A/N:

Hey, everyone! Thank you sooo much for the amazing comments! You are awesome!

I'm sorry for not posting sooner, I'm not even going to try to make excuses O:)

Anyway, another chapter should be up soon, it's mostly done, I just need to edit it a bit.

Thank you for reading and commenting, and of course, your patience! xx

Four days after Jared had ushered him home, Paul still hadn't answered any of Kim's calls or texts. On day two, she was worried but understanding. Maybe he was sick? Grounded? On day four, she was thinking about calling the police. She came up with two possible strategies, neither of which she actually liked. The first one was overcoming her embarrassment and talking to Jared. After all, he had seen Paul last and could have some useful information. So, she steeled herself every day at school, mentally envisioning their possible conversation and even writing down what she wanted to ask, but it was all to no avail, because every time Kim came remotely near Jared, he seemed to slip away, almost like he could feel her presence, like he constantly maintained a certain amount of space between them, and every time she crossed an imaginary line, he pulled farther away. But Kim was determined to outsmart him. At the moment, she was settled into her seat in their history classroom, chin up and back straight, waiting for Jared to occupy his usual seat in front of her. He couldn't possibly ignore her there, right?

Wrong. The bell rang and the class started, but Jared's chair remained empty. How was he allowed to skip school so often? He came and went as he pleased and nobody bat an eye, like he had some special permission to disappear whenever he felt like it. Was it possible that he wanted to avoid her so much? Or was she blowing the whole thing out of proportion?

Jared's erratic behavior left her with option B: going to Paul's house and checking things out. She didn't look forward to meeting Paul's dad and looking like a clingy weirdo friend, but what else could she do?

So, as soon as her classes finished, she went to Paul's house, hoping he would show up, so she could tell him he's an idiot for not picking up. She also brought him some homemade cookies; in case he was actually sick. She knocked and waited. Nothing happened. She knocked again, a bit more forcefully, but there was only silence, no shuffling or footsteps from inside. No TV noise, no voices. She touched the door and it creaked open. Did nobody lock their door anymore? Kim rolled her eyes as she reached for the doorknob and thought to close it, but then stopped. Maybe she could just peek inside, in case Paul didn't hear her knocking in his room?

Before she could overthink it, she stepped in and closed the door behind. The house was in its usual state of chaos, but it was also dark and eerily silent. This was how every horror movie started and the beautiful, dumb girl ended up being chased around by the killer. Was she the dumb girl here? Kim's heart pounded in her chest when she called out.

"Paul?" She sounded squeaky, like a child trying hard not to be scared. Nobody answered. A drop of sweat slid down her back. She then noticed the smashed window in the living room, the glass on the floor sparkling like diamonds. Had there been a burglary?

"Paul?!" She rushed to his bedroom and flung his door open, bracing herself for a horror scene, ready to gasp and…nothing. Paul's room was as she remembered it, strikingly neat and uncluttered in comparison to the rest of the house. The only thing missing was Paul. Something else felt off. There was a fine layer of dust all over the few pieces of furniture and the room smelt stuffy, as if no fresh air had been let in for days. Kim frowned. Paul would hate it, the dusty, stifling smell. If he was sick, where was he? Shouldn't he-

"Paul?" Someone called from inside the house and Kim froze.

"Shitshitshit," she muttered as footsteps approached. She turned around in a pathetic attempt to find a place to hide, but that was impossible in Paul's small, Marie Condoed bedroom. Did she have enough time to jump out of the window? And then what, break a leg, idiot? Her cheeks and the tips of her ears were burning and her stomach twisted like a pretzel.

"Son?" Paul's dad appeared in the doorway and blinked at her. She just stood there like a deer in the headlights.

"Oh, I thought you were my kid. I was in the backyard and I thought I heard something, but I wasn't sure… picking up some glass, you know, hah," he shifted uncomfortably. It was the first time Kim actually saw him properly. He looked nothing like Paul. He had a rounder, fuller face, the kind that nice people usually have and two long braids that framed it. Kim had always imagined him as an angry, bitter man, but he just looked… like a dad.

"Mr. Lahote! Hi," Kim squeaked out, wringing her hands. "I'm Kim. Connweller. Sir."

"Oh, you're Bob's kid, right?"

"Yes, sir," she chuckled nervously and the angry blush spread to her hair roots.

"Well. Hi, Kim Connweller. I'm Tom."

"Nice to meet you."

"Right. Sweetheart, if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here? Are you trying to steal something?"

"Steal- no, no, no, I was, I…" What was she exactly?

Mr. Lahote chuckled.

"Relax, kid, I'm messing with you. You looking for Paul?"

"Y-Yeah. I thought he might be sick, so I brought him some cookies and my notes. For school."

"That's mighty nice of you. He's not home, though. He'll have to spend a few days at the clinic. A bad case of mono, Sue said. Didn't even let me see him. I suppose that's what he gets for chasing after girls so much, am I right?" He winked conspiratorially.

"Hah, yeah," Kim faked a weak chuckle. Dad jokes. And mono? Didn't Jared also have a bad case of mono?

"So. Are you and Paul friends or…? He doesn't tell me anything," Mr. Lahote scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah, we're friends."

"Good, good, he needs friends. Can you do me a favor, Kim? Can you keep an eye on him at school? I think he's been having a hard time getting used to everything since we moved here and I… let's just say I wasn't very helpful. Can you do that, please?"

"Sure, I can do that."

"Nice and easy, no rush," Jared was trying to sound positive.

Getting Paul to phase was an easy task. Getting him to return to his human form, not so much.

"Will you fucking shut up, Cameron? You're not helping."

"I like to think that I am. You know, I found Sam's presence very soothing at times during my first transformation," Jared snorted, egging Paul on.

"Well, maybe you should call Sam then, because your presence is only pissing me off."

"Reeeeally? I thought you and I were going to be the best of friends."

"I already have a best friend," Paul grunted.

"Yeah, about that. You heard what Sam said. You won't be able to hang out with Kim anymore, you know? She's not a pack member or an imprint. She's not family. Sorry, man."

"That's fucking bullshit. Sam's not the boss of me. Neither are those old farts from the tribe council."

"They kind of are? Also, they're going to pay us to do this? Also, they're our tribe's leaders?"

"They're assholes who are using us because we happen to have good genes."

"I don't see it that way. They are making it possible for us to carry on with our tribe's legacy."

"Whatever. That's no reason for me to stop hanging out with Connweller."

"We need to keep this a secret, man-"

"She wouldn't tell anyone!"

"That might be so, but we can't afford to make any exceptions. Hey, maybe she's your imprint if you're lucky."

"Cameron," Paul sighed. "I'm running out of words to offend you, man. But, in case I don't say this enough: you're incredibly dumb."

"Come on, man, it's kind of a perfect match - resident hot-head bad boy and the nicest girl in town. Hollywood has made millions out of that story. I mean, she cares about you. You clearly care about her. What's the problem?"

"There's no problem, Cameron, Jesus. We just don't like each other that way. We're friends. Haven't you ever had friends?"

That caught Jared off guard. Sure, he had friends. Tons of them. Hell, he'd been invited to every party for as long as he could remember. People used to pat him on the back in school hallways. He played basketball, hung out with his team mates. But if he was completely honest, he didn't miss any of them. Breaking up with Sophie was hard, sure. But truthfully? He didn't miss her either.

"You know what the saddest part is, man? You're probably my closest friend and I don't even like you that much," Jared mumbled. There was a pause, a flicker of a moment when he thought Paul was feeling sorry for him and he hated it. He was about to change the subject, when Paul spoke up.

"Oh, boohoo, Mr. Popularity. Just… just be more helpful and tell me what to do, ok?"

"Gladly," Jared grinned.

School days were boring without Paul. Kim still overpacked for lunch, hoping he would show up and share it with her, but she'd still had no word from him. She saw Jared at school regularly but he was still avoiding her like the plague and she wondered whether that had anything to do with the fact that she almost threw up all over him a few weeks ago. Surely, he couldn't be that grossed out by her? She hadn't tried talking to him. He was always alone and pensive, barely making any contact with anyone, only speaking when spoken to, mostly by the teachers. Sometimes it seemed that he was on the inside of a bubble, looking out, but without much interest. She felt there was a world inside his head, but it was off-limits to everyone. She'd also heard all the gossip about him breaking up with Sophie and it discouraged her and all the other girls at school from approaching him. If Sophie didn't have a chance with Jared, who the hell did?

So, she turned to what she did best - her books and studying. Her grades were great and she'd even managed to turn in a couple of written assignments in Paul's name - the benefit of being liked by teachers. Homework kept her busy and time seemed to fly by. One week passed, then another. She still hadn't heard from Paul and was too embarrassed to go to his house again. Maybe he didn't even want to see her? But then, that Friday, her phone buzzed in her bag during English. A message. From Paul. She scrambled for her phone.

Can we meet up?

She glanced at the teacher, who was writing something on the board. Good to go.

And he lives! Sure. When?

His reply was instant.

Now? I'm in the parking lot.

Now?! I'm in English, can it wait?

Please?

Ugh. Fine. Be there in 5.

She raised her hand and asked to go to the toilet.

Kim ran to the parking lot, zigzagging through hallways. When she got out, she's saw Paul in the farthest corner pacing about. She called out to him.

"Jesus, could you have chosen a farther place to meet? I don't know, maybe Mars? I took a hall pass but I have to be back soon, I-"

And then he turned around. She stopped in her tracks. It was Paul alright. But it also... Wasn't. He was definitely taller, more muscular. Surely, she would have known if he'd been this tall? His face was sharper, his jar looked like it belong in GQ and his usually floppy hair was cut short, the same buzzcut Jared had. They looked like brothers.

"What happened to you?"

He sighed. "Long story. I had- "

"Mono? Sure," she huffed. "People rarely look better after they'd had mono. What the hell is going on?"

The fact that he didn't even register that she'd told him he looked better was disconcerting. Usually, he would have at least made a lascivious comment. But he only looked at her, really looked at her, like he was trying to decide, then and there, whether she was worthy enough to know.

"Look, I can't tell you, ok?"

Apparently, she wasn't.

"Why?"

"Because I can't. I just... I just wanted to let you know that... That I can't hang out with you anymore."

"Why? Are you moving away to become an underwear model?" She snorted, trying to lighten the mood. He didn't laugh like she'd expected him to, he wasn't cocky and something in her stomach fell, pulling her down.

"Paul, what's happening? You're being really weird. It's freaking me out. Are you in trouble? I went by your house and I saw the broken glass... Are you and your dad ok? Has he done something?"

He rolled his eyes.

"What? No. My dumb dad is incapable of harming anyone other than himself. I'm not in any trouble, I just... Need some space."

"From what? Me? It's not like we're dating, come on, I- "

And that's when she saw him. Leaning against a car, waiting, his arms crossed. What the hell was Sam Uley doing at their school?

"Did something happen with Sam Uley, Paul?"

"No," he flinched.

"Liar. If you're in trouble, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong. You can trust me, you know that," she pleaded.

"Nothing's going on. I'm helping Sam take care of things around here, we do stuff for the council. Jared too. Everything's fine."

"What stuff? And why can't you hang out with me if everything is fine?"

He started scratching the back of his head violently.

"Because I don't want to anymore, ok?"

She gasped at his words.

"You're lying, I know you are. Paul, if you're in trouble, we can figure it out, ok? You don't have to do anything they tell you. We can inform the police, you know?"

"I'm not lying. The teacher is going to wonder where you are. You should go back in."

"Paul, please. Let's just think about this."

"Just…give it a rest. I'm sorry. I really am," he said and walked away to join Sam. He said something and Sam nodded, then they left the parking lot not turning around once.

That whole day, Kim had been wondering what Paul had gotten himself into. Nothing made sense. The council trusted Sam so much, but he seemed to be gathering a gang of teenagers. For what? Dealing drugs? Blackmail? Doing steroids? Voodoo?

She wanted to go back and talk to Paul's dad, but she didn't know if Paul would be at home or how he would react to finding her there. She needed an adult. Her parents? No, they would only say it was to be expected from Paul and lecture her about hanging around vandals. Could she really go to the police? But she didn't know what to report. Without Paul's testimony, it made no sense. So, she went to the only adult she could think of who would take her seriously.

"I think Sam Uley is trying to form a gang," Kim blurted out. Her grandma raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? What kind of gang?"

"What kind- does it really matter?"

"I suppose not. What makes you say that?"

"Paul's kind of his minion now."

"Which one's Paul again? Tom's kid or Ken doll?"

"Tom's kid. But Ken doll also runs with Sam. Paul said we couldn't be friends anymore."

"And you think that's because of Sam?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, why else?"

"Honey, sometimes people drift away for no reason," her grandma said gently.

"But we didn't drift away, that's the thing. He skipped school one day, then didn't show up for a few weeks - mono, my ass - and now he's just like, 'we can't be friends anymore'. I mean, it's sketchy, don't you think?"

"Well, maybe he has a good reason. Sometimes, people need space."

"I don't think that's it, grandma. I think he's in trouble."

Her grandma sighed and took Kim's hand.

"Kimmy, Sam's a good man. He protects our tribe and so will your friends. They will walk in the footsteps of our ancestors."

"They are kids! They should go to school and parties, not protect the tribe. The council should protect them, if anything."

Her grandma pursed her lips and squeezed Kim's hand a little tighter.

"You are a fine young woman, darling. Smart, too. Sometimes, I think your life would be easier if that wasn't so. But there are things that we can't fully understand; not even the smartest girls like you can," she smiled and patted Kim's hand. "Your friend might be trying to protect you from those things, by not getting you involved. He's giving you a chance to back away from something he cannot."

"But what is it? The thing that he can't escape?"

"I don't know, but, if you think he's a good young man, try to trust him to do the right thing."

But Kim didn't know if she could and she cried herself to sleep that night.

Puffy-faced but determined, Kim got up early on Saturday morning. She had little faith in her new plan, but she had to try at least. So, there she was in front of Paul's front door again, hoping, this time, that Paul wasn't around or that he was sleeping in. With a trembling hand, she knocked politely. When nobody answered, she went around the house to the backyard. To her relief, Mr. Lahote was there, alone. He was taping up a window with duct tape and some cardboard.

"Need a hand?"

"Hey, kid! No, I'm all done here. As good as new," he jokingly patted the window. "You're up bright and early. Paul's still sleeping. I don't even know when he got back last night."

"Actually, that's why I'm here," she lowered her voice. "I was hoping I could talk to you."

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well, you told me to keep an eye on Paul and I did, I mean, I do, and, well I– "

"What are you doing?"

Kim's spine froze as Paul stepped out through the back door. His face was still puffy from sleep. He couldn't have heard them, surely?

"I was… just asking your dad about you."

"Right," he glared at her.

"Here he is! Ok, now that you're up, I can whip up some breakfast for all of us," Mr. Lahote clapped his hands uncomfortably. "Kim, you hungry?"

"Kim has to leave, actually," Paul's voice dripped ice.

"Son, don't be rude."

"Don't worry about it." Paul didn't even glance at his dad, just nodded pointedly for Kim to follow him. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her legs were wooden as she did.

"Bye, Mr. Lahote," she mumbled.

"See you around, kid. Don't let this boy boss you around, alright?"

"Hah, sure," she smiled weakly as the boy marched into the street, looking like his head was going to explode.

"I'm going to ask again – what are you doing?"

"I wanted to ask your dad what the hell is going on with you," she swallowed thickly.

"You were going to talk to my dad behind my back? What are we, ratting each other out to our parents now? Seriously?!"

"I have nothing to rat out, because I don't know anything, and I don't know anything because you're behaving like a jackass!"

"You don't know anything, because I don't want you to know anything, and I told you that yesterday. So, I'm not sure what it is you expect from me."

"I expect you to not be a sneaky fucking liar!"

"It's too early for this," he grunted, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Connweller, you do realize that I don't owe you anything?"

"Owe me? Where is this coming from? Has Sam Uley been messing with your head or what?"

"Oh, because I'm too stupid to figure anything out on my own, right?"

"No, of course not – "

"Listen," he rubbed his palms over his face, "I'm too tired for this. I meant what I said yesterday. I don't want to hang out anymore. I'm sorry, but it is how it is."

"So, that's it?"

"That's it."