Blood Moon [a Twilight Saga FanFiction]

Chatterbox

AFTER THE PARAMEDICS HAD TAKEN LIAM AWAY TO FORKS HOSPITAL AND I HAD  FINISHED THE NECESSARY PAPERWORK FOR BOTH HIM AND LAUREN, the day ended on a quiet note. With an hour left of the school day to go, and no more kids getting themselves injured or faking, or making, themselves sick, I didn't have anything to do other than talk the Shelley Cope and wonder how Igor was going.
     "Aren't you married?" Shelley asked after talking about her failing marriage. "Oh, sorry, I shouldn't pry."
     "No, it's okay. And yes, I am," I answered, lifting my left hand.
     "Oh my God!" She gasped, swivelling in her chair and grasping my hand, pulling closer so she could get a better look at the ring. "That is nice! How many carats is that?"
     "He never said, and I never looked it up."
     "You know most rings have a number engraved on the back that tells you how much it is?" Shelley raised a brow at me.
     Not ones as old as this one. "Honestly, Shell, I don't care how many carats it has. He could have given me an onion ring for an engagement ring and I wouldn't have cared."
     "Sure," Shelley chuckled and I internalised my disgust how just how materialistic humans had become. Humans had always been greedy, but it always surprised me when I saw first-hand, just how much.
    "Hopefully you will get to meet him, he will be coming to pick me up."
     "Looks like I'm just going to have to stick around until then, aren't I?" Shelley chuckled.
     "Looks like."
     When the bell went for the end of the school day, Shelley seemed to snap into end of day mode. She began packing things up, explaining to me what goes where and what she and the former school nurse did before locking up the school.
    "Sometimes I leave early if I really want to. Harry doesn't mind," Shelley admitted.
     So we cleaned up, said goodbye to the teachers, and Angela, as they all clocked off and began leaving. Shelley really did wait with me for Igor to get here. She began talking about... well random nonsense. Trivial things, really. She was quite the chatterbox for her age. I knew more about her than I ever intended to. I could see why Esme chose to not put herself into the town like Carlisle and the kids.
     So, of course, I noticed when she went quiet. I looked over to her and she was pulling her jacket tighter over her chest and was looking down the street.
     "I'm not sure how long he'll be, Shell. Just go home," I chuckled.
     "And leave you here alone? We may be a small town, Mrs Fraser, but I still would never leave another woman alone to wait for someone. Port Angeles isn't that far away."
     She was trying to protect me? I had to laugh at the thought.
     "Thank you," I muttered. "Perhaps we should wait in your car?"
     "Actually there's this really nice cafe just down the road from here. Why don't we wait there and can have a coffee while we wait for him? And that way you also get to taste Forks Coffee. Actually, that doesn't sound like a good idea, you've probably had better," Shelley babbled.
     "I'm not actually much of a coffee drinker if I'm honest," I laughed. The laughter was to hide my disgust at the reminder of exactly what I'd have to do if I were to ever drink ore at anything consumable to humans.
     "Tea? You do seem like a tea girl."
     "I don't really like hot drinks, actually. Sensitive teeth."
     "Oh, that's terrible! How do you get by your day! I can't survive without coffee."
     I shrugged and began walking with Shelley down the parking lot, I noticed it was also towards her car.
     "Come on, I'll drive us there. It's too cold to walk."
     This I agreed to. Sure, I didn't feel the cold, but humans did and I could already tell by the colour of her lips that she was freezing waiting with me for Igor. I'd have to talk to him about that.
     While Shelley drove us to Mocha Motion, I texted Igor to let him know where I was.
     "Ms Cope!"
     It was a teenage girl behind the counter, she still had her Forks High sports uniform on.
     "Hello, Miss Stacey. This is Mrs Fraser, the new school nurse. Can I please have a latte?" Shelley ordered.
     "Hello, Mrs Fraser," Stacey said.
     She seemed to be a nice girl. Her ears were too big for her head, thin lips, big green eyes. And her past told me that she was more worried about passing her English test tomorrow than why her mother had to suddenly rush out of the store with no warning and no explanation.
     "Can I get you anything, Mrs Fraser?" Stacey asked after Shelley paid for her coffee.
     "No, thank you. I'm alright."
     "I thought nurses lived off coffee?" She laughed.
     "Not this one. Can't stand the stuff," I went to sit at one of their small tables.
     "Take a seat, Ms Cope. I'll bring it to you," Stacey said softly.
     Shelley sat opposite me at the table and finally seemed to not find anything to talk about. We both sat comfortably and looked out the window. Though, when a middle-aged man came in and pushed her scent towards me, her past told me that she was thinking about my reaction to hearing about Carlisle and the Cullens. She wanted to know more but didn't want to ask me due to my reactions.
     Maybe when we know each other a bit more, I'll ask her then. Let her get comfortable before bombarding her with unsettling conversations. She had decided.
     "Thank you," I muttered.
     "For what?" Shelley asked as Stacey gave her the latte she ordered.
     "For not asking me about my brother and his family. I imagine you must be thinking about it as both the EMTs and that teachers aid, mentioned that I look like him."
     She shrugged and sipped her latte, looking out the window.
     "Tell me about your husband," she said while drinking. "What is he studying?"
     So I dove into Igor, well, Ian. His fascination with the human mind, why he chose to study psychiatry. 
     "Do you think you'll raise kids here in Forks? Sorry! That was inappropriate, we've just met-"
     "I can't have children," I said looking back out the window. I could feel Stacey watching us and listening while she did the stock.
    "Oh... I... I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."
     "It's not your fault." I looked over to Stacey. She gasped, her heart skipped and she quickly turned back around. She had been staring.
     Rescuing me from more questions, Igor suddenly pulled up and rushed in, holding his jacket close.
     "Hey, sorry about the wait," he said kissing me.
     "I need to get used to it. Maybe I'll make you pick me up from a museum next time," I joked. "Ian, this is Shelley the receptionist. She's been really friendly and supportive of everything today."
     "Hey there, Shelley. Ian Fraser," Igor shook her hand. Though, she wasn't very responsive. Her jaw was slack and her heart was racing. Hers wasn't the only one.
     Stacey dropped a ceramic glass but didn't seem to notice as it shattered at her feet. She was also staring at Igor.
     "Is the coffee here any good?" Igor asked and Shelley nodded, unable to find her voice.
     As humorous I found this, any human would be annoyed. Act human, I told myself.
     "Shelley," I snapped as Igor looked at the options on the menu. I wondered if he would actually be buying something. The silly idiot, always going that little bit too far into our act.
      When Shelley Cope didn't react to my voice, I made sure to see if Igor wasn't watching, then softly slapped her arm. She flinched and looked up at me.
     "Seriously?" I hissed. "He's taken!"
     "He's hot!" She whispered.
     "He's mine. Eyes off," I hissed and returned to Igor's side.
     He kissed my temple before reaching into his pocket for a wallet that wasn't there. He even acted as if he was checking his other pockets.
     "Damn, left it in the car. Oh well, guess that's a sign I shouldn't have it today. Maybe next time. See you, next time ladies!"
     Neither spoke as Igor and I left.
     "You weren't actually annoyed at Shelley Cope, were you?" Igor asked me once we were in the car.
     "Of course, not," I chuckled. "They can't help it! You should have seen the reaction I got at the school today! Actually, best you not. You're a bit more protective than I am."
     "I am," he agreed with a nod. "So what are we doing today? Building? Buying? Painting?"
     "Whatever we can squeeze in before tomorrow."
     He reached across the car to rest his hand on my thigh. He gave it a soft squeeze and I finally let myself breathe in the car and his past made me laugh. They had been talking about human desire and it had reminded him of his desires.
     "When we finish this house, Igor," I promised with a laugh. "We'll both catch the most horrible flu and have to take a week off."
     "Only a week?" He grinned like the boy he was.
     "Yes! A week! We're still adults and need to act as such."
     We were both laughing as Igor pulled into the driveway of the Cullens house so I could get into something slightly more comfortable for building the house.
     It was nearing midnight and Igor was finishing up the walls when my phone buzzed to life. An unknown number was on the screen, but only two families knew of this number.
     "Elizabeth Farkas," I answered.
     "Hey Lizzy," Mary Alice chirped over the line. "How's Forks?"
     "Wet," I answered, even though right now there was no rain.
     "Yeah, you'll get used to it. You'll finish the house by the end of the week, promise," she said.
     "You're not making this call for a light chat, Mary," Igor called and approached me, his shirt untucked and unbuttoned. Tempting my control.
     "You're right. That boy? The one Lizzy sent to the hospital today?" Mary said. Igor looked at me with a raised brow. I hadn't told him at all about Liam Attier. I hadn't even told him about Lauren, just how talkative Shelley had been. "Yeah, well, he didn't make it and the police are getting involved. Meaning..."
     "Meaning I am going to meet Chief Swan a lot sooner than anticipated. Have you seen his reaction?"
     "It's blurry. I think there'll be a wolf there which is why I can't see it properly. All I can say is that he won't be happy. At all."
     "A child died, Mary Alice," I sighed. "It may hit close to home for him."
     "Well, good luck. If you don't call them first, he'll be calling you just after lunch hour."
     "Thank you for the warning, Mary Alice."
     "Good luck."
     We hung up and I looked to Igor.
     "What happened today?" Igor asked, crossing his arms firmly over his chest.
     "Build and talk? Or we won't get done by the weekend."