From the middle-ish of New Moon. I don't own anything but Erin.

"It's hard to watch people change

But it's harder to remember

Who they used to be."

"Sup, Erin."

I spun around, finding my best friend, Seth Clearwater, there. I grinned at him, "Hey, dork."

Seth laughed and came up next to me, opening his locker. "Are we still hanging out at my house tonight?" He asked, eyebrows raised, as he pulled his backpack out.

I gave him a look that clearly stated my thoughts, shutting my own locker and slinging my bag onto my shoulder.

Seth rolled his eyes, "What's so wrong over at your place?"

"Nothing," I started, leaning against my locker, waiting for him, "But Jake's going out with Bella to a movie, so I figured we'd hang at your place and watch movies."

Jake's short for Jacob, my cousin and the closest thing I have to a brother; Bella is his best friend and crush. Unfortunately, Bella had given Jake no indication that she felt the same.

"So, we're gonna leave Billy all alone?" Seth asked, closing his locker and walking toward the exit, weaving through our classmates. I followed, close behind.

"Uncle Billy's going to Charlie's with your dad." I explained, while we started walking to his house.

"Really? Dad didn't bring that up…" Seth muttered, thinking. I quickened my pace and started walking next to him.

I shrugged, "Maybe he figured you'd just guess?"

Seth nodded, sighing and looking around, he froze. I stopped to, following his locked gaze.

In the parking lot was Sam Uley, leaning against his car. Jared Cameron, Paul Lahote and… Embry Call were standing next to him. Embry used to be like a big brother to me, being one of Jake's best friends, but now his loyalty laid with Sam and the rest of the cult. Sam's cult was growing in size every week, like he was collecting the local boys.

Embry used to come over to my house on a daily basis with Jake's other best friend, Quil. Then, over night, he was just another one of Sam's puppets. It was then that I noticed why Seth had looked at them. Sam was staring at him like he was analyzing Seth; finally Sam shook his head and turned back to Jared, Paul, and Embry.

I swallowed hard and pulled Seth onward. "Come on."

Once we were about half way to Seth's house, he burst out, "Why does he keep doing that?"

"Who?" I asked, already knowing exactly who.

Seth gave me a look, "Sam, who else?" He shook his head, slowing down a little. "He keeps watching me like he's trying to figure something out. Bugs me."

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't completely horrified. Embry had said something very similar only a few weeks earlier and I couldn't even bare to imagine Seth ending up like him. I blinked, "He's just some weirdo, Seth. You need to ignore him."

Seth nodded, but he still looked perplexed and troubled. He was silent the whole way until we reached his house. As we walked through the door, he called, "Hey mom! Erin and I are going to watch some movies in the living room."

"And do our homework!" I added, remembering it was only Thursday and what a stickler Sue Clearwater was about homework. I laughed, glancing over to see Seth frowning. I bumped his shoulder with mine and stuck out my tongue when he looked my way. Finally, a small smile graced his face.

We heard Sue yell an okay from the kitchen and set up in the living room. I tapped my pen against my language textbook, looking out of the window. Was Sam going to target Seth? Sam seemed to aim for an older crowd so why Seth? Then again Embry was barely a year older than us...

"Hey," Seth's voice called me back to reality, "What's number 24?"

I scrunched up my eyebrows and looked down at my paper, "Umm, no clue. I'm only on 16…" I trailed off, rolling my pen between my fingers.

Seth looked up from his books, meeting my gaze. "'Rin," He started, looking uneasy, "I have no interest in being one of Sam minions."

I nodded, looking out of the window, "Embry said something really similar a couple weeks ago, and look at him now." I felt Seth take my hand and I gave him a confused look. We linked arms and hugged but holding hands wasn't really a norm for even us, at least not like this. To drag each other somewhere? Sure, but this felt different from that, like he was using the gesture to calm me.

"Erin," Seth started, looking into my eyes, "I'm not Embry and you're not Jacob. I promise not to leave you behind. You're my best friend! I don't think I can-" He cut off mid-sentence and sighed, dropping my hand and gaze. He looked at his hands, wringing them nervously as he finished, "Not have you around."

I looked at him, eyes narrowed, and nodded, "Pinky promise?"

Seth looked back up at me, laughing, "Yeah, yeah, okay, pinky promise."

We linked pinkies and grinned at each other, both of us much more at ease.

When I got home that night, Billy was in the living room watching TV. "Hey, kid, just get in?"

I walked over to him, yawning, "Yeah."

"Seth's?" Billy asked, eyebrows raised in amusement.

"We are just friends, Uncle Billy!" I said, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms over my chest.

"Suuure, kid." Billy said, grinning at me.

I shook my head. Every since Seth and I had hit middle school, it seemed everyone around us had started taking bets on when we'd become something more. It was wearing thin on my nerves more and more; Seth was like family. "What is it with you and setting your kids up with your best friend's kids? Seriously, if Rachel had been a boy, Leah would be off the market."

Billy just laughed with me. Then a thought struck me.

"Hey, is Jake home yet, his movie ended, like, an hour ago?"

A look I didn't recognize passed over my uncle's face, his laughter dead, and then it was gone and he was back to normal. "No, the movie was sold out, so they had to go to a later show."

Confused, I asked, "Face Punch was sold out? At the crappy dollar theater? On a weeknight? Seriously?"

Billy nodded, staring at the TV.

"Go Face Punch…" I muttered, so very confused. Sighing, I headed to my room. "Night, love you! Tell Jake when he comes in that I'll see him in the morning!"

Only, I didn't see Jake the next morning or after school that day. He was even gone all weekend, 'spending the night at a friend's' Billy said, but I wasn't dumb and definitely wasn't buying it. I knew what was up, even if I refused to acknowledge the obvious.

I spent Sunday night home alone, watching home movies from when Jake, Rachel, Rebecca, and I were little.

Erin: 4

Jake: 5

Rachel & Rebecca: 10

I was giggling, talking to the camera that Uncle Billy was holding. "I'm four today!"

"Today?" Uncle Billy faked shock while I giggled even more, nodding.

"It's my birthday!"

"And what's next week?" Uncle Billy asked.

"Sethy's birthday!" I grinned, gaps in my teeth from losing them.

"That's right, 'Rin. You're so smart!"

Jacob ran into frame, pushing me to the side, "I'm smart, too, daddy!"

"Shut up, Jacob, you can't even count to 100 yet!" You could hear Rebecca yell out of frame, Rachel's laughter echoing in the speakers.

Jake frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. I wrapped my arms around him, "It's okay Jakey. I can't count to hundred either." I reassured him. Uncle Billy chuckled behind the lens. The video ended just as Aunt Sarah called to Billy from somewhere in the distance.

Erin & Seth: 8

Jacob: 9

Bella: 11

Rebecca & Rachel: 14

"Erin, I don't know how to work it!" The screen was still dark but you could hear Seth whine.

"It's blinking, it's on!" I said, screen still dark.

"I don't see anything!"

"The cap is still on, dork!"

"What cap? Like, superman?"

"No, Seth, that's a cape. I mean the black thing over the lense."

"Oh!" There was a click and then an unfocused image of Seth and I, looking very confused.

"Jake!? Is it on?" I yelled, sitting next to Seth.

Footsteps were heard behind the camera. "Yeah, Erin it's on. Why do you have Dad's camera?"

"'Cause we wanted it." I answered Jake, grinning at the camera, now in focus. I reached forward, picking up the camera and turning it around. "Say hi, Jake and Bella!"

Pale Bella and russet Jake just stood there, staring. "Okay, I'm turning it off." Then the tape ended.

I wiped away the silent tears running down my face. I was really running out of family that gave a shit about me. Basically, all I had was Jake and Billy at this point.

I was an unplanned high school baby. Uncle Billy's youngest sister, Emmie, got pregnant at 17. The way the story's been told is that she told my dad about me and he rejected her, saying whatever was in her wasn't his and walked away. Emmie turned to her only brother for help. Billy was married to Aunt Sarah and happy with just having the twins and baby Jake around but Sarah insisted that they house Emmie while she was pregnant and still in high school. Emmie gave birth to me on December 4th, 1992.

Emmie 'raised' me (meaning she had legal custody while Sarah really took care of me) until she graduated then took a page out of her ex-boyfriend's book and ran for the hills, handing over legal guardianship of me over to Sarah and Billy. I've only met Emmie twice since she left, both on my birthday, and she called once in a blue moon.

Aunt Sarah died six years ago and Rachel and Becca took over the parenting in the house. Resentment built and they both skipped town at 18, relieved to be out of La Push.

Now, I might have lost Jake, because if I was being honest, it was obvious Sam Uley had gotten to him. Disappearing for days with no explanation? Check mate. And whatever was going on with Jake, Billy knew about it and was lying to me. So maybe I really did have no one left.

Just then, the front door opened and a stranger walked in. The stranger was tall, somewhere beyond the 6 foot range. He had short, cropped hair, colored black. His skin was a russet color, close to my own.

I swallowed as the man turned to look at me. His eyes. I've known those eyes my whole life. I jumped up, flabbergasted.

"Jake, what the hell happened to you?"