After Seth ran out into the rain, I smiled to myself. Leah seemed like a, well fun wasn't the right word, but a great partner in crime and an even better friend. Jacob was walking behind me in stunned silence as we found Emily in the kitchen. She had her a large silver bowl in her hand and was mixing some kind of batter, but as she turned to look at us, she almost dropped it. "Why do we always meet with you looking like halfway to hell?!?" Jacob laughed loudly at this and I gaped at her. "Do I look that bad?" I asked defensively as Jacob continued laughing. I had forgotten my black eye and sore muscles with Jacob, he never looked at me with shock or disgust. Which I guess is a good thing, because I spent most of my childhood covered in bruises that make this seem like nothing. I snapped out of my thoughts as Emily put down the batter and swatted Jacob with a spoon "What good are you to let your imp-" she stumbled "friend, go traipsing around in the rain, she'll catch a cold!" Now it was my turn to laugh as Jacob gaped. Emily came over and brushed a hand against my forehead, "Do you feel alright?" She asked with a motherly tenderness I'd never had directed at me before and that combined with thinking about my childhood... I blinked back the sudden tears and swallowed the lump in my throat before saying "Yeah I feel fine, fit as a fiddle." I ignored the concerned look Jacob was giving me, as if he could tell something was off.

Emily gently touched the bruising around my eye and I hissed through my teeth at the sudden burst of pain. Jacob loosed a noise that sounded very much like a growl, and Emily turned to him with an apologetic glance. I raised an eyebrow at the sound, but he ignored me and kept a predatory like focus on Emily. She gave him a knowing smile and said "your all the same really, overprotective beasts." Jacob seemed to come out of whatever trance he was in and gave me a sheepish smile as Emily went back to her baking. I couldn't help but feel like I was on the outside of some inside joke. I glanced at Jacob and he read the question in my eyes, which was wanna tell me what that was about? He just shrugged and I read his answer in his expression which was I didn't want you to get hurt, sue me. I shook my head with laughter at him and continued our non verbal conversation with She was right, you are an overprotective beast. But Jacob just smiled and walked over to a room down the hall saying, "There are extra sweatshirts and sweatpants in their if you want to change. I need to run, but Quil and Embry should be back any second."

In response the door banged open, accompanied by loud bickering. Jacob sighed and I smiled. "Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear" I said just as they came around the corner. "HEY Katie! Thought I heard you!" Embry exclaimed, I turned to face them and they both let out a low whistle, "Jesus, what truck hit you?" Quil said in astonishment. "Wow you really know a compliment a girl, it's such a wonder why you still don't have a girlfriend." I also put a hand on Jacobs arm because he got the same look he did when Emily touched my black eye, almost like a predator assessing prey. He seemed to calm under that touch and I felt his tense muscles relax, something in my chest relaxed as well. Jacob just leaned against the wall and said "I wouldn't insult her if I were you, she's the one who has almost finished rebuilding the bikes." Now it was their turn to stare at me amazed. "I didn't know you liked bikes." Embry said with quiet shock, Quil only stared and I shrugged embarrassed because Jacob was severely overstating my talents. "I only helped Jacob, and yes I like bikes and know a bit about rebuilding mechanics, but not much." Before Embry and Quil could pound me with questions Jacob continued with "She also made Leah laugh, not at her but with her, so there's that." Now the boys looked like they had frozen with their mouths open. The boys were still staring at me until it turned uncomfortable and I broke the shocked silence with "Weeeelllll... this has been fun but imma go change now." Then turned into the room Jake showed me. I started shivering as I walked from Jacobs side, I hadn't noticed my hand had still been resting on his arm, and that once his warmth left me, I was instantly cold.

I shut the door with a click and was so cold that I had to get undressed and redressed in segments. Trading a soaked sweatshirt for a dry one that smelled faintly of Jacob, wet jeans for warm leggings like were most likely Emily's, and sodden socks for warm fleece ones. Then I undid my ponytail and shook out my hair, wringing the water from it. I quickly ran my fingers through it as I walked back out. I found Quil and Embry playing cards while sitting on the couch, the cards on the low table in front of them, they were lounging as if they were just happy to be off their feet, and I could smell the muffins Emily was baking in the kitchen.

"Hey, wanna join?" Quil asked me when he saw me walk out. "Sure, deal me in. What are we playing?" Embry quickly gathered up the cards and reshuffled them as I sat down next to them on the couch. Embry dealt out the cards and said "Whatever you want, we were just killin time." "What about B.S" They smiled and agreed.

In the end we only got through one round of cards before Quil got pissy about losing. While Quil was all loud laughter and obnoxious jokes, he was quite funny. Embry was quieter but no less funny, he had more of a dry sense of humor that came out more now than I'd seen before. We switched from cards to video games and the laughing seemed to never stop. We talked and bantered and traded insults for what seemed like hours. Emily stopped us every now and then to offer us food and snacks. Later on, we got tired and just turned on the TV with Quil laying on the floor and Embry seated on the other side of the couch, with my legs sprawled on his lap. As we all watched TV and munched on muffins. It was really nice, the guys accepted me immediately and I imagined this is what it would be like to have brothers.

A cold breeze burst through the house as the door opened again, this time Paul and Jared and Jacob entered looking ragged and as if they had been running and rolling outside in the rain. They walked over to where we were sitting and Jared laughed "Told you they'd be thick as thieves if we left them alone together. Poor Katie has already chosen the dark side." I laughed and sat up noticing Jacobs stare on me and blushed. "Unfortunately, this child of the dark side has to get home before Bella freaks." Jacob laughed and the others smiled at that, during which I snuck a look at Jacob, scanning for cuts and bruises, but he looked fine. Tired and exhausted, but fine. That something in my chest eased again. Geez what's wrong with me. Jacob grabbed some food from the kitchen and said "Ready to go?" I nodded and we headed outside, thankfully it had stopped raining by now and the sun was setting over the trees.

The mist was lying low over the ground and as Jacob and I walked to the bike I asked him a question that had been bugging me since I met them. "So what do you guys do? You seemingly don't go to school, and then you always say you 'have to go' and come back like you've been rolling in the mud. Are in a secret cult?" I wanted him to know that I wasn't mad at him for keeping secrets,just curious. Jacob laughed, but it felt kind of hollow and I would've missed the flash of sadness in his eyes if I hadn't felt it echo deep within me. He just smiled bitterly and said, "Trust me, you don't wanna know." I shrugged "Ok sounds good".

Jacob did a double take, "wait your not mad? I thought you would demand to know what it is and then get sad and angry and hurt, isn't that what's supposed to happen?" I truly laughed at the confusion on his face and said "Having secrets is fine, you'll tell me when you're ready. Besides your not the only one with secrets." Though I doubt his where anywhere near as unpleasant as mine. No Katie, I silently scold myself, that man doesn't have a place in your new life, we leave it all in the past. I clear my throat and say "Why did you think I'd freak out?" He looks at me strangely and said "Cause freaking out is kind of your cousins thing. I was wondering if the trait was passed." I scoffed "Bella? Oh she's sweet and I love her to bits, but we are very different people." Jacob gave me a special smile and said, "Believe me, I know."

A couple weeks passed and I found stability and comfort in the pattern I'd developed. Everyday I would go to school with Bella, then after I would go for a run or swim then do my homework at either Jake or Emilys house. Leah and I became fast friends and the boys felt like the family I'd never had. But Jacob was the one who seemed to know whether I needed a hug or something to punch. He knew when I was simply lost in thought or when I was dragged into my past and needed him to pull me out again. Talking to him was easy and fun. I knew he and his friends were still hiding something from me, but I trusted Jake and I knew he would tell me when he was ready. I still hadn't told him about my past, I didn't know how to approach the subject and, more than that, I was scared that he and everyone else would abandon me. I was scared they would take one look at who I really was, a broken girl, and run away without looking back. I knew that if I opened up and told them, and they left me, that would hurt worse than any of the physical pain.

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