Thank you all for your reviews, follows and favorites.
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
musicluver246: Thank you for being my first reviewer!
Zelda's Hero: Thank you.
BizarreBard: I was looking for something similar as well, but when I found none I decided to try my hand at writing one. Glad you like it so far.
brightmoon78: I hope you enjoy this chapter, too.
Also, just an FYI, I've decided to go all the way through all four books. So, I'm estimated to have over 100 chapters. I hope all of you stay for this wild journey and continue to help me improve and keep up with it.
Warning: This story does involve female on female action and romance. To simply put it, this is a lesbian love story. So if that's not your kind of thing, or it goes against anything you believe, please leave now. Any comments that I think are rude will be deleted and you will be reported.
-I own nothing and no one except for Kody and her family.
-Stephenie Meyer's Midnight Sun Partial Draft was a major influence for this chapter.
-This chapter had no beta over look it, so I apologize for any mistakes.
-Enjoy!
You bring good to my lonely life, honestly
It's hard for me to look into your eyes
When, I say that I would be nothing without your love
I feel the rush and it's amazing
Maybe I've been always destined to end up in this place, yeah
I don't mean to come off selfish, but I want it all
Love will always be a lesson, let's get out of its way
Cause I know, all I know, all I know
I'm a prisoner to my addiction
I'm addicted to a life that's so empty and so cold
I'm a prisoner to my decisions
Woooo, woooo, woooo
I think I've been in Hollywood for too long
Cause I can feel my soul burning, feel it burning slow
But I would be nothing without the touch
I feel the rush and it's amazing
Maybe I've been always destined to end up in this place
I don't mean to come off selfish, but I want it all
Love will always be a lesson, let's get out of its way
Cause I know, all I know, all I know
I'm a prisoner to my addiction
I'm addicted to a life that's so empty and so cold
I'm a prisoner to my decisions
Woooo, woooo, woooo
I'm a prisoner to my addiction
I'm addicted to a life that's so empty and so cold
I'm a prisoner to my decisions
Woooo, woooo, woooo
I don't know
I get so wrapped up in a world where nothing's as it seems
And real life is stranger than my dreams
Prisoner: The Weeknd (feat. Lana Del Rey)
Chapter 2: Dakota "Kody" Moon
There were many things Rosalie missed about being human.
But high school was not one of those things.
She had once read somewhere that high school was a failed experiment in preparing young people for the adult world. And like everything in high school, it didn't work. Over the past couple of centuries, she had watched schools and education evolve, but the student population remained the same. You had your typical school groups: The popular people, the overachievers, the goths, the theater kids; jocks, goody-two-shoes, nerds and the artsy ones. It was the same every year and utterly boring to constantly repeat.
Rosalie assumed she'd fall into the categories of pretty people and freaks. She usually thought of herself, but that was mainly to keep Edward out of her head – most of the time. Every once and awhile she'd catch her reflection off of someone's glasses and ponder over herself. Edward had once snidely said that her mind was a shallow pool with few surprises. Rosalie knew she was beautiful, even for a vampire. She was a beautiful human that much she could remember. It wasn't her fault that humans were so easily enraptured by her families' beauty.
But high schoolers were mean, jealous beings and some would never grow out of that mentality. She could hear them when they thought she was out of ear-shot; Edward would read their minds and Jasper would do the same with their emotions. People, although knowing that the Cullens and Hales were good looking, called them freaks behind their backs. The people of Forks knew that something was odd about her family and they kept their distance. Many had tried to worm their way into their family, but would find themselves quickly thrown to the side, ignored. People quickly got the hint that the Cullen family wasn't interested in making friends.
Alice and Edward caught Rosalie's attention. They were having one of their sideline conversations again. She knew the subject matter was about Jasper, her brother who posed as her twin every time. Jasper was suffering, anyone could see that. It was natural for Alice to worry about her mate, she knew it'd kill Jasper if he slipped, but she treated him like a China doll. Rosalie didn't know how Jasper did it. Alice was more than a handful, especially when she set her mind to something.
Neither Alice nor Edward knew that Rosalie was watching them. She wasn't as shallow as they thought.
It took everything inside Rosalie not to roll her eyes. It had been two weeks since their last hunting trip. That wasn't an extensive time span for them considering. They had gone longer, but it was still uncomfortable. A few times a human would walk a little too close, or the wind would blow their scent towards them. They didn't worry so much, though. People knew they were dangerous.
And Jasper was very dangerous at the moment.
Besides Rosalie, Emmett wasn't fussing over Jasper. If she had to guess, Rosalie would say he was still thinking about the fight he had lost to Jasper last night. She'd bet that he was impatiently waiting for school to end to demand a rematch. Like Jasper, Emmett had always been Rosalie's favorite sibling.
At that moment, a small girl paused at the end of the closest table to theirs, stopping to talk to a friend. She tossed her short, sandy hair, running her fingers through it. The heaters blew her scent in their direction. Rosalie was used to the way that scent made her feel the dry ache in her throat, the hollow yearning in her stomach, the automatic tightening of her muscles, the excess flow of venom in her mouth...
That was all quite normal, usually easy to ignore.
Edward kicked Jasper's chair.
"Sorry," Jasper muttered.
Rosalie felt for her twin.
"You weren't going to do anything," Alice murmured to him, soothing his embarrassment. "I could see that."
Rosalie fought back the grimace that would give her lie away. They had to stick together.
"It helps a little if you think of them as people," Alice suggested, her high, musical voice too fast for human ears to understand, if any had been close enough to hear. "Her name is Whitney. She has a baby sister she adores. Her mother invited Esme to that garden party, do you remember?"
"I know who she is," Jasper said curtly. He turned away to stare out one of the small windows that were spaced just under the eaves around the long room. His tone ended the conversation.
He would have to hunt tonight. It was ridiculous to take risks like this, trying to test his strength, to build his endurance. Alice and Carlisle thought it was a good idea, but they needed to accept Jasper's limitations and work within them. His former habits were not conducive to their chosen lifestyle; he shouldn't push himself in this way. But Rosalie knew that he was doing this – trying – for Alice's sake. Alice and Jasper may have known each other's every mood as well as their own, but there were some things that Jasper never told Alice in fear that she would look at him differently.
Rosalie, of course, assured her brother that that would never happen, but she could understand his fear. There were things Rosalie only trusted Jasper with knowing in trepidation that Carlisle would look at her as if though she were a monster.
Edward's head turned in the direction of someone's thoughts. "Jessica Stanley is giving the new Swan girl all the dirty laundry on the Cullen clan," he murmured to Emmett as a distraction.
Emmett chuckled under his breath and said something mentally to their telepathic brother.
"Rather unimaginative, actually," Edward spoke too quickly for the human's to see. "Just the barest hint of scandal. Not an ounce of horror. I'm a little disappointed."
Rosalie went back to mulling over herself. She felt someone burning a hole into the side of her head, but she didn't care to stare the human down. She rarely, if ever, gave anyone the luxury of looking at them. Although envious of them, Rosalie couldn't bother herself with humans anymore.
"I'm glad she decided to adopt then," Rosalie heard a girl with a British accent say. "It seemed like she wanted a big family. It's nice to see that she could still achieve her dream."
The other new girl – the one from England – had to be talking about Esme. And it was clear that whoever she was talking to, she didn't appreciate what was said.
Edward grimaced. "Jessica really doesn't like the other new girl."
Something sparked Rosalie's interest and she looked towards the table where the girl was sitting.
And she felt like she was hit by a truck.
The other new girl had sexy/wild brown hair that fell over her shoulders in waves. She had this whole badass persona that Rosalie was instantly attracted to. She was about average height for a female with an athletic, but slim figure. Her eyes were pure grey, no hint of blue or green in them. Her skin was pale, but to compliment her natural and relaxed style, she favored an earthly palette with an almost nude pink lipstick.
Rosalie felt as if she were being gravitationally pulled towards the other new girl while for the first time in a long time, it felt like her dead heart swelled with heat once more.
Like she was suddenly unconditionally bound to the girl forever.
"I don't know how I missed this," Alice gasped. She knew why, she was too focused on Jasper to see anything else. She lied to spare Jasper's feelings. "Rose, I'm so sorry, I should've seen this."
"What just happened?" Rosalie cut Alice off, not wanting to hear her rant. She looked towards Alice, Edward and Jasper with wide eyes. Besides Carlisle, the three of them always seemed to have the answers to everything. "What was that, Alice? Jasper, please, I don't understand."
"You know what happened, Rose," Edward said softly. His eyes locked with hers. "She's your mate, you know that because you can feel it, don't you?" Rosalie nodded. "Her name is Dakota Moon, but she prefers to be called Kody and she's a senior. Her father is the new physics teacher. She's from England and her mother's Argentinean. She doesn't like it here and Jessica Stanley isn't too fond of her. She's very sarcastic and witty, too, in her thoughts mainly. She's trying to be nice for her parents."
This time when Rosalie looked over, she made eye contact with Kody.
Kody – it was a beautiful name. It was short, simple and relaxed. Just like her mate.
Rosalie frowned when Kody looked away swiftly. She wanted to stare into her mate's eyes a little bit longer.
Edward laughed. "She's very comical. She thinks Jessica Stanley is beastly and for some reason that makes her sound like a git," Edward explained. "Good luck with her, Rose. You'll need it."
Rosalie smirked, ready to say something smart back, but stopped. Why would Edward tell her good luck? That she'll need it. Kody was her mate. Everything was going to go smoothly – right?
What aren't you telling me?
Edward cringed at the anger in Rosalie's thoughts. "She's not attracted to girls." He thought it'd be best to say it quickly, no sugar coating. It was like a band-aid; rip it off as quickly as possible so it'd hurt less.
But when Rosalie's face fell, Edward knew that there was no such thing as something like that hurting less.
She was instantly drowned in hopelessness, despondent and desperation. It was the worst pain she had ever been through, by far. The painful three day transformation couldn't even compare to how she felt in that moment. What if Kody never gained feelings her? Rosalie knew that life would be meaningless then.
Jasper sent his twin a dose of encouragement and hope; he also sent his love and confidence that everything would work out. Emmett engulfed her hand in his, squeezing it to let her know that he was there for her. Edward gave her his infamous crooked smile, the one that girls swooned over every time. It was nice to know that her brothers had her back, especially when she needed it the most.
Alice, who always had something positive to say, smiled. "Don't worry, Rose. You sit next to her next period and you'll have a chance to talk to her." Rosalie smiled at her sister gratefully.
"Shall we?" Rosalie murmured. She wanted to get to class quickly now.
"So what about the Swan girl?" Emmett asked Edward. He wanted to know what she thought of them. "Is she afraid of us yet?"
Edward frowned. He shrugged. Emmett no longer cared to press the matter.
They got up from the table and walked out of the cafeteria. Rosalie spared one last glance at her mate.
Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper were pretending to be seniors; they left for their classes. Rosalie headed off for her AP level economics class, preparing her mind for what was about to happen. It was doubtful Mr. Vandals; a man who was never so sure of what he was talking about, would manage to pull out anything in his lecture that would surprise someone holding a bachelor's degree in economics.
In the classroom, Rosalie settled into her chair and let her books – props, again; they held nothing she didn't already know – spill across the table. She was the only student who had a table to herself. The humans weren't smart enough to know that they feared her, but their survival instincts were enough to keep them away.
The room was slowly being filled humans and Rosalie anxiously waited for her mate to enter. She was holding her breath, which was unnecessary, but she felt so…human…so vulnerable.
The scent of vanilla and jasmine suddenly flooded Rosalie's senses. It was the most enchanting scent Rosalie had ever smelled. It was better than what her singer's scent had smelt like.
Kody looked so beautiful when she smiled, but Rosalie couldn't help but feel the little green monster hiss inside her when she saw that Lauren Mallory was the reasoning behind her mate's radiant smile.
She wanted to be the one to evoke such a magnificent response from Kody.
When Kody made her way towards the only empty seat in the room, Rosalie felt her insides vibrate. She couldn't help but stare at her. She wanted to know everything there was to know about her little mate. She wanted to hear Kody tell her, her deepest, darkest secrets. She couldn't wait to hold her in her arms and never let her go.
She had waited so long for this moment.
It was 1985, sometime during May, when Alice had received her first vision. No one understood in the beginning why Alice would be seeing a young, recently engaged couple living in England. They had just assumed their paths would cross one day, but that never happened. It wasn't until February, Valentine's Day to be exact, that Alice understood the meaning behind her visions. It was on that day Kody was born; exactly at 9:37 PM. Rosalie could even tell anyone how long Kody's mother had been in labor; how many pushes it took; how scared she was when Alice said that the umbilical-cord was wrapped around Kody's neck, making her black and blue. She could even tell anyone how much Kody weighed and how long she was. Alice had even drawn a picture of the newborn Kody, and Rosalie put it in a picture frame and set it out on her desk. She couldn't even remember how many times she stared at the picture throughout the years.
She still couldn't believe that Kody was finally here.
It was obvious that Kody wasn't going to speak first. "Hello," Rosalie said in the quiet voice to make her mate more comfortable, forming a polite smile with her lips that would not show any teeth.
Kody looked up at her. She could see the surprise in her mate's eyes. Rosalie knew why Kody was looking at her like that. She just hoped that Kody dismissed anything Jessica Stanley or anymore else had said about her.
"My name is Rosalie Hale," she continued. "I just wanted to see how your first day was going. You're Kody Moon, right?"
Kody seemed confused. It took her half a second longer than it should have for her to respond. "Nice to meet you, Rosalie. Um, how'd you know who I was? There's another new girl, too."
Rosalie felt her eyes darken at the mention of Bella Swan. She knew there was something up with the Chief's daughter. Edward hadn't commented on her thoughts. Rosalie focused on her mate, though. This wasn't the time to think of what was wrong with the Swan girl.
"Everyone's been waiting for you to arrive as well and you're the cuter new girl."
Kody's eyes were wide, startled – almost bewildered and full of silent questions. Rosalie appeared to make her uncomfortable, though. Kody unconsciously crinkled her nose. "So, uh, why'd you call me Kody?"
Rosalie saw how tense her mate was. She was changing the subject to avoid the elephant in the room. Rosalie almost pouted.
"That is your name, isn't it?" Rosalie asked, perplexed by the fact that she couldn't see where this question was leading. She didn't understand. Surely, Kody had made her preference clear many times today. Edward had said so.
"It's a nickname," Kody answered, leaning her head slightly to one side. "My real names Dakota, but everyone just calls me Kody. And since I'm new, everyone's calls me by my real name."
"Oh," Rosalie said weakly, and quickly looked away from her face.
She had just realized what Kody's questions meant: She had slipped up – made an error. If Edward hadn't been eavesdropping on all the others and if Rosalie would have just let Kody introduce herself, then Rosalie would have addressed her initially by her full name, just like everyone else.
Kody had noticed the difference.
Rosalie felt a pang of distress. It was very quick of her mate to pick up on her slip. Quite astute, especially for someone who was supposed to be uneasy around her like the rest of the people. But Rosalie had bigger problems than whatever suspicions about her Kody might have had locked inside her head.
"Get started," Mr. Vandals commanded.
Neither girl made an attempt to work together like everyone else did. Kody seemed determined to do the work herself to avoid any further conversation. It was moments such as these where Rosalie wished she had Edward's gift to see into her mate's mind. Although Kody was someone who wore her emotions openly on her face, Rosalie still had a hard time trying to figure out what was going through Kody's mind because her eyes told a completely different story.
Rosalie sighed softly so no human could hear her.
Why does she have to be so stubborn? It was evident that Kody was struggling with the drill, but it was like she refused to make eye contact with Rosalie, let alone ask for help.
"Do you know how to do any of this?"
And just like that, Rosalie's face broke out into a smile. It seemed Kody crinkled her nose anytime she was confused or upset. Rosalie wondered if she even knew she did that. Probably not, judging by the way her nose would crinkle almost automatically. It was adorable.
"It's actually pretty simple once you learn it. Here, I'll show you." OK, so she probably shouldn't have dragged Kody's chair closer without asking, but Rosalie couldn't help herself. If she couldn't hold and kiss her mate like she wanted, then she at least wanted her close, or as close as she could be without anyone noticing anything out of the ordinary.
As she explained what to do, Rosalie couldn't stop herself from breathing in her mate's scent. Underneath the scent of vanilla and jasmine, Rosalie smelt something else, two different scents, actually. It was a mix between water and harsh oil, but both carried the strong scent of added chemicals. Faintly, Rosalie could smell something she could only describe as a new box of freshly opened Crayons, mixed with chemicals too, and chalk and wax.
Was Kody an artist?
Rosalie made a mental note to ask her mate later since she didn't understand what to do for the drill.
Rosalie was more than happy to let Kody copy off her paper. It kept her close and every once and awhile she would move closer to see what Rosalie had wrote.
"Wait," Kody said. "I got this one."
"Have at it, sweetheart."
"150?" She said after working on the problem for a few, quick minutes.
"You got it. See, I told you it was easy once you get the hang of it." Rosalie felt her dead heart flutter at the sight of Kody blushing. Everything about the girl was perfectly beautiful.
With Kody's knew found determination, they got through the drill quickly before anyone else. Rosalie felt excited when Kody didn't move her seat back over. Maybe there was hope after all.
Mr. Vandals approached their table. Rosalie growled lowly when the gush of horrible aftershave mixed with her mate's scent.
"So, Rosalie," he said, looking over their answers, "didn't you think to give Dakota a chance to figure out the problems?"
It took a great amount of will to not snap his neck. Rosalie had never liked Mr. Vandals. He only smiled at the pretty girls as he walked in to the front of the room. He was a sad looking example of a modern educator if ever there was one. She also noticed that he didn't apologize to Kody for startling her. He didn't even bend down to pick up the pencil he made her drop. If something were to ever happen to the teacher, Rosalie could say that she wouldn't feel anything for his passing.
"Kody," Rosalie corrected him reflexively. "Actually figured out five of the answers."
Mr. Vandals turned to look at Kody. "Have you taken this class before?"
Rosalie watched, held attentive, as Kody shrugged, looking like it wasn't a big deal. "Only for a year."
So she was advanced, for a human. That didn't surprise Rosalie.
"Well," Mr. Vandals said, pursing his lips. "I guess it's a good thing you two are partners then." He turned and walked away mumbling, "Now I have another Miss. Know It All, great," under his breath. Rosalie doubted Kody could hear that.
Rosalie watched as Kody reached down to grab her pencil. Swiftly, Rosalie grabbed it first, holding it out for Kody to take. Kody took the pencil back, but their fingers brushed against each other's and Kody gasped out of reflex. Rosalie mentally cursed herself. She had stupidly forgotten how cold she really was. Kody had made her forget that she was actually dead, or undead, for a couple of minutes. Rosalie could only hope that Kody ignored her unusual body temperature and focused on the shock that had just moved through them.
"Thanks." Kody's smile looked more like a grimace.
Rosalie knew she needed to put forth a better effort to leave Kody with a good impression of her.
"What do you think of Forks so far?" Rosalie asked, repeating a question that must have heard from a dozen students already. It was a boring, standard topic of conversation, but it was always safe to start off with.
Kody struggled to find the words. "It's...damp, and wet, and cold."
That surprised Rosalie. Kody was from a damp, rainy place – her skin reflected that, despite being half Argentinean – so Rosalie had assumed she was use to the cold.
"You don't like the cold," Rosalie guessed. "It must be difficult to live here then."
Kody agreed. "You have no idea. My mum continues to be enthusiastic about it all. Forever the optimistic, that woman."
Her answers were never what Rosalie expected. They made her want to ask more questions.
"Did you have a choice?" Rosalie demanded, realizing instantly that her tone was too critical, not casual enough for the conversation. The question sounded rude, meddling.
"What?"
Rosalie took a deep breath. "Did you have a choice in the move?"
Kody blinked her wide eyes, leaving it at that, and Rosalie nearly imploded out of inquisitiveness. She stared down silently at her hands. That made Rosalie impatient; she wanted to put her hand under Kody's chin and tilt her head up so that she could read her eyes. But it would be foolish of her – dangerous – to touch her skin again. No matter how badly she wanted to.
Kody looked up suddenly. It was a relief to be able to see the emotions in her eyes again. She spoke slowly, like she didn't believe her own words. "It was my decision to come."
That didn't fit with the scenario Rosalie had been constructing in her head at all.
"Why come here when you knew you'd be unhappy?" Rosalie kept her voice gentle without any indication that she was being noisy.
"I'm an only child." A little smile grew more prominent. "I had no relatives I could stay with back in England and I only go to Argentina during the summer. My best mate's parents offered to take me in, but I felt like I would be imposing. I would've missed my parents any road."
There was just no making sense of the girl. She wasn't like other humans. So Rosalie gave up.
"Any road?"
Kody flushed. "It's the British version of anyway."
"I like it. And your accent is adorable."
"Thanks," she said. "So that's all. No impressive back story here."
"You're unhappy now, though," Rosalie murmured. She couldn't seem to stop speaking her hypotheses aloud, hoping to learn from Kody's reactions. This one, however, did not seem as far off the mark.
"Well, that's life. We sacrifice our own happiness for others." There was no humor in her laugh.
Rosalie continued to stare into Kody's eyes, feeling like she finally got her first real glimpse into her mate's soul. And she saw where Kody ranked herself among her own priorities. Unlike most humans, her own needs were far down the list. She was selfless.
Rosalie didn't know it was possible, but she fell more in love with her mate.
"Isn't that the truth?" Rosalie wanted to laugh at her words, though she, too, felt no real amusement. She knew a little something about the unfairness of life. She spoke slowly, still considering this next hypothesis. "You don't always have to suffer in silence."
"You should see me at home." Kody made a face, her eyes narrowing and her mouth twisting into an irregular pout, and she looked back towards the front of the class. "I'm not comfortable here. I don't know if I ever will be. America – it's not my home and although I don't say it or look like it, I'm home sick."
"Wow, I'm surprised. Not many people would admit that. You're like an open audio book." Rosalie stared at her in amazement.
Kody glanced at Rosalie quickly, and her eyes seemed to get trapped by her gaze. She laughed. "Tell that to my mother. She says I'm complicated to read."
"Oh, I mean, you're still hard to read, but not many are that honest."
"You must be good at reading then," Kody guessed this time.
How bizarre. "Reading people are more of my brothers' gifts." Rosalie said, smiling at the ridiculousness of it all.
Mr. Vandals called for the class's attention just then, and Kody turned away from Rosalie at once. She seemed a little relieved for the interruption, and Rosalie frown deeply. She hoped Kody would come around.
She recognized the fascination growing inside her, even as she tried to calm it down. She could not afford to get too attached so quickly, or rather, Kody could not afford that. It was just too soon, too dangerous.
Already, Rosalie was anxious for another chance to talk to her. She wanted to know more about her mother, her life before she came to Forks, her relationship with her father. All the meaningless details that would uproot her character further. But every second Rosalie spent with her was a chance, a risk she shouldn't have to take.
As soon as the bell sounded, Kody fled from the classroom – probably not caring about whatever impression of politeness she had unwillingly showed in the course of the hour.
Rosalie frowned and felt hopelessness creep up on her again. She took longer than usual to gather her things and walk out the door to French class. Jasper waited for her outside the door of their class. He read her emotions for a moment.
"How did it go?" He wondered warily.
"Fine," Rosalie mumbled.
Rosalie guessed that was something.
As they walked into the classroom, Rosalie couldn't help but fell like a dark cloud was moving above her, raining down hard. Why did it have to be so difficult for her? After everything she had been through, Rosalie thought that whatever higher power was out there would take pity on her in the soulmate department, but she had no such luck. She should have seen it coming, honestly. Her existence had always been some major joke to laugh at it seemed. So why would finding her soulmate be any different?
She closed her eyes in horror as she slumped into her seat. "I hadn't realized that it was going to be that hard to get to know her." She whispered, "I didn't think she was...I didn't think that it was going to be that bad."
"It wasn't," Jasper reassured his twin. "She talked back, right?"
"Right," Rosalie said through her teeth. "This time."
"Give her some time, Rose. Be patient, she'll come around."
"Sure," she said dismissively, sulking.
Maybe I'll screw up again the next time. Maybe I'll push her away for good.
Rosalie felt her mood shift. "Not now, Jasper."
Couldn't he see that she wanted to wallow in her depression for a moment?
She remembered how happy and in sync Jasper and Alice were when they first joined the family. The only mates Rosalie had been around at that time was Carlisle and Esme, and they were madly in love. Seeing how similar the two pair of mates acted, Rosalie assumed that it was like that with everyone's' mate. Alice and Esme described it as the most beautiful firework show ever seen. It was just a consumption of colors and emotions that made one feel good, happy. Jasper explained that it was his saving grace – he assumed that it was like that for all mated vampires even if they hadn't gone through something tragic. And Carlisle said it was simply just knowing. There were no fireworks, no colors, and no saving grace. There was just this intense knowing with the body, mind and soul.
Rosalie groaned quietly. As if her mate's guarded thoughts were not enough punishment.
"Rose," Jasper said when her depression plummeted even further.
Rosalie jumped to her feet, her teeth locked hard enough cut through steel.
"Êtes-vous bien, Rosalie?" Madame Gazmen asked, startled by her sudden movement. By the expression on her teacher's face, Rosalie knew that she looked far from well.
"Excusez-moi," Rosalie muttered, as she darted for the door.
"Jasper, s'il vous plaît allez vous assurer que votre sœur va bien," she said, gesturing helplessly towards Rosalie as she rushed out of the room.
"Qui, Madame," she heard him say.
He followed her to the far side of the building, where he caught up to her and put his hand on her
shoulder.
Rosalie shoved his hand away with unnecessary force. It would have shattered the bones in a human hand, and the bones in the arm attached to it.
"It'll be OK, Rose."
"I know." Rosalie looked down at her shoes, knowing Jasper would catch her lie.
"Was it that bad?" he asked, trying not to project Rosalie's intense emotions, and not quite succeeding at it.
"Worse, Jazz, worse."
He was quiet for a moment.
"Maybe..."
"No, it would not be better if I tried to talk to her again. Go back to class, Jasper. I want to be alone."
He turned without another word or emotion to push upon her and walked quickly away. He would tell the French teacher that she was sick, or ditching, or a dangerously, emotionally out of control vampire ready to snap because she couldn't even get her mate to be comfortable around her. Did his excuse really matter? No.
She wasn't going back. She thought about leaving for the day
She went to her car to wait for third period to end. To hide.
She would return for fourth period, not wanting to miss meeting her mate's father.
Besides, ditching her someday father-in-law's classs wasn't going to leave a good lasting impression.
-Page Break-
As the students started to file out of the school doors, Rosalie got out of her car, not sure why she did it. The rain was nothing but mist now and she ignored it as she slowly fixed her hair.
Did I want her to see me here? Did I hope she would come to speak to me? What was I doing?
Rosalie didn't move, though she tried to convince herself to get back in the car, knowing her emotions were in the wrong with how Kody reacted towards her. She kept her arms folded across her chest and breathed very shallowly as she watched Kody walk promptly towards her car, her mouth turning down at the corners. She didn't look at Rosalie.
A few times she glanced up at the clouds with a grimace, as if they offended her.
Rosalie was disappointed when she reached her car before she had looked up to see the blonde vampire.
Would she have spoken to me?
Would I have spoken to her?
She knew her last thought was ridiculous. She'd find a way to undo the immortality that cursed her body if Kody asked her to. There was nothing she would not do for her mate.
Kody got into a black four door Jeep, a slick, new ride that was younger than she was. Rosalie watched her start the Jeep as the engine purred to life and then held her hands out toward the heating vents. She even threw her rain coat on.
The cold was uncomfortable to her, she didn't like it. She combed her fingers through her thick hair, pulling locks through the stream of hot air like she was trying to dry them. Rosalie thought it was cute how puffed out her hair got from the rain.
Rosalie imagined what the interior of the car would smell like, but the thought was quickly driven out of her head.
Kody glanced around as she prepared to back out, and finally looked in Rosalie's direction. She stared back at the blonde vampire for only half a second, and all Rosalie could read in her eyes was surprise and confusion before she tore her eyes away and jerked the car into reverse.
Like the love sick fool she was, Rosalie stared after her mate's car until she could no longer see it through the mist that was quickly turning into a thick fog.
-Page Break-
"You're leaving?"
Everyone winced at the heartbreak in Esme's voice. She really sounded like a mother then.
"Yes," Edward said softly. He avoided his adoptive mother's sad eyes.
Carlisle pulled his wife close to him, letting her lean on him. "Why, Edward?"
Rosalie saw her brother lost for words, which was an unnerving site. Edward was never one who didn't know what to say. She always felt like he was a walking Encyclopedia, second best to Carlisle.
"I saw Bella Swan, dead." Alice looked over at Edward, showing him her vision.
Rosalie could imagine the picture she had painted for him. Edward's eyes, glowing crimson with fresh blood. The search that would follow. The careful time the family would have to wait before it was safe for them to pull out and start again. And now there would be the emotional trauma of leaving Kody behind.
Rosalie decided then that she despised Bella Swan.
"Stop!" Edward groaned, not able to bear more of Alice's thoughts.
"Sorry," Alice whispered, her eyes wide.
Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie stared at the two of them, watching them closely. They wondered what Alice saw. Whatever it was, it was bad – very bad. It was enough to drive Edward out of town. Next to Carlisle, Edward had spectacular control. He had mastered it to the point where he knew his limits so it was unsettling to see Edward so shaken.
"I'll miss you," Esme said. She hugged Edward tightly. "No matter how short a time you're gone."
Emmett and Rosalie exchanged an apprehensive glance.
So Edward killed one human? Neither of them saw the big deal, Jasper silently agreed.
Alice joined the hug, whispering something into Edward's ear that the others couldn't hear. Edward's absence was going to take a toll on Alice, Esme and Carlisle especially. Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie would get over it.
He would be back soon.
No matter what, they always came back.
Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper stood in the corner in silence. What could they say? Alice would explain when he was gone anyway.
Carlisle touched his shoulder. "You will do the right thing." Carlisle always had been the one to tell them all words of wisdoms, even if it was a lie. "She's Charlie Swan's only family. It would kill him, too."
"I know," Edward said. He only seemed to have agreed with the last part.
He pulled Edward into a hug before he made his way out the door. Jasper and Emmett hugged Edward as well, while Rosalie just nodded at him, letting him know that she thought – that she believed – everything was going to be alright.
He smiled at her, nodding back to let him know that he was grateful.
"It's going to be alright for you, too," Edward said. He had listened to Rosalie's entire inner battle. He didn't have to see the future to know that Rosalie and Kody would be OK sooner or later.
The human girl was just stubborn, like Rosalie.
Edward melted into the woods before Esme touched Rosalie's arm.
"Now, tell me all about your mate." She had a smile on her face, eager to know all about the new daughter she was getting.
Rosalie smiled for a second, too. Her mind instantly brought up Kody's beautiful face; it was never far from her thoughts.
"She's so beautiful," Rosalie sighed. Emmett and Jasper looked at each other, never hearing Rosalie being sappy before. "And she's smart, and funny; she does this cute little thing with her nose when she's frustrated. She paints, too, I think. I caught a whiff when she was sitting next to me. And her scent! She smells so good. Not like I want to drain her dry, though, more like I'll always smile when I smell something like that for now on."
Esme was practically beaming. She was almost as excited as Rosalie was. "She sounds amazing, Rose. What's her name?"
"Kody Moon."
Carlisle's eyes widened. "The new physics teacher's daughter?"
Rosalie nodded her head.
"I met his wife today at the hospital. I'm their family's primary doctor. Isn't that a coincidence?" He chuckled. Rosalie was glad to know that Kody would always been in good hands. "That woman is quite the character."
"I should invite her to my next garden party!" Esme gasped, looking at Rosalie for approval. "We could meet the three of them without worrying about something going wrong."
Rosalie nodded her head. That was a perfect idea.
"That's not such a good idea."
What? Rosalie looked at Alice with confusion.
"Kody's allergic to flowers," she said. "She hates them, actually. I've seen it. Her parents would come, but Kody wouldn't. Her mother would take pictures to bring home so Kody could paint them, though." Alice smiled. "She'd paint a picture of you."
Rosalie stared at Alice in shock. "Really?"
Alice hummed in acknowledgment. "She's really talented. It's going to be so real, like it was taken from a camera."
Jasper smiled. "See, didn't I tell you everything was going to be alright?"
Rosalie rolled her eyes. Jasper was usually the quietest one, but when he was right, he let everyone know.
Carlisle eyed the two blonds. "What happened?"
"Rosalie thinks that Kody doesn't like her," Jasper explained. "I tried to sway her, but you know how Rose gets."
Rosalie glared at her brother.
"Oh, sweetheart," Esme gushed. She pulled Rosalie into a hug. "You have to remember that Kody's human. She doesn't feel as deeply as we do. Besides, how could she resist you? You're beautiful."
Emmett shrugged. "I don't know. Edward said that Kody's straight."
Alice hit Emmett upside the head. He hissed, "What was that for?"
"That's not helping!"
"I'm being realistic here for once." Emmett glared at Alice. He turned to face Rosalie with a small smile on his face. He hated being the logical one, especially if that meant hurting someone's feelings. And he never liked to hurt Rosalie. "She's human, Rose, they have completely different morals and values than we do. So what if your mate is a girl? Vampires don't care. Humans, on the other hand, they care. Some care a little too much. Who knows, being homosexual may be against her religion, or her family's view point."
No one wanted to admit it, but Emmett was right.
Rosalie hadn't thought of that. In fact, she hadn't thought of anything that would make Kody hesitant to start a relationship with her. In her perfect world, Kody felt the same pull that Rosalie felt; then the family shared their secret with her; Kody was changed willingly and they lived happily ever after. There were no grey areas in that perfect, nonexistent world.
It had been faultless, until Emmett had busted her bubbles.
"Emmett is right, Kitty." Carlisle sat down on the other side of Rosalie. Whenever he would call her kitty it made her feel like a little girl. She couldn't remember if her human father had a nickname for her, but she doubted it. He had been a banker and during the time period he couldn't have been bothered with his wife and children.
"I know," Rosalie mumbled as she rested her head on Esme's shoulder. "I just wish one thing could come easy for me."
Carlisle felt his dead heart break for his first daughter. When first turned, Rosalie was closed off and set on a course of revenge. She covered up her hurt and shame through being vain, which was one of the reasons why she and Edward never got along. When it became clear that his two children weren't mates, Carlisle held onto that hope when Rosalie brought Emmett to him. He had anticipated for Rosalie to find her mate in the young man who had been mauled by a bear, but no such thing happened. Rosalie confessed that Emmett's features reminded her of her friend's young son from when she was human, and, because of that, she chose to rescue the dying man.
Emmett had adjusted to his new status in life well, which, after getting to know Emmett, wasn't so surprising. And like Edward, Emmett only loved Rosalie like a sister.
"Just remember, Rose," Alice sang. "The worst things in life come free to us."
Everyone looked at Alice with amusement.
Jasper looked down at his wife in his arm and raised an eyebrow. A soft smile sat on his lips as he stared at her lovingly. "Did you just quote Ed Sheeran?"
"Yup!"
"And used a song that talks about the hardships prostitutes face?" Emmett mused.
Alice rolled her eyes. "We're getting off track here." Leave it Emmett to point out that the song brought attention to the struggles street sex workers faced. "If you want something, work for it! At least then you can say you tried."
Rosalie laughed at her sister. Alice could cheer anyone up. "You know what, Alice? You're right. I'm going to try."
Alice jumped up and down, clapping her hands as she squealed. "Kody is going to be an awesome sister! She's so much fun and really smart, too. And she'll look so beautiful in a dress. She's going to give Emmett a run for his money."
Emmett smirked. "Cool, I'll have a little sister to wrestle with." He cracked his knuckles.
"She's going to take you down," Jasper said with a smirk. "I'll teach her everything I know."
"By that time I'll know all your moves," Emmett egged Jasper on.
Jasper snorted. "I have moves that you haven't seen yet. I've just been going easy on you."
The four other vampires rolled their eyes.
Emmett's face went slack and his eyes were wide. "What? You've been going easy on me?" Emmett threw his head back and laughed. "Give me all you got and I bet you I'll kick your…"
"Emmett!" Esme glared at him.
"Sorry," Emmett mumbled, looking down at his shoes. Esme had the scolding mother part down pact.
With the two settling now, Carlisle turned his attention back to Alice. "Has anything changed with the Swan girl's future?"
Alice checked and shook her head. "She'll live."
"For now," Emmett murmured.
Esme shot him another look and he apologized again.
"As long as no harm comes to her by one of us then we'll be fine." Carlisle was very optimistic, one of the very reasons he was such a good leader.
"Forever the optimistic, that woman."
Rosalie smiled when she thought back to the conversation she had with Kody that early afternoon. She definitely wanted to meet her mate's mother.
Alice began pulling Jasper out the house to go hunt, but she stopped and called out to Rose over her shoulder. "Kody's asleep now, just to let you know!"
-Page Break-
It was past midnight, and Kody's house was dark and quiet, minus her mother's sleep talking. Her Jeep was parked in the driveway, next to her father's car. There were no conscious movements anywhere in the neighborhood. Rosalie watched the house for a moment from the blackness of the forest that bordered it on the east. The front door would probably be locked, but Rosalie didn't want to worry the Moon family of an intruder, even if the door was no issue for her. She decided to try the upstairs window first. Not many people would bother installing a lock there.
Rosalie crossed the open yard and scaled the face of the house in half a second. Dangling from the eave above the window by one hand, she looked through the glass, and her breath stopped.
It was Kody's room.
Rosalie could see her mate in the one small bed, her covers practically burying Kody's body and the sheets were thrown on the floor. As Rosalie watched, Kody twitched restlessly and tossed over on her side, facing Rosalie. She didn't sleep soundly, at least not that night.
Did she sense the danger near her?
Rosalie was suddenly repulsed by herself as she watched her mate toss again.
I'm no better than a peeping-tom. Rosalie shook her head. She's my mate; I just want to make sure she's OK. I just want to see her.
Trying the window, Rosalie noted that it wasn't locked, though it stuck due to long disuse. She slid it slowly aside, cringing at each faint groan of the metal frame. She would have to find some oil for next time...
Yes, she concluded, there would be a next time.
She eased herself silently through the half-opened window. Kody's room was small and disorganized but not unclean. Boxes from the move laid around, some open, some not. There were sketchbooks piled on the floor beside her bed, their covers were closed, and pictures that she probably printed from her inexpensive printer that sat on the floor. Stacks of boxes
supported a laptop that looked like one of the newer versions.
Her shoes were haphazardly thrown in the corner of her room.
Rosalie wanted very much to look through Kody's sketchbooks and take a peek at the pictures she was going to work on next, but Rosalie had promised herself that she would keep her curiosity at bay; instead, she went to sit in the office chair that was in the far corner of the room, looking through a sketchbook that was dated around the time Kody was thirteen.
Had I really thought she was beautiful?
Looking at her now, with her dark hair spread across the pillow and wild around her pale face, wearing a Mini Mouse night shirt and sweatpants, her features relaxed in unconsciousness, her full lips slightly parted, Kody took Rosalie's breath away. Her mate was drop dead gorgeous.
Rosalie stared at Kody's face and tried to think of some way to make tomorrow bearable.
Staying away from her would not bearable. Did that mean my only choice was to try to talk to her again? The others would argue with Rosalie to try to talk with Kody again. Her silence would only hurt Rosalie in the process. There would longer be any meaning to life, no reason to her once miserable existence anymore if Kody decided to have nothing to do with her.
Rosalie remembered back to class today and knew that, that was exactly the right reaction for Kody to have. It was foolishness to imagine that Kody would take to her so quickly. Rosalie even thought of asking her out to the dance. But that was foolish, too. If Rosalie had been the one to ask her to the silly dance, Kody would have made up some mundane plans and probably would have told her that she declined others' offers as well just to pacify the vampire.
To Kody, Rosalie wasn't the one she was destined to say yes to. It was someone else, someone human and warm. And Rosalie could not even let herself think that if someday, when that yes was said, she would hunt down the human and kill him, because Kody deserved him, whoever he was. She deserved happiness and love with whomever she chose.
Even if it would kill Rosalie.
Rosalie knew she owed it to Kody to do the right thing; she could no longer pretend that she didn't love the human girl who had changed her life in one day.
After, Kody was her mate. She was destined to love Kody for the rest of her undead life. And when a vampire loved, it was forever.
Could a dead, frozen heart break? It felt like hers surely would.
"Rosalie," Kody mumbled softly.
She was dreaming of me.
Could a dead, frozen heart beat again? It felt like hers was about to.
"Stay," she sighed. "Don't go. Please...don't go."
She was dreaming of me, and it wasn't even a nightmare. She wanted me to stay with her, there in her dream.
Rosalie struggled to find words to name the feelings that flooded through her, but she knew no words strong enough to hold them. For a long moment, she drowned in them. When she surfaced, she was not the same woman she had been.
Her life had been an unending, unchanging midnight. It must, by necessity, always be midnight for her. So how was it possible that the sun was rising now, in the middle of her midnight?
At the time that Rosalie had become a vampire, trading her soul and her mortality for immortality in the searing pain of transformation, she had truly been frozen. Her body had turned into something more like rock than flesh, enduring and unchanging. Her own self, also, had frozen as it was; her personality, her likes and her dislikes, her moods and her desires; all were fixed in place. It was the same for the rest of them.
They were all frozen. Living stone.
When change came for one of them, it was a rare and permanent thing. Rosalie had seen it happen with Carlisle every time he brought in a new member, and then a few years later when Alice and Jasper joined the family. Love had changed them in an eternal way, a way that never faded. More than eighty years had passed since Carlisle had found Esme, and yet he still looked at her with the incredulous eyes of first love. It would always be that way for them.
It would always be that way for Rosalie, too. She would always love that selfless, strong minded human girl, for the rest of her limitless existence.
Rosalie gazed at her mate's unconscious face, feeling the love for her settle into every portion of her stone body.
Kody slept more peacefully now, a slight smile on her lips.
Always watching her, Rosalie began to plot.
She loved her, and so she would try to be strong enough for her. Rosalie knew she wasn't that strong now. She would work on that one. But perhaps she was strong enough to get to the future in another way.
Alice had seen only one future for Kody, and Rosalie was unsure how to feel about that.
Loving her would not keep her from changing Kody, even if she would never wish her existence on anyone. Yet Rosalie could not feel the monster then and could not find it anywhere in her.
Rosalie understood the future. However, she had been perplexed by Alice's vision. What could possibly happen to result in Kody becoming a prisoner to this immortal half-life? Rosalie would never let that happen, she would never agree to such a thing, but Rosalie could understand how she might, in unforgivable selfishness, ask her father for another favor. Ask him to take away Kody's life and her soul so that Rosalie could keep her forever.
She deserved better.
Deliberately, Rosalie took a deep breath, and then another, letting Kody's scent rip through her like wildfire. The room was thick with her perfume and painting supplies; her fragrance was layered on every surface. Rosalie's head swam, but she fought the spinning. She would have to get used to this, if she were going to attempt any kind of relationship with Kody. She took another deep, burning breath.
Rosalie watched her mate sleep until the sun rose behind the eastern clouds, plotting and breathing.
She got home just after the others had left for school. She changed quickly, avoiding Esme's questioning eyes.
Her mother saw the enthusiastic light in Rosalie's face, and Rosalie could see the worry and relief on her mother's face. Rosalie's long, downhearted had pained her, and she was glad it seemed to be over.
So I know that Rosalie is acting a little OOC, but she just found her mate so I think that's acceptable. And I have to be completely honest, I was never a fan of Edward watching Bella sleep. I mean, he craved her blood for God's sake so why would you sneak into her room in the middle of the night where it would be too easy to kill her? He didn't even understand his feelings towards her until that night and even then he still thought of killing her.
I don't know, maybe it's just me, but Rosalie watching Kody sleep because she's her mate makes more sense.
If you liked this chapter, please favorite this story and review! It would be very helpful to get the next chapter going.
Until next time! xoxo