Chapter 39
Witnesses and packs.
Chip and Dale brought back a little dose of "freshness" if I may say so. At least we can hear each other talking in the house again. However, we had a few days of peace with Edward, my father, Tanya and the children.
Riley had started reading the complete Jules Verne that I had given her when I caught her staring wide-eyed at the illustrations in my copy of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Eline spends most of her time playing the piano under the tender gaze of her father who patiently teaches her to play. I feel like she's frustrated that she can't do everything with her little hands and short legs.
Jacob acts as a babysitter at night by sleeping with the children in wolf form. Edward wasn't very happy at first... until I showed him a new hunting game, which can't be done with children. Charlie was busy clearing out personal belongings that were important to him, and preparing to stage his own death and mine.
He had just finished the preparations when Rosalie and Emmett returned with the first nomads. We chose to only let Eline come into direct contact with the other vampires, in order to keep Riley's gift a secret. Although reluctant at first, all the nomads let themselves be won over by his angelic face and they all recognized my children for what they were, hybrid children.
The Amazons were the second to arrive along with Embry and Quil. However, Senna had stayed with Alice and Jasper to look for the hybrids I had told them about. I had tested various scenarios with Alice, but whether their research was a secret or an established fact did not change anything in the Volturi's decision to attack us. However, the intervention of the Quileutes complicated Alice's visions and I did not master my gift sufficiently to complete these gray areas. Staying on familiar ground then seemed the best possible choice.
Esme and Carlisle took care of reuniting the Irish clan and the Egyptian clan. If Amon was as reluctant as in the original book to the idea of highlighting Benjamin and putting himself in danger against the Volturi, he still stayed to testify. Everything went as well as in the book. Even the resounding arrival of the Romanians did not disturb the balance of the motley group.
Everyone turned to look at us as Pinky and the Brain came through the door after me. They scanned the room with their blazing red eyes assessing their surroundings. Edward had his eyes glued to them. Carlisle came to greet them first.
"Stefan!" Vladimir! You are a long way from your dear Romania! »
The laser beam then focuses on the Cullen patriarch. The one I later understood to be Vladimir then answered him by rolling the "R".
"We came to see the small gathering prepared to face the Volturi. You have gathered many talents Carlisle. This will perhaps be enough to put an end to the Italian scum.
We would like to avoid conflict.
I'm not sure this is possible. Aro's witnesses would be too disappointed…
Witnesses ? Edward then asks. »
The look that Stefan then gives to my companion pushes me to move closer to him defensively. The Romanian then smirked at me.
"It's not us you should fear, young lady. Considering the troop that Aro, Caius and Marcus are bringing together, it's a safe bet that some will lose one or two members... at least!
Good ! That's enough, says Amon. We cannot risk our lives like this. Benjamin, Tia, come! »
He starts to head towards the bay window, but Benjamin calls out to him:
" Go yourself ! We stay! »
Tia clings to his arm, smiling at him. Tia was one of the female vampires who fell in love with Riley and Eline. She told them stories every night and Benjamin used earth to bring the story to life. It was hypnotic.
Amon was taken aback by Benjamin's opposition. He was becoming more and more independent and I had heard him tell Amon that he wanted to travel around the world. I didn't need to read his mind to understand the furtive, reproachful look he gave Carlisle before resigning himself to stay, not without reaffirming that he wouldn't fight if fighting was inevitable.
Edward, who had his teeth gritted as he listened to Amon's thoughts, decided to intervene:
"We are not asking you to fight for our family, but simply for your freedom to live as you wish, without fear of meeting a member of the Volturi. We all know that their intervention was necessary at one point, but now their quest for power leads them to decimate a family for no good reason, for selfish reasons, to increase their own power. What do you think will happen when Aro learns of Benjamin's elemental control abilities, or Zafrina's illusion talent? What will stop them from coming to take a member of your clan or from tearing you away from your companion if they are interested in a gift?
This is just speculation, Amon says. If we keep a low profile...
Unfortunately this is not just speculation, Amon, Eleazar suddenly intervenes. Edward's words reminded me of curious coincidences. Moments where Aro suddenly decided to punish a clan that he had voluntarily left alone despite the scandals for many years when a new member with a rare gift joined them. The Volturi then entered the scene, massacred everyone and then offered the newcomer to join them in order to atone for the sins of his clan. »
Eleazar's words caused confusion among the red-eyed vampires, our family having already been informed by me. Tanya then spoke:
"As leader of Clan Denali, I will oppose the Volturi. They massacred our mother in front of my eyes, I have already faced them, I hid as much as possible, but I don't want to do it anymore. They no longer scare me and I will fight for the freedom and peace of my new daughter and my grandchildren. »
I widened my eyes, both surprised and moved by his words. I could see the adoration in my father's eyes, he too was overcome with emotion. Edward took my hand, smiling. He knew what it meant for me to be in a family united in adversity.
"I hear the accuracy in your words," Maggie says.
It's time to create the world we want for our future, Siobban continues.
Peter and I will fight alongside you, Charlotte intervenes. »
Thus, all except Amon and Kebi declared themselves ready to defend us in the event of an attack by the Volturi. In the corner of the room, Stefan and Vladimir looked at each other, looking satisfied with the commotion they had caused. I narrowed my eyes. Ah, the dirty kids!
Unfortunately, as expected, the presence of so many vampires triggered the Werewolf gene in many young people. Jacob was then called upon during the day to educate the new wolves, closer to the wolf cub than to the fierce warrior. It was agreed that no young person under the age of sixteen would participate in the confrontation as a safety precaution. Sam had first tried to limit it to eighteen, but he and Jacob couldn't cope with so many fiery teenagers eager to demonstrate their new strength.
Jacob and Sam's packs then grew considerably and among the new members there was a brother and sister duo, whose transformation caused quite a stir. One because he was the first wolf to officially become Emmett's best friend and the other because she shook up the tribe's beliefs. Leah transformed in front of her father after he was forbidden to walk in the forest.
Harry was surprised, but didn't have a heart attack. He had seen the warning signs, being warned of his daughter's possible transformation. What was a bigger shock to him was Seth's transformation at the sight of his sister. Instinctively he placed himself between his sister and his father to protect him.
This is how Leah, then Seth, following his sister, began to frequent Jacob's pack. At first Leah was hostile to just about everyone, including the other wolves in the pack, until a personified miracle named Alistair completely lobotomized her brain. We can also say that the shock treatment went both ways. Poor Alistair had to endure the alternation of contradictory emotions that Leah felt for many weeks. He, who normally had a good survival instinct, couldn't leave behind the wolf woman who insisted on devouring him with her eyes, then insulting him with every name as soon as he dared to get closer.
Jacob intervened from time to time, but each time ended up getting a stray paw. Eline ended up forbidding him from coming between them and did not have the courage to oppose his imprint. Leah and Alistair once both disappeared for days. Seth, worried, set out to look for them and returned with his tail between his legs looking confused. Emmett, who had gotten into the habit of training to fight with Seth, pulled him aside and they both came back dazed, Seth transformed again. They never wanted to explain what they had said to each other, but they could never be separated from that moment on.
Shortly after, Alistair and Leah reappeared their clothes in tatters, but stars in their eyes. Leah seemed to have finally accepted the fact that she had imprinted with a vampire. A strange immortal duo all the same, very devoted to each other. Oddly, the one who most adopted puppy behavior wasn't the most obvious.
I vaguely wondered that I should give them the channel numbers for our cabin, and then I remembered the time Edward and I caught Emmett and Rosalie role-playing using them, and I wondered. Delighted… We would no longer miss a porno version of Belle et Sébastien* (*novel by French author Cécile Aubry, recounting the adventures of a dog and a child in the French Alps).