"When we were five, they asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up..."

Jessica's voice was loud and clear in the gymnasium, the bleachers filled with proud families and teachers overlooking the graduating class. At one end of the gym sat a stage, where the Board of Education and the school administrators sat behind the podium.

Decorations in the school colors had been carefully put up by the student council, balloons lining the front of the stage and the area set aside for the seniors. In a sea of yellow caps and gowns, I met Bella's eyes a couple rows ahead of me; she shot me a smile and a thumbs up before turning forward in her chair.

"Our answers were thing like astronaut, president... Or in my case, princess. When we were ten, they asked again and we answered – rock star, cowboy, or in my case, gold medalist. But now that we've grown up, they want a serious answer. Well, how 'bout this: who the hell knows?!" Jessica exclaimed, throwing her arms in a shrug.

Loud hoots and hollers rang from our classmates as adults snickered, shaking their heads. Jessica continued with her speech.

"This isn't the time to make hard and fast decisions, it's the time to make mistakes. Take the wrong train, and get stuck somewhere chill. Fall in love – a lot. Major in philosophy because there's no way to make a career out of that. Change your mind. Then change it again, because nothing is permanent..."

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Bella shifting in her seat as Jessica's words sank in.

"So make as many mistakes as you can. That way, someday, when they ask again what we want to be... we won't have to guess. We'll know."

The gym filled with thunderous applause and cheers as Jessica finished, her cheeks a bright pink as she scurried to take her place. One by one, each name was called and a graduate received their diploma. When the principal reached Bella's name, I cheered the loudest, my throat instantly hurting from the sound.

As the line in front of me grew smaller, I focused on breathing slowly and mentally telling myself not to trip in front of everyone. Finally, my name was called and I could hear the cheers getting louder as I was handed my diploma.

Turning towards the bleachers where Mom was sitting with Charlie, tears instantly formed in my eyes when I saw Jacob and the pack behind Mom; their grins were visible even from the stage. Tears started to fall quickly as I noticed Grandma was also with Mom, pride on her face lighting up her eyes. Once we were all back to our seats, the principal beamed at us before leaning toward the microphone.

"Congratulations to our graduates!"

A flurry of yellow caps filled the air as we cheered again, the feeling of happiness and accomplishment sweeping through the crowd.

As families slowly emptied out the bleachers to congratulate their children, Bella and I made our way to Mom and Charlie, weaving in and out of the crowd to avoid bumping into others. Mom immediately engulfed me into a bear hug once I was in arm's reach, tears flowing down her face.

"You did it, Leaf! I am so freaking proud of you!"

"Thanks, Mom." I hugged her back just as tightly. "I couldn't have done it without you."

As soon as Mom released me, Grandma was next to hug me; her eyes were just as shiny from crying as Mom's were.

"I'm so glad I got to surprise you," she whispered in my ear. "You are becoming an incredible young woman, and I'm honored to be your grandma. I love you, Auttie."

"I love you too, Grandma."

Jacob was standing a few feet behind Grandma, talking to Leah and newly graduated Chloe as he patiently waited for his turn. He met my eyes as I stepped away from my family and the biggest grin broke across his face. Motioning for him to wait one more minute, I unzipped the gown and slipped it off my shoulders before handing it over to Mom long with my cap.

Smoothing out the skirt of the yellow sleeveless dress I bought while we were in Michigan, I turned back toward Jacob. Even with the glittery silver heels I was wearing, I was nowhere near as tall as him, only coming up to right below his chin instead of his shoulder.

"You look beautiful, as always." Jacob murmured, kissing me in front of everybody. "Congratulations, babe."

"Thank you for coming." I replied back, smiling.

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world."

"Should we move outside?" Mom asked, glancing around the crowded gym.

Agreeing, we made our way out into the parking lot as students shouted goodbyes and "See you at the party!" to their friends. Charlie and Bella drifted toward Charlie's vehicle, plans made for dinner at our house instead of the diner. They were only a few spots away from us, so I could still hear them talking as we figured out who was carpooling with who. Charlie wrapped an arm around Bella, clearly emotional.

"I'm so proud of you, Bells. I can't wait to see what you do next. You're my biggest accomplishment." Charlie beamed.

"Dad, that's not true." Bella said, shaking her head. Charlie scoffed.

"Yeah, it is. And it's... well, you'll see, when you have kids."

Seeing the flash of pain on Bella's face, I turned back toward the car, pretending not to have heard their conversation. Jacob gave me a look but otherwise didn't say anything about it.

"Are you going to the Cullens' graduation party?" He asked instead, slipping his hand into mine.

"Shoot, I knew I forgot to bring it up the other day. You're invited, of course." I slapped my free hand against my forehead. "I want you there."

"Consider it done." Jacob kissed my hand. "I have to take care of a few things, but I'll be there."

By the time dinner was over and we arrived at the Cullens' house, it was already packed wall to wall with our classmates dancing and celebrating. Alice had really outdone herself, transforming the place into a magical nightclub. As Bella, Chloe, and I entered the foyer, I saw Bella tense up, immediately overwhelmed by the crowd. Knowing she needed to be made comfortable as soon as possible, we weaved our way through the throngs, searching for Edward.

When we finally spot him, Bella sighed warily; Edward was talking with Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper, the mood lingering over them intensely. Regardless of the deep conversation, Bella began to head toward them but stopped abruptly as Jessica and Angela stepped in front of her.

"You've made it!" Angela exclaimed, hugging Bella before me, her smile bright.

"Hey. What'd you think of my speech? Too easy-breezy, too self-helpful? You may admit it." Jessica babbled, a wave of slight anxiety washing through her tone.

"No, you pretty much nailed it," Bella reassured her.

"Definitely killed it." I added.

"Yeah? It's like I was born to lead, right?" Jessica beamed, her confidence boosting back up.

"Oh, great. I love this song, let's go." Angela gushed, pulling Jessica and Bella to the dance floor where Eric and Mike were waiting for us.

In an attempt to one-up each other, Mike and Eric began a robot battle in the middle of the floor, causing us to laugh. The celebratory mood of our friends was a striking contrast to the atmosphere in the kitchen, and for once I was grateful for the chance to be normal for a while. Even though a dance floor was Bella's idea of hell, she forced a smile and shuffled a bit to the music, earning a thumbs up from Angela and I. Twirling in a circle with Chloe, I laughed carefreely as my gaze landed on the front door just as it opened.

Jacob walked in, calm and confident as he could manage; despite that, his eyes were darting around the room, looking for any sign of danger. Quil and Embry flanked him, both looking a little tense and not from being at the Cullens' place; the pack and the Cullens had a better understanding since working together on getting Victoria, even though every attempt so far had failed. The guys' eyes were also darting around the room, mimicking Jacob. Nudging Bella, I quickly maneuvered off the dance floor and into Jacob's path.

"Hey, you made it." I reached up to kiss Jacob's cheek before hugging Quil and Embry. "The Cullens are around somewhere, and there's food in the kitchen if you guys are hungry."

"Cool." Quil smiled, nodding to Embry. "We'll be back."

"I brought you something" Jacob turned to me as they disappeared. "A graduation present. I made it myself."

He took my hand and clasped to my wrist a silver chain charm bracelet. Dangling from it was an intricately hand-carved figuring of a miniature wolf charm. I studied it, moved by the gesture and unable to speak right away.

"You made this?" I asked incredulously. "It's really pretty, Jake. Thank you."

Pleased with himself, Jacob casually wrapped an arm around my waist. Bella carefully touched the charm as I showed it to her.

"I'll be right back." Bella said suddenly, peering behind us at the staircase.

"What's going on?" I asked before noticing Alice halfway up the stairs, frozen. Her eyes were unblinking, the telltale sign of a vision. "Crap. Jake, wait here."

"I'll make sure no one bothers you." Jacob nodded, giving me a gentle push in Alice's direction.

As we pushed through the crowd, Quil and Embry appeared by Jacob's side, sharing a suspicious look as they guarded us. Bella reached Alice first just as she came out of her vision, her face alarmed.

"Alice, what did you see?" Bella urged in a hushed tone.

"I... need to talk to Jasper." Alice gasped, searching for her partner. Suddenly, Jasper and Edward both manifested beside us, their expressions on high alert.

"What is it, Alice?" Jasper asked in a low tone.

"The decision's been made."

"What's going on? You're not going to Seattle?" Bella looked at Alice, who shook her head almost violently.

"No... They're coming here."

A few seconds later, we all scrambled to the back patio, letting the party continue inside. The atmosphere tense, the Cullens broke into a debate, Jacob trying to follow along. Quil and Embry stood nearby, on guard as they kept an eye on the party but still in hearing distance.

"How long?" Edward faced Alice.

"They'll be here in four days."

"This could turn into a blood bath," Carlisle said cautiously.

"Who's behind it?"

"I didn't see anyone I recognize. Maybe one..." Alice shot a look at Edward, who nodded.

"I know his face. He's local, Riley Biers." He caught Bella's eye as she gasped shakenly, recognizing the name. "He didn't start this."

"Whoever did is staying out of the action." Alice agreed bitterly.

"They must be playing with the blind spots in your vision," Carlisle spoke as he crossed his arms.

"Either way, the army is coming... and there aren't enough of us to protect the town." Jasper said darkly.

"Hold up. What damn army?" Quil asked from his spot.

Carlisle and Edward shared a look with Jacob. Edward shook his head no, but Carlisle must have decided differently because he answered Quil.

"Newborns. Our kind."

"What are they after?" Embry asked this time.

"They were passing around Bella's scent. A red blouse." Alice said, looking at Bella. Realization dawned on us simultaneously.

"They're after Bella?" Embry's tone matched our feelings: angry and protective.

"What the hell does this mean?" Jacob turned to Carlisle.

"It means an ugly fight. With lives lost."

The weight of Carlisle's words landed on all of us, a long pause settling around the group. Jacob shared a sober look with Embry and Quil before meeting my gaze. I knew what he was thinking even without being in his head; I also knew that it was the right thing to do, and Jacob knew that I did. Closing my eyes, I gave an imperceptible nod.

"Alright... We're in." Jacob stated, his voice strong and matter-of-factly.

"No. You'll get yourselves killed, no way." Bella interrupted, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"I wasn't asking for your permission."

"Edward." Bella looked to her boyfriend to back her up, her tone begging to the point of his name nearly being a plead.

"It means more protection for you." Jacob cut her off. "And for Autumn, in case you forgot she's in danger too. Not to mention Chloe, who's now part of the pack."

"Jacob."

"It's not your decision to make, Bella." I defended Jacob, unable to control the rush of anger demanding to be let out as I glared at her. "You don't speak for the pack, or for Jake."

"You can't be serious right now." Bella gaped at me.

"Do you believe Sam will agree to... another understanding?" Carlisle asked Jacob, ignoring us.

"Sure. As long as we get to kill some vampires."

"Jasper?" Carlisle glanced at him.

"They'll give us the numbers." Jasper stared at Jacob, nodding in approval. "And the newborns won't know they even exist. That'll give us an edge."

"We'll need to coordinate." Carlisle said thoughtfully.

"Carlisle, they'll gonna get hurt!" Bella tried again, worry increasingly evident in her features.

"We'll all need some training. Fighting newborns requires knowledge that Jasper has. You're welcome to join us." He spoke to Jacob and the boys.

"Name the time and place."

Jacob reached out and shook Carlisle's hand before motioning toward the door. Quil and Embry both moved to follow him; moments later, Bella took off after them. Pure rage roared to life in the pit of my stomach at the sight of her chasing Jacob down before a wave of calm engulfed me. It took me a few seconds to realize Jasper was concentrating on me, Edward also watching me cautiously.

"It's not what you think," Edward said softly, earning a snort from me.

"You can't read her mind. You don't know for sure." I said crossly, before storming off into the house. Jacob and Bella were near the front door as I weaved through my friends.

"Jake... You don't know what you're getting yourself into." Bella pleaded with him.

"Bella... This is what we do." Jacob told her firmly. "Besides, it really isn't your place to decide that for me. You chose Edward, and I chose Autumn. She's the one I'm in love with, the one I'm meant to be with for the rest of my life. You need to respect that... and figure out how to deal with your feelings."

Without another word, Jacob strode out of the house, leaving her amid the revelers. As the music changed into a louder beat, Bella sighed defeatedly and turned around to join the Cullens, stopping in her tracks when she saw me glowering at her.

"Autumn, wait - " She began, but I cut her off with a hand.

"I don't know what feelings you still clearly have for Jacob or how deep they go, but I'm telling you as my friend to back off. We all know that Jacob had feelings for you, even before you met Edward, and he tried so hard to put you back together after he left. But you held onto him, and Jacob let go. He imprinted on me, who he also had feelings for but didn't act on because of you. It's your turn to let go, because I'm not fighting to be someone's first priority again. Been there, done that, and it nearly cost me my best friend. I refuse to put myself in that situation a second time."

Not waiting for a response, I shoved my way past Bella and left, refusing to let the tears swelling in my eyes fall.