The Unwanted Imprint

Chapter 28

Towards the edge of the city of Port Angeles, there were some woods, and that was where Nichole drove.

"Are you sure about this?" Bella asked nervously. "I mean, what if she doesn't have the answers you want?"

"Then I find someone who will. You alright there? You look a little pale."

"Oh, I'm fine. Going through a set of woods that's in every horror movie? Yeah, I'm perfectly fine."

"Bella, just relax, okay? Nothing is going to happen, neither of us are going to be murdered, we'll just go and see this witch, then we'll go into town and grab a bite to eat, and we'll go home, okay?"

"Fine, but don't come crying to me when some supernatural creature jumps out of the woods and decides that its going to tear us limb from limb."

Nichole rolled her eyes. "Now I know why you and Edward were meant for each other."

"And why's that?"

"You both take the title for Drama King and Queen." Nichole pulled into a small driveway. "Now, I want you to let me do all of the talking, okay? From what I've heard about this woman, she can be quite...volatile."

"Great, so not only did you drive us through dark and gloomy woods, but you brought us to the hut of a mad witch that can kill us if we say the wrong word."

"You can stay in the car if you want to."

"And let you just get yourself killed? I don't think so."

Nichole jumped out of the car. "Like I said, dramatic."

"Someone has to be the theatrical friend."

The house that they walked up to was indeed a hut. It looked dilapidated, like it might collapse at any moment. Several black cats were lurking around outside, and one of them hissed at the girls as they passed.

"Nichole, maybe we should go," Bella muttered, and Nichole shook her head. "No Bella, I'm not going until I get some answers."

Nichole took a deep breath before she knocked on the door, and it swung open with an eerie creaking sound. When it opened, it revealed an old woman in a rocking chair. The woman was still, and for a moment Nichole thought that the woman might be dead. But then the woman turned her head, causing the girls to jump back in surprise.

"Nichole Cullen. Or Williams would be more proper, wouldn't it?" The woman's voice was frail, and sounded like she hadn't had a glass of water in a good long time. "I knew that you would be coming to see me someday."

"You know who I am?" Nichole stepped inside the hut cautiously. Candles lit the room, giving the place an even more eerie feeling.

"You came here seeking information about your mother, yes?"

"Well...yeah, actually."

"Have a seat. Tell your friend that she needn't be shy, I'm not going to bite." She let out a cackling laugh.

"Let's just get this over with," Bella muttered. The girls took seats in rickety old chairs that were across from the woman.

"What do you know about my mother?" Nichole asked, causing the woman to hold up a hand. "Patience, little one, all will be revealed when it is meant to be. Your mother was a...very unique woman, very gifted in her magical skills and abilities. A hunter wasn't what she had wanted to do with her life. She had wanted to be a healer, to help people with her magic. But then her younger sister was killed by a vampire. Gorgeous little thing, with her blonde locks and pale skin, looked like a little porcelain doll. Well, your mother never fully recovered from the encounter, and her life path took a very drastic change. She swore to rid the world of every single vampire. She spent years hunting down vampires, slaughtering them. Then, on one of her hunts, she met your father. And not too long after that, you were born. It was only after you were born that she realized that your father was not a man, but a monster. Not a supernatural one, mind you, but a monster all the same. Now, he never laid a hand on your mother, but he had a very short temper, and she was afraid that he might lash out at you. Despite all of her magic, she couldn't control him, and she couldn't get away from him. He was the man that she loved, and she would stick by him, try to help him in any way that she knew how. The only way that she knew how to keep her family safe. She placed a spell on you and your father, one that would keep you safe from supernatural forces."

"The spell that kept Abasi from turning me," Nichole murmured.

"Exactly. The spell affected your blood, acting as a poison to vampires. No vampire can harm you without causing harm to themselves, and no vampire can turn you. It is a very strong magic, one that cost your mother all of her magical ability. She lived the rest of her days as a human, but she was perfectly content with that, because her family was safe and protected."

Nichole and Bella were left shocked and stunned. Bella looked at her best friend, who looked like she was ready to pass out. Nichole knew that she would be hearing some new revelations about her mother, but she hadn't expected anything like this. "What-"

Suddenly, the woman held up a hand. "We have some company. Volturi. You two need to leave this place immediately, it is you that they're after. Go now. Go out the back door, that leads to a patch of woods that they will lose you easily in." The woman stood, grabbing a bottle and spraying the girls down from head to toe. Nichole gagged, whatever it was reeked of skunk.

"Now they will not be able to trace you by smell." The woman explained. "Now go, go and get home to your family, they are the only ones that can protect you now, them and the wolf that imprinted on you."

Nichole had so many more questions that she wanted to ask the woman, but Bella tugged on her arm. "Come on Nichole, we have to go now, before they kill us." She pulled Nichole out the door, just before the hut burst into flames.