Kind of a short chapter but I hope you enjoy nonetheless. By now you should have used the Pinterest link so I'm gonna stop putting it in. Enjoy!
December 5th, 2023 - Tuesday
I'm up early to shower and pick out somewhat decent clothes, wanting to make a good impression on the Denalis. Before I left last night Emmett explained that they were the only other vegetarian coven and that they were like family to them. 'God I'm already meeting the cousins.'
I wrap my chosen outfit around my waist, glad that I left my bag at the Cullen place, before heading outside. Just like the past three days I shift and run to the Cullen house, making sure to keep my clothes somewhat clean. Before I reach the edge of the trees I shift back and slide on my skinny jeans, glad that my light grey button up is still clea. I roll my sleeves up to my elbows before going to knock on the door, smiling slightly at Esme when she opens the door.
"Good morning, Harper." She greets softly, motioning for me to come in. I find my bag on the hanger with a smile, glad that they respect my boundaries.
"Hello Esme, Carlisle's at work?" She nods as I follow her up the stairs, my eyes trailing up her legs and to her perfect dazedly. 'They're both a work of art.'
"He'll be back around five, the children around three today because of early dismissal, and the Denalis by six." She recites perfectly, not hesitating once as we stand at the study door. "I have to order some things for one of my clients, will you be okay?"
"I'll be fine." I state easily, glad for some time of my own as she slips into the study with ease. I step into the sun room and plop down on the floor, leaning against the wall and pulling out my sketchbook. I go back through everything I've drawn and just add little details here and there, improve everything.
I finish my sketch of Bella pretty quick since I got most of it done beforehand and then just sit back. I glance out the windows and through the trees, catching sight of a deer that will probably become food soon. I look away and at the piano this time, debating whether I should play or not.
In the end I push myself off the ground and slide on to the bench, smiling slightly to myself as I think of something to play. Once I have a song in mind I begin to play, losing myself in the music. I think about what I'm going to choose at the end of the week, better yet who I'm going to choose. 'Myself or my Imprints, that's the question.'
Esme's sweet chocolate chip scent envelopes me as my fingers glide over the keys, though my beautiful Imprint stays quiet. When the song is over I turn to face her, surprisingly not nervous that she was behind me, and smile.
"You play beautifully, just as well as Edward. What song was that?" Esme inquires curiously, coming to sit beside me on the bench.
"You Said You'd Grow Old With Me by Michael Schulte, it's one of my favorite songs from when I was a kid." I state softly, playing a few notes absently as I continue to smile. 'This might be the most I've smiled since I was dating Liz and Danny.'
"Will you play it again?" Never one to deny a beautiful woman, I begin to play once again.
"I'd like to say I'm okay, but I'm not. I try, but I fall. Close my mind, turn it off." I sing softly, looking away from my mate and down at the keys. "But I can't be sober, I cannot sleep. You've got your peace now, but what about me."
"Thought we had the time, had our lives, now you'll never get older, older. Didn't say goodbye, now I'm frozen in time getting colder, colder. One last word, one last moment. To ask you why you left me here behind, you said you'd grow old with me." I can feel her eyes on me as I sing, almost fucking up the lyrics in the process.
"We had plans, we had visions, now I can't see ahead. We were one, we were golden, forever you said. But I can't be sober, I cannot sleep. You've got your peace now, but what about me? Thought we had the time, had our lives now you'll never get older, older. Didn't say goodbye, now I'm frozen in time getting colder, colder. One last word, one last moment, to ask you why you left me here behind. You said you'd grow old with me." I repeat the chorus once more, holding the last key before pulling my hands away quickly. 'I'm not used to singing in front of a single person, I'm more comfortable in crowds.'
"The lyrics are just as beautiful as the melody," She murmurs, my eyes drawn to her lips for a moment. "You have a wonderful voice, I forgot to tell you that yesterday."
"Thanks, I had a lot of free time as a kid so I practiced." I say in lieu of any real explanation. "Music was the one thing I've always had, no matter how bad my life had gotten."
"How many instruments can you really play? Edward only mentioned piano, guitar, and violin but I feel there's more to it." I chuckle quietly though I should be terrified that she knows me so well at this point.
"Guitar, violin, cello, drums, piano, saxophone, and trumpet. I tried to learn the harp at one point but it shredded my fingers worse than a guitar so I gave it up." I tick off the instruments on my finger, making sure I'm not forgetting one. "Oh, and the recorder. I played Hot Cross Buns better than anyone." Esme laughs at my shitty joke, the sound more beautiful than anything I could ever play.
"You're full of surprises Harper," I smile slightly at my mate, resisting the urge to kiss her senseless and instead sliding off the bench.
"I'm a man of many talents, Mrs. Cullen." I brag jokingly, brushing my hair back with a sigh. I glance down at my watch as I bite the inside of my cheek, mentally doing the math. "So it's already around noon-ish, we have three hours till the children are back so what do you want to do?"
"I need to hunt, do you care to join me?" I grin and motion for her to leave the room first, grabbing something from my bag before following. As soon as we step outside Esme is racing into the forest, leaving me behind with a happy giggle. I smirk and quickly run after her, easily catching up as she's probably holding back a bit.
I roll my eyes at the teasing smirk she's sporting and instead follow the scent of deer. I find the one I saw earlier and slink up behind it before pouncing, sinking my fangs into its neck. I greedily drain Bambi before moving on to another scent, this time a poor rabbit. 'Just because I have to feed doesn't mean I have to like it.'
I sate my hunger with a few more rabbits and foxes before going off to find Esme, stopping a few feet back when I see her drinking from a deer. She drops the body carelessly before turning to face me, lips still turned up in a smirk. She speeds towards me and taps my shoulder, eyes alight with fire as she speaks.
"You're it," I grin and run after her, tempted to shift though I think that would be cheating. I'm glad they live so far from humans as they'd probably be freaked out by the laughing blurs running through the woods. I catch up to Esme and reach forward to grasp at the back of her shirt but with how fast we're running I end up tripping over my own feet.
We tumble to the ground and since we're sort of downhill we roll, Esme ending up on top with a laugh. Our laughter fades until we're just staring at each other, my eyes immediately drawn to her lips that are well within reach. Thankfully Esme isn't as weak-willed as I am and hops off of me, brushing the snow and dirt off her with a small smile.
"I think we both need a shower," She states simply, tugging my off the ground with ease. "You can use the guest room, if you want." I nod and follow her back to the Cullen house, surprised at how deep in the forest we had really gone.
She leads me to upstairs and down the hall, stopping just outside the door across from her and Carlisle's room. She tells me to use whatever I want but I'm too distracted by our almost-kiss to really focus, just nodding along at the right moment.
I slip into the room without really studying it too much and then to the bathroom, marvelling at the large shower happily. I grab what I need from under the counter, slightly curious as to why there's Axe in here and not Old Spice. 'Everyone knows Old Spice is better.'
I strip off my dirty clothes while the water heats up, folding them on the counter and grabbing my phone. I turn on some music before stepping under the water, groaning as my muscles immediately begin to relax. Compared to my usual showers I take my sweet ass time, singing through a few songs with a grin.
When I'm done and I've dried off I realize that I have no clean clothes so I just wrap a towel around my waist. I stand in front of the mirror and trace the numerous scars, not just the ones on my chest. I leave the bathroom before I can make myself sad, surprised to find a set of clothes on the bed.
I pull on the jeans to find that they fit pretty well though the white long sleeve is a bit longer than I am. I pull the sleeves up to my elbows before pulling my Converse back on, brushing dirt off before leaving the room. I find Esme downstairs not even looking like she showered, devoid of dirt and wet hair.
"The kids will be here soon," She states offhandedly, not looking up from her laptop though I can tell she's sort of watching my reaction. I pull out my sketchbook to finish the sketch I started of Rosalie early this morning, having gotten the idea after a picture I saw.
True enough the others walk through the door a half hour later, Emmett laughing loudly about something. His eyes light up when he sees me, something almost comical on the large vampire, and then he's in front of me. I let him drag me off to play video games, switching out with him and Jasper every few rounds.
I leave when I hear the door open, the nerves I was feeling finally ebbing away when I see my blond Adonis. While he goes upstairs to change I slip outside with my old iPod in hand, eager for a minute to myself. I pry the back off and pull out a cigarette, my lighter coming out next.
I feel all the tension leave my body as I smoke, all my problems floating away. I toss this one on the ground and snub the flame with the heel of my shoe, pulling out another. I hear the door slide open behind me and then Carlisle's beside me, hands in his pockets and a small smile on his lips.
"You know, I think Alice's original description of you fits." My Imprint comments suddenly, not even looking at me when he speaks.
"Yeah, and what's that?" I ask, taking the conversational bait he's throwing out.
"She called you punk, though not in the bad way, just punk." I chuckle lightly, almost choking as I am exhaling smoke. "I think all your missing is the leather jacket and combat boot." He states teasingly, smirking over at me as I hold the still burning cigarette between my fingers.
"I had a leather jacket when I was 15," I admit quietly, rolling my eyes when the older man begins to laugh. "I definitely fit the punk look as a kid, especially with the tattoos and dyed hair."
"It wasn't always green?" The blond questions curiously, raising a brow at me as he eyes my plain black hair.
"No, I've been through the whole rainbow. I even dyed it rainbow for Pride Month, though I paid for that in the end." I reply, trying not to think of the ways I paid for my eye-catching hair. Carlisle is quiet for a second, head tilted a bit to his left as if he's listening to something. 'Then again, he probably is.'
"Are you ready to meet the Denalis?"
"Not really," I mutter as I snuff out my cigarette, stepping inside a second later. Bella smiles at me as I walk in, her hand patting my shoulder in a comforting manner as that familiar jolt goes through me. Edward, who was smiling at his wife, suddenly turns to me with confusion clear in his eyes. 'He just might be on to me.'
I follow them into the living room where three blonde women and a couple are sitting, the blondes taking up one couch while the couple is in an armchair. I end up taking a seat next to Esme on the loveseat while Carlisle stands beside us, almost protectively.
"When did you adopt another puppy?" One of the blonde women inquires, her gold eyes boring into me curiously.
"I'm a stray actually." I reply, not willing to let anyone get away with a dig at shifters without one of my own. Emmett snorts beside me as the woman begins to smirk, obviously not annoyed by my lack of respect.
"I'm Kate Denali, nice to meet you, Fido." I raise a brow at the nickname but shake her hand nonetheless, running a hand through my hair with the other. She and the others look confused which in turn confuses me, Kate grabbing my hand once again. "Why aren't you on the ground?"
"I'm sorry?" I pull my hand back and instead turn to Carlisle who seems as confused as the rest of us. "Anyone want to explain?"
"Katrina has the ability to pretty shock people, it's strong enough to incapacitate Emmett at full power. You seem fine though, young shifter." The man explains smoothly, his own gold eyes studying me as if I'm a lab specimen before they widen with realization. "A power magnet, how extraordinary." 'Well fuck me.'
Everyone turns to look at me as soon as the words leave the man's mouth, though Bella and Jacob still seem confused. My skin begins to prickle under their gaze, my wolf feeling cornered and afraid. 'What the fuck is a power magnet?'
"What's a power magnet?" Jacob finally asks, thank fuck, probably just as uncomfortable as I am.
"A power magnet is a vampire who can take another's gift, though it is not as strong. There has only been one in all of history, and I only heard about her from my time with the Volturi." Carlisle states, eyes still on me as he speaks though I'd rather they were anywhere else. "Aro had her killed immediately, out of fear that she would destroy them."
"Wicked," Emmett mutters, Rosalie quick to smack his chest.
"So what all can you do?" Jacob inquires curiously, leaning forward in his chair though it seems hard with Renesmee in his lap.
"I have my wings and I can heal, that's all. I'm not even a full vampire." I answer softly, just waiting for them to tell me to leave, that they don't want the trouble I've brought with me. They're quiet for a second but then Kate strikes up a conversation with Emmett, effectively drawing the attention from me.
Eventually the Denalis leave and I'm left alone with the Cullens who wait for me to lift my head before talking. I brush a hand through my hair nervously as Esme continues to grip my hand tightly, part of me noting how right it feels.
"So Harper, can you like, fight really well?" Emmett asks excitedly, the large vampire grinning over at me expectantly.
"With or without my wings?" I reply bluntly, too tired to sugar coat. "Because either way, yes, I can hold my own in a fight."
"So like, you can totally go a round with me tomorrow, right?" 'Hypothetically.'
"If that's what you want, yeah, but what about teaching?" I question, finally letting go of Esme's hand, albeit reluctantly.
"School's over for winter break," Edward adds softly, still staring at me as I check my phone. I stare at a missed call from a slightly familiar number before hopping off the couch.
"Then yeah, we're on for tomorrow Emmett. I'll see you guys later," I leave without another word and run home, not even taking the time to shift. I call the number back and wait with bated breath, the words sticking in my throat when the caller picks up.
I throw my phone against the side of the house without another word, chest heaving. My head is swimming after everything that's happened and as my vision begins to blur once again I realize something. My Imprints know exactly how dangerous I am now, they'd be fools to want me.