Ebb and Flow (Twilight x Reader)

Chapter 38

"This was before you came to Forks, so you wouldn't remember. Sam's mother and Leah Clearwater had the forest rangers searching for him, the police. People thought there had been an accident or something. . . ."

"Leah?" I asked, surprised. Leah was Harry's daughter. Hearing her name sent an automatic surge of pity through me. Harry Clearwater, Charlie's life-long friend, had died of a heart attack this past spring.

His voice changed, became heavier. "Yeah. Leah and Sam were high school sweethearts. They started dating when she was just a freshman. She was frantic when he disappeared."

"But he and Emily —"

"I'll get to that — it's part of the story," he said. He inhaled slowly, and then exhaled in a gust.

"Sam came back," Jacob said, "but he wouldn't talk to anyone about where he'd been. Rumors flew — that he was up to no good, mostly. And then Sam happened to run in to Quil's grandfather one afternoon when Old Quil Ateara came to visit Mrs. Uley. Sam shook his hand. Old Quil just about had a stroke." Jacob paused to laugh.

"Why?"

Jacob gave me a look.

"Oh, right," I said. "Sam was running a temperature."

Jacob laughed again. "Sam's hand felt like he'd left it sitting on a hot stovetop. So Mr. Ateara went straight to the other elders. They were the only ones left who still knew, who remembered. Mr. Ateara, Billy, and Harry had actually seen their grandfathers make the change. When Old Quil told them, they met with Sam secretly and explained.

"It was easier when he understood — when he wasn't alone anymore. They knew he wouldn't be the only one affected by the Cullens' return" — he pronounced the name with unconscious bitterness — "but no one else was old enough. So Sam waited for the rest of us to join him. . . ."

"The Cullens had no idea," I said. "They didn't think that werewolves still existed here. They didn't know that coming here would change you."

"It doesn't change the fact that it did."

"Remind me not to get on your bad side."

"You think I should be as forgiving as you are? We can't all be saints and martyrs."

"Grow up, Jacob."

"I wish I could," he murmured quietly.

I stared at him, trying to make sense of his response. "What?"

Jacob chuckled. "One of those many strange things I mentioned."

"You . . . can't . . . grow up?" I said blankly. "You're what? Not . . .aging? Is that a joke?"

"Nope." He popped his lips on the P.

I sat, shocked, before I laughed bitterly. "Well, I guess after graduation, that will make two of us."

"That's when you plan to do it, then? After graduation?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I moved on quickly, not wanting to dwell on that topic. "So you really don't age?"

"Well...sort of. For the time being."

"Huh?"

"I will get older . . . someday. When we get enough control to quit . . . when we stop phasing for a solid length of time, we age again. It's not easy." He shook his head, abruptly doubtful. "It's gonna take a really long time to learn that kind of restraint, I think. Even Sam's not there yet. 'Course it doesn't help that there's a huge coven of vampires right down the road. We can't even think about quitting when the tribe needs protectors."