My name is Aria Alaya Torres. My boyfriend's name is Jacob Black. I don't know if he has a middle name. I never thought to ask. Anyway, we both live on the Quileute reservation in La Push, Washington. I used to live on the Makah reservation in Neah Bay, Washington, but now I live with my cousin. My cousin, Jacob's best friend, is Embry Call.

The way Jacob and I met was a little more than awkward. Embry took me down to the beach during one of my visits. We were hanging out and then Jacob and his other friend Quil showed up. Then it seemed like everyone was coming down to the beach. Some of the kids that went to the high school in Forks came down to surf. There was a girl with them named Bella Swan. The day I met her was just weird, but that's a story for later.

Jacob went up to the van she was sitting in with a couple of other guys. Embry caught me watching him and he laughed.

"What?" I asked shyly, looking over at Embry.

"You're staring after him like you know him."

"I know him enough. Don't you remember when I used to come here all the time to visit? You were always with him. Jacob really has changed a lot since then."

"Yeah and you're like two years younger than him."

"Oh, not even. He's like fifteen and I'm only a few months behind him."

"Then talk to him."

When I turned back to look at Jacob, he was walking across the sand with an average looking girl with long bronze hair.

"He says she moved here from Arizona to live with her dad."

"Who's her dad?"

"Charlie Swan, you know, the chief of police in Forks."

"She's Bella?"

Embry nodded and turned away, "Come one, help me start the fire."

Some of the others had begun to gather pieces of wood.

"Have you ever seen a driftwood fire?" one of the Forks boys asked.

I shook my head and he smiled at me. He tossed a couple of pieces of driftwood into the dancing, yellow flames and then it began to burn blue. I gasped and smiled up at him. He wiped his hands together to get the sand off and then moved around the flames to stand next to me.

"I'm Mike." He said with a boyish smile as he held his hand out to me.

I took his hand and smiled back, "My name is Aria."

We shook hands for only a few seconds. Jacob and Bella had come to sit by the flames. I looked at Jake's face through the fire to see something that looked like anger upsetting his demeanor. He stood. Bella looked up at him and he just smiled down at her. That smiled disappeared when he looked at me. He cocked his head to the side, beckoning me to follow him. I excused myself from my conversation with Mike and followed. Jacob and I walked down the beach, barefoot and in silence.

"Aren't you going to say something?" he finally asked.

"Is there anything particular you'd like me to say?"

"What was up with you and that guy?"

"Nothing. I just met him. And why do you care?"

"Because Embry and my dad always hoped we would end up together."

"And maybe we will, but we won't if you're going to be all jealous."

He scoffed, "I am not jealous."

"Oh you so are!" I yelled and pushed him gently.

He smiled and laughed. His hand brushed against mine and then his fingers twined with mine. I pulled my hand away and the smile on his face disappeared.

"What I can't hold your hand?"

I stopped and turned to look at him. I smiled up at him, "Of course you can," I said then I stood on my toes bringing my lips to his ear, "just not yet." I whispered.

I ran down the beach and he chased me. He only caught up to me because I tripped on a rock. Then I had him pinned down against the sand. Granted, he was only acting like he couldn't flip me over.

"Alright you win!"

"Fight back you loser."

"No, not until you kiss me."

I stood up and stepped away from him. I walked toward the water, getting close enough for the tide to wash over my feet. I heard him sigh then groan as he got to his feet. He stood next to me, his eyes on my face. I turned my head, looking away from him.

"I'm sorry."

I looked at him, "For what?"

"I shouldn't have said that."

"It's fine, Jake. Embry never told you, did he?"

"Tell me what?"

"When I was younger, I was kidnapped. Anything after that I don't remember. I have problems that my family, everyone but Embry, tries to ignore. I can't ignore them. I've tried to work past them."

"You should know I would never hurt you in any way."

"I know but…" I cut my sentence short when I looked up at him and saw he was looking at my neck.

The wind had blown my hair, revealing the scar that stretched from my heart, up my left shoulder and around the back of my neck. I just nodded and then looked down at my feet. I looked at him again and this time he was looking at my face, scanning it, looking for evidence of my pain. I refused to show any.

"You don't have to tell me. I want to protect you but you have to let me."

"I…"

I turned and ran down the beach, back toward the fire.

"Aria stop!" he yelled after me.

I kept running. When I finally made it back, I was crying. Embry caught me.

"What happened?"

I shook my head.

"Aria, tell me!"

I looked at him through my tears and brought my hand to his chest. I used my index finger to trace a line from over his heart, up his left shoulder, and around his neck. His eyes grew wide.

"Quil, can you take her home for me? I want to talk to Jacob."

Quil nodded and ran to take my hand. He led me down the beach and took me back to Embry's house. I left Quil at the door and went into Embry's room. While I was leaving the beach, I could hear Embry yelling at Jacob. Asking him why he brought up the scar. Asking him why he made me tell him the story behind it. Then Jacob yelling back saying he didn't make me do anything. Anything said after that, I was too far away to hear.

I lay on Embry's bed and didn't move for what seemed like hours before I finally fell asleep. I wasn't sure how long I was asleep. All I knew is that around midnight Embry woke me up.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I groaned, sitting up.

"You wanna tell me what happened?"

"He didn't make me tell him anything by the way. The wind blew my hair away from my neck and he saw it. He gasped. I knew what he was gasping at so I told him."

"Didn't your mom tell you not to talk about it?"

"She did but she's gone now, Em. That's why my dad sent me here. He'll be calling in the morning. He wants to talk to your mom about me staying here."

I bit at my thumbnail and looked up at him.

"You're always welcome here. You will always have a home here."

"I don't want to be here. I feel like he's forcing me to run from something."

"What do you mean?"

"I never thought my father would send me away. I'm all he has left. After my mom died, he said he would never want to lose me. Now he's trying to send me down here. I don't want to be here anymore than for a visit."

"You may not have a choice, but why don't you want to stay here?"

"I would have to leave everything behind and come here to nothing but you."

"To me and to Jacob. You seriously have no idea how he feels about you."

"I don't care how he feels about me. I don't want to come down here to nothing but a possible heartbreak."

"He wouldn't hurt you."

"What about that girl? Bella or whatever her name is?"

"No worries there." he said standing.

"How come?"

"You'll have to ask Jacob. Now go back to sleep. I'll take the couch tonight."

I yawned and rubbed my eyes. He kissed my forehead and left the room. I lie back down and fell into a subconscious train of thought.

Today was awkward. I knew I would have to talk to Jacob tomorrow about everything. I didn't want to. I didn't want to face him after running from him the way I did. I'll run from him again. Embry of course would force me to talk to Jacob. I just felt like I hurt him running away the way I did. I know I hurt him.