I couldn't sleep. Why did Mr. Price follow us here to Forks? He left his job behind. He tried to get in touch with me, bypassing the adults. Why did he want to talk to me specifically? It gave me serious creep vibes. I wanted to hear him out though. But how was I going to find him?
I gave up on sleep at about 6. The night sky started to lighten to dark grey. When I came down, Charlie was the only one awake, drinking coffee and reading yesterday's paper.
"Good morning Grandpa." I greeted, pouring myself a cup of joe, and joining him at the table.
"Good morning, kid." He said, "You're up early."
"I could say the same thing."
He stood up, draining his mug, and put it in the sink.
"I do have a job. I gotta go." He said.
"Have a good day." I said.
"You too." He said, and he left.
I nursed my coffee, staring out the little kitchen window. Then a thought struck me. I wondered if Mr. Price was still out there…? It didn't hurt to check.
I went to the front door, and opened it. I scanned my surroundings, but I didn't see anything.
"Mr. Price?" I asked, feeling silly; of course he wouldn't be able to hear me from here.
To my surprise, I saw a pale figure emerge from the trees. I could tell it was Mr. Price. I looked behind me in the house, and I was still alone down here. I quietly slipped on my shoes and jacket, and Mr. Price was already standing in front of the house. I sat on the porch swing, and he sat down next to me.
"Good morning." He said.
"Why are you here so early? Were you here all night? Were you watching the house?" I asked.
My stomach sank at my words. Was he watching the house? I know I'm in danger, but was Mr. Price part of that danger? Pretending to help, to lull me into a false sense of security? Was I just being stupid, drawn in by charm, mystery and a gorgeous face? What did I really know about Mr. Price? If he ever lied to me, would I ever be able to tell?
"As I told you, the security on the house was laxed, so I stayed to guard." He said and then casually commented, "You didn't get much sleep."
"You didn't either." I shot back.
"I don't sleep." He said with a childish grin.
"Oh." I said awkwardly, "So what did you… want to talk about?"
"Straight to business, then. I know why the vampires are here." He said, "A couple years ago, the Cullens moved to a new city where a pair of mates, Evan and Jelena, had already claimed territory. Evan and Jelena lived in a large forest outside the city, but they were on an extended trip to Greenland when the Cullens moved in. When Evan and Jelena returned, they found their territory had been encroached on."
I felt pale, and didn't want to hear anymore, but I knew I had to get this information, so I held on.
"Evan and Jelena did not take well to the newcomers, even though the Cullens didn't live off humans. Too many of us in one place will draw attention, and they did not want to risk being discovered." He continued, "Rather than asking the Cullens to leave, they decided to attack. There were 2 of them; there were 7 Cullens. I don't know what they were thinking." He said, "Carlisle, the leader of the Cullens, is peaceful, and tries to resolve conflict without resorting to violence. However, Evan and Jelena were angry, and would not listen to reason. The Cullens defended themselves, and Jelena was killed in the process."
I didn't trust my voice to speak. My hands were shaking. This felt like a plot out of a movie, too absurd to be reality. A gust of wind blew, numbing my wet cheeks. To my sheer embarrassment, I realized I was crying.
"I'm sorry, but what does this have to do with my family?" I asked weakly.
"Typically, in the vampire world, if someone's mate is killed, the surviving mate will go after the mate of whomever was responsible. Evan can't go after the Cullens. They're all strong and able to protect themselves and each other. Evan knows he won't survive if he tries to attack them again." He said.
"And Edward dated my mother, who's a human." I said, filling in the pieces.
"Anyone who talks to Edward can see how deeply he misses your mother. It's possible that Evan will go after the Cullens again, but for now, your mother and her children are human, defenceless. Easy targets." He explained, "Evan didn't expect Bella to be protected as she is. He thought he could just go to Anchorage, kill her, and move on."
"Is that why you were in Anchorage? To protect my mother?" I asked.
"No." He said with a grim grin, "And Evan has friends. I'm not sure how many he's hoping for, but so far he has 4 others helping him."
"If this is the Cullens fault, and Edward loves my mom so much, why isn't he here protecting her?" I asked.
Mr. Price faltered, "Well… they are here. Well, all the Cullens except for Edward; he's in Europe for the time being. That's another why the werewolves are so angry. The wolves don't like them being here. The Cullens are trying to catch Evan, but he's evasive. They've been following him across the country. Catching him won't be easy. And now the Cullens and the werewolves are trying to avoid each other while trying to eliminate the same target. This complicates matters considerably."
I stared out into the dark road.
"I guess there's no chance of the vampires and werewolves working together?" I asked.
"As I've said, it's complicated." He said.
"Mr. Price, may I ask you a personal question?" I asked.
"Please, call me Thomas." He said.
"Okay, Thomas." I said, "What's your role in all this? Why are you here?"
"I'm good friends with the Cullens. Your mother is having a hard time, as you know, and seeing any of the Cullens would make her much worse. Even seeing a vampire at all is difficult for her." He said, "So in a way, I guess you could call me a diplomat."
"Okay." I said, "Why did you take a job at my school if you knew it'd make her so upset?"
"I did not know your mother worked at that school until I saw her in the staff room. I wouldn't have taken the job if I knew." He said.
I sat, thinking about what he just said. My mom came apart so easily that day, and I didn't understand why at the time. I didn't know all the details, but I understood what everyone's been telling me: I had to go easier on her.
"You should get back inside. Your parents are about to come downstairs." He said.
I blinked, and Thomas was gone. I looked around, but there was no sign of him anywhere. I sighed, too tired and scared to move. The front door opened.
"Hannah! What are you doing?" Mom asked.
"I'm just getting fresh air." I said.
"Get inside." She ordered.
I stood up, and followed her inside. She locked the door behind me. A lot good that would do, apparently. But I had a mission to do, and now was as good as time as any.
"Thomas Price was here." I said.
Dad stiffened. Mom gave a slight shriek, and collapsed to the floor. Dad picked her up, and carried her to the couch.
"Hannah, I thought we agreed you wouldn't be so reckless anymore. Don't you know how dangerous vampires are?!" Dad asked.
"He gave me important information." I said.
"Important information? Hah! He probably fed you false information to try and throw us off the trail of his pal." He said.
"Dad, listen." I begged, "The vampire's name is Evan, and he's targeting Mom-"
"I know who he's targeting, thanks." Dad brushed off.
"He has 4 allies helping him." I said, "And he's trying to recruit more."
"That sounds about right." Dad said, counting in his head, "I just wish the damn Cullens would disappear already. This isn't their fight."
Mom sat up, and Dad supported her.
"The Cullens are here?!" She asked desperately.
I bit my lips closed. I don't think Mom was supposed to know about this. I saw the desperation in her eyes. The hope, the hopeless love and desperation. A look in her eyes I've never seen before.
Dad huffed, knowing he didn't mean to say anything about it, and now he only had himself to blame.
"Yeah, the leeches are here." He muttered.
"It's dangerous! They have to leave!" Mom said, almost hysterically.
"Bella, wake up! It's their fault this is happening. Who cares what happens to them. They bring it on themselves." Dad said.
"I care, Jacob! They could get hurt because of me!" Mom said.
"Why are they getting involved anyway? They left you defenceless twenty years ago." Dad said.
"If you two quieten down, I can explain." I said loudly.
My parents looked at me, and when I was sure I wasn't going to be interrupted, I told them the story that Thomas told me.
Dad had a twisted facial expression, "That's a bunch of bull. They're just trying to make themselves look like the victims. I bet they killed that leech in cold blood."
"The Cullens aren't like that." Mom said, "They wouldn't kill unprovoked."
"But they did." Dad said.
"They didn't." I said, "Jelena and Evan attacked them."
"You both are too gullible for your own good." Dad brushed off, "Just stay close to the wolves, okay? We'll protect you."
I sighed. It was impossible to argue with Dad when he got like this. Mom was shaking on the couch, muttering about years gone by. Dad softened a bit, seeing her expression, and held her close. I went to the kitchen to make their breakfasts. Mom didn't touch hers. Dad ended up eating hers as well.
After breakfast, Dad took his phone outside to make a call to Sam. Regardless of the fact he questioned the credibility of the source, he had to pass on the information onto the Alpha, and it could be decided what is to be done from there.
I couldn't help but feel angry. Thomas was trying to help us, and Dad acted like he was worth less than the old gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe, picked up off the sidewalk.
I heard shouting, and I ran outside to see what was the matter. Dad was at the treeline, and he was on the phone, talking angrily. I caught up to where he was, and he turned around, holding out his arm to prevent me from going any further. I looked up at him, and then beyond to where he was preventing me from going.
I could see the body of a wolf laying on the ground, crumpled in an awkward position, motionless in a pool of blood.