Hey everybody! This is a shorter chapter, but don't worry, I'm almost done with the 14th chapter. I shall upload it soon, around Monday or Tuesday-ish! Thanks so much guys! (:

Clare's eyes jolted open, as the smell of cherries overcrowded her nose. She stumbled out of bed, only to realize she was home. She was home sweet home.

Clare smiled shyly; before her head felt like someone had drilled it with a jackhammer. "Ahhhh." She screeched in throbbing pain, as she held her head, as if that would actually help. She then stumbled out of her warm room and down the creeky stairs; into the kitchen.

"Mom." Clare shouted, as she was in agonizing pain. "Yes darling?" her mom was feet from her, but she didn't realize that. "Here honey, take your medicine." Her mom saw how much pain she was in. "Thanks." She took the glass of water and pill from her moms loving hands. She swallowed it down with no shilly-shallying.

"Why does it smell so good in here?" Clare was still a bit foggy. "I'm making cherry pie." Her mom said enthusiastically, as she inclined against the oak counter. "Well it smells mouth-watering." Clare was really woozy, but she was feeling better. Soon the headache eased, until she got another one the next day.

OoOo

"How are you recovering?" Alli asked Clare, as they were making sand castles on the beach where everything started. Clare and Alli were in their regular clothes, not swimming at all. "Eh, I'm feeling better. But every once and a while, my head fills with excruciating pain." Clare explained to her best friend. "Well, I'm glad you are getting better." Alli was being extremely sympathetic.

Clare completed making her sandcastle; she then stared out into the vast ocean; which seemed to match her extraordinary eyes. She dazed off, just staring into the memorizing sunset. As if she had left the earth, and entered an intensifying galaxy of thoughts.

"Clare, you okay?" Alli rubbed her hand in front of Clare's face, snapping her back into focus. "What? Yea!" She realized what Alli had said a couple seconds after thought about it. "Bug Spit. As you would say." Alli giggled. "What's really on your mind?" She demanded nicely. "It's Eli." Clare realized she still loved him.

"Clare, he hurt you." Alli was swift on her guards. "No, it wasn't him, it was Julia." Clare said, while still feeling uneasy. "Then why are you hesitating going back to him?" Alli asked out of curiosity. "Tell me the truth. You can trust me." Alli smiled, playing with a leaf that she found in the sand. "I do trust you." Clare declared, feeling offend that Alli would think such things. "Then tell me silly goose." She was still smiling, though it might not have been the time too.

"Julia and Eli." Clare paused, not wanting to bring any of this out. But she knew that it would help. It would relieve some stress. "Eli and Julia had sex." Clare let it all out in one breath. "He what?" Alli was slightly freaking out. "But they are brother and sister, isn't that kinda…I don't know…illegal?" Alli was still freaking out, yet Clare thought it was the funniest thing. "Alli, pay attention, Julia was adopted." Clare clarified with a minor stifle in her voice.

"Well still…" Alli crossed her arms feeling foolish. "Yea, anyway; they liked each other, and they did IT. But their parents don't even know." Clare pointed out; feeling like Eli probably still liked her. "Clare, do you trust Eli? Do you think he still likes Julia?" Alli asked, knowing she was escalating rapidly to the juicy details. "Yes, I know he does!" Clare proclaimed loudly.

"He told you that?"

"Well no…." Clare trailed off, feeling her cheeks turned a noticeably ruby color. "Julia did." She shook her head in shame, at what Alli was going to say.

"Screw her…" Alli didn't get to finish, before Clare intermitted. "Eli already did…"

"Clare, you love him, he loves you! Don't let one dim-witted girl get to you." Alli uncrossed her hands, feeling as if she was Gandhi or someone really momentous.

"I can see why she was put in an orphanage, I wouldn't want her either." Alli unsympathetically avowed. "Alli, that's really mean!" Clare snapped back, not finding that amusing. "Well it's factual…" Alli turned her head to the north, avoiding all eye contact with Clare.

The day was coming to a sluggish end. Clare and Alli had a really heartfelt talk, which felt finicky, peaceful and tremendously necessary. Clare knew what she had to do.

"Clare, listen to your heart. It knows what you should do." Alli stated feeling like Oprah and Dr. Phil combined. "Ignore him, talk to him. Your heart has the answer. Cheesy but true!" Alli's feet were masked in the sand; she could feel the warm sand, instantly turn chilly, as she went a couple inches deeper into the coarse grains. "Personally? I would talk to him."

"You haven't talked to him in weeks. I think he's gonna be anxious to talk to you." Alli confirmed, as her and Clare watched the remaining sunset get sucked into the horizon; oh so gently.

OoOo

Clare sat on her luxurious silk blanketed bed. She had no socks on, letting the slickness and frigidness of the blanket please the underside of her undersized feet. Though her feet were being tickled by a bed, she didn't titter, smile nor did she grin faintly. Her face was as dead as bad joke. If you looked closely at her body you could see it was uptight, apprehensive and filled with hesitation.

Clare was never the sociable kind of girl, so the task she was about to act upon scared her out of her wits. But she proceeded with it anyway.

Clare: Hey Eli. (:

Clare texted to Eli, as she read the text over and over again, contemplating whether to mail it or not. Would it be a blunder? Or would it be something she would never regret? Only one way to find out… Clare considered to herself, as her trembling hands pressed frivolously on the send key, hoping that it wouldn't send. But the deed had been done; she had just sent the text that would verify her destiny…