Hey guys! Summer here. This chapter was probably my favorite to write so far. The last chapter was pretty short, so I tried to give you a longer chapter this time. But yeah, it was so fun to write. It had a lot of description in it - describing the Cullen's house, describing our beautiful Edward, and description is fun for me. And, we got to introduce Edward and Wendi, so, yay! Not too much dialogue or chemistry between them yet, but trust me, there is more to come. I hope you like this chapter!
I had to drive fast to follow Carlisle. We were going down a quiet back street, the tall trees around us seeming to curve in, hugging the road, pushing down on us, and fog curling around their branches. Carlisle didn't seem to get the 'quiet' part of that. His engine roared as he drove faster and faster as I followed. I watched as the speedometer on my car hit fifty, then sixty, then seventy. I tried to stay far behind him, keeping him just barely in sight should he turn around.
What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing?! I thought as I drove, but there was no turning back now. I had never tried driving the truck this fast, and I was sure it would break down any second. The trees were a solid green blur around me, but I gritted my teeth and pushed the pedal harder as the Mercedes began to disappear.
Without warning, Carlisle drifted, the back tires of his car kicking up a cloud of dust and spitting gravel out onto the road as he made a sharp turn onto a small, discreet gravel road that I wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't made the turn. I was so surprised that I sped by, but perhaps that was for the best. It would have been clear that I was following him if I had turned onto the road - or maybe driveway - after him.
I pulled off the road and stopped the car. I let out a long exhale and laid my head against my truck's cracked leather headrest, my heart pounding. I tried to steady my breathing, listening to the purr of the Mercedes's engine get farther and farther away.
It was when I could no longer hear Carlisle's car that I cautiously pushed open my door. The cold winter air rushed into the warm cab of my truck, and I pulled my damp flannel shirt tighter around myself. It had stopped raining. There was a fine mist in the air, just enough to stick to my skin and hair, the tiny droplets clinging to my eyelashes, giving them a glittery appearance.
Now that I was here, I was nervous. Nervous about what I would find down that dark, winding gravel road. Worried about what the Cullens were hiding. Nervous that they had heard me, that Carlisle had seen me trailing him and they knew I was coming.
Stop. I told myself. You are Wendi Madison, and you are strong. If I could do pull-ups until I couldn't breathe, if I could sprint miles in the pouring rain until it felt like I was going to pass out, if I could survive my life so far, then I could do this.
So, I began to walk down the path.
It was dark, and the road twisted so much that I could only ever see a few meters ahead. It was silent except for the patter of water hitting leaves whenever a bird or squirrel disturbed the thick canopy above my head.
The eerie silence began to get to me, and a knot of dread formed in my stomach, a knot that grew tighter with every step closer to wherever I was going.
Eventually, the forest cleared around me, revealing a huge grassy meadow. However, the shade didn't stop. Large cedar trees dotted the meadow, their branches providing a canopy of shade. The trees gave off a sharp, citrusy scent that perfumed the air. Gravel crunched under my feet as I approached the house sitting in the middle of it all - a grand rectangular manor painted a faded white color. It was perfectly proportioned, it seemed to fit perfectly in the landscape around it as if it had just grown up from the ground. It was graceful but solid, modern but somehow classical too.
It was the most beautiful fucking house I'd ever seen.
Now that I was here, I wasn't afraid anymore. I don't know how, or why, but I felt perfectly calm, a sheet of ice had settled over me - clear and cold. I had a goal. I was focused, for the first time in my life.
The door was made of oak, the wood soft and smooth as I knocked three times. For a moment, there was nothing. Nobody answered the door, and I was about to try the handle when the door swung open, and there was Edward Cullen, one hand in the pocket of his black leather jacket, the other holding the side of the door frame as he leaned against it. He was gorgeous, goddammit. His bronze hair was tousled and messy but perfect, his face was soft and youthful but somehow sharp and sexy.
He was the most beautiful fucking guy I'd ever seen.
The ice broke for just a second, a second where my goal slipped away from me and I was left awestruck. But then my mind froze over again, and I was focused once more.
"Wendi?" he asked, and his voice was like music. I narrowed my eyes.
"How do you know my name?" he looked confused, then exasperated for a second, then returned to his resting face, a slight frown.
"You need to leave," he told me. There was no surprise on his face, no 'how did you find us?!' Shit. It seemed like Carlisle had known that I was following him after all.
"I don't think I do," I fired back. "Your crazy brother almost killed my friend, and I deserve an explanation." He raised his eyebrows. I folded my arms, hoping I didn't look sulky. Edward sighed, and glanced inside. Behind him was a spacious sitting room, with huge glass windows and trendy furniture. The sky was cloudy, so it was still dim inside, but the windows, furniture, and color choice made it look open and light.
"Fine. You can come inside, and Car- I mean, my father, will explain everything." he held open the door, looking uncomfortable as I walked past him, into the sitting room. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the hand that was resting on the doorframe tense, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the wood.
I gave him a weird look, but he didn't make eye contact with me, almost as if he were refusing to acknowledge I existed.
Well, fuck you too. I thought bitterly. He walked over to one of the leather couches and gestured to it. The way he moved was devastatingly graceful, it made me feel as if I was stumbling each time I took a step.
"You can wait here," he said. I frowned but didn't say anything. "Try not to… touch anything," he added. The way he spoke sounded strained and careful, as if he were having trouble choosing the right words.
I scowled at his retreating back, then picked up one of the carvings from the large bowl on the coffee table in front of me - to prove to no one in particular that I could and I would touch things. The bowl was full of wooden carvings of fruit, beautiful and intricate, the paintwork was done so perfectly that it looked real. I had grabbed an apple, and I was examining it when Edward returned to the room, followed by Carlisle Cullen. I jumped at the sight of them, and the apple fell from my hands, hitting the pale maple floors with a loud clunk. The noise was amplified by the open space of the house. I winced in embarrassment as the apple rolled, stopping as it reached Edward's feet.
Edward looked at me, his beautiful, topaz-colored eyes boring into my green ones. I shrugged, trying to look unapologetic. In a swift, discreet maneuver, he kicked the wooden apple into the air and caught it in his cupped hands. The red of the apple stood out brilliantly against his pale skin for a picture-perfect moment, before he dropped it back into the bowl and took a seat on a couch opposite me, Carlisle sitting down next to him. Edward sat on the edge of his seat, a hard, unmoving statue, perfectly still. Carlisle sat in a far more natural position, leaning back in his seat with his hands resting on his knees.
"So," he said. "You probably have some questions."
Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked it. If you can, I would love it if you would leave a review, getting feedback is how I improve as an author! (Just wanted to give a quick shoutout to some people who have reviewed so far, thanks to jessmill0 and Ghostwriter71, among others! If you want a shoutout in the next chapter, please let me know in the reviews!) Chapter 5 is coming out soon, so stay tuned!
That's all for now,
- Summer