8 Training and Meeting an Old Friend

Pulling back, I adjusted my grip on the ball before rocketing my arm forward with furious momentum.

The air split at the force and once the ball left my hand, the crack of the baseball hitting the wood rang throughout the woods. Using my enhanced reflexes, I brought my opposite hand up and caught the rebounding ball with my glove, a similar crack ringing out again albeit much quieter and more muffled.

This was the 347th ball I'd thrown. I was now able to smoothly and accurately throw the ball with 60% of my power. Let me just say that controlling where the ball hits when you're throwing at your hardest is surprisingly pretty hard. Luckily, I'm a genius. Or at least a pseudo-genius because of my learning ability.

Pulling back for another throw, I sniffed the air smelling Vampires near. When I say near, I mean within half a kilometer but still; if I can smell them, they could probably smell me.

So in the thoughts of self-preservation, I packed up my stuff before running off deeper into the forest, where I knew wolf territory was. The Vampires wouldn't follow me there and the wolves will probably leave me alone.

When I got there, I got on with more throwing, wanting to get to at least 400 throws before I called it quits and started working out.

. . .

It took a bit of time to get those last 53 throws in because I was actively trying to improve everything about my throws but it was worth the time.

I thought this as I looked at the deep dent on the thick tree in front of me from all the balls I'd pelted at it.

Smiling victoriously, I threw the worn-out and broken baseball diagonally into the air and away from me and I watched it rocket away despite me not even using full force.

Haah~ It's so fun having superhuman strength~

Chuckling to myself, I started to work out. I'd do hundreds of sit-ups, hundreds of press-ups, hundreds of pull-ups, and hundreds of squats, and even then, I barely felt an aching muscle in my body, the boiling energy in my body rushing to heal whatever tear I made in my muscle, no matter how micro it was.

And the best part?

It healed the muscle back better.

Oh, how I LOVE being a Shapeshifter. At least my kind of Shapeshifter.

Finding some big rocks I started lifting them and doing a multitude of workouts, pushing my limits even further. Bodyweight exercise doesn't help much anymore and I've started to use them as a warm-up for the exercises like this.

Rocks like this litter the woods around Forks and they come in all kinds of sizes. The one I was currently lifting must have been bigger than a bike and nearer to a car in size and I'd have to say it weighs closer to a ton than it does to one hundred kilograms; probably around 800kg? Yeah, that seems right.

This wasn't my absolute limit but it did make my bones creak. Though the energy in my body constantly repaired bones microfractures, and this is when I realized this energy is what fulls my healing factor as well.

I guess it's like a Shapeshifter's equivalent to a Vampire's Venom which flows through their system and can be used for several purposes.

Anyway, I continued to exercise until I heard some twigs crunching a few meters away from me. Hurriedly dropping the rock with a loud bang, I spun around and I tried to play it off like I wasn't just lifting a big boulder like some light work out weight.

Even started whistling. Not suspicious at all.

Looking at the person who'd caught me pretty much red-handed, I had to do a double-take.

Tall, for a girl at least, at around 5'11" with sleek black hair cut short at about her chin and her black eyelashes were like feather-dusters, batting over her dark, but shiny, brown eyes which seemed to shine with disbelief but also realization.

"Alex?" her mouth, formed like an 'o', became a wide smile and she rushed over toward me and hugged me tightly.

Her hugs force was slightly strong, even for my body, so I knew she was supernatural. I knew who she was, however, so I didn't need to know this to know she was of supernatural origin.

Feeling her athletic but feminine body pressed close to mine, I was stunned before I felt joy at meeting a friend I hadn't seen in many years, and quickly returned the hug with crushing force which made the girl start laughing joyfully.

Looking own at her head buried in my chest, I smiled before separating.

She reluctantly separated from me before she looked up at me with a dazzling smile and I had to admit: In the years I hadn't seen this girl, she'd really bloomed into a beautiful girl. It was different than Edythe who looked unreal or ethereal like a supernatural being, or like Bella who looked like a 'girl next door' type of girl, this girl in front of me gave off a more exotic kind of beauty and it really set her apart from most, if not all, of the girls I knew.

Smiling back at her, I spoke, "Leah...It's been what? 5, 6 years? You've really grown!" I stopped myself from looking at her tall, athletic and developed figure and kept my eyes focused on her shiny brown eyes.

Hearing what I said, Leah averted her gaze as her copper skin went a bit darker in her embarrassment from my comment, "Yeah, I guess I have..." she bit her lip as she looked back up at me, looking at my muscular body as her gaze traveled back up to meet mine, "But you're one to talk; where's that lanky boy I used to play soccer* and tag with? You've really grown yourself...and filled out," Leah went flustered again as she looked at my body.

This was Leah Clearwater, my other childhood friend. Jacob, her and I were inseparable when we were younger and we'd made some fond memories that I could look back on even to today. Though she didn't stick with me and Jacob once we'd all entered Middle School; she split off with Jacobs sisters and the other girls in her area. Being friends with boys at that age was like a social taboo.

Kids in early puberty are weird, I guess.

But more importantly, Leah Clearwater was the only girl to awaken the Shapeshifter Gene in her family. In the books and the movies, she was a Shapeshifter, and in the books, she was THE fastest wolf of the pack.

This girl was like me - A Shapeshifter.

And from her hug just now, it seemed she'd already fully phased or she was currently coming to the end of her phasing and would soon be able to shift.

Though this was weird. She shouldn't be able to do this until New Moon. Right now we're still in Twilight and Leah Clearwater should still be a normal girl, albeit pretty moody because of her break-up with Same, another Shapeshifter.

Why had she awakened? Had some big stuff changed?

Pushing my thoughts to the edge of my mind, I looked at the girl in front of me and curiously smiled with a raised eyebrow, "By the way, since when did you get here, Leah?" I needed to know if she had seen me lifting that massive boulder because if so, I'd have to swear her to secrecy or something like that.

I should have paid more attention to my surroundings.

Hearing what I said, Leah smirked before squinting her eyes in a smug expression, "Oh, I don't know, since you were overhead pressing that massive boulder behind you~" as she finished her smug expression crumbled and she started laughing.

I was slightly confused on why she wasn't curious about how I could do that if she did indeed see me, but not wanting to dig myself a hole, I rolled my eyes before replying to her, "I think it goes without saying that you can't tell anyone what you saw, right? Please, Leah," I smiled pleadingly, wanting to use the looks she was so obviously enamored with to my advantage.

She stopped laughing before looking at me seriously which kinda surprised me; Leah was never serious when we were younger. She was either being grumpy and easily agitated or energetic and happy. Never serious.

Her pretty brown eyes looked up into my blue ones and she smiled a little.

"If it's a favor for you, Alex, then I'm sure I can keep this a secret," she lost her serious face, replacing it was an ironically cat-like smile, like a playful cat playing with a mouse, "But you owe me one. Maybe dinner at a nice restaurant, we could go to Port Angeles like we used to do with our parents," she smiled happily, remembering the meals we'd go for after doing some fishing, but went a bit flustered as she carried on, "But just the two of us this time. Don't let Jacob weasel his way into the meal, either," she scowled and I had to say, I was surprised with her apparent dislike of Jacob.

Seeing my obvious confusion, Leah flicked her hair back, seemingly in frustration before addressing it, "Back when we were kids, Jacob was a real dick to me when you went around. Constantly teasing me for being a boy-like girl, saying I shouldn't play with either of you, or just being dismissive of everything I had to say, and I guess it just stuck with me," she sighed before carrying on, "I really only put up with Jacob because I liked being with you. You made most things fun and you didn't dismiss me because I was a girl...You don't know it, but you were a big confidence booster for me growing up," she smiled sweetly while looking at me and I'd be lying if I said I didn't have to hide my blushed cheeks by looking away.

But still, I had no idea Jacob was such a dick to her. Sure they never got along as well as they did with me but still...I didn't think it was so bad.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear Jake was such a jerk to you...I'll make sure it's just us to for the meal," turning back to her, I smiled apologetically at her before it turned into a more playful grin, "Plus, I wanna save money. So it just being us two will be easier on my wallet~" laughing lighthearted, Leah joined me and we just stood there laughing.

Finally, the laughing came to an end before I looked at Leah with a grateful smile, "Thanks, Leah. Despite not seeing you for a few years, you're still you; a great friend. Thanks for agreeing to keep my secret," I pat her head, it being something I'd done all the time when we were kids - Leah used to be a pretty short kid and it was easier to treat her like a younger sister than a person of the same age.

And I guess some of that just carried over as I did it on instinct.

Still, Leah didn't seem to complain, she just yelped a little before her full lips curved into a small, but happy, smile as she just sat there enjoying the head pat.

By the time I realized what I was doing, it was already clear she didn't mind it so I just carried on for a few more seconds before pulling her into another tight hug, happy that I'd reconnected with a friend of mine before I thought it would happen.

Weirdly prepared for the hug, like she was going to hug me if I didn't hug her, Leah tightly wrapped her arms around me and we just stood there, old friends who would soon get to know one another once again.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy hugging such a beautiful girl but I didn't do anything weird; it wasn't in my nature to be like that. I'd at least ask before doing that kind of stuff. Though that didn't stop Leah from doing some...questionable stuff.

Mainly sniffing me. But I chalked it up to her wolf instincts going wild because of emotions after meeting an old friend of hers and finding out he wasn't so different from her. Which she'll probably want to speak about when we have dinner. Thrilling.

After a solid minute of hugging, I tapped Leah's back to tell her to let go of me and she reluctantly did so, looking up at me with crescent-shaped eyes and a wide smile.

Weirdly happy...

Blocking such thoughts, I smiled down at her before picking up my bag next to me with the baseballs and my glove in it.

"Well, I better get going. I'll come here around tomorrow night and we can figure out the details for this dinner I owe you, okay?" smiling, Leah nodded at what I said, and after I gave her hair a ruffle, I broke out in a jog which slowly developed into a sprint as I needed to get home to ask my dad something.

. . .

POV Change - Leah Clearwater

As I watched the tall, handsome boy run away, I felt my cheeks go warm, followed quickly by the rest of my body.

It still felt like his intense, electric blue eyes were looking at me and the feeling sent goosebumps over my skin.

I can't believe how much he'd changed.

The pale, slightly skinny bean pole I used to know had turned into a slightly tanned muscular bodied Adonis. But he was still the same. A smile like the sun and kind, gentle eyes.

I couldn't say I wasn't surprised by the fact he was lifting a boulder around the size of a car, and to see how heavy it was I tried to lift it - I could barely get half of it off the ground - but honestly after I completed my phasing and gained the ability to turn into a big wolf, I could confidently say I wasn't too surprised by most things anymore.

If anything, the thought of him being supernaturally charged me with energy - I wouldn't have to hide what I was from him!

As I watched the handsome boy run away, I smiled thinking about how he hadn't changed, and with a hand to my chest, I felt myself linked to him and I couldn't fathom how I'd survived without him. Watching where he was, now that he'd disappeared into the darkening forest, I couldn't help but smile and do a few mini-fist bumps into the air when thinking about how we'd be getting dinner together--

Together. Just the two of us. Like a date. A date with Alex.

Feeling my brain short-circuit, I phased into my wolf form before speeding off home, knowing that I needed to ask my mom to take my clothes shopping.