Wild (Jacob Black)

Chapter 4

Jacob was taking me somewhere. Nothing happened in the woods, and I was never one to break a deal, especially if it was something simple like this. I walked down the stairs and headed for the front door. Jacob said he was meeting me at 12:30, and it's 12:27.

"I'm leaving! I'll be back later!" I yelled before I opened the door.

No one replied.

"Here, wear this," Jacob said, handing me a black helmet.

The helmet was snug, claustrophobic even. Sweat congealed on my palms and fingers, making it difficult to adjust the straps. Jacob helped me. I felt like a toddler who needed help tying her shoe. Only when you're that age, it's acceptable. This was plain embarrassing.

"I've never ridden a bike before," I said. My toes wriggled in my shoes.

Jacob smiled, removing his hand from beneath my chin. "Just hold on tight."

I sat on the leather seat behind him. My arms gripped around his torso. We jolted forward, a pitiful yelp escaped my lungs, and Jacob laugh.

"Not funny, Black," I scolded.

~

The pavement slowly turned into dirt roads as we drive deeper in the woods.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked for the tenth time.

"You'll see." He said. A smug smirk crossed his face, no doubt.

Inhaling the clear air, several sortments of aromas waft past my nose. Pine trees and aftershave, the last part must be Jacob.

We arrived at a beautiful, wooded cottage. The forest is dense. The trees are practically the yard, unlike Charlie and Jacob's neighborhood. Earthenware pots, containing flowers, sat on the porch. Two barrels, one painted lavender, the other green, were next to a bench.

"This is Emily's house, Sam's fiancé." Jacob killed the engine. "Don't stare at her. It'll make Sam mad."

I got off and placed the helmet on the seat. "Why would I stare?"

Two bronzed boys with black short hair sit at a small circular table. A woman stands in a small kitchen cooking food.

"Hey, Jacob," The two boys said in unison.

"And he's got a girl." The one farthest away from us said, elbowing the one next to him. He had a cleft chin. The one closest to us had a defined square jaw.

"Stop," Jacob said.

The woman in the kitchen looked over at us. She had a scar on the right cheek, sprouting down to her chin. Her appearance was similar to the guys, only her hair was long, and bangs covered her forehead. "Care to introduce?" She asked with a genuine smile.

"This is Lillian. Lillian this is Emily, Sam's fiancé." Jacob said, gesturing at the woman with a scar.

She smiled and waved.

"Embry," Jacob continued.

The boy with a defined jaw waved at me. I returned his kindness with a smile.

"And Jared." Jacob finished.

The one with a chin dimple greets me with a welcoming smile.

"Hi, I'm Lillian. I just moved here not too long ago." I introduced myself to them.

The oven dinged.

"Would anyone like a muffin?" Emily asked. She set a plate full of muffins on the table.

Embry and Jared took a muffin. Emily cleared her throat, giving the two a glare.

"Ladies first." She said, flicking her head toward the plate.

"Thank you," I said quietly, took a muffin, and sat down at the table.

Jacob sat next to me. The guys started eating. Jacob and Embry look at each other as if they were communicating telepathically.

"So, why did you decide to move to Washington?" Jared asked with a mouthful of food.

"Swallow your food, dude," Jacob said.

"Yeah, you can't scare away his girlfriend." Embry teased.

If looks could kill, Embry would be six feet under.

"My mom had to move because of her job. She wanted me to move in with my uncle." I said and took a small bite of the big chocolate chip muffin that was still warm.

"She's Bella's cousin," Jacob added. He casually leaned back in the chair.

"So you're the va—" Embry hit Jared's bare chest. Jared pushed Embry, which he pushed Jared back.

"No roughhousing at the table." A deep voice said.

A tall, tan man appeared at the door. He walked over to Emily, giving her a kiss. He pecked her scarred cheek a few times. Embry and Jared made disgusted faces. The man looked over at the table. His attention landed on me.

"Sam, this is Lillian. Lillian, Sam." Jacob said, grabbing his attention away from me.

"Hi." He left the room, not saying anything after that.

I glanced at Jacob, confused. He shrugged. Two other boys walked into the house. They also had tan skin, chiseled bodies, and black hair. A girl with short, black hair followed behind them.

"Guys, this is Lillian, Jake's girl." Jared joked.

A familiar tingle tickled my cheeks. Why was I blushing? Jacob and I were just friends. We hadn't even known each other that long. I mean, he was cute and made me laugh, but I didn't like him. I couldn't.

"I'm Paul." The taller one said with a smile. "That's Seth and Leah." He added, pointing to the boy then to the girl.

~

They brought me to the beach. The sand was unusually black but smooth. Waves crashed against it, spitting mist. Foam bubbled on the shoreline. Jagged cliffs surrounded the mouth, and the inescapable forest towered above.

"Have you ever been cliff diving?" Paul asked me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

They are all pretty tall, considering I'm only five foot two.

"No," I answered, peering up at him as we made our way to the sand.

"You should. It's pretty fun."

"I'm afraid of heights." A simple lie to disguise the truth. I rather keep my feet on solid ground and my head above water.

"Maybe next time." He shrugged and ran up a path leading to the top of the cliff with the other boys.

Jacob and Leah stayed with me.

"Okay, ghost girl, do you want to tan?" Leah asked me.

Jacob was watching the boys jump into the water. Leah stripped down to her black bikini.

"I don't have a bathing suit. Plus, it's kind of cold." Even in the summer it isn't the warmest.

Leah closed her eyes and put her earbuds in, lounging in the void. She was nice but has a stern face most of the time.

I plopped down next to Jacob. There was about a foot between us. The waves, now gentle, crept up to the sand then sank away.

"Hey, Lillian! Judge our jumps!" Embry yelled from the top of the cliff.

"Okay!" I tried to yell back, causing my voice to crack.

Jacob failed to stifle a laugh.

I glared at him and nudged him. He grabbed ahold of my wrists and fell, pulling me with him. Our faces were only a few inches apart.

"You have beautiful eyes," He said.

The godforsaken heat rose on my cheek, yet again. "Thanks."I sat up.

Jared screamed and face planted into the water.

That's got to hurt. "That's a five!" I yelled to him once he surfaced.

He groaned and swam back to shore. Paul jumped off next. He did a flip, then dove swiftly into the deep blue water.

"Eleven!" I yelled.

"That's not even on the scale!" Jared complained as he reached the shore. Such a sore loser.

"None of you have done a flip. It was pretty amazing."

~

A shiver bumped my skin as the sun tucked behind a cloud. My body warmed as if someone turned on a heater. Jacob sat closer to me. It must be his body heat.

"Do you feel alright?" I asked him.

"Yeah."

I placed the back of my hand on his forehead.

"You're freezing." He said.

"And you're burning." I chuckled.

His relaxed expression hardens. "I have to go." He stood and ran to the woods.

That's not weird at all.

~

I stayed with the guys and Leah for the rest of the day. We went back to Emily's house and ate dinner.

"Thank you so much for the food."

"You're welcome. Don't forget to come over. It's nice to have another girl around." She said with a genuine smile, giving me a hug.

"It's nice meeting you all," I said, walking out of the house. It would take a while to get back to Charlie's house.

"Do you need a ride?" A deep voice asked. Sam, if I remembered correctly.

"Sure," I said, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

"Jacob should be back soon." Huh, some courtesy he has. "If you are tired, you can lay down in the guest room. I'll show you." Sam said, inviting me back in.

I begrudgingly followed him. Still, I thanked him as he left the room, shutting the door, attempting to block out the noise of rowdy boys. I fell on the bed and shut my eyes. Darkness engulfed me, taking me to my dreams.