Thank you to everyone for following along! I am so grateful that you're all still here supporting this. I know these updates are slow going; but I have the story down- just have to revise and get it put out here! Reviews and constructive criticism help motivate me to carry through.
I don't own Twilight or it's affiliated content-only my OC's.
Chapter 8
We ran until we got to the house; not daring to look back. My thoughts were racing faster than my feet could carry us.
My cousin's obsession was a vampire. And apparently, she has angered another vampire, who is coming now for us both. I'm sure those wolves killed Laurent, but that doesn't buy us much time. At this point, it's clear that it's inevitable to avoid the supernatural. Especially when I am so deeply entangled in it. Perhaps I should have listened to Uncle Brian more. How has Uncle Charlie been oblivious to this? Bella's behavior made so much sense now; but she didn't have a mark that I know of. Is it possible that he never claimed her? I had so many questions.
There was a car I didn't recognize in the driveway. Bella raced ahead of me into the kitchen. "Dad! I saw them. In the woods- those aren't bears. They're giant wolves!"
"Hold on Bells; what were you two doing in the woods?"
I walked up to them now; answering with a sigh. "I thought it would help get our minds off of things Uncle Charlie. We were careful. It just startled us is all. I'm sorry; we're being rude… It's nice to see you again Mr. Clearwater." I smiled at Harry then; hoping to ease the tension I felt.
"Nice to see you again as well Lily. You're all Seth talks about these days. He's sad to not see his favorite tutor."
"Yeah. Well, if it's still alright that I am allowed over I don't mind tutoring him. Given Sam's behavior and subtle threats, I was under the impression I wasn't welcome- Leah reinforced these ideas, since she's still pining after him from afar." Uncle Charlie watched the exchange with interest and Bella grew more antsy.
"Wait- that Uley boy has been threatening you? And that's why you stopped? I know you cut back on tutoring; but I thought that you were working on other projects."
"That's true; I am. I still have Etsy, and I help some of the backflow with Uncle Brian's work. Sam doesn't particularly bother me. I figured that it wasn't worth mentioning and it was easier to focus on my other projects than deal with the drama. Besides, Seth is a smart kid."
Harry Clearwater sat there in stony silence for a moment before answering "Sam is no threat to you. I'll have a talk with him myself if need be." I nodded.
"Thank you. Call me next week and we can schedule something then. Bella and I have to go upstairs now though- she's helping me with a new idea for a website. We'll talk more later Uncle Charlie. Be safe out there!" I grabbed Bella's hand gently and we headed upstairs.
I closed my door and turned to her. "We both have a lot of questions, I am sure. But I want you to go first. You can ask anything, and I will respond honestly, provided the same courtesy is extended."
Bella turned almost angerly. "You know it will. But you knew about vampires. Somehow. How do you know about them? And you know something about the wolves too. A-and that rock that you dropped. It did something."
"Volume dear cousin. Best to not involve your dad in things we both would rather he not know about." I pointed out, sitting on the bed.
"Yes. I know about vampires. One of my best friends, back in New York was mate to one. He was very regal looking. Blonde hair, crimson eyes… He was old and very powerful. But my friend was human. He risked his life to be with his mate and it caused a blood bath. Another friend was lost, and no body was discovered. We are unsure what happened to him, even now. Another was drained. His mate disappeared when he was drained. A lot of my friends and I got involved with that due to what we dabbled with that we shouldn't have." I closed my eyes, pausing to gather my thoughts.
"As for the wolves, it's the old legend on the reservation. Men turn into wolves to protect their tribe from external threats; namely vampires. I had guessed that many phased because you apparently have attracted some very unwanted protection. It's an old story that can be found in the story books. As for your last question... It's a bit more complicated and requires a more thorough explanation that I don't have time for right now." Bella crossed her arms.
"You are not going to do that. I have a right to know about whatever it was that you did back there!"
"Says who? You aren't entitled to shit. I don't make you talk about your trauma so why the hell do you think you can hear all about mine?" My voice was harsher than I intended, and she recoiled slightly.
"I didn't say I was entitled and I didn't know it was that hard to talk about. But I thought we were friends, Lily. It hurt that you've kept so much from me."
"But being involved in the supernatural yourself, you know why I don't. I'll elaborate with a bit of a backstory though. I study alchemy, thanks to a lot of old books my mom had. This has led to witchcraft. Basic spellcasting, tarot, divination… and crystals. The charm I made that was activated back there was intended for protection. By dropping it, my hope was to create a barrier to protect us both until the wolves were able to finish Laurent off. And ensure that they did. I may not be able to do much, but I couldn't let that red head come after us any sooner. I still haven't found a way to keep her out entirely. I don't think that's even remotely possible. She really wants to come after you." Bella took in my explanation in silence. She ran her hands through her hair again.
"That is a lot to take in. I'm going to need a second. So magic exists." I nodded.
"And you can do things with it. I'll have to get used to that. Anyway, what are your questions?" I started with the obvious.
"So, Edward is a vampire, that somehow lived among humans? Did he and his family wear contacts or something? I would think red eyes would be difficult to conceal. And how did they feed? I thought Uncle Charlie said one of them worked for the hospital… I guess they could have gotten ahold of donated blood that way. And how did you get involved and how far did it go? I haven't seen a mark on you though. He didn't claim you, did he? Like by biting you or taking your blood?"
"Yes. I found out that Edward was a vampire. They didn't wear contacts and their eyes are gold. They feed off animals instead of people. Carlisle did work at the hospital- he's an excellent doctor. I don't know how to begin to tell you the story of how we met. I really hope you'll let me tell you about that some other time. He drank from me once, to get the venom out of the bite that James made. James was who Laurent was referring to. He bit me, and when he was destroyed, Edward sucked the venom out and tasted my blood in the process. So I'm not sure if he claimed me or not."
"I see. Why did he suddenly leave?" Her eyes glazed over and she replayed the events of the last night.
"It was my birthday. Alice threw a party. I got a papercut and Jasper lost control. In an effort to protect me, I was pushed aside by Edward and got really hurt. I guess he decided that he put my life in danger too many times. I can't believe that he didn't really want me anymore and that I meant nothing to him."
I nodded slowly. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry Bella. I don't get why he didn't turn you though. Obviously, you meant something to him."
"He didn't want to damn my soul apparently. I wanted him to. I begged him to. But in the end, he still left me and I'm still human. It's not fair. And it's not exactly that I want to be a vampire, but I want to be with him. An eternity with Edward…. It's my dream. I don't care about the details, so long as I am with him. I still believe in that."
"What about Jacob then?"
Bella looked over at me and replied "I like him too. Just not in the same way. You don't think he could've turned into a wolf, do you?"
"It would explain his behavior patterns. But I couldn't tell you for sure. I guess we could always go over there and have you confront him." I sighed heavily after that. It seemed that much like myself, Bella can't stay out of the supernatural world either. I guess we really are related after all…..
