CHAPTER FOUR:
FOR A MOMENT

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

ANOTHER HIKER HAD BEEN found in the woods. An elderly woman spotted the mauled body of a man in her backyard, veins drained of blood and a bite mark on his neck. She said she saw a large bear rushing through the trees when she came outside to investigate but she wasn't certain, having gotten caught up in the moment of terror. The news came as a shock to the people of La Push, particularly Maggie Sullivan. Waking up one Saturday morning to hear yet another person had died, just like her mother and Carson, made her feel sick to her stomach.

"So the... cause was the same?" Dakota frowned, sparing Maggie an uncertain but significant glance before turning her stare back to Wren and Everett. Everyone was present for breakfast that morning, even Vera, who spent most of her time working or partying with her friends. "What type of bear wants a person's blood?"

"We don't know," Everett said. "But Ms Belcourt claims that's what she saw."

"Oh please," Dakota rolled her eyes, slumping back in her chair with a light scoff. "Ms Belcourt is as blind as a bat. I'm surprised she even noticed the body."

"Dakota," Wren hissed but Dakota simply shrugged at her, unashamed.

"We just want you to take care, alright?" Everett sighed, running a hand down the side of his face. He was leaning up against the kitchen bench, arms crossed tight with tension over his chest. To Maggie, it looked like he could barely keep his eyes open, the bags underneath them incredibly prominent. "It's better to be safe than sorry."

"Don't worry, we'll be careful," Maggie assured them both, hating to see her uncle so overworked. Her siblings agreed with her but none of them were as earnest as Maggie about it.

She supposed that came with experiencing these animal attacks firsthand, the anxiety and uncertainty.

"Good," Everett nodded, letting out a sigh when he noticed the time. "I should get going. It's my turn to open up the shop today."

Everett Ateara worked at La Push Motors on the outskirts of Forks and the reservation. He'd gone into business with a friend from school right after graduation and had been there ever since. Maggie knew he loved his job but the older he got, the more strenuous it seemed to become for him, the more it wore him down.

"Stay safe," Wren whispered, pressing a kiss to her husband's lips and rolling her eyes at Zeke as he pretended to vomit over the tabletop. "I love you."

"Love you too," Everett replied.

With one final goodbye to his nieces and nephew, he was gone.

"So what are your plans for today?" Wren asked the three teens and Vera, who were still seated around the table.

"I'm going to Port Angeles with my friends," Vera smiled. Her dark brown hair was already curled and hanging down around her shoulders. Unlike Dakota's unruly chin-length hair — as the younger girl was unphased by her appearance — Vera took great pride in looking presentable. "We're meeting up for lunch. I just have to get ready then I'll be on my way."

"Dibs on the bathroom," Dakota suddenly exclaimed, pushing back her seat and sprinting out of the room before Vera could stop her.

"Hey, not so fast," the older girl immediately protested, their petulant voices fading once they disappeared upstairs.

Wren shook her head at them, a fond glint in her eyes, before she turned back to the two remaining teens at the table. "Zeke?"

"I'm going out with a friend," he shrugged, though there was something off about his voice. Zeke wasn't the type to keep secrets from anyone let alone his family, so when he tried to hide something, everyone could see right through him. This time around was no different.

"Oh really?" Wren beamed knowingly. "Is this friend a lady, by any chance?"

Zeke laughed at her, though it sounded strained to Maggie's ears. "No, it's just the guys."

Wren pouted in disappointment, causing Zeke to smile at her, "You'll be the first to know if I ever get a girlfriend, Aunty Wren."

"Hey, what about me?" Maggie narrowed her eyes and pouted.

"You too," he scoffed before rising to his feet and ruffling her hair just to annoy her. "I'm gonna head out now."

Calling out a goodbye, Wren turned to make herself a cup of tea. But Maggie continued to watch her brother, studying the way the tension seemed to fall from his shoulders as soon as he was out of Wren's sight, then he disappeared from Maggie's too. She didn't have the chance to ponder on it, though, for Wren had turned back to her a minute later, blowing away the steam that plumed from the top of her mug.

"What about you, Mags?" she asked, taking a seat opposite her youngest niece.

"Don't know," she shrugged. It was early on a Saturday morning. She didn't usually do much on the weekend unless it involved her family or Hayden. But it seemed like her family were busy that day, and knowing Hayden, she'd be asleep for a while yet. "I might just have a lazy day."

"That sounds nice."

But time seemed unnaturally slow that morning. Without the ruckus that was her family around her, Maggie found herself rather bored. Nothing, not even the crime documentary channel or Scooby Doo reruns, seemed interesting to her. Neither did reading any of the books she owned. It was just one of those days, really.

Slumping back on her bed and casting aside the book she's been trying to read, a faint whimper came from the end of Maggie's bed. Standing in the doorway was her beloved dog, Scooby, with his leash in his mouth. It was a trick Zeke had taught him when they first adopted him years ago.

"You wanna go for a walk, buddy?" she cooed, to which he yapped and dropped the leash to the floor. "Sounds like a plan."

After changing into a simple pair of jeans, a tight-fitting striped tank top and a camo green parka, Maggie took Scooby's leash from him and made her way downstairs, the stomp of her sneakers alerting her aunt of her presence. Wren looked up from her laptop, brows furrowed as she caught sight of Maggie setting up Scooby's leash and collar around the dog's neck.

"Going somewhere?"

"Scooby wants a walk," Maggie shrugged, standing up properly to meet her aunt's gaze. "Figured I could take him to the beach or something."

"Sounds good," Wren grinned and adjusted her glasses. "But be careful, okay? Try to stay away from the woods."

"Trust me, I will," she nodded, and Wren believed her. "I'll be back by dinner, Aunty Wren."

Calling out one last goodbye, Wren turned back to her work and Maggie made her way down the driveway, fixing one of her earphones in her ear as Scooby tugged at his leash, barking eagerly with his tail wagging.

The fresh air seemed to do Maggie good as she roamed the relatively empty La Push streets. The sky was overcast that day, the slightest bit of sun seeping through the clouds to cast a soft glow on the small reservation. As she reached the beach, Maggie gave a happy sigh, smiling at the crashing waves and the roaring wind. A few people were on the beach that morning but they were at the opposite end, leaving Maggie and Scooby an ample amount of space to roam around.

But the content feeling in Maggie's chest didn't last long.

As Maggie strayed further and further away from the kids playing in the waves and the parents watching over them, the feeling of being watched suddenly washed over her like the water colliding with the sand. The sensation of eyes burning into the side of her face sent chills down her spine, causing her to freeze. Scooby huffed as he was forced to stop.

Scanning the beach, her eyes faltered when they reached the woods. Her heart leapt into her throat at the sight of two figures by the treeline. One was a woman with bright red hair the colour of fire and the other was a man with dark skin and dreadlocks. That wasn't what made her stop, though. It was the dark red hue of their eyes, visible even metres away from Maggie.

Gasping, she stumbled away with terror soaring through her veins. Scooby began to growl, eyes locked on the duo as he dropped to the ground in front of Maggie defensively.

"Maggie?"

Giving a tiny shout of surprise, she spun around quickly. Behind her stood Paul, his brows furrowed as he took in her pale face, her shaky features. Eyes flitting to the trees behind her, his lips twisted into a sneer, nose crinkled for an instant before his expression went blank. Peering over her shoulder, Maggie almost expected the duo to be approaching them. But where they once stood was now empty air, as if they'd never even been there to begin with.

"You okay?" Paul finally tore his eyes away from the trees, taking an instinctive step towards her when she let out a shaky breath.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I-I just saw—"

"You saw what?" he questioned, jaw clenching. He sent another furtive glare towards the trees.

"Nothing," she muttered, drawing Scooby closer as he started to growl at the boy in front of her. "Quiet, Scooby."

"Are you here on your own?" Paul asked, glancing behind him at two figures sitting in the sand dunes. It was Jared and Sam. They were watching the two of them shamelessly, the same cautious looks on their faces, as if they were on guard for something.

"Um, yeah," she mumbled. "But I think I might head home now."

"I'll walk with you," he decided.

"You don't have to—"

"It's fine," he cut her off, waving a dismissive hand in the hopes of easing away the tension. "You can never be too careful."

"With the bears, right?" she breathed, though they both knew those figures had not been bears.

"Yeah," Paul paused, staring down at her with unreadable eyes. "The bears."

As Maggie followed Paul back the way she'd come, Scooby trotting along beside her, she spared one last glance over at the trees. Sam and Jared were striding towards them, determination in each step, before they completely disappeared from sight.

Pushing the image out of her mind, she turned back to Paul, jogging after his large steps to stand by his side. He looked down at her for a moment, at their bodies side by side, before turning away with furrowed brows.

The entire walk home, Maggie couldn't stop herself from thinking of monsters hiding behind human features, red eyes the colour of fresh blood.

Something she hadn't thought about since she was six.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

IT WAS LATER THAT evening, and Maggie was cuddled up on the couch watching a documentary on conspiracy theories. She had a thick knitted blanket thrown over her legs, a large bowl of popcorn balanced on her lap that she munched on, and her eyes glued to the screen.

The front door opened and Maggie slowly tore her gaze away to look at Zeke, who was only just getting home.

"Oh hey, Mags," Zeke grinned at the sight of his little sister, cheeks red from the cold air outside.

"You're back late," she noted, chewing on a fresh handful of popcorn.

Zeke shrugged carelessly, though there was something in his eyes that didn't make sense to Maggie. "I guess I lost track of time."

Maggie hummed at him. "Did you have a good day?"

"It was alright," he muttered evasively, and that was that. He flopped on the lounge beside her, sighing happily as he kicked his feet up on the coffee table. "So what are we watching?"

Maggie hissed as Zeke reached for the popcorn bowl, slapping his hand away. He gaped at her. "Get your own food."

"You don't want to share with your favourite sibling?" he frowned teasingly, as if he couldn't believe what she was saying.

"Oh please, if anyone's her favourite sibling, it's me," Dakota declared as she made her way into the room. She took a seat on Zeke's other side, scowling at him when he reached out to ruffle her hair.

"I don't have a favourite sibling," Maggie grinned at the two of them, nodding her head in spite of Zeke's disbelieving scoff. "I love you equally."

"She's lying," Zeke insisted.

Dakota added, "There's no way you love Vera as much as us."

"Dakota Sullivan, don't you talk about your sister that way!" Wren shouted from somewhere upstairs, her tone light but scolding.

The three siblings looked at each other and laughed. They always said their Aunt Wren had heightened hearing. When they were kids and they did something wrong, she always managed to find out. It was like she sensed it on them, the trouble.

Just for a moment, Maggie pretended that things were okay, rolling her eyes when Zeke slung his arms around both of his sisters, squeezing them in a hug while Dakota complained about his armpits smelling.

For just one moment, everything was almost good.