Naomi

Seth's eyes grew wide seeing the bruise on his arm. Brittney began crying silently again, harder than she had been before. His face contoured in pain before he swayed.

"Seth?" I asked feeling anxiety filling my chest.

Seth passed out and I slid in the seat next to him and catching him before toppled to the floor, Brittney covered her face with her pale skin tinting with overwhelming emotions. Everyone was clinging to the other. Panicked. Equally traumatized and protective of the other. Still in survival mode and no one was going to be left behind.

My head whipped to the sudden flash of red flames, above the doors of the bus opened a red portal and then she popped through the barriers. The bus erupted into screams as the bus driver swerved, I should've definitely thought of a different plan.

"Too slow again!" She screamed with a sick grin tearing the flesh of her jaw open, with her right arm swung back and alive with blood red flames.

My right hand came up on instinct catching her fist just before it collided with my chest, swiftly pushing an unconscious Seth into Brittney. But I didn't catch her other fist that broke through the bone and I all I seen was her smiling face.

"Too slow, alpha."

I felt her tear my heart out of my chest.

Black.

reset to morning

My eyes snapped open to the early dawn light coming through the trees above me, the breeze rustled the treetops. I blinked twice before I sat up with my mind replaying the whole day and my death.

I stared at that walls of trees for a few seconds before I released the scream deep in my chest.

Screaming at the top of my lungs with each deep, intense emotion swirling around in my chest and body. Screaming even while tears streamed down my face and my scream was going hoarse. Screaming even while Sam and the others showed up.

The sky grieved with me, sending down sheeting rain. Wind swaying the treetops.

Screaming over the loves lost. Screaming over the constant change of my reality. Screaming over every encounter. Screaming over my inability to see her coming, inability to do more than I did. Screaming over the utter demonic energy of her being. Screaming over the utter demonic energy of murderous desire. Screaming over the loves that were being affected.

Lightning and thunder in distance, echoing with a deep rumble of rage.

The souls that forever changing and being tampered with. Screaming over the severity of it all.

Screaming over the lives I will have to consistently protect from the same thing over and over. Screaming over the fragility of my mentality. Screaming over the sheer rage and grief boiling in my chest with continuous fire. My screaming died down to sobs, falling down my face as the earth decided to give cleansing and comfort with light drizzling rain.

The tournament. My mind chorused, silencing as thought trains.

I stopped, frozen. Everything began to still, the rain and wind lessening slowly the more I went frozen with a quiet mind.

The tournament. It said again. This is the tournament.

It only made sense. Everything since the first I died. The hazy terrified vision of looking at myself sprawled across the floor over broken wood, the blood filling my lungs. The sudden changes of reality and people. Everything down to my second death.

Everything in my body went cold. The wind picked up, frigid air brushed against my face, with no affect to my body temperature; but only providing further chill to cool me down. I felt myself heavy with despondence, the rain started to fall again.

"Naomi?" Sam called gently.

My eyes focused on Sam's face, all of the pain he has been causing me came crashing down, my vision blurred with tears.

"I didn't volunteer to join the tournament…" I breathed, tears falling down my cheeks. Sam's eyebrows furrowed, "I was unwilling elected… this tournament is this. Right now. Everything. Everything that's been happening!" I crumpled to earth. "I didn't want this! I didn't want to die and come back to life repeatedly! I didn't want to watch people fall in love with me! I didn't want to watch people die because of her sick agenda! What I did want was to be alone!"

The rain coming down in sheets, lightning and thunder a couple of miles away. The treetops swaying.

"I was fine! And then he came back! And I imprinted!" My voice was cracking thick with rage, thick with grief, gasping and panting.

Sam looked down at me with paternal compassion with a deep worry set of his eyebrows. For once, I wish Victoria was a threat, I wish she was so weak that she could give us time for answers.

My body shook with grief as I looked back down to my hands and knees, my fingers clawing into the mossy, rich soil in front of my knees, "I seen them die. Those kids… just kids. Slaughtered for just being… human… I never get close to answers! Every fucking time I'm so fucking close! Everything is torn apart! Ripped to absolute pieces!

"I have to start all over! Over and over! Because I am an alpha!" I threw the fists full of dirt straight from my sides. "She fucking loves this! Everything! All of it, all of the terror, all of the pain!" My arms dropped back to the ground, silence as I started sobbing again helplessly.

"Naomi," Sam says gently, his hand resting on my right shoulder. "You're right. It is what she wants." I looked up at him, "She won't stop, and I know that there isn't much we can do… but we have to keep fighting her." Sam says, he inhales sharply, "She wants us to give up. We can't give up. We are close. Every time…" Sam trails off. I looked up to the pack there, "We come back, it's gets harder and harder to ignore that we are all in this together. We can succeed."

"We will." Jacob clarified with his tightly crossed against his chest.

"This is our land." Embry adds.

"This is our tribe." Jared says.

"These are our very lives." Paul says.

"We'll kill that bitch." Jacob spat with dangerous confidence.

"Together." Embry adds.

"As a fucking pack." Sam growls in confirmation.

Silence for several long moments as I looked down at the forest floor, my shoulders slumping and I can feel the wave of despondence spread from my form.

Sam steps away as Jacob kneels in front of me, he leaned his forehead against mine, "We can do this… you're not meant to be alone, Mimi… she wants your love. She wants your life… Everytime you get close to him… she interferes."

It took me a moment to comprehend who he was talking about.

"Seth." I said as a release of breath.

"Sure, sure." Jacob agreed. "He chooses you every time. He wants you every time. She wants him… she wants his love he only reserves for you… She went after him first, he denied her, he wanted you. He came back to make sure you were alive, to fight for your life if she came for you."

A pause of silence with light rain.

"She choose you so she could destroy your very image to have you completely erased from his life. And every time when she changed the circumstances… he only loved you."

My mind began to unfold with memories.

He sighed, "You weren't though. You didn't go back to him." They weren't questions, they were answers he already knew.

"I'm getting the sense you knew the truth all along." I glared at him quickly before looking back out the windshield.

"I did."

"And you're accusing me of shit!"

"I'm sorry! I just. —Fuck! We were young and we both didn't do shit about it. We're mad at each other over something we should've talked about years ago."

"Thanks for the clarification, fucking Captain obvious." I kept glaring out the windshield to the highway.

"You're welcome! I fucking love you. You're making the vein in my eye throb."

"You're making me scare the other drivers!" I gestured to the man pulling over to the right lane with swift scared glanced at me and in front of him.

"I'm sorry!" He exclaimed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"You love me?!"

"What?"

"You said you love me."

Seth glared out the passenger window, "I wasn't supposed to say that."

I scoffed, "Well, it's out there Seth. Can't quite take it back."

"We were arguing."

"Yeah we are! Wait, no. Not anymore! There's nothing argue about anymore. It's over. It was over as soon as it started."

"That's great communication, Naomi."

"Don't give me that condensing tone. You're right, we were young. We didn't talk about it meaning it was over." The fact I imprinted on him meant that it wasn't over, and we were never going to be over.

"It's not over. It wasn't over."

"You left!" I had to get out of this car, I was so thankful to see my turn for my house, I could relax. Have space to breathe and get myself under control.

He could walk back from here.

"It's not over."

I inhaled deeply to force myself not give into this imprint. I could avoid this, I could. It's just a visit.

"It is. You're just visiting. You're going to leave again. Everything will go back to how it was." My heart began to pound against my ribcage demanding to be let loose.

"Renee is visiting. I'm staying. Like I said it wasn't over."

"I'll see you again in another ten years, Seth." I threw the Camaro in park and opened the door and got out and closed it behind me.

I didn't want to believe that. Should I really believe that? After all this time? Ten years, ten years is a long time to forget about somebody and only acknowledge them when you see them again, this wasn't real. This wasn't real.

Right? I was just dreaming. I was just hallucinating this. I was just in one of my many dreams where he came back to me, where I imprinted, this wasn't real. This couldn't be real. Everything happened so fast. This wasn't real.

"Naomi. Naomi. *passenger door closes* Wait! Wait! *His footsteps behind me* Naomi." Seth grabbed my left forearm; I turned around at the electrical shock from the contact of his hand with my bare forearm. I gasped as it ran up my arm and into my chest that stopped every tremble in my body, I looked up at him with an intensity in his eyes I had seen years ago.

I felt like the earth was shaking underneath my feet, the shaking of another shift that took my breath away and his soul was open to me just as quickly as his other hand cupped my left cheek and tilted my face towards his.

"I left. Whatever. But I'm here and I'm not leaving," His hand slid to the back of my head as I let him pull me closer, "I don't plan to leave. I don't want to leave. Ten years is a long time to think and an exceedingly long time to realize that I love you."

"No. You don't."

"Yes, I do. I love you." He loosened his grip on me, "I love you. I'm sorry I never called. I'm sorry I left. But I loved you, I was scared and I forgive you. I can't be mad at you. I forgave you. Everything is different now. Everything. I'm here. And I'm not leaving, I can promise you that."

"You shouldn't be apologizing to me." I got myself free from his grasp, I exhaled sharply at the turmoil within me, "I should be apologizing to you for allowing you to think those things. I should be asking you for my forgiveness."

"But you didn't do anything!"

"I broke my promise!"

"And I just forgave you for breaking it!" He reminded me. He exhaled sharply before inhaling sharply, "Do you really hate me? Is that why you keep looking at me like that?"

"I don't hate you, Seth."

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you're here!"

It went silent and I realized that the most turned into a full-on angry downpour that soaked our clothes to our skin.

I scoffed, "If this isn't The fucking Notebook."

"You're comparing this to The Notebook?" Seth demanded running a hand through his hair that was short but not as long as it was years ago.

Am I really that blind that I just noticed the military dog tags hanging around his neck.

"You're in the military?" I asked in blank astonishment.

Seth blinked at me confused and then looked down at the dog tags on his chest, "Yeah," he looked up at me, "Another reason I couldn't call…" He ran a hand through his hair again as he seemed to remember something, and sighed, "After boot camp, I got deployed. About like a year or two in our base got ambushed over seas by these… creatures."

"Creatures?" I glanced at him sideways the way he emphasized and the edge concerned me.

Seth sighed, "Can I ask you one question?"

"Uh?" I stepped back and pulled my hair sticking to skin as the rain continues to pour down.

"One question before I answer you." He held up one finger.

I sighed, caving, "Go ahead."

"Are you a Quileute spirit warrior? A shape shifting wolf?"

"That's two questions."

"Mi." Seth sighed; he was sexy when he was getting impatient with me. The rain falling down him, increased that effect.

"How do you know about that?"

"Because the creatures I encountered overseas—the ones that ambushed us—their Britain mythology, Lycans. Werewolves."

"What the fuck kind of branch did you join?"

"The Marines."

"The Cultists." I put my hands on my waist, shifting weight to my right hip.

"The Marine Corps aren't Cultists. We're just trained to be fighting while bombs are going off. The Seals and Air Force are pussies compared to what the fuck I have seen over there."

"So, you were in the United Kingdom."

"No, actually. The Middle East, but they're not the only ones over there. Vampires and Ghouls."

"Ghouls?"

"You know like Fallout? But they don't die after consuming human food or created from radiation. It's this liquid from this flower the military laced with their ammunition."

"Wait. You're not here to haul me off to an experimentation lab because I have a feeling you already know what I am so what would it matter if I answered you."

"No," Seth stepped forward, he shook his head, "No. No. Yes I do know. They know, but they know that's there's no need to take actions towards the pack. They've been watching for years and they're more concerned about the other mythical creatures."

"Right."

"I'm serious, Naomi. I wouldn't bring threats here. I wouldn't allow any harm to come to you."

"Right." I said thick with sarcasm more than the first right.

"Naomi. Do you really think that if the government believed you all were a threat that you would be standing here with me? They've would've taken you, all of you, years ago."

He had a point. He honestly has a point. There had to be no way that the government was completely clueless to the realities of the world, if they were then humanity's survival instincts were shot.

I heaved a sigh, I looked up at the sky that looked like it would be wailing for a few more hours, I looked back over at him, "Come inside before you get sick."

I opened the front door to my childhood home and stepped aside to let him in, I closed it and put a out a hand for him to stay where he was.

"I'll be right back," I said before walking away and into the hallway closet for old clothes of Ren and Ryan. I pulled out a pair of pants and a T-shirt and I snatched a towel from the basket on the floor.

I walked back over to him and handed him the clothes and the towel; he took them and I went back to my room to change. I changed into the pale pink cargo shorts Laura begged me to get for myself, and a random T-shirt and waited to make sure he was decent from barging back out there and demanding more answers. I walked back out to the kitchen and living room and he was holding his wet clothes in one hand and the towel in the other, I took them from him and put them in the washing machine and started it.

"So, you got ambushed and you found out about them… so why are you here really?" I asked once I was in his view as he stood at the kitchen table, he tapped his knuckles on the tabletop. "I can't imagine the military letting you leave after knowing what's out there."

"I was out there twice in the past six years. The first time I went missing for three years, I woke up near civilization to get to an American embassy. I recovered, spent more time training to fight them again for a year. The second time it was more recon than fighting for four years, I just got back two weeks ago. I'm not due to go back anytime soon."

"Why?"

"Because… they're figuring out what to do. Everything went dark when they found me and there haven't been sightings of them since."

"So, you think it's time to settle down with your ex?"

"Is that a bad thing to want?"

"Not when it sounds like this is just a made-up story."

"How could I have made that up after not seeing you for the past ten years? I know you're a shapeshifter. That my sister is married and had a baby with a shapeshifter. I haven't seen any of you for ten years, how would I have known that if I went to college and started a career or married someone else?"

The scenery changed.

His lips brushing against mine as he whispered to me, his eyes locking with mine, "I love you." His eyes showed just much he loved me if his body merging with mine wasn't clear enough, even in the memory I felt the love wash over me.

"I love you," I choked, my nails digging into his back, my head falling into the crook of his neck, "Please don't leave me." I had looked at him with the shaking tone in my voice, the desperate plea of absolute vulnerability.

He kissed me hard, adjusting his position to start thrusting into me again, his shoulders pushing my legs to my chest, "I'm not going anywhere." He said between tender kisses.

"I love you." I murmured in his ear with every emotion thickening and lowering my voice.

"I love you too," He silenced me with another tender kiss that took my breath away and enveloped me in love.

The scenery changed again.

"Pick a color." I said keeping eye contact with him, the depths of his pretty brown eyes opening before me.

That same love in his gaze from my vulnerable moment was alive in his eyes.

"There's only one left." He says, his eyes were intent on my face.

I pouted slightly, his eyes flickered over my face, his eyes finding mine again.

"Blue." He said.

"Pick a number." I say, keeping eye contact.

"7." He says in a soft one.

I pulled up the last tiny, folded piece, and looked down, "Hm, says I may also be a secret admirer." I show him what I wrote and it was correct, I smirked at him with mirthful mischief.

"Who do you secretly admire?" He asks, hope in his pretty brown eyes.

You, you. Always you. It'll always be you.

"Wouldn't be a secret if I let it spill, now would it?" I asked with my eyes boring into his.

I kept eye contact and the whole world was miles away, the murky depths of his eyes held a lot of pain, a lot of fear but there was other emotions of love, acceptance and kindness. But beautiful, nonetheless, those depths held so much warmth that I couldn't help but admit brought me so much sincere comfort. Comfort to knowing I wasn't alone, that I was seen. He relaxed and I was going to lean forward and kiss him with this overwhelming urge to.

We both blinked and looked away at the sound of the brakes and the stop of the massive vehicle making Seth slid forward just a bit.

"I'm not going anywhere." Ran through my head as I continued to gaze back at him.

His lips brushing against mine as he whispered to me, his eyes locking with mine, "I love you."

"How could I have made that up after not seeing you for the past ten years? I know you're a shapeshifter. That my sister is married and had a baby with a shapeshifter. I haven't seen any of you for ten years, how would I have known that if I went to college and started a career or married someone else?"

"Yes, I do. I love you." He loosened his grip on me, "I love you. I'm sorry I never called. I'm sorry I left. But I loved you, I was scared and I forgive you. I can't be mad at you. I forgave you. Everything is different now. Everything. I'm here. And I'm not leaving, I can promise you that."

"She went after him first, he denied her, he wanted you. He came back to make sure you were alive, to fight for your life if she came for you." Jacob had said.

A pause of silence with light rain.

"She choose you so she could destroy your very image to have you completely erased from his life. And every time when she changed the circumstances… he only loved you."

"I'm not going anywhere." His mature voice rang in my mind as I looked at his eighth grade self, in a different body, in a different life. But he was there and he stuck true to his promise, he had been stupid to retrieve my clothes but I knew he did it all for me.

The moment my hand touched him; it was like his world was complete. It was like that man hidden way deep in the crevices of his soul was relieved I was alive, like he had been scared of losing me. It was a fear that left him holding on until he knew I was okay, that I was there. But little didn't he know that I was killed right after he went unconscious.

"You're not meant to be alone, Mimi." Jacob had said.

"I'm not going anywhere." With that last memorial thought, I was on my feet, running through the trees, the shiver of heat rolling down my spine.

Even though I heard their transformation, my mind was clear and quiet with just my thoughts, I had only thing I needed to do and that was a choice that I never made before. Only one that I could think of.

If she was coming for me because of Seth, then she was solely coming for me. I felt the adrenaline rush through my veins, mixed with boiling rage of determination and bravery, if she was coming for me then I needed to draw her away from everyone else. Tournament or not, she wanted me. She wanted me because of him.

Then she can have me. She can have me as long as that means he gets to live, he can grow up. She can have me as long as Seth dies from old age, surrounded by his family, even if I am not there. That's what he needed.

Protection so he could live a long life. He was my imprint. He was always my imprint. And my job right now is to make sure he lives, no matter the cost. No matter how much it costs my life.

She appeared out of nowhere. My front reared back as I skidded along the forest floor to stop but I never fully stopped. A massive blast of red blood ball of flames were thrown in my direction and they engulfed me. I felt myself die instantly.

reset to morning

may, 2006

I woke up on my back staring up at my ceiling with the morning spring light shining through the windows. The atmosphere was lighter. Quiet. It gave me no comfort, and I began to bawl.

I rolled over onto my side to sob like a baby into my pillow.

A light knock rapped on the other side of my wooden door. "Naomi?" Dad, as always.

I gathered myself together to answer him without causing any alarm, "I'm up."

"You got a half hour."

I sat up and sighed, if I had to be honest, I was crestfallen, "Okay." I managed to keep that emotion out of my voice.

I got up and showered and got dressed. I didn't even bother eating.

I am tired of this…

I couldn't run. I couldn't fight. What the fuck am I supposed to do?

Seth

I blinked a couple times looking over at the high school parking lot to the black Camaro that just pulled in and parked in an available spot at the back of the lot, the lot was separated by patches of grass and shrubs from the high school to the middle school. The sky was partly clouding with bright golden sun, a breeze swept against my face through my thin hoodie, it was the nice spring weather the Olympic Peninsula waited for all year. I glanced over to mom's beige sedan driving away from the drop-off line, other young teenagers passing by with chatter and giggling, I looked back over at the Camaro and a girl climbed out of the driver's seat. I know that girl, she always parks in the same spot, I know of her I should say. She looked back at me; she's wearing dark wash skinny jeans and a red long sleeve shirt with a pair of sneakers, ?y eyes widened and I felt embarrassed when I realized she caught me staring. She ran a hand through her chin length hair, stain and glossy under the cloud cover which was insane; I can tell she was pretty, even with the distance, despite what I've heard.

I turned quickly and followed the other kids into the smaller intermediate building of La Push educational system, the middle school I imagined looked a lot like the high school. Blue and black, with white walls and flooring, blue paneling ceiling tiles and black trim. Rows of white lockers with dark wood doors of classrooms. Today, the eighth grade was visiting the high school for sections periods of the day, the first half or morning classes I was in the middle school taking my regular classes. And the second half, I was having lunch at the high school and shadowing an unknown high schooler (and grade level) for the rest of the day and chaperoned back to the middle school for attendance and report. And that was it, I was glad for the free skip on health class, I learned everything I needed at home, I didn't want to sit in a classroom with restless students learning about health.

We were doing this visit for the real thing in the fall, and shadowing a high schooler would also help lessen the nerves because of stereotypical skepticism. Well, if I had to be honest, I was worried about being bullied. One of those quiet kids but kind and optimistic if you give me a chance, my chances of friendship have always been little to nonexistent. My only friends were the three people that I lived with, mom and Dad, and my older sister Leah, the Clearwater's outcasts because of Makah relations or because of my sister. That has caused my parents to go through a divorce last March, and was recently finalized. And now it was officially three years today since we moved down here from the Makah Reservation, and I honestly didn't know how to feel about any of it. I had wondered at first when this day was announced, if Leah was going to be my chaperone, but Leah opted out of chaperoning middle schoolers when we told our parents about the day. So, now I had to worry about if the high schooler was going to torture me or have mercy.

This town and the next town over have become strange, random sightings of black bears or massive wolves I should say, disappearances of townspeople and it was continuous. It was rare anyone went into the forest anymore or had any activities outside because of the skepticism. Some of the Quileute kids around the reservation have been… changing, I remember Leah coming home from school talking about certain kids in the high school changing and leaving school. Nobody has any answers but one thing is for sure, they're always leaving and coming back, and if you were ever outside and driving around you would see some of them walking in and out of the woods. Half naked. Dad immediately declared them as junkies.

If they were junkies, then I guess my crush on Naomi Black was ridiculous, I only see her in the morning and this morning was the first time she caught me looking. It's not the first time I've been caught staring at her, some of the kids around school make fun of me when I go into my 'daze' when I see her, and the teachers greeting us at the doors always notice me looking. Embarrassing and ridiculous, I know, I can't help it. I just don't know what it is about her, and I wish it was rational enough to even have a crush.

Morning classes went as usual, boring and dragging on and on. I was fretting over what high school student I would get; I wasn't too sure what to expect from the high school lectures and what subjects they'll be. I was hoping it wasn't anything I just learned, that would be tragic.

I switched out my books after fifth period for the notebook Mom bought just for this afternoon with separated sections, and checked my front pocket for the money bill, she gave me this morning. I walked to the lobby for the designated meet up for the field trip, if I had to be honest butterflies were floating around in my stomach the whole time I walked, the morning group was being sent off to classes or lunch by the time I arrived. The morning group of high schoolers were being replaced with the afternoon group, and my heart went into my throat when I seen Naomi Black, Camaro girl, walk through the doors with the others, I stayed in the back of the younger group in the lobby. Names were called out for attendance and then names were listed off to their respected chaperones, my heart went into my throat again when my name was listed off with Naomi's. Snickers from remaining students with quiet whispers, I know the embarrassment of the public knowledge of my… feelings was clear on my face, she locked eyes with me for the first time in this room as the remaining names were called off.

She's so pretty. She's always wearing dark clothes and she always looked good in dark colors, I wondered how she would look in lighter colors but that felt… unlike her. Random but that's what went through my head. She's so pretty. I felt stuck for a long time but it felt like seconds until the bell rang, I blinked a couple times and jolted at the sudden sound. I looked around at some of the other kids also jumping at the interruption.

"Alright, that's everybody…" The teacher's voice faded out immediately when I met her eyes again, I glanced around at the kids walking towards their temporary guardians.

I followed suit, towards her, once I approached we were all ushered out the door and lead across the wall towards the high school.

I looked over at her as we followed the others, she gave me a small smile, my heart was in my throat again.

"Hi." Her voice was like warm honey, her smile is perfect, she's perfect.

"Hi." My voice cracked.

Her dark eyes flickered over my face, "Seth, right?"

"Yeah." Her hair famed her face so well, she's not pretty anymore, I don't think there's word for her that meant more than beautiful.

"So, you're my secret admirer."

I felt like I was going to die with embarrassment. "No." My voice cracked with my desperate attempt to lie.

She smiled wider, "So you don't stare at me every morning before school?"

"I don't stare." I rushed.

"So, it's true." She grinned with teeth, perfect and white, brightening her face and it reached her eyes.

"I didn't say that."

"You look like a tomato." She chuckles breathily, her eyes flickering across my face again.

Oh, God. I looked away and leveled my eyes to my feet, watching my four steps across grass and onto cement. I gazed back over to her looking straight ahead, I turned my head before she turned hers. I'm such an idiot and I was nervously nauseous with butterflies.

"What classes do you have?" I asked when we walked through the lobby of the high school.

The high school was a bit different and instead of black trim it was grey, and the lockers were grey. Blue, white and grey tiles lined the flooring with white walls and ceilings. The chatter and the number of students were more than I expected, she glanced over at me as I stepped closer to her before we merged with the crowd.

"Lunch," She says, we stopped abruptly from being pummeled by rowdy jocks which were immediately yelled at by teachers. Naomi looked at me with wide but unimpressed eyes, I followed her when she started forward again. "Then Environmental Science, study hall, and lastly, mandatory gym class. We're supposed to be outside for gym today, assorted activities on the football field."

"Sounds like this is going to be easy day."

She smiled, "Yup."

"What were your morning classes?" I asked.

"Algebra, History, Spanish, Literature and Civic Economics. What about you?" She asked as we walked through the open doors to the cafeteria.

"English, Study Hall, History, Pre-algebra, and Wood Shop."

She hummed, smiling. She looked at the shortened line, "You got lunch money?" she asked as she grabbed two trays and handed one to me.

I nodded, "Yeah."

"How are your classes?" She asks while taking the food being handed out, "Do you like them?"

I shrugged, "they're alright. I like them, somewhat. How about you?"

"This is hell." She replies, sarcastic.

Her tone made one of the lunch aides chuckle at her, her hair is curly and brown under the unflattering hairnet and cap, the smile on her face was encouraging, "Everything will get better after high school, Naomi. Trust me."

"That's if I survive high school." Naomi grumbled with classic teenage attitude.

She chuckled again, "Oh, you'll survive. You're a Black, you always prevail."

That seemed to make Naomi quiet and really tense, if you looked hard enough I thought she was shaking, I settled with peanut butter and jelly and the sides of mashed potatoes and a red apple. I stood next to Naomi as she scanned the cafeteria room.

"Normally, I sit with my boys but they ditched today," She explains.

We sat an empty rectangular table, I put my notebook down on the table top and sighed glancing over at Naomi. She was looking down at my notebook while picking up her own red apple, from examining it with a pensive and melancholy gaze.

"You brought your own notebook?" She smirked, amused.

"My mom insisted I use it for today." I said.

"I doubt you'll use it today, honestly." She says angling towards me. "We have a test next period, so honestly Mr. O'Malley had printed of coloring sheets for you after discussing it with our class. Study Hall, I don't have any classwork to do so I could probably get away with giving you a tour that period. And then gym."

I opened the cover of the page and then closed it at the writing on the beige paper, I had looked at the first page while she was finishing her last sentences.

She snickered, "She didn't."

I opened the cover again and we both looked at the page, I sighed, "She did."

"Awww," Naomi gushed, I didn't know if she was making fun of me or amused.

But I know the heat spreading across my face only made Naomi smile harder, my heart skipping a beat in my chest. Either way, I liked that she teased me and I liked that she found my mom amusing even when she was embarrassing.

After lunch was right to her locker and then Environmental Science, Mr. O'Malley really had printed out coloring sheets for me and gave me coloring pencils, I sat next to Naomi while the class did their test. Naomi was one of the first ones to finish, she was the only kid that didn't look like a classic nerd, I watched her walk up to Mr. O'Malley's desk and back. She sat back down and opened one of her notebooks from her backpack, I glanced over at Naomi folding up a paper like origami until it got to the mold she wanted. I knew what it was once I trusted the process but I can't remember the name. She wrote stuff down on it and when she was satisfied she held it up.

"Pick a color."

I looked at the four choices, blue, red, green and brown. "Uh, brown."

She moved her contraption to open it up to four selected numbers written down, "Pick a number."

38, 7, 52, 1, 4, 14, 27, 5. "14."

She pulled back a part of the paper, she smirked, "You will go to the spring dance with me."

"What?" I leaned over to look at what she wrote, my heart jumped in my throat at the 'Seth will go to the spring dance with Naomi'. I looked

"Hey, it's written."

"Your spring dance already passed." I replied, puzzled.

"But the eighth-grade dance is in two weeks." She smirked.

"What else did you write?" I asked reaching out to the paper game on her fingers.

"Eh!" She twisted out of my reach, I dropped my hand and she held it out again, "Pick a color."

"Green."

"Pick a number." She scoots her chair, which causes more noise than she meant to by her facial expression.

"Naomi, quiet down please."

"Sorry," she replies.

"38," I said quietly.

She pulled back a part of the paper game, "You have to come over after school."

I stared at her until she showed me, I felt the smile spread across my face as I leaned back in the seat, "Are they all about me?"

She shook her head, "Pick a color."

I locked eyes with her, "Brown."

"You already picked that one." She protests. "Pick another."

I answered without looking down, "Red."

"Pick a number." She nibbles on her bottom lip.

"52." I said tearing my eyes from her lips to her paper game as she looked at the folded piece.

"You are a nincompoop." She grins with mirth.

"A nincompoop?" I felt my smile widen, "What?"

She showed me what she wrote, "Hey, it doesn't lie."

"You wrote it." I reminded, watching her expressions change.

She gasped with dramatic fake offense, "I did no such thing." She smiled and held up her game again, "Pick a color."

"There's only one left."

She pouted slightly.

"Blue." I said without looking at from her.

"Pick a number." She says keeping eye contact.

"7."

She pulled up the last tiny, folded piece, and she looked down, "Hm, says I'm going to be a scientist." She didn't show me, "Pick a color."

"We did all of the colors."

"We still have more numbers," She says with loaded eyes that bore into mine.

I kept eye contact and the whole world was miles away, the murky depths of her eyes held a lot of pain, a lot of fear but there was other emotions I couldn't decipher. But beautiful, nonetheless, those depths held so much warmth that I couldn't help but admit brought me so much sincere comfort. Comfort to knowing I wasn't alone, that I was seen. I don't know why, but it gave me more comfort than questions. Beautiful, a swirling galaxy of black and dark brown with swirls of the reflecting overhead lights and the mixing light from the outside world. She is beautiful.

We both blinked and looked away at the sound of the bell ringing.

"What do you think of high school so far?" Naomi asks as we walk out of the classroom, she shoved her fortune teller in her back pocket of her jeans.

"It's like high school but more—" I admitted and to add to my point, a group of jocks started cheering. "Rowdy."

Naomi snorted a snicker when two of the jocks jumped up to slam their chests together, "If you mean on antibiotic steroids, then yes, rowdy."

We walked off to her study hall class after watching teachers break up the potential start-up of a sacrificial ritual with the jocks for apparent recent victory for end of the year sports or whatever. Her teacher for study hall gave us a hall pass for a tour after Naomi's convincing argument, Naomi looked at me with a mischievous smile once we were out of the classroom.

"We could tour…" She says or nonchalantly points to the exit doors at the end of the hall. "Or we could ditch."

"We can ditch. I have to get this slip signed until the end of the day."

Naomi rolls her eyes, "I was joking." I had a feeling she wasn't.

"That didn't sound convincing."

She stopped for a moment, and then she responded, "I wasn't but you're right." She says in a tone I couldn't read, "Okay, so you seen most of the halls but we're close to auditorium so we'll go there first." She walked away leaving me with no choice but to follow after her.

The auditorium was smaller than I expected it to be, there was a current drama class in session so we didn't stay long. Next was the gym, an empty gym with the double doors on the back of the wall wide open. We passed by the main office and lobby again, she showed where the nurses office was, and the other elective classrooms. The whole time Naomi was tense, and she seemed to get more tense as time went on, I didn't know what to say to get her attention long enough for a conversation. I just had the feeling of staying quiet, as we walked back to the classroom she walked beside me more closely than she did the whole afternoon.

I thought about her fortune teller again.

"You want to go to the dance with me?" I asked, the words felt weird coming out of my mouth.

She glanced at me, "Yeah, I do. Why?"

"Why do you want to go with me?"

"Because I like you."

I felt my heart jump in my throat, "You like me? How?" I sputtered.

She smiles warmly, "How could I not like you, Seth? It's sudden but unmistakable. I have a thing for nincompoops."

"I'm not a nincompoop." I protested, a little offended.

"It's okay to be a nincompoop. No judgement."

"But I'm not." I insisted.

She smiled at me the made me speechless and scatterbrained. I felt my heart elate in my chest; I was in a daze.

She smiles at me wider, "Nincompoop."

I sighed in defeat.

"What are your plans after school?" She asks.

I recollected mom's conversation with me a couple nights ago at dinner when she said she was in a new relationship and she wanted me to meet her new boyfriend and his family.

"Family things," I replied.

"Say no more." She says.

We wandered the hallways for a bit in silence. Left me deep in thought as we wandered. I truly couldn't believe I get to spend the afternoon with her, all of my worries over this afternoon and I got to spend it with my crush. And I guess she liked me too which was bizarre, she was out of league immensely.

"So, do you want to go to the dance with me?" She asks.

Against my unconscious will I replied faster than I wanted to, "Of course." I felt blood rushing to my face at my urgency, "I mean, yeah, yeah I do."

She chortles, "Awesome."

We had a short and small pen fight in the hallway as we walked which I won with a solid line of blue ink on the back of her hand.

Naomi walked me back over to the middle school before the day was fully over, and a few random games outside on the football field, we were one of the first ones back into the lobby. My slip was signed and I turned to Naomi before she walked away.

"Naomi," I trailed off catching one fellow middle school student looking at me with nosy eyes.

"Seth." She says with a smile.

I looked back at her but I didn't get to say anything else when the doors opened to the rest of the group walking in. After everyone was checked off the final bell rang, I went outside to find Naomi. I located her at her car with the high school parking lot busy, she waved at me from her Camaro. I took my chance and walked over to her.

"I thought you would've left by now."

She shook her head twice, "Nah. Thought I'd say goodbye to you first before you stalk me in the morning on Monday."

I gaped, "I don't stalk you."

"Right," she rolled her eyes playfully.

I turned to honking of a horn. It was Mom in the drop-off/pick-up line, laying on the horn. "Mom!" I exclaimed as students looked over at my mom honking her horn, the intention in embarrassing me was real. "Mom! Stop! I'm coming!" I sprinted over to her sedan and climbed into the passenger seat. I glared over at her, "Mom!"

She looked at me innocently, "What?"

"Was that necessary?"

"Who is that girl?" She asks.

"That's Naomi, mom." I replied without thinking.

"That's Naomi?" Mom asks looking out the window, highly aware of my crush.

"Yeah. She was my chaperone today."

And then the atmosphere around me, hit me, Mom started driving but looked out my window as she turned getting a clean look at Naomi, looking back at us.

"My son thinks you're pretty!"

My eyes widened with mortification, my heart stopped my chest, I ducked instantly away from the window, "Mom!"

She laughed, I thought I heard Naomi laughing as Mom increased speed a tad to keep the line moving.

"Mom! That wasn't funny!" I rolled up my window and straightened up in the seat.

Mom and I were back in the car after getting into the house and changing for dinner. After my shower I pulled on a pair of jeans after the essentials, and shirt under another one of my hoodies. I felt a little overheated but I scratched it off as nerves, I didn't know what to expect of this but all I knew was I didn't want my mom to be alone anymore. I know she was nervous about this dinner when she handed me her dessert she made with slight shaky hands.

"It's going to be okay, Mom," I said with optimism.

She sighs and is quiet for a brief moment pensive, she looks at me with worried eyes, "I just hope you'll like him."

"I'm sure I will."

"And you're sure about all of this? Me dating somebody else?" She asks, not any less worried.

"I'm sure." I gave her a reassuring smile, "I promise."

The drive to Forks was short with light conversation and the radio playing, the sky decided to release light rain even with the scattered clouds, and the sun sending golden rays down. I felt butterflies fluttering around my stomach as we nearly the end of our trip, Mom and I shared a look noticing a familiar car on the curb of the house we parked behind. We both spent time looking around the yard and the driveway, a faded red truck and a police cruiser parked outside the two story white house in a nook of trees. We walked up the walk, I knocked on the door as Mom held her dish covered in plastic wrap.

A man with dark eyes and clearly the owner of the cruiser, his eyes brightened seeing us there.

"Hello, you guys made it! Come in, come in." He smiles, his ears are red.

I followed Mom into the house, I scanned the front hall quickly with an archway behind me to the kitchen and a staircase, I can hear commotion in the kitchen.

"Of course. You wouldn't miss this," Mom says, I can hear the nervousness in her voice.

"Let me take that." He offers reaching out for the dish in her hands.

"Oh!" Mom looks down at the dish with nervousness and lets him take it, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," He says smiling wider, happy. He turns to me, "Hi, Seth, it's nice to meet you. My name is Charlie Swan."

"Hey, it's nice to meet you too, Charlie." I smiled politely.

I looked between them swiftly as they went quiet and just started staring at each other for a moment before I heard I a voice that made my heart stutter in my chest.

"Nincompoop?"

My head turned towards the doorway of the kitchen to Naomi standing with a shorter girl, I blinked in surprise and disbelief.

"Naomi?"

"You two already know each other?" Charlie asks, looking between us.

Wait, Naomi's apart of Charlie's family? This day keeps piling on the surprises. Good surprises.

"Yeah, my little stalker." Naomi grins at me, she glanced at the smirking girl next to her.

"I don't stalk you." I protested, cringing under the pressure of eyes.

"Hi, Sue. I'm Bella, it's nice to meet you, Sue. Dad talks about you nonstop." The shorter girl walks over and holds a hand to mom for a handshake.

"Oh." Mom looked up at Charlie, smiling.

"Bells." Charlie looked at his daughter with his ears going red again.

Mom reached out a hand to Bella for a handshake, "Hi, Bella, it's nice to meet you too. This is my son, Seth."

"Hi." I greeted her with a smile. I shook Bella's hand, "It's nice to meet you, Bella."

"Likewise," She smiles, the small smile brightens her chocolate brown eyes. She looks over at her Dad, "I'll take that. Dinners almost done."

Charlie hands over the dish, "Thanks, Bella." Charlie leads us into the living room with the television was playing a game and man in a wheelchair that I immediately assumed was Naomi's father. "Hey, old man. This is Sue Clearwater and her son, Seth. Sue, Seth, this is my best friend, Billy Black, Naomi's father."

"Hi, Billy," I greeted, smiling, shaking his hand as he smiled back.

His smile was a lot like Naomi's, "Hello, Seth." We retracted out hands and I stepped back.

Mom smiled widely at Billy, "Hello, Billy."

"Hello," Billy says, a bit dazed.

Uh oh, Mom. My mind said as I picked up on Billy's expression.

"Did you meet my hooligan?" Billy asks smiling wider.

"Naomi?" Mom asks glancing at me quickly then back to Billy and he nods, "I did. Seth has a crush on her." Mom replies.

"Mom!" I scoffed in disbelief and mortification.

After that the night went quickly with nonstop conversation around the dinner table, jokes and stories of everyone were passed around. I don't think I heard Mom laugh this much in years, it was easy, and the atmosphere never once dimmed. I think Bella might've peed herself from Naomi's story about Charlie and Billy on a fishing trip when she was 10 and then Billy turned the table and pulled out a picture of Naomi as a toddler and the tides were turned on her for playful torture. Charlie and Mom also added in with pictures, all of the parents pulled out pictures from their wallets and the rest of the night was embarrassing stories about all of us during childhood.

Bella showed the most embarrassment with her pale skin going red as she shrunk in her seat, visibly. That was when Mom pulled out my picture with me smiling gaps in my smile from missing teeth.

"Look at my boy!" Mom gushed melancholy facing a picture to Charlie and Billy. "He was just a little baby."

"Mom!" I shrunk in my seat like Bella as Naomi almost did a spit take from her drink.

"Did you hear that?" Naomi asked Bella, both of the girls giggling. "He squeaked!"

I dropped my head onto the tabletop when Mom started launching into her story. After the stories were over we indulged in Mom's dessert, a cookie butter cake that was so sweet her whipped cream icing balanced it perfectly. One of my favorites desserts that she makes, the first couple of bites I felt the sugar immediately. I helped clean up the table with Bella and Naomi and Mom went into the living room with Charlie and Billy after Bella's request and it wasn't so long after that Mom calling it a night.

Saturday was an uneventful day being stuck home with Mom out doing whatever until around 3pm, I watched most of the day. Sunday was every other Sunday, church in the morning and Mom makes lunch afterwards that always put me to sleep. And then it was Monday morning.