Chapter Three: Be Safe
"You should lay down for this, it's a lot to take in," Seth suggested as he mentally prepared himself for a long story. I followed his words and looked up at his almond shaped, chocolate colored eyes. He was looking at me too. I could tell he was holding his breath.
"I change my mind!" I hurriedly decided. Seth's face was plastered with shock. I quickly explained, "By the looks on your face it looks like it's horrible news and I don't want to hear it. If it is bad, then I'd have all this time to sulk about it before I'm actually confronted with it. I'd rather wait everything out and have it surprise me."
Seth's shock transitioned into understanding. He gave me a small comforting smile and ruffled my hair. "It'd be easier to comfort you if you had a nightmare instead of…this." By "this" he meant a missing sister in potential danger and a small heart attack. He chose his words wisely.
"How would it be easier," I tested him.
"You know," he hesitated, "If you had a nightmare I could get you a stuffed animal, to keep you company, maybe." He checked for reactions as he said this. My eyebrows were raised and very slightly scrunched together in astonishment as I laughed. "Or I could be your teddy bear," he finished with a joking shrug of his shoulders. He was laughing too now. I picked up one of his pillows to hit his face, making him laugh a little harder. He was so awkwardly cute. Why is he making me laugh in this situation?
The door flew open, revealing a pissed off russet skin colored goddess. "Shut the fuck up, Seth! You know people are trying to sleep at 1AM," the tall goddess growled. She ripped her mocha colored eyes off him and glued them onto me. Her anger faltered and turned into understanding, awe, and slight annoyance.
"Sorry, I hope Mom didn't wake up. We're gonna sleep now anyway," Seth calmly replied.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be that loud," I apologized to both Seth and Leah. Seth's face softened even more as if to say 'don't apologize.' On the other hand, Leah became somewhat more annoyed, but she kind of accepted our apologies and stormed back to what I guess was her room. She left the door open behind her.
Seth got up off the bed (much to my internal pleas), taking the open door as a notation that he should leave as well. "I'm going to go back to sleeping on the couch, but if you need anything, wake me up," Seth insisted.
"I'll be fine," I assured him. "I don't want to bother you guys again." I was being honest, I mean Leah can really rip her voice to a full forced yell. If I were her, I would be a little annoyed too. I also didn't want to wake up Sue; she's been nothing but a sweetheart to me and Courtney.
"Okay. Goodnight then."
"Goodnight, Seth."
"What now, boss?" Embry asked.
"Let's take her to the Cullens. When she turns, she'll have nothing but bloodlust. We don't have much time. I can hear Victoria's body reassembling." Sam thought in reply.
"We ask leeches to help a leech? Isn't that sort of using fire against fire," Paul thought. He meant to keep his thoughts to himself, but his wolf brothers could hear every thought in each other's heads. He looked back down at the girl on the floor. She was rolled up in a ball from being cold and in pain. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she was intensely screaming. Paul's wolf whimpered along with Courtney.
"What the fuck, Lahote? Man up," Paul thought to himself. Quil snorted as a substitute for laughing. Embry stayed quiet
Sam was the first to take action. He shifted back into a human to place Courtney on top of Embry's furry back. He shredded the spare pair of jeans that he previously tied to his wolf leg to make a make shift rope to hold Courtney's writhing body in place. After he was satisfied with himself, he turned back into a wolf.
"Why couldn't you strap her onto my back?" Paul asked Sam.
"You'd be too rough with her. I need you and Quil to watch our backs in case Victoria wants a rematch."
"I'm gentle," Embry praised himself as he started to make his way to the Cullens' house. Paul growled at Embry's somewhat harmless remark.
"Get moving," Sam ordered. His small pack followed his commands and started sprinting towards the Cullens'.
Edward and Carlisle met the four wolves outside their house. "The girl was bitten and she's about to turn soon," Edward informed Carlisle as he speed read each of the wolves' minds. Carlisle nodded and unstrapped Courtney off Embry's back.
"Esme, could you bring our friends some of Emmet's spare clothes?" Carlisle cool-y asked.
In less than two seconds, a 5'6 woman offered the wolves basic outfits. The wolves graciously placed the clothes in their mouths and ran off into the woods to change.
Edward followed Carlisle upstairs. Edward ran to a room and pulled out a contractible hospital bed in front of Carlisle. Carlisle placed the fidgeting and screaming girl on the bed and tied her arms and ankles down with sturdy leather belts that Alice helpfully offered him. In seconds, it seemed like the whole Cullen family was in the same room.
"Who is she?" Rosalie, a beautiful tall blonde, asked.
"We don't know. Sam, Quil, Embry, and Paul brought her to us without her background story," Edward, a copper haired teenaged boy with model like attributes responded
"They were right to do so," Carlisle added. "Can everyone keep watch for whoever has done this?"
"Victoria," Edward said her name through his teeth. He knew this from the information he had when he read the wolves' minds. "She did it. Sorry Carlisle, I'm going to make sure she doesn't even think to go near Bella. She was with another vampire when the wolves were saving this girl. That means there are two idiots to be wary of."
Carlisle nodded in response. There was not much left to do for Courtney now that she was bitten, everyone knew that. They could only wait for her to turn into a vampire.
I woke up with sun shining in my face. Streaks of sun rays were streaming through the wide rectangular window into Seth's room. I did my morning bathroom routine and walked outside the bedroom. I was rubbing my eyes, (I slept in my contacts, woops) which were completely probably red from irritation. I walked down the staircase and into the living room space. The scent of buttered muffins(?) hung in the air downstairs.
"Good morning!" Sue cheerily called from the kitchen. "Leah told me you slept over last night. I hope the boys weren't making any trouble." I shook my rapidly head to that, which caused her to smile again. "I made blueberry pancake batter a while ago. Would you like some?"
"Good morning," I smiled at Sue's enthusiasm. "And yes I would love some. Blueberry pancakes are my favorite. I can cook the batter myself, though. Don't trouble yourself."
"No, honey, I can do it. I heard you had a rough night. It's the least I can do to help out. I'm not taking no for an answer," Sue insisted. Shoot. What did she hear? Who told her what?
"Thank you, Sue. Do you know if my sister is alright?" I gently pressed into a conversation about Courtney. I was still worried. This is our first time in Washington and we have no idea how anything works here.
"Actually, yes I have. Seth and Leah left early a few hours ago to go to their friend's house. They said one of Courtney's college friends found her and is taking care of her. So, they left to see if she was okay," Sue responded. She was pouring pancake batter onto a pan now.
I sat on one of the stools placed under the kitchen island and waited for the pancakes to be ready as I thought to myself. She didn't sound like she was lying, so I guess either Seth or Leah filtered the information to Sue. I didn't want to press further. If Courtney was fine, then I guess there's nothing to be worried about. I mean, it was really fishy that Leah would care about someone whom she never met. I'm going to try not to think about it.
The phone rang and interrupted my thoughts. "Angelina, can you get that for me and tell whoever's calling to call back later?" Sue asks me as she skims through text messages on her on phone.
"Sure." I walked over to the kitchen wall. The Clearwater's still had a telephone attached to a wall, which was a friendly shade of orange and very cute. It looked old fashioned, but it was wireless, to my surprise. I picked up the phone on the third bell. "Hello, Clearwater House. Sue is busy at the moment, but she'd like it if you called back later."
"Oh! Angelina! You're still at our house," Seth's surprised voice spoke over the phone. "It's like 3 o'clock! I thought you'd be home by now."
"Oh, haha. I just woke up, Seth," I sheepishly laughed. I made sure to say his name out loud for Sue to know who was calling. "What's up?"
"Did my mom fill you in on what happened?" Seth's voice cautiously asked.
I nodded my head, forgetting that he couldn't see me. I caught myself after Seth didn't answer. "Y-yeah, she did. She told me you and Leah went to check on Courtney because a college friend found her."
Seth blew out air indirectly to his phone. "Well, yeah that's basically what happened. Courtney caught hypothermia from being in the cold all that time. Her friend is being really protective and she won't let her go home until she's better," Seth lied.
"When is she coming home," I straightforwardly asked.
"A few days," Seth answered with uncertainty tainted around his words.
"Is she okay?"
"She's okay," Seth answered with more confidence. He wasn't lying here. I guess Courtney would actually be home soon. Then, she, herself, can explain to me what's happened.
"I'm going to come home now and I don't think my mom told you this, but we ran out of actual food to eat. So, I'm going to do errands and go grocery shopping. I think Courtney mentioned that you two didn't have any food at your place, so do you want to come with me?"
"I'll come with you then. See you here." I put the phone back in its slot on the wall. I was softly smiling to myself because even though he didn't ask me out on a date or anything, it was just odd by the way he put it.
When I turned around to continue talking to Sue, she was humming to herself as she retreated to her bedroom. She came back out dressed in layers for the cold winter. "I'm going out to a friend's place, if you need anything call my cell phone. I'd like if you'd stay with us, at least until your sister comes home. I called your mother this morning, she's a very nice woman. She wants you to call her as soon as possible," Sue hurriedly spews information at me as she pulls on snow boots and throws a scarf around her neck.
She gives me a small wave as she walks through the wooden door. The patters of rain sounds before the door closes shut. I sat on the counter for a while. Should I really call mom? She would ask why Courtney went ghost on her and I wouldn't want to explain anything. In fact, I don't even know the whole story, so how could I explain. Deciding that it's best to lie and say our phones were dead because we were up every night watching chick flicks was the safest idea, I prepped myself for landing as I hopped off the bar stool. Hoping that the rain softens the snow enough to walk in, I pull on my black combat boots and my green jacket, then walk through the door.
The rain made the snow into slush. I didn't want to ruin my shoes, so I carefully sloshed through the mushy snow and made my way to our vacation house. I heard someone else closely sloshing around behind me. Before I even got to turn around to see who it was, my jacket hood was popped onto my head. It was Seth, he was wearing a light blue hoodie, so I tried to also push his hood on to his head, but he dodged all my attempts. I let out a frustrated huff and kept walking.
"In a bad mood?" Seth guessed.
I nodded and explained, "My mom wants me to call her. I know she's going to ask about my sister. What do I even tell her, Seth?"
Seth contemplated on what I told him. It took him a while until he actually answered. "I think we can get Courtney to call your mom for you."
We reached my front door when I replied to his suggestion, "If Courtney's well enough to talk, then that's a good idea. Is Courtney up for visitors?" I hinted Seth. It's pretty unsettling to be in an unfamiliar place without people you actually know.
Seth shook his head and said, "I think she'll be okay for tomorrow, but I don't want you to risk getting hurt." I raised my eyebrows at him. Why would I get hurt? Seth answered my thoughts, "I mean you can get sick from her hypothermia." He's a very bad liar.
I searched my jacket pocket for my keys and opened the door. "You can come in if you want. I just wanted to change into more comfy clothes," I tell Seth as I slip my boots off. Seth closes the door behind us and slips off his shoes as well.
"Your house actually looks bigger than mine," he small talks.
"I guess, but it's probably because we don't have any actual decorations or anything," I say as I walk up the stairs. I hurry to my bedroom and unzip my suitcase. I dump all its contents onto my bed. I sort through my clothes and pick out a solid red sweater that's a little baggy, but fitting, and thick black leggings (maybe they're jeggings or tight sweatpants?). I change and hop down the stairs when I'm done.
Seth is looking through our fridge and comments, "You literally have nothing in here except a dead, browning apple." He picks up the apple and I see that he isn't lying. He puts it back in the fridge and asks, "Are you ready?"
"I am, but do you want to borrow a jacket? You're only wearing a hoodie," I reply.
"No thanks. I'm overheating in this, anyway." He opens the front door for me and I lock it behind him.
"Are we going by car or?" Seth laughs when I ask this.
"We're going by car," he confirms. We walk to his garage, which is attached to the side of his house. He opens it with a button on his key and invites me inside. I was never good with naming car models, so I couldn't identify what type it was. All I can say is that it was a black sedan. There was an empty spot next to the black sedan, which I presumed was the car that Sue took.
He opens the door for me on the passenger side. I slide into the seat and he straps me in. I raise my eyebrows at him. I can do that myself. "Just to be safe," he says before he shuts the door. He hops into the driver seat and starts the car.
"How old are you?" I ask him. I've been wondering about this for a while. He looks 20 maybe. 19 at least but 24 at most.
"I'm 17," he answers with confusion in his voice. "Why? Do you think I'm too young for a license?"
"No," I laugh, "I was just wondering. I'm 17 and you really don't look my age. I can't believe this. A 17 year old can't be this muscular unless he's been weight lifting for a few years. I doubt he was benching at 14, come on.
Seth pulls out of the garage and driveway with ease. Seth seems to be happy by my response. He tries his best to keep his focus on driving. Sometimes, he glances at me to see if I'm comfortable. I guess he doesn't like that I'm not talking that much.
"When I find out about what really went on with Courtney, what's going to happen?" I decide to suddenly set off the bomb that's been ticking in my head for so long.
I notice Seth grip the steering wheel a little tighter after I said that. He thinks for a long time before he decides the safest answer. "You keep being sisters."
I shiver at his answer and maybe because I'm cold too. Mostly his answer, though. He's not lying to me, but there's something not right about his answer. Seth notices my little shiver and turns on the heat. Why wasn't it on before? He probably thought his body heat alone could keep me warm.
After a few seconds of the heater being turned on, Seth stiffens up at the steering wheel. I can tell he's holding his breath.
"Is something wrong," I ask him. He almost looks like his eyes might tear up.
He nods his head and I try to get answers, "Is this having to do with the scary story that I didn't let you tell me?" He furiously nods his head 'yes' again.
"You're going to have to breathe sometime," I tell him.
He lets out a breath of warm air. He rolls over to a stop and unbuckles himself from his seat and says, "I'm really sorry. I wish you didn't have to see this-"
I cut him off, "Maybe I don't have to see."
Seth gives me a confused look, but decides to brush it off. "Do you trust me," he asks.
"I trust you enough," I answer as I loop my red infinity scarf over my eyes. I can hear Seth nervously move around in his seat. I feel his breath against my cheek for a brief moment before he pecks my forehead. I feel my whole body warm up. "What was that for?"
"Sorry," he apologizes again. "Just stay in the car, okay? Be safe." I hear the door open and close, followed by the beep of Seth's keys locking the doors.
Seth ran through the trees as he ripped his clothes off. He left everything in a trail behind him. He willed his body to shift. The smell of bleach was thick in the air. Seth knew Victoria had to be behind the scent.
"Sam? Paul? Jake? Anyone?" Seth called out to his wolf brothers. He wanted to have someone stand guard over his car, or more importantly, the 5'5 cute-Asian-honey eye colored- girl in it. His heart sank at the thought of her being unprotected, but he knew that taking down the threat was more beneficial to everyone at this point.
"Hey bro, we're onit," Embry assured Seth. Seth also felt Quil's presence.
"We see Riley. He's coming your way, dude." Quil informs Seth.
Seth matches Riley's name to a body sprinting towards him. Seth unlocks his jaws and runs towards Riley. He picks the vampire up with his mouth and just before Seth moves his head to slam the body onto the forest floor, the vampire sucker punches Seth's jaw. This surprises Seth enough to loosen his jaw's grip on Riley's body. Riley pushes his hands against Seth's muzzle and quickly jumps out in vampire speed.
"Listen, I don't want any trouble," Riley sarcastically says as he punches Seth's ribs hard. Seth decides not to give the vampire the satisfaction of a whimper. In wolf speed, Seth grabs Riley with his mouth again and flings him into the air. Quil dashes out from the trees and grabs the body in mid air. Quil slams the body onto the ground and Embry makes sure Riley is securely pinned to the ground.
"What now? We don't have anything to burn his body when we take it apart," Embry notices. Seth realizes that he also doesn't have a lighter or even a few matches. He doesn't want to let Riley go. He's still a threat to everyone. Just before any of the wolves can think things through, Seth feels a hard kick to his stomach and his spine. Seth rolls on the floor in pain. He notices Embry and Quil are down too. No! Four vampires come to Riley's rescue. The vamps retrieve Riley and make a mad dash for their lives before either of the wolves can do anything.
"Shit shit shit shit shit! Should we chase them? I mean we're out numbered, but we can rip their arms off, easy. We just can't make sure they stay dead." Quil thinks in a panicked frenzy.
"Why are their numbers multiplying so rapidly?" Embry thinks in a more calm manner.
Seth doesn't know the answers to either of their questions. He just knows that whatever is happening is bad. He knows that Washington won't be safe for the next few days.
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Hey, guys! When I said I'd update sometime this week, I didn't mean exactly 7 days. My bad. Thank you for reading as always.
Chapter 4 will probably be posted in the next 7 days, too. Look alive people!
