Author's Notes: I want to start off by thanking everyone who reviewed. I was so moved by your reviews that I started the rough draft for this at about 10:30 the night I read the reviews and finished at about 11:30. Do any of you watch X-Files (no this story is not turning into a cross-over)? Well, you know the new agent, not Dogget, the other one Agent Monica Reyes (or whatever her last name is). I think she was in In A Heartbeat as Jennifer (remember her form the first episode). Just kind of an interesting tidbit. I would like to thank all of you who gave me title suggestions. The one that I decided to use was Coming Home and thank you to whoever gave that suggestion (sorry I can't remember your name). I think I'll be getting on with the story now this is the longest author's notes ever. Happy Reading!

Coming Home

Chapter 2

Val climbed out of her car, locked the door and looked around the school parking lot. It had been so long since she had been there. She pushed back some of her barriers and remembered what the sky had looked like that day.

It had been bright blue and like her life then so full of promise. Not like the sky that mirrored her life now dark and dreary with no sun or ray of hope in sight.

She quickly pushed the memory back behind the barrier so that no more would slip through and continued on towards the school.

As she got closer to the school more and more painful memories began to slip through the barrier and she wanted to run. That's what she did whenever the pain or guilt got too great and memories began to slip through. She ran. She had done just that at her cousin's, Bobby's, wedding and it had earned her the title "Runaway Bridesmaid."

But she couldn't, she wanted to. She would have given anything to be able to run away form what she had done that day, that horrible day. She had been such a coward. But her legs kept pushing her closer, closer. Closer to her pain and guilt. Until she reached the polished marble stone. She had never read about the stone (everything about that day was taboo for her), but she what it was and why it was there.

She looked down at the list of names and forbidden memories of the people they represented. Jared Adams, the guy who sat in front of her in math class and always got one point higher than her on every test and quiz. Julie Cook, who always said high to her when they passed in the halls even know it had been years since they had a class together. Corey Mitchell, who always stood in front of her locker when she wanted to get her books out. Caitie Roth, her best friend. And the many others that she knew, but was too cowardly to save.

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Val didn't know how she had gotten to her car or why she was sitting there getting her uniform dirty or how long she had been sitting there. She was too lost in the thoughts that had overwhelmed her. Val also didn't know why she had asked Jamie Waite, who she had seen in a long time, the question she had been pondering since that horrible day, "Why didn't I die?"

Chapter challenge: This one is also Germen class inspired, but has nothing to do with vegetables. It has to take place in detention and have a J/C slant (what detention doesn't have a J/C slant) and involves a paper fight. Go have fun! I'm still looking forward to the vegetable fics.