Chapter Three
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.
Just to give a warning, I am not a fan of Bella.
Enjoy the story!
TWILIGHT
The rest of the weekend passed without much incident, and things seemed to lull back to normal. Bethany was still weary, and she would have her arguments with Tilly as normal, especially when the house made the coffee disappear. But Gwen still noticed the tenseness of her guardian's shoulders, especially when Monday came and Gwen went to school as per usual. She had built up this image of this new girl in her head and prepped herself for what was to come.
After all the anticipation, Gwen finally met the new girl when she rocked up to school that morning.
And she was not impressed at all.
First, the truck that the new girl drove was a monstrosity. The engine could be heard from miles away and the gears would shriek when shifted. It was also ugly – a horrible burnt orange colour. The moment Gwen saw it, she had to do a double take, as did most of the teenagers in the parking lot. Gwen had watched carefully as a girl stepped out. She was plain, with very pale skin, brown hair and doe-brown eyes. Anyone with common sense could feel the anxiety that poured from her skin in waves. Anyone could also see that the girl did not want to be in the school. Her dress sense was nothing to write home about – plain and comfy. It was like she had not tried that morning at all. But she looked like a regular girl, with regular mortal issues. Gwen was confused when she glanced over at the girl – how could this girl cause so much trouble? That's when Gwen watched as Bella nearly tripped over the stairs, and stumbled to correct herself.
The Witch had to stop herself from laughing.
"That's a fucking ugly truck," Gwen said as she watched Bella walk into the school building, her shoulder hunch high and head down low.
"That's her," Caitlin said as she also watched Bella. Even Caitlin couldn't help but feel disappointed.
"I was expecting more," Gwen said honestly. She couldn't under how this human girl would cause such a hurricane. Could her Nana be wrong? Was this the wrong person? This girl didn't look as though she could fight her way out of a wet paper bag.
Caitlin nodded her head in agreement, "The rumour mill is going to go crazy," There had been bets on what this girl would look like.
Out of the corner of her eye, Gwen could see the Cullen family standing off in the corner. She watched as Alice stared at Bella, but Gwen couldn't make out the expression on the Vampire's face. As if sensing her gaze, Alice turned to face Gwen and her eyes lit up before she waved at her. Gwen smiled back and wondered what had made the Vampire so sombre. Alice was usually the one who was energetic and smiley.
As the day went on, Gwen learned that the girl had been taken in by the popular group, with Jessica, Mike and Lauren. Gwen happened to share a few lessons with the girl. One of them was the gym, and that was a total failure. Bella had also managed to trip herself up multiple times within a sixty-minute lesson, which was almost laughable. Somehow, Bella had managed to hit the ball, but it had smacked someone else on her team, which made Jessica a little annoyed, especially when Mike started to openly flirt with Bella.
Gwen had nearly puked at the boy's attempt to flirt and she almost felt sorry for the anxious girl.
However, it was during lunch period that she realised something about Bella.
She was curious about the Cullen's.
Too curious.
And she was very clumsy.
Gwen had watched Bella like a hawk that day – but in secret. She did not make it as obvious compared to everyone else. She watched as Bella sat down with the popular group, and how they fawned over her, and she watched as Jessica was green with envy at how much attention Bella was getting. The only decent person from that group was Angela, as she did not act as though she was better than everyone.
"Jessica is at it again," Gwen said to her friend, Caitlin, who sat beside her. They had a table to themselves, that was a few tables away from them. They were situated between Jessica and Lauren, and the usual Cullen table.
Caitlin looked up from her packed lunch – a good idea since cafeteria food in Forks was not good by any means – and looked at the table. She nodded her head, "Yep, I almost feel sorry for the girl,"
Gwen nodded her head absentmindedly. When she first arrived at the school, Jessica had done the same thing to her. Jessica had tried to latch herself onto the Witch and acted very fake. Gwen had been able to see through it very quickly due to her power. She had made it very clear to the mortal teenager that she was not interested in a friendship, and Jessica had not taken it well. Caitlin had explained that Jessica was all about her image, of being the best. Caitlin had intimate details as she used to be very close to Jessica at one point, but their friendship died and had never been rekindled as they had two very different paths in high school – with Caitlin being goth and Jessica being the popular girl.
High school politics gave Gwen a headache.
That is why she was thankful for Caitlin's guidance otherwise she would have been lost.
It was the moment that Bella looked over at the Cullen table and had a staring contest with Edward that Gwen knew that something wasn't right. She watched the Vampire's face closely and saw the frustration, confusion, but also intrigue.
Edward could not read her mind.
When Gwen first came to Forks, she had been freaked out to know Edward could read minds and had made a ring that blocked out that power – from a certain spell book from Scarlett's private collection. She had heard Liam and Nana gossiping about his power, and Nana thought him to be a nosy busy body. Gwen had not taken this ring off and had stayed under the radar for over a year. However, there was a part of Gwen that wanted to test this to see if she could fool the mind reader – and also a part of her wanted to mess with him because he was too serious. He needed to lighten up.
Bella stared at Edward, awe and interest in her doe eyes. A violent blush appeared on her face when he looked at her. She nervously looked away and then looked back, trying to act discreet but failing at it.
Gwen watched all of this, as Edward whispered to his 'siblings' and how each of them reacted differently. Rosalie and Jasper tensed, instantly on guard. It was Emmett who was the most relaxed as he tried to reassure Rosalie, and Alice seemed contemplative. It was interesting to watch them all – and it made Gwen long for that connection.
Jasper looked over at her in that moment.
This nearly made her curse out loud, she suspected that Jasper had a gift, but she did not know what it was, but she did not want his attention due to this uncertainty. Instead, she smiled at him looked away, and got Caitlin into a conversation to distract herself. She could feel his gaze on her throughout the rest of lunch and Gwen pretended he wasn't there.
Straight after Lunch period, Gwen went to her next class, which was art. Entering the art department, away from everyone made her relax. Gwen sat down in her usual seat at the back but was surprised when someone else sat down beside her.
"Hi," Alice greeted as she sat down beside her.
"Oh, hi Alice, you okay?" Gwen asked with an arched brow. Usually, Alice sat in the row in front of her, and they'd usually have a chat before the lesson started. Never before had Alice sat down next to her.
Alice shrugged her shoulders, "I just fancied a change,"
Gwen nodded her head, she could respect that. She watched Alice for a moment, as she expected the Vampire to say something, like they always did. They mostly spent the lessons chatting about plans for the weekends, and Alice would mention the different fashion shows she'd seen and what her family did. However, this time, there was nothing as Alice seemed to stare off into space, with a contemplative look on her face which seemed almost out of place. It was a similar look that Nana had this morning.
"Hey, I like your necklace, where did you get it from?" Gwen asked, referring to the necklace/choker. It was a black band with a lion on the front. She had seen all the other Coven members with that symbol.
Alice seemed to snap out of her daze and her fingers delicately went to her necklace/choker, and smiled, "Thank you. It means a lot to me, it was given to me by Carlisle," Absentmindedly, she traced the pattern of the symbol with her pale fingers, as she smiled fondly.
Gwen nodded her head, and this made her smile, especially when she saw the warmth in Alice's eyes.
"I love your scarf, where did you get it?" Alice's golden eyes lit up when she spotted the Witch's scarf.
Gwen looked down at the white and pink scarf with black butterflies. It went with her outfit really well, a black dress with a white soft touch turtleneck top. She had paired this with black tights and black high-heeled boots with buckles. The scarf, she'd found when they lived in Utah, was one she was attached to as her Nana bought it for her fourteenth birthday, "Thanks, I got it when I lived in Utah,"
"Where else have you lived?" Alice asked curiously. "You mentioned you've moved around a lot," This had been at the beginning of the year when Gwen had first joined, and the Witch was almost surprised she had remembered.
This made Gwen think, she had lived in a lot of places in America, and also outside America, "I have yeah, it can be quite fun seeing all the new places. Honestly, too many places to name," In her time travelling, she'd seen some good sights, but she could never stay too long. She wished she had more time to see different places in her own time. "Your family does a lot of travelling as well,"
Alice nodded her head happily, "Yep! We love seeing the world!"
That is what Gwen liked about Alice, she didn't lie. Despite them hiding a secret, Alice was always genuine in her answers. Alice had been the first one to show sympathy for her when she first came to Forks, as Alice seemed to understand how the staring affected the Witch. Alice was one of the first people in Forks where she had a decent conversation – she could see and feel the wisdom that poured from the Vampire. Gwen presumed she wasn't the eldest out of her Coven, but she wasn't the youngest either.
"What are your thoughts on the new girl?" Gwen asked, curious to know what Alice thought about Bella. She hadn't forgotten about the face the Vampire made when she saw the mortal girl earlier that morning.
Alice looked thoughtful, "I don't know yet, but I hate her clothing," The sneer on her face was still beautiful – unnaturally so.
Gwen nodded her head in agreement, "You're not wrong there," Bella's style seemed very… basic… and not to her taste to say the least, and it appeared as though the little fashionista agreed with her. Bella tended to use more earthy tones, and clothing that clashed with one another, "Speaking of fashion, I and Caitlin are going to Port Angeles soon, do you want to join us?" She had always wanted to invite Alice on a day trip to go shopping because she really liked her and her fashion sense, and she thought she'd be fun to bring along.
Alice's eyes lit up, and she nearly vibrated out of her seat, "Really? You want me to come along?"
Gwen was almost taken aback by the eagerness that was Alice. But she couldn't help but find it funny, "Of course, I have always wanted to ask but I worried you may not be interested," Gwen said honestly. She was worried about being rejected – as she heard the Cullen's didn't interact with other people, but she had a good feeling since Alice seemed really friendly with her.
"I am very interested, I would love to come," Alice said immediately as if she wanted to reassure the other girl.
"That's great, so are you free in two weeks?" Gwen asked. They couldn't go this coming weekend because Caitlin had to go and see a relative, but they had planned for the week after that.
Before Alice could say anything, her eyes glazed over and she stared into space. The moment Gwen saw this, she instantly knew what had happened. Alice was in the middle of a vision. Gwen easily recognised it, as she had seen her Nana have many visions, but Alice seemed to come out of the visions a lot better than her Nana, but she suspected this was because she was a Vampire. She had seen Alice with a dazed expression a few times but had not said anything, she usually acted as though she did not see anything, as they were usually quite quick and Alice snapped out of them within seconds.
"Yeah, that works for me," Alice smiled when she came out of the vision a few seconds later.
"That's great," Gwen scribbled down her number on some paper and handed it to Alice, "Text me and I'll message you the details,"
Without hesitation, Alice also gave Gwen her number. There was a giddy and happy expression on the Vampire's face, one that made Gwen smile.
TWILIGHT
Gwen's last lesson was biology, something that she found tedious and not interesting at all. Mr Banner also happened to make the subject even worse. Gwen did not know if it was his voice in general, or his lack of flair and happiness when it came to teaching, but he always managed to suck the fun out of it. Gwen was sat in her usual space, second from the front, and it happened to be behind Edward Cullen.
Despite sharing the same class, Edward had never once looked in her direction, something Gwen did not mind at all. Edward had worked alone for the last term, and he was far ahead of everyone else, even her. It had made Gwen wonder how old he truly was – she suspected he was a lot older because of how bored he seemed of school. She glanced at him occasionally and it made her wonder why he was taking high school when he and the rest of his Clan did not need to.
She almost pitied him.
However, that day changed when Bella walked through the door and stepped in front of the fan at the front. Mr Banner always liked to keep his room very toasty, especially when it was cold outside, but because a few students complained about how warm they were, Mr Banner would occasionally allow the fan to be turned on.
Gwen noticed two things straight away. The first was how Bella stared at Edward, a nervous longing in her eyes like she hoped he would notice her. The second thing she noticed was how tense Edward became and how he used his hand to cover his mouth as if he wanted to vomit. Gwen watched as his whole body seized and locked up. There were the slightest growls that could easily be disguised with the sound of the fan and the chatter.
But Gwen heard it.
For a moment, Gwen thought Edward thought Bella stank badly, but then she remembered Nana's words. Bella's blood attracted Vampires, especially to Edward.
This made Gwen's eyes widen – Edward was in a bloodlust.
This made her nervous. In Scarlett's journals, she had read how Vampires can have Blood Singers, someone whose blood calls to a Vampire, a bit like a siren singing. Scarlett had shared in her journal how it was basically impossible for a Vampire to resist this call and most times, the mortal Blood Singer ended up drained of blood.
It was made even worse when Bella sat down next to Edward and seemed to notice the dark look on his face.
Edward's whole body was taut, and it looked as though he had stopped breathing altogether. A wise decision. Gwen was aware that Vampires did not breathe at all, but the Cullen's put on a show to make it seem as though they were mortal by moving their chest every couple of seconds. However, the glare that Edward had sent Bella's way made it look as though he wanted to kill her.
Bella nervously shifted in her seat sniffed her hair, and wondered what she'd done to earn his ire.
The longer the lesson went on, the worse Gwen felt. In the journals, it mentioned how Vampires would also kill everyone else to get what they wanted. Gwen did a quick sweep around the room and muttered a small spell under her breath as she directed it towards Bella. Her desk mate, Angela, was talking to someone else behind her, the class was too preoccupied with the work Mr Banner had set to notice her so anything.
She made Bella's scent disappear.
The moment the scent was gone, Edward perked up and his moved his hand from his mouth. While Gwen would not see his face, she could practically feel the shock radiate from him. She looked away just in time as Edward's black eyes swept the room as he was looking for something.
"A-are you o-okay?" Bella stuttered.
"Fine," Edward snapped back quickly before he turned away from her. He moved his seat so it was as far away from her as possible. While her scent was gone, he worried it would come back.
The moment the bell rang, Edward darted out that door. He tested his speed as he tried to masquerade as a human – he was pushing it because the way he darted out was too quick for a human, but not as quick as what would be expected for a Vampire. Bella blinked in surprise but seemed more upset about this and kept her head bowed down.
Gwen watched this all with a frown.
She felt as though a massacre had been avoided, but there would be more to come. Gwen glanced at Bella briefly before she packed up her things and left the room.
Gwen headed towards her car and saw Caitlin was already sitting there, waiting for her. Caitlin could not drive – her parents did not trust her behind the wheel of a car and neither did Gwen. So, every day, Gwen would drop Caitlin back at her house.
"Hey, Gwen," Caitlin said with a smile, her black lipstick showing off her teeth.
"I am so glad it's the end of the day," Gwen muttered as she unlocked her car door and got inside. "Oh, by the way, is it okay if Alice comes with us on our shopping trip?"
Caitlin's eyes widened, "Really?! She wants to come?!"
Amused by Caitlin's reaction, Gwen laughed, "Yeah, she seems pretty excited by it, is it cool?"
"Is it cool? Of course, it is!" Caitlin cried out, horrified that her friend had to even ask. There was no way she was going to say no to Alice Cullen coming on a shopping trip with them.
Gwen was relieved when Caitlin spoke no lie, and this made her relax.
For the rest of the trip, Caitlin did not shut up about how excited she was, she was even jumping up and down in her seat.
As soon as she dropped off Caitlin at her house, she headed over to the supermarket. Bethany had sent a text to her, asking to pick up some groceries on the way as Liam was coming over again and he wanted to make some tacos. Excited at the prospect of good food, Gwen drove over with no complaint.
Walking around the supermarket, Gwen began looking around while wheeling her trolley. Bethany had sent her a list of things to get, so the first place she went to was the meat section. She picked up some extra stuff as well, things she would cook over the weekend. Gwen and Liam were big meat eaters – he would often say it wasn't a proper meal unless there was some meat on a plate and Gwen was inclined to agree with him. Bethany liked meat as well, but not as much as her grandson or ward as she had trouble digesting it.
As Gwen wheeled her trolley around, she turned a corner into an aisle only to bump into what felt like a brick wall. She winced, the trolley having jammed itself against her stomach, slightly winding her. Gwen looked up and saw exactly what she had crashed into, only to find she had crashed into a person.
"Oh, I am so sorry," Gwen said immediately. Her trolley had actually crashed into a woman's back and that made her feel instantly guilty. The woman turned around and revealed a beautiful woman. The woman had very pale skin that looked like soft marble. She had a heart-shaped face and caramel-coloured hair. She was small and slender and was around the same height as Gwen. The thing that stood out the most was her eyes: they were golden and mesmerising. The moment Gwen saw her, she realised who she was – Esme Cullen. She had seen Esme a few times, but it was always in passing, and she had never had an actual conversation with the Vampire.
Esme smiled warmly, "It's no problem. It was an accident."
Gwen checked Esme, and while she knew she could not injure the Vampire, she was worried that something else had happened, "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Amusement shined in her golden eyes, "No, you didn't, dear."
Gwen sighed in relief, "That's good then."
"Are you okay though? You looked slightly winded." Esme asked, looking concerned. Her own golden eyes looked over Gwen, making sure there were no injuries. She noticed that the Witch was holding her stomach slightly and was worried about any damage.
Gwen smiled, feeling warm at the question. There was an air around Esme where she seemed so motherly and kind. It almost made Gwen feel safe, even though she didn't know the Vampire. It was odd as she had been taught that Vampires could be ruthless and to be wary of them. But Esme reminded her of Nana – there was a warmth about her that drew her in. Gwen could tell that Esme was genuinely interested to see if she was okay. Waving it off, Gwen shook her head, "Oh, I'm fine. I was just surprised."
Esme smiled seemingly happy with the answer.
It was at that moment Gwen looked down at Esme's trolley and saw that there weren't many items in there. At first, she found it odd that Esme was even shopping for human food when Vampires could not eat food at all – only blood. But she quickly brushed that aside, as it would be odd for one of the Cullen's not to be seen shopping. It was a little detail that would not be missed by the gossiping community of Forks, and if they wanted to masquerade as human, they needed to act as though they ate. However, Gwen did wonder what they did with the food since they didn't actually consume it.
"You wouldn't happen to be related to Alice?" Gwen asked, just as a formality. It was obvious that this woman was a Cullen and a Vampire, but she couldn't act like she knew. While Gwen did not like lying, she understood that it was needed at times to not draw attention to oneself.
Esme smiled warmly, "Oh yes, she's my foster daughter. My name is Esme, it is lovely to meet you,"
There was a tingling sensation in her chest, Esme had lied.
However, Gwen had already assumed that it was the foster daughter part she lied about, so this did not bother her.
"Nice to meet you," Gwen wasn't able to stop the smile coming onto her face, "My name is Gwen, I go to school with your children,"
Esme's eyes lit up at the name, "Oh, Alice has mentioned you a few times!"
There was no tingling sensation in her chest, Esme was telling the truth.
Gwen honestly didn't know what to feel at those words. They made her feel happy that Alice had mentioned her, but she was also curious to know what had been said. "All good things, I hope. Your daughter has been nothing but kind," Gwen said, being honest. She hoped that Alice had not said anything bad about her. Gwen would rather avoid confrontation as she quite enjoyed her life in Forks, despite it being boring and mundane at times.
Esme smiled, "Yes, all good things, I promise,"
There was no tingling sensation in her chest, Esme was telling the truth.
For an unknown reason, this made Gwen feel happy, and much better than before. Any worries she had were gone.
"It was nice to meet you, hopefully, I will see you around," Esme waved before she moved off to pay for her items.
This snapped Gwen out of her daze, "You too, Esme." With that, Gwen finished her trip around the shop and paid for the shopping. This time, Gwen made sure to be vigilant and not bump into any more people and put the groceries in the car with no issues.
TWILIGHT
With the Cullen's
Arriving home from school, Edward parked his Volvo in the spacious garage, along with all their other cars. Behind him was his family in the Jeep – his family did not like his Volvo, but Edward loved the car. Once out, they all walked into the house and they all relaxed. This was their home, the home Esme had built, and made their home where they could be themselves, and not have to hide what they were. Rosalie had a neutral expression on her face, while Alice looked happy. Emmet looked highly amused while Jasper looked happy as well, feeding off the emotions his wife emitted.
"Did you see anything?" Edward asked Alice the moment they were inside the safety of their house.
Alice turned to him, confused, "What do you mean Edward?" With her powers, she kept an eye on many things and many people. She needed to know exactly what he was talking about so she could answer his question.
"Isabella Swan," Edward muttered the girl's name as if it was a sin to say her name any louder.
Jasper looked at his younger brother, he could feel the guilt radiating from him, as well as shame and curiosity. He had felt that same emotion from Edward before they left school and it made him wonder what had happened. Usually, Edward had more pride than all of them combined, so this was a new development.
Edward shot Jasper a slight glare, but there was no real heat behind his eyes. Jasper rolled his eyes and ignored the mind-reader.
"I didn't see much, just that she was coming today, why? Did something happen?" Alice asked with a frown. She had been more focused on her friend and how excited she was for a shopping trip in two weeks times to even notice anything else.
"Yeah, Eddy, did something happen?" Emmett couldn't help but tease. He knew that his brother hated that nickname so he liked to use it as much as possible.
Jasper sniggered in the background, especially when he felt Edward's annoyance spike dramatically.
Edward's jaw set, "I nearly lost control today,"
Rosalie's head snapped in his direction, "You what?!" She nearly shrieked angrily.
"I didn't see that," Alice said with a frown. She kept an eye on all of their futures to make sure nothing happened. Every time she saw something worrying, she would let them know so they could avoid disaster. She had helped Jasper out in a few situations where the mortals had scrapped themselves or warned the family when she saw someone getting too close to their secret. However, she had received no visions of Edward nearly losing control – and she should have.
"What happened?" Rosalie demanded with a glare. This was not the news she wanted to hear. They had settled in Forks and as much as she didn't like the town, she didn't want to move again so soon. She actually wanted to graduate in this town and renew her vows with Emmett once more, like they did every so often.
Edward frowned as he thought back, "Isabella had stepped into the room and her scent… it was too much… I wanted to kill everyone in the room to get to her," As he remembered the hunger, his own eyes turned black. He needed to feed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jasper tense, no doubt he could feel his hunger with his powers. Edward closed his eyes forced those memories back and pushed back the burn in his throat as it wasn't fair to Jasper.
"But…" Emmett said dramatically, but he kept an eye on Jasper and Edward in case one of them needed help.
"It was like her scent disappeared. It didn't come back until after I left the room," Edward said with a frown. He did not understand what had happened. A human's scent didn't just disappear, that only happened after a person died, and it took time for that to happen. This was unnatural and it made him suspicious that something else was afoot that he wasn't aware about.
Jasper looked thoughtful, "Is she gifted?" No human could do this, but if a human had a gift, that could explain it.
Alice frowned, "I haven't seen anything that would say that," In the sparing visions she had seen of the Swan girl, she appeared completely ordinary. There was a potential of something there, but her visions were fuzzy when it came to the girl.
"Did you try and read her mind?" Rosalie asked with a frown. She was also confused by what Edward said and it unsettled her. She didn't like it when things didn't make sense.
Edward shook his head, "I couldn't hear anything," He had tried to read the Swan girl's mind a few times, but there had been nothing – absolutely nothing. He could easily read the minds of a lot of people in Forks, most of it unimportant or lustful thoughts of him and his family. It was either that, or anxious teens worried about tedious stuff, and heightened emotions. These were normal, but what was not normal was the silence from the new girl.
Rosalie did not look impressed and there were a few choice words in her head, ones that made Edward wince.
"I also haven't been able to read the mind of your friend ever since she came," Edward admitted after a few moments of silence from his family as he looked to Alice.
Jasper sent him a sharp look – this should have been shared ages ago, and by the deadly glare being sent from Rosalie, she was in agreement with him.
"You're having performance issues?" Emmett asked as he laughed loudly.
Scowling, Edward rolled his eyes, his power was not failing him. He was just… having a difficult time at the moment. "It's not wise that you associate with that girl," Edward said as he looked at Alice. Without his gift, he could not read her mind to see if she was dangerous, something the family relied on to keep their secret safe.
Instead of agreeing with him, Alice glared at him, "No, I will not. I happen to like her,"
"But she could be dangerous!" Edward argued back.
Jasper hissed lowly at him for shouting at his wife, but he remained silent on the matter at hand. This decision belonged to his wife whether she wanted to end her friendship with Gwen. Though he understood where Edward was coming from – Gwen was an unknown threat. However, he knew how much that mortal made his wife happy. Most days after Art, she was always bursting with excitement and would tell him all about the conversations she'd had with the female teenager. It amused him how much his wife was affected by this human – if he had been truly worried, he would have pulled Alice aside to discuss this with her.
Edward frowned, "She smells strange…" Then that was the issue with her scent. It did not match her, it smelled fake and artificial. It was obvious that something was masking her natural smell. What also stood out to him was that he could not smell her blood.
"She does smell strange," Jasper agreed with him. Usually, he had the hardest time dealing with the smell of human blood due to his past, but even he could admit that he did not crave Gwen's blood. It was a surprise, a pleasant one, but it made him suspicious as he'd never had this before. He didn't like it when things did not make sense because then he couldn't plan.
"I like her, I think she's funny," Emmett grinned and then looked sheepishly at his wife, who glared at him as though he had just betrayed her.
Alice nodded her head in agreement, "Yes, Gwen is my friend,"
Rosalie sneered at that answer, "She's human,"
"And?" Alice challenged the blonde beauty with no hesitation. Before anyone could say anything, Alice's eyes glazed out as she went into a vision. It was only Edward who saw her vision, with his gift, that saw what she did. Once it passed, Alice looked at Edward and frowned, "You're leaving?"
"I don't know," Edward huffed as he ran a hand through his hair. He had seen what his sister had seen – him leaving Forks and going to Alaska with the Denali Coven. It would only be for a week while he got his bearings back. He would come back.
"You leave because you can't handle one human's scent?" Rosalie demanded with an unenthusiastic expression.
Edward glared back at her, her words stung.
Sensing this, Jasper used his power and sent a wave of calm around the room and everyone's shoulders dropped in relaxation. Rosalie sent him an annoyed look, one that Jasper playfully rolled his eyes at.
"If you go, you better warn Esme," Emmett said, his tone serious as he looked at his brother. Esme was the mother they all loved and cared for – and she loved and cared for them in return. Most of them did not remember their mothers, but they had Esme, and that was all they needed.
At the mention of the maternal Vampire, Edward tensed. He knew that Esme would be hurt if he left – he had been the first son Carlisle had turned. While Esme loved all of her children, she had a special place for Edward as they'd been together longer, just as Rosalie was held in high regard as well. There were no favourites, she loved them all in different ways. The thought of hurting Esme unsettled him and he didn't like it.
It also didn't help when Alice got a vision and he saw through her power what Esme's reaction would be – she'd understand his need for space, but would be devasted by him leaving. Carlisle would have a similar reaction – but would hide his disappointment better.
Feeling his conflict, Jasper took pity on him, "Running away is not going to help. The problem will still be here when you get back,"
"Yeah, Eddy, be a man!" Emmett cheered him on, appearing beside him and smacking his back very hard. There was a loud sound that vibrated through the house, and the windows shook. However, However, Edward merely rolled his eyes at his brother's actions.
"I need to think," Edward said before he sped off to his room. He needed to think about his next plan – whether he stayed or whether he went away.
"So dramatic," Rosalie muttered before she walked off to the garage, she wanted to tinker around with the new car she'd purchased in auction.
Jasper shook his head and looked to his wife and brother, "Any decision Edward makes, he will have to run past Carlisle," As the head of their Coven, it was Carlisle's decision that was final. They were all grown Vampires, but they all looked to the older Vampire for guidance. Even Edward, the 'favoured son' could not go against the Coven Leader's decision.
TWILIGHT
Gwen was sitting in her car, still outside the supermarket, the key in hand, but she had not started the car. Her mind was elsewhere, far too focused to pay attention as all the other humans walked into the store.
She had used magic.
On purpose.
In public.
In school.
She'd broken the promise she'd made her Nana when they'd arrived and she shouldn't help but feel guilty for it. Gwen worked through the what-ifs in her head – what if someone saw her cast a spell? If a human saw her cast a spell, she would be screwed. If anything happened in this town, it spread around like wildfire. It hadn't fully hit her, her actions, until she had got into her car after buying groceries, her mind had been occupied with other things.
Had she done the right thing?
She needed to speak with her Nana.
Gwen reached into her pocket and dialled the number she had memorised by heart – a safety precaution in case she ever lost her phone. Just as she had to delete all her messages in case, and certain contacts were saved using code names, no one could be linked to her.
Bethany picked up within the first three rings, "Hello firefly, is everything okay?" There was some noise behind her – she was in the police station, waiting to speak with Charlie Swan about a job as an admin worker.
"I used magic in school," Gwen blurted out immediately.
Bethany fell silent for a moment, "Did anyone see you use it?"
"No," Gwen shook her head, "Well, I don't think so." She had checked afterwards and saw no one had spared her another glance, no one had stared at her as though she had another head. No one had screamed that she was a Witch and no one had called her out. Edward had come the closest as he turned his head so fast, she thought he nearly caught her, but he hadn't said anything. She doubted he would as he had his own secret to hide – as well as his family's secret.
"Then what's the problem, dear?" Bethany asked as she sounded confused.
"You told me to never use magic in public," Gwen said quietly.
There was a sound of understanding on Bethany's side, "Ah, that makes much more sense. Gwen, you're a Witch, you're going to use magic. It was only a matter of time before your instincts would take out. However, no one saw you, so there is nothing to worry about. If I get a vision about anything, I would have pulled you out already," The woman's voice was low as she made sure no one overheard her.
"You're not disappointed?" Gwen asked, worried.
"No firefly," Bethany said softly, "but I am curious as to what made you use it when you've managed this long?"
Gwen sighed deeply as she leaned back in the driver seat, "I was in biology. The new girl came in and I saw Edward Cullen recoil at her presence. He looked as though he wanted to murder her," Looking back, she wondered what would have happened if she hadn't cast that spell, "I used my magic to block the new girl's scent and it worked."
Bethany fell silent.
"Nana?" Gwen called out, confused by her lack of response.
"Of course, she'd make trouble already," Bethany muttered in her breath in exasperation.
Gwen looked at her phone, her brows furrowed, "Nana?"
"Sorry dear, that wasn't directed at you, but at the new girl," Bethany answered quickly to reassure her ward, "I had hoped that she wouldn't cause trouble on her first day at least, but it seems I was too hopeful,"
"Nana, why do you hate that girl so much?" Gwen asked. It also made her wonder exactly what Nana had seen to make her turn on the girl so much, as Nana liked mostly everyone. She had said this girl would cause trouble, but she wondered what else would happen in the future.
Bethany sighed deeply on the line, "Gwen, listen to me closely. Keep clear of that girl, she will bring nothing but trouble. She will become fascinated by that family and bring trouble to their door. I don't want that for you. For some reason, most creatures seemed fascinated with her," Her voice was low as she made sure that no one heard what she said.
"Trust me, nothing about her is interesting," Gwen laughed to herself. She couldn't understand how Isabella Swan could make so many waves while in Forks. However, it concerned her that she would become fascinated by the Cullen family. If she focused on them, would she figure out their secret? Would she figure out Gwen's secret?
Bethany let out a sharp laugh, "To us, yes she is not interesting, but her blood draws them to her,"
Gwen hummed, taking in her words, "Nana, when are we going to be leaving Forks?"
Bethany made a noise of surprise, "Why are you asking, firefly?"
"We've already been here for a year, usually we'd be looking to leave," Gwen answered back as she thought back. The longest they ever stayed in a place was around thirteen months, and that was only after Nana had given her the herbs. She wanted to get a sense of when they were going to leave so she could make the usual preparations – saying goodbye to people and cleansing the house of her presence so no one could track her. Gwen would be sad to say goodbye to Tilly, but she knew it was only a matter of time before they had to leave.
"We're not leaving,"
Gwen's eyes widened at her Nana's answer, "What?"
"We're not leaving Forks," Bethany repeated once more.
For a moment, Gwen didn't say anything, unable to form any words. Her words did not make sense to her. There was always an exit plan – there was always another place they were going to travel to. This did not seem right or fit the pattern she had lived her entire life. She knew that her Nana was telling the truth, otherwise, she could have got the tingling sensation in her chest whenever someone told her a lie.
Her Nana wasn't lying.
Sensing she would be struggling, Bethany continued, "There is no more running, Gwen. We're staying here in Forks. That is why I need you to be careful of that girl."
"But I don't get it. Why here?" Gwen asked as she scrambled to gain her bearings back.
Bethany laughed, as if she was amused by her confusion, "You know I can't tell you everything, it would ruin the fun of it,"
"You know I don't like not knowing!" Gwen whined playfully, but she understood what her Nana meant. If there was truly any danger to her life, her Nana would have told her something more, just as she had in the past. While Gwen did like knowing what was to come, she understood she couldn't rely on her Nana for every decision.
"I know, but you'll live," Bethany laughed "Now, I have to go, I am about to see Charlie," With that, Bethany hung up the phone.
Gwen put away her phone and felt much lighter than before. Putting her phone aside, she started her car and drove home with a smile on her face.
TWILIGHT
It was late into the night at the Cullen house, but all were awake. As they did not sleep, most found other ways to occupy themselves. That night, most of them were out hunting, all except Alice and Rosalie. Edward had eventually ventured down after Emmett had nearly broken down his door, tired of his brother moping around in his room, and he dragged the mind-reader out. Jasper followed close behind because he was curious but also amused by how Emmett had strong-armed Edward. Despite the mind reader being faster, he couldn't beat Emmett's strength and had resigned himself to this fate. Carlisle and Esme were on a date that might and wouldn't be back for some time.
Alice walked into the garage, into Rosalie's sanctuary. The beautiful blonde Vampire was under a car, dressed in overalls so her clothing was not ruined, and she tinkered away with the car. Rosalie tended to spend a lot of time in the garage when she wanted time away from the family. She would spend days in there if Emmett didn't coax her out.
"Do you think I am endangering the family?" Alice asked.
Rosalie stopped her work for a second before she went back to work, "Don't listen to Edward, he's talking out of his ass," There was a sneer in her tone. It was well known that in their family, she and Edward did not see eye to eye. Rosalie did not like how self-important he was, and how smug he could be. In her view, Edward overstepped his place at times, and they'd argue at every opportunity they got. Rosalie liked to annoy him by thinking sexual thoughts as she knew that the virgin was too much of a prude.
Alice nodded her head, Jasper had said something similar, but much stronger, "I like Gwen, but I can't really see her future and I worry about that," Alice had a feeling that something was stopping her power in seeing Gwen's future and she didn't understand why.
"But she's human, so you can't get too attached," Rosalie reminded her sister, not unkindly. She wasn't being mean, just honest. While Rosalie's words could be cutting, she did this because she cared.
"I know," Alice muttered softly. "I just feel like there is something about her, that I can't see yet," She got a feeling there was something more to come, more for the whole family, but she couldn't be certain. Alice had yet to tell Carlisle about this, but she planned to, so she could get another opinion that wasn't biased. As much as she loved Edward, he was her brother, he got on her nerves at times.
This piqued Rosalie's interest, but she stayed silent.
"Does it bother you that Emmett likes her as well?" Alice asked curiously.
"I am more worried about him getting too attached, and then us having to leave," Rosalie admitted with a sigh in her tone. Emmett, her loving husband, the light of her dark endless life. She did not know where she would be without her mate. Emmett wore his heart on his sleeve, and this was something she loved and hated about him. As a Vampire, they felt emotions more intensely, and by losing someone, that pain was greater. This girl was human and was more susceptible to death and illness. When Emmett became attached to someone, he would do anything for his friends and family, and as his wife, it was her duty to protect him from things like this. Rosalie knew exactly why Emmett was attached to this girl – she looked similar to his human sister when he was alive. Emmett had the clearest memories of his human life as he'd been turned the latest out of all of them, though even they were not fully clear anymore. However, one thing he remembered about his younger sister was her hair. It happened to be the same shade as Gwen's hair. Emmett said it reminded him of fire.
"She's one of the good humans," Alice said as she wanted to defend her friend. It was rare when someone wanted to genuinely be friends with her as most humans thought her to be weird, but Gwen never seemed to care.
Rosalie hummed, a lovely sound, "What about this new girl, Isabella?" She sneered at the name. She had watched the human and thought her to be pathetic and not worth looking at. She didn't understand why Alice even had visions about this girl. It was all because Edward could not read her mind – or the ginger-haired girl.
"Her blood attracts Edward, but then her scent disappeared, so that is confusing," Alice said with a frown. This had never happened before – human scents did not just disappear.
"If Edward was smart, he'd stay away from the new girl," Rosalie muttered as she continued to work. If Edward could not read her mind, and her scent disappeared, this raised suspicions. "If she becomes a threat, I and Jasper can deal with it," This was her family, her Coven, and she would protect it, as she knew Jasper would as well. Out of all her siblings, she and Jasper were quite close as they viewed things quite similarly. While Carlisle did not agree with how they handled things at times due to his morals, he also understood that sometimes action was needed. That was one thing she admired about Carlisle, was his devotion to his Coven and their safety.
Alice nodded her head in understanding. From what she'd seen, it wouldn't come to that, but it may come close, but visions about Isabella Swan were limited. This frustrated the small Vampire, as she was not used to things interfering with her visions.
Alice quickly left the garage but sent a quick thanks to Rosalie before running back up to her room. There were a few things she wanted to do.
A few hours later, she had reorganised her room and ordered more clothes for herself and the family online. She had just finished purchasing Rosalie and Emmett's outfits when a vision washed over her. Standing still, Alice watched the scene before her. The vision started out by showing Gwen with a man that Alice recognised as someone who belonged on the police force, and a little old woman. However, the vision changed to show Gwen interacting with Alice and her family, but the focus was mainly on Gwen and Edward. Flashes of moments of them meeting and Edward being very happy filled her vision. In the final flash of images, it contained Edward muttering a word that made Alice gasp and all of a sudden, the vision ended.
Blinking slowly, Alice allowed herself to come back to earth. However, soon a high-voltage grin appeared on her face and she let out a squeal in happiness. She began dancing around the room at a faster pace, a pace that no human would be able to keep up with. She was ecstatic about the news. Edward would meet his Mate in Forks. It was strange that Edward had noticed – but he would and then he would finally be happy.
Just then, Jasper appeared in the room, watching his wife with adoring golden eyes. His eyes were a brighter shade of gold, showing that he had just fed, "Have you seen something, darlin'?"
"Yes!" Alice cheered out, launching at her husband, wrapping her arms around him. Jasper effortlessly picked her up and swung her, engulfed in her happiness due to his power. Alice kissed him on the lips before jumping off him and continuing to dance around.
"Care to share?" Jasper asked with a smile.
Alice shook her head, "Nope, can't have Edward finding out before the time is right," She said with a devious grin. She couldn't have Edward finding out otherwise it would ruin the fun. Edward was adamant that he didn't need a Mate, even though he often looked at his family with jealous eyes. Everyone other than him was Mated so Edward was often the odd one out, even if everyone tried to include him. It wasn't the same without your Mate and Alice knew that it was something Edward longed for, even though he refused to say it.
"Of course," Jasper readily agreed, far too used to his wife's erratic behaviour. He knew that whatever she had seen would be revealed in time.
Continuing her dance, Alice couldn't stop the overflowing excitement that no doubt her husband was feeling.