A/N: I guess I'll just put it out there that I love Seth. I also love the actor they picked to play him in Eclipse, because he looks exactly how I imagined him. This isn't supposed to be a long story. I just kind of got the idea and went with it. Who knows what I'll do? I certainly don't.
Not yet anyways.
He. Sees. Her.
The first time he sees her she is walking through the woods of La Push like a normal human being. She does not glance behind in fear of the unknown, nor does she race along at the inhuman pace of a vampire. She simply walks, unafraid and perfectly human amongst the dark trees and shrubbery.
His breath catches when she steps into a patch of sunlight and her golden hair ripples against her back.
Beautiful is the first word that comes to mind.
Of course, because he's Seth and curious, and good god he's never seen anything as intriguing as this strange girl, he follows her. It's his nature as a shifter and a native to the land that his footsteps are soundless and he slips between the trees a couple paces behind.
He thinks about revealing himself to her but doubts his appearance his one for first impressions. Low slung jean cut-offs are the only thing he bothers to carry around when he's shifting so they're the only thing he wears. Inner Seth tells him to screw it and catch her and ask her for her name. But Logical Seth says that'd be creepy, and maybe just following is good enough. (Logical Seth is what he listens to, though he doesn't necessarily like it.)
Finally, after a couple of minutes the girl stops, bending down to look at the base of a tree and withdrawing something from the messenger bag she carries. Seth takes the time to study her, taking in the scuffed red converse and the way her t-shirt rises up to reveal pale, unblemished skin. He'd give everything he's ever known to see her face; he bets it's just as beautiful as the rest of her.
He imagines what it would be like to talk to her. It's difficult, since he's only seen the back of her and not even a face to go along with it. She would turn and he would walk nonchalantly out of the bushes like he hadn't been tailing her for the past 5 minutes, and they would strike up a friendly conversation.
His pulse quickens at the thought of even speaking to her. What would he say? Inner Seth would probably sling out some sly pick-up lines he'd heard from Paul or Embry. Logical Seth would stutter and talk about the weather. How awkward.
But first he'd have to suck it up, be a man and just open his mouth. Not normally a precarious situation. But the way this girl has lured him just by one ripple of gold hair; one step in those ratty converse, it guarantees embarrassment. Plus he's not so sure he's in the mood for sharing and enduring an onslaught of mental ridicule from his peers twenty minutes from now.
Seth shakes himself once; letting the glaze of his warring thoughts disappear, only to find that the girl has vanished. Right under his nose. Leave it to him to totally zone out.
He looks around cautiously in case she's moved to another tree and he's overlooked it. But she's gone. And now her absence has left him feeling somewhat mystified and maybe just a little bit…empty? He steps out of his hiding spot dismayed that he's lost her. His stomach growls and he immediately starts in the direction of Emily's house before a thought occurs to him. Why had that girl stopped at the tree in the first place?
Seth turns to look at it curiously but sees nothing of interest. A plain old tree with rough bark and twisting roots and branches, maybe a squirrel or two. Pretty boring. But then he sees it- a tiny white flower nestled snugly in the grass at the base. A small, almost invisible image of beauty. You would have to be extremely observant to notice it. Maybe it's girlish or maybe not, but he finds it relatively amazing. He collects it gently, pulling it from its home and cupping it in his palm. It could be a small memory too, because somehow this tiny flower and that vanishing girl seemed important.
He holds it protectively in his hand as he walks to Emily's, trying too hard not to wonder if he'd ever see her again, and why he all of a sudden felt so warm inside.