Clara Cullen-Taylor

I was speed walking back to school whilst Bella walked along side me like it meant nothing to her, I was breathing quite heavily when we got there. Bella didn't look like she'd moved anywhere. Oh what it must be like to be a vampire…

"Clara!" Axton exclaimed.

"Where have you been?" he asked eying Bella who was behind me as I walked over to him.

"I'm so sorry, I went to Bella's house I should have told you," I told him sincerely.

"It's okay," he said and trailed off. "A text message would have been enough."

"I know im so sorry I should have. I just got carried away." I explained.

"What was so important that you ditched school Clara?" he asked with a frown, he knew me too well to know I didn't ditch school often.

"I…I er, me and Bella," I said trailing off. I couldn't lie; I was the worst liar in the world

"Clara and I are related," Bella said happily.

"What?" both Axton and I said at the same time.

"I took Clara to see my father, as it turns out Clara and I are cousins that's why we share the same name," Bella said quickly.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah," I said with a smile, it was a white lie. I could live with that.

"Well I guess I forgive you then, I understand," Axton said. "Still need a ride home?"

"Er I think I'm gunna go back to Bella's. My mom and sister are there. I'll just go home with them."

"Okay see you later," he said quickly, he seemed a little disappointed.

"Hey Axton," I called to him when he started to turn away.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Thanks for waiting for me," I said softly and reached out to rest my hand on his arm for a moment.

"You're welcome," he said with a smile, he kissed my cheek before walking away.

I turned back to Bella who was smiling at me. I walked over to her and she laughed as she wrapped her arm around my shoulder and we walked home.

"A boy that waits an hour for you after school is one to keep," Bella laughed with me. I smiled at her.

"I actually really like him."

"Oh I know you do," she giggled as we made our way back to her house.

"Bella," I said softly just before we reached the house. I stopped walking and she turned to look at me.

"Yeah?" she asked softly. It's funny, this whole day I'd imagined her as a friend to me, and I hoped she would be but at this moment I saw someone different, I saw a one hundred and fifty year old vampire, a mother, a grandmother, a sister, a wife, someone wise and caring.

"Do you think I should still be mad at my mom?" I whispered. Her face softened and she reached out to tuck my hair behind my ears.

"One thing you can be sure about Cullen women is we're protective, sometimes more than necessary. We're also stubborn. No one would blame you if you stayed mad at your mom for a while but at the same time you have to realise she was just trying to protect you. It's a fine line being a parent Clara. It's the hardest job in the world. She's just trying to do her best," She said with a soft smile. I nodded to her.

"Maybe I've been mad long enough," I said. I hated being mad at her, she and Sophie were my world and I didn't want our relationship to change just because I found my distant relatives.

"I'm sure your mom will be happy to hear that," she said and took my hand as we reached the house.

When we entered mostly everyone was gone from the living room. Matthew and Lidiya had gone, so had Esther and Aleksander. Just Carlisle was there with Edward and Elijah.

"Everything okay?" Edward asked us. I nodded but my eyes were on Elijah who was sitting with his head in his hands.

"Eli?" I asked, he lifted his head to look at me and beamed a smile. "You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, just thinking through his whole wolf thing," he replied and I suddenly felt awful. I was so busy being angry at my mom, then worrying about my dreams and then about Axton I hadn't thought about the huge bomb shell that had been dropped on my best friend.

"Oh my gosh I'm sorry Elijah," I said and sat next to him, immediately pulling his hand into mine and resting them on my lap. "Do we know what's going to happen?" I asked Carlisle.

"He will turn on the next full moon, until then he should feel and act fairly normal. I will keep track of the moon and on the night I will arrange with your mother for you to stay with us. Maybe we can say you're staying at Clara's. That night we will keep you in our basement to make sure you're not seen. If it works well and you're happy with it, we will keep it that way every full moon. You won't hurt anyone Elijah, we have ways to make sure you don't," Carlisle explained.

"Will I know who I am?" he asked.

"No I'm afraid you won't."

"How will you stop me from hurting people?" Elijah asked with a frown.

"Chantelle, my granddaughter, she can control your mind, she'll alter it so you don't hurt a human being," he added.

"She might be able to make you aware when you're a wolf too Elijah, it's something she can probably work on. If that's what you want," Edward added.

"I'm not sure. I need to think about this," he said and ran his spare hand through his hair.

"We understand."

"I think they've had enough for today. Maybe we should go home and come back tomorrow?" my mom said coming into the room. I smiled at her and nodded. I agreed with her for once. Today had been a very eventful one.

"Okay," Carlisle agreed and stood up. We all said goodbye to the Cullen's and we drove home, we dropped Elijah off on the way and I watched out of the back window as we drove away. I couldn't believe I was leaving him alone to think about this. It was such huge life changing news and I couldn't imagine having to deal with it alone.

"He'll be okay Clara. You'll see him tomorrow," my mom said seeing my distress.

"I know," I said before sitting in my seat properly.

When we arrived home it was just getting dark. My mom went in to make dinner and I took Sophie upstairs for her bath. When she was in her pyjamas we ate dinner together and my mom went to put Sophie to bed. I was sitting in the living room when I could swear I saw someone in the back yard from the window. I shot up and went to the back door just in time for that person to be standing there. I smiled when I saw it was Axton through the glass door.

I opened the door and raised my eyebrows.

"Why are you using the back door?" I asked him with a smirk.

"I want to show you something," he said and held out his hand. I opened the door and walked out.

"Look up," he said, when I did I gasped. In the sky were stars. Something I had only seen on movies and TV. The sky was polluted at night more so than the day. I was aware there were parts of the world with little to no pollution that saw the stars every night but I had never lived outside the city. I looked up in awe at the sparkling lights in the sky.

"Here," Axton said and led me to a blanket that was on the grass. So this is why he was in my back yard. I smiled at him and sat down. He copied and then lay on his back looking up. I decided to copy, my body in line with his as we watched the stars.

"I thought the pollution was high tonight, there was a warning not to go outside," I said in a whisper.

"Obviously it was wrong," he said with a smile at me. I smiled back, the way the night sky reflected off his eyes had me mesmerised.

"Well it's beautiful, thanks for bringing me out here," I smiled although I hadn't looked away.

"You're welcome," he whispered as he leaned towards me. I was millimetres away from kissing him when I heard the back door go. I flinched and sat up to see my mom staring at us with her arms crossed.

"Clara?" she asked.

"Mom!" I exclaimed. "Axton was just showing me the stars," I told her.

"Stars?" she laughed but then looked up. "Oh wow," she said. "Well that's one way to win my daughters heart," she smiled at Axton, i blushed slightly.

"I'm sorry Mrs Taylor. I'll go home," he said quickly standing up.

"Oh it's okay Axton you can stay. I want you in by ten Clara, it's a school night. Maybe we can talk tomorrow?" my mom said to me and I nodded to her. I knew she wouldn't let today pass, my mom was a firm believer of talking things out, that's why we had such a good relationship but I was grateful she was giving me this time with Axton. She turned and closed the door. Axton smiled at me and sat back down. I copied and I felt my hair fall over my shoulder hiding my face. He reached out and moved my hair behind my ear.

"So beautiful," he whispered. I looked up thinking he was looking at the stars again but he wasn't, he was looking at me. I was sure I blushed even more.

Axton and I spend nearly two hours under the stars. He never made a move to kiss me again. We just lay there talking, he eventually put his arm around me and I had my head resting on his chest by the time the back door went and my mom stepped out to remind me it was ten o'clock.

I said goodbye to Axton and made my way in smiling.

"Is he your boyfriend now?" my mom asked. I shrugged as I made my way up the stairs.

"I don't know" I answered truthfully and I was grateful my mom didn't push it. I really had no idea but the idea sent butterflies off in my stomach. I climbed into bed and fell asleep faster than I ever had before. Completely forgetting all about the events of today and the dreams I had been having.

I was walking through a forest, above me the stars were out, not a cloud or pollution in sight. The sky was clearer than I had ever seen it, the trees dark green and very tall. I didn't know where I was, it certainly wasn't Chicago. As I walked through the forest I saw eyes watching me, they weren't just any eyes they were yellow eyes. I started walking faster to get away from them, my heart beat had picked up and I began running. I ran until I couldn't breathe and collapsed on the floor. I was aware the wolves were chasing me; the yellow eyed wolves that I knew weren't the Quileute ones from my family's legends. I was barely conscious but I was aware of someone above me. I looked up and Axton was there with his hand out and the wolves suddenly backed down. Axton held his hand out to me and I saw the whites of his eyes were gone, they were jet black. He smiled at me before kissing me forcefully.

I was shaken awake and I immediately saw my mother at the door. Esther was hovering over me, her hand on my forehead, her other next to my head.

"It's not a spell. Its real," she said to me and my mother. I sat up, Esther's hands dropped from my head and I sat there gasping for air.

"Are they real? Do they tell the truth?" I asked her.

"I don't know Clara. All I do know is that you dreamt of Liana when you couldn't have known about her. You dreamt of your best friend becoming a wolf and now he is. I really don't think it's a coincidence," she told me softly.

What did that mean about my dream then? Was Axton who I thought he was?

"I don't know Clara. I hope that was just a normal dream but I've been watching you all night. That was the first dream where I sensed something in your mind but it's not a spell. It's you." she said to me. I turned to see the clock read six am.

"I need to get ready for school," I said and climbed out of bed quickly. I didn't want to hear anymore of Esther's theories. I wanted to forget all about my dream. Axton couldn't control the wolves, that was Liana. My subconscious must have put him in there because I didn't know what Liana looked like. It used the closest mysterious thing I knew and put it in her place.

I tried to convince myself of this but as the day went on it was getting harder and harder for me to forget about it.


Only a short chapter but I will make up for it by posting another later this week.