12

Blaize POV:

The sun glares down upon us so that our shadows are merely puddles at our feet. I roll my shoulders, once, twice. Embry hadn't stopped smiling since the preposition, and there was no reason why he should stop now. He sits, grinning, on top of a boulder just behind me, eyes bright.

Quil stands several yards opposite me, clenching and unclenching his fists. A smirk is plastered on his face. Boys and their big ego. I quickly check my bun is in place - there's no way I'm letting Quil fight dirty and pull my hair. He winks at me from where he stands, impatiently tapping his foot. I try to stay as still as a human can be as I wait for Embry's signal.

After a few heartbeats, a sharp whistle pierces through the air. I step a foot back and raise my fists in front of my face. Quil does the opposite and charges towards me. I step the the side, landing a few punches on his shoulder as he flies past. Damn, werewolf skin is hard. I exhale sharply, blocking out the pain. Quil whirls, and grins roguishly. Taking a few steps back, he launches himself at me...

Phasing in midair.

Fabric explodes, and I'm basically helpless as I am pinned, for possibly the third time on the ground, his chocolate brown paws holding my shoulders in place.

I knee him in the stomach, and Quil whines. Using that opportunity, I scramble to my feet. But I get bowled over again, and cornered under the boulder which Embry is sitting on.

Quil phases back, and Embry chucks a spare pair of shorts to him as I squeeze my eyes shut. 'Damn you Quil, that was unfair.'

Quil chuckles. 'First rule of combat, there are no rules. I win.' I glare at him and wrestle him into a headlock as he isn't that much taller than me, and start rubbing my knuckles into his head.

Embry roars with laughter, showering moss onto us as he slides off the boulder. I let Quil go, and he stumbles backwards, rubbing his head tenderly. Then, they just grin mischievously, exchanging a sly glance. 'Okay... Blaize, do you have a towel in your car?' I nod, suspicious.

'Great!' Embry slings an arm over my shoulder, and covers my eyes with another. 'Just keep walking. You can trust us,' he says.

'Can I?' I mutter warily.

We walk on for a few minutes, and I can start to feel a harsh wind whipping my skin, and the smell of salt fills my nostrils. 'What are we doing on the beach?'

I can see the smile in Quil's voice. 'We're not at the beach.'

Uncovering my eyes, Embry says, 'I hope you're daring.'

Oh. The edge of a cliff is a meter in front of me. To my side, three guys are pulling off their shirts. 'Sam, our pack leader, Paul, and Jared,' Embry nods to each one in return. Sam gives me a nod, and Paul gives a brief half smile. 'Hey Blaize,' Jared says. 'Jacob hasn't stopped talking about you,' he adds, rolling his eyes.

I blush. 'Okay, so when are we doing this?'

'Right now.' Sam takes a few steps backwards and charges forwards, leaping off the edge and into the sea with a graceful dive. Paul repeats what Sam just did, and Jared flings himself off the edge.

'Jeez.' My heart is racing, not from fear, but excitement.

'Are you okay with this? I mean, we can go from lower down if you wan-' I cut Quil off with a shake of my head. 'This is fine.'

'If you say so,' he replies. Then he charges off the edge with a whoop. Embry stays behind. 'Ladies first,' he grins.

I throw off my T-Shirt, thankful for the sports bra underneath. When I was twelve, I swore that I would never wear any other kind of top undergarments. I take a deep breath, then dive off.

The wind hits me full in the face as I plunge towards the churning water below. In those few airborne seconds, it feels as if my heart is in my mouth. And then I meet the water with a splash, and the cold water envelops my body as I glide into the depths. Resurfacing, I take a gasping breath and swim to where Quil and the rest of the pack are, waiting for Embry. Quil pats me on the back. 'Not bad, kid.'

'You're the child,' I scoff, as we tread through the shallows to the sandy beach. 'Wait, this is La Push isn't i-'

I hear a yell, and whirl around just in time to see Embry dive off the cliff.

After a few seconds, I spot his brown head bobbing in the water as he makes his way to us. 'Did you like it?' he asked. 'Usually only the experienced dive from there. You definitely have some guts in you.'

I grin. 'Can I come back here another time?' Embry glances at Sam, who nods. 'Great!' A gust of wind blows, icy pins pricking my skin, and suddenly it's freezing. 'Um, c-can we go b-back now?' I wrap my arms around myself. Quil smiles sheepishly. 'Of course. We just kinda forgot you're not as warm as we are.' He drapes an arm around my shoulders just like how bros do it, and I'm thankful for the warmth.

As I get back to my Jeep, I say, 'Thanks again - you'll probably see me here tomorrow...'

'Sure, whenever. Then you can meet Seth, too.'

I smile slightly, towel round my shoulders as I start the engine. Cliff-diving. That's probably my new favourite hobby.

Bella:

I just finish setting the table as Blaize walks in, dripping wet, and dishevelled with a grin plastered on her face. Charlie arrived home from fishing a few hours ago. 'Smells good, Bells,' he appraises.

Then he looks at Blaize, trying to sneak past, unnoticed, to the stairs. 'And you, where the hell have you been, Blaize?' I turn around to hide my giggles as Blaize bites her lip. 'Um... can I wash first?'

'Sure, go on,' Charlie grumbles. Blaize does a small victory dance and races upstairs.

Half an hour later, she re-appears with a bunch of soggy clothes in hand, and quickly chucks them into the washing machine. I silently envy the evident arms muscle that peeks out from under her T-Shirt. She's always been, quick, fit, and athletic, unlike me, who can't even walk across a flat surface without finding something to trip on.

But then, she envies my cooking ability. Charlie and Blaize are hopeless cooks. I don't know actually how Charlie managed to survive all these years. As Blaize sits down, she starts shoveling food into her mouth. 'I was starved. I hadn't even had lunch yet. This is good, Bells.'

Charlie glances at her. 'Where were you today?'

Blaize swallows her mouthful, and meets Charlie's gaze. 'I was with Jacob.'

'And...?'

'He ditched me.'

'And...?'

'I stayed with Quil and Embry. La Push guys.'

'And...?'

'Will you cut that out, dad?' Blaize moans. Charlie continues to stare at my twin. 'Fine, fine. I went Cliff-diving. Don't judge, okay? It was fun.' She refuses to meet Charlie's gaze, and resumes dinner.

Charlie is now protective-mode. 'Why on earth would you do that? It's not safe.'

Blaize frowns. 'I was with Sam and Paul and Jared and Quil and Embry. Perfectly safe.'

'Well, tell me next time, okay? And please remember to stay on guard.'

Blaize nods, frowning. I can sense her confusion; I'm confused too.

'Another body was reported dead,' Charlie sighs.