Jacob:

She didn't say a word. Her hand was as warm as I expected it to be… but I wasn't expecting to like it. The way her hand fit into mine. My heart was pounding in my chest, something that hadn't happened since….her. Since she came around.

The girl in front of me looked at me with confused and intense eyes when my jaw clamped shut with a resounding snap. All that time trying not to think about…. About Bella, and there it went. In less than 20 seconds, every thought of her rushed into my head, followed by the too familiar ache in my heart.

I focused on this girl who had recently been in the form of a wolf. It shouldn't be possible. I'd never seen her on the reserve or anywhere around La Push and Forks. So how could I have missed her? She was kind of hard to miss in a small town.

Crystal clear blue eyes stared back into mine for a moment longer before she cleared her throat and looked down, letting go of my hand. My gaze wondered up and down her body. I could tell she was well muscled and toned, her body lithe and tall. Her hair was cut short and choppy with an oddly purple tint to it…. She was beautiful, a word I had never used to described anyone but Bella.

"I, um…. I'm Caralin" she said and her voice sent a shiver down my spine. Her eyes were still cast downward.

Caralin…. Cara. This was the new girl Quil and Embry had told me about. At first, I thought they were just paranoid and had way too active imaginations, which I guess was stupid on my part. Here I am, a werewolf, saying that two other werewolves had active imaginations. I'm pretty sure even the most creative person would not have even guessed that we existed, so why couldn't a rogue wolf exist?

It was quiet for a while… but it was oddly comfortable with her. There wasn't a need to fill every silence with witty conversation. It was perfect. I suddenly wanted to know everything about her, every little detail of her life. Her favorite color, day, season, bird, tree, flower, her birthday, her greatest fear, her most prized possession… her dreams. Everything.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. The thoughts rushing through my mind were scaring me a little bit. Why did I care so much about some stranger who just happened to be a werewolf too? Every thought I'd ever had as of a year ago were of Bella. Isabella Marie Swan… even her name sent a fresh wave of pain through me.

Caralin looked up at me in surprise. Good. No point in giving her any false signs. I was in love with Bella and always will be. Why make this girl think otherwise? Why give her the same heart ache I had?

"I was going to ask you that question" she said as her blue eyes sparked.

"I have a right to be here…. What's your excuse?" My voice was flat, dull.

"Didn't know there was a law about being in a public forest… sorry for not knowing" Shoving me aside, she marched- literally stomped- through the greenery in the direction she had first come as a wolf.

I watched her walk away, a weird feeling creeping into the pit of my stomach. Guilt? No.. I'd never feel guilty. Worry? Nope, I wasn't worried that I'd never see her again. I was actually kind of relieved that I might not see her except for in class. Less of a chance I'd start thinking about her.

Then what? What could possibly be making me want to run after her, say her name? I kept my feet planted in the ground. I would not go after her. I didn't even know her! This had to stop, the feelings and thoughts rushing around inside of me. It was driving me insane.

Cara's wine colored hair bounced further and further into the distance. It felt familiar, watching her leave. Like… like watching Bella walk away for the last time. I flinched. I was driving the pack insane with the pity me thoughts. Leah was sick and tired of having thoughts of Bella kissing me in the forest that day months ago but I didn't care. Leah, and the rest of them, should stay out of my mind. Keep their own thoughts in there own heads, where they belonged.

I blinked and she was gone, all traces of her non existent. Not a sound could be heard except for my own breathing. A new feeling- as if I could take anymore- ripped through me.

A new feeling…. Like regret.

Cara:

I slammed the front behind me as it started to drizzle. I pounded up the stairs to my room and shut the door, cutting of a questioning shout from my dad.

Good. Jacob can get stuck in the rain for all I care, I thought and instantly took it back. I didn't want him stuck in the rain, even though I knew nothing about him but his stupid name.

Lying across my bed, listening to rain pick up outside, the image of his face and those dark brown eyes flickered behind my closed eyelids. My fingers had been itching to hold his hand the entire time he stood in front of me, but the moment he spoke, my fingers itched to smack him.

He didn't own the forest! I'm pretty sure nobody does! So what gives him the right to say I couldn't be there? Him and his friend… the short one… Quil! My teeth ground together as I fought back a frustrated yell.

I didn't even know what had gotten into me. Why did I care so much? So what, he was a jerk. Should have seen that coming by what he looked like. Boys like him are rarely anything but jerks. So why did it bother me so much? Why did it hurt, the way he acted?

"knock, knock" My dad said as he opened the door. Why bother knocking if you don't wait for a reply?

"What, dad?"

He shuffled around the room and came to sit next to me. My eyes were still closed so I couldn't his expression, but I'm guessing by his tone that it was worried.

"What's the matter?...did someone… see you?" He asked.

I probably should have told him… about Jacob. It seemed kind of important to mention the fact that there was another… werewolf out there, just roaming around so close to home. Instead, I found myself lying, saying no Dad, of course not. I'm more careful than I used to be.

He left me there, eyes closed, rain pattering against my window, and I tried to clear my mind.

It didn't work. I thought of school, the kids in my class and tried to attach names to faces, but the only name I could think of was Jacob. Next, I tried thinking about life in New Mexico and the people who had come close to being my friends. The only person I could remember was a boy named Josh, but that was so close to Jake, I thought of Jacob.

Sighing, I sat up and looked at my clock. Two hours had passed and all I had done was sit there and think… about Jacob. A boy I didn't know anything about except for his name and that fact that he too turned into an oversized wolf sometimes.

For the rest of the night, I busied myself with dinner and finishing up my room. I refolded everything, placed them in color order and style. I attempted to get my computer up and running and I'm pretty sure I had only managed to tangle the chords even more.

Finally, I decided to take a shower and go to bed. There was nothing I could do that didn't bring up the image of a reddish-brown wolf with eyes so sad. I even dreamed of him. He didn't say anything- thank goodness- but he just stood there, looking at me, Quil and Embry at either side of him, both of them wolves as well. The sight of them sent my dream pulse soaring but my eyes were really only focused on him, he was focused on something else. Dream me didn't want to look, I was afraid of what I'd see…

The next day the first bell rang, telling everyone to get to class. I knew where I was going this time and kept all thoughts trained on getting to L-3. It was working so well, I had completely forgotten why I had been silently dreading this class all morning.

You could only forget for so long.

I screeched to a halt in the doorway, earning a stumbling shove from the people trying to cram into the room behind me. My eyes widened and I fought to keep my expression under control.

Breathe Cam, breathe… just walk to your seat… just sit down… just-

"Looks like Jake's here today, doesn't it Cara?" I looked up at the boy named Quil and felt myself glare at him. He blinked but didn't lose his smug smile.

Jacob had been standing in the front of the room, pulling a dusty old text book down from the top shelf for Mr. Foster, and hadn't noticed me enter the room. It was just my luck that this kid had it out for me.

I opened my mouth to say something sarcastic, fully prepared to sit somewhere else anyway, when his voice cut me off.

"Shut up Quil… she can have my seat. Whatever" Jacob stood behind me but when I turned, he was already on the other side of the room, settling into a seat right in front of the door.

The sight of him sent a shiver rolling down my spine and across my skin. Why did a boy like him have this effect on me? I couldn't help it, no matter how hard I tried to think of other things. He was always there, like spam mail in my brain.

The time slipped away, class ended and by the time I made it to the hallway, he was gliding through the people to his next class.

That's a good thing, right? Him not saying anything to me and vice versa. Maybe if we just avoid each other long enough, I'll stop thinking about him all the time. Maybe I'll stop altogether.

Somehow, I highly doubted I would ever stop thinking about Jacob. Even if he never spoke to me again.