Clearer (J.HALE)

11

The towel was warm and soft around my shoulders.

The mirror was steamed over, dribbles of condensation slicing it into uneven triangles and pooling on the sink. There were dark circles under my eyes and the bruises were really blossoming, dark and loud and persistent on the pale skin. I felt better, though. I'd warmed up and my shoulders didn't ache anymore, and it felt good to get the mud out of my hair.

Despite standing in the shower for nearly twenty minutes, the perfect time to sort out the mess of new information tangled in my head, all I could think about was what Jasper had said.

A heartbeat. He could hear the baby's heartbeat. It was real.

"Imogen?"

The voice was muffled by the locked door, but I recognised the soft tone to be Esme. "Yeah?"

"Your aunt is here," she said. "She seems adamant to see you right away."

I bit my lip. "Thank you. I'll be right down."

I dressed in a daze. Esme had provided me with a cotton blouse and a pair of jeans, my wet hair darkening the fabric of my shoulders and my bare feet padding on the floorboards. She smiled at me as I stepped out into the corridor, but I cowered at her effortless beauty. There I stood, beaten-up and baggy-eyed, and she basically glowed in comparison.

Aunt Meg stood by the glass doors in the living room, arms folded across her chest. Her hair was pulled back and she tapped her foot, only turning around when Carlisle spoke.

"Feeling better?"

"Lots, thank you," I replied, smiling warmly at him.

Meg's face was neutral. Spookily so. I cringed.

"Meg, I-

"Don't you ever do that again," she said coolly.

I grimaced. Carlisle and Esme excused themselves from the room.

"You keep your phone on," Meg continued. 'You check in, you tell me where you're going, who you're seeing. You don't just disappear and make me think you're dead in a ditch somewhere."

"I know I should have-

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because I was overwhelmed!" I exclaimed. "You guys just dropped a fucking bomb on me, I needed time to acclimatise!"

Her face tightened. "Where did you go?"

"The library," I answered. "I couldn't think of anywhere else."

Neither of us said anything for a few moments. Her voice wobbled a little when she next spoke.

"I'm glad you're safe."

I took a breath. "Carlisle was really good to me."

She dropped her arms and chewed on her lip. She looked just as exhausted as I felt. My gut twinged in guilt.

"You knew, then? About what they are?"

"Yes," she sighed. "I knew."

I nodded slowly. "Well, if you trust them, so do I."

She looked shocked. "Really?"

I shrugged. "Maybe I'm just delirious, but...if they haven't killed me yet, they probably won't, right?"

~~~

Not even a second after I shut the car door behind me, I was engulfed by several pairs of warm arms in tight hugs.