"Submission, it may be the worst feeling in the world to be weak and still try to push forward while doing things that you may not want to do." A performer stood on the stage, continuing a discussion of The Little Shop of Horrors to my classmates.

Most of us were sitting on the audience blankets. Others were sitting in folding chairs. Our class field trip today was a theater tour of Tilicum Park for the last two days of school before the break. The group on stage showed us how they were preparing the works and the arts of their film productions. The idea was that all the art electives would go for a final semester test grade, an audacious and useful choice for some. However, some students may not be so lucky because they kept snickering and making slight, erotic comments about the female speaker's choice of words to describe what the play was all about. I was looking at Ozario. He pretended to listen to the speaker and cleaned his nails.

"Hey, we are friends, right," I asked Ozario?

O.C. nodded and looked at me with bright eyes. "What do you want," he questioned, calmly?

"I'd like to know more about you, besides what you told me the other night, of course." I knew that if we were going to be good friends, I had to know at least a little more about Ozario than the fact that he was an artist who enjoys reading almost everything. Yes, that included encyclopedias.

For a second, Ozario glared at me in concern. He looked at his hands, which began to tap his leg. "Eh... No. Not a clever idea. It's... a rule in my house."

"Okay. That's fine." I looked back at the talking woman.

He chuckled a bit. "That's it? You're just going to quit asking?"

"Yes. If you don't make an effort to tell me who you are, I won't do it either. There are some secrets... deep secrets that I have too," I shrugged. "So, I should respect yours, right?"

Ozario looked down at his legs and whispered, "It would be easier if I could tell you, Cat. I just... can't. So... Much... Easier."

I nodded. I flinched my left eye and asked, "Is it that bad?"

He started snickering. "Yea. I'd rather keep my family walking around safe and sound. Authorities... trip."

I guessed that situation meant life or death. Should I really ask what I want to know? I will, anyway. "What do you mean by all of that?" He might be on the same boat as I am, maybe.

Ozario sighed and shook his head. "Don't worry about it... 'kay?"

Ozario looked at the speaker, but I could tell he thought deeply about my request. His eyes wandered a few times as he crossed his arms again. He began to guard himself. So, that's exactly what his mannerism meant. Now, I understood why he kept doing that. Ozario had always been on his guard.

I think it's time for me to stop asking questions now. I can only guess the issue at hand. I was well aware of how it felt to hide instead of live. The killers, who killed my dad, haven't shown up yet. It had been a few years. Our only solution was to go from one place to the next to avoid them as much as possible. Staying mobile kept them out of our way and kept us out of their way. Maybe I needed to tell him that I wasn't going to be able to continue our friendship soon, because one day... I was going to have to leave again.

"So," Ozario smirked with a look of fascination. "How is that – eh – animal... of yours?"

Ozario surprised me with his interest. "Um," I started, "The wolf is great." I responded with a grin on my face.

Since that precious night, when the wolf came to my house and accompanied me, we started to hang out more often. A couple of days ago, I told Ozario about it in art class. Perhaps I should have known that OC would be charmed if a mystical wolf were to visit me every night, especially after learning how much my human friend enjoyed howling like one. It's crazy he didn't think I was mad after I talked to him about my wolf. I hope they'll meet soon, I thought to myself.

Ozario smiled with satisfaction. He closed his eyes for a quick moment and breathed, "Wonderful."

After the tour was over, Ozario followed me and took my hand quickly. I turned to see what he was trying to say. He held out a book about flowers and their meanings. I took the book from him and flipped through a couple of pages. There was a chapter on roses and their colors. One color was a lavender rose meaning, "Enchantment or love at first sight." It also had a traditional relationship with royalty. People liked to share this flower in order to convey love at first sight. I remembered our date to Blue Ocean, which had a lot of lavender roses floating above the dining area and candy on Ozario's drink. O.C. also gave me one before the date started. What is he trying to tell me? I smiled at the thought.

"Ew," he heckled at my expression, "Why are you smiling. Don't get all mushy and affectionate...that's so gross."

I squinted my eyes at him. "Oh! Shut up, you weirdo."

We laughed and went on to walk together. Ozario followed me to my car as usual. My mind was still stuck on Ozario's personality; his likes, his dislikes, and other things. I wanted to know who he really was, because he'd be my very first friend that I'd love to open up to for the very first time in a long time. I had so many questions that I wanted to ask. If only he'd come out of his shell, sometimes. We wouldn't have to talk about the deep things, but it would be easier to understand him, even knowing his favorite color would help.

Our friends caught us from across the parking lot. They waved at us with bright smiles and loud laughter. I smiled at them, knowing that the girls were extremely excited because I was standing next to Ozario. I looked at him, noticing him lying without his jacket on a cold snowy ground. His eyes were softly closed without twitching. There were no signs of freezing him at all. He just laid down there... l ifeless, yet remarkably handsome. I stooped down to the side of his face and watched his body behave like a beautiful dead man, like a Snow White man, with all his features. I got a little closer, so I could remove a red strand of hair from his face.

"Don't do that. I might kiss you again." His grim-like grin crept upon his face, but his eyes remained closed.

I picked up a snowball and dropped it on his face, laughing at him. "Don't you dare, perv." I demanded, playfully.

"Hmph," Ozario opened his eyes and reached up to snatch me. "Come here." He pulls me face first in the snow, laughing at me this time.

Ozario and I played together in the snow. He told me to hold the book to him before I was about to leave. I haven't given it back since he gave it to me a moment ago. I opened my car door as he headed for his bike with snow tires. Who does that? Does anyone know? Can motorbikes have snow tires? Huh. Out of blue, Ozario immediately turned his toes towards me and raised his index finger. For a second, I paused. Then he miraculously said something about himself to me.

He spoke loudly because of the distance he had left behind, "I have a long name and I like flowers. Obviously, with the book I gave you... you know."

"What is your name," I hollered out?

"Ozario Nicole Yahya... Yahya, originally a nickname but middle now... Xaviero, my birth last name ... Cullen, my new last name because of the reasons. So, Ozario Nicole Yahya Xaviero-Cullen. Like... why even?" Ozario swiftly walked over to his bike and sat on it. He shouted, "You're welcome," and left!

Ozario let me leave with a smile on my face. At least he put in some effort since I asked. I went home in order to pack up for the trip. When I walked into my room, I found more red roses on my desk next to the one I got from Ozario on the evening of our date. I was shocked to see that I had more to on my desk. No one was at home, so I couldn't ask who sent it.

I quickly took the book of flowers out of my bag and turned it back to the chapter on roses, again. A single purple rose meant, of course, "enchantment" or, conveyed, "love at first sight." I looked at the rose from the date that Ozario gave me. Alone on my dresser, it was still lying beautifully. My heart started to pound like the day we first met. I looked in front of me at the new roses, counting eleven in the pretty vase. I looked at the pages to find out what eleven meant. There was nothing, but the closest was twelve, meaning "gratitude." I looked back at the single lavender rose out of the vase. I took it and place it inside with the others. I get it, now. Ozario must have sent this to me. He must be trying to thank me. But, for what reason? There was a card on the other side of the vase. I took it and read the note:

I laughed, seeing the humor in his letter for me. I even did his impression of a howl as I read the p.s. at the bottom. He is very fond of wolves for some reason. Maybe, the next time I see him, I will ask about it. Speaking of wolves, I looked at the picture on the wall next to the window. I wondered. Will he be here tonight?

My silver wolf came stalking beneath my window again. He was earlier than usual. Normally, he always came at midnight. Whoa! Why now? My wolf carried something in his mouth this time too, but I couldn't make out what it was. Still, I felt excited to know that my wolf always visited my house. It's too isolated here. I needed a neighbor.

I ran downstairs to the door. Before I opened it, a knock had already echoed from the other side. I unlocked my front door and opened it just enough to peek my head outside. Ozario stood in front of me while holding out my blue notebook. Did he not see my wolf coming here? I slowly took the notebook from his hand.

"Thanks. I must have left it. I'm glad you had it... Uh... Did you see a silver looking wolf next to the house when you came to the door?" I had to know if he'd seen such magnificence before he stood in front of my door.

Sadly, Ozario shook his head and denied, "No, I'm sorry. You mean that huge wolf you were talking about? I've seen a wolf before... just not by your house. Sorry."

I suddenly struck a perfect idea. I wanted to introduce him to it. I grabbed Ozario by the arm and dragged him to my bedroom, where I usually saw my wolf. I looked out the window to see if he was still out there. Unfortunately, my wolf was gone. He wasn't standing at the bottom, gazing at me with those lovely, star-like twinkling eyes. I faced Ozario, feeling a little disappointed that I must have come back too late. I felt bad until I noticed that Ozario was awed by my wolf portrait on the wall. Or, at least I assumed he was astounded as he whispered something to himself.

Luckily, I knew how to read lips pretty well. Ozario seemed to breathe, "Did you draw me?" as his eyes glued to the painting. I wasn't so sure if that was exactly what Ozario said, but somehow I knew I was close. I smiled as he smiled at the image behind the thick locks of his long, wavy hair. It was intriguing to see how he reacted to my painting.

I walked closer toward him. "Do you like it?"

Ozario nodded, vigorously. "I adore this. It's so beautiful..." he assured me. "But, why? Is this the wolf you see at night? Is he really this important to you? You'd normally draw dead people."

"Yup! He normally comes around midnight when I used to stay up drawing until morning. His fur is a beautiful, sparkling silver like crystals in the snow, so I used shimmering colors." I explained my art to him. Ozario was a very good listener, like the wolf. "I really enjoy his company," I said last.

Ozario smirked at me and lifted a brow. "How did you know it's a boy?"

I pointed at the most obvious feature and shot Ozario a flat look.

Ozario moved his hands over his pants and looked embarrassed for some reason.

"Uh..." Why is he embarrassed all of a sudden? Anyway... I pointed at other features a male wolf would usually have. Then, I thought about something else. "I also made this one and compared them." I showed Ozario a picture I drew of him with the same look in his face as my wolf's. "I found your twin." I cheered silently with glee.

He stared at his portrait for a bit. "You... drew me. Wow!" This time, instead of asking, Ozario was certain.

So, he did say that to the painting on the wall. I'm not slow, am I? Does this mean what I think after so many years of... No way... Anyway. "Yea," I answered, "I know. It's weird." I put the picture back.

Ozario placed his hands in his pockets. "Not weird. Cute. It's better than what I'd do to pass the night." He remarked, shrugging.

I chuckled. "And, what might you do?" I knew it had to be something sinister.

Ozario smirked and shrugged, again. "I don't know... Stalk you in the middle of the night disguised as something else to... Mmm... Maybe trick you to see me a few times." He smiled a little wider and looked back at my wolf's portrait. "As long as it puts you to sleep at night," Ozario intoned, happily.

Ozario... Are you telling me...? Please, do? I'd like to know, now. Is my wolf really... you? I shook my head, jokingly. "Whoa! Chill!" I chortled. In truth, I told myself that.

O.C. chuckled. "Anyway, I need to get going. It's going to be sunny soon." Ozario started for the door, but I ceased him in his tracks by grabbing his hand.

"Wait,'' if he could tell me what I thought I was just figuring out, I hadn't wanted him to go. Yet there's no way I could ask such a preposterous question, right? So, then, I asked something else, something natural, like, "Is it okay if I ask why you leave when it's sunny? Don't you like the sun?" It absurdly obsessed me to find out why he always left on a sunny day.

"Aw. You miss me already," Ozario teased?

"No," I spoke with confidence, "I'm just curious, because you always just disappear until the sky turns grey. It's, sort of, depressing."

"Best time for me to do whatever I please. Dark woods aren't so fun for me." Ozario gave me a smile. He took my hand off his only to grab mine and give it a goodbye kiss. "Later, Catalina."

I gasp in surprise. O.C. hasn't used my real name since the day he met my mom, "OMGH! You said my name!"

He laughed like a musical jiggle. "I guess, I did. What does that even mean?"

"What?" I asked. I cocked my head a little.

He scratched his head and stated slowly. "O.M.G.H"

I smirked. "Oh, My Gosh! Duh."

Ozario shook his head and laughed, again.

"Thank you for-."

"Whoa!" Ozario waved his hands in the air and shouted, "No! Later, Shrimp."

He left out the door. SHRIMP! Who does he think...? I grinned instead of yelling after him. I felt happy to the point it was impossible to become upset. My smile wouldn't leave my face, not even as his soothing presence left my house. I felt like the nights I'd spent with my wolf, lately. It was peaceful and gratifying. I got good sleep because of today.

At a dark hour, 8 o'clock precisely, a snow storm – not too badly – came through. It took out our light bulbs. It was so dark I couldn't see well enough to paint tonight. I walked toward my window, hoping that my friend would be safe out there in the wild. Then, I noticed him, standing there between the trees. He stared at me again. He actually came tonight, knowing it would be dangerous?! How sweet!

The wolf ran until it stopped under my window, and I rushed out of the house to meet him. As it was extremely cold out, we walked to the back of the house where the winds hadn't blown so badly, and we were barely brushed by snow. The wolf shielded me to keep me warm, with his searing fur coat. He had truly reminded me of the preferred disguise of Ozario. I think I liked the idea a bit, it'd be genius to be the wolf like I... Hold on, Cat. Great idea to have... Pretty bad for me too. It dawned on me I never had a name for this wolf.

"Do you have a name? May I give you a name?"

At first, the wolf looked at me crazy. He tilted his head and lowered one ear, then nodded. For days, I kept thinking of one, but I could never make anything up. My mouth twisted. Ozario and him are so alike when I'm around them. My wolf liked to lie down with his eyes closed so the snow would fall on his face as Ozario did today while everyone else was standing outside. Like Ozario he lounged there, almost lifeless but with comfort. They both enjoyed feeling cold as though it were a warm, peaceful blanket.

That's it! I knew what I wanted to call him. "Onyx! That's what I will call you," I announced.

I learned that Ozario's full name was quite long. I ran his name over and over in my head after he told me. Onyx's head moved closer to my chest, he probably liked it. I noticed a bit of jerking from him like he was giggling... and he, kind of, smiled. Whoa! Is that possible?

Onyx paused, and he began to sniff the air. He stood up, gesturing me back to the warm house by tugging my clothes. Together, we walked to the front door in the snow that began falling a little lighter. Onyx was pretty smart, which was pretty cool. He never said much, but he loved it when I drew pictures of him. We couldn't do that tonight. Instead, Onyx and I relaxed to the point where I lost control of my eyelids. They started to close before I could get into my room. He kept me so warm that I could sleep comfortably just by staying where we were.

I opened the door to my bedroom. I knew right away that something was off. My window was wide open. I knew I had it closed before I went outside. I had always done that. I slowly paced toward it. Once, I closed my window and turned away, I saw that Ozario was sitting on the floor with his ankles crossed and his feet swaying. He waved at me. I stared at the trespasser, astonished.

"How did you get in," I fussed in a whisper?

He stood up and mimicked my reaction. "I snuck in as the wolf disappeared. Onyx, right?"

That... was off... I nodded in agreement. This guy heard me a while ago? How long has he been watching me? Or, is my insane assumption... possible after all? I wanted to smile, but I felt scared, too.

Ozario walked toward me, looking more serious. "Sorry, I was worried... So, I came to make sure you sleep well." He sounded really concerned about me.

Funny. I think my wolf had probably come for the same reason, tonight. I grinned. "You confuse me... so much." I said, rushing to hug him. I was actually thrilled that he was there with me. And, if those two are separate beings, they made my night.

Ozario hugged me back. "Aye... Don't get all mushy and affectionate... Gross."

I giggled and sat on my bed. Ozario sat next to me, then fell on his back to lay across it. The snow storm unkindly poured from the sky again. I fell back, lying beside him as we watched the windows slowly freeze. I had more questions to ask. I wondered what really led him here, and was he honest about checking up on me? How was he able to climb up my window that's two stories high? I didn't see a ladder and there were no trees near enough to touch my window or even get within reach of.

I took the chance to ask other questions in place of them since

I had time. "Do you like the cold? You weren't affected by the snow when you were lying in it earlier."

"Yea, I always... just... feel so hot that sometimes it feels nice to lie in anything cold," he explained.

I touched his masculine arm. His skin was almost as hot as a summer's day with no breeze. His burning body temperature never drops. It's been like this since the day he pretended to faint.

"Well... You are pretty hot."

"Thanks." He grinned a little.

I flashed him a icy glare, then I rolled my eyes. "That's not what I meant. Geez. Okay. Maybe, a little," I admitted.

Ozario looked at me with his dimples showing. "Ha! You're weird."

"So? You are too. Snow is comfortable to you," I sprung back at him.

Ozario took one of my pillows and snuggled it close into his chest. "Yea, it's like the greatest pillow, in my opinion."

I shook my head and closed my eyes. I felt Ozario turn over, feeling his breath on my cheek. "So, what about you, kitty cat? You know, the drawings. Why do you draw so much?"

"Well... I draw a lot because..."

Click...

"Cati! Are you ok?" I instantly paused after hearing my mom walk in my room.

Oh, no! If she sees, Ozario who knows what might happen tonight! I opened my eyes and quickly realized he went missing. There were no traces anywhere. Ozario just vanished into thin air.

I checked under my bed. He wasn't there either. I looked back at my mother, who was trying to figure out what I was doing. "Uh... Yes, I'm perfect. Thanks. I'm just looking for something. That's all," I answered.

"Alright, sweetheart. I will go check on your grandmother, now." My mom left the room, closing the door behind her.

As she walked away, I could hear her footsteps getting softer and softer. I looked at my window and saw that Ozario was hanging from it, one hand holding up his chin and the other arm resting on the panel. This image looked like he was standing up against the school podium. This guy was hiding behind my window? On his face, Ozario had a bright smile. He seemed to be amused by how amazed I had looked. I walked towards him and looked out to see what kept him up. Nothing, absolutely nothing. I looked back at him, confused, as he still stared at me with that charming smile.

Ozario put his hand down from his face and raised his eyebrow. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"I did! You are the ghost! How are you doing this," I fiercely whispered. I looked down at his feet.

He swung them like he was lying on his stomach. He shrugged and murmured, "I don't know. I just am."

"Do you need help?" I whispered.

"No, I got it. You need to get some sleep. You have that hiking thing tomorrow," Ozario reminded, hoisting himself up into my bedroom again.

"Yea," I said, feeling so befuddled.

Ozario stole my hand and took me back to my bed. He looked at a cracked watch hidden in his pocket rather quickly, t Then he took his phone out for a quick text. Ozario's eyes flickered up to find my face as he grabbed and unfolded my covers. With his index finger, he beckoned me to go under them. Strangely tempting... It was only because he looked so attractive doing that. Still, I remained in awe of his ninja skills. How? How does he evanesce his way out of things? He really vanished!

Slowly, Ozario reached for my hand with a smirk. Chuckling at my expression, he put me in my bed. I was still staring at Ozario in astonishment. I mean, who's just hanging out the window like they're standing? He did not have any signs of hard breathing or struggle, even when he hurled himself back into my room. Ozario started looking at me in the same facial expression that I had. I loosen my face, then I looked down at his hand to grab it. I tugged him closer, so I could give him a hug. Ozario let this happen, hugging me back and kissing my forehead.

"Goodnight, Cati," Ozario whispered into my ear.

I shivered from the tickling feeling I got whenever he'd do that. "Goodnight, Mr. Wizard."

"Wizard?"

"Wizard of Oz."

Ozario gave me a deadpan look. He whispered in my ear again. "... Lame."

I giggled, wiggling my ear with my hand. "Whatever."

Ozario titter. He faced the window to leave. I turned to my side to watch what he was going to do. Upon reaching the window, Ozario turned to me and waved. Then this idiot decided to jump out of the window like a lunatic.

"WEEE," he yelled in song!

"What the fu..." I whispered in a panic?

I hurriedly threw away my covers and ran to the window. I looked down but didn't see anything. I was looking for him, but there were no footprints, either. Could it have been from the weather? I turned and face palmed. Then, I shook my head. Swiftly, I was lying back in bed with a smile. Then, my smile became a soft laugh in my pillow. Then, I was sleeping perfectly, thanks to my wolf and my good friend, Ozario.

The next morning rushed by so quickly. Everybody was running everywhere in every direction, trying to collect everything we needed for the hike that day. Mom informed us how long the trail was. We packed a picnic basket full of food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner since we were camping overnight. After Grandma and I finished packing, we were already dressed in our rugged shoes and thick coats while setting the gear by the door. Finally, mom came downstairs with the rest of us.

I put my hand on my hip. "Mom, why are you wearing heeled boots?" I asked, staring at her suede, embroidered, mid-calf, black, Gitana boots she got online from Lulus. Why did that whole description matter? Because if I didn't say it correctly, my mother would have. Every time she put those boots on, she says exactly that. You're welcome...

Mom looked down at her feet, then posed. My mother spoke with a confident attitude, "I want to look good. That's why. I'm too fine to look anything less, no matter what the situation is."

Oh, my gosh! Haven't you watched any horror movies? Fashion can get people killed... I thought, shaking my head.

Grandmother shook her head, too. She opened the door looking at mother. "Okay... But, don't complain about your feet hurting."

Mother laughed as all of us walked out our door. We rode to Hoh Rain Forest Hall of Moss where we would hike. It's display of wild frozen trees and icicle vines were amazing to look at long before we even started our stroll. We began roaming through the trail, using a map. The glistening snow had been lit up by the sun beams that escaped through the clouds and trees. The river wasn't as frozen as I expected. It had a very thin cover of ice. I could tell this place would be more beautiful once it becomes green again. The area was quiet due to the scarce amount of people wandering around. In the middle of the trail, we came to a halt and prepared lunch on the plain. We were the only ones around. As we sat, eating, mom kept peeping into the distance. I could tell she was thinking about something.

"Catalina." Mother called, setting her sandwich down. Still, she didn't look directly at me.

"Yes, Mom?" I responded. I saw her eyes that seemed a bit sad.

Mother intertwined her fingers and took a breath. "In the house," She started, "There are journals your father left for you, about your life... b-before your memories were confiscated." I sat up straighter.

"Of course, you know that's why we came back... so you could get them. You need to read them for yourself, Cati." Mother reminded me.

I nodded once. My mom finally started telling me about the situation that occurred years ago. I put everything I had into our picnic container. "Okay, Ma." I agreed.

My grandma smiled at my mother, and I listened close to what mom had to say.

She continued, "It wasn't nine years ago that your father was killed, it was only five years ago — the day of your sev... uh... birthday. I've been too overprotective to try to keep you for far too long away from our traumatic experience. I felt I couldn't tell you because you've still had these nightmares about your dad's death every night since the tragedy. You'd even draw it a lot. You need to know who you're running from. There's a group called, the Vipers. They are unprincipled and deadly monsters beyond imagination. Not all of them, however, are bad. I think it's time to find people like them, who-."

There was a growl coming from behind us. My mom paused. Her eyes widened and she looked past me. Gran and I turned around, finding out what it was that scared her. We all stood up quickly, facing the sound. A giant wolf appeared through the bushes, but it wasn't my Onyx. The wolf had a dusty black fur coat and snarled at us. We slowly backed up as it came closer to us. His sharp teeth had been shown by the wide breach of his savage grin. I grumbled, not in terror; I was furious because I kept thinking... My nightmare better not come true. Not right now!

Grandma grabbed my arm in fear, pushing me ahead of her so I would run. She shouted, "Catalina, you need to get out of here. They found us! Go!"

My mother snatched my hand and dashed away from the wolf in the opposite direction. It was following us. Two more came out of the shadows of the bushes and began chasing after us. Grandma tried to run as fast as she could. She grabbed a stick to keep them away, and even whacked one in the eye. They raced too fast towards us. Too crazily! They were taunting us. Normally, they're faster than that. Adriana did the same thing as Jeong and hit one of them on the head, buying us time to get away. That wasn't good enough, though. My grandma was caught in a huddle. I was breathing heavily, running to get her out of there. My mom stole my arm again. She hauled me away from granny. Once again, blood had been shed.

{Apart of the Silver Night series, not the Life series.}

INSIDE THE CULLEN HOUSE.

I walked into the room where the fireplace was lit. Almost every space was occupied by all my new family members. Bella and Edward – my new "foster parents" for two years now – sat down together, talking to Jacob. He used to be the only wolf in this place. The Hoke House is the architectural name. He stood by the Ivory Couch. Jacob's 8-year-old girlfriend and my foster sister, Renesmee, sat on the couch next to him. My biological brother, Enriqué (or Henry, his English name), sat on the floor across from them. He was right next to Alice, my "foster/adopted" aunt. The two of them looked at me with wide creases in their cheeks and bright eyes. Alice skipped, the flow of her black, French-braided hair bounced, until she paused before me.

"Welcome back! Come on! Don't just stand there." She grabbed my hand.

I smiled at her. She's as cheery as always.

"Hello, I'm home, but I am sure you all knew that." I really didn't need to say much. I could have waved.

My mother, Bella, walked up to me and asked. "Where did you go last night? You just disappeared."

Rosalie walked gracefully across the floor until we were face to face. "He always does." She acknowledged. "I want to know, too." She smiled, looking up at me.

I felt miraculously reluctant to say where I was, especially to Rosalie. Everyone here would be disturbed if they knew that I was still talking to Catalina, the human girl. I knew that the only few people who could possibly understand would be Carlisle and Edward, but even my foster father tried to talk to me out of seeing her when she was in the hospital. I just couldn't give her up so easily. Not after I imprinted on her. I managed to break out of the curse only to realize that my half-wolf self was still hadn't lost quite lost. Free will and I had the choice to still fall for someone amazing? That's something epic that no one should give up.

I fought against the imprinting during Catalina's and my separation. I had to know how I truly felt about this young woman, to know if I really had feelings about Cati. Apparently, I do. Trying to give up the fact that I honestly loved her, and to stop myself from seeing her completely, would not only break her heart, but mine too. I could never take it, I'm never going to try it again. I looked at my father because I knew he was reading my mind. I swiftly shut him out. Perhaps, if I were to tell half the truth, it would be alright.

"Look... I just went for a run in the woods to clear my head."

"You went to see Catalina for the night," Edward snitched?

I averted my eyes to the right. Jerk... There was no upset in Edward's face; however, his thoughts said otherwise in his eyes, behind the narrow look.

Rosalie grabbed my arm in order to have me look at her. She fussed, "I told you this was a dreadful thing to do. Why would you keep talking to that girl? Are you intentionally trying to kill us?"

"Rosalie," Esme called her out gently!

Rosalie swung her free hand. "Well. It seems like that, doesn't it," she argued?

I glance at Bella, who looked a bit shocked. Her voice rose in a furious manner, "You know if the girl finds out about us, the Volturi will kill us!"

I chuckled and felt a bit annoyed. "Okay. I am 215 years old, Bella," I pointed out. "I think I know the rules by now. I am older than you all, except for Carlisle." I steadily slid Rosalie's hand off my arm. "It's no longer easy for me to let go, all of you know that. You've watched me try and fail miserably." I sighed and calmly said, "Look... I got to realize what I truly felt about her. True-It's not the case that I can no longer stay away... I chose that I don't want to. So,because I do know that I love her, If I have to keep hiding, then I don't care. If we can just be friends, that's cool with me too. Besides, you said so yourself that I had to get Astrid out of my mind and, with Cati, it's ten times easier than your original idea."

Rosalie's face turned darker. She argued again, "Ok, then... Go ahead! 'Don't care' about the fact you're putting us on a death sentence."

I leaned toward her until we met at eye level. I narrowed my eyes. I snarled, "I bet you didn't say that when Bella was pregnant with Renesmee, which almost killed all of you twice. You supported her and who ended up saving everyone from dying the night Ness was born? Jacob, because he imprinted! Thanks for reminding me of such a romantic tale."

Rosalie sucked her tongue, storming out of the room. She was the one who told me about Renesmee in the first place. I don't know how anything I was doing was different. There were no letters at least stating, "You will die in 60 days or less," with a stupid laugh from Count Dracula. The eyes of the family were all on me. I sighed, holding my hand against my face. I know, I know that... I was wrong about what I said. It just irritated me how Rosalie just couldn't understand. To be honest, I felt like no one could do that. Edward and Jacob are supposed to know best of all... They don't.

I removed my hand from my face. "Sorry... I will apologize once she calms down. That was rude. I shouldn't have brought stuff up I was never involved in," I said, regretting the argument.

Esme touched my shoulder. "Everything will turn out alright, Ozario. We should all be supportive of him like we had done for Edward."

Edward looked down at whatever he was fiddling with. He spoke low, but clear enough to hear, "Just be careful about your decision. I realized that I had wronged you in the hospital. I can't tell you to give up knowing that I did exactly the same thing with Bella before she turned. I just didn't want you or Renesmee to go through so many... consequences outside our species."

I nodded, considering all his words and trying to understand his rough experience. But, I couldn't help but think about it. "That's what makes a great relationship stronger, isn't it? If two people just gave up when things go wrong, it's not that they loved each other, they loved the fantasy love that is projected on TV. I will hang all responsibilities on myself if anything happens, especially if it involves the Volturi. I shall not forget my spoken words," I promised him.

"Mm..." Edward thought for a second. He said, "Catalina is a strange girl. She doesn't think about the norm. There's no mindless nonsense I usually hear inside human minds."

I nodded to agree. "She doesn't seem to react like a normal human being, either. She's really cool." I sighed and mumbled. I still kept my words as clear as I can. "Sadly, most students don't believe she is, so I'd catch her bullies from mouthing off, sometimes."

"Do you know anything about her father?" Edward asked with uneasy eye movements. His brow bending with interest and worry.

I shook my head. So, that's the reason Edward glared at her so much in the Hospital. I wonder why Cati's father is so important, now. "Cat never talks about him. She does own loads of doddles in her sketchpad. They are all mutilated corpses. Her most over used art is that same decapitated head in a pair of hands.

Does this information relate?"

"She's drawing how her father died, Ozario."

"Oh, Dios mío... Wow." What about those other portraits? What about Catalina's self-portrait? She drew a picture showing herself strapped to a pole and being burnt alive. The modern burned on a stake kind of thing. Did that really happen?

"She remembers her father's death very vividly." Edward acknowledged. "The girl compared his golden-brown eyes and complexion to ours. It was a match. I almost thought she was going to be on to us. I thought what if she wasn't just a human being, and how my theory couldn't have been possible, because any of us could have seen she was. I couldn't dig any further to find out. I must have stared at her for too long, so she began to think of something ridiculous," Edward shared. He tittered afterward.

Oh, yes... Catalina has a habit of saying the most intelligent things, then revert and talk about weird stuff. I smiled and asked,"Like what?"

"Your imprintee thought she offended Rosalie and me. She asked, and I quote, 'What are they staring at? Am I that ugly or something? Did I offend them with my unlucky charms?'" Edward laughed a little. "I never thought to hear that... Or, to hear a human believe I could have read her mind then say, 'Or, maybe he's just daydreaming, awkwardly' after noticing I'd laughed at her comment. Your imprintee is far too observant but react so-"

"Unpredictable. Yea, she's like that." I told him. I chortled with his hand over my mouth.

Abruptly, Alice's mind must have flashed her a ruthless prediction because her face grimaced — frozen in gore-like horror. Her mouth opened and twisted. She yelled after the vision had faded away. Jasper stood beside her, and we all looked in her direction. Alice began to freak out about the situation she witnessed. I saw Edward's fearful expression strain his face as he turned towards me. An adrenaline shot through my body. I started to hear screaming in my ear, those I can remember anywhere.

"The Hoh Rain Forest," Informed Edward, telling me where those sounds came from.

My heart dropped, and my body boiled. On instinct, I darted out the door with the Cullens following behind me. "Catalina." I whispered.

I felt an electrifying flow go through my veins. It wouldn't relax. I hadn't felt this way in years. What the hell happened on her hike? I released the wolf in me, flying over some tree branches, blocking my path. I ran faster than the others, apart from Edward — who scorched the trails right next to my tail. I smelled a lot of blood and it helped me to follow its thick, musty, and sweet scents. There, Catalina, she crawled against a wide and crooked tree. She shuddered as she was wrapped in her living nightmare. Her eyes had not appear to be frightened, however. I've never seen a human brave enough to be strictly outraged, instead.

Set before her was a wild, massive wolf. This dusty black wolf had an unfamiliar and disgusting smell of leaking piss and dog sweat. He had something inside his mouth, or somebody bleeding. The mother of Catalina. The wolf held Catalina's mom in its mouth with blood dripping from it's disgusting, drooling embouchement. The wolf was crouching against his prey. I hastened to guard Catalina and challenged his dominance.

I have always hated being overpowered; so I refuse to let this disgraceful pest get in my way. A vicious thunder of grumbling rose from my throat. A few times I burst out a loud echoing bark to force this brute to release the mother of Catalina. She fell, barely lifeless, on the snowy blood-stained ground. Ms. Adriana still hung onto her breath. My eyes turned red with ferocious indignation. Angrily, I sprinted in the direction of the wolf, noticing two more enemies of the same fur color hurdle against me for an attack. Jacob and Seth stopped them, who showed up just in time. Good... good. I won't have to use my plan after all.

The three of us fought those beasts while Carlisle and Henry checked on Catalina and her mother. The others scouted the trails to keep passerby out of sight and to find Cat's grandmother. I slit neck of the wolf who tried to kill Cati by using one of my sharp teeth. The other wolves ran with their tails literally between their legs. I searched behind me until spotting Catalina, who wouldn't move as if her soul left her body.

"Onyx," Cat's voice quivered from her trembling, "Th-thank... yo-"

She fainted from trauma and exhaustion. I reverted back to my birth form and check up on her mom. Ms. Yong was not shocked in the least to see me change. She smiled as if she already knew. I lifted her up in my arm as delicately as possible. Adriana placed her hand on my cheek ready to say something. With her other hand, she lifted up a key.

"P-please, take this. When...she is ready, giv-give this to her. Please? Take care of my daughter... P-please," she pleaded in her dying breathes?

I nodded and took the key. Solemnly, I accepted her wish, "I vow every day of my life, Ms. Yong."

Adriana fell asleep in peace in my arms. Her heart still pumped a little longer. It will stop eventually. I stared dumbfounded at Adriana's key, then her dead body. What did she want me to help Catalina with? Catalina... I glanced up at Cati and ran by her side. Henry and I scanned her body for any deadlier wounds. Catalina hadn't owned no major scars, just the one created in her heart and mind. It will take a long while before she gets over this. I sighed. I lifted her up from the ground almost in tears. I was too late, wasn't I? How will she endure this?

Most of my family came back and faced me. Jasper still hadn't returned, yet. I searched around, finding all the blood splatters surrounding the area. Her grandmother seemed nowhere to be found. Alice's husband came back, waving that Grandmother Jeong was farther than the others. When all of us saw her body, the body was terribly mangled, distorted, and partially ripped in pieces. How dare they do this to Catalina? When I find them, I will murder them all.

{ "Do you think this is another love-story? You couldn't have been more wrong. It's much more than that." } - Cora N. Harris.