Disclaimer: You'd think after fifty four chapters I'd be sick of writing this thing. Well, I am, but I'm afraid of what will happen if I don't put it. So you all know the drill already.
Council
"Does this outfit look okay?" Alice asked, turning to give me a full view of the clothes she was wearing today for the meeting with the Quileute elders.
I narrowed my eyes and briefly studied her clothes, my eyes being more interested in the person wearing them than anything. I couldn't help smiling when Alice caught my staring and smirked rather seductively at me before strutting over and kissing me. We held our lips together for about a minute and a half until breaking apart, both of us grinning like fools at one another.
"I'm serious," she giggled. "Does this look good?"
I rolled my eyes and pulled her into a hug, nuzzling into the crook of her neck.
"You look good in anything, Alice. You should know that by now, especially with the amount of time you spend looking at yourself in front of a mirror," I teased. "I think you're almost as bad as Rosalie when it comes to being a narcissist."
Alice giggled again and squeezed me slightly. "Hey, give me a break. I like to look my best for my sexy mate, don't I?"
"Alice, I don't think you could ever not look good. It's just not physically possible," I stated, kissing her neck. Then a thought hit me. "Wait, why are you fussing over what to wear, Ali? We're going to be near the wolves, remember? Do you want your nice clothes to stink like they do for God knows how long?"
Alice blinked, realizing that I was right. "Yeesh, that's true." She stared at her attire for a moment, then pouted in her usual super-adorable Alice fashion. "Well that stinks!"
"It'll stink more in a few hours," I pointed out.
"Touché," she giggled, smiling and kissing me once more. "Guess I gotta find some clothes that I can afford to sacrifice for later on."
We remained in each other's arms for a few minutes, snuggling. We broke apart at the same time, smiling contently as Alice kissed me again and bounced over to her closet to exchange the nice clothes she was wearing for something less flashy. I was already set in what I was going to wear, which was nothing more than average street clothes. I know that Alice didn't like it, but with the point I made earlier about the smell, she wouldn't be complaining any time soon.
"Do you think this is going to work?" I asked as I sat on the bed, happy just watching my beautiful girlfriend dance and hum to herself as she sorted through our massive closet for an outfit to wear. Her and her clothes, I swear.
Alice stopped in her motions and turned, her hands on her hips abruptly.
"Bella, what did I tell you worrying?" she asked. "If you don't stop, I swear to tickle you for an hour endlessly, do you hear me?"
I grimaced at her threat, then sighed. "Alice, I'm not worrying about it, I promise you. I'm just wondering what you think about it. You know, your opinion on how things are going to end up."
Alice frowned, clearly not believing what I was telling her. In truth, I was worried, but I was doing everything in my power not to think about it or show it so that Edward or Jasper would know, since I knew that she would find out about it through them. I was trying not to worry, I really, truly was. I couldn't help it, though.
"I think that there will be a lot of tension between our groups," Alice replied at last, coming over to sit near me. She looped the fingers of her left hand around my right and squeezed it reassuringly, her eyes smoldering. "It doesn't matter what I think, though. What matters is getting there, telling them what they need to know, and leaving. That's it. Nothing else needs to happen and I vow to make sure that you are safe, mark my words."
"I know, Alice. I trust you implicitly," I told her, squeezing her hand back. "I trust everyone else, too, so I know that I'll be protected to the fullest, even if I hate having to be protected by everyone all the damn time."
She cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean?"
I bit my lip. "It seems like every time I turn around there's someone, whether it's a vampire, a werewolf or one of the kids at school, that you're forced to keep me safe while I cower on the sidelines like a helpless child. I hate it. I hate being so damn weak because it makes me think of Renee and all the things she used to say to me and…and…"
I sniffled and forced back a few tears that started to form. I cursed my emotions for being so fragile and my body for always crying whenever I became emotional. I hated that, too.
"Bella," Alice murmured, cupping my cheeks.
I forced back a few more tears, though one escaped. "S-sorry, Alice. I don't mean t-to cry. I'm just sick of being the weak link in this family." I paused to rub my eyes, but Alice did so for me, stroking my cheeks with her thumbs and wiping away my tears as she did.
"Don't cry, baby," she cooed, kissing both of my cheeks. "Please don't cry." She leaned in and pressed our foreheads together. "Bella, listen to me. You don't have to feel bad because we protect you from danger. There's nothing to feel bad about. I like protecting you, Bella. Not only that, but you are my mate, therefore it is my duty to protect you from anything and everything that I can. That doesn't mean you're weak or defenseless, that just means that your girlfriend is a tad on the overprotective side. But Bella, I never want you to think that you are the weak link in this family. I love you and will always love and protect you, even if you don't need it, okay?"
I nodded sheepishly. "Okay. Sorry."
Alice tsk-ed and kissed me, letting her lips linger for another minute before pulling away.
"Bella, you should know better than to apologize for nothing," Alice sighed. She then got off the bed and gently ran her fingers through my hair. "Alright, I have to find some normal clothes to wear today, so stop distracting me with your cuteness already."
"Wha-wait a minute, my cuteness?" I asked, confused. "You think I'm cute?"
Alice laughed her musical, sing-song laughter. "Of course I do, silly. Why wouldn't I?"
"Um…" I blinked several times and shrugged, not really having an answer for her. She smirked rather triumphantly and returned her attention to her closet, sifting through shirts at lightning speed, still trying to find the right one to wear. Eventually she found a much, shall I say, duller attire to wear and quickly shrugged her current clothes off and put the new ones on.
"There," she exclaimed, skipping over to me. "These should work."
"Should I go and take a shower?" I inquired.
Alice thought about it for a moment, then smiled and shook her head.
"No, I don't think you should yet. I think that you should wait until afterwards, since you won't smell as good when we're done. Besides, I think it would be funny to since you have my scent all over you and they think we stink, don't you agree?"
I raised an eyebrow at her. "Weren't we going to try to avoid doing that?"
She looked at me innocently. "Do what? All I said was that we'll stink to them no matter what, so why bother bathing in order to hide our scents, hm?"
"Uh-huh," I said, smirking. I got off the bed and, after doing a quick check to make sure that what I was wearing was in order, I looped an arm around Alice's waist and together we walked at a human pace downstairs. "This doesn't bother you, does it?"
Alice gave me a curious look. "What? Walking at a human pace?"
"Yeah," I replied.
She shrugged. "Sometimes it does, yes. I've gotten a bit used to over the years, but I'm naturally a very impatient person. Then again, I guess that comes with being a vampire, since we have a much different understanding of time. Time moves by much slower for us, so we have to learn to be patient with you humans. But it's no big deal, so long as we're holding hands," she cooed, winking at me as we stepped off the last stair.
"You two need to cut the mushy crap out," Rosalie snorted, breezing past us. "I swear if I could, I'd get a stomachache listening to the two of you giggle and kiss and coo over one another all the stinking time. It's so disgusting."
"Oh Rose, you know you like it," Alice retorted, grinning evilly at our sister.
Rosalie rolled her eyes. "You know, what the two of you really need to do instead of all this kissing, cuddling and belly button licking is fuck and get it over with. That's what I'm waiting for. Hell, we're all waiting for that big moment," she said, sneering.
My face flushed furiously at her comment and I had to stifle choking on my own saliva as I hurriedly sat down on the couch, pulling Alice into my lap. She giggled quietly and snuggled into me, thankfully allowing me to bury my face into the crook of her neck to hide my obvious embarrassment at Rosalie's statement, though I knew that did little good.
"Dude, that'd be epic," Emmett chortled.
"I sincerely doubt that Alice would consent to it being a public spectacle, Em. Unlike you and Rosalie, Alice and Bella would have more of a conscience about their private lives," Edward stated, slicking back his messy bronze hair.
"Aw," Emmett whined. "Why you gotta ruin my fun?"
Rosalie lightly smacked his shoulder. "Need I remind you that you will not, in any way, be around to witness it, Emmett? Besides, Alice would probably rip your head off if you got too close, wouldn't you, Alice?"
Alice shrugged nonchalantly. "Most likely."
"Why would you do that?" I murmured against her icy skin. "I mean, aside from the obvious."
Her honey eyes met mine and she smiled softly at me. "Do you remember what I told you before about mating and how we're territorial regarding it?" I nodded. "That is the reason why. When mates have sex for the first time, it's a very private, personal thing. Any sort of intrusion is not welcome and I would be more than happy to rip off the head of anyone who dared disturb us when the time came for us to share that experience."
I gaped at her for about two minutes, then nodded slowly. "Okay then…"
Alice frowned. "I'm sorry, did I scare you? I didn't mean to, I swear."
"Er, no, I'm fine," I murmured, kissing her neck.
"She's just not used to that type of topic yet," Edward noted. "Though I can't see why, since she has certainly been more forward thinking in her thoughts about you as of late."
I turned and glared at Edward, who was smiling on his end of the couch.
Asshole, I growled internally.
"I'd have to disagree with you on that," he chuckled, turning his attention to the television.
I looked at Alice and pouted. "Can you make an example out of him, please?"
"Certainly," she replied, giving me a crooked smile. "Once we're done with the filthy mongrels, I'll kick Edward's butt around a bit for you. Does that sound good?"
I smiled and nodded while Edward rolled his eyes at us. Rosalie and Emmett both chuckled in unison as the front door opened. Jasper, Amara, Carlisle and Esme all walked in, one after another, Jasper closing the door behind everyone else. I noticed that all of their eyes were a rich, glowing gold color, so I figured that they had all gone hunting.
Amara groaned, crinkling her nose. "That was the most annoying hunt I've ever gone on. The wolf stink was everywhere. It was gross! Ugh."
"It wasn't that bad, Ama," Jasper chuckled.
Amara glared at him. "Maybe not for you, goldilocks, but I'm the one with the heightened sense of smell here, remember?"
"You realize that it's going to be ten times worse in a few hours, right Amara?" Alice asked.
"Don't remind me," she groaned, hanging her head.
"What time is the meeting at, by the way?" I asked.
Esme replied. "We will be leaving to meet with the Quileutes in about two hours."
"Two hours of sitting around and waiting. Joy," Rosalie grumbled, crossing her arms.
"Ooh! Video games!" Emmett exclaimed, grabbing a game controller. "They're a great way to pass the time."
"I'm in," Alice chirped. She smiled at me and I nodded enthusiastically. "Bella is, too."
Emmett grinned. "Sweet."
As odd and nerdy as it was, all of us spent most of those two hours playing video games. We started playing a shooting game on Emmett's Xbox, then we switched to playing Amara's PS3. By the time the two hours were up, Alice had beaten everyone the most at every game. I'd actually beaten her a few times, much to her surprise, but she squashed me shortly after. In the end, I gave her a victory kiss, which turned into a brief victory make out session that Emmett once again ended up interrupting, the jackass.
"That was fun," Alice giggled happily.
I snorted. "You're only saying that because you won practically every time."
She smirked and kissed me. "Aw, is my little Bella upset that she lost to the great Alice?"
"You really do have an ego problem sometimes, you know that?" I asked.
Alice shrugged. "I do, but what can you do about it? Besides, I thought you liked my ego."
I rolled my eyes and stood up to stretch. She stood after me and giggled while poking me in the stomach while Emmett grumbled under his breath, obviously upset about losing so badly. Rosalie, who had mostly watched, snickered in amusement at her husband's failings, the others chuckling along with her. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was twelve o'clock.
"The meeting will be in thirty minutes," Carlisle mused, also looking at the clock.
"Have we decided how we're going to work this?" Jasper asked.
Carlisle nodded. "There really isn't much to work out. We merely need to keep ourselves in check and try to explain to the council that Bella is a part of our family willingly and not through force and that she and Alice are mates."
"Yeah, that's going to totally work," Alice grumbled sarcastically. "And what happens if they decide that we're too big a threat and try to kill us?"
"Alice, enough," Esme sighed. "Honey, you can't think that way. I know that this is going to be difficult for you, but you have to keep your head clear about this situation. If we think that they will attack us, then they likely will. But if we go there with a positive attitude about the situation, then things will turn out for the best."
"Yes mom," Alice replied, her shoulder slumping slightly.
"Good. Is everyone ready?" she asked, looking at each of us.
Everyone nodded in affirmative. If anything, we were as ready as we would ever be to go and deal with the Quileutes. I wasn't looking forward to it and I know the others weren't either, save for Emmett who was excited about the idea of a fight breaking out, which no one else wanted. I had a feeling that Emmett was secretly as concerned about the situation as the others were, but he didn't want to show it because he wanted to be strong for the whole family.
"Shall we go?" Carlisle asked, gesturing towards the door.
"Let's get this over with," Rosalie grunted.
Slowly everyone started to file out of the house. Esme walked out first, then Carlisle, Edward, Amara, Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett. Alice was the last one to exit, following behind me as I trudged behind my tallest brother. I initially believed that we would be driving to the reservation, since that would make us look more normal, despite the obvious lack of normality in the situation at hand with the wolves. But no one went to the garage.
That confused me. Were we running?
Alice giggled behind me and scooped me into her arms into a bridal position.
"Silly, we're all running there. It's much faster and easier for us than driving is," she explained.
"Oh. Okay then," I murmured, wrapping my arms around her and nuzzling into her neck.
She laid a soft kiss on the top of my head, along her nose to brush against my locks and sniffing several times. After letting out a content sigh, she pulled me closer to her and started walking at a relatively brisk pace with the others.
"Hold on tight, Bella," she murmured.
I nodded and clutched her tightly as she took off with the others in a full blown sprint through the woods at a speed only vampires could. I could barely make out the trees as they whipped past Alice, the feeling of moving so fast making me feel queasy. I clamped my eyes shut and buried my face into her neck, breathing her scent in to help calm me down a bit.
Several minutes later, Alice slowed her pace down to a normal walk. I felt her lips brush against my head once again and peered up from her shoulder to see her golden eyes gazing fondly at me.
"We're almost there, love. You can look now," she murmured, smiling.
I turned my head slightly and saw that we were in a clearing, the vague outlines of the large trees near La Push in the distance. It took about two more minutes for us to reach our destination, a thin line of trees that opened up to reveal the reservation. Alice and I were the first two to arrive since Alice was the fastest. She gently set me down and immediately pulled me behind her.
"Stay behind me, okay?" she asked, her eyes pleading with me.
"Won't they want to talk to me, though?" I pointed out.
Alice bit her lip. "They will, yes, but I want you behind me regardless."
I sighed. "Fine, Alice. I'll stay behind you. But if they need to talk to me, then I'll move forward a bit. I'll stay next to you at all times, though. Does that sound alright?"
"Deal," she replied. Her nose crinkled as she turned her gaze towards the reservation. "Damn it stinks here."
My nostrils were instantly assaulted by the foul odor from the past, back once again with a vengeance. I whimpered and pressed my nose into Alice's back, rubbing it furiously against her sweet smelling skin. Alice didn't budge or seem to mind in the least as the others appeared behind us, everyone moving to either side of her to form a protective line.
"How long until they get here?" I whispered to Alice, hugging her close to me.
"Now," she hissed.
I peered over her shoulder and saw all of the wolves in human form slowly moving towards us. I could make out a few figures behind them, including that of Billy Black being pushed in his wheelchair by Jacob, who had a scowl on his face. Raina was near him, but for once she didn't look overly pissed off. She had a surprisingly somber facial expression, even when she looked over and saw Alice, who she had been trying to kill the other day. What the hell?
The wolves spread out once they got a few feet away from us, seven going to the right side, seven to the left side, each of them with a different look on their face, much like they had the other day. That was when I noticed that there were seven people that I didn't recognize amongst them, who I assumed to be the remaining members of the Quileute council.
I could tell that the only woman that I didn't recognize was Sue Clearwater, the mother of Seth and Leah. She had a similar facial structure to Leah, only older and rounder in appearance, and looked to be around 5'7 height-wise. Plus, she was standing next to Seth and Leah, Leah about two inches taller, Seth standing two inches shorter. I avoided Leah's gaze, not feeling like looking at her at the moment. Things were a bit awkward given what happened last time.
Rather than look at the wolves, my eyes flickered over to the faces of the other six council members. They looked much older than Sue and even Billy. Their faces were wrinkled, their eyes dark and scrutinizing as they all stared directly at me. I felt uncomfortable under their gazes and hid more behind Alice, who did the best she could to keep their eyes off of me.
Jeez they were creepy looking. Was it me, or were these people ancient?
I noticed Edward's lips twitch slightly, probably at my thoughts, but quickly returned my attention forward when a throat was cleared on the other side.
Sam Uley stepped forward. "Cullens."
"Hello again wolf clan. Hello elders, it is a pleasure to see you all again," Carlisle greeted.
"Skip the pleasantries, Cullen," spat one of the men, the shortest one. "We did not come here for idle chit-chat; we came here to address that." He jabbed his thin finger in my direction. Alice tensed up and started to hiss, but a sharp look from Esme cut her off. She grimaced, but remained tense in front of me, not budging in the slightest.
"Be nice, Avery," Sue chided. "We didn't come here to be rude, either. We came to settle a minor dispute without violence and nothing more. It is our duty as the council to make an example for the wolves, and acting like this towards people who we have held a treaty with for ages, a treaty that you had broken, is not right."
The man known as Avery snorted while another one, with a slightly younger face and long hair, cleared his throat and spoke.
"Let us commence this meeting and be done with it," he grunted.
"Patience, Leon," sighed a third man. "Perhaps we should introduce ourselves first, since several of our…er, guests, do not know who we are." He glanced in my direction. "I am Jeremy Weaver and these are my brothers and sister of the council. The first man who spoke is Avery Blackwood, one of our eldest members. Next is Leon Dyer, Randolph Knox, Richard Hatch, Louis Dee, Sue Clearwater and Billy Black." He waved his hand lazily from person to person as he named them off; getting a few disdainful grunts from each person, save for Sue and Billy.
"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Carlisle replied, bowing. "I am certain that you all know most of our names already. However, I would like to introduce the newest member of our family and our reason for this meeting, Bella." He smiled proudly in my direction, which I returned, though my smile was a bit more sheepish as I remained behind Alice.
"Yes…" the man named Richard said, scowling. "We have heard of this new…family member."
"What is the meaning of this nonsense?" the one named Louis demanded. "Why did you adopt this girl into your family? She's a human!"
"Yes, we are aware of that," Esme stated. "She knows what we are and she is comfortable being with us, as we are comfortable being near her. Not only that, but she is the chosen mate of our daughter Alice-"
"Mate?" Billy asked, scowling. "I thought that that was a joke. A human cannot mate with a vampire, it is physically impossible."
"Why is it so hard to believe that we are in love?" Alice asked, irritated.
Billy narrowed his eyes. "You are a vampire, a creature that feeds on others and lives for eternity, she is a human, who cannot. How do you expect to call her a mate…unless…"
There was silence for a moment before Edward pitched in. "Yes, that is one of the reasons we wished to have this meeting. We want to discuss the idea of Bella being changed at some point in the future so that she can be with her mate forever."
"Certainly not! The treaty-"
"Was broken," Esme finished firmly. "Your wolves came onto our land without our consent, breaking the treaty that we had established with Ephraim Black years ago. You do realize that we could have killed the wolves, yes? Well, we chose not to, because we are not those kinds of vampires, and I hope that you can see that."
"She's right," Sue mused. "They did not kill the wolves. In fact, they didn't even attack them."
"Gentlemen, there is no reason for quarrel here," Carlisle urged. "All we wished to do was show to you that Bella became a part of our family willingly and then, if possible, discuss with you the option of her changing should she desire it."
Billy's scowl deepened as he stared at me. Sue coughed and spoke up.
"Perhaps if Bella would speak for herself, we would be more open to understanding?" she suggested, looking my way.
I nodded and stepped from behind Alice, moving so that I was standing next to her instead. Alice grimaced, but made no movements otherwise, standing both tall and tense at my side.
I started to speak, but was sharply cut off by Billy. "Bella, do you have any idea what you're doing by living with these people? Do you not see how dangerous that is? I realize that you've obviously been through a lot, but you have to understand-"
I was the one to cut him off this time. "Excuse me, Billy, but I do know what I'm doing. I've known for quite some time since I made the decision to be adopted by the Cullens. Yes, they're vampires, but I know without a shadow of a doubt that I'm safe with them. I don't like that you're trying to shove your bias down my throat like that when all my family wants is to live in peace with your people, nothing more."
Billy pursed his lips and sighed. "Perhaps. But what about your father, Charlie? Where does he fit into this equation?"
"Charlie Swan is no longer my father, Billy. He was never much of a father to me to begin with, truth be told, and I see no reason to consider him as one now. Carlisle is my father now, and Esme is my mother. This is my new family, plain and simple."
Most of the councilmen scowled at my words, clearly disdainful towards what I was saying. Sue, however, looked a bit more intrigued than anything, though she was a bit hard to read compared to the glares the others were shooting me.
"I still don't like it," grumbled Avery. "It just isn't right."
"Why not? What is so wrong about us being in love?" I asked pleadingly.
"Is there a reason for it, Avery?" Sue asked.
Avery grimaced, not knowing what to say. The only man to not speak yet, Randolph, let out a long sigh and shook his head.
"It is clear to me that you are intelligent enough to make your own decisions, Bella Cullen. You choose to live with vampires, yes?" I nodded. "Do you choose to be this girl's mate?" I nodded again, twining our fingers together. "And would you choose to become a vampire, to live the life that a vampire lives?" I nodded a third time. He inclined his head towards the others. "Do you see, brothers? This girl knows what she wants. There is no trickery afoot here, so why must we continue to spew out mindless statements?"
"Because it goes against our tradition, that's why!" Richard argued. "Have you forgotten the lives lost and the damage down by bloodsuckers in the past, Randolph? Do you not know how dangerous this girl would be were she to become a vampire? She would be an uncontrollable newborn that would likely prey on half of the town, if not everyone, including the people on the reservation, our friends and families!"
"That would not be a problem, actually," Carlisle interjected. "We would take care of Bella so that no accidents would occur. We would even willingly move away from Forks, should the need arise, to a secluded area where it would be easier to help her through her newborn phase."
Avery crossed his arms. "How do we know that? How do we know the moment you leave you won't let her run wild on other civilizations, hm?"
"Be sensible about this, Avery!" Sue snapped.
Esme hissed. "We would never do such a thing. We are not the monsters you believe us to be, nor have we ever been. We choose to live peaceful lives and to coexist with humans, to not feed on them and to instead feed on animals for sustenance. Does that not tell you anything?"
Alice shook her head. "You see? I told you they would be like this," she whispered in my ear.
"Don't you be whispering over there, leech," barked Leon. "Just because we can't hear you doesn't mean we can't see."
"I don't recall ever saying you could tell me what to do," Alice growled. "Unlike your dogs, I do not belong on a leash and I suggest you keep that in mind the next time you try ordering me or anyone else in my family around."
"Why you little…"
"Now, now, Leon," Randolph said gently.
"Randolph, stop trying to ease the situation. This isn't easy for any of us," Billy grunted. "We need to decide on what to do regarding this situation, first of all."
Carlisle cleared his throat. "If I may?" he asked. No one objected, so he continued. "My family and I would like to re-constitute a treaty with you, one that benefits both sides and helps alleviate any tension between our groups. I would also like to work in the idea of Bella's changing being allowed while we are in Forks, if at all possible."
Billy scrunched his face up. "And how do you propose…" He trailed off when Raina bent down and whispered something into his ear. He frowned even more so, looking like he'd just swallowed something sour. "Are you certain of that, Raina?"
She nodded. "Yes, I am."
Alice hissed. "No."
"Let her decide for herself first," Raina grunted.
I furrowed my brow. "What? What's going on?"
Raina's dark eyes met mine. "I would like to speak with you in private about a few matters, Bella, in order to get a better basis of your thoughts." She glanced at her father, who nodded after a moment of hesitation. "Also, if this were to meet my approval, then it would better your chances with getting the council's approval."
"Sam should be the one to talk with her. He is the Alpha," Avery sneered.
I didn't fail to notice the grimace on Sam's face and the way Raina twitched at his words.
"I agree," Louis snorted.
"As do I," Leon added.
Sue shook her head. "I disagree. If Raina wishes to speak with her, then why should we stop her from doing so?" She glanced at Billy. "Or have you forgotten that she is the rightful Alpha of the wolves?" she asked, her voice a low whisper that I barely heard.
Billy grimaced and a few of the council members scoffed quietly or glared at Sue for her words.
"I agree with Sue," Randolph stated.
"I don't care either way," Richard grumbled. "I just want this over with. Let her go if she wants."
"You may go, Raina," Billy said, resigning.
Raina bowed to her father and took a few steps forwards, her eyes meeting mine again.
"Bella, would you please come and speak with me?" she asked, inclining her head to the forest, away from everyone else. "I promise that I won't harm you in any way."
I thought about it for a moment, glancing at Carlisle and Esme, who both nodded. Then I looked at Alice, who was glaring at Raina with coal-black eyes. She squeezed my hand tightly, though not enough to cause me pain, and shook her head vigorously, not liking the idea of me going on my own with Raina without her.
"I'll go," I said at last. Alice looked at me pleadingly, begging me not to. "It'll be okay, Ali."
"I can't protect you, though…" she stated.
"I won't hurt her," Raina growled lightly. "I vow to you that I won't."
Alice bit her lip and, seeing the resolve in my eyes, sighed and released my hand. She pecked my cheek briskly as I started walking forward, away from Alice and my family. Raina had a stern look on her face as she turned and headed into the forest, me a few steps behind her. I could feel many eyes following me as I trailed after Raina deep into the woods.
I wasn't sure how long I followed Raina for or how far into the woods we were. Suddenly she stopped and spun around to face me, her fists clenched tightly together. I grimaced and stepped back on instinct, fearful that she might attack.
But she didn't. Her lips were in a tight line as she stared down at the ground beneath my feet, thinking to herself about something for about two minutes. Then her body relaxed and she unclenched her fists, letting out a loud sigh. Raina took a step forward, her eyes meeting mine and in an instant she bowed down to me.
"I'm sorry," she murmured.
A/N: Well then, I'm guessing that turned out how everyone thought it would. You know, with most of the council being jerks and whatnot. Yes, that was intentional on my part and yes there is a reason for it. You will find those out fairly soon, I dare say.
Anyways, the next chapter is going to be another "character-centric" chapter for Raina. I realize most of you don't like her at this point in time, but bear with me and see if you'll change your opinions around a bit once the next chapter closes. I won't spoil anything, though, since there would be no fun in that. I do believe that it will be posted sooner than this one was, but I can't be certain.
Reviews are welcome, as always. And thank you to those of you that wished me well with my health. That was sweet of you. It should be gone within the next week. Of course, then I'll have to go back to school. I can't win. Go figure.
