SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW ➻ DEMETRI VOLTURI

V E N T I T R E

"Mom," Cecilia breathed out as soon as her eyes fell on the woman who had raised her. She let go of her suitcase, throwing her arms around Esmee and hugging her close. A broad smile came to her face when she saw Alice standing next to Jasper with a knowing smile on her face. Of course, she would have seen Aro's decision, which explained why they were waiting for her and Demetri without her having informed them.

"It's good to see you again," her mother said, drawing back. Lovingly, she pushed back a brown curl behind her daughter's ear.

Filled to the core with joy, Cecilia moved to the rest of her family. Not all of them had come to the airport, understandably, which meant that she would see the rest as soon as she got home. From the corners of her eyes, she saw Demetri talking to her father, but she didn't have much time to think about it, because Alice hugged her close.

"On a scale from one to ten, how awkward are the coming days going to be?" Cecilia whispered, so softly that only Alice could really hear.

Alice chuckled, the sound angelic. "It's going to be quite alright."

Letting go of Alice, Cecilia grabbed her suitcase and hooked her arm in Demetri's, determined not to leave him to her family's mercy. Together with the rest of her family, they walked out of the airport and got to the cars, getting to her family's home.

It didn't really surprise Cecilia that the house was located somewhere isolated in the middle of the forest, after all, all of their houses were, but it reminded her awfully of her home in Alaska, when she'd still been mortal. Only once before had she visited this house in Virginia, but it had been very brief. Now, she had the time to roam the house quietly.

She chuckled as she saw the display of all the different mortarboards her family members had achieved throughout the decades, the smile faltering from her face as she was once again painfully reminded that she had brought exactly none to the table. She hadn't even finished high school once, let alone five times.

Feeling a hand slip into hers, Cecilia snapped her head to Demetri, forcing a smile on her face. Though he didn't have Edward's gift, the look on his face told her everything she needed to know, much like hers had probably done to him. He raised their intertwined hands, placing a soft kiss on one of her knuckles.

"You know a silly diploma doesn't measure your intelligence, right?" Demetri said softly, the words barely audible.

Cecilia let out a sigh, something so human but which still felt great to do every now and then, and shrugged. She wasn't entirely sure whether her feelings of sadness were because she hadn't finished high school and gotten a silly diploma, as her soulmate put it, or because she missed the 'human' experience her family always got. "I know."

"Cecy!" a loud voice thundered through the house, almost making it shake on its foundations.

Exactly a second later, she was picked up from the ground and twisted around like she was some rag doll, forcing her to let go of Demetri's hand. Emmett smiled broadly at her, putting her back on both her feet and ruffling her hair harshly. In return, she gave him a shove that caused him to stumble a couple of steps back, something she had never managed when she was still a mortal.

Though Cecilia didn't particularly appreciate it when her hair was messed up, she was glad to see Emmett again. Smirking, she gave him another shove. "Didn't expect I was so strong, huh?"

"No," he replied. He looked at her teasingly. "I don't know what you do in Volterra, but I'd almost say you got fat. Jasper, is it possible for vampires to get fat after - ouch!"

"You mistake these pretty muscles for fat again and I'll show you exactly how fat I've become in Volterra," Cecilia countered, but she was still smiling. It was only then that she realised that she had missed her family's informal bickering, especially after years of strict etiquette within the Volturi.