A/N: Hey all, chapter 3 up! Thank you for the reviews/favorites. I'm glad someone other than me is enjoying this story lmao. I wanna put a TW on this chapter for child abuse. Just as a heads up. Hope yall enjoy! Oh yeah, please ignore any grammatical errors you find. Don't have a beta :D

Indiana.

"Indiana, time for your medicine."

Every bone in my body, every strand of muscle I had control over, recoiled at the thought of that sickeningly sweet syrup. Pinkish red. Candy-coated poison. How could she call herself a mother?

But I wasn't strong enough to fight her off anymore.

She forced the spoon past my lips and the liquid coated the inside of my mouth and throat. I knew it would come back up any minute. It always did. That time, my body was too weak to even turn my head to the basin. If she hadn't been there, I probably would've choked on my own vomit.

But maybe it would've been better that way.

"There, there. You just aren't getting any better, are you?" She pressed her scaly hand against my forehead and frowned. "I'll get a cold rag for your neck."

Relief washed over me when she left. I coughed weakly and moved my tired eyes around the room, and that's when I caught him peering out from the closet. She never believed that he was there. Neither did my dad. I eventually stopped telling them.

He was staring at me. Always staring. But this time he spoke.

"I can take you away from this."

There was something about his voice. It was… melodic. Pleasant to the ears. I'd never been able to pick up on his intentions, but they couldn't have been any worse than my mother's.

"How?"

He took a step from the closet, grinning with narrowed, red eyes. I honestly should've known what was coming in my future after that. I think in a way I did, but in my desperation I agreed and unknowingly made a deal with the devil. His hand moved slowly through time towards me, or maybe I was so sick it just seemed like it. My heart was racing. My eyes were flitting back and forth the closer his hand got.

His shadow spread across my face and—

I jolt awake so violently I nearly throw myself out of bed. My legs are tangled in the mounds of sheets, and my comforter is thrown haphazardly over the heater at the foot of the bed. I pull it off quickly and check for burn marks.

Nothing, thankfully.

A drop of sweat rolls down my neck. I wipe it with the back of my hand and pull my tangled hair up into a bun, counting my breaths until they are steady and regular.

He knows we're gone.

I check the clock mounted on the wall.

3:47 AM.

The front door downstairs opens and shuts, and hushed voices fill the kitchen. My throat is on fire. I kick the rest of my blankets off and pull on a hooded sweatshirt that Josie loaned me. Well, she's loaned me all of the clothes I'm wearing, actually. We're on house arrest – no, I'm on house arrest – under Sam's recommendation until they're sure he's nowhere near the reservation, so I haven't been able to go out and buy my own clothes yet.

Speaking of Sam, as I climb down the ladder to the lower floor, I'm greeted by him, Embry, and Jared piled around the kitchen island. There's a steaming pizza tucked into a cardboard box in the middle of the counter.

I make a face and walk to the fridge. "You guys are eating pizza at four in the morning?" I ask, grabbing a water bottle.

"At least we're eating. You should try it sometime," Jared jokes. He waits for the other two to crack smiles, but all they do is glare at him. I'm the only one that laughs. He's just teasing me like a good friend – I find it kind of endearing.

Embry rolls his eyes at him and grabs a slice of pizza. "Sorry if we woke you."

I take a drink of water and shake my head. "Bad dream," I mutter.

Sam grabs a piece next. "I've been meaning to talk to you. The borders look good, and it's been almost a week." He clears half the piece of pizza in one bite. "I don't think there's anything to worry about. You're fine to leave the house now."

He doesn't think there's anything to worry about.

The conversation we had about our time spent in New York was beyond uncomfortable. I told him and Embry what I knew and what I'd seen him do before, but even then I had little explanation for it all.

Apparently they didn't need one. After that conversation there was no more talk of New York and no more talk of him.

And that's fine with me. The more I have to talk about it, then more I have to admit that it was real.

I hover for a moment as they eat. They demolish the whole pizza in a matter of minutes, leaving one remaining slice that they offer me. I decline, so Embry shrugs and eats it and then Sam and Jared get up to leave. To avoid the awkward goodbyes, I disappear into the bathroom for a shower, turning the water as hot as I can possibly stand it without burning my skin.

It's freezing in the early mornings.

I undress quickly, setting my water on the counter, and step into the stone shower. Steam billows towards the ceiling as the soft water cascades down my frozen body in hot rivers.

I lean my forehead against the wall and take a deep breath.

These moments of solitude are precious to me. He used to watch me bathe.

An unpleasant shudder drives through me just thinking about it. The thought raises the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck. He never tried anything. Just watched. But in a way that made it more demeaning. All he ever did from the beginning was watch. One time he started at me for three days straight, never blinking, never tiring.

After a while I started wishing he would just kill me – not freeze me, kill me. If I couldn't live a free life then what was the point?

I went with him to prevent my mother from killing me, only to wish I was dead anyways.

I snort.

How fucking ironic.

Josie finally wakes up after hours of me moseying around the house and reading by the fire that Embry thankfully started before he went to sleep. Being terminally cold has its disadvantages. Even though I'd just taken a scalding hot shower, I was shivering and freezing again the second I stepped out of the water.

Little to no insulation, Embry jokes.

"Hey, sunshine," she sings, immediately taking to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.

I close my book and set it down next to me on the couch. "You're up early." Actually, it's already 9:45 AM, but that's early for her these days.

She nods and opens the fridge for creamer. "I'm going to go beg for my old job back."

"Which one?"

The coffee goes into two mugs and she joins me on the couch, handing me one. "At the restaurant," she replies, blowing on her coffee to cool it down. "Actually, I was thinking you could take over my job at the coffee shop if you wanted. Embry's mom held onto the spot for me."

I ponder that for a second.

"I don't have any work experience though."

She takes a drink of her coffee and sets the mug between her knees. "That's okay. She'll have Leah train you."

I sip my coffee as well and sink further into the couch. Eventually, I'll need a job if I'm ever going to be a functional adult. But… "He has my ID, my social – everything." And I know he took hers, too. They're his trophies.

"Don't worry about that. I already talked to her. She'll pay cash."

We fall silent after that. After everything she went through because of me, she still treats me like a part of her family. I admire her nobility. If the roles were reversed, I probably would've hightailed it out of there alone the second I got the chance.

Once our coffee is all gone, we both get dressed and take off on foot into town, Embry tagging along.

Call's Coffee is at the end of the paved trail through the woods, nestled between a gas station and the Three Rivers Resort. It's very organic – there are potted plants everywhere, inside and out, and some even hanging from the ceiling.

There's a display case full of baked goods beneath the counter and the back wall is lined with coffee merchandise and more plants. There are two women behind the counter, one younger and one older. The younger one disappears into the back room as we approach the counter and the older one turns around.

"Hi, Ms. Call," Josie says with a grin, leaning over the checkout counter on her forearms.

Embry's mom. She puts her hands on her hips and makes a face at Josie. "Can't you call me Tiffany? Or Mom? Ms. Call makes me sound so old." She looks back and forth between Josie and I and smiles. "Is this your friend?"

"Yep! This is Indiana. Indie, this is Embry's mom, Tiffany."

I smile and hold my hand out. "It's nice to meet you," I say politely. I wonder vaguely what all Josie and Embry told her, and I hope it wasn't too detailed.

Tiffany Call, though warm and professional, is much more intense than her son, but I can still feel the resemblance in their personalities. She smiles brightly and shakes my hand, then takes the towel from her shoulder and starts wiping the tops of the counters.

"So, have you worked in a coffee shop before?"

Josie hops up on a bar stool by the wall and Embry starts spinning her back and forth on it. "She makes a mean cup of coffee!"

"Yeah, that's basically all she drinks," Embry adds with a chuckle.

"I'm a quick learner," I tell her, though I'm sure she hears that all the time. "My dad was a chef, so I can bake, too."

The younger girl from earlier comes flying out of the back room holding a droopy-looking cupcake. "Thank god," she exclaims. "Because I am so done trying to make these frilly desserts."

Tiffany just laughs. "This is Leah. She'll be the one training you on the days I'm not in."

Leah has a strong look to her, and her dark hair lays in thick, perfectly straight sheets just past her chin. She doesn't really smile, but I can sense her relief. "So you're the new girl," she mumbles, glancing over at Josie and Embry. "Hopefully those two are letting you get some sleep at night. They can be pretty loud."

Josie's cheeks immediately turn red. "Leah!" She jumps up and chases after her as she takes off for the back room again.

Tiffany and I exchange amused glances and she shakes her head. "When can you start, Indie?" She hands me a menu and continues wiping surfaces down. "Indiana. Indie. That's an interesting name."

"I can start as soon as you need me," I reply.

Her head lifts and she watches me as I scan over the menu. "We open at five in the morning on weekdays, seven on Saturdays, and we're closed Sundays. I'll have to figure out your exact schedule, but I'll let you know as soon as possible."

There's a crash in the back room and her head whips around, Embry jumping to his feet. "I'm going to strangle those girls," she threatens, hurrying into the back room.

Both Josie and Leah come sulking out a minute later with guilty looks on their faces. "She'll get over it," Josie laughs, looking at me. "Anyways, do you want to come with me to the restaurant?"

"You're gonna go back there?" Leah asks, eyebrow raised.

Josie sighs. "I know. The cooks are super annoying, but waking up early is even more annoying. And Embry already threatened them."

"I thought the guys in the pack were annoying but they're nothing compared to those cooks."

My brows scrunch. "The pack?"

Josie shoots a glare at Leah and the mood in the room shifts. Leah bites her lip and opens the cash register. "It's just a stupid nickname for Embry's dumb friends," she says, flipping through the bills for a second before shutting the drawer.

Tiffany rejoins us and throws a black apron at me, which I thankfully catch. "Can you start tomorrow? Leah will be here in the morning to train you."

Leah actually smiles this time.

Relief washes over me. "I'll be there."

After leaving the coffee shop yesterday and after getting her job reinstated at the restaurant, Josie and Embry wasted no time in showing me around the reservation.

The town itself is spread out along the beaches, nestled with its back tucked against the trees, overlooking the ocean. It's beautiful. Far more beautiful that anywhere I've personally been before. The sand, though littered with rocks in some areas, is decorated with shells and driftwood and I could taste the salt in the air. We passed by the marina to watch the sea lions sunbathing on the decks, got smoothies, and even stumbled into Jared and Kim who were out enjoying the sun together.

It's weird, in a way. Almost like the New York incident was just a bad dream. Josie doesn't seem to be bothered by it at all anymore, but I still have troubles sleeping. I know he's out there somewhere, looking for us, and the thought of seeing his crimson eyes again makes my skin crawl.

I splash some cold water over my face and pat it dry with a fluffy towel. Glancing in the mirror, I take in my exhausted appearance and frown. I don't necessarily feel too tired right now, but the dark bags under my eyes say otherwise. Unfortunately, they're probably there to stay.

Dressing in a pair of jeans and a loose blouse, I tie my hair up in a sleek bun and slip on a pair of comfortable shoes. It takes about ten minutes to walk to the shop, and it's 4:45 AM, so I better leave.

Embry meets me tiredly in the living room – practically a zombie. Josie threatened that if he didn't agree to walk me to work in the mornings, she would break up with him. We both know she said it as a joke, but I'm so thankful Embry agreed anyways. I think I'd have a panic attack walking alone in the dark.

It's pitch black outside still, and completely silent. The only thing I can hear is our footsteps and my heart pounding in my ears. That unsettling feeling that someone is watching me has fear biting at my ankles the entire walk. I know they said there's been no sign of him, but when he's been there for so long it's almost impossible not to think about it.

Thankfully, the light to the shop is on and the door is unlocked. I say goodbye to Embry and hurry inside, checking my back just in case to make sure no one's behind me.

"Boo."

My skin jumps and I spin around to find Leah with an entertained look on her face. I let out a breath of relief.

She laughs and thumbs to the back room. "I started the ovens but none of the foot yet. C'mon, I'll show you."

We get right to work, falling into a comfortable pattern of watch and learn. She writes me out a list of specific regulars to keep an eye out for as they can be picky, complete with cartoon-drawing descriptions, and goes over how to work the cash register and espresso machines. Then, she lets me whip up a hot coffee and makes an iced one for herself.

One of the perks of working at the coffee shop she tells me: unlimited free coffee.

Our first customers of the day are a group of older men in hard hats and reflective vests. Construction workers with Lahote Inc, which Leah says belongs to the father of Embry's friend Paul.

The orders go smoothly and they're in and out in a couple of minutes thanks to Leah saving me with an order given in another language.

Hours pass and Leah exiles me to the kitchen in the back to start baking backups for the display case. This part is easy – almost like a second nature to me – but reminds me of my dad. I try not to think about him as I mix batter and fill cupcake tins.

"Hey, come out here!" I hear Leah shout from the front a little while later. I slide the tins into the oven and wipe my hands off on my apron.

Embry and Josie are there at the counter when I come out. "How's it going?" Josie asks with a beaming smile. "Look how cute you are in an apron!"

"In the kitchen, just as a woman should be," Embry quips. I know he means it playfully, but both Leah and Josie smack him.

I laugh. "It's going really good, actually."

"We just came for coffee before work. Figured we might as well check in instead of making it at home."

Leah snorts. "Aka, Embry wants a large, blended triple chocolate chip with extra chocolate sauce for free since his mom isn't here to make him pay for it," she laughs.

He shrugs and laughs, too. "Yeah, pretty much."

I start the drink for Embry as well as a white mocha for Josie.

Leah leans over the counter, stretching her neck both ways like she's looking for someone. "Did you guys see Paul? He's usually here right about now."

"Paul is the last person I want to see first thing in the morning," Embry says.

I spray some whipped cream on the top of both drinks and hand them over the counter, then start wiping down the machine. Paul is a reoccurring name in conversation, but I haven't met him yet. I think Paul, Collin, and Brady are the only ones out of Embry's group of friends that I haven't met yet. Oh, and Quil. I'm sure they're all just as tall and massive like the rest of them, though.

Embry suddenly groans. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear," he mumbles, glancing out the window. "With bared teeth."

"Uh oh, is that Rachel?" Josie asks.

Through one of the big front windows, I can see a girl with long dark hair and tanned skin looking up at a – surprise – extremely tall, well-built man with an array of tattoos down the length of his muscular arms. I can't make out either of their faces from where I'm standing, but I can definitely hear them.

Arguing.

"Rachel, you have to stop this," he says, motioning with his hands. "I'm sorry, okay? We took this way too far."

She crosses her arms. "What am I supposed to tell the rest of my family?"

"The truth?"

Embry and Josie turn around and raise their brows. "Okay then. Well, see you later, Indie. Good luck with the rest of your first day! And dealing with Paul." Josie adds with a laugh before they leave the shop.

The two in the street immediately turn away from each other and Leah makes a sound in her throat.

"You might wanna go into the back just in case. Paul can be kind of a dick when he's worked up."

She doesn't have to tell me twice. I should check on the cupcakes anyways.

The door opens just as I slip into the back room and I hear Leah ask, "Red Eye?"

Pure coffee with a shot of espresso.

"Thanks, Lee." Paul's voice is deep and smooth like butter. The poor guy, though. I can feel his anxiety from here.

"You're gonna scare my new girl off if you keep fighting in front of the shop like that."

I smile and hear Paul laugh. "I knew you were a lesbian," he jokes.

Leah smacks him. "My employee!"

"Oh that's what you meant." I can hear the smirk in his voice. It makes me laugh again.

The cupcakes finish in record time in this industrial oven. It must've cost a fortune, and it still looks brand new. I pull them out and set them on the counter to cool while I make the frosting. And as hard as I try not to, I can't help but try and listen in on Paul and Leah's conversation. She cranks up the music though, and the soft drone of their voices is washed out by the stereo.

A few minutes later, the shop door opens and closes and Leah pokes her head around the corner. "How's it going back here?"

I just smile and angle my mixing bowl so she can see the colored frosting inside. "Just getting ready to decorate."

She feels different after talking to Paul – like her mood is heavier. Whatever they talked about clearly bothered her, but I don't know her well enough to ask, so I let it slide and continue making the frosting.

By the end of the day, my apron is coated with frosting, I've spilled coffee – hot coffee – down my shirt, and I accidentally ripped a hole in the leg of Josie's jeans. But somehow, I still feel accomplished. Leah and I say our goodbyes outside of the shop at 2:00 PM when another girl comes in to cover until closing.

The first thing I do when I get home is immediately hop into the shower to wash the coffee off. Once I'm clean, I dry off and borrow one of Josie's bikinis to wear to the beach. There's still a lot of daylight left and I'd like to go enjoy it outside.

I put on a pair of cuffed sweatpants and a plain t-shirt, slide into a pair of flip-flops, and take some money out of the bag under my pillow. It's his money – money I stole from him before escaping. I stuff it into my pocket as I leave the house.

It's the least he can do.

The sun is bright today and it's already warmer out that it was on my walk home earlier. I breathe in the warm air and relax under the rays of the sun. I don't remember the last time I was able to enjoy the sun on my skin. He didn't like it.

"Your skin is like milk – smooth and so pure."

I've never wanted to tan so badly before in my life.

As I walk down the road past the coffee shop and towards the beach, I pass through a neighborhood and by a group of boys hanging out near the porch of a house. There are surfboards lined along the front of the house, and the boys smile and nod at me as I pass.

I smile back, which appears to be taken as an invitation by one of them who jogs up to walk alongside me.

"Hey," he says with a grin. "Haven't seen you around before. What's your name?"

I raise an eyebrow at him but smile. He has good intentions.

He grins again, running a hand through his shaggy hair. "Okay, not so smooth," he admits. "Are you staying at one of the resorts?"

"No, I'm staying with a friend," I tell him. His friends are laughing at his failed pickup attempts, so I shed some pity on him and stop walking. "Indiana."

"Oh, no shit? I've always wanted to go to the Indianapolis 500."

I laugh. "It's my name."

The other boys laugh even harder and he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well shit," he laughs. He's cute. He's also extremely tall and muscled, as a lot of the La Push boys seem to be, but also has a young face. "I'm Seth."

"Nice to meet you, Seth," I nod. There's a few seconds of awkward silence before I motion down the road. "Well, I was just heading to the beach."

The door to the house behind us opens up and, to my surprise, Malachi comes stumbling out in a pair of swim trunks with a wet suit in his hand. He laughs and waves when he sees me. "Sup, Indiana," he jumps down the porch steps and walks over to us. "When did you two meet?"

"Just now," I reply. "Are you guys going to the beach, too?"

They nod and the other boys join us in the street. "Well, we were actually gonna run up to Forks real quick first." Malachi holds up the wetsuit to show me the gaping hole in it. "Wanna come?"

This is the opportunity I've been waiting for to finally buy some new clothes. "Yeah, definitely. Do you guys have room?"

Malachi snorts. "Please, you take up like two inches of space." He nods at an old, blue hatchback parked along the street. "But you gotta sit in the back with those two, cuz there's no way I'll fit without killing them."

The other two boys, Daniel and Lucas, are Malachi's younger brothers as I learn while crammed into the back of the Civic with them. They're very polite and are physically the polar opposites of Malachi. They have the same wide smiles and messy hair, but they're much shorter and quite a bit skinnier. It makes Malachi and Seth look like bodybuilders.

It's a short car ride to Forks and then the three brothers head into a water sports store while Seth gets stuck clothes shopping with me. We make small talk and he's actually pretty helpful when it comes to picking out what to buy. I learn that Leah is actually his older sister – small town – and their dad died a few years ago. We have that in common. They still have their mom though, and she's a nurse on the reservation.

We don't talk about my mother, or rather I ignore any questions about her and change the subject – it's better that way.

When I'm done shopping, we all meet at the car and drive back to La Push to spend the rest of the day at the beach. They surf and I sunbathe and everything feels normal – something I haven't had very much experience with. There wasn't a single minute that I spent afraid he would suddenly show up. It was nice to be distracted by the boys' jokes and smiles and contagious laughter, even if only for a little while.

Seth was nice enough to take me home after and I walk inside just in time to catch Josie, butt-ass-naked, running from the living room to her bedroom. We both shriek and I can hear Embry laughing hysterically as I climb up to the loft with a very red face. I definitely don't want to catch him naked, too.

"I'm moving out" I yell, covering my face with a pillow.

They both burst into more laughter and I groan with embarrassment.

That girl has no shame.

A/N: a little more into Indie's past. Also, Paul with tattoos. Because 1) sexy as hell and 2) why not :D getting closer to Paul and Indie actually meeting. Chapter 6! Anyways, let me know what you thought! xx