Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: Hey guys! I know it's been the longest time since an update and I'm so, so, so sorry about that, but I've been working on some original stuff that's sort of been consuming my time. I highly doubt any of it will ever see the light of day but it's all mine and that is rather addicting.
Anyhow, I randomly started re-reading Miss Imprint the other day and found myself quite sad when I came to chapter seventeen and realized there was no more! And so, in a fit of eagerness to see where this story goes, I thought I'd finish it up!
I stumbled upon an entire chapter that I'd written and I realized there was only a chapter or two between them (not to say there's only three left, because there is quite a bit more) but I do love connecting the dots so I'm going to do my best to finish this over the next couple of months (and I actually mean that this time).
We do skip a head a little bit in this one but i promise it's so we can get to the good stuff that comes a little bit after all of this. Also I'm upping the rating to an M because it occurs to me that I may break some rules otherwise. I hope you won't mind.
For any of you who are waiting for the third in my other series, I promise I'll get around to writing it: it has been planned for the most part but execution takes time and that's in rather short supply these days. In its stead I hope you'll accept this new chapter and many more to come.
Thanks so much for anyone who is generous and wonderful enough to still be checking for updates!
As always, let me know what you think!
-S
Miss Imprint
Chapter 18: Acceptance
Seth staying overnight at my house had become a permanent thing. After the first week of our tentative relationship we slipped into a natural groove. He'd sneak into bed after patrols and I'd wake up in the morning warm and surrounded by him. And he'd started leaving clothes here which really he'd always done so it wasn't too far of a stretch.
Dad came home on weekends and which would break up our routines. I mean Dad was crazy cool most of the time but I had a feeling he'd put on the man-hat and got bezerk if he knew that we were playing house.
So Seth would retreat home—but I missed him then—don't get me wrong, its not like I couldn't handle living my own life, blah blah blah but that boy was an awesome pillow—I mean he came pre-heated!
Also, he did this really adorable whining thing when I pulled out of his arms in the morning and he'd sort of grapple for me in the sheets.
That's where we were now.
"Seth?"
"Mm?" He responded from my neck where his lips were doing altogether far too delicious things that were making me loose my train of thought. Focus, Cassie.
"My dad's going to back soon—you might want to scoot." I cast an eye at the alarm clock. It was ten past twelve in the afternoon and the sun was slipping in through the closed curtains.
"Cass, it's like the crack of dawn." He whined before resuming to press his warm, dry lips against my neck.
"Um, more like the crack of noon." I correct, leaning into him. "It's going to be awesome when we head off to college—you won't have to keep leaving on weekends."
This time, Seth froze completely, his eyes darkening significantly. He cleared his throat. "Cass—we have to talk."
"What?" Stay cool, Cassie, he hasn't imprinted, he hasn't imprinted. The words kept repeating in my mind.
"I don't know if I can go." He ground the words out and I saw the heartbreak across his face. But all I felt was relief. We were safe. But then the strangeness of his words struck me.
I turned over so that we were on our sides facing each other. "What do you mean?"
"I mean—I have a duty to the pack and I don't know if Brown fits into that." He was staring determinedly at a spot just over my left shoulder. He swallowed hard.
I couldn't believe it. Seth had been dreaming about Brown as long as I'd been dreaming about RISD. A.K.A. forever. I mean that's what kept us so close in the beginning. We were determined to get out of here—to make something of ourselves.
The idea that he wouldn't be going to Brown, that he would be forced to stay here and sacrifice his safety for ours was like all kinds of wack.
There was no way.
"They can't do that." I replied, outraged. "Seth, you're going to Brown."
He let out a slow breath before inching his gaze over mine. "Look, we don't even get our letters for another month—if they're coming."
"They are coming—what's with you?" I sat back so that I could get some space from him. It sounded almost like he didn't want to go. How screwed up was that?
"Cassie—everything's different now, I mean I have the pack and responsibilities and I can't just leave—it's selfish." He hesitated at the look on my face.
But I beat him to it. "I get that—I do, but what about getting out of here?" That had been the goal for as long as I could remember—Leah was the one that was all fired up about being a doormat with Sam but that got shot to hell when Emily happened. But Seth and I—we were always heading for bigger, for better. "Don't you still want to go to Brown?"
"I do." He said, his voice suddenly gruff. I hesitated—I had heard that tone before. "Cassie, what if I go—and people get hurt because I wasn't here?"
I froze—I hadn't considered that. And as much as I hated it—maybe he was right. "You can't think like that." I said eventually. "How about we table this until we get accepted, okay?"
He nodded, relief crossing over his face before a wicked gleam entered his eyes. "How about I table you?"
And with a shriek, I ran out of the room and we played a delightful game of catch before he grabbed me and pushed me up against the front door and kissed me until I was ready to give in to the one boundary we had left.
And then my dad rang the door.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit…" I repeated as I hastily grabbed my trench coat and pulled it on, before turning to see Seth leaning against the wall in his plaid pajama bottoms, an incredibly smug, amused expression on his face.
"Cassie?" My dad called from outside and then after a pause. "Seth?"
"Here!" We chorused, giggling as we opened the door and my dad walked in, his eyes ghosting over Seth but thankfully not saying a word.
"Seth was just leaving." I said and then when he nudged me, "not that he was here—I mean he was here—but—"
"He was spending the night because he was keeping an eye on him like I asked," Dad supplied with a wide grin and Seth shot him a thumbs up.
"That'll work." And with that Seth was out the door, swinging his keys around his finger and I shut the door after taking a long, glorious look at that behind. Boy was fine.
Monday came sooner than I hoped for and I buttoned up a black trench coat and wrapped my neck in a scarf to counter the ridiculously cold morning. There were just a few more weeks of school before Christmas and it definitely felt like it.
I set off on a walk, my feet slipping slightly across the glazed pavement. An arm linked with mine about halfway into school but it wasn't Seth—in fact it was much smaller and far more pale.
"You really like your entrances, don't you?" I laughed and she smiled widely before tugging me a little deeper into the woods.
"I'm sorry for the secrecy but I needed to get you alone." She walked us until we had crossed the imaginary boundary that I knew by heart now. Seth had made sure of that during the first few weeks we were dating.
"Sure—that's not creepy at all." I smiled as innocently as I could at her and she laughed her tinkling, sugary laugh.
And then, she pushed me down on a tree stump and stepped back until she was about three feet from me. She looked at me then and smiled. "Congratulations, Cassie on your acceptance to RISD."
I looked at her in complete and utter shock and then whooped loudly. "Hells yeah."
"I would advise you keep it to yourself." She said quietly, smiling, "no telling Seth."
That dimmed my exuberance and I tilted my head. "Why?"
"Remember that favor?" She asked instead, and I nodded even though part of me wanted to insist that she tell me why I couldn't tell Seth. Then again, she was a gazillion year old vampire with super human strength that could tell the future, so I'd probably lose that fight.
"Yup."
"I'd like to cash in." She sat down then, right beside me, almost unnervingly close. I swiveled so that I could see her face.
"What do you need?"
"You're going to get the letter in a week." She said abruptly, "Seth will want to take you to dinner."
"Well done me-on all counts." I grinned, my stomach exploding at the idea of seeing him dressed up. He looked good—well great all the time but there was this one shirt I had a particular attachment to.
"Focus, Cassie." Alice reprimanded lightly.
I smiled sheepishly, "Right, so what's the favor?"
"Do you trust me?"
The way she kept switching subjects was throwing me off and I couldn't help but wonder what she was up to—if this was part of her ploy. "Seth trusts you—and that's good enough for me."
"I thought you'd say that." She smirked and tapped her head. And then she took a long, tired breath and nodded. "Pete's at eight, there will be a reservation for you."
"That's it?" I couldn't figure out where she was going with this and what, in her head, I had already agreed to. "Really?"
"For now." She looked unbelievably sad, and I just couldn't figure what was going on. "Cassie—it will work out."
"Okay…I'm not sure what—"
"Just trust me," she pressed her hand lightly into mine and then looked torn. "Cassie, you knew you were going to do it, right?"
And suddenly it all made sense—and I knew exactly what she had been talking about. I fell backwards, gripping the stump with every once of strength I had within me.
"A week?" I confirmed, my voice wavering.
"Yes." And then as if she couldn't bear to stop there. "I didn't want it to take you by surprise."
"Yeah—no this is good, this is much better." But even I wouldn't have believed the hollow, despondent voice that escaped.
I heard the leaves rustle beneath her feet as she stood to leave. "I'm sorry I couldn't give you more time," she said softly, her voice catching on the last word. "Make it count."
"How am I supposed-"I began but she was gone.
