A little late, but so far my longest one! Had a lot I wanted in this chapter, and a lot I had to save for later. Anyway, hope you enjoy! Read and comment please. Thank you! :)

Scooterly

Seven

La Push

"When are we going to explain it to her?" I heard Esme asked in a hushed voice.

I knew it was Esme's because of the gentle ring to it. It made me want to open my eyes, to look at her and see the motherly glow that tended to surround her. After spending Thursday night and Friday night with just the guys, I was starting to miss the estrogen. Carlisle, after much pleading and begging and promising not to do stupid physical acts of grace allowed me to lose my brace and I was once more free to walk again. Emmett took this as an advantage and good excuse to pester me more than usual. Thursday night, I had fallen asleep on the couch after eating. Same on Friday, and the guys just left me there. This morning, I heard shuffling around in the kitchen and was excited to hear that Esme was back; that meant Alice was home too.

"We'll wait until we know more of what's going on," I heard Carlisle whisper back to her. "I don't want to scare her away."

"And what about what happened with Chase? How are we going to explain that to her?" Esme whispered quickly. I almost didn't hear her.

It didn't take long for my foggy brain to figure out that they were talking about me again. And what was wrong with Chase?

I didn't bother waiting for more. I popped my head up, clearing the sleep from my eyes as Esme gracefully turned to look at me. She smiled brightly and cast a quick glance up at Carlisle before walking over to me. I sat up and she gave me a hug.

"So this is how they took care of you . . . I'm going to have to have a word with Emmett and Jasper . . ."

"Don't blame them," I said with a yawn. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. How was your . . . relative?"

"Oh . . ." she looked generally surprised that I knew, looking at Carlisle before finishing her answer. "Um . . . she was fine. Just the flu, she's on the mend. Thank you for asking, honey."

I nodded and then sighed. I was still wondering what they were talking about; what did they know that might frighten me away? Had they done illegal things? But he was a doctor . . . they had been so good to me . . . but then, so had a few other families. I looked at the floor and sighed. Maybe I had been right in the first place; I wouldn't be staying here after all.

"What's wrong with Chase?" I asked softly, still looking at the floor. "I'm sorry. You were talking about him as soon as I woke up, and . . ."

"Honey," I looked up. Esme's voice suddenly became very compelling, undeniable. Her eyes locked with mine. "We never said anything about Chase. Are you sure that heard correctly?"

Something in her tone made my mind shift off balance, and suddenly I doubted what I had heard. My brain felt foggy and I closed my eyes for a moment, rubbing my temple.

"No . . . I'm sure . . ."

"Brie!"

I looked up to see Alice gliding downstairs, Jasper faithfully at her heel. I smiled at the both of them and gave Alice a hug as she bent down to me.

"Oh you got your cast off!" she said happily. "Does that mean your staying with us?"

She turned to look at Carlisle who quickly spoke before I could answer.

"She still has two weeks to decide, Alice. Don't pressure her."

Alice grinned guiltily and stepped back, allowing me to stand up. It felt so good to be without crutches and a cast and a brace . . . I stretched and then remembered abruptly that it was Saturday.

"Oh, Carlisle!" I said suddenly. He turned towards me, silently regarding me. "Uhm . . . some friends at school . . . invited me to a . . . party, I guess."

"Where at?" he said, furrowing his eyebrows, looking at Alice as well.

"La Push beach." I said.

Part of me was expecting him to say no. I had only been with them for a short while and I wanted to go out and party? I guess he had reason to worry, I mean. . . I was the ideal trouble causing teen . . .

"That's a good place. A lot of kids go there."

"Really?" I said, surprised. "I mean – thank you! I'll come home on time, I promise . . . and . . . and . . ."

"Oh!" Alice broke in again. "We got you a cell phone by the way, just in case you need us when you're at school or something. Or for a situation like this!"

"Oh . . . I . . . what?" I mumbled stupidly as she handed me a small, turquoise, Samsung Juke. I'd heard of these; they were part MP3 player too. I was just in awe of having my first ever cell phone. "You're kidding . . ."

"I know they're kind of out of style but . . ."

"Are you serious? It's mine?" I looked at her and then at Carlisle and Esme. They nodded. "Wow . . . thank you . . . but . . ."

"Don't try giving it back. It's no problem." Esme said, sensing where my thoughts were already going. "It already has all our numbers in it; Alice just finished transferring all the information from her phone to yours."

"I didn't know what songs you liked so there's a variety." Alice said happily.

I admired the slender new object in my hand and then stuck in securely in my pocket.

"So what time are you going?" Alice asked; I think she was more excited than I was.

"And with who?" asked Jasper.

"They said to meet them down at the beach around noon." I looked up at Jasper and remembered how he had gotten when I told him about Dante, even though I hadn't given any specifics. "A group of girls I met at school. They're all really nice."

I didn't mention my "date." The whole thing with Dante had been fun little joke . . . but I was worried he might have taken it seriously. He didn't talk too much yesterday and avoided me when he could. I felt I had successfully ticked him off and hoped he would leave me alone.

I smiled reassuringly at Jasper and he gave a twitchy grin back.

"Great! I'll drive you!" Alice offered enthusiastically. "Come on, we need to get you ready . . ."

"Oh don't go playing "Barbie" with her, Alice," I heard Emmett say behind me; I ducked just in time to avoided being put into another headlock; two days and I was already getting his pattern down. "You did it with Bella and now look at her."

"Exactly! Now she has a prime fashion sense! Now leave her alone, Em, I have to make sure she's ready!"

She grabbed my wrist to drag me upstairs but I was roughly jerked back by Emmett.

"Don't worry, Brie, I'll save you!" he said with a booming laugh. "Alice won't corrupt you if I have anything to say about it!"

But apparently he didn't have anything to say because as soon he grabbed my wrist, Alice let go and charged at him, jumped onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. He let go of me and staggered back, trying to pry away her hands before he fell to the floor. I saw Carlisle wince and Esme shake her head helplessly.

"Alice, why do you always go for the head?" he laughed, still trying to get at her. "You've had the fascination ever since you ripped James's head off."

I saw Carlisle and Esme tense for a moment and then turn to see Jasper tense as well. I guess it was a touchy subject . . . I leaned up next to Jasper.

"Whose James?" I whispered.

He swallowed and cleared his throat. "Uhm . . . old boyfriend. Emmett was only speaking figuratively . . . of course."

"Well I figured that," I said, rolling my eyes.

Alice hardly seemed like a vengeful murderer.

"Alright, alright!" Emmett said, laughing. "You win!"

She had successfully pinned him to the floor with his arms bound behind his back. I snickered; what a wuss.

"I usually do." She said, giggling evilly as she sprang easily to her feet. She skipped up to Jasper and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled and rose and eyebrow.

"You can be particularly scary at times, you know that?" Jasper responded, touching her hand.

She grabbed my hand and began to pull me away, casting one last wicked glance over her shoulder before briskly drawing me upstairs.

* * *

"The posse" was already there when Alice arrived, carefully out of sight. Carlisle had spread word to everyone that not much attention was to be drawn until I was for sure going to stay with them. I hadn't really put a lot of deep thinking on the subject because it continued to bother a part of me, staying with another family.

But then, he had foster children now and didn't seem like he was going to be giving them up. Hell, I'd already been called a "sister" by Emmett and Bella and Alice. Esme was the mother I'd always loved to have but could never seem to keep. Yet there was that . . . feeling . . . that something was off with this family. My mind reverted back to part of the conversation I had overheard between Carlisle and Esme that morning . . . what were they going to tell me? I knew Esme was warm and welcoming, but it was almost like . . . she didn't want me. Was it a finance issue? Was she worried they couldn't provide? But Carlisle disagreed, whatever her reason for worry was. I had been wanting so bad to run off again, to wait until I was eighteen, because then child services would no longer care. I could do whatever I wanted and needed. I didn't need anybody else.

So why was it I felt so safe with them?

I looked wordlessly at the yellow Porsche as it drove off, pulling my scarf tighter around my neck as the November wind seeped through too my skin. The days had been gradually growing warmer, though everyone seemed to be on their toes, waiting for another cold snap to come through. Yet "warm" for these people was 50 degrees and up. I came from southern California; anything below 70 was indoor weather for me. So I shivered as I stumbled down to the beach where I saw them sitting in two cars, doors open so they could talk with each other. A bag of pixie stix was going around.

Great; just what they needed. Sugar.

"Hey, Brie!"

I said "hi" to them all and climbed into the open back end of Kirby's vehicle, hugging my arms tighter around myself. I was handed a purple pixie stick and conversation quickly resumed . . . something about more people coming.

"Who else is coming?" I asked, fidgeting with the small paper tube.

"Seth!" Jennifer said excitedly.

"Jenn's crush . . ." snickered Kim.

Kirby clapped her hands and giggled. Mariah shook her head and opened a can of Mountain Dew.

"What? He's so . . . cute!"

I couldn't help but giggle a little myself. Like with the Cullen's, I hadn't known these girls for more than a week, and already I felt like I belonged with them. I had become one of their own so easily – part of their "posse." All of a sudden, Kim jumped up from the back seat of Jennifer's car and waved, her curly blond hair seeming to be extra frizzed today, being so close to the water. Jenn looked up and waved to and Kirby, Mariah and I all turned to look over our shoulders.

Jacob, Seth, Chase and a few others were coming towards us. Seth ran up ahead.

"Hey, Brie!" he said. "Didn't think I'd see you here."

"Oh you know her?" Jenn asked, jumping up to give him a hug.

"We know the family she's staying with." Jacob said as he approached, leaning against Kirby's vehicle. "I heard there was a party down here?"

I noticed how Jacob seemed to be the leader of all the others. Once he was comfortable, his friends made a circle around the rest of us. Chase hopped up next to me.

"Hey!" he said brightly, nudging my shoulder. "No crutches! Congrats."

"Thanks," I said, looking down at the ground. I bit my lip, rubbing the back of my ankle with one foot. I gave a nervous laugh I instantly regretted. "So . . . I guess I get to see you again sooner than I thought?"

He shrugged. "Nah, I came for the party."

I rolled my eyes and gave a playful elbow jab.

He laughed and held up his hands in surrender. "Alright . . . alright! I came just to see you."

"Flatter."

"What else do you want me to say? 'Jake made me come'?"

I rolled my eyes and reached for a Pepsi in the cooler that Kirby had put in the trunk. My eyes caught Jake looking at us, a smirk on his lip. He shook his head as he turned away. It was then I notice the other girls catching glances at us. I cleared my throat and proceeded to swing my legs, becoming a silent fly on the wall as conversation picked up between the guys and the girls.

As usual, I quietly listened to conversation. At some point I must have opened my pixie stick and dumped it into my mouth because I became aware that I was rolling the empty paper tube around in my hand. I jumped when I heard a cell phone go off and saw Jake turn away slightly as he answered his. Just because he was in ear shot, I listened in on the one way conversation.

"Yeah . . . he's here." "Of course I'm not lying to you!" "I understand, Maggie . . . er . . .Miss Sage." "Yes." "Yes, I promise." "Before ten. You bet. Bye"

He snapped the phone shut and I looked away as he walked past Chase and me.

"Your grandmother's crazy." He grumbled.

"Oh let her be," Chase smirked. "Just because she holds you responsible for every scratch I get, doesn't make her crazy."

"Right." Jacob mumbled taking up his post on the other side of the car.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "A little overprotective?"

I felt a twinge in my stomach when he didn't smile back. I guess I didn't say the right thing.

"She's got reason to be."

"Oh."

"Hey Brie, when's your date coming?" Mariah called over to me, drawing me out of my thoughts.

"You . . . invited someone?" Chase asked me quietly. I ignored him; I had to.

Kirby jumped up and turned on me.

"You're what?" she looked accusingly at her other friends. "Thanks for not sharing! With who? Oh my God this is like . . . I mean . . . Ah! I'm so happy for you!"

"Ehm . . ." I glared at Mariah who smiled deviously and I took in a deep breath. "Well you see I didn't actually – "

"She invited Dante!" Jenn offered a little too happily. I shot her a glare which was cut short when Kirby "squeed" with excitement. I cringed.

"Dante? Really?" she seemed barely able to hold her excitement. "Oh my God he never talks to anybody!"

"So I've heard . . ."

"When's he coming?"

"I don't know." I said tonelessly. "If I'm lucky he won't show at all."

I smiled at the weird look she gave me and helped myself to another pixie stick.

After another hour, I could see everyone was growing bored of just sitting here. I contributed that to Dante's no-show. After a few moments, I pushed myself down from the back and took a deep breath.

"So what do you guys do for fun around here?"

"Do you have his number?" Kim asked. "You could call him."

I grumbled. "Nah. If he wants to be difficult, I don't really care."

"I'm sorry he didn't show . . ." Jenn offered.

I shrugged. "It really isn't a big deal."

I think they looked more forlorn than I did. It was really more of a dare than anything for me. I really didn't think I could spend an afternoon with him in all honesty.

"Let's go walk the beach then," Kirby suggested. "Go see what washed up on shore."

"I'm up for a dip in the ocean! Who's in?" Jacob said, stretching. All the guys yelled in excitement and followed him down the beach as Mariah and Kirby smiled at each other and followed.

Seth turned to Jenn. "Wanna watch?"

"Psh, yeah!" she said, smiling widely as she jogged after him. Kim snickered and rolled her eyes and followed, and then motioned for me to come along.

I had been hoping they would start the campfire early. I was freezing and rather tired of sugar. Someone had bought hot dogs and I was really starting to crave them. But I turned, not really desiring to be left alone, and walked straight, smack into Chase. I jumped back and walked around him.

"Well aren't you coming?"

He shrugged. "I was actually hoping for a casual stroll."

"Who uses the word 'stroll' anymore?"

He nudged me. "I do."

I scowled and nudged him back. It hurt and I don't think he felt a thing. He stretched and began walking down the beach, all the others far ahead of us now. I heard Jacob some sort of wild call and burst out laughing. I heard Chase laughing too as Seth and the others copied the call. I stared at Chase for a moment, and noticed how the golden sun danced off of his tan skin. I found myself smiling and enjoying the sound of his laugh; it had a soft undertone to it. Admittedly, it made my skin prickle.

We walked in silence for a while; I let him lead. We passed the others a ways back; they were plunging from a low rock into the ocean; that had to be freezing . . .

"Walk in the ocean," he said at one point. I looked up at him like he was crazy. "It feels neat; try it."

"I don't . . . really like large bodies of water."

He smiled and cocked an eyebrow, his voice low and calming. "I'll be right behind you. Promise."

I bit my lip, took a deep breath and pulled my shoes and socks off. I stepped forward as white foam came up to meet me. My skin prickled even before the water touched and I cringed when it did. The wave grew bigger and . . . well, I thought I prepped myself for it. . . Apparently one needs "sea legs" for walking into the ocean because the next swell that came tripped me up and I went fast first into sand and saltwater. Instantly, I freaked and salt water went up my nose, down my throat and in my eyes. I flailed like . . . like a freak that was drowning.

Chase's hands quickly pulled me up, pulling my hair back as I sputtered and hacked out half a lung. When I was done, I clung shakily to his arm and glared at him as laughed.

"Sorry," he said. "It happens to the best of us.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my shoes and socks, walking barefoot in the sand. My feet were numb now, it didn't matter to me if they were covered or not. I was freezing anyway.

"Hey where are you going now?" he jogged up next to me.

"N . . . nowhere . . ." I stammered, trying to hold my teeth back from chattering. "I should just head back to camp."

I heard him shift something off and then my knees buckled as a heavy denim jacket was suddenly draped over my shoulders. I pulled it around me and then looked up at him to find that he was in nothing more then a thin, black t-shirt.

"You're going to freeze!" I said, trying to take the jacket back off.

"Not even close to what you'll go through," he said, taking my shoes and socks from me and shoving the jacket back on. "I was getting quite warm actually. Thanks to you I have an excuse to take it off. Now come on, there's a place on the beach I want to show you."

My trembling calmed down as we walked along the beach; his coat had been incredibly warm when he put it on and it smelled of damp earth, of rain and autumn; all sorts of nature scents that I liked. Secretly, I tried to bury my nose under the collar where the scent was strongest; it made me feel safe. Safe was good.

We were so far from the others now that I couldn't even hear Jenn or Kim's crazy cackles or the dramatic splashes as the Quileute boys leaped into the water. I wondered why Chase didn't want to join them – maybe he just didn't want to go for a swim on such a lovely day like this.

Later we came up to a large rocky area and I watched apprehensively as the water crashed against the rock and he kept leading us towards it. Part of my mind decided that, because he had my shoes, I had to keep following him. When we reached the massive rock, he looked back at me and motioned his head towards it. I could see that it opened into a wide, cave like area and I swallowed and stepped back.

"It's dark." I stated.

"Yes it is." He confirmed.

"I don't do dark."

He sighed and threw up his hands. "Alright, list of things Brielle doesn't like; deep water and dark places. Are spiders anywhere on there too?"

"No; I had a pet Tarantula once named Henry. Fluffy the family Sphinx ate him. I cried for a week."

"Aren't those the bald cats?"

"Yep." I said, turning. He caught me by my elbow and turned me around. I glared.

"Don't give me that look . . . come one, I really want to show you this!" He tried pulling a puppy face (which I had to give him props for, it was really cute but I was impervious to such things) and when that didn't work he went serious again. "I promise, I'll be right beside you."

"You said that about the water."

"It's not my fault you slipped on sand." He said and without even giving me a second's notice, he grabbed my hand and pulled me with him. "Don't worry, I'll keep you right with me; the boogieman wont get you with me around."

I stiffened at first but quickly reminded myself that there was no way he could have possibly known about those instances, about me being thrown against the wall. Alice didn't even know, or Jasper. And if they didn't know, no one else did either. Biting my lip again, I clutched his hand, my face turning slightly red but as soon as we stepped into the cave; thankfully he wouldn't be able to see my face. At least there was an opening at the other end; I couldn't see it, but there was a definite draft which meant the air was flowing in and out of somewhere. And though I couldn't see once Chase turned a corner I could feel we were in some sort of vast, open space. Our foot steps echoed in the dank air and I couldn't help but press closer. I felt myself begin to shake again, but I wasn't cold this time. Without a word, he released my hand and draped his long arm over my shoulders. To my surprise (and probably his as well) I really didn't mind.

"Here." He said at one point. We both stopped and he reached into his jacket that I was still wearing and pulled out a small flashlight. Flicking it on, he held out his hand to me again. "Trust me now?"

"You planned this," I accused, taking his hand anyway as he skirted around a jagged hole. "Look! You almost got us a killed!"

"Ha! Hardly." He cast the light over it. "It's like three feet deep. Now come on, over here is the right angle."

"Whatever." I said, clinging to his hand like a lifeline.

He sat us down on a dead log and smiled at me, his bright amber eyes lighting up like a child's on Christmas morning. I scooted closer as he removed his hand again and swept the flash light up.

"Now, look." He said quietly.

I glanced up and I heard myself gasp.

Though the top of the cave was high, someone had hung what looked like a ton of tiny glass pieces all over the top, like little mobiles. I took a closer look and saw they had shapes to them; wolves mostly, some seals, a few whales and a few eagles, but wolves reigned dominant. They were different color too; blues, reds, and greens . . . and the cuts made in them were so intricate and delicate it was hard to imagine how long it took to make all of them, much less how they even got up there. The light started to dash around and I turned to see Chase bent over, jamming the flashlight into a thick, rusty round of wire. It fit perfectly and I looked up to see that the light had caught them all precisely in the right spot it seemed, illuminating them so that all the colors were cast upon the dark walls. Giant blue wolves and red whales danced around us as green seals and white eagles swooped around on the far wall.

"It's . . . beautiful." I whispered and then I turned around to look at him. He wasn't looking back, but looking fondly at the glass things above us. He smiled, sadly it seemed. "Did you make them?"

He dropped his head and shook it, looking nothing like the happy-go-lucky Chase he was just second before. "No. We don't know who made them or why they're even here." He swallowed hard and I felt I had trod on the wrong territory, but he continued on. "My mother and I used to spend time here. I would put the flashlight in; she would prepare food and drinks. We would talk for hours about a ranch she would build in Montana, and how Grandma Sage could live with us since Grandpa passed."

He shook his head again and leaned back.

"It was Grandma's idea for me to bring you here."

I gave him a sideways glance. He seemed lost in memories for a second, the blue light of a glass wolf twinkling over him, illuminating his eyes. I touched his hand to get his attention; he looked at me tenderly. It was the shy way that reminded me of how he was like at the Cullen's. This must be how he was more like away from his friends.

"But you didn't want to." I concluded, looking down, pulling away.

"No, no! That's not it . . ." he sighed. "It's just . . . it's been so long since I've been here. The last time I was here . . . my mother was still alive."

Oh yeah . . . I had definitely crossed into uncomfortable territory now. All I could do was nod.

"You don't mind if I give you a little bit of history, do you?"

"I . . . guess not . . ."

He glanced up again and took a deep breath. I began to chew on my bottom lip.

"My father, my Grandmother's son, was an abusive man. I had seen it since I was a boy and yet my mother had always put up with it, I guess she thought she could change him. Same old story, you know? I guess my Grandfather tried many times to talk sense into him, but he was a frail man, and died of a heart attack before I could remember. My mother often turned to Grandma Sage, and Grandma was always a strong woman, the foundation of our family really. But she even feared her son.

"Well I guess I don't need to go into much detail. You get the gist. One night it got so bad though and my mother was unconscious on the floor. I bolted from the house and ran to Grandma's, the only safe place I really knew. My father didn't follow, but Grandmother called the police and kept me with her through the night. My mother was in the hospital a long time and . . . well, dad finally landed behind bars. I think it was hard for Grandma, I mean, it was her son! But she kept firm hold on me. We played games, she made me laugh; she made life better until mom was well again."

I didn't think it was the end of the story but I didn't say anything while he paused, collecting his thoughts. When he spoke again, I couldn't read his expression – it was a mix between pained and comforted.

"After every beating mom took she would run. I never knew where, so one night, I followed her. I snuck inside her backseat when I could hear an argument rising and when she got in the car, I stayed silent until we got to the beach. I got out and followed her . . . and found her in here, with a flash light, positioned like it is now. That night she just held me close and kissed me, and every time afterwards she'd take me with her and we sit in here to talk. She said the place healed her, gave her strength . . . took away her pain. After my father was out of our lives, we returned here together on a weekly basis, and she would talk about leaving. Grandma Sage wasn't to keen on the idea but she loved my mother like she was a blood daughter, and agreed that maybe a change of scene wouldn't be so bad. So we drove out to Montana, started a small ranch and life was good, for a while.

"It was my 9th birthday; I had to stay with Grandma all day because my mother had gotten snowed into town and was having trouble getting her truck up the mountain. All for a damned cake." He sighed and folded his hands in front of him, hanging his head. "She slipped on one of the turns, went off the side of the road . . . when they found her, they said she had snapped her neck. It was instant. She hadn't felt anything."

I swallowed hard. Watching him trying to cope with a memory like this seemed . . . so wrong. On his birthday . . . what a thing to remember.

"My Grandma's raised me since. When we started having money troubles, she sold the ranch, and we moved back here." He smiled slightly, which made me feel better. "Well, Grandma always said she was determined to raise a little gentleman, I just hope I can live up to her standards."

"She sounds like one hell of a woman." I said meekly.

"She is." He smirked and nodded, and then his features softened again. "You know, my mother was right. This place . . . it heals. I thought I would just get swallowed up with the past but . . . I feel better actually. I didn't want to return, originally, but my Grandmother insisted. And she made me promise to show you."

"Me?"

"She seems to think . . . that you deserve to see this place. She said you could help, and be helped." He turned to glance at me. "You know? I think she was right. The world seems . . . calmer, with you around."

I kept my eyes firmly planted on the ceiling, catching the colors randomly. I felt my cheeks blush.

"But she's never even met me." I finally whispered.

He shrugged his massive shoulders and strands of dark hair fell into his face. "She's always been a good judge on character."

We sat in silence for a long time. I hugged his jacket around me, thinking about all that he said, and tried to match the past to the person sitting next to me. That was Chase. It was part of who he was. And for some strange reason, he had incorporated me into that.

"So what's your story?"

The question jolted me out of my thoughts and I blinked at him. "Me?"

"Yes, you. Jacob said you were found and that the Cullen's took you in until you decide whether or not to officially stay with them."

"Did he now?" I scowled.

"Don't worry," Chase said, softly. "I'm not sharing your secret."

"How much do you know?"

"That you washed up out of nowhere and Carlisle made a bargain with you. That's about it. You're staying, aren't you?"

I shrugged slowly. "I . . . I don't know, Chase. It's . . . complicated. I don't really belong."

"Sure you do. You trust them, don't you?"

"Well . . ."

"I want to help too."

I looked up at him. I turned my head to the side, studied him silently and felt myself starting to withdraw.

"You don't know me very well, Chase. No one knows my history, none of the Cullen's at least."

"But . . ."

I shook my head and he quieted. I started to bite my lip again and he touched my shoulder.

"Why do you do that?"

"What?" I asked, leaning back.

"Bite your lip . . . you do it a lot."

I shrugged and sighed. "It calms me down."

He nodded as if it made sense. "So why haven't you told Carlisle anything?"

"Because I'm not going back into foster care." I said firmly. I was surprised to hear my voice tremble, as though I were on the verge of tears.

"But I thought he offered to adopt you."

"Yeah," I turned away, looking at the dimly glowing wall. "Until he knows my past. Then I'll end up like I always do."

"He wants to help you; in order to do that, you need to tell them what happened. I thought you told them about you? They don't even know why you wrecked here? I heard you were bound and gagged."

A cold shudder went through me.

"I told them I didn't remember what happened." I said quietly.

Silence ensued again and he brushed some hair from out of my face.

"But you do, don't you?" he guessed.

I swallowed and looked up at him, my eyes locking with his and slowly, I nodded. He had told me his story, and he barely knew me. He trusted me enough to tell me his story. He thought I had already shared mine with the Cullen's, and now part of me felt obligated to share my past with him. I didn't want to, and now I felt nearly sick to my stomach as I debated with myself.

"I understand." He said, suddenly rising. "Come on, they're probably wondering where we went off to . . ."

"Wait," I said, grasping his hand to pull him back. "Wait. I do want to share . . . something with you. But you have to promise you won't tell anyone, not yet. I need to do it."

He smiled encouragingly and sat down. "A gentleman never share's a lady's secrets."

I smiled slightly back. "I need to meet your Grandmother."

"Oh you will," he promised, if a little uneasily.

And so, staring up at the top of the cave again, I began telling my story to Chase, hoping I wouldn't regret it later.