FOR THE LIFE OF HER, CALLIOPE BLACK NEVER understood why her cousins had wanted to leave the reservation behind. Rachel and Rebecca had always been rather restless, always curious about the skyscrapers and subway trains and everything else the cities of the world had to offer. Growing up, the twins had always talked about moving; and when their mother and Callie's mother both died, it caused their wanderlust to grow. 

"I just... I can't stand it here anymore," Rachel had told Callie one night, the latter of the two girls lying on Rachel's bed and watching her fill out college applications. "I feel like this place is smothering me, Cal. And it's not the same without Mom and Aunt Nora here anymore, you know?"

That part, at least, Callie did understand. Even now, years after Sarah and Nora's deaths,Callie still felt like there was something missing and she knew that feeling probably wouldn't ever go away. Yet even so, the Quileute girl could never imagine leaving the reservation behind. She loved the trees and the wildflowers, and she loved the bonfires her people would have every summer. She loved listening to her uncle tell the legends of their ancestors, and pestering Jake to teach her how to help him fix up cars, and meeting up with Kim to walk the trails down to the beach together. And, sure, maybe nothing exciting ever really happened there, but Callie was content with her life. La Push was apart of who she was. She couldn't imagine leaving it behind.

This was why, as her teacher nagged at her class about the need to start looking into colleges so they could apply for them at the beginning of their senior year, Callie truthfully didn't pay much attention. Neither did Jake, for the two of them had agreed that they didn't want to leave anywhere. Callie was going to take online classes for the first year following graduation, and then she'd finish her schooling at the community college nearby. Her cousin, on the other hand, planned on attending the technical school to get an auto mechanic degree so he could eventually open his own mechanics shop. They already had everything planned out so that they wouldn't have to leave Billy behind. He was heartbroken when his daughters left; if Jacob and Calliope left, too, he'd be even more hurt.

Billy Black was one of Callie's favorite people. He was technically her uncle, but for all intents and purposes he was more of a dad to her than her ghost of a father had ever been. Growing up, Callie had always wondered why she didn't have a dad, but it wasn't until she was eight did Nora finally sit her down and talk to her about it. In the nicest, simplest way she knew how to put it, Nora told her daughter that in high school she had fallen in love with a boy named Theo Mason. But when they found out Callie was on the way, Theo decided he was far too young to have a child and left. So when she was born, Nora gave the baby girl her family's last name— Black— and raised her without him.

Calliope was sixteen years old now, and still her father had never made an appearance in her life. She didn't know what he looked like, where he'd left to, or what he'd been doing all these years. She didn't know if he ever wondered about her, if he planned on ever trying to contact her. But the thing that bothered her the most, somehow, was the fact that he probably didn't even know her mother was dead now.

The authorities had suggested trying to contact Theo in regards to Callie's placement after Nora's death. They wanted her to live with her biological father,  but Billy had practically jumped down their throats in refusal. Callie remembered sitting on Jacob's bed a few days after Nora and Sarah's joint funeral, hugging her knees to her chest as she cried at the thought of having to leave what was left of her family. Rachel and Rebecca had sat on either side of her and comforted the nine year-old girl, while Jacob had stubbornly started pushing his desk in front of his door. "They can't take you if they can't get in!" He had said determinedly, for even though they could all hear Billy throwing a fit to the people in the kitchen. Jacob still wanted to make sure Callie wouldn't be taken.

Eventually, it was decided that Billy could have custody of his sister's daughter. The house was a tight fit, with Callie sharing a room with Jacob since the twins were already sharing theirs, but they made it work. When Rachel and Rebecca moved out, Callie was able to give Jake free reign of his room again as she took over their old one. And although the Blacks weren't rich, and certainly didn't have very much at all, Billy always made sure they had enough to get by. Things were getting a little easier now, though, since Callie was finally old enough to work as a waitress at the diner in Forks and Jacob had started working on cars for people on the res.

Maybe they didn't have much material wise, but what they lacked for in money they made up for in happiness. Yes, there would always be a void now that Callie's mom and her aunt Sarah were gone, and yes, they missed having Rachel and Rebecca around; but the Blacks were resilient people. That's what the legends always said, anyway. That's what her uncle Billy said,too. And as long as they had each other, Callie had to believe that somehow everything would turn out alright.

"Ms. Black." Her teacher's reprimanding voice tore her gaze away from the scenery outside the classroom window, and she looked up to see him standing in front of the chalkboard with a scrutinizing scowl on his face as he looked at her. "This is your third year of high school, so I expect you should know how to pay attention in class by now."

Her face burned in embarrassment. "Sorry, Mr. Jenkins."

"What's the point in paying attention in your class, anyway?" Embry spoke out, as he always did whenever someone put Callie on the spot. If it wasn't him, it was Jacob, although Callie's cousin had admittedly not even been paying attention himself. "All you do is moan and groan about all the things that are wrong with the world."

The economics teacher glared at Embry. "Detention, Mr. Call," he snapped as the bell rang and everyone immediately began rushing to get out of the room. Embry merely shrugged carelessly, shooting Callie and Jacob a toothy grin as the three of them left together; they all knew he wasn't going to attend the detention, anyway. He never did.

"One of these days that mouth of yours is going to get you suspended," Callie told her friend as they wove their way through the halls of the reservation's high school.

Embry shrugged. "Three days where I get to sleep in? Sounds more like a privilege than a punishment, if you ask me."

Jake snickered. "You'll never get into a good college if you keep that up."

"Who said I was going to college?" Embry asked. "Think I'm gonna stick it out'til you get your shop, Jake. Then I can just get a job there."

"Embry, you don't even know a thing about cars."

He opened his mouth to deny Callie's statement, then shut it and simply shrugged. "Yeah, well, that's a problem for another day."

"Spoken like the true Embry Call," Jacob remarked dryly, and the three of them laughed together as Quil wove his way through the river of students to join his friends. The lanky teenager was out of breath as he struggled to hold up all of his textbooks, at least until Callie smiled and took two of them to carry for him.

"Thanks, Cal," he huffed. "You know, I'm still annoyed you guys all have economics together while I have to suffer through chemistry alone. How is that fair?"

"You don't suffer alone, Q," Callie told him. "Kim has that class, too."

The boys all snorted. "Kim? Kim Connweller?" Embry asked. "Cal, that girl only has two brainwave frequencies: one is devoted to fawning over Jared Cameron, and the other is being your friend. She's never even said two words to us before."

"Uh, that's not true, actually," Jake pointed out. "Last week she said 'excuse me' to you when you were blocking the door to English class."

"Doesn't count."

"Does too."

"Guys!" Callie shot them a half-hearted glare. No matter how defensive she got over her friends and family, she was just as incapable to truly be mad at any of them. "Kim's a good person, okay? Don't rag on her just because you don't know her. She's my best friend."

Quil gasped loudly as his hand flew to his heart. "Calliope Black, I thought I was your best friend! I—I'm wounded!" He exclaimed dramatically, dark eyes widening. "My whole life is a lie!"

Callie laughed and lightly smacked him in the arm with one of the textbooks she was carrying for him. "You're such a drama queen, Q. Get over yourself."

The four juniors entered the cafeteria, thankful for their lunch period as they all filed towards their official-unofficial table in the back of the room. Callie and Embry had claimed one that was near the windows (per Callie's preference), but also near the vending machines (per Embry's preference) back when they were freshman. Over the past few years, it became their designated table every day; except for the days Callie drifted over to an empty table with Kim whenever her friend wanted to talk about something.

Today, it seemed, was one of those days. Kim was already sitting at the usual table, anxiously bouncing her knee and tapping her fingers rapidly. In front of her was an untouched basket of cheese fries and a soda; across from her,a bowl of freshly sliced fruits and a bottle of water awaited Callie. Seeing her best friend already grabbed her usual lunch for her, and knowing something was definitely up, Callie separated from the guys and made a beeline for the table Kim was at. "Hey, Kim—"

"Oh my God, Callie, you will not believe what just happened to me," Kim blurted before Callie had even managed to fully sit in her chair yet.

"Um..." Callie wasn't sure if she was supposed to ask, although she figured Kim was about to share it with her either way. "What—?"

"Jared Cameron looked at me!" Kim squealed. At the look her best friend gave her, she hurriedly continued in an attempt to get Callie to understand. "But it wasn't, like... a glance, Cal. The way he looked at me—it was like he was really seeing me, you know? Like... I can't even explain it. And then he actually talked to me!"

"Wow, Kim, that's... great." Callie tried to be enthusiastic, she really did; but even though she loved her best friend dearly, Embry hadn't exactly been exaggerating Kim's crush on Jared Cameron. She'd been infatuated with the boy ever since they were in fifth grade, and even now six years later she still had yet to give up on it. "What did you guys talk about?"

"He asked if he could borrow one of my pencils."

Callie waited. One beat. Then two. "Is that all—?"

"Oh, Cal, I know it's not much, but if you would have just seen the way he kept looking at me!" Kim exclaimed, her eyes softened with adoration as she thought about Jared. She sighed. "I—I don't know. Maybe I am overreacting. But I'm telling you... something's different now."

"Yeah, something definitely is different," Callie agreed quietly. "He's changed over the summer, Kimmy. So did Sam Uley, so did Paul Lahote."

Kim frowned. "Callie,don't tell me you believe those rumors—"

"I don't know what to believe, to be honest," the Black girl admitted with a small shrug. "But even you have to admit it's strange. All three of them went through some, like, phase or something, one after the other; they disappeared for a while, then all of a sudden came back with their hair chopped off, some new matching tattoos on their arms and a crazy amount of muscle. There's gotta be something going on, Kim."

"Maybe so," Kim said, "but they're still good people." She paused, thinking of how Sam Uley had shattered Leah Clearwater's heart when he cut off his engagement before running away for weeks; and of how Paul Lahote lost his temper over practically anything and had beaten multiple people up because of it. "Well, Jared is a good person, at least..."

Callie simply sighed and ate her fruit.

˟ ˟ ˟ ˟ ˟ ˟

FORGOTTEN STREAKS OF CHARCOAL DECORATED the skin of Callie's wrist and forearms as the teenage girl hurried out of the high school later that afternoon. The final bell had rung, but she hadn't been paying attention to the time and hadn't been packed up when the final bell ended. Although she knew Jacob wouldn't care waiting a few extra minutes for her— he knew how his cousin was when it came to art— she still felt bad about making him wait.

And so the girl rushed out to the parking lot, her glossy dark hair still in the messy bun she had put it in so it would stay out of her way while she worked. Her unfinished canvas was tucked under one arm, the sleeves to her oversized sweater rolled up to just below her elbows. She knew she probably looked rough, but truthfully Callie didn't care.

"Hey, uh, excuse me... Callie?" She nearly jolted out of her own skin when a warm hand grasped her elbow to stop her brisk pace. Callie turned toward the person, who immediately retracted his hand and gave her an awkward, polite smile— to which she just stared in confusion, because since when did Jared Cameron ever speak to her? "I know this is weird, but I was wondering, uh... You're good friends with Kim Connweller, right?"

Her gaze narrowed suspiciously. "I am... why do you ask?"

"Well, I— uh— I was sort of hoping you could, I don't know... help me out?"Jared asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm really into her, and I'd like to take her out but I don't know what she would like or even how to ask so—"

"Why the sudden interest?" Callie cut him off suddenly. "You hardly even spared Kim the time of day before."

Jared's expression fell slightly, but he seemed to genuinely mean his next words nevertheless. "It's hard to explain. I just... she just really seems like a great girl, you know?"

Callie wanted to say something bitchy. Something like, Yeah, I do know, because I actually cared enough to befriend her and didn't spend years ignoring her existence. But she was too nice to say something like that, and she also knew that Kim was so heels over head for the boy in front of her it was insane. So she simply nodded and forced a smile and said, "She really is."

He released a small breath and smiled hopefully. "So... Will you help me out?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You don't need my help, Jared. Honestly."

"Jared, let's go," an annoyed voice called out. Callie was shocked to see Paul Lahote approaching them, although she knew she shouldn't be. Everyone on the res knew of Paul's recent joining of whatever cult/group/gang Sam Uley was making— but still, she couldn't help but be surprised when she saw him.

Once upon a time, Paul and Callie had been friends. He had moved to La Push when they were eight years old after his parents divorced, and she remembered the spitfire little boy he used to be: the boy who was mad at the world, who walked like he carried the weight of it on his shoulders. Although that much didn't seem to have changed, the two fell out of touch as they got older. Paul fell in with his own crowd consisting of the jocks and cool kids, and Callie fell in with hers that consisted of the misfits and the artistic types.

To be truthful, Calliope had used to have a crush on Paul— her first ever crush, actually. She wasn't really sure why, but figured it probably had something to do with him punching Vince Peterson in the face when they were eleven years old, for calling Callie names and making her cry during recess.

But it's not like any of that really mattered anymore, because they haven't talked to each other since they ended middle school. They were more like familiar strangers than anything, now.

"Christ, Paul, I'm coming," Jared told the boy with a roll of his eyes.

"You know how much he's gonna bitch if we're late, and I really don't want to hear him today," Paul continued impatiently.

"Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?" Jared snapped in annoyance.

Paul's eyes finally shifted onto Callie, though the girl was too timid to make eye contact with how he seemed to be scrutinizing her. She'd never know how Paul had still kept tabs on her over the years, threatening multiple guys when he heard their sexual comments about her in the boys' locker room after gym. Even if they fell out of touch and were no longer friends, he'd always had a soft spot for her. "What the hell are you bothering Callie for?"He asked Jared bluntly.

"I'm not bothering her. I'm just asking her some things."

"Right," he said dryly. "Well, 'ask her some things' later, when we don't have places to be."

"Do you have to be such a dick all of the time?" Jared demanded as his jaw clenched.

Paul started to snap back at him, but Callie hurriedly spoke up. "It's alright, we'll talk some other time," she assured Jared halfheartedly. Honestly, Callie didn't think they had much to talk about— Kim already liked Jared way too much, so he didn't need her help with that. "I'll... see you later, or something."

It happened so suddenly. One second Paul was glaring at Jared, the next his eyes were shifting toward the soft voice of the girl standing near them; and the moment his gaze locked with hers, it was as if the breath was stolen right from his lungs.

Paul had always felt some kind of connection with Calliope Black. He'd figured it was just because she was his first ever friend in La Push, and she had always been kind to him. But now, looking at her, he wondered how he could have possibly survived the last few years without talking to her or being around her.

He could see it, all of it: a life with her. Adorable giggles bubbling up her throat as he tickled her in the bed they'd share, sleepy mornings when he'd wake up to a feather-soft kiss against his lips, the sight of her in one of his t-shirts with her hair thrown up as she cooked breakfast, while two toddlers ran around her laughing as they played together.

Imprinting, he decided, was a strange thing. Five seconds ago he'd been angry at the world and felt so alone. Now, he was overcome with so much emotion for this girl standing in front of him, this girl with charcoal smeared on her forearms and her hair in a messy bun and her eyes tired, but still beautiful, so beautiful that it took his breath away.

But the moment soon passed, and Callie was already turning and walking away, completely unaware of what had just happened. Paul unconsciously started to reach for her, a whine begging to claw its way up his throat as his imprint walked away— how was it that his entire world just shifted, the fibers of his soul just went through something so eternally changing and yet Callie seemed to be unaffected?

"Paul." Jared's eyes were wide with surprise as he pushed his new pack member's arm down, snapping him out of his thoughts as. "Paul. Did you... did you seriously just imprint on Calliope Black?"

Normally, Paul would have gotten defensive and snapped something at Jared. But he was still shaken from what had just occurred, his gaze unable to pull away from the girl laughing at something Embry Call had said, as she got into the truck with he and Jacob Black.

It seemed that words escaped him completely, except for a shaky, "Yeah... Yeah, I d