Following Bella into the cafeteria, Elsie looked down, her cheeks hot with the embarrassment of all eyes being on her. Entire tables fell silent as they walked by, stares of anger, curiosity, and fear flickering past her in the moments she was brave enough to actually look up. She followed Bella over to a table, staring at the feet of the people who were already seated there. "This is..." Bella's voice trailed off, Elsie smirking as her face turned red. Bella couldn't even remember her name. Elsie supposed it was for the best—after all, wasn't that what she had wanted? A fresh start where no one remembered her or her past. "Elsie," she replied simply, looking at the inhabitants of the table for the first time. Her smile quickly faded as she took in their appearance: the bronze haired boy, the blonde boy who looked as if he was in pain, and the pixie cut girl who looked like she had just stepped off a stage. All painfully gorgeous. All pale. All va…
Elsie groaned in pain, falling to the floor as her vision went white for a few moments. Slowly, it faded back in, the cafeteria replacing the white hot pain that had overwhelmed her mere moments ago. Their faces, their bodies were so close to her. No, no she had to get away. This would certainly anger him and she couldn't afford it. "I have to go," she mumbled, grabbing her bag before running from the cafeteria, pushing past the people in her way as she did so. Fumbling with her keys, her SUV roared to life, Elsie flooring it as she pulled out of the parking lot, driving as far away from the high school and those things as she could get. Before long, she stopped, pulling the key out of the ignition as she stared forlornly at the house. This was no longer the happy, bright place it had been when she shared it with her father. It was now dark, ominous…a prison for her when her brother was home. Swallowing her fear, Elsie entered the house, flicking on all the lights as she moved cautiously through the house. After checking every room, her tensed shoulders relaxed; he wasn't home yet. She had a few more hours of solitude and peace before it began again. Turning towards the stairs Elsie paused, and in a split second a shadow passed by her, pain immediately radiating from her wrist. Looking down, Elsie could scarcely breathe as she watched the blood flow.
Startled by his sudden nearness Elsie screamed as her brother, Grant, grabbed her arm, licking the blood off of her wrist before throwing her away from him, a disgusted look crossing his face. His eyes unfocused for a few minutes before shifting back to normal, a smirk on his face as he leaned against the bannister to the stairs. "Making friends, I see?" She shook her head in quick, tight motions, afraid her discovery of the 'beautiful people' would anger her brother. "Shhhh, it's alright, dear, I'm not angry with you," he said, pulling her stiff body closer to him, forcing her to rest her head against his chest as he smoothed down her hair. "You've been a good little girl, Elsie, and brought me some very useful information. For that, a gift," he said, shoving her roughly away as he clapped his hands, placing a hand on each of her temples before releasing her mere moments later. The action would seem like nothing, an embrace, of sorts, to outsiders. But to Elsie it meant everything. Searching, she found that she could access memories of her father that had previously been blocked, as well as a few other things. "Vampires," she whispered, touching her lips as she uttered the phrase, sighing when the pain didn't hit.
"Yes, dear sister, more vampires." Elsie shook her head, pleading with her brother. "Grant, please, we can leave—we can go back to Seattle. We'll blend in better there. People don't know us as much there now that mom has moved. We don't have to do this, we can—" The pain hit before she could finish her sentence, the force from the slap sending her flying across the room, her body colliding with a bookshelf on the back wall of their living room. "This is my home!" He roared, a growl escaping his throat.
Catching himself, Grant stopped, smoothing down his suit jacket before popping his neck, forcing a chilling smile for her. "I was driven away from this place once before. I won't allow it to happen again, sister. Now, go clean yourself up. And I expect this place to be straightened to perfection by the time I get back from my hunting excursion." Grant walked towards her, bending down to place a kiss on her forehead before disappearing in a blur, leaving Elsie in shock. She sat there on the floor, surrounded by glass from a broken vase and books from the shelf she had collided with.
As she finally snapped back to reality and stood, she could already feel the bruises forming on her body. Shuffling into the kitchen, she grabbed the first aid kit from on top of the refrigerator, just bandaging up her wrist loosely when a knock sounded on the door. Assuming it was just another lost hiker she loosely taped her wrist, shuffling over to the door, still looking down as she pushed on the tape to secure it as she said, "The main road is south of here. The town is about five miles past that and then you ca…" Elsie's mouth hung open as she looked up, Edward and Bella standing in her doorway. "May we enter?" he asked, his eyes flickering around anxiously as he shoved Bella behind him.
Elsie jerked her head back and forth. "No, no, you need to leave. Now! Go!" She cradled her wrist closer to her body after slamming the door closed, sinking to the floor. She could already feel the tears streaming down her face. He would kill her for this, for leading them here. "Elsie, we can help you!" Bella yelled, but she continued to ignore them, too lost in her own thoughts. "I know that you're scared, Elsie, but we can help you. He can't hurt you anymore if you just accept our help." Elsie's breath caught in her throat; how had he known exactly what she was thinking? "I can read minds, Elsie, it's my gift. Similar to your brother's…" At the mention of him Elsie instinctively wrapped her arms around herself a little tighter, her body screaming from the pain he had just inflicted minutes ago.
"How do I know this isn't a trick? How do I know you won't do what he's doing?" She yelled back, still cautious of this stranger. She knew nothing about him—or his family—except that they were the same thing as her brother: monsters.
"We aren't like him, Elsie. We don't hurt humans. I couldn't be with Bella if that was the case, now could I?" Elsie was already shaking her head.
"No! You're all the same, I can't trust you! Please leave before he comes back. He's probably already picked up on your scent." Edward sighed, speaking in hushed tones with Bella. Foosteps and then…nothing. Elsie sighed, her tears still flowing down her face.
"Elsie?" She jumped as the door slowly began to open, Bella entering the house. She jumped a few steps away, looking at the ground as Bella took in her appearance. "They are nothing like your brother," she said quietly, clearly afraid of frightening her by speaking too loudly. "But, if you insist on not getting help from them we might have someone else who can help you." Intrigued, Elsie looked up at her, waiting for her to continue. "I have some friends down on the reservation near La Push. They're skilled in…killing vampires. Related to wolves, I've heard," Bella said, Elsie nodding slowly as she caught on. Werewolves were quite rare, but not unheard of. Her brother had come across several humans who had memories of them in their blood.
"Why would they want to help me?" Elsie asked. Bella shrugged. "That's what they're here for, Elsie. To help people against the rogue vampires. We can take you there now, if you want." Bella was leaving it completely up to Elsie. She thought for a few moments, turning around, her eyes scanning the place that had once been her happy home. "Please take me to them before he gets back." Bella nodded, walking back to the car, Elsie following, still cradling her arm close to her chest. She bent down, sliding into the backseat of the Volvo, putting her seatbelt on moments before the car roared to life, Edward driving so quickly that it threw her back against the headrest.
