The Immortal Children

Never Stood A Chance

The wolves arrived first. It made sense, really, since Seth had contacted them before the Cullens even knew he had reached us. I was still huddled on the floor of the bathroom, but I could hear their howls as they approached the house and made their presence known. Though these vampires were in good standing with the pack, it would be a mistake to appear as if they were sneaking up on the house. 

Despite the howls of his pack, Seth remained stationed right outside the bathroom door, still waiting for me to come out. Even if I couldn't see Seth's shadow from under the door, I could hear every breath he took, every beat of his heart, through the thin wood of the bathroom door. He hadn't left his position for hours, and if I wasn't able to hear his anxiously racing heart, I'd have assumed he'd fallen asleep.

I heard most of the footsteps stop outside, but two pairs came walking into the house. I heard Sam and Jacob Black greet the members of the Denali coven.

I didn't know Sam very well. Really, our only meeting had been the very first time I'd met the wolves. Since then, I had largely avoided the pack. Jacob Black was the only one I saw often, aside from Seth. And even then, his attention was always exclusively on Renesmee. Ashlynn probably knew him pretty well, since she had spent a lot of time with Nessie, as well.

 It wasn't long before I heard their footsteps making their way down the hall, towards me. Sam and Jacob spoke in rushed whispers to Seth, and even my vampire hearing couldn't quite pick up their words. 

As quickly as they had entered the house, they left. Seth and Jake didn't seem to mind much when at the Cullens house, but Seth had informed me that vampires smelled awful to werewolves. Like burnt sugar, sickly sweet. It had made me self conscious, and Seth had immediately pulled me back towards him when I tried to put some distance between us. He assured me that I smelled perfect to him, but that his pack didn't like to come into the Cullens' house much. I assumed that was why they hadn't wanted to stay in the Denali's house, either. They just didn't want to deal with the smell. 

Kate cooked something that smelled like pasta for the pack, and I heard her take it outside to them. Chris was skipping all around, and I heard his giggles as he played with members of the pack. I heard Ashlynn quietly talking to Kate and Tanya, and sometimes even some of the wolves. But none of that really mattered. It wasn't until I heard the excited chatter of my siblings that I realized something important had happened; the Cullens were arriving. 

I pushed myself to my feet, and it was my first time standing in hours. I had spent half of the day forlornly leaning against the tub. Seth must have heard me get up, because he shifted from his position where he leaned against the outside of the door. he was probably hoping I would finally open it .

Reaching up, I pulled myself up and over the bathtub, holding onto the window sill as my feet dangled below me. I peeked out of the high window, watching the commotion outside as the pack sensed the Cullens arriving. Chris and Ash were eagerly standing near the treeline, staring excitedly into the forest. 

Esme and Carlisle stepped into view, having apparently made the trip to collect us all alone. It made sense since they were the Coven leaders. Chris threw himself into Esme's arms, and Ashlynn darted forward into Carlisle's embrace. It was almost strange to see how elated my siblings were, after they had been devoid of real emotion for so long. Their happiness at seeing Seth was like a dull echo of the excitement they were displaying in that moment. I saw Emse turn and smile in my direction, and I quickly ducked down, out of sight.

Still having no idea how to deal with the situation, I remained in the bathroom for several more minutes. We couldn't go back with the Cullens. But we also probably couldn't outrun them. That left us with only one option- trying to reason with them. Though I was pretty sure it wasn't a battle I could win, I made my way over to the door and unlocked it, determined to try.