New Dawn

Seth

AROUND THREE IN THE MORNING, THE BONFIRE slowly came to an end as the last log simmered into pieces of hot, white coals. Jenna had vanished into the woods with her boyfriend, while Cass and Eli passed out in the cab of her truck. Nahuel, who had been by my side the whole night, had also vanished after our walk along the ocean.

Alone, I sat on the cold, pebble sand wondering where I was going to sleep. Going home wasn't an option for me because my mom would grill me with questions on why the sleepover fell through and I didn't want to lie anymore. Taking a deep breath, I stood up and began to walk. I didn't know where I was going or what I was looking for but I wasn't afraid.

There was something about the beach that made my heart sing. I couldn't help but smile at the beautiful world around me. The moment the thought crossed my mind, a raindrop splashed on the tip of my nose. Looking up at the heavens, I stopped and let the sounds sooth my troubled thoughts.

A monstrous boulder stuck out of the ground in front of me. As I made my way over to it, the rain became thicker. My vision was almost useless, I could hardly see three feet in front of me. My foot caught on something and I came crashing to the earth. A sharp pain shot up my leg and a small whimper passed my lips. Slowly, I climbed back up on my feet but the pain in my leg only seemed to worsen.

Giving up, I sat on the shore to wait out the storm – which I should have realized could have taken days. But, my luck shifted when I spotted a small shelter a few feet away from me in the tree line. Taking a deep breath, I stood to my feet and painfully stumbled over to the fort. It was a cute, little shelter and weirdly enough made me feel very safe. Stumbling into the opening, I fell onto the sand once more, but I didn't mind because I was free from the rain.

Pulling my knees to my chest, I felt a sharp sting on my left shin. Leaning over to check the damage, I could already see the blood staining my pants. I took a deep breath before pulling up my pant leg to see what exactly had happened. Blood ran down my shin from a three– inch long gash along my bone.

At an attempt to slow the blood, I instinctively placed my hand over the injury. The rain only seemed to make the bleeding worse. As I pushed harder, the pain intensified. My stomach flipped but in a strange way – I was hungry. Tears ran down my face as a knot built in my throat. What had I gotten myself into? I just wanted to have a fun and relaxing night with some friends. Instead, I was sitting in the freezing rain completely alone.

"Is someone there?" A deep voice came from the trees behind me.

I leapt to my feet and spun around in defense, gazing out from behind the shelter. "I don't want any trouble."

"I won't give you any. I heard crying, are you alright?" A figure moved toward me as the voice grew louder.

"I'm fine." I took a few steps back and stumbled over a log, which launched me from the safety of the little fort.

A large pair of mocha hands reached out and caught me before I slammed into the ground. "I got'cha." His face matched one of the men from the bonfire. He looked like the one Embry had called Seth but I couldn't be sure.

The fear I was feeling melted away as he held my waist. "I'm clumsy. Sorry."

His brilliant white teeth shined as his lips pulled up in a smile. "I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't think I was going to run into anyone out here." Gently, he stood me back up and placed me beside him. With the new distance, I was able to see his whole frame. He wore only a pair of jean shorts, allowing me to see the rippling muscles of his upper body. He let out a small cough.