A/N: Hey look! I'm updating! Whoo!! Hahaha… Yeah, I've been having a hard time trying to move the story along - I've been having a hard time trying to write, period. It's just been noisy around the house recently, what with my teenage wannabe of an Uncle blasting music just next door of my bedroom. Gosh, that pretty much sucks for me. XD Still, I hope you guys don't hate this chappie… =P
27
Standing in front of the window in my bedroom watching the rain fall, I listened to the wireless, the wizarding version of the Muggle radio, as I prepared for the upcoming school day. More specifically, I was preparing myself mentally for the upcoming reunion with the Cullens. I wasn't like I could avoid them in school, but I still had half a mind of skipping today, just to do so. I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that I have to go to school today.
"Abby, I'm leaving!" Bree's shout was loud enough to be heard all the way back home in Italy, and it shook me out of my questioning thoughts. Quickly pulling the dress I planned to wear over my head, I slipped my dragon hide boots on and ran down the stairs frantically, wanting to catch Bree before she left out the door.
"Gabrielle," I called, hoping that using her full name would catch her attention. "Wait!" I caught up with my cousin just before she had the chance of opening the door. "Before you go," I gasped for breath, "please tell me where you're planning on going. I can't have you wondering around the forest or anything like that."
Bree looked at me with those piercing blue eyes of hers. Her blonde hair, a tad shade darker than mine used to be, cascaded over her bare shoulders. The shirt she was wearing barely hung on to her, but her jeans stuck to her like a second skin. "Why?" she asked. "It's none of your business where I go." She didn't mean it to come out mean, but as a curious question.
"Just to make sure you don't run into anything bad." I was deflecting. The real reason I wanted to know where she was going was because, if she wandered around in the forest, she might stumble across the Cullens' residence. If she strayed over to La Push, then she might encounter the werewolves. Bree wasn't dumb; she'll know immediately there was something different if she sees anything out of the ordinary, in the Muggle sense.
"Don't worry about it," Bree said, smiling confidently. She took my hand and gave it a kiss, like what she always did whenever I was scared about something. It all began when Nessa had competed in the TriWizard Tournament, Bree had kissed my hand so many times to allay all my worries. I guess now, it was just a habit.
"Abby," she looked me square in the eyes, but I quickly looked away. "Abby, look at me." Reluctantly, I looked at her. "I can take care of myself," she said. "It's not like I'm unarmed."
I nodded my head, knowing that she was talking about her wand. As a certified Auror, Bree never leaves her wand for whatever reason. It was a wizard's only weapon after all. Without it, one might as well be a Squib.
"I trust you, Bree. Really, I do. I just want to know where you're going. If it's just around the town, then fine. I can't argue with that, because you're free to roam wherever. But if it's around the forest…" I shrugged. "A bear might attack you or something."
"A bear?" Bree raised an eyebrow in incredulity. "Honestly, Isabella. I can take care of myself." she enunciated each word as if she was drilling each one into my head. "No need for you to worry."
"Just tell me where you're going." I pleaded. "Please?" Bree debated over telling me, but she was taking too long. I was desperate. "Look," I said, my tone tougher than before. "I know your job won't let you reveal any sort of information unless it's necessary, but please make an exception. As family, I am asking you."
Bree sighed, shook her head and then opened the door. I bit my lip, both in frustration and worry - what if she finds out about the Mythicals? I can't let that happen. It was my responsibility to not let that happen.
"Bree, please."
"I'm sorry," she whispered. And then she was gone. Not knowing what else to do, I continued to prepare for school.
'Besides,' I told myself. 'Bree can be trusted.'
If she encounters any of the wolves or vampires, then she'll tell me about it. I trust her enough to tell me about it… I hope. If push comes to shove, I always have the Memory Charm. A quick 'Obliviate!' should be enough to do the job. But, erasing my cousin's memory - erasing Bree's memory… I wouldn't want to stoop that low. She was family.
"Meow."
I looked down at my feet and saw Verity. She was playing with a ball of yarn around my feet, and I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
"All right," I said, picking her up and cuddling her to my chest. "You love that yarn, don't you…" I cooed. "My wittle Verity." The kneazle looked up at me accusingly, like how a teenager would look at his or her parent when they were embarrassed in front of their friends. "Oh, I'm sorry, Verity," I laughed. "You're all grown up now, I remember."
Crouching to the ground, I sat Verity down on the floor and ran my fingers through her fur. She meowed in pleasure, her ball of yarn forgotten.
"Oh Verity," I sighed. "What do you think I should do?"
In response, my beloved kneazle stopped squirming under my touch and held my gaze. I looked deep into her eyes, trying to understand what she was trying to tell me. Kneazles were very intelligent creatures, and sometimes, they were more intelligent than their masters. They always seem to have a way of knowing thing, of knowing the answers.
"What's the answer, Verity?" I asked. "Tell me."
Verity stood up on all fours and padded over towards the door. I heaved another sigh. She wouldn't answer me. I stood up, planning on finishing getting ready for school, but then Verity meowed. I looked at her curiously, and saw that she was scratching on the wooden door furiously.
"Verity?" I pried her away from the door. "What's wrong? Why are you doing that? Stop it!" She obediently stopped, but she did gesture to the door. "Are you trying to tell me something? Is it the answer?" Verity bobbed her head up and down, and then towards the door. "Okay, it's something to do with the door."
I took hold of the door and swung it open, expecting the answer to just arrive out of nowhere. Was I supposed to follow Bree into town? Shall I tail her and just skip school? What I didn't expect, was Edward with his hair all mussed up from the rain, water dripping from the tips and onto his chest. His hand was raised up in a fist, ready to knock.
Looking past Edward, I saw his silver Volvo, and surrounding that car were his siblings. All were soaking wet due to the rain, and all had blank expression on their faces, even the bubbly Alice. I frowned at that. I was trapped. I couldn't run away from here. I knew for a fact that Edward wasn't going to help me this time.
Completely and utterly shocked, I sent a betrayed look down at my pet, but found that she was nowhere in sight. This wasn't the answer I was looking for. Yes, I was wondering if I should go to school so that I could talk with the Cullens, but to have them appear on my front door? It was too blunt an answer for my tastes.
"Here I was," I chuckled blandly, "wondering if I should be following Bree, and then you appear out of nowhere."
Edward dropped his hand and ducked his head in embarrassment.
"I didn't mean to intrude," he said, "but my family wanted to know why you ran off last night."
"In other words," I said dryly. "They wanted to know how I found out about the werewolves in La Push. After I left, I assume they questioned you, and when you told them that you didn't tell me about them, they were wondering how I knew."
Edward, at least, had the decency to loom sheepish at being caught. I sighed and opened the door wider, telling him silently to enter. I gestured as well for Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie to come inside, and like a procession, they all followed their brother's example. I closed the door behind them with a sharp click of the lock.
I was the last person to enter the living room, so everyone was seated one way or the other. The room was so full, there wasn't enough room to swing a kneazle, not that I'd want to; Verity would never forgive me. Seeing no empty seat left, I went to the kitchen to retrieve a wooden stool, but I encountered Genviève on the way. She was growling at the direction of the living room, a terrible snarl on her lips.
"Genviève!" I scolded. "Stop that." When she didn't relent, I grabbed her by the collar and forcibly dragged her into a corner. Though I knew that the Cullens could hear me from the other room, I was somewhat glad that they couldn't see me. Genviève rarely behaved like this, and I knew it was my fault. I had brought in vampires into the cottage, and it was Genviève's natural instinct to defend herself. I knew that. I understood that.
"Sit and stay," I ordered with a stern glare. "Stay here until I come back for you."
Grabbing the reason why I was in the kitchen in the first place, I strode back to the living room and faced the music.
I placed the wooden stool securely on the floor and then plopped myself onto it, an unreadable - I hope - expression on my face. I scanned the room, which looked relatively normal if by chance a passing Muggle looked in, except for the fact that five vampires were inside. Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett were situated on the sofa while Alice was on Jasper's lap, all of their faces were set in determination.
I looked at Edward and took refuge on his relaxed form, feeling relief upon seeing his crooked smile, the soft glint in his eyes and the relatively comfortable position on the recliner. His entire body language screamed that he was at ease, unlike his siblings who were all clearly uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the fact that they were in my house and not theirs, or maybe it was because Genviève can be heard growling from the kitchen.
After a whole minute's worth of silence, I couldn't take the tension anymore. I didn't know how to break in the main reason why they were here, in my cottage, without it sounding random, so I began with a simple statement.
"It's raining out," I said. A baffled silence met my announcement, but thankfully, Edward took it upon himself to break it.
"Indeed it is," agreed Edward, clearly finding the situation amusing. "Do you mind if I open the window?" he asked, quite randomly if I say so myself.
"Like I said," I narrowed my eyes, suspicious. "It's raining out. If the window is opened then the interior of my house will get wet. It'll take an age and a day for them to dry out, especially since Forks is always a wet town."
Edward just cocked an eyebrow up at me, stood up, and then opened the window nearest to him. He did the same with the only other window in the room, which happened to be the one I was closest to.
"Edward," I grabbed the shirt of his sleeve as he passed by me. That didn't stop him from unlatching the lock on the window and opening it wide, letting the cold, wet air sweep in. "I said not to open the window."
"Relax, Abby," he smiled gently and pressed his lips onto my forehead, dispelling any current irritation I felt towards him. He then sat down on the floor beside me, apparently abandoning the recliner. "You house is just stuffy," he whispered to me, explaining his reasons.
I reddened at my stupidity. Of course. The Cullens hunt animals, and since my house practically reeked of the scents of Genviève and Verity, not to mention Prudence and Serendipity… I guess I should've seen this coming. I heaved a sigh, but somehow, that sigh turned into a sob halfway through. I really was an awful Watcher, forgetting something as simple as the diet of vampires.
Edward, seeing my distress, wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back soothingly. He didn't say anything, instead opting for silence, which I appreciated greatly. When I leaned back from his embrace - reluctantly, might I add - I had gotten my composure back under control.
"Whatever it is," Edward said softly, "I'm sure it's not that bad."
Hiding behind the curtain of my hair, unwilling to even acknowledge the fact that there were more than two people in the room, I smiled at Edward sadly.
"No, it's that bad. I'm doing a terrible job at this," I confessed in the same hushed tone as he, gesturing with my eyes at Edward's siblings, knowing that they couldn't see me do so at the moment. "My predecessors are ashamed of me, I'm sure. I have failed at my job and by doing so, I've disappointed my mother, my grandmother, my great-grandmother and so on… I've compromised the main reason why I'm here, and that, in my book, is considered a terrible failure."
"Oh, Abby, you know that isn't true. It certainly isn't your fault that the vampires you stumbled upon were the curious kind. If you had met any other, I'm sure they would have left you alone." He sent a pointed look at his siblings. "Unlike some people," he muttered accusingly.
Someone cleared their throat, effectively ruining the small imaginary bubble Edward and I were in.
"Excuse me?" Rosalie's stern voice cut through me like a knife. "Can you please allow us to participate in your discussion," she instructed more than asked. "What are you talking about, exactly? What's this about a failure and a 'job'?" She bore her ochre eyes into mine. "How do those pertain to you, Isabella," she practically spat my name out, "knowing about the wolves in La Push without Edward telling you?"
I sighed, knowing that I was trapped. I've dug myself a hole last night, and the repercussions are now biting me in the backside. Deciding I'd just be straightforward about it, I asked everyone to not interrupt until I've finished with the entire explanation.
And so I explained to them how I was the Watcher by birthright, how I accepted the responsibilities of being one and thus, moving into Forks, Washington. I also explained to them my mother's journals and the information they contained: the history of each Cullen family member, along with the histories of the werewolves as well…
It was a tiring process, explaining everything to the all too captivated audience, but I managed. By the time I was even remotely reaching the end, it was already time for lunch – for me, at least. Edward, as if reading my thoughts though I knew he couldn't, volunteered to make me a sandwich. I smiled gratefully at him, because he had been a saint all throughout the ordeal, whispering encouragements in my ear and rubbing calming circles on my back whenever I stumbled over something.
"Let me get this straight," said Rosalie; she was on her feet, pacing up and down the room, dodging the odd furniture here and there. "You're the Watcher of the Unknowledgeable Mythicals."
"Yes. Yes, I am."
"And you became one – a Watcher – because your mother died?"
"Not immediately," I shook my head. "I was still a child when she died, so I couldn't take on the job right afterwards. In fairness, I forgot all about the job until after I had graduated from school. It put a stop to all my plans, to say the least. Anyway, I spent a couple of months training myself, readying myself for becoming the Watcher. When I moved into this town," I smiled fondly, "I've already been the official Watcher for a few days."
Rosalie stopped pacing and stood behind her husband. "You know of our histories because of your mother's journals. Is that why you knew Emmett and I were married?"
I nodded my head.
"I guess you know about Jasper and I as well?" asked Alice.
I nodded again. "You renew your vows every ten years, if I'm correct." Alice giggled into Jasper's chest, telling me all I needed to know.
"But," Emmett spoke, attracting my attention, "if you and your mother and so on are these supposed 'Watchers', then how come we never knew about you? I'm sure we would've noticed someone tailing us all these years."
Despite the circumstance, I smirked mischievously. "That Emmett," I said, "is a secret I cannot divulge. I've told everyone enough already. The main objective of the Watcher is to observe and protect, not to meddle in the Mythicals' affairs, and certainly not to reveal themselves. I've already meddled and revealed myself, so please, I hope you understand that I cannot answer your question, Emmett."
With a despondent pout, Emmett buried his head in Rosalie's all too willing arms. Smiling to myself, I watched as Jasper and Alice laughed at their brother's antics.
Yes, I think that went well…
A/N: Er, please review? I tried to make the chapter longer, as per Adam1207's request.
