3. Jacob

I decided not to remain holed up in the house all day. I searched for small scale automobile workshops in Forks on the net. Nothing small scale in Forks but I found one on the adjacent beach of La Push.

I went to the garage to find my new car. There, along with a dozen other lavish cars I found my Vanquish. It was the latest model, black in color and had bulletproof glass. I had always thought Vanquish to be the perfect car except for the speed limit. That was what I wanted to get changed in the workshop. It was illegal so no established place would attempt it. There for I needed something small scale.

The drive to La Push was uneventful. There I pulled up and asked a local teenager for directions. He pointed towards a shack about a mile towards the beach. "Can I get a ride?" I asked, looking at awe towards the car.

"Sure. Hop in." I told him. He was a tall, lanky dark skinned boy, no more than 13-year-old.

"So, why are you taking this fancy car to that garage?" he asked.

"Umm.... I just wanted to get it checked out." I answered vaguely.

"I'm Seth, by the way." He said as we reached the garage, getting out of the car.

I walked into the empty garage. Old, rusted tools were lying on the ground. I supposed it didn't get many customers. As I explored, Seth brought another boy with him, maybe a year or two older than him. He reminded me of Harry, even though he looked nothing like him.

"May I help you?" I tried to say in a professional tone. I suppressed a smile.

"You work here?" I asked. He nodded, too busy looking at the car. I looked like he liked what he saw.

"I need to get rid of the speed bar." I said, trying to sound more confident than I was.

He looked at me questioningly. "You know that's illegal, right?"

"I'm not asking for a receipt."

He debated internally for a minute. "All right, but I don't guarantee anything."

"Deal" This was easy.

"Hold on. You're not supposed to say deal before you finalize the price." Seth commented.

"All right. What's your price?" I asked.

This time his internal debate took longer.

"100 dollars." He finally said.

He obviously had not much experience in business. He could have asked for a much larger sum for this.

"Okay. But are you sure you know how to do it?" I asked, taking out the money and handing it to him.

"You bet." He said, cheerfully.

He immediately started working, with Seth acting as his assistant. It looked like he knew the job well.

"You are from England?" came a voice from under my car, obviously picking on my accent.

"No, I live in Forks. I've spent most of my life in England, though. I'm Flora, by the way."

"I'm Jacob. Where do you live in Forks? I've never seen you before."

"In Greenpark Estate." I muttered.

"Figures." He said. Greenpark Estate was the name of my dad's house. Everyone knew where it was and who it belonged to.

"How old are you, Jacob?" I asked, when he didn't speak again, observing his mad mechanical skills.

"Sixteen." He said.

"Why are you lying?" I laughed.

He made a face. "Fourteen. I'll be Fifteen in four months. How old are you?"

"I'll be Sixteen next month." I told him.

He got up a few minutes later, covered in grease. "Done."

"Wow, that was fast. Can I drive it home?"

"Yeah, sure. Just don't take it above 100 for two or three days. And get it back here if there is any problem, though I doubt there will be. Hey, do you mind if I keep this?" He said, gesturing to the speed cap equipment.

"Yeah. No problems. And thanks." I hurriedly got into the car. I couldn't wait to check it out.

To my surprise, it ran even more smoothly than it did before. Jacob really knew his work. I quickly accelerated to 100 and opened the windows. The wind felt so good. It was one of those moments when I felt truly happy. It almost felt like riding a broomstick. Harry and me used to......

I sighed. The moment was gone.

The rest of the day passed quite fast. I got supplies for school and went shopping for clothes. In the evening dad handed me the letter of appointment to the Forest Department of Washington.

"You join tomorrow. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. An I've got you those cello lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You're going to have pretty busy weeks." He told me.

Well, that was exactly what I wanted.