i

IT WAS A LONG TEN MINUTES before Bella sighed and gazed at him. Her dark eyes, although several shades lighter than his own, were serious and leveled at him. That worry he had been feeling before cropped up again, grasping at him tighter.

"It's going to sound weird, but I need you to hear me out," She started. Her voice was quiet, and it was tinged with something he hadn't heard before. "At school, there's this family of weird kids. They're weird to literally the whole school. Jessica says they've got a lot of money behind them, which might explain why they look bored with us and school in general. However, there's been one of them that hasn't shown up to school once, since the start of the year."

She wrung her hands, scratching lightly at wherever her nails made contact. Jacob gently offered his hands out, quietly reminding her not to scratch herself. She twisted her lips in an attempt at a smile and took his offer with no words. Her small hand, (he was briefly entirely concentrated on the fact that her hands were easily only half the size of his- he loved it), squeezed his.

"I'm in biology two, which means we have some bigger projects, even this early in the year. We had our partners set up last week, as we'd be working with them, and only them, for the next week or so. My partner didn't show up." Bella took in a shuddering breath. Jacob watched the rise and fall of her chest and the way her body seemed to shrink at the next thought she had. He wanted to hug her, but he quelled the desire, for her. "It was when he showed up. The one sibling that hadn't shown up all year. When I tell you that I've never felt this kind of fear, I'm being completely serious."

Her eyes whipped to him looking absolutely wild. Her soft brown eyes had gone dark and scared. (Jacob wanted to pull her to him and squeeze away the fear, but he knew deep down that what caused this couldn't be hugged away). Something cold slithered itself down Jacob's back, and he gave her the most confused look he could muster. "Bella wha-"

"You should have seen the way he glared at me. It was almost as if the moment he saw me, he wanted me gone." Her voice started to shake. "There was something in me that just knew- it just knew that he wanted me dead. Not "Oh, I'm mad that I'm stuck working with you, and don't want you here," but "I want you dead more than anything," dead. I could feel that something was so incredibly wrong with him. His eyes had been brown, Jake. They were brown, but when he finally sat down and looked at me, his eyes were black. They were darker than anything that I had ever seen. They made your eyes look light brown, Jake. He glared at me for like half the class. And then when he turned away, he gagged as if I smelled off. As if I was the problem."

Jacob grasped at her middle and pulled her into him when she started gasping for air. She wasn't crying, but he could tell she was close to it. Her hands tugged at the front of his shirt as she struggled to breathe. She pushed against him just enough to let him see her whole face. "Jake, there's something so wrong with him. I just know it."

He frowned, and pet her hair as he quietly led her breathing. When she had finally slowed down and could sit back from him, he tried to talk to her. "What's the kids' name? This family of his?"

She frowned, pulling at her bottom lip with her teeth. "His name was Edward Cullen. It's the Cullen family. That's what Jessica said when I asked. Even she was put off. She had worried the whole class and practically ran at me when it was over." Her eyes were focused on the waves that crashed against the beach. The sound was calming, but not enough for Jacob. Anger was rising in him faster than he had ever felt.

"The Cullen's?" He asked, his voice not betraying the fury in him. His face might have, however, as she looked at him, concerned.

"Yeah. That's what she said, and Mr. Banner called him Mr. Cullen when he came in," she replied, ignorant of how he was feeling.

"No wonder you felt off with him. He's a creep. They all are. They've got serious issues. It's why a lot of the reservation won't go to the Forks' hospital. Their dad works there." He was trying to be honest, without being completely honest about how he, individually felt. It wasn't really working, though, as she was frowning at him. She had that knowing look, and he knew she was going to pry it out of him.

"There's something more to it, isn't there?" Her voice was quiet and full of trepidation. She could see that there was more to it, she just wasn't sure of what. He wanted to just forget it all, tell her to never see him again, and act like there wasn't more of a reason to fear the guy and his family.

"There is, but you can't go running off and telling anyone," he said with incredible seriousness, and she gulped. He could tell she would keep it to herself, despite the nervous nod she gave him. He nodded his head back, and then looked out over the waves. The constant rhythm of them beating at the sand calmed him down, if only a bit. "We have legends of beings like them. I need you to understand something before I tell you. Although these are merely legends, they exist for a reason. We've told these stories for a reason, and although I might not believe every word of it, part of me believes this particular story."

Bella sat up, stiff, and gave him her full attention. Jacob tried to think about how his father had looked and sounded when he first told him. He couldn't emulate it all, not properly as he hadn't the practice, but he would try.

"There is a legend about beings like them, and another of them specifically. I won't tell you all of it, as some of it is sacred. I can tell you this, though. There is a deep hatred for these beings; the Cold Ones. They are not people, they merely wear their forms. They are beasts of base urges and thirst. They desire no more than to slay the living around them, and there isn't an easy way to stop them." Jacob winced inside, he wasn't very good at telling these, but he gave himself some slack. He was heavily paraphrasing. He had a feeling that she would hear it properly eventually, anyway. "They cause fear in humans because they feed on you."

Bella gasped and fear fluttered onto her face. Jacob wanted nothing more than to ease away the furrow of her brows with his hand. He didn't like seeing her fear, but he also knew she might need this. The Cullen's couldn't be trusted, even if he didn't fully believe why.

"They can't do anything though, not now. The world has grown and people are more advanced. Plus, your dad and I'd protect you from all that," he said, trying to assuage her worries. She smiled wanly and looked away.

Jacob wondered if he had only made the situation worse for her, but she merely leaned over and rested herself against him. He let out a soft sigh and wrapped her in his arms again. He'd protect her, and he'd remain there for her to lean on. He was a steady rock that the waves could not wear down.