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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐖𝐎

     𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐒 𝐎𝐔𝐓, Bella had been left in the dark about Victoria making her grand return. At least, that's what Liz automatically presumed the moment Jasper and Emmett came to her and told her that Bella was making Edward go with her to Jacksonville using the second ticket. Apparently the asshole thought it would be best to not worry Bella about the fact that the woman who wants her dead was making a surprise appearance and in order to keep her from inquiring about this knowledge, agreed to go with the Swan girl.

    Fucking coward.

    So plans changed for the youngest Chambers sister. Instead of going to Jacksonville, because there is no way in hell Liz was going to go anywhere with Edward Cullen, Esme arranged for a round trip to San Diego for Liz to visit her Nana. Much to her surprise, she gifted her with two tickets, assuming if she wanted to she could bring a friend. Liz had wanted to bring Angela or Mitch or even Jessica for that matter, but that idea was tossed out the window when she was all but forced to bring Ester along.

    After telling her sister and brother-in-law about Alice's vision, Danny basically insisted Ester go with her, not wanting her in the same vicinity as the crazy redhead. Neither of the Chambers sisters were thrilled with this arrangement. Both women had put up quite a fight, Ester not wanting to spend any time with Liz which would mean she'd be forced to talk to her and Liz just did not want to be around her or deal with their Nana trying to force them to reconcile their differences.

    Liz knew for a fact she had nothing to say to Ester. She tried... She really did try to put everything behind her when coming back to Forks almost two years ago. Liz did what she always is forced to do- she took the high road. She chose to forget the fact that her sister ignored their parents' pleas of forgiveness, causing them both to become depressed from Ester's reluctance to forgive them, especially her father. She chose to forget the fact that Ester practically stole their mother's pearls that were supposed to be buried with her like they had originally agreed. She chose to ignore the fact that nothing was ever Ester's fault and Liz was always to blame for everything.

    It was just what Liz was used to. She is used to taking the blame, she is used to taking the high road and being the mature adult, despite Ester being the oldest. The past two years have really opened her eyes to see that she has been doing it her entire life. She has always been the mature one, always sacrificing for Ester and always trying to accommodate her needs. The only thing Liz can really think of Ester doing anything for her in the past eighteen years of her life, was allowing Liz to move in with her and her fiance two months after the accident.

     The reality of that situation smacked her in the face so hard, especially as she sat there at the table at a very nice restaurant for lunch, listening to her Nana's 'friend' explain how the two of them met. Vivian Fitzgerald was never one to put a label on a relationship unless she was absolutely positive it was going somewhere. And according to her grandmother, Owen Dillon was still in the beginning stages. He seems nice enough, a little younger than her Nana, but very charming. He had picked each Liz and Ester a rose from his own garden to which he tended to himself, which Vivian had convinced both her granddaughters to wear in their hair as he had taken them all out for lunch in the city.

    The sisters only arrived in San Diego yesterday, but the minute it striked seven in the morning, their Nana had both girls up and out the door so they could spend what little time they had together. In all honesty, Liz thought it was a bit silly, seeing as Vivian will be flying to Forks in a few weeks for her graduation. Still, in Vivian's defense, it has been a very long time since she has had both of her grandchildren visiting at the same time and she did not want to waste a second of the very short visit.

    Unfortunately, today was the day.

    Liz felt sick to her stomach just thinking about it. She wished she was more involved in the conversation going on around her, but she couldn't help but check her phone worriedly every few seconds, knowing Jasper promised to call her as soon as it was over. Whenever that was, Liz does not know. But it does not help the nausea or the fact that she could barely eat the antipasto salad she had ordered.

    At this exact moment, while she sits here in a very nice restaurant eating a twenty dollar salad and trying to listen to a meet-cute story of her Nana and this very sweet man, the love of her life and his family are hunting a vindictive psychopath who has haunted her nightmares for months. Her head was screaming in agony as well, so that wasn't helping ease her nerves. Her migraines have become more severe recently, something she has managed to keep to herself though it's been difficult.

    Jasper can tell something is wrong, but luckily the effect she has on his abilities have been making it difficult for him to get an accurate feel of her emotions lately. She didn't want to burden him with this, knowing there was nothing anyone could do for her condition. It was something she was just going to have to deal with... for the time being, that is.

    Flipping open her phone, she let out a silent sigh before flipping it close when she saw no new messages have come through, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose. She hadn't noticed her Nana trying to get her attention until she felt a gentle hand placed on her arm. "Liz, sweetie, did you hear me?"

    Liz snapped her eyes up and shook her head. "No, sorry. What did you say?"

    "Owen asked if you would be up to go to the boardwalk? I think it will be fun and Ester already agreed."

    Well, Liz knew she couldn't say no. Not if she didn't want to be rude. Besides, she really did miss her grandmother. She used to go to the boardwalk all the time when she used to visit when she was younger, but Liz had refused to go those two months she lived here. Not like she could exactly walk well, not like she can now. Her depression did not motivate her to get out much either.

    So with that in mind, she smiled at her Nana and turned to Owen. "That sounds like fun."

    "Great!" Owen examined, waving down the waiter for the check. "Maybe if you girls are up for it, we can give the slingshot a try. Your grandmother refuses to go on it with me due to her fear of heights, but I tell you, it's worth it."

    Ester immediately shook her head. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass. Nana passed that fear down to me as well"

    Owen nodded in understanding as the waiter placed the check on the table. "What about you, Liz? Do you share the same fear of heights?"

     Ester scoffed loudly. "Liz? Afraid of heights? Please, she isn't afraid of anything. She jumped off a cliff last month."

    "What?" Vivian shrieked, turning to face her youngest granddaughter with wild, frightened eyes. "Elizabeth Chambers, please tell me she is joking."

    Liz sent Ester a look of disbelief, gritting her teeth so hard she is surprised they didn't break. Her head was pounding, but she just turned to her Nana and tried to stay calm as she was prepared to lie through her teeth, something she did not want to do but wasn't given a choice. "It's called cliff jumping. It's fun and it wasn't that high."

    "I don't care how high it was. Have you completely forgotten what the doctor said? One bump in the wrong place. One! And it could have ended terribly."

    Liz immediately reached for her Nana's hand. "I was safe, Nana. Everyone does it and I wasn't alone. It was actually really fun."

    Yeah... so fun jumping into the freezing ocean in order to save her mentally unstable friend trying to see her damn boyfriend in her head.

    "Still, Liz, you need to be more careful. I know you don't want to be coddled or treated any differently, and I'm okay with you keeping your motorcycle until you can no longer drive it, but please try to be more careful."

    "You're right Nana. I'm sorry, I promise to be more careful." Liz reassured her, squeezing her hand. She then sent a harsh glare to the older blonde, who drank from her lemonade and avoided eye contact without a care in the world.

    Once the check was paid, the four made their way to the boardwalk. Ever since the events in Volterra, driving has become very mild for Liz. She still felt very anxious, but she was able to keep herself from having a full on panic attack, sometimes. Ester was walking ahead with Owen, listening to one of his many stories he has from being a former pilot. Liz was back, arms linked with her Nana as she tried her best not to touch her phone, still waiting on news. Her head was still pounding and she was happy to be holding onto her Nana, so she didn't get lost in the crowds.

    Of course, she knew Vivian was not going to stay quiet for too long. When they arrived yesterday, Vivian could immediately sense the negative energy between the two sisters. For obvious reasons, she was left in the dark about the latest events that have been going on in their lives, only knowing the need-to-know information. But she knew something was wrong... she knew the tension had been building around the girls for years and after Ester's wedding and the pearls situation, Vivian knew Liz was going to snap eventually.

    "So," Vivian spoke up as Liz snuck another peek at her cell phone once again. "Want to tell me what has you so worried?"

    Liz snapped her head up. "Hm? What?"

    "You keep checking your phone every twenty seconds. Are you expecting an important call?"

    "Oh, umm, no. Well, yes. Kind of." Liz rambled, letting out a deep, exhausted sigh. "It's nothing really. I'm just being paranoid."

    "About what?"

    Liz shook her head and looked down at her boots. "You don't want to hear about it."

    Vivan instantly understood. "Ah. This has to do with Jasper."

    The day Liz had told her grandmother that Jasper had returned to Forks and she had agreed to give him a second chance was the same day Vivian Fitzgerald almost hopped onto the first flight she could get to Forks and planned Jasper Hale's murder. She was not all that thrilled hearing he had returned and all Vivian wanted was to make him pay for hurting her grandbaby so badly. Of course, this was just a primal motherly instinct. Once Liz explained how it hadn't been easy and how she was still in love with him, despite what he had done, Vivian seemed to calm down. All she wants is for Liz to be happy and she trusts her judgment, she has never given her any reason not to.

    Vivian just has yet to forgive him. And Liz knew this, as her comments about him have been in a teasing manner, but also a little bit of annoyance.

    "Is he alright?" Vivian finally asked, her voice soft.

    "Yeah," Liz answered quickly, clearing her scratching throat. "He is just... dealing with family stuff. I don't really want to say anything, it's kind of private."

    "Understandable."

    Liz groans in frustration, running a hand over her face. "I just want to check on him, make sure he's okay. Plus, my head is killing me today."

    "Did you take your medicine?" Vivian questioned worriedly.

    Liz nodded. "It's not working. I think I might need a stronger dose, but I hate the way they make me feel as it is. I can't imagine if they were stronger."

    Vivian wraps her arms around the younger girl and rubs her arm. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I wish there was a way to help. Unfortunately, traumatic brain injuries rarely go away. How has your vision been?"

    "Well, I'm wearing the glasses, aren't I?" Liz grumbled irritably, pointing to the thick frames on her face.

    As of lately, Liz has been wearing her glasses more frequently, not just for driving or seeing things far away. It was something she had gotten used to and does not hate as much as she did when she had first gotten them. Her friends already knew about them as they had caught her with them, but still to this day only Angela knew the reasons behind them, minus Bella and the Cullens. They didn't really question it, Jessica thinks she's wearing them as a fashion statement anyway.

    With everything going on, Liz just does not see the point in telling them. Eric, Mike, Jessica and Tyler are all going to be leaving Forks soon once college starts and given the circumstances with the Volturi and everything, Liz isn't exactly sure she is ever going to see them again. Meaning, she doesn't know what will happen after graduation. Bella has already made up her mind and a date has been set for her to make the transition. Liz? Well, no one has brought up the subject since Bella called that ridiculous meeting, especially not Jasper. She knows Jasper is giving her time, his efforts to make up for leaving her getting in the way of that particular detail.

    Besides, Liz hasn't exactly gone out of her way to mention it either. A part of her wants to see just how long she can hold out before she is forced to talk about it. If she was being honest with herself, she doesn't even want to think about it. She knows what she wants... She knows her answer if it is ever brought up again, but she would like to postpone it for as long as humanly possible.

    "I mean, have you been feeling dizzy or is your vision becoming blurry?" Her Nana questioned. "Your doctor says blurriness and even spots in your vision will be common for deteriorating eyesight."

    "Sometimes I have to blink a few times to get my sight into focus, but no spots or I'm only dizzy if the migraines are really, really bad."

    "Well, there's some good news, I guess." Vivian said in a positive tone, giving the girl a sympathetic smile. "Now, how about you tell me exactly what is going on between you and your sister? You two have hardly spoken since you arrived." 

    Here we go. Liz knew she wasn't going to be able to dodge this. Her Nana was just waiting for the right opportunity to corner one of them. She should have known better and was wishing she could trade places with Ester just to avoid these questions.

    "She's still mad at me about the whole Volterra thing." Liz simply said nonchalantly, like it wasn't a big deal. Vivian already knew about Liz leaving suddenly to Italy as she had told her Nana that part of the truth, explaining how she needed to go with Bella to help save Jasper's brother who wanted to end his life because he thought Bella had died.

    Of course, Liz didn't tell her everything. Like she had kept the cliff jumping part out and why Edward assumed Bella was dead. And obviously she kept out the part about the creepy vampire royals who scare the living shit out of her. But Liz just could not think of a believable lie, and since she hated lying so much, she thought telling the truth and leaving out a few details was the best approach.

    "Well, honey, I have to admit. If you just up and left like that under my watch, I'd be pretty upset with you too."

    "I know." Liz brushed her hair out of her face. "I had to go. It was important and Bella needed me. I've apologized to her a bunch of times, but she doesn't want to hear it. So I gave up. I'm tired of always being the mature one. I've done it for too long. I'm over it."

    Vivian pressed her lips together, opting to keep her opinions to herself. She has known for a long time that her granddaughters needed to hash out the resentment they felt towards one another. Well, more like Liz needs to. Vivian loves Ester with all her heart, but she knows how Ester can be and she knows Liz is starting to finally get fed up with her selfishness and sometimes woe-is-me behavior. So she chose not to press Liz on it, which the young girl was grateful for.

    The two followed Owen and Ester into an ice cream parlor. The four order their deserts, Liz getting a vanilla cone with chocolate sprinkles. They all decided to walk down to pier, Owen dragging Vivian ahead, leaving the two sisters behind in an extremely awkward silence. It has been several weeks since Liz left for Volterra, and the only time Ester speaks to her is to tell her to do a stupid chore in the house or to remind her of a doctors appointment. Liz had been too busy worrying about passing the final and trying to graduate to really care all that much. But after spending a two hour flight in uncomfortable, eerie silence was absolutely ridiculous. And to be quite honest, Liz has had enough of Ester's childish behavior.

    "That wasn't cool," Liz finally said as they arrived on the dock of the pier. "Telling Nana about the cliff jumping. You had no right."

    "You mean I should keep the fact that you jumped off a cliff at a dangerous height without any protection with a brain injury away from the woman who has taken care of you since the accident?" Ester snarkingly replies, shaking her head in disbelief. "It's not my fault you were so careless and broke your promise to be careful."

    "I only jumped to save Bella's life!" Liz snapped, trying to keep her voice down. "She didn't surface. I was alone. I didn't know what else to do. What? Are you saying I should have let Bella die?"

    Ester glared those blue eyes at her younger sister, the eyes that they always say are the same as one another. "I want you to stop putting yourself in dangerous situations!"

    Liz shook her head with a scoff. "I will never not risk my life to save someone I care about."

     "No, you'll just put everyone else's life in danger because of your selfish actions!"

     Liz's matching blue eyes widened. "What do you mean selfish actions? I never-" She paused, immediately understanding what Ester meant. "You mean Jasper. This is all because I got back together with Jasper."

    Ester didn't say anything, attempting to walk away but Liz grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "No! Stop walking away! Stop with this childish silent treatment. Talk to me, damn it!"

    Ester snatched her arm back and scowled. "Fine. I think you are selfish. Selfish for getting into a relationship with a fucking vampire. Selfish for not thinking of how dangerous it was being around him, of how he could hurt you. Selfish for even considering abandoning me and Danny and Nana just to become like him. He's not alive, Liz! They are predators. Dangerous creatures that have to drink blood to survive! It's not natural! It's unholy! How can you not see how crazy all this is?"

    There it is. Ester's true feelings. When her older sister found out about the supernatural, it had been a real slap in the face. Ester did not know how to process the fact that her now husband was a shapeshifting werewolf, nor did she know what to say when they told her about vampires and how Liz had been dating one. Or the fact that Ester herself had a crush on one of them for a long time. She kept her opinions about it to herself because she knew Liz did not want to talk about it and she had figured that they were long gone.

    Now, the Cullens were back and Liz was finally hearing exactly how her sister feels about it.

    "Ester, you do not know what you are talking about." Liz stated slowly, her voice dangerously low. "You do not know them like I do. You do not know how good they are. How much they suffer so they can have just a tiny resemblance of a normal life."

    "Good? Gosh, they really have you brain washed, don't they? You and that Swan girl." Ester expressed, finding a trashcan and throwing away her barely eaten strawberry shortcake ice cream.

    Liz immediately followed her, not at all finished with this conversation. "You don't know what you're talking- ow!" Liz hissed, having slammed into her sisters side and stumbling back, nearly dropping her ice cream. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

    But Ester didn't say anything. She just stood there, stiff as a board, her once angry face was replaced with a distraught expression, horrified and panicked. Liz frowned in confusion in her sudden change in demeanor. "Ester? What the hell is the matter with you?"

    "Ester Chambers?" A new voice spoke in pure shock, causing the youngest Chambers sister to turn to see a very pretty Asian girl about Ester's age, long black hair that went down to her waist. She was in a wheelchair, hands gripping the wheels so tightly in what Liz can only assume was anger. The girl wheeled herself over after shaking out of her shock, stopping in front of a very stunned and pale-stricken Ester, shaking her head in disbelief. "Holy shit. It is you."

     "Tina..." Ester whispered, her voice shaking. Liz didn't know what to do, she was so confused. Never once has she seen her sister so scared before. And who was this girl? How do they know one another?

    "What are you doing here?" The girl, Tina, asked harshly. "I told all of you I never wanted to see you guys again! It was part of the deal!"

    "I-I swear to you, Tina, this is completely coincidental." Ester quickly explained, holding her hands behind her back in order to hide the fact that she was shaking. "I'm- We're visiting our grandmother who lives here for the weekend. I-I swear, I had no idea you lived here too."

    "I don't." Tina said, clenching her teeth. "My fiance and I are looking at wedding venues in California. I'm very picky, I want to see them in person. I guess I can cross San Diego off the list."

    "You're getting married?" Ester tried to ease the tension, but it seemed to only make it worse.

    "I am. What? Are you surprised someone actually wants to marry me?" Tina snaps, causing Ester to immediately shake her head.

    "No! N-No. I just... I'm happy for you. Congraduations." Ester stuttered out, and Liz could of sworn her eyes were swelling with tears. "I'm really, really happy for you."

     Tina all but rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you are. Now, if you will excuse me, I was just leaving."

    Without another word, Tina rolled away and towards a very tall, handsome gentleman who seemed to be waving her down. Liz waited until they were further away before turning to her sister.

    "Uh, what just happened?" Liz tried to laugh in order to break the tension, but stopped when she saw a tear actually escape her sister's eyes. "Ester, who was that?"

     Ester immediately wiped her cheek. "No one."

    Liz raised a brow. "Well, that no one nearly caused you to have a breakdown. Seriously, Ester, our earlier conversation put aside, you can tell me. I'm still your sister."

    "Drop it, Elizabeth!" Ester said angrily, brushing her hair out of her face and standing up straight. Liz flinched back, never once seeing her sister act like this. So paranoid. So rattled. "I need to get out of here. Tell Nana I'm not feeling well and I took a cab back to her house. And given all the secrets I'm keeping for you, I think you can do me this favor and keep what just happened to yourself."

    Liz scoffed, annoyed with her sisters attitude. "Well, I can't exactly tell her something I clearly don't understand."

    "Good." Ester snipped and without another word, ran off in the opposite direction of their grandmother and her boyfriend.

    Liz remained where she was, not even caring that the ice cream was dripping down her hand as she tried to spot the girl in the wheelchair, but unfortunately had no luck. It's true Liz does not know what exactly happened, but she does know one thing, she is not leaving San Diego until she finds out.

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    𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄 rang in her pocket, Liz Chambers immediately excused herself from her Nana and Owen as they were in one of the shops called Destination. It had taken a bit to convince them both to stay after Ester's departure, but when Vivian called and made sure she was alright, they decided to stay for a bit longer. Liz had even agreed to try to sling-shot ride with Owen, who was more than pleased.

    However, when her phone finally went off with the name she had been hoping for appearing on the screen, she told them both that she needed to take it and told them she will come find them in a bit. Her Nana seemed to understand and agreed. Once they were both gone, she picked it up. "Jasper?"

    "Hello Darlin'." The sound of his voice calmed every single nerve she was feeling and her tense shoulders finally felt like they could relax and she slumped them down.

     "Oh, its so good to hear your voice. I swear this has been the longest day of my life."

     A chuckle sounded on the other end. "You know, the trip is supposed to be a nice experience."

     "It is. Other than the sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach caused by endless worry and dealing with my sister's annoying ass behavior, it's been nice seeing my Nana and being back in San Diego." Liz admitted. "Now, what happened? Is everyone okay? Did you get Victoria?"

    A brief pause on the other end made the hope in Liz's chest diminish immediately. But his words made everything worse. "I'm sorry, love. We didn't get her. There were... complications."

    Liz immiedately tensed again. "Complications? What complications? Is everyone alright? Are you alright?" 

     "Yes. Yes, Liz. Everyone is fine. We are all fine. I promise." Jasper assured the panicked girl. 

    Liz breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. Okay. So, um, what was the complication?"

    "We almost had her. I almost had her, Liz. But she's clever. She kept jumping between our territory and the wolves. Danny must have told the others your warning, because they were ready for her too. Emmett... he was so close, but Victoria jumped over the treaty line and Emmett- he jumped over with her." Jasper explains in exaperation.

    Liz's eyes widened. "What? Emmett crossed the treaty line?"

    "Yeah. He got into it with one of the wolves. I believe it was Paul, actually. But during it all, Victoria got away while we were distracted." Jasper finished explaining, clearly frustrated at the events.

    Liz pinched the bridge of her nose, her migraine surfacing again. It had given her a very short break, but now it was back. "Of course it was those two. Both are meatheads with temper issues. I swear in another life they would actually be great friends."

    "I highly doubt that, Speedracer!" The sound of Emmett's voice shouted in the background.

    "What the hell were you thinking jumping onto wolf territory like tha, you dumbass? Were you trying to break the treaty?" Liz was now speaking directly to her idiot best friend, who was now seemed to have snatched the phone from Jasper.

    "Hey, I was trying to catch the crazy bitch before she had the chance to get away. I wasn't thinking. And thanks to your crazy friend, she got away!"

     "He was just doing his job. Never put yourself in danger like that, Bigfoot. You hear me?"

    "Yeah, yeah. I hear you." Emmett brushed off. "So, how's San Diego? Wait- Jasper I want to talk to her!"

    "Than call her when we are finished." Liz heard Jasper tell his brother, causing her to chuckle despite the circumstances and knowing Victoria was still out there. After what sounded like a bit of wrestling and grunting on the other end, the sound of her boyfriend was back on the phone. "You still there?"

    "No. You just missed her. Please leave a message after the beep. Beep."

    The sound of Jasper's chuckle was soothing and refreshing. "Well, then my message is simple. I miss you, Liz Chambers and I wish I could come out to see you."

    "I'll be home tomorrow. Despite the situation with Ester, it was really nice spending time with my Nana." Liz admitted, walking out of the doorway where she told her Nana and Owen she'd meet them.

    "I'm glad something good came out of this, then."

    "Yeah, me too." Liz whispered. As she looked out into the busy boardwalk, she noticed a familiar face over by the benches, talking on the phone as well. Tina. "Jasper, can I call you back?"

    "Sure. Is everything alright?" He asked, instantly feeling worried.

     "Everything's great. I just need to talk to someone. I'll call you back tonight. I promise. I love you."

    "I love you, too." With that, the call ended and Liz was making her way to the opposite side of the shops.

    Tina was there, seeming to be talking to someone and laughing. Liz waited for only couple minutes before the girl hung up before approaching her. "Excuse me? Tina?"

    The girl looked up, startled, but instantly scowled once she saw who it was. "What do you want?"

    "Um, I didn't get a chance to introduce myself earlier. I'm Liz Chambers. I'm Ester's sister."

    Tina narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, I figured as much. You two look alike."

    "Right," Liz muttered, not exactly sure what to say. "Um, I just wanted to ask you... how do you know my sister exactly?"

    "Why don't you ask her?"

    "You see I would, but that would require us to speak without arguing, which we're kind of not doing right now." Liz explains, taking a seat on the beach that was right next to her chair. "Besides, something is telling me even if we were, I don't think she'd tell me."

    "Of course she wouldn't," Tina mumbles, rolling her eyes before looking right at Liz. "You really have no idea who I am? Never heard Ester mention my name once?"

    Liz shook her head. "No. Never."

   "Of course not. She really managed to keep it quiet, even from her own family." Tina snidely commented, causing the curly blonde to frown in confusion. Tina then turned to face her. "Look, I'd really rather not talk about it. I made a deal with your sister and her friends. I didn't go to the police. I'd really rather forget about it."

    The police? Fuck, Ester, what did you do?

    "Look, I know you don't owe me anything. But my sister and I- well, let's just say we are not as close as we once were. Hell, the more I think about it and growing up, I don't think we ever were that close. Ester paints herself as this perfect angel who can do no wrong. I just... I need to know who exactly my sister is and not just this version of what I always wanted her to be in my head. Please... you don't have to be specific. Just how do you two know each other?"

    Tina seemed to take in her words, looking around as if trying to see if her fiance was around anywhere. After a few seconds, Tina turned back to the younger girl. "Fine. I'll tell you everything. I have no obligation to keep her secrets from anyone other than the police. But after this, I don't ever want to hear from any of you again. This is a part of my past that I can never escape from and I'd rather not see your sister or her friends ever again. Not even someone who looks like one of them."

    "I swear, you'll never hear from us again."

    Tina nodded and then got started. "I used to live in Forks. I was in the same grade as your sister and her terrible friends since middle school. When I was younger, I used to have a really bad stutter. So bad I went to speech therapy. I was mocked a lot for it, but no one made me feel worse than your sister and her friends.

    "They called stuttermouth or stutter freak. Not exactly original nicknames, but they always made me feel terrible. They used to start rumors that I was hit by a bus and that I have brain damage that caused the stutter. Or I was related to Professor Quarrel, the Harry Potter character. The bullying was so bad, I had begged my parents to let me be homeschooled. Finally after some time, they allowed it. So from sixth grade to sophomore year, I was homeschooled.

    "When my dad died, my mom had to get a job so she could no longer afford to stay home and teach me. I had to return to regular school. But I didn't mind, because I had managed to get my stuttering under control. It will always be there, it likes to come back when I'm nervous or stressed, but it wasn't consistent like it was before. And when I returned, no one really remembered me. It was nice. I actually made friends, joined the soccer team. I finally felt like I belonged and your sister and her friends barely acknowledged my existence, as my friend group ran in a completely different circle then hers.

    "It was senior year and I had gotten into a fight with my boyfriend. We were at some stupid party and I left, not wanting to stay after everything, I didn't have a ride and I knew I didn't live far, so I decided to walk. If only I knew what a big mistake that was," Tina paused in her story, allowing the information to sink in. Liz had a horrible feeling in her gut, not knowing exactly what to think, but knew she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear next. "It was two in the morning, late and it started to rain. I immediately regretted my decision to walk, but I was just around the block from my house. I knew I could make it."

    "I don't remember much. I just remember a loud screech and headlights coming my way before I was hit so hard by the car. Next thing I knew, I was flying. I was in and out of consciousness. I remember hearing screaming and yelling, but I saw their faces when I would come too. I could never forget them, most of them stumbling over their words because they were so piss drunk. I could even smell vomit as well as my own blood. It was your sister and her two friends, Bianca and Lynette."

    Liz suddenly felt like she was going to be sick herself, understanding exactly what this girl was telling her. Bianca... she was at Ester's wedding. And Lynette- Liz remembers her from school but from what she knew, they had drifted apart after high school.

    Tina was not waiting for her to process this and continued. "I don't know how long I laid there in the street before they finally called for help. I could hear them panicking, but they immediately drove away after calling for an ambulance anonymously."

    Tina finally looked at Liz in the eyes. "As you can see, I supstained major, lifealtering injuries from that night. I'm paralyzed from the waist down and I had to adjust my entire life because of it, knowing I will never be able to walk again."

    Liz, finally finding her voice after all that time, blinked up at Tina in utter disbelief, understand what she was saying. "You're saying... You're saying Ester hit you with her car and left you there?"

    "Well, technically, Ester wasn't the one driving. Lynette was. But yes. They we all drunk and under age. They all made the decision to leave."

    An unwanted tear fell from Liz's eye as she quickly wiped it away, her migraine making it harder to see. She honestly is regretting seeking this girl out. She is regretting not listening to Ester. She doesn't want to know this... knowing this... knowing this changes everything.

    "I still don't understand," Liz finally spoke up after a moment of silence, Tina generously giving her time to process this time. "How did this go unreported to the police? That is a hit and run. They would have faced serious charges, especially Lynette. She was the one driving drunk."

    "When I had woken up in the hospital, I hadn't remembered anything regarding the incident. Everyone, including myself, just thought it was a hit-and-run. But after a few weaks, when the pain meds started wearing off and the stress of everything started to settle, I started having these dreams. Dreams of Ester and Bianca and Lynette all standing over me, crying and yelling at each other. It took some time before I started to realize they weren't dreams- they were memories."

    Liz wasn't breathing... the reality of this punching her in the gut. Her head was spinning as she started to understand what this meant.

    Tina, however, did not care that she was having trouble digesting this. Liz wanted to hear the story, so she was going to hear it. "It wasn't until Ester and Bianca both came to visit me in the hospital is when it all made sense. Lynette chose not to come, to this day I still don't know why. Fear, I guess. They wanted to see if I remembered anything. They weren't exactly subtle about it. At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to go to the police. I wanted to, but when they had come to see me, trying to cover their tracks and acting like they weren't the same stuck up bitches who made me run home crying, who made me hate myself every day for something I couldn't control-

    "Now, they made sure I never ran again period. Accident or not, Lynette got behind the wheel wasted. They destroyed my life, and my dreams of going to college on a soccer scholarship. I wanted nothing more than to see them locked away. To ruin their lives like they ruined mine." Tina expressed, her face scrunched up with so much anger and resentment that even Liz felt uncomfortable. "But then I overheard my mom on the phone with the insurance company, how they won't cover for the next two surgeries I will need plus the years of physical therapy. She was already behind on rent and we were on the verge of losing our house. Then I remembered... Lynette Lowery is one of the richest girls in Forks, Washington."

    That is when Liz started putting things together. That night.... The night Liz had caught Ester stealing money from their father's safe when she was supposed to be in California. She had said a friend needed the money desperately... oh god, this is true. This is all true!

    Liz looked up at Tina, putting the pieces together. "You blackmailed them. You blackmailed them into giving you the money."

    "Technically, I only blackmailed Lynette. Lynette was the one behind the wheel." Tina clarified, brushing her hair back into a ponytail. "Of course, Lynette had gotten Ester and Bianca involved. Can't exactly blame her, if she was going down I'm sure she would be taking the others with her. I honestly don't know how they had gotten the money in time. I didn't exactly give them a big time frame."

    "How much did you ask for?" Liz whispered, afraid of the answer.

    But Tina just gave a weak smile. "Enough to pay off my hospital bills and to give me and my mom a fresh start in Albuquerque where we moved in with my aunt. It also helped me get the equipment I needed and to get the best physical therapy out there. If only that money could have bought me new legs."

    Liz didn't say anything, just stared straight ahead, elbows on knees as she tried her best to process all of this. In all honesty, she did not know what to think. Ester may not have been driving, but she didn't do the right thing either. They didn't wait for the ambulance to come. They just drove off. Ester was drunk and a partier and a bully. Liz squeezed her eyes shut, the image of the amazing older sister who she had always looked up to, all the memories she had that was slowly being chipped away was now completely shattered.

    "You think I'm a horrible person, don't you?"

    Liz looked up and turned back to Tina, frowning. "What?"

    "For blackmailing them and not just telling the truth," she clarified. "It's okay if you do. I thought so myself. But telling the cops wasn't going to change what they did to me. My life was ruined and I just thought, the least they could do was make it so my mom wasn't completely in debt to the point we became homeless."

    Liz shook her head absentmindedly. "No. I don't think you are a horrible person. I think you are strong."

    Tina didn't reply, instead she started to roll away, but paused, turning around to face her again. "You said your name is Liz?" The blonde nodded softly. "You seem like a nice girl, Liz. I'm sorry if this ruined how you view your sister. But you wanted to know the truth."

    "Don't be sorry," Liz said robotically. "My view of my sister changed long before I met you. I'm sorry, for all that you've been through."

    Tina gave the first genuine smile she has seen. "Thanks, but I have to admit, my life is the best it's ever been now. I have a job that I love and I'm marrying the love of my life in a few months. It's true what people say, things really can only go up once you hit bottom."

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Surprise! I'm back and with a super duper long chapter to make up for being MIA!

Wow, this chapter was a lot. How does everyone feel about Ester now? Told you your opinion of her was only going to get worse, and the next chapter is what everyone has been waiting for. Honestly can't wait for Liz to finally confront her.

IMPORTANT! I would like to address this because I've recently noticed while writing this, that I've completely fucked up Ester's age and the age difference between her and Liz. Idk how I did this, but I did. Thankfully, no one has really noticed this or if you have, have been kind enough not to point it out. But I would like to clarify it and yes this will all be fixed once I do the editing when I'm finished with this story.

Ester is currently 24 years old. She is six years older then Liz (who is currently 18 years old). When Liz caught Ester stealing money, Ester was 17 about to be 18 and Liz had just turned 12. (That will be fixed too, as in that chapter it says they are only two years apart.) Sorry for any confusion this may caused.

Other than that, how'd everyone like the chapter? Let me know!