DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT!

CH.12

It was a good thing I always felt the need to be prepared. I always carried my debit card with me everywhere I went, even school. It was only meant for emergencies, but I felt like this was an emergency. The plane ride passed quickly and I ended up in Southern California in the dead of night. I ended up sleeping in the airport that night; I didn't have any belongings really, so I was okay. I was dressed for the climate of La Push too, so I was a little over bundled up for San Diego. All I had was my wallet shoved in the back pocket of my jeans, a spare hoodie, and the clothes on my back. Wow, I was the walking definition of irrational.

I woke up bright and early and took public transportation to my old high school. That's one of the things I liked about San Diego, you could easily get anywhere if you had some spare change and some patience. I arrived at the school around 12, so I decided to grab something to eat. I could hear my stomach grumbling. I knew there was a small coffee shop down the street, so I figured I could try to kill some time there. I ordered a green tea latte and a small pastry. I sat down at a table by the window and began to eat.

Suddenly, guilt overcame me as I thought about how worried Sam and Emily must be. I hope they knew that I understood how to take care of myself, but then again, they had no idea where I went. Maybe the wolf pack could attempt to "track my scent" or something, but then rain last night might've washed away all traces of me. I hoped that Jake wouldn't think it was his fault. This decision was entirely mine. I've been in La Push for too long. I couldn't deal with small towns after being brought up in a city like San Diego. I thought I was getting used to the cool weather of La Push, but it wasn't comfortable for me. I was meant for the warm sunshine of San Diego. The only reason I could bear the cold weather was probably because I always had a warm wolf to share body heat with, but that was no longer the case. I needed to come back and feel some real warmth, warmth from the sun.

I figured I couldn't call Sam until I had a safe place where I could stay, so I decided to wait until school let out for that day. I knew who I was going to ask, there was no question. Back when I lived in San Diego, my best friend was a girl named Mitchie. I met her when we were both in middle school. She didn't come from the best family situation either, so we got along extremely well. Mitchie was emancipated and had her own place. She was the one person I regretted having to leave when I went to La Push, but we always kept contact. Although I couldn't talk to her as much as I wanted, I was able to shoot her an email and update her on my life every time I was in school. I missed her so much. I didn't have the chance to ask her if I could crash at her place, but knowing her, she wouldn't have it any other way.

I looked at the clock and saw that it was 2:45 PM. I threw away my garbage and began walking towards the school. I waited at the gate, knowing that she always left school in this direction. We used to leave school out of this gate everyday. Well, up until I had to leave. I heard the bell ring and the students began to flood out. I kept an eye out for Mitchie. She had distinct features, pale skin, dark hair, light eyes. To me, she was one of the most beautiful girls I've ever met. We had similar situations. Her mother passed away when she was younger, leading to her father becoming an abusive drunk. She got emancipated at the age of 15 because she refused to cooperate with foster care. We always looked out for each other, in a lot of ways, she was like a sister to me. I hated that I had to leave her alone in San Diego.

"Kiana?" The voice was so familiar. I quickly turned around to meet the face of Mitchie. She broke into an instantaneous grin as we quickly jumped into each others arms. I missed her so much.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned.

"I ran away from home," I mumbled embarrassedly. She grinned and linked her arm in mine.

"So, lemme guess! You need a place to crash? Well mi casa es tu casa!"

"Just for a while, until I can get a place of my own!" I stated.

"Don't even worry about it, girl! Stay as long as you want. Fill me in! What happened to the boys?"

She saw the somber look on my face and stopped the questions. She pulled me in for a quick hug and told me not to worry about it.

We quickly made our way to her small apartment. It was a modest apartment with enough room for both of us. I would take the couch, which I was grateful for. Her couch was surprisingly comfortable.

"You mind if I call Sam?" I asked.

"The over-protective older brother?" she asked. "Ohhhh, definitely! He must be freaking out right now."

I knew what she said was the truth, so I grabbed her cell phone and swiftly dialed Sam's home number.

The phone rang three times. I wonder what was taking so long. Was Sam out looking for me? I felt horribly guilty. By the fourth ring, I was met with Emily's voice.

"Hello?" She sounded tired, like she had been up all night waiting for me to get home.

"Emily?" I whispered.

"Oh my goodness, Kiana!" Her voice suddenly filled with relief. "Where are you? We were so worried! Sam's still out looking for you? Are you safe? Why didn't you come home? What happened?"

"I'm fine, Em. I needed some time away, so I'm staying with a friend in California right now. I'm safe, and it's a long story. I know I overreacted probably, but I didn't feel like I could stay in La Push. I know I should've said something, but it was more of a spur of the moment thing," I explained.

"You, I swear. You are just like your brother," she joked. I was glad she was joking; it lightened the mood a bit.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Sam overreacts a lot too," she explained. "He usually just runs off and phases. I guess your version of that is running off and hopping on a plane to California."

I giggled at her statement. We continued to talk for a while. I explained to her how I felt about Seth and what happened with Jake. The whole imprinting thing with Renesmee, the guilt I felt towards Seth, and the need for a fresh start.

"Hey Em, can you tell Sam not to worry and not to come looking for me? I'll come back on my own, I promise."

Emily told me that she'd do her best, but she knew Sam was a worrier. I knew that too. If he had his mind set on something, he wouldn't give it up, but usually Emily was able to convince him otherwise. I was hoping Sam would trust me enough to let me live my life for a while. Emily interrupted my thoughts.

"I'll try my best Kiki," she assured me. "But can you try to come back in time for the wedding?"

Oh, the wedding. I knew the wedding was coming up in two months. It was going to be roughly around the time I first came to La Push. I promised Emily that I'd come back in time for the wedding. She asked if she could have my address and phone number just incase she needed to contact me. I gave her Mitchie's address and cell number and asked her not to tell Sam she had it. I needed the next two months to myself. She promised me that she'd do her best and that she'd reassure Sam that he had nothing to worry about. We hung up and I exhaled.

I looked up to see Mitchie who listened to my every word. She suddenly seemed to understand my situation and gave me a quick hug.

"I've got to get to my part time job, but I'll be back around 8, ok?"

I nodded and told her not to worry. I knew my way around. I told her that she'd have dinner waiting for her when she got home too. We joked around about how I was her housewife and she was the big man of the house. Mitchie gave me her spare key and left the house. I took a quick shower and helped myself to some of the spare clothes she had laid out for me. I always admired Mitchie. Even with all the hardships she's faced in her life, she's so independent and to top it off, she was extremely stylish. She had laid out a pair of jeans and a beautiful floral top for me. It was the perfect outfit for the California sun.

I quickly changed into the outfit provided for me and headed out the door. I was going to the local supermarket to pick up some ingredients. I knew I wasn't the best cook in the world, but there were definitely some things that I could make well. I knew I made pretty good spaghetti, and I knew that Mitchie loved my spaghetti. It was settled, that's what was for dinner.

I grabbed all the necessary ingredients and headed back to her apartment. I cooked the sauce and quickly boiled the pasta to a nice al dente. After taking the ground meat, I seasoned it, rolled them into balls and tossed them in the oven. They'd be ready in about 20 minutes. I looked up at the clock and saw that it was about 8:45 PM. My timing was impeccable. By the time Mitchie had gotten home and showered, dinner was sitting on the table for us.

I loved catching up with Mitchie. I explained everything to her, leaving out the minor detail that they were werewolves. We just talked and joked and laughed. Dinner was quickly over and we just moved over to the couch and continued to catch up. Mitchie explained what was going on in her life. How she's aiming to go to UCLA, how she's been getting better grades, and her raise in her job. Her life was slowly piecing itself back together while mine was slowly falling apart. I was happy for her. She looked content with her life.

"But I really missed you," she mentioned. I missed her too.

I fell asleep that night and dreamed about Seth. He was walking in front of me as I chased after him. When he realized I was behind him, he opened his arms, preparing himself for an embrace. Right before I leapt into his arms, he disappeared. I slowly blinked my eyes and adjusted to the light entering the room through the window. I rolled off the couch and headed towards the bathroom. After brushing my teeth, I noticed that Mitchie had already left for school, and I decided to help her do some house cleaning. I was officially her housewife for the next two months. I did the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry, the dishes, everything. Mitchie knew that I'd be leaving in two months, so she told me not to bother finding a job and just to enjoy the small vacation that I had.

The next six weeks passed quickly. I enjoyed spending all this time with Mitchie. It was a much-needed break from the stresses of Jake and Seth. They had both probably moved on. Sam didn't call nor did he come marching to Mitchie's apartment, so I assumed that Emily was successful in calming him down. He knew I was safe. That was enough for the time being.

Mitchie asked me what I was planning to do, and I told her all about my finish high school , cat-woman future. She laughed and assured me that if I ever needed a place to stay, that I was free to stay with her. The seventh week came quickly, and by that time, I had completely been restored back to "old Kiana." I was sarcastic, responsible, happy, energetic, back to normal. Mitchie always had a healing effect on me, and I was so grateful. This was really what I needed, a get away. Mitchie knew that I was close to leaving too. We would stay up extra late just to hang out. We'd go out to movies and dinner. She was a sister to me. She assured me that if I didn't want to go back to La Push, I was welcome to become a permanent resident of Chez Mitchie. I appreciated the offer, but I kindly declined. I knew that Sam must be worried out of his mind and Emily wouldn't want to get married when she knew Sam was in this vulnerable state. The least I could do was go to their wedding. After high school, I'd consider coming back to California, but I needed to stay with Sam and Emily for now. They were my family too.

I wondered what the wedding would be like. Jake would be there. I wonder if he'd bring Renesmee. Seth would probably be there too. I wonder if he would talk to me or even look at me. I hadn't talked to him since the day Jake was attacked by the newborn. He was bound to know that Jake had imprinted. The whole pack probably knew. I wonder how his relationship with Jake was. I wonder how Sam was treating them. I knew that with Seth, it probably hasn't changed, but what about with Jake? How would he feel knowing that Jake stole his younger sisters heart only to leave it on the curb. All these memories were painful. It was painful just to think about. Just to imagine the faces of Seth, Jake, and Sam. It hurt. I knew that things were completely over with Jake. Even if he magically reversed his imprint and decided that he wanted me back, there was no way I'd go back to him. Seth on the other hand was a different case. If he would even consider taking me back, I knew I'd want to be back in his arms instantly, but I didn't deserve his love. Maybe he found someone else. Maybe another girl already preoccupied his heart and soul.

I had exactly one week before I had to go back to La Push and my bank account was running low. After purchasing my plane ticket back, I had exactly $53.48 in my account left. At least I still had money left. Mitchie housed me for free, so the least I could do was provide dinner for her everyday. That's where most of my money meant. I sat on the kitchen table, reading the paper and chewing on a piece of toast when the bell rang. I wonder who it could've been; Mitchie usually didn't get visitors.

I opened the door slowly and peeped my head out. I recognized the person at the door immediately. He smiled that crooked smile that I loved so much and said my name.

"Kiana," he breathed. His tone was a mixture of relief and excitement.

Standing there in front of me was Seth Clearwater.