ᴅᴀᴡɴ ᴏꜰ ᴄʀɪᴍꜱᴏɴ ─── ᴇᴍᴍᴇᴛᴛ ᴄᴜʟʟᴇɴ ³

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴇᴠᴇɴᴛᴇᴇɴ: ʟᴏᴠᴇ

     Bella and I spent the evening together, and it was genuinely good. We pushed the limits of our strength, tested the speed that came so naturally now, and explored the heightened abilities that were still so new to me. She made it feel less like a curse and more like a gift—like this version of me could still be something whole. I think that was her goal all along: to help me see the light in all this darkness. And I adored her for it.

But even after all of that... I still didn't feel like myself. Not really. Not completely. It was like looking into a mirror and seeing someone else's reflection staring back. A stranger with my face.

Night had fallen completely, and I found myself once again standing at the edge of the cliff, staring out over the vast ocean. The sky was cloaked in darkness, but to me, it was all still vivid—every ripple of the waves, every shift in the wind. My heightened senses painted a world that never truly slept.

This place was quieter than anywhere else. The forest behind me had settled into stillness, its creatures tucked away in sleep. There were no distant howls, no rustling leaves—just the steady rhythm of the tide below.

I guessed it was nearing dawn. The sky held that fragile stillness that comes just before the sun begins its slow rise. A new day was on the horizon, but I wasn't sure what it would bring. I never went back to the house. After Bella and I went our separate ways, I wandered aimlessly through the forest, letting the night swallow me whole. I couldn't bring myself to face the others—not yet. Not my Grams, with her worried eyes and silent concern for me. Not Emmett, whose love was unwavering, but whose presence only deepened the guilt gnawing at my chest.

The thought of seeing them, of pretending I was ok when I wasn't, was too much. So, I kept walking, letting the shadows of the trees be my only company.

"She said you'll despise us for this," Emmett's voice broke the silence, low and steady. But I already knew he was there—had felt his presence long before he spoke. His footsteps were soft against the earth, but to me, they were thunder. "That we turned you into a monster," he said quietly, and the words struck something deep inside me. I didn't know how to respond—didn't know how I felt—so I stayed silent, eyes locked on the horizon, watching the waves roll endlessly. Anywhere was better than meeting his gaze.

"Charlotte," he said my name again, softer this time, and the silence between us grew heavy, louder than any words. It wasn't just a name he spoke. It was a plea. A call for me to let him in, to tell him what I was truly feeling.

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the sound of the waves soothe the chaos in my mind. The breeze tangled through my hair, cool against my skin. I could feel him behind me—his presence was steady, grounding—but I couldn't bring myself to turn around. Not yet.

"You didn't turn me into a monster," I finally whispered, my voice brittle. "Not really. But... I don't feel like me anymore." There was a beat of silence. Then his footsteps moved closer, slow and cautious, like he was afraid one wrong move might shatter me.