A/N – Sorry for inaccurate description of scenery, I live in the back of the beyond in Ireland!

Chapter 5 – Wrong Turn

"Come on, Bella, please? You can drive us, you know you can! We can't yet… Not until Jake gets the Rabbit sorted. Please, Bella, I'll be as nice as Embry from now on, I promise?"

Quil was definitely cut out for begging. He was a sturdy boy for his age and yet when he begged me like this all I could see was a two year old pleading with his mother. I laughed at him, which then turned into a moan. I realised I was not cut out for standing up for myself. I didn't have the spine. But Quil knew I was going to give in anyway.

"Only if you're twice as nice…" I muttered, defeated. The guys had been begging all day for this. I owed them this much because they did keep the pain at bay. I found that over the last week, the hole in my chest was softening at the edges. I knew the pain would never lessen but I was able to control myself better. I could breathe when I thought of …him. I could not bring myself to say the name. I wouldn't drag up those kinds of emotions. Not in front of the guys.

Jacob was eyeing me wearily. He looked like he was going to send me home. Just like he had before, last weekend. We had been down on the beach, when Quil and Embry started to talk about when they first seen me; last year on the same beach. They started reminiscing, and they didn't know about the whole…thing. They both started talking about how stupid I had been: trying to invite …them… down to their beach. They laughed and joked about it all but they didn't see how difficult it was for me to breathe then. Jacob noticed. He slapped the guys over their heads and nudged them towards me. I had my arms cradled around my thin frame. Trying not to let them see me fall apart. I promised myself I would not break, not for them. Jake had sent me home, after Quil and Embry apologized. I mumbled back at them saying I wasn't well.

That was what I admired most about Jacob. He was so strong, in both senses. He had the courage to stand up to his friends for me. He always made sure I was okay before he did anything. Afterwards he always dealt blows to tweedlededum and tweedlededee.

"Hey guys. Where are you all off to?" Charlie looked shocked to see the three huge teens standing in his kitchen. I had to admit, I hadn't noticed how big the guys had gotten in the few weeks I had been hanging out with them. They all flashed huge grins at Charlie and looked at me, cowering by the door.

"Dad, we're going to …ugh. We're going to go hiking. Near Lake Crescent. It looks really…fun." I exclaimed to lots of jumping and patting on the back form the boys. Charlie suddenly had a stern look about him.

"I'm not going to lecture you kids on this. Just be careful. Take care on those trails, and always make sure you stick to them! I won't be sending out a search party for my daughter. And watch out for any bears… You know I can't understand why all of these attacks all of a sudden. Just make sure you're all focused on that." Charlie was such a liar if Embry hadn't have coughed I'd say that would have turned into a full blown lecture. Jacob and Embry assured him I would be taken care of, and that they knew this trail off by heart. I wondered how they could have possibly known it, when they didn't have any means of getting near it.

I collected my things upstairs. Throwing some spare clothes, just in case, into a bag and donning my hiking boots (bought with my discount at Newton's), I rushed back down to the guys. They all stopped and looked at me. I just huffed and kept moving out towards my truck. My new friends followed me and piled in. Jacob and Embry sat in the back, while Quil joined me in the cab. It wasn't a very long drive, only about thirty minutes. Quil settled himself down, throwing his feet up on the dash. I slapped his big hoofs away, laughing at his over-confidence.

"My Bella, you do look nice today. I wish Jacob wasn't so hung up on you, then maybe I could have a chance."

I watched Quil in shock from the corner of my eye as he slid over on the seat. Wow. This boy was too much. I bust up laughing at him. Sniggering came from behind us as Embry and Jake were in hysterics at Quils attempt on me. I knew Quil wasn't serious so I just took humour from it, but what he said about Jake…

No. Never mind. Why was this even bothering me? It shouldn't. Maybe it's just bothering me because I want me and Jacob to be friends. If he ruins it… What will I have left?

I felt myself blushing as these thoughts raced through my already crowded mind. I was worried about hiking today. I hadn't been hiking in a while. The last time I had been in a forest… I shuddered to think about it. That was the time Charlie really had sent out a search party. It had been a Quileute man who found me. Sam, I think. Charlie had been talking about him for weeks afterwards. Even though I hadn't been around much, I still heard him raving about that Sam kid from the Rez. He and his friends had found me while they were in the forest. Although I didn't know, nor want to know, what they had been doing in the forest, I still had respect for them for bringing me home.

We pulled into the parking lot just below the start of the trail. The guys all had mischievous grins on their faces. I was starting to get suspicious. We walked along in silence for some time, just enjoying the forest. It was a beautiful place. I loved the smell of the forest.

Shining through the trees came the sun, blinding the four of us. We seemed to be alone on this trail today. I thought this had been a popular trail, from what I heard at Newton's anyway. As we walked up a last rock-covered slope, there was a huge break in the trees. A huge valley spread out below us, a river flowing through and lots of trees surrounding it. My breath was swept away with the cold winds that whipped at our faces as we all stood, watching the forest unfold beneath our feet.

"Bella, we'll be right back okay?" Jacob whispered in my ear. I nodded staying perfectly frozen where I was. I loved this place. I promised myself to come up here again. I needed this. This was where all of my inhibitions would leave me, spinning with the wild winds pushing back and forth through the valley. I felt a tear seep out through my eyes, it fell down my face, resting near my pointed chin, and then it was blown off with the wind. I watched my hair dancing around my face, every part of me was rejoicing for this beautiful place. I sat myself down on the ledge, carefully. I didn't need to be clumsy old Bella at a time like this.

I sank into my thoughts and came up gasping for air. The guys had been gone for a while. I didn't know what had kept them. I worried, noticing I had no sense of time. I heard a shuffle in the trees behind the clearing and squinted towards that space. A man walked out.

Not just any man.

A perfect man. A beautiful man. He had dark skin with a sheen to it, almost giving the effect of moonlight over his perfectly sculpted features.

Where were the guys?

I panicked.

"Ah Bella Swan. So nice to see you. I knew I smelled something… delectable. I have been in town visiting your dear friends, the Cullen family." Liar.

How dare he follow me? How dare he? I wished that bear would come. Why is it that the bear can eat up every other hiker but miss him? I took a deep breath.

"Laurent… I haven't seen the …Cullens… in quite some time actually. If you're asking me where they are I do not know." I tried to keep my cool. I feared he would see through my calm collected ruse.

"Ah, so you do know that they are not here. You are unprotected. Alone. Poor Bella. But how could he ever have kept you, pet as you were." I felt my body begin to shake. He took a step closer to me now. I thought about what he had said, maybe I had been just a pet. Maybe they had gotten tired of keeping me with them, so they left me here on my own. I knew I was never good enough for them, but this was a new revelation for me.

"Bella, I know you are sad. But I will make this painless. The one who will come for you will make it harder. She will torture you. I can ease it a little. I won't drag it out, I promise, dear."

I heard a wolf howl somewhere deep in the forest. I hadn't known there were wolves around these parts. Not the habitable parts anyway. Laurent stopped pacing toward me and flipped around, I saw his eyes before he did so, and he was daring me to move. I took his dare. I stepped to my left so I could see what it was he was looking at. Here she comes, clumsy Bella. I fell down, crashing my thigh against the rocks jutting out at the edge of a path. I saw a dark patch stain my jeans where I had hit. I heard the slight sniff as Laurent smelled my blood in the air. I cursed myself, why hadn't I learned to walk on my own two feet yet.

There were more howls from the woods, distracting Laurent. It seemed he had never heard a wolf before. They were getting closer after all. The copper smell reached my nose and I held back the gag reflex. I stuck my nose up in the air and took a deep breath of fresh air. I could not move now, Laurent had backed up even closer to me.

"Bella, it seems you had company that you didn't share with me about. I am not impressed. Maybe I will take a leaf from Victoria's book after all." Who was Victoria?

I remembered now. Victoria had been James' mate, the one who he had killed. Anger flowed through me for a second. Then I remembered the rest of Laurent's statement. How could he have known I had company when none of the guys were in sight?

Just as that thought electrified my mind, there were more rustlings by the trees. Laurent froze, again.

Emerging from the trees came two of the hugest wolves I have ever seen. One was taller, with thick black fur and large piercing eyes. He stared at Laurent, it seemed this wolf had picked his death. The other was only slightly smaller and was a dark grey colour. He had a huge gash down his back. I hoped these wolves were not looking for their dinner, I was the only edible one hear. I whimpered into my hand which had come up to my mouth in shock.

The next series of events happened so quickly that I have trouble remembering them correctly. I had tried to creep backwards but got cut on another rock. I decided staying still and trying not to be noticed was my best option. Laurent had pelted for the trees quicker than the eye could see, but it seemed he was not too fast for these wolves. There was still more howls emanating from deep in the forest. There could not have been more of these freak wolves. In a second after Laurent had taken off, the largest wolf sped after him. I had never seen an animal on four legs move so fast. He was almost supernatural like the vampire. I shook my head. I was delusional. The large grey wolf sidled nearer to me and squealed softly. He looked at me while I shuddered and covered my head with my arms. I was praying, hoping, wishing he would go after the other wolf too.

My prayers were answered, he sped off within seconds. I ran the whole way back to my truck, looking out for the guys but they were nowhere to be seen.

Tears poured down my cheeks. I was in hysterics by the time I reached home to Charlie. He looked at me puzzled. I told him I fell over and I was hurt. He huffed and got up from his game to help me bandage up my cut leg.

"I'll kill Jake." I told him it wasn't Jakes fault; he hadn't left me out of his sight. But he had. And now he was dead. I was sure of it. The guys wouldn't have left me alone if they knew there had been a strange man, let alone a vampire nearby.

I went straight up to my room and sobbed into my pillow.

I woke up screaming that night, dreaming of all the people I loved being tortured by a vampire with fire-red hair.