It was a reassurance to me knowing Bella accepted my true identity. Like a metaphorical weight off my shoulders, no more secrecy or having to make an excuse as for why I had unexplainable strength or stamina. I answered her unanswered questions, knowing she would not ask without forthrightly speaking. It was easy to tell her about the existence of my uncle amenadiel, excluding the information which my dad is the prince of hell. The devil.

I could say each of his labels, given in history, but I knew who he is and was as a person.

Bella decided she wanted to ride with me, in my car. Her excitement, in being inside a sports car, was quite endearing to see. I had allowed her to drive the car, I had trust and confidence she would not crash. Even if she did, I could just as easily purchase a new model and brand of the car.

" I have to say, B. You haven't crashed, thus far, and I am quite proud." I put my feet on the dashboard, the seat retracting back. Bella widely grins, then switches her expression to a scowl swiping her hand on my legs. " I don't know if I should be offended, about your words. But I am positive of one thing, this car does not need your dirt covered boots to dirty it. Off!" I comply, with a laugh.

" of course, my apology miss swan."

It wasn't long until the time for lunch came around. It was the hour I awaited for each day of the week, I didn't quite care for the needless hours of teachers talking on subjects, which I already passed and knew. Thanks to the help of having an Angel for an uncle, and my father. I did like, however, having hours with Bella.

in addition, and a surplus, is going back to her house, having mindless conversations that would last for hours.

" hey! Malachi. Bella! La push, baby. you in?" Eric motions me to where he sat, I politely wave my hand 'no'. " are we suppose to know what that means?" Bella spoke, I too had no single thought of what he was referring to, placing her book backpack down. " first beach, down at the quileute rez. We're all going tomorrow." Mike, informally, says.

This piques my interest, 'beach' being the primary word. I wasn't made aware to this information.

" yeah, there is a big swell coming in." Jessica goes on to say, adding what she wanted to say, her eyes shifting to stare at me. " you should definitely, like, join us." Eric does a surf motion, with both of his hands out like he was on a wave. " and I don't just surf the internet." 'That is a hilarious pun, Yorkie. Very nice.' I thought, acerbically. I had to give it to Eric for his idiom. Mike arose, standing with a bend of both knees and comically amusing Eric, copying his pretend surfing.

I take a piece of cucumber, from Eric's lunch tray. Finding the two idiots entertaining.

" Eric, you stood up once. It was a foam board." Tyler tugs Mike down, from furthering fooling himself. Angela puts her word in, looking to Bella and I, a kind smile. " but there's whale watching, too. Come with us."

" La push, baby. It's La Push." Eric interjects, doing a motion imitating a wave. I give Bella a glance, waiting for her to give the answer. She meets my eyes, I twitch my eyebrows up. silently asking 'should we?' " okay, we'll go only if you stop saying that." is her response, with a small tease in her tone.

" seriously dude, it's creepy."

I go in the direction to the salad station, with food only on my mind. I wasn't oppose to the idea of a nice salad, they were tasteless but nutritious. 'Mom would definitely be eager to know I ate a salad for school lunch. It definitely differed from the grease covered pizza that my old school had to offer.' choosing a brown hard plastic bowl, i put three pieces of lettuce, slices of zucchini, and small sized tomatoes.

There was a hollow ceramic pan with apples centred in the station.

a whistle leaves my lips at my creation, articulately proud. 'I should picture this and send it to mom.' my hand reaches in the back of my jeans, taking out my mobile phone. " edible art?" the reflexes I had stop from me dropping my phone, as my hand touches the Apple I chose. It rolls to the floor, then a shoe covered foot caught the red fruit going up and into the hands of Edward Cullen.

the contrast of red is apparent to the pale colour of his body. He put his hands in a heart shape, presenting me the polished piece of food. " Malachi." he grins, deferentially. My eyes slit in a narrow shape, taking the fruit.

" thank you." I spoke, with a short and sharp voice. " I will tell you now, Edward. your mood swings, they are giving me types of whiplash I do not enjoy." I glide the off coloured blue lunch tray around, on the metallic sides. Edward stood a inch, from where I was last standing, leaning his hand on the covering of the salad bar.

" I only said it'd be better if we weren't friends, not that I didn't want to be."

" please, humour me. What ever do you mean of that?" I ask, wishing Edward would just tell me, having enough of the cryptic words he was talking with. My hand accidentally touches Edwards fingers, as we reach to grab a carrot, a small jolt of electricity circulates my arm. he mutters incoherently, switching the volume of his voice. Placing the carrot in the bowl.

" it means if you were smart, you'd stay away. from me."

I note Bella monitoring me, from her seat at the table. She mouthes a phrase asking if I am doing okay, I give a subtle gesture of putting my thumb up. Her eyes stay focusing on Edward, with a watchful gaze.

" okay, well. I am just going to start off and say, for the sake of an argument, I was not smart. which I am, academically and in the say in education as a whole."

I was not one to gloat, however the gratification just came out when talking with Edward. a clearing of my throat, I look away. I could spot the tiniest of smirk on his mouth, my perception of how close he had stepped towards me, coming to my attention.

" would you tell me the truth, then?".

" No, probably not. I rather hear the theories you have."

I toss the apple in the air, flicking my wrist. then caught it, " you could say they include supermen, and how his weakness is kryptonite." a smile finds its way on my face, remembering how my mother created a superhero cake and party for my fifth birthday. a milestone she enjoyed a little too enthusiastically, her camera photo memory card was full an hour into the celebrations.

" those are all superhero related stuff, right?".

" that is correct."

I answer, glazing salad dressing on the vegetables.

" what if I'm not the hero. What if I'm the bad guy? The enemy?". That arouses my curiosity, and I begin questioning his words.

" enemy? Bad guy? you are just being mean to yourself, there. Cullen. You're not." I scoff my words, now turning to face Edward, salad now ready for consumption. " I can tell what you are trying to imply, what you are putting off. it's a front to keep people away from you, a mask." My forehead creases, not liking how Edward was speaking.

No one was truely a bad person, well— which is what I like to believe and think.

I am made aware of Edward putting one foot out, then steps towards me. I couldn't move, as I was being pushed down with a heavy force to stay in place. I avert my eyes from lingering,

" I, I have a proposition. We can hang out, for the lack of better term. Bella, and I, we are going to beach. With Newton, angela, Jessica, Crowley and Eric."

There is a look on Edward's face that I could recognise, as consideration. " which beach?"

I answer, with " First beach. La push, on the reservation." His smiles lessens, imperceptibly. A conflicting gaze falls on his perfect face, I take notice " is there something wrong with that beach?".

" I don't know, I am not sure." He replies, cooly.

" and why is that, is there something wrong with that specific beach? That I should be aware of?" I couldn't read his body language, only could tell he was thinking of an answer to say.

" it's just a little crowded."

-

There was sounds of seagulls cawing, squawking, and waves hitting the sand front. I was not impressed with the 'beach', I found myself missing the bright blue skies of Santa Monica. Long stretches of blinding white sand, and the pier. Dan and mom would take me annually to the carnival, for holidays. eating overprice food, that mom would complain about being unhealthy for my growing young body.

It didn't stop when trixie was born.

I watch two men, surfboards under their arm, go into the waves. 'Have to admit, they're brave for entering that water. It must be like ice.'

" I'm paddling out, Coates. Hey, Decker! You joining? Or are you going to stay back?"

Tyler calls out. " I am good. I am not the professional surfer you are, Crowley." I tease, throwing a peace sign.

" so I keep thinking that Eric is going to ask me to prom, then he just doesn't."

I overhear Angie talking with Bella, from the place I stood admiring the ocean. the smell of salt water filling my senses, leaning off the railing that was decaying.

" you should ask him. Take control."

" you are a strong and independent woman, Ang. this is not a man's world, anymore." I finish what Bella wanted to say, sitting on the space beside her in the van. She passes over a red twister pattern candy, " I agree with Kai."

" I am, you really think that?" I nod.

" excuse my foul language but fuck yes, you are." I offer my hand, she takes it and I give a reassuring grasp. " if Eric doesn't have the man enough guts to ask, I will be your prom date." Angela, with hesitancy, timorously smiles. Jessica comes over, asking Angie to zip the swimsuit she wore. " Bella! Hey."

Three boys with russet coloured skin, and torso length silk hair come sauntering over. They were dressed in loose coats, sheltering from the brisk cold weather. " Jacob! Hi."

" Bella, who are these boys here, I don't believe we have been acquainted?" I stand, giving my hand to shake. 'Jacob', a reverential stare, puts his hand in mine. His height shared similarly to Bells, short but had a masculine structure.

" Kai, this is Jacob black. I don't think you will know him, he is the younger brother of Rachel. his older sister, we have met her before. When we were younger."

I try to search my memories back to when Bella and I were young, I could briefly see an image of a boy with Jacobs facial features then it changes to a pie made of mud being moulded in my face. It clicks, " I remember. you threw a literal mud pie at my face, and I chased you. Jacob here began screaming in terror, because I was chasing him with my own created mud pie."

The two boys behind Jacob bellow in a laugh.

" I am quite surprised you have such the good remembrance, then again I am not. You do have the photogenic memory. Kai." Bella comments, staring with a knowing glance.

I hid my smile.

" I agree with Bella, you remembered pretty fast. I even had to think back." Jacob laughs.

" that was the first day we met. You were with your mom, who was friends with mine. Sarah." he gave a sorrowful smile, " besides. I think it is great to see you again. after these years."

" Are you stalking us, now. Jacob?" Bella says, changing the mood. I flicker my eyes to see Jacob hadn't remove his hand, his fingers linger.

" you, and Kai, are on my rez. Remember?"

He jokingly jest, with a final glance to our conjoin hands then letting them loosen.

" are you guys surfing?" Asks Jacob.

" definitely not." Bella and I, in unison, say.

" if I did I would beat these fools if I did."

" you guy should keep Malachi here, company. he had his date bail." Jessica finally spoke, jousting her thumb to me. Mike and Eric turn, to give me a shared 'what the hell' look.

" You? what date? Who did you invite." Eric is the one to speak, in wonder. " he invited Edward, if you believe it."

" what was so wrong with inviting Edward? i was politely asking. That was it. Jessica."

Angela comes to my defence.

" I think inviting him was nice. Nobody ever does."

I say a thank you, in my mind, to Angie.

" yeah. Cause Cullen's a freak."

My neck snaps to Mike. I went to abruptly stand a feeling of vindication coming over my self, but Bella brings a hand to stop me from doing that action. 'I don't know what came over me' I am swift to push that thinking away.

" you guys know him?" Bella brings attention back, to what was said. " the Cullens don't come here."

The Cullens don't come here.

The sudden change in the air, shifts. Like those words were not meant to be uttered. " did you want to go on a walk along the beach front, just me and you? Jacob. I feel like reminiscing, on the old times when we were young. Do you want to join, bee?" I state, casually. Bella glances to the ocean then back to me. " I much prefer to stay in the comfort of van. It's warm in here. You two go ahead."

I pull over the hood of my coat, to keep my beanie from being blown off. Strong winds were gathering. " okay, I suppose it is just the two of us." I say to Jacob, using my shoulder to motion to start walking.

Lingering on the sand bank, with the crashing waves sounding and filling the still tranquility, I hear Jacobs heart lapse, a skip in the beat. 'Is he nervous? Why is he nervous.' " what did you your friends words mean about, you know, using air quotes the Cullens don't come here?".

" you caught that, huh?" He laughs.

" it was pretty hard not to hear it. He was loud. Like it was said at that volume on purpose." His stance changes, moving his feet to match my pace. " I am not suppose to say anything, you know, about this."

'I wonder.'

" hey, I am known to be the best secret keeper. Even ask Bella." I try using a humouring approach, which works when he gives another chuckle. His cheeks a burning red. " really, Kai. It's an old scary story they tell on the Rez."

" come on, you can tell me." I coax, giving him a nudge of playfulness. The saying 'curiosity killed the cat' was coming into play, only I would change the phrase 'Curiosity bestows an Angel'. I don't think it's an actual quote, I don't really like to care if it's not. " I want to know."

" okay, did you know Quileutes are supposedly descended from wolves?".

'Wolves?' " wolves. As in, Fangs, Fur, and bad dog breath? Real wolves." I ponder on that idea of the legend being true. " what is the story involving the Cullens? What is that about?" Is the query I want answered.

" well. They're supposedly descended from this, enemy clan. My great grandfather, the chief, found them hunting on our land. but they claim to be different, so. A treaty was made with them."

The cawing of seagulls flying over Jacob and I is heard. " if they promised to stay off Quileute lands, then we wouldn't expose what they really were to the palefaces." There was a feeling weighing, ponderously. As Jacob continues to talk, I speak up. " did they not just move here, I heard differently."

" Or they just moved back."

A scream alerts me, I turn my body around to the sound only noticing it was Angela being chased by Eric. A dead crustacean in his hand. " that is gross." I grunt, " back to the story. what were they, Jacob?".

" it is just a story, a scary one. Come on, let's go back to the group." He states, taking my wrist then hauling me in the way of where Bella was.

I grumble. " fine."

-

®️The twilight saga.