A/N: I should really probably be working on one of my eight million projects right now, but I was just too tempted. The plot bunnies inhabited my head, and they won't go away until I finish this chapter and my one for my Mortal Instruments story. At least, that's what I've been telling myself so I don't feel bad for procrastinating.

Songs:

The Scientist- Coldplay

Cooler Than Me- Mike Posner

Hayley POV

I was sitting on the couch, still watching "Lost" while Echo sat on my lap when that guy who's name I'm pretty sure is Paul came bursting through the door.

I'm seriously staring to believe that they put something weird in the food in this place. Okay, maybe one person can be that huge. Two? A little weird. But seven or eight? Not that many people in one place are just naturally that large. I would think that maybe it just runs in the Quileute genes, but I'm part Quileute (even if I don't look like it) and I can almost be classified as a midget. And I've seen plenty of other people around here who are perfectly normal sized.

Paul smiled. "So, this is the infamous Hayley."

I raised an eyebrow. "And I'm assuming you're the angry Paul?"

He grinned impishly at me. "From what I've heard, you've got a temper to rival mine."

I shrugged. "I've been known to get a little violent."

He sat down next to me, eyeballing Echo warily as she hissed at him. "So. What exactly did you do to get Seth all whipped and Embry all protective?"

I looked at him, confused. "Elaborate, please."

He rolled his eyes. "Well, Embry won't let anywhere near you and Seth is starting to hear Irish voices because of it."

I raised an eyebrow again. "Irish voices? That's a little weird. Canadian voices would be so much cooler. 'Go kill the unicorn, eh?'"

"...Unicorn?"

"Unicorns are real! The Narwhal. It's a unicorn, just a water unicorn. It may not be the way we pictured them, but its got the huge horn on its forehead. So there! Unicorns are real."

"...Are you high?"

I laughed. "I don't need drugs to be this way. I'm just naturally this weird. Though if you must know, I might have been using a few too many sharpies today."

"Yeah. I think you did. Maybe you should stay away from those sharpies."

"But they're so much fun! And life without fun would be boring. And boring isn't fun."

Paul laughed and shook his head. "Less than two minutes and I already know that you're insane." I smiled innocently as he looked down at me with an incredulous look. "How the hell did we end up with you?"

I smiled again and winked. "Oh, I may be crazy, but I provide entertainment. And what's life without entertainment? Entertainment is fun, and life without fun is boring. And boring isn't-"

"Boring isn't fun, yeah, I got it."

I grinned as he looked at me skeptically. He seemed to come to a decision. "I think I'm going to like you, Hayley Anderson."

I smiled mischievously. "Everyone does. At first."

After a few hours of...discussion (can you really call arguing about Narnia a discussion?) Paul eventually left. I wasn't really sure where Embry was, he hadn't come back yet, but I didn't really mind.

I honestly liked Paul; He was fun and a good distraction. But when he was gone, thoughts that I didn't particularly like started to haunt me, so I decided to go for a run through the woods.

Obviously, being the kind of person that can get lost in their own house, I stayed to the trails.

It was peaceful in the woods, I couldn't hear anything creepy because I had my headphones in but the sky through the trees was gray, leaving the forest in a kind of dark haze. I probably should have been a little freaked out about that, but my mind has never been exactly...rational.

But after about ten minutes, memories began to flood into my mind. Memories of that night. Memories of the night that my brother told me what he was going to do.

Ask anyone that knows me, and they'll say I'm good at control. I almost never let my emotions take over, and I never panic in an emergency.

But that's just when there are people around. I try to keep that control when I'm alone, too, but there are times when it doesn't work. Times when the memories are too overwhelming and my control breaks.

But for once, I stopped myself from losing that control. There were people in the world right now, stuck hiding in an alley in the rain or sleeping under trees with absolutely no food. There were people who didn't have anyone to help them and comfort them. (And yeah, that sounds way too cheesy. But it's true.)

Except I never really let people comfort me. When I look in their eyes and see the pity, I seem to get all detached. Something about the pity never seems real to me, even when I know it is. It always seems so surreal, and I don't need someone to feel sorry for me. It's not worth it.

You always tell people you're okay, that there are other things to think about and that they shouldn't worry.

Except it's usually not okay. And they usually should worry.

When you take a look at something broken, you usually just feel a pang of sadness and move on. But the day you finally realize how broken something or someone really is? That's the day you can never go back.

And the truth is, I'd been broken beyond repair. (A/N: Yeah, I stole a line from Twilight. But this is a Twilight fanfic. And that's one of the only lines that I like.)

And I've always been good at hiding that. I was finally starting to realize just how good I've been.

And I was okay with it. Hiding things is what I do.

After all, everyone's got a secret. Even the people who claim they don't.

When I was done with my run, (and my little epiphany, too) I jumped into the shower so I could warn up, and when I got out Embry was home.

"Where the hell did you disappear to?" I asked curiously as I dried my hair with the towel.

He smiled a little. "I could ask you the same thing."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't think it's that hard to figure out."

He was about to respond when Aidan, Lilly, and Seth all burst through the door. Dripping wet, might I add. I guess I hadn't really noticed how hard it was raining when I was in the woods.

Aidan and Lilly immediately walked over to me, Lilly with an excited expression on her face and Aidan with an amused one.

Seth stayed where he was, eying Embry warily.

I rolled my eyes. "You're dripping." I stated.

"Oh, very good, Captain Obvious. Did you know that it's raining, too?" Lilly said sarcastically.

Seth was staring at me with that intense look again, and it was starting to seriously freak me out. I barely knew him, and sure, he helped calm me down that night in the woods. He'd made me feel like a normal person for a few minutes. But that doesn't mean you can stare at me all you want!

His gaze raked over my body, and it was then that I remembered what I'd thrown on when I'd gotten out of the shower. I was waering a tight neon green tank top with black shorts. Short shorts.

I turned to Aidan, only to see that he was doing the same thing. I though I heard Embry growl and Lilly giggled. I wasn't really sure why they were staring, there wasn't much to stare out. With my dark, long red hair and clear skin, I know I'm not exactly hard on the eyes. But I was exactly 5'1, and pretty much every part of me was flat. No curves, no cleavage.

This time I know I heard a growl, and Seth's head snapped away from me and turned towards Embry. He looked almost sheepish.

....?

I turned towards Aidan and Lilly and motioned for them to follow me into the living room. We sat down and I crossed my legs, looking at them expectantly.

Aidan rolled his eyes at my expression and said, "You're starting school tomorrow, right?"

I breathed out. "Oh. Yeah. I'd forgotten about that."

Lilly gasped. "How could you forget about that? It's your first day in a completely new place. You should be freaking out."

I shrugged. "I'm used to it."

Aidan raised an eyebrow. "Well, Lilly was so sure you'd be hyperventilating by now, so she dragged me over so we could 'comfort' you." He used air quotes and I could hear the amusement in his eyes. It also didn't sound like he minded very much that he was here.

Then again, I didn't mind very much either.

Seth POV

I should be happy, right? I'd just imprinted. Embry saw how it was affecting me and it looked like he was maybe possibly considering letting me be friends with her. I'd just found the girl that was made for me! So I should be pretty damn excited right now.

Instead, all I can think about is how fucked up this stupid imprinting system is. I ended up with some midget girl who seems to like someone else and runs off into the woods t bonfires having a panic attack. I got stuck with a girl who I wasn't even allowed to near.

And even though Embry didn't say much about it, I knew that I'd gotten stuck with a girl with major baggage.

The imprinting system had seriously fucked up. It had made a mistake.

Of course, I was supposedly going to have to see her in school tomorrow. And although I might be mad right now, I knew that as soon as I saw her, all that anger would go right down the drain.

I know that I'm supposed to be the nice one in the pack, the calm one. But instead, I was starting to feel like Leah or something. I was turning bitter, and it had been less than a week.

Imprinting took away all your choices. I would never be able to look at another girl in the same way, and I knew I would never be able to really think of anyone other than Hayley.

I know that Sam and Jake and Jared and everyone else are always saying that after you imprint, you don't want a choice, that you're happy with you have. Your imprint is the perfect match for you, and when you imprint it's like skipping over all the dating that wastes your time and you get what you've always wanted.

Well, I don't think Hayley is what I've always wanted. She's too intuitive; It would always be impossible to keep a secret for her. (Although when I see her again, I doubt I'll want to keep any secrets from her.) I'd seen the conversation she'd had with Paul, and sure, she seemed fun, but it didn't seem like she could take anything seriously. She was too short and I'd never particularly liked girls with read hair....

And I almost wanted to phase right there and attack myself. There was no way I could really think anything bad about my imprint, especially anything about her looks, she was beautiful.

God damn it, imprinting sucked.

And Embry, you suck too.

Just as I was thinking this, Embry burst through the front door. Oh, the irony.

"What do you want?" I asked sourly from where I sat on the couch.

Embry sighed and looked me over. "I know that this must suck for you, but you have to understand that I'm not trying to hurt anyone. I'm just trying to protect Hayley."

I laughed bitterly. "No, you're trying to control her life. Dictating who she can and can't see. Don't you think she can decide for herself?"

Embry sighed again. "Look, I know I can't say anything that will make you feel better. But this is the way it has to be. I know that Hayley is all about choices and doesn't really believe in fate, but I'm making this choice for her."

"Embry," I knew I sounded like I was practically begging him, but I couldn't help it. "She's meant for me. Or I'm meant for her, however you want to say it. I can't just forget about it."

Embry shook his head. "You have no idea how sorry I am, Seth. But this is how it has to happen. Hayley can't get mixed up in this." He turned around and walked out. The sincerity and hurt in his voice were the only things keeping me from running after him.

I was seriously starting to wonder if I was bipolar. One minute I'm trying to convince myself that the imprint was completely wrong, the next I'm begging Embry to let me be with her.

God, what was happening to me? Begging was so NOT something I did.

Then again, ever since Hayley had gotten here, I had started doing a lot of things I never used to.

Sorry that it took a while. But we've had some family issues and like I said, they've been piling on the projects. So please don't be angry if my updating is a little sporadic in the next three weeks. But as soon as school is over, I should be updating more regularly.

Review, please! (And is it just me, or did they make the button ugly? I thought it was so much prettier when it was green.)

And hey, voting in my poll would be nice!