beignets

Leah walked alongside Tallulah, interrogating her fiancé's younger sister. The teen had recalled last night's strange events, from Sam coming home unannounced in the middle of the night, naked, to a visit from Old Ateara. Tallulah nodded, shoveling the last of the pastry Tama had made, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, he refuses to leave the room. I haven't even seen him eat."

Tama winced, glancing over at Leah who looked grief stricken. She was right, he did come home, just not in the way anyone expected. Still, better than being dead in a ditch. She assumed him being back would calm Leah down, the girl becoming somewhat unhinged and unlike herself in the past two weeks since school had started. However, it seemed the opposite was true, much to her dismay. Sam had dodged all of Leah's calls, even pretended he wasn't home when she went over to his house five times a day.

She personally thought it was a bit much but she wouldn't dare say it out loud to her friend. She had accompanied Leah a few times over to the Uley house, bringing home baked treats to ease the nerves of Tallulah and Sam's mother, Allison. The poor woman was tired in more ways than one and her only son coming home after missing for weeks seemed to be the straw that broke the camels back. Tama found herself brought back to the conversation when she heard Leah's plans to visit once again, the second time today. "You should come with, Tama."

"Maybe..." Tama trailed off awkwardly, pausing to swat Seth's hand away from her half-eaten pastry as she avoided her best friend's hopeful gaze. "Maybe he just needs some space, I mean who knows what happened to him those three weeks? I was only gone for a few days and look what happened to me."

They all went silent at that, not able to argue any further. In the short span of Tama's disappearance, she had been assaulted and even a corpse, if only for a few hours. Still, the experience was terrifying and while Tama liked to pretend she was perfectly okay, she was far from it. She had nightmares, flashes of lightning and great spirits coupled with the men who had sinister intentions, she found her usual escape into slumber was now triggering and tried to avoid it as much as possible.

Sleep was no longer her friend, instead she picked up strong coffee and concealer from the local drugstore to help, though they only did so much. Her mother worried for her health and attempted to persuade her to stay home but the girl denied every time, still angry with her mom for lying to her. She still hated the fact that her mother had wanted to keep her brief trip to the afterlife and the surprising duration of her disappearance, a secret. Tama sipped her latte to help her nerves, the drink warming her insides but doing nothing to settle the storm in her stomach. Groaning, she closed her eyes, only to open them when she felt small pellets of rain splatter onto her person. "What the hell?"

Her friends groaned beside her, pulling up their hoods and taking out their umbrellas, muttering curses. Leah covered herself and her best friend from the oncoming rain, scowling at the sky. "Great, so much for sunny skies."

"Don't piss off the sky spirits," Seth warned from beside Tallulah and Jacob, the latter of whom was dying to say something.

Leah snorted, recalling the stories their parents told them as children. "Or what? Are they going to smite me?" Thunder rumbled on, causing them to jump in surprise, the group quickly huddling inside.

Tama ignored the feeling she got inside when she heard the thunder, pulling her sweater closer in an attempt to appear as though she was cold. She hadn't told her friends the fact that she somehow had become immune to the cold, worried that word would somehow get back to her mother and she'd be pulled out of school. Unless it was between her and Leah, everything that Tama said somehow got back to Mitena. It was almost as if she had ears and eyes everywhere. There were a few things Tama was keeping from her friends.

Along with her immunity to the cold and night terrors, Tama also found herself plagued with different kinds of dreams. Ones with fires and mountains, thunder and rain. Ones with vampires and wolves. Ones with Paul. They weren't terrifying like her other dreams, one could even call them enjoyable. Insightful. She felt embarrassed at the thought of dreaming about her ex, holding him, touching him again. So much so, that every morning she spent a good ten extra minutes awake in bed trying to convince herself that she didn't want it. After a while, it was easy to believe.

While she did admit she missed him, Tama also hated Paul. He had picked her out of the bunch, shown her the world outside of her protective mother's reach, and then dropped her without so much as a "goodbye" just as they reached their first year in each other's arms and she was getting comfortable. Different. It wasn't hard to hate then, when she remembered that instead of how sweet he always tasted whenever he'd pull her away from whatever assignment she was fixated on and peppered her with kisses to steal her attention. She pushed their secret trips away down the coast in the middle of the night, how he'd help her sneak out and poke fun at how she swore she saw her mother behind every tree on the way there.

Tama swallowed thickly, the rest of her pastry feeling like sandpaper in her throat. Seth didn't think so however, leaning up against her locker with an innocent smile as he pulled her out of her thoughts. "You know I love you, right? Like sometimes, even more than Leah!"

His sister rolled her eyes, too busy worried about her fiancée to partake in her brother's pettiness. It was also too early in the morning and too cold. Tama playfully rolled her eyes, offering the boy she considered her brother a smile. "Yes Seth, I will make you more beignets."

The youngest Clearwater fist bumped the air victoriously, silently thanking his charm though, Tama would've done it anyways. Leah sent him a look and he shrugged. "Tama has a gift, forget school, you could become like a baker or something."

They all stared at him until he realized that she was in fact, a baker, and he dropped his head down in embarrassment, Leah mumbling about how he "shouldn't have had so many sweets before noon", to which he responded with a glare.

"I'm working on a new recipe actually. You can be my little taste tester." She laughed as he pretended to salute her, stating "it would be an honor" to which he received a few awkward stares. "Good, you can come over after school with me. Make sure you keep an empty stomach."

Seth frowned as he patted his stomach, leaning up against the locker. "You and your mom are still over at Chief Swan's house, huh?" Tama nodded with a frown, hiding her head in her locker as best as she could. "We have to stay until uh, until they find..."

It went without saying, her friends letting her trail off without trying to finish what they all knew she was trying to say. It had been almost three weeks since that happened and while Tama thought she was amazing at hiding her true feelings, her friends knew. They could easily spot the bags under two layers of concealer, they could smell how strong her cup smelled of espresso, and they could see the desolate look in her usually bright and beautiful face. Her dark eyes looked somewhat gray and far away, always just out of reach and out of touch of reality. Tallulah placed a comforting hand on her older friend's shoulder, Tama thanking her with a small smile that didn't meet her eyes. "They'll find them, Tama."

"Find who?"

The trio turned to face Jacob Black, the boy who had spoken, with a glare. They silently gestured to their friend who pretended not to see the whole ordeal go down in her mirror attached to the door of her locker. Tama exhaled, blowing the stray hairs away from her face and scoffed when they returned to their place, not bothering to fight them any longer. The sound of the shrill bell allowed Tama to escape her friend's worried glances and thoughts, the reclusive teenager quickly shutting her locker and mumbling a quick "see you at lunch" before she jetted off to her first class of the day.

Since she wasn't in the same grade as any of her friends, she was forced to sit through hours of lecture without a proper companion. Kim would do. She was a girl who almost matched Tama in smarts but surely had her beat in regards to their shy and reclusive personalities. They both bonded over their love of school and somewhat obsession over good grades. Kim greeted her classmate upon arrival, already in her seat with her notebook and pencil at the ready. Tama returned the welcome but was ignored, though she was used to it already, and she smiled to herself as she took her seat. Kim paid her no mind, instead focused on the boy in front of her. "Take a picture why don't you, it'll last longer."

Kim scowled at Tama, hiding her face. The boy in question, turned around at the sound of the conversation, his gaze landing upon Tama. She was shy but, significantly less shy than Kim was. Tama offered him a nod, simply saying "hey Jared" the teenager returning the formality before he gave Kim a once over, eyeing the girl who hid her face and looked as though she wanted to hide. She peeked up, surprised to see him still staring at her oddly, the girl using all of her strength to reach her hand up and wave at him, instantly belittling herself for the choice.

Jared turned around promptly, his friend whispering something into his ear. Kim exhaled deeply, sitting upright once again as she covered the redness on her cheeks. It wasn't enough though as the blush had spread amongst her broad face. Tama snorted, receiving a nudge from the girl in return. She listened to the teacher drone on, watching as Kim opened her notebook, covering her mouth as her eyes went slightly wide. On the first page, she saw the name "Kim Cameron" plastered onto every free space available on the lined piece of paper. "Kim, oh my god. Do you know what the word "shame" means, because I don't think you possess any!"

Just as the heat started to die down, Kim found herself blushing from embarrassment again, shushing her before quickly flipping the pages of her notebook until she found an empty one. "I'm glad you're okay, by the way. I tried texting you but..."

Tama quickly flashed her new phone before she shoved it back into her pocket, making sure their teacher didn't see it as he was known for taking away phones. "I had to get a new one, the old one was-"

"Is there something you'd like to share with the class, Miss Hawk?" Their teacher, Mr. Yen suddenly stopped his lesson and focused his attention on his student. While she was his smartest, she was not his favorite but, that could be said about every student that entered his classroom.

Once Tama had gotten over the initial attention, she shrugged, feigning nonchalance, "I was just telling Kim that I had to get a new phone since mines was destroyed when I was chased into the woods, almost murdered, and struck by lightning."

The class was no longer quiet then, a few snickering at the girl's bluntness and the teacher's reaction to it. Another few flew into careless whispers as they each recounted their own tale about that night. Mr. Yen cleared his throat awkwardly, the man refusing to apologize and instead promptly returning to his lesson.

Tama rolled her eyes at the attention she was still getting, though she turned in her seat when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Once she had gotten her attention, Kim tilted her head to the side while her small eyes expanded as wide as they could go before returning to their normal size, a small squeak escaping from the back of her throat. She did this twice before Tama caught on and followed her directions, meeting the eyes of her ex boyfriend. He was staring at her openly.

"I thought Paul was a senior?" Tama whispered curiously, sneaking glances at the boy who was copying her actions. He smiled to himself as he watched her take notes in between stolen glances, scribbling down onto her notebook messily as she tried to keep up with the teacher's purposefully fast pace.

"You don't keep up with your ex? Geez, do I have to?" Kim only looked between the board and her notebook, focused on the lesson like her life depended on it. It kind of did considering anyone who wanted out of the small town needed good grades for a good scholarship. That was the ticket out of La Push that only a select few were awarded and Kim wanted to be one of them. So did Tama. "He basically failed his junior year so, he has to retake a bunch of classes. My mom says he'll probably have to repeat his senior year."

Tama only replied with a small "hmm", giving the boy once last glance before she focused her attention on the current lesson. At least she tried. The girl couldn't lie and say she was any better as she knew exactly why he had almost failed, since she was in the same boat. During the course of their romance, the pair had skipped school an uncountable amount of times and rarely turned in any homework. Tama was lucky to have made up classes during the summer, practically getting no chance to relax before school started up again. She winced inwardly at the memory, though she couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face when she remembered all the times they'd get into trouble, holding in their laughter while getting lectured. She wondered if Paul was thinking the same, sneaking a quick glance over at the boy who had a similar smile onto his face.

⚡︎

Tama slid out the driver's seat of her bronco, rolling her eyes as she listened to Seth drone on and on, thousands of questions being fired by him over the course of a twenty minute drive. "No, Seth. I don't think that Sam is a vampire."

The boy scoffed, slamming the passenger door a little too hard, earning a warning glare from Tama. The boy apologized meekly before gaining his composure, his mind back to the topic on hand. He had been pushing the theory of his sister's fiancée and crush's brother being a member of the undead, something that made Tama laugh. "I'm just saying, it adds up. Stays in his room all day, sneaks out at night, has bags and probably never sleeps and he doesn't talk to anyone."

Tama ignored him as she went to unlock the front door to their temporary residence. She had been so wrapped up in her own mind she almost didn't notice her mother's car parked alongside Charlie's police cruiser, an odd sight. She raised a curious eyebrow, the door finally budging under her pressure and allowing the two teenagers entrance. She was met with their faces upon entry, the two staring at her with beaming smiles, to which she offered a curious glance. The two teens shrugged off their jackets and hung them up, kicking off their shoes that had gotten mud stuck to them from the rain and dirt Washington seemed to always offer. Seth was too busy talking about his future brother-in-laws supposed status as a vampire to notice, stopping once he looked up from placing his converse into the small cubby by the front door.

"Are we in trouble?"

Mitena and Charlie shared a laugh, which didn't settle Seth's nerves in the slightest. Tama made her way into the kitchen, pulling out various ingredients she had bought the day before. "I need the kitchen."

Seth grinned happily, holding every ingredient Tama passed to him from the cabinets. Seth was oblivious to the tension between Tama and her mother, the boy merely there for treats and attention. "We're making beignets. Well, Tama is– I'm eating the beignets."

"And we have some good news for you," Mitena ignored Seth, her head leaning up against the fridge as Tama roamed through it in search of eggs and butter. She rummaged through the egg carton, frowning when she noticed a few were missing.

Charlie laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head as he held up a sandwich. "Sorry about that, got a little hungry."

Tama shrugged him off, shutting the fridge and placing the last of her ingredients onto the table. She sat in one of the three empty chairs by the window, Seth joining her in the second. The girl stared at Charlie, not sparing her mother a glance, the older woman trying to hide her hurt. "What's the good news?"

Mitena and Charlie shared another glance, smiling. "Do you want to tell her?" Charlie shook his head, equally as happy as Tama's mother, "no you should be the one." Mitena rolled her eyes.

"Charlie you're the one who did it you should be the one to tell her," she urged him on, proud of the man next to her.

Tama and Seth looked between the two adults curiously, Seth raising his hand. Mitena's smile fell slightly as she took in the sight, "Seth, dear...you don't have to raise your hand."

"Are you two flirting?"

Tama gagged, the two adults looking almost horrified and offended at his question. Mitena shook her head, giving Charlie a small push. "Go on, tell her."

Charlie gripped his utility belt, something he found himself doing subconsciously whenever he was anxious. His daughter, Isabella, had a similar habit with the hem of whatever shirt she happened to be wearing. "You girls are goin' home."

Mitena squealed, happy to get back to her home and open up the shop once more. The woman, who owned one of the most popular cafe's in the area, had been hounded whenever she was out, questions about what happened and when she would be open again had almost sent her over the edge. She also hoped that being back home would bring some normal back into their lives and would hopefully get the two back on track to mending their relationship. "Charlie caught the rest of those sons of bit-"

Charlie cleared his throat, allowing Tama to take in everything that was being said to her. She sat there for a few seconds in silence before it finally hit her, a smile finding it's way onto her face. The teenager grinned, standing up before enveloping Charlie into a hug, the man struggling to breathe after a few seconds. "Geez, did you get stronger or am I gettin' weaker?"

Tama shrugged happily, "probably the latter," she joked. "But seriously, thank you Charlie. I don't know how I can thank you-"

"Food," he cut her off quickly, finishing the rest of his sandwich in two bites. "If you'd whip up some of that beef stew you made last week...throw in a sweet potato pie, I'll call it even."

Mitena placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder, smiling gratefully at the man. "Of course! We'll have to have a dinner at our place to thank you."

Seth piped up at that, his attention turning from the ingredients on the table he had been messing with. "Dinner? Can I come?" He asked hopefully, eyes wide in anticipation. The boy smiled when Mitena responded with a quick "yes", turning to Tama gleefully.

Tama caught the look on her mother's face, knowing there was more to be said. She eyed the woman carefully, waiting for her to continue. Her and Charlie talked in hushed whispers,