You guys are amazing! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through the reviews and hearing your thoughts/opinions on both Sunburn and Solstice. Please continue to review!

I know I've been spreading things out, but it's all for a reason. Grant and Imani will be important later on in the story, so I wanted you all to get a taste of their personalities beforehand.

On another note, I've had a lot of complaints about my decision to rate this story M. Sunburn was T because it related to teenagers and focused on that sort of love life. However, they are all adults now. There will be more adult situations and whatnot, and I rated it M to be on the safe side. As of right now, I do NOT plan on writing any "lemons" or whatever unless you guys ask for them. So, review and give me your thoughts on that!

As always, please continue to share thoughts and opinions in the reviews, and feel free to PM me if you'd like. I always enjoy talking about different ideas and possibilities regarding the direction of this story and the characters.

And now, the moment many of you have been waiting for . . .

I was freezing.

Shades of green and brown surrounded me as I blew warm air into my cupped hands and rubbed them together. The forest was blanketed in a low-lying fog, while a soft mist fell from the overcast sky. It was calming, peaceful, and breathtaking.

I knew this place like the back of my hand.

The forest was filled with an almost eerie silence, as if void of all wildlife. All I could hear were the sounds of twigs and brush snapping underneath my feet as my legs carried me north.

These trees had watched me grow over the years. They had comforted me during my darkest moments, and sheltered me from many a storm. The forest had been my safe haven as a child and an imagination escape when my friends were there to play.

But now, the ominous feeling in my gut and the chills running down my spine made the forest seem terrifying.

I broke through the tree line to find myself on the edge of a meadow. A sense of deja vu settled over me, and as my eyes danced over the tall grass blowing lightly in the wind and the small brook on the far edge, I realized exactly where I was.

It was the same meadow I'd visited with Bella, the day we almost died.

Hugging my midsection in an effort to stay warm, I stepped away from the safety of the trees and crossed the meadow, exactly as we had done all of those years ago. I kept my eyes down, watching my feet crush the stalks of grass and leave behind evidence of my visit.

Another set of feet came into view and I froze in place as my eyes flashed up to meet a familiar pair.

One was green, while the other was brown.

"You came," he murmured, standing barely a foot away in the exact same spot that Laurent had been a lifetime ago. The heat from his body surrounded me, but my skin refused to absorb it. I was freezing, and nothing seemed to be capable of warming me.

I blinked and opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I tried again, but air whooshed from my lungs without a sound.

He smiled slightly, showing off his dimples. They were the dimples I'd once loved so much.

"I knew you'd forgive me someday." He reached forward and brushed a hand over my cheek in a caring gesture. "I never stopped thinking about you." His eyes burned into mine, and for a moment, I was reminded of the boy I'd fallen in love with as a teenager.

I reached out for him, but he grabbed my wrist in a tight grip as a smirk grew on his face.

"Uh, uh, uh," he chastised, squeezing my wrist as his eyes darkened. I flinched as a pain ran up my arm from the bruising he was leaving behind. "I'm not yours to touch, anymore."

I jerked my arm away from his hand and glared heatedly up at the boy who had changed almost abruptly in real life as he had there in the meadow. I wanted to scream at him that he'd broken me, that he'd driven me away from the only home I had ever known, that by cutting off our friendship completely, he had successfully ruined me for all future relationships.

My mouth opened and no sound came out.

A deep growl filled the meadow, rumbling off of the trees like thunder and sending a new set of chills down my spine and arms. I stepped backwards in shock as both of our heads whipped towards the source of the sound.

Standing by the trees, in the same place I had emerged from moments before, a ginormous wolf bared its teeth in our direction. Its russet fur flittered softly as the breeze caught it, but its dark brown eyes stayed focused on us.

My pulse raced and my fingers itched to run through the soft russet tufts without my permission.

The wolf slowly stalked towards us, following the same path of footprints I'd left behind in the grass, while keeping its head low and its teeth on display. It was as if the creature had been tracking me, looking for me, silently protecting me from afar.

As it reached me, the wolf sniffed the air around me before growling low and glancing over my shoulder once again, its eyes burning with hatred. I fought to keep myself from reaching out and petting its muzzle to calm it.

"Well, isn't this cute," a voice said directly behind me, followed by tinkling laughter. I spun around, and a few yards back from where the familiar boy had previously been, a pale young girl stood. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a tight bun, showing off her perfectly symmetrical, oval face, and I clenched my fist as I took in her beauty that screamed "vampire."

It was her bright red eyes that brought my heart into my throat.

I tried to place her, but came up empty-handed. I had never seen this girl before in my life, but she obviously recognized me.

She smiled, the action making her look conniving and mischievous. "He didn't seem this protective over your sister."

The wolf pressed its body against my side and as soon as its fur came into contact with my skin, warmth burst through my veins. I sighed heavily as the cold tingling in my fingertips and toes subsided, leaving nothing but a healthy body temperature.

"I wonder," she pondered aloud, flashing another grin that showed off her sharp teeth as she spoke her words thoughtfully. "What would he do if I killed you right here?"

Her red eyes flashed just as my hands reached out for the wolf as it leapt towards our enemy, only to fall halfway and land on the ground, whining and yelping pitifully as it flopped around, almost in a seizure-like state.

Tinkling laughter filled the meadow as my eyes met the tortured brown ones of the wolf.

I jerked up in bed, my heart racing and my skin clammy as I whipped my head around to take in my surroundings. The room was dark and quiet, save for the city sounds through the window. I dropped back heavily against the pillow as I kicked off my sweat-soaked sheets.

I had finally dreamed of something other than running aimlessly through the woods for the first time in three years, and all it left me with was a massive headache and a heap of confusion.

The call came at five forty-three on a Tuesday afternoon.

Phil and I had spent half an hour yelling at the television as the referees continually made bad calls, while I iced my throbbing, freshly tattooed calf and Mom tested out the loom we'd gotten her for her birthday. The day had been relaxing and my mind had been at ease since leaving the tattoo parlor with Imani after one of my infamous spontaneous urges.

Mom answered the phone as soon as the shrill ring broke through the peaceful calm of the condo. Her voice could be heard murmuring into the receiver from the kitchen in the open floorplan as Phil cursed at the screen and I sneezed the ziplock bag of ice in my hand like a stress ball.

"That's bullshit!" Phil screamed, slinging his baseball cap onto the ground from jumping to his feet from the armchair. "Where was the defense? Where the hell was the defense?!"

I snickered at Phil as he huffed and sat back down in anger, annoyed with the game that had barely begun. It was such a contrast between watching a game with my father; Dad occasional cursed and yelled, but mostly relaxed and enjoyed the game, while Phil flew off the handle at any little mistake. He was a hothead and my mother was zen. It worked.

Phil took a swig of beer and glanced up over my head, his dark brows furrowing at something behind me.

"Ren, what's wrong?"

I turned my upper body — being careful to keep my leg still on the couch as the ice lowered the swelling — and caught sight of my mother. The telephone was still in one hand, though she'd already hung up. Her eyes were staring off into space, her jaw slightly slack, and her lip seemed to be trembling even from a distance.

My heart dropped in my chest as my mind raced through a million possibilities.

"Mom . . .?" I called softly, desperately needing to know what was going on. A dark, ominous feeling spread through the room as Phil turned the television volume down and Mom slowly placed the phone back in its cradle.

Her eyes locked with mine as she came around the kitchen island and approached the back of the couch. I stared up at her in confusion and worry as her hands brushed my short hair away from my forehead and moved to frame my face.

"Honey, there's- there's been an accident."

My pulse raced faster and nervous sweat began to bead under my arms, yet I was freezing.

My mother sighed heavily as she blinked away tears. "Y-Your f-father-" she stuttered, choking on the words as her eyes flickered to Phil and back to me, unsure of how to continue.

I already knew.

"N-No," I whispered, shaking my head slightly, before I pushed away from her harshly and stood. My leg throbbed slightly and the bag of ice hit the floor with a wet thump, but they were ignored as I shouted, "What did they tell you, huh? Some bullshit excuse to make me come running back to help them?" Tears filled my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "It was Seth, wasn't it?" I laughed a bit maniacally, and Phil moved to wrap an arm around Mom as she sniffled. "Mom, you can't believe him. He's just trying to make me go back. But I'm not ready."

"Honey-"

I shook my head harder, nearly feeling my brain moving within my skull with the ferocity of the fast movement. "I'm not ready."

"Nori!" I froze at her suddenly strict voice — a tone I'd never heard from my mother. Her face was heartbreaking, but her tone was frustrated and angry. I couldn't blame her. I was throwing a tantrum like a two year old.

"It wasn't Seth," she said softly. "It was Sue."

I swallowed. While Seth could be a devious little kid sometimes, Sue would never tell a fib. She was too goodhearted. And for her to be the one to call my father's ex-wife meant that it really was serious.

"There was a wreck. Your father-" She paused, gasping for breath. "Charlie had a hemorrhage or something . . . there's bleeding in the brain . . . And they don't — they don't know if he'll—" Tears rolled down her face as she looked down, gripping the back of the couch as Phil did his best to comfort her.

While my mother did not love my father the way he had for years, she still cared. It was obvious in her demeanor and the way she spoke so highly of Dad when talking to me. They'd been a team, raising two daughters from thousands of miles away. It took a deep level of friendship to handle it all.

I sucked in a breath as I tried to understand. "W-What?"

Mom's eyes moved up to meet mine as she whispered, "Baby, he's in a coma. And they can't say if he'll recover or not."

The onslaught of emotion suddenly and immediately disappeared as a numbing feeling overcame my senses, as if my body couldn't handle the amount of emotional turmoil brewing. It was the same feeling I'd felt three years prior when I'd moved from my bed after three days of pity partying.

Funny how it always took this emotional turn to make me leave the places I loved, or go back to them.

I didn't speak a word as I turned and headed into my room, though I could hear my mother following. Phil hovered in the doorway behind her as she watched me pull out a rolling suitcase from my closet and began unloading armfuls of random clothes from each drawer.

"Nori, w-what are you doing?"

I paused, keeping my eyes down on the suitcase as I fought to keep from breaking down. I was stronger than this — I could handle anything life threw at me.

What I couldn't handle was losing my father, and I wouldn't sit around in Florida while he fought for his life three thousand miles away.

Taking a steadying breath, I murmured the words that I truthfully thought I wouldn't say for another few years.

"I'm going to Washington."