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We're here. Jake sent out the telepathic warning the moment his shoe clad foot touched the ground. Perched on a log several meters away, Embry was squirming.

This is insane. I can't believe Leah did this.

Yeah well, suck it up. She's here so you might as well leave now or play it cool. Jake gave the girl behind him a short glance. She was still struggling with the straps of the helmet he'd made her wear. Rolling his eyes, he reached for the buckle and pulled. When Kara felt his fingers on hers, she froze. It was irrational to be so nervous, but Kara had gone so long without having to speak to those her own age, she'd lost almost all manner of social properiety.

"Okay now?"

Taking another deep breath, Kara nodded slowly. She refused to meet his questioning look. It felt as if she'd spent the last sixteen years of her life forgetting how to act around a boy. Everything felt so awkward, and stupid and uncomfortable.

"You're sure Leah's going to be there? I mean, I don't want to intrude."

No, not at all, Jake thought sarcastically; but he waved a dismissive hand.

"You'll be fine. C'mon then, let's go."

Wrapping her arms around herself, Kara got off the bike and followed the boy through the shrubs towards the beach. She could hear the waves lapping on to the shore and smell the salt in the air. Nostalgia washed over her; potent and strong. Momentarily disturbed, Kara stopped walking. Her eyes were stinging from tears that threatened to spill.

Pull yourself together, Powell.

Jake stopped walking too. He turned to look at her, a little worried. "You okay?"

She tried to smile. "I'm fine."

Jake didn't believe her but he let it go. She was a strange one, this one.

When Kara started again, she was so caught up on her thoughts that she didn't see the branch lying across her path. Clumsily, she tripped, falling ungracefully. As if on instinct, Jake threw his hands forward and caught her mid air. His words were automatic. "You're so clumsy, Bella."

Kara blinked a few times, composed her thoughts and scrambled to her feet. "Excuse me?"

Jacob wanted to kick himself. It had been a long time since he'd had any thought of Bella. That was his first slip up in weeks.

"Nothing. Listen, let's just hurry."

When they finally managed to get to where the others were waiting, Kara's breath hitched in her throat. She was so nervous, she was literally sweating through her shirt. Discreetly, she tried to catch a whiff of herself. She hoped she wasn't going to start stinking the place up any time soon.
Jake motioned her towards a log before he took his seat next to the largest boy of the group. Only one other boy sat there, his head bowed. The others stood around the growing fire in a circle, all looking intently at her. The guys had short hair, and had donned light t shirts, knee length jeans and sneakers for the night. Kara wandered whether the cold posed a problem for them. There were girls too. A few held beer bottles in their hands.

Warning bells went off and desperately, Kara searched the faces for Leah's. Where was she? Jacob, the only other person she knew there, had taken to watching the flames of the fire between them. He was completely ignoring her.

Well, what do you expect? Kara admonished herself, you only just shared a bike ride with him.

Someone turned up a radio and rap music filled the air. The low dim of conversation raised several decibels. After she'd had her fill of the crowd around her, Kara's eyes rested finally on the quiet boy sitting on her log. He hadn't looked up, or moved at all really. She could see his hair flopping haphazardly over his forehead, and the dimple that creased his chin. She hadn't had time to decide whether to talk to him or not when a breathless girl bumped into her side. It was Leah.

Despite only having met her that afternoon, Kara was instantly relieved when she saw her.

"Oh thank god," she breathed, turning to face the girl. Leah smirked, "You missed me that much?"

Kara loosened the grip she'd crossed her arms into. Was it just her or had the air grown a sudden warmth?

"So how is it going? Have any of the guys introduced themselves yet?" Kara was sure she imagined the pointed look Leah gave Dimpled Chin behind her. She shook her head, no.

"Well that's a tragedy. Wouldn't want tonight ending without making new friends now, would we?" Now that was definitely a pointed question. Kara swiveled in her seat to discover that Dimpled Chin had gotten to his feet and was now over with the other guys. His back was to them and she could easily make out the muscles that strained against the shirt he wore.

Swallowing down a gulp, Kara tried to make conversation. So where were all the other kids from school? Kara had assumed it was a Quileute thing.

Not every Quileute had a right to attend the parties, Leah informed her, the bonfires were very hush hush and private. Kara was confused. If they were indeed, then why had Leah invited her? She hated the thought of intruding in something so socially ostracizing.

Leah laughed and assured her that it didn't matter. Sam's dad knew her Uncle so that made her kind of like family. Although of course, a few of the guys there wouldn't like referring to her as blood, Leah didn't mind.

When Kara questioned this statement, Leah winked at her mischieviously. "Let's just say you aren't as invincible as you think you are in school."

Kara's pummelled self esteem couldn't have gained voice at a worse time. "Oh on the contrary, I know I'm not invincible. Which is the worst part, really. I know everyone else, and they know me but ... well..." her shoulders went up and down as if the rest didn't matter any more. Leah looked pitiful.

"I understand, you know. I hated high school when I was there..."

Kara was shocked. She peered at the girl beside her, all five foot ten of her, with her golden skin and straight chin length hair, and gaped. She couldn't imagine someone like Leah finding high school hard.

"Why are you here, though? La Push isn't exactly a top holiday destination. We usually get the ones who don't have anywhere else to go down here."

The sixteen year old pursed her lips and looked down to examine her hands. Flame and light from the bonfire cast eerie shadows on everything around her. It was beautiful and a little unnerving. "I didn't have a choice either," she told Leah truthfully, even though she knew that confiding in a total stranger probably wasn't a good idea. Her admission piqued Leah's curiousity. When she didn't immediately continue though, Clearwater sighed audibly. "We all have our stories, and our secrets. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

Kara turned to face her and found understanding in her dark brown eyes. Her lips stretched into the first genuine smile she'd had when she first got to the beach. "Thank you."

Paul approached the two girls with bottles in his hands. He didn't seem drunk but Leah knew that he'd probably had more than a few. It took far more to get drunk when you were a shifter. Who knew that phasing would've been the only hangover cure they'd ever really need?

"Hey Leah, who's your friend?"

Kara's eyes widened at the tall boy. He wore a muscle shirt, barely covering the tattoo on his arm, and a pair of jeans so low cut that they were hanging precariously off of his waist. She gulped at the sight. It didn't help her social awkwardness that the boy now staring intently at her possessed one of the handsomest and expressive faces she'd ever come across.

Leah hissed threateningly, as if to tell him to go away. Paul didn't seem fazed by this. He simply handed Kara the drink and extended a welcoming hand.

"I'm Paul. You must be...?"

The fog that had encompassed Kara's mind cleared just enough to have her stammering out an introduction. "K-Kara. I'm Kara."

"You're awfully pretty, you know that Kara?" Paul winked at her. Something about the action sent tingles of warm, delicious fire through the girl. Was he flirting with her? Impossible.

Leah hissed again, this time, her brown eyes flashed a warning amber. Keep away from this one, Paul, she seemed to say.

The younger girl said nothing. She just stood there, blushing profusely at the attention the handsome boy was throwing her. Realizing what was going on, Leah gave Paul a mental kick - one that she made sure he'd feel - and threw Jake a beseeching glance.

This idiot is going to mess everything up for Embry if you don't do anything, Black.

Paul physically grimaced but his discomfort was gone before Kara could notice. He dismissed Leah's voice in his head completely.

Not my fault if Call can't man up. This one's lovely. I'm not going to pass up an opportunity to get l-

Embry, beer in his hand, glared at his pack mate from where he stood.

She isn't just an easy lay, fucktard. Stay away from her if you know what's good for you.

Paul smiled at the threat and reached a hand forward; fingers brushing lightly against Kara's blush tinged cheek. He leaned in and whispered another compliment into the girl's ear, satisfied when he heard her quiet giggle.

I said stay away from her, Lahote! Embry screamed. Leah, Jake and Jared were standing as quiet as mice around the bonfire now. They all knew that Paul was just riling the boy up, but the genuine anger in Embry's voice was unmistakeable. Under any other circumstances, they wouldn't have minded the fight that promised to ensue, but there were non-pack members there. Having two wolves erupt from teenage boys in front of a human would do very poorly in keeping their secret hidden.

Jake cleared his throat and trudged towards Paul. "I see you've met Kara," his cheerful voice was as constructed as his smile was. "Kara, I see you've met the reservation's biggest flirt."

Kara blinked a few times, then realization dawned. Of course. Hesitantly, she stepped away from the boy. "Oh?"

Jake nodded before taking a swig of his beer. "Yup. Our very own romeo right here, though I wouldn't say that he's..." Paul's playful shove sent the smaller boy almost sprawling to the soft sand. "You flatter me, Jacob Black." Jake gave a dry laugh, "Really, I don't. Paul here beds what, two, three girls a night?"

Lahote gave a low growl, but Kara didn't miss it. "Has nothing against your swaying leech loving Bella Swan's affections, though."

Jacob's eyes darkened. In a matter of moments the light banter turned tense. Kara couldn't help but wish she'd just stayed home. The testerone war boiling before her was beginning to get to her head. She didn't bother trying to understand what Paul meant by leech loving but she assumed that he was hinting at some sort of unrequited love story. Judging by Jacob's reaction, it was obvious who's love had been unrequited in that particular triangle.

"Uhm, you know what, I'm going to just go home now." Did her voice really sound that clear? Kara could only guess. Her head was already beginning to spin. Maybe it was from the beer; though she knew she hadn't downed more than a couple of gulps. She'd had her fair share of alcohol back home. She could hold her drink when it came to it. No, this was different. It took her a long time to decipher the niggling feeling that crept up her spine, easing it's way into her mind. Kara held her hand flat across her belly and tried to remember the last time it had happened.

The accident, that night at the restaraunt.

"Oh no," she whimpered, tears swimming in her eyes. Not one of the two guys, or Leah, noticed though. They were both still so focussed on glaring at one another.

"Leah..." Kara tried to say. She couldn't though. Her voice wasn't as strong as before. A small croak was the only thing that she could manage. Stumbling backwards, she looked up to see the boys before her standing face to face. Their fists were clenched by their sides and they were both breathing quick. Jacob reached up and shoved Paul back a couple steps. Paul replied in kind. The shoving went on for as long as it took the rest of the crowd to notice the two. Furious, Jacob raised both his hands up and locked these around Paul's neck. They started to wrestle; growls erupting from deep within sculpted chests. Kara would've been worried had she not been overcome by the tickle that ran the the full length of her spine; up and down, up and down. It felt as if she was being electrocuted.

"Stop," she pleaded, even though she knew they weren't going to hear. Paul managed to pull free of Jake's grasp and had him pinned to the sand beneath him. They were both visibly trembling. But then Jake's arm swung too far out, fist clenched and hit the only other body by them - Kara's.

The force had her reeling. In all her life, Kara had never been hit by another person before, so she wouldn't really know what to compare it to. But when she was flown off her feet and several meters away from where she'd originally been standing, the girl knew that this wasn't supposed to be happening. Normal people couldn't send you flying in to the air with a single blow. By the time her back hit the damp sand, inches shy of the sea, Kara was already trying to plan her next course of action. It was what she'd been programmed to do. Act now, panic later; her mother had always said. And with her lungs still struggling to draw breath, she knew that she definitely had to act now.

Springing back to her feet, Kara brushed the hair away from her face and was surprised to see Leah and another boy, Dimpled Chin, by her side. How they'd managed to get there so fast escaped her. "Are you okay?" Dimpled Chin asked, genuine worry in his voice. Kara looked up at him, into the warm brown of his eyes, and nodded slightly. "I'm fine, just a little winded."

Leah fumed. "I can't believe those bone heads did this. I swear Kara, I didn't..."

Dimpled Chin dug his hands under Kara's body and lifted. In a matter of moments, she was in his arms, held tight against his chest. He seemed angry too, Kara thought, but his voice was so calm when he spoke. Turning to Leah, he motioned towards the guys back at the bonfire. They'd stopped fighting when they realized what they'd done. "I'll take her home."

Leah said nothing. She only just nodded and looked back at Kara, still contrite. "I really am sorry. I'll drop in after, okay? This is all my fault."

Kara was too stunned to say anything. While a large part of her was still trying to find her breath, she could only just comprehend that she was being held in a strange boy's arms. A boy who, with the little clothing he had on, was almost as warm as her uncle's fireplace back home. The chill from the damp sand made her curve into this boy, this boy who was walking away from the group and along the beach, body searching for relief from the cold. Kara peered up at his face cautiously. His face was composed, feelings well hidden beneath a facade that she recognized as one she often donned. When she finally found her voice, Kara tried to speak.

"What's your name?" she asked, feeling kind of silly. She could only just imagine how they looked like; a tall boy carrying a five foot seven teenage girl in his arms. He didn't reply.

Kara tried again. "I'm letting you bodily handle me. The least you could give me is your name." And while the thought seemed absurd, Kara was sure she could trust it. In his arms, right then, with the tickle almost gone and damp clothes the only thing she had to show for the scuffle back there, she felt as if she could trust him. She'd let him take her anywhere.

The boy glanced at her. His hair fell over his eyes in a way that made her fingers itch to brush through it. Foolishly, the girl let her mind wander. She was halfway between mentally touching his hair and face when he finally spoke.

"You can call me Embry."