Enchanted

We pulled up to the beach and I quickly got out of the car. I didn’t want to be in that death machine another second. I leaned against the car catching my breath after the reckless way that Jacob had driven. it didn’t seem to bother the other guys and they found my reaction amusing.

“You okay?” asked Jacob. He bent down in front of me and I leaned away from him.

“Fine.” I looked passed him as I heard the sounds of the other guys yelling and cheering. We had parked on a hill and farther up were all the guys. They were standing near the edge of a cliff and I couldn’t help the nervousness that bubbled up into my stomach.

I watched as one of them ran and jumped off the cliff into the water below. I gasped, sure that he would die as he hit the bottom. “He’s fine,” said Jacob reading my reaction. “We do this all the time. There’s no danger to us.” I nodded as I watched another one of them jumped off the cliff. They were all still in their shorts and had simply just taken off their shirts. “Do you have a swim suit?” asked Jake.

I nodded slowly still unsure about what the guys were doing. Maybe being a giant wolf had something to do with it. A slight chill went through me and I didn’t know if it was due to the cooler temperature or the fact that I was with wolves. “I have no place to change,” I said to Jacob. Oh darn, no cliff diving for me.

“You can change in the back of the car,” offered Jacob scratching the back of his head. I shook my head no. No way was I going to change anywhere near a group of guys. Windows were perfectly see through and I did not trust them.

“How about in the woods?” offered one of the guys jogging over. I remembered him as the one that had sat in the back with me. “Nobody will be able to see any part of you even if you go in twenty feet.” I looked towards the dense woods and didn’t doubt it. I could barely see past the second line of trees. But it was the woods. They ran in the woods. I really didn’t want to go in there.

I shifted uncomfortably as they both watched and waited for my response. “You have to come with me,” I said suddenly to the younger boy. I was surprised it had come out of my mouth. By the looks of Jacob and the boy they were too. Jacob cast an angry look towards the boy but he didn’t notice.

“Alright,” he shrugged. “Come on.” He reached out to grab me and I flinched back with a whimper. The boy’s eyes got really big as he pulled his arm back. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I forgot you’re afraid of us.”

He looked really wounded that I had reacted that way and I made myself relax some. I didn’t want him to feel bad. It wasn’t his fault he was a giant wolf, at least I don’t think it was. “Come on,” he urged again but this time he didn’t reach out to me and simply turned, waiting for me to follow.

“Seth,” called Jacob after us and the guy turned to look at him. “Make sure she stays safe.” Seth nodded once and turned back around. We walked away from the boys and into the line of trees.

He walked us into the woods a ways and then finally he stopped. “Alright, the guys won’t be able to see anything from here. I’ll go wait over there,” he said and jerked his thumb behind a large tree. He turned and began to walk towards it.

“Thank you,” I said to him quietly. I didn’t think he would have heard me but he turned around and gave me a smile. It was slightly contagious and I found myself giving a timid smile back. As the boy disappeared around the tree I realized how lonely it was out here.

There didn’t seem to be any animals or noise at all. It was deathly quiet and quite eerie. Putting my back to the tree he was behind I quickly changed into my bathing suit. It was a simple neon green suit. It really made my tan stand out and that’s the reason I liked it. “I’m all set,” I said turning towards where Seth would appear.

He came out from behind the tree and walked over to me. “You look good,” he said. I lightly blushed at his compliment. Yeah he was a wolf but he was also pretty good looking. A breeze blew through the trees and I shivered as it made contact with my skin. Seth didn’t even flinch though. “Cold?” he asked.

“Aren’t you?” I wondered. I turned and walked in the direction we had come from. Seth easily caught up and fell into step beside me. I still made sure there was space between us.

“Nope,” he said and I could hear the smugness in his voice. “Being a shape shifter we never get cold. We run at a steady 108 degrees.” My mouth literally dropped.

“You should be dead,” I said in shock.

“Thanks,” said Seth sarcastically.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that—” I stopped once I realized he had been joking. He grinned at me and held back laughter. I blushed again and wondered what was wrong with me. I shouldn’t start liking a wolf. He was a wolf. I slightly cringed as I pictured teeth and claws. I could too easily imagine them ripping through my skin. I took a step to the side, making more room between us.

We exited the trees just in time to see the last guy jump off the cliff with a cry of excitement. “You going to jump?” asked Seth as we walked closer to the edge.

“Absolutely not,” said Jacob coming over to us. “It’s too dangerous.” Seth shrugged and then ran and jumped off the cliff doing a dive. I slowly crept closer to the edge and peered over. I saw Seth make a light splash in the water. The height made my head spin and I slowly backed away from the edge.

I hit something hard and warm and I gave a cry of alarm. I spun around quickly and backed away from Jacob. He was too close. The cliff had become forgotten in my mind. That is until half of my foot was hanging over the edge.

I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. More specifically a wolf and a cliff. I was frozen with fear, my eyes wide and my heartbeat in my ears. Suddenly Jacob lunged forward towards me, his hand outstretched. I gave a cry of alarm and leaned away from him. It was just enough to upset my balance.

I had just enough time to see Jacob’s panicked face before I was completely over the edge. All I saw after that was the blackness of the ocean rushing towards me to swallow me whole. I closed my eyes dreading the impact that was inevitable.