Apogee - Earthshine Sequel (Twilight Fan Fiction)

Chapter Two - Under The Canopy

I stood in Benjamin’s garden. Tall palm trees dotted around the garden, and a tall wall marked the ends of it. Large flower patches had colourful flowers blooming, their colours all given a golden tint from the setting sun. They were all flowers unknown to me, all ones I had never come across before.

In the centre of the garden stood a canopy painted white. Inside it were large cushions, all with tribal patterns printed on them. Along the banister of the canopy were tea lights, all lit. It looked so romantic; I didn’t think that Amun or Benjamin had this sort of taste. It must have been by Tia and Kebi’s hands.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered. Benjamin laughed quietly beside me.

“Isn’t it?” he sighed. “Tia and I would always come here and just sit and talk. We shared everything with each other.”

“It sounds like a piece of you is missing. Like you will never be the same,” I whispered.

“Do you feel the same way?”

I nodded.

Benjamin opened his arms to me, asking for an embrace. Although I hardly knew Benjamin, I felt safe around him, somewhat how I felt around Seth. I wrapped my arms around Benjamin’s slim but muscular body, and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

It felt so nice to be embraced again. The whole family had been very supportive to me after Seth’s death, asking if I wanted a hug whenever I looked the slightest bit depressed, but it was nothing like this embrace. It was the sort a lover would give to their partner. But we weren’t partners. It was too soon to force Benjamin into the hole Seth had left. I couldn’t love him, could I? And did he even like me? He had known Tia for centuries, so her death must have been so saddening for them.

“How did you feel when Tia died?” I whispered.

“Like my whole world had crashed down. Like my life wasn’t even worth living anymore. However, as soon as I saw Amun, I knew I couldn’t waste my life away. Although I tearlessly mourned over Tia’s death, so did Amun, and perhaps even more than me. I forced myself to accept her death, and focus on helping Amun. It’s why I’m so open to her death now,” Benjamin replied. “How about you and your boyfriend?”

“Seth,” I whispered, and my chest started to ache. I didn’t see how Benjamin could say Tia’s name without flinching in pain. “I didn’t know what to do. It was all my fault too. If I had protected Seth from the Volturi guard, he would have been saved. If I had made sure that Bella’s shield didn’t slip, so I wasn’t hurt by Jane’s power, the guard would never have the chance to break his neck.”

“That doesn’t sound like your fault,” Benjamin said. “It sounds like the Volturi’s. If they hadn’t tried to kill him, they wouldn’t have succeeded.”

“But if I had taken Gale’s punishment, instead of Seth taking it, he would have never died.”

Benjamin was silent for a moment, clearly confused. “There’s something I’m missing,” He said.

I pulled away from Benjamin, pulling him towards the canopy. We both sat down on the cushions, and I commenced telling him the whole story.

* * * *

 “Again, that doesn’t sound like your fault,” Benjamin said, twisting one of the tassels on one of the cushions between his fingers.

I remained silent, waiting for him to explain.

“Surely it would be Gale’s fault?”

I flinched. I didn’t want to think of it like that; placing the blame on my father. “He only wanted to have power. That’s why he forced me to turn him. Then he turned good, but the Volturi had already got their hands on him.”