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"Artemis." I pick up my head out of my hands and look up at the guard. "Someone paid your bail." The guard unlocks the cell, and gestures for me to get out. I push myself off the bench and say goodbye to the other people in the public cell. I walk out of the cell and make my way to the front of the police station. I grab my phone and other belongings off the chiefs desk. "Who paid my bail?" I ask him. "I did." I turn around to see my uncle Jesse standing there. "Lets go home." He wraps his arm around my shoulder and walks us out of the station. We get to his blue truck and slide in. "You got arrested for fighting? Why?" "I didn't mean to get arrested. My father called the cops and said that I beat the shit out of some whore he had fucked then beaten." I mutter. The engine of the truck grumbles to life, and Jesse takes off. "Where's your mother?" I shrug my shoulders. "Your father?" "Probably fucking some whore, since I'm not there for him to beat the shit out of anymore." "You should've come to La Push. You know that you're always welcome." His hands turn the wheel, and we go left. "You were going through your divorce, and Paul had shifted. I didn't want to disturb you guys." I murmur. "Artemis you shifted too, which is practically unheard of in females." My uncle turns towards me, his olive skin glowing in the sunlight. "You're coming to live with me and Paul. I have an extra room, and I filed for full custody of you. I went to my brothers while he was gone and grabbed all your things." He tells me. "No discussion." He gives me a pointed look. "Thank you Jesse." *** Our trip to La Push had taken over three hours. We finally got to the house and I could see Paul run out of the house. As soon as I opened my door, he wrapped his muscular arms around me. After giving him a squeeze, he let me go. He took my face in his hands, and examined the bruises on my face. My right eye had a bruise blossoming over it, and my lip was busted. "Who'd you get in a fight with?" He chuckles. "The devil." I smirk and push his hands off me. "Now help me bring my bags inside." He rolls his eyes and grabs most of my bags. I follow him and Jesse in, who grabbed the rest of my bags, and we head down to the basement. "It's not much, but it's a room." Jesse says, as he drops my bags on the floor. "It's perfect." I give my uncle a smile, and he leaves Paul and I. Which it was the truth, it was perfect. The walls are all cement, and the floor is wooden. There's a white bed that sits in the corner, and a small dresser. A bathroom sits in another corner, and there's a small window to let light in. A dresser sits across from the bed, and a small closet sits beside it. Paul unzips all of my suitcases, and my bags. "Do you have anything to eat? They don't really feed you in a jail cell." Paul laughs and gestures for me to follow him upstairs. I'm quick to go up the stairs, and see Paul already rummaging through the fridge. "Well we have nothing." Paul announces. "And dad left, so we can order pizza or something." I nod and he picks up the home phone. He quickly places a call to a pizza place. "Pizza will be here in about ten minutes." "So, how was shifting?" I ask him. "Rough as shit. I've gotten used to it, but my temper doesn't help me stop shifting randomly." He explains. "I'm exactly the same way." "You know Sams going to want to talk to you." Paul gives me a pointed look and I roll my eyes. "I'm not joining Sams cult. I'll survive on my own, I have for for almost two years." "Hey! I'm part of that cult now!" Paul protests. "Well I hope you have fun worshiping the devil." He sticks his tongue out at me and his expression softens. "I'm sorry about your dad treating you like shit." He murmurs. "Yea well that's in the past now I suppose. I don't want your pity." I hiss. "I'm not pitying you. Artemis you're a survivor, you're amazing you know that?" Pauls smile is almost blinding, but his smile is contagious. "You know what would be even more amazing?" He shakes his head. "After pizza, I'm gonna take the longest nap ever." He rolls his eyes. "Pizzas here." He grabs some money out of his pocket and runs to the door. I look out the window and see a few boys come out of the woods, in nothing but shorts and sneakers. Must be Sam and his cult. Paul walks over to them, and some of the boys try to snag the pizza from his hand. He gives the box to one of the boys and points towards the house. They all run to the house besides Paul and Sam. "Artemis!" Suddenly I have two pair of arms thrown around me. I can tell who it is, just by their voices. I wrap my arms around the two boys. Jared Cameron, and Embry Call stand in front of me, taller than me and more muscular. "It's been how long? Like four years since the last time we saw Artemis Lahote." Embry punches my shoulder. Sam and Paul walk into the kitchen. Sam motions for me to follow him, I grab a piece of pizza and follow him out of the house. "Save me some of that pizza!" I yell at the boys. "It's been a long time Artemis." Sam says. "Paul tells me you shifted." I nod. "A little over a year ago." "I want you to join us." Sam stops beside me and looks to the forest. "I'm not gonna join the pack Sam. I like being by myself. Don't worry, I won't get in the way and I'll help however I can. I just don't like being told what to do, and I'm mine before I'm anybody's." Sam nods his head. "I understand, and I'm glad that you'll help in anyway." "Of course I will. You guys are more my family then my actual family was." Sam gives me a side hug. "You're one of the strongest people I know Artemis." I grin at Sam.
