Jacob sat on the damp sand, his arms resting on his knees as he watched the waves roll in, steady and endless. The ocean had always been calming, a constant rhythm that didn’t ask anything of him. The salty breeze tangled in his hair, cool against his skin, but it wasn’t enough to clear his head. Too much had changed too fast—his body, his life, the way people looked at him now. He used to come here to escape, to laugh with Quil and Embry, to feel like a normal kid. Now, even the ocean felt different, like it knew he wasn’t the same. He exhaled, dragging a hand through his hair, eyes fixed on the horizon. No matter how far the tide pulled back, it always returned. Maybe that meant something. Maybe, one day, things would feel normal again.