37. IN PLAIN SIGHT
My own eyes flew open. "Edythe," I whispered her name first and stumbled backwards two steps. "Edythe!" I said again, louder this time and turning on my heel, I pounded up the stairs so fast I was tripping, flailing myself into either side of the stair railings.
"Beau! What's wrong? Are you hurt?" She steadied me with both hands, eyes wide.
"Edythe, you won't believe it. Arch found something. He found something!" I cried out, feeling so high I thought I could demolish a tank.
"Arch?" Edythe let go of my arm and turned into a blur down the stairs. In the blink of an eye, she was by Arch's side. "What did you find?"
Arch showed Edythe the paper pad and said something without words. Her eyes grew all big and shiny and her hands flew in to cover her lips.
"Arch. Oh, Arch! This is amazing news. Thank you, thank you, thank you." She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek twice. Everyone started gathering around them now.
"What did you find, Arch?" Carine drifted in from the kitchen and rested a hand on his back.
"You wouldn't believe it – Sulpicia's niece is still alive. We even met her ourselves already. She was right there, at that bar, hidden in plain sight."
"Slow down - what do you mean by that, Arch?" Royal asked.
"Don't you see? Edythe was right about Delia. She does know about us. She is one of us. Delia is Adelaide. She's like, a Volturi princess!" He laughed triumphantly.
"A half-mortal, half-immortal one at that, too." Earnest breathed, turning to look out the window.
"But I thought Adelaide was executed. By Sulpicia, remember? Her own auntie." countered Jules.
I took a breath thinking about what she said, but then it hit me. "Unless… that could have been a cover-up, too." I muttered, blinking. "But, why…?"
"We have to go at once." Still in her nightgown, Edythe was already flying towards the door.
"Hold your roll, sis." Arch stopped her, pulling her back to us. "The bar's closed for tonight, and it won't open until one in the afternoon tomorrow. We have to wait."
"But-" she tried to break from him but he stopped her.
"We'll have plenty of time to talk to her, don't worry about it."
"Are you sure she's who you think she is?" Carine cautioned, probably not wanting to give Edythe any more false hope. Arch held a finger up and closed his eyes. After about a minute of that, he let out a hiss, his hand flying to his temple.
"Oh yeah, she's a hybrid alright. I can't see her future." Arch mused with a smile, happy it seemed about the blind spots in his vision for once even when it hurt his head.
"Then that is wonderful news." Carine breathed, resting a hand on her chin. "We'll go tomorrow at noon. They may come in early."
Edythe wrapped her arms around me, just smiling and smiling. I stroked her back and kissed the top of her head. When I thought about tomorrow, I couldn't help but grin and a trill of excitement ran up my spine and made me feel all warm inside. There was a way to save Edythe and our baby after all.
…
I had a hard time falling asleep that night but tried my best, hoping to make the hours go by quicker. I finally managed to get some shut-eye in and was up with the sun.
"Morning, honey." Edythe was all smiles today. I kissed her and sprinted for the closet, throwing the doors open with a clatter. Quickly, I changed into another flannel shirt of mine, shrugging it over my favorite Monty Python t-shirt with the swallows on it and slid into a pair of old blue jeans, yanking my hiking boots on and tucking my jean cuffs into them. In the blink of an eye, Edythe was already wearing a short gray dress with long sleeves over another pair of black leggings and pulled her hair out of the ring her white fashion scarf made around her neck, knotted once. Looking to the face of the black digital clock on the nightstand with the lit-up red numbers, I saw that it was only nine in the morning.
"Seriously?" I grumbled.
"I felt the exact same way." Edythe came up behind me, touching a cool hand to my back. "We've got a few more hours, but we'll leave as soon as we have some breakfast." Right after she said that, my stomach made a low rumbling sound. I sighed, my cheeks turning bright red. I guess I couldn't escape being human just yet. It's still kind of embarrassing for me that she knows just about every single physiological thing going on with my body thanks to all her heightened vampire senses. She laughed.
"Don't feel too self-conscious, Beau. You're not the only one." She looked down and cradled her stomach, finding my eyes again a moment later. She held out her hand and I took it. Once we were downstairs, Edythe pivoted into the kitchen. "Arch got you and Jules some more fritaja. Jules finished her helping already though, of course." She chuckled. "I'll heat up the rest for you." From the fridge Edythe pulled out a small compostable takeout container and scooped out the fritaja onto a plate, tossing it into the microwave for me before I could even protest. About a minute later she brought the steaming dish out to the dining room table and motioned for me to sit down.
"Eat up." She handed me a fork and napkin, placing a small cup of orange juice in front of me as well.
"Thanks, honey." I kissed her hand. The word, still so new to us both, made me smile when I said it. Then I started on my fritaja, chewing very slowly to savor it. I think it might've just become my new favorite food. After a couple minutes of, um, watching me eat, Edythe eyed the clock and went to the kitchen counter, grabbing her pink stainless-steel water bottle off of it. Darting back to the fridge, She swung the door open and reached for the handle of one of the clear drawers you'd usually put fresh produce in. I guess feeling my eyes on her though, she turned and gave me an apologetic look.
"You might not want to see this, Beau. I'm sorry." Her voice got very quiet. She trained her eyes on the tiled floor like she was ashamed; a child waiting to be scolded and positioned herself in front of the fridge in a way which concealed its contents from me. I knew what that meant, but it hurt that she felt she had to hide any part of herself from me at all.
"Stop it." I urged. "I'm totally fine, Edythe. You don't have to tiptoe around me about that sort of stuff." To get my point across, I pushed my chair out behind me and marched straight over to her. Putting both my hands on her shoulders, I tried to move her to the side, not that the effort did any good - she was a million times stronger than me, and I don't just mean that figuratively. Instead, I edged past her a little and yanked the bottom drawer open. I forced my eyes to lock on the dark, almost purplish red of the stack of blood bags jammed into the right-most corner of the drawer and took out one of the four, snatching up Edythe's water bottle and moving back to the kitchen counter. Trying to control the expression on my face which was rapidly changing color as I cut the bag open, I took the cap off the bottle and poured all the goopy red into it, trying not to gag when the rust-and-iron smell of the blood hit my nostrils, swallowing down the breakfast coming back up my throat and squeezing at the corner of the countertop trying to keep myself steady. The sight (and smell) of blood still made me feel a little queasy – okay, super queasy – but as soon as I screwed the lid back on tight again and tied up the emptied blood bag in a plastic bag, I realized I didn't have the urge to pass out anymore like I used to and I pumped my fist in the air, this close to literally patting myself on the back.
"And there we have it." I handed off the pink bottle to my wife, unable to hide the smile on my face.
"Wow." She laughed. "You really would do anything, wouldn't you?" She looked at the bottle then at me again, her eyes crinkling.
"For you." I said, unwavering. She smiled and covered my lips with hers.
"I love you." she whispered so only I could hear it.
"I love you, too." I wrapped my arms tight around her and kissed the top of her head. When I let her go, she took the water bottle with her and went to sit at the table. Turning back towards the fridge, I pushed the drawer shut. I grimaced, but that was only because the main concern I had now looking at our blood supply was just how little there was left of it. Would there be enough to last her until we got that meeting with the Volturi over and done with? Because looking at how things were with Edythe recently, I didn't even know if this supply would last her one week, let alone two given how her appetite had grown. She's trying to eat some more human food, sure, but it doesn't do anything for her nor does it do much more for the baby, even if they both craved it sometimes. Blood - human blood - was what they both really needed. Carine had a little theory on that – because our child was, you know, part me as well, they needed to take in a certain amount of human blood for all their physiological organ systems as Carine says to develop properly. That's why Edythe can't go hunting right now – the baby's entire physiology in-utero currently seems to reject animal blood completely and makes Edythe maybe-sorta-kind of throw it all up, so that wasn't an option. And it's not like you can just go breaking into a foreign country's blood bank to buy packs of tens and twenties off of them if you know what I mean, you probably had to have some sort of local authorization for that, I'm sure. Well, that or a really, really good reason – also not an option for us because we seriously had to keep a low-profile or we were really going to get it from the Volturi. What were we going to do?
Ping, ping, ping. My phone started blowing up on the kitchen counter. Fearing an emergency was afoot on Dad and Bonnie's end of things, I flew over and dashed the phone up to my face, only to immediately burst out laughing as I scrolled through my notifications.
"What is it, Beau?" Edythe pulled my wrist towards her, peering down at the screen.
"It's just Charlie, he's having a blast. Look at all this-" I showed her the texts Dad was sending me – they weren't even messages really, just tons and tons of pictures of fish he and Bonnie had caught. I opened and scrolled through them - rainbow trout, Chinook salmon, smallmouth bass – the list goes on and on. There was even one with him and Bonnie posing with a view of the beautiful lake behind them, making the "thumbs up" sign with their hands like two high school kids.
"Jules, get in here!" I called out, laughing.
"What's up?" She came up behind me, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
"Here." I handed her my phone. She snorted, a bright smile breaking out across her face.
"Wow. They're just having the time of their lives, aren't they?"
"Looks like it."
"Send that to me."
"Already on it." I tapped the "Share" button and selected Jules' contact photo - one of my favorites, the one I took of her at Alki Beach last year on our trip to Seattle - and hit "Send". I looked at the picture for another minute after that and nodded my approval, happy for our parents. This is good for them, I thought to myself, so they can take a break from worrying about us weirdos. Though, I guess as a parent, you never really stop worrying about your kids completely, huh? It just came with the job description. It'll be my job description too, soon.
Imagine that. I was really going to be an actual dad.
I closed my eyes and patted my chest twice to try and calm my heart down. It wasn't something I really thought about before – you know, the whole kids thing – and it was a piece of cake for me to promise Edythe that I wouldn't mind giving up that sort of thing for her but now, when one was already on the way and that path gets laid clear out in front of us just like that; with no hesitation and no turning back, it suddenly felt like something I've wanted my entire life – no, not something I wanted really, but something I truly needed. Like it was my plan all along. I just hoped and prayed that I wouldn't screw up their life too badly in the end.
Jules' phone chimed when she got the photo. She flashed a bright smile at the screen and chuckled to herself, but then she stopped laughing and her head snapped up as she slid it back into her shorts pocket.
"But, that kind of reminds me, though-" Jules swiveled around on her heel, looking at us both. "What are you guys planning to do after the baby's born? What are you going to tell Charlie? Are you all gonna leave? Up and disappear, just like that?" Fear crept into Jules' shiny brown eyes and she swallowed, clenching then unclenching her fists. I was about to answer her, but Edythe beat me to it instead.
"Once we successfully resolve our little dispute with the Volturi - and we will, I'm quite certain of that now - I don't see why there would be any reason for us to leave; not immediately, at least." Edythe shook her head and gave my hand a squeeze. "And, judging by the rate at which our baby is developing, he's going to grow like any normal human child, at least for a time. You'd also be happy to hear this, Julie – Beau has decided to stay human for a while longer. The best part then is that Beau will be able to grow and age right along with our child, so there won't be any goodbyes."
Jules let out the most ginormous sigh of relief, so happy that she almost looked like she was tearing up. It was hard not to smile when she looked at me like that. Running up to me, she threw her arms around my neck and jumped up a little, pressing her face into my chest. I wrapped my arms tight around her. Still holding onto me, she turned to look at Edythe again.
"But... where does that leave you then, Edythe? I mean, how exactly are you gonna stay in the narrative? You know, after a couple more years?" Jules asked, genuinely curious but also kind of… I don't know, eager. Edythe didn't seem to catch that, though. She sighed and shook her head.
"The simple answer to that is I won't. We'll come up with something; say something happened to me. An accident, perhaps. So, while Charlie might lose a daughter-in-law, at least he won't be losing his son nor grandchild in the deal as well. I'm alright with that - no, actually, I'm more than alright with that, I quite frankly think it's the best-case scenario. Then Charlie won't have to lose Beau and Beau won't have to lose Charlie. And I'll still be here of course; I'll still be around for my husband and child, just behind the scenes. Everyone wins." I was mostly okay with that plan mainly because she was, but then I thought longer on it and realized that I didn't really like it all that much in the end after all; didn't like that that meant Edythe would have to hide away like some kind of dirty little secret of mine, like something I was supposed to be ashamed of.
"It's the only way, Beau. I won't age, but you two will. At least for some years." As if she could sense what I was thinking, Edythe stroked my back, her voice quiet like she was trying to soothe me. I knew she had a point, but I still didn't feel right about it.
"Hey," Jules started again, hesitating. Her face darkened as she eyed Edythe's water bottle on the counter, shuddering once. "The little monster has obviously got a taste for human blood… what if he can't control his thirst? How can you be sure he won't end up being like one of those undead Rugrats your kind made all those years ago?"
"He won't." Edythe shot back in a voice that shook with anger, eyes narrowing sharply so they made two dark slits on her pale, perfect face. "And absolutely, positively do not ever call my son a monster again." A growl ripped from the back of her throat. I came up behind her and gave her shoulders a squeeze, trying to calm her down.
"Okay, okay. Sorry." Jules threw her hands up. "Won't happen again." She quickly apologized but based on her tone and the look on her face, I wasn't too sure how genuine an apology that was or whether she just said it to get Edythe off her case.
"Thank you." Edythe huffed and straightened her back a touch, lifting her head to look at Jules again and probably looking a little more threatening than she intended to because of the red eyes. "In any case, he's part human after all. Plus, he's very, very smart. I feel it in his thoughts. I also know that he quite enjoys human food as well - in fact, he even prefers it some days. It helps him to stay full. I don't see why that can't extend to after he's born; even more so once he's separated from me, I'd like to think."
"But we don't know that for sure, do we?" Jules cautioned, shaking her head. She looked scared again. "Maybe you guys are gonna have to leave after all, at least until he's old enough to control it. How long do you think that'll take? And what if… what if he draws the attention of those psychopaths - you know, the big bad Volturi - wherever it is you'll go, and then you all get in trouble again anyways?" Jules asked seriously. Edythe looked at me with eyes that were uncertain for one split-second but then she shook her head quickly with renewed conviction.
"No, I really think he'll be quite alright. We plan to stay."
"You better hope so," Jules muttered in response to the first part of Edythe's comment, looking over my wife's shoulder at nothing in particular. "Sam's not going to be happy if this doesn't go well. You know what she's gonna want to do, and she'll bring Paula and Quil and Embry and everyone else along with her. Even with me, Lee, and Sarah on your side we'll still be outmanned. I don't even know if Mom and the other Elders could really stop her once she puts her mind to it."
I thought of Bonnie on that fishing trip with Dad; Bonnie, my dad's best friend and someone who's always been looking out for me since I was born. I knew she wouldn't let Sam and the others hurt our baby. But, like Jules was saying, what if they acted on it anyways even if Bonnie and the other Elders had prohibited it? I know what Sam's pack is capable of. I also know, though, that I couldn't blame them for it one bit. They just wanted to protect their tribe; their land and their people. Protect Dad and Bonnie and everyone else in Forks. But, again, this was my child we were talking about here, and I absolutely, positively could not even fathom the possibility that she could be even remotely dangerous and I can't help myself from feeling like they - you know, Sam's pack and Jules' other friends - were the ones in the wrong and not us, even when I knew it was terrible of me to think so. Because that was the thing – when you loved someone, it left you with no options. When you loved someone, you'd fight for them, even when it meant hurting someone else. It was understandable; natural, even. And that went for both sides. But in this situation, how can everyone win? Is that even possible?
"Guys!" Out of nowhere Arch appeared at my side and made me jump, my anxious thoughts scattering away to be dealt with some other day.
"Arch," I grumbled.
"Sorry, sorry." He laughed, then was serious again. "Are you guys ready to go? Remember, they might come in early. Are you all done in here?"
"I think so." I touched one hand to Edythe's back and the other to Jules'.
"Then let's get this show on the road." Arch laughed and ushered us out the front door, everyone else following along behind us.
…
Carine drove and Arch was riding shotgun again.
"Do you remember the way?" Arch held the map out taut in front of him, looking to his adoptive mom with gentle eyes.
"I do, honey. Thank you." Carine smiled and started the car. Arch folded up the map and put it in the glove compartment with the other brochures. I looked out my window most of the drive, feeling that same familiar stirring of hope I thought was lost earlier. I recognized the ocean and the other landmarks we passed. By the time we got to that same sweet-smelling grove of trees which led into the small village that Delia's - Adelaide's - vampire bar was located in, the sun was just starting to peek in from behind the leaves on the trees, signaling the onset of afternoon. Parking in the same place as last time, we hurried to the village and found the place easily. Peering through the large windows, we saw Eliza Templeton, Delia's coworker, behind the counter and I swear I almost did a victory dance right then and there and a trill of excitement rippled through my chest because we had everything we needed now. Without thinking, I knocked thrice on the glass and Eliza looked up, cutting across the room with a confused look on her face. She wasn't wearing her uniform, just a purple blouse and some black pants like something my mom would wear, so you could tell we were pretty early. She opened the door.
"Oh, hello there! Welcome back." A flash of recognition lit up her face, her dark hair loose behind her. Her eyes crinkled up at the edges as she showed us a friendly smile. "How did you all like those mountains?"
"They were absolutely stunning, thank you. The highlight of our trip." Arch returned her kind smile, his tone so natural you could easily believe in his words. I mean, they were pretty nice after all, I'd like to go back again one of these days so we can really enjoy them.
"So lovely to hear that. We don't open for a little while longer I'm afraid, but do come in. If you'd like, I can whip up something quick for you as well, it'll be on the house." she offered, but then she eyed Edythe and showed her a gentle, motherly smile. "As for you, I also have some fruit juices on hand if you'd like some, sweetheart. Good for the baby."
"Thank you, but it's quite alright. We were simply here to inquire about the girl, Delia. Do you know if she'll be in today?" Edythe asked, trying to make her voice sound as casual as possible.
"Oh dear, I'm afraid you had just missed that lovely girl. There was an urgent family matter she'd insisted she'd needed to attend to last night and so she requested some time off. She was so vexed; I had no choice but to let her go and closed early. Poor child." Eliza shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid she won't be back for quite a while."
"So she took off. I wonder why." Jules muttered sarcastically.
"Pardon?" inquired Eliza.
"Do you by any chance know where she could have gone?" Edythe started with a shake of her head, her voice trying hard to maintain its cool.
"I'm sorry dear, but I do not. Is anything the matter?" Eliza looked at us, tilting up a brow.
"Do you know if she lives around here? Her number? Anything?" Edythe pressed.
"I'm sorry, but it is against policy for me to disclose that information to you, I'm afraid. If something is the matter, or if there is anything else I can do for you-"
Edythe glanced quickly at Arch behind her and so did I. His lips looked like they were buzzing; trilling slightly with these nearly imperceptible little movements. I knew what that meant – he was seeing something and telling the family all about it. They were all listening in on him, but I couldn't understand one lick of anything he said, the words came out much too quick and soft for my human ears to comprehend. Edythe, I guess noticing my confusion, gave my hand a squeeze.
"He has a plan. We need to keep talking. You'll see." she quickly explained in a low voice. I nodded.
"So sorry to interrupt," Arch began, stepping forward and breaking off from his literal lip service. "Might I be able to use your restroom? It was a long drive." He chuckled.
"Of course, dear. Right down there, past the end of that row of tables." She pointed to where the small cherry-black booths with the stained-glass lamps were lined up. "You'll see the sign."
"Thank you." Arch nodded politely and started walking.
"Oh yes, and where were we?" Eliza asked, looking back at Edythe again. "What, might I ask, are you so keen on reaching our Delia for? If it is not urgent, I can take a message for her, but I cannot guarantee when it is she might get back to you."
"No, no, it's…" Edythe sucked on her bottom lip and her hands opened out to either side of her. My eyes drifted all around the empty bar on the lookout for some inspiration to hit me - and then I saw the little doorway behind the bar counter where you can see into the kitchen from between the dangly crimson jewel curtains which separated the main dining room from the kitchen area. There, I caught Arch flipping through some yellow envelopes laid out on a desk in the back, snooping around for employee records no doubt.
"Yeah," I started up super loudly and shoved my hands in my pockets trying to act natural, looking back at Eliza. "The real reason we, um, wanted to speak to her was because she's… she's…" my brain fumbled for some ideas and then I snapped my fingers, waggling my eyebrows at Edythe trying to get her to help me out here. She shot me a look and made a frantic slashing motion across her throat, but I'm over here thinking that she didn't even know what I was going to say! So, I just went for it and blurted out what came to the top of my head. "Right, it's because she's actually our long-lost cousin!"
Okay, so apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because Edythe shot me a horrified look which quickly morphed into an expression of spectacular ire. I shut myself up real quick after that.
"My goodness, Beau! At least try to make it sound believable. Please let me do the talking, you are utterly hopeless at this." she griped and squeezed my hand even tighter in hers, her voice an angry whisper-shout.
"Sorry, sorry!" I mouthed in response and grit my teeth.
"Cousin…?" Eliza's voice rose at the end, the word a question. She pursed her lips, looking towards the roof with a hand on her cheek. Her eyes found ours again, now glittering with suspicion. Wow. I really did suck at this.
"…And I'm back." Arch came striding on over to us, saving us last minute. He feigned a casual look at his watch. "Would you look at the time. I'm afraid we must take our leave. Our flight home departs soon." Arch mimed the part and tapped on the face of his watch, the little white lie coming easily to him. Even I almost believed it. "Thank you so much for your hospitality, Eliza. It was a pleasure to meet you and Delia, you both are such wonderful hosts and made us all feel very welcome here. We'll be sure to come back again next year." Arch smoothly added. Eliza smiled easily at his words – he was good. You could tell she really liked him. I mean, who wouldn't? I definitely needed to take some notes from him.
"Thank you, it was a pleasure. Safe travels to you all, then. I'll be sure to tell that dear girl you've stopped by. Perhaps you may be cousins after all, if good looks and that exquisite charm of yours are any indication." Eliza winked and laughed good-naturedly. Her features softened even more as we all shook her small, warm hand before Arch ushered us outside. He didn't say anything else until we were all back inside the van, doors shut and windows rolled all the way up so our words couldn't escape in the wind.
"Guys," he started in a low voice. "I found Delia's employee record form - don't worry, I left it there so Eliza won't know. But I memorized the address on file." Quickly, Arch began typing something into the GPS, the clack of his fingernails making contact with the digital touchscreen loud in his haste.
"fifty-fifty it's actually the real thing," Jules muttered, unconvinced.
"Worth a shot." Arch responded in kind when he finished typing.
"Turn left on…" The mechanical GPS voice chirped to life and Carine pushed down on the gas pedal, following its instructions carefully.
…
As it turned out, Jules' pessimism was not unfounded.
"It's… an abandoned building." Royal nodded very slowly and put his hands on his hips.
"Oh, shut up Roy." Arch noised and kicked at the dirt.
"Told you so." Jules shrugged.
"Not in the mood, Julie." Arch massaged the space between his eyes.
We were standing in front of this looming gray building. Murky stains crept up the stone walls and made it look wet, as if it had just rained. An abandoned factory, by the looks of it. Abandoned for a really, really long time if the leafy green vegetation which made snaking trellises all the way up to the dirty black windows on the third floor were any indication. Edythe's head fell against my arm in disappointment and she let out a troubled sigh.
"Any other bright ideas, captain?" Royal's tone was dry; sarcastic.
"Not helping." Arch retorted. Shutting his eyes, he put both his fingers on either of his temples and was quiet for some time, his face scrunching up a little in concentration.
"What's the hold-up, bro?" El asked when Arch, silent, still wasn't opening his eyes.
"It takes longer for me to see visions in which shapeshifters or hybrids or anything else like that are involved, even when I try seeing the vision through our eyes. Since we have Julie, the baby, and Delia here all at once, it's really pushing my ability. Too many blind spots to sort through. Plus, Delia's an even tougher nut to crack all on her own anyways; she's quite… guarded. Just give me another second."
"I'm not surprised. She was raised by the Volturi, after all." Edythe mused.
"Should we take a look inside the building anyways…?" I asked, motioning a thumb in its direction. Arch's eyes were still closed.
"I got it!" His eyes flew open. Snapping his fingers, he looked up triumphantly.
"What is it, Arch?" Carine touched his shoulder.
"My mind keeps going back to Silas' place. She's there, I know it. I could just feel it! Come on." Quickly, Arch ushered us all back to the car.
…
The afternoon sun was high in the sky by the time we got to that small hiking trail entrance again; the one that lay at the foot of the Ucka mountain range. Even though it was sunny there was still a chill in the air, especially since we were pretty high up.
"Ready?" Edythe asked me, kneeling down so I could get on her back.
"Maybe you should let one of us take him today, sweetheart-" Earnest began, holding out his arms.
"I'm perfectly capable, Earnest." Edythe assured her father and flashed him a teeny grin. He showed her a gentle smile and touched her shoulder before moving over a little to give me some more room.
"Come on, Beau." Edythe threw a glance at me from over her shoulder. "Hop on."
I let out a long, loud sigh and feeling like a complete idiot again, I clambered onto my very pregnant wife's back. She took a few steps backwards and launched herself clear into the forest at the speed of light as I held on tight. Jules had already phased and was running along beside us, having no trouble at all keeping up. When we got to the clearing again, Edythe let me off her back and we walked up to that small, cylindrical stone building which the brothers called home on top of that green hill.
But then I felt Edythe tug me back by the arm and she told everyone else to stop.
"The brothers aren't home." Edythe whispered through her teeth. "But I hear someone else's thoughts - at least, wisps of them."
"You're probably just hearing Delia then, sis. I told you she's here." Arch started walking ahead anyways, but Edythe yanked him back by the collar of his shirt.
"But did you ever stop to ask yourself what it is she could possibly want with the brothers? They thought she died, and right now they aren't even home."
"They probably went out hunting or something-" Arch started again but was cut off by Edythe.
"Wait. Don't you smell that?" Edythe sniffed at the air, wrinkling her nose and furrowing her brows in confusion. "It smells like something is – or was – burning."
Everyone took a good long whiff of the air. I did too, but all I got was fresh mountain breeze. It actually smelled kind of nice to me, honestly.
"Well, they do have a fireplace, so…?" Arch shrugged.
"But look at that." Edythe pointed a finger up at the chimney. "No smoke."
"I can't read minds like you, sis. What are you trying to say?" Arch pressed.
"I'm saying did you ever stop to think about why Delia would be here, of all places, right after meeting us?"
"Edy has a point." El piped and brightened up. "Why don't we go investigate?" She rubbed her hands together and bounced on her toes.
"I don't know if that's a good idea." Earnest shook his head.
"I'm in agreement," Carine stepped forward. "We don't know Delia well enough to ascertain how dangerous she could possibly be."
"Oh, pshh!" Eleanor cracked her knuckles, throwing her palms out. "The eight of us plus Beau against one little hybrid? She doesn't stand a chance." Jules growled a little at that, I think in agreement.
Edythe pulled her mouth over to one side of her face in consideration then let out a hesitant sigh. "All right," she noised, "I very well suppose we may ask her then, in any case." With that, we all started advancing towards the front door.
The instant we opened it and stepped inside, I let out a choking cough.
The clear, fresh mountain air was suddenly replaced by a thick, whitish smoke which punched me right in the face as I walked in. It was a familiar scent; one I was accustomed to smelling in the company of the Cullens, sweet and intoxicating honey-lilac-something, only in here it was now made pungent; marred by the acrid, bitter black char of smoke which was sharp in my nose and made my eyes water. Quickly, Jules phased back to her human form. It looked like she was about to hurl, and everyone else wasn't faring any better.
"Wow, that reeks!" she said, waving a hand up and down in front of her face and letting out a sputtered cough. "It's a million times worse in my wolf form. I can't do it."
"What happened in here?" Edythe's mouth hung open, her steps slow and drifting. Her hands trailed along the surface of the smooth marble table - some of the chairs were thrown out around it, others were lying on their sides on the floor. She knelt down, one hand on her stomach and the other picking one of the chairs up off the ground. I poked an empty upturned bowl on the floor with the tip of my boot and picked it up, setting it on the dining room table.
"It looks like there was a struggle." Carine shook her head, her hand coming in to cover her chin. Jessamine, who was standing beside her, lowered herself onto her knees and picked up three torn, ragged scraps of black fabric. I recognized the material, it was what Silas' dark cloak was made of.
"They must've been going out," I began in a breath. "But they never left, did they?" Jessamine shook her head slowly from side-to-side, not making a sound. She pointed somewhere out in front of her.
On the gray stone floor of the living room was a pile of fine white powdered ash, like ground bone.
And then it hit us.
"No." Edythe's voice was a trembling whisper.
Carine gasped. "Who could have done this? Surely not…"
"It wasn't Delia." Edythe shook her head.
"Then, who-?" Carine started, blinking.
"Who do you think, Carine? It was them. It was the Volturi."
My eyes went wide. "How did they find out we talked to them? How did they know? What do they know? Where are they now? What-"
Before I could finish my thought, Edythe's breath hitched in her throat and she dropped to her knees. Her shoulders hunched forward and her fingers were curled against her stomach now, her eyes squeezing shut like she was in pain.
"Edythe!" I dove in beside her, throwing my arms around her and holding her tight.
"Edythe, honey! Are you alright?" The voice belonged to Carine. I felt a burst of air whip my hair back away from my face and then she was right there beside me, touching Edythe's cheek.
Edythe swallowed, blinked, then shook her head before letting out another breath. "It's alright. I'm alright." she assured us, her hands coming in to rest on top of and below her stomach. "I just… I just can't believe this happened. It's… it's on our hands. They're dead now because of us, I-" her voice broke and she couldn't even finish her sentence. Her shoulders quivered and her hands came up to cover her face. Seeing her like that made everything in me hurt. I could feel hot tears burning behind my eyes again and all I could do was bring her right to my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and stroked her back, kissing the top of her head to comfort her.
"We don't know what happened yet, Edythe; we don't know anything for certain." Carine tried reassuring her. "I'm sure there is a perfectly good explanation for all of this." She motioned around the room to the destruction left in the wake of the brothers' final confrontation. I had a feeling Carine was just saying all that to make Edythe feel better though, since we had more than enough evidence to know things didn't end well here for those brothers. They were already basically on parole and we were the vampire world's most-wanted. And they told us everything. I held my breath to try and calm myself down but it still didn't stop that gut-wrenching feeling of guilt from boiling away in my bones for what happened to the three brothers. Maybe Edythe had a point – whatever happened here, maybe we really were to blame in a way. All because I fell in love with Edythe. And she beyond all my wildest dreams and for reasons I'll never, ever understand somehow fell in love with me, too. But why did we have to get punished for loving each other? Why did the brothers have to get punished for that, too? They only wanted to help us, and we repay them by getting them killed. How was that just; how was that fair for anyone at all?
A loud, strident clanging sound came from the upstairs floor, derailing all my thoughts.
"That's her." Edythe whipped out in a low breath as her eyes snapped up towards the banister. Gently, she pulled herself out of my arms and with one quick, invisible movement, she was on her feet. With bright, laser-focused eyes, she launched herself up the stairs in a burst of light. We all followed after her, pounding up the stairs. Down the length of the hallway, the second door of the three before us was ajar. Even though I was sprinting at top human speed, I was obviously still the last one to get in there. Panting, I leaned over my knees trying to catch my breath. Once I did that, I lifted my gaze and shielded my eyes a little when I caught sight of a figure kneeling in a long white dress in front of the open window, its hand hovering over a skinny gold candelabra knocked over on its side. The figure's mass of curly blonde hair - though I could see now that the roots on the top of her head were actually a dark brown - flew out behind her, caught on a breeze which troubled the curtains and made them billow out towards us. Her skin was an almost pearly white and had this soft, creamy glow to it, shimmering very faintly in the light of the sun.
Edythe was standing closest to the figure. Her shoulders moved up and down with her angry breaths, her fists clenched then unclenched.
"Delia." Her voice rasped into a hostile growl.
The kneeling figure turned around to look at us and I saw that there were tears in her clear and now very blue eyes.
"It looks like you've found me." she said in a trembling voice barely above a whisper.
"Hello there. I'm Adelaide."