that at all!”
“Yeah, right,” Jacob muttered. “I’m sure he’s quite the pacifist.”
“Ugh!” I ripped my hand out of his and shoved his head away. Then I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms tightly around them.
I glared out toward the horizon, fuming.
Jacob was quiet for a few minutes. Finally, he got up off the ground and sat beside me, putting his arm around my shoulders. I shook it off.
“Sorry,” he said quietly. “I’ll try to behave myself.”
I didn’t answer.
“Do you still want to hear about Sam?” he offered.
I shrugged.
“That’s a long story.” I’d seen the long gash clearly, seen the blood that flowed into the sink. The rust-and-salt smell of it had almost pulled me under. It should have needed stitches. It should have taken days to scab over and then weeks to fade into the shiny pink scar that marked his skin now.
“I told you a long story. Besides, I’m not in any hurry to get back,” I said, and then I grimaced as I thought of the trouble I would be in. He screwed his mouth up into half a smile and thumped his fist once against his chest. “Werewolf, remember?”
He looked up at me swiftly, hearing the double edge in my words. “Will he be mad at you?” His eyes held mine for an immeasurable moment.
“Yes,” I admitted. “He really hates it when I do things he considers . . . risky.” “Right,” I finally said.
“Like hanging out with werewolves.” He laughed at my expression. “I told you this. You saw Paul’s scar.”
“Yeah.” I shook my head to clear it. “It’s a little different, seeing the action sequence firsthand.”
Jacob shrugged. “So don’t go back. I’ll sleep on the couch.” I kneeled down and dug the bleach out of the cabinet under the sink. Then I poured some on a dusting rag and started scrubbing the floor. The burning scent of the bleach cleared the last of the dizziness from my head.
“That’s a great idea,” I grumbled. “Because then he would come looking for me.” “Let me clean up,” Jacob said.
Jacob stiffened, and then smiled bleakly. “Would he?” “I got this. Throw that towel in the wash, will you?”
“If he was afraid I was hurt or something — probably.” When I was sure the floor smelled of nothing but bleach, I got up and rinsed the right side of the sink with bleach, too. Then I went to the laundry closet beside the pantry, and poured a cupful into the washing machine before starting it. Jacob watched me with a disapproving look on his face.
“My idea’s sounding better all the time.” “Do you have obsessive-compulsive disorder?” he asked when I was done.
“Please, Jake. That really bugs me.” Huh. Maybe. But at least I had a good excuse this time. “We’re a bit sensitive to blood around here. I’m sure you can understand that.”
“What does?” “Oh.” He wrinkled his nose again.
“Like I said, it’s a long story. And very . . . strange. There’re so many strange things about this new life. I haven’t had time to tell you the half of it. And this thing with Sam — well, I don’t know if I’ll even be able to explain it right.”
His words pricked my curiosity in spite of my irritation.
“I’m listening,” I said stiffly.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the side of his face pull up in a smile.
“Sam had it so much harder than the rest of us. Because he was the first, and he was alone, and he didn’t have anyone to tell him what was happening. Sam’s grandfather died before he was born, and his father has never been around. There was no one there to recognize the signs. The first time it happened — the first time he phased — he thought he’d gone insane. It took him two weeks to calm down enough to change back.
“This was before you came to Forks, so you wouldn’t remember. Sam’s mother and Leah Clearwater had the forest rangers searching for him, the police. People thought there had been an accident or something. . . .”
“Leah?” I asked, surprised. Leah was Harry’s daughter. Hearing her name sent an automatic surge of pity through me. Harry Clearwater, Charlie’s life-long friend, had died of a heart attack this past spring.
His voice changed, became heavier. “Yeah. Leah and Sam were high school sweethearts. They started dating when she was just a freshman. She was frantic when he disappeared.”
“But he and Emily —”
“I’ll get