"What the hell are you doing here?" West asked clearly upset but also hid his fear of Elle. He could see the rage in her eyes that he hadn't ever seen before and the way her hands danced with sparks before his eyes.

"I'm going to be nice this time," she said dryly as she shoved her way past him. "Are your parents home?"

"No so no one would know if I accidentally hurt you," he threatened.

"Shut up," Elle said and held her hand up and it danced excitedly with blue sparks flying. "You're going to apologize to Claire."

"You know I really liked her before she stood up for someone worthless like you," he sneered.

"You're being really immature and childish about this," Elle said. She knew that if she thought someone was being immature then it had to be true. "You're getting mad at Claire for something that happened between us."

"Because she stood up for you!" West shouted.

"Why are you so pissed about that?" Elle shouted right back at him with her arms crossed.

"I liked you a long time ago. I honestly did, and then when I tell you that I do you tell me you don't like me. If that wasn't enough the next day you show up at school and start babbling about how your dad's going to beat you if I don't come with you to that shit facility. I don't and you start freaking crying and then I try to leave and you shock me unconscious. Then I wind up in this creepy place and it's all your fault. I shouldn't have liked you in the first place," West said and his face was dark. "You led me on."

"I did not!" she shouted and sent a tiny shock to his arm and he yelped.

"You little-"

"Bitch, yes I know you say that a lot," she said angrily. "So just cut it and call Claire and apologize."

"No," he said stubbornly. "I bet she's making you do this."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, she doesn't even know I'm here you shithead!" Elle retorted and zapped him harder this time making him shout and jump back. She was slipping into her sadistic phase. Watching him cry out in pain sent a chill down her spine that she hadn't felt in a while.

"So what would she say if I told her you were here threatening me to apologize to her? Huh? I bet she wouldn't be so thrilled," West said dangerously. Elle just glared at him.

"Fine if you won't do it now you'll do it later," Elle said knowing West had a point. She turned angrily to walk out but she felt him throw his arm around her neck suddenly. With a gasp she realized he had a knife in his other hand and it was pressed to her neck. "What are you doing?" she asked angrily and felt herself hovering in the air. He squeezed her neck till she was choking.

"I guess I still care about Claire," West whispered in Elle's ear. He applied pressure to the knife causing her to wince.

"Oh she'd be so pleased to know you dangled her sister in the air and then strangled and sliced her neck open," Elle retorted.

"Don't come back here," West said and let go of Elle. She broke away from his grasp and turned around releasing a rather large jolt. He screamed in pain and stumbled backwards.

"What was stopping me from doing that the instant I arrived, well, I really don't know," she said shaking her head and walked to the door. "I guess I really just never wanted to hurt you West." She then turned and continued to walk out. As she entered the outdoors she sensed she was being watched. A little stirred, she looked around but didn't see anyone. She shook off the feeling and walked back.

---

"I'm back," Elle announced walking in the Bennet house. "Claire?"

"Still up here," came her sweet soft voice that calmed Elle down quickly. Elle hurried up the steps and saw Claire's room open.

"Hey sis," she said quietly as she approached the open room and leaned against the doorway. She saw Claire bent over a box in the middle of the floor and the wind blew in gently from the window. Claire turned around to smile at Elle who was quite relieved that Claire was okay now. She looked at Claire who had her hair tied up in a pony tail and the sun brightened her already calm and somewhat cheerful face.

"How was your walk?" Claire asked politely.

"Oh you know, it was okay, didn't really clear a lot up though," Elle said speaking the truth.

"Here come over here Elle," Claire said motioning for her to join her on the floor. Elle walked over and kneeled down next to her.

"What you looking at?" she asked curiously.

"Look it's a bunch of text books from my old school that they let us keep," Claire showed her. To her delight she saw Elle's face light up as she handed her an American History book. She almost laughed as she saw Elle instantly begin to page through the book with great interest.

"This looks so cool," Elle said interested in what she was looking at.

"Here," Claire said moving the box in front of Elle. "I'm giving all of these to you."

"You mean it?" Elle asked lighting up. She could feel sparks flying off her finger tips but she was careful not to damage the book.

"Yeah," Claire laughed. "I don't know anyone else our age that would appreciate this stuff."

"Thanks Claire," Elle said and smiled at her.

"No prob," Claire smiled broadly right back. "Do you want to go out and do something? I mean unless you and Peter were going to have some together time." Elle was tempted to tell Claire that she wanted to have alone time with Peter but she saw Claire's eager face and couldn't say no to her new sister.

"Sure, I was going to hang out with Peter later anyway," Elle said pleasing her.

"Cool let's go," Claire said scrambling to her feet and shut the window. She headed out the door.

"Did you and Peter talk?" Elle asked.

"Yeah he calmed me down," Claire said and hopped off the last stair. "Pete!" she hollered as she opened the back door to the guest house. Since Elle had stayed in Lyle's room the night before (well ended up Claire's room) Peter had stayed in the guest house.

"Yeah?" he said as he stuck his head out the door of the small garage like house out back.

"Elle and I are going out for a bit," Claire told him.

"Alright be safe," he said and smiled at the two.

"Bye Peter," they called and shut the door.

"Okay let me get some cash from the drawer," Claire said and quickly searched through the drawer.

"Got it?"

"I got twenty," Claire said and stuffed it in her pocket as she closed the drawer. "Let's go." Elle walked out and Claire grabbed her car keys off the counter.

---

"Mmm this is so good," Elle said sipping a mint chocolate chip milk shake. The late afternoon warm summer air wrapped around them as they sat on the sand at the beach.

"Ditto," Claire agreed as she ate her own vanilla shake with m&m's in it. The waves lapped just a few feet away from them and they enjoyed the salty sea air.

"I still can't believe we're sisters," Elle said.

"I know right? It's like it's all a big coincidence," Claire said.

"Are you ever afraid?"

"Afraid of what?"

"You know, like, what you're doing the rest of your life," Elle said.

"You mean my entire damned life?" Claire asked bitterly.

"Sorry I didn't mean it like that," Elle said forgetting that poor Claire could live for a very long time.

"It's okay, and to answer your question, yeah I'm afraid," Claire said. "Hell I'm afraid just to be alive."

"I know what you mean," Elle said. "I used to always be afraid if I'd have to take shit from my dad forever."

"Must've been awful," Claire said looking at Elle with a sad smile.

"Yeah. The nightmare still isn't over."

"What do you mean?"

"My life in general is a nightmare, Claire. You know when you dream and there's always that okay part where everything is good for a few moments but the rest of the dream is an awful nightmare? This is the nice little break."

"No Elle, the nightmare's over."

"Maybe."

"It is."

Elle groaned and flopped back onto the sand. "It's just so nice and warm here." Claire giggled and flopped back right alongside Elle.

"It's so peaceful," she said close to a whisper.

"What's that one song? She's a rebel, she's a saint," Elle sang happily.

Claire laughed. "She's a salt of the Earth and she's dangerous."