Chapter 16: Flaxen

"I just feel like he's been avoiding me," I grumbled as I chewed on an apple slice thoughtfully. "It's like…I dunno, he's obviously always around me and we talk, but it still feels like he's avoiding me."

Even though some time had passed since Seth and I's conversation, things between us felt…hesitant. My brother was acting as everything was fine, even though his tearful confession to me the other night made me aware that it was anything but. I was worried, and I couldn't help but vent out my frustrations to my friends as my brain racked itself for a solution. Kim stared at me sympathetically while Brady and Collin threw subtle glances at each other from across the table. "Maybe it's just a twin thing, it's okay. I'm sure it'll…it'll sort itself out, it's fine," I dismissed, not wanting to make them uncomfortable. I forgot they were friends of Seth's too, and I didn't want them to feel like I was gossiping. "Forget it."

"No, no, no, obviously it's bothering you. I guess… I mean, guys are so complicated, sometimes. Maybe he was just caught up in his feelings?" Kim offered with a shrug. It was too difficult to explain- Seth was never like this; he was always protective of us, obviously, but never to the point where it was clearly disrupting his personal life. He was always an open book, the kind of person who wore their feelings all over their face and never hesitated to tell me exactly what was on his mind. I forced a tight smile on my face and gave Kim a playful shoulder-bump. "Yeah, I guess. Anyway, what's up with you all today?" I asked in a forced casual tone. Voices erupted around me as conversation flowed around the table, but for some reason, I kept thinking back to the conversation we had at lunch the other day.

"Well, I know I'm wondering what both of you are gonna do for your birthday," she replied suggestively. I let out a laugh. "Our birthday isn't for like, another few weeks," I chuckled. She rolled her eyes. "Oh c'mon, everyone loves a joint birthday party! You have to do something, I simply won't allow you to throw a perfect opportunity for a good time!" Kim exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Seth says he wants a bonfire," Brady piped up. "Maybe we should ask Paul to get a keg!"

"We're turning 15, that's not even legal!" I gaped. Both boys looked at each other, and within seconds, started laughing. "Yeah, alright, Miss Goody-Two-Shoes. You can drink a lemonade or whatever with the kids. Maybe we'll get you a piñata, make sure you get to bed by 8 pm," Brady joked sarcastically. I could feel my face turn a little red, weren't they 15 too? Was…Was Seth already drinking alcohol?

"Just sort of a rez thing, I guess? Parties are never dry," Collin whispered to me. I nodded in affirmation, my face scrunched as I thought about his words. Bonfires always had beer and stuff, but obviously I wasn't around it. Mom wasn't too strict on things like that, a byproduct of Leah having been a bit of a "partier" with Sam when they were in high school and she realized she'd rather have her daughter do it responsibly than lie to her. But I was a rule-follower, not a rule-breaker. I had never even gone to a "real" party, aside from one of my track teammates' end-of-the-year celebrations that I immediately left once it turned 9 pm.

"I just find it kinda funny, is all. Like, twins being born in Gemini season? That's a little on-the-nose, don't you think? It's gotta be a sign," Kim asked as she played with the spoon in her yogurt. "So you definitely have to throw a party. It's almost, like, unethical if you don't. What are you hoping to get this year?"

"Not what, but who," Brady snickered. I choked on my bottle of water, my eyes wide. "Huh?" I asked dumbly.

"Brady, shut your mouth!" Collin snapped, his face serious as he stared down his friend who merely held his hands up innocently. "I mean, I, um, haven't really thought of something I'd want for my birthday. It really hasn't been on my mind," I admitted.

"Well, whatever you plan on doing, I'm sure it'll be great," Collin said with a smile. "Yeah, and don't even worry about it. I'm sure Emily will figure it out," Kim added. My heart warmed at the mention of my cousin, but I was definitely confused as to why she'd want to plan Seth and I's birthday. She hadn't done it before, and I wasn't even sure I wanted a party anyway.

Kim and Brady were going back and forth about whether math was an important subject or not ("I don't need to do math. That's what calculators are for." "Brady, just be honest and say you can't count beyond single digits. It's okay, we're here for you.") I turned towards Collin, who was looking down at a piece of paper. "Whatcha lookin' at?" I asked curiously. Collin's face flushed and he laughed nervously. "Oh, it's just a dumb test I got back. Didn't do too hot," he replied, moving the paper over to me so I could see.

Chemistry Midterm Exam: 45/100

My eyes widened but I quickly shook away my reaction and turned to him with a smile. "I'm actually kind of good at chemistry, if you want my help?" I suggested. Collin's eyes flashed at me, his facial expression shocked. "R-Really? Um, seriously?" he asked unsurely. I gave him a nonchalant wave. "Yeah totally, I like science. Not a big deal," I explained. His mouth gaped open for a few minutes as he gawked at me, but quickly nodded his head eagerly. "Y-Yeah, um, when are you, uh, when are you free?" he questioned.

"I'll text you- do you need my number?"

"Uh, um, y-yeah, I do."

I ripped a piece of my napkin and took a pen out of my bag, quickly scrawling my phone number down with my name. "Here, just text me and I'll let you know! It'll be fun, I promise. I'm a very good tutor," I said playfully.

"Yeah, I, uh, I bet you are," Collin said with an astonished laugh.

Lunch was oddly kind of quiet after that.

Collin and I decided to meet after school at my house just so I could get an idea of where he needed the most help, and we wound up sprawling all his paperwork across my bedroom floor. I had organized all his past exams in one pile, overdue homework in another, and practice sheets in between those. "How do you generally do on your homework?" I asked as I flipped between his exams, seeing failed grade after failed grade much to my concern. "Do you feel like you can work out most of the problems on your own? Or do you feel like you need extra help on those?" I asked as my gaze flickered over to him. Collin rubbed the back of his neck shamefully as his cheeks darkened. "Uh…I kinda…don't do my homework enough to know how much help I need," he replied with embarrassment.

I refrained from widening my eyes and looked over to his homework pile. "Okay, so you do, um, not do your homework on purpose…?"

"I just kinda have a lot on my plate at the moment,"

"Oh, um, okay."

I did some rough calculations in my head as I tried to figure out what the best course of action was considering some of the information I was just finding out. "Okay Collin, so here's the deal. Based on the last few test and quiz grades, if you get A's on every single one of them that's left in the semester and do all of your homework and maybe go to some one-on-one's with your teacher and talk about extra credit, I think the highest grade you can get might be…a D+ or C-," I explained quietly. He face-palmed as he took in my words, his eyes screwed shut as he shook his head.

"My mom is going to kill me," he muttered sadly. "And I doubt I'm going to get A's on everything for the rest of the semester. I barely know what's going on now."

I frowned, feeling pity for my friend as I wondered what I could do. I was confused about his vague excuse about having a lot on his plate since he wasn't in any extra-curriculars or anything, but my brother's grade had also suffered a lot recently and I realized maybe it was just a teen boy thing. "Why don't we try and stay optimistic? I'll prep you as hard as I can, and worst comes to worst, if you don't do well… I'll talk to your mom. I'll tell her about how hard you've been studying if you actually do it."

Collin's eyes widened. "Really? You'd be willing to do that? For me?" he asked incredulously. I nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, why not? Parents generally like me," I replied confidently. Honestly, it was a bit of an exaggeration. I'd only really interacted with Billy and Charlie Swan, but I mean, they liked me. But he didn't need to know that.

"T-Thanks. Really, thanks so much Gracie. I really appreciate you doin' this for me," he said sweetly. I felt a little wide-eyed at hearing him call me the nickname only Seth had ever really used but shook it off. "Of course, Collin. But you have to put in the work, I'm not going to go easy on you," I said seriously. He nodded eagerly. "For sure."

I led him out the front door, and much to my surprise, he leaned in for a hug just before he left. "Oh!" I said as I felt two arms wrap around me, my cheeks burning as I tentatively hugged him back. "See you tomorrow, Collin," I stammered. He grinned at me, and just as he was about to say something else, we both heard the loud roar of a motorcycle speeding towards my house. In seconds, Jacob pulled up in my front yard and practically jumped off his bike. I could practically feel Collin swallow thickly as we both turned towards him.

"Hey, Jacob- "

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jacob snapped at Collin. My eyes practically bugged out of my head as I glanced between them in confusion. "Um, what?!" I demanded, appalled by his behavior. Collin's eyes narrowed at Jacob, and I felt his body tense up. "Jacob, you can't just speak to people- "

"- Get the hell outta here, kid," Jacob growled out at him. My eyebrows pinched together in anger as some kind of stare-down commenced between both of them. Collin exhaled deeply, and without even turning to me, jumped off the porch. "Thanks, Grace. See you tomorrow," he said sharply as he started walking home.

Jacob's eyes flickered to me and his expression completely changed from one of rage to one of cheerfulness. "Hey, sorry about that- "

"You're…You're sorry about that? Jacob, what the hell…you can't just do that!" I yelled. I was so confused and so angry at Jacob's abhorrent treatment of my friend. Why would he think that was acceptable? Where did he get off, treating people in my life like shit? It reminded me so much of the old Jacob, the one I had met up with at the movie theater in Port Angeles all those months ago. I was pissed off.

"Grace, I'm sorry, but you gotta understand- "

"No! I don't understand. You don't just get to show up at my house and…and talk to my guests however you want!" I fumed, my arms crossing as I stood in front of the door. I wanted him out, and far away from me.

"You…you shouldn't hang out with him, Grace, he has a massive crush on you- "

"You do not tell me who and who not to hang out with, Jacob Black. I am… I am so done with people trying to make decisions for me. I am my own person, and he is my friend! If you can't respect my friends, then you aren't one of mine," I seethed. The nerve of him to show up to my house after I just finished tutoring Collin, of all things, the fact that I always carved out a part of my day to hang out with Jacob and he was…jealous? How much more did he want from me?

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry, it was messed up. I won't do it again," he said as he exhaled, his arms up in surrender. My eyes narrowed. "Even…Even if he did like me, why is that any of your business? You don't have any right to be jealous."

Jacob's face spasmed in pain at my words, a million emotions passing over his features as his gaze turned towards the ground. "I'll apologize to him," he gritted out. I nodded.

"Good. You should. And in the meantime, don't come to my house or talk to me if you're going to act like…like a dick. See you later, Jacob," I reprimanded harshly, walking inside my house and slamming my door shut.

Boys, I thought to myself.

"…So I kicked him out because he was acting like a total psycho, Seth. Like, who does he think he is? Ugh, it was so aggravating," I whined as I laid in my bed. My brother was spinning around in my fluffy white desk chair, the squeaking sound grating on my nerves as I explained Jacob's disturbing behavior from earlier today. "Don't you agree? Like, who does that kinda thing?" I asked again. Seth remained silent.

"Hello?!" I blurted out, tossing a pillow at him as I sat up against my headboard. "Are you listening to me? And can you stop spinning in my chair, please?"

"This thing's gonna break, Gracie. This chair is like one sit away from completely falling apart."

"Seth. I'm talking about Jacob, remember? Am I crazy or do you agree?" I snapped. He rolled his eyes as the chair came to a stop, and he folded his arms over his stomach as he contemplated. "Can't it be both? Can't I agree with you and think you're nuts?" he asked petulantly.

"Seth."

"Alright, alright, fine. I mean… do you like… Collin?" he asked awkwardly. My eyebrows shut up, my eyes snapping towards him in confusion. "W-What? Do I… do I like Collin? He is my friend, Seth. I like him as my friend," I answered vehemently. Did Collin like me? Did he…did he think I liked him?

"Hey, I'm just asking. You seem to have a lot of…friends these days," he defended lightly. My face scrunched up in disbelief. "Yeah, god forbid I have some friends, right? Dang, don't you miss the days when I was being completely humiliated by Jacob's ex-girlfriend or whatever? Man, those were some good times!" I exclaimed sarcastically. Seth turned towards me, his expression tired and unenthused.

"You know that's not what I meant, and I know you know that," he replied shortly. I deflated, blowing my hair out of my face as I averted my eyes. "Well, if you must know, I like Collin as a friend, and that's it," I said resolutely.

"And how about Jacob? Still…just friends?" he asked oddly, his gaze focused on the ceiling as I looked at him. "Yes, Seth," I answered.

But truthfully, I wasn't too sure how I felt about that. The vibe between Jacob and I had shifted, I just couldn't tell how. I loved being friends with Jacob. We really got each other in a way I didn't think possible, but my feelings… the old ones, anyway…were making a small reappearance.

A few minutes of comfortable silence settled in as Seth seemingly accepted my answer. "Seth, what do you wanna do for our birthday?" I asked nonchalantly. He let out a laugh. "Party," he said immediately, his face blooming to a half grin. "We only turn 15 once, y'know," he laughed despite my confusion. I know, Seth, I thought to myself. I've been hearing that a lot, lately.

Seth's happy expression melted into something more sad; morose. "Gracie," he said as he picked at his thumb nail. "I just wanted to tell you… y'know, when we both turn 15… things might change," he said nervously. My head turned towards him. Once again, Seth was speaking in this weird, forlorn tone that made me think he knew something I didn't. I just didn't understand why he didn't tell me exactly what was on his mind, the way we always did.

Or used to, anyway.

"What does that even mean, Seth?" I asked frustratedly, my eyes sharp as I looked at him. He wouldn't make eye contact with me and unlike usual, I couldn't read the blank look on his face. It seemed unnatural for us, to feel so far apart even though we were in the same room. "I'm just saying…like, we're getting older. Things just… it's different, now," he mumbled.

"Seth, just because…just because we're not little kids anymore and Dad won't… Dad won't be here to see us get older doesn't mean I'm going to love you any less, doesn't mean I'm going to start trying to distance myself from you guys," I explained softly. He laughed to himself.

"Do you think you'd love me even if…like, what if I was hiding a huge secret? That I couldn't tell you, would you…would you forgive me?" he asked, his voice sounding like that of a little boy.

"Are… are you trying to tell me something, Seth? Dude, if you're gay I would never judge you. You're my best friend and I'm not a homophobe."

"Jeez, no! I'm not, did you…is that what you were thinking this whole time?"

"Well it's not like you're actually giving me anything to work with, here! What am I supposed to think?! You…you sound all sad and confused and I'm just trying to be supportive, here!"

"Well I'm not gay, okay? That's not at all what I was talking about."

"Well then, what are you talking about?!"

"Y'know what, I can't do this right now. I gotta go," Seth grumbled as he stood up from my creaky desk chair and left the room.

What the hell was that all about? Again?

"I'm still mad at you, y'know," I muttered under my breath as I rocked back and forth in one of the chairs on the porch. "That came out of literally nowhere, and I apologized to him profusely because you behaved like a literal crazy person."

Jacob's face was pouty and sad next to me, his eyes wide as he stared at me apologetically. "I know, and I'm really sorry. I don't know why I did that. It was dumb and I'm sorry… I'm sorry I embarrassed you in front of your friend," he replied, his voice thinning as he said the last part of his sentence.

"…and you're sorry that you unnecessarily like, verbally assaulted Collin, right?" I questioned seriously. Jacob stayed silent.

"…Right?"

"Yes, yes I'm very sorry. I told him I was sorry, and I regret it," he said, sounding like a chastised little kid. "I won't do it again, promise," he continued.

"…Fine. Now, if you're really sorry, please tell me what everyone has planned for Seth and I's birthday? He knows but no one will tell me anything, and even Kim was acting weird about it today," I begged, my thoughts roaming over to the conversation from lunch earlier.

"Are you good with surprises, by any chance?" Kim asked nonchalantly as she dunked a French fry into a puddle of ketchup on her tray. "Like, let's rate your reactions to surprises from 1-10. Where would you, uh, put yourself on that scale?"

"Oh Kim, I don't know," I replied, my voice conveying more frustration than I actually wanted. "I just, I mean, it's not really a surprise if you're telling me about it now, is it?" I asked.

She let out a laugh. "Well obviously, there's gonna be a bonfire. So that's not really a surprise. I meant more in like, how do you generally react to new information? Like, something you weren't expecting to hear," she questioned seriously. I smoothed my hair out of my face with exasperation, my eyes closing as I felt increasingly more anxious.

"Maybe let's, uh, change topics," Brady piped up helpfully as he gave a look to Kim, who merely stuck out her tongue in response. "You good, Grace?" he asked concernedly.

I hadn't even really noticed just how tired I was when he asked me, but suddenly I felt like I had been hit with a huge wave of exhaustion. "Yeah, not sleeping well again, I guess. I had a migraine yesterday," I answered honestly.

"The dreams again?" Collin asked worriedly. I nodded.

My dreams were even more graphic in the last few nights, I could feel myself in exorbitant amounts of pain almost every night not only from my headaches, but from whatever I was experiencing in the dream. I could feel my body being crushed by a figure my eyes simply couldn't understand, I could feel my limbs breaking under its hold.

It was putting a huge toll on my mental health- I felt completely drained every morning because it felt like I hadn't slept at all. Mom and even sometimes Leah would come into my room in the middle of the night to wake me from loud sobs I didn't even know I was letting out.

"So needless to say, I'll probably be too sleepy to feel surprised," I told Kim with a forced smile. She smiled back. "Oh, somehow I still think you might be."

"Grace, I really wish I could. You just have to be patient, that's all. Don't think too much about it," Jacob told me with a playful grin. I rolled my eyes. "I just wanna know the surprise, that's all."

Jacob's face immediately dimmed. "What surprise?" he asked seriously. I hit his shoulder and let out a tired laugh. "Oh c'mon, don't play dumb with me. You know, the big surprise that's planned or whatever. Kim asked me how well I do with surprises today. I know something's up," I replied wryly.

Jacob stared at me intensely for a few moments, heat rising to my cheeks as his eyes searched my face. "…You're making me nervous, Jacob," I said with an anxious laugh. He looked a little startled, and an uneasy smile made its way onto his face. "Sorry, just got a little lost in my thoughts for a second," he explained.

"So you're not gonna tell me?"

"…Sorry, what were we talking about?"

"Jacob!" I admonished lightly. "I swear, you and Seth have been like…in outer space, recently. Is everything okay?" I asked worriedly. He scoffed and waved a hand nonchalantly as he nodded. "Even…at your work stuff with Sam?" I questioned hesitantly.

Jacob sighed loudly and rubbed a hand over his face nervously. "Yeah, just got a lot on my mind, don't worry about it," he answered casually. I nodded my head, not believing a single word he said.

"So what do you want to do for your pre-birthday birthday? Any special plans you're thinking of?" he asked, a complete turn-around from our conversation only a few moments ago. I felt like I had whiplash- I couldn't keep up with all the weirdness around me, and I was just expected to go along with it.

"Actually, I was just wondering if you could take me to your favorite place," I said quietly. Jacob's anxious face morphed into something light and cheerful at my response, his lips tilting upwards in an awkward smile. "Why my favorite place? Shouldn't it be yours?" he probed.

A shy smile rose to my face and I averted my gaze. "You'll probably think this is dumb," I laughed. His large, warm hand made its way over to mine on top of the arm of the rocking chair, and he squeezed my fingers encouragingly. "Nothing you could ever say is dumb, trust me," he assured. My grin broadened.

"Well…it's just that, I mean, I haven't been to many places. I'd say for us to go to Port Angeles, but I go there all the time and it's not really "special" and it's probably a little far if we're going to a party or whatever after. So I just figured you're pretty knowledgeable, I trust you," I explained, my eyes watching his light up with excitement.

"I have the perfect idea, then," he preened. We both smiled, his hand wrapping around mine as we stared at each other.

The atmosphere, which seemed nice and friendly enough, seemed to…deepen, somehow. It was like someone had lowered the lighting in a room, and an unexplainable energy transferred between us as my eyes got bigger. Jacob leaned forward, his other hand rising to my cheek as he cupped it gently, and I could almost feel our emotions running through both of us. "You're the best thing that could have ever happened to me, Grace," he said as his hand smoothed my hair away.

"And y-you're really warm, like really warm," I blurted anxiously, almost immediately covering my mouth in humiliation. Jacob leaned away with a loud laugh, his eyes full of joy as he shook his head at me. "Thanks," he replied jokingly. My mouth was agape in complete astonishment as I realized I completely ruined…whatever that was.

I was an idiot, and I literally wanted to crawl under a rock. How did I always manage to say the wrong thing? Why couldn't I just enjoy the moment?

What did I think was going to happen? What did I want to happen?

As Jacob bounded off the porch to head home, I leaned over the porch railing as I watched the Volkswaggen speed down the road. I thought about his smile, his warmth, his shorn black locks and his big, bulky muscles. I thought about all of the fun we had been having together, the way I could feel his stare when he thought I wasn't looking at him. The way his protective nature made me feel safe and comforted.

I was in the middle of the dense, misty forest of La Push, and my feet were rooted into the ground like a tree. I felt heavy and my head hurt, but my eyes felt like an animal's. It was dark out and based on the sounds of the crickets and the odd silence around me, it was very late.

I couldn't move, but I felt myself being stared at. Who was it? I started to feel nervous.

I looked up and saw a flash of red hair above me moving so quickly I could barely make out what it was. Was it a person? A figment of my imagination?

I wanted to run after it, and I could feel an irrational anger bubbling in my chest. I hated it, I wanted to kill it, whatever it was.

But instead, I just walked slowly in the direction of where it was hopping from tree to tree. What was this…thing? Why couldn't I move faster?

I continued to walk closer, my feet feeling nothing below me as I moved across the forest floor and stared ahead of me. Something was wrong with it, I realized. Something about it was very dangerous, and I should run away. But how could I run, when my legs felt like tree trunks, too heavy to move?

The red-haired creature was gone from my line of sight and I realized it had gone to a part of the forest I was forbidden from. I didn't know why I felt like I couldn't go any farther, but the heaviness of my body had planted itself into the ground once again. I gazed into the shadows in front of me, and I saw another figure coming towards me. I could hear howls in the distance, and I felt afraid. Were there animals around?

The figure in front of me made itself clear to me: it was a man, but somehow, not quite. It looked like a man, but somehow I knew it wasn't a person. He had bronze, untamed hair and golden eyes, and I realized I knew this man. It was Edward, Bella's boyfriend.

He stared at me silently, his eyebrows drawn up in concentration as he searched my face. "What are you?" he asked me, confusion lacing through his words. I couldn't say anything, but I thought the same question. What was I? What was he? The man's mouth ticked upwards as his gaze became more intense. "I've felt you in my head before. Like you're tugging at me… how is that possible?" he asked seriously. I didn't have any answers for him. I'd never even met him, and I certainly didn't know what he was talking about. I couldn't control my mouth as I felt my lips shape around the next few words.

"Not safe. Not safe," I said quietly, even though I didn't know why.

But before I could ask him what was going on, I felt my body moving beyond my control. I could feel myself being shaken, and I felt horror and fear as I realized I didn't know what was going on. What was moving me?

"Grace! Grace! Grace!"

"Grace!" somebody shouted at me. Like I was being pulled up from underwater, I choked an inhale like I couldn't breathe. "Grace, Grace, are you okay?" the person said as they gripped my shoulders and shook me again. Suddenly, I was aware of myself again and I felt myself being shaken; felt my eyes blinking rapidly as I gathered my bearings.

I was in the woods, I was extremely cold, and a shirtless Paul Lahote was right in front of me. His hands were braced around my arms and his face looked uncharacteristically worried. I backed away in panic, my breathing heavy as my eyes darted around in fear.

He held his hands up in surrender, and he backed away from me slowly. "Grace, I'm not going to hurt you, okay? Do you know where you are?" he questioned calmly. But how did I get here, how was that possible? I wondered to myself. Where even was I? I felt like I was on the verge of a heart attack, my breathing unstable and panicked as I realized how dark it was and how far away from home I must have been.

I was suddenly aware that I was only in a huge t-shirt and a pair of penguin pajama shorts, and my feet were getting scratched up by the twigs and brush around me. I was freezing cold and I could barely even feel my face. How long had I been out here?

And why was Paul Lahote here, and shirtless?

"W-W-What?" I asked anxiously as I wrapped my arms around myself. "W-Why are you- ?"

"Your mom was looking for you. You were sleepwalking," he explained oddly. It wasn't much of an explanation, but I could feel a splitting migraine right down the middle of my skull and I was still disoriented. I had so many questions, but my brain was scrambled and I couldn't make sense of anything. How was I going to get back, what time was it?

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Paul asked gently. I shook my head, but I couldn't understand the weight of his question. I certainly wasn't okay, and my head hurt. What the hell happened to me?

I tried walking forward, but it became clear pretty quickly that now that I was conscious, my feet were sore and I couldn't see the ground below me. I looked over at Paul, and he outstretched his arms towards me. I stepped backwards hesitantly; I felt so unsafe and I knew Paul was friends with people like my brother and Jacob, but I didn't really know him.

"C'mon, I'll carry you back. It's okay, I promise" he assured. I came closer to him, his face serious and his eyes open and honest as he lowered himself down a little. Seeing no other options, I came closer and he swooped me from under my knees, similarly to how Sam carried Bella when him and I went into the forest to find her. My freezing cold body started to thaw at Paul's insanely hot temperature as my brain wracked itself for answers.

I luckily wasn't too far out into the woods, so Paul and I made it back into my house in about fifteen minutes. He carried me in relative silence, his eyes and ears sharp as he looked around us suspiciously. I was completely and utterly mortified- I knew my dreams had been getting progressively more realistic, but I had never sleepwalked a day in my life. What happened to me? How did I even get out of my house?

We neared the back porch, where my mom, Leah, Jacob, and…Sam?... were all waiting around in a circle. "Oh thank god," Mom rushed forward as Paul set me down, wrapping me in the blanket that was drawn over her shoulders. I was too stunned to cry, too shocked by the strangeness of everything going on around me. "M-Mom," I whispered as I cuddled close to her, unable to meet the eyes of anyone else.

"Grace, are you alright?" Jacob asked, his voice panicked as he gave me a once over. I nodded dumbly, unable to say anything more. "Let's go inside. We should talk," Sam said sternly. Leah's head spun to face him, her eyes venomous. "No. Not now, Sam, we can't," she spat. Sam sighed, his face serious as he looked at her. "Leah- "

"No. Not tonight. She can't handle it," Leah gritted out. They stared at each other for a moment more, and finally Sam nodded resignedly. "Fine," he growled.

We all made our way inside the house, sitting around the living room as I stared forward vacantly. My brain felt shut off and far away, the people in front of me sounded like they were muffled and speaking gibberish. I noticed Paul was standing protectively in the doorway as he turned back every so often to look outside.

"Grace, honey?" Mom shouted as she shook my knee. I looked at her, my vision hazy and the whispers around my mind that I usually heard when I was using my gift were getting louder and louder. "Grace, you have to tell us what happened," she said as faced towards me.

Like my mouth was moving beyond my control, I uttered a few words.

"R-Red hair, I… I don't know…there was a man in my head," I stammered out.

And then, I was out like a light.

A/N: hello everyone! long time no update! I am super sorry for putting this story on hold- I'm having some creative burnout and I've also been really with school. As some of you know, I write all my stories and finish them before I even start uploading- so this story (or at least, the first part of a series) is complete. However, I'm going to be honest, I definitely think there are some chapters I want to go back and revisit that are not up yet. You guys deserve the best possible content and I want to give you everything y'all want.

Love always,

Fairylight2003