Twilight: But it's a Thriller and I Never Read Twilight

As Jacob pulled into the driveway of my house, it looked just as it had the day I'd first arrived. The longer I watched, however, the more change I could see. My truck was parked in the drive and the porch light was turned on, shedding light over the path. The rain soaked everything through, and I hesitated to step out once again, like I had over a year ago when I came here for good.

Next to me, Jacob tapped the wheel as he looked over the house. "Your Dad's not here."

I nodded. The sky had turned dark long ago, which meant he'd probably been called out to something. Above, lightning struck the sky. With a storm like this, there had to be a few broken windows needing tending to. I didn't know how long he'd be gone, but it wouldn't be good when he came back.

"What are you going to tell him?" Jacob asked.

"It depends on what you tell him," I said. Any lie I told would be ruined if Jacob told him about the cliff.

He glanced to the clock. "In a couple of hours, you're going to be eighteen," he said. "So that means it's really your decision to make if you want help or not."

It was exactly the offer Charlie had given me. I had no doubt he could find a counselor in Port Angeles or a doctor to prescribe some pill, and maybe he was right to suggest it. I'd promised him I'd get better, but all I'd done this summer was spiral further out of control. The only thing that made me feel any control was hurting me.

"I need time," I said, "to figure out what to say. Can we just keep this quiet tonight?"

Jacob nodded. He reached over into the back seat and pulled out a small black umbrella. "Here. I'll help you up to the house."

I took the umbrella as he turned off the car and got out, lowering his head so his wet hair draped around him as he ran around to the other side of the car. Once on my side, he opened the door and offered me an arm, helping me keep balance as I got to my feet and opened the umbrella above us. It hardly mattered. We were both already soaked, and our phones had been left at the top of that cliff. They were probably ruined by now, but I held it over our heads to keep the rain from us as we hobbled up the steps and onto the porch.

"The spare key is over the door frame," I said.

Jacob let me go and jumped up on top of the little ledge of the door, reaching his hand over to grab the spare key hidden there. As he jumped down, however, he paused and jiggled the doorknob, finding it unlocked. He swung the door open and stared into the darkened house.

"There's someone in the house," he whispered, so low I couldn't hear all the words through the rain, but only put it together as he took a tentative step into the house, holding his arm out to block me.

"Wait, don't," I hissed. It could have been someone with a gun or some other weapon. He looked back at me with a grim expression, one that reminded me of what he was, not just a boy, a year younger than me, but a wolf with a promise to protect.

He stepped into the house and disappeared into the dark. For a long moment, I stood outside on the porch, leaning on one foot and waiting to hear a fight break out. If Jacob was hurt in there, I'd never forgive myself. I thought as I limped into the house that I could have called Charlie if I had my phone. Instead, I hobbled in, bracing myself on walls and ledges as I made my way through the house in the dark.

My eyes adjusted well to the darkened space, but I could still only see the outlines of things as I looked about, searching for the intruder. I swallowed my breath and my fear as I limped deeper into darkness, holding the closed umbrella like a weapon.