Leah sat in her kitchen, chewing a mouthful of cereal as slowly as she could manage because she wasn't really interested in eating. What seemed much more important to her than a bowl of cereal was her brother's strange, new attitude. He had come home the day before and sat for two hours on the front porch, unmoving. When their mother finally managed to coerce him inside, he slunk heavily to his room and had not since reemerged. It wasn't really all that weird for teenage boys to mope around the house or sleep for incredible lengths of time, but this was Seth. Seth was always so much more enthusiastic about life than this.

She finally stood, having had quite enough of it all, and stomped down the hall to beat her fist solidly against Seth's bedroom door. "Hey, get your scrawny butt up and moving! You've gotta be at school in twenty minutes."
The soft groan of her little brother's bed creaking a he moved convinced Leah that she had gotten him revived and that he would definitely get himself ready, now. He had always been a bit afraid of her wrath and tended to avoid conflict with her over smaller issues. Knowing that she had agreed to meet with Jake before the older boy, too, had to head out to school, Leah grabbed up her car keys and called a quick goodbye to the boy in his room.

Seth listened as his sister's car engine came to life and her tires hissed over the gravel driveway. Leah might've thought she knew him so perfectly to a 't', but today she miscalculated. Today, Seth was exhausted. He had barely slept throughout the night, his mind torturing him with an unwelcomed ache. He ached for Her, for the girl he didn't even know, and that made him hate her. He hated that she had such control over him and there was nothing he could do about it. That was what all of the other guys had told him about their imprints; there's nothing you can do. Why did an imprint get so much control over a wolf when the wolf didn't even get to choose her? This girl was forcing herself upon him.
It wasn't fair.

Stuffing his head beneath his pillow for the hundredth time, Seth bemoaned the idea of ever having to leave his bed again. He hoped he could stay, hoped his mother would bring him meals in bed and his sister would leave him completely, hoped the pack would forget him and go on without him. Then he hated her more. She had taken power enough to tear his life from him. No. No, that wasn't right. He was giving her that power.

Did it really matter? Either way, he was stuck on her leash and if he saw her again, he knew it would only reinforce this terrible longing he felt for her. She had hollowed him out in less than a day and no matter how he pushed, pulled or prodded the hole, he couldn't erase it. Not alone. Not without that wicked thief who carried his soul.

Eventually, he pulled himself up, and clambered out to the kitchen. His stomaching was howling at its lack of dinner from the night before. After a slice of toast, two bowls of cereal, an orange and an apple, the boy thought he might be feeling just slightly better. He considered dressing and going out to school, but one look at the clock changed his mind. He was already very late and there wasn't much of an excuse to give. He highly doubted his Geometry teacher would appreciate hearing his excuse. I'm sorry, Mrs. Caulfield, I just committed my entire being to some girl from out of town and I'm struggling with some pretty powerful buyer's remorse. The old woman never did like him and that didn't sound like it would help any.

Instead of bothering, Seth decided he would rather skip school for the day. The worst consequence he'd have of that would be a lecture from his family and it wouldn't be the first time for that. Leah liked to give lectures; it was one of her favorite pastimes.

Trying to figure out what to use his free time for, Seth considered the things he might've done if he were ditching for fun. He probably wouldn't have phased, the pack members who were old enough to not have the problem of school anymore thought it was important that he finish high school and would just send him there in the end. He could have tried to get some of his friend from the res or even Forks to play hooky with him, but he didn't really want to play around. He wanted to talk to someone who would know what he was talking about, but didn't have an imprint of their own. He wanted someone to listen and actually understand why he felt so apprehensive. That led to Option #3: the Cullens. They might chastise him, but no one would force him to go to school if he explained himself.

But could he risk it?
He could go all the way out to their house, just to find that She was still there. Then what would he do? Could he risk seeing her again, knowing what it could do to his already weak restraint?

He decided that he would go there and gauge whether or not the girl was at the house. If her stuck to the tree line at the edge of the clearing, he would likely be able to sniff her out even in his human form. If he smelt a human, he would leave; if not, he would try to meet up with Edward. He trusted the vampire to understand his feelings best since her could actually hear his thoughts.

Mckenna Bristol was not a morning person. She did not enjoy being woken up at the crack dawn by a sharp stream of sunlight crossing her eyes through a split in the blinds of her hotel room. She did not enjoy the bitter coffee she resigned herself to drink when she discovered that her hotel did not carry her favorite brand of sweetener. She definitely did enjoy the seventy-eight and one quarter minutes it took for her to shower, dry and style her hair, find an outfit suitable for the weather the news told her to expect, and delicately paint her face up with adequate makeup for public viewing. But none the less, she accepted it as necessary.

Once she felt that she was passably readied for the day, she stepped out of her room, sucked in a deep breath and piled into her car. The worn leather of the wheel felt good beneath her hands, comfortable and responsive. It made her feel as though she might just be able to assuage the intensely ethereal immortal beings she was preparing to meet with once again as easily as her fingers pressed their reliefs into this steering wheel. She reminded herself as she drove to thank its owner when she returned it.

Before she could make her way over to the masterwork house, hidden away like the little treasure it was, Mckenna deemed one or two pit stops essential. Hoping all of the people of Forks were as helpful as Chief Swan, she pulled into the lot of an open diner. She ordered a blueberry muffin to go, knowing that a paying customer is always less annoying than a penniless wanderer, and when the cashier returned with her food in a neat white box, she set about her question. "Thank you. You wouldn't happen to know where I could find a hiking store…or outdoor…something-or-other?" She asked, feeling more and more foolish as the words continued.
The woman smiled one of those tight-lipped smiles that made Mckenna certain she would be laughing about this later. "You're in right place for that, Sweetheart." She pointed out the restaurant's façade and directed the girl to a store two blocks down called Newton's. Easy enough.

Newton's turned out to be something of an outdoor emporium, which Mckenna figured would be just about perfect for her needs. She grabbed up her tote and headed in, straight to the boy at the front counter. He smiled appreciatively as she leaned against the counter and greeted him. "Hi. What are you looking for?" He asked in that silly voice Mckenna was used to hearing from men; it was as though he was really hoping she was in there just to look at him.
Mckenna grinned and pulled her ruined flip flop from her bag, hard crusted with mud. The boy's brows shot up and he choked back some laughter. "I think I need some boots." She told him matter-of-factly. The boy made his way to her side of the counter and began to lead her to one wall of the store which was lined with shelf after shelf of shoes. She felt she could safely say that there wasn't a single one she could find in River Island or Krisp.

The boy eyed her mildly disappointed expression and smiled. "You know, boots are almost always more expensive, so I shouldn't be saying anything, but you'd probably do just fine with a good pair of sneakers."
Mckenna was glad to see that he was the type who liked to cheer others up and on. That was nice, a rare sighting of a dying breed. "Well, if anyone asks I came for these in the first place." She laughed as she selected and examined of semi-attractive, black and white running shoes. She chatted with the boy as he found the shoes in her size and rang them up for her. His name was Mike. His parents owned the store. He was had come home from college for the summer and was helping out. He envied her for being able to just pick up and go and didn't seem to question her motives or her legality. Every word he said and every movement he made screamed 'GOOD BOY! SINGLE! INTERESTED!' He was a nice guy.

She fumbled about in the bug's tiny driver's seat, replacing her original, embroidered trainers – the second warmest footwear in her wardrobe before this latest purchase – for her new, function-friendly pair. Once she had them on and laced up snuggly, she pulled out of the parking lot and tried to remember exactly the path Chief Swan had shown her the day before. As she drove, she recollected the whole experience of coming face-to-face with the coven.

It had been gut-wrenching. Just getting out of the car had taken something out of her when two terribly stunning women appeared to greet the chief of police. When she came up behind him and the younger of the two women called him 'dad', Mckenna's stomach did a risky backflip. A female vampire with a still human father. She should have put the pieces together long before that moment; as soon as he introduced himself with the name Swan. She felt a wave of awe to simply be standing in the presence of these people. It was very real in that instant, real as it hadn't been throughout the duration of her journey. She was only a little terrified.

Chief Swan did his best to introduce her, despite not knowing her name, and the older woman tried to speak to her, but it was no use. Her brain had already begun the task of self-destruction in its usual hurricane-esque fashion. Mckenna pulled herself together well enough to follow her hosts into the house and obey their suggestion of sitting in a comfortable chair. The silence must have been deafening, but it was lost on her ears. These people, the two women and the additional twosome of men who lingered in the background, were as perfect as she had expected and even better. From each of their flawless faces, there really were two sharp, grasping, golden eyes stared her down. It seemed impossible that Mckenna's enduring misfortune would take such a drastic turn for the better just by her voyaging to the west coast. Like a fortune teller and their cards, the Cullens were turning her world over end.

When she built up enough courage to introduce herself, her thoughts caught for half a second on the consequences of her actions if they turned out to be wrong. Her voice caught in her throat and all she could do was sip the tea she had graciously been given.

She would not get off lightly. Everyone would be furious. They must already be raging and tearing apart her poor cousin's house, thinking they might find some clue as to where Mckenna had disappeared to…again. But she had been careful. She hadn't left anything she thought might lead them to her. She had planned this in secret for so long. And now she was here! Now she was sitting in the living room of the famous Cullens!
She had to convince herself once again that she was right for this. This was the only thing to be done. She had to see them. She had to talk to this Bella. She'd be safe. She would definitely be safe. Bella would help her. She had to.

"Hello, Mckenna." Esme's gentle voice called from the porch as the girl stepped out of her car. "Back again?"
"Hi, Mrs. Cullen. Can I talk with Bella?" Mckenna called back, having mustered all of her courage during the drive.
The older woman smiled back and nodded. "Certainly. I'm glad to see you've found your voice."

So, there it is. Mckenna's a runaway - and it isn't her first offense! She came the the west coast just to talk to Bella, knowing that she was walking into a town full of vampires. And Seth, poor kid, seems to be walking straight into his worst nightmare, doesn't he?
What'll come of this unlikely pair? Read on and find out!

As always, I'd love some R&R