~~Seth~~
"Where are those damn Cullens?" Leah asked harshly. We hadn't seen them in a week, so that usually meant that they moved. I shrugged, grabbed and bit into an apple. This happened so frequently that we were just used to it by now.
"Don't ask me. Would Mom notice if we disappear to go find them?"
"Probably not." My sister replied while fiddling with a fork. "She's too busy being intertwined with the Chief if you know what I mean." She waggled her eyebrows and I had to fight the urge to laugh. Suddenly, Jacob appeared in our kitchen.
"What do you want?" Leah bitterly acknowledged him.
"The Loch Ness monster texted; she and Dr. Dracula and Mrs. Dracula moved to Montana. She says that there's a surprise for us when we arrive there."
"Usually that means there's another one." Leah nodded.
I thought about it for a moment; didn't the Bloodsuckers vow to stop creating new bloodsuckers years ago? And why would they even need to feed on a human, weren't they yellow-eyes? I had so many questions that needed to be answered.
"When do we leave?" I asked, following Jacob out onto the patio.
"I was thinking possibly tonight."
"Okay, but how are we going to get there? You know Leah quit phasing a long time ago."
"She's either going to have to remain behind, ride on one of our backs, or phase. I know she hates phasing, but she's going to have to, unless she wants to be left behind." I nodded and headed back into the house. Leah was now sitting on the counter.
"So, when are we going?"
"We're leaving tonight, but we're going to travel by wolf." My sister groaned.
Leah had figured out how to quit the wolf-life soon after the Volturi confrontation about fourteen years ago. She never wanted to phase in the first place, so why should she continue? She hadn't been in a relationship since Sam, and according to Dr. Drac, her cycle had returned since discontinuing phasing. My sister hadn't imprinted on anyone, which really made her angry. We looked at each other and didn't say anything. I started to head up to my room.
"Just this once." She said quietly.
"What?" I came back.
"Why the hell not?" Leah threw her arms up. "We're not going to be there for that long, so I'll just phase tonight, and then I'll phase again when we leave."
"I could always just-"
"Don't you even think about going alone. You're still too immature to be left alone with Jacob." She smirked as I climbed the stairs to my room.
Hours later, we had managed to sneak out of the house in order to meet up with Jake at his place. He stood in the dark, already phased into wolf form. I had also already phased and Leah still walked on two legs beside me.
Is she phasing? Jake asked in his head.
Yes. It's only temporary though; she's phasing now, and again when we make the journey back. As I said that, my sister had quietly phased into her small gray wolf form.
Are we ready? She asked.
Yes. We set off into the night.
The journey to Montana had been long, but not the most horrid thing. We often had to re-phase into our human forms in order to take short fifteen-minute rest breaks or to get some food from gas stations that were still open at the ungoldly early hours of the morning. By dawn, we had arrived at the newest iteration of the Cullen house.
"Jake!" I heard a delicate female voice ring through the field. Within seconds, Nessie was in front of us, her bronze curls shining in the bright sunlight.
We re-phased into our human forms and were soon joined by the rest of the Cullen family. Rosalie and Emmett stood off to the side with Alice, Jasper, and Edward, while Bella and Nessie were in front of us.
"Are there any precautions we should take?" Leah asked seriously. "Because you weren't the most… pleasant newborn to deal with. No offense."
Bella shrugged. "None taken, I'll get to her and her newborn state, so hold on a bit. Let's start with what we do know; her name is Rebekah Natasha, she's around the age of sixteen or seventeen, we're not a hundred percent sure."
"Why?"
"Rebekah's a foster child." Rosalie spoke up. "She has really bad trust issues and we haven't managed to pry out any information outta her, she's very hush-hush about her past. The only ones who have gotten her to talk are Esme, Carlisle, and Ness. On the topic of our parents; they're with Rebekah now. And now, for the final, and most shocking thing; Rebekah lacks thirst."
Leah, Jacob and I shared a look that meant that we were going to be having a discussion later. We unfortunately had to hold it though. No thirst? I thought to myself, this is so rare for a vamp. Aren't they always thirsty animals? I got a dirty look from Edward.
Jacob managed to find faster than us. "So, she's only going to be repulsed by our scent, not full-blown attack us?"
"Correct."
"Damn... she's so humane!" Leah laughed.
"You're not wrong..." Edward stepped forward, putting his arm around Bella. "Carlisle and Jasper are trying to figure out the reasoning behind the lack of thirst, which hasn't been successful so far." We nodded.
"Are you ready to meet her?" Jasper asked. I nodded enthusiastically, noticeably more than my sister and Jacob.
Nessie started off towards the house with her parents and Jacob on her toes with the rest of us following shortly behind. Rosalie managed to push her away to the front of the group, making her the first to enter the house. Once we entered, Leah wrinkled her nose in disgust, as the vampire smell was probably overwhelming to her. I looked around at the decor, architecture, and color palette of the large house. The design and color choices were very modern, but still managed to look rustic and vintage at the same time. It reminded me of our house before Dad died.
"Don't be shocked." Alice said, stopping us right before we entered the living room. "She's really anxious, and she's been dreading this day for a while. Also, when she meets you, she needs to be in total control."
"Glad to know it's not just her dreading this little meet-n'-greet." I heard my sister say under her breath.
I turned the corner and got my first glimpse of Rebekah Natasha. The sunlight that streamed through the floor-to-ceiling crystal clear windows hit her skin, making her exposed skin glow and sparkle. I thought that vampires only sparkled! She acknowledged our presence with a frosty stare, and I was lucky er- unlucky enough to catch a momentary glimpse into her cherry-red eyes. Her dark hair tumbled past her shoulders and onto her chest in layers and was quite wavy, Rebekah pushed a lock out of her eyes. Her skin was pale like all of them, but it had a golden undertone to it and her lips were plump and pink. Rebekah's body, from what I could tell, was was slender. She was tangled in a blanket with Mrs. Drac sitting beside her, hand on her upper-forearm. While I knew that Rosalie was supposed to be the most beautiful vampire in existence, I secretly thought that Rebekah was even more beautiful.
"Rebekah," Dr. Cullen turned the corner and proceeded to sit beside his wife. "These are our friends; the Quiletes, more specifically the Black pack. Meet Leah, Seth, and Jacob." He discreetly pointed at us as her stare followed.
"Nice to meet you." Her voice, strong and velvety rang in my ears. She sucked in a big breath and chewed on the inside of her cheek. We didn't know what move she would make.
She flung the blanket off and revealed a white lace fit-and-flare dress under a chambray button down. Rebekah moved towards us, eyes cold as ice. Alice's words echoed in my ears "when she meets you, she needs to be in total control." The tiny bloodsucker's words must have clicked in Leah and Jacob's brains too, because the three of us became as still as statues in unison. Rebekah circled around us like a shark in a tank and looked at every one of us.
Leah was the only one brave enough to actually look Rebekah in the eye, but quickly averted her gaze when the girl caught her staring. Jacob looked at her and was trying his hardest to not piss her off. He wanted to present a good first impression to her, unlike when Bella woke up from her transformation years ago. When she reached me, her eyes danced over my form. She seemed to like what she was looking at, even biting her lip flirtatiously and cracking a small smile. I didn't return the gesture, even though we were probably thinking the same thing. Her scent was the most entrancing thing I had ever inhaled; it was sweet, but also had underlying seductive notes.
I turned to Edward. What is she thinking? He looked sick in a way but tried to hide it. Rebekah retreated back to Esme, burying herself under a fur throw blanket and leaning against Esme's shoulder.
"Rebekah, we have something to tell you." Dr. Cullen started.
"I know about them being shape-shifters or werewolves, whatever you want to call them."
"You do?!" The three of us gasped.
"While we were still living in Forks, I did some research on the Quiletes and their culture and I find it quite fascinating actually."
"Thanks?!" I asked, stepping closer to her.
"It was nice to meet you three, but right now I've got to go up and finish repairing Alice's red silk blouse. Excuse me." She brushed past me and ran up the stairs.
"Well, that ends that discussion…" Emmett said quietly.
"We should probably be heading back." Jacob stated. "Our parents will wonder where we are." He and Leah started for the door.
"No, please, stay. You traveled day and night in order to be here. The least you could do is stay here and regain your strength before heading back." Esme pleaded with us. I personally wanted to stay around a little longer, but I knew that my sister and Jacob would not want to.
"You don't have to stay with anyone." Edward informed. "We have camp set out in the woods."
"Couldn't hurt." I shrugged. They nodded in agreement.
"Just tonight, then we'll head back." Jacob walked out the door. "Thank you, Mrs. C. We'll be out looking for something to eat." Leah followed him shortly after.
Once everyone with the exception of Dr. and Mrs. Cullen had left the house, I had managed to work up the courage to ask them what had been pondering my mind for a while.
"Seth?" The doctor asked. "Is there something you wanted?"
"Yes actually. I would like to…" I sighed and gulped. "I would like to spend some one-on-one time with Rebekah." I saw both of them wince.
"If it's fine with you, I-I would just… I'd like to get to know her better. She seems mysterious and shut off."
The matriarch of the family bit her bottom lip while she thought about it. She sighed. "Well, it would be nice for her to have other friends than us." She gestured to her husband. "Not like anything's wrong with that- it's just that she needs to open her heart up to more people. You already know about Rebekah's trust issues."
"I agree." The doctor nodded in agreement. "But if she snaps at you, don't take it too personally. She'll warm up eventually... I hope... Rebekah's door is the third to the right." I nodded, ran up the stairs and proceeded to knock, hoping she would respond positively.
~~Rebekah~~
The history of the Quiletes was quite fascinating to me, and I still can't believe that Carlisle didn't know that I had done research! Anything that interests me, I'm most likely to do research on. I had started the research process when I'd begun hearing rumors and legends about them when I first moved to Forks. During the research, I just so happened to stumble upon the names Jacob Black, Leah Clearwater, and Seth Clearwater. I'd seen pictures of Jacob's great-grandfather Ephraim Black, and had noticed that they looked pretty similar. I had read that the Clearwater siblings were descendants of all three lines of shape-shifters. The thing that all three of them had in common was this strange, large tattoo, and they all had it on their upper-right forearms.
Leah personally scared me a little. She this still, stone-cold expression on her face and her bone structure was incredibly severe. Her hair was cropped into a sleek bob framing her face and her lashes were thick and fluttery. Height-wise, she was probably around 5'11" or 5'10", only an inch or two taller than I was. Jacob on the other hand, was tall, the top of his head nearly scraped against the ceiling. He was also incredibly muscular and his eyes had this trusting, friendly twinkle in them. For an unknown reason, I found it comforting.
Now for Seth… I can't really describe him without shuddering. Not because he frightened me. No, no, no, it was the exact opposite. I found him to be… cute. No Rebekah, I thought, you've only known the child for a moment. Don't go all doe-eyed after him. But… the way his eyes lit up when I looked into them, and I'll never forget the color; a dark chocolate brown. His skin was russet hue and his hair was the color of the night sky. These features were similar to Jacob and Leah, the three of them looking like siblings. He was tall, not as tall as Emmett or Jacob, but a few inches taller than me. His build was slender and muscular. I wonder if-
My thoughts were torn away from him when a knock came on my door.
"Hello?" I called out.
"It's me." A male voice which was a little on the higher side answered.
"Who's 'me'?" I asked, snickering.
"Seth." My breath caught in my throat.
"Come in." He twisted the knob on my door and walked in, bringing the smell of the forest with him.
"Nice place you got here." He looked around. "Did Esme do this up for you?" He smiled a wide, child-like grin.
"Yeah…" I strode over to him. "What are you here for?"
"Just wanted to chat, get to know you better."
I gulped and moved to my desk, sitting down and curling up into the pale gray faux-fur. I did just meet him, but why did I feel like he was the kind of friend you grew up with? Another knock came on my door.
"Come in." We said in unison and looked at each other. Esme and Carlisle walked in with a steaming plate of fish, which smelled repulsing and delicious at the same time.
"Just thought we'd bring you some lunch, Seth."
"Thank you," He replied politely. "This looked good!"
"Enjoy!" He bit into it and sighed with pleasure. "Mif you weren't a bollod-"
"What? Chew and swallow, then talk." He did as I instructed.
"Sorry. If you weren't a bloodsucker, I'd offer you some of this, because it's good." We laughed with each other.
"So, Rebekah," He continue to take heaping bites of food. "What's your story?"
"First of all, slow down, you're going to make yourself sick!" I started.
"You sound like Leah." He inhaled another giant fork-ful of fish. It was like he hadn't eaten a single thing in years.
I snickerd and changed the subject quickly before he remembered. "I'm more interested in you, Mister. What was it like growing up knowing that you had all three bloodlines of the Quilete werewolves in you?"
"I see you've done your research," He chuckled. "Well where do we start?" He sighed. "I was born in November of 1992 to Sue and Harry Clearwater, about six years after Leah. My childhood was happy, albeit somewhat strange. No, strange is the wrong word; cursed is a better word."
"Hey, mine is probably more cursed than yours."
"Possibly, we'll see." Seth set his plate aside. "Nothing really interesting happened; Leah and I did school on the Quilete reservation, and that was boring!" I laughed. "My dad, Harry, was one of the elders of the tribe, ruling alongside Jacob's dad, Billy Black. When Dad died, Mom took his place, though she really doesn't get much say. "
"When did he die, and if may I ask... was it caused by something? Sometimes people can die of shock, so was there some form of shocking event leading to his death?"
"It's fine, Rebekah." He brushed the tears away and offered a weak smile. "Dad died because Leah phased." The look of confusion on my face said it all. "Quilete men are the only one's who phase to be wolves, and they only phase to be wolves if there are nearby vampires. Dad never phased because there weren't any vamps around when he was young."
"From what I've read, Leah is your first female. Is that correct?"
"Yes. Dad and Billy never knew that it was possible for a female. Neither did our mother." He trailed off.
"You don't have to continue if you don't want to." He seemed relieved and nodded.
"I better go." He gathered his plate and untensils and stood up. "Leah and Jacob will probably be looking for me."
"Okay…" I watched him turn his back on me and head out. "Wait!" I called after him.
"What?"
"Would you like to… talk again? Someday, whenever you feel like it."
"Sure," He smirked. "I'd like that."
"How about tonight? Everyone's going on a big hunting trip over the weekend, they're leaving tonight. 'll be left alone and would like the company!"
"Let me talk to Jacob and Leah first, but otherwise, I don't see why not!"
"Okay, so, tonight?"
"Tonight."
AN: I apologize that this weeks' chapter was so late, I had a project and a few exams last week and had a case of good ol' writer's block. I managed to hack this outta my system though, so sorry for the bac quality.
I wish you all a happy and safe Thanksgiving! All I wish is for all of us to (safely) spend time with friends and family and eat way too many calories.
R