"Eli- it's Jessie here"

Eli slung his jacket onto the kitchen bench and listened intently to his sister's voice as it came on the answering machine.

"-Look, I am not apologising for the other day- cause I know, you know I was right!"

Eli walked over to the machine, his finger hovering over the 'delete' button-

Jessie took a deep breath, and Eli was still for a moment as he listened to his sister talk-

"-Something bad has happened" Jessie paused again, and Eli felt his heart race -

"-Well, it's not so serious now- well, actually it is- but" BEEP.

Eli gave a frustrated sigh as Jessie's voice was cut off, and he waited for the machine to read the next message.

He held his breath as he waited to hear Jessie's voice again.

"Dammit! I hate machines! Look Eli, I will cut to the point." Jessie took another deep breath "-you should know this is about Grace. But before you press the delete button, because you think she's out of you're life now and you're out of hers- well, just please listen to me cause this is IMPORTANT!"

Eli took his finger away from the 'delete' button hesitantly.

"-Ahhh, I don't know how to say this cause the 'S' word is a little dramatic, but I spose that's kinda what she tried to do-" BEEP.

"Hell!" Eli said under his breath, as he waited, yet again, for the machine to read Jessie's next message.

S word, what's the S word? Eli rubbed the back of his neck as he waited for the next message- SEX? Grace tried to have sex with someone?

Eli felt his heart race again.

"ELI! Jeez, you know, if you were actually home- or better yet, came over and VISITED, this wouldn't be happening! God, where was I? -"

"The 'S' word" Eli said under his breath as Jessie paused for a moment.

"- Oh yeah, look Eli- Grace doesn't know I've been trying to contact you about this. I promised her I wouldn't say anything. God, should I even be saying anything? You know- I really shouldn't, why don't you come over when dad and Lily are out-" BEEP.

"GODDAMIT!" Eli cursed loudly- why the hell couldn't he have been home when Jessie called!

"- ELI! I swear, I hate you're goddam answering machine! BURN IT! God, why don't you come over when dad and Lily are out? PLEASE! You have no idea how important this is!" Jessie took a deep breath, and Eli could only just make out a few words as she muttered something under her breath.

"- Eli, Grace cut herself. Ok? She cut herself cause she is really hurting, and I don't know what to do! All I can guess is that she needs you. To talk with you, to see you- I don't know! Just come over and see her! PLEASE? Alright, see ya" Jessie's voice clicked off.

Eli didn't even listen to the end of Jessie's message, once he'd heard those words that frightened and panicked him- he had run out the door, without a second thought.


Grace examined the bandage on her arm; and ran her fingers over it; she could only just feel a prick of pain as she lightly poked at the area where the cut was.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, and looked back down at the fresh page she'd just written in her diary.

She picked up her pen and rested it against the page, and began to write the last line in today's entry-

It's a reminder. A reminder that love doesn't necessarily conquer all- maybe it just conquers us.

Grace read the line she just wrote;

GRACE how sad that at the age of 16, I have already learnt one of the hardest lessons life teaches. I mean, what I now know, is something that many other people will go the rest of their lives still asking themselves—Love isn't everything, infact, it's not much at all!

"Grace?"

Grace looked up and saw Zoë standing in her doorway; she closed her diary and put it into the first drawer of her dresser.

"Yeah?" Grace said, and she secretly hoped that Zoë wouldn't come snooping in her room afterwards and steal her diary.

Zoë stared at Grace fixedly; absorbing in her sister's image. The soft features of her face, her big brown eyes, her soft hands.

"What?" Grace asked, a little rudely.

ZOE I concentrate really hard on Grace now. Just incase she dies, and I don't remember her. Like I don't remember Grandpa-

"Zoë?" Grace softened her tone a little, Zoë stood before her, and she looked so vulnerable- a little scared even- just like the night Grace cut herself, Zoë had stood in the hallway, watching as her sister lay sprawled out on the bathroom floor- clutching her bleeding arm.

"Oh god" Grace looked down at her hands, bits and pieces of the chilling night began seeping through her memory- and she suddenly remembered seeing Zoë staring at her from the doorway, mouth ajar, eyes big- standing hopelessly scared.

Grace got up from her desk, and walked over to her bed, taking a seat at the edge.

"Come here Zoe" Grace said, without looking into her sister's eyes.

Tentatively, Zoe walked towards Grace's bed, sitting next to her sister.

"I guess I scared you the other night, didn't I?" Grace asked, examining the creases in her hands.

Zoe didn't say anything.

"I scared myself," Grace said after a moment of silence. She took a quick glance at Zoe, who was staring straight ahead, and Grace wondered if she could even hear what she was saying.

Grace opened her mouth, about to continue, but Zoe cut her off-

"Did you see Grandpa?" Zoe asked in a small voice.

Grace turned and stared at Zoe, who didn't bring her eyes to meet her sister's.

It took a moment for her to realize that Zoe was being serious.

"Zoe, I didn't die!" Grace answered her in a whisper.

Zoe slowly turned her head to look at Grace.

"I was never going to die Zoe! It wasn't that serious-" Grace began, and got an eerie feeling as Zoe stared at her- as though she was looking straight through her, like a ghost.

ZOE I thought Grandpa would be in heaven. And I've seen these documentaries about people who have had near-death-experiences. Some of them said that they saw loved ones that had passed.

"Zoe?" Grace rested a hand on Zoë's shoulder.

"Grace-" Zoe looked down at her hands, her voice trembling slightly "-you're my only sister-" she paused for a moment "-well, my only really sister anyway. And I don't really like the idea of being an only child-" she paused again "well, the only Manning child anyway. Ok?" she turned and looked at Grace.

"Ok" Grace whispered, and she felt tears begin to fall- it seemed her response to anything these days was to cry!

Grace held back the tears for a moment, and grabbed Zoe in a bear hug.

"Cant – breath!" Zoe croaked, and Grace released her.

"I don't know if it's because you're maturing or because you just suddenly realized how special I am- but your turning out to be a half decent younger sister" Grace said, and brought a hand to her eye to whisk away a tear.

Zoe half smiled "maybe you could return the favour and become a better older sister" she said, half seriously.

Just as Grace opened her mouth, Lily walked by, carrying a bundle of dirty clothes, and glanced into Grace's room.

"Girls?" she said, and Grace and Zoe both looked up at her.

"We were having a 'moment,'" Zoe said calmly, and Lily nodded.

"I wont interrupt then," she said, and kept walking.

"I have stuff to do" Zoe said, getting off of Grace's bed.

Grace nodded and watched as Zoe walked out of her room.

"Little sisters!" Grace muttered under her breath, and she collapsed back onto her bed, looking up at her ceiling.

"Don't mind me" Lily bustled into Grace's room, and began picking up a few shirts, socks and other pieces of clothing strewn on the floor.

Grace sat up again, and watched as her mother bent over and gathered clothing into her arms, making the pile she already had; even bigger.

GRACE I'm done with hiding my feelings and thoughts.

"You know, mum-" Grace began, and Lily stopped what she was doing to look at her daughter.

"-It wasn't the best idea, breaking me and Eli up and sending him away" Grace said the words as though they were butter. They cut through the air, and came out clean and abrupt.

Lily stood for a moment, staring at her daughter, suddenly noticing how tired and old she looked. Much older than 16, far beyond her years—

"Excuse me?" were the only words she could find in her throat.

Grace stared back at her mother. She didn't wear anger or sadness on her face, but she did feel mature as she told her mother what she'd been dying to say over the last few weeks- and she wondered if maturity showed on her expression.

"I mean, there were better ways you could have handled it. Talking to both of us for instance-" Grace glanced at her mother, as she stood frozen in the middle of her room, clothes stacked in her hands, she simply stared back at her daughter, but Grace continued- "-and kicking him out wasn't a very mature thing to do. I mean, running from you're problems is one thing, but sending them away, stuffing them into a closet is a completely different kind of coward ness"

"-What?" Lily croaked- where had all this come from?

GRACE when your on a roll, that's been building up for close to 6 weeks- it's kinda hard to just stop.

Lily straightened and looked Grace in the eyes "Well I'm sorry dear-" she began "-there's no parenting hand book that I could consult. Rick and I did what we thought was best"- why was she even defending her actions? She should be screaming at Grace! Lily thought to herself.

Grace stood up, but continued to stare at her mother "well, it was the wrong thing to do. You may not realize it, probably because your not open minded enough to listen to me or Eli- but what you did, what you and Rick did, caused more harm than good" Grace's thoughts ran over the other night, when she lay on the bathroom floor- pulling the razor over her flesh……

Lily continued to stare at her daughter- anger raising in her throat "that's enough-" Lily began, an appropriate argument about to surface- but Grace stopped her.

"Mum" Grace held her hand up in protest, silencing her mother "I'm sick of fighting, especially with you, because I can never win if your not even willing to listen to what I have to say!"

"Excuse me young lady-" Lily began, but Grace stopped her again, feeling suddenly liberated-

"-Mum, no, I'm going to walk away now-" and with that Grace headed out the door, leaving the stunned Lily frozen in her place.

LILY how could she say that? I listen to her! It's just that, she doesn't listen to HERELF! She still hasn't taken the time to sit down and see that what I did was right…..for her and Eli, and this family!


AUTHORS NOTE:

Ok, someone asked me if I watch the show Alias.

Yes I do, but I'm not a MEGA fan of it, it's a great show, and I watch it occasionally, but it's not one of my favourites.

I like Once and Again (OBVIOUSLY!) Dawson's Creek, Roswell, Buffy, Third Watch and Boston Public.

May I ask, why that person asked me if I watch Alias?

ANYWAY…what did you think of this chapter?

Grace has been kinda vulnerable and 'woosy' lately, and I really wanted her to fight back, just a little.

And remember……..Eli is on his way over, please check back soon for chapter 24!