When I came home that day I was very distracted. I kept dropping everyone's possessions and getting scared at the smallest things. It was frustrating! I knew they weren't normal, and somehow, everything connected. I just couldn't make my brain put the links together. Like I knew that 2 plus 2 was, but I couldn't make it equal four. You get what I am saying? I knew the secrets where somehow tied, but I didn't know what the secret was. Rahh! Sorry, had to get the anger out. I was fiddling with my pencil, trying to focus on my homework. I've been on the same problem for about...ten minutes. Yes, I was very distracted. Right after school I had picked up my Avalanche. It looked practically brand new. That helped for a bit. But here and now I knew I wouldn't get any homework done, so I tossed my books aside and flopped on my bed with an annoyed groan. There was a small knock on my door.

"Gro ahaya." My attempts of keeping everyone out didn't work so well as a heat source entered the room. I groaned in my pillow. Even if the words weren't coherent, the message was.

"The guys are excited and they want you to come with us to a bonfire we're having tonight." Sam's voice was slightly bored and annoyed. I sighed deeply, my shoulders sliding into my bed. I grunted, a clear 'fine', but still, Sam stayed there. Annoyed, I threw my head up, stray strands of hair falling in my face, and glared at him. He seemed worried for some reason. My expression changed to a confused one. Hesitantly, he wandered over to where I was, biting his lip. What was he worried about? His shoulders tightened, like he was bracing for something. He opened his mouth to speak, staring into my eyes, but his shoulders dropped. He chickened out.

"Natalie, I know you're stressed out. If you need any help, we're all here for you. Especially Jacob. You can come to any of us."

He was worried about me? Naw, couldn't be. That was just a cover-up. Liar. And why 'especially Jacob'? We just became friends. Once again, I had that annoying feeling in the back of my head that I had the knowledge, but I couldn't piece it together. What the fugg-nuggets? I puckered my lips cutely.

"I know that." It sounded almost like a question. An awkward silence followed, and Sam was biting his lip again. He tried a second time, and again, he chickened out. He bent down and kissed my forehead before leaving. Nerf. That's just frustrating. Sighing, I got up and started to pick out an outfit for tonight.

I settled on a pair of jeans and a nice t-shirt, not bothering to grab a jacket. Sam popped up and said that the boys were going to hang around the beach before they started, and he was going to join with Emily a little later. Excitement boiled over and I agreed quickly, shooting out the door.

The familiar path blended behind me in my speed, my breath coming in shallow rasps. A couple of times I had to slow and walk, but other than that, I was sprinting the entire way. A yip caught my attention as I managed to get on the beach, and I whipped my head in the direction. Though the sky was gray, it wasn't raining just yet, and in the distance I saw a golden retriever puppy bounding towards me. I smiled at it and ran the way I thought the boys where, but still, that puppy followed. Feeling like a child, I decided that this was a game of tag. I slowed a little to let it catch up, and it leaped at me, barking happily as it missed. I skid to a stop as it turned and leapt again, giggling insanely. Suddenly it stopped, perking its ears toward the forest. I smiled and bent down, rubbing his ears. I grabbed its middle and spun it around, getting it in a playful mood as it took off after me again. I heard masculine voices, and followed excitedly, almost forgetting the puppy trailing after me. A dark shape outlined in the distance, and I couldn't help but let a smile cross my face. The puppy passed me, and now I was chasing him as he pelted towards the boys.

I laughed as the first hazed cleared, showing the gang throwing Frisbee's, and the golden made a tremendous leap after an excited bark, grabbing the red plastic. Seth leaped for the dog, just missing it as it looped around them and brought it over to me. I smiled, taking it gently from his mouth and patted his head.

"Oh you're so adorable!" I spoke in a motherly like voice, going higher pitch at the end. "Aren't you a good boy Biscuit? Who's a good boy?" The puppy yipped, and a throat cleared. I looked up at Jacob innocently. He rose an eyebrow at me. A slight blush dusted my cheeks, but I smile warmly at him. "You're just jealous because he's cuter than you'll ever be."

The boys behind him snickered and I shot them a glare.

"Don't you be laughin at him! Jacob's the cutest out of all you!" I snapped playfully; Seth puckered his lips at me and stamped his foot, but before he could object, I pointed it out. "You did not just stamp your foot! Oh my God I thought only girls did that in the movies!" Jacob flinched, but kept that warm smile on his face, like he was sharing a personal victory. The others laughed at Seth's misfortune with a quick glance at Jake. I played with Biscuit for a while, for he wouldn't leave me alone anyways, when another masculine voice echoed behind me.

"Biscuit! Bis~cu~it! Come 'ere boy!" Weird, I didn't know that was his real name. Biscuit's ears shot up, and he cocked his head to the side before bounding away to his owner. I sighed unhappily but didn't do anything else. With my playmate taken away I finally acknowledged the boys completely, who where play wrestling on the ground. Grinning, I took the Frisbee (magically by me) and sneaked over to the fight, coming up behind Jacob, who was on top of Brady. I flashed a grin and shot out the Frisbee, catching Jacob on the rear. His face shot up and his hands grabbed at the area before leaping off of Brady. Giggling insanely, I took off, squealing with delight when he caught me and flung me over his shoulder.

"Jacob! Put me down!" I squealed, thumping his back lightly with my fist. He turned his face towards me, grinning at me over his shoulder.

"Not a chance." I pouted playfully.

"Seth~! Jacob won't put me down~!" I whined in a pathetic, two-year-old voice. Seth grinned from where he was, jumping after Jacob. Quil and Embry where next, followed by Brady and Collin. Paul and Jared watched amused before joining in. Jacob twisted and turned, just staying out of the others reach and shoving them away before they got too close. I started to get dizzy and I closed my eyes, but that only made the turns much more violent. I tapped Jacob lightly, feeling sick.

"Seriously, I need ground." He stopped immediately, and set me down lightly. I traveled a few steps, and promptly flopped on the ground. I chuckled lightly, trying to be humorous in my sickly state.

"Bet 'cha I failed the alcohol test." The gang burst up in a fit of laughter and I smiled meekly at them. I sighed in content, slumping in the sand onto my back. In the distance I heard the sound of thunder, and I flinched. Lightning didn't scare me, in fact, I love watching the bright flashes contrast against the sky, but thunder always had me glancing around anxiously, the deafening roar ringing uncomfortably in my ears. Jacob noticed, but he didn't bring it up. I stared out to the ocean, in a sort of mindless fog. I do that all the time. Stare at nothing in particular, and let my brain fog over into nothingness. A sort of way to protect myself when I'm depressed, maybe, I don't really know. The boys where doing whatever behind me, but for right now, I didn't care. I was satisfied with just lying on the ground. My mind surfaced from the fog and turned to what I've been think about recently. I couldn't stand it anymore as I turned and looked at the gang.

"I've got a question for you!" I shouted, they stopped their game and waltzed over to me, sitting on the ground in a half circle around me. I sat up, pulling my knees to my chest and laying my head on them.

"What's the first thing that comes to mind when I say 'bad guy'?"

Simultaneously they answered, and almost in the same tone,

"Vampire."

I looked at them, blinking for a minute. Vampire? Really? My lips twitched in concentration. Could Elijah be a vampire? Although that would explain his speed, it would open up so many different questions. A fog entered my mind again, blocking off the information. The knowledge was in the peak of my brain, but yet I still could not process it. Disturbingly, I realized that something was blocking off the information, trying to keep me from guessing or figuring out the secret. Touché Mister Cullen, I thought crossly but I'll find some way around it. I decided to try and drop it for now, knowing I wouldn't get anything until later on tonight. Really though, vampires? That might explain their God like features, for they would have to have something appealing (whether it be their looks, voice, or scent) to attract innocents. I always thought that vampires where like the spawn of the devil, vicious, vile creatures that haunted existence. Could Carlisle, the heart-stoppingly gorgeous, charming young doctor, even cope around the scent of blood, let alone the sight of it? And the family comes out during the day, granted, there isn't much sun, but still, shouldn't they burn? And what else could they nourish on besides humans here? Nobody has gone missing, so they couldn't have eaten lately. Ugh, this just makes my brain hurt. Maybe I am just being stupid. Elijah doesn't have to be a superhero (or villain) just because he can run at the speed of light, has the face, body, and voice of God and his scent is the best perfume in the world.

Does it? In some twisted way, it shouldn't be hard to believe. Is this some messed up little joke he's playing, trying to mess with my head so I would think of him for hours on end? Is the 'show' I saw on the field, just that? A trick of the light to keep me like this, confused and wanting more? Oh, he's good; he's very good. I personally make it my duty to find out what's going on, here and now, I can't take it anymore!

"Hey, Quil? Can I speak to you for eine minute (one minute, German style)?" Quil stopped what he was doing, currently beating Collin mischievously, and gave me a confused look. I puckered my lips playfully, patting the seat I had next to me. He glanced around, uncertain, but joined. He plastered on a smile that was so fake a bear wouldn't believe it.

"'Sup?"

"Well, I had a question about the Cullen's..." anxiety flashed through his eyes, and he sighed.

"What about?"

"There's something off about them, do you know what it is?"

He pursed his lips, not in concentration, but in apprehension.

"Yeah..."

We both stayed silent, him keeping his eyes locked in an expressionless mask and me staying in my innocent but perceptive stare. He didn't press on.

"And?"

"Why do you need to know?"

He asked curtly. His tone made me flinch.

"'Cuz I'll find out eventually, and when I do, I won't know who I can trust." I declared, hardening my gaze. Another flash of anxiety, but this time, it was held with something else: hopeless, disheveled almost. It made my heart ache. He stood up.

"You're smart, you can figure it out. And when you do, nobody here will judge you based on your decision. I can't say anymore. If you're really smart, you'll probably guess by the end of the night."

I grunted angrily, he was going to leave me, lost in thought like this? Bastard. He ruffled the top of my head.

"Stop fretting kid. Besides, if they wanted to let you know, you'd know by now, right? Maybe you should stop butting in other peoples business." I went to object, but the words caught in my throat. He had two meanings when he spoke that to me. One, I should leave the Cullen's alone, and two, the people I was hanging out with right now, here. I kept my mouth shut, clinging onto the idea that I might figure the secret out tonight. I had to, that's all I could hope for.

Quil walked away and to the gang again, and they asked him, of course, what I wanted to talk about. He whispered something to them, and they took a glance at me. I puckered my lips at them and turned to the ocean again, letting my mind wander to nothing in particular.

"A penny for your thoughts?" A deep husky voice asked me. Startled, I whipped around and looked into the deep brown eyes of Jacob. He had taken a seat next to me without me knowing. Maybe I was just distracted and didn't hear him...maybe. I chuckled, trying to hide my discomfort.

"I've never heard someone say that to my face before." A grin crossed his lips.

"A little too dorky for ya?"

I smiled, a forming habit of mine when I was near him. I loved the sound of his voice, and his scent made me want to melt. All forest-like, musty and inviting, with a hint of danger tangled in. Didn't help that he was absolutely gorgeous.

"No, I was just stating that I've never heard that said to me before."

"So are you going to tell me what you were thinking about?"

I cocked my head to the side, looking at him in pure confusion and innocence.

"I'm supposed to do that?"

He blushed a dark shade and Quil, with his expert timing, called out to Jacob. Jacob, sighing with relief, waved over to his friend, turning his face away from me. His left arm held him up, his russet colored skin stretching over tight muscles. I grinned and did something I'd normally do with my friends back in Montana. I bit his arm. Well, not so much as bite as stretch my mouth and graze his skin with my teeth. He tensed beneath me and looked at me out of the corner of his eye. I released him, beaming happily.

"What was that?"

I smiled and made claws with my hands.

"I are vicious man-eating vampire!" I mocked. His eyes tightened, as did his muscles, and his voice hardened when he spoke.

"Don't you ever say that again."

I pouted playfully. Seth and the gang were by us in an instant. Seth asked what happened, and Jacob told them. They too tightened dramatically and forbade me to speak like that again. Paul was shaking in fury. I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, why not? You can't believe vampires are real."

They didn't say anything. I burst up laughing.

"You can't be serious! Vampires? You people are so superstitious." I was clutching my sides and tried not to fall over in my fit of giggles. "Next you'll be telling me fairies exist and leprechauns guard rainbows. And what after that? Unicorns? Werewolves?" I continued my laugh; oblivious to the dark and dangerous looks I was receiving. Paul looked like he was going to have a seizure on his feet. Jared was holding him back, whispering urgent things into his ear. Paul threw his head up, breathing slowly through his teeth. The others weren't much better. Embry had his eyes pinched tight, he too, was shaking, and Quil looked like he was trying to calm down, though once or twice a violent tremor would racket through his body. Seth, Collin, and Brady appeared to have gotten over their anger, and were now looking around, terrified out of their wits. My laughing started to die down, and noticing the state the others were in, I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, don't get your boxers in a bunch." I stood up, wiping sand off of me, and patted Paul's stomach as I past. The minute I touched him, he flinched. "I wasn't laughing at you," I continued, walking higher on the beach. I turned to them. "It's just, well, these are mythical creatures, and there's no way they could exist."

"And what if they did?" Jared spat. I blinked and grinned.

"Well, then the very fabric's of time and space would shift, and most likely, I would die in a matter of minutes." I stated mater-of-factly. I chuckled at their shocked faces. "Seriously, they'd be all like 'Rah' and I'd be like 'Shit'." I told them mockingly, a smile on my face. Hey, I was in a good mood, don't try to ruin it. I shrugged. "But it doesn't matter now, does it? They don't exist, unless you've seen one with your very own eyes?" I prompted. They all opened their mouths, but like they where choking, gasped and ground their teeth together. I cocked my head to the side. Freaky. Then I gasped as a chilling feeling rushed through me, and my sense of danger flared dramatically, sending my heart into frantic spasms. A disturbing rush followed making me step a couple paces away from the forests edge. I whipped around and looked behind me, staring wide-eyed into the dark. I shuddered. Jacob was next to me, catching me as I stumbled.

"You okay?"

"Y-yeah, fine." I stuttered. He chuckled.

"Come on guys," he called over his shoulder. He started to lead me down a path. "If we're going to get there before it starts, we'd better start walking."

Soon the others had surrounded me, and though they were upset, they tried not to make it obvious. Instead, they talked to each other lightly, like the incident never happened.

"So, Natalie..." Seth started, using one of his long strides to catch up to me. "You've made it clear that you're not afraid of vampires or werewolves-" I held my hand up.

"I never said I wasn't afraid of them, but I know they don't exist. I guess you could say it's a way of protecting myself from unnecessary fear. Or something around those lines."

"Well, what are you afraid of?" Jacob asked, picking up were Seth left off. Seth glared at him. I thought carefully, now fully aware that I had everyone's attention.

"The dark-"

"You mean what's in the dark." Jared corrected. I shook my head.

"No. I mean the dark itself." Quil's forehead creased, as did most of the others.

"I'm not sure I follow..." He murmured. A small grin filed on my face, but I couldn't force back the fear that tempted to swallow me.

"I wouldn't expect you to. You haven't gone through what it's like to be blind."

"What is it like?" Jacob asked. I bit my lip cautiously.

"The first time?"

He nodded. I looked at the ground and let out a shuddering breath.

"Terrifying. To wake up seeing nothing but black, to feel nothingness, I wouldn't wish that on any one person. Not being able to see, to hear, to smell...to feel. The only thing you know for sure is you're alive, the steady beating of your heart the only thing in a world of black. It's absolutely horrifying. That's why I'm scared of the dark, because I've felt its power, I know what it can do to a person." I shuddered. There was silence behind me, and I couldn't even hear their footsteps.

"Creepy." Seth finally muttered. I chuckled.

"Creepy indeed. But that was the first time. When I talked to my mom, everything cleared, my vision came back, and I felt safe. Nothing in the world could touch me when I was with her." A sad smile crossed my lips at the memory, my eyes clouding in commemoration.

"What happened to her?" Jacob murmured. My smile faltered, the sad look never leaving my gaze.

"She got in a car accident. She was in some Taxi and a Van ran a red light. I was in school. To this day, I still have visions on what it was like. It's always in an outsider's point of view. But never mind that, we're here to have fun, right?" A smooth grin filed on my face. "Unless you're afraid the vampire is going to get you." Jacob scowled and I smile to take the sting out of my words. He sighed.

"You're never going to let that go now, are you?"

I beamed.

"Never."

"Well, we can mock you about the dark." Jared pointed out. I grin at him.

"No you can't, cause the only dark I'm afraid of is when I go blind. Otherwise, I have no problem with the dark." My grin enlarges at his frustrated face. "And there is no way you're getting me to spill my other fears."

"Why not?" Seth whined.

"'Cause you'll mock me. I have many fears, but they're small ones. The only thing to truly terrify me is the dark, as I told you before."

There was silence between all of us then, the only sound was my shoes quietly tapping the dirt floor beneath me.

"What are we doing anyway? At the bonfire I mean."

Jacob smiled.

"We tell the legends of our tribe. A bit scary for newcomers." He grinned, flashing me an evil look. I scrunched up my nose at him.

"Ha ha, very funny. You're not scaring me."

"You should be." He muttered, so quietly I wondered if he was talking to himself. Again, his eyes clouded for a moment. I wanted to smack Bella. Seth gave him a sympathetic and slightly annoyed look. I sighed. Being out of the loop is really starting to bug me. I stiffened as I heard a twig snap, and automatically, I whipped my head in the direction. Paul was smirking at me with the stick in both hands. I stuck my tongue out at him, but I couldn't help the feeling that something else was there. I pressed closer to Jacob, who in turn gave me a confused look. I glanced around as the feeling grew.

"Something's not right." I mutter. I felt Jacob chuckle.

"Don't worry, nothing's going to get you." I sideways glanced at him, but he was too looking around, a hard look in his eyes. Trying to shake the feeling, I smiled and slapped his arm.

"Tag! You're it!" I took off running down the inclining path, Jacob and the others at my heels. I looked behind me and pushed on, the group starting to fade in the distance.

"Natalie!" I heard him calling me, but I only ran faster.

After I couldn't see him at all, I started to slow, taking deep breaths and smiled at the blank path, waiting for the others to line in the distance. My pulse started to slow, and my breathing decreased. Only then did I listen around me. It was dead silent. No bird chirping, no wildlife getting ready for the night, only the trees swaying in the breeze. My pulse started to sputter, growing faster and faster. I found myself looking around. When had I started shaking? The chilling feeling I felt before haunted me know. I froze on the spot, and I could almost picture the creature behind me, stroking my hair and inhaling my scent before vanishing. I screamed when something gripped my arm. I whipped around, only to see Jacob flinch. He too looked horrified, but also furious at the same time. He was breathing heavily. I hadn't noticed how cold I was until his unnatural smoldering heat started to burn my wrist.

"Don't you run off again! God, you really had me scared." Noticing how frightened I was, his eyes softened and he pulled me closer. I snuggled close to him, still quaking. "You're okay Natalie." He chuckled. "I can't believe how fast you ran. Are you really that afraid of me?" I managed to cough out a laugh.

"No, but you're not supposed to catch me, remember? That's kinda how the game goes." He sighed.

"I know I could never catch you." He murmured, hugging me tighter. Was that sorrow I heard? I tried to push away the feeling twisting in my stomach. The others caught up to us then, all panting, and seemed relaxed when they saw Jacob with me, or at least, everyone but Seth. He looked away in anguish. Another pang of guilt washed over me. Damnit I'm such a bitch, no better than that f-ing Bella girl. Jacob was keeping me nice and hot, and I only noticed how cold it was when the wind bit at the exposed skin he wasn't covering. I smiled and pulled back slightly, he let me go, and I started to walk forward, letting Jared take the lead while the others surrounded me on all sides, like they where protecting me. I found myself humming. It started out slow with short low notes, then a different tune came in mind, and it almost sounded like a lullaby. A different, excruciatingly sweet tune, and my mind went into the normal daydream-like fog. I grin as the song comes to an end, and I hum a new one softly, one from a Disney movie, Anastasia. Once upon a December to be exact. I purr the familiar tune, closing my eyes. Why where we still climbing? I sighed when the song was done and looked at Quil.

"Hey, where exactly are we going to have this bonfire?"

A smooth grin files on his face.

"It's just up the way, on a cliff."

My steps falter. Cliff? As in really high point above the sea? Oh God... Seth notices my discomfort first.

"'Sat a problem?"

I put the biggest fake smile I could.

"No." My voice cracked.

You see, heights and I really don't mix. When I was a kid, I went to the mountains with my Grandfather, and we went camping. The only problem was it was on a cliff side...and I nearly fell off. Since then, I stay as far as I can from the edge of cliffs, and most of the time I'm okay if I can't see the edge but sometimes...well, you just don't know. I sighed. Tonight would truly be a night of horrors.