Chapter Six
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.
Enjoy the story!
TWILIGHT
Gwen was sat in her car, outside of Forks High School with a frown on her face. She had not slept well for the rest of the weekend. Now that Monday had arrived, she was exhausted. Her thoughts had gone into overdrive. There was a part of her that was hurt that her mother hung up on her call, but a larger part of her, the more dominant side was angry that her mother had rejected her – had not even said hello before she disconnected the call. She had been awake to hear her Nana get up at her usual time. Gwen was almost certain that Bethany did not know what had happened the night before – she had made sure to delete the call log. But her Nana had not said anything that morning, and in fact, she had given the Witch some space, something Gwen was thankful for.
It was only when she realised the first warning bell would go soon, that Gwen sighed deeply and opened the car door. She was careful of the snow around her so she did not fall. Caitlin must have been running behind, as she often did, so Gwen decided to make her way into the lesson. She had double English that morning and her mind was not in the best space at the moment.
"Good morning, Gwen,"
Gwen jumped when a voice said right beside her. She snapped her neck to turn to the voice and found Edward looking at her, amused to have caught her off guard.
"Are you trying to give a heart attack?" Gwen demanded as she placed a hand over her fast-beating heart. She had massively been caught off guard, as the Vampire's light footsteps had not helped. If she had not been so distracted, she would have sensed him as he approached her, but she had not because she'd been so focused on her thoughts.
"You and I both know you're not susceptible to that," Edward pointed out dryly with an arched brow.
"Oh, look at you, being all knowledgeable about my kind," Gwen smirked as she taunted the Vampire. While Witches were very much like humans in their lifespan, they were more resistant to human ailments and diseases but not completely immune. Potions and magic could be used to strengthen a Witch and also extend their lives.
Edward rolled his eyes at her taunt. But he took a quick peek around to make sure that no one overheard them.
"Now, what have I done to gain your attention?" Gwen asked as she and Edward walked to class, as they both had English that morning. She was very aware of the stares they were getting from the rest of the humans. Some were jealous looks, and others were of awe. She was sure that this 'event' would be known by the whole school in a matter of hours, as teenage mortals were very jealous creatures.
"I have been tasked with keeping an eye on you," Edward said as they continued to walk into the school. He too could feel the stares, but he could also hear the thoughts of the teenagers around him. There were a lot of girls who were not happy about this situation, especially Jessica, and boys who were staring at Gwen with indecent thoughts – it made him sick.
"How charming," Gwen commented back dryly, unimpressed. "Keep an eye on me for what exactly?" The last time they had seen one another, Edward had not been happy and looked ready to murder her when she visited two days prior. Alice had messaged her that everything was okay afterwards, so this was an unexpected move.
What also gave it away was the tingle in her chest, so she knew that Edward was lying.
Edward looked at her with a blank expression, "That you don't expose us,"
Gwen arched a brow at him and laughed, "I know that you've not been tasked with this, as you seem to forget my gift. I assume you decided to take on this role for your own ridiculous reasons," It also made no sense, if she exposed the Cullen's, there would nothing to stop them from revealing her secret in return. As far as she was concerned, that secret was well protected. Also, Gwen would gain nothing in informing anyone about the Cullen's, so it made no logical sense.
"I don't trust you," Edward glared at her. For the past year, he had been completely unaware that he had gone to school with a Witch. No one in his family knew. They have been caught off guard and he did not like it in the slightest. They could have accidentally broken the Treaty without realising it, putting their Coven in harm's way. However, the Witch was not wrong. No one in his Coven had tasked him with this. Carlisle and Esme did not see the risk and had been reassured from her visit two days prior – and were eager to speak with her again, especially Carlisle. Alice and Emmett had been beaming about the fact Gwen was a Witch, Rosalie was annoyed and Jasper was reserved. It was Edward who had been the most vocal about how they could not trust her – and surprisingly, Alice had been the most adamant to disregard his words. Edward had been hurt by this as he and Alice were usually quite close, but for her to oppose him so strongly, with Jasper taking his wife's side, made the mind-reader annoyed. It was made worse because he knew that Alice was hiding something from him, but wouldn't say or reveal anything in her mind. It was under too many layers in her mind for him to access, which frustrated him beyond belief.
"And I don't care what you think," Gwen snorted as she rolled her eyes.
Edward frowned as he stared at her, his golden eyes roamed freely as he looked at the Witch. Gwen met his gaze easily, as she sent him a challenging look, one that begged him to say or do something. This attitude rubbed him the wrong way and he glared at her, which made the Witch smirk in mirth.
Both made it to the English room, and Gwen sat in her usual space at the back. However, she was not surprised when Edward sat in the seat next to her. Gwen could feel the stares of the people in the room and could also hear some whispers, but chose to ignore them.
"So, you plan on being my shadow then?" Gwen asked him. She thought she'd be annoyed, but in fact, she was amused by this whole situation.
Edward nodded his head.
"For how long?" Gwen asked as she leaned back in her chair to get comfortable. She'd been tempted to cast a charm on the chair to make it more comfortable but decided against it. It would be such a waste of magic.
"Until you can be trusted," Edward responded.
There was no tingling in her chest, he was being honest.
For once.
"And how do I know if you can be trusted?" Gwen shot back at him.
Edward looked at her confused, "What do you mean?"
"How do I know you're not going to reveal my secret?" Gwen questioned him as she looked at him with a blank expression.
Edward was about to protest, but realisation dawned on him at what Gwen had hinted at. For a moment, he felt conflicted about his next move. He had been so certain that the Witch needed to be watched, to make sure she didn't do anything that could endanger the family. He had not considered Gwen's side in this.
"I thought as much," Gwen was smug and shot him a look, "But you're welcome to watch, I have nothing to hide," The grin on Gwen's face was pure smugness, one that irritated the Vampire.
Edward turned away from her and did not speak to her for the rest of the lesson.
Gwen laughed to herself as she got her notebook out, and started to make some notes to make it look as if she was busy. If she looked busy, it was less likely that Miss Hall would bother her. As Miss Hall started her lesson, she could feel Edward's eyes on her, but she ignored them.
However, it would seem as though Gwen would not get peace that day. In the lessons she shared with Edward, he would act as her shadow. He would sit in the seat near her, and if the lesson required that they pair up with people, Edward would claim her as his partner, before anyone else could say anything. Caitlin had been in one of these lessons and had sent Gwen a bewildered look, one that Gwen shrugged in response to. By lunchtime, nearly every student was talking about how Edward and her seemed close, and the stares became worse. Gwen had noticed one person in particular who looked at her frequently, and that was Bella. Bella had watched her every move in Spanish, and Gwen thought she was going to break her neck at one point with how many times she had turned to look at the Witch.
Due to all the gossip, Gwen had decided that she would ditch the cafeteria for lunch, mentally cursing the Cullen. Instead, she headed towards the library, where Caitlin saw her and sat with her.
"A few rumours are going on about you and Edward Cullen," Caitlin wriggled her eyebrows suggestively as she ate. She had heard the whispers going around the school and wanted to know if it was true.
Gwen snorted and laughed, not too loud where she'd be shushed by the librarian. "Like?" She'd heard a few herself, but she wanted to know if any more had come out.
"That you guys are dating, and that's why you're so close to Alice," Caitlin said as she sniggered.
Gwen nearly choked on her sandwich at the ridiculousness of the rumour, "Absolutely not. Edward and I are not an item. I and Alice are friends because we sit next to each other in Art class." The thought of her and the Vampire dating nearly made her vomit. Vampires and Witches do not mix romantically, and Gwen had never heard of a match before like that.
Caitlin nodded her head, "Ah, that makes sense. But what is the deal with Edward?" She had seen what she was like in one of their lessons. Edward had sent dark looks at anyone if they dared approach Gwen, even to the goth.
"What do you mean?" Gwen feigned ignorance, even though she knew exactly what her friend had asked. Edward had not exactly been inconspicuous when it came to being her shadow. She was surprised she had managed to give him the slip, but at the same time, she would not be surprised if he was hidden away somewhere in the library.
Caitlin looked around, making sure there was no one around and lowered her voice, "You know how I mentioned that people still stared at the Cullen's?" This had been when Gwen first arrived at the school a year ago when she had given the rundown of how things ran.
Gwen nodded her head in response. She remembered the conversation well, as she remembered nearly laughing at Caitlin's words. High school really was like all the drama shows she had watched – Gwen had binged a lot of shows to prepare herself for actual school.
"Well, that is because the Cullen's keep to themselves. They do not interact with other students unless they have to. Many people have tried to ask them out, to hang out, but they always say no. They keep to themselves," Caitlin explained, her voice barely above a whisper but Gwen was still able to hear.
"And what does that have to do with anything?" Gwen asked, confused. Surely, the mortals would have got used to the Cullen's by now, but it appeared as though she was wrong. The mortals were obsessed with this family, and every new move they made, always circulated the school within minutes.
"People are finding it strange, that Alice is speaking to you. Usually, Alice is the nicest one of the family to approach, but even she holds people at a distance." Caitlin explained as she continued to eat her lunch.
Gwen was starting to understand now, "And they're wondering what makes me so different?" This made sense. She'd been here for some time with no change, and now, all of a sudden, things appeared to be changing. Gwen would class Alice as a friend, and now Edward had started to get closer to her – not that anyone knew the true reason for this. But to the mortal eye, it appeared as though she and Edward were 'close'.
Caitlin nodded her head, "Yes, people have even started to make up some theories, that maybe you guys knew each other before Forks,"
Honestly, this amused the Witch. She snorted and laughed behind her sandwich. "Yeah, that does not make sense,"
"So, would you ever date Edward Cullen?" Caitlin asked bluntly, curiously.
If Gwen had water in her mouth, she would have spat it out there and then. She nearly shouted something out but stopped herself at the last minute, not wanting to anger Mrs Brooks and take advantage of her generosity. Instead, she snorted, "No chance,"
"Huh?" Caitlin looked genuinely confused.
"A guy that pretty? He's got to be playing for the other team," Gwen said in a joking manner, a large grin on her face.
Caitlin's jaw dropped, and her eyes widened.
A booming laugh sounded in the library and this made both girls jump. Gwen had to stomp her instant response in using her magic, thinking she was under attack. She looked around and saw Emmett laughing, pure delight in his eyes. Jasper stood beside him, a hand over his mouth to hide his smile and even Rosalie was there, a grin on her beautiful face. They were on the other side of the library and looked as though they had just come in.
Gwen instantly knew that they had heard her, and this nearly made her laugh out loud.
"Mr Cullen!" Mrs Brook scolded harshly, she had nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the young man laugh.
"I apologise for him," Jasper said quietly, the grin still on his face.
Caitlin paled when she saw the members of the Cullen family and looked down at her lunch. Gwen stared at them for a few more seconds. Before she looked away, Emmett sent her thumbs up, childish delight still shining in his golden eyes. It looked as though she had made his day completely, and this made Gwen feel happy. Grinning slightly, Gwen nodded her head in acknowledgement.
Rosalie's amused expression turned sour as she glared at Gwen.
Ignoring the look, Gwen turned back to her lunch and started to talk to Caitlin about other things.
"I hope they did not hear that," Caitlin muttered under her breath.
"There is no way they heard it, they are too far away," Gwen reassured her human friend, as she shot the Vampires a look, one that she hoped would reassure them. After Edward's behaviour towards her, she wondered whether any of the other family members harboured any resentment towards her.
Rosalie's sour expression lessened slightly, and she pursed her lips together. She turned away from the human and Witch and focused back on her mate and family. Jasper sent her a thankful look, and Gwen took this as a good sign.
After that, the rest of lunch passed fairly quickly, and so did the rest of the day. Before Gwen knew it, it was her last period of the day and Gwen was sat in Art class, casually painting, with her thoughts away so she had not fully paid attention to what she had painted.
Her head was filled with too much stuff – like training, the mysteries of her haunted house, keeping her magic away from the mortals, and what she was to do about Edward. She could not understand the hate from his side, the secret was out, and now they could live their lives and she could live hers. Despite her Nana's words, she doubted that she would stay in Forks long, as they never stayed long in one place. Maybe she may get to finish the year out, but after the year, she would probably never see the Cullen's again. Also, Cullen's lifespan ran circles around hers, so she was a small blip on his radar.
"Are you okay?"
Gwen snapped out of her daydream and turned to Alice, who looked at her with a concerned expression. Her unnaturally beautiful face is the biggest indicator of her true nature – meant to draw in her prey. It was a wonder no one had figured this out already with how much they stood out.
"Gwen?" Alice called again.
Looking at the tiny creature in front of her, Gwen sighed deeply, "Sorry, I am just a bit distracted,"
"Is it something my brother did?" Alice asked curiously.
"He claims he has been sent to watch me," Gwen said with a frown, "But I know that he hasn't," She had felt him lie, due to her gift. She wondered why the mind-reader had even attempted to lie when he knew about this gift.
Annoyance at her brother flashed in Alice's golden eyes, "No, he was not assigned, Carlisle had not agreed to it. I had hoped he wouldn't follow through with his plan to follow you, but I heard the rumours so it seems that I was wrong," She and Edward had got into an argument that morning before school as Alice had warned him that his plan would be fruitless, but the mind-reader would have none of it.
When Gwen did not get a tingling sensation in her chest, she knew that Alice had been telling the truth. This relieved her, as she had worried that the Cullen's had decided to turn against her after their chat. "So, your family does not think I need to be watched?" Gwen asked as she looked at her Vampire friend.
Alice shook her head, "No, you have your own secret to protect," Even Rosalie and Jasper were certain that Gwen would not reveal them due to this. Edward was the only Vampire in their Coven who did not agree with this.
"Thank you!" Gwen laughed, as she felt vindicated. All day, she had felt as though someone had watched her, and she knew it was Edward. Luckily, they did not share this lesson so she would have had to put up with him.
"Besides, it's nice knowing each other's secret." Alice beamed at the Witch. Being around humans could be exhausting, even for a creature that did not feel tired or need to rest. Now, she had someone who she could be herself around, and speak to about certain things.
Gwen nodded her head in agreement.
"Edward isn't usually that bad, he is protective. He will come around, I've seen it," Alice reassured the Witch, as she hoped the events of today had not impacted the future.
"Look, I know Edward is your brother, so you're obligated to defend him. But I don't want to hear it today," Gwen said with a sigh, focusing on her painting in front of her. It was a mess of colour and forceful strokes from the brush, but she liked it. She wasn't the best painter and not the most artistic, but she enjoyed drawing and would often find herself doodling ruins.
Falling silent for a moment, Alice concentrated on her artwork – a gorgeous scenic canvas with oil paintings – before she spoke up again, "Do you want me to speak to my brother?"
Now Gwen felt guilty, "I didn't mean to snap at you, I'm sorry. I don't want to pull you in the middle of this, you're my friend, and I wouldn't do that,"
Alice's eyes lit up, "I'm your friend?"
Putting down her paintbrush, Gwen looked at Alice and smiled, "Yeah, you're one of the only people who have spoken to me normally, not like a novelty. Also, I don't have to hide that part of myself either," Gwen genuinely considered Alice a friend, just like Caitlin. Alice had a warm energy around her, one that she liked to be around. Also, the Vampire hardly ever lied, which Gwen liked because then her power did not flare up. Caitlin was a good friend of hers, but she was not part of the supernatural community and she could not share that part of her life with the mortal, there was always a barrier between them.
"Well, then as your friend, what is happening with that shopping trip?" Alice asked, a wide grin on her face as if she had waited for this moment.
"Thank you for reminding me about that, I nearly forgot," Gwen shot the Vampire a smile, "I need to update my winter wardrobe," Despite it being March, the weather was still cold, which was on brand for Forks, and so Gwen wanted to update her wardrobe a little, as she was bored with some of the clothing she already had. She didn't have too many clothes as she usually needed to pack and leave quickly and just had never bothered to expand her wardrobe, but now seemed like a good time.
Alice squealed slightly, she was practically vibrating in one spot, "Oh I can't wait! We will have such a good time!" Just as Alice finished speaking, her eyes glazed over and she went deathly still. The abrupt change made Gwen stop what she was doing.
The moment she saw it, Gwen knew what was happening. This is what would happen to Nana when she had visions. She would freeze up, go quiet – unless it was a very powerful vision – and eyes glazed over. Gwen said nothing, just letting Alice ride out her vision, which only took a few seconds before Alice was right back to her normal hyper self, making plans as if nothing had happened.
"It was planned for this weekend, is that still okay with you?" Gwen said as she got her friend's attention.
Alice nodded her head, "That's fine with me! We can head to Port Angels, they have some cute shops that I know you'll love!"
The wording of her sentence wasn't lost on Gwen and it just made her grin. Alice had probably had a vision about this day out. She was used to this behaviour and wording after living with her Nana for seventeen years, so she felt comfortable.
"Do you mind if Rosalie comes along? I feel like she'd like it," Alice asked, her eyes wide and innocent.
For a moment, Gwen was hesitant. Caitlin would also be attending and she wondered how the blonde Vampire would be having to interact with a mortal and a Witch. Gwen liked Rosalie, there was an energy about her that drew her in, and she wanted to get the know the beautiful Vampire more. "I've got no issues with her coming," She silently prayed that Caitlin would not faint at this news.
Alice's eyes lit up at the news as she did a little happy dance, that was adorable.
Just then, the bell went, signalling the end of the day. Before she forgot, Alice turned to the Witch, "Text me with the time and we will be there," With a wave, Alice left the room with a skip in her step.
The moment the Witch stepped out of her lesson, she could feel the eyes on her again. She had managed to ignore the stares and whispers in the lesson, but it did make her wonder how Alice and her sibling put up with it. With their advanced hearing, they would be able to hear everything that was being said about them. Honestly, Gwen did not know how they put up with it. When Gwen reached her car, she sensed Edward's gaze on her.
Gwen turned her head and saw that Edward was standing on the other side of the school parking lot, his gaze intensely locked on her.
This amused her, he acted as though he was on an important mission, and that she was a danger. Gwen smirked at him and laughed. Edward's eyes narrowed as if he demanded to know what he was thinking – something she knew frustrated him because he could not hear her thoughts. It was the fact Gwen knew this must have been getting to him that caused her happiness. The Witch soon realised that she had found a new favourite pastime – taunting Edward Cullen. Gwen caught Alice's gaze, and she smiled widely at the Witch and waved. Standing next to the small Vampire was Jasper, as well as Emmett and Rosalie. Rosalie refused to look in the Witch's direction, whereas Emmett smiled and tried to placate his wife – something that did not appear to be working, based on the scowl on her face.
The Witch was snapped out of her thoughts when she sensed someone approach her. Gwen knew it would not be Caitlin as she was being picked up by her dad that day, and all the Cullen's were nowhere near her. Curious, Gwen turned her head and watched as Bella got closer to her. Gwen's eyes quickly darted over to Bella's ugly truck, which was parked a few cars away, and thought she was passing by, but this thought was put aside when Bella got closer and stopped when she was a few feet away from the Witch.
Bella did not say anything as she stared at Gwen, but it appeared as though she wanted to say something.
Gwen waited a few seconds, but nothing was said and this made her impatient. "Do you need something?" Gwen's eyebrow arched in question.
"I-I heard you were the new person before me," Bella stuttered, caught off guard by the blunt question, her doe-like eyes on the floor.
"Yeah, I've been here a year now," Gwen said with a frown as she did not understand why this was being asked. Bella had been here for a week, and not once had the girl approached her before, so she did not understand why now. It made her wonder what she was after, and she wondered what had caused this wallflower to strike up a conversation. It didn't help that Gwen had watched as Jessica had whispered loads of information to the new girl and it made her question what else Bella had been told about her.
After all, Jessica was not her number one fan.
Bella nodded her head and shifted her feet as if she was nervous, "I heard that before you, the Cullen's were new,"
"Yeah, they were," Gwen said flatly.
Bella gulped at her tone, and wet her dry lips, "A-are you and Edward…"
"Are we what?" Gwen asked, confused.
"Jessica mentioned that Edward's not shown interest in anyone…" Bella drifted off as she looked over her shoulders, and stared right at Edward and his family. Edward was still staring at Gwen and had not even looked at Bella.
Gwen frowned and looked at Bella and saw the longing in doe-brown eyes. It took a few minutes before the penny dropped and she realised what Bella was asking her. She wanted to know whether she and Edward were an item. It seemed as though the rumours Caitlin had told her about were coming back to haunt the Witch. The thought nearly made her burst out laughing. Gwen knew that Edward was good-looking but his personality was lacking and that brought his level of attractiveness down for her. Then there came the separate issue of her being a Witch and him a Vampire, it would not work. However, it made sense that Bella – a human – was ensnarled by him, after all, Vampires were designed to draw in their prey with their appearance.
"No, I and Edward are not together," Gwen nearly laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation.
This caught Edward's attention, as he'd looked away for a moment, only to look at Gwen with a bewildered look on his face. Gwen grinned at him and shook her head before her eyes darted to Bella. Understanding flashed in his eyes as he looked away.
Bella nodded her head, but she continued to stare at Edward, not hearing a word of what Gwen had said.
Rolling her eyes at Bella, Gwen was about ready to get in her car and get away, as she found this conversation tedious. However, she was distracted when she saw Alice, in the corner of her eye, tense where she stood. Alice was having a vision, but it was horror on her face that made Gwen frown and stop.
That's when Gwen heard a loud screeching sound that made her ears hurt.
Turning her head, Gwen saw a car skidding towards Bella and her, with Tyler behind the wheel. His eyes were wide and he shouted at people to get out of the way. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Gwen's eyes widened and she looked at Bella, she stood there in shock, a sitting duck for the incoming car. Things seemed to slow down, and Gwen's first instinct was to use her magic to stop the car but she hesitated because if she used her magic, she would risk exposing herself to Bella and everyone else around them. However, if anything happened to Bella and blood was spilt, then this could expose Fork's resident Vampires.
Neither option was ideal.
It was brief, but Gwen turned to look at the Cullen's and saw the horror on their faces. Alice looked scared, with Jasper tense beside her. There was no smile on Emmett's face and he seemed to be struggling, with Rosalie stone-faced. However, it was Edward's expression that Gwen could not read.
Instinct took over in the end, as Gwen quickly stretched out her arm and used her magic to slow down the incoming sliding vehicle as much as she could. With more time, Gwen pushed Bella out of the way, causing Bella to fall to the ground, looking up very dazed but seemed unharmed. Just as she did this, Edward appeared by the Witch's side, he grabbed her and pulled her out of harm's way, just in time as Tyler's car hit Gwen's car. This caused a horrible noise to echo in the parking lot and people screamed when they saw the two cars connect. It took a few seconds for Gwen's mind to catch up as everything happened so quickly. However, she was able to recognise two things – she had used magic and hoped that no one had noticed otherwise her Nana was going to be mad, and another thing that she noticed was that Edward was holding her close to him, to the point she could feel the coldness of his body. However, it was the fact that he had touched her that caused her to flinch and jump back away from him. She was relieved when she saw nothing had happened. Edward noticed this and looked down at her with a frown.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Edward asked again when he did not get a response the first time he asked.
Gwen shook her head, "I'm fine… but Edward, you were too fast," She whispered lowly as her eyes landed on Bella, who lay on the ground with a dazed expression when she saw Edward.
Edward tensed as Bella stared at him. It was made even worse when he smelt blood from the scrap on her elbow. He had built up a resistance to Bella's scent, but having her blood exposed made a part of him snarl as he wanted to drain her dry. He hadn't noticed this until now, as he had been far too occupied, but now his mind concentrated on the sweetness of the blood and his desire to drink her dry. The itch at the back of his throat became almost unbearable.
"Go, I'll deal with this," Gwen whispered to him and she watched as he tensely nodded his head and headed off. Gwen saw how the other Cullen's had disappeared and were no longer present, but their cars were still there.
That was for the best.
All of a sudden, Gwen and Bella were flooded with students as they checked up on them and asked how they were. Gwen had to take a step back from everyone as it was too much – there were too many people and she did not want to risk being touched. When people saw that Gwen was fine, they focused on Bella and asked whether she was okay. The mortal was too dazed to say anything, which caused an ambulance to be called for her, something that Bella tried to protest, but someone had shouted they'd seen Bella hit her head when Gwen pushed her. There was also the flurry of getting Tyler out of his car to make sure he was okay, and he seemed very shaken up by what happened. Unfortunately, he seemed the most injured out of the lot of them, with blood on his face, but in too much shock to share about any other injuries for the moment.
Despite Gwen's insistence that she was fine, she ended up being taken to the hospital by the concerned ambulance staff who learned she had been involved. No matter what Gwen said, she was not listened to and decided to go along as she knew nothing would come back.
By the time she arrived at the hospital, and she was placed in an examining room with Bella and Tyler, and Gwen just wanted to go home. She had been asked by multiple different professionals whether she was okay or not. The nurses started to annoy the Witch and could not seem to understand when she did not want them touching her.
Just as she was in the middle of telling a nurse to back off, Liam walked through the door, dressed in his full cop uniform, with Charlie right behind him.
"Gwen, are you okay?" Liam asked with concern on his face. He had heard what happened and had rushed right over. Bethany had shared that Gwen was okay, but he wanted to check in on her to see if she was okay.
Gwen nearly sighed in relief when she saw him, now that she had an adult beside her, maybe people would listen, "Yes, I am fine. Not even a scratch on me," She grinned at the inside joke and Liam laughed and relaxed fully. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Charlie fretting over Bella, as Bella weakly tried to tell him that she was okay. Gwen could also feel Bella's eyes on her as if she was trying to catch her gaze so they could talk, but she would not have it.
"Gwen, Bella, I am so sorry!" Gwen heard someone speak, which pulled her away from her thoughts.
Turning her head to the voice, Gwen saw Tyler, who was in a neck brace and some blood on his face. "I just lost control of the car, I think I slipped on some ice." He said, looking guilty and very apologetic.
"You're lucky you didn't kill them both," Charlie said to the boy, anger in his eyes. "You're also lucky I don't take away your licence." When he got the news about his daughter potentially being in an accident in school, he had nearly keeled over in shock.
Tyler whimpered under Charlie's glare.
"Ch-Dad," Bella tried to say, but it fell flat. She looked to Gwen for help but was met with nothing, and Liam did not seem in the slightest bothered by all of this.
Liam looked at Gwen with an arched brow, amusement in his eyes. Gwen had to hold back a laugh and hid it behind her hand. Instead, Gwen turned her head to face Tyler, "Don't worry about it, Tyler, just focus on getting better." If he had been driving recklessly then she wouldn't have been as nice, but Gwen could tell Tyler was telling the truth. She didn't need her gift to know that Tyler hadn't intentionally tried to kill her. Ice was a scary thing, especially with motor vehicles.
Speaking of motor vehicles, Gwen groaned when she realised that her car had been damaged in the crash and this made her feel anxious. Liam looked at her, confused, "My car was hit in the accident," She said lowly so no one would overhear. She knew that Bella was trying to lip-read because she practically felt her watching like a hawk.
Liam made a noise of understanding.
Just then, a doctor walked in and Gwen instantly recognised him and relaxed more. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see the nurses become flustered by his presence as they tried to make themselves look busy.
"Hello, I'm Doctor Cullen." Carlisle introduced himself with a gentle smile.
"How is she, Carlisle?" Charlie asked, his brows furrowed together in concern.
Carlisle looked down at Bella's chart before performing some basic tests on her, like making her eyes follow his finger while he used a flashlight. He then checked her knee and her elbow, which she hit when she was pushed. These tests went by very quickly, "There is no sign of a concussion which is good. Keep the scrapes clean and they will heal on their own,"
Charlie visibly sighed in relief.
"I heard you were quite lucky," Carlisle said as he looked to Gwen, a knowing glint in his golden eyes. His children had called him just after this and informed him what happened. He had made sure he was the doctor attending to this incident so he could check on Gwen, and also fish for any information.
Gwen nodded her head, "I was, not a scratch on me," She shared a look with Liam, who looked amused.
Carlisle managed to hide his confusion well as he completed some basic tests with her, that were done much quicker than Bella's tests. He could see there were no visible injuries but he wanted to make sure that she was okay. When he had heard that Gwen had been involved in an accident, Carlisle had been very worried but was happy to see that she was unharmed, and he could see no damage at all.
"That was because Edward got her out the way," Bella said suddenly, her gaze trained on Carlisle as she was looking for some reaction from him.
Gwen had to hide an eye twitch. It seemed as though this mortal had seen more than she should have, and this made her worry. Had Bella noticed as she used magic? The thought of her secret being out made a part of her panic, but she had to remind herself to remain calm, otherwise she would give herself away.
However, Carlisle kept his calm and did not visibly react, "Did he? Then it was lucky he was there," He said as he shot a thankful look to Bella.
Gwen was almost impressed because she may not have been able to tell he'd been lying without her gift. However, the tingle in her chest gave away his lie.
"It was like he came out of nowhere," Bella commented again, this time for forcibly, not letting this go.
"That's because he was coming over to us," Gwen said suddenly as she cursed this mortal's curious nature and observations. She knew that she had to make up something otherwise she felt like Bella was not going to let this go.
Bella looked at her confused. "No, he wasn't,"
Gwen rolled her eyes, "You wouldn't have noticed, you had your back turned. Edward was coming over, I saw him." While she did not like lying, this was necessary to keep hers and Cullen's secret.
Carlisle smiled as he completed the work, there was a flash of appreciation, but it was gone quickly so no one would notice, but Gwen had.
"Make sure to thank your boy for me," Charlie said to Carlisle with a grateful expression.
"I will," Carlisle reassured.
"So, when can I leave?" Gwen asked bluntly just as Bella was about to open her mouth and ask another question, "No offence, but I don't like hospitals," The smell was very strong, and the lighting was far too bright. She did not know how Carlisle could put up with his, with his advanced senses. Now, after being in one, she could understand why her Nana disliked them.
This made Liam and Carlisle laugh, and Charlie smiled slightly. "Just sign these papers and you're all good to go," Carlisle said, handing Liam a clipboard and a pen.
Gwen stood up from the bed as they began talking, "I'm just going to stretch my legs." She told Liam before walking out of the room. Gwen's legs had been feeling restless and she knew that she needed to walk before they drove her crazy.
"Don't walk too far away." Liam reminded her in a stern voice, though this was mainly for show. There was a playful glint in his eyes, one that only Gwen and Carlisle could pick up on.
"I won't!" Gwen shouted back. She could feel the glare from Bella as she left the room and she was thankful when she did not feel her eyes anymore.
Beginning her walk, Gwen intended on heading for the reception desk and then she would head back so Liam could take her home. That is when she could focus on her car and how she would fix that. On the way, she had seen some people from the school and they'd asked if she was okay and they'd ask about Bella. Gwen had kept things vague and said how she was okay, but it started to bother her when she told the third person the same story. As Gwen got closer to reception, she saw Edward and Rosalie glaring at each other and talking to each other in hushed whispers. Gwen planned to walk past them and pretend as though nothing had happened, but she stopped when she heard her name.
"Gwen," Edward called out.
Gwen turned around and saw Rosalie looking at her in disdain. This made the Witch roll her eyes, "Yes?"
"Has she said anything?" Edward asked, referring to Bella.
"She suspects something," Gwen shared as she got closer to them and kept her voice low. She knew that they could hear with their advanced hearing, but she did not want to risk anyone else overhearing in the reception area. While it was not too busy, except for a few people – which was expected as it was a small town – she did not want to risk it. "She knows you were not close by. I said how you were on your way over to us, that is how you got there so quickly,"
Rosalie arched a brow, as if surprised she had helped. "Did she believe it?"
"She never said," Gwen frowned, "But when I speak to her more, I will be able to tell," With her gift of being able to identify lies, she would know if Bella bought the story or not.
Edward nodded his head but frowned, troubled. What Gwen has said was much more believable than if he'd said he was beside her. There was no way this would have been believed and he was almost thankful for a plausible story.
"You need to be careful of her," Gwen muttered as she looked around, "She is watching you, Edward,"
Rosalie scowled darkly at this and muttered something under her breath that Gwen did not catch. However, Edward did and he sent his blonde sister a glare.
Gwen was about to say something else, but stopped when she felt a familiar gaze on her, "She's here,"
Rosalie and Edward looked and saw Bella standing, hiding behind a corner as she watched them. Rosalie glowered at her, which made Bella visibly flinch at the venomous look. "Don't fuck this up for us," Rosalie said before she walked out of the hospital. She did not want to be anywhere near the human and needed to get away before she said something she shouldn't have.
"Thanks for the help, Edward," Gwen said, speaking normally now. Since Bella was there, she decided to cast a privacy spell. "By the way, we can speak normally, I have cast a spell so Bella won't hear anything,"
Edward shot her an interested look, "She won't hear what we're saying?"
Gwen shook her head, "Nope, this spell filters what I want out." It was quite a handy spell that she had learnt a few years ago but hadn't had much of an opportunity to use it. It also made it difficult for anyone to lip-read, providing as much privacy as it could. Despite not liking her mother, Scarlett had some very useful spells within her Grimoires.
"Well, that is handy," Edward admitted, albeit begrudgingly.
"You still suspicious of me?" Gwen queried with a smirk.
Edward sent her a look, one that seemed unsure. Part of him was conflicted, as he still did not trust her, but this had proved that she would help protect their secret. However, he still did not like how he could not read her mind.
"Don't strain yourself too much," Gwen laughed when she saw the conflict in his eyes.
Edward shot her an unimpressed look.
Gwen took this moment to examine Edward and noticed how his eyes were a bright golden colour, "I assume you've fed then," Back at the school parking lot, Edward's eyes had turned pitch black. She assumed Bella must have scrapped herself to cause such a powerful hunger in Edward, especially since Bella's blood was like a heroine to him.
"I have," Edward admitted with a frown, almost perturbed that this Witch picked up on this, "And… I want to thank you for getting me out of there…" Edward loathed to admit it, but Gwen had helped him out and got him out in time. None of his siblings had been there to pull him out because they'd had to help with Jasper, who had picked up on Bella's blood. Edward remembered being in a mist, but Gwen had pulled him out, and he did not understand how.
"Don't worry about it," Gwen waved this off, not bothered.
Edward sent her a strange look as if he did not understand her. Surely, she should have been angry. He had acted like a monster; his control had barely hung together like a thread. He had nearly blown their cover, and he could have committed atrocities under his blood lust, but Gwen did not seem concerned in the slightest.
It unsettled him at how calm she was.
Footsteps echoed behind Gwen, and she instantly knew who it was, so she lowered her spell around her and Edward.
"That's where you've gone off to," Liam said as he walked up behind them. He noticed Bella hiding behind the wall and looked at Gwen questioningly, who shook her head in response.
Gwen looked away from Edward, "I'm ready to go now, I was just thanking Edward for helping me." Gwen said, her smile turning sickly sweet which Liam didn't seem to notice. Edward noticed and he rolled his eyes at her behaviour.
She could also feel Bella's gaze still on her and she wanted to put on a show for the mortal human.
Liam turned to Edward, "Thank you, I appreciate what you did." He said, holding his hand out to shake the younger boy's hand.
Edward smiled and shook Liam's hand, "No problem at all, sir."
With that, Gwen and Liam left the hospital and headed for his police cruiser. As Liam started up the car, he looked to the Witch, "Why was Bella watching you two?"
"She suspects something," Gwen sighed.
Liam made a guilty face, "Yikes. Well, this will make things slightly awkward. Charlie invited us over for dinner tonight. He wants to thank you for saving Bella, do you not want to go?" Liam had accepted the offer without hesitation but now he realised it may not be such a good idea.
Gwen wanted to groan and say no, but she stopped herself. This may be a good chance to find out whether Bella believed the lie. However, she did not want to spend more time with Bella. It wasn't personal, but there was something that unsettled her about the mortal. She was too observant and seemed to be too focused on Edward.
"Will Nana be there?" Gwen asked, a little nervous. She had not spoken to her Nana after their argument over the weekend, she did not know what to say. She was still hurt, but she missed her Nana.
Liam nodded his head, "Yes, she said she would meet us there," He had called his grandmother before he found Gwen, who seemed to think it was a good idea.
"Well I am not going to say no to free food," Gwen grinned, despite the fact she just wanted to get home to Tilly and her bed.
Liam laughed in agreement.
TWILIGHT
With Edward
Not long after his exchange with Gwen, he drove back home in his Volvo. Bella had tried to approach him after Gwen and Liam left, but he had quickly made his escape before she got close. He couldn't help but think back to what had transpired. When he saw the car heading for both of them, something snapped in his mind and he felt conflicted. Edward knew that he should not have done what he did, because it put his family at risk, and he saw that Gwen had used magic to slow down the car, but his body had reacted before he even knew. He just knew that he needed to get Gwen out of harm's way before something happened and he did not understand why. That drove him insane. His instincts had been screaming at him and he had moved before he even knew it.
As he stepped into the house, he was met with his family all in the living room, all except Carlisle, who was still working. Esme was away working with some of her charities, and would not be back for another hour.
When Rosalie saw him, she began to clap slowly and sarcastically, "Well done. You just nearly exposed us!" She yelled at him, fury evident in her golden eyes.
"I couldn't just sit back and let something happen," Edward answered back, rolling his eyes at his sister. He had expected this reaction from Rosalie, she had already tried to give him a lecture in the hospital before Gwen arrived.
Alice looked at her siblings, "If Gwen hadn't pushed Bella, then it wouldn't have ended well for us." She said, her face grim at the thought. If their family was exposed then a visit from the Volturi was imminent. The vision had come too late for Alice or anyone else to do anything and this frustrated Alice that her powers weren't working like they used to.
Jasper gripped her hand tightly, reassuring his wife as he could feel her emotions going up and down. It also didn't help that there was a lot of tension in the house and it was slowly getting to Jasper. He had spent the better part of an hour trying to calm down Rosalie from exploding – which was something he was having to do a lot more often within the last week. Jasper also needed to feed after being exposed to Bella's blood and nearly crumpled under the weight of Edward's blood lust.
"Yes, and now you've got that girl curious." Rosalie hissed.
"Gwen is going to find out whether Bella knows anything," Alice shared. She had got a text from Gwen's number and informed her that she was going to have dinner at the Swan's house that night. Alice had been happy that Gwen had texted her, and had immediately replied.
"And what if she does suspect something?" Jasper questioned with a frown.
"Then we deal with her," Rosalie answered, resolutely.
Emmett looked at his wife, "You so sure about that babe? Carlisle was pretty mad when you went after Gwen,"
Rosalie said nothing and thinned her lips. When it had come to light that the Witch knew about their secret, Rosalie had been the most vocal about killing her. Carlisle had been adamant against it and had wanted to speak with her first before making any decisions. This was one of the first times that Rosalie had gone against what Carlisle had said, and he had shared how disappointed he was. This had hurt. She cared for Carlisle like he was her father, and now she felt like she'd disappointed him.
"I acted without knowing, I don't know what happened, it's like my body acted without me knowing," Edward shared, feeling frustrated. The rest of his family didn't have the same view as him and that's what made this conversation so aggravating.
"So, you rush to save someone, you claim you don't like because your body did it for you?" Emmett said, with arched brows. That sounded very uncharacteristic of his brother who was usually in so much control. "And you could have exposed us when Bella started to bleed?" They had all smelt Bella's blood. It was a very sweet smell and they'd all had to leave instantly, especially Jasper. Emmett and Rosalie had kept a very strong grip on the Texan Vampire and had marched him out to the Forest so he could feed.
Jasper sent the mind-reader a pointed look. "Edward, you were being careless. If one of us did what you did today, you'd be grilling us." He said, his southern accent coming out.
Edward's expression turned sour, and his immediate thought was to refute what was said, but he stopped himself, especially when he saw the expressions of Jasper and Rosalie. A part of him hated being called out, but another, more rational part of his brain knew that they were right. He had been reckless, and if any of his siblings had done this same thing, he would have made his feelings very clear and his disapproval known.
"Do you reckon Gwen is his mate?" Emmett queried, which caused him to get a few looks, "Maybe that's why he moved without thought?" He had done it loads of times when someone hit on Rosalie, or Rosalie had done it with him when he was hit on by someone. He also remembered how Rosalie had told him she'd acted without thought when she found him nearly dead after a bear attack.
Edward made a disgusted look, "Absolutely not,"
"And why not?" Alice demanded with narrowed eyes.
Edward looked at Alice and shook his head, "Besides the obvious, she is a Witch and I am a Vampire. It would not work out," There were many other reasons, but mainly because she did not smell like his mate. His family had shared how they'd known straight away. Surely, if Gwen were his mate, he would have noticed a year ago when she first came to Forks.