SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW ➻ DEMETRI VOLTURI

U N O

She woke up from the sound of people singing softly, though loud enough to wake her. Their voices sounded angelic and familiar and even before she opened her eyes, a smile had found itself on her lips. When she did open her eyes, she was taken aback by her family's beauty, just for a split second. She saw them every day and still she wasn't used to the perfection that simply clung to them. 

"Happy birthday, dear Celia," they sang in unison. "Happy birthday to you."

"Thank you guys," she said, her smile brightening the room. 

"Alright, get dressed, honey, we have a surprise for you downstairs," her mother said. She pressed her cold lips to her daughter's temple, before giving her a sweet smile and disappearing out of the room. Her family followed after. 

Cecilia let out a loud yawn, stretching her arms until they touched her headboard. Once a year they woke her like this, her whole family standing by the end of her bed, all singing cheerily. Exactly seventeen years ago a strange woman and man had found her lying in the middle of the forest, only protected by a linen cloth, one she still had in her possession to this day. That strange woman and man she now considered her mom and dad, loving both dearly.

She pushed the covers from her body and swung her legs over the edge of her bed. As soon as her feet touched the cold tiles of the floor a thin layer of goosebumps covered her skin. She slipped her feet into the comfortable fuzzy slippers instead, forcing herself to stand up and stretch once again. She absolutely loved the feeling of stretching in the morning, the way her muscles tensed and relaxed again. She'd told Rosalie once and the girl had declared her crazy. Cecilia had taken it with a grain of salt, because after all, Rose was the one who hadn't slept in over seventy years, so how could she remember what it felt like to stretch in the morning. 

From her closet, she grabbed a knitted grey dress, the wool protecting her from the cold. She had been living in Alaska for over fifteen years now, but the cold was something she hadn't quite gotten used to either. She turned her head to the heater that was placed in the corner of her room. Some time deep in the night it must have shut itself off, because her room felt oddly chilly. 

As soon as she'd put her brown hair up, she took a moment to observe herself in the mirror on her desk. Two monotone blue eyes stared back and she couldn't help but compare her beauty to the one of her family. She had tried to force the thoughts of comparison away for a long time, but they kept popping into her mind, reminding her of the imperfections she had. Now, she took the time to really watch the small squiggly scar above her right eyebrow from when Emmett had pushed her slightly too hard as a child and she'd ended up falling on top of a stone, Rose had given him hell for that one. Her eyes observed her crooked smile, the corner of her left lip ending slightly higher than the right one and the way her skin was anything but even. She was critical of herself, that was for sure, and every now and then she had to remind herself that it was only temporary. Another year and her father would turn her, making all those imperfections disappear. 

"Are you ready yet?" a voice called out, the sound abruptly pulling her out of thoughts. 

Cecilia looked up to Alice, the look in her eyes like she was caught doing something illegal. The girl cleared her throat, the everlasting grateful smile finding its way back on her lips. "Yes, I was just about to go down."

"Great, let's go," the black-haired girl said enthusiastically, her voice sounding somewhat like bells chiming. She held out her arm and Cecilia hooked hers into it gratefully. 

Together they made their way down the stairs. One swiftly and elegantly, the other a little more... humanlike.

As soon as her eyes landed on the people standing in front of her, all of them calling out 'happy birthday', Cecilia forgot all about her insecurities from seconds earlier. "Benjamin, Tia!" she called out happily as she rushed down the stairs. Though both had red eyes, she wasn't afraid to wrap her arms around their necks, drawing them in for a hug.  "It's been ages."