"Arr-ee-aa. Arr-ee-aa. Arr-ee –"

This is what I woke up to every morning. As soon as my three-year-old sister could speak, she decided her goal in life was to become the family alarm clock. My mom said it was just a phase, but I was beginning to doubt it.

"What is it, Marley?" I answered as I rubbed sleep from my eyes.

"Guess what?" It was way too early for guessing. I resisted the urge to snap at her, taking a deep breath to calm myself instead.

Have patience Aria, she's only three and doesn't know any better... Ah, of course the voice in my head had to throw their two cents in, a rather common occurrence for the past three years. Although some people say that hearing voices in your head makes you crazy, I was pretty sure I wasn't. Anyway, the most the voice did was make me laugh at the stupid comments and innuendos it made.

"What?" I watched as she stared at me with wide eyes and giggled crazily. Someone obviously had sugar this morning, and I was willing to bet that Jared was the one responsible. He was always sneaking her cookies from the high shelves in the kitchen.

Patience...

"That's what!" Marley laughed before she ran out of the bedroom, but not before almost falling over due to her clumsiness. I furrowed my forehead in confusion. Ididn't understand the joke, but decided to brush it off as one of those things that no one else gets besides children below the age of six.

However much I had wanted to snap at her, I was glad I didn't. Marley needed at least one older sibling to listen and look out for her, and everyone knew that Jared would rather spend his time with his friends at First Beach than look after his little sister.

Well, maybe not everyone knew that, but I certainly did. After all, Jared was my twin (although he was technically older by two minutes, but who really cares?) and he hadn't done anything for me these last few years.

After inevitably deciding there was no point in trying to sleep any longer, I rolled out of my bed and walked toward my mirror dresser, where I frowned at my atrocious bed head and the small pimple beginning to form on my forehead. I eventually gathered my dark hair into a bun, since it would still be unsalvageable after brushing, making faces in the mirror to entertain myself.

Although I shared the same tan skin and dark hair as the majority of La Push, one of the (only) differences I had from everyone else were my light grey eyes, which were considered unusual since most of the other residents have darker features. It made me so different from everybody else, even my family; whilst everyone else's eyes lit up with warmth, my own were always cold and stormy… something Paul had no problem in reminding me of frequently.

Ah, Paul. The guy whose personal mission in life was to torture me because of his outstanding ability to hold a grudge.

Props to him.

It began when we started high school. By we, I mean Jared and I. I didn't expect it to be that different; after all, everyone in La Push had known everybody since preschool. I didn't think things would change at all, aside from the teachers and lessons.

But I was wrong. It had been different, more so than I could ever image.

My own brother ended up ditching me for this group of guys led by Paul. I didn't know Paul personally back then, but I had heard about him. Watching him tease kids in primary school, always wishing that I could stand up for them, scream at Paul to take a closer look at the damage he was causing.

But I was scared of being teased myself and becoming one of those who would cry at the thought of going to school. Scared of being scared. So I stayed quiet and hated on him from afar, silently berating Jared when he began to sit with Paul or visit his house on the weekends.

It was only the third week of freshman year when I snapped.

Paul was teasing a girl, Alexis, who had skipped eighth grade and entered high school with our grade a year early. She was smaller and younger than the rest of us, and was obviously having a difficult time adjusting and finding her place.

The late bell had rung and the hallway was empty. I'd run to my locker after being caught up in the bathroom, hastily hunting for my science textbook, when I heard Paul taunt this girl for having to wear glasses, something she obviously couldn't help.

The more I listened, the more I raged at the unfairness of the situation. She was one girl whilst Paul had his whole gang behind him, which now included Jared. When Paul shoved her shoulder, I finally snapped.

I don't even know what made me act the way I did. One part of me was angry that Paul had pushed a defenceless and innocent girl, not to mention a girl who was younger and too scared to speak out. Although I suspect the bigger part of me, which felt sad and lonely and pure hatred for Paul stealing away my brother, my twin, from me made me do it.

That day I punched Paul.

That day Paul's nose was broken by a girl.

That day I sealed my fate.

. . .

I frowned into my locker. Where had I put my chemistry book?

Some things never change, do they?

I saw a sudden movement out of the corner of my eye but it was too late.

My locker door swung and smacked into the side of my face, scratching my cheek, yet thankfully missing my eye. I hissed in pain as I clutched my head, swinging the door back in place to see who my attacker was, although I didn't really have to check.

"Oh, sorry Aria. Didn't see you behind there." I glared at Paul, silently wishing my eyes could turn to laser beams and reduce him to dust.

My lip quirked up for a split second when I saw the slight bend in his nose. Someone with an untrained eye and no knowledge of the incident wouldn't even notice that Paul's nose was slightly crooked due to it being broken when he was fourteen. I, however, couldn't help but feel a twinge of satisfaction every time I saw it.

He was flanked by a few of his friends, one which included Jared, causing me to feel the familiar pang of hurt and betrayal. "It's an improvement, though." Paul continued, bringing my attention back to him. "At least when you hide behind your locker you're doing everyone a favour and we don't need to see you."

Although it was one of his weaker jabs, Paul's general cruelness caused me to feel tears prick at the back of my eyes.

"Right, Jared?" Paul laughed loudly, speaking as if I wasn't even there.

Jared's eyes flickered around, looking for an escape.

"Right, Jared?" Paul repeated warningly, his laughter fading. Paul and the others were looking at Jared expectantly, as was I. This wasn't an unfamiliar circumstance. Whenever Paul would look to him for support, Jared would hesitate, even though the outcome always ended same.

"Right." Jared finally mumbled in agreement, his gaze directed toward the ground.

I wish Jared wasn't one of them.

Paul roughly pushed past me to continue on his way down the hall, obviously deciding his daily 'torture Aria' quota had been filled. Predictably, Jared and the others followed behind him.

I turn around so I don't have to see Jared's regretful looks.

Sometimes, when Paul wasn't around, I would catch him looking at me like that, and sometimes I saw him open his mouth, as if to tell me he's sorry. More often than not, I watch him shift uncomfortably behind Paul when he taunted me, moving forward as if to defend me from the cruel words. In those times, I used to believe he would finally gain the courage to stand up for me, protect me, like he always promised he would.

But he never did, and now all I believed is the brother I knew is gone, along with the faith I once had in him.

...

"So are you going to tell me what's wrong or am I going to have to drag it out of you?"

I looked up from my pathetic attempt to drown myself in self pity and saw the concerned face of best friend, Lexi, formally known as Alexis.

"Nothing. I'm just tired, that's all." I made a bad attempt at a smile as I went back to staring at my untouched cafeteria tray.

"Yeah right," she scoffed, pushing away her own tray. "You look more depressed than Kim in Sophomore year when she found out Jared was dating Kylie James." She spat out her last words, showing her hate for the girl who teased her in freshman year for being flat-chested when we got changed for Gym class. Even though our immature freshman days were long gone, Lexi and Kylie still had frequent run-ins where insults were swapped and sometimes hair was pulled.

"Lexi," I scolded lightly, laughing. "Don't be mean about your cousin."

It was common knowledge to just about everyone but Jared that Kim Connweller, Lexi's cousin, had been crushing on my brother for quite few years now. I found her schoolyard crush sweet, but Lexi, who moved in with her aunt and uncle after her parents died when she was young, had a low tolerance for the situation, often describing Kim's constant crush as obsessive and irritating.

Lexi rolled her large bambi eyes, now glasses-free, and pulled a face. Lexi had quickly gotten tired of being the youngest during freshman year, causing her to buy contacts and large quantities of eye make-up to look older. Although she now looked the same age as the rest of us, she still continued to apply thick eyeliner to keep up a tough persona.

"And it is true that I'm tired," I continued. "Marley woke me up heaps early this morning."

"Marley wakes you up early every morning." Lexi gave me the are-you-really-going-with-that-excuse look before pursing her lips together tightly. "It's Paul again, isn't it? I told you to tell me if he bothers you. I'll kick his ass."

I laughed as she held her hands up and punched the air a few times, ending with an uppercut. Lexi just couldn't be intimidating, no matter how hard she tried or however much eyeliner she wore, because underneath her five foot, badass exterior, she was still Alexis.

"No offence Lex, but you say that every time. Seems like all talk and no action, if you ask me." I wiggled my eyebrows at her, grinning.

Although I was only teasing, Lexi frowned and stood up from her seat. "You know what? You're right. This whole thing is my entire fault. If I had stood up for myself back then, then Paul wouldn't torture you and everything would be totally different. Jared and you would still be all buddy-buddy with each other, boys would be falling over themselves to be near you instead of being scared to talk to you, and you'd probably even be a popular cheerleader with, God, Kylie James. I'm to blame, and I always try to act like I'll make it better for you, but I don't."

I stared at her with wide eyes before shaking my head. "No, you're wrong, Lexi None of this is your fault, okay? And it's not your fault Jared is an arse and boys are intimidated Paul, and don't think for a second I would rather have Kylie James over you. Don't think that for a second because-"

"Aria!" Lexi angrily cut me off. "I know you're trying to make me feel better but the fact remains, it is my fault. So deal with it, because nothing is going to make me think it wasn't."

I opened my mouth to interrupt again but she continued. "But it's okay," Lexi said, nodding to herself. "Because today, I am going to make it up to you. I always say I'll do something about Paul, but today I will actually repay you for what you did for me." With a final nod, Lexi spun suddenly and I could barely contain my horror when I saw her intended destination: Paul's table.

"Lex! Don't!" I cried out, jumping up from my seat and almost knocking over a fellow senior. I didn't have time to feel guilty though, because if Lexi was about to do what I thought she was going to do, her life may possibly be ruined within the next few minutes.

I made my feet move forward a couple steps but froze when I saw Lexi tap Paul on the shoulder and watched him turn around in his seat. The rest of the occupants at his table, including Jared and Kylie James, stared at her with a mix of curiosity and disgust.

"Oh crap." I whimpered. This is bad, this is not going to end well...

"Hey, asshole."

I choked at Lexi's words. Paul might as well be the king of the school… no body called him that if they wanted to live.

I was vaguely aware that the whole cafeteria has gone quiet so they could hear Lexi's and Paul's exchange, but I couldn't even hear clearly. My heart was beating too hard and blood was rushing to my ears in a whoosh. I wanted to grab Lexi and pull her away before she did something indescribably stupid, but my feet were frozen to the floor.

Move, Aria! This is no time to play statues!

I opened my mouth to call out her name, but nothing comes out. It only took me a moment to figure out why. I wanted to see someone hurt and humiliate Paul. I wanted for him to feel the same mortification and pain that he put me through every day. And although I didn't want Lexi to be the one to do it, there was a high chance nobody else ever would.

But a second later, those thoughts leave and are replaced by guilt. However much I wanted Paul to pay, Lexi was my best friend and I couldn't let her put herself in this position.

I forced myself to move forward, stumbling over my feet like Marley often does, but the moments I spent hesitating made me too late.

All I could do was watch in horror as Lexi's arm swung back, her hand already made into a tight fist, and then connect with Paul's jaw, before he could even react or defend himself.

From where I was standing, I heard a crack echo throughout the cafeteria as Lexi's fist made contact with Paul's face.

Lexi slowly lowered her trembling arm, although I wasn't sure if it was from fear or pain. "That was for my best friend," Lexi said shakily, spinning around to walk back to me. Almost immediately she cradled her wrist, and I now knew that the crack had come from her hand and not Paul.

My eyes darted back to Paul in confusion, but the only damage he seemed to have was the beginning of a light bruise. Paul slowly rose to his feet and his whole body began to quiver, although I could tell it wasn't from fear or the cold. This was different somehow.

His face became red and his eyes held pure rage as he hunched over, so tensed that the veins in his neck and forearms popped out. He looked like an animal and I stumbled back in shock. Lexi looked at me in confusion and slowly turned back around. When she saw him, she gasped and backtracked next to me.

"Paul, man, are you alright?"

I wanted to scream at Jared when he put his hand on Paul's shoulder. Anyone could tell he was not alright. He looked like on the verge of murder and his eyes were trained on Lexi. Paul shook off my brother's hand and took a step toward me and Lexi, and for a second I stopped breathing whilst panic swells in my throat.

Somehow, I forced myself to hastily step in front of Lexi, shielding her from Paul's view. There was no way I was letting that monster murder my best friend. She'd gotten the worst end of the stick anyway, with a hand that is most likely sprained or fractured. The only thing bruised on Paul is his jaw, and perhaps his ego.

When I stepped in front of her, Paul's eyes grew wider and his pupils began to dilate. Something that sounded like a mix of a grunt and growl erupted from his chest and he took another step forward.

You're actually going to die. He's going kill you in front of a hundred high school students with his bare hands. And no body's going to stop him. Why does this always happen to us?

I couldn't breathe properly and my chest heaved up and down as I tried to force oxygen into my lungs. This somehow made it harder to breathe. Great. If Paul doesn't get me, I was going to suffocate.

"Paul, man. Calm down." Jared hastily stepped in front of me, coming face to face with Paul. My twin cared about me after all. Well, enough for him to save me from being killed by his best friend, at least.

"I'm not going to calm down! It figures that you would pick that- that bitch over me!" Paul roared, almost deafening everybody. "I thought you were supposed to be my best mate, but I guess you're just too good for me, huh? Perfect Jared Cameron with his perfect family, living in your great big house with a white picket fence."

"Whoa, mate. Come on, stop." Jared managed to get out, looking taken back. Paul's body continued to shake so hard that his form is just one giant blur, and even Jared stepped back from his best friend.

"Mr Lahote!" I barely heard the vice-principal over my heart, which was thumping so hard that I couldn't separate one beat from another. He started to make his way toward Paul, who was looking scarier and scarier by the second.

"I- I just need some air!" Paul finally yelled angrily, storming out of the cafeteria before the vice-principal could give him a month of detention.

Everyone was silent for a few moments before Jared finally broke the tension. "Well..." Everyone's eyes snapped to Jared's face as he spoke slowly. "That was weird."

No shit, Sherlock.

I loved that little voice in my head.

. . .

Love it? Hate it? Let me know.

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, alerted, or added this to their favourites – it makes me so happy to see people enjoying the story so far.

Anyways, do you think Aria's crazy? Because she has one of those inner voices in her head? (Hence the title, Voices...)

Anyways... another chapter?