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 next day
"Wow," Gwen muttered as she stared up at the house.
Scratch that, it wasn't a house – at least not a regular house. It was large – extremely so, and was completely made of glass. The contemporary style stuck out amongst the forest, it looked so modern and chic that she almost got house envy. Gwen had to push this aside and remembered that if Tilly could hear her thoughts, she would revolt and not let her back inside. Tilly had nearly not let her leave the house that morning and had locked all the doors. It was only when Bethany assured that her that she saw no problems in the future that Tilly unlocked the doors. But even this took nearly an hour. This had nearly made the Witch late, which she knew would not go down well. Gwen suspected that if she did not arrive on the dot, the Cullen's would come to her instead, and Tilly would not be happy about that at all. After the encounter with Rosalie yesterday, Tilly foundation seemed to shake at the mere mention of the Vampires.
Gwen got out of her car and locked it. The moment her feet were outside the dirt path, the front door of the house opened and Alice was out within seconds, using her inhumane speed.
If the cat was already out of the bag, it made sense to not have to hide anymore.
"You're here!" Alice cheered happily, a grin on her face, "I told everyone you'd come!" The entire night had been spent with the family arguing with one another, Edward had been adamant that Gwen would not turn up and betray them, despite Alice and Emmett's assurances that she would.
"I said I would come, I am a Witch of my word," Gwen grinned in return.
Alice's eyes lit up at the word and before she could say something, another figure walked out of the house, this time at a human pace. This figure belonged to Rosalie, who stood with her arms crossed over her chest.
"See, I came," Gwen said as she stared at the blonde beauty. She remembered how the Vampire had not believed that she would come to the house and answer the questions. Rosalie had looked ready to drag the Witch back to their house, which would have resulted in more issues.
Rosalie stared at her before she nodded her head. She didn't say anything but she turned back around and walked back into the house.
"Don't mind her, she's been impatient," Alice assured the Witch.
There was a low hiss that came from the house, which both Alice and Gwen chose to ignore. Instead, Alice gently linked her arm with Gwen, which made the Witch flinch slightly, but she allowed it to happen. She was then guided into the house and Gwen's eyes darted everywhere, taking everything in. The house was beautiful, even on the inside.
They made it a few feet into the house before Edward blocked their path.
"Edward," Alice warned him, her eyes narrowed.
Edward stared at his sister, hearing her thoughts but chose to ignore her. His golden eyes were focused on the Witch "What, no lightning?" He had seen what happened through Rosalie's thoughts on the night before and it had taken him by surprise. He had no idea that they'd been going to school with a Witch for the past year.
There were a few people who called Edward's name in a scolding manner, but Gwen didn't pay attention to this. She knew what he was doing, he was challenging her. He was trying to provoke her. Not one to back down, Gwen raised her other hand that wasn't attached to Alice, and lightning crackled at her fingertips, "Why? You need a demonstration, mind reader?"
Edward tensed, his whole body coiled.
"That's enough," Entered a new voice. Carlisle walked over to them, a serious expression on his face. Carlisle, like the rest of his family, looked gorgeous, better than any model Gwen had ever seen. He had collar-length blond hair and was very tall. He looked young, around twenty-three years old, with a well-toned medium frame, and his golden eyes were gentle. However, his voice was firm and authoritative, his presence alone screamed who he was, he was the Coven Leader. The 'father' to all these Vampires.
Gwen's lightning fizzled out when she saw Carlisle. Gwen nodded her head at him, a sign of respect.
Edward scowled and ran off, out of sight within seconds. Alice was right behind him, an annoyed expression on her face.
Carlisle seemed to sigh as he shook his head, he then looked to Gwen and smiled kindly, "Hello, my name is Carlisle Cullen. It is nice to meet you," He offered his hand and for a moment, Gwen hesitated in taking it, but she did in the end. His hands were cold – an indicator of their true nature – and they were firm. This Vampire was used to interacting with humans daily and knew how much pressure was needed to not harm fragile humans.
"And you too, Carlisle, my name is Gwen," The Witch answered back politely, though she could not hide her annoyance at Edward's actions.
"I apologise for my son's actions." Carlisle said, sensing her annoyance, "He is quite sensitive and protective of his family,"
Gwen nodded her head, "It's fine, I understand that things are quite frustrating. But he needs to be careful who he speaks to like that, as others may not take it so well," She warned the Coven Leader, sending him an expression that showed she meant business. Other Witches would not take his challenge well – and neither would her Nana. Her Nana would have whipped Edward into shape within seconds.
"That is understood," Carlisle said and then motioned to her, "Let us sit in the living room, would you like a drink?"
Gwen arched a brow, "Oh wow, a Vampire offering a drink. I hope I am not expected to offer one in return,"
There was a booming laugh further in the house that nearly shook the house, and Gwen suspected that it would have only come from Emmett. He was basically built like a mountain. Carlisle also laughed, though not as loud, and it sounded beautiful to the ear, "No, we don't drink human blood. We drink animal blood,"
Gwen looked at him for a moment but followed him into the living room. While she was aware, they drank animal blood, it had confused her as to why their eye colour turned gold instead of the usual red. It did not make sense in her mind, but she did not question it further. As she walked in, she could see all of the Coven was present. Edward was the furthest away, standing on the balcony upstairs, with Alice on the couch, Rosalie on the other side of the room and Emmett beside her. Emmett was nearly vibrating in his seat with a large grin on his face. Jasper stood with Rosalie and Emmett, and Esme was in the kitchen area, a bright expression on her face.
"What could I get you, dear?" Esme asked kindly.
A rush of affection hit Gwen as she looked at Esme, and the Witch smiled, "Water please," There was something about Esme that was warm and she liked her. Gwen could feel the eyes on her, though the most prominent was Jasper's gaze, which was intense. Gwen tried her best to ignore their gazes and feigned being relaxed.
Esme nodded her head and grabbed a glass before filling it with water and passing it to her. This process took all of five seconds, but by the end, Gwen had a glass of water in hand, and Carlisle and Esme were sat on the couch opposite Alice. Alice patted the seat next to her, and Gwen sat down next to the Vampire, ignoring Rosalie's scowl.
"So, where do we start?" Gwen asked as she broke the ice.
"Are you really a Witch?" Emmett asked immediately, an eager grin on his face. Rosalie sent her husband a look, but the Vampire ignored his wife.
Gwen nodded her head, "I am yes,"
"Prove it," Emmett asked again. While he trusted his wife with what she had seen, Emmett wanted to see magic so badly, and he was not going to miss this opportunity. He had also heard the cracking when Edward had questioned her, Rosalie had to hold him back from watching this and now he wanted to see it in person.
Arching a brow, Gwen looked to Carlisle, who motioned for her to go ahead and that he gave permission. With permission from him, Gwen snapped her fingers, and all loose objects in the home, like vases, the piano in the corner of the room began to float up in the air.
"Badass," Emmett muttered in awe.
Edward stared at Gwen hard, his gaze had never left her being since she had entered the room. His expression was guarded, though she could feel his mistrust.
With a snap of her fingers, the items landed on the ground softly.
"Fascinating," Carlisle muttered, intrigue in his eyes. He leaned forward, showing his interest in this matter. He had come across many Witches, as most kept to themselves, especially around Vampires, but magic had always fascinated him.
"How did you figure out what we were?" Rosalie demanded as she ignored the scolding expressions from Carlisle as well as Alice.
Gwen had been expecting this and knew it would come, and she was ready, "I've known the entire time. The first day I saw you, I knew what you all were," It wasn't hard, the only thing that threw her off were the eyes, as she'd never encountered a Vampire with golden eyes. "You guys aren't the first Vampires I have come across," In her time travelling, she'd met many creatures, and around six years ago, she'd met a Vampire in Vancouver. They had red eyes, and it was only in passing.
This caught everyone's attention, "And you survived?" Edward asked, dubious.
"Of course," Gwen scoffed. She'd done nothing to provoke an attack, and it was only in passing. There was no reason she would not be able to survive meeting a red-eyed Vampire.
Jasper's eyes narrowed, "You're confident," He had been assessing the Witch since she entered their home. She was comfortable and he thought she'd be more nervous, but she wasn't – not in the slightest. He had felt the rush of affection when Alice had greeted her, as well as Esme, and this had thrown him off. This went against everything he had been taught about Witches. However, his knowledge had originally come from Maria, and the Witch that supported Maria to help her win her wars.
"I am," Gwen said as she looked at the Texan Vampire, "Like I said, I have known what you are for a year. I kept an eye on you guys to make sure you weren't a threat to myself and others. If you had been, I would have acted sooner,"
Emmett and Jasper shared a look, the larger Vampire more excited, but even this intrigued Jasper. Emmett wanted a fight of some kind but knew he couldn't, and that bummed him out. Jasper was curious to know what the Witch had hidden under her sleeve. Edward sent them all dark looks for their thought, and both Emmett and Jasper chose to ignore his share.
"And what is your assessment so far?" Carlisle asked out of curiosity.
"That you're all odd for wanting to be around humans, teenagers especially," Gwen said bluntly as she looked at each and every one of them, "I imagine you all have some age on you, and it makes me wonder how many times you've attended high school,"
"Too many times," Rosalie muttered lowly.
Esme smiled at the Witch kindly, "We want to show that Vampires can live among the humans, that we can co-exist," She held Carlisle's hand and leaned into him. It was her husband's dream, as he wanted to help humans with his medical knowledge and she admired his dream.
Gwen nodded her head, as she considered the matriarch's words.
"What do you intend to do with this knowledge?" Carlisle asked the Witch.
"Nothing," Gwen answered honestly. "As far as I am concerned, we both have a secret we wish to keep from the humans," If she revealed that the Cullen's were Vampires, there would be nothing that could stop them from revealing that she was a Witch to the public. She would gain nothing from this other than unwanted attention.
Jasper's brow arched as he felt the honesty radiating from the Witch in waves. Edward looked at Jasper and read his thoughts, and this also made the Vampire frown.
"Why say something now?" Rosalie demanded.
"I was bored," Gwen shrugged.
Rosalie's cold expression cracked for a moment as she stared at the Witch in shock. For all the responses she had expected, this had not been it. "You were bored?!" She yelled back, ticked off that everything had been disturbed because of boredom.
"I was," Gwen sighed, "Nothing interesting seemed to happen here. You guys and the Shifters on La Push are the only interesting thing around here,"
Alice and Emmett seemed to beam under the praise.
"You know about the Shifters?" Carlisle asked in surprise, but also relief. As part of the treaty, he could not reveal that information to anyone, but the fact she knew, made things much easier in his eyes.
"Yep," Gwen said cheerfully, "I haven't been to La Push yet, but I'm not keen, to be honest," She did not care for them, as she lacked interest.
"Did you help cover Bella's scent?" Alice asked as she looked at her friend.
This time, Gwen felt the burning gaze from the mind reader, "I did. I saw how Edward struggled the moment Bella entered the room. I did fear something would happen, so I used my magic to cover her scent," She then looked to the Vampire in question, "I am honesty surprised you seemed okay in the next biology lesson," She had expected Edward to need more support with the scent masking, but he hasn't. Edward had walked in a few days later, right as rain and did not even flinch when Bella entered the room.
"I've got used to her scent now," Edward admitted slowly, albeit reluctantly.
"Is it because she's your Blood Singer?" Gwen asked bluntly.
Edward looked pained by this, "Yes, Bella's blood calls to me," He was used to her scent, but if there were any hiccups where she cut herself, Edward would struggle to maintain his control. He had swiped one of Bella's scarves and acclimatised to her scent. After he had done this, he returned the clothing item.
"Which is a huge pain," Rosalie muttered as she glared up at her brother, as if it was all his fault.
Edward glared back at the blonde beauty.
"Your scent doesn't match one of a Witch, why is that?" Esme asked, not rudely, but with genuine curiosity. Witch and Warlock blood was meant to be very tempting for a Vampire, and the fact that Gwen did not smell appealing threw all of them off, some more than others. None of them had even suspected her to be a Witch and had thought her to be mortal this entire time. Not even Alice had been aware.
Gwen patted her bra, where the herbs were kept, "I wear these herbs, they block my scent," She had no doubt that if she hadn't worn these herbs, the Cullen's would have been able to smell what she was as soon as she arrived in Forks. Gwen suspected that this meeting wouldn't have gone down well.
This thought made her frown as something dawned on her.
"That's smart," Carlisle nodded his head.
"How did you know I lied?" Edward demanded from his spot upstairs. He raised his voice loud enough so Gwen could hear him.
Gwen looked up and met his eyes fearlessly, "I'm gifted by Scarlett," She was there to answer questions and she had nothing to hide.
Carlisle instantly sat up at the name and his eyes widened at the news, "Scarlett, the ex-Coven leader of the Blackthorn Witches?" He had met Scarlett a few times and the Witch always intrigued him. Her name was legendary within the Vampire Community as she was the only Witch all three of the Volturi Kings liked and revered.
"The very same," Gwen said, though not enthusiastically, "When I was younger, I was gifted with the ability to see through lies. When someone lies to me, I get a tingling sensation in my chest," She placed a hand over her chest, just a few inches away from her heart. This was where the tingling sensation would radiate from, but it never hurt her.
"I want a go!" Emmett yelled out, eager to test this out.
Carlisle looked to the Witch, "Could we get a demonstration?" He asked with his head tilted. He was keen to see this power in person.
"Of course," Gwen smiled, amused by them.
The family looked at one another, and the whispers happened. However, they were so low and fast that Gwen could not make out what was said. Gwen did not mind and in fact, she was entertained by this. She felt a gaze on her again and Gwen met Jasper's eyes as he studied her. Gwen smiled at him and soon after, Jasper looked away and joined back in with the conversation.
"Let's see if you can spot the lie," Alice said as she looked to Gwen, confident that her friend would have no issue with this, and she started the little game between them. "We lived in Alaska before Forks,"
Gwen felt no tingle in her chest – but she knew that to be true as Alice had mentioned before in art class. "Truth,"
Alice beamed when the Witch got this right.
"My favourite animal to drink from is a bear!" Emmett chimed out with a grin.
Again, there was no tingle in her chest. "Truth,"
Emmett grinned back in response.
"I and Emmett have been married three times," Rosalie offered with her arms over her chest. She looked down at the Witch as she waited for her answer.
This time, there was a tingle in her chest.
"Lie," Gwen said as she looked at Rosalie.
Emmett's grin widened as he laughed happily, and Jasper looked thoughtful. Carlisle rubbed his chin in thought as he wondered about her power. He had never met anyone who had this power before and he wondered how far it could go. Gwen turned to look at everyone, who was excitedly chatting among themselves, all except Edward. Gwen looked up at him and found him staring at her again.
"Satisfied?" Gwen asked with an arched brow.
Edward frowned, "Why can't I read your mind?" This was something that had bothered him. There had been very few times he had not been able to read someone's mind – the only people were Scarlett, and a Vampire within the Volturi, Demi, Alec's mate. However, since coming to Forks, that number had basically doubled and he wasn't happy.
"It's part of the gift's side effects, it grants mental shields to the person," Gwen shared with them. After the situation in English, she had asked her Nana and Liam why Edward could not read her mind. They had explained that anyone who was gifted by Scarlett would be allowed privacy from any mind readers, as Scarlett always prided privacy. Scarlett was the only leader who had been able to award such privileges, no other Coven Leader in the Blackthorns had managed this before. However, none had been as powerful as her.
Understanding flashed in Edward's eyes and he nodded his head.
"Why aren't you with your Coven?" Jasper asked. All the knowledge about Witches he knew was that they stayed in Covens like Vampires did. Except for the Witch that worked with Maria, but that was a different circumstance. He was aware of the three major Covens but also knew there were smaller ones, but they all tied into the Blackthorn Coven.
Gwen shook her head, "I don't have one,"
Carlisle looked confused, "You don't?"
"Why?" Edward demanded.
Gwen glared at his tone, but continued on, "That is a bit more complicated. No Blackthorn Coven Witch or Warlock is aware I exist," She had been hidden for years, and had been kept away from the Coven. Despite being taught about the Coven Scarlett led for many years, she had never officially been part of it. It also needed to remain that way – at least that is what she had been told by her Nana.
"You're hiding from something," Jasper pointed out with a thoughtful expression. It made sense, her herbs that blocked her scent and the fact no other Witch knew about her. Alice had mentioned to him that Gwen had told her about moving a lot.
"I am," Gwen admitted with a sigh. She knew that they would click onto this eventually, but hoped it would be in the future.
"What are you hiding from?" Esme asked, her brows furrowed in concern.
Now this made Gwen pause. She contemplated whether she should tell them or not – with the limited knowledge she had. There was an argument not to tell them, as she would not want to drag them into this. This was her business. However, she had dropped a bomb on them and disturbed their peace. She could feel their eyes on her as they waited for her to decide, "Nana and I have moved around all my life, to keep me hidden. Someone is after me and they keep sending out different people to find me. With the herbs, it stops them from finding me from my scent,"
Carlisle frowned, "Your Nana is Bethany Carter, right?" He had treated the older woman for her migraines and headaches for the past year. In the time he had treated her, he never would have thought she was hiding such a secret. She never treated him any differently than any other person in Forks. He had no idea she knew about his and his family's secret. It made him marvel at the older woman's composure and ability to keep secrets.
"She is," Gwen smiled as she thought of her Nana, "She's not related to me by blood, my mother entrusted her with me to raise and protect. She's like Alice and has visions of the future," She looked at Alice and smiled.
Alice beamed back. However, she made sure to keep her thoughts locked away, especially from her nosy mind-reading brother.
"So, you could bring danger to our door?" Rosalie said sharply, annoyance on her face. It appeared as though Jasper was on the same front as her, as he watched the Witch carefully.
"No," Gwen answered sharply, "That is my issue, I wasn't going to drag you into my issues," She could deal with what would come her way like she had all this time. That was why she trained her magic to be sharp, she was a prodigy at her craft. "I can deal with whatever comes my way,"
For a moment, there was a flash of respect in Rosalie's eyes, but that quickly disappeared.
"Damn," Emmett muttered lowly, disappointed he would miss out on action.
"You didn't seem surprised when Carlisle mentioned our diet," Jasper asked as he looked at her curiously. He had thought the Witch would have more questions when it came to their diet as he had felt the curiosity when Carlisle had told her this.
Gwen looked at the Texan Vampire and smiled, "I knew you feed from animals," When she'd first come to Forks, she'd questioned their eye colour and couldn't find an answer in any of her books. After that, she had asked her Nana, who told her about the Cullen's diet. It still did not make sense to her.
Alice made a noise of understanding, though Rosalie and Jasper shared looks with one another.
"Though I am curious as to what you do with the bodies of the animals," Gwen questioned. With the amount of time they fed, surely there should be a pile-up of dead animal bodies. However, none had been found and there were no new rumours of any predators in the area.
Carlisle answered this one, "After we drink from the family, we make sure to use all of it. We turn the skin into leather and donate it, and we give the meat to any food banks or charities," If they were to bury any bodies of animals, they could be discovered so they had to be methodical about it, and make sure there was no trace. They also had to make sure they did not over-hunt certain animals in certain areas as they did not want to raise suspicion if a certain population of animals decreased dramatically.
Gwen nodded her head, understanding what he said, and it made sense. "So, now that you know what I am, does that make you feel better?" Gwen asked all the Vampires in the room. "Has this sated your curiosity?" Gwen asked as she looked at Edward.
Edward's eyes narrowed, he was not fully content as he wanted to know more. He needed to understand how she worked. Usually, he could read someone's mind to suss them out, but he could not do that this time around. "You should stay away from us,"
"Edward!" Alice shouted at him angrily, her eyes narrowed into slits.
"We can't trust her! How do we know she isn't lying to us?" Edward demanded as he looked at each of his Coven siblings.
Emmett frowned, "She's not though,"
"Also, Edward, that isn't your decision to make," Jasper pointed out as he motioned to Carlisle and Esme.
Esme looked to the Witch, "I apologise for him," She hoped that Gwen would not see this as disrespectful and have her leave on bad terms. She knew how fond Alice was of the Witch, and she could see Emmett was the same.
Gwen shrugged her shoulders, "It's fine that Eddy boy doesn't trust me," That was very low on her list of priorities, as he was her least-liked member of the Vampires.
Emmett laughed at the name, it was a name he had used against Edward many times, and Jasper smirked, but that dropped when he felt the dramatic dip in mood.
A loud growl came from Edward as his eyes narrowed at the Witch.
Sensing the threat, Gwen glared at the Vampire, and her fingers twitched as her magic surged. This action alone caused everyone to tense. A few actions happened at once, Alice had jumped up in front of Gwen, and Carlisle had jumped up as well, but this time he faced Edward, as though he would intercept. Suddenly, a wave of calm soothed Gwen and her shoulders relaxed – but this made Gwen feel suspicious, this emotion did not belong to her. She realised that someone in this room had a power she was not aware of. Gwen looked around the room and tried to find which Vampire this power belonged to and was stumped when there was no obvious answer.
"That's enough," Carlisle said, her voice stern as he looked to Edward. The stare he sent his eldest son was enough for Edward to level his mood.
Edward looked away, ashamed of his actions.
"I think that's enough for today, but thank you for coming today, Gwen," Carlisle said as he sent a smile her way.
"That may be best," Gwen said as she stood up. She did not spare Edward a glance as she bid goodbye to Alice and the rest of the family.
As she was about to leave, Carlisle looked down at her and smiled apologetically, "I do apologise for Rosalie too. She acted before she should have," They had not made an agreement on what to do before Rosalie had burst through the door. No one had predicted this, but luckily nothing bad happened. However, he had a chat with Rosalie afterwards and was confident there would not be a repeat of her action.
"No blood no foul," Gwen reassured him with a wave of her hand.
Carlisle nodded his head, but then sent her a stern look, "I would also ask for the same respect we give back. Please do not antagonise my family," While he did not agree with Edward's behaviour just now, and there would be a discussion around this. As Edward is much older, he should know and act better. But Carlisle did not agree with the fact Gwen had riled up his son and needed to make his feelings known in this situation so this did not happen again.
There was a twinge of guilt in Gwen and she nodded her head solemnly. With one final look at the Coven of Vampires, Gwen left the house.
It didn't take long before Gwen arrived back at the haunted house. The Cullen lived on the other side of the town, far out of town, but it was still a small distance via car. The paths had been rocky, but stable for her Fiat to drive back without any issues. Once outside her home, she had locked her car doors and Tilly had opened the door before she even stepped onto the porch. Gwen cooed at Tilly and thanked her for being so thoughtful before she entered the house, with Tilly closing the door behind her.
"Nana, I'm home," Gwen called out as she walked further into the house. She could hear movement in the kitchen and made her way there.
In the kitchen, Bethany was cooking up a lunch, and she planned to do some brownies for the office, as she wanted to be nice to the staff she worked with. When she heard Gwen's voice, she looked up and smiled, and her aged face lit up, "Ah Gwen, how did things go?"
"You know exactly how it went," Gwen said with a pointed look.
Bethany smiled, "I know, but I do it to be polite,"
Gwen nodded her head, "It was fine. Edward was hostile, but I expected this." She still thought very highly of Emmett and Alice and was unsure about Jasper and Rosalie. She liked Esme and Carlisle, they seemed lovely, and she was particularly fond of Esme, but Edward, she was not the biggest fan of.
Bethany frowned, "He seemed like such a nice boy out in public,"
The Witch made a noise of agreement, only half listening to her words, as she had other things on her mind, "The herbs aren't just to hide my scent from the people hunting me, aren't they?" Gwen questioned. She had thought about this on her way back to Tilly, but it was only when she explained her situation to the Cullen's that she truly understood. Her Nana had got her to wear those herbs to protect her from the creatures that wished her harm, but it also had another purpose. It was to hide her existence from the Cullen's – until she was comfortable with their presence. Gwen didn't fully understand it, but she was certain that her fate was tied in with theirs. Nana's attitude to the Cullen's indicated that Gwen should like them, she never once protested her friendship with Alice, whereas she had protested her friendship with Caitlin. She had made Gwen research Vampires thoroughly as she grew up so she would understand them better. The subtly questions about the Vampires were another layer to the matter. The fact they weren't moving anywhere else, her Nana had said this was the end of the road, that they were staying in Forks for the foreseeable future, something they had never done before. Bethany was even putting down roots by getting a job, and she had allowed Gwen to start school. However, the final clue was when her Nana had let her walk into a Coven of Vampires – in their territory – without a worry. Any other Witch would have baulked at the situation and refused, but Nana had encouraged it.
Bethany stopped her baking for a moment, before she started up again, "No, they aren't,"
When Gwen did not get the tingling sensation, she knew her Nana was telling her the truth.
"My fate is tied to the Cullen's, isn't it?" Gwen asked bluntly.
"Yes," Bethany answered back simply.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Gwen asked when she was certain her Nana was telling the truth. The thought of her life being tied to Vampires was confusing, and she wanted to know more. Witches and Vampires were not meant to mix, so she did not understand why she was being pushed in their direction.
Bethany turned around and smiled sadly, "Because, firefly, you wouldn't have handled the news well if I had told you this twelve months ago. It would have done the opposite. You would have avoided them like the plague and you would have never formed that friendship with Alice," She had seen it for herself, that is why she had to meretriciously plan this to every last detail. She knew that Gwen would not be happy with her, but it was for her own good.
Gwen frowned, she wanted to argue back but knew she couldn't because her Nana was spot on. "Will there be a time when I can take the herbs off?"
Bethany nodded her head, "There will come a time, but it is not now." If everything went as planned, the herbs could be taken off and there would not be a big blowout.
Potentially.
"Okay," Gwen relaxed slightly, though still not fully satisfied.
Content, Bethany turned back around and continued her baking. She had thought the questions were over, but she froze when Gwen started up again.
"Why am I being hunted?"
Bethany wet her lips and swallowed thickly, "Firefly, we've discussed this…"
"But you never fully answered me." Gwen pointed out with a frown. She had asked before in the past years exactly what she was being hunted by and the reasons why. It was never explained, with Bethany always placating her that it would not be forever, that it was temporary, and her mother was working on it.
The older woman fell silent when she realised her ward was right.
"I think I am old enough to understand what is going on. I am soon to be eighteen in two months," Gwen added. By Witch standards, she would be classed as fully mature, but because Bethany was human, she followed the human rules more when it came to this particular area. Her Nana had always emphasised that her eighteenth birthday would be important but never specified why. It was these cryptic messages that had started to grate on the Witch.
"Gwen, I would need to check in with your mother first-"
"Why?" Gwen demanded with narrowed eyes, her body tense, "She isn't here, you're the one who has raised me. Why do you need her permission?"
Tilly let out a creek, concerned. However, this was ignored.
"She's still your mother," Bethany added in, albeit weakly.
Gwen shook her head, "Then where is she?" It was her Nana that looked after her when she was unwell. It was her Nana that would wipe up her sick when she threw up. It was her Nana who made her birthdays special and it was her Nana who gave her all the cuddles she needed. Her mother – Scarlet, had not done any of that.
"She's busy…" Bethany replied back, uncertain.
There was a tingle in Gwen's chest.
Bethany had lied.
"Why do you even bother lying when you know I can feel it?!" Gwen shouted out as her magic surged with her emotions. Items in the kitchen began to float and the lights flickered in the house.
"Gwen!" Bethany shouted in alarm as she looked at her ward with wide eyes.
Tilly let out a surprised squeak from the floorboard.
It was only then that Gwen had realised her control had slipped. Gwen's eyes widened, and she forced herself to relax. Breathing in slowly, she used her magic to bring down the items in the kitchen and the lights stopped flickering. Mentally, Gwen swore that she'd lost control. With her higher level of magic, she had to be careful to keep her magic in check and emotions played a very big part in her magic.
"You think me a child, Nana, and hide things from me," Gwen said, her voice low, but strong. There was no other sound in the room, which made what she had to say more powerful, "I have let things slide over the years and act as though your lies haven't hurt me, but they have. I want to know what is happening, because I am sick of hiding," With nothing more to say, Gwen turned around and left the kitchen, with Tilly closing the kitchen door behind her.
Bethany watched her go silently.
Hours passed and it was late at night, when everyone should have been asleep, but Gwen couldn't. after she had stormed off to her room, she had Tilly lock her door and not let her Nana in, no matter how much Nana knocked. Gwen needed space away from her and put a silencing charm around her room so she could not be heard, and Nana could not hear her. To keep her mind occupied, Gwen did what she always did, explore the grimoires for even the smallest of spells to practice, something she did for hours.
Tilly had shut out her lights when it became late enough and this signalled that Gwen should go to bed. With a sigh, Gwen hag got ready for bed, but could not find sleep. She lay in bed for hours, tossing and turning. She had a mind to knock herself out with a sleeping draught but decided against it because it would knock her out for a whole twenty-four hours, and they tasted nasty. Tilly had turned the lights off hours ago and had tried to play soothing music for her, but it hadn't worked. Gwen toyed with the idea of getting up for a while but decided against it. But then two minutes later, she changed her mind five times.
Fed up, Gwen stood up and walked over to her door, only to find it locked. "Tilly, I am not running away," Gwen assured, her voice low.
There was a sound of her bedroom door unlocking.
With a sigh, Gwen smiled, "Thank you," She opened the door and made her way down to the kitchen, trying to keep as quiet as possible. As she walked down the dark hallways, small lights would flicker on as Tilly lit the way for her. She did not have to worry about waking her Nana, as she was a heavy sleeper at the best of times. Once in the kitchen, Gwen intended to grab herself a glass of water.
The moment Gwen had got the glass, the tap began to run. This made Gwen laugh at Tilly's actions. After she filled her cup, the water turned off and Gwen was left alone in silence. There was an odd sound or two from the house, but the Witch ignored these. Instead, her thoughts were preoccupied with the fight she had with her Nana, something that usually did not happen. Usually, she and Nana had a great relationship, and usually, Gwen could trust the woman. By blood, she was not related to her, but she'd been treated like family.
But she was hurt.
To be lied to hurt.
A lot.
Gwen could feel when people lied to her, and most times, it did not bother her. After spending twelve months surrounded by teenagers who lied like their lives depended on it, she'd become used to the constant tingling in her chest. But, when it was someone who she trusted and was open with, she expected the same treatment in return. She did not like to be lied to.
The whole situation confused her, as she'd never got a straight answer from her Nana. Whenever asked what exactly she was hiding from, Nana would always give an answer as if she couldn't tell her now as she wasn't ready. This had been the same routine, the same song and dance for years now. They'd moved constantly to keep away from the threat, but now all of a sudden, they were staying in Forks. It made her wonder what was so special about it.
Then the Cullen family being involved was a whole different mystery. Why was she connected to this family? What business did a Witch have with a Coven of Vampires? None of it made sense, and this caused her head to begin to throb with how hard she was overthinking.
With a snap of her finger, the glass was emptied and cleaned using her magic. She then placed it on the draining board to dry and headed back upstairs. The lights all switched off behind her as she walked back to her room. However, she stopped in the hallway looked around, and stared directly at her Nana's room. Gwen hesitated for a moment before she tip-toed to her Nana's room and tried to open the door.
However, the door would not budge.
"Tilly, open the door," Gwen whispered so she did not wake her Nana.
The floorboard under Gwen's feet shuddered, as it tried to lead her back to her room, but Gwen resisted and stepped backwards the room.
"I want to speak with Scarlett," Gwen whispered lowly. If she wanted answered, she needed to go the source. The best person to ask her questions would be Scarlett, and she'd know if she was being lied to.
The rumbling stopped and Nana's door unlocked.
With a sigh of relief, Gwen gently opened the door and looked inside. The room was clean – spotlessly clean and she could see her Nana asleep on her bed, sleeping soundly. Gwen looked around and saw Nana's phone on the sideboard like it always was. Using her magic, Gwen levitated the phone over to her and softly closed the door behind her.
Gwen walked into her room and closed the door. Breathing deeply, Gwen looked at the phone and was nearly blinded by the light in the dark room. Tilly turned on the lights, which helped slightly, as they were dimmed. After she adjusted to the light, Gwen scrolled through the phone. There were no text messages, but that was expected as Nana didn't like texting, she only called someone. However, there were no call logs, which she knew Bethany had deleted. Gwen searched through Bethany's small list of contacts – all saved under code names. However, there was a name that stuck out, one that could only belong to her mother.
Red Mother.
Her heart pounded in her chest as her finger hovered over the call button. Gwen debated whether she should call Scarlett or not.
Biting the bullet, she pressed the button.
It rang six times before someone answered.
"Bethany, what is the emergency?" A voice answered on the phone, a mature and slightly deeper voice. It had been a long time since Gwen had heard this voice and it made her heart lurch into her throat.
"Scarlet," Gwen said.
"Who is this?" Scarlett demanded.
Annoyance filled Gwen, "It's your daughter,"
The line went silent.
Then there was a small noise as the line disconnected.
Gwen stared down at the phone with mixed feelings. She was pissed that her own mother had hung up on her, but she was also hurt. Her Nana would always go on about how her mother wanted to speak with her, but couldn't, and how she couldn't speak to her because she was extremely busy. But she'd been on the phone with her, and her own mother hung up on her. She hoped to have a conversation with her – to understand what the hell was going on. But it appeared as though Scarlett did want not to speak with her.
Gwen placed the phone down after she deleted any evidence of this call and watched as it disappeared. No doubt Tilly had put it back where it belonged.
The house whined as the lights dimmed further as if Tilly felt her pain.
Gwen patted the wall, "Thank you, Tilly,"
TWILIGHT
With the Cullen's
Carlisle sat in his study as he poured over some of his personal medical journals that were only published in the supernatural community. Not only was he dedicated to helping humans as much as he could, but around one hundred and fifty years ago, he had dipped his toe into the supernatural community and their medical needs. It opened his horizons to many things and allowed him to further his passion for his craft. It was not just humans that needed medical attention – though most supernatural creatures repaired themselves at a faster pace. Due to his passion and his success in helping others, he had gained a reputation – a good one.
However, his mind was not fully in his journals.
Tonight, had not gone as expected.
It had nearly been a disaster.
Carlisle had spent time with the Volturi, as Aro was a close friend to him. While he was indifferent to Caius – though he remained respectful. He liked Marcus, though he mainly felt pity for the poor Vampire who had lost his Mate and made him continue on with life – eternal life. It was a fate worse than death in Carlisle's mind. The thought of spending his life without Esme made him uneasy to the point he did not want to even ponder this thought any longer.
But that then brought him to what made him need time to think.
Edward and Gwen.
That interaction left a bad taste in his mouth as if he had eaten something foul. It was impossible as it had been a long time since he had tasted anything other than blood. Carlisle thought over to the meeting they'd had hours before. It had started off pleasant enough – though rocky at best. Relations between Witches and Vampires had never been good but the treaty kept things civil. However, if there had been any altercation between Edward and Gwen that treaty could have been broken and not even his friendship with Aro could save his Coven. Rosalie had nearly broken it herself, but at least she had held herself back when she realised Gwen was a Witch. Rosalie had acted before anyone could say anything, and it was only Alice who had calmed down their worries that nothing would happen.
There was a soft knock on his door, and Carlisle already knew it was Alice, "Come in Alice," He called as he looked up from his book. He had heard her stand outside his office for some time, but he had waited for her to announce her presence, waiting for her to be ready.
Alice walked with a sullen expression on her face.
"That wasn't meant to happen," Alice said lowly. No one else was in the house as they'd all gone hunting, so they were free to speak.
"None of it is your fault, you know your powers are subjective to people's decisions," Carlisle reassured his daughter with a kind look. He understood how Alice held herself to a higher standard and worried about her family's safety. There had been several times when he had to remind her that she could not control people's decisions, but some things were inevitable.
Alice flashed him a thankful smile.
"But are you sure Alice?" Carlisle asked, unable to stop the frown that crossed his face, "Are you sure that they are mates?" He had watched both of them very carefully and managed to keep his thoughts away from Edward. If Alice had not told him, he may not have believed it as Edward gave no indication that he recognised Gwen as a Mate.
"I am," Alice's voice was soft but completely certain. She had seen them together, happy and in love. She could understand Carlisle's hesitance towards this union as that interaction did not leave much confidence in their future, even for her.
"This will not be an easy union," Carlisle commented as he contemplated how this would happen. Having a Witch on their side would be extremely useful, but it also came with its own set of risks. However, he was concerned about Gwen's situation. She was hiding from something she had no idea about. The more Carlisle thought on the matter, the more he thought that Gwen looked like someone he had met before but he could not put his finger on it.
"It's unheard of," Alice agreed as she nodded her head.
"Has Jasper said much?" Carlisle asked, curious. Jasper's mind for battle and strategy was one that Carlisle still marvelled at. He respected Jasper's word and opinion, especially when it came to the safety of their family.
"He doesn't know enough to make a decision, I think he's worried about upsetting me," Alice giggled as she thought of her Mate, her other half.
Carlisle smiled at this. Ever since Alice and Jasper found their family, things had been much more interesting. In the beginning, there had been tension between Jasper and Edward, as the mind-reader was not a match for the Texan. It had taken time for their family to work together, but Esme was often that glue. She loved each and every single one of her children, and he could see Esme was already taken with Gwen. Esme did not know about Edward and Gwen being Mates, but Carlisle knew she'd be happy with the news.
"How is Edward?" Carlisle asked. After he had spoken to his son quite sternly, Emmett had swept him away for a hunting trip to vent out any frustrations he may have had. No doubt, Rosalie would tease him for how he reacted. Luckily, Jasper would be with them to make sure things did not escalate too much – as long as he did not join in with Emmett in poking fun at Edward.
"Ashamed," Alice answered, thinking about what Jasper had told her, and what she had seen on his face, "Gwen really goes get under his skin,"
Carlisle hummed in agreement. While he understood that Gwen had made a jab, Edward was older and should have known better.
"But I think she will be perfect for him," Alice said with a grin.
"Oh?" Carlisle arched a brown, intrigued to hear this.
"Edward needs someone who will call him out when he's wrong," Alice said as there was a twinkle of amusement in her golden eyes, "He needs an equal,"
Carlisle considered her words and agreed wholeheartedly. This was why he had hoped Rosalie and Edward would take to one another in the beginning – but that idea was quickly thrown out the window quite violently. Those two butted heads the most but acted the most like siblings. Carlisle realised very quickly that Rosalie would never put up with some of Edward's personality and he often had to play mediator between them quite a few times. Rosalie's newborn phase had been a trying time, to say the least.
"We just need to be patient, and not rush it," Alice said more to herself than anyone else.
This made Carlisle smile. He knew how much Alice wanted to help, but he understood that from Bethany's words, it would not go well. Carlisle had been hesitant to listen to the words of a woman he did not fully know, but Alice was certain Bethany could be trusted. Bethany and Alice had been speaking with one another quite frequently, with Alice keeping him in the loop on any matters. Carlisle would trust Alice's judgement for now.