So then. When last we saw her, Beth was walking towards the airport. Let's what happens next!

Enjoy!

LookAliveSunshine03

Warning: One use of strong language.

Chapter 21:

An Englishwoman in America

After breezing through customs, Beth waited nearly two hours for her flight. It had arrived on time.

It almost felt too easy.

Before boarding the plane, she had texted Anna to inform her of what was happening. Her response was very touching.

I would wish you good luck, but I don't think you'll need it. The Cullens will love you, as I do.

That's v. nice of you to say so! xx Beth had replied. But I will need to gain their trust 1st, won't I?

And you will. Out of all the Volturi Guard, you are the most innocent.

After some consideration, she had had to agree, despite the part she had to play in Harrison's mercy-killing. In all her three (almost four) years of being a vampire, she had only killed seven people.

I hope Edward believes that. I'll text you when I reach Washington xxx

Safe travels, Beth. Be careful xxx

Beth liked playing human; it came effortlessly to her – once she got her thirst under control, of course. She had booked a seat amongst the twenty or so other passengers, and had restrained from writing in her notebook. She did not want to arouse any kind of curiousity, especially in these times where paranoia festered best up here in the air. She didn't want to risk skittish humans thinking she was writing secret, terrorist messages.

So Beth read her book for a few minutes, and once they were safely in the air, she watched some of the movies on the TV screen hidden in the arm of her chair. A bland rom-com and a slightly better animated film kept her amused for a while. With over twelve hours to get through, though, she had to think a lot harder about what to do to play the human correctly.

Beth remembered to get up for regular walks to keep the 'circulation' going, and take the right amount of toilet breaks. She even ate the food and drink that was offered by the pretty stewardesses. The sandwiches were okay…as okay as tuna could be to someone who couldn't digest food anymore, and she reflected that vampire or not, she still would have wrinkled her nose up her choice of greasy vegetable lasagne (with black olives, no less!) and heavily diluted apple juice for dinner. Suffice to say, it all tasted about as nice as dirt, but she swallowed it down as best she could.

She took quiet solace in the notion she could cough it all up later, but, for now, her meals sat thick and unpleasant in her stomach.

She paid special attention to appear bored and increasingly weary as time wore on. Afternoon cloud soon converged to thick clumps of indigo dusk drifting passed her window, and the people around her were winding down, accepting blankets and crisp pillows. Beth did the same, reclining her seat ready for a pantomime of sleep.

She resisted the instinct to stay still, making herself toss and turn, while listening to the soft hum of jet engines and the people around her. Three seats away, a grizzling little boy was finally giving into slumber.

Only a few more hours to go, Beth thought peacefully. Impatient as she was to get to Washington, it was so nice not to have to talk to anyone. Here she could just…think.

Up here she had no signal, so could not text Anna to see what she was up to, but she could most certainly imagine it.

A romantic stroll in the garden – with Aro. A romantic meander up to peruse the fiction library – with Aro. Talking, talking always talking, and all the while you could cut the pent-up, sexual chemistry with a knife.

Beth lay like this for hours, remembering to twitch or sigh in pretend-sleep while her mind worked quietly away.

She thought about what the Volturi could be doing, and if Dora and her husband were having a night to themselves or not (shudder). Marcus would be in his cave…probably doing nothing, except staring into the void of his own misery…

She had thought – what? That they had turned a corner? She remembered the astonishment on Aro and the Guard's faces, seeing Marcus with her outside of his room. But, no. Marcus was not so easily changed. Beth sighed. She would miss him, all the same. And quiet, motherly Renata.

Not Jane and Alec, though. Not that they would gave a damn.

But, most of all, Beth thought about what she was going to do when the plane landed. About the Cullens and their wolves, and if they would eat her before she found the family.

Her eyes snapped open to the sound of the captain's announcement over the intercom. They were to land soon.

She roused herself slowly, stretching languidly amid the groans and muttered curses of those who were once happily asleep.

The sun had risen two hours previously, as uncertain as Beth felt. She was landing in America – and she had made it this far without freaking out! Score 5 for Rhodes!

This was how she was dealing with it. She took every 'speed-bump' as it came – and like everything that unnerved her, she had to write a list. But she couldn't write it now, so she had to picture it in her head:

Being in the Lamborghini without punching Demetri – done (surprisingly easy)

Reaching the airport – done

Getting through customs - done

Getting on the plane - done

Reaching Washington – done

It would get steadily longer as time went on, of course, but for now she waited for the plane to land, watching the humans bustling about to gather their luggage, so impatient to leave.

She took her time, accepting the help of a handsome steward to get her backpack. Feeling cheeky, she smiled at him. "Thank you."

That was all, but he virtually swooned at its impact. She winked. Good morning America!

I have successfully arrived in Washington!

Well done, Beth! Say hello to the Cullens for me xxxxx

After a close-shave at customs involving an X-ray machine, Beth made it through into the crisp air of American soil. She hadn't liked scaring the security guard like that, but it was necessary. She wasn't about to let some human get in her way.

Fuck, she was starting to sound like a vampire.

She took a taxi into Forks, with a driver who clearly enjoyed a good steak. He was gruff, but friendly enough, chatting about the best restaurants around. She made the appropriate noises.

When he asked what had brought her to Forks, she told him she was visiting some friends. On her own? Yes. She made a little joke about being small for her age (which wasn't a lie), and that seemed to satisfy him.

The journey took over twenty minutes as they went down seemingly endless stretches of road to get there; such was the way in America, but as an Englishwoman, she missed roundabouts.

Beth watched the clouds roll in with a strange sense of dread and anticipation. It only escalated when the road fell away to reveal the town. There were squat little houses, wood-panelled and weather-beaten. Niche shops – ooh, a book store! – and dinky restaurants with names Beth didn't recognise.

Welcome to Forks: population 3,607…how quaint. Her taxi stopped here. She paid up, and he asked if she was going to be alright. That was the nice thing about Americans; they did things like that, unlike people in London. They were as cold as the weather there.

Insisting that she was and knew where she was going (which she didn't), she made sure he was gone before she decided to put her glamour on.

This place was very green, she realised. Rain-soaked and – and miserable. Why would anyone want to live here, really?

Beth passed the high school. A mundane building, undoubtedly full of not-so mundane teens. They had to be gagging to escape this damp little town, just as she had been with hers. Weird. Beth had only been here a few minutes, and she was already starting to empathise with them.

Bella Cullen had gone there, Anna had told her. The Cullens had, too. It was where they had met. How romantic.

But…all those hormone-choked, randy adolescents, mingling with such beautiful specimens of (whisper it) vampire? That had to have been a weird experience for everyone involved.

Ooh, Beth had so many questions to ask the Cullens. Spotting a break between buildings, she moved towards the trees to escape the town.

As soon as she stepped into the trees, she could feel she was being watched, but knew she shouldn't use her glamour. Taking a breath, Beth dropped her glamour. She immediately felt exposed, more exposed than she had ever expected.

Her mouth hung agape to enter this world; that was what it was like – that the forest was alive. It whispered and breathed with insects, and the soft, far away tread of deer. This was good, this was very good, but that could wait.

Shouldering her rucksack, Beth began to her trek into Cullen territory.

As luck would have it, the heavens opened seconds later; fortunately she was prepared for it. Forks was renowned for its wet weather, much like most of the UK. That made Beth laugh. Nowhere in the UK was as picturesque as this. The trees were so thickly closed in, they threatened to block out what little sunlight there was.

Perfect conditions for vampires, then. Wolves on the prowl, too. Beth found she walked faster than her usual, casual walk. I do believe in spooks, I do believe in spooks, I do, I do, I do…

They would surely smell her growing fear, but she could not quash it. Her glamour was her best protection, yet she wanted to be found.

Just not by the wolves.

She treaded soft earth with light feet, sniffing the whole way. The saccharine-ice smell of vampire was everywhere, though faint and old.

What does a human-vampire smell like, anyway?

Their stink hit like an upper-cut to the jaw. Wet dog, there was no other way to describe it.

They were waiting for her. She kept walking, slower this time.

Look around, Beth. Her sister's voice whispered in her mind, and, suddenly it was like she was with her. Coiled and alert. We're not alone here.

Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. The hairs on the back of Beth's neck had been prickling ever since she'd got here. They're expecting us – me to run.

But as soon as she did that, they would attack. It was such an obvious reaction. They moved deceptively quiet. How else would they kill her? Fight fire with fire. Claws and teeth. These wolves were skilled at their bloodless work. This was their territory, too.

She caught a flash of grey fur, and stiffened. Okay, there was one. So where were the others?

Its howl split the air around them, erupting like a fountain to carry across the forest. It was a strangely melancholy sound.

The laugh came unbidden, a bubble of stress-induced hysteria. "Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf?"

Anna-in-her-head groaned. Oh, Beth. Must you?

They were coming, she could hear their feet, their wet, thudding heartbeats. She counted nine separate hearts. Nine. For every Cullen.

Shut up. They're on the same team.

What was the thing to do with hostile dogs? Look as small as possible, and don't run – so ignore every screaming instinct your body possessed.

Yeah, okay. Fuck. Beth sat down and waited.

She had counted eight seconds when they all emerged slowly towards her. Their eyes – so human and out-of-place above a growling wolf muzzle – watched her with some guarded curiousity.

But, oh. Oh, that wasn't the most alarming part. Beth had severely – stupidly – underestimated their size. Anna hadn't said anything about that!

Why Grandma, what big teeth you have!

These were no ordinary wolves. They were twice the size, and that was only the smaller ones. There were nine altogether now. Against one, little vampire. It was laughable, really.

Beth looked on as the russet one, who was quite clearly an Alpha stepped forward. A horse would have had to look up at him to meet his eye.

What's more, there were two Alphas. The other one was a little bigger, but black as pitch, with scrutinising eyes. Impressive muscle rippled beneath its shaggy fur.

Black, like…Jacob Black? Anna had been a bit vague about the wolves, even the one Renesmee was supposedly quite attached to; she didn't really understand how it all worked.

Neither did Beth, but that was part of why she was here. She was an empty cup, yearning for the information to fill her up.

Two Alphas? How was that even possible?

Would they understand her if she tried to speak to them? Did they lose their humanity in this form? It was worth a try. Alice must have had a vision about her, or else they would have attacked straight away.

So Beth remained where she was, lowering her hood.

At once their warning growls stopped. The sand-coloured one on the russet Alpha's right gave a bark, or something close to it. She tried to meet their eyes one by one; gold to dark brown. But they were looking to their leaders, as if asking what to do.

"My name is Beth," she winced at the tremor in her voice. "Please don't kill me."

Heehee, I do like a good cliff-hanger! I'd love to know what you guys think will happen next...