Liplocked Lullabies

Jacob's house was always warm.

It had that sort of vibe that lured you in, making you never want to leave.

The outside was harmless enough; the walls were painted a faded red and the roof sheltered a small porch.

The house was surrounded by the woods, and the only way you could get to it was by driving along an extremely bumpy dirt road.

Since Embry's tires were not equipped for that sort of terrain, I usually ended up parking at a gas station about a block away and walking.

The inside was even more vibrant than the outside.

When you entered, you walked straight into the living room. Containing a wooden coffee table covered with rings (the Black's didn't believe in coasters), a worn green sofa, a small television set and dark green walls, the living room screamed Jacob and Billy.

The kitchen was connected, but kind of enclosed at the same time. With a refrigerator always stocked with food and a small dining table, the kitchen was Jacob's dream kitchen.

The entire house was simple.

I found myself knocking on the door at around four in the afternoon, since I had woken up late because of my hangover. Billy opened the door, smiling.

"Journey." He meant to ask, but if came out flatly. "What are you doing here?"

I looked down at my sneakers embarrassed. It was a bad idea coming here and I knew that.

"I came to see Jacob." I said, playing cool. Billy's expression turned grim.

"I'm sorry, but Jacob's sick right now."

"Can't I just see him for two seconds?" I paused and noticed Billy's expression had not changed. "I promise I won't take long."

"No visitors." Billy said firmly, his wheelchair blocking the doorway. "It's serious."

"If it's so serious, why haven't you taken him to the doctor?"

"We have." Billy challenged back. "Doctor diagnosed Jake with mono."

"Isn't that spread through kissing?" I blurted before I could stop myself.

I had done it now. I sure as hell hoped that Jacob hadn't been kissing. Of course he had, I thought. I hope Bella was happy. She had given her boyfriend a disease.

"Yes. It could be some sort of other virus, though."

"Oh. Well, I guess I'll go then." Billy politely dismissed me from the house, and I immediately knew something was up.

Brushing it aside, I began to walk back to my car. About a block away, I spotted Jacob. He was wearing a baseball cap, and a plain white shirt.

At a closer glance, I realized it was in fact not Jacob, but Quil. Quil had grown since the last time I had seen him though, and his forehead was permanently creased with worry.

"Quil!" I waved at him. He brightened up a bit, shuffling towards me awkwardly. "I thought you were helping your dad?"

"My dad…? I just came back from Port Angeles. I needed some new shirts."

"Weight lifting, I see?"

"Actually, no." Shock. "I dunno. It's like it's natural."

"Oh. Did you hear about Jacob?"

His face darkened at this subject, and I knew I had hit a sore subject.

"Kind of." He said dully.

"Kind of?"

"I heard about it. I tried to follow him—he was with your brother." He scowled slightly. "I know they saw me, but they just disappeared into the trees. I don't think they were alone—I think Sam and his crew were with them."

"Crew?"

"It's the La Push gang. They're like hall monitors gone bad or something. They don't start any fights or anything, they keep the peace. They're all about our land, and protecting the tribe. The worst part is that the council takes them seriously. Before your brother joined, he told me that the council actually meets with Sam to find ways to improve the tribe and help them." He snorted, as though this was some sort of bad joke. "I heard from Leah Clearwater that they call themselves protectors. What are they protecting us from? We've had a total death rate of about two people."

"You like them a lot, huh?"

"They just act like they're all that. Like they're tough guys or something. They're as tough as teddy bears." Quil scoffed, kicking a rock near his foot. His foot came in contact with the rock, before it flew forward into the trees. "One time, we were in the convenience store across the road, and Paul, Sam and Jared were there. I said something stupid, and Paul looked so angry, he was shaking. His eyes got all dark, and he kinda snarled in a way that showed his teeth and he started shaking. But then Sam puts his hand on Paul's chest and tells him to stop and he does. He just stops."

"Is Sam that dumb that he doesn't go to school? Isn't he a little old for this?"

"Yeah, he's twenty. He was supposed to go to college, but for some reason he stayed. The council didn't give two shits, but when Jake's sister decided to blow off a part time scholarship, they had a fit. It's not fair." He muttered darkly.

Quil had always seemed like an upbeat sort of guy, and it was rare that I saw this side of him. He looked worried, and almost sad. I would too, if I lost my two best friends to a cult.

"I think I'm gonna go see if Jacob's okay again." I said, processing this new information.

If I could just get past Billy, I could let Jacob know what Sam was up too.

Unless Jacob was the La Push gang too. It made so much sense. The sneaking out with Embry. The late nights. He wasn't doing drugs. Sam Uley had gotten to him.

"Good luck with that." Quil scoffed, as though this was hard to believe, before he shoved his hands back into his jeans and kept on walking.

I made my way back up the dirt road, only to come face to face with the same exact house I had half an hour earlier.

Except it wasn't the same.

Parked in front of the house was an orange truck. In the truck sat a girl, who seemed all too familiar.

I took in the chestnut colored hair that cascaded down her shoulders and the faded jeans and semi-designer top. I took in the type of truck, and how she held a notebook and pen in her hand. She looked as though she had been doodling.

At her window stood a boy—no a man—who seemed to be yelling at her. She looked confused and frightened, like a lost puppy. And for a minute I felt sorry for her.

And then I realized she was Bella.

And then I realized that the angry man was Jacob.

Jacob had changed drastically since I last saw him. His hair was cropped short, and was matted against his face. Gone was the baby face of Jacob Black. His face had hardened now, his jaw becoming more prominent. His eyes seemed darker, even though I was too far away to inspect them.

His lanky figure was full of pure muscle now. He was shirtless, but I hadn't even noticed. He was clad in only a pair of cut-off sweatpants. His abs were defined greatly, and as I squinted, I could make out the faint outline of an eight pack. His arms were clasped around the window of the truck, and he looked very much angered at Bella.

Was this there first fight?

I then came to realize that Jacob was not sick, and Billy had lied to me.

But why?

It was starting to spry, but I didn't care. I

was too fascinated with the scene in front of me. Bella said something, and I followed her gaze. Only then had I realized that she was not alone. Behind Jacob stood four others looking exactly like him.

In that group, I only barely managed to pick out my own brother, standing to the far right. I labeled the others as Paul and Jared, though I wasn't sure who was who. And then my eyes landed on Sam.

At the age of twenty, Sam looked so much older. He was as tall as Jacob, or maybe a little taller and his eyes were full of wisdom. He looked sure of himself, as though he wanted this fight to happen.

"Can we talk?" I heard her say, though it was soft and frightened noise.

"Go ahead." Jacob hissed.

"Alone!" She cried out, and her eyes landed in my direction.

I froze suddenly, hoping she hadn’t spot me. Just to be safe, I inched towards the forest. She had been talking to Sam and his followers though, and they snarled before walking backwards slightly. Jacob and Bella walked towards me, still wrapped up in their conversation, totally oblivious to my presence.

He spat words harshly at her, and she cried. She whimpered and she begged, but he just stood there. She tried to reach out to him, but he cringed away.

I only caught bits and pieces of the conversation, but I knew it had to involve Sam. I stepped backward, hearing a twig snap. It was a quiet noise, and I could barely hear it. I glanced down at my foot and back at the group.

Somehow, Jacob had heard me. Or noticed my presence.

Either way, his head jerked up almost instantly. I locked eyes with him almost instantly, his eyes dark and full of pain, and he just stared at me.

I stared back. It felt like an eternity that we stared into each other's eyes, but it was only a matter of seconds.

Oh shit.

I thought I was in for it.

I was going to die.

I would be grounded for months.

But he just smiled. It was almost a full out grin, and even Bella looked shocked. She thought the smile was for her.

Jacob had said a few words by now, and obviously all hope was crushed for Bella. Then Jacob did the unexpected and bolted into the woods.

Embry followed Jacob's gaze and landed on me. He sent me a look, before following behind Jacob. Sam and the others had noticed me now, and even Bella seemed to know something was up.

So I turned around, not caring that the twigs crunched like the sound of bones breaking, and broke off into the forest.