I manage to avoid Allison altogether for the next few days, filling up my time with the Denali family more than even usual. Tanya seems ecstatic about it, glad to be able to take care of me again. I think she just needs a distraction from Edward who, to her absolute dismay, has been hiding from her almost as well as I've hidden from Allison. Kate threatening to dismember him may have helped that along as well.
Avoiding Allison has also seemed to draw me closer to the Cullen family, and away from Marlee and Anna.
I frown remembering our conversation before Kate intervened earlier today. I was going to sit with Marlee when Anna stopped me, claiming that if I had been ignoring them for the Cullen family for the past two weeks, then I obviously didn't need their friendship anymore.
It took me completely aback, and I just stood there until Kate stepped in and fought yet another battle for me. Now neither of them will talk to me, or really any of our other friends, so I've had to resort to just spending time with the Denali and Cullen families.
"No, Calina, not those shoes, I've seen them, and they looked hideous." Alice chirps, turning her nose up to yet another pair of perfectly good heels.
Rosalie lets out a sigh next to me, glaring at the back of her sister's head as she flits around in front of us picking up shoes and putting them back like some kind of whirlwind.
"My brother said you and him had coffee the other night." Rose grins next to me, although she doesn't have quite the enthusiasm Alice has about Jasper and I going to the dance, she still likes to tease me about it.
"It wasn't on purpose, he just came in and sat down." I frown, trying to keep a smile off of my face when I think about our diner conversation. Since then we've been texting sporadically, nothing big, but nothing little either.
"You're sweet on him." Rose gasps, stopping me from trying to follow Alice.
"Rose, I want to be, but you should know, I don't exactly have the best track record with that kind of thing." I warn, and her smile is replaced with the softest frown.
"Please Calina, let me in, I promise that we are more similar than you think." she pleads, waving off Alice who keeps walking when she realizes the severity our conversation has suddenly been overcome with.
I watch Rosalie, looking for any sign that she isn't as sincere as she could be. When I find none, I pull out my phone, opening the safari app, and typing the dreaded words I've avoided for four months.
Laraunt Family Murdered
Article after article pop up, and I hold in my emotions as I scroll through them for a moment, reminding myself that it's still real.
"Everett High Senior Jared Grant Charged with Murder"
"Laraunt Family Murdered in In-Home Invasion"
"Calina Laraunt: Lone Survivor after Grant Murders Entire Family"
"Break Up Murders to be Alaskan Courts Most Highly Charged Case"
Rosalie takes my phone gently, scrolling through the articles just as I did moments before, and she freezes, looking through them with fire blazing in her eyes.
"Alice, get whatever shoes you think go well, Calina and I are going to the Food Court." Rose grabs my hand, leading me through the mall and down to the tables in the center of the building.
She continues to read at an inhuman pace when we sit down, and I sit in silence, thinking about anything but axes. It doesn't work, because as soon as I try, all I can think about are the screams, and how I could hear them from outside the house when I walked up the drive.
YOU ARE READING
CEASELESSLY (J. HALE)
Fanfiction**None of us saw it coming, not even Alice. No one could have predicted it, no one could have prevented it. Once we saw, we knew that we could never be the same.** After the incident, all Calina Laraunt wanted was for life to be calm again, and fo...
