— BROOKE wasn't new to the whole supernatural world, or at least the vampire part of it. She knew that the Cullens were far from ordinary—far from being human, actually.

She'd always had her doubts about Edward, from the moment Bella introduced him to her. Boy, was he weird.

Unfortunately for her, Brooke was there during the baseball game. Brooke was made a target to James, just like Bella was.

She never understood why James was after them, the thrill of playing a game that he knew he'd win. That both girls were protected by the Cullens.

She didn't understand then, and she didn't now.

He'd gotten to her, bit her. Some days, she still felt the agony of the bite. The venom starting to spread. Carlisle had been able to suck the venom out before it had the chance to turn her.

But the scar still stayed. James teeth implanted onto her skin, they never went away.

She wore a bandage over it, telling people that she had a bad burn mark that never went away. The only times she never wore a bandage were when she wore long sleeves.

But during the summer, bandages were her second skin.

—

Paul Lahote was not someone that Brooke had ever interacted with. The hotheaded boy barely crossed paths with the Swan girl.

She'd only heard rumors about him, various things about him were spread.

To everyone in La Push, Paul was many things. To the girls he was your typical playboy. To the guys he was your typical asshole. The kind of guy that your mother would love but your father would hate. The guy that your grandmother would adore and praise about how helpful he was.

Because Paul Lahote was not a complete dick, no. He loved to help. Helped in any way that he could, when he could. He was good at that.

Something he else was also good at?

Pushing people away.

Paul never believed the imprint stories that he would hear as a young boy, merely thinking it was just a thing from the legends.

Until he shifted. Then he found out that everything he was told about at the bonfires were true, the legends, the stories.

Sam imprinting on Emily should've been the prime imprinting example for him. Showing him that it was real, that it was true.

He denied it.

He never wanted to drag someone into his world, why would he? It wasn't ideal, but it's not like he could help it. He didn't get to choose, the fates did.

Paul promised himself that he'd push and push the imprint if it ever happened. He didn't believe he was capable of caring and loving someone more than himself.

He didn't think that there was someone out there, made for him.

That was until he made eye contact with Brooke Swan, and in that moment...

He knew that imprinting was in fact real, and true. But he couldn't let it happen. Fearing that he'd hurt her more bringing her into his world, rather than simply ignoring the bond.

Unknowing that, that itself would be different kind of hurt, a different kind of pain.

—

The next day was a particularly hot day, so Brooke had decided to wear a white tube top with a light blue cropped cardigan where the sleeves only reached her elbows, a jean skirt, paired with some sandal wedge heels.

She was running late to school that she had forgotten to put on her bandage, only realizing it as soon as she was outside of her school.

"Damn it!" She cursed herself, leaning over to check her glove compartment to see if she had any in there and just her luck.

She didn't.

As the day went by, she was glad no one had noticed it and if they did then no one said anything about it.

English class came by pretty fast, it was quiet at first. Jared only making sarcastic remarks when the teacher brought up a new assignment. Brooke was a talkative person, usually. Forgetting her bandage just brought her mood down, it was as if the bad faded memory of the attack was lingering around her.

"What happened to your wrist?" Jared's voice brought her out of her thoughts, his brown eyes were locked on the teeth marks that were branded onto her skin.

"Oh—um, Kim's dog bit me..." It was the only excuse she could come up with, sure, Kim's dog did have a pretty violent history since he was a rescue. But a dog bite on her wrist? She knew that wasn't a believable excuse, she just hoped he'd believe it.

Jared gave her a skeptical look but didn't question her further. He knew it was a lie, he'd seen similar marks before. But she was human, so the idea of her being a cold one was erased from his mind. His gaze lingered on the marks that littered her skin. Brooke seemed to have noticed that because she moved her hand to rest over it.

—

"She has this scar on her wrist." Jared told Sam. Brooke being an imprint made her a part of the pack knowing or not, and no matter how hard Paul pushed. "A bite mark. Looked like a leech tried to feed on her or somethin'."

Sam turned his gaze towards the ground, thoughts going through his head. "The Cullen's swore they don't feed from humans." He shook his head.

"They could easily slip up, maybe Brooke was only the first. Who knows if they've gotten to her sister too." Paul spat, anger radiating off of his body at the idea of his imprint being bitten.

"And you're sure she's not...one of them?" Sam couldn't help but ask.

"She's human." Jared confirmed. "Paul can back me up on that, if she was a bloodsucker we would have known, and dealt with her." Paul let out a low growl at the thought.

"Relax, Lahote. You're girl's human, there's no issue with her." Jared rolled his eyes at his pack brother. Because no matter how much Paul wanted to ignore the bond, ignore the imprint. He couldn't.

The need to be with her, the need to protect her, it overwhelmed him. He hated it, hated how a girl he merely exchanged glances with had so much power over him. She was his future, he couldn't deny that. But he'd try.

—

oooooo
chapter twoooo!!!!!!

this is brooke's outfit. AINT IT SO CUTE!!???