Chapter twenty-four
Fire in the Woods
Maree POV
So, amazingly, I'm updating before the year is out, but I don't like this chapter much, hence the low word count. Anyways, enjoy reading...Please review, don't just type 'please update'. Us writers like to know what our readers want.
Enjoy your festive season!
Much Love
Skaiya
P.S: I know nothing about American schools and the sports. So, everything of overseas that I write about comes from the media.
Emmett drops me off at the school and looks at me.
"So, you better be here, in this parking lot right after school...otherwise."
"As if, Em. You know I can kick your butt before you even come close to me," we laugh as he stops the engine.
"I'm going to the Clearwater's after school. We're arranging a study group."
"Just Seth and you?" he asks mischievously with a wink as he waves to the Pack.
"Yes, just the two of us; and it's not like that, Emmett. Not everything in life needs to be sexual!"
"Well, we'll see you there, then," he starts to climb back into his Dodge Challenger, but I grab his shirt and pull him back.
"What do you mean by that?" he waves at the Pack again and then turns back to me. "Why don't you ask your wolf that?" he quickly starts the Dodge Challenger. I turn to Seth and bombard him with questions.
"Why did you invite the Cullens? Which Cullens are going to be there? Why didn't you tell me?" his face scrunches up confusedly, and it takes all of my willpower not to crumble.
"Can't you first say hello?" I sigh, but then smile.
"Hi," I tell him simply. He moves closer and lightly trails his hand up my arm.
"Hi," he replies softly, planting a warm kiss on my cheek. His hairs tickle my cheek, reminding me to inform him to shave. Leah coughs and smirks.
"So, do you have anything to add?" I pull my hair up into a long ponytail as I look at Seth.
"Uhm, you look beautiful today?" he tries. I roll my eyes and move over to Leah.
"Please teach your brother how to answer my questions properly," she laughs as she hugs me.
"I think his skull is too thick," Embry and Quil laugh as I walk over to them, hugging them too.
I smile, hooking my arm into Leah's while Seth volunteers to carry my bag.
We reach our lockers and retrieve our books for the first three periods.
"So, Seth, what's this I hear about the Cullens attending our study date?" I ask him, emphasizing the word 'date'. He hands my bag back to me.
"Leah found out about it and invited herself," he tells me. I glance over at Leah, who gives me a shrug of her shoulders.
"Leah then in turn, invited Embry and Quil," we walk into our homeroom and find our seats in the back.
"And Paul and Jared invited themselves," Leah added.
"So who invited the Cullens?" Leah averts her eyes as I glance at her.
"Leah, why did you do that?" she shrugs her shoulders.
"I thought it would be a nice gesture for the Pack to reach out to them. They can help us with our subjects. You know, because they are forever in school," I roll my eyes, but offer her a small smile. The bell rings and the rest of the class rushes in to sit.
"Mom will make lots to eat," Leah says, delving into her bag. The Pack fist pumps the air at the prospect of food.
"And I'll bring soft drinks, as well as chips tonight," I nod to Seth as the teacher walks in to take attendance.
The first three periods go by fast. I walk with Jessica, one of the shy girls in my Ancient Greek class to the cafeteria. We laugh together as I tell her about my second date with Seth, obviously omitting the supernatural parts.
"So, did your aunt fire the receptionist?" she asks me.
"I left a message with one of my cousins, because my aunt is away at the moment, but I hope she does fire him. He was extremely impolite to the both of us," she smiles at me as she opens the cafeteria door.
"I can't believe that you have such a large family," I chuckle lightly at her statement.
"Believe me; it's all from my dad's side. Most of the cousins are fairly distant," she glances back at me.
"Maree, I think you should look at this," she steps aside to let me through.
A group of freshmen gather in the front of the cafeteria, each holding an oddly-shaped piece of cardboard. The rest of the school huddle at the backs of the freshmen, or stand on the chairs and tables. The lunch ladies have stopped with their serving. Even the teachers stand at the back of the room, sneaking a drag on their cigarettes. One of the freshmen whistles loudly as he sees me and holds up his board. The board, now that I see, is cut out in the form of an 'M'. One by one, the freshmen hold up boards. I move onto the next freshman until I see Seth. He too is holding up a board, but his is a question mark. I place my hands on my hips and shake my head at him.
"You decided to gather a group of freshmen and make them hold up boards, which spell out Maree Cullen, will you be my girlfriend?, to ask me out?" he grins sheepishly at me and shifts his board up higher.
"Don't forget the question mark," I shake my head at him and the cafeteria laughs at him.
"So, what do you say?" the students shout out several answers; ranging from 'Say yes, Maree!' to 'Go out with me, Cullen!' I smile at them and then turn to Seth.
"Since you asked so nicely, yes," Seth shoves the board into a nearby freshman's arms and picks me up. The cafeteria erupts into cheers and claps.
After lunch, we change into our gym clothes and Mrs. Docherty, the physical education teacher divides us into two groups, boys and girls. Leah and Jessica are rather athletic; what with Leah being a werewolf and Jessica who is a track athlete. Demigods are naturally athletic. The rest of the 'girl' side is fairly average when it comes to playing against boys.
Nina, a fair-headed short girl throws the ball to me. I dribble the ball andaim at the basket, ready to dunk it when Seth bumps into my side. The ball rolls out of my hands and is picked up by Quil, who smiles at me. I roll my eyes, bump back into Seth and lunge forward to Quil. He quickly flings the ball to Seth, who taunts me with the ball, by moving it side-to-side. I glance covertly at Jessica, who then shares a look with Leah. Leah nods at Jessica, who sends the nod to me. Unaware of the silent plan, Seth carries on with his taunting and I smirk at him. Jessica suddenly faints, which leads to Mrs. Docherty running over to her. I hook my ankle around his and tug his foot. The ball slips out of his arms, enabling me to jump forward on my one foot, catch it, and then jump back, landing on two feet again. Seth merely falls to the ground. I smile playfully at him and toss the ball nonchalantly at Leah. She smiles and dunks the ball. From her spot on the ground, Jessica lifts her head and faintly says:
"Go team!" Seth looks at the three of us and stammers at the teacher.
"Jess-Jessica...she was...faking it. The whole thing...it was a diversion," Mrs. Docherty stands up, with Jessica on her arm. She glances over at him.
"Nonsense, Seth!" she looks at her watch.
"The bell will ring soon, go get dressed. Girls win, anyway," Jessica hobbles over to us as Mrs. Docherty walks over to her office.
"Loved the way you fainted, Jess. Do you practice in your room?" Leah teases her as we walk to our changing rooms.
"Actually, yes; and there will soon be an Olympic sport for theatrical fainting," Jessica laughs as she zips her gym bag open.
The Pack, plus me, walk to the Clearwater's home after the bell rings. Seth rings the doorbell and waits for Sue to open the door, seeing as both Clearwater siblings forgot to take their keys. Sue opens the door and moans as she sees us.
"Do I really have to see you guys tonight?" Paul chuckles.
"Well, think of it this way, Mrs. Clearwater; you could always leave the house, go out tonight, and leave the house for us. We promise not to mess up the house, too much," Sue rolls her eyes at Paul.
"I'm anyway going to Charlie's house. Bella's been spending a lot of time with Edward and he wants company," we walk past her, Seth, Leah and I give her soft pecks on the cheek. We drop our bags in the living room and the boys jog to the kitchen. Arwen runs into the living room, barking when she sees me.
"I think I should take her home, Seth. She seems a bit, unhappy here," I look up at Seth, who is busy shoving a hotdog into his mouth. He swallows loudly before he answers.
"So, you would rather have our dog by the vampires, than by the wolves, which are more or likely her relatives?" I take a piece of bread from Seth's hand and shrug.
"Family's family, I guess. Do you have the cool drinks?" I rub Arwen's ear, and she jumps up, placing her enormous black paws on my shoulders. Seth chuckles at her and points at the bags Paul brought in from the shops. With great effort, I move the hellhound from my body and move over to the bags. I pick them up and shove it into Embry's arms.
"Put the drinks in the fridge, will you?" he sighs.
"Why do I have to carry it?" Arwen runs from outside and jumps onto Seth's lap, who is currently sitting on the couch. He groans, but folds his arms around her.
"Maybe because I told you to, Embry," he rolls his eyes, but puts the drinks in the fridge. I sit down by Seth, who throws an arm around my shoulder. Leah sits by me, and hugs her leg to her chest. I lay my head on Seth's shoulder as Leah lays hers on my shoulder. Paul enters the room and snickers when he sees us three. Seth throws a pillow at him and the Pack all sit on the couches.
"So, what are we going to do while we wait for the Cullens?" Embry asks us.
"Well, there's something called movies."
We pass the time by watching all three Jurassic Parks, which was my choice. Paul and Quil didn't want to watch it, but after receiving a stony glare from Arwen, they saw things my way. I wake up to the sound of the doorbell ringing. I groan and move closer to Seth and my eyes flicker open. Leah mutters and lifts her head up from my shoulder, and then rests her head once again. A few moments later, her head slips and falls gently on my side. Seth nudges me and I look at him.
"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. The Cullens are here," I groan, but prod Leah awake. She kicks me, but stands up, stretching her muscles.
Emmett stands in the doorway of the living room.
"If I knew it was a slumber party, I would've brought my inflatable mattress and beauty kit," he tells me. Rose rolls her eyes at me.
"Where's Alice, Jazz?" I ask the blond vampire as he hugs me.
"She's out with Bella tonight. Edward is with Carlisle in New Orleans. They are trying to find out what the problem is." He says stiffly, most likely because of where he is standing.
"Problems?" I ask him. He grimaces, but answers my question.
"There seems to be a newborn problem in the neighbouring towns."
"So, you're still here, why?" Emmett walks back to the living room, after touring the house."
"Edward, I mean, Carlisle wanted us to protect, I mean make sure that La Push is secure." I arch my eyebrows.
"Why would you want to protect an area that is already protected?" he starts to stumble over his words.
"Never mind, let's just start studying."
We open a few bags of chips and pass it around as we settle down. The Cullens take a few chips, as if they are still trying to hold their human façade. I sit next to Seth on the floor, with Leah next to me, and Jasper and Rose sitting on her side. Emmett sits on the other side of Seth and the rest of the wolves fall into place. When Jasper sat next to Leah, I thought she would protest, but she merely smiled at him. I open my Geometry book, while Seth opens his Music book. He glances at my work, and then exchanges our books.
"You know I'm dyslexic, right?" I look up at him.
"I know. That is why I gave you my Music book. I figured that since you're a daughter of Apollo, you know everything about music," I groan at him.
"Everybody thinks that," Emmett looks up at me.
"So, you don't know everything about music?" I shake my head and pick up a pen.
"I do, it's just that the demigods who hear I'm an Apollo child immediately assumes I can sing brilliantly and everything musically. Yes, I have lots of musical talents, but I prefer physical activities," I glance over at the wolves and see Paul sniggering.
"Activities that include swords and arrows, Paul," that makes him laugh even louder. The rest of the study group catch on and begin to laugh. Seth frowns and then blushes as he understands the double meaning. I blush and bow my head, trying not to meet the others' eyes.
"Let's get on with the studying." Jasper helps Leah with her Biology term work and Rosalie reluctantly gives advice to Embry with his Science.
We're silent for a few hours, quietly studying. Seth gives my Geometry book back to me, after summarising the work; thoughtfully writing it out in large font, making it easier for me to read. I, in turn; wrote out countless of music notes, trying my best not to spell the words incorrectly. Emmett groans after the third hour and I look at him.
"I've already learned the work before," I smirk at him.
"Well, you could always not attend school, just slouch around and become a fat vampire," he frowns.
"Is there such a thing as a fat vampire?" I shrug and shift closer to Seth, who lifts his hand and rests it on my waist.
"How am I supposed to know that? I'm a demigod, not a vampire," Arwen walks into the room with a letter tucked into her collar. She reaches Seth first and he retracts the letter, stroking her head at the same time. Arwen rests her head in my lap as Seth reads the front of the letter.
"Maree, it's for you," he hands the letter to me and I look up at him.
"Who's it from?" He reaches forward and awkwardly grabs the bowl full of chips, trying to nudge it towards him. Jasper notices it and taps it.
"Don't know. The address just read something of a Hill and Long Island," my interest peaked; I quickly open the letter, and scan the Greek written page. It's short and takes me a short time to read it. I smile broadly at the end of the letter; Seth, having seen this, turns to look at me.
"What is it?"
"Chiron, the activates director at my camp said that he is going to send backup in the next few weeks," Seth frowns.
"Backup, as in?"
"Other demigods," he arches an eyebrow.
"So, you don't think we do a well enough job?"
"No, it's not that. They're sending in backup because our seer at camp gave a prophecy that speaks of, well the usual things, death, destruction; but mainly it paints an oh-so pretty picture of ancient enemies that want to wreak havoc and take over the world," Seth blinks and then composes himself.
"When will they be here? And how many are coming?"
"He said in a few weeks. He isn't sure how many demigods will be coming, since the normal amount is three for a quest, so he still has to decide," I smile as I think of seeing my camp friends again.
"Where are they going to stay?" Seth absentmindedly opens his Biology book. I shrug and trace circles with my fingers on his palm.
"They'll probably set up in the forest, or I'll just ask Carlisle to buy a big house somewhere nearby. The Cullens are so rich; it wouldn't really make a difference."
"Hey!" Emmett looks up, mimicking a hurt expression.
"You know it's true," Rosalie exchanges glances with Emmett. The blonde nods and smiles as Leah hands her a book.
"Hey, Jasper, what's the answer to this question?" One of the wolves hand a book to the other blond vampire and the night goes on like this.
A FEW WEEKS LATER
Having written our last exam today (Geometry for me and Music for Seth); Seth and I hang around the La Push woods nearby Emily's house. We sit on a large tree and stare off into the distance.
"You know, the first time that I saw you, I thought I stumbled into heaven?" I roll my eyes and push him.
"Move past the cheesy compliments, won't you, Clearwater?"
"It's true, you know," I smile at him and lightly jump off the tree. Seth joins me as I lean against the trunk.
"So, when the other demigods arrive, what will the plan be?"
"I don't know, they'll probably think of something. To be honest, I don't really care, because, right now, I'm with you, and I want to only think about you," I grip his shirt and pull him closer. He smiles broadly and places his hands on either side of my body. He moves his head closer and places his forehead on mine.
"You know, I came upon a website last night that had the funniest pick-up lines. I should really use most of them on you," I place my lips on his and softly kiss him.
"Seth, just shut up and kiss me, all right?" he mumbles against my lips:
"Yes, sir, yes," he moves his hands from the tree and places it on my hips. His lips move against mine and he pushes me up against the tree. Seth takes my bottom lip in between his lips and gently bites it. I moan slightly and place my hand on his chest, which, I might add, was bare.
"I thought you were a werewolf, not a vampire," he chuckles deeply and places his lips on my neck. I pull his head up and push his lips against mine. The kiss becomes deeper as he hoists my legs around his hips. I hook my hands around his neck and he slips his hands under my shirt. Our breaths become laboured. We are so lost in the kiss that we don't even hear the loud rustling of the trees and a loud popping sound that emits from behind us until I hear an all too familiar and at-this-very-moment, annoying voice.
"Maree?"
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