A/N: Hey guys! FINALLY, (after a full year!) here is another chapter! Enjoy!

It was quiet.

The wind didn't blow, the leaves on the trees didn't swish, the crickets didn't chatter in the night. Even the Cullen house, haloed by the warm yellow light spilling from its vast windows, was eerily silent. I didn't doubt that they were aware of my presence. I stood at the tree line a few feet away from the illuminated estate, feeling a roiling in my stomach, working up the courage to go further.

I hadn't done anything particularly horrible. I mean I had come pretty close but I didn't and wasn't that the only thing that mattered? But, all the same, I'd taken a huge risk tonight and I was sure that nobody would be happy with me when I finally decided to walk through the door. Now, standing on the outside looking in, I could see how foolish I'd been, how selfish.

I could practically feel the tension radiating out of the house. The fear, the worry, the intense resentment. And I knew that this was what I was afraid of. I had disappointed them and I wasn't sure I was ready to face that yet.

After a moment's hesitation, I thought, I'm here.

There was a few more beats of silence before I heard Edward announce, tonelessly, "She's back."

I closed my eyes and let out a breath. The tension had eased considerably. Maybe I could -

Crack.

Immediately, I whirled around into the darkness, landing in a feline crouch. My instincts were on high alert; my eyes picked up dust particles, my skin prickled with every movement of the bugs crawling in the grass, my worried thoughts suddenly disappearing into cacophony of danger! in my head.

"Show yourself," I called into the gloom.

There were a few more sounds of movement before a figure, tall and distinctively female, stepped out of the shadows. I straightened.

"Leah?"

My mind was eased, knowing who it was, but my body still reacted as if she was a threat. Her body, clad in a black sports bra and tattered denim shorts, vibrated with what I suspected was barely concealed rage and her expression promised violence. I took a step back. My sixth sense hadn't been wrong yet and right now it was saying that Leah Clearwater wanted to hurt me.

"Did you bite anybody?" she said, her voice low.

There was an accusing note in her tone that I didn't appreciate but also wasn't going to address in the one-misstep-and-die state of mind that she was in. A single wrong word could cost me my head. "Leah, I -"

She cut me off with a sharp snarl. "Did you or didn't you bite someone?" she snapped, her volume rising.

I crossed my arms defensively and stared hard at the ground. "No. But I came pretty close," I admitted. She sighed irritably. "I'm sorry!"

She looked at me, her eyes narrowed into slits. "You're sorry? You could've killed someone - someone with a life and a family and friends - and you're sorry?"

I averted my eyes, trying hard to avoid her baleful glare. "I don't know what you want me to say," I said quietly.

Whatever this was - this sudden outburst of anger - I got the feeling that it was more than Leah was letting on. She was looking at me as if I had done this with the sole purpose of setting her off. This, I realized, was personal.

Finally, she said, "He thought you left."

I squeezed my eyes shut. So there it was.

"Seth," I said softly.

Leah's laugh was bitter. "Yeah. Remember him? Didn't know you were aware there are other people in the world besides you."

I flinched.

"He thought you weren't coming back," she continued in the same biting tone, "He thought you were unhappy here, cooped up so close to home but so far away. And then he got it."

My eyes snapped open. "He knew?"

"What's even crazier," she went on as if I hadn't spoke, "is he wasn't even gonna tell! He believed in you," she scoffed, "but I couldn't let that fly. You're a freaking newborn, for chrissakes."

I began knawing on my lower lip, half turning to look at the Cullen house again, still silent.

"They've been in there sitting like somebody died for the past hour and a half. We all thought the worst. And all this because you were being a brat."

My head whipped around with a force that might've broken my neck had I been human. The dark feeling that I had been carrying around in my stomach since we left the house in Seattle spread through me like wildfire. I glared at Leah boldly, forgetting all my discretion.

"What would you have had me do, Leah?" I barked, "I couldn't not go, there was too much I didn't know. And there's a hell of a lot you don't know, either. If you knew - if you only - " I shook my head. "Look, I know it was stupid but I've had a horrible night and I do not. Need this, right now."

There were a few moments after in which we stared at each other, sizing each other up. It was a very rare occasion that I was this blatantly combative. I guess this night had already changed me in some ways.

After it became evident that Leah wasn't going to back down, I turned away first, deflating, my energy seeming to drain out of me all at once. I felt like crying but I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction.

I could feel her eyes follow me as I slowly began making my way to the illuminated building, ripping off the wig and snatching the pins out of my hair. The annoying film over my eyes told me the contacts were still intact but I saw no point in taking them out if they would be gone in a few minutes anyway. I stepped through the door, met with more silence. As I made my way into what would surely be a crowded living room, I kept my eyes trained on my feet. First seeing carpet, then hardwood flooring, then...a pair of feet.

Slowly, I raised my eyes, tipping my head back until they were level with Seth's. Behind him, I was aware of the whole pack - minus Leah and Embry - and the Cullens and Hales, all looking at me but I didn't address them, yet. Seth searched my eyes and I felt a flash of indignation when I realized he was looking for any sign - any sign at all - that I had killed someone. He, of course, didn't find any but I knew that he recognized that something bad had happened and that he could see the pain in my eyes.

He looked away. He wasn't ready to know.

He brushed past me and I laid a hand over my stomach when I heard the door shut behind him, wondering if I could still throw up. I walked into the still silent room and sat down on the couch. It must have been the space Seth had just vacated. It was scalding hot.

Before anyone got the chance to make a single sound, Edward said, "Tell them what happened."

I sighed and covered my face with my hands before pushing them up into my hair. Edward was clearly throwing me a lifeline but I couldn't do this. Not alone. I felt a pang of resentment towards Seth who had abandoned me when I needed him more than I've ever needed him before. I looked around the room.

"Esme," I whispered, "Where's Esme?"

"I'm here," she said, floating gracefully down the stairs and coming to my side. Immediately, I latched onto her hand. Her eyes, a warm golden brown, were gentle.

"Kendra." It was Carlisle, his tone patient with an underlying note of urgency. "Is there something you need to tell us?"

I scooted closer to Esme, wishing I could disappear into the cushions. All the eyes on me were starting to make me uncomfortable and I wished I didn't have to say what I was about to say out loud but I didn't want Edward to be the one to announce it, either.

"Something bad happened to my aunt Melanie," I managed. My voice trembled when I said her name. "I think she might be dead."

I told them about the scent I'd caught when I went into the city. I told them about the blood in the house, the absence of a body and how I wasn't ready to think about what that could mean. I told them I had already called the police as an anonymous tip on the way home. They all listened avidly, their expressions ranging from sympathy to a grim fierceness at the possibility of a threat.

I hesitated at the tail end of my report, and then pushed on, "I know what I did tonight was really dangerous and I'm really sorry. But can we talk about it tomorrow? Please? I just have to...- I have to -"

I actually didn't know what I had to do. Feeling incredibly lost, I met Carlisle's eyes pleadingly. His eyes flickered to somebody else in the room before returning to me. Understanding something that I wasn't even sure I understood, he nodded. The room filled with low murmuring, the Cullens and what remained of the pack brainstorming and strategizing. It all felt too remote and detached. I squeezed Esme's hand and stood.

As I made my way out of the room, towards the stairs, I felt a hand brush mine. I looked up.

As I'd expected, Rosalie's expression was unreadable. She continued with her conversation as if she hardly noticed my presence. Knowing she could see me in her peripheral, I dropped a slight nod and continued out of the room.

Once holed safely in my room, I allowed myself to breathe. I took about three steps in before dropping to my knees beside the bed. Again, I wondered what would happen if I were to vomit. I doubted my body would ever reject blood, though. Would it be venom that spewed out and stained the carpet? I realized my thoughts were taking a turn they rarely ever did where I thought of myself as something inhuman. Where I was able to accept the gory details of this new non-life numbly. I drink blood. My body produces venom. My aunt is dead.

"God."

Quickly, I got up and began tearing off my clothes. I didn't want a single thread of this night to remain. I snatched open a drawer and put on a pair of sweats that have never seen the light of day before flopping onto my bed.

I realized I was tired - or I would be had it been biologically possible. I wished I could sleep and maybe then the babble of voices in my head would be quiet. Maybe if I just closed my eyes...

oOoOoOoOo

There was a knock on the door.

I opened my eyes and sighed, considering not answering but this was somebody I probably needed to see.

"Come in," I said to the ceiling.

The door opened and Bella stepped into the room, her eyes dark with sympathy. I kept my eyes trained resolutely on the fissure in the roof.

"I thought," I said to it, "you'd have left with the others."

She came to stand uncertainly by the bedpost at my feet. "I did. They said you needed some alone time. I just came back to see if you were okay."

Fighting the urge to ask her if I looked okay, I shook my head.

She frowned. "Is there anything I can do?'

I shook my head again.

After a few beats of silence, she nodded and turned to leave.

Before she could reach for the door knob, I asked quietly, "Why do you think Seth is mad at me?"

She turned back, looking slightly surprised by the question. "Honestly?"

I squeezed my eyes shut, the sick feeling creeping back. "No. Lie to me," I gulped.

Bella sighed. "Seth is..." She shrugged and sidled back to the bed, coming to stand beside it this time. "Seth is special, you know that. He's always been really comfortable with the vampires and werewolves joining forces. But he's still a werewolf and werewolves are supposed to protect people from - well, you know." She gave me an unsure look, treading carefully. "That's a pretty huge responsibility. And you - one of the people he trusts the most - you sort of undermined that tonight."

"Oh," I breathed. I had kind of known this but it was easier hearing Bella explain it to me this way instead of hearing it in my own head, the words nasty and accusing. I glanced over at her. Her eyebrows had come together. "I know what you're thinking."

She looked away. "Kendra -"

"No," I said firmly, sitting up, "Bella, you're not telling them you knew I would do this. Promise me. Not a word."

Her eyes wandered mutinously. She nodded.

I narrowed my eyes. "No, Bella. Say it. Promise?"

She glared and huffed. "Fine, I promise, alright? I won't say anything."

I continued to assess her and after a moment, decided she was telling the truth. "Okay."

She blew out a breath and ran a hand through her long hair before turning, muttering about stupid promises as she walked out the door. I knew she was trying to make me laugh. It didn't work.

A while after she left, I found myself wishing that she hadn't. Everything felt so wrong. I had too many thoughts, too many emotions that I didn't know how to deal with. I couldn't cry, I obviously couldn't vomit or I'd have done it a long time ago. My body and my mind were working against each other. I was scared and I was grieving but still, my body refused to show any sign of weakness.

I covered my face with my hands and felt something bubbling deep in my chest. My body jerked and I rolled to my knees and hugged my torso. I lowered my head, hiding behind dark curtains of hair as my sobs echoed eerily throughout the empty house.

A/N: Since this is one of those rare occasions when I'm posting this during the day and not in the middle of the night (xD), this probably won't have so many mistakes. It's been a long time guys and I hope you still would like to know what will become of our friend Kendra. Also, I've been reading over previous chapters and shuddered at, like, everything so I think I'll be doing a little re-writing, too. Anyway, this chapter sucks for Kendra but I hope it didn't suck for you! Just drop a review and let me know what you think, okay? Hope you enjoyed!

Your CuTii3Pii3 ;)