Sorry for the delay. My computer crashed a few days ago. And I have a million other fanfics I'm writing. And my choir does A LOT of traveling during the Christmas season. And I had my school's winter musical, which was very time consuming. But don't worry. My school was cancelled for a few days so I've been busy writing and for those of you who read multiple of my stories, updates are coming soon. Anyway. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Unfortunately, I'm running out of ideas, so unless I miraculously come up with one, this will be one of the last few chapters. Thank you so much for all of your positive feedback! Now. To the story!

Megan Sanders

Chapter 26 - Guilt

Our parents nearly flipped when the Cullens dropped us back off that weekend.

Emma Jane's hair had been clipped away by Alice before the party (which felt like ages ago), and we barely spoke at all because we were still scared shitless. Our parents had always been really proud of our extrovertedness and unique personalities. Seeing us shut down was tragic to them. And they really didn't like things like haircuts being done without their permission. Even if it was an inch at most.

I think they would have been more worried, though, if we had told them that we were scared of being exsanguinated by some filthy cretin seeking revenge in the middle of the night. I didn't care what the Cullens looked like. I didn't care how they acted. When it came to good vs. bad vampires, I saw the Cullens versus the scary shit that you see in the movies. Sparkly in the sun versus POOF! Coffins versus no beauty sleep and still devastatingly good looks. Garlic fearing creatures versus really good cooks. Crucifix hating monsters versus "children" of the son of a preacher.

I felt bad for ever having suspected something bad about the Cullens. I wasn't guilty about being observant, or suspecting anything at all, but I was ashamed that I had ever thought that people like they would sink to the low of killing humans. I was also kind of disappointed at myself because of how much of a pry I was. I wouldn't let it go. I understand that it's okay to be curious, but they were clearly annoyed by it, and they were nothing but hospitable to my sister and I. And without their help, Emma Jane would be completely drained in an alley right now.

And yeah, sure we were at the Cullens' party when she wanted the fucking cookie dough, but really. Emma Jane was a cookie dough freak. She would have been out getting the addicting salmonella inducing substance any Friday night, no matter where she was. So it wasn't the Cullens' fault at all. And they saved her anyway.

Though it was Spring, in Alamosa, Colorado, it gets really cold. Even after winter, subzero temperatures often occur. I really needed a snow day. Which often doesn't occur because people are always prepared for snow days with salt and gravel ready to be dumped on the roads and the snow plows never in storage.

I looked out my window on Monday morning and to my dismay, found the snow level just the same is it had been since the weekend storm. I got ready for school in a normal fashion.

I'm naturally always in a bad mood. Unless I have something to look forward to or people are actually not being immature idiots for a change, my tolerance level generally goes down from there. Cold temperature is one of those things that lowers the level of my good mood. Which really sucks when your parents coach gymnastics for a COLO-fucking-RADO university. Not that the place isn't great or that the people suck. I just hate cold. Like Bella did before physical changed made her not really care about the temperature.

After I ate breakfast, took my shower, got dressed and brushed my teeth, I turned on the news just hoping that the scroller would be on, announcing that the Alamosa school district was closed. Unfortunately, like I preditced, it wasn't. And I finished getting ready.

When Emma Jane and I went outside to head to our bus stop, I couldn't believe what I saw.

"Holy mother of shitturds!" I exclaimed.

"Where the hell did all of this come from?" Emma Jane wondered.

There was at least three inches of fresh snow that had fallen since I had woken up. And they still hadn't closed school?

Our bus got stuck behind a pileup on the way to the school. So when we finally arrived on campus, enough snow had been stomped away and turned into snowballs by enthusiastic students to reveal a nice thick layer of ice.

"Oh god," I heard Emma Jane sigh.

" 'Oh god' is what people say when they really want to say 'oh shit,' " I commented.

"Well, then. Pardon my French, but oh shit," she corrected herself.

"That's better," I applauded. "Except in French it would be something like 'Zut, zut! Merde alors!' "

"Jeez, Ily, stop stalling. Sooner or later, we're gonna have to slip and slide and most likely fall on our asses all the way to class," she reminded me. Why does she do that. Oh wait, it's the job of sisterhood to be annoying.

Luckily for us, Alice and Bella were right by our bus. Waiting.

"We figured you could use a hand," Bella suggested, taking Emma Jane by the elbow while Alice supported me.

Not that I didnt greatly appreciate it, but Alice's help just made me feel worse. Out of all of the Cullens and Hales I was especially close with Alice, and when I suspected something, I suspected it of everyone, including Alice. How could I have ever thought of Alice being something terrible. I don't even know what I thought they were, but I knew it wasn't something that I'd be all too happy about. I should have known that whatever was going on, it wouldn't affect the Cullens' charity, hospitality, or generosity.

Bella and Alice delivered us safely to our first period classes without so much as expecting anything in return. I was pretty sure that even though it wasn't until our afternoon block began that either of us would have class with a Cullen, we could expect a similar escort throughout the entire day from class to class. That made me feel really bad.

The worst part was that we were taking so much of their time. Alice, Edward, and Bella were doing everything they could to predict hell breaking loose, and then to try and prevent it. It also took time for them to cook for the extra people when we were around, and we often asked them for help studying since they had all been through high school multiple times. When I had told Emmett this once, he had said not to worry about it, that they had forever so time wasn't an issue.

But that just made me feel the guilt more. Sure they had forever, but if eveybody looked at it that way, it would be as if they were always being taken advantage of.

And anyways, they admitted that generally when people found out about their secret, they packed up and moved. There were only two reasons why they hadn't left: we were in danger for the time being, and they specifically cared for us, whereas in other cities and towns, they had isolated themselves.

That packed on some more weight. We were the reason that they were staying. While that made me feel special, it also made me feel guilty.

We rode with Edward and Bella back to their house like always. Every day we did homework at their house with them. Today we didn't have much homework, which put me in a slightly better mood, but there was nothing better than hanging with the Cullens and Evalyn, whom they were planning to adopt soon. They still hadn't explained exactly how they were going to tell Evalyn their little secret, or what was going to happen with her when they did, whether they were going to change her or not, but at least for a long time she would have a steady home with vampires all around her who loved her and who would protect her to the ends of the earth. Which are non existant.

Charlie came over after a while and we chatted with him while we waited for Emmett and Jasper to get off of the freaking Wii. We never played against any of our genetically inhanced friends knowing instantly that we would lose unless they let us win. And that's no fun winning a forfeited game, now is it?

It was a lot more fun talking with Charlie now that we knew what he knew. It was kind of sad when we heard his side of the story. How he found out by first hearing that Bella was claiming to be someone else's daughter. He felt worse for us, though, considering not only were we scared beyond all belief, but we were still in danger. Charlie's life had never been compromised.

Evalyn came around begging us to play games with her. Charlie played hide and seek with her for a while, but he gave up when he climbed up and down the stairs looking for her. His knees were not in the best shape of all time. Finally, he convinced me to go upstairs and chase her out of whatever hiding spot she was in.

So I did. But the chasing downstairs...

I felt REALLY bad as a screaming Evalyn tumbled down the stairs.