Chapter Warning:
mild anxiety toward the end, very brief mention of torn limbs
Treaty Line
Sascha kicked off some dirt from under her shoe after the other two had come to a halt after a while. She couldn't help the little flush of embarrassment as the emotion still clung to her from some time before, of almost stepping into the woods, completely barefoot. Alice had saved her from that as she had dashed out with a pair of simple sneakers, insisting Sascha would put them on. So she had.
Most of the treaty line seemed to run along the forest, so they were able to run at non-human, vampire speed instead. The notion of actually being a vampire still felt weird to her.
„We gotta slow down now. Humans tend to take walks around here sometimes", Emmett explained.
Sascha nodded. „So, I take it you live permanently in this town?" It was a question that had been coursing around her head for a while now.
„For now, yes", Jasper replied. „We have to make sure to switch our residence in certain intervals since we don't visibly age. To avoid suspicion."
„Oh, I haven't considered that", Sascha's eyes widened a little at that realisation. The logistics that came with immortal life. „And you have been here before? Carlisle mentioned something about having come back here?"
Emmett made a confirming noise. „We have some favourite places we like to come back to."
„Where have you lived before?"
„Before Forks we were in Alaska for a while. Jasper and Alice joined us there sometime during the 50s, just after-"
„-In the 50s?", Sascha interrupted suddenly, holding a hand up. „Wait a moment, how old are you?"
Emmett gasped dramatically and held a hand to his mouth. „Sascha, you don't ask a gentleman his age."
„Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't aware of being in the presence of more than one gentleman", Sascha laughed.
At that even Jasper made an amused noise. The look of shock on Emmett's face only helped.
„What is that supposed to mean?"
„Well, Jasper at least gave me the respect of a proper fight on eye level. You just bulldozed me into the ground."
„Emmett, you just don't know how to treat women", Jasper smirked.
„How was I supposed to know that there was a woman underneath all that dirt!"
Sascha gasped in feigned indignation and pushed Emmett away with one hand, which caused him to fly back a few metres.
Sascha giggled in surprise. „Whoops."
Emmett dusted off his pants, though there was no need for it. „Newborns and their stupid blood-driven strength."
Though Sascha could hear his grumblings were lined with humour, she still felt a pang of worry that she might've crossed a line there?
„Don't worry", Jasper's drawl sounded from beside her. A smirk pulling at one corner of his mouth yet again. „He is not used to not being the strongest around."
Sascha breathed out a laugh, grateful. She flexed her arms playfully. „Gotta be careful of these guns."
„If you two are done making fun of the weak", Emmett said, „There is still a treaty line that someone needs to pay attention to if she doesn't want to be mauled by some flea-bags."
The trio continued on their way, soon walking along a road that split through the forest.
„You still haven't answered my question though."
„Apologies, ma'am. I'm afraid you have to specify that."
Sascha chuckled at the show of manners. „How old are you guys? And the others?"
„19", Emmett said, pointing at Jasper, before switching his hand to himself, „and 20."
„For how long have you been 19, and 20?"
„I got turned in 1863."
Sascha's feet stopped abruptly as her eyes almost popped out of her head. „You were born in 1844?!"
„Say it louder for all the mortals, Sherlock."
Emmett's chuckles silenced her with a start. „Shit."
Jasper nodded, as though it was the most normal thing in the world. Well, for him it was. „Good math."
Sascha pulled a face. „Ha-ha… Man, I vastly underestimated immortality."
„I blessed the earth in 1915, if you're curious."
„Wicked", Sascha said in astonishment as they continued walking. „And the others?"
„Carlisle was born in 1640, to get the most shocking for you out of the way", Emmett laughed as Sascha's mouth gaped open once more. „Changed when he was 23. He changed Esme in 1921-"
Sascha listened with deep interest as Emmett kept listing their different ages. On top of realising that vampires and apparently also werewolves, no shapeshifters, existed, this was the icing on the cake.
„Wow… you're old old."
Emmett barked a laugh. „Says the infant."
„Ah come on, I bet my soul is older than yours by a millennia." Sascha pondered for a moment. „What do you even do with all that time?"
„Graduate from High school", Jasper said dryly.
Emmett nodded with a grimace. „Over, and over again."
„Why in the world would you do that to yourselves?"
„It's the easiest to blend in at the age that we present", Jasper explained. „If you want to socialise among mortals, that is. Less questions."
„Do you pose as a family here then? I mean, I'm sure you are a family by emotion either way, but officially? I reckon an ID from 1844 would confuse most people."
„Sherlock, back at it again", Emmett laughed. „But yes, you're right. To the humans we are all Carlisle's and Esme's adopted sons and daughters. Makes it easier to explain our lack of resemblance. And the small age gap between us and our ‚parents'."
„Rosalie and I go as twins."
„Interesting. You really know how to dance this tango, don't you?"
„Lots of time to perfect the strategy."
Sascha nodded at Jasper with a giggle. „Touché."
Later that day, Sascha found herself sitting alone. On a couch, in a room that was not hers. After she and the others had returned to the house, Esme had welcomed them back. She had immediately whisked Sascha away in the most motherly way possible and shown her the spare room she had fixed up during their absence.
Esme had seemed almost guilty that she couldn't offer more at the time. Muttered something about possibly expanding the house to the east wing. All the while Sascha was already in awe at the room that she had presented her with.
Not big, but definitely not small either. High ceilings and cream coloured walls with one accented in warm brown. A big window opening up to the forest and a small balcony attached to it. A three-seat couch with a fabric so soft… Sascha had never touched anything like it before.
A small coffee table stood in front of it, with a small, comfortable looking armchair and a lamp next to it. Sascha spotted a built-closet in the wall to her right. Next to it was even a desk, some books on little shelves on the wall it stood against.
This was one of the most beautiful rooms Sascha had ever seen. She shouldn't have been surprised, considering the rest of the house.
Esme had assured her they'd figure out something more permanent, if she so wished, asked her if there was anything else she needed and then left Sascha to her privacy.
And then she sat there. On this couch, that felt like clouds, but definitely wasn't hers. Sascha could feel in that moment, that the reality she had been trying to get a grip on during the past few hours, but was so deliciously easy to ignore when distracted, came crashing down on her harder than any bulldozer move Emmett could even attempt.
She sat there. In clothes that were not hers. Stroking skin that didn't feel like hers.
Stop it…
Sascha threw a short glance at the long mirror that hung on the inside of the door.
Don't.
Of course she did. She had to look again.
Her hair was dry now of course. But instead of having dried in an absolute mess of one third wavy, one third straight and one third frizzy, like it always did when she'd let it air dry… it had dried in a weirdly, unnaturally perfect way that made her feel like looking at a stranger. And then she felt stupid for disliking that her hair was looking good.
Sascha gasped as a thought shot to the forefront of her brain and she raised her sweatshirt a little to look at her rips from the side. Then her back. Relief. Her tattoos were still there. With a start she realised they looked better than before as well. Hm… That was something she could appreciate. She dropped the fabric again. She pushed her sleeves up a little and bit her lip as she could make out the faint scars, and bite marks along her arms. There were five bites. Luckily not more. There was one more on her upper arm, she knew that. It was more prominent. The one that had turned her.
The other scars were mere lines now. A pattern reminding her of marble almost. Her arm had been torn off there, more than once. Gruesome moments, really. Sascha clenched her eyes shut as she turned her back to the mirror.
She heard the birds chirping outside. The sun had started to rise while she had been out scoping out the treaty line. She stepped onto the balcony and opted for sitting on the handrail. She stared out into the woods, sunlight dancing between the branches and tree tops. She could see the dust particles reflecting the light. The squirrels dashing about. Was that an ant crawling along a log?
There was beauty in how she was able to see the world now. The abandoned building they had been stuck in didn't really give her anything to look at. But it was also eerie. Everything seemed almost too perfect. Too clear.
She was really stuck like this now. As something she had yet to grasp. She didn't even feel that it was either good or bad. It was just a lot. On top of it, she was feeling antsy about any and all information about what had been reported on her disappearance. What was her dad thinking? Mustn't he be sick with worry? And her friends… She almost felt like she had betrayed them all. Did they think she had just stopped contacting them for no reason?
There was this burn in her eyes again. She had gotten used to this sensation by now. How she wished she could just cry it out. That definitely was a downside to it all.
Suddenly, something glittery caught in the corner of her eye. When she turned to look, she had to suppress another gasp. It came from her hand. The sun had moved higher in the sky, and its light was hitting her skin directly. It was sparkling… like crystals.
„Was zur Hölle…"
End Notes:
Translation
"Was zur Hölle" What the hell
I like writing interactions between the characters who didn't get either as much screen time in the movies, or attention in the books for that matter. Also just having Sascha jest around with them.
I hope you liked this chapter. Feel free to share your thoughts with me in a comment or dm.
Have a nice day~
Posted: 20.01.23
Last Edit: 26.01.23