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I have a feeling that Edward has never been to La Push before.

Why?

Because it's not crowded at all.

I mean, maybe it's crowded during the summer months when it's warmer, but still, there's barely any people here as far as I can see. It's a cold, crisp day with plenty of wind forming waves for surfing. I can spot several surfers sprinkled throughout the water, just calmly riding the waves. There are seagulls all around us, searching for food, making noises as they fly around. I casually inhale some salty ocean air, the scent filling my nostrils like a calming aroma. I soak all of it in, reminiscing about all the times I spent back at my old beach in California.

It's nice to be by the ocean again, even if it is kind of freezing outside.

"Hey, it's freezing," Mike complains as he zips up his skintight full-body swimsuit. I finish zipping up my own full-body swimsuit and wait for the others to finish.

Tyler jogs past us with his surf board under his arm. He only has on a T-shirt and a life jacket. "I'm paddling out, Coates," he mocks us before taking off towards the waves.

I roll my eyes at Tyler. Once he gets into the freezing cold water, he's gonna regret not wearing a full-body swimsuit.

"I don't know if it's worth it anymore," Eric doubts, referring to the cold weather.

Jessica finishes zipping up her swimsuit. "We drove all the way out here. I'm at least paddling out," she says.

Mike is next to finish zipping up. "Yeah. She's right," he tells Eric.

"You guys are babies," Jessica teases the boys. Jessica pulls back at her zipper again. When she realizes that she isn't able to zip it up completely, she asks Angela to help her. "Hey, will you do me up?"

"Yeah," Angela says.

Angela and Bella are sitting in Eric's van with the doors open. They have jackets on. The two of them are too cold to go surfing with the rest of us.

Three boys with russet-colored skin walk up to Eric's van. They all have long raven-black hair. I don't recognize any of them.

"Bella," one of them greets.

"Hi, Jacob," Bella greets in return. "Guys, this is Jacob," she introduces.

Jacob gestures to me, Jessica, and Angela with his hand. "Hey, guys. How you doin?" he greets politely.

"Hey," Jessica greets with a small wave.

"Hi," says Angela.

"Nice to meet you," I say politely with a nod.

Jacob goes over and sits comfortably next to Bella in the open car. They talk for a bit. Something clicks in my mind immediately. Of course, Jacob is another one of Bella's fanboys. I should have known.

"You guys should keep Bella company," Jessica states, pointing at Bella with her thumb. "She's too scared to go surfing," she adds jokingly.

I give Jessica a pointed look. I don't really like when she makes fun of Bella like that.

Jessica notices the look on my face and quickly tries to change the subject. "But hey," she pipes up, "at least she actually comes here unlike some weirdos. I don't think the Cullens have ever been here before."

"Yeah, cause the Cullens are freaks," Mike says.

"You got that right," one of Jacob's friends agrees.

The mention of the Cullens peaks my interest. I start focusing more on the conversation going on.

"You guys know them?" Bella asks curiously, looking at Jacob's two friends.

"The Cullens don't come here," Jacob's friend answers simply, as if the answer is a well known fact, which I'm guessing it is since everyone except me and Bella seem to know that the Cullens don't ever come to La Push beach.

Once everyone who's going surfing is ready to go, Bella and Jacob go off on a walk while Angela remains in Eric's car. I'm about to go follow the rest of my friends to the water when I realize that Jacob's friends are still hanging around.

I desperately want to know more about what they know about the Cullens, so I suck it up and approach them.

"Hey, what did you mean when you said 'the Cullens don't come here'?" I ask somewhat nonchalantly, so they don't think I'm being suspicious or anything.

The taller of the two answers me. "You know our tribe, the Quileutes?" he questions.

I nod my head.

"Well, supposedly, the Cullens are descended from an enemy clan of ours, which is why they never come here, or so our tribe elders say."

"Is it true?" I ask, somewhat too forcefully.

"Who knows," Jacob's other friend speaks up. And with that, the two of them walk away, probably so they don't have to answer any more of my questions.

I turn my head to the side in annoyance. Great, more secrets.

*Time Skip*

That night I do some research on my recently installed computer. I scroll through the internet, searching up anything I can find on Quileute legends. Unfortunately, there isn't much. The Quileutes seem to be a pretty secretive tribe.

I manage to find a website advertising a book about various Native American legends, the Quileutes included. I click on it, and much to my surprise, they have a copy of the book at a nearby bookstore in Port Angeles.

I grin to myself. Now all I have to do is convince Bella to drive me to Port Angeles. But how do I do that without telling her why?

*Time Skip*

For the first time since I've moved to Forks, the weather is actually somewhat nice. It's a partly cloudy day with sunlight peaking through the scattered clouds. I'm sitting beside Bella at a picnic table in the school courtyard. The two of us are soaking up as much sun as we can. Jessica is doing the same. Except, being the more dramatic girl that she is, she's sitting down on top of the picnic table. Her head is pulled back with her eyes closed, so that her neck can receive some sun too.

Growing bored, I scan the school courtyard for the Cullens, but none of them appear to be around.

"Did the Cullens come to school today?" I question, breaking the relaxing silence that the three of us were in.

Not even bothering to open her eyes, Jessica answers me. "Whenever the weather's nice, the Cullens disappear," she explains.

"Where do they go?" I ask.

"Dr. and Mrs. Cullen yank them out . . . for, like, hiking and camping and stuff." Jessica pauses before continuing. "I tried that out on my parents. Not even close," she complains.

Angela excitedly approaches us. She takes a seat on the other side of Bella. "Guys, I'm going to the prom with Eric. I just asked him. I took control." She grins happily.

"Congrats," I say.

"I told you that would happen," Bella says proudly.

Angela hugs Bella in thanks. "Are you sure you have to go outta town?" Angela asks disappointedly, referring to Bella not going to the prom.

Bella crosses her arms on the picnic table. "Oh yeah, it's a weird family thing," she reminds her.

"Okay, we should go shopping in Port Angeles," Jessica brings up, "before all the good dresses get cleaned out."

At that very moment, the bell rings for seventh period. We grab our things for class.

I quickly speak up before we go our separate ways. "Can I come with you guys?" I ask hopefully, referring to their plans to go shopping in Port Angeles.

"Yeah sure," Angela says, "you're going to prom?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," I say with some forced enthusiasm. I know I don't have a date for prom, but I still want to go. After all, you only get to go to prom so many times. Plus, this might be my only chance to go to Port Angeles before school is out, so it's a win, win.

I turn to Bella who's walking next to me. "Are you coming to Port Angeles with us?" I ask.

"Do you want me too?" Bella asks hesitantly.

Before I can say anything, Angela answers for me. "Yeah, I need your opinion." Angela smiles.

"I guess I'll come along," Bella gives in.

I grin to myself. Everything is falling into place perfectly. When the girls and I go dress shopping in Port Angeles, I'll just make up an excuse to leave for a little bit. I'll be able to buy the Native American legends book, and my prom dress at the same time. Then, maybe, I'll finally be able to dig up some more information on the Cullens, or, at least, what the Quileutes think the Cullens are.

*Time Skip*

I feel like a princess as I step out of the dressing room. I'm trying on a shiny floor length silvery sea foam green dress. It has a slit for my leg as well.

I join Jessica and Angela in front of the mirror. We're all trying on our latest dress finds while Bella is sitting down by the shop window and giving us her opinions.

"Jess, Becca, what do you think?" Angela asks. "Lavender? Is that good? Is that my color?" She pats down her lavender dress all giddy.

Jessica scans Angela up and down, and I do the same.

"I like it," Jessica comments. "I liked that dusty rose one too."

"I think this my favorite one you've tried so far," I begin. "Maybe you should try a white one next, I dunno. I just think it might be your color."

"Good idea." Angela smiles.

Jessica giddily plays with the sleeves on her long white gloves. "Okay, I like this one. It makes my boobs look good, right?" she says, referring to her floor length hot pink dress. She flips her hair to the back on both sides.

Knock. Knock.

My eyes shoot to the window. There's a group of about four guys outside the shop. One of them had knocked on the shop window to get our attentions. They've obviously been eyeing us in our somewhat revealing dresses.

"Nice!" one of them yells through the glass.

I turn away from the window in embarrassment.

"Oh, God," Angela says, turning away in embarrassment as well.

"That is uncomfortable," Jessica sighs, annoyed.

Luckily, the four of them go on there way, but not before one of them sends Bella one last suggestive knock on the window.

"That's disgusting," Bella mumbles.

Jessica quickly tries to change the subject. "Bella, what do you think?" she asks, gesturing to her pink dress. She turns a little, so that Bella can get a good look at the whole dress.

Bella snaps to attention. "Yes," she begins slowly, "that looks great."

"You said that about, like, the last five dresses though," Jessica reminds Bella awkwardly.

Bella tries to laugh it off. "I thought they were all pretty good," she insists.

"You're not really into this, are you?" Angela questions.

Bella blushes shyly. She awkwardly holds up a book that she was reading. "I'm just really tired. Also, I have to finish reading this book by Monday." She gives us a reluctant smile. I can tell from the look on her face that the book she is reading is really boring, and it's draining her just to read it.

Suddenly, what Bella said gives me an idea. I think I might just have the excuse I need to go to that book store. We passed it on the way to the dress shop, so it shouldn't take me too long to go there and come back really quick.

I pretend to sigh in annoyance. "Oh yeah, I have to finish a book by Monday too." I pause for effect and let out another annoyed sigh. "Guys, I think I'm gonna go with this dress. Do you mind if I go to this bookstore I saw down the road real quick? I need to find a shorter book to read for my report."

"Yeah, sure," Angela says as she plays around with her pony tail in the mirror. "Will you be meeting us at the restaurant?"

"Yeah, I'll be there. It shouldn't take me too long." With that, I go back into the dressing room and change back into my normal clothes. I'm now comfortably back in my short-sleeved shirt, jeans, and sweater. Before leaving the dress shop, I order the silvery sea foam green dress that I really liked. Then, I gather my shoulder bag and head out.

As predicted, it doesn't take me long to reach the bookstore, Thunderbird and Whale Books. The store is dimly lit and cozy with a library feel more than an actual store. I scan the bookshelves and manage to find copies of the book I'm looking for under the "N" section. I grab a copy and take it up to the register.

I hand the book to the cashier. He scans it and waits for me to give him the money. I dig in my bag for twenty dollars and hand it to him.

He gives the book back to me. "Here you go," he says.

"Thank you," I say back before turning around and heading towards the front door. Before I walk out of the store, the cashier speaks up.

"Have a good night," he says.

"You too," I say back before opening the front door and walking outside. The bell on top of the door rings, signaling that I've left. I put the book into my shoulder bag before gazing out into the distance.

It's dark outside now. I can hear cicadas buzzing in the trees, and crickets chirping in the grass. It's a cloudy night. A very calm sensation fills the area as a bell rings out in the distance, letting everyone know that nightfall has arrived. I take in a breath of the crisp night air before heading down the bookstore steps.

I make my way into the same connecting alleyway that I used earlier to get to the bookstore. My shoes make a sloshy noise as they step into small puddles from past rainfalls. It's eerily quiet outside now.

I hear them before I see them. Two men walk past the end of the alleyway. They stop when they notice my presence in the dark. My breath hitches, and I turn away from them to walk the other way, begging in my mind that they were just passerbyers and not some weirdos.

I walk away at a normal pace, but my mind is begging me to run. I don't run though, just in case that engages them to chase after me.

I tentatively take a look behind me. My heart lurches in my chest at the sight of the two men following me. I pick up the pace and turn a corner into another alleyway, hoping that maybe I'll be able to lose them if I keep taking turns around corners.

Unfortunately, there are no corners to turn in this alleyway, which forces me to keep going down it to who knows where. I'm too scared to look behind me now, but I can still hear the men's footsteps, so I know they're still following me. I want to yell at them to just leave me alone, but I'm too afraid to provoke them.

"Saw you in the dress store," one of the men says.

My heart beat picks up. These guys were the same creeps who were looking at us through the dress shop window. I pick up the pace to a speed walk. I have to get away from them.

"Hey, where you running to?" the other guy calls.

I finally make it out of the alleyway. I'm about to break into a full out sprint when I get a good look at my surroundings. There are two more guys in front of me. I put two and two together. They must be the other two guys who were watching us in the dress store.

"Oh, there she is," one of them says, drunkenness filling his voice.

"What's up?" another one says, tossing a beer bottle over my head to one of the other guys.

"It's my girl," says another. I cringe at the words "my girl." I'm no one's girl here.

They keeping talking drunkingly. "How you guys doing?"

"Look who we just found," one says proudly.

The four guys close in on me, so I have no where to go. They're all taller than me, so I'm towered over. I start to breathe rapidly.

"What's up, girl?" asks one of the guys.

I make a wild attempt to step out of the circle they've put me in, but someone steps in my way.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, where you going?" he teases.

"Where are you going?" asks another. "Come get a drink with us."

I start to spin around in circles, desperately searching for an opening, but they only seem to be getting closer to me. My heart is beating out of control to the point where my breathing is uneven. I can't even seem to make out who is saying what anymore. It's all just noise to me now.

"Yeah, you should hang out with us."

"Come on. It's fun."

"What's the problem?"

"She doesn't like that, man."

"You're pretty." A hand touches my hair.

I lash out my arm in defense, slapping whoever's hand it was away. "Leave me alone!" I scream.

"Cute," one of them says, and before I know it, a hand grabs my sweater. I struggle with all my might to keep the sweater on, but whoever has my sweater is too strong compared to me. They manage to pull it right off me, leaving my arms bare in the cold night. I quickly cross my arms in humiliation.

"Just take my bag," I beg. "You can have it, just let me go." My voice cracks as I'm about to break into tears.

"We don't want your bag," one of them says. "We just wanna have some fun. Seriously, you should hang out with us."

"Please no," I cry in a small voice.

They don't listen to me. Instead, they all lunge towards me at once. Two of them try to grab my arms while the other two try to get a hold of my waist.

"Nooooo!" I yell as I thrash my body back and forth, pushing and shoving them, hitting them, whatever I can do. I manage to squirm out of their grip and fall to the ground. I curl my body into a ball. Tears fall from my eyes as I sob and pray to God for help. "Someone HELP ME!!!" I scream.

Vrrrooommm

All the men immediately snap to attention, forgetting all about me. I remain curled up on the ground, my chest heaving up and down. Tears wet my cheeks. I inhale and exhale frantically.

I finally become brave enough to look up. I raise my head up tentatively, and my eyes are met with a Volvo. I recognize it as Edward's car immediately. A mix of emotions rushes through me. I don't know whether to feel relieved or not.

Edward opens the car door, steps out, and slams it shut. "Get in the car," he orders, looking right at my pitiful self on the ground.

I still don't know if I can trust him or not, but I do what he says anyway. I reach over for my shoulder bag on the ground and pick it up, putting it back over my shoulder. Then I stand to my feet and get in Edward's car.

I expected Edward to get back into his car as well, but he doesn't. Instead, I watch from inside the car as he glares at my attackers. I can't see Edward's face, but he must look pretty scary since the men practically back up like they've seen a ghost.

Edward finally takes a step back and gets back inside the car. He sits down in the driver's seat.

"Thank you," I tell him as soon as he closes the car door.

Edward doesn't respond to me. He doesn't even look at me. He instead presses his foot down on the accelerator and jerks the car forward, stopping just a few feet from hitting the men.

"Don't kill them!" I cry.

Edward appears to listen to me. He puts the car into a sharp reverse, pulling onto a street in a matter of seconds. I yelp when he almost hits another car, clutching my seat tightly.

"Slow down!" I warn.

Edward slows the car's speed a little, but not by much.

"I should go back there and rip those guys' heads off," Edward declares, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Um, no you should not," I disagree. I hope he isn't being serious. Then again, he could easily accomplish that with the hidden strength that he has.

"You don't know the vile, repulsive things they were thinking," he snaps at me.

"Um yeah, I do," I snap back. "They didn't just rip my sweater off for nothing."

"Can you talk about something else?" Edward demands in a harsh voice. "Distract me so I won't turn around." His voice cracks at the end like he's really trying to hold something in. He really appears to be struggling with not turning back around. I suspect that he maybe has anger issues or something which would actually explain the constant mood swings that he has whenever we interact.

I look around the car for something to talk about. My eyes land on my unlatched seat belt that I completely forgot was even there. I look back at Edward, and he also appears to have forgotten to put on his seat belt.

"You forgot to put your seat belt on," I say.

Edward chuckles. "You should put your seat belt on," he laughs.

At that very moment, he swerves the car around another car. I jolt back in my seat with fright. One thing is clear. This is gonna be a wild ride.

Author's Note: Funny video time:

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

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