God, I'm an asshole.

I am so sorry for the wait, I just had tremendous writers block, and I just realized its been over a year. I can't begin to say how sorry I am, and I'll try to update every week or so. But I'll probably forget, so… any volunteers to remind me? I'll give you my email address and you have to email me relentlessly making me write the new chapter. I'm so so unbelievably sorry. Please please,

Forgive me?

At your mercy,

Serenity.

P.S. There is cursing in this fic, so no flames. You've been warned.


From The Inside

Of her damn rotten luck, the worst had caught her off guard. How peachy was that? Bella stood frozen in place, staring unseeingly into those red eyes, her body telling her to run. She stumbled back, tripped over a tree root, and a foreign noise escaped her throat. 'Oh, wait. That's me. I'm whimpering,' she thought numbly. She laid there on the forest floor, whimpering like the weakling she now believed herself to be. The owner of the red eyes laughed harshly, with a laugh that didn't sound like a laugh at all, and made her skin crawl. Another scream ripped through the air, and that was all it took for her to spring back to action. Bella scrambled to her feet, and climbed up into a tree; fast for a human. She jumped from the branches, trying desperately not to fall. She could feel breath on her neck, and then she knew. She was being toyed with, she would end up dead no matter what. This startling realization made her fall through the branches, winded her with the impact as she landed flat on her back. She didn't wait, she couldn't. She was at another clearing, the screams nearer now. There was a sudden dip in the land, a small cliff about four feet tall. Leaning back on her heels, she glided down, the back of her clothes getting dirty. She stumbled back onto her feet as she landed on the ground below and continued to run.

This was where her life would end. It had to be. It was flat, and clear, and there were no trees to hide behind. And then, the scream was to her right. She turned, wondering who could produce such an awful sound. 'Oh, what the fuck?'

"Riley?!"

-- ---------- --

_instead of wondering why_

-- ---------- --

'Just my damn luck,' I growled at the mirror, looking at the massive bed head I had. I felt the upper left corner of my top lip curl up in disgust, and angrily turned away and tugged on a pair of black skinny jeans. My short black hair was tangled and it seemed as if I would never tame the strands. Running a hand through it, I gave up, and pulled on a beanie. I grabbed a neon green tank top, and one of my spiked belts that had rainbow colored metal studs in a grid pattern. I clasped it loosely around my hips, not bothering to run it through the lips and snagged my black vest on my way out the door. I stepped out of my apartment, and walked a few blocks south to Elliot's place. I jammed the key and shoved the door open. "Morning sunshine!" I chirped into his ear, getting comfortable on his bed. He groaned, rolling over and pulling a pillow over his head. I rolled my eyes, smiling slightly. I crawled under the covers and snuggled up to him, our bodies touching completely. After a few seconds, his arms wrapped around my waist, and I leaned my head against his shoulder.

"Riley," he sighed, his lips moving against my cheek. My fingers traced his ribs lightly, and up his side to his shoulder. He always slept shirtless. "Come on, we have school," I muttered quietly, wanting to stay where I was. His arms tightened around me, and I could just see the smirk forming on his face. "You don't sound so willing to leave. Besides, we could do some educational things in here. We don't need school to learn about the anatomy," he dipped his head, kissing my neck. I laughed as I felt his hands tugging at the waistband of my jeans. I rolled him onto his back, straddling his hips. I grinned, slapping his hands away. I felt something stiffening and rising beneath me, and bit my lip, embarrassed. "Now that you're awake, get dressed." I jumped off of him, and made my way to the kitchen, ducking to avoid the pillow that was thrown at me. "Tease," Elliot muttered darkly, and I heard him fall off the bed.

We've been going out since we were 13, and this had become routine. I lived with my parents until a few months after Elliot and I became a couple, and I got emancipated. My parents were both drug dealers, and were constantly leaving drugs around me. The court thought this was sufficient enough, and so I was a legal adult and my parents were required to send me checks of $700 every month. (Made up.) I moved out, and bought my own apartment, and every morning I'd go to walk to the house Elliot and Randy shared. The two of them didn't have bad parents or anything, they just decided to move in together. Both their parents lived on the other side of town, but visited frequently. Elliot and I were approaching three years fast, and I smiled at the thought of him. We joked around a lot about sex, though we don't plan on having it anytime soon. He respected me, and left it up to me to decide and he seemed happy enough.

Randy was in the kitchen, already dressed, munching on an apple. He grinned halfheartedly at me, and slid a glass of milk over to me on the counter. I happily emptied the glass, and put it in the sink. "Thanks," I shrugged and turned the faucet on. Randy grumbled something incoherently; he never was a morning person. I laughed at his response, and a grin flashed across his face. He wore a gray wife beater under an open black shirt, black skinny jeans, and stone gray high top converse. I walked over and ruffled his hair, his dyed tips seemed brighter. "Did you retouch them?" I raised an eyebrow, examining them. He nodded tiredly. "Nice."

Elliot stepped into the kitchen, his hair left natural. The ends brushed against the top of his cheekbones, and the red streaks bringing out the gold flecks in his eyes. "Did you do his too?" I asked, a little breathless. Randy nodded again. Elliot grinned, his gray hoodie wrapping tightly around his muscled arms. He strode up to me, and wound an arm around me, pulling me against him. My breath hitched, and his thumb traced my bottom lip gently. "Do you need CPR?" his eyes dropped to my lips, and suddenly, he was kissing me. My hands went around his neck and into his hair, pushing him closer. His hand cupped my cheek, and the other made sure there was no space between us. The sound of Tyler's car horn shocked us apart, and I growled. Elliot rolled his eyes and shook his head exasperatedly. "Every freakin' time," I hissed, preparing to hit Tyler. Elliot hushed me, pulling me against him again and nuzzling my neck. "I have the house to myself. Come over later," he muttered against my neck, the movement of his lips making me dizzy. I nodded wordlessly.

He laughed huskily, before pulling away from me neck and steering me out the door and into the backseat of Tyler's car. Randy hopped in the passenger seat, and I slid closer to Elliot, the cold weather getting to me. He glanced down, and glared. "Where's your sweater?" he tugged on a strand of my hair. I bit my lip, and looked up at him through my lashes. He took off his and handed it to me, and dashed back into the house to get one for him. I smiled happily, inhaling his scent. He slammed the car door shut, and Tyler started the car, blasting Disturbed on the stereo. Elliot slid my beanie off, and I reached for it. His fingers started combing the knots out of my hair, simultaneously massaging my scalp. Soon, he had my hair perfectly combed and had me half asleep on his lap. He towed me out of the car as we parked and sat in the courtyard of the school.

Stephanie was walking towards us, a Starbucks bag in hand. Randy and her eyed each other, and Randy pulled out an extra sweater he had. "Bulgari scented?" Stephanie narrowed her eyes. Randy nodded and gestured towards the bag. "Vanilla with a shot of double chocolate espresso?" he questioned. The both of them switched, Stephanie slipping on the sweater and Randy taking a long sip of his latte. This was another one of morning rituals. Lauren and her group of cronies passed by, and Stephanie happily took a sip of her coffee and made a snide comment on her wardrobe.

"Wow. As if gladiator sandals will make her abnormally big feet look pretty," she scoffed. "You know what they say about big feet," Elliot piped up next to me.

"Yeah, and you know what they say about her," Tyler sniggered, referring to the latest rumors of Lauren whoring her way around some junior party in the weekend. (Keep in mind, they're freshmen. For a minute, I almost wrote 'college party' thinking they were still juniors.)

"Poor guy. He must still have the smell of feet fungus all over him," Stephanie said sadly. Tyler and Elliot gave her blank looks. "As if her feet aren't that big?" Stephanie explained, and all of us laughed.

Bella dropped her bag on the floor, and squeezed between Tyler and Elliot, who swung an arm around her. "Man, last night was awesome. But I'm tired," I said, once the laughter had died. Bella glanced at me, and yawned; attempting a smile at me at the same time.

"Yeah, me too. I'm thinking of sleeping through math. Class is so easy, I'll pass with a bird brain. But Elliot's brain will work too, I guess," she shrugged. I stifled a laugh.

Elliot shifted his head, and glared down at her playfully, slipping his arm off her shoulders.

"If that's how you feel, then fine. I need to go file my nails," He got up, and walked away, swaying his hips prissily.

The Cullens came, and started talking to Bella. I shifted uneasily, before deciding to go follow Elliot. The group started to shift away from them as well, pairing off and leaving. The Cullens gave us all the creeps, and we were waiting for them to leave Bella alone with us to warn her. I got up from the table, and padded off in the direction Elliot came, searching the halls. I wandered over to the abandoned part of the school, and a pair of arms dragged me into a classroom. I giggled as Elliot pushed me onto the teacher's desk, and played with the hair at the nape of his hair, his lips tracing my jaw line. I turned my head and kissed him, and we picked up from where we left off this morning. His hand cupped my knee and hitched my leg around his hips, and I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer. The bell rang above us, and we pulled away. "So do I get my extra credit?" I joked, as we fixed our clothes and stepped out of the class. He closed the door quietly behind us, and looked at me lovingly. "How about my heart?" He whispered.

"No, all of you," I cupped his cheek adoringly. He bent down to kiss me again when we heard voices. He pulled me into a corner, hidden behind a row of lockers. From our position, we could see Bella, with…. Edward? She whimpered, and my eyes focused on the grip he had on her arm. 'What the hell is he doing?' I stiffened angrily, and Elliot pushed me back slightly. He looked as angry as I was. And then we heard the words that came out of his house, and I held back a gasp.

"Who beats you?" The words sounded as if it took an effort to speak them, and Edward glared down at Bella murderously.

'How does he know? How can he tell?' I thought, panicked. His knowing could mean that Bella would run, again. I glared viciously at his back, my mind unconsciously going back to all the times Bella had crashed at my place, the horror stories she told me about her parents. Edward's back stiffened, as if he could hear my thoughts. 'Pompous ass. Who the fuck does he think is? As if Bella has to explain herself to him. What the hell?' my thoughts running together in anger. We watched the scene unfold, and he snuck Bella out of the school. We stumbled out of the corner, and Elliot looked at me. "If she's not back by lunch, I'm going to look for them," he said. I shook my head. "No way. My parents ran a gang, and they would send me into all kinds of shit. I'm going," I protested. Elliot's jaw twitched angrily, his arms shifting as if to restrain me. "No. That guy, and his family, give me the fucking creeps. I don't want you going on a rescue mission alone and have you run into him," he hissed angrily. I glared at him. "I can take care of myself," I growled. Elliot closed his eyes, and groaned. "I know you can. And I know you have, and I'm fine with that. But you're with me, and I love you. And as long as we belong to the other, I don't want you to have to take care of yourself anymore. I want to do that for you. Please, understand that," he pleaded.

I relaxed, and hugged him. "I do, I'm sorry. It's my temper, and I thought.." I trailed off, and Elliot hushed me. "I understand, don't worry," he murmured. "I'm going," I repeated. Elliot stayed quiet for a few minutes, and sighed. "I know." At that point, we realized we only had 20 minutes of first period left, and promptly, hauled ass.

-X-

Second and third period passed by uneventfully, and slowly. Painfully, but only because Elliot wasn't in those classes. Bella and I were close, as close as she was to Stephanie; so naturally we had a lot in common. Like, we were both so advanced in these classes, we didn't even need to pay attention. I was stuck in English, studying the unmercifully boring text of Romeo & Juliet, when alas, the bell rung. Did I seriously just say 'alas'? I shook my head, sliding out of my seat, and heading to my locker. Elliot was already opening it for me as I approached it, and I dumped my texts on the shelf and grabbed my wallet. Flicking it shut, I leaned against it and looked up into his eyes. I could tell he was having second thoughts of letting me go, and I grabbed his hand and pecked his lips. We weren't very open about our relationship. He sighed, and together we began to walk to the cafeteria. He grabbed my lunch for me, filling up the tray for the both of us, and he managed to pay, as usual, without my noticing. I glanced at the Cullen table, noticing Edward was missing. I narrowed my eyes, and turned to my table. Bella was missing too. Stephanie slammed her tray onto the table next to the empty seat and glared at the empty void viciously.

"She skipped. Without me," she said angrily. She bit angrily into her grilled cheese, and set it down. "I can't believe her." Elliot and I exchanged looks, and I bit into my apple thoughtfully.

Tyler and Randy joined us, bashing some junior in their Italian class. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice dump her food and exit the cafeteria through the east entrance. 'Isn't that the way I have to go?' I shuddered slightly, and Elliot's frowned deepened. Stephanie's phone rang, and she glanced at the caller ID, and grunted in annoyance.

"Hola skipper," she said sarcastically. I leaned in, knowing it was Bella.

"Yeah, I need you to pick up my car," her voice sounded breathless on the other line. My hands curled into fists. She wasn't allowed to have a car, only used it when she was going to run away. 'Damn that Cullen kid,' I thought angrily.

"…." Stephanie stayed quiet for a minute, looking at me understandingly. We both were thinking the same thing. "What in the hell did you do now, dearie?" she asked, concern coloring her voice.

"Fucking trashed your house. None of your damn business. Just- Can you get my car or not?!" Bella snapped angrily, her voice going higher in pitch in panic. Stephanie seemed as if this caught her by surprise, and she seemed unsettled with Bella blowing up at her.

"Yeah. Where to?" she asked gruffly, her voice weary and cautious. "Ocean Avenue."

Curses flew out of her mouth at a rapid speed, in French and in Italian. She had studied both languages since she uttered her first vowel. "At this rate, I don't want to know," she paused, looking at me. I nodded, "Wait ten minutes," she continued. She bit her lip, shutting her phone and pushing it back into her pocket.

"Thanks Riley. You know how much I hate that place," she sighed, relieved. I shrugged, and got up from the table, dumping the food. "Its fine."

Elliot got up and followed me out of the cafeteria, and suddenly, I had a bad feeling about this. Every nerve on my body felt icy hot, my stomach feeling sick. I broke out in a cold sweat, and hugged Elliot to me fiercely. I felt like this would be the last time I saw him. Elliot wrapped his arms around me, hugging me back just as tight. I planted kisses all over his cheeks, his lips, his neck. He gripped my head between his hands, and kissed me desperately. "Don't go. Please," he gasped, pulling away from me. In that moment, I felt the muscles in his shoulders trembling. "You feel it too?" I asked quietly. He didn't answer, just kissed me. One last, desperately passionate kiss. "You love me, right?" he leaned his forehead against mine. I looked deep into his troubled eyes. "You know I do," I answered, slightly confused. "Then don't go. If you love me as much as you say I do- If you love me as much as I love you, don't go," he begged, his hands covering mine on his face, keeping them there.

Alice stepped out into the hall we were in, and she bounced over to us. We didn't pull away, didn't change our positions. "Bella will be fine," she smiled, and her teeth flashed at us. She walked away, and I looked into Elliot's eyes again. Her attempt to reassure us did nothing for me. "I have to go," I whispered. He shook his head, struggling to speak past the tears that I could see were in his eyes. "No. No, you don't," he choked. "If you go, you never loved me," he stated. My heart froze. "No, don't do this to me," I closed my eyes. "I feel like I'm going to lose you," he shook his head again, "I can't let you- I can't lose you." I stepped away from him, tears running down my cheeks. "I'm going." Elliot blinked back the tears and punched a locker angrily, leaving a dent. Minutes passed, and he straightened himself, his face blank. "I know," his voice was a monotone. My throat burned, and closed up. My heart beat faltered, and beat a ragged rhythm painfully, and hammered against my ribcage brutally. I reached out to touch his cheek, and he stepped away. "Elliot, please," I begged. He turned away, making me stare at his back. I turned, and ran towards my locker grabbing my bag and Bella's spare car keys that she trusted me with.

I slipped out of Elliot's sweater, hanging it in my locker. I jammed the iPod headphones into my ears, and walked out of the school openly, ignoring the security guards. I circled around to the back, and pounded on the auto shop door, where Leo opened the door for me. Leo was tall, with shaggy brown hair that was just beginning to touch his eyebrows, brown eyes, and a lanky build. He was an auto freak, and an aspiring car engineer, he always lived in the school's auto shop. He swung the door wider, and turned; leading me into a back room and uncovering Bella's car. He strummed his fingers on the hood, stroking the glossy paint regretfully. "Take care of it," he said slowly, and I slid inside the driver's seat. I started the car, and sped through the streets quickly, keeping close to the alleys in case any cops were to come around.

I flicked on the radio, not even glancing at it as I messed with the stations a little. As I ran a red light, the bad feeling spread to my chest. I shuddered as it made my blood run cold, and flicked on the heater. I made it to Ocean Avenue in record time, parking the car deep within in buildings to shield it from view. This road led straight down to the forest, and I didn't exactly know what Bella planned to do, so I hid in the backseat. Bella ran a hand through her hair, and sighed as she took her place behind the wheel. She turned on the stereo, and sped faster through the highway than I would have dared.

As she stepped out, I slid out the opposite way, shutting the door quietly, and dashing into the forest. 'She came here to vent,' I observed, and kicked at the moss at my feet. We were going to be here for a while, so I decided to just around. What was the harm? It was daylight. As I made my way deeper and deeper into the forest, my body slowly switched to survival mode. I did not feel right in this place at all. I felt sick, it was bringing tears to my eyes how uneasy I felt. I can't take anymore of this! I stumbled, half blind, backpacking the way I had come. The air was charged with inhuman power, and I could feel something behind me, making me want to desperately, desperately run into the sunlight up ahead. The shadow of a movement from the corner of my eyes, and the adrenaline roared through me like never before. I tore away from the place, feeling my pursuer keep up with me in every step that I took. My palms were getting clammy, and knees were growing weak with fear. I started to panic, not able to think straight. I missed the sudden drop in the land, and fell arms first. Something cracked, and I sucked in a breath, positive I had broken a bone. I felt my right side go numb, and a half strangled groan escaped my lips. I felt hands, or claws, ice cold and powerful with abnormal strength, tug at my back, dragging me off to the side somewhere.

The thing froze, and I could hear a thumping on the ground. I lived long enough in Forks to have known that it was the sound of deer running through the forest. I felt the presence leave, and sighed. The numbness in my right arm subsided, and pain slowly crept up my shoulder. I blinked, and realized my left arm was stinging badly. I glanced down, seeing deep cuts along the length of my arm. I screamed.

-X-

"Riley?!"

I shuddered, stumbling back looking down at her. Her chin length hair was matted with sweat, and her eyes were wide with panic, glancing side to side with fear. Her thin lips trembled with a silent groan, and blood was pouring from her left arm, her right seemed broken. And her clothes were covered in dirt, and blood. I fell to my knees, patting her forehead. "Oh, my god. God, no. Riley? What-," she was back, I knew it. I need to leave. I need to be safe. Cold fingers stroked the back of my neck, teasing and I swallowed, looking back down at Riley. "You're not going to kill us," I said fiercely, drawing up courage. I lifted my chin stubbornly, setting my shoulders.

'A life time of abuse.. A life time of running, I know better than this. Come on, Bella girl. Face this head on, you fucking coward.'

The being giggled, the kind you'd see with blonde curls, pink bubblegum, and Barbie dolls. "Silly little human. Such false hope," it muttered, its voice embodying sweetness. "You… can't," Riley struggled, her fingers curling around something behind her back. The female's eyes were pitch black, and she leaned in inhaling the scent of blood coming off Riley. I held my breath slightly, leaning away. Being nauseous was not going to help anyone. Then, very clearly I heard a dial tone, and glanced at Riley in surprise. "'Cause your face is all over CNN by now anyways," Riley finished. I looked at the number on the screen, recognizing the Hotline. The psychotic freak, (red eyes, and inhuman super stuff and going around looking for blood entitles you as psychotic in my book), growled angrily and lunged for Riley.

Okay, I literally fucking blinked and she's already… oh, shit. Sucking the blood off Riley's arm as if she was a damn lollipop. Riley yelped, and tried to pry her off her arm and before I could manage to grab her red hair, I was thrown back several hundred feet. My back slammed against a truck, and I heard a faint crack. I landed face down onto the ground, my skull bashing into a rock. Blood trickled from the cut on m eyebrow and into my eye, and I could feel my body start to black out.

And then there was Edward.

Furious, and beautiful; attacking with such a grace that it seemed more like a tango then a fight. Even contorted with rage, his eyes seemed bright with life and animation, his features painfully gorgeous, nothing could compare. The way the two were fighting… was Edward like the woman? Was he… something else? Like a cinquepace, their fight sped, and slowed to the beat of tune as old as time. Was that an embrace? Or merely a chokehold? A caress or a failed blow to the face? With such an enthralling performance, it was hard to take notice of much else. But I became acutely aware of Carlisle and Alice tending to Riley, and narrowed my eyes. Of course the whole family is involved; what a shame, though. They all seemed so… normal; except Edward. He's beyond the norm. My head throbbed, I could feel the blood pulsing out of my veins, and my eyes drooped shut. I wrenched my eyes open, in time to see Edward brush his lips across her neck and… And… Something went horribly, horribly wrong. Because that could not be Riley's body they were carrying away. She couldn't be dead. And that most definitely could not be Edward, grunting in agony and clutching his cheek tightly.

But most certainly, there was not a head rolling on the ground, with fierce red hair and frozen, dead black eyes. A standing corpse with no head; would it be in that position forever? And how did Emmett get here? Why does he have a gallon of gas in his hand? They weren't going to… Oh, no. A surprised gasp escaped me, and I clenched my eyes shut. I felt cold fingers brushing along my skin, tracing the cut, cleaning the blood. "Bella?" Edward's voice filled my ears, and I grasped his wrist, willing him to stop. A high keening sound; oh, please, I can smell the gas and the- I closed my eyes again, gripping Edward's wrist tighter. "Riley? She's alive?" I asked, barely able to speak. Edward called out to Carlisle. "What did you see? How much do you know?" his brow wrinkled in worry. I shook my head weakly, shaking him urgently. "Riley! Is she okay?" I repeated, desperate for an answer. "How much do you know?" he hissed between clenched teeth. My eyes widened in surprise, and I felt tears form.

Carlisle bent over me, running gentle hands through my scalp. "I know you're not human. I know you're all fake," I whispered, growing tired. "The normal family act, all the charades. You're all fakes," I muttered. I let go of his wrist, growing weaker and weaker. "Riley… is she okay?" I couldn't understand them anymore, couldn't see. My vision cleared for a second, and I focused on a red strand of hair on Edward's shoulder. "She's not a ..," my vision went black, but somehow, I felt as if I was in a tunnel. My chest felt heavy, and strained. The air suddenly seemed thick, I couldn't breathe right. My back… was something compressing my lungs? My ribcage? Oh, I slammed into the tree, the crack I heard. What did I break? My head swam in confusion, and I struggled for air. Pain. My head, my sides, my chest. I was free, it was getting easier to breathe. "Open your eyes, Bella!" Was that a guardian angel? No, Carlisle. A locket swung from his shirt, and its insignia swerved into view. I recognized it instantly. I reached out for it once, missed, and caught it.

"You're the preacher's son."

The insignia of priests under Cromwell's rule.

Would I ever see the aurora again?