Shifting Moon

 (Thomas POV)

 I got home and moved around the house quietly. Bella was still asleep, and I didn't want to wake her. With my homework all done and any chores around the house needing to be done would wake Bella, I decided to get dressed and explore some of the surrounding forested area. Putting on a pair of pants with a t-shirt and then a sweater over that, I slipped downstairs to put on the hiking boots that had become my everyday shoes here in Forks. 

 Leaving a note on the kitchen table so no one would worry about me, I walked out to the backyard and just stared at the forest in front of me. Most of the trees are bare of their leaves but it still managed to convey the dark look of a forest from the pictures I had seen before. There were spots that still had snow on the ground and that was a surprise to me, with all the rain I thought for sure it would have all melted off. 

 The smell was clean, the earthy smell of damp soil and bark threatened to clog my nose. My eyes didn't like not being able to see very far into the distance, and my ears were constantly distracted by unfamiliar sounds. Despite all of this sound and smell I was unused to, I still felt… I was having trouble making sense of it myself but invited was the only word that came close.

 If I imagined the forest to be alive, I would say it was watching me wearily. Inviting me in, but still unsure if I was a good thing or not. After walking for about an hour, I found a nice flat rock and took my parka off so I could sit on it and keep my butt from getting wet. Once I sat down, I started to meditate. 

 It was the easiest transition into meditation that I had ever had, my thoughts went still as soon as I closed my eyes. Silence enveloped me like a cocoon, I knew any unusual sound would carry to me instantly. When I meditated my anger wasn't going down like it usually did, I wasn't getting any calmer but the fire I felt inside was hotter, almost purified. 

 If I looked at my anger as a flame inside my mind, I would have once said it was a campfire red and yellow flame all-consuming and looking to burn its surroundings. But now it felt like a white-hot flame that just existed, it didn't flicker and reach out to catch other stuff on fire like before. A torch that sat in my mind and anything that got close just turned to ash. It was easier to control but much closer to the surface.

 When I came to, I was sweating so much that my sweater was drenched, so I took it off and had just a light t-shirt on. I tried to stand up, but my legs were stiff from sitting for so long. I had to slowly straighten them and wait for the pins and needles feeling to go away before I could stand steady. When I started stretching my body out, I felt all my joints popping and crackling and enjoyed the feeling. 

 Checking my phone, I realized it was nearly 4 pm and I had been out here for over 6 hours. I picked up my parka and sweater and slung them over my shoulder and started walking back home. It surprised me a little on how easy it was to find my way, but I always had a good sense of direction. 

 I kicked off the mud from my boots on the porch and then used the boot brush before stepping into the house. I always thought the idea of a mud room to take your shoes off was stupid, and it is in Phoenix maybe but here in Forks, it was just as important as any room in the house. 

 As I walked into the house, I saw Bella relaxing on the couch with a book, she looked at me, "You were gone for quite a while, you get lost or something?"

 "Not everyone has a sense of direction like you sis. Getting lost this close to home would be embarrassing. I was just caught up in my meditation and lost track of time. How was your day?"

 "I got lots of stuff done that I had been meaning to. Looked up some good ideas to take my room out of my kindergarten phase but they will all have to wait for good enough weather to air the paint out and keep some furniture outside for a night or two. Charlie called to say he was eating at the lounge tonight, so his car was visible to the bar crowd if we wanted to join him."

 "That sounds good to me. I will get cleaned up and we can go whenever you feel like it."

 "Looking up at you from the couch, it looks like you grew a couple more inches. You ever plan to stop growing?" 

 I rubbed the back of my head, "Beats me, I didn't realize that was still going on. I thought I hit my peak height last year."

 Dinner with Charlie wasn't a big affair, we met a couple more of the locals who came by the table. The most memorable was a guy who dressed as Santa during Christmas and laughingly recalled when Bella at 7 years old called him Butt Crack Santa. Bella flushed even though she couldn't remember the incident it was definitely something she would have said back then.

 She was in her phase of making it known to Charlie just what she thought of this town and how much she didn't like being taken away from her mother. It wasn't long after that, Charlie started taking his vacation to go see her instead of insisting she come here. 

 I had talked with Jasper about Sunday being the one day I took off lifting to give my body a rest and he was good with meeting up before school on Monday for the next workout. I talked with Bella about needing to make a big city run for more weight and she said she wanted to get some shopping done for warmer clothes. We decided to make a full day of it starting when we woke up. 

 On our way back from Port Angeles, Bella's truck was letting us know what it thought of going 60 miles an hour and passing traffic was letting us know what they thought of her driving so slow. It was all entertainment for me, but Bella was flushing in embarrassment.

I had picked up 4 more 50-pound Iron plates for the gym and Bella got a sweater, but she wasn't happy with the prices there for the most part, so she didn't get much. Her big find was a cookbook dedicated to fish and game local to the area. I knew I was looking forward to putting a dent in Charlie's freezer full of wild game. 

 Sunday evening, I spent my time going over the art project ideas and worked up some things to discuss with Alice in the morning, then went to bed. 

 Monday morning of my second week of school was not off to a good start. I was woken up by a nightmare at around 2 am and it took forever to get back to sleep. Once I did it seemed like 5 minutes later my alarm woke me. I stumbled around and got myself together enough to get my school bag packed to leave in Charlie's cruiser and get my eggs down. Once I walked outside, I was surprised to see Jasper was waiting for me. "You're here earlier than I expected Jasper. Looking forward to the run?"

 "Don't let it get to your head, but I do enjoy the company of someone outside my family more than I expected. Maybe it's because you're new here you don't look at anyone in my family wearily like the locals, so it's nice."

 I started stretching out my back and legs as we talked, I discovered that he was a huge Louis Lamour (Western Author) fan, and it was something we had in common. As we started to run, we talked about our favorites. He liked the Iron Marshal and the Key Lock Man, while my favorites were The Daybreakers and Flint with Ryleys Luck running very close to the group. As we ran, I started to overheat again so I took my jacket off and wrapped it around my waist. 

 I decided we had gotten to know each other enough to ask questions, so long as it wasn't too personal of a nature. "So, Jasper. I have been kind of curious but didn't want to offend you, and if it is personal, you in no way have to answer, but. Well, what's with the scars all over your body?" He stiffened a bit at my question. "I don't know if it's the streetlights reflecting from the fog or what, but they are really sticking out this morning. You look a bit like you were mauled by a pack of dogs when you were young or something, but the scars have faded so much it's nearly impossible to tell they are there."

 Jasper was lost in thought for a bit, but he finally answered me. "Now Thomas. I don't want to hurt you or anything, but staring at me so much that you pick up these little things has me a bit worried about your intentions. You're a fine person but Alice is the only one for me."

 "Ohh that's nice, I never knew you had a sense of humor. All good man, like I said you are under no obligation to answer. We all have our histories." 

 Jasper ran a bit longer before saying anything. "You're right Thomas, my early years were very chaotic. You could very well say I was mauled. It's something I am learning to outgrow thanks to my family and especially my Alice."