A/N: I want to thank all those who reviewed in the last chapter. And to those who didn't, I'm going to assume that you liked the previous chapter, and so, thank you as well. I know it was a sad chapter, but I'm glad that people liked it. If you cried because it was so sad, then I consider that a personal triumph. If you guys think that's weird, well, I don't really mind. I'm a weirdo - yes, I get it =P

Well, without further ado… Here is the next chapter!!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, sadly enough.

Two Worlds: Exposed – Chapter 33

The following day I woke up to the pitter patter of rain, but that little hindrance did not deter me from getting out of the house. I knew I had a lot of work to do – I cast a withering look at the pile of school work on my desk, which I had retrieved from Angela's yesterday – but nothing, and I mean nothing, can stop me from having fun. This was my last day of freedom before my time will be cramped with gigs and TV appearances, and I wasn't going to waste it doing stupid old homework.

I was a teenager; I simply couldn't control myself whenever my teenage instincts overpower me – especially when it comes to school work.

Pulling a shirt over my head, I scrambled through the mess of opened suitcases and unpacked items in my room, and snatched my phone from the bedside table. I then proceeded to call the Blacks' residence, asking Jacob to tell Emily that I was coming over for lunch. I had promised, after all, that I'd stop by before I leave, and I was leaving tomorrow.

"You're coming?" Jacob hollered over the line – it was so loud, I had to distance myself from the phone, fearing for my delicate ears.

"Yeah, Jake," I laughed. "I'm coming."

"Awesome! D'you want me to pick you up? The pack's over at Emily's house; I'm on my way there, actually, so it's a good thing you called when you called. Anyway, do you know the way? Wait, I'll just come over and show you. I'll be there in five!"

Before I could say anything, Jacob hung up. I just stared at the phone, wondering what had happened. Jacob was coming here, that much I was certain of. Deciding that I shouldn't worry about it, I pocketed my phone and using my spare time, tidied up the room. Five minutes later, just as Jacob promised, I was running downstairs and opening the door to greet the guy.

"Jake!" I hugged him. I noticed that he was wearing nothing except for a pair of cutoff jeans, but I didn't say anything about it. "How'd you get here so fast?" I released him from my hug.

"I ran," he grinned wolfishly.

"Ran?" I asked as I locked the door behind me.

"Yeah… I transformed into a wolf and ran. It's faster that way."

"Well," I frowned, seeing a predicament. "How're we supposed to get to Emily's? You didn't bring a car…"

Jacob looked at me pointedly, and slowly, I found the answer my own question. I slapped myself on the head for my stupidity. Rolling my eyes, I went to get my motorbike from the garage.

"I see you've solved the problem," Jacob quipped.

"Yeah, yeah," I waved off his teasing remark. As I donned on the helmet, I told him, "Either you transform again and run ahead of me, or jump in the back and tell me the directions. But I don't think a giant wolf running down the road will be a good thing. It might scare off the tourists."

Before I knew it, Jacob and I were cruising on the road, and fifteen minutes later, I was turning into a clearing where a small, quaint house was situated. I killed the engine quickly and parked it beside the house, careful to not damage any of the gardenias surrounding the place.

"It's a nice place," I said to Jacob, pausing to appreciate the view. I continued walking though, when I realized that this quaint little house reminded me of another – a larger one, which was also situated in a clearing, far from the main town and deep into the forest.

"Bella, you're here!" Emily cried out in surprise. I stood there, just a step away from entering the house, feeling awkward. But my awkwardness was replaced by amusement when Emily hugged me lightly. "Oh," she said, "I was worried you weren't going to come."

"Well," I elbowed the girl gently, "I did promise, didn't I?"

"That you did," Emily grinned. And with that said, she welcomed me to her home and resumed with her baking. I sniffed tentatively. She was making blueberry muffins, I noticed.

'It looks like she's feeding an army,' my brain remarked, as I laid eyes on the pile and piles of food on the table.

I found out about an hour later why Emily seemed to have been baking for an army. It was because with the combined stomachs of Jacob, Sam, Embry, Jared and Paul, the food prepared was just… exhaled in. The food literally disappeared in a blink of an eye. To say the least, I was shocked. I've never seen these guys - especially Jacob - act so… I didn't even know how to explain it. No human could ever consume that amount of food in just one meal.

I guess that explained why Agnes complained to me last night that there weren't any leftovers from the catering service, and thus she had to order take out. Agnes was never a fan of greasy pizza.

"So Bells, you up for it?" Jacob's voice sounded like he was on the other side of a tunnel, and I tore my gaze away from the now empty plates and focused on the discussion.

"What?" I asked, a tad distracted.

"I said," Jacob looked heavenwards, "do you want to go riding on the beach with me?"

"Oh, sure." I nodded my head, enthusiastic. "Is anyone else going to come?" I looked around the table and saw that, besides Sam, Jacob and I were the only ones left.

"Nope, just the two of us." Jacob stood up and offered his hand, which I took. We walked outside with our arms linked together, Jacob talking all the way while I listened. "Paul and Embry are gonna patrol the area," he explained. "Sam would come as well, but he wants to spend some quality time with Emily."

I giggled softly under my breath. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Sam and Emily's 'quality time' meant. I guess, it was hard to find some privacy with your love when you have four other wolves always following you around, looking up to you for guidance and such. I felt sorry for Sam, being the leader and all.

After picking up Jacob's motorbike form his place, the two of us drove to the beach. We rode up and down the long, sandy strip, shrieking at the top of our lungs and just simply having fun. When Jacob started doing acrobatic jumps with his bike, however, I killed my engine and just sat myself on the sand, preferring to watch him have fun. It wasn't like I could just copy his moves; I was just a frail human, after all.

"You tired already?" Jacob teased as he plopped himself beside me. His body wasn't facing me, but his head was turned to look at me. I saw that he was sweating profusely, and beads of sweat pooled on the tips of his hair, which stuck to his head like a second skin. I watched as a particular bead rolled down his nose and splashed on his shoulder. It then continued it journey down his arm up to the edge of his elbow and finally, onto the wet, sandy ground.

"Well," I replied dryly, looking away, "we can't all be werewolves with boundless amount of energy." I eyed the rusty piece of metal he called a bike and images of acrobatic tricks flashed in my mind. "Besides," I said with a pang of jealousy, "not all of us can do all of those fancy tricks."

Laughing self-consciously, Jacob said nothing. Minutes passed with just the two of us watching the waves crash into the shore, the white crowns bubbling like - well, bubbling like bubbles. My thoughts wandered from how lovely and unusually warm the day was, to what I should wear for all of my public appearances, to when will I actually start my school projects.

Safe to say, I was so deep into my thoughts, I barely heard Jacob when he broke the contemplative silence.

"Say Bells, what's it like to be in love with a leech?"

It took a moment before I was able to reply.

"Excuse me?" I choked. Suddenly, my throat felt like it was so full of sand, I couldn't work it enough to speak a coherent word. After coughing quite a few times and an encouraging rub in the back from Jacob, I managed to get myself under control.

"Sorry," Jacob apologized, sheepish. "I should rephrase that question."

"You think?" I screamed sarcastically. I recoiled from his touch and abruptly stood up. "What was that for?" I asked as I walked away. The loud footsteps were enough evidence to tell me that Jacob was following. "And anyway," I spun around and prodded a finger at the werewolf's chest. "What makes you think I was even somewhat in love with him?"

I felt tears stinging my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away. Stupid salty air.

"Okay, okay… I'm sorry for the lack of tact." Jacob held my finger that was glued to his chest. It hurt from the prodding. "But…" Jacob sighed, let go of my finger and shrugged. "You were dating Cullen," he said. "You must've loved him to go out with him in the first place. I mean, he's a leech. Why would you even -?

"But I'm straying away from my question. I want to know, Bella, how do you know when you're in love? What's it like? What are the symptoms?"

"I don't understand your question," I said crisply, turning away from Jacob's dark, inquiring eyes. "For one thing, love isn't a disease with 'symptoms', and for another, why are you asking me?"

I laughed bitterly.

"I dunno…" I could hear the shrug in Jacob's words. "Maybe it's because you were a leech's girlfriend against all odds? Which," he rushed to say, "I know is a horrible example, so I'm going to stop talking about that. Er, what about that Jonas dude? I heard you were dating him, so you must love him, right?"

I sighed, not liking one bit where this conversation had gone. I mean, what is it with this boy and his idealisms of love? I knew he was just sixteen, but… I thought it was just girls who viewed love as fluffy bunnies walking on pink clouds, that sort of thing.

"Look, Jake, I don't really see why you're asking me about this." My foot made silly patterns on the sad as I spoke, distracting me somewhat. "Yes," I said, "I've dated, but that doesn't instantly say that I've been in love. Why don't you ask your dad about this, Jake… I'm sure he'd be happy to help out."

"Yeah," Jacob scoffed, and I glanced at him in worry. "He'd be happy all right, but he's been busy lately, along with the other council elders. They're worked up about Victoria…" Jacob smiled helplessly.

"What about your sisters?" I volunteered. "Rebecca's married, right? She'll know about these things."

"She's either in Hawaii or in LA working, and I kinda prefer to talk face to face."

Shoot, that only leaves me as an alternative.

"Sam?" I tried, though I have a feeling that this attempt was sure to be a failure. I mean, Jacob approached me of all people. "Don't you have some kind of mind connection going on?"

"Only on wolf form," Jacob said, scratching his cheek. "If I had the choice, Bells, I would've gone to him and the other guys instead of you, but Sam's case is different. I can't really relate to him. Sam, he imprinted on Emily, which was the reason why he had left Leah. Anyway, the other guys won't be much help, because they haven't imprinted yet, and…"

Jacob trailed off, leaving me in a semi-stunned silence. There was no way I could get out of this. I studied Jacob with a critical eye as I gathered my wits, wondering what had made him ask the question in the first place. Did he have a crush on someone, and does he think it's love?

"Look, Jake," I said softly, "just because I've dated a few guys doesn't mean I'm an expert in love."

"So," Jacob looked confused, "what do you call it when your heart beats really fast when you see that person that you like? It's not love, is it?"

I sighed, but answered his question anyway.

"I think it depends on the situation, but most likely at your age, it'd be just an infatuation. You think you love that person, but really, you're not. You might just love something about that person - the hair, the eyes or the laugh - but you're not really in love with --" I stopped abruptly. "Do you get what I'm trying to say?"

Slowly, Jacob bobbed his head. "I think so," he said, scratching his head in thought. "How about when you want to spend as much time as possible with that person?" he asked. "You do special stuff for her to get her attention, and she, y'know, likes it. If that's not love, then how do you know when that's like, the real deal?"

Despite the situation, I found it hilarious as question after question flew out of Jacob's mouth. I badly wanted to laugh, but decided against it. Jacob was taking this seriously, and as the elder in this conversation, it was obvious that I should take this seriously as well.

"Well," I said slowly, thinking about each word. "As a person who hasn't been in love yet, I think you know you have the real deal when you feel… complete …whenever you're in the presence of that person. And when he or she is away, you feel like a part of you is missing and is gone with that person. You're willing to do anything for that person, but in turn, that person is willing to do anything for you… He, or she, will do anything to make you happy if it's within their capabilities. If it isn't, that wouldn't stop him - or her, it wouldn't stop her, either."

I folded my arms around me, hugging myself tight. I felt exposed, suddenly, and though I knew this was Jacob, my best friend, that I was talking to, it didn't seem appropriate to tell him these things. It was as if I conveyed to him the deepest desires of my heart, my personal definition of being in love. And, to be honest, I wasn't an expert on that topic. I doubt anyone ever was.

I snuck a sideway glance at Jacob. He was looking at the sea, an intense look of concentration on his face. Sensing that my presence was not needed anymore - Jacob, with his sixteen year old mentality, had to process all the mush I just said, after all - I slowly backed away, turning to leave.

My mind must've been playing tricks on me, because when I was about a couple of feet away, I swear I heard Jacob whisper, "Thanks."

I smiled to myself, because trick of my mind or not, I was happy that I helped my friend. Maybe Jacob will get something out of my confusing wisdom, who knows?

It was mid-afternoon, so instead of leaving Jacob behind on the beach, I chose to walk around in my lonesome. With all this talk about love, I figured I should try and sort myself out as well. I thought back to my ex-boyfriends, wondering if I ever was in love with one of them.

Lyle, for definite, was out. I wasn't in love with him, and I was certain that I never will be.

'And since I only had two romantic relationships,' my brain chimed. 'After Lyle, it only leaves Edward…'

I sighed laboriously, surprisingly finding it hard to breathe. I frowned; maybe I shouldn't be thinking about this. Maybe –

"Bella…!" a deep, coarse voice hissed, interrupting my thoughts.

My head snapped around, my eyes jumping from one object to another, trying to find out whoever it was who called my name. I peeked around the many rocks jutting out of the otherwise smooth beach, but saw no one, not even a figure of an animal, let alone another human.

Human. I felt the blood drain from my face. What if this wasn't a human? What if this was a vampire?

"Bella!"

"Vic-Victoria?" My voice broke as I spun around - the voice came from behind me, I was sure of it. My heart practically jumped out from behind my ribs when I realized that behind me wasn't an endless expanse of beach, but the forest. Somehow, I had wandered off from where Jacob was with the bikes, and found myself at the edge of the forest. I looked around, and saw that Jacob was nowhere to be seen.

"Victoria?" asked the owner of the bodiless voice. "Who's she? Do I sound like a girl to you, Bella?"

I spun back to face the general direction of the voice, and was mind-bogglingly relieved to see Quil standing there. To express my relief, I let out a string of curse words, approached Quil, and smacked him as hard as I could. Suffice to say, the next time I sing in front of an audience, I wouldn't be holding the microphone with my right hand.

"Quil," I whimpered as I cradled my injured hand. "I think you broke my hand…"

"No, I did not!" Quil was quick to defend himself. "Besides," he bristled, "I didn't hear a crack or anything. You're just a drama queen, Bella."

"Fine," I stuffed my hand in my pocket. "What's the big idea, anyway? Scaring me like that?" I peered behind Quil's tall form just to make sure Victoria, or any other vampire of the sort, was hiding in the forest. It didn't do much good, since my eyes weren't strong enough, but it did dispel a small fraction of my worries.

"Well, about that…" Quil said sheepishly. "I live close by and I saw you and Jake riding around the beach. I wanted to come out and talk to you, but," he shrugged helplessly, "I wasn't sure if I was welcome."

"You know me, Quil," I nudged the boy in the ribs. "You're always welcome to talk to me."

"Thanks. That's good to know, at least."

Quil began walking around, heading towards the forest. He sat himself on fallen trunk of a tree, covered with moss, and I followed him. I didn't say anything, feeling that there was a reason why Quil had wanted to talk to me. I eyed the boy via my peripheral vision, and noticed how much he had grown since the last time I've seen him.

A frown tugged at my lips. There really must be something in the waters here in La Push, or maybe it was just genetics.

"Quil, what's wrong?" I asked, concerned for my friend. "Has this got something to do with Jake? Is this perhaps why you didn't feel welcome to approach Jake and I before?"

When Quil did not answer, or even reacted to acknowledge my words, I asked brusquely, "Did you two get into a fight?"

"Something like that," Quil murmured, though his words were somehow distorted because he barely moved his lips. He plucked them moss from the surface of the log and played with the small green stuff.

"What happened?" I asked. "Jake didn't tell me anything about a fight. Are you sure it wasn't just a misunderstanding?"

"It's not really a fight. Jacob and I just…" Quil sighed. "You could say we just fell apart. He's hanging out with Sam and his cult now, just like with Embry. A couple of nights ago, I overheard my great-granddad talking with Jake's dad. Billy was apparently 'proud' of his son," Quil motioned air quotes in the air, "and how 'he was following in Ephraim's footsteps', whatever that means."

"Oh," was all I was able to say. Quil didn't know about the werewolves? It was understandable, I suppose, since Quil wasn't one himself. I wonder, though, why Quil's not allowed to hang out with Jacob and Embry while I, a frail little human, was having my merry time with them. Personally, I thought it was a little backwards, since Quil had known the guys longer than me.

"You know what's funny?" asked Quil. His tone told me that whatever it was he was going to say, it wasn't the least bit funny.

"What?"

"Jake… He never wanted to be a part of Sam's cult. He said so when we picked you up from school that one day."

I nodded, remembering that day. I had accused Jacob of being jealous that he wasn't part of Sam's gang like Embry was. And then, he confessed to me that he was afraid that he was next. He was afraid that Sam was going to get him, and somehow convince him to follow Sam and his gang. Of course, the truth of it all was Sam's gang was actually a wolf pack. I wanted to tell Quil this, but I knew if I did, confidences will be betrayed. Instead, I controlled myself.

"And now," Quil continued. "He's part of it, just like Embry. I tried to talk to him about it, of course, but he just blew me off." Quil plucked a fresh batch of moss from the log. "I don't know why I'm telling you this, exactly, Bella… but I guess, since he's been talking to you - I've seen you with Sam and the rest, and how close y'all were."

Quil's dark eyes bore into mine, and in them, I saw the fear. It was the same, blazing fear I saw in Jacob's eyes that day he confessed to me, and I felt sorry. Sorry that Quil had to go through this alone. At least for Jacob, he and Quil were together, sharing theories as to why Embry suddenly abandoned them and the like. But, for Quil? He was alone in this.

I placed a comforting hand on Quil's shoulder, feeling, not pity, but sadness. Sometimes, the world can be so cruel, but you can do nothing about it. You just had to leave things as they are.

"So I was thinking…"

Quil, I noticed, had this hopeful twinkle in his eyes. The fear was gone for a moment, and I felt lighter at that thought.

"Thinking what?" I asked, encouraging him as he faltered.

"Maybe, you know, maybe you could tell me why Jacob… why he turned against me like that. I know it's got something to do with Billy and the rest of the elders, but I've no clue in the world as to the exact reason. And, I want to know because - because if I know what to expect, then maybe I can avoid it. I don't want to be a part of this cult. Bella, I don't want to be next."

When Quil was done, he looked at me, expectant. He expected me to help him, and I wanted to - really, I wouldn't want to disappoint Quil. However, I didn't know how to do so without telling him outright that his friends are werewolves. Maybe Quil wasn't supposed to know because he might never become a wolf. If he gets thrown into this supernatural world, he's also thrown into a world full of dangers, and a kid like him shouldn't have a life like that.

The lightness I felt before was now replaced with something heavy.

"Quil, I -" I blinked rapidly, wanting the right words to come to me. I followed Quil's example and began plucking at the moss. "I don't know how to go about this, but to put things simply…" I sighed in frustration. "Quil," I looked at the boy straight in the eyes, "do you think that this is a bad thing? What happened to Embry and Jake and the rest?"

"Well, yeah." Disgust curled his upper lip. "Obviously, whatever it is they're up to, it's made them… I dunno, they've been following Sam like sick puppies. It's like they've got no choice, and I don't want the same thing to happen to me. Sam's taken away my two best friends. I think that's enough reason to think that what's happening is a bad thing."

"But that's the thing!" I exclaimed. "It's not a bad thing. It's actually a good thing, if you know the whole story."

The wolves, from my understanding, protect the whole reservation from their natural enemy, the vampires - aka, the Cold Ones.

"Look, Quil, what I'm trying to say is: don't get so worked up about the whole cult thing. For one thing, there is no cult. You say that the elders are supporting it, so there's nothing to worry about, is there?"

Reluctantly, Quil nodded.

"If the same thing happens to you, Quil," I said softly, "then surely you'll know why your friends had seemingly abandoned you. I can't really speak for them, but I strongly doubt they wanted to make you feel left out."

Quil nodded again, submitting defeat. "Yeah," he murmured. "I get what you're trying to say. Still, it doesn't change the fact that I'm not part of it. Still doesn't change the fact that I might be next. Until I know what's happening, I don't think I can believe that Sam's cult is a good thing."

With that said, Quil left me alone sitting on the log.

A/N: Aww, poor Quil! And whoo, Jake! Curious much? Hahaha… tell me what you think. I'm on the edge of my seat here (figuratively speaking, of course). It's too embarrassing to actually admit that I'm literally on the edge of my seat - oops, did I just say that?? XD

PS. Next chapter, I have a surprise!!! =DD