A/N: I just wanted to let you know that I am overwhelmed by the amount of people who begged me to keep writing. I love you guys above and beyond. This chapter is definitely a lot shorter than usual, because I wanted to get it out and because I'm starting my exams and I haven't had a lot of time to write.

But thankfully, next week is summer and I will have all the time in the world to write for you guys! And now, what you've all been waiting for…

My cell phone rang in my pocket for the fifteenth time today.

Stupid Jared, why can't he just get the hint and leave me the hell alone? I don't want anything to do with him and his stupid mind games.

The vibrating stopped, and then picked back up again. Grumbling, I pressed the green button and held the phone to my ear. "I don't want to talk to you, Jared! Leave me alone and stop calling me!"

"Kim, come on! Just let me show you. I can prove-" I hung up the phone. I was not in the mood to deal with his whole "I'm a werewolf" scheme. Thankfully he didn't call back again and I managed to finish my homework before turning off the light and crawling into bed.

I was mentally exhausted and I was out like a light the minute my head hit the pillow.

Tap, tap, tap.

I rolled over and threw the pillow over my head, trying to drown out the familiar sound of rain falling on my window. The wind howled and I swear it sounded just like my name. "Kim!"

Oh, it was my name. Someone was at my window…

Once I was fully conscious , I rolled my eyes. Gee, I wonder who that could be. Maybe if I don't move and pretend to be asleep, he'll go away. "I know you're awake, Kim. I can see you moving." Grumbling, I shot out of bed, opened up the window and dragged him inside.

"Shut up, Jared. Do you want to wake up my whole house?" I sighed. "What do you want this time?"

"Well, I had to come here, because you wouldn't pick up my calls."

"There was a reason for that." I muttered.

Suddenly, he got down on his knees and took my hands in his. "Kim, please. You are literally killing me. Can you please just do one thing for me? Just trust me and come with me and I promise, after that, if you don't want to talk to me anymore, I will never talk to you again. I just need to show you."

I silently weighed my options. "So if I do this, you'll leave me alone for good?" He nodded. Good, because that's what I want, right? "Alright, what do you want me to do?"

"Come outside with me." And because I'm an idiot, I did.

What I saw would change my life forever.

Do you remember that saying, ignorance is bliss?

It's like that scene in the Matrix where Neo is given the choice to take the red pill or the blue pill. He knows that if he takes the red pill, he will never be able to go back into his perfectly ignorant life. He'll never be able to forget the truth. If he takes the blue pill, he can remain in the dark forever.

Of course you would want to take the red pill, right? When you're offered an opportunity to have more, isn't it human nature to want to know?

And then afterwards, I bet he wish he took the blue pill. I bet everyone wishes they chose to remain ignorant. But you can't go back after you know. You can't forget.

You can't un-see what has been seen.

"Kim?" There was a voice in my head. "Kim, wake up." A familiar voice… "Jared what happened?"

"I don't know!" He sounded panicked. "I showed her my wolf form and she just passed out!"

Another voice piped in. "Gee, Jared. You showed her your wolf form and she passed out? I wonder why." Of course that was Paul.

"She hit her head." Jared mentioned quietly. Oh, did I really? No wonder my head was throbbing. "Kim, can you hear me?"

"Mmm." I mumbled. "Where am I?"

"At Sam and Emily's house."

Sam… Who was a werewolf also? I shot up, ignoring that fact that my head felt like the Little Drummer Boy was sitting on my brain and got to my feet. "I have to go." I spat out, panicked. I made it two feet before I collapsed. Jared's warm arms caught me. "Get off of me you freak!"

"Kim please, hear me out."

"I don't want to talk to you, you lunatic! Jesus Christ you aren't even human!"

Surprisingly, he laughed. "I told you I wasn't on drugs."

"Yeah well just because you're not on crack doesn't mean that this is suddenly okay!" My heart stopped. "You… My father was killed by a wolf! Oh my God, you killed him didn't you?"

"I promise I will explain everything to you if you just sit down!"

So I sat down and Sam explained everything to me. My father was killed when he had just turned into a wolf. But not by him, not by any wolves or werewolves, he was killed by a vampire. The police blamed it on wolves, because Sam had been spotted around the area so many times around that time.

Vampires exist. Werewolves exist. Jared was a werewolf.

It was genetic, apparently. It happened to the boys who had the werewolf gene when there were vampires in the area. The Cullen's were actually vampires. The legends were real, not just a silly superstition.

"But…" I rubbed my eyes in exhaustion. "Why are you telling me this? If no one knows and no one is supposed to know, why am I allowed to know?"

Sam and Paul looked at Jared. "There's another legend that's real. There's a reason why Taha Aki loved the Third Wife more than any of his other wives. He imprinted on her."

"Am I supposed to know what that means?" I muttered.

"When you're a wolf, and you see her, you automatically know that she's the one that you're supposed to be with. She's the one that you are willing to protect no matter what and you would be anything for her. You would be her friend, her brother, her lover, anything she needed." He looked me in the eyes and I just knew what he was going to say. "I imprinted on you, Kim."

His words hit me right in the gut and tears came to my eyes. Of course, why didn't I see it before? He didn't like me, or become interested in me because I was pretty or smart or interesting. He only noticed me because some stupid gene told him to. "So, because you imprinted on me, you'll be whatever I want? Do whatever I want?"

"Yes, Kim. Anything you want."

He reached out towards me and I jerked away. "I want you to leave me alone."

"Kim, why? I don't understand…" His face was heartbroken. My stomach hurt.

"I don't want to be with you because of some stupid thing called imprinting. I've always liked you, Jared, no matter how mean you were to me and how much you ignored me. But I can't look past this, at least not yet. I can't look past the fact that you're forced to like me. It's not fair. So leave me alone. If you want me to be happy, leave me the hell alone."

I stood up to leave, and Paul offered to drive me home. "I'm so sorry." Jared whispered as I passed him, with his face in his hands. I ignored him and walked out the door and into Paul's car.

We were driving. It was three in the morning. "Kim, I know you probably don't want to hear this but hear me out okay? I like you. That may not seem like much, but I don't like anyone so it's a pretty big deal. Don't punish Jared because he was an ignorant fool before. Just look at it this way, look at the imprinting as God giving Jared a push in the right direction. Just think this through before you ban him from your life. Really think about what you want."

I couldn't think of anything to say, so I got out of the car. "Bye Paul." I whispered. "I'll see you around."

"I really hope so." Was his reply before he drove off.

A week passed. A week of being miserable. A week that consisted of getting up, going to school, coming home, going to sleep and eating if I remembered to. Seeing Jared's miserable face was just torture to my poor heart. But I knew it was just the imprinting talking, the imprinting that was making me feel this way.

Embry had disappeared. Apparently he was out with the flu, but I knew what was happening. He was turning into one of them. Poor Embry, one day he was going to fall in love with a girl who he didn't even know. I wondered to myself when it was going to happen, when he was going to change.

I got my answer on Tuesday morning, when I excused myself from class to go to the bathroom. I was walking down the hallway, minding my own business when I saw someone sitting on the ground, against the lockers, groaning. It was Embry, he looked terrible.

I immediately rushed over to him and crouched down. "Embry, can you hear me? Are you okay?" His eyes were closed and he was sweating and moaning.

"No. I shouldn't have come back, I feel awful. I guess I have the flu still. I guess it's worse than I thought." His hands were trembling with what he thought were cold chills, but I knew better.

"Stay here, I'm going to get Jared." I ran off down the hall to his class and burst through the door. The whole class's eyes shot to me, curiously. I flushed, out of breath. "Jared. Emergency. Now." He got up, worried and followed me out the door.

"Kim, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

When I heard his voice, my whole body felt so much better. Being without him hurt me more than I realized. "It's not me, it's Embry." I led him to where Embry was still curled up, shaking and sweating. "Is he going to change?" I whispered.

"Yes, it's time." Jared whispered back. "Embry man, I need you to come with me outside."

"Why?" He groaned. "I don't want to get up."

"Just trust me." Jared said, helping him to his feet and putting Embry's arm around his shoulder. "Thank you, Kim." He said to me. "Go back to class, I'll see you later."

I nodded and did what he said, sitting back in my seat quietly. I had no idea what the teacher was talking about. I was just worried about Embry.

A few days later, I was walking over to Emily's to pick up Lakota. Out on the front porch sat two figures. They were Paul and Embry. A smile immediately appeared on my face, I hadn't seen any of the "pack" since Embry had changed. "Embry!" I called out and he looked over my way and smiled right back at me.

"Hi Kim, how are you?" He asked.

I tackled him across the waist and squeezed him. "How are you holding up?"

"Better than I was, thanks. Although I could do without having to listen to Jared mope about you 24/7."

"Amen." Paul piped in gruffly and reached over to ruffle my hair. "You look like shit, still. Are you done being stubborn? Have you come here to make up with Jared yet?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "No." I snapped. "I'm here to pick up my sister. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my house before my mother gets home. Apparently she has some news that she wants to tell us."

I collected my sister and said goodbye to the boys and Emily. Thankfully Sam and Jared were not around. Apparently they were doing "patrol." I didn't know what that meant and I didn't want to. I refused to let myself care about werewolf terminology.

I opened the front door to where my mother was sitting at the table with my brother, waiting for me. I sat down with them silently. I had no idea what she was going to say, and my heart pumped anxiously. "Kimberly, as you know it's been a struggle for me to support you guys since your father died." She started off and I nodded along with her. "So I have some good news. I got a promotion."

"Wow Mom, that's great." I muttered. That just meant more shifts and less time home and more of my time spent taking care of Lakota.

"That's not all of it. I got transferred." She paused, calculating my facial expression. I left it blank. "To Portland."

"Wait, Portland as in Oregon?"

"Yes, in Oregon. And you know that my sister lives there and she just had a baby, so she's off of work and has offered to let us live there and take care of Lakota while I work and you go to school."

My head was spinning. "But Jeff's job is here. Callie is here."

"He's not coming with us, Kim. He's staying here and Callie is going to get a part time job and move in, and they're going to take care of the rent." I opened my mouth to say something but she stopped me. "Before you say anything, I want you to know that you have a choice. You can come with me and go to school in Portland or you can stay here and live with Jeff and Callie."

I stared at her. Moving away would be the perfect way to get over Jared, to get him out of my life and be free of him forever. I could start over, be someone new. I could change my whole identity.

And yet… "This is all so overwhelming." I muttered. "I need to go for a walk and think, okay?"

She gave me a surprisingly warm and understanding smile. "Take all the time you need. I don't leave until next weekend."

I put on my jacket and stepped into the nippy air. I couldn't process all this information. My mother was moving to another state, with my sister. I had the option to move with her. My brother was staying behind. My family was being split up even more.

I sat down on a large rock, a little ways off from First Beach and closed my eyes.

I felt him before I saw him, I felt his heat and to be honest, I was kind of expecting him. It seemed like every time I wanted to be alone, he showed up. "Kim, what are you doing out? It's dark." Jared said. I was quiet. "Kim? Are you okay?"

"No."

He sat down next to me and I got chills. "What's wrong?"

"My mom is moving to Portland."

He was abnormally still and silent, I couldn't even hear him breathing. "You're moving to Portland?"

"I don't know."

"But you said…"

I looked up at him. His eyes were heartbroken, he looked absolutely shattered. And I just couldn't do it. "I can't go with her. I'm staying here." It was the decision that I knew I was going to make. I already knew that I didn't want to go to Portland. Not only was La Push my home, but it was where all my memories were, all my friends. "I can't leave you." I whispered.

It was true. No matter what kind of freaky supernatural thing it was that was making me feel like this, I couldn't be away from Jared. I couldn't live my life knowing that he was with someone else, or that he was heartbroken over me.

I would live my life forever seeing him in everyone else. I didn't want to live my life missing him.

"I'm not going to force us, Kim." He whispered to me. "If you want to go to Portland to get away from me, to get away from this bond, then I have to let you go. I want you to be happy."

My harsh realization stopped my life in its tracks and completely changed its course. "I can't be happy without you, Jared."

"Don't." His voice was absolutely pained. "Don't pretend that you feel that way about me just because of the way I feel about you. Don't pretend that you're in love with me."

"But I am." I whispered. "I am in love with you Jared. I've been in love with you forever. I guess I just imprinted on you first."

His reaction was startling, because the atmosphere was so eerily silent. His booming laughter filled my ears and my heart with warmth. I hadn't heard him laugh in so long, the sound made me feel a thousand times lighter. "You are so confusing, Kim. I don't understand your train of thought one bit. I have no idea how that beautiful mind of yours works."

"Guess you're going to have to learn how to figure it out."

The smile that lit up his face was absolutely breathtaking. It was like the sun was shining at night. "So you're staying?"

"I'm staying. How could I not?" And instead of kissing me like I thought, he stroked my face with his thumb and closed his eyes. "So what does this mean for us?"

"Let me be your friend. Let me make up for all the years that I could have gotten to know you. Let me take this slowly. I want every stage with you, Kim. I want an awkward first date, kissing goodnight on the front porch, giving you my jacket and calling you the next day even though I'm technically supposed to wait three. I want to throw rocks at your window and sneak out together. I want to buy you flowers and let you know how much you mean to me, because you mean everything to me."

"Can you do one thing for me though?" I breathed. "Right now, can you forget about everything and just kiss me?"

"I've been waiting for you to ask me to kiss you for months." He replied huskily.

And he did kiss me, he kissed me and I felt it down to my toes. And I knew that I would never regret my decision to stay, I would never regret my decision to pick Jared.

Because it was fate, because it was destiny.