A/N: Soooo this chapter will be all Seth x Bella, since the last one didn't really involve them. I'll still be updating you with Paul x Taylor, just not so often I guess. Please, please, please keep the reviews coming!J

Chapter 5

Bella's POV:

A few seconds after Jacob walked out of sight, I realised that I didn't actually have a clue where I was. Sure, La Push was possibly the smallest town you could ever imagine, but I was only familiar with a few parts of it. It was just a long, light brown dirt road with small houses and bungalows on either side. It looked like any other street, and I huffed out a small sigh of irritation. I was sure that if I walked around for a few minutes, or maybe tried to retrace myself and Jake's steps that I could regain my sense of direction, but I was feeling physically drained, and the small wooden bench at the end of the road was looking oddly inviting.

Luckily, I had my ridiculously worn copy of Wuthering Heights in my purse. I felt smug that I had chosen today to take it with me, and settled down on the bench. I flicked past the cover and credit pages, and then started from the very beginning.

I didn't keep track of time as I read, I just carried on until I had finished the entire book. I checked the watch on my cell, picking up on the difference of colour in the sky. It was now 2pm, so I guess that explained why my stomach was rumbling. I suddenly wished that I had listened to Seth and eaten breakfast.

I rolled my shoulders and stretched my legs- which had become stiff from sitting in one position for so long. I pondered on where to go- my truck was still parked outside of Emily's, so I'd have to go back there at some point. But I also really wanted food, and didn't feel like walking that far.

"Hey Bella. Whatcha doing here?" Called out a familiar voice from the other side of the street.

I turned my head to spot one of the pack members. I couldn't quite remember what his name was, but he was one of the older ones. Lean and tall- I was pretty sure he was the one with the quiet girlfriend.

"Hey. Um, just reading." I held my book above my head for him to see.

He squinted for a while, then nodded. "Wuthering Heights, I think I've heard of that one before. Is it for school or something?"

It amazed me that he could read such a small title from so far away. The wolves' eyes must have been nearly as powerful as the Cullens'. It took me a few seconds to realise that I had said (well, thought) their name's without flinching.

"Nope." I replied, popping the 'p'.

"Huh." He said, as though the thought of someone reading a non-school related book was foreign to him. "Well, your truck is still at Emily's, right? I could give you a ride if you like. She's making lunch for the lot of us, I'm sure she wouldn't mind setting an extra place at the table."

"Um, I don't want to intrude." I said begrudgingly.

"Don't be silly. I'm going straight there anyways, and Emily seems to really like you." He shrugged.

I raised an eyebrow. "Does that seem so outrageous to you?"

He grinned then. Jared, his name was definitely Jared. I could recognise that jaw breaking smile from across the street- it was almost as contagious as Jacob's. "Nah, you don't seem so bad. I guess I just don't understand why you would…" Jared trailed off, scratching the back of his head. I guess he had been warned that this was a somewhat touchy subject for me.

"Date a 'leech'?" I finished for him, feeling a small twang of pain ripple through my chest. Surprisingly pathetic compared to what I had previously dealt with, like the prick of a needle rather than the stab of a knife.

Jared nodded slowly, then gestured for me to come over. I crossed the road, putting my book in my purse and tucking my hair behind my ears. He greeted me with a cautious hug, which surprised me. I suppose that some of the pack members did seem a lot more affectionate than most other people, especially towards each other. I hugged him back for a few seconds before getting into his car. Straight away he turned the radio onto an indie station, which I actually didn't mind.

We got to Emily's within five minutes, and I could smell the food all the way from the bottom of the driveway. My stomach growled, and I heard Jared chuckle. I looked up at him sheepishly, and he shook his head with a smile.

"Shoulda had breakfast." He commented. I rolled my eyes and shoved him, which resulted in me rubbing my arm and him not moving an inch. As it turns out, Jacob was only pretending to be phased by my jabs.

Jared opened the door and strolled in, greeting everyone with a cheerful "Sup!"

A short, curvy, dark haired girl rushed over to him and pecked him on the lips, which Jared managed to turn into a full-on make-out session. I assumed that was his girlfriend who I vaguely remembered from earlier. Kim, I think her name was. The last time that I had kissed someone like that was Brick Tanner in the 10th grade.

"Hey Jared, Bella. Will you be joining us?" Emily asked in a hopeful tone.

"If that's okay." I replied, grateful that Emily could never possibly find it in her to turn someone down.

My eyes flitted across the room, and somehow landed on Seth. He was sitting on a tall stool with his back to me, chatting to Sam, who had a beer-bottle in hand. His tan arms rested against the marble island, and I couldn't help but marvel how his muscles rippled as he reached out to brush a stray strand of hair out of his eyes. I wondered how they'd feel wrapped around me.

Snap out of it Bella, I thought. The kid's only just turned 15, I'm pretty sure those thoughts aren't even legal. Even though he doesn't look it whatsoever. I found myself venturing off in the wrong track yet again. Though would it really be so wrong?

"Hey Bells." Jake called from where he was sitting on the couch next to Embry, watching the TV. I walked over to him and sat on the arm of it, only to be pushed into his lap and tickled until I was made breathless with laughter.

"Jake!" I squealed between huffs of breath. "What the hell was that for?"

He shrugged. "You looked tense." He kissed my cheek before shoving me off of him playfully.

Embry wiggled his brows and smirked impishly. "What was that little chat of yours about?"

I couldn't think of a good reply, so I stuck my tongue out and walked into the kitchen. "Can I help you with anything?" I asked Emily.

She smiled. "You really don't have to."

"I want to."

"Well, I guess you could peel and chop these vegetables. Not the most glamourous of jobs, but it would make my life a lot easier.

"Of course."

Emily handed me a selection of knives, a chopping board and a huge pot filled with vegetables. I felt my eyes widen a little at the size, but I guess that's what to be expected when you had the job of feeding a houseful of hungry wolves.

I set my equipment down on the island- to give Emily all the counter space she needed- diagonal to Seth. I looked up at him and smiled cautiously.

"Where'd you go?" He asked, toying with his glass.

I shrugged, trying to concentrate both on him and not chopping my fingers off. "I just found a bench and read for a few hours. Why, did I miss anything interesting?"

Seth tilted his head, and I could've sworn that I saw him blush a little. He glanced at Sam, who's lips curved into a slight smile. "Um, no. Nothing much happened."

I stayed silent for a few seconds, wondering what the small exchange between the two boys meant.

"So, you like reading?" He asked, clearly itching to change the subject.

"Yeah. Love it, actually."
"I'm guessing you're good at English, then."

I pursed my lips. "It's definitely one of my better subjects. I'm on the verge of failing Trig. I seriously need a tutor."

Seth seemed to ponder on that for a moment. "Pauls really great with numbers, he's a grade below you but I'm sure he could help."

I let out a clipped laugh and shook my head quickly enough for questioning looks to be thrown my way. "I don't think he'll be offering me help any time soon."

I heard a quiet grumble from across the room. "Damn right I won't be." It didn't take me long to realise that with supernatural hearing, Paul could've been eavesdropping the whole conversation with ease.

I kissed my teeth at him. "As if I'd want help from an overgrown child with anger issues." I muttered under my breath, despite blatantly knowing he could hear me.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him sit up a little and growl. Seth instantly stood up, his muscles retracting and legs bending slightly as if ready to pounce. "Did you just growl at her?" He asked in a remarkably unrecognisable voice.

Paul stared at him blankly, seeming speechless for a few long seconds. Then the confused mask was suddenly washed away with a look of sudden understanding.

He quickly sat back in his chair. "Sorry, dude."

The whole house was silent for what seemed like ages, the only noise being the quiet hum of a cartoon in the background.

"So, where were we?" Seth asked a little awkwardly, breaking the unbearable quiet.

"Oh, I was just telling you how bad I am at math." I moved onto slicing peppers.

"Right, well I think Jared's pretty good at math too and he's a senior. He would definitely help. With some incentive, that is."

I breathed a laugh. "What kind of incentive?"

Seth shrugged. "Food, probably. Jake says you like to cook?"

I smiled and nodded. "Sometimes. Although I could put a Frisbee covered in icing in front of him and he'd demolish it, and then probably compliment me on it too."

"I think that applies to most of us. But the food last night was great. Thank you, again." He said, his voice suddenly soft.

I looked up at him, distracted by how the hard, solid lines of his jaw and cheekbones contrasted the softness of his eyes and lips. I suddenly felt a sharp pang of pain erupt in my one of my fingers, and instantly dropped the knife I had been holding. It clattered onto the tiled floor with a startling clang, speckling the floor red with my blood. I looked down at my left hand to see blood gushing out of my index finger at an alarming rate.

"Shit." I spat, and fluttered around uselessly, looking for something to stop the bleeding.

"Ooohhh! Bella cursed!" Someone called out, and I let out a frustrated hiss.

"Oh… God. Are you okay?" Seth asked, stuttered slightly.

"What do you think?" I asked in exasperation. My finger had started to throb which only proceeded to make the pain worse. A pool of blood started to form at my feet and I made the mistake of breathing in through my nose. I gagged heavily and rushed over to the kitchen sink.

"What do you need?" It was Sam who spoke this time. His eyebrows were furrowed and it was almost comical how a man as big as he was looked so freaked out by a cut.

"I don't know. Like, a band-aid, or something?" My voice sounded strained, even to me.

"No. You have to stop the bleeding first." Seth nudged him out of the way and gently placed a folded cloth over the cut, then wrapped the rest around my hand. He applied pressure, and I grimaced. I glanced behind me to see Emily gathering various things from her medical cabinet: creams, gauzes, bandages, etc.

"We should probably take you to the hospital now."

I groaned. "Can't we just avoid it? That place is seriously becoming my second home."

Seth looked at me incredulously. "You're crazy. Did you see how much blood there was? You'll definitely need stitches."

"Don't remind me." I replied weakly, feeling my stomach churn.

"What's all this fuss about?" Embry asked grouchily, strolling over from his seat at the TV. He took in the bloody knife and the dark red pool on the floor, then Sam and Emily's distraught state. He looked over to where Seth was towering over me, cradling my obviously injured hand.

Embry's face paled tremendously. "OH MY GOD!" He screamed.

"What?" A few of the boys asked simultaneously.

"BELLA CUT HER FINGER OFF!"

A/N: A little unfinished, I know. But I'm tired. Plus, I have to go back and read this, then edit. Sorry dudes, at least it was a long one. Also, how would you feel about a Jake x Embry or a Quil x Embry? Or is that way too weird?