Editor Note: I truly am so very, very sorry. –bows- The late post was entirely my fault. On Thursday night, I had an unholy amount of homework and had no chance to post—and Friday night, I didn't get home until past eleven. But this chapter's not as late as the last one!

Author's Note: Hi! Sorry you weren't happy with the last chappy's length, but this one's longer! Richard has survived another week (yay!), but keep those reviews coming. Once again, sorry for the delay last week. Min the Editor's computer would not upload the story. So instead of Friday morning, it updated Sunday. On to the metaphor! (Dun dun DUN!) Your reviews are my addiction. You make me happy, then I suffer withdrawal until I update. Fanfiction is my drug of choice! Woot!!

Chapter Six

"What werewolves?"

Zander slowly looked at his mom, who looked just as much at a loss of what to say as he was. No one spoke for awhile, but a sudden anger had started to well up inside him. It wasn't his fault he'd been out there; they had told him that it was okay to be. Granted, nobody could have predicted that he would have gone so far off-course, but it really wasn't a secret that he tended to get lost.

Inside, Zander knew that he was being slightly childish about the thing he was about to do. Opening old wounds would make things worse, but the angsty teenager inside of him urged it to say it, just to make his father a little angrier. Before his mature side could interfere, he allowed the words to slide off his tongue, mixing as much coldness and spite into his voice as he could. "You know," he shot at his father, "all this wouldn't be such a problem if you'd turn me into a full vampire."

Instantaneously, his father's eyes seemed to darken, and his mother put a hand on his dad's shoulder and gave him a pleading look, as if trying to quell the argument before it officially started.

"Zander," Edward said, trying to calm himself, "we've talked about this. I thought we had an understanding."

"Our 'understanding' was that I would remain the same! What you obviously don't 'understand' is how hard it is for me to do that. It's like my own personal hell! Every day I'm left envying both of you. I can't even run by myself! Anytime I have to drink blood, I literally feel like gagging—you know, it's kind of awkward that a vampire doesn't like the taste of blood. Oh wait—I'm not a real vampire, am I? Of course, I can't call myself a human, either. Normal humans have friends and don't need to drink blood to survive; I'm pretty sure I don't fit into that category! I guess I'm just some freak hybrid child that has to hang out with his parents all day! My life sucks!"

"Zander," Edward said. His tone and face betrayed that of someone who felt a sudden remorse and pity. "At least you're alive. I know that you're having a hard time right now, but in the long run—"

"Don't," Zander cut in. "Don't even try and pull all that 'soul' stuff on me. I figure that if that's all true, I'll be half damned anyway! You don't have an actual argument!"

"Then I don't have anything to say to you." Edward turned and walked out past his wife. Bella walked over and gently smoothed back Zander's hair. "Honey, don't worry about it right now. Before we had you, your father was just as reluctant to turn me into a vampire."

"Oh yeah? Well, he was kind of forced to change you."

Zander stormed past his mother, leaving her with a stunned look. He'd obviously hurt her, and he deeply regretted that, but right now he needed to find a place where he could calm down.

Zander timidly glanced over the side of the treacherous cliff. Water greedily lapped at the cliff's base, as if wanting to reach up and pull him in. He gulped, took a few steps back and sat down. Being that close to the edge was definitely not safe for him. If he'd taken one wrong step, he would have plummeted into the wake. Even though he was trying to be a stupid, reckless teenager, he wasn't that stupid or reckless; him and water did not get along. Besides, he was already pushing the boundaries of idiocracy—right now he was sitting right on the edges of La Push; that was definitely filling his stupid, reckless teenager quota of the day.

A sudden strong wind pushed a familiar, and almost welcome, scent in his direction.

Raechel.

She stood there, staring nervously and somewhat angrily at him. In return, he smiled brightly and waved. Cautiously, she moved closer to him, but stopped nearly ten feet away. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, folding her arms.

He widened his smile, showing off his teeth, and replied cheerfully, "Oh, I'm just waiting for the next teenage girl to come up so I can give some truth to all of those stories your friend was telling about me. Better run off before I suck you dry."

Her eyes were cold, but her voice quavered slightly. "I'm supposed to tell someone if I see you out here."

"Then you better hurry! I might get you!"

"Don't be such a jackass."

"I thought I was a leech."

"Stop it."

For a moment, the sound of the ocean lapping against the rocks below was all there was to fill the silence between them. "I'm not going to hurt you. And I'm sorry I was such a jackass," Zander apologized, looking back out over the ocean.

Raechel hesitated a moment and then sat next to him. "That's okay. I forgive you, Leech-Boy."

Zander chuckled slightly, and Raechel smiled, finally relaxing. Their hands were nearly touching, and Zander could feel the heat radiating off of her, like she had some kind of fever. For awhile, they sat there contentedly in each other's company, and nothing needed to be said.

Eventually, Raechel got up and moved towards the rim. "Are you sure it's safe for you to be this near the edge?"

Zander eagerly jumped up next to her. "Nope," he replied, edging ever so closer to the drop off. "But I hear it's kind of tough to kill a vampire."

"Oh? I've always heard you just had to rip them to shreds and burn the pieces."

"That's not funny."

"It is if you're a werewolf."

"I'm not a werewolf."

"I believe we've established that."

He smiled at her, glad to have someone to talk to other than his mom and dad. Her face mirrored his, like she knew exactly how he was feeling and experienced it often. Another gust of wind blew, carrying an unfamiliar scent. Raechel's face paled drastically. "Oh no."

"What?" Zander asked, turning into the wind.

"My father."

As quick as she could, she grasped him and pulled. "You have to leave now," she ordered, yanking him mercilessly. Zander walked quickly, in an attempt to keep up with her, but, as so often happens to him when he tries to rush, he overlooked the loose rock under his footing. He never had time to react before his arm was pulled free from hers and he went crashing down into the water below.

Meanwhile, somewhere far, far away…

Alice watched in horror as the body plummeted off the cliff and into the waters below. It was the same scene she had observed so many years ago, but this time it wasn't Bella who had fallen off into the ocean. A new picture of Bella came to her mind. She was crying and calling something. "He won't wake up!" The vision faded and Alice was vaguely aware of Jasper holding her arm, but her thoughts were still on the scene. It couldn't have been what she thought it was—that'd be impossible, right? The image of Bella still played vividly in her mind. She looked exactly the same as she had when she and Edward had disappeared.

What had just happened?

"Alice?" Jasper asked, concerned. "What did you see?"

"I think," she said, shaking, "I just saw Edward die."

How's that for a chappy:) Oh, and by the way, I've realized that my shortest chapter has the most reviews, so if you don't review, I'll make the next chappy shorter, if I make a next chappy at all. Muahahaha… But seriously, please review.

PS I'm updating next Friday morning so don't kill me.

An update from The Editor Rin: …Yes. She will be updating next week. ON TIME, I might add (forgive me, forgive me…). But I wished to inform you that Richard just recently emerged from extensive surgery, and he is doing fine—he's in better shape than he was in the first place, I believe. He received massive paper transplants, and he has brand new binding and a shiny silver duck tape spine. Now he shall be INDESTRUCTIBLE!!!! We thank you all for your prayers. –bows- Until next week.