four.

I walked inside Mirabelle's and Vaughn was not in sight. Mark, however, was standing, chugging a glass of water as Mirabelle watched him. She was very motherly and wanted Mark to get better faster, I could tell. When Julia and I walked through the front door, I just smiled at Mark and Mirabelle turned around.

"Hello girls," Mirabelle said sweetly, "Julia, may you set the table for dinner?"

"Chelsea is staying for dinner Mom," Julia squeaked with a small grin, "Is that alright?"

"That's perfectly alright," Mirabelle said, "Just set out an extra plate for her, and pull up another chair."

Julia nodded and darted in the other room. Right as she left, I turned to Mark and gave him a hug.

"You scared me!" I screamed. "Why would you over work yourself?"

Mark shrugged and said, "I wanted to get my work done."

I stabbed my bony finger into his chest. "Don't scare me like that." I smiled. "If it makes you feel any better, after today, I'm helping you on your farm."

He raised his blonde brows at me. "Oh really now?"

I nodded with a wide grin.

Mark shrugged with a large smile on his face. "Alright. I'm telling you now, though, it's not easy."

"I don't care," I laughed, "as long as you don't pass out anymore."

Mark just smiled and said, "Enjoy your dinner. I'll meet you back at the house?"

I just nodded as he walked out the door.

"Come with me, sweetie," Mirabelle said, "the dinner table is back here."

I followed her into the other room where Julia was pulling out tall glasses. Mirabelle walked over to the stove to finish up the soup. Julia sat down at one end of the table, and I sat right next to her.

"This isn't going to bug you, right?" Julia whispered.

"What do you mean?" I whispered back.

Mirabelle walked over with the bowl of soup and placed it in the middle of the table. "Vaughn! Soup's ready!"

I looked at Julia as she just said, "That."

It stung me a little bit, and I think at first Julia noticed my plastic expression. But I quickly shook my head and said, "No, no. It's fine. Why should I let him get to me?"

Will's words rung through my ears;

You shouldn't let him get to you. You're better than that.

Vaughn casually walked in the kitchen. When he saw me, however, he stopped immediately. His amethyst eyes stayed on mine for a tad too long, when Julia piped up with a smile, "What is it Vaughn? It's just Chelsea."

Vaughn shook his head, and sat in the seat directly across from me. Mirabelle finally came over and sat next to Vaughn, across from Julia.

The meal was silent for the most part. We were eating our soup in silence for the first ten minutes of the meal. I would give a few glances at Vaughn, but his head was down, as if he were fascinated by his soup. His hat was further down his eyes to make it impossible to really look at him. Which, I hated, considering his eyes were a beautiful purple. Even though his attitude was rotten.

"So Chelsea, darling," Mirabelle looked at me with her sky blue eyes. Finally, a conversation! "How was it back home? What were your parents like?"

"Mom," Julia whined a tad, "you know what her parents were like. She has the same parents as Mark."

Mirabelle laughed. "Oh right." She shook her head, still chuckling. "Well, what was it like at home?"

I shrugged. "I wasn't home all the time. My parents were out a lot because of their job, so Mark and I would always go to my aunt and uncle's."

"Were they nice?" Mirabelle smiled.

Were they nice. Ha.

"Yeah, they were...alright," I still put on a smile. "My Aunt Holly might've been the kindest person."

"Great," Vaughn mumbled.

I looked at him and narrowed my eyes viscously. "What?"

"No, nothing," Vaughn murmured, "Just another person out of the bunch who had that fabulous life growing up."

"Excuse me?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Maybe I should make some garlic bread?" Mirabelle smiled, standing.

"You're another girl who waltzes in this town with that great life and comes here for a change. You're part of the crowd, don't feel too special."

"Are you trying to say that I'm like everyone else because I have no secret like you? I have no troubled past that's left me scarred for life?"

He looked up at me with his amethyst eyes, swirling with a cloud of anger. "Yes. That is exactly what I'm saying."

I felt the scars in my back sting, reminding me of Uncle Arthur. "You don't know a thing about me Vaughn. You don't know what I've been through."

I stood up and looked at Mirabelle and Julia. "The soup was delicious, but I have to be going."

I stumbled over the leg of the chair before storming out of the house. I only walked several steps outside, only to pull my chestnut locks in complete anger. He thought I was just like everyone else? He actually thought that I had the good life growing up, that nobody could've come in and twisted that and crumbled it to pieces?

I heard a door behind me open, and then close with a slam. I didn't want to turn around. I was hoping it would be either Julia or Mirabelle. But I knew I was wrong when I heard his gruff voice behind me.

"What are you saying?" he wondered.

His voice was low, and he sounded a little sincere. I whipped my head around to Vaughn, to see him feet away from me. His gloved hands were hidden in his pockets, and I was able to see his amethyst eyes through his sparkling silver hair. He walked closer gradually.

"I'm saying that I'm not like everyone else on this island," I brushed some hair out of my eyes, stepping closer. "I'm not a girl who grew up with rich parents and had the perfect life. I mean sure, my parents were never home. But that was the least of my problems."

"Then what was?" he spoke it, seeming almost angry.

"Do you not believe me?" I snarled.

"I won't believe you until you tell me."

I wanted to laugh. Hysterically, as a matter of fact. I looked straight into his amethyst eyes and said in all seriousness, "Why should I tell you anything. For all the world knows, you have no secret. You have no past and you just want people to pity you. That's why you act like this. It's for attention, not because someone, or something, hurt you. You're lucky though, because I do believe that something happened...but why should I tell you my past if you'll never spill yours?" I shook my head.

Vaughn stared at me with open eyes. My teeth were clenched as I saw his amethyst orbs shake in some sort of fear. I felt tears begin to bubble up in my eyes. I tried to blink them away, but one slipped. I immediately wiped it away.

I saw Vaughn begin to back up. He turned around. As he walked away, I walked closer. I sped up to catch up with him. I forcefully gripped his shoulder and spun him around to face me. He was taller than me, basically towering over me. He smelt like the stables, but in a more refreshing way. He looked at me, and I just looked up at him.

"I don't care if you think I'm a rich spoiled girl," I said between clenched teeth. "But if I were to ask anything of you, please just know that compared to any of those other girls..." I breathed, "...I've been scarred. I know what it means to have a past that most others don't encounter. Just remember that about me, Vaughn. I'm different."

On that note, I backed away first, as he just stood there before me, unmoving. I turned my back on him this time, and walked back up to Ranch Island, back to my home with Mark.

"I hate him," I muttered, leaning against the wall, while sitting comfortably on my bed. "I think I actually hate him."

"Here," Mark handed me a beer. I was never a martini person. I took it, and took a quick swig. "Now what exactly happened?"

"He thinks I'm like everyone else," I sighed, taking another sip. "He thinks I had this fabulous past with our fabulous parents because of our fabulously large amount of money."

"So wait," Mark opened his beer and took a sip. "Does that mean you told him what happened?"

"Why the hell would I do that?" I forced a laugh. "He doesn't tell anyone his past, why should I tell mine just because I got mad?"

Mark nodded in my understanding.

"I'll only spill my backstory if he spills his," I waved the bottle around, only to take another swig. A large one.

"But you really think you two are going to be close enough to actually get that out of him?" Mark smiled.

I shook my head, trying to hold back my laughter. "Of course not." Sip. "How can anyone break through that core?"

Mark just laughed, obviously understanding where I was coming from. I looked to see beside my bed a fishing rod. I got off my bed and picked it up.

"Late night fishing?" Mark wondered.

"Why not?" I smiled. "Wanna come? I was hoping I'd run into Denny and we could chat. But of course, it'd be nothing without my big brother there."

He just rolled his eyes, and pulled his fishing rod from a hook in the wall. "Of course it wouldn't be the same. I'm an amazing fisherman."

"Oh, I'm such an amazing fisherman," I mocked my brother, as I stood in between him and Denny. Denny laughed.

"Shut up," Mark rolled his eyes with a smile. "Wait! I think I got something!"

He reeled his rod in, and his hook was attached to a soil-colored boot, that had some seaweed on the toe.

"That's grimy," I shook my head at him. "And it smells like rotten eggs and seafood."

"Well I wonder why it could smell like seafood?" Denny asked from next to me.

I just smiled, shaking my head with a giggle.

"So what's new with Denny?" I smiled. "Any crushes on the island?"

Denny just shrugged his shoulders. "Well..."

"Whoa, hold up." Mark looked over at Denny. "Something you have in secret?"

"Well..." was all he said again. "I do sort of like someone."

"Who!" Mark and I shouted in unison.

He made us come closer as he whispered, "Lanna."

Before Mark and I could 'aw' as loudly as possible, we were interrupted by a deep voice, that seemed to magically appear before us on the beach.

"Eh hem."

We all turned around, and of course, to my delighted surprise, it was Vaughn, standing before us all. I exchanged a lot of glances between Mark and Denny, and believe me, I was highly confused. I didn't expect to see him until next week. Why was he standing here before me? I came to the beach to get away from him.

"Can I talk to Chelsea?" he looked at my brother and Denny.

That was when my sapphire orbs went wide. I took another glance at Mark, who's eyes were also pretty big themselves. I then looked at Denny, who just raised an eyebrow at me. It was until my eyes went back on Vaughn's when he forcefully grunted, "Now."

Mark and Denny took their fishing rods and sped into Denny's house. They closed the door with a slam, leaving Vaughn and I alone on the beach. He walked closer to me, and I just backed up a little bit.

"What do you want?" I wondered coldly.

"Nothing," Vaughn shook his head.

"What?" I stared at him dumbfounded. "You want nothing. So then why did you-"

"Except," he mumbled, looking at his boots. "Except to apologize."

I held back a chuckle, going back to looking serious. Actually, I think the proper emotion was beyond shocked. I stared at Vaughn, even more dumbfounded then before, and whispered, "Apologize?"

We were both gradually walking up to each other, both of us pretty close again. I stared up at him, his amethyst eyes looking familiar under a moon. I bit back a smile.

"Yeah," he sighed, "for being...a jerk."

My favorite word.

"I don't know whether to believe if you have a past or not," Vaughn said, "but I did believe you when you said you were different."

"So many words in one day, Vaughn," I couldn't help it. I grinned just a little bit. "Why so social today?"

He shrugged and said, "Dunno."

I still smiled as I said to him, "I do have a past. Of course you could always ask Mark, but, you'd probably just think that I told him to tell you that."

He shrugged again. "Yeah, maybe." There was a pause. "But...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."

I shook my head. "It was only a tear. I get over emotional. It's fine."

He grinned a little bit. I tried to keep my mouth from dropping, as I stared at the curved corners of his mouth.

"Was that a smile?" I said.

He immediately frowned again. "No."

"Oh c'mon," I teased. I cocked my head. "So do I get to see more of those in my future?"

Vaughn just stared at me harder, and took one more step closer. "No. So don't get used to it."

A/N: oh how i love them snowdays.

keep up the reviews you guys, you are all so awesome. 3

x silhouette dreams x