Secrets

I tossed over to my left side, throwing the blanket off my shoulders. They needed more air conditioning in this room. Wait… Blanket? Air conditioning? My eyes shot open and scanned the ridiculously pink bedroom. Yesterday had really happened. I played the crazy night over in my head. Wolf-people… Vampires who weren't really vampires… It all seemed like a long, absurd nightmare. I shuddered as it slowly formed into a reality.

I threw the blanket off me and slipped slowly out of bed. A small alarm clock on the nightstand nearby read 2:00PM. Why hadn't I woken up earlier? Usually I'd come around early in the morning. But then I realized that yesterday had been the most amazing sleep I'd had in a very long time.

I was about to leave the room when I spotted a pair of shorts sticking out from under my blanket. I looked down at my bare body and remembered. Lifting the blanket away from the outfit, I sighed. A dark red tank top, bra and underwear, pair of socks, sneakers, and a small post-it note.

Recently washed. Thought you needed a clean outfit.

I barely even knew these people and they were already supplying a place to sleep and clothes? Talk about overbearing. However, whoever had left the note was right. I did need a clean outfit. So I pulled on the new clothes. It took me a few seconds to remember how to strap a bra and how to tie shoelaces. But once I was past those obstacles, I looked pretty decent. I combed through my hair and then quietly stepped out of my room and down the stairs.

I found Billy Black sitting in front of the table in the kitchen, a newspaper in his hands.

"Good morning, Billy," I said, entering the kitchen.

Billy started, obviously not expecting the sudden voice or entrance. "Oh! Forgive me; I forgot how quiet you can be."

I didn't understand this comment, but I nodded anyway.

"Go ahead and take what you'd like from the fridge. I made some coffee, if you want some." He took a sip from his mug, eyeing me curiously. I assumed he was surprised at how different I looked clean.

"Thank you," I replied, rushing to the freezer and taking out the box of waffles. I sat down across from Billy as soon as the waffles were done. This was a perfect opportunity for me to get some questions answered. But I had to ease into them and tread carefully. "So, where is everyone?"

"It's Tuesday. The kids are at school."

"Oh," I said quietly. I'd forgotten all about school. What had it been, two or three years since I had entered a classroom? I couldn't remember. "Why didn't anyone wake me up?" I asked. I would have thought someone would come and ask me to help Billy around the house. If I was going to be living here for a little while, wouldn't I need to pull my own weight?

"Seth thought you should get a good night's sleep," he answered, putting down the paper. "I agree. You couldn't have been able to sleep very well outside for the past few years."

I shrugged, hiding my annoyance. Ugh, that Seth kid again. He was really starting to creep me out.

"I got to thinking yesterday," Billy began, "and I thought it would be a good idea if you went to school here. If a random kid is walking around the reservation, people will get to talking. I don't need anyone on my back at the moment, and if you went to school, it might stop some of the rumors." He took another sip of his coffee.

School? I hadn't been to school since… since eighth grade. What was I supposed to be now? A junior? I shuddered. I'd look like a complete idiot. "I don't know, Billy. I haven't been to school in awhile. And, won't I look out of place anyway? I mean, I don't really look like a person who should live here." I thought I should remind him about my light skin. There was no way I would fit in with the people at the reservation. "Besides, I won't be here for long."

"One, I'm sure with a little help, you'll do fine in school. And two, you don't need to fit in, really. You just need to belong to a group. Stick around the pack, and the people here will get the message."

I noticed, with annoyance, that he didn't touch on my last statement. Here they went again.

"It's going to work out well for you. Trust me," he said, lifting his newspaper back to his gaze. "I'll work on your registration."

Well, no point in arguing. That would only get him upset, and I needed him nice and buttered up before I began questioning him.

"So, Billy," I began, taking my empty plate to the garbage. "How many shifters live in the reservation?"

I heard him put the newspaper down again. "Sixteen. But they're split into two packs."

"Two? Jacob's a pack leader," I said, returning to my seat. "And you are too?"

Billy turned crimson. "Oh, no, I'm not a shape shifter. The gene skipped my generation. My father was one, and my son is one."

Well, that gave me two pieces of information. And bonus points in Billy's good books. A little flattery could go a long way. So, I knew that this curse was actually a gene. I didn't know who I got it from, though. My grandparents were nothing spectacular. Maybe it was only a wolf gene for these specific people. Maybe my curse was something completely different. And now I also knew the second pack leader. "So, Sam's the other pack leader, then, right?"

Billy nodded.

"I was curious. How old are the youngest shifters here?" I needed to see if it was normal for them to start shifting at the age I had been my first transformation.

"They're around fourteen. They first started to change at thirteen. A little early, but not really uncommon."

I felt relief flow through me. Okay, I wasn't abnormal… Well, to them, at least.

"That's the age I first shifted," I told him. All right, now I wanted to make some more comparisons. "So, do you think you could tell me a little bit about everyone? I know I'm different in some ways, but I just wanted to see what similarities we have."

"Well, they change into wolves. I was surprised to find out you change into a wildcat."

I nodded. He sipped his coffee. I forced myself to relax and be patient.

"They also have the tendency to change when they get angry, upset, or riled up, unless they can control themselves."

"Yeah, that happens with me too," I said.

Billy gave a nod. "When they are in their wolf forms, they can communicate with each other. The wolves inside a pack can also hear each others' thoughts."

Hear each others' thoughts? And communicate with each other? Would I be able to do that with them? I hadn't exactly tried.

"They heal very quickly, like you. They're temperatures run extremely high. They have a pretty good amount of strength and speed."

I couldn't help but laugh at the speed part. Billy stared curiously at me. "I'm sorry, it's just… They move pretty slowly to me," I replied. "But they are stronger than me," I admitted after seeing an offended look in his eyes.

"They also hunt vampires," Billy continued. "Most vampires, I mean."

I quickly got out of my seat. I'd had enough of the conversation. "Um, Billy, I know I barely know you and all, but I was wondering if maybe you could lend me some money for clothes and stuff. I can work it off…"

Billy had been a little startled at my sudden movement, but he quickly reached into his pocket. "Don't worry about it. I'd be glad to help. Will thirty bucks be enough?"

Wow, that was a little too much. "I can't take all that money, Billy."

"It's no problem; really. Would you like me to show you to the store?" he asked, handing me three bills.

"No, I think I'll be able to find it myself."

"Are you sure? You might get lost–"

"I'll be fine, Billy," I pressed. I definitely needed some alone time.

He just nodded and then lifted his newspaper. "Well, it is close by. I'm sure you'll be all right by yourself."

I returned his nod and walked out of the kitchen. Though I'd been aggravated at the end of our conversation, Billy had supplied me a lot of information and a lot of cash. I felt the need to do something for him. I quickly raced upstairs. Maybe I could pick up my new room a little bit.

I made the bed and threw my dirty clothes into a small garbage bin in a corner of the room. That took about five seconds. Definitely not enough. I left the room and walked downstairs. I wandered down a narrow hallway and opened the first door I could find.

It was a pretty plain bedroom. There was hardly anything inside of it. A double bed took up almost all of the room, except for a corner that was occupied by a nightstand. I walked inside and made the bed. I saw a few pictures sitting on the nightstand, so I wandered over to it to get a better look.

One of the pictures seemed to be a family one. I saw Billy and Jacob huddled closely together with two other people, who I assumed where Billy's daughters. They seemed very happy. I smiled at the picture. I had forgotten how good having a family was.

The next picture was of Jacob and the most beautiful baby girl I'd ever seen. She was extremely pale and had beautiful chocolate eyes and bronze curls. She looked to be at least two or three years old. I couldn't help but break into a grin. The girl was smiling blissfully with Jacob kneeling down next to her. He looked like the happiest person alive in this picture. I hadn't seen him like this yet.

And the last picture made my heart stop. Jacob was standing, with a wide grin on his face, next to a vampire. The vampire had her arm around Jacob's side and was smiling just as brightly as he was.

The picture made my head spin. I raced out of the room as fast as I could. These people were crazy! I could accept their strange alliance with the vampires. I could accept their hospitality. But taking pictures with them? Swinging their arms around each other like best buds? I felt nauseated. I needed fresh air.

I had run out of the house and down the street before I warned myself to relax. I was in broad daylight, in a public neighborhood. If people caught me moving so fast… I slowed myself down. There were a lot of different things to consider. But for some reason, all my brain would allow me to process was the fact that I was staying with a bunch of leech lovers. I wanted to barf. What had happened to me? Had all of my morals just disappeared?

I found the shopping center easily. It was only a few blocks away from where Billy lived. They had a fairly small clothing store, so I found a pack of underwear and a couple of decent bras easily. I stopped by the supermarket and bought a few missed foods: chocolate bars and ice cream. After I left the store with my things, I took the walk back to Billy's as slowly as possible. I didn't know if I was completely prepared to sit down with any of the wolf-people just yet.

I was almost to Billy's house when I noticed someone walking down the same sidewalk. He looked up at me slowly and gave me a very strange look. Uh oh; I knew this boy. I immediately shot my head down. Would he recognize me with clean clothes and smooth hair? Would he recognize me with sneakers? Would he recognize me as a human being?

Mark stared at me inquisitively, but I rushed past him before he could say anything. Hopefully he hadn't remembered me. Well, of course he must have remembered me. But maybe I looked completely different. There were some pretty big changes in my appearance. I sighed. I'd find out later. After all, I was going to school now. There was no doubt I'd run into him there.

I sped the rest of the way to Billy's house. By that time, Mark was out of my head and the leech lovers were back in. I had a few choice words to say to Jacob. I walked into the house without knocking and shut the door behind me. I didn't really care if I was being rude. I lived here, right?

The living room wasn't as packed as it had been last night, but it was still pretty full. Jacob, Leah, and Seth sat on one couch. Quil and Embry sat on another. Two other boys leaned against a wall. They had been there last night. They seemed to be some of the youngest of the group.

Everyone's eyes widened as I turned to face them. Jacob's stare was simply confused. Seth and the other boys had a look of astonishment in their eyes. Leah's stare was full of revulsion.

"Seth…" Leah said to him, still glaring at me.

"Leah, relax," Seth told her, standing up. "Hi, Natalia."

"Relax? She's wearing my clothes!" Leah growled.

Great. I should have realized when Billy had stared at me earlier that he'd had no clue where I'd gotten the clothes. And of course, only this strange boy would feel it was necessary to provide me a new outfit. But why did he have to take the clothes from his sister? She hated me enough already.

"Well, she couldn't just go walking around in rags!" Seth cried, turning to face his sister.

"She's been doing it!" Leah snarled. "Look, I don't care if you buy her new clothes, or even if you steal clothes from someone else. But don't you dare give her my clothes!" Leah's body began to quiver.

"Leah," Jacob interrupted, "it's just one outfit. You don't even wear those sneakers anyway."

"That doesn't mean he can go sneaking around and stealing things from me! I don't give a damn if he–"

"Leah!" Seth roared.

I jumped back. I'd never heard him yell like that. He didn't seem like the type of person to scream, anyway. This boy was seriously starting to weird me out.

Leah glared at her brother one last time before rushing out of the house. I stared around the room awkwardly. Jacob had his head leaned back in the sofa. Most of the boys were staring at Seth, who was, of course, staring at me. One of the youngest boys was still gawking at me the way he had when I'd first come in.

"I… I'll give her back the clothes," I said. "I didn't know…"

"No," Seth told me. "She just overreacted. Don't worry about her; keep the clothes."

I nodded. Jacob stood up and walked past me. "I'll go talk to her," he sighed, leaving the house.

I swung my grocery bags around nervously. I turned away from the group to head upstairs, but Seth rushed to stop me.

"I'll take these upstairs for you," he said, grabbing the bag. "Sit."

I wanted to protest, but he was already walking upstairs before I could say anything. I reluctantly took a seat on the empty couch.

"So," Quil began, "how was your day?"

I stared at him. That was his best conversation starter? "Weird," I admitted. There was a question bubbling inside of me, and I felt the urge to spit it out. "Is Seth usually… this polite?" I asked. "I mean, he acts like I can't even walk without help."

Quil grinned, but Embry stealthily elbowed him in the side. "Yeah, he's a pretty nice guy," Embry told me. "He's glad you stayed, so he's been wanting to keep you comfortable."

Keep me comfortable? He was doing a pretty bad job at it. Right now, I was just freaked out and annoyed. I'd try to give him a hint to tone it down a bit.

One of the young boys leaning against the wall took a seat by my side. "Hi, I'm Collin. I can be a pretty nice guy, too," he said, holding out his hand.

"God, Collin!" the other boy exclaimed. "Watch yourself."

Collin smirked at the boy. "What? There aren't any dibs yet."

I shook his hand and discreetly scooted closer to my end of the couch. He was being a little too friendly, and I had enough of that already.

The other boy shook his head. "I'm Brady," he told me.

I just nodded to him. "And Quil and Embry," I said to the others as soon as Quil had opened his mouth.

"Observant," Quil grinned. "I like that."

Seth came back down the stairs and stopped next to the sofa. He gave Collin a hard look.

"We were just asking Natalia about her day," Collin told him, moving closer to me and patting the seat on the other side. A wide smile was plastered on his face. "Weird, you said?" he asked, turning to me.

Seth sat next to Collin with a controlled look on his face. But as much as he tried to hide it, I could tell he was furious. What, could other people not sit next to me? He was the only one allowed to?

"Uh, yeah," I began. "I went to get a few things from the store, and on the way back I saw that kid, Mark."

Quil straightened up in his seat. "Did he say anything to you?"

"I walked by too fast for him to," I replied.

"Maybe he didn't recognize you. You do look different today," Collin told me. "You had a bunch of leaves in your hair yesterday." He raised his hand to examine a lock of my dark hair.

"Collin, can I see you outside?" Seth asked, standing up.

"Why? I'm pretty comfortable here," he answered, gazing happily at me. But then Seth grabbed his arm and yanked him off the sofa. Seth dragged the boy out of the house.

I stared at the other people in the room in confusion.

"Again, Seth wants you to feel comfortable here," Embry said quickly. "Collin was getting a little touchy."

In truth, I preferred touchy rather than freaky. "I didn't really mind," I told him. "Well, I kind of did, but I wasn't completely uncomfortable. No reason to overreact about it."

Embry nodded, but didn't say anything else. It was silent for a while, until we heard a loud bang against the side of the house. Embry shot out of his seat and walked to the door. "I'll check on them," he muttered.

He closed the door, but I could hear them yelling outside. "You said you wanted to be inconspicuous!" I heard Embry holler. "Slamming Collin's head against the wall for just touching her is not inconspicuous!"

"So, what did you buy at the store?" Quil asked loudly.

"Just some clothes," I murmured, not really wanting to discuss the undergarments I bought with him. Everyone seemed to be doing a terrible job of making me feel at home here.

"It's not my fault you don't want to tell her!" I heard Collin yell from outside.

I turned to the door, and then to Quil. "Tell me what?"

Quil looked at Brady, who stared at him for all of a second before hurrying to the kitchen. "Well, you see–"

The door swung open and Leah stepped inside. Jacob must have calmed her down. "Why is my brother biting Collin's head off?"

Quil looked at Leah, and then at me. "Collin was being a little too friendly."

"Figures," Leah grumbled, walking back out of the house. Quil got up, mumbling something about having to help, and then followed her outside.

I glared around the now empty living area. Well, I sure knew how to clear a room. I glowered at the door, got up from the couch, and ran upstairs to my room. These people were so bizarre! I started to wish they would just act like Leah. If they had something to say, they should just come out and say it. This place was already majorly screwed up. I doubted whatever secret they had could make it worse.

My grocery bag was lying on top of the dresser. I took the contents out and placed them inside the first empty drawer I could find. I sighed and stared at my alarm clock. It was almost four. I flung my shoes off and leaped into my bed. Maybe I just needed to think everything over. Maybe all I needed was a nap. I closed my eyes and drifted to sleep.

I felt someone nudging my side. I turned over in the bed to see Jacob's black eyes staring down at me. "Dinner's ready."

I yawned. "What are we having?" I inquired.

"Spaghetti," he replied.

I sighed. I'd never really enjoyed spaghetti. "I think I'll just have waffles," I told him, sitting up.

"Are you serious?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I am." I flung the cover off me and stood up. "Is it just you and Billy tonight?"

"No, Leah and Seth are here with their mom and Charlie," Jacob said, leaving the room.

I was too focused on the words Leah and Seth to ask who Charlie was. I didn't really like either of them much. Leah was just plain mean, and Seth was a little too nice. They were exact opposites, but either way, they both scared me.

I walked downstairs and watched Jacob head outside. Is that where we were eating? I decided to make my waffles and then meet everyone in the yard.

I brought my waffles outside as soon as they were done. Billy had collected a bunch of lawn chairs and everyone was eating bowls of spaghetti from their laps. They all had bright smiles on their faces. Even the edges of my lips curled upward. It was nice to see a group of people so happy together.

I spotted the only empty chair and walked over to it. Of course, it was next to Seth. Had they arranged it like that?"

"Hey. How was the nap?" Seth asked me through a mouthful of spaghetti.

I looked away from him as I sat down. How had he known I'd taken a nap? He had left the room before I had even gone upstairs. No, I told myself, stop scaring yourself. Jacob had probably told them all I was asleep before he'd left to wake me up. It wasn't like Seth was watching me or something.

"It was fine," I said, while trying to shake the image of Seth standing over me while I slept out of my mind.

"Good; you needed it. You've probably had a bad day."

I turned to him questioningly.

"With Leah and Collin and all," he told me.

I just nodded. And you, I thought. And Mark. And Jacob, with his friend bloodsuckers.

"Why aren't you eating spaghetti?" he questioned.

"I'm kind of tired of meat right now," I said, staring at the meatballs in his bowl. "And I've been in the mood for waffles." I cut off a piece of waffle and dipped it into the syrup.

"You really like them, don't you?"

"Yeah. I used to eat them all the time." I shoved the piece hungrily into my mouth.

"So, I was at the Cullens' house earlier."

My body instantly stiffened. "Oh?"

"Yeah. I needed to calm down, and Jasper's pretty good with emotions," he replied, digging into his spaghetti.

There was something behind that. I went through my thoughts of the vampire, and remembered feeling unnaturally relaxed around him. Of course! He was gifted! I frowned. I despised vampires with gifts. As if they weren't strange enough. "He controls your feelings?" I asked Seth. I began to feel angry. Who told him he could control how I felt? That was anything but fair.

"Well, yes, but not in the way you make it sound. He can… sense the feelings in a room, and make them change. If someone's upset, he can make them feel a little happier. If someone's angry, he can calm them down."

I nodded, but I was still a little put off. "And the other one you mentioned, the one who sees things?"

"Alice. She has visions. But they're always changing. She can only see the future course someone is on while they've decided it. If they change their minds, the future changes."

"So I guess she saw me coming," I said, trying to sound casual. But I definitely didn't like another one of the parasites using their power against me.

"No, actually. Alice can't see people like us. She only has visions about vampires and humans," he told me.

I couldn't help my grin. That was great. She didn't have an unfair advantage, then. "So, tell me more about these Cullens," I said. I wanted to know as much as possible before I decided to accept Carlisle Cullen's invitation to his nest… I mean, home.

"Well, there's Carlisle, who you met yesterday. I guess you could say he's the coven leader. He created most of the vampires in the family. He's a really great guy, very… compassionate. And disciplined. He lived on his own for a really long time, ended up a vegetarian."

"Vegetarian?" I questioned.

Seth smiled. "It's a joke. That's what they call themselves, since they don't hunt humans."

"They hunt animals," I stated, still only half believing it.

Seth nodded. "It's enough to keep them strong, he says."

But not enough to satisfy them, I thought. Leeches...

"Anyway, he became a doctor after he was strong enough to resist blood. He wanted to help the world, make up for what he was. He found Edward in a hospital around a hundred and ten years ago, dying."

"Edward?"

"Yeah, he's the second to join the family. Carlisle changed him before he could die. Edward's as great as Carlisle. Very understanding and open. We became friends after a pretty big battle; he's why I got so close to the Cullens. But anyway, Edward can hear people's thoughts. It's pretty cool."

I shuddered. Great, the bloodsucker could read minds. That was the most unfair advantage I had ever heard of.

"Well, after Edward joined, Carlisle found Esme. She's like the mom of the group, really sweet and nurturing. And she's an amazing cook. She makes the best Italian food on the planet."

Cook? Since when did vampires cook?

"Then Rosalie came in. She's, uh… a little standoffish. I don't think she's begun to trust us completely just yet, even though we've known them for so long. But I guess we can't blame her. Some of the pack isn't open to them yet, either."

I wonder why, I thought sardonically.

"But yeah, Rosalie became a vampire after a fatal incident, and she joined their coven. After a while, she found Emmett; he'd been attacked by a bear. So she brought him back for Carlisle to change. Those two are together now."

I nodded, beginning to feel a little surprised. This vampire coven was starting to get really big. The biggest group I'd ever come across wasn't too much bigger than what Seth was describing.

"Then Alice showed up out of nowhere with her mate, Jasper, due to her visions. She saw her and Jasper together and in Carlisle's family. Those two are the only ones in the group who were changed before they met the coven."

I placed my cleaned plate on the floor. I'd pick it up before we went back inside.

"And then there's Bella. Her story is really long and confusing, so I won't go into it, but she joined the family after she fell in love with Edward."

Wait, after she fell in love with the leech? "What?"

Seth grinned. "I told you it was confusing. Yeah, she met him when she was human, they fell in love, and now she's a vampire."

I frowned. How could someone be stupid enough to fall in love with a vampire?

"Oh, and last but not least, Renesmee. She's Edward and Bella's daughter."

I stared at him in bewilderment. "How could they have a daughter?" I demanded. Female vampires couldn't get pregnant. Their bodies wouldn't be able to change to hold a child. I knew enough about vampires to be certain of that.

"Renesmee's only half vampire," Seth explained.

My body froze. My mind drifted back to the picture in Jacob's bedroom. Him and the baby girl… I hadn't noticed how pale her skin was…

I felt like retching. "They… How… That's not possible…"

"Well, they were in love," Seth said.

I got up from my chair, my hands trembling and my mind hazy. The vampire had taken an innocent human girl to bed. That was unheard of; it was repulsive. Was this a new phase vampires were going through? Fool around with your prey before you eat it?

I hadn't noticed Seth stand up as well. He was staring anxiously at me. "Are you okay? Did I upset you?"

I stared at him in disbelief. Would this kid ever stop with his unnatural kindness? "You didn't. What you said did!"

"What, about Edward and Bella?"

"Yes! How can you talk about that like it's nothing?"

"They were married, Natalia," Seth said, staring at me with hard eyes. "Married and in love."

"Married?" I cried. "She was married to it?"

"Bella was fully aware of what he was. There was nothing wrong about it."

"What are you talking about? Everything's wrong about it!"

The people around us suddenly grew silent. Someone coughed. "What's this about Bella?" I heard a male voice ask. I turned around to look at the man seated next to Billy. He must have been Charlie. His dark curls reminded me of someone… The baby girl. This was her grandfather.

My gaze turned to Seth. "Does he know?"

Seth's eyes widened. I looked back to Charlie, who stared at me for a few seconds and then turned away. "I don't need to know," he muttered, as if it was a rehearsed chant.

"He knows enough," I heard Jacob say. I turned around to face the leech lover. He was standing up from his chair.

"Enough? What's that supposed to mean?" I asked him.

"Maybe it means he doesn't want to know everything," Jacob told me angrily. "Maybe it means he shouldn't know everything."

I began to shake. "What's with all this secrecy? It's not like it's something you can just keep from him! It's his daughter!"

"Charlie, let's go inside," I heard a woman say. It must have been Seth and Leah's mother. "I ran out of soda."

"Sure thing, Sue," Charlie said, getting up with her and rushing into the house. Billy quickly followed suit.

"Maybe Bella doesn't want Charlie to know she's a vampire! Did you think about how that might frighten Charlie?"

"Better frightened than lied to!" I screamed, glaring at him.

Jacob's mouth clamped shut. Something I had said made him withdraw.

"I don't know why you people are even getting mixed up in this," I told the remaining group. "They're a bunch of parasites! I don't understand why you're friends with them."

Leah rose from her seat. "They are not parasites! We've told you a thousand times that they're different!"

I turned to say something, but she continued, approaching me.

"These are actual people we're talking about. I don't care how long you've played your little game of hunting. I don't care about what you think you know about vampires. You know why? Because you're wrong! The Cullens are different. They're nice people who haven't done harm to anyone! So stop calling them parasites! Stop calling them leeches! Because you're wrong!"

My stomach burned with fury. These people had completely deluded themselves. Vampires were all the same. They were all killers. Monsters. And these wolf-people were defending them. My body kicked into hunter mode at the exact time Leah's did.

"Guys, calm down," Jacob warned.

"Don't tell me to calm down," I snarled. "Tell your leech lover friend here to!"

That had done it. Leah's face tightened in outrage. "One, I'm anything but a leech lover," she growled at me. "And two, they are not leeches!"

Her body shook with pure rage, until finally she leaped at me. I watched her change and ducked out of her way. My change came as soon as she had reached the ground. She turned to me with infuriated eyes. She dug her heavy paws into the ground and howled. I felt my tail swish madly behind me. We circled each other.

"Are you guys insane?" Jacob cried. "We're in view of the entire neighborhood!"

Leah growled at Jacob. She didn't care, and neither did I.

I hissed angrily as soon as Seth took a step in between us. "Leah," he said, facing his sister, "calm down."

Leah froze.

"You tried to explain everything to her. That's all you can do. You know if someone comes outside right now, they'll have an aneurism. Change back."

Leah's eyes were furious, but she stood still and morphed back anyway. "You're lucky my brother tolerates you," Leah said, her gaze burning into me. "Because if it were up to me, you'd be out on the street, where you belong." And she strode angrily into the house.

"Cover up, Leah!" Jacob warned her before she had left.

Seth turned to me. "I think you need some alone time. I know this is difficult to understand, but it's all true. They're not the monsters who killed your brother, Natalia. You need to realize that." He sighed. "Come on, Jake." He began walking over to the house. Jacob followed him in.

I stared at the door in outrage and then looked at the floor. My clothes were torn to shreds. Just great. I prayed to God that no one would see me and then I ran down the driveway. I barely remembered which way the forest was, but I recalled enough to find it after a few minutes.

I needed to clear my head. I needed to relax. I needed to lose myself. I needed to hunt. I stepped into the forest and followed the first deer scent I could find.