A/N: Hey everyone, a quick warning: a rather big part of this chapter has been copied from Twilight, with some mild modifications. So hereby the disclaimer, I guess. At any rate, enjoy the chapter, and let me know what you guys think/want/wonder etc.!

*Bella's p.o.v.*

February 28th, 2005, 7:23 AM
Good morning Bella
I have become ill in the weekend and won't be able to attend school today, I am sorry…

February 28th, 2005, 7:34 AM
Ow that's too bad :/ What is it? Should I bring you your homework?

February 28th, 2005, 7:36 AM
That is kind of you – however, it is my migraine that has caught up with me again, therefore I doubt I'll be able to make any of the assignments.

February 28th, 2005, 7:36 AM
Hm. I'll take notes for you then, and ask Jess and Ange for your other subjects.
Get well soon!

March 28th, 2005, 7:38 AM
Thank you very much. Please do inform me about your day, will you? The most peculiar situations happen to take place the exact days I miss school.

February 28th, 2005, 7:41 AM
Sure, I guess, I'll warn you before calling. But I gotta go now

February 28th, 2005, 5:14 PM
You were right, it's really too bad you weren't at school today – the sun almost broke through the clouds! The teachers however were just as usual, and Lauren threw an insult to my head during lunch hour which I pretended not to hear. What is her problem? At any rate, we'll have a short government test at March 8th about paragraph three to five. And Ange and Jess have agreed to take notes, and Eric will jot down Greek. He suggested it with a little too much enthusiasm in my opinion – is it you or me? Rest well!

March 1st, 2005, 5:06 PM
Okay, so you won't believe what happened today! I still can't believe it myself. Mike AND Eric AND Tyler asked me to the Girl's Choice Prom! I was completely stunned. Tyler is that darker guy who occasionally sits with us during lunch. It was really weird, also bc it's supposed to be GIRL's choice and all…
By the way, is it okay if I call you? Do you feel well enough for that? If you don't respond then I'll just assume you're too ill to answer.

March 1st, 2005, 5:24 PM
I'm sorry I didn't respond earlier. That's quite the story, I'll take some painkillers so that you can tell me the details!

March 1st, 2005, 5:29 PM
I'll call you around 7.

That afternoon I decided to make chicken enchiladas for dinner. While I was simmering the onions and chilies, the phone rang - it was Jessica. She was jubilant; Mike had caught her after school to tell her he accepted her invitation.
"That's great Jess!" I told her while I stirred.
"I know right! I gotta go, I have to tell Angela and Lauren this! Prom's going to be great."
"If they don't have partners yet, maybe Angela could ask Eric and Lauren Tyler. They're both still available for as far as I know."
"Oh, I haven't thought of that, that's perfect! Are you sure you're not coming?" She actually sounded sincere now that she had Mike as a date.
"Yes," I persisted the lie, "I'm going to Seattle that day, remember? But anyway you guys have fun."
"Thanks – see you tomorrow in Trig!"
"Bye Jess."

After I hung up, I tried to concentrate on dinner - dicing the chicken especially; I didn't want to take a trip to the emergency room.
Charlie seemed suspicious when he came home and smelled the green peppers. I couldn't blame him - the closest edible Mexican food was probably in southern California. But he was a cop, even if just a small-town cop, so he was brave enough to take the first bite. He seemed to like it. It was fun to watch as he slowly began trusting me in the kitchen.
"Dad?" I asked when he was almost done.
"Yeah, Bella?"
"Um, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to Seattle for the day a week from Saturday... if that's okay?" I didn't want to ask permission - it set a bad precedent - but I felt rude, so I tacked it on at the end.
"Why?" He sounded surprised, as if he were unable to imagine something that Forks couldn't offer.
"Well, I wanted to get few books - the library here is pretty limited - and maybe look at some clothes." I had more money than I was used to having, since, thanks to Charlie, I hadn't had to pay for a car. Not that the truck didn't cost me quite a bit in the gas department.
"That truck probably doesn't get very good gas mileage," he said, echoing my thoughts.
"I know, I'll stop in Montesano and Olympia - and Tacoma if I have to."
"Are you going all by yourself?" he asked, and I couldn't tell if he was suspicious I had a secret boyfriend or just worried about car trouble.
"Yes."
"Seattle is a big city - you could get lost," he fretted.
"Dad, Phoenix is five times the size of Seattle - and I can read a map, don't worry about it."
"How about your friend, that girl, uh, Lewis…?"
"Avery" I helped him. "And no, she's at home with a migraine, she probably doesn't want to go."
That wasn't entirely true – migraines didn't last that long, but I didn't want her to miss the dance because of me.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
I tried to be crafty as I hid my horror. "That's all right, Dad, I'll probably just be in dressing rooms all day - very boring."
"Oh, okay." The thought of sitting in women's clothing stores for any period of time immediately put him off.
"Thanks." I smiled at him.
"Will you be back in time for the dance?"
Grrr. Only in a town this small would a father know when the high school dances were.
"No - I don't dance, Dad." He, of all people, should understand that - I didn't get my balance problems from my mother.
He did understand. "Oh, that's right," he realized.

After washing the plates I called up Avery as promised. When she picked up the phone she sounded tired.
"Hey Ave, how are you?"
"Oh, hi Bella. I am getting better, thank you." She attempted to create the impression that she was fine, but I knew better. "I think I'll be back at school the day after tomorrow, but I cannot be certain. But do tell me; what happened between you and your admirers?"
There was the should-have-expected teasing.
"Oh, not you too," I groaned. "Ugh, fine. Well, first Jess asked me if I wouldn't mind if she'd ask Mike, 'because maybe I'd wanted to ask him'. I reassured her I wasn't going to prom anyway. You know how bad dancing and me combine. Later Mike came to me, saying that he'd told Jess that he had to think about it – instead he prompted that I should ask him. I turned him down, because Jess clearly has a crush on him and she deserves him. I told him I'm going to Seattle that day, have to remember that. Then when school was over Eric was suddenly coming up to me when I was standing next to my car, and asked me straightforward if I wanted to go to prom with him, which I obviously also refused. Apparently he'd been bragging about having me as a date on the ball. Can you believe it, they think I'm something special to show around with or something! I tell you, there must be something wrong with the guys at this school."

Avery was silent for a moment.
".. so you will actually be going to Seattle that day?"
"Seriously, that's what you focus on from this all? But well, yeah, maybe get myself some books and clothes… I have some money left."
"Will your car make it?"
"Have a little faith in my car! I'll stop for gas a couple of times if I have to, it'll make it."

"Then I insist I will accompany you. Seattle is a large city, and I am sure Chief Swan would also be more at ease if he knew someone was coming with you," she pressed the matter.
"Really, you don't have to," I quickly replied. "You shouldn't miss prom because of me."
"I am certain that you will be fine, last year is not going to repeat itself, the main reason being that Ianthe is not around. You should not deny yourself the festivities."

I sighed. "Ave, I'll be fine. Oh by the way, Mike's invited me along with the others on a trip to a beach near La Push, in the Reservation. Do you want to come along?" I quickly changed the topic, hopefully she'd forget about Seattle.

Apparently I surprised her with the offer, because she sounded uncertain when she replied. "Uhm, I suppose? As long as the other people will not mind…"

"Nah, I'm sure they won't. Don't worry."

"If you say so."

"Yes, I say so. Hey, how about I come over tomorrow? To give you the notes and stuff."

"You know you are always welcome. Why don't you come immediately after school, that will be the easiest for you, won't it?"

"Ok. See you tomorrow Ave!"
"Alright, bye."

The next morning passed uneventfully. I scribbled down a note to Charlie that I was going to Avery's after school, and placed it under the TV remote: the first place he'd look when he'd get home.

It wasn't till the first class ended at school that I realized Mike wasn't sitting in his usual seat next to me. I felt a twinge of guilt. But he and Eric both met me at the door as usual, so I figured I wasn't totally unforgiven. Mike seemed to become more himself as we walked, gaining enthusiasm as he talked about the weather report for this weekend. The rain was supposed to take a minor break, and so maybe his beach trip would be possible. I tried to sound eager, to make up for disappointing him yesterday. It was hard; rain or no rain, it would still only be in the high forties, if we were lucky.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur. Jessica babbled on and on about her dance plans - Lauren and Angela had asked the other boys and they were all going together - completely unaware of my inattention. At least the rain had stopped.

I didn't realise the first bell had rung until I heard the second one, but I was lucky; Mr. Banner wasn't in the room yet when I arrived. I settled quickly into my seat, aware that both Mike and Angela were staring at me. I had extra space for my books ever since Edward Cullen – I mentally flinched at the memory of his deadly glare – had transferred to Greek. I still blamed it on myself, though I didn't know what I'd done wrong. Had he seen me stare during lunch hour that day? Avery kept assuring me that it was nothing, that I couldn't have done anything wrong, but I couldn't bring myself to believe that for some reason.

Mr. Banner came in the room then, calling the class to order. He was juggling a few small cardboard boxes in his arms. He put them down on Mike's table, telling him to start passing them around the class.

"Okay, guys, I want you all to take one piece from each box," he said as he produced a pair of rubber gloves from the pocket of his lab jacket and pulled them on. The sharp sound as the gloves snapped into place against his wrists seemed ominous to me. "The first should be an indicator card," he went on, grabbing a white card with four squares marked on it and displaying it. "The second is a four-pronged applicator -" he held up something that looked like a nearly toothless hair pick "- and the third is a sterile micro-lancet." He held up a small piece of blue plastic and split it open. The barb was invisible from this distance, but my stomach flipped.

"I'll be coming around with a dropper of water to prepare your cards, so please don't start until I get to you." He began at Mike's table again, carefully putting one drop of water in each of the four squares. "Then I want you to carefully prick your finger with the lancet..." He grabbed Mike's hand and jabbed the spike into the tip of Mike's middle finger. Oh no. Clammy moisture broke out across my forehead.

"Put a small drop of blood on each of the prongs." He demonstrated, squeezing Mike's finger till the blood flowed. I swallowed convulsively, my stomach heaving.

"And then apply it to the card," he finished, holding up the dripping red card for us to see. I closed my eyes, trying to hear through the ringing in my ears.

"The Red Cross is having a blood drive in Port Angeles next weekend, so I thought you should all know your blood type." He sounded proud of himself. "Those of you who aren't eighteen yet will need a parent's permission - I have slips at my desk."
He continued through the room with his water drops. I put my cheek against the cool black tabletop and tried to hold on to my consciousness. All around me I could hear squeals, complaints, and giggles as my classmates skewered their fingers. I breathed slowly in and out through my mouth.

"Bella, are you all right?" Mr. Banner asked. His voice was close to my head, and it sounded alarmed.
"I already know my blood type, Mr. Banner," I said in a weak voice. I was afraid to raise my head.
"Are you feeling faint?"
"Yes, sir," I muttered, internally kicking myself for not ditching when I had the chance.
"Can someone take Bella to the nurse, please?" he called.
I didn't have to look up to know that it would be Mike who volunteered.
"Can you walk?" Mr. Banner asked.
"Yes," I whispered. Just let me get out of here, I thought. I'll crawl.

Mike seemed eager as he put his arm around my waist and pulled my arm over his shoulder. I leaned against him heavily on the way out of the classroom.
Mike towed me slowly across campus. When we were around the edge of the cafeteria, out of sight of building four in case Mr. Banner was watching, I stopped.
"Just let me sit for a minute, please?" I begged.
He helped me sit on the edge of the walk.
"And whatever you do, keep your hand in your pocket," I warned. I was still so dizzy. I slumped over on my side, putting my cheek against the freezing, damp cement of the sidewalk, closing my eyes. That seemed to help a little.
"Wow, you're green, Bella," Mike said nervously.
I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to die. Or, at the very least, not to throw up.
"Come on, Bella, it's just a short distance now." Mike tugged on my arm, and with a surprising strength he lifted me and dragged me along.
I closed my eyes again and fought the nausea with all my strength, clamping my lips together.

I don't know how he opened the door while mostly carrying me, but it was suddenly warm, so I knew we were inside.
"Oh my," I heard a female voice gasp.
"She fainted," Mike brought out.

I opened my eyes. I was in the office, and Mike was helping me past the front counter toward the nurse's door. Ms. Cope, the redheaded front office receptionist, ran ahead of him to hold it open. The grandmotherly nurse looked up from a novel, astonished, as Mike set me down on the crackly paper that covered the brown vinyl mattress on the one cot.

"She's fainted," he repeated to the startled nurse. "We're blood typing in Biology."
The nurse nodded sagely. "There's always one." She turned to me. "Just lie down for a minute, honey; it'll pass."
"I know," I sighed. The nausea was already fading.
"Does this happen a lot?" she asked.
"Sometimes," I admitted. Mike still lingered around me, worried.
"You can go back to class now," she told him.

"I'm supposed to stay with her." He persisted, but the nurse sent him out.
"I'll go get you some ice for your forehead, dear," she then said to me, and then bustled out of the room.
I heard the door and opened my eyes to see the nurse with a cold compress in her hand.
"Here you go, dear." She laid it across my forehead. "You're looking better," she added.
"I think I'm fine," I said, sitting up. Just a little ringing in my ears, no spinning. The mint green walls stayed where they should.

I could see she was about to make me lie back down, but the door opened just then, and Ms. Cope stuck her head in.
"We've got another one," she warned.
I hopped down to free up the cot for the next invalid.
I handed the compress back to the nurse. "Here, I don't need this."
And then Mike staggered through the door, now supporting a sallow-looking Lee Stephens, another boy in our Biology class. I drew back against the wall to give them room, and then I spun and caught the door before it closed, darting out of the infirmary.

Mike came through the door then, carefully inspecting my face. "You look better," he stated.
"Just keep your hand in your pocket," I warned him again.
"It's not bleeding anymore," he muttered. "Are you going back to class?"
"Are you kidding? I'd just have to turn around and come back."

"Yeah, I guess... So are you going this weekend? To the beach?"
I tried to sound as friendly as possible. "Sure, I said I was in."
"We're meeting at my dad's store, at ten."

"I'll be there," I promised.
"I'll see you in Gym, then," he said, moving uncertainly toward the door.
"See you," I replied. He looked at me once more, his round face slightly pouting, and then as he walked slowly through the door, his shoulders slumped. A swell of sympathy washed over me. I pondered seeing his disappointed face again... in Gym.

I meant to sleep in that Saturday, but an unusual brightness woke me. I opened my eyes to see a clear yellow light streaming through my window. I couldn't believe it. I hurried to the window to check, and sure enough, there was the sun. It was in the wrong place in the sky, too low, and it didn't seem to be as close as it should be, but it was definitely the sun.

Clouds ringed the horizon, but a large patch of blue was visible in the middle. I lingered by the window as long as I could, afraid that if I left the blue would disappear again.

In the parking lot I recognized Mike's Suburban and Tyler's Sentra. Avery's Mustang was yet missing, which was strange. She usually was early for anything, and yesterday she'd agreed on coming. As I pulled up next to the guys vehicles, I could see the group standing around in front of the Suburban. Eric was there, along with two other boys I had class with; I was fairly sure their names were Ben and Conner. Jess was there, flanked by Angela and Lauren. Three other girls stood with them, including one I remembered falling over in Gym on Friday. That one gave me a dirty look as I got out of the truck, and whispered something to Lauren. Lauren shook out her corn silk hair and eyed me scornfully.
So it was going to be one of those days. At least Mike was happy to see me.
"You came!" he called, delighted. "And I said it would be sunny today, didn't I?"
"I told you I was coming," I reminded him.
"We're just waiting for Lee and Samantha… unless you invited someone," Mike added.
"Actually I asked Avery to come…" I admitted, hoping they would be alright with her coming along.
Mike looked slightly disappointed, but tried to hide it. "That's fine, I think."
He then changed the subject.
"Will you ride in my car? It's that or Lee's mom's minivan." "Sure."
He smiled blissfully. It was so easy to make Mike happy.
"You can have shotgun," he promised. I hid my chagrin. It wasn't as simple to make Mike and Jessica happy at the same time. I could see Jessica glowering at us now.
The numbers worked out in my favour, though. Avery did come after all, and Lee brought two extra people, and suddenly every seat was necessary. I managed to wedge Jess in between Mike and me in the front seat of the Suburban. Mike could have been more graceful about it, but at least Jess seemed appeased.
It was only fifteen miles to La Push from Forks, with gorgeous, dense green forests edging the road most of the way and the wide Quillayute River snaking beneath it twice. I was glad I had the window seat. We'd rolled the windows down — the Suburban was a bit claustrophobic with nine people in it — and I tried to absorb as much sunlight as possible.
I'd been to the beaches around La Push many times during my Forks summers with Charlie, so the mile-long crescent of First Beach was familiar to me. It was still breathtaking.
The water was dark gray, even in the sunlight, white-capped and heaving to the gray, rocky shore. Islands rose out of the steel harbor waters with sheer cliff sides, reaching to uneven summits, and crowned with austere, soaring firs.
The beach had only a thin border of actual sand at the water's edge, after which it grew into millions of large, smooth stones that looked uniformly gray from a distance, but close up were every shade a stone could be: terra-cotta, sea green, lavender, blue gray, dull gold.
The tide line was strewn with huge driftwood trees, bleached bone white in the salt waves, some piled together against the edge of the forest fringe, some lying solitary, just out of reach of the waves.
There was a brisk wind coming off the waves, cool and briny. Pelicans floated on the swells while seagulls and a lone eagle wheeled above them. The clouds still circled the sky, threatening to invade at any moment, but for now the sun shone bravely in its halo of blue sky.

We picked our way down to the beach, Mike leading the way to a ring of driftwood logs that had obviously been used for parties like ours before. There was a fire circle already in place, filled with black ashes. Eric and the boy I thought was named Ben gathered broken branches of driftwood from the drier piles against the forest edge, and soon had a teepee-shaped construction built atop the old cinders.
"Have you ever seen a driftwood fire?" Mike asked me. I was sitting on one of the bone-colored benches next to Ave; the other girls clustered, gossiping excitedly, on either side of us. Mike kneeled by the fire, lighting one of the smaller sticks with a cigarette lighter.
"No," I said as he placed the blazing twig carefully against the teepee.
"You'll like this then — watch the colors." He lit another small branch and laid it alongside the first. The flames started to lick quickly up the dry wood.
"It's blue," I said in surprise.
"The salt does it. Pretty, isn't it?" He lit one more piece, placed it where the fire hadn't yet caught, and then came to sit by me. Thankfully, Jess was on his other side. She turned to him and claimed his attention. I watched the strange blue and green flames crackle toward the sky.
For the first time since we left off from Forks Avery spoke up: "The fire is truly mesmerising, isn't it?"
I looked up at her, she was toying with the sleeves of her purple sweater, eyes fixed on the fire.
"One pro of Forks, noted," I replied, and she laughed silently.
"You forget your admirers," she teased, and I groaned.
"I count them as a very big con."

After a half hour of chatter, some of the boys wanted to hike to the nearby tidal pools. It was a dilemma. On the one hand, I loved the tide pools. They had fascinated me since I was a child; they were one of the only things I ever looked forward to when I had to come to Forks. On the other hand, I'd also fallen into them a lot. Not a big deal when you're seven and with your dad. It reminded me of Charlie's request — that I not fall into the ocean.
Lauren was the one who made my decision for me. She didn't want to hike, and she was definitely wearing the wrong shoes for it. Most of the other girls besides Angela and Jessica decided to stay on the beach as well. Avery commented that she would go with me, and so I waited until Tyler and Eric had committed to remaining with them before I got up quietly to join the pro-hiking group. Mike gave me a huge smile when he saw that I was coming.
The hike wasn't too long, though I hated to lose the sky in the woods. The green light of the forest was strangely at odds with the adolescent laughter, too murky and ominous to be in harmony with the light banter around me. I had to watch each step I took very carefully, avoiding roots below and branches above, and I soon fell behind. Eventually I broke through the emerald confines of the forest and found the rocky shore again. It was low tide, and a tidal river flowed past us on its way to the sea. Along its pebbled banks, shallow pools that never completely drained were teeming with life.
I was very cautious not to lean too far over the little ocean ponds. The others were fearless, leaping over the rocks, perching precariously on the edges.
I found a very stable-looking rock on the fringe of one of the largest pools and sat there cautiously, spellbound by the natural aquarium below me. The bouquets of brilliant anemones undulated ceaselessly in the invisible current, twisted shells scurried about the edges, obscuring the crabs within them, starfish stuck motionless to the rocks and each other, while one small black eel with white racing stripes wove through the bright green weeds, waiting for the sea to return. I was completely absorbed.
Finally the boys were hungry, and I got up stiffly to follow them back. I tried to keep up better this time through the woods, so naturally I fell a few times, though Avery caught me most of the time. Where she got the reflexes from was a mystery to me. Nevertheless I got some bruises on my palms, and the knees of my jeans were stained green, but it could have been far worse.
When we got back to First Beach, the group we'd left behind had multiplied. As we got closer we could see the shining, straight black hair and copper skin of the newcomers, teenagers from the reservation come to socialize.
Next to me Avery suddenly stopped, looking uncomfortable and.. afraid?
"It- It's getting late," she muttered, and took a step away from the fire. "I still have to finish an assignment… Perhaps it is better for me to go now." Her eyes were sharply focused on a tall, older boy. He was really closer to a man than a boy.
I frowned, this wasn't normal behaviour for her. And why would she be afraid of a couple of boys? I decided to go with it anyway. "If you think so… How will you get back?"
She waved it off, shifting her weight from side to side. "I'll ask if I can lend a car, and otherwise I'll call Dominique, she stayed home as well," she said, referring to a girl from biology.
"Alright.. See you on Monday then," I replied uncertainly, and watched her walk off to where the cars were.
The food was already being passed around, and the boys hurried to claim a share while Eric introduced us as we each entered the driftwood circle. I was the last to arrive, and, as Eric said my name, I noticed a younger boy sitting on the stones near the fire glance up at me in interest.
I sat down next to Angela, and Mike brought us sandwiches and an array of sodas to choose from, while the boy at whom Avery had stared so intensely rattled off the names of the seven others with him. All I caught was that one of the girls was also named Jessica, and the boy who noticed me was named Jacob.
It was relaxing to sit with Angela; she was a restful kind of person to be around — she didn't feel the need to fill every silence with chatter. She left me free to think undisturbed while we ate. And I was thinking about how disjointedly time seemed to flow in Forks, passing in a blur at times, with single images standing out more clearly than others. And then, at other times, every second was significant, etched in my mind.
I also overthought Ave's actions just now, she usually was the one who chivvied me to socialize.
During lunch the clouds started to advance, slinking across the blue sky, darting in front of the sun momentarily, casting long shadows across the beach, and blackening the waves. As they finished eating, people started to drift away in twos and threes. Some walked down to the edge of the waves, trying to skip rocks across the choppy surface. Others were gathering a second expedition to the tide pools. Mike — with Jessica shadowing him — headed up to the one shop in the village. Some of the local kids went with them; others went along on the hike. By the time they all had scattered, I was sitting alone on my driftwood log, with Lauren and Tyler occupying themselves by the CD player someone had thought to bring, and three teenagers from the reservation perched around the circle, including the boy named Jacob and the oldest boy who had acted as spokesperson.
A few minutes after Angela left with the hikers, Jacob sauntered over to take her place by my side. He looked fourteen, maybe fifteen, and had long, glossy black hair pulled back with a rubber band at the nape of his neck. His skin was beautiful, silky and russet-colored; his eyes were dark, set deep above the high planes of his cheekbones. He still had just a hint of childish roundness left around his chin. Altogether, a very pretty face. However, my positive opinion of his looks was damaged by the first words out of his mouth.
"You're Isabella Swan, aren't you?"
It was like the first day of school all over again. "Bella," I sighed.
"I'm Jacob Black." He held his hand out in a friendly gesture. "You bought my dad's truck."
"Oh," I said, relieved, shaking his sleek hand. "You're Billy's son. I probably should remember you."
"No, I'm the youngest of the family — you would remember my older sisters."
"Rachel and Rebecca," I suddenly recalled. Charlie and Billy had thrown us together a lot during my visits, to keep us busy while they fished. We were all too shy to make much progress as friends. Of course, I'd kicked up enough tantrums to end the fishing trips by the time I was eleven.
"Are they here?" I examined the girls at the ocean's edge, wondering if I would recognize them now.
"No." Jacob shook his head. "Rachel got a scholarship to Washington State, and Rebecca married a Samoan surfer — she lives in Hawaii now."
"Married. Wow." I was stunned. The twins were only a little over a year older than I was.

"So how do you like the truck?" he asked.
"I love it. It runs great."
"Yeah, but it's really slow," he laughed. "I was so relieved when Charlie bought it. My dad wouldn't let me work on building another car when we had a perfectly good vehicle right there."
"It's not that slow," I objected. "Have you tried to go over sixty?" "No," I admitted.
"Good. Don't." He grinned.
"So you build cars?" I asked, impressed.
"When I have free time, and parts. You wouldn't happen to know where I could get my hands on a master cylinder for a 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit?" he added jokingly. He had a pleasant, husky voice.
"Sorry," I laughed, "I haven't seen any lately, but I'll keep my eyes open for you." As if I knew what that was. He was very easy to talk with.
He flashed a brilliant smile, looking at me appreciatively in a way I was learning to recognize. I wasn't the only one who noticed.
"You know Bella, Jacob?" Lauren asked — in what I imagined was an insolent tone — from across the fire.
"We've sort of known each other since I was born," he laughed, smiling at me again.
"How nice." She didn't sound like she thought it was nice at all, and her pale, fishy eyes narrowed.
"Bella," she called again, watching my face carefully, "I was just saying to Tyler that that girl you invited has disappeared – what is her name again?" Her expression of concern was unconvincing.

"You mean the black-haired girl?" the older boy asked before I could respond, much to Lauren's irritation. His voice was very deep.

"Yes, do you know her?" she asked condescendingly, turning halfway toward him.

"She couldn't stay here," he said in a tone that closed the subject, ignoring her question.

Tyler, trying to win back her attention, asked Lauren's opinion on a CD he held. She was distracted.

I stared at the deep-voiced boy, taken aback, but he was looking away toward the dark forest behind us and then walked away from the group, towards the village. He'd said that Avery couldn't stay here, but his tone had implied something more — that she wasn't allowed; she was prohibited. It was almost a threat. His manner left a strange impression on me, and I tried to ignore it without success.

Jacob interrupted my meditation. "So is Forks driving you insane yet?"

"Oh, I'd say that's an understatement." I grimaced. He grinned understandingly.