Chapter One

I woke up to a loud crash coming from downstairs. I blinked a few times to get the blur out of my tired eyes. I looked over at my clock and groaned when I saw the time. Nine thirty. I felt like I hadn't slept in years. I wondered if I looked like I hadn't slept in years. I groaned again at the thought.

I got out of the bed and made my way over to my bathroom. I flipped the light switch on, and leaned against the counter. I looked into the mirror, and glared at the face looking back at me. Maybe not years, but it did look like I haven't slept in awhile. There were black circles under my eyes, and my mouth curved downward into a sleepy frown. My hair was a complete mess, and my forehead wrinkled slightly.

I sighed and relaxed a little. The wrinkles decreased into faint lines. I knew why I was so tense, but I couldn't think of it. I wouldn't think of it. I had to ignore what my heart was telling me. Who ever came up with the idea of following your heart anyway?

I decided to go check what the big crash was all about. I walked slowly down the stairs and peeked around the wall into the kitchen. I don't know who I had been expecting, seeing as only three people lived in the house, and only one was around as of lately, but I suddenly felt relieved when I saw my sister cleaning up yellow gunk off of the floor.

I leaned against the doorway, and watched her. I wondered how she managed to look so perfect in sweats, with her straight golden brown hair pulled back into a pony tail and only mascara on her long lashes. I had always wondered where we had gotten our looks from. Our parents must have been the only perfect looking people in the whole world, because I had never seen anyone look more beautiful than my sisters and I.

My sister looked up from the yellow gunk and smiled at me. "Good morning, Sky. How did you sleep?"

"Not so well. I'm guessing you slept perfectly?"

"Well, you know you'd sleep just as perfectly as I if you'd just give in. You can't resist this forever, Sky. This is what we're meant for. We've been over this. It's been a year. When are you going to realize that you can't escape this?"

I groaned and pretended to plug my ears, "Can we not fight about this for just one morning?"

"You're so difficult. Sooner or later, you're going to give in. I'll be ready for it. That'll be the day I win the bet against Scar." She smiled at the thought of winning the bet against our other sister. I groaned and walked to the table. I took a sit and stared at her.

"Where is Scarlett this morning?"

"She's upstairs still. She got in around four. I just don't understand what she sees in that..that..tha-"

"Don't start, Sage. If he's what she wants, let her go on her own path. We can't stop her from doing anything."

"Just like we can't stop you from resist-?"

"SAGE!"

"Sorry."

I rolled my eyes. She would never stop arguing about this. Scarlett had quit with all of this a few months ago, but Sage would never let it go. They accepted our destiny with open arms, but not I. Not after…No. I would not think of it. I had to get my mind away from these thoughts.

I got up from my seat and ran back up stairs. I stood in the middle of my bedroom, thinking of things to do. Normally I'd be walking from my 1st period to my locker right about now. It was summer. I had been dreading this since March when I realized I'd have absolutely no way of being too busy to think.

I tapped my foot three good times before I turned around and looked at my stereo. I stared at it for a long moment. I pressed play, and waited for the music to start. The soft rhythm to Paramore's song Stuck on You played at volume 3. I turned the volume dial until it was at a good 35, and went to the bathroom.

There I was looking at the mirror again. I twisted my lips to the side and leaned my head to the left slightly. I looked more like Sage than I did Scarlett, but then against, even though Scarlett looked just as perfect as us, she looked a lot different.

My hair was golden brown, just like Sage's. It hung just below my shoulder blades in thick curls. I looked closely at my face. Besides the black circles, I looked just as amazing as I always did. I hated being beautiful. Sage didn't care about looks, and Scarlett would simply die if she wasn't perfectly gorgeous.

I shook my head at the thought and looked closer than I did before into the mirror. I tried counting the diamond specs that glistened within the hazel eyes looking at me. My eyes were different than my sisters these days, they were faded. They weren't like they used to be. They weren't the eyes that he...

"Ugh. No, Skyla. No."

"You know talking to yourself can sometimes be a sign of insanity?" I looked towards the doorway, and Scarlett showed her perfectly straight, white teeth. I tried to mirror her expression but I couldn't make myself smile. I already knew my thoughts were trying to consume me. I turned the sink on and started splashing handfuls of water on my face, over and over again, as if it was erase my mind.

"What's wrong, Sky?"

I shook my head, and wiped my face with my shirt. I looked up and smiled half a smile towards her. "Just making sure you win that bet."

I slipped past her and started going through my closet. I felt her eyes on my back, but I tried not to notice. I shuffled through my clothes for a few minutes, and then I pulled out a black and teal plaid button up shirt. I turned around and looked at Scarlett.

"What did you want, Scar?"

"Nothing. Just haven't been around much lately. Sage said you were acting funny. Is everything okay with you?"

"I'm fine. I promise. You guys shouldn't worry so much about me. You'll get wrinkles."

She pretended to almost faint at my comment, and then laughed softly, but it wasn't her normal laugh. I stared at her. She was more worried than I thought. I sighed.

"Scar-"

"No, Sky. Don't tell me not to worry. It's been a year, don't you think it's okay now? I know I made a stupid bet but it's just starting to get old. Seriously. We're not complete without you, and you know it. We're not at our strongest right now, and you're just sitting around trying with all of your strength not to give into your destiny! You know, you've got more will power than Sage and I put together, but damn, it's just stupid now. I understand you want to forget, but sometimes you've just have to live with it. You say Sage, and I don't understand how hurt you were, but we do. Maybe you forget our little powers. I'd be surprised if you even remembered what you're second half really is. One day you're just going to explode, Sky. Explode. Do you think Sage and I want to watch you do that? We can't take it anymore."

I blinked a few times. I was letting her words sink in before I said anything to her. I went through each of her words carefully. I smiled at her. That's all I could do. I had no words to say back to her. For once in the last year, I had nothing to say to this argument. I buttoned my shirt up over my teal tank top, grabbed my faded cut jeans off my bed, and went back to the bathroom. I shut the door behind me, and locked it before Scarlett had any time to say anything else to me.

I changed into my jeans, and brushed my teeth. I had to hurry up and get out of here before my sisters could start their ultimate argument. I knew this was coming, but I didn't think it would be today. I knew there was only one way to get out of the house without having to face my sisters, but it was out of the question. I sighed.

I walked out of the bathroom and grabbed my cell phone off of my desk. I slid it into my pocket and went downstairs. I passed by the kitchen door in a flash, and stopped to listen for a sign of my sisters. They were sitting at the table, talking about me. I bite my lower lip, and inched toward the key holder near the front door.

I went as silently as was possible. My back stayed against the wall, and my eyes stayed on the doorway. I had to get out of here without them knowing. When I finally made it to the key holder, I looked up and searched for my set of keys. I couldn't believe what I was actually seeing. I counted in my head. One, two.. One, two..

"Looking for these?" My gaze shot towards Sage in less than a second. She was dangling my keys in her hand. I groaned and kicked at the wall lightly.

"Can I please have my keys?"

"Depends. Where are you going?"

"I don't know yet. I'll call you when I get there."

"Let me think about that one. No? Sky. You know you wouldn't make it far before you started your way back here. You're just trying to get away from this conversation. You knew from the beginning it was going to come down to this. Now take a seat at the table, and accept the fact that you're going to have to hear this."

I knew she was right, and I knew I wouldn't get far if I tried to run for it. I chewed on my lip as I thought of ways to get out of this. I was out of ideas. I couldn't get away from them. They would know where I was going as soon as I thought of it. They always knew. They would always know.

"I have to meet up with Rachel's mom. It's about her surprise party at the end of the summer. She needs my help with the guest list. You know best friend and all."

"Funny, because Rachel's mom is out of the town until the end of June. Unless Rachel lied about her mom having a business trip."

"Did I say Rachel's mom?" I laughed nervously. "I meant-"

"Give it up, Sky." Scarlett popped her head around the doorway. "Sit. Now."

I narrowed my eyes. I wasn't going to do this. Not today. I knew I was being silly about this, but I had to do what I had to do, right? So I ran for it. I opened the door, and took off down the road faster than a normal person could run. I knew I could run faster but it was a choice I made not to give in. I didn't stop until I was at the end of our street.

I sat down on the sidewalk to catch my breath. I knew I shouldn't use one of my powers, but I had to see what my sisters were doing. I closed my eyes and thought of Sage, then when I opened my eyes I saw a different scene then what was really around me. It was my kitchen. Sage was looking at Scarlett who was dialing a number on her phone. I blinked a few times until I saw the street again.

I got up and started walking down the next street. It felt weird to be alone. I hadn't been alone for a year. I never went more than 10 minutes without my sisters by my side. I knew I would have to go back soon before I had enough time to myself to start remembering the memories I tried so hard to erase. I kicked at the ground and turned back around and headed for the house.

I started thinking of things I could say to make them realize I didn't need this today. Maybe they didn't realize the date, or maybe they did. Maybe that's why they were trying so hard to talk about this now. They never tried this hard. I would just have to sit back and listen to their argument. I would take it like I should. It didn't mean it would change anything.

I hadn't transformed in a year. I didn't want to go back to my double life. It was hard enough back then, it would be even harder now. No one really understands what pain I went through over those months. When he..he left. I felt abandoned. I never got a goodbye, never got a reason. Nothing. It was like he never existed, and I had no proof if he did or not. Of course my sisters reassured me that I wasn't crazy and making people up in my mind, but I never really believed them.

I know now that he had existed, but I didn't want to remember him. I just wanted to forget everything about him, and what he brought to my life.

I stopped my thoughts right there. That was my limit for now. Of course I knew one day I would be able to think these thoughts without freaking out and throwing things, or bursting into tears, but it was still hard to let my mind slip. If I thought about it any longer than I just had, I would have gone into my normal raging fit, so I stopped, and I knew deep down inside the real reasons I didn't transform. I knew I would hear his thoughts the moment I gave in, and I couldn't handle that. Of course, he didn't know I could hear his every thought, no matter where he was, or how far away he was.

I sighed and started to walk a little slower as my house came back into view. I knew what I'd say to my sisters, and they would just have to deal with it. I wasn't going to give up until I had to, and it wasn't time for me to transform again yet. Soon, but not now.

People of our kind couldn't go for more than two years without transforming. Most didn't go over a year, but I was different. My will power was strong enough to last, but not much longer. I'd give in, and I'd do it soon, but not today. I couldn't bare to hear his thoughts today.

I got to the front door, and stopped. I would tell my sisters exactly what I'd been thinking. I'd transform someday soon, but not now. They would accept it whether they liked it or not. I was not going to give in without a fight. I was not going to have my double life back within a snap of a finger.

I didn't want to be a vampire again.