A/N: Hello my lovelies. Haven't updated anything in a long while, so I thought I'd tend to this story first. Thanks for the support up until this point. Here's your update.
OOOOOOOOO
Sadie looked down at the clothes that sat before her on crowded racks, biting her bottom lip. "Does it even matter, Alice? He's with Rosalie and nothing is going to change that. Nothing should change that."
The pixie haired vampire moved over to stand next to Sadie and put her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. "It does matter. It should matter. No matter what else is happening." She tilted her head to the side. "Are you in love with Emmett, Sadie?"
Shaking her head, Sadie looked her best friend in the eye. "I am. Which is a very, very bad thing, Alice."
"How can that be a bad thing? Yeah, I understand that Rosalie is going to be a royal bitch about it, but you can't control who or what you love. It's natural."
"You don't understand, Alice! The bad thing doesn't include Rosalie. She's a minor problem. No, falling in love with someone like Emmett is the worst thing that could happen to me." Sadie raked a hand through her hair. "It's the reason that I ran away from home. Half of my pack had fallen in love with people like you and they were all killed."
Alice's eyes widened. "I didn't know that."
"That's because I didn't want to tell you or any of the others. It's bad enough that Edward probably read the minds of Carlisle and Esme and heard the conversation that I had with them at the park." Sadie's eyes turned towards her friend. "I don't want to be the death of your family, Alice. I can't do it."
Sadie moved through the store, heading towards the dressing rooms. She'd felt the tears coming unwelcomed to her eyes and the last thing she wanted was to break down in tears in public. She flagged down a store employee.
"Can I use a dressing room?" she asked, gesturing at the blue dress in her hand.
The employee nodded and unlocked one of the rooms. "Let me know when you're done," she said before moving off.
Sadie slipped into the dressing room and started stripping out of her clothes. She heard Alice come up to the door and looked down at the gap in the door. Alice's feet were visible for a moment as she draped more clothes over the door.
"I doubt that it will be like what you've gone through," Alice said from beyond the door. "There aren't any other groups in the neighborhood that want to kill each other. We have our boundaries and our agreements. If something did happen between you and Emmett, there wouldn't be anyone out there to destroy Carlisle's coven. We're safe."
"I don't want anything to happen between me and him," Sadie muttered, pulling her hair free of the dress' collar. "We can be friends and housemates, but nothing else."
"Even if it kills you?" Alice asked.
"It won't kill me."
Sadie didn't need to open the door or look at her best friend to know that Alice had her arms crossed and a skeptical look on her face.
"So you're telling me that it won't kill you to see Rosalie hanging all over him all day like some kind of parasite? Kissing him and exchanging lovey-dovey words with him? To know that she has him and all that your heart wants while you have to pretend that there's nothing going on in your own heart because of him?" Alice let out a small sound. "I don't think you can pull that off, Sadie."
"I have to try," Sadie said, opening the door.
"You won't be able to survive it." Alice nodded at the dress that now clung to Sadie's body. "You can't fight your feelings for him."
"I have no other choice," Sadie said, stepping back into the dressing room.
OOOOOOOOO
Sadie managed to avoid Emmett and Rosalie when she came home from shopping that night. Esme had passed her a large plate of cookies and a glass of milk on her way up the stairs, a small smile on the motherly woman's face. Sadie nodded her thanks and had rushed to her room, closing and locking her door. She'd shoved her purchases in the corner, locked her windows, closed the curtains, changed into her nightclothes and dove into bed.
Her dreams that night were plagued with images of what she had run away from. The last images that her pack had shared with her before they had been torn apart by those wild animals. But there were new parts that woke her up with soundless screams.
She'd seen the faces of the Cullens in the mix. Their bodies bloodied and torn apart by the beasts that had torn apart her old pack.
It's not going to happen here, Sadie told herself, raking her fingers through her hair as she took deep breaths. Alice promised that it wouldn't happen here. Sam's pack doesn't hate the Cullens that much and other packs never come around. And nothing is going to happen between me and Emmett…They're safe. They are going to be safe.
Sadie glanced at her cellphone and saw that it was four in the morning, a few hours too early to be waking up for school. Doubtful that she'd be able to fall asleep again, the wolf untangled herself from her sheets and walked over to her wardrobe.
She threw on a pair of shorts and a tank top before crossing over to the windows that she had locked against the world. The sky was still very dark as she opened the curtains, but she could see the slight glow of the lights that the house was projecting outward. It seemed that the others were still up.
Vampires don't sleep, Sadie had to remind herself, unlocking one of the windows and climbing onto the windowsill. They never have a need to.
The wolf jumped out of the window and landed on all four on the ground below. Her gaze turned back to the house for a brief moment as she straightened. Shadows moved inside the mostly glass house, but no one seemed to notice her.
I just need a quick run, Sadie thought, heading into the woods. To clear my head and get out all the stupidity that's in it.
The wolf disappeared into the woods and started running at top speed, daring her past to try to catch up with her.
OOOOOOOOO
Sadie stepped into the kitchen of the Cullens house a couple hours later, her brow damp with sweat and her shirt clinging to her body in a couple shades darker than it had been when she'd put it on. She reached up and fixed her ponytail as she took a seat at the kitchen island.
Esme smiled softly as she slid a plate of eggs and sausage in front of Sadie. "Did you have a nice run, Sadie?"
"It was nice enough," Sadie said, scooping up a fork. "I think I'm getting back to my full strength, Esme. Soon I'll be able to run farther, longer and faster."
"Well, I hope that you don't run too far away from here. We all love you, Sadie." Esme smiled when Sadie gave her a skeptical look. "We all love you in our own ways. You are just as much a part of the family as any one of the people that live here."
Sadie nodded and tucked into her meal. Her sensitive hearing picked up the light movements of the others in other parts of the house. She heard the heavier tread of Emmett approaching and put on a blank face.
Behave, she told herself.
"Hey," Emmett said, popping into the kitchen. "You smell."
"Gee, thanks for that greeting," Sadie muttered, keeping her gaze focused on her food. "It's the nicest one that I've ever been given, Dork."
"Someone's in a mood." Emmett leaned against the kitchen island and looked at her with a small frown on his face. "You went running."
"No duh, Sherlock."
"Without me."
Sadie glanced at him as she scooped up a piece of egg. "So?"
"So, you promised that the next time that you went running that I could come with you."
"I forgot." Sadie muttered, looking back at her food. "Besides, I wanted to be alone." She shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe you can come with me next time."
"You promise?"
"Sure."
Emmett thrust his large hand out at her. "Shake on it."
Sadie glanced at him once more. His amber eyes were focused on her and were softer than when he looked at many of the others. She switched the hand that was holding her fork and shook his hand.
"There. You happy now?" she asked, pulling her hand back.
"Not really, but it's a start."
"Emmett!" Rosalie called out in a singing voice. "Where are you, my love?"
Just like that, Sadie's stomach turned sour, but she refused to let it show as she tucked back into her breakfast. The blonde vampire bounced into the room, wrinkling her nose at Sadie before pouncing on Emmett. Sadie pointedly looked down at her meal, viciously spearing her sausage as she heard the vampires exchange loving words and kisses. Luckily, her plate had been mostly empty before the beautiful vampire had stepped into the kitchen, allowing her to stand up quickly.
"Esme, thanks for the breakfast," Sadie said, doing her best to focus on the older woman rather than the vampire couple next to her. "I'm going to go take a quick shower before heading to school. Is that okay?"
"Yes, dear," Esme said, glancing at Rosalie and Emmett with a slight frown on her lips. "I'll let Alice know."
As if she doesn't already know, Sadie thought, turning and walking out of the kitchen as quickly as she could without making it look like she was running away.
Halfway up the stairs, Sadie ran into Alice and the vampire gave her an "I told you so" look. Sadie shook her head and continued up the stairs.
"I can do this," she whispered. "I have to do this."
OOOOOOOOO
"Sadie Klark!" someone called out as she emerged from the locker rooms at the end of gym class. "Can you come over here for a moment?"
The wolf saw that it was the coach motioning for her and a tall woman stood next to him. She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked over to him.
"Sir," she greeted, ducking her head briefly. "Is something wrong?"
"No. Actually, it's on the other spectrum, Klark," the coach said, gesturing at his silent colleague. "Coach Andrews has been hearing about your talent on the volleyball court and I had her watching you today. She's impressed."
"Very impressed," the woman said with a smile. "Klark, you've got some moves and natural talent. That's something that I look for in my team."
"Ma'am?" Sadie asked, adjusting her grip on her bag's strap.
Coach Andrews cocked her head to the side. "Would you like to join my team, Klark? We could use a girl like you. Of course, we'll need to get permission from your parents, but I think that you'll fit in easily."
Sadie stared at the woman for a moment. This could be the answer that I've been looking for, she thought. This could keep me away from the house for several extra hours a week. Out of Rosalie's path. Away from all temptations…and pain.
"Well?" Coach Andrews prompted.
"If you'll give me the necessary forms, I'll have Carlisle fill them out for me," Sadie said with a small smile.
Coach Andrews clapped a hand on Sadie's arm. "Welcome to the team, Klark."
As Sadie turned away from the coaches, forms in hand, she saw that Edward was watching her from the doors to the gym. A frown was on his face, even as Bella bounded over to him.
Don't judge me, Edward. You don't know anything, Sadie thought, glaring at him.
The vampire sent one last frown in her direction before wrapping an arm around Bella's shoulders. Sadie watched the two of them disappear and let her breath out in a sigh.
"I really hate that guy," she muttered as she headed for the door herself. "I really do."
OOOOOOOOO
A/N: I think I know where I'm going; it's just the journey there that's getting to me. I hope that you stick around through all of the chaos and leave a comment or two in the little box. Thanks and love! -Scarlet
