Thankfully, Emily let me borrow an extra pair of men's pajamas that she and Sam had lying around the house (I add that to the list of odd things about them). So now, freshly showered and with newly cleaned clothes, I head downstairs for breakfast.

The stairs creek so much, that I can't hear anyone in the kitchen, but when I arrive down at the entrance, I spot Embry, Quil, Jacob, Emily, and Sam, all gathered around the table. Again, there is a mountain of food on the table, what seems to be probably a dozen eggs just for the few of them.

"Come sit," Emily beckons me over to a chair next to her.

I oblige. I sit down, finding myself across from Jacob. He sniffs once when I hit the chair and then pushes his food away from him.

"You must be hungry," Emily says. She gestures for me to eat.

Though I don't want to admit it, I am hungry. I haven't eaten much in the last few days. So, I get eggs, toast, bacon, and fruit, and basically everything that is left on the table, and force it down into me. My throat is dry and tight, so I pour myself a glass of water and then another. God, everyone is staring at me.

Don't care, I tell myself. The thought is convincing, for the most part.

"So, we figured we ought to give you some place to stay until your arm is fully healed," Sam says. He doesn't make eye contact with me, looking at the other men. "Now, practically, you can't stay here."

Of course not. They are planning to have a baby soon.

"Instead," Sam continues, "there is space for you at Jacob's house. There's a spare bedroom, which you are more than welcome to use for the next few weeks until you are back on your feet."

I want to shake my head back and forth, but I don't know that I can say no to a bed. I look at Jacob, hoping to garner something off his expression. His face is pretty still, and his mouth is twitching. This seems like more than a bad idea.

"It'll be fun," Quil hopes in, a smile on his face. "Like a never-ending sleepover, pretty much."

"We can help you look for a job in Forks, maybe even hook you up with a roommate down the line," Embry adds. "You know, so at the end of your trip you can stay if you want."

I'm not sure. The only place I have really been in Forks or La Push is that one restaurant and this property. I got as far away from Ohio as I could without going to a big city, which would attract unwanted attention. I bite my lip and move my leg forward, accidentally grazing Jacob's.

Jacob leaps up at the table. He stumbles backwards, nearly falling, but he catches himself just at the right moment.

"Sorry," I manage, wincing.

"You're being a bit ridiculous, Jacob," Sam pipes in, staring at Jacob.

Jacob straightens himself, reaching for the chair. He grabs it and pulls himself back into the table, each move is a struggle.

He must have gone blind recently. He's not well-adjusted.

If I were braver, I would stand up to Sam's ableism. Instead, I find myself wanting to curl up into a ball. Don't bite the hand that feeds you. Don't say anything that will get you into trouble.

"I'm being perfectly rational, Sam," Jacob hisses. I watch as his hands curl into fists on the table. Easily, his fist is closer to the size of my face than I am comfortable with. It makes my stomach drop. "Besides, you aren't in charge of me anymore, are you?"

Everyone goes silent.

I think I might have stumbled into a cult. At least I'm well equipped to handle this. I need to get a job in Forks, and fast before they suck me, and I become one of the girls hanging off the shoulder of the guys here. Although, maybe not. Maybe it's just a cultural difference that I couldn't hope to understand.

"Can we still hang out, Emily?" I ask.

Emily looks to Sam, and when he nods, she looks back. "Of course we can. Maybe we should go out today, and we'll let the boys get busy making the house ready. I'm sure they have a lot to discuss."

With that, she gets up from the table and gestures for me to follow after her. "I take it that you boys can clean up after breakfast?"

She doesn't wait for an answer. Instead, she grabs her keys at the door and begins to head outside. I follow run upstairs to grab my bag and then follow after her.

"Sorry," she apologizes for nothing, seemingly. "The boys can be a bit much to handle. Especially Jacob. He's the most stubborn of the bunch."

"I don't think he likes me much," I admit, looking back inside the glass windows. They are all still sitting around the table. Sam is looking out the window. Not at me, but at Emily.

"Don't take anything he does personally," Emily reassures me. We walk over to her car, and like Embry, she helps me inside. "He doesn't seem to know what's good for him."

My stomach keeps churning. I don't like where any of this is going. My alarm bells are going off. I know something dangerous when I see it. With what I've done, and what I've escaped though, I can make it out of here just fine.

"I didn't see you at the bonfire last night," Emily points out. "I thought you'd hear the noise and come check it out anyway."

"My hearing aids weren't in," I tell her, not bothering to say that I was th4ere, but after Jacob's comment, I left and hid in the room. "They get quite uncomfortable."

As she shifts the car into drive, she looks over at me. A flash crosses her face, and it's one I've seen many times before. I look too young to have hearing loss. It's nothing special, just meningitis. I don't ever remember hearing with ease. It always sounds like I'm underwater, or at least, that's what I'm told it always sounds like.

She doesn't ask any questions, and I'm grateful. Instead, we begin to drive off.

"So, do you miss Ohio?" she asks me.

I shrug. "I'm not really sure yet. I haven't seen much of anything around here."

"Well, I'll have to give you a grand tour," she looks over at me, and her brow furrows. "Weren't you wearing that yesterday?"

Rather than answer, I bite my lip.

"We can hit up the thrift store in Forks," she tells me. "And before you protest, Sam and I have it covered."

As she suggests, I don't argue. Instead, we roll into town. I pick out a few outfits, which Emily makes me do a make-shift fashion show with them on. Nothing is particularly special. A few pairs of unripped jeans. Maybe ten shirts (I picked out three and she forced the rest upon me). Trying them on is difficult, and it takes a lot of time and labour, with the dislocated shoulder. We even hit up a small boutique and buy me a bathing suit, since there is a beach in La Push. After shopping, I beginning to feel like I belong in this small town.

"What do you want to see?" she asks, as we pile back in the car. "There isn't really much besides the cliffs, the beach and the forest. We tend to avoid the forest though, on account of the bears."

When she puts it that way, there isn't anything that I do want to see. Except for Jacob's house, where I guess I'm going to be living. At least for a few days, until I can get a job and get back on my feet.

"Do you know where I can get a job around here?" I ask.

"We get can get you a resume printed and bring you into Forks to look for work," Emily offers.

I lean back against the car seat. Looking out the window, I watch as the streets pass by. There isn't a lot to do here, not really. I have no experience. I don't even have a high school diploma.

"What if I have nothing to put on a resume besides my name?" I ask, even though my name is a contentious point.

Emily looks at me. She offers a grimace. One that asks a question without putting it aloud. I don't think I would want to hear it anyway.

She eventually just drives me back to Jacob's place. It is a decent-sized house, although a little dilapidated. The grass is overgrown, and the shingles need to be redone. I guess it makes sense to me how the three of them can afford a four-bedroom house.

As we walk inside with my bags, I realize that I've left all of my identification at Emily's.

We head into the house, which is much narrower inside. There is a wheelchair elevator of sorts on the staircase in the entryway. Inside, I spot Embry and Quil sitting at the table, eating food. We ate breakfast just a few hours ago. It seems that they are always eating, and from their toned bodies, they must also always be working out.

"Hey, look who's back," Quil laughs, looking up at me. "I see you've cleared out all the stores in Forks."

Emily holds up the bags behind her. "We made out well. Where's his room?"

I cock my head to the side as Embry leads her over to a room on the main floor. I look at Quil, who looks back at me.

"Whose room am I staying in?" I ask.

"Jacob's," Quil points out. "It's the only free room in the house. I have his Dad's old room, and Embry has his sisters' room. They're twins."

"Where's Jacob?" I ask.

"Staying with some friends in Forks for a few days," Quil points out.

When Emily comes back, she smiles at me once. "I've got to get going. Sam's," she hesitates, "friends are coming over again this afternoon, and I need to make things ready for them."

With that, she heads out of the house, leaving me with two strange boys and a bed that belongs to one who hates me.

I don't want to ask why Jacob has left, because I know the answer. Instead, I head upstairs into the room and peer inside.

It's a pretty empty room, except for two photographs which both sport a younger Jacob, one without black sunglasses. One is of Jacob and what I assume to be his family. Two beautiful sisters and his parents. The other is of him and a very pale girl.

"That's Bella," Quil points out over my shoulder. "He had a thing for her for way too long. Now she's married with a kid."

"He said they might be gone soon," Embry chimes in. "So don't worry too much."

I furrow my brow, turning around to look at them. I almost laugh. Do they seriously think that it would be possible for me to have a thing for Jacob? No way in Hell. If all of these people are at a base level odd, he is extraordinarily off-putting.

"I'm definitely not worried," I assure them. "If anything, I'm surprised he let me stay in his room."

"He'll come around," Quil reassures me. "He's just been off lately. You know, with all of this."

He must have gone blind quite recently then. Maybe within the last few months. I don't want to ask him about it.

~~~~~

All necessary stuff, which I love. Jacob's reactions kill me. I'm excited to rush through this though since I'm almost done with the book, but editing takes time. I hope you enjoy this chapter until the next one can come out!