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THREE; HOMECOMING

     THE TEENAGE REBELLION STAGE.

     It was safe to say that Penelope was far from delighted when she came home. She had been doing everything in her self-restraint to not think of her mother, which was proving to be ineffective.

     Nightmares of Sarah were flooding her mind and she would awake in a pool of sweat, her eyes flashing back and forth to regain consciousness. After refusing to fall asleep again, she snuck out to head down to the beach. She listened to the waves crash against the shore until Jake started to call her name, wondering where the hell his sister had went after he found her empty bed.

     If she was feeling particularly sad, she would change her course of direction to Jared's home. His mother would let her in with a beaming smile, knowing that she was the reason her son had been so happy these days.

     Jared and Penelope didn't say much. He simply wrapped his arms around her while she buried her head into the crook of his neck, allowing the tears to escape.

     Rachel returned to Washington State a week after Penelope's homecoming. Rebecca stayed a bit longer, although she was miserable from missing Solomon. Eventually, it was only Penelope, Jake, and Billy. Jake was gone most of the time because of his job, which didn't help. Penelope had never felt so alone in her entire life. She wanted her mother but she knew that dream was far out of her reach.

     "Pen?" Billy rounded the corner, wheeling into the living room. His daughter was sat on the couch, feet propped upon the coffee table. The television was playing a random sitcom but she didn't look like she was watching any of it. "It's Sue Clearwater. She was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with them tonight." He held the phone to his chest, his heart clenching at Penelope's dull expression.

     "Sure."

     "Okay," he spoke carefully. He paused, ready to say something else, but turned around and went back to the kitchen. He wanted to ask a doctor what was wrong with Penelope. She was so full of life and her happiness always brought him joy, but now she was the opposite of the girl she had once been.

     Penelope twisted her head to check if her father had disappeared and shut off the television. She slipped on a pair of brown sandals, a hand-me-down from Rebecca, and opened the front door, sliding out with ease. She blinked twice as she walked down the steps, unsure of where she was headed.

     She could walk to Jared's again, but he would tell Jake. She didn't know why she felt so unhappy with herself.

     First, she came home to a house full of painful memories. Billy hadn't even bothered to redecorate.

     Second, she couldn't pursue anything useful until she completed her school work, which would take years to finish.

     Third, the world she knew when she was younger was nothing like the world she knows now.

     Maybe it was selfish for her to become so depressed. Some people never wake up from their comas. Was she such a bad person to want to sleep forever? A dreamless sleep. A repose where there were no images of her mother's dead body.

     "Pen?" She heard a voice ask. She didn't realize she was walking into the woods prior to Jared's voice filling her ears. She was in a field of flowers, the sun shining down on her body. She was wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants and a loose fitting top. "Penny, what are you doing here?"

     Jared was running his patrol when he spotted his imprint, aimlessly wandering around with no destination in mind. He instructed for Embry to run off and finish scanning the perimeter himself.

     "I want to sleep forever, Jared."

     Her voice was airy and light, but her tone suggested she had been thinking about those words for a long time. He advanced forward, only being a few feet away from her. He had a few minutes to interact with her before Sam found out Embry was running his patrol shift by himself, which would lead to Jake's involvement.

     "Penny, what's wrong?" He whispered, speeding up his pace. His hands rested on her shoulders and she stared up at him. Tears glossed over but she blinked them back.

     "I miss her, Jared. I miss my mother."

     Jared's heart squeezed and he pulled her into his chest, his lips kissing the top of her head. Penelope wasn't educated on the amount of affection Jared was allowed to show her, but she didn't mind it. She wasn't acutely aware of teenage hormones and how she had an unbelievably huge crush on him.

     "It'll be okay, Penelope."

     Billy was anxious about Penelope's current state. He was afraid she would turn out like Rachel and Rebecca, who wanted nothing to do with La Push because of their mother's death. Billy had just got Penelope back again and he didn't want her to leave. Jared was doing everything in his willpower to make her life more pleasurable.

     "Christ, Penelope, you scared the hell out of dad," Jake's voice came into the region. His head flicked back at Jared. "Sam wants you back with Embry."

     Penelope gripped the fabric of Jared's shirt, pleading for him to stay. He frowned and kissed her forehead, ignoring Jake's deadly glares. He still wasn't accustomed to Paul and Jared becoming new members of the family. "I'm sorry, Pen. I have to go back to work."

     "Can I come over tonight?"

     His answer was ceased by Jake, who barreled forward and pulled Jared's shoulder back. "Absolutely not." Penelope's fists clenched and her eyes narrowed.

     "You don't speak for me, Jacob."

     "I do when it involves you sleeping with him."

     Jared pushed Jake's chest gently, not wishing to anger him. "Man, I sleep on the floor while she's on my bed. Trust me, there's nothing like that going on."

     "Nothing like what?"

     They both stared at Penelope, who was innocent and confused by their hidden meanings. Jared opened his mouth to explain but Jake slapped his hand over it. "You should get back to work, Jared." He nodded diligently and smiled at Penelope, jogging back behind the trees. She crossed her arms at Jake, who was less than amused.

     "I don't understand why you're being such a mean person," she huffed, swiveling on her heel. She stomped on the flowers below her as her fit of rage continued. "Jared's my friend. I don't have many of those these days, do I?"

     Frankly, her only friend when she was younger was Leah Clearwater. Jake confessed she was having relationship problems at the moment and was in no mood to speak to anyone. Penelope tried talking to Seth, but he would open and close his mouth like a fish, clueless on what to say to his childhood crush.

     "Pen, when you grow older-"

     She turned back around and pushed her finger into his chest. It felt like a solid rock, but she didn't comment on it. "Don't give me that speech, Jake! You and dad are the only ones acting like I'm still a kid. Jared treats me like a grown adult, learning my way. I have to recover at my own pace, Jake, and it's not helping that you're prohibiting me from doing things that I want to do!"

     He opened his mouth to object, but her string of complaints continued.

     "Do you think I like being this moody and upset? Jake, I have to come home everyday where mom used to be, cleaning the counter and cooking dinner for us. You had time to get over it, but I woke up two weeks ago! When I was ten, everything in the world was filled with the color pink and smiling faces! Now, all I see is mom's dead body, laid across the car with blood dripping from her nose. I can't go to college like Rachel because I don't have enough school credits. I can't go back to school because I don't know how to fit in. I can't go anywhere in this damn town without someone recognizing Penelope Black, the girl who was in a freaking coma for seven years!"

     She panted frantically, attempting to regain her breath. Jake stepped forward hesitantly, but brought his sister into a hug. He never grasped that his sister was truly broken. She was the closest to his mother and she was the one to see her death occur. He said the only words that came to his mind.

     "It'll be okay, Penelope. I promise."

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     "Penelope, you look absolutely lovely," Sue complimented. The girl stepped inside the home, carrying a batch of freshly made cookies. After her episode with Jake in the forest, the pair baked the desserts together. He accompanied her for dinner tonight, assuming she was unstable.

     "Thank you, Sue."

     Harry, Leah, and Seth were already seated at the table. Leah tensed up at Jake's arrival since he was a fellow member of Sam's group. She was vulnerable to the subject. Seth visibly brightened at Penelope's arrival, although there were rumors of her and Jared Cameron dating flying around.

     "Penelope!" Harry stood up, wobbling over to her. Even if she wasn't having the best day, Harry Clearwater could always turn her frown upside down. She hugged him tightly and sighed at how familiar the home was. It briefly crossed her mind to ask Sue and Harry if she could move in temporarily.

     "Hi, Harry. Dinner smells wonderful," she murmured. Jake was right behind her, pulling out her chair. She thanked him and took a seat next to Leah, who didn't look interested.

     "Thank you. I cooked your favorite meal," Sue grinned. Penelope couldn't seem to remember what the dish was, but Sue brought out a plate of macaroni and cheese. Jake thought his sister would be triggered by previous memories, but she just laughed. It was the first time in two weeks he had seen a smile on her face when Jared wasn't around.

     "You remembered after all these years?" She asked in amazement.

     There was something about Sue's macaroni and cheese that made it different from all of the others. It sounded silly, but Penelope believed it was true.

     "Of course, Penelope. You're an honorary family member," Harry said genuinely. Leah dug into her dinner, not bothering to make conversation. A part of her wanted to be friends with Penelope again, but after what happened with Emily, she was taking precautions.

     "So, Penelope, are you coming to school on the reservation?" Seth asked eagerly. Billy told Harry of Jared's imprint, so the man knew his son had no chance.

     "I don't think I'll be going to school for a while. Jared's still teaching me everything he knows."

     "Which isn't much," Jake remarked, spooning food into his mouth. Penelope threw him a side glance.

     "I honestly didn't think I could absorb this much information in two weeks. It's going to be a long time before I'm all caught up at the level I'm supposed to be."

     "Well, we only wish the best for you," Sue straightened out her apron, intertwining her hand with Harry's. "Do you have a favorite subject in mind?"

     Penelope shrugged. Most of her schoolwork was affected by Jared's influence, which meant if he didn't like a certain subject, she didn't either. Then again, Jared hardly liked anything involving school. She had pestered him about his status and whether he and Jake were the popular kids or not. Jared revealed him and her brother were more of a recluse type.

     "When I was younger, I wanted to save the ocean. I'm not so sure of that now." She watched a documentary about the world's oceans and pollution when she was seven. She declared it her mission to save every single fish and bird that was in trouble.

     "I remember that," Sue laughed. "You used to go down to the beach and pick up all of the trash. Billy was very proud of you."

     Penelope smiled sheepishly. She wondered if saving the ocean required a high school degree.

     The rest of dinner went by smoothly. Seth mainly did all of the talking, which Penelope was startled by, but Leah kept her mouth shut. She left the Clearwater house in high spirits but they quickly descended when Jake forbade her from going to Jared's. She crossed her arms once again.

     "You can't make my decisions for me, Jacob."

     "Penelope, please. Let's go home."

     She didn't respond, walking down the sidewalk. She heard her brother sigh but there were no footsteps following after her. Jared was captivated by his imprint's happiness, which was an emotion he didn't see much of these days.

     "Hey, Pen. How was dinner?"

     "Oh, you've already eaten dinner?" Jared's mom peeked her head from around the corner. Penelope swore she was listening in. His dad was sat on the living room couch and he threw his hand back to wave. Jared blushed in embarrassment.

     "Let's head to my room."

     He took ahold of her wrist and tugged her along. She smiled softly at his mother before his bedroom door closed behind them.

     His parents weren't very strict on house rules. They asked Jared upfront if him and Penelope were doing anything other than sleeping, and he told them the truth. They trusted their son to believe he was being honest.

     "Was I disrupting anything?"

     "No, no," he waved off. "We just finished eating."

     She collapsed on his duvet as if it were her own bed. Jared laid a blanket on the floor and brought one of his pillows down. Penelope peeked over the bed to talk to him. "You know you don't have to sleep down there right? I'm completely fine with you next to me."

     "Pen, I promise you that the floor is comfy."

     He heard her shift around before her body was pressed to his. He jumped at the sudden contact. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, ignoring the boy's stunned gaze.

     "Um, what are you doing?"

     "If you're not going to sleep in your bed with me, I'll sleep on the floor with you."

     He racked his brain for a valid excuse, but the longer his imprint was in his arms, his thought process started to become blurry. He finally gave in, wrapping the blanket around both of their bodies. They fell asleep, oblivious to the fact that they could've moved to his bed.

i've rewritten this chapter seven times i'm not kidding you