I walked restlessly from shop to shop; waiting for Jacob. It was cold out but the stores were still open for the last several minutes before Christmas eve really began. He was supposed to be here already so we could get presents for everyone. We had the shopping list, each one doing the list with presents for the other because we didn't want to ruin Christmas for anyone. Including the orphans. I heard a breath behind me, and I spun, terrified.

"Hey, bells," Jake said easily, grinning.

"Jake! you scared me."

"Oh, come on Bells, it was just a joke. We have to hurry, anyway. No time for tantrums."

"That is not my fault." I said, still a bit angry. We shopped quickly, getting everything on the lists.

We began walking back slowly, trying to pick a spot in the cold, snowy forest to wrap the presents up with wrapping paper and big bows. I grimaced when I saw where we had to sit.

"In the snow? Really?" I asked.

"Yes, of course there is only snow around here. You could sit on my jacket, if you would like." Jacob said, going for the common gentleman of today. He definitely didn't succeed, except for making me laugh. He flopped on the ground and patted the space next to him. I opted for his lap instead.

"I have no idea why you do not ever get cold, Jake." I said shivering even now. His face wrinkled for a moment.

"Maybe I am just better adjusted," He said, working on the presents. "But we have to work quickly, or else the orphans will worry, and you will get a cold." I started working, too. When I got all the way to his presents at the bottom of the brown bag, I moved to sit against a tree, my back facing him.

"There," he said finally, finishing the last of his presents and standing up. I pulled the bow tight around my last present and followed suit. I grinned at him.

"I think that makes me three years older. I can wrap presents better than you can," I said.

"That is not fair; you had a head start!" He complained, "Besides, did we not stop that since summer?"

"If I remember right, you started before me. And we did drop it, until now." I was still smiling. "You said to drop it until we find out who is better at wrapping presents."

"Well," He said, coming up to me and wrapping his arms around my waist, "I am still older than you," as he said this, his lips were at my ear. I sighed, delighted.

"Let's go home," I said, twisting out of his embrace and trying to take his hand through my mittens.

"You mean to the orphanage. It will not be our home much longer. I will make an income soon, and I will take you away and never let you see bad things again," He promised.

"No!" I said, "No! No! No! I forgot your present in the forest. You distracted me and I left it right there on the ground!" Jacob frowned.

"Would you like me to look for it?" He asked quietly, trying to calm me down.

"No, you might peek and ruin the surprise! I will go and look for it, and I will be back soon."

"You could just forget about it; I would rather you be safe than have a present," He said.

"No, no. I will be right back. Wait for me." I promised, kissing him goodbye.

I headed out immediately, knowing the weather was only going to get worse. I walked past trees and twigs that seem to reach out and knock me to the ground. I soon got lost. I wandered the forest a while longer before I decided it was too cold to carry on. I would find the nearest clearing and spend the night there, going back to the orphanage in the morning. Jake would not worry much.

The first clearing I found was the one that happened to be the one Jake and I had wrapped presents in. There it was, on the ground. Jacob's small flute, one that had come from his own ancestors, the Quileutes, wrapped up nicely with a big bow that made it look like something different. As I reached to grab it, a small white hand reached in front of my face, covering my mouth and nose with a white cloth. I tried not to breathe -the stuff smelled bad- but after a while, I couldn't help gasping for air. The world was blurry for a while after that, until it went completely black.

I woke up from shivering. My body was shaking so hard that at first, I thought someone was shaking me. I could barely control my reaction to this cold, only getting the shaking to slow slightly after a few minutes of concentrated effort. I realized, after the shaking had calmed, that the cold was directly beside me, and around my waist, instead of just spreading completely to cover my entire body. It felt like a person. I recoiled backward, immediately believing that this person was dead, dead, but no. The arms held tight even as I struggled away. I heard a laugh, velvety and wonderful to my ears.

"Stop struggling so, like a bird or a deer. The more you relax and stop fighting, the easier it will be for you from now on." I shrieked and continued to fight away from these steely arms, the iron grip, but I could not get him to let go.

"Why?" I asked desperately. A sigh came sounding from his throat.

"Could you not come up with anything more original? You should stop struggling because I am stronger than you, faster than you, and now, I own you."

"No, No. I meant, why are you even trying to kidnap me?" An almost shocked hesitation came from him as I continued to struggle.

"I do not answer to you, it is the other way around; remember that. These will be your only warnings before you are punished." I immediately stopped fighting his arms. "Good. see now, is that not easier?" He said as he lifted me off the ground easily and set me on my feet. I glanced around, trying to be subtle. This wasn't the same place as before. I shuddered, hoping he assumed it was another shiver. "From now on, you will call me 'Master' every time you speak to me. You will listen to everything I tell you, and you will do it. Understand?" He asked harshly, glaring down at me.

"Yes, Master," I whispered.