CHAPTER FOUR!
( MEMORIES)
･ﾟ.*･.ﾟ･ﾟ.*･.ﾟ
She was looking at the horse in front of her, trying her best not to look afraid, but Rowena didn't think she was doing a very good job of it.
Her older brother finished saddling the mare, patting her on the neck. "Ready?"
Rowena hesitated but nodded.
He lifted her, setting her down on the saddle, and she gasped, unsettled by the height. The reins were in his hand as he instructed her where to put her feet, and told her to hold on to the saddle.
Taking the horse out of the stable, gently guiding her to walk in circles around the patio, her brother gently praised her, assuring Rowena he was there in case anything went wrong.
After a few turns, her fear began to disappear, and she found herself laughing and having fun.
"See, I knew you could do it!"
Rowena smiled brightly at her brother, feeling proud of herself.
Waking up with a start, Rowena reminisced her dream, or rather, memory.
She'd been having at least one each night, and sometimes, multiple memories, all connected somehow. Usually, they featured Mavis, so many of them were from her first(and still uncursed) life. But some were of other families, other siblings, but this one was new.
She couldn't remember his name, just that he'd been older by almost a decade, and that they looked nothing alike. He had blond honey hair and green eyes, and differently from her and Mavis, they didn't have any similar features. That was to be expected since they weren't truly related, but unlike the memories of other brothers she'd had, this was the first one were in her memory, she had wanted to look more like her brother, if only because of how much she admired him.
Her memories didn't come with background, she didn't know anything about that life other then what she'd dreamt tonight, but all the feelings she'd experienced during it she remembered.
She sighed, trying hard to focus on what his name had been, but finding nothing.
Rowena fell back asleep without much trouble, the smell of leather and horses fresh on her mind.
Mavis had never bothered with high school, but she'd told Charlie she'd been homeschooled since something had to be said for her education.
Her fake identity said she was 18, meaning since there was a lack of guardians, she was out of the foster system, but unfortunately for her, it did not free her from education in Charlie's eyes.
She'd blundered, that was true, she could've used the ID that said she was 21, but Mavis had wanted Charlie to see her as a kid still, and be more receptive to welcoming her into his house(honestly, with how nice he was, she could've been 30 he probably would've let her stay for a while).
Since she'd failed to produce a high school diploma or equivalent, Charlie had gone ahead and registered her in high school, much to Mavis' horror.
There were two things that kept her from going against his decision. One was that he had good intentions, Charlie had told her that while she stayed under his roof, he considered her his responsibility, and this was a part of it.
The second thing was she wanted to keep an eye on the vampires.
She hadn't seen any records of mysterious disappearances or deaths in the town so far, so they likely weren't going around turning and killing people, but a vampire coven infiltrated in a human high school, more precisely the one Rowena attended, was cause for concern.
So, wanting to keep an eye on the vampires(and not wanting to hurt Charlie's feelings), Mavis was going to attend high school for the first time in her life.
She was not excited.
Rowena, on the other hand, was.
In the almost a month Mavis had been in Forks, rumors of Charlie having taken in his daughter's half-sister, who'd also been left by her mother and was tragically now without her grandparents, who raised her all her life(did she take inspiration from a novel for this backstory? Yes, but no one needed to know), had spread. This meant Rowena had been questioned at school, and she was glad people would be meeting Mavis for themselves, so her sister could intimidate them into not hounding her anymore.
This meant a few more memories had resurfaced for Rowena, considering she knew that was likely what was going to happen.
Her remembering was going at a fast pace, faster than usual, and Mavis couldn't help but be alarmed. She didn't know the reason for that, and the only explanation she could come up with was that the schedule was being shortened, giving her less time to figure out a way to break their curse.
She'd been trying for centuries, always failing, and each time Mavis became more discouraged. She didn't want to keep losing her sister, she thought maybe over time it'd get less hard, but it was the other way around. Mavis had to congratulate who cursed her, it was devious torture indeed.
Rowena had to remember by herself why they were cursed, and only then could Mavis rope her into solving their dilemma. She would keep searching for a solution in the meantime, but to say she'd exhausted her resources was an understatement. So far there was only one thing she'd found that maybe the answer, but Mavis refuse to try it, even as a last resource, so she'd reached a dead end. Rowena usually was a fresh perspective, able to bring in new ideas, so Mavis couldn't wait for her to be able to help.
She just hoped it wouldn't be too late this time.
High school was different than depicted in movies, but Mavis expected that. Witches were off the mark too, so Hollywood wasn't exactly known to her as accurate.
There were way fewer clicks, and they were also more subtle, no one was about to divide the cafeteria into stereotypical definitions for each table.
She'd got her schedule easily enough, the secretary didn't look too interested in Mavis, and for that she was glad. The students, on the other hand, stared like she had a second head.
Rowena explained it was a small town, new students were a rare thing, the last additions had been the Cullens, and they hadn't helped dispel the fascination with newcomers, considering barely anyone had talked to them since they got there.
Ah, the Cullens. Or rather, vampire coven playing at being high school students. They weren't actually that different if she thought about it.
Here she was, centuries-old immortal witch, pretending to be a senior, give her some red wine and she might try and sit with them at lunch.
She'd arrived at the start of the school year, which helped her case, Mavis knew nothing about most of the subjects, she'd never had any use for math or chemistry, why would she when arithmancy and alchemy existed?
Her sister was a sophomore, so she couldn't even copy her homework.
Maybe she could create a spell to do it for her, she wasn't as good as Rowena at that, but her sister was still relearning things about magic, and currently at a kindergartner level. Finger paintings were cute, but a little useless.
The classes weren't as bad as she expected, the ones she had before lunch period was with two of the vampires, a blonde that looked straight out of a renaissance painting of Aphrodite, and a burly one that could probably snap Mavis like a twig.
She didn't want to draw any more attention to her, so she tried her best not to stare(or rather, glare) at them. People tried speaking to her before class, but thankfully, the teacher was having none of it and spared Mavis from being rude.
Lunch came around soon enough, and Mavis rushed to join Rowena at a table where she sat with another girl, a friend of hers named Cecile.
"How are you finding your first day of high school so far?"
Mavis shrugged, looking at the less than appetizing lunch in front of her. She'd never been a fan of processed foods. "It could be worse."
Cecile chuckled. "Optimistic, aren't you."
"I try to be."
Mavis had refused Rowena's offer to pack lunch for her as well, wanting to try high school cafeteria food as part of the experience, but right now she was regretting that decision as she looked from her pitiful food to the wonderfully smelling lunch her sister was currently eating.
"I'll make one for you tomorrow."
Smiling brightly, Mavis gave her sister a side hug. "Best sister ever!"
Cecile was smiling at them. "So, another snob that brings their food from home."
Mavis narrowed her eyes. "You also have packaged lunch."
"Yeah, I'm a snob," Cecile said, taking a bite of her brie and Parma ham sandwich. "Welcome to the Food Snob club Mavis, current members are me, Ro, and the Cullens."
Rowena rolled her eyes. "They can't be a part of a club they're unaware exists, Cece."
"Sure they can, I'm the club's president, and what I say goes."
Mavis smiled inwardly, glad for the opening. "The Cullens?"
Cecile nodded, subtly gesturing to a table on their right side, currently occupied by five supernatural creatures. "They always bring their own lunches, and honestly, I'm jealous. It looks straight out of a Michelin restaurant's menu."
Mavis glances at the vampires, looking for any indication they were listening in, but even if they technically could, she wasn't sure they actually were, there were so many people talking that their voices were most likely drowned out.
"Two of them are in my classes. People tend to avoid them though, any reason why?"
Cecile shrugged, and Rowena looked at Mavis suspiciously. "They're a bit unapproachable, with their supermodel looks and aloof attitudes. Most people think they're stuck up, but I have a feeling they're more on the awkward side and just prefer to stick together."
That was one way of explaining, the Cullens probably naturally spooked humans, vampires had an allure to them, perfectly honed so they could be prime predators, but in a normal setting like this where they weren't taking advantage of that? Mavis could see how that just translated into being stuck up.
"That's interesting, siblings don't usually hang around each other all the time, they must be close."
Cecile snorted, and Rowena hit her on the arm. "Yeah, they're close, if you know what I mean."
Mavis raised an eyebrow at that. Now, this was unexpected. "Oh? Do tell."
"Gossiping isn't nice," Rowena scolded, frowning at them.
"This isn't gossiping, it's informing Mavis of the intricacies of our high school," Cecile countered. "Imagine the faux pas she might commit if I keep her in the dark and she decides to flirt with Rosalie!"
Rowena sighed. "Just don't be nasty."
Cecile gasped dramatically. "When have I ever been nasty?" At Rowena's deadpan face, Cecile relented. "Fine, I'll be sweet as sugar."
"It better be processed sugar, the type to give you diabetes from a drop."
Mavis chuckled, glad to know her sister had made such a good friend.
"Back to the topic at hand," Cecile said, turning to Mavis. "The Cullens are all adopted, Rosalie and Jasper are twins who were taken in by their aunt, Mrs. Cullen, while Alice, Edward, and Emmet are from the foster system. From what I hear, Dr. Cullen and his wife can't have children of their own."
It was a good cover story, Mavis had to give them props.
"The scandalous part is Rosalie and Emmet are an item, and far as anyone can tell, so are Jasper and Alice," Celine continued, leaning in conspiratorially, she lowered her voice. "Those two I'm not so sure about, I have a feeling it might be Edward and Jasper instead."
Loud laughter came from the big burly guy, Emmet, and Mavis suddenly knew they were listening to their conversation.
Deciding to tease, Mavis smirked. "Has it ever crossed your mind it might be a triad?"
The look on Cecile's face was one of astonishment, and she smirked back at Mavis. "I like you."
The laughter coming from the vampire table had yet to cease.
As soon as they got into Mavis's car, ready to head home, Rowena questioned her sister.
"What was the deal at lunch?"
Knowing at least one of the nosy vampires was probably listening, Mavis shook her head and made a silent gesture, hoping her sister would get the hint.
She did, and it wasn't until they were halfway to the house that Mavis spoke.
"They're vampires."
"What? Who?"
"The Cullens."
Rowena huffed incredulously, running her hands through her hair. "Are you kidding me? Witches, werewolves, and now vampires? What's next? Fairies?"
"Well..."
"No! Don't want to know, thank you."
Mavis let her sister process the information a bit. Rowena had never met a vampire, she didn't think. It was an actual new experience, so she let her have it, even if it wasn't exactly a pleasant one.
"How did you know?"
Unable to do jazz hands, Mavis settled for the tone of voice. "Magic."
"Why couldn't I tell then?"
"You're currently a baby in the scale of magic, Ro. Given a few weeks, you'd have noticed something was off with them."
"A baby? Really? I managed to heal Pan's paw all by myself!"
"It was a bee sting."
"He said he was allergic! I did a whole Epipen's worth of healing," Rowena said, and when Mavis didn't say anything, she pouted. "He was lying about that, wasn't he?"
Mavis grimaced but nodded. "Pan wanted to cheer you up from killing that plant with your talisman, but he did say the wound was as good as new."
"I really am at a baby level in magic, aren't I?"
"No, I exaggerated," Mavis answered. "You're more like a kindergartner."
Rowena huffed, and Mavis let out a chuckle. "It'll get better quick, remember it's been less than a month since you found out what you are."
She didn't look all that cheered up, but Mavis knew she wasn't really all that upset, Rowena had gone through times a fair share of times, and she always began slowly before exponentially getting better as her memories returned, and with it, her magic experience.
"Back to the Cullens, if they're vampires, why are they attending high school?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Mavis answered. "First thought would be recruiting for their coven or finding food, but they don't seem to be doing that."
"Food as in... people?" Rowena asked, voice dripping with unease.
"Again, vampires, Rowena."
"I get that, but can't they drink out of blood bags or something?"
"How easy do you think access to blood bags is?"
"I don't know, but their dad is a doctor and probably a vampire too, so maybe he's their supplier?"
A doctor and vampire, huh. That actually was something Mavis had never come across before, how interesting. And possibly disastrous.
"Maybe, who knows." She answered and pulled into the driveway, parking, and getting out.
Rowena followed her, and their conversation continued inside the house.
"How long have they been living here?" Mavis inquired, wanting more information to add to the puzzle.
"About a year and a half, they got here around Christmas two years ago."
"Huh, so it's been a while, they're probably invested in living here then."
Were they playing at being human for fun? Mavis was also immortal, but she'd never thought about doing that in all her years. She acted the part for convenience's sake when she found Rowena, but for the most part, she lived as a witch and searched for a way out of her curse.
She supposed when you had all the time in the world and not a looming threat over your shoulder, that was a nice way to pass the time.
"How old do you think they are? As old as us maybe?"
"Eh, hard to tell, vampires can be millennia old or decades old, the only ones you can easily spot their age are the newly turned ones, given they're uncontrollable and usually go straight to ripping your throat."
Rowena looked perturbed. "That's awful."
"Did I hear vampire?" Pan asked, head appearing from the couch, and Mavis froze.
Uh oh. She'd forgotten to mention her discovery to Pan.
Rowena, being in front of her and completely unaware of Mavis's expression of dread, answered him. "Yeah, apparently some of our classmates are vampires."
The fox glared at Mavis. "And you didn't think to mention this to me?"
Mavis chuckled half-heartedly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I... forgot?"
"Do you remember our last encounter with a vampire?"
"Kincaid is a darling," Mavis defended.
"I don't mean that oversized teddy bear," Pan shot back. "I mean the deadly and slightly traumatic encounter with that coven near Salem."
It'd been an unfortunate accident, that day, but things turned out alright.
"I know what you're thinking, and getting fed on by a vampire was not nothing," Pan hissed, fur bristling.
Rowena turned to look at Mavis, eyes wide. "You were bitten?"
"Yes, I lost a bit of blood and had a slight fever for a few days, but I was okay," Mavis answered.
"You were lucky that the venom didn't affect you because of the curse, but it could've killed you."
"Venom?"
Mavis nodded and sat down on the couch. She reached for Pan but he huffed and went to the armchair opposite her, and Mavis rolled her eyes.
"Vampires turn a human when they bite them and don't completely drain their blood," Mavis explained. "Their fangs release a venom that causes the change, and after a few days the human becomes a newborn vampire."
"So, you're telling me that you almost got turned into a vampire?" Mavis nodded, and Rowena scoffed. "Pan's right, that's not nothing."
"I didn't turn! So nothing happened."
"We didn't know you wouldn't turn at that time, there are no records of what happens when a witch turns into a vampire, I was completely clueless, and you were barely conscious."
Mavis scooted toward her familiar, picking him up and ignoring his protests, placing him on her lap.
"It turned out alright," she said.
He didn't like her apologizing for that, since it hadn't been her fault she'd gotten bitten, so she didn't do that now. She could apologize for making light of it, but it was her way of coping.
"Why aren't there records of witches turning into vampires? Do we not survive the turning?"
"We usually don't, but mostly because when a witch is bitten, they get killed by other witches." At Rowena's horrified expression, Mavis elaborated. "It's considered unnatural."
"That's horrible!"
Mavis shrugged while petting Pan on the head. "It's mostly about fear of a vampire with witch powers, we don't even know if that's possible, but no one is willing to find out."
"It would be a deadly combination," Pan piped in.
"That doesn't make it better."
Mavis put an arm around Rowena's shoulders, pulling her into a side hug. "No, it doesn't."
So, I remembered this story exists due to some people putting it into their reading lists! ty for the vote of confidence for a story that's basically been in hiatus, mostly due to me losing interest in anything Cullen after falling into a Volturi hole.
But I had this and one more chapter pretty much finished, and this plot is pretty fleshed out in my head, enough that the fraction of people that showed interest made me want to write more if just to get to some interesting plot points.
hopefully his was an entertaining chapter, still no Jasper I'm afraid, but the cafeteria scene is one of the first ones I wrote, and one of my absolute favorites for this fic, so I hoped you all enjoyed it sz