This story is set during the books. But Brady is sixteen instead of fourteen. I know it's a bit dull right now, but trust me you'll want to see whats happening in the next chapter!

PLEASE REVIEW! :-D

Two weeks later, and Brady hadn't been at school for exactly one week. The same week that he had called Rachel and I freaks, I had started to notice things.

He was getting much taller. And his cheekbones stood out more, he looked so gorgeous. I walked past him in the hall office once, and seriously - I was tiny compared to him. And I was already slightly smaller than normal-sized people! I had a rather small body- curved like a model- which looked tiny compared to Brady's mammoth one. The Sluts were stick thin, bleach-blonde, with sunbed-tanned skin. I have naturally tanned skin, but I was only half-Quileute. My skin was looked healthy and smooth, no bumps anywhere- like Brady's.

See, I'm so crushed on him that I'm comparing myself to him. How creepy is that? And because I'm shy, I can't even talk to him.

It isn't me that had found out these things about my appearance- it's my friends. They say that I'm hot- but I don't believe them. To be honest, I don't particularly care what I look like. I'm the sort of Throw-On-The-First-Clothes-You-See kinda girl.

I must admit, I do get angry sometimes. Well, you've probably already noticed that. I mean, I fancy Brady like mad- but that doesn't mean I'll get beaten down every time he talks to me like dirt. I'm big on the woman-respect thing. Living with my dad had made me only respect myself more. I wouldn't take any crap from any guy.

But Brady looked healthy the last time I saw him- so what was he doing off of school?

Or maybe it was a holiday?

Nah, Brady never went on holiday.

Oh my god...I sound like a total stalker!

"He's ill, Kayla. Now that he's gone for a while, you can try and get over him," Chloe said to me at lunchtime on Wednesday- the sixth day Brady hadn't been at school.

I'm trying my best to put him to the back of my mind, really I am. But no matter how hard I tried, I just can't seem to. He constantly invades my thoughts, no matter what I did. His friends- I noticed in English- had no idea what had happened to him either. The Sluts were glaring everywhere they looked- obviously pissed that Brady was gone. Surely his mom was taking him to a doctor? Even one week is a lot of time to take off of school- exams are looming closer and closer, and revision is being piled up by the teachers.

Rachel was very supportive, but she was more angry at Brady. His treatment of me aggravated her. She keeps telling me again and again that she's there for me, but I could tell that she was confused as to why I still liked him after the way he treated me- even though I can't quite explain it myself.

"He's been gone for ages, Chlo," I said, looking round the lunch room as if he would magically appear.

"He's probably caught a bug, Kayla," Chloe said impatiently. "Now, how about that party, are you gonna go?"

"Probably not," I sighed. not thinking about the party.

My social worker had said yesterday that Jordan was coming back for me in a few weeks- he had bought a house on the rez. He wanted to come back to La Push, and personally I believe that he wanted to try and fulfill time in his hometown that he never go to, because of our father. I can't wait to live with him! Of course, living with him would have it's problems- no doubt Jordan wanted to make rules and curfew. And I've never lived alone with him before, so it would be both annoying and interesting.

"I'll go with the rest of the girls then," Chloe said, smiling a little at me when she saw my sad expression. Then the smile twitched and left her face. She looked down at her hands.

"Erm, Kayla? I have a...kinda weird question for you," Chloe squirmed in her seat.

"Yeah?" I was used to weird, random questions like 'Do you like peanuts?' from Rachel, but never had Chloe asked me a question like that.

"Have you heard about your mom?"

I froze. Why on earth would Chloe ask me a question like that? I trembled a little- my mom was a touchy subject to me.

She's been missing since I was two and a half years old- so of course, I don't remember much at all of her. Jordan was eight when she left, and he told me that one night she tucked us in bed- well, me in my cot- and kissed us on the heads lovingly. Then the next morning she was just...gone. Jordan thought that our mom left a note for our dad, but he couldn't be sure.

Then when she had gone, our father became violent with us. And it didn't stop until a few months ago.

"Why?" I managed to croak out.

"It's just, my dad told me that he saw a woman who looked a lot like your mom in the woods." Chloe's dad was the second Campus Chief after Charlie Swan. I had heard that he and some officers were patrolling the woods- but I thought that was because they've been hunting for bears.

'My mom's long gone, you know that," I said quietly, twirling my pasta on my fork.

"Yeah...I'm sorry, Kayla, I don't know why I brought it up," Chloe said awkwardly.

The bell rang again, and since I had free periods the rest of the day, I got to go home. Well, The Home. The foster home was nice, but I couldn't wait to live with Jordan- in our own house away from our parents.

Instead of going back to the home on Wednesday's like this, I always go to La Push beach. It's so calm there, the waves are lovely to look at while I think about things. And I love to draw the view from the cliffs, it's absolutely amazing!

I grab my blue bag and slung it on my shoulder, say a small goodbye to Chloe, then get the hell out of there.

The walk to La Push beach isn't a far walk from the school, so I'm there pretty quick. It's my favorite place to go, whether I just needed to think, or needed a place to go where nobody could find me.

I sighed happily, then sat down with my back against a tree. Taking my drawing pad out of my bad, I pressed my knees up close to my chest, then laid the drawing pad on them. The lines of the trees and waves of the sea were just not entrancing me like they usually did, so I took that to mean that my mind wanted to think- which I kind of hate.

I leaned my head against the tree, tiny flecks of bark coming off. I closed my eyes, then a long-suffering frown appeared on my forehead.

My mom was always a horrible subject to me. It just made me feel ever more unwanted. I mean, if my own mother- the person who gave birth to and meant to supply unconditional love- didn't want me, then who would?

So it's Wednesday today- again. Two weeks since Brady had last appeared in school. I'm starting to worry if he's moved, after all- two weeks? He never missed a day off school without someone in the school knowing where he was. His friends always laughed and joked about where he was going- mostly with Sluts, which of course makes me sad and unhappy that he was so shallow. But now, his friends didn't even speak about him. Had they had a falling out? Mind you, men don't have falling outs. They punch each other- then the next day they're friends again.

So where on earth is he?

Chloe asked me I knew where my mom was again today. I think her dad must have put her up to it- and I wish she wouldn't bring it up again, but I didn't want to bother. Hopefully she'd drop it. She said that her dad thought that the woman looked like the mother- as he had gone to school with her when they were young- but before he could even get a second glance, she was gone.

I phoned my brother last night to tell him about the possible sighting of our mother. Since we were going to be living together- I don't want to keep secrets from him. I had never used to anyway- when we were young, but then again, at that age I didn't have many secrets.

Jordan had paused for a minute on the phone- then he had told me not to worry about it. I knew that he missed our mother- but I was angry at her. She had left us. With that abusive man! How could she love us when she left us? She was meant to love us forever- and yeah, parenting can be tough- but running away from us? Did she know that our father had turned abusive? Had she ever come back to us, to watch us?

The party that Chloe kept banging on about was tonight. I don't want to go- I'm exhausted from staying up most of last night, worrying about my mother. Chloe had decided to go with some of the other girls in our year.

So I'll be on my own tonight, all alone. God, I sound like absolutely no fun! Trust me, I laugh like a lunatic and I'm so random you wouldn't believe it...but I'm just so upset about my mother. And Brady. And the fact that I live in a foster home because my family don't want me, all apart from Jordan.

So...damn...bored.

I'm sitting on my bed at the foster home, staring out the window right homework is all done, my sad thinking about my sad family done, and now I'm just...sitting. Should I go to the party? Or go downstairs and play games with some of the tiny kids? I love playing with them, they're sweet and really don't deserve to be in here. But I'm wondering...party, or games?

Chloe's at the party, and some of my other friends, and I had had a nap when I got home so I wasn't so exhausted...so why not go to the party?

Right, party it is.

I get up from the bed and opened my closet. I have some pretty dresses- and I choose a pale pink mini that highlights my curves and made my long blonde hair shine. So I'm not cold, I put on a small white cardigan to keep me warm. Hopefully it wouldn't be raining, but I doubt it would be- it rained mostly during the day.

Chloe had told me where the address was- a girl's house in the center of La Push.

I go downstairs to say goodbye to the kids- seriously, they're adorable- then I give them a quick kiss and go out the door. They let you do whatever you want at the foster home as long as you're back by curfew. Well, as long as I'm back for curfew. There are no other teens my age in here, the oldest child- apart from me- had just turned four years old last week.

Luckily, it isn't raining outside, so I don't have to rush back in to grab a coat. The house isn't too far away- so I didn't have to risk getting wolf-whistled.

The party was clearly...well, labeled might be a good word- in the street. Loud music blared out of the open doorway, and lights were flashing constantly.

Er, yeah- one hell of a party.

I enter the house, almost expecting havoc- but it was rather calm at the moment. I had obviously arrived when the party was calming down a bit- yay, me.

I look around for Chloe- and can't find her, so I instead start looking for the girls she had came to the party with. They're hanging around near the door, drinking alcohol. Yeah, I knew it was alcohol cause...well, they drank alcohol. Gosh, I'm so informative today.

I walk up to the girl closest to me, and tap her on the shoulder. Oh crap, it's Samantha. She doesn't like me that much- and I have no idea why.

"Oh, hey," she said when she turned around, but she looked me up and down, pursing her lips in frustration. Why would she do that?

"Hi, Samantha, have you seen Chloe?"

Then suddenly a smile appears on her lips, and trust me- it isn't a nice smile either.

"She went upstairs. You should go up, she wanted to see you." Her other friends- who I get on quite well with- gape at her.

Turning around to go up the stairs, I heard a chorus of panicked 'no,no,Kayla, stay down here!'s But I figure that all that they had to say could wait, so I walk up the stairs towards what I know is the bathroom door. Hmmm, Chloe isn't in there, so where is she?

But when I turn back around to go to the stairs, I see that one door in the hallway is slightly open. And the light is on- maybe Chloe had decided to brush her hair in a proper large mirror? I push the door open a smidge more.

And deeply wish I hadn't.

Because Brady is half-naked on the bed- but he isn't alone.

Chloe is mostly naked too!

Her top is off, along with her jeans, and she's desperately getting Brady's belt off. Brady's fumbling around her back- obviously trying to get her bra off. They're locked in a long, tongued kiss.

Tears well up in my eyes. The person I had trusted the most all my life didn't care about me at all- and was naked on the bed with the crush of my life at that very moment. I've never been so emotionally hurt before. This is the worst thing anyone could have done to me. Now I'd found out how strong my feelings were for Brady- and it hurt more than my dad's beatings.

I let out a gasp, then quickly suck in more air in- I realize I had stopped breathing.

Chloe heard the noise, and breaks away from the kiss she had been giving Brady. Her eyes widen, and when she spies me at the door, she looked panicked and upset.

I'm too broken inside to really notice anything anymore. I couldn't focus on anything apart from my broken heart, but Brady captured my attention slightly through my heartbreak.

Brady hadn't even bothered to look round to see who had caught him in the act. He had rolled his eyes when Chloe had seen me, and now he looked annoyed as he turns to look at who entered. My heart felt another sharp twinge of pain- and I didn't think that was possible after seeing my best friend and my crush together.

But when his eyes meet mine- something changes. His eyes widen, and pure awe and something else...- struck his features. His jaw drops open as he stares at me- and his eyes look so dazzled that they sparkled and resembled a puppy's. Then he sees my tears, and he looked panicked as his eyes darted from me to Chloe.

What the hell? Is this some sort of joke? Why is Brady looking at me like that? He had probably decided to play a joke and make me feel even worse. More tears poured down my cheeks. Only an evil man could do something so bad to a girl.

"Kayla, don't, please," Chloe was stuttering during that time, but what happened next shocked me into my senses again. Brady was staring at me with panic, and he lifted his arm, knocking- or shoving- Chloe off of him. She ended up with her slutty behind on the floor.

But Brady hadn't noticed, he's too busy staring at me. He jumped off the bed, not even looking at his shirt, and started walking slowly toward me as if I'm a mentally ill hospital patient with a loaded glue gun- ready to shoot. His hands were outstretched.

"Don't go, please. NO, NO!" he shouts the last bit, as I've managed to move again and I'm running down the stairs.