I'm running. My hands hurt and my wrists burn but I'm running. The wind is playing with my hair and I'm racing the moon across the damp ground and my feet are starting to grow numb from the cold dew on the grass. When I finally stop, I don't know where I am. I'm in the woods; I'm far from home. My breath is uneven and I can see the cloud of mist that billows out of my mouth with every shallow breath.
"I need a smoke," I mumble to myself, lacing my fingers and resting my hands on my head. It takes minutes until my breathing is normal again; I haven't run this long and this fast in a long time.
"Seth?" My ears prick up at the sound of my name being called through the silent air. I curse softly and start running again; I can't let them find me. I just can't.
My feet pound against the pine needles and grass and twigs but I don't feel a thing. My feet are numb and rough and everything breaks under my feet.
"Seth!" More voices are calling now.
They're looking for me.
I keep running, through the woods, across a few driveways, and through more woods. I skid to a stop when I see the familiar, wooden sign.
You are now leaving La Push Quileute Indian Reserve.
I blink once before taking off again, down the road but I don't know where I'm going. I run through another patch of woods until I reach a huge, spacious house. I know exactly where I am.
"Edward!" I shout involuntarily. I have no clue what I'm doing, but he's the only one I trust. Within seconds, the bronze haired vampire is only a few feet away from me.
"Seth," he says. His topaz eyes burn into me as I stand there, lanky and soaked to the bone. My hair is clinging to my forehead and my shirt is too; the navy sleeves stick to my arms and the white torso has become nearly transparent. My shorts, denim and worn have withstood the wet and cold. They are damp, at the most.
"I screwed up, Edward." I murmur. My shoulders are shaking but I know I'm not shivering. I'm upset. I'm scared. My lip starts to tremble and I wish he would stop looking at me the way he is.
"I know." He says calmly. I know he's mad. I can tell he's mad. His eyes are furious. He's mad.
"Wh-what should I do?" I ask. I need guidance. Don't just stand there, Edward; tell me what to do.
"I don't know, Seth." He says and takes a small step towards me. His hair is now growing darker with water and his sweater is growing darker around his shoulders. He runs his pale fingers through his hair and gestures for me to come closer with the other.
"Come on, let's get you inside." Edward says, putting a cool hand on my shoulder and leading me into the house. The entire Cullen family is staring at me when I come inside. Rosalie tilts her head to the side and gives me a sad look. It's the first time I've seen her so caring and sympathetic. Emmett is leaning against the wall behind the beige couch, dark shirt and jeans contrasting with his pale skin. He stares back at me for a moment before curtly turning his gaze to look out the large windows that cover the opposite wall. I hang my head and don't even attempt to look at Jasper or Alice or Esme or Carlisle.
Edward gently squeezes my shoulder, hearing my thoughts, and leads me through the living room and upstairs.
"You can borrow some of my clothes," he tells me when we walk into his room, "I'm sure they will fit."
I nod and his hand leaves my shoulder as he walks over to his dresser. He pulls out a pair of jeans, a v-neck sweater and a plain white shirt.
"I'll be back in a few minutes. I have to talk to my family." He attempts a smile before leaving me to myself so I can change. I sigh and pull off my wet t-shirt. It slaps the hardwood floor when I drop it and I shiver. I pull on the white shirt and the sweater; the fabric is warm and smells good. I unbutton my shorts and let them fall before pulling on Edward's jeans. The hem of the jeans catches on the heels of my feet and I notice the sleeves of the sweater are past my hands and not on my wrists.
I'm warmer now. I shake my head and spray water off my hair. I comb it down with my fingers and attempt to fold up my wet clothes. My feet are still numb as I walk down the hall and to the top of the staircase. I hold the clothes with one hand and stare down at the Cullen's as Edward talks to them. I block out most of the words and hear my name pop into the conversation more than once.
"He's a child, Emmett." Rosalie says sternly, "We can't just send him away."
"I'm aware, Rose." Emmett says back, "But he can't stay here."
My shoulders start to shake again and the wet clothes drop from my hand. They hit the first stair with a noticeable thump and everyone immediately looks to me. I suddenly feel like a small child, caught staying up after bedtime and I bite down on my lip.
Rosalie stands up and walks gracefully across the room and up the stairs.
"You can stay with us for a while, Seth," she says kindly.
"But—" I start, knowing that not everyone in the family wants me to stay.
"No buts," she hushes me, "you're staying and that's that."
I nod and let her lead me from the staircase and down the hall to another room. It's right next to Edward's, if I remember correctly.
"You can stay here," Rosalie says, "it's actually the spare room for Bella but I doubt she'll mind bunking with Edward whenever she comes over."
I nod and take in the room as Rosalie opens the door. There's a bed pressed up against the far wall. There's a crevice in the middle of the wall parallel to the door, a glass wall at the end of the crevice and there's a window seat. A large TV hangs on the wall across from the bed and the rest of the wall around it is covered with bookcases. A stereo sits on the dresser and the room feels so different from my bedroom back home.
Rosalie smiles at me, "I can change the sheets so they aren't pink. Just give me a moment."
In a matter of minutes the pink sheets have been changed to dark grey sheets and a plaid comforter is over them. Rosalie smiles at me again and tells me to lie down and go to sleep. She says that she and Edward will figure this out and that I shouldn't worry. She pulls the sheets over me and turns off the lights before she leaves. The bed is warm and I relish in the soft mattress and pillows and flannel sheets. I fall asleep quickly and before my thoughts can get to me.
I wake up not long after; the digital clock on the desk next to the dresser reads 11:34 p.m. I don't feel like getting up but I can barely hear Edward's voice downstairs. It's soft and hushed, but not too quiet. I hear Rosalie join into the conversation and they're both trying to convince someone to let me stay. My feet are still cold and I slide out of the bed. My feet hit the cold wood floor and I shiver.
I inch over to the dresser and pull open one of the drawers; I note that it's full of jeans, and another has sweaters like the one I'm wearing, and the rest have t-shirts and shorts. All the clothes are men's clothes and the top drawer has boxers and socks. I pull on a pair of thick, black socks and close the drawer. I don't know when or who replaced the clothes.
My shoulder is sore and I reach up and brush my fingers over the burning cut. I wince and draw back quickly; it's more than just painful.
I walk out of the room and down the hall and stand at the top of the staircase again. Now, no one is at the bottom or in the living room. Tentatively, I start down the stairs and look around the dark room. I tiptoe across the living room and plot down on the beige couch.
"Seth." I jump at the voice and nearly fall off the sofa.
Alice is standing at the foot of the stairs and Jasper is walking down them.
"We heard you come down. Are you okay?" Alice's voice is soft as she walks across the room and over to the couch. She sits on the edge of the cushion, careful not to touch me. I nod in response to her question and sit up.
"I couldn't sleep," I said, feeling like a child again.
Alice smiled warmly, "It's almost midnight. Want to watch a movie?"
I shrug and don't specify my answer.
"Jazz, can you pick out a movie?" Alice asks the other vampire, taking my shrug as a yes.
He nods and walks over to the DVD cabinet, pulling the door open without a sound and tracing his index finger along the spines of the movies.
"What genre, Alice?" Jasper questions without looking at the two of us.
"I'm in the mood for a comedy. What about you Seth?" Alice says, looking straight at me.
"Comedy's fine." I say meekly, intimidated by her for unknown reasons.
"Comedy it is," Jasper says quietly. He skims over a few more DVDs before sliding one out of the uniform line. He shows the cover to Alice for approval and pops it into the DVD player. I lean back on the soft cushion and watch the previews of other movies—some straight-to-DVD, low budget flicks, others cinema knock outs—until the title screen comes up.
I fall asleep again sometime between the thirty and forty minute benchmark. I'm tired again; I don't know why, but I'm starting to think that all the running has drained my energy and the lack of sleep isn't helping. Even in my slumber, I can barely feel myself being lifted up and carried upstairs to the room.
I can't bring myself to call it my room because, technically, it isn't. As far as I know, there's at least one person who doesn't want me here, and the room was originally mean for Bella.
Softness and warmth engulfs me as the person sets me onto the bed and pulls the covers over my skinny frame. I fall completely into dreamland and I can't feel anything from the real world anymore. Bright colors fill my vision and my dream becomes more vivid.
I can see people. Running, fighting, screaming. My arm hurts—it's burning and a warm, thick liquid is streaming down my skin. There's blood on the sidewalk. There's a person, a body. I force myself up and start to run.
I'm back in La Push and I'm cleaning my cut. I wrap a bandage around my shoulder and pull on the baseball tee and the jean shorts. I swallow past the lump in my throat and I stand up. The floor starts to break apart and I'm falling, plummeting down into nothingness.
I wake before I hit the ground. It's morning; half past seven.
My breath is shaky and the door opens.
"Seth, are you awake?" Edward's voice, quiet and calm, rings from the hall.
"Y-Yeah," I say, rubbing the tiredness from my eyes with the heels of my hands and sitting up.
"My family and I talked it over." Edward begins, "And we have decided that you're going to stay with us for as long as you need to."
I smile and thank him. I might be here for a while.
-_-_-
New story.
Seth-centered and different.
Enjoy.