𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐎𝐍 𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐇 | J.H

TWENTY TWO

Eleanor trailed Bella as she stopped at each tree, pricking her finger and smearing her blood over the browning leaves. She would've volunteered to help but she knew for a fact no vampire wanted her blood, according to Edward Eleanor's only scent was death.

"Alice said there was a storm coming."

"Yeah I can feel it," Jacob's eyes were on Bella - as usual, "We should get going."

Edward turned to Eleanor, "You ready?"

He was taking Eleanor up to their camping spot, seeing as her deathly scent was fairly faint and hard to track there was no reason to hide it. She nodded in response to Edward, taking a step towards him as he handed her his bag.

"I'll see you in a few hours."

Eleanor jumped on Edwards back with his bag on her own, the slight awkwardness made her uncomfortable - they had never been the best of friends and the close proximity made it clear.

Suddenly Eleanor was flying through the air, any icy breeze rushing against her neck as Edward carried her through the mountains. The cold almost made it feel as if she were under water, plunged into glacial waters. She enjoyed the sensation - remembering when cold was the singular thing she could feel.

Once they made it to the camping spot Edward immediatley began to set up the tent as Eleanor simply watched and pulled a cigarette from her pocket.

"I'm not much help - I've never been camping."

He didn't respond, so Eleanor wandered towards the edge of the small mountain clearing they stood on. The view was stunning, she sat so her legs dangled over as she smoked.

The sky was a moody grey, covered in clouds that reflected off of the large lake below them. Huge pine trees gathered around it, as if they were protecting it from the world. More mountains surrounded them, huge and snow-capped. They looked as if they'd never seen a human - perfectly untouched.

She admired it as she took a drag of her cigarette, comparing it to the other sites she'd seen.

To Eleanor's surprise, Edward appeared beside her and gingerly took a seat.

"I've always liked it in the mountains."

It was obvious he wasn't sure how to start the conversation, the empty air hanging around them. After a few moments of Eleanor's silence, he continued.

"It's odd. You know my 'life-changing' secret and you're best friends with my fiance yet I feel like I don't know you at all."

Eleanor exhaled a small cloud of smoke as she turned to him, he didn't look at her but she could see the curiosity in his face. She hadn't realised she was that interesting.

"I didn't think you wanted to."

"Well I didn't." He turned to her with a small smile on his face as he watched her head tilt slightly in a 'fair enough' motion. "But now you're potentially risking your life to protect Bella."

"Bella isn't just your fiance, she's been my best friend since we were born... despite the distance."

Edward smirked slightly at the protective tone in Eleanor's voice. The heat behind her answer, that he had despised when he'd heard it before in her voice, was charming in this context.

"I know that." He eyed her carefully, wishing he could hear the sarcastic thoughts he knew were tumbling around in her head.

"My father grew up here, with Charlie, they were good friends- best friends. Then my dad went to uni in London, met my mum and did whole marriage thing and popped me out." Eleanor's lips curled, so slightly that if Edward wasn't analysing her expressions he wouldn't have caught it.

"My dad liked to say the minute Charlie heard my mum was expecting he made sure Renee were too - 'just like the old days - we do everything together and always will.'"

That's when Eleanor's slight smile dropped and her voice died out.

For a moment she had forgotten, for a moment they were still there with her. Then reality dropped into place, like a feather falling slowly to the ground. Even with her blanket of numbness, her chest stung with regret.

"You don't talk about them much."

Eleanor turned to Edward as he spoke, his face showing nothing of his thoughts as always. But his eyes were different - softer. Whenever Eleanor had looked at them before they were harsh, on edge.

"Your parents, I mean."

Eleanor swallowed the painful feelings that had bubbled up, the ones she thought she would never have to feel. She embraced the blankness that hibernated within her, the one death had planted.

"Not much to talk about - they're dead."

Edward recognised the defensive tone, Eleanor's usual emotionless character laced with something more - guilt?

"Why did you learn to play piano?" Edward smiles at the side eye he receives, "Jasper likes to brag."

She scoffs, rolling her eyes at thought of Jasper bragging,

"My mum, she insisted on lessons since I was 5." A ghost of a smile played on her lips again, "All because the midwife said I had 'pianist hands' when I was born."

Eleanor continued telling meaningless stories of her childhood, the times she had spent with Bella and how she had grown up in the city. He enjoyed listening, it gave him an insight into her, deeper that the emotionless girl who liked to make sarcastic comments. Something that he lacked due to her protected mind.

Her voice was soothing as well, a mixture of the London accent - which told him she grew up wealthy, on the rich side of the city - and the lack of care as she narrated her infancy, flowing from one story to the next.

For an ordinary girl, she had done a lot with her life already.

Their conversation cut short when Edward heard Jake's heavy footsteps against the snow.

Edward ended, "Just because they're gone - it doesn't mean you can't enjoy the time you spent with them. Don't let their death change your memory of their life."

Eleanor flashed a rare smile, "I still think you're a twat."

Edward shook his head as he chuckled, "I believe thats an improvement."

"You got that right." Eleanor nodded as she jumped up.