SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW ➻ DEMETRI VOLTURI

V E N T I S E I

She was standing in the reception hall, waiting impatiently and eagerly till the moment her family would finally walk through those doors. Or at least, part of her family. She was fidgeting with her hair, which was flowing down her back in curls except for the two parts where she'd pinned it up so it wouldn't fall in her face, moving her weight from one foot to another as if she was doing a little dance.

She'd barely slept last night, not even Demetri's soothing Greek reading was able to do the trick and when he had to leave in the middle of the night for one of his missions, one that would only allow him to return late tomorrow, the night seemed endless. And then, at last, the sun had risen and she'd jumped out of bed to prepare herself.

As soon as the doors opened, revealing the bearlike posture of Emmett, she rushed forward, jumping in his arms with a wide smile on her face. He gripped her tightly as well, his strong arms almost crushing her middle. Her smile turned into a smug smirk as he carefully set her down on the ground again. "You look even uglier than I can remember."

"Look at yourself, you look as fat as an elephant," Emmett countered, tousling her hair wildly. "Have they only been feeding you chocolate and sweets or something?"

Where some might have been insulted by such a comment, Cecilia only smirked, slapping her flat stomach loudly. "You're just jealous of my awesome top fit figure."

"Yes, he is, very much so," Rose joined in on the conversation, beaming down on Cecilia.

She rushed into the blonde's arms as well. Where Rose maybe didn't appear really affectionate, she had a soft spot for Cecilia, which she'd partially raised as well. For Cecilia it was the same, out of all her family members, she knew her mother and Rose had been most responsible for her.

"Hi Edward, Bella, Nessie," she said, hugging each one of them. She couldn't help but chuckle at Bella's awkward facial expression after their hug and a feeling of homesickness overwhelmed her. It was only now that she realised how much she'd missed the informality and comfortableness of her family. At this point, she didn't have to appear though, didn't need to straighten her spine or think carefully of the words leaving her mouth. It made her long for her mom and dad, which she knew would arrive only after these people had left.

"Home's been quiet without you," Edward said, smiling kindly.

"Finally some peace and rest," Emmett joined in teasingly. "Could have managed another week or two like that."

Cecilia rolled her eyes and gave the big vampire a nudge. It didn't move him in the slightest, but it still felt satisfying. "Soon enough I'll be a vampire too and then you'll have all the peace and quiet in the world. Well, after I've had my newborn phase of course."

"Are you threatening me, little one?" Emmett asked, raising his eyebrows high in question.

Cecilia only raised one eyebrow, copying his stance. "You can bet your ass I am."

"Alright, alright," Rose said, quickly moving in between Emmett and Cecilia, an apprehensive smile on her face. "Why don't you show us your room?"

"Of course, follow me," Cecilia said, already forgetting about Emmett's daring comments. Turning her back on her family, she rushed up the many stairs and walked to the corridors that lead her to Demetri's room. "I've only just learned to find my way to and from like a week ago, but it's all about the achievement, right?"

"It's literally going right twice, climbing two stairs and going left thrice," Nessie said, a giggle leaving her mouth after.

Cecilia rolled her eyes, shooting the girl she considered her sister a fake annoyed glance. "As I said, it's all about the achievement."