The Twilight Saga Collection part 1(220)

My mind was so preoccupied that the trip I’d been terrified of making seemed to take only a few seconds. Before I was expecting it, the forest began to thin, and I knew I would soon be able to see the first little houses of the reservation.

Walking away, along the left side of the road, was a tall boy with a baseball cap.

My breath caught for just a moment in my throat, hopeful that luck was with me for once, and I’d stumbled across Jacob without hardly trying. But this boy was too wide, and the hair was short under the hat. Even from behind, I was sure it was Quil, though he looked bigger than the last time I’d seen him. What was with these Quileute boys? Were they feeding them experimental growth hormones?

I crossed over to the wrong side of the road to stop next to him. He looked up when the roar of my truck approached.

Quil’s expression frightened me more than it surprised me. His face was bleak, brooding, his forehead creased with worry.

“Oh, hey, Bella,” he greeted me dully.

“Hi, Quil....Are you okay?”

He stared at me morosely. “Fine.”

“Can I give you a ride somewhere?” I offered.

“Sure, I guess,” he mumbled. He shuffled around the front of the truck and opened the passenger door to climb in.

“Where to?”

“My house is on the north side, back behind the store,” he told me.

“Have you seen Jacob today?” The question burst from me almost before he’d finished speaking.

I looked at Quil eagerly, waiting for his answer. He stared out the windshield for a second before he spoke. “From a distance,” he finally said.

“A distance?” I echoed.

“I tried to follow them—he was with Embry.” His voice was low, hard to hear over the engine. I leaned closer. “I know they saw me. But they turned and just disappeared into the trees. I don’t think they were alone—I think Sam and his crew might have been with them.

“I’ve been stumbling around in the forest for an hour, yelling for them. I just barely found the road again when you drove up.”

“So Sam did get to him.” The words were a little distorted—my teeth were gritted together.

Quil stared at me. “You know about that?”

I nodded. “Jake told me...before.”

“Before,” Quil repeated, and sighed.

“Jacob’s just as bad as the others now?”

“Never leaves Sam’s side.” Quil turned his head and spit out the open window.

“And before that—did he avoid everyone? Was he acting upset?”

His voice was low and rough. “Not for as long as the others. Maybe one day. Then Sam caught up with him.”

“What do you think it is? Drugs or something?”

“I can’t see Jacob or Embry getting into anything like that...but what do I know? What else could it be? And why aren’t the old people worried?” He shook his head, and the fear showed in his eyes now. “Jacob didn’t want to be a part of this...cult. I don’t understand what could change him.” He stared at me, his face frightened. “I don’t want to be next.”

My eyes mirrored his fear. That was the second time I’d heard it described as a cult. I shivered. “Are your parents any help?”

He grimaced. “Right. My grandfather’s on the council with Jacob’s dad. Sam Uley is the best thing that ever happened to this place, as far as he’s concerned.”

We stared at each other for a prolonged moment. We were in La Push now, and my truck was barely crawling along the empty road. I could see the village’s only store not too far ahead.

“I’ll get out now,” Quil said. “My house is right over there.” He gestured toward the small wooden rectangle behind the store. I pulled over to the shoulder, and he jumped out.

“I’m going to go wait for Jacob,” I told him in a hard voice.

“Good luck.” He slammed the door and shuffled forward along the road, his head bent forward, his shoulders slumped.

Quil’s face haunted me as I made a wide U-turn and headed back toward the Blacks’. He was terrified of being next. What was happening here?

I stopped in front of Jacob’s house, killing the motor and rolling down the windows. It was stuffy today, no breeze. I put my feet up on the dashboard and settled in to wait.

A movement flashed in my peripheral vision—I turned and spotted Billy looking at me through the front window with a confused expression. I waved once and smiled a tight smile, but stayed where I was.

His eyes narrowed; he let the curtain fall across the glass.

I was prepared to stay as long as it took, but I wished I had something to do. I dug up a pen out of the bottom of my backpack, and an old test. I started to doodle on the back of the scrap.