"You can keep the change," I told the cabby, getting out of the green taxi and staring for a moment at the little red house. It was the place where I had grown up- where I had lived for so many, many years. My dad had built it with his own two hands. He was so proud of the tiny home he had built for his family- Me, Jake, Rebecca, Mom… A lump formed in my throat, and I felt my tear ducts kick into gear. No, now was not the time, I told myself. I needed to put on a happy face for Dad. I walked around to the back of the car and grabbed my two large duffel bags.

"Thanks," said the man appreciatively. I smiled back. He had been kind, polite, not even minding when I told him I wanted to be dropped off at La Push, which was over an hour away from the airport. He looked at my luggage, and then said, "Hey, you need help with those bags?"

"No, thank you, though," I said, waving before marching slowly towards the house. I was used to doing things on my own. I trudged up the muddy path and onto the low porch, my dad's old rocking chair swaying in the gentle summer wind. Not that it looked like summer in La Push, or anywhere else in Washington for that matter- it was far too gray and cool, not like the scorching Hawaii summers Rebecca gushed to me about over the phone. I knocked on the door loudly, and my father came to the door.

"Rachel!" He cried, ecstatic. I studied him carefully. He looked older and so tired, he faced lined and gray. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of him, even if I was worried; his joy was utterly infectious, like a kid on Christmas morning, that I had no choice but to be happy too. I pulled him into a tight hug, feeling the wetness behind my eyelids. The last time I had seen him was a year ago, and that had only been for three days.

I let him go after a moment, dragging my bags into the shoebox-sized living room and dumping them on the floor. I straightened up and surveyed the scene before me; everything looked pretty neat, but there were a few empty pizza boxes by the front door, and everything was a bit dusty. I felt guilty that my dad was living here, and angry that Jake hadn't been helping out as much as he should- I was going to have to have a serious talk with him later.

We went into the kitchen, and I sat down in my old chair, Dad rolling himself next to me and covering my hand with his. "I'm so happy to have you here with me Rachel," he said, his voice full of emotion. "I hope you decide to stay a while, at least the whole summer."

"I'm glad to be here, too, Dad," I said, smiling at him. I knew he wanted me to visit more often; I wish I could. But it was hard to come back here- there were so many memories. I avoided the subject of how long I would be staying; I wasn't making any promises. I figured about two weeks, at most. I changed my tone, trying to make light conversation. "So where's Jacob? Out with his friends?"

A look of acute pain, washed over his face, and I felt myself go rigid in my seat. "Oh, no" I said, my heart freezing in my chest. "Is something wrong? Is he in the hospital?" Was that the reason for my Dad's call two days ago, begging me to come up here?

"No, no everything is fine." He said quickly. My heart stuttered back into motion, but I didn't believe him. I stood up quickly.

"Tell me what's going on now, Dad," I said, my eyes narrowing.

He looked nervous, backing his wheelchair away from my approaching figure. He backed right into the refrigerator, and when he saw me with my hands on my hips, he gulped. I was acting sort of like Becca at the moment; she was the dramatic one. I was just a go-with-the-flow kind of girl.

"Jake ran away." He said. At that moment, I probably looked like I was in need of serious medical help. My baby, alone to fend for himself? Dad pushed me into a chair. Then I got my wits about me, and instead of going all mother hen, I got seriously pissed.

"Oh, hell to the no!" I hissed loudly, sounding way too much like Rebecca. Dad looked at me strangely for a second, perhaps wondering if I was just masquerading as Rachel; it could happen- we were identical twins, after all. Why on Earth would Jake leave our disabled father to take care of himself? Guilt tugged at my stomach as I realized I had done that very thing. But to run away… that was just too much.

"He's okay," Dad assured me hastily, but I could see how upset he was. "He's been keeping in touch with some… friends, and they've been letting me know what's going on. We're hoping he'll be home soon."

I stormed around the kitchen, and began to wash some of the dishes that were in the sink. Like the living room, the kitchen was ok looking, but not in the best of shape. "Just wait until I tell Rebecca…" I growled.

"I wish you wouldn't," he came to my side, a pleading look on his face. "I don't want to worry her. Jake really is alright, and I wouldn't have told you but…" his face grew even sadder and I reached down to place an arm over his shoulders. "I needed one of you to be with me. The pac-… some of the people have been great to me- we've all been good friends for generations. But it's not the same…" his voice trailed off. I reached down to hug him tightly.

"Don't worry Dad; I'll make sure Jake gets home soon." I comforted him. "And," I said, wanting to make him happy, but still hesitant, "I'll stay the entire summer." A huge grin spread across his face.

"Really?" He asked, his voice child-like. I nodded. Content, Dad scooted into the living room to watch the game; I smiled as I thought to myself, some things never change. I cleaned up the kitchen, and then dusted off the living room, ignoring Dad's feeble protests; it was time I helped him out. I sat by him in the old armchair, and watched the game with him for a while, trying and failing not to worry about Jake. Sports weren't my thing, but I wanted to keep him company, to give show him a little of the love that he had always given me.

Around ten, I stood up and yawned. It had been a long day. I kissed the top of Dad's head. "Love you," I told him.

"Love you too, Rach" He said, as I grabbed my bags and went slowly up the stairs. There were two doors at the top of the stairs: one was the door to Jacob's room, and the other belonged to me and Rebecca. My dad slept in the first floor bedroom. I creaked open the door and went inside the familiar room. I smiled as I looked at the pale purple walls; purple had been our thing, the one thing that Rebecca and I had actually agreed upon. Other than that, we were as different as night and day. I remember that in high school, someone had once commented that if it weren't for our looks no one would ever know that we were related.

I sighed. That was all the proof I needed to know that I was the boring twin. Becca had always been lively, dating boys and going to parties with her many friends. She was beautiful in a way that I would never be, even if we were technically identical; her skin smoother, her hair shinier, her smile brighter. Rebecca had also always been really into make-up and clothes; I liked those things too, but much, much less so. I was the 'smart one'- a bit mellower; I only had a few close friends in high school, but even then I didn't go out much.

Don't get the wrong impression; I'm not an anti-social hermit. Everyone in La Push is like family, but people were never just overly interested in me, especially with the breathtaking Rebecca around. I love to read, to learn; I'm only nineteen, twenty in a few weeks, but I had just graduated college. Nevertheless, I can't imagine life without Rebecca; it's a twin thing, you might not understand. (A/N: How cool would it be to have a twin? I think so anyway…) We're a huge part of each other, despite the major differences.

I looked around the room, smiling at the comical size. If the living room was a shoebox, than this was a matchbox. There was just enough room to squeeze in two twin beds, a long, low dresser, and a nightstand. There was a window, looking into the willow tree on the side of the house, and a closet next to the dresser. My heart swelled when I saw that my bed was made up with clean linens; Dad must have had someone go up for him to straighten out the room. I realized how much he really wanted me home.

I dumped my bags on Becca's bed- I was too tired to unpack now- and threw on sweatpants and a tee. Snuggling under the covers, I listened to the rain pound on the window as my thoughts turned to Mom. What would she say if she knew Jake had ran away? That thought made me cry, and tears trickled down my cheeks as I thought of her and my baby brother. Our family had already lost her- we couldn't afford to lose him too. My pillow was wet as I fell into a melancholy dream, my heart sad even in sleep.

I woke up early, in time to see the sun rising through the clouds. Sun- that was a rare thing in La Push. I got out of bed, feeling hopeful about the coming day. Mom would want me to be happy here, I told myself firmly. I got showered, and threw on beach clothes- my blue shorts and a tank top. I was going to go for a walk, relax a little, and then find some of Jake's friends- maybe they could tell me something about where he was. Grabbing a towel and a book, I left a note for Dad and took off down the road, heading to First Beach.

After walking for a few minutes, the beautiful place came into sight. It had been a long time since I had been here, at least two years. There were a few couples on the beach, and a mom with a few kids, but no one else. I wasn't surprised; it was still early, after all. I rolled out my towel, and tried to read, but my eyes were becoming increasingly heavy. Finally, I just rolled onto my side and fell into a light sleep.

I woke up to the sound of raucous laughter. The beach had become more populated, and I looked around hopefully for any of my old friends. I wasn't surprised when I didn't see them; like me, they had all escaped to college. I guess I was the only one who graduated early. I looked over in the direction where the laughter was coming from, and a huge smile lit up my face.

There, 15 yards down, were Quil and Embry, Jake's best friends in the whole world. They were my good friends too, that's how much time they've spent with my family. I hardly recognized them; they were huge, so muscular, and well over six feet. They looked… well, hot. Not that I thought of them like that… it was just so strange to realize how much everyone had grown up. They were walking in my direction, a few other people with them: a guy and a girl holding hands, a sweet-looking toddler, and another huge, gorgeous guy.

"Rachel Black! Is that you?" yelled Embry in disbelief, just as I was sitting up. He ran down the beach, and basically tackled me, knocking me to the ground again.

"Yes, it is! " I gasped, trying to compose myself after being locked in his bone-crushing hug. He moved to sit on my towel, a huge grin on his face.

"We've missed ya, babe. So how've you been?" he asked as Quil and the rest of the group came closer.

"Good, good. What about you? Look how huge you are! I can't believe you're only seventeen." I said, gaping once more at his humongous figure.

"Only seventeen?" He scoffed. The group of people he had been with reached us now, and we both stood up.

"Rachel!" said Quil, surprised, and leaned in to hug me. Once again, I was left massaging my ribs.

"Hey Quil!" I squealed. It was so good to see these people; I had really missed them.

"Guys, this is Rachel Black," said Quil. "Rachel, this is Jared and Kim," he pointed to the couple, who waved at me, "Claire", he patted the little girl on the head, "and Paul." He made a gesture towards the guy, who was staring, transfixed at me. He really was good-looking. Tall, built, copper skin and big brown eyes… I looked back at him. He was still staring. I was confused; boys never looked at me like that, especially beautiful ones. I was just plain old Rachel, nothing special. He looked at me like I was the only thing he could see. He took one step closer to me, and hummed my name under his breath. What was going on?

"Hi," I said, looking around at them. I recognized all of them, except for the little girl; when it came to La Push, everyone knew everyone. I was pretty sure Jared and Paul had become friends with Jake within the last year or so. Embry was standing next to me, and he kept looking back and forth, between me and Paul, who, by the way, was still staring. Suddenly he started laughing, as did Quil and Jared. Embry got an evil look in his eye, one I knew all too well. It was definitely enough to make me seriously nervous.

"So Rach," he said, throwing his arm over my shoulders, "Did you miss me?" I rolled my eyes. He was always such a flirt; he and Quil were always like that, trying to get girls. I didn't mind him kidding around; I had really missed that, the easy relationships I had back home. I played along with his silly teasing.

"Yes, sooooo much," I said, fake swooning. He guffawed, looking over his shoulder at Paul, who looked really pissed off. His expression was furious, and his fists were locked. Everyone sat down on my blanket, and Paul reluctantly followed, a murderous glare still etched on his face. What was up with him?

"So Rach," he said, moving his hand to my leg and giggling like a five year old, "How much did you miss me?" He leaned in, close to my face. I smacked him on the back of the head. He laughed, but looked unrepentant.

"I see you haven't been good," I said, rolling my eyes at him. Quil was biting his lip, trying to keep from laughing, while holding Claire on his lap. Jared sat with Kim, a half-frown on his face. Paul was shaking violently, looking ready to punch Embry's lights out. I was started to get a little scared of him.

"So anyway," I said, "You have to tell me what you guys have heard from Jake." All four boys looked uncomfortable; Claire began fussing, and Kim got up to take her for a walk.

"Well," said Quil, treading carefully. "He went up north. He's somewhere near Canada…"

"Canada!" I shrieked. I was going to kill that boy! (Although, that might be hard, if he had grown as much as his friends…)

"Listen," said Jared, looking nervous. "He doesn't want us to say much…"

I got up angrily; this is my brother we're talking about! They weren't being any help. I turned to go, and felt a warm hand grab my own. I turned around, and I was face to face with Paul; he was only inches away. I took in a deep breath, and became intoxicated by his smell- woodsy, warm… "Please don't go," he whispered. I looked at him uncertainly, then separated myself from him and sat down. Jared, Quil, and Embry had matching Cheshire-cat grins on their faces.

I avoided the topic of Jake for a while, and the five of us chatted about other things for a while. Well, four of us chatted; Paul stared at me the whole time. I caught his gaze more than once, making my face heat up. I was still beyond puzzled; why would he waste his time looking at me? After an hour, I got up. I had to be getting home.

"I gotta go," I said apologetically to the boys. I had a great time with them.

"Rach, we're having a party tonight down at the beach. A lot of us will be there. You wanna come?" asked Quil. I smiled. That sounded great.

"Sure," I said. I would love to see everyone again. "See you tonight," I said, gathering my stuff and heading back up the beach.

"Bye, Rachel," called Paul softly. I waved at him, and continued up onto the road. Once I was out of their sight, I could hear Quil, Jared, and Embry roaring with laughter.

"Dude, Jake is gonna beat the crap out of you when he finds out!" said Quil, still choking with laughter.

"What a girl!" Embry laughed. "Bye Rachel!" he called in a singsong, girlish voice. Paul snarled.

"Man, you really shouldn't have been messing with his imprint like that," said Jared to Embry. There was a moment of silence, and then he broke out into laughter as well. "But the look on his face when you were gonna kiss her!" They roared like a pack of wolves.

I stood frozen, not sure what to think. What was the weird thing Paul had for me? What would Jake be finding out? And what was an imprint? I hurried home, feeling more confused than I had ever felt in my life.