CHAPTER THIRTEEN

On Wednesday, Charlie dropped Bella off in La Push so she could attend her safe driver classes, telling her he'd pick her up in front of the tribal school after class.

There were only two other kids in the class: Jared and Paul. Bella grinned and high-fived them both. This class was going to be awesome.

They were told thirty hours of classroom instruction would be spread out over fifteen weeks. Following class, they would each get a half-hour behind the car's wheel, which was above and beyond what Washington State laws required of teen drivers but they liked to prepare their students well.

"You do know I know how to drive already, don't you, John?" Jared asked.

"Shut up, kid."

"Uh, do you know each other?"

"Yeah, Jared's my younger brother."

"I understand."

After two hours of classroom instruction, the entirety of which Bella already learned in Arizona, it was time to drive. Jared drove first. He knew how to drive but ignored a bunch of safety rules, like using his blinker or stopping at a traffic light-the important ones.

Paul went next. He was clearly a novice and not very confident, but trying his best. John told him he needed to get out on the road more with his parents.

Bella was the last to drive. According to John, she was his best student ever. She couldn't exactly tell him that she used to be a licensed driver until the timeline flipped so she simply thanked him.

"This is so unfair! You both know how to drive; meanwhile, I could barely get out of the parking lot," Paul griped.

Bella squeezed his hand. "You'll get there. It just takes practice."

"Yeah, but my mom is too afraid to teach me to drive, and my father can only teach me on the weekends."

"Ask your brother."

"He's too busy with Emily."

"Well, then, ask Emily. If you ask Emily, and she says yes, then your brother will teach you to drive. She seemed like a nice lady." Bella knew for a fact that Emily was kind.

"Hey, now, that's not a bad idea!" Jared said. Besides, you know my dad would teach you if they said no.

And then Charlie pulled up to pick Bella up. He got out of the car and greeted both boys. "Thanks for waiting with Bella. Let me give you boys a lift home."

"Thanks, Chief Swan," they both said.

"Paul needs someone to do his driving hours with him because Lieutenant Lahote can only do it on the weekends, and his mom is too scared to get behind the wheel with an inexperienced driver."

"Alrighty." Charlie put the truck in park. "Bella, get in the back. Paul, get in the driver's seat. You drive Jared home."

"I can't drive this. It's brand new! And it's huge!"

"You won't know if you don't try it."

So, they all shifted places. Bella and Jared put their seat belts on. Paul put the truck in drive and pushed on the accelerator. There was a lot of jerky movement because he kept stepping on the brake.

By the time they arrived at the Cameron home, Bella was pretty sure Jared could have crawled home faster. "Alright, drive to your house now."

"But… but… I'd have to turn left."

"I know that, but if you were out in traffic, you'd have to make multiple lefts.

By the time Paul put the car into park at his house, he was sweating bullets.

"Chief Swan, I was about to go out looking for Paul. Mom called and told me he wasn't home yet," Sam explained.

"I just gave him a little driving lesson, Sam. He needs a lot more time behind the wheel. I know your dad's schedule makes it a little inconvenient to teach Paul, but if you can step in and do it, I think it would make a world of difference."

"Sure, that's not a problem. I'll pick him up from school and teach him."

"You might want to stick to a parking lot at first."

"I can do that. Thank you, Chief Swan." Sam looked over. "Hi, Bella. Are you okay after the other night?"

"I am. Thank you for defending me."

"No problem."

"Thanks, Chief Swan," Paul said as he got out of the truck. He opened the back door for Bella. "I'll text you soon."

"Okay, bye, Paul."

"Your turn, champ. We're having dinner at Uncle Quil's. I'll give you directions."

Bella made it safely to the Ateara home and parallel parked the truck between two cars with ease.

"How the hell are you such a good driver? I'm so proud of you. It's too bad you have to take driver's ed because, as far as I'm concerned, you're ready for your license now," Charlie said.

XOXO

Bella was formally introduced to her great uncle and aunt—Quil and Molly, their daughter-in-law Joy, and her son Quil.

"Wow! I finally got a cousin from the Swan side of the family who is my age!" Quil exclaimed.

"Well, second cousin," Bella corrected.

"It doesn't matter. Jake is my second cousin, too. You're just as close as he is to me as far as bloodlines go."

"Pretty cool."

And then Bella was inundated by people. Molly Ateara hugged her, saying, "Oh! Look at you." She pinched her cheeks. "You look just like my mother. Quil. Quil. Come and take a look at how beautiful Bella is."

"Molly! Leave the girl alone." He stretched his arms out. "Come here, girl. Give me a hug."

So, Bella hugged Old Quil, who was definitely not as stern as the first time she met him.

"I'm your Aunt Joy!" Quil's mother said, giving her a hug. "I was married to Quil's father before he passed. She brushed back Bella's hair and took a look at her face. "So pretty. Oh, but what happened here?" She noticed the fading bruise on Bella's face."

She wasn't sure if they knew about Edward's visit, so she glanced at her father, who stepped in to explain what happened.

"Oh, Taha Aki! Do you mean there was more after the incident at the homecoming dance? What kind of people raised this terrible child?"

Hearing someone exclaim 'Oh, Taha Aki,' in the same vein as when someone exclaims, 'Oh, God,' puts things into a new perspective for Bella. She actually had a connection to someone in the spirit world—this was bigger than being a vampire or a wolf. She was communicating with a higher being.

"I believe very indulgent parents," Charlie replied. "Carlisle Cullen tried to stop me from filing a restraining order against his son. He even attempted to bribe me. I refused it, of course."

"Of course you did, nephew. You have high moral standards," Old Quil said. "Now, let's sit and have dinner."

Dinner was absolutely delicious. It was homemade Chicken Cordon Bleu served with rice pilaf and steamed green beans. The dessert was a homemade chocolate mousse cake topped with strawberries and dipped in chocolate.

"This is heavenly," Bella commented. "I've never had anything like this. Who made this cake?"

"I baked it," Aunt Joy said. "I do all the baking at the diner."

"Wow! You should open your own bakery."

"That's my dream, but the diner is a family business."

"Oh, but you can run a bakery off to the side of the diner. There's a place on the Diné Reservation in Arizona that has some of the best food. It's family-run, and they have a small display case right at checkout. The woman who owns it makes the best lemon bars."

Old Quil turned to Bella curiously. "When did you go to the Diné Reservation?"

"I used to go all the time. My best friend Emma is half Diné and half Piipaash. Her parents used to bring me along whenever."

"Piipaash?" Quil asked. "Where is that?"

"Their reservation is in Glendale. You might know them as the Maricopa Tribe," Bella explained.

"Man, it's amazing how many tribes are in the United States," Quil said. There has to be at least three hundred of them."

"Five-hundred-seventy-four," Bella informed him, and at the same time, Old Quil tapped the side of his grandson's head.

"You need to pay more attention in your Native American Studies class. Why is it that Bella knows these basic facts and not you? You are Quileute."

"To be fair, I grew up in Maricopa County—that's Piipaash Land. And I had all these facts drilled into my brain by Emma's parents."

"They sound like good people," Old Quil noted.

"They were."

"Alright, Bells and I have to get going. It's still a school night, and she has homework to do before bed," Charlie said.

"I expect you here next Wednesday, and if you have to work late, Charlie, we can pick her up at the tribal school. I know being a single parent isn't easy without support," Aunt Molly said.

"Bella, give me a hug." Aunt Molly handed her a large paper bag. "This is your lunch for tomorrow."

"Oh, wow. Thank you. This will be way better than the school lunch."

"Of course, it will be. Charlie, yours is in there, too."

"Thanks, Aunt Molly."

And with that, they headed home.

XOXO

Over the next few weeks, Bella and Charlie fell into a routine. On the weekdays, they went to the gym in the morning, and their schedules varied in the afternoons.

On Mondays and most Fridays, Bella walked straight to the Forks Police Department. On those days, she cleaned the employee's lounge before studying. The employees seemed to appreciate it because they always thanked her before she left for home with her father.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Bella had softball drills. If it rained, which was more often than not—Coach Clapp moved practice indoors, and the girls were required to run and do calisthenics. One day, Coach Clapp had a headache, so she made the entire team do yoga.

Wednesdays were Bella's favorite days. Her father would drive her to the tribal school, and she attended driver's education. It wasn't the class that mattered, she could already drive. It was Paul. She enjoyed spending time with him. They usually held hands in the backseat while Jared drove. It was their time together. Things were moving slowly for them, and she liked it that way.

It wasn't like the first time she came to Forks. Back then, she was insecure, and Edward played on her insecurities. He finally made his way into her bed—literally—so he could hold her while she slept.

She had a long discussion with Taha Aki about that. He surmised that she hadn't been able to sleep without Edward because of those natural vampire pheromones that made humans crave them. In his opinion, too much exposure to those pheromones also had the opposite effect. Bella had become immune to them by the time the wedding from hell was supposed to happen. That was why Alice, Edward, and the rest of the Cullens had kept her close. They did it to keep her exposed because only large, constant doses of their vampire pheromones would keep her enthralled.

Paul and Bella were different. They were typical teenagers without cars or licenses—wholly dependent on others to give them rides. For that reason, moving slowly with their relationship worked. They texted each other constantly—so much so that she had her cell phone confiscated by Mrs Littlesea for the entirety of the class.

Paul and Bella's dates usually consisted of meeting at Sully's and hanging out there with everyone who attended Forks High and the Quileute Tribal School.

Someone who proved useful to them was none other than Riley Biers—Bella's physics partner and the guy who tried to kill her at the end of her senior year during her first foray into Forks. Riley was always looking for an excuse to see Jenny Cameron, and he had a car, so he was always willing to chauffeur Bella between Forks and La Push. Besides, they were averaging an 'A' in Physics, mostly due to Bella's knowledge, so the relationship was mutually beneficial.

Thanksgiving had come and gone, and it was now the last day of school before Christmas Vacation. Edward Cullen had kept to his word and did not approach Bella. He also took her advice and began dating Angela Weber. Suddenly, they became the new 'it' couple of the school.

Bella was happy for them. Angela was a good person, and Edward was the perfect pious boyfriend for her. They seemed to be happy together, which was a good thing. It also kept the Cullens out of her hair.

Toward the end of the school day, right before her Native American Handicrafts class, Edward Cullen approached her while she was alone in the girls' bathroom. He had his hands up in a surrender position. "I just wanted to thank you for straightening me out and for suggesting I pursue Angela. You were right. She's perfect for me. I also want to apologize for… Well, for everything that happened the night of the homecoming dance. That's not me at all. I am humbled by your kindness, Bella Swan. I wish you well."

"Thank you, Edward," Bella said to him. He smiled a genuine smile and left as silently as he appeared.

Bella washed her hands and headed for her final class of the day.

Riley sat down next to her. "Hey, Jenny wants to know if you want to go to a bonfire on the res next week. I'll drive you there if you want to go."

"Sure, I don't have anything to do. It's vacation."

"I know. I'll text you the deets later."

"Cool. Did you talk to Jenny about college?"

"Yeah, her parents won't help her pay for UDub because it's in Seattle. They want her to attend Washington State because the campus is safer."

"And how do you feel, Riley?"

"Truly, I don't care where I go to school as long as I'm with Jenny. The only reason why my parents want me to go is because that's where they met. I'm not really big on city life anyway—it's scary."

"Geez, Riley. Tell them that because if you can't tell your parents what you want now, you'll always be doing their bidding."

"You're right."

"And if they are so insistent you attend UDub, there's always Udub Bothell."

"Now that's a good idea. You're so…"

"Riley Biers and Isabella Swan," Mrs Littlesea called. "Why is it that you two feel you can chit-chat during my class?"

They both straightened out in their chairs and turned to face the front.

"That's better."

XOXO

Although it was the last day of class, Bella still had driver's ed after school. Her father dropped her off in La Push, but he had told her in the morning that he was working until very late because he was short two officers due to the flu. He felt really bad about having to miss dinner at the Atearas with her. He told her to pack a bag just in case.

Driver's Ed had been going well until Jared got into a heated argument with his brother. Frankly, Bella had no idea what happened, but it was all about Jared. His brother had simply reminded him to use the blinker when changing lanes, but Jared completely lost it and pounded his fist on the dashboard. John Cameron had Jared park the car and step out so someone else could drive. Jared flew into a rage after he got out of the car, and John tried to calm him down. Bella and Paul both stepped out to see if they could help, but he was completely out of control.

Suddenly, he arched his back and cried out that he was in pain. "Jared!" John cried, worried. "Oh, shit. Are you okay?"

"Nooooo! Help me!"

And then Bella realized what was happening. Jared was going to phase.

"What's wrong with Jared?" Paul asked.

"Uh… I have no idea. Jared, try to take deep breaths," Bella urged. She needed to get everyone away from him. If he phased too close, he'd hurt someone. "Let's move over by the trees in case you have to throw up."

You can do this. You can do this, Bella told herself as she approached Jared and led him to the trees. She smoothed her palm on his back in soothing circles. "Take deep, calming breaths. Breathe through the pain." She saw this on TV once when a woman was giving birth. She heard that childbirth hurt, so she figured it would work for phasing pain. Bella kept rubbing his back. "That's it. Take a slow, deep breath in, then breathe out in one long exhale. Just let it all go. I'm going to step away for a second and call for help."

Just as Bella stepped away, Jared exhaled and turned into an enormous brown wolf.

"What the ever-loving fuck?" John asked.

"Holy cow!" Paul cried.

"You mean holy wolf," Bella corrected.

"Yeah, that. What do you think happened?"

Bella knew exactly what had happened, but she wasn't about to say anything. Instead, she called Old Quil for help.

He showed up about ten minutes later with Billy Black, Harry Clearwater, and Sam Uley. They had been fearing the worst—expecting destruction and at least some injuries. They were surprised to find that none of the three were cowering in fear; rather, they were suggesting ideas to get him to return to human form.

"Try compartmentalizing your wolf half and your human half," John suggested.

Jared growled at his brother but didn't attack him.

"Maybe you should try box breathing," Bella suggested. "Breathe in-two-three-four, hold, two-three-four, breathe out-two-three-four, hold-two-three-four."

Everyone attempted the tactic, and John noted, "This is actually very helpful for my anxiety, Bella. Thanks."

"I saw it on a show once. Apparently, that's how the Navy Seals are taught to stay calm during high stress situations."

Paul, who was completely unhelpful, asked, "Hey, do you think you can knock down a tree?"

"Paul might have something there. Maybe if he knocked down a tree and took his frustration out on it, he'd change back to human form," John added.

"No, that would just fuel his anger," Bella replied, "but I think you're on the right track. Does he have a favorite song? Maybe if we sang it to him, it would bring him to a happy place, and he'll change back."

John shrugged his shoulders. "He used to like the Fruit Salad song by the Wiggles when he was three. He used to carry a banana around and sing into it like it was a microphone."

And then, the two teens and their driving instructor, who happened to be Jared's brother, started singing and dancing.

Fruit salad, yummy, yummy. Fruit salad, yummy, yummy. Fruit salad, yummy, yummy. Yummy, yummy, yummy, yummy, fruit salad!

And then the big, brown wolf started howling along to the tune of the song, and soon he was on his back, belly-up, waving his legs around without a care in the world. Before they knew it, Jared was in his human form again.

The three elders approached Jared with worried expressions, calling out to Sam, who was leaning up against his truck in an uncontrolled fit of laughter. Bella, Paul, and John turned around.

"Bella, I'm glad you called me," Old Quil said. "You…"

"Aren't you afraid?" Harry Clearwater asked, shocked.

Bella had a thought then. If she could somehow manage to convince Harry that this was no big deal, maybe he wouldn't die. After all, it was the shock of seeing Leah turn into a wolf that killed him.

Bella laughed and acted as casually as she could. "No, why? It's just Jared—enhanced." And she mentally apologized to the spirits because she was going to throw Billy under the bus. "Billy has constantly said that the Quileutes have always had magic in their blood. I'm assuming that some sort of tribal magic just activated." She nodded her head, first at Paul and then at John. Then, all three nodded their heads expectantly at the elders.

"Yeah, come to think of it. When we were younger, our parents used to always tell us a fairy tale about the Quileutes being descended from wolves, how the cold ones would come onto their land and attack the people, and how Taha Aki would shift into a wolf and save our people," John said.

"Who are the cold ones?" Bella asked, pretending to be naive.

"Vampires, supposedly." John shrugged.

"Who knows? Maybe Edward Cullen is a vampire," Paul commented.

"Oh, my God!" Bella giggled. "He's pasty enough for sure."

The elders looked horrified at their insightfulness. Old Quil took control of the situation. "Alright! Everyone is heading to my house now. Jared, you're with Sam."

"Nah, that's alright. I'll just hop into the car with my brother. I'm sorry I lost my temper, bro."

"It's okay. I'm just glad you're safe. I was worried about you." John hugged his brother tight.

"Well, I'm going to get my brother home so he can put some clothes on."

"Oh!" Bella grabbed his wallet and keys from the remnants of the clothes Jared had phased out of. "Here. You don't want to lose these."

"That was thoughtful, niece," Old Quil said. "I'm still going to ask you to come to my house. This all needs explaining."

"Alright, we'll be there," John said and took off with Jared.

"You know, he has my backpack," Bella commented.

"Mine, too," Paul said.

"You can pick them up later. Now, what happened?" Billy demanded as Harry drove.

"I'll start. Jared has been in a horrible mood all week at school. He's been surly at lunch, snapping at people left and right, and by this afternoon, he didn't want to go to driver's ed because he claimed he was too good for the class," Paul exclaimed. "I told him that it was the state law that teens take driver's ed, so either he takes the class or waits until he's eighteen. He blew up at me then. By the time Bella arrived, he was irate about everything from chores to driver's ed to school. Jared was fine during the classroom portion of driver's ed, so I thought he'd calmed down; then, he became testy while he was driving and completely lost it when John reminded him to use the blinker when changing lanes. He wouldn't listen to any instructions, so John asked him to pull over and switch with someone else. When he got out of the car, he totally lost it. And then he suddenly started complaining about how he was in pain."

Bella took over from here. "Anyway, we tried to help calm Jared down. I helped him over by the trees because I figured if he was sick, he might need to throw up. I rubbed his back and tried to help by giving him breathing techniques to hopefully help with the pain. When I stepped away to call Uncle Quil for help, Jared transformed into a ginormous wolf. Anyway, from that point on, all we could do was try to help him return to Jared's form. Singing and dancing works, by the way," Bella advised.

Sam stared at Bella and Paul with quizzical expressions. "And you guys weren't afraid at all?"

"No, it's just Jared but with a bit more fur on him. I wonder if his fur sheds because Sergeant Cameron is going to have a hell of a time vacuuming that up."

"Hey, we didn't get to drive today. Does that mean we have to make it up?" Paul asked.

"I'll take both of you out tomorrow," Sam offered. "Maybe we can even practice parallel parking, but we need to focus on what happened to Jared now."

"I don't see why. It's not like I'm a wolf, and even if I were one, I wouldn't blow my top as long as I can transform back again. It's like Bella said, it would be me but enhanced."

Bella smiled when she heard this because Paul was the angriest wolf the last time around. She wondered why he was so different now. Could she have something to do with it? Of course, Sam was different, too. He wasn't as serious as before. Then again, Bella herself was a lot more relaxed and most significant; she was not dating a vampire.

Of course, that was it! She hadn't even arrived in Forks yet the last time. This time, she had arrived three months ahead of schedule and was making an effort to be friendly. Even her father was a lot less morose, and he was diligent about his parenting—most likely because Renee was a good example of bad parenting.

As for the first time she met the pack, she was angry that they did something to Jacob, so she shoved Sam and then proceeded to slap Paul. She had assumed they were to blame for Jacob's condition, but when she really considered it, they were not responsible.

No. It was the Cullens.

"Hey, do you think turning into a wolf will improve Jared's voice?" Bella asked, hopefully.

This broke the tension, and everyone started laughing.