EACH TIME THAT I OPENED MY EYES TO THE MORNING light and realized I'd lived throughanother night was a surprise to me. After the surprise wore off, my heart would start to race and mypalms would sweat; I couldn't really breathe again until I'd gotten up and ascertained that Charlie hadsurvived as well.

　　I could tell he was worried—watching me jump at any loud sound, or my face suddenly go white for noreason that he could see. From the questions he asked now and then, he seemed to blame the change on Jacob's continued absence.

　　The terror that was always foremost in my thoughts usually distracted me from the fact that another weekhad passed, and Jacob still hadn't called me. But when I was able to concentrate on my normal life—ifmy life was really ever normal—this upset me.

　　I missed him horribly.

　　It had been bad enough to be alone before I was scared silly. Now, more than ever, I yearned for hiscarefree laugh and his infectious grin. I needed the safe sanity of his homemade garage and his warmhand around my cold fingers.

　　I'd half expected him to call on Monday. If there had been some progress with Embry, wouldn't he wantto report it? I wanted to believe that it was worry for his friend that was occupying all his time, not that hewas just giving up on me.

　　I called him Tuesday, but no one answered. Were the phone lines still having problems? Or had Billyinvested in caller I.D.?

　　On Wednesday I called every half hour until after eleven at night, desperate to hear the warmth ofJacob's voice.

　　Thursday I sat in my truck in front of my house—with the locks pushed down—keys in hand, for a solidhour. I was arguing with myself, trying to justify a quick trip to La Push, but I couldn't do it.

　　I knew that Laurent had gone back to Victoria by now. If I went to La Push, I took the chance of leadingone of them there. What if they caught up to me when Jake was nearby? As much as it hurt me, I knew itwas better for Jacob that he was avoiding me. Safer for him.

　　It was bad enough that I couldn't figure out a way to keep Charlie safe. Nighttime was the most likelytime that they would come looking ior me, and what could I say to get Charlie out of the house? If I toldhim the truth, he'd have me locked up in a rubber room somewhere. I would have enduredthat—welcomed it, even—if it could have kept him safe. But Victoria would still come to his house first,looking for me. Maybe, if she found me here, that would be enough for her. Maybe she would just leavewhen she was done with me.

　　So I couldn't run away. Even if I could, where would I go? To Renee? I shuddered at the thought ofdragging my lethal shadows into my mother's safe, sunny world. I would never endanger her that way.

　　The worry was eating a hole in my stomach. Soon I would have matching punctures.

　　That night, Charlie did me another favor and called Harry again to see if the Blacks were out of town.

　　Harry reported that Billy had attended the council meeting Wednesday night, and never mentionedanything about leaving. Charlie warned me not to make a nuisance of myself—Jacob would call when hegot around to it.

　　Friday afternoon, as I drove home from school, it hit me out of the blue.

　　I wasn't paying attention to the familiar road, letting the sound of the engine deaden my brain and silencethe worries, when my subconscious delivered a verdict it must have been working on for some timewithout my knowledge.

　　As soon as I thought of it, I felt really stupid for not seeing it sooner. Sure. I'd had a lot on mymind—revenue-obsessed vampires, giant mutant wolves, a ragged hole in the center of my chest—but when I laid the evidence out, it was embarrassingly obvious.

　　Jacob avoiding me. Charlie saying he looked strange, upset. . . . Billy's vague, unhelpful answers.

　　Holy crow, I knew exactly what was going on with Jacob.

　　It was Sam Uley. Even my nightmares had been trying to tell me that. Sam had gotten to Jacob.

　　Whatever was happening to the other boys on the reservation had reached out and stolen my friend.

　　He'd been sucked into Sam's cult.

　　He hadn't given up on me at all, I realized with a rush of feeling.

　　I let my truck idle in front of my house. What should I do? I weighed the dangers against each other.

　　If I went looking for Jacob, I risked the chance of Victoria or Laurent finding me with him.

　　If I didn't go after him, Sam would pull him deeper into his frightening, compulsory gang. Maybe it wouldbe too late if I didn't act soon.

　　It had been a week, and no vampires had come for me yet. A week was more than enough time for themto have returned, so I must not be a priority. Most likely, as I'd decided before, they would come for meat night. The chances of them following me to La Push were much lower than the chance of losing Jacobto Sam.

　　It was worth the danger of the secluded forest road. This was no idle visit to see what was going on. Iknew what was going on. This was a rescue mission. I was going to talk to Jacob—kidnap him if I hadto. I'd once seen a PBS show on deprogramming the brainwashed. There had to be some kind of cure.

　　I decided I'd better call Charlie first. Maybe whatever was going on down in La Push was something thepolice should be involved in. I dashed inside, in a hurry to be on my way.

　　Charlie answered the phone it the station himself.

　　"Chief Swan.""Dad, it's Bella.""What's wrong?'"I couldn't argue with his doomsday assumption this time. My voice was shaking.

　　"I'm worried about Jacob.""Why?" he asked, surprised by the unexpected topic.

　　"I think… I think something weird is going on down at the reservation. Jacob told me about some strangestuff happening with the other boys his age. Now he's acting the same way and I'm scared.""What kind of stuff?" He used his professional, police business voice. That was good; he was taking meseriously.

　　"First he was scared, and then he was avoiding me, and now… I'm afraid he's part of that bizarre gangdown there, Sam's gang. Sam Uley's gang.""Sam Uley?" Charlie repeated, surprised again.

　　 "Yes."Charlie's voice was more relaxed when he answered. "I think you've got it wrong, Bells. Sam Uley is agreat kid. Well, he's a man now. A good son. You should hear Billy talk about him. He's really doingwonders with the youth on the reservation. He's the one who—" Charlie broke off mid-sentence, and Iguessed that he had been about to make a reference to the night I'd gotten lost in the woods. I moved onquickly.

　　"Dad, it's not like that. Jacob was scared ofhim.""Did you talk to Billy about this?" He was trying to soothe me now. I'd lost him as soon as I'd mentionedSam.

　　"Billy's not concerned.""Well, Bella, then I'm sure it's okay. Jacob's a kid; he was probably just messing around. I'm sure he'sfine. He can't spend every waking minute with you, after all.""This isn't about me," I insisted, but the battle was lost.

　　"I don't think you need to worry about this. Let Billy take care of Jacob.""Charlie…" My voice was starting to sound whiney.

　　"Bells, I got a lot on my plate right now. Two tourists have gone missing off a trail outside crescent lake."There was an anxious edge to his voice. "This wolf problem is getting out of hand."I was momentarily distracted—stunned, really—by his news. There was no way the wolves could havesurvived a match-up with Laurent…"Are you sure that's what happened to them?" I asked.

　　"Afraid so, honey. There was—" He hesitated. "There were tracks again, and… some blood this time.""Oh!" It must not have come to a confrontation, then. Laurent must have simply outrun the wolves, butwhy? What I'd seen in the meadow just got stranger and stranger—more impossible to understand.

　　"Look, I really have to go. Don't worry about Jake, Bella. I'm sure it's nothing.""Fine," I said curtly, frustrated as his words reminded me of the more urgent crisis at hand. "Bye." I hangup.

　　I stared at the phone for a long minute. What the hell, I decided.

　　Billy answered after two rings.

　　"Hello?""Hey, Billy," I almost growled. I tried to sound more friendly as I continued. "Can I talk to Jacob,please?""Jake's not here."What a shock. "Do you know where he is?""He's out with his friends." Billy's voice was careful.

　　 "Oh yeah? Anyone I know? Quil?" I could tell the words didn't come across as casually as I'd meantthem to.

　　"No," Billy said slowly. "I don't think he's with Quil today."I knew better than to mention Sam's name.

　　"Embry?" I asked.

　　Billy seemed happier to answer this one. "Yeah, he's with Embry."That was enough for me. Embry was one of them.

　　"Well, have him call me when he gets in, all right?""Sure, sure. No problem." Click.

　　"See you soon, Billy," I muttered into the dead phone.

　　I drove to La Push determined to wait. I'd sit out front of his house all night if I had to. I'd miss school.

　　The boy was going to have to come home sometime, and when he did, he was going to have to talk tome.

　　My mind was so preoccupied that the trip I'd been terrified of making seemed to take only a fewseconds. Before I was expecting it, the forest began to thin, and I knew I would soon be able to see thefirst little houses of the reservation.

　　Walking away, along the left side of the road, was a tall boy with a baseball cap.

　　My breath caught for just a moment in my throat, hopeful that luck was with me for once, and I'dsrumbled across Jacob without hardly trying. But this boy was too wide, and the hair was short under thehat. Even from behind, I was sure it was Quil, though he looked bigger than the last time I'd seen him.

　　What was with these Quileute boys? Were they feeding them experimental growth hormones?

　　I crossed over to the wrong side of the road to stop next to him. He looked up when the roar of mytruck approached.

　　Quil's expression frightened me more than it surprised me. His face was bleak, brooding, his foreheadcreased with worry.

　　"Oh, hey, Bella," he greeted me dully.

　　"Hi, Quil… Are you okay?"He stared at me morosely. "Fine.""Can I give you a ride somewhere?" I offered.

　　"Sure, I guess," he mumbled. He shuffled around the front of the truck and opened the passenger door toclimbin.

　　"Where to?""My house is on the north side, back behind the store," he told me.

　　"Have you seen Jacob today." The question burst from me almost before he'd finished speaking.

　　 I looked at Quil eagerly, waiting for his answer. He stared out the windshield for a second before hespoke. "From a distance," he finally said.

　　"A distance?" I echoed.

　　"I tried to follow them—he was with Embry." His voice was low, hard to hear over the engine. I leanedcloser. "I know they saw me. But they turned and just disappeared into the trees. I don't think they werealone—I think Sam and his crew might have been with them.

　　"I've been stumbling around in the forest for an hour, yelling for them. I just barely found the road againwhen you drove up.""So Sam did get to him." The words were a little distorted—my teeth were gritted together.

　　Quil stared at me. "You know about that.?"I nodded. "Jake told me… before.""Before," Quil repeated, and sighed.

　　"Jacob's just as bad as the others now?""Never leaves Sam's side." Quil turned his head and spit out the open window.

　　"And before that—did he avoid everyone? Was he acting upset?"His voice was low and rough. "Not for as long as the others. Maybe one day. Then Sam caught up withhim.""What do you think it is? Drugs or something?""I can't see Jacob or Embry getting into anything like that… but what do I know? What else could it be?

　　And why aren't the old people worried?" He shook his head, and the fear showed in his eyes now.

　　"Jacob didn't want to be a part of this… cult. I don't understand what could change him." He stared atme, his face frightened. "I don't want to be next."My eyes mirrored his fear. That was the second time I'd heard it described as a cult. I shivered. "Areyour parents any help?"He grimaced. "Right. My grandfather's on the council with Jacob's dad. Sam Uley is the best thing thatever happened to this place, as far as he's concerned."We stared at each other for a prolonged moment. We were in La Push now, and my truck was barelycrawling along the empty road. I could see the village's only store not too far ahead.

　　"I'll get out now," Quil said. "My house is right over there." He gestured toward the small woodenrectangle behind the store. I pulled over to the shoulder, and he jumped out.

　　"I'm going to go wait for Jacob," I told him in a hard voice.

　　"Good luck." He slammed the door and shuffled forward along the road, his head bent forward, hisshoulders slumped.

　　Quil's face haunted me as I made a wide U-turn and headed back toward the Blacks'. He was terrifiedof being next. What was happening here?

　　 I stopped in front of Jacob's house, killing the motor and rolling down the windows. It was stuffy today,no breeze. I put my feet up on the dashboard and settled in to wait.

　　A movement flashed in my peripheral vision—I turned and spotted Billy looking at me through the frontwindow with a confused expression. I waved once and smiled a tight smile, but stayed where I was.

　　His eyes narrowed; he let the curtain fall across the glass.

　　I was prepared to stay as long as it took, but I wished I had something to do. I dug up a pen out of thebottom of my backpack, and an old test. I started to doodle on the back of the scrap.

　　I'd only had time to scrawl one row of diamonds when there was a sharp tap against my door.

　　I jumped, looking up, expecting Billy.

　　"What are you doing here, Bella.'" Jacob growled.

　　I stared at him in blank astonishment.

　　Jacob had changed radically in the last weeks since I'd seen him. The first thing I noticed was hishair—his beautiful hair was all gone, cropped quite short, covering his head with an inky gloss like blacksatin. The planes of his face seemed to have hardened subtly, tightened… aged. His neck and hisshoulders were different, too, thicker somehow. His hands, where they gripped the window frame,looked enormous, with the tendons and veins more prominent under the russet skin. But the physicalchanges were insignificant.

　　It was his expression that made him almost completely unrecognizable. The open, friendly smile was gonelike the hair, the warmth in his dark eyes altered to a brooding resentment that was instantly disturbing.

　　There was a darkness in Jacob now. Like my sun had imploded.

　　"Jacob?" I whispered.

　　He just stared at me, his eyes tense and angry.

　　I realized we weren't alone. Behind him stood four others; all tall and russet-skinned, black hair choppedshort just like Jacob's. They could have been brothers—I couldn't even pick Embry out of the group.

　　The resemblance was only intensified by the strikingly similar hostility in every pair of eyes.

　　Every pair but one. The oldest by several years, Sam stood in the very back, his face serene and sure. Ihad to swallow back the bile that rose in my throat. I wanted to take a swing at him. No, I wanted to domore than that. More than anything, I wanted to be fierce and deadly, someone no one would dare messwith. Someone who would scare Sam Uley silly.

　　I wanted to be a vampire.

　　The violent desire caught me off guard and knocked the wind out of me. It was the most forbidden of allwishes—even when I only wished it for a malicious reason like this, to gain an advantage over anenemy—because it was the most painful. That future was lost to me forever, had never really been withinmy grasp. I scrambled to gain control of myself while the hole in my chest ached hollowly.

　　"What do you want?" Jacob demanded, his expression growing more resentful as he watched the play ofemotion across my face.

　　"I want to talk to you," I said in a weak voice. I tried to focus, but I was still reeling against the escape of my taboo dream.

　　"Go ahead," he hissed through his teeth. His glare was vicious. I'd never seen him look at anyone likethat, least of all me. It hurt with a surprising intensity—a physical pain, a stabbing in my head.

　　"Alone!" I hissed, and my voice was stronger.

　　He looked behind him, and I knew where his eyes would go. Every one of them was turned for Sam'sreaction.

　　Sam nodded once, his face unperturbed. He made a brief comment in an unfamiliar, liquid language—Icould only be positive that it wasn't French or Spanish, but I guessed that it was Quileute. He turned andwalked into Jacob's house. The others, Paul, Jared, and Embry, I assumed, followed him in.

　　"Okay." Jacob seemed a bit less furious when the others were gone. His face was a little calmer, but alsomore hopeless. His mouth seemed permanently pulled down at the corners.

　　I took a deep breath. "You know what I want to know."He didn't answer. He just stared at me bitterly.

　　I stared back and the silence stretched on. The pain in his face unnerved me. I felt a lump beginning tobuild in my throat.

　　"Can we walk?" I asked while I could still speak.

　　He didn't respond in any way; his face didn't change.

　　I got out of the car, feeling unseen eyes behind the windows on............