Back to the Start
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.
First Beach
Bella had been to the beaches around La Push many times during her Fork summers with Charlie, so the mile long crescent of First Beach was familiar to her. It was still as breathtaking as she remembered. The water was dark gray, even in the sunlight, white-capped and heaving to the gray, rocky shore. Islands rose out of the steel harbor waters with sheer cliff sides, reaching to uneven summits and crowned with austere, soaring firs.
The beach itself only had a thin border of actual sand at the water's edge, after which it grew into millions of large, smooth stones that looked uniformly gray from a distance, but up close was every shade a stone could be: terracotta, sea green, lavender, blue gray, dull gold. The tide line was strewn with huge driftwood trees, bleached bone white in the salt waves, some piled together against the edge of forest fringe, some lying solitary, just out of reach of the waves.
The brisk wind coming off the waves lifted Bella's hair off her hot neck, the smell of the sea cool and briny. She gazed at the pelicans floating on the swells while seagulls and a lone eagle wheeled above them. The clouds still circled the sky, threatening to invade at any moment, but for now the sun continued to shine bravely in the halo of blue sky.
"I'd forgotten how beautiful it is here." Bella sighed as she kept pace with Jacob as they walked side by side across the rocky shore.
Not as beautiful as you, Jacob thought, while aloud he said. "We used to make stone castles on the beach just over there during the summer." He pointed toward a particularly rocky patch just meters from the ocean. The rocks there were significantly smaller than most of the others littering the beach, their shades a mesmerizing swirl of intricate colors that glittered like precious jewels.
"Wow." Bella breathed in awe. She quickened her steps, balancing precariously on some of the larger rocks as she went over to examine the pretty stones. She bent down and picked one up, turning it over and over in her palm, admiring the vibrant jade colors which flashed in the sun.
While Bella was admiring the pretty rocks, Jacob was admiring her. She was the most astonishing girl he had ever met, easy to talk to and fun to be around. She had the kind of beauty that made those billboard-princesses look as paper thin as they are, she was something vital and real. He loved her curves of softness. She had safe eyes, perhaps that was the best way to say it. She was someone who sought to make connections and joy and see things from new perspectives.
Jacob had formed an attachment to Bella from a very early age. When she came to stay with Charlie during summer vacation, while his sisters ignored him and treated him as a nuisance, Bella embraced his company. Their two-year age difference didn't seem to matter to her. While their dads fished, they would go off on adventures together. Just by using their vivid imaginations they opened up their world- they could be anyone, travel anywhere they wanted to. It had been an exciting time, only ending when the old men decided it was time to wander back home for dinner.
Occasionally reaching out to steady her, Jacob led Bella to a ring of driftwood logs that had obviously been used by other parties before them. There was a fire circle already in place, filled with black ashes.
"Have you ever seen a driftwood fire?" Jacob asked Bella.
She shook her head as she made herself comfortable on one of the driftwood logs.
"I'll show you." He said, hoping to impress. He quickly gathered some broken branches of driftwood from the drier piles against the forest edge, and soon had a tee-pee shaped construction built atop the old cinders. He then placed a blazing twig carefully against the tee-pee. "You are going to love this-watch the colors."
The flames quickly started to lick up the dry wood.
"Its blue!" Bella gasped, clapping her hands together in delight. "You are a magician, Jacob Black!"
Jacob laughed. "I wish. The salt does it. Pretty, isn't it?" He lit one more piece, placed it where the fire hadn't yet caught, and then came to sit by her.
Bella held her hands out toward the flickering flames to warm them. Jacob watched the changing expressions on her face, marveling at the way the light from the fire made her pale skin glow almost translucent. She looked relaxed and happy. It made him feel good, knowing that he had made her feel that way. He felt relaxed and happy himself. The problems he was having at school seemed insignificant, fading into the background as he enjoyed this piece of uninterrupted time with her.
"Thanks for bringing me here, Jacob." Bella said eventually. "I've had such a stressful week at school. Its nice to be somewhere so calm and peaceful."
"You're welcome." Jacob nudged his shoulder against hers. Bella turned and smiled at him. He smiled back, almost losing his train of thought as he became lost in her brown eyes. They were such a unique color, like polished amber in the first rays of dawn. He shook his head to clear it, embarrassed to be caught staring. "So…um…why was school so stressful?" He asked as a distraction.
Bella's smile faltered, the smile slipping from her face like a stone sinking underwater. "You remember that guy who kept staring at us in the parking lot?"
Jacob frowned, picturing in his mind the tall brooding guy, with the bone white face and sullen expression. "Oh, the one with the chip on his shoulder."
"Yeah. Him. Edward freaking Cullen."
"So, he's one of the Cullens?" Jacob asked cautiously, recognition of the name making him wary.
"Yes." Bella picked up on the distrustful note in his tone. "Why? Do you know something?"
Jacob glanced up at her and then away. "The Cullens are not supposed to come onto the reservation." He looked over at James Island, his dark eyes thoughtful.
"Why not?"
Jacob paused for a few seconds, before glancing back at her, biting his lip. "I'm not supposed to say anything about that."
"Oh, I won't tell anyone." Bella bumped her shoulder against his. "I'm just curious. The guy is such a dick. It's great that he's banned." She tried to make Jacob smile again, showing that she wouldn't take offence if he couldn't tell her.
Her tactics worked. Jacob relaxed, another smile replacing the frown. "Do you like scary stories?" He challenged.
"I love them."
Jacob stared down at the rocks, trying to gather his thoughts. If he was going to tell her about the old legends, he wanted to make it sound good.
"Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from-the Quileutes, I mean?"
"Not really."
"Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Flood-supposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the top of the tallest trees on the mountains to survive like Noah and the ark." Jacob smiled, to show Bella how little stock he put in the histories. "Another legend claims we descended from wolves- and that the wolves are our brothers still. It is against tribal law to kill them.
"Then there are the stories about the cold ones." His voice dropped a little lower.
"The cold ones?" Bella repeated, mulling over the strange description.
"Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land." Jacob rolled his eyes.
"Your great-grandfather?" Bella encouraged.
"He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemy of the wolf – well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves."
Bella's brown eyes opened wide with intrigue. "Werewolves have enemies?"
"Only one." Jacob continued mysteriously. "So, you see, the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this pack that came to our territory during my great grandfather's time was different. They didn't hunt the way the others of their kind did – they weren't supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So, my great grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale-faces."
Bella was totally hooked. Jacob was an amazing storyteller. She leaned in closer to him, much to his obvious delight. "If they weren't dangerous, then why…?" She tried to understand, struggling to figure out what this had to do with the Cullens being banned from the res.
"There's always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if their civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist." Jacob deliberately worked a thick edge of menace into his tone, making Bella jump.
Jacob grinned at her reaction, pleased that his ghost story was living up to its promise.
"What do you mean, 'civilized'?" Bella asked when she recovered her composure.
"The claimed they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals instead."
Bella gazed at him in wonder. "So how does it fit in with the Cullens? Are they like the cold ones your great-grandfather met?"
"No." Jacob paused dramatically for effect. "They are the same ones."
Bella was on tenterhooks. She edged even closer to him as if seeking reassurance from his presence.
"There are more of them now, a new female and a new male, but the rest are the same. In my great-grandfather's time they already knew of the leader, Carlisle. He'd been here and gone before your people had arrived."
Bella thought of the charming Dr. Cullen who she had met at the hospital. They couldn't be the same person, could they? "And what are they?" She finally asked. "What are the cold ones?"
Jacob smiled darkly. "Blood drinkers. Your people call them vampires."
Bella stared at him for a moment, her eyes big and round with disbelief.
"You have goosebumps." Jacob teased lightly.
Bella suddenly burst out into laughter. "You almost had me going there, Jacob Black. You're a good storyteller." She complimented him with a bright smile.
"Thanks." Jacob was totally charmed by her mesmerizing smile. He suddenly felt ten feet tall, joyful that he had managed to impress her after all. "Its pretty crazy stuff, right? No wonder my dad doesn't want us to talk about it to anyone."
"Don't worry, I won't give you away."
"I guess I just violated the treaty." Jacob laughed.
"I'll take it to the grave. Cross my heart and kiss my elbow." Bella promised earnestly.
They turned to other, more mundane, subjects then. Bella asked about Jacob's sisters, Rachel and Rebecca. Charlie and Billy had often thrown them together during her visits, to keep her occupied while they fished. Bella had been too shy to make much progress as friends with the twins, preferring the easier company of their younger brother.
"Are they here?" Bella wondered if she would even recognize the twins now.
"No." Jacob shook his head. "Rachel got a scholarship to Washington State, and Rebecca married a Samoan surfer- she lives in Hawaii now."
"Married. Wow." Bella was completely stunned. The twins were only a little over a year older than she was. Being a child of divorced parents meant she put little stock in the institution itself. "So, what else do you do for fun around here, besides telling scary stories?" She asked.
"I build cars." Jacob revealed, hoping that this would impress her as much as the story had. "When I have free time, and parts. I'm working on a 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit at the moment."
"Wow." Bella enthused again. "You are a man of many talents, Jacob Black."
Jacob felt his cheeks warming up under her obvious admiration. "Would you like to see her?"
"Her?" Bella teased.
Jacob gave her a sheepish smile. "Yeah." He ducked his head, feeling suddenly shy.
"Yes. I would." Bella could see he was embarrassed by how proud he was of his restoration project. It was quite touching and rather cute. "Maybe I can even help?" She offered.
Jacob relaxed again, raising his eyes to meet hers. "You wouldn't happen to know where I could get my hands on a master cylinder would you?"
Bella's eyes sparked with mischief. She was enjoying the easy banter. "Sorry. I haven't seen any lately, but I'll keep my eyes peeled for you."
"Cool." Jacob grinned.
They both looked up at the glowering sky at the same time. It looked like rain was coming in.
"We should get back." Bella suggested, hoping to beat the downpour.
"Yeah." Jacob seemed reluctant to leave the beach after having such a good time. He made sure to douse the fire with water, taking special care to inspect that there were no remaining sparks, then led the way back along the beach.
Bella pulled up her hood as they trudged back toward Jacob's house. With every step the sand shifted. With every motion forward there was some backward and down, just like walking in fresh fallen snow. The waves rolled in white tipped, spreading themselves like fine lace over the beach after they crashed in their soft way. There was nothing noisy about them, yet they have sound. To Bella it was more like the music of her childhood summers spent in Forks with Charlie. It felt so long ago. If she closed her eyes, she could picture herself as the child she used to be, a red bucket and spade in her hand, Charlie and Billy smiling on as she and Jacob built rock castles. It was a soothing memory, there was nothing to worry her, no fears...
"What are you thinking about so hard?" Jacob asked, ever observant to her changing moods.
"Nothing much." Bella smiled wistfully. "So, tell me more about you? How's school?"
Jacob's face clouded over as he thought about his most recent report card. "I need to hit the books more." He admitted. "I'm struggling in some of my classes."
"Which ones?"
"Math and biology." Jacob felt a bit ashamed of his failure. He knew from overhearing Charlie telling his dad so often what a stellar student Bella was, he hoped that it didn't out a dint in her good impression of him.
Bella sensed his unease. "I can tutor you, if you like." She offered.
Jacob brightened up at once. For him it was like a blessing in disguise. A win, win. Not only would his grades improve but he would get to spend more time with her. "Thanks, Bells. That would be awesome."
"Okay then. It's a deal." Bella held out her hand in a friendly gesture.
"Deal." Jacob agreed, taking her hand in his and shaking on it.
A/N-thanks for reading!