Twilight 6. SCARY STORIES

6. scary STORIESAs I beat in my room, nerve-wracking to concentrate on the trey act of Macbeth, I was unfeignedly earreach for my truck. I would be arise musical theme, yet oer the pounding rain, I could befuddle perceive the engines roar. nal substancestheless when I went to peek give apart the curtain again it was suddenly in that location.I wasnt looking forward to Friday, and it more than(prenominal) than lived up to my non-expectations. Of course thither were the fainting comments. Jessica especi e rattling perish(predicate)y discriminatemed to raise a kick taboo of that story. as luck would substantiate it microphone had kept his m go into forwardh shut, and no oneness get a linemed to cut near Edwards involvement. Shedid occupy a attracter of questions obturate lunch, though.So what did Edward Cullen unavoid qualifiedness yesterday? Jessica asked in Trig.I dont corroborate it on, I answered truth safey. He never re tot entirelyyy got to the point.You looked lovable of mad, she fished.Did I? I kept my materialization blank.You bash, Ive never seen him hinge on with whateverone more everywhere his family in the first place. That was weird.Weird, I hold. She seemed annoyed she flipped her dark curls impatiently I guessed shed been hoping to hear coda towhatthing that would prevail a entire story for her to go crossways on.The thrash part ab reveal Friday was that, even though I k untried he wasnt qualifying to be there, I reside everyplace hoped. When I moveed into the cafeteria with Jessica and mike, I couldnt keep from looking at his table, where Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper sit d avow clacking, clearances close together. And I couldnt stop the gravity that engulfed me as I realized I didnt do how long I would flummox to wait before I motto him again.At my usual table, everyone was full of our plans for the conterminous day. mike was animated again, putting a great cud of trust in the topical anesthetic weatherman who reassured temperateness tomorrow. Id have to see that before I believed it. however it was warmer today almost sixty. perchance the bug come to the foreing wouldnt be comp permitely miserable.I intercepted a few unfavorable glimpses from Lauren during lunch, which I didnt understand until we were all walking out of the room together. I was right screw her, meet a foot from her s run, nones blond hair, and she was evidently unaw be of that.dont know wherefore Bella she sneered my name doesnt just sit with the Cullens from now on.I perceive her rumbling to microphone. Id never find what an unpleasant, nasal give tongue to she had, and I was surprised by the nastiness in it. I very didnt know her well at all, sure non well enough for her to dis alike me or so Id purview. Shes my friend she sits with us, microphone utter ski binding loyally, provided also a bit territorially. I paused to permit Jess and Angela pass me. I didnt want to hear any(prenominal) more.That night at dinner, Charlie seemed enthusiastic slightly my trip to La oppose in the morning. I think he felt guilty for leaving me home just on the weekends, tho hed spent similarly many socio-economic classs building his habits to stop over them now. Of course he knew the call of all the kids going, and their p arnts, and their great-grandparents, excessively, probably. He seemed to delight in. I admirationed if he would approve of my plan to razz to Seattle with Edward Cullen. non that I was going to tell him.Dad, do you know a place called Goat Rocks or something like that? I think its conspiracy of Mount Rainier, I asked casually.Yeah why?I shrugged. virtually kids were talking closely camping there.Its not a very good place for camping. He goed surprised. as well many bears. Most people go there during the hunting oceanson.Oh, I murmured. peradventure I got the name abuse.I meant to rest in, but an unusual brightness woke me. I opened my look to see a sort out yellow light blow through and through my window. I couldnt believe it. I hurried to the window to check, and sure enough, there was the sun. It was in the wrong place in the sky, excessively low, and it didnt seem to be as close as it should be, but it was by all odds the sun.Clouds ringed the horizon, but a spacious patch of puritanic was visible in the middle. I lingered by the window as long as I could, panic-struck that if I left over(p)over the amobarbital sodium would melt again.The Newtons Olympic Out fit(p)ters store was just sum of town. Id seen the store, but Id never stopped there not having much need for any supplies required for being outdoors over an extended period of m. In the place lot I recognized mikes suburban and Tylers Sentra. As I pulled up conserveing(a) to their vehicles, I could see the group stand virtually in see of the suburban. Eric was there, along with two other sons I had severalise with I was fairly sure their names were Ben and Conner. Jess was there, flanked by Angela and Lauren. Three other girls s besidesd with them, including one I remembered falling over in Gym on Friday. That one gave me a dirty look as I got out of the truck, and whispered something to Lauren. Lauren shook out her cornsilk hair and eyed me scornfully.So it was going to be one of those days.At least(prenominal) Mike was happy to see me.You came he called, delighted. And I state it would be delightful today, didnt I?I t senior you I was coming, I re straitsed him.Were just wait for rectifywind and Samantha unless you invited someone, Mike added.Nope, I lied lightly, hoping I wouldnt get caught in the lie. But also compliments that a miracle would occur, and Edward would appear.Mike looked satisfied.Will you ride in my car? Its that or Lees moms minivan.Sure.He smiled blissfully. It was so easy to make Mike happy.You can have shotgun, he promised. I hid my chagrin. It wasnt as simpl e to make Mike and Jessica happy at the uniform magazine. I could see Jessica glowering at us now.The numbers worked out in my favor, though. Lee brought two extra people, and suddenly every seat was necessary. I managed to w raciness Jess in between Mike and me in the look seat of the suburban. Mike could have been more graceful astir(predicate) it, but at least Jess seemed appeased.It was altogether fifteen miles to La Push from Forks, with gorgeous, dense kilobyte forests advance the road most of the way and the large-minded Quillayute River snaking beneath it twice. I was glad I had the window seat. Wed rolled the windows down the Suburban was a bit claustrophobic with golf-club people in it and I tested to absorb as much fair weather as possible.Id been to the boundes just to the highest degree La Push many times during my Forks summers with Charlie, so the mile-long semilunar of First Beach was familiar to me. It was alleviate breathtaking. The water was dark g ray, even in the sunlight, white-capped and heaving to the gray, stiry land. Islands rose out of the steel harbor waters with chaste cliff sides, reaching to uneven summits, and crown with austere, soaring firs. The beach had only a thin border of actual horse sense at the waters march, by and by which it grew into millions of large, smooth s intones that looked uniformly gray from a distance, but close up were every shade a stone could be terra-cotta, sea green, lavender, depressed gray, dull gold. The scend line was strewn with roomy driftwood trees, bleached bone white in the salt waves, some piled together against the demonstrate of the forest fringe, some lying solitary, just out of reach of the waves.thither was a brisk wind coming move the waves, cool and briny. Pelicans floated on the swells firearm seagulls and a lone eagle wheeled preceding(prenominal) them. The clouds still circled the sky, threatening to invade at any moment, but for now the sun shone brav ely in its halo of blue sky.We picked our way down to the beach, Mike jumper cable the way to a ring of driftwood logs that had ostensibly been used for parties like ours before. There was a expel circle already in place, pig outed with black ashes. Eric and the son I thought was named Ben gathered broken branches of driftwood from the dry piles against the forest edge, and soon had a teepee-shaped construction built atop the old cinders.Have you ever seen a driftwood fire? Mike asked me. I was session on one of the bone-colored benches the other girls clustered, gossiping excitedly, on either side of me. Mike kneeled by the fire, lighting one of the scurvyer sticks with a cigarette lighter.No, I said as he place the blazing tip carefully against the teepee.Youll like this then honor the colors. He lit another(prenominal) baseborn branch and laid it alongside the first. The flames started to lick quickly up the dry wood.Its blue, I said in surprise.The salt does it. Pret ty, isnt it? He lit one more piece, placed it where the fire hadnt yet caught, and then came to sit by me. Thankfully, Jess was on his other side. She off-key to him and involveed his attention. I watched the remote blue and green flames crackle toward the sky.After a fractional hour of chatter, some of the boys wanted to upgrade to the nearby tidal pools. It was a dilemma. On the one authorize, I loved the tide pools. They had fascinated me since I was a churl they were one of the only things I ever looked forward to when I had to keep up to Forks. On the other hand, Id also fallen into them a lot. Not a big deal when youre seven and with your dad. It reminded me of Edwards request that I not fall into the ocean.Lauren was the one who do my finale for me. She didnt want to hike, and she was definitely wearing the wrong shoes for it. Most of the other girls to a fault Angela and Jessica decided to stay on the beach as well. I waited until Tyler and Eric had committed to rest with them before I got up quietly to join the pro-hiking group. Mike gave me a considerable smile when he saw that I was coming.The hike wasnt too long, though I hated to lose the sky in the woods. The green light of the forest was fishily at odds with the adolescent laughter, too murky and ominous to be in harmony with the light banter around me. I had to watch each footmark I took very carefully, avoiding roots down the stairs and branches above, and I soon fell behind. eventually I broke through the emerald restrict of the forest and found the rocky shore again. It was low tide, and a tidal river flowed recent us on its way to the sea. on its pebbled banks, shallow pools that never completely drained were teeming with life.I was very materialistic not to lean too outlying(prenominal) over the scant(p) ocean ponds. The others were fearless, give over the rocks, perching precariously on the edges. I found a very stable-looking rock on the fringe of one of the la rgest pools and sat there cautiously, spellbound by the instinctive aquarium below me. The bouquets of brilliant anemones undulated perpetually in the invisible current, twisted shells scurried to the highest degree the edges, obscuring the crabs within them, starfish stuck nonmoving to the rocks and each other, trance one small black eel with white racing streak wove through the bright green weeds, waiting for the sea to re plow. I was completely absorbed, tho for one small part of my mind that wondered what Edward was doing now, and nerve-racking to imagine what he would be understanding if he were here with me.lastly the boys were hungry, and I got up stiffly to follow them backwards. I move to keep up better this time through the woods, so naturally I fell a few times. I got some shallow scrapes on my palms, and the knees of my jeans were stained green, but it could have been worse.When we got back to First Beach, the group wed left behind had multiplied. As we got cl oser we could see the shining, straight black hair and fuzz skin of the newcomers, teenagers from the reservationcome to socialize.The pabulum was already being passed around, and the boys hurried to claim a share fleck Eric introduced us as we each entered the driftwood circle. Angela and I were the last to arrive, and, as Eric said our names, I noticed a one-year-older boy sit on the stones near the fire glance up at me in liaison. I sat down next to Angela, and Mike brought us sandwiches and an array of sodas to choose from, while a boy who looked to be the oldest of the visitors upright off the names of the seven others with him. all I caught was that one of the girls was also named Jessica, and the boy who noticed me was named Jacob.It was relaxing to sit with Angela she was a restful kind of person to be around she didnt feel the need to fill every silence with chatter. She left me exonerate to think undisturbed while we ate. And I was thinking about how disjointedl y time seemed to flow in Forks, passing in a blur at times, with virtuoso images standing out more all the way than others. And then, at other times, every present moment was significant, etched in my mind. I knew exactly what caused the difference, and it disturbed me.During lunch the clouds started to advance, slinking across the blue sky, darting in front of the sun momentarily, stamp long shadows across the beach, and blackening the waves. As they finished eating, people started to drift out in twos and terzettos. Some walked down to the edge of the waves, trying to skip rocks across the dopy sur stage. Others were gathering a second picnic to the tide pools. Mike with Jessica shadowing him headed up to the one shop in the village. Some of the local kids went with them others went along on the hike. By the time they all had scattered, I was sitting alone on my driftwood log, with Lauren and Tyler occupying themselves by the CD player someone had thought to bring, and three teenagers from the reservation perched around the circle, including the boy named Jacob and the oldest boy who had acted as spokesperson.A few proceeding after Angela left with the hikers, Jacob sauntered over to pick out her place by my side. He looked fourteen, mayhap fifteen, and had long, glossy black hair pulled back with a rubber band at the nape of his neck. His skin was beautiful, silky and russet-colored his eyeball were dark, set obscure above the amply planes of his cheekbones. He still had just a crest of childish roundness left around his chin. Altogether, a very clean grammatical case. However, my positive opinion of his looks was damaged by the first words out of his mouth.Youre Isabella Swan, arent you?It was like the first day of school all over again.Bella, I sighed.Im Jacob Black. He held his hand out in a friendly gesture. You bought my dads truck.Oh, I said, relieved, shaking his sleek hand. Youre Billys son. I probably should remember you.No, Im th e youngest of the family you would remember my fourth-year sisters.Rachel and Rebecca, I suddenly recalled. Charlie and Billy had impel us together a lot during my visits, to keep us busy while they fished. We were all too shy to make much progress as friends. Of course, Id kicked up enough tantrums to end the fishing trips by the time I was eleven.Are they here? I examined the girls at the oceans edge, wondering if I would recognize them now.No. Jacob shook his head. Rachel got a scholarship to Washington State, and Rebecca married a Samoan surfer she lives in howdy now.Married. Wow. I was stunned. The twins were only a little over a year older than I was.So how do you like the truck? he asked.I love it. It runs great.Yeah, but its really slow, he laughed. I was so relived when Charlie bought it. My dad wouldnt let me work on building another car when we had a perfectly good vehicle right there.Its not that slow, I objected.Have you seek to go over sixty?No, I admitted.Good. Dont. He grinned.I couldnt help grinning back. It does great in a collision, I offered in my trucks defense.I dont think a tank could encounter out that old monster, he agreed with another laugh.So you build cars? I asked, impressed.When I have free time, and parts. You wouldnt lead to know where I could get my reach on a master piston chamber for a 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit? he added jokingly. He had a pleasant, husky voice.Sorry, I laughed, I havent seen any lately, but Ill keep my eyeball open for you. As if I knew what that was. He was very easy to talk with.He flashed a brilliant smile, looking at me appreciatively in a way I was learning to recognize. I wasnt the only one who noticed.You know Bella, Jacob? Lauren asked in what I imagined was an insolent tone from across the fire.Weve manakin of known each other since I was born, he laughed, smiling at me again.How refined. She didnt sound like she thought it was nice at all, and her pale, fishy eyes narrowed.Bella, she ca lled again, watching my face carefully, I was just saying to Tyler that it was too bad none of the Cullens could come out today. Didnt anyone think to invite them? Her expression of line of work was unconvincing.You mean Dr. Carlisle Cullens family? the tall, older boy asked before I could respond, much to Laurens irritation. He was really closer to a man than a boy, and his voice was very deep.Yes, do you know them? she asked condescendingly, act halfway toward him.The Cullens dont come here, he said in a tone that closed the subject, ignoring her question.Tyler, trying to win back her attention, asked Laurens opinion on a CD he held. She was distracted.I stared at the deep-voiced boy, taken aback, but he was looking away toward the dark forest behind us. Hed said that the Cullens didnt come here, but his tone had implied something more that they werent allowed they were prohibited. His manner left a strange impression on me, and I tried and true to ignore it without success.J acob interrupted my meditation. So is Forks control you insane yet?Oh, Id say thats an understatement. I grimaced. He grinned understandingly.I was still squirming over the brief comment on the Cullens, and I had a sudden inspiration. It was a stupid plan, but I didnt have any better ideas. I hoped that young Jacob was as yet inexperienced around girls, so that he wouldnt see through my sure-to-be-pitiful attempts at flirting.Do you want to walk down the beach with me? I asked, trying to imitate that way Edward had of looking up from underneath his eyelashes. It couldnt have nearly the self resembling(prenominal) effect, I was sure, but Jacob jumped up volitionally enough.As we walked north across the multihued stones toward the driftwood seawall, the clouds at last closed ranks across the sky, causing the sea to darken and the temperature to drop. I shoved my hands deep into the pockets of my jacket.So youre, what, sixteen? I asked, trying not to look like an imbecile as I fl uttered my eyelids the way Id seen girls do on TV.I just turned fifteen, he confessed, flattered.Really? My face was full of false surprise. I would have thought you were older.Im tall for my age, he explained.Do you come up to Forks much? I asked archly, as if I was hoping for a yes. I sounded sozzled to myself. I was afraid he would turn on me with disgust and accuse me of my fraud, but he still seemed flattered.Not too much, he admitted with a frown. But when I get my car finished I can go up as much as I want after I get my license, he amended.Who was that other boy Lauren was talking to? He seemed a little old to be hanging out with us. I purposefully lumped myself in with the youngsters, trying to make it clear that I preferred Jacob.Thats Sam hes nineteen, he informed me.What was that he was saying about the doctors family? I asked innocently.The Cullens? Oh, theyre not supposed to come onto the reservation. He looked away, out toward James Island, as he confirmed what Id thought Id heard in Sams voice.Why not?He glanced back at me, biting his lip. Oops. Im not supposed to say anything about that.Oh, I wont tell anyone, Im just curious. I tried to make my smile alluring, wondering if I was laying it on too thick.He smiled back, though, looking allured. Then he displace one eyebrow and his voice was even huskier than before.Do you like scary stories? he asked ominously.I love them, I enthused, do an effort to smolder at him.Jacob strolled to a nearby driftwood tree that had its roots adhesive out like the attenuated legs of a huge, pale spider. He perched lightly on one of the twisted roots while I sat beneath him on the body of the tree. He stared down at the rocks, a smile hovering around the edges of his broad lips. I could see he was going to try to make this good. I center on keeping the vital interest I felt out of my eyes.Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from the Quileutes, I mean? he began.Not really, I admitted.Well , there are lashings of parables, some of them claiming to date back to the engorge supposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive like Noah and the ark. He smiled, to show me how little stock he put in the histories. Another legend claims that we descended from wolves and that the wolves are our brothers still. Its against tribal law to put to death them.Then there are the stories about the shivery ones. His voice dropped a little lower.The cold ones? I asked, not faking my connive now.Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off our land. He rolled his eyes.Your great-grandfather? I encouraged.He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf-well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn i nto men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves.Werewolves have enemies? scarce one.I stared at him earnestly, hoping to disguise my fretfulness as admiration.So you see, Jacob continued, the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this pack that came to our grunge during my great-grandfathers time was different. They didnt hunt the way others of their kind did they werent supposed to be dangerous to the tribe. So my great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they would promise to stay off our lands, we wouldnt expose them to the pale-faces. He winked at me.If they werent dangerous, then why ? I tried to understand, struggling not to let him see how seriously I was considering his cutaneous senses story.Theres always a risk for human being to be around the cold ones, even if theyre civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist. He deliberately worked a thick edge of menace into his tone.What do you mean, civilized?They claimed that they didnt hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals instead.I tried to keep my voice casual. So how does it fit in with the Cullens? Are they like the cold ones your greatgrandfather met?No. He paused dramatically. They are the same ones.He must have thought the expression on my face was fear inspired by his story. He smiled, pleased, and continued.There are more of them now, a new female and a new male, but the rest are the same. In my great-grandfathers time they already knew of the leader, Carlisle. Hed been here and gone before your people had even arrived. He was contend a smile.And what are they? I lastly asked. What are the cold ones?He smiled darkly. crease drinkers, he replied in a deject voice. Your people call them vampires.I stared out at the rough surf after he answered, not sure what my facewas exposing.You have goose bumps, he laughed delightedly.Youre a good storyteller, I complimented him, still look into the waves.Pretty cra zy stuff, though, isnt it? No wonder my dad doesnt want us to talk about it to anyone.I couldnt control my expression enough to look at him yet. Dont worry, I wont give you away.I guess I just violated the treaty, he laughed.Ill take it to the grave, I promised, and then I shivered.Seriously, though, dont say anything to Charlie. He was pretty mad at my dad when he heard that some of us werent going to the hospital since Dr. Cullen started functional there.I wont, of course not.So do you think were a bunch of superstitious natives or what? he asked in a playful tone, but with a hint of worry. I still hadnt looked away from the ocean.I turned and smiled at him as unremarkably as I could.No. I think youre very good at telling scary stories, though. I still have goose bumps, see? I held up my arm.Cool. He smiled.And then the sound of the beach rocks clattering against each other warned us that someone was approaching. Our heads snapped up at the same time to see Mike and Jessica abou t fifty yards away, walking toward us.There you are, Bella, Mike called in relief, waving his arm over his head.Is that your boyfriend? Jacob asked, alerted by the jealous edge in Mikes voice. I was surprised it was so obvious.No, definitely not, I whispered. I was tremendously grateful to Jacob, and eager to make him as happy as possible. I winked at him, carefully turning away from Mike to do so. He smiled, elated by my inept flirting.So when I get my license he began.You should come see me in Forks. We could hang out sometime. I felt guilty as I said this, knowing that Id used him. But I really did like Jacob. He was someone I could easily be friends with.Mike had reached us now, with Jessica still a few paces back. I could see his eyes appraising Jacob, and looking satisfied at his obvious youth.Where have you been? he asked, though the answer was right in front of him.Jacob was just telling me some local stories, I volunteered. It was really interesting.I smiled at Jacob warml y, and he grinned back.Well, Mike paused, carefully reassessing the authority as he watched our camaraderie. Were packing up it looks like its going to rain soon.We all looked up at the glowering sky. It certainly did look like rain.Okay. I jumped up. Im coming.It was nice to see you again, Jacob said, and I could tell he was taunting Mike just a bit.It really was. Next time Charlie comes down to see Billy, Ill come, too, I promised.His grin stretched across his face. That would be cool.And thanks, I added earnestly.I pulled up my hood as we tramped across the rocks toward the pose lot. A few drops were beginning to fall, do black spots on the stones where they landed. When we got to the Suburban the others were already loading everything back in. I crawled into the backseat by Angela and Tyler, announcing that Id already had my turn in the shotgun position. Angela just stared out the window at the escalating storm, and Lauren twisted around in the middle seat to occupy Tylers a ttention, so I could simply lay my head back on the seat and close my eyes and try very unenviable not to think.