And because I imprinted on an albino girl in a wedding dress. But she's so beautiful…"

Emily looked at me strangely. "She was in a wedding dress? Did she get married? You imprinted on her at her wedding!" she exclaimed, looking ready to hit me with the wooden spoon she was holding.

I held my hands up in an I-surrender gesture. "I think she got left at the altar," I said, defensively. "She was crying, and looking for, quote "her most prized possession", a silver locket that someone threw into the ocean."

Emily's eyes widened. "Oh that's so sad!" she cried. "That's tragic, and horrible! But then you swoop in as her night in shining armor. Oh, it's so romantic!"

Sam walks in, wearing sweats, no shirt, and scratching the back of his head. Emily whacks him with the wooden spoon. "Ow!" he exclaims. "What!?"

"Why couldn't you be my night in shining armor?" she asks.

"In my defense, I have no idea what we're talking about."

She rolls her eyes. "Did you check the marriage announcements?" she said, turning back to me.

"Good idea!" I said happily. "Do you have any old newspapers?"

Emily gestures to a recycling bin next to the trash can. I get to work, searching every newspaper for the last two weeks. Nothing.

"It's not here," I complain. "Are you sure you didn't hear anything about anyone getting married?" I asked her.

She shook her head sadly. "No," she said. "If it were someone on the reservation I would know about it."

I nodded. Crap! How the hell was I supposed to find out who she was?

"Hey lover boy," Seth said, walking in. Emily whacks him with her wooden spoon.

Seth yelps and looks at her, rubbing the spot on his arm where he was hit. "What did I do!?" he asks.

"It's very romantic," she says. "Don't make fun of him."

"You've never hit someone for making fun of someone else!" he says.

"Would you like me to make up for it?" she asks, hitting him again. "Ok, there was that time," she hits him, "And another time," she hits him again. "And-"

"Okay, okay!" he complains, jumping out of the line of fire. Emily and Sam laugh, and I manage a small smile.

"Oh, are we hitting Seth?" Quil asks, coming in, followed by Jacob. Quil slaps Seth in the back of the head, and Jake punches him in the arm.

"Ooh, fun!" Leah exclaims, grabbing the wooden spoon from Emily, and hitting her brother.

"Leah!" he yells. She laughs. "Emily?" he asks meekly. She raises her arms up as if to say, I can't help you.

I sigh dramatically. "Well, I can't be around all you happy people right now," I say, walking out. "I have a depressed albino to find."

As I leave, I hear, "Did he just say a depressed albino?"

-

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-

Okay, so my way of finding the girl ended up being walking around hopelessly, hoping I see her somewhere. I must have walked up and down those beaches a dozen times. Then the sun set. I groan and lay down in the sand.

"Guess I'll just sleep here," I say to no one in particular.

Then I hear a choked sob, and I look up instantly, and see the same girl as last night. Irun over to her, not wanting to miss my chance.

"Are you alright?" I ask her. She shakes her head. "I have to find it," she says. "It's…very important."

I nod. "Okay, I'll help you find it. We'll look all night again if we have to. I'm Embry by the way."

"Cassie," she says, with a small smile.

"That's a beautiful name," I say, unable to look away from her eyes. They had a strange emotion in them that I could place. Sadness…anger…aloneness…and, something else…What was it?

We walked all around the beach, searching for her silver locket. As we walked, we talked. "Why are you wearing a wedding dress?" I ask, unable to stop myself.

She sighs sadly. "I was supposed to get married," she says. "But things changed."

"That's horrible," I say.

"It wasn't meant to be I suppose," she says. Then she looks me in the eyes. "Do you love someone?" she asks. I can do nothing but nod when her eyes are locked onto mine like that.

"Then never leave without them. Not even for a short time. Not even if you swear on your life to some back."

I nod again. What was she talking about? I had a feeling that I didn't want to know.

"Did you love him," I ask.

She looks thoughtful. "I do. But it can never be now."

"Do you think you could ever love someone else?" I ask.

She shakes her head sadly. "I am to be forever alone," she says. I purse my lips to stop from telling her that she could be with me forever.

"What's your favorite movie?" I ask suddenly, desperate to change the subject. She narrows her eyes, as if trying very hard to remember. "The Wizard of Oz," she says finally.

"Ah, so you like classics," I says, nodding. "I don't really have a favorite. But I like horror movies."

"I've had enough of horror," she says, and I can't be a hundred percent sure she's still talking about movies.

"Have you ever noticed how the beach changes over time?" she asks.

"Yeah," I say. "It's never exactly the same."

She nods. "The passing of time," she mutters.

"It's always beautiful, though," I say.

"Yes, I suppose it is," she says thoughtfully.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" I ask.

"I had a sister," she says.

"Had?"

"She's not dead' she says. "But I no longer consider her my sister."

"Do you want to talk about it?" I ask.

"She is the reason for everything," she said simply. She said it in such a way that I could tell that was all the had to say on the subject.

"What's your favorite book?" she asks. "The Outsiders." I said the first book title I could think of. We read that once in school.

"What's it about?" she asks.

"It's about this group of teenagers who no one really wants. They're called Greasers./ one day, two of the Greasers are attacked by some rich kids. They accidentally kill them while defending themselves. Then they save some kids from a burning building. The ending's pretty sad, because one of them dies."

She looks thoughtful. "Could I borrow it?" she asks.

"Uh, sure. Will I see you again?" I ask.

"I come here every night," she says. I'll have to remember to ask Sam about changing my patrol schedule.

Just as I see the sunrise, I realize that I haven't slept more than two hours in the last two days.

"It's a beautiful sunrise," I say, suddenly tired.

Her eyes widen. "I have to go," she says simply. I call after her, but she does not look back as she runs into the forest.