Leah's POV
"Damn, Jake, you definitely got bragging rights, now!" A tall man - actually everyone around me was ridiculously tall - punched Jacob in the shoulder playfully.
Samuel looked pained but furious at the same time. His entire frame seemed to be shaking and if I'm being honest with myself, I was starting to get a little worried. No one shakes like that unless they're having a seizure. But Sam - Samuel - looked like he was focusing hard on something. Like he was trying to get himself to stop trembling.
I noticed that two other tall men were flanking him. They each held Samuel in place and whispered things to him. Whatever they were saying seemed to have worked because he slowly stopped shaking and the red from his face started to fade. The two men that flanked him were staring at me curiously - well one of them was, the other one was looking at me like I was something to eat. I immediately wanted to punch the hungry-looking one in the face for eyeing me like that.
"Unbelievable," I heard my dad whisper.
I whipped my head toward him, "What is it, daddy?"
He didn't answer, he just kept looking between me and Jacob - which really made me uncomfortable. Talk about awkward situations.
I noticed that Seth was unnaturally quiet. I turned to face him and recoiled at the infuriated look on his face. I thought Samuel's trembling figure was scary - Seth looked like he could barely keep it together! He was shaking so horribly.
"Seth," I said, cautiously taking a step toward him.
"My sister?!" Seth growled. My eyes widened at the low sound coming from his chest. It was so primitive. So animalistic. What is he so angry about? I just got here, there's absolutely no possible way I could have already pissed him off!
It was then that I realized that Jacob hadn't taken his eyes off me once and that was crossing the creepy line just a teeny bit. His eyes held such an intense look that it scared me, yet I found myself wanting to look right into his eyes. Seth's question, however, seemed to snap him out of his trance because he looked at Seth and smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry, kid, you know I can't help it," he laughed. His voice. His voice sounded just as sexy as he looked. God! It was deep and husky and fuuuuck, I want to hear more.
Wait. What the hell? This is Rachel and Rebecca's little brother I'm fawning over. Jesus! If they were here to see me ogling their brother they'd never let me live it down! Shit, what if Edward was here? I bet he'd be rolling in laughter! Hell, he'd probably turn me just so he could tease me for eternity! Or worse. . . . he'd tell Emmett.
Seth was in Jacob's face in a blink of an eye, squaring up to him. Before I could even register what happened, Jacob was backtracking and groaning in pain as he had his hands cupping his nose - which was bleeding profusely. I felt pain, anger, confusion, and frustration all hit me once like an emotional bomb, causing me to groan inwardly. I felt as if I just got punched in the nose and had no idea why!
"Holy shit, Seth! Where have you been hiding that right hook?" Another man laughed, he was leaning over Jacob and trying to get a good look at his broken nose.
"That was great, kid," the man with the hungry look in his eyes said, smirking in approval. Samuel looked smug.
I turned to my parents and noticed neither one of them looked shocked or worried. If anything the both of them looked quite satisfied. What the fuck is wrong with the people here? What am I missing? Is Jacob secretly a jackass? Is that why no one looks remotely worried for him?
I'm pretty sure my mouth was on the ground by now. These guys didn't even act shocked, they acted like this was normal. Like they went around and punched each other in the face on a daily basis. I looked at my brother - who definitely seemed like a grown-up bad ass - and realize that punching Jacob didn't even ease his anger.
"This isn't over, Jake," Seth growled, before running into the forest.
"Oh my God! Seth!" I yelled, after him. I made to run after him but was stopped by Samuel who held a firm grip on my arm.
"Let go!" I yelled, angrily trying to rip his arm from mine.
"Sam," my father said in a calm but stern tone, "Release her. Leah?"
"Daddy, he's gonna get hurt! He can't go in there by himself! I have to go after him!"
"He'll be okay, Lee," my dad smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'll have one of the guys go look for him, okay?"
"Who?" I asked curiously. Why would any of these guys go out of their way to find a temperamental teenager?
"Embry, Quil!" My dad said, nodding at the two who were flanking Jacob. My eyes bulged out of their sockets. That's Embry and Quil? No way. No fucking way! I remember hanging out with them when I was younger but I don't remember them looking like this. Holy shit! Did every guy on the Rez grow an extra 10 inches or so? Why does everyone here suddenly look so hot? You see, I thought they looked familiar, but I just didn't expect to have my mind blown like this!
"Wassup, boss?" Quil, the burlier one, asked, grinning.
"You and Embry, go find Seth." I stared at my dad in disbelief. Does he seriously trust these two to find Seth?
Jacob's head snapped up to look at my dad and speak but my dad spoke before he could get a word out, "Jacob, I need to have a word with you. Sam, I believe there are to be a few changes made."
Both of them nodded without question. Since when do they take orders from my dad? I mean, of course they respect him because he's an elder, but they've never been this obedient.
"You're kidding, right?" I laughed, remembering the Seth situation. This is a joke. When I noticed none of them were laughing at all, I felt my anger boil.
"You two," - I pointed at Embry and Quil, "Let's go. I'm gonna help you find my brother and that's final."
"Take care of her," my dad sighed, knowing he can't possible win this argument.
"Will do," they both said.
Once we entered the forest, Quil took this as his cue to break the silence.
"So, Leah. . . . it's good to have you back," he grinned.
"I guess. . . . " what the hell do I say to that? I wasn't going to lie and tell him that I was glad to be back - because I'm not at all. And I'm not going to tell him the truth and say that coming back here was the last thing on my mind because I'm not trying to bitch at someone who's just trying to make this situation less awkward. 'I guess' is a good enough response, right?
"How are you?" he asked.
"I'm good," I shrugged, "Same old, same old. How are you guys? You all are huge!"
"That's what she said," Quil said, bursting in laughter.
I tried to fight it but I couldn't help the smile that cracked it's way onto my face. This is Quil, alright, always with the dirty mind. His physical appearance has changed, but his mind is still definitely in the gutter.
"Classy, Quil," I snorted.
"Hasn't changed a bit, has he?" Embry laughed, nudging my arm with his elbow.
"Not one bit," I agreed. "So who are those other two guys that were back there with you all?"
"You mean Jared and Paul? The one's holding Sam back?" Embry laughed a booming laugh. "Can't believe you couldn't even recognize them. Paul, I can understand. But Jared? He was in your class, Leah."
I stopped dead in my tracks. That was Paul and Jared? Paul Lahote and Jared Cameron? Ho-ly shit! But I suppose it makes sense, only Paul can look that invasive just by looking at you. I should've known it was him by the way he was looking at me!
I had no idea where we were going, it seemed like we were walking in circles. I was starting to panic. What if Seth got lost? What if we got lost? I took side-glances at Quil and Embry and noticed they were both walking with not a care in the world. They weren't even watching where they were going, it's like they knew the forest by memory. I hadn't even realized that they had been guiding me throughout the forest, holding branches over my head and keeping me from tripping over roots and vines.
"Where are you, Seth?" I whispered quietly to myself.
"He's not far from here," Embry assured me.
"Seth! Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Quil snickered.
Just then, Seth came bounding out from behind some bushes and pulled me in for a tight hug. "Sorry for the scare, sis."
"What the hell did you think running into the damn forest would accomplish? You could've gotten lost!"
I heard Embry and Quil laughing but I ignored them.
"I'm sorry, Lee," Seth said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Let's just go home, okay? I'll try not to scare you like that again."
The walk back home was surprisingly fun. I learned about how close all of the guys were, Quil said they were all basically brothers. That made me smile because Seth always wanted a brother and now he has a whole bunch that look exactly like him - same tattoo and everything. Speaking of tattoos, I asked them about it and they were instantly cautious with their answers. They said it was just a tattoo to show their pride for our tribe - I had to roll my eyes at that one. Then I asked them why they all seemed to gather around Samuel like he was some big-shot Again, they became guarded and chose their words carefully. It was annoying and beyond frustrating because obviously the three of them were hiding something from me, but I know a thing or two about secrecy and how annoying nosy people are. So I dropped the subject and let it go.
We reached my house quicker than I expected. I gave both Embry and Quil a hug because I didn't exactly get the chance to greet them earlier today, and for helping me find Seth.
"You go in, Leah," Seth said. He smiled, but it looked forced. "I'm just gonna cool down a bit. I'll be in there in a minute. Promise."
"Okay," I sighed. I understood wanting to be alone for a while a little to well. "Hurry back in."
He smiled and nodded.
I opened the door and was face-to-face with Jacob Black. He was smiling warmly at me, his eyes inviting me in.
"Leah," he breathed. Then I was wrapped in the most tight, warm, and amazing bear hug ever. "You're back."
I laughed, "I got here about an hour and a half ago, Jake."
"I meant the forest," he smiled, "You're back from the forest."
"Yeah, uh. . . . are you gonna let me in my house or what?" I couldn't help the stupid smile stretching across my face.
He moved swiftly to the side to let me enter, but I swear I heard him sniff the top of my head. Weird.
I flopped onto the couch and he planted himself right next to me. Like our legs and arms were literally touching, which was awkward because there was a whole other couch that was free to use. Not that I mind the close proximity, it's just a little - a lot - weird.
"Geez, Jake, did you seriously miss me that much?" I laughed, playfully bumping his shoulder.
"Every minute," he said seriously, nodding. I whipped my head around to look him directly in the eyes and raised an eyebrow.
"O. . . kay?" This is getting a little too weird and intense for my liking.
Seth chose that exact moment to walk into the house with a humongous smirk on his face. He looked at Jacob with a fairly amused expression. He didn't say anything as he walked straight into the kitchen.
"I'm gonna go see if Seth needs any help," I said, quickly getting to my feet.
"I'll come with you." Oh geez. What is up with this guy?
"Jake," Seth coughed, trying to hide a laugh, "Your dad wants you home."
He looked at me as if asking for permission. I rolled my eyes in response, "Geez, Jake. Go home. We'll see you tomorrow, probably."
"Okay," he smiled. I automatically felt myself grinning like an idiot back at him and getting lost in his beautiful brown eyes.
"Later, Black!" I said before turning on my heels and heading up to my room.
Jesus Christ. If I would have stayed there for a few more seconds looking into his eyes, I would have done something stupid like hug him or kiss him! It's terrifying because I have no idea why I feel so strongly connected to Jacob or why being near him makes me giddy with excitement. Why was Seth so angry today? How the Hell did Quil and Embry find Seth? Why is Jacob acting like an idiot? A sexy idiot? Why did I feel like I was punched in the face when he was groaning in pain? Why does it feel like everyone is hiding something from me? Why can't they trust me?
Why am I still an outsider? I love my family, I really do. But it's times like these when I can't help but compare them to the Cullens. At least the Cullens don't keep me in the dark.
a/n: Please review! Let me know what you all think so far! :) Just a heads up, next chapter will be in Jake's POV - well, that's if you all still want me to continue the story.