A/N: Yes, you read that right. New chapter after a six year hiatus?! I must be making fanfiction history right here XD. Enjoy this chapter and stay tuned for more soon ;)

Chapter 7

Clara and Edward walked back into the house together; close but not touching. Clara was a bit overstimulated by all the physical connection she had been experiencing the past day or so and was relieved that Edward didn't feel slighted by her distance after their tender moment just a few minutes ago. Instead, he couldn't seem to keep a smirk off his face as he guided her through the back door into the sitting room. Clara found herself unable to wipe her smile off her face either, so she couldn't judge.

Two members of Edward's coven were waiting patiently for their arrival, matching looks of contentment adorning their faces. Clara immediately felt embarrassed that she didn't know their names since she wasn't paying any attention during the introductions Edward made earlier that day. She wondered if Edward was about to remind her, as he surely heard her thoughts-

"These are my parents, Carlisle and Esme," Edward whispered in her ear, bending around from behind her. Clara felt amused by her new instinct to anticipate his reactions to her thoughts and thanked him with another small smile. His eyes seemed to sparkle in response.

"Clara," Esme said, stepping forward from her stance beside her mate, "It is wonderful to meet you. We are so happy you have found Jasper after all these years."

Truly was unexpected, she signed, hoping they also could understand this form of communication. As convenient as Edward's mind-reading ability was, particularly in this ironically specific situation, Clara wished to maintain as much independence as possible.

"I can imagine," replied Carlisle, "Did you know he was turned into our kind?"

Not until I met Edward, she replied. My companion at the time withheld the truth of why she sired me all those years ago; she knew my father during the vampiric wars and found me after they escaped. I had no idea he was still alive… in any sense of the word, until a few days ago. She didn't know how to find him at that point, so she kept the truth from me.

Edward had stepped around her at this point so she could see all their faces while explaining this. They all had similar expressions of sympathy on their faces, perhaps Edward less so than Carlisle and Esme, so either he learned this from Mary's mind directly or Clara wasn't as good at shielding her thoughts as she'd hoped.

"I see," Carlisle responded. "While I am not expecting an answer to this offer anytime soon, I wanted to extend a formal invitation to our coven. It only seems fitting, as you are Jasper's biological daughter and… seem to have a connection to Edward as well," he smiled at that, making me avert my eyes, but not so much that I didn't notice Edward shift position a bit awkwardly as well, "But I am aware that you've lived a very different lifestyle to ours for many years, and it may take you a while to adjust, not mentioning the change in diet. So, take your time to think about it, and let me know when you have come to a decision."

Clara met Carlisle's eyes again and nodded appreciatively. Before she could raise her hand to thank him, he continued, "There was just one more thing I wanted to mention before I get out of your hair. We have a treaty with the Native tribe of La Push. It's not far, Edward or Jasper can show you the border, but we agreed not to hunt on their lands nor drink from any human to maintain residence here. Should we cross the border line for any reason, the treaty is considered broken. We would appreciate it if you would abide to this as well." My face must have shown my confusion at this situation as he continued, "Several generations ago, we encountered a group of men who could shift into wolves. They exist to protect their people from our kind. They have their own history of vampiric activity amongst their people. While we do not pose the same kind of threat as other members of our kind, they will not take any chances with us. We respected that and so that is why this situation exists."

Clara nodded her head to signal that she would comply with this request, but was even more confused than before. Shape-shifting men that turned into wolves? She had never heard of such a thing. And while that was strange, was it reason enough to form a treaty with them? What sort of threat would either man or wolf pose to a vampire?

"These aren't your normal wolves," Edward said, answering her unspoken questions, "They are as big as a horse and are strong and fast enough to kill a vampire. So, they pose quite the threat indeed."

"I don't think they currently have any pack members, however," said Carlisle, as Clara's eyes widened, "So there is nothing to fear. We simply maintain the treaty out of respect. I suspect the gene has died out by now, in fact."

While his words were spoken fervently and without any doubt, Clara still didn't let herself relax completely. She swore not to step even 100 feet from the boundary line, self-preservation firmly intact. She heard Edward give a quiet chuckle at her thoughts, followed by, "Don't worry, no wolf will get anywhere near you." So long as I have anything to say about it went unsaid, but she could practically see it radiating in his eyes. She quirked one side of her mouth up in thanks, then broke their eye contact, not wanting to ignore the other two in the room. Why that was such a painful thing to do, however, got the better of her.

Carlisle and Esme exchanged a knowing glance before he took a step to the side, saying, "I need to gather my things for work, I'll be leaving soon. You'll stay here with Esme while the others are at school." He stopped and turned to Edward, "Are you going to school today, Edward?" Edward sighed, but said nothing at first. Carlisle seemed to continue speaking to him through his thoughts because Edward sighed more heavily and said, "I know," then looked at Clara. She met his worried gaze, remembering the reason he had been absent in the first place. Clara had no idea how they surrounded themselves with the temptation of human blood every day, so the prospect of returning to that environment plus the added temptation of an especially delicious-smelling human strong enough to make Edward flee to Alaska for nearly a week was daunting to her, to say the least. She had no words of encouragement to bestow upon Edward, which bothered her, so instead she reached out and lightly grabbed his hand. He gripped her hand back immediately, strong, but not constraining. He seemed to relax a bit just from that small action.

"Alright," he said, still holding Clara's gaze, but responding to Carlisle. "I'll go back today."

"You're sure?" he asked, followed by another short pause.

Edward nodded, "Yes, and I know how important secrecy is. Now that I'm better prepared, it'll be easier."

Carlisle, though still looking concerned, nodded and replied, "Alright, but don't worry if you feel you need to leave early. I'll call the school, and we'll work something out."

"I'll be fine, Carlisle."

"Okay," then, turning to me, "Esme will give you a tour of the house while Edward gets ready for school. I wish you the best of luck today." He smiled, then disappeared up the stairs and through one of the doors to the left. Clara got a glance of what looked like an office space through a crack in the door before turning back to Edward, prepared to say goodbye to yet another lifeline she's found. Edward smiled, taking a couple steps towards her.

"I'd rather stay here with you, but appearances must be kept," he said glumly. "I hope you have a good day with Esme today. You'll love her, I promise."

Clara glanced at Esme over Edward's shoulder as she gave her an even sweeter smile at her "son's" praise, then drew her eyes back to Edward's. I hope you enjoy school she signed awkwardly with her left hand, her right still clasped in Edward's, I'll miss you. She looked down at her feet at that but met his gaze again, unable to look away for long. He traced his finger of his other hand down a lock of hair framing the side of her face, twirling the end around a couple times before letting it fall free again as he muttered, "And I, you."

At that, he took his leave, swiftly retreating up the stairs and heading right, the opposite direction of Carlisle's office. At that same moment, the other two members of the coven that she didn't know the names of emerged, backpacks swung over their shoulders. The boy was incredibly large and looked as if he was made entirely of muscle while the girl was long and lean, blonde hair gleaming in the morning sun shining through the windows. They waited hand in hand by one of the sofas, and made no sign of acknowledging her, which was honestly just fine. Her social battery, unaccustomed to being used at all, was starting to die. She hoped Esme wouldn't mind taking things slow today, whatever those "things" may be.

Esme walked closer to stand near Clara's shoulder as she offered, "After the tour, we were wondering, Carlisle and I, if you would like to practice your gift more when it is just us two here. That way you won't have to worry about any of the men hearing and coming under the influence. Though I don't have any special talents myself, I am around gifted individuals every day," she finished with a smile. "Or you can just spend the day exploring the surrounding wilderness. I'm sure the past several days have been an adjustment."

Clara returned her smile. Perhaps a bit of both? she signed. Esme nodded her head eagerly.

"Of course!"

Edward appeared in front of her once again, bag in tow and in a change of clothes. His hair looked like he ran his hands through it several times in frustration, sticking out in every direction. Clara let her amusement show and reached out to smooth it a bit when she caught more movement from the corner of her eye. Her father and Alice were walking past the other two vampires and heading in her direction. Clara withdrew her hand, for some reason, guiltily, as she met the eyes of Jasper. He quirked an eyebrow but said nothing as he stopped in front of her, Alice stopping a few paces away.

"We'll be leaving soon, darlin', and won't be back 'til three-thirty. I've never resented the high school routine more than in this moment," he said with a breathy laugh, free of humor.

Clara longed to take his hand, but needed them to sign. Don't worry about me, I'll be okay. But I'll miss you, too. Tell me all about it when you get back. I've never been to high school. She added that last part a bit deprecatorily, as she never attended a formal school, only learned to read and write at home. It was fairly typical for the time, her class, and gender, but was woefully inadequate by modern standards.

"It's not nearly as interesting as you'd think," Jasper chuckled, "Especially when all day I'll be thinking about you instead of whatever mundane lesson a teacher is droning on about."

I'll be thinking about you, too. I want to learn all about you, she signed as she stared longingly at his youthful face. All the years they should have had together, snatched away so unfairly. He wasn't there to see her first steps, hear her first words, read books together. He was supposed to teach her how to ride horses, tend to the chickens, and scare off the town boys. His face should be lined with years of age, wisdom, regrets, memories. Instead, his body was lined with scars. Scars that each had a story, stories that perhaps Jasper wasn't willing to relive.

Clara forced her thoughts onto a lighter subject, I am particularly interested in how you and Alice met, she offered, shifting her gaze to the slight vampire over Jasper's shoulder. Alice gave her a warm yet excited smile, but didn't jump at the chance to reply like Clara was expecting. Jasper turned his head to give an appreciative look to Alice as well, then turned back to say, "Yes, Alice is the reason why I'm here today. Probably would have ended it long ago without her. I love her as much as one person can love another. If you're in need of a friend, I would highly recommend her," he finished with a crinkle in his eyes. A friend. Yes, she could do with one of those right about now.

I'd honestly love that, she replied, and marveled at how bright Alice's smile became at that response.

"Oh, Clara, I know we will simply be the best of friends!" she exclaimed, darting straight to her and clasping both her hands in hers, radiating excitement. Clara was taken aback by her forwardness, but was undeniably drawn to Alice's bright personality. She wondered if that was why her father had fallen in love with her; after so many years of pain, sorrow, and death, someone who exuded only happiness and joy had to be practically a heavenly experience. Edward, who seemed primed to intervene on Clara's behalf, hesitated when he listened to the direction of her thoughts. He met her gaze with this look that Clara couldn't quite decipher. It was almost… awe?

Alice released her hands and joined one of hers with Jasper's. "Sadly, we must be going now. We'll do more catching up tonight!" she beamed, unbothered by Clara's lack of response. Perhaps she foresaw this entire conversation, and it all played out accordingly? Clara could only wonder. Edward reluctantly drew away as well, following his "siblings".

"We'll be back soon."

So, I've heard, she teased. I'll be fine. Enjoy the day.

Edward nodded, running a hand through his hair again, then heading to a door by the kitchen.

"Come on, Eddie, say goodbye to your girlfriend already, we're gonna be late!" came the voice of what could only be the only male vampire I hadn't spoken with yet. Edward let out an annoyed growl then burst through the door to what she now saw was a garage. Whatever Edward had to say about that, Clara couldn't hear, but wasn't upset she couldn't. She figured this was Edward's to handle. Though, being referred to as someone's girlfriend did give her the queerest feeling in her stomach, both enjoyable and uncomfortable at the same time. She wasn't sure what it meant.

After the Cullens left, save Esme, Clara got her long-awaited tour of the house. Or, should she say, mansion. There were five bedrooms, two offices (one Carlisle's and one Jasper's), three bathrooms (not including the bathrooms attached to the aforementioned bedrooms), a small sitting room upstairs, the large one downstairs, the kitchen, dining room, a mud room, garage, and landing upon which a glorious grand piano sat. This must be Edward's prized instrument, Clara thought to herself, remembering their conversation about her makeshift flute. Perhaps, if she got her hands on a real woodwind, they could play together, she mused. Maybe, if she got a handle on her ability, she could sing, and he could play. The thought filled her with so much longing. She had vague memories of singing when she was still human. But the hobby quickly ended upon her arrival to this new life. But now, with the frail hope that maybe, someday, she could sing and not worry about putting those around her under a spell, she dared to dream of that future.

Filled with these thoughts, she turned to Esme, who had wandered into the kitchen to tidy… something, and cleared her throat to get her attention. Then she realized that it was only the two of them here now, so it should be safe to voice her thoughts aloud.

"I was wondering if I could spend some time practicing my ability," she requested.

"Oh," Esme blinked several times, mouth slightly agape at Clara's speech, and for a moment Clara was stricken with the thought that she had just put her under a spell. Before she could panic, however, Esme's face cleared into a bright smile and she replied,

"Wonderful idea. I'm sorry, your voice just surprised me a bit. I don't notice anything abnormal about it, but it is very lovely," she complimented.

Clara released a sigh of relief. "Okay, good. You worried me for a moment, there," she replied.

"Nothing to fear," she comforted, walking to the sofas, "Why don't we have a seat, and you can practice as long as you like."

Clara cocked her head to the side, as she was plenty comfortable standing right where she was, but humored her by following her request. Esme seemed to pick up on her confusion, as if she was expecting it, by saying,

"We like to adopt the patterns of humans as much as we can. It helps when we find ourselves in social situations with them, if we get into the habits at home, it comes much easier to adopt in public."

"I didn't realize you were that involved in human society," Clara replied, a bit daunted by this information.

"We keep to ourselves by human standards," Esme confessed, "But are far more social than most vampires. Even our friends in Alaska are more isolated than we tend to be."

Clara nodded her head, thinking of the smaller coven in Denali. She had more questions regarding the Cullens' lifestyle and interesting choices when it came to integrating themselves with the humans, but she was more focused on getting her "gift" under control.

She spent the next several hours trying to put Kate's advice to good use, uttering statements and phrases to Esme while trying to envision her words' timbre, essence, or whatever she was looking for. While at no point did it appear Esme was affected at all by her speech, Clara didn't feel any closer to figuring out how to control anything.

"Don't give up yet," Esme encouraged her, rising from her seated position on the couch for the first time since they began, "You've just begun trying to figure this out. While I'm sure you'd prefer quick results, there is no need to hurry. Time tends to be in abundance for our kind," she winked as she walked upstairs.

Clara sighed, wishing for a magic solution to her problems, and checked the time. It was nearly two o'clock. Another hour and a half until they come home, Clara thought somberly. She stood up herself and ventured outside, missing the feeling of the soft ground beneath her feet. Perhaps she'll practice her singing out here, where only the birds can hear her, she thought.

Edward picked at his sandwich miserably. The school day had been dragging incessantly today, and the worst was yet to come, he moaned internally. The only thing he seemed to be able to think was how many more hours and minutes were left until he could escape this torture chamber and return to the smiling, beautiful, charming face of Clara waiting at home. Rosalie gave a heavy sigh and turned to him saying,

"Can you please stop acting like it's the end of the world? You're behaving so melodramatically, even for you, and it's honestly exhausting," she complained.

Emmett snickered while Edward's lip curled in annoyance. Before he got the chance to dignify that comment with a response, however, Alice came to his defense.

"Oh, stop, Rose, he's just nervous for Biology, that's all."

That most certainly was not all, but it was indeed troubling him.

"Any new visions, Alice?"

"Everything will be fine, Edward," she reassured him for the tenth time that day. "Just hold your breath when you need to and don't lean in too closely. Maybe get to know a few things about her. Humanizing people makes them harder to kill."

Though they were speaking too lowly for human ears, Edward's eyes still darted around the room, making sure no one was picking up the topic of their conversation. As he did so, his eyes landed on the brunette from his nightmares across the room. She was trying to discretely catch a glimpse of the monster that nearly took her life a week ago, not that she knew that. To her, he was just a jerk who thought she smelled bad in class and thought that was reason enough to warrant a change in schedule, so he never had the misfortune of being in the same room with her again. He annoyingly still could not read her mind, but assumed those would be the thoughts drifting through her head when it came to him. His eyes met hers for a brief moment before returning to the pulverized sandwich on his tray. While those imaginary thoughts were not kind to him, that was perfectly fine. The last thing he needed was for her to develop an interest in him, or, even worse, a crush. Sharing the same table in Biology was already far too close than was safe for her, and he didn't want to give her any idea that he may be interested in her.

Alice's suggestion to try and "humanize" her would simply have to wait, he decided. It would be hard enough to control his thirst whilst holding his breath and concentrating all his thoughts elsewhere, mainly on Clara. Hopefully she would be a strong enough distraction so he can forget all about Bella and her ridiculously potent blood. Maybe if he couldn't change classes, he'd beg Mr. Garner to switch seats with someone.

He looked at Alice to see if she would get a vision of his new strategy, but didn't pick up anything from her thoughts. Amusedly, they were centered around the girl of the hour as well, and thinking up strategies on how to convince her to let her dress her up like her own life-size Barbie doll. According to her latest vision, Clara wouldn't be putting up nearly a good enough fight against her antics and would be subjected to endless pampering at this rate. I decided to concentrate my thoughts in Biology on how to spare her from such a fate and chuckled when Alice gasped in dismay at the change in her vision.

"Hey! Stay out of our business, Edward, it is of no concern of yours how Clara and I choose to spend our time!" she moaned.

Edward shook his head at his sister. "Alice, she doesn't know how to say no to you yet. I'm only helping her find her voice, that's all."

"Oh, are you, now?" she responded, gliding out of her seat at the table, lunch tray in hand two seconds before the bell rang, "Because it sounds to me like you just want more time to have her all to yourself."

Edward threw his uneaten lunch in the trash and sighed. It wasn't worth talking or arguing about at this point. He sensed this would be a regular tug of war with her, not even mentioning Jasper, who had stayed predictably quiet throughout lunch. It was hardest for him with all the pumping hearts around, bumping into each other and bringing so much attention to themselves. He usually breathed as little as possible during lunch, which constricted his ability to participate in verbal conversation. He didn't seem too interested in having a mental conversation, either, however, too lost in his own thoughts about Clara and how he was going to make up for lost time. His thoughts drifted to his old friends Peter and Charlotte, and he had the desire to introduce them, but wasn't sure if or when Clara would be up for the trip, nor did he want to uproot Alice from her life here. Edward was even pleasantly surprised at Jasper's concern for taking Clara away from himself, as he wasn't blind and saw how they looked at each other, to say nothing of how they felt. Edward wasn't thrilled at the idea of Clara leaving to meet more vampires she didn't know so soon after meeting two entire covens of vampires in the past week, so he hoped Jasper would give her time to adjust.

All too soon, his legs took him to the Biology classroom where he gazed around the room, looking for a target. He gazed at a boy in the second to last row nearer the door, the opposite side of the room to the one he normally sat at. His thoughts caught his attention as they lingered briefly on how attractive he found Bella and her hair. Edward stopped listening before it got any more detailed and approached the teacher's desk. Applying his most sincere look he said to Mr. Garner,

"Excuse me, sir, but I was wondering if there could be a change in the seating arrangements after the beginning of the course."

Mr. Garner eyed him suspiciously. "Not typically, is there a specific reason you feel compelled to change seats at this point in the semester?" He raised an eyebrow.

Edward kept his contempt under control as he answered, "I recently got tested for circulatory issues, which is why I keep getting sick so much and missing school. It seems to be worse the closer I sit to the windows. So, I was wondering if I could move closer to the door." He put his most sincere and honest look on his face he could muster. It was that moment when he knew Bella had entered the room as the entire room was enveloped in her scent. Immediately, Edward held his breath and stiffened, while trying to keep any look of pain off his face.

"Well, in that case, I suppose I can make an exception. See if anyone on that side of the room will switch with you," Mr. Garner responded, shooing him away. Edward uttered his thanks and swiftly walked toward the boy he stalked out earlier, asking him if he wouldn't mind taking his seat for the rest of the semester. Once the kid, Pete he thought?, looked at where Edward was indicating, he eagerly agreed. Without another glance in that direction, Edward made his new home at that desk, envisioning Clara's face, listening to her play her rustic flute, the feel of her hair around his finger, the feel of her lips between his own, to keep him from thinking of the temptation right across the room.