No words. Just chapter. I sleepy. ~Shaymie

Sierra

Emmy's been asleep since yesterday. Raymond told me not to worry about it and to just let her rest, but I felt like he was hiding something from me. No, he was hiding several things from me. I wanted to know where he had been all these years, but I wasn't confrontational like Emmy. I knew I shouldn't be scared to ask. Raymond's not like our parents. He won't get angry or call me names. He was kind and patient, the complete opposite of Emmy's brash impulsiveness.

"And done!" Raymond tied off the end of my braid with a flourish and stretched. "Big Brother Raymond comes to the rescue again!"

"T-Thank you..." I felt my cheeks grow warm as I stood up from my seat, grabbing my backpack. With Emmy out of commission, I needed help with my hair. There was too much of it for me to handle with just one working arm. Sometimes I thought about just chopping it all off, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. It was a hassle to deal with, but it was mine. It was the one thing our parents hadn't been able to take from me or ruin.

"Sierra... Do you know if Emerson had a plan when you guys moved here?" Raymond walked over to the coffee table and grabbed his keys with a sigh. "I know you guys got part of our inheritance, but you can't possibly plan on living off of that forever. And what about when Emerson goes off to college? What will you do then?"

Simple. She doesn't plan on going.

I bit my lip anxiously as I followed Raymond to the car. How would he react if I told him that? I didn't want him to get into an argument with Emmy. I had just got him back. But he and Emmy had such different opinions on college... She thought it was a waste of time and money. He thought it was essential for a better life. I didn't know how to feel about it. High school was stressful enough. It was hard for me to keep up, and I wasn't like Emmy. I couldn't just ask someone for their notes.

Raymond spent the entire drive to school making small talk. He had mentioned that he wasn't with his girlfriend anymore since she didn't want to uproot her life in London to move to the states. He assured me that it was for the best since they had different goals in life anyway. She wanted a big house with a big yard and tons of animals, while he just wanted a simple life with a small home and maybe a cat.

"Why did you come here? If you went to the old house and thought we were... dead, then why did you come here next?"

"I wanted to check on Grandma Katherine's house. I heard about her passing and wanted to make sure the house was alright, but it looks like you and Em cleaned it up." He had heard about it? How? Did he give someone else a way to reach him and not us? I had spent the past several years worried about him, wondering if he was okay? Would we have ever known if something had happened to him?

I didn't know what else to say. I didn't want to seem too pushy even though I had a ton of questions for him. I could tell that he was still a bit tired, probably from the change in time zones. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he pulled into the school parking lot. I could feel everyone's eyes on us as they noticed the new car. Ray really went all out on a rental car. It was probably the most expensive car on the lot, aside from the Cullens'.

"Bye, Raymond." I planted a quick kiss on his cheek and got out of the car. He gave me a nervous wave and smiled. I wonder if he noticed the stares, too. We both weren't really a fan of attention. I was still waiting for the novelty of me and Emmy to wear off, but I guess interest is gonna peak again now that Raymond's here.

I was halfway across the parking lot before I felt the familiar chill down my spine that I had come to associate with the Cullens. I spotted them staring at me. They all looked angry with the exception of Alice and surprisingly, the big burly guy. I paused to look at him. He's... a senior, right? Emmy mentioned having him in a few classes. She said he was definitely the least creepy out of all of them, but like the rest, he didn't really talk to anyone outside of his family.

"Sierra," Alice sang, skipping over to me, graceful as ever. She smiled and looped her arm with mine. I shivered from the coldness of her skin and how... hard she felt. I don't know how else to describe it, but she almost feels like a rock. All the warning bells in my head were going off at once, telling me to get away from her. Everything about her just... wasn't natural.

"H-Hi, Alice..." Don't freak out, Sierra. Even if Alice isn't human, at least she doesn't hate me like the rest of the Cullens. That's gotta be a good thing, right? I know that she wouldn't hurt me. ...Would she? Emmy had always taught me not to judge a book by its cover. Just because someone's nice now doesn't mean that they won't turn their back on you later. I'd learned that the hard way with childhood bullies.

"Should we do the study session at my house or yours?"

"Oh... I'd have to ask my brother about it." But I don't have his number... "Emmy's sick so I don't know if it would be a good idea for you to come over right now."

"Emerson's sick? What happened?"

"She has a migraine," I said, remembering what Raymond had told me earlier. He said that everything was fine and I had nothing to worry about, since his girlfriend used to have them all the time. No amount of begging would have convinced him to let me stay home to watch her. I felt anxious when Emmy wasn't around, but I guess I would have to grow out of that eventually. She couldn't protect me forever.

"You know, my brother has a crush on you," Alice said with a cheeky grin as she dropped me off at my first period class. I froze with my hand on the doorknob. There's no way her brother would like me. This had to be a prank. It wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened. People love making fun of the weird, albino freak. Tell her someone likes her and then embarrass her in front of the entire school. I'm not falling for it again.

I walked into the classroom without another word. I thought she was different. She didn't give me weird looks or pretend to be nice to me just for a chance to get Emmy's number. I should have known it was a trick. Why else would someone as pretty and graceful as Alice even talk to me? People (or whatever she was) like her don't associate with people like me.