A/N: Hey guys :) man, third update in three days! I'm on a roll!

So, I bought and read Bloodlines today, and I LOVED IT! It made my love for Adrian grow, and the ending . . . lets just say that I'm counting down the days until The Golden Lily comes out in May xD if you haven't already read it, then you definitely have to! You won't be disappointed :D

Anyways, I'd like to thank the two people who reviewed :) it's kinda discouraging that I'm only at 4 reviews, but I guess I'm just used to being spoiled on my other stories xD I'll get over it . . . but reviews really would be nice :)

Enough from me, I'll let you read the chapter now xD

~ Sarah Odair ~

Chapter Two

I pulled into the driveway of our house and turned the car off, cutting off "Man Down" halfway through the song. I sighed heavily, dreading going inside.

"We'd better go in," Lily said quietly.

Sighing again, I nodded. I opened my door and got out, pulling the seat forward so that Cam could get out. My car was a two-door, making it a pain for people in the backseat to get in and out.

I popped the trunk so that we could get our bags. Once we had them, I shut it and trudged up the snowy walkway, my boots splashing in the nasty slush. Another thing I hated about Montana. Canadian winters were white and snowy, not grey and slushy.

I took my key out to unlock the door and did so, chucking my bag once I was inside.

The house smelled like food; Aunt Rachel must have been cooking, since Mom couldn't cook to save her life. I could hear the chatter of my aunts and uncles in the living room, so I kicked my boots off and made my way there.

Mom sat on the couch with our uncle James and our aunt Blair, her younger brother and older sister. I assumed that Aunt Rachel, her other older sister, was in the kitchen, along with her husband, our uncle Ben.

Aunt Blair smiled widely at us. "Hey, kids. How was the drive?" she asked sweetly. She had a thick Scottish accent, since she still lived in Scotland. Mom and Aunt Rachel were the only two out of the four to move away from Scotland.

I shrugged. "It was okay. I almost hit a deer, though," I replied, snorting.

She shook her head. "You're dangerous on the road, Rosemarie," she said, grinning.

I scoffed. "Who? Me? Nah, you're imagining things, Aunt B," I joked. She got up and hugged me.

"I missed you, Rose," she told me.

"I missed you, too. How's Nan?" I asked. Lily and Cam went to sit with Mom and Uncle James.

"As good as she can be. She wanted so badly to come see you kids this Christmas, but I didn't want her getting on a plane. Melanie's staying with her, so she'll be fine," she replied, smiling sadly. Melanie was Aunt Blair's only daughter.

"That's good. Man, I miss Mel. Is she ever coming down?"

"Sometime. She's been itching to see you guys as well."

"What kind of mood is Mom in?" I asked in a whisper.

Aunt Blair sighed. "What kind of mood is she always in?" she asked rhetorically.

"Great. Merry Christmas, right?" I grumbled. Another crappy Christmas for me.

"She used to be nice, you know," she said quietly. "But she's been so bitter ever since the divorce."

"Tell me about it," I muttered. "Sometimes, I really wish that you were my mother."

"Don't say that, Rose," she said softly, smoothing my hair back. "Your mother loves you, but life has been hard on her."

"Life has been hard on me, too, but you don't see me being a complete bitch to everyone," I grumbled.

"Well, you're different than your mother. You both deal with certain things differently."

"Thank God for that," I said, scowling.

She shook her head, sighing. "Come on. We'd better be getting to the dining room, because I'm sure that Rachel's done cooking by now," she told me, her hazel eyes warm.

I looked around, realizing belatedly that everyone else had already left the room. So I followed Aunt Blair to the dining room and took my seat between her and Lily at the long table.

As always, the food that Aunt Rachel cooked was amazing, and I made sure to tell her so. She seemed to be the only Hathaway that was actually good at cooking. Aunt Blair wasn't too bad at it, but Mom and Uncle James couldn't cook to save their own lives.

Unfortunately, I seemed to have inherited the inability to cook.

"So, Rosemarie," Mom began, scooping herself some mashed potatoes. "Have you gotten into any more trouble lately? Should I be expecting a call from your school anytime soon?"

Her tone of voice pissed me off. She was talking to me like all I ever did was get in trouble, like I was a huge burden to her.

Aunt Blair could see how pissed I was getting, so she took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. And then, she addressed Mom.

"Janine, I don't really think that we should talk about this at dinner. I'm sure that Rose hasn't gotten in any trouble. Let her enjoy her Christmas break," she said softly, but there was authority in her voice, and an underlying message of Drop it.

But Mom, like the bitch she is, didn't listen. "I highly doubt that, Blair. It seems like I get weekly calls about Rosemarie's behavior, and, frankly, I'm tired of it. She's constantly in trouble."

I turned to glare at her. "Screw off, Mom. If you'd let me live with Dad, you wouldn't have to deal with any of this shit. But your a stubborn bitch who seems to enjoy making my life miserable. Lily and Cam can do no wrong in your eyes, just me. So fuck you, and fuck this. I'm out of here," I snarled, throwing my napkin on the table and pushing my chair out.

Before leaving the room, I turned to Aunt Rachel. "Thanks for dinner, Aunt Rach." And then I turned back to Mom. "Don't bother calling me, because I won't answer my phone. I'm so done with you and your shit. You hate me, and I hate you. So there. Goodbye," I spat, storming out. I heard Aunt Blair and Lily calling my name, but I ignored them, pulling my jacket on and grabbing my bag.

I slammed the front door behind me and dug through my purse for my keys. I jerked my car door open harder than necessary, slamming it and putting the key in the ignition.

My tires squealed as I flew out of the driveway, and I turned up my music. I changed the song to "Gasoline" by Porcelain and the Tramps and drove until I was far from the house.

I parked in the lot of an old abandoned building and turned my music down. I pulled my phone out and pressed speed dial number two, waiting impatiently as it rang.

"Hey, Kiz!" Dad exclaimed from the other end, sounding happy.

"Hey Dad," I muttered.

"Oh no. I know that tone of voice. What happened now?" he asked.

"The fucking bitch just had to start shit at dinner. I'm so sick of her, Dad. I can't win with her. I hate how miserable she makes me feel. I'm just tired of this!"

"Calm down, Rose. You know I'd have you here with me if I could, but I can't. You've just got to make the best of things."

"I can't, Dad. This whole place just sucks. I hate Montana, I hate St. Vladimir's, and I hate Mom. There's no good in any of that."

I heard him sigh. "I wish I could do something, Rose. I hate this too."

My eyes were filling with tears. "Can I please just go there for winter break?"

There was a pause, and then a sigh. "I don't know. I'll do my best to get you here, okay? I'll call you back in an hour, max. Got it?"

"Got it," I replied, sniffling.

"Aww, Kiz, don't cry. I promise that things will work out okay."

"I know. I love you, Baba."

I could almost hear his smile. "I love you too, Kizim."

I pressed "end" on my phone and leaned back in my chair, sighing. I turned the music back up a little, changing the song to "Mad World" by Gary Jules. I let it calm me, and I wiped the few tears that had fallen.

I rarely ever cried, but there was something about my mom that always made me want to cry. She made me feel so small and insignificant, like I was a piece of gum stuck to her shoe. I didn't know what I did to deserve it. I mean, she treated Lily and Cameron like gold.

About a half hour later, my phone rang. I expected it to be Dad, but the name, "Bitchosaurus" flashed across my screen. I hit ignore and chucked my phone on the passenger seat. I couldn't believe that she'd actually had the nerve to call me, after I'd expressly told her not to.

Ten minutes later, my phone rang again. This time, it was Dad.

"Hello?" I said upon pressing "talk".

"Hey, Kiz," Dad said morosely. I already didn't like the sound of this.

"You don't sound happy," I commented, biting my nail. It was a nervous habit.

"Well . . . I couldn't get you an airline ticket," he replied.

I tried to hide the disappointment in my voice. "Oh. I see. Thanks for trying."

"You didn't let me finish," he said. "I couldn't get you an airline ticket . . . because I got you my private jet instead."

My jaw dropped. I think I gasped. "Really?" I asked, dumbfounded.

I heard him chuckle. "Yes, really. Get to the airport; Pavel won't be long."

"Thank you so much, Dad. I love you."

He laughed. "I love you too, Rose. I'll see you when you get here."

"Bye!" I said before hanging up.

I immediately put the car into gear, tearing out of the parking lot.

I was halfway to the airport when my phone rang again. While still driving, I answered it, seeing that it was Aunt Blair.

"Hey, Aunt B. Is there a particular reason for your call?" I asked, turning a corner.

"Rose. Oh God, Rose. You need to come home. It's your mother," she sobbed.

"What do you mean? Did something happen?" I asked, my eyes widening.

"Oh, Rose . . . your mother, she went to the bank . . . the bank was held up, and your mother was a hostage. God, Rose, they shot her. She's gone."

"What?" I screeched. I didn't notice the red light, and I tore through the intersection.

I screamed as the giant SUV collided with my car before I was violently jerked to the side, my head hitting the window, black spots obscuring my vision.

Oh snap!

Haha, bet you guys weren't expecting that! Especially not in the second chapter xD meh, I like to keep life interesting :P

You should totally review :) and if you wanna discuss Bloodlines with me, pm me. Please don't say anything spoiler-y about it in a review, because I'd feel bad if someone who hasn't read it yet saw it and it ruined the book for them.

Anyways, until next time! (Which will be soon! I already have the next chapter done!)

~ Sar ~