Dream

It was about one o'clock by the time I finally got home. I drove slowly watching my knuckles whiten as I gripped the steering wheel. There was such a strange mix of emotions swelling within me at that moment. I was feeling desperately alone at the fact that my one real friend had just broken up with me, so to speak. Pissed off because Edward I'm-too-sexy-for-my-plastic surgeon Cullen had the audacity to confront and get physical with me. And now, the most prominent feeling was sadness. Yes it was lame and yes it was cliché but dammit I was sad. Alice didn't want to be my friend even though she stalked me in the evenings at the foot of my bed and there was no one else here save for my awkward and taciturn father that I could talk to. Thinking about my father reminded me of calling my mother back and I threw my eyes to the roof of my truck with a groan. Loved her to death, but I really didn't want to speak to my mother at the moment. She would freak out about me, talk about herself, ask about my love life, and talk about herself and so on.

But, sometimes you had to do things you just didn't want to do. Thus was my situation and that was why I slammed my car door just a little too roughly after I climbed out. Charlie's cruiser was gone and it was a little too late for him to come home for lunch so it appeared I was in the clear. I put the key in the door and, after working with it for a minute, it swung open swiftly.

I stood in the doorway for a moment, listening. Honestly, I could not be blamed for being a little bit paranoid so I felt no shame as I kept an ear open and stepped into the house, closing the door behind me. Again it was quiet. While I didn't feel a presence in the house, that really didn't mean shit. Alice was as silent as a mouse. It was honestly a wonder I'd woken up those few times to her. I couldn't recall her making a sound that would have woken me up. She was like a fox or something. Was it a fox? I couldn't remember the simile but basically she was sneaky. That was my original point.

Thoroughly satisfied that I was alone, I set my bag on top of the dining room table and headed into the kitchen. Skipping my already late lunch at school mixed with all of the drama at school had really made me hungry so I found the leftover enchiladas and put one into the microwave. I stared at the phone while it heated up, judging if my emotional stability was stable enough to call my mother. The microwave had beeped long before I made my decision but I ultimately ended up picking up the phone and calling my mother's cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, mom, it's me."

"…Who?"

"Your daughter, Bella,"

"There must be some mistake. You can't be my daughter, Bella."

"Why not?"

"Because my daughter, Bella, would never call me back like she said she would."

I half-chuckled into the receiver. "Well, miracles do happen. How are you, mom? How's the travelling going?"

"Oh, it's been going great, Bella! Phil is just tickled to death. But enough about me, how about you? Have you met any friends, boyfriends? How's school?"

"School's fine," I answered automatically, twisting the phone cord around my finger lamely. "I mean, it's a small town so there's really nothing to talk about. I met a few friends and, you know I guess I'm in a group of some sort."

"That's great, honey! Found a bestie yet?"

"Mom, don't say bestie. And I had one, but she kind of pulled a 180."

"Well then she doesn't deserve your friendship. Don't worry, Bella and don't let things like that get you down."

"Yeah, Mom, thanks," I answered as I rolled my eyes. Honestly, what did my mother know about this type of friendship? This was no ordinary, 'let's sleep over' friendship. This was a 'let me make you so paranoid that your father has to save you from a shower' type of friendship. Her intentions were good, but I really couldn't use her advice. She was right about Alice not deserving my friendship; however I chose to ignore that little piece of information. Logically thinking, I knew that while Alice and I had a couple of really good moments, her constant absences and strange behavior were quite overwhelming. And we'd only been' friends' for about two days so for me to be acting like I'd lost my 'bestie' was a little overdramatic even for me. But, despite all of this logic, I knew that I'd drop any concern or suspicion if she so much as looked my way. Because that was what she did. She charmed me into forgetting about logic or reality. Yes it was lame and quite hard to believe but until Alice Cullen walks into your bedroom in the middle of the night I suggest you don't judge.

By the time I'd finally hung up with my mother my enchilada had to be reheated again. Though she'd taken up quite a bit of my time with useless knowledge I had to admit that I felt relieved after talking with my mother. Now the task could be put off for a few days to allow me to focus on more important things.

I ate in silence while I worked on my calculus homework, halfway leaning off of the chair to accommodate my bruise, and actually managed to finish my food and the homework at the same time. And, I had put only three grease stains on the entire paper from my Mexican food. Quite the feat indeed. Trying to stay on a roll, I pulled out my Physics work and started on that. I was about halfway into the worksheet before it dawned on me: today was Friday. I threw my pencil down quickly and shoved my weekend homework back into my bag. I could deal with it on Sunday. It probably wasn't the best idea in the world to come to a new town on Tuesday and start a new school on Wednesday but the flights were cheaper on Tuesday and I couldn't complain with my mother about it.

Wait, Friday night…something was happening tonight. Out of habit I snapped my fingers as it came to me. Charlie and I were heading to the Reservation tonight. I groaned loudly and made a face. I really didn't want to meet new people tonight. Granted, Jacob and Billy weren't exactly new but they were foreign enough that the visit would be awkward. The only bright side of the evening would be that I would be spending some time with my neglected father. I couldn't deny that I was somewhat happy about that. I looked at the clock again. It was 3:30 now and because I had no final period, I would have already been home. My day of truancy hadn't turned out to be that bad…not that I hoped to do it again. I smiled softly to myself and grabbed my bag, heading upstairs. On the way to my room I passed the bathroom and noticed that Charlie had indeed fixed the shower curtain and some Dove body wash was sitting on the edge of the tub. "Good choice, Charlie," I muttered truthfully as I made my way to my room.

Just as I sat my bag on the chair beside my desk the phone rang. I didn't have one in my bedroom but Charlie had one in his so I raced across the hall to his room, narrowly dodging some possibly dirty boxers on the way. Luckily, I made it on the second ring. "Hello?"

"Bells," Charlie half-shouted into the phone, "are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah, dad, I'm fine. Why?"

"Because I just got a call from the school saying you missed your last periods."

"Oh," I answered, slapping my hand to my face. I'd forgotten about that tiny detail. Well, the truth never hurt. "I left, Dad. I really wasn't feeling well and it had been a horrible day. I just couldn't stick it out. I'm sorry." I heard Charlie give a heavy sigh into the phone and I bit nervously down on my lip. Maybe he would ground me and I wouldn't have to go to the Reservation.

"Well, Bella, I can't say I'm all that happy with you. I mean, yeah I was a student once too but I always called when I left early. You scared the hell out me. I didn't know what to think or what happened to you."

"I'm sorry, Dad," I repeated, genuinely feeling low. He sighed again.

"It's fine. I'm just glad you're okay. I'll let the school know. Are you feeling well enough to go to the Reservation tonight? The guys have been dying to see you."

"No, I'm fine. I'm feeling much better." Charlie was being way too cool for me to fake a sickness on him.

"Great! So, I'll be home at around five-thirty and we'll over there at about six. I'll even be the cool dad and let you follow in your truck just in case you want to leave early."

I laughed into the receiver. "Yeah, dad, that does make you pretty cool."

"See you soon, Bells,"

"Bye,"

I hung up with Charlie feeling rather satisfied. Taking my mind off of school and certain persons at said school was really helping. That night, I made a promise to myself not to think about them once this evening and to try and enjoy myself. I just hoped I could keep it. To pass the time until it was time to leave I unpacked my luggage and put up all of my clothes. Then I stood in front of the closet doors and debated on what to wear. It was always a tougher decision in the closet than in the bag. Finally I had decided on a navy shirt with some kind of writing on it and my favorite pair of jeans. My favorite shirt was still missing and while that angered me, there was nothing I could do about it now. Just as I was lacing up my final shoe, I heard the sound of the cruiser in the driveway.

When Charlie arrived right on time, he suggested that I bring a jacket as rain was imminent and it could get cold on the beach. I really didn't have much of anything that was between my light windbreaker and my winter coat so I went for the windbreaker, hoping that it wouldn't get that cold. When I got back downstairs Charlie had changed into some casual wear and I realized that this was the first time I'd seen him out of uniform. He looked okay, for being my dad and all. He looked skeptically at my jacket but eventually shrugged and opened the door for me. "It's almost a straight drive, Bells. You'll know the way like the back of your hand after this one lesson," he said as he locked the door behind him.

"Oh, okay," I answered, not really sure why I would need to know the route to the Reservation.

"Jacob's a good kid. I figure if you guys get to being friends then you'll need to know the way to his house. Plus, it's just nice to know your way around in this wooded area," Charlie answered for me as he unlocked his car. I nodded and got into mine, laughing as Charlie jumped at the loud starting noise it made.

As Charlie had said, the drive to the Reservation was pretty easy. It was only about fifteen minutes away and after taking a left at the one stoplight in Forks you stayed on the road until you took a right at the entrance to the Reservation. A snap, basically. While following the cruiser through the Reservation I studied the place. It was so…poor. I felt bad for thinking that but it was the truth. This place was so poor and downtrodden and the people that I'd seen had sunken in, wrinkled faces, worn with years and years of work. They looked up at my Chevy sadly and I felt bad for having it. I'd once read somewhere that suicide rates among Native Americans were huge. Now I could see why. Then we got further into the Reservation and I saw more and more families. Parents were sitting on the porch while children played in the front yards, making mud pies and having mud wars. I smiled as I watched them. Maybe this place wasn't as bad as I originally thought.

Billy Black's house was away from all of the others, nestled behind a wooded area. It was a wooden cabin of sorts that was painted the same color of red as my truck. Though the paint was chipping the cabin itself looked to be kept up quite well. There was a barn to the far right of the house and if I squinted I could make out a car sitting in it. As I stepped out of the truck, the cold humidity hit me along with the salty smell of the shore. My ears also picked up on the waves crashing against the rocky coastline. I glanced over at the small grove of trees and noticed a little dirt path leading through it. The ocean couldn't have been just a few yards away. I stared at it for a few moments more before following Charlie up to the house. The door opened just as we'd climbed the last step and out came Billy Black. He was in a wheelchair; I had remembered that much. And he was smiling from ear to ear. He had long dark hair, a sort of squashed nose and squinty brown eyes. Wrinkles lined every inch of his cheerful face and I couldn't help but smile back at this sweet old man.

"Took you long enough to get here, old man!" Billy joked, extending his hand to Charlie, who shook it.

"I'm right on time. You're just too old to see the clock," Charlie returned before motioning to me. "Billy, you remember Bella." Billy turned his head to me and his features softened just a bit. He looked a little shocked and I assumed that he was surprised at how much I'd grown. I smiled to him and extended my hand, which he took in both of his.

"You did well, Charlie," he said, winking at my father. "Nice to see you again, Bella. Please, come in." With that, he let go of my hand and turned the wheelchair around and rolled into the house. Charlie motioned for me to go first and I reluctantly obliged. The front door led to a small hallway. To the right of the hallway was what looked like a bedroom and to the left there was the living room. The kitchen was directly across from the living room and the hall extended further to three more doors that I could only guess was a closet, another bedroom and a bathroom. It was very small, but also very quaint and warm. This was a place where I could imagine spending Christmas morning. It also smelled fantastic. Sort of like leather and cedar and fire.

"Jacob!" Billy called, jolting me out of my daze. "They're here, Jake! Get out of that room!" Billy then smiled and motioned for Charlie and me to sit. He winked at me as I sat down and whispered, "That boy's been in there all day trying to find the right outfit to wear for this occasion." Charlie chuckled beside me and I blushed. Was I being set up on a blind date or something? In the few short moments of spare time I had I tried to remember anything I could of Jacob Black. We were so young. I just remember him being tan with dark hair. He smiled a lot and we generally had a good time together. But that was all I had. I heard a door open down the hall and footsteps following. Charlie stood and I thought it best to do the same.

Jacob Black rounded the corner, messing with the cuffs of a black shirt he had put on. He also had dark jeans on and a pair of Doc Marten looking boots. He had jet black hair that hung down in one straight sheet just past his shoulders. His nose was squashed like Billy's but not as badly and he sort of had a large forehead. The hair helped though, framing his defined jaw nicely. All in all he was a really good looking guy. He smiled and looked back and forth from Charlie and me. "Hi, I'm Jacob. I don't know if you remember but-

"Oh, I do. It's good to see you again, Jacob," I answered, also smiling. His eyes brightened and he laughed awkwardly before telling us to sit down again. Billy called from the kitchen to say that dinner was almost ready. Charlie rose from the couch and went into the kitchen, leaving me alone with Jacob.

"So, Bella, how do you like Forks so far?" Jacob asked, sitting in a chair across from the couch with his hands clasped. I shrugged, listening to the two grown men argue playfully in the kitchen.

"It's okay. I haven't really had all that much time to experience it."

"Yeah, I hear that. Made any friends?"

"A couple…Mike Newton, Angela Webber, their group."

"Oh I know them. They're pretty nice. They come down to surf La Push often."

"And, Alice Cullen has been pretty nice to me." Dammit, broke my promise. If I knew I was going to break it before I made it, does it still count as broken? Probably. Jacob's eyes narrowed a bit and I watched as he peered into the kitchen, which had grown quiet. Then, a sort of disagreement arose in the kitchen as Jacob rolled his eyes and scoffed. Obviously, this piqued my interest.

"Is there something wrong with Alice Cullen?" I asked as innocently as I could.

"No, there's nothing wrong with Alice Cullen or any of the Cullens," Jacob answered, enunciating each word as if he were speaking to someone with a handicap. "My father just doesn't like them so he wants everyone to dislike them as well. It's really nice." He rolled his eyes again and I smiled.

"So, why doesn't he like them?"

"I don't know. He says they're just different. It's pretty hypocritical if you ask me. He just sticks to legends." I nodded but before I could pry more, Billy called us for dinner. As we sat at the table, I noticed that Charlie and Billy, if they had been arguing before, were completely fine, laughing easily and having a good time. With their impression, it didn't take long for me to follow along and soon we were all having a great time. I'd even learned that it was from them that Charlie bought my truck and spent a good fifteen minutes talking with Jacob about how it ran and how much I loved it. After the meal, Charlie and Billy wanted to check the scores of some game and Jacob offered to walk me to the ocean.

"Is that the only jacket you brought?" he asked as he closed the front door behind us. I nodded and he gave me the same skeptical look that Charlie gave me but smiled and jumped off of the steps. I followed without jumping and he led us down the same dirt path I'd seen earlier. As we walked, I could hear with wind howling above us, blocked by the trees. I could also feel mist collecting on my cheek. But I wasn't cold yet.

"So, what's this legend you mentioned earlier?" I asked as I caught up with Jacob. He smiled at me and even in the dark I could see his white teeth.

"It's just some old Quileute legend. Long story short, we are descendents of wolves and battled with these things called 'the cold ones.' Vampires, if you couldn't gather. A typical werewolf meets vampire battle royal."

"It sounds like you stole that from 'Underworld.'"

"Or 'Underworld' stole it from us."

"You should sue them."

"I just might," he laughed. "I could really use the settlement money."

"Oh yeah? For what?"

"I'm working on a car and I could use some money for parts. Also, the only way I'll get into college is by some sort of miracle. Being Native American only gets me so far."

"That's pretty commendable of you, Jacob."

"Sure, sure," he answered, waving me off with his hands. I shrugged, sighing as we entered a clearing. Once we were out of the safety of the trees, the wind hit hard. I almost fell over from the force and began shivering uncontrollably. I heard Jacob laughing next to me and felt something fall over my shoulders: his jacket.

"I told you," he sneered as he kept walking.

"You told me nothing," I retaliated. "You just looked skeptical and laughed."

"Well, everyone's gotta learn sometime."

"Here, take your jacket back. Now you're cold."

Jacob shook his head and took it from my hands, placing it back around my shoulders. "I'm fine, really. We're warm blooded. Runs in the family." I scoffed but was too cold to argue and slipped my arms through the sleeves. It really was warm. "Here, take my hand," Jacob said. I hesitated for a moment and he chuckled.

"Come on, conceited. I want to show you something without you getting hurt." Blushing, I took his hand and he led the way in the darkness. We neared the edge of what I assumed was a cliff and I could hear the sounds of the waves getting louder and louder. "Alright, stop right here and look down," he said, his grip tightening on my hand. I did as I was told and looked down. Even in the darkness of the night I could see the beautiful white caps bursting against the charcoal rocks. The sea and land looked as if they were in battle and I couldn't seem to look away.

"Nice, isn't it?" Jacob asked and I could feel him looking at me.

"It's gorgeous," I answered, looking up at him. "Thank you."

"No problem." He smiled again and I returned it as a faint whistle came through the trees. Jacob sighed. "It's my dad. I guess you guys are leaving."

"I guess so,"

"Feel free to stop by any time though. It's pretty fun down here."

"Yeah that sounds great."

Jacob smiled again and led the way back through the trees where Charlie and Billy were waiting on the front porch. We said our goodbyes there and Charlie led the way back home. "So, did you have a good time?" Charlie asked as he hung up his jacket.

"Yeah, I really did. Thanks for taking me, dad."

"No problem, Bells. Now that you know the way I bet you'll be up there all of the time. Speaking of, I'm going fishing up there tomorrow with Billy. I'll leave their number if you need me."

"Alright, dad," I said, giving him a quick round the shoulder hug. "Night,"

"Night, Bella."

I smiled once more to him and danced up the stairs to my room, tripping only once as I did so. The trip to the La Push Reservation was just what I needed. I found a normal friend with normal things to talk about. It seemed like things were finally looking up. As I made it to my room, I noticed that my suitcase was still lying on the floor. As I bent over to zip it up and stow it somewhere, I noticed something in my bag. I lifted the flap carefully and looked inside.

It was my favorite shirt, lying at the bottom of my suitcase. My breath caught in my throat as I quickly turned around, making sure no one was behind me. My room was empty. Cautiously I picked up the shirt, looking for some kind of note or something to be attached to it. There was none, but something was amiss. I slowly brought the shirt to my face and inhaled. There it was. The scent. The scent that was better than anything that could be created. The scent of Alice Cullen. I sighed, removing the shirt from my face and looked around again. I even laid down on the carpet and looked under my bed. She was not here, but my shirt was back. Feeling a little more than weirded out I jogged to my window and locked the latch. Then I ran to the other one and locked it as well. My door didn't have a lock but I wasn't too worried about it. Still extremely uneasy, I changed into my favorite shirt to sleep in and was lulled to sleep by sweet smell of Alice.

0-0-0-0-0

She was here again. I knew she was here. I could feel her presence in my room. My heart was racing but I kept my eyes shut. She shuffled her feet and I could feel her light steps on the carpet, moving towards the front of my bed, towards me. She stopped once she reached the top, and I exhaled sharply, knowing that she would soon run away if I gave too many warnings. But she didn't. Instead, I felt her ice cold hand on my temple, pushing my hair out of my face. Her hand lingered on my skin and travelled down the base of my neck and all the way down my arm, resting finally on my hand. My heart was beating even faster and my breathing was uneven. And yet she stayed. She knew I was awake and didn't care. I didn't know how to feel about that. Suddenly, I felt her breath on my ear, cool and inviting. She did nothing more but breathe for a few moments before I felt her lips on my neck. It wasn't even a kiss. It was as if she just placed them there, testing my skin. Her lips were moving now up the column of my neck and I swallowed hard, fighting the urge to open my eyes.

Even her lips were freezing and I involuntarily shivered as they found their way to my earlobe. My mind was a flurry of thoughts but the one that was most prominent in my mind kept ringing over and over in my buzzing ears. 'What are you?' Her lips were then taken from my skin and I exhaled again, my skin tingling as the warmer air hit them. I asked the question in my mind again, only to feel her breath on my ear once more.

"Vampire," she whispered in tone so heavy it could have been cut with a knife. I couldn't take it anymore then. I opened my eyes. There she was, standing over me, smiling with her eyes as dark as the night. She smiled at me, and I saw a glimpse of fangs. I blushed at the sight. Then her eyes narrowed as her smile turned into a snarl. Before I could react, she leapt upon me.

I shot up in bed screaming. Then I clenched my eyes tightly. The ill-seen sun was berating its way through my windows. I blinked a few more times and opened my eyes, staring at the clock. It was past nine o'clock. With my heart still racing, I felt my neck and ear. It was warm. I jumped out of bed and ran over to the windows. It was locked.

For the first time, Alice had not shown up. And yet I dreamed her here anyway. Closing my eyes, I laid back on the bed and tried to think about the word she'd uttered so seductively in my ear.

"Vampire."