THE LEAVING

I think I'm breaking out

I'm going to leave you now

There's nothing for me here

It's all the same

Way Away

Yellowcard

That morning Seth awoke with a start. Had the previous night been a dream or had Rachel really come into his room? Had he really seen the cuts along her arm?

Seth kicked the blanket off and ran downstairs quickly only to see Kirsten and Sandy moving about the house busily getting ready for their day at work. Rachel sat alone in the lounge reading the newspaper. Seth took note of what she was wearing; a long sleave top with a wide leather bracelet covering her left wrist.

It was real, he thought.

Seth moved in and sat next to her causing Rachel to scoot over slightly putting more distance between them.

"What are you reading?" He asked.

"What does it look like?" Rachel answered.

Seth knew that the question had been an obvious one, possibly even stupid but he needed to start to conversation somewhere.

"Rach...we have to talk."

"There's nothing to say."

Seth almost laughed. "Nothing to say? What planet are you on?"

He noticed how she hadn't looked up at him once.

"It scares me that you think that little of yourself..."

Rachel eyes flicked away from the words on the page before her momentarily telling Seth that she knew exactly what he was talking about. And that he was getting through.

"You know I love you, no matter what, but this is getting out of hand. First us breaking up, then Anna." Seth's voice became a whisper. "Now you're cutting yourself."

A silence swept over both of them for a time, where neither spoke, moved. This was something they used to do all the time, only it was attached to something positive. Both of them just enjoying each other's company.

Seth moved his hand to her chin and turned her head slightly to look at him.

Rachel pulled away from his touch and just stared at him not saying a word.

"Let me help you," Seth insisted.

Rachel blinked at the words. "I don't need you."

Seth nodded slightly knowing that she would put up a fight no matter what, he wouldn't win that easily. He moved closer to her so their bodies touched slightly and he could look at her closely.

"Don't lose yourself in something which isn't worth getting caught up in."

Rachel turned her eyes to his and searched Seth's honest face for a moment. He seemed to be completely transfixed by her. His eyes set on hers.

Seth moved in closer and kissed Rachel softly aware that she wasn't returning the gesture but at the same time not caring. He had to prove to her he would be there, no matter what.

He then felt her give in slightly, answering his kiss with her own. Seth moved his hand to the side of her face but the moment that it touched her flesh Rachel realised what she was doing and tore away.

She stood from the couch and looked around as if only noticing where she was. Her eyes travelled everywhere and only came to rest on Seth when he spoke.

"Rach, you can't tell me you didn't feel that."

She frowned slightly at the comment before turning quickly and leaving Seth alone on the sofa.

That day at Harbor the talk was all about the incident between Anna and Rachel, each person with their own version of the story to tell.

"I heard they were making a drug deal and something went wrong. It wouldn't surprise me, Rachel being from Chino and all."

"I saw the whole thing, Anna hit her first."

"Did you hear about the fight the other day out in the courtyard?"

Ryan couldn't stand it any more, he had to get away from the crowd, away from the voices, away from the proof that what his sister had done was real.

He moved into the library and sat alone in the corner trying to concentrate on the overdue homework, which was in front of him. But his mind continued to wonder. His ears kept picking up conversations.

Ryan didn't understand what was happening to his sister lately. She had changed so much over the past few months that he felt as though she were a complete stranger to him now.

She had gone backward, not only to before she had moved to New Port and changed her life but before Chino. Was that even possible? Or was this just another side of her which had rarely been shown.

Sure she had had her days when they were younger, they both had. Times when the only thing, which would keep them alive, was turning to stone on the inside. Being tough. But Ryan had never seen it last as long as this.

He didn't even understand where it was coming from. The only thing he could think of was Caleb and Julie, but even that wouldn't have been enough to make her snap.

Ryan threw down his pen and slammed the textbook shut in frustration and confusion. He had to find out what was going on before it was too late.

Rachel picked up the phone after it had rung at least four times hoping that the person would have hung up.

"Hello?" She said.

"Rach, it's me."

Rachel let out a sigh. "What do you want Ry'?"

"We have to talk," Ryan insisted.

His voice was slightly distorted as though his phone was getting bad reception.

"Now?"

"Yes, now."

Rachel stood silently waiting for him to continue, she sure as hell wasn't going to. She wasn't in the mood to talk, especially not to her older, overly protective brother.

"Seth told me what you did," Ryan stated.

"Jimmy, I didn't expect you to see you here," Sandy exclaimed moving to shake his friends hand.

"Yeah, well I thought I might stop by, ask you how Rachel's doing," Jimmy replied sitting down in the guest chair at Sandy's desk.

Sandy let out a sarcastic laugh. "Suspended."

Jimmy's eyes went wide. "For what? She was acting in a defence."

"Not as far as the school concerned. I understand where they're coming from, she had no right to snap like that, especially on school grounds."

There was a silence between the two.

"So why are you so curious?" Sandy asked. "I thought Marissa would have given you the update."

"She doesn't know much, apparently Ryan isn't letting on."

Sandy nodded his head. He had noticed that Ryan had seemed to stepped out of the spotlight lately, choosing to keep to himself more than usual. He knew that it had something to do with the fact that his sister was on a downhill slide.

"She's a good kid," Jimmy insisted.

"I know that."

"I just wanted to make sure she was alright."

Sandy looked at him. "You have taken a shining to her."

"What can I say? She gave me advice, which I used, and which has worked. Gotta owe her something."

Rachel froze, she stopped breathing, her eyes went wide. How could Seth have told Ryan? He was the last person Rachel wanted to know.

"W-what?" She asked cautiously.

"I said 'sorry I can't make it to the gig'."

Rachel let out a sigh of relief. "What are talking about?"

"I wasn't talking to you," Ryan explained and it was then that Rachel heard the people in the background.

"Oh."

There was a pause and Rachel knew that she had let on too much.

"Are you okay?" Ryan asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno, you just seemed a bit worried for a second."

He received no reply and only nodded his head slightly, knowing that he wasn't going to get anything out of her at the moment.

"So I'll see you after school?"

Rachel hung up the phone the moment he had finished his sentence. She looked at the phone in her hand for a moment. She wanted to be at school now, as much as she hated the actual going to class part, she missed the people. At the same time though, she was happy to be by herself, away from the prying eyes of those who are too curious.

Kirsten had told her that Julie had been around again, with more evidence to back up her and Caleb's case. Right now, Rachel honestly didn't care what happened to her. Didn't care that people were treating her like some toy that you could just throw around. It was becoming monotonous.

Her mind travelled back to the kiss between her and Seth earlier that day, the way he had thought that everything would become better if he could please her physically.

That had nothing to do with it. Her body was fine. It was her mind, which ached. Her mind, which knew how many people, loathed her. Her mind which wanted her to end it all.

Rachel undid the leather band, which she had around her left wrist revealing the deep wounds in her flesh below. Somehow, though she had damaged the skin, left scars, it had not been painful. She almost welcomed the feeling, it wasn't one of hate.

Her bottom lip began to tremble slightly as all the same emotions, which had plagued her the previous night, came flooding back. Feelings of hatred, feelings of sadness. But most of all, the one thing which hurt her the most...

Feelings on being alone.

Everything had gone wrong, turning upside down in a whirlwind of malevolence and distrust. Rachel could feel her chest begin to hurt, felt her mind begin to wonder, trying to find a sense in all the commotion.

She wanted it to end. For everything to stop. For there to be no more pain, or confusion.

Rachel stood from her seat looking at the clock. It was 3:30pm, and she knew that Ryan and Seth would now be on their way home from school, coming back to check on her. To ask her questions. She didn't want that, couldn't think of having to sit through their talks again.

Rachel looked down at the phone she still held before dialling Sandy's work.

After a few rings he answered.

"Hello?"

"Sandy, it's Rachel."

"Rachel?" Sandy answered in a surprised tone. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," she lied. "I was just calling to let you know I'm going out to a friends house for tonight and tomorrow."

"Really?" Sandy sounded a little shocked. "Where does this friend live?"

"Just down the road, it's no big deal."

"Uh-huh..."

For some reason Sandy thought he could detect something unusual in her voice, the way her words formed almost made her sound...

Happy...

"What time do you want me to pick you up?"

"Um...tomorrow night, after work."

Sandy thought about that for a moment. "And you're okay getting there by yourself."

"Yeah."

"Okay, have fun, I'll call to let the boys know you won't be home when they get back from school."

"Thanks."

She hung up quickly dropping the phone on the sofa and running upstairs to her room. Rachel took a quick look around before pulling her backpack out from under her bed and flipping it open.

She then moved around to the closet and drawers, rifling through her belongings and only choosing those she thought she would need, stuffing them into the bag. She forced the zip closed and took one last look at the room before running out again. She wanted to leave before Seth and Ryan arrived.

Remembering what Kirsten had said about Caleb working at his beachside homes today Rachel began to run toward the ocean, being grateful that a life in Chino had made her so fit.

Legs pumping under her she felt the wind flowing through her untied hair, whipping it back as she travelled.

When she finally reached the house Rachel stopped dead and took in a breath, knowing that what she was about to do would change her life forever. But it would also make all of what she was going through now stop. Finally she would be free.

Knocking loudly on the door she waited until Caleb answered before pushing her way past him into the house.

"Nice place you got here, how the rent?" She asked sarcastically as she whirled on a shocked Caleb, one eyebrow raised.

"What do you want?" He asked clearly not caring.

"A favour."

"And what makes you think I will do you a favour?" Caleb looked strongly at her, challengingly.

Rachel crossed her arms, not letting her guard down. "Cos it's a win-win situation, Caleb."

When she said his name, her voice was filled with disgust and hatred.

"As much as I would love to do anything for you I have to say that the only things I would win with are those which cause you great pain."

"So what are you going to do, talk me to death?"

Caleb snarled at the comment.

"Now, do I have to scream at you or will you sit down, shut up and hear me out?" Rachel's voice was filled with a strength that Caleb had never heard before.

He watched her for a moment before sitting slowly in the chair behind him, never letting his eyes leave her face.

"What do you want?" He asked.

Rachel's voice never wavered as she spoke the words, her eyes never left his.

"I want out."

Caleb's eyes went wide in shock. "I'm sorry?"

"You heard me you moron, I want out. I want to leave. I want to go back to the place I came from. I want to go back to the way things were before."

A slight smile began to creep along Caleb's face and he didn't hold it back. "What did Kikki say about this?"

"You think I'm that stupid?"

"Was that rhetorical?"

"She doesn't know Jackass!" Rachel screamed. "No one knows."

Caleb flashed a look of disappointment her way. "Which means that it won't be long before they come looking for you, now, does it?"

"Not until tomorrow night."

"What was that?"

"I'm at a friends house," Rachel stated blankly.

"I see..."

Rachel stalked up to him. "So..." she said. "You're gonna take me back, I don't care how, and I don't care who does it, just as long as it's now."

Caleb took one last look at her before rising slowly. He couldn't believe how overly happy he was. She was finally leaving, moving out of his life, out of his town.

Rachel could see the look of glee on Caleb's face and shuddered internally at the thought that she was making him happy. That wasn't her aim at all. Neither was making herself happy. In all honestly what she was doing wasn't making her feel any better. She hated the thought of leaving her new town, her new life, to return to her old one. But she felt as though she had no choice. It's not like anyone would miss her. Everyone wanted her gone anyway. Wasn't she doing everyone a favour?

She watched Caleb on his cell-phone as the thoughts invaded her mind. He was talking frantically to his personal driver, telling him to come back from the beach and take someone on a special drive.

Almost instantly there was a knock at the door and Caleb looked at Rachel who was moving to answer it.

"This is a one way ticket girl, there's no coming back," he said.

Rachel didn't say anything in return, instead, she looked at him, one last time before walking out the door, stepping into the waiting car and leaving New Port behind.

TO BE CONTINUED.........

(Mwahahah. I love ending chapters with a cliffy. Ain't it funny? So pretty much I suppose you guys know where the next chapter is going. It will be based both in Chino and New Port. Please Review.

OMG IS IT JUST ME OR HAS WHOEVER THE HELL WROTE 'CHELSEA ATWOOD' TOTALLY STOLEN MY IDEA? PEOPLE ARE EVEN SENDING IN REVIEWS TELLING THEM TO WRITE IN THE EXACT SAME STORY LINES, WHICH I HAVE, RUNNING NOW. ARGH!!!

Oh quick question...what's up with everyone wanting Rachel and Seth to sleep together? Haven't I made it obvious enough that they already have? In 'The Curse' it says they were amazed at how they weren't losing control like usual. In 'The Impression' when Ryan and Rachel have the talk she says that Seth is the right guy for her to sleep with. In 'The Sever' Seth is thinking about how he wants to be losing himself in her like he used to. And the clearest of them all in 'The Pain Inflicted' Rachel cuts herself off when she says 'the same body you...well let's not go into detail'. If that don't scream out, they've had sex I dunno what does. So help me out a little here, is it not obvious enough, or have most of you picked up on it?)