( ps: BYR, i had jacob & bella's beach moment follow more closely to the book so if you're confused, that's why! )
ELEXIA WAS NOT looking forward to school at all. She knew the story of her vomiting in the nurse would have spread around the small school like wildfire, so she stayed home the next day. But, her was only allowing her one day of peace.
Jessica immediately had a million questions the second she saw the blonde. First, she asked about how she was feeling. Then, she jumped straight into what she really cared about; Rosalie Hale.
"So what did Rosalie Hale want the other day?" Jessica asked.
"She just had a few questions about the Chemistry packet due next Monday." Elexia lied.
"You looked kind of frustrated," she continued to prod.
"I wasn't feeling well." Elexia answered, somewhat truthfully.
"I've never seen her sit with anyone but her family. That was weird. Especially since she made a big deal out of homework." Jessica laughed, a fake laugh.
"Yeah. Weird," Elexia shrugged, brushing it off. Jessica looked as if she was going to roll her eyes, wanting more information that the blonde wasn't going to give.
Elexia sighed when she walked into the cafeteria, seeing no Rosalie. She assumed Alice and her had begun their trip a day early. It was just Edward, Emmett and Jasper talking at the table. She missed the presence of the blonde Hale that gave her butterflies.
Mike was talking excitedly about their La Push trip planned for the next day. It was meant to be a sunny day, according to the weatherman on the news. It was sixty degrees already, so Elexia figured it could be possible that Saturday wouldn't be so bad.
At dinner, which Austin and Elexia had collaborated in making, Austin seemed excited that his daughter was finally getting out with friends and going to La Push. Elexia did her best to seem excited; she really didn't want her dad to worry about her. Elexia refrained from mentioning that she would be going with Rosalie Hale to Mount Rainier the next week. Bella came over that evening to catch up urgently with Elexia and left pretty late.
She didn't sleep much that night, either. Every time she closed her eyes, her nightmare from the night before resumed itself in more terrifying ways, each time getting worse than the last. So, when she awoke startled in bed at five in the morning, she decided she would just stay up and read. The next morning, she was going to be going to Mike's family's store - where everyone was meeting up - to go to La Push.
When she arrived in the parking lot of the store, she saw Mike's car, Tyler's car and Bella's truck. Her and Bella stepped out of their vehicles at the same time to see Eric, two other boys from school whose names Elexia didn't care to know, Jessica, Angela and Lauren. Three other girls were also with them who Elexia also didn't know. One of the girls whispered in Lauren's ear as they saw Bella and made nasty faces. Bella had informed Elexia that Lauren said some nasty stuff to Mike about her the day before.
Elexia shot a dirty look back at Lauren, who blinked quickly and looked away.
"You came!" Mike called, delighted to see Bella. "And I said it would be sunny today, didn't I?"
"I told you I was coming," Bella said.
"We're just waiting for Lee and Samantha . . . unless either of you invited someone," Mike added.
"Nope," they lied. Bella informed Elexia that Bella also invited Edward and he said no in the same way Rosalie did.
"Will you ride in my car? It's that or Lee's mom's minivan." Mike spoke to Bella.
"Me and Lexi would love to." Bella gave a tight smile.
He smiled awkwardly.
Lee ended up bringing two extra people and every seat in the car was filled. Jessica was in the front seat and Elexia was squeezed in between Bella and Eric.
It was only a twenty minute drive from Forks to La Push luckily, so Elexia didn't have to be uncomfortable for long. She didn't speak once the entire drive; she just admired the outdoors from her window.
The ocean water was a striking dark grey and the shore was rocky. It was slightly breezy out and ocean mist carried into the air from the rough waves that crashed. There were a few clouds in the sky, though the sun shined brightly. It was truly breathtaking to Elexia.
Mike lead the way down the beach to a ring of logs with a fire circle. Eric and some other boy grabbed branches of driftwood.
"Have you ever seen a driftwood fire?" Elexia heard Mike ask Bella.
Elexia was sat next to her brunette friend on one of the benches, the other girls sat around them, chatting non-stop. Mike kneeled by the fire and set one of the sticks on fire with a lighter.
"No," Bella said.
"You'll like this then - watch the colors." He lit another small branch next to the first one. The flames grew quickly against the wood.
"It's blue," Bella said in surprise. Elexia was terrified of fire, but she gaped at the beauty of it.
"The salt does it. Pretty, isn't it?" He lit a third piece and then came to sit next to Bella. Jessica quickly turned and began talking to him, though.
A half hour later, some of the boys said they wanted to hike to the tidal pools. Elexia didn't want to go and risk getting hurt - although she really did want to see the pools. Bella was having a dilemma on whether she should go or not.
Most of the other girls decided to stay on the beach, besides Angela and Jessica. Tyler and Eric also remained on the beach. Bella stood up at once and decided she was going to go on the hike, which pleased Mike.
Elexia decided to take a walk down closer to the water, where the rocks were smaller so she could walk without risk of slipping and getting hurt. She was so close to the water, that microscopic droplets of the ocean pricked at her cheeks and the tip of her nose.
She sighed. She wished Rosalie would have been able to come. The ocean reminded her of the blonde Hale in a way. Strong, mysterious and unpredictable; but beautiful and welcoming and calming. Elexia liked to imagine that Rosalie enjoyed the beach like she did.
Elexia turned to walk back when she heard Mike's voice in the distance. What she didn't expect, was to see that the group that was already on the beach, had multiplied. Boys with silky, straight black hair and beautiful caramel skin had joined the group.
Bella smiled when Elexia came to her side. Food was already being passed around and the boys hungrily grabbed their share. Eric introduced them as they sat. Elexia learned that these were teenagers from the reservation. A younger boy looked up after hearing Bella's name.
A boy who looked to be the oldest of the group introduced the others with him. Elexia didn't really hear any names besides the young boy's name - Jacob - who looked at Bella.
Bella and Elexia sat next to Angela. Elexia quite liked her; she was quiet, helpful and impossibly sweet.
As people began finishing their lunch, everyone began drifting off into groups of duos and trios, chatting amongst themselves. Mike and Jessica headed to a shop and some of the reservation kids went with them. A group went back to hike to the tidal pools again. Elexia and Bella sat on the driftwood log with three of the reservation teens. Angela left with the hikers.
Jacob, the young boy, came to sit next to Bella. Elexia guessed he was fifteen at the oldest. His hair was long and a beautiful noir color, which made Elexia slightly jealous. He had dark brown eyes to go with his silky hair.
"Hey, Bella!" He greeted excitedly.
"Hey," Bella awkwardly smiled back.
"I realize we didn't get to chat much on your first day back in Forks."
"Oh, yeah," Bella sighed. "How are your sisters, Rachel and Rebecca? Are they here?"
Elexia felt odd, like she shouldn't be there, but she was curious about this Jacob kid. He was giddy and happy to be around Bella. The same way that Mike was. She felt bad eavesdropping, but she had literally nothing else better to do.
"No." Jacob shook his head. "Rachel got a scholarship to Washington State, and Rebecca married a Samoan surfer - she lives in Hawai'i now."
"Married. Wow." Bella sounded stunned. Elexia wondered how old the girl was, considering Bella's shock at her being married and also Jacob being pretty young.
"So how do you like the truck?" he asked.
"I love it. It runs great."
"Yeah, but it's really slow," he laughed. "I was so relieved when Charlie bought it. My dad wouldn't let me work on building another car when we had a perfectly good vehicle right there."
"It's not that slow," Bella objected. Elexia found it funny how protective she was over her truck.
"Have you tried to go over sixty?"
"No," she admitted.
"Good. Don't." He grinned.
Bella grinned back; a real, happy grin. "It does great in a collision," Bella defended.
"I don't think a tank could take out that old monster," he agreed with another laugh.
Elexia liked Jacob. He made Bella smile and he seemed like a sweet, well-mannered boy.
"So you build cars?" Bella asked, seemingly impressed.
"When I have free time, and parts. You wouldn't happen to know where I could get my hands on a master cylinder for a 1986 Volkswagen Rabbit?" he added, jokingly.
Bella laughed. "Lexi, your dad knows that stuff, right?"
Elexia perked up at this. "Um, I know you were joking but my dad really is into that stuff, and probably would know where you could find that."
"That would be nice, actually," Jacob smiled. "Who's your dad?"
"Austin Reedus."
"Oh! Chief of the Fire Department? My dad knows him."
Elexia smiled a genuine smile for the first time that day. "I'll tell my dad to give yours a call. I'll let him know I saw you today,"
Jacob flashed her an appreciative smile.
"You know Bella, Jacob?" One of the girls - Lauren - from school asked.
"We've sort of known each other since I was born," he laughed, smiling at Bella again.
"How nice." She sounded incredibly sarcastic.
"Bella," she called again, watching Bella with mischievous eyes. Elexia suddenly felt protective. "I was just saying to Tyler that it was too bad none of the Cullens could come out today. Didn't anyone think to invite them?"
"You mean Dr. Carlisle Cullen's family?" the tall, older boy asked before Bella could respond.
"Yes, do you know them?" she asked condescendingly, turning toward him.
"The Cullens don't come here," he said in a very hard tone.
Elexia looked at the tall boy with narrowed eyes in a soft, curious expression. Rosalie also clammed up when asked about La Push, and Bella said Edward had as well. She wondered what exactly it was that kept them from coming there.
Jacob interrupted Elexia's thoughts. "So is Forks driving you guys insane yet?"
"Oh, I'd say that's an understatement." Bella grimaced, making Jacob grin.
"Eh, it's not that bad." Elexia shrugged, earning an eye roll from Bella and a short chuckle from Jacob.
"Do you want to walk down the beach with me and Lexi?" Bella asked, looking up at Jacob from under her eyelashes. Elexia looked at her action with a confused expression, wondering why she was doing that. Jacob perked up immediately.
They walked at a not-too-slow, not-too-fast pace down the beach, quietly, before Bella shoved her hands in her pockets and spoke.
"So you're, what, sixteen?" Bella asked.
"I just turned fifteen,"
Elexia's eyes widened. He was practically a baby.
"Really?" Bella acted surprised. "I would have thought you were older."
"I'm tall for my age," he explained.
"Do you come up to Forks much?" Bella asked.
"Not too much," he frowned. "But when I get my car finished, I can go up as much as I want - after I get my license,"
"Who was that other boy Lauren was talking to? He seemed a little old to be hanging out with us." Elexia jumped in, curious about the guy and what he had said.
"That's Sam - he's nineteen," Jacob informed her.
"What was he saying about the doctor's family?" She asked, keeping her tone as light as possible.
"The Cullens? Oh, they're not supposed to come onto the reservation." He looked away.
"Why not?" Bella asked.
Jacob glanced back at them, looking back and forth between both girls, biting his lip nervously. "Oops. I'm not supposed to say anything about that."
"Oh, we won't tell anyone, we're just curious." Bella smiled.
He smiled back, lifting an eyebrow after a moment.
"Do you like scary stories?" he made his voice deeper and quieter.
"I love them," Bella enthused and Elexia just nodded.
Jacob walked to a tree and sat down on one of the thick roots. Bella and Elexia sat by his side, eager for him to start talking.
"Do either of you know any of our old stories, about where we came from - the Quileutes, I mean?" he began.
"Not really," Bella said, just as Elexia mumbled a 'no.'
"Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Flood - 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. "Another legend claims that we descended from wolves - and that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them. Then there are stories about the cold ones." His voice got lower.
"The cold ones?" Bella asked, intrigued.
"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?" Bella encouraged.
"He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are natural enemies of the wolf - well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves."
"Werewolves have enemies?" Bella asked.
"Only one."
Bella and Elexia both stared at the young boy, encouraging him to keep on going.
"So you see," he continued, "the cold ones are traditionally our enemies. But this pack that came to our territory during my great-grandfather's time was different. They didn't hunt the way others of their kind did - they weren't 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 wouldn't expose them to the pale-faces." He winked.
"If they weren't dangerous, then why. . .?" Elexia wondered out loud, staring into blank space as she tried to comprehend the information Jacob had just spoken. They were probably just dumb legends, she thought, but then again, why did Rosalie get so tense when La Push was mentioned?
"There's always a risk for humans to be around the cold ones, even if they're civilized like this clan was. You never know when they might get too hungry to resist."
"What do you mean, 'civilized'?" Bella asked.
"They claimed that they didn't hunt humans. They supposedly were somehow able to prey on animals instead."
"So how does it fit in with the Cullen family?" Elexia raised a brow.
Bella nodded in Elexia's direction in agreement with her confusion. "Are they like the cold ones your great-grandfather met?"
"No." He paused. "They are the same ones."
Elexia's mouth fell open and Bella's eyes went wide. Jacob smiled.
"There are more of them now, a new female and a new male, but the rest are the same. In my great-grandfather's time, they already knew of the leader, Carlisle. He'd been here and gone before your people had even arrived."
"And what are they?" Bella asked. "What are the cold ones?"
Elexia already knew the answer. He knew what Jacob was going to say next.
He smiled again. "Blood drinkers. Your people call them vampires."
Elexia's eyes drifted off to the ocean as she thought of Rosalie again. Strong, mysterious and unpredictable. . .
She didn't know how true that story could be. Vampires didn't exist, but for some reason, to her ears, it all made so much sense.
"You have goose bumps," Jacob laughed, talking about Bella.
"You're a good storyteller," Bella complimented him.
"Pretty crazy stuff, though, isn't it? No wonder my dad doesn't want us to talk about it to anyone."
"Don't worry, we won't give you away." Bella said. "Right, Lexi?"
Elexia nodded.
"I guess I just violated the treaty," he laughed.
"We'll take it to the grave," Elexia gave a small smile.
"So do you think we're a bunch of superstitious natives or what?" he asked in a playful tone.
Bella and Elexia both smiled at him.
"No, I think you're very good at telling scary stories, though. I still have goose bumps, see?" Bella lifted her arm.
"Cool." He smiled.
Footsteps on rocks behind them made Bella, Elexia and Jacob's heads all snap up to see Jessica and Mike walking toward them.
"There you guys are," Mike called in relief, looking mostly at Bella.
"Is that your boyfriend?" Jacob quietly asked Bella. He seemed to have noticed the jealousy in Mike's tone.
"No, definitely not," Bella whispered.
"So when I get my license. . .," he began.
"Come see us in Forks. We could all hang out sometime." Bella said.
Mike had reached them, with Jessica still a few feet behind. His eyes scanned Jacob.
"Where have you been?" he asked, which Elexia found to be quite a dumb question as he was looking right at where they had been.
"Jacob was just telling us some local stories," Bella answered. "It was really interesting."
Bella smiled at Jacob, who grinned back.
"Well," Mike paused. "We're packing up - it looks like it's going to rain soon."
The three of them looked up at the grey sky, growing darker by the minute.
"Okay." Elexia stood up and held her hand out to Bella to help her up.
"It was nice to see you again, Bella, and nice to meet you Lexi," Jacob said.
"It really was. Next time Charlie comes down to see Billy, I'll come, too and I'll bring Lex along," Bella promised.
Jacob's grin spread even wider, somehow possible. "That would be cool."
"And thanks," Bella added.
Elexia pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt as they finally started to get closer to the parking lot and it began drizzling. When they got back to the car, the rest of the group was putting everything back in it. Bella and Elexia sat next to Angela and Tyler in the backseat. Elexia did the same thing going home as she did on the way there; she stared out the window.
But this time, her thoughts were filled with Rosalie Hale in a much darker light than she'd ever viewed the blonde.