PROMISE - S. CLEARWATER

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍: 𝐒𝐎 𝐌𝐘 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆

    "It's beyond me. Maybe he wanted to see if she was really that unready to see Charlie. He's freaking out pretty bad. Sue's been staying with him a lot."

I raise my eyebrows and let out a little giggle. "Has she, now?"

    Emily rolls her eyes but smiles, "Yes, she has. Why do you think Seth's been staying over here most nights?"

    "Because we like staying here better than at his house?"

"No, it's because Sue and I both agreed that someone else needs to be in the house when the two of you are having sleepovers."

    "Leah would be at his."

    Emily gives me an exasperated look. "A responsible adult figure who would take care of you if you needed it and not pretend you both don't exist."

    "She talks to me sometimes."

    "We both know it's rare."

    I nod. "Yeah, but still. So, Sue and Charlie? Does that mean Bella's gonna be Seth and Leah's stepsister?"

    "Not yet, but maybe in a few years or so. They're pretty sweet. Sue doesn't tell me a lot, but what I've gotten so far is that he tries really hard to be gentle and kind, despite his hard demeanor."

"I can't really imagine him being anyone's...anything but dad or police chief, to be honest," He was pretty cute when he tried to offer her champagne at Bella's wedding, even if Billy followed it up by trying to cockblock him. "I'm happy for her, though. Good for her for finding someone to make her happy."

    "I agree. Come eat something while we wait for the boys to get back," she says as she pats my knee and stands up. I follow after her and sit at the counter as she puts a box of cereal, carton of milk and bowl in front of me.

    When I start to shove my face in the bowl she shrieks at me, practically throwing a spoon at my head in order to get me to use it. I grin sheepishly at her, milk dripping down my chin and back into my bowl.

    "Stop being gross," she says as she flicks my forehead with her middle finger. I make a noise of dissent and frown at her, which only makes her laugh. "You're turning into Seth, I swear."

    "I feel like that's not a compliment when you say it like that," I say with a mouthful of cereal still there. More milk dribbles down my chin as I speak, my words muffled by the food I'm trying to speak around.

    "Stop it. Stop talking to me, stop being weird. Just eat. Like a normal human. I'm begging you."

    "Okay."

    "Stop!"

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    I can hear Sam slam the door open many hours later. The sun is almost setting by now, but the clouds make it hard to tell how close it is to being gone. Seth hasn't come back at all; none of the pack has. This is the first I've heard of any of them since this morning when they were all howling.

    There's quiet muttering, a slam, then more muttering. A few swears. Footsteps thundering up the stairs, a calm knock on my door.

    "Come in?" I call, not sure if I really want to hear this. If something's happened to Seth...I don't even know what I would do.

    Sam opens my door and comes in slowly, looking around the room like he's expecting something to jump out at him. When nothing happens he sits on the edge of my bed. He looks sad and angry. I don't like those expressions on anyone, but especially not Sam, and not when Seth isn't there.

    "Where's Seth?"

    He winces and looks out the window. "Seth is no longer in the pack."

    I can hear the blood rushing to my head as my jaw goes slack. What does that even mean? How is that possible? Isn't the entire point of a werewolf to have a pack to fight threats with?

    "He's joined Jacob's separate pack."

    "What?"

    "Bella is pregnant with a mutant vampire baby. Despite our trust in the Cullens to keep a newborn full vampire from feeding on anything that breathes, we know nothing about this creature Bella's made. It needs to be eliminated, which would entail killing Bella-"

    "You can't kill her! It goes against the treaty!"

Sam glares at me. "She's made something that's a potential danger to the town, and it's our job to keep them safe. She's not blameless in this situation. Jacob had the same reaction you did, and split off from the rest of us. Seth and Leah followed him. They ratted us out to the Cullens, and are now their protectors."

    "You can't hurt them," I say indignantly, my knuckles turning pale white. "Those are your family, Sam."

    "If they stand in the way of our duty, we will do whatever it takes to get through them."

    "You would- you would kill them?" I ask. Sam winces again. "You can't kill them! Reason with them! Maybe the Cullens know more about the baby than we do-"

    "That thing is not a baby, it's a monstrous killing machine, and we need it gone."

    "How do you know that? You even said yourself that you don't know enough about it to let it live; how can you know enough to let it die, then?"

    He shakes his head and stands up, starting for the door. I call out, "Please don't kill them."

    "I can't promise anything."

"Sam-"

    He leaves. I'm left alone in my room, staring at the empty doorway where the fate of my soulmate was just decided. I can't promise anything. It isn't like I'm asking him to promise that Seth won't talk to the Cullens - that would be impossible. Just not to kill him. I can't promise anything.

    My breathing goes all shallow as I think of being without Seth tonight. It's been months since I slept without him by my side. My vision goes all foggy as tears cloud my eyes, but I blink and sweep them away hastily. I will not cry. I will stay strong.