Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

My Sky

I'd been walking for at least a week. My bare feet had been rubbed raw, irritating blisters embellishing them. Of course it hurt, but nothing could compare to the memories that clawed cruelly at my heart. I tried my hardest to keep them locked away, but my wall was weak, crumbling slowly. Right when I needed it the most, it was falling down. Ironic, wasn't it? The only thing I manage to keep at bay constantly was the fear. The sorrow, though, was clear as day in my head. I knew anyone who saw me would see it in my eyes.

I wasn't crying, though. Tears had streamed down my face continuously on the first day, but now it seemed I was all dried up. A part of me wished I could break down and sob, but it wouldn't help any. It would simply tear open the slowly healing gashes, which would hurt more than any broken arm or leg. And I wasn't sure that I could take any more pain.

So I kept walking, focusing on placing one foot in front of the other. In my condition, it was much harder than it appeared. I was hardly eating, not that I could keep anything down anyways. Even the thought of food disgusted me. How could I think of something as trivial as hunger when I was so broken? I couldn't. I had more important things on my mind than that.

One being, where was I to go? I couldn't turn back, not now. No matter how much I longed to see the faces of the ones I loved, I knew it was impossibility. I carefully placed the images of them behind my wall, praying that they would stay there for longer than they had last time. Each time I slipped up, releasing them into my line of sight, another mangled piece of my heart was shredded in half. Shuddering, I looked above me, the sun glaring down with a fierce intensity. The blue of the sky was as beautiful as always, as if it didn't even notice me walking below it, dotted by a few wispy clouds that traveled quickly. I would have smiled at them, but I was too far gone to do that.

I would have to completely start from scratch, wherever I ended up. Make every detail about my past up. It was hard for me to lie, but when it was necessary, I was pretty damn good at it. Something about the way I could manipulate my expression made people believe me. Like right now, though I was being tortured by my own memories, my face was serenely calm. My eyes, though, were much harder to squeeze the emotion out of. They displayed most things like an open book, but when I wanted to, I could make the pages blank. It seemed pointless at the moment, to waste so much of my energy when no one was even around.

I heard a sigh escape my lips, and it startled me. My voice was strange to me. In the long week that it had been neglected, I'd grown unused to it. A fancy car approached, slowly the people inside of it staring at me curiously. I must look a mess, I thought, groaning inwardly. Like they were driving past a car wreck, I could tell they yearned to look away, to speed hastily into the distance, but they didn't. Instead, they inched forward so sluggishly that I could keep pace without trying.

Finally, after too long, they stopped. The man who was driving rolled his window down hesitantly, looking at me like I was some kind of stray dog. I paused, my steady pace faltering, and tripped. Of course. Making an ass of myself in front of strangers was my specialty. They didn't try to help me, but concern glowed within the man's strangely colored eyes. I got up, and stood with my arms crossed, glaring right back at them. "Are you alright?" His voice was silky smooth. I scowled, wondering how I could reply to that. The pain was briefly soothed by the distraction, but I knew once they were gone it would come back immediately, so the frown still played across my lips.

"Do I look like I'm alright?" I answered obscurely in attempt to make them give up and leave me to wallow. Not that I wanted to be miserable, but it was the only option. Momentarily wondering how utterly dirty I looked, I looked at myself in the reflection of the car. I almost laughed at the girl who stared back at me. She was slightly sunburned, which was unavoidable in this horrid heat, and her clothes hung limply against her looking quite sun-bleached. Her face was smudged with dirt, her hair wild. Her eyes, though, made me want to cry. I had been right. Every single bit of sadness could be seen within them. I had to choke back a sob as I looked back up into the man's gold eyes.

"Umm.." It was obvious he couldn't think of an answer. Though my question had been strictly yes, or no, it wasn't easy to think of something to say to it. "Not exactly." He paused reluctantly, conflict and sympathy splayed across his face. Maybe he should practice controlling his own expressions. It would most likely help him in the future.

"I don't want you to feel sorry for me, you know." I said easily, still glaring at him. I was slightly grateful though, as he was the only person who'd stopped. This man had a good heart, and I almost felt guilty for treating him like I was. His golden eyes looked hurt, though I was sure he couldn't care less about what some girl on the side of the road said. I wondered what was bothering him. I let myself take in the rest of him; his reddish blonde hair glinted in the sunlight. He was abnormally pale as well, even more so than I was. That was an accomplishment.

"I know." He murmured, almost half to himself. "But I do." He stared at me for another minute or so before saying, "What happened to you?" The woman sitting next to him gasped, and I looked over to her. She was as pale as he was, her wavy brown hair settling on her shoulders. Her eyes, the same exact color as his, were looking at the back of his head questioningly.

"I'd rather not talk about it," The memories were still locked carefully away, and even with the subject being brought up, stayed there. I realized that I was getting stronger, the wall building gradually higher up in my head. He sighed almost longingly, and turned to the woman to whisper something I couldn't quite hear. She only nodded, and got out of the car. "Great." I muttered to myself, so low that I thought only I could hear. The man's chuckle told me otherwise, though. I ignored him. "What are you doing? I told you, I don't want any help." That was a complete lie. Help was probably third on my list of what I wanted the most in the entire world. First, of course, was wishing I could go back a month in time, and second was… my eyes burned as I made sure the wall was holding steady. I was definitely getting stronger.

The man's expression turned thoughtful as he opened his door too. He paused to grab the woman's elbow, almost as if to steady her, before walking towards me. They looked about the same age, maybe seventeen or eighteen, but from the way they acted you'd think they were a married couple. How strange. The man began to smile again, though I had said nothing funny. This was starting to get annoying. "You said you didn't want our sympathy. You said nothing about our help." He didn't stop walking until he was so close to me I should have felt heat radiating off of his skin. I didn't, though, oddly enough. "I'm Edward, by the way, and this is Bella." The way he held onto her looked almost protective, like a lion would be to its cubs. It reminded her of... She shook the thought away, and stood as tall as she could, attempting to appear strong. "So, do you need a ride or something?"

Just as I was about to refuse, two other people got out of the car. One was a tiny girl, thin as a toothpick. She almost looked like a fairy from a children's story, minus the wings. Her short, dark hair was chin-length, and spiky at the edge. Compared to other people, she was very interesting. Out of the ordinary. The other followed shortly behind her. She had a child-like quality about her, though she looked older than me. Her brown eyes stared widely at me, and I realized that she looked remarkably like Edward and Bella, though they looked the same age. How strange. Maybe they were siblings. "Hi, I'm Alice!" The pixie-like one said, and pointed behind her to the other, "And this is Nessie!" The smile that stretched across her face was so wide it was frightening. How were her cheeks not bursting? The second merely acknowledged me with a nod, her eyes narrow. Had I offended her in some way? "And of course you need a ride. I know it." She got a sharp elbow in the ribs at this from the one called Nessie, but she didn't even seem to notice. She was in some sort of trance. Suddenly, as if waking up, she jolted back the present and said, "Do you happen to like the ocean?"

I didn't hesitate to answer, "Yeah." The ocean was probably my favorite thing in the entire world, aside from... Well, it was in my top five. The bubbly Alice smiled at this, and pointed to the horizon, still grinning. I wondered what she meant, but before she could continue, Edward opened his mouth to speak.

"There's a beach not far from here, would you like us to take you there? It's much safer than being on the side of the road." I noticed him turn his head the side as if he were shaking his head, and wondered why. He seemed to think no one had seen, though, so I disregarded it. Another smile stretched across his face, only to disappear shortly afterwards. I grimaced. This guy had serious mood swings, it seemed.

"Well, I don't exactly have anywhere else to go." I thought aloud, still frowning, "So why not?" Nessie glared at me when I agreed, and I shuddered. Maybe I should have said no. It was too late now, though, so I followed as the rest of them got into the car, squeezing between Alice and Nessie. "Umm, sorry to cause you guys so much trouble.. I could walk, if you wanted."

Alice shook her head quickly, grabbing my hand. She felt like stone, cold and hard, but I didn't mention it. She could have been sensitive about it, and I wouldn't want to hurt her feelings. "No! It's no trouble at all. We're glad to have you." It was strange for her to be so excited. She didn't even know me. Edward started to laugh. "What?" She glared at him. His head bent downwards in another attempt at a subtle nod, but I caught it. What was he replying to? No one had said anything.

He grimaced sourly, and I sighed. This definitely wasn't doing me any good. If I kept trying to decipher these strange people, I was going to give myself a brain hemorrhage. People I didn't know weren't worth it. I sighed, letting my head rest against the seat and closing my eyes. Walking all day in the sun was exhausting. I let my breathing even out, and I thought I was asleep when I heard them start talking in low voices.

"What do you mean a 'wall'?" Alice asked, her voice sounding rushed.

"I'm not sure, actually. When I tried to sift through her mind to see what she was running from, I came up with nothing." Edward paused before continuing, "No, I can hear her thoughts. They're actually quite loud," He chuckled, "But it's like she's locked up things that she doesn't want anyone to see, including herself."

"So she's not like me?" Bella sounded disappointed.

"No, sorry love. She's just abnormally good at hiding things." He replied.

"I wish I could see the past right now. She's making me curious." Alice huffed.

"Me too. She's the most unusual mind I've come across since Bella." I could hear the smile in his voice, and a light thwack of a rock hitting another rock.

"So you can't see her future either?" A voice that I hadn't heard asked. It was Nessie.

"It's blurry." Alice said curtly, as if she was suddenly trying to focus. She sighed, and said, "It must have something to do with the werewolves. And I can see you in there too." I felt Nessie stiffen beside me. "You seem happy, Nessie, try not to read into it too much, alright? I'm sure it has nothing to do with your Jacob."

"Fine." She said quietly.

"You both are so lucky! I want to know something about her. She's so… different." Bella muttered, and I could feel eyes upon me.

"She's very observant, just like you. She notices when I reply to people's thoughts with my little nods. And she hasn't thought a single thing about how beautiful we are. It's absolutely strange." They were beautiful? I hadn't given a thought to their appearances. "I can tell she's in pain, both physical and emotional, but I can't seem to decipher what she's been through. It could possibly drive me mad." His voice was softer towards the end, and I could feel another pair of eyes on me.

"She doesn't think we're beautiful?" Alice sounded upset. Edward laughed.

"No, it's not that. She doesn't seem to notice how people look. The only thing she's thought about was our eyes, and how they're a strange color. Aside from Nessie, that is." He said matter-of-factly. Was I dreaming? If I was, it was a very odd dream.

"I want to know how she's involved with me." Nessie demanded suddenly.

"I don't know! I'm sorry. I see you smiling, and I can kind of see your son in there somewhere.. but you know I can't see werewolves, no matter how hard I try. And you're kind of deeply tied with them, if you know what I mean." Alice was frustrated, and I was confused. Suddenly I heard Edward gasp.

"Shh." He said quietly, "She can hear us right now. I should have been paying more attention," His voice was so soft that I could hardly hear it. The whole car suddenly went silent, and I decided I must have been dreaming. After all, there was talk of werewolves, and reading minds, and my future. It couldn't have been real.

I stopped thinking about it, and before I knew it, my eyes were opening. It was strangely dark, and I could instantly tell that I was alone. Suddenly, there was a tapping sound beside me. I sat up with a jolt, hitting my head on the ceiling of a car. Where was I? Memories flooded back to me. I'd been offered a ride to the beach. After a long moment, I turned and opened the door. It was raining, and my brain gave a mental cheer.

It took a while for me to realize that it was Nessie standing in front of me, and the others were no where in sight. "Umm." I said, looking up at her.

"You wanted to go to the beach, here we are. Could you get out please? I have to get home." She said tiredly, glancing around. I stepped out of the car instantly, feeling bad that I'd annoyed her.

"Alright… Bye." I muttered as I stumbled towards the sand. When I looked up, the car was gone. Oh, well. I thought, almost sadly. Those people may have been incredibly strange, but they were the only ones who had offered me help. Momentarily, I forgot what I needed help with. It crashed down on me suddenly, though, my head soaring. I had left them, all of them. I could almost hear my heart breaking.

Finally I was able to continue, and I put one foot in front of the other, as I had before. It was getting easier. The rain seemed to awaken a new sadness within me, and I started to cry. Maybe it had washed away the dryness or something. Whatever the reason, I was grateful. I needed a good cry, and what better place than in the rain?

My arms spread out wide as I reached the edge of the water, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I smiled. The sea was the only thing that could make everything feel better, no matter what. Though I was still crying, I couldn't stop grinning. Like it was raining on a sunny day. A laugh escaped my lips as I twirled, nearly losing my balance. I suddenly felt like I belonged.

My face fell as I realized that I was, in fact, not alone. I must look like an idiot. I turned my head towards the person who was intruding on my unrecognizable happiness, and saw him standing there, staring at me. Had I really been acting that stupid? My arms fell to my side lifelessly as I stared right back at him. From here, he looked about seven feet tall and more muscular than any man I'd seen in my entire life. He seemed to be about twenty five, maybe a little younger, but like Nessie, he had a childish air about him, like he had a young heart.

Sighing, my good mood slightly ruined, I turned to walk away. I heard a booming voice call out, "Wait!" though, and stopped in my tracks. What did this guy want from me? He'd already seen me look like a two year old, could he honestly want to talk? That couldn't be it. He probably wanted to make fun of me. I grimaced, pivoting myself to face him once more, my eyes narrow.

He was running towards me at an abnormally fast pace, not surprising considering his muscle-mass. I turned again, almost panicking, but felt his arm on my shoulder to stop me. I flinched away. The feeling was all too familiar, and I didn't want my wall to fall down. Turning slowly, I looked him square in the face. "I can punch pretty hard. I wouldn't come any closer if I were you." He only laughed in reply, shaking with the force of it. I frowned. Of course I'd made myself look like even more of an ass.

"Don't worry, I don't bite." He said, walking a little closer, almost cautiously. I repressed a chuckle. "I'm Raidyn. Raidyn Black." Looking at me expectantly, I tried to decide whether to give my real name or not. "…And you are?" He added, wondering if I could take a hint. Could I be any more stupid than I was right now?

"I'm Tai." I said reluctantly, "Just Tai." I frowned at the thought of my last name. What was I supposed to go by, if the real one made my heart break apart into a million pieces? Suddenly, I realized that I was still crying. Embarrassed, I wiped the tears away.

"Are you okay?" God, too many people had asked me that today. I just wanted to be left alone.

"Yeah, just dandy." I mumbled sarcastically, looking away from his intense stare. He didn't laugh.

"You look cold, come on. You can come back to my house." He breathed, not touching me. He had obviously learned from his mistake.

"Listen, I really don't need any help." That was more or less the truth. I did desperately want it, though. He frowned at this, and the hurt that shone within his eyes was so intense it made me shiver. In fact, it reminded me of my own reflection in the car, with the sorrow glittering in my eyes. I felt immediately guilty. "Okay, fine. Just until the rain stops." I added, hoping it would make him happy.

And strangely enough, it did. His eyes lit up, and his smile grew wide. "Great!" He exclaimed, obviously extremely excited. I hadn't seen someone so ecstatic to be with me since I left my family. Another piece of my heart shattered, and I gasped for air, my knees buckling. As I stopped in my tracks, Raidyn turned back, concern and fear glowing within him. He reached out towards me, and I tried took a step back away from him. That would only make it worse.

"No, no. I'm fine. Let's go." I breathed deeply, trying to regain my control. This was much harder than it looked. Tears continued to stream down my face as I followed behind the large man, blindly trusting him. Somewhere deep within me, I knew it was a stupid thing to do, as he could have been thinking horrible things, but I was exhausted, starving, and dehydrated. My brain wasn't exactly having a great day. And for some reason, I felt like I could trust this guy. Maybe not with my past, but I didn't find trailing after him a bad idea. After all, what's the worst he could do, hurt me? I was already shattered beyond repair. Kill me? My life didn't seem very precious to me at present. Lock me up? I'd welcome the solitude. I had nothing to lose anymore. He looked back at me and gave me a comforting smile, slowing to walk beside me. Warmth radiated off of him, as if he had a deadly fever, but he didn't seem sick at all.

This was one of the weirdest days of my life.

This story is sort of a branch off a different story I was doing, but it didn't really have anything to do with Twilight so I stopped, and wrote much further into the future. :

So if you want to see a bit of Tai's past, go check out 'my world is raining'. And if you like it, tell me so I can continue.

Any questions? Comments? Review please! I'd love it if I got at least one review before I posted, but I'm writing this for my own fun, so it's not necessary.

Thanks for reading!

--megg,