Status: complete.
Before the Storm
Newbie.
Over the next few weeks, Althea slowly adjusted to life with the Cullens. They seemed so isolated and secluded, which took the most getting used to because everyone back at La Push were always in everyone's business. Here, Althea could get all the privacy, and peace and quiet, in the world.
In the morning she would go to school, usually with Edward and in the afternoon she would work a shift at one of the diners in Forks. Then she'd go back to the Cullens', eat dinner by herself, or sometimes with Esme and then do homework and read. It was a solitary lifestyle, something she was not completely opposed to, but it got too quiet sometimes. She missed the hustle and bustle of the reservation.
Back at La Push, things were the same as ever. The wolves kept tabs on everything that was happening, checking once a night on Althea, although never contacting her, and living their lives. They didn't talk much about Althea and her being gone, but she was always on Paul's mind.
_____
"Paul? What's wrong?" Emily's face was pulled into a worried frown as she noticed that he was the only one not eating anything. He had grown thinner and paler ever since Althea had left and it was starting to worry everyone.
"Nothing's wrong, Em. I'm just tired," he sighed and propped his head up on his arms, elbows on the table and he didn't den care. It wasn't a total lie: he had been staying outside the Cullens' property the last few nights just to make sure everything was okay. It was hard not to be caught by a gang of vampires, but he figured if they cared about Althea at all, they wouldn't mind if he kept an eye on her.
"You've been different lately, Paul. We're all worried about you," she addressed him directly from across the table as she refused to break eye contact with him, "if this is about Thea-"
"Yeah, gee, I wonder if it's about her," his tone grew harsh as he realized he was unfairly snapping at someone who was just trying to help him, "look. Just imagine being apart from Sam as long as I've been apart from her."
Emily contemplated his words for a few moments before realizing that it would be like death to her to be apart from the one love of her live.
"Have you talked to her at all?"
"No, I haven't,"
"Call her-"
"I'm sure the leeches would love that," he rolled his eyes and lifted his head off of his hands.
"They'll understand if you explain it to them,"
"I don't want to explain anything to them,"
"Paul-"
"I've been outside her window the past few nights....just to make sure she's all good. She seems so alone, I mean, I've never seen anyone in the family interact with her,"
"I wonder if she knows,"
"How could she?"
"Wouldn't they tell her?"
"I don't know," he sighed and stood up and pushed his chair in. Emily attempted to follow him but he held up his hand to stop her, "I'm okay!"
"Where are you going?"
"Home," he lied as he turned his back to her, "I'm going home."
"Get some sleep then, Paul! You look like death," Emily called after him as she shut the door. She shook her head as she walked his retreating back. She knew very well that he was not going back to his house. But who was she to come between true love, or imprinted, or whatever they called it nowadays.
As Paul walked off the reservation's territory, and was sure he was out of everyone's sight, he made sure his clothes would be unharmed, and phased.
He bounded across what seemed like an endless forest, listening to the nature around him. His brain was telling him to stay away and just let it be, but his gut told him to go and find her. At least to talk to her and make sure she was happy.
After running for what he thought was way too long a time, a vile smell hit his nose. It was a vampire, that he knew right away. But it wasn't a Cullen. It was someone else. He kicked it into high gear as he ran across a thicket with nothing but thorns that were threatening to dig into his legs. It was nearing midnight as the pitch black night did not help him see anything, and the moon's weak beams did little to aid him either. He was glad he could rely on his smell rather than sight to tell where to go.
He heard the crunch of leaves as he realized he had neared the vampire. But, he also came to realize, the Cullens had too. Their combined scent was enough to make him want to keel over then and their. The foreign vampire had bleach blond hair, and gleaming red eyes. She was small, but she was beautiful, just like all of her kind. The Cullens had encircled her as Paul stepped forward. He saw Edward nod at his presence as he realize he would have to communicate through thought rather than change into his normal form and risk getting hurt.
What's going on?
We have never seen her before, but we recognized he scent.
Oh?
She's the one who killed Althea's mother.
Paul stared hard first at Edward then at the new arrival. He tried to place her scent, and then vague remembrances came to his mind. He had smelled her just briefly as the wolves had investigated Althea's house.
He growled at her and bared his teeth. Before he could think about what he was doing, he lunged at her and tried to grab her, but she was too fast. He chased for what seemed like a mile before he lost her sent and gave up. He had seriously messed this up. He followed to Cullens' scent back and saw them glaring at him. By now he had phased and and stared sheepishly at the ground.
"You stupid dog! If you hadn't shown up, we could have gotten her!" For someone so small, Alice, Paul remembered her name, could sure seem intimidating sometimes.
"I'm sorry. I just got mad and couldn't-"
"Control yourself? That was obvious,"
"Look I said I was-"
"What's going on out here? Paul?! What are you doing here?" With all the noise that was going on outside, Althea had woken up and saw that everyone was gone. She figured they had to be close and wandered into the forest where she had found them.
"Althea!"
"I wake up and find everyone gone and now you're all out here? With him?"
"We just wanted to go for a talk with-"
"Althea! Don't listen to them! They've been lying to you. They're vampires!"
"Vampires?" She glanced over at her adoptive family as they a glared at Paul, "what's going on?"
In the morning she would go to school, usually with Edward and in the afternoon she would work a shift at one of the diners in Forks. Then she'd go back to the Cullens', eat dinner by herself, or sometimes with Esme and then do homework and read. It was a solitary lifestyle, something she was not completely opposed to, but it got too quiet sometimes. She missed the hustle and bustle of the reservation.
Back at La Push, things were the same as ever. The wolves kept tabs on everything that was happening, checking once a night on Althea, although never contacting her, and living their lives. They didn't talk much about Althea and her being gone, but she was always on Paul's mind.
_____
"Paul? What's wrong?" Emily's face was pulled into a worried frown as she noticed that he was the only one not eating anything. He had grown thinner and paler ever since Althea had left and it was starting to worry everyone.
"Nothing's wrong, Em. I'm just tired," he sighed and propped his head up on his arms, elbows on the table and he didn't den care. It wasn't a total lie: he had been staying outside the Cullens' property the last few nights just to make sure everything was okay. It was hard not to be caught by a gang of vampires, but he figured if they cared about Althea at all, they wouldn't mind if he kept an eye on her.
"You've been different lately, Paul. We're all worried about you," she addressed him directly from across the table as she refused to break eye contact with him, "if this is about Thea-"
"Yeah, gee, I wonder if it's about her," his tone grew harsh as he realized he was unfairly snapping at someone who was just trying to help him, "look. Just imagine being apart from Sam as long as I've been apart from her."
Emily contemplated his words for a few moments before realizing that it would be like death to her to be apart from the one love of her live.
"Have you talked to her at all?"
"No, I haven't,"
"Call her-"
"I'm sure the leeches would love that," he rolled his eyes and lifted his head off of his hands.
"They'll understand if you explain it to them,"
"I don't want to explain anything to them,"
"Paul-"
"I've been outside her window the past few nights....just to make sure she's all good. She seems so alone, I mean, I've never seen anyone in the family interact with her,"
"I wonder if she knows,"
"How could she?"
"Wouldn't they tell her?"
"I don't know," he sighed and stood up and pushed his chair in. Emily attempted to follow him but he held up his hand to stop her, "I'm okay!"
"Where are you going?"
"Home," he lied as he turned his back to her, "I'm going home."
"Get some sleep then, Paul! You look like death," Emily called after him as she shut the door. She shook her head as she walked his retreating back. She knew very well that he was not going back to his house. But who was she to come between true love, or imprinted, or whatever they called it nowadays.
As Paul walked off the reservation's territory, and was sure he was out of everyone's sight, he made sure his clothes would be unharmed, and phased.
He bounded across what seemed like an endless forest, listening to the nature around him. His brain was telling him to stay away and just let it be, but his gut told him to go and find her. At least to talk to her and make sure she was happy.
After running for what he thought was way too long a time, a vile smell hit his nose. It was a vampire, that he knew right away. But it wasn't a Cullen. It was someone else. He kicked it into high gear as he ran across a thicket with nothing but thorns that were threatening to dig into his legs. It was nearing midnight as the pitch black night did not help him see anything, and the moon's weak beams did little to aid him either. He was glad he could rely on his smell rather than sight to tell where to go.
He heard the crunch of leaves as he realized he had neared the vampire. But, he also came to realize, the Cullens had too. Their combined scent was enough to make him want to keel over then and their. The foreign vampire had bleach blond hair, and gleaming red eyes. She was small, but she was beautiful, just like all of her kind. The Cullens had encircled her as Paul stepped forward. He saw Edward nod at his presence as he realize he would have to communicate through thought rather than change into his normal form and risk getting hurt.
What's going on?
We have never seen her before, but we recognized he scent.
Oh?
She's the one who killed Althea's mother.
Paul stared hard first at Edward then at the new arrival. He tried to place her scent, and then vague remembrances came to his mind. He had smelled her just briefly as the wolves had investigated Althea's house.
He growled at her and bared his teeth. Before he could think about what he was doing, he lunged at her and tried to grab her, but she was too fast. He chased for what seemed like a mile before he lost her sent and gave up. He had seriously messed this up. He followed to Cullens' scent back and saw them glaring at him. By now he had phased and and stared sheepishly at the ground.
"You stupid dog! If you hadn't shown up, we could have gotten her!" For someone so small, Alice, Paul remembered her name, could sure seem intimidating sometimes.
"I'm sorry. I just got mad and couldn't-"
"Control yourself? That was obvious,"
"Look I said I was-"
"What's going on out here? Paul?! What are you doing here?" With all the noise that was going on outside, Althea had woken up and saw that everyone was gone. She figured they had to be close and wandered into the forest where she had found them.
"Althea!"
"I wake up and find everyone gone and now you're all out here? With him?"
"We just wanted to go for a talk with-"
"Althea! Don't listen to them! They've been lying to you. They're vampires!"
"Vampires?" She glanced over at her adoptive family as they a glared at Paul, "what's going on?"