Dusk: Seth Clearwater Love Story

The Beach

“Come on Emily. . . Come to the beach with us!” Claire begged Emily, but I knew she would be shoot down like the rest of us. There was something about the beach Emily  didn’t like. . . .
    “No, I’m not going. I’m too. . . uh . . . tired” She said from her room upstairs. Gigi walked down the stairs with her beach bag and her flip-flops.
    “You guys are never gonna get her to go to the beach, ever since she. . .” She was cut off from one of Older Emily’s looks that said you-better-shut-you‘re-mouth.
    “Forget it” Gigi said quickly.
    I was really excited to spend the little time I have with Emily. It feels like I never see her, she’s always with Gino. It makes me sick when she gets ready for another night with him, because I can only imagine what they could be doing. Of course I would know if I do another one of Paul’s “watching from afar” routines, then I would know but after I did that when Emily and Gino went on their movie date I felt guilty for spying on them. I was so close to shifting when I saw them both kissing that night it scared me. . . What if I really did shift and hurt Emily? What would she think of me? What would she do? Not only hurting Emily but I’d also be exposing myself to the public. . . I would have put the whole pack in danger.
    “I think I have an idea of getting Emily down here” Paul said from the couch with a bag of chips.
    “What?” Colin asked recklessly. Everyone was getting reckless because we wanted Emily to come but everything we did was no use, she wouldn’t.
    “Watch”. Paul said with a smile. I know that smile, that smiles speaks of evil. He started to walk up the stairs to Emily’s and Gigi’s room.
    “Paul what are you gonna do?” I asked anxiously. I looked up at him at the door of the bedroom.
    “Like I said, watch” Paul answered. He knocked on the door.
    “Go away. I don’t want to go to the beach and the water.” Emily answered through the door.
    “Okay fine” Paul said. “Then I guess I’ll just go”. He started making footsteps that faded off, he was acting like he walked away. Paul smiled down at us and put a finger in front of his lips as in a quiet sign. What is he gonna do?
    Emily peeked out of her room and that’s what got her. Paul swiftly turned around and grabbed her by the waist and started carrying her down the stairs. When he got to the living room with everyone he said with a grin, “So who’s ready for the beach?”
    Everyone laughed and howled out the door and raced to the beach.
    “Put me down!” Emily yelled.
    “Put her down, Paul” I said through gritted teeth.
    “I don’t think so, Sethie” He smiled down at me and ran to the beach with Emily swung over his shoulder. I saw Emily put her head up to look at me and I saw for the first time a tear escape her eye.


    When I arrived at the beach, everyone was already in the water. I looked quickly for Emily in the group of people; I spotted her still over Paul’s shoulder by the food basket Older Emily brought. I ran to him but he was faster than me in human form and ran for the water. I ran after him but someone grabbed the bottom of my shirt. I looked down franticly, only to see Billy Black in his wheelchair looking up at me.
    “Seth, my boy, would it be a hassle to push me to your father and Sam over there? It’s hard to push myself in this darn sand.” I looked back at Paul who was already waist deep in the water with Emily hitting his back and struggling to get out of his grasp. I wanted to say no to Mr. Black and help Emily, my imprint, but he would be stuck here.
    “Sure no problemo.” I grabbed his wheelchair and ran over to the adults and dropped him off. Man its good to have super speed and strength.
    I looked over my shoulder at the water and saw Emily yelling and grasping for air to help her from drowning. I ran as fast as I could to the water and jumped in. I was about waist deep when I heard the pack laughing at Emily. Wait. . . they were laughing at her? She was drowning and no one was helping her! I swam to her and held out my hand to Emily and she quickly gripped it with her life it felt like. I was up to my shoulders now and Emily was on my back grasping for air. The pack kept on laughing and laughing. I felt Emily rest her head on my wet shoulder and start crying in neck. That seemed to make the pack laugh even more.
    “Stop” I said firmly and seriously, which seemed to shock the pack.
    “What Seth? We’re just having a little fun!” Embry snickered.
    “Yeah, just because Emily’s a wimp doesn’t mean you have to lose your chance of having fun!” Quil said splashing us again. Emily cried harder.
    “Emily is not a wimp” I whispered through gritted teeth. I had to keep my voice down to control me from shifting.
    “Yeah she is! Look at her!” Jared observed. Emily buried her face even deeper in my back. Everyone agreed that she was a wimp and started laughing again and acted like they were drowning and made wimp calls and started calling for my help.
    I turned around and swam out of the water with Emily on my back. The best way to avoid a fight with them is to walk away. I just couldn’t take it. When I was about waist deep I swung Emily around so I was carrying her in front of me, making sure she wasn’t touching the water. She was still wearing her cloths from earlier and was soaking wet.     She was sobbing in my arms because I wasn’t fast enough, if only I didn’t let Paul take her like that I could have stopped all of this!
    Emily starting shivering and sobbing at once! What do I do?! I wont take her by the adults they will just yell at the guys then get them in trouble, then the guys will blame me. I ran down the beach to this small tree that had a fallen log underneath. It was perfect it was partly sunny and partly shady underneath. I laid Emily down on the sand and made sure she didn’t have to choke up some water. She opened her green eyes and looked up at me. I smiled down at her hoping she will feel reassured and that everything will be okay, instead she covered her face with her hands.
    “Don’t look at me! I look horrible!”
    “What are you talking about?” I sat her up so her back was up against the log and looked at her beautiful face once again.
    “I was crying and everything in front of you! I’m so sorry!” She apologized.
    “Why are you apologizing? I should be the one apologizing, I should have stopped Paul from doing that too you. I’m sorry” she looked up at me under her now wavy sea-born hair.
    “We’re both sorry.” She smiled.
    She rapped both her arms around her legs to stay warm obviously. I helped her by rapped my one arm around her shoulders and rested my head on her head. Minutes went by and her cloths were dried by the heated sun. I moved so I was in front of her and looked into her eyes.
    “What happened?” I saw her wince at the question but that didn’t keep me from trying to get an answer.
    “Please.” She let out a big breath and looked into my eyes. I looked back at hers and saw the suns rays on her face, giving her eyes an extra glow in the glimmer of the sunlight. Her piercing green-golden eyes looked deep into mine. We stayed like that for about a minute just staring at each other waiting for the other one to speak. When know one did she looked out over the water with the sun still on her beautiful face and said. . .

    “It happened a year ago. . . .”