The weekend goes by with surprising speed.
Saturday morning I force Dale to drive me to Newman's Olympic Outfitters, the place everyone's meeting before we head to Port Angeles. If I can't drag him along with me, he's at least going to suffer through being my chauffeur. He whines and complains until I remind him that I never even wanted to go to the movies in the first place.
Mike, whose parents own the store, is the only one there when we arrive. Without any girls around to claim Dale's attention, the two have a surprisingly pleasant conversation. When Jessica and Angela show up, however, it's a different story. Mike and I lean against his Suburban to shake our heads at him. Once Tyler gets there, Dale says goodbye and the rest of us pile into Tyler's van.
The ride to Port Angeles isn't bad. For once, Jessica and I talk about something other than my brother, and the boys keep telling joke after joke, almost like they're trying to one-up each other. Angela and I laugh at the jokes themselves while Jess and I laugh at the boys' ridiculousness.
The movie, a musical, is pretty good. On the ride home, the girls, Mike, and I try to sing the more memorable numbers but Tyler keeps singing off-key and switching up the lyrics to mess with us. I don't tell Dale what a good time I had when he picks me up, but he clearly knows and proceeds to be smug about it for the rest of the day.
We spend most of Sunday singing the movie's musical numbers together. Chris and Cy get so annoyed they lock us out of the room for several hours, but we just keep belting until they let us back in.
By the time I go to bed, however, my playfulness subsides. The Cullens have had an entire weekend to talk over what happened on Friday. Come tomorrow morning, I'll know whether my trade was good enough… or not.
With everyone's sleeping bags beneath me, I toss and turn in the makeshift bed and stare up at the motel bathroom ceiling late into the night. When sleep finally comes, my dreams are haunted by beautiful creatures.
The space is dark and empty. The only light at all shines out from their pale skin. Despite their radiance and angelic features, something tells me to keep my distance. I watch them, seven of them, huddle together and speak in hurried whispers.
One of the creatures, a tall and blonde female wearing a white gown, turns to look at me. Her eyes are deep red. A tall male in a grey, tattered uniform follows her line of sight. His eyes are red, too.
The duo disappears. My heart rate doubles. The remaining creatures don't seem to notice their missing kin. They're all still as statues. Only their blurred lips move. Their red eyes fixed on one another.
A low, threatening sound creeps into my ears. It gets louder and louder, hungrily filling the empty space. My body tremors against the violent roar. I throw my hands over my eyes. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
My head whips around. White hands shoot out from the darkness. The finger-like claws are covered in blood. My blood. I scream and a lightning storm erupts around me.
I wake up in a cold sweat to the sound of shattering glass. In the next room, my siblings fall out of bed and thunder across the floor. I bolt upright in the tub. Cypress bursts through the door with Chris and Dale hot on his heels. Someone switches the lights on.
The mirror above the sink is in pieces. Thousands of tiny shards are spread across the countertop and floor. Thin dark streaks fracture the walls around me, some even reaching the ceiling. A black, palm-sized crater – their starting point – smokes lightly to my right.
"S-Sorry," I choke out.
"Did something attack you?" Chris demands.
I shake my head. "No. Just a bad dream. Sorry."
She scrunches her face while the boys each raise a brow.
Throwing around magic in my sleep was common enough when we were little, but now? Dale can't wrap his head around it.
"Do you… want to talk about it?" Cypress asks.
I shake my head.
He sighs softly then leaves the bathroom. He comes back in wearing his work boots and steps carefully across the broken glass. I stand shakily before he lifts me from the tub and delivers me to the bedroom.
"Dale," he starts to ask, "is there any way you would—"
"I don't mind," he says slipping on a pair of shoes. He goes to the front office and comes back with a broom and dustpan. He sleeps in the tub for the rest of the night.
No one mentions the incident or my excessive use of Mom's brew when morning comes — though Dale does grumble about the lack of a mirror. He spends the entire ride to school checking his reflection in the Bronco's passenger mirror.
Cypress silently rubs my shoulder as I climb out of the car and Dale gently smooths my hair before going off on his own. My eyes flit over the parking lot as Chris and I walk towards the math building. My heart jumps to my throat when they land on the silver Volvo. I swallow hard, trying to force it back into my chest.
This is stupid. I'm a witch for goodness sake. And an Essence at that! What do I have to be scared of? Other than, you know, the usual demons, veiled monsters with dagger-like claws, witches with more greed in their veins than humanity… Rosalie's rage… that look in Jasper's eyes… Edward's inhuman strength…
I shake my head. If there's one thing I don't want to be afraid of, it's Edward.
If it were just up to him, I know he'd honor our trade. I saw him arguing on my behalf in the cafeteria when Rosalie and Jasper were ready to pounce. He was in awe of my actions in the hall and I know he saw his broken desk fall into the dump truck. He can trust me. I'm sure he knows that. I just hope he convinced the rest of his family to trust me, too.
Chris gives me a quick, one-armed hug.
"No fuck-ups today," she mumbles before heading towards her own class.
"No fuck-ups," I echo quietly. The white, blood coated claws from my dream resurface and I shudder. I douse myself with Mom's potion once more for good measure.
"Good morning, Mr. Varner," I greet, entering his classroom.
His face hardens when he sees me but he nods in my direction all the same. "Miss Dagwood."
I spare a glance at where the fire alarm used to be. The school removed what was left of it from the wall. A large scorch mark and the taped-over hole are the only leftovers to indicate it was ever even there. I frown slightly at the mess then turn down my row.
Despite expecting it, it's still unnerving to see Edward there waiting for me. He isn't sitting in his usual spot, either. He's sitting in the desk directly beside mind and smiles as I get closer. Under normal circumstances, I would've smiled back. Probably would've been eager to sit right next to him, too. As it is, all I can do is stare.
Even though he's smiling, he's regarding me carefully. Like an elusive creature that previously slipped under his radar. My carefully crafted cloak of normalcy doesn't fool him anymore. Now, his eyes are sharply focused on my every move, trying to see past that second skin.
But that's not the only thing different about his eyes. Where there should be black and a hint of gold – a beautiful eclipse, a trace of sunshine in a never-ending stretch of night – there are instead bright glittering pools of amber gold.
"Good morning, Amethyst. How was your weekend?"
It takes a few annoyingly long seconds for his words reach me.
"Huh— Wha— My weekend? Oh." I start pulling supplies out of my bag, looking away from him so I can focus. "It was alright I guess. Went to see a movie with some friends. Annoyed my siblings. Rather pleasant actually." Other than the nightmare, of course.
I turn towards him again, unable to fight my curiosity. His eyes are still the same enveloping gold. As if changing eye colors isn't enough of a mind-fuck, the new color itself is just plain… impossible. It almost looks the same color of a hawk's eye or an owl's, but even that's not a proper comparison.
The shade is far too… radiant. An impossible assortment of warm, brilliant colors that blend together perfectly and shine beautifully. Almost inhumanly so. Only a master of transfiguration could even come close to creating such a color — not to mention keeping it in place!
Changing your eye color – if you can even do it – hurts. Your entire eyeball feels like it's on fire. And the greater the difference between one's natural color and the one they want (like near-black to warm freaking honey) the more difficult the transformation is to hold on to.
They say a true master overcomes those setbacks and more, but how in the world is Edward doing that if he's not even a witch in the first place? Chris said they weren't witches – and I trust her judgment more than anybody's – but if not a witch, what the hell else could he be? What else could change its appearance so minutely?
"How was your weekend?" I ask, surprising myself with how casual it sounds.
"Friday was… a bit hectic."
I nod and fold my hands neatly in front of me.
"Saturday was all right," he continues, "but Sunday seemed to last forever." His face pulls into half a smirk. The joke, if there even is one, flies over my head but I still enjoy his smile.
"So, then…" I begin with the utmost caution. "Is everything… okay?"
"For the most part." His grin sobers. "Though I do have some questions for you."
"I don't know what you're talking about—" the phrase peels off my tongue with well-practiced ease and sloppy familiarity— "but I'll answer what I can. As long as you do the same."
He straightens out, one hand curling around the edge of his desk. "You have questions, too."
"Naturally," I nod, "but that wasn't what I was saying."
He quirks a brow. "What were you saying?"
I rub the back of my neck and look up at the ceiling, unsure how to explain it. This is such a strange conversation to be having with a Norm. No. Not a Norm. The Cullens are obviously not Norms. It's an odd conversation to have with someone who isn't a witch.
My mother's had plenty of conversations like this with plenty of magical folks. I've done it once or twice myself with other young witches who recognized my use of magic but not my being an Essence. The basic rule is a simple extension of the first rule of witchcraft: balance. Similar to how you have to be prepared to receive what you send out, in a conversation like this, you have to be prepared to give the same information you ask for.
"Just… whatever you ask me, you have to be able to answer, too. It's not fair for me to answer something then you clam up if I ask the same question. I won't put myself on the line like that."
Edward frowns. "How do you know I won't just ask a question and refuse to answer it later myself?"
"Well asking something like that certainly doesn't help," I say with a grin. It falters when his expression doesn't change. I sigh and glance down at my hands.
"Look, Edward… To be honest, I've kinda already put myself out on the line here. If I can't trust you to have a balanced conversation with me, how can I possibly trust you with anything else?" I squeeze my eyes shut and force the words out of my mouth: "My family can't stay here if I can't trust you with what you know."
"I know the feeling," he mutters earnestly. "But there are things I can't tell you for my own family's safety."
A humorless smirk tugs across my lips. "I guess that makes two of us."
We pause the conversation, taking a moment to stare at each other. It amazes me just how similar our situations are. The details are surely different, but the overlap is still there. He sees that too.
"It seems we're at an impasse then."
"Not necessarily," I argue. "An impasse suggests there's no way to move forward."
"How can we move forward when neither of us can say anything?" he asks raising a brow.
I shrug. "Maybe that's the beauty of it… You can't say anything, and neither can I. Nothing could just remain… as nothing."
He regards me skeptically. "What are you suggesting?"
"You know what you think you know about me," I say softly, inching closer. He does the same, making my heart pick up speed. "I know what I think I know about you. Let's just leave it at that. No questions, no prying, no talking about wrestling or chairs… Just a mutual, unspoken, unaware-awareness. That way both our families can stay out of trouble, nobody has to skip town, and we can all just go about our merry ways."
He eyes (gold, honey, amber, beautiful) widen considerably.
"I need to stay here." I glance down. "At least a little bit longer. It's… complicated but… I'll leave now if I have to but… I'd really rather not."
"I know," he says softly.
I frown and quirk a brow at him.
"I understand how you feel," he corrects a little too smoothly.
I shake my head, brushing the comment aside. Showing him, and myself, it is possible for me to be intrigued by something and leave it alone.
"Do we have a deal?" I ask ignoring how my curiosity thrashes in protest.
Edward stares down at my outstretched hand. He looks up at me and spares Mr. Varner a quick glance. He leans in closer, allowing me an even better view of those impossible eyes of his, then speaks barely higher than a breath.
"Why did you start that fire?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." The words fly from my mouth before I even fully register what he says.
How does he— What makes him think I started the fire? My siblings I can understand, but him? He wasn't even in here!
"Did you do it to get rid of my desk?" he asks in the same quiet, knowing voice.
How is he so sure that's why I started the fire? How does he even know I started it? I never— We were careful when we talked about it! No one was ever close enough to hear us! We could barely hear us!
"I have no idea what you're talking about," I say firmly, turning forward in my seat.
Shit, now what? How the hell does he know this stuff!? Shit, shit, shit, now we really need to leave.
I quickly start to gather my things. If he can't agree to let it be, we have no choice. We've got to leave. Even if it means never seeing Mom again… It… It doesn't matter. We've got to go. It's what she'd want. It's what's right.
"Amethyst, stop."
He puts a hand on my arm, halting me. My heart trills at the contact. I pull my hands into careful firsts, trying to keep my power contained, but I can feel it. Static surges around where our skin meets. It courses throughout my body; over and across my skin, through my bloodstream. This is dangerous. This is dangerous for so many reasons.
He starts to say something when the first bell suddenly shrills. I jolt in my seat at the sound. Electricity shoots down my arm and strikes Edward's hand. His hand jumps into the air at the intense bite. My hand flies after his, grabbing him without thought.
"I'm so sorry, are you alright!? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I swear! I'm—" I freeze.
His palm is still as smooth and white as ever. My brows furrow. I turn his hand over, checking both sides. There's no burn. No blackened skin. No redness. I trace my thumb over his palm. There's not even a speck of irritation.
I feel Edward watching me and look up. He takes his hands and folds them delicately over my own like he's trying not to frighten me. The buzzing in my skin picks back up again.
My eyes jump down to our hands and then back up at him. Has he lost his mind? There's no way he doesn't feel the burning, buzzing, prickling spike of energy on his skin. There's no way he doesn't know this is dangerous. Who in their right mind would willingly hold a lightning rod right after being struck? Better yet… who, or what, could withstand the strikes?
"Just answer me one thing. One thing and I'll agree to your proposal. No more questions after that. We'll leave it all alone."
I stare at him carefully then slowly nod.
"Why? Why did you do all that? The fire, the desk, your… what you did in the hall. I don't understand any of it. Why would you do all that for me? You have yourself and your family to worry about. Why bother helping someone you don't even know?"
"You mean other than the fact that I'm an idiot?" He gives me a look. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding." Sort of.
With a huff, I ponder how to answer him. It's not like I can just blame my dopey actions on this stupid crush. As far as I'm aware, admitting you have a crush on someone only ends one of two ways. Either you start dating – which isn't going to happen – or things get so awkward it's physically painful to be in the same room together. Which is also far from ideal.
Not to mention, blaming it all on my crush wouldn't be entirely truthful. Would I have done the same thing if I didn't have a crush on him? I honestly don't know. But I like to think I would have. After all, my actions go beyond just finding the guy pretty.
"It's my fault my family has to move around so much," I confess. "I slip up or things… start going wrong… We've had to drop everything and run so many times… It feels like we've been running my whole life and it…" I sigh. "It sucks. It's exhausting. And it takes such a huge toll on everyone and I… hate it. So if I can help somebody else avoid all that trouble, why wouldn't I?"
Edward doesn't say anything. My cheeks start to burn and I glance away. I look at his hands and give them a soft squeeze.
"Not to mention… You're a kind soul, Edward. You gave me a second chance after I messed up. No one else has ever done that for me… I had to return the favor. It would've been wrong of me not to."
His face is nearly thunderstruck. It makes me giggle. He turns his head, looking up like someone called his name. I follow his line of sight as a group of our classmates quickly turn from us and hurry to their seats. The buzzing chill of Edward's hands on mine, though anything but uncomfortable, becomes more obvious.
Ah. Right. Mr. too good for anyone at Forks holding the hands of Ms. that flirt's sister. That's bound to catch a few looks.
Edward returns his attention to me as I carefully remove my hands from his.
"Now I have one for you," I say quietly as the warning bell rings. "Do I…"
Looking down at my fingers, I start to wring them together. I'm not sure I actually want to know the answer but my curiosity is killing me. There's so much I want to know. So much I'll have to deny myself to make this work. I need something to hold me over. Otherwise, I'll go mad.
I stop fidgeting and take a breath but can't bring myself to look at him. This is the only question I can think of that won't cause any trouble. Not for him, at least.
"Don't I hurt you? Aren't you afraid of me?"
He doesn't answer right away. My shoulders start to cave and my mind runs a mile a minute. As odd and dangerous as I am, it isn't surprising he feels that way. It's exactly what he should be feeling. But Edward is a kind person. I know that much. There's no way he would come right out and say something so cruel to my face.
Then Edward bursts into laughter. It isn't a loud, hearty roar like Grizzly. It's softer. A warm, gentle sound that envelopes my mind like satin and, somehow, reminds me of a purr.
Me and the rest of the class can only stare as he makes the handsome sound. Some part of me is in awe. This Edward contrasts profoundly with the dark, hostile boy who nearly tore his desk apart just a few days ago.
The laughter is gone as fast as it came. Already, I want to hear it again.
Edward shakes his head. "Not at all, Amethyst," he says grinning. "Not at all."
I stare at him completely flabbergasted. His lips twitch and shoulders shake with a few silent chuckles.
"It's funny how we seem to keep switching places," he says softly, smiling to himself.
I nod mechanically. Couldn't have said it better myself. I shake myself out of my stupor and offer out my hand again. He takes it with ease.
"No questions, no prying, and nothing about wrestling chairs."
"An unaware awareness," he echoes.
We shake on it, smiling gaily at each other.
"Edward Cullen's hand!?"
Jessica stares at me, mouth agape and hands out like she's waiting for me to hand her something. I almost hand her my schoolbag.
"Huh?"
"Edward Cullen's hand!?" she shrills again, shaking her fists. "You were holding his hand in class!?"
I spare a glance at Angela, who's been walking beside me this whole time. She looks just as surprised as I am that Jessica already knows.
"Who told you that?"
"Uh, who hasn't told me about that?" she scoffs. She points to the desk beside her. "Sit."
A small surge of static runs between my fingers. "Excuse me, I'm not a dog. And that's Angela's seat."
"No, no, it's fine," Angela says quickly. She hurries to my usual chair and sits down.
I frown at her.
With a loud huff, I march over to the seat and slouch down. Arms crossed, I openly glare at Jessica while she stares expectantly.
"Well?"
"Well, what?"
"What happened?"
"You've already heard, apparently."
She rolls her eyes and shakes her head at me. Then she pauses a second and says, "C'mon, Am. We're friends, aren't we?" She pouts on cue. "Friends are supposed to tell each other everything."
I roll my eyes with such gusto my head ends up rolling as well. "Spreading rumors is a Forks High national pastime. Whatever you heard is probably more interesting than what actually happened anyway."
"Please?" She pouts again. When she sees it isn't working she huffs and starts to whine. "At least tell me if they're true or not?"
"Well, that depends," I say sitting up, curious myself. "What are the rumors?"
Jessica beams, probably thinking I've given in, then leans in closer. "They say you and Edward were whispering together and holding hands before first period and giggling. And that he switched seats to be closer to you. Everyone's been saying you're dating."
I raise a brow at her, not sure whether to believe that last bit. "Jess, you're the one who told me Edward doesn't date, remember?"
"Yeah, but that was before."
There's that word again. Before. Before what exactly? Before I showed up and got stuck in his stupid, beautiful, color-changing, not-Norm eyes?
"Angela," she turns on the quiet girl, "was she or was she not whispering and holding hands with Edward before class?"
Angela stares like a deer in headlights. She fidgets nervously and glances at my expressionless face. Perhaps looking for a clue for how I want her to respond. I don't give her any.
"Well… I didn't get there until the bell rang so I don't really know…" She glances sheepishly my way. Again, I give her nothing to work with. "Um, but they did shake hands?"
Jessica looks to me. I nod. She deflates a little and pulls a face.
"You shook hands? That's it?"
I give her a simple smile, letting her come to her own conclusions.
"And you're not dating?" Her voice goes up a little bit as she asks. Like she's torn between wanting me to date him for the gossip and not wanting me to date him out of spite.
"I don't know what you're expecting me to say here, Jess. You told me Edward doesn't date and I told you I don't date either."
"But you said it yourself that he was hot!"
"You said he was hot," I say pointing. "I said… I don't remember what I said exactly. He's definitely handsome and all, but neither of us date. Ergo, we cannot be dating."
Jess huffs and faces forward in her seat. She puts her chin in her hands and pouts.
I follow her lead and look to the front of the room as well. A small, victorious smile curls onto my lips.
"So what were you shaking hands and laughing for?"
My smile falters as I turn in my seat to face Lauren. Unlike usual, her green eyes are curious and attentive. Jessica immediately pops out of her funk.
"Yeah, and did he really switch seats to sit next to you?" she asks.
Oh, just kill me now.
I quickly latch onto the lesser question and ready my trump card.
"Well, yeah, but I mean… It was only one seat. If Dale likes a girl, he'll move across the entire room to sit next to her. That or always try to eat lunch with them." I make a pondering face. "Actually… he's kind of been sitting at our table quite a bit now that I think about it. He usually sits with the girls he finds prettiest in the school …"
I pause purposefully, then glance quickly at all three of them. Lauren and Jessica's eyes start sparkling. Angela turns a bright red. I hum curiously, loud enough for them to hear me, then turn forward in my seat, looking thoughtful.
There's a pair of high pitched squeals to my side. I quickly hide my smirk as Mr. Mason glances in the direction of our little group.
The bell eventually rings and the giddy girls graciously walk me to Mr. Banner's room. Angela leaves me with the same kind wave as always but Lauren smiles and waves rather than ignore me. Jessica straight up hugs me. I stare after them and pinch my cheek.
As I watch them go, Alice turns the corner with Edward at her side. They walk to the space between Building 3 and 4. Edward hunches over slightly as he mumbles to his petite sister. His eyes flash over her head and meet mine. They're still gold.
I pinch myself once more for good measure.
"Hey, Amethyst," Tyler says walking up to me with Kyle at his side.
"What, no horde of girls doing your brother's bidding today?" Kyle asks shielding his eyes from the nonexistent sun as he scans the horizon.
"Not yet," I grumble rubbing my cheek.
"What happened?" Tyler asks as we enter the classroom.
"Lauren smiled at me. And then Jessica hugged me."
The boys make faces at me.
"So?"
"Isn't that normal?"
I stare at them. I pinch my cheek one more time. They make faces again and share a glance.
"Today's been a little off for me," I confess.
"Does you and Cullen dating have anything to do with it?"
I stumble over my own two feet, nearly tripping with how fast I spin to face them. "Not you two, too!"
"So you are?" Tyler presses.
"Pinching isn't working; I think I need to upgrade to slapping myself," I grumble, dragging my hands down my face. "No. Edward and I were only talking. I don't know why everyone suddenly thinks we're an item."
"Mike said you two were holding hands," Kyle says.
"Jessica hugged me. Am I dating her too, or is that more of a getting married kind of thing?"
"So you're not dating Cullen?" Tyler asks again.
I roll my eyes, half wishing I could use the Dale card on him. "Come on now. I just met the guy last week. Who dates a person after barely knowing them a week?"
Tyler slings an arm over my shoulder and smirks. "Baby, I can do a lot with a girl in just one week."
My mouth drops in surprise and I start sputtering nonsense.
"There you are, Amethyst!" Alice dances down the aisle toward me. "I've been looking all over for you!"
I reach out to her and she easily pulls me away from the boys. She starts going on and on about some cute clothes she bought online over the weekend, telling me all sorts of things about the color and cut. I nod along eagerly, as though my life depended upon this information.
From the corner of my eye, I watch Tyler and Kyle stare at us for a second. They grumble something about girls being weird before moving towards their table at the back of the room.
I sigh softly as they leave. "Thanks, Alice."
She smiles and nods. She continues to talk fashion, only slightly less serious than before, until Mr. Banner starts his lesson.
The rate with which rumors get thrown around this school is truly astounding. The truth seems to plod along at a sloth-like pace in comparison.
I was very careful in Gym. Perhaps too careful. Perhaps the small, impersonal smile I sent in Edward's direction was too small. Too guilty. Like someone trying to hide the truth rather than kill a rumor. It doesn't help that a sizable part of me would like the rumor to be true. Or maybe even just remotely possible. But it's not.
Anyway, my plan for gym had been to stand on the sidelines with Lauren and ignore the rest of the world (Edward included) until the bell rang. Instead, Coach Clapp swapped our teams around, leaving me and Edward on the same one. The conspicuous glances our classmates keep sending us is torture. Flat as I try to keep my expression, I can't stop the red-hot blush on my cheeks.
Once all is said and done, I've lost Lauren and Samantha to different teams. Alice is on the same one as Kyle now, but they're not with me either. The only person I know on my new team besides Edward is Zac.
"Aren't you gonna go stand by your boyfriend?" he asks with a mean sort of grin as we start spreading out for the first game.
I groan and throw my head back, answering loud enough for the people around us to hear. "For the love of—! Edward and I aren't dating! I just met him last week! Does that mean nothing to you people!?"
Zac laughs then pats me on the shoulder. "No need to get so defensive, Am. Only asking cuz of what I heard."
"Defensive? No. Annoyed that people keep ignoring or undermining what I say in favor of secondhand gossip? Yes!"
"Yeah, I figured he wasn't your type anyway."
"I don't have a type." I huff and try to fight back another blush by running head first towards the ball.
At lunch, I don't even notice when Dale walks into the room. One second I'm trying to just focus on my damn pizza and not the people staring at me. The next, Dale forces himself into my head so quickly I nearly drop my pizza.
What the hell, you ass-hat!? You nearly made me—
IS IT TRUE?! He screams. The thought is so painfully loud I wince and put a hand to my head.
Someone outside asks if I'm okay. I grunt in response and set my pizza down for safe keeping.
Is what true? Edward and me dating?
YES!
No! Of course we're not, stupid! Even as I think it though, my cheeks start to flush. Part of me does wish I could date him but—
I HEARD THAT!
I press my hands harder against my skull. Someone on the outside puts their hand on my shoulder and asks something. Another hand goes to my back and another to my forearm.
A warm, hazy feeling moves around my head — Fogger. The creature is more cautious than it's ever been. I can't even focus long enough to brush it aside.
STOP SCREAMING, YOU IDIOT!
Ow!
Yeah, 'ow'! So quit it!
But—
But nothing! Conversation over! Go near the Cullen table and I will tell everyone in this school about the Maddison Clark incident!
With that, I cut the connection and look up to find the table staring at me. I grumble some sort of excuse and go back to my food with a sour expression.
Jessica is sitting smack dab next to me. Probably because I'm the talk of the town today. It makes it harder to ignore her obnoxious sigh.
"He didn't even come over to say hi," she murmurs, looking longingly in my brother's direction.
I roll my eyes, grateful he didn't. Anything more out of him and I might've been sent to the principal's office.
Dale takes a seat with a group of senior girls. Three of them share drama with Jess, Rosalie, and I, but I recognize the rest of them from his zombie hoard on Friday. He's lamenting to them about something or other… Probably about how bad I treat him. I don't know or care.
The lunch period eventually starts winding down. A few people are still sending me suspicious glances when they don't think I'm looking. I peek up at the clock on the cafeteria wall, which still runs about four minutes too fast. I'm not sure how much more of this I can take. My own friends keep eyeing me suspiciously. Though whether it's because of the Edward thing or my little "headache" I can't be sure.
Suddenly, a nearby chair scraps harshly across the floor. Turning my head to the sound, I watch a large boy march up to Dale's table.
I nudge Jessica softly. "Who's that guy?"
She glances briefly. "Ryan Smith, a senior. He plays on the basketball team and he's dating Lilly Parker."
"Lilly Parker?" The name rings a bell.
"Yeah, the redhead your brother's sitting next to," she says not even trying to hide her jealousy. "She's a senior, too. She was on the cheer squad last year but she didn't sign up this season. I heard it was because of her mom's—"
"Lilly Parker?" I say again, trying to place the name.
The boy, Ryan, looms over Dale's table. He glares at my brother as he speaks.
Jessica huffs. "Yes. Lilly Parker and her boyfriend Ryan." She keeps talking but I don't listen.
Ryan jerks his finger at Lilly then at himself. His voice is getting loud enough for me to start hearing over the room's regular chatter.
Dale glares and rises from his chair, a few inches taller than the boy but nowhere near as muscular.
"Lilly Parker and her boyfriend," I mumble.
The boys get closer to each other, Dale practically burning with righteous fury. I squint at the scene in front of me then, without reason, turn towards the Cullen table. The whole family is standing, their lunches untouched, and making their way towards the door.
Alice glances in my direction and does a double take when she sees me staring. She pauses, eyeing me with a half nervous expression. There's something I'm missing. Something on the very edge of my memory. I scrunch my brow in thought. It has something to do with Alice, Dale, and Lilly Parker's boyfriend… Something Dale shouldn't do. Something that could happen to him.
"Dale… and Lilly Parker's," my head slowly tilts to the side, "boyfriend…"
Alice's eyes widen. The memory hits me and my eyes widen, too. I stare at her in shock. Then I'm out of my seat and running over to my brother. Jessica calls after me.
There's hardly any space between the boys. It's sheer luck and momentum that I get there in time to knock Ryan's fist off course. Thanks to me, his knuckles fly past Dale's face and completely miss his nose.
"Gentlemen," I say forcing a grin as I wedge myself between them. "Let's be civil and keep the bloodshed to a minimum, shall we?"
"I'm all for civility, Sunshine," Dale growls trying to move forward. I have to keep my hands on Ryan's chest to keep them apart. "But some people need help understanding they don't own others."
Ryan starts pushing against my hands. My arms shake as he presses hard against my restraint.
"Hey, fuck you, man! Lilly's my girlfriend. I don't want her hanging out with some man-whore like you."
"Lilly, for whatever reason, decided to let you be her boyfriend. She also decided to let me be her friend. You don't have a say in that."
"Oh, so I'm supposed to be okay with you fucking my girlfriend?"
"Ryan!" a girl shrieks. "I am not— We're just— I can't believe you!"
"For the record, Lilly and I haven't done anything. But even if we had, that wouldn't be up to you," Dale says almost sounding calm. But the rage is there. I can feel the hot swells bubbling up and seeping through my back like magma. My whole body is starting to burn with his fury.
My hands claw into fists to keep rogue surges contained but I don't dare move them from Ryan's chest. I try to channel the energy from my limbs into my back, hoping if I do shock someone, it's Dale. Just enough to make him back off or shut up or crumble to the floor.
It doesn't matter. As long as Ryan doesn't feel the bite too, it doesn't matter.
I grit my teeth, fighting back the electricity swimming through my blood and across my bones.
"Dale. Knock it off. Now."
"Yeah, Dale," Ryan mocks. "Knock it off before your wittle sister get mad."
My eyes snap to his. He jerks back instinctually and not a moment too soon. I fiercely shove my hands under my arms as small flecks of lightning dance between my fingers.
Ryan's eyes are almost bulging. On some level, he recognizes that what's in front of him is not the same as him. Not human in the way he's human. More powerful than him in ways his waking mind can't fathom. But he ignores his subconscious and glares at me again.
Dale chuckles at the display. He starts to ruffle my hair. I feel – and hear – the static. He puts his other hand on my shoulder. He's so proud of me. It pisses me off more.
"If there's anyone in this school you should definitely not piss off, it's one of my widdle sisters. They'll turn you into dust like that." He snaps his fingers.
I spin to glare at him. His hands are off me and up in the air in an instant. He takes a large step away from me but he's still smiling. Still so proud of me for scaring the obnoxious Norm. I roll my eyes and turn back to Ryan taking a deep breath.
With some space between us, it's easier to filter through my own thoughts and emotions. I'm not the one who's angry. Annoyed and embarrassed for this ridiculous display of testosterone, but not angry.
"Listen, Ryan," I say taking another deep breath. "My brother may be a flirtatious idiot but he knows where to draw the line. If you really have that big of an issue with your girlfriend hanging out with him, maybe you should talk about it with her in private rather than try to act all macho in front of a crowd."
Ryan looks at me oddly. He wasn't expecting something so calm to come out of me. But then he glares again and starts to move forward. A small hand appears on his shoulder and digs its nails into him. He winces loudly and jumps away.
"Take another step, jock," Chris says with a sneer, "and I'll snap your leg in half."
Ryan stares at her, clutching his shoulder. He glances over at me, then to Dale.
Smugly, Dale softly snaps his fingers. His smirk radiates off him. I hear him say, "Like that," though I'm not sure if it's in our head or out loud.
"Fine. Whatever," Ryan recedes. "Have fun with this loser, Lils," he says to the redhead. "At least I don't hide behind two little girls."
Chris scowls and takes a step closer to Ryan. "Excuse you?" she hisses. He jerks back like she's already stabbed him.
"Chris," I gently put a hand on her shoulder. "That's enough."
She turns her glare on me a moment, then scoffs and folds her arms. Ryan takes one more look at the three of us, then Lilly, and then behind us. He grumbles something then stalks off in the other direction still clutching his shoulder.
Chris shakes her head. "Next time, just let him get punched," she says returning to her own table. "His stupid ego needs it."
I hum in agreement, sending the culprit an annoyed look. He just grins.
"Thanks for coming to my rescue, Sunshine," he says ruffling my hair.
He's so stinkin' happy it makes me want to puke. You mess with one Dagwood, you mess with us all. That's how this family works and he loves it.
"Yeah, well," I slap his hand away and punch him in the arm, "I just didn't want to deal with you whining about a bloody nose or whatever."
"Love you too, sister mine," he says rubbing his arm.
He turns back to his table and sheepishly starts to apologize to Lilly, who forgives him quickly. All the girls at the table start to praise his bravery (stupidity) and chivalry. Stupid wannabe Gryffindor. Dale chuckles.
I slip away from the scene, sighing softly, then pause. Most of the Cullens are watching me from beside the door. Their stares are unsettling to say the least.
Alice is still holding her tray. She looks like she hasn't moved at all since I bolted from my chair. Edward is a little further from the rest of them, like he had been walking towards the commotion before stopping halfway. I give them an awkward grin and a small wave before quickly turning my head.
Just as I reach my seat, the thick crackling sound of someone picking up a receiver echoes through the cafeteria. The bell rings as the person on the intercom starts to say a student's name. I grab my things as the woman clears her throat and repeats herself.
"Amethyst Dagwood to the front office. Amethyst—" there's a loud sound of someone smashing their fist against a table and nearly breaking it. My sister's glare burns into the back of my head "—Dagwood to the front office." The receiver gets put down, creating another crackling noise, before the ancient system is shut off.
I glance cautiously in Chris's direction. She's beyond pissed. My hands shoot up innocently as I shake my head. I haven't done anything to warrant being called to the office today. Not to my knowledge at least.
Chris sends me one more scathing, suspicious look then starts gathering her things.
"What did you do?" Jessica asks walking up to me.
"Nothing I'm aware of. Maybe Mr. Greene heard the gossip and wants to know if Edward and I are dating, too."
She rolls her eyes at me. "Whatever. I expect a full report of what happened between you and Ryan when you get to Drama."
I hum before heading to the front office. The same redheaded woman from my first day, Ms. Cope, glances up as I enter the warm room. She smiles kindly at me.
"You've got a phone call, dear, from your brother," she says picking up the phone. "Mr. Dagwood?" she says into it. "Yes, she's here now… You're welcome." She offers it to me.
The cord is just long enough to reach over the front counter. I put the phone to my ear and the woman turns to the computer in front of her.
"Cy? What's going on?"
Ms. Cope glances in my direction at the urgency of my voice then quickly goes back to her computer. So much for subtlety.
"Hey, Amby. Nothing serious, calm down." My shoulders immediately relax at his deep, easygoing tone. "Just reminding you I'm picking you guys up straight after school."
"You are? What about work?"
There's a slight pause. "I just left?"
"You did? Why?"
"Because? I told you last night… er… did you forget? I'm going to try and get the house today, remember?"
"Oh." I smack my head.
That's right. Cy had told me late yesterday that he was getting out of work early to do that. He told me in private, so of course the other two hadn't brought it up. It doesn't do any good getting their hopes up when his credit score is less than stellar.
"Right. I guess I did forget, sorry."
"It's fine. I also got a call from one of those places I dropped off your résumé. The diner? The owner asked if you'd be willing to have an interview today."
"Alright. What time is that at?"
"I said I had to check if you had any after school things going on today."
I frown in confusion. "What do you mean? You know I don't do after school stuff."
"No, I know. I just wanted to make sure you were in an okay headspace."
My scowl deepens. I glare at the receiver, hoping Cypress can somehow see me through the old scuffed-up phone.
Ms. Cope turns in her chair to search through her desk for something, briefly peeking up at me as she does so.
"You know," he continues, mumbling, "since you didn't sleep great last night and all…"
"I'm fine, Cy," I sigh. "Please call them back and tell them today is fine."
"Will do." In my mind, I can see him nodding once. We say our goodbyes and I hand the phone back to the eavesdropping woman. She writes me a note to excuse my tardiness and I thank her before heading out.
It takes me a second to remember Dale's 5th-period class, but I soon start heading towards the math building. I don't know exactly which room he's in so I just glance into each open doorway and feel around for our connection. Once I find it, I latch on and quickly tell him to get his butt to the front of the school as soon as he can after 6th period. He tries to ask why but I cut the conversation before my mind accidentally wanders and gets him excited.
After that, I go straight to the gym. Chris spots me immediately. She scowls and storms over, stopping in front of me with her arms crossed.
"Relax, kiddo," I say with a half grin, "it was just a call from Cy."
"What did he want?"
"Just to tell everyone he's going to be picking us up right after school. You won't have time to make up your detention today."
She frowns again. "Why?"
"I have an interview. See you then, okay?"
She nods and goes back to her game.
When I finally get to Drama class, Mrs. Taylors is in the middle of a Shakespearian-like monologue. I hold up my tardy slip to her and she motions to put it on her director's chair, not missing a beat in her delivery.
Jessica is in the middle row pouting. There aren't any open seats near her. I send her a halfhearted smile and she huffs.
A pair of hard eyes glare at me from the far back corner. The image of Rosalie's rage resurfaces once more. This time, accompanied by the long, bloodied claws of the monsters from my dream. I shut my eyes and squeeze my fists tightly.
I try to be as quiet as I possibly can but the seat creaks under my weight. It sounds obnoxiously loud to me, but no one else seems to notice it. I turn very slowly to look at Rosalie. Even with such a dark expression, she's still freakishly pretty.
"Would you like to talk about it?" I ask quietly.
She sets her stony glare forward. "I have nothing to say to you."
"But you are worried."
She snaps that same haunting, hate-filled glare my way. My heart rate skyrockets and I jump. I don't fall out of my seat this time though, so that's something.
"Don't you dare act like you know what I'm thinking. Don't you dare assume your situation is anything like mine." There's a low, growl-like sound to her voice.
I shake my head slowly. "I don't. I'm sure it's very different. But it's your family… Anyone would be worried. That's all I meant." I pause, waiting for her expression to change. It doesn't. "Edward told you about our deal, didn't he?"
"Of course he did," she says sharply.
"Are you alright with it?
"Does it matter?"
"Well… Yes." My deal was with Edward but his whole family knows about me. That's a heck of lot more than I can say about what my family knows about him. "I want you to know you can trust me to keep my end. And I want to know I can trust you to do the same."
"I made no deal with you."
I shrug. She waits for me to say something. I don't.
Eventually, her frown deepens and she glares down at her desk. "I don't like it. I think you know too much as it is, and this deal of yours," she sneers, "is just going to get my family in trouble sooner or later."
"I think you and your family know more about me than the other way around," I say shaking my head.
"Oh, really?" she patronizes. "Then why did you go running over to your brother so suddenly?"
I blink. "When?"
"At lunch."
"Oh." A pause. "Oh. Well, he was being stupid and it looked like he was going to get into a fight. Anyone would've done the same thing."
"You weren't even looking at him. You were staring down my sister."
"I wasn't staring her down. Or didn't mean to anyway. I was just thinking about what to do and happened to look her way."
"Is that all?" she scoffs, clearly knowing better.
"Yes. That's all. I'd say the same to anyone else who asked as well."
"And in truth?"
"In truth…" I pause, thinking carefully about my answer. "In truth, I know nothing with certainty and I'm doing my best to keep it that way."
Even as I say this, I can feel my curiosity tugging at what I already know about the Cullens. Trying to make connections and figure out more. I do my best to shut down that part of my brain by staring straight into the eyes of the woman who terrifies me more than just about anything.
Her eyes. Her eyes are gold now. My mouth pops open. I snap it shut quickly. Her glare intensifies, becoming suspicious.
They… Both hers and Edward's have changed but… how? How in the world is that possible? I didn't expect it to be possible for anyone else to have that same brilliant eye color. Heck, it shouldn't even be possible for Edward to have it in the first place! And yet here I am, staring into swirling pools of amber once again.
I try to think back to Alice's eyes. Were they still black and gold this morning, or had they changed as well? Am I losing my mind?
Rosalie's newly honey colored eyes, darker than Edward's, narrow sharply as if I just proved I can't be trusted. Great. Now I'm even more of a threat. I sputter out the first that comes to mind.
"You think it would be better to kill me."
I nearly smash my face into my desk. Where did that come from? God, I'm so stupid. Why the hell did I say that? Jesus fricking—
"I do."
My eyes bulge at her honesty. Despite my terrible accusation — and her even more terrible acknowledgment — the suspicion in her eyes eases.
"I think you know too much," she says again, then sighs, "but Carlisle would never allow it. Not to mention from what Alice says, you—" she stops herself. It takes her a moment to continue. "And, anyway, with what you did for that moron on Friday…"
She sighs once more. She glares at me again but it's not nearly as powerful as before. It's more frustrated than angry — a look I am much more comfortable with.
"I don't like this deal. I don't like leaving you to just know what you know and hope you don't go prying. But I know what you are—" my heart drops "—to him."
Her glare intensifies as my face falls. My thoughts halt as that glare sweeps over all of my features. She judges my imperfections, compares my static mousy mess of hair and mile-wide pores to her silky golden tresses and smooth, flawless skin. It's not long before she dials it down. Her glare is replaced with glowing self-assurance. Whatever she sees in me cannot compare to what she sees in herself.
"Well," she reconsiders, "might be. More or less, anyway. I don't see how a… person like you could possibly be the one he would choose. Regardless," she continues so quickly and elegantly there's barely enough time for my blood to start boiling, "if I hurt you now, it would only end up hurting myself and my family."
I am utterly lost. And pissed. And confused. And fucking pissed.
When she said she knew what I am, my mind instantly jumped to her realizing I'm an Essence. But then the rest of her sentence threw me off.
What I am to him? To Edward? Nothing. I can't possibly be anything to him. For his own good, and mine, I am nothing. End of story.
And what the hell was with that look? Rosalie is undoubtedly prettier than me and every other girl here, but that sure as shit doesn't make her better than me.
I am a mother fucking Essence. Possible Talents or no, she is nothing compared to me.
Damn right if she tried to hurt me now she'd get hurt. But not for whatever reasons she's thinking of. I could snap my fingers and set her hair aflame. I could glare and watch her body thrash with convulsions. I could spit in her eye and have it burn out of her skull.
At that thought, an old, hazy memory resurfaces. The only point of clarity is a small boy's face. He clutches his eye, shrieking in pain as the adults rush to his aid. Someone snatches me into the air and we're running. Running like we always do. The poor boy's face is plastered across the news for weeks. Each new picture showing the angry, broken, burning skin spreading further beyond the patch over his empty eye socket.
I shiver violently and shake my head, digging my nails into my skin.
No. None of that. Never again.
"Now… Now I really don't know what you're talking about," I say softly. "I'm nothing special. Just some… weird nobody trying to keep her head down."
"Good," Rosalie scorns, satisfied as she turns forward. "Keep it that way."
I shut my locker with a sigh. I don't know how I'm going to make it through this interview. It's only Monday afternoon and already I'm wishing for Death's sweet embrace. Maybe Cy was on to something. Maybe an interview today isn't such a good idea. My mind's not in the right place to come up with a million reasonable lies on the spot and deliver them just right.
Rubbing my face, I make an annoyed sound. Why does life have to be so difficult? Why can't everything just be hunky-dory and wonderful like in Disney movies?
"Amethyst?"
I sigh, dropping my hands, and greet Edward lamely. He's got a guilty look on his pretty face.
"Uh oh," I tease. Just seeing him makes me smile. "What'd you do?"
He frowns and glances to the floor, making him look even more guilty. I bite my lip to keep from giggling.
Ugh. Giggling. At a boy. Dale would be ecstatic.
"I wanted to apologize."
"Oh." I make a face at him. "What for? You haven't done anything wrong… Have you?"
He shakes his head. "Not intentionally. But you and I have been the focus of the school today and..."
I hum in agreement as a pair of girls glace our way, then start whispering.
"Well, you don't have to apologize for that," I say. "It's a little annoying but it isn't all that bad. I'm sure they'll find something else to talk about tomorrow. In fact, I'm surprised no one's talking about that whole fiasco at lunch."
"They are—"
"Of course they are," I grumble.
"—but that isn't what I wanted to apologize for. Rosalie…" He pauses for a brief a moment, collecting his words. "She'd heard the rumors as well, and once I told her about our... deal," the word comes out in a strange mix of strain and elation, "she was more upset about it than I imagined she'd be. It… left me thinking she might say something that would leave you with a poor impression of us. So I apologize for any unpleasant conversation the two of you might have had during class."
I quirk a brow towards him. "So, wait, you want to apologize for something rude you think your sister might have maybe, possibly, perchance said to me?"
"When you say it like that it sounds—"
"Silly? Unnecessary? Good, because it is. You have nothing to apologize for, Edward. It's all fine."
He frowns, confusion pulling at his brow. "Are you sure? I thought… I was sure Rosalie would say something to upset you…"
Only, he doesn't just sound 'sure'. He sounds as if he'd been sitting right next to us, watching the whole conversation unfold.
I glace skeptically in his direction. Is that sort of thing even possible? Maybe astral projection… but he's a bit young to be able to do that at the drop of a hat. Even if he could, I'm sure his teacher would've noticed him 'meditating' in the middle of class and snapped him out of it. And, again, Chris said they weren't witches so—
No, no, no. I shake my head and keep walking. I'm being ridiculous. He probably just knows his sister very well. I could be just as sure about Chris doing the same thing if I knew she was angry enough. This is nothing to get curious over — which I'm not supposed to be doing anyway.
"Is something the matter, Amethyst?" he asks warmly.
My head automatically turns to the sound. The combination of honey dripping from his voice, the charm of his smile, and the glittering warmth of his eyes makes my heart stumble.
There's a moment of weakness. A moment where I can do nothing but bask in the tender, fluttering feeling in my chest. But it's only a moment. I shake my head harshly, forcing myself to glare at the ground as I continue walking.
"Please don't do that."
"Do what?"
"That," I say squishing my eyes shut and pressing my nails into my palms to fight off his bewitchment. "It irritates me when you talk to me like that."
"It does?" he chimes in surprise.
"Yes. It reminds me of my brother. So don't do it."
"Like Dale?"
I nod as we reach the lockers by the Front Office, the spot my siblings and I usually meet after school. I frown and glance around. An abnormally large group of students is still hanging around the parking lot. Most of them are crowded around a grassy area near the forest edge. But my siblings aren't with them.
"How do I remind you of Dale?" Edward asks, watching crane my neck to try and spot Bean Pole or the Tiny Hulk.
"He does the same thing when he's trying to sidetrack girls from something," I tell him honestly. "He, like, tries to dazzle them. Make them swoon and forget all about everything but himself. It annoys me that you think I'm just as easy to fool."
There's a pause. "I don't think you're easy to fool."
I stop and give him a disbelieving look. He meets my stare genuinely. But how genuine can someone be when their eyes change color on a weekly basis? A humored smirk tugs at my lips.
"Uh huh. Sure, Edward. You were totally trying to dazzle me because you didn't think it would work. Mhm. Yup. Because that's definitely why people do things. Indubitably."
He looks down and puts his hands in his pocket. Despite the guilt hanging in the back of his eyes, there's also a twitch of a smile. I point it out.
"See? See? You're smiling. You are insurmountably guilty, sir."
He turns away from me but not fast enough to hide an actual smile blooming across his features.
"Caught in the act! And see? You're even laughing at me now! Laughing!" I say nearly laughing myself. "The audacity!"
He glances back at me, trying to fight down a grin as his shoulders start to shake. I poke his chest between my words, purposefully ignoring how rock solid he is.
"Guilty. As. Charged. Sir."
He lets out a few pearls of laughter, the sound somehow reverberating in my chest and warming every inch of me. He brings up a hand to catch mine but I move mine quickly. I dramatically place it over my heart while throwing my nose in the air.
"I cannot believe I'm in the presence of such a vandal!"
He chuckles, then softly clears his throat. A lopsided smile falls into place. It nearly makes me break character.
"Would you allow me to apologize for this crime, madam?" he asks.
Unable to help myself, a giggle slips past my façade. His eyes almost seem to brighten at the sound. I quickly clear my throat and keep going.
"Only if you must." I start looking around again. "Though, I'd be more inclined to forgive you if you could help me find my brother and sister?"
"As a matter of fact," Edward throws a glance across the parking lot, landing on the large crowd of students, "I think I saw Dale over there trying to start some kind of mock fight."
"What? With who?" I ask getting on my tip-toes. "Ah ha!" I exclaim once I catch sight of Goldilocks's hair.
I turn and give Edward a small curtsey. "Thank you, Edward, dearest. All is forgiven now. I'll see you tomorrow!"
I throw him a wave as I hurry out onto the blacktopped concrete. It's easier to move along the rows of cars than try and force myself through the crowd my brother has formed. The rear of the Bronco comes into view.
When I reach it, Chris is leaning against the passenger door with her arms crossed. Past her, on the grassy area between the lot and the forest, Dale and Cy are circling each other like vultures. Cy throws a punch, grinning, and Dale dodges it with a laugh.
"C'mon, old man, you can do better than that!" he taunts.
Cy, much broader than Dale, smirks then charges him. Dale screams purposefully – it isn't as strikingly high-pitched as his actual screams – and narrowly dodges our elder brother. The crowd they've gathered gasps and cheers at all the right cues.
I chuckle at the sight. It isn't often the two fight playfully. Chris hears the sound and glances back at me.
"There you are," she says. "Can you make them stop? I'm dying of embarrassment."
"Would you like me to go over there and pull them by the ears?"
She groans. "That'd be even worse!"
I chuckle again then put two fingers to my mouth and let out a high whistle. Cy and Dale perk up at the sound. Dale takes the momentary distraction to shove Cy and run over to me. Cy, much sturdier than Dale seems to realize, is right on his heels.
"Hey there, Sunshi—"
Cypress nabs him in a headlock and starts grinding his knuckles across Dale's head. Dale screams bloody murder in a high-pitched shriek. Not because it hurts, which it does, but because Cy's destroying his hair. I laugh until Dale forces himself free and starts swinging his fists for real.
"Alright, alright," I say moving between them. "Knock it off, you two. Don't we have something to be doing?"
"Do we?" Dale grumbles, trying to smooth his hair. "No one ever told me what was going on." He glares at me. I ignore him.
"Calm down, Dale," Chris mumbles opening the car door. "It's just an interview, for fuck's sake."
"Did she just tell me to calm down?" he whispers incredulously.
"Yes, brother mine. She did. Would you like me to tell her you said that or can I ride shotgun?"
He gives me a deadened stare. "You are a horrible person."
He climbs in back with her and I throw my fists up in victory before stealing the front seat. Chris gives us a weird look and rolls her eyes.
"Well…" Cy mutters sheepishly as he starts the car. "It's not just Am's interview. We've also got to pack up everything at the motel."
"You got the house?!" I blurt.
Cypress smiles and nods, causing a commotion in the backseat. Screams of excitement and shouts of betrayal are forced into our ears as Cy maneuvers through the parking lot. They only start forming actual sentences when we hit the road.
"How long are we staying?" Chris asks.
"Yeah, what's the lease? The usual three?"
Cy rubs the back of his head. "No. The owners looked pretty uncomfortable when I said a full year's lease was too long. They barely wanted to go down to a six month one, so I didn't push it."
"Six months, huh?" Dale playfully kicks the back of my seat. "Think you can handle yourself that long, Sunshine?"
Normally, I would scoff, roll my eyes, and make some jib about six months being no big deal or ask if he could handle himself that long. We stayed almost an entire year in southern California. Long stays were doable, just not the norm.
This time though, we're already off to a rough start. They all think I've already messed up once. Which I have just… not how they think. Cy and Chris think I accidentally started a fire but Dale knows I did it to cover something else up.
Which of course brings me to the issue of the Cullen family. Six months of Rosalie sending me death glares. Six months of curbing my curiosity… Ugh. I can feel the strain of our deal already.
It kills me to know that I can't know what's going on with that family. They're so… odd. Different. I want to know more about them. What they are and how they know the things they know and do the things they do without being witches.
"Am," Dale warns in a half-serious tone, "didn't we already talk about that?"
A small spike of adrenaline starts to swim through my veins. My thoughts start to spiral. Edward, the Cullens, our secret, our trade, our deal. They're barely coherent enough for me to make sense of them, let alone Dale.
Regardless, his curiosity peeks at my response. He wonders what in the world I'm going on about. He was talking about the Cullens not being Norms or witches like Chris said. About how we came to the conclusion that avoiding the Cullens was the best idea.
Well, how some of us concluded that.
Dale gets very smug all of a sudden, deciding that I'm on the same page as him regarding the Cullens. That despite the fact they're not Norms – which he apparently was aware of on some level from the moment he first walked up to Rosalie – we have no reason to keep our distance from them.
Rather, with my once-in-a-lifetime crush on the youngest of their little clan, keeping our distance is a ridiculous waste of an opportunity. The opportunity to experience a type of happiness I've never allowed myself: to understand how lovely another human being can be, to love and be loved—
I nearly gag. He's such a romantic it makes me sick. Just crushing on Edward is enough; I don't need the added stress and strain of the rest of that nonsense.
Dale ignores my snide attitude. Instead, he focuses on the wonderful gift given to us by Fate. I roll my eyes and scoff.
Six months of being curious about the Cullens means six months to fall head over heels for Edward. My curiosity is infamously insatiable after all. Dale muses that by telling me to avoid the Cullens, telling me not to look into their oddities, Chris has put me on a one-way track to do just that. He think's her warning is the reason I'm trying to withhold my curiosity in the first place. A good chunk of him isn't surprised though; I am attracted to the dangerous and forbidden after all.
I glare at him through the side-view mirror. That is absolutely not what I'm attracted to. Since we were young, we've done everything possible to keep me safe from 'the dangerous and forbidden'.
He believes that's all the more reason to be attracted to it.
I roll my eyes. His logic is absurd. And even if I were, Edward is hardly what I'd call dangerous and forbidden. Then again, the terrifying, deadly look he gave me Friday morning and his superhuman strength could definitely be called… concerning.
"It'll be fine, Dale," Cypress says bringing us back into the moment, and not a second too soon.
"Yeah, Dale. It'll be fine," I echo. "So shut up."
Chris scoffs again. "This family is all kinds of fucked up."
I'm not entirely sure what she's talking about but I nevertheless agree.
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Please let me know what you liked or disliked in this chapter or how I can improve the story overall.
This was another super long one. 31 pages this time! Not bad, eh?