Chapter Two:
Jared
I hate nighttime patrols. I wish I could be in bed asleep, or hanging out with my former best friend, Paul. Unfortunately, since shifting, I'm no longer allowed to talk to Paul, and I have to patrol from 4:00 PM to 4:00 AM during the weekdays. Sam and I switch shifts on the weekends. But that only gives me three hours of sleep before school, which Sam insists I finish.
It's almost time for me to switch with Sam. I've made it through yet another night with only thirty minutes until I get off. I'm patrolling the woods around the beach when I see her. The girl is lying on a towel and wearing sunglasses on the top of her head. It kind of looks like she fell asleep out here, or had a medical emergency, or something. People don't usually lay out on the beach at night, especially with the cooler March temperatures.
I decide I should probably go check on her. Thankfully, we keep clothes stashed in the woods for just this kind of situation. I pull on a pair of cutoffs, and then head back out to where the girl is still lying there.
"Are you okay?" I call out, as I jog across the sand to stand in front of her. She sits up when I kneel in front of her. I spare a brief moment of relief for the fact that she's not in need of medical attention.
"I'm okay." Her voice is soft, warm and soothing. And then our eyes lock.
Brown eyes lock with mine, and my world stops. I take in every detail of the girl in front of me. My imprint.
She's beautiful, with light brown hair that falls just past her shoulders, and large brown eyes. She has freckles all over her face, and a few scars near her hairline. How did she get those? I silently promise myself there will never be another scar on her body.
After a few seconds, I realize I'm staring like an idiot. I should probably say something before I freak her out. "So, why are you on the beach this late at night?"
"I was just moon tanning." Her face immediately flushes at this admission.
"Moon tanning?"
"Yeah. Like sun tanning, but with the moon? My grandma and I used to do it a lot before she died."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It was four years ago now." She gives me a smile as she grabs her book and towel and starts to stand. I don't want her to leave.
"I'm Jared Cameron."
"Jolie King." Her hand is warm in mine, feeling just right, before she quickly pulls back. "Are you running a fever or something? You're burning up." Her brows pinch together slightly in concern.
"Nah. It's genetic. Weird, I know."
"I know all about weird genetics." she says with a small smile. I want to ask, but I can tell she doesn't want to talk about it. "Listen, I gotta go, but it was great meeting you."
"Nice to meet you too, Jolie. Are you from Forks, or do you go to school on the Res?" I have to keep this conversation going.
"I'm homeschooled. My mom's the new French teacher at the Res, though." It's then that I begin to put the pieces together. Wasn't Mom just talking about some new teacher friend of hers?
"Anyways," she gives me a small wave as she starts to walk away. "Hope to see you around some time." And with that, she gets into a car with dark tinted windows and drives away.
Sam's thoughts are filled with Emily, his imprint, until he sees Jolie through my eyes. "Congrats, man! I'm so happy for you. She seems great."
"She is." I send back before fazing back into my human form and heading into my house.
I keep my eye out for Jolie all weekend, but don't spot her again until Monday night. She's sitting at a table outside the small reservation library, a book balanced in her hands. The rush of relief at seeing her makes my knees weak.
"Hi." She smiles at me as I slide onto the bench next to her. "How've you been?"
"Great. Better now that I've seen you."
"You're weird." She's blushing.
"Maybe a little. You wanna grab some ice cream?"
"Sure. Why not?" And so that's how we end up walking toward the only ice cream shop in La Push. But Jolie stops just before stepping onto the curb to enter the building.
"You alright?" I pause with one foot on the curb to glance back at her.
"Yeah. I just remembered that my curfew's in like, ten minutes so I have to go."
The look of panic on her face convinces me she's telling the truth about having to leave, even if it's not about her curfew. She was out until three in the morning last week. But I decide not to question her.
"Okay. Let's go. Did you drive?" She breathes out an audible sigh of relief and shakes her head.
"Felt like a walk."
"Okay. Do you want me to walk with you?"
"No, thanks. I'm good." She says it too quickly, her fingers absently tapping out a rhythm against her leg. "My mom's really protective. Only child and all. But you can walk me to my neighborhood."
"Okay. You want to grab lunch or something this weekend?"
"I can't. I'm sorry. Family stuff." She gives me a small smile before turning to head back to the main road. I fall into step beside her.
"So, what are you reading?" I ask as we crest a hill and head past the library.
"It's a book about two teens with cancer who fall in love. My friend Danielle and I read it in eighth grade, and I'm reading it again for the nostalgia value." She shrugs her left shoulder before absently flicking some hair out of her eyes. "Do you like reading?"
"Not really. I don't have the time." Jolie stops so suddenly in a step that I nearly run into her.
"Really? I'm not sure we can be friends anymore." She fakes a scandalized look.
"I'm so sorry, oh wise one. What books would you recommend?"
hisThe Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and Percy Jackson to start with. I'll make a reader out of you yet." she grins. I'm lost for a second at the stars shining in her eyes.
"Okay. This is it. I'll see you later." Jolie waves at me as she heads deeper into her neighborhood, and I sigh before turning back around to continue my patrol. I'm brought more into the mystery of Jolie King.
A/n: Surprise, I'm not dead. I think at this point it's easier to say I'm just not consistent, no matter what I do. Life is insane, and I'm trying to balance a lot of responsibilities at once. Also, I've been sick, like, three times since my last update. Nevertheless, I'm gonna try to get more steady updates out. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Later!
Lauren.
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