"Maria!" Beatriz gasped, embracing her younger sister tightly. "Don't ever do that again!" she cried. She tried to frown, but found that her face would not obey her. She was just too happy that her sister was alive and well. How could she be angry?

The girls aura was so happy that it made her smile with sisterly love. "I'm so glad that you found her"

"Thank you so much for helping me!" Beatriz said, releasing Maria and giving this strange girl a hug despite herself. When she did, something nagged at the back of her mind. She smelled like someone else, didn't she? Surely, this was Beatriz's mind playing tricks on her.

Her aura was crazy happy and she hugged her back. "Anytime." she said. When she released her she said, "You know I think that your in my grade. Im new here. My name is Anna Saint"

"Oh," Beatriz said. "My name's Beatriz, and this is my little sister, Maria." She reached out a hand for Anna to shake. "Welcome!"

Anna knew if she didn't shake her hand it would be rude. So she she did briefly, trying to time it right when to let it go. She was thankful when Beatriz let go her cold hand. She hated seeming weird because she was so cold.

"Say thank you," Beatriz commanded Maria. She obeyed, somewhat reluctantly. Her wandering eyes were watching the ducks. Beatriz sighed.

"Can I pet them? Pweese?" Maria begged, clasping her hands beneath her chin. Beatriz sent her away with a wave, and soon Maria was off running.

"So, what grade are you in?" Beatriz asked, turning back to Anna. "Maybe we'll have some of the same classes."

"11th" she said smiling at little Maria. She almost sighed out loud, wishing she could have

children

"Really?" Beatriz said, smiling. "So am I. If you need anything at all once you get to school, just let me know. I'll be glad to help." She glanced back at Maria, who was happily scaring the ducks away. She sighed. If only they could stay. "We have to get going. But see you around, okay?"

She smiled at her. "Thank you so much. I appreciate it. See you" she said before heading to walk to the other side of the park and continue her search.

Beatriz called her younger sister away from the ducks, and they walked home. She couldn't look for her sister now. She would probably come sulking home, anyway. Why bother looking?

After looking for a couple more hours, finding only one boy who was too shy to talk to her, she gave up her search and headed home. Her brother was reading some new books he'd bought at the bookstore. She reported her finds, or lack thereof, and left out the part about the girl. She could almost sense the brother had come in contact with her so she didn't want to make him upset

Anna breezed along as she walked the sidewalks with exaggerated slowness in her eyes but a somewhat normal pace for humans. She hadn't seen anyone yet and she was halfway there but she kept optimistic.

"Yay! Duckies!" Maria cried as soon as they reached the park. She released her sister's hand and dashed forward, waving frantically at the birds. Startled by her appearance, they flapped their wings and rushed away. "Duckies?" Maria echoed.
"You have to be slow, and gentle," Beatriz said. "You should probably give them food, too." She sighed inwardly. She didn't have anything ducks would like. Maria peered at her with her innocent, big brown eyes, begging for help.

Anna arrived at the park, hearing some little girl scream 'duckies' and they all flew away. She smiled softly. Sometimes she would feel a maternal side to her, only once in a decade or so, but it was there since she was so old

"I'm sorry. I don't have any food for ducks," Beatriz said. "Maybe some other time?"
The look on Maria's face was so heartbreaking, Beatriz had to clear her throat and look away. "Come on," she said. "Let's keep walking, okay?"

Anna was sad to hear the girl didn't have any duck food and wished to get some for the girl. But she didn't know that place so she couldn't buy her some and give them to her. She sat on a bench in the center of the park and looked around, profiling everyone.

"Let's walk this way, okay?" Beatriz said, practically dragging Maria along the path. She was very stubborn when she didn't get her way. Beatriz sighed, rolling her eyes. The real reason she had wanted them to take a walk was just to get away from her crazy dad. Now she wanted to find Rosi. Whenever she was angry, she usually hung around by the statue in the middle of the park.

Anna looked for guys but only a couple cute ones walked by. But they were all together. She felt their auras and it was so...she didn't like it. So she kept watching and waiting.

Beatriz finally sighed, throwing her hands up. Rosi wasn't there. They would just have to head home.
"Maria, let's go," Beatriz called over her shoulder. She waited to hear Maria padding behind her, but only heard silence. She whirled around.
There was no sign of Maria.

She was drawn out if her concentration on the search for boys when she felt an aura of panic. That same one had just been a mix of emotions but it was now scared and frantic. It was a girl who had been with the little girl she'd heard earlier. She waited to see what the girl would do before offering help. In the mean time she began to search for the littlegirl.

"Maria?" Beatriz called out, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Maria!" her voice grew more panicked, more frightened. She walked to the nearest bush and shoved the branches apart. Sometimes Maria would decide to play hide and seek on her own. Surely, she must be doing htat now? Beatriz reasoned.
But she was wrong. Maria was not there.

Anna finally located the girl. She was hiding behind a tree, seeming very giddy. What did she have? Nothing living, for she couldn't feel it. She didn't focus on that and went up to Beatriz. "Are you looking for someone?" she asked her innocently.

"Yes!" Beatriz said frantically. "I'm looking for a little girl named Maria. Have you seen her anywhere?" Beatriz peered around the girl, hoping her younger sister would be hiding behind her. But she wasn't there. She tried not to let her disappointment show on her face.

"I did see a little girl go in this direction. I'll help you look for her" she said smiling. When she smiled, her brother and her looked so much alike because of the way they smiled and their dimples.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Beatriz said. A thought flickered at the edge of her mind, about how this girl looked like someone she had met, but then the thought was gone. She shrugged it off. She probably went to the same school or something. Yes, that was it.

Anna headed towards the little girls aura, keeping tabs on the girl's sister. She peeked around a tree and saw the girl where she knew she'd be. She then looked back at Beatriz, pointing behind her

"Yeah...I think so," Beatriz said, standing up slowly. "Wow. I don't even know how to thank you." She found that she was lost for words. She couldn't even meet his eyes. What was wrong with her? "How did you even...get there in time? Weren't you inside the building?"

"I was coming outside when I saw you" he lied smoothly. He wished he could look into her eyes but she kept looking away

"Oh. Wow," Beatriz said, shaking her head. She still couldn't believe it. Her life could've ended right then and there. She could've died. "Thank you...so much." Finally, finally, she looked up to meet his eyes.

"Your welcome" he said, looking deep into her eyes. He didn't know why but he felt like they were pulling him in or something. She smelled...way too good for her own good. He took a towards the store. "I think you should come back inside for a moment. Don't want you to go into shock" he said worriedly

"Ah! I can't," Beatriz said, shaking her head firmly. "I-I have to head home." She knew she sounded rude, but it couldn't be helped. Her sisters were probably going insane. "Gracias!" she called over her shoulder, hurrying down the street before he could protest.

He watched her go, confused for many reasons, but simply went back inside to try and recover himself. He picked up the books and paid for them then went home. He told his sister, Anna, about what happened. They had only just moved there and didn't know anyone.

"Home!" Beatriz announced, but she hadn't needed to. Her youngest sister, Maria, had crowded around her as soon as the front door opened. Their scrawny labrador retriever trailed after her.
"Bibi!" Maria, Bea's six year old sister, wailed. "Rosi won't give me my Barbie doll back! Make her give it to me!"
"The entire Barbie doll line is just a stupid government conspiracy to get all women to starve themselves, trying to look to sticks, therefore crushing all the accomplishments of the feminist movement," Rosita spouted from her spot in front of the television. For a twelve year old, she had a large vocabulary. "So, no, I'm not handing it back. Play with a Rubix's cube or something."

"Wow. Maybe we'll see her at school or something" Anna said as she printed out a receipt for clothes after shopping online. "I got you some new clothes. The old ones we brought were too dusty"
He looked at it and sighed, "You know, we always stick out because you get the most expensive, name-brand things you can find..."
"I know, I know, you don't like the guys who approach you but it works out. I always get to sit with you. Popular table and all that. It's always fun for me" she reminded him
He rolled his eyes. "That's because you get all the guys. I don't usually date" he reminded her.
"That's got nothing to do with it" she said, looking back at the screen

"Rosi!" Beatriz warned, slipping off her shoes and crossing the room to where she sat. "Give the doll back."

Rosi lounged on the sofa, the doll crushed between her arm and the sofa. She wore baggy jeans with holes in them and a black shirt with a chain on it. "No," she snarled back. "And it's 'Zi.'"

He laughed at her. "As if. At the last town, your 2 years of high school you had a total of 233 boyfriends," he teased, "I had...oh yeah, NONE"
"Oh please! You were SO into that Karen girl" she challenged, glaring daggers at him
He rolled his eyes. "You set me up with her. And I'm a gentlemen so I was nice to her"

There was a thumping sound over head. "What was that?" Beatriz demanded, already dreading the answer. Suddenly, her two younger siblings were silent. "Tell me," she demanded. Rosita and Maria shared a look.
"Dad went loco, that's what happened," Rosita snarled. She stood up. "Too bad you weren't here, huh." With that, Rosita yanked open the front door.
"Rosi!" Beatriz called out, reaching out a hand to stop her. Maria tugged on her arm. Beatriz watched the door slam and sighed.

"Yeah yeah Caspian. But I've got a good feeling about this place though. When you were driving I spotted at LEAST 27 hot guys. This place is rich!" she said smugly. Caspian merely shook his head and headed to watch some TV.

"We're going out, okay?" Beatriz said to Maria. "Go get your jacket." She just didn't want to deal with her father today.
"Okay!" Maria said brightly. "Can we go to the park? I want to see the duckies."
I hate ducks, Beatriz thought. She smiled anyway and said, "Sure. Whatever you want."

"Well I'm going to the park to scout out some other guys. I'll try not to bring them back" she said in her giggly, charming voice.

Caspian sighed. "Seriously, you shouldn't be going around getting everyone you want. Your messing with other girls' destiny"

She scoffed. "Oh whatever. Stupid mortals will get them back eventually" she said as she headed out. "Bye"

Beatriz held Maria's hand as they walked along the porch. She quietly clicked the door shut as her sister went on and on about the park. "The last time I went to the park," she was saying, "I was with my friend Wendy and she had some ducky food so we fed the duckies. They were furry and warm. I liked them." She gazed at Beatriz expectantly.
"Wow," the older sister said, faking enthusiasm. They started down the sidewalk.

NEW RP!!!!!!!!!

"The History of America," Beatriz read aloud. She pulled the book off the shelving cart and weighed it in her hand, contemplating it. She casually flipped it over, then sighed. "Becky?" Beatriz called out, wandering down the aisles in the bookstore. She opened the door to the backroom, revealing a frazzled-looking, bespectacled woman in her mid-twenties. Rebecca was reviewing some papers at her desk.
"Hmm?" she mumbled in reply, not glancing up at Beatriz.
"This book doesn't have a barcode on it," the younger library helper pointed out. "I can't shelve it. You know we've been having trouble with people stealing things."
"No barcode?" Becky wailed, snatching the book out of Beatriz's hand. For an exhausted woman, she sure was fast. "Really? Agh! Now I have to reorganize all the displays, order some new sci-fi books, and put a barcode on this book! All this work makes me want to rip out my hair!"
"Please don't," Beatriz said, leaning against the door frame. "And I can help you with some of your work. You know I can."
Becky waved away this offer of help with her hand. "No, no. You have school tomorrow, don't you? You should probably get on home. Isn't it getting dark out?"
"It's only six," Beatriz shrugged. "I'll be fine. My sister, Rosita, knows how to let herself into the house. I'll just stay for another hour!" She ducked out of the room before Becky could refuse. The old bookstore wasn't making a lot of money. Hardly anyone would go there, since the new Borders had opened up down the block. Beatriz sighed. She knew that the extra, unpaid hours were probably helping the store more than Becky would ever admit. But that wasn't why Beatriz was doing overtime.
She didn't want to go home. Ever.

Caspian walked into the nice, quite bookstore. It was more his style, more vintage. He almost laughed at the irony of it. He was still old enough to be this bookstores great- grandfather. But books were timeless. He had just moved here with his sister, Anna, and had saw the Borders down the street to be quite busy. He settled for this place since it probably had random, out-of-print, hard to find books. Better for his old taste. He walked straight to his favorite section, which was usually embarrassing to walk to but since it was so empty he didn't mind, the romantic fiction. He began to scan the titles for something that caught his eye. He picked up the first one and started to read. He sat down on the floor after a while because his motionless stance would eventually alert someone

Beatriz heard the bell distant ringing from the front of the store, announcing the arrival of a customer. She had been daydreaming of the new novel she wanted to write, but was jolted back to reality by the sound. She shook her head, inwardly scolding herself, then wandered over to the new customer. He was sitting on the floor. In the romance section?! Beatriz tried to hide her surprise.
"Oh, hello!" she said in a friendly tone, bending down to talk. "Finding everything you need all right?"

He smiled at her pleasantly, not letting all his teeth show. "Yes I am. Thank you very much" he said to her in his flowy, velvet voice

"Well, let me know if you need any help," Beatriz said politely, straightening up and stepping backward. She flashed a smile at the customer, then wheeled around. She started to hurry back to shelving books when she heard a noise.
"Beatriz?" Becky called out from behind a book shelf. Beatriz turned the corner to meet her. "Oh, there you are! I think you've done enough for today, alright? You've stayed nearly two hours longer than you should have. Go home. You should spend time with your family too, you know."
Beatriz's breath caught in her throat for a moment, and she almost didn't know what to say. "But Becky," she said, forcing a smile, "I consider you a part of my family."
"Flattery will get you nowhere in life," Becky said, placing her hands firmly on her hips. "Now you must go home. Go!" She pointed Beatriz in the direction of the door.
"Yes, ma'am," Beatriz nodded, bowing slightly. "I just...have to grab my coat. It's in the back room," she lied. It was warm when she came to work, so she hadn't even brought a coat. Despite this, she dashed to the back. Once she was safely inside, she leaned against the doorway, sighing.
"You should spend time with your family too," Becky had said.
But what if I hate them? Beatriz thought sadly.

Caspian had heard all of it. The girl sounded...skeptical about going to see her family. Her name was Beatriz apparently and she didn't sound like she wanted to go home. He briefly wondered why then went back to reading his books.

"Leaving!" Beatriz called out to Becky, who was now reading a manga behind the counter. "Happy?"
"Hai!" Becky waved from behind the counter. "Jaa, mata ashita!"
"I speak Spanish, not Japanese," Beatriz replied, swinging open the door and stepping outside. It was such a sunny autumn day. Beatriz frowned at the irony of it. Inside her house, it was going to be storming, just like always. Her younger sisters would want something, her father wouldn't be there to give it, and her mother was nowhere to be found. She sighed. Just perfect.
Still, she would have to face them all sometime. She stepped off the curb...
And right into the path of an oncoming car.

He was getting up so that he could buy a book but looked up just in time to see Beatriz step off the curb into the path of an incoming car. Without thinking, he sprinted outside to her and pulled her back onto the sidewalk before she was flattened. The person in the car beeped at them as they sped by

Beatriz gasped as, suddenly, she was slammed into. She waited to her the squealing of tires, the crunch of her bones, but heard...nothing. She squeezed her eyes open slowly. She was still on the curb. Only, now, she was lying in the hands of the boy from the bookstore.
She kind of liked this improvement.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, worry coloring his voice. He had pulled her to him pretty fast and that might have hurt her with his rock hard body

The Meltdown-Chapter Five

He told Anna all about his stay. They hunted early that morning then hanged for school. This time he felt alot better about seeing her. He felt more in control.

Beatriz wandered down the hallway, somewhat absentmindedly. Her eyes scanned the various room numbers. She was thinking about...everything and nothing, all at once. She was trying not to focus on the fact that she would need to get another job, in order to support her younger sister. She was hoping she wouldn't run into Caspian or Anna. Beatriz had so much on her plate...she just couldn't deal with them right now.
Speaking of things on her plate, she also had to worry about her mental state. She was slipping up. Again. That call to her mom? Disastrous. If she could, she would have erased the entire thing. If only she had a time machine.

Caspian drove to school with Anna. When they got to school early (since he drove like a speed demon), they went to class as usual. He had stopped by the office to make sure his absences were covered.

Beatriz sat down in her first class, opening up her notebook. She carefully pressed down the edges of the pages. Frustrated, she bit her lip. It just didn't feel right. As the rest of the class was filing in, Beatriz was still trying to get the perforated edge of the pages to fold down neatly. It wasn't working. Tears of anger filled her eyes, winding its way down her cheeks. Her seatmate was staring now. Bea was sure the girl might have said something like, "Are you okay?" but she heard nothing. She could only angily focus on this notebook in front of her, this thing that was taking up so much of her time. She was freaking out. Again. Please, anywhere but here, Beatriz thought to herself. Her OCD couldn't flare up here, during class.
Even the teacher was staring now. Luckily, she knew that Beatriz had Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. "Everyone, start working on chapter one. Do every problem," the teacher demanded. The students all turned back to their assignments, too shocked to respond. The teacher approached Beatriz, crouching down beside her. "Let's get you to the counseling office," she said, pulling gently on Beatriz's arm to help her stand up.

He was sitting down in the counseling office, waiting for the counselor to see him and check on his absences when he smelled a hint of someone he'd missed for days on end. But it hit him strong even from far away. Being away from her, like Edward said, made it only harder at first. Only if he was away for long, months on end, then it would be second to his love for her. But he didn't want to do that and Edward didn't suggest it. He cringed when talking about it.

Beatriz sat down in the chair outside the counseling office, hunched over. She was just falling apart. The tears wouldn't stop coming. Her father was gone, her mom and little sister had disappeared off planet earth, she didn't have the money to pay for anything, and now her OCD was coming back. What was she going to do? She was just a kid! She didn't have money for medication or a psychologist! What could she do?

He watched her tears fall and fought with his desire to help. He knew it wouldn't help her. How long would he be able to stay away? He remembered when Edward told him that he tried, he failed (obviously). But what could he say? She was probably freaked out because she wasn't Bella. He quickly pulled out his phone and texted Edward, asking him for a favor. If he could maybe come down and help him get insight on her mind sometime...but for now it would have to wait. He quietly picked up a tissue and held it out to her. She hoped THAT didn't freak her out. Friend first. Keep it light, he thought to himself. That's what Edward had suggested.

Beatriz turned to look at the person offering a tissue, her hand already outstretched to take it. When she saw Caspian's face, her eyes widened in horror. No! It was him! It was the person who had caused her all of this pain and suffering! She stood up, nearly tripping over the chair leg. "Get the heck away from me!" she screeched angrily. Beatriz waved her hand frantically, trying to bat away unseen forces. "Just get away!"

He just looked down and away as the feeling of rejection swelled and punched at his dead heart. "I apologize for scaring you. Please, don't make a scene. I'll sit somewhere else if you want me to" he said in a desolate voice, getting up slowly, feeling like his heart was weighing him down. He walked to the other side of the little waiting room and sat down as far away from her as possible.

Beatriz's hands were shaking. She placed them on the armrests of the waiting room chair and took in her breath in little short gasps of air. She had to calm down. She just had to calm down. If she didn't...people might figure out what was going on. They might realize that the two of them-Beatriz and Rosita-had been abandoned. Again. People might have them separated into foster homes. She wouldn't be able to take that. She had to be with Rosita. That meant she would have to pretend she was alright, it was merely a minor breakdown. Beatriz didn't know how she could accomplish such a mighty feat. She just knew she'd have to.

The Return-Chapter Four

Beatriz stood, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. She couldn't see anymore. The forest was shrouded in darkness. Why had she stayed here so long? She shook her head, struggling in vain to clear it. She felt so confused.
"Bea?" a voice whispered, and suddenly Rosita wrapped her sister in a bear hug. "Thank goodness you're still here!" Rosita stepped back, and Beatriz saw that her eyes were shining with tears. "I thought...I thought you had...left me."
Beatriz looked into her sister's eyes. Her breath became caught in her throat. She couldn't believe that she had done this to her. When she looked at Rosi, she could only see herself. She saw herself standing in the doorway, staring after her mom as she tossed her suitcase into the trunk. "Mommy, please don't leave," Beatriz had begged. "Please." Her mother had simply looked back, then away, and slammed the car door. The tires had squealed along the road as she drove away.
"I'm sorry," Beatriz said, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I would never leave you. We're a family. And even if everyone else leaves us, like mom, and dad, and María, that doesn't change anything. We're still sisters."
"Okay," Rosita whispered.
"Let's go home," Beatriz said. Rosita rested her head on her shoulder, and together, like that, they walked home.

Caspian watched this, his eyes having that same dry feeling again. He couldn't have her. Ever. He couldn't tear her away from her sister, that would be selfish and devistating to them both. With this he realized that maybe he should just try to move on. To try and leave her, only to eventually come back. He knew he would but for now, her life was complicated enough.

"You want to eat something?" Beatriz said once they were inside.
Rosita smiled sadly. "No, I think I'm just going to go to sleep. You should too."
"Yeah," Beatriz nodded, sticking her hands in her pocket and shuffling her feet.
Rosita started up the stairs, then stopped halfway. "We should call Tía Marta tomorrow. We can't do this alone."
"Yeah," she nodded insincerely. "We should."
"Okay," Rosita shrugged, then started upstairs.

They began to run home in silence. They stayed together in the treetops and Caspian kept quiet. He was warring within himself. Should he leave and let her be normal with her sister, not complicating anything? To assume she didn't care for him in the least? Come back for her later? Or should he stay and wait until she lets her sister go on her own, keeping his feelings to himself? Could he?

"You are not going to go to see her," Anna said firmly. "Period."

Beatriz turned out all of the inside lights and sat on her bed. Her light was off. Darkness filled the room. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. She sighed. She was afraid. She didn't want to sleep by herself. She felt like such a baby for thinking that, but it was true.
There was a knock on the door, and Rosita peered inside. "Could I...sleep in here tonight?"
"Sure," Beatriz said. She patted her bed, then stood up. "I'll be right back, alright?"

He sighed. "I know that Anna. We...I might have to leave" he finally said, leaving it open-ended.

Anna said nothing, continuing to run through the treetops. She was thinking about it, about how much better it might be for him to be far from her, or how much worse it could possibly be. After a few moments of pondering over this, she said, "Yeah. We have to." Before Caspian could add anything else, she did it herself. "Just for a bit." Her tone left no room for arguments.

Beatriz switched into her pajamas and tiptoed back inside. Rosita was tucked tightly into Bea's bed, snoring softly. Her teddy bear was underneath the blankets, supposedly so her older sister wouldn't see it. She smiled. As she tucked herself in beside her hermana menor, she thought that maybe, just maybe, things could be okay again.

"No Anna, not we. Just me. You have to stay and keep up our appearance" he said quietly.

Anna didn't reply, still thinking about this. He was probably right. "Go see Carlisle," she said. "Stay with him for a while. He won't mind. I heard Ed's going through the same sort of thing."

Caspian sighed. "I'll call him when we get home" he said in a desolate tone.

"No," Anna said firmly. "I think you should go now. Ed's about your size, right? Just go. If you wait until you get home, you'll have second thoughts. I'll send you anything I think you'll need." With that final word, she sped up, until she was far ahead of him. Even he wouldn't be able to catch up.

Caspian shook his head. Why would she leave him on his own? He had to go see her again? He knew he would as soon as he started running.

In the middle of the night, Beatriz couldn't sleep. She slipped out of the bed, being sure not to stir Rosita. She tiptoed out of the room with her cellphone, easing into the living room. Once there, she dialed her mom's phone. She knew she wouldn't answer. Of course she wouldn't. Why would she? She probably had a new life with María, new kids, and a new husband. She wouldn't care about her old family anymore. She knew that was true. But Beatriz couldn't help but call.
When the voicemail came on, Beatriz swallowed, hard, and whispered, "Mamá? Por favor...es Beatriz. Tú hija. Please...come back. Everything's a mess. No sé nada...I don't know what to do, Mom. Please. Come back." Before her message could get even more garbled and become Spanglish, Beatriz hung up. She rested her head in her hands. What would she do?

As he headed to her house he realized that he shouldn't. Edward would know more than he ever could since it had been a while Carlisle said. When he got there the whole house was abuzz. He knocked on the door only for Carlisle to answer it. He didn't have to say anything because Edward began to speak to him, knowing his thoughts. Then Caspian smelled something sweet but not as good as Beatriz. He tensed while she walked to him but he didn't move. They talked all night even when Alice took Bella home. They talked for a day and a half straight since it was the weekend. Then Caspian headed home so that Edward could pick up Bella. He also mentioned they had just announced their wedding. He got home at night and went to see Anna.

Beatriz sat, stirring her tea at the kitchen table, when Rosita clambered downstairs. "'Morning," Beatriz said.
Rosita grunted in reply. She wandered over to the fridge, flinging the door open. After a moment of thought, she announced finally, "There is nothing to eat."
Beatriz shrugged, sighing. "Rose. We don't have any money right now, you know. My job at the bookstore can't pay for electricity, water, gas, and food, alright? I can't do everything!" Before she could break down into tears, Beatriz sucked in a deep breath to calm herself. She tried not to look at Rosita. By now, her sister must have figured out that she was losing it. Bea knew she needed to go back to her old psychologist. She just didn't have the money to do it.
"Are...you okay?" Rosita asked carefully. A few years prior, Beatriz had suffered from depression and other mental illnesses. She even went through a brief period of hospitalization. Usually, Rose danced around the subject of illness. She knew that it would have to be addressed.
"Yeah," Beatriz said, standing. She dumped her tea into the sink. She had mostly just stirred it around, sipping a bit here and there. It was nearly full. She nodded uncertainly. "Why wouldn't I be okay?" To change the subject, Bea glanced down at her watch. "School's about to start. Get ready."

The Great Escape Chapter Three

He had to follow Anna around while she did things. He was basically in chains but he ached so bad right then. He asked her to hold him while he tried to get away. He felt like she was in pain and he wanted to do something.

Beatriz dropped the bedspread and wondered to the doorway. Rosita was still sitting in the same spot, rocking back and forth. Bea looked away. She didn't know what to do. She was just a kid. Why did everyone expect her to fix everything, all the time? She just knew she couldn't. At least, not today. Not right now.
She raced down the steps and flung open the front door. She had to get out, even if it was only for a little while.

After a 'love crazy man' episode, or so his sister called it, he settled down and his sister let him go. But suddenly, he leaped up and sprinted out the door before his sister could catch him. What was she doing that made him react so erratically? He wanted to know so he followed his senses. He knew he couldn't stop and there was no off-setting his sister. She was a wonderful tracker and she could always find him with ease. She was gaining on him though and he kept going, waiting to see if the sense would stop. (I know his power now! He connects with people and senses their emotions from long distances! Kinda like Jasper but he can't control them and he has to decide on it)

Beatriz stepped onto the front porch and marched to the end of the driveway. Rosita flung open the door. "Where are you going?" she called out, her voice shrill and high pitched. Beatriz didn't respond. She looked up and down the street. No cars buzzed by. It was quiet. That's right. For everyone else, it was just a normal, lazy Monday afternoon. For her...it was her unraveling.
"Don't leave me!" Rosita called out. Beatriz placed a hand over her heart. It was pounding. Stress. That's what it was. Hopefully nothing serious. She didn't want to have a panic attack or something noticeable. She didn't need any of the other families on the block to worry about her. The Hernandezes could take care of themselves.
Beatriz hustled across the street and into the woods.

He kept running and didn't see his sister blindside him just as they reached Bea's street. She pinned him to the ground and it sounded like thunder. She knew it would be loud but she didn't really care. That was better than her seeing him. "Honestly Caspian, you need to calm down! Your freaking the poor girl out. If somethings going on then let her deal with it! You've scared her enough!!" He let her hold him there and thought about it for a whole minute, which was long for him. "I...I..." he stammered. She had knocked him so hard he couldn't feel her anymore. What happened? What COULD have happened?

Rosita heard a pounding and turned her head. She couldn't see anything. Hmm. That was strange. She stepped off the front porch and looked up and down the street. Two people were wrestling on the ground. Slowly, slowly, Rosita tiptoed backward and back inside.

The woods rustled around Beatriz, but she didn't care. She folded her arms tightly around her cold body and took in a deep breath. "It's okay, it's okay, it's okay," she lied to herself. "I'm fine. Everything is...fine. We'll figure something out, right?"
She patted her pocket. Her cell phone wasn't there. Maybe she left it in the closet, back inside her bedroom. Beatriz shrugged. It was just a walk in the woods. What was the worst that could happen?

Caspian hadn't paid the person any attention, but heard them. He lowly whispered, "She's talking to herself. Shhh" He listened to her voice, heartbeat and footsteps. "We need to move" he whispered in a tone she wouldn't be able to hear

Beatriz walked deeper into the woods, oblivious to the fact that it steadily grew darker and she continued. Had she noticed, she might have realized just how strange it was. It wasn't night, yet the air around her had a dark tinge to it. It was getting harder to see. Just how long had she been walking?
She stopped and turned. Her hands traveled up and down her arms, trying in vain to warm herself. It was virtually impossible. Still, she continued. The motion had become a comfort in itself. It made Beatriz feel better, to have her hands preoccupied. It left no room in her mind to dwell on the fact that she was horribly, terribly lost.

They had hidden in the tallest of trees where they would be hidden by branches. He watched her be cold and wished he could get her warm

Rosita frowned in the doorway. She had watched two people hurry down the street, at an impossibly fast pace, then enter the woods after Beatriz. Rosita slipped on her coat. She had already tried calling Beatriz cell phone. She would simply have to go out there now and tell her sister what was going on. Then, they'd come back home and call Tía Marta to help them.

Caspian felt something that made him shiver involentarily. Then he smelled them. A snarl almost ripped from his throat out loud. There were 2 other vampires stalking Beatriz as she walked deeper and deeper Ito these woods. "Anna. We need to..." he started to growl lowly. "I know, I know. She doesn't just smell good to you ya know! It's not as bad but everyone else here can smell her too. Now be quiet" she said.

Rosita stepped into the woods. "Bea!" she called out, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Bea, where are you?" she screamed, pausing only slightly. She heard a long howl rip through the air and shivered. This was so stupid. In a few minutes, Beatriz would probably emerge from the woods and laugh off the whole thing.
"Why did you look for me?" she'd chuckle. "I only used the woods as a detour to get to Starbucks. Did you seriously wander around in there for hours? You're such a riot."
Rosita glanced back at her house. The lights shown through the two windows on the top floor, making it look like a person with their mouth wide open, ready to swallow her up. She began to tremble. She didn't want to be alone anymore. What if Beatriz never came back? She'd be all by herself. She didn't want that. She didn't want anyone else to leave her.
She took a deep, long breath and stared at the trees that loomed over her head. Then, Rosy bravely stepped forward...and into the woods.

Anna gave him the signal and they quickly, too quick for human eyes, and quietly, too soft for human ears, ran to where the other approaching vampires were. They then smelled another person, a girl and Caspian internally groaned. This was going to take some convincing. But they could just stick to the plan and tell them what they have always told passing vampires.

Beatriz plopped down in front of a tree, sighing. She was exasperated. She didn't know where she was. She was lost. Bea tried to pick out some landmarks, but it was too dark. Everything looked the same. She wrapped her arms around her legs. What was she supposed to do about this? No, about everything. Her life was just a complete mess. Beatriz pressed her fingers to her eyes and tried not to cry.
A twig cracked. She froze. What was that?
That's when it hit her: she was in the woods. She was completely vulnerable. If Caspian decided he wanted to come in here and kill her...she was a sitting duck. There was nothing she would be able to do. She hadn't even been able to do anything the first time. She was useless.

Caspian met up with the other vampires first. They were a couple, descussing their dinner plans. They had smelled Beatriz and were wondering who should take her down and where to put her body. This angered Caspain beyond belief and so Anna stepped in. She politely introduced them and told them that this was their territory. That they maintained a permanent residence in the area. The couple understood and felt guilty for almost taking down one of their friends (that's what Caspian had grudgingly reffered as Beatriz to. He wanted her to be much more, but he realized that couldn't happen soon enough.
After they headed the other way, Caspian felt more at ease.