A/N: As promised, here's the next chapter. Words can't explain how much I appreciate you guys for being patient, but hopefully the fact that I push on to write says it all! Much love :)

Chapter 17

Suppressed

"So this is where you've been hiding." Carlisle said, finding me seated on the roof.

I smiled at him. "Not so much a secret hiding spot anymore, huh?"

He shrugged. "There's never a place where you can keep away from me." He chuckled. "I got too wrapped up with work. How was the Clearwaters' yesterday?"

"I told mom about it." I said.

"Well, I want to hear it from you." He said, sitting next to me.

"It was fun. They told me a lot about Seth's childhood and I got to see his room." I said, looking back at the sky.

"You did, huh? Find anything interesting? Like, you're not secretly dating an axe murderer now, are you?" He joked.

I laughed. "No, nothing like that. Interesting, yes, but nothing like that." I said. "And who said anything about dating?"

"Well, that's what you two are, right?" Carlisle looked at me confusedly.

I shrugged. I really wasn't all too sure. It's not like we'd been on a date, or never has he asked me to be his... well... girlfriend.

"Then are you two just friends?" He asked.

"Dad, I really don't know." I sighed. "What do you think I should do?"

He sighed, and thought about it. "If you really want my advice, I'd say to take it slowly. I think just being friends is the right thing — for now, at least. Seth is still very young, and you two have all the time in the world to figure things out." He said.

I considered this. "That's true. Even if I die in a couple of decades at least I have time with him."

Carlisle narrowed his eyes at me. "You're not going to die, Callie. Get those morbid thoughts out of your head."

I took a gulp of my saliva.

"You know if worse comes to worst, we won't let that happen." He said, placing an arm around me in consolation.

I nodded, then took a deep breath.

"Aren't you feeling cold up here?" He asked, rubbing his palm against my arm.

"A little. But it's nice out." I said.

"I'll just go get you some cocoa and a blanket. You can tell me all about what happened yesterday." He said, and disappeared from my side.

"Bree Tanner, I am very honored to partake on this exceptional night of hunting with you." I said gladly, tying my shoelaces up and jumping in place.

"We're here, too." Emmett said, back from his surprisingly very short vacation with Rosalie.

"Yes, but this is Bree's first hunt where I am included." I said, standing up straight. "So it's going to be her most special one." I said exaggeratedly, successfully making Bree giggle.

"It's been a while since you last went hunting, Cals. You sure you're up for it?" He teased, stretching his quads.

"Only a few months." I said snidely. "Is that a threat?"

"I bet I can get a bigger haul than you, is all I'm implying." He said, bouncing on the balls of his feet to psyche himself up.

I gave him a challenging look, pointing at him with my other hand on my hip. "You know what?" I asked, walking towards him slowly as if threatening him myself, but then dropped my pointing hand. "I don't really care."

Jasper, Alice, Esme, Carlisle, and Rosalie chuckled.

"Whatever you say, Callidora." He taunted and sped off.

"Emmett Leslie McCarty Cullen!" I sped off after him.

I ran through the forest searching for any sign of him, but he was just too fast. They were all too fast, in fact, such that they easily overtook me even if I was exerting all my effort.

"Sibling rivalry?" Bree chuckled by my side.

I laughed and nodded, dodging a branch. "He hates it when anyone calls him by his full name."

"Leslie?" She asked.

"He's Scottish-Irish." I shrugged, smiling as we split up. I heard a gazelle a few kilometers to my side and chased after it.

Hiding behind a large tree, I studied my prey. It was suspicious, knowing there was something out here with it. And just as I was about to pounce,

"I never wanna be the one to say how could I let you slip away-" My phone buzzed.

"Shit!" I cursed, fumbling for the 'Cancel' button without checking the caller ID.

The gazelle was alarmed, but right before it ran away, I pounced, taking it down. I emptied it of its blood, slowly feeling full, and took out my phone.

It was Seth, and I decided to dial back. He picked up after a ring.

"Callie?" He asked.

"Yeah, hey. Sorry I cancelled your call. I'm out hunting." I said into the receiver.

"Oh... Oh, it's fine. I was just wondering if we could hang out tomorrow?" He asked casually.

I thought, remembering what Carlisle told me. Just friends first. "...Tomorrow, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, I just remembered! I actually have a thing tomorrow with my friends down at the beach." It was true, anyway.

"Oh, that's great! I'll see you then! We're actually going to be there, too. La Push, right? We're having this thing with our imprints and everything." He said happily.

I panicked. OK, what now...? "Oh, but Seth, I'm going to be staying with them."

"It's no problem, I'm sure they can always join us, too." He said happily.

I sighed. "I'll think about it. Bye."

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked before I hung up.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." I said hastily. "I have to go."

"See you."

"Yeah." I said, ending the call.

"Looks like you took this one down in a hurry." Emmett appeared on a mound, snickering at me. "Please remember to put your phone on silent, you almost scared my lion away."

"Oh, please, the lions hardly come out at this time." I argued.

"It's a warm night." He shrugged, and sped off.

I let out a frustrated sigh and went home.

Honk honk. The horn of Sam's car sounded as he pulled into our driveway.

I looked at myself in the mirror one last time. Dressed in a loose white knitted top, denim cut-off shorts, a sun hat, Sunnies, a one-piece swimsuit and pink flip flops, I was ready to go. I grabbed my beach bag off my bed and headed downstairs.

"Have a good time, love." Esme said from the living room.

"Bye, everyone." I waved to whoever, and walked out the door.

"Callie!" Yasmine was standing with her bags at her side. "You look great."

I smiled. "Thanks, lovely." I said.

"Hey Callie," Sammy exited his car. "Do you mind taking some of the load for your car?"

I shook my head. "Not at all." We got the cooler from Sam's old Lancer and hauled it to my car in the garage.

Yasmine also dumped her beach bag in the back seat, as well as some of Sage's stuff.

"Wait, I forgot my surfboard." I said, walking to the garage closet.

"Do you have a wetsuit?" Sam called out.

"I actually lost it, but if you think about it, you don't actually need one." I said, pulling the large board from the closet and putting it in the back. "Good thing this is a convertible."

"But, Callie, it's like really cold in the water." Sage said.

"That's why I brought a rash guard." I said. "Besides, it's summer. It shouldn't be as cold as usual."

Sam shrugged. "That's true, but it's still Forks we're talking about."

Yeah, but honey, I'm like, half vampire, so it's good. "I'll be fine. If it's too cold, then I won't go. Simple as that." I said, getting in the driver's seat.

"I'm riding with Callie." Sage announced, getting in the passenger seat.

We drove as Sam and Yasmine walked back to the other car and led the way to La Push.

"Aaron's already there with his folks. They're setting up a barbecue." Sage announced, halfway through the trip. "He says there's also another group of people. Locals."

I gulped in response. "Interesting. Are we having burgers?"

"I'll ask." She said, texting Aaron. "Hey, Callie?"

"Yeah?" I asked, holding my hat to my head to keep it from flying off.

"Can you please be honest with me?" She asked.

I glimpsed at her suspiciously. "With what, babe?"

"With that." She said, pointing at the wooden charm once more. "Why is it a wolf?"

"It's not a wolf, it's a dog." I said defensively. "It just seems like a wolf because it's rough around the edges." I tried to save.

She gave me a look.

"Seriously, dogs are my favorite animals." I said with both hands on the wheel.

She sighed. "Okay, fine. Don't tell me."

I gave her a shocked look with my mouth hanging wide open. "Well, what else do you want me to say?"

"Last I remembered, elephants were your favorite animals." She said pointedly. "I just... Tell me about the guy who gave it to you." She demanded, adjusting her sunglasses.

"I told you he's just a friend." I said. "You're going to meet him later. He's at the beach, too."

Sage brightened up, a huge smile across her face. She drummed the dashboard in excitement, whooping. "Oh, this is going to be exciting."

I sighed, and said a silent prayer.

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