Bonfire
I awoke Friday morning feeling more optimistic than I had since before Edward left, and it didn't even bother me to think of that. Victoria had not made an appearance since the day Harry died. I was going to see my Jacob tonight. I felt lighter, like I had been dragging a very heavy suitcase through a huge airport waiting for my flight that was endlessly delayed, and last night, I had decided I didn't need to go on the trip. And furthermore, I didn't need any of the crap in the suitcase either.
Two of my teachers asked if I had done something different with my hair. "There is just something different about you Mrs. Goff had commented, in Spanish of course. Angela noticed my change of mood, but being Angela, she didn't press for details of the reason. I really liked Angela for her wonderful instincts: knowing when to speak up and when to just observe.
Newton's couldn't close early enough. I had cleared my plans with Charlie before going to bed last night. He was going to eat at the diner and turn in early; he was going fishing with Billy early Saturday morning. I hummed to myself as I vacuumed the aisles and tidied up before closing.
"You seem excited," Mike said nudging me as he passed by to return a tent to the shelf at the back of the store.
"I'm going to a bonfire tonight at La Push," I said unable to stop the broad smile that spread across my face.
"It's great to see you in such good spirits."
"Thanks Mike," I said blushing a little at his compliment. "What are you doing tonight?"
"Tyler's having a party. His parents are out of town, so it may get pretty wild," he said shaking his head. "He's a braver man than I am. My mom would kill me if she found out that I had a party while she was gone."
I could feel my smile grow wider the closer I got to La Push. I pulled up in front of Jacob's house, jumped out of my truck, and bounded to the door.
"Come on in, Bella," I heard Billy yell.
"Hey, Billy," I said smiling at him. The smile hadn't left my face all day; I was smiling at everyone. "Is Jake here or did he go on down to the beach."
"He'll be out in a minute," he said waving a hand in the general direction of Jacob's room. "He took a nap after school. I just woke him up a few minutes ago. Is Charlie ready for the morning?"
"I worked right after school, so I haven't seen him. But as of last night, he was looking forward to it," I assured him. "Are you guys going somewhere n…"
I meant to say "new", but I never got it out. Jacob bear hugged me from behind, scaring me speechless, not to mention, squeezing the air out of me making speech impossible. Aside from the lack of oxygen, his arms felt wonderful: like coming home from that long stint at the airport that I had thought about this morning.
"Hey, Bells," he said putting me back down and giving me a smile that mirrored my own. "I've missed you."
"You scared the crap out of me, Jake," I scolded him. "And you interrupted a very important conversation." I turned to Billy and in the most superior voice I could muster said, "…somewhere new?"
Billy laughed and shook his head. "Nope, same old place."
"O.K.," I said turning back to Jacob, "now we can go."
I carried a package of plastic cups and Jacob carried a large blue cooler full of ice and soda. We chatted about the past three days of school and work and patrols.
Darkness was falling as we approached the fire pit. Embry, Jared, and Quil already had the fire blazing. Leah and Seth were there along with Sam and Emily and a few other faces that I recognized, but couldn't put names with. Jacob sat the cooler down and grabbed four hot dogs from a package on a nearby picnic table.
"You want one, Bells?" he asked skewering them onto a roasting stick.
"Yes, I'm starving."
I got buns from the table and waited for Jacob to get the franks cooked to perfection, or at least edibility. Jacob ate three in the time that it took me to eat one and then went back for another round. It was good to see him laughing and horse playing with his two best friends. I knew it had been hard on him and Embry having to keep secrets from Quil, now the three of them looked a lot like they had when I first met them, taller of course, but similar.
"Hi, Bella," Leah said. "It's good to see you again."
"Hey, Leah," I said truly happy to see her too. "Where've you been?" I sat down next to her on one of the logs that were situated around the perimeter of the pit.
"I got a job at the hardware store. I've been working all sorts of crazy hours."
"Do you like it?"
She shrugged. "It pays pretty well, and I'm getting plenty of hours," she said, her tone stating that the good outweighed the bad of her current employment, at least for the time being.
"Are you saving up for something?" I asked conversationally.
"Well!" She hesitated for just a second, but ultimately deciding she would tell me. "I would like to start college in the fall."
"Really?" I asked surprised. "Where?"
"I'd like to go to Bell State in Seattle. My mom's brother owns a book store not far from there." Leah's speech pattern accelerated as she told me her plan that she had obviously put a lot more thought into than she originally had let on. "It's in an old building. He said that if I come and clean out the upstairs, I can live there for free if I want to go to school. He says there's already plumbing and electricity up there, the space just hasn't been used in years."
"That sounds like a great opportunity. Have you applied to school?"
"No," she said, looking away.
"Why not?" I nearly shouted.
"I don't know," she hedged. "I don't know anyone there. I've lived on this reservation my entire life. It's scary to think about setting out on my own."
"Your uncle is there," I pointed out.
"I know," she said, a little embarrassed that I had shot a hole in her excuse so quickly. "Have you applied anywhere yet?"
"No," I admitted.
"Why don't you apply there and maybe we could go together," she suggested.
"But I don't have an uncle willing to let me live rent free."
"I do." She paused, staring into the fire for a moment. "This could actually work. The building is huge. The apartment has to be plenty big enough for two."
"I couldn't just live off of your uncle for free," I said dismissing the suggestion, but starting to think of the logistics of it. Seattle was relatively close by. I could visit Charlie on the weekends. I could still see Jacob. I could possibly even still work at Newton's if I couldn't find a job there right away.
"Why don't we both apply," Leah started, gathered her thoughts and then continued, "and see what happens. If we both make it in, I'll talk to my uncle and we'll go from there. Deal?"
"Deal," I said, deciding that it really couldn't hurt. I hoped Bell State hadn't already closed their admissions for the fall. I had a good grade point average due to all of the effort I had put into my studies during my zombie days, and I had surprised myself with a stellar ACT score. I started to think I may have a good shot. Leah was Native American; affirmative action should be in her favor. "I'll go on-line and submit my application tomorrow morning."
"Me too."
We shook hands. "What do you plan to study?" I asked feeling like our course was already set.
"I've always been really good with numbers," she said. "I was thinking about accounting."
"What are you two so deep in conversation over?" Jacob asked plopping down on the log beside me and throwing his arm over my shoulders.
"We're plotting the best way to rid the tribe of stupidity. I'm sorry Jacob, but you will have to stop breathing now," Leah shot at him.
"It's so good to see you too, Leah. Is your pointy hat at the cleaner's?" he threw right back at her. "And the medicine man did a wonderful job removing the wart from your nose. There's only a hint of a scar."
Leah stood up and crossed her arms over her chest, but I could see a twitch of a smile at the corner of her mouth. "I think I'll go grace someone else with my presence for a while."
I looked around to see that the little gathering had grown quite a bit while we had been talking. "What was that all about?" I asked Jacob.
He boomed out a laugh that shook the entire log beneath us. "Leah and my sisters were good friends. I was the annoying little brother. We've kinda just held onto that relationship."
I was going to tell Jacob about my conversation with Leah, but just then Embry sat down on the other side of Jacob.
"I think Seth will be next, man," Embry said in a whisper. "I just shook his hand. He feels almost as hot as me."
"I wonder if any more will change," Jacob mused.
"How many were in the last pack?" I asked.
"Seven," the boys said together.
Just then, an older man cleared his throat, calling attention to himself. I noticed that Billy had joined the group too, his wheelchair perched at the edge of the clearing. Several other men and also a few women of various ages were gathered: some sitting on the logs, some sitting further back as if they were outside observers.
Jacob squeezed my shoulders and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "You'll enjoy these legends. The stories are amazing. As soon as you get past the fact that they are told by superstitious old men," he said winking at me.
We slid off of the log and leaned our backs against it. The majority of the crowd around the fire did the same thing, getting comfortable for a long sit. I scooted in front of Jacob and leaned against his massive chest. He had put on a shirt tonight, and I found for once, that I missed his bare skin. I listened to the Quileute legends and the heartbeat of my own Quileute behind me. I looked around the fire and felt a swelling in my heart as I realized that I regarded these people as my adopted family. I hoped they thought the same of me.
I have no idea how long we sat there or how many stories were told. They all started to run together. I hoped I would get the chance to hear them again sometime, because I knew I wouldn't be able to remember enough of the magnificent details. But, all too soon, the older crowd that had joined the group said it was time for them to turn in.
"You kids carry on," the story teller urged. "Don't let tired old men slow you down!"
"I'm gonna help Billy get home," Jacob said standing to go assist his father. "Do you want to walk with me?"
"Sure."
Jacob assured the crowd that we would be back shortly. He and Billy spoke of their favorite portions of the stories on the short walk back to their house. I held Jacob's arm as he pushed the wheelchair. I took a deep breath and savored the smell of the smoke from the fire mixed with the salty sea breeze.
"Do you want to take a little walk?" Jacob asked once his father was safely in the house.
"You lead. I'll follow," I said lacing my arm through his again.
He removed my hand from his elbow, placed it around his waist, and his arm around my shoulders. We walked, intertwined, in silence, listening to the sounds of the sea and the woods, and the crowd that still surrounded the fire. We ended up at our familiar piece of drift wood. Jacob sat down and patted the wood next to him. I sat somewhat facing him: our knees touching slightly. At this awkward angle, we could not keep our arms around each other, so Jacob reached for my hand and we entwined our fingers.
Jacob leaned in so our foreheads were touching. "It's so good to have you here with me, Bella."
"Jacob, I'm here with you all the time," I pointed out.
"Not enough for me," he whispered and his lips drifted forward so they brushed against mine as he completed his sentence.
My heart fluttered in my chest as the tingle that his lips had set off in mine spread throughout the rest of my body. We stayed still for just a moment our lips lightly touching; then Jacob leaned in and moved his mouth softly over mine. I reached my hand up to stroke his shoulder as I allowed the kiss to deepen.
Jacob suddenly lurched back. "I'm sorry, Bella," he said shaking his head. "You've told me and told me…"
I placed a finger over his mouth. "I'm not," I whispered. I slid my hand slowly to cup his cheek, and looking deep into his dark brown eyes, I leaned forward this time and kissed him. Our lips picked up where they had left off just moments before moving in time, together in softness. I felt Jacob's tongue run across my lower lip and I shuddered as the tingles he sent through me increased tenfold. He ran his hand through my hair and caressed the back of my neck.
All too soon, Jacob backed up ever so slightly to look at me. I didn't let the end of the magnificent kiss depress me; I knew there would be more.
"What made you change your mind, Bells," he asked me in a breathless whisper.
"I guess I finally got enough of myself back to be able to share some with you," I said smiling a little at my outward telling of an inward observation.
He moved his hand to my cheek, splaying his fingers out so he nearly cradled the whole side of my face. He watched his thumb intently as it stroked lightly across my bottom lip. "It was worth the wait," he whispered.
If you would like to read the completed version of Phases of the Moon now, visit .com. If you prefer to read them here, I will post chapters every few days.