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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑

    𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐋𝐈𝐙 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐄 down the stairs, she felt like she was transferred back two years, when her parents were still alive and everything in her life was somewhat normal. A part of her was convinced she was still sleeping... dreaming. But she knew she wasn't. Because she wasn't in her childhood home and her knee was being extra irritable today, making her understand she was not dreaming. Which is why she is now frowning at the sight before her as she climbed down the last step.

    Balloons were scattered everywhere, some floating in the air while others laid on the floor, so much you couldn't walk without knocking into a group of them, sending them flying. Party streamers were hanging along the living room, leading into the kitchen where a large banner was hung over the window that read 'Happy Birthday!' in big bright blue letters.

    It looks exactly like what her parents did for her every year on her birthday.

    To say Liz was astonished would be an understatement, especially when she looked to the table only to see a large stack of pancakes, bacon, and hash browns were on display. It smelled absolutely fantastic, which could only mean Danny must have cooked, since nothing looked burned or dried out.

    "Happy birthday!" Liz had barely made it into the kitchen before Ester and Danny came jumping out in front of her, startling the blonde, causing her to place a hand over her heart and jumping back a bit. It took everything in Liz to force a smile on her lips, looking at everything in shock.

    "Wow, I was not expecting this." Liz did her best not to let her voice sound so strained, so confused. Unlike last year, Liz was well aware of her birthday this time around. February 18th. How the hell has it been a year already?

    And it seems, Ester and Danny both were as well. Liz, however, couldn't exactly feel grateful, mainly because she knows that all of this fuss was made purely out of guilt for what happened last year. Besides, seeing all of this... it only made her miss her parents so much more. She expected them to walk into the kitchen at any second, with a freshly baked chocolate cake and their warm hugs.

    It took everything in Liz to choke back a sob.

    If it wasn't for the fact that Ester forgot her birthday last year, then she would have come down to maybe a nice breakfast and a card with a twenty dollar bill inside. It is what she always expected from Ester, long before she even met Danny. She always claimed Liz was too hard to shop for, so money was the next best thing. Liz never used to care in the past, but now that the clarity of her sister's behavior was slowly starting to be made clear to the youngest Chambers sister, it made her understand that Ester had never put in any effort into her birthday in the past like she thought she did.

    Unlike Liz who used to always make Ester something or try to save up her money months in advance to get her something nice. Liz used to think they both went all out, but now she was coming to the realization that even the cards stopped once she moved out, only receiving a happy birthday text. Liz isn't greedy enough to believe she needs presents on her birthday, she never expected them. Just her sister's time and presence would have been enough of a gift to her. Now she is starting to understand her sister being there for her had stopped long before their parents death, and most of the time Liz had to always beg for her time.

    Now? All this food and balloons and happy cheer was clearly out of guilt for forgetting about her birthday last year. Ester must have figured doing what their parents used to do for them would make up for that one mistake. Somehow, this hurt worse than the stupid impersonal card and cash she'd been receiving for four years or a simple birthday text because Liz knew for a fact Ester would not have gone through so much trouble otherwise.

    Ester thinks she is doing something nice... but really it was just reminding Liz that her parents were no longer here.

    "Yeah, we made all of your favorites. Don't worry, Danny did all of the cooking." Ester reassured while rolling her eyes. "He wouldn't even let me stir the batter."

    Danny chuckles. "Letting you near the stove is hazardous enough."

    "This is... wonderful, you guys. You really did not need to do all of this." Liz lied, hiding the pain in her eyes.

    Ester moved towards the chair that had the balloons tied to it and pulled it out for the birthday girl. "Oh, stop being so modest. Of course we did. I felt so awful about what happened last year, I needed to do something to make it up to you."

    And clear your conscience. Liz thought bitterly to herself, but did not voice it.

    Liz bit her tongue and went to take a seat, helping herself to the food. She may think all of this was unnecessary or settling in anyway but Ester is trying. She is trying and Liz wants to believe she is doing this selflessly. She needs to believe it. Plus, there is no way she can resist Danny's cooking.

    The married couple now joined her, both digging in and slowly fell into a nice conversation. Danny was telling both of them both about how he is grateful to be working again. With phasing for the first time and the wedding and honeymoon, he hasn't been at the shop lately. Now Sam specifically has requested he get back to work, but only for one reason and one reason only, and that was to keep an eye on his little brother.

    According to the Alpha, Sam has a feeling Jacob is close to phasing. Danny doesn't exactly seem to be happy about this fact but knows Sam is right. Jacob apparently has been getting much bigger and stronger. He has even had a hard time controlling his anger, snapping a few times at his dad or at Danny or at teachers at school. Now, apparently, Bella had been filling her time with the younger boy, building motorcycles apparently. Liz couldn't resist rolling her eyes, knowing exactly why she wanted the motorcycle and it is not for the same reason Liz has one.

    Danny claims that Jake's crush on Bella has grown since their time spent together and Liz couldn't help but feel bad for the guy. She knows Bella is not over him. If building the motorcycles were any indication of that because Liz knew she was only building them so she could see him.

    Bella also invited Jacob to the movies tomorrow with her, Mike and the others. Angela found out her father will be working a double shift and she will have to watch Hallie, so she was out well. She doesn't know if Eric is going, but she knows Jessica is going to make up some excuse, which Liz told her was a smart decision.

    Danny, however, doesn't exactly seem to be happy that he was going, which is why he was now looking towards Liz curiously. "So, Liz, are you going to this group outing?"

    "Gosh, no." Liz scoffed, reaching out and taking a sip of her orange juice. Silence fell upon the table and Liz looked up to see Danny giving her an expecting look and she instantly frowned, shaking her head and putting the glass down. "Nope! No. Absolutely not. I refuse."

    "I just need you to look after Jake and call me if anything weird happens." Danny immediately defended.

    "No."

    "Liz, please? Do it for Jacob." Ester tried to say, but Liz snapped her head towards her.

     "I'll tell you both exactly what I told Eric when he asked me if I wanted to go. I'd rather swallow bleach than spend two hours in an awkward theater with two hormonal teenage boys who seem to be obsessed with Bella Swan."

    Ester sighed and looked over at her husband. "I told you she wouldn't do it."

    Liz looked between the two and then down at the food, realization suddenly hitting her. Wow. Even when she is trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, the rug is pulled from under her feet once again.  "Oh, I get it. All of this fuss over my birthday isn't just to make up for last year. You were trying to butter me up so I would agree to babysit Jake."

    "No, that's not it-" Ester tried to deny it but Liz could see the guilty look in her eyes and it told her all she needed to know. Liz stood from the table, not wanting to hear any of what she had to say.

    "You both are unbelievable!" Liz snapped, before storming towards the front door and throwing on her coat.

    "Lizzie, come back here please. You haven't finished your breakfast." Ester begged, but the blonde refused to listen and shoved on her boots.

    "Yeah, well, if I knew all this shit was a bribe, I never would have touched it in the first place."

    Ester groaned. "Stop being so dramatic, Lizzie."

    Of course I'm being dramatic. I'm always the one overreacting.

    Liz turned towards Danny and sighed. "Danny, he's your fucking brother. Deal with him yourself."

    "Where are you going? School doesn't start for another hour." Danny asked, getting up from the table to follow her.

    "To buy bleach!" Liz snapped sarcastically before exiting the house. She grabbed her helmet and went towards her bike.

     This birthday was off to another wonderful start.

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    "𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘" 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 first thing Angela and Jessica both say as soon as she parks her bike and turns it off. The two were waiting for her by her regular parking spot, holding a cupcake with a single candle lit.

    Liz shoved off her helmet and glasses, her pissed off mood clearly showing on her face as she climbed off her bike and grumbled in annoyance. Jessica basically winced at the harsh glare on the blonde's face. "Geez, last year you were pissed when you thought we forgot your birthday and now you're pissed that we remembered? Make up your mind, sweetie."

    It took everything in Liz not to bite the strawberry blonde's head off, but she knew she needed to calm down. She is angry at Ester and Danny, not them.

    "I'm sorry," Liz sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly and shaking her head. "Bad morning."

    "It's okay. Now blow out the candle before it starts raining again." Angela simply brushed off, holding the cupcake out in front of her urgently.

    Liz only chuckled stiffly and did as she was told, blowing out the candle before taking in from the girl's grasps. "Thanks guys. This is the birthday I'm used too."

    "Trust us, we know never to throw you a surprise party ever again." Jessica comments as the three make their way towards Tyler's van as Liz starts to eat the icing off the cupcake, something she always does before the actual cake itself. Mike had just joined them as was Eric.

    "Yeah, even though it was nice and I had a lot of fun, I've learned I don't really like surprise parties all that much. Or parties in general." She tells them with a subtle laugh, her mind flashing back to September when she witnessed her ex-boyfriend losing control which resulted in him leaving and stomping all over her fragile heart.

    Mike, who seemed to have overheard her statement, gave out a nervous laugh. "Really? You don't say. At least this year I won't be so rudely shoved into."

    "Oh, stop whining Mike. At least I didn't hurt that pretty face." Liz smirked amusingly, trying to push that memory back.

    "Happy birthday!" The three boys screamed together. All of them held their arms out and ran towards her, tackling her into a massive hug. Liz let out a string of giggles, her mood lifting from this morning.

   "Put me down, you idiots!" She tells them between giggles. After a second, the boys pry themselves off and they all give her goofy grins.

    "So, how does it feel to be eighteen?" Tyler is the one to ask.

    "Yeah, feeling old yet?" Eric teased.

     Liz just narrowed her eyes at the boy, peeling the paper of the cupcake. "Eric, you turn eighteen on the first of March. You are right behind me."

    "I know. I need preparation. Does getting old hurt? Should I look into nursing homes yet? Damn, I need to start planning my retirement."

    Liz simply rolled her eyes and shoved his shoulder, causing laughter from the rest of their friends as she almost devoured the chocolatey goodness. Liz noticed the rusty red truck pulling in and her mood immediately changed once again. She just hopes and prays Bella doesn't think about coming over here now that she is suddenly back to the land of the living. But it seems that all it took was one glare from the blonde for Bella to think twice about coming over and heading in towards the school, even though they have like ten more minutes before the first bell rings. Liz is glad. After the morning she has had, she really does not want to deal with her now that her day is slowly improving.

    After storming out of the house, Liz drove towards the cemetery where her parents were buried, but didn't go in. She just sat on her bike, having a mental battle with herself. All she wanted was to talk to them, especially after the brief moment she had this morning where she thought they were alive when she walked downstairs, but she couldn't. She doesn't deserve to pay respects because it is her fault they are buried six feet under. She doesn't deserve to feel the peace that came with just being near their tombstones, because she is the reason they are there.

    So she sat on her bike for five minutes debating it before driving to the local park where she sat on the swings for another twenty minutes before heading towards school. She was still steaming about the disastrous breakfast and the audacity of Danny and Ester, more specifically Ester. Liz told her sister why she no longer is friends with Bella anymore and what happened in Port Angeles. Ester had been understanding and agreed with Liz, even stating that she was proud of sticking up for herself.

    Liz just doesn't understand Ester. It is like she is on board with a decision you make until it becomes inconvenient for her or Danny. Ever since Liz was little, she always knew Ester had a tendency to be a bit selfish and conceited, but she had her moments where she would be an amazing big sister. Liz has always admired Ester, always looked up to her and wanted to be just like her. Ester was always the prettier sister, the smarter sister, the bolder sister, the braver sister. Liz has lived in her shadow for so long and she never let it bother her too much.

    Ester used to always tell Liz that she would be just as pretty if she wore her hair a certain way or if she dressed a certain style. Ester was on board with her straightening her hair, because at least it no longer looks like a mop on her head. In very small, subtle ways, Ester always found a way to make sure Liz knew that she was inferior to her greatness. And Liz never used to think anything of it because in her insecure, naive mind she always thought Ester was correct, that she was the superior sister and there was nothing she could do to change that. It is like she has been manipulating her into believing these things since a young age.

    The worst part about it is not that Liz was just finally starting to understand what her sister has been doing for years... but she doesn't even think Ester really knew she was doing it. It is like it was just second nature to tear her down just to build herself up. Ester has a victim complex, where she is always the victim and everyone else is the villain in her story.

    Liz was brought out of her daze when Angela tapped her arm. The blonde turned towards her friend, who was now staring behind her. "Isn't that Paul?"

    Liz twirled around to see Paul standing not too far from her group of friends. When their eyes locked, he raised a hand and waved awkwardly. Liz waved back, giving him a kind smile. "Yeah, that's him."

    Jessica and the guys turn to see who the birthday girl was waving to. Mike frowned as he recognized him. "What's he doing here? I thought you two weren't friends anymore?"

    Liz tried to keep herself from rolling her eyes. Back when Mike still had a major crush on her and when she and Paul were still inseparable, he used to get jealous of the younger boy mainly because he had it in his head that Liz and Paul were more than just friends. It was really irritating and something she and Paul always had to deal with for years, everyone thinking they would end up together and never understanding when they stated on multiple occasions that they were practically siblings and the thought of being together like that felt like actual incest.

    Before their falling out, Paul always used to show up at school in the morning to see Liz on her birthday. Last year, they weren't on speaking terms. Now, they sort of were on a friendlier basis. They might not be as close, but Liz no longer thinks he is dead to her. She wasn't expecting him to show up here, however, so this was definitely a surprise.

    "It's complicated. We might not be what we once were, but we are civil now." Liz explained before pushing off the van and moving towards the large male. "I'll be right back."

    Paul met her half way, wearing a pair of denim shorts and a brown sleeveless tee, showing off his Quiluete tattoo for everyone to see. Honestly, she was just giving him some props for wearing a shirt at all, it seems to be something the wolves don't particularly like to wear anymore.

    "Hey, what are you doing here?"

    "Well, now that we sort of settled our differences and we are sort of on good terms, I figured it would be safe to come and give you this." Paul explains with a sly grin, before pulling out a small, silver box with a tiny blue bow on top. He smiled at the older girl warmly. "Happy birthday, Liz."

    A warm sensation took over the blonde as she looked down at the box, slowly taking it from his grasps. She already knew what it was before she even opened it, slowly lifting the lid and revealing exactly what she was expecting. The same silver charm bracelet she has owned since she was twelve years old. The same bracelet Paul had saved all his spare change trying to buy her when they were kids. The same bracelet she has never taken off until last year, where she threw it at him in a fit of rage, trying to banish him from her life for good.

     Liz never thought she would miss a simple object so much like she missed this charm bracelet. She had become so attached to it, learning not to have it on her wrist was really difficult. Lifting the bracelet up, Liz found herself smiling emotionally at the boy in front of her. "I honestly thought I'd never see this again."

    Paul nodded in understanding. "I hated it when you threw it at me. I hate myself for even mentioning it that day and I wanted nothing more than to give it back to you, but I knew you'd never take it back. I know we aren't back to how we used to be, but I hope you'll take it back now. You don't have to wear it if you are not ready. But it's your birthday and you are still really important to me, Liz."

    Liz tried not to let her emotions get the better of her as she held out the bracelet back to him and sent him a playful glare. "Are you kidding me? I'm never giving this up again. I've felt so lost without it. Put it on me, you idiot."

    Chuckling, Paul did as he was told and clasped the bracelet around her wrist, Liz bringing her hand back and admiring the charms as they rattled together. She stopped when she noticed two new ones that were not there before and gasped in excitement. "Wait, is that Chip and... Anastasia?"

    "Uh, yeah. I got Chip last year because I remember you were begging for him. I wanted to give it to you, but you know..." Paul awkwardly rubs the back of his head. "And I remember you saying Anastasia is such an underrated movie. I had to double check with Emily to make sure that was the correct one, because apparently there is another Anastasia from Cinderella."

    Liz admired the ever growing bracelet with eight charms now on it. She brought her wrist to her chest and beamed at the boy. "It's perfect. Thank you, Paul." And to both of their surprises, Liz wrapped her arm around his neck for a quick hug. It didn't last long but it didn't need to. It was much needed for both of them.

    When the two separated, Paul was looking over her shoulder, causing the blonde to turn to see he was currently staring at Angela who was laughing at something Tyler must have said. Liz appreciated that Paul was so willing to leave her out of their world for as long as he can, but she has never seen this look on his face before. He has been with plenty of girls, he was a bit of a player since he was fourteen, always having that sort of charm to him, but he never looked at any of those girls like the way he was looking at Angela. Like she was his whole world only a few feet in front of him.

    Moving into his line of sight, Paul coughed awkwardly at being caught and his face turned red, immediately looking away from the brunette girl and back to the blonde before him. Liz couldn't help but give him a soft look. "You know, I only asked you to wait to tell her about our world, I never said you shouldn't befriend her."

    Paul raised his brow questionably. "Just befriend?"

    "She just got out of a serious relationship. And like I said before, she is dealing with a lot of shit right now." Liz reminded him, crossing her arms over her chest. "But that doesn't mean she can't use a friend. She needs all the support she can get."

    Instant worry crossed Paul's features and he wanted to ask what was wrong but he refrained himself, remembering that Liz will not tell him even if he did. He looked back at Angela for another brief second before looking back down at the blonde before him. "I'll try that. Thanks, Lizzie. I have to run, but I'll see you soon?"

    Nodding in agreement, Paul turned and went back the way he came just as the bell rang, announcing the start of a very long and painful start of the day.

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    "𝑳𝑰𝒁, 𝑰 𝑼𝑵𝑫𝑬𝑹𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑻𝑯𝑨𝑻 you are upset with us, but you are blowing this way out of proportion. Not answering your phone is very childish. It's your birthday! I bought a cake from that bakery across the street from my classes. How about when I get home tonight, we watch any terrifying, horrific movie you want and we order pizza and stuff our faces with junk? The perfect Liz Chambers birthday! Okay? I'll see you when I get home."

    Liz hit the end button as Mitch let out an exaggerated whistle. "Damn. That's the fifth call?"

    Liz rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Sixth. And she wonders why I'm avoiding her call. I'm being childish? Seriously? This coming from the same girl who ignored our parents for years just because they disagreed with her choices and then dismissed them when they wanted to make things right."    

     After school let out, Liz drove back home and was relieved when neither Danny nor Ester were in the house, meaning she did not have to deal with them. When Mitch called her to wish her a happy birthday, she practically begged him to pick her up. Now the two were walking a trail in the woods, Liz knowing just how reckless and pretty stupid this was, but figured if they did stray too far from the car on the side of the road, that they would be safe. They could still see the car from where they were, anyway.

    The air was a bit damp, it had just rained earlier today. Liz had put on her old sneakers in order to not get her other ones too dirty and was wrapped tightly in a black sweatshirt Mitch had given her when they decided to pull over. Her brace was secured tightly around her knee, though she's enjoyed not having to wear it in the house like she's been.

    Ester had called her multiple times, first one was when she was still at school and knew the teenager was on lunch, the rest being up until Mitch picked her up and the last being just five minutes prior. Six calls and four voicemails. The other three were very short, basically just telling her to call her back. This time it seems Ester understands that Liz was purposely not answering and decided to leave a longer message.

    "Okay, so what's the deal between you and your sister? Cause I don't think you ever told me the full story." Mitch asked while attempting to walk on a broken branch, his arms stretched out to keep his balance. "Is it still about the pearls?"

    Liz let out a deep sigh. She had confided in both Mitch and Angela about the pearls on one of their many afternoons together because she was clearly still upset with the situation. Angela understood because she had been there through the whole ordeal with Ester and her parents, but not even Angela fully understood everything Liz was feeling at the moment. She knew Liz had been upset with Ester for not forgiving their parents when they begged her too, but she has yet to tell her friend of how her eyes were truly opening to the manipulating and gaslighting Ester did to her most of her life.

    "The pearls are a part of it, but it's so much more than that. I guess I've just never noticed how truly selfish Ester truly is- okay I knew she only thinks of herself a lot but I don't know, I guess I was more blinded with how she treats people... me in particular." Liz confessed, going up the the closest tree and trying to reach the lowest branch, but only the tip of her fingers were able to brush against it. "It's like she has to be the center of attention all of the time. She always pushed me away when I was a kid. I know I'm the annoying little sister, but I've always admired her and thought she was amazing, that she could do no wrong. I've always been jealous of how smart she is and whenever I managed to achieve something, she always had to one up me. I used to think she wasn't doing it on purpose, but now I just don't know."

     "Well, what you just explained about this morning and after hearing that voicemail, I definitely hear some gaslighting in there. It's like she is not acknowledging that she and Danny were in the wrong," Mitch concludes. He now was attempting to pick up the large branch he was trying to walk on, but struggled with how heavy it was. "And the whole thing with the pearls... you definitely are not imagining this stuff. It sounds to me like Ester is just used to getting what she wants and doesn't care who she hurts or offends in the process."

    Liz turned towards her blonde friend, completely giving up on trying to reach the branch and was now leaning back against the tree. "What should I do? It is so hard for me to keep biting my tongue because the last thing I want to do is start a fight with her. But it's so hard for me to be around her when all I want to do is scream at her. Ever since I came back to Forks, we were treading on thin ice but I thought I was able to just push my feelings back, believing I was overreacting. And to make things worse, she always has Danny in her corner, so it always feels like I'm being ganged up on. I thought we could put it all behind us... but it's getting harder and harder for me to control my anger towards her. The pearls were enough to break that thin ice we were already on..."

    "You want to know what I think?" Mitch questioned, to which the younger blonde just nodded her head for him to continue. "I think—"

    But he was cut off by the sound of his car alarm going off. The two frowned, sharing a confused look as they could so clearly see the blue SUV from where they were, lights flashing and the alarm blaring. They looked around to see what could have caused it. Mitch fished his pocket for his keys. "I'll be right back."

    Liz stayed back as Mitch went towards his car, looking around to make sure no one was around before opening the door and looking inside. Liz crossed her arms, about to just follow him so they could just leave altogether, but before she took a step, a figure suddenly appeared in front of her, causing the blonde's pretty blue eyes to widen into pure horror just as Victoria appeared, a sickening wicked smirk on his lips.

    "Miss me?" Victoria taunted.

    A gasp barely escaped her lips before Victoria's hand was wrapped firmly around her throat, cutting off her air supply. Mitch was still distracted but by the time he turned back to look for Liz, Victoria had already run away with the blonde in her grasp.

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    𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 the worst could happen. The wolves had been chasing her for miles, but the redhead had managed to lose them moments before Victoria picked up on Liz's scent. Victoria had only taken Liz further out into the woods, miles from Mitch who had been searching for her in a frantic manner when he realized she was no longer where he left her. The whole time, Victoria was gripping Liz by the throat, holding her in the air and cutting off her oxygen.

    Victoria knew Liz and Bella were being protected by the Cullen's, but the wolves were a different story, one she didn't know about. She saw an opportunity with Liz and she took it, but it was foiled before she could have any real fun. That's what Victoria told Liz, at least, among other things.

    When the wolves came, Victoria had dropped the blonde as Danny shifted and raced to her side while the other chased the vampire off. Liz was struggling to breathe, trembling from utter fear. She couldn't speak, her throat throbbing and aching in agony, only able to cough and wheeze. She had passed out shortly after, whether it was from terror or the pain, she is unsure, but when Liz finally came too, she was once again in the hospital, Ester by her side.

    She looked over at her sister who was biting her nails anxiously, looking like she had been crying. When she saw Liz's head move, Ester was up and at her side upon seeing her awake, though that didn't stop Liz from thrashing around in fear. "Hey! Hey! You're okay. Lizzie, you are in the hospital."

    Liz settled down, a single tear sliding down her face as she opened her mouth to say something, but only a rasp escaped her lips, an intensity of pain shooting through her. Her hand shot to her throat and she winced when her fingers touched the sensitive skin. "Careful. Doctor said it may be hard to speak for a couple days. It's really bruised."

    Ester then brought over a cup of water with a straw. "Here. Drink slowly." Liz did as she was told, swallowing was very difficult. She looked over at Ester, needing to ask something but couldn't. Ester seemed to understand what she wanted to ask. "The wolves feel terrible. They are blaming themselves, especially Sam. Sam had almost had her earlier but she had gotten away, which is when she found you. He blames himself for you getting hurt. I'm just so happy they found you in time..."

    Liz moved her hand, signaling she wanted to write something. Ester understood and immediately went towards her bag, grabbing one of her notebook from school and a pencil, handing both towards the youngest Chambers sister. Liz took the pencil and wrote her most important question. Mitch?

     "He's fine. He called me panicking once he realized you were gone but I told him you were fine." Ester rubbed her tired eyes. "I- uh... I had to tell him you were jumped by some guy and Danny managed to save you. That this man choked you out. Told him we already stopped the police so they were searching for this man now. It is what I had to tell the hospital too. Charlie Swan will be by later, I know he'll want to ask you a couple questions about it."

     As far as lies go, that wasn't horrible. Liz closed her eyes and immediately regretted it, only seeing those terrifying red eyes and her taunting words echoing in her mind, everything the red haired vampire told her caused a shiver to go through her. Liz opened her eyes, squeezing the pencil hard before writing again. Did they catch Victoria?

    Ester frowned at the words. "No, she got away. They chased her— Wait... Victoria? How do you know the vampire's name?"

    Liz froze, looking down at her lap. She could feel Ester's intense stare as the oldest Chambers sister stood from the bed. "Liz, how do you know her name?"

    After another moment, realizing she hasn't told Ester about what happened with James in Phoenix or that Victoria is out for revenge or that she has some twisted plans for the blonde, Liz finally scribbled down the words, a part of her grateful she didn't have to speak them outloud. She handed Ester the notebook and the older girl snatched it from her grasps, reading the words as clear as day.

    Because she wants me and Bella Swan dead.

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Finally back! I have missed this story so much! Especially Liz!

Okay, so I need to explain something. Yes, I did kind of leave you all on a semi-cliffhanger with Victoria appearing. Yes, it was very rude and no, I am not sorry. It fits with my plan. So there is one more chapter before Jasper comes back. Now some of you will be like, 'wait why? There's still so much in New Moon that happens. The movies, Jake shifting, Bella being depressed Jake is ignoring her, Bella running into Laurent and finding out about the wolves, etc.'

Yes, I know there is a lot BUT this story does not revolve around Bella and her shit, it focuses on Liz. Liz and Bella are no longer friends at the moment; so they will being doing their own thing. That is why I wanted to leave a cliff hanger, so everything will be explained and next chapter is basically the cliff jumping scene plus what happened with Victoria.

Hope everyone is not too upset about this, it just makes sense for my story.

Let me know what everyone thought though! Always love the comments so much and thank you for your support!