Reservations: A Twilight Fanfiction
Disclaimer: I do not own Stephanie Meyers 'Twilight'. If I did, someone would have helped a brother out and slapped some sense into Jacob Black before his obsession with Isabella reached the level of, what I've aptly named, Code Edward.
She called herself Carter; she liked the name and there was no point in keeping the one she currently had because she didn't exist, well, not here anyway. She had woken up dazed and confused with absolutely no memory of how she ended up by the side of the road or why she was, judging by the clothes, her hands and feet, twelve again. I've really done it this time she thought to herself. She stood up and flexed her limbs experimentally and took a few steps forward. She stumbled, fell then righted herself and continued to walk.
It had been hours, for sure, as rays of light shone from the west. She almost couldn't contain her happiness as she came upon a 'Welcome' sign, making her way to the little town. She would ask someone where she was, ask them what day, what month, what year and then she would make a plan. She nodded to herself as she smiled, a sunny 'Hello, how are you?' being directed to the inhabitants of the town.
''
Charles Swan cautiously entered the building, gun raised and shining his torch around the area. The steel door rebounded off the concrete wall, the sound of the metal rebounding off the surfaces, echoing down the narrow corridor. He turned to his left, his right and briefly above him and continued forward. It was eerily silent but he could hear faint noises emanating from somewhere down the hall.
He approached a door; it lead to yet another dilapidated corridor and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he noticed the splashes of a deep, dark crimson sporadically coating the panels of glass to his right. Reluctantly he raised his foot and kicked in the door, his face going immediately to his sleeve as he tried his best to prevent the smell from reaching his nose. He shone the torch; illuminating pieces of what had been human beings, human beings of all ages and gender. He almost retched. The sight before him was one of absolute horror. He had to keep moving though; there were reports of a missing chi-
"Shit." He ran as a scream pervaded the air, a bone-chilling scream of terror coming from the opposite end of the hall.
He backtracked out of the room and bolted towards a flight of stairs. A cry of protest drifted its way up the stairwell. Taking two at a time, he ran down the stairs as fast and as hard as his legs would allow before slamming the door open, shouldering it as he made his way into the basement. He could hear sniffling and shone his light towards the direction it came from and his heart lurched as he took in the sight.
A girl, the twelve year old girl that witnesses claimed had been abducted, stood before him. Her small hand was clutching a knife and she was shaking; blood splatter on her face, cuts on her arms, clothing torn. She trembled from head to toe and when the police chief identified himself as a good guy, as someone who would not hurt her and as a police officer, the girl dropped the knife and collapsed into a sobbing heap. Charles ran forward and caught the girl; cradling her to his chest as he called another unit to the scene and an ambulance.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." The girl repeated. Her tears had stopped but she seemed to be in a shock.
"You're safe now, darling. It's alright; everything is going to be alright."
"He killed them! He killed them all! I'm sorry!"
"I know, darling, I know. He can't hurt anyone else though, okay? It's alright. You're alright."
''
"Hey, Charlie! If you want dinner you better open up and let me in Officer!"
Charles walked to his door shaking his head at the girls' antics.
"You've got a key Carter, use the damn thing!"
"That's easy for you to say, old man. I've got how many bags of groceries in my hand? I'm carrying around a tonne!"
He opened the door and went to grab some of the bags from her hands but she just walked straight on by and into the kitchen.
"What did you feel like tonight Chief?"
"Anything you'd like Carter. Billy called by the way; said you wanted to speak to him so I invited him over. Is that alright?"
"It's fine Chief. Honestly, you make it sound like this is my house sometimes. Besides, I want you to know what's going on."
''
Billy Black sat in his wheelchair, a grim expression on his face.
"They will cause the boys to shift. We didn't factor that in." This was troubling news; troubling news indeed. He hadn't even thought about the repercussions of allowing the Vampire Coven to return to their house in the forests of Forks. His Tribe was his priority, after his son of course, and now he had potentially endangered both. He looked back to Carter as she began to speak again.
"Your son will shift eventually Billy, but that won't happen for another two years. Sam Uley will be the only Shifter for now."
"The Uley boy? Really?"
"I would like to be there for him. I request permission from the Council to assist with Sam Uley's transformation. I already know the man; I'm already friends with him. Please? He'll have no one, not one person, who he can speak to about it and I already know the details of what he will be going through."
"I'll tell the Elders that you will be there to assist Uley. They may question my decision but they will respect it. You've grown up with most of these boys. You have my permission." He looked to her, lips quirking into a smile. "You wouldn't have listened to me or the Elder's either way though, would you Carter?"
"I was brought up not to lie Billy; of course I would have found a loophole to exploit." She answered with a proud grin.
"What about the Cullen's?" Charlie asked. "What have you seen about them?"
"Well, they'll keep to the terms of the treaty. Carlisle really is a good, uh, person. He'll keep his Coven in line."
Billy Black didn't doubt the will of Carlisle Cullen. No, it was those that followed him that made the man wary. Despite his doubts, he would trust the word of Carter; she'd not steered them wrong in the past; had given no reason for anyone to doubt her trust.
"I guess all we can do is hope that his Coven respects him enough to abide by the treaty."
''
"Charlie, please, will you calm down? They won't, under any circumstances eat a civilian on their first day. They would have hunted in advance; quite possibly this morning. Now, what I need you to do is to remember not to think about anything supernatural and if you slip up, follow the thought up by an image of the Winchester brothers, okay?"
"Such a bossy one you are. Alright kid, I hear you loud and clear."
"I can walk back today then?"
"Nice try. No. No way. I'll be waiting for you out here, right on the dot. Don't get into too much trouble today." He playfully warned as he pulled into the school's parking lot, edging his way into the drop-off zone.
"Of course I'll behave. I'll keep the fires to a minimum and I'll only send three kids to the hospital. Hw's that sound?"
"Better than usual, actually."
"Don't worry so much, I won't get caught!" She shouted to him, waving as she turned to walk up the stairs.
It wasn't too long before the bell rang and people were headed to their roll-call classes. She took her usual seat: a spot at the back of the classroom, closest to the window and began spreading her various notebooks and stationary her own desk and the one beside her.
"Okay, okay. Settle down you lot. I know, I know. You'd have heard all about the new arrivals and they're finally here. Without further ado, I welcome Jasper Hale."
The room went silent; girls gasping in awe of the blonde, boys rolling their eyes and sending glares in his direction. Carter just tilted her head to the side as she usually did, portraying a sense of interest as she turned her attention back to her books, listening to the brief introduction.
"My name is Japer Hale. I am the nephew of Esme Cullen. I have a twin sister named Rosalie. We have moved here from Alaska. Thank you."
"Yes, thank you Jasper. Would you mind answering a few questions for the class?"
"I'd much rather sit down if that is acceptable."
"Alright then. Just find an empty seat."
Jasper was rather confused. At the moment, he could sense, faintly, the emotions of the people in the room; could smell faintly the different scents that were swirling around the room but as he continued to make his way up the aisle, his keen senses were becoming overwhelmed by the smell of fresh air. It was a scent that smelled oddly of the mountain ranges he had lived in before and it was most welcome.
"Hello Jasper, it's nice to meet you. I'm Carter. I truly do hope that your time here in Forks will serve you well."
"It's nice to meet you too Carter." He wasn't sure what to say to her. More than that, he couldn't feel what to say to her. His power often tipped him off as to how to behave with someone and what words to say. This was odd.
"You don't have to sit here you know? There's a spare seat over there and another at the front."
"Excuse me?"
"You look uncomfortable. Word gets around quickly here so I can only assume that you've already been warned about big, bad Killer Carter." The boy looked perplexed. "You haven't? Well this is awkward."
"No talking Carter! This isn't a speed dating event."
"Not like anyone would date her!"
"Yeah, her idea of a date would leave you wanting to kill yourself."
"If she hasn't already done that for you!"
There was laughter around the classroom as the teacher tried to settle them down and focus on the lessons. Jasper watched the girl form the corner of his eyes and was surprised to see that the girl looked genuinely unaffected by the words that had been said. This must have happened often, he thought, and with some concentration he was able to filter past the serene feeling of nothingness and get a read of the room. Directed towards the girl was an astounding amount of fear mixed with loathing and disgust. The fear was the one that really got him though. What did this mere human do?
''
"How was your first day?"
"I've met all the Cullen children if that's what you were implying."
"Find out anything interesting?"
"No. Not really. Carlisle was right though; the Talented Trio are unable to use their powers on me and my scent is not an issue. Billy told me what the Doc had said the other day."
"The, uh, man is amazing, I'll give him that; saving lives for centuries and the control he has over his primal instincts."
"It is incredible, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is."
"How was work?"
"So-so. Bella said she'd call tonight."
"You've still got some left-overs right?"
"You know, you don't have to avoid the house while I talk with Bella right?"
"Yes I do! I feel like a, a, I don't know but I won't intrude."
"You're staying up at the Rez aren't you?"
"Yep."
"Are those three hellions treating you alright?" He asked, thinking about Embry, Quil Jr and Jacob, famously known as 'The Troublesome Trio'.
"Of course they are; they love their big sister." She hesitated before she spoke again. "I won't be at Billy's the entire time; Sam's shown signs of shifting."
Charlie nodded his head. He'd have asked why she felt the need to place herself in danger but he knew the girl was just one of those oddly compassionate beings.
"Okay. Be careful though, alright?"
''
Sam was freaking the absolute fuck out right now. He was a wolf; an actual wolf. What the hell was this?! He looked down at his paws in wonder, took in his surroundings and was amazed at the clarity, the detail that he could see things in. His senses were overwhelmed and he almost ran but then he heard it: leaves and twigs being crushed under the weight of footsteps. That was when he saw Carter. Had she not have spoken when she did, he would have been gone like a bat out of hell.
His nose twitched, zeroing in on the girl. She smelt like the forest; a very earthy and natural scent was emanating from her form. He slowly backed up, one paw at a time, readying himself to bolt.
"Sam, are you feeling alright?" He went to answer, frightening himself when a succession of barks erupted from him. He yelped, startled by the fact that this might just be real. "Sam, I know this is going to sound stupid but I need you to try and calm yourself down." She was met with a long, low whine. "You're a wolf. The Tribal Legends are true." Another low whine answered her statement. "You can come closer Sam. You aren't going to hurt me." She sat down on the ground and held a hand out, beckoning him to come to her. Seeing the soft smile on her face, Sam made his way over. He was slow to approach her, taking time to adjust to this new body, not wanting to accidently step on her. "I'm not too sure whether or not you can shift back right away. Would you like to try?" Sam nodded his head.
Carter stood slowly, not wanting to startle Sam. You can't be too careful, she thought to herself. She then shrugged off a small backpack and held it up. Sam's head cocked to the side in confusion.
"I picked up some of your clothes and a pair of shoes: You're going to need them."
Sam flushed. Had he have been human right now, he was sure he would be glowing a faint red. Of course, he thought, I can turn into a wolf but my clothes? They actually do disappear. Carter had turned her back to him by this point.
"You are definitely not going to be impressed with what I'm about to say but please, bear with me, alright? It's not as stupid as it sounds but I need you to visualise yourself as a human. Imagine the feeling in your fingers, in your toes; the wind upon your bare skin. Take in three deep breaths. It's going to hurt but I need you to persevere."
She heard Sam take in three breaths, letting them out in a huff and waited patiently. She hummed a tune as Sam attempted to become human once again. It took a while, a good hour and a half; most of that time Carter was by his side as he became literally half-man half-wolf. At one point Carter had actually been worried that Sam would remain a humanoid wolf-person and had been quite horrified by the odd sight before snapping out of it and coaching Sam through the shift.
"Decent?" Carter asked as Sam successfully shifted back.
"How?" He asked. "How did you know I'd shift? How did you know where to find me? How do you even know any of this?" She again motioned for Sam to sit by her as she answered his questions.
"Keep in mind that you have just shifted into a giant wolf okay?" He just looked at her, almost desperate to know. "I saw it happen. I had a, a dream, as ridiculous as that sounds. The Quileute Tribe obviously featured in it. There was some drama in Forks which had repercussions on the population here at the Rez. I saw you and some others shift; different times, different circumstances but you all held enough Quileute blood to transform into the wolves you're descendant from."
"You had a dream?"
"Yes. That, and the Elders have been keeping an eye on you. They've been informing me of your progression."
"Why couldn't you just tell me? Is that why you haven't been up here for a while?"
"Yes. The Elders thought it best that I refrain from visiting you before your transformation, no idea why though, and I wasn't going to walk up to you, tell you you're a Shifter and have you get angry."
"Angry? I turned into a wolf because I got angry?"
"It's a trigger. What were you…" She stopped herself from completing that sentence. "Would you like to talk about whatever happened before this?"
Sam shook his head. He'd rather just forget the whole argument between himself and Leah Clearwater, his long-time girlfriend.
The two sat in the forest for hours; Carter informing him why he changed, what he was able to do, what it meant for him and about trivial things didn't matter at all.
''
"Is everything alright?"
"Sure is Chief. Sam took it relatively well. The Elders are still going to watch him; make sure that he learns to control the urge to get angry for no reason whatsoever."
"I'm guessing you discussed the Cullen's. What have the Tribe said about you and your knowledge of them?"
"We're not letting them know that I know. The youngest looking of the vampires is a mind-reader. Unfortunately he can't switch off the ability so it would be too much of a burden for Carlisle to know and keep it a secret from his Coven."
Charlie nodded his head. He supposed that would be for the best then. Anyway, he didn't want those beings stalking about outside his house because they deemed Carter a threat.
"If I were to shoot one-"
"They'd be absolutely fine. They're sorta like Superman in that respect, being bullet-proof and all."
"How could I ki-"
"Fire."
Charlie nodded his head. He was going to call in a favour from an old, uh, acquaintance; yeah, that's it, an acquaintance.
"Are you sure you'll be fine with them around?"
"Positive. I've been sitting by Carlisle's 'eldest child' for a good month and a bit now. He's shown no signs of being tempted to snap a neck and take a sip."
Charlie shook his head this time, a slight grimace on his face.
"You really need to work on that Carter. The imagery is not something I ever needed."
"Sorry Charlie. I'll attempt to be more politically correct when it comes to describing how a vampire sinks their fangs into the jugular vein, draining a person of their colour and life." He rolled his eyes at her and swatted at her with a rolled up newspaper. "That's abuse! Charles Swan, how dare you do such a thing?" She clutched at her arm dramatically, standing up and feigning that she couldn't walk properly. "You've broken my arm, you have. Oh, I see a light! I see a light Charlie!"
"If you go towards it will you be quiet?" He asked, feigning a serious expression.
"Okay, okay, I'll be quiet. I'm more of a 'suffer in silence' type anyway. Can I stay here for the night?"
"No." He replied immediately before chuckling. "Of course you can."
"Brilliant. I'll start dinner in ten." Charlie just waved her off before clearing off the table and putting his policing equipment away.
He waited until he heard water running before he picked up his phone.
"It's Charles Swan here. I'm going to cash in one of those favours."
''
"So how are you and your family settling in?" Carter asked the Southern vampire.
"Very well thank you. We appreciated the gift basket very much."
"Did you really? It was all home-made. I get a little 'Mater Chef' every now and again."
"The food was wonderful."
She beamed up at Jasper, knowing that the boy was lying through his teeth but then he smiled, a small smile but a smile nonetheless, that was genuine and she couldn't help but return it.
"My family and I were wondering if you'd join us for lunch today. You've been kind to us; more so than anybody has, and we'd wish to thank you."
"What a sad world we live in, where you thank someone for displaying humanity. It's ironic, don't you think, that a species as evolved as ours is unable to show others the respect they deserve. Animals, well those lower on the food chain, exhibit more respect towards each other than many of our fellow peers. You though, you are definitely one of the most humane beings that I've had the fortune of meeting since my arrival in this town. If that's anything to go by, I'm sure your family is just as wonderful as you."
Jasper wasn't really sure how to react to that. The human was smiling warmly at him. He'd been watching her closely since the day he first sat next to her and during every class they shared since then.
"Would you join me and my family then Miss Carter?" He noted the hesitance but put it down to nerves. "We don't bite, if that's what you're afraid of." He said, smirking inwardly at his own little joke. He was surprised though, when she, too, laughed at what he had said and he couldn't help but be a little suspicious of the action.
"It's not that Mr Hale; it's simply that I don't want you and your family to be ostracised by the school population. I've a bit of reputation which you must have heard of by now."
"Yes, I have."
"Good or this would have been another awkward moment." She laughed, and Jasper quietly chuckled along with her as she reused the words she had when they'd first met. Jasper, ever the gentleman, held his arm out and Carter just stared at him blankly.
"May I escort you to our table, my Lady?" She hooked her arm through Jasper's.
"You most certainly may, Mr Hale." The two made their way to what had been dubbed 'The Cullen Table'; both were smirking at the whispers that followed behind them as they passed groups of students.
"So we finally meet Killer Carter. Heard what you did and I gotta say it's rather impressive for such a small girl. Ouch, what was that for?" Jasper's arm had swung out and hit Emmett in the shoulder.
"It's alright Jasper. Hello Emmett. I am Carter. How are you today?" She said slowly, as if talking to a child who was hard of hearing. "Can you understand me or should I speak slower?" She nodded her head, a look of mock pity upon her face as she addressed the giant teen. It was silent for a moment before Emmett's booming laughter all but shook the cafeteria; everyone's eyes immediately looking towards the Cullen's table in surprise.
"We are keeping her. We are definitely keeping her." Emmett managed to say through the laughter. Carter, after raising an eyebrow at Emmett, turned to give the blonde woman her attention.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Carter."
"Rosalie Hale." The model blonde simply replied.
"Hey, Edward! Alice! You've got to meet Carter." Emmett called out as the last two Cullen's arrived. "She's a riot." The two vampires stopped beside the table and looked to Carter who had just turned around.
"I'm Carter. It's nice to meet you both." She extended her hand and waited for either one of them to shake. "Jasper speaks only good things of you." Alice hesitantly shook her hand, as did Edward and both were amazed when she didn't flinch as their skin made contact. Edward stared at his hand for a moment.
"Did you want a wipe?" Carter asked him.
"Pardon?"
"Here." She fished around in her messenger back and pulled out a packet of anti-sceptic wipes. "You were looking at your hands as if I just spat on them."
"Keeping her." Emmett stage-whispered to Rosalie who shook her head and replied with a quiet 'I suppose we will'.
Edward looked flustered; well as flustered as a vampire could look as he tried to explain that that wasn't the reason he was looking at his hand oddly.
"That's not what I-"
"It's fine, honestly. I've had worse reactions, believe it or not."
"This I have got to hear." Emmett piped up again. Carter just shook her head and told him he'd have to wait to hear about that.
Alice had been clutching onto Jaspers' hand for all she was worth during the entire time that Carter was present. They'd had a family meeting and were all informed that Carter was different. Carlisle told them that she had come in for a check-up at the hospital two days before and the doctor had tested some of her blood, telling her it was just a new protocol. He'd told them he found an anomaly within her blood cells which may have caused her to be immune to the mental abilities Alice, Edward and Jasper possessed; it also explained her scent.
This did not sit well for Alice. She needed to know the future; needed to know everything that would come to pass about everybody they met. Carlisle declared that she wasn't a threat but Alice would keep an eye on her. She didn't trust the girl as far as she could see the girls' future: not at all.
Carter chatted briefly with the Cullen's; mundane topics like favourite subjects, favourite teachers, the differences between living in Alaska and living in Washington.
"Well, it has been an absolute pleasure to have finally met you all. I hope that the town of Forks has been treating you all with the respect you deserve. Enjoy the rest of today; I've got to head to the library. See you in class Jasper." She shot them a quick salute before walking off.
They immediately began talking at vampiric speeds when they heard laughter. They all turned their heads to the source. Standing by the entrance into the cafeteria was Carter: clothes now stained and soaked through.
"Oh my God Carter, I didn't see you there! I've totally just killed your outfit." The senior girl said, laughing along with her friends as they stood up to hi-five her.
"It's alright. No harm, no foul right? This'll be easy to fix. If I can get blood out of my clothes I'm sure this will prove to be no problem whatsoever." She said, walking into the corridor, figure retreating at a normal pace.
Stacy had paled after Carter said the word blood, as if remembering exactly who she had spoken to.
"You don't scare me Carter! I've got witnesses here! You can't do anything to me." Stacy had gone to take a few steps forward. She had forgotten about the mess on the floor though, so she didn't get very far, slipping on the coloured sports drink and food stuffs from her tray, she hit her head on the table and landed awkwardly on her right arm.
The surrounding girls ran to her side, helping her back up as she cried out indignantly, blaming Carter for her accident despite the girl being out of view. Hearing a further commotion, Carter backtracked, peeking around the corner, and assessing the situation , decided to have a bit more fun.
"Have a nice day Stacy!" She shouted and, much to her amusement some of the girls actually screamed in fright.
Emmett was having trouble controlling his laughter and, because of this, Jasper looked as if he were ready to burst. Rosalie had her lip upturned in disgust directed towards the group of preppy seniors.
"She tried to kill me! Look what she did!" The teen wailed, clutching her arm desperately.
The Cullen's soon tuned out the annoying sounds of the girls' high-pitched whining and went back to their conversation.
"Wait." Emmett said. "Where's Edward?"
''
"Hey, are you okay? I saw what happened back there. Do you need any help?" Edward said as he caught up to Carter just before she entered the library.
"Thank you for asking but I'm perfectly fine. A little food and juice never hurt anybody too badly."
"I wanted to apologise for before, for staring at my hand. It wasn't because I shook your hand or anything I just-"
"It's okay Edward. I was only messing with you. You still have quite a bit of time before class. You should go finish your food. I'll see you around."
Edward went to raise his hand in a gesture to stop the girl from leaving but she was gone. Edward looked towards his hand again and closed his eyes. Emmett would forever taunt him with this. There was no doubt about that.
''
"What happened to you?" Was the first thing Charlie said to her when she returned home that afternoon.
"An accident in the cafeteria. No worries though, I can get the stains out."
"You didn't tell a teacher did you?" When she confirmed his suspicions Charlie just looked at her. "Carter, you can't allow people to treat you like this. This is ridiculous. I'm ringing up the school." Charlie went to dial in the number when Carter tried to snatch the phone away from him. "Stop it. Carter, stop being silly, this is a serious matter."
"Please Charlie? Don't make a big deal out of it. I'm fine, I'm not hurt and the person responsible ended up spraining their arm after they slipped over the mess they made. Karma dealt out justice and I am confident that the person won't go near me again."
"Car-"
"Please?"
He let out a sigh before pressing the little red button on the phone and putting the handset down.
"Now I've got to go to La Push in twenty minutes time so I'll whip something up for you to eat and I'll see you Thursday. Bye Charlie. Be careful out there." She hugged the man and he returned the affectionate gesture before grabbing his police coat and walking out of the house.
"You be careful too Carter and I don't want to hear about any other accidents this year, alright?"
"Sure Charlie. No more accidents."
''
Authors note: This is a complete rewrite of the story I previously had up, by the same title. The original was a much more humourous sort of story but I wrote an alternate version (this one) and liked it better. I hope you've enjoyed it.