DISCLAIMER:

Stephenie Meyer owns everything, sadly even Ian O'Shea and Jasper Hale.

:(

Chapter 1 - Clumsy

Wanda-

It was still dark when my eyes flittered open. It was cold. Too cold. I could see the glow of the morning sun slowly rising through the man-made holes of my cave. It was still early and I had wash up duty today, the thought made me disgruntled. I rolled over and pulled myself into a ball, expecting one of Ian's arms to be there by my side, as he tends to sprawl when he sleeps. Nothing. I shot up and abruptly turned on my side. Still nothing. The mattress was empty, except for me and a slightly crumpled thin sheet of fabric I called our blanket. "Uh," I groaned, rubbing my back. The sudden movement just then must of jerked a muscle.

Pet's body aggravated me. I've taken Melanie's strong muscles for granted too long and now I'm restricted to doing nothing. Pet rarely done any exercise, let alone stretching- my muscles were weak and stringy. Still rubbing my back, I gingerly slid off the mattress and quickly hobbled to the door. I carefully stuck my foot out in the opening and slid myself out, gently closing the door behind me- I didn't want to disturb anyone.

The caves were quiet. I could hear gentle snoring and soft breathing all around me. Sound does travel in the caves, I thought. I slowly headed down the right tunnel, headed for the main cave, where the food is usually served. Shadows were flickering in and out of the morning glow in the cave ahead. I slid against the wall and crept closer.

"….. don't think that we…… she's new here…. by herself!". I froze. Kyle's voice always spiked fear into my body. Pet had never been scared in all her life, and my body took it harshly. My heart rate quickened and my palms began to perspire. "…. need it. I don't….. break, she's having…. time!" I froze and pushed myself against the cave walls even further, heading into the darkness. Ian. The voices were spoken barely above a whisper, but I can very clearly detect the anger in his tone. Too clearly, I just want to erase it from his voice. It was close and I could almost touch the rage. It sparked something deep inside me, I wanted to interfere, to stop whatever's making Ian angry, to erase it completely- until

"Look mate, I know she's just beginning to fit in, but she's not useless! She's one of them! They trust her!". Jared. Who are they talking about……. is it me?

There was some quick shuffling of the gravel on the ground, and a few grunts. I jumped into the light glow of the cave room. Silence.

"Wanda? Honey, what are you doing out of bed?" Ian asked- surprised.

I didn't answer. Kyle was on top of Jared, Ian had hid hands over Kyle's shoulders, and Jared's arm was bent backwards, obviously paused in the act of going in for the punch- and they were all looking at me. They weren't the only ones. I gasped. Melanie was there too, lying down against a bench across the cave with Doc leaning over her. Sunny was there too, covering her face, and Jeb was standing by them with his gun cocked and ready- ready to stop the fight. They too were looking at me, but that wasn't what caught my eye. On the floor next to Mel, were two long and thick tree branches, with a long piece of cloth tied between it, covering the whole space. A stretcher, I thought.

On that stretcher was some lumps covered by another sheet of fabric, all I could see- protruding from underneath the fabric was a pale wrist, and a face. Lily's face. I could feel my body turn cold. But before I could move, or to let out a scream, a wrist wrapped around my waist, constricting my body together, and another had shoved a cloth over my face- a familiar smell of raspberries, and everything faded in a bright glowing blue.

___________________________________________________________________________

Lily- (24 hours earlier)

"They'll be back soon!"

I laughed. Wes wrapped is arm around me and lifted me off the ground.

"Woah!" I exclaimed, kicking the air.

He put me back to the ground and planted a soft kiss on my cheek. "Aww… that's adorable" I heard someone say.

It was a bright day and everyone was in the game room. Relaxing away the stress. Everyone always gets nervous when people leave the safety of the caves- but supplies were running low, so a raid was the inevitable. They've only left just last night, but emotions were strung high. Of course, Jeb took the reigns and now we're all here halfway through a soccer game.

"Hey, if you don't stop that we'll never finish the game and I'll be scarred!" joked Jamie.

"Muesli bars!" Lucinda called from the entrance of the game's room. She and Paige had left to retrieve us some snacks.

"Oooh!" laughed Jamie, and he ran off to retrieve some. Brandt laughed and he and Aaron raced each other to the food. Jeb, Maggie, Sharon and Andy were lying on the floor, breathing hard after half an hour of competitive soccer.

Me and Wes were alone in the centre of the games room. He wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled his face in my neck. I felt my face turn red, but I held him close.

He looked down and pulled my chin up, and before I knew it, he was lightly kissing me. The noise and light chatter of the crowd blurred away into the distance until all I can hear is his and my breath. He pulled away and looked me intently in the eyes.

"I, Wes love you Lily and always have," he whispered into my ear. Those words pierced straight through, and into my heart.

"I know, and I, Lily love you too Wes," I told him. And he pulled me into a tight embrace and my world all melted away as he kissed me again.

"Hey Wes!-" Brandt called over "we saved you and Lily some, so stop that and eat something before my teams flogs yours!"

I laughed and pulled him over to the crowd.

I woke up wrapped into a ball and covered in cold sweat. The air was cold and musty. I turned on my side and stared at the empty mattress across the cave. I didn't realize I was crying until the droplets of my tears ran down my face and dripped onto my arm. I pulled myself up and let the tears flow.

"What's that sound?" Sharon asked. I dropped the dough that I was kneading onto the bench and strained my ears. There was a slow rumbling in the distance. It got louder and loader by the second. Footsteps and loud chatter was entering the kitchen. "What's going on?" I asked Brandt, who came running into the cave room at a startling speed.

"Stop!" he shouted at us. I froze. Maggie and Sharon froze too.

"Turn off the ovens, turn everything off!" He shouted, worry and fear polluting his voice.

We hastily turned off everything. Just at that moment Lucinda arrived into the kitchen, flustered, hand in hand with Freedom and Isaiah. She looked wide eyed at Brandt and he nodded. "Noooo…" she moaned, sinking onto the steps at the entrance of the cave. Freedom and his brother snuggled close to their mum, scared that something was wrong with her. "I'll go get Jeb.." Brandt said hurriedly before sprinting down the south corridor.

"Lucinda? What's going on?" Sharon asked in a low voice. I hurriedly scraped off any remaining dough on my hands and rushed over to them. Maggie and Sharon were both on my tail, with the same worried expression marring their face. If this wasn't such an important moment I would've laughed my head off because both the mother and the daughter looked like twins.

"It's a car. The same black one that Jared and Aaron saw on the motorway just a couple of weeks ago…." her voice broke off as the tears began to stream down her face. She held her boys even tighter to her side. "Mama, what's wrong?" Isaiah asked wiping her tears away as Freedom stared at her with huge eyes. "I don't know baby… I just know..". Maggie pulled Sharon under her arm and she too sunk to the floor with worry in her silent eyes.

Wes, Wes, Wes… Where is he? I thought. I stood up and nearly sprinted down the south corridor after Brandt.

"What are you doing? Lily come back!!" I heard Sharon call. I ran even faster down the dark corridor- but halfway down the boys ran up to meet me. Every single one; Wes, Jeb, Aaron, Brandt, Andy and Heath, all rushed pass me, Jeb with our gun. "Hey wait!" I called. Wes slowed down and pushed me into the side of the corridor wall, into the darkness.

"Lily, you stay here. You stay right here okay? Will you promise me that?" He looked into my eyes intently and stared, waiting for my answer. I didn't answer. I realize I was shaking in his arms and that I was already crying. "No.. Wes.. No… wherever you go, I go… Death can't break us apart… No…" I choked into his shoulder. He pushed me back into the wall and said in a commanding voice. "I love you Lily, and I always will, but I'm not letting you go out there. Stay here. I won't live knowing that I've put you in danger" he choked. " I love you too Wes.." I said. "But I don't want you to go…." I said selfishly. "I've got to. You stay here." And he ran off.

"Wait!" I called, but Wes had already crossed into the main cave. I ran after him. When I reached the kitchen I saw Sharon and Maggie, with Lucinda's boys staring at the eastern tunnel, so I ran through there. When I got to the next opening cave, I saw flickering shadows- so I hurried up.

"You're not welcome here, but if you promise to come in peace, we will treat you with the same respect," I heard Jeb's voice.

"Aha, and what exactly are you aliens going to do to me? I'm not scared you know, but hey, it looks like I've just hit the jackpot- a whole hive of you here!" That was different. An arrogant female voice taunted Jeb. Then she laughed.

"Why are we being nice to it? It obviously invaded our planet, and like you said, she's not welcome here!" Brandt's voice- scared and irritated.

"She's a guest here too you know, and my house my rules," Jeb replied.

"Pfft, I don't need you generosity-" her voice darkened when she said it, "I look after myself. So I think you know who I'm looking for?.... You might know her. She goes under the name Wanderer, but maybe it's Melanie Stryder here."

I peeked around the corner. I saw all the boys standing around the entrance of the cave, but then I saw her. She was petite, dressed from black to toe, and she had a very smug look on her face. Lucinda was here too, she was standing next to Jeb and her eyes kept on flickering back and forth from his gun and- my heart stopped beating, the Seeker's gun. I gasped. The noise was the only sound you can hear in the caves and her eyes flickered to meet me. I knew what was going to happen before it did. So did Wes.

"Get out of the way!" he screamed, and shoved himself in front of me. The sound was deafening. "Noooooo!!!! Wes!!" I screamed. His body fell to the ground with a deafening crack. There was lots of noise and commotion, but I paid it no mind. I knew instantly when I looked at his lost face, that I'd lost him. I could hear the Seeker screaming in the background but she seemed far away. Wes looked peaceful, but then everything blurred, my tears tainting my vision………………

Doc had said so himself. He was gone. No alien medicine would work. Not even when I single handedly poured a whole bottle of Heal onto his chest. He was gone. My love, my life…… Wes, Wes, Wes, come back………

When my tears finally dried out, I just sat there and stared at the ceiling. I'm sure I've just missed breakfast but it doesn't bother me. I wasn't hungry. I couldn't feel anything. I never felt anything. Not since the…… all I could feel was pain, that and loneliness.

There was a knock on the door, it interrupted my mourning. Trudy poked her head into my cave. "Lily honey, I saved you some….." She saw my face. She walked over and gently sat down on the mattress next to me. She wrapped her arms around me and let me cry myself out. When I was done she stroked my hair and started consoling me but I wasn't listening. "….. he wouldn't want you to starve yourself. No, Wes was a great guy and you can't let him down." It was the first time I've heard anyone say his name around me. It made my heart ache and my body cold. My self-pitying side told me to stay in bed and weep a little bit more, but my better judgment told me that Trudy was right. Wes wouldn't want me to starve. I'd live just for him.

So I hushed Trudy out of my room to get changed. I sighed. I wasn't hungry and I knew if I walked out, I might run into Lacey. She's the last person I want to see. Even though I knew she wasn't the one who…… shot Wes, it was her body. And I will never forgive that body. That body took away my whole life, and worse, it destroyed it completely.

When I entered the dining hall, cave place, I realized that it must be sometime pass noon, as everyone was here- enjoying lunch.

"Lily! Hey, we saved you a seat!" Paige called over from across the cave.

I turned, Paige, Brandt, Andy and Aaron were sitting by a small table in the far corner of the cave, and they were all smiling at me. I sighed, at least I'll always have my friends. When I finally weaved my way through the crowd, nearly tripping over a stool Jamie Stryder had accidently left in the middle of the path, I realized I was starving.

"Take you time eating, I got soap duty up next and I'd give anything to skip it" I heard Aaron joke.

"Well I got dishes, blergh" I told them, digging into my eggs with much gusto.

"Wher've you been all morning?" Ian asked me, swiveling on his stool from the other bench to face me. I realized that Jared, Melanie, Wanda and Jamie were all looking at me too.

"Oh, I slept in." I lied, keeping my eye contact with Ian. I was good at deception and I knew it.

I turned and finished my eggs in silence. " Anywho, I don't want to be late for ploughing the eastern field, Jeb will probably shoot me" Brandt told us laughing. And with that he left. Andy turned around and pecked Paige on the cheek with an "I love you" before he left with Aaron for the eastern tunnel as well. That gesture made my chest ache, as I remembered Wes always did that to me too. I must have been staring really hard at my empty plate because I could feel Paige's eyes on me. I felt her hand brush on my back and her soft, almost apologetic voice say, "Sooo, lets clean up hey?" and I could feel her tug my hand.

When we finally reached the sinks with our dishes is when I realized everyone else was there too, making dinner. Lacey. She was looking at me with her repugnant face, and she had her arms full of dirty dishes too.

"You know what?" I said to Paige loudly "I think I'll head down to the rivers to clean these," and with a swish of my long, thick dark brown hair, I stalked out of the kitchen, arms full of dishes. "What did I do?" I heard Lacey's loud voice ask. "Never mind," was Paige's reply "She just needs time". I lugged the dishes all the way down the corridors. I ran into Sunny and Kyle. "Hey Lily, need some help?" She asked. Sunny was nice, I liked her. I was gonna accept when I noticed how intwined together her and Kyle were. That also made my chest ache. "No, I can handle these," I said, pulling a smile onto my face, and walked past them.

The line for the bathroom, was really long, so I took my chance in the river room. Even though I know that half of it was cracked away, I could still see my way around it because at least some light shone through the holes in the wall. I sat on the edge of the cracks by then entrance and started doing the dishes. Slowly.

The chatter outside was loud and all I wanted was some peace and quite all to myself. So I waited. Finally, everyone was done, and I paced myself. I turn to grab the next load of dishes when I realized they weren't there. That's weird, I though, they were there a moment ago. So I crawled my way over, to where the light doesn't reach, and started to run my hands along the floor of the cave, hoping to find those ever elusive dishes. Still nothing. My hands touched the edge of the cave, and I realized I went to far, so I began to crawl backwards. But there was no ground. "Wha-" I managed to shriek and my body half plummeted into the hot side of the river. Luckily my arms were still holding on. "Help!" I screamed. I manged to slide over a little bit but that movement smashed my side onto a pointy edge of the cave. I could feel the piercing pain and heat coming from my side. That's when I realized that the dishes must of broken away a weak part of the river room by itself, and I crawled right onto it."Argh! Help!" I screamed. My arms were screaming in protest. My whole body ached. I felt dizzy. My arms were slipping, grabbing onto loose stones and pebbles. "No, no, no, no, NO! Omigod! Help me! Someone!" I was screaming into the darkness. No one was coming. I was alone. My head ached and my body numbed over. I blacked out and floated into a bright glowing brown light.

I was flying, floating deeper into the bright brown light. I felt light, carefree. But also emptiness- I felt empty, and lost.

" Lily honey? Can you hear me?". Every inch of my body jerked to life. I wanted to see the face that went with that voice so badly. I turned. "Wes….?" I called out into the emptiness.

A warm touch heated my neck, "I'm here honey, you just need to turn around,".

I did as I was told. I'd do anything for that voice. I blinked, my heart beated harder than it had ever beated for weeks. I was staring at the most brilliant shade of brown ever known to mankind. I reached out, to feel his warmth. Nothing. But I could see him bright as day. Dark tousled hair, and sun tanned skinned. He was looking at me with some sort remorse mixed with bliss. He reached out and ran his hand over my cheek and down to my neck, my skin warmed with every touch. I tried to hold him but I seemed to reach right through him. "Wes? What's going on..?" I asked. He didn't reply, he just kept running his hand back and forth between my cheek to my neck. Hours seemed to pass. I didn't mind. I just wanted to drink up every part of him I could. He noticed me looking and smiled. "Lily honey?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"I need you to do something for me, do you think you can do it? For me?" he asked, staring me down with those brilliant chocolate eyes of his.

"Sure Wes, anything for you," I said slowly, analyzing his face.

"You, have to promise me that you'll do it though." He said slowly, running his hands through my hair now.

"Of course," I said, not looking away from his eyes.

He stepped closer. "I need you to wake up honey. I need you to wake up."

"Huh, what?" I asked, still mesmerized in his eyes.

"Wake up Lily, I need you too wake up,"

"Okay…" I said. He stepped closer and blew a strand of hair from my face. Funny- it smelt like grapefruit.

"No..NO!" I screamed, realizing what's happening. The brilliant brown around me blurred, and faded in and out of sight. Wes stepped even closer to me. "Promise me one more thing?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me. I nodded, tears overflowing from my eyes and down my neck. He wiped them off, leaving trails of fire over my face. "Promise me you'll never forget me?" he asked, his voice breaking. I stared at him, eyes wide. "What? I'll never see you again?" I asked quietly, tears beginning to flow again. "No, Wes, no I'm not going to wake up, I wanna stay with you!" I screamed, my voice breaking. He began to fade away too. The smell of grapefruit. Again. Oh, how I hate that smell. "Promise me?" he asked, fading away into the distance. "I promise," I whispered to him. He smiled at me, fading further into the distance. "I love you Lily," he whispered. "I love you too Wes." I told him. He smiled.

"She's waking up!" Jared's voice breaking the silence. I blinked. The faint glow of the sunrise, filtering through then holes of the main cave was burning my eyes. So I closed it. "Lily? You awake? How much No Pain did you give her?" I heard Ian's voice.

"Loads, she was withering in pain when Jared brought her in this evening, we had to give her some Sleep too, so she'd be quite. We didn't want to scare the others. So we had Brandt and Aaron give them our cover stories while we looked after her in the hospital." Candy, was she here too? Where was she? My side was numb, and tightly wound together, was that the No Pain?

"We used all our No Pain and Heal on her, but nothing's working! She's losing more blood by the minute! We need something more, or we're going to lose her!"

"We need to restock too. Wanda and us can go out on another raid," I heard Jared say.

" Wanda is too well known around these nearby hospitals….. We need someone else.." Jeb's voice. He's here too?

"Hell no! No way, I know what you're thinking and no. We're not going to put Sunny in danger that way! If you want to, you gotta go through me first!" Kyle's voice. Outraged.

I heard crying too, who was crying?

"Don't cry, I'm not letting them…" Kyle's soothing voice faded away.

"Kyle? I think Jeb's right, I mean Wanda's face is too familiar around here. We need Sunny." Melanie's voice said.

"I don't think that we should, I mean, she's new here, and she's scared, and she's all by herself!" Kyle's voice answered, cracking slightly.

"But Kyle, man we need it. I don't want to do this either, but Sunny's had a long enough break, she's having too much, and not really returning anything! Wanda is known around here, and I don't want to lose her, and I'm not being selfish, but Jeb's right this time!"

"You back off, bro!" Kyle's voice was low and menacing.

"Look mate, I know she's just beginning to fit in, but she's not useless! She's one of them! They trust her!" Jared's voice argued.

I heard shuffling on the ground and a few heavy grunts. But then silence. Only Ian's voice can be heard. "Wanda? Honey, what are you doing out of bed?"

There was a quite gasp, than really quick footsteps and another gasp, but this one out of surprise.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Ian's enraged voice broke the silence "Get off her!"

My head hurt. I was dizzy. I tried to reopen my eyes to see what's happening, but my eyelids were numb. I was fading away… And no one was there to tell me goodbye….

Anywho, that's the end of Chapter 1. I hoped you guys liked it!

Please review yeah, the good, the bad (preferably good :P), everything!

Hehe, I'm going to start on Chapter 2 soon... Hopefully will be uploaded by the next week =]

xx Kate