Twilight belongs to SM!

Chapter 29

Greg's POV

I dropped off Clarissa with Alice at school, and then I drove. I ran like the coward I was. There was something that wasn't right, and I'd been feeling it all day. I pressed the peddle down as I left the city limits. I tried to remind myself that up until today James had been my friend. He could be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but overall he wasn't too bad. It just wasn't working; I couldn't help but be angry. All that did was remind me of all the bad times that James and I had been through. And that just made me angrier.

I sighed and tried to focus on the road. I saw the speed limit increase and looked up to see that I was leaving the state. I knew where I was going, even if I didn't want to admit it to myself. It was certainly time that I had made my little side trip down to Kansas. I wanted to get one problem out of the way. Dealing with Rachel would be much easier that dealing with Leah or Mike. Next stop, Kansas.

OMOMOMOMOM (Clarissa's POV)

The rest of the day was miserable. Mom, Dad, and Tyler all caught on to my mood, but they left me alone. Usually I wouldn't have minded, but I wanted nothing more than to talk. I didn't think anyone would really understand, they would just think I was being silly, so I didn't bring it up. I went through all the normal motions; I did my homework, ate dinner, and got ready for bed. I laid in bed, waiting to hear the sound of my window go up, and for Greg to climb in. It was late but I finally heard the sound of my window opening. But there were two figures that climbed into my room.

"Who is it?" I asked anxiously as I turned on the light. There really was no point in sitting in the dark whispering. Mom and Dad both would know what was going on and Tyler slept like a rock. After I blinked a couple times, I could see Edward and Jasper standing by my window. Why were they here? Had something happened to Greg?

"Greg's fine." Edward answered my unasked question. Oh yea the mind reading thing…

"At least as far as we know." Jasper tagged on. What?

"He's in Kansas, so we haven't talked with him in a few hours." Kansas? What was in Kansas? Oh…yea…Rachel. Edward nodded.

"I suppose I knew he was going to be making a side trip down there sooner or later. Don't take this the wrong way, but why are you guys here?" It was Jasper who spoke, rather than Edward who I'd expected.

"We wanted to correct you about something from this afternoon." I frowned, correct me? Was something else my fault? Did I miss something?

"Clarissa, nothing is your fault, honestly." Edward said. Sure it wasn't, were they trying to make me feel better or something? "It was just an act, I promise." He continued. I rolled my eyes, not believing him.

"Clarissa, Alice had a vision right after Greg left."Jasper stopped talking and Edward picked up where his brother left off.

"I saw it and it wasn't pretty, it was downright horrible. Let's just say that you ended up in the hospital again and it was much worse than your accident." He paused and let me think.

"From what Alice told me, that's a pretty big understatement Edward."

"She doesn't need to know the gory details." Clearly this bit of the conversation wasn't meant for my ears. They had either forgotten or didn't know about my extended abilities. Jasper continued.

"Alice assured us that if we acted like we did, then you would be safe. But we knew that soon enough we would have to tell you that it was just an act or the same results would come." I bit my lip, thinking.

"Can I see Alice's vision?" I asked Edward.

"Why don't you ask her yourself? Alice, get up here!" He spoke in the direction of the window. The next thing I knew Alice was standing next to Edward and Jasper.

"It should be fine, I don't see anything. Just promise me you won't freak out Clarissa." I nodded and she extended her hand towards me. I placed mine on top of hers. I found the vision quickly, and as soon as I saw it, I pulled my hand off of hers.

"AGH! That's horrible! How could I do something that stupid?" I started to cry, truly afraid of what my emotions could do to me. I remembered that Jasper was here, not to mention I had promised Alice that I wouldn't freak out, so I pushed back my tears. I could cry later. After a few minutes of silence, my sadness and pain faded into gratitude. I got up and gave Alice a hug.

"Thank you for looking out for me and protecting me." I told her as I hugged her.

"You're welcome." She whispered back. When she let me go, I turned to Edward and Jasper.

"And thank you for coming to tell me the truth." I really hoped that Jasper could feel how truly grateful I was that both he and Edward had come.

"He does." I heard Edward say. I smiled and yawned. Alice laughed.

"Greg is going to be furious that you kept her up half the night." Edward smiled back at her.

"But he doesn't know the entire story. I'm sure once he knows why, he'll be much more understanding." A moment passed and Alice's eyes had this far away look, I assumed she was having a vision. Another moment later she frowned.

"See, I told you so." I yawned again and crawled back into bed, but I didn't think that there would be much sleeping for me tonight, I was too keyed up. As soon as I got settled, I felt exhausted.

"Thanks," I muttered and I heard a small chuckle from outside.

"You know she'll probably wake up once we leave." I heard Alice mutter.

"Well, if you're willing to stay, I am too." Jasper responded. Obviously they didn't know I could still hear them. Greg and Carlisle must have been very careful about their thoughts that night.

"You guys do know that she can still hear us." Drat, thanks for ruining my fun Edward.

"She can?" Jasper and Alice sounded very surprised. I chuckled.

"Every single word." I murmured, almost asleep.

"How did that happen?" Jasper mused.

"I honestly couldn't tell you. But I'm willing to bet that we could piece it together."

Another story for another day, I thought.

"She says she'll tell us later." I smiled again, and drifted off to sleep.

OMOMOMOMOM (Greg's POV)

As I neared the university where Rachel had attended, I easily picked up her scent. It was now mixed with the scent of a vampire. I was worried, if she was still on campus she was either hunting or in possession of some serious self control. I fervently hoped it was the latter. I parked the car about a mile out from the university limits and followed her scent. I was relieved as the fresh trail took a turn towards the forest and away from the college campus. I ran a few more minutes and found Rachel sitting in a cave.

"Rachel?" I asked, hoping not to startle her. She looked up and narrowed her eyes.

"What do you want?" She asked with acidic tone.

"We're worried about you. Clarissa was afraid that you'd been attacked by Thelma the night you drove home."

"How do you know about Thelma?"

"She came to the house and attacked Clarissa too."

"You mean Clarissa's a vampire too?" She had an excitement in her voice. It sound like Rachel wanted her sister to suffer through the same fate that she had. Although, Clarissa probably would have had no objection after the transformation was finished.

"Not exactly. Her sense of hearing and vision improved greatly but she's not a vampire. I sucked the venom out. I couldn't bear to see her go through that sort of pain." Rachel screamed.

"It's so unfair! She has everything! I didn't want this life, and she did! Now I'm the vampire and she still gets to be human!" Rachel screamed again. I had to be careful.

"Rachel, all of us would have given anything to have been able to change the results for you from that night. But we can't. Please come home. Your parents miss you, and Clarissa desperately wants to make things right with you. We can help you deal with all of this. Every one of us has been through life as a newborn. Let us help you." I was quiet as she thought things over. I was sure she was going to say yes. But then something changed in her face and once more it became angry.

"NO! This is all just some plot so you can make my sister happy! You don't really care for me! And neither does my mother! If she did, she wouldn't have left us! And Dad, it's not like he ever took the time to really get to know me. Clarissa was always his favorite!"

"Rachel, that's not true…" She cut me off.

"Oh yes it is! Now I think it's best that you leave now. Leave and never return!" She screamed. I weighed my options for just a few seconds, but the moment she moved into a crouch, I ran. I didn't want to get into a fight with Rachel, it was a lose-lose situation. As I ran, I thought who might be able to convince her. Maybe Carlisle, Jasper, and her parents could persuade her to come home and listen to the voice of reason. As I got into the car, I took a quick look at the clock on the dashboard. It read 2:30 am. I needed to get home so I could change and take Clarissa to school. I sighed as I pulled back on the high way. Tonight's mission had been a total failure.

OMOMOMOMOM(Clarissa's POV)

I woke up to my alarm going off. I slapped the snooze button and sat up. Even though I hadn't slept for very long, I felt well rested. It was one of the best night's sleep I had ever gotten; there were no nightmares and no dreams. I sat and listened for Jasper and Alice, but I didn't hear anyone. I could thank him later, or at school. I got up, showered, and dressed. It was getting annoying, having to work around my cast and the stitches on my shoulder, but I managed. I finished drying my hair and stepped out of the bathroom, I saw Greg sitting on my bed, a smile on his face. I smiled, glad that he was back home and feeling better.

"I'm glad you're back. I missed you last night." He smiled and came over to hug me.

"It's good to be back home. Did you sleep okay last night?" I nodded.

"Very well, thanks to Jasper. How did your trip go? Is Rachel coming back?" His smile faded.

"I thought I had her convinced to come back, but she suddenly changed her mind. She said that I didn't really care about her, I was just trying to make you happy. And I guess it wasn't the best idea for me to be the one to try to convince her to come home. Your parents, coupled with Carlisle and Jasper, stand a much better chance. But for now, no she's staying in her cave by the university." I sighed, I really wanted to make things right with Rachel.

"Come on, we still have to get to school on time. Why don't you go eat breakfast while I pack up your backpack?" I nodded and headed downstairs. When I reached the table, I found a note from my mother.

Clarissa

Gone to try our luck with Rachel. Should be back before you get home from school today. If your Dad's work calls, he's sick. Esme's going to come over and help out Tyler. See you soon. Lots of love.

Mom and Dad

I wasn't surprised. They really did miss her. The only thing that surprised me was that I hadn't heard them leave. I wondered if I was losing my bit of vampire ability, I didn't want to. I liked being able to hear things that other people couldn't and I didn't have to worry about sitting in the back of the room anymore because I could see the board no matter what. I poured myself a bowl of cereal and a glass of water. Greg came down with my bag and sat with me. When I had finished rinsing off the dishes Greg walked me out to his car and we drove to school.

The day went quickly. James wasn't in first period, and while I felt bad that I had gotten him in trouble so close to graduation, I was very glad he wouldn't be able to bug me today. Greg also seemed to relax when he noticed James' absence. The teachers were beginning to stress the importance of studying and just because we were seniors didn't mean we could not study for all of our finals. Greg and I sat with the rest of the Cullens during lunch. The afternoon took the same course as the morning.

When we arrived home I found my mom and dad sitting at the kitchen table.

"How did it go? Is Rachel going to come home?" My dad sighed.

"By the time we got to her hiding place, she had left. We followed her trail until she hit a river, and we couldn't find it after that." I sighed, angry at myself for ever letting that fight happen.

"I'm sorry." Greg's voice was quiet, almost so quiet I couldn't hear him.

"Greg you don't have anything to apologize for." My mother answered him.

"It would have been better if I had let you talk to her first."

"Doubtful, Alice saw that even if we had reached Rachel before she left that she wasn't going to listen. She has become the thing she hates the most and she doesn't want to acknowledge what she is. You were trying to help her and we greatly appreciate that you care about her and her wellbeing." I turned to him.

"See, no one is mad at you. It'll all work out one way or another."

The rest of the week followed the same pattern. Greg and I went through our morning classes together, ate lunch with the rest of his family, well I was the only one who actually ate, we went through our afternoon classes, and then we would do homework together. By the end of the week, I was exhausted. There was only one more week of school, and then I would be done for a few months.