A/N: Good day all! Thank you so much for all of your reviews on chapter one! I am glad everyone is enjoying the story so far. I hope you like chapter two.
***Disclaimer*** I do not own Twilight, the characters belongs to Stephenie Meyer.
Chapter Two
I followed Jake out onto the beach, the crisp air lashed against us with the sting of salt. A small group of people surrounded the bonfire that we were heading towards, all laughing and engaged with one another. Two men that looked similar to Jake, muscular and tall with dark complexions, waved at us from where they were adding more logs to the fire.
Jake placed the cooler of sodas next to a group of girls that were huddled together on a piece of driftwood closest to the fire. The shadows of the flames flickered upon their faces.
A group of guys were tossing a football around closer to the water without shirts, just as muscular as everyone else I had seen so far. What exactly is going on over here for everyone to look like this? One or two would be a coincidence, but everyone? That is a little suspicious, I thought to myself.
As I was looking over the different groups of people gathered, I didn't realize my gaze had stopped and was focusing on one particular individual. He stood closer to the water and was staring out into the dark abyss. The moon was full as it was reflecting off the water. The beach was different here than Florida. Maybe it was the lack of mosquitos, that made it bearable for him and everyone else to be here and enjoying themselves.
As if sensing my gaze, Paul looked back at me. I knew I should have turned away and felt guilty that I had been caught staring, but I didn't. We continued staring at each other for a few more moments, until I heard Jake call my name from behind. Paul turned back towards the ocean without so much as a nod.
Jake bounded up with two of the guys that had greeted us upon arrival.
"Hey Bells, these are my two best friends, Quil and Embry." He said gesturing to the two men.
The shorter of the two spoke first, "Heya, I'm Embry. Glad to finally meet Jake's sister from another mister."
Jake shoved him, but Embry only laughed and shoved him back.
The other guy had long hair that flowed freely pulled me into a tight hug, "Glad you're here. Welcome to our pack." He said into my ear as he tightened the hug and then let me go.
They led me to the bonfire and introduced me to the other people there, the girls were Emily, Leah, and Kim. They smiled and said hello. The few other guys were Seth, Sam, and Jared. They each pulled me into a tight hug.
All of the guys here were so large. I wonder if it is the fresh air. Less pollution maybe?
Jake had went off a moment ago leaving me to sit alone on a large piece of driftwood, he was barely gone when he was back with a plate filled with three hamburgers and two hot dogs.
My eyes widened, "How are you still hungry? We just had an entire pizza before we left our dads."
He laughed with his mouth full, "Still a growing boy." He managed to get out.
I laughed, maybe he is still growing. But that was an awful lot of food.
I caught myself thinking about Paul again. Why wasn't he here with everyone else having a good time? He was still walking along the beach instead of eating and sitting with us while everyone went around the circle and told stories about Jake. Sam had walked out to him for a few minutes but had come right back looking oddly irritated.
I asked Jake and all he said was "He's too temperamental. The more he's around people the angrier he gets. There's a lot more people here than usual, guess some folk came over from Forks. Usually it's just us, but since it's summer everyone is here. He'll come up after more people leave. He just enjoys his solitude."
I decided to do something out of character. For me anyways. When Jake went to fix yet another plate, I got up and crossed the beach to where Paul was still standing watching the tide go out and the moon rise higher. The air grew cooler the farther I got from the fire and I realized I would need to buy much warmer clothes in the near future as fall got closer.
Paul didn't look my way as I reached his side. I stared out with him. It truly was beautiful here.
"Hey, Paul. . . I just wanted to say thanks for helping me earlier. I tend to end up in situations like that a lot. If it weren't for you I probably would have had to spend my first night home in the hospital having my face stitched up."
He laughed a small laugh. "Well, it wasn't a problem. Couldn't have anything happen to the new sister of the pack."
There was another mention of a so called "pack". Was Jacob involved in a gang?
"Are you guys in a gang or something? This is the second time heard the word "pack". I mean its fine if you are. I know Jake wouldn't do anything bad, just wondering. If it's private that's fine too. I'm rambling now, sorry." I stammered out.
Paul laughed hard as if he were laughing at the moon and more.
"No, it's a just a tribal thing. Don't think too much about it." But he didn't sound fine.
We stood in silence for a few moments longer. I didn't see what was so wrong with him or why the others stayed so far away. He seemed calm and relaxed, but maybe it was because he was away from the crowd.
"Do you want to walk farther out?" I asked. I was interested to see how the water felt. I hadn't been in it since Jake and I were little. The water would be cold, but not like it would be in a few months.
He looked lost in thought for a second then started taking off his shoes, "Why not?"
I unlaced my shoes and rolled up my pants a few inches before we walked out together.
The sand was cool and crept in between my toes, while the water splashed gently over my feet, washing away the mud with each sweep. The party behind us was nothing but hum. Only the moon provided any light this far out and all it did was amplify the darkness of his eyes, making him appear more like a predator.
"It's nice here." I said quietly, not knowing how much more interaction I could or should push on him. He hadn't rejected any yet.
Paul looked own at me from the corner of his eye, "Yeah, it's not normally so loud."
Oh, no. Had I overstayed my welcome? I wasn't usually so chatty, don't know what has came over me.
I opened my mouth, but before I could respond I shrieked. I felt something crawl over my right foot towards my left and as I went to jump up and run forward, I stepped into a hole and tripped once more, this time I wasn't as fortunate as last time. The third times the charm today. My right foot was deep in the sand from where I jumped and my left foot landed in another hole which led to me fall into Paul, who wasn't braced for this incident and we both fell into the cold water.
If he was annoyed by my presence before, he most certainly would be now.
Paul surprised me by laughing. He remained lying there in the water and laughing as the small waves went in and out around us. Luckily, the tide was out and the water was only a few inches high where we had walked out to. His laughter was contagious and I couldn't help but to join in.
If you could ignore the coolness of the water, lying here and staring into the night sky was actually nice. The stars above shown brightly, some twinkling every now and again. Everything was so clear here compared to Florida.
"Once again, I am sorry. I did not mean to trip." I said turning my head towards him.
He managed to stop laughing and say, "Not a problem." All seriousness seemed to have left him.
I don't know why, but I decided to splash him. He got otherworldly still for a moment and then splashed me back. We continued like that for a minute until we were both soaked and my teeth started chattering. He stopped then and helped me up. His warm hand gripped my left.
"Let's not risk falling again." He said and we began our walk back to the beach.
After hearing my shriek when what I am assuming was a crab ran across my foot, Jake stood at the edge of the beach. As we got closer I could make out his features, he looked visibly concerned.
"You okay, Bells? What happened? Why are you wet?" Paul let my hand go as Jake walked up to examine me.
"Everything is fine, Paul and I went for a walk and I tripped after a crab ran across my foot. Third trip of the day was the charm." I said jokingly.
The concern didn't leave Jake's face. He looked towards Paul and I heard what I thought was a growl slip from Paul as anger invaded his features.
"I didn't do anything baby alpha. Stop the interrogation." Paul said, anger clipping each word.
"Yeah, I'm fine Jake. No worries." I said. Yet he didn't stop staring at Paul as if he were trying to convey some meaning through his eyes.
Sam walked up beside Jake and looked at Paul, "Hey man, everything alright?" he asked.
The anger grew on Paul's features, "I didn't do anything."
I didn't understand why they were ganging up on him. He had helped me and hadn't exhibited any sign of misconduct.
"Hey, it's alright. I promise, we were just talking." I reassured Jake as I placed my hand on Paul's arm and he immediately calmed down. The shakes of rage stopped. Strange things were definitely going on in these parts I decided.
Jake and Sam shared a look between one another.
"I gotta go." I told Paul. "Maybe we can hang out some other time when we're not so wet?"
He only nodded then turned and walked away.
"C'mon Jake, I'm cold and I bet the game is almost over. Billy will be wanting to go home." I headed towards the truck, ignoring all of the stares those surrounding the fire. I noticed whispering between a few of the men. Oh great, now there would be gossip and I had only been here a day.
We made it back to my truck and Jake got in with a huff.
"He could have hurt you if you weren't careful. I'm just trying to look out for you." He explained attempting to justify his previous actions.
"It's fine Jake, I get that you're trying to keep me safe since I'm new here and all. But Paul wasn't anything but nice, if anything I was the problem. He was minding his own business and I went to him to properly thank him for earlier. Then I convinced us to walk out then I tripped and ruined everyone's night. It was my fault, not his."
"He knows better, to be on the safe side he should have at least made sure someone else was around in case he had one of his 'moments'".
"You're acting like he's some uncontrollable beast. He can't be that bad or else he'd be in prison or detained somewhere already. He's like what, 25?"
"Twenty-two, and he would be. But your father cuts him slack due to his. . ." Jake cut off his sentence. "Due to reasons that I can't go into. Not my story to tell, but he's not stable because of a shitty childhood environment. Charlie is a good person, and he understands things that most people don't. He's one in a million, Bells."
I felt sad, Jake knew my dad better than I did. I should have known these things about him. I was his daughter. I should have returned his calls more or spent more time with him when we were together during the summer instead of reading at the house while he went fishing. I'm here now though, and will make more of an effort I decided.
"Then he must see something in Paul, that you guys don't. You all should give him more of a chance."
"You don't know all of the details, but I really don't want to fight. I will let you figure everything out for yourself. I don't know why you're so drawn to him anyway. It must be your love of danger and lack of self-preservation."
"Yes, Jake. That's all I ask of you, to allow me to make my own mistakes." I said shaking my head. "My gosh, Jake. C'mon, nothing is going to happen. He's just another guy. Your big brother role is going to be annoying I can already tell."
He laughed, "Yeah, yeah. I'm just trying to watch out for you. I won't do anything else to interfere. You do you, Bells."
That was the end of that conversation about Paul. I started the truck, noting the stares from the beach as people must have been watching as Jake and I argued.
The ride home was pleasant. Jake went into detail about everyone I had met.
"Emily is married to Sam, she's Leah's cousin. It used to be awkward, 'cause Leah was engaged to Sam before Emily met him. But they worked things through a few months ago, Leah started seeing a guy from Forks who has mellowed her out. Kim dates Jared, he's a contractor with Sam and Paul. Leah is going to school to be a nurse to replace her mom once Sue retires. Emily is trying to open a small restaurant, but she's having a problem getting a location."
Everyone he described seemed amazing. I wondered what it would have been like to grow up surrounded by friends and family that knew everything about each other. I didn't even know my own dad as well as I should have. Maybe now, being in one place for what I hoped would be for a while I could find something like that.
We pulled up to the house, the porchlight flickering as I stopped the truck next to my dad's cruiser.
Jake placed a hand on my arm before I could get out.
"I really am sorry Bella. I just wanted to keep you safe. There's stuff you don't know about, and I was hoping to keep you from it." He apologized.
"I know people can be dangerous, Jake. I appreciate that you are looking out for me, but I survived 19 years without you watching my back, I'm sure I can keep going."
"I'll try to remember that. Not used to having a sister around. Rebecca and Rachel haven't been back since they left." He said.
"Well, we have each other now. We'll work it out." He smiled in response.
The game was still going when we entered the house. My was dad on the edge of his recliner with his beer gripped tightly in his right hand. Billy was just as intrigued.
They did not even turn to look at us as we entered the living room, we could have been intruders and I don't think it would have mattered. Charlie probably would have said "Take what you want but leave the TV."
I turned to Jake, "I'm going to take a shower and put on dry clothes. I'll be right back." I told him.
I made my way up the stairs and turned on the shower to let it warm while I grabbed a pair of lounging clothes from my suitcase and went back into the bathroom. It was small, but clean. For a bachelor, Charlie kept a surprisingly tidy house. I remembered when I went to eat at Phil's apartment for the first after he and Renee started dating. It was a disaster, clothes and junk were in piles against the wall and in corners as if he tried to clean by just moving things out of the way instead of putting them away or into the trash.
I quickly showered and went back downstairs to join the men. The game was in its last inning and I thought Charlie was about to fall off of his seat.
"Good game dad?" I asked.
"Yeah, we're at a tie. Any wrong move and I will owe Billy my lucky fishing lure." He said not looking away from the screen.
"Way to set an example, dad. You told me not to gamble." Jake joked with Billy.
"Well, son, there's a time and a place. Also, do what I say not as I do." Billy responded.
I sat next to Jake on the couch and we watched the rest of the game with our dads. It was more fun that I anticipated. I shocked the men in the room when I displayed that I knew the plays and understood the terms of the game. All of that time spent attending Phil's practices and games had paid off.
After the game finished, Charlie did indeed owe Billy his lucky lure that he promised to give him during their next fishing trip.
Charlie and I walked Jake and Billy out to their car and said our goodbyes. Jake pulled me into a hug and promised to see me tomorrow after his shift to help me with the groceries in exchange for the feast that I promised to prepare.
After they left Charlie and I were alone together for the first time since my arrival earlier today.
We were standing quietly in the foyer and it felt like it should be awkward, but it didn't. We were just two quiet people and this was our normal.
"Hey, dad. Thank you for letting me move in. I appreciate it, it's going to help a lot financially." I said.
He smiled, "No need to thank me, this is your home Bells. I'm glad you're here and I am going to keep you here as long as I can."
He gave me a hug, "I'm going to go shower and get to bed. I have to be at work by seven in the morning." He stepped back and pulled out some bills from his wallet then handed them to me. "These are for the groceries tomorrow and anything else you need for the house."
I followed him up the stairs and turned to go into my own room. I unpacked the few clothes that I had brought and put my books away on the desk but took the latest romance novel I had started reading with me to bed.
I had recently started sharing my mom's romance novels after I forgot to bring one of my classics with me on a trip to see Phil play in an away game. To my astonishment I enjoyed the book I borrowed from her and have been reading them ever since. Who doesn't want to be whisked away by a strong man?
I was reading a paranormal one about shape shifters, which was an intriguing idea to think the supernatural existed amongst us. If only, I wished silently to myself. Life couldn't be that interesting. My life was incredibly ordinary to say the least. The most interesting to ever happen to me was winning the one thousandth shopper at a local grocery store in third grade and being gifted a free ham, which was not that exciting for an eight year old. I had always enjoyed reading and living vicariously through the protagonists in books pretending that I was in on their adventures.
I fell asleep shortly after I began reading, dreaming of skipping stones with Paul at the beach, unaware of the dark eyes that watched me as I slept from the edge of the forest across the lawn.