Tell No Lies

by Starra Uchiha

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.

8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

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

The rest of the week flew by and before Gwen knew it, it was the weekend. It was also the weekend that they were meant to be going shopping in Port Angeles. There was a slight change to the plan as Caitlin had been grounded. She actually tried to summon a demon but had been caught by her parents and had been grounded due to this. To say she'd been given a lecture by her parents, but also by Gwen, left Caitlin whining about missing out. It was not the grounding that had bothered the goth girl, but that she had been caught just as she was about to light the candles. Luckily, Caitlin did not know the actual ritual needed to summon demons, as Gwen had nonchalantly shared the wrong version of it, hoping she would never question it. Gwen did not want her friend to summon a demon as it never ended well, and it would be a lot of work to clean up afterwards for the Witch. Caitlin had made the Witch promise that she would tell her everything that happened on the trip, and Gwen, being the friend, she was, agreed to this. However, Gwen knew that certain facts may need to be omitted as Caitlin was not aware that the Cullen's were in fact, Vampires. When Gwen had broken this news to Alice, she did not seem surprised, and the Witch had instantly known that she'd seen this happen before.

However, Gwen had made one fatal error.

She had underestimated Alice and her love for shopping.

By a lot.

As soon as Rosalie pulled up outside her house in a red convertible, Gwen had been hopeful. Her ear had been chatted off with the amount Alice spoke about how excited she was to go shopping with her and Rosalie and all the shops they were going to hit. Gwen has thought it would be a good relaxing day for her to spend some time with Alice and Rosalie, and maybe even bond. Gwen hoped that she and Rosalie would get on more, so she hadn't focused too much on Alice's words.

Gwen had also thought her to be joking.

But she was wrong.

As soon as they were parked, the smaller Vampire had basically dragged the Witch to shops – some shops Gwen had not even heard of. Now, Gwen had a substantial amount of money saved up from Scarlett sending money over the years, but she had nothing of the wealth that was the Cullen family. Alice dragged her into every designer shop that could be seen, and then some. Before Alice, Gwen had not even glanced in a Chanel, Gucci or Valentino shop. She had not cared for Balenciaga, Parada or Dior. Nothing in her wardrobe was designer, but she quickly realised that Alice would settle for nothing but the best.

When Gwen had seen the price tag of certain outfits or accessories, her eyes nearly came out of her head. However, Alice did not bat an eye as she swiped her credit cards with ease, and carried the bags with her. The Witch only had about three bags with her, whereas Alice had fifteen and Rosalie had a modest seven bags with her.

It was when they were in their twelfth shop, that Rosalie seemed to take pity on the Witch. Rosalie picked up a dress – a gorgeous red floor-length dress – and she spoke up, "I think she needs a break," She said this without looking at either of them. However, she had watched as Gwen slowly struggled as they went into every shop, but she never once complained. Rosalie had been tempted to see how far the Witch could be pushed, but even she could see that Gwen would not ask any time soon, despite the fact she had massively slowed down and had started to wince with every step.

Alice stopped in mid-rant and looked to Gwen, "Do you?" Her gold eyes were wide as if this had just dawned on her.

For a moment, Gwen was about to deny needing a break, but then the ache in her feet came back to haunt her. Gwen has dressed in boots – not walking shoes, something she severely regretted – and her feet hurt. She was pretty sure they had swelled slightly with how much they had walked. They had been shopping for at least five hours already, and there had been no break so far. The closet she had come was when she was sat down as Rosalie and Alice tried on clothing. But this never lasted long as she would get roped into trying on clothes so she would not be sat down long.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble," Gwen looked at them pleadingly.

For a moment, Alice looked guilty, "I am so sorry, I forgot that you're not like us," It had been completely lost on her that Gwen still had a human disposition, despite being a Witch. Gwen did not nearly have as much stamina as she and Rosalie and she should have considered that and taken breaks.

"I should have brought some potions for stamina," Gwen sighed deeply, as she regretted not taking some – even though her Nana had told her to take one before going, "and I can take some pain potion for my feet, so don't worry about it," This was an oversight that would not happen again, as she enjoyed shopping with Alice and Rosalie, but next time she would be more prepared.

Unsure, Alice nodded her head.

"There is a food court just up ahead," Rosalie said as she put the dress back on the rack and walked out of the shop.

Alice walked up next to Gwen and looped her arm with hers, which made Gwen wince at the contact but she went ahead with the Vampire. Gwen was surprised with how gentle Alice was being with her, and how slow she walked next to her. For the entire trip, Gwen had been walking way behind them as she had not been able to keep up. Alice led her to the food court, and the moment the Witch smelt food, her stomach grumbled.

"I can't believe I forgot food as well," Alice muttered to herself, disappointed. She had been so excited that she'd neglected her friend's needs.

"I should have said something, don't worry about it," Gwen said as she sat down and nearly moaned in relief when pressure was taken from her feet.

"I'll go get you food," Alice said before she zoomed off – at a human pace.

The food court was heaving with people, but Rosalie managed to snag them a table far away from people and would glare at people who thought of sitting near them. There were a few men that walked past and stared at Rosalie in lust and awe, some girls stared at her in jealousy. Gwen could feel eyes on them and could practically hear people whispering under their breaths as they stared at Rosalie.

"Does the staring ever bother you?" Gwen asked, curious to get Rosalie's opinion. Out of all the siblings, Rosalie was the one who was stared at the most – as she was the most beautiful of the Coven, and men tended to stare the most at her with lustful glazes.

Rosalie pursed her lip, "No,"

Gwen nodded her head at the Vampire's curt reply. "What about the smell?"

"Disgusting," Rosalie sneered. The smell of human food was putrid – it smelt like garbage to her, especially the processed food that this generation seemed to guzzle down.

Gwen hummed in response, as she understood why she said this. To Vampires, human food would not be appetising in the slightest. It made Gwen wonder how they could put up with dealing with such heightened senses. She wondered if it ever became too much for them at times, especially Jasper who could then feel everything, and Edward, who could hear thoughts. Gwen smirked as she thought about Edward and how determined he had been to question and figure her out – only to be left more frustrated than when he first started. It was a game that she enjoyed.

"Edward wasn't completely wrong," Rosalie said as her voice brought the Witch out of her musing.

Gwen looked at the blonde beauty, "About what?" Edward had admitted that he and Rosalie were the ones that butted heads the most, so she was surprised when Rosalie said Edward was right about something.

Rosalie said nothing but glared at the Witch. For a moment, Gwen was confused as to why Rosalie was not saying anything, but Gwen soon clicked on. With a glance around the food hall, Gwen made sure no one was watching him too much, and she muttered a spell under her breath. She had cast a silencing charm around them, the same one she'd cast when she was in the Hospital with Edward. This way, no one could overhear them.

"What did you do?" Rosalie demanded suspiciously, her form tense. She had seen Gwen mutter something under her breath and she suspected magic was involved.

"No one can hear what we're saying. I cast a privacy spell," Gwen answered the Vampire with a grin.

For a moment, Rosalie did not say anything as she took in what was said, but she soon nodded her head in understanding. "I was referring to Edward telling you to stay away from us," Rosalie said bluntly as she stared at Gwen in the eyes.

Gwen considered her words and tilted her head to the side, "Why?" She could feel that Rosalie truly believed in what she said, and she wanted to hear more.

"You could bring danger to our door, you're hiding from something and it could affect us," Rosalie glared at her. This had been on her mind since the Witch had stepped into their home. She had been very vocal to the Coven about her feelings on the matter, but despite this, only Jasper and Edward seemed to understand her concern.

"But I haven't," Gwen pointed out as she leaned towards the Vampire, "I've lived here for some time, and nothing has happened," During the last twelve months, no other supernatural creature had visited her in Forks, and she took that as a good sign. But that did not mean she had lowered her guard by any means. It would eventually happen, and when it did, she would be ready. She did not expect the Cullen's to jump in and help her when she did not need it.

Rosalie fell silent, but the glare remained.

"What other reason?" Gwen asked as she suspected this was not the Vampire's only reason.

For a moment, Rosalie seemed as though she did not want to answer, but she seemed to change her mind, "Being near you is risky. There is a reason why our kinds do not interact with one another," When Rosalie had been first turned into a Vampire, it had been hard to take in what she was, but to learn about other creatures she had thought to be fable had been mind-boggling. Carlisle had been the one to educate her about the Treaty with the Witches and the importance of such peace, she did not want to screw something up that Carlisle held so highly.

Gwen nodded her head, "That is true, our kind does not interact much. But maybe, they should. The treaty was made so our kind could exist beside one another. What is the point of the Treaty if we just stay away from one another? My blood doesn't bother you guys since my scent is masked. Just treat me like a human, except I am much cooler," She said with a grin towards the end.

Rosalie said nothing, but the harshness of her eyes softened ever so slightly.

"Besides, you guys probably won't be here much longer. I imagine because you guys don't age, you have a time limit on how long you can spend in one place," Gwen added as she thought of their situation. Unlike her, the Cullen's did not age, and at some point, this would become suspicious, even to unobservant humans.

"That's the problem," Rosalie muttered lowly, but Gwen did not catch this. Rosalie thought of how her family were getting too attached and she did not want to see them hurt when they eventually left Forks.

The Witch had been looking around for Alice, as she tried to see if she could see the Vampire. However, she could not see with the crowd of people, as Alice was very short and blended in too well in a crowd.

"Oh, I never got to thank you for fixing my car," Gwen said as she turned to look at the blonde Vampire. A few days ago, her Fiat had turned up outside her house. Gwen had stood outside looking at the car in wonder as Tilly had not told her about her car being back, or how anyone had approached. However, she remembered how Tilly had basically laughed at her shock and Gwen suspected she had done this on purpose. Gwen has tried to thank Rosalie in school, but she could never catch the Vampire without her walking off. It had felt like Rosalie was avoiding her.

Rosalie waved her off, "Don't worry about it. It was a very simple dent and a realignment of the tracker. Took me a few hours,"

"I think you did more than that," Gwen said with a smile. Her car's engine sounded much smoother and the brakes were not making as much noise as before. Gwen had been meaning to take her car in to have the brake pads looked at, but it seemed these may have been replaced for her. It was small changes, but they had surprised her when she realised.

Rosalie shrugged her shoulders and said nothing on the matter.

"Is that something you do in your spare time then? Fix cars?" Gwen asked, wanting to get to know Rosalie more.

For a moment, Rosalie considered ignoring the Witch, but she sighed and nodded her head, "Yes, I tinker with cars, it's interesting," There was nothing better than taking apart a car and putting it back together with her bare hands. She enjoyed fixing cars and getting them back into prestige condition and watched as the people who she sold the cars back to stared at them in awe. Obviously, she could not do this in person, and she had a persona that had to be changed every now and again so people did not click on it being the same person. Of course, everyone assumed she was a man and she never corrected them.

"Sounds like fun," Gwen commented with a smile, especially when she saw the fondness in the Vampire's eyes.

Before Rosalie could say anything, Alice bounced back with a tray full of food. She placed it down in front of Gwen and sat down next to her. Gwen's eyes widened when she saw all the food on the tray – there were burgers, fries, hot dogs and two big drinks that looked like soda.

"I didn't know what to get, so I got a bunch of things, hopefully that's okay?" Alice asked as she looked to the Witch for confirmation that it was okay. She was not aware of Gwen having any allergies – and she did not know what was good by Witch standards so she took a guess.

"Good job I am hungry," Gwen smiled as she tucked into her food.

Alice beamed at this.

The food did not take long to eat, though Gwen could not eat all of it. She ended up taking one of the cups of soda to walk around with, especially when she saw how impatient Rosalie was starting to get with waiting for her to finish. As soon as she was done, Alice basically dragged her into even more shops. However, Gwen had managed to cast a quick spell that made her feet hurt a bit less and made her shoes a bit comfier, and then she was fine.

A few more hours later, Alice, Gwen and Rosalie ended up in a shop that appeared to sell vintage clothing. As soon as Alice saw this shop, she deemed it cute enough to try and stated that it hadn't been here when she and Rosalie last went shopping.

"Ooh, look at this!" Alice cheered as she picked up a vintage dress. It was cute and the material felt like silk.

"That is pretty," Gwen agreed as she looked at the dress and the rest of the rack. All the dresses and outfits seemed really pretty and she was unsure of where to start. This was not her type of fashion, but she could never say no to Alice. Gwen soon spied a soft-looking pink and white dress that caught her attention, "This is cute, Rosalie, what do you think?" She asked as she looked at the blonde beauty. She had been trying to include Rosalie as she noticed that the Vampire would move away from them when they got into shops.

Uninterested, Rosalie looked up but then her eyes zeroed in on the dress, "… it looks good," She mumbled lowly before she looked away.

"I thought you might like this place, Rosalie!" Alice said as she looked quite proud of herself, "This is the style that used to be in fashion when she was still human," Alice mumbled lowly to the Witch so no one would overhear them.

Rosalie tensed at this, and she glared at Alice for sharing this.

"What period would these belong to?" Gwen asked as she looked at the dresses in front of her.

Alice opened her mouth to answer.

"The 1930s," Rosalie answered instead, more engrossed in looking around. Her eyes took in the whole shop as it reminded her of what shops used to look like when she was human. It brought her back and she made a mental note to come back.

Gwen looked at Rosalie in surprise, shocked that she would even answer her. "You answered that so quick," She knew that the Cullen's were smart, but she did not expect such a quick answer from Rosalie, there had been no hesitation when she answered.

"This style was popular before I turned," Rosalie answered flippantly.

Gwen nodded her head in response but didn't ask any further questions. She could see how tense Rosalie was and felt that she should not push any further. Her gut instinct told her not to say anything, and her gut instinct was usually right most times.

"What was popular before you were turned, Alice?" Gwen asked the smaller Vampire, as she felt that this may be a safer topic to talk about.

Alice sighed, "I don't know. I don't have any memories of my life before I turned," She could only remember waking up on the floor of a destroyed building, alone. Then a vision hit her and it was about Jasper. She knew from that first vision alone that he was hers, and she was his. She knew she had to find him, and that is what she did.

Gwen frowned at this news and seemed confused.

As if sensing her confusion, Alice giggled and smiled, "Sometimes, the venom makes you forget your life before. However, strong emotions and memories can stay behind. We sometimes bring those strong emotions or qualities in this life," It wasn't an exact science, but it was something that Carlisle strongly theorised. It was felt that Edward was good at reading people when he was human and Jasper had been very initiative of people's emotions as a human. However, Alice was not sure about herself.

"Would you want to remember?" Gwen asked in morbid curiosity.

Alice thought about this for a moment and nodded her head, "I would, I have always wanted to know what happened to me," No matter what she did, she remembered nothing. She would have looked at records of anything, to jog her memory, but nothing worked. She did not know what names or places to search. She would not know where to start even if she wanted to, and that frustrated her beyond belief, even with Jasper's help, she had uncovered nothing.

This made sense and Gwen nodded her head, understanding what she meant.

"Ooh, I am so getting this!" Alice said as she grabbed a top she really liked and made her way to the changing rooms.

TWILIGHT

Hours had passed before Alice had decided she'd had her fill of shopping. She could have gone longer, but she could see that Gwen was visibly struggling and decided to call it a day. Gwen had nearly cried in relief and vowed that the next time they went shopping, she'd be more prepared. After they'd left the mall, they all made their way to Rosalie's car, but Gwen stopped when she spotted a familiar silver Volvo.

"Is that Edward's car?" Gwen asked as she looked at Rosalie and Alice.

Alice stared at the car and glared, and Rosalie rolled her eyes. She continued to put her stuff in the spacious trunk of her car and even took Alice's shopping, meticulously slotting the many bags into her car with little effort.

Just then, Edward got out of his car and smiled dazzlingly at his sisters, which made Alice pout, "You promised it was my day!"

"I and Gwen have a game to continue," Edward simply said as he shrugged his shoulders – as if he had no control over the matter.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and got into her car, not interested in what happened.

"We do, but we never said it would continue today," Gwen pointed out as she wondered what game he was playing. She had not expected him to appear out of nowhere, and Alice appeared just as taken aback. This made Gwen theorise that this had been a last-minute thing – maybe done on purpose so Alice couldn't see.

"Well, I want to keep things interesting," Edward answered back cheekily, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Gwen found herself grinning in return, amused at how much of a little shit he could be.

Before Alice could say anything, she stilled and her eyes glazed over as she entered a vision. The grin on Edward's face grew bigger, and that was when Gwen knew he had won. Alice's vision only lasted a few seconds, before she relaxed. With a huff, Alice grumbled and threw her hands in the air. She shook her head and got into the red convertible.

Realising that she would be leaving with Edward instead, Gwen made her way to the Volvo and put her bags in the trunk, with the Vampire hovering over her, seeming as though he wanted to take the bags from her and do this task for her. However, the Witch ignored him and once done, she closed the trunk and got into the passenger side. By the time she looked over, Edward was already on the driver's side and so she quickly got into the car, closing the door behind her. The moment she was buckled up, they were off.

"So, why do this today?" Gwen asked as she looked at the mind-reader, curious as to why he did this.

Edward grinned, "I am counting that as one of your questions. I thought it would be funny to mess with Alice, and I would find out more answers. It was a win-win," Luckily, Jasper and Emmett had been preoccupied so they could not stop him, they were busy playing video games together to notice him slither away.

Gwen hummed in response, but the smile was still on her face.

"My turn, what does it feel like to use magic?" Edward asked as he drove out of Port Angeles. He did not have a destination in mind, and he had a full tank of fuel, so he did not have to worry about stopping anytime soon.

This question made her look to Edward, almost surprised he had asked this, but she answered regardless, "Magic is… life. It's like an extra arm or leg. It is an extension of myself. It's a comfort to me, whenever I use it. I can make things happen with words and a hand motion, it's amazing," Gwen looked down at her hands and smiled, comforted when she felt the rush of magic sent to her hands. Her magic had always been there, a power that she'd always tapped into when she needed something, or just simple when she wanted something. It had never failed her and she could never imagine her life without it.

Edward seemed taken aback by the softness of her words and he examined the Witch for a moment. He could see that this answer was genuine, very raw and very real. There was no denying that she was being honest with him, he didn't need to listen to her heartbeat and her breathing to be able to tell this.

"My turn, have you told your Coven about my mother?" Gwen asked as she looked at the Vampire.

Edward shook his head, "I have not,"

Gwen looked at him, shocked, "Oh, I am surprised by this,"

"Why?" Edward asked thoughtfully, but he soon realised his mistake and winced, as he silently hoped that Gwen had not noticed this mistake, but when he saw the grin on her face, he knew that she'd caught on.

"I am taking that as your question," Gwen sang sweetly, with a devious grin on her face, much to his chagrin, "but to answer your question, I was sure that you would tell your Coven about Scarlett. The comment you made about Carlisle being over the moon about this made me think you'd tell him straight away," However, now it made sense why Alice and Rosalie had not commented on it. When Gwen had seen them that morning, she thought it would come up in conversation – it was one of the reasons she thought Rosalie had picked her up. When people found out she was Scarlett's daughter, Gwen was worried she would be treated differently.

Edward let out an unnecessary sigh, "I had thought to tell my Coven. I told them everything else we spoke about. But that bit of information seemed… wrong to share," Edward frowned, not able to explain why he had not shared this information. He had no issues divulging all the other information he'd learned to his family, but this bit of information made him pause.

"Why did you think it would be wrong to share?" Gwen asked, not able to help herself. She wanted to know why, what was his reasoning?

"Your whole existence is a mystery, a secret. You made me swear that this would not get out." Edward replied back, fully serious, "The fewer people to know the better. It protects your secret and it protects our secret. Also… I knew my family may treat you differently, especially Carlisle," There would be no shutting up his father if he were to find out this information. Carlisle would ask so many questions, and that would take away from their game. He also knew it would undoubtedly make Gwen uncomfortable, and while this was not his top priority, something inside him told him not to cross this boundary, an instinct deep inside him. It was something that confused and frustrated him.

Gwen's breath caught in her throat and Edward looked at her, panicked that something was wrong, but he was taken aback by the deep emotion on Gwen's face. In an instant, the atmosphere in the car thickened, and there was tension between both of them. However, before Edward could comment on it, Gwen cleared her throat and moved on.

"It's your turn," Gwen turned her head away to look away from Edward, hiding her flushed face.

Edward chose not to comment on Gwen's racing heart, knowing that she was not lying, as it was his turn. He wanted to poke the situation more, but he decided to ask an easy question, "Honestly, how was shopping with Alice?"

Within seconds, the tension disappeared, as Gwen's shoulders dropped and she groaned, "She is a monster. Next time, I will make a potion or use a spell that will let me keep up with her," She knew there would be a next time, as she was certain that Alice had a vision about it, and had hinted at it in her words – something Gwen did not miss as she lived with a clairvoyant.

Edward chuckled, "Yes, she has a lot of energy,"

"She mentioned something earlier, about not knowing her past. Does she really not remember her past?" Gwen asked as she looked at the Vampire.

"Yes," Edward nodded solemnly, but not shocked that Alice may have mentioned something, as she is always very open with people she trusted, "Sometimes, what happens when we change, is the venom can erase our memories. Carlisle theorises that it can depend on how we are changed. We have all tried to help Alice find something about her time as a human, but we've come up with nothing," Records of all sorts have been searched extensively, and private investigators came to nothing. Over time, Alice had learned to accept she would never learn what happened before she was turned, or why she was turned, though Jasper had never truly stopped looking.

Gwen hummed, feeling saddened for her friend.

"You said last time that you're being hunted, what has hunted you before?" Edward asked as he continued to drive. He was not sure where they were at this point, but he did not care much as he was far too focused on their game.

"All sorts. I have been hunted by the fae, mermaids, orcs, pixies, trolls and even griffons. I've never been able to pinpoint what group is after me or behind this," Gwen said with a frown as she thought back. Over the years she and her Nana had travelled, they'd come across a lot of different groups of the supernatural community. Some had been good interactions, others, not so much. As a precaution, she stayed away from all magical creatures – until she'd met the Cullen family.

Edward hummed in thought and frowned at this information. It did not help and raised more questions than answers.

"What's got you so curious?" Gwen asked as she looked outside the window, not able to identify where they were driving.

"What you said got me interested to understand why you were being hunted in case that came back to hurt my family. I was wondering if there was any particular group, we needed to be careful of. This has been a topic of discussion in my family," Edward answered back honestly. He had worried that his family associating with Gwen would cause friction with other groups. Their family did not come across many other supernatural beings as the Cullen's tended to live near humans. The only other time they had come across the supernatural community was the Shifters in La Push and a few other creatures who liked to masquerade themselves among the humans.

Gwen nodded her head slowly as she took in this information, but she understood where he was coming from. He did not see her directly as a threat, but he was worried about if something came after her. This made more sense, and she could understand his mistrust more.

"Carlisle told me that Witches lean towards an element, what's yours?" Edward asked as he continued to drive at high speeds. He would turn the wheel when needed, but everything mostly looked like a blur in the windows to Gwen, but Edward could see everything perfectly.

Gwen shot him an impressed look that he'd know something like this "Lightning, it's the element I have the best affinity to – water is my least favourite element to work with,"

"Fitting," Edward smirked.

The Witch shot him a curious look, "What's that supposed to mean?" She asked quickly but soon realised she had wasted a question. She knew she'd been caught when Edward shot her a smug look one that made her roll her eyes in return.

"Storms can be unpredictable, you never know where lightning is going to strike. Just like you," Edward said as he looked at her.

Gwen stared at him in return and noted how bright his gold eyes were. He had evidently fed before he'd come to collect her and she found the colour fascinating. Her Nana always told her that eyes were windows into the soul and for a moment, Gwen considered her words.

"I rather like the sound of that," Gwen admitted with a grin. She'd never been compared to a storm before, but she found she rather liked it.

Edward rolled his eyes and huffed, "Of course, you would,"

Gwen laughed at his dismay and shook her head, "It sounds like you were hoping I wouldn't like that analogy,"

"I would never," Edward replied back sarcastically, though there was a ghost of a smile on his marble face.

Gwen had expected this to be a lie and waited for a tingle in her chest. Yet there was no tingling in her chest. In fact, her power had not flared up the entire time she'd been with Edward, which surprised her, but also delighted her that he had finally learned his lesson.

"How powerful is your magic?" Edward asked as he felt himself relax. He had felt an energy shift and he wondered if that had anything to do with the Witch in the car with him. He had wondered whether Jasper was following them, but he knew that Jasper would be with Alice wanting a private show of everything she'd bought.

"Very," Gwen answered him honestly, as that is what was promised, "As Scarlett's daughter, I have access to her Grimoires so I have access to all her spells. I have quite a high magic reserve. I can defend myself and others when needed," She wanted him to understand she was not the threat and she could defend herself.

Edward slowly nodded his head, and he believed her.

"Are you happy being a Vampire?" Gwen asked.

This question made Edward pause for a moment, he looked perfectly still and frozen in place. The car began to slow down ever so slightly due to the lack of acceleration, but Edward quickly regained his composure, "Of course I am," He smiled tightly.

For the first time that night, there was a tingle in her chest.

"You're lying," Gwen whispered lowly.

The expression on Edward's face fell and an emotionless mask fell into place. His golden eyes looked hollow, and this startled the Witch. Edward had known that Gwen would pick up on his lie and he wondered why he had even bothered in the first place.

Silence hung over the car and the previously relaxed air was gone in an instant.

Suddenly, Edward pulled up at the side of the road and stopped the car. The sudden motion made Gwen jerk forward and she let out a surprised noise. Within seconds, he was out of the car and paced outside on the gravel. There were no other cars around and it appeared abandoned, but it was quite peaceful and it would allow them space to chat without an audience. If Gwen had been another person, she would have been scared, but she remained calm and instead, she undid her seatbelt and opened the car door. She walked over to the Vampire that paced around like a madman.

"Get back in the car," Edward ordered, not even looking at the Witch as he said this. His voice was low and rough, a silent threat in his voice.

"No," Gwen said defiantly.

Edward stopped his pacing and looked at her, his eyes darkened, "I said, get back in the car."

"I said no," Gwen glared up at him.

In a flash, Edward was in front of her, his mouth curled into a snarl, "Trust me, it is safer for you in the car,"

Despite there being no tingle in her chest, Gwen did not fully believe it. Edward thought he knew what was best for her, but Gwen did not like being told what to do. In fact, it was his tone that had lit the spark of defiance in her, as she did not appreciate his tone, "I am perfectly safe the way I am now." She replied back without hesitation.

"You don't get it!" Edward exploded as he rushed backwards so he was not so close to her, "Vampires are dangerous! We don't deserve happiness, I don't deserve happiness!" He looked to the ground, a dark expression on his face, as he remembered everything he'd done.

"What the hell are you even saying?" Gwen looked at him in confusion, she wondered where this had come from and how things had escalated to this point.

Edward looked at her, "I am a killer," His voice was barely above a whisper, and sounded gravelly, as if he was parched.

Gwen blinked slowly and frowned, "Yeah, and?"

This response made Edward's eyes widen in shock, and he took a step back as though he'd been slapped across the face. Edward had expected a much bigger reaction – he had expected disgust, horror and to be screamed at. He had expected to be damned for his actions because that is what he deserved. He was a monster, and he knew his many victims would call him such.

Seeing the confusion, Gwen expanded, "Look, you're a Vampire, I know you're vegetarian and all. Everyone has a past and things they're not proud of. Death is part of life, but it doesn't make sense why you think you don't deserve happiness," Gwen stepped closer to Edward, who just stared at her with a shocked expression.

"You don't get it," Edward spat angrily as he took a step back from the Witch.

"No, I don't," Gwen admitted as she got closer to him, "I don't see what the issue is. I've killed people and I think I deserve to be happy,"

Edward's expression changed as he stared at her from shock to fascination and almost denial. He was so stumped that he did not move back and allowed Gwen to get a few feet from him. Edward breathed in her scent and found the odd scent around her relaxed him. He knew it wasn't her real scent, but it was one that he associated with her.

"The people who came after me, I killed them." Gwen told him, and she watched as the understanding flashed in his eyes, "In the beginning, I would release the creatures that tried to take me away. But they kept coming back for me, no matter what I did. I tried to reason with them, but nothing worked. In the end, I realised I had to kill them, or be kidnapped – or worse killed. I don't know what they want with me, and I don't want to find out that way either. That is the world we live in, the survival of the fittest, and I have no plans of dying anytime soon," Gwen said, her voice becoming stronger as she spoke.

"Who was your first?" Edward asked quietly.

"A Mermaid," Gwen answered as she closed her eyes. She could still remember what the Mermaid looked like. It was the same one that came after her when she was thirteen years old. She had come back for her despite Gwen's warning over a year later. The Mermaid had touched her, and that was her biggest mistake. At first, Gwen had been distraught, but soon she realised it had been necessary. These creatures had no issues with trying to harm her, so why should she allow herself to be hurt?

Edward slowly nodded his head.

"Do you think the rest of your family doesn't deserve happiness?" Gwen questioned him.

"No, they do," Edward replied back immediately, with no hesitation. His family deserved all the happiness in the world, all of them had been through so much that it would be cruel to deny them any happiness.

Gwen was relieved when she detected no lie.

"I…" Edward started as he looked to the ground, "I went off the rails in the 1920s. I killed some people and drank human blood. They were monsters, they killed people without remorse. I would pick the ones who hurt children, women and men. I killed them and I thought if I killed monsters, it would make me less of one," When he'd come back to his Coven, they'd welcomed him back with open arms, Esme had been so happy to have him back. While he knew that Carlisle did not condone what he'd done, he'd also understood it.

"You probably did the world a favour," Gwen muttered lowly. She saw nothing wrong with Edward's actions and mentally commended them.

Edward shook his head, "Carlisle has always said that human life is sacred,"

"Well humans don't exactly hold that same belief," Gwen snorted in repose and this made Edward chuckle in solemn. "Humans turn on each other far too easily. Think of the Salem Witch Trials," It had been a bad time for Witches as many died. However, there had also been some wrongly accused humans who were killed alongside actual Witches and Warlocks. Gwen's descendant was the first to be killed in the Witch Trials – Bridget Bishop.

Edward nodded his head grimly. "I'm sorry that happened,"

"I know," Gwen muttered lowly. An apology was not needed from Edward, he and his family had nothing to do with the trials. It had been Caius to start these trails, and he had enjoyed them with glee. The easy answer for her would be to be hate Vampires for what they did to her kind, for the war they started, but she did not. Especially now that she'd met Vampires like Alice and Emmett, it would be very hard to hate them, but maybe they were the exception.

Both of them stood at the side of the road for a time, they stared at one another, but not in a hostile way. There appeared to be an air of understanding. The way Edward looked at her was not one of resentment or distrust, but rather he looked at her as though he was meeting her for the first time. He had never met someone whose mind worked like hers, and he was fascinated to know her thoughts on many matters, but he knew they did not have time for that now.

"Your family does a lot of good, Edward, remember that," Gwen told him, her voice thick with emotion, "Your family is involved in so many things to make the world a better place. Esme and Rosalie run charities for battered women and children. Carlisle helps with medical advancements, in the human and supernatural community. Emmett supports charities that help with children's education. Jasper helps the veterans and homeless people. Alice has set up charities to help people suffering from mental health. You have funded programs scholarships and support disabled children. Think of the lives you've all helped," Alice had told her and Gwen could not help but be fascinated by this. Gwen had not been able to stop herself from asking Alice what they did with their immortality, and she'd shared their side projects. However, it made sense because it gave them something to do – why not give back when you live forever? It was commendable and Gwen massively respected them all for this.

"But I am still a monster," Edward muttered, but it was loud enough that the Witch heard him clearly.

"Oh, piss off with that attitude!" Gwen shouted at him, which made Edward look at her in shock once more, "How do you think your family would react hearing you say this?" Gwen demanded as she pointed a finger at him.

Edward fell silent as he considered her words. Carlisle was aware of how he felt about himself and had tried for many years to comfort and guide the boy. Carlisle would always look at him with sad but patient eyes that made Edward want to hide from him as he never wanted to disappoint his father again. Rosalie would roll her eyes at him and smack him on the back of the head, telling him how foolish he was. Emmett would try to distract himself by playing games, but even Emmett would not be able to hide the worry he held for his brother. Alice would look at him with her all-knowing eyes and there would be sympathy – something Edward did not feel as though he deserved. It would be Jasper who would already know how he felt and had tried to broach this subject before to no avail. It never led anywhere, because Jasper and Edward were quite similar. Edward would never compare his suffering to Jasper's, after what he endured while under the control of Marie, but Edward never viewed his older brother as a monster either and would defend him against anyone who tried to judge him. But Jasper viewed himself as a monster, but he has Alice to balance him out. However, it was Esme's reaction that would hurt him the most. There would be venom-filled tears that would never fall, and she'd told him close, and whisper soothing and loving things to him, like a mother would do to a hurt child. He would see the guilt that Esme would feel and this hurt him – his undead heart physically ached at the thought of upsetting his mother.

"Do you think I am a monster and don't deserve happiness?" Gwen questioned him, her voice low. She could see the cogs working in his head as she posed that question to him. She felt she was on the right line and wanted to push him further.

Gold met Hazel.

"You're not a monster," Edward said lowly, but sincerely.

There was no tingle in her chest.

He was being truthful.

"And I don't think you're a monster. I think you deserve happiness," Gwen told him honestly in return.

Edward inhaled sharply. He could hear by her heartbeat – which was steady – that she believed what she'd said. She had said it with so much conviction that he was jealous. However, her words resonated with him. Maybe it was because she was not a family member and wouldn't try to placate him like others might. Did he hold her opinion in high value? Before this night, Edward would have said no immediately, but now he was not too sure. If a Witch could tell him to his face, that she did not view him as a monster despite what his kind did to hers, maybe he could listen. Maybe she was right.

"Now, are you done with your tantrum? I need to get home," Gwen said as she walked back into the car, turning her back fully to the Vampire.

Edward watched her go and blinked slowly before he walked towards the car wordlessly. He closed his door and drove them back to Forks, mostly in silence as he digested her words.

It was only when Gwen was dropped off at her house that she received a text message. She watched as Edward stepped off, with Tilly's lights blaring at him as he drove off. Gwen looked down at her phone and noticed a text message from Alice.

Thank you – Alice.

Gwen smiled and texted back.

No problems – Gwen.

TWILIGHT

Bella sat on her bed as she stared out the window. She was trying to do her homework for school that was due on Monday. Despite how easy the homework was, her interest was elsewhere – far away from reality. Her mind was focused on a particular family, a name she would not dare to utter in her house just in case her dad heard her. He did not take kindly to people speaking badly about the Cullen family and seemed just as fond of Bethany's grandchildren.

Bella had tried to ask her dad for some information about Gwen and her grandmother, but Charlie had shared nothing but good things. Bethany was a strict woman that no one wanted to cross because she reminded everyone of their dear grandmothers, and Gwen was a well-behaved child who had not caused any trouble since coming to Forks. He would not have a bad word said about this family and has grilled her to know if someone had said anything. Bella had to dive out of that conversation very fast.

The Cullen's… and Gwen….

They both seemed weird but in different ways.

When Bella had first come to Forks, she had thought she would just need to bide her time while her mum had her happiness. Bella had done the noble act of allowing her mum and her new husband some time together. Renee was too much of a free bird to cage and she preferred to travel. Bella had to go and live with Charlie, a person who she only saw on holidays and she always dreaded them. Charlie was not a bad man at all, he was practical. But they were just too similar and the silences could be deafening when they were together.

But then Bella laid eyes on the Cullen family and her opinion of Forks changed very fast.

They were beautiful.

Unnaturally so.

Bella felt as though something called to them, especially Edward. She wanted to know more, she needed to know them more. However, they kept to themselves and did not interact with anyone else.

Until Gwen started to hang around Alice.

She had tried to speak with Edward in Biology class, the only lesson they had together, but he never engaged past polite conversation. Bella had tried to probe for more answers, tried to give information about herself so he'd ask questions, but he never did. In fact, Edward seemed to want to keep very far away from her which confused her. She'd not done anything to offend him and she wondered why he seemed too repulsed to be around her. She had seen how Edward and Gwen would interact with one another in lessons, he would always look behind him, where Gwen sat and they seemed to share a silent conversation.

Bella hated it.

Bella remembered that burning jealousy that filled her when she saw Gwen sit with the Cullen family, and when she saw her and Edward get into his Volvo. Bella had a thought that it should have been her. Bella should have been the one to laugh with his family, Bella should have been the one who Edward drove home.

Bella was certain that the Cullen's were hiding a secret.

There was no way that Edward could have made it to them that quick. She was certain he had been on the other side of the parking lot and he had managed to get Gwen out of the way. Gwen's story was believable, but Bella did not get it. Everyone who had been there repeated the same thing Gwen had said and for a moment, Bella had doubted herself, but she had remembered staring at Edward before the incident, as she had debated going over to him.

It was obvious that the Cullen's were hiding something, there were too many weird things going on. They were too perfect, too pale, too isolated to be normal.

But then that raised the next question.

Was Gwen in on the secret?

But if she was in on it, why had she not interacted much with them in the past year? For a minute, Bella considered that Gwen had her own secret but quickly dismissed that. She did not have enough evidence to speculate that, but it was not off the table completely.

However, one thing was certain, she would try and figure out what the Cullen's were.