Chapter Seven

Nessie's POV

I look all over for Jacob, but I can't see him on the beach through the rain. "Jake?" I call out. I hear crunching footsteps behind me, but they are much heavier than any person's, and I turn around quickly, nervous. I gasp.

In front of me is a huge russet colored wolf; twice the size of a normal wolf. There is complete silence as I just stare at it. I don't feel terrified, which should be the normal reaction. I see then what he meant when he said that he was a werewolf. "Jake?" I ask, my voice just barely a whisper.

He kind of nods his head, and I smile. "This is-really cool," I say. "I didn't think that werewolves were real." He gives what best can be described as a skeptical look from a wolf. "I know. I probably shouldn't say that."

He turns around and heads for a small patch of woods, and I get the feeling I shouldn't follow him. Jacob walks back out a moment later, fully human. "Sorry," he says. "I just-can't believe my dad knew for seven years and didn't tell anybody."

"I don't think Mom wanted my dad to know. Not at first, anyways." Jake looks almost like he's going to laugh.

"You know, he didn't talk to anybody or go anywhere or do anything for seven years, thinking she's dead or hates him or something, and now you show up and say 'hi, I'm your daughter, nice to meet you,'. I mean, I never thought anybody could get anything past him. Especially Bella. He knew her pretty well for not being able to get into her mind. And she just-goes off and has his kid without telling him. It's really Bella, if you're being perfectly honest," he says. "I really miss her."

"Yeah, me too," I say. I realize the rain has stopped, but everything still seems cold and wet. It seems as though that doesn't go away. "Do you want to go for a walk?" I ask, not wanting to go back to my dad's house yet.

"Yeah, sure," he says, and we set off down the beach. He takes my hand again, as if it's the most natural thing in the world.

"How did you know my mom?" I ask. "Like, what did she mean to you?" He smiles.

"That's a long story," he says.

"I can listen," I say, picking up a rock and skipping it out into the ocean.

"Okay, well, she was my best friend. Your dad left her for a while before-well-all of this, and she was broken. It was like-she'd lost the only reason she had to go on, so she just gave up. I guess-I helped her out. She would always say that being around me was like having her own 'sun' that would make it better, even if he was gone. He-tried to kill himself, and she stopped him and brought him back. They were supposed to have their little 'happily ever after' then, but I just-couldn't leave her alone. I wanted to be more than her friend. I may have even kissed her at one point, and she slapped me," he says, laughing. "Broke her hand, too. I wanted to let go, but I couldn't. There's this wolf thing, called imprinting, when we find, well, the love of our lives, and I thought maybe she was it, but she wasn't. I always felt like that girl was out there somewhere, though." He stops walking. "I think that I found her, though, after all these years," he says.

"Well, good for you," I say, feeling kind of dejected that he had already found his so-called 'soulmate'.

He looks at me, smiling. "What?" I say, feeling my face go red.

"Nessie, I imprinted on you," he says. "The minute I saw you. You know it, too, don't you?" he says, not taking his eyes off of me.

I'm not sure what to say. I've never had any boyfriend, ever. I mean, I'm technically only seven. I haven't had a lot of experience. I was homeschooled, too. I don't even have a friend. But Jacob, he's different. I think that there is nobody else Mom would want for me. He was her best friend, and for a reason. He was meant to be with me. "Yeah, Jake, I know it too," I say, and I realize his face is just inches from mine. I throw my arms around his neck and kiss him. I probably shouldn't be kissing a guy I just met, but that isn't what I'm thinking about.

He steps back, breathless. "Sorry, don't know what that was," I say, and can feel my face glowing bright red.

He just smiles. "The last girl I kissed punched me, so don't worry, I don't mind," he says, and I laugh.

He brushes back a lock of my bronze hair. "You're really beautiful, Nessie," he says.

I smile; I can't help it. "Thanks, I guess. You look nice, too."

He laughs, and his whole face lights up. We begin to walk back along the beach, the waves lapping against the rocks. "You know, I grew up really close to the ocean, but this is different. It's a lot rougher," I say. "Florida was really calm. Mom loved the ocean. We would go out there all the time, just the two of us, and walk. I wish-I wish she could have died where she could see the ocean, but her room didn't have a window," I say.

He kisses the top of my head. "I'm so sorry, Nessie," he says, and I don't even reprimand him for saying it. "Do you want to go and get dinner or something? They don't eat, and I'm starving," he says.

By 'they' I assume he means dad and the rest of them. "Yeah, that sounds good," I say. We end up at a little diner. I'm used to bigger restaurants; living in Miami, and had never really been in a place like it before. We talk for two hours, and by the end I'm laughing so hard that there are actual tears running down my face. I don't think I've laughed since my mom died. It's dark when we walk out, and you can actually see stars. There was so much light in Miami, you could never see much.

"This place is actually really nice. It's not Miami, but I like it," I say as we get into his car.

"I'll just drop you off, okay?" he says. "I think if I went in your dad might rip my head off."

"Why's that?" I ask.

"I can't stop thinking about you," he says. I roll my eyes, but smile anyways.

"Yeah, you probably shouldn't come in," I say. "Thank you, though...for everything," I say.

"No problem," he says, turning into the drive that leads to the house. He pulls up in front of the house and I jump out.

"Bye, Jacob," I say.

"Bye, Ness," he says, and drives off. I walk up the door and push it open. I jump when I see dad standing right there.

"I read his mind," he mutters. "He'd better watch it." I hear Alice's laugh from the couch.

"Look at you, acting like some helicopter parent all of a sudden," she says. "Nessie, you can have my room tonight if you want," she adds. "It's not like I use it. And also, you can have whatever clothes will fit you."

I realize then how tired I am. "Yeah, that would be nice," I say. I head for the stairs, and Dad follows me. He pauses outside the door of a room that must be Alice's.

"Nessie, I think that you should go home," he says. I'm confused. I guess I thought he wanted me here.

"What? Why? I just got here," I say.

"I just...think that it's too late. You'll be fine in Florida. I'll make sure of it," he says. "You just can't stay here. We'll leave in the morning," he says.

I stare at the floor, blinking back tears. "We?" I say, my voice tight.

"Yeah, I figured I'd at least see where she was for the last seven years." I nod.

"Okay. Yeah. I see how it is. I'll be ready to go by eight o'clock," I say, and go into the room without another word. I sink to the floor, burying my face into my knees. I really thought it was going well, and now I had to leave it all. Jacob. I had just begun to think of these strangers as my family. I thought maybe losing my mom wasn't so horrible, because I gained this entirely new family. But I was wrong.

I begin to sob.