INNER DEMONS (edward cullen)

𝖔𝖓𝖊

It had been two months since Charlotte had attended her first prom with Edward Cullen. Their relationship had grown stronger after but Charlotte still hadn't moved in to the Cullens' home, as she liked her own company more times than not. It was weird for her to be so social with the same people for such a long period of time, and staying in one place was very new to her.

Her relationship with Alice and Rosalie had grown dramatically, but Rosalie was still cold towards her sometimes and Charlotte accepted that, there was nothing she could do so she didn't dwell on it. Alice was always begging Charlotte to play dress up with her and hairdressers, which she begrudgingly accepted on occasion. Jasper was always on alert around her and she didn't know why but Alice had said it was to do with his past as a vampire, something about an encounter with one of her kind before. Emmett and Charlotte were known as the 'gamer buddies' in the Cullen house. They were constantly playing, extremely competitively, and both enjoyed a small fight every now and then. Carlisle and Esme viewed Charlotte as one of their own children, and they loved the happiness she brought to, not only Edward but, all of their family. And Charlotte only saw them now as her adoptive parents...

Now, Edward and Charlotte were usually always with one another, unless Charlotte decided she wanted to spend some time alone - usually to do her job as a demon and gather the worthy souls.

"Charlotte!" Alice called from her room. Charlotte and Edward were in his room, playing a game of chess. "What Alice? I'm trying to kick Edward's 100-ish year old ass," she called back, moving her queen into a safe place on the board. Edward chuckled, whispering quietly, "Key word is trying." A gasp from Charlotte was drowned out by Alice exploding into the room. "Charlotte James! You didn't tell me your birthday was coming up next week!" Alice's voice was the same level of dramatic that she always used, and Charlotte only rolled her eyes. "Well," she defended, "I just assumed that after 500 years, it gets a bit meaningless. And anyway, how did you find out?" The silence in the room made it very obvious that Edward had in fact told her. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, and muttered, "Checkmate."

A week had passed and it was the day of Charlotte's birthday. She wore her favourite red summer dress, matched with grey tights and winter boots, as well as her leather jacket. She really needed a new one but it was comfortable enough for her. Her red hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and she wore bright red lipstick, after all, how many times does someone turn 548?

Charlotte heard the silver Volvo before she saw it; the distinctive purr of the engine could be heard just short of a mile away. She gathered her bag, along with her school supplies and headed outside to meet her boyfriend. He climbed out of his car, bronze hair untamed and clothes designer, running over to open the car door for Charlotte. His smile was bright and he kissed her cheek gently, "Happy birthday, Charlotte." His voice made her swoon but she caught herself, patting him on his cheek and giggling as she watched him run back to his side of the car.

The drive to school had been spent in silence but it was a comfortable one, not where you constantly find yourself shifting in your seat, thinking of something, anything, to talk about and break the silence. The school parking lot was as busy as it could be for the lack of students there, Edward's spot open as always, and Rosalie's red convertible sat next to his space, the Cullens' gathered around it.

"Charlotte! Happy birthday!" Alice was the first to greet her, a strong hug was the welcoming she always received from the small pixie; looks can be deceiving and Alice was an example of it. A bear hug from Emmett was next and a nod from Jasper, as well as a tight-lipped smile from Rosalie. "So," Alice smiled mischievously, "Party at ours tonight! Esme misses you and Carlisle's gotten the evening off of work, so you can't refuse now!" Alice's happiness was contagious and Charlotte found herself wanting to bounce up and down with the pixie. It wasn't until she heard Edward chuckling and looking at Jasper did she realise what was happening. "Hey, Jasper, no fair with the mood control thing!" She whined at him. "Sorry Charlotte. Happy birthday, see you later." And with that Charlotte and Edward were left alone. He smiled down at her, her eyes their lightest shade of brown from her recent visit to Seattle, and his a brightness of topaz from his recent hunting trip with Alice and Emmett.