Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Rabbit Meets The Magic Stick

By Mama4Dukes

Chapter 11:

After the teens were dropped off at the cabin, they quickly nodded off to sleep. Bella, again, had a nightmare in the middle of the night, but this time, it was less pronounced. Paul slipped into bed to hold her as soon as it began-it made him feel better, too, and the pair had the best rest they’d had in ages.

Bella opened her eyes in the morning as the bright morning sun filtered in through the window. She was about to hop out of bed when she realized that Paul had his arms firmly around her. She shifted her body so she was facing him. He opened his eyes and greeted, “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself. Why are you in my bed?”

“You had a nightmare.”

“I’m not surprised. I get them often.”

“Well, you seem to calm down when I hold you. I did the same thing the night before, too. Is it okay? I mean is it okay that I held you last night?”

Okay? It was more than okay with Bella. She liked Paul. She really liked him, and the fact that he cared about her enough to make sure she didn’t have any nightmares made him a stand-up guy, one whom she could really care about.

“It’s fine. I… I actually don’t mind at all. I mean if it’s okay with you that is,” she said nervously.

“It’s more than okay.” Paul trailed one finger softly down her cheek then smiled. He was about to kiss her when knocking on the front door stopped him in his tracks.

“Hello! Yoohoo!” an unfamiliar woman’s voice called as she knocked. “Hello!”

Paul got out of bed to answer the door with Bella following close behind. They passed Jacob on the way to the door; neither of them could understand how he could sleep through the noise.

“Hello! Good morning!” the woman’s voice continued to call.

Paul finally opened the door. “Um, may I help you?”

The woman, a tall Native American, with jet-black hair and a wide smile, put her arms around Paul as soon as he opened the door. “My grandbaby! Oh! Your grandfather told me all about you. She cupped his face with her hands. “Oh, look at you! You are so gorgeous!” She turned to Bella. “You must be Charlie’s daughter. My goodness, you are so beautiful.” She craned her neck around the cabin. “Is that Billy Junior’s son?”

“Uh, yes,” Paul replied.

“Oh, so handsome. He takes after his mom. Sarah is beautiful. Okay, so if you kids will help me bring the groceries in, I’ll get started on breakfast.” She grinned. “There’s nothing like a nice, wholesome meal to start the day off with.”

The two teens quickly loaded the groceries into the house. “Geez! What’s with all the paper bags without handles?” Paul asked Bella. “This is so inconvenient!”

“I know, right? She could have at least done paper in plastic so it’s easier to carry.”

“Okay, now you kids sit down while I cook a nice, hearty meal for you.” She turned to Bella. “Honey, I’ll do your hair for you. It looks flat. You can’t go out looking like that. I’m surprised you didn’t have Molly perm it for you.” She shook her head. “You know what? I’ll just give you a home perm this afternoon.”

“No!” Bella and Paul both yelled.

“What’s wrong with the two of you? Why are you so antsy?”

“Glenda, what did you say to the kids to make them so frazzled?” Molly Ateara walked into the cabin together with Helen. They were carrying groceries as well.

“I only offered to perm your niece’s hair. It’s so flat looking.”

“First of all, a home perm, Glenda? She is the granddaughter and niece of professional hairstylists. Besides, she can’t perm her hair. She has the lead role in Grease. She’s playing Sandy.”

“How can she be playing Sandy? Sandy is blonde.”

“Um, the boy who is playing Danny is blond so they had to um… make Sandy a brunette,” Bella lied. “Oh, God. I’m going to hell,” she whispered to Paul.

“She is beautiful, but I would have forced her to bleach her hair blonde for the role. And just who is playing Danny?”

“Um, Mike Newton.” It was the first name, which popped into her head.

“Why would they give the lead to a Newton? Ugh! What is this town coming to? At least the role wasn’t given to a female Newton-there hasn’t been a nice one in the lot of them at least since my grandmother’s time.”

“Enough.” Helen Swan stated. “Glenda, what are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here? I’m here cooking breakfast for my grandbaby and his friends. What are you doing here?”

“I was going to cook breakfast for them.”

“Really, there’s no need. I can cook my own breakfast. I’ve been doing it since I was eight,” Bella said.

“Pardon me?” her grandmother asked. “Did you say you’ve been cooking your own breakfast since you were eight years old?”

“Yes, my parents can’t cook to save their lives. I had to learn how to cook in order to survive.”

“Is that bacon I smell?” Jake asked as he finally woke up. “Man, I’m starved.”

“Oh, look at you. You handsome boy!”

“Who are you?” Jake asked the strange woman who was hugging him and brushing his hair back out of his face.

“I’m Glenda Lahote-Paul’s grandmother. And you are Jacob Black!”

“Oh, nice to meet you.” He noticed Helen and Molly just then. “Good morning,” he greeted, giving a kiss to each woman on her cheek.

“Oh, such a polite young man.”

“Okay, you kids get ready while we get breakfast ready for you.” Molly tossed the keys to Jake. “We have your new clothes in the station wagon. Go and get them.”

The kids quickly did as they were asked. Bella changed in the bathroom while Jake and Paul went into the bedroom.

“Dude, what’s with this underwear?” Jake asked. “They’re like old man boxers!”

“I know, right. How the heck is this supposed to keep my junk inside? I need boxer briefs.”

“Yeah, and I don’t like this paisley design even if they’re Calvin Klein. Man, they’re ugly!”

“The 80’s are so weird.” Paul shrugged on his pants. “Alright, how do I look?”

“Dude, you’re wearing high-waisted pleated polyester pants, suspenders, a t-shirt that says ‘Relax’ on it, and your hair is bleached blond. How the hell do you think you look?”

“Speak for yourself! You have a goddamned perm!”

“I was going for the head-banger look.”

“Whatever. This is so messed up.”

“I know. I mean I’m a wolf and my dad doesn’t even know about it.”

“Yeah, we’re going to have to figure out a way to explain it when we get back-if we get back.” He patted Jake on the shoulder. “Come on, buddy. Let’s get out there and grab some grub.”

Around the time the kids were finishing up their meals, the elders showed up together with Geoff Swan, Gene Lahote, and Old Quil.

Upon seeing Glenda, Old Quil turned to Gene, “You told her?”

“Of course I did. She’d become suspicious if I didn’t tell her. Why?”

“Because this has to remain a secret. If the boys were ever to find out, our grandkids may never be born and they have to be born. Think about how much more mature and sensible these kids are compared to our own.”

“I know that! I’m not going to tell Adam, don’t worry.” He turned to Paul. “How are you this morning, my boy? You’re looking dapper.”

“Thanks.”

“Dapper? Is that all you can say? My grandson is absolutely gorgeous!” Glenda gushed, fussing with his hair. “Why did you let Molly bleach your beautiful hair?”

“Uh, I need to be incognito, remember?” Paul put his fingers to his lips.

“Oh, that’s right, dear. Mum’s the word.” She nodded.

“Speaking of incognito, is the curling iron ready for Bella?” Helen asked Molly.

“Yes, it’s ready to go.”

“Come with me, dear, we have to do your hair.”

“You… you… you’re going to apply direct heat to my hair? What if it frizzes? Oh my God!” Bella complained.

“I swear; you have got to be the fussiest girl. Why are you so concerned about your hair?”

“Are you kidding me? It’s my one redeeming feature! At least use thermal protection spray before you attack my hair.”

“What is thermal protection spray?” her grandmother asked.

“It’s a spray that you use so your hair doesn’t get damaged by the excessive heat styling tools.”

“Really? Interesting. Is it like a mousse?”

“Oh my God! Please tell me they’ve invented thermal protection spray?”

Helen and Molly both shook their heads.

“We don’t even know what’s in it.”

“It’s a spray, which has all kinds of good stuff like protein and keratin so my hair doesn’t turn into a dry, flyaway, frizzy mess. Hair, of course, is made mostly out of keratinized proteins.”

The women continued to ask all sorts of questions about hair care in the future while they worked on Bella’s hair. She told them about sulfate free shampoo and how much better it was for hair; she told them about flat irons and how some women used them to get their hair straight; and she told them about how frosted hair was a thing of the past and that ombre and balayage were the way to go with hair coloring. She also explained that most women preferred healthy hair to over-processed hair as a result of the hair nightmare era that was the 1980’s.

“Oh, and also, we try not to wash our hair every day. Instead, we use dry shampoo in between washes so our scalp doesn’t get oily. It comes out of an aerosol can, and it has some sort of powder in it to absorb the oil, which we rub into our scalp and voila-our hair looks as good as new.” Bella did some more thinking. “One more thing, the nicer salons all offer beverages to the customer and have free WI-FI, too.”

“What is Wi-Fi?”

“Wireless internet connection.”

“What’s that?”

“Uh, Jake?”

“Yeah, Bells?”

“Can you explain the internet to them? Because you know how I suck at science and technology and stuff.”

“Sure, sure.”

Everyone listened intently while Jake explained all the technological wonders of the 21st century. Meanwhile, Helen held a hand mirror out in front of her granddaughter to show her her hairdo for the day.

Bella let out an ear-piercing shriek upon seeing her reflection.

“Bella?” Paul rushed to her side worriedly.

With tears streaming in her eyes she cried, “My poor hair. Look at me!” Her hair had been teased, crimped, and scrunched to the hilt.

Paul reached out and touched a strand of her hair. For lack of better terminology, it felt crunchy. “Ew! Why does your hair feel like sticks?”

Helen slapped his arm lightly. “It does not. It’s just a little Aqua Net. How else were we supposed to keep her hairstyle together?”

Paul kneeled down so he was eye level with Bella. “It doesn’t look so bad and it’s only temporary.”

“I know, but that curling iron isn’t even made from tourmaline. I could hear my hair sizzling as she curled my hair,” she sniffed.

“Tourmaline curling irons?” Helen asked with interest.

“Yes, they don’t damage the hair as much. I think tourmaline is a type of mineral.”

“Did you get that Molly?”

“Yes, but I need her to spell tourmaline.”

“T-O-U-R-M-A-L-I-N-E.”

“Got it. I’m adding it all to the notes.”

“Why in bleeding hell are you taking notes?” Old Quil asked.

“Because dear, our niece has information that will help us to revolutionize the hair industry.” Molly handed Bella a tissue. “Now, wipe your tears, honey. Your puffy eyes aren’t doing you any favors, and we have to do your makeup next.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not usually this weepy. It’s just… it’s just… Am I ever going to get home?”

Old Quil walked over and put a reassuring hand on Bella’s shoulder. “That’s what we’re going to figure out.” He pointed to Quil the Wolf. “My father is the best shaman the Quileutes have ever had. If anyone can figure it out, he can.”

“And I will figure it out, young lady. Just as soon as I figure out why you were sent here,” Quil the Wolf stated. “And for that, I’m going to need your complete history-not just yours, but Jake’s and Paul’s as well. I especially want to hear about the Cullens and your interactions with them again.”

The elders went over the histories of the kids and the story of the Cullens over and over again with a fine-toothed comb. Everyone was convinced that this had something to do with the vampire coven.

“Why these kids specifically?” Ephraim asked. “I simply don’t understand.”

“I know what you’re saying, Eph. It just doesn’t make sense. I would think that my own great-grandson would be the first choice to send back here.”

“No, he wouldn’t,” Paul said. “Quil was the furthest from phasing when we left. He was just starting to exhibit signs of the change. Embry had just transformed for the first time a couple of weeks ago and the elders were all going nuts trying to figure out why.”

“Whose son is Embry?”

“Oh, we don’t know who his father is. He’s half Makah.”

“We have a half Makah wolf?”

“Yeah, his mom Tiffany Call, is one of the nicest ladies you’ll ever meet. Anyway, Embry phased all of a sudden and he has no idea who his father is. It could be one of five men: Quil Ateara the Fourth, Billy Black, Harry Clearwater, Adam Lahote, or Josh Uley. Everyone is betting on Josh Uley.”

“What you’re saying is that there are five possible fathers, and not one is owning up to it?”

“Well, Billy Black and Harry Clearwater swear to Taha Aki that they’ve never cheated on their wives.”

“And you believe them?” Glenda Lahote asked.

“Well, they are the only elders who are half there. My dad isn’t an elder. He’s too drunk. The other two aren’t even around.”

“Why? Where are they?” Molly asked.

Paul didn’t want to answer her. He didn’t want to tell her that her son was no longer living in his time. He didn’t want to tell her that she was no longer around either.

He looked to Jacob for help. He came through by saying, “We can’t tell you because it would affect the future.”

Molly nodded her head in response, but he detected a tinge of sadness in her eyes. He felt totally guilty, but what was he to do?

“Enough. Jacob is correct. We must avoid discussing the future as much as possible,” Ephraim declared. “Otherwise, these kids may not even exist in the future.”

That did it. Everyone sat down to consider a severely altered future, including the possibility of the total elimination of the existence of Bella, Jake, and Paul.

“Well, now that that’s understood. I think we need to ensure that these kids are no longer exposed to their parents. It is of utmost importance that we make sure that they have…”

And it was at that moment, and not a moment later, the front door opened. Charlie Swan, Quil Ateara the Fourth, and Adam Lahote walked into the house.

“Crap,” Charlie gasped.

“Dad, Mom-what are you doing here?” Adam asked.

“It doesn’t matter what we’re doing here. What are the three of you doing here? I thought we agreed you were all grounded after last night’s stunt?” Gene replied.

“Uh… about that… we…” Adam noticed Bella, Jake, and Paul, and decided to change the subject. “Who are they?”

“Who?”

“Them?”

“Who?” Gene shifted nervously on his feet as he tried to formulate a response.

“Those kids? Who are they? Why are they here?”

“Yeah! This is the third time we’ve run into them. Who are they?” Charlie asked.

“Oh, them!” Geoff replied, laughing uncomfortably. “Um…” He looked around the room for assistance.

Quil the Wolf came to the rescue. “Oh, these kids. They’re exchange students.”

“Exchange students?” Quil the Fourth asked.

“Yes, exchange students. They are from another reservation and will be spending some time with us.”

“From another reservation? Even the Hok’wat girl?”

“Yes, and what’s wrong with being Hok’wat? You’re half Hok’wat yourself.”

“True, but that girl is as white as Charlie is. Are you sure she’s Native American?”

“Of course, she is. She’s from the… the… She’s from Arizona.”

“What Nation?” Adam asked.

Bella cleared her throat. “The Wa-Ya Nation.”

“Wa-Ya? Is that even a real nation?”

“Of course it is! I find it insulting that you haven’t heard of us!” Paul stated, all the while thinking he was going to hell.

The three boys shrugged their shoulders.

“So, what’s your name?” Adam asked.

“My name?”

“Yeah, you have a name, don’t you?”

Gene Lahote came to the rescue, or maybe he didn’t, “That’s just… just… that’s it… Justin. Yes, that’s Justin.”

“Justin what?”

“Bieber,” Bella squeaked.

“Justin Bieber?” Paul and Adam asked at the same time while Jake pointed at Paul and guffawed.

“What kind of Native American name is Justin Bieber?”

“It’s not Bieber, it’s Beaver-like the animal. Our tribe places a great importance on animal names,” Jake said.

“Yes, it’s definitely Justin Beaver,” Bella confirmed.

Paul fixed her with an angry glare before replying, “Gee, thanks, Miley Cyrus.” He wagged his eyebrows at her.

Bella’s face turned into a scowl. “Excuse me? Did you…”

Paul rushed over to her side to shut her up, and pulled her to a far corner out of earshot from everyone.

“Justin Beaver and Miley Cyrus? What the hell kind of Native American names are those?”

“Yep, those are their names. Oh, and Miley is spelled M-A-I-L-E. She’s named after a Hawaiian plant species. Uh, the Wa-Ya also places great importance in all things to do with nature,” Jacob stated, and then before Bella and Paul could give him a screwed up name, he held his hand out to the three boys, “I’m Jack Sparrow.” He figured that his favorite movie was Pirates of the Caribbean so he might as well name himself after the lead character.

Off to the side, Paul and Bella were arguing. “Why the hell did you give me that weird name?”

“After, your grandfather named you Justin, Bieber just popped into my head. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? Sorry? Sorry doesn’t cut it, Bella.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Well, shit for brains, you named me Miley Cyrus.”

“That’s cause you deserved it for naming me after a douche bag!”

“At least I didn’t name you Kanye West, asshole!”

“At least I didn’t name you after his wife!”

Levi Uley approached the pair. “Are you two done? Pull it together! You’re drawing attention to yourselves!”

Both kids, in a dramatic move, folded their arms in front of their chests, looked away from each other, and humphed. Meanwhile, Jake was doing his best to charm Adam, Charlie, and Quil.

“So, if you guys are exchange students, will you be coming to school on Monday?” Charlie asked.

Jake’s eyes widened, he had no idea how to answer that. He turned to the adults for help.

“School, school, yes, of course. The kids will be coming to school. This is why I arranged the exchange program,” Gene Lahote stated.

“So what grade are you in?” Charlie asked Jake.

“Uh… we’re all seniors. You have to be a senior to qualify for the program.”

“Damn it! Does that mean that we can’t go on the exchange?” Adam asked.

“Not until next year, son. Besides, this is a pilot program. We’re not sure if it’ll continue. There are no Quileutes going on this program, only Wa-Ya.”

“Why? That doesn’t seem fair.”

“Uh, they were higher up on the… the lottery. Yes, there was a lottery and their tribe got first dibs.”

The elders and parents all stared at Gene Lahote who was the only one coming up with a semi-plausible reason for the appearance of the three kids from the future.

“It’s like totally not fair, you know?” Charlie stated. “Like how come the reservation gets to have an exchange program and we don’t? I don’t get to go on one either way. At least you dudes have a chance to get out of this hell hole.”

“Forks is not a hell hole,” Jacob protested. “There aretons of things to do like hiking, hunting, fishing, canoeing.”

Bella disagreed with Jacob, but she didn’t say anything, she thought Forks was a hell hole.

“Whatever. You haven’t been here all your life. This place sucks. I’m gonna go to college and make something of myself. Maybe I’ll go to Arizona.”

“You’re leaving me?” Helen asked. “Charles, you’re my only son, you can’t leave me. Besides, you have everything you need in Forks.”

Conversations with her mother filtered into Bella’s mind. She recalled Renee saying that one of the main reasons why she took her daughter and ran from Forks was because Charlie never wanted to leave Forks. He would always say that his mother had told him that he had everything he needed in Forks and that he didn’t want to dishonor her memory.

Bella remembered a conversation that she’d had with her mother prior to leaving to live with her father.

“I put my foot down when I realized Charlie had absolutely no dreams, no ambition at all. I told him that I wanted to travel and see the world, but he refused to budge from Forks. He’d always say that his mother used to tell him that everything he ever needed was in Forks. The problem was, his mother had passed away when he was sixteen years old. I couldn’t compete with the memory of a dead person-I just couldn’t.”

“That’s not why you left, was it, Mom?”

“You have to understand that I loved your father. No, I love him. I still love him, but he needs to get the hell out of Forks and see the rest of the world to truly become his own man. He has only really seen Forks. He thinks that life is all about hunting, fishing, and hiking, you know. He needs to expand his horizons and see that the world has a lot more to offer than just Forks, Washington.” She stared intently at Bella. “Honey, are you sure that you want to live with your father?”

“I think it might be a good opportunity to get to know him a little better.”

“I worry about you. You’ve been depressed since that entire debacle with Nick and Sophia. I know that you were betrayed, but you need to hold your head up high and not let them affect you so much. Don’t let the bad guys win.”

“I’ll be fine, Mom. I want you to travel with Phil.”

“ Don ‘t change the subject.” She sighed and looked resolved. “Promise me that you’ll leave Forks when you go to college. Don’t stay there. Please don’t stay there.”

“I won’t,” she promised.

Bella realized then that, contrary to what she had always believed, her father had once had big dreams for himself. Dreams which were suppressed by his mother’s inability to let go. She felt bad for him.

“Trust me, when I say that there’s a lot more to this world than just Forks, Washington. You should get out there and see it. Heck, I plan on applying to colleges outside of Arizona because there’s a hell of a lot more to life than just Phoenix.”

“What?” Helen Swan asked. “Where are you going? Shouldn’t you be near your mother or your father?”

Bella decided to channel her own mother, who, despite her flightiness, had a lot of wisdom. “How will I ever learn to become independent if I don’t leave them at some point? I can’t live my life constantly doing what my parents tell me to do. I have to fly away and use the skills they’ve given me throughout these eighteen years. It’s the only way for me to become a responsible adult.”

Helen had no reply because she knew that what Bella said was absolutely true. She didn’t like it, but she knew that it was correct.

“You must have a very wise mother,” she said.

“I do. She doesn’t take crap from her mother or mother-in-law.”

Helen’s eyes widened, and then narrowed. “She doesn’t get along with her mother-in-law?”

“Her mother-in-law interferes in her family life too much.” Well, indirectly-from her grave, but she didn’t need to know that.

“Is that why your parents are divorced?” Geoff Swan asked.

Bella was saved from answering her grandfather’s question when Old Quil told Adam, Charlie, and Quil the Fourth that they had to get going because they had a Boy Scout meeting.

“Oh, is it that time already?” Gene asked.

“It is.”

“Alright, let’s get going. These kids have to settle in anyway.” He rushed Adam, Charlie, and Quil the Fourth out of the cabin. Geoff and Old Quil went with them.

After they left, Ephraim announced, “Now, we’re in a pickle. You kids will definitely have to attend school come Monday.”

“Well, how are we supposed to enroll in school? Don’t we need birth certificates, ID’s, and such?” Bella asked.

“That won’t be a problem. Gene is the principal of Forks High,” Glenda replied.

“My grandpa is the high school principal?” Paul asked.

“Yes, he is, and I’m an English teacher as well as the drama coach.”

“For real?”

“Yes, for real.”

“Well, then, how come I got shafted? Why didn’t you make sure that my dad, your son, went to college and became successful? I’m serious!”

Bella reached for a fuming Paul’s hand to comfort him. He tried to snatch his hand away, snapping, “I need to get away!”

“Just calm down.” She turned his head so he was looking into her eyes. “Calm down, Paul. Look at me. We’re here to get answers. I know you had a crappy childhood. Hell, so did Jacob and I. Think about it, though. We’re finding all sorts of stuff out about our families, which we would have never known had we not gotten back to this time period. This is part of who we are and it was taken away from us. None of us,” she motioned to Jacob, Paul, then herself, “had a big family network; yet, it’s clear that our fathers did.”

“Paul, she’s right,” Jacob said, “Out of everyone in the pack, Quil and Jared are the only ones with a strong family network. The rest of us-and I mean all of us wolves plus Bella-were royally shafted. And look at how nice the reservation and Forks is. It’s way better than the hellhole we live in now. It’s thriving. What the hell happened?”

“I don’t know! I just want to know why I had to end up with an alcoholic father who can’t even feed me!” Paul dropped his head onto Bella’s shoulder. She stroked his hair knowing it would comfort him. When he looked up, he said, “Do you know that if it weren’t for Mr. and Mrs. Cameron, I wouldn’t even have food to eat? They let me come over for dinner and I get free breakfast and lunch at school. That’s why I go to school-so I can eat.”

Glenda burst out into tears while Bella simply held Paul. “We’re going to solve this crap when we get back, and no matter what, I’ll be there for you.”

“I thought you were going away for college.”

“You’re coming with me. Screw pack rules! You don’t owe them anything!”

The three elder wolves mentioned having to run an errand, leaving the kids in the care of Helen, Glenda, and Molly. As soon as the front door snapped shut, the three women started preparing lunch and talking amongst themselves while the kids quietly discussed their situation.

Sitting in Levi’s truck, the three elder wolves sat silently and thought about all they had seen and heard. The last few minutes were particularly eye-opening.

“We need to go to the tribal archives office. I want to trace the lineage of the three kids here, and the other wolves in the future pack. Who are Mr. and Mrs. Cameron?” Ephraim asked.

“Jacob mentioned a wolf named Jared from a stable family. We need to put down what we read in Paul’s mind when he was phased with us. We can figure this out,” Quil replied.

“Why is the Swan girl involved?” Levi questioned. “Is it because she was involved with the Cullens?”

“Yes, but, more importantly, I believe she’s Paul’s imprint.”

“How can that be? We know he didn’t imprint on her. We would have seen it in his mind.”

“They met for the first time here and now, not in the future-their own time. I believe that there is a wall or a blockage of some sort, which prohibits Paul from fully imprinting on her. You saw how she was able to stop him from phasing in the middle of the cabin with just one touch and a few calming words. Only an imprint would be able to do that.”

“Do you think he will imprint on her fully and completely upon their return?” Ephraim asked.

“Of that I am confident. They show all the signs of a truly imprinted couple.”

“Except for the actual imprinting.”

“Yes, except for that, but the wall will be removed when they return as a result of their journey here. I am sure of it,” Quil stated resolutely.

“What of Jacob? From what I read in his mind while we were phased, his life since his mother died has been one of obligation and servitude for his father. His best memories are of his time spent with Bella as a child. She would visit Charlie in Forks and Sarah would babysit her while her father worked. The boy has never really had a chance to live, and now he has phased.”

“I read in Paul’s mind that Jake is expected to be the alpha.”

“Now, why would he think that?”

“The elders told Sam Uley, and he just passed on the information.”

“How is Sam Uley supposed to be a good alpha if he thinks he’s just a stand-in?”

“I don’t know, but it’s clear to me that we have some idiots running the show in La Push in the future.”

“This does not bode well for the tribe.”

“We’ll have to make some structural changes to ensure the sanctity of the tribe and the pack.”

The elders returned to silently contemplating the situation at hand.