Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight. Marek's mine though. So is Aubrey.
REVISED.
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The next morning found Aubrey half-heartedly grabbing her book bag before starting off for school. She could skip, but Jack would find out. And if Jack found out, Aubrey's only excuse would be sickness. And if that was the best excuse she could come up with, then Jack would test it. And if that happened, he'd give her a full exam, being a doctor. She'd tried it before; definitely not worth it.
After the usual lengthy walk along the street, Aubrey reached the school. She stared gloomily up at it, dully wishing it would dematerialize as some sort of mirage or illusion. Or maybe an elaborately colored sandcastle. She looked off down to where the road continued. She could keep walking, maybe hitch a ride once out of Forks, get someone to drive her down to Little Rock where she could live happily ever after, maybe renting a room with the McKiens in her old house, and pretend vampires didn't exist along with Forks, and the entire state of Washington while she was at it. Then she wouldn't have to suffer whatever punishment Edward had for her, knowing their secret.
But it wouldn't be her in trouble, would it? It would be Marek. If she left, as unlikely as that was on its own, Marek would still be here, and he would have to face the consequences on his own. If she stayed, she could explain it away maybe…Or they could leave together. She could leave a note on the fridge and go with Marek somewhere far from the Cullens' wrath. Maybe then they'd be satisfied that she wouldn't reveal them to the town…
Aubrey snorted, shaking her head. Who was she kidding? Even if she did leave, she wouldn't get far without her guilt catching up to her. She couldn't leave Jack. She would not be her brother. Not to mention that Marek would probably resent her for cluing Edward in to her knowledge of their vampiric status. And if that was they case and they went together, there would then be no treaty separating him from his true appetite. As genuine as he had sounded in the car, there was no telling how practiced he was at lying, as much as Aubrey hated to admit it.
Lost in her thoughts, Aubrey didn't notice the time or her location until the bell rang out over the grounds and she looked up to see that she was near the opposite end of the school than where she wanted to be. Turning with a muttered swear, she ran back across the wet grass to the correct classroom, slipping in through the door as Mr. Varner pushed it shut, sliding into her seat, breathing heavily. Mr. Varner gave her a disapproving look, but shook his head and moved on with his lesson.
Trig passed by quickly, followed by Biology and Government respectively. As always, the dreaded things came much quicker than those hoped for. It was a fact of life. And because of this fact, it was no time before Aubrey found herself drudging through the grass towards the English room, taking her seat and laying her head down on her books with a sigh. The clock read that she had a good ten minutes until class actually started, but of course the warped speed of the day took away those ten minutes in the time it took to bat an eyelash, and then class began with Marek's desk was turned around to hers, occupant already situated and looking expectant.
"Hello," he said, looking at her with a smile. Aubrey met his gaze, melting inside. Today his irises seemed darker, black and bruised. He spoke again before she could comment. "I hear tell that you were in Port Angeles yesterday."
"Er...yes..." said Aubrey awkwardly.
"With Jessica Stanley, Angela Weber, and Bella Swan?"
"Yes. And Edward Cullen showed up and took Bella to dinner," added Aubrey. Marek narrowed his eyes.
"That explains it..." he muttered. Aubrey looked confused. "Alice said something. Apparently they're a couple now. Since yesterday."
"Bella and Edward are a couple?" asked Aubrey, taken aback. Marek nodded. Aubrey blinked. "When did that happen!?"
"They've been speaking for a while now," he said. "And Edward's pretty obsessed with her. Like last night. After he dropped her off at home, just a little while later he was back up at her house watching her sleep."
"You know that's very creepy," said Aubrey matter-of-factly. "But doesn't he fall as--"
"We can't sleep," explained Marek. Aubrey nodded. Well. Bella and Edward together. That explained the day before in Port Angeles a little. But…
"Do you watch me sleep?" she asked, suddenly severe. Marek smirked guiltily.
"Only once," he said. Aubrey narrowed her eyes.
"What happened?" she asked, dreading the answer. "Did I talk?"
Marek's lips twitched. Aubrey's ears turned red in mortification. Marek winced, leaning away.
"What?" asked Aubrey. Marek nodded at her ears.
"I haven't fed in a while," he said, gripping the table slightly. "Alice is taking Edward and I later. The call of your blood is increasing. It's usually resistible."
"Oh..." said Aubrey, moving her hair in front of her ears quickly. Nothing more was discussed, for, at that moment, Mr. Banner decided to begin class.
The rest of the day seemed boring once Marek had left, in Aubrey's opinion. She picked at her lunch, not hungry enough to eat it, and stayed out on the sidelines during basketball. Jack didn't come home until late that evening, claiming he had an extended meeting. Not unusual, but Aubrey got a feeling...
She finished her homework, checking her email as she always did, but no news. When she went to bed, Jack was in the living room watching a sitcom, drinking a beer. She said goodnight and walked back to her room, closed the door and turned. An icy hand covered her mouth before she could scream.
"Shh, it's me," said Marek, his beautiful now-butterscotch eyes staring into her wide green ones comfortingly. "It's okay...calm down..." Aubrey removed his hand from her face.
"What are you doing here?" she hissed, her heart rate slowing back to normal. "How did you get in here?" Marek sighed, walking over to her bed and taking a seat.
"They know that you know. Edward read your mind in Port Angeles and saw that you knew his power. He, of course, immediately suspected me. I'm not his favorite vampire, you see," he explained. Aubrey sighed.
"I tried to block him out. I focused on other things, like you said, but my thoughts kept on slipping back."
"It's alright. They would have found out anyway, with Alice's little foresight," said Marek carelessly, waving a hand gloomily. "They're saying I can't tell you anything else, or talk to you anymore. Edward's on the warpath." He glared. "Even though he told Bella everything and is so justified in that. And the way he denies it is just…" He broke off in a frustrated growl. Aubrey glanced at the door warily, in case Jack had heard. Marek was still muttering. "Psht…I know what I'm doing…he thinks I'm so irresponsible, I'm two decades older than he is…"
"What are they going to do?" asked Aubrey, looking at Marek. He looked up at her with his golden eyes.
"Hmm? Oh, they'll call a meeting about it, I suppose. They're always solving things with meetings." He rubbed his temples with his fingers, closing his eyes. Aubrey bit her lip.
"What if they kill me, just to keep it a secret?" she asked. "After all, it does endanger all of them…"
"They wouldn't try it. Carlisle knows Jack from work and respects him. He wouldn't want him to suffer that," said Marek, not opening his eyes.
"So what is this meeting?"
"They want to speak with you. Spring break starts tomorrow. You'll have the weekend, then, on Monday, I'll pick you up and bring you to their house." Aubrey gulped. All of the Cullens wanted to speak with her? She'd be alone with a group of resentful vampires…
"Why not on the weekend?" she asked, trying to keep her mind off of her fear.
"Edward won't be there then," said Marek. "He's bringing Bella on Monday. You'll have a human voucher. Consider that a bonus." Aubrey sighed with relief. Bella would be there. So nothing would happen. Still, a great sadness pulled at her, and she walked over to the bed, sitting down beside Marek and holding her forehead in a hand.
"Why did you tell me?" she asked miserably, voice cracking. "Why did you tell me if it was going to cause all of this trouble?" Marek paused, his eyes going distant.
"I've been trying to figure that out myself," he said quietly, more to himself. He looked at her and frowned. "Don't look like that," he said. Aubrey looked up at him, aware of her eyes blurring over. She felt a sudden icy touch on her arm and realized Marek had reached out comfortingly. She blinked and the tears cleared her vision, revealing Marek's face set with determination. "Aubrey, don't worry," he said. "I'll straighten things out. Nothing will happen. As long as you promise not to tell anyone, there is no reason why the Cullens shouldn't be understanding. I promise, I won't let anything happen to you." He looked at her earnestly, his hand moving from her arm to her face and wiped away a tear. "I promise."
Aubrey nodded, reaching up and rubbing her eyes on a sleeve, sniffing. Marek smiled warmly, encouraging.
"I'll pick you up here on Monday in the morning. I'll keep watch until Jack leaves just to be sure," he said.
"Gotchya," said Aubrey, nodding again and managing a smile in return. Marek got to his feet, taking a step forward. He bent down and gave Aubrey a swift kiss on the cheek, then started for her window.
"Goodbye," he said, opening it and hopping out into the rain so fast he was blurred. The window shut.
"Bye..." said Aubrey to her empty room.
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