A/N: A little fluff in this one too! Yay? (:
We're getting into the preteen years. Joy! Kinda (everyone knows being a preteen sucks).
Seraphina is physically going to be nine or ten. This is her second birthday.
Okay, I seriously love you guys. I've gotten nothing but positive reviews, gushing about how you guys love my fanfiction. I wish I could adopt every single one of you guys and keep you forever. You make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. (((((:
I HOPE YOU ALL HAD AN AMAZING CHRISTMAS.
-Chels.
Chapter Song: Sparks Fly, by Taylor Swift.
"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Seth POV
Back in La Push! I breathed in the damp air, the smell of forestry, the salt-and-brine of the ocean. It was home.
No, I couldn't say that anymore. Home was wherever Sera was. There would be nothing for me if she wasn't there, simply existing in the same place I was.
But for now, Sera was in La Push, her favorite place in the world, so home was firmly here, in the rainy Olympic Penninsula.
Sera and I were walking hand-in-hand down the beach, our favorite beach.
First Beach, of course.
I couldn't help but think with a little sadness about how fast she was growing. I looked down at our joined hands, wishing it could just stay like this forever; Sera and Seth, being able to hold hands without meaning anything. The older she got, the more people would assume things. But I would be happy to spend eternity as her best friend, and see her just stay Sera.
We sat on a white-washed log, looking out into the ocean. The day was overcast with very little sunshine, so it painted the world gray and bleak.
Our moods were quite the opposite, however. I was ecstatic to be back in the place I grew up with all of my brothers. Sera was not only happy that she was here, but she was here for tomorrow.
It's not every day that your imprint turns two.
Sera...was beyond words. She was smart, talented, and literally the most adorable thing I have ever set my eyes on. Her dark hair hung to her lower back today, natural, so it looked unruly and untameable, like her personality.
Oh god, like her personality.
Everyone knew that Sera had spunk. But I don't think they were betting on the amount of spunk that she had. Once Sera set her mind to do something, there was virtually nothing you could do to stop her. Sera on a mission was a sight. One time, Sera set her mind to master the guitar. However, her fingers were too short, because she was only physically eight at the time and a full-sized guitar was hard for her to handle. When Rosalie offered to get her a smaller guitar, she almost cried with shame. There was nothing that was going to stop Sera from learning on that guitar.
She spent a week straight with her aunt, forfeiting even her precious sports and not even watching the Giants game, learning chords and learning how to cope with her fingers. It was a miracle when she played her first song with zero mistakes. It was hard, but she had done it.
That was the story of her life. There wouldn't be anything that would stop that girl.
I heard her huff impatiently beside me.
I looked over at my girl. She was staring out into the ocean with a deep furrow in her eyes, looking like she was thinking really hard about something, but coming up short.
If I knew anything about Sera, it was that Sera hated not being able to figure things out.
"What is it?" I asked.
Sera kicked a shell, and it flew twenty feet into the ocean. I raised my eyebrow at her.
"I keep seeing blurry stuff in my dreams," Sera muttered, playing with her jean pocket, "It's annoying."
"Blurry stuff?" I asked, hoping my voice didn't squeak with worry.
Sera nodded but didn't look up. "Of people. Humans. Women. They are all faceless and blurry, but they all end up getting blotted out by darkness, and then my whole vision goes red. I've never had dreams that weren't crystal clear. I don't understand."
"Wait, your vision goes red?" I was pretty positive that my voice squeaked that time.
She nodded again, finally looking into my eyes with her expressionable, dark blue ones. They were full of confusion, and even a little anger. "Yeah. It's all the same. I know they're women because of the silhouette, but it's always the same – women, being taken in the night from their homes, and then blotted out by darkness. And when they finally scream or make a sound, my vision goes red and suddenly I can't hear anything. And I can't move. It's like, swimming through molasses. And then I feel doubtful of myself, and I wake up, wondering if any of it was real." Her eyebrows furrowed.
I pulled her into my chest, and I felt her breathe my scent in deeply. She once told me that my scent was as comforting to her as her scent was to me. "Has anyone talked to you about this? How long has it been going on?"
"I asked Mom about it. She doesn't know what they are either. And for a week or so, I guess," my mumbled into my shoulder.
A week? I pulled her back to look into her face with a little bit of shock. "This has been going on for a week, and you said nothing to me, Seraphina?" I said in a voice barely over a whisper.
She blushed a little and looked down. "I know I should have said something, but I just feel so...doubtful about it all the time."
I shook my head at her before she even finished her sentence. "No. Always say something. Have you been drawing about it?"
This time, she looked scared. "Every time I try, I can't grasp the picture. It's too fuzzy for me. What's wrong with me, Seth?" she whispered.
I felt her fear and confusion and anger leak into me through our connection. I hugged her tighter, and this time I didn't let go. "Honey, nothing's wrong with you. This is all really new, especially since you're one of a kind, so it may mean something completely different than what you think."
She nodded. "Yeah, I guess." She didn't seem so convinced.
I nudged her shoulder lightly with my fist. "Come on, kid. Stop worrying all the time. So what, for once in your life, you don't know what's going on." I smiled at her my patented Seth-smile.
She rolled her eyes. "Speaking of..." She put her hand to my forearm, and then pulled her hand back almost immediately, like I had shocked her.
She stood up with a brilliant smile, jumping up and down and screaming "THANK YOU SETH, OH MY GOD THANK YOU!" She flew into my arms and gave me a huge hug, and I was left confused but laughing.
"What did I do?" I asked, still smiling like a jackass, but confused nonetheless.
"I know where you're taking me tomorrow for my birthday," she said in a sing-song voice.
I face-palmed myself. "That was supposed to be a suprise!" I complained.
She started doing a weird happy-dance-thing, and I found myself laughing despite my disappointment.
"Claire, Quil, Jameson, Aria, and Hayden are coming?" she asked, still jumping up and down.
"Yeah, Claire and Hayden and Aria love Taylor Swift too," I said.
Yeah, you heard me right. Seraphina Marie, depsite how amazing she was, was like any other preteen and teenage girl in America, fully part of the throng of Taylor Swift lovers. If I had a dollar for every time I heard "Speak Now" or "Back to December," I would never need to get a job. Ever.
I just counted my lucky stars that Sera didn't like Justin Beiber. I felt sorry for poor Embry, because Allegra, now physically about four or five, had a raging case of the Beiber fever. He had the Beibs' songs stuck in his head all the time, so patrolling with him was like hell, if hell was Justin Beiber's songs being sung in Embry's off-key voice in your head over and over again.
And over again.
And over again.
"And you're getting a limo too?" she squeaked with excitement.
"Oh yeah. We're going to the concert in style," I told her, winking.
She giggled, and helped herself to my pocket to pull out my phone. She dialed Alice.
"Hello?" Alice answered.
"Did you know that Seth's taking me to Taylor Swift tomorrow?" she asked excitedly.
Alice laughed. "Of course, angel. What kind of mother would I be if I didn't know?"
"Did everyone else know?" she asked.
Alice giggled. "We can keep things from you, you know. It is possible."
She scowled. "No. I want to know everything."
Her mother just laughed. "So, did Seth finally cave?"
Sera giggled again. "No, I touched his arm."
"Well, angel, have a good time. Oh! Can I dress you?" Alice asked.
Sera blanched. "Um – Mom –"
"Please please please please please please?" Alice begged.
Sera sat back down on the log and sighed. "In what," she muttered hopelessly.
"Yay!" Alice squealed, and Sera had to hold the phone away from her ear. "There's an olive green shirt in your closet that I got for you the other day that would look amazing. And then, I can put you in a skirt – "
"What if I want to run around though?" Sera cut off.
"Not in public, darling." It was simple, but full of meaning. Sera "running around" would tip someone off that she wasn't normal.
Sera sighed in agreement. Alice continued. "I'll put you in a pair of Black Converse, but only because it's your birthday and you're going to a concert. So if they get dirty, I'll have a reason to throw them out," Alice said hopefully.
Sera huffed. "That's okay, I guess."
Alice squealed again, and Sera winced. "Okay, bye! Love you!" Alice made a kissing noise over the phone, and then hung up. Sera rolled her eyes and shoved the phone back into my pocket.
"How did you do it?" she muttered, rubbing her forehead.
I grinned. "Do what?"
"Live with my mother before I was born."
I burst out into laughter. "Aw, Alice's not that bad. You have to admit, she usually is right. And besides the endless shopping, she's fairly easy to live with."
"Not when you're her daughter and you hate shopping and you don't mind getting dirty, whereas she can't stand it." Another huff.
"Aw, cheer up, kid. We're going to see Taylor Swift tomorrow. Isn't she like, the center of your existance or something?" I asked, bumping shoulders with her. She relaxed and grinned.
"She's the center of my musical existance, but close."
"Why? I mean, she's not bad, but all of her songs are about the same things."
"Not true! She wrote about not wanting to grow up, which I don't agree with, but it's a good song," Sera argued.
I shook my head. "Correction. A good majority or her songs are about the same thing. They're all about love."
I expected Sera to say something snarky about love and explain her musical genius and the true reason why Taylor Swift was her favorite singer, but expecting Sera to have a certain reaction almost always didn't go you way.
Sera shocked my by blushing and looking down at her bare feet. Huh.
Maybe I stepped a little too far. "But I mean, love's okay, I guess. She's a good singer too," I offered.
Sera's blush lightened ever-so-slightly, but she continued to look at her feet. "She is. And she writes about what people her age go through."
I stared at her, trying to decipher what was going on with her. She had such a weird reaction. Then again, no one could ever predict her reactions to anything, so I brushed it off.
I began talking about Hayden Gale, newest wolf. She had phased when Sera had predicted it, but she had only been fifteen, same age I had been. She took it in stride, although it was harder for her, since she had a boyfriend and was fairly popular at school. She had been devestated to break up with her boyfriend, and even though they had only been going out for two months, she still really liked him. Hayden was a little bitter, a lot sarcastic, but she was a wonderful friend, and never got awkward around any of the guys, even when she realized that she'd have to be naked nine times out of ten and pretty much watch perpetual porn on a daily basis. I still believed that Jared was the worst of the pack when it came to that fact. I couldn't look Kim in the eye for the longest time, especially after seeing everything I've seen about her, in great detail. But Hayden was more of a guys' girl, and didn't care at all. She was just one of the boys.
Leah took her under her wing, and showed her the ropes. She was fitting in, but I knew from first glance that she had been through a lot. Don't underestimate the power of Taylor Swift though. When I told Leah about taking Sera to the Swift concert, she mentioned something about Hayden liking her, so in an effort to get closer to the newest wolf, I bought her a ticket too.
The sun was beginning to fall, so I took Sera back home. She was in a happy mood, plugging in her iPod and blasting Taylor Swift through the car speakers. The loud beat was piercing my skull. If this was any indication of tomorrow, I was in for a headache.
I looked at my watch. 1:50. The limo was supposed to arrive at 2, the concert start at six, and then we'd have the limo driver drive us home. Sera was beyond excited about the fact that she would get to ride in a limo.
Sera had insisted that Alice keep it small since we were going to a concert later, so the Cullens settled for just giving Sera presents and saving a cake that Esme baked for when she got home from the concert. I was okay with that. I got Sera something else along with my present – a locket. There wasn't any picture in there yet, I wanted to leave that up to her, but after insisting that it wasn't too much to give her, she finally accepted it.
Despite not having a job, I actually had a lot of money, therefore more money to spend on Sera. My father had left a sum of money for me when he died, so I did what every broke smart person did – I invested it. I relied on Alice to predict the stock market changes, so I actually had more money to my name than I knew what to do with.
Made spoiling my imprint easy.
Claire, Quil, Hayden, Aria, and Jameson all showed up at the house. Claire and Quil were discussing Taylor Swift versus Guns 'n' Roses (you can't compare the two, they're nothing alike!). Aria was walking ahead of Jameson, gossiping about a girl on the rez who was mean to her friend and basically, in a ten-year-old way, calling her a bitch. Jameson was soaking up everything she was saying, outraged that this person, whoever she was, was affecting Aria in this way. Hayden was off to the side, the loner in this group. I got up and hugged her.
"Hey, Hayden," I greeted.
"Seth, thanks for inviting me," she said. Hayden's bobbed hair was curled tightly, and she was wearing a light dress. Hayden was actually quite pretty, but she had some of the same characteristics my sister did – short hair, tan skin, long eyelashes, lots of muscles. The longer I looked at her, the more she looked like Leah.
"My pleasure. I hope you're ready to listen to some Taylor Swift," I told her, and nudged her. She pushed me back and laughed.
"Oh, you know I'm down for anything," she said with a wink. I was about to say something back when Sera bounded down the stairs, with the same outfit Alice described as yesterday.
"You look nice," I commented, and she smiled. She smiled shyly at Hayden.
"Hi, I'm Seraphina, Sera if you prefer," she said, and extended her hair. Hayden looked at her hand and snorted. She pulled Sera in for a hug.
"Hey, birthday girl. Thanks for the invite," Hayden said, releasing her.
Sera grinned, but I could feel that she was surprised. Hayden was cool and confident, and walked around, very sure of herself.
The limo arrived, and Aria and Claire let out a squeal. They didn't know that we were riding to the Swift concert in style.
Aria was bouncing around in her seat, talking to Jameson at 100 miles per hour. Sera and Claire were seated near each other like always. It was funny how those two always gravitated towards each other. I think Sera was impressed by how mature Claire was, and Sera considered Claire to be her best human friend.
Hayden slid in next to me. "Hey, I'll sit by you, if that's okay," she said, climbing agilely into the car.
I grinned at her, and relaxed in my seat, near my imprint. Hayden flipped her hair back, and I caught a whiff of her perfume. "So, I didn't know you liked Taylor Swift," she said, wagging her eybrows. I laughed.
"She's okay I guess, but Sera loves her, so," I said, glancing down at Sera. Aria had moved to sit next to Claire, and Jameson looked a little lost on the other side of the limo without her.
"Sera, right," she muttered. I nodded.
"It's not every day that your best friend turns two," I said, laughing, and I nudged Sera. Sera shook her head at me but grinned.
Hayden looked a little shocked. "Two? I didn't know...she aged that fast," Hayden said, trailing off a little bit.
I shrugged. "You get used to it. She's smarter than most adults anyways." I said this with a little more pride than was intended, but I couldn't help it.
"I was on the honor roll, what does that make me?" she said, winking.
"A good student," I laughed.
She nudged me. "I heard you did pretty good in school too."
I shrugged. "I was in some advanced classes and I graduated early so I didn't have to worry about being in school while still being a wolf."
She nodded. "Maybe you can tutor me sometime, I need help in chemistry," she breathed.
"Sure, if you needed help," I offered, leaning back and breathing in Sera's scent again. Was it getting stronger, or was it just me?
I looked over at Jameson. He raised an eyebrow at me but said nothing. I raised an eyebrow back. What's up?
He shrugged, and continued to stare at Aria like she was the sun and the moon.
I looked down at Sera, and she was looking at me with an unexplainable look on her face. I didn't even know how to describe it. It was something I had never seen before on Sera's face, so I couldn't place it.
I could feel her emotions though, and they were still confused. Not confused, as in the clear emotion itself, but a whole bunch of emotions mixed into one body. That made me confused.
It was beginning to feel a little stuffy. Hayden kept on asking me personal questions in an effort to get to know me, asking me when the last time I had a date was or what I liked to do or where all the good parties were. She was one of the guys, did it matter?
But as we laughed and joked together, I felt Sera's emotions become stronger and stronger. It got to the point where it was more a punch in the gut than anything else.
I looked down at my imprint while Hayden was in mid-sentence. She was picking at her nails, silent, her eyebrows so furrowed they looked like they were going to be permanently stuck that way.
Something in my gut told me I shouldn't bring it up right here, so I stayed silent, not nearly as friendly as I was with Hayden previously.
We got up to the concert in Seattle around four thirty. I was barely out of the car when Jameson pulled me aside.
He slapped me upside the head. "What's wrong with you?" he hissed.
"What's wrong with you?" I hissed back, rubbing the spot where he hit me.
"Your imprint looked like she wanted to kill someone the enitre time," Jameson whispered, looking over at Sera. I saw it for the the first time, and if Jameson hadn't already slapped me, I would have done it myself. Sera was leaning up against the car, glaring at her shoes, while Aria talked endlessly. Claire was listening, but she was casting long sideways glances at Sera, a question in her eyes. Sera did, in fact, look like she was ready to kill someone.
"What did I do?" I asked.
"You were flirting with Hayden, you idiot!"
My mouth dropped in shock. No. I was not. At all. Hayden was one of the guys, and I had an imprint. She of all girls would know not to flirt with me.
"That's not possible, I have an imprint," I whispered.
Jameson raised his eyebrows. "I don't know, man. You're friendly and everything. She mighta taken it like that."
"She's a wolf though, she knows I have an imprint," I whispered to him.
"Hayden doesn't exactly play by the rules," he whispered back, "She's okay with going for you because you don't share a pack mind with her."
"I have an imprint!" I wanted to screech it.
"A young one," he brought up.
"Would you cheat on Aria?" I asked him. Our imprints were too young, but even if we dated other girls, it'd still feel like cheating.
"Of course not. I'm just trying to think of why she would do that," he said.
I shook my head. "I-I can't deal with this. My imprint is angry at me, and I still don't understand how I was flirting. Shit, I'm making such a mess of things, and we just got here." I ran a stressed hand through my hair, searching for my imprint. She was still leaned up against the limo, but she was making an effort to look like she was part of the conversation although she practically had gray storm clouds floating around her. I almost ran to her I was so desperate to talk to her.
"Sera, can we talk?" I asked.
Sera looked up at me with confusion on her face, but I could still feel the emotions coming off of her, panging at my gut. "If you want," she said cordially, which in itself was just plain weird. I grabbed her hand and dragged her to where I was talking to Jameson not too long ago.
I knelt down on my knees to look her directly in the eyes. "What's wrong?" I whispered.
She shrugged, and looked down at her feet. I sighed.
"Please, Sera," I begged. My insides were clawing at me now, but I didn't know where her emotions stopped and mine started.
She let out a little angry huff and clenched her fist. "You were flirting with Hayden. You offered to tutor her and hang out with her," she hissed, shutting her eyes tightly.
"I was not flirting with her!" I whispered indignantly.
She shook her head angrily and looked down, refusing to answer me. I saw a couple of tears leave her eyes, and when I tried to pull her face back up, she fought my hand so she wouldn't have to look at me.
I felt that rejection wash over me. I felt it pierce me, so real, over and over again. My hands started shaking with grief and sadness. My knees felt a little wobbily, and I felt my whole stomach plummet to its death somewhere around my toes.
I had experienced Sera angry, Sera sad, Sera rebellious. But I had never been rejected by her before. This was by far the worst of them all.
And only because she refused to look at me in my face.
"Sera, I really wasn't flirting," I whispered weakly. She cast her angry sapphire eyes up at me.
"You were, Seth! You were flirting with her, and t-then you're going to fall in l-love with her, and then you're going to leave m-m-m-me," she sobbed, all of her emotions breaking through finally, throwing her arms around my neck. A few seconds ago, she was rejecting me. Now, she flat-out needed me.
Oh Sera.
I hugged her tightly. "I'm not going anywhere, Sera."
That was as true as life itself.
She nodded into my shoulder. "Don't l-l-leave."
I pulled her back and looked at her face. She looked crushed, like she couldn't stand the thought. I couldn't stand it either. I felt my own eyes water. "Please don't be sad, Sera. I'll never leave you." I smiled at her gently and then wiped away a tear with the pad of my thumb. "C'mon, kid. You know I'll never leave. I told you I'd stalk you, even if you didn't want me." I tried to make her smile. Her smile was the best thing in the world.
She sniffed and tried miserably to not crack a glorious grin. "I kinda believe you," she said honestly, and then giggled, looking down at her feet. I kissed her hair. This kid could be a rubber band at times with her emotions, but I loved her with everything I had. I knew I had a lot to look forward to coming into her ever-looming teenage years, but for her, I would stick anything out.
I hugged her tightly for a few more minutes, breathing in her calming lavendar-and-musk scent. Sweet, but with a harder, not-so-ordinary edge. It was reflective of her personality.
I caught her gazing at the stadium longingly. I guess I had been hugging her for awhile. I chuckled, and kissed her head.
I bent down to whisper in her ear. "I don't know about you, but if you still want to go see Taylor Swift, then I'm for it – "
Sera slapped me upside the head. My face slipped into a pout. Why were people hitting me today? "What was that for?"
"For thinking I didn't want to see Taylor Swift for a single second," she said, placing her hand on her hip, but despite her appearance, she smiled at me.
Her smile was contagious. I couldn't help it. I grinned back at her.
We walked hand-in-hand back to the limo, where Aria was still talking at 100 miles per hour to Jameson. I couldn't help but think that she was going to dislocate her jaw with all the talking she did. I cut over her story. "Ready to go?"
Claire and Aria squealed, and started talking about their all-time favorite Swift song on the way to our seats. Sera joined in the conversation, looking a lot better than on the car ride here.
Hayden started talking to me, but I was much more distant to her than before, knowing that she had in fact tried to flirt with me, and I didn't want to risk upsetting Sera again. She seemed to guess what happened, and with what I thought was a disappointed glance, she settled into her seat, making comments to Quil and Jameson.
I could have had my eyes sewn shut and known the exact moment Taylor walked onto stage. An entire stadium full of 50,000 girls burst screaming.
You have not known pain until you have literally been rendered speechless and immobile by your own sensitive hearing. I almost started twitching on the ground. Were my ears bleeding? I sincerely wanted someone to check.
Sera, Claire, and Aria were screaming right along with them. The three had their arms locked with each other, looking onto the brightly lit stage. If I could have moved, I would have taken a picture. It would have been a perfect Kodak moment.
Hayden was clapping and yelling "GO TAYLOR" while Quil, Jameson, and I sat there, petrified through our sensitive hearing. I didn't know how Hayden did it, until I looked closer. Green buds were in her ears. Of course.
Hayden brought earplugs.
Maybe she was smarter than I gave her credit for on the limo.
Swift started singing "Sparks Fly."
The way you move is like a full-on rainstorm,
And I'm a house of cards,
You're the kind of reckless that should keep me running,
But I kinda know that I won't get far,
You stood there in front of me just close enough to touch,
Close enough to hope you couldn't see what I was thinking of,
Drop everything now,
Meet me in the pouring rain,
Kiss me on the sidewalk,
Take away the pain,
'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile...
My eardrums were going to burst. I just knew it.
The level of noise in this place was enough to ensure I would never hear again. By the looks on Quil's and Jameson's faces, I knew they were thinking the same thing.
Sera was jumping up and down, screaming the lyrics with Aria.
I run my fingers through your hair and watch the lights go wild,
Just keep on keeping your eyes on me,
It's strong enough to make it feel right,
Lead me up the staircase,
Won't you whisper soft and slow,
I'm captivated by you baby,
Like a fireworks show...
Sera turned around, realizing that I was sitting alone and immobile like a statue. She smirked at me, and went to go sit on my lap. I was still feeling the beat bounce around in my skull. Maybe I would get a seizure.
God bless imprints. Seriously.
She must've felt how uncomfortable I was, because she seriously did the one thing I needed.
She covered my ears.
I almost started crying with the relief, and Jameson and Quil looked over at me enviously while their imprints were too busy rocking out. Yeah, that's right, my imprint's better than your imprint! The concert was now just a dim murmur. I smiled gratefully at my loving little girl.
The song ended, and Sera removed her hands. I muttered into her ear, "Thank you, really...thank you."
"If it means a lot to you," she said a little dismissively, but I could see her happiness, like the brightest light, in her eyes.
She smiled at me, and didn't get up again to stand with the girls. She was on my lap the whole night. If she stood up, she always kept a possessive hand on my leg, claiming to everyone, all the girls in the audience and Hayden especially – I was hers.
I found that throughout the concert, my ears adjusted, so although the concert was extremely loud, it wasn't as painful as before, so Sera could properly enjoy her present. Taylor Swift played through "Back to December," "Mean," "Speak Now," "Mine," 'Love Story," "Ours," and pretty much every song that Sera was obsessed with. I had been forced to listen to the songs so many times that I found myself singing along to a couple of them. Quil laughed at me and called me a pussy, but to my amusement, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him singing along to a couple of them too. I punched his arm for that one.
I think there was a rule of thumb if you wanted to go to a Swift concert, besides bringing earplugs. If you didn't want girls to approach you, keep your girl on your lap or always near you. I wasn't appraoched once that night because Sera was being a little possessive, but Quil and Jameson got appraoched at least five times. Aria got so mad at Jameson for actually striking up a small conversation with the chick sittikng a few seats down from him that she gave him the cold shoulder for a good hour of the concert. I don't think I had ever seen Jameson look that lost. During "Mine," he finally got her to crack a smile, and they made up. But after that, like Sera, Aria kept a possessive hand on Jameson all night. Claire followed suit too.
By the end of the night, Sera was so exausted that I had to carry her out to the limo, same with Claire and Aria. All the girls except for Hayden were passed out in the limo before we even got there, snoring softly. Sera's head was in my lap, and she had a smile on her dreaming face the whole way home. A few times, I couldn't help but kiss her cheek softly and breathe in her lavendar and musk scent in contentment. Even if I probably wouldn't hear right for the next three days, her smile made it worth all the pain, tears, and screaming girls.
Hayden didn't bother me much after that. She began treating me just like she treated everyone else in pack, if not more distant. I had a feeling that Leah got to her, especially whenever I saw the look on my sister's face when Hayden stared at me for too long.
It was three days after the concert, and unlike my predictions, my hearing went back to normal shortly after the concert. I was grateful for wolf healing capabilities.
Today, I was taking Sera out for fishing for the first time, since we were staying in Washington until tomorrow. I had a bit of nostalgia when I went back to the old house to pick up some of Dad's fishing supplies. The last time I went fishing was just a few days before his death.
As I packed the tackle, Leah came outside and leaned heavily on the door frame, watching with sad eyes. "I miss him," she said.
I looked up at her face. Her face was pulled into a frown, and rare tears were pooled in her eyes as she skimmed over the old nets and fishing rods.
I stood up and pulled her in for a hug, and held her tightly. Leah wasn't one for emotions or sentimentality, so she pulled back after a few seconds and gave me an apologetic smile.
"I can't believe how long it's been. So much has changed," she said, and looked behind her in the house. Lucas was playing inside contentedly, a pen around him because he was an avid walker. He caught Leah looking at him, and he screamed, "Lee!" He started to giggle.
Leah laughed and sighed contentedly.
"Would you change it?" I asked suddenly.
She looked over at me, suprised. "No. I wouldn't change a thing," she said automatically. She looked down, surprised with herself.
"I wouldn't. Not a single detail." The fact seemed to shock her.
I smiled, and didn't say anything. I kissed her forehead, grabbed the tackle box and rods, and packed them in the car. I looked back, and Leah smiled. "Have fun," she called.
"You too," I said, and I climbed in the car. I pulled out of the driveway, and drove down the path to the Cullens.
I parked my car in front of the house, and walked inside. I found Sera sitting on the couch, attempting video games again, and by the looks of it, failing miserably.
"Knock, knock," I greeted, and Sera turned around in her seat, her entire face lighting up. "Seth!" She practically shoved the controller into Embry's hand, shot up, and ran to hug me. I chuckled.
"Excited?" I asked. She nodded.
"Well, I'm ready to go. How about it?" I asked.
She nodded again, and we went out to the car to drive to the my dad's old fishing spot.
Sera POV
Seth and I were driving to his father's old spot for my first time fishing.
I was really excited! Fishing had always sounded intriguing to me, so when Seth recommended we go yesterday, I couldn't even reign in my excitement.
Today, he looked like my Seth. He had on a pair of old jeans and a dark t-shirt, not something my mother concocted, I thought a little bitterly. I loved my mother, but my dad said we were too alike to get along sometimes. We didn't have any common ground to bond either, since my mother was literally obsessed with shopping, and well, I...I couldn't help the cringe. I knew more stuff about spring collections and different skirt cuts than I ever wanted to know, and I think she learned a thing or two about sports from me.
I was a bit tired this morning. Claire called me last night, crying, because her mother had upset her. I could sympathize.
I tried my hardest to tame my hair this morning, but it never worked out, like always. And if I asked my mother, she would end up dressing me. Going fishing wearing designer clothes wasn't a good idea. I internally shook my head. My mother didn't understand sometimes.
Not like Seth though. Seth knew me like the back of his hand. He's one of the few people in the world that could make me see sense when I needed it. My family always joked that I had "spunk," as they put it. I knew I had a temper, and sometimes, it consumed me. But Seth always brought me back to myself.
Seth and I sat in silence. A smile was playing at his lips, and I couldn't help but be a little mesmerized. Seth was always so happy. His eyes were always sparkling, he was always smiling, and he always knew what to say to make people feel better. He was just warm.
Especially to me. Ever since I figured out the imprint, I knew that we had a connection that couldn't be ignored. He always knew what I was feeling, I always knew what he was feeling. Sometimes, he finished my sentences, and when he didn't know how to explain something, I always knew what he meant. That's how it's been with us from the day I was born. Literally.
But was there something different about him today? Did he get...bigger? Seth, although I knew he was massive, he had always been like my brother in my eyes. My best friend. I had never really considered him to be bigger than me, because I had always felt equal to him. But today, I could clearly see the definition underneath his shirt. I could see every bit of stubble on his face, his effortless smile. I could see it all.
I would have to ask him about that later. I hated not knowing things.
We got tho the famous spot. It was a secluded place by the ocean, but the water was very calm today, so it seemed more of lake than anything else. I could hear the beating hearts of animals inside the forest, including a deer not too far away that made my mouth water. Maybe I could ask Seth if we could go hunting before we left.
There was a small aluminum boat sitting at the water's edge that didn't look big enough to take Seth's weight. He smiled apologetically at me.
"It's going to be a bit of a tight fit since we have all the stuff and I'm kinda big," he said, but his smile erased any negative feelings I could have possibly had about it, which were none. I smiled back.
"It's okay," I said. He grinned, and walked over to me to kiss my hair. This was nothing weird – he had kissed my hair, my head, my cheeks countless times in my life that it was nothing new. But oddly enough, I felt my face warm just a tad. What was that about? It was like my blush when he started talking about love at the Taylor Swift concert. Grandpa blamed it on my changing hormones, saying that I would be very touchy about a lot of things as they changed in meaning for me. I wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, but I was okay with it, I guess. It made sense...right?
"Go sit in the boat, I'll be back in a sec," he said happily, and practically bounced away. I had to laugh to myself. He was like a puppy.
I waited patiently for him to get back. He arrived moments later, carrying two poles and a rather large tackle box. I watched as he lifted the box effortlessly, even though it looked too heavy for a human to carry. His bulging muscles, weirdly clear to me now, moved sinuously under his shirt.
He got closer, and I had to ask. "Seth?" I asked.
"Yeah, kiddo?" he said, moving the box into the boat, looking at me with sparkling eyes. I felt myself heat under his stare. What was going on with me? I really hated being a hybrid sometimes, not even being able to predict how my body would react sometimes.
"Did you get bigger? Like gain muscle mass or something? Because you look...bigger," I said rather lamely.
"Huh?" He cocked his head to the side. Just like a puppy.
"I don't know, maybe it's just me..." I said, trailing off. That was a dumb question, I realized. Why would he gain muscle mass? Nothing had changed in the past few days, except my newfound reactions to things. I would have to ask Grandpa Carlisle.
He shrugged it off. "I'm not sure. I haven't aged in a long time, so probably not. Maybe it's the light or something," he offered.
"Yeah, the light," I mumbled. I knew that wasn't it though. I had seen Seth in every light, dark, bright, dim, natural lighting, overcast, dawn and dusk. He always looked the same to me.
Except today though.
"You okay?" he asked worriedly, nudging me with his shoulder. I felt his heat brush up against me, and I involuntarily shivered.
"I'm fine!" I said a little too quickly. He raised his eyebrow at me but didn't question it. I thanked the heavens that Seth wasn't a prier.
I changed the subject. "Show me how to cast?" I asked, lifting the smaller of the poles. Seth relaxed and grinned.
He began going down the list of everything your pole needed to properly cast and catch a fish. I made sure to note everything he said. Unfortunately, I caught myself staring at his mouth again. Why hadn't I noticed it before? He had really full lips...
Stop it, Seraphina, I told myself, shaking myself out of it. What was going on today?
Fortunately for me, I didn't miss much. Doing everything he said, I stood up, cast the line...
...And failed.
It ended up swinging back and the weight hooked onto the line plonked me in the head. Normally, that wouldn't have hurt, but I was strong, and the weight was heavy.
"Ow," I muttered, rubbing the spot on my forehead where it hit. Seth, of course, became instantly worried.
"Sera? Are you okay? C'mon kiddo, sit down for a second. Does it hurt? Do you feel like it's bruising anywhere – "
"Seth, calm down, I'll be okay," I promised, already feeling the pain start to drift away. Then again, there were some things about being a hybrid that I liked.
Seth pursed his lips, and regarded me for a few seconds. Yet again, I felt myself heat under his intense gaze.
Seth didn't notice, and nodded. "All right. Can I show you this time?" he asked a little worriedly.
I nodded, and handed him my pole. He chuckled and lifted me to my feet from where I sat, turning to face me with my back to his chest. I could feel his heat radiating off into my clothes, my body instantly surrounded by Seth. I stood stalk still as he brought the pole around to my front, therefore surrounding me completely.
I felt hot in more ways than one.
I swear my heart skipped a beat. But – but...it was Seth, I tried to reason with myself. He wasn't a stranger. Seth was my best friend; he hugged me and put his arms around me all the time.
I was trying to think logically, but he started talking, his warm breath brushing against my ear. My heart was beating erratically at this point.
My head was logical, but my body was betraying me.
Then again, when did it ever do what I wanted it to?
And why was this happening? It was Seth! Seth, for crying out loud!
He started talking. He was moving his full lips...
I gulped.
"Here, I'll guide you," he said gently. His hot hands encased my small ones completely. If I wasn't holding onto that pole, my hands would be trembling.
He lifted my hands to the side of me, twisting my body by doing so. My side was brushing up against his chest, and I could feel every soft fiber of that simple cotton shirt. The cotton shirt that my Seth wore.
My Seth. He was just Seth. The same Seth that I've known all my life.
Oh body, why are you doing this to me?
I kept my face away from him to not betray myself. I knew that I had to be blushing furiously. Suddenly, the gentle twist he gave me snapped back, and he moved my body forward, propelling the line twnety feet into the water.
And out of my hands.
The pole splashed into the water, and was quickly sinking to the bottom. Seth scrambled to catch the pole.
"Oh, Sera, I'm sorry – " he said, bending down into the water.
And then Seth was gone.
Seth bent over too far, and he fell into the water, face first. I took in a sharp gasp and squeaked.
I knew my birthday was nearing the winter months, so the water had to be freezing. Seth never specified whether wolves could get hypothermia. I felt my panic set in.
"SETH!" I yelled, scrambling to the edge as well, trying to peer as best as I could into the murky water. Where did he go? Oh no, oh no... My heart was beating erratically again, but for a completely different reason. Seth had to come back up. But what if he didn't?
Darn body! My body instantly slipped into a crouch whenever I got too fearful, too distressed to deal with it logically and humanely. My body was taking up the slack by reverting to my vampire nature.
But not even five seconds later, he emerged from the water, pole in hand, grinning ear to ear. My mouth dropped. He wasn't even shivering.
He laughed. "Sorry about that. I guess I did get bigger after all. Good thing I didn't capsize the boat," he said, pulling the boat towards him, almost getting in, but thought better of it.
"Nah, I'll just stay in here. Crap, I have no dry clothes left!" He seemed disappointed, and stared back at the car. "I'm not going to be much use in the water, but I don't want to get you wet. Hmm...I think we'll have to cut it short for today." He looked at me apologetically. "I'm really sorry, Sera. I promise I'll make it up to you." He gave me a wide-eyed puppy stare, like he was sorry that he had accidentally fallen in the water and was possibly getting hypothermia right now.
But he didn't even look cold. Maybe it was something I didn't know. I tried not to be bitter about that thought. I simply nodded woodenly, feeling the fear that I felt moments ago dawn on me. I began to shiver.
Seth grabbed the front of the boat, and with one hand, he began to swim me back to shore. With one hand. His strong, muscular arms were graceful and fluid, and rippled underneath the water's edge as he got us back to shore in no time. I was mesmerized by how someone as big and tall as Seth could move so gracefully. His muscles moved so fluidly...
No. Stop this right now.
He stepped out of the water, and to be a help (and to hide my face), I turned around and grabbed the massive toolbox. It wasn't abnormally heavy since I was fairly strong, but I wouldn't be able to hold it forever.
I turned around, and I almost dropped it.
Because I decided to turn around at the same moment that Seth decided to take off his shirt.
He grasped at the hem of his soaking shirt, and like he was a model for a commercial, he pulled it over his head, tortuously slow.
Did I catch on fire?
One, two, three, four... eight. Eight. Eight. He had an eight pack. I had read about them in books about anatomy, but I had always looked at them in a scientific light. And I mean, it wasn't like I had never seen Seth without his shirt on; I knew full-well what he looked like. They had always had a scientific quality to them too. But they were so...attractive now.
I mentally slapped myself. I was ogling my best friend!
But I couldn't look away. Seth was... Seth was...
Oh no. Seth was gorgeous.
Why had I never noticed it before? Seth beat every single male model I had ever seen in any store, not that I noticed them either until now. But comparing the two handsome images in my head, it was like comparing fast food to a five-star dinner. Like comparing peas to a healthy mountain lion. You couldn't.
And of course, he caught me ogling him.
"What's wrong? Is there something on my chest?" he asked, looking down at himself. I gave myself another mental slap for good measure. Focus, Sera, you can do this. Seth Clearwater, nothing's changed.
Stop lying to yourself, everything's changed, an angry voice hissed in my head. I pushed it aside and tried to focus on how I normally sounded.
"No. I was just wondering if you were cold. You fell into a freezing pond, you know," I said, telling the half-truth. I was proud that that came out not the least bit shaky. I walked up to him and smiled.
"No, wolves don't get cold. Didn't you know that?" he asked, looking into my eyes.
Any self-control I had faded away, and I blushed furiously. "No, I didn't." And Seth's voice was handsome too. I whimpered in my head; could this get any worse?
Seth smiled happily with those full lips of his (might as well acknowledge them now). "C'mon, hon. Let's take you home."
I sighed, and hopped in the truck, trying to keep my eyes off of his naked torse the whole way home.
If this was how it wad going to be for now on, I would be in trouble.
I got home, and I ran to the person I needed – Bella. I was always close with Bella, so she seemed like the perfect person.
I didn't even say any words to her, I just grabbed her hand and dragged her upstairs. I saw that my mother and Aunt Rose were following too. Girl time. Awesome.
I realized with a shock that I almost never hung out with girls. It was always Seth, Jake, or Embry, or one of my uncles, or the pack. The closest I ever came to girl time was with Claire and Aria or Leah, but it had never been just girls.
I walked into my parents' room and shut the door. "Aunt Bella, can you shield?" I whsipered.
Bella nodded, shielded, and then asked. "What's wrong, sweetie?"
Rosalie moved to grab my hand. "It's okay honey, you can tell us," she said, running her fingers through my wild hair.
I couldn't help it. I groaned, and plopped myself face first onto the bed. I felt my mom move closer to me. "Sera, what's wrong?" my mom asked sweetly, putting her hand on my back.
I felt bad for all the times I had been mean to her. She was a good mom. I lifted myself up and wrapped my arms around her waist.
"Things changed," I whispered, knowing that my uncles and Seth – oh god, Seth – were probably eavesdropping like they never had before.
Rosalie, Bella, and my mom all huddled around me so I could talk even lower. "I – Seth," I said lamely, looking down at my feet and blushing.
Before they had a chance to respond, Nessie walked into my room. "I'm hurt. Girl time, and no one invited me?" She walked over to be included in the huddle. "What's up?"
Mom put a finger on her lips to tell Nessie to be quieter. "Things changed today for me." It was barely audible, but I felt like I should be screaming it.
I felt betrayed by my own body. It had acted on its own accord. And now – this.
"How? You mentioned Seth," Aunt Bella breathed.
I looked into her golden eyes with sincerity. I could feel my own water. "I...I saw him. He's...he's cute."
And then they understood. They all simultaneously let out a breath.
"I was the same age as you when it happened to me," Nessie said, grabbing my hand and looked at me sympathetically.
"You have a crush," Rosalie said, grinning at me.
I plopped myself back onto my bed. "Shut up," I mumbled, knowing it was true.
Bella and Mom giggled. "Oh angel, this is so cute!" my mom silently gushed. I felt my face burn.
"No, it's weird," I moaned a bit loudly, and I heard Emmett ask Edward downstairs, "What's weird?"
I slapped my forehead. I heard Seth call it "face-palm" one time.
Seth, his smile, his eyes...
I couldn't get away from it. My face probably looked like a tomato right now.
"Honey, it's natural to have a crush," Rosalie whispered, grabbing my hand.
"Yeah, especially since you're physically about nine or ten," Nessie explained, "It happens to everyone, whether they're human or hybrid."
I nodded at what she was saying. The weirdest thing that ever happened in my life turned out to be probably the only thing normal about me. I clung onto this new hope.
"That...helps. A lot, actually. Thank you Nessie," I said sincerely.
"Hey, I want to be part of it too!" Allegra complained, walking into the room. I smiled at my cousin. She walked over to me, and I hugged her and kissed her cheek.
"We're talking about clothes," I said loudly for the boys downstais, and I heard them groan. We all giggled.
"Thank you everyone, that helped," I said, standing up. They all grinned at me.
"You're welcome," they said.
I grabbed Allegra's hand and walked downstairs into the living room. They all stood up when they saw me.
"Why were you whispering?" Emmett complained, his bottom lip sliding out. I giggled.
"None of your business," I said, but glanced at Edward. He gave me a knowing look and a wink. I rolled my eyes.
"Are you going to tell me?" said an eager voice that made me flush.
Seth was standing in the corner, giving me a concerned once-over. I nodded my head and smiled.
"Yep. I think I'm going to go to bed," I said quickly, feeling the walls starting to cave on me.
I sprinted to my room, past my aunts and cousin that were leaving, and shut my door tight.
I slid down the door to sit on the floor. I pulled out the locket that I wore around my neck, and opened the clasp. Inside was a picture of Seth with glittering eyes and his happy smile that made my heart melt.
I smiled. I officially had a crush on Seth Clearwater.
A/N: dsyhjnkfdjbk'AWWWWWW. :3
I had a little too much fun writing that chapter. Especially in Sera's POV. I can't stop smiling right now. SERA HAS A CRUSH! :DD
(I get a little too into my stories, if you can't tell.)
I hope my first time writing in Sera's POV didn't disappoint. Review, por favor!
STAY GOLDEN,
Chels.