A/N I am excited to post this. I must say, I missed writing in this world. Enjoy!
Bonus Epilogue Part 1
(Fifteen years later)
Seth
The features included an on-site pancake and waffle house, two outdoor swimming pools, hot tub, water slide, miniature golf, and horseback trail rides. On a nice-sized lake with boat rental, it didn't get better than this. Leah and Jasper did a great job finding this place. The kids would have a ball. Our last camping reunion was three years ago on Labor Day, in Colorado. I looked forward to seeing everyone, except for maybe Bella.
Gathering my bundles of campfire wood from my truck, I set them by the fire pit. Then I took a quick shower to liven up after the long drive and made myself at home in the cozy one-room cabin. Fighting the urge to snap one open to quiet my antsy feeling, I hauled out my cooler and put it on the deck. A somewhat familiar RV rumbled into the gate. I expected a luxury RV; I kept watching it anyway. It stopped at the camping spot down the hill across from my cabin, at the unit reserved for Jacob. Someone hopped out of the back seat, directing the driver's parking alongside the cement slab for positioning of the 5th wheel camper. But who was that?
A smile rose to my lips when I recognized him. "Jacobi." Holy shit!
I trekked down the hill, marveling the sight of him. "Need some help?" I asked.
He spun toward me, beaming. "Uncle Seth!" I reached out to shake his hand, then pulled him into a hug. For only being fourteen, he'd grown damn near as tall as me. Aside from his light skin tone, a shade darker than Bella's, he resembled Jacob mostly and had Jake's ebony hair and eyes.
The back door of the four-door pickup truck flung open, and a half pint mixture of Bella and Jake jumped to the ground, sprinting to me. "Uncle Seth," Will squealed, wrapping his arms around my waist.
"Hey, look at you. You grew." I ruffled the chestnut hair he got from Bella and smiled into another set of Jake's eyes. "Not as much as your brother here, but you're still growing too fast for me." The boy was ten, and carried a darker tan than Jacobi, but not as dark as Jake's. Thinking about it, none of their skin tones matched.
Jacob strolled up behind him, cool and collected. He held his balled hand out for a fist bump, then we wound arms around one another. It had been two years ago on Christmas when we last saw each other, but we talked regularly over the phone. "What's up with those muscles. Trying to make the rest of us look bad, or what?" Jake asked.
"Muscle fitness is the fountain of youth," I replied, "Don't want to get fat and out of shape like some former boxers."
"Shit, I'm not fat. I still got these," he said, lifting his shirt to show his bulging abs.
I laughed. "I was speaking in general."
"Where did you come from?" he asked.
"From right up there." I pointed to the cabin on the small hill. "I reserved the closest one I could get to you all when I changed my mind about bringing the RV. Too much work for one person. It made for a smooth and quicker drive."
"Tell me about it. You wouldn't believe the amount of times we had to gas up, coming from California. Driving through Wyoming was hell, pulling that thing."
"You could afford the gas."
"Yeah, I know. It was just annoying," he said, asking, "You drive it all in one shot?"
"I left late yesterday evening and drove five hours, checked into a hotel, and jumped up at six am, and drove the other eight."
"It was a twenty-hour drive for us. Hauling that damn camper made it twenty-six. We left early in the morning yesterday and stayed over in a hotel last night."
"You guys got here just in time. I got bored and almost cracked one open. I wanted to call everyone when I checked in an hour ago, but the reception here is shitty. I couldn't get anything to go through, not even texts."
"Jasper said he was four hours away when we last talked to him, and that was…" He brought out his phone from his pocket... "Four and a half hours ago. He should drive up soon. We couldn't get a hold of Emmett this morning. He had the shortest route coming from Colorado. I thought he would have been here first."
"I can't believe how much these kids grew. Especially Jacobi."
"Yep," Jake said, "I don't think I hit his current height until the end of my freshman year, and he's only going into the eighth grade when school starts."
"I did all my growing my sophomore year and didn't grow much more after that," I said. Me and Jake were the same height, just shy of six-two.
"At my last physical, the doctor said my growth plates didn't close. He guessed I might end up six-four or six-five when it's all done," Jacobi said.
I asked about his boxing season and found out; he gave it up for basketball. I wondered if there was a story behind that. He had boxing talent.
During our conversation, I took several glances toward Jake's ride, waiting for Bella to get out of their vehicle. She had to be in there, because from here they would drive back to Forks, moving home after ten years. "What's Bella doing?"
"Oh, she fell asleep before we got here. I woke her up when we pulled in, but she's probably still tired."
Yeah, right! I lifted a hand and rubbed my tense neck. "Shall we get you unhitched, leveled, and all hooked up?"
As we set their campsite up with his boys following us around, I said, "This is the same one you had three years ago. I expected you to drive up in a mansion on wheels this time."
"It's the same camper I had five years ago. This is only the fourth time it's being used. It's practically brand new. We don't camp enough for me to spend a fortune on a luxury motor home."
"Dad likes to rough it," Will told me. I grinned at his conclusion.
Jacob glanced down at him in insult. "Rough it?" he asked, then gave his youngest son a rundown of the camper's many features, adding, "Plus, you have the most expensive video game console out, to play on the fifty-inch tv in the bunk room, and a rack full of DVD movies. How is that roughing it?"
I turned away and buried my laughter at Jake's impersonation of a salesman.
Will gave his dad a "duh" look and responded, "Because it doesn't have a hot tub."
Jacob rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Just go tell your mom the camper is ready now."
"Will," I called. When he looked back, I said, "The outdoor pool here has a hot tub."
"Yes!"
"Rough it," Jacob muttered. "Remember our first camping trips? We slept in tents back then. That's what you call roughing it, but fuck if we didn't have fun."
"I think we guys had more fun than the girls, and nobody had kids."
Bella hopped down from the truck. "Hi, Seth." She wore a bland expression as she waved. Burying my apprehension, I stalked over and gave her a hug while Jacob and Will entered the RV. She hugged me, but quickly turned and opened the back door of the vehicle. I didn't sense coldness, but I didn't sense warmness either. Just distance. I offered to help her carry in the pile of blankets she gathered from the backseat. "We got it. Jacobi bring these in and those pillows, too."
I shoved my hands in my pockets. If I'd get this treatment all weekend, it would be a long weekend. A horn honked, I spun toward it expecting to see Jasper. Emmett's grinning face helped me ignore the unease Bella gave me. He drove up in a motorhome RV, like what I had expected to see Jacob driving, and parked in the camping space beside Jacob's.
"Nice rig," I said when he rolled down the window.
"It is. I felt like I signed my life away the day I picked this up."
He climbed out, we hugged, and then he opened the door of the RV and unfolded the steps. Their eleven-year-old daughter, Remilia, who we called Remy, stepped out first, a shy grin on her lips. She wiped her pale, golden bangs from her face. "Hi, Uncle Seth."
I hugged her and said, "You're your mom's mini-me."
Rosalie appeared at the door. "I call her my skinny-me."
I chuckled.
She handed their three-year-old son to Emmett and stepped down the steps, saying, "I swear you never age, Seth." After she hugged me, she squeezed my biceps. "You're in such great shape. Tell me your secret. I can't seem to lose the last fifteen pounds of my leftover pregnancy weight."
"It's not noticeable. You look amazing."
"Are you guys really going to stand here and flirt in front of me?" Emmett said, giving us a fake angry glare.
"Better watch him close now that…" Jake said, coming up behind me along with Bella and their boys to greet Emmett's family, changing the tasteless punchline to: "Never mind."
The hug fest drowned out the moment's awkwardness, and Emmett informed us, "Jasper and Leah are here. They pulled into the front office as we drove away."
"They're right there," an excited Will spouted, pointing, and practically jumping out of his skin.
They crackled over the gravel to their spot on the next row, backing their RV camper in across the narrow path from where we stood. Everyone in our group, but me started over to them.
Neither they nor their daughter, Charlie, and son, Little, nicknamed from little Jasper, would be as excited to see me as the others. They saw me all the time, and I needed a break from all these lucky families.
Jake looked over his shoulder, noticed me not following and turned back, Jacobi close behind him. "You all right?" he asked in concern.
The pity in his eyes bothered me. "Yeah," I inhaled, trying to rid myself of the hollowness I suddenly felt. I need a drink. "Just tired."
"Who's that with them?" Jacobi asked.
I looked over. "That's Embry's niece. She's their babysitter. She dances at powwows. Her and Charlie are the reason we came to Montana. They wanted to take the girls to Crow Fair Celebration Powwow this weekend. Kill two birds with one stone." I explained. Noticing his gawking, I attempted to embarrass him. "Cute, huh?"
He turned away from her, making an annoyed face.
"He's not into Native girls. He likes white girls. Don't you, son?" Jacob teased.
"So, do you," I spit out with a smile, determined to lift my mood. "You going to put your foot in your mouth all weekend?"
"Yeah, Dad!"
Jake laughed. "Bella's not white. She's just Bella, pale face Bella… Don't tell your mom I said that."
Jacobi snickered, his eyes saying, you better hope I don't.
"Let's go say hi to everyone," Jacob said.
"You guys go on. I'll be right back. I got to get something to drink," I said.
Night seized the sky. The kids tucked themselves away into the campers to watch movies, the girls in Jasper and Leah's camper, and the boys in Jacob and Bella's. We adults sat around the fire pit socializing and enjoying the bright full moon and star speckled Montana-sky, talking and joking. Though more comfortable under the influence, I still didn't quite feel like myself.
Emmett's little guy tiptoed and whispered something into Rosalie's ear. "I'll come. He needs help in the potty," she said, as she stood up, taking him by the hand.
Emmett touched his other hand. "I'll help you."
"No, no, no," he cried, upset, jumping up and down.
Rosalie squinted at Emmett. She lifted McCarty up and onto her hip. "Dad's not helping you. I am." He stopped whining and sniffled with tears in his eyes.
"Why can't I help you?" Emmett asked him. Emmett's little twin mumbled in pouty talk, something about balls or balling over Rosalie's shoulder. Emmett grinned.
"What did he say?" I asked.
"He said, 'You're a baller.'"
Jasper asked, "Baller? What's that?"
Emmett let out a boisterous laugh, getting everyone's attention. "One day he needed help in the bathroom with wiping, but Rosalie's phone rang, so I went to help him. I grabbed a ball of toilet paper. He told me to fold it like mom does. When I didn't listen, he started screaming and crying. Rosalie comes running in to see what's wrong. He repeated he wanted me to fold the paper. She looked at the wad balled in my hand with disgust and says, 'I wouldn't want your help either. Nobody wipes with a ball of toilet paper.' I told her I did."
"That's one way to get out of helping. Don't do it right," Jake said.
"I wasn't trying to get out of helping. I'm serious. I ball the toilet paper." Emmett joked so much it was damn near impossible to separate his truths from his jokes.
Leah, who stood clearing off the picnic table, grabbed a few napkins from it and crushed them in her palm, making a thoughtful evaluation. "No, you don't, Emmett. I agree with Rosalie. Nobody wipes with a ball of toilet paper."
Emmett chuckled. "Yes, I do." He pointed his finger at her and said, "You must be a folder." Then, with a humored smirk, he eyed the rest of our circle, and started with Jasper. "Baller or folder?" Emmett asked.
Jasper smiled but ignored him.
"Answer the question," Emmett pressed.
"Shit, I don't know… Baller?" he said, either unsure or attempting to guess the right answer. Everyone laughed.
"My man!" Emmett's said with a smug expression.
He moved on to Bella. "I'm not answering that stupid question!"
"C'mon, Bella, everyone has to answer it," Emmett pushed.
When Bella kept shaking her head, he moved on to Jake. Jake laughed under his breath, replying, "I'll let you know after I pay more attention."
Bella slapped Jake's thigh. "You're not letting him know anything."
Jacob grinned, shrugging at Emmett.
"Baller or folder, Seth?"
They stared at me. I figured I'd give him the quick answer of folder. I didn't want to end up on the losing end of a joke the way I did the time he caught us in similar stupid group-text conversation, years ago when we were all separated by states from each other.
Emmett: When I took a shower this morning, I got to wondering. Who all pees in the shower when they shower? I'll go first, me
No other texts came.
Emmett: I know you guys do, too
Leah: Doesn't everybody? =D
Jacob: Take me off this group chat
Jasper: Too much info Leah
Leah: Just joking
Seth: Sure, you were
Leah: Shut up Seth or I'll tell everyone you pooped in the tub while we were taking a bath when we were four
Leah: Oops
Bella: 1. I don't pee in the shower. 2. Gross Seth
Seth: I did not. Leah, you better tell them I didn't
Jacob: Lol
Emmett: Have a great day everyone
Pissed off, I called Leah up and cussed her out, telling her she better set the record straight.
Leah: I was just kidding. Seth didn't do that.
Emmett: Too late, Seth. No amount of bullying Leah will help you. We already know
Seth: Fuck you
Jacob: Lol
Jasper: Lol
Bella: Lol
Emmett: :)
Emmett's hilarity could make our sides hurt from laughter. I could do the same, without talking dirty, but Bella's behavior toward me compelled me to keep my mouth shut.
Rosalie came out of their RV, carrying their blanket wound little one. She set him on Emmett's lap.
"It's funny how McCarty remembered how Rosalie folded the toilet paper. You never know what kids are picking up on," Bella said, "And they say the funniest things sometimes. When Jacobi was little and used to help me around the house, we were stripping the bedding in the rooms. It was the day after one of Jacob's fights. I made a comment about the sheets smelling like the pain cream, Bengay, as we pulled them off the bed. He goes, 'Ben Gay? Who's that?'"
Leah laughed and said, "Recently, I made homemade hot chocolate for the kids and heated the milk too long. After it cooled, a film settled on the top of it. Little took a drink and said, 'gross, what's this?' I told him it was just the skin of the milk. He said, 'Oh, so that's why they call it skin milk.'"
Everyone laughed.
"When Will was McCarty's age, I had one of the worst experiences," Jake told us. "I took him to the doctor because Bella was busy. I can't remember with what. Anyway, he was sitting on my lap in the waiting-room packed with kids and Moms, and out of the blue he says, 'Pew, Dad, you farted.' Right then I got a whiff of a rotten one from him and thought he messed his pullup. I was about to say 'Sorry, he has the stomach flu,' to the people beside me, but when I looked up to see everyone glaring at me with pissed off, grossed out faces, just 'Sorry' came out. Then, I didn't know what to do, because if I told them he did it afterward, they probably would have thought I was blaming it on him."
His story killed us, almost bringing Rosalie to tears.
"Jacobi taught Will to say that," Bella added, "Jacob was so embarrassed, he threatened never to take Will anywhere alone again."
I had nothing to offer, but their stories entertained me.
After the conversation about the kids died, Jacob said, "I rented the boat for tomorrow morning. I figured we might want to sleep in a little since we're all probably tired from the drive. I told them we would pick it up by nine. Ten at the latest."
I felt Bella's eyes on me. I glanced at her, but she shifted her eyes away. She'd hardly looked at me or talked to me all day. I tried to ignore it, but she made me feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. I didn't care about what anyone thought of me, except my family, and out of all of them, Bella's thoughts mattered the most. I expected her anger, but what was I supposed to do? I couldn't change it. So how long would she stay mad?
"I hope the fishing is good around here," Emmett said.
"I think they catch a lot of walleye in this lake," Jasper mentioned as he opened another can of beer and handed it to Leah, then grabbed another for himself.
"I love walleye. That's another reason we picked this camping resort. If you filet it the right way, you can cut out all the bones before you grill it," Leah said.
"I don't like tuna or salmon, but I love seared halibut. It has the consistency of a steak, and it doesn't have a fishy taste," Bella said.
I loved seared Halibut too, but I didn't think I should vocally agree with Bella on anything. She might throw me a dirty look.
"I love the fishy taste," Emmett offered. An underlying tone made me look over at him, sensing some uncouth talk coming. With mischief in his eyes, he grinned, adding, "I love the smell of fresh fish."
I knew Jake saw and sensed it too when a smile claimed his face, and he dropped his head, shaking it.
Emmett continued, "I just always wondered what fish would smell like if women never started swimming in the ocean."
"Oh my God, Emmett!" Bella glared at him while everyone else let out subtle laughs.
"What?" He responded, shaking with held in laughter. "Lighten up. You're not Mom."
"I don't care! Sicko!"
Rosalie covered her unruffled face with her palms. With a hint of laughter in her voice, she said, "God, you're crazy, Emmett."
Leah chugged her newly opened beer. "It's like the story of the blind man who passes the fish market, tips his hat, and says, 'Hello ladies!'" she said, using an English accent at hello ladies.
Jasper pulled back, twisting his upper body, and stared at her, then exploded with laughter. Everyone else joined. Choking back his chuckling, Jasper turned to Emmett. "Quit taking my wife's mind into the gutter."
Emmett cracked up. "She has her own gutter mind."
"I told Emmett he needs to grow up and lose his boy's locker-room mentality already," Rosalie said.
Rolling his eyes, he replied, "I've spent so much time in there, its ingrained in me now."
"Jake, you've spent a lot of time locker rooms. Do guys really talk like that?" Bella asked.
Jake let out a small laugh. "Not that I've heard."
Me and Jasper agreed at the same time.
"Quit lying, guys. You'll get me in trouble."
We weren't lying.
"Well, this little gentleman will not hear it," Rosalie reminded him as she gazed in adoration at McCarty.
"Rosalie, I'll do you and the rest of us a favor and clear my calendar for a month straight for free. Emmett needs a lot of help."
"I don't joke like that in front of kids," Emmett grumbled.
I noticed Bella hugging herself. The fire had diminished. Using the opportunity to check her response to me, I said, "Bella, if you're cold, I'll throw some more longs in?"
Jake turned his head toward her, raising his eyebrow. "That's okay," she said to him. "I'll just go inside. Get a sweater." She stood up and vanished into their RV.
Me and Jake locked eyes. "Throw another two in, Seth. It is about that time."
Jacobi
After we helped set up everybody's camps, and Dad went inside to take a shower or a nap or both, I took a seat next to Uncle Seth. "I can't believe you gave up boxing. You were developing a mean knockout punch."
"Basketball is fun, and I'm not bragging, but I'm good at it, Uncle. Really good."
That was the truth about basketball, but I didn't really give up boxing. I just gave up boxing with my dad. My parents didn't know that three times a week, during the basketball off season, I took an Uber to a neighboring town's gym, where people didn't know me and my dad, just to train like a nobody.
Because of my height, I got away with it when I lied to the lady behind the counter.
"You got a baby face for sixteen," she said. I paid her the daily price of ten dollars to use the gym. "If you get a membership, you'll save loads of money, and if you plan on sparring, you'll need paperwork. Your parents need to sign permission forms, provide your physical, and a medical release.
"I'm just here to work out. No sparring for me."
I got nervous when the training manager watched me work out and approached me as I was leaving. "Hey kid! How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"How long have you been boxing?"
"Since I was eight," I said, but since a toddler, my dad worked with me on minor boxing skill development. "I boxed at a gym in Nevada." I didn't know where that came from. I just didn't want him to find out about my dad.
"You look skilled. What's your name?"
Acting casual, I slipped my backpack over my shoulders to hide my nerves. "It's Jacobi, but everyone calls me Jack."
"Jack what?"
"Jack Bla…" catching my slip, I watched his eyebrows raise as I stretched the name out while I came up with something on the fly. "ck…un…burn."
"Blackenburn?"
"Blackburn. Jack Blackburn."
He smiled. "Let me get some paperwork, Jack Blackburn, for your parents to fill out. The next time you're here, we'll get you sparring. See what you got."
I followed him to the receptionist area, took his packet of paperwork and a deep breath. I didn't know anyone by that last name, but it sounded legitimate. When I got outside, I took out my phone and searched it, satisfied to see the surname Blackburn, then I called an Uber. It took a couple more weeks to get a copy of my physical from my basketball coach. I made twenty copies, wasting most of them until the doctored birth date and last name looked acceptable. I forged the rest of the paperwork, signing with Mom's signature.
"I'm looking forward to watching you play." A few seconds later, Uncle Seth asked, "Was your dad hard on you when you boxed?" He fiddled in the cooler beside him, brought out a bottle of beer, and twisted it open, taking a chug.
Attempting to change the subject, I glanced at my phone. It couldn't find reception, but the time displayed. "It's barely three-thirty. Isn't it too early to drink?"
"Like the song says, 'It's five o'clock somewhere,' and it's never too early when you're camping."
"Seth!" Uncle Emmett called from in front of his camper. He lifted his bottle of beer to Uncle Seth. "It's beer-thirty." Uncle Seth grinned and nodded, showing off his beer, then re-asked his question.
I shook my head and tensely rubbed my palms together. "No, I just got tired of being called his clone from other people."
"Yeah. Your dad has an enormous shadow to live under." And an enormous reputation to live up to, I thought. "I get it, though," he said.
He and Dad looked a lot alike and acted the same in other ways. Being younger, I didn't doubt he knew what I meant.
"I love basketball more, is all… and it takes up a lot of my time with the season running nearly the same as boxing." I lied, but he wouldn't know.
"Just keep following your heart then. You'll be the happiest doing what you love to do," he said.
A jolly uncle Emmett yelled, "Seth, bring that cooler over and let's get to it." We grabbed our chairs and joined him under his awning shade.
Satisfied, Uncle Emmett adjusted his chair, stretched out his legs, and swigged his bottle, "So, Jack, I heard you'll take La Push High School all the way to a State Basketball Championship Title, one of these days." His brow furrowed. "Or is it Fork's High School?"
"I haven't decided. They built our new house right between La Push and Forks, so I have a choice to make."
"Yeah, I heard the cabin your mom and dad had designed and built is gorgeous. I'm told there's a stream somewhere on their property behind the house and everything. I can't wait to see it."
"I've only seen pictures of it, but it is awesome."
A short while later, Mom came out of the camper and eyed me sitting with her brother and Uncle Seth while they drank.
"Jacobi," she said, lifting her voice. "Why don't you go swimming with the rest of the kids?"
I held back my irritated expression. My uncles wouldn't let me drink with them—as much as I would like to—so, I didn't know what she was afraid of, probably Uncle Emmett's warped sense of humor.
I stood. "I'll go check on them, but I'm not swimming." She rolled her eyes and frowned in dissatisfaction. But those kids were all too young for me. They got on my nerves most of the time.
At eleven years old, Uncle Emmett's daughter, Remy, was the closest to my age, and she was three years younger than me.
I approached the swimming pool, leaned my elbows on the gate and searched for everyone. I spotted Charlie, Remy, and Embry's niece, Koah, in the pool first. In the middle of the swimming horde, I found Will and Little. I suddenly felt the sun beating down on me, making me roast. Remy saw me and waved. When I waved back, Charlie spotted me. The three girls swam toward me. "Do you know what time it is?" Charlie hollered.
"It's four fifteen," I yelled.
She swung wide eyes toward Koah, then chatted with Remy for a second. Remy turned around. Mixing swimming and walking, she glided toward Will and Little.
Placing her hands on the sides of the pool, Charlie tried to lift herself out. Koah gave her a needed boost. "We need to get ready for Crow Fair," she hollered to me like I cared. I nodded.
Koah lifted herself out next. Whoa! I almost stepped backward. I recognized her prettiness earlier, but I did not see the body she hid beneath her oversized button-up shirt, hanging down long enough to cover everything up. I watched her trail Charlie to some chairs where their towels and flip-flops sat, wondering how old she was. With those curves, I guessed about sixteen, older than me for sure. Even though she wore a red one-piece swimming suit, her tiny waist accented her hips and everything else.
The sunlight shimmered against the wet beads on her golden-brown skin as she toweled her slender, athletic thighs. Turning toward me, she raised her head. I snapped mine toward Will and my cousins. When I looked again, she had wrapped her towel around her body high over her chest. She and Charlie sauntered out the gate.
I waited before I followed them back to camp, not wanting her to think I followed them, to know I followed her. I detoured down the walking path beside the lake, passing a boat dock. A little further down, a sandy man-made beach entertained another group of people swimming in the lake. I saw a perfect view of our campsite, directly across from my location by the beach.
When I returned, Uncle Seth and Uncle Emmett still sat together where I left them. Everyone else congregated at our camper. Dad scrubbed at the outside barbecue grill with a utensil brush, talking to Uncle Jasper and preparing to grill, while Mom, Auntie Rosalie, and Auntie Leah visited.
I fell into a chair beneath our camper awning, and Mom asked. "What were they doing?"
"Swimming. Lifeguards are on duty with lots of people around. They're okay," I said, hoping she didn't expect me to baby-sit them at the pool, because I wouldn't.
Koah and Charlie were inside their camper. When they first arrived, I heard Auntie Leah say they had to be at Crow Fair by six in the evening for the Grand Entry.
My family didn't go to powwows, but I went to a few Quileute Celebration Powwows over the years. I knew how it worked. The Grand Entry played out like a parade of all the dancers who either competed or danced for the fun of it. They would dance into the arena in a specific order, kicking off the festivities.
Their camper door finally opened, and Charlie stepped out, wearing a colorful dress adorned with coned jingles. Koah followed her wearing a different Native American type of dance Regalia. With a feather attached to her crown, two long French-braids, at the top of each side of her head, hung down the fronts of her shoulders, the long tails weaved with flat shells.
Considering her dark, toffy hair color with golden highlights, she couldn't be full Quileute. Her knee-length decorated dress, cinched at her waist with a wide leather belt, showed off her nice body. I enjoyed the view, but I made sure I didn't keep my eyes on her too long.
I listened to Uncle Jasper explain to Dad and Mom they'd be gone for only about two hours, just so Charlie and Koah could dance in the Grand Entry.
"It started on Wednesday, so they can't dance competitively this year, but since it's the biggest and longest celebration powwow in the country, we wanted to see it for ourselves and decide if we want to come back next year for the entire five days," he said.
"And they named Koah Quileute Nation's Junior Powwow Princess last month at our Celebration. She's here to represent," Auntie Leah added, winking at Koah.
Koah flashed a bashful smile.
The information made me want to see her in action. "Do you have room for me to tag along?" I asked the two of them.
"Sure, but we're leaving so I hope you're ready as is," Auntie Leah said.
I nodded, looking over at my parents for permission. "I wanted him check on the kids again," Mom said to Dad.
They're not my kids. I pursed my lips, furious.
"Go ahead, Jacobi. I'll walk over there in a minute. I wanted them to come back before we started cooking, anyway," he said.
"The camper door is unlocked for Little to get dry clothes when he gets back," Auntie Leah told them as we walked away.
Uncle Seth and Uncle Emmett razzed her about getting out of cooking again. I laughed when Auntie Leah flipped them off.
"Slow it down. You'll both pass out by the time I get back," Uncle Jasper said.
When we got there, I volunteered to get some Lemonade with Koah for the long Grand Entry line, they'd wait in, using the time to get to know her a little. I learned she typically placed in the competitions whenever she attended powwows. It's how she earned her crown.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"Fifteen. How about you?"
"'I'm fifteen." I just turned fourteen, but I lied, because I had plans, I didn't think would materialize if she knew my actual age.
Once the Grand Entry finished, Charlie needed to use the restroom, so Koah and I headed for their truck. "You're good," I said as we walked together. "I thought you moved the shawl like a bird."
"Fancy Shawl is dance representing the birth of the butterfly. The goal is to move so fast and light on our feet, we appear to float. I couldn't dance as fast as I do in competition, because the drumbeats are slower in a grand entry," she explained.
"Nakoah!" a guy's voice rang out. We both turned around. A lanky teenage dancer waved.
Her eyes lit along with a bright smile. "Wait here. I'll be right back." She rushed toward him and gave him a hug.
He wore a porky-pine quill head dress that hung from the top of his head down his back. Red war-paint covered the top of his face to below his eyes, with a strip of white paint bordering it from beneath one eye to the other. Long, white yarn fringe hung from several places on his colorful regalia.
They talked, looking over at me. I glared straight back at them, the way I always handled people who stared at me. They hugged again, and he kissed her cheek. Jealousy pricked me.
"What kind of dancer is he?" I asked when she returned.
"He Grass dances, the reason for the long yarn strands. Their aim is to appear as long grass moving in the fields. They move as if they are swaying in the wind."
I didn't care if he was her boyfriend or not. I liked her. "Do you want to hang out when we get back. I'd like to learn about the other style of dancers I saw. We're not powwow people." I said.
She nodded.
Red, orange, and lavender streaked the sun setting sky, and the fire pit outside our camper glowed when we returned. The kids roasted marshmallows and the rest of the adults sat around the circle with beers in hand. Except my dad. Uncle Jasper headed straight over to them, plucking a beer from the cooler as he plopped into an empty chair. I got the impression he felt behind.
Trailing Koah as she followed Charlie and Auntie Leah to their camper, about to go inside. I touched her arm. "I'll meet you later to hang out. I'm a little tired right now."
"It's already almost eight. What time did you want to hang out?"
We camped enough for me to know the adults would all be back in their campers, ready for bed by eleven, especially with Uncle Seth and Uncle Emmett starting as early as they did. "How about eleven-thirty or as soon as they all go to bed," I said, looking over at them. "Midnight at the latest."
She narrowed her eyes. "After they go to sleep? You mean, you want me to sneak out?"
"You never snuck out before?" I asked as if it was nothing, because for me, it was nothing.
"I'm going down to that beach over there when they all go to bed." I pointed its direction with my chin. She rotated her head to where I signaled.
"You can meet me there? If you don't want to…" I shrugged, acting like I didn't care. Acting like you weren't that into a girl attracted them more times than not. "But that's where I'll be later."
"I don't want to get caught. Leah and Jasper may never take me anywhere again."
"They'll go to bed and sleep hard, and it's so loud in an RV with the air conditioner, they won't hear a thing."
"I'll think about it."
Dad and Uncle Seth were the last men standing. When they went down, I snuck four cans of beer for us and got comfortable on a picnic table by the lake, waiting for her.
Not much longer, I spotted her silhouette, coming down the path. I figured she must have liked me, or she wouldn't have come. "You made it."
She wore jeans and a pink sweatshirt. She'd taken her long, silky hair out of the braids and had gathered it together on the front side of one of her shoulders.
"I did. I figured it was my duty to share my cultural knowledge with a less informed Native American." She sat down beside me, grinning.
"You're not full Quileute, though, are you?" I asked.
"No. Three quarters. My mom is full Quileute, so I'm half from her. But my dad is only half Quileute, the other half being Spaniard. That's the other quarter. Is that a problem?"
"Not at all," I reached for a beer sitting beside me and cracked it open. She eyeballed me. "Do you want one?"
She shook her head. I gulped the beer.
"How old did you say you were?" she asked.
"Fifteen."
"You're a liar! Charlie and Remy said you're only fourteen, and barley fourteen. This was your one chance to tell the truth."
Though surprised, I held my calm. I thought quick under pressure when the situation called for it. "Since you lied to me about your age, I returned the deception."
"I didn't lie," she snapped in insult, "I really am fifteen."
I rolled my eyes. "Sure, you are. You look thirteen and you just admitted you don't drink."
She scowled. "I do not look thirteen, and it's not common for fifteen-year-olds to drink."
"According to who? Where I'm from, it's common."
"Good night, Jacobi…" she stood up.
"Wait, wait… so I thought you lied, so I lied back. Girls in my school lie about their ages all the time. Sorry for thinking you were the same. I really wanted to hear more about the dancers I watched today.
"Ask someone else."
"I'm moving home to La Push. I don't want to feel stupid when I get there. Not even to my family if I need to ask them about it again. They'll know I didn't care to pay attention to whatever they tried to teach the first time."
She gazed at me for a moment. I took another swig.
"All right," she said, sitting back down. "What do you want to know?"
"The difference between Charlie's dress and dance and yours?"
"Charlie is a Jingle Dress dancer. It's a healing dance. The female counter dance to the male's Grass dancing. I dance Fancy Shawl, the hardest, fastest, fanciest dance for women and girls."
She detailed the three key types of female dancing and costume regalia: Jingle dress, Fancy Shawl, and Traditional. Then she went through the three major male dance choices, Grass, Men's Fancy, and Traditional. "Which of the male types did you find the most interesting?" she asked.
"I thought the dancers with feather head-dresses and fierce warrior paint covering their entire faces seemed cool."
She smiled. "Male Traditional dancers, dance stories of the hunt, battles, and victories."
"But then, I spotted the Grass dancers and their smooth flow made me think they were the best. But as the guys with two colorful feather bustles on their backs came spinning by me so fast, they impressed me, too. I guess I liked them all."
"Like Fancy Shawl, Men's Fancy is the fasted and hardest, and each dancer develops their own moves. Well, it's like that for all types as far as move development. Having great footwork and being able to step in time with each drum beat and stop precisely when the drum stops is crucial to both Male and Female dancers."
She glowed explaining the dance culture, and I could tell she warmed up to me. "I like your eyes," I said. "Who did you get them from?"
"I got them from my mom's side of the family. The story is that one of my great ancestors stole an Irish or French woman in a wagon trail ambush and took her for his wife. So, now and then grey eyes pop up in our family."
"Wow, that's crazy." I guzzled down beer number two. She watched me pop open the third beer. "Are you sure you don't want one?" I asked her.
Consideration flickered over her face.
"Just try it."
She reached out, taking the can from my hand, and took a sip. "Ew, nasty."
"It's an acquired taste."
Saying nothing more about the beer, she rotated opposite me and poured it out to my disappointment, asking, "So, when did you turn fourteen."
I took her wanting to know as a good sign. "June 28."
"I turned fifteen in May 1st," she said, revealing our year and month age difference. "I'll admit. I really thought you were older."
"And I really thought you were thirteen."
She burst with laughter, "B S."
"Your right. I thought you were the same age as me." I said, staring into her smoky eyes. "Based on your birthday, you're more fourteen than fifteen anyway and considering your inexperience."
"Inexperience with drinking?"
I shrugged. "Along with whatever else you've never done."
Arching a brow, she asked, "Like what?"
"Have you ever kissed a guy?"
A wide smile appeared, and she briefly turned away, I assumed, to hide the patches of red coloring I saw wash across her cheeks. "Please!"
"That's not an answer."
She huffed. "Sure, I have."
"I don't believe you."
"Why?"
"Because you're embarrassed. I wouldn't think a person who kissed before would get embarrassed talking about it."
Rolling her eyes, she laughed and said, "You think your smooth, don't you? But no matter what you say, you won't trick me into giving you your first kiss."
I laughed. "Is that what you think?"
"You're barely fourteen. Am I supposed to believe you're an experienced make out artist?"
Try me. Glancing down at the trembling hands she held in her lap. I realized she was trying to act braver than she felt. "I don't mean to make you nervous."
"You make me nervous?"
She could hardly make eye contact when she a faked a laugh and turned away again. Compared to other girls I messed around with; I liked her shyness. I decided, it wouldn't do any good to offend her or scare her away. I thought it best to back off. "So, this conversation went sideways."
"No kidding," she snapped.
"I'm sorry for giving you the wrong idea. I just wanted to make a friend from La Push since we're moving there."
She turned back toward me, the tension fading as she smiled. "I'm sorry I misread you, and I really got to get back."
The goal had been to make out with her but getting her to like me was more important. I had two more days and nights to make that happen. "I'll walk you."
She got back inside with no problem, so I headed to our camper. Coming around from the back of it, I startled when I spotted Mom and Uncle Seth, sitting in front of his fire pit outside of his cabin. I jumped backward out of sight. Shit! If they caught me out, I could kiss the rest of my weekend and plans with Koah, goodbye. I peeked around the camper's corner and watched them. They seemed absorbed in their conversation, and I had a inkling of what they might have been discussing. Good! She talked about it enough with Dad; it was about time she talked about Uncle Seth to his face.
Being engrossed, they gave me a fighting chance. Without another choice, I hid in the Camper's shadow for a few minutes. Sucking in a deep breath, I tucked in my shoulders, put my head down, and strode out into the open and into our camper. Fingers crossed.
A/N Bella's is up next with more about Seth, in Part 2 of the Bonus Epilogue.