Chapter 1: Surprise Visit
"Mom! We're home!" I yelled as me and my brothers came through the front door. I heard my mom getting off the phone. She sounded excited as she said goodbye. I hope it was good news because I needed some. School sucked. There was a pop quiz in math that I'm pretty sure I bombed, a new assignment in English – a term paper on whether Hamlet was really crazy or not. My economics teacher announced a new assignment today that I am not looking forward to. It's called "The Wedding Project." One boy and one girl are teamed up and they are supposed to research how much a wedding would cost. How dumb is that? Last, and definitely the most annoying, there was this group of girls that giggled every time I passed by them. It's a miracle I survive each day without going postal. Good thing there is only three more months of school.
"Hey, boys! How was school?"
I groaned, "Don't ask." Jacob and Jasper however were totally jazzed. They started telling mom about their latest practical joke they pulled of at school. Good thing it wasn't a big one. They have had detention numerous times for saran wrap on the toilets, whoopee cushions on teachers chairs and fake puking in the cafeteria. Dad finally told them to knock it off or they would be grounded for the whole school year.
Today they did a "coordination test" on this one guy in their class who is always bragging about what a great athlete he is. Jacob and Jasper were telling an excited group of their friends about this test. Any normal person gets about a hundred points. This guy comes by and says he'll take the test and will do better than anyone else. So Jacob and Jasper show him how it's done. Jacob sat with his palms about a foot apart while Jasper clasped his hands together and cautiously puts his hands in between Jacob's palms. Each time you do that without touching the outside palms you get a point. If you touch the palms you loose. The catch is that you have to be able to do it blindfolded. So this guy sits down in front of Jacob and Jasper puts the blindfold on. This guy starts rocking his clasped hands in between Jacob's hands and the group starts counting together. Jacob quietly stands up and leaves this guy rocking his hands back and forth while the crowd of kids keeps counting and starts to laugh when they get to two hundred. Lunch time ends, the bell rings and this guy was still going while people were dispersing for class. Rumor has it that he was so concentrated on making it to three hundred he doesn't notice that everyone is gone and he's late for class. They sure took him down a peg or two.
"Who was on the phone?" I interrupted the twins' story. Like I said, I needed good news.
"That was Grandpa Jake. He and Grandma Nessie are coming tomorrow for a visit!"
"All right!" That was great news. Now that I had something to look forward to I could face my homework.
I trudged up the stairs to my room to get started. This was my last year of high school. I can't wait till I'm done. School is boring. I'm pretty sure I got the family fascination with engines. I just wanted to work with my dad at the garage. Hanging out with Uncle Embry and Uncle Quil wasn't a bad way to spend time either. 'Course dad and mom want me to go to college. I probably will give it a try before quitting. It's got to be better than High School, though. I hear you can pick your own classes.
There was a knock on the bedroom door. "Eddy, can you go get your sister? It's almost time for dinner. She's at Emily's."
"Sure mom." I put away my homework and started down the path to Emily's. If I was lucky I'd get to see Uncle Sam. He worked at my dad's garage too, but I think he'll be home around the time I was getting Rachel. Sam is our tribe's Chief Elder. Well, actually he's kind of "acting" chief elder since that title officially goes to my Grandpa Jake. Grandpa's great grandfather Ephriam Black was our tribe's last official chief, so that kind of puts Grandpa Jake in the Chief's chair by blood. Grandma and grandpa named my dad after him (I'm named after my dad but so glad they don't call me junior). He was also named after his other grandpa Edward, who is, get this: a vampire. Sometimes I find it hard to believe I'm one eighth vampire. Yeah, talk about a twisted family tree.
I knocked on Sam and Emily's door.
"Come on in Eddy!"
"Hi, Aunt Emily," I said, opening the door. "Are you ready to kick Rachel out yet?"
"Heaven's no! Rachel is invaluable help to me. I'd adopt her if I could."
"I wish you could too," I said giving Emily a wink that Rachel couldn't see.
"Me too," Rachel responded. "Do you know how disgusting it is living with boys?"
Rachel is eleven and starting to get girly. She was a lot more fun a year ago. She ran just as wild as the rest of us. She used to love playing in the rain, having mud fights, and running races. All she wants to do now is brush her hair and beg mom to wear make-up.
"Well, mom wants you home for dinner. Oh, and Grandpa Jake and Grandma Nessie are coming to visit next week," I said.
"Nice!" exclaimed Rachel.
"Yes, it will be nice to see Jake and Nessie again," mused Emily. "I'll be sure to tell Sam."
I thanked Aunt Emily. "Tell him I'm sorry I missed him this time."
"I'll do that, Eddy." Aunt Emily added, "He'll be sorry to have missed you too."
Rachel held my hand on the way back home. Yeah, still some little girl there. I wondered if the reason Grandma and Grandpa were coming was because of Rachel. She'll be twelve in a month and that's the year that we kids get let in on the family secret: our family has werewolf blood. When vampires are around we turn into werewolves. Usually the girls don't get to know, but seeing as how a girl ended up in Grandpa's pack all those years ago, they changed the rules. I thought it was all pretty cool, but Aunt Leah hated it, so I hope it never happens to Rachel. I guess we will see.
Dad was home when we got there and the twins were setting the table for dinner. We all sat down and started to eat. We were all excited about our grandparents visit. They only came 4 times a year. Grandma likes to stay with her family. She did stay on the reservation for 25 years to raise her kids, so she missed her family a lot. I guess that's fair.
"Mom, how long are they going to stay for?" Rachel asked, practically bouncing up and down in her chair.
"I don't know," mom replied. "Jake said he did need to talk to the Elders about something. I wonder what that could be."
Dad had a gleam in his eye, "I guess we will find out tomorrow."
"Grandma! Grandpa!" We rushed out of the house and swarmed them as they got out of their car. They looked just the same. They never changed. It was kind of weird. Weren't grandparents were supposed to be old? Mine looked younger than my parents. I guess when your half vampire like Grandma you never age, and Grandpa, since he lives with a bunch of vampires has never stopped turning into a wolf, so he doesn't age either. Still, it's weird. But also cool in a way. They are going to be around for a long time and can do all the fun physical stuff that old people can't do.
"How was your trip?"
"How are the Cullen's?"
"How long are you staying?" We also swarmed them with questions.
"Hey, take it easy guys! We've got plenty of time for all that," Grandpa pleaded.
Rachel was hanging onto Grandma's arm bouncing up and down in her excitement. "Can we go shopping, Grandma? Please? I need some new clothes. All the ones I have are dirty play clothes. I need some nice clothes, especially for the next school year. I'm going to be in 7th grade!"
"Seventh Grade? Wow Rachel! You are practically a woman! Yes, we will go shopping, let's spend some time all together first, ok? Jake needs to talk to the Elders." Grandma replied.
"Grandpa, I've got some more work done on my car! Want to see?" I knew the sure way to get Grandpa's attention.
"I can't wait to see what you've done. I just need to talk to your dad first. When is the meeting, Ephriam?" Grandpa asked Dad. Dad is on the council too, being Grandpa's oldest son and my dad not living here and all. My Uncle Bill doesn't live on the reservation. He actually went to college and is an accountant down in Hoaquim. We get together with his family about once a month.
"It's tomorrow night, Dad. Why the emergency meeting?" My dad and grandpa drifted down the street towards first beach. I wanted to follow them, but mom was making me carry their luggage into the house. I'm almost eighteen and the oldest son. I should be in on those father/son walks. Oh well. I guess that's just another thing I've got to wait for.
I took the luggage into the guest room. It was one of the newest rooms on the house. This house has been in our family for years. My grandpa grew up here, his dad too, I think. When grandma and grandpa lived here they added onto it a lot. There is now an upstairs with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, the kitchen is expanded, and the guest room is all the old bedrooms made into one. What started out as a two bedroom shack is now close to a mansion… by reservation standards, anyway. Grandma Esme helped with that. She loves to remodel and stuff.
Dad and Grandpa came back 20 minutes later. Dad's expression was carefully neutral like he was trying really hard not to give anything away. He looked so much like Grandpa… minus the height and some of the weight. I guess when you are a werewolf you get the major body builder genes. Dad didn't get all buffed out because we don't have any vampires living close by. Grandma's family, the Cullen's, have stayed away for all these years and any vampires that have happened by since they left have been taken care of by the pack. Sam stepped down as alpha so that he could age with Emily. I think Embry is the Alpha now with Colin and Brady backing him up. All the wolves that imprinted stopped phasing and had families. But they still look a lot younger than actually are.
Man! I can't wait to find out what the council meeting is about. Maybe I'll sneak out and eavesdrop. I've never done anything like that before. I wonder if I could get away with it. I guess there is only one way to find out.