A/n: those waiting for Jared and Kim to have their moment... it has begun :)


I ticked my pencil impatiently in every one of Twilight Kim's classes at school. If you could even call it a school. From my brief assessment, the Quileute Tribal School had about 100 students kindergarten through 12th grade, and the high school classes were all mixed grade. Jared and Paul were in a few of the classes, but I tried to avoid them all day. When I came within their vicinity I just looked down and tried to give off "I'm invisible" vibes.

Time went by so slowly and all I could think about was my ticket home and out of the Dark Mirror episode I found myself in. I knew once Anna was satisfied that there were indeed vampires in this world she would be able to help me find a new wormhole or whatever and I could get out of Twilight.


Tick. Tick. Tick.

I beat my yellow number two on the black lab desk in whatever science class I was in. All of my nerves were pleading the clock to move faster. I couldn't help myself.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

"Can you please stop ticking that fucking pencil? You've been nonstop all day, Kim. It sounds like you're beating a god damn drum in my ear." That was Paul's indelible voice that dropped with disgust. It was if he was willing me to be embarrassed or ashamed and ultimately subservient to his demands. I pursed my lips at the notion.

This guy. One minute he's nuzzling me on his lap and telling me how good he can make me feel, the next he's the incredible hulk on a angry bender. The toxic Dr. Jykell and Mr. Hyde routine was exhausting. How could Twilight Kim stand it? She couldn't have fully stood up for herself if Paul was still acting this way.

I had my share of assholes in Tampa. Usually I rolled my eyes at their antics, knowing their bullshit had more to do with them than me, but Twilight was a teen drama and this character desperately needed some growth. I snapped back and looked him dead in the eye.

"So, now you're back to being Paul the dick?" I said, not even whispering. I gained glares of few surrounding students, but I was throwing all caution to the wind. He looked at me with displeased eyes.

"This is exhausting, Paul. I don't care what's fueling your fire, and I also don't care if it's all some big act and you're really just a broken little kitten in need of love. You can't speak to me like that and expect me to cave to your Will. Stop. being. a. dick. about. everything. It's not ok to treat me like shit."

Mic dropped. Shade served. Except for the fact that class was in session and a room full of students and a teacher were staring at me.

I took the yellow number 2 in my hand and shoved it into my bun and then turned around. Willing my cheeks not to flush under the heated gaze of the room. The teacher came over to admonish us, but I heard nothing as I was slowly cognizant of a rushing wave spilling over me.

Something warm, something enveloping, something safe. I turned ever so slowly in the direction I felt this tugging to see the green glowing eyes of Jared.

Jared.

Jared had brown eyes. Always brown eyes, but I'm this moment they glowed like a bioluminescent bay. Like the northern lights. And all of me was suddenly swallowed into him, his essence, his everything. His fucking green glowing eyes.

He was leaning back with a baseball cap on. The brim cast a shadow over his face, but I could still see his glowing orbs and my whole face tingled. He popped his torso forward, almost in reaction to my reaction, still looking at me intently. There was other chatter. Maybe the teacher was still talking or maybe the other kids, or Paul, but it was all background noise. I could only focus on him and the way his eyes pierced through me, reading every part me like it was some script only he could now decode.

The bell must have rang as everyone, including the teacher, filtered out of the classroom except for the three of us. Paul's eyes ping ponged between us.

I chewed my lip feeling unsettled and confused. All of my nerves were on high alert.

Did he? Could this be…?

I wanted him to touch me. For his calloused fingers to feel my cheek and then rake them all over me, spreading warmth that I knew I would feel from his touch.

"What the fuck is going on? Jared, are you imprinting on Kim?" Paul, always so blunt.

But I already looked him in the eye. At the hospital. In my room. I mean, there were more people at a Walmart than in this school. Twilight Kim must have looked at Jared in the eye before. But this was clearly it. What else could it be. Why now? Why me? I was the other one. Not the real Kim.

Jared stared ahead at me as my mind raced. He said nothing and then absolutely everything in a narrow eyed look. My heart kicked into high gear and the fine hairs on my arms raised.

Jared must have sensed my alarm and broke our eye contact. He stood up and then swiftly grabbed my wrist, and his touch felt like the warmth of the sun was finally spread all over my body. He hastily pulled me out into the hallway and down the corridor toward the double doors.

He grunted something inaudible as we raced down the hall. I felt the heated stare of numerous teenage eyes upon us. A few of them belonging to a group of larger than average boys. The other wolves or soon to be wolves? I couldn't confirm or deny. Jared gave them a cursory nod as he slammed one of the double doors with his left hand and dragged me through it with his right.

I followed blindly like the lemming I was in that moment. In all honesty it felt so good to be near him, for him to touch me. I was really leaning into it now and every part of my body pulsed: Jared, Jared, Jared.

In the hospital I thought imprinting would be more about his affection toward me, but it wasn't that at all. It was all within me and how I felt. Full, secure, steady. I reveled in it all like a cat who had just found the best sunny patch to sit in. I brushed my forearm against his, itching for more contact.

Jared, who had said little up to this point looked back at me and assessed my state of contentment.

A sleek smile peaked out on his face and he slowly dragged his long tanned and toned forearm around my shoulder, pressing me against him. I signed in relief and then deeply inhaled at the gesture. He smelled like honey and mint and I wanted to lick his whole body.

Jesus Christ, Kim.

My whole face buzzed at that thought. He looked down at me, probably all of my internal dialogue was playing out in wildly bizarre facial expressions. A sweet chuckle came out of him, as I registered we were now outside in the parking lot in cool, wet Washington weather.

"You're fuckin' cute," he stated like it was a hard fact, his eyes glowing again. Had they ever stopped? I beamed up at him. Could I stay like this forever?

I froze. That thought scared me. What was I thinking? I was publicly cuddling with a fictional dude I knew very little about in a paranormal universe. This is not my reality at all.

I'm the other one.

His face scrunched as he peered at me, sensing some sort of mental shift within me. I tried to step back a little, even though I didn't even like the idea of it. Jared held firm.

"Jared, what…"

"Hush, baby." I was so close to him, it was if I was melting into him. I took a huge breath in.

"That's it, sweetie. Breath me in, babe. It'll make you relax, I promise." He was so confident. So immovable, even by these unbelievable circumstances.

I kept breathing in his sent and he was right, it did make me feel relaxed. I looked up at him with a sense of calm.

"You…you know.. what this is…?"

"Yeah, Kim. And you do too." I stiffened. He chuckled at my sudden rigidness and rubbed my back, gently alleviating any tension, any knots.

"You want to tell me how you know, babe? How you know what imprinting is?"

"How do you know that I…"

"Kim." He pursed his lips in admonishment. He was right that it was a stupid question. We were connected now and he could read me like a book. Sense that I somehow understood it. And it wasn't because I was so obsessed with him that I just accepted it. It was because I already knew.

But why now and not at the hospital or in my bedroom? I had no idea.

"I…" How did I tell him?

'Hi, Jared. I know we just imprinted and I know you're a wolf because I read this story already.'

Would that somehow mess everything up? Make his mind literally explode? No…no. I couldn't do it. I just had to stick with the original plan: find Anna, show her vampires, find the worm hole and leave Twilight Land. The real Kim would reappear and the imprint would hold on to her and they could face weird paranormal craziness together. Tampa Kim out.

"No." That was Jared's voice.

"Uh.. I didn't say…"

"Your whole mood shifted again and you're not doing whatever you're thinking that wants to pull you away from me right now."

"Jared, listen. I can't tell you how I know, but we can talk later. I just need to fix something first, ok? I need to find my sister and then I'll find you later. We'll work everything out." It wouldn't be "me" he'd be working it out with, it would be Twilight Kim, but he would never know.

He stared at me, his mouth and eyebrows in parallel lines, his eyes now back to brown.

He nodded, and took a small step away, the disconnect feeling like a brisk gust of wind.

It almost hurt to leave him now, but I knew I wasn't the girl he needed. I wasn't pretty enough to star in a movie, and I wasn't brave enough to face vampires. He needed the real Kim and I needed out.