{Chapter Ten}
The next day I find myself in Carlisle's office telling him and Gabriel about the fight. I even tell them, with some strong encouragement from Emmett and Edward, about the nightmares that have been plaguing me since I was turned. Once I finish, I heave a big sigh of relief and wait for them to react.
"It seems as though you were right Carlisle," Gabriel says.
"I feared that I would be," he says.
"Huh? Right about what?" I ask.
"Seth came to us the day he brought you here and addressed some concerns he head. He said that Asher claimed that he still had control over you, that he could make you do whatever he wanted. At first, we thought that Asher was just trying to scare Seth, but we looked into it just in case. After we found that it didn't fit the description because you didn't seem to be having any trouble with Asher and control, we pushed it aside. However, Seth's story combined with your nightmares confirms it," Carlisle says.
"Confirms what?" I ask.
"That Asher used compulsion on you," Gabriel says.
"Compulsion is an ability that some vampires or in yours and Asher's case, hybrids have. It allows them to control the mind of another simply through eye contact, verbal command, or just by an advanced form of the ability," Carlisle says.
"And you think that Asher used that on me?" I ask.
"He certainly did it to get you to attack everyone and we believe he has been doing it ever since. Although why he has not compelled you to simply come to him or attack everyone we are not sure," Gabriel says.
"Perhaps since the first initial attack, his compulsion has weakened and he no longer has complete control," Carlisle says.
"I don't want to wait to find out so, how do we break it?" I ask.
"Either by the death of the Compeller or by having them break it themselves. There is a third way, but it involves finding a vampire or hybrid stronger than Asher to compel you to forget Asher's original compulsion," Carlisle says.
"Okay, do you know any strong compellers?" I ask.
"I believe so, yes. When I was with the Volturi we met a rather unique vampire with the ability to make people and vampires do whatever he wanted just by looking at them. Aro tried to convince him to join us, but he rejected the offer and made Aro forget about him. If I can find him then I may be able to get him to help us. Until I do, I think we should try looking for a way to further weaken Asher's hold on you," Carlisle says.
"I'll ask some of the Elders I can still trust. Maybe one of them knows an ancient trick that can help," Gabriel says.
Gabriel heads out and I leave Carlisle's office. It feels like my battle with Asher will be never-ending. Feeling a little overwhelmed, I head off into the woods to clear my head. The rush of the wind against my face, helps me to slow my thoughts. I reach the creek that runs through the woods and sit down on a nearby rock. I'm so lost in my thoughts that it takes me a minute to notice that Seth has come up behind me.
"How long have you been following me?" I ask.
He walks closer, "long enough to know you're not okay."
I sigh and he gestured to the spot next to him.
"Mind if I sit?"
"It's a free country, isn't it?" I say, tossing a rock into the water.
He sits down next to me and picks up a few rocks before tossing them in his hand.
"You want to talk about it?"
"Nope."
He nods and tosses his rocks into the water before settling in and picking at the grass.
"Have I ever told you that there was a time that I was not the Casanova you see before you today?" he asks.
I look over at him, my eyebrow raised in question and he nods.
"Yep, your boy here has faced rejected many, many times. In fact, I would say that I was an embarrassment to teen boys everywhere."
"It could not have been that bad," I say.
"She got up on stage at a pep rally and announced to the whole school that she would not go out with me and neither would her best friend."
"You asked out her best friend too?"
Seth shrugs, "I wanted a fallback in case the first girl rejected me."
"And you thought her best friend was the way to go?"
"At the time. Plus, I couldn't figure out which one of them I thought was prettier."
"Wow, Clearwater. You truly are a terrible human being," I say, jokingly.
He laughs, "so I've been told. What about you? What is the most embarrassing moment?"
"Oh, no. I'm not telling you that, it will ruin the illusion that I'm practically perfect in every way."
"Come on, I shared mine with you. Plus, nothing could ruin the illusion that you're perfect."
"Nope. Not going to tell you."
"Please, there aren't supposed to be secrets between two people in a relationship. I also promise not to laugh and take it to my grave."
I look over at him and he has this goofy grin on his face. I sigh before shaking my head.
"I can't believe I'm telling you this. Ninth grade football game, I'm the photographer for the yearbook. The ball went a little further than it was supposed to and hit me in the face. I fell off the bleacher I was sitting on and broke my collarbone in three places and got a black eye from my camera."
I look over at Seth again and he is shaking with laughter.
"I thought you said you wouldn't laugh!"
"How could I not?"
"Because it's not funny!"
"Yes, yes it is. Who falls off the bleachers and breaks his collarbone?" he laughs.
"I was a very fragile ninth grader," I say.
He wipes the corners of his eyes before pulling me close and planting a kiss on my lips.
"Thank you," I say.
"For?"
"For making me feel better. For getting me out of my own head."
"Anytime, gorgeous."
He smiles at me and I smile back before shoving him over and into the creek. The smile from his face fade and I laugh at the look of shock on his face.
"Oh, you are going to pay for that?" Seth growls, playfully.
"You'll have to catch me first, Clearwater," I laugh.
I get up and take off into the woods as Seth gets to his feet.
"Oh, I'll catch you."
I put on another burst of speed and run straight into a wall of sandy brown fur after about sixty seconds. I fall on my butt and look up at the wolf that is Seth.
"How did you beat me here?" I ask.
The wolf makes a sound like a laugh and I roll my eyes.
"You cheated," I say.
He shakes his head no.
"Yeah, you did."
He shakes his head no again and I get up and brush myself off.
"Best two out of three?" I ask.
He nods and I stretch my legs.
"Ten seconds head start and if I get to the Cullen's before you catch me then I win. If you catch me before the Cullen's then you win, the loser has to do whatever the winner wants," I say.
Seth nods and I take a deep breath.
"Ten seconds and...go!"
I take off into the woods, using all the speed that I have. There is no way I'm going to let Seth catch me this time.
Blood streams from between his fingers as he makes his way further and further down the alley. He grits his teeth and presses his hand to his side. Sharp pain shoots through his head and white spots splash in front of his eyes. Wincing in pain, he leans against the wall and pulls his hand away from his side. Blood covers his hand and he hisses in pain as he inhales. The smell of blood at the end of the alley alerts him to someone else's presence. He can hear the voice laughing, soft and sweet. A woman. His predatory instincts take over and he can feel the sweet relief flooding his veins as he rips her apart. As his strength returns to him, rage replaces the relief. He tosses a girl aside and lets out a blood-curdling scream.