Hey guys, trying something new here. Not sure how I feel about it but wanted to get it out here and see what people think. As a reminder, I don't own twilight, and this first section was inspired by the prologue of the name of the wind which is an awesome book so i highly suggest reading it if you haven't. Hope you guys enjoy this.
It was night again. The woods surrounding Chester, Connecticut were filled with silence, and it was a silence of three parts.
The most obvious part was a hollow, echoing quiet made up of things that were lacking. If there had been wind it would have sighed through the tree, rustling the branches, blowing the silence away as easy as autumn leaves. If there had been hikers they would have been chatting, filling the air with stories and laughter, charging the air with life. If there had been animals, their steps would have sounded throughout the forest, settling around the area with a small amount of comfort. But of course, there were none of these things, and the silence remained.
Along the riverbank, a group of kids huddled around a fire, staring at the flames as they licked the dark sky. They sat together, muted and numbed, bemoaning the end of summer and the responsibilities that lay ahead. In doing so, they added a small peaceful silence that contrasted with the larger, hollowing one.
The third silence was not an easy one to notice. If you listened for an hour, you might begin to feel it in the ground and in the rough bark of the trees surrounding the expanse. It was in the weight of the boulders and in the gentle running of the river. It was in the gentle steps crunching on leaves and twigs. And it was in the girl that walked through the forest for the fifth night in a row.
The girl had dark hair, barely noticeable in the permeating darkness. Her pale skin shone in the moonlight. Her eyes were dark and distant, and she moved with the subtle certainty that comes from knowing many things.
Having been around for quite a while, the forest was hers, just as the third silence was hers. This was appropriate, as it was the greatest of the three, wrapping the others inside itself. It was as deep and wide as the summer's ending. It was as heavy as a great river-cut stone. It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a girl waiting to die.
It was the first day of school, and as usual, a crowd gathered in the parking lot to gossip about the new family that had moved to town. 20 students weren't much of a crowd, but 20 was larger than expected considering the early time at which the Cullens had arrived.
Jacob, filling his role as the only approachable Cullen, exited the car first, offering his hand to Renesme to help her out after him. Edward and Bella soon followed and the group gathered on the side of the car as the waited for the others to exit Emmett's jeep.
More students gathered as the morning dragged on, openly gawking at the expensive cars and their beautiful owners. Whispers spread, questions were asked, and before the first bell had even rung, rumors had spread about the mysterious Cullen clan.
Waiting outside the office as Alice and Emmett went to retrieve their schedules, Jacob sighed, already fed up with the experience. "I don't know how you do this every few years. High school was bad once, repeating for eternity? This is going to be torture."
Edward rolled his eyes. "Don't pretend like you even had to go once. Or are you forgetting that you dropped out once you started shifting into a giant dog?"
Jake glared and was about the retort when Bella elbowed her husband, causing her friend to break out into a gleeful smile. "Don't you two start. We haven't even been hear a half hour. Give it some time Jake. Edward's right, this will be a good opportunity for you to finish your education. Edward, no name calling."
Not two seconds later, Alice came twirling out of the office, Emmett grinning behind her. Sliding up behind Edward, he mumbled, "busted" before wrapping his arms around Rose.
Ignoring him, Alice handing out the schedules. "Here you all go. As you can tell, for the most part we each have someone else in our class in most of our classes. Jazz, you and Bella have history first, it should be right now the hall. Rose, you and Ness have English which should be near Calc, which is where Edward and I are heading. And Emmett and Jake you guys have gym together. Try not to kill each other there please. Today is going to be so great, I can just feel it!"
Jasper, feeling his wife's enthusiam, gave her waist a quick squeeze and kissed her forehead gently. "It sure is darlin'."
Pecking his lips quickly, she spun and grabbed Edward's arm as she began dragging him down the hall. "The bell is about to ring, get to class! See you all at lunch."
Sighing, the others reluctantly got into their pairs and headed their separate ways.
The day was not, in fact, going great. By the time lunch rolled around, Rose was ready to kill someone. This was unusual only in the fact that Renesme shared her sentiments. The mild-mannered Cullen was similar to her aunt Alice in her emotions, and rarely felt angry let alone murderous. Rose would have almost been proud of her for this new emotional growth if not for the circumstances surrounding it.
The two had gym together prior to lunch. Disappointingly, their teacher had extra sets of uniforms, resulting in their grudging participation.
This itself, while a nuisance, was not the problem. No, the problem was the questioning students and the lustful stares. Rose was used to it, and brushed it off easier than Ness, but in gym it was much easier to gossip than in other classes, and as the period dragged on, Rose felt herself losing her patience very quickly. The final straw came in the form of a pimply-faced boy with hair the color of fire. His face was flushed and he looked nervous, and Ness almost felt pity for the boy as he approached her standoffish aunt. Unfortunately, this all washed away the moment she heard him ask her, "Is it true you fuck your brother?"
A glare from Rose left him squeaking and running back to his friends, but to her surprise, Ness felt herself vibrating in anger. Admittedly, she had been a bit more on edge than normal since arriving in this town, but she chalked it up to her first real high school experience. Since leaving Forks, her family had moved to Alaska for a few years as she fully finished aging and learning to blend in with humans before they decided to move to Connecticut.
Chester, a small town, was surrounded by woods and filled with cultural activities in town. It was beautfiul and insignificant. It was the perfect place to move. However, since arriving, Ness couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. With every step, she imagined somone just out of sight scrutinizing every move, committing it to detail to tear apart later. Her parents assured her that this was perfectly normal, and her mother admitted to feeling similarly. It was often easy to forget that her mother was just as new to this as she was, and she found comfort in the fact that she wasn't the only one freaking out. She had Jake, too, and that was comforting.
Despite her preparation–her training in mannerisms, her practicing control, her reciting the lies her family prepared–Renesme still felt anxious. As the day went on, the gossiping increased and she feared she would reach her breaking point. And now, it appeared she had.
Just as she was picturing ways in which she could tear the boy limb from limb, Rose appeared in her sight, frowning down at her with a hint of motherly concern. "Ness, you have to calm down. Your eyes are black. Do you want to leave?"
"How could he...why...what right does he have? Asking you something like that?"
Rose sighed, glancing behind her. "Thats only the beginning. People get used to it. You will get used to them. Its okay. Well, its not okay, but its the way things are. Em will be sure to glare at the kid for the rest of the week and he will never bother me again. Don't be upset on my accoun sweetheart, its really okay." Despite being at school, Rose gave her a rare smile and the two headed to the cafeteria, eager to meet up with the rest of their family.
Keeping with their family tradition, the Cullens secured a table in the back of the cafeteria. As Ness and Rose approached, they saw that most everyone else was there, save for Jacob, who was waiting in line for food. Jasper gave them a concerned look as they approached, but Rose just shook her head. Not for the first time, she was grateful for Bella's shield. With practice, the newest vampire had learned how to shield Edward so that he was unable to use his gift. Now it was rare that he ever invaded their minds the way he used to. In cases like this, it was especially helpful.
"How have your classes been?" Bella questioned her daughter.
Tuning it out, Rose turned to Emmett and pointed out the gangly redhead from before. No words were needed before her husband turned a full glare towards the teen. Although it looked out of place for her, she could see the imitation of it and was grateful to him for his protectiveness. It was not often than Emmett liked to be anything but cheerful. She appreciated his efforts.
Alice, Jasper, and Jacob (who had just joined them) all seemed in their own conversation about a vision that Alice had. Edward, Bella, and Renesme spoke quietly to each other as well, with the seclusion that only true family members can muster. Rose sighed, leaning against her husband, and took comfort in his presence, relaxing for what felt like the first time that day.
When they got home, everyone dispersed to do their own thing. Renesme and Jacob started on homework. Jasper, Emmett, and Bella set up a videogame. Edward headed to his piano, Rose out to the garage, and Alice to Esme's office where she and her husband were chatting Carlisle wouldn't start work for another week, and the pixie wanted to take this opportunity to discuss her wavering visions with him.
Time passed as the Cullen's occupied themselves. It was not until Esme began to cook dinner that the peaceful atmosphere evaporated.
Surprisingly, Emmett noticed the stranger first. Pausing his game, he cocked his head slightly, listening for the signs he picked up. He sat still for minutes, and soon the rest of the family stilled their movement, listening for whatever Emmett was.
There. A crunch of leaves. In a flash the bear of a man was standing outside of his home, crouched protectively. In a second, the rest of the family followed behind him, zeroing in on what he observed.
Crouched in the trees above them about a 100 yards away was a vampire. Her red eyes bright, she watched curiously and silently as the family crouched, apparently (and excessively) readying themselves for battle. Jacob shifted and stepped slightly in front of Nessie. Bella threw a shield up, and just as Carlisle was about to call out a greeting, Alice was hit with a vision.
Too late to warn him, Carlisle extended a hello. In a flash, the vampire vanished. She didn't run away. She didn't climb higher in the trees. She simply flickered out of existance.
Coming back to the present, Alice stepped forward, outside of Bella's protection. "I know you are still there." She was met with a heavy silence. "We mean you no harm. We didn't know this was your territory. Perhaps we could talk about it?"
The silence continued, and Alice mentally counted to seven before the vampire came back into existance, now about 50 yards away. Her head was tilted to the side and she observed. There was no fear in her eyes. No hesitance, no anger. She simply watched. Emmett was unnerved and vaguely wondered if she ever spent time around humans because if she did she really needed to work on blinking.
"I am sorry to have startled you before. I am Carlisle. This is my family. We recently moved here, we didn't realize this land was alredy claimed. Our apologies." She didn't respond verbally, but stepped closer.
Emmett was no able to see her more clearly than before. Before, her form had been wavering, as if deciding whether or not to disappear again. As she got closer, it became more clear, as if her movements affirmed her body's decision to stay.
She was tall, and graced with the effortless beauty that all vampires possessed. Her dark hair fell in curls down her back. She wore many layers, clearly having no desire to blend in with humans on this warm fall day. Though her movements were slow, they were deliberate. The air seemed to thicken the closer she got, something Emmett often associated with the Volturi. He wondered how old she was, because although she appeared to be in her early 20's, the aura around her suggested hundreds of years as a vampire.
Emmett noticed her gaze kept returning to his neice, appraising her every few seconds. He shifted closer to her, trying his best to shield her without making it apparent. Jacob felt no such need and moved until she was fully behind him, his growl growing in volume and echoing throughout the hollow wilderness. Nessie herself seemed to resent this, fighting for a look at the other girl. For reasons she could't explain, the young girl felt captivated by the mysterious stranger. Jake seemed either hyper aware of her fascination or not aware at all because with every step she took to get a better view, he shifted with her, keeping her safely hidden.
Although she seemed amused by this, the vampire still chose to say nothing, continuing to appraise the other vampires as she walked forward, stopping about ten yards away. Although her presence made him uneasy, Emmett felt his posture relaxing. She wasn't going to attack. He didn't know how he knew, but he was certain. This mysterious girl and her heavy silence would not harm his family.
They all stood, observing, watching, for what felt like hours. Neither party dared move, and Carlisle, having said his piece, waited patiently with a small smile on his face. Eventually, the girl spoke.
"It is not mine." Her voice was rough, as though it had not been used in awhile.
"I beg your pardon?" Carlisle questioned.
Edward was beside him, desperately trying to read the girl's mind. It was not blocked in the same way that Bella's was. With her, it was like coming to a wall. He knew she was thinking things, he just didn't have access to it. With this girl, he could hear into her mind, but all he heard was silence. The kind of silence that makes you go insane. It wasn't as though he couldn't hear her, it was as though she had no thoughts for him to hear. It was discomforting.
"The land. It is not mine. I have been here for many years, but to claim the land as my own is foolish. Nature belongs to no one." She had an accent, faint, but still there, coming back the more she spoke.
Those words almost made Jake settle down. They reverberated within him, reminding him of the Quillettes and his people's respect for nature. It was rare to see in a pale face, let alone a Cold One. He had seen the Cullens decimate land in anger, tear trees from the ground to use as punching bags. He had seen them leave bloodied animals all over the place, left there without proper sacrifice, without honoring their lives, without thanking them for keeping them sustained. To hear another care left him calming slightly, struggling to get out of his memories of home.
"I am sorry, I misspoke. We did not realize another vampire inhabitated this area. We can leave if you would like, but we have only just settled in. Perhaps we can come to some sort of agreement?"
She shrugged. "As I said, it is not mine. You may live here if you wish. It is of no matter to me. I do not plan on being here much longer."
Alice cocked her head to the side. "But you said you have been here for a long time. Are you leaving because of us?"
The vampire chanced a glance over at Nessie again and seemed to consider her own words. "In a way, I suppose." She pondered her next words carefully. "It would be more accurate to say I am leaving thanks to you."
Emmett leaned over to Rose slightly. "Hey babe, now is probably not the time, but I don't understand the difference?"
She rolled her eyes but kept her focus on the girl. "Later."
He nodded and straightened up again, tuning back into the conversation in front of him.
"If you are going to live here, I need to ask you a favor. It will help me with my leaving so that you may have this area for yourself."
Edward, frustrated and creeped out by the empty mind in front of him, scowled. "Why should we do anything for you?"
Esme glared at her eldest son before turning back to the girl. "Ignore him, I apologize for his attitude he is not normally so rude. What would you like us to do dear?"
The girl looked at Esme, and a sadness seemed to wash over her. Her red eyes, so distant and calculating, looked heavy and sullen. Her posture, so sure and confident seemed to deflate. The silence she carried around with her wrapped itself around her, holding her hostage, filling the space between the lone vampire and the Cullens.
"I want you to kill me."
Alrighty so thats the first chapter. Love it? Hate it? Do I continue or shall I give up writing forever? Lmk, leave a review so I know whether or not to pursue this. I've got big plans for it, but if people don't like I won't continue. Anyways, love reviews so give me your thoughts I really appreciate them. Thanks so much :)))