"Yeah he is great. Knows how to keep me grounded. I still can't believe you don't have someone back home. You are hot. Are all the men in Phoenix blind?"
"Nah. I got asked out often enough. Just did not have time for that." I shrugged.
"Oh right. Charlie mentioned you had taken AP classes."
I nodded. That was a good enough reason for why my personal life in Phoenix was in the toilet.
Chapter 4: Magic in Moonlight
As Always Happy Reading!
Leah stood in front of my full closet. My mind still spun looking at all the options. It didn't phase Leah. She was sliding all the clothing back and forth on the rod, putting some real thought into my evening attire.
"Seth, will it be cold for Bella tonight?" She yelled down the hall.
Moments later Seth belly flopped beside me on my bed. I bounced up off the mattress at the impact. Both of us lay in a fit of laughter.
Leah cleared her throat. That made Seth sit up cross legged on the bed.
"It is hoodie weather tonight for sure. Shouldn't rain though." Seth spoke with his permanent smile on his face.
I grabbed my pillow, hitting my new little brother in the back of the head with it. I couldn't resist. Seth retaliated, grabbing my other pillow and hitting me back.
"Pause. Bella is going to want to look cute today" Leah chastised both of us.
Seth and I both dropped our pillows. Refocusing on our sister.
Leah pulled out jeans. My heart stopped. They are authentic Levi's. I knew Levi's are not the most expensive jeans, but it was still more than I could afford.
I tried not to gawk as she tossed them to me. Scooping them out of the air I held them, the fabric felt both sturdy and soft.
"I think a tank top and sweater would work. Don't want her to get too hot." Seth added his opinion.
"What are you going to be wearing?" I asked Leah
"Shorts and a tank top." She looked through my tank top options.
"It is cold outside." I was shocked.
Seth laughed "yeah to you. You have to stay longer. Come for Christmas. Then you will get to feel the cold here."
"I would love to come for Christmas!" I spoke before thinking. It took me nine months of working constantly to afford to come here for two weeks. If I came for Christmas I wouldn't have a home to go back to. No matter how much I wanted to experience a white Christmas.
Both my new siblings left my room so I could quickly change. I wondered how Dad got my jeans size. Must have asked Renee before she fell off the wagon again. The soft material of the jeans hugged my body. Doing up the button, I noticed the gap in my pants. I will have to try to gain some weight while I am here. Grabbing a belt, I quickly cinched it up. I did not need Charlie worrying about my weight. Luckily the hoodie landed perfectly to hide the gaps in the pants.
Walking out of my room, Seth was waiting for me.
"Dang you look like you belong here!"
"You think?" I gave him a twirl.
"Hell's yeah"
"What shoes are you wearing?" Seth asked
"Um" I did not pack options of shoes. Only having the one pair at the front door.
"What size are your feet?"
"10" I told him. I wished my feet were not so big. It was a pain to find second hand shoes in my size.
"Oh perfect. Leah can Bella borrow some sneakers?" Seth called down the hall.
"Totally. Use any of them at the front." She called from her room.
Seth handed me a pair of canvas shoes. They fit perfectly. This was like a dream. Having siblings to borrow items from.
Leah slipped on another pair of shoes. She wore shorts and a cropped top.
"Are you not going to freeze?" I asked, looking at her outfit.
"Nah. She is going to be cuddling up to her boyfriend all night" Seth teased.
Leah laughed. Pulling him into a headlock.
"Hey, no fighting in the house" Sue ordered her children. She smiled apologetically at me. I did not mind. This was the closest thing I had ever had to a real family.
Charlie walked up behind Sue. Giving her a hug from behind. I could see the love that Charlie had for what he saw. He looked at me and smiled. I returned the smile.
We drove together. I was sandwiched between Seth and Leah in the back of the car. Seth was on the verge of a laugh almost the entire way there. Apparently our height difference was hysterical.
I was nervous as we drove up.
"Hey wanna hang out at the bonfire?" Seth asked.
"Yes please" I told him.
"I could have shown her the ropes," Leah commented.
"Leah. Both of us know that you are going to see Jake and no one else" Seth teased.
"Okay fine, true. But, any questions feel free to ask, okay Bella?" Leah looked down at me. I felt like a child. I simply nodded.
There was a small trail leading to the cliff where the bonfire was being held.
"Hey Seth?"
"Sup Lil sis?"
"Don't let me fall off the cliff okay?"
Seth laughed and nodded. He held my hand as we walked into the crowd of people. Seth was right about Leah. She b-lined it over to a tall man. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. I looked away; it was almost a full makeout in the midst of people. Seth simply laughed and rolled his eyes.
"Hey Embry. This is my new lil sister Bella" Seth said proudly. My heart felt light at his words. I shook Embrys hand.
"Nice to meet you Embry"
"Likewise Bella" he smiled "First bonfire?"
"Yup. I am just glad to have a little brother to help me navigate" I smiled at Seth.
"Where is Leah? She needs to learn what a nice sister is like." Seth and Embry laughed.
Seth grabbed us both some punch and food while I made small talk with Embry. We discussed the merits of Romeo and Juliet. We both agreed that Romeo was a creep. Seth went back to the food table 3 times, each time coming back with plates heaping full of food. I ate half the first plate he brought me. Seth laughed, dumping the leftovers from my plate onto his.
"That must be why you are so skinny. You can't even finish a plate of food!" Embry jokes. He was on his 4th plate.
"The food is so good. I wish I could eat more" I told them truthfully.
The boys smiled at me between big bites of food. I think between Embry and Seth I was going to have a fun two weeks here. They kept me laughing. We stood at the edge of the gathering. Seth pointed out people from afar.
"That's Paul and Rachel. They started dating about a year ago." Seth pointed at two people standing opposite us of the fire.
"Quil and Claire." He pointed at a boy who was holding the hand of a gorgeous girl. "They are our age, when did they start dating?" Seth asked Embry.
"Let's see when did we lose Quil at boys' night? Umm. 3 weeks ago?" Embry tried to pin the time period.
"About that hey?" Seth shook his head.
"You don't like them together?" I asked.
"What no. They are good together. Some say they were bonded by spirits" Seth smiled.
"That couple over there is Jarred and Kim. She was sitting behind him crushing on him for years in school." Embry laughed. "He finally looked behind him two months ago."
"They all look like puzzle pieces. Have either of you found your other half?" I asked
Both boys laughed. "Us? No. When we do, we will let you know." Seth assured me
Seth looked like he was scanning the crowd for someone in particular.
"Seth you okay? You have been looking around non stop." I asked.
Embry just laughed "You still need to check in with the boss?"
"The boss?" I asked Embry.
"Yeah. We all work for Sam's construction company." Embry explained.
"Oh. That sounds like fun. I have never worked construction before"
"It's fun sometimes. Sometimes you're on the phone for hours trying to convince someone to bring the proper equipment to the site" Embry complained.
I laughed. That sounded like a fun challenge. Nothing like crackheads threatening to shoot you when you don't give them smokes for free.
"There he is. Bella, are you okay here for a moment with Embry?" Seth asked. I nodded and watched him rush though the gathered crowd. He stopped before a man even taller than Seth.
Was my height stunted or did all the people around my age grow to be giants here. The man they called Sam looked like a God. He was built with muscles on muscles and yet, he did not look scary. Still defined enough for me to see his muscles under his shirt.
"So Bella, any plans other than your Dad's wedding?" Embry pulled my attention away from Sam.
"No. I am pretty open. Truthfully I haven't been back in years. So I don't have any expectations."
"Cliff jumping?"
"That sounds like fun!"
"Perfect! I will text you. Do you have a phone?"
"Yeah." I rattled off my number. I had left it at Dad's place. The phone was a brick to carry around.
"Nice, I will text you"
I felt Seth snake his hand back into mine. It felt like we had been siblings for way longer then we had been.
"Bella, I want you to meet Sam," Seth told me, gesturing to the tall Adonis of a man.
Looking up at him I smiled. His face seemed to go unfocused for a moment before his eyes focused intensely on me.
"Hi Sam. I'm Bella." It felt like my soul was reentering my body as I spoke. Almost like someone else was speaking through my lips.
"Hi Bella." Sam's smile took my breath away "Is this your first Bonfire?"
"Yes" I smiled at him. I felt like the luckiest girl, having his attention.
"Would you like to sit together?"
"I was planning on sitting with Seth." I told him truthfully. I didn't want to not sit with him. I also did not want to bail on my new brother for a guy. Even if he was the hottest guy here.
Seth piped in "we could all sit as a group. That would be fun"
I nodded. Sam's eyes seemed to light up at that.
We gathered to hear the story. I felt a weird connection between Sam and I. It was like love at first sight. I just really hoped it wasn't just on my end.
The bonfire was dimming in its illumination of the space when Billy told his final story. My head was spinning, how cool would it be for even parts of this to be real. The idea of having people who protected you sounded like a fairytale.
The entire time we listened to the stories Sam and Seth kept sneaking glances at me. Seth I understood, he was my guide to my first bonfire. Every time Sam looked at me, it felt like my skin was on fire. He made my body warm in a way it never had been before.
"As we all know, we have a wedding to celebrate a week from today. Everyone has been assigned roles to help the couple celebrate. If you finish your role and need another, just ask" Billy said, dismissing us from the circle.
Sam helped me up off the soft earth.
"So. Did you like it?"
"It was magical. I loved it." Smiling back at him.
"Bells, what did you think?" Charlie asked from behind me.
Turning to face him "Dad this was amazing"
Charlie's eyes looked above me to where Sam was standing. Realization flashed in Charlie's eyes. I made a mental note to ask him about it later.
Charlie nodded "I am glad you liked it. I have a feeling you will be invited to them more often." He smiled. "Sue and I are tired. I think Seth is staying for a bit longer."
"Lil Sis can stay with me if she wants" Seth bound up to my side. "We can bushwhack our way home. Be true explorers!" Seth mimed walking forward knocking things out of his way.
"I am not leaving yet. I can drive them back to you" Sam laughed at Seth's bushwhacking.
"Thanks Sam. Have fun you two" Charlie gave both Seth and I a parental 'be responsible' look. My heart hurt with that look. Renee had never used it.
"Bella, have you seen the ocean at night?" Sam asked
I looked at him, "I don't think you're a murderer." I paused, enjoying Sam's confused face. "But, I have watched a lot of true crime, and that is almost always a trap." I laughed.
Sam held his hands up as proof of his innocence. I noticed the mischievous gleam that was a constant light in his eyes.
"No Sam, I have not seen the ocean at night." I smiled at the playfulness that was written on his face.
"Would you like to?" He left it completely up to me.
"Would you join me?"
"Absolutely. Like you said, murderers like oceans at night." The smile he gave me stopped my heart for a second.
All I could do was smile and nod.
"Seth, Embry." Sam called. Both boys looked up from heaping plates of food "only you can prevent forest fires"
They laughed "got it boss. We won't let the bonfire get out of control"
The walk down to the ocean was easy. Sam held my hand and did not let me fall. Leah's shoes were not the greatest for hiking. The view was worth it. I stood on the dirt just off the rocky beach. The view was magnificent. Internally, I worried that it was like a desert mirage. If I walked along this beach would it stay like this?
Sam took a few steps out onto the rocky beach. He looked like he belonged here. The waves seemed to accept him here, as they traveled farther up the beach to meet him. Turning he held his hand out to me.
"Wanna join me?"
"I don't want to break it"
"Break what?" Sam looked around. Probably trying to find anything out of the ordinary.
"This." I gestured to everything around us. "I have never seen something more beautiful in my life."
"I know that feeling," Sam said, looking at only me.
This time when he held his hand out to me I joined him. The rocks musically chiming off each other. They did not do that under Sam's feet. Maybe when you grow up here the land adjusts to you.
I held Sam's hand tight. Each wave of water had me fascinated.
"How are you liking it here?"
"It's amazing. I thought for a moment it would be awkward, getting added to the family. Though, it just feels right. It feels better than home here."
"Favourite thing about the house?"
"Sam! The porch goes all the way around!" I couldn't keep the excitement from my voice. "Also I have my own room"
"Do you share a room at home?"
"No. Well. Kinda but also no."
"Explain?"
"I have my own room but it doesn't have any windows. That is mainly just for safety back home. I have enough room for a small bed and desk. It works."
"Safety?"
"Renee" I paused. "That's my mom. She bought in an up and coming neighborhood. We have lived in the house for 10 years. Still waiting for the up and coming part."
Sam's hand squeezed mine as we continued our walk down the beach.
"Did you like the flight?"
"Sam! Charlie paid for an in flight meal." I spun in a circle. My entire body completely relaxed with this man. "It was so good."
Sam smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. I worried I had said the wrong thing. Before I could ask Sam the follow up questions, he asked "What do you do for fun?"
"Volleyball. My team became state champs this year." I bragged.
"Wow! Congratulations!" Sam picked me up and spun me in the air. I thought I was happy before. His hands on me made me ecstatically happy.
He put me down on the singing rocks. My body felt light and amazing. Sam's arms around me, grounding me to this moment. Each spot that his hands touched made my body sing with happiness.
Sam seemed to remember himself. Slowly he moved his hands off my hips. He started to take a step back. Without thinking I grabbed a bunch of his shirt in my hands. Trying to do anything to make him stay this close. Never had I felt so safe. I wanted him around for a long time.
Sam paused in his movements. Closing the gap between our bodies. It was like he knew exactly what I needed. Sam wrapped his arms around me, picking me up and carrying me to a driftwood log.
Sam sat back to the log. He held me in his arms. I breathed a sigh of relief. Sam smelled like musky woods, mixed with the ocean air. At this moment I wasn't worried. It was like Sam took all of that away. He held me tighter. I nuzzled my head on his chest. Sam let out a happy sigh.
"So, are the legends true?" I asked. My fingers absentmindedly drew patterns on his chest. I could hear the happy rumbles as Sam sighed.
Sam laughed, "which one is on your mind?"
I yawned " the protectors. Wolves in the woods that keep everyone safe."
Sam kissed the top of my head. "Yeah, that one is true." Adjusting me in his lap, Sam had me cuddled tight into him. I was surrounded by the warmth of him. Each breath in his arms filled me with the feeling of love.
"I like that. Am I included in the people they protect?" I murmured into his chest. My eyes closed. It was like the past nine months of 2 hours of sleep a night caught up to me in an instant.
"Yes" his voice sounded almost worshiplike. This was the first time I felt safe in a long time. Out on this magical beach, with a boy I just met. He kissed the top of my head as I dreamed of wolf protectors.
Authors Note: Well? What do you think? What is your thoughts on Seth? What do you think about Sam? Let me know in the reviews. I live for your feedback!