Title: A Centennial Secret
Summary: An investigation in the rural woods of Northern Canada, reveals a century long secret.
Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable characters herein. No copyright infringement is intended.
A Centennial Secret
My family and I trekked deep into the Canadian boreal forest. We were far away from civilization. The black and white spruces were tall and thick, untouched by man. I was starting to feel like we were sent on a wild goose chase—and I wasn't the only one.
Rosalie came to a stop and placed her hands on her hips. "Carlisle, this is ridiculous. There's no one out here."
"Plenty of game." Emmett, her mate, licked his lips, and his golden eyes shone as he recalled the grizzly bear, he had drained an hour ago.
Carlisle gave Rosalie a patient look. "Just a bit further, Rose. I promised Aro we'd check things out for him."
Carlisle was the leader of our coven. Although, unlike other vampires, we saw each other as family and Carlisle as our father. He was approached by Aro, one of the leaders of the Volturi, to check out an anomaly. Since we didn't want them close to our territory, Carlisle agreed.
"Alice, can you see anything?" Carlisle asked.
Alice closed her eyes, using her talent to search into our future. I was able to see everything she saw with my mind reading. She was getting frustrated when she came up empty—literally.
"What's wrong?" Alice's mate, Jasper, placed his hand on her arm, reading her emotions.
"I don't know?" She opened her eyes, looking worried. "This has never happened to me before. All I can see is us running toward nothing."
"What do you mean nothing?" Emmett frowned.
"It's like a continuous loop." I was trying to make sense of it myself.
"Carlisle, I don't like this." Esme moved closer to his side.
As he tried to decide what we should do next, a woman's melodic voice filled the air, and it was accompanied with a heartbeat. The sound was entrancing, and I found myself drawn to it like a moth to a flame.
"Why would a human be all the way out here alone?" Jasper was leery.
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." I took off, running in the direction of the enchanting music.
"Edward, wait!" Alice cried.
She was concerned she couldn't see the outcome. I was curious myself why I couldn't read the woman's mind. However, it was only one human, and we were a coven of seven, so we had the upper hand.
My family followed behind me, not letting me go forward alone. After several yards, the woods thinned and opened to a clearing. A small cabin sat in the center, with a small billow of smoke coming out of the chimney. To the left of the structure was a small garden of herbs and vegetables. A pond shimmered in the eastern corner of the homestead.
The singing was louder now, and I caught the scent of lavender and lilac—it was intoxicating. I was drawn to this female like I had never been before. I was surprised my attraction to her had escaped Jasper's attention.
That's when I realized, I couldn't read his mind—I couldn't read any of them. I caught Jasper's eyes, he looked as unnerved as me. He raised an eyebrow and was trying to communicate with me.
"You can't read my mind, can you," he stated more than asked.
I shook my head. "Are you blocked too?"
He nodded and the rest of my family exchanged nervous glances before turning to Alice. She was standing at the edge of the clearing, looking lost and scared.
"I don't like this. I don't like this at all. We need to leave," Alice said anxiously. "Jasper…"
I glanced back at my brother, who moved further out of the woods to a pile of ash on the ground. He knelt beside it and pinched a bit in his fingers. He frowned and glanced at the house sharply, then moved in a protective crouch in front of Alice.
"That's vampire remains. I'm positive of it," he asserted.
"I agree with Alice." Carlisle frowned. "We need to get out of here."
"Oh, please, it's one little human versus the seven of us. Even if it were Buffy, we'd still come out on top," Emmett scoffed, taking a step forward.
His body jerked to a stop and he couldn't move. Rosalie tried to go to him but found she was frozen too. Emmett growled as he fought with little success. It was then I realized we were all stuck in an apparent spider's web.
"I would say welcome to my home. But that would be a lie."
A beautiful woman appeared in the middle of the field. She was petite with a heart-shaped face and long wavy mahogany hair that danced in the wind. She was wearing an ankle length flowy skirt with a peasant style blouse. She raised off the ground and hovered in the air. Her eyes started to glow a vibrant purple. Whoever she was, she was powerful. Yet, I didn't fear her like my family. She was an enchantress, who was breathtakingly beautiful yet familiar to me. Every fiber of my being wanted to go to her and wrap her in an intimate embrace.
She was mine.
"I don't know how you are doing this but let us go. Or—" Rosalie hissed.
My anger flared at my self-absorbed sister. I didn't have to read her mind to know she was jealous.
"Or what?" The woman's eyes narrowed. "You came to my home and have the audacity to threaten me? How dare you!"
When her gaze locked with mine, silver cords materialized and wrapped around us, and I felt a stronger pull toward her. The beauty's expression changed from anger to anguish. She landed on her feet and rushed to me. Her now brown eyes filled with tears as she hugged me tightly. My arms were still stuck to my side, but I desperately wanted to hold her in my arms.
"It is you. How?" She reached out to touch my face. "How are you alive? He told me—"
The enchantress stepped back, and her head snapped to Carlisle. Her expression became murderous, and her eyes flashed back to purple. He was lifted off the ground and was flung through the air. He fell in a lump at her feet.
"You lied to me. You stole my mate!" she screamed, so loud birds flew out of the trees.
"Isabella, I can—" Carlisle stopped short and cried out in pain. He withered on the ground. I watched in shock and confusion.
"Please," Esme begged.
Isabella glanced at Esme for a moment, then her face softened. She halted her torture on Carlisle and allowed him to stand of his own accord.
"Then explain," Isabella stated. "Explain to me, why did you keep him for yourself? Why doesn't he know me?"
I found myself free from whatever spell that had held me. I also could read minds again. I glanced at my siblings to find they weren't as lucky.
In Carlisle's mind, he pictured her by my bedside at the hospital. She was mopping my brow with a cloth and singing softly to me. The same song that called to me through the woods.
"Carlisle?" I stared at him, perplexed.
He silently apologized to me before facing her. "I'm sorry, Isabella. Truly, I am," he said sincerely. "I believed that you were mortal. It was my first time changing anyone, and I was unfamiliar with how to deal with a newborn vampire. I thought Edward would kill you. I was trying to protect you both. When he woke, he didn't have any memory of you, so I thought what I was doing was right. You were young and healthy. I couldn't reason changing you too. Please, let my family go. Punish me if you wish."
Isabella stared at him, then turned to Esme. For a worried moment, I thought she would hurt her. I could see the anguish in Carlisle's eyes too.
"I won't kill you. I won't do that to your mate. I would never wish the pain I felt for the last century on anyone else," Isabella said softly.
Isabella turned to me and grabbed my hands. "I wish you could remember me. Perhaps—" Her eyes glowed lightly and suddenly it was as if dawn was breaking.
I remembered walking Isabella through the park. She held my arm with one hand while licking an ice cream. We were laughing and enjoying a summer's day. I tried to steal a kiss, and she mischievously shoved ice cream in my nose. Then there was another memory in the same park when I got down on one knee on a bridge.
"I used to call you Mía Bella," I recalled.
A breathtaking smile spread across her lips, and she threw her arms around my neck. "You remember. Oh, how I've missed you." She buried her face in my neck, and I felt her warm tears against my skin.
"What have you done to him? Edward, obviously she's lying. You can't—" Rosalie's mouth continued to move but no sound came out.
"She isn't lying, Rosalie. I feel the connection between us. My connection to her is stronger than anything I've felt before," I told her as I held Bella protectively.
"What are you?" Jasper demanded.
Isabella stepped back from my embrace and tilted her head. "I would think it was rather obvious. But then you vampires have always been self-centered, thinking you're the most powerful beings to walk the earth—yet you are wrong. I'm a witch."
"Bella, if you're a witch, why didn't you heal me yourself?" I asked her, glancing over my shoulder at her.
Tears shimmered in her eyes. "Because, I hadn't reached my eighteenth year and hadn't come into my full power. If I had, I could've saved you."
"I want my ability back, and I know you have something to do with it," Jasper demanded, getting frustrated.
"I'm not about to release any of the rest of you at the moment. As the large one said, six against one isn't a fair fight. And three out of the five of you are plotting my demise."
I glared at the three I knew she was talking about. Since I could read their minds again, I could see they were calculating. The most cunning and unwilling to bend was Jasper. He didn't like that he was powerless and couldn't protect Alice. I gave him a warning growl. I'd protect Isabella from them even though it would pain me to do it. I knew in my own heart what she was saying was true. She was my mate.
"Edward, you'd fight your own family?" Emmett seemed confused. His plans were already faltering, as he hadn't counted on me being on the opposing side.
Bella eyed him. "Edward wouldn't ever hurt me. Our mating connection would never allow it. I will release the binds on everyone once you're ready to leave. I won't let you use your abilities against me, like the last ones tried."
Carlisle furrowed his eyebrows. "There have been others?"
"Yes, Aro has sent others trying to capture me and bring me to him. They want to turn me and have me serve them since my powers would make me a powerful vampire. I've tried to live in peace for over a century, living by myself to mourn my mate. I only destroyed them to protect myself. The vampire you discovered used to be a vampire named Alec. Over closer to the house was a vampire named Demetri. The large one is standing in someone named Jane."
Emmett looked down at his feet with a look of uneasiness. "Uh…"
Bella smirked and lifted him in the air, then set him back down next to Rosalie. Emmet gave her a small look of thanks. Bella paused for a moment, then released most of the others. Jasper and Rosalie remained petrified.
"Perhaps, if you two stopped plotting ways to harm or kill her, she'd let you go too," I growled.
Rosalie tried to speak but still found herself speechless. Jasper was unwilling to bend either, until Alice came to his side and touched his arm.
"Jasper, stop. She's Edward's mate, hurting her would hurt him. Besides, if she wanted us dead, we would be ash by now. She has the right to protect herself. I trust her," Alice reasoned with him.
"Can you see the future?" he asked cautiously.
"Yes, and right now I can't see you in it," Alice said nervously. "Don't push her."
Jasper sighed and finally gave in. Alice sighed in relief and hugged him. Bella released him from his binds moments later. Rosalie fumed in her spot as Bella refused to lift her binds or allow her to speak.
Bella turned to Carlisle. "I'm tired of Aro sending his minions to capture me. Go back and tell him to leave me alone."
With a blink of an eye, my family was gone.
"I sent them back to a place you call Forks," she answered my unasked question.
"You can read minds too?" I questioned.
"I can borrow other vampires' abilities and use them as my own." She shrugged then stepped to me. "I thought I was dreaming when I saw you appear in the woods. To think there are so many years lost between us."
"I'm sorry. If I had known, I would've come to you so much sooner. I always felt as if something were broken or missing when I couldn't connect with another vampire like my family has. Now I know why." I cupped her cheek.
Bella tilted her head up to me, and I kissed her gently. I could feel the beat of her heart as it started to race. Her aroma filled my senses, driving me wild. My desire increased like a small flame turning into a raging fire.
Suddenly, I realized we had moved and were inside the cabin in her bed. She smiled up at me impishly and her hair seemed to come alive, wrapping around our bare skin. My hands roamed from her hips to her breasts. Staring into her loving eyes, I knew I could trust myself not to lose control and hurt her.
Bella's body started to hum and grew warm underneath me. My need to claim her was insatiable. As her hips raised, I slowly slipped myself inside of her. She hitched her leg over my hip and clung to my shoulders as our pace grew rapidly. Her skin glowed as she reached her peak, and on impulse, I bit into her neck.
Startled, I pulled back in shock, ashamed I had bitten her. The mark shimmered and disappeared before my eyes. I glanced at her and she touched my cheek soothingly.
"I told you, it's impossible for you to hurt me," she said sweetly.
"That doesn't make me feel any less guilty," I told her, rolling to my side.
She cuddled into me and stroked my chest. "It is your nature to claim your mate, isn't it?"
"Well…yes," I admitted, trying not to think about the intimate image of my family I had no choice in witnessing.
"Then there's no reason to feel guilty," she reasoned.
I looked around the room. Her cabin was small and quaint with only one room. Her bed was in one corner with a kitchen in another. A tiny couch sat in front of a fireplace.
"Welcome home, Edward." She kissed my cheek. "It may be small, but it has everything I need. If you want something, like a piano, I can easily conjure one."
"Home," I repeated.
"Yes. Think about it we can swim whenever we want and run through the woods without a care. You'll never go hungry with all the animals that roam around here. We can make love all day and night without tiring." Excitement filled her eyes.
Mixed emotions swirled inside of me. The thought of staying here with her was more than a pleasant thought. I could see us living together in a happy and peaceful existence. But then there was my family, and I felt guilty about leaving them.
Her smile fell, and she looked hurt as she sat up and pulled the sheets to her chest. "You want to go back."
"You could come with me?" I suggested.
"To live with the people who were just about to kill me without a second thought, even though I'm your mate." She started to get angry.
"They'll come around when they get to know you. They've never dealt with a witch before." I tried to reason.
"Until then, I'd always have to keep my guard up. Do you have any idea how much of a drain that will be on my powers, leaving me eventually weak?" she argued.
"No, I don't, but I'll protect you. Most of them are on your side already." I told her, reaching out for her hand.
"Except the most dangerous one of them. I saw his scars and into his mind," she huffed.
"I know, but you have Alice. Jasper won't do anything if she tells him not to," I promised.
"There's also the humans." She wrinkled her nose in disgust. "How can you live among those who hunted us and killed our kind."
"Humans can't kill vampires—" I paused. "But they can hurt witches, can't they? I thought you were immortal."
She nodded, tears brimming in her eyes. "They killed my mother. We are immortal, but our powers don't make us indestructible. My mother healed those who got sick with the flu during the pandemic. A priest said she had to be a witch or demon and her healing was the devil's work. She couldn't save herself without exposing us, so she sacrificed herself for me. She knew we were to be mated when I came into my full powers. Maybe she even knew more than she told me—she could see the future too. The last thing she told me was to go to Dr. Cullen when you got sick and beg him to help you. It wasn't long after she passed that you did. Then…well I guess you know everything after."
"It was you who asked Carlisle to change me?" I felt a flare of anger toward him.
"Are you angry with me for it?" She looked unsure.
I shook my head and pecked her lips. "Not at you. I wish he hadn't hidden it from me."
She grabbed my hand and held it between hers. "Stay. Were free to be who we are here. No hiding ourselves. In the human world, you must hide yourself in the shadows. Here you could walk around naked in the sun." She blushed after her statement.
I chuckled. "Very tempting."
She smiled weakly. "You still want to go."
"I have to; they need me," I told her.
"I need you. I spent a century mourning you. It's my time. They have Alice to warn them of the humans," she begged.
"I, at least, need to go say good-bye. Or they'll just come back looking for me," I told her.
"And you'll come back, you promise?" She looked skeptical.
"As quick as I can run," I swore.
She kissed me, then winked. I appeared in the living room in Forks, thankfully fully dressed. My family rushed into the room upon my arrival. As I figured, a few of them had been plotting to go back for me.
"Edward, you're home." Esme hugged me, then looked around. "Where is Isabella?"
"She's still at the cabin," I told her.
"Why didn't she come with you?" Esme was confused.
"She wasn't comfortable here," I explained.
"I assume you're returning to her," Carlisle said solemnly.
"Of course, she's my mate. We've been apart far too long," I stated. "Bella told me she was the one to ask you to change me. If you knew her mom was a witch, then why didn't you realize Bella was one."
Carlisle hesitated. "I knew there had been a witch in Chicago, trying to help. However, I didn't realize she was Bella's mother."
I knew he was speaking the truth to me. But what I didn't like was Rosalie's thoughts. I growled at her. Emmett looked uncomfortably between us.
"Stop plotting ways to kill her. I won't let you touch her," I hissed.
"Edward, can't you see she has you under a spell? She turned you against your family. If I killed her, you'd be free," she snapped.
"You. Will. Not. Touch. Her," I stated slowly.
"Calm down, Rose. What's the harm even if it's a spell? At least Edward's finally getting some," Emmett said.
I glared at him and he shrugged.
"I don't like it," Jasper said.
"You don't like it, only because Bella is powerful," I scoffed.
"Edward, I don't understand something. If Bella's mom was a witch helping the sick, why didn't she help you?" Esme questioned.
"Her mother died before I got sick. A priest tried to expose her, instead of fighting back, she allowed herself to die to protect Bella," I explained.
"I recall that. I always wondered why she didn't save herself," Carlisle confirmed. "So, you've come to say good-bye."
"Yes. Bella has a strong hatred of the human world, plus she doesn't trust Jasper and Rose."
Alice shot Jasper an annoyed look before stepping forward. "You can't leave right away. If you have a continued absence the school is going to call CPS on Carlisle and Esme." She gave me an apologetic look.
"I promised Bella I would be back." My chest hurt with the idea of being separated from her.
"I'm sorry, I am. Maybe give it a few days and it will change. I'm on your side, even though I'd miss you." Alice frowned.
I sat at the cafeteria table and slowly picked apart the bread from my sandwich. I tuned out the children's thoughts, their immaturity bothering me more than in the past. I was tired of the fake façade we portrayed every day.
Most of all, I was longing for Isabella. I felt as if I was missing a vital part of me. I had made the wrong choice; I should have stayed at the cabin. I'd been so used to being the first line of defense for the family, but in reality, they would've been fine without me.
I knew Jasper had been keeping a close eye on me. He had been convinced I was under Bella's spell. However, now he wasn't so convinced.
"Edward, you should go to her. You'll never be happy if you don't," Alice said.
"What happened to someone calling CPS on Carlisle and Esme?" I demanded.
She shrugged. "I don't know. I can still see it, but maybe we can come up with a good excuse. Like you got an early acceptance to college."
"I can't believe you'd leave your family for a stranger," Rosalie hissed.
"For his mate, Rose. Look at him, he's miserable," Alice defended me. "And now would also be a good time to go. Chief Swan's daughter started school here today. Everyone will be paying attention to her and won't notice Edward leaving."
"Chief Swan has a daughter?" I asked. I had only met the man once, but I didn't pick her up in his thoughts.
"It's all the school has been talking about today. You haven't noticed?" Alice asked as the others frowned at me for dropping the ball.
"I guess I've been preoccupied," I admitted.
"Here she is now," Alice announced, then her mind suddenly went blank to me.
I glanced at her worriedly and realized it wasn't just her mind but everyone's. I snapped my gaze to the double doors as Jessica Stanley walked in with the new girl—Mía Bella. Our eyes met, and she smiled shyly. I tried to get up and found myself stuck in my seat.
"For someone who's not a threat, why is she pinning us down again?" Rosalie complained.
"Maybe it has something to do with us being the threats and two of you were ready to kill her last time," I growled under my breath.
Bella walked away from Jessica, who was still talking to her, and came to our table. She glanced around the room, then sat on my lap. She gave me a large smile and hugged me.
"Hi," she said.
"Hello, love. I would greet you, but it seems I can't?" I raised an eyebrow.
She blushed, then let go of her spell. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little nervous."
I ran my fingers through her hair, then cupped her cheek before kissing her. She bounced on my lap as she moved closer. I felt our bond yearn for more, but I knew I had to fight the urge since we were in public. Meanwhile, Rosalie was yelling at me about how it looked for me to be making out with the new girl within seconds of meeting her.
Bella must have been listening because she pulled back and frowned in Rose's direction. I gently turned her face so I could see into her eyes. The outer rim of her iris had a faint glow of purple.
"I'm glad you came," I told her.
"I missed you, and I think we've been apart too long already,'' she said.
I knew it took so much for her to be here with her distrust of the human world. And there were a lot of unanswered variables still. However, I wasn't going to let anything get in the way of us being together. We'd already lost a century and I refused to be apart for another day more.