A New Life

Turns out Paul wasn’t all that bad. He was actually quite a sweetheart if you looked passed the whole player persona. After we spent most of the morning cliff diving we all soon moved to the beach that was close by and we were messing around in the sand.

“So Grace was telling me that she hung out with Edward all day yesterday and he asked her out on a date,” Bella said as Jacob, Quil, Embry, Jared, Paul, and I were all just sitting around watching Sam and Seth throw a football back and forth.

“You’re friends with the Cullen family,” Jared said and I gave him a weird look.

“Is that a bad thing?” I asked, “You just said the family name like they had some sort of disease.”

“Not entirely,” Jacob said, “We just don’t trust them per say.”

“Why?” I asked confused, “They seem harmless.”

Paul just snorted and I looked up at him confused.

“Now someone has to explain,” I said, “You’re all talking in code amongst yourselves.”

They all looked at each other and then Sam came up to us.

“Tonight at the bonfire Grace,” Sam said, “Just know that we don’t trust the Cullen family like you do at the moment.”

“Is this like a family feud thing?” I asked and they all smiled lightly and I groaned.

“Kind of Gracie,” Paul said using the name he had started calling me after I had clung to him for dear life while cliff diving.

I just sighed and put my head on Paul’s shoulder and let the subject drop since I was going to get answers tonight.

“Fine,” I said, “I’ll let you all explain then I guess. Until then what are we supposed to do?”

“I have an idea,” Paul smirked and I quickly scrambled up from the sand and stripped my clothes off because I knew what was going to happen.

“Paul don’t you dare,” I said as I rushed off and I heard everyone laughing.

I didn’t get very far when I felt someone scoop me up and I squealed loudly. I was holding onto Paul’s back tightly as I heard him laughing as I was moving up and down against his shoulder.

“Paul if you drop me in that ocean I will kick your ass,” I warned and Paul just laughed even more.

“Like you scare me Gracie,” he said and saw the waves.

“Paul!” I squealed as we got deeper into the ocean.

I was then thrown into the air and landed in the ocean. I quickly popped up from the water to find Paul just laughing along with the other boys on the beach. I was just glaring him. He turned to look at me and gave me an apologetic look.

“You look really pissed,” he said and I just gave him a really look.

“What gave that away?” I asked.

Paul just stood in front of me and I sighed.

“Can you move I would like to go dry off,” I said.

“Nope not until you accept my apology,” he said, “I’m sorry Gracie.”

“Paul just move,” I said getting annoyed, “The more you make me stand out here the more I’m getting pissed off.”

“Nope not until you say I’m forgiven,” he said.

“You’re forgiven,” I said, “Now move.”

Paul then sighed and turned around.

“Come on I’ll give you a piggyback ride,” he said.

I then smirked, payback was going to be sweet even though I had to get dunked twice.

“Fine,” I said and jumped on his back.

I think I caught him off guard because when I went to pull back we both fell back into the ocean. I quickly popped up to find Paul glaring playfully at me and I was laughing with everyone else on the beach. That then caused an all-out water fight between me and Paul. After what felt like eternity Paul and I called it truce and I was starving and saw that Billy and some of the other adults were out by what looked like a bonfire.

“Oh my god we’re going to have a bonfire?” I asked excitedly looking at Paul.

“Yeah,” he said, “Have you never been to a bonfire before?”

“Never,” I said smiling widely, “This is going to be so epic.”

Paul just laughed at me as we dried off and I put on my clothes and he helped me bring my things closer to the bonfire.

“Hey Billy,” I said as we got closer to the bonfire.

“Hey Grace,” Billy smiled at me, “I thought Jake said Bella invited you.”

“Yeah,” I said and then I noticed that there was a husband and wife sitting on the logs next to Billy.

“Hi I’m. . .” I started to introduce myself but the woman stopped me.

“We know who you are sweetheart,” the woman grinned, “I’m Sue Clearwater, Seth and Leah’s mom and this is Harry, my husband. Your mom spent a lot of time here on the reservation with Bella’s dad while they were growing up. Your mom and I were good friends.”

“Well then that makes things easier then,” I giggled.

“Come on Gracie,” Paul said, “I think Emily brought the food for dinner.”

“It was nice meeting you Mr. & Mrs. Clearwater!” I exclaimed as Paul rushed me to the food.

Paul demanded that he make my plate so I could eat all the good food and instead of my normal I’m an independent woman and can take care of myself rant I let Paul have his five minute of fame and he handed me my plate.

“Hey Grace you should’ve came to town way sooner,” Embry said, “I can’t believe Paul is being such a gentleman. Making you a plate before himself. What did you do place a spell on him?”

“Shut the hell up Embry,” Paul groaned, “I’m just being nice.”

“Do you even know what the word means?” Leah asked smirking at him and then winking at me.

“Leave the poor guy alone,” I said.

“Yeah,” Paul said.

“It’s not his fault his likes women,” I finished and I heard him scoff and everyone just laughed.

For the first time in a really long time I felt normal. I didn’t have a broken heart because of some boy and my parents didn’t get a divorce. I was just Grace Potter the girl who moved from Vail. It was actually really nice. Emily’s food was to die for and I went back for seconds which made the boys laugh and grin. After eating, some of the boys were just hanging out and I was sitting next to Paul. Paul had his back against the log and I had my head in his lap. We were just quietly talking while he was playing with my hair when he said something that threw me off guard.

“So I know Cullen asked you out on a date and I know you probably said you would go on one because you seem like the type of girl to give everyone a chance so I want one too,” Paul said out of the blue.

“What?” I asked.

“Let me take you out on a date,” Paul said, “One where I think of something cheesy that you would like to do and I actually spend money.”

“Paul we. . .” I started.

“I know we just met today but I want to take you out on a date,” he said.

I sighed and looked up at him to find that he was completely serious. I closed my eyes and decided to go with it.

“Okay,” I said, “I’m going on my date with Edward Friday.”

“Then I’m taking you out Saturday,” he said, “I’ll get your cell phone number later because Billy’s about to start on the stories.”

We all got closer to the bonfire and I sat close to Paul because I noticed he was very warm and I was starting to get cold from being in the water all day.

“As all of you know our tribe settled in La Push a very long time ago and we became very good fishermen and shipbuilders. As the western lands were opened to the white people we soon started losing our land to others and since we were such a small tribe we couldn’t defend ourselves Kaheleha, the chief had everyone get in the ships they had crafted and left the land. To protect our land Kaheleha is known as our first spirit chief because he used our magic to have his and all the men’s spirits leave the ships with the women taking care of their bodies while they dealt with the intruders. Since our spirits could not physically hurt our enemy we had other ways. We blew fierce winds into their camps and make screaming noises in the winds and talk to the animals to help us since they were the only ones to see Kaheleha and his men. The tribes had packs of dogs pull their sleds from the north and Kaheleha set them against the enemy. They even had bats come out of the cliff caverns and ran out the intruders thinking our lands were cursed and the men returned back to their bodies victorious,” Billy started and I looked at Paul.

“Ever hear of these legends?” Paul asked.

“No,” I said, “They’re real right?”

“We think so,” Paul whispered and Billy continued on with the story.

“Generations had passed and the last of our great Spirit Chiefs had finally came to be. Taha Aki was a man of peace and was well known for his wisdom. We had peace with the Hohs and Makahs for years and years. However there was one man named Utlapa who believed that the Quileutes should use our magic to expand our land and control over the Hohs and the Makahs, to build an empire. When spirit warriors leave their bodies their minds are all connected with each other, meaning these warriors could hear each other’s thoughts. When Taha heard Utlapa’s thoughts, he did not like them and banned him from the tribe. However Utlapa did not leave the land completely. He hid in the nearby forest waiting for his revenge. While waiting, Taha Aki protected our people vigilantly even when there was no said danger. Taha Aki would leave every so often and head to a secret and sacred place in the mountains. There he would leave his body in search for surrounding danger. One day Utlapa had followed him and planned to kill him. However when he saw Taha Aki’s body lying there he had another plan. Utlapa took Taha Aki’s body and killed his own body leaving Taha Aki in spirit form. Taha knew what was happening as soon as Utlapa had joined him in the spirit world but was too late. For weeks Taha had followed Utlapa who had made the tribe believe he was the real Taha. The first rule Utlapa made was no warrior was to enter the spirit world because he had a vision of danger. In all honesty Utlapa was afraid of Taha Aki. Taha watched as he took a second and third wife while Taha’s only wife remained alive. Eventually Taha was able to bring a great wolf down to kill Utlapa but Utlapa hid behind the warriors and young man died making Taha’s grief even worse than before. The wolf followed him through the forest and with all his agony and pain Taha was jealous of the animal because it had a body and a life. Then the idea of sharing the wolf’s body came to his mind. He asked the wolf if they could share it’s body and the wolf agreed. This idea alone changed the future of the Quileutes. With the body of the wolf being shared, they both headed into the village. The people feared the wolf and called for the warriors who came bearing spears in their hands. However they stopped when they realized the wolf was retreating and trying to yelp the songs of our people. The warriors then realized that the wolf had to be influenced by a spirit because of its actions. An old warrior, Yut, knew he had to find out so he disobeyed the orders of Utlapa and left his body. Yut gathered the truth instantly and welcomed Taha Aki. However Utlapa knew what was happening and raced towards Yut’s body with a knife. The other warriors were confused but before Yut could speak after getting back to his body, Utlapa killed him. Taha Aki was so angry that the wolf started shuddering and soon transformed into a man before the eyes of the warriors. This man however did not look like Taha Aki’s body but like his spirit and the warriors recognized it immediately. Utlapa tried to run but since Taha had the strength of the wolf killed him. Everything returned to normal after the realization of what happened. However Taha Aki kept the rule of forbidding spirit travel. From then on Taha Aki was known as the Great Wolf or the Spirit Man. Since he did not age he lead the tribe for years and years. He fathered many sons, who in turn found out they could into wolves upon reaching manhood. However their wolf form reflected the spirit of the man and no two wolves were the same. Some became warriors like Taha Aki and never aged. Some did not like to transform and started to age,” Billy said ending his second story.

I was so engrossed in the story and history of this tribe that I had no clue that was why they believed in being shapeshifters and why they had so much respect for the wolves. I knew there was more coming because Billy said he needed to take a small break. Jacob went to go get Billy something to drink and Paul pulled me closer to him and I looked up at him.

“So what do you think?” he asked.

“That your history is absolutely beautiful,” I said smiling at him, “No wonder you all have so much respect for the wolf.”

“Wait you know a little bit about the Quileute tribe,” Paul said and I blushed slightly.

“I’m an in the closet nerd,” I said, “I researched some things before I came.”

“Well do you believe in the shapeshifting?” he asked and I shook my head yes.

“Absolutely,” I said, “I don’t know if you just think they’re legends but I one hundred percent believe they’re real.”

Paul just looked down at me and smiled a bit.

“You’re the first person I’ve ever heard believe it in one hundred percent,” he said and I smiled lightly.

“Alright so we have two more stories and then we’ll be done for the night,” Billy said and he started on the third story, “After Taha Aki had finally gave up his spirit self, trouble again brewed with the Makahs. Young women had disappeared and the Makahs believed that it was the neighboring wolves but it wasn’t the wolves because their minds were all connected. Taha Aki did not want a war, especially since he was not as strong as he was before. He gave his eldest son, Taha Wi, the responsibility to find out who was to blame. Taha Wi led five wolves to search through the mountains looking for evidence but they only found a strange, sweet scent. They followed it and the journey took them so far north that Taha Wi sent the two younger brothers back to inform Taha Aki. Taha and the other two wolves never returned. A year later, two Makah madiens were taken from their homes and on the same nights the Makahs called upon the wolves. We found the same sweet scents and we went on the hunt once more. However only one wolf returned. Yaha Uta, the eldest son of Taha Aki’s third wife, returned carrying strange cold pieces of a corpse. He then went into detail what happened to his brothers. One underestimated the strength of the creature and became a victim. Yaha Uta and his older brother were more careful but the creature matched the movements and got his hands on one of them and Yaha Uta found an opening and killed the creature by tearing at the creature’s throat as he tried to save his brother. He was too late but succeeded in killing the enemy. Yaha laid the remains of the creature on the ground to be examined. Suddenly the corpse began to attach itself together and the elders set fire to them before it could become a creature again. They spread the ashes everywhere and Taha Aki wore a small bag of the ashes to be warned if the creature ever decided to get himself together again.”

Billy then pulled out the exact bag and my eyes widened.

“They called the creature the Cold One and the Blood Drinker. Everyone feared that there were others like it since they only had one wolf protector left. Then came the Cold Woman, who was the mate of the creature Yaha Uta had killed. She was absolutely the most beautiful creature to be seen, though on boy complained the smell hurt his nose. He was the first to die at the hands of the woman,” Billy said and my brain started working in overload, “She then proceeded to kill others until Yaha Uta arrived, followed by Taha Aki, the elders, and Taha’s third wife. Yaha Uta was defeated and Taha Aki turned into an old gray wolf by his anger alone and began fighting the Cold Woman. During this Taha’s third wife came to a conclusion. She had just seen her son killed and now seeing her husband in terrible danger with the rest of her sons and the tribe. She heard every word the witnesses had told the council along with Yaha Uta’s version of events the other one was beaten. She knew that Yaha’s brother divergence had saved him. She then proceeded to grab a knife from one of her sons and ran toward the blood drinker and stabbed herself in the heart. The Cold Woman could not turn away from the fresh blood and gave into the thirst. Taha Aki then bit her throat and finished her off along with two of his sons who had transformed from the anger of them watching their mother die. After that however Taha Aki never returned to his human self, staying to protect his wife’s body and leaving the forest never to return to the tribe.”

Before anyone could say anything Billy launched into the final story of the night.

“Which leads us to our tribe today,” Billy said, “After the third wife’s sacrifice Taha Aki’s descendants no longer turned to wolves when they reached manhood. They only turned when a cold one was near. The cold ones always came in one or two so the pack stayed small with three wolves until a bigger coven came. The leader of the pack at this time was my ancestor Ephraim Black. The leader of this coven spoke to my grandfather as if he were a man and promised not to harm the Quileutes. The people in this coven had golden colored eyes and this gave proof to this so a treaty was offered. There really was no need of this treaty since they outnumbered the pack but my grandfather accepted the treaty and the coven’s number forced a larger pack than ever before. Over the years the coven left and then has recently returned to Forks but they have always kept true to their words and have not harmed the tribe or any other human. Which leads us to where we are today.”

He then smiled over at me and my brain finally put it together. The boys didn’t like the Cullen family. They were all a ridiculous temperature, they were quick, toner than any other people their age and were all completely close. The protectors did exist and I had spent all day with them. Then that meant. . .

“Holy fucking shit,” I whispered and looked up to see Paul and everyone looking at me.

“I think. . .” Quil started.

“You are. . .and the Cullen family are. . .” I started trying to form a sentence in my head but my thoughts were going at a hundred miles an hour.

“Gracie,” Paul said cautiously and I quickly stood up.

“I have to go home to process,” I said, “I can’t process.”

“I’ll take you home,” Paul said and I followed Paul to his house.

I crawled into Paul’s truck and he started the drive home. It was mostly quiet me just staring at Paul and trying to figure out what I thought about this whole thing. I was about to say something but I was completely shocked to find Edward’s car sitting in front of my house. I noticed Paul’s hands tighten around the steering wheel and I put my hand on his hands.

“Don’t do anything stupid Paul,” I said, “I don’t want you to get in trouble with Sam.”

Paul immediately looked at me shocked.

“I’m putting pieces together,” I said quietly, “I’m very observant.”

Paul smiled lightly and quickly helped me out of the truck. The moment he shut the passenger door, Edward was out of his car and I could tell something might actually happen in front of my house.

“What are you doing here Edward?” I asked.

“You left your notebook at my house,” he said, “I was coming to return it to you.”

“Thank you,” I said grabbing the notebook from him but staying closer to Paul.

The tension was so thick that the next words that came out of my mouth made it ten times worse.

“I know,” I said, “I know everything.”