MAYA CHAPTER ONE: MOVING The plane trip was slow as hell.

It took over half hour of nonstop boring conver sations with my mother and father, and then another two and a half hours of abso lute silence between the three of us. I guessed that it was then, after that hal f hour, that they realized that I was furious with them for dragging me all the way from sunny New Mexico to dreary La Push, Forks, Washington a city that I did nt even know existed. Mom said that it was so I could connect to our old roots, s ince her and my father both were born there but, truthfully, I didnt really care about my roots. I only cared about my life now, with my friends back home in San ta Fe. I wasnt exactly excited when the plane finally landed in Seattle, because th at meant that we had another awkward, silent forty-five minute drive to La Push. I wasnt exactly looking forward to that, since my parents and I have been having some friction since I found out about the move. Plus, while my parents were the type of people who had no problems at all talking 60 miles per minute, I was th e complete opposite. My dad actually considered himself lucky if he could get me to speak more than two words to him or my mother at the dinner table. Maya, can you please attempt to smile? my father asked in aggravation after t hirty-eight minutes, looking at me through the rear view mirror. I answered him honestly. Not unless we go back to Santa Fe, I said. For empha sis, I crossed my arms over my chest and looked out of the car window. Okay, I w as overreacting, but, hell. Thats what parents get when they bring something like this up on a teenage girl. Dad sighed. Youre going to thank us for this someday, he told me. Not today, I muttered. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the headre st. I really didnt feel like talking about this with them or anyone; Id rather suf fer in silence. You need to know your roots, Mom intervened. Youre going to enjoy this when yo u dont have to deal with your silly parents embarrassing you. I snapped my eyes open and turned to look at them. WHAT? I yelled. You guys a rent even moving with me? Now, I was furious. This was beyond unfair. They werent j ust dragging me cross-country; they were leaving me cross-country. So much for d eveloping a parent-daughter relationship, I thought sardonically. No, were not staying with you, my father sighed angrily. I swear that man h ated me with all of his being. Your mother got a new job in Madrid, so youre going to be living with your Uncle Seth until you graduate high school. So, instead of taking me with you to a place as awesome as Spain, you dra g me to Forks, Washington, where everything is dull, I accused. Then under my bre ath, I added, That makes perfect sense. Mom turned and smiled sadly at me. Maya, you know we cant afford to bring y ou with us, even though we really want to, but youll be fine without us. Mom, you do know that I only say that to you to piss you guys off, right? I asked, basically using every trick I could, even guilt, to get them to take me with them. Maya, youre not coming and thats final, Dad said, his voice ringing with fau x authority. And I get no say on the matter? I demanded angrily. Then, under my breath, I added, I love you too, jackass. Dad slammed the breaks on the outskirts of the Quileute Reservation, rig ht outside of Forks. Maya, dont make any harder than it needs to be, he hissed. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Then dont be such an ass, I retorted, watching the little blue vein in his forehead pop as I spoke. That was his breaking point. He opened his door and walked over to mine. Opening it, he growled at me to get out the car and walk to Uncle Seths. When I refused, he threw all of my stuff out of the car and yelled at me again to get out of the car. I looked ove r my mother, who had tears streaking her face, while my father was screaming at me. Mom mouthed the words that made it all okay. Go, Maya. Ill call you when h

es calm. I nodded and unhooked my seat belt and got out of the car. Dad yelled at me for being disrespectful, slapped me in the face and walked away. He slapped me. He turned to look at me from the drivers seat, and, with my bitchy poker face on, I smiled as cruelly as I could and raised my hand at him, palm facing m e. Then I bent all of my fingers into a fist, except for my middle finger, and w histled like I was calling for a dog. I had always wanted to do that to him. Dad grew so angry that he immediately drove away, driving at about 60 mi les per hour. I found myself sending a silent prayer that hed be pulled over by a cop for speeding or something. I picked my stuff up off of the ground and walked into La Push with my head held high, not willing to let him get me down. Uncle Seth lived a long way from the place where my parents left me, so by the t ime I had gotten to the middle of the reservation, I was exhausted and plopped d own on my butt. My legs were tired and aching, and my feet were in no better con dition. I kicked my shoes off and lied down, planning to sleep on the sand. It felt like a good thirty minutes when five guys found me lying on the g round. They all asked me if I was alright or if I was drunk or stuff like that, and thats when I realized that they were half naked. Holy shit, I thought to myse lf, Ive died and gone to heaven. I told them that I was alright but I needed help to get to my uncles hous e, and they agreed to help me. I stood up and dusted myself off and reached back down to get my suitcase, when an olive-toned hand touched mine and reached for the suitcase himself. I stood up and looked at the man this hand belonged to, an d my breath caught in my throat. He was very handsome. He had this short hair that was black as pitch, much like his eyes. Like the others, he wore no shirt, which allowed me to take adva ntage of his masculine chest. Also like the others, he had this unusual tattoo o n his shoulder, which was beautiful itself. Allow me to take these, he said, his voice deep and smooth. Unable to speak, the best I could do was nod in agreement. He smiled a brilliant smile, which to ok my breath away even more, before turning to walk away towards a big F-150. I stared after him like an idiot before following him and the others to the truck. Once at the truck, the man who took my suitcase opened the passengers door for me and waved a hand that indicated me to go in. I did obediently, mumbling a quiet thank you before he shut the door. He walked around to the back of the truc k where his friends were all sitting and gave one of them my suitcase, telling t hem something with a serious expression on his face. He then walked around to th e drivers seat and closed the door. Buckling his seatbelt, he asked, So, whos your uncle, anyway? Um, Seth Clearwater, I answered nervously, looking at my hands. Oh, really? he asked, seeming stunned. Yes, I replied. His older brother, John, is my dad. Well, he was my dad, I th ought bitterly. Huh, was his only response. You know, Harry never did tell anyone what happe ned once his eldest son got married. He moved to New Mexico and had me, I told him, tasting acid in my voice. Tha ts what happened. Okay, the man said, putting the car in gear and starting the drive to my un cles home. Im Embry, by the way, he says. Embry Call. Im Maya Clearwater. Nice to meet you. He smiled that brilliant smile again, and I found myself struggling to breathe. You, too, I managed to spit out. God, I was making myself look like such a n idiot. If I kept this up, this boy wasnt going to like me very much. Trying to calm myself, I inhaled deeply, which turned out to be a huge mi stake; my throat burned at the smell. Ugh. He was recently around a vampire or s omething, because he smelled horrible. It was like sticking my nose into a rotte

n tomato and, stupidly, inhaling. God, it smelled horrible. Wanna know I can smell vamps? Yeah, Im a werewolf. Cool, huh? Yeah, youd th ink so. Its really not, though, considering that Im so new at it. I found out when I was sixteen and found that my usually caramel-colored skin was sickly pale, a nd my emerald green eyes had turned glowing blue. It was creepy. The rest of the trip to my uncles house was completely silent. Neither of us spoke and I guessed it was because he didnt like me. I couldnt speak because m y throat was still burning. Because of this, I was relieved when we stopped in f ront of Uncle Seths house. I opened the door and walked over to the house, where Uncle Seth was waiting for me. Uncle Seth was only nineteen, which was two years older than me, while m y dad was in his early thirties. He looked a lot like the guys who drove me here , the same dark eyes and pitch black hair and olive-toned skin. Also like the gu ys who were now coming from the truck, he wore no shirt, even when it was only t wenty degrees. Was there some kind of no-shirt rule around here for guys? If the re was, it was good that they let me know now. Hey, Maya, Uncle Seth greeted me eagerly, stepping forward to hug me. I acc epted the hug. We were interrupted by the group of boys running towards the hous e and whooping. My uncle let go of me and greeted Embry and the others. He slapp ed hands with all five of them before turning back to me. Maya, these are a few friends of mine, he told me. Then he went to introduc tions. These are Paul, Jared, Quil, Jacob, and Embry. I shyly said hello to all of them, keeping my eyes down. They smiled at me and said hello back, all except E mbry, who just looked at me intensely. I cleared my throat and looked at my uncl e. Im going to go lie down, if you dont mind, I told him. Jet lagged. He nodded and wi thout another word, I went inside of the little barn-look-a-like house. I walked around the halls for a little while until I found the guest bedroom. When I fou nd it, I went in, closed the door, and immediately lied down on the bed and went to sleep.

EMBRY

CHAPTER TWO: TRUTH COMES OUT

Seth welcomed us all inside, telling us that Leah wasnt home. That was all the in vitation that we needed. We followed him inside and instantly went into the kitc hen. Paul was as hungry as a dog no pun intended so we all went to find food. Jacob grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me aside while the others were in the kitchen, keeping me in the den. Embry, what the hell is up with you? he asked me. His eyes narrowed as he wa ited for my answer. Of course, I knew what he meant, but didnt want to acknowledg e it. I dont know what youre talking about, Jake, I replied, unable to look him in the eye. Embry, why were you looking at Seths niece like that? What happened? He ask ed these questions quietly, as if not to alert the others, though theyd know soon enough. Jake, I-I think I imprinted on her, I admitted, not exactly sure of my emot

ions. A part of me wanted to go over to room where Maya was sleeping, to follow her scent there and make sure that she was alright, but the other part the scare d little pup part of me wanted to just stay here. Are you sure? he demanded. How did you feel when you first saw her? Euphoric, I answered honestly. It felt like she was the only thing that kep t me to the ground. It also felt like I might explode when she looked upset when we spoke in the truck, when she was telling me about her father. I guessed she h ad a bad relationship with him, so I made a mental note not to mention him again . Okay, so youve imprinted with Seths niece. Hmm He deliberated for a moment. I guess the only thing we can do right now is just waiting for a clear sign, he fin ally said. If we notice that it really looks like you really have imprinted with her, then well tell her what we are. I nodded. That sounds fair, I agreed. And it did. Plus, it meant that I h ad the chance to get to know Maya a little bit before weirding her out. That was a good sign. So I guess this means were telling the others? I guessed. Jake nodded and not a second later, the others walked into the den. Wha ts up, Jake? Paul asked while stuffing a handful Dorito chips into his mouth. Embry thinks hes imprinted on Maya, Seths niece, Jacob explained. Everyones eyes bulged out and they turned to stare at me, incredulous. Really? Quil asked. I only nodded in response, still unable to speak. Well, that makes six imprinted wolves, Jared muttered, and counting. No shit, though? Paul asked. I mean, he really imprinted on her? Jacob nodded again. He thinks so, but I want to be sure, just in case, he explained. I want to keep watch over them for the next few days, to make sure he really has imprinted on her. If he has, then Embry will tell her what we are. If not, then we dont tell the girl anything. Everyone got it? We nodded in agreement. Everyone in the pack knew that imprinting on someone was pretty confusing stuff, so we all just wanted this to go over easily . We moved on to cheerier topics after that, teasing Seth for the next fe w hours about how he was going to handle having jail bait living in his house. W ell, it was cheerier for them; for me, the very idea made me want to rip Seths th roat out. Then, I heard Mayas voice down the hall, and my heart almost shattered a t her tone. So, you guys are just going to stay in Madrid? she asked, sounding heartbr oken. She paused. No, I mean, Im happy that you got the job, but couldnt you take m e with you? Im not that difficult Well, thats his problem, not mine I know, Mom, but Ill still miss you No, I wont. In fact, he can go to hell for all I care Because hes a bastard! I dont know what you saw in him, Mom, but hes just not my favorite per son right now, just like Ive never been his Yes, thats absolutely true Oh, no, Mom, you dont have to do that. Mom, dont do that. She paused for a long while as she lis tened to whatever her mother was saying. Damn it, she groaned after a while. Yeah, I love you, too. Im sorry I cause d this Yes, it is my fault, so dont blame yourself Got it Bye. I heard her exhale heavily and snap her phone shut. Then she growled and there was suddenly a loud thump followed by a loud hiss and a string of profani ties. Shit, shit, shit! she yelled at the top of her lungs. I jumped out of my s eat on the floor and almost ran over to Mayas room. What wrong? I asked, unable to hide my concern. I got mad and punched the wall, she answered in a hiss, clutching her left hand. Goddamn, this hurts. You need to go to a hospital, I told her, pulling her by her good hand to h er door. No! she yelled, her eyes bulging out. Im not going to a hospital, Embry. Ill b e fine without a doctor. Dont be a martyr, Maya, I begged her. Your wrist is broken and you need to se e someone about it.

Embry, listen to me, she insisted. I looked her in the eyes, those beautifu l deep green eyes, and waited for her to speak. Embry, I need to show you somethi ng, so please dont freak out. What is it? Look at my hand, she said simply. I did as she said and looked at her hand , amazed at what I saw. Her wrist was completely healed; the bone had been threa tening to stick out was back in its right place. The blood that been coming from her knuckles had dried up and faded away. And I thought I healed fast. How is that possible? I asked, my voice only a whisper. What the hell was s he? How can you heal so fast? Because Im not exactly human, she whispered. Yeah, I figured. So, what are you? Ill explain after I get a bag of ice. My hand may be healed, but it still h urts like a mother. We went to the kitchen and got that bag of ice and wrapped it in a washcloth bef ore putting to her left wrist, which didnt even look bruised. I was a little frea ked out by the fact that she healed even faster than one of us ever could have, so I was very curious to know what she was. The guys looked at Mayas wrist and narrowed their eyes at me. Oh, so they tho ught that I would do something to hurt her. Nice. I rolled my eyes at them, hopi ng that theyd realize that she inflicted this on herself. They seemed to understa nd, their eyes widening back and turning back to the girl. Maya, what happened? Seth asked. Oh, I just got pissed and punched the wall in my room, she answered angrily. You didnt break the wall, did you? Paul joked. Maya smirked. Actually, I left a dent the size of Texas, she replied, seeming smug. Plus, to make it even better, I really fucked up my wrist. She sighed and ad ded, Well, at least it isnt broken. Like it was before, I internally added. I wanted to say that, but I instead said, Im gonna take her outside for some fresh air. Jared snickered. Ten bucks says theyre going for a romantic walk on the beach hand in broken hand, he chuckled. Ten bucks says that Im going to knock you out with my good hand, Maya retorted . Jacob, Paul, and I laughed at that, while Jared just rolled his eyes and prete nded that she hadnt spoken. Maya turned for the front door and I followed, not enjoying the lovesick pu ppy jokes that I heard on my way out. We walked out to the truck and sat in the bed, our feet dangling off the edge. I waited for her to speak, to explain what she was, and I didnt have to wait long.

EMBRY

CHAPTER THREE: EXPLANATIONS

She exhaled deeply, a heavy sigh. God, I have a feeling Im going to regret t elling you this, she whispered, a hint of pink spilling across her caramel-colore d cheeks. How could you think that? I wondered. Because Im a freak, thats why. People always run from people like me, because of the damn stereotypes and it pisses me off. She sighed. I guess I cant put it of

f any longer, she said, taking a deep breath before continuing. There are a lot of myths about my kind, about what we are. Some are way off, and some are right on target. But humans they only ever listen to the ones that make us look like evi l monsters. But thats not what we are. We protect them. We kill the creatures tha t kills them and what, in the much earlier years, killed us. I listened to her silently, not wanting to interrupt, though I wished that shed get to the point. If your parents told you the legends of your tribe, then you already know wh at I am, she said, surprising me. She finally looked up at me. Are you aware of th e legends? she asked. I nodded. I was only too aware of the legends, since I was now a part of them. So, youre a werewolf, I guessed, knowing I was right. She nodded and looked ba ck down at her hands. Well, thats a relief, I added, making her head jerk up in ast onishment. How is that a relief? she demanded, her expression confused. Because now you know what I am, what the others are, I told her truthfully. W elcome to the pack, I added, making her smile. She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. Thank you for this, she said. Anytime, I replied, meaning it. Then I leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, b ut she leaned back and leaned forward just as fast, jumping off the truck. Her s uitcases were now in hand. Denied, she teased. She winked and skipped back into th e house, laughing the whole time. I could only watch as she left, smiling at her playfulness. I loved how she could be all serious one minute and sarcastic the next. While I was still sitting in the back of the truck, Jared and Paul came out of the house, followed by Jacob and Quil, who were saying their goodbyes to Set h. Ah. It was time to go. Lets go, Romeo, Jared joked as he reached the truck. Juliette will still be he re tomorrow, dude. Get a move on. I rolled my eyes at the Shakespeare reference. Stop being such an ass, Jar ed, I responded, smiling just a little. Jared grinned. You say it as if thats possible, he chuckled. So, howd it go wi th the new chick? he asked. Maya is great, I replied, my smile growing. Shes a very feisty little thing, y ou know. For your sake, hope that he doesnt know, Paul interrupted, laughing. I rolled my eyes again at the innuendo and hopped off the bed of the truck. Walking to t he front of the truck, I heard Mayas voice again. It was nice meeting you guys. Um, I hope you guys come back soon. Jacob and Quil both laughed. Oh, I think that can be arranged, Jacob replied , still laughing. Is there something you guys arent telling me? Maya asked, sounding confused. Its an inside joke, Quil explained. Youll probably be in on it soon enough. Ther e was a hushed shit, that hurt following that, so I guessed that Jake elbowed him for revealing something. If Maya noticed, she didnt say anything. Instead she chuckled. If everythin g goes well, I just might, she replied cryptically, chuckling still. Nice meeting you. And then the door shut. So, does it seem like youre imprinted? Jacob asked me in the truck. Yeah, it does, I replied, not looking anywhere but at the windshield. Its pre tty much the way the legends say it would be: protective, loving, I continued. Th en I blurted out the thing I knew would get me in trouble: with no secrets, eithe r. Jacob sighed heavily. Ah, so Im guessing you told her? he asked. His voice w as resigned as if he already knew the answer. Well, as long as he didnt rip my throat out I nodded, not giving any other answer or response. Id decided not to tell the pack about Maya being a werewolf, since it wasnt really my secret to reveal.

It was Mayas, and it would stay that way. To my surprise, Jake laughed once. It didnt take you very long, did it? he c huckled. Sighing again, he said, Well, I guess it happens to the best of us. If it helps, she reacted well, I told. No reference to the fact that she wa s the exact same thing. She didnt even gasp or anything; she just smiled. Of course she didnt scream, Jake replied, grinning. Of course, she did probab ly think youre crazy, but she wouldnt scream. Shes your other half, remember? No ma tter what, shes gonna support you. Oh, well, thats helpful, I replied, still refusing to look anywhere but out the windshield. He was right. Thats what imprinting was: finding your other half. Jakes phone beeped and he pulled out of his pocket and looked at a text mes sage. Paul says to hurry the hell up. Hes hungry again, he told me. I laughed. Well you can tell him to go screw himself because Im not going an y faster, I retorted. He typed in my response and sent it to Paul. Then he turned to me. Its Nessies birthday tomorrow, he informed me. Nessie, or Renesmee Cullen, was the object of Jakes imprint. She was a hybr id, a combination of a human and a vampire. She was an odd little thing perky, t rustful, and clever but she was very likeable, I had to admit. And for a weird kind of present, she asked me to introduce Maya to her, he c ontinued, completely catching me off guard. Wait a minute, what? I demanded, hitting the break. That wasnt exactly a good thing. Dont worry, they wont bite her or anything, Jake assured me. How reassuring, I muttered. The Cullens biting Maya wasnt exactly what I was worried about. In fact, it was the other way around. I wasnt sure, but I had a fe eling that Maya wouldnt react to being around a whole coven of vampires. Howd she f ind out about Maya, anyway? I asked. Seth told her, he replied simply. Okay, that makes sense, I thought. Seth li ked the Cullens for some odd reason that made no sense to the rest of us, even J ake; he only put up with them for Nessies sake (that, and her mother was his best friend.) So, how old is Nessie turning? Three, though she could probably pass for a twelve-year-old. Does that ever get weird, the whole aging thing with her? Hey, I had to ask. Before he could answer, his phone beeped again, and he looked at another tex t message. Paul again, he said, laughing. He says, and I quote: Tell Embry that Ill s crew myself when hell freezes over and that he needs to drive faster fore I bust his ass up. In other words, hurry over to McDonalds before he fucks up your truck . Fine, I replied. But tell him that hes paying for all of it. The next day, Jacob and I drove down to Seths place to pick up Seth and Maya to d rive them down to the Cullens place. Maya was sitting on the porch, cigarette in between her index and middle f ingers and IPhone on her right leg. She was singing along to Eminems Cleaning out My Closet when I stepped out of the truck. I wonder if she knows that shit isnt real good for her, Jake said. I could on ly shrug. I wonder if you guys realize that my headphones arent in my ears and I can h ear every word youre saying, Maya countered, putting the cigarette to her lips. And this isnt even a real cigarette, she continued. Its water vapor, not smoke. My frie nds and I started using these when we were fifteen so we can smoke without getti ng lung cancer. Smart, I complimented. Thank you; it was my idea, Maya beamed. Then she looked both of us over and smiled slyly. Wow, you guys are actually wearing shirts, she teased. Whats the occas ion? My friends birthday is today, and were going over to her house to celebrate, J acob answered. Were just waiting on Seth, but you can come if you want, I added.

Maya chuckled nervously. Thanks for the invitation, but Im not the partying type, so she trailed off. Dont worry about it, Maya, I said. Neither is her family. Maya smiled. Are you sure they wont mind if you bring along an uninvited gu est? she asked. We just invited you, didnt we? I questioned in return, smiling. So, youre not an uninvited guest. Maya nodded and turned her phone off. She put in her pocket and then remo ved the tip off of her fake cigarette, dropped it on the ground, and smashed it with the toe of her boot. Seth came out on the porch at the same time Maya was standing up. He clos ed and locked the door behind him. Okay, lets go, he said, bounding towards the tru ck with Maya a step and a half behind him. I walked over to her and she took my hand. We walked over to the bed of t he truck and I jumped up, pulling her up with me. She smiled and sat. What, youre not driving? she asked. I shrugged. Seth wanted his turn at the wheel, so I said he could, I explai ned. Plus you wanted to see if you could get lucky in the back of your truck, i n twenty-eight degrees, while your friends can do nothing but keep driving, she f inished sarcastically, rolling her eyes and smiling wider. I grinned wickedly and shrugged again. Maybe those were my intentions, I re plied. You never know. Maya chuckled in response. You never know, she agreed, smiling sweetly now . The truck started and soon we were driving out of the reservation, heading to Forks and the Cullens place. Raven black hair blowing in her face, Maya shivered at the cold breeze. I guessed that she wasnt used to this type of weather, and I wanted to help her s o she wouldnt freeze or anything. So I opened my arms wide, an invitation for her to come, and she took it easily, quickly scooting over from her place on the be d to where she was sitting right next to me. She leaned her head against my ches t and rested in my arms, not shivering anymore. It felt good to have her here, wrapped up in my arms like this. Hell, it felt better than good; it was amazing, sensational, exciting, and wonderful. It felt like I finally understood the whole love aspect of imprinting, even though I probably didnt. A few minutes later, we arrived at the Cullens place, where theyd lived fo r the past three years, since Renesmee at least wanted to stay in Forks through middle school. Jacob and Seth both got out of the truck and walked right into th e house, while Maya and I took our time. Warn her, yelled a voice in my head. Warn her now! Hey, Maya, I should probably tell you something I trailed off, uncertain of how to continue. Go on, she prodded. This family here are, um I took a deep breath before continuing, bracing my self for her reaction. Theyre all vampires. Maya hissed angrily. Wait, what? she demanded, her voice low. Before I could try to calm her down, Renesmee walked out of the house and towards us, smiling. Sometimes, and Im being completely serious about this, God will just some of us hopeless pups a bone.