I don't own the twilight saga. Stephenie Meyer does

Chapter 3

'Right you lot, I'd like you to meet our new waitress. Say hi to Claire and be nice.' With that Sarah strutted off, probably to do something she thought more important, such as cleaning her finger nails. (Ok, ok, I'll try to be less mean. But seriously, how hard is it to crack a smile every now and then?)

Poor Claire. At least I wasn't the new girl any more. I guessed her to be a couple of years younger than me. She smiled brightly at us. 'Hey guys. I've got the evening shift on school nights, so it'll be good to get to know you. Would someone mind showing me to the ladies? I'd kind of like to get out of these wet things.' One big difference I'd experienced so far was how much it rained here, so I sympathised with her.

Claire was smiling expectantly at me - I guess my face is pretty easy to read. 'Sure, it's this way.' As we headed towards the back of the building, Claire bumped against my shoulder. The girl was practically skipping down the corridor.

'So, what's your name blondie?' She looked so happy about something, I couldn't complain about the nickname.

'It's Callie' She grinned at me.

'How long have you worked here?'

'Just a week, I've only just moved here.'

'Ooh! That explains it! I love your accent. Where are you from?' Claire was positively clapping her hands and dancing with excitement. She must be bored or desperate for money, or something, to be so excited to work here. Don't get me wrong, I liked to too (when Sarah was out) but I couldn't imagine being that excited about working.

'Um, England, near London.' I tried not to make it sound like a question. She grinned at me and bounced into the ladies. I walked back to the kitchen to finish my shift, shaking my head slightly.

When I'd packed up at the end of the day, I found Louise and Claire chatting as they wiped down tables. 'So, why'd you want to work in the Lodge? It's quite a way from the reservation.'

'Oh, I like to get away now and again. I don't think I've left La Push since I was two.' I met her eyes, and she blushed. Oddly, I didn't think she was telling us the complete truth.

'Awh, no! Really? Well, why don't we and some of the girls go out to Port Angeles sometime?'

'That'd be amazing!' Claire's grin was in danger of making her mouth touch her ears. 'Callie, you'd come wouldn't you?' She looked at me expectantly.

'Er, sure, if no one minds.'

'You don't mind, do you Louise?' Louise shook her head with a little smile. Just then, the door opened and a huge, damp, russet skinned man walked in. A shock ran through me, until I realised it wasn't the guy from the beach. Well, this man hand been there, but he'd been even wetter – due to his dip in the sea.

'Hey Claire bear! How was it?' He looked at her as if he hadn't seen her in months - maybe even years. The amount of care and love in his gaze was breath-taking.

She ran to him, and he caught her up in a tight hug, twirling her round in a circle. 'Hi Quil' she beamed at him. 'It was pretty cool. I'm glad I came here.' Her look seemed to tell him more than her words. Although I've seen more attractive people, they were beautiful together. They looked like they belonged by each others' side. Brother or lover, I wondered to myself, hoping it was the former since there was probably a 10 year age gap between them.

'Quil, this is Louise and Callie' She motioned towards us.

'Hi there. I think we met on the beach on Saturday. It's good to meet you properly.' People around here really could be very friendly. I smiled as I greeted him, elbowing Louise subtly. She waved at him timidly.

'Well, we better be off. See you tomorrow.' With that, Claire pulled Quil out the door into the drizzle.

I looked at Louise. 'Do you really believe they're clones?' I asked, wanting her to have changed her mind. They didn't seem to be doing any harm, and if Quil could make Claire that happy, I didn't want Louise to be afraid of them.

She looked at me with a pained expression. 'Oh Callie, I don't know. Maybe I was wrong. You won't tell anyone what I thought will you?' Her eyes bore into my skull.

'Of course not. They are, well, they are different. But I don't see why you should be scared of them.'

She looked at me like I'd gone mad. 'Have you had your eyes closed all this time? They're huge! And those muscles...' An awed and scared look crossed her face. She was the closest thing I had to a friend here, so I tried to comfort her.

'They probably work out a lot. Come on, he called her "Claire bear". Since when do the bad guys call their - erm - friends names like that?'

At least that made her laugh, even if it was a little shaky. 'True. Well, I hope they're only friends. He was so hot.' She looked at me guiltily.

'You've just been trying to put me off them, haven't you? You want one of them for yourself.' I said through my giggles.

'Shut up new girl. Some of us have better places to be.' Grinning, she flapped her apron at me and hurried outside.

We had decided to go for a meal in Port Angeles that Friday. All the Lodge staff had been invited, although only the waiting staff and I wanted to go. Sarah had declined rather politely, and Eric (the other person who worked in the kitchen) couldn't find a babysitter.

That left our group mainly female. However, some of the girls invited their boyfriends, and Claire wanted to invite Quil.

'Hey Louise, mind if I bring Quil along?' Claire asked.

'Sure no problem.'

'Erm, is it ok if he brings a couple of friends, since he'll only know me?'

'Why not! The more the merrier.'

'Thank you! Are you bringing a date Lou?'

'Nah, I could only ask my brother, and well, I'd rather not.'

'Go on Louise!' I laughed. 'He's quite a charmer.' He had come in last week, treading muddy footprints across the newly cleaned floor. Being 7years old, he had done so with a grin and had been unrepentant.

I caught Claire glaring at me, which was out of character. I looked at her puzzled. 'What?'

'Nothing.'

To break the slightly awkward pause, Louise let out a loud sigh. 'Well, I better get back to work. I'd rather not spend my break thinking about my bratty little brother.'

'You just wait until he becomes a teenager' I smiled at her gratefully. She moaned and put her head in her hands in mock horror.

'He's a lot younger than us?' Claire asked hesitantly.

'I was thirteen when he was born.' Louise's face held an indulgent expression.

'Oh.'

So, that Friday we gathered outside a restaurant, grateful that it was dry for once. Louise and I were the last to arrive, and so it was clear to see how the three native guys stood out. They were all so tall! As we approached, I recognised Quil, who had his arm wrapped around Claire as if it had been designed to fit the curve of her shoulders. I was pretty sure I'd never met the tallest of the three (a giant in his own right), but I couldn't fail to recognise the other. I couldn't forget those eyes, which met mine immediately. Embry.

There were too many of us to fit around one table, so we had to split up. Claire insisted I sat with her, so I ended up opposite her, and sandwiched between the wall and Embry. The heat coming of his body made me regret wearing a jacket. I didn't know why I was strangely attracted to this man, who I had never said a word to. Maybe it was my interest in new culture, and his eyes screamed 'I am something different' at me. Or it could have been that he was drop dead gorgeous.

I tried to keep my gaze on Claire, as the three masculine men around us made me shy. But my curiosity got the better of me, and as the waitress dropped off our drinks, my eyes strayed upwards.

He must have felt my eyes on his face. With a gentle smile caressing his face, he looked down at me and breathed 'Hi Callie.'

I hope you enjoyed this – I tried to make this chapter longer. Please, please let me know what you thought of it – even if you hated it!