So, I was asked to post an actress for who I picture as Nori. The only problem is, I really don't have an actress in mind. I picture Nori as being a younger version of myself in a way.

BUT, if you really want to have a visual of what Nori would look the most like, think of a taller Mae Whitman from The Duff, with a style more like 90s grunge.

Anyway, I don't own blah blah blah. Nori is my pride and joy. Now, carry on!

For as long as I can remember, I have never feared the wildlife in Forks. I used to love running through the woods with my friends or Dad and his buddies as we explored or hunted. It was a part of my life and I never regretted it.

However, as I stood in the doorway of the house while Bella walked towards the car, I could only feel the fear coursing through my veins as my eyes combed the tree line. What if Laurent survived? What if we were wrong and those wolves were really just normal wolves with genetic mutations or something? What if Victoria was here, waiting to attack us and kill Bella? Was that a movement by the far bush? Was that a person?

It's a squirrel, my mind whispered as soon as the furry creature scurried out of the bush and up the tree. Calm down.

Why was this so hard?

"Nori, are you coming?" Bella was in the truck, but peered out through the open door to look at me.

I took a deep breath. I could do this. It was broad daylight and we were in the middle of town - surely no supernatural creature would venture this far in the city limits and risk being seen.

I didn't bother grabbing one of Dad's guns because I knew they were pointless against vampires after using it on Laurent. I had no weapon to protect myself - I could only hope that if something were to happen, those wolves - my friends? - would sense it and show up again.

I stepped over the threshold and closed the locked door behind me. Bella had the keys so I couldn't turn back now, even if all I wanted to do was run back upstairs and hide under my covers.

The ride to La Push took forever, but maybe that's just because I couldn't focus on the music or sit still. I was playing one of Jacob's CDs that he kept in Bella's truck again, and I still couldn't get over the fact that his music taste was literally the same as mine. It was wild.

The song switched from an upbeat Nirvana tune to Day is Done by Nick Drake. The soft acoustic guitar filled the cab as I sang along softly to the lyrics in an attempt to clear my head.

"You have a really nice voice, Nor," Bella commented after a moment. "Do you still write music?"

"Not really," I murmured before continuing on with the song. I used to write music constantly, but since the incident a few years ago at Forks High, I hadn't been able to find the inspiration for any new lyrics. It was like the day everything went down, a piece of me died.

The rest of the drive was silent, save for the music playing through the speakers. Bella pulled up into the yard just as my cell phone rang.

I answered it as Bella stared at me impatiently. "Hello?"

"Nori-Nor!"

I grimaced. I didn't have time for Quil. He probably just wanted to hang out or joke around, and as much as I'd love to, I had bigger things happening at the moment.

"Quil, now isn't the time. Can I call you back?" I tried to keep my voice from conveying any annoyance or stress.

Quil knew me better than that. He was suddenly very serious. "Nori, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just have to help Bella with something and it's really important and I can't talk about it right now but I'll tell you everything later and-" My rambling was cut off when Bella smacked my arm and sent me a pointed look.

"Nor-"

"Quil, I promise I'll talk to you later." I hung up as he protested and buried the guilty feeling in my gut. I never hung up on my friends in a serious conversation like that. It was the bitchiest thing ever.

Bella opened her mouth to say something, but I caught sight of Sam Uley and his gang appearing from the forest. She must have noticed the way my jaw dropped, because she turned to look as well.

"Oh my," she murmured as the four members exited, with a fifth one following closely behind.

Jacob Black had gone from being a lanky, beanpole of a boy to becoming a giant, body-building man. His long hair that Bella had loved from day one was cropped short, but not as short as the others'. Instead of being a buzz cut or cropped close to his head, it was left just shaggy enough to fall over his forehead or be messily windswept. He was so attractive now, my poor eyes couldn't handle it.

My mouth was dryer than an Arizona desert.

But as I looked further, I could see the dark circles under his eyes and the way he shuffled his feet stiffly as he walked with a frown in place. He was miserable, and I wondered if it had to do with the whole wolf thing or if it was because he missed Bella.

The thought caused a stinging sensation in my chest, and I scratched at it through my shirt as if that would take care of it. It wouldn't stop.

As if he could feel our eyes on him, his head jerked up and honed in on the truck in the driveway. I half expected him to grin widely and show his excitement at seeing Bella like he used to always do.

Instead, he scowled and marched towards us.

"Oh hell," I muttered as Bella grabbed the door handle and got out. By the way Jacob was reacting, we were not welcome here.

Bella met him in front of the truck, and he immediately began yelling at her. He demanded to know why she was here and she kept giving meek half-answers, as if she were afraid to mention the real reason for our visit.

God, she was chickening out.

I rolled my eyes as Jacob stalked off into the woods, angry at whatever my sister had said, and she followed after him like a lost puppy. My, how the roles had changed over the years. It was almost comical.

But nothing was funny about today. Sam and the others stood by Jacob's house now, and Sam was staring harshly at the woods where Jacob and Bella had disappeared.

I knew that this was my chance. I could just talk to them without a stuttering Bella or a pissed off Jacob. Maybe they would be honest. Maybe they would help me better understand all of this.

I hopped out of the truck and walked towards them.

Obviously, they hadn't expected me to be there, because as soon as I came around the side of the truck, their jaws dropped and all four of them glanced towards where Jacob disappeared. It was weird how in sync they all were.

"Sam, I need to talk to you," I stated calmly. No need to get fired up like Bella and Jacob.

"Why don't you mind your own business, Nori," one boy sneered. He was shorter than the others, but his muscles were much thicker and I knew he could crush me with a flick of his pinky finger.

I clenched my jaw and glared at him. "Maybe because this business involves my family and friends, Paul."

Paul shivered.

"Nori, I think it's in your best interest to take Bella and go home. There is nothing to talk about here," Sam said, the authority filling his voice.

Embry and Jared refused to look at me. I could feel the annoyance bubbling in my veins as Sam gave me his best poker face and Paul glowered down at me. I just wanted to know the truth. I just wanted it to be confirmed so I could sleep better at night knowing that they were protecting us. They had to know how grateful I was for them saving our lives the day before. In order for me to thank them, though, they needed to know that I knew.

So I sucked in a deep breath and blurted it out. The truth. The question that had plagued my mind since the meadow fiasco.

"Are the legends for real?"

I expected Sam to choke or act surprised or something, but his poker face was stunningly clear. He took a moment to stare me down before he cleared his throat. "What makes you ask that?"

I bit my lip as I glanced at the others flanking Sam. Each of them had stoney expressions, but the way they averted their eyes gave me a clear inclination that I was on the right track.

"Something happened yesterday, and certain…creatures that reminded me of the legends saved mine and Bella's lives from a, uh, cold person." I emphasized the points that I hoped they would catch onto, so that if I was wrong, I wouldn't look as stupid as if I were to blurt out 'you're a werewolf!' "And, one certain creature happened to have eyes that were easily recognizable." I glanced at Embry and he covered his face with his hand, giving it all away as if he was mentally cursing his lineage for his eye colors.

Sam blanched, showing emotion for once. It was obvious that he had never expected me to put it all together, or to notice Embry's eyes. He seemed to contemplate for a minute before he murmured, "You're a smart one." Jared lightly punched Embry in the arm while they laughed, and Sam just smiled in awe at me. Paul was still glaring.

"Great, spill the secret to the leech lover's family," he growled.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, Paul. I don't like the Cullens anymore than you do."

He shivered again.

"Dude, chill out. Nori would never blow our cover," Embry reasoned and I sent him a grin. I had really missed my friend.

Something brushed my shoulder roughly, and Bella was suddenly between Sam and I. She shoved him against the chest as she screamed, "This is all your fault! He didn't want to be one of you and you forced him into this!" She banged her fists against his chest.

"Watch it, leech lover," Paul hissed.

"Shut up, Paul," Jared muttered.

Bella shoved Sam again and banged her fists against his chest. "I hate you! I hate all of you!"

"If it wasn't for us, you'd be sucked dry and lying in that Godforsaken meadow for Charlie to find you," Paul growled as a shiver once again shook his frame. Sam laid a hand on Paul's shoulder as he murmured something under his breath.

I grabbed Bella's arm as she raised her hand to hit Sam again and shoved her behind me, putting some space between the two as we took a few steps back. "Bella, stop. You're making a fool out of yourself."

"Oh right, as if hanging around murderers didn't make her a damn fool before!"

My father used to praise me on how well I could hold my own in a verbal fight, while Bella would shy away or just take it. I hated fighting with anyone, but my patience had been waning and now it was done. I couldn't bite my tongue as my head snapped to glare at Paul. "I've had about enough of you, Lahote. Shut the fuck up."

My words had their affect, but not in the way I wanted them to.

The next thing I knew, Paul let out an animalistic roar as he tilted his head back and his body shivered violently. Sam yelled Paul's name as he ordered him to calm down, but he was too far gone.

Paul's blazing eyes focused on me as his body began morphing into another form.

And suddenly, Paul no longer existed.

In his place was a large silver wolf, one of the wolves from the meadow, but instead of protecting us, his sights were set on us. Bella was behind me, and in my haste to escape backwards, I had tripped and fallen on my backside, taking her down with me. I was currently sitting on her foot and while I knew that had to be uncomfortable, I couldn't find it in myself to move. I was too busy watching the wolf take a menacing step towards us.

Sam wrapped his long arms around Paul as he yelled at Paul to stop, but Paul wasn't able to hear his leader, or alpha, or whatever Sam was to him. He was focused on the enemy - Bella and I were a threat to La Push right now, considering Bella's past and my relation to her.

I wasn't sure who I should yell at: her or Paul.

As Paul took another step, I screamed out, "Paul!" I couldn't hold my tongue when my life was on the line.

I could feel the fear from the meadow incident creeping through my veins. I knew they had saved our lives, but I was still terrified of this snarling wolf in front of me. He was angry and now he was fully prepared to take it out on us.

Paul hunched down and Jared immediately grabbed onto one leg while Sam moved to hold an arm over Paul's chest in an attempt to keep him stationary.

And with a wild snarl that sent chills down my back, Paul pounced.

A shriek left my lips as Paul was knocked midair straight into the wall of Billy and Jacob's house, and it was then that I noticed that another wolf had leapt over me and rammed into Paul. Jared had been thrown a few feet to the side from the impact, but the way he jumped up quickly and joined Sam again made it seem like he was completely fine.

Sam began barking orders as he and Jared tried shoving the fighting wolves from the rubble of what was once Rachel and Rebecca's bedroom. I silently thanked God that both girls had left home and their room was nothing but empty beds and an old dresser. Those were all crushed and scratched from the impact.

The wolves tumbled through the yard as Sam and Jared stood by, watching. I wanted to yell at them to do something, but honestly - what could they do? Paul had tried to kill Bella and me and the russet wolf had saved us.

Holy moly, that was Jacob!

"Stop!" I screamed before my mind could contemplate the words. My heart constricted at the thought of Paul harming one hair on Jacob's head over something that was my fault. I shouldn't have provoked him, but I couldn't be blamed for not knowing that anger caused these guys to go into wolf mode. Paul had always been a hotheaded type.

The russet wolf's head snapped to me as the gray wolf took a bite of his shoulder, causing Jacob to howl in pain and snap back at Paul, continuing the fight.

Sam yelled at Embry to get me and Bella out of there while he and Jared continued to try grabbing onto the wolves and pull them apart without getting attacked themselves.

They had to stop this. Jacob was going to get killed if I didn't stop this.

My feet had a mind of their own as they took me closer to the viciously fighting wolves. I didn't know what my plan was. I just knew I had to put a stop to this.

"Nori!" Embry called just before an arm wound around my waist and held me up off the ground so I couldn't keep running. I fought against him as he carried me backwards towards the truck, and I faintly noticed him drag Bella by the elbow. She was strangely calm, as if she was so in shock she couldn't function.

I was the opposite.

"Embry, put me down! They'll kill each other!" I kicked his shins. "Please, Embry!"

He shushed me and put me into the truck before climbing in behind me into the driver's seat while Bella crawled in on my other side. Embry backed up quickly before I could think about jumping out and tore off down the road.

"What's happening back there?" I demanded as Embry took a sharp turn onto the main road. My chest burned and I scratched roughly at the shirt covering it.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and squeezed me into his side. "Don't worry about it, Nor. It's just another day in the life of a werewolf," he joked, causing me to sigh. I just wasn't in the mood for jokes at the moment.

Embry must have noticed because he cleared his throat and said, "Sorry you had to see that. I promise we would've never let Paul hurt you. He's just-"

"A deranged werewolf with rabies?" I supplied sarcastically.

"More like a temperamental puppy with oversized fangs," Embry finished for himself with a chuckle. I allowed myself to relax and laugh along, knowing that if Jacob was in real trouble, Embry wouldn't be sitting here cracking jokes.

I tried to tell myself that I was only worried about Jacob because I had started that fight.

"C'mon, we'll hang out here 'til Jake and Paul are done screwing around," Embry said as he hopped out of the truck. Bella and I followed silently.

My chest stung again and I scratched absentmindedly.

Embry parked the truck in the driveway of a little house on the edge of the rez. It was yellow, with flower boxes that I was sure would be full of colorful flowers in the springtime and white shutters. The house was two stories and reminded me of an old farmhouse.

A young woman met us on the porch. As we grew closer, I could see that the woman was young - probably just a year or two older than Bella - and even though she had three long scars on one side of her face, pulling her mouth down at an odd angle, she was still quite beautiful. She was staring at Embry in worry, waiting for him to explain himself.

"Paul phased in front of them. Sam said to bring them here for awhile," Embry said in a monotone as he passed the young woman and walked into the house. She sighed before turning her gaze onto Bella and I.

She smiled softly. "Well, welcome. I'm Emily Young."

I mustered up a smile in return and hoped I didn't look as scared as I felt. I held out my hand to Emily. "Nori Swan. It's nice to meet you. This is my sister, Bella." I motioned to Bella with a tilt of my head.

Emily's eyes widened slightly. "Jacob's Bella?"

I flinched at the term without even thinking about it. What did I care? Bella had always been Jacob's Bella, except for when she was douchebag's Bella, I guess.

Bella confirmed Emily's question and she ushered us inside as she told us that she had just finished baking brownies for "the boys." I assumed she meant Sam's gang.

Embry had already stuffed half a pan of hot brownies down his throat by the time we reached the kitchen. Emily scolded him and smacked him with a dishrag as Bella and I joined him at the table.

Embry laid an arm over the back of my chair and offered me a bite of the brownie in his hand. I eagerly pinched off a chunk and popped it into my mouth as Bella stared down at the table.

"What's wrong, Bells?" I asked, my mood higher since my break down at the Blacks'. With Embry's encouragement, I had a good feeling that everything was okay between Paul and Jacob and that they'd be back soon without any problems - hopefully.

Bella shrugged. "Just worried about Jacob, is all," she mumbled.

"Those boys fight all the time. Have a brownie, sweetie. It'll cheer you up." Emily scooped a brownie onto a napkin and handed it to Bella. She took it and began picking off crumbs.

"So, I guess now you know the boys' secret, thanks to Pa-" Emily began, but Embry interrupted her.

"Actually, Nori figured it out. She was thanking us for saving hers and Bella's lives yesterday when Paul started being a prick and wolfed out." Embry grinned down at me as he continued. "We can hang out again now, thanks to these stupid eyes of mine."

"Eyes?" Emily asked, confused.

I laughed and hugged Embry from the side. "I noticed Embry's eyes when he and the others saved us. That and remembering the legends and the fact that a vampire tried to kill us kind of helped me figure it out."

Emily was obviously shocked, but she smiled anyway. "That's amazing! And now I'll have girls to help me cook for these wolves," she teased as she poked Embry's cheek and headed back towards the stove.

Bella stood and quietly asked where the restroom was. After Emily gave her directions, she disappeared down the hallway just as the front door opened.

I spun around in my seat just in time to see Paul and Jared walk in the back door, laughing and shoving each other as a stony-faced Sam followed behind. The screen door slammed shut behind them and the first two dug into the brownies while Sam kissed Emily and wrapped an arm around her.

I noticed that Paul had red marks on his shoulders and forearms that were quickly fading.

The door squeaked as it opened again and I practically fell out of my chair as I spun back around. Embry chuckled at me, but my throat was dry when I caught sight of Jacob coming through the door. His head was down and a large red mark was on his shoulder, but otherwise he was completely unharmed. His head snapped up and his eyes found me. I offered him a small smile.

His eyes darted down to Embry's arm on my chair and he looked away.

"I heard you spilled the beans, Paul," Emily teased from her place in Sam's arms by the stove. Paul swallowed the brownie in his mouth while rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, right. If it weren't for Miss Spitfire over here, I would've totally kept my cool." He pointed to me and glared, but then he shocked me by grinning. "Sorry about that, by the way."

I shrugged, pushing my shock away to the back of my mind. "No biggie. It was actually kind of awesome."

Everyone froze and stared at me as if I had grown a third head.

"What?"

Embry placed his hand on my forehead. "Nope, she's not feverish. Are you sure you're feeling okay, Nor? You're saying crazy things."

I laughed and shoved his hand away. "Dude, I'm fine. It's just - Okay, how often do you see a guy turn into a ginormous wolf right in front of you?"

The boys all stared at me with 'what do you think?' looks and I bit my lip. "Well, okay, bad example. It's just really cool to me. I wish I could turn into a big ol' wolf so I could've kicked Paul's ass." I smirked at Paul, who threw a piece of brownie at me, which I caught in my mouth and chewed with a larger smirk on my face.

"Damn, I never thought I'd say this about a Swan, but she's the coolest chick I know," Jared said. I grinned as the others laughed and the chair beside me moved. Jacob sat down and took a brownie from the tray.

Emily and Sam were sharing a moment while Jared, Paul, and Embry began joking about something, so I took that moment to do something that was nagging at the back of my mind ever since the last person walked into the house.

I poked Jacob's bare shoulder and he nearly fell out of his chair by how high he jumped. I took it as being the strong shock that occurred as soon as I touched him. I must have rubbed my sweater with that hand and gained a ton of static electricity.

"Sorry," I whispered as Jacob scooted slightly away from me. Geeze, way to go Nori. Electrocute the guy who saved your life.

"S'fine," he mumbled around the brownie in his mouth as he continued staring down at his hands on the table. He looked so much like Bella had, it was scary.

I cleared my throat lightly. "I, um, I just wanted to thank you for stepping in earlier. I'd be wolf chow by now if it weren't for you." I laughed, but Jacob just clenched his fist.

"Yeah, don't mention it," he muttered. I was a little confused by his behavior - usually he was very cheery and upbeat. Even though he had never really talked to me before other than the occasional conversation when we hung out with our friends, he had never been so distant. It bothered me more than it should have.

"So, yeah, thanks ag-"

"Stop," Jacob snapped loudly, causing the room to fall quiet as everyone stared us down. I could feel myself blushing at the sudden attention and Jacob's rude outburst.

"Just, stop talking. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to look at you. I don't want to be within a five-hundred foot radius of you. I've been nice to you because you're Bella's sister. I love Bella." He stood up abruptly, the chair falling backwards onto the floor loudly. "I know you think I saved your life or some shit but I didn't. If it were up to me, I would have grabbed Bella yesterday and let that leech take you because you ruined everything. And the only reason why I stepped in today is because somebody needed to before Paul screwed up and killed somebody, and nobody else had the balls to. By the way, my house is a disaster now because you couldn't leave things alone." Jacob's face was twisted into a scowl as he glared down at me, and I was frozen in my spot as he leaned down farther. "So don't bother thanking me. Just stay the fuck away from me."

With that, he stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

The room was deathly silent as I tried to remember how to breathe again. I couldn't think straight. My mind was trying to process everything he had said and I couldn't. I just couldn't. I was too shocked and confused and hurt and tired and just - what the hell had I done to him to deserve that? And why was it so hard to breathe now? I hated how I suddenly had these strange emotions that tugged at my insides and left me feeling as though I were tied up in knots.

Bella appeared from the hallway and broke the silence first as she asked, "Where is Jacob?"

I stood and walked out the door.