Eclipsed Star

Chapter One

                                                   Forks, Washington 

                                                     Ten years ago

Something was going on, I just didn't quite grasp what. The TV screen flickered scenes of people with strange tattoos marking their faces, necks and hands. Police and army men surrounded them like they were crooks-worse, terrorists-but amongst them were kids and babies, kids who looked like me, like my sisters. They looked harmless. Like us. Like my family.

Dogs snarled and snapped at the end of their chained leads. I'd never seen an animal behave so viciously without being provoked. Somehow what I was watching on the news, felt like something out of a movie. But I knew better. The Fox News logo shone from the bottom right hand corner.in the right hand corner.

"Jacob?" Mom called from the kitchen behind me. "Why don't you play with your sisters in your room, honey?"

"What's happening, Mom?" I murmured, but my question hung unanswered as the screen went blank. Mom had turned the power off.

"I don't want you watching shows like these, Jacob-you're too young. Go on, play in your room."

"But-"

"No buts. Go."

Sighing, I did as she said and shut the door behind me. I turned in time to see outside my window in the fading light of the moon outside a small shadowy figure I saw move into the shed. I smiled. It was probably Embry trying to play hide-and-seek from his parents again.

From my nightstand I grabbed my flashlight before easing open my window. I ducked down low so my sisters couldn't tell on me to Mom or Dad. Droplets of water fell from the clouds gathering overhead, landing softly on my shoulders. I ran to the shed, leaving the door cracked behind me as the clouds burst, sending down pouring rain. Once inside, I flicked on the flashlight.

"Embry?" I whispered, shining the light over every nook and cranny. "Emb? It's me."

The only hint of life was of the rain pattering against the steel roof. "Quil?" I murmured after a moment.

Movement caught my eye as I captured it in the tip of the flashlight. Blue eyes stared back at me. A dark marking stretched across the side of his face, reaching for more dark lines that ran the length his neck. Four more spots darkened his skin on the other side of his face. He shivered, hiding in the cramped space behind my Father's work bench.

"You're one of them," I murmured, setting the flashlight down and reaching for the picnic blanket sitting on the shelf next to me. "Don't be scared. It's safe here."

I stepped forward while unfolding the picnic blanket and wrapped it around his shivering body. A small soft smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.

The sound of the shed-door groaning open pulled my attention behind me where I found the same image as I'd witnessed on TV-dogs snarling and snapping at the end of their chain leads and men surrounding us. The only addition was the guns they held, pointed at the boy behind me.

I glanced at the boy who had escaped the violence of his ship's crash as we backed up against the shed window. Looking up, I recognise one face in particular-my father's best friend-Charlie.

"Don't hurt him Charlie," I cried, stepping forward.

"Move, Jake."

I shook my head, backing us up further before I'm pulled to the side of my Father and gathered up. I scream out, knowing what they were going to do. "Leave him alone!" Tears streaked my cheeks as my hands hammered against my Father's back as his hold tightened. I gasped, seeing a blue flash shoot from the gun. The flash hit the boy in the chest. He fell back.