Selcouth • J. Hale ✓

lxvi.

Karina and Elijah's outfits for when they meet the Denali's are above!

chapter sixty-six.

The next day, the entire family was getting ready to leave on their witness hunt.

Karina and Leah were standing together as they waited for Jacob to finally arrive. Karina squeezed Leah's hand gently, something she's been doing since Jasper and Alice left last night.

"Alright, let's get this show on the...road." He frowned upon noticing the arrival of Sam.

Leah and Karina shared a look before Karina's eyes flashed red and she guarded Leah's thoughts from Edward. Everyone walked outside and Karina met Sam's gaze briefly before he looked away and towards Carlisle. He knew to keep his thoughts about Karina to himself so that he didn't give anything away.

"Alice asked me to give you that." He told Carlisle while handing him the letter. "She and Jasper crossed our lands to the ocean last night."

Karina knew that she had to act shocked, so she stumbled a bit and Leah caught her. "No." Karina whispered as she feigned devastation.

Carlisle looked at her sadly before looking down and reading the note. He was shocked as he looked at everyone.

"Carlisle?" Esme called out to him softly.

"They've left us." Carlisle stated.

"Why?" Rosalie asked and looked to see that Karina looked utterly broken.

Carlisle shook his head, "She didn't say."

"Can I see that?" Bella asked and Carlisle hands Alice's note to her. Karina moved from Leah's side to look at the note as well.

Gather as many witnesses as you can before the snow sticks to the ground.

That's when they'll come.

Bella turned the note over and noticed that it was a page torn from The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. She shared a look with Karina but felt her heartbreak at the sad look on Karina's face.

Bella took her hand and gave it a small squeeze, Karina smiled at her softly before walking back over to Leah who now had Elijah by her side. Karina smiled at her son and took his hand before leading him over to her car.

Leah sat in the passenger seat after Elijah climbed into the backseat and buckled in. Sharing a look with Leah, Karina wasn't sure that her sadness was fake anymore because the ache in her chest had appeared and she knew that Elijah could feel her emotions which made it worse.

She didn't know how she was going to do this.

∞

Karina and Leah followed behind Edward and Bella's car as they headed to the Denali's. They decided that it would be best that they talked to them as it was their sister's fault for not letting Bella or Karina explain.

As they parked their cars side by side, Karina watched as Edward got out of the car and approached the awaiting family. Karina hadn't met the family directly, but she remembered Mike checking them out at Bella's wedding. Karina smiled at the memory before she noticed Edward nod his head at her.

Karina turned in her seat to look at Elijah, "You ready to meet some family?"

"More of your family or daddy's?" Elijah asked her and Karina smiled at him.

"Not mine." She told him softly, "Daddy's."

Elijah nodded his head, "What if they don't like me? Or Nessa?"