Chapter Seven
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 meet the Cullen's.
TWILIGHT
Dinner at Charlie's was great – much to Gwen's surprise. Gwen had dreaded it, as she just wanted to go home, but she found that she enjoyed herself, despite the set of curious eyes on her. Bethany had met them there, and had greeted Charlie warmly, but seemed weary of Bella. Gwen was relieved to see her Nana, and the older woman could not help but fuss over Gwen, but also sent her a look to say they would discuss this when they got home, something she understood clearly. Gwen had found it a bit awkward at first with how much Charlie thanked her for pushing Bella out of the way, and Bella had remained quiet for a lot of this, a thoughtful yet sour expression on her face. She too had thanked Gwen, but she still seemed mostly distracted.
They had all gathered around the table in Charlie's kitchen. The decoration was slightly outdated, but it was homely, and Gwen felt at ease in the house. Well, she would have, if Bella had not been staring at her the entire time they sat down for dinner – food that Charlie had ordered out. He had sheepishly admitted he was not the best cook and did not want to poison anyone.
"So, how's school going so far?" Liam asked as he looked at both Bella and Gwen.
"Good, most of the lessons are simple," Gwen shared as she ate her food. It had come from the local diner, and it was quite good. It was one she and Nana frequented, which was not too much of a surprise as there were not many places to eat out in Forks.
Charlie looked at his daughter with an optimistic expression. "What about you, Bella?"
Bella frowned, "It's okay." She honestly didn't like Forks, it was too cold and rained far too many times in the week. She also didn't like how she was the centre of attention by her peers, but one thing that won her over was the Cullen's. The only thing she liked about Forks was Edward but she would never say that in front of her dad.
Charlie and Liam shared a look before getting back to their food. Though Charlie struggled to hide his disappointment.
Bethany rolled her eyes but continued to eat her food. She had done this every time Bella opened her mouth to speak, whether it was to ask a question or answer one. She looked to Charlie, "And how have you been dear? Being the chief of police must not be easy,"
Charlie smiled at the older woman, and flushed bashfully, "Thank you. Things are not too bad, it's a small town. But we've been getting reports of animal attacks in other towns, so we're on the lookout,"
Liam hummed in agreement, "Yeah, I and Chief Swan are paired up for this,"
"Call me Charlie when not at work," Charlie looked to his junior, not unkindly, but awkwardly.
"Oh, he respects you too much," Bethany teased as she looked at her grandson with a mischievous grin.
Liam glared at her, but he could not stop the flush forming on his face.
Charlie coughed awkwardly.
"How's the job going, Nana?" Gwen quickly asked as she moved the conversation on. She could feel the embarrassment that radiated from Liam, and she could visibly see that Charlie was awkward, so she wanted to move it along for everyone's sake. Seeing Charlie made her realise that Bella took after her dad a lot, but there was not a lot of warmth coming from Bella towards her dad and this made her curious as to why. Charlie seemed like a cool guy and sincere as well. He had not lied the entire time they'd been chatting, and he had been genuinely grateful she had helped Bella.
Liam shot the Witch an appreciative look, whereas Bethany looked almost disappointed, but she answered without protest, "The job is going well, I mostly organise files for the police officers," As it was a small town, there wasn't too much paperwork, but she found most of the officers hated paperwork and were happy for her to step in.
"She's made everything much easier," Charlie said thankfully. The older woman had whipped them all into shape when it came to paperwork, and most of his subordinates were too intimidated by the woman to tell her no.
Bethany flashed him a smile, preening under the praise.
Bella, who had been quiet for most of the night, looked to Gwen with a frown, "Gwen, did Edward save you?" She asked, a slight demand in her tone. Gwen wouldn't have noticed it if she hadn't looked at Bella when she spoke.
Gwen put her fork down, "He did, yes." She had a feeling that Bella was going to ask her more questions so she decided to give the brunette her full attention.
"But he was on the other side of the parking lot, how could he have saved you?" Bella questioned, looking confused, and mildly irritated. She was certain that the Cullen family were on the other side of the parking lot and was annoyed that Gwen was not giving her the answers she wanted.
Bethany and Gwen shared a look with one another. The Witch was obviously not going to reveal the truth, and she had already made the groundwork by giving an excuse to Bella, so she just needed to reinforce it. By informing Edward about the lie, he would be able to go along with her story and make it seem more believable. Gwen had already laid down the groundwork, as when people in the hospital came to see her, she'd told them how Edward was nearby, and no one had questioned her on this. However, she knew this needed to be handled, delicately as Gwen had noticed that Bella was becoming more and more interested in Edward and his family as time went on. However, if Bella questioned anyone else, they would repeat what Gwen told them.
Some mortals could be gullible.
But this mortal in front of Gwen was too curious for her own good.
If Bella wasn't careful, she would need to be dealt with.
"I already told you Bella, he was on his way over to us before the crash happened. He was like two cars away." Gwen said, lying through her teeth. If Gwen had said that Edward was standing next to them then Bella wouldn't have believed it at all. From what she'd heard about the brunette, she was a smart girl and would notice when things did not add up.
Bella frowned and seemed to think about it for a moment. She nodded her head and went back to her food. Bella did not say anything for the rest of the dinner about the matter and seemed more focused on her thoughts.
This made Gwen suspicious. She looked at Bethany and found her shaking her head. This made Gwen mentally curse. Bella did not believe what was said, and this may cause further problems.
"Dr Cullen is definitely an asset to this town. He could work anywhere, but he stays here," Charlie praised the man, with evident respect and admiration for the doctor. "It's no wonder his children are model examples," Not once had he had any issues with the Cullen family, unlike some teenagers. All the children were well-behaved and very smart. Charlie admired Carlisle and Esme for taking in children and caring for them as if they were their own.
Liam nodded his head, "Esme does a lot of charity work too. Sometimes she'll stop by Dr Cullen's office with cookies or brownies to give out to the patients. I swear she's a saint." Liam began to drool as he remembered the brownies that Esme had brought in. If he was in the hospital over a case, Esme would always offer him one, everyone in the hospital viewed her and Carlisle as saints with how kind and helpful they were.
"The kids don't really interact with anyone," Bella muttered lowly, but everyone heard her.
Charlie's brows furrowed as an annoyed gleam flashed in his eyes, "Are people saying mean things about the kids again? I swear people in this town are so close-minded!" He had heard the gossip about this family too many times, and there were a lot of nasty rumours. Charlie had not paid much attention to it, but after meeting the family, he was affronted that people would talk badly about them.
Bella sank further into her seat and kept her head down for the rest of the night.
The rest of dinner passed by uneventfully. Gwen had offered to wash the dishes, but Charlie had brushed this aside and allowed her, Liam and Bethany to leave with some leftover dessert. With a thanks, and Bethany pulling Charlie into a hug, they left the Swan residence. As they walked out the door and to the car, Gwen turned back and saw Bella as she stared down at them from her bedroom window. Ignoring the mortal, Gwen turned back around and got into Nana's car, who drove her back to Tilly, while Liam drove back to his own home just down the block.
As soon as Bethany's car pulled up at the house, Tilly had the lights on in seconds and had the door opened for them to walk into once the car was parked.
"Hello Tilly, sorry we're late," Gwen said as she greeted the house.
The lights flashed unhappily, but there were no other rumbles. Tilly was just glad to have them back in the house. The moment they stepped into the house, Tilly locked the doors – as if letting them know they'd spent too much time from her. Gwen smiled at the house, but then she frowned.
"Do you think Bella bought the lie?" Gwen asked as she looked at her caretaker.
Bethany's lips thinned as she went to make herself a hot drink, and put away the leftovers, "I am not convinced."
"You did say she'd cause trouble," Gwen sighed. When her power did not activate, she knew Nana was being honest with her opinion, and this caused mixed emotions within her.
A chair pulled out for Gwen to sit down, with Tilly thinking she was stressed and needed to sit down. Gwen smiled at the caring nature of the house and took a seat, which moved her to the table in the dining room. A chair appeared for Bethany as well, and the older woman took this without hesitation before it pulled her to the table.
"Oh, it is just the beginning," Bethany muttered as she sipped her hot drink.
Gwen hummed in agreement. While she did not possess the same foresight that her Nana, mother and Alice possessed, she also had a feeling that things would become more complicated. "I am sorry for snapping at you," She did not like it when she and her Nana fought with one another, but Gwen was sick of being kept in the dark about things that concerned her.
Bethany looked to her ward and smiled apologetically, "I am sorry too. I wish I could tell you, but your mother does not think it is time," There were many times she'd wanted to tell her ward the whole truth, but she was always stopped when she remembered Scarlett's words. It was not time yet, but it would be soon. She had sworn to Scarlett that she would not reveal this information until it was time.
When there was no tingle in her chest, Gwen knew that her Nana was telling the truth, and this made the knot in her chest ease ever so slightly, "I know, but why doesn't Scarlett want me to know?"
Bethany's lips thinned, no doubt not missing how Gwen did not refer to the red woman as her mother, but she did not say anything on the matter, "She worries for you,"
Gwen scoffed, "She does not care,"
"She does," Bethany argued back strongly.
The young Witch stared at her Nana for a moment, "I called her from your phone," If Scarlett truly cared, she would not have hung up the phone on her. She would have spoken to her. Scarlett would have been more involved in her life. Her Nana had told her it was too dangerous, but never went into more detail.
Bethany stilled for a moment, mid-sip.
"I snuck into your room the other night and called Scarlett." Gwen said bluntly, "She hung up on me,"
"Oh dear," Bethany lowered her cup as she stared at her ward sadly.
"Why would she do that?" Gwen whispered lowly. "If she actually cared about me?" In her weakest moments, she would wonder what she'd done wrong. Did Scarlett not want her? Is that why she was never around? When she was younger, she would practice her magic so much because she wanted Scarlett to be proud of her, and she thought if she was better, it would get the woman's attention. However, nothing worked. In the end, that longing turned to hatred, often she would try to feign indifference but her Nana was always able to see through her mask.
Bethany shook her head, "I don't know, dear."
When there was no tingling in her chest, she knew her Nana was telling her the truth. For this, she was glad, because she did not think she could take another lie from the woman who had raised her. It also gave her comfort, that even Bethany, who had been a long and loyal friend of Scarlett did not understand her motivations and it was not just her.
After a few more minutes of chatting, Gwen headed up to her room, feeling much better, but tired. It had been a long day and she needed some time to herself after this whole debacle. Tilly had opened her door for her, so Gwen did not need to lift a finger, and the Witch flopped onto her bed, and nearly sighed when she melted into the bed.
Gwen could have fallen asleep like that, but she was snapped out of her doze when her phone chimed. Lazily, Gwen used her magic and summoned the phone to her hand to see who was calling her. Her eyes saw Alice's name lit up on the screen.
"Hi Alice, you okay?" Gwen asked once she answered the phone.
"I'm good," Alice chirped back, "And how are you feeling?" She had been worried for her friend, despite Carlisle's reassurances that the Witch was okay.
"Unharmed, completely, just drained mentally," Gwen admitted as she rolled over onto her back, so her face was not being suffocated by her blanket.
Alice giggled on the other end, "Thank you for covering for Edward today, we really appreciate it,"
"Yeah, quick thinking, Sabrina!" Emmett shouted in the background.
"Emmett!" Alice scolded loudly.
Gwen rolled her eyes at the nickname Emmett had given her, but she found herself laughing when it sounded like the two siblings argued with one another. This went on for several minutes until Alice called Jasper's name, and then there was the sound of Emmett screaming as Jasper's body slammed Emmett to the floor – at least that is what Alice told her what happened.
"Oh, by the way, don't worry about your car, Rosalie will fix it for you," Alice said suddenly.
"Really?" Gwen asked, surprised. She thought the blonde Vampire did not like her, so she was confused as to why she'd help her. She knew that Alice wasn't lying, and that caused her to be even more taken aback.
Alice hummed, "Yeah, it's her thanks for covering for us. Also, I will come and pick you up tomorrow for school, so you don't have to worry,"
Gwen blinked slowly for a moment. She hadn't even considered how she would get to school tomorrow, or the rest of the week. She may have had to borrow her Nana's minivan or have her Nana drop her off at school, or even Liam. However, it was nice to know she had a friend that she could rely on when something happened. "Thanks, I really appreciate it,"
"I'll let you go, but I will see you tomorrow!" Alice chirped before she ended the call.
Gwen put down her phone and groaned. She just wanted to sleep.
As if Tilly had read her mind, Gwen's PJs appeared right beside her on the bed, as if they had always been there. Gwen stared at them for a few moments before smiling, "Gods, I love this house,"
Tilly's lights turned up brighter at the compliment.
TWILIGHT
The next day
Gwen waited in the haunted house, as she anticipated for Alice to arrive that morning and take her to school. She was fed, dressed and her bag in hand as she waited for the small Vampire to come and collect her. After she had told Tilly about the incident yesterday, the house had locked down and it would not let Gwen leave, nor would Tilly let Bethany leave that morning. It had taken around ten minutes of coaxing before Tilly had allowed Bethany out of the door and seemed happy to keep Gwen inside.
Just then, she heard a car pull up and knew that Alice was there. However, when Gwen went to the door and tried to open it, she found that the door would not open. Gwen looked at the door, confused as she tried again, but the handle would not even turn.
"Tilly, I have to go to school," Gwen said with a frown, not understanding Tilly's behaviour. She had never done this before.
In response, Tilly locked on the doors and windows, and shut all the curtains and blinds.
Confused, Gwen decided to look out the window – something that Tilly allowed her to do – and saw that it was not Alice outside, but Edward. Edward appeared to be struggling to get near the porch, as every time he tried, there would be a force that stopped him. The Witch would have found this whole situation amusing if she hadn't been distracted by the pure confusion over the situation.
"Tilly, that is just Edward." Gwen tried to reason with the house, "He is no danger to me,"
Tilly grumbled for a moment before the front door unlocked.
"Thank you," Gwen said as she opened the door and stepped out. She saw Edward stood near the porch, with a perplexed expression, as if he had lost a battle of wills.
Edward looked up when he saw her and sent her a look, "I cannot get close to your house," For the past few minutes he had tried to get closer, but it felt like there was a force that prevented him. He'd try and get so far that he could not even set foot onto the porch. He was even sure there had been a few rocks thrown at him, ones that he managed to avoid, but it was very weird.
"That's just Tilly, she doesn't like strangers," Gwen said as she patted the door frame.
"Huh?" Edward said with arched brows.
"She's a haunted house, the spirit of the last owner runs this house," Gwen said as she thought back to the mysterious door, she saw nearly two weeks ago. She had not seen that door since and wondered when Tilly would allow her access to it. She'd asked Tilly to reveal the door and had used spells to try and find the door, but it was no avail. Tilly had thought the whole situation amusing.
Edward made a noise that he understood but sent the house a weird look.
Tilly's lights came on and shone on Edward, and there was a sound similar to a hiss from the floorboards. This made Gwen frown, Tilly had never reacted like that to anyone before. She liked to mess around with people but was never outright aggressive. Gwen would have contributed to Tilly's hatred of Edward being a Vampire, but Tilly had not reacted like this when Rosalie appeared.
Unless…
"Have you been here before?" Gwen asked suddenly.
Edward stilled as he looked at the Witch, "No, I haven't,"
There was a tingle in Gwen's chest.
"You're lying," Gwen glared at him. She did not understand why he chose to lie when she would be able to feel it, "You've been here before," Evidently, he had, otherwise Tilly wouldn't have treated him with such outright hostility.
Edward opened his mouth to argue, but decided against what he was going to say, instead, Edward nodded his head, "I came by last night. I wanted to see what you were up to. But when I got closer, the curtains of the house closed." It had been an odd occurrence, and he had run along all the different windows and doors, to no avail. He could see nothing. What was even more curious, was that he had not been able to hear or smell anything. If it weren't for the fact, that he had known she was home and could see the lights peer through the curtains, he would have assumed no one lived there.
When there was no tingling sensation in her chest, Gwen knew he was telling the truth, "And why would you do this? What were you looking for?"
"Anything that could show your true intentions," Edward answered bluntly, as he saw no point in lying. He would be called out for it if he did.
Gwen nearly groaned and shook her head, "Edward, I have done nothing to show you that I am untrustworthy. What can I do to show that?"
"Let me read your mind," Edward shot back.
"Not going to happen," Gwen replied back dryly, "I'm gifted by Scarlett, you've got no chance. Even if I wasn't, I wouldn't let you read my mind either,"
Edward looked confused, "Why not?"
"You like control too much," Gwen answered him bluntly, not holding back, "You're a control freak. You like the fact that your Coven relies on you and your ability and you hold yourself highly. You're the first to criticize others, but when the others do it in return, you can't take it. You also don't like being challenged and believe that your siblings need to listen to you," In her time in Forks, she had observed Edward and his family, and she had also listened to the unspoken frustrations that Alice had over her brother. It didn't take a genius to see that Edward felt like he carried the weight of his family's safety on his shoulders when that was not his entire role. This attitude on how he spoke to her also gave away his personality and seriously coloured her view of him.
Edward stood there, stunned by her words. His golden eyes were wide as he stared at the Witch and Gwen would visibly see the cogs in his brain working overtime.
"Now, let's go, we need to go to school," Gwen said as she breezed past the stunned Vampire and got into the Volvo.
Wordlessly, Edward got into the car but he did not say anything the entire ride.
Not that Gwen minded the silence.
Even when they arrived at school and the mortals around them began to whisper about her and Edward arriving together, Edward never said a word to her. Gwen got out of the car and saw girls glaring at her, but the worst glare was from Bella. Bella looked at the Witch as though she was scum on the earth, and Jessica chatted away excitingly as she watched them. Edward walked past his family and walked into school without acknowledging them. Emmett yelled after him and followed after the mind-reader and Rosalie rolled her eyes. Jasper had a knowing smirk on his face but chose not to say anything. Alice had sent her a look, silently asking what had happened, but Gwen shrugged her shoulders as she headed off to find Caitlin.
By lunchtime that day, everyone was buzzing as they thought Gwen and Edward were dating one another.
Caitlin was off doing some homework that she was behind on due to being sick, so Gwen was going to join her in the library, but she had been cornered by Alice, who all but demanded she come and have lunch with them – or at least sit with them. Gwen had been somewhat reluctant, as she did not want to feed into the rumours more, but gave in when Alice gave her the most pathetically desperate look that had Gwen wincing.
When Gwen sat down at the Cullen table in the cafeteria, all eyes turned on them. It made her feel awkward, and as if she was under a microscope. However, she noticed that someone was not there, and this made her curious.
"Where's Edward?" Gwen asked the Coven of Vampires.
"Pouting," Jasper muttered lowly, but everyone on the table heard him and this made Emmett laugh loudly.
"I'm not sorry for what I said," Gwen stated with no remorse. She expected the family to take Edward's side in this all, and try and defend him.
"He'll get over it," Rosalie dismissed as she looked down at the food on her tray in disgust. Even if she was human, she would never touch this garbage.
Alice nodded her head, "Yeah, Rosalie tells him off all the time," She'd asked Edward what happened and he muttered what happened, and of course, they had heard him. Alice had thought the words to be deserved, especially when that morning, he had sped out the house before she'd even got dressed to go and get Gwen, something that Alice still pouted about. She had wanted to go pick up the Witch that morning.
"But what made you say it?" Emmett asked with glee, as he silently begged the Witch to give him more details.
The Witch grinned, and relaxed when she felt no judgement coming from the family, "Edward tried to watch me last night, but Tilly stopped him. He said he wanted to work me out," She used her fingers to air quote this and her voice turned mocking.
"Tilly?" Alice asked her, confused, as did the other Vampires.
"Was he seen by someone?" Rosalie demanded.
Gwen shook her head, "No, Tilly is my haunted house,"
Emmett's head snapped in her direction, and he looked like a child in a candy shop, "Haunted house?"
Rosalie groaned and shook her head when she saw the look on her husband's face. She knew that her husband loved all the paranormal things and he had a thing for horror movies. Emmett had gone through a phase of wanting to be a paranormal investigator, but it did not work out and had roped Jasper into this as well.
"Yes, she was the previous owner that died. I call her Tilly. She closed the curtains to make sure that Edward could not see into my house," Gwen answered, amused by how happy Emmett looked. It was the amazement in his eyes and how she held his full attention.
"Can I come to your house?" Emmett asked eagerly.
Jasper also looked to the Witch, interested in this, but so was Alice. The only one that did not seem too interested was Rosalie. However, she appeared to look annoyed, but this was for another reason.
"Edward tried to spy on you?" Rosalie demanded.
Gwen nodded her head, "He admitted it,"
"I will kill him," Rosalie hissed lowly. She took privacy very seriously, especially a woman's privacy. If it had been for the sake of the family, Rosalie could understand, but Gwen had a secret to hide. However, even then she was not fully convinced. If Rosalie had been aware that Edward had decided to be a creep, she would have stopped him.
"Can I watch?" Gwen asked with a grin.
For a moment, Rosalie considered it before she nodded her head.
"House?" Emmett grabbed the Witch's attention, and sent her puppy-dog eyes, nearly begging to be allowed at her house.
Gwen laughed, unable to stop herself from Emmett's face.
The rest of the day passed by relatively okay, and there were no hiccups. People spoke about the incident, and Gwen had not heard any rumbles about any disagreeing with Gwen's story. Luckily, the Witch had no lessons with Bella or Edward for the rest of the day and managed to avoid them. Edward still seemed to be in a daze of his own, and Bella had readily stared at the Cullen family, plus Gwen at every chance she got.
Once the last bell rang for the end of the day, Gwen made her way out of school and had been tempted to catch a ride with Caitlin and her dad, or even Alice. Gwen spotted Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett chatting with one another and was about to head in their direction, when she spotted Edward by his Volvo, on his own.
Mentally sighing, Gwen diverted from her original place walked towards Edward and stopped when she was in front of him. Edward did not acknowledge her, or even look in her direction, far too focused on his thoughts.
"Twenty questions," Gwen said abruptly.
This seemed to snap Edward from his thoughts, "Excuse me?" Edward asked as he looked at her confused.
"You want to know my true intentions, think you can guess it from a game of twenty questions?" Gwen arched a brow as she looked at him.
Edward's posture straightened, she had his attention. "But how will I know if you're lying?" His golden eyes were narrowed as he asked the question.
"You won't," Gwen's grin was wicked.
For a moment, Edward looked as though he was going to protest, but he stopped and thought about it. His mouth turned upwards in thought and his brows furrowed. At that moment, Gwen wished she was the mind-reader so she could hear the Vampire's thought process. There was a part of Gwen that hoped he would not turn down this offer – as she would not offer something like this again – and she hoped he would not waste it.
"Okay," Edward agreed after a few seconds.
"Let's go then," Gwen said as she motioned to his car. At least in his car, they would get some privacy away from the prying eyes, especially when they got out of the parking lot. Gwen would be honest and say that the number of eyes on her and Edward at the moment was unnerving.
Without another word, Edward walked over to the passenger side car door and opened it for Gwen. Gwen looked at him, shocked, but got into his car and got herself comfortable. Edward rolled his eyes at her shocked expression. He was a gentleman and he knew how to treat the fairer sex – even if she happened to be a Witch that he did not trust. Edward got into his car and started it up and drove out of the school without a word said between them.
Alice watched this all happen, a wide grin on her face.
TWILIGHT
Gwen should have been unnerved, especially with how fast Edward was driving. If she had not known he was a Vampire, she would have screamed at the driver for going over eighty miles an hour – in Forks. For a moment, Gwen thought they may get pulled over, but quickly brushed this aside as no car in Forks would be able to keep up and the police seemed quite relaxed. But Gwen was at ease and knew that she was never safer than in a car with a creature that had fast reflexes. If Gwen was being completely honest, she found that she enjoyed the drive and that they were going as fast as they were.
They had no destination in mind, so Edward just drove so they could have some privacy. However, when no one started this game, Gwen realised that she would need to take the lead otherwise they would be here for a long time.
"Since this was my idea, I will start. We each get twenty questions. We have to be honest, and I will know if you lie," Gwen flashed him a smug grin.
Edward rolled his eyes, "Of course," He planned to pay attention to every little detail the Witch would share. He would also listen for any silent tells she may have. He would listen to her heart rate, her voice – everything he could to distinguish whether she was being honest with him.
"Okay, so I will start, how old are you?" Gwen asked as she looked at the Vampire in question.
"Seventeen," Edward shot back immediately.
There was a tingle in her chest.
"Liar," Gwen sent him an unimpressed look. She did not even need her powers to know he was lying.
Edward pressed his lips together in irritation.
"If it's going to be like this, you can drop me back home," Gwen said as she looked out the window instead. She could not make too much out, as they were driving somewhere there was a lot of green. Gwen suspected that they weren't even in Forks anymore.
"One hundred and four years old,"
Gwen turned her head and smirked, especially when she saw the defeated look on his face, "See, that wasn't too hard,"
Edward glared at her, which made her laugh.
"Before, you mentioned you were hiding from something, what are you hiding from?" Edward asked once the Witch had stopped laughing.
"I don't know," Gwen answered back, not at all surprised he started with this question.
"I thought you said we were, to be honest," Edward challenged, his grip tightened on the wheel of the car.
Gwen shrugged her shoulders, "I am being truthful. I honestly do not know what or who I am hiding from. All I know is that I have been doing this since birth," It bugged her that all her questions to her Nana were always left unanswered, and with vague promises that she would know when she is older. "I've been hiding from all sorts of creatures, so I can't even pinpoint any particular group either,"
Edward looked at her in confusion but slowly nodded his head. He had heard no skips in her heartbeat or her voice. Edward liked to think he was able to tell when people were lying – but evidently, he had nothing on Gwen and her power.
"My turn," Gwen said, "Why did you turn?" Whenever she read about Vampires, she was always fascinated to know why someone would turn into a Vampire.
"You're very direct," Edward frowned at the question, and was tempted to lie, but he knew it would be testing his limits with the Witch. "To make a long story short, I was dying in 1918 of the Spanish Influenza. Carlisle was my doctor at the time and turned me," Years after his turning, Carlisle had sat him down and explained that it had been Edward's mother, who had an inkling of Carlisle's true nature and had begged him to save her son. Edward had found this hard to accept but had come to accept the facts.
Gwen frowned but nodded along as he spoke.
"My turn, what is your true name?" Edward asked, and when he got a confused look, he expanded, "If you're hiding from something, you would not go by your true name. You'd change it,"
"Smart man," Gwen muttered with a grin, as she now understood his question, "My real name is Gwendolyn Bishop." In school, her last name was Carter, as that had always been her fake alias as that was her Nana's last name. No one knew her connection to Scarlett, or that her descendant was the first Witch that died in the Witch Trials. "What was your name before becoming a Cullen?"
"Edward Anthony Masen Jr," Edward answered with ease. While his actual memory of when he was a mortal was mostly foggy, especially as he got older, Carlisle had advised him to document his life as a mortal, so that he could look back on this. Every now and again, Edward would read his old journals and try to remember what it was like when he was human. "Why aren't you with the other Blackthorn Witches?"
"They don't know I exist," Gwen answered him honestly, "And it is better that way,"
"Why?" Edward quickly asked.
"Not your turn," Gwen grinned, especially when she saw the frustration in his eyes, "What is it like being a Vampire?"
For a moment, Edward struggled to answer this, as he racked his brain. He'd never been asked this before and it made him question everything, "It is…long… we live forever. We are at risk of becoming static. If you don't have a mate… it can be lonely,"
"Damn, that's depressing," Gwen muttered and Edward smirked at her answer.
"Why is it better that the other Witches do not know about you?" Edward asked, happy that it was back to his turn so he could ask this.
Absentmindedly, Gwen began to play with her hair, "That is what I have been told, by Nana and also Scarlett. If the Blackthorn Coven were to become aware of my presence, they would want me to be with them but would treat me a certain way, that would be suffocating because of who my mother is." This had been something she'd questioned herself years ago, and Nana had given a very similar answer. Gwen had sensed that this was not the whole truth but had not pushed it any further, as it seemed to stress the older woman out.
Edward opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off when Gwen jumped in, "My turn! You mentioned a Mate, what is that?"
"A Mate is our other half. Mates are meant to match each other perfectly," Edward sounded wistful as he spoke, "Rosalie and Emmett are Mates, like Carlisle and Esme, and Jasper and Alice are Mates,"
"So, you're the odd one out," Gwen pointed out.
"I am," Edward nodded his head. "Who is your mother?" He had noticed twice that she had mentioned her mother, but never named her. He was aware that Gwen was not living with her mother, but rather a woman who she referred to very affectionately.
Mentally, Gwen cursed him for asking this question. She had promised to be honest, but she was worried, "Before I tell you, you have to promise to not let this get outside your Coven," Gwen said, completely seriously.
Edward glanced at her and saw how serious she was. He nodded his head in agreement, his curiosity peaked.
"My mother is Scarlett," Gwen admitted.
Edward's head snapped to look at her, shock in his gold eyes. "You're not lying," He had listened out for everything he could. Her heart has remained steady, and so has her breathing. Her body indicated that she was telling the truth and this had blown him away. Scarlett was a legend among all the Vampires, as to how highly she was regarded by the Volturi Kings, particularly Aro and Caius. It was warned to all Vampires that none of them were to even touch Scarlett in any manner, or the punishment would not be pleasant.
Gwen shook her head, she was not lying.
Edward snorted, "Carlisle is going to be over the moon with this," His father figure adored Scarlett and found her fascinating. He would love to know that Scarlett's very daughter resided in the same rainy town as them.
This reaction took her back. She had expected more questions, but in fact, she watched Edward relax more. His shoulders can be tense the entire time, but he seemed more relaxed. "I will admit, I didn't expect you to take it so well,"
Edward looked at her, and grinned, "I can get why. But it explains a lot actually," The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't believe he had missed such details. Gwen looked quite similar to her mother, she had the same facial structure and eyes – except the contact lens in one eye. They even held themselves the same way – with unwavering confidence. Now that it had been pointed out, he could not miss it.
"What's your thoughts on Scarlett?" Gwen asked, curious to know what this Vampire thought of her mother. She was aware that Vampires held her mother up quite highly, which was why she did not mention it the first time she chatted with them in their home.
Edward shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, appearing to be unfazed, "I do not think too much about her. Carlisle is fond of her, but I would say I am indifferent,"
This made Gwen smile slightly, and almost relieved. Finally, there was one person who was not impressed with her mother, like she was. What helped was that she knew that he was not lying and he was being genuine in his answers.
"Why do you wear one contact lens?" Edward asked. He had noticed this and it made him curious as to what she was hiding.
"My eye colour changed when I was seven years old, and it's never changed back," Gwen said as she thought back to what happened. That was the closest she'd ever got to being kidnapped, but her memories were fuzzy on what exactly happened.
Edward frowned but nodded his head.
"What's your preferred animal to hunt?" Gwen asked.
"Mountain Lion," Edward answered easily, "Why aren't you with your mother if she is so powerful? Surely, she can protect you from what you're hiding from," Edward asked, as they continued on with their game. The air around them had become more comfortable, and he had not missed how Gwen's body had relaxed ever so slightly, but he was not fooling himself in thinking she was fully comfortable around him.
"I've been told it would be too dangerous, that it would draw attention to me more than it should," Gwen answered with a frown. This had also been a question she had posed to her Nana years previous and had received that exact answer.
Edward hummed at the answer and was tempted to ask a follow-up question, but stopped himself as he knew that Gwen would not answer as it was not his turn.
"What is Jasper's power?" Gwen asked.
Edward shot her a confused look before he looked back at the road. He also felt suspicious as to why she wanted to know. They had driven a long way from Forks and made a mental note he would need to drive back soon enough.
"I know that you and Alice have powers, and I suspect Jasper does as well, so what is it?" Gwen expanded when she saw his confused look.
"He can manipulate emotions," Edward explained cautiously.
Gwen nodded slowly and thought the power suited him. It also explained why Jasper always looked as though he was in pain. She also felt pity for him, as surely, he could be able to feel his siblings' hunger for blood – Gwen certainly did not envy him for having to put up with all the teenage angst in school.
"Why now? Why is it you chose now to reveal yourself?" Edward asked. This had been a question on his mind for some time and had rubbed him the wrong way. For the past year, he and his family had been completely in the dark that a Witch was among them, one that was Scarlett's daughter.
"I already told you, I was bored," Gwen answered with a shrug of her shoulders.
"I don't believe you," Edward shot back.
"Doesn't matter, I know it's the truth." Gwen arched a brow as she looked at him, silently challenging him.
Edward hissed lowly, but he could not challenge her. Her heart rate was steady as was her breathing. She was completely confident in what she said, but her reasoning did not make sense to him. It also annoyed him that he did not pick up on this when he realised, he couldn't read her mind.
"My turn," Gwen grinned when she saw how frustrated he was, "Since Vampires don't sleep, what do you occupy your time doing?"
"Music is something that interests me, I make music but I mainly focus on piano," Edward shared with a sigh, as he resigned himself back to this game. The Witch beside him confused him, despite getting the opportunity to ask her questions.
Gwen hummed, impressed, "I like listening to the piano, though I prefer violin," She had always wanted to play the violin but did not have the talent. She remembered her Nana had bought her a violin when she was nine and she tried it. Nana had never thrown out something so quickly with how bad she was.
"You're a fan of classical music?" Edward asked in surprise.
Gwen grinned, "I am taking at that one of your questions, but yes, I do. I listen to quite a bit of it, it can be soothing,"
Edward looked as though he wanted to protest, but he stopped himself and grumbled instead about how that was a question wasted.
"Out of your Coven, who would you say you're closest to?" Gwen asked, amused by how annoyed he was.
"Alice, she and I get on the best," Edward answered honestly. "Does anyone else know our secret?" He needed to know if anyone else had slipped through the net so they could either be dealt with, or taken into account.
Gwen nodded her head, "Yes, my Nana knows and so does Liam, he works in the police. However, they are under Scarlett's protection," Gwen added with narrowed eyes as she saw Edward tense at this news.
Edward mentally went through the policemen in Forks, before he remembered who Liam was. Edward had never tried to read the man's mind, but now realised he may not have been able to. Even when they met in the hospital, Edward had not noticed. However, he had attributed this to Charlie – whose mind was not the easiest to read – as they always seemed to patrol with one another. He was aware of the elderly woman who Gwen lived with, but he still felt uneasy that three people were aware of his family's secret all this time without any of them , when he heard they were under Scarlett's protection, this made him back off, as at least he did not have to worry about the Volturi getting involved.
"Who is the person in your Coven you get on with the least?" Gwen asked, curious to know how that dynamic worked out.
"Rosalie, we argue quite a bit," Edward answered immediately. Out of them all, he and Rosalie acted like true siblings and they fought all the time. They had been around each other the longest and both knew what buttons to press to aggravate one another. However, if anyone said anything bad about each other that was not warranted, they would defend one another. "Do you think Bella is a Witch?"
Gwen sneered at the question, almost insulted, "No, I do not get that energy from her," She would be able to tell if that the girl was a Witch, and she had not sensed the slightest bit of magic in her.
Edward nodded his head, relieved by that answer.
Just then, Gwen's phone chimed and she looked down. Her Nana had messaged her and asked her to come home for dinner.
"Looks like that is all for today, I need to head home," Gwen said as she looked out the window to see where they were. She was surprised to see that Edward had already started to drive back to Forks, and they were not too far away.
"It is getting late anyway," Edward agreed as they drove into Forks.
It did not take them long before Edward had pulled up outside Tilly. Edward had not parked in the drive, as he had learned his lesson and knew to stay away from the house. Before Gwen could say anything, Edward was already out of his car and had opened the car door for her. Gwen looked at him, in surprise. In response, the Vampire rolled his eyes and shook his head.
The moment Tilly saw Gwen, the porch lights flashed on but were directed harshly on Edward. This made Gwen laugh.
"Is your house ever going to forgive me?" Edward asked with a sigh.
"She holds grudges," Gwen grinned as she thought about her Nana and Tilly's relationship. There was no sign of that improving, though, in all fairness, they both provoked one another. "So, I honestly don't know,"
Edward looked at the house and shook his head.
"But Edward, a bit of advice," Gwen said as she caught the Vampire's attention before he left. She stared at him, her eyes deadly, "If you ever try and spy on me again, invade my personal space, or do anything to seriously offend me, I will kill you," Magic bubbled under her skin and sparks lit in her hands as her magic felt her intention.
Edward tensed, ready to run or act if needed. His face guarded, "But what of the treaty?"
"I don't give a shit about the treaty. If you do anything like that again, you will regret it," Gwen said seriously, meaning every word.
Edward stared at her for a moment, and he instantly knew that she was not lying. The look in her eyes promised pain. For the first time in a long time, Edward felt nervous. Slowly, he nodded his head, "I promise I will not come here without your consent,"
The threatening air around Gwen was gone in an instant and the sparks disappeared, "That's all I needed to hear," She felt much better when she knew for certain that he was not lying. If he had lied, she would have felt it and it would not have ended well.
Consequences be damned.
Without another word, Edward got back into his car and drove off. Gwen watched him go, satisfied that he got the message.
Gwen walked back into the house and started to coo over Tilly, who almost blushed at the attention she was being given.