Author's Note: Wow, these chapters are really long. And I'm really not feeling like doing any work for this story if I don't get enough reviews. I mean, 2 reviews? Is that all you can manage?

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own anything associated with the Twilight Saga. It all belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just love her characters, that's all.

CHAPTER Two- Serial Killers and Maple Syrup

Lizzie POV

"A falling star
Least I fall alone.
I can't explain what you can't explain.
You're finding things that you didn't know"

--The All American Rejects, It Ends Tonight

I skipped home, glad that it was the weekend. My back pack was heavy and it bounced around with every step I took, crashing into my back and making me lurch a little with every step. Exams were coming up and I, being the nerd that I am, took home almost every single book in my locker so that I could study.

My eyes were trained on my sneakers as they shuffled along, and I felt the first few drops of icy cold rain splatter on my neck. I broke into a run, not wanting to be caught in the rain when I didn't have a jacket to protect me from it. Stopping at the apartment next to mine in the dirty old stairwell, I rang the bell at the baby-sitter's door. The little old lady opened it and smiled widely at me. "Oh hello dearie! Your sister is such a precious little thing! You know, she was asking for you all day," she gushed happily, shuffling into the apartment and beckoning for me to join her.

My face fell. I felt so guilty for leaving her alone in a day-care all day long. If I didn't have to go to school, I would spend my every waking moment with little Natalie. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Jackson. Where is she now?"

"Oh, she's inside, playing with little Ashton. They're the two most adorable babies I have ever seen!" She invited me inside and bustled over to the kitchen, no doubt preparing a little doggy bag full of cookies.

I stepped into the familiar living room, lace and ribbons covering almost every surface and I saw the top of Natalie's head bobbing behind the couch. I smiled when I heard a quiet, high-pitched giggle and I joined her in her little game of hide-and-seek.

"Come out; come out, wherever you are!" I called exasperatedly after a few minutes of pretending to look for her.

Natalie jumped out from behind the couch and I tried my best to seem shocked.

"Oh my goodness, Natalie! You gave me such a fright!" I said, gasping with a hand placed over my heart. "Come here and give your sister a hug!"

She tinkled laugh and ran toward me, smacking a big wet kiss on my cheek and wrapping her plump arms around my neck.

"We gonna go to Mah-tin today?" she asked me. She loved Martin almost as much as I did and looked up to him with admiration only a two-year-old could manage. Martin and I pretended we were her parents most of the time and Natalie delighted in our game as we pampered her with kisses and sweets.

"Yes we are! And you can choose our movie again." I sait into her soft brown curls which tickled my face and smelled like baby shampoo.

I picked her up and slung her playfully over my shoulder as Mrs. Jackson waddled back out of the kitchen, carrying a brown paper bag.

"Thank you Mrs. Jackson. See you on Monday!" I told her as she handed me the paper bag.

"Yes, yes. See you on Monday Natalie! Give old Mrs. Jackson a kiss." Natalie obliged happily and smacked another wet one on Mrs. Jackson's saggy cheek.

I stepped out of the apartment, closing Mrs. Jackson's door behind me and taking two steps to reach my door. Jimmying the key a little in the lock, I managed to open our door and step inside to the usual putrid smell of stale vomit that had permanently sunk into the fibres of the carpet. I started unpacking my bag before going upstairs to check on my father. He was lying in a mess of blankets on his bed, the shadow of stubble on his cheeks. His floppy brown hair was thinning in some places and too long in others. It gave him a slightly clown-like appearance, but it wasn't funny at all. His fingers were curled possessively around the neck of an empty beer bottle and his ashy lips twitched every once in a while. He was obviously asleep so I quietly closed the door behind me as I left the room.

I tip-toed down the carpeted stairs in an effort not to wake him up. Opening the refrigerator, I grabbed a tub of applesauce and a spoon for Natalie. I also put a few cookies from the doggie bag onto a plate along with a glass of milk. Balancing these on my arm, I carefully made my way to the kitchen table where Natalie was already sitting expectantly. Thank goodness that I wasn't clumsy. My mother used to tell me how much I moved like a ballerina. I guessed I had swimming to thank for that. My limbs always moved as though they were propelling me through water instead of through air. The result was very graceful and relaxed movements. People at school used to call me the "stoner" before some genius invented "nemo". I watched Natalie dig into her goo I started to do my homework. Better get it done now so that I don't have to worry about it during the weekend. I could use the time to study in stead of doing stupid essays and compositions.

I get pretty good grades. The teachers at school all love me and they keep asking me which college I want to attend. I always made something up to shut them up. If I tell them the truth about wanting to start a garage, they would cluck on about it for absolute hours, asking why and telling me off for being ungrateful for my gifts. I was, if anything, the opposite of ungrateful. I loved my ability to zoom through my work quickly and still get perfect grades. I loved the fact that I could read something once and remember it for the longest time. I loved how my mind seemed like a giant empty book in which I could write almost anything and it would stay there in its pages, waiting for me to flip back to it. I just loved my freedom more. Actually, considering that I had no freedom, I loved the idea of freedom more.

As I ploughed through a series of maths problems, I felt a shuddering cramp in my abdomen. Oh great. Getting your period on a weekend was the worst form of luck I could think of right now. I sighed and winced my way to the bathroom, popping a painkiller into my mouth as I went. The first time I had gotten my period; my mother was off doing one of her crazy stunts under the influence of her schizophrenia. I literally thought I was dying until I told Martin about it, who promptly turned bright red in the face and told me I'd better talk to his mother about that. Martin's mother was a lovely woman. She was short and plump with frizzy chocolate hair and big, dark eyes. My favourite part about her is that she spoke her mind all the time. You could never feel awkward around her because of this, and she always had something delicious cooking in the kitchen. Friday nights were the best nights of the whole week because I actually felt wanted. Apart from Natalie, I had no real family connections with anyone.

I stopped by the laundry room to grab a clean pair of panties before going to the bathroom and turning on the shower. The pain killer hadn't started to work yet, and the cramps were so bad that my body was twitching a little as they came and went. I scrubbed myself clean and stepped out to riffle through my drawers. Another cramp came and caused me to screw up my face in pain, but they were already getting a lot less powerful. Finally, I found the short cotton stick I was looking for and washed my hands.

The towel was still slightly damp from yesterday, but I used it anyway. I didn't have the time to get a clean one. It was almost twenty past six and it would take me more than half an hour to get to Martin's place. I rushed upstairs and pulled on a random pair of pants and a tee shirt. Ripping a brush through my hair and pulling on a pair of socks, I ran back downstairs to collect Natalie.

Natalie had fallen asleep on the couch and I gently scooped her up into my arms. She stirred and moaned a little in her sleep but she slept. I smiled tenderly down at her smooth little face. "Natalie," I said quietly, "wakey-wakey. We're going to Martin's, remember?"

She smiled groggily back up at me and wrapped her arms around my neck. I pulled on my dad's long brown trench coat and wrapped it around us both to protect us from the chilly night air as I stepped onto the streets of Seattle. The sidewalks were already slick with ice as the temperature dropped along with the sun on the horizon. I could already see the moon coming up on the other side.

February in Seattle was one of the dreariest months of the year, especially when it was raining. As if the heavens were listening to my thoughts, a few drops clattered onto the sidewalk. Wonderful.

Huffing grumpily, I hitched Natalie higher on my chest and wrapped us tightly in my oversized trench coat, speeding up my step as I continued on to Martin's house with my head bowed against the battering raindrops which quickly turned to slushy snow.

I was thoroughly soaked when I reached the familiar flaky green door and banged down the knocker that was hilariously shaped like a toilet seat. I didn't have to wait long before my best friend threw the door open and gave me a huge hug. Natalie, who had been protected from the elements by my jacket, squealed shrilly and wrapped her arms around tightly around his neck. He laughed and swung her around in a circle over his head, making her squeal even louder. I laughed too and stepped into the bright little apartment. Delicious smells were wafting from the kitchen and I saw the dumpy outline of his mother's body through the steam and immediately, I felt at home for the first time all week.

"How are you?" Martin asked me happily.

I rolled my eyes at him and teased, "You've only just seen me in school! Nothing much could have changed, could it?"

His expression darkened. "Well, I just read the newspaper. There's a serial killer loose in Seattle."

I gasped. "What?! How many people have died?! Where is he now? What's he--"

Martin interrupted me, "Hold your horses!" he cried, waving his hands around wildly like a windmill. "One question at a time! And this is the worst case of killings in, like, ever. He seems to be uncatchable and he left no fingerprints or anything. This guy must really know what he's doing."

My hands shook. "Oh, God! What are we going to do? We're not safe anymore… We've got to do something! What about Natalie?" I blabbered quickly, beads of sweat forming at my temples.

"I know, I'm scared shitless too…" Martin sighed, "There's not really much we can do, though. The police are already doing all they can and lots of forensic scientists are being called in from all over the country. If they can't catch him, nobody can."

I ran at him and hugged him with all my might. "I don't think I'd be able to survive if something happened to you or Natalie or your mother…"

He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back. "Neither could I…"

Martin and I tried our best to act like nothing was wrong, for Natalie's sake. She took no notice at our discomfort and chattered happily all the way through dinner. Afterwards, she led us to the living room and started flipping through Martin's massive DVD collection. She finally poked her chubby little finger at one.

"Dat one," she said regally. I shoved the DVD into the player without even looking at it. I smiled. She had chosen Ice Age which was an all-time favourite of mine.

Martin and I settled onto the couch and Natalie curled up between us like a cat and stuck her thumb in her mouth. I cuddled up to her when the movie started playing.

I didn't remember falling asleep, all I know is that when I woke up, I was still lying on the couch and it was light outside. I groped around groggily, looking for Natalie. When I discovered she wasn't next to me anymore, I gasped and fought down the panic that was starting to wash over me. I remembered the nightmare I was having last night; Natalie was being ripped to shreds by the Dracula in the graffiti painting Martin and I did together while I could only watch and scream, because my limbs were missing. My chest constricted and I couldn't breathe.

I stormed over to Martins room and the panic instantly faded away. There she was; lying spread-eagled on Martin's bed, with his arm around her. I smiled and walked quietly over to join them. I fell back to sleep under his covers, one hand resting lightly on Natalie's arm and the other lying alongside Martin's face.

I awoke again to the smell of pancakes and syrup. Natalie and Martin had already gotten up and I could hear them giggling together somewhere in the apartment. I sat up and stretched like a cat. Yawning hugely, I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to go home for a change of clothes before Martin and I could go finish off our 'artwork'.

Still rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I shuffled into the living room where Martin and Natalie were playfully tussling around on the floor. Martin noticed me and grinned as he tickled a squirming Natalie. His mother bustled in with three plates of pancakes, spread heavily with maple syrup. I smiled at her and got up to help her in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Mrs. Barnwell!" I said brightly, "Sorry about falling asleep last night. I was meaning to catch a taxi home."

"Oh, my dearest girl, don't worry about it! It was my pleasure. And anyway, there's a serial killer on the loose out there. There was no way I would have let you go outside onto the streets at night!"

"Thanks Mrs. B" I said gratefully as I filled two glasses with orange juice and a plastic cup with milk for my baby sister. She answered me by patting my locks and smiling before she went into the living room to tell Martin and Natalie that breakfast was ready.

We all tucked in and finished quickly. Wiping a bead of golden syrup off Natalie's chin, Martin said, "So, Liz. What about our 'artwork', then?" when his mother had left the room.

"Maybe tomorrow. There are some things I have to take care of at home and I can't leave Natalie behind here all day. Your poor mum already had to take care of us both this morning because I fell asleep."

His face fell. "Aw, I'm sure my mum won't mind. She loves Natalie."

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose myself… Your mother already does so much for us."

"I'm positive." Martin replied with an edge of finality in his tone. "I'll just go ask her now."

"Okay," I whispered, not at all sure if I wasn't asking too much.