Dangerous Weather//Book One

Chapter 8:

#Stalker

*This chapter is a whopper. You have been warned*

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On Monday morning, I awoke to beautiful rays of sunlight.

At school during our lunch period, everyone was basking in the rarity of warmth and sun.

Bella was on the lookout for the Bronze Fairy while I mentally added a characteristic --not liking sunlight-- to my "What monster are they?" list.

Their similarity to vampires was becoming ridiculous.

"He's not here," Jessica said as she leaned back to soak up the sun. "Whenever the weather is nice, the Cullens disappear."

"Do they just ditch?" I wish mom would let me do stuff like that.

"No, um, Dr. and Mrs. Cullen yank them out to go like hiking, camping, and stuff. Tried that on my parents, not even close."

"Guys, guys, guys. Guess what?" Angela excitedly crashed at our table. "I asked Eric to prom and he said yes!"

The girls were discussing a trip they wanted to take to Port Angeles to look at prom dresses and it was no surprise to me when Bella asked to go with them. She'd told me this morning about the research she did online about the Quileute legends and wanted me to go with her to a book store in Port Angeles.

Once school was over and the shopping had begun, I was reminded why I hated shopping. Many of my clothes Mom had bought for me or were quick snatches from a store when my current clothes were torn, burned, or bled through.

Dress shopping was way out of my depth.

Fiddling with my bracelet and watching as the sun disappeared behind ever-present clouds, I felt more homesickness grow within me. My bracelet was one Tyson had crafted for me as he did for Percy's watch, to keep us safe but also to cement our relationship as siblings. I missed him and the rest of my family because although Bella and Charlie were blood, they could never understand me.

Not to mention that this so-called vacation was turning out to be just like every other high school experience I'd ever had, just without my brother along for the ride.

A sharp wolf-whistle brought me out of my ADHD-addled brain and I watched a group of perverts with shit-eating grins walk past the window.

"That's disgusting" Bella muttered.

Not to be deterred from their fashion show, the other girls ignored them.

"Bella, what do you think?" Jessica asked her.

"That looks great."

"You said that about, like, the last five dresses," Jessica said. See I'm not the only one who notices.

"You're not really into this are you?" Angela asked Bella.

"Actually, we just really want to go to this bookstore." Oh, gods, we sound so boring. "We'll meet you guys at the restaurant?"

I slowly got up as Bella packed up her things, finally giving Jessica and Angela's dresses a look.

"Hey Ange, I know I'm not the greatest at this but I actually really liked that purpley-pastel one you tried on earlier."

She grinned at me in thanks while we walked out the door.

The sun was already setting once we navigated to the bookstore, but then it took Bella ages to find the book. I'd wanted to help look for it but she'd insisted she didn't need any help, so I had hung back and stayed outside. Bella had been in there for about 15 minutes and I had to be on my 100th round of pacing when I got the sense that I was being watched. I turned toward the railing and pretended to look at the view, as my eyes traveled through the brush, trying to find anything out of place.