Every day felt more mind-numbing than the last in the Cullen house. Even though everyone had their task for an upcoming job, they all felt the lull from their most recent one. There was great excitement in their lifestyle. They relied on each other to work in perfect harmony and fruition which resulted in a euphoric rush. While most of the family had their jobs set for the next heist, which pertained to their specialty, the middle son - Edward - and his youngest 'sister' were stuck performing the domestic duties until they eventually moved to another location.
As he waited for the day to end, Edward arranged his space while his 'brothers' prepared. Jasper played their 'inside man' and worked at the target location. He reported back every night with his co-workers' routines and changes while Emmett exercised or improved his combat skills. The eldest played the last line of defense if anything went array. Edward considered himself to be the most reliable at times and wasn't one for the monotony of working like his youngest sibling. Blending in was not a strong suit of his, in fact, the whole point of being their last line of defense was to distract whatever was in their way.
The most productive thing Edward felt he could do in the meantime was to study other people's skills of manipulation and find a way to put them into practice. His job as a 'smooth operator' meant that he needed to get his family out of tight spots, something he hadn't needed to perform in the last job.
He found Cruel Intentions hidden in their vast movie collection and popped it into his laptop. He let it play in the background while he performed his chores, taking an interest in Cecile or Kathryn's scenes. To stay productive during his mindless task of cleaning the kitchen floors, Edward practiced self-talk. He played through prior and made-up scenarios. Had he not been alone in the room, he would have thought he looked rather silly.
"You," he heard his sister greet him.
"Me, what?"
Alice shrugged as she stood in the kitchen. "I'm bored, you wanna take a break from your chores?"
Edward stopped mopping and considered the offer. "Sure, what do you have in mind?"
"We could go for a walk, maybe even a drive?"
"Are you tired of locking yourself in your room, vampire?"
"Ha ha," she sarcastically responded. "Very funny, but also, kind of. Thought I could get in a Washington tan while we're here."
"Okay," he laughed along. "Let me finish this up." Edward mopped at her feet to get her out of the kitchen and quickly cleaned the remaining space. Once he put everything back, he joined Alice at the front door. "So, you wanna go for walkies?"
She slapped his chest with the back of her hand hard and finally got out of the house. He quickly followed her as she led the way around the expansive grounds of their current residence. It was one of the many spaces they bought with the earnings from their heists. The Forks location was nice, although remote and too modern to feel at home at times. They made it liveable with a simple garden that was constantly picked over by deer and squirrels despite his mother's best efforts to keep them away.
"We might have a day in mind, then we're laying low for a while again," Alice informed him as they walked around the glades that surrounded the house.
Edward nodded benignly, "Yeah, I think a drive sounds nice." He took the keys from his sister and climbed into his car. When she took the passenger seat, he looked at her curiously.
"You seriously didn't think I'd let you ditch me?"
He let out a quiet sigh as he turned over the engine. They followed the cracked and fractured roads that took them past their neighbors and storefronts hidden in the towering trees. Edward wasn't entirely sure where he was going, but he hopped westward bound onto the long road that connected all of Forks and the neighboring towns. The drive was peaceful even as the radio cut in and out. Past the massive evergreens was the uniquely gray skyline of the Washington forest. There was something about the state that Edward always enjoyed. Even though some of his siblings weren't the biggest fans of the dreary or rainy days, there was a sense of serenity here they rarely got as the odd family unit they were.
It gave him time to self-reflect on the break they were about to take. The previous time this happened, Edward had a chance, along with his siblings, to attend college. It was bizarre, taking on a normal life as if he hadn't committed crimes to afford his tuition. Now with a communications degree under his belt, he wondered what Carlisle would allow him to do. There were too many career paths and since he wasn't going to be in the workforce for very long, he decided he would take on temp work. He knew that his father would hound him if he wasn't actively making himself look less conspicuous by being traceable by the government.
"What are you thinking?" Alice asked suddenly.
"What am I going to do with my life?"
"Whatever you want, We're adults now, it's not like we couldn't take a break from each other for a while?"
"Where do you think we'll go?"
"I don't know. I kinda like it here, but I know Jasper plans to go home. Rosalie might go south to California with Emmett and Esme. I don't know what Carlisle has in mind. What about you?"
"I think I'll stay here. Don't know what I'm going to do, not a lot of jobs out here, you know."
"You'll find something."
They went quiet again as the radio picked up an indie station. After a half-hour, the rocky coastline could be seen from the road. It took a bit more maneuvering, but they managed to find an access point to park and walk around.
"Have you ever wondered if animals have favorite colors?" she asked.
"Never wondered, but probably."
"I had a dog when I was a kid."
"I know, that yorkie, Samus."
"Yeah, she loved purple things, that's why she tore up my plush monkey."
They awkwardly walked over the large rocks and driftwood, some of which must have been used for a beach bonfire by the way they were placed. The deep black water washed up through the uneven rocks that made up the beach. Edward picked up a tiger's eye looking one to show her.
"Do you have a favorite kind of rock?" he asked her.
"I love those, like, really light rocks. They sometimes have holes in them and they float."
"I think that's a bone you're thinking of."
"Oh, then I like bones. I found this really cool bird bone a while ago. Sun-bleached and picked clean. I cleaned it after, too."
"Good. Did you stick it to your tongue, I hear bones stick and rocks fall."
"I did, kinda cool, not gonna lie. Want to try when you get home?"
"Why not."
They listened to the waves as they crashed against the massive cliffs to the north of the beach while the calls of elks and braying deer echoed just faintly from the Washington forest. Edward finally stopped and looked out at the freezing ocean. He took a step forward until the soles of his shoes were licked by the water. The wind whipped against his face and through his hair, his jacket and pants also getting caught in the breeze before his sister poked him with a stick.
"You sure you're good?"
"Yes, I'm fine," he tried to reassure her.
They proceeded to walk down the beach until they rounded a boulder where they spotted a group of people lounging around a small bonfire. Their voices carried so well, that the siblings wondered how they missed them initially.
"Let's go back," he tried to persuade her.
"It's fine, they won't do anything."
"I just don't want to draw any attention," he muttered but still followed her.
As they continued walking, the group grew eerily quiet and watched the Cullens. When they were about a hundred yards away, a member stood up and started calmly approaching them. On that note, Alice and her brother slowed their pace before ultimately deciding to turn back. Even though they thought they were no longer a threat, from their peripheral, the Cullens heard the rocks shift as the person tried to flag them down
He quickly caught up and called, "Hey, you guys need any help? Got lost or your car break down?"
"No, we're good, just turning back," Alice tried to dissuade him.
"Okay, for future reference, you guys are on the Rez."
"Oh, we didn't know that."
"Yeah, just surprised you guys got here, most people don't know this place exists."
Edward nodded and finally responded, "We saw it from the road and decided to stop for a walk, that's all."
"Yeah, well, there are other beautiful spots with actual sand, not these rocks, so you'd probably like that more."
"Would we?" He took it as a minor threat to ward them off the land.
"Yeah, most tourists prefer it."
The older Cullen merely chuckled at first which visibly upset the young man before them. The Rez kid wrapped his braid up in a bun and took another step forward before Alice put herself between them and pushed her brother away.
"He's being an ass. We live a few miles east, so we'll head out now, thank you."
"Okay, I'm not trying to be rude," he explained, "we're just protective of the shore. If you'd like, the town is better and has a lot more for people to do than the beach."
"Sounds like fun," Edward agreed as he put on a peaceful face for the young man. "Thank you…"
"Jake or Jacob," he introduced, arms crossed defensively over his chest.
"Well, Jacob, thank you for telling us. Maybe we'll swing by sometime and you can teach us a thing or two," he persuaded as he moved past Alice.
Jacob couldn't help but laugh at his poor attempt and briefly covered his face with his hand. "Okay, sure thing, Snow King." He turned away and jogged back to his friends, his laughter still carrying through the misty air as he disappeared behind the boulder.
Edward gritted his teeth in confusion as he looked off at the last spot he saw the young man. It was when his sister came into view that he snapped out of it. "Did he just laugh at me, like actually laugh at me?"
"Yeah," she giggled. "Oh my god, that was amazing. Your face, still your face. You should see it." She pulled out her compact mirror and pushed it in his line of sight, but he lowered it and rolled his eyes. "I've never seen you strike out like that. Glorious!"
He pulled her mirror back up to look at his reflection. "Am I losing it?"
"No," she closed and put it back in her pocket, "you're still a pretty boy. It just didn't work on him."
"Let's head back," he huffed
Once in the car, they took the long road back home. Despite the levity in the music and peaceful drive, tension wavered between the siblings until the younger one finally broke the silence.
"You really shouldn't be starting anything so soon before our hit."
"I was just practicing one of my staples," he tried to smooth over, but Alice knew him too well to let it go that easily. "Besides, maybe I'm now a little interested in the Reservation?"
"You know what Carlisle would say."
"Yes, I do. He's just paranoid."
"The less of us people see the less they'll point fingers. That's how this works, you know that."
Edward huffed as he took the turn onto their property. "Yes, I know."
"After this, that's when you can be normal, but we have to lay low until then."
"Hey, you were the one who told them we were locals."
"It seemed like the safest way out of it?"
Back inside, Edward placed his keys on the hook and returned to his chores. As he proceeded with a task in the garage, he almost wanted to push his father's buttons when he returned from work. He spotted Carlisle ascending the stairs on the way to his room, so Edward caught up with him.
"Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Yes, what is it?" he accepted with an exhausted sigh.
"I was curious about that Reservation out west."
Whatever fatigue Carlisle was feeling immediately left his soul as he processed the question and what may have brought it on. "Did you go out there?"
"On accident-"
"We cannot be out there, you know that. The Tribal Police will be on us in a second and they work with the Feds. Avoid their land at all times," he commanded.
Edward obediently nodded and let his father relax while he went back to his task in the garage. Even with Carlisle trying to ward him off, he took it as a challenge. No one could stop him, everyone else was busy and if Rosalie was allowed to hone her skills at bars, why couldn't he do the same in La Push?
The next day, Edward drove into town for his weekly chore of shopping for an odd family of seven. He always felt slightly judged for the massive amount of food he bought especially now that he no longer looked like a teenager. Pushing his cart around the familiar aisles, he glanced through the long list and plucked what was needed, briefly price-checking each product unless it was written with a specific brand. Turning the corner, he caught a glimpse of the familiar long-haired man from the Reservation. He furrowed his brows, initially believing he mistook a stranger for him. By the seafood counter, Edward spotted him again, now recognizing him as Jacob. He stifled a frustrated sigh but soon noticed the young white person distracting him.
He quickly grabbed what he needed from a display and went down the canned goods aisle where he stood face-to-face with the young indigenous man. Edward smiled politely at him but earned an obnoxious smirk. He initially checked over his shoulder for Jacob's friend only to confirm that the look was for him.
"Hey, you're the local I met yesterday, right?"
Edward begrudgingly nodded, "Yes."
"I don't think I caught your name," he proceeded in a guilt-eliciting tone. Jacob seemed to want to add a witty dig to the end of the statement but refrained from doing so.
"I'm Edward," he introduced himself as he leaned against the cart's bar.
Jacob piled the food and items into the crook of his left elbow as he reached out a hand. Without waiting for his response, he approached the paler man until Edward was forced to shake his hand. Cullen awkwardly untucked his arm from its tight spot between the cart and his chest and met the gesture. He was surprised by how rough his russet hands were and noticed the slight grunge collected under his nails. When Jacob pulled his hand away, he spotted the black lines of oil in the creases of his palm. Edward could hear someone behind him so he glanced over his shoulder again at the appearance of the white woman. She piled some snack items in his arms without acknowledging Edward until her friend pointed him out.
"Bells, this is the guy on the beach I was talking about," he explained to her. Jacob turned his attention back to the other person to ask, "Are you really interested in my people?"
"Yeah, yes. I wasn't kidding when I said that."
"Good, here, let me give you my number." He expectantly held his hand out until the device was handed over. "So, next time you find your way on my turf, I can show you around. Wouldn't want you to get jumped."
He scoffed a little at the style of the invitation and took his phone back. "Okay. I'll take you up on that then."
"Good. We should probably finish up here," he suggested to his friend. With a brief nod to Edward, he turned back around and grabbed a can of pears on his way out.
Edward dawdled a little to avoid running into them again but finished shopping and lugged his bags into the car. He entered the mom van and followed the surface streets until he reached the main road towards home.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed Carlisle's car parked in front of the Forks Police Department. Without slowing down, he could see his dad and the local Chief of Police speaking privately. A flame of petty anger flared in his heart at his possible hypocrisy. He raced home once out of town and quickly put away the groceries before he let the emotions hit.
With his phone in his hand, Edward looked at the new contact, debating whether or not to call the number to spite Carlisle. Instead, he chose not to rope this new person into the nonsense and went to find Rosalie.
After a quick rap on her door, she cracked it open with a slightly quizzical look on her face. "What do you need?"
"Port Angeles tonight," he immediately proposed.
"Sure, do you want me to do your makeup?"
He nodded and requested, "Yeah, nothing too colorful, just touch me up."
"No fun."
"N9NE's not gay tonight."
"Fine," she huffed and closed the door.
Edward searched through his clothes and began pulling out his bar outfit. He heard his brothers enter the room, but neither of them seemed interested in asking what he was up to after the very public argument the previous day. It wasn't often he and Carlisle disagreed, but when they did, all hell seemed to break loose. They just both had very petty mindsets and neither Cullen liked to lose, so the safest thing was to avoid any confrontation. It was mostly why Rosalie didn't question him wanting to leave Forks for the night.
Dressed in his 'finest', Edward knocked on his sister's door again. She let him in while she finished up her makeup.
"They're having a meeting tonight," she informed him.
"And I'm guessing we aren't invited?"
"Yup."
"That is the nice part of our jobs, we just get a summary, don't need the mindless details." He stood before the mirror while she cleaned her brushes in preparation for him. "Oh, I met this Indigenous kid from La Push."
Rosalie furrowed her brows immediately. "The Tribal Police, though?"
"I know, I know. Carlisle already said something about it," he grumbled. He held still while Rosalie did his eyes. "I'm not going to be around any of them, though. And if I am, I'll be careful."
"Okay."
Edward held his tongue about Carlisle and the Chief of Police while his sister finished up. To pass some time, they relaxed on her bed. He glanced at the various blue-tacked art pieces Alice had collected to spruce up the room and subconsciously compared it to Rosalie's side. His younger sister never liked decorating their homes and always packed lightly like their mom. She rejected any sentiment, though, that she didn't enjoy her job.
"Is this actually the last heist?" he asked into the void.
Rosalie perked an eyebrow, "Who told you that?"
"Al."
"Then yes. At least I can travel again. College was so boring."
"That's because you were a shut-in."
"I did my fair share of sororities and house parties. Just not my scene."
They heard various doors open and close as their family rounded up for a meeting. Once the silence buzzed back into harmony, Rosalie went to touch up her face.
"I'm ready," she informed him with a final pick at a speck of dust on her eyelash.
They slipped out of her room and snatched Edward's keys on their way out. Rosalie pulled out an EDM CD as they tore out of the driveway. She looked at him with slight concern but her brother only bounced to the music as they took the lone road through the woods until it turned back into the highway where he pressed the gas even further. He could sense his sibling relax as she turned up the volume and danced with him. Edward couldn't help but grin as the disk played through its odd collection of techno and electronic music.
Speeding down the streets, they made it to Port Angeles in record time. They parked in the usual unmetered lot and took the busy low low-lit streets to the main part of town by the docks where N9NE stood.
Music poured out of the establishment while barely a line stood outside. The Cullens entered the club by paying the cover charge and immediately went to grab a drink at the bar.
After placing their order, Rosalie turned to her brother. "I'm glad you thought of this. So, what's the plan?"
He shrugged, "I'm not sure."
Once her drink arrived, she chuckled, "Okay, just be safe out there and text me if you need help. I'm thinking we'll head back around midnight?"
Edward nodded with a brief check of his watch, "Midnight."
Alone by the bar, he meandered until he found his way back to the dance floor. He could spot his sister already in the center dancing with a few other women where she could safely cruise or enjoy herself.
Edward stuck to the edges and gently moved to not spill his drink. Once the rocks glass was half gone, Edward let the music sink into his head as the light buzz began to hum through his body. He finished the drink promptly so he could start dancing harder. The older Cullen found his way deeper through the claustrophobic hot bodies that jostled and rolled against each other like a breathing beast.
A small circle disrupted the flow but Edward stuck to the thick clump of young men jumping to the bass. He got pushed around a bit but almost enjoyed the feel as their bodies hit him in their endlessly oblivious joy. Between the heads, he kept track of his sister before tuning back into his moment. Halfway through the song, he caught the eye of a young man who looked promising enough. Edward only focused on his eyes, dark with hunger and restless from the night. Even without obvious makeup on, he looked beautiful. Edward pushed through the crowd once more to a new destination closer and started dancing with him. In the tight space, their movements were more akin to jumping, but it worked either way.
In his blood, he felt like a viper slithering through tall grass as they followed each other to the nearest exit. Now exposed to the low light, they sped walked to the pier, far from prying eyes or any distractions. The other patron walked down the docks and waited for Edward who made a rapid move at him. They crashed into each other in messy kisses that felt more violent than passionate. Without a word, they managed their roles between rolling movements vying for any physical contact. They managed to insert actions within the brief half-hour they had before Edward's phone went off. He pushed his partner's hips away and glanced at his phone, his sister was giving her usual recall text, and since he wasn't all too invested with the other man, he finished him off and spat into the ocean.
"I gotta head out, this was fun though," he absent-mindedly told him.
Edward followed the docks back to the main street and to the front of the establishment where Rosalie had been waiting for him. "I guess you were busy."
"It was fine," he shrugged. "Ready to go home, though."
"Great, good to know, how'd you do in there?"
"I had my fun but I'm tired."
Edward took her arm and they walked back to the van for the long drive home. His sister dozed off in the passenger seat until they hit the rocky driveway of their home where they were met by Carlisle's berating tone
"Where did you two go?"
"Why do you want to know?"
He furrowed his brows in confusion at Edward's affront. "When you go off without telling anyone, we worry."
"You just wanted to know if I went back to the Reservation."
"Did you?"
Rosalie stepped in, "No, we didn't."
"And if I did, it wouldn't be as risky as you meeting up with Sheriff Swan," he accused.
Carlisle kept whatever he was feeling buried inside and instead ordered his son to, "Just get cleaned up."
Edward did as he was told and wiped the makeup from his face. As he washed the remnants from under his eyes, he placed his phone on the sink's counter and read the messages he had missed. Edward went back to Jacob's contact and looked between the screen and his reflection. He wanted to text the Rez kid and wondered if it was just out of spite. Eventually, he decided to send something diplomatic by simply asking to meet up sometime.
Jacob hadn't responded to the text by the time Edward got settled for bed, so he stretched out on his mattress staring aimlessly at the ceiling. A lone knock brought him back from his rushing thoughts about what his father was up to with the local police department.
"Hey, you doing alright?" Alice asked from the doorway.
"I'm fine."
"Sure but I'm gonna smoke if you want to join in?"
"Okay."
He hopefully swiped his phone and followed her from his room out through the back patio until they were deep in the forest that surrounded their estate. Alice placed the bong on the ground and searched her person for her stash jar where she ground up a small amount of weed and packed a bowl.
"You do the honors," she invited him.
Edward took the first hit and relaxed on the bed of pine needles that covered the forest floor.
"If this is the last one for a while, it has to be good. I want to be sure we're all financially sound enough to do our own thing," she explained. "Carlisle's been on me while we get everything together. Even Esme's been double and triple-checking all of our firewalls. I'm almost afraid she'll give someone a way in, ironically."
Edward would normally ponder the situation and assess whether irony was the correct term but instead, all he could think about was his father and Sheriff Swan. She nudged him for another hit, which he accepted, and followed suit by laying back in the pines.
"I need this last one to be good because I don't know if I'll return."
Edward whipped his head to the side to look at her. "What? You're not serious right?"
"I mean, do you want to continue? Is this what our lives will be? Haven't you wondered what it'd be like to be normal for once?"
"We wouldn't fit in, and I don't think I'd want to."
"Maybe five years will give you the chance you need to be normal."
"If our break's that long, this is a massive bust and it'll be worth it. Besides, have you told Carlisle about your plan?"
"It's just a question, I don't have any plans or jobs in place. I want to know what these next years will have for me." Alice took a deep breath, an action her brother copied.
His phone buzzed with a text from Jacob. He knew Alice caught a glimpse of the origin by the topic of her next question.
"What was he doing with Sheriff Swan?"
"Nothing I could hear or see, but if Carlisle wants to be close with the cops, why can't I get to know the people on the Reservation?"
"Come on, I got something to show you," she offered. When her brother agreed, Alice dumped the bong water out and picked clean the burned contents.
They slipped back inside where they could hear the others laughing in the living room. Alice opened her door to let him in. Her workstation was clean with only a few apple cores by the keyboard. She booted up her computer and opened a few programs before pulling up the search engine to find where she left off, scratched notes and her search history guiding her to the right spot.
"This is Forks PD and if I just…" she pulled up another program on her computer and with a few clicks, the entire police station camera system was plastered across her screens. "There. You know, for a police department, their system was easy to crack. I thought it'd be something more fun, but it only takes me a few seconds."
"So what does this do?"
"Well, I can go back before they clear the system. When did you say he was there?"
"Um… Sometime around noon."
Alice went back a few hours and slowed to fine scrubbing to see if Carlisle ever entered the room. "I can't hear what they're saying, though," she admitted.
"That's fine."
"He was in the morgue and then around there, he's talking outside with him." Alice logged out of the system and nodded. "It looks pretty normal to me. Hey, can I join you when you go to La Push?"
"Only if you don't rat me out."
"Promise," she vowed.
"Okay, I'll let you know what he says."
Edward left the dark room before actually going off to bed. He pulled his phone out to finally respond to the Rez kid, asking for time and place before turning in for the night.
At dawn, he opened his phone to a text from Jacob telling him where, when, and what to avoid. Edward took his younger sister along with him as they snuck out of the house to the Reservation. He couldn't lie, he was excited to meet up with Jacob. That land was forbidden to him by Carlisle and now he was invited, even if it did nearly start a fight earlier in the week. They were told to meet at the Black residence and as they drove over imperfect roads to the dirt paths, Edward began to flashback to his childhood.
None of the Cullens, including Carlisle, came from wealthy stock and he had collected them from the foster system across his journey. Edward was the first. He was being treated for multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis by Carlisle while in Chicago. Since he was an older kid in the system, his future father decided to adopt him before he could find himself back on the southside in a group home again.
Alice was one of the last to join, a refugee from the Troubles in Ireland. She had been displaced after the Omagh Bombing and promised a home in the Republic of Ireland far from the English and the border where she met Esme. They chatted for a while and when Alice dug up all of Esme's hidden details, there was no possible way they could let someone with her natural finesse get into the hands of the government or worse… a start-up company.
They pulled into the dirt path beside a small red truck, a grey beater, and a tarnished bicycle. Edward was the first to exit and from his spot, he could see an older man watch them carefully from the living room. He pleasantly waved at him and approached the front door. Before he could even knock, the older man opened the door, leaving the storm door shut in his face.
"Hi sir, I'm looking for Jacob Black?"
"He's in the garage," he directed to the red garage across the property with his head.
Edward nodded and nudged his sister in the proper direction. "Thank you."
"Eddie! Over here!" they were loudly greeted from the old building. He disappeared back inside before either Cullen could return a phrase.
Edward peeked around the door where Jacob sat with that girl from the supermarket and another indigenous woman around their age while they talked over a parted-out dirt bike.
"Hey."
"This is Bella, she's like you, and this is my neighbor Leah." The two women nodded at the Cullens. "We're trying to get this thing back in working shape."
"Good luck," Alice joked, "There's no engine yet."
Leah perked an eyebrow at her joke but when she assessed her tone, she smirked and nudged Bella with her elbow. "Good to know we have someone here who knows more than you."
"I only said that I could ride it once there were pedals," she laughed.
"This is my sister, Alice," he introduced.
"We're getting colonized in your house, Jake," Leah warned with a jovial tone which elicited laughter from the other two, but only nervous chuckles from the Cullen siblings.
"You know much about machines, Ed?"
"No, not really."
"I could teach you a thing or two that way you're more than just a pretty face." Before he could return the jibe, Jacob offered, "Let me show you two 'round town." He grabbed his few belongings and the keys to his car which the three piled into. "I'll drive you down the main road and show you around."
He pulled through the dirt roads until they hit the main strip, passing old movie theaters and shops that looked like they'd fit in perfectly for an old western film. He took them down a road that circled itself until they passed the Rez Schools, all too close to be efficient for pick up or drop off but were placed perfectly to bring them to the Youth Center only four blocks away. Jacob, in the meantime, regaled them with tales of his youth to paint a picture of what most Rez kids got up to. His was filled with fishing trips and machines to keep him out of trouble, including a Tribal Police ride-along when he was a freshman in high school.
"So, what's different about your schools?"
"Most of our lessons include our history and what really happened to us. They also have a lot more cultural activities and people from Alaska and neighboring Reservations come to teach us about their people. At the Youth center, we'd pile in vans to take us to Pow Wows in Kelso, Wellpinit, and Cheney."
They passed more stores and the local resort that led up to James Island Point View. It was a massive building unlike the rest, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the vast ocean and pristine wood lined the exterior wall to give a more wholesome demeanor than the wealthy patrons displayed in over indulgence. Jacob drove past it without much introduction and parked the car on a stone path where he hopped out.
"So, tell me about yourselves," he offered.
Alice was the first to speak. "We live near Forks, but we moved around a lot growing up."
"Are you siblings because you don't look much alike?"
"No, adopted but we still live together at home."
"What do you two do for work?"
"I'm at a security company."
"And you, steely eyes?"
Edward cocked his head at the familiar nicknames, "I'm between jobs. For now I just take care of the home."
"Happy Homemaker, unexpected. I would have thought a model in Port Angeles or Sequim." They stood in silence for a moment to enjoy the lookout. "Come on, let's head back, I'm in charge of pizza."
They got in again and drove a bit more directly back home, only stopping by the local pizza joint where he left them in the car to get a good deal before handing them off to Edward in the back seat and lifting them back home.
"Alice, can you take these to Bells and Leah? Edward and I are getting drinks." She did as requested and the boys walked into the house. "Hey Dad, this is Edward, he's a friendly one." Billy nodded to him. "Billy, he's nice once you get to know him." He off-handedly remarked, "but he'll ask you some personal questions to get a good read of you."
"Ah," he nodded, "Hi Mr. Black." His arms were loaded up with a pack of sodas while Jacob carried the beers.
"Hey, is Charlie coming over?"
"Yeah once he clocks out. The Department's keeping him later and later every week. How'd you meet my boy?"
"This ho-kwat was on our beach, got lost as usual."
Billy let out a dull, "Hm," in response. "How haven't I heard about you or your family?"
"We just moved back, haven't been here in over a decade, but my dad got a job out in Forks, so we relocated."
Billy nodded and continued to size up Edward as if trying to see what chance he had against him if his son was wrong. Jacob steered him through the side door and toward the garage again before his dad could ask any further questions.
"He's nice, just protective. You'd get it if you were from here."
"White people take more of your land?" he tried to innocently jibe.
"They tried but we're not going anywhere," he proudly confirmed.
"Oh, I didn't mean-"
"No, it happens all the time and most white people have no idea. Do you know Charlie?"
"I think my dad knows him?"
"Oh, okay, he's Bella's dad."
"I'll keep any anti-cop slander to myself," he tried to laugh off.
Jacob guffawed at his poor excuse of a joke. "You really think you're funny, don't you?"
"You don't think so?"
"I think you try too hard." Jacob set the drinks on the work table and joined his friends on the ground.
Edward felt annoyed again by how easily he looked past him. Only his family seemed immune to him but now this blue-collar kid from the Reservation saw through him like a window and for the first time, Edward didn't even know how to read someone. He looked at him quizzically and joined his sister by a banister.
They watched Leah fix a chain at a workstation, hammering out the pegs to replace a few rusted pieces and measuring out what she could before attaching it to the bike. Bella watched on in amazement but avoided her grease-stained hands when she tried to tease her.
"Absolutely not, this is why I let you handle all of the mechanical stuff. You'd better clean up before I take you home."
Alice joined Bella on the bench, "So what do you do with your free time?"
"Oh, I blog, but to make money I work at Newton's, you know that clothing store?"
"Oh yeah, I've been in there a time or two. What do you blog about?"
"Nothing."
"Not nothing," Leah encouraged her. "She writes 'bout books and her time in Arizona."
"Really?" Alice exuberantly smiled.
Bella cracked open a can of soda, "You been there?"
"Once, but I'd love to go again."
"Seriously?"
"I was a tourist when I was there, so not long enough to get bored of it."
"You ever dream about getting out of here Edward?" Jacob privately asked him while the other three chattered amongst each other.
"Yeah, all the time, you?"
"Sometimes, but I'm here until either of my siblings get back. If they decide to come back."
"So you're stuck taking care of family."
"I don't know if I'd phrase it like that, but sure," he shrugged.
"Where do you want to go first?"
Jacob cocked his head to the side as if he had never been asked that question. He rested on the old bike seat with his arms crossed and looked up at the garage's ceiling speckled perfectly with holes. Edward finally had a moment to look at him without feeling watched. Jacob was a fine-looking young man himself and his hair was perfectly brushed. He wondered if he did his own braids or if Leah did them for him. His skin was lightly pock-marked from his teen years and he had the lightest mustache Edward thought he had ever seen, only a hint of hairs over his upper lip as he tried to grow any facial hair. Jacob looked back at him, his answer finally dawned upon him.
"I love the Rez, but if I had to choose, it'd be the East Coast. Or California. You sound like you've been all over the place with your family."
"You know, now that I'm here, I actually kind of like it. California's all 'go-go-go' even in the sleepy little towns."
"What's the best place you lived?"
"Oh-"
"Would you road trip or couch surf?" Alice suddenly interrupted them, saving her brother from revealing too much.
Jacob shrugged, "Probably a bit of both. So, Eddie, where do you recommend?"
"California is nice, beautiful weather year-round if you keep moving south. The East Coast is fun, but I only know about the Northern states. If you get out of here, I can call up some friends who could host." He grabbed a slice of pizza and offered one to his host. "Is that what the bike's for?"
"No, this is going to Leah."
The two mechanically savvy adults continued working on the vehicle while Alice seemed to bond with Charlie's daughter. They managed to kill the first two boxes of pizza while Jacob and Leah polished off three beers each.
As the sun hit the treeline, Bella hoisted up Leah. "Okay, I say we go before she loses a finger to her elusive motorcycle."
Leah looked buzzed from the drinks and hung onto her playfully, the more sober of the two trying so hard to avoid the grease on her hands.
"I'll load her bike," Jacob offered.
"No, I'll take care of it," Edward intervened. "Still sober and we should get going, too."
"Thanks for coming out here, not many people want to see this side of the Rez."
Edward nodded, "You make it fun. Besides, it's better than where I grew up," he shrugged.
"And where's that?"
"A story for another time," he grinned, the charm immediately turning back on.
Jacob shook his head and slung both cases of drinks over his shoulders as he followed his friends out. Leah tried to kiss what seemed to be her girlfriend a few times, but when she reached for Bella's jaw, her hand was instantly slapped away.
"No, not when you're greasy and drunk."
"Just buzzed."
"And greasy."
"Can I not kiss my… whatever we are?"
Bella shook her head and placed a few light pecks on her lips. "That's all, okay?" She gently directed her into the passenger seat of her truck while Edward placed her bike in the bed. "We'll see you two around," she bid. "Drop by Newton's sometime, Alice, I'd like to see you again."
"Will do, what hours do you work?"
"Opening shift Monday through Friday."
"I'll be there," she promised before shutting the door to the car.
Her brother followed suit and waited for Bella to pull out before following her most of the way back to the highway until she pulled off to Clearwater's neighborhood.
"She was much nicer this time," he mentioned.
"I know what you're thinking, but I don't want to get in the middle of whatever those two have."
"I think they both like you and it sounds like Bella was inviting you."
"Okay, whatever. Thanks for being nice to Jacob, got a little close there, but… why do you want to get close to him? To piss off Carlisle?"
"No, maybe a little, but no. He's a weird one. I don't work on him."
Alice laughed at his sake. "You are, like, the embodiment of Dorian Gray."
"That's kind of the only reason he's so interesting."
"Not even his big muscles or bad boy attitude."
"He's not a bad boy and you know it. He's actually a good guy." Edward turned up the radio, but his sister turned it back down.
"I want to keep talking about it."
"Well, I don't." He turned it up again to drown out the sound of the tires and passing cars until they returned home. In the driveway, he asked, "What are you working on?"
"Nothing really exciting." She hopped out of the car.
"Can I hang out with you?"
"Sure, I'll mostly just be watching the department's cams for shift changes. Jasper planted a bug at work so I'll keep an eye on that and their routes." She sat in her chair and logged on, pulling the various pages across her screens. "Riveting, I know."
"Very interesting."
"I've figured out some possible times and days. And with that, you might not have to risk showing your face."
"So who's going in?"
"Jasper, Emmett, and I think that's it. Carlisle will be on lookout and Esme's getting their effects together to cover their asses in case anyone sees something."
The plan did nothing to soothe Edward's fears of becoming obsolete to the team. "What about the rest of us? Rosalie and me? Are we not necessary anymore?"
"Not for this one, no. Forks is tiny, the fewer people involved the better. You've been cozying up to the locals, don't you want a chance to stay? I do. I like it here. The more innocent we seem the better." She grabbed two mostly clean mugs and poured boiling water into each. Within one of the many drawers before her, she dug up two packets of instant cocoa to mix some hot chocolate. "You need this, trust me."
"I don't think it'll work, but fine…" He took his mug and waited for it to cool while his sister studied the camera feeds before her. "Thank you."
He looked at his mug and tried carefully to put his thoughts in order. Edward wasn't sure what to make of his new friendship with the Quileute man from La Push. Jacob was interesting but he wouldn't call his fascination an obsession, not yet anyway. He took life as a challenge and balanced as well as he could his desires and duties. Jacob was nearly grounding in a way and untouchable in every other way. He looked past him as if he were his key out of Washington but never seemed to fall in line with what Edward wanted him to see. He debated telling Jacob such privy information about his childhood but it was his vulnerability the other man wanted.