I knocked on Raley's large wooden door. The overgrown bushes scratched my bare legs and the prickly mat beneath my bare feet made me shift uneasily. I didn't really know why I was here. I just finished my patrol and my legs instinctively took me to her house, before I could even stop myself. For some reason there was a pulling inside me that led me to her house. I needed to talk to her for some reason, and yet I didn't even know what to say.

The door swung open and she didn't even look at me. With a firm push from one of her hands, she shoved me backwards so she could walk fully out the door. With her keys on a long chain, she whipped them around and locked her front door.

"I just wanted to stop by and-"

She interrupted me, brushing past me quickly. "I'm headed to the bank, I don't have time to talk."

She was wearing jeans. Hip huggers to be exact, and it was hard for me not to stare in the southern direction of her body. I needed to stay focused.

"But it's important.." I said as I followed her, raising my eyes to the back of her head. her long curly brown hair cascaded down her back.

I reached my hand out to grab her arm but she whipped around to face me before I could.

"You can come with if you'd like? I'm heading up to Port Angeles." She smiled one of those smiles you saw in movies, the kind of smile that you knew was forced.

I smiled a fake smile back, imitating her. "I don't think that would be the best idea in Sam's mind."

The smile quickly left her face and she shrugged. "Your decision. I'll be back around eight tonight."

I watched as she swiftly turned and walked to her parked Jaguar. I stood frozen on the driveway, trying to decide what to do. She didn't care if I came or didn't, which really irritated me. Oh what the hell?

"Wait!" I called after her and ran to get in the passenger side of the car.

She revved the engine as she started it up. "I knew you would come."

I chuckled as I admired the smooth mahgony dashboard in front of me. I ran my fingers lightly over it, wishing that I had a nice car like this one.

"It was a split decision. I don't care what Sam thinks anymore."

Suddenly I was lurched forward as she threw the car into reverse and began flying backwards down the twisting driveway. I grabbed the door handle and held on tight as she navigated swiftly backwards down the twisty driveway.

Seeing as her skill at driving was beyond superb, made me fully realize that she was more than just an ordinary werewolf. She wasn't even turned around to look behind her, just watching her rearview mirrors every once and a while. I hoped maybe this journal would give me more information about her than she would herself.

The car whipped out onto the main road and she threw the car into drive and we began to make our way down the road and to the small interstate that ran from here to Port Angeles.

I kept my eyes trained on the forest, watching for any signs of werewolves watching from the woods.

"Would you like to listen to some music?" she asked me after a while.

I shrugged. "What kind of music do you like?"

She shook her head. "I don't have favorites."

"Come on! Everybody has a favorite type of music to listen to! What do you prefer? Rock, rap, country?"

"I don't prefer any kind of music," she said sharply.

Her snap reaction made me clam it. I stared at her as she drove, her face blank with no emotion.

"Well you're not any fun," I grumbled, turning to look back out into the woods.

Suddenly the car was filled with music as she turned on the radio. It was sort of an alternative rock kind of song, one that I had heard on the radio multiple times.

I closed my eyes and imagined in my head the dreams I had the night before, the dreams about Beck, and about Cooke. With every beat of the song I heard another gun shot, another shocked whisper, another thump of the helicopter wings, and another scream of agonized pain from Cooke's corpse of a body. I winced.

"I'm sorry I'm so boring," she says quietly, interrupting my pause for thought.

I open my eyes and turn to look at her with surprise.

She chuckles quietly to herself. "It's just that I haven't had a normal conversation with someone in a long time. Especially one where I don't have to argue about anything."

"Well you certainly come off that way."

She snaps her head in my direction. "I come off as what?"

I shrugged and looked out the window again. "You just seem like the kind of person that will cut the crap and get right to the point. You don't look like the person who just openly shares stuff about their past. Either because it pains them, or they're too afraid of what someone would think of them if they knew what they did."

There's silence in the car except for the music that plays quietly in the background. I don't know if I've offended her, but I don't care enough to see the expression on her face.

"I just want to be normal," she whispers, barely audible from where I sit next to her.

There's another long silence as we drive down the road.

"You don't know how bad I just want to be able to find someone and settle down with them, build up a family, go work at an office desk for eight hours a day, come home and make dinner, tuck my children into bed... be a mother and show love for someone. Something that I never had."

I watch her face now, though her expression in forced to be blank, her knuckles grip the steering wheel tightly. She's struggling to keep her emotions in check, but I know it's hard for her.

"You can be normal," I say to her quietly. "Whatever the past has that's haunting you, you can just let it go and settle with someone who understands you. Who understands what you are."

"My past will always follow me wherever I go. I'll never be able to stop running," she replies softly, but matter-of-factly.

"Yes, of course your past will follow you, until you let it go. That's what I had to do when my mother died, I eventually got over it and moved on. That's what you have to do."

I knew bringing up my mother was a bad decision to make. Right as I said it I regretted it, because right at that instant she snapped.

"Jacob, I did things in my past that can never be forgiven, I've killed people Jake. Killed people. Lots of them. People are looking for me and they won't stop until I'm dead. Get it?" She yells, her hands shaking on her steering wheel.

I swallow. "You killed people?"

She blinks and closes her eyes for a half second longer. "I told you earlier I wasn't proud of my past. I made some wrong choices when, at that time, I thought they were right."

And once again, there's silence in the car.

We arrive at the large bank not long after our conversation. Neither of us had said a word to each other the whole trip.

"I don't have any shoes," I commented as we pulled into the parking lot.

She waved her hand in my direction as if it were nothing. "Don't worry, you won't be coming in with me. I'm the only person allowed to see into my vault."

I frowned.

"I won't be too long I promise." She whips the car into the parking space closest to the building. She grabs a thick folder from the back seat before getting out and walking briskly into the building.

And too long she was. After the first hour of staring at people coming in and out from the building, I leaned back in the chair and passed out. I felt like I hadn't slept for ages. Maybe it was the dreams I'd been having. Instead of sleeping, maybe the dreams were sapping up my sleep energy.

My short nap was interrupted by a sharp tapping on my window. I startled awake, my head hitting the top of the ceiling. I looked around desperately and then realized it was just Raley, who was standing outside my door, knocking on the tinted window. I rubbed my eyes and opened the door.

"I should have just opened the door and let you fall out," she teased, handing me a half of a sub sandwich. I gratefully took it, and that's when I realized we weren't in front of the bank, but instead in front of a small subway.

She noticed my gaze and turned around to look in my direction. "Yeah, you were pretty much knocked out. Haven't gotten much sleep lately I presume?"

I ran the back of my hand over my head as if I was wiping sweat off my forehead. It was something I didn't normally do, something that when I realized what I was doing I stopped slightly in confusion. I didn't even notice Raley had gotten quite pale.

"I don't know, ever since that red headed vampire kept showing up, our patrols have been constant."

She doesn't say anything I watch her as she seems to stare off slightly into space.

"Raley?"

She quickly shook her head as if she had brushed the thought away. "Right, of course. Vampires. A bit annoying aren't they?"

I took a large bite of my sandwich. "Thanks by the way, I was starving."

Raley laughed, and it was genuine. "Hasn't your mother ever taught you not to talk with your mouth full?"

We're laughing about and Raley looks around and spots something that suddenly makes her laugh seem more forced.

"Why don't we take a walk?" she says, still with her forced laughter.

I stop laughing. I let the smile fall from my lips. "What?"

"There are some shoes in the back. Put them on. We're going to take a walk."

I don't object. There's something about the way she's saying it, as if inside she's screaming at me to pull on the shoes and run.

"Is it ok if I borrow this jacket too?" I ask as I reach behind me and grab the tennis shoes-which were just my size.

"Yes," she says quickly, but I can hear a slight strain in her voice. Something is definitely wrong.

I yank on the shoes and get out of the car. I pull on my jacket and shut the door just in time for her to grab my wrist and begin to pull me into a small crowd of people walking on the sidewalk. I look back to where she was staring and search the crowd of people on the other side.

In the fast pace Raley has me walking, it's hard to see everyone and evaluate each one, but I'm not too quick to notice one thing. A man with dark glasses stands across the street, so blended in with the people around him if I hadn't of had super good vision I wouldn't have noticed him. He takes of his sunglasses and right as Raley yanks me around the corner, I don't fail to notice the bright, shocking color of his eyes.

Yellow.

My heart is pounding in my chest and for a second I don't think I can breath. That was a werewolf. That was a werewolf back there.

"Raley who was that?" I ask as she yanks me down a small alley, her grip on my wrist tightening by the second.

She doesn't answer me, but keeps navigating quickly in between the trashcans. I trip over a few, sending trash all over the alley street.

"Please, Raley stop, that was a werewolf," I say more urgently this time. She yanks me into the entrance of a nearby shop and slams the door behind her, the bells on the door jingling wildly.

"Can I help you?" An elderly asian woman says as she comes out from the back.

Raley then says something desperately to her in either Chinese or Japanese, I can't tell the difference. She points to me and then to the door. The elderly woman nods and motions for us to follow her.

"You know Chinese?" I whisper to her in disbelief as once again I'm yanked behind her and into cramped room behind the counter.

"Mandarin Chinese," she corrects as the woman leads us back farther until we reach a small exit door.

Raley says something else to her and lets go of my wrist to place her hands together and bow politely. The woman does as well, then brushes past us to back to the front of the store.

"We'll stay in here for another five minutes then head across the way and into the back of this store. I don't think he'll follow us in there."

I shook my head and closed my eyes. "Wait wait wait, can you please inform me who he is?"

"The werewolf you saw across the street."

"Well I knew that! What I'm wondering is why he's chasing us?"

She shakes her head. "He's not chasing us, he's following us."

I throw my hands in the air. "Whatever it is he's doing, why is he doing it?"

"He might be a hunter."

"A werewolf, hunting other werewolves? I thought you guys were on the same team."

"Touche. But actually if you believe it, werewolf hunters are more common than human hunters. It's a power thing."

I look back at the front of the store but can only see the edge of the counter, which means everything up front is out of view.

We hear a dinging from the front door and Raley has my arm once again.

"Time to go."

We burst out into the alley and she walks quickly farther down the alley, busting open a door on the right and pulling us inside.

"Hey! You're not supposed to be in here!" A man says as we walk through what looks to be the back of a small bakery.

Raley ignores him and I apologize as we weave through bustling bakers carrying different pastries. We burst through the opposite door and end up back onto an open street. She suddenly turns to me, determination in her eyes.

"I want you to walk down this street. Keep your eyes down, don't look at anyone. Your disadvantage would be your height, and size for that matter, but pull your hood up, and remember, don't make any eye contact. You're going to try and blend, ok?"

She looks at me up and down with a grimace on her face. She knew as well as I did, blending in was not going to be easy.

She leans over and peers down the street.

"Ok, walk to the fourth street sign and stop. Answer your phone when I call you, ok?"

"Wait, what?" but she's disappeared with a passing crowd and I can't find her.

You're on your own now Jake, so blend.

I pull my hood up over my head and begin to walk briskly down the street, my eyes trained on the ground. I shoved my hands in my pockets and tried to keep my mind clear. At the fourth street, I was to stop and answer my phone. How did Raley know I had a phone? Logical, it was the square bulge in my pocket. But she didn't have my number?

I hoped to God whatever she had planned was going to work.

I crossed over the first street. Three more blocks to go.

I strained my ears and listened for anything suspicious and threatening. Nothing, just normal conversations with normal people...yet it didn't help the sweat that began to break on my forehead. I was supposed to be fearless, I wasn't human after all, what could scare me? Not even a vampire. But Raley was scared, and it seemed like there weren't very many things that scared Raley.

Actually I take that back. Raley wasn't scared, she was completely calm and level. She was nervous, very nervous. Probably because I was with her, and I was a major calamity.

I crossed the second street. Two more blocks.

I felt eyes on my back. Somebody was following me, I could feel it. I tried to catch the scent, or pick out a particular pair of footsteps. Nothing. But I could feel it, stronger than I ever had before.

I pushed my legs faster, my breaths coming out in short huffs. The sun was setting, I could see it ahead of me, that meant I was heading East. But had it really been that long?

My phone began buzzing in my pocket. I wasn't at the fourth street yet, I was almost to the third.

I hastily pulled my phone from my pocket and checked the caller ID. It was Sam.

God Sam, not right now.

I ignored and shoved it deeper into my pocket, pushing my legs to walk even faster. The phone buzzed again, and I checked again, the same name appearing on the screen. I felt the temptation to answer it but I didn't want to be on the phone when Raley called. So I once again ignored it.

I crossed the third street. Almost there.

Jacob.

A voice whispers my name in my head. I turn rigid and falter slightly in my step. A person brushes past me, saying something about me being in the way under his breath.

"Sorry," I mutter absently and begin walking again, trying desperately to keep my mind absolutely clear.

Jacob, I know you can here me. Stop.

I slow to a stop, pulling my head up and staring straight ahead of me, but seeing nothing.

She's lying Jacob, she's lying to you.

The voice is right by my ear and I can almost feel a body pressed against me from behind. I whip around to face him but there's no one there. In fact, there's no longer anyone on the sidewalks, and the streets are completely empty. I look around but see no one.

How can you trust her? You barely know her. You don't even know what she's done.

I spin in a full circle, panic and fear overwhelming my body.

You're all alone, Jacob. That's what she wants. She wants you to be alone... so she can take the shot.

My heart is pounding in my chest and I want to scream. I feel like I'm going crazy. All I want to do is put my hands on each side of my head and scream till my voice gives out. I feel an extreme amount of pressure and feel my legs almost begin to crumple beneath me.

There is a sudden vibration coming from my right leg and I don't know what it is.

She's going to kill you.

And then it's like I'm back in reality. I remember the phone in my pocket and I don't even check the caller ID before I answer it.

"Raley," I say, and am surprised I can get her name out.

Suddenly there are swarms of people around me again and the streets are full of cars. It was like a heavy weight had been lifted off my body and I could breathe again.

"Jacob, walk to the bench in front of you and sit down before you collapse. Wait till the bus comes and then there's going to be a black car to your left. Get in the passenger seat and duck down. But wait for the bus to get there."

She hangs up before I can say anything. I make a beeline for the bus stop.

I sit next to a man who's reading a newspaper. I keep my phone locked in an iron death grip. I have to focus and loosening my grip so the phone won't be crushed between my fingers. Nothing made sense anymore. For a second I don't even remember my name.

I hear the screeching of bus brakes as a large bus slows to a stop in front of the bench.

Go!

I hear Raley's voice in my head and I immediately get up and walk to my left, heading back down the street. I don't have to walk far. A black car sits next to the curb.

I can't get to the car fast enough.

I grab the handle and yank the door open, shoving my large body into the small black Jaguar.

As soon as I'm in Raley slams on the gas and rips out of the side street, pulling into the heavy traffic. I lean over and put my head in between my legs, trying to keep my stomach calm while she weaves wildly in and out of traffic.

"Five more minutes Jacob, hang with me," she assures as she yanks the car to the left, making my body slam against the door.

I don't know if I can last that long, I feel like my head is going to explode.

She suddenly turns on music and turns it up so it's blaring through her stereo system. It's a screaming song, and makes my ears want to bleed.

Oh Wa ahahah! It screams at me, and I grab the roots of my hair.

"Make it stop!" someone screams. It's me, but it's not my voice.

I suddenly feel this intense weight press once again down on me. Images flood in my head, death, pain, agony, and I can't make it stop. I can't even breathe anymore.

Get up, come on get down with the sickness! Open up your hate and let it flow into me!

I feel it rising. I don't know what it is but it's rising. I can't stop it. I can't stop it. It's coming. It's coming. It's coming. I'm chanting it out loud but I don't realize it.

"Jacob!" Raley screams and suddenly I snap up, screaming at the tops of my lungs. The song is just yelling words and phrases in a chaos of music. I can't take it anymore.

And then suddenly I'm floating free, I'm in the air. I can see everything but I can't see anything. It's amazing.

"Jacob, everything's ok now. Open your eyes."

The voice was an angels, filling the open space with their glorious light.

"Jacob, open your eyes, he's gone, you're ok. Jacob please open your eyes."

The angel talks softly and calmly, begging me in a non-begging way. Open my eyes, I don't even know what eyes are.

"Jacob, it's time to open your eyes. Jacob?"

I don't know how! But even as I'm thinking that I'm slowly being pulled back into reality. My eyes, they were closed, that's why it was dark. I could hear the soft hum of rubber tires on highway-like pavement. We were traveling fast but there was no more jerks and turns, we were just driving straight. It was also quiet. The screaming music had stopped, now it was just the soft tune of some slow rock.

I slowly open my eyes.

I'm leaned against the window, my body completely limp. It's dark outside, and all I can see are the white lines in the middle of the road, illuminated by the car's headlights.

"What happened?" I whisper, surprised at being able to move my lips.

"Exactly what I was afraid would happen. I thought I could protect you from him, I thought he would stop following us, but I was wrong. I'm so sorry Jacob, I shouldn't have taken you with me. It was stupid. I'm so sorry."

There's pain in her voice and I want to comfort her.

"Raley it's not your fault. What did he do to me?"

"He was a werewolf. He manipulated your fear, he was able to easily posses your mind. I tried to get to you first but he was faster. We couldn't stay together, he would have killed you quicker. God, for a second I thought I had lost you."

I shake my head and take a deep breath, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

"And what was the music for?"

"To help get him out of your head. That kind of music damages the mind, so he couldn't thrive in your head. The screaming hurts him too, don't forget that. It drives him out."

"Oh. Damn, for a second there I thought I was seriously going to die."

"He could have killed you. He was close. You have to be careful. You can't let him posses your mind so easily."

"Can you do that? Posses people's minds?"

She's silent and I know the answer.

"They're everywhere. You just have to be more careful. I was a fool to take you out into the open with me. And Sam called, he's pretty pissed. We're almost home," she says in a comforting tone, something I hadn't ever heard from her.

"You knew him, didn't you?" I whisper, peering into the dark forest that whizzed by me.

She hesitates. "I knew him a long time ago. He's good at what he does. He's dangerous, but not a very good tracker. That's why I'm not worried about it now."

I nod. "I can see that. Oh... Oh God I think I'm going to be sick."

She quickly pulls over and lets me spew my guts into the grassy shoulder. I climb back into the car a weaker man.

"Get some food, and lots of rest. You'll be a zombie tomorrow if you don't get enough rest."

We start back onto the highway and she hands me a water bottle.

"Thanks," I mutter, leaning my head against the window.

"I know what it feels like," she whispers almost to herself. "I promised myself I wouldn't get you involved and now here I am breaking my promises."

"Well if your leaving in two days then I won't have to be involved anymore."

She sighs. "That's just the thing, I'm not leaving,"

I sit up and stare at her. "What? But you heard Quil?"

"Jacob, don't lie. I know you heard our conversation after everybody was gone. I saw you in the woods."

So she had seen me. Dang, she was good.

"So? Maybe I heard just the end."

She rolled her eyes and gave me a strange look. "Whatever. But he's letting me stay because there might be another threat in the area that I can help with."

"Another threat?"

A fake smile plastered her face. "Don't worry Jacob. It doesn't concern you."

I decided not to press it. I was too tired to fight with her about it. And honestly I could care less. With what I saw today and how she handled everything, I was sure whatever threat it was she could take care of it.

We pulled off the highway and took the road that lead to La Push.

"Raley?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you tell me something about yourself that nobody else knows? Something personal? Something that isn't a lie?"

She seemed a bit taken aback at the question but she quickly regained her composure and tilted her a bit to the side, her long curly brown hair falling lightly down her shoulder.

"Something personal?"

I nodded, eager to know at least one thing of truth about her. She cleared her throat.

"My favorite kind of food is... fettucini alfredo. My favorite color is orange because it reminds me of the sunset. I've never gone to a real school and I never knew my real parents. I don't remember them at all."

There is silence in the car and it makes me smile. "Finally something true about Raley Stone."

A smile creeps on her face.

"So you like fettucini alfredo? I would have guessed you as a more, traditional american food kind of girl."

She laughs. "Hardly. I love my pasta and all it's carbs."

We laugh and she turns into Sam and Emily's driveway. I can immediately feel her tense up.

Their porch light is on and I can see movement on the inside. I knew Sam was going to be really pissed so I took deep breaths to try and calm a bit of the anger that I knew might explode once Sam started yelling at me.

Raley stopped, letting her headlights shine into their window. She leaves the car running, her yellow eyes staring into the house.

"Here you go. I'm sorry about today. Get some rest."

I get out of the car just as Sam walks out the front door, his arms crossed over his chest.

"There better be explanation for this," Sam says as I walk slowly away from Raley's car. I feel a little dizzy and stumble a bit.

Paul laughs from the porch. "Did someone have a little bit too much to drink tonight?"

"Clam it asshole. Worry about yourself," Raley snaps from behind me, putting a hand on my shoulder to help me steady myself.

Paul glares. "Hey bitch, let's not get hypocritical."

Her laugh is short and sharp. "Don't pick a fight, Paul. It get's people killed."

"That's enough," Sam says sternly, his eyes on Raley. She looks at me to make sure I'm ok and I smile lightly.

"I'll be fine, thanks."

She nods and begins to walk back to the car. Sam stares after her as if he wants to say something, but he doesn't.

"The bitch doesn't even know how to kill someone," Paul mutters, not intentionally wanting Raley to hear it.

She freezes at her door.

"Paul will you just shut up for once?" I growled, annoyed.

She snorts and turns to stare at him, half of a smile creeping across her face. "You know what Paul, I wish that was the truth."

And with that she climbs into her car and whips out of the driveway, speeding off into the distance. I watched her tail lights till they disappeared into the darkness.

"Jacob, you look like you need rest. Go home and sleep. Paul, you get extra patrol tonight so you can calm down," Sam orders walking back inside, passing Paul who is still trembling with anger.

"Chill out Paul. You let her get to you too easily."

"Shut up Jacob. You freakin' kiss the ground she walks on."

I became defensive. "No I don't. I'm just nicer to her than everybody else."

I didn't want to fight with him. So I quickly phased and began to make my way back to my house, eager for some good sleep. The events of today had worn me down to a single thread. I was surprised I could even make it home and into bed before collapsing.

Tonight there would be no dreams about Charles Anthony Beck.

Again, hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you want to hear the song that Raley played while trying to get the hunter out of Jacob's head, here's the link. .com/watch?v=Fq3QmtV8vT0 leave a review! :)