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La Push beach was pretty in some weird, dark kind of way. It was different than most beaches, the sky filled with clouds, the water seeming to grow darker with it; its color resembling a murky onyx, it's foam sitting atop the tide that kissed the sand and retracted just as quickly. "Your brother is—" Jessica whistled, her blue eyes trained on Asher who was showing off, taking his shirt from his body and displaying his toned muscles.
"Don't even think about it," Elise snorted, her teeth sinking into a gummy. "He is the definition of playboy, he'll reel you in and throw you right back out when he gets bored."
Her hands were behind her head, raised in an attempt to finish zipping up the wetsuit she'd bought. Jessica's surfboard was leaning again the car, her brown hair pulled up in a ponytail. "I wasn't going to try anything obviously, it was just an observation."
Angela, another one of Bella's friends bit back a laugh from the car not believing a single word her friend was saying. The three of them stayed behind though, it being a little too cold for Elise to strip down and set foot in the water, but she watched the others. "I keep thinking Eric is going to ask me to prom but then he just doesn't."
"Why don't you ask him?"
"Yeah," Bella piped in, her head covered by a hat that she tugged down to her ears. "You are a strong, independent woman and you should take charge and ask him yourself."
From behind her, Elise could feel the hairs raising on the back of her neck, her body's way to telling her someone was approaching that she didn't initially come with. "Bella," A handsome looking boy with long dark brown hair and two lingering boy with similar features behind him.
"Jacob," She greeted, waving a hand to Elise and the other girls in introduction. "Guys, this is Jake." Small hi's were exchanged but it was clear he didn't come for them, the Quileute boy wandered over and sat down beside Bella, his attention focused on her and her alone. "What are you like stalking me now?"
"You're on my turf remember. You surfing?"
Bella awkwardly laughed, something Elise seemed to notice a lot about the girl, she was so socially awkward it was nearly painful to watch. "I'm going on a walk, I'll meet you guys later."
"Do you want me to come with?" The brunette asked, her companion begging with his puppy dog eyes to say no.
Elise simply shook her head. "I'm good on my own, just let my brother know if he asks."
The woods drew her in, a weird chill settled up her spine, a good one that made her curious mind want nothing more than to figure out what was hiding within its depths. It was like the cold she'd previously felt just evaporated from her body, a soothing warmth overtaking her skin.
It flowed like butter walking through the trees, her muscles seeming to know when to lift and turn, almost as if she'd been walking this path for her whole life. "You lost?" A deep, low voice called.
He was tall and buff, his brow permanently creased and his mouth in a scowl. He was completely bare from the waist up. "I should be asking you that, you're the one who isn't wearing a shirt or shoes, it's like twenty degrees out. Aren't you freezing?"
"You shouldn't be in these woods alone, it's dangerous."
Elise shrugged, looking around. "I don't know, feels pretty peaceful to me."
"Who are you?"
"Elise Dunatos," Even from as far as they stood from one another, Elise could see the way he tensed up at the sound of her name. "You?"
His shoulders remained squared, showing off the obvious dominance that he held. "Sam Uley."
"You're friends with Paul Lahote," She ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm not a stalker or anything, I met him earlier with my brother."
A loud howl pierced through the woods, the leaves around them beginning to rustle. "You should probably leave and go back to your friends. It's more dangerous here than you think."
"Then why are you allowed in here?"
Sam sighed and walked closer to her, leading her away from the woods. "I can already see that you are going to be a handful." Him standing beside her was unreal, his warmth radiated off of him in waves. Sam didn't leave her until she broke through the tree line and she could see her friends again and when she turned around to thank him he was already gone.
"El!" Asher called out for her, his shirt back on along with a hoodie and a blanket. "What the hell were you doing in the woods all alone."
"Careful Ash, wouldn't want me to think you'd actually be sad if something happened to me."
It was meant to be a joke but the way his brown eyes seemed to break before her she wanted nothing more than to retract her words. "I would be. Let's go, I don't want to be here anymore it's too cold and Newton keeps talking about Bella."
"You noticed that too? Everyone seems to be obsessed with her. When's your Bella phase going to appear?"
Asher rolled his eyes, wrapped an arm around her shoulder and walking peacefully along side her. "When I transform into a giant werewolf is when you'll catch me finding an interest in Bella."
"Giant werewolf? Where'd that come from?" Vivid memories of Elise wandering in the woods alone and finding that wolf rang back in her mind. "Can you finally read my book?"
"Wasn't even thinking about your foreign language waste of money. I overheard Bella's little friend talking about his legends, his tribe supposedly are descents of wolves. Not fair if you ask me, why aren't we something cool?"
Elise shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe our ancestors knew you wouldn't be able to handle it." Asher just scoffed, the siblings laughing like it was joke when little did they know it was the furthest from that.
