Gravity | Embry. Call. |

Chapter Thirty

Gravity
Chapter Thirty 
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      "What about this one?" Alex held up the pink backpack with a big smile. He was excited to be able to school shop with his daughter in an attempt to get her excited about starting a new school, but she wasn't amused. He scowled at her as he placed the backpack back onto the rack. "You gotta try to get into the spirit, Elizabeth. I know this is hard for you but could you at least try."

Eli released a long breath. It's not like she wasn't trying but rather that she didn't have the energy to pretend that she cared even a little about school shopping. She was grateful for her father and that he was trying to make this fun for her- but she had more things to worry about than what color of backpack she wanted.

"It's hard to try when I don't want to go to school." She told him. Her arms crossed over her chest tightly as she stared up at him with a scowl. "And you won't even work with me about homeschooling."

Alex sighed heavily and grabbed a black backpack, tossing it into the shopping cart, and pushing forward to grab some pencils.

"You need something outside of the pack, Eli." He told her. "You need friends. A normal setting. And don't you want out of shift hours? This is your only way to do that."

"No. I don't." She exclaimed, following after him. "Because I'm never going to be normal again until everything is dealt with. Having to go to school is only going to add to the stress of it all."

Sure, less patrolling sounded amazing, but then the thought of having to attend school and be around a bunch of people she didn't know ruined that idea. She would have to start again. And the worst part? She would have to deal with hearing the rumors about her brother and friends. She would have to go about her days pretending she didn't hear anything and would be forced to control her temper because if she even dare lay a hand on anyone, she would suffer the consequences.

And then there was the obvious of all. She was forced to pretend that she didn't have a near-invisible force stalking her.

Just like Dakota told her; everyone seemed to fall back into their normal lives. Nobody seemed to think about the vampire anymore. With the short amount of time that has passed everyone seemed to forget the real threat that loomed over them.

"Or help you deal with the stress of the pack." Alex pointed at her. "It helps Seth. Maybe it'll help you too. You never know until you try, Elizabeth."

Feeling her fingers twitch was a sign that it was time to give up on this conversation with her father. There was no talking her way out of this. Especially not with the pack behind him involving this situation.

Grabbing a pack of pencils from the shelf and tossing them into the cart with force. "I'm not Seth though." She grumbled, continuing forward.

Seth was a good person inside and out, but sometimes Eli wondered how he did it. How he managed to charm everyone. How he managed to have such an enthused outlook on anything and everything. Even the bad parts. Sometimes it was annoying. Perhaps that was her mother's genes talking but there was some truth behind it and nobody could truly deny it.

The rest of the shopping trip was silent. She could hear her father's voice trying to catch her attention but she couldn't help but tune it out as she watched the trees pass by quickly.

She no longer felt the safety within them.

She felt nothing but dread now.

A heavy dread consumed her at the mere thought of having to trek through them. She hated how the dirt clung to her body while the cold rain numbed her warm skin. How fear sometimes overtook her at the thought of picking up a scent. A scent that could potentially kill someone she loved.