Chapter 10 - Explanations

There was no point in beating around the bush, so Edward got straight to the point. "Charlotte needs to leave. Now. I don't know what you were thinking bringing her here, but—"

"Oh, you didn't know what I was thinking?" Adrian sniffed, looking amused but just barely.

Edward narrowed his eyes. "I meant that I didn't get the logic behind it, because you know it's a bad idea."

"Why? Because of my lack of control, or is it one of you I should be worried about?" Adrian asked.

"On the contrary, it's her to have to worry about," Edward said. "I already clued you in that she's more perceptive than you think, and you getting closer to her, whether she can see you or not, is going to risk our secrecy sooner or later."

"Edward, look—"

"It might not be Charlotte directly who does anything, but who knows what she just might let slip, by chance. It might not seen important to her, but it'll give people a chance at a second look, a real look at us. As it is, it was hard coming back here after just ten years; usually we'd wait longer, but it wasn't fair to Bella or to me to keep us away from our daughter, from her family. It took a lot on our part, and besides which we didn't know what to expect from you as a newborn. We already risked a lot and it paid off, gave us back our home and roots to tie us down for a while; I won't allow anything to jeopardize that, Adrian."

"Because it makes you all feel more human," Adrian completed unnecessarily. "Yeah, I get that. Your roots are all here and you're hanging onto them. But what about me and what makes me feel human, Edward? I need that as much as any of you. Even now, there are so many things I don't understand about this life, how to live this way." He sighed, then gave a light cough.

"And speaking of which, mind explaining to me what the hell smells so rank around here and why Charlotte didn't notice it? I get that our sense of smell is better, but this is worse than roadkill and skunk put together!"

"It's a stink pretty specific to us, man," Emmett said. "It's what we call 'wolf smell', if you get my drift."

"You'd recognize them as werewolves, to be exact," Edward added.

They both may've been saying casually enough, but in Adrian this bit of information provoked a stunned expression. And then, vampire instincts aside, he reacted the way Adrian would. "Woah, seriously? So like, werewolves are real too?! Damn, this is awesome!" But then he sniffed again and dialed it down just a bit. "Er...I don't guess that this just happens to be a very stinky werewolf that you have over now, right?"

"Unfortunately, no. They all smell like this," Edward replied.

"Some even worse," Emmett laughed.

"Helpful," Edward chided, casting the muscular vampire a glare, to which Emmett only shrugged.

Adrian shuddered, but then pulled himself together. "S'okay, as long as they're cool. So, are they like half-man half-wolf, like a hybrid, or just really giant wolves that morph into humans or vice-versa?"

"The second option, bro," Emmett said. "Big ass wolves, bigger than horses."

"Sick! And do we like get to ride on them or something? Cause, not gonna lie, that'd be awesome! I'd be so down for that! But...um..." And then, calming down, Adrian added, "While it's cool that you have a werewolf over and all, I still need to take care of Charlotte first, since I promised her we'd study and all. Oh wait, is she in any danger since the werewolf's upstairs in the house?"

"Naw, he's harmless, to her anyway," Emmett said, just as Edward was finding out a couple of different things all at once.

Because above, while Charlotte wasn't exactly in danger from Seth, something had happened that provided some very real further complications...

Charlotte's P.O.V.

"Charlotte, this is Seth Clearwater, a friend of the family," Bella introduced. "Seth, this is Charlotte Blyth, a friend of Adrian's from school."

"It's nice to meet you," I say, holding out my hand for politeness.

"Um...hi." As soon as he shakes my hand, I'm almost a bit shocked by the feel of it. A normal hand, obviously, but I was expecting something cold like the Cullens'; on the contrary, his is raging hot, like he has a fever. "It's...yeah, I'm really happy to meet you too."

He definitely sounds it, and at the tone in his voice, I can't help but smile back—because I'm almost certain he's smiling. Out of all the new people I've met since coming to Forks, I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that only Adrian's really liked me, at least from the start;so, now it's kind of disorienting to me to meet another person who seems to like me right away, and consequently I find myself just trusting and wondering. I've always gone along with my gut instincts on certain things instead of sight, and something's telling me that Seth really is happy to see me, extremely so. It's a strange thought to have since there's no way I can know that, but it feels true.

He's happy. I don't know why, but he is. God, Charlotte, calm down! You're probably grinning like an idiot and making a bad impression here!

So I step back once he lets go of my hand, kind of unsure what to say next.

"Are you staying for breakfast?" Seth asks. "Sorry that it's steak, but the Cullens know I love my meat."

"No, I'm fine with barbecue," I say, and then feel Seth's hand on my arm. Bella was just beside me a second ago, so I don't know where she's gone, but I don't particularly mind.

"If you want, you can sit by me. I'm already two portions in, but I could go for a third."

"Woah, two portions?!" He must be joking.

"Charlotte, do you take your meat rare, medium, or well-done?"

"Well done," I call back to Esme. "If you don't mind, that is. Anything less than crisp is hard for me to chew."

Seth laughs. "Opposite of me, I like my meat rare and juicy."

The door opens behind us just as we sit down at the bar on high chairs. Seth's just about to say something, but then addresses whoever's approaching us, their footsteps light but...more like strides than ordinary steps, I'd say.

"Hey Edward! I—"

"Mind joining me outside for a moment, Seth? Give Charlotte time to finish her breakfast before you jump on her." Then, addressing me, "You'll find that Seth's quite a chatterbox once he gets started, and I'm sure you'll have lots to talk about. Let her swallow a few bites first, okay Seth?" Again, light enough in tone, but there's seriousness behind that; I'm starting to think that Edward doesn't talk in any other way. Why does he always sound like he's planning to do something, and why do I get the feeling that that something is to boss someone else around?

Okay, maybe "boss" is too strong a word, but everyone does seem to listen to him quite a bit...

"Uh, sure thing, Edward. I'll be back in a bit, Charlotte. And, like Ed said, look forward to chatting with you." One quick squeeze to my arm, and then he walks out with Edward.

"Same to you!" I call. And I don't want to be rude, so I only hope there's enough time for a short talk before Adrian comes in and takes me up to study—if we're still doing that, of course, since I have no idea what he talked over with Edward outside. Speaking of which, where is Adrian and how come he hasn't come in?

As it just so happened, Adrian was right outside, waiting in the middle of the clearing that could be considered the Cullens' "front yard". Emmett was right beside him, within grabbing distance. He watched with narrowed eyes as Edward approached with Seth in tow.

"Adrian, meet one of our local werewolves, Seth Clearwater. Seth, Adrian."

"Wait, one of?" Adrian asked, crinkling up his nose and stepping back as Seth stepped forward. That was the werewolf's cue to stop approaching, and he stood relaxed, hands in his pockets and fully non-aggressive. Adrian was confused, as his first instinct, from that purely vampire part of him that he'd once had trouble controlling, was telling him to pounce on Seth while he had the chance and go straight for the jugular.

But then, the rational part of him that made him him questioned why he should feel that way, especially since werewolves were cool as heck and it was awesome being able to meet one.

"Edward, want to clue me in?" he asked, for once glad that he didn't have to explain everything he was thinking to Edward.

Edward took a deep breath. "Adrian, werewolves and vampires are technically natural enemies. You already know that we're more or less indestructible and nothing can destroy us. Nothing except each other, and..." He gestured to Seth.

Adrian's eyes widened. "Wait. No."

Emmett nodded, clamping a hand down on Adrian's shoulder. It was meant to be friendly enough, but also felt restraining. Adrian growled in his throat, but still Emmett didn't let go. "They're specifically made to kill us, bro. Might wanna hear him out before you freak out though."

At this, Seth finally spoke up. "Yeah, actually, that's about right. See, our main purpose is to protect humans and therefore kill vampires, but with the Cullens at least, it's not like that for the La Push pack."

"Pack? There's a whole pack of you?" Again, Adrian felt the need to growl.

"Yes, and not a single one of them are our enemies. We got past that long ago," Edward said.

"Well, my sister might still want a shot at one of you," Seth said with a laugh, "but otherwise..."

"Yes, we can trust them and they're not plotting to murder us all," Edward said, in response to a passing thought in Adrian's mind. "Remember what I told you about the Volturi and what almost happened to us ten years back, how they nearly killed our family?" Well, he hadn't mentioned anything about Renesmee of course, but Adrian had gotten the drift of the story.

Adrian nodded once.

"It was the werewolves who stood with us at that time, as well as our other allies from around the world. We have a treaty with them from many years back that as long as we don't hunt humans and stay off La Push land, which incidentally is a border that we've never crossed, then they'll leave us alone to hunt animals and won't expose us."

"True. Wolf's honor," Seth said, holding up a hand like a good boy scout.

Adrian took a few moments to process all of that information, and it was only when he relaxed the tension in his shoulders and took on a relaxed stance that Emmett let go of him. "So then, even though we're enemies by nature and all, this werewolf pack are allies to us?" Adrian confirmed.

"Yes," Seth said.

"So does that mean we get to ride you guys?"

Edward groaned, but fortunately it was Seth whom they were talking to: Seth, who had a sense of humor and wouldn't shift and attack Adrian just for saying that. It was one of the biggest reasons that he was a perfect go-between.

Grinning, Seth flexed his shoulders. "Never been asked that before, but it would look pretty badass to anyone we'd be attacking. Mostly though, werewolves and vampires hunt and live pretty separately though, so I'm going to have to say 'no' to your question. Also, you might not want to mention that to other werewolves once you meet them."

Adrian nodded, thumping his chest. "Pack pride, yeah, I get it."

Edward studied Adrian for a second, no doubt to gauge how his reaction really was, but then nodded, seeming satisfied. "Right. Well, that's part of the story for now, but I'll let you get back in to Charlotte," he said. He was addressing Seth, as he sensed that the werewolf's thoughts were very much occupied there, but Adrian assumed it was meant for him.

"Oh, right! Yeah, we're supposed to be studying and we're on a deadline! Shoot!" He stepped forward and was just about to dash into the house, when, to his surprise, Seth blocked his path. "What the—?"

"Seth," Edward cautioned.

"Edward, I can't," Seth pleaded with him.

"Can't what? Move!" Adrian tried stepping past him, but again Seth blocked him, prompting Emmett to run forward and restrain Adrian as instinct took over for a split second and he attempted a swing at Seth. It was a close thing, but fortunately Adrian's fist didn't make contact with anything. He had been pushed too far though, and his face was now a mask of rage. "What the hell?!"

"Seth, you should go," Edward said.

The sound Seth made was almost like a whine. "You know I can't," he insisted.

"Just for an hour, to clear your head. Go!"

With one last look at the house and then at Adrian, that was just what Seth did. Running towards the nearby forest, he shifted once in the cover of the trees and then just kept on running.

Under normal circumstances, if he were calm, Adrian might have thought that was cool. As it was, he was still too confused and pissed off to feel anything other than the urge to rip into something. "Edward!" he snarled.

"Let him go, he'll aim for me," Edward said to Emmett.

"Your funeral man, but it'll make noise," Emmett cautioned.

Once he was let go, Adrian did rush at Edward, but missed him as the super-quick vampire dodged out of the way. For a split second, Adrian almost considered blinding him to prevent his dodging a second time, but just that word blind and its connection to Charlotte abruptly calmed him down.

Charlotte. She was just inside and if he acted this way while she was still close by...

Abruptly, Adrian took away his own sense of smell just so that he wouldn't be tempted, lest his reason really fail him.

"Good," Edward said, coming closer once he read it was safe. "You're doing good."

"There's a few things I'm missing here, aren't there?" Adrian asked, speaking through clenched teeth.

"A few, yeah, though I guess I'm missing some of them too," Emmett said, looking to Edward for input.

Looking tired, what Edward said next only made sense to one of them, "Seth imprinted on Charlotte."

A/N: For those of you that've read See the Truth, this wasn't really a shocker, but even if you haven't read it, I did want to build up anticipation to this moment throughout this chapter. I think that it's pretty obvious though, yes? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed how it all played out, and, as always, there's more to come!

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