Evelyn sighed happily as she relaxed into the couch in her living room. The rain was falling at a steady rhythm outside, the drops making a distinct plink sound as they flew against the windows of her house. It was the first free Saturday that she had had in a long time, and she was perfectly content to spend it watching movies and napping as the soothing sound of the rain lulled her to sleep for an afternoon nap.

Life had fallen back into a good routine for Evelyn for the first time since before the Cullens left. She was happy to have Bella back and interacting with their other friends at school. She was doing well in her classes, and looking forward to graduating high school for good in just a few short months. She enjoyed working to pass the time and to save money for school, and although she was slow to admit it, having Will around wasn't so bad, after all. She still was not exactly sure what his motivations were, but she figured having a "good" vampire around with Victoria still potentially lurking nearby wasn't such a bad thing for her. Though it was simple, Evelyn found joy in the life that she had put back together without Jasper and the Cullens in it. Yes, it still hurt sometimes to think of them, but she knew their departure had made her stronger and more capable.

After about an hour into the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's, an insistent knock on her front door roused the girl from her dozing state on the sofa. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking and confused, before the knock came again. The sound was sharp and clear above the dull pounding of the the rain outside. With a sigh she threw the blanket that she had off of her legs and adjusted the sweater and leggings she was wearing before padding softly to the door.

Her sleepy expression turned to one of immediate concern when she opened the door to see Bella standing on her front porch. The girl was soaked to the bone from the rain, and Evelyn could see the puffy bags under her eyes. Immediately, she knew that she had been crying.

"Oh my god, Bella, you're soaked. Come in, come in, I'll go get you a towel," Evelyn worried over her friend, pulling her into the house and shutting the door behind her. Bella didn't speak, merely nodding as her teeth chattered from the cold.

Evelyn bounded to the laundry room, suddenly thankful that she hadn't taken her clean clothes back upstairs yet. She grabbed an old sweatshirt and pairs of sweatpants and socks, and she grabbed some towels from the linen closet before jogging back out to the front door to meet Bella.

Bella looked to be in shock. Her eyes were puffy and red, but she stared blankly at the floor while her body shook from the chill she had caught outside. Droplets of water fell from her clothes and hair onto the worn wood floor underneath her. Evelyn placed the towels and clothing on a side table as she moved to carefully remove her friend's jacket.

"Bella, what happened?" She asked, her voice soft. By the way her friend looked, she knew it could not have been good.

"Jacob... I went to see him and then..." she trailed off, her voice cracking as she bit her cheeks to keep from crying. She shook her head, scrunching her eyes shut tightly as her teeth continued to chatter.

Seeing how difficult it was for her to speak about it, Evelyn instead wrapped a towel around the shivering girl in front of her. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me right now. I brought you some clothes to change into and I'll make you some hot chocolate, okay? Then we can talk, if you feel like it."

Bella nodded, looking gratefully into her friend's green eyes. "Okay. Thank you, Ev."

"Of course," Evelyn said, gesturing down the hall as she placed the extra towels and clothes in Bella's hands. "The bathroom is down there to the right. I can meet you in the living room when you're done."

As she waited for Bella to shuffle safely into the bathroom, she couldn't help but feel her annoyance grow at Jacob Black. Obviously, he had said or done something to her that hurt her terribly, even when he had promised that he would never do so. She couldn't help but grumble to herself as she wiped up the water in the hallway and threw the used towels back in the laundry room.

It only took her a few more minutes to make the two cups of hot chocolate in the kitchen, and when she returned to the living room she was relieved to see Bella curled up under a blanket on the couch with the sweatshirt and sweatpants on.

"I put my wet clothes in the dryer, if that's okay," Bella said, her voice already sounding better as she gratefully took one of the mugs from Evelyn's hands.

Evelyn nodded, sitting on the couch and pulling another blanket around her legs as well. "That's fine, they should be dry soon." She took a sip of the warm, sweet liquid as Bella did the same before continuing. "So, what happened with Jacob?"

Bella sighed sadly, staring into the mug in her hands. "I went over to his house today because I was worried about him. I've been trying to call him for a week and he wouldn't answer. I just wanted to see if he was okay. But when I got there, he was... different."

Evelyn nodded, instantly thinking about how she had seen Jacob only the other day as she was driving to La Push. She decided not to say anything about that, though, as she listened to Bella's story.

"Billy told me that Jacob had mono, but I just knew that that wasn't true. When I got there I saw that he had cut all of his hair completely off, and he even got the same tattoo as Sam Uley and his minions." Bella scowled slightly at that. "He told me that we couldn't be friends anymore, Evelyn. I don't know what I did wrong."

Evelyn shook her head, taking her friend's hand in hers. "You didn't do anything wrong, Bella. This is Jacob's issue, not yours. Don't blame yourself for his behavior."

"I don't know, Ev, I just keep thinking that maybe if I had..." She trailed off, and both of them knew what she was going to say. If she had given him what he wanted. "But I couldn't do that. It would have felt like I was betraying him. Like I was betraying Edward. And I know that's stupid because he's the one who left me, but it's how I feel."

"That's completely valid, Bells. Don't feel bad for not doing what made you uncomfortable. Jacob just wanted more than what you were willing to give." She smiled encouragingly. "Just give it time, Bella. Maybe he'll come to his senses eventually. You guys are best friends."

Bella nodded thoughtfully, but then her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "He said something else, too. Somehow, he knows about the Cullens. He called them 'filthy bloodsuckers' in front of me. Why do you think he would even know that?"

Evelyn's eyes widened in shock. How would he know that? "Are you sure that's what he said?"

"Positive," Bella nodded. "He said that then followed Sam and the others into the woods."

How strange, Evelyn thought to herself. Weren't all of those boys human? How could they have found out about the Cullens? Somehow, though, she had a gut feeling that she would rather not know. "Maybe we shouldn't worry about it until we have to."

"You're probably right," Bella agreed. They sat in silence for a few moments before Bella met Evelyn's eyes once more. "Ev, I think I owe you an apology."

Evelyn frowned. "What for? You haven't done anything to me."

"That's exactly what I have to apologize for. All this time, you've always been the one bending over backwards for me and taking care of me. Especially when they left." She paused, trying to show that she was being sincere. "You've been nothing but the perfect friend to me when I need someone to lean on, and I wasn't there for you when you needed me, too. I'm so sorry for that."

Evelyn smiled, her heart warming at her words. "You were going through a rough time, Bella. I can't exactly blame you for that. You're one of my best friends, there isn't a ton I wouldn't do for you. But, I appreciate the apology."

"Good," Bella said, squeezing her hand tighter. "I'm so glad that you ended up moving to Forks, Evelyn."

The green-eyed girl smiled wide, squeezing her hand back. "Me too."

***

Evelyn let her left hand hang out of her window as she drove through the trees, enjoying the feeling of the wind weaving through her open fingers. She had just finished school for the day and the sun was miraculously shining, so she decided to go for a drive to think and clear her head.

She couldn't help but ponder over the fact that Jacob knew about the Cullens' secret. Something in her gut told her that she already knew the answer, but it was as if it was floating just out of reach somewhere deep in her memory. She had been wracking her brain all day trying to figure out what it was unsucessfully, and she hoped some time alone might help her remember.

She had been driving aimlessly, but then, as the trees started to thicken around the sideroad that she was on, she realized that she was driving to the dirt lot where she and Jasper used to park to hike to the meadow and stream that they used to frequent.

Evelyn had not been back since the last time she and Jasper were there many months ago. She slowed her car down, briefly considering turning around, but ultimately decided to keep going. She didn't know why, but something in her told her that she was supposed to be there today.

When she reached the dirt-road pull off, she carefully turned the car off and stepped out into the early March sun. Its warmth felt heavenly on her skin, especially after being under a constant blanket of clouds for months. She grabbed her backpack from the passenger side and slung it over her shoulders before setting off into the trees.

Though it had been months since her last visit, she remembered the route well. It took only ten or so minutes for her to emerge from the tree line into the clearing that she used to love so much. The stream babbled just as cheerily as it always had, and she could hear the sound of birdsong surrounding the clearing. The flowers and grass had still not grown back yet because of the winter, and all that remained was the dried, dead remnants of the meadow from the previous summer.

Evelyn walked carefully to the water's edge, ignoring the thoughts of Jasper that entered her mind as they were triggered by simply being in this meadow. She couldn't help but think of how about a year ago, she and Jasper had kissed for the first time in this clearing. They had spent so many days here together after that talking, telling stories, and sometimes even just laying in silence because simply being together was enough. She smiled sadly as she sat down on the dead grass. Oh, what a difference a year can make.

The girl tossed her bag to the side and gently lay down on the ground. The sun shone directly on her face, and she closed her eyes as she basked in its warmth. With the sound of the bubbling water beside her, she could have lived in this moment forever. A feeling of peace settled over her body, and for a long time she just stayed there getting drunk on sunlight and focusing on the feeling of her breath entering and leaving her lungs.

She didn't know how long she had been there before a familiar voice pulled her from her stupor. "I thought I told you not to go into the woods by yourself."

Without opening her eyes, she grinned. "And I didn't realize you were the boss of me."

"Evelyn, I wasn't joking. Did you not hear me when I told you that Victoria has been in the area?" She could hear the irritation and concern in Will's voice as she heard him approaching. She opened her eyes to see him walking towards her. He looked perfect, as always, and she was momentarily stunned at the sight of the sunlight reflecting off of his skin like shards of a diamond; it was a sight she never thought that she'd ever see again.

"I know. Honestly, I was just distracted today. I didn't even think about it," she admitted. She watched him as he sat down next to her, then laid back so that their faces were turned towards each other on the grass.

"Care to enlighten me?" He asked, his tone teasing.

She sighed, looking back up at the sky as a large cloud covered the sun once more, the warmth on her skin fading and Will's skin returning to normal. "I don't know. I was just thinking about someone that used to be in my life. This place reminds me of him."

"It was your place, wasn't it?" Will asked, and Evelyn turned to him in surprise. "I've been in love before, too, Evelyn. I know what that sad look in your eyes means."

"I am not sad," Evelyn argued, but at Will's pointed look, she sighed in defeat. "I just miss it sometimes, that's all. Now would you stop looking at me like that," she said, bumping his side with her elbow. "I'm not some kicked puppy, you know."

Will laughed, the melodious sound filling the clearing. "I wasn't thinking that at all. I was just wondering what happened to you to make this place make you seem so melancholic."

"It's not a pretty story," Evelyn breathed, her eyes searching his. "I don't know if it's something you'd want to hear."

"I can be a good listener when it matters, Evelyn." Will paused, hoping his sincerity showed through his gaze. "I promise, no teasing, no games. Just me, listening to you."

Evelyn didn't know why, but she felt the sudden urge to spill all of the details of her and Jasper's story to him. Maybe it was the way he was looking at her, or maybe it was because she had desperately needed to talk to someone for so long, but she told him everything. She spoke of how they had met and fallen fast for eachother, and how she had almost died when they had gotten wrapped up with James and Victoria the year before. She told him about all of the Cullens, and how they had been like a family to her. It was difficult to talk about what happened when Jasper left, but still she did it. Will sat quietly and attentively, nodding along as he listened to the human girl speak in front of him.

When she finished, she felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It was nice to let her guard down and just let all of her frustrations out after holding them in for so long.

"So that's the story behind the scar," Will observed, his eyes flitting to her shoulder for a moment before going back to hers. "You're extremely lucky, you know. I don't know of many humans who could have survived that."

Evelyn nodded. "I don't know what I would have done without Rose and Alice there to help me."

Will nodded, thinking for a moment before speaking again. "Do you ever think about what would have happened if they hadn't gotten the venom out in time?"

Evelyn shuddered, shaking her head. "No. I don't know what I would have done." She paused, looking into his golden eyes. "I never wanted to be a vampire. There's too mcuh that I want to do."

Will grinned, raising an eyebrow. "Like?"

"Like going to college, and getting married and starting a family," she told him, a soft smile on her face as she thought of the potential of her future. "I want all of it. Plus, I think living forever would get terribly boring after a while."

"Oh, come on, it isn't so bad," Will argued, lifting his head slightly so it rested on his hand. "You get to see history as it happens. I've seen the birth of countless nations, and then I've even seen some die. I've witnessed the rise and fall of so many world leaders that I've lost count. I've gotten to travel all over the world and see so many different cultures."

Evelyn smiled. "That does sound pretty exciting. But does eternity never make you feel lonely?"

"Sometimes, yes," Will admitted, a sad smile on his face. "I do love my life now, but yes, I miss my human life from time to time."

The girl bit her lip, debating on whether or not to ask the question that was burning on her tongue. Will, ever observent, noticed this and nudged her with a gentle tap on her side. "Go on, then, I know you have something that you're dying to ask me."

"Well, I was just wondering... you've never told me how you died..."

"You want to know how I was changed?" Will asked, grinning. Evelyn nodded, and he let out a sigh as his eyes left hers and he looked up at the sky.

"You don't have to tell me, if it's too personal," Evelyn added quickly, noticing his hesitation.

Will shook his head, meeting her gaze once more. "No, it's not that. I just don't want you to be upset. It's a little bit of a depressing story."

"I want to hear it," Evelyn said, making him chuckle.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you. Have you ever heard of the Jacobite Rebellion? I'm not sure if schools in America teach about that."

Evelyn nodded. "I took a Europena history class a couple years ago. You were there?"

"I was born William James Alexander MacDonald Cameron in 1726," he said, pausing when he heard the girl next to him giggle. "What?"

She shrugged, fighting the smile on her face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. It's just a bit of a mouthful, don't you think?"

Will rolled his eyes. "If you don't want to hear it then I won't tell it."

"No, I do! I'll be quiet from now on. Promise."

Will eyed her suspiciously, but nevertheless, he continued. "I grew up in a small village that was a part of Clan Cameron in the Highlands. When I turned twenty I joined the rebellion. In April of 1746 we met the British Army at Culloden Moor. It was a bloodbath, Evelyn. We wore sorely outnumbered and the redcoats made quick work of us."

"I had been severely wounded but I wasn't dead yet when the battle ended. I don't know if you know this, but wars and battlefields are hot spots for our kind to drink freely. Most people are already dead or close to death, so they're easy targets. A vampire came in the night before the bodies had been cleaned up and sucked the men around me dry. He drank from me, too, but he was careless and didn't make sure that I was dead. I blacked out from the pain and woke up three days later buried in a mass grave."

Evelyn's mouth fell open in shock. "That's awful, Will. Did you have any idea what was going on?"

Will laughed bitterly. "Not a clue. All I knew was that I was going to rip my own throat out if I didn't satisfy the thirst. Unfortunately, I came upon a peddler on my way back to my home after I clawed my way out of the ground. He was my first kill."

"When I got back to the little house that I shared with my wife at the time, half of it had been burned down. The embers were still smoking when I arrived. I found my wife's body behind the house. The soldiers had killed her and taken anything valuable, then tried to burn the house down. All because she was married to me, a rebel. She was pregnant with our first child."

Evelyn felt her heart breaking for the man in front of her. She had no idea that the carefree exterior he put on for the world was to hide all of the pain that he had experienced so long ago.

"After that, there was nothing left for me in Scotland. I was horrified with what I had become. I swam to the American colonies a year later and lived in the woods of North Carolina until I learned to control my thirst, and then shortly after I met Carlisle."

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Evelyn whispered, placing her hand on his arm. "I can't imagine how hard that was for you."

"It was difficult at first, but I've made my peace with it. I can't go back and change it so I chose to move on." His golden eyes met hers again. "I spent some time here, and some time in Italy with the Volturi, at Carlisle's suggestion. But I much prefer the nomadic lifestyle."

Evelyn furrowed her eyebrows. "So why are you following Victoria if you're such a nomad?"

"That, I'm afraid, is a story for another time." He looked up at the sky, which had darkened significantly since they had arrived in the meadow. "We should leave before it starts raining. I'm not in the mood to be soaking wet today. Come on, I'll walk you back to your car."

Will stood, offering Evelyn a hand to help her up as well. She took it gratefully, the chill of skin momentarily shocking her as he effortlessly pulled her to her feet. She hid her disappointment at not learning his connection to Victoria, but after today, she felt much closer to Will than she ever had before. She sensed that it was not easy for him to open up about his past, and she was glad that they both felt comfortable enough with eachother to do so.

The vampire grabbed her backpack from the ground and slung it over his shoulder, and together the unlikely pair made their way towards the trees, shoulders just barely touching as they began to chat about more mundane and regular things.

They had only been walking for a few moments before Will sensed a strange shift in the air. Evelyn was in the middle of talking about what she was going to make for dinner that night when Will's hand suddenly flew out in front of her, stopping her from walking.

"Will? What's wrong?" She asked, immediately concerned as her eyes flew to the vampire beside her.

He shook his head, his eyes narrowed as he scanned the forest. "Something isn't right. We aren't alone."

Evelyn's heartbeat quickened at his words. Her mind immediately jumped to Victoria; could she be the one Will was sensing? She didn't know what would happen if she saw that mane of flaming red hair emerge from the trees around them.

The opposite seemed to be true. A low, menacing growl echoed through the trees around them. Evelyn felt the adrenaline begin coursing through her veins as she frantically scanned the forest to see what was there. Suddenly, a large mass of black fur came into her line of sight. She couldn't tell what it was at first, but as it left the shadows she could clearly see that it was an enormous black wolf.

The girl remembered what her friend Angela had described a few weeks ago, and she weakly thought that the description did not do the wolf justice. It was enormous, and were she to stand in front of it, the animal would certainly tower over her head. It's teeth were bared in a predatory snarl as it stalked towards them, and Evelyn shrank further back behind Will.

"Will, we have to run," she whispered, urging him to move. He simply shook his head, instead raising his arms as if he were surrendering to the animal. "What are you doing?" She hissed, but he shook his head once more.

"Just trust me," he breathed. He stepped forward slightly, falling down onto one knee in front of the wolf. "I'm not here to hurt anyone," he told it, holding it's gaze with his golden eyes. "I'm a friend of Carlisle's." When the wolf merely growled again in response, snapping its jaws, Will sank lower to the ground. "Look at my eyes. I don't hurt people."

Evelyn could only watch frozen in terror as the wolf stalked closer to her friend. She had no clue why Will was making himself so vulnerable to this creature, but she was suddenly afraid that she would have to witness the wolf ripping his head off before it turned on her, too.

Just when it looked like the wolf was going to attack, it began to slowly back away. Its gaze turned to Evelyn, and the girl gasped at the strange look in its eyes when she looked into them. It was almost as if she knew those eyes; like she had seen them before. She watched, still as a statue, as the animal retreated back into the foliage and out of sight.

Will stood carefully, his eyes never leaving the spot where the wolf had vanished. Evelyn pulled on his arm gently to get his attention. "I think it's gone. We should leave while we can, before it comes back."

"No, this isn't over." He turned, offering a reassuring smile. "Just trust me, Ev. We're going to be okay." He looked to the trees again before looking back at her. "Although, I'm afriad you're going to be in for a little bit of a shock, today."

She frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Before he could answer, the sound of branches rustling pulled their attention back to the trees. Evelyn's mouth fell open in shock when she saw that it was Sam Uley who emerged from the foliage, dressed in only a pair of jean shorts and sneakers.

What the hell was going on?!

Sam crossed his burly arms over his chest, his gaze hard as he stared at the pair in front of him. "You say you don't hurt people, vampire. But I've never seen you here before."

"I'm passing through," answered Will. "I'm an old friend of Carlisle's."

"So you're one of the Cullens?" Sam asked, curiosity in his tone.

Will shook his head. "No, I'm just a friend. The Cullens are still nowhere to be found, it seems."

Sam nodded. "That's good to know. I'll have to tell the others that we aren't required to honor the treaty since you are not one of them, and they are still gone."

Treaty? What treaty? Evelyn stood in shock. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed, and yet a particular conversation with Bella long ago stood out in her mind. It was when Bella had called her to tell her about a story that Jacob had told her; it had been the one about the Cullens and the tribe's ancestors. Vampires and werewolves. Was Sam Uley really a werewolf? Were all the legends true?

"I've never known of a treaty," Will said, voicing her concern as well. "But I'll honor it, if you wish, out of respect for your kind and Carlisle."

"There is no need, if you're not planning to stay. I just ask that you refrain from hunting or turning humans in the area, and to stay off of Quileute lands."

Will nodded. "Not a problem. I won't cause you or your pack any issues."

"See to it that you don't," Sam said, his distaste for vampires obvious as he spoke. His eyes moved to Evelyn, who had watched the whole exchange in complete and utter shock and confusion. "I took a huge risk in revealing myself to you, Evelyn. I've broken many pack rules in doing so, but it was to make sure that you were safe with him. But like the secret of vampires, the secret of my tribe must be protected. You cannot speak a word of it to anyone. Do you understand?"

Evelyn nodded solemnly. She was still afraid, of course, and in immense disbelief, but by the way Sam spoke and the power radiating off of him, she knew she wouldn't disobey his request. "I understand. I won't tell anyone."

"Good," Sam nodded. "Hopefully we won't have to meet again," he told Will, and once more he disappeared back into the trees.

Once he was gone, Evelyn was too shocked to register what was going on. She and Will walked back to her car in silence. She mumbled a farewell to him before she hopped into the car and began the long drive back to her house.

How could she have not realized this whole time? If one half of the legend is true, then who's to say that the other half wasn't? She felt incredibly stupid for not realizing it until now, and all she could think about was how much the Cullens had witheld from them. She suddenly started laughing, shaking her head as she drove through the rain that had begun to fall. What kind of bad movie is my life turning into?

It seemed that no matter what she did, she couldn't escape the supernatural world while living in Forks.