A/N: I will try my very best to give you guys updates every day. :D

Clues are scattered all over this chapter. So keep an eye out! ;)

Chapter II: Glory Hallelujah

As my fucked up luck would have it, Jacob thought it would be a brilliant idea that, aside from Quil and Claire, Collin and Brady should tag along to the beach with us early the next morning. So you can probably guess what happened, right? I swear, if it hadn't been me that imprinted, I would've been in cahoots with them. But unfortunately for me, I was the highlight of the day.

I was too embarrassed and ashamed to go up and meet her as the two youngest of the pack had continuously pretended to gawk at my imprint, literally ogled her even after she had caught them. They kept nudging me with their elbows and exclaiming "Go get her!" or "Man up, dude!" or "Em, grow some balls already!" every time she looked our way. They even went as far as to push me towards her when we were playing football and she walked by having just exited the water. I almost knocked into her, but thanks to my heightened reflexes, I was able to stop myself just as I was about to hit her.

A realization smacked me right in the face. This was something Jacob couldn't have thought of alone. Nope. This has Leah Clearwater written all over it. I could just imagine her now, rubbing her hands together in the most sinister fashion, laughing manically, looking every bit like a typical villain in your classic children's superhero comics. I let out an annoyed huff.

Quil shook his head in silent reprimand at the boys while Claire raised a disapproving eyebrow at them, but then gave up when the two showed no signs of stopping. And just like that, they left me, off into the water so Claire could surf. Traitors.

My imprint cast wary looks at the boys, pulling at the ends of her hair. I could feel her discomfort as she hugged her large towel around herself tighter. My patience snapped when they wolf-whistled as she bent over to pick up her water bottle, more angry at myself than at Brady and Collin. I had to admit, at least to myself, that I had done the whistle in my mind when I got a view of her backside when she curved her body forward to do a sharp, bottom turn on the wave she was riding. But that didn't stop me from telling them off.

"Knock it off!" I commanded, seeing her face going beet red at their antics, giving them both a good solid knock upside on the back of their heads.

"We were just having a little fun," Brady had the audacity to wiggle his eyebrows at me.

Rolling my eyes, shoving them both towards the water, "Not at her expense!"

When the boys were a good distance in the water, I finally gathered enough courage to approach her and she narrowed her eyes in suspicion at me, her stance defensive. Did I just hear her hiss? I raised my arms in surrender, "I come in peace."

"What do you want?" she demanded, pulling her surfboard around, flush against her front as if to shield herself. She had already set her towel down on her beach blanket and was getting ready to surf again.

I took that moment to take in whatever I can of her. As quick as my wolfie senses would let me, I raked my eyes over her. She was partially covered by her board and most of her was covered by her suit. But I could see her face, hands and feet, they were unnaturally tan, probably from surfing under the sun too long. Her wet, red hair was loose and the tendrils were now clinging over her slender shoulders, the gentle dip of her neck and the full curve of her chest. Embry, focus!

"I just wanted to apologize for their behavior," I told her sincerely, looking up at her face. I found myself drowning, as I hoped I would, in the endless swirls of jade. I drank in the smooth curve of her jaw and the graceful slope of her cheeks. I reveled at the sight of her freckles, dotting along the bridge of her perfect little nose.

She pursed her lips as she regarded me; they were paling from the coldness of the water and chapped from the blow of the wind. I wanted to wrap her up and keep her away from the harsh November weather, but the little talk last night with Paul stopped me. He had attempted to kiss Rachel the very moment he imprinted on her and he got slapped for it. The slap didn't hurt him, of course, but Jacob's punch was enough to give him a black eye for a couple of minutes. Plus, his guilty feelings became unbearable through our mind link; she had hurt her hand slapping him. The misery of hurting one's imprint; I didn't want to feel that. So I kept my arms in check, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my cut-offs.

She tilted her head at me, still suspicious. Maybe she was apprehensive of the fact that I was wearing just my shorts in the middle of a cold beach? She let out a judgmental "Hmm" as one of her hand came to rest on a tilted hip.

"I'm really sorry," I apologized again after getting only that verbal response from her. "They take some sick pleasure at embarrassing me."

I was suddenly the one getting uncomfortable. Her eyes seemed to burn through my head as she gazed intently. Unable to hold her stare any longer, I turned away, very slightly. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end at what I thought I saw, and my mind tried to focus at what my peripheral vision thought it caught. In a split second, it seemed like her eyes shifted from their light green color to something else, something darker. But when I whipped my head back to look at her properly, it was like nothing has changed. She was still looking at me and her eyes were as normal as they were when I first saw them.

"I know how annoying brothers can be." She nodded; her posture finally calming as she planted her surfboard in the sand beside her as she did the day before. I noted the odd fact that she quickly relaxed. However, she smiled; taking my breath away, I forgot the weird thing that happened with her eyes, "I have one back at home who is much worse."

"Does he mount your underwear on a flag pole in the middle of the school quadrangle?" I inwardly laughed at my pathetic attempt of a joke.

Relief washed over me as her hand flew up her mouth to muffle her laugh. All those cheesy, romantic chick flicks my mom watches were not so cheesy anymore. Their clichés seemed much less vomit-inducing now that I think about it. And call me crazy, which I probably am now, but her laugh sounded like music to my ears. I wanted to always hear that laugh. And I would make a fool out of myself every single minute of the rest of my life if it meant that I could listen to her laugh over and over again.

I shook my head to snap myself out of my day-dreaming state. Fucked up imprinting magic! When did I become such a sap? But I smiled at her when she finally got a hold of her mirth.

"Touché," she agreed, a smile still playing at her lips. She extended her right hand to me and I gaped at it. "I'm Veronica Valentine, by the way."

Could this really be happening? Did I just get the name of my imprint? Was she offering me a handshake? I prayed to Taha Aki and to whatever spirit that was watching over me today. Thank you!

My eyes scanned her tiny hand: her fingertips wrinkled at spending too much time in the water and the light blue nail polish that decorated her nails was already chipping off. Following the lines on her skin, I caught a glimpse at the edge of a tiny, circular tattoo along the inside of her wrist, right at the pulse point, peeking out from her wetsuit.

"Ahem," she pretended to clear her throat. I panicked and quickly grasped her hand as gently as I could, looking back up to her face. But she didn't look annoyed, instead her smile became amused. She shook her head slightly, a giggle escaping her lips, "And you are?"

"Uh, Embry," I stuttered, feeling my cheeks flush. So I was blushing now, too? "I'm Embry Call."

"So it does have a name," her smiled turned up into a full grin. As if she was remembering something. "I think saw you from yesterday. You caused quite a scene, you know?"

She had to remember that, did she? I groaned, "Sorry, it's just… I mean… Sorry…"

"It's okay, you can tell me why you looked like you wanted to kill me when you're ready," she winked at me, ever so sexily. And I almost died right then, I can almost hear the trumpets blowing and angels singing. "I can take it."

Did she already feel the pull of the imprint? Is that why she was suddenly so comfortable with me? But it was too soon. Even with Kim, it took about a week for the imprint to finally have an effect on her, to finally convince her that Jared wasn't just playing with her because he found out about her crush on him. It was when her notebook fell in the hallway haphazardly that she was caught, showcasing the doodles of her first name with his last, and little hearts adorning them.

But I'll take it. Any of it that she'll give me.

"Maybe over lunch?" I offered. I hoped that the smile I put on my face was the same smile that brought many girls to their knees back when I was still flirting around, which was roughly three days ago. "I can also show you around the hotspots."

"That'd be nice." Yep. Angels were definitely singing! Oh, Glory Hallelujah! "See you at a quarter to twelve?"

"I'll be waiting at the parking lot, area 3B," I told her, my face breaking into an insanely happy smile.

I stood there grinning at her like an idiot for the next couple of minutes, until I finally felt a tug on my hand. My eyes widened in mortification as I stared at our hands, realizing I hadn't let go of her hand since she offered it to me. I released it as if mine was lit on fire, "I'm sorry!"

"You're a little peculiar," she announced. Then she gave me an upturned smile, "I like you."

She liked me.

I couldn't remember if she said good bye, but I lifted my hand to acknowledge her gesture as she made her way back to the water with her board. I watched her as she paddled out and continued to do so until she caught a wave.

"Congratulations, man!" Quil's voice sounded like it was from a great distance away.

And I barely felt the impact against my back, finding myself face first on the sand. Again.

"Oops."