Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, just my characters and storyline.
Nahuel
I sat in my comfortable chair, my eyes staring out the window as I watched the sun begin to set and dusk beginning to break forth. I had been doing this for god knows how long. One hour. Two hours. I don't even know.
Self-reflection time. I thought.
I did this so often for the past almost one-hundred and sixty years of my existence, it felt normal to me. I wasn't able to stay still in one spot, focusing on only one thing for extended periods of time without being distracted like a normal vampire would, though. I was half-human after all, but, I never got bored easily. I do daydream so often that I do it absentmindedly. My sisters find it irritating to say the least.
The sisters I see often that is. I haven't heard from Serena in years. She hasn't visited me and vice versa since I helped the Cullens with the Volturi almost nine years ago. Maysun had told Serena about my intentions to help another vampire hybrid in America with their meeting with councilors of the vampire world and immediately informed Joham about it. She knew I wouldn't necessarily protect him from the Volturi when I was given the chance so I assumed that was why she fled and never spoke to me since.
I haven't heard from Joham either. He might've got away before The Volturi could reach him. Or maybe they already did. One of the Cullens mentioned to me that one of the Volturi's guard had the ability to hunt and track a vampire.
Whatever the case is, I wasn't sure I was going to find out any time soon.
It was a good thing my younger sister was with our second oldest, Maysun at the time. I would think if Serena or Joham ever wanted to flee, they would take her with them.
Throughout the period of Jennifer's life, Joham was more involved and invested than he was with us. Serena had to fend for herself after her own birth before Joham came to meet her for the first time. Maysun was raised mostly by Serena before she went off on her own as a rouge. And I was already being raised by my Aunt Huilen when Serena came to find me. When Joham found out he had produced and fathered a son, he came to see for himself but I wasn't as welcoming to his presence as he expected. He expected us to have an instant father and son bond but I wasn't having any of it. Huilen was my family and I was content with that.
That was until Jennifer was born. When I heard about her six months after her birth from Maysun, I knew I felt a need to protect her from Joham too. But my attempts were halted when to my surprise Joham wanted to be in her life through to the day she stops maturing. He was afraid of the same aversion to him happening to his youngest daughter. He thought I would be a 'bad influence' on Jennifer.
But Ninine (Nee-Nee) always had a mind of her own even though she was the most vulnerable. She had more humanity in her than either one of us. She had always been the better child.
For the first year of her life, the family of the woman who gave birth to her went out looking for her killer. Jennifer was her name. She was only twenty-three. She had an older sister, Madeline, who knew of her sister's relationship with Joham at the start of it but never paid much attention to it. Jennifer kept going on and on about his 'otherworldly beauty' and 'angel-like ways' and Madeline just thought she was crazy. It was only until they visited Jennifer's place one night and found her blood-splattered body on the floor, essentially dead, that they realized something wasn't adding up.
During their search, Maysun had the responsibility of looking after Jennifer whilst Serena and Joham went on a hunting sabbatical of three months in Europe. One day Maysun took Jennifer to a park in Columbus, Ohio. Maysun knew the second she saw Madeline crying in her husband's arms, looking at a photo of her deceased sister, that she was Jennifer's family. Knowing that Jennifer would benefit so much of having a tie to her birth mother, like I had with Huilen, Jennifer would feel less sorry and angry at herself about killing her own mother. So she introduced Jennifer to the humans.
For the next five years, Jennifer had paid visits to see Madeline every four times a year, for each season. She often took Maysun along but after Maysun told me what she did, I volunteered to join her on her trips as well. I knew how much it meant to Jennifer. She didn't hate herself as excessively as I did but she started hating herself a lot less from there onward.
The humans took to Jennifer almost instantly. She had that natural aura that drew anybody and everybody to her. It wasn't only her impossibly beautiful and rich looks that sucked people in but her also her calm, sweet, ethereal demeanor as well. It didn't bother them that their niece was a half-human, half-vampire hybrid that killed their family. I don't even think it needed to be mentioned or was even asked. She resembled her mother so much that they didn't want to risk losing her by asking questions.
We were hoping to hide this from Joham, for Jennifer's sake, for as long as possible because we knew he would get agitated. He was afraid of losing Jennifer to someone else.
The day he found out in Jennifer's seventh year, he became wrathful. He was so enraged to the pit of his being that he went on a rampage to destroy every shred of evidence in Jennifer's human side of life. He killed Jennifer's aunt and uncle immediately.
This shattered my sister. And enraged me even more. How someone so wrathful, possessive and jealous could be so cruel and inhumane to his own daughter's family was beyond me. I felt overprotective over Jennifer from then onward. I wanted to do everything in my being to keep her safe, safe from Joham and to never have her turn into someone like him.
She and I always had the best relationship. She was my baby sister and I loved her with everything in me. And she viewed me as her older brother who would always be there for her. To love and protect her forever and ever.
But as of late, I haven't shown that stellar brotherly love that she so deserves in her life.
I knew I disappointed her. She followed me here to spend time with me. To have a normal brother and sister relationship that we never had when she was under Joham's care and watch.
I have been so distracted in my quest to find a potential mate in the only other female hybrid Renesmee Cullen that I hadn't realized I was neglecting my most favorite female hybrid.
I felt bad.
In all honestly, I've been feeling horrible for a whole month.
After my altercation with Renesmee in New York, I realized I screwed up big time. The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint the object of my affection. I didn't think of the consequences that would transpire if I fed on a human, let alone a human that meant so much to her.
I didn't even care for her friend Felicity. Her blood just appealed to me and I fed on her only once. It doesn't justify my actions but I wasn't actively seeking out to forage her blood.
I was surprised how complicit she was to the idea of me feeding on her. I wondered why. The intrigue was the reason I held back from draining her blood completely.
I haven't seen her since that day but I do believe she knows more about us than she's letting Nessie on.
I've been finding it difficult to measure up to the man she wanted me to be. To measure up to that dog.
It was because of the ridiculous hold he had on her. It was as if he had her on a leash and she couldn't break free. It was as if she lost her free will and her life literally revolved around the wolf. It drove me insane.
Now I have to contend with him and try to make amends for my selfish and foolish actions.
She did not make it easy for me either.
She had been avoiding all of my calls, my texts and I was sure she would avoid my visits as well.
I didn't attempt the latter because I knew she wouldn't have been the only one I'd disappointed. I was sure she told her family about my antics and they would approach me soon. I had deep respect for the Cullen family, and although I was my own individual and didn't report to anyone, I still viewed and held their opinion of me to a high degree.
It will be incredibly difficult to work my way out of this one.
I thought Edward or Carlisle would be the first to reprimand me but to my surprise, it was the dog who wolfed out on me and did the accosting instead…
Flashback
I was enjoying a warm glass of O-negative blood as I watched a nature film on the television program National Geographic when I heard a rough bash on my door.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
I sighed as I hopped off my sofa and made my way to the door. The more I got closer to reaching for the door the more the drippy, slobbery scent of wolf lingered on my nose.
"Oh the joy," I whispered to myself before I opened the door.
And there it was. The dog. The obstacle between my lengthy pursuit to woo and win Renesmee's affection.
"Buenos dias, Jacob." I greeted.
He grimaced, his hands firmly lodged into his pockets.
I would give it to the man. He had a good few inches on me and he was packed with rips of muscle. But I wasn't easily intimidated by him. Why would I need to be?
And I wasn't completely defenseless myself. I had the speed and agility he didn't have in human form. And I had clefts of muscle too, if I do say so myself. Not as much as his or as huge but I could defend myself it came to fight.
"Nahuel," He replied.
"What can I do for you?"
He looked at me. His dark eyes, accusing.
"I don't know what went down between you and Nessie in New York, but I'm just here to give you a friendly warning," He said.
I crossed my arms and waited.
"I suggest you stay away from Nessie. She doesn't seem like your biggest fan right now. And honestly, your constant harassing of her isn't sitting well with me."
"Me? Harassing?" I scoffed. "Seems to me you are threatened by me or something."
He chuckled nonchalantly. "No – No. See, that is where you're wrong, Rico Suave. I'm not easily threatened. It would take a hell of a lot to do that. I'm comfortable with Nessie's feelings for me –"
"Because you've got her cursed and trapped under your wolf spell!"
He pursed his lips. "Listen here, Jungle Boy nitwit. I'm not gonna tell you again. This is a warning, you wouldn't want it to turn into a threat. If you ever do anything to hurt –"
"I would never do that." I smirked.
He scowled at my look.
Seems like I get under his skin a little bit.
I liked it.
"Look, I'm not here to fight you, Nahuel. I can see the look in your eye. You want to start a fight and I just don't work that way." He told me. "I don't hate you, I don't want to hate you, I just don't particularly care for your existence but Nessie does and so does her family. The Cullens really are indebted to you, dude. You don't wanna jeopardize that relationship by your incessant need to make one of their girls like you." He scoffed.
"Nessie…" I mocked. "Doesn't seem like a girl to me. She is a woman. A grown woman who because of your lock on her can't make her own decisions."
He stared me down. "I'm sorry?"
I smirked. I got him now.
"You know it. I bet you do. Everybody sees it. She can't do anything without having to report to you in some shape or form. She can't have an independent mind without being tied to you. Sounds like an awful life don't you think? Who knows what could've happened if you hadn't been in the picture. She probably would've been with someone who would let her still have an independent voice, she would've been with someone else, of her own choosing. Someone like me –"
And I was automatically flung against the door with supernatural brute force. I grunted but didn't waver.
"Don't. Even. Think. It." He snarled.
I chuckled. "Get your hand off me, Jacob."
"Are you really as delusional as you sound? Nothing will ever happen to you and Nessie. Nothing!"
"That's a matter of opinion."
He rolled his eyes and let go of his grip on me after a realization occurred to him.
"Can't you just accept the fact that she's not into you and she won't ever be into you?" He questioned.
"We'll see about that."
He shook his head and turned on his heel.
"You know what I'm talking about. I'm sure you've been thinking about it all the time." I said to him.
He halted.
"What would have happened if you hadn't emblazoned your wolf worship onto her? Would your relationship with her have ever been? Come on, Jacob. You're a wolf and she's part vampire. You're not supposed to be. Don't you think she would've found a more compatible mate in someone like herself?"
He snorted.
"You think you can try to win your argument by using a bunch of hypotheticals? You don't know anything about my relationship with Nessie. And if you think for a second you and her would have ever been a thing if I wasn't in the picture, think again. Like I said, Nahuel. I didn't come here to fight you. I didn't come here to contend with you, this isn't a competition. Nessie is with me and she will always be with me. Forever. You just need to come to grips with that. I get what it's like to want to be with somebody you can't have believe me, I do…but there's plenty of vampires around here for you to choose. You have your pick of the litter. Go for it. Just…don't think you'll achieve anything with Renesmee. She's my present and future. She's my future wife. She's mine. That's my turf."
Damn. Well I was jealous. And I'm not too proud to admit I was jealous of Jacob. He really did have her. She really was his. And I could tell it wasn't a competition to him. If it were a two-way street, I think it would be extremely hard for me.
I've spent 160 years of my life looking for someone that even remotely resembles a true life companion and never found any luck.
I think I've found it. I've found that potential life companion in my life in Renesmee.
But someone already claimed it. Somebody already claimed her.
"I do envy that about you, Jacob. And I'm aware of your love for her and contrary to belief, I don't want to interrupt with Renesmee's happiness. I understand her affection for you. And I promise I will lay off." I told him.
He snorted but pressed his lips together and nodded his head once. His legs began to scrap ceramic ground as he turned his body around and began walking off. As if he had won the battle. As if he reigned victorious over his conquest.
"But I still stand by my words." I uttered.
As he reached his motor vehicle –looked like a BMW Z4 2015 model – he fiddled with his keys and looked towards me.
He sighed.
"This isn't a game to me, Nahuel." He said as he opened his car door.
I just smiled.
He hopped into his car and the turbo engine suddenly roared before he drifted off in hyper speed.
On the contrary, Jacob. This is very much a game.
And I intend to win it.
We'll see who truly does come out on top in the end.
End of flashback
It didn't need to be affirmed that Jacob didn't like me but I bet after that day, his dislike for me increased tenfold. I didn't mind though. At least I knew I could tick him off.
I sipped the remaining drops of blood from my glass and shot up from my seat, placing the glass on the side stand and I grabbed my jacket and shrugged it on as I made my way to the door.
I deliberated whether or not to run to Jennifer's place. It felt better and a lot more natural. After spending over a century in the jungle, I grew accustomed to the outdoors. Even when Huilen and I separated often while I explored the world, I always stayed pretty close to the forest. I remember when I lived in Rio De Janiero, Brazil for some five or ten years on my own I built myself a little house between trees. In addition to finding a passion for the art, such as painting, I became quite the craftsman.
Huilen and I didn't have much during our time together, from the village when I was merely a mere youngling. So we tried to work with what we had. I had built ourselves homes everywhere we went, and even when she and I would separate. Living in America was the very few times I'd found myself a base and the only time I used my own income to find myself a place. I thought since I was in the 21st century, I should start behaving like I was in the 21st century.
As I deliberated whether or not to travel to Jennifer's apartment by foot, I realized that it wouldn't be feasible because she lived on the other side of town. Might as well find my way there like a human would.
Hail a cab.
After making a few stops along the way, I reached the loft.
I breathed in, hoping that the second she opened the door she wouldn't slam the door right in my face.
I knocked on the door twice and waited.
The door was suddenly flung open and I was met with the familiar striking, forest-like green eyes I've known for over two decades.
"Hi, mi hermana." I greeted with a smile.
She sighed. "What do you want, Nahuel?" My sister replied in her usual American accent. I don't think it ever went away.
"I know I'm the last person who want to see right now but I just came to apologize. For being a jerk of a brother. I know I've been a pain lately and it sucks because it never occurred to me the reason why you're here to spend time with me, and I haven't been giving you the time of day. But here I am begging you to give me another chance to make it up to you. I'm sorry, Flor." I said profusely.
She stared at me, with her arms folded, and she deliberated.
"I've brought a peace offering." I said, waving the bag of food and drinks. "Portuguese Prego's and soup." I suggested.
Her smile crept up on her face.
"What kind of soup?"
I smirked. "Mexican chili! And I also toss the complementary sodas for some O-Negative!"
She hummed. "I prefer AB Positive but O will do." She shrugged as she snatched the bag and stepped aside for me to enter.
I smiled as I entered the loft.
"I don't I've ever really been in your loft before." I told her as I closed the door.
"Yeah don't expect a tour. There's nothing much." She answered as she began dishing out.
"Humph." I sighed as I set the cups on her too small table.
I sniffed the air as I began circling around her and the house.
"Don't take this the wrong way, Jennie but you smell funny." I said.
"Is there any good way to take that comment, Nahuel?"
"You smell odd. Like you've been cuddling a stray slobbery dog." I said, scrunching my nose.
Jennie frowned and then sniffed her top. "I smell fine, Nahuel. What are you talking about?"
I shook my head. "I don't know. Maybe my senses are off lately. But ever since I got exposed to those, hounds, it feels like everything smells like dirty, smelly dog."
"They've always smelled fine to me." Jennifer said nonchalantly. "Maybe it's your more vampiric side acting up again."
"Maybe." I shrugged. "I suppose because I have venom in my system, I tend to exhibit more characteristics like a full vampire, hence, the reaction to the smell. Or maybe because I spent a century and a half never being exposed to other creatures besides vampires and humans, I've had a hard time adjusting to the various scents."
She shrugged and walked over to her kitchen/living table and took a seat.
"Your loft even smells like one of those dogs." I frowned as my eyes began accusing my youngest sister. "What have you been doing, Jennifer?"
"Nothing!" She snapped.
I cocked an eyebrow. I wasn't convinced.
She saw my incredulous expression and gave in.
"Well, I do have sort of an explanation for that." She began.
I did not like where this was going. I finally pulled up a chair and sat right across her. I waited for her to continue speaking.
"I've sort of been having over one of the wolf boys." She said regretfully.
I frowned. "Which one?"
"I wouldn't say 'having over' more like he's been popping in uninvited." She rolled her eyes.
She sounded irritated.
"Which one?" I questioned. Hoping it wasn't the one I think it was.
"You know Embry right?" She spat the name as if it burned her tongue like a piping hot cup of tea.
"The tall and slender one, right?"
She nodded. "Well he has just been a snag to me as of late. You see, he worked close to where I worked and now that he moved to where Jacob worked, he works even closer to me. So we'd always bump into each other from time to time and he always offered me a ride home. I always said no but he never stopped his persistence so I gave in and being that Oakland Woods is the only town in California that has cold and wet weather temperatures almost all the time, it made getting out of a free ride impossible."
"So he'd drop me off outside and I'd always go. But lately he's been following me all the way to my door, making it his personal goal to annoy the BeeJeezus out of me. Ugh. I can't stand him!" She shrilled.
"Sounds like he might have a thing for you."
She shook her head viciously. "The only thing he has a thing for is himself. He is so full of himself. An obnoxious man."
I furrowed my eyebrows as she expressed her disdain for him so passionately.
"You don't have feelings for him…do you?" I asked.
She shot a dirty look at me and I waved my hands.
"I'd rather claw my eyes out." She snarled.
I kept quiet then.
"He's a total tool. A lothario at best. He is the typical guy who flirts with anything that breathes and looks his way."
"Well fine, you may not like him but why interact with the rest?"
I noticed she was getting along with Jacob and the younger wolf Seth.
"What's wrong with making a few friends?"
"Humans are one thing but mutts? They're not good company to keep."
"Speak for yourself," She scoffed. "At least I'm able to make friends whilst I'm here. You're so antisocial. You're too busy trying to woo a girl that's just not that into you."
I smirked. She's also doubting too. But she was right with one thing. I was antisocial. It was hard for me to interact with people for extended periods of time and form long lasting bonds.
"I will get what I want." I assured her.
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, but I'm just saying Nahuel. It's okay to make friends. And despite some rotten apples, they are good people. The Cullens and the wolves."
I scoffed.
"We're like vulnerable ragamuffins, Nahuel. Waifs. Orphans. We don't have mothers. We barely have a present father. We can still make friends. That is at least in our control."
I was pleased to know she felt the same disdain for Joham as I did. But I think I was more furious than she ever was. Not only wasn't he a good father to me but to all of us, all of his little 'experiments'. And the one who was most affected by it was the youngest of the four of us. I was angry and Serena saw things differently but Maysun was different. Maysun was strong. Probably stronger than all of us combined.
Jennifer was an exception.
"You're probably right."
"I know I'm right." She replied.
I rolled my eyes. "I said probably."
And that was when the topic ended.
She sighed as she began eating her food. "Work's also been sucky. I don't like my boss. Sometimes I have to hold back from draining his life out but that would surely be conspicuous and school's been okay. I've really been enjoying it. I wish I had done it sooner when I had the chance. Humans are so much fun."
I bit my tongue from saying something that I would regret later. I didn't know what Jennifer's fascination with humans was. From a young age she always found humans more entertaining than they were a meal to her. She was a lot different than me and my other sisters. But to be fair, all four of us were different in our own individual ways.
As long as it made her happy playing human, I was happy for her.
I nodded. "When are you graduating?"
"Around June, why?" She answered me.
I shrugged. "Would you like me to be there?"
Her eyes widened. "Yes! I would love that. Oh and maybe even…" She stopped herself right there to stare at the ground and then to her plate.
I knew it bothered her that she hasn't communicated with our sisters in a while, particularly Serena. Serena had her quarrels and issues but she had her moments. Through thick and thin, she was a go-to sister when needed and Jennifer always loved that about her.
I gave her a sympathetic look. "I talked to Maysun a few days ago."
Her eyes brightened and her face beamed. "Really?"
I nodded.
"What did she say?" She demanded.
"Nothing much. She gave me some intel on a few vampires we need to look out for that she met up on her travels. She's still in London. She hasn't heard from Serena or Joham since the last time they talked as well." I told her.
She nodded her head but didn't reply.
"She says she misses you though." I added.
Her smile widened. I knew that warmed her up a bit.
"What about you? How's your life going?"
I hemmed and hawed before sighing. "I wish I had a good story to tell. I've just been painting and painting and doing more painting. Although I have taken up mediating."
"You're such an antisocial hippy," She laughed.
I smiled.
"I miss this." I said to her as she laughed.
Her laughs stopped but her smile never whiffle-waffled instead it turned into a smile.
"Me too," She replied.
I smiled back. "Now tell me again about this Embry."
"Oh god!" She groaned and began rambling on and on about how annoying he was.
… …
Felicity Stone
I was on my daily jog around my neighborhood. I did this often ever since I was old enough to jog on my own but ever since last year, I did it more often than I ever did. Jogging gave me a chance to zone out and recollect my thoughts all at the same time. It kept me sane on days I just wanted to scream and shout – and lately that has been every day.
But even when I'm jogging, with my earphones plugged into my ears, even then I feel unsafe. Even then I feel my state of mind needs to be carefully evaluated away from this routine I've grown accustomed to and reliant on.
Every time I run, something always threatens to slow me down.
Whether it is oncoming traffic that come out of nowhere or some random kids that run passed me.
But lately it's been different.
It's been a lot weirder and inexplicable.
Like today.
I was jogging around three blocks away from my house of 55th Glennoak Street, passing by Mr. Frederickson's house, listening to the Top 40 hits when I felt a cold whoosh of air creep behind me and a very eerie energy floating in the air.
Then I heard my name being called.
"Felicity,"
I halted in my tracks to examine the area.
Nothing.
I frowned as I plugged my earphone in my ear and continued my run.
"Felicity!" I heard a shout. "Felicity!" And then a whisper. "Felicity! Felicity!" Two more whispers. "Felicity!" Another shout.
I sped up my running as I heard the voices and with each move I made the voices got louder, tuning my music off.
I gasped as I stopped in my tracks, pulling my earphones out and heaving breathlessly. I spun around to see the area cleared, with only one car driving passed me.
I bent my knees and gripped them with both my hands as I tried to catch my breath, staring at the ground.
"Felicity!" I then heard a familiar voice I knew all too well.
My heart faltered to beat as I raised my head up. I suddenly felt a hand touch my shoulder.
I gasped and turned around, finding nobody.
I widened my eyes.
What is happening to me?
"Over here, Felicity!" The voice came back.
I closed my eyes and gnawed on my lip, swallowing the heavy lump in my throat before I slowly turned around.
And there he was.
Three yards from me.
Hunter.
Hunter. My boyfriend since freshmen year who got killed just last spring. Right in front of me.
Although, it shouldn't have been the case. He was supposed to be dead.
Then in a blinding flash, not even a blink of an eye could catch it, he was on the opposite side. I gasped. And then he moved closer to me, a smirk on his face.
"Y-you're supposed to be dead!" I said to him, tears filling my eyes.
He smirked and slowly lifted his hand to caress my cheek. He was inches away from me, I waited, but then he disappeared.
I suddenly found my heartbeat again.
"What?"
"Felicity!" A soft voice spoke.
I turned around to meet the eyes of the woman who raised me since I was a young child. A woman who I viewed as my mother even though she wasn't truly. My stepmom who died just last spring as well was standing in front of me, a couple of feet away from me.
"L-Linda?" I croaked, holding my mouth.
She didn't say anything this time. She crept closer and slowly caressed my cheek. I swear it felt real but so different. Her hands were cold. So cold.
This shouldn't be.
And then I heard the honking of a car that brought me back to reality. I spun around suddenly to see a car approaching me at high speed. I quickly jumped off the road, my stepmother all but gone.
"What the hell is happening?"
This wasn't the first time.
I arrived home a couple of minutes later.
I walked into door and closed the door behind me.
"Did you have a good jog, dear?" Nana Priscilla, my legal guardian and grandmother entered the room with a plate of cookies and muffins she made for me as if she expected me at this very moment.
I nodded, not trusting my voice. "I'm just going to take a shower."
"Felicity!" She called. "I'd like to speak to you for a minute."
"Gran, I really just want to –"
"It will only take a minute. It is really important we talk about this." She pleaded with me.
I sighed, deliberating as I glanced up the stairs. I gave in and followed her to the living area.
I sat down on the opposite recliner to hers, hands pursed between my thighs as I waited.
She poured me a cup of coffee.
"Cream and sugar?" She asked.
I smiled and shook my head.
"I'm fine. Thanks, Gran." I told her as she poured the cream and sugar for herself. "What did you want to talk about?"
"Well, firstly. I just wanted to talk about you. Find out what's been bothering you. You have been awfully quiet and reserved lately."
"Well why wouldn't I be? My father's still in hospital and I lost my mother." I told her.
Was she trying to hurt me even more?
"You still have a mother, Felicity." She told me.
I narrowed my eyes. "Who I've never met? Who doesn't want to meet me? Who I don't even know?"
She sighed. "My daughter had her issues, I will admit. But I understand why she did what she did by leaving you. To some extent."
"And yet nobody wants to tell me why?" I probed. Her lips opened. "You know what. I don't even want to know. It doesn't matter. She had years to find me and she hasn't so…It doesn't matter now. She's dead right?"
She didn't answer my question.
"Your father had the same view about it." She retold. "When your mother suddenly left, leaving your young father behind, he was positively enraged. How could an own mother abandon their only child? He knew better how that would have affected a child. He was the orphaned child I raised from when he was just twelve. I was the only family he had and knew. If I had known he would have ended up with my then nine year old daughter, I would probably had established a whole different household. They were inseparable, you'd have to forcibly move them from the hip." She laughed.
I smiled. I hadn't heard that part before, about my dad's past. I knew my father grew up as an orphan after being dropped off at a foster home's doorstep. His mother was probably a too young teenager, probably younger than me, to care for a child. He entered into the fostering system, being transferred to foster home after foster home for years until he found a permanent home. Over the years, I think he was in his late twenties when I was barely a small girl, he discovered he had family from his mother's side who lived in Philadelphia. I found out I had cousins who I didn't know about for almost ten years.
My dad's side of the family, although really amazing, don't have much though.
They weren't the wealthiest family. They were middle-classed income at best. Totally different from how I grew up. My father was an inventor, a totally smart man. I've always admired his level of intellect. It was his intelligence that helped him build his own empire. He wasn't a Bill Gates or anything, but I lived more privileged than most teenagers my age. I always took it for granted. However after these last few months, I relied on my other family a lot and I realized that despite not having much, they had each other and that humbled me a lot.
My father's birth mother died from suicide when she was only 16 after giving her child up. My father would have never meet his birth mother ever which would have crushed anybody but he was grateful to at least have some tie to her.
"Your father resented your mother for years because he thought she did the same thing his birth mother has done to him with you. Your father did everything he could to give you a life he never had growing up. With a stable family. He thanked his lucky stars when he met Linda and you two hit it off completely. I guess she was always meant to be your surrogate mother."
"She is my mother." I corrected. But then I realized I needed to correct myself. "Or at least she was my mother."
I stared at my hands.
"I'm not trying to upset you, Felicity. I empathize with you. I lost a daughter-in-law too." She told me.
I nodded. "So why did my birth mom really leave?" I asked begrudgingly.
She inhaled a shaky breath. "Well that brings me to my next topic."
I frowned.
"Your mother didn't just leave for the sake of leaving you. She had her reasons. Some I didn't agree with and some I actually believed were actually noble. She loved you, Felicity."
I scoffed. Yeah right. Some love.
"I'm serious, she truly loved you. She was a young mother. Barely even twenty, but she loved you with all she had." She said to me. "But life happens, and if you knew what type of life she led you would understand."
I stared at her, wondering where she was going with this. She looked like she was having war with her mind. Finding the right words to express herself.
"The world we live in isn't as red tape as you think it is, Felicity. It's not black and white." She told me.
"Yeah, tell me about it."
"I will." She told me. "Remember all the stories I read and told you growing up? Those fantastical stories I recited to you every time you came to visit me over the summer break? The stories I've been reciting to you ever since then till now?"
I nodded.
"I want you to look at them as not just stories but reality."
I stared her. "The stories about what? The Little Mermaid? Or the stories that I come from a long line of clairvoyants who possess powers that defy human evolution?" I laughed.
She didn't particularly welcome my scornful tone.
"You're going to be eighteen in a month. I think it is time you hear the truth and the whole truth." She told me.
"So are you saying I'm an Intuitionist? Mediums? Psychic? A telepathist?" I asked.
"No." She sighed. "It's a lot less black and white like that, Felicity."
"What are you trying to say, Grams?"
"Remember the story I told you about the Salem witch hunts in the 15th century? And parts of the 17th century?" She pointed out. I nodded. "Well pop culture tried to fictionalize it to fit their own narrative. We have interpretations of it such as The Crucible –McCarthyism – The Hecate, Malleus Maleficarum –"
"That's the book you read often?"
"Yes, my dear Faye." She smiled. "The world does have some imagination. But they've each interpreted the witch hunts differently. According to them, witches often manifest their powers through spells, spellbooks, potions and wands. But that's not entirely true."
"I've heard the story before, Gran." I rolled my eyes.
"But I don't want you to see it through the eyes of just a story. Think of it as reality." She said. "The origins of the malevolent spirits. Wicked spirits that travel around us have given humans the ability to interpret the truth about them in other ways. Think of Circe and Morgan le Fay, all novels that have different interpretations about them. But the truth is far deeper, far more wicked. These spirits sought out to wreak havoc on the world and the Otherworld. These spirits have been around for centuries. Dating back thousands of years, maybe even millions. Demons like the mad titan Hades was born from these spirits. These were spirits that needed to be stopped.
There were more spirits out there. But the spirits that stayed contained. That didn't break free like the malevolent spirits. We call them the benevolent spirits, the altruistic spirits who chose not to make spectacles of themselves until truly warranted and needed. They could feel the destruction being caused upon the various worlds.
All the wars that broke out in the human world and raptures alike. They were causing destruction so they needed to be stopped. And the benevolent spirits were the only match for them. But they knew their powers were too weak to match against the mighty dark magic the malevolent spirits possessed. They needed a host. So they searched, and searched for a host until they stumbled upon an earthly creature.
They thought a mighty animalistic creatures would be their safest bet but that was a crucial mistake as the host died the second they took over his body. Then they tried more animalistic creatures with fighting instincts –bears, lions, mammoths, elephants, tigers, apes and jaguars – any animal you could think of. Nothing. Utter failures. Their minds were not compatible with the spirits. That was until they came across a different creature, one that survived by its own mental disposition and not by instinct. It walked on two legs instead of on all fours. It could think for itself and did things for itself. The spirits believed they found their host. And they did.
They took over the bodies of the people of the earth. The people were amazed by the power they possessed and then began using them to benefit themselves, but then they saw the horror that was happening around them and began using their powers for good. To rid of all the badness in the world. The malevolent spirits were enraged and began causing even greater destruction, but the benevolent spirits fought back with everything they could. The dark spirits possessed dark magic, the strongest and most powerful magic alive. It was also the most lethal magic. And this saw the destruction of most of hosts of the benign spirits. The wicked spirits easily wiped out have the population."
"Half the population?!" I widened my eyes.
My grandmother nodded. "Dark magic is the type of magic you never use unless you're hoping to be dead or cause death. The possession of such power needed to be stopped. The few remaining hosts in the village of Cressidania fought with everything they had but they knew they couldn't destroy the spirits, which is why the enchantress, the most powerful among them all, Amintia (Aaa-mee-nee-sha) and her fellow enchantresses casted a spell called Detainmos which was able to lock the wicked spirits into an abyss, to keep the spirit caged and hidden for centuries. The enchantresses did not just keep the powerful spirit safely locked from endangering their village and the world, they protected it. They safeguarded it as if their lives depended on it and it did. The power Amintia had saved the town, and that gave way to her new alias…The Pythoness…the warrior of the spirit world." She said, now opening an ancient book and setting it in front of me.
Then I saw the image of what looked like The Pythoness. It wasn't a clear drawing or depiction but you could see the undulations and details of the illustration. She was ethereal. A glowing light.
"But that wasn't the end. You see, the village may have been saved. However, wicked spirits still roamed the earth. They knew that the cage locking the spirits would not hold for too long but they were hopeful that they can detain them again in the future. That is why they kept guard over it. Cherub-like warriors had guarded the gulf for years and years. This was called a Other Dimension. The portal that locked them for years. They were waiting for the day the dark spirits attempted to come out. This portal was vicious as they attempted to break free. The portal was rampant but they were still detained. The remaining malevolent spirits saw what was going on and had to think of another way. So they did what the benevolent hosts did. They took people as hosts but instead of being the harmonious spirits that could easily blend in with the human world, they became vicious animalistic creatures that only caused outlandish havoc in the town. This lead way to the rest of the supernatural world."
"Supernatural world? Do you mean…" I stopped myself.
She nodded, knowing I knew what she meant. "Yes, Faye. Those bedtime stories you hear are true. There are other creatures out there. Bad creatures. Creatures that only come out in the night to wreak havoc upon the earth, the flesh-eating demons that kill their prey, the wild underworld creatures of the sea and then probably one of the most wicked of all…the blood-drinking immortal predators that prey on human blood."
I widened my eyes. Visions and flashes flooded my brain. Visions I've been having lately.
Vampires.
"Vampires," I voiced out.
She nodded and smiled as soon as I got it.
"These creatures still exist together. Some of them although were destroyed as soon as Amintia and her enchantresses found out what was happening to the world again after centuries of peace. They knew malevolent spirits still lived on."
"Wait. You said centuries." I pointed out. "Did that mean The Pythoness didn't age? As in never?"
"The powers they had were inexplicable to human understanding. They had powers to preserve their own bodies. Even though they still exhibited the same characteristics of their human hosts, they needed to preserve themselves in order to protect the nation. Amintia and her enchantresses of the town knew that they would have to fight again. But they couldn't do it alone. They needed help. And bear in mind, the population was halved by the destruction caused by the dark spirits which destroyed many of the spirits and their hosts as well. They only way to keep the power alive and transfer the spirit was through creation."
"So this village was a village only for women?" I laughed. "Talk about girl power."
"It was." My Grams smiled. "But they were still essentially human and the only way to carry on the spirit was through human reproduction. So they travelled to the warrior village close to their vicinity. They seduced the men of the village, some of them even built lives with them, and reproduced. This time, the power wasn't gender specific. It could transferred to both male and female because of genes they possessed."
I listened intently. "The Pythoness, did she reproduce?"
My grandmother smiled at me, her wrinkly laugh lines hidden because of her wide grin. I was always told I looked the most like her. She was a very beautiful woman back in her day, I could tell.
"Yes she did. She had three daughters. The three daughters had traditional Gaelic and Latin names of the era however, if you translated them to now they would have been called, Mary-Lee, Genevieve and Cynthia. The most beautiful girls in the land, you would only but have to touch them to believe they were real. All of them had long, whimsical hair that resembled the burning sun and eyes that resembled the waves of the ocean and the green of the forest. They were magical in all aspects of the word. And powerful, especially together. The oldest, Mary-Lee led the two whilst they followed. They were inseparable."
"There came a time when the girls had to take over the land whilst their mother, The Pythoness, hunted for the remaining dark spirits. Mary-Lee was the protector. She protected the nation and her sisters. Genevieve was the caregiver, she had the kindest soul you could imagine but Cynthia...she was the rebellious one. She wanted to explore. To adventure. Totally different from her older siblings.
"One day, as Cynthia walked through the woods with a young admirer of hers from the man village, she came across a creature. Who looked like man but had the skin of a hard stone and had blood red eyes. Of all the stories her mother had told her, she knew who the man was. But her naïve human admirer didn't and he did the stupid thing of attacking the creature. Cynthia screamed as she watched the human fall to the ground essentially dead after being drained of blood. She then used her magic to hurl the man away and with all her anger, destroyed the vampire with her mystical power. There was only one way to kill a vampire. And it was through fire."
"So she casted a fire spell on him." I said.
She nodded. "Bereaved, she mourned the death of her human lover and cried out for her sisters. She was going to cast a spell to attempt to bring him back to life but she didn't think to look for any companions the vampire came with. She found herself ambushed and drained of her blood too, essentially dying. Her sisters along with other enchantresses appeared at the nick of time. They destroyed the blood man instantly and rushed to their sister. They attempted to revive her as they saw her body deteriorating and decaying but knew they couldn't because the only one who possessed the power to bring back a life was The Pythoness who wasn't around. And the only other means to reverse death was through dark magic which they were forbidden to use or else that would result in their own death. They were in a big predicament.
"Mary-Lee then contacted her mother's spirit to let her know of what was happening. Amintia was enraged and in horror, realizing she might have made a mistake by leaving her daughters. She also knew a secret her children didn't know. A death of one of the enchantresses by a dark spirit would result in the awakening of the abyss because all spirits essentially live in the same spirit realm. It would sound an alarm of danger and the dark spirits locked away would use that a sign to break free. She needed to travel back home fast before her youngest daughter died and the dark spirits would have the satisfaction of returning back.
"The sisters did everything in their power to preserve her for as long as possible but they knew their power was no match to a dark spirit. So they did the unthinkable, extraordinary thing. They exchanged a life for a life.
"They saw the body of the lover of their younger sister moving and then all of a sudden screaming. You can only guess what was happening to him." My gran said.
I gasped. "He was turning – transitioning to a vampire?"
"That's right. Cynthia destroyed the vampire before he could drain his blood completely, but venom was still coursing through his system. But because he was a human, he wasn't part of the spirit realm. He was essentially still human. So with his blood, they transfused his life into their sister to bring her back. To save her from death. The enchantresses had the power to heal but death through supernatural means was unstoppable. They knew their sister would die so they had to do the impossible and they succeeded."
I smiled. I was glad. I was so engrossed in the story that I felt I was a part of it.
"Or so they thought…" My gran added.
"When Amintia returned to her daughters, finding out that her youngest was alive should've relieved her but when she found out what they had to do for her to be alive she was dreadful. You see, the fact that she took the life of a human death by supernatural means, it opened up the gates for the dead to passage through the host. The fact that Cynthia was the first person to have defied death in the nation, she became the door for death on the world. Death was the key and Cynthia was the door. Any human who died would have to go through her."
"She could speak to the dead?" I questioned.
She nodded. "Yes. She was the medium for humans finding peace."
"That must have been awful for her."
She stared at the ground. "It was. It drove her to the point of insanity. She locked herself in the tower for years and years, never talking to anybody. Wishing she had died all those years ago."
"Years and years went by and news circulated and humans around the world were convinced sorcery existed so they labelled people who had powers we possessed as witches and they soon began their witch hunts. They needed to blend in with the humans as much as they could so that's what they did. They hid their books, hid any source of power when the men came to hunt for people like them. Humans found no luck but were still determined, but they did eventually leave them be. The humans who were in the know really helped them. They had a few potential betrayers but that was dealt with quickly. They needed to preserve our secret." She recalled.
"The reproducing of the power continued to happen. The children of The Pythoness married various men of their choosing over the years, all but one didn't. They were beginning to have a normal ordinary 'human life'. They didn't notice the abyss that detained the malevolent spirits was deteriorating in power. The portal was slowly breaking due to the havoc being caused. It was like a burning fire in there. This made one warrior curious and curiosity did really get him killed. Through his sacrifice in 1515, the portal where dark magic had been locked had been opened and the spirits broke free."
"What?" I demanded.
I remember she told me this story before but now that she told me the depth of it, it was still shocking to hear.
She nodded. "Through one sacrifice of a young, naïve warrior, the world was endangered. The only way to stop them was through an even bigger sacrifice. A sacrifice only the most powerful enchantress had."
"Amintia." I gasped.
"Amintia. The Pythoness used every power in her might to destroy the spirits, to fight them off. The enchantresses helped but their power was miniscule compared to hers. Her three daughters knew their mother was leading to her death and her mother knew the only way her children would survive was if they ran. She screamed for them to go. And go they did because nobody questioned their mother. So they head west, Mary-Lee leading them with an army of men running with them. They landed in a small part in North America to where they settled and hid away, not knowing what the outcome was back at home. They never looked back. They knew the only way to survive was…"
"To stick together." I ended.
She shook their head. "You're wrong. They needed to separate. They knew the dark spirits would find them because they would feel their power strengthen when they're together. So they split up. And not to various countries, but various dimensions."
"Dimensions?" I frowned.
"Oh dear." She smiled. "There are worlds you don't even know exist. Otherworlds. Other earths. Portals that lead to those worlds."
"Other earths?" I questioned.
She meant that there wasn't just one earth but more, and not just other earths but other dimensions, other galaxies.
"The spirit realm is a fickle thing."
"Okay. So…what happened on this dimension?" I asked. "After the war."
"The Pythoness and her enchantresses managed to destroy most of the dark spirits. A majority of them actually. The remaining spirits were now in panic as they knew that they numbers were lessened so they resorted not to wreak anymore havoc. Until five hundred more years when they knew they would've been able to build a larger army."
I counted quickly. "That's now…that's this year! 2015?"
She looked at my dreadful face. "They're coming. It isn't the end. The Pythoness may have been destroyed but the last living descendant of her power lives on. The power will be transfigured. And a whole new war will transpire in the spirit realm."
I widened my eyes. I had no idea why but I believed. I believed.
"They're coming?" I asked.
"And I believe you know?" She said, gripping my hand.
I suddenly felt a surge of power course through my veins as she gripped my hand. I gasped.
"Lately I've been seeing things. Things I shouldn't really be seeing." I admitted.
She nodded. "The power has come in you too."
"Me too?"
She nodded. "You're a descendant to The Pythoness, Felicity. I am too. Amintia is our ancestor. She lives in us." She dropped the bomb.
I was in shock. I was shook. She can't reveal something like that and not expect a reaction.
I was a descendant to The Pythoness? The most powerful creature in the spirit realm? So was my grandmother?
Did that mean my birth mother was one as well?
"What?" I shot up in shock. "No! No. No. You're wrong!" I said in disbelief.
"You know I'm right about one thing." She said and then looked to the mark on my neck. "You've known for a while. That scar says it all. You've been exposed to them."
It was a bite mark. I hadn't thought of it until lately.
What if the world really was just a grey area? What if all the bedtime stories were true? What if the world wasn't utterly ordinary? What if all the mystical creatures like vampires, werewolves, demons, goblins, mermaids, monsters all existed?
I all of a sudden got flashes of visions that seemed a lot like memories to me. Fire engulfing the area. Me in the arms of a vampire draining my blood as my friends looked on in horror but not surprise.
And Hunter being drained of blood. It all made sense now. It wasn't an animal that killed him. It was…
"You need to be aware of your friends, Felicity." She warned.
And as if on cue, I heard a knock on the door.
I stared at my grandmother, blanked eyes before walking over to answer the door.
I opened it to see the gorgeous bronze haired and chocolate brown eyed girl I called my best friend.
"Felicity!" Renesmee gasped as she suddenly pulled me into a hug. "I'm so glad you're home. I've been calling you all day and all winter. How have you been?"
I didn't trust my voice to answer as she pulled away from me.
She frowned. "Lecity? Are you okay?"
"Yeah," I lied.
She deepened her frown but moved her eyes away from me.
I followed her gaze to see my grandmother standing behind me, holding the plate of cookies and coffee and staring Nessie down as if she was some type of parasite.
"Hello, Mrs. Stone!" Nessie greeted in her usual friendly voice.
My grandmother nodded but then gave me a warning look before walking away. I slowly turned back to my friend.
"Um…I was thinking we could go out tonight? I know school's tomorrow but Alex and I were hoping we could go out today just to catch up? We miss you Felicity and really want to make sure you're okay. Maybe could have a sleepover at my house? We can make pizza and stay up all night watching romcoms –"
"I can't do that, Nessie."
"Felicity –"
"I said I can't!" I raised my voice. She flinched.
"I-I'm sorry," I apologized. "But I just can't see or talk to anybody right now. I hope you understand."
"But Felicity –"
"Goodbye, Renesmee." I bid farewell and closed the door.
A/N: Really long chapter. Longer than I anticipated. I wanted to add in another crucial part of the story but decided to leave it out for the next chapter know that this could be a too long read. I'm trying to get this story moving along. I hope you're enjoying where I'm headed with the story.
I loved writing about Nahuel and giving a depth into his past and the past of his sisters as well. Many of you may dislike him and I'm sure you'll dislike him even more as I get through the story.
Felicity is a character I enjoy building up. She will be a very important character throughout the story as well as the story about The Pythoness and all the information revealed to her by her grandmother.
The next chapter will be Jacob's chapter. Another informative chapter. This time it'll be story of Cassia and how the Children of the Moon like Ray fit into it.
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