Chapter Two
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight but I do own my OC and her family.
Summary: Gwen has spent all her life being hidden away. Her whole existence has been shrouded in the supernatural community. This was all Gwen had known but her life is shaken up when she moved to the inconspicuous rainy Forks and meets the Cullen's.
Thank you to everyone to who followed and favourited the story, I am happy to see that people are interested in this new story!
danj0929: Thank you, I am glad you liked the first chapter!
TWILIGHT
Five years later
A now seventeen-year-old Gwen hummed to herself as she drew in her sketchbook, images of sigil and magical runes littered the page, all with different meanings. Gwen had been filled with the urge to sketch some sigil because she had been searching for a particular one, and it just kept flowing. There were some she tried to memorise and would look between her Grimoires and her sketchbook, making sure she got everything right. Messing up a sigil or a rune could be very dangerous, and Gwen was nothing but a perfectionist when it came to her craft. Playing music always helped and she hummed away to the music, only half paying attention to the melody – her focus on her craft and making sure every stroke of her pencil was perfect.
The house groaned, which caught her attention. It took her a few seconds to click onto what was wrong. With a snap of her fingers, the music skipped to the next song, a piano-based song. The lights in Gwen's room flickered in appreciation.
"I take it you didn't like the other song, Tilly?" Gwen asked the space of her room, though it was anything but empty.
Tilly's response to this question was to have the bedroom door shut and open again.
Laughing to herself, she lovingly petted the wall behind her head with a smile.
The house that they had moved into was called Tilbrook House, a very old house within Forks that was located at the very edge of the small town, and backed onto a very large forest that spanned for miles. It was very isolated and very much haunted. When Gwen had moved into the house, she had been immediately enamoured by the house and Tilly responded in kind. It had been abandoned and hadn't been looked after, but after a few weeks with Gwen, her magic had repaired the house back to its former glory with a few added extras. It was very rare to find a house that was possessed by its former owner, Lady Sophia Tilbrook as most had been exorcised by people too scared to handle the home. This was something Bethany had wanted to do, but she soon changed her mind when she had a vision and decided that this was the house for them, and there was no changing her mind after that.
There was the sound of banging downstairs and this made Gwen look up. "Is Nana causing trouble again?"
Tilly's response was to shut the window of the room with more force than before.
Understanding Tilly's frustration, Gwen decided to go and help her Nana. Bethany and Tilly's relationship was still a bit tense, the house had remembered the comments that Bethany made about getting an exorcism and she did not appreciate it. Tilly had warmed up to Gwen, and she made sure to reciprocate in kind. Gwen had a good feeling about this home, more so than she'd had about any other home and so she wanted everything to work out. She didn't know if she had the heart to leave Tilly now, despite only living here for a year.
Walking down the stairs, she made her way into the kitchen and saw Bethany tear open the cupboards as she searched for something. Bethany muttered under her breath about trying to find the coffee, and the kitchen was in disarray as no stone was left unturned. However, it seemed to be a fruitless endeavour as Tilly had hide the coffee.
With a snap of her fingers, Gwen used her magic, and a fresh jar of coffee beans appeared on the side in full view. Bethany nearly jumped out of her skin but saw Gwen and she rolled her eyes. "Some notice would have been nice," Bethany said as she ran a hand through her short hair. Five years later had not been kind, more wrinkles were now on her face, and her hair greyed quicker than she'd like.
"Tilly was getting a little annoyed," Gwen said with a sheepish smile.
Bethany rolled her eyes, "Of course, that damn house would rat on me," In her vision of the home, she had seen Tilly bonding with Gwen and protecting her, hence why the house was chosen. If not for her vision, she would have had the house cleansed at the earliest convenience. She was used to the supernatural community, but ghosts crossed a line for her.
Tilly sent the cupboard door open before slamming it shut, not appreciating Bethany as she badmouthed her.
"Oh, calm your handles," Bethany shook her head in exasperation as she picked up the coffee beans and began to make herself the beverage she'd been craving.
Gwen rolled her eyes at this interaction. In the year that they had lived in Forks, this was a typical day, where Tilly and Bethany would annoy one another – though Tilly was the instigator in a lot of these squabbles. Gwen had thought it would fizzle out, but as time went on, they'd both showed no signs of stopping their squabbles – Bethany was just as bad at times. Tilly certainly was a funny character and she looked forward to seeing what the house had to offer.
"Any progress finding the right sigil?" Bethany asked as she looked at her ward with a curious expression. She was aware that Gwen had a dream of a particular sigil and she was determined to find what she had dreamt about.
"I'm still going through all the grimoires, but I feel like I am getting closer," Gwen answered as she started to make herself a cup of tea. When she saw her Nana with the coffee, she realised that she hadn't drunk much that day and craved some tea. Without a second thought, Gwen started to take over making her Nana's coffee, especially when she saw Nana's hands start to shake.
The older woman said nothing and let her ward take over.
It was hard knowing her Nana was getting old.
Bethany stretched her back out, hearing crack and sighed in satisfaction.
Gwen watched with a frown, worried about her Nana's health. Having visions took a toll on the woman, especially within the last five years. The visions weighed heavily on her Nana, and she'd been having more this past year alone but she always refused to share what they were about. However, around twelve months ago, she had been adamant that they come to Forks, even though Gwen originally wanted to go to Oregon or Phoenix. Her Nana could be stubborn, but she outright refused to move on this topic which made Gwen curious as to what was in Forks. The town was tiny with a population of less than four thousand people and everyone seemed to know each other's business, which was exactly the opposite of what they were going for. A year had already passed, and Gwen had found herself liking this town the longer she was here, but she was wary as she knew they would move at some point and just wondered when that time would happen. Gwen was also not shy in admitting that this town could be boring as well – mundane at best, but that was also what appealed to her.
It would be harder leaving Forks than all the other places they'd lived in her seventeen years on this earth.
However, it would be mainly because of Tilly.
"Now, what do you think we should do about food?" Bethany asked as she went over to the fridge and winced when they saw no food. She'd meant to go shopping but it had completely slipped her mind and now she was paying for it.
Before Gwen could say anything, Tilly's lights flashed and she groaned.
Someone was at the door.
"I'll go and get it," Bethany said as she moved towards the front door. They understood that Tilly did this when someone approached the house, and it gave them time to prepare. If it was someone she did not like, she would lock all the doors and windows, as if protecting them. If Tilly did like the person, she'd just let them know that someone approached. Usually by flinging cupboard doors open by someone's head.
Gwen looked around the kitchen and patted the doorway, "I feel like you make things a hundred times more interesting," Forks did not deserve to have such an interesting house, especially since no one paid attention to Tilly.
Tilly let out a groan in agreement, and the room became noticeably warmer.
Gwen looked out the kitchen and over to the front door Bethany answered and she could see a man at the door. He was a tall man, over six foot and looked young, maybe around early thirties. He had short ginger hair and brown eyes, he was also dressed in the Forks police uniform, and she instantly recognised him.
"Liam, how are you?" Bethany greeted kindly.
Liam was Bethany's grandson. After Bethany had divorced her husband, their child took their father's side and refused to see his mother, believing his father's poison. But Liam was different and wanted to see his grandmother. Gwen had met him a few times in the past when he came to see Nana.
"Why don't you come inside?" Bethany questioned as she moved aside so Liam could come inside.
Liam tried to come inside, but it was like there was a force stopping him. He looked at the doorway in confusion, there wasn't a spell surrounding the house so he was confused.
Tilly's floorboards creaked, as though she was amused by this predicament.
"Oh Tilly, let him in!" Bethany said in exasperation.
Tilly remained unmoved and nothing happened, causing Bethany to glare at the open space of the house.
"Come on, it's just Liam, let him inside," Gwen reassured while she made another cup of coffee for her uncle. She knew Liam was partial to the beverage as much as her Nana, especially since he tended to work late with the police.
Tilly's light flickered in response as if a child had been scolded by a parent.
Gwen gave Liam the signal to come in.
The next time Liam tried to step into the house, he found there was no resistance and he seemed even more complexed.
"It seems as though Tilly was just messing with you guys," Gwen said as she came into the hallway where Bethany and Liam were. She handed them both their coffee and watched as they nearly inhaled the drink with how fast they guzzled it down despite the hot temperature.
Bethany nodded approvingly, "As annoying as Tilly can be, she is very good at protecting the house,"
There was the sound of running water as Tilly practically preened under the praise.
Gwen silently agreed, but mentally reminded herself to put some wards around the home. There was nothing wrong with being extra cautious. The outside of the house was still wood and very easy to damage. She wanted to make sure that Tilly remained in the best shape possible and that nothing happened to her. She deserved some love and care after being abandoned for so long and she was just making up for all that lost time.
The moment Liam saw Gwen, his eyes lit up, "Hey kiddo! How have you been?" He walked up to Gwen and motioned for a hug, but Gwen shook her head and took a step back. It quickly dawned on Liam and he sent an apologetic smile instead.
"I'm fine, how have things been on the force?" Gwen asked with a smile. She viewed him like an Uncle, one who was fun but protective.
Liam smiled widely, "It has been great! Can be rather slow because of how much of a small town it is, but I like it. Also, Charlie is a great mentor," When Liam had left home, he had ended up in Forks. Charlie had taken Liam under his wing and mentored him, practically raising him to take over as Chief when Charlie eventually retired.
"God's help this town," Gwen jeered while rolling her eyes playfully.
Liam playfully rolled his eyes as he laughed.
"We were just thinking of getting food, what do we fancy tonight?" Bethany asked. There were not many places to eat in Forks, probably three good places in the whole town, so that made options limited, and she did not fancy cooking.
Nodding his head, Liam thought to himself, "Pizza's always a hit,"
"Pizza sounds good," Gwen suggested as she found herself craving the cheesy goodness. Her Nana liked to make home-cooked meals, so she didn't always get to indulge in take-out, so when they did, it was a special occasion.
"It's not too far, but it may get busy soon on a Friday, should we head out now?" Liam said as he looked at his watch.
Bethany looked to Gwen, but the Witch shook her head, "I want to do more research, why don't you both go and catch up?" She suggested, not wanting to leave the house for a moment. Her mind was still on the markings she had seen in her dreams.
Liking the idea, Bethany and Liam left, leaving Gwen alone in the home.
Sighing deeply, Gwen leaned back near the staircase and closed her eyes for a moment. She loved her Nana, but sometimes she just needed a moment's peace to herself as the older woman worried too much. Bethany would always watch her like a hawk, especially whenever she'd seen something in her visions but did not want to tell her about it. It always put Gwen on edge when Bethany hovered at times, and while endearing, she was glad for the quiet.
Tilly groaned, inquiring if she was okay.
"I'm okay, thank you," Gwen said with a small smile.
Moving away from the staircase, she moved back to the kitchen and snapped her fingers, making all the stuff move into their assigned places. No matter the kitchen, Nana always arranged her appliances in a certain fashion and so Gwen had placed them accordingly.
The cupboard opened and closed as if Tilly was applauding her and this made Gwen laugh.
"Now, time to explore," Gwen said with a grin as she left the kitchen. While she wanted to do more research, she was suddenly filled with the urge to explore. The house seemed deceivingly small but was much bigger on the inside, a common theme of this house. The upstairs had two bedrooms, and that's what was listed on the website – and what the relator explained. There were two living rooms, a dining room, a small kitchen and a fire pit in the back garden. They would get plenty of space in this home since it was far away from anyone, their nearest neighbour was at least a ten-minute drive away. They'd lived in this house for over twelve months, and somehow, every time she looked, Gwen always found a new room in the house – rooms that had never been listed – but when she'd go back again, the room would be gone. Gwen had discovered this within her first month of staying here and had made it a mission to find every room in the house – secret or not. In the past year, Gwen had tried to distinguish whether there was a pattern to certain rooms appearing, but there was no concrete evidence and it seemed random most times.
It didn't take long before Gwen felt as though she had explored the entire home, staying out her Nana's room. There had been no new rooms found that day and she was kind of disappointed. As Gwen walked past the second living room, she spotted a new door, one that she had not spotted previously.
Gwen's eyes lit up when she spotted the door – it was a new room.
Tilly's groan sounded more like a chuckle and Gwen instantly knew the house was messing with her.
It liked to do that.
Narrowing her eyes playfully, Gwen grinned, "I will discover all your secrets," The house had something up its figurative sleeves and this made her excited. She had never lived in a haunted home before and knew this would be very interesting.
The floorboard next to her foot creaked, the house had accepted the challenge.
Reaching over to the handle, she went to open the door but was stopped when the house alerted her of someone at the door, and she could also hear furious knocks, as well as familiar shouting. Letting out a curse, she let go of the door handle and went to the front door, only to find her Nana and Liam outside holding pizza boxes.
Bethany did not look amused, "The house would not let me inside,"
The lights on the porch flashed in defiance.
"Stupid house," Bethany muttered lowly, but the house heard it and let out a hiss in response.
"Let's get inside," Liam said soothingly, knowing that his Grandmother was close to exploding. She had tried her key for a good five minutes before they were forced to knock on the door. The key would not turn, or unlock the door, no matter how much Liam or Bethany tried. When Liam had tried, it had shocked him. Bethany was furious that her own home would not let her inside. She had shouted at the house, but Tilly had remained unmoved. She had almost thought something was wrong until Gwen opened the door.
Gwen patted the wall, "It's just Tilly, she's messing with us," Moving aside, she let Liam in and then looked to her Nana when she realised, she hadn't moved, "You coming?"
Bethany shook her head, "You go in firefly, I need to speak to the house,"
Sending her a confused look, Gwen nodded her head and shut the door. It was wise to let her Nana and Tilly work out their issues, but she'd step in if her Nana started to exorcise the house. As soon as the door was shut, there was a sound of the lock turning very loud, Tilly had sent a pointed message.
Now alone, Bethany looked at the house with narrowed eyes. Ever since coming into the house, she could feel a powerful presence, like someone was watching them. Bethany had no idea where the eyes were, but it unnerved her. The only reason she agreed to move into this house was for Gwen as she saw in her vision how much she adored this house, and it seemed as though the feeling was mutual.
"Listen here, Tilbrook," Bethany muttered out and watched as the lights on the porch came on full beam as she had the house's full attention, "I have protected Gwen since she was a babe. Kept her hidden and out of sight, but her time is running out and I will not be here forever. I need you to make a promise to protect her. I want you to watch over her, keep the bad people out and don't let her do anything stupid. Do you hear me?"
For a moment, the house did not respond and Bethany worried that Tilly was ignoring her. However, after a few seconds, the lights twinkled, as if it agreed with her.
Relaxing a moment, Bethany nodded her head in satisfaction, "Things are going to get dangerous and a storm is coming our way. I just hope Gwen is ready for it,"
In response, there was the sound of the front door unlocking and the door flung open, inviting Bethany back into the home.
It seemed as though there was a truce between Bethany and Tilly.
TWILIGHT
Later that night
Gwen sat on her bed, reading through one of Scarlett's Grimoires, studying the spells intently. She had no luck finding what she needed, so she decided to move on and search for the next spell she intended to practice and looked at the steps she needed to complete. Witch crystal lights were dotted around the room, and changed colour every few minutes, creating a very calming atmosphere.
Her room was medium-sized with a large window and panel so she could lounge on it – something she planned to do more often as it looked very inviting. The walls were lavender and the carpet was grey. Gwen had a double bed, a small desk and a small wardrobe with a matching chest of drawers. Photos were dotted around the room, all of Gwen's memories of when she moved places, and there were quite a few of them. They mainly consisted of her, her Nana and the scenery, but they were her memories regardless and she treasured them. The most recent one was of her, Liam posing in front of Tilly.
Tilly was quite fond of that photo and had made the room warmer as soon as the photo went up on the wall.
Typically, Gwen would have been asleep by now, but she found herself too wired to be asleep. There was so much to do and she wanted to get a head start.
There was a swooshing sound that made Gwen look up, and she saw a mug of hot chocolate on her bedside table. The sight of it brought a smile to her face, "Thank you, Tilly," Placing down the grimoire, she slowly drank the chocolatey goodness.
"I'm thinking of placing wards around the house, what do you think about that, Tilly?" Gwen asked as she looked around.
The lights in the room turned on full beam before turning off.
Gwen smiled before taking another sip, "Sound like a plan then," With the wards she had in mind, it would strengthen her structure and foundation, where Tilly would not be as fragile and not easily broken into. It would also make her more resistant in case anyone tried to set the house alight. While there had been no threats to her home, she wanted to make sure Tilly would be still standing if anything did happen.
There was a knock on her bedroom door that caught her attention, "Come in," Gwen knew that it was her Nana as there was no one else in the house. There were a few ghosts that passed by, like an elderly woman who occupied the rocking chair in the living room, but none of them ever knocked, they would just phase through the walls.
Gwen had become so used to it, that it didn't even bother her. However, she did place a protection spell around her room so that ghosts could not enter her room uninvited.
Bethany walked in, dressed in her PJs and silk robe, "I see you got the hot chocolate then," She had made it intending to come up to Gwen. But when she'd turned her back, the beverage was gone and she suspected Tilly had intercepted it.
Holding up the mug, Gwen grinned, "Delicious as always, Nana,"
Smiling fondly, Bethany came into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking over at what Gwen was reading, "Some light reading then?"
"Just looking for more spells to practice," Gwen said with a shrug of her shoulders.
Bethany sent her a dubious look, they both knew that Gwen had been through every single one of Scarlett's grimoires. There weren't any new spells as Gwen had learnt them all or did not deem them interesting enough. Bethany had requested that Scarlett send more grimoires but she had yet to hear from the red-haired Witch.
"How are you feeling about living here?" Bethany asked, moving the conversation along.
Gwen smiled, "Good. This one feels different for some reason, but I would probably say it's been one of my favourite places so far," While she found the town boring at times, and quite mundane, there was an energy about the place that made her pause. It was like she could feel the air change and something new was going to start. Usually, she hated moving but living in a haunted house certainly made things more interesting. It also helped that she wasn't the only supernatural in this town either – something that made her curious.
"Because of the house?"
The sheepish look on Gwen's face said it all.
Tilly out a bashful noise by creaking lowly.
Bethany chuckled to herself, "And school's been going well?"
"Yeah, it's been going fine. I didn't realise how boring it would be," Gwen had begged her Nana to let her attend school, like all the other times. Gwen had expected Bethany to say no, but to her surprise, she was allowed to attend the local school. Gwen had been confused, this was the first time she would be allowed to attend a high school, and Bethany never said another word on the matter. She had never been so surprised before and it made her suspicious as to why Bethany had allowed it this time but denied it all the other times.
"I did try and warn you," Bethany laughed at her ward's misery.
Gwen smiled and nodded her head, she remembered how smug her Nana had been when she came back after a month and said how boring the school was. Bethany had been her tutor for years, and she was miles ahead of everyone in that school.
"You finding not using magic okay?" Bethany asked, worried for her ward. While she did not have magic herself, she understood how much Witches and Warlocks relied on their magic, and to not use it was unnatural. However, Gwen needed not to use it so she could blend in.
"It's weird and doesn't feel right, but I've been doing okay," What Gwen didn't say was that she could feel her magic build up. Every day she immediately used her magic once she was home because it felt like it was bursting out of her. Gwen had higher magical reserves than any other Witch her age – from what she was told at least – and so this made it harder for her.
"You've been doing very well, but you have to remember that this is a school for mortals so you'll have to be careful. You cannot use your magic too freely in front of them," Bethany warned with a serious expression.
Gwen nodded her head, already knowing this, and knowing how hard it was going to be. She used magic for everything. It was her comfort, her companion throughout the years of isolation and running away. Magic came as easy to her as breathing – it was a natural reflex to use her magic and so she knew it was not going to be easy at all.
"If the humans catch on to the fact, that you're not like them, they will treat you differently," Bethany continued, needing her ward to understand this. Humans could be evil and nasty, especially when they come across things, they do not understand.
"Just like a human," Gwen said as she tried to reassure her Nana.
"Now, get some sleep, we're going shopping tomorrow," Bethany said before she stood up and left her ward's room.
Using her magic, Gwen levitated the grimoire bank into her trunk that sat at the end of her bed. It had a magical lock on where only she could open it, this was to protect the grimoires as they contained very powerful and rare spells. One thing Gwen could say about Scarlett was that she was a genius when it came to magic and recorded every spell she'd ever made/used.
Once the grimoire was in the trunk, the lights immediately turned off, making Gwen look around in surprise. One of her Witch lights flickered on and off for a moment, Tilly was letting her know it was time for bed. Gwen tried to turn the lights on with her magic but nothing happened.
"Tilly," Gwen warned.
Tilly groaned in protest but did not turn on the light.
Sighing deeply, Gwen was tempted to argue with the house but decided against it. She was starting to feel tired now and decided to go to bed, grumbling about how unfair the house was. The house groaned, as if laughing at her plight but otherwise went silent when Gwen settled into bed.
TWILIGHT
A few days later
Gwen stared at herself in the floor-length mirror, making sure that she looked presentable for school. She didn't want to look too out of place and she wanted to blend in as much as possible. Gwen had pulled her ginger hair into a high ponytail with hair framing her face. She was dressed in her dark blue skinny jeans, an oversized white V-neck jumper and some brown ankle boots. She wrapped her thick dark blue scarf around her neck for extra warmth. Forks wasn't the coldest place she had visited, but it was cold, especially in March.
However, she couldn't forget about her coloured contact. As one of her eyes was blue, she used a brown contact lens to cover it and make it look like her other eye. She didn't want to stick out anymore so she covered it. Having two different eye colours never bothered her, but Nana had warned her people might look at her more if she didn't cover them.
Mentally debating whether make-up was necessary, Gwen contemplated different ideas. During the year she had been at the school, she'd observed what the mortals wore, like make-up. Some girls wore too much and it looked bad – others wore nothing at all. Not able to make up her mind, Gwen gave up and just decided to put on lip gloss and a light application of mascara so her eyelashes didn't look non-existent – a curse of being ginger.
The door to her bedroom flung open and Tilly groaned, indicating her annoyance at the Witch taking so long.
Gwen rolled her eyes, "I'm coming, I'm coming," Tilly was a character, she laughed when one of them tripped over or dropped something. If she was in a playful mood, she would hide the things Bethany was looking for, only to make them appear where she had first looked. Tilly also had a habit of turning out the lights when she deemed it late enough and demanded that Gwen go to bed. It also seemed that Tilly had separation anxiety as she did not like it when Gwen or Nana left the house for long periods. Tilly has not taken kindly to being told that she would be attending school and has resorted to hiding Gwen's things, her clothing, books, or anything that she would need. It had taken a lot of reassurance that Tilly was not being abandoned before the house calmed down and stopped hiding her things.
Walking downstairs, Gwen walked into the kitchen and found her Nana cooking up a storm, while also arguing with Tilly over the fact the coffee was missing. Despite Tilly no longer messing with her stuff, Bethany's things were fair game.
"I swear if you don't give me the coffee, I will set you alight," Bethany growled as she looked at the kitchen with malice in her eyes.
Tilly's floorboards hissed at the threat, refusing to bring the coffee back.
Rolling her eyes, Gwen walked over to the kettle and began making herself some tea, "It is too early for this,"
Making her tea, she watched as Bethany argued with the house while cooking up breakfast. Even while arguing, Nana managed to accomplish this while sliding her ward a plate of warm food. Gwen easily chomped down on her bacon, eggs and toast with gusto, her nerves making her want to eat. After she finished, she quickly washed the dishes, and Nana and Tilly were still arguing, with Nana making more threats and Tilly hiding more things in the kitchen so that Nana couldn't get at them.
Looking down at her watch, Gwen decided to make a move. She wanted to get there at a relatively okay time so as not to bring attention to herself, "I'll head off now," She said before heading to the front door.
This immediately stopped the argument between Nana and Tilly. Bethany looked at her ward, "Have you got everything you need?"
Gwen nodded her head, "Yep,"
Bethany sent her a dubious expression, "Where's your bag?"
Before Gwen could even respond to this, there was the sound of something being dropped on the floor. Looking down, Gwen saw that her backpack was now downstairs, and she hadn't used her magic to do this.
"Thanks, Tilly," Gwen said with a smile.
Tilly's lights flashed in response.
"What about your phone?" Bethany questioned.
Gwen patted her pocket, where her phone was. It was always fully charged and she would call her Nana if she needed anything. Bethany had got her this phone only last year as there was no reason for Gwen to have a phone beforehand – she never left the house and she and Nana were always together. She never saw the point in having one either, but now there was a reason to need one.
"Purse?"
Nodding her head again, Gwen remembered putting the purse in her backpack. There, she had access to an emergency fund of money Scarlett set up for her. Again, it was something Gwen did not touch as there was no need to and she was far too focused on strengthening her magic.
"Keys?"
Gwen reached into her other pocket and pulled out two keys, one for the house, and the other for the car she had been gifted. On her sixteenth birthday, she'd asked her Nana to be taught how to drive, and surprisingly, Nana agreed. She had claimed she was getting too old to drive and didn't see the issue in Gwen driving them around instead. It took around six months before she passed her driving test and while in Forks, Nana had gifted Gwen a car. It was a second-hand red Fiat 500, and Gwen loved it.
"The herbs?"
Pacing her hand over her right boob, she patted it, referring to the pouch of herbs that was stitched into her bra. In every bra, in every piece of underwear and in every pair of socks, there was a small pouch that contained the herbs that concealed her presence from being discovered. It covered her scent. The herbs had to be changed over every month and she had spent hours yesterday doing this. Despite the tediousness of the task, Gwen knew that it was essential as without it, she would not be allowed to leave the home in fear of magical creatures hunting her down and her location being discovered. Ever since she had started wearing them, they'd had a peaceful life and had been allowed to stay in one place longer than before.
Bethany looked at her dubiously, "Do you even have a pen?"
Sending her an unimpressed look, Gwen rolled her eyes, "Of course I have a pen. I also have a notebook, highlighters, a ruler, an eraser and a pencil." She mentally scoffed, of course, she had a pen. Gwen loved stationary and anything to do with organisation – it was her thing – and the fact that Nana had questioned this was almost insulting.
Bethany laughed, as she realised how silly that question was, "Of course you do,"
"I'll head off now. Bye Nana, bye Tilly," Gwen said before she left the housing, grabbing her black coat before closing the door.
Bethany watched her go with a frown on her face. It was weird watching Gwen leave without her, she was always with the girl. It was like this every morning, she would always make sure Gwen had everything she needed before leaving the house. However, it never got easier. They had spent seventeen years together but this was a new chapter for Gwen. This was the place where she would meet her destiny and Bethany would not step in the way of this – unless she had no choice. All the protecting, all the secrecy, all the hiding and running away would now be over, as long as everything went well and as intended.
TWILIGHT
Gwen arrived at the school and parked her car, a small red Fiat 500 that she loved dearly. Driving gave her some form of freedom, and while she knew she could not go far, at least not without her Nana knowing – she had the illusion of some form of freedom. As she locked up her car, she sensed as her friend approached her.
"Morning Gwen!" Said the cheery voice that belonged to Caitlin Fisher – the resident goth girl of the town.
Gwen looked at Caitlin and saw her dressed in all her dark glory – leathers and thick eyeliner standing out amongst the mundane people of Forks.
"Morning Caitlin, looking very dark this morning," Gwen joked with a grin.
Caitlin beamed at the praise. Usually, people gave her horrified looks at what she wore, but Gwen took this in stride. Their friendship had come about when Gwen had complimented her outfit and then defended her from some bullies – like Jessica Stanley.
"You'll never guess what," Caitlin said as she snapped out of her thoughts.
"Let me guess, you tried to summon a demon?" Gwen arched a brow, aware that the girl in front of her tried this before – despite the Witch's reverence about this.
"No, that's this weekend's plan." Caitlin waved off, "We're getting a newbie! She is meant to be in our year," She heard this juicy bit of gossip from her mother, who had heard it from a few other people. But apparently, Charlie Swan had said it so it had to be legit.
Gwen's looked at the goth girl in surprise. For Forks to get another new person was quite a shock. The last new person that arrived in Forks was herself and Nana, and even a year later, people tended to treat her as though she was a hot commodity – though she supposed it was because she never cared about them or tried to get too involved. Caitlin was the only exception. The only other new people in Forks were the Cullen's.
Speaking of them…
Just at that thought, Gwen spotted the gorgeous sibling's cars appearing. The familiar silver Volvo and blue Jeep were parked far away from everyone else. No one liked to park near the Cullen's cars because they were too expensive and people were too scared to accidentally scratch them. Whenever the Cullen's arrived, the teenagers tended to stop their conversations to stare at them.
Gwen watched as five of the most gorgeous creatures she had ever seen in her life got out of their cars gracefully. There were three guys and two girls. The first guy she saw looked like a bear; he was very tall and burly. He would have been very intimidating if it wasn't for the playful grin on his face. He was very handsome with his short dark brown hair and golden eyes. A girl was standing next to the bear of a man, and she happened to be the most beautiful woman Gwen had ever seen. She was also tall and her figure reminded her of a model. She had long wavy blonde hair and golden eyes. The other male was also very tall and had honey-blonde hair. He was muscular, but also very lean which only made his large golden eyes stand out even more. There was a tiny girl next to him, one that reminded Gwen of a pixie, especially with how thin and small she was. Her hair was cropped, short and spiky, which suited her, and she too had the alluring golden eyes. However, it was the last one that drew Gwen's attention. In Gwen's opinion, he was the most handsome out of the other two guys. He had high cheekbones, a strong jawline, a straight nose and full lips. His untidy bronze hair made his liquid gold eyes stand out even more.
Emmett.
Rosalie.
Jasper.
Alice.
Edward.
And they were all Vampires.
It had thrown Gwen at first when she saw them a year ago, she nearly had a panic attack and called her Nana. She had thought they would need to leave straight away, but surprisingly, her Nana had laughed at her and told her not to worry. This had thrown the Witch off, as usually when they came across anyone in the supernatural community, they would pack up and leave, but that didn't happen this time. At first, Gwen had been confused by their eye colour, as she'd never met a Vampire with golden eyes before.
Now, it just amused her that no one else had clicked on what they were.
Gwen was aware that they all tried to blend in as much as possible, but it was hard to hide their beauty – especially when they all looked like supermodels. They stood out like sore thumbs in a boring town like Forks, and it was no wonder they were still the talk of the city despite living here for a year longer than Gwen.
"Still so gorgeous," Caitlin muttered under her breath.
Gwen rolled her eyes and snapped back to reality, "Come on, let's head to class," She said as she began to walk to class, with Caitlin fumbling to catch up with her. Gwen looked at the Cullen's and saw as Alice flashed a smile in her direction, something the Witch returned.
"I still can't believe you are friends with Alice Cullen," Caitlin muttered lowly as she watched this interaction in awe.
"She's nice, I don't understand what the hang-up is," Gwen shook her head. Alice had been one of the first people who introduced herself when Gwen first came to Forks. This has freaked the Witch out slightly and she wondered whether they knew she was a Witch or not. But as time went on, nothing was ever said. However, what had been a nuisance was the population of Fork's reaction to this friendship and it had gained Gwen a lot of attention. The attention she did not like and had been annoyed by, but this did not stop her from being friends with Alice.
Gwen was certain they did not know she was a Witch.
This amused her more than anything.
Emmett happened to turn his head at the same time, and smiled at the Witch, enthusiastically waving in her direction. Gwen waved back and nearly laughed, she was fond of Emmett and she loved his energy. While he had never spoken to her, it appeared he wanted to, but was always stopped at the last second by someone.
Emmett was funny when he pouted.
"This is so unfair," Caitlin whined as she followed Gwen to their lesson.
Gwen ignored her moans of unfairness and continued to walk as they had double English that morning, and she did not want to be caught up in the mass rush to lessons.
TWILIGHT
The rest of the day went by relatively okay. Most of the residents were buzzing that there would be a new person coming to Forks – who also happened to be Chief Swan's daughter who had lived with her mother in Phoenix most of her life. Gwen had spent most of the day hearing all about how Charlie and Renee had broken up, hearing about all the different theories as to why their daughter would be coming back to Forks. The rumours weren't the nicest, but this was typical for mortal teenagers so Gwen kept out of it, as it was not her business.
Parking her car in the driveway, Gwen was immediately greeted by the lights flashing on as Tilly saw her. The door flung open before she had even made it to the porch but this just made Gwen smile at the house's eagerness to have her back. Just the sight of the house made her feel relieved. It was here that she could be herself and not have to worry about holding back her magic – something that had been a massive struggle throughout the entire day.
"I'm home, Tilly," Gwen said as she patted the doorway. She placed her bag on the ground, which was soon swallowed by the floorboards within seconds. No doubt it would turn up in her room, as it always did when she got home.
Tilly let out a happy groan and shut the door behind her, locking it straight away.
Rolling her eyes playfully, Gwen couldn't stop the rush of affection at the house's actions. "Where is Nana?"
At the question, she heard an angry yell from the woman in question. Walking further into the house she saw Bethany cooking up a storm in the kitchen, but she was swearing at the house for hiding away the pasta.
"Hi Nana," Gwen said as she announced her presence.
Jumping in surprise, Bethany turned around and smiled widely, "Oh firefly, you're back! The house never told me," The woman glared at the possessed house accusingly, causing one of the cupboard doors to close in response.
"I see you're both still standing," Gwen commented as she smelt the dinner, making her nearly groan at the smell. It was one of her favourites, spaghetti bolognese. There was a faint smell of garlic and she knew her Nana had only just put the garlic bread in the oven.
"Not with a lack of trying," Bethany muttered under her breath.
The cupboard door next to Bethany swung open and hit her in the back of the head.
"Tilly!" Bethany yelled out in anger.
Laughing, Gwen wordlessly set up the table, knowing that her Nana was occupied with dinner. She was starving already and also very tired. She just wanted to get the homework done from today, do a little more work on her spells and go to bed.
"How was today?" Bethany asked, recovering from the house's assault on her head. This was a regular occurrence, and she knew that Tilly would never actually harm her, but she toed the line at times.
"It was fine, a bit boring," Gwen said as she finished setting up the table. Since it was only the two of them, it made quick work, which was why she did not use her magic.
Bethany hummed at this, this did not surprise her. Gwen had given the same answer multiple times when asked how school was. Bethany remembered how tedious it was when she was young – a long time ago – but she still remembered how bored she'd been. She empathised with her ward in having to deal with teenage drama.
"We're getting someone new in town, she's the police chief's daughter," Gwen said after a few moments of comfortable silence. She wondered whether her Nana had seen anything about this new person.
Maybe they would be interesting?
Bethany frowned for a moment, "Ah yes, her name is Isabella Swan," There was a lot she wanted to say, but decided against it. It was a name she had been waiting to be mentioned, and she suddenly remembered all of the visions she had before coming to Forks.
Gwen watched her Nana for a moment. She watched as her Nana recognised the name and how the woman had rolled her eyes. That was the face Bethany wore when she did not like someone but didn't want to say it. Bethany could not hide her facial expressions, no matter how much she tried. It made her wonder what she'd seen to make her react in such a manner. "Anything I should know?"
"No," Bethany answered immediately.
A tingling sensation flared up in Gwen's chest.
Nana had lied.
This made Gwen frown, why would Bethany lie about this? She didn't like it when Bethany lied to her, it made her think that the older woman thought she couldn't handle the truth. She had been blessed by Scarlett to see through lies, so she hated it when people lied around her. Even if she didn't have this power, she still would have been able to tell her Nana was lying. Also, she was aware of Gwen's power, so Nana knew that she knew.
Cleaning her throat, Bethany moved the conversation on, "So, has any boys caught your eye?" The teasing glint in Nana's eyes was obvious, one that could be seen past the half-moon glasses she used for reading the cooking instructions.
Sensing that she wasn't getting any answers, she shook her head, Gwen began rooting for a cup to make herself a drink, "No, no one. They're all… immature," It was the only word that described them. She couldn't expect too much she supposed, they were mortal teenagers. They stared at girl's chests and made jokes about how they wished to sleep with them. Gwen had been subjected to a few stares as well, especially when she first arrived, and they had all made her feel disgusted. The Cullen's were the only people that were worth looking at, but Gwen would not even cross that line.
Bethany frowned, this was not the answer she was expecting. For a moment, she thought Gwen was not being honest, and maybe she was too embarrassed to admit to a guy catching her eye. Bethany had been waiting patiently for a certain name to be mentioned, but it never had. It was like Gwen hadn't cared at all, and she wondered why.
Surely, they had met? They had been here for a year already, they came here on purpose so Gwen could get comfortable.
Bethany was tempted to ask the question but stopped herself. She would not intervene on this, if she asked too many questions, Gwen would become curious and there was a risk of sending her in another direction. Gwen was stubborn, much like her mother, and if told to do something, she would do the opposite just out of spite.
She just had to be patient.
TWILIGHT
A few days later
Gwen was in her backyard, dressed down in black leggings, a tank top and a black pair of sneakers. Despite her dressed-down attire, she did not feel the cold as she had placed a warming spell on herself to combat the cold. She would probably need to drop that spell as soon as she was about to get to the bulk of her training. She had finished meditating, something she did every day to help balance her magic. Holding her magic in for the entire day was hard for her, so she found meditation helped with this. It allowed her a chance to think, reflect and calm herself down all in one. Then, she would train her magic.
She had already placed a barrier around her home so that no one noticed anything amiss. Tilly was backed onto a massive forest, but the last thing she needed was a mortal accidentally stumbling on one of her training sessions.
Gwen breathed in deeply before she sprang into action. Quicker than human eyes could keep up, Gwen summoned her lightning and blasted it around the sealed arena, not worried that her element would attack her. The lightning screamed in the sky, the brightness violent and beautiful. With a spin, Gwen gracefully jumped between elements, using the air and picking up the pressure until a small tornado formed in front of her, then she used the water element and made it rain within the small arena. Gwen felt the cool droplets of water fall on her face, refreshing her at that moment.
Twirling away, Gwen stomped her foot and chanted the trigger words needed to make ice form in her hands, throwing it up in the air and making it snow. She smiled at the beautiful scene in front of her, seeing her magic alive made her feel happy. She had held back a lot in school and she needed moments like this to expel her magic.
There was a slow clapping that snapped Gwen back into reality. She looked to the back porch and found Nana and Liam standing there, clapping with impressed looks on their faces. She nearly flushed red at being caught and praised but she stopped it and instead grinned, proud that she put in such a good display. She was not shy in admitting that she was good with her magic, she had trained for years to hone her craft.
"I told you she was good," Bethany said, pride in her ageing eyes.
"You weren't wrong," Liam admitted with a grin. Bethany had practically rushed him out of the door to see Gwen practice her magic. He had never seen her use her magic to such an extent, but he was happy he had seen it now.
"How was work?" Gwen asked as she walked over to them. She took down the barrier around the house, no longer needing it. She dispelled it with a snap of her fingers and she could no longer feel the strain on her magic anymore.
Liam shrugged his shoulders, "It was okay. We caught a guy trying to steal from one of the shops, but otherwise, it was a pretty standard day." He had spent most of it patrolling the streets with his Chief, Charlie Swan. Other than that, one incident, nothing much happened that day.
Gwen nodded her head.
"Come inside, Liam's made burgers," Bethany said as they headed back into the house to escape the chill. She was old and found that she got colder much easier than when she was younger. While it was March, it was still very cold, as the winter chill heavily clung to the hair and Bethany swore there would be snow.
Eyes lighting up, Gwen dashed inside, desperate for food. She was starving. "Best news ever, I was starving!"
Walking into the dining room, she noticed that Tilly turned the lights on and had extended the table. Originally, there was only a small table to fit two people, but it seemed as though Tilly had worked her magic and extended the table so there was enough room. Gwen grinned, patting the wall as thanks.
Tilly's lights flickered at the appreciation.
Soon after, Bethany, Liam and Gwen sat down and began eating, making small talk with one another. Gwen informed them about her day and what had happened, how school was boring as usual, and how stupid mortal teenagers were. Gwen devoured her food, and reached for seconds, using her magic had made her work up an appetite. Liam had made burgers and chips – which tasted divine. She loved Liam's cooking as he always made the food taste amazing, even better than restaurants. It was very rare for her to taste his food, but Gwen silently hoped they would get to eat more of it.
"So, I heard Charlie's daughter is coming," Gwen said in between bites.
Liam nodded his head, "Yeah, he's excited about her coming," He and Charlie were quite close, as Liam considered the older man to be a mentor to him. Most times, he was paired up with Charlie whenever it came to patrols.
Bethany scowled but said nothing.
This made Gwen's eyes narrow, her Nana knew something.
"When is she coming?" Gwen asked curiously. All week, she had heard nothing but talk about Isabella Swam coming to town – it was all anyone spoke about. In all fairness, nothing too exciting happened in Forks, so whenever something new happened it buzzed around and everyone knew about it. It had taken months before people stopped spreading rumours about her. The only exciting things in Forks were not even known to the public, because if they did, there may be uproar.
"Is another few days, she'll be arriving Monday," Liam answered as he ate his food, a bit faster than Gwen and Bethany. He was hungry and wolfed down the food as quickly as he could, he had missed lunch because he was behind on paperwork.
Bethany scowled at her dinner once more.
"Why do you look like someone has offended you?" Gwen questioned, not able to hold back. The past few days, Bethany had acted strange, more annoyed and she'd been having more visions than normal. Something was happening – or going to happen – and Nana was very secretive.
And she didn't like it.
Bethany stared at her ward's mismatched eye colour and she opened her mouth to deny but stopped herself. She sighed to herself, her shoulders visibly deflating, "I am sorry, I shouldn't have lied the other day."
"Nana, what's going on?" Gwen asked with a frown, concerned.
Liam looked at his grandmother, also curious. Usually, his grandmother had no issues telling them if something was wrong.
Even Tilly's actions in the background seemed to stop as if the spirit of the house sensed that something was afoot.
"This girl is going to cause a lot of issues. She's a trouble magnet," Bethany explained with a frown as she leaned back in her chair. "Her blood appeals to the Cullen's, especially to Edward,"
Liam and Gwen shared a look – that was not a good thing. So far, there had been no slip-ups with the Cullen's, and this was something Gwen had kept an eye on. No humans had gone missing, and there had been no people who had been turned into Vampires. She was aware that they got their blood through animals – a practice that still confused her. However, if they were tempted, that would not be a good thing. A single Vampire could destroy this entire town without a second thought, a whole Coven could destroy the entire country in a blink of an eye, and much worse. Any attention would draw the Volturi in as well, and this was something Gwen wanted to avoid.
The less people that knew about her, the better. At least, that is what she had been told.
"Her blood is sweet to the Vampires, and she will attract quite a few of them," Bethany warned with a severe expression. She had seen what would come, and it annoyed her with how careless this human could be. "She also stirs up trouble with the Shifters in La Push,"
Gwen's eyebrow arched. She was aware of the Shifters in La Push, as the Blackthorn Coven had a treaty with them. She had stayed away from La Push in her time there, no matter how many times Caitlin begged her to go. Gwen did not want to risk anything with the Shifters, in case they figured out who she was and that would attract attention to herself. To her knowledge, there was only one Shifter, but she didn't doubt there would be more. The Shifters worked in packs, much like Werewolves, so there was bound to be more of them.
"So, I just need to stay away from her," Gwen said. She wasn't too worried, she could handle a mortal and a few Vampires. Her magic pulsed under her skin as she thought about it, and she made a mental note to do more training after this.
"That will be easier said than done," Bethany muttered under her breath.
"I'll be careful," Gwen promised her.
Bethany looked up and stared at her ward before she smiled, "I know you'll do what is best,"