Waves to her readers than goes and sits in corner I'm almost starting to feel bad for her...

Anyway hope ye enjoy. And do review.

Elizabeth closed her book. Reading became quite the task when the words refused to sit still on the page. She was lying on her stomach on the sofa- a fleece throw hung loosely over her legs. Elizabeth crossed her arms over the cover of the book and rested her head atop them. Despite the fact that she had slept longer last night than she had all week she was exhausted.

Her initial reaction had been shock. She wasn't used to waking up at all let alone with another person inches from her. As her eyes first opened, she had felt Will's arm on her back and the warmth from his body burning her skin. She had heard his rhythmic breathing and watched his chest rise and fall. It was too much for her to take in that early in the morning. She remembered she had been very uneasy that previous night. No, she was always uneasy. Last night she had been terrified. A brief lack of rational thinking that she caused her very much shame. Elizabeth had mentally chastised herself almost a dozen times since she had pieced together- sleep tends to screw up ones thoughts- her exact emotions. She shouldn't have freaked out, given into her fears or cried- especially not cried, but her mind was so tired she had lost her composure and let the walls slip down ever so slightly. That would not happen again- she had reassured herself that she would not let her guard down anymore. Though if said occurrence was a side effect of extreme fatigue she was glad she had experienced it with Will. As much as she loathed it, she had derived a certain amount of comfort knowing Will had been there. The fact remained that she had slept and that was saying something.

Elizabeth had scurried off as soon as she could think straight. She had run home so as to not further involve Will. That morning it had been hard even to look at him. Her face had turned red every time he looked, or she thought he was looking, at her. She knew Will wasn't the type to judge, but she would still not take the risk. Will had tried to stop her from taking off so quickly, insisting she eat something and relax, but she was not going to fall for that as she did last night. This day was sunny so it didn't much matter from the stand point of seeing at least that the power was still off. When she had gotten home, Elizabeth had found herself quite bored. Without power, most of her favorite things such as the computer and straightening iron were useless. After wandering around her room for a good half hour contemplating her misfortune, she had settled upon reading a book. Reading had triggered her desire to fall asleep right where she was. She wouldn't though. It was ridiculous to even hope that she could sleep twice in the same day.

A car door slammed outside. Elizabeth blinked. Footsteps were coming towards the door. She pushed herself up unto her elbows so she could see out the window. Her father was standing on the front porch. As he let himself in, Elizabeth feigned that she was doing something productive. The moment he noticed his daughter Mr. Swann, stopped in his tracks.

"There you are. Decided to come home, did you?" His voice was coarse as if he was scolding her. Elizabeth's expression was somewhere between hurt and confused. After two weeks, that was all he could say to his only child.

"Elizabeth, what ever gave you the idea that you could go and stay anywhere you please whenever you please?" The man stared his daughter down. Elizabeth didn't respond. To her the obvious reply was: if I had to wait around to ask you when I could go out, I'd be a shut-in, but given the man's current mood that wouldn't exactly fix the situation. Elizabeth couldn't help but wonder why her luck was so rotten; her father always came home when she wasn't there. Maybe he planned it so he could yell at her. In the future she would have to ensure this argument never happened again. Even if it meant hanging around the house more and leaving notes telling where she could be found, Elizabeth resolved to please her father. He had enough drama in his life; he shouldn't have to worry about coming home to be disappointed by his daughter.

"Elizabeth." His raised voice wavered in Elizabeth's mind. Her thoughts had taken her mind away from the room.

"…Yeah…" Elizabeth asked. "What is it?" Her mind was pulling a blank. What had they been talking about?

"Are you stoned?"

"What?!" Elizabeth squealed repulsed by the mere suggestion. Though some days she could only wish…

"Damnit kid, I better not hear you're screwing your life up."

Elizabeth clawed at her arm. She deserved the pain it brought for letting her father down. No wonder he was never home, he couldn't stand to see the mess his daughter had become. She deserved to be alone- she wasn't good enough. Elizabeth would just have to be perfect so he would have no excuse for not loving her.

"I got bags in the car. Go and get them would ya." Without further ado, Elizabeth hopped to her feet and ran outside to obey her father's request. Mr. Swann made himself at home while Elizabeth lugged in the heavy grocery bags her father had left in the car.

"So you never did tell me where you were this morning. I had quite the shock when I came home to find the lights dead and you missing." In the time it took Elizabeth to unload the car, her father had taken his shoes off and was reclining on the sofa with his feet resting on the armrest. His new environment had much improved his temperament.

"Oh yeah sorry…I was at Will's. Big storm and he didn't want to drive in it." Elizabeth explained in a way that none of the blame could fall on her. Mr. Swann grunted. He seemed to trust Will enough not to mind his daughter being around him.

"Your boyfriend know?" He asked a slight chuckle in his voice.

"Uhhh I think. It was for school so he wouldn't mind…" Elizabeth's voice trailed off. Despite what she said, she was very sure he would mind. The man grunted again. Elizabeth decided to leave him alone as he had picked up the sports section of the newspaper.

Back upstairs in her room, Elizabeth changed into a spare set of running clothes- none of her favorite ones had the chance to dry. She wanted to take down another chunk out of her project that day, but it would have to wait until after she got a little exercise. She disposed of the clothes she had taken off in her laundry bucket. Her jeans hit the plastic with a thud. Elizabeth winced. She forgot she had stuffed her phone in her back pocket. It must have been sturdy as neither Elizabeth lying on or throwing it left any scratch whatsoever. The phone was off and since she always leaves it on the battery must have died. She tossed it onto her bed. The phone was useless until she could charge it. Elizabeth jogged out of her house. She didn't bother telling her father of her departure; he could see what she was doing.

As she ran, Elizabeth thought of James. She imagined he was having a heart attack not being able to contact her. This didn't really bother her too much as she would enjoy using the peace to work on her project. Puddles speckled the street. Elizabeth skirted around all of them. Muddy water was not something she fancied adorning her shoes. She smiled to herself at the thought of Jack and Will leaping from puddle to puddle as she figured they would. Much to her delight the humidity was gone with the storm. As a runner, Elizabeth favored dry air, as it was much easier to breath. Elizabeth dodged a large branch that had fallen in the middle of the street. She was not surprised when a public works truck drove past her a moment later. Throughout her travels she scanned the neighborhood for signs that the power company was working on returning electricity. It would not be fun to go another night without it. Elizabeth ran until dryness in her throat made the activity near torture. She wished she had taken her water bottle; she was starting to think she was wrong about not drinking water making you stronger- all it did was make her thirsty. Her foot splashed in a puddle. Elizabeth sighed at the irony of the situation. Her whole neighborhood was flooded, but she was parched. She walked the rest of the way back home.

"James stopped by some time ago." Mr. Swann informed his daughter as she walked through the door. He was exactly where he had been when she had left.

"Oh really? How long ago?" Elizabeth had no idea how long she had been out as she had brought neither her watch nor cell phone. She went straight to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water which she downed in one gulp.

"I didn't check sorry. I told him you were out running and to drop back later. He seemed worried so I'd expect him-"

"Yeah thanks. I haven't seen him since school yesterday. Guess he misses me…"

"Sweet."

Elizabeth refilled the bottle with water from the refrigerator's dispenser. "I'm going to take a shower so if he comes just have him wait around."

"I'm going out in a bit, but if I see him I'll relay the message. The best way not to miss him is to not take a year in there like you usually do."

"Not likely." Elizabeth smiled at her father. She got a towel from the hall closet and went into the bathroom. Her clothes were clammy and she did not feel bad being rid of them. She pulled the tie out of her hair letting it fall to its full length halfway down her back. Various knots and tangles hindered the comb as she brushed her hair out. Elizabeth stepped into the shower and turned the knob so the water would be cold. Her body was still warm from running and a cold shower was one of the fastest ways to remedy this.

Elizabeth left the shower feeling refreshed. She dressed in an old pair of pajama bottoms and a T-shirt that had been ruined by bleach. Sitting on her bed, Elizabeth gathered the school papers which were scatter about her desk. Will wouldn't mind her doing their project without him. She would call him but he was otherwise occupied with a tournament and she lacked a working phone. Anyways she didn't need his help; she could work just as well and more efficiently by herself. Elizabeth examined the notes Will had printed from internet the previous night occasionally highlighting something she would need to look back at later.

The doorbell startled Elizabeth. She was unfamiliar with its hollow ringing sound. Her work was once again left in a pile as she went downstairs to confirm suspicions as to who it was. No voices screamed at her to answer the door- her father had gone out again. She peeked out the front window. James' car was parked behind hers. Elizabeth was reluctant to open the door; she was not dressed to be seen by anyone else.

"Elizabeth." James called through the door. "Are you home? I'm getting worried…"

"I'm here…" Elizabeth turned the doorknob. James pushed through it and threw his arms around his girlfriend. His eyes dropped as he examined her.

"Hey, what's up?

"Uhhh…My clothes got caught in the wash…" Elizabeth stuttered under the scrutiny of James's gaze. Slowly, understanding dawned upon him.

"That sucks. But hey you look great in anything."

Elizabeth faked a smile. "Come on in and make yourself at home." They were still standing in the foyer. James plopped himself into sofa.

"So what have you been up to? You gave me a scare last night when you weren't around."

"What? You came here? But I just talked to you…"

James shrugged. "What can I say; I just wanted to see you." He pulled at Elizabeth's wrist until she was sitting on his lap. Goosebumps popped up along her arm as James' hand glided up her back. He started kissing her on the neck. Elizabeth's body was limp and her eyes half closed.

"James…"

"Yeah?" He was too busy to stop for any longer than it took to speak.

"Uhh nothing…I just got a lot on my mind."

"Really just forget about all that especially school. The weekends are for play." James' hand grasped hers.

"I guess but…"

"Why don't you let me take you out? We can get a few drinks and everything will be better."

Elizabeth shook her head. She actually good for once and she didn't want to risk marring that with food or drink.

"So what you just going to spend tonight in your room studying like you did last night. You were studying last night right?"

"Yeah, I got a project for Chemistry."

"That can't be any fun."

"It's okay. I'm not really getting a choice."

"I bet…Hey isn't that boy what's his name…the one who was picking a fight with some of my guys a few days ago…in your class?"

"Will?"

"Oh yes that's right. Will Turner. If he was really as smart as he boasts he'd learn to not mess with me his superiors."

"What…what about him?" Elizabeth stammered. James' face was getting steadily closer to her and his words were becoming crisper.

"Oh nothing, I've just noticed you two share notes a lot and stuff."

"Ummm I just help him here and there. We're just in that one class together so…I don't really know him…" Elizabeth's mouth was once again dry, but James' glare held her in place.

"He wouldn't happen to require any assistance with a certain project now would he?"

"….I don't now…"

"It would be awful nice of you if you helped him outside of school or even worked with him. Don't you think?"

"Yeah…I mean wait….James what are you saying?"

"Liz, it really seems like you're hiding something from me- perhaps the reason for your disappearance last night."

"I already told you I was studying. Sorry I don't answer your every beck and call."

"Are you sure you weren't "studying" with Will?" James' voice was nearly a hiss. Elizabeth was getting claustrophobic; she wanted to crawl away from him, but his hands were gripping her shoulders.

"No, I think I would remember what I did last night."

"Lying whore." James shoved her back with full force of the rage he had been building the whole exchange. Stunned and unable to resist his strength, Elizabeth flew backward. The top her neck slammed into the armrest. Elizabeth lay where she had fallen, the sharp pain growing with every passing second.

"Don't take me for a fool, Elizabeth. When I came looking for you earlier, I asked your father if he knew where you had been. He told me you spent the night with Will. Nice man your father is." Elizabeth's eyes wouldn't focus and the room was spinning. There were two James hovering over her. This was all her father's fault. What would ever possess him to tell her boyfriend she had spent the night with another guy? Did he hate her that much that he wanted her to be hurt? She didn't doubt that her father and James had some plot to punish her for her crimes. James was still talking, but she wasn't listening. She didn't move a muscle. Elizabeth wouldn't resist them. She deserved to be rebuked for letting them both down so much.

"…..I'll see you Monday Lizzie." James left or at least from what Elizabeth could tell since the buzzing of his voice had stopped and the blob of color had vanished. After a car door slamming verified his departure, Elizabeth tried to sit up. She hated that she was so weak. Her head throbbed, but she stumbled off the coach anyway. Somehow, she made it upstairs before she collapsed. If her father did return home, she would not have him see her passed out on the sofa.

Elizabeth regained consciousness to find the light on her ceiling shining in her eyes, which only worsened her headache. She sprang up. It was dark outside, but the power had come back on. Her neck was tender where it had struck the armrest. Rubbing the spot, Elizabeth decided it was best to block that afternoon from her mind. She didn't need to remember what really happened.

As she came down the stairs, Elizabeth heard the television blaring and smelled cooking food. She didn't want to face her father, but she needed to get into the basement to dry her clothes.

"I thought you went out again." Mr. Swann said upon seeing his daughter.

"Oh no, I was in my room uh…studying." Elizabeth lied, as she didn't want her father thinking she was lazy.

"Are you hungry?"

"Not really…" Elizabeth never got hungry anymore. She supposed her body had become accustomed to little or no nourishment.

"You sure? You are starting to look kinda thin-"

"I gotta get my clothes from the washer sorry." Elizabeth hurried into the basement keeping her head down as she walked. She transferred her clothes from the washer to the dryer, filled the washer with another load and turned both machines on.

"So did James ever come back?" Mr. Swann asked as she passed him again. Elizabeth was silent. Her father was just trying to strike up a conversation with her, but she didn't want to discuss that topic with anyone let alone him.

"Is everything okay, Elizabeth? You have not been acting right today."

"Father don't worry about me. I'm great." Elizabeth put on a reassuring smile. He fell for it and went back to cooking and watching a violent loud movie.

Elizabeth was perched on her bed watching the walls when the phone rang. Since she mostly used her cell phone, she sometimes forgot she even had a house phone. She scrambled to locate the phone by following the ringing.

"Hello?" Elizabeth asked into the phone. She hadn't given many of her friends this number.

"Elizabeth, in all the time I've known you I think today has been the only time your phone has been off all day." Will's voice sounded too cheerful. She wanted to hang up; he was right up their with James and her father on the list of people she didn't want to hear from for a long while.

"It died."

"Oh sorry to hear that. Guess you took the power outage pretty rough?"

"Do you need something?"

"Not especially. I just wanted to make sure you were alive even if your phone wasn't…"

"Well I am. Anything else?"

"Well I worked on the project some more. I'll show you that next time we meet though."

"Oh good, I didn't much feel like working today…sorry."

"That's fine. I'd rather have you take it easy anyway."

"Uhhh yeah I did…"

"Liz?"

"Will?"

"You don't sound so good."

"I got a slight headache. I'm probably going to lie down for a while."

"Please do so. Don't worry about anything else just rest."

"I'll try…" Easy for you to say Elizabeth thought. Will had no idea what it was like to not be able to just rest. He didn't need to know either. She was not going to leak anymore of her problems to him.

"Ok then I'll let you go. Take care Elizabeth." Elizabeth dropped the phone on her table. It was still rather early and she doubted she would be able to sleep, but working or reading would be too painful with her mind the way it was. She turned the light on her dresser on and the bright ceiling light out and buried herself under the sheets on her. Even if she couldn't sleep she could find rest in her dark, soft bed.

I know. Shocking isn't it. Or not. But review anyway please