Today's Quote:

The divorce rate between my socks is astonishing.

On the screen, Katniss ran through the woods, desperate for safety. I reached for another handful of popcorn, cramming it into my mouth. Say whatever you want, the Hunger Games were intense.

"Are you watching that again?" Dad asked, perching on the edge of the couch. He was in his full uniform, all that was missing was his gun.

"Uh-huh," I said, not taking my eyes off the screen. Dad's hand crept towards the popcorn, and I swatted it away. "Popcorn is for people who like Hunger Games," I said. "Not strange parents who find it boring."

"I don't find it boring," Dad lied. I raised an eyebrow at him, and he relented. "Fine. I just don't see the big fuss about it. If you ask me, Harry Potter? A million times better."

"And that, dearest Dad, is why you don't get any popcorn."

Dad rolled his eyes, and then leant over and kissed me on the forehead. My eyes narrowed as I watched his hands move behind his back.

"Are you stealing popcorn while pretending to love me?"

"I do love you," he said.

"It's interesting that that's the only point you deny."

Dad shrugged his shoulders before standing up. "I'm off," he said. He grabbed his gun from the table, heading out the door.

"Theft is a crime!" I shouted after him.

"Not if you're the Chief of Police!" he called back, shutting the door behind him.

I laughed, settling back on the couch to continue watching the movie. My fingers dug through the bowl of popcorn only to discover all the popped kernels had been stolen.

"How rude," I muttered. I took a handful of the seeds and held them in my hand, warming them up into they popped beautifully.

"Morgana!"

"Jesus fucking Christ!" I screamed, letting the popcorn drop to the floor. I turned around and sighed in relief. "Thank God, I thought you were Dad."

Bella shook her head. "He just drove out of the driveway," she said, her voice emotionless. I had had math teachers with more feeling than her. "I need your help."

I frowned, pushing the pause button on the remote.

"With what? If you're wondering how to better perfect your middle of the night screaming, don't worry. It's plenty loud," I said, crouching over to scoop the popcorn off the ground.

Bella just glared at me. "You know motorbikes, right?"

"Believe it or not, but after nearly three years of riding them, I know what a motorbike is."

"No, I mean, you know how to ride them."

"I literally just said I did."

Bella huffed. "I saved two motorbikes from the junkyard and I want to know if you can fix them, yes or no?"

I stared at her. "You bought two scrap metal bikes?"

"Yes. Can you fix them?"

I crossed my arms. "I mean, I could take a look at them, but I'm not a mechanic."

"They're outside."

I followed Bella out to the driveway. On the back of her truck were two rusted, dilapidated bikes.

"What am I looking at, Isabella," I sighed.

"Can they be fixed?"

"They'd cost more than they're worth," I said, trailing my fingers over the seat. Even that was broken, the leather torn in several areas. "It'll be expensive, although-" I nodded at the other bike "-this one's alright. It's an old Harly Sprint, and it looks pretty decent. It'll still be a lot to pay for a mechanic though."

If only I had Rosalie here, she would've been great at rebuilding them.

"Okay, but do you remember Jacob Black?" Bella asked. Her voice, while still flat, held a tremor of excitement I hadn't heard from her in over half a year.

"Sure," I said. I did, (vaguely), but what he had to do with this I had no idea.

"He's rebuilt cars before. If I got him the parts, would he be able to fix it?"

I took another look at the bikes. "He probably could." I paused, considering my words. "If he was to get these bikes fixed," I said slowly, biting my lip, "would I be able to use them?"

Bella almost smiled. "I need a teacher, don't I?"

I could've squealed. As much as I respected Charlie's decision to confiscate my bike, I missed it so much. I couldn't begin to explain how much I longed to be able to ride freely, so fast that the colours blurred together and I almost felt dizzy.

"I'm in, then."

The Blacks' house was vaguely familiar, a small wooden place with narrow windows, the dull red paint making it resemble a tiny barn. Jacob's head peered out of the window before we could even get out of the truck. No doubt the familiar roar of the engine had tipped him off to our approach.

He met Bella halfway to the house. "Bella!"

His excited grin stretched wide across his face, the bright teeth standing in vivid contrast to the deep russet colour of his skin. His hair was out of its usual ponytail. It fell like black satin curtains on either side of his broad face. Jacob had grown into some of his potential in the last eight months.

He'd passed that point where the soft muscles of childhood hardened into the solid, lanky build of a teenager; the tendons and veins had become prominent under the red-brown skin of his arms, his hands.

I stepped out of the truck, giving him a small smile. "Hello, Jacob," I said. The boy blushed, the red on his cheeks so bright it stood out against his dark skin. I was suddenly very annoyed I was wearing a tight singlet and high-waisted denim shorts - as much as I loved the attention, I was only here for the bikes.

"Hi, Morgana," he said nervously.

"Hey, Jacob!" Bella said, thankfully returning the attention to her. "You grew again!" she accused in amazement. He laughed, his smile widening impossibly.

"Six five," he announced with self-satisfaction, looking straight at me. I frowned, why was everyone so much taller than me? Even in heals I was a head shorter than most.

"Very impressive," I said dryly to Jacob, who seemed to grow even taller at the praise.

"Is it ever going to stop?" Bella asked in disbelief. I smiled at her. It was nice seeing her display some feeling. "You're huge."

"Still a beanpole, though." He grimaced. "Come inside!"

He led the way, twisting his hair in his big hands as he walked. He pulled a rubber band from his hip pocket and wound it around the bundle.

"Hey, Dad," he called as he ducked to get through the front door. "Look who stopped by."

Billy was in the tiny square living room, a book in his hands. He set the book in his lap and wheeled himself forward when he saw us.

"Well, what do you know! It's good to see you, Bella." He smiled at my sister before looking at me. "Morgana," he said, his voice cold.

I stopped myself from a snarky response, settling instead for a nod of acknowledgement. What was his problem?

Billy shook hands with Bella, pointedly ignoring the fact that I was there too.

"What brings you out here? Everything okay with Charlie?"

"Yes, absolutely. I just wanted to see Jacob—I haven't seen him in forever."

Jacob's eyes brightened at Bella's words. He was smiling so big it looked like it would hurt his cheeks.

"Can you stay for dinner, Bella?" Billy said. It was clear from his I wasn't invited.

"No, I've got to feed Charlie, you know."

"I'll call him now," Billy suggested. "He's always invited."

I crossed my arms, annoyed. "I do exist, you know."

"Yeah, you do," Jacob muttered, his eyes flicking across my body. I rolled my eyes.

Bella laughed to hide her discomfort. "It's not like you'll never see me again. I promise I'll be back again soon—so much you'll get sick of me."

Billy chuckled in response. "Okay, maybe next time."

"So, Bella, Morgana, what do you want to do?" Jacob asked.

"Whatever," I said.

"What were you doing before I interrupted?" Bella asked.

Jacob hesitated. "I was just heading out to work on my car, but we can do something else…"

"No, that's perfect!" Bella interrupted. "I'd love to see your car."

"Okay," he said, not convinced. "It's outback, in the garage."

Bella waved at Billy. "See you later."

I made to head out with the two, but Billy called me back. "Morgana, a word?"

I huffed but turned on my heal. "Yes?"

Billy rolled closer to me. "I know you were hanging out with the cold ones, and I also know you were dating one of them."

"Technically you're only half right," I said. Billy glared at me.

"I don't trust you. You've made friends with bloodsuckers, and-"

"So has Bella," I interrupted. "She's the one that dated one."

"Bella isn't crazy."

"I beg to differ. If anything, I'm the sane one out of the two."

"Yes," he said sarcastically. "That's why she spent her childhood in mental facilities. Oh, wait, that was you. I don't trust you, Morgana Swan. Whether you're deranged or not, you have a history of violence, and to pair that up with cold ones? I have to think about the safety of my tribe."

I clenched my hands, resisting the urge to blow up the house. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I did have a history of violence.

"Can I go now?" I asked.

"Of course. No one's stopping you," he said pleasantly, although I could hear the undertones of hate. Whatever he had heard, it must've been bad. "But remember, Morgana, we're watching."

I turned and stalked out of the house, my blood boiling. It was lucky I didn't set the house on fire, considering how pissed I was. Who was he to tell me I was crazy?

A thick stand of trees and shrubbery concealed the garage from the house. The garage was no more than a couple of big preformed sheds that had been bolted together with their interior walls knocked out. Under this shelter, raised on cinder blocks, was what looked to me like a completed automobile. I recognized it as a Volkswagen, a Rabbit, I thought.

"What'd Dad want?" Jacob asked when I entered.

"Nothing," I lied. I sat on the hood, genie style. "Bella tell you what's going on?"

"No, what's up?" he asked, looking at Bella.

"I recently acquired a couple of bikes, and they're not in the greatest condition. I wonder if you could get them running?"

"Cool." He seemed truly pleased by the challenge. His face glowed. "I'll give it a try."

I held up one finger in warning. "The thing is," I explained, "Charlie doesn't approve of me riding a motorbike. Honestly, he'd probably bust a vein in his forehead if he knew about this. So you can't tell Billy."

"Sure, sure." Jacob smiled. "I understand."

"I'll pay you," Bella continued for me. This offended him.

"No. I want to help. You can't pay me."

"Well… how about a trade, then?"

"We only need one bike between us," I said. I knew Bella loved her truck, so it was likely Bella would use it for general errands. That meant when she was out, I'd be able to use the bike. "So how about this? We'll give you the other bike, and I'll teach you how to drive in the more dangerous areas."

"Swee-eet." He made the word into two syllables.

"Wait a sec—are you legal yet? When's your birthday?" Bella asked worriedly.

"You missed it," he teased, narrowing his eyes in mock resentment. "I'm sixteen."

"Not that your age ever stopped you before," Bella muttered. "Sorry about your birthday."

"Don't worry about it. I missed yours. What are you, forty?"

Bella sniffed. "Close."

"When's yours, Morgana?"

I made a face. "A week before Christmas - everyone buys me joint presents."

Jacob laughed. I suddenly got what Bella had told me ages ago - Jacob Black was just really easy to get along with.

"We'll have a joint party to make up for it."

"Sounds like a date," Bella said.

His eyes sparkled at the word. It was good to know it wasn't just me he was lusting after.

"Maybe when the bikes are finished—our present to ourselves," I added.

"Deal. When will you bring them down?"

Bella bit her lip, embarrassed. "They're in my truck now," she admitted.

"Great." He seemed to mean it.

"Will Billy see if we bring them around?" I asked. If Dad found out I was gonna start riding again, I'd be crushed. Jacob winked at me.

"We'll be sneaky."

We eased around from the east, sticking to the trees when we were in view of the windows, affecting a casual-looking stroll, just in case. Jacob unloaded the bikes swiftly from the truck bed, wheeling them one by one into the shrubbery where I hid. It looked too easy for him, and my heart thudded — it reminded me of Emmett.

"These aren't half bad," Jacob appraised as we pushed them through the cover of the trees. "This one here will actually be worth something when I'm done—it's an old Harley Sprint."

"That one's yours, then," Bella said.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"These are going to take some cash, though," he said, frowning down at the blackened metal. "We'll have to save up for parts first."

"We nothing," Bella disagreed. "This is my crazy plan. If you're doing this for free, I'll pay for the parts."

"I don't know…" he muttered.

"I've got some money saved. College fund, you know," Bella said.

It still wowed me that in a year and a bit, that was where Bella and I would be. Assuming I got accepted and wanted to go, that was. I still had zero ideas about what I wanted to do after school.

The motorcycles didn't need to be hidden any further than simply placing them in Jacob's shed. Billy's wheelchair couldn't maneuver the uneven ground separating it from the house. Jacob started pulling the first bike—the red one, which was destined for us—to pieces immediately.

He opened up the passenger door of the Rabbit so Bella could sit on the seat instead of the ground. I continued to perch on the hood.

While he worked, Jacob chattered happily, needing only the slightest of nudges from me to keep the conversation rolling. He updated me on the progress of his sophomore year of school, running on about his classes and his two best friends.

"Quil and Embry?" Bella interrupted. "Those are unusual names."

Jacob chuckled. "Quil's is a hand-me-down, and I think Embry got named after a soap opera star. I can't say anything, though. They fight dirty if you start on their names—they'll tag team you."

"Good friends." Bella raised one eyebrow.

"No, they are. Just don't mess with their names."

Just then a call echoed in the distance. "Jacob?" someone shouted.

"Is that Billy?" Bella asked.

"No." Jacob ducked his head, and it looked like he was blushing under his brown skin. "Speak of the devil," he mumbled, "and the devil shall appear."

"Jake? Are you out here?"

The shouting voice was closer now.

"Yeah!" Jacob shouted back, and sighed.

We waited through the short silence until two tall, dark-skinned boys strolled around the corner into the shed. One was slender, and almost as tall as Jacob. His black hair was chin-length and parted down the middle, one side tucked behind his left ear while the right side swung free. The shorter boy was more burly. His white T-shirt strained over his well-developed chest, and he seemed gleefully conscious of that fact. His hair was so short it was almost a buzz.

Both boys stopped short when they saw us. The thin boy glanced swiftly back and forth between Jacob and Bella, while the brawny boy kept his eyes on me, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"Hey, guys," Jacob greeted them halfheartedly.

"Hey, Jake," the short one said without looking away from me. I had to smile in response, his grin was so impish. When I did, he winked at me. "Hi, there."

"Quil, Embry—these are my friends, Bella and Morgana."

"I wouldn't go that far," I joked, and the boys laughed.

Quil and Embry, I still didn't know which was which, exchanged a loaded look.

"Charlie's kids, right?" the brawny boy asked me, holding out his hand.

"That's right," I confirmed, shaking hands with him. His grasp was firm; it looked like he was flexing his bicep. "I'm Quil Ateara," he announced grandly before releasing my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Quil."

"Hey, girls. I'm Embry, Embry Call—you probably already figured that out, though." Embry smiled a shy smile and waved with one hand, which he then shoved in the pocket of his jeans. "I like your hair," he said nervously.

"Yeah?" I asked. He was like a little kid, easily excited and with plenty of energy. "Thanks."

"Oi, idiots!" a voice called from outside. "I thought we were playing soccer!"

Leah appeared in the doorway holding a battered ball. She looked as gorgeous as ever, and just as freakishly tall as before.

"Hey, Blue," she said, walking forward. She threw the ball at me and I caught it easily, passing it back.

"How creative," I said wryly. "'Cause I've never been called that before."

"Shut it. What are you guys doing?" She asked. She sat next to me on the car, kicking her legs over mine.

"We're going to fix up these bikes," Jacob explained inaccurately. But bikes seemed to be the magic word. Both boys went to examine Jacob's project, drilling him with educated questions.

"I almost forgot you rode," Leah said. "It's been ages since we caught up."

I nodded. "I know, it must've been terrible for you, missing out on all this," I said seriously, gesturing at myself.

She laughed loudly. "You wish," she retorted. "What's up with her?" she asked, nodding at Bella who watched with mild curiosity as Jacob explained the bike's mechanics.

"I have no idea. Six months almost, not a smile. And now suddenly she wants to become a mechanic and ride motorbikes. I'm not complaining, but..." I rolled my eyes, shrugging. "It's weird."

"Better than silence though."

"True."

I bounced the ball against her head, catching it when it came back. Leah wrestled with me over it for half a second before easily winning and holding it close to her chest.

"Woah, muscles," I said, slightly impressed. "When'd you get so strong?"

Leah shrugged. "It's like all the boys are on steroids, I had to do something to exert my dominance."

"'Something' being getting super strong, right?"

"Exactly."

The car shifted as Bella jumped out of the Rabbit. Jacob looked up, apologetic.

"We're boring you, aren't we?"

"Naw," Bella said.

"Are we going?" I asked her, disappointed. It had been fun talking to Leah, even if it was only for a little bit - I had missed her.

"I have to go cook dinner for Charlie."

I groaned loudly, laying down.

"I could just leave you here," Bella said. A small smile worked its way on her face, and her eyes gained a sparkle I hadn't seen in forever. "No promises of what happens to your copy of Hunger Games, though."

I shot straight up. "Don't you dare touch my movies," I warned, glaring at her. I pushed Leah's legs off me, patting them apologetically as I slid off the car. "See you around."

Leah smiled at me. "Duh. You can't live without me."

"That's very true," I said.

"I'll finish taking these apart tonight and figure out what more we'll need to get started rebuilding them," Jacob said. "When do you want to work on them again?"

'"Could we come back tomorrow?" Bella asked.

Quil nudged Embry's arm and they exchanged grins. Jacob smiled in delight. "That would be great!"

"If you make a list, we can go shop for parts," Bella suggested.

Jacob's face fell a little. "I'm still not sure I should let you pay for everything."

Bella shook her head. "No way. I'm bankrolling this party. You just have to supply the labour and expertise."

"That doesn't seem right," Jacob shook his head.

"Jake, if I took these to a mechanic, how much would he charge me?" Bella pointed out.

He smiled. "Okay, you're getting a deal."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Jacob."

"See ya, loser!" Leah called out after me.

"Bye, weirdo!" I called back.

As soon as we were out of sight, I heard Quil and Embry chorus, "Wooooo!" The sound of a brief scuffle followed, interspersed with an "ouch" and a "hey!"

"If either of you set so much as one toe on my land tomorrow…" I heard Jacob threaten. His voice was lost as we walked through the trees. Bella giggled quietly. The sound made my eyes widen in wonder.

She was laughing, actually laughing.

"Are you on like drugs or something?" I asked suspiciously. Bella laughed again.

"Not even," she said.

We beat Dad home. When he walked in Bella was just taking the fried chicken out of the pan and laying it on a pile of paper towels.

"Hey Dad," I said from my place up on the counter.

"Hey, Sweetheart," he said. He placed his stuff down on the table and turned around just in time to see Bella say hello and grin at him. The look on his face was priceless, shock plastered on his face.

"Hey, honey," he said, his voice uncertain. "Did you have fun with Jacob?"

Bella started moving the food to the table. "Yeah, I did."

"Well, that's good." He was still cautious. "What did you two do?"

"I hung out in his garage and watched him work. Did you know he's rebuilding a Volkswagen?"

"Yeah, I think Billy mentioned that," Dad said, sitting down.

"Thank you," he mouthed at me, while Bella dished out the dinner.

"No problem."

As always, many thanks for reading, and please leave a review. It always makes my day, and it means I can help create a better story that suits you guy's wants.

As for Billy and his hate of Morgana… I'm sorry if it seems kind of sudden/random, it was a spur of the moment decision, but I think it will help create more drama later on.

And btw, I'm like super proud of myself, two updates in less than a week? That's gotta be a first for me.

(Sorry if this was a super boring chapter, btw. I wasn't fully confident in it, so hopefully it was okay?)

Have a wonderful day, bye! xx

Binhacunha3 - Thanks

DxGRAYxMAN - Yup, you were the only one that got it. Now I have to go tease my brother about it! ;)

Eeeeaud - Carlisle is cute, yes. We'll definitely be seeing more of him in New Moon. I'm trying to very slowly bring Morgana and Bella closer, but as I said, it'll be slow. As for Bella in the know about Morgana texting Carlisle, I didn't think about that, but I'm gonna say no. Even if Morgana tried to tell Bella, it's likely Bella would shut her up as soon as the utters the word 'Cullen'.

Guest - I'm glad you're excited, lol

Lolistarkiller - I'm really sorry to hear about Bullet - I can't imagine how horrible that experience would have been. On the flip side, I'm super happy to hear that I managed to help unknowingly. Thanks for your support - I hope everything goes up for you from here on out. :)

Cl0udyth0ughts - He really is a pretty cool character, isn't he. I try to have a little bit of him in every chapter (eg. him stealing popcorn) because I feel like he deserves to be shown off as a supportive father. As for Renee, well… you'll see. Good pick up, by the way.

Brookie Twiling - I know, I both love and hate torturing my characters. It's super fun, but also I feel really bad for them. And for what Renee is doing? Well… Let's just say it's not going to be fun for Morgana. Is it weird I feel like doing an evil laugh now? Oh well, doing it anyway. Muahahaha! As for control, it'll definitely come in useful later.

Shippergirlky - Thanks