how did {life} become complicated?

[melody rochelle buckner.]

Ellie Buckner's life is fairly simple - wake up, go to work, do her rounds, go home, go to sleep. Meet with the Pack when necessary. Stick with Kalli, make sure she's okay. Always watch her back. It's a routine for Ellie now, and even looking at her you can see the wolf in her eyes. She doesn't look twenty-eight, and for most it's easy to forget she's much older than the sixteen-year-old body she's stuck in. Even Kalli can forget, though Ellie's drilled it into her head by now.

So when Kalli invites her to come with on the trip to Italy the schools are taking, she willingly obliges. After all, the more protection the human students have, the better. Ellie's clued in about the Volturi, as are plenty of the vampires and werewolves accompanying the humans. So when she runs in to a male vampire, why should her entire life change? Why should she start questioning everything, including her loyalty to the pack? But she does, and all because of two words: Serge Cohen. Honestly, she's confused. Her emotions are killing her, breaking her from the inside. She acts as strong as ever, but that all changes.

serge shows up at her work, and Ellie's first reaction was to send away her co-workers. Thankfully, the left. But when Ellie breaks down in tears, slipping into a sleep she'd rather not deal with, she does remember the one thing she should be with right then: the Pack. But feeling safe in his arms make sit difficult for her to leave, so she doesn't. At least, not until a whole lot later. It's then that she goes to the pack, head high, no sign of her crying form earlier. But someone smells vampire on her. And confronts her about it, no less.

Once again that day, Ellie ends up in hysterics, slipping into sleep. She runs away, of course, all the while wondering why her sister didn't stop someone before Ellie could begin to cry. But someone follows, hot on Ellie's heels. She's too far gone to care, and she doesn't turn around to see who it is. HS just keeps running, her legs pumping faster than she'd ever thought she'd run. And gets home, only to be pulled into someone's arms - Cassie. Surprised, Ellie lets herself fall asleep in her missing sister's arms, sure that it's a dream anyway.

But no, Cassie is really back. Kate was never with the Pack when it happened. And the person who had followed her had stuck around until they were sure Ellie was okay, then left. For one night, Ellie'd slept with a peaceful dream, instead of her usual nightmare. But what was she going to do about Serge? She hadn't told the pack his name, to protect him. All she'd mustered out during the relentless questions was 'Stop it!'. Her tears had come on fast then, maybe because they were never really over. But after talking it over with Kate, and best friend Kalli, Ellie comes to the one conclusion that makes sense about her feelings for Serge.

She imprinted.

But it gets worse, at least for Ellie. Now she's just emotionally unstable. She's willing to lash out at anyone, even her sisters, if they bring up the subject of Serge. Her nightmares, while less intense thanks to the return of Cassie, are still bringing her awake at two in the morning, screaming. The battle raging in her head is still causing her internal pain, and no one knows what to do about it. Tears come easily and quickly, and are gone pretty quickly when she's okay again. But how is anyone supposed to do something when no one knows if anything is really wrong?

Good question.

Serge comes over, just to check up on Ellie, and puts the entire family on edge. Corey and Ryan, her step-brothers, don't exactly care. They go on doing whatever it was they had planned for the day. Kate's pissy but says just about nothing - although with advanced senses it's hard not to hear her muttering to herself in the other room. Cassie's trailing Ellie - not because she's nervous, because she's worried. In truth, Cassie'd been doing that since that night when Ellie came home crying. She really hasn't left her little sister's side. Nikki's trying to be nice, at least nicer than Kate. Her mother is just trying to keep Ellie happy, thankfully. And her stepdad is clueless like his boys.

So who cares? Ellie'd like if Kate were a little nicer, but at least everyone else is making an effort. But there's also when she's going to have to face the pack again. Turns out Cassie's a werewolf now, too, so she's sticking by Ellie's side when she goes. Kate is torn between her Pack family and her sisters - and chooses her sisters. And once they've told the Pack - with a whole lot of explaining now that Cassie's there - that Serge is Ellie's imprint, they leave him alone. BEcause even hurting him, not killing him, would completely break Ellie. And now, when she's just starting to heal, no one's going to break a Pack sister. Not when they've already done enough damage. Not when they know that Cassie, being new, will leave in an instant if they hurt her anymore. Not when no one can tell where Kate stands.

Not when Ellie cares too much to let go of any of them.

But someone's determined to get rid of Serge, even if it means losing Ellie, one of the most compassionate members of the Pack. But they do care about their Pack sister, soo blackmailing her or Serge isn't an option. They want her to be happy, but not with a vampire. So when Ellie needs them, the whole Pack, because Nikki is now sick and there's no wya to save her - except to turn her into a vampire, which the Pack is against - the person gets an idea. They refuse to try and save Nikki, although in the end the girl lives through it, unless Ellie leaves Serge.

But damn, Ellie's not backing down, not when Serge is finally getting along with Kate, working with her and using her, Cassie, and Ellie to transfer his own ideas on how to save the youngest Buckner girl to the Pack. Not when her life seems to finally be getting normal again, or as normal as it can get. Slowly Nikki's getting better, with everything everyone's doing. But that person finally hurts Serge, completely annoyed and fed up. And who would come to his rescue before it goes too far? Kate, quickly followed by Casie and Ellie, and then the rest of the pack. No one's happy, and now Ellie refuses to leave Serge, not unless Kate or Cassie or Kalli is lurking around. She knows Serge can end for himself, but she's worried, protective.

And very, very betrayed.

Needed;
The Confronter {Werewolf} Any Gender
The Follower {Werewolf} Any Gender
The Hater/Attacker {Werewolf} Any Gender

Taken;
The Boy {Vampire} Serge Cohen
The Best Friend {Werewolf} Kalli Amarillo