I pulled away suddenly hyper aware that someone was watching.

I looked all around us but there wasn't anyone on the street or out on any of the porches in the neighborhood.

"What's the matter?" Garrett whispered as he leaned in to chew the bottom of my ear lobe gently.

I backed away from him slightly, still having the lingering feeling. "I'm just...I don't know."

"We don't have to go fast, Cade." He said softly. "I'm not pushing you to make a decision right this moment, ok?"

He totally misread that. "I wasn't thinking about that at all, but thanks for putting that in my mind." I took a deep breath and started to continue to walk in the direction I had been before Garrett stopped me.

"Where are you going?"

"I told you I wanted to get some air and some space."

"Still?"

I rolled my eyes at his puppy dog expression. "Yes, still." I groaned. "I need to even more now than I did before." I thought I had a lot on my mind an hour ago. There was twenty times more on it now.

Garrett stepped forward and cupped my face with one hand. "Don't be gone long." He whispered as he leaned in to kiss me gently again.

"An hour, tops." I lied.

Garrett stayed in place and watched me walk away.

As soon as I was sure I was far enough out of his sight, I took off in a run. I wasn't one hundred percent sure what I was hoping to accomplish, but I knew it needed to be done.

I wouldn't usually ever condone hitchhiking. I mean, the list of scary movies about it alone are usually enough to deter me, but I really needed a ride, and I knew that no one back at the house would be willing to let me do this alone. I found a nice older woman who was willing to drive me right up to my front door.

I thanked her and walked up my front porch steps. The feeling of nostalgia from it was ridiculous considering it had only been a couple days since the last time I was here, on top of the fact that I'd only lived her a couple of months.

I stood on the porch, hesitating with my hand on the doorknob. I gasped when I felt something cold on my shoulder.

I whipped around quickly but there was no one there. That's when I noticed the chill in the air.

"Whose there?" I asked.

"What are you doing here, Cade?"

Of course it would be Stephen. I might be able to sneak away from everyone else in my life, but Stephen would never let that happen, not even in death. "I need answers." I told him.

"That's a copout and you know it." He called me out like he always used to. "If you just wanted to know about them, you could have asked me, or mom. You already knew that though."

I mentally rolled my eyes. "Is it so crazy for me to just want to see them again?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem?"

"We already told you not to trust them, Cade."

"Ok, so I won't trust them."

I turned quickly for the door before he could say anything else and I swung it open, stepping inside. "Mom, Dad?" I called loudly as I closed the door behind me.

My mother came running down the stairs, looking a complete and total mess. "Cadence? Oh my God, Cadence?" Her voice was ringing high in that tone she'd get whenever she was stressed. Tears came to her eyes as she got close to me. She put her hands on my shoulders, holding me away from her while she looked me over. "Oh, my goodness, Cadence." She muttered again as she pulled me into a hug. I reluctantly wrapped my arms around her small waist. I fought back the moisture that threatened at my own eyes. As terrible as life with them may have been, these were still the people who raised me. Try as I have, I couldn't force myself to really hate them. There was a thud from upstairs and she released me quickly, pulling me by the arm back out the front door and down the steps to the yard. "You shouldn't have come back." She whispered in a rush. She grabbed my face and looked deeply into my eyes. "Look, I don't have time to explain everything to you, but you can't ever come back here. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but trust me, you and your brother were not one of them. I'm sorry I was such a bad mom to the both of you. I did love you though. You will learn the whole truth soon enough, but you have to go now. Your father has probably already called them. My keys are in my car, just take it and go."

My mouth just hung open at her. I don't know what I had expected in coming back here, but it certainly wasn't this. "Mom, I just-."

"Baby," She cut me off. "There is no time, please go. I don't want to see you get hurt."

She walked briskly with me to her car parked on the road. I opened the door, and before I could get in she pulled me in for another hug. "Mom, please." I whispered into her hair.

She pulled away from me, running back to the house. "I'm so sorry Cadence. I promise you, I am so sorry." She disappeared back into the house and I shoved the key into the ignition and began to pull away from the burb.

On the way by I stole a glance up to the Montclair's house and I was pretty sure I saw movement in one of the windows, but with all the tears running down my face, I couldn't be certain of it.

This whole idea had been completely idiotic.

"I told you so." Stephen's voice popped in.

"Really, Stephen?"

"Sorry, sis."

I didn't want to further ruin things by going straight back to Wes's place either. I still needed some time to get my head together so I could have a chance of hiding this stupid misadventure from him and the boys. I didn't need an 'I told you so' from them too.

I pretty much just drove around town for an hour, until the gas light came on. I figured if I stop driving right now, I will have enough left to make it back to Wes's tonight. I parked against the curb outside of that pretentious boutique I had ventured inside of on my first day here, and then got out and started walking around the other little shops.

I ended up at the library. I picked my way through all the shelves of books until I was in the very back of the place, with no people around. Surrounded by the comforting smell of old books and coffee I finally let myself have the cry I needed. I'm all for being tough, but every now and then it is just better for your health to let it all out.

After my fit I buried my mind in the first book I grabbed off the shelf beside me.

"Excuse me, Ms.?" A woman's voice interrupted me halfway through the first Harry Potter book.

I looked up for the first time in a long time. I had been like this so long I had an actual crick in my neck. "Yes ma'am?"

The woman shuffled on her feet and pushed her glasses further up her long nose. "We closed twenty minutes ago."

I stood up quickly. "I am so sorry. I don't have my phone and I must have lost track of time." I tried to explain as I put the book away and passed by her.

"That's quite alright. I understand about getting lost in a good book." She mused as she walked me to the front door and let me out, locking in behind me.

I faced out to the street now and saw that the sky was black.

How did it possibly get so late so fast?

I threw my head back and groaned. I am going to be in a world of trouble when I get back. I said I'd be gone an hour, and I have been gone all day.

I started walking back through town to find where I parked my car. All the lights through town were slowly getting shut off. I wasn't sure what time it was, or even what day it is today, but I knew this was the kind of town that shuts down early.

I turned the corner to get back to the stores that the car was in front of when I saw a group of men surrounding it. They were all dressed in sharp black suits and were scanning the area.

I quickly whipped back around the corner but I noticed two more men coming from that direction.

I tugged on the door at the back of the building and thanked god it wasn't locked. I slipped into the dark room and ran through to the front. It was another clothing store, but this one wasn't quite as fancy as the other. All the lights were out and I could hardly see around me.

I got the strange sensation that someone was here with me.

I whipped around to face the blackness that was the back off the store. A large figure appeared and started to walk toward me.

I could tell it was a man from his large body, but he was staying far enough back that I wasn't able to see him clearly.

"Don't you dare come closer!" I shouted. "I am warning you."

My heart was racing as the figure ignored my warning and began stomping my way.

Out of nowhere, suddenly Derrek was at my side and pushing my back behind his arm.

I couldn't even gather my thoughts as to how he got here. All I could focus on was that he was standing in front of me, pointing a gun into darkness at the man who continued to advance on us. "Stop!" Derrek shouted with authority. "I will shoot you without thinking twice!"

The man stepped into the light and Derrek lowered his gun.

"It's just me Derrek." The man's unnervingly deep voice said.

Derrek lowered his gun completely and let out a sigh, obviously relaxing now. "You could have said something a little sooner, Charles."