"So? Who comes next?"
"Easy," Kate said. "Carlisle is still working, so it's Jasper's turn to fill in the blanks."
And Tanya dialled her cousin's number.
It would be interesting to hear what they had talked about on their walk, what exactly he had said to make her leave and - just if they had some spare time - why in the world he would challenge his coven leader and why. Carlisle was good to all of them, fair and loving, and it completely blew their minds that one of his kids would suddenly decide that they wanted to take over and even think they'd do a better job at leading the coven than him. To be honest, if anyone of the family would ever try and take over the Cullen coven in an alternate universe, Jasper might be their first guess, considering that he had a completely different upbringing in this new world and had actually been in charge of probably hundreds of vampires. Still, didn't make a lick of sense.
And hearing that he would try and do something like that seemed absolutely surreal.
"Tanya, I presume. Hello."
The blonde woman frowned at hearing him say her name even before she could even utter a single word. "Did Alice tell you I would call?"
"Yes, she did." He sounded amused, even though Tanya had no idea what would be amusing about this call. She was determined to find out more and she had a feeling that the talk would turn ugly rather than cheerful.
"Okay, and do you know why I call?"
"It's about the little one. Start with teaching her defence, and when she gets better at it, you can go over different strategies of ambush with her. She might be a little slow on the uptake, but don't give up hope."
"I beg your pardon?"
"That's why she is with you."
"You want me to teach her how to fight?" She simply could not believe her ears. Maddie was falling apart in front of their very eyes, and the only thing that would help now was to prepare her for combat?
"Yes, is there a problem?"
"Um..." She stared at the phone for a second, then held it back to her ear. "What does Carlisle think about all of this? Does he approve?"
"This is not about him, it's about her."
"So he doesn't know."
"Sometimes he fails to see what needs to be done. Would you be so kind and train her?"
Tanya's eyes narrowed. "Why didn't you guys train her yourselves?"
"Carlisle's afraid someone might hurt her and she would then fear us. Ridiculous, really. But this is important, so if you could teach her, it would be very much appreciated."
Tanya was dumbfounded. Was this talk real?
"Are you aware that she is a complete nervous wrack ever since she came here? What in the world happened at your place?"
"Just a little reality check."
A little? She sat down on the sofa and let her elbows rest on her knees.
"Do you have any idea what you have done?"
"Yes, the right thing. And now I need you to teach her what Carlisle has failed to do."
"Is that what your fight had been about? Esme said you challenged Carlisle."
"I have no intention of taking over the coven if that's what you think. I just reminded him that he forgot to prepare his youngest for the world out there."
"And what did you say that frightened her so much that she fled from the house?"
"Truth hurts. It wasn't what I said, it was just this unfortunate moment when realisation hit."
"Tell me."
"Just that she is an easy target as long as she doesn't know the first thing about self-defence or how to use her ability."
"I don't know what you are trying to pull, but this is a lie, Jasper. I know her, and this sentence would not throw her into panic and make her flee."
"As I said, it wasn't about the words I used. Still, I'm not proud that she overheard, and just so you know: It was only meant for Carlisle's ears, not hers."
"Well, just out of curiosity, what words did you use?"
"You know what? Just ask her, she'll tell you the same thing."
"No. Every time we ask questions, she breaks something."
"She does? I'll tell her to stop."
He made it sound so easy.
"And she listens to you?"
"Sure."
Her face scrunched up in confusion. "... since when?"
"I'll send her a text, she won't cause you anymore trouble, rest assured."
This was odd, so very odd.
The blonde woman wasn't sure if this talk had cleared up the mystery or just raised even more questions. Jasper couldn't provide her with any more info, and so they decided to end the call.
She released a very long groan after she had hung up, then informed the rest of the family about what exactly they had spoken about and how he insisted that they should turn his little sister into a fighting machine.
"I'm not going to do anything Carlisle doesn't agree with. He had his reasoning right after she was changed, and if he hasn't taught her yet, I'm sure he can explain that, too," Tanya said.
"So, with the information at hand, we could go and confront Maddie and see what she'll tell us," Kate stated and got up from her seat.
Carmen held a hand up to stop them. "Wait, all of you want to barge into her room now and ask her to confirm what Esme and Jasper said?"
They just looked at her, waiting. Maybe she had a better idea, but if she didn't, that's what they'd do.
"I'll go, you stay here. Don't overwhelm her, especially when you want answers."
Carmen gently rapped her knuckles against the wooden door, hoping the girl had calmed enough to let her in. "Maddie, it's me, may I come in?"
There was movement on the other side, like she was rolling over on her bed. "Why?" she asked warily.
Carmen sighed as she stared at the brown wood that separated her from the girl. "Just wanted to see if you're all right."
Silence.
"Are you alone?"
"Yes."
Soft footsteps headed for the door, and a moment later the key turned in the keyhole and the door opened just a little. All Carmen could see was an eye that darted around until it rested on her, and then the door was pulled open further.
"Thank you." Carmen entered, but whipped around when she heard the door being locked again.
"There is no need to lock doors in this house, we respect each other's privacy."
Maddie licked her dry lips. "But I think I made him mad... he needs time to calm down."
Carmen leaned forward and took Maddie's hand in hers, then pulled her over to the bed where they could both sit down and get comfortable.
"It's okay, I know why you are upset. You have been grievously wronged by the ones you love. It hurts."
Just as the words were spoken, Maddie tensed. "What are you talking about?" she asked, her eyes every so slightly narrowing.
"We were worried and so Tanya called Esme... your mother is heartbroken that she allowed Carlisle to send you and your brother out for a walk together."
Maddie swallowed hard and looked down at her clasped hands lying in her lap.
"First he had been furious and they let you think you really did something wrong... and then they fail to tell you that it was only meant for you to put your differences aside. You were scared, weren't you?"
Maddie didn't move at first, but then started nodding her head. Just barely, but Carmen could see her nod.
The dark-haired woman put a hand on the girl's folded ones and let her thumb run gently over the back of her left hand.
"You were mad that they didn't tell you, hm?" She tilted her head until Maddie looked up into her eyes. "I'd be mad, too," she told her and lightly nodded her head, before she cupped Maddie's cheek, who just averted her eyes again.
They sat like that for a few moments, then, ever so slowly, Maddie lifted her head and looked deep into her eyes. It was like she was searching for something, and then she asked, "What else do you know?"
Apparently she wanted to make sure she wouldn't reveal a secret by checking first what the family knew and what was safe to talk about.
Carmen wiped a strand of hair out of her face. "You overhead Jasper and Carlisle arguing."
She swallowed. "I did."
"What he said was hurtful, but I'm sure he didn't mean it like that. Sometimes we can't control our anger and say things that we later regret."
Maddie scoffed.
They had no idea. They had absolutely no idea what was going on here.
"Carmen… do you even know what he said?"
"He made you out to be vulnerable and in need of protection."
"That's not exactly what he said."
"Oh?" She leaned back and blinked her eyes in confusion. "Apparently he left something out."
Maddie gaped at her. "You called him, too?"
This was not okay… they were trying too hard to find out what's going on and in the process endangered everyone. It was safer for them and her siblings to be oblivious… and Carlisle was already suspicious so they needed to be even more careful.
"He also said that he wanted to send you a message or something. Did you check your phone lately?"
Maddie frowned at her. She didn't know what to make of it. First he accused them of helping Carlisle to keep her in the dark and only teach her what would be beneficial for his own cover story in the human world... and now she was supposed to talk openly about whatever she had learned about Carlisle?
The girl hesitated, but then leaned back and reached for her mobile phone that was lying on her bedside table.
Indeed, she had received a message from him.
"So?"
"I'm supposed to get a grip on myself and stop breaking stuff," she told her, staring at the little screen in disbelief.
Carmen covered her mouth with one of her hands so Maddie wouldn't see her smirk. It would indeed be so wonderful if she would cease to damage the house.
"And tell the truth."
"So he wants you to answer our questions?"
Maddie shrugged helplessly. She had no idea what he wanted, and she did not know how to keep a secret from them when she was all of a sudden supposed to spill it all. What if they told Carlisle? He'd kill Jasper, that's for sure... or did he make sure they wouldn't tell? They had talked on the phone, after all, and Jasper wanted her to come here for a reason.
But the text made her uneasy for it made no sense. Was it really Jasper they had spoken to, and did Jasper really type this message?
"So, would you tell me what you heard him say?"
"He called me stupid," she answered, quick like a shot.
"That's not very nice."
"Yes, I know. I'm so sick of it... I'm just younger than them, but I can still learn."
"And that's what got you so riled up that you left?"
"I was angry and couldn't stand being in the house anymore. Everybody thinks I'm just some stupid little girl, they make decisions without me and I was just sick of it. I didn't want to see anyone and that's why I ran."
"But you weren't planning on running away from home, were you?"
"No."
Carmen nodded her head and gave her a little smile. "Okay."
"I just needed a break. That's why I came here."
"You know, Maddie, why don't you came downstairs with me? Lets tell the others, it would put their minds at ease."
"I think Eleazar doesn't want to see me."
"Its fine, don't worry."
They left the room and descended the stairs, but Maddie really took her time. She wasn't sure what to expect once they would face the others, and all of this talking made her extremely nervous.
Luckily Kate and Irina had gone hunting, but Eleazar and Tanya were still waiting in the living room, ready to talk.
"There you are. Come, take a seat," Tanya said and patted a spot right next to her, but Maddie didn't move.
Carmen rubbed the girl's shoulders in an encouraging way to help her feel more at ease. "Sweetie, why don't you repeat what you told me?"
"Jasper said some mean stuff, but he didn't mean it, he just wanted to rile up Carlisle."
Tanya did not understand. "What for?"
With a shrug, Maddie replied, "I don't know."
"And what did he say?"
Maddie gulped. Even though Jasper told her he didn't mean it, his words still hurt. She didn't even want to think about it, much less repeat them.
"He said I'm just some dumb kid."
"That's what you overheard?"
"Yes."
"And then you left," Eleazar concluded.
She nodded her head.
Tanya groaned. "Maddie, I think it's time for you to tell us the truth."
"I am."
Her face was an unreadable mask. No movement, no hint of anything. She was one hundred percent sure that Maddie was being dishonest. "No, you're not."
Maddie remained quiet.
"All right," Eleazar said and exhaled as he let his hands drop heavily onto his upper thighs. He got up, reached the girl with quick strides and encircled her biceps with his hand. "Come."
"Eleazar, I don't think-," Carmen started to say, but her mate turned around and shook his head. "She made her choice and so I made mine."
"Give her a moment."
"She had plenty of moments, she had days to tell us what's going on," he told his wife, then turned his head and looked down on the scared-looking teen. "You don't want to tell us what's going on – okay, fine. But I am done playing nice and being sympathetic to you while you wreck the house. As long as I don't know what's causing this and you just lie about it, I am regarding your actions as simple tantrums that call for consequences."
"You're mad at me, I knew it."
"Well, you broke the door."
"I'll pay for it," she offered meekly.
"Oh, do you have any money?"
"I could call Emmy, he'll pay for it."
"Why not call Carlisle?" Yes, he was goading her. By now, all of them had an inkling as to what must have happened at the Cullens, but some pieces of the puzzle were still missing. Maybe they'd find out now.
Maddie shook her head.
"I think we should tell him."
She tried to squirm out of his grasp. Too bad he was a lot stronger than her and therefore it was a futile attempt.
"Go get the phone, Maddie, we'll ring him right up."
Her face scrunched up. This was not going to happen. Carlisle was probably the last person she wanted to know what's happening here.
But Eleazar had to remain firm and see where it would lead them, as she really did not leave them any choice. "Girl, I told you to do something."
She still just stared at him, but did not move.
"Or we could start all over. What's it going to be?"
She felt tears well up in her eyes - tears that she did not want to shed in front of them, but running wasn't an option as she couldn't leave the situation with him holding her in place.
So she had to make a decision, telling them or have them tell Carlisle, and she would chose the lesser evil.
Eleazar let go off her arm, feeling that she was giving in, and she walked over to an armchair with hanging shoulders and gingerly sat down.
Dragging the sleeve of her sweatshirt over her eyes and sniffling once, she began.
"He said my ability is wasted on me, because I don't know how to use it."
Carmen saw how hard it was for the girl to finally open up to them about it. "Baby, that's not true. And keep in mind that you didn't pick it, you were born with it."
"And he said that because of me... well, the coven is weak because of me."
"That's what he said?" Tanya knew that Maddie and Jasper were not close and because they weren't, his words shouldn't hurt her like that as his opinion didn't matter all that much to her... but he was playing with her insecurities. This was how anyone could hurt her, by pointing out what she regarded as her weaknesses. She had doubted herself right from the beginning, her skills, her entire existence, and by going for that, he was slowly but steadily ripping her to pieces. This was a very vicious move.
Eleazar was disgusted. Telling anyone they were no more than a burden was bad, but saying that about a child? Of course she needed protection, and everyone was more than willing to protect her. Expecting her at that young age to be able to fight on the same level as Jasper was just ludicrous. Besides, so far there had never once been a situation where she would have been either needed to protect her family nor had they risk their lives to protect hers.
She bit down on her bottom lip and it looked like she was trying to keep it together or she would start bawling. She nodded her head.
"You know these are all lies, you don't weaken your coven. You couldn't even if you tried. Ask your siblings, Rose and Em, little Allie... this is not true."
"That's what he said, too. All lies, he didn't mean it. He also didn't mean to call me a cripple or a disgrace that should be..."
"Should be what? Just say it."
"Destroyed."
Oh God, this was getting worse by the second. No wonder that girl was on edge all the time.
"He didn't mean to... that's nice." Tanya rubbed a hand over her forehead as though a headache was forming and she tried to fend it off. "Did he also mention who should do the deed?"
"Well, it was only the two of them in the room."
It slowly grew obvious why she wasn't herself lately. That was a lot to take in for such a young soul, she was trapped in a nightmare.
"It was only meant to rile Carlisle up," Maddie informed Tanya, but somehow the girl was starting to grow nervous now. She fidgeted with her hands that were covered by her sleeves and she dropped her gaze.
"But why did he have to insult you for that? I cannot seem to follow." This was so confusing, Carmen had no idea how and when all of this would make sense. She had immense trouble putting this puzzle together.
"To get a reaction from him."
"What for?"
"I dunno...," Maddie said and shrugged her shoulders. "To see how he'll react?"
Thanks for reading and reviewing! I have no idea who is going to fix this and how, but someone has to. See you in the next chapter!
Hey Spawn, when's your birthday? I don't want to curse you with bad luck now, so I'll wait till the actual day to congratulate you ;-)