SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN AGES, BEEN SO BUSY WITH COLLEGE AND WORK EXPERIENCE. NOW I HAVE SO MANY IDEAS FOR THE STORY SO BE PREPARED FOR MANY UPDATES! MUWHAHAHAH! :P
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Previously:After saying goodbye to Jared I leaned against the hallway wall, thanking the lord no one had saw us and processing this new information about Jared, I made a mental note to tell Lane. Then smiling to myself I thought 'Look at me, having a make out session in the garden and getting away with it Jared's right I could be a Charlie's Angel!'
I walked back to the kitchen feeling giddy with my secret.
That was until Hollie furrowed her eyebrows and exclaimed "Why do you have twigs and grass in your hair?" Her nose wrinkled in amusement.
My dad's was not.
So much for Charlie's angel!
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"GROUNDED?" I had never been grounded in my life, (Ok there was that time when a 6 year old Lane and I had made a mud pie in an expensive crystal bowl, but honestly it was just a bowl! And we'd been making it for him!).
"Grounded." He repeated with conviction. "I don't know what else to do Kim, I told you to stay away from him and you did it anyway, how am I supposed to know you're safe if I don't know what you're doing?"
"But it's not like I joined a communist group, please daddy, I didn't do anything wrong, I didn't know you felt so strongly about it you won't tell me anything!"
"Well, now you do, the punishment still stands, I don't know, maybe I try to push too much responsibility on you; you're still a child after all."
I would have preferred he'd roared at me, if there was one thing I couldn't stand it was disappointing my father, he'd always been my idol and had always showered me with praise (don't get me wrong I'd earned it).
"But you won't even consider my half of the argument! You're right, I'm sixteen and I make mistakes sometimes but I'm responsible enough not to do anything stupid with Jared!" I knew my voice was raised and my tone frantic but I was still hoping he would forgive me.
"Well we'll see about him later, for now go to your room please." He sounded so weary and tired, I instantly felt guilty, and made my way to my room. I knew he hated fighting, it came from a lifetime of it, fighting with his parents to become a cop instead of going into the insurance business like the rest of his family, fighting with criminals of course and mum. They had hardly ever fought but they did nothing else towards the end, both were unhappy and both had blamed each other for it. I can still remember the raised voices, the accusations, the snide comments and viscous words they had spewed at each other. Until they'd both admitted they'd had a good run but the whole thing had been a mistake and when mum had left for New York they'd both done everything in their power to assure me that I wasn't.
I was sitting on my bed engrossed in my thoughts when I remembered I had to call lane.
After dialling her number twice only to get voicemail I tried a third time.
"Hello?" It was accompanied by a yawn.
"Lane, sorry sweetie did I wake you?" Great first dad, now Lane.
"Yeah, I couldn't sleep last night with all the racket."
"Huh?"
"It was the weirdest thing; I've been having nightmares all night! I woke up to a load of racket outside my window and when I looked out I could have sworn that I saw, well actually I could have sworn it was.."
"It was?"
"Well don't laugh but… mutant wolves or dogs…"
I couldn't help it I sniggered into the phone "Are you sure it wasn't… teenage ninja turtles!"
"Kim!"
"No really they're supposed to be really common around forest area's… and sewers."
"Hey! You weren't there, you didn't see them!" the tremor in her voice gave her away.
"Hey, it's probably just a wolves passing through, or maybe just some dogs that seemed bigger in the night, I mean you were half asleep sweet heart." It was rare Lane got scared, La Push had always had a safe cut off from the rest of the world feeling, it was the type of place where you would go out in the dark to investigate a strange noise because either a neighbour was watching or they were the noise. But I couldn't deny lately I'd been feeling strange, like something ominous was just around the corner, just out of my line of sight.
"Maybe, it's fur was black, do you think we could meet up tomorrow, spend some girl time together!"
"Could I deny you anything?"
"Easily, about 11, I'll come over to yours?"
"Sure, laters babe."
As I put down the phone a timid knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
Clara poked her head around the door frame "Hey sweetie, mind if I lend your ear for a sec?"
"Not using it." I mumbled petulantly shrugging my shoulders.
She closed the door quietly and gingerly sat on the end of my bed. She sighed and gazed at me for a minute… jeez spit it out!
"Honey, I know that these past few years will have been hard for you, Your dad and I met and married so suddenly, and I know you were probably used to it just being you and him, trust me, it was the same for Hollie and I…" Yeah right Hollie's 6… like she understands anything… "In a lot of ways you've been more understanding than most in your position and now you've got another brother or sister on the way but I want you to know even though I'm not your 'real' mum I'm gonna try my hardest to be a good step mother, and with that comes the knowledge that you can talk me about anything." Why was she looking expectantly at me?
"You know about anything, school, boys…" Ah, Jared.
"Nope, nothing…"
"OK then." She walked to the door, then hesitated… "Honey, your dad just has your best interest at heart… always."
"He loves you with all his heart you know." I couldn't help it, it just came out!
Damn, she took it as her cue to sit back down. "Well maybe some of it, trust me you have the rest… you're his baby girl and Jared's the big bad wolf come to steal you away, I think he had it in his head you weren't going to date until your 30!" she sniggered.
I couldn't help but giggle along, she'd hit the nail on the head perfectly. She was the first to settle down.
"We really do love you Kimmy." The softness of her voice and the use of my childhood nickname had me tearing up.
"I know." I uttered softly. She gave me a sweet smile.
"And we're here if you need us." She caressed my cheek and left the room.
And that was what it was really all about, that was the reassurance I'd been needing, that if I got my heart broke over Jared then my mum and dad would still be there for me. Isn't that what every child needed? And that's when it hit me, Clara had been in my life for about 2 and a half years… yet she'd always given me the attention only a mother could, even though I'd been an unwilling recipient. My own mother had given me a love of a friend or a cool auntie.
Horrified at the thought I quickly plucked my phone back up off the bedside table and dialled mum's number.
After a few rings it clicked onto answer machine.
"Hey this is Sarah…" "And Nathan!..." "And we can't get to the phone right now because…" "We're too busy being in love!..." My mums childish laugh "So leave a message at the beep!"
Ugh. I quickly hung up. That was sickening on so many levels. Yet mum had sounded so happy. And for a dramatic moment only a teenager could have I though God, she's forgotten all about me!
But just as quickly I knew she hadn't it was simply her life was there with Nathan, and mine was here with dad, Clara and Hollie… and Jared.
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A howl sounded through the night, paws beat on the earthy path in a primal beat. I dashed around the trees in my path. I knew instinctually if it got me I wouldn't live. A light burned in the distance but no matter how fast a run, it didn't get any closer: Was it moving away from me? It couldn't! It couldn't leave me out here with IT. My legs were beginning to slow. My breath whistled out my throat and my lungs burned.
I had to keep running. I couldn't go back but neither could I see in front of me. As I swung past another tree from the dark arms swung around me, my scream pierced the night.
"SSHHH!"
I let out a sob "Lane!" Lane wasn't herself, her eyes were blank, her face passive and her voice flat.
"It's close, it's looking for you."
"What is it? Lane…" I shook her "answer me!"
She opened her mouth but before she could sound a word a twig snapped behind us. I swung round to be met with glowing amber eyes and glinting teeth.
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REMEMBER REVIEW… OR KIM GETS IT! I JOKE… SORT OF.
SORRY IT WAS SO SHORT AND NOT A LOT HAPPENED BUT I FEEL LIKE I NEEDED TO EXPLORE MY CHARACTERS RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACHOTHER TO MAKE THEM MORE LIFE-LIKE AND TO GIVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THEM FOR THE REST OF THE STORY.