It's Our Last Chance to Feel Again

One week has gone by. One week since I've been in La Push, and one week since I've been saved from the scary forest with beautiful people and gigantic wolves.

Yes, I've been saved. No more worries about me being trapped there forever, or dying of starvation because Sam Uley, my supposed hero, saved me. Apparently, I fell asleep and Sam who was going on a hike, saw me and carried me back to Uncle Jack's home.

I had loads of questions for Uncle Jack regarding that. Like for example, why would Sam just pick me up because I was sleeping? That seemed pretty perverted to me. But I knew better than to ask Uncle Jack questions with him in a bad mood.

Ever since Sam came over the first day I was saved, Uncle Jack's been pretty upset. You'd think that Uncle Jack would be extremely grateful to Sam for saving my life but instead, he's been getting really angry with him. Everytime Sam came around, they would have their secret discussions that would end with the vein in Uncle Jack's temple throbbing, and Sam leaving the house looking really stressed. I tried asking Uncle Jack if he'd like me to kick Sam's ass for him (it seemed like Sam was the cause of all this trouble, and I still didn't like him for calling me a bother) but he just shook his head and sighed irritably, "It's not his butt I want you to kick."

And then he enforced the rule of me not going anywhere near the giants. This time though, it wasn't because they've got a lot on their plates. Uncle Jack said, and I quote, "Oh to hell with whatever they've got going on in their lives. You don't so much as look at them. And I say this out of concern for your safety."

I tried telling him that my safety was already put at risk when I found myself in a forest and was then picked up by a creepy guy who was at least three times bigger than me, but Uncle Jack was still insistent that I kept away from the giants.

Which was what I did. For one week. One long and lonely week. I don't know how I managed to do it, but I kept to my word of staying away from the giants.

I know, it may not seem like a huge deal to many. But it really was, considering the fact that they seemed to be everywhere. Paul, for example, would always be walking along the beach whenever I seemed to be there. And Sam was always over at Uncle Jack's, discussing whatever it is they discussed. And the other giants would take turns in randomly popping out of nowhere the moment I so much as took a step into the woods. And of course, there would always be this same giant who would appear everywhere I went. It sounds normal enough, sure. But this was different. I constantly got the feeling that he was following me, and I proved myself right when I went to the shop to get certain essentials for the time of the month, and he happened to be in the same aisle, looking directly at me. Still think it's just me being paranoid? Yeah, didn't think so.

The weirdest part of it all is that I feel drawn to him. Like... Like strings were attached. Like the four year old from the woods was back, trying to get me to move to him. First a huge wolf, now a huge man. What did that kid want from me?

----

Sighing contentedly, I leaned back so that I was lying on the sand. My arms, right beside me, grabbed a fistful of sand and then lifting my hands up ever so slightly, I let the sand fall. I loved everything about the beach. The relaxing blue of the water, the sparkle of the sunlight on the surface of the water, the sight and sound of the wave crashing onto the shore, and the wonderful feeling of sand on my toes.

I closed my eyes, turning the beautiful blue of the sky black. I didn't know why no one was here on the beach. It was so beautiful, so relaxing. Apart from Paul who was always around for some reason, I rarely saw anyone on this beach. Which was good, I suppose. It did help me in my quest on staying away from the giants, but it also meant that I couldn't meet anyone new that fit Uncle Jack's criteria of people I should be involved with (Is it just me, or does Uncle Jack sound like an over-protective father? At least he's more of a father than my own dad ever was).

I don't really know why I bothered listening to Uncle Jack. I mean, I could always just ignore whatever he said. I could do it easily too. Sure, he'd find out but it wouldn't really matter because everyday, I found myself wanting more and more to be with the man who seemed to be stalking me.

I would lie in bed, just thinking about him, and I'd spend hours just dreaming about how he'd... I don't know, carry me away to some remote island. Yeah, okay. It's cheesy, I'll admit that. I know how cheesy love stories make people feel. But you have to admit, there's something about them that make you feel so happy. Or at least my cheesy fantasy did.

The weirdest part was that I didn't even know that guy. I've seen him following me around, and if I honestly minded, I'd have given him a piece of my mind the second time I caught him following me into the ladies' room at the small shop down the road. Why was I constantly hoping he'd talk to me? Shouldn't I be worried that he could be a potential sexual predator?

And then there was the wolf... The wolf from the forest that I wanted to see again. All week I'd been trying. Trying hard to go into the woods to find it, or at least catch a glimpse of the russet wolf. But for some reason, those huge people would be around, looking at me with a frown. What their problem was, I didn't know. But maybe Uncle Jack's words did have some truth. Maybe the huge people were all lunatics on the loose.

La Push really was a strange place. First huge people, then huge paw prints on the beach, then I mysteriously find myself waking up in a forest with huge wolves, one of which I seemed to have a deep infatuation for, then flawless hikers who had musical voices and really nice hair. And of course, there were all these secrets that I couldn't ever know about. Like why I couldn't talk to the huge people, why they seemed to be popping up everywhere, why Uncle Jack was always so angry. Maybe if we just got rid of the giants, everything would be fine. Uncle Jack wouldn't die of high blood pressure, the secrets would (I bet) be revealed, and best of all, I'd get to see my wolf.

But then that would mean I wouldn't ever get to know the stalker, and as much as I didn't want to admit it, that would kind of suck.

My hands continued to play with the sand, picking it up and then letting it fall. Picking it up, letting it fall. Up, fall. Up...

"Why do you keep doing that?"

My hands froze, and my eyes snapped open the same time my body shot up, raising me into a sitting position. I turned to my left with a frown on my face only to find the very man I had just been thinking of staring right at me. Stalker Guy.

"What?" I asked, suddenly very consciuos. Why hadn't I worn a bathing suit, or at least clothes that made me look like less of a fat blob? But when a strong gust of wind blew, throwing my hair into a frenzy, I found the reason. The freaking cold was why I was wrapped up in a a shirt, a cardigan, one of Uncle Jack's shirts, with his pants over my very own jeans, and a nice blanket snugly wrapped around me. Did I mention I was intolerable to cold? And yes, I know I looked ridiculous, but I hadn't planned on running into Stalker Guy here. Neither had I planned on actually socialising with him. Besides, it was probably no higher than 55˚F. Despite how stupid I looked, serious reconsideration might find that I would honestly rather keep all my toes and fingers than look like a decent popsicle.

"Why do you keep doing that?" He asked again, and with a finger, pointed to my still frozen hands that were lifted a few feet off the ground, with sand still resting on my palms.

I sat there for a while, not sure about what to say. Should I really be staying out here? Was this even real, or was I imagining things? When words finally reached my brain, I opened my mouth. But like the complete genius that I'm known to be, the moment my lips parted, the words were completely wiped out from my mind, and I found myself responding in what sounded like an imitation of a fart.

I guess Stalker Guy didn't know what to say because he just sat there, with his mouth half open and his eyes slightly wider than before. Completely horrified at myself, I stood up and wrapping the blanket tighter around me, turned around and took huge steps to Uncle Jack's house that was, thankfully, only a few steps away from the beach.

With each step I took away from him, my heart pounded and I wanted so much to just turn around and go back to Stalker Guy. I felt torn, and it was strange but I somehow had this feeling like he wanted me to go back just as much as I did.

How on earth would that be possible, Katherine? My mind told me, as I contemplated on turning back around. You just made him think that you spend all your free time perfecting that stupid fart imitation.

Figuring that my mind was probably right, I pushed aside my deep longing to just run into Stalker Guy's arms and with big determined strides, walked until I was safely in Uncle Jack's warm house.

Something told me that Stalker guy was never going to follow me around ever again.