*Note-

Here is the next chapter. Amanda is, yes, a bit bothered...think about how you would feel if you were a pre-teen girl living with a family of vampires. I remember being that age. It was not so long ago! ...Yikes!

I tried my best at making a banner for the story out of some drawings. Check it out if you'd like. I posted it on my profile. :)


Worthy of Love

Chapter Twenty-Six

|We Are Family|

The Cullens were having a relaxing Sunday afternoon. The kids spent the morning setting up the latest video game console in the living room and proceeded to play with it for hours after that. Emmet and Jasper were hogging the game from Amanda, who was anxiously waiting for her turn. In Emmet's opinion, the human girl had too slow of reflexes to play with them. Esme had to step in to tell her sons to play fairly, in spite of their age.

Carlisle and Rosalie had gone to sign some lease papers for his new office building, next to the hospital, in town. This year, Rosalie would be working for him after school until she graduated, and then she was going to try her best to merge into nursing to see if she could handle the challenge of working in the medical field. If she managed herself well, she thought she might try to make her way through medical school if she could convince others she was older than sixteen. Carlisle was fully supportive of Rosalie's dream, and proud as ever to have one of his children follow in his footsteps.

With the kids busy and Carlisle out of the house, Esme and Elizabeth spent some time together enjoying their hobbies in the living room. The two women really got on well and Esme was thrilled to have her friend, and sister, living with their family. Elizabeth was pleased to be a part of the Cullen family too, but for her it was more gratitude than anything else. She would have nowhere else to go if they had not accepted her into their lives. She was constantly being reminded that it was her family now and she didn't have to feel like a guest in their house. She tried to make herself at home, but it was easier said than done. Elizabeth was still a bit fragile when concerned about her transition and needed a lot of support and reassurance from Carlisle and Esme.

"She is upset," Elizabeth said suddenly, breaking from the silence. Obviously, Amanda's rude comments that morning were weighing heavily on her mind.

Esme was painting on canvas and Elizabeth was embroidering on a lace cloth she had croqueted. Esme brought her eyes up from her artwork and smiled lovingly to her new sister. "She will come around. She needs some time to adjust. She was doing very well in Alaska this last year. She made a few friends on her swim team and her grades were improving," Esme said encouragingly. "She will need some time to adjust to this move. A lot of things have changed in her life again. You know how hard that is for her…and she doesn't like to share her feelings so sometimes they come out in misplaced anger."

Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully and reached up to her face to push her none-existent glasses up onto her head. She realized her mistake and sighed, taking her hand away. "Old habits do die hard," she said apologetically. She no longer needed her glasses, she had perfect sight, but she still, on occasion, reached for them. Elizabeth found it embarrassing to make such slip up in front of the Cullens. She didn't find it as daunting to be around Esme, because Esme was so understanding and helpful when it came to adapting to her new life. It was not too long ago that Esme had been the newest member of the family.

"Yes," Esme agreed. "Amanda is no different. Time will correct all these little kinks and smooth them over. I am sure of it!"

"I understood it would be hard to get close to her again because of my…condition," Elizabeth said shyly, referring to Amanda's resistance to her new form. Elizabeth was not used to saying the word, vampire, out loud yet. Esme smiled gently as Elizabeth continued, "I suppose I forgot to consider how hard it would be for her to accept me as her mother as well as a vam-" She cut her own self off. Elizabeth was grateful she could no longer blush, cause she would have been rosy cheeked at that moment.

"Amanda is strong. She may not like what we are, but she does consider us family and she has been very good about keeping the secret. It cannot be easy for her," Esme said, sure of her words. "She is a preteen girl, so she acts out on occasion, but she has adjusted to our lifestyle for the most part. She teases Emmet about blood all the time, so don't think her words this morning were directed at you per se. Amanda is going to be testing you since you are new."

"I know. I should not have thought I could come into her life after three years and expect her to listen to me like she did when she was eight, but I guess, I thought…I thought she would be…" Elizabeth struggled to find the words, since they hurt her to say. "I thought she would be happy to see me."

"She is! She missed you terribly, Liz," Esme consoled her friend. She patted Elizabeth's arm and smiled reassuringly. Elizabeth tried to smile back. She took an unnecessary breath and then sighed. The one good thing about being a new vampire, trying to adjust to the Cullen's way of life, was that Elizabeth's human instincts were fresher in her mind. She didn't have to relearn how to act human.

"Thanks, Esme."

There was a knock on the door frame to the room and Carlisle waited to be seen before he entered. When both women graced him with a friendly smile he entered. "Sorry to interrupt ladies," he apologized. "I didn't mean to intrude on your conversation."

"We were finished," Elizabeth conceded. Esme bowed her head slowly in agreement and then waited for him to speak. She knew what he was about to announce, as it was tradition when they moved to a new city.

"Is everyone home at this time, then?" he asked.

"Yes, the kids are in the other room playing a game," Elizabeth offered. Carlisle smiled at her appreciatively.

"How did it go with Rosalie?" Esme asked. She knew that Rosalie was eager to try out the medical field, but, like any teenager, she had an interest in only certain aspects of the job, paperwork not being one of them.

"Well, she was bored for the first little while, I suspect, but when I got her working on the filing system she seemed keen!" Carlisle said with a grin and a hopeful tone. He enjoyed sharing his love of his occupation with Rosalie. Especially if that was what she wanted to dedicate her life to, as well. He was not surprised she was interested, she was very smart and enjoyed the science of medicine, but he worried a bit about her PR skills when she would have to communicate with human beings. She was not always the most compassionate and endearing soul, though her intentions were usually good.

"That is great, honey," Esme cooed lovingly as she got up from her seat by her canvas. She went to her husband and planted a kiss on his cheek, cupping his other cheek with her hand. Elizabeth looked down, not wanted to stare. She was still mourning the loss of Cole, but she did not begrudge Esme and Carlisle's love for one another. In fact, seeing them love one another comforted her greatly. She liked to see them happy.

"Would you please help wrangle the kids to the dining room?" Carlisle asked gently. He sighed, knowing how a few of his children felt about this routine. "It is time for a family meeting."

*

*

*

"Family meeting?" Amanda inquired as she was pulled to the dining room by the arm. Alice guided her to a chair and then sat on the one next to her. Alice loved family meetings. She knew that this one was coming so she got everyone to the table before the adults arrived.

"This is pointless," Rosalie huffed. She sat down, crossed her legs, and leaned back against her chair and folded her arms against her chest. She was not a fan of the repetition. Every move they had meant another meeting and they always went over the same topics. Since Elizabeth's transformation, there had been a few unplanned meetings where Amanda had not been involved, so it was Amanda's first time being included in this tradition.

"Mmm…" Amanda mumbled dully, picking up on Rosalie's attitude.

Jasper was neutral in his feelings for the family discussions. However, it didn't help him when others were moping. Their vibe was hard to overcome. He, personally, felt the meetings were useful for making sure everyone was in the know about the new set up and fabricated stories they were going to go by this time around.

"Where are the oldies?" Emmet asked impatiently, hating to be torn away from his gaming. Carlisle and Esme entered the room first, followed closely by Elizabeth who took a seat across from Esme. Carlisle took a stand at the head of the table.

"Thank you, everyone, for being here. I am sure you would like to get back to your leisure activities so let's try to make this meeting run as smoothly as possible, shall we?"

"Yes, let's!" Emmet said.

Alice perked up to speak as well. "We shall!" she sang, springing up on her seat so she could rest on her knees to gain height.

Amanda giggled at Rosalie's off put expression. Jasper coughed and nodded for Carlisle to continue. Carlisle paused and looked around to make sure all kids were on task. Amanda looked around as well, to see what the others were up to. Alice was bouncing with excitement, Emmet was bouncing with impatience, Rosalie was not bouncing at all, and Jasper was still as a statue and wide eyed, soaking up all the emotions.

"First off..." Carlisle began. "I would like to commend you all for your contributions in helping Liz adapt to our lifestyle over the last several years. You were all wonderful!"

"And Liz is wonderful, too!" Alice chirped, knowing that was her father's next point.

Carlisle nodded at his tiny cheerleader and then smiled at Elizabeth."Yes, and while we have already welcomed you to the family, Liz, I want to say it again…How happy we all are that you have decided to stay with us and join our home."

"Thank you," Elizabeth said softly, smiling faintly. "Thank you, to all of you for welcoming me so graciously. I feel very fortunate to be a part of your family."

"Our family!" Alice corrected sweetly.

Every member of the Cullen family gave Elizabeth a nod or a smile to confirm Alice's words. Amanda was frozen and didn't know what to say. If she would have freedom to speak her mind she might have said, 'Like she had a choice!', but she knew that she would be reprimanded if she sassed back. Amanda felt she was to blame for Elizabeth's death. She didn't want to draw attention to herself that way either, so that was another reason she kept her thoughts to herself.

"Can we hurry this up?" Rosalie asked impatiently. Her mother shot her a reproving glance.

"Ya! Love ya, Lizzy, but we just made it past level eight on the import levels and it is getting good!" Emmet bellowed, thinking of his latest video game.

"Patience, children!" Esme demanded, pressing her hands on the table and leaning forward to give a stern eye to each one of her kids. Amanda kept her mouth shut, but her eyes were huge taking in the scene with a touch of amusement. Emmet could be such a child and Rosalie was so rude. Even ruder than Amanda was at times.

"The main things I wanted to discuss are the basics. Which, I am aware you know, but it is important none-the-less," Carlisle continued from his stand at the head of the table. Amanda watched him, losing interest slightly, but trying to hear him out.

"We know our school schedule already!" Rosalie interrupted. Alice giggled and took Amanda's hand. She was excited to be in the same grade as Amanda this time around. She usually played a bit older to fit in with her vampire siblings, but Alice was thrilled to be able to go to school with her best friend, even if it was middle school. Alice would fit in. Size wise, at least, since she was itty-bitty. She only had to worry about controlling her know-it-all personality and her hyperactivity so she wouldn't be accused of being a child prodigy with Attention Deficit Disorder.

"For those who need to be reminded," Carlisle carried on. "Emmet, Rosalie, and Jasper are enrolled as juniors at Port Alberni High and Alice and Amanda will attend the Port Alberni Middle."

"Your father and I have always expected you to be responsible and set a good example for our family's name," Esme included, standing beside her husband. He graciously let her take the floor. She continued, "This time is a bit different, because Amanda is going to be attending school with you, and I want each one of you to look out for her and help her whenever she is in need of your guidance."

"Um…I'm not starting kindergarten," Amanda sniped sarcastically. "I can take care of myself!"

"We know that, Darling," Esme cooed. "However, your cousins need a reminder to be on their best behavior every decade or so."

"Thanks, Mom," Rosalie grumbled under her breath. She hated being treated like a child. She couldn't stop her mouth from running, though, like the teenager she was stuck as forever.

"We'll be good. We gotcha! Can we go now?" Emmet asked with a big smile, standing up in hopes the meeting was now over. Esme held up her finger and then motioned it downward so he would take a seat again. Emmet's grin faded and he sat down with a face that a scolded puppy would have made. Amanda laughed softly at him.

"Hey, can we talk about raising allowances?" Rosalie asked, leaning forward, hoping this would be the time to bring this up. She and her siblings had been allotted a weekly amount and it was generous, but sometimes not enough to buy all the things they wanted.

"Ah, yes," Carlisle answered. "We have discussed the issue of your allowances and have come up with a way to determine each of your individual weekly payments."

"Oooo, fun!" Alice said, already knowing the plan.

"Each report card, you will be given a certain amount for each A, B, C, and so forth. The higher the grade, the larger amount that grade is worth. If you have grades lower than a C they will subtract against your total. We will add up the amounts and that will be your weekly allowance payment."

"Um…" Amanda said, not quite getting it yet.

Alice understood. Rosalie rolled her eyes. She didn't want to fuss with the plan. She and the rest of her siblings were mainly straight A students most semesters depending on missed tests or gym participation. The Cullen kids would have no problem getting quite a nice sum of money for allowance. Alice explained to Amanda quickly what each letter grade was worth.

Amanda finally caught on and groaned. "That's not fair!" She complained shrilly to her aunt and uncle. Carlisle raised his eyebrows and watched her thoughtfully for a moment.

"It is fair, I can assure you. Of course, negative points for detentions or any time we are called in to deal with a school disturbance will also be in effect."

"No…it is not fair! They are all smarter than me!" Amanda said, waving a pointed finger around at all her cousins. "You are punishing me for being stupid!"

"Amanda, that is not so," Esme said gently. She had a feeling Amanda would not take kindly to this new arrangement. Amanda's grades had never been very good. She didn't enjoy homework and often slacked off in school.

"You are smart, Amanda. If you apply yourself," Carlisle told her with encouragement and a pleasant smile that made Amanda more upset. He continued optimistically, "I am sure if you put a little more attention toward your studies you can get your grades up this semester."

"Oh, come on! It is still not fair. They all have, like, ninety years on me!" Amanda exclaimed, talking about her vampire cousins once again. "Even if I study, I will be at a disadvantage!" she whined.

"I think you are capable of whatever you put your mind to, Dear," Carlisle spoke sincerely. His kind, patient smile made Amanda boil inside and her eyes narrowed at him. She was seething with resentment as he continued to announce how much each of them would get for allowance until the next report card and the amounts would be recalculated.

There were six classes at Amanda's previous school and she had gotten an A ($15) in Gym, C- (-$5) in math, Pass (-$10) in Social Studies, B ($3) in English, C ($0) in Spanish, and B ($3) in Sciences. Amanda's number added together was not impressive.

"Six dollars a week?" Amanda blurted out, slapping her hand down on the table. "How do you expect me to live on that?"

"You will have a chance to earn more, Amanda," Esme reasoned. "You know that you can always ask us if there is anything essential you need and can not afford yourself. We do not deny you those items. This is just your pocket money for leisure."

"So, I get sixty a week, then?" Rosalie asked, butting in. She wanted to make sure she had the concept straight. She had six A's the last semester of school that she had attended. If each of them was worth fifteen dollars than that would be correct.

"Yes, you are correct, Rose," Carlisle told his blonde daughter. She let a smile spread, not minding the meeting so much anymore. She had been getting half that amount on their old regime. Alice would be getting sixty-five dollars a week now, Emmet, fifty-one, Jasper, fifty-five, and Amanda…six dollars.

"This is crap!" Amanda called out, unable to shunt her rage any longer. Alice was a bit surprised and she jumped at Amanda's shrill voice. She knew Amanda was not going to like the new allowance regime, but she didn't see Amanda acting out so much at the family meeting. That was the difficult thing for Alice to predict, Amanda's reactions, because Amanda was quite impulsive and unpredictable. She didn't often think before she reacted and that is how she would often get herself into trouble.

"Watch your language, Amanda!" Elizabeth stood up and demanded, lapsing into her maternal ways once again. "I know you are not pleased with this arrangement, but you will not disrespect your aunt, uncle, or myself. Do you understand me?"

Amanda shook her head mildly in disbelief and pushed back from the table and crashed into the back of her seat with her arms pressed firmly at her sides. Her fingers clawed the seat cushion tightly. She felt like she was being ganged up on; that she was, once again, at a disadvantage. She could not see clearly to understand that rules were set in place to teach her responsibility. She could only see that she was going to be earning less allowance than everyone else and it made her angry.

"Do you understand me?" Elizabeth repeated strongly. She did not see anyone out of the corners of her eyes. She was focused on Amanda. She was finally stepping up again to be the mother to Amanda that she had not been able to be for the past three years.

Amanda gritted her teeth. "Yes," she conceded loathingly, barely at a whisper.

"Good, now straighten up and pay attention," Elizabeth demanded in a lighter tone of voice as she took her seat again. She bowed her head to Carlisle to suggest he continue. He smiled at her, proud of her for asserting herself. Then he faced the table again.

"Just a few more things," Carlisle began. "Of course, I want to stress, like we talked about previously, that any cuts, scraps, bruises will need to be addressed as quickly as possible. If you hurt yourself, Amanda, you are to tell one of us immediately so we can be better prepared."

"So Liz won't eat me. I KNOW!" Amanda said rudely. Elizabeth's mouth opened in gasp and then she winced and shied away, looking off into space to avoid thinking about the possibility. Esme seemed upset with Amanda's outburst too.

"You are getting a bit too rude for my liking, young lady," Carlisle warned, "One more comment like that one and there will be consequences, I am sorry to say."

"How am I being rude?" Amanda insisted. "You are rude!" She was starting to get red in the cheeks from her anger. Carlisle held his composure, but he did not like the way she was speaking to him. Jasper shifted a bit in his chair, looking to Alice to see if he should intervene.

"Don't you dare!" Amanda yelled at Jasper, catching onto what he was trying to do. She focused her anger back at Carlisle and yelled, "I am upset for a reason! I don't want to talk about any of this anymore! I know the rules. You tell me everyday! Don't do this, don't do that! Don't yell, don't swear, and don't BLEED!

"Amanda..." Carlisle tried to calm her, but she was not finished.

"I can't help being HUMAN! You have to get over it and LEAVE ME ALONE!" Amanda screamed and she bolted up from her seat and stormed away from the table. Esme and Elizabeth's chairs simultaneously pushed out as they got up to go after Amanda, but Carlisle raised his hand. He moved away from the table and walked slowly down the hallway to catch up with her. Amanda turned to see him coming and she stopped and spun around, glaring at him with tears in her icy, blue eyes.

"Come back to the table, Amanda," he asked of her calmly. "This is a family meeting and we are not finished."

"Family?" Amanda threw the words back at him for questioning. "You are all crazy if you think this a normal family!"

Amanda's chin quivered. She felt her tears start to fall as she turned her back on her uncle and made her way towards the staircase. She was angry and hurt over a lot more things than that discussed at the Cullen family meeting. Carlisle knew this, so he decided to let her have some time to cool down before he would confront her about her outburst.

Amanda had a bad temper and she was often prone to losing it, but she was right about one thing…her family was not normal.

*

*

*

Amanda was crying on her bed, face down in her over-sized sham cushion. Her tears were showing up darker on the burgundy material. She sniffed and turned her head to breathe. She was calming down now, but she felt like she might cry again at any second. Amanda didn't like to fight with the Cullens. They were her only family now, and she did care for them, but sometimes she hated to be the only one that was human and imperfect.

Tonight, her temper got away from her, but she still felt like she was justified for being so angry. It didn't seem right in her mind that she should be the one with all the rules. She hated talking about Elizabeth's lack of control, her blood being too tempting, that she had to be careful, and that she had to be good and perfect to try to fit in with the rest of them. Amanda knew she could never be perfect. The thought of trying to be so good frightened her because she was sure she would fail.

There was a knock at the door. Amanda ignored it and put her face back into her pillow. She was not ready to confront whoever it was behind the door about her fit at the family meeting a few minutes ago. She knew she would be scolded, be forced to apologize, and then reassured once again that everything was going to be okay. Amanda was fairly certain she would never be okay again. She lived with monsters. As good as the Cullens were, they were still monsters. Amanda hated to think of them that way, but it was always in the back of her mind, jabbing at her. There was a second knock to follow the first.

"Amanda?" Jasper's voice rang out with caution as he pushed the bedroom door open.

Amanda shoved her face deeper into her pillow. 'Of course they sent him!' she thought stubbornly, 'to sedate me!'

"Go away!" Amanda said muffled by her pillow. She didn't budge and hoped he would pick up on her anger and leave. Jasper was pretty good about giving Amanda her space. She enjoyed his talent to manipulate feelings at certain times, but when she was mad she didn't like him to mellow her down without her permission to do so. Jasper understood this about Amanda and he was generally very respectful of her wishes.

"I feel that you are still upset, but I would like to come in please, if I may?" He asked kindly, stepping in and closing the door. Alice had sent him. She said that he would be the best to tend to Amanda at this time. Elizabeth had originally wanted to be the one to confront Amanda, but Alice had seen how that would have turned out... a lot more screaming and no chance of a resolve. So, Alice persuaded her mate into doing the job instead. He would put forth his best efforts to reason with their younger cousin.

"I DON'T want to talk about it!" Amanda said, smushing her face into her pillow so hard she couldn't breathe anymore.

She had done that once before too. Held her breath, that is. When she was nine and first brought to live in Denali. She started school and that first week she had been left with only Esme, while the rest of the family was with Elizabeth in Kipta. All the other girls in her class had pierced ears and she wanted to fit in so she begged Esme to let her get her ears pierced too. Esme told her no and that she would have to wait until she was thirteen.

Well, it ended up turning into a tantrum and Amanda threatened Esme by holding her breath saying she wanted to die if she had to go back to school without pierced ears. She insisted the other kids would hate her for being different. It was irrational, but Amanda took it seriously. Stubborn as Amanda was back then, and still is, she held her breath for so long, when her body instinctively forced her to take a breath, she had passed out. That sent Esme into a panic, calling Carlisle who reassured his wife that Amanda would be fine. It was true; Amanda regained consciousness seconds later as Esme made the call to her husband. Amanda had been grounded for a week with no television for pulling that stunt.

"You do know that you can't asphyxiate yourself, right? It will not work Your brain will tell your lungs to breath automatically," Jasper said as he sat on the edge of her bed and then added, "Breathing is involuntary…well, for you it is, anyway,"

"Not…in…the mood!" Amanda stated harshly, tilted her head to the side so she could breathe again. She glared at Jasper, who raised his hands up to surrender.

"No, no, I know," he said with a nod of understanding. "I can respect that."

"Good, cause' I don't want to talk about it!" Amanda repeated.

"Talk about what?" Jasper asked slyly.

"About me being a huge burden to the family!" Amanda proclaimed raising her voice. Then she realized she had just talked about 'it' and she closed her eyes and sighed. Jasper was really quite good at getting Amanda to open up, even without using his talent. "I hate when you shrink me!" Amanda pouted, rolling onto her back. She felt a bit more at ease and she squinted an accusing eye in Jasper's direction.

"It is all you," he told her.

Amanda sighed and took a long, deep breath. "So…they are mad at me, then?" she asked. "Am I grounded? No allowance? Not even six dollars?"

Jasper laughed at Amanda's sarcasm. He could feel that she was losing some anger, but the resentment was still there. He also felt her guilt, shame, pride, and pain. Over the years Jasper had gotten used to being around a human child. One with so many changing emotions he sometimes needed to step out to take a break from her emotional outbursts, but lately he was not finding it as unbearable to tolerate. He loved Amanda like his sisters, brother and parents did.

"They understand why you are upset, Amanda," Jasper told her calmly, taking a page from his father's book. Amanda eyed him skeptically. "We do not expect you to be perfect. Simply try your best. For example, not walking on broken glass with bare feet or running into sharp object would be helpful. That's all!"

Amanda smiled at her peaceful cousin who rarely cracked a joke. She sat up and slid closer to him. He smiled back at her, sensing he was getting through to Amanda.

"I can say, without a doubt, you are not a burden. The love that we all feel for you is always present," Jasper said sincerely. "I would know!"

Amanda sighed and closed her eyes. She wanted to believe his words.

"Would you please just say you will try? That is all they want to hear you say," he encouraged, playing the good guy. Amanda pursed her lips and took another breath. She assumed she was not done for the night. An apology was usually required whenever she yelled or stormed away from an adult while they were speaking to her. Amanda let her breath out in a heavy puff and leaned into Jasper with her head on his shoulder. He smiled and put his arm around her. She was conceding.

"Can you give me a push?" Amanda whispered, feeling too vulnerable and weak to go downstairs to face her uncle without some encouragement. Jasper pulled her in for a hug and she sighed peacefully as a wave of reassurance and confidence flowed through her. He let her go and she hopped off the bed and walked to the door. She turned around as she left and smiled at her cousin.

"Thank you, Jazz," she told him. He bowed his head in a very gentlemanly fashion and then stood up to follow her out of her room as she made her way downstairs to apologize for her rude behavior at the family meeting. Jasper stayed close by for support. Amanda needed a little extra help sometimes.

Allowance X Grade Calculator Legend

Grade % $

A+(96-100) = 20

A (91-95) = 15

A- (86-90) = 10

B+ (81-85) = 5

B (76-80) = 3

B- (71-75) = 2

C+(66-70) = 1

C (61-65) = 0

C- (56-60) = -5

P (51-55) = -10

F (0-50) = -15

*Note- So, ya…Amanda is still very stubborn and impulsive, but she is trying to do her best to fit in. Fit in with her family, at school, etc…just in general she is struggling with her family life. Kinda like a lot of preteen girls. She is not always nice, but think about what she has been through.

I hope you are all still enjoying this story. I was kinda pleased with the Jasper and Amanda moment since I tend to neglect him a bit when I write, but he really is a good guy! He is Amanda's comfort, like Rosalie is for girly stuff (since Alice can't remember being human), and Alice is her best friend. Then, of course, Emmet is her playmate. Haha!

Coming Up Next...First day of school, swim practice, and possible new friends.

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