the one year anniversary of this fic is on saturday, and i was thinking about doing something special…but i have no clue what haha! what would you guys want? A special author's note about the writing process? Spoilers for how the plot is going to go? A double update? Cut content? Lore about the original characters of this fic? Please please please let me know!
"Eight bodies discovered and more as a possibility; is this the work of a serial killer, or simply a series of unfortunate accidents?" the newscaster said, voice soothing despite the gruesome topic of that night's news. "Good evening and thank you for joining us. I'm Meiriona Kranz."
"And I'm Simon Stern."
"And we're coming to you live from Port Angeles, Washington. The date is May 23rd, 2005, and tonight's story is focused on the rise in deaths in Clallam County. I'm passing it over to my co-anchor for the report."
"Thank you, Meiriona." It was easy to tell the woman had far more practice speaking to the camera, as the sweaty man beside her very obviously flickered his eyes back and forth to the queue cards. "In the past eight months, there has been an unusual rise in accidental deaths surrounding the town of Forks, Washington. Originally suspected to be hiking accidents, the local Sheriff's office wrote away the deaths of veteran hikers, Zachary Derrickson and Brian Corwin, for three months, even going as far as openly refusing to investigate their deaths, despite family protests. Their bodies were found at the bottom of Elk Creek's popular walking path. Reports suggest the bodies were too disfigured from animal harvest to warrant further investigation, however, since then, four more bodies were found in the greater Forks area, including several trails that lead to and from the nearby Quileute reservation."
"After local samaritan, Charlotte Kloiner, was found dead near her home, investigations were finally opened on all seven cases. Since Kloiner's death, two more bodies have been found with evidence of similarities; 17-year-old Whitney Ward was found dead two weeks ago on the way home from a party, and 58-year-old Keith Schultz, the active coroner on the Fork's murders, and Ward's uncle, who was only confirmed moments ago to be the newest death. Though police are still unsure if all cases are connected, they are now thoroughly trying to find connections between the victims."
Esme reached out to him, clasping her hand tightly with his. Edward gave her hand a squeeze in return, not daring to break her connection from the television to offer more comfort.
"Thank you, Simon. We'll now cut to field reporter, Celina Black, with an exclusive interview with Fork's Chief of Police, Charlie Swan."
The hard cut to a younger woman was stark, but not as distracting as the busyness behind her. The forest's edge looked as similar as any, not easily distinguishing its location. The investigation seemed to be operating at full capacity, officers rushing in and out of the roped-off area, techs and photographers trying to get anything from the scene before it was tampered with. Chief Swan was rocking on his heels, eyes flickering between the woman in front of him and the scene behind him, jumpy despite his usual calm demeanor.
"I'm Celina Black, and today I'm joined by local Chief of Police, Charlie Swan. Chief Swan, please, what can you tell us about these recent murders."
"Call me Charlie," he huffed, evidently embarrassed by the formality. "But, as of right now, we're treating this as an active, ongoing, serial murder investigation. Though we've had a setback due to Keith's- I mean, 's- death, we've recruited someone who is more than capable of taking over. I can't say too much, but we're proceeding cautiously just in case this is murder."
"So you suspect accidents instead?"
"Not all of them," Charlie Swan quickly corrected, eyes refusing to leave the reporters. "We're investigating further. It's likely only some of these are connected, and more are just accidents. As of right now, only Waylon Forge, Charlotte Kloiner, Whitney Ward, and Keith Schultz's deaths are being ruled as a murder due to their unusual circumstances."
Edward flinched slightly as the camera moved, wary that it would capture Carlisle by accident.
"What about the new curfew? Is that to deter any more killings?"
"It's more to keep people safe, with the deaths all having been outside or in the woods. The curfew will be in place until we figure out what happened."
"Thank you, Chief Swan."
Despite the short nature of the interview, the room was still, absorbing every word.
"How long until Carlisle gets home?" Esme asked after a moment, the news report on a series of car break-ins fading into background noise. When no one responded, she stood, nervous hands raising until she could nibble on the end of her thumbnail. "Will he be alright?"
"He'll be fine," Alice assured, though Edward knew she had no such vision to prove her words as fact. Esme, still, relaxed her shoulders, giving Alice a thankful smile and a gentle stroke of her head, pushing down the tamed short hair. "Jasper and Lettie are there, and there are too many people around."
"And no news yet?" This time, her question was directed at Rosalie, who had her phone out, typing away frantically.
"Jasper hasn't said anything new. They're still scouting the area," she said with a huff, snapping the phone closed. Edward sighed, resting his chin against his clasped hands.
He didn't know if that was good or bad, instead deciding that no news was better than frantic calls. Still, he didn't like it, and especially didn't like how useless he felt. His mind reading would have been helpful, he just knew it, but he didn't have the ability to manipulate people like Jasper could, changing their emotions until he was practically invisible, easily able to slip in and out of crime scenes without being noticed. It was why he was able to go, taking Lettie's necklace without a thought.
"And the Volturi?" Edward asked quietly, eyeing Alice. She simply shook her head, unintentionally pushing Esme's hand away.
"No decision that would affect us." He sighed again.
Great, he thought, rolling his head to look out at the green landscape, more silence.
"And the Swan girl?" Rosalie asked. Edward couldn't help the flicker of surprise at Rosalie's curiosity, though the disgust in her thoughts was enough to confirm it was still only out of self-preservation. Alice shook her head again.
"If she's planning on doing something, she hasn't decided on it yet. It's still only flashes of possibilities."
Carlisle didn't come home with good news.
Another nomad attack, just as he predicted. His preliminary examination yielded nothing but bite marks and unusual injuries, to which Carlisle chalked up to adrenaline and a chase through the woods. Though the police were stumped on what scared him so much to have him run two miles away from his abandoned car, Lettie confirmed Samuel's overwhelming energy was present and stronger than usual. Jasper also confirmed the scent of all three nomads, though he feared the control they had to share one corpse, when most vampires required one each.
"A hierarchy," he said, concern etched on his face. "I could smell one stronger than the others. James," he growled the name with disgust, "clearly took the most, and left the rest for his other coven mates."
"So Samuel led him to the nomads?" Emmett asked.
"More like corralled him, but yes." Jasper spared a quick glance at Alice, hand reaching out to squeeze one of hers comfortingly. Surprisingly, she allowed it, giving a gentle squeeze of her own back. "I don't know what was different about this time, why the nomads couldn't attack him on their own."
"My suspicions are based only on my knowledge of Samuel and their cruelty," Lettie jumped in, easily picking up where Jasper trailed off. Edward's chest clenched painfully. "However, I fear this action is more than that. Samuel is a poltergeist, a being that feasts on the fear of others. It is of my belief that Samuel has not acted as violently in the past due to their injury."
"Then this is a sign Samuel has gained their full abilities again?" Carlisle asked, brow furrowed. Lettie nodded solemnly.
"It is very likely." Edward reacted without thinking, unconsciously reaching out to her and clasping her hand in his. Their fingers easily intertwined together, as if they had done it a thousand times before, bodies angling towards one another. "This is not all. I have my suspicions that Samuel's chase, this action above all others, implies a connection between vampires and their very essence."
The room went quiet.
"You lost me," Emmett admitted when no one else spoke. Rosalie sent him a glare, but Lettie gave him a small smile, shaking her head in amusement.
"I apologize, as that is the end of my limited knowledge. Should Charles have been here…" She sighed. "It is foolish to desire for something that is as impossible as my wish, however, Sir Charles had a wealth of knowledge on the subject, including many discoveries he himself had made. Though he did not speak of it at the time, it was not unusual for him to speak of theories, such as the connection between poltergeists and their point of origin."
"Fascinating," Carlisle mumbled, face full of wonder. "Your friend believed that poltergeists drew some of their power from the reason they were created?" At Lettie's nod, Carlisle's face turned contemplative. "Do you happen to know what that is for Samuel?"
"Samuel has not revealed anything of the sort to myself, however, as Teddy reminded me, Samuel has a keen ability to locate vampires. I do not know if this is unusual for a poltergeist as I have met only one, but Sir Charles did not inform me of supernatural creatures being so inturned with others outside of their own kind."
"This is definitely cause for concern," Carlisle said, sighing. He didn't need to say the rest.
With Samuel being in tune with vampires, whatever that entailed, they were in more danger than they thought. And, if the nomads were working with them, Samuel was possibly trying out new abilities, or even gaining more power, just by having vampires around. If fear sustained them, made them stronger, then chasing their latest victim, maybe even chasing a victim who believed them to be a vampire, would make their meal a feast. Edward squeezed Lettie's hand harder.
"There is so much to do," Carlisle sighed, running a hand down his face. He was right, as always, and the weight of their responsibilities was weighing on them.
To save the humans, it would make sense to begin to run patrols more frequently, especially in areas the nomads would likely attack, such as their classmates' homes or teenage hangouts. The problem, then, is spreading themselves thin, and risking attacks to themselves rather than the humans. It would certainly save the most humans, but who's to say once the Cullens were taken care of, they wouldn't simply raze the town. The shapeshifters, after all, were still only a group of three. And, if they did spread out to help the humans, then Alice was all the more vulnerable, and there was no telling what James could do with her power.
Help others or help themselves?
Was one more selfish than the other?
It was an impossible decision, but she's certainly making it easier, Edward thought bitterly, trying to stop his eyes from rolling. Lettie, catching the irritation on his face, spared a sympathetic glance.
"I'm telling you. It's suspicious," Bella Swan whispered frantically, nearly waving her hand right into someone's face. Both she and Angela apologized profusely, but the boy barely spared them a glance, grumbling under his breath that they shouldn't be taking up so much space in a work zone. Angela returned to painting the set's faux brick wall, blush on her face, but Bella Swan didn't so much as pretend to work, her brush still clean and abandoned on the floor beside her.
"If it is, then there has to be another explanation." Bella Swan sighed loudly, crossing her arms in a very Jessica Stanley manner. Angela relented, setting her brush down to say, "Do you have any proof he doesn't?"
"Well…I tried calling their office but they said they weren't allowed to answer any questions about their team to private seekers." Before Angela could scold her, another body rushed by, nearly kicking over Bella Swan's can of paint. Edward sniggered to himself, tastefully hiding his smile behind the coat he was stitching. Lettie elbowed him with a playful glare, though the motion did nothing to disturb her expert sewing technique.
"Then why do you suspect he isn't being trained there?" Angela asked.
"A guy like him?" Bella Swan scoffed. "Wouldn't they want him all over the news and tournaments? He's huge, and obviously a tough competitor, but I haven't seen anything."
"Maybe he just hasn't participated in any tournaments yet," Angela offered meekly, avoiding eye contact as her mind swam with doubt. "Or maybe he has and hasn't placed."
"He even has you convinced!" Bella Swan exclaimed, waving her hands around once again. Only, this time, she managed to brush the wet paint, smearing Angela's hard work into an illegible blob of color. Both girls froze, staring at the paint, before meeting eyes again. Even without reading her mind, Edward knew that was the last straw for Angela's usual endless patience.
"I have no reason to doubt him. And neither do you." She sighed, standing up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish helping out before my Dad comes to pick me up."
"I can give you a ride-"
"Thanks, but I'll be here a little longer. You should head home."
Bella Swan simply watched as Angela walked away, the last of her friendships fizzling before her eyes.
Ever since Whitney Ward's death, the school had been on high alert. Students were forbidden from lingering after school unless they were in the club room, which were all now moved to the auditorium so an officer could guard the door until everyone was gone, and that was only due to the Theater teacher's dramatic speech about suspending students hard work so close to the end of year performance. It was why he and his siblings were all scurrying around the auditorium now, blending in seamlessly while protecting this group of humans.
Despite their names being brought up on occasion, the Cullens had successfully avoided the brunt of the accusations. Edward attributed most of that luck to Lettie's hard work, integrating their personal and human traits into the daily lives of their fellow students. Any unusual actions they had were attributed to teenage angst, and Alice befriending key members of the theater department cleared anything else. They smiled and laughed with her despite the underlying current of distrust towards the other groups hanging around the auditorium.
No, instead of the vampires being the hot topic of the school, it was one Bella Swan.
Her obvious disinterest in Whitney Ward's death, despite seemingly being friends with all of her friends, was suspicious enough. However, it only took one person to whisper about the unusual coincidence of Bella Swan arriving soon before the murders started, and another to reaffirm the killer still not being caught by the police, before the rumor mill started spinning rapidly.
After all, they whispered, what officer of the law would want to arrest their own flesh and blood?
She was digging her own grave. The more people rumored, the more she distanced herself from them, and instead devoted her time to stalking the Cullens. She unashamedly followed Rosalie into the bathroom, trying to strike up conversation with little luck, watched Jasper closely between classes, and even signed up to help out with the school play to be close to Alice, despite doing little to no work when she was there. Her unrelenting questions in biology hadn't stopped, no matter how much he ignored her, but all it took was one vampire joke from Emmett to have her run the other way and refuse to talk to him again.
She had even started to go as far as to hang out at the police station to catch Carlisle as he ferried information to and from the hospital, though she hadn't quite managed to break past the awkward small talk stage.
Even Jessica Stanley had distanced herself, the queen of demanding attention.
So now, as she deflated, watching Angela walk away, Edward couldn't bring himself to have a lick of sympathy. After all, she had no proof to think they were the killers and insisted they had to be the villains simply because she suspected them of being cold.
Maybe a bit of solitude will be good for her, Edward thought, giving Lettie a small smile. Despite the small worry of confusion in her brow, she returned it with a toothy smile of her own, leaning over to show him the progress she made on the sleeve. After all, I turned out for the better, didn't I?