19. Nightmare

I took a deep breath walking up the sidewalk toward the front door. I was really curious as to why Billy was here in the first place. Charlie didn't mention anything about the possibility of him coming over this morning at the table. Maybe there was a game on TV that I didn't know about. Then again, Charlie could have invited Billy over just to keep Mike out of the house.

I shrugged shoving the door open hearing voices from the living room. It struck me that Billy wasn't the only one in the house with Charlie. I stepped into the house sighing in relief to be back home. No one from the outside would understand the relationship between Mike and me. There were things in our past that made things difficult for me to leave him at all. I shook my head against the memories attempting to surface behind my eyelids. I wouldn't let myself go back there again.

"Bells? Is that you?"

I rolled my eyes at the sound of Charlie's voice, "Yeah, dad. It's me. I need to put my things away and I'll be right back."

I didn't wait for a reply as I took the stairs. I heard the voices pick right back up at the sound of my footsteps moving up the stairs. I moved into my bedroom dropping my backpack toward the floor pulling off my coat along with my gloves. I was ready to be done with school and away from Mike. He couldn't do anything when I apply for college and get away from him. The only problem I seemed to have forgotten, Edward was always in the back of my mind.

I knew what he was and I could easily talk with him about getting away from Mike. Even though Jessica was a royal b!tch, she didn't deserve any maltreatment that would come at the hands of Mike. I was living proof of what Mike could actually do and she didn't deserve it. If I were to leave Mike because of the abuse, he could kill or hurt someone else at school or on the street and I'd have to live with that on my conscious.

I smiled in the mirror of my bedroom as I slipped on some house shoes after removing my sneakers. Tonight I could get some actual sleep and not worry about Mike sneaking into my window. I left the smile on my face since I was actually truly happy for once, despite what was actually going on with me. I left my room entering the bathroom brushing my teeth from the food that I ate at the restaurant.

I went back to the stairs hearing the familiar voices mingled with Charlie's voice. Entering the living room I saw Billy in his wheelchair beside Charlie's chair, Jacob on the couch stuffing his face with a slice of pizza, and another boy sitting beside Jacob on the couch with dark skin and black hair also eating pizza. The boy looked familiar as if I had seen him at Billy's house or somewhere recently.

"Bells, there you are. Billy called me up and said we hadn't really hung out since dinner the other day. There's a game on and I also thought you could use a break from cooking for a change."

I nodded smiling at Charlie as I took the farthest spot on the couch beside Jacob. Jake seemed to have an attitude toward me lately and I didn't want to make it worse. I discreetly saw the other boy beside Jacob elbow him with a grin on his face as they continued stuffing their face.

Billy looked at me strangely noticing I wasn't grabbing any pizza, "Aren't you going to eat, Bella?"

I smiled shaking my head, "No, I'm afraid not. I ate in Port Angeles with Mike and my friends."

Billy's eyes widened as he turned toward Charlie probably surprised that I was back with Mike. Charlie shrugged toward Billy's strange look, "Not much I can do, Billy. She's grown…"

Billy shook his head at this information before he returned to the TV. There was a football game playing on the screen but I was surprisingly happy and content. I hadn't really spent much time around Charlie lately hiding myself away in my room but I had this urge to be close to him.

I watched Jacob and the other boy practically inhale the box of pizza. I finally noticed that there were at least four boxes of pizza but Jake and the boy had eaten an entire pizza together and were reaching for another box. Charlie noticed glancing my way in hesitance, "Are you sure you're not hungry, Bells?"

I shook my head again toward Charlie this time, "I'm really stuffed, dad. I ate a burger at the restaurant and I can't eat another bite."

He nodded releasing a sigh watching Jacob and the boy dig into another box of pizza. Something about the boys makes me uncomfortable as I feel a sudden rush of heat hit my skin. I ignored the feeling leaning further into the couch getting comfortable. Charlie and Billy begin disagreeing about the game a half hour later. Apparently, Charlie was rooting for one team while Billy was rooting for the opposing team.

Jacob smiled leaning back finally finished with the pizza, "That was good, dad."

Billy rolled his eyes looking at his son as he leaned back patting his stomach. It was amazing that Jacob could eat so much but not gain a single pound. He sat in shorts, a brown short sleeve shirt with sneakers without socks seeming so much older as he kept growing. I wondered what he must have eaten to get so lean and tall. Billy didn't seem that tall and I never heard of Jacob's mother being a tall woman before she died.

Billy glanced over at the other boy shaking his head, "We never did introduce Bella. Bella, forgive the rudeness; this is Embry, one of Jacob's friends from the reservation. It was last minute when we decided to come up here and Jacob was already with Embry."

The boy rose from the couch smiling at me waving his hand slightly before falling back into the couch.

"Nice to meet you, Embry."

Billy glanced at Charlie after the game was over smiling, "How about we leave the kids to talk while we talk in the kitchen."

Charlie nodded smiling grabbing his beer as he stood pushing Billy into the kitchen with him. Jacob grabbed the remote turning the station chuckling, "So, Bella," he started once he turned the channel to something else, "what's the deal with you and Mike?"

I shrugged not really liking this conversation, "We reconciled, and we're taking things slow right now."

Jacob rolled his eyes as Embry rose from the couch, "You're friends with the Cullens, right?"

I nodded confused as to why Embry would bring them up. I suddenly remembered it was the legends from La Push that gave me to clue to find the book. Did Jacob and Embry believe the legends suddenly? Jacob thought they were stupid when he tried to tell me earlier in the year. What had changed to make them believe now?

"Yeah, I'm friends with the Cullens. Well, I don't know if we're still friends per say. Alice invited me to a Halloween party though. Don't know if I'm going to go. You guys don't really believe in those legends Jacob tried to tell me about earlier in the year do you."

Embry shrugged elbowing Jacob in the ribs giving him a look that wasn't right in my book. Jacob glared at him before turning toward me, "I didn't even tell you everything, Bella. Remember?"

I nod smiling, "I know. I looked it up on the internet a few days ago. I thought I could write about it for an essay so I did some research."

Jacob and Embry shared a strange look as Jacob shook his head, "They don't act strange to you?"

I shake my head smiling shoving down the things from the list into the back of my head, "Not really. I mean they are rather closed off from everyone. I can understand that because of the way everyone acts around them at school."

I knew I had seen Edward today at school. I was secretly worried because I hadn't seen him since yesterday when I left for Port Angeles. Did he know that I lied to him? Did Alice or the rest of the Cullens tell him that Mike and I were back together?

Jacob nodded before he smiled, "When are you going to come back to the res? You haven't been since summer with Charlie."

I shrugged, "I thought you were mad at me. They might not like me there, I'm too pale to fit in."

Both Jacob and Embry started laughing at my horrible attempt at a joke. At least they both seemed to like the joke even if it were a poor attempt. Suddenly the house phone rang and Charlie came into the living room. He grabbed the phone from the charger nodding toward all of us. We all stayed quiet as Billy rolled back into the living while Charlie talked on the phone. I watched him check his watch nodding before he put the phone back.

"I'm sorry Billy, I have to go into the station. I'll figure what everything is about once I get there."

Billy waves him off smiling, "Go, we'll stay here with Bella."

I watched as Charlie went to the rack at the front door grabbing his gun and coat. He smiled at me before he left and I realized I was alone with Billy, Jacob, and Embry. There were questions that I still had about the legends. I wasn't sure if Jacob or Embry truly believed in the legends but I knew Billy did. Billy made Jacob and Embry clean up the pizza boxes as we both heard Charlie's cruiser leave the driveway down the street.

Billy smiled at me as we heard Jacob and Embry talking in the kitchen. Jacob came in the living room smiling at Billy, "Embry and I are going to step outside for a few minutes. It's rather stuffy in here."

I stared at them confused as Billy rolled his eyes nodding, "Just be careful outside. We aren't at home, don't cause a ruckus that I'll have to fix."

Jacob and Embry went outside leaving Billy and I alone in the living room. The look on Billy's face changed as he stared at me with a serious expression. He turned the TV off before he began speaking, "What's the deal with Mike, Bella? You start messing around with the Cullens finally getting away from Mike. You do realize your father is not an idiot."

I turned my gaze away from him shaking my head, "He's my boyfriend. There's nothing to tell. The Cullens are just my friends, Billy. You shouldn't believe in those crazy legends."

He chuckled shaking his head, "I'm not the only who believes in such things."

He stared right at me as if he could see through all the lies. We both knew the truth of the Cullens I realized in that moment but Billy knew much more than I did. He leaned back in his wheelchair sighing, "Jacob told me a while ago that he told you some of it. He wasn't able to tell you everything. If you want, I can tell you the rest and explain some of the things that you need. I mean you're writing a research paper and I can tell you more than the internet ever could. Ask anything you want."

There was a protective edge to his voice. I realized Billy believed he was protecting me by telling me anything I wanted to know.

"Most people don't believe in this stuff, why do you?"

Billy shrugged, "I've had these stories drilled into my head. Plus, I'm sure my son has told you that his great grandfather was the one that made the treaty with the Cullens."

I rolled my eyes shaking my head, "Or a group that resembles their description."

Billy gave me a look before nodding, "That could be a possibility."

I sat up on the couch pulling my feet underneath myself, "What about this treaty?"

Billy smirked at me, "I take he told you about the eating habits?"

I nodded confused about how this fit in, "He told me that they claimed to eat from animals. They were different than the others they came across."

Billy nodded sighing, "You seem to know a lot more than I expected."

I stared at him fighting the smug look that was fighting its way across my face.

He sighed again before looking at me, "You want to know everything about the treaty?"

I nodded the relief flooding me, "If that were possible."

Billy chuckled shaking his head, "Anything is possible, but no one on reservation will be happy about me telling you. It's rather against our laws to tell an outsider of our legends. You'll have to be quiet about where you get this information. "

Billy coughed clearing his throat before he truly began, "It was around 1936, cold ones again entered Quileute land. This group was larger from others that came before, three males and two females. The leader knew they had human intelligence as he told the wolves they meant no harm. He claimed they did not drink human blood offering a treaty between his coven and the wolves. The wolves were outnumbered by the cold ones so there was no real reason for the treaty so my grandfather, Ephraim Black created the treaty.

"The treaty has two main parts: The cold ones, vampires, could not injure any humans (either by hunting them for food or my transforming them into vampires, as us Quileutes viewed this transformation as equal to murder), and the vampires were never to trespass on Quileute land."

Billy stopped a strange grin appearing on his face, "I suppose I just broke the last part of the treaty."

I stared at him confused before he continued again.

"The Cold ones insisted on the concept of mutual secrecy: The Quileutes would not be able to tell anyone the true nature of the Cullens, and vice versa. They all agreed and worked the boundary lines for the respective lands. In turn, the wolves would not cross into Cullen land. Their return just recently has changed many things at the reservation."

I leaned further into the couch staring at Billy. Some of what he was saying didn't make complete sense.

"Something doesn't make sense, Billy. You said that the Quileutes could not cross into Cullen land. You, Jacob, and Embry came over here. Isn't that breaking the treaty as well?"

Billy shakes his head, "No, that's something much different. You wanted to know about the Cullens. So, you know what cold ones actually means, correct?"

I nodded sighing, "Yes, I know its vampire. The internet was plenty through."

Suddenly our conversation was cut short by the door opening with Jacob and Embry entering the house. Their clothes suddenly looked dirty with a few added rips along the ends of their shorts. I wondered what they had been doing outside to look so worn all of a sudden. They were both smiling but they looked partially winded.

"Hey dad. What's up in here?"

Billy smiled at me shaking his head, "Oh nothing just talking with Bella about the Cullens and Mike again."

Jacob stared at his dad for a moment before he sighed, "Dad."

There was something about his tone that didn't sit well with me. I wasn't sure what it was about but I let it slide. Jacob and Embry turned the TV back on finding yet another game on. Jacob seemed as if he wanted to say something to me but he never did.

About thirty minutes later the front door opened and Charlie walked in. He looked annoyed but also incredibly tired as he hung up his gun belt on the rack in front of the door. He smiled at each of us, "I'm sorry about that. It was apparently a false alarm. Some patrols thought they found the cause of the sudden animal attacks."

Billy shared another strange look with the boys as Charlie collapsed in his chair. I wondered what the animal attacks were about in town. It had to be something important for Billy to get that look on his face yet again. Charlie grabbed another beer sitting in his chair talking with Billy. After another half hour, I began to yawn and Jacob must have noticed.

"I think we are keeping the pale faces from their beauty rest," said Jacob laughing afterward.

Billy smiled as Embry smirked and I just rolled my eyes. It certainly seemed like I belonged here since no matter how hard I tried I couldn't even tan at all.

"It must be time for us to go. It's already nightfall."

Charlie stood, as did I walking everyone to the door. I gave Jacob a hug and shook Embry's hand. Charlie helped Jacob get Billy into the truck after putting his wheelchair in the back. Charlie smiled at me as we stood at the doorway waving at them as they left. The tension in the house seemed to have evaporated but something else had changed. I now knew the reason none of the Cullens ever went over to La Push.

Charlie yawned as he returned to the living room grabbing a bottle of beer. I sighed, standing in the living room, "I think it's time I went to bed, dad. I'm supposed to go with Mike, Jessica, Lauren, Tyler, Angela, and Ben to the movies tomorrow in Port Angeles. I don't know what time I'll be back, either."

He nodded smiling, "It's good that you're hanging out with everyone again. Just being around Mike shouldn't take up all of your time."

I nodded smiling, "Night, dad. I'll see you tomorrow."

He nodded as I ran up the stairs toward my bedroom. I was ready for bed but I was also wide-awake. It was a strange feeling to be in between of something. I searched my dresser for some pajamas find a tank top with thin straps along with some beige sweat pants. I went into the bathroom shutting the door and turning the lock. I turned on the water after dropping the clothes to the top of the toilet.

The room filled with steam quickly as I removed my clothes stepping into the shower. My thoughts were everywhere. I wanted to know more about the Cullens history with the Quileutes and if the werewolves were real. I hadn't really thought about it before but the more I thought about it now I couldn't not think about it suddenly. I washed my hair along with my body before I got out wrapping a towel around my body.

I stared in the mirror noticing my appearance hadn't changed much. I could tell my personality had changed in the last few months though. I sighed pulling on my pajamas and then blow drying my hair. I didn't want to take the chance of catching a cold because my hair is completely drenched. I even brushed my teeth allowing extra time in the bathroom. I could still hear Charlie downstairs when I left the bathroom for my bedroom.

I quickly shut the door ignoring the lock. If Mike changed his mind, he could just be caught by Charlie. I was tired of dealing with all of it. I grabbed my backpack digging inside finding the book about the legends carrying it to bed with me. I fixed my pillows against the headboard pulling the covers up under my hands. I allowed myself to get lost in the pages of the book. The different legends sparked curiosity and made me wonder what was real and what wasn't so real.

I didn't even realize when I began to drift off the images of the legends in the deep cresses of my mind.

I knew I was dreaming; it was obvious. The surrounding world was dark and deep. This dream different from the ones I had earlier on my birthday. The woods felt familiar as I heard the crashing of waves against something. I left the woods hitting sand against my feet. I looked down noticing that I was barefoot and in shorts instead of pants which was unlike me.

It was also dark around the waves but somehow different. I glanced up noticing there was an eclipse taking place in the sky. It was remarkable but I felt as if something was missing. I turned back to the woods catching sight of a pair of gleaming eyes from the trees. It should have scared me but it didn't as I ignored the waves and the eclipse returning to the trees.

"Bella, no!"

I jumped at the sound of a familiar voice turning around to see Jacob and his group of friends standing on the beach. He looked mad almost pissed at something. I could vaguely hear Billy's voice in the back of my head but shoved it back. I turned away from Jacob ignoring his pleas as I entered the woods. It was dark again and I could see a shed of light. I started running when I heard a groan my pulse quickening as I felt the trees hit my legs. The mud against my bare feet felt cold but I felt as if I was burning up as I ran even faster through the woods.

I wasn't running away from something but toward something. I was scared but not in the traditional way. I was worried, as I ran surprisingly not tripping over anything. I was afraid of losing him if I didn't make it in time to save him. I was his only chance of staying alive if that is what he truly was. I caught sight of the golden butterscotch eyes my pace quickening. I heard an agonized scream along with the scent of smoke running right under my nose. The smoke was burning my eyes as I fought to keep my eyes opened. The ground rumbled as I suddenly fell down toward the ground the sounds of growls echoing around the woods. I screamed as loud as I could, falling even deeper into the group which opened up into a huge black pit.

I jumped up gasping my eyes staring straight ahead. I felt around expecting to feel the dirt under my hands but I felt the softness of covers on my bed. I shut my eyes my pulse racing just underneath my skin. I opened my eyes again the darkness taking effect as my eyes moved around the room. Tears welled in my eyes from the feelings that were still left over from the dream. I knew exactly who I was afraid of losing in that moment and I was a strange feeling I never had before.

I had never been afraid losing someone so much. I wiped my face grabbing the book from the bed and tossing it toward the floor. Obviously reading those types of books before bed was so not a good idea. I glanced at the clock realizing I probably wasn't going to get much more sleep but I could try. I only hoped that Mike wasn't that much of an ass tomorrow. I fell back into bed pulling the covers back underneath my chin hoping to go back to sleep without strange dreams.