Somehow, I ended up at Erin's house. Don't ask me how I knew it was there, it was probably vampire instinct. But the next thing I knew, I had snuck out of the house- not even my father knew I was there, due to the fact both he and my mom were hunting. My feet, full of energy, were racing to Erin's house, carrying me there. When I saw the small gray house, my feet stopped to a halt and stood, shoulder length parted from each other.

For the longest time, I stood there watching. A few lights went on in the house, but they weren't on to look at the intruder on the lawn, and they turned off as quickly as they turned on. I heard the feet of someone in the house walk around, the floor underneath creaking with age. Whoever it was, they walked around a bit, I'd guess to walk off sleep that wouldn't come. The steps got fainter, until I just heard the echo that alerted me they were all in bed.

I moved my head to look at the mail box. It was closed of course, but what I looked at was the neat engraving on it. Printed on the box were the address number, nothing special, and the last name, "McNally". That was the thing that alerted me which house I was at. Erin's.

Once again, my feet dragged me, this time, to the door. Easily, I unpicked the big heavy lock that was fastened on the door. I bent my knees, and lightly pushed on the door for it to open. It opened, and I crept in the darkness, letting the darkness swallow me.

It was minutes later I had found Erin's room, the small corner one that had walls splashed in orange, and crept in there too. Without thought, I shook her awake. It was kind of hard. I didn't want to be too forceful, but I had to, she was moaning, griping, and rolling over on my hand. My hand!

"Erin," I hissed. "Wake up."

She didn't appear to recognize that it was me, since she said, "Mom, I told you, I need to sleep in today."

"No, Erin," I replied, shaking her even harder, "It's me, Nessie."

She moaned again and mumbled incoherently. I doubted she was awake and I knew the feeling. She was sort of in that half-asleep mood. So I did what any desperate half-vampire/teenager would do.

I took a heavy wet washcloth and slapped, slathered, and splattered it all over Erin's face.

Oh believe me, I didn't want to. It was hard enough getting the washcloth and turning on the sink water to make it all wet. I was afraid someone would hear the water running, and I wasn't about to settle for getting it soaked in toilet water. I was a better friend than that.

Anyway, her face was all wet, but she still wasn't moving. Then I slapped it against her face once more and that seemed to do the trick. Erin's eyes opened and narrowed in the pitch black. She fumbled in the dark for something, but her tiny hand grasped nothing but air. Finally, she sat up.

"Huh?" That was her only response.

Learning from the experience with Alex I said, "Don't freak okay? I can explain."

Erin's fair face turned confused and even more (plus a little scared) when I turned the lights on. She saw me and before she could say anything, I rushed to put my hand over her mouth.

"Wffff gonnng uaa!" She cried through my mouth, making her words jumbled.

"Shhhh," I whispered. "I can explain, alright? My family moved back here. I wanted to say hi. We kind of left without notice you know."

Kind of lame, but what the hell.

I let my hand slide from her mouth so she could respond. "Are you crazy?" She cried in a stage whisper. Her head whirled, making her light blonde hair spin. "It's the early morning, and how on earth did you get in my house?"

"Um," I said. "I have skills in lock picking. But that's not the point, the point is that I wanted to say hi and I couldn't wait." What a stupid lie.

She fell for it anyway. "Are you serious? You're back? For good? I can't believe it! Plus you know, like once I get my heart rate back to normal, and the shock wears off, I'll totally thank you for coming by to tell. But I just hate you for coming back today! Like, I look like crap! Morning is so not the best look on me."

These people were really my friends? Wow.

"Well, um," I started. "Not for good exactly, I'm not sure when we'll be leaving again, but we will, I think."

Erin frowned, "You shouldn't leave!" (As if I could make the decision.) "People at school are saying the weirdest gossip about the creep- I mean Cullens."

I knew her, and I knew she was dying to say what kind of gossip. I hid a sigh, "Like what?"

"That all your sisters-including you-got pregnant, like that you all are criminals running from the law. Even one like… I don't know, gossip can get really stupid and out of hand, but one that was saying you all were like, immortals that never age!" She laughed at the end of her gush. "I wonder who came up with that stupid one. Pleese!"

But I knew. I knew who was behind that one. The same person who had been lip locking me in his car months earlier. The same person who dumped me in a forest after being so disgusted with me. The same person who I had to literally threaten to keep his big fat mouth shut, and didn't. My fists curled together.

Erin mistook my expression and quickly added, "But you guys, like suddenly disappeared out of nowhere! You can't blame the rumors." She sighed and reached over to uncurl my fist. I let her. "I can't say that I blame you guys for coming back, Alaska is totally like, deprived of hotties. Isn't everyone else in your family already hooked up though?" She turned her head. "Well, except you and that Jacob guy."

"Yes," My motionless lips echoed words. "But Jacob and I hooked up. Right before we moved." I shrugged to seem more human. "It was expected, but my dad wasn't too happy."

Erin's jaw dropped and her lips formed an O.

I shook a little, and smiled to show Erin I was alright. "I have to go, okay? See you at school."

Then I hopped off her bed and back into the main part of the house. Darkness again covered me and hid my frown and panic of our secret threatening us again.

A/N: Like it? Hate it? Please R&R!