Don't own anything except OC's.

Chapter 17: Avoidance

Claire POV.

(March 2021)

I was avoiding Quil. Hell, I was avoiding La Push and everyone in it. I had even dodged Aurora and Renesmee's calls from France, claiming to be too busy with school work. Though there was a part of that that was true, I also didn't want to speak to them.

I was angry, angry at everyone for lying to me for all my life. Not only that but I was hurt, confused and a little frightened. I didn't understand why they had lied to me, why they had kept something so important from me? I would have been okay with it, I would have supported them, did they not trust me? Had I not proved my love and care for them over the past seventeen years?

A part of me wondered if they were dangerous. After all, they could turn into giant wolves. They could easily injure me or do something more serious. I didn't know their temperament or how fast they could phase. That scared me. I would have trusted these people with my life only two months ago and now...now I felt like I didn't know them at all. They almost seemed like strangers to me. It was cruel and thinking it made me feel guilty, but I couldn't help the way it.

I was staying away from La Push until I calmed down and wrapped my head around everything. However, after two months away from La Push—from Quil—I was beginning to feel depressed. I missed the small town that felt like home, I missed my Aunt, Uncle and cousins, I missed my goofy friends—I missed Quil. God, I missed him so much it hurt. Every time I saw a picture of him in my room or something he had given to me (like the damn teddy-bear from my sixteenth birthday), pain shot through me. He was my best friend, I had spent so many years loving him and now I was avoiding him. I felt horrible, he was Quil, but I was unbelievably mad at him. Madder than when he questioned Peter over dinner, madder than when he ruffled my hair on my sixteenth birthday—I just wanted to punch him. Alas, I couldn't, I still loved the bastard.

He rang me, of course, he even came down to see me but I made my mom send him away. I couldn't face him without bursting into tears and/or screaming at him. I needed to think, to come to terms with all the new information I had been bombarded with about the people I grew up with before I even thought about talking to them again, no matter how much it pained me.

I had even become too upset to hang out with Gabby and Behati, plus I didn't know whether Gabby knew about the wolf secret yet and if she didn't...I couldn't lie to her, but I didn't want to disregard the secret of the La Push tribe. I still cared for them no matter how furious I was with them all. I didn't like lying to Behati either, but the secret wouldn't matter as much to her, she didn't have the ties and connections Gabby and I had with everyone.

By two months I spent all my time at school doing homework. Being tired all the time, I didn't have the energy to do anything else. I just always felt sad, like there was something missing. Quil was always on my mind, during school, while I was doing homework, while I ate. I couldn't seem to shake him off my mind. Whether it was old memories like going to the zoo together, recent memories of us going to the movies or playing with my cousins, or even wondering what he was doing without me, he was never out of my mind for too long. Thinking about him exhausted me even more and my life seemed to be a cycle of eating, school, homework, sleep.

Unable to stop myself, I thought about the last time I had seen Quil as I parked up at my house. I was used to seeing him every other day and talking to him every day over the phone. I hadn't seen or spoken to him for two months. Two whole months. It had to be a record for us. Even when I wanted a break from him last year we still had tense conversations every week, at least. This time I had been strong (or stupid) and not even text him. I wanted to, I wanted to so bad, but when I started one I would remember his lies, his deceit, and delete it.

Sighing, I switched off my engine and glanced around the car. Even that reminded me of Quil, he had restored this car for me, he had painted it my favourite colour, there was even a green air-freshener hanging from my mirror from him in the shape of a tree that seemed to be a constant reminder of what I was missing in La Push. I shook my head and walked into my house.

"Claire," mom said as I closed the front door. She, my dad and Nora were sat at the kitchen table and I joined them. "Honey, we're going to Chicago for a week."

"What, all of us?"

"No, just them," Nora spat.

"Nora," my dad said warningly.

She sent him a pissed off glare and huffed.

"No, just me and your dad," mom sighed at my sister. "It's a business trip for your dad, he has to meet a client there."

"Oh...why is Nora acting like someone peed in her cereal then?"

"Shut up, Claire," Nora muttered.

"Because you're going to your Aunt Emily's for the week."

"What?"

"There we go," Nora motioned to me dramatically. "She doesn't like it either!"

"I'm sorry girls, but since the last time we went away for the weekend, we don't trust you."

"I wasn't even here!" I shouted defensively. I had slept at Behait's for the night while my sister threw a massive party with college friends. When I had gotten home the next morning the house was been trashed, we only had time to clean half of the living room when my parents had come home. They saw the house and immediately started screaming at us. "I was with Behati!"

"It doesn't matter, you didn't stop it either."

"I didn't know it was going on!"

"Claire, there's no argument on this," mom said sternly. "You're going and that's final."

I groaned and stormed away from the table like a moody teenager, which I suppose I was. Nora followed me, angrily grumbling.

"Pack your bags, you're going in the morning!" dad yelled after us.

"This is all your fault," I snapped at Nora. "Why did you throw that stupid party?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," she put her hands on her hips and glowered. "Plus, it was an awesome party."

"Whatever, Nora. You need to grow up," I slammed the door in her face. It might have been an overreaction, but I didn't care. Going down to La Push meant I had to see Aunt Emily and Uncle Sam, who I had also been avoiding, and all the La Push people…and Quil. He was sure to be around, he was always around my Aunt and Uncle's place.

I followed my parent's orders and packed a small suitcase for the week with a heavy heart. Dread was consuming me. I didn't want to go to La Push, I wasn't ready to face everyone yet. My hands started to shake as I put another jumper into my suitcase. Tears stung my eyes and slowly slipped down my cheeks from the panic that I could feel eating away at my heart.

I passed out an hour later, my suitcase only half packed. When I awoke the next morning with sore eyes and aching muscles, I quickly packed the rest of my suitcase and showered. The warm water soothed me a little, maybe I could just lock myself in the spare room all week and refuse to see anyone. If I really wanted them to, they would stay away, right? My nerves only worsened the closer it got to twelve, the time we were leaving as my mom had nicely screamed up the stairs earlier that morning. I almost took a shot to calm myself, only deciding against it because my mom had a nose like a Bloodhound. She could always tell when my dad had a sneaky drink at work or had a random cigarette.

"Girls, honestly, it won't be that bad," dad assured us as I walked down the stairs. Nora was already down there with her zebra-print suitcase and large pink make-up bag.

I ignored him. He had no idea.

We placed our stuff in dad's car and sat silently in the back. Nora put in her earphones and I sat, watching the world pass by and my worry increasing with each second. When I began to see the start of Forks forest the speed of my breathing increased.

I felt sick.

Then the 'Welcome to La Push' sign passed by the window and I almost started to hyperventilate. My heart started to pound against my chest and my head began to spin and cloud. My dad pulled up outside of Aunt Emily and Uncle Sam's house and I sat in the car just staring at it. I used to be here every weekend and I hadn't been for two months, it was strange to be around it again, especially thinking about the secrets it held. The front door opened and my Aunt Emily appeared with Evelyn on her hip. Slowly, I got out the car and took my suitcase from the trunk. Nora was already hugging Aunt Emily as I walked forward, my head down. I brushed past my Aunt and into the house, not daring to look back and see her hurt face.

"Claire!" Nathan called out excitedly. My seven-year-old cousin ran over and hugged me, his head came up to my waist and I ruffled his hair. "Where have you been? You haven't been around for ages!"

"I've been busy with school work, kid," I replied softly.

Did he know about the wolves? Did he know what his dad, Uncle's and friends turned into? Did they tell their kids, and if they did what age did they tell them?

"Oh," he nodded. "Okay, we've missed you though. Especially Quil, he's always moping now."

My heart squeezed.

"Sorry."

He ran off to play with his toys again. I glanced around the house I had missed so much lately, taking in the familiar family photos and the delicious smell of Aunt Emily's cooking. Sniffling, I went to place my bag in the spare bedroom only for Uncle Sam to walk out of his bedroom. Our eyes caught and I stared at him, a cold sweat breaking out all over my skin. He gulped and firmly closed the door, uneasily looking to the floor. I took this moment to sprint up the stairs and into the bedroom. Nora was unzipping her suitcase and I joined her, unable to properly freak out with her around.

"So what shall we do this week?" Nora asked as she hung up our clothes. I was placing our make-up and toiletries on the dressing table, trying unsuccessfully to relax. "What is there to do around here, anyway?"

Nora hadn't stayed in La Push since she was a child. Unlike me, when she turned eleven she didn't like to spend time down here, preferring to hang out with friends. Although she visited all the time, it was only for a day or a few hours and she hadn't actually ventured outside Aunt Emily and Uncle Sam's house for a long time.

"Not much," I answered honestly. There was plenty for me, Quil and his friends made a simple dinner the most exciting thing in the world, but for Nora there wouldn't be anything for her to do. During the summer there was cliff diving and hanging out on the beach, however, in March the sea was too dangerous and Nora would complain about the cold if we went to the beach. "There's a movie theatre in Forks and some diners, a park, a library."

"Sounds fun," Nora mumbled.

"There isn't much to do in Makah, either."

"Good point."

We unpacked everything just in time as our mom shouted up for us to say goodbye. I cautiously made my way downstairs and saw my parents near the front door.

"Right, be good," mom commanded.

"Mom, I'm eighteen," Nora murmured.

"I don't care. You're still young and my daughter, so be quiet."

Mom hugged Nora and then me, my dad took his turn next.

"Bye," I waved as they went out into the rain.

Nora closed the door before they had even got into the car. "Aunt Em, what's for dinner?"

"Chicken casserole," Aunt Emily answered. I continued to stare at the wall like there was something terribly interesting on there. "It will be ready soon, why don't you wait down here?"

Nora shrugged and brushed past me to sit on the sofa with Tyrone and Nathan. I dared to turn around and saw my Aunt Emily watching me. I licked my lips and turned away. Her sorrowful look killed me. The turn of my head only made Uncle Sam come into my line of sight and it made me feel even worse seeing his guilty look. I was about to sit with Nora when I was stopped.

"Claire," a deep voice said.

I jumped and when I saw Brady with his hand outstretched, possibly to place on my arm, I jerked back. It was reflex, knowing he was a possible risk to me made my body react. Then I thought about who he really was, how he had been around since I was two, how he used to give me piggy-back rides and make funny noises to make me laugh, how he had doted on my baby cousin since she was born.

"Brady, I—I'm sor—" I started to say.

He gave me a small smile, but I could see the hurt in his eyes. "Its fine, Claire," he waved it off. I watched him walk away from me, my eyes prickling with tears. I was so jumpy and on edge lately, I wanted to explain that to him. Instead, I went to sit with Nora, unable to ignore my Uncle Sam's gaze on the side of my face. We watched T.V. for a while and ate dinner together, I stared at my food while Nora made conversation about college.

"I'm going in the bath," Nora announced once we had finished. "Do you mind?"

"No, of course not," Aunt Emily smiled.

My sister rushed off and I stared at her back, begging her to return and stop the awkward situation she had unknowingly put me in. I played with the last bit of my casserole and swallowed hard.

"Kids, why don't you go and play with Brady for a while?" Uncle Sam asked pointedly.

Brady took the hint and picked up Evelyn, calling for the boys to follow him. They went to the study to play computer games and draw pictures. I bundled the end of my top with my right hand so hard my knuckles turned white.

"Claire," Aunt Emily started. The door suddenly opened and I felt my body automatically turn, only for my heart to drop. Quil was stood at the doorway shaking rain from his hair. My heart picked up in speed at the sight of him. It was only now I realized how much I had truly missed him. I had been denying the full extent of my ache for him and seeing him brought a rush of extreme emotions.

"Quil," I whispered, unable to stop myself.

His head snapped to me and our eyes connected. His deep brown orbs made my skin prickle. The sorrow of the past two months almost seemed stupid now I had seen him...then I remembered why we hadn't spoken. He turned into a fucking wolf.

I twisted away from him and gazed at the table.

"Claire, honey, you need to talk to us," Aunt Emily requested. "Please, we can't stand you ignoring us anymore. We miss you, Claire."

A lump formed in my throat. "I just don't understand," I whispered. "Why didn't you tell me? Did you not trust me?"

"Of course we trusted you! We didn't want to burden you with something so big at a young age…by the time you were old enough, it seemed impossible to tell you."

"Why? You could have told me anytime."

"We didn't know how you would react," Uncle Sam said. "We didn't want you to be angry...we didn't think that keeping it from you for so long would make it even worse."

"So you lied to me instead?" I muttered bitterly. "What did you expect? Wouldn't you be angry knowing the people you love most in your life had kept something so big from you?"

"Of course we understand, Claire," Aunt Emily acknowledged. "We just…we could never find the right time."

"It was my fault," Quil suddenly spoke. He sounded broken and sad. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and whisper everything would be okay...but I couldn't. "I didn't want you to carry this around with you or put you in danger with bad vampires," I flinched at the word 'vampire'. "I thought keeping it from you would be better for you. I know that I was wrong, but Claire, you have to know I never meant to hurt you."

He turned himself to face me and seeing his miserable eyes, I softened. "I know that," I admitted, because deep inside me I knew Quil would never meant to upset me. It wasn't who he was, it wasn't what our relationship was like. "But it's a big thing...I mean imagine me telling you I turn into a dragon or something."

He chuckled lightly. "Well, we're not as big or as dangerous as dragons, but I can see your point," he nodded. He sighed and gently reached out for my hand that was resting on my knee. His hot fingers brushed against the top of my hand and I shivered. "I really thought I was doing what was best," he whispered thickly.

"Quil," I murmured, reaching forward to place my hand on his face. He was always so warm. "It's too late now but you can tell me everything there is to know. That's all I want. I want answers."

"I'll give them all to you," he promised.

I shuffled my chair closer to him. Two months without seeing, hugging, touching or even looking into his eyes was far too long. "So you turned into one when you were fifteen?" I asked quietly. I peered over to my Aunt and Uncle to see if they were agreeing with this, only to see they had left to table.

"Yeah, I was the sixth to phase."

"And you phase because...because of v-vampires?"

"The bad ones, yeah."

"What's the difference between a good and a bad vampire?"

"Good vampires don't kill humans," he explained as he gathered enough courage to take my hand. I held onto it because no matter how angry I was at him, he was still my Quil. "And bad vampires kill humans for food and try to kill us."

"K-kill you?" I squeaked as my heart plummeted.

"Yeah, they don't like us because we can kill them," he went on. "We're one of the only dangers in the world to them and they hate that. Don't worry though, with a pack of seventeen it's pretty impossible to touch any of us before the vampire is killed."

I gulped. "So no one's gotten seriously hurt?"

"Once. Jake got crushed by a vampire during a battle because Leah was being Leah and thought she could take it on herself. He made a quick-ish recovery and stuff though...he was more broken up about Bella."

"Bella?"

"He used to love her."

"Bella, as in Nessie's Aunt?"

"Yeah, about that, Bella isn't actually her Aunt," he muttered, looking down. "She's her mom."

"What? Is—is that even possible?"

He went on to explain everything that happened when I was two and three, so oblivious to the world I hadn't even realized Quil could have possibly died. My grip on his hand tightened as he went on to explain the Volturi and how they planned to kill almost 2/3 of the people I love most in the world. The story seemed completely surreal, knowing that it was true, that my family and friends had gone through this when I was only a toddler...it made me want to cry. I couldn't even remember any of it, my earliest memory was when I was six and went to the zoo with Quil, Embry, Nessie and Jake. At least, it was my first full memory, I got snippets from earlier but who remembered things from when they were three and four?

"The Volturi aren't a threat now, are they?" I whispered.

"They're always a threat," Quil said as if talking about the weather. "But they haven't bothered us for a while. I know they still send Bella and Nessie presents sometimes, just to remind them they're still watching. Apart from that, we haven't had any other problems."

"I can't believe Bella is Nessie's mom," I rubbed my face with my hands. "I can't believe Nessie is part vampire."

"Why did you think she grew up so fast?"

"I always thought I'd gotten her age wrong when we were younger," I admitted, feeling stupid. "Or that she looked younger than she was. I don't know, I suppose I just made excuses because I refused to believe there was anything strange going on." I chewed on my bottom lip. "God, I feel stupid."

"Don't say that," Quil demanded. "It's my fault for making up lies and making excuses."

I shook my head. "I should have questioned things more...I ignored weird things you all did and passed them off as imagination."

"How did you find out about us?" Quil asked. "Did someone tell you?"

My face flamed at the memory of that night. I had seen Quil's butt...and what a gorgeous butt it had been. "No, I saw you and Brady outside my window," I coughed embarrassedly. "You phased as I was watching you."

"Oh," he snorted. "I should have known it would have been me to reveal the secret. I'd spent so long keeping it from you...ironic, really."

I laughed quietly as he brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. Goosebumps erupted up my arms and I smiled at him. "Wait, what happened with Embry?" I remembered why Quil had left in the first place.

Quil's eyes darkened. "Elle left, she's gone to Miami to live with her parents."

"Oh, God, poor Embry...poor Jack and Adrianna."

"Yeah, they're all devastated about it," he said. "No one really knows how to help them. I've been trying but I was so lost with you mad at me…" he trailed off.

"I missed you, too," I confessed. "And I'm not going to leave again...I can't leave you again."

He leaned forward and hugged me tight. I wrapped my arms around his large frame and smiled.

I had my Quil back. Everything was good again.

Thoughts?

I'm sorry this is late, but I had a hectic weekend and didn't have time to update. Anyway, here's chapter 17!

Thanks fort the reviews, favourites and alerts! You guys are amazing!

-Laylax

P.S. I thought you guys might like to know that the next chapter is called 'Imprint' ;)