DISCLAIMER: So sorry for the ridiculous delay but I've been writing some original stuff that's been demanding my attention. The next chapter is written and just needs proofing but this one was a bit rushed so I apologize for any glaring errors. I just wanted to get it out.

Next one will be out within the week!

Much love!

-S

P.S. If you're still reading, you're amazing. :)

Miss Imprint

Chapter 19: Hourglass

It was Tuesday. Then it was Wednesday. And then suddenly it was Thursday morning and I only had three days left and I didn't know where the last three had gone.

I shifted so that the tree I was leaning against didn't press quite so obnoxiously into my back and looked out at the icy, December air that was pushing the waves high against the sand. Okay, I knew it was actually the moon, I took physics. I actually liked it.

But it was so much more poetic to think the wind drove the tides than an absent planet that only shone when someone else's light fell on it. Or maybe that was more poetic.

Either way, it was still Thursday.

Seth had promised to meet me after his patrol in half an hour and I was sitting here trying to orchestrate Alice Cullen's plan. And it sucked.

I needed a reason for him to break up with me. Seth would kill himself trying to resist but we all knew how that ended. If Leah and Sam couldn't make it work then Seth and I didn't have a chance. And I didn't want him to feel guilty about it. Even though we were good together even I could see how well Emily and Sam were suited. Leah was a comrade in arms but Emily was a reason to come home safe at night.

"Come on girl, time for all that sneak to manifest." I muttered, rubbing my hands up and down my arms, hoping the friction would warm me.

I'd finally settled on the point of contention. He had to think I was cheating on him.

But who? Who would he believe? And why? No one had shown me the least interest recently. And I don't mean that in an emo, I'm so sad and pathetic kind of way. It was more that I had landed the best piece of ass on this freaking peninsula if not the entire planet and everyone knew it. And said piece of ass was a freaking beast so the intimidation factor ran a little high. Even though everyone knew Seth wouldn't hurt a fly.

It's like facing off against an angry Chihuahua and a snoozing Great Dane. I'd take the Chihuahua every time. Size is scary even when you don't mean it to be.

My phone interrupted me.

Glancing at the caller ID, I smiled in relief. Only he could bring me reprieve right now. "Cassie's house of prostitution, how can we service your needs?" I whispered, decadently and laughed wildly at his groan.

"One of these days someone important is going to call you and you're going to regret that shit."

"That's what caller ID is for dumbass." I replied sweetly, and he snickered.

"Good point." And then he hesitated and for a moment I thought he was going to say that it had already happened. That I was too late; that I wasn't going to get my goodbye.

But he didn't.

"Hey babe?" He muttered, suddenly far quieter. "I'm really sorry but I'm doubling up for Jacob. It's Nessie's birthday tomorrow and the idiot was too busy mooning over her to buy her something."

He's got forever, I wanted to protest, I only get one more freaking weekend with you. But I just channeled that frustration into the plan. I had ground work to set in.

"No one else can do it?" Normally I wouldn't have cared but I for the last few days, I had tried to be as sensitive as I could over anything to do with the wolves, or the imprinting. He needed to think the fight that was coming was natural.

"Well…I guess I sort of volunteered." He said, his voice nervous and a bit shaky. That was the problem with him, he was so freaking nice all the time, and I loved that about him. And it was killing me that I was turning into that girl. You know? The one who doesn't appreciate kindness and spits in the faces of babies and unicorns? The problem was he wouldn't break up with me. But I knew him well enough to know he'd break up with her.

"Seth!" I groaned, "Can you at least pretend you want to spend time with me?"

I might have pushed it too far. He's going to notice, he's going to notice, I repeated over and over in my head.

And he did.

"Hey, is everything okay?" He asked, his voice a little sharper. "You don't seem like yourself…"

And suddenly I was furious because I hated being selfless. I was selfish, born and bred, damn it, and it sucked when I had to throw my principles under the bus like this. "Maybe I don't want to be second all the time, Seth." I tired to sound as snappish as possible and then after his long breath, I apologized.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." My voice was irritated and sour. I wanted him to think I was insincere. Stick to it, Cassie, almost there.

"No, you're right." He said, suddenly, his voice lower and far more gentle. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." I replied shortly, trying to finish the conversation so I didn't break down and apologize for being such an ingrate.

"It's not, Cass—" And I knew he was going to go on and on until I forgave him because he was wonderful like that.

So I cut him off. "Whatever, look I've gotta go so I won't be late. I'll see you later." I hung up.

And I'm not ashamed to say I cried a little for being such an ass. Seth deserved better. Even if I had good intentions.


I was waiting by the benches for Seth after school, when I felt the tap on my shoulder.

"Cassie, right?" It was Marcus South, the new transfer from a preppy school down in California. He was here as a punishment for too many near misses with the cops down in LA. Or at least that was what I had heard, but looking at the heavy designer labels he was wearing so unbearably casually and neglectfully, I believed it.

"Yeah, what's up?"

He smirked and sat down next to me, a bit too close to my liking. "I'm throwing a party tonight—a house warming. You should come." His arm stretched behind me and ran briefly over my shoulder.

The alarms were going off in my head and part of me wanted to look around desperately for Seth and the other half just wanted to slap his hand off my shoulder and tell him what's what. But I didn't do any of that. Because whether he knew it or not, Marcus South was exactly the guy I had been looking for.

He was new, he didn't know Seth and he definitely didn't know me. He would work perfectly.

"Who's going to be there?" I asked, nonchalantly, before leaning back against his arm. "I don't want to waste my time." I wretched in my head. Even faux-bitch Cassie was too good for phrases like that.

He smirked and then leaned forward until I could smell his cologne. He wore the same one as Seth but it didn't work nearly as well on him. "I'll be there."

I turned to him, smiling wickedly, "well then maybe, I'll be there too."

His hand moved from its perch on the back of the bench and trailed along my arm. I bit back the protest that was burning in my throat. But I needed him.

I needed Seth to see this. But I hope he hurried because this kid was giving me the creeps.

"Hey Cass," It was Seth, his voice a lot sharper than usual. "You're the new kid, right?" He directed at Marcus before extending his left hand. Marcus reluctantly removed his right from around me to shake Seth's proffered arm.

Oh yeah, Seth was all kinds of smooth.

"Yeah, just getting to know Cassie here." He replied as smugly as he could. I noticed that he remained seated, probably to avoid the inevitable height comparison. It was hard to beat six four.

"She's worth getting to know." Seth said, his voice completely calm before he shot a curious look at me. And then when I just shrugged. He stepped back. "You coming?"

"Yeah—I'll meet you at my car." And I watched him leave, his face weary and worried. And then just before he turned the corner, I leaned back over to Marcus and gave him a long, lingering smile.

I didn't look behind me to see the wounded look I knew would be on Seth's face. I felt bad enough as it was.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Marcus asked, just as I was walking away.

"Do you really care?" I shot back, winking and hoping desperately that he said yes.

"No," he said after a beat, "not really."

And with that I walked away, my heart hammering in my chest in anticipation for the fight that I knew was coming.


Seth was mostly silent on the way home, his fingers gripped tightly around the wheel and his face stern. I had a feeling he was trying to decide whether this was in retaliation for him breaking our date this morning.

And the anticipation was killing me. So I started it.

"I think you owe me an apology." I didn't think my voice could sound so cold, and considering the look on his face, neither did he.

"I already did." He said finally, his voice potent, like he was holding back from saying what he really wanted to say.

"Yeah, if you want to call it that." I muttered, turning away from him, and suddenly we were pulling over to the side of the road and the quiet hum of the engine came to a stop.

I expected him to yell, or to be furious but all he did was look concerned. And all I could think was how could this not be imprinting? How much more could he care for another person?

And why couldn't it have been me?

But I didn't stay there too long, because it was dangerous and unforgiving territory and I had to keep my head in the game.

"What's going on?" He asked finally.

"I'm mad." I said, finally. "I feel like you're already picking them over me."

He let out a long breath. "I don't mean to."

"You did today."

"I was just being nice! Where is this coming from?" He tried to turn my head towards him but I shook him off, continuing to glare out the window.

"Stop taking me for fucking granted Seth! Its bad enough you're going to ditch me the minute you meet your "imprint"." I said, my fingers making those obnoxious quotation signs that I knew he detested. "Now, I have to put up with you ditching me every five seconds so Jacob can be with Nessie or Jared can be with Kim."

"Oh." He said softly. "I'm sorry, Cassie."

Yell at me. I wanted to say. Yell at me because I deserve it right now. And part of me wanted him to yell so I would get made, so I could stop pretending because then maybe this would be easier. Because right now it was killing me.

"I don't want you to be sorry, Seth." I said finally, unbuckling my sea tbelt, the plan unfolding devastatingly fast in my mind. I saw it all so clearly now. "I want you to fix it."

"I will, just tell me what you want me to do—where are you going?" He interrupted himself, his voice almost panicked as I reached for the handle.

"I need to clear my head." Swinging the door open, I jumped out of the truck and reached in to grab my bag. "Call me if you figure it out."

And I left him there, watching me sadly from the driver's seat of his orange pick-up truck, as I walked away, my head hanging low and ashamed.

The only mollifying thought was that in the end, he would be happy. But somehow even that didn't feel as soothing as it should have been.

The end it seemed wouldn't always justify the means. Even when it was supposed to.


The letter came in the hands of Alice Cullen on Friday afternoon, three hours after I had left Seth. She was smiling almost embarrassed as as she handed it to me.

Turning it over and reading the address, I raised an eyebrow at her. "Isn't this a bit early?"

She gave me a withering look. "It appears the post office does not stick to my schedule." She muttered before her faced turned somber. "I'm sorry." She said after a moment. "I wish it didn't have to be this way," she smiled sadly. "but one of you ought to have a choice in this."

"Alice...will he…he'll be okay right?" I asked, needing to be sure.

"Yes." And then her face turned heart breaking. "It will be as if you never existed." She smiled then, almost ironically, as if she had taken the words from another time.

I didn't want to ask if I would be okay. I had a feeling whatever answer she gave me wouldn't make me feel better. "Thanks Alice."

"I should be thanking you," she said, in response. She nodded carefully before stepping back lightly, her footsteps graceful and artsy. She was beautiful just then, the dim light from the grey skies turned her dark hair almost blue. "And you will."

"I will?" I tilted my head her but she just smiled mysteriously.

"You will be fine." She affirmed answering my unasked question.

"I'm never going to get used to that," I smiled ruefully.

"It's part of my charm," she said, and then quietly, with far more gravity, "Brave Cassie," you're doing the right thing. Even if you can't see it now."

Before I could second guess it, before I could even think, I pulled her into my arms and hugged her tightly to me. She gasped, but her frozen form slowly warmed to me, her arms coming around to pat me on the back.

"It doesn't feel like it...I've tried Alice, but I-I just can't..." but I couldn't finish because then the expensive silk beneath my face was damp and my shoulders shaking as I tried and failed to catch my breath.

"Oh Cassie," she whispered, her arms fastening tightly around me. "You must believe me, it will work out, I promise you."

I nodded into her silken shoulder but somehow doubt reared within me. Somehow, I couldn't believe that she could sure of that, even with her all-knowing foresight.