Once Edward had gotten me out of school i flatly refused for him to drive me home. I am not incapable or driving and its not like i was ill or anything. I made sure to really thank him before leaving and to my embarrassment I'm pretty sure i said the the words thank you , much more times then was needed.
I meant to sleep in , but an unusual brightness woke me. I opened my eyes to see clear yellow light streaming through my window.I really couldn't believe it. I hurried to the window to check, and sure enough, there was the sun. It was in the wrong place in the sky, too low, and it didn't seem to be as close as it should be ,but it was defiantly the sun. Clouds ringed the horizon, but a large patch of blue was visible in the middle.
I never thought i would have to be going anywhere near a hardware store. But now i find myself on a Saturday morning in the parking lot of Newtons store.
"You came" Mike cheered with a look of shock on his face.
"I said I would didn't I"I replied and walked over to where the group was. Why would I not do something when I said I would? I chuckle. Humans are so silly.
"Hey Bella, You came!" Jess squealed in shock. Well actually the group all shared the same shocked face , well apart from Lauren. She was standing there giving me a harsh glare. I focus attention away from her and instead tried to stay in a positive mood.
"Well I was promised sunshine" I point out and It makes us all look up to the sky with smiles on our faces.
"Bella you can ride with me" Mike interrupts.i can see from my peripheral vision, that Jessica is glaring daggers at me. This only increases when he holds open the passenger door for me.
"Actually I get car sick in the front. I better sit at the back" I tell him then turn in the direction of Jessica with a grin."Jess could you swap seats with me?"
She was practically beaming at me."Of course Bella" She calmly said ,but only I could see how excited she really was.
Mike grumbled something like an sarcastic "Great" but it was too low for anyone to here.
I didn't mind having to be squished in between Angela and Eric. I had a good view of the window in front of me. I sighed a relaxed into the seat. I haven't been to a beach in ages. Hopefully the tides will stay out this time ,my thoughts added.
It was only fifteen miles to La Push from Forks, with gorgeous dense green forests edging the road most of the way and the wide Quillayute River snaking beneath it twice. When we had reached First beach i was in complete awe of the scenery.
It was so breathtaking. The water was dark gray, even in the sunlight, white-capped and heaving to the grey, rocky shore. Islands rose out of the steel harbour waters with sheer cliff sides, reaching to uneven summits, and crowned with austere, soaring firs. The beach had only a thin border of actual sand at the water's edge, after which it grew into millions of large, smooth stones that looked uniformly gray from a distance,but up close were every shade a stone could be: Terra-cotta, sea green,lavender,blue gray, dull gold. The tide line was strewn with huge driftwood trees, bleached bone white in the salt waves, some piled together against the edge of the forest fringe ,some laying solitary, just out of reach of the waves.
There was a brisk wind coming off the waves, cool and briny. Pelicans floated on the swells while seagulls and a lone eagle wheeled above clouds still circled the sky, threatening to invade at any moment, but for now the sun shone bravely in its halo of blue sky.
we picked our way down to the beach, Mike leading the way to a ring of driftwood logs that had obviously been used for parties like ours before. There was a fire circle already in place, filled with black and the boy I thought was named Ben gathered broken branches of driftwood from the drier piles against the forest edge,and soon had a tepee-shaped construction built atop the old cinders.
Mike sat next to me after he lit the driftwood, the flame crackled into different shades of blue and ,Jess was on Mikes other turned to him and claimed his attention.
After a hour of chatter,some of the boys decided it was time to eat. The placed some sausages on skewers then stuck them throw the flame. They would laugh at the sausage meat popped ,and the skin would burst. As we started to pass around the food a group of men approached us. I could make out their shining,straight black hair and copper skin form very far. They were all teenagers and the one of the men in the group ,politely asked Tyler if they could join us.
I moved so that i sat next to Angela, and Mike brought us sandwiches and an array of sodas to choose from, while a boy who looked to be the oldest of the visitors rattled off the names of the seven others with i caught was that one of the girls was also named Jessica, and the boy who noticed me was named Jacob.
It was relaxing to sit with Angela; she was a restful kind of person to be around- she didn't feel the need to fill every silence with left me free to think undisturbed while we ate. And i was thinking about how disjointedly time seemed to flow in Forks , passing in a blur at times ,with single images standing out more clearly than others. And then, at other times, every second was significant, etched in my mind. I knew exactly what caused the difference, and it disturbed me.
A few minutes later Angela decided to join the hikers for a walk.I was left all by myself, because i knew hoe risky it would be to go near the rocks ,or the sea to be exact. Once the seat next to me was vacant , Jacob sauntered over to take her place by my side. He looked four-teen, maybe fifteen, and had long, glossy black hair pulled back with a rubber band at the nape of his neck. His skin was beautiful, silky and russet-colored; his eyes were dark, set deep above the high planes of his cheekbones. He still had just a hint of childish roundness left around his chin. Altogether, a very pretty face. However, my positive opinion of his looks was damaged by the first words out of his mouth.
"You're Isabella Swan , aren't you?"
It was like the first day at any school I've been to to.
"Bella," I sighed.
"I'm Jacob Black." He held his hand out in a friendly gesture. "You brought my dads truck."
"Oh," I said, relieved , shaking his sleek hand. "You're Billy's son"
"Yep," He replied. "So how do you like the truck?" He asked.
"I love it. It runs great."
"Yeah, but its really slow," He laughed. " I was so relieved when Charlie brought it. My dad wouldn't let me work on building another car when we had a perfectly good vehicle right there."
"It is a pretty slow," I agreed. "But it does great in a collision," I added ,because for me that was very helpful.
"I don't think a tank could take out that old monster," He agreed with another laugh.
"So you build cars?" I asked, impressed.
"When I have free time, and parts. You wouldn't happen to know where I could get my hands on a master cylinder for a 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit?" he added jokingly. He had a pleasant husky voice.
"Sorry," I laughed, " I haven't seen any lately ,but ill keep my eyes open for you." I knew what he was talking about ,but i doubt he really thought i was being truthful.
He flashed a brilliant smile, looking at me appreciatively in a way I was learning to recognize. I wasn't the only one who noticed.
"You know Bella, Jacob?" Lauren asked- in what i imagined was an insolent tone- from across the fire.
"My dad works with Her dad" he laughed, smiling at me again.
"How nice." She didn't sound like she thought it was nice at all, and her pale, fishy eyes narrowed.
"Bella," she called again, watching my face carefully, "I was just saying to Tyler it was too bad none of the Cullen's could come out today. Didn't anyone think to invite them?" Her expression of concern was unconvincing.
"You mean ,Cullen's family?" the tall, older boy asked before i could respond, much to Lauren's irritation. He was really closer to a man than a boy, and his voice was very deep.
"Yes , do you know them?" she asked condescendingly, turning halfway towards him.
"The Cullen's don't come here," He said in a tone that closed the subject, ignoring her question.
I stared at the deep-voiced boy, taken aback ,but he was looking away toward the dark forest behind us. He'd said that the Cullen's didn't come here, but his tone had implied something more- that they weren't allowed ; they were prohibited. I was intrigued by what he said, as i always want to find out more about the Cullen's, there the only thing that I've come across that is close to whatever i am.
Jacob interrupted my meditation. "So is Forks driving you insane , yet?"
"Oh, I'd say that's an understatement." I grimaced. He grinned understandingly.
I was still turning over the brief comment on the Cullen's, and I had a sudden inspiration. It was a stupid plan, but I didn't have any better ideas. I hoped that young Jacob was yet inexperienced around grills, so that he wouldn't see through my shameful , flirting skills.
"Do you want to walk down the beach with me?" I asked, trying to imitate that way Edward had of looking up from underneath his eyelashes. It couldn't have nearly the same effect, I was sure, but Jacob jumped up willingly enough.
As we walked north across the different shaded stones toward the driftwood seawall, the clouds finally closed ranks across the sky, causing the sea to darken and the temperature to drop. I shoved my hands deep into the pockets of my jacket.
"So you're, what, sixteen?" I asked, trying not to look like an idiot as i fluttered my eyelashes, like most girls do on TV.
"I just turned fifteen," He confessed, flattered.
"Really?" My face was full of false surprise. "I would have thought you were older."
"I'm tall for my age," He explained.
"Do you come up to Forks much?" I asked archly, as if i was hoping for a yes. I think i sound like a complete idiot. I was afraid he would see through my acting and go running away in either anger or disgust from my poor flirting.
"Not too much," He admitted with a frown. "But when I get my car finished I can go up as much as I want- after i get my license," He amended.
"Who was that other boy Lauren was talking to? He seemed a little to old to be hanging out with us." I purposefully lumped myself with the youngsters, trying to make it clear that i preferred Jacob.
"That's Sam- hes nineteen,"he informed me.
"What was that he was saying about the doctors family?" I asked innocently.
"The Cullen's? Oh, they're not supposed to come onto the reservation." He looked away, out toward James Island, as he confirmed what id thought id heard in Sam's voice.
"Why not?" I pushed.
He glanced back at me, biting his lip. "Oops. I'm not supposed to say anything about that."
"Oh, I wont tell anyone, I'm just curious." I tried to make my smile alluring, wondering if I was laying it on too thick.
He smiled back, though, looking allured. Then he lifted one eyebrow and his vice was even huskier than before.
"Do you like scary stories?" He asked ominously.
"I love them," I enthused, making an effort to smolder at him.
Jacob strolled to a nearby driftwood tree that had its roots sticking out like the attenuated legs of a huge, pale spider. He perched lightly on one of the twisted roots while I sat beneath him on the body of the tree. He stared down at the rocks, a smile hovering around the edges of his broad lips.I could see he was going to try to make this good. I focused on keeping the vital interest i felt out of my eyes.
"Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from- the Quileutes, I mean?"He began.
"Not really," I admitted. I've looked up so many different legends and myths over the years I'm sure i must have across it sometime along the line.
"Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back tot eh flood- supposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive like Noah and the ark." He smiled, to show me how little stock he put in the histories." Another legend claims that we descended from wolves- and that the wolves are our brothers still. Its against tribal law to kill them."
"Wolves? How is that even possible?" I questioned, intrigued.
"Well, the legends say there were these three women. Each were unique in there own way ,but they were all powerful. One could bring back the dead, the second could freeze time and the third was more adapted then any of her enemy's. You would call them witches."
"Witches?" I was really interested now as i shifted in my spot to listen more intently.
"Yes, Witches, they created a spell to help the tribes Chief to destroy our one and only enemy The cold ones, or Vampires to you"
So the Cullen's were Vampires, which I already knew, and now the Quileutes are supposedly Wolves created by three witches. I started this whole flirting act to find out more about the Cullen's ,but I'm to intrigued to hear about the witches. They seem to have some much in common with me.
"What about the Witches?" I pushed, as Jacob stopped talking.
"Well, once the Quileutes had gotten the ability to change into a wolf they decided that the witches were to powerful to be able to live. The Quileutes forged a blade that could kill the witches ,but they knew of there plan. The witches bonded there body's together to create on person. Though they couldn't fight all of the wolves off, even as one powerful witch. When the blade pierced through there heart there soul was absorbed into it"
"What happened to the blade?" I asked as my heart started to hammer against my rib-cage with unnatural speed. Jacob saw my expression a smirked, happy that he had scared me. I was scared for a whole other reason though.
"Nobody knows. Though apparently if you are killed by the same blade then the witches soul is passed onto that person" He finished.
My hairs were standing on end as i took in all of this information. Freeze time, Bring back to life, more adapted. Being killed... It could have been the blade. Its not like i saw the weapon or the person that killed me. It would make so much sense. I have the witches soul within me. It makes sense but its so baffling to know the reality.
Could i really just be another human stuck with a witches soul?