Author's Note: Hello my lovelies! Thank you so much for everyone who is reading, reviewed, favorited and following this story! It truly makes my heart blossom! This Chapter will be posted in two parts as it involves some rather oh my goodness plot points and developments that will truly take this story into a more darker and deeper path. I am truly excited for you to read it and I can't wait to see you're reactions! Part 2 will be posted just before Christmas and will be the last chapter posted before the new year! I would really love to know what you think and ideas on what will happen! I'll leave review responses at the end and another small authors note! Happy Reading!

As the sun rose and scampered across the sky like a free and wild thing, I couldn't resist escaping the walls of my room and embark on a bike ride to nowhere in particular. I hadn't slept since that dream, since the sun first woke the sky with its delicate caresses of orange and yellow. My bare feet and toes curled around the pedals as I rode, as my long hair danced like feathers in the wind and my light blue dress fluttered in the breeze. I hadn't felt the sun's love since I had come here, hadn't felt her sweet melody and now – to see and feel her, my heart felt overwhelmed in that one precious and peaceful moment.

Stopping at the bakery, I purchased three warm almond croissants and a single chocolate éclair that I ate before riding home. Walking through the grass outside the bakery, I savored each chocolatey mouthful, sighing in bliss as it coated my tongue and teased my teeth. I loved the way the grass felt between my toes, how each blade nestled in-between them and tickled the balls of my feet…Today Bella and I would be going to La Push, and a small part of me felt warmth and excitement at the idea – at being close to that much water…Finishing my éclair, I placed the three almond croissants inside the bicycles basket and rode home. I didn't want the ride to end, didn't want to still the wind through my hair and dress and blood.

"But what if you fall?" Jasper had asked me, his eyes full of concern as he looked behind him to drown me in his gaze of disapproval and concern. We were seated on his stationed motorbike – the night in full blossom as I removed my helmet and looked at him with wild and hopeful eyes.

Leaning forward, I whispered in his ear. "Oh, but darling, what if I fly?" I twitched my nose with glee as I rested my knees against the leather seat and knelt there – my hands lightly running over the crisp fabric of his navy shirt. "Now, take me to the stars my darling enigma." He looked up at me, craning his neck back so he could capture my eyes and try and seep some sense into them. Yet the longer he looked, the longer his eyes softened with gentle endearment, the more he knew there was no use in reason when it came to me and capturing silly dreams and wishes.

With an incline of his head, he turned his head back to face the road and started his motorbike with a thrilling roar. And then – he rode, we rode…faster and faster as I titled my head back in bliss and balanced my hands on his shoulders. I parted my lips, allowing the air to whistle and sing within me in this exhilarating rush. The widest smile danced across my lips as I slowly, ever so delicately slowly…raised my hands from his shoulders and outstretched them like wings. Was this what it felt like to fly? To lose oneself from all worries and thought?

Feeling the motorbike come to a gentle stop, I opened my eyes in gentle bewilderment and removed myself from his vehicle to stand in front of his bike. Resting my elbows on the handles, I laid my chin on the crossed backs of my hands and blinked with innocent mischief at him. "Are you afraid my darling?" I asked him in a whimsical way.

His face was serious, filled and painted with deep lines of concern and thoughtfulness. I wanted to smear them away, to unlock this wild creature that I knew lurked in his veins.

"For you, always." I straighten up at his words, walking to stand beside him as I held out my hand for him.

"Humor me, do something crazy." His eyes flicked to my outstretched hand as I leaned in a little closer, whispering as if it was but a bold move to speak to him. "Do something daring." And before he could reply, before he could blink or breath or even twitch…I spun away from him and ran.

I went as fast as I could, weaving in and out-between trees as the raw earth teased my feet and arms and spirit. Looking behind me, I smiled as I saw him follow – as I saw him run with a smile that mimicked my own. His honey locks swayed over his eyes as his shirt ripped with his gliding movements.

"Catch me if you can!" I called to him, turning away to focus on my running, to run faster and faster than I ever had before until a strong arm wrapped around my waist and spun me into his chest. My hands fumbled against his shirt as I laughed against him. But his arm remained around my waist and his hand grasped mine. He held my fingers lightly against his chest, caressed them as if they were made of glass until suddenly my eyes widened and before I knew it …he plucked me up into his arms as if I were a dainty doll and leapt into the water below.

The fall was short, quick and thrilling and exhilarating and…when the water claimed us, when it pushed us apart deep down into its glorious and fantastical grasp...I felt a hand tickle my feet. Opening my eyes, I looked down to see Jasper…to see him blue like moonlight and floating like feathers and milky silk. He had this smile, this smile that called on the Gods on mischief and trickery as his hand glided up my leg and dress and retrieved an object from my pocket. It was a tiny golden rose, a golden rose that he given me one charming evening to ease my sadness at the fact that flowers wilted and died. He told me it could be my enteral rose and I…I carried it everywhere. Seeing it in his fingers, my eyes widened with shy embarrassment and I lightly swayed my legs upwards so I could breath.

Tasting the air, feeling my hair stick to my face as droplets decorated my skin – I watched as he emerged and my heart, at the sight of him…pitter pattered. We did not speak as we looked at one other, as he raised both of his hands to show they were empty. I parted my lips to question the whereabouts of my rose. But before I could, he waved his hand behind my ear and retrieved it…like magic. My lips pinched upwards as a smile as big as the sun claimed me.

"Oh, my stars," I said breathlessly, trying to contain my glee and amazement. "Now was that so hard, to be a little daring… my darling enigma?"

That memory, memories of that night, of us and him flittered through my mind like a loose and daredevil rose petal in the wind as I rode home. And in that moment, I couldn't help but miss him.

The lights were dim, soft and soothing as I danced through the children's ward – my feet bare and nimble as I moved in delicate and lyrical motions to the guitar music. Jasper's strumming and plucking and sweet magic that he cast on those strings enslaved me, claimed me as its own as it moved me like I was its puppet. I smiled as I danced, as the children watched in this hypnotic way and I…I lost myself in their happiness, in the music and in him. My light pink dress moved like velvet in water around me – it's touch teasing and soft, encouraging as it moved up and down my skin as I danced. And when the music stopped – when the children clapped and begged for more, I couldn't help but steal a glance at Jasper.

When my eyes shifted towards him, my smile only grew when I found him watching me as well – his eyes deep and thoughtful and…hypnotized…as if I were a rare creature to him and in that way…so was he to me.

When I saw our house approach, I pushed aside those sweet memories – suddenly afraid that if I thought of them, of him too much – that someone would see them in my eyes. Letting my bike fall to the ground, I quietly opened the door in a timid manner and stepped into the warmth of our home. The floorboards creaked underneath my feet – announcing my presence to the mice that scuttled beneath the floorboards and to the lost spiders that found safety under our roof. Bella and Charlie were still sound asleep as I sat at the table and began to write out a new melody – my shoulders swaying to the imaginary sounds as I lost myself in creativity.

After they eventually woke and we all had breakfast together, my fingers skimmed the material of my clothes as my mind pondered on what to wear. I had always loved fashion – loved the different feels of fabric on my skin, on my eyes and heart as I drank it their beauty. Biting my lip lightly, I laid out a few options before dressing myself in the decided option. First, I wore my swimsuit – a full piece pastel blue and lilac one with pearl straps. Then, I slipped on my chosen dress – a beautiful, sweet and light blue one who's fabric moved like water and rippled in the gentlest of breezes. The sleeves were long and dainty, flowing fabric of the most beautiful blue my eyes had ever captured. And to keep warm – my bright pastel blue raincoat and lilac boots. With my hair lazy draped over both my shoulders, I placed on a lilac beanie with two poms, took my violin and headed down to meet Bella.


The water was cool and rough as it splashed against my legs and rippled around my waist. My toes – dainty and small buried themselves in the sand and seaweed and shells as I walked – walked until the water lifted me off my feet and I was but a mere daisy floating in the water. The moment we had arrived here, the moment the smell of salty water tickled my senses and heart…I knew I couldn't stay away from the water for long. The moment Bella and others departed on their hike, the magnetic pull of the water became too much to bare and in isolation…I gave myself to it. My dress floated around me as I allowed my arms and fingers to dance above my head and pull me through the water. I didn't feel scared, I did not feel nervous about what may be beneath me but more…curious.

Taking one final breath of fresh and raw oxygen, I submerged myself into the water – disappearing under the currents and waves and froth that decorated the surface of the ocean. I pushed myself deeper into that blue abyss, swimming amongst the fish and the unknown. My lungs felt sore, desperate as I refused to surface, to part from this enchanting world. But, how could I? A curious thought suddenly waltzed across my mind and teased it with the finger-tips of a trickster. What if I could breathe under water? What if my lungs gave in, surrendered to this new world bellow the sky and rocky ground?

And that was when I stopped swimming, when I closed my eyes and allowed myself to float like a sinking feather. I tried to relax, to surrender and give myself to the water but…it spat me out, refused me and I…I panicked. I couldn't breathe under water and I was so far under. Looking up, I could see the blur of sun rippling above me and kicked towards the surface. Each motion, each effort to survive, it punched and kicked and strangled my lungs and body to such an extent that when I emerged, when I was suddenly confronted with oxygen – it slammed into me. I gasped loudly as I bobbed up and down like a cork. I needed to get to land, to…my fingers were shaking, quivering and trembling as I swam and kicked and pulled myself towards land. My long hair, my dress….it dragged me down and back but no…I could make it, I could…

My eyes widened when they captured sight of something grey and mighty underneath the water and a feeling that I had not experienced since forever cut into my heart. I wanted to scream, to trash and consume myself in this dread and fear and terror that was so close to engulfing me.

Shark.

I didn't know whether to stop swimming or to race away and suddenly… I found myself unable to move – my eyes large and my lips parted as this creature swam towards me. It was my fault, I was in its territory, it's home and I…just as I was about to close my eyes, to hold my breath and await whatever fate would claim me, the shark stopped inches away from me, circling me as if it was unsure of what to do. I felt my oxygen leave me as my body sank deeper into the water until I could see its eyes and face as it swam around me. My hair danced around me seaweed as I waited and watched and pondered. It wasn't attacking me, wasn't making one aggressive move and if anything, it felt – protective. I suddenly wanted to stroke it, to caress its hard skin but I knew it foolish and I knew that although it wasn't aggressive that this could be a game and I was its mere plaything.

When my lungs began to hurt, panic threatened to consume me once more as I was afraid to move, afraid to startle it when suddenly a hand plunged into the water and grasped my floating raised hand. I wasn't sure whether to be frightened or relieved as I was pulled out of the water and onto a small boat which rocked dangerously against the light waves.

My back pressed lightly against the side of the boat as I sat with my legs pulled to my chest and droplets decorating my face. I blinked, fluttered my eyelids as I tried to clear my vision and capture sight of the person who pulled me out. Rough hands caressed my cheeks as a stream of questions was rushed my way. It was only when he said –

"Are you crazy?" My vison achieved clarity and I gazed into two dark brown eyes which were pinched in concern. Long dark brown hair framed his face and tickled my bare arms that trembled against my legs as I held them closely towards me. His hands still cupped my cheeks, as if he was searching from some grain of sanity within me.

"Aren't we all?" I replied, lightly and breathlessly as a foolish smile fluttered across my lips at what had just happened. I was alright, the shark hadn't attacked…another mystery to keep my mind enchanted, or was it just pure luck?

The boy who had pulled me out fell back as he sat casually in front of me, an arm resting against his raised knee as he shook his head at my light softness.

"Thank you." I whispered softly, seeing his body tremble with the adrenaline that must have filled him. "With my whole heart, truly."

He shook his head, "you could have been killed."

"I know, and if I was then it is my fault…not the sharks."

"Not the sharks?"

"I was in its territory, it's home. It was foolish of me to swim out so far but…" I smiled lightly as I remembered the beauty beneath the water, the way it felt against my skin and mind and soul. "It was just magnetic, so alluring that I couldn't resist her call." I looked down to my fingers, watching with delicate observation as droplets danced and rested and swirled around my skin. "I love the water, it's electric serenity and ability to surpass all attempts that we mere mortals make to describe it." I took in a deep breath, savoring the briny air that coated my tongue and…I had said mortals, no…I was no longer mortal, yet I did not want to correct myself verbally, just silently in my own conscious.

"I suppose you think you're brave don't you, not reckless or foolish?" He asked, and I suddenly did not know who to read him. He seemed mature beyond his years but still young and full of colossal potential and depth.

"Oh, my savior," I hummed, shaking my head gently, "reckless no, but foolish…as Scott Fitzgerald says – 'that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool." The waves rocked the boat in the most gentle and beautiful way, as if we were suddenly children in a cradle and the ocean were our loving parent. "What's your name?" I pondered aloud, relaxing my hold against my legs as a wash of sweet bewilderment and intrigue glazed his eyes.

"Jacob, Jacob Black." His name sounded familiar in a pleasant and happy nostalgic way yet…I couldn't place my finger on it. "Your cousin bought my dad's truck." He held out his hand for me to shake, his skin a beautiful russet-color that seemed to shine beautifully in the dimming sunlight and water's skin.

"Jacob." I repeated his name, tasting each letter, each syllable as a rush of memories soaked my mind and a radiant smile took hold of me. "We used to play together all the time and oh goodness, didn't we take horse riding lessons together when I visited?"

"That's right we did. I remember you always used to look out for me, like a little brother. So, I suppose I'm finally returning the favor." He smiled a sweet toothy grin, one that seemed to promise a life full of light and passion and excitement. With his hand still out, water-droplets falling from his skin onto the floor of the boat, I simply stared at it before flicking my eyes up to his.

"It's lovely to see you again Jacob," and before he could part his lips to voice his reply, I leaned forward and took him in my arms – my chin neatly resting on his shoulder as I soaked in his warmth and his arms wrapped around me tightly. I was tiny in his grasp, smaller than I was in Jasper's or anyone else. He was tall and strong and his hold felt like a protective bear's. I could feel his hands relax and bunch the fabric of my dress on my back, feel him sigh and breathe with sweet happiness as he whispered my name in an endearing manner.

"Willa." Pulling back, he rested his hand against my cheek before pinching my nose in a childish manner. "I've missed you."

"And I you, Jakie." I teased and ruffled his hair before he stood and offered me a helping hand to pull me to my feet. When I stood, I suddenly felt like a baby bunny in front of a fully-grown lion. He held himself in a way that I didn't remember, a way that showed strength and maturity and –

"You haven't grown one bit, have you?" He said, looking down at me with amusement.

"Height doesn't define growth, if anything it gives me a wild and beautiful advantage in life." I told him, walking to the side of the boat where I sat as he sailed us back to shore.

"Oh? And what would that be, if I dare to ask?" His hair flew in the wind as the boat glided over the water like it was its master.

"I'm afraid it's a secret that only belongs to us shorties." He released a small puff of laughter.

"So, will be riding any horses any-time soon?" He asked, and the second he mentioned it, my cheeks blushed in an embarrassed pink as I buried my face into my hands, tilting my head to the side before I peeked through the gaps in my fingers.

"If you're referring to – "

He delicately interrupted me, making my hands drop from my face as I stared at him with a wild sense of happiness, shame and nervousness. "To the time where you ran away in tears from the horses and hide behind me like a small mouse?" He titled his head to the side as a crooked grin tugged the side of his lips upwards. "Or how about the time where you attempted to mount the horse but ended up siting backwards on her? Or –"

"Jacob Black if you as so continue your tale of my disastrous and shameful history with horses then I'm, I'm…" I paused, attempting to look tough as I bit my lip and searched the boat for something to playfully threaten him with. "I'll push you into the water."

He raised an eyebrow, amused at my feeble attempt to seem tough. "Oh? And leave me to sharks?"

"I'd save you before any harm came to you." My voice suddenly fading into a light sense of seriousness and meaning as I looked at the boy who I viewed as a little brother. He had grown so much. His heart, his mind and soul and body…I took a step towards him, taking his free hand and watched as his hand engulfed mine. Flicking my gaze up to his I said softly, "I promise you."

He shook his head, mirroring my intensity and then magnifying it. "No, I promise you."


Sitting next to Bella in the driftwood circle, I sucked at my finger coated in peanut butter – the jar neatly balanced in my lap as I dove my finger back in to take another taste. The clouds seemed to now dominate the sky as we ate and talked and nestled into one another for warmth. I had placed my raincoat and beanie back on, yet shivers still rattled me as Bella and I used each other for warmth. My hair, long and wet dried slowly as I suddenly longed for a cup of hot coco, a fire and a warm snuggly blanket to read under.

Seeing Jacob sitting across from us, he offered me a warm smile before approaching both Bella and I with a relaxed walk and the intention of providing us with both some company and warmth. I felt Bella tense next to me, but Jacob's eyes didn't leave mine as he slowly unzipped his hoodie and handed it over to me in a warm gesture.

"Like I said before, I'm returning a favor." My fingers hesitated before I took his item of clothing. I wanted to refuse, to keep him warm and safe like the little brother he used to be. But as he towered over me, it was suddenly as if he was offering me no choice.

"Thank you, Jakie." I told him softly, wrapping the warm fabric around me before handing him the peanut butter. He raised an eyebrow in bewilderment before I spoke, "a comfort for a comfort."

His fingertips brushed mine as he took the jar and sat next to Bella. "Thank you, Willa. Although given how precious this is to you, I'll be careful to not eat it all." He offered me a small smile before I shook my head and he focused his attention on my darling cousin.

"You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?" He spoke softly and lightly, as if he were afraid of starling her in some way.

"Bella." She sighed and I rested my hand against hers in a soothing manner.

"I'm Jacob Black," and like he did with me on the boat, he held out his hand in a friendly gesture. "You bought my dad's truck."

I watched as Bella's eyes widened with recognition and her body relaxed against mine in relief. "Oh," she took his hand in hers and shook it quickly. "You're Billy's son. I probably should remember you."

Wanting to give them some privacy, I slowly and delicately removed myself from their discussion and walked along the beach – my feet bare as I held Jacob's hoody tightly around my tiny frame. The garment of clothing drowned me, and in that way…I adored it. His hoodie fell past my knees as I walked and day-dreamed of what lay underneath that mysterious bed of water. I wanted to swim in it once more, to taste and breathe in its salty sweetness. But I knew I shouldn't and I knew, despite the shark ignoring me, that I should not tempt the lords of the sea once more.

"I love the stars too much to be frightened by the darkness." I had told Jasper one evening as we walked through tall grass that lay vulnerable underneath the open and watchful sky. "I'm afraid I could never be frightened by it, for the darkness seems to know more of my secrets than the sun."

"I envy you." He whispered next to me, his fingers plucking a long grass up from its roots as he fiddled with it in his fingers. A feeble distraction. I stopped walking, facing him as the moonlight illuminated his and I's features.

"What do you mean my darling?" I asked, looking up at him with puzzlement. He looked ashamed, as if in that moment he wanted to turn and run. But I wouldn't let him. I couldn't. I placed my hands against the backs of his, caressing his skin as I looked up through my eyelashes to capture his averted gaze.

"I don't fear the night, or the darkness but the stars…they're watchful gaze is too heavy on my shoulders to find comfort in them." He looked down softly at me, yet his eyes – behind those golden caramel orbs was a great deal of pain. "They judge me harshly and rightly."

"Then they are blind because you," I went up on my tiptoes, placing a hand on his cheek as I seeped all my warmth into him. "Shine brighter than all the stars that have ever painted the sky." He leaned his cheek into my hand as if savoring my touch before it disappeared. "What is it that you did that makes you think the way you do?"

He suddenly stiffened, pulled away and guilt pinched and stabbed at the insides of my skin like some unruly poison. "No, that was wrong of me to ask you that." I laced my fingers with his once more. "You once told me it was not your place to ask me what caused me to announce such things to you the night I was…and so I won't with you. I promise."

I licked my lips as our eyes melted together and became one. As the stars flickered out one by one and the night sky became neither dark nor light, neither bright nor dim.

"Dance with me." His words caught me off-guard as he spoke with such an intensity that I had never heard before. "Dance with me and make me forget."

"Willa!" The sound of my name retrieved me from that memory and I suddenly missed him more, as if that uncompleted memory triggered something within me, a need to be close to him and to wander this beach with Jasper by my side as the rest of the world melted away. Craning my neck, I smiled as I saw Bella and Jacob approach me, their hands nestled in their pockets and their shoulders scrunched together to keep warm. "Jacob was just about to tell me a scary story and I was wondering if you wanted to hear it as well."

"I'm really not supposed to say anything." Jacob said, biting his lip as if he was suddenly put in an uncomfortable position. I felt sorry for him, felt his anxiousness as he leaned from one foot to the next.

"Well, I want to know." Bella chimed in, her curiosity seeping off her and into his eyes. It was as if this story held the information she needed to solve the final piece of her mystery. Her mystery…the Cullens.

"Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from – the Quileutes, I mean?" Jacob began and I instantly wanted to block out his words. If this had something to do with Jasper, with his family then shouldn't we wait until they chose to reveal it. I felt wrong, as if suddenly I was in the wrong body and place and nation. I wanted to leave, to lose myself in ignorance until Jasper decided otherwise but, Bella placed a hand on my back, encouraging me forwards as we walked along the beach and I was forced to listen.

"Not really." Bella admitted, her curiosity leaking through as she walked close to him.

"Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Flood — supposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive like Noah and the ark. Another legend claims that we descended from wolves — and that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them." When he talked, slowly and calmly and proudly, when he mentioned wolves…that pulsing intrigue within me was unlocked and set free. This was his story after all, not another's. But as he spoke, I couldn't help but wonder if he knew, if his legend of wolves somehow tied to a ledged of healers.

"Then there are the stories about the cold ones." His voice lowered as if it were a danger to simply speak the words he was about to.

"The cold ones?" Bella asked, her intrigue now fuelling my own as I remained quiet and attentive as we walked – my toes gently glided along the sand.

"Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wold legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land. He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf—well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves."

"Werewolves." I echoed him, stopping in my tracks as I suddenly gazed at him in a new and foreign way.

"Yes." He repeated, suddenly caught off guard by my intense expression. I was fascinated, beyond so as if he were but a rare and ancient thing suddenly standing before me.

"Werewolves have enemies?" Bella asked, breaking Jacob and I's gaze.

"Only one." He said looking at me hesitantly as my lips parted with fear. Monsters…they had to be what he was referring to but,

"Did, did they have any allies?" I suddenly asked softly, desperate to know but timid to show my curiosity as I kept my voice naïve and innocent.

"Only one." He repeated but his tone held no aggression or hatred or grudge. It was soft, delicate as if he held these allies in great respect…in great love. I needed to know.

"Who," I swallowed deeply, as if knowing would further cement what I was., who I am. "What were they?" I asked in a fragile manner.

He smiled fondly before he spoke a single world that offered me both a strange sense of comfort and fear. "Healers."

I sucked in my bottom lip, but before I could ask…Bella took a single step forward and parted her lips. "Healers?" She encouraged, shaking her head in innocent bewilderment.

Jacob smiled, as if all the seriousness in his voice had faded and all that was left…was a child's memory of a fairy-tale. "Legends tells it that healers are like the fairies of this earth. They are immortal, have blood that can heal any wounds or sickness and they, well let's just say that they are basically like angels – hunted angels."

"Hunted?" Bella shook her bed, "who are they hunted by?"

Jacob took in a deep breath as he lowered his voice once more. "The cold ones. According to legend, a healer's blood does not only heal any mortal wound, but it can make the cold ones stronger, stronger than any other species or resource in this world can. But what makes them most dangerous and precious for a cold one, is that if too much of a healer's blood is consumed by them… they can become human. The amount of blood depends on how long they stay that way. If they want to become human forever, then – "

"Then they would have to drain the healer completely." I finished for him, my hands quivering and shaking at my sides as suddenly I felt cold, colder than I ever had before. Memories of that dream, of what my parents went through. But what were these creatures, these monsters.

"A life for a life." Jacob nodded, taking a step towards me as if he noticed the change in me, that cool, wet and invasive fear that suffocated me. I flicked my eyes to him, smiling a false smile as I tried to sooth him, sooth myself because I knew this wasn't legend. This was real, too real.

"The cold ones are traditionally our enemies so because of that, we protect the healers. According to stories, it was said that healers and wolves developed these special bonds, not romantic or caused by imprinting but…protective. Like a sibling bond which would occur after either the wolf's first phasing or the healers." My breath hitched in my chest at his words, at the intensity of how he looked at me and in that moment, I felt more vulnerable than I ever had before. Did he know who I was, could he feel my racing heart and thunderous pulse. He swallowed deeply, "So you see, cold ones are our one and only enemy but this pack that came to our territory during my great-grandfather's time was different. They didn't hunt the way others of their kind did — they weren't supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So, my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale-faces."

"If they weren't dangerous then why?" Bella asked and I knew then that she was considering this story as real, examining and analysing it in every way she could. I took a step away from her in that moment, not wanting her eyes on me, as if she could see past my pupils and into my mind and to what I am. But she didn't, for healers and wolves didn't matter to her…simply the monsters, simply the cold ones.

"There's always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they're civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist." He gave us a playful wink but neither Bella nor I found amusement in it any longer.

"What do you mean, 'civilized'?" Bella questioned in a puzzled manner.

"They claimed that they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals instead."

"Animals." I released in a breathless gasp as memories of that deer, of those bites…I could feel my blood thicken, clot with nausea as it prickled and stung and burned. I didn't want to hear the rest of his story, I couldn't…I felt myself taking a lightheaded step back as suddenly the world became too loud, too bright.

"Yea like deer, mountain lions, bears." Jacob looked at me with delicate concern and confusion. I could see him take a step towards me, see him reach out a hand but Bella's words drew him closer to her and me - further away from everything. I always thought this story was about the Cullens but to hear it aloud….

"So, how's does it fit in with the Cullens? Are they like the cold ones your great grandfather met?" Bella asked.

"I don't fear the night, or the darkness but the stars…they're watchful gaze is too heavy on my shoulders to find comfort in them." He looked down softly at me, yet his eyes – behind those golden caramel orbs was a great deal of pain, a great deal of shame. "They judge me harshly and rightly."

He couldn't be.

And as Jacob spoke his reply….

"No, they are the same ones." As his words poisoned the air, I wanted to run, to run and swim and escape this world and dissolve into the nothingness that crafted this air. He couldn't be… "There are more of them now, a new female and a new male, but the rest are the same. In my great-grandfather's time, they already knew of the leader, Carlisle. He'd been here and gone before your people had even arrived."

"And what are they?" Bella finally asked. "What are the cold ones?"

"Your people call them vampires."


I watched numbly…silently as crimson liquid snaked around my finger and coiled around my wrist. How could such a simply thing, such a slippery and mundane thing be so alluring, so electric and mystifying in the eyes of another? Moonlight rippled against my blood, casted an intriguing shine to its already silky surface. It continued to caress and dribble down my skin like thick and deceptive water. I sat on the windowsill, my legs tight against my chest as my gaze, my mind and focus was stolen by that liquid that had rendered those to their knees, that conjured beasts and fools alike.

It twisted and twined around my hand, pitter pattered on my white night-dress as I…I tried to imagine myself as it's slave – as a slave of blood and power, a creature of unrestrained need and desire. I could smell its sweet metallic scent, it's rose-like smell that had been coated and sealed in an iron casket. But it's taste…I licked it, sucked at it as I tried, needed to know and feel and understand what was so mesmeric, so hypnotic and additive about it. Yet as it coated my lips and tongue, as it slithered down my throat and warmed my insides…. I couldn't, I couldn't comprehend.

Sighing, I fell back against the frame of the windowsill and stared up at the sky like a lost little soul. My lips were crusted with blood and my eyes – those wide and wild and curious eyes of mine were wet and salty. I couldn't swallow and breathing, it became a rather tricky and forced task. I wanted to ask a moon the question, to ask if there was anyone out there, anyone who was looking at the moon and the sky and the stars the same way I was on this frosted evening? But every time I silently asked that question, every time those words threatened to spill over those cracked and bloodied lips of mine – one set of eyes, one face and one set of hands flickered across my vision like a ghost.

Ghost.

My darling enigma whose cloak had fallen and what lay beneath, I was not sure if my mind could believe it. He did not look like a monster, did not sound like one nor touch another like one. He was so gentle, so delicate and…

I leaned back, slunk against the cool white panel of the windowsill as I remembered the fragile brush of his fingertips against my arms. My fingers went to that spot, traced the patches of skin where his fingers had once caressed and teased and grazed. No, it was just a story, a strange and quirky myth to scare the children and…but no.

Sliding off the windowsill, I tiptoed lightly across the room to blow out the single candle lit in my room – it's wick withering and leaning as it struggled to sustain its purpose. Jasper was different, monster or no, vampire or no – he could not be one of those creatures that spilled the blood of the innocent, that scampered across the earth and ocean like a proud demon trapped in the skin of a hypnotic angel. No, not him – he couldn't be yet…

Slipping into bed, I breathed in deeply and slowly – closing my eyes in a what I knew would be a feeble attempt to win over the Gods of dreams and bliss and forgetfulness.


As Monday, broke and chimed into its lethargic existence, as I washed and clothed and fed myself…as I looked and searched and silently pleaded to those hidden stars – he was not there. Yet – his presence that skittered and scuttled through my blood…was. As I walked the halls in isolation, as I sat in class as a silent and thoughtful thing, I could feel him. But I was not sure if it was out of need or fear, of repulsion or desire or both and all.

And as I danced in class, as I gave myself to the music and unspoken melodies of my pulse and secretive wishes and dreams – I could feel his ghostly touch on my skin, his lyrical and delicious voice that lifted me out and up and towards impossible possibilities. I needed to see him, if not to settle or shatter my curiosity and suspicions but to remove him from being a constant within and around me. Yet a part of me suddenly became to doubt if that would ever be possible.

When the sun faded away and surrendered to the moon's mighty glow – I slipped out into the night once more and a part of me wondered whether this would be the last time I would do so – the last time I would allow myself to follow that sweet and ethereal song that pulled me towards him.

My bare feet were light and nimble as I ran, ran towards those abandoned stables that had sealed and blossomed and destroyed my parent's lives. For no matter, how much they loved one another, no matter how entwined their souls became and their hearts nestled inside the other's body – it was not enough, and it never could be – not to save their lives.

My heart, once a small and dainty thing now beat thunderously inside me, as if in the next few seconds it could shatter through my ribcage and race ahead of me to find the one it sought and needed and desired. My delicate white night dress rippled around me in the breeze as my hair danced like feathers and whirling chains of petals and leaves and –

I came to a slow stop, my feet suddenly feeling every rusting leaf, every blade of grass and grain of dirt as my eyes, as my heart…

He stood with his back to me, but I knew he could hear me, could hear and feel my racing heart and flushed blood as he turned with gentle and unknowing eyes to face me. A crooked smile decorated his lips yet – when he saw me, when he looked into my eyes, looked inside me…

Everything changed.


Author's Note: Hi everyone! So there you have it! The next chapter will be Willa and Jasper's reaction which will commence the more darker, intense and heated part of the tale. So the mood will shift slightly from now on but I hope that is alright! Please review and comment and maybe guess what will happen? I love you all so and I can't wait to see what you all think!


K.C.96: Thank you so much for your review, it truly made me smile with glee! Goodness that is such a big compliment because I absolutely adore Luna! I hope you like this chapter and I can't wait to see what you think of it!

JessEwa26: Hi you! Thank you so much for your beautiful review! You are truly so sweet and kind :) There will be lots more interactions between her and the other Cullens as they each form unique and special bonds. I'm so excited to share those with you. I hope you liked this chapter and I'm so excited and intrigued to see what you think of it! Much love, Lisette

SecretNerds: Thank you so, that is so incredibly sweet of you! I truly hope you liked this chapter and I can't wait to see what you think of it!

Snow Black: N'aww thank you so much! i adore your enthusiasm and jeepers it is so inspiring and motivating to me! I'm so happy you enjoyed that chapter so and I hope you like this one equally as much or if no a little more! Her relationship between her and Carlisle will definitely be one of the stronger ones in the Cullen family so I'm very excited to explore that one more deeply! I can't wait to see what you think of this one!

Littlecosma001: Thank you for your review, you are truly the sweetest. Whenever I see I have a review from you I become so filled with wonderful excitement and curiosity and intrigue! I love how you try to guess what happens next and I can't wait to read your review for this chapter. I truly hope you like it! And goodness it's so hard to answer your theories without giving away spoliers but I absolutely adore them so! Thank you once more and I can't wait to see what you think of this one!

AmberinAshes: Hiya! Thank you so much! You're review was so sweet and I truly hope you love this one just as much!

BelgiumBear:Hi you! Goodness I don't even know how to thank you for your review! That was so incredibly sweet of you! I hope this chapter truly lived up to your expectations and I can't wait to see what you think!