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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄

𝐁𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐋𝐈𝐙 had gotten home, it was passed four o'clock. She stayed behind school to watch the track teams practice. She didn't really want to be seen so she hid behind the bleachers, watching through the rails as her former Coach exercised and timed the girls speeds, doing different running drills. It was then she learned who had replaced her as Anchor. Not much to her surprised did she learn said person to be Hailey Cleveland. The girl held the second fastest record on the team, for which Liz had always held first since Freshman year. Now Hailey was number one, and even though Liz had nothing against the young red-head who had always been kind towards her, the curly haired blonde couldn't help but feel envious of her.

     That should be me. I should be bringing the team to state in a few months, not Hailey. Liz knew she sounded selfish and petty, but she honestly didn't care at this point. She had the right to be selfish, she hardly ever was.

      Walking through the front door, she immediately heard movement coming from kitchen. Liz made her way towards said room while dropping her bag on the living room couch on the way. She saw Ester running around the medium sized kitchen, wearing her dark green waitressing outfit and her dirty blonde hair pulled up into a messy bun. She hadn't even noticed Liz's presence until she heard the sound of the fridge opening. "Oh hey, how was school?"

      Liz only shrugs, grabbing a Powerade before closing the door and leaned against the counter. "As well as can be expected. Managed to set the record for the most glares given to students who tried to approach me with sympathetic smiles. I think they're giving me an award."

     "Please tell me I don't have to call mom and dad's lawyer... again." Liz found herself chucking from her sister comment.

     "Don't worry. I didn't hit anyone," Liz reassured her. "I just threatened them."

     Ester stopped to send the youngest Chambers' sister a look of disbelief, for which Liz just responded with an innocent look that resulted in Ester rolling her eyes. "I'm gonna have a law suit on my hands sooner or later with you. I just know it."

     It wouldn't exactly be the first time. The last time something like that happened - more like a close call if anything - Ester had to take time out of her busy schedule to go down to the Police station to bail Liz out of jail after she had gotten into a fight with some girl. Long story short, this girl had seen Liz with her former best friend and thought that they were together-together. Turns out he had never called this girl back after a one night stand and it didn't help the fact that she was a little crazy. Okay, scratch that, she was batshit crazy.

     Unfortunately for the slut who was wearing stanky crop top in the dead of winter, Liz managed to beat her ass and ended up sending the bitch to the ER. If it wasn't for the fact that there were multiple witnesses that proved that the other girl started it, the girls parents would of sued Liz's ass. The blonde is not afraid to hurt anyone if you crossed her or someone she cares about. She was an athlete. She exercised more than she slept. People in school knew not to mess with her because she'll knock you on your ass so fast you'll have whiplash for a week.

"You working tonight?" Liz decided to change the subject, gesturing to the older girls entire.

"Yeah. Monday, Tuesday and Friday night shifts at the diner. Wednesday and Thursday nights at the theater. Sucks, but it pays for nursing school during the day." Ester was still running around the kitchen, she probably searched through her purse about five times before looking through the cabinets. "Damn, where are they?"

"What are you looking for?"

"My keys. I had them when I came down stairs. I thought I placed them on the kitchen table, but when I turned around they were gone," the oldest Chambers sister explains.

"You know when someone loses their keys, they are normally buried deep in the couch or they're most likely in their pockets." Ester snorted loudly, checking behind the large, white freezer that Liz still wasn't quite sure why they had it. According to Danny, it was because the freezer above the fridge was too small, which was the truth. They only use that freezer for ice and ice cream. They use the larger one for basically everything else.

"I think I would know if the keys were in my pocket."

Observing how her waitress outfit did in fact hold something in its pockets, the young curly haired blonde couldn't help the smirk that spread across her pale pink lips. "Humor me."

Ester sighed, shaking her head in disbelief. "I can't believe I'm listening to you-" the older blonde paused just as she reached her hands in both her pockets, only to have her fingers caress something cold and metal in the left side of her pocket. She immediately frowned, her face scrunching up in confusion as she pulled the keys from her pockets. Her jaw drops, slightly ajar from shock and a little embarrassment. "Uh, okay, I feel very stupid right now."

"Wow, you seriously didn't check your pockets till now? I was trying to be a smart ass and than I was going to offer you a ride."

"A ride on that death trap you drive? I think I prefer looking like an idiot," Ester commented. "Which I wanted to ask you, I saw you took the bike to school this morning."

"Yeah, what about it?" Liz asked, taking a sip of the fruit punch flavored Powerade.

"Nothing. I just- I just didn't know you were driving." Liz rolled her eyes, knowing what direction this conversation was heading, somewhere Liz honestly doesn't want to go down.

"Es, I told you about five times and so has Nana. I can drive fine on a main roads and the back roads. I get nervous, yes, but it's nothing compared if I were to head onto a highway."

The oldest Chambers' girl didn't reply at first, just fiddled with the keys in her hands before grabbing her purse and pulling it over her shoulder. "Maybe we should invest in getting you a car. Something a lot safer and-"

"No." Liz immediately cut her off, shaking her head as Ester continued, not listening to the young girl before her.

"—and it will give me a piece of mind when you go out. You know how much I hate that thing."

"I said no!" Liz snapped harshly, her anger reaching its peak. It's like this is all she ever feels now; anger. It's probably the only emotion she knows how to feel lately, other than grief or guilt. "No, Ester. Forget about it. I've had everything taken from me. Everything. I'm not letting you take away the last real thing I have that actually makes me feel normal. Not yet. Not now."

     Ester tilted her head questionably. "What do you mean 'not yet'?"

     "I mean not ever. So just drop it, will you?" Even though Liz did slip up, Ester didn't question her further and just held her hands up in surrender.

      "Fine. Do whatever the hell you want." Ester went and threw her jacket on and roughly brushing past the youngest Chambers' girl. "I'll be back at ten. Tell Danny not to wait up."

      Liz barely flinched when the front door slammed shut behind her, the hard expression still remained as she stared out into nothing, gritting her teeth and trying to calm herself down. She knew she was harsh, it seems that was inevitable lately with everything going on. Yet, she still can't find it in herself to feel guilty, especially not over this. She knew it was dangerous, for her to be driving, let alone driving a motorcycle. And no this wasn't your typical 'it's dangerous for everybody' crap; it was really dangerous for Liz specifically. The doctors say she had a year before she really had to worry. They don't recommend that she drives but they aren't going to stop her either, not yet anyway. Also, Liz isn't as dumb like most people like to believe. She has the common sense to know if she were to form a headache while driving or one of her dizzy spells, that she'll pull over to the side of the road and let it pass.

The only reason Liz was allowed to even have a bike was because her mother accidentally let it slip one time last year that she used to drive one when she was Liz's age. The blonde had than spent the past five months begging her parents to let her have one, using that as an excuse every time. Surprisingly, much to her father's dismay, she woke up on Christmas morning to find her beautiful black Harley-Davidson parked in the drive way with a big red bow on the front. It was her father's friends that he gotten for a good deal, but the thing was still gorgeous.

Everything in Liz's life had been taken from her. Her track scholarship, the ability to run even for fun, a peaceful nights rest, her parents. She has a year before she truly has to start worrying about being careful. She'll be damned if she has to spent the next three years wallowing in self pity. She already has enough to blame herself without adding feeling guilty over a sister who has no idea what she is going through to the list.

And until that time comes, she never will.

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓. Ester was still at work seeing is how it was only 10pm and the diner closes at eleven. Danny had gotten home about an hour after Ester left for work, making dinner for both himself and Liz but failed to get the girl to join him in the living room to watch some television, the blonde simply saying she wasn't in the mood and would be eating in her bedroom.

After about an hour of doing nothing and eating Danny's surprisingly delicious Chicken Parm, Liz made the horrible decision of falling asleep too early. It wasn't really her fault, maybe it was the stress getting to her so badly that she needed to rest her eyes? It didn't matter the voice in the back of her head told her to fight the urge to close her eyes, to not let the darkness consume her when she has more time. The fear that normally struck that girl every time she were to fall asleep when she wasn't on any medication somehow found a way to escape her mind as all she wanted to do was sleep for hours on end and down the day she had away from her subconscious.

Unfortunately, however, Liz had a lot of fears. Even before the accident she used to get horrible nightmares. Ever heard of night terrors? Well, it's a form of a sleep disorder, only this is more terrifying for the person experiencing it and also for their loved ones trying to wake them up from it. The overall meaning is that they cause intense episodes of screaming, intense fear, and flailing while still asleep, and sometimes is often paired with sleepwalking. They are different from a simple nightmares because if it's just a nightmare, you easily wake up from it. Now if it was a night terror, they remain asleep and it is a lot harder to wake said person up.

Liz knew this better than anyone. She had developed night terrors at such a young age. It might have been around the same time she first moved to Forks, or maybe a year prior to that. She could barely remember what those dreams were about, doctors say it's normal for young kids to develop them but should normally grow out of them once they hit their teenage years. They were right. Liz had grown out of them. It was when she turned twelve is probably the last time she remembers ever having one.

It's been six years since the last occurrence. She thought she was free; she thought she had escaped those horrible nights that used to make her shiver at the thought of even going to sleep. She thought she won against them, but than the accident occurred and her parents died. If that's not enough of a reason that would cause them to reappear than Liz doesn't want to know what is. It was one of the many reasons why she had gone to stay with her grandmother after the funeral. Being in Forks was a trigger for her night terrors, and it seems that trigger has not stopped even after her time away.

Because in the quiet Chambers/Black household where the only real sound that could be heard was the hum coming from the living rooms television where Danny must still be, most likely waiting up for his fiancé even though Liz told him specifically not to do, the only other sound was some kind of a whimper coming from the teenagers bedroom.

     They were soft at first. Low, not loud enough for anyone to be alerted by. Besides the whimpers, she was tossing and turning. She hadn't started thrashing, not yet anyway. Her head flung side from side slowly. All she could see were flashes at first. Like earlier that day when she touched Jasper Hale for the first time, how she felt herself floating, the clear blue sky was all she could see surrounded by smoke. Loud sirens in the distances as they approached the scene, car horns beeping loudly along with a few car alarms. It was like all those images flashed through her mind at once before they started swarming, racing past her mind like someone had hit the rewind button and stopped during a certain day that all led up to the moment of the crash.

      The horrible day where eighteen people lost their lives, and she miraculously managed to escape the explosion that occurred because her and her parents were one of the unlucky ones who were driving next to that fuel truck and logging truck. All it took was one loose wire in a logging truck engine before everything turned to shit.

     The irony? Neither Liz nor her parents would of been on that road in Seattle if it wasn't for the former failing a freaking math test.

°.✩┈┈∘*┈˃̶୨୧˂̶┈*∘┈┈✩.°

Lori Chambers was finally cleaned up and dressed after a long day of cleaning the house. It was Friday, Lori's only day off from the station, meaning it was her only day she got to clean the entire house to make it in perfect condition. It was a time when her OCD could kick into full gear, nobody would be home and she could get to work without any distractions or interruptions.

Now it was at the end of the day, she promised she would pick up her husband who was doing a job in Seattle for a friend who paid him extra to built in a deck for his mother-in-law. Robert Chambers was a very well know carpenter that a lot people respected and trusted to get the job done right. He normally doesn't do jobs outside of Forks or Port Angeles, but Caleb was a good friend and they needed the money. Lori's part time job at the police station did not help much with the bills.

Because Lori needed the car today to do the grocery shopping and other errands, she agreed she would go pick him up when he was done if he got a ride in. Thankfully she got done cleaning an hour ago, managed to get a shower to get all the chemicals off and was on her way out the door until she was suddenly stopped when her youngest daughter came storming through the door, her eyes filled with anger and was on the verge of tears. Lori was stunned and alert, immediately sensing how upset her daughter was when she threw her bag and books on the floor and was cursing at almost everything.

"Lizzie?" Lori questioned breathlessly. "Lizzie baby, what's wrong? What happened?"

Liz felt like she couldn't breathe. All she wanted to do was scream or punch something - more like someone - because she was so upset. Now Liz isn't the type of girl who burst into tears when she's upset. No, that would show weakness and if there is one thing Liz Chambers hates more than anything, even more than nosy and self-centered people, it was showing weakness. So she bottled it up, resulting in it turning into rage. And when that rage reaches it peek, no one wants to be around for the explosion.

"Fucking everything! Nothing I do is ever good enough!" Liz's words confused her mother, she could tell by the look on her face but was too outraged try to calm herself down.

"Lizzie, you need to calm down and tell me what is wrong." Lori said in a demanding yet gentle tone. It was weird how she can do that, how she can sound so inferior yet still make you feel like you could tell her anything. It annoyed Liz sometimes but when she really thought about it, it was probably one of many qualities she loves about her mother.

So for that reason, Liz took a deep breath in, trying to listen to her mother's words and calm down, before releasing. It was hard, very hard, but she managed long enough to mumble out the next words. "I-I failed the math exam."

"What?" Lori was flabbergasted. The mother and daughter went to sit on the couch, Lori throwing her arm over the young girls shoulder, hoping it would relax her a bit. It work only barely. "Oh sweetie, you studied so hard with Ester and Mr. Healy said he would give you extra time. I don't understand."

"It didn't matter. It never matters!" Liz stated through gritted teeth, shaking her head repeatedly. "It doesn't matter how hard I study, it doesn't matter how much time I get or if I'm in a separate room to concentrate better. I fail every damn time because I'm too fucking stupid to understand!"

"Watch your language, Elizabeth Minnie." Lori scowled, using her dreadful middle name that irritated the blonde to no end. "And stop calling yourself stupid, you are not stupid. You have a learning disability, it takes longer for you to understand and comprehend what is given in front of you."

The curly haired blonde laughed humorlessly, turning to look at her mother bitterly. "Yeah, well, either Mr. Healy doesn't know that or just doesn't care. Because he said I'm gonna have to do a retake and if I fail again, I'll be cut from the team."

"They can't do that," Lori stated firmly, before frowning. "Can they do that?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "They can and they have, Mom. If I don't pass this re-do, the only thing I'm truly good at will be taken from me."

Lori didn't know what to say. How can she comfort her daughter in a situation like this? Liz had spent three weeks studying for this test. Three weeks and she still failed. Lori always knew Liz needed extra help with her school work, always has since she was a little girl. Unlike Ester who graduated valedictorian and the top of her class, Liz has struggled to pass every year. She barely makes it by, but always manages to do so somehow. Lori Chambers knew how much being on the track team meant to her little girl. How many hours she put into practice, how she would go running every morning and every night on a routine. There was never a moment where she didn't see Liz on her feet.

"Well," Lori breathed, rubbing circles along her back in comfort as she pulled her closer. "Than I guess that means you are just gonna have to pass this retake. We are going into a full on study mode. We'll break out the books, I'll even talk to Mr. Healy about giving you a practice test. All we need is a C, right? It will be challenging but we can do it. I have faith in you, Lizzie. Besides, this won't be the first time we pulled off a miracle. Trying to get you to pass the six grade — now that was a miracle."

    For some reason, Liz found her laughing from that statement. Lori soon joined her, the two Chambers' women laughing hysterically, both remembering that particular time where Liz truly struggled to pass a grade. It was probably the hardest because her teacher was a complete bitch and always tried to embarrass her by calling her out and making her look like a fool in front of the class. It was actually her father who had to go down to the school and convince Miss Rowe (her teacher) to give Liz extra credit work and redo a couple of tests. Robert Chambers was always very good when it came to convincing people to do things, he just had that kind of loving personality.

When the mother and daughter finally started to settle down, an idea popped into the older blonde's head, a smile creeping onto her peach colored lips. "Listen, I have to go pick up your father in Seattle. How about you come with and the three of us can stop by that Italian restaurant you loved so much before heading back?"

Liz started to shake her head in protest. "Oh, no. That place is way to expensive. A reason we've only been there twice."

"Yes, well, you don't have to worry about that. Caleb is paying your father big for this job and I remember how much you loved that place." Liz frowned, still not sure if she should go. It would take her mind of all this, especially keep her from punching the wall in her room, something for which her father has had to fix several times because of her anger. Lori saw her daughter about to argue, lifting up a finger, stopping her before she got the chance to say anything. "Eh, on second thought, this is not a request. We're doing this. Come on, go get changed. I'll call your father and let him know the game plan."

Seeing as she wasn't really given a choice, Liz saluted mockingly, before jogging up the stairs to get ready. She didn't really have to do much. Just replaced her skinny blue jeans with a black skirt and a matching pink blouse with a knitted throw and some flats. It wasn't a high class restaurant but it was still fancy and you needed to dress up. Liz assumes her mother will be bringing a change of clothes for her father and than have him change in the restroom at Altoro's? She honestly wasn't sure.

     Soon enough, the Chambers' women were on the road for the hour drive from Forks to Seattle. Lori let Liz be in charge of the radio, which only meant that they were stuck listening to the country station the whole way, Liz only really singing along whenever a Luke Bryan would come on. Lori didn't mind, she was never really into music and was sort of glad to see her daughter trying to enjoy herself, even though Liz spent the entire ride thinking about this re-do test and fearing for the worse. None of her teachers had ever threatened to take her off the team before, but she's never done so badly in a class like she has in this one. It was always hard for Liz to understand things in school, but math has always be the toughest for the young teenager.

     Before she knew it, the two had pulled up to a beautiful house on the fairest part of the city. Her father, Robert, was sitting on the porch with Caleb, both looking to be drinking a cup of coffee to pass the time. The Chambers' women watched from the driveway as the two friends shook hands and said their goodbyes, before joining the two in their white Honda. Liz climbed into the back seat as Lori got out of the drivers side, kissing her husband on the cheek before going to the passenger side were Liz recently said so Robert could drive. He seemed to have cleaned himself up from hearing that they were going to be going out, but definitely needed to change his clothes when they get to the restaurant.

     Robert turned to his daughter, sending her a genuine smile. "Of course you have to out dress us all, don't you Lizard?"

     Lizard is a nickname her father had given her when she was a kid and had demanded to be called Liz. She liked it because he gave it to her but he was the only one allowed to call her that, not even her mother calls her that name. Liz was grateful that he didn't mention anything about her failing the test, knowing that she didn't want to talk about it at the moment. The blonde rolled her eyes, flipping her hair back teasingly. "Please, I don't even try anymore."

     This resulted in laughter from both parents before Robert pulled out of the driveway, waving goodbye to Caleb once again and the three were on the road to the restaurant. Lori started arguing with her husband who had yet to put on his seatbelt, and didn't put it on as he claimed it was not needed. Lori grumbled, complaining how stubborn he was being for which he only found it amusing before he reached out to grab her hand and kissing it. Liz would of been disgusted if she didn't admire her parents love. It was pure and true. Something Liz craves to have one day.

It was about a twenty-five minute drive from the house to the restaurant, which Robert thought it would be quicker to take the highway, which he usually was right about. As Liz still played with the radio, settling on another station that played some decent songs, she sat back in the seat and buckled herself in, forgetting to do so when she got back there and knowing her mother would yell at her if she didn't.

     It was silent for most of the way, the three enjoying the soft tone of one of Carrie Underwood's songs, 'Jesus, Take the Wheel'. The young blonde was humming along, scrolling through her phone where she was ignoring messages from the girls on the team asking her how the test went and why she didn't show up for practice. The only one she texted back was Angela, who Liz told because she had run into her on the way home when she was really upset.

     Looking up, she notices a extremely large logging truck that was a couple cars a head of them, making Liz understand why they we're driving so slow. Robert hates driving near large trucks because of how slow they are, but unfortunately was stuck on the lane and couldn't change it. A ding from her lap caught her attention, the blonde going to see who it was when suddenly, she was jolted harshly, the white Honda crashing into the car in front of them, her father swerving to avoid what looks to be three large pieces of logs from the truck barreling towards them, resulting in one hitting the side of the car causing them to flip through the air, Liz feeling everything slow down for a millisecond before they crash, tires squealing and horns honking before everything went black.

°.✩┈┈∘*┈˃̶୨୧˂̶┈*∘┈┈✩.°

     Ester Chambers' shift lasted longer than she expected, not being about to get these group of boys out until 11:15, resulting in her having everything cleaned up and locked up with only twenty minutes till midnight. To say the young blonde was exhausted would be an understatement and is really hoping that Liz had done what she had asked and told Danny not to wait up for her, which he most likely did because he just couldn't help himself. That, and it gave him an excuse to rewatch his favorite show, 'Friends' without Ester wanting to change the channel. She likes the show, but can't watch it over and over again 24/7 like he can.

      Walking through the front doors, the thought of silence she expected to walk into was faltered when a loud, piercing scream came from upstairs. The living room was abandoned with 'Friends' playing on the television, a glass of soda spilled all over her tan rug, but none of that mattered as another wale echoed from above. Dropping her purse immediately, Ester races to the familiar noise she hasn't heard since after the funeral. She didn't waste any time barging into her little sister's room, to see Danny standing above her and trying to shake her away.

     "Danny?" Said boy turn to his fiancé with fear across his face, looking relieved when he saw her come in.

     "Oh thank god. She's been going at it for five minutes, I can't wake her up." He says with panic in his eyes. The older blonde looks down at her sister, watching as she flails around the bed, screaming and shouting until her voice was horse. Fear struck her core, never seeing a night terror this bad before. Remembering what her mother and grandmother taught her to do in case this ever happens, she rushes to the side of her bed, grabbing her arms and holding her down with all the strength she had, turning to her fiancé. "Grab her feet and hold them down. We need to make her still so she can wake up and not hurt herself."

     Doing exactly what he was told, he held down the teenage girls legs, ignoring how strong she was for a small thing, watching as she tried hard to fight against the restraint. After what felt like forever, Liz head and chest rises up, her eyes finally opened and were wide in alert, sucking in a large gasps. Ester moves quickly and grabs her shoulders, turning the hyperventilating girl towards her, making her look into her eyes.

     "Hey, hey! Liz, it's me. It's me, breathe. You need to breathe." Liz's eyes focused on the sound of her sister's voice, looking around her surroundings as her PTSD was on its peek. Trying to listen to her sister, she takes slow and steady breaths, her heart racing a mile a minute, looking around her room to make sure she was actually there and safe. Ester breathes with her, nodding in encouragement. "That's good, just keep breathing. Your alright, your safe."

     Liz continued breathing, looking over at Danny, who still looked terrified at what he just witnessed, and took a step back when she finally calmed down. Looking up at Ester, she was so upset that she didn't want to stop the tears as they came from her eyes. "I thought they were done. I thought I fought them. But they are still here... they're still here."

    Knowing she was referring to the night terrors, Ester hushed her, pulling her sister into a tight embrace, soothing her until her breathing was finally steady. "I know, baby. I know. It's okay. Your okay."

     But she wasn't okay. Liz knew this. Ester knew this. Danny knew this. Even the man watching from outside the window who could feel all the emotions rushing through the Chambers/Black house knew this.

Elizabeth Chambers was not okay.

_____________________________________

- WOAH, THIS WAS A HARD CHAPTER TO WRITE. I HONESTLY CAN'T IMAGINE EXPERIENCING PTSD OR ANY SORT OF TRAUMA, SO I BLESS ALL YOUR HEARTS IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING SOMETHING SIMILAR TO LIZ IN ANY WAY. REMEMBER YOU ARE A FIGHTER AND YOU WILL MAKE IT THROUGH, ONE STEP AT A TIME.

- QUESTION: HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD TROUBLE IN SCHOOL AS MUCH AS LIZ (AND ME) DO? JUST TO KNOW I'M NOT ALONE BECAUSE THAT WHOLE THING WITH MATH CLASS AND SECOND GRADE HAPPENED TO ME.

-  I HOPE THIS WAS GOOD FOR YOU GUYS. I'M NOT THE BEST AT WRITING TRAUMATIZING SCENES SO I HOPE I DID OKAY. WHAT DID YOU ALL THINK?