THE CHOSEN

I need you to survive
So stay with me
You look in my eyes

And I'm screaming inside that I'm sorry

-Forgive Me

-Evanescence

Seth awoke late that morning suddenly becoming aware that he was extremely uncomfortable. Moving as to reach out for Rachel who should have been asleep beside him, all that he found was the arm of a chair.

Hang on… he thought.

Opening his eyes warily Seth realised that he was still sitting where he had been the previous night. The blanket from the bed was tucked up around him, and despite the obvious coolness of the morning, Seth flipped it off him in one quick motion and looked around still a little dreary from the lack of a decent sleep.

Rachel was lying on her back, on their bed, eyes closed peacefully, head titled downward. Seth groaned slightly as he rose from the chair and made his way over to her, noticing how she was not covered by any source of warmth other than her clothes.

Dropping gently onto the bed, Seth threw the blanket over Rachel, causing her to stir slightly before falling back into her sleep. He moved in closer to her, feeling her cold flesh brush against his as he did. Being worried that the temperature she was at could cause her to become ill, Seth wrapped an arm tightly around her, drawing her closer and trying to warm her body with his.

Rachel murmured, shifting slightly before finally opening her eyes to be greeted with his smiling face. "I hate how you're so happy in the morning," she grumbled trying to settle herself back down, burying her face in his chest and wishing to yet again become lost in the world of dreams.

Seth's smile only grew and Rachel couldn't help but think that maybe she imagined the previous night. He seemed too happy to have fallen asleep in her arms, clinging to her as though she were his lifeline and proclaiming his fears of what was to become of his family.

Frowning at the thought she looked up and studied his face even as he moved in to kiss her. But any suspicions that she had toward him instantly evaporated as she remembered what had made her so worried the night before.

"Ryan," she whispered frantically causing Seth to pull back in surprise and stare down at her.

"Okay, not really what I wanted to hear," he commented. "And I'm finding it really disturbing that you'd be thinking of him right now."

Rachel ignored Seth's reaction and rolled over reaching desperately for her cell phone. "He never called back," she murmured, more to herself than to her companion. Flipping the phone closed again she turned back to Seth and realised that he was looking interestingly at the opened envelope which lay on the bedside table.

"You opened it," he stated as she rolled onto her back again and began to trace the random lines along his shirt with her fingers.

Rachel snuggled up against him, slipping her arm around to lay atop his. "Yeah," she replied quietly before pressing her lips to Seth's in an attempt to distract him.

The plan seemed to work and they were soon both lost in the feeling of each other when Seth pinned her down with his weight as he moved on top of her and made a snatch for the piece of paper.

Rachel was quick to grab his arm, cursing herself for letting him use her distraction to his own advantage. Stopping him before he had a chance to pull the letter from within Rachel took a tight hold on Seth's wrist causing him to look at her as she lay beneath him.

"I don't want you to see it," she said honestly.

Seth looked at her with an angered expression. "Why not?"

Rachel tried to find the words but everything she thought of came back to the claim that she didn't want him to feel any more hurt than he did already.

"I just…" Rachel placed her hand to his cheek and brushed away the stray hair which had showered onto his face. "You have a lot on your mind right now Seth," she explained leaning up on her elbows to be able to kiss him softly. "You shouldn't have to deal with this."

Seth was eyeing her off now, trying his hardest not to lose his temper out of the simple fact that she was now turning the tables and trying to take on the protective role.

"Don't patronise me, Rach," he spoke with a hint of pain in his voice.

Rachel looked up at him shocked. "I'm not, all I'm doing is caring about you."

But before she knew what he was doing, Seth had torn the page from the envelope and began to skim read it. Rachel began to fight against him, trying her hardest to pull it from his grip. Though she knew that if she was determined enough, she could easily overpower Seth, a sudden thought prevented Rachel from doing this. She did want him to read it. She wanted him to be apart of everything to do with her life and it was out of fear of his reaction that she tried to hide it from him.

Finally giving in out of either the worry that she might actually hurt him, or pure frustration Rachel slumped back down against the mattress with a sigh and waited for Seth to finish his reading. It was only then that she felt the dull aching in her abdomen and Rachel was quick to realise that it was being caused by Seth's arm pressing down against the piercing on her naval in an attempt to stop her movement.

"Seth," she managed taking a hold on his upper arm and meaning to move it, only realising that it was the one thing keeping him balanced as his other hand was holding the paper far out of her way. "Seth, you're hurting me."

Letting out a breath of relief as he shifted his weight, Rachel watched Seth's expression as he read the final words. It was unreadable. Not one of pain or confusion, or simple anger. It was almost as though there was nothing.

Rachel ran her fingers cautiously up Seth's arm trying to get his attention. "Hey," she said as she noticed he had completed the letter and now sat simply staring at the words. "Seth…?"

It only took a moment for Seth's face to change from confusion, to anger and finally to pain. He pushed himself roughly off her, throwing the letter down as he did and made for the door in an attempt to hide what he was feeling.

"Seth," Rachel said trying to get him to turn to her. It was only when he reached the door that Rachel rose and ran quickly after him. "Seth!"

She could feel the hurt surrounding him even though she couldn't see his face. He was as confused and angry as she was but for some reason he just didn't seem to want to express it.

Placing her hand on his shoulder Rachel tried again. "Seth, look at me," she said with an almost desperate need in her voice. "Please."

But Seth never halted his movements and instead proceeded out the door before slamming it behind him and directly in Rachel's face. She made a grab for the handle in an attempt to go after him but something stopped her. Rachel let out a long, helpless sigh before letting her forehead fall against the door, none too lightly and her grip on the handle fall away.

"Jimmy," Rachel said in surprise as her eyes fell on him sitting in the lounge with Hailey.

Jimmy looked up at her with a warm smile. The two hadn't seen each other since the incident in Chino where it had been he who had come to her rescue once she had cut off everyone else. Including Ryan.

"Hey Kid-o," he replied as though without a care in the world. "It's been a while."

Rachel half-smiled at the comment, her mind barely being able to register that he was before her in the presence of all her other thoughts. "Yeah," she agreed. "A long time."

Hailey was looking from one to the other before finally she raised her hand. "So you two are on friendly terms?" She asked.

"You could say that," Rachel replied, gazing at Jimmy for a moment before looking at Hailey.

She would always have the upmost respect for the man that sat there before her, for he alone had taken on the risks of going into Chino simply to get her out. Though there was never any actually words spoken between the two they both knew how they felt in regards to that particular day.

"Oh," Hailey suddenly spoke. "You're not like…you know…?" She screwed up her face and pointed a finger at them both. Shock washed over Jimmy's face and Rachel simply stared blankly at her. "Okay, I guess not."

"Why would you even think that?" Rachel asked appalled but was quick to finish. "I don't even wanna know."

A short silence swept over the room before Jimmy spoke. "So how's Seth?" He asked.

Rachel let out a small laugh. "I dunno," she replied honestly. "We kinda had a bit of a fight this morning."

Hailey raised a single eyebrow. "That would explain his quick exit and the mumbling of something like 'I have to get to school early'."

Rachel only shrugged before dropping into a nearby sofa with a sigh. For some reason she felt that the two people accompanying her were the only adults in the world that she could truly open up too. Not only had she and Hailey made up for their original meeting, they had also become rather fond of each other. Rachel would never admit it, but she liked the fact that she had a female friend that she could talk too. Marissa was always either too busy with Ryan or just not fitting enough for the conversation. As for Summer…though they had become acquaintances, Rachel was still very wary of the girl.

"Stick in there kid," Jimmy said. "You'd be surprised at how weird relationships can be at your age."

Rachel looked at him comically.

"And at our age," he finished.

"They generally just suck," Hailey admitted with a sheepish grin.

Rachel let out a soft groan before pushing herself back into a standing position and cracking her neck. She went to move back toward the door before stopping short and turning to Jimmy.

"Hey, did Ry' say anything to you this morning?" She asked curiously.

Jimmy shook his head. "I left before him and Marissa got up." Then, seeing the slight look of worry on Rachel's face he asked. "Is something wrong?"

Rachel frowned in annoyance at her brother despite the fact that he was not in her present company. "No," she said a little too unconvincingly. "I'll just see him at school."

Jimmy was nodding at her now his eyes clearly showing that he was not buying her story. "Have fun."

Rachel looked at him sarcastically. "Woo," she said with no enthusiasm whatsoever.

Marissa had moved off to class when Seth intercepted Ryan at the lockers later that day. He had an amused look on his face, hoping that it was masking the actual feelings of worry that he had from his reaction to Rachel that morning.

"Hey man, how's it going?" He asked casually.

Ryan shrugged though his mind was awhirl with one thought and one thought only. Marissa and the night that they had had together. "Not bad man, you?"

"Fight with your sister," Seth answered honestly hearing Ryan take in a sharp breath to show that he knew how painful that could be. "Speaking of, you haven't spoken to her about…say…something important?" He asked.

Ryan narrowed his eyes slightly at the question. "Like what?"

Seth raised his eyebrows, realising that Rachel had clearly not told Ryan about the letter from Steve and it almost didn't surprise him. "Nothing, it's nothing, she just wanted to see you."

There was a short silence between them as they began to walk down to the common room down the hall.

"So, how was your night?" Ryan asked.

Seth looked at him blankly. "Fine."

Ryan could tell that everything was not fine. It hadn't been the night before and it definitely wasn't now. Seth was clearly falling under the pressure which was being put on him by his parents constant fights and although he did a good job of hiding it, concern was written all over his face.

"Marissa and me are finally pretty serious," Ryan commented as they positioned themselves on the brown, leather couch in the corner.

"Ah, do tell," Seth said.

Ryan looked at him for a long moment. "Well we…you know…" Seth only stared at him blankly. "We had…"

"Yes…?"

"We slept together okay," Ryan finished quietly.

Seth's eyebrows instantly shot up. "I'm sorry, you what?" He asked in complete shock.

Ryan stared at him angrily. "You heard me Seth."

Seth was shaking his head now. "I'm just working through some hysterical deafness right now," he said clearly being completely blown away by the news. A huge grin was growing on his face.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Ryan said, knowing that Seth knew he didn't mean that the intimate relation was nothing to him, he just didn't understand his friend's reaction.

"Dude," Seth exclaimed. "You had sex with Marissa." Seth looked to the ceiling for a moment with an expression of fulfilment on his face. "I have been waiting for this moment for so long."

Ryan stared at him confused. "Why?"

"Because it's taken so long," Seth stated. "It's about time you hopped on the train."

Raising a single eyebrow in a mocking fashion Ryan smirked at Seth. "You're giving me advice?"

"Well I do have some expertise in this area," Seth replied in a proper English voice as he tilted his nose in the air."

"You've been with one girl Seth," Ryan stated.

"But there have been many memorable moments," Seth said proudly.

Ryan eyed him strongly. "You do realise you're talking about my sister, right?"

Seth looked at him slightly surprised with where their conversation had lead them. The thought came to him that maybe he had just revealed too much to Ryan, and that he would soon be finding himself on the run from the protective brother. But Seth stopped short. Ryan had reacted calmly, he wasn't upset, angry or even shocked for that matter.

He already knew, Seth thought suddenly. She told him.

At the new realisation Seth smiled. "Yeah, I realise I'm talking about your sister," he replied forcing the sudden emotions which came with thinking of Rachel and their argument that morning to disappear.

"So stop talking," Ryan insisted. "What happened between me and Marissa, happened. You don't have to make such a huge deal man."

Seth was smiling widely now, letting his head nod up and down. "And I'm sure it was the right time for you man."

"What was?"

The voice came from behind them and both young men turned to see Rachel approach before sitting lightly on the arm of the sofa they shared. Seth took note that she positioned herself beside Ryan instead of him.

"Um…" Ryan hesitated proving that pretty much whatever came out of his mouth with be either a lie or a twisted version of the truth. "I…handed in my English paper in at the right time," he smiled sheepishly. "I'm gonna ace that class."

Rachel looked at him blankly for a long moment never letting her gaze wonder from his face. "Really?" She said sarcastically. "Because I thought you slept with Marissa or something."

Ryan stopped short before stammering. "What?" He let out a weak laugh. "Why would you think that?"

"The right time," Rachel said with added emphasis on the 'right'. "I'm not that thick Ry'."

Ryan half-smiled before shaking his head. "We didn't sleep together," he admitted shooting Seth a warning glare when he went to correct him. "I swear."

Rachel continued to gaze at him. "You swear?"

"I do."

A long silence swept over the trio, in which no one moved, or made a sign of changing the subject. Seth was lost in thought and on the odd occasion glanced over at Rachel who still had her eyes locked on her brother. It occurred to him that he should probably take the time to talk over what had happened between the that morning, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to open up those emotional bags just yet.

Suddenly, after a long quiet Rachel spoke. "You're lying, aren't you?" She spoke to Ryan more as a statement than a question.

Ryan looked up at her shocked and rather annoyed at himself for not being able to convince her. "Why would I lie to you?" He asked.

Rachel looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "For the same reason anyone would lie about anything. It's either fear, shame, regret or pretty much all of the above. Take a pick Ry', which one is it?"

Ryan stared at her strongly and for the first time he cursed her upbringing and the knowledge that she had gained from it. "I'm not hiding anything," he insisted.

"Then why are you acting like you are?" Rachel continued her onslaught of questions, sure that eventually he would crack under pressure.

"I'm not acting like anything."

Ryan held her gaze for a long time, both of them silent and simply staring at each other trying to break down the wall between them and their own emotional defences.

What Rachel saw however was something that she had not expected. Sincerity. His eyes held a pure honesty that she could not deny no matter how hard she tried. Eventually, giving in to the belief that maybe he was telling the truth Rachel spoke.

"Okay, fine. Whatever," she murmured looking away to the opposite side of the room where Luke was busy playing pinball. She smiled slightly as he hit the sides of the machine, clearly losing.

Seth watched her with open curiosity, but also with a slight hurt in his eyes. He was still unsure of how to react to Rachel and Luke's relationship and though she continually insisted that there was a simple close friendship between them he couldn't help but be overcome with feelings of dread. He wanted to be the only man in her life who mattered, aside from Ryan. He didn't want to feel as though he had to compete with others, especially as Seth was well aware of Rachel's talent in attracting males. A simple look at her made them come running from all angles, hoping to have a piece of something that they were well aware they couldn't have.

"I'll see you guys later," Rachel suddenly said standing from the couch and making her way across the room.

Ryan was quick to call her. "Hey, Seth said you wanted to see me," he yelled.

Rachel turned back to the pair never slowing her movement and instead began walking backward. "Might wanna check that cell of yours Ry'," she said angrily, suddenly remembering why she had been so annoyed and disappointed in him. "You never know who called you."

"How many times have I told you that you suck at pinball?"

The voice made Luke leave his game momentarily and turn to the source which stood behind him, hands on her hips and a smirk on her face. He smiled playfully before stepping back.

"You give it a shot then."

Rachel only shook her head. "I'm a sixteen-year old girl," she said. "I'm no big with the arcade games."

She cast her eyes over to where Seth and Ryan were greeting the newcomers Marissa and Summer. For a moment Rachel almost thought that she caught a glimpse of glee in Summer's eyes from seeing the rare occurrence of her and Seth separated.

After a few moments of watching their exchanges Rachel turned back to Luke. "Can we get out of here?" She asked.

Luke looked down at her questioningly but voiced no objection and they soon began to walk through the corridors of the school and out into the gardens. Sitting beneath a large, overhanging tree Rachel rested her back against the trunk with a sigh.

"Is everything okay?" Luke asked concerned.

Rachel looked over to him and smiled. "I'm just tired. I haven't been sleeping much."

Luke stared back at her. "You wanna talk or something?"

Rachel hesitated only for a moment before she began to open up to her friend in a way she rarely did. "Steve wants me and Ry' to go to live with him in Atlanta, but the only problem is, Ry' doesn't know yet and Seth found out by accident." Rachel closed her eyes tightly at the thought of the young man. "He completely flipped, I mean I've never seen him like that before. He just looked at me." As she spoke her eyes began to form a far away look as though she was remembering the encounter. "He just looked straight through me like I wasn't even there."

Luke remained silent as she spoke, his heart rate speeding up with her every word. He didn't want to hurt her, especially now when she needed him more than anything, but he knew that he would have to tell her eventually.

Rachel was quiet now her gaze cast down to the ground, her head bowed slightly. "I don't wanna hurt him – either of them – but I just don't feel like I have a choice, you know, and I keep blaming myself." She paused. "Especially now with Kirsten and Sandy at total breaking point and Hailey and Jimmy…well I have no idea what's going on there."

Luke began to speak now, his voice quiet yet strong. "You have to stop blaming yourself," he said catching Rachel's attention. "Sure, Seth might be upset but it's not your fault that he found out, besides he would have eventually anyway. And you'll find a way to talk to Ryan, and even if you're worried you just have to remember that he isn't someone that will turn against you."

"That's what I thought about Seth too," Rachel admitted.

"Seth shouldn't have reacted like he did, but I can kinda see where he's coming from. His parents are having problems, he just wants to have the security of you there and I suppose he just thinks that you're gonna leave."

Rachel let out a small groan. "I'm just so sick of him assuming things all the time. Why doesn't he get that I'm not going anywhere? I mean, none of us are going anywhere."

Luke remained silent at the comment and shifted slightly in his spot catching Rachel's attention. He tried to avoid her gaze, looking away and back at the school building where he could see students wondering around, some hurrying to their next class.

Rachel frowned at his sudden lack of words. "Luke," she began. "What's going on?"

The moment that the words came from her mouth he knew that there was no avoiding it. He would have to fess up, admit to something that he had wanted too for so long and yet never found it in his heart to do.

"Believe me," she said. "Whatever it is can't be any worse than what I've heard lately."

Luke looked down at her seeing the confusion in her eyes. "I'm leaving in a week," he burst out.

Rachel's eyes grew wide. "I stand corrected," she admitted but was quick to react to his words. "You're what?"

"Scouts chose me to play in the championships for soccer," Luke stated. "That means I get to play for the state Rach, the entire state."

Rachel was quiet now simply looking up at him with emotion filled eyes, too many for her to be able to distinguish. "But you're leaving for good?" She asked in an almost whisper.

Luke contemplated the question. "Maybe, I dunno right now. It might be a while though, it isn't definite and there is still a lot of –"

"Luke," Rachel cut in strongly. "How am I supposed to deal with everything if you're not here?"

Luke only shrugged. "You've done it before."

"Before I didn't want your help because I hated you," she stated then took in a deep breath and looked to the sky. "I can't believe this."

He felt as though his entire stronghold, the manly side of him was being torn down as he watched Rachel's face. The statement had thrown her in a way that Luke had not expected. He didn't realise just how much he meant to the girl of late. He knew that the troubles she was having were not her own, but rather the impact of other peoples on her. Somehow that seemed to make everything even harder because she wasn't the one who could fight this time.

She looked at him now with hurt eyes. "Just go," she said harshly not understanding where the sudden pain in her voice was coming from. "Just leave, I don't care any more."

"Rach…" he tried.

"You wanna go," she stated strongly. "Then just damn well go. It's an opportunity, right? You get the chance to leave and show the country what you're made of. You should take it."

Luke could tell that although her words seemed to come with a consent, they were mixed with an anger and hurt that he didn't think he had ever seen in her.

"Go!" She yelled finally causing Luke to rise and walk away from her.

Marissa walked up behind Ryan undetected and wrapped her arms around him kissing him softly on the cheek. "Hey," she said.

Ryan only smiled at the gesture watching as Seth fought with his locker, cursing under his breath as the lock refused to open.

"Hey," he replied pulling her around to stand before him and kissing her strongly.

"Oh my God," Summer said a little perturbed by their actions. "Will you two, like, get a room already."

She cast her eyes to Seth wandering why exactly he and Rachel had spent so much time apart that day before dismissing the thought. Finally, with a small victory cry the door swung open and Seth let out a sigh of relief to which Summer only rolled her eyes. But before she could turn away a small piece of paper fell from the locker and floated slowly to the floor. Taking one look at an oblivious Seth she huffed before bending down to pick it up.

"This is yours," Summer said irritably to him.

Seth looked at her dumbly for a long moment before he realised what she was talking about. "Thanks," he said, taking the paper with confusion evident on his face.

"So…" Summer said as he flipped the folded paper open and began to read. "How have you been?"

Seth almost didn't hear what she said as his eyes skimmed over the writing on the page. "What?" he asked suddenly looking up.

"I said," Summer stated. "How have you been?"

Seth looked back at the paper before scrunching it into a tight ball and throwing it into his bag. "Yeah, okay," he replied.

The two stood in silence for a long time not really knowing what to say. Summer could tell that Seth wasn't really aware of his surroundings as his eyes gained a rather far away look. Deciding that it would be no good to involve Marissa in the conversation as she and Ryan were too busy with each other she said a quick goodbye before leaving.

Seth didn't notice Summer's departure until a good thirty seconds after she was completely out of sight. His mind was too busy thinking about what had been written on the paper which had mysteriously fallen from his locker.

Meet me down at the pier before sunset.

That was all, there was nothing else. Only eight simple words. But no matter how basic they were, they still struck a cord deep within Seth.

Seth sat alone at the end of the pier watching the waters ever-changing colours as the sun edged closer to the horizon. It was quiet out, barely a soul could be seen and even as the odd boat floated past it were as though a ghost were skimming across the water.

Faint, light footsteps could be heard drawing closer from behind him, before a delicate hand slipped into his own and another brushed lightly through his hair.

"I wanna show you something," a familiar voice whispered in his ear, so close that Seth could feel their warm breath.

Immediately tiny Goosebumps formed along his flesh from the contact and only increased in number when a light kiss was placed at the base of his neck. At that moment, despite the bliss he was feeling Seth would admit to being reluctant to move from his spot but never the less rose to his feet.

"Come on," they murmured entwining their fingers with his and leading Seth toward the sand.

Seth watched their body as they moved off the pier noting how the newcomers skin almost glowed in the dying suns light. He could feel the calm touch of their hand in his own even as they slipped their shoes off to walk along the sand.

After what could have only been a good fifteen minutes of walking the couple halted on a small, open space of sand where it was clear that few tread. The shells which lined the coast were still fully intact and the coral bright with piercing natural colours.

Rachel turned to stand before Seth and looked up at him with a small smile on her face. She leaned up and pressed her lips lovingly to his, stepping closer to him and lacing her fingers through his hair.

Pulling away again Rachel cast her eyes out to sea. "Look," she whispered.

Seth allowed his gaze to leave her face and the moment that he did he was confronted with an image of colour like he had never seen before. Yellows, reds and oranges exploded into the sky, stretching out miles before them. They twisted and turned through the clouds like a vine, intricately spread out.

Being so overwhelmed by the sight Seth stumbled back a little further up the sand before sitting down in an almost trance and casting his glance from the sky, to Rachel and then back again. He watched as she stood there for some time before turning and walking up to him. Seth felt his body tense slightly as she sat between his legs, pressing her back into his chest and resting her head in the crook of his neck.

"It's beautiful," Rachel exclaimed trying to hide the fact that she had noticed his pro-longed hesitation before he wrapped his arms around her waist. "It took me forever to find this spot."

They sat in complete silence for a time, watching the sky with interested eyes, trying to take in as much of the dazzling wonder as possible. Before long Rachel spoke again, well aware that Seth had not said a word since her arrival, a sure sign that he was not entirely comfortable with the situation.

"I'm sorry," she murmured quietly leaning her head forward and away from his. "I don't want it to be like this Seth. I wanna be able to talk to you but I also need you to know that there's a damn good reason if I don't." She took in a deep breath and looked down at the earth beneath them. "I was confused," she managed, hearing her voice break slightly. "I still am, and all I wanted was to try and figure out what was going on before I got you worried."

Seth took in her words in an almost dream-like state. Part of his was awake and aware of his surroundings and knew that he was sitting on a secluded beach, watching the sunset while he held the love of his life in his arms. But another part was oblivious to this, held him back from speaking and filled his heart with a dread that confused him. Seth didn't understand how he could be listening to Rachel speak and not say something in return, not tell her how he was feeling.

"I know you don't want me to be like this," Rachel continued. "Believe me, I know what it's like to feel as though everyone is suffocating you and trying to protect you but at the same time not realising that they are only making things so much worse. So I'm sorry that I did that, but I also need you to know that I…" Rachel stopped speaking suddenly.

Seth continued to listen to her as he watched the sky and only then became aware of why she had stopped talking. He was subconsciously nuzzling her neck, holding her tightly, his hands now beneath her top, drawing random tines along her flesh.

Feeling Rachel loosen slightly from his touch and take in a deep breath Seth immediately pulled away. She turned to look at him, the disappearing sunlight burning in her eyes as she did. A sad expression dominated her face and she redirected her gaze so that he would not see what his actions were doing to her. How his lack of speech and uncomfortable, almost disapproving nature crushed her heart. It was as though he had caught her in the arms of another young man, the intensity shone through so much.

A short few minutes later and after what appeared to be some serious thought Rachel looked back up at Seth and this time she did not stop the hurt and helplessness from flowing into her eyes. For a long moment she simply stared at him, hoping for words, a smile…anything.

In her mind she was screaming at his to speak or move or do something to distract her from the growing dread within herself. She didn't want to lose him again, she didn't think that she would be able to fight off the feelings of emptiness. Seth was everything to Rachel. He was the closest thing to her after Ryan. He was her best friend, her other half, her hope in times of darkness. But most of all, he was her heart, fully and completely.

Rachel felt her bottom lip begin to quiver at the lack of sound or movement from Seth. He continued to watch her as though waiting for the wall between them to crumble and never realising that it was he who held it up in the first place.

Seth could feel her body tremble slightly in his arms and in his mind he was crying out to her, telling her that everything was okay, that he wasn't upset. But something stopped him from voicing the words. Stopped him from meeting her lips with his own as he so often did in similar situations. His face would register no emotion, would show no sign of the struggle, which was happening within him.

The look on Rachel's face crushed Seth deep inside. She looked so vulnerable, so clearly hurting from his actions, or lack there of. Fighting the urge to scream out Seth allowed his eyes to travel down to her slightly parted lips wanting more than ever to feel them against his own. He watched her eyes as they cast down toward his chest where a single finger was meaning to trace the letters printed on his shirt but pulled back at the last possible moment.

Again Rachel looked up at him but this time let her eyes travel along his features before bringing her lips to meet his in a soft kiss. However, it was cut short when Seth pulled away, destroying all of the remaining hope that Rachel had.

Not being able to take it any more she pushed off him and quickly put on her shoes, feeling his eyes boring into her as she did. Rachel stopped short looking out to the ocean again and trying to fight of the need she had to dive in and never emerge again.

As she turned back to him one last time, Seth could have sworn that he saw tears in Rachel's eyes glistening in the lights of dusk. But he had no chance to confirm his thoughts because soon she had turned again and began to walk away, leaving him as the last rays of sunlight sunk below the horizon.

TO BE CONTINUED………

(Extra HUGE apology for being a late updating but all my e-mail alerts are down so I was unsure if you'd all known that the last chapter was up or not. I hope you liked this one, I was really worried writing it and was so dreading your reactions. I won't talk about it here, but when you review chuck in any questions if you have some and keep the abuse to a minimum :) Well, next chapter is a big one with a few significant events, one of which shapes a plot that Ryan and Marissa will be involved in. It sees the arrival of Steve in Newport, admitting feelings from Kirsten, and some pretty crazy revelations on a boating trip with Sandy, Ryan, Seth and Rachel. Please review!)

Kitotterkat: Ooh, I still got it. Lol. Freak me out all you want. At least then I know I'm doing my job right, that's my theory. I'm happy that you like that Marissa is more involved. I think I kinda got to the point where I was mad at myself for not putting her in as much as I wanted too. Ah, I see you picked up on the Ryan forgetting about Rachel bit. Nice work. I'll only say one thing: remember that. Thanks for thanking me for mixing it up. I think that is what I am kinda aiming for this story. Each of them kinda have a theme. The first was all about Rachel's past, the second was kinda about family and fitting in and this one is all about the relationships between the characters. And to be able to do that I have to include pretty much all of them whenever I can. Thanks for the great reviews, keep em coming! Mandy

meezardra : Wow, slow down on the honesty thing here, I didn't mean for you to take the criticism thing too the absolute extreme. Lol. Did you dislocate your finger scrolling down the page? I like making notes and writing to the readers. It's the only way I can communicate with you guys. Unless you don't want me too, that's easy. Thanks for liking Hailey. I can honestly say I was kinda dreading writing her just cos she isn't hugely familiar like the other characters but I pretty much just put in a lot of my own personality cos in that sense we're pretty similar, with sarcasm and joking around. Thank God the DVD is out! I hate how Australia gets everything late, cos we sit here and wait patiently….and omg the new season is finally starting. No more repeats! Though I actually really enjoy watching them cos then I sit there and this might sound so sad, but I analyse the characters more just cos I don't have to concentrate on the story as much. I always write after I've watched an ep cos I'm like on this huge brain wave, idea – mania thing. Anyways, enough said for now. Next time CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Lol. Cya