CHAPTER 7: THE LA PUSH CULT

The following day Embry wasn't at school again. Quil and I barely talked at lunch, we were both too preoccupied with Embry missing. We walked home in silence and we ran into Sam and his gang once again. Sam looked like he was on his way to Embry's house, which was weird.

"Hi Jacob." Sam said, surprising the two of us.

"Sam, you're talking to us?" Quil asked surprised.

"Jacob how have you been? Feeling okay lately?" Sam asked me, ignoring Quil completely.

"Yeah, I'm fine, where are you going?" I asked.

"That's on a need to know basis." Jared said.

"If you're doing anything to Embry, I swear I'll kill you." Quil growled.

"Down boy." Paul chuckled, coming up behind Quil and patting his head.

"You have some fucking nerve." Quil growled, turning around.

"Not now boys, we have a job to do." Sam said and the other two nodded and followed him.

"See you later Jacob." Sam smiled and waved to me.

After they were good distance ahead of us, the two o f us followed closely behind them. We could care less about; Sam, Jared or Paul, but if they planned to do something to Embry it was our business. No one messed with one of us and got away with it. As we both assumed, the trio entered Embry's house and his mother looked relieved and hugged Sam in relief. The two of us growled at the same time.

"Hey guys wait up!" a voice called and we both jumped.

We turned around to see Seth Clearwater behind us. The two of us were crouched in a patch of bushes by Embry's house.

"Is Quil o…." Seth stopped talking as Quil covered his mouth and shoved him into the bushes.

"Shut up!" Quil hissed.

"Sorry." Seth said meekly.

"Seth, what are you doing here?" I asked him, pissed off.

"You guys walked by my house and then you turned around to follow Sam. I wanted to know what was going on. So is Embry sick now too?" he asked.

"Yeah." I sighed, looking down.

"I'm sorry." Seth said patting my back.

Suddenly the silence was shattered by a scream coming from Embry's house and we all ran over to the window. Similar to how Jared had described Paul; Embry was shaking, sweating and screaming in agony. Sam, Paul and Jared stood around him, telling him it would all be okay.

"No, he 's got Embry." Quil growled trying to get up, but me and Seth held him back.

"Jake let me go I'll kill him," he growled full of rage.

"Quil I promise you we'll get Embry back, do you hear me?" I asked grabbing him by shoulders.

"Bro, you've gotta calm down." Seth said, trying to help.

"Fine." Quil sighed and stormed off into the woods.

"Should we go after him?" Seth asked me.

"No, he needs to cool off and be by himself." I said.

"Let's get out of here." I told Seth and we left our hiding spot.

Bella called and told me, she had to work a shift for something at work and we couldn't get together today. I told her it was fine and I'd see the next day.

Concerned about Embry I called his house. I wanted to make sure he was okay. Ms. Call answered the phone and I asked how Embry was doing, she told me he would be in school tomorrow. I thanked her for telling me and I hung up the phone. I called Quil and gave him the good news, the two of us felt so relieved.

The next day at lunch, Quil and I eagerly awaited the site of Embry. We saw him, but our spirits dropped because he was with Paul and Jared. Quil stood up, obviously furious and I sat him back down.

"Let me talk to him first, okay Quil?" I asked.

"Fine," Quil spat.

I wearily made my way over, but suddenly stopped dead in my tracks when I got a look at Embry's face. He shot me this icy glare and a slight feeling of terror. For a moment, he looked terrified to me that was not the Embry I knew. I walked up to them anyway trying to make sense of the whole mess.

"Embry bro are you okay?" I asked, worried.

"I'm fine," he spat.

"What' s up with the attitude and why are you hanging with Jared and Paul?" I asked.

"They're cool, now leave me alone Jake." Embry said, trying to walk away.

"Embry what happened to you?" I asked.

"That's none of your business, leave," he growled.

"Leave him alone, Black. He doesn't want to be friends with you anymore." Paul growled.

"Shut up, Paul!" Quil yelled, coming up next to me.

"Ateara, leave this to the big kids." Paul chuckled.

"You think your fucking funny?" Quil asked, pushing Paul into a table.

"You little shit, you're barking up the wrong tree!" Paul yelled.

Embry and Jared grabbed Paul and got him to calm down.

"Mr. Ateara, detention for you again after school," one the teachers informed Quil.

"Paul I'll kill you!" Quil screamed at the trio, as they left.

"Are you trying to get two days?" the teacher asked him.

I walked home afterschool by myself that is until Seth joined me.

"Seth I'm not in the mood." I said acidly.

"I heard about Embry, I'm really sorry Jake." Seth said and patted my back again.

"That's not Embry." I growled.

"What?" Seth asked.

"Whatever they did to him, he's not himself. It's not Embry, I have to get him back!" I cried.

"Seth look, Bella's coming over. I'll see you later okay?" I asked and Seth nodded, leaving me alone.

An hour later I sat out front waiting for Bella. She was a little later than normal, but still she came.

"Hey, Bella." I called out to her.

Hey, Jacob," she smiled and waved to my dad in the window.

"Let's get to work." I said eagerly.

"You seriously aren't sick of me yet?" she asked.

"Nope. Not yet." I smiled.

"Please let me know when I start getting on your nerves. I don't want to be a pain."

"Okay," I laughed. "I wouldn't hold your breath for that though."

We walked into the garage and revealed to her that her bike was finished.

"Jake your amazing," she smiled.

"I get obsessive when I have a project ," I laughed. "If I had any brains I'd drag out a little bit."

"Why?" Bella asked.

I was trying to think of what to say without sounding desperate.

"Bella if I told you I couldn't fix these bikes, what would you say?" I asked.

It took her a while to answer and I grew weary.

"I would say…..that's too bad, but I'll bet we could figure out something else to do. If we got really desperate, we could even do homework," she smiled.

"So you think you'll still come over when I'm done, then?" I asked, smiling and picking up a wrench.

"Is that what you mean?" she asked shaking her head. "I guess I am taking advantage of your very underpriced mechanical skills. But as long as you let me come over, I'll be here."

"Hoping to see Quil again?" I teased.

"You caught me," she smiled.

"You really like spending time with me?" I asked amazed by the thought.

"Very, very much. And I'll prove it. I have work tomorrow, but Wednesday we'll do something nonmechanical," she smiled.

"Like what?" I asked.

"I have no idea. We can go to my place so you won't be tempted to be obsessive. You could bring your schoolwork-----you have to be getting behind, because I know I am," she laughed.

"Homework might be a good idea." I said trying not to scowl. I had, had so much of my mind lately with the situation with Embry, I had forgotten.

"Yes," she agreed. "We'll have to start being responsible occasionally, or Billy and Charlie aren't going to be so easygoing about this." She made a gesture with us as one entity and I beamed at the prospect.

"Homework once a week?" I asked.

"Maybe we better go with twice," Bella suggested.

I took out two sodas and handed one to Bella. I raised mine in a toast and she followed.

"Here's to responsibility," I toasted. "Twice a week."

"And recklessness every day in between." Bella emphasized.

Wednesday was as bad as Tuesday, Quil refused to let go of Embry being with Jared and Paul and continued to start fights, which meant I had to walk home with Seth at my ankles. On Thursday we did homework at Bella's place and when I left that night, I told her that would call and then her when to arrive. She seemed very suspicious, but I just smiled at her. Once both bikes were finished I gave Bella a call and she seemed overly excited, with a good record time she arrived at the house.

"Ready?" I asked her excited.

"Yeah," Bella said, seeming to maybe have doubts.

I loaded the bikes into the back of the truck and got in the passengers' seat.

"I know the perfect spot where no one will catch us." I smiled mischievously.

We drove south of town toward the cliff and I spotted Sam and his gang, cliff diving.

"No!" Bella shouted, stomping on the brake.

"What's wrong?" I asked suddenly alarmed.

"That guy------he just jumped off the cliff! Why didn't they stop him? We've got to call an ambulance!" she yelled, getting out of the car.

I started laughing and she starred at me, hurt and confused.

"They're just cliff diving, Bella. Recreation. La Push doesn't have a mall, you know." I laughed, teasing her.

"Cliff diving?" she asked dazed.

"Wow, it's so high," she said, sliding back into her seat. "It must be a hundred feet."

"Well, yeah most of us jump from lower down, that rock that juts out from the cliff about halfway." I said pointing out my window. "Those guys are insane. Probably showing off how tough they are. I mean, really, it's freezing today. That water can't feel good." I said making a disturbed face.

"You jump off the cliff?" she asked.

"Sure, sure." I shrugged, grinning. "It's fun. A little scary, kind of a rush."

"Jake, you have to take me cliff diving," she said, suddenly smiling.

"Bella, you just wanted me to call an ambulance for Sam." I pointed out.

"I want to try," she insisted.

"Not today, all right? Can we at least wait for a warmer day?" I asked her.

"Okay fine," she agreed. "But I want to go soon."

"Soon," I said rolling my eyes. "Sometimes you're a little strange Bella. Do you know that?"

"Yes."

"And we're not jumping of the top."

"Fine," she agreed. "Not the first time anyway."

I sighed and held my head.

"Are we gonna try out the bikes or not?" I demanded.

"Okay, okay," Bell said, climbing back in the car.

We started down the road again.

"So who were those guys--------the crazy ones?" Bella asked.

"The La Push Gang." I grumbled.

"You have a gang?" she asked, surprised.

I laughed at her shock. "Not like that. I swear, they're like hall monitors gone bad. They don't start fights, they keep the peace." I snorted, thinking of Paul. "There was this guy from up somewhere by Makah rez, big guy too, scary-looking. Well, word got around that he was selling meth to kids, and Sam Uley and his disciples ran him off our land. They're all about our land , and tribe pride ………..it's getting ridiculous. The worst part is that the council takes them seriously. Embry said that the council actually meets with Sam." I said shaking my head. "Embry also heard from Leah Clearwater that they call themselves the 'protectors' or something like that."

I was pissed just talking about them. They had taken Embry from me and I was going to get him back.

"You don't like them very much."

"Does it show?" I asked sarcastically.

"Well………….It doesn't sound like they're doing anything bad," she said. "Just sort of annoying goody-two-shoes for a gang."

"Yeah. Annoying is a good word. They're always showing off---like the cliff thing. They act like ………like, I don't know. Like tough guys. I was hanging out at the store with Embry and Quil once, last semester, and Sam came by with his followers, Jared and Paul. Quil said something you know how he's got a big mouth, and it pissed Paul off. His eyes got all dark, and he sort of smiled------no, he showed his teeth but he didn't smile----------and it was like he was so mad he was shaking or something. But Sam put his hand on against Paul's chest and shook his head. Paul looked at him for a minute and calmed down. Honestly it was like Sam was holding him back---------like Paul was about to tear us up if Sam didn't stop him." I groaned. "Like a bad western. You know Sam's a pretty big guy, he's twenty. But Paul's just sixteen, too, shorter than me and not as beefy as Quil. I think any one of us could take him."

"Tough guys," she agreed.

"Isn't Sam too old for this type of thing?" Bell asked.

"Yeah. He was supposed to go to college, but he stayed. And no one gave him any crap about it either. The whole council pitched a fit when my sister turned down a partial scholarship to get married. But, oh, no Sam Uley can do no wrong."

The more I talked about it the madder I got.

"It all sounds really annoying and………strange. But I don't get why you're taking it so personally." Bella said, staring at me.

"You missed the turn." I said calmly.

"Thanks for the heads up," she muttered angrily.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." I said, thinking about Embry again.

The car was dead silent for a moment. I kept thinking about ways I could save Embry, but nothing came to mind.

"You can stop anywhere along here," I said.

Bella stopped the truck and I unloaded the bikes without a sound.

"Happy late birthday. Are you really for this?" I smiled half heartedly.

"I think so." Bella said wearily.

"We'll take it slow ." I promised.

"Jake………"Bella asked hesitantly, as I approached her.

"Yeah?"

"What's really bothering you? About the Sam thing, I mean? Is there something else?" she asked worried.

"It's just the way they treat me. It creeps me out." I sighed. "You know, the council is supposed to made up of equals, but if there was a leader, it would be my dad. I've never been able to figure out why people treat him the way they do. Why his opinion counts the most. It's got something to do with his father and his father's father. My great-grandpa Ephraim Black, was sort of the last chief we had, and they still listen to Billy, maybe because of that."

"But I'm just like everyone else. Nobody treats me special…………………until now."

"Sam treats you special?" Bella asked.

"Yeah." I said. "He looks at me like he's waiting for something……………..like I'm going to join his stupid gang someday. He pays more attention to me than any of the other guys. I hate it."

"You don't have to join anything," Bell said, angry.

"Yeah." I said, kicking my foot against the truck tire in a rhythm.

"What?" she asked.

"It's Embry. He's been avoiding me lately."

"You've been hanging around me a lot." Bella reminded me.

"No, that's not it. It's not just me---------it's Quil, too, and everyone. Embry missed school and we weren't even allowed to see him. And when he came back, he looked…………freaked out, cold. Terrified. Quil and I both tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't talk to either one of us."

I continued to kick the tire, harder and harder, pretending it was Sam's head.

"Then of course, he's hanging out with Sam and the rest of them. He was out on the cliff today." I said tensely.

"Bella, they bugged him even more than they bother me. He didn't want anything to do with them. And now Embry's following Sam around like he's joined a cult."

"And that's the way it was with Paul. Just exactly the same. He wasn't friends with Sam at all. Then he stopped coming to school for a few days, and when he came back, suddenly Sam owned him. I don't know what it means. I can't figure it out, and I feel like I have to, because Embry's my friend and …………Sam's looking at me funny……..and……………" I trailed off, upset.

"Have you talked to Billy about this?" Bella asked.

"Yes." I snorted. "That was helpful."

"What did he say?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about now, Jacob. In a few years, if you don't…………..well, I'll explain later." I said sarcastically.

"What am I supposed to get from that? Is he trying to say its some stupid puberty, coming-of-age thing? This is something else. Something's wrong." I said biting my lip in worry.

Bella threw her arms around me to comfort me and pressed her face against my chest. I smiled at the closeness of our bodies.

"Oh, Jake, it'll be okay," she promised. "If it gets worse you can come live with me and Charlie. Don't be scarred we'll think of something!"

I froze and then wrapped my arms around her. "Thanks Bella." I smiled, trying to act happy.