I was driving slowly,

"What a shocker," Edward said.

so that I could safely stare out across the ocean now and then, as the road wound closer to the sea cliffs. Jacob was talking about finishing the bikes, but his descriptions were getting technical, so I wasn't paying close attention.

That was when I noticed four figures standing on a rocky ledge, much too close to the precipice. I couldn't tell from the distance how old they were, but I assumed they were men.

Despite the chill in the air today, they seemed to be wearing only shorts.

As I watched, the tallest person stepped closer to the brink. I slowed automatically, my foot hesitating over the brake pedal.

And then he threw himself off the edge.

"No!" I shouted, stomping down on the brake.

"She would react like that, wouldn't she," Edward said. "They must be cliff diving or something."

"What's wrong?" Jacob shouted back, alarmed.

"That guy–he just jumped off the cliff! Why didn't they stop him? We've got to call an ambulance!" I threw open my door and started to get out, which made no sense at all. The fastest way to a phone was to drive back to Billy's. But I couldn't believe what I'd just seen.

Maybe, subconsciously, I hoped I would see something different without the glass of the windshield in the way.

Jacob laughed, and I spun to stare at him wildly. How could he be so calloused, so cold-blooded?

"They're just cliff diving, Bella. Recreation. La Push doesn't have a mall, you know." He was teasing, but there was a strange note of irritation in his voice.

"Cliff diving?" I repeated, dazed. I stared in disbelief as a second figure stepped to the edge, paused, and then very gracefully leaped into space. He fell for what seemed like an eternity to me, finally cutting smoothly into the dark gray waves below.

"Hmm... I wonder how far that is," Carlisle wondered.

"Wow. It's so high." I slid back into my seat, still staring wide-eyed at the two remaining divers. "It must be a hundred feet."

"Thanks," Carlisle chuckled. "That is pretty far."

"Well, yeah, most of us jump from lower down, that rock that juts out from the cliff about halfway." He pointed out his window. The place he indicated did seem much more reasonable. "Those guys are insane. Probably showing off how tough they are. I mean, really, it's freezing today. That water can't feel good." He made a disgruntled face, as if the stunt personally offended him. It surprised me a little. I would have thought Jacob was nearly impossible to upset.

"You jump off the cliff?" I hadn't missed the "us."

"Sure, sure." He shrugged and grinned. "It's fun. A little scary, kind of a rush."

"Did he have to say that?" Edward groaned. "She's going to want to jump off a cliff now!"

"You're right," Emmett said laughing.

I looked back at the cliffs, where the third figure was pacing the edge. I'd never witnessed anything so reckless in all my life. My eyes widened, and I smiled. "Jake, you have to take me cliff diving."

Emmett laughed harder and Edward hissed at that.

He frowned back at me, his face disapproving. "Bella, you just wanted to call an ambulance for Sam," he reminded me.

"Sam," Carlisle sighed.

Edward head snapped towards him and said, "you think they're all werewolves!"

"It is quite a height, it might be useful having extraordinary strength," Carlisle reasoned. "And you know the wolves temperature runs hotter than the average human... the cold wouldn't affect them the same."

"But four?" Edward asked. "That's more than last time."

"I don't know," Carlisle sighed.

I was surprised that he could tell who it was from this distance.

"I want to try," I insisted, starting to get out of the car again.

Jacob grabbed my wrist. "Not today, all right? Can we at least wait for a warmer day?"

"Okay, fine," I agreed. With the door open, the glacial breeze was raising goose bumps on my arm. "But I want to go soon."

"Soon." He rolled his eyes. "Sometimes you're a little strange, Bella. Do you know that?"

"It's her best quality," Emmett laughed.

"Maybe not her best, but it's definitely a good one," Edward said, really smiling.

I sighed. "Yes."

"And we're not jumping off the top."

"Good, he's being sensible for once," Edward said.

I watched, fascinated, as the third boy made a running start and flung himself farther into the empty air than the other two. He twisted and cartwheeled through space as he fell, like he was skydiving. He looked absolutely free–unthinking and utterly irresponsible.

"Fine," I agreed. "Not the first time, anyway."

Now Jacob sighed.

"Are we going to try out the bikes or not?" he demanded.

"Okay, okay," I said, tearing my eyes away from the last person waiting on the cliff. I put my seat belt back on and closed the door. The engine was still running, roaring as it idled. We started down the road again.

"So who were those guys–the crazy ones?" I wondered.

He made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. "The La Push gang."

"Gang!" Emmett snorted.

"You have a gang?" I asked. I realized that I sounded impressed.

He laughed once at my reaction. "Not like that. I swear, they're like hall monitors gone bad. They don't start fights, they keep the peace." He snorted.

Carlisle raised an eyebrow at that, looking thoughtful.

"There was this guy from up somewhere by the Makah rez, big guy too, scary-looking. Well, word got around that he was selling meth to kids, and Sam Uley and his disciples ran him off our land. They're all about our land, and tribe pride… it's getting ridiculous. The worst part is that the council takes them seriously. Embry said that the council actually meets with Sam." He shook his head, face full of resentment. "Embry also heard from Leah Clearwater that they call themselves 'protectors' or something like that."

"It looks like you are right," Edward groaned. "If he's meeting with the council, he must be a werewolf..."

"Actually, I believe it would make him the chief of tribe, if I understand their command structure correctly," Carlisle chuckled.

Jacob's hands were clenched into fists, as if he'd like to hit something. I'd never seen this side of him.