FIVE

As the weeks passed, March made room for April, bringing milder temperatures and more rain than before—if that was possible. My life became a balancing game, spending half of my time in Forks and the other half in La Push. Even Sophie noticed both me and my brother's increased absence, often making comments about where our home actually was. And while Jacob presented himself as a new, prominent figure in my life, we were always surrounded by the others, usually at Emily's house, where Kim and Emily stole me away from the boys. Jacob became a fast friend, who texted me good morning and checked up on me regularly. It crossed my mind once or twice that maybe his intentions were more than friendly, but each time I saw him face to face, he gave me nothing to base those thoughts on.

Not that I could—or wanted to—complain. Jacob was attractive, don't get me wrong, but... Well, not that he had any negatives about him, but still. I wasn't going to pine after someone with no mutual interest in me. Not that I had a crush on him. He made me laugh and his smile was super sexy and Jacob seemed to genuinely care about me, but—

Never mind.

Theo appeared to be going through his own self-transformation. He spent more time at Tyler's house than at home, and the only times I saw him were when we went to school together in the morning. Despite that I was glad he had new friends, he'd become even quieter, distant, and brooding than before we moved here. In fact, it was a point of conversation I planned on asking Jacob about the next time I saw him. I knew that their circles mixed, that Theo was hanging out with the other boys as well as Jared's little brother.

Even Sophie and Dominic noticed the changes, and made it known to me one early Thursday morning at breakfast.

"He's barely said three words to me all week," worried Sophie, her voice hushed. Theo was upstairs, getting ready for school.

I swallowed a spoonful of cereal before responding. "I don't know what's going on. But the guys are cool, trust me. They're good for him. I think he's just going through puberty or something."

"Yeah, I think he grew a few inches. Did you guys notice?" Dominic said by way of joining in the conversation, pouring himself a cup of freshly made coffee. The strong aroma of caffeine hung in the kitchen.

"He's fifteen, it's normal."

Sophie continued to look worried. I may be young, but I could imagine how much pressure she felt to do right by Theo, to do right by her brother.

Before I could assure her any further, Theo descended from the stairs, his backpack slung over his shoulder. Now that Dominic mentioned it, it did look like he'd grown a few inches, plus put on some weight, in a lean way. He was transforming from a small, lanky teenager to someone more grown up.

Without saying anything at all, Theo poured himself a bowl of cereal, devouring the contents as Dominic and Sophie talked about their plans for Easter. Spring Break began tomorrow, in which we would have five days off for the holiday. I was looking forward to getting today over with.

As usual, we were dropped off in front of the school. Theo and I walked side by side, navigating our way through the crowded sidewalk, when I saw a familiar shin y car parked on the curb in front of the main entrance. Then—how could you miss him?-Jacob's six foot frame towered over the other students. I began to smile, picking up my pace, until an unwarranted twinge of jealousy washed over me.

Jacob stood talking rather intimately with Bella Swan. Their relationship confused me, but it was none of my business. I still couldn't help thinking about the first time Embry and the others told me how much he loved her. I felt annoyed at myself that seeing them together bothered me so much. As if he could read my thoughts, I noticed Jacob's eyes found mine mid-conversation. I hurriedly looked away, uncomfortable with whatever feelings I had inside me.

I took a deep breath, exhaled, and steeled my eyes away from the two of them, focusing on the front doors swarming with students getting ready for first period. Briefly turning my head to see where Theo was, I watched as some random kid accidentally bumped into my brother, knocking over his iPod that he carried. That was when all hell broke loose.

Theo collapsed on the ground on his hands and knees. His breathing seemed labored, his whole body shook with force, and his head hung low so that I couldn't see his face.

"Theo!" I screeched, dropping down on the ground next to him, reaching out to touch his shoulder. "What happened? What's wrong?"

My brother snapped his head up. His eyes were manic. Pupils dilated. Teeth gritted. "Don't touch me!"

I recoiled from him, shocked into speechlessness.

"Theo, we have to get out of here, now." Jacob.

I rose to my feet as he practically picked my brother up, supporting his weight. I was confused as all hell. Kids had formed a circle around us, all of them talking, some looking concerned, others simply curious and nosy. I heard someone say we should call a doctor, or get a teacher.

"What's going on? Where are you taking him?" I demanded, following Jacob's quick steps toward his VW.

"Somewhere safe," was all he said. Opening the car door, he secured my brother's shaking frame in the passenger's seat, shutting the door briskly. I thought he would simply leave then, but he turned to face me, holding my shoulders in place. "Alba, he's going to be fine. You don't have to worry. I'll take care of him."

"He needs to go to a doctor!" I exclaimed, my eyes wild and my hands flailing as I spoke. " There's something wrong with him. I have to call Sophie and—"

Jacob cut me off. "No. Old Quil, remember him? He's a doctor. He'll know exactly what to do. We'll get a hold of your aunt, don't worry. Just go to class. I don't have time to explain now."

He made to leave, but I grabbed his wrist at the last minute, unsatisfied with his order. "No—I want to go with him. I don't want to go to class."

He locked eyes with me, and I felt a sense of calm fade over me. My breathing steadied slightly and I felt less jittery.

"I promise, we'll take care of him. But I have to go now."

With that, he got in the driver's side and sped off, leaving me behind.

The cracked iPod lay forgotten on the ground.

School felt more torturous than usual that day. Between classes, I texted Jacob inquiring updates on my brother, but received no answer. I thought about contacting Sophie, although I trusted Jacob to handle that part. No reason worrying her for nothing.

I barely paid attention during class, too anxious to get out of school so I could figure out what the hell was going on. My school friends, Lily and Alex, finally worked up the courage to ask me what happened during lunch.

"He wasn't feeling good," I lied—well, maybe not a lie. I had no way of knowing. "A friend is taking care of him. It's no big deal." I forced as sincere a smile as possible for effect.

The two girls appeared satisfied with that answer. While I spent any free time at school with them, we hadn't gotten that close outside of this environment. They'd invited me to hang out on more than one occasion, but I always had previous plans on the reservation. I liked them a lot, and I wondered if having friends outside of La Push was such a bad thing. So when Lily asked if I wanted to go see a movie with them later that night, I only hesitated for a second.

"Please! It'll be so fun," pleaded Alex. "You never hang out with us outside of school. We'll pick you up and everything. Plus, James Franco is in the movie and he's fine as fuck."

I almost spit the sip of iced tea I'd just taken out of my mouth at that. I needed reassurance that my brother was safe and sound, but I figured if everything was fine, I would have no problem going. My agreement to go caused Lily and Alex to beam for the rest of lunch.

Throughout the remainder of the school day, I constantly checked my phone to see if I'd gotten a text. Nothing. The more time went by, the more pissed I got. Why couldn't he answer? Then, that worried me. What if something really bad happened? That only came full circle, because I would get annoyed that Jacob hadn't updated me period.

On my way to the parking lot where Sophie would be waiting to pick me up, I wondered if she knew about Theo. I figured I would have to tell her the truth if Jacob had not.

Before I reached the doors to freedom, I heard my name being called. I stopped, turned, watching with curiosity and surprise as one Bella Swan caught up to me.

"Sorry to bother you," she apologized breathlessly, pushing a lock of her plain brown hair behind her ear. "I'm Bella. I know you're...friends with Jake."

Her hesitation on "friends" puzzled me, but I nodded my head anyway. "Yeah. What's up?"

"I saw what happened this morning. I just wanted to say, your brother is in good hands with Jake. He's a good guy. The best guy, actually... He'll make you happy," Bella concluded, bowing her head as if embarrassed at her words. "Anyway, I have to get going. See you around." And she hurried off outside toward her modelesque boyfriend.

I couldn't come up with a conclusion as to why Bella approached me in the first place. Not to mention, why she felt it necessary to say any of those things about Jacob. He'll make you happy bounced around in my head as I walked along the sidewalk toward my aunt's car. She made it sound as if we were married or something. However, I pushed that particular thought away for the time being, as more important things must be handled.

I gauged Sophie's expression right away when I opened the passenger door and sat down. She was humming along to the radio (Jackson 5's "I Want You Back"), nodding her head.

She definitely didn't know. Damn Jacob. I hoped that meant whatever Theo went through earlier wasn't serious.

"Hey, Al. Theo texted me that he got a ride from Tyler and his brother," Sophie said.

I nodded as if I also knew this, simultaneously checking my phone to see if I missed a text from Theo or Jacob. Blank screen. "Oh, yeah. He, uh, told me that earlier."

Way to let me know you're fine, baby brother, I thought bitterly to myself.

Back at home, I ate a quick snack consisting of a banana and peanut butter, then retreated to my room. Once the door was shut, I tried calling Theo. No answer. Then Jacob. Radio silence. I even tried Emily's cell, although that led to me to voicemail, too. I sighed and threw my phone on the bed, hands on my hips as I stared at the useless technology.

Since everyone seemed to be ignoring me, and Lily and Alex wouldn't be picking me up to see the movie until six, I settled into the tried and true window seat with my drawing pad and pastels. I'd started a landscape drawing of a river straddled by forest on either side. Nothing referenced, simply conjuring up what I wanted to see come to life with the images I saw in my bed. At some point or another, I took a peek through the window at the tree, whose branches swayed serenely in the wind, nearest the house, trying to get a closer look at the type of leaves I wanted to draw on the trees in my creation. I recognized the oak leaves, their round, green edges brightly displayed against the backdrop of today's pale gray skies. Memorizing as much detail from this distance as possible, I brought the view to life on the page, the scale much smaller.

I continued to take inspiration from my immediate surroundings, periodically glancing up from the sketch pad that slowly came to life with my creation. As I did so for the hundredth time, something new caught my attention.

"Is that a wolf?" I said this out loud due to pure shock. On the outskirts of the forest that surrounded our house and backyard, a reddish brown creature hovered, seemingly searching for something. Maybe a rabbit or some kind of food. I didn't know there were wolves in Washington, especially ones that approached populated areas. Although, hell, I didn't know much about the environment here period.

Pure curiosity made me get up, leave my art supplies behind, and hurriedly descend the stairs. Sophie was still in her office and Dominic had come home; I heard him moving around the kitchen. I walked past the kitchen and through the downstairs hall, past the small home office, and out the back door that opened up to a decently sized porch. The hammock that hung from the roof swung methodically in the breeze.

I walked to the edge of the porch, right where the steps began that led to the expansive and empty backyard, peering through the trees. I spotted the wolf—even from this far away I could clearly identify it as such—and noticed how abnormally large the beautiful animal seemed. The creature apparently heard my arrival, for I watched its gaze lock on me. I took a step back instinctively.

Did wolves eat people?

The animal moved forward slowly and I immediately retreated back inside. I wasn't going to chance him mistaking me for its prey. I watched it retreat back into the depths of the forest from the back door's glass windows.

"Did you know there are wolves around here?"

Back in the kitchen, Dominic was sitting at the island counter working on his laptop. He turned his head around at my appearance, raising his eyebrows in confusion at my comment.

"I saw one just now, out in the back," I clarified, gesturing toward the direction I'd come from.

"There were some people that reported seeing wolves a couple months ago, now that you mention it," my uncle recalled. "I remember one of my co-workers saying her husband swears he saw one while he was on a run."

There had to be a pack local to the area for whatever reason.

"It seemed harmless. Really big, though. It started coming toward me so I went back inside."

Dominic glanced up from what he was doing, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. "Harmless? It probably just thought you looked like a tasty snack. Why would you go towards it?"

I poured myself a glass of water from the water filter in the fridge. "I didn't. I was curious if it was actually a wolf so I went outside for two seconds."

"This isn't a Disney movie, Al. For future reference, maybe don't investigate dangerous animals."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Yeah, duly noted," I replied sarcastically.

Lily and Alex picked me up around six. I left a note for Sophie and Dominic, who were out with some friends for dinner, and let them know I'd be home around eleven or so. We were going to the nearest movie theater in Port Angeles, so we'd have a forty-five minute drive before getting there.

I'd put some effort into my appearance tonight and I used the compact mirror I'd brought to make sure none of my makeup smudged.

In the front seat, Alex went on and on about how hot James Franco was. At some point during her ramblings, I felt my phone buzzing. It was Jacob. I felt fresh irritation at him ignoring me all day, and promptly ignored the call, turning my phone off.

Let's see how he liked being ignored. It might not have been the most mature thing in the world, but sometimes my stubbornness reared its ugly head.

"So what's with you and your friend?" Lily asked me a few minutes later.

"Which one?" I fidgeted in my seat, knowing where this conversation was headed.

Alex giggled. "The cute, tall one."

"Oh, Jacob?" I said as casually as possible. He was the only one who showed up at school; who else could they be talking about? "He's a good friend. Me and him and a bunch of other Quileutes hang out all the time. My brother, too."

Lily, the driver, exited off the highway into a more urban-looking area, although it was too dark to see much of what Port Angeles had to offer. "You ever thought about him being more than a friend?"

I opened my mouth to say no, but it wouldn't come out. I knew that possibility didn't exist, yet still I hesitated. I'd seen him talking to Bella and I'd heard a lot of shit from the boys when Jacob wasn't around.

"Um—not really," I responded after a beat.

"You should totally go for him," Lily insisted.

I shrugged, even though neither of them were looking directly at me. "I don't think he's into me like that."

"That's a shame, 'cause he's really fucking hot," said Alex, "and so are you. You would make beautiful babies."

We all laughed and that took some of the pressure off me. Before long we were at the theater. After buying our tickets separately, we bought way too much popcorn and candy and made our way into the theater to see the newest Spider-Man.

When I got home late that night, I realized how much of a good time I'd had, resolving to spend more time with the girls.

I finally turned on my phone and noticed that I had one more missed call from Jacob, as well as a text message.

JACOB: Ur brother is safe. He's w/ Tyler and Jared. Call me back?

I went to sleep without responding.

A/N: Another update as promised! Planning on getting another chapter up before the week ends since next week I work like crazy. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think. Also any thoughts on what's happening to Theo? Leave me your thoughts and feelings in a review.

XOXO