December

With the last week of finals completed, Grace hurtled toward winter break. She was exhausted after the constant studying but thought she faired pretty well. After the night with Jacob, she had been more proactive about inviting him around, studying down in the living room and letting Charlie kick him out when it got close to bed.

Grace was somehow able to drag Bella out to Port Angeles for some last minute Christmas shopping. She was surprised Bella had agreed, but then realized that she had just gone and saw a movie with Jessica (questionable choice of first friend after a breakup) and it seemed pretty successful. She was waking up a little.

As they strode arm and arm down the streets of Port Angeles and popped in and out of shops looking for the perfect gift for Charlie (they'd settled eventually on a new fishing pole and tackle box, equipped with the finest lures Port Angeles had to offer), Bella broke into more serious conversation.

"So, what's going on with you and Jake?"

"What do you mean?" Grace asked, genuinely curious and taking a sip of her chai tea.

"You know what I mean," Bella pressed, "He's always around, he slept over, he calls you all the time. He seems smitten."

"We're just friends," Grace said simply, and when she looked over at Bella, her eyebrows raised in doubt, Grace more forcefully stated, "Honestly! He's becoming my best friend, but that's it. He's getting me back onto the rez slowly and just looking after me because Billy asked."

"Okay, so do you only see him as a friend or is it mutual? Because Jake definitely likes you." Bella offered. Grace hesitated, trying to be careful with her words.

"It's not like that. I can't explain it but it's something different. Of course I like him," Bella mocked a look of shock and awe and Grace laughed bumping into her lightly, "No I mean, you have to like someone to want to be around them all the time. But it's different with Jake. You just feel completely natural, completely safe. It's like a magnet. It's easy to be with him. But truly, it's just a friendship."

"So the sleeping over thing was a fluke?"

"I don't know," Grace admitted looking up at the sky. "That felt different than any other interaction. Every moment with Jake feels brand new, so it's hard to piece together what it all means at the moment. But the great thing about that is that I don't need to know right now. We're good just like this. Simple."

"Simple." Bella echoed, a sadness pulling at her voice.

"Come on" Grace bucked her and threw her a smile to keep her up, "Let's head to the bookstore real quick, I have one last gift and then we can go."

January

Winter break had come and went and with the solace and cold, came a lot of thinking. Grace thought constantly about her conversation with Bella regarding Jake. What was it exactly? She couldn't really define the relationship, it felt tenuous but strong. Affectionate but friendly. Slow going but hot to the touch.

Hanging out with Jake didn't really clear anything up for her. They were the same old friendly, comfortable, boisterous pair. She'd hang out with him in the garage while he tuned up the Rabbit and when it got too cold he'd take her inside and plop her on their tiny loveseat with hot cocoa and cheesy action movies. Sometimes Quil and Embry would appear and they'd venture into the woods or to the tiny mainstreet to get a snack, but most often it was just Jake and Grace.

Once school picked back up, Grace felt that ache and pull grow more when she was away from Jake for extended periods of time. This was even more confusing.

Then, one day when she picked up the receiver after school, and stated clearly "Jake." she was bemused to hear a low rumbling laugh on the other end that said "Not quite."

"Billy, hi," Grace recognized him immediately.

"Listen, I know you've been coming out to the rez a lot more, so I was wondering if you would do me a favor and run an errand for me."

Grace raised an eyebrow. "Me? Why?" Why not ask Jake? She wondered.

As if in answer to her unspoken question, Billy replied, "Jacob's a little adverse to running errands for me, especially when they involve Sam Uley."

Grace's breath hitched in her throat. She'd seen Sam milling about a bit on the odd occasion they frequented the little downtown street on the rez. Each time it had filled her with a feeling that she could only describe as hunger, but not physical hunger, like an itching desire to turn over a rock just to see what was hiding underneath. She felt a visceral connection to Sam Uley without ever knowing him-it felt like a taut thread that ran from her middle and connected to him. Whenever they made eye contact, the thread twanged painfully and tugged at her insides, begging her to move forward, but she resisted. To this, the thread vibrated uncomfortably and Grace would quickly try to duck behind Jacob or change direction to gain some distance.

"Uh, I mean, I'm not sure how much help I can be on that front, but what do you need?" The hunger spoke for her.

"Just a box of old council written histories. He's been meaning to come by and grab it but has been," he paused, "A little busy. Would you mind next time you're out this way coming to grab it and swing it by his and Emily's place for me?"

"Sure, I'm doing a pickup for the Wilo's tomorrow afternoon, I'll come by then, yeah?" Who was this person that was so willingly agreeing to an errand that would possibly bring her within spitting distance of Sam?

"Sounds good, thanks Grace, hach tochoktiya." he hung up and Grace held the receiver to her ear for a little while after the phone had been disconnected.

Sam Uley, huh?

After dropping Bella off at work, Grace had coasted down to the rez and completed her grocery run for the Wilo's. After waving and hopping back into her truck and heading toward Billy's house, she suddenly felt her palms go sweaty.

At least she'd get to see Jake.

When she got to his house and popped out of the truck, she thought she'd look up to see Jake jogging around the side of the house, beaming, but he was nowhere to be seen. Confused, she shoved her hands in her pockets and walked up to the house knocking on the door. Billy pulled the door open and maneuvered aside to let her in.

"Where's Jake?" Grace asked casually.

"Out with Quil and Embry, I think." Billy brushed off the question and wheeled to the table to put his hand on the top of the box. "This is what I need you to take to Sam's. And here's the address," he pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and handed it Grace.

"Right, yeah," Grace said inspecting the paper. "Down, close to La Push beach?"

"You got it-better get moving before it gets too dark." Billy prompted. Grace raised an eyebrow at him and headed out the door, picking up the lightweight box and out the door.

As she pulled onto the lawn of the little bungalow tucked into the trees and facing the beach, a worrying pain shot through her.

Time to get this over with.

She grabbed the cardboard box from the passenger seat and shut the door with a loud bang. It must have alerted them inside because Emily, Sam's fiance, peered out the gauzy curtains with a reassuring smile and tentative wave.

Grace raised her hand and gave a short wave as she climbed the steps of the porch. Emily opened the door and greeted her warmly.

"Grace! So good to see you," Emily gave her a one armed hug.

"Aah, so Billy wanted me to bring this by," Grace held out the cardboard box. As Emily took it from her hand, Sam appeared behind her in shorts and a sleeveless sweatshirt. A little light for January weather, no?

"Grace." Sam nodded matter of factly from the doorway. Grace felt her stomach lurch and she swallowed hard. She was going to face this head on at least.

"Sam, good to see you," she said.

"Come in for a minute," Sam replied, gesturing inside. Grace automatically took a step back down the porch.

"Yes, please! I've just made some tea." Emily reached her hand out to her as Same took the box from her.

"I-I just had some errands to run and-"

"Come in." Sam said a little more forceful and Grace felt an automatic need to obey. It was a feeling she was unfamiliar with and didn't really like.

As she crossed the threshold, she couldn't help but feel comforted by the warmly decorated home. Familiar relics from the rez hung on the walls and it smelled like toasted bread. She sat down at the kitchen table that was in the center of the wide open room. Emily set some tea down in front of her and retreated behind the island in the kitchen to finish cutting some vegetables.

"How are you doing?" Sam asked.

"Uh, yeah good thanks." Grace said dismissively looking around. Sam raised his eyebrows.

"Have you gone to see elder Ti'Hal since the gathering?"

"Was I supposed to?" Grace said, a little irritated.

"No, just thought you would is all, considering what she gave you," he gestured to her necklace. Grace automatically touched it. The low rumbling started in ears again, her feet vibrating. "You know what that is right?" She could feel her fingertips tingle and a searing hot wave worked its way down her throat and into her belly where Sam's pull sat and squirmed.

"Stop." Thunder rattled outside and a cool wind started to blow through the trees.

"You've been avoiding me." Sam's gaze was intense. Grace's eyes, swimming in and out of focus, landed on Emily who had stopped chopping and was watching her carefully.

"What do you mean?" Grace choked out. Her hand clutched around the dark stone of her necklace and she felt her body sway. She tried to stay focused, but the heat shot through her extremities and pooled in her feet and hands. She could feel it rising to the back of her head.

"You've been called here. And instead of meeting your fate, you've been running from it. Ignoring it. And now we're here."

"Sam," Emily's small voice echoed in Grace's head. "Is she alright?" Grace was turning bright red, sweat pouring from her face, and she started to gasp for air.

"She's fine." Sam almost said it as a command. Grace didn't want any of this. Whatever Sam was doing, she was not okay with it. She felt her body screaming from the inside out, it felt like her skin was being pulled apart like loose stringy dough.

"No." Grace managed to shout in between ragged breaths. Sam's eyes narrowed. Emily stepped forward concerned.

"You can't run from this Grace." Sam compelled her. Suddenly, Grace was on her feet. The pull was becoming too much-whatever this was, she wanted no part in it.

The chair clattered to the floor behind her and she clutched her side as she stumbled backwards toward the door. Sam was on his feet immediately.

"Grace stop!" he commanded. Grace felt that familiar, but unwanted pull in her stomach, and angrily pulled back against it. She wouldn't be tamed by whatever this was. Her feet hesitated for a moment but then she turned and stumbled quickly toward the door. Sam was after her but by the time her foot reached porch steps, she felt her entire body tear apart. The world wavered in front of her and then she was gone and everything went black.

Sam crossed the threshold and looked around frantically. She was gone. The thunder rolled over the sea and Emily's windchimes tinkled behind him. Bewildered, Sam jumped off the porch and looked around the clearing. There was no sign of her.

One moment she was there, and the next she wasn't. And then, her eyes fluttered open. She was on the forest floor staring up the light shimmering down through the trees. For a moment her focus went in and out and then she noticed chirping above her. A small wisp of smoke unfurled around her and she heard a faint humming and shuffling. Only then did she realize she was covered with a blanket.

Grace stirred from her place on the forest floor and lifted herself up onto her elbows to look around. Her head felt cracked in two. When she looked around her, she saw the hunched form of elder Ti'Hal. She was burning a bushel of fir and herbs that she had tied tightly together over the small fire that she had built. She was humming to herself and didn't pay Grace any mind.

"What happened?" Grace croaked. Ti'Hal took her time turning to look at her from her spot by the fire.

"You recast." Ti'Hal said calmly.

"What?" she was groggy and thought that maybe her words were altering in her head. Ti'Hal was by her side in a moment and Grace couldn't quite fathom how the old woman could move so quickly.

"Recast, you altered your place on this plane and reoriented in a new space. It's a state of being that until now was buried deep in your blood, and it triggered when you confronted those you are meant to protect." Ti'Hal stated this with such clarity that it rang clear as a bell in Grace's mind. A crushing sense of understanding bloomed in her and the uncomfortable pull she had felt before in Sam's presence unwound itself in relief and bloomed into recognition.

All at once she felt at ease, but her mind still stumbled with confusion.

"Who I'm meant to protect?! What do you mean, Ti'Hal? Why am I here?" Grace was still slurring a little bit and Ti'Hal placed a cool hand to her forehead to push her gently back to the earth. Grace felt the embrace of the forest floor around her.

Ti'Hal clucked and shooshed her as she began humming again. Grace stayed prone trying to regain her thoughts. Her whole body felt scrambled. She couldn't remember how she got here and the last thing she remembered was feeling like she was being pulled apart as her blood boiled.

Sam had done this somehow, and Billy had orchestrated it. Grace felt so stupid that she had fallen for such an easy trap. But what still didn't make sense was why she was lured into a trap in the first place. Billy never meant her any harm. But Sam had spoken about fate and avoiding her place here. What had he meant exactly? She felt her body vibrate again and panicked.

Ti'Hal raised an eyebrow and scanned Grace's body with her eyes. "You need to calm yourself. Bring your awareness to your fingers and toes, grab hold of your shaking veins between your fists and hold it there. Breath into your belly and pull down into the ground. Stay focused on the light around you." Ti'Hal coached calmly as she held onto Grace's clenched fist.

The vibrations dissipated and Grace felt clearer this time.

"What did Sam do to me?!"

"It's not young Uley's fault, dear. But it is your destiny. You are blessed with the ability to recast between this world and the next. You are tied to the wolf warriors as their protector, their shield. You are the spirit bird, Alo."

Hi! You've reached Charlie, Bella, and Grace. We're not home right now, please leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. If this is a police matter, please call the station.

Thanks! Talk to you soon.

"Grace?" Pause. "It's Jake. Where have you been? I haven't been able to get a hold of you for like two weeks now. You're not at school, you're not with Bella, you're not at home. I'm getting really worried. Can you call me back? I just-" Pause. "I've heard that you've been hanging out with Sam and his cult lately. I don't believe it and Billy said I should just leave it alone but-" Pause. Sigh. "Listen, just call me when you get a chance. Whether you're mad at me or you don't want to hang out anymore, I just-"

The voicemail tape cut off as Bella picked up the receiver.

"Jake?"