AN: Thank you to oneiros lykos, P.S.- I Luv Kyo, Fire.or.Ice, vampires rule i love emmett, 4vr17Vi, Bellaxvampire, Lost in Believing, AmberGlow2, totallyanon, TopazObsessr94, friscofilly, stressylemon, DeanParker, Brandicimo, Jesusrocks, Nature's Melody, Stacie-Ann Halliwell, pepperica546, blankholic, DamnThoseDazzlingCullens, wherthewild1s-trulyare, Gotsta Have My Hardy and LifeIsABeach827 for the reviews, alerts, favorites and theories. Also, the new title poll is now up on my profile so go vote on the choices that were submitted to me! Poll will be open until the end of this month! :)
25. Gift:
Elizabeth:
I woke to the soft glow of morning light. Huh, that was weird. The sun was actually out today. I looked to my right to see my mother and father curled against each other, both looking at me with joyous smiles.
"You're right, Edward," Mom laughed, "Her hair does look like mine used to whenever I woke up."
I stuck my tongue out at them and they dissolved into laughter. Dad moved just enough so that his skin came in contact with the bright sunlight that filtered through a gap in my curtains. His skin flared like diamonds in the sun where the light touched him, the reflection of it bouncing around the room in a stunning array.
"So I guess that means that school is out for today," I whispered, voice trapped in awe. It was a rare thing to see my family glow jewel bright like that. It was a gift that I dearly treasured.
"For us, yes," Dad replied, "You, little missy, will be going."
"Little missy?" I scoffed, "I"ll have you know that I am one step closer to becoming an adult."
Mom frowned, "Please, don't remind me. It seems like only yesterday that you were a baby in my arms."
"Mom," I whined, embarrassed, "Let's not, okay?"
She chuckled, "Okay, okay. How's your wrist?"
At that moment, my wrist throbbed, as if to remind me of its plight. I looked down at the black splint on my arm and frowned, "It hurts."
"Carlisle will take care of it," Dad nodded.
"I don't doubt that," I replied, "What I'm more concerned with is how it will look when I show up at school without the rest of my 'brothers and sisters'."
"We could all have contracted the same illness that you allegedly had last week," my father smiled cunningly.
"Tricky," I replied, "I'm not going to wheedle my way out of this, am I?"
"Not a chance," Dad smiled.
I sighed, looked down at my injured hand and resigned myself for what I was about to do next. I looked up at my parents, my lower lip jutting forward, pouting, forcing all longing hope to skip class into my wide, innocent eyes. I saw my mother's eyes grow wide with shocked disapproval and instead I turned the pout full on my father. He looked back at me, his face impassive, eyes hard. Drats! That used to work!
"Elizabeth," Dad sighed, shaking his head.
"Come on," I whimpered, "None of you are going and I'm injured! Plus, it's my birthday!"
"You said you were going to speak to Marcus today," Mom reminded me sternly, "And that is more important than anything else right now. After what happened last night..."
Her voice faltered for a moment before she regained control, "After what happened last night, you need to learn how to better protect yourself."
I huffed, crossing my arms, forgetting my injury for a brief moment before it reminded me it was there. As stabbing pain shot through my hand like a spasm, I bit my lip to keep from crying out. I knew that neither of my parents had missed the effort. They were right. I had to go to school. Seeing as how they were so determined to keep me human, I would have to go to school to get a good education to help pave the way for my future. If I could live long enough to see one. Now where had that dark thought come from? At that moment, the baleful black rose caught my eye and I shuddered at the blooming flower which was so innocent in and of itself but its connotations so frightening.
"I'll go to school," I replied.
"Thank you," my father nodded.
I stepped out of the midnight blue Lexus SUV that Esme used to help keep up the facade of the busy house wife. She waved at me as she drove away and I smiled back. It was odd not only to be dropped of by my grandmother but also to be unaccompanied by the rest of my family. It wasn't long until I spotted a dark, tousled head bounding my way through the crowd of our peers. Alex swooped down on me, lifting me off the ground in a hug. My hurt wrist was pinned against his body and I barley contained the whimper of pain that leaked from my mouth. Alex froze at the sound and put me down gently, his eyes worried.
"I'm sorry," he said quickly, his gaze finding the black splint on my wrist with a horrified grimace, "I didn't see...What happened?"
"I tripped," I sighed.
"I'm sorry," he said again, "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"I know," I smiled, "It's okay, really."
We stood there for a second before his face brightened with mischief and he swung his backpack around and unzipped it. I frowned as I watched him. With a needless flourish of movement, I was suddenly staring at a bouquet of white roses. Several people next to us dissolved into giggles and I felt my face light up like a traffic light.
"Happy birthday," Alex sang out.
"How did youfind out?" I sputtered, embarrassment and unrest stealing composure from me.
"Alice told me yesterday," Alex frowned. I could see the panic in his eyes at my less than enthusiastic reaction to his gift and felt guilty.
I reached for the bouquet, offering him a smile. It really was sweet of him. It wasn't his fault that roses weren't my favorite flower at the moment.
"Thank you, Alex," I replied, "This is...really sweet of you. Unnecessary but sweet."
"I didn't know what kind of flowers you liked so I went with the traditional rose," he explained as we walked to class, "Did I chose well?"
No, "Yes. They're beautiful."
He beamed at me and I smiled again. His face reminded me of a dog that wagged its tail when its owner praised it for a job well done. I stifled a giggle at the image in my head just as we crossed the threshold of Marcus's classroom. He smiled at me when he saw me enter and didn't seem surprised at all when my mother and father didn't follow behind me. As I took my seat, I caught his eyes. His laughing hazel gaze slid ever so slightly to the bouquet on my desk and just as subtly to Alex beside me. I shifted my head to the left once and then to the right in a marginal show of displeasure. His lips twitched ever so slightly.
"Where's Edward and Bella?" Alex asked as Marcus set off to discussing our plans to read Romeo and Juliet, a story which I had already read. Let's hear it for home schooling!
"Sick," I frowned, "They caught what I had last week. All of my siblings did."
"That sucks," Alex replied.
"Yeah," I responded, "I feel so guilty."
"So yesterday Alice told me that Bella's birthday is on Saturday," Alex continued talking, "That must be cool."
I nodded, "We usually have a joint party for both of us."
"Alice invited me," Alex nodded and then frowned, as if he had ruined some big secret, "Oops."
I stifled a laugh, "Don't worry, I'm privy to my aunts antics, you didn't ruin anything for me."
"Aunt?" Alex frowned.
My eyes widened in abject horror as my mind replayed the last sentence that left my mouth, "Did I say aunt? I meant sister! I have no clue why I said that."
Alex gazed at me for a second before he shrugged, easily accepting my admission of a lapse in brain function. I felt my pulse begin to slow now that the moment of panic had passed. Stupid! Why had I allowed myself to slip up like that?! My eyes fell on the bouquet of white roses that lay on my desk and I felt my lips tug upward in a soft smile. The white rose, a symbol of innocence and purity and which asked for acceptance. Wait. What? How did I know that? I glanced at Marcus at the front of the room and he winked at me but disguised it by bringing his hand up to rub his eye, as if there was something bothering it. Had he somehow passed the information to me without me noticing?
"The knowledge is already in your blood, passed down from generation to generation."His words during our first real lesson echoed in my head. Maybe that's why I knew the meaning behind the flowers on my desk. I knew because my ancestors had known and I was of their blood. I frowned as the meaning of the black rose floated to the front of my mind. A black rose spoke of mortality, of vengeance and of course, of death. I shuddered at the thought. Alex looked at me and I offered him a smile.
I easily saw the way my display of friendship affected him. His eyes shone with elation, his smile wide and bright and warm. He really was attractive in a nerdy, adorkable sort of way. Would it really be so bad to give into what he so obviously wanted? Would that be so horrible? I glanced at the roses, of which he had unconsciously picked out to mirror his intentions toward me. He could be good for me. The bell rang, startling me out of my reverie. Alex got up and hovered next to me, waiting to escort me to our next class.
"You go on ahead," I said to him, "I have to talk to Mr. Reynolds about our last essay."
"Okay," Alex smiled, leaving me to my business.
The class emptied and Marcus shut the door behind the last student. It really was a good thing that he didn't have a second period class.
"What happened?" he asked me, his eyes resting on my splint.
"I was attacked," I replied.
He sighed, his eyes sliding closed, "I was afraid of this. I guess it was optimistic of me to think that something as simple as vervain would do the trick."
"I guess it was," I nodded, "How do I stop him?"
"Short of killing him?" Marcus laughed, "Oh, that reminds me! I have something for you."
He opened a drawer of his desk and produced a small box that was wrapped in shiny paper. He slid it toward me with a smile.
"It's a birthday present," he replied.
"You didn't have to..." I protested.
"Just open it, Elizabeth," he shook his head at me.
I took the box and ripped off the paper. The box that the paper had hidden told me that whatever this gift was, it was jewelery. I sighed but pulled the tiny lid off of the box and gasped. Inside was a gorgeous necklace. The chain was silver and attached to a lapis lazuli disk that had a sliver wolf pendent attached to it with a tiny bit of leather string. I looked up at Marcus with wide eyes.
"It was Melody's," he said softly, "And it was the only thing that I found the night my family was killed. She never took it off."
His voice was so haunted and I felt my own throat close at hearing his suffering. I lifted the necklace from its box and put it on. It was surprisingly warm against my skin where it rested under my shirt. With the mention of my real mother's name, I remembered the reason for my staying behind.
"She saved me last night, I think," I said.
I explained to him in vivid detail the events of my nightmare. He listened in stone silence.
"I don't doubt that Melody helped you," he said after a short silence, "She was what our kind call a Mind Walker. She could enter peoples thoughts and dreams and help them sort out what the needed. She also helped teach those who had trouble unlocking their powers. She could have been a Hunter."
"You're not making any sense to me right now," I interjected, "I hope you know that."
He laughed, "Yes, I know. I was mostly talking to myself anyway. I wish I could explain further but like I said, I'll give you a history lesson later. This weekend we will definitely work on making that temporary wall that she helped you build permanent. Until then, her necklace coupled with the vervain should be enough."
"Forgive me when I say that I won't hold my breath," I rolled my eyes.
"You're forgiven," he replied, "I was a fool to think that keeping you safe from that monster would be easy."
I nodded my agreement as the bell rang, "Well, I missed my second class."
"I'll write you a note," Marcus said as he took out a piece of paper.
"So my aunt is throwing me and my mom a birthday party this weekend," I said, already knowing that Alice was planning one, "You should come."
"I don't think I'm welcome," he replied, his eyes still on his current project.
"Well Isay you are," I responded, "My parents will respect that."
He shrugged and handed me the note which I took from him, "Please say you'll go. You're my family, too."
"I'll go as long as you promise me some lesson time before, after or even during the party," he replied, "You need to work on that wall."
"I promise," I replied.
Saturday dawned horrendously early. Marcus had worked out the finer details with my parents when they had returned to school on Thursday. To my immense surprise, they didn't seem to mind that Marcus wanted to come to the party. They also agreed to allow him to come over early so that I could have my lesson before the party. And that was why I was up at five o'clock in the morning. Why had I agreed to this? Oh yeah, a crazed vampire killer was after my life. Right. Had to put a stop to that.
I dressed in frumpy clothes for the lesson, knowing that Alice would insist that I change before the party started. I had argued with her, saying that the party would only be with family and the one friend I had managed to make. I should have known that there was no arguing with my aunt. I glanced at the dress that she had insisted I wear and shook my head. Downstairs, the doorbell chimed, signalling my tutors arrival. I went downstairs to greet him.
My entire family was in the living room with Marcus as I walked down the stairs. Great.
"Hey, teach," Emmett's voice boomed, "Nice to see you out of the classroom."
"Thank you, Emmett," Marcus's smile was friendly. If he was uncomfortable being in a house full of vampires, he didn't show it, "Your last essay was atrocious, by the way."
Emmett broke out into vehement laughter.
"You must be Elizabeth's blood uncle," I heard Esme say politely, "It is a pleasure to have you here."
"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen," Marcus said, "It's a honor to be here."
"You can call me Esme, if you'd like," she replied.
Marcus nodded to her, "Esme, then."
"I'm sorry Carlisle isn't here," she said, "He's still at the hospital, but he'll be here in time for the party."
"And a happy birthday to you, Bella," Marcus said, offering my mother a smile.
"Thank you," Mom smiled back as she turned to me, "Are you ready for your lesson?"
"As ready as I'll be," I shrugged.
"You are changing, right?" Alice frowned at me.
"Yes, Aunt Alice," I sighed, "But that's before Alex gets here. Come on, Uncle, let's get this over with."
Marcus laughed and followed me back up the stairs.
"I really don't see why I have to change," I complained to him, "It's not even a real party."
"I can hear you," Alice yelled after me and Marcus laughed.
I held back the rest of my complaints and walked into my room. Marcus took it in with a low whistle.
"You are well taken care of," he said with admiration.
I shrugged, "Can we please do this thing already?"
"So eager to learn today," Marcus grinned, his eye catching the black rose which was mostly obscured by the sea of white ones that Alex had given me.
"Right," Marcus said, sitting cross legged in front of me, "Close your eyes and try to focus."
I closed my eyes and took in deep, even, calming breaths. It seemed terribly ease to relax this time around. I wonder why.
"Now, visualize a wall," he instructed after a moment to allow me to relax, "It can be made of any substance you wish."
I nodded and focused on creating a wall out of the element which had sparred me before; fire. I called to mind the warm glow of red flames, tried to summon up the memory of the smokey scent of a camp fire. I felt something warm against my chest, almost as if my mother's necklace was responding to my request. At the thought of my mother, the first spark flickered to life inside my mind. It was a tiny flame that needed to be fueled.
I focused on it, willing it to grow for me, asking it to offer me its protection and warmth. The flames flared, a full fledged camp fire now. I felt some other consciousness flutter against mine. I could feel my own power reach out and brush it back as it tried to decided whether this new awareness was friend or foe. It occurred to me that I shouldn't have known what was happening. The way my own magic had reached out to evaluate Marcus's had simply felt natural to me, like something remembered instead of learned.
His power answered mine with what felt like a warm breeze. Friendly. My power drew away from him and allowed him what he had been seeking; permission to enter my mostly guarded mind.
Well done, he whispered through my mind, It looks like you didn't need my help at all.
I do, though, I replied, It's only a camp fire. What I need is a wild fire.
So make it spread, Marcus said, Feed it what it needs to burn bright and strong. Think of what you need it to do. Give it your memories of fear. Let your terror fuel your protection.
I did as he told me to do. I summoned up my nightmares. I recalled with horrific detail the memories of my utter panic and helplessness. The fire caught, spread up and out in a protective ring that made my inner eye squint against its brightness. The red, orange and yellow flames faded to silver, white and palest blue when I recalled my vampire family and my fear for their safety. As my wall of flames burned bright and true, I felt Marcus withdraw from me and I opened my eyes.
"Congratulations," he smiled, "You have a wall. The hardest part is over. Now all you have to do is keep it burning. It should keep you protected but like any fire, it needs to be monitored to ensure its longevity."
I nodded and then frowned, "That seemed ridiculously easy."
"It's like I said before, the knowledge is in your blood," he replied, "That being said, can you tell me what your mother's pendent means?"
"Lapis lazuli is a protection stone," I stated automatically, "But it also enhances enlightenment and is capable of bonding love and friendship. The wolf symbolises loyalty, perseverance and wisdom...Whoa!"
Marcus was grinning all over his face, "See?"
"So my mother's necklace is what made building the wall so easy?" I asked, "Those two elements of power blended together?"
Marcus nodded, "It is a very powerful talisman."
"Thank you," I replied.
"Don't thank me," he smiled, "Its yours by right."
I nodded, my hand finding its way to the warm pendent that rested against my chest. I lifted it in my hand and ran my thumb over the delicate silver groves that made up the wolf pendent and felt totally at ease. It had the most precious gift in the world, a family that loved me, both adoptive and blood related. Even though the thought of the mystery vampire still sent a chill down my spine, I had the overwhelming feeling that I would be okay. As long as I had my family with me, that was all I'd ever need.
AN: If you want to see what Elizabeth's necklace looks like, the link is up in my profile, just copy and paste it into your browser. Don't forget to vote on the new title! Poll closes at the end of the month!