Seven Days – Sunday
Edward
"Coffee, black. Thank you," I told the waitress and set down my menu. I didn't need the coffee, obviously, but I needed it to seem normal. She brought me the cup and smiled. I returned the smile and smirked to myself as her face flushed, her heart rate sped up, and she stumbled away.
He's gorgeous! her thoughts practically screamed at me and I rolled my eyes. Humans were so easy to read.
I held the cup between my hands, the heat of it making my skin an almost human temperature. I glanced around my choice of location: a small and dingy diner, a quiet little spot just outside of Forks, Washington. Barely worth its dot on the map, Forks was the place where my "family" and I had made a home many years ago. Alice had seen me here and called to tell me just after the encounter with Aro.
Aro.
The thought of him made my skin crawl, figuratively speaking, of course. I'd always prided myself on not being fearful; it made what I was doing so much easier. But with Aro…it was different. Maybe because I knew what he could do to me– what he would do to me given the chance.
I wished Alice would have- could have told me how it ended.
"I don't know what you're going to do, Edward. You're confused," she told me. I could practically see her frown, dark delicate brows drawing together to wrinkle her smooth forehead.
"Tell me about it," I muttered, and kicked at a small rock that lay helplessly on the pavement. It went flying across the street and slammed into the window of a car, shattering it and setting off the alarm.
"What are you doing?" Alice asked with a hint of reproach in her voice.
"Just walking," I lied.
"Go back to that car and leave them the money to replace their window," she instructed.
I sighed and did so.
"Happy now?" I grumbled. She laughed, though it was short-lived.
"No. I miss you. We all miss you," Alice whispered.
"Well, it seems you'd better get used to it."
"Can I get you anything else, sir?" My waitress was back, heavily perfumed, lips covered with a sticky coat of gloss, teased hair freshly ratted.
"No, thank you." I gave her a quick nod and went back to pretending to drink my coffee. Alice had sent me here for a reason, but I had yet to figure it out. So far there was nothing here, and there weren't many places left to look.
"Hey, Leah." I heard my waitress greet someone as the bell on the diner's door rang quietly.
"How's it going, Jess?" Leah replied, taking her place behind the counter. I watched as she tied on an apron and pulled her short, dark hair back.
"Check out the piece in the corner," Jess whispered. Leah laughed politely, but her thoughts betrayed the little smile on her face.
Fucking stupid…can't control herself…
She turned to me still, her dark eyes curious. I met her gaze and Leah looked away quickly. I watched the blood rise in her face and could hear her heartbeat from across the diner. I almost laughed until she looked up again. What I'd originally mistaken for lust was in actuality something completely different.
It was anger, with just a touch of confusion.
She reminded me briefly of Rosalie, the day Jasper and I broke a vase she'd saved from her human life wrestling in the living room of our home in New Haven.
I smiled at the memory and tried to push the girl's face from my mind. Instead, I tried listening to hers. It was tough, though. When I first heard her it was just bits and pieces, like an FM radio with bad reception.
Can't be…looks different…have to call…
Her thoughts moved quickly, but I caught enough to know that I needed to leave.
Quickly.
I dropped some money on the table and made my way out of the diner before anything could happen.
Did she know what I was? If so, why wasn't she afraid? And seriously, what the fuck kind of place had Alice sent me to?
I glanced around once I'd reached the parking lot, completely aware that she'd followed me out of the diner.
"What are you doing here?" Leah's voice sounded from behind me.
I turned slowly, so as not so startle her. "I was simply enjoying a cup of coffee; is that against the law now?" I said with a polite smile.
"Don't come any closer, leech," she spat the words at me and took a step backward.
I faltered and stopped, mildly perplexed.
She did know what I was, though the term "leech" was a little derogatory. I'd have to remember to tell her that. The look in her eyes was murderous, however, and I wasn't sure if I'd get the chance...
"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," I said quietly, taking a cautious step toward her.
"Leech. Bloodsucker. Vampire," she snarled, like she was talking to a mentally challenged person.
I felt the corners of my mouth turn up at her rant. She was kind of cute, in a weird, angry sort of way.
"Why are you smiling?" she asked nervously.
I shrugged. I wasn't quite sure why I was smiling; I hadn't done so in so long.
"You're different than the other ones I've seen. You smell different, too," she said taking a small step forward.
"You can…smell me?" I raised an eyebrow.
"It's weird. You smell… sweet."
I grinned. "Aw, that's nice of you."
"Too sweet actually," she explained and wrinkled her nose. "It's kind of disgusting. It's making me feel nauseated."
"You sweet-talker, you. No woman has ever said that to me," I said with a sarcastic press of my hand over my cold, dead heart.
"Well, there's a first time for everything," she retorted. "Now, I'll ask you again, what are you doing here?"
"I'm looking for something," I told her.
"There's nothing here for you. I suggest you leave. Now." The look in her eyes was full of warning, but I couldn't back down. I knew there was something there for me, that Alice had seen me in Forks for a reason.
"I can't. I told you, I'm looking for something. I can't leave until I've found what I'm looking for." I resisted the impulse to start quoting U2 lyrics; this pretty, wary Native girl would be too young to get the joke.
"Listen, leech– "
"Manners, manners," I chided, taking unaccountable joy in needling her. "My name is Edward."
"Super, Edward," she said my name through clenched teeth and looked around. "Now that we've exchanged niceties, let me make one thing clear."
"Please do," I replied.
"If you stick around, you'll die. Well, more dead than you already are."
"Back to the death threats, are we?" I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "If I don't stick around, others will die."
Leah narrowed her eyes as her thoughts drifted and she tried to figure out what I meant. "You've got about five minutes before my friends show up, Edward," Leah warned.
I rolled my eyes but heeded her words. "It was a pleasure meeting you too, Leah." Making her a little mock-bow, I smirked and made my way to the sensible sedan Carlisle suggested I drive while I was in town. Something about "not drawing attention to myself". I had no idea what he meant, obviously.
I didn't know what Leah meant or why she would warn me about her friends. She was strangely good at closing her mind off, though, like it was a practiced behavior, something she did over and over.
I tried to push the thought of her out of my mind. She was just an ordinary girl in a diner- there was nothing more to her.
xXx
Leah
"What did he say exactly?" Sam asked again. I rolled my eyes and was grateful that he couldn't read my mind at that exact moment.
"I told you," I sighed. "He said that if he didn't stay others would die." Emily placed a cup of hot tea in front of me, but I pushed it away. I wasn't upset, and even if I was, I wouldn't have wanted any of her fucking tea-and-sympathy crap anyways.
"What does that mean?" Sam muttered.
"That, um, if he leaves people will die?" Seth offered dryly under his breath. I resisted the urge to snort. My sweet little brother was turning into a smartass. I'd never been prouder.
Sam glared at him for a moment before turning to me again.
"Find out what he means. You can go first thing in the morning," he told me.
"She can't go alone!" Seth cried and I spun around quickly. He tried so hard to be the man of the family. My heart gave a funny little squeeze as I thought of how proud Dad would've been.
"Oh, are you going to protect me?" I asked, softening my sarcasm with a genuine smile.
"He's a vampire, Leah!" Seth argued.
"And? He isn't the first one we've come in contact with, you know. No need for the vampire buddy system."
"Exactly, he isn't the first one we've come in contact with! We do things together, Leah." Seth's prepubescent voice cracked as he grabbed my shoulders.
I gently pushed him away. "He won't hurt me, Seth."
"How do you know?" Sam asked.
I shrugged. It was a valid point, given the whole "mortal-enemies" thing. I wasn't sure how I knew Edward wouldn't hurt me, but I did. Something about him was different, like I'd said.
Maybe it was his tawny eyes or the softness of his voice or the fact that he looked like a friggin' model in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Either way, I knew he was harmless.
"I just do. I'll let you know how it goes," I said before I quickly slipped out of the little house and into the cool night air. It didn't bother me, though. I was a warm one-oh-eight all the time. I jogged to the edge of the forest and stripped off my clothes, fastening them to my ankle so I wouldn't lose them.
Having nothing to wear got annoying after the first few times of unexpected phasing, so now I was more prepared. Nothing is more embarrassing than showing up to a pack meeting buck naked- especially when your ex-boyfriend and your little brother are part of said pack.
I eased my mind and let a different part of me take over. My body began to vibrate as heat coursed through my veins. My bones and muscles twisted and turned, changing. I tried to cry out, but nothing came, and before I knew it I was flying through the forest on four legs as fast I could go, without any rhyme or reason, with no destination in mind.
I hadn't gotten very far, just out of the La Push lines when I came across a scent that nearly knocked me off my feet.
Edward.
His scent was easily recognized, something that bothered me immensely. Vampires were our sworn enemies; nothing about them should have been recognizable.
I could tell he was close by, so I stopped and listened.
"Looking for me?" His voice was quiet behind me.
You move like the dead, I thought.
He laughed, voice husky and melodic, the sound of it echoing off the trees. If I were human I would've blushed.
"Is this what you meant when you said I was in danger?" he gestured to my form.
Yes.
"Interesting," he said as he walked a circle around me. "I like you like this, you know?"
You're an asshole.
"Fine, I take it back. You're still mouthy," he said with a frown.
I growled and he held up his hands in defeat.
"I'll stay out of your way, Leah, if you'll stay out of mine."
We'll see.
"Yes, we will," Edward replied before disappearing into the night. "Lovely seeing you again, Leah."
xXx
Edward
"Yes, Alice?" I answered my phone, which had rung incessantly since I left Leah in the woods.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. I was hunting," I explained as I climbed the front steps to my temporary home.
"Oh, thank heavens," she muttered. "I was so worried."
"What are you going on about?" I asked, annoyed.
"I lost you, Edward."
"You haven't lost me, I'm right here." I frowned.
"No, Edward. You don't understand. Your future– it disappeared."
