Amethyst Skies
Part 2
By Dog-Demon-Emiko
Chapter 29: Power of the Coven
It was really odd, honestly, I was surprising myself. Here I sat in a car full of vampires, all strong enough to end my dull life, in total ease. I sat behind Carlisle, who was driving, and next to Emmett and Jasper in the backseat. Edward sat in the passenger seat up front, staring out the window. His mind was blocked from mine completely which I found both unusual and annoying. Something was telling me he was thinking about me. Mom, Alice, and Rosalie went shopping for the day. I guess this was better than shopping…well, it would be if I knew what the hell we were doing.
The talk with Jasper had helped me a lot. For a guy that was so quiet he really understood a lot about…well everything. He reminded me of those artsy people in high school; the ones that never talk but can create the most beautiful things.
With Emmett I felt safe. I felt like a child but not so much in a bad way. I knew he wouldn't baby me but he did adore me. Some might call me conceded but I call it grateful.
As the evergreens passed us by at a speed I would have called slow (somewhere around 60mph) I stared into the back of Edward's head. He was watching the trees but yet his eyes did not see. He was simply staring into the glass pane of the window maybe.
"So, I hear you do martial arts,"
His voice was leading to something.
Oh boy, here we go
I smirked. I knew of Emmett's competitive nature. I decided to play dumb anyway. I shrugged, an action that made Emmett's smile get wider.
"Could you show me sometime?"
Don't do it Rose, he's only picking for a fight…
I smiled at Jasper's warning but nodded, never distinguishing who I was nodding to.
Emmett better not…
Chill out
I told Edward, who had growled a warning in his mind. Carlisle took his eyes off the road for but a second and glanced at his son next to him.
"Is there a silent conversation I'm not aware of?" he asked.
"Only a few." I informed him. He smiled at me in the rear view mirror and continued to watch the road.
I had no idea how long we had been driving for, and seeing as I was squished between Jasper and the door I was feeling a bit agitated at the small space. All I know is that Edward had awoken me nearly at the crack of dawn and told me to get dressed. The fact that he had woken me up made me want to kill him. Then there's being stuck in the car where I could never sleep.
"Are we there yet?" I whined. Carlisle smiled widely.
Such a human thing to say, Carlisle thought.
"In a minute," he answered. I snorted in response.
Soon there were trees to the right of us, everywhere. In some spots the forest was so dense it was totally dark. There were no houses near the road or anything, just a sign that read: Garibaldi Provincial Park . Carlisle turned the black Mercedes onto the dirt path and parked it under a low tree. He cut the engine and everyone stepped out. Jasper and Emmett immediately set to the task of covering the tracks the car made in the dirt as Carlisle and Edward covered the car with broken branches full of leaves to hide the car from view. I listened carefully to my surroundings, ignoring the slight noise my family made. There was no one around, no one at all. A car was in the distance up the road, getting quieter and quieter as it drove farther and farther away. When the boys were done with their tasks they moved further into the trees. I followed them; it was obvious they had done this before. After about ten feet from the car I removed my shoes. I enjoyed the feeling of dirt on the bottom of my feet. And today was unusually muggy. I tossed them back to the car, careful not to hit it and set off the alarm and followed everyone else barefoot.
We walked for at least an hour before we came to a stop. In front of us was a cliff, and under us was a rock that looked almost flat. Scattered pine needles disguised it, almost making it look like a regular floor. On our left was a river that flowed calm and smooth, and on our right was more trees.
"Now can someone tell me what we're do-" I stopped short. The most wonderful smell assaulted my senses.
"Rose?" Edward asked cautiously. My mind had heard him but my body wouldn't let me respond. I could feel it…that thing that killed that boy in Italy . It was rising its ugly head once again but this time a bit more tamely. "Rose!" Edward shouted.
"What?" I snapped back.
"She's thirsty." Carlisle whispered. Yea, like I didn't hear that.
"No I'm not. I fed just the other day."
"What ever you're feeding on isn't enough." I snorted, staring to not like where the conversation was going. "Rose, this is why we came out here, to help you. I want you to feed but not on just anything. Try and find something that really calls to you." I nodded, felling better that I had permission to go crazy in a sense.
"That's all we came out here for? Where are we anyway?" I asked as I let the wind bring me the scents of the forest.
"The southern part of British Columbia, in the Garibaldi Provincial Park. There are no humans around; this place is prohibited for any type of camping or hunting." I nodded. I wasn't sure if he knew that I wasn't really listening. I just wanted to smell that smell again just for a little bit.
My feet carried me away, through the trees and over the bushes. I didn't know where I was going but I knew that at the end of my search I would find some form of happiness. It was a bit like life I guess? You never know where the road is going to take you, all you know is that it goes somewhere; you just have to hope for the best at the end.
I stopped before I sailed off of a cliff. It was nearly sixty feet high. I had about two inches of room in front of my feet. Although the fall wouldn't have killed me, it would have hurt like hell.
But the smell…it was coming from the canyon. The wind patterns had me confused for a bit. There was wind rolling off the top of the cliff, and then some of it dived down and shot up from the bottom. I couldn't tell where the smell was coming from. My jaw twitched in agitation. Somewhere in the distance I could hear two large things colliding. A monstrous growl and a wild cat's snarl filled the air and then stopped suddenly. Edward; glad he found his meal. At least he knew what he was looking for…
I turned to the left and trotted along the edge of the cliff, looking for a place where the wind didn't collide. As the cliff got smaller the wind became clearer. When it dropped to about thirty feet I jumped into the canyon, landing softly on lush green grass. I stood slowly, recognizing a presence even though it wasn't the one I was looking for.
The winds shifted; the smell was coming from behind me. I stood a bit straighter to see long fuzzy ears over a rock. It was just a small rabbit. The rabbit looked up and froze at the sight of me, nothing moving but his tiny nose. I blinked, and as soon as I did the rabbit was gone.
There was movement behind me, shifting of fur. I turned to see a Bobcat…or was it a Lynx, I didn't know. But it stared back at me for only a second before its hackles rose. A smile spread across my face slowly-this was the one. I took a step forward, making it hiss at me. It was a male; I could see it in his eyes. Pure masculine power streamed through his every muscle. This was something I was going to enjoy.
He bluffed an attack, baring his teeth and swiped a paw at me. His claws were razor sharp. I took another step forward-big mistake. He lunged, jumping high into the air and spread his lips and claws. He was coming directly at my face. I sidestepped; and even with my speed his eyes still caught my motion, making him whip around in the air. I grabbed his hind legs in one hand and his neck in the other and pinched, hard. My nails dug into his throat and cracked his neck. He went limp in my hands.
I dropped the carcass and began to feed slowly. The blood was amazing. Something inside of me was fulfilled now; like after a life of eating leaves I had had my first fill of meat. Compared to before, I had been starving.
Once the carcass was empty, I let it roll from my mouth. My heart gave a slow lurch and I suddenly felt sleepy. I blinked slowly and curled into the warm moss on the ground. All I wanted to do was sleep.
"Rose?" It was Edward. Go away, I'm comfortable. "Rose, are you alright?"
"She looks tired." Thanks Emmett, I wasn't sure if my closed eyes and not moving-ness would have given them the message. A cold finger lifted my eye lid, making the sun shine into my retinas painfully. I groaned.
"She's…sated. Looks like the bobcat did the trick." Carlisle said softly.
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree…" Emmett mumbled. I heard a shuffling of clothes and then felt Edward's arms around me, hoisting me up bridal style. Once again I felt a cocoon of protection and love that almost made me fall asleep completely.
Suddenly we were in the car. My head was on Edward's chest and we were driving. Did I fall asleep? I opened my eyes, finding my lids heavy. Well I'll be damned, I did fall asleep. With a lazy hand I rubbed my eyes in effort to wake myself up.
"Where are we?" I asked as I stretched like a cat. Edward shifted to get more comfortable and smiled at me.
"We're going to Cypress Park ."
"What for?" I grumbled. I really wanted a nice, hot, steaming tray of lasagna.
"To work on your power." Carlisle informed me from the driver's seat. I raised a brow.
"What do you mean 'work on them'?" I asked. I didn't want to use those powers ever again. A few years ago I would have thought of it as the best thing ever but not after what I had done with them.
"Whether you like it or not Rose those powers are apart of you. It's best you learn how to control them before they control you." Gee did that sound tacky.
It's only for your benefit
I rolled my eyes at Edward's thoughts.
Yea, yea
I rested my head against the back window and drew my legs up onto the seat. In truth, I was afraid; afraid of what I could do. I could think of a few humans who would literally die to be a fire-wielding-vampiress but it scared me. They had no idea how it had felt…all of the power inside of me. I was walking on the brink of insanity when I murdered the Volturi. The only thing that kept me tied to Earth was the revenge I wanted on Edward. But I wouldn't tell him that.
A wave of calmness came over me like a blanket. Suddenly the weariness came back. I closed my eyes as I let the sun warm my face and drifted off to sleep.
The car pulled to a stop making my first thought be that I was home. But the sounds of splashing water and screaming children made my eyes snap open. We were parked in the shade. There was a sandy path in front of us that lead to a clear blue lake where families played in the water with small dogs and inflatable toys. I froze- every muscle in my body so rigid I probably would have popped if you touched me. I could feel the calmness trying to overflow me again but this time it wasn't working. I had to get out of here; I couldn't stay here, not around all of these little kids. I could hear their screams of terror now.
A cold hand lay on my shoulder, making me jump. I looked into Edward's eyes as they spoke a million words of comfort.
I can't…
I started. He shook his head.
We're going that way
He looked off to our left where there was a shaded trail. From my position, I couldn't see the rest of the trail due to the steep incline.
No humans, I promise. Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle are checking it out now to make sure. You'll be alright Rose
I could do nothing but take his word for it seeing as it wasn't me I was concerned for.
Edward nodded to no one and motioned for me to follow him as he exited the car. The clouds blocked out the sun overhead but the light still shone through. We dashed into the shadows and up the trail before anyone saw us and then headed west.
We met up with Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle soon and traveled at our own speed until we came to a fence. As we sailed over it in unison the sign clearly read in bright reflecting letters: NO TRESPASSING; DANGEROUS CLIFFS
Of course when they wrote this sign and the law enforcing it they didn't have us in mind
I smiled. Emmett was so cocky but I loved him anyway.
We ran for miles, putting a lot of space between us and the humans. The way I saw it, if anything did happen there would be a better chance of someone catching me before I killed people. I glanced at Edward to see if he had caught my thoughts. If he had, he showed no sign of it on his face.
We started to slow as we came to a very rocky area, and we came to a complete stop when the ground ended.
"I think this will be a good spot," Carlisle said. I looked around. Everything was covered in rock…nothing to burn.
"I agree." Edward threw me a glance, but what else could I say? Carlisle had been right. I had to learn to control this before it controlled me.
"Are you ready, Rose?" I nodded. What other choice did I have? "Good."
Emmett and Jasper sat on a boulder while Edward stood next to them. Oh God, they were going to watch? "Do you remember how you started the fire?" I tried to think…I was angry when I started it. I kept my gaze away from Edward purposely.
"I was angry." I stared at Carlisle, my gaze forbidding him to say it. I couldn't get angry again, not with all of them around. I could easily kill them, if even on accident. I saw his jaw clench for a moment.
"Maybe we should work more with controlling the fire instead of how it started." Saved by Edward. A tiny red thing flew from Edward's had in a underhand toss and landed in Carlisle 's outstretched one. It was a lighter. Someone came prepared. Carlisle raised his brow to me and held it up. I nodded, what the hell, might as well try. I tried to ignore the shaking of my hands as I plucked the tiny object from his hand.
I stepped back and flicked the lighter to life. A tiny flame sat at the mouth and I stared at it. I used my imagination and put one of my hands over it, tensing my muscles and called the fire to my hand silently. Something sparked to life in my chest, the intensity so much it ruined my concentration. I let the fire on the lighter die and I exhaled.
"Rose?" Edward asked.
"I'm not sure…" was all I said. And it was the truth. I didn't really know how to start it or stop it. That energy I had felt just now was usually already going. It felt as if trying to start it myself would exhaust me. "Wait," I said, having an epiphany, "I want to try something."
I crossed my legs under me and plopped down on my butt. I closed my eyes and kept one hand around the lighter. I sunk into myself, just like I did in my meditation lessons. Boy was sensai going to give me a hard time when I tell him that meditation did come in handy. I searched for the thread of energy that was the fire. I had no sense of time or direction. I could only feel. I moved past my own body energy to one much, much deeper.
I didn't notice I stumbled upon it until I actually found it. My body filled with white hot energy that seemed limitless. I snapped into my conscious self with a jolt and nearly screamed when I saw my hands glowing. With the slight tensing of my muscles the energy pushed past my hands in the form of flames. It felt as if warm slick was dancing across my skin.
"How long can you keep it going?" Carlisle asked. I shrugged. How the hell was I supposed to know?
"I know as much as you do if not less," I told him. Half of my focus was still on the fire in my hands. I hadn't had time to notice the fact that I wasn't being burned.
"How did you use it before? What did you do?" He asked, his eyes watching the flames carefully. I shrugged and continued to look at my hands despite the burning in my retinas.
"I just throw it." And so I demonstrated by throwing it at the rock wall. A flame the size of a volleyball hit the rock and disappeared, leaving nothing but a scorch mark.
"I have to use it or else the energy gets to be too much," I said quickly before Edward protested. I hadn't been anywhere near him as far as the throw goes but I could already feel a speech about recklessness coming up.
"So you have to stay in constant motion so it doesn't build up? The heat doesn't bother you?" Carlisle asked.
"No." Carlisle and Edward shared a look but I couldn't read their thoughts. Dam did I hate being blocked out. I looked over at Jasper and Emmett who were looking back at me.
"Rose, fire is the one thing that kills a vampire," Carlisle explained. My eyebrows scrunched together.
"I thought the only way to kill one was to tear it into pieces." That was what Mom had told me anyway.
"Tear it to pieces and then set the pieces on fire," Edward corrected. "Or you can just set them on fire while their still alive. Either way, fire is bad."
"For you to be able to wield this power is rare and unheard of…" Unheard of? What happened to rare? "It is vital that we find a way to control it. I don't know why you have this power but it needs to be under strict control at all times." He thought I was going to hurt someone. I already knew that, somewhere deep down, that this power was going to end up hurting someone but hearing someone express concern that way, even indirectly, hurt. Now I was an even bigger monster….I was the monster of the monsters. I felt like death itself.
"I've got an idea!" Emmett announced.
Oh boy, this should be good
Jasper winked at me, making me smile.
"She has to stay in constant motion, right? Dude, you do martial arts!" I waited for Emmett to continue his plan but the genius lets the seconds tick by. A cricket chirped somewhere in the distance. Emmett sighed exasperatedly and slumped his shoulders a bit. "She can apply her techniques to her power-that way she stays in constant motion and has control over her body's energy."
We glanced at each other, waiting for someone to say something first. I went for it.
"It could work."
"Alright Emmett, since it was your idea why don't you help her with it,"
He has no idea what Emmett plans to do, huh?
Nope
Edward and I laughed to ourselves.
The sun was almost below the tree line when we were back on the road again. We…or I rather, had been working hard all day. Between Emmett's intelligence in the world of martial arts, to Carlisle and Edward's knowledge of the humans and vampire body, and Jasper helping me control my emotions, it worked rather well. Using my fire power while doing my sequences had actually made me feel like I was a bit more in control of myself. I didn't feel like I was about to fall off an edge and into a downward spiral.
You alright? Your awfully quiet back there
I'm just tired, that's all…and hungry
Your always hungry
So you should know the reason why I'm quiet then
He said nothing else, which I was grateful. I looked out the window at the waning moon and the midnight sky. Even though in the back of my mind I was wondering, I tried not to acknowledge it. But as I looked into the black moon I knew it was him wandering around in the back of my head. I wonder what he's doing at this very moment.
My heart chose that moment takes its sweet time until the next beat. I suddenly felt as if everything inside of me was slowing down. Just as I opened my mouth to voice my concerns it gave a huge lurch before it lulled to a stop again. I suddenly felt tired and weak.
"Rose?" I was so used to Edward always calling me that at first I looked at him. But it had been Carlisle who called me this time, looking at me in concern through the rear view mirror. I didn't trust my voice to say anything, so I only nodded, hoping he would see me. I wasn't in any pain, but it felt like someone had thumped me on the back and made my heart skip…odd.
I leaned my head against the cold window and closed my eyes.
"Rose, Rose…" A girl was calling me, and I could fell my shoulder shaking. I growled a warning.
"She doesn't like being woken up much." It was Edward. I bet Mom had told him for his own safety. Where was she anyway?
"Hey, wake up squirt!" There was a thud and a low grunt.
"Emmett!" Someone scolded. It wasn't Mom but it was to low to be Alice...Rosalie maybe?
"What? She sleeps a lot. It's kind of weird." I couldn't help the light giggle. Emmett had to be the most immature but yet lovable vampire I ever knew. "See? She's awake."
"And hungry," I moaned. I hated waking up on an empty stomach. I opened my eyes to see Esme kneeling by my head. Somehow I was lying across the back seat, the door near my head open. Esme smiled at me sweetly.
"What you like to eat?" she asked. Her lavender scent made me sleepy all over again.
"Anything with meat, please. Or pasta…lasagna?" I suggested hopefully trying not to sound greedy. In a house full of vampires I'd suspect they wouldn't have any food.
"Depends, can you teach me how to make it? I'm a quick learner." I smiled and turned over on my stomach to look at her right side up.
"Sure." I sat up and slid out of the car, shutting the door behind me and walking towards the house. It was buzzing with life, I could feel it even before I stepped foot on the stairs. The only times I had been here were when it was lonely, dead, and empty. I felt…at home here.
"The kitchen is straight down the hall dear, I'll be there in a minute." I nodded and followed Esme's directions. If only Alan could see me now…with a family…it was something he had always wanted for me.
The walls were white in the kitchen and there was a huge glass pane where there was metal before. That's what must have happened…they left, so they put metal over the glass to protect it. Had they always planned on coming back then?
The kitchen was large and clean. The marble counter-tops were polished to a shine. I moved past the island sink and over to the window. The entire back of the house over looked the forest that made up their backyard. A river cut its way through the trees. The gentle water was emitting not only a pure smell but a calming trickling sound. The sun from outside made my skin glow slightly. My first instinct was the move away from the window but no one was here to see me. I could be my true whole self here. This place was paradise.
"Ready hun?" Esme asked. I jumped. I had been so caught up in the scenery that I didn't even hear her coming..
It's beautiful isn't it?
I only nodded. She placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. I took a deep breath and began to explain the delicate art of making the best pasta in the world.
The lasagna was in the oven, its wonderful scent tickling my nose even though my eyes were still glued to the scenery outside. I could stare at the peaceful haven forever...unfortunately, someone turned on the television in the living room, breaking the silent moment. I sighted, ran my hands over my face, and looked behind me. My grandmother was leaning against the island, staring directly at me.
"I don't need Edward or Jasper's power to know that your grieving," she smiled gently. I threw her a small smile.
"Am I that obvious?" As Mom had told me before, there were no secrets in this family due to Edward and Jasper's powers. Even so, it was odd for me to have to explain myself all the time. I was so used to Alan who just...understood all the time. "I had someone special in my life...because of me, he's gone." I had to look bad out the window to keep Esme from seeing the pitiful look on my face. I heard her footsteps behind me before feeling her gentle hand on my shoulder. I really didn't want anyone's pity, but I couldn't dare shake her hand from my shoulder.
"Is he gone from the Earth? Or gone from your reach?" She asked.
"What's the difference?" It was sarcasm. I hoped she didn't feel me shaking.
"What happened dear?" It was gentle. Her very tone gave me the opportunity to refuse her an answer. She was asking permission to know what happened, she didn't demand it. And even better, she sounded as if she really, truly cared about the situation for my benefit instead of just gossip.
I turned to her. Her eyes were filled with concern, pain, and underneth it all, determination. She cared, truly cared. She wasn't giving me pity, she was offering me comfort. Comfort...that's something that might feel nice I guess. My entire body shook with sobs, and as soon as I opened my mouth the words flooded out onto caring ears. I cried, I cried like a child who just lost something dear. Because I had. I lost my love, my friend, and my companion. And for once in a long time I felt as if they fell onto caring ears. They fell onto ears that gave feedback through eyes that wouldn't judge me. Eyes that told me that it wasn't my fault, and that it wouldn't be held against me. So there I cried into my grandmothers shoulder. Her frame so fragile and small, but so loving. I was at such peace that my last thought before drifting off to sleep was: what about the lasuanga?
Sort of a laid back chapter. Hoped you liked it.
I want to give you guys a heads up.
1.) Calm down, the story isn't done yet but...
2.) updates may be delayed. As of now I don't have any chapters typed out and because of an out-of-state wedding I have to attend/help plan and my new job (I quit my old one), and because we're moving, and because I'm horseback riding at a competitive level now (and not to mention that I'm still in school), typing time has been cut short. I'm lucky that I have time to breathe. So please bear with me, this story IS NOT OVER!!! I just MAY have some delays in future updates.
Thank you.
