"Hey, Cass!"
Cassie had been taking off her shirt, ready to place it in her locker after soccer practice, when she heard Jessica's voice.
She turned her head, smiling warmly at Jessica, "Hey! Nice job at practice!"
Jessica tugged her hair tie, letting loose her crazy curls, "Thanks…" she rolled her eyes.
Cassie side-eyed Jessica, resisting the urge to roll her own hazel eyes. The loud-mouthed valley girl and Lauren's second-in-command was so predictable. She would pout, stomp, heavy sigh, roll her eyes and moan, baiting someone to worry about her and ask what was wrong.
"Something on your mind?"
Jessica smacked her lips together, "So, like, apparently, Angie convinced Meadow Swan," she spat the name, shuddering, "to join the soccer team."
Cassie knew this routine, "Oh my gosh, no way!" she yanked off her muddy cleats, "She doesn't even have to try out!?" she flipped her hair for good measure.
"No!" Jessica raged, slamming her gym locker shut, "As soon as she turns in her safety form and pays the fees, that's it!"
"Hmm," Cassie pulled on her jeans, "Isn't it worth it, though? Whether she sucks or not, at least we get to compete."
"I guess," Jessica snorted, "I just, like…I'm a good person, you know?" she placed a hand over her heart and Cassie nodded, "I have to work for everything and it's really hard," she whined, "And for this-this jailbird to come in and have everything handed to her—and she's such a bitch! No wonder she has no friends."
Cassie shrugged, "Bitch or not, the Cullens seem to like her."
She might as well have told Jessica that Meadow murdered her entire family before burning her house down and writing 'F you!' in the ashes after killing her puppy and kissing her boyfriend; because that would have been a lot easier than saying that the Cullens had taken an interest in yet another Swan girl.
"They don't like her!" To Cassie, it seemed that Jessica was trying to convince herself, "They don't, okay? They put up with her because I bet Bella cries and threatens to kill herself if they don't."
"Mmm," Cassie nodded to herself, "Yeah, okay, probably. Bella seems like the type."
Jessica smirked at that, satisfied, "Yeah, thank you!" her cellphone beeped, "Lauren's waiting. Do you need a ride?"
"No thanks," Cassie smiled and held up one of her cleats, "I have to clean these off. I can't leave them like this."
"Ew, gross!" Jessica made a face, but her cleats were in no better shape, "Yeah, you do that…I'll see you, tomorrow," she waved and Jessica left, her hips swishing with every step.
Cassie heard the door to the locker room door swing shut and with Jessica gone, her eyes went to the back of her head with how hard she rolled them.
When they settled back, the bright hazel was stoic and cold, far from the youthful kindness that usually lit them up.
She threw her cleats into the opened locker, not giving it a spare glance as she stalked along the rows of lockers, looking in and under stalls and peering into the coaches' office. She was gone. They were all gone.
Perfect.
Confident that she was alone, she went back to her assigned gym locker and pulled out a sleek silver cellphone, pressing the '1' to activate speed dial.
As the cellphone rang, Cassie walked through the locker room, stopping when she came to the two dirty sinks below the cracked and spotted mirrors. She glared at her reflection.
"I thought," the line clicked, "That you were instructed to keep this line open unless your job was complete?"
"Yes, well-
"Were those your instructions, yes or no?"
Cassie gritted her teeth, "Yes."
"Then this conversation is over-
"We have a problem," Cassie interrupted, before the line could disconnect, "A big one."
"Speak."
"Meadow's body can't handle the injections," Cassie explained, "It's giving out on her. Bloody noses, vomiting, dizziness and last night, she lost control of her bladder and wet the bed. It was disgusting!" she was sure, the scent of urine had permeated her clothing.
"But they're working?"
Cassie blinked, her eyes becoming narrowed slits. Sure, Meadow's powers were getting stronger, but did that matter if her body was getting weaker?
"We can't exactly get use out of her or her powers if she's dead, now can we?"
At the cold and callous laugh that rang out, she pulled the phone from her ear.
"Oh, my dear, dear, Raven."
Glancing into the cracked mirror, the hazel eyes morphed into yellow scleras and black irises that swallowed the pupil, making them look nonexistent.
"Am I wrong?" she asked curtly, "My dear, dear, Erik?"
Despite the syrupy sweetness in her voice, Mystique was still glaring at her pale reflection. She did not need Magneto to answer this question. She knew she was right. She always was.
"I have been eating fish and chicken out of bowls on the floor," she snapped, punctuating each word, "Playing this stupid part for over a month! And for what!?"
"The. Bigger. Picture," Erik said, "We get Meadow and we get everything. Mutants standing above humans, no longer suffering mankind's persecution…you could get your son back."
Raven's pale mouth fell open, a cry lodged in her throat. The room spun and she gripped the sink with a suddenly clammy hand.
If Magneto was aware of her state, he didn't care. He never did, the sociopath.
"If things need to be moved along, then let's move them along," he demanded, "Two weeks or less. In the meantime, up the injections, keep her heart beating."
Mystique blanched. Her sweaty grip tightening on the sink. She didn't care for Meadow—she cared for only two of the X-Losers—she understood the need for this, but they were cutting it close.
"Meadow Swan will not make it two weeks," Mystique warned him, "If I up the injections, she'll be lucky to make it one!"
"Then, Meadow Swan will be here in less than one week," Magneto said, oddly calm, "Mesmero is doing his job and I, mine. Explain to me, dear, why you cannot do yours!?"
She flinched, "I-
Magneto snarled, interrupting her, "I need Meadow Swan here. My dear, this is not meant to be a sacrifice for the greater good, but if that is what it comes to, so be it. We need her at her strongest, so that if she survives she is able to see the bigger picture. I can do for her what Xavier refuses," the next words were whispers, "I can take her memories. That's all she's ever wanted since she was eleven."
Mystique had nothing to say to that. What could she say? It didn't matter, Magneto would do what he wanted and she would help him.
The X-Men were nothing but puppets for Charles Xavier and now, both her Kurt and her Rogue were two of them.
Rogue was one she couldn't afford to lose. She had thought, that her adoptive daughter had the potential for limitless power and perhaps she still did, but Magneto felt otherwise and she knew to listen. After all, he was running this whole operation.
They weren't only doing this for themselves. They were doing it for all mutant-kind. Because they would never be accepted. Only used and abused and apparently, according to Mesmero, Meadow had plenty of experience with that.
She was the key in this particular plan.
"Very well," she finally said, "One week or less."
"Excellent."
The line was disconnected and Mystique huffed, snapping her phone shut and shoving it into the pocket of her jeans.
It looked like she had some work to do.
"Would you like to hang out?"
"Hey, I was thinking maybe we could go catch a movie in Port Angeles."
"Alice wants to know if you'd like to go shopping with us?"
"Do you want to watch a movie or something?"
Meadow, who lay curled up on her side, rolled over on her back, not bothering to raise her head to look at the locked bedroom door.
Bella had been standing on the other side for the past six minutes, rehearsing what she wanted to say once she built up the courage to knock and it was driving Meadow nuts.
She wasn't sure if Edward had told Bella about the meeting he and his family had ambushed, but Meadow was well aware that whatever she and Bella did, they wouldn't be alone. They could take a plane all the way to Guadalajara and Edward would be there, lurking somewhere in the shadows like the obsessive freak he was waiting to crawl into Bella's bed at nightfall.
Meadow was in no mood to be the bigger person and get along with Bella. She had a rough night…another one and the proof was sealed tightly in heavy duty garbage bags that were shoved under her bed along with the bloodstained tissues.
She wasn't sure if she had fallen asleep, fainted, spaced out or had another weird beach-like episode. She supposed it didn't matter. Whatever had happened, she had "woken up" to soaking wet sheets.
She had wet the bed.
She hadn't known how to react to that. At first, she had tried to pass it off as the cat or maybe she had been sweating up a storm, but no matter how hard she wished it to be true, it wasn't.
So, at 5:17AM, she had gotten up, stripped off her soaked panties and pajama bottoms and half naked, she tore off all her bedding, wrapped herself in her robe and headed downstairs for a few supplies.
She had pretended not to feel the pity when she passed Bella's room.
Downstairs in the kitchen, she had retrieved two garbage bags, some baking soda, the sponge near the kitchen sink and spent an hour scrubbing out the urine and letting the baking soda sit, until she felt it was safe enough to flip the mattress.
She had shoved her sheets and blankets into one garbage bag, tied it off, placed another one over it and stuffed it under her bed, tossing her soiled pajamas into the bottom of her hamper.
By the time she had cleaned herself up, got rid of the heavy smell and found another blanket to use until she could wash hers, it was almost time to get up.
She didn't feel any better from her bloody nose and vomiting fiasco, but that made no difference. She still needed to go to school. It didn't matter if she detested Forks or everyone in it, she wasn't going to slack on her education. That would come back to haunt her in the future when it was time to apply for colleges and universities.
"I was thinking, after school-
That did it.
Meadow's eye twitched in annoyance and she rolled over, still wrapped in her robe. The sleeves weren't as long as she liked and she would have to be careful about showing her arms. The bruises had yet to start the process of healing.
Standing slightly behind it, she yanked open the door.
"You have an awful habit of talking to yourself," she informed Bella, who's mouth had fallen open, flabbergasted, "And I'm guessing that it's because no one else wants to talk to you. Now, if you could do this," she made a circle with her finger, "Anywhere else. That would be really great!"
3…2…1…
Right on cue, Bella's blush seared through her cheeks and Meadow rolled her eyes. Now, it was time for Bella to bite her lip.
"I just," Bella bit her lip, shifting on her crutches, "I just…wanted to know if-if you wanted to hang out?"
Meadow looked at Bella like she was on drugs, "Why?"
"Well, because you're my sister-
"I'm not."
"And it's really nice to have you home-
"No."
"And it's been such a long time-
"Not long enough."
"And I just really missed yo-
"I didn't miss you."
At Meadow's statement, Bella gasped, then her mouth clamped shut as the two stared at each other.
Meadow shook her head. She really didn't understand how they were sisters. Not just by their vastly different personalities, but physically as well. She and Bella couldn't look anymore different. In height, body shape, eye color, complexion, hair type, down to the very last facial detail. Even Bella's eyebrows were darker than her hair and more straight, while Meadow's were arched and the same color as her hair.
"Sorry Professor," the voice taunted, "I guess Meadow can't be the bigger person."
Meadow took a deep breath. Now was not the time to lash out and be an emotional hurricane. How was she supposed to explain herself, if the stuff in the bedroom started exploding or the door splintered into pieces? It had happened before.
Bella's eyes searched Meadow's face, her emotions straining Meadow's powers. Bella was disappointed, hesitant, confused, unhappy and still obsessed.
That was the one emotion that always colored Bella no matter what she was feeling. She was obsessed with Edward, the Cullens and herself.
Meadow took another deep breath, worried she'd explode. When it came to Bella and the Cullens, she knew she had to be mindful when it came to her powers. If they were used to Jasper's manipulation, then they might be able to easily detect hers.
"So, are we done?" she demanded, "Because I need to get ready for school and you're literally blocking the way."
She was so tired, it felt like every muscle was giving into gravity and the energy she was wasting talking to Bella, could have been wasted on something else. Like the shower she was supposed to be taking.
"It's not fair, Meadow," Bella whimpered, "Why do you hate me?"
"Oh my God," Meadow rolled her eyes so hard, they went to the back of her head, "Shut. The. Hell. Up. I don't know why you think-
"Excuse me?" Alice suddenly appeared behind Bella, a sickly sweet smile on her face.
"Yup, go ahead, interrupt, I wasn't talking or anything," Meadow mumbled. She began to drum her fingers against the door.
If Alice was aware of her deep irritation, she didn't show it.
"Well," Alice bounced on her toes, "I hope we're all playing nice."
"Well," Meadow mocked, her voice higher in pitch, "We're not playing nice because we're not three years old and you're not my mommy. So, if you don't mind, you're both in my way and I have school to attend, so, excuse you."
She closed the door in their faces and went to gather her clothes and her toiletries. She had hoped, in the five seconds it took her to do this, Alice and Bella would get the hint and quit loitering outside the door.
She was wrong.
She rudely pushed past the two, slamming the door to the bedroom and did the same when she went into the bathroom, making sure to lock the door behind her.
Pushing the shower curtain back, she turned the dial, old and metallic, releasing thousands of drops that wet her arm before she pulled it back to let it heat up.
Steam soon filled the room and Meadow stripped off her robe. She made a point to wait for the mirror to fog up in order to avoid looking at her full naked reflection, her head still lowered when she stepped into the shower.
She bathed her skin lightly, taking careful notice not to touch the bruises on the inside of her forearms. Even with light touches, it hurt, but she needed to clean herself.
She breathed in the heavy steam, turning to soak her hair. The sensation of the water calmed her somewhat.
She dropped her head again, letting the water beat down on her. It dribbled down her face, but she tried not to close her eyes for fear of what would happen, what she would see if she did.
"Hmmm…" she looked up as if someone was right in front of her, "I see, I see…"
"Stop that!" Meadow hissed quietly, water and spit spraying from her lips.
She felt the panic begin to build in her lower abdomen, then travel up to her throat. Her breathing became more rapid, more shallow and the steam of the shower that had only seconds ago been calming, now suffocated her.
Memories assaulted her and she slapped her hands over her ears, then her eyes, lowering herself to the shower floor.
Salty tears, diluted from the shower, spilled down her cheeks. She could hear the voice in her head, but couldn't understand it. She wanted the voice and the memories that played behind her eyes to slow down so that she could breathe, but they wouldn't.
She felt so sick, like she might blackout and she fell from her knees, to being completely hunched over in a fetal position, her forehead touching the shower floor. She sobbed, the memories sharp and cutting through to her soul that had been broken years ago.
It was torture. She couldn't hide from her memories. She couldn't escape them, fight them or successfully repress them because here they were, front and center. Forcing her to endure this pain until it destroyed her.
"I can make it stop," the voice spoke, louder than she had ever heard it, "I can make it all stop."
And it did. The memories ceased their assault, leaving blackness behind Meadow's covered eyes.
Immediately, Meadow had to push herself up to vomit. The bile slipped past her, underneath her, to swirl down the drain.
She coughed a few times and collapsed onto the shower floor, trembling so hard, that anyone who happened upon her would think she was having a seizure. It was still dark, despite her uncovering her eyes. Pitch black and that didn't help things.
She cried, praying that she wouldn't be heard over the roar of the shower. She wanted Storm and she wanted Logan. She wanted those she considered to be her mom and dad, to hug her and tell her that everything was going to be fine.
Logan wasn't much for affection, but he would have rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath, pretending to be irritated while he stationed himself by her bedside as Storm busied herself with making Meadow tea.
"MEADOW!? MEADOW!"
There was loud banging that made Meadow want to cover her ears again and she curled more into herself. The darkness hadn't let up, but she could see, somewhat thanks to her training. Her vision was blurred by the water that rained down through her tears.
The slam of the door came, loud, cracking through the house like thunder and before she knew it, the shower curtain was ripped back, a couple of the holes popped from its rings.
Her head snapped up and she hastened to cover herself, her arm going over her breasts and one covering her crotch area.
Except, Charlie wasn't looking at her body and Meadow wasn't looking at him.
She was looking at the glass. A thousand glittering fragments littered the floor like a blanket of jagged snow. No wonder it had been so dark. All the lightbulbs had shattered and so had the mirror, only a few chunks remaining in its frame. Glass had spilled into the sink, the counter, the toilet tank cover and her clothes that she had laid out. There was probably some in her boots.
Her eyes flicked up to Charlie. He was still staring at her, completely horrified. Without the shower curtain acting as a blockade, water was dampening him and soaking the floor, but he didn't seem to mind. It was as if his brain was suffering a massive short circuit and was struggling to compute.
In her state, she struggled to make sense of his emotions. He wasn't suspicious, that was good. He was shocked, mostly.
Her breathing was still coming out fast and choppy and her eyes darted around, restlessly trying to find something to settle as she trembled. She needed to say something or do something, but even if she manipulated Charlie, at some point, it would wear off and she had no idea how she was going to cover any of this up.
"I-I," she stuttered, "I'm sorry."
Carlisle tilted his head, trying to peer into Meadow's sullen face. She sat on the exam table, looking at her lap, her arms folded tightly around her middle. Her hair was piled up, wet, atop her head and she was wearing a zip up sweatshirt and a pair of leggings.
She had been forcibly brought in, twenty minutes ago by a frantic Charlie. According to him, he had been downstairs about to leave to work, saying goodbye to Edward, Alice and Bella, when he had heard the sound of breaking glass and Meadow screaming. He had found her, curled up in the shower and there had been blood on her palms and bruises on her arms.
Charlie figured that Meadow, in some kind of mental breakdown, smashed everything, accidentally cut herself, then got into the shower to wash it away. As a cop, he had seen a couple of weird things once or twice.
He was sitting in the waiting room after Carlisle convinced him that it was all right to send Bella off to school with Alice and Edward. Knowing how Meadow felt about her family, he even offered to either drive Meadow home or take her to school if she was well enough, but Charlie had politely declined.
Now, Carlisle wasn't a psychologist or a therapist, but the one psychologist they had in this small hospital had spent no more than ten minutes with Meadow before declaring that everything was in tip top shape and cheerfully moving on to another patient.
How she was able to lie through her teeth so quickly and so efficiently, he didn't know, but he had his own questions to ask and hopefully, she would be more open with him.
"Meadow," he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, "Charlie tells me he spotted some bruising on your arms Can you tell me about that?"
Her grip on herself, if only slightly, tightened.
He tried again, "Can I take a look at them?"
Silence.
His eyes, already gentle, softened even more. He wanted to reach out and touch her arm in hopes to offer some comfort or reassurance, but she looked like being touched was the last thing she wanted.
"Did-did Charlie do this to you?" he asked softly, "Because if he did, you can tell me. My family and I can help protect you."
"Ha!" she let out a strained chuckle, but still didn't look at him.
Carlisle flicked his eyebrows up. At least she had spoken, "I need a yes or no answer."
"Nooo," Meadow slowly turned to him, "He didn't," she said in a bored tone, "Can I go now?"
Carlisle took note of her appearance. The whites of her eyes were completely bloodshot and her pupils were enlarged. There were awful bags under her eyes that sagged with the exhaustion she was so clearly experiencing. Not only that, but her eyelids were drooping.
"Ptosis," Carlisle murmured to himself, "Honey-
"Meadow," she managed to correct. Rather weakly in Carlilse's opinion.
"Meadow," he said, "Can you tell me when you last slept?" due to her arms being so tightly bound, he reached out to press two fingers to her neck, freezing when she jerked away from him.
"Don't touch me!" she gasped. Her voice wasn't loud, but raw and frightened.
He tried to soothe her, "Okay, I'm sorry. It's all right, Meadow. I know the nurse was in here earlier, but while your here, I need to take some of your vitals myself. Is that all right?"
She eyed him with her signature glare, then leaned toward him, a vein bulging in her neck with how tense she was.
He placed his fingers to her neck and glanced at his wristwatch. Her heart rate was fast and he could hear her heart pounding.
"I'm going to ask you again," he said gently, "When's the last time you slept?"
Ever so slowly, Meadow barely raised her left shoulder. That simple motion looked like it had taken quite a bit of energy and her dull completion, paled even more.
"Okay…" he murmured with a frown, "Has it been more than 24 hours?"
"…I guess…"
He went over to a rack on the wall, plucking the thermometer from it. He ran an alcohol wipe over the top and gently dragged the thermometer over Meadow's forehead.
When it beeped, he showed her the number, despite the fact that she had looked away again.
"You have a low-grade fever," he informed her, "Sleep deprivation can cause an impaired immune system. It's been proven, that when you sleep, you have a better fever response."
He waited patiently for an answer he knew he wouldn't get.
"I suggested to you that you needed to take care of yourself and you haven't been. I've seen people admitted to psychiatric units because they deprive themselves of sleep. It causes impulsive and erratic behavior, can lead someone becoming a danger for themselves or others…and I fear that for you. Can you tell me about the mirror and the light bulbs?"
She snorted loudly, the force of the sound causing her to wince. Her mouth went slack and she looked deep in thought, then she turned her head to face him, but didn't look at him. Her gaze was focused on the wall.
"I bet you all laugh at me," she stated, voice quivering, "I bet you all laugh—that is, when you're not sending your children to literally stalk me and follow me around. Emmett, Jasper, Alice…Edward is in our house every night, comes in through the window…"
Carlisle's eyes widened. How had they gotten to that and what had been her thought process? She sounded detached and he didn't know if she saw him when he nodded. He needed to tread carefully. He didn't want to set Meadow off or make her upset.
'Mental impairment,' Carlisle thought. Sleep deprivation was known to negatively affect ones mental abilities, emotional state and there were other psychological risks including paranoia.
"Rest assured, Meadow, we're not laughing at you," he said calmly, "I don't send my children to watch you or do anything of the sort. What they do in there spare time is no business of mine unless they're putting themselves or someone else in danger. We care-
"Care about me," Meadow smirked, "Yeah, right, don't make me laugh," she looked off to the side and her eyes narrowed slightly, "Yeah," she mumbled, "Whatever."
A crease appeared between his eyebrows, "Okay…" he drawled, "That's not something you want to talk about? People caring about you?"
"Right, you're a physician and a therapist, are you? Okay…" she repeated through a scoff. When she shook her head, her bun flopped from side to side, "Both you and the nurse took all of my vitals, can I go now?"
"No, you may not," Carlisle said, "Unless you're father is able to stay with you at all times, I worry about your ability to keep yourself safe."
"I'm safe," she mumbled in a monotone. It wasn't very convincing.
He watched her for a minute. Even sitting up, she was swaying where she sat, looking like she might fall asleep any moment. He had half a mind to admit her.
"I passed my psych eval," she told him, "I'm fine, I'm safe, so why am I here?"
Carlisle reclaimed his seat and pushed himself forward, closer to Meadow.
"I was hoping you could tell me tha-
"And then what!?" at the interruption, Carlisle sighed, "You can go and run your mouth to Bella-
"I am a professional, Miss Swan," he interrupted her, not intending to be so harsh, "I pride myself on my work and the lives I have saved. You are entitled to your rights and your privacy. Nothing you say to me will be repeated to anyone except for your father. And," he held up a hand when she opened her mouth, "That is only if I suspect you to seriously harm yourself or others. Do I make myself clear?"
She was staring at him oddly, her head tilted to the side. Her exhausted gaze was still sharp and guarded. It took some time, but eventually, she nodded.
"So, no one and I mean no one—unless I'm endangering myself or whatever—will know what I tell you?" she asked, "No one?"
Carlisle hesitated for less than half of a second, "No. No one."
It was a lie, one he had to tell and one he had no control over. There was nothing he could do to keep Edward from reading his mind. Not only for Meadow, but for any of his patients. Edward did his best to block them out, but of course Carisle thought about his job at times and Edward could not turn off his gift.
She blinked, "Okay. Well, I got upset, smashed everything, cut my palms on the glass and got in the shower to get the blood off. The bruises are from skateboarding and of course, I fall. I workout a lot," she shrugged, "That's it."
He mimicked her shrug, "That's it?" she nodded and he nodded too, considering something.
"I'm not telling you anything else," she said firmly, "So…" she trailed off with another shrug.
"My son, Jasper," he told her quietly, "You are aware of his abilities, yes?" he didn't wait for her to confirm this, "He can help you sleep peacefully. Without nightmares or screaming if that's what is happening."
"No, that's all right," she declined this immediately.
"There are many more risks with sleep deprivation. If it continues long enough, you could start having hallucinations—seeing or hearing things that aren't there. You could experience microsleeps. During these episodes, you'll fall asleep for a few seconds or minutes without realizing it. Microsleep is out of your control and can be extremely dangerous. You could fall and break something, fall down the stairs, get into an accident if you drive…"
"I'll sleep," Meadow promised and Carlisle knew it was an empty one, "I'll sleep as soon as I get home. I've just been busy with homework, trying to keep up with school and everything. That's it."
"I can't help you if you're not honest with me."
"Good. I don't want or need your help."
"Very well," Carlisle stood up. There was nothing else he could do. There was no case to admit her to a psychiatric unit because she had passed her evaluation. He couldn't prescribe her any medication because she wouldn't tell him what was wrong or any of her symptoms.
"I want you home both today and tomorrow," he instructed firmly, "And Charlie will be instructed to keep a very close watch on you. I'm going to check-in with you, like I did last time, in a few days and if things have not changed, then I would like to reevaluate."
Meadow understood this, "Okay. That's fine."
They stared each other down and Meadow, she looked—she looked so defeated, like she might burst into tears at any moment. He had seen that disturbed, teary, faraway look before that stood out behind the sleep deprivation.
"If something is happening or has happened to you," he said, "Then I want to help, in any way I can," he pleaded with her, "Please. I care about you, I do. There is nothing, nothing at all, that you'd like to tell me?"
This wouldn't be her last chance. Nonetheless, he still hoped she would take it.
She was looking to the side again, processing what he had said and she sighed. Her face was neutral.
"No," she said curtly, "There is nothing that I would like to tell you."
Carlisle's face fell and he passed a hand through his fair blonde hair.
"Okay," he said, "Then, you're free to get dressed and I will go speak with your father. He'll be taking you home."
He left the room, shutting the door behind himself. As he passed, he instructed a nurse to check-in on Meadow if she took too long and continued on his way.
He hadn't meant to come off so cold and harsh, but he was worried, very worried. If anything, he wished she would have accepted his offer to allow Jasper to help her sleep. He believed, it would have helped a great deal.
Now, he was in no way giving up on the youngest Swan, however, there was only so much he could offer and there was nothing he could do for her, if she wouldn't open up to him and tell him what was going on.
"Hey!"
Sluggishly, Meadow looked up from her untouched lunch, eyeing a beaming Cassie who was sitting across from her at one of the old picnic tables outside.
There was no school rule against eating outside. After all, the picnic tables were there for a reason. But no person attending Forks High school would eat at them as the old benches were constantly damp from the rainfall.
It was perfect for Meadow. She had thought, that no one would dare come outside, leaving her alone, away from any emotions.
Apparently not.
"Hi?" Meadow replied, arching an eyebrow.
"You weren't at school, yesterday or the day before," Cassie accused, "Again!"
"Okay?" Meadow still wasn't understanding, "But I'm here, now. So, did you need something?"
"Well, Jessica wanted to talk to you, but, like, you get on her nerves," Cassie rambled and Meadow, surprised, appreciated the honesty, "So, I said I would do it. Anyway, there's a big meeting today after school. With you on the team, we're at fourteen and eligible to compete. I've heard rumors that our first game is in Port Townsend. Isn't that cool!?"
"Suuuuure," Meadow drawled, "The coolest," she rubbed her head.
"So, you're going, right?"
"What?"
"The meeting!" Cassie exclaimed, hitting the table, "You're going? After school?"
"Oh…" Meadow blinked, "Um, I don't know. I might be busy."
"Ugh!" Cassie scoffed, "Busy with what? We've been waiting all year for this!"
'And that's my problem?' Meadow thought bitterly, 'Maybe the team sucks and that's why no one wants to join.'
"Well, you turned in your form, didn't you?" Cassie whined, "So, that means you're on the team and you have to go to the meeting!" she bounced happily where she sat.
Meadow wasn't going to waste her time, by sparking up another conversation if she admitted that she hadn't turned in her form.
"Look, unless someone's holding a loaded gu-
"Oh my God, Meadow, you're bleeding! You're nose!"
Cassie's sudden and shrill exclamation, startled Meadow and she gasped, jumping up from her seat.
"Excuse me!" she bolted, clapping a hand over her nose and mouth.
It was a perfect repeat of what had occurred at Charlie's house. She was no where near the bathrooms and not only—when she could no longer hold her breath—did blood splatter onto the ground, but large droplets landed on her mustard yellow shirt, a few smaller ones polka-dotting her jeans.
Sucking in a blood-soaked breath, she coughed and continued her way to the bathroom, praying that no one saw her.
She made it and was relieved to see the space empty. She made a beeline to the sink and cranked it on, reaching over blindly to fumble for paper towels to hold to her nose.
She would never say it out loud, but she was scared. This was her second nosebleed in less than a week after going years without ever having one.
This was not something she had shared during her forced appointment with Carlisle.
It had been both ridiculous and informative. Ridiculous because she had easily manipulated the hospital psychologist into believing that she was a completely and happily stable teenage girl and everything in her oh-so perfect life was wonderfully hunky-dory.
She had convinced Charlie too, the idiot, that she was fine. She hadn't needed her powers. It had been a moment of weakness and anger, she had said. She was missing a friend's birthday and she had been at her "special school" for so long and had still be working on her problems. She was still adjusting and didn't feel as though she was properly equipped to make this transition so suddenly.
Charlie had eaten it up, still so worried about Bella and her recovery, that he would let it slide. All Meadow had to do, was promise not to do anything like this again, clean up the glass, replace the light bulbs (he would replace the mirror) and in exchange, he would talk to Renée for the millionth time about sending Meadow back to her school.
He hadn't stayed with her at home like Carlisle had instructed the Chief of police to do. A phone call every five minutes would suffice as according to the doctor, Meadow would be sleeping all day, tucked safely in her bed…after she cleaned up, of course.
Neither the sleep or the phone calls had happened.
The appointment had been informative because as pure, compassionate and accepting Carlisle Cullen seemed to be, that didn't excuse the fact that he was a complete liar.
He had looked Meadow straight in the face and lied that no one would know of what Meadow chose to discuss with him. His emotions had betrayed him as they betrayed everyone else.
So, in return, Meadow had lied straight to his face, though it's not like she had planned to be honest in the first place. He had almost had her. Key word: almost.
She hadn't been in the mood to talk, anyway. She had such a rough morning that day, she wouldn't have minded dying in that moment, curled into herself on the shower floor. Ever since her episode, the voice had been oddly quiet.
She felt oddly alone…er.
She glanced at herself in the mirror. Due to holding her nose, she could only see the top half of her face. That brought her no comfort. She still looked horrible.
Hopeful that her nosebleed had stopped, she pulled the paper towels away and touched her nose, again, satisfied when her fingers came back with no fresh blood.
Not wanting to literally throw her blood away, she wadded the paper towels into clean ones and folded them into her pockets, then washed the blood off her hands and face.
She gave a mournful sigh when she took another look at her reflection. With her outfit, she could get away with forgoing a shirt and walking around in her leather jacket as long as it was zipped up, but she wasn't sure what to do about her jeans.
"Oh my God, I can't put up with this crap," she groaned, covering her face with her hands.
Where was the stupid voice when she needed it?
"Meadow?"
"Are you freaking—ugh!" she removed her hands from her face and stomped over to the entrance of the bathroom, "WHAT!?"
Jasper stood there, with his stupid face and his stupid muscular arms folded across his stupid sculpted chest.
"I saw you bleeding," he told her, in a way of greeting, "It would be bad business for the school if a student bled out during lunchtime, don't you think?" he smirked at her, but she frowned.
His eyes. The usual golden she was so accustomed to, was now a dark black, his bags, almost as bad as hers.
"What happened to your eyes?" then, she shook her head, waving a hand, "You know what? Never mind. The not-human-but-won't-tell-me-yet-but-soon thing, right?"
A muscle in his jaw twitched and one side of his mouth turned up in a smile, "Right, darlin'."
The expression of his smile disappeared as soon as it had come and so did Meadow's curiosity. She remembered why she had stomped over here in the first place. Because this freak was camping outside the girls restroom!
"Stop stalking me, Jasper!" she snapped at him, "You, Emmett…Alice and Edward are around all the time! It's weird."
"Stalking you?" Jasper's eyebrows flicked up, "We go to the same school, live in the same small town, my brother is dating your si—Bella," he corrected himself when Meadow glared, "And she is very close with my family. So, I don't think we can help seeing each other, but are your expectations that when we see you, none of us make contact with you?"
"I—what?" Jasper always caught her off guard when he did that.
As much as the Cullens irritated her (and they did…a lot), she…she…
She didn't know. It was complicated.
She popped her hip out, scowling, "Nice try. You don't get off that easily," it was a nice save, she thought, "I don't have all of my answers, yet…but soon. Right?"
"Right. Are you okay?"
"Don't change the subject and stop asking me that," she made her eye roll obvious, "It's annoying."
"It wouldn't be so annoying if you just told me the truth."
This only served to infuriate her further. Why the heck did Jasper care so much? Frankly, she could light herself on fire and it would be none of his business. She was not obligated to tell him anything.
"You don't need to get defensive," he told her, "It's none of my business, I am able to acknowledge that. I simply thought it would be nice to have a friend to talk to," he shrugged, his eyes looked faraway, "If I didn't have Peter, who knows what would have become of me."
Meadow had no idea who Peter was and she didn't really care. On the other hand, Jasper was different than his family. Vastly different, even from his twin, Rosalie. He looked like his family in many ways, but he stuck out like a sore thumb.
He didn't sugarcoat anything and was disturbingly upfront with her. She saw the way his siblings hovered over him and only him, sending each other pitied looks when they thought he couldn't notice. They loved him deeply, but they didn't trust him.
'Oh my God, I feel bad for the guy,' she realized, 'Ugh and I'm relating to him, I might actually die.'
"Um," she said loudly, snapping out of her thoughts, "Look, I have all the friends I need. They're just not here," that had sounded pathetic, even to her own ears.
Jasper's head tilted, a sad sort of his amusement lighting up his dark eyes. He was feeling a little sad and Meadow's shoulders slumped under the weight of it. Jasper's emotions, which were usually so much easier to deal with, felt hard and heavy.
"I guess we've talked about this before, huh?" he said, "I don't know why I waste my breath asking. I know you're not okay. I hope that you're aware, there isn't anything that you could do or say that would ever make me judge you."
She stood there clothed in her own blood, considering his offer. She swallowed thickly, her tongue poking at her right cheek.
He was being so genuinely sincere and honest with his claim.
She would have taken him up on it if it wasn't for what had happened not only at his house when he had let his family eavesdrop, but with Carlisle who she really couldn't understand why he would break the doctor/patient confidentiality. His emotions hadn't been devious, but guilty and regretful.
In Meadow's eyes, they were all deceitful, manipulative liars.
"Yeah," she mumbled, "Yeah, I'd like to talk."
Surprise colored Jasper's features, but then his face was a mask again.
"You owe me," she stated suddenly, "After what you pulled back at your house, not only breaking any amount of trust that we had, but remember, your sister tried to kill me!" Jasper flinched, "And now, you're offering to talk and I want to talk cowboy, before I talk—if I talk. Understand?"
Jasper looked impressed at the fact that Meadow was taking charge and he scoffed out a laugh, looking away, then looking back at her.
"Yes, ma'am, Ah do."
