Time out

“Are you sure you don’t want to join us for fishing Bella?” their dad asked as we loaded the supplies in the back of old Harry’s truck. The native man in the drivers’ seat smoking a cigarette- dark eyes staring flatly as Charlie tried to convince my accident-prone sister to get on a boat filled with hooks and bait.

“No, no it’s um. It’s fine. I actually had plans to go with Jessica and Angela to Port Angeles… to um... dress shop? I mean, I wanted to go to a bookstore but… they’re… dress shopping…” the girl stuttered into mumbles as she blushed.

“Don’t mind Bella, we’ll make sure to catch a few fish so you can make us dinner tomorrow.” I joked to her as I finished loading the cooler into the bed of the pick-up. It would be good for her to get away from the house anyway. Not for the first time Lily wished she had more access to her magic; she had been sleeping horribly since that vampire started stalking Bella.

Showing up to their house every night, trying to get in the window- luckily Lily had accidentally glued the pane shut a few years back when she was trying to seal the leaky thing. Hovering outside on the tree, the metaphorical sand feeling more abrasive than soothing with his bloodlust peaking.

This fishing trip is just what Lily needed to freaking relax from her hyperawareness. Hopefully they’d be out far enough on the lake so her sensing range would only show the people she was with.

Still blushing Bella nodded, tripping her way back into the house as we climbed into Harry’s truck- Charlie in the bench seat and Lily riding in the bed with the fishing poles. It was a relatively quick drive over to pick up Billy Black, then off they went to the dock- boat already in the water with Jacob onboard.

The day was relaxing just as she needed, a nice quiet morning-afternoon trip, the only time the silence was broken was if someone caught a fish. They ended up going home, a bit sunburnt, with five fish between them, the Blacks had a bit more trouble; only catching three and Harry ended up catching the majority at seven fish for himself.

It was dark when they were dropped off at home, crickets creaking away- Lily let her dad take care of putting the fishing gear away while she rinsed the fish, making sure all the scales had been removed from their treatment earlier before wrapping them in paper to put in the deep freezer.

Checking the time, Lily thought that Bella should have already been home- frowning, she tried calling her cellphone but it rang from the room upstairs. Sighing deeply; she did something she really didn’t want to- called Jessica.

“Jessica, I was just calling to see when Bella should be home, it’s getting pretty late and we have school tomorrow.” The preppy girl squealed before launching into a fast-paced explanation of their entire shopping trip- finally getting to the point about ten minutes later that Bella was getting a ride from Edward Cullen and as far as she knew they were still in Port Angeles.

Thanking the girl with a headache pulling at her mind Lily hung up the phone- so she’s having dinner with her stalker. Lily despaired her naïve thinking from this morning- of course the vampire wouldn’t let go of his obsession for even one day.

Bella did eventually return a few hours later- trying to sneak in the house quietly from the front door; sucks to suck for her though Lily thought as she flicked the light on.

“So… Edward Cullen.” Bella blushed HARD, pulling the oversized jacket to cover her face as she refused to meet Lily’s eyes.

“I just… um… he helped me… we ran into each other… and he, um.. bought me dinner?” she eventually got out, the red flush getting deeper on her face.

“Well, it’s not like it’s any of my business, but you should be careful. Men are dangerous creatures ya know. I didn’t tell dad anything, but you should bring him around when the sun’s actually up if you want him to make a good impression.” Shrugging it off Lily finally went to bed; she had made a lot of dumb decisions when she was 16 the first time (cough... Cormac McLaggan… cough) and she really didn’t have room to judge Bella.

Lily didn’t even have anything against Vampires, she did have something against creepy stalkers though. Hey, maybe she also stalked someone a bit when she was 16- but that was for a valid reason and she was right about Malfoy- the difference was, Edward was not 16, no matter what his face looked like; and Malfoy was not a lonely naïve teenage girl.

Watching the two of them was painful- it quickly became obvious that Edward also had no experience in what being in a healthy relationship was. They were extremely co-dependent, always together and if they had to be apart for some reason were always throwing longing looks at each other, as if they couldn’t breathe without the other right beside them.

Even the other vampires looked to be weirded out by the two- except the little pixie girl, she just looked high on speed every time Lily saw her.

Today was the day Bella was supposed to introduce Edward to their father, Lily was sitting on the couch with a bowl of ice cream, watching Bella attempt to plead with the man to be nice, and dad clean his shotgun at the kitchen table.

It would have probably been a good tactic if that gun would’ve done anything to the eternal teen, but unfortunately, it wouldn’t.

Feeling the creeping sensation of sand drifting through her hands Lily turned her attention to the door right before a polite knock-knock-knock sounded.

Bella almost ran to the door- tripping on the rug into the sturdy wood with a slight thump- before she pulled it open quickly. Blushing harshly at the teen on the doorstep.

Edward dressed like a JC Penny catalog model, dated crème sweater and grey slacks held up by a brown leather belt that didn’t match his black shoes. He smiled at Bella with a crooked grin, stepping into the house to greet Charlie with a handshake.

He seemed surprised to see me when I stood up to take my bowl to the sink- blinking rapidly in confusion. I held out my hand for him to shake, shivering at the cold texture against my own skin for the brief moment we touched.

“It’s so nice to meet you Chief Swan, Bella’s told me so much about you.” Bella blushed darker at the attention, hanging onto Edwards free-hand limply.

“Right… where did you say you were taking her again?” Dad was trying to be intimidating, but it was falling a bit flat, he was too nice.

“Um.. Hiking, I know an easy trail, then tonight, my family’s having a little game of baseball.” Edward spoke softly, holding Bella’s hand gently.

“Taking Bella hiking and to baseball? Well…. Good luck.” Dad ran a hand through his dark hair before seeing the two out.

Lily returned to her room in the attic, for some reason she had a bad feeling about tonight.

Hearing Bella screaming at all was cause for concern, hearing the filthy things she was screaming at their father in a horrible parallel to the things their mother once did was making Lily Angry.

Lily couldn’t get angry, when she got angry things tended to start flying around and smashing- like she was the hulk or something.

Taking a calming breath Lily followed her sister out of the house- the taller girl already half-way to her truck with the bag of clothes she had grabbed. Snatching a fist full of dark brown hair Lily pulled Bella to a jerking stop. Bella giving a shocked cry- pale hand trying to pry her fingers out of the hold she had.

“I don’t know who you think you are Bella, but that was a disgusting display.” Lily could hear the trees rattle, bark groaning as her anger pushed at the trunks psychically.

“Let go!” Bella cried out again as Lily pulled harder at the roots of her hair “I don’t believe for one second anything you just spouted off in there, so if you want to run back to Mommy- Fine. But don’t ever hurt our father like that again, do you understand? If you need help, tell us, if you need space, let us know. But there is no reason for you to ever, ever say something like that again.”

Lily could feel the vampires surrounding the house, one of them leaking bloodlust like sandpaper across her throat. Releasing her sister Lily watched as she ran the rest of the way to the truck, face red and tears in her eyes. Turning back to the house she ignored the sound of the truck roaring to life, one of the vampires staying behind while the others ran after the lumbering vehicle.

Her Dad was sitting at the kitchen table, head in his hands crying- Lily felt her anger flash hot- door slamming closed behind her hard- glass shattering in the windows on either side of it. Closing her eyes,’ she tried to count to ten, forwards, backwards, in Spanish, the rage didn’t abate.

“Sorry, I’ll replace them.” Lily said tonelessly as her heart finally calmed down. She had enough money, Death had finally taken pity on her enough to set her up a bank account, but not enough pity to end the punishment early.

Slipping her shoes on she made sure to hug her Dad tightly before walking back out the front door avoiding the glass- since Bella had taken the truck she was stuck with her bike, riding into town to get the windows ordered just before closing.

Getting the confirmation about delivery for the next day she began the trek home, sand folding against her hands unpleasantly.

A quick feeling of sandpaper scraping across her face was the only warning- she was suddenly thrown from the bike in a bone breaking tangle of limbs, cold arms holding her down against a feminine chest.

“Ahhhh, James will like you.” Lily only had time to think – ‘oh it wasn’t a Cullen’ before teeth were clamping down on her shoulder roughly.

Screaming as the venom burned her veins immediately, she struggled against the hold she was in. The vampire released her with a sadistic laugh- a mistake on her part because as soon as she was released Lily flicked her hands out- the vampire screeching as her arms were ripped from their sockets; flesh like crystals glinting in the streetlights.

Lily seized, unable to do more than scream as the venom burned through her- she was vaguely aware of the vampire reattaching her arms with a snarl, the woman kicking her across the road before hauling her up over her small shoulder.

“Bitch- you’re lucky he wants you in one piece.” Their hair mingled together as the vampire ran, red and orange locs twisting like fire in the rushing wind.

Lily must have blacked out from the pain- it was almost as bad as the cruciatus curse and worse than the basilisk venom – because when she was next aware she was inside some kind of dance studio, everything scraped raw and burning still.

She screamed hoarsely- voice already giving out- she must have been screaming in her unconsciousness. She could make out what seemed to be a shirtless vampire with a video camera on the other side of the room but not much else.

How long had it been? She had no idea, but the burning was rising, the mirrors shattered on her next scream, lights swaying as she lost control. The vampire was thrown off his feet- slamming into a pillar as another wave of pain took over her mind. She was dying- finally- she just wanted to go home and cuddle with some of the hellhounds already.

This punishment was the worst, 10 out of 10- just horrible.

Her limbs lost feeling, toes, fingers, spreading up to her torso- the burning grew hotter in her heart as it tried to outlast the poison, beating too fast.

With a final shriek the burning stopped along with her heart, Lily exhaled in relief waiting to feel the magic return to her.

But… nothing did.

Then she heard cursing- there was movement, glass clinking. Opening her eyes, she saw she was still in the dance studio- what?

Standing much quicker than normal she saw her vision was vastly improved as well.

‘Those bitches… did they turn me?’ incredulous now Lily locked eyes with the black voids on the nomad’s face. Snarling at him in overwhelming anger she flung her right hand into a vertical push, left hand making a pulling motion.

The vampires surprised face stuck in place as his head was forcefully removed from his body. “Damn it! Do you know how long I’m gonna be stuck here now?!?” Death wouldn’t let her kill herself! Now she had to live out this life until someone else killed her!

‘Ah I can’t even eat or sleep anymore this sucks!’ Lily cried to herself without tears, kicking the headless body in frustration. ‘This is all Bella’s fault somehow’ she felt someone- a human running to her location.

Not wanting to become a murderer today she quickly ran- vampire speed taking over until she reached the other side of the city.

She didn’t have a cell with her, but she did find a payphone outside a gas station so she quickly called home.

“Dad it’s Lily- listen, I was on my way home and got attacked by a vampire. They brought me somewhere, I’m sure it’s not in Washington anymore with the weather here, I won’t be able to come home for a while.” Listening to the man freak out over the phone Lily sighed.

“I don’t know dad; I just can’t be around humans for a while until I get control over the whole bloodlust thing. I’ll make sure to call though and I’ll come home as soon as I can.”

Getting his reluctant agreement Lily hung up the phone- dragging a hand down her face she sighed again. Fucking Vampires.

She’d been hiding for almost a year- calling her dad every week as promised but mostly drifting around, she had quickly left the US for Europe, it was easier for her to blend in. She had perhaps an easier time than most with the bloodlust, she wasn’t quite sure but she did have a lot of practice trying to rein herself in at least.

Currently she was in France, snacking on the homeless population- she had just disposed of her latest meal when her cellphone rang. Licking the last trace of blood off her lips Lily answered the call.

Of course, Bella did something else to cause trouble- why wouldn’t she run off to Italy for no reason without a word. Leaving poor Jacob to break the news to their father that his remaining daughter had run away again.

When dad said that she was going to Italy Lily’s mind immediately flashed to the Volturi- ah, the Cullens probably did something. “I’ll find her and make sure she returns home.” I would need to be quick to make it to Italy before sunrise.

Taking a running start she quickly found herself at the airport- buying a one-way ticket that would depart in the next hour. Using a face mask to try and block out the scent of sweaty people Lily felt the life around her dance along her spine.

Since her transition, her power had become a bit more manageable. She couldn’t get headaches anymore, so although her range had extended to encompass miles all around her, she was no longer debilitated by the souls she sensed.

With that came the unfortunate effect of her other power getting stronger as well, she was no longer in control of the hard-earned telekinesis she had practiced so long for. The psychic waves would just destroy everything like a concussive blast instead of moving it as she intended.

Turning it from Accio-Depulso-Leviosa to bombarda in essence. After a nauseating four-hour flight she departed the Italian airport, running at high speeds to reach Volterra.

She arrived in the early morning, sun about to peak out along the horizon. She could feel the vampire nest in the center of town- making her way there just as the sun crested the sky bathing the city in light. Viewing the beautiful sight she waited to be greeted by the guards, she could feel them stalking behind her in the gloom of the alleyway.

“Good morning gentleman, I’ve come to see the kings.” She greeted them as she turned, light catching red eyes and glinting off redder hair.

The taller guard nodded, turning back the way he came- the shorter one staring at her for a moment before he too led the way into the castle.

In no time at all they reached the throne room, already in audience Edward Cullen sat desolate in the center of the room- pleading for death from the hands of the Kings.

Aro, caius, and marcus if what the few nomads she had met were to be believed. 

“I can’t live without her… please… just kill me.” He prostrated himself before the three vampires melodramatically. Lily made sure to stand behind the taller vampire and out of the Cullens sight. “I am sorry Edward, I’m afraid I just won’t be able to end the life of a vampire over a human girl.” The shortest king told him, the other two looked like they couldn’t be more disinterested.

After the rejection, a few guards escorted the eternal teen out of the room, the shorter guard leading her forward by the back.

“Masters, this vampire has come before you.” His voice was nice she noticed.

“Marvelous! What can the Volturi do for you my dear?” the short king asked with a high-pitched giggle.

“My Kings, I am Liliana Swan, I come before you on behalf of my sister Isabella. Unbeknownst to me, she has been told of vampire kind from the boy you just dismissed Edward Cullen. He believes her to be dead, she is not.” Letting their shock settle she continued- “I understand the price of knowledge is turning, or death. I would ask that you allow me to turn my sister once she has graduated from her school- losing both children of the police chief in a handful of months would bring too much attention on us. I can give you my guarantee that she will be changed, if the Cullens refuse, I will do so myself.”

The king gracefully glided down the Dias, holding out a hand to me, I allowed my sincerity as well as some select memories to surface outside my occlumency shields for Aro to view. Giving another hysterical sounding laugh the elder vampire skipped back up to the other kings.

“Oh, how wonderful, yes, yes, yes, I will agree to this. However, in return for our mercy, you my dear will have to serve with the guard for the next two hundred years.”

Ugh, maybe I let too much slip.

“As you say my king.” Giving a shallow bow to the three rulers Lily accepted the light grey cloak from a random vampire.

“For now, please join Felix and Demitri, we’ll find someone to pair you with in time.”