The rest of their ride had been relatively peaceful, and Edward and kept his word. She had been awarded with her CD with songs hand-picked by Edward Cullen. Who else could say that Edward Cullen had made them a CD? She had kissed his cheek to tell him thanks, and then, like a gentleman, he walked her to her doorstep and waited for her to go inside. Of course, when she had entered the house, he turned away, feeling a little more empty than before. He watched as a light in the attic turned on as he drove away from her house.
He knew Alice would pester him for answers later on, but for now, he wanted to linger on the fact that Juliette had worked her way into his heart. It was enough to make any romantic poet cry.
His very own Juliette.
Meanwhile, Juliette had taken quickly upstairs, grabbing her mp3 player and her laptop to play Edward's CD. She had been all too eager to do so, but she didn't want to hear questions from her mother, father, and sister. So, she went to their attic turned art studio and shut the door.
When her parents had discovered that she liked to paint, they had all too willingly turned the attic into an art studio. They had the floors strengthened, the insulation covered up, and added a sink for her to rinse her brushes and palettes. She put the CD into her laptop and then connected her mp3 player with a USB cord. She waited for both devices to wake up, and began to fiddle around her fingers as she laid on the cool floor.
The sound of pianos filled the room and she closed her eyes, looking at the laptop as it loaded the track list. She began to burn it to her mp3 so that she wasn't always carrying around the CD. She'd keep it in her car through. When it was done, she ejected the disk and placed it in the case, before carrying her things back to her room. And waiting on her bed, was her mother.
Valentina had a wide grin on her face, sending Juliette into a state of alarm. "Am I in trouble?" She asked out of habit, placing her laptop on the desk and hiding the CD behind her back.
"How was it?" Her mom asked.
"How was what?"
"Your date!" Valentina chuckled, shaking her head. Juliette's cheeks reddened as she shook her head. As she was about to reply, the timer on their oven downstairs beeped, causing her mom to stand to her feet. "I'll be back. I've got to go get those cookies before your dad eats them."
Juliette shook her head, grabbing her faded tweety bird shirt, a pair of underwear and a pair of old black leggings before walking off to the shower. Once she was done, running a comb through her hair, her mother had kept her promise, sitting on Juliette's bed with a plate of chocolate chip cookies.
Juliette's features lit up like a star as she sat down on her bed.
"So, how was it?" Her mom pressed again.
"It was fine. And it wasn't a date. We just went the art museum and then we ate dinner."
"So, basically a date." Her mother said. "But give me more details! Did you two kiss or anything?"
"Mom!" Juliette laughed. "No. Edward's a gentleman. He opened doors for me, and took care of me. It was just two friends, hanging out." She ran her fingers through her thick brown curls, snatching a cookie from the plate in her mother's hands. Her mother simply touched Juliette's hand, and sighed happily.
"Don't tell your father, mija, but I'm glad to see you being a normal teenager. I was worried you'd spend too much time inside to yourself," Juliette raised her brows at this idea, her lips pressed together as if to wonder what her mother could be possibly implying. "Besides playing Lacrosse with a bunch of boys. I'm glad to see that you're enjoying the company of others." She elaborated.
The brunette rolled her eyes playfully, her mother hitting her gently in the arm. "So, when are you seeing him again?" She couldn't help but be curious to poke her nose in her daughter's business.
"Saturday," She recited coolly, her heart pounding against her chest. There was something about Edward Cullen's whole existence that made her soul want to leap out of her chest and exorcise itself from her body. It wasn't a bad feeling, but instead, a rather unusual one. No one had ever made her feel that way, and she was still coming to terms that she could have a romantic relationship with someone of the opposing gender, especially after her awkward idea of her freshman year in which she thought boys to be so unattractive, she would have to resort to playing for the same team she was on.
"Saturday," Her mother repeated. "So soon?"
Juliette could tell her mother was growing curious, and she bit down into her lip, blowing curls of hair out of her eyes. "He promised to come to the beach with me and some of my friends if I would go to a concert with him."
"A concert?" Her mother's eyes nearly jumped out of her head in surprise. The gesture ticked Juliette so much, she laughed until her belly ached.
"Yes. To see Yo Yo Ma. He's a cellist."
"Juliette," Her mother scoffed. "I know who Yo Yo Ma is. I'm old, but I'm not that old."
Juliette laughed again, flashing a goofy grin that sent her mother into hysterics. The younger brunette couldn't help but laugh with her mother as she leaned against the woman's body, supporting both of them.
As Juliette went to respond, her phone vibrated under her pillow, causing her to both bite into her cookie and chew as she answered the phone call. "Pen, is everything alright?"
Penelope's excitement was instantaneously obvious. "Juliette, you won't believe what happened!"
"You didn't murder someone?" Juliette questioned, unsure of what could cause Penelope to be so excited. Nearly anything and everything made the blonde eager. But for the girl to nearly be screaming in Juliette's ear, it had to be something worthwhile.
"That too," Penelope laughed. "But nah, J. You want me to tell you?"
"That would actually be great," Juliette drawled out tiredly, rolling onto her stomach.
"Catalina asked me out."
"What?" Juliette grinned, happy for her best friend. "Cat actually asked you out, or did you ask out Cat?"
"Well..." Penelope drawled out, snickering to herself. "I asked, but she said yes."
"I told you," Juliette said, leaning against her pillow as she couldn't help but giggle at Penelope's excitement. "All you had to do was gain the nerve."
"So," Penelope began to start, as Jules heard yelling in the background. "Aw," She complained. "I got to go, J."
"Alright," Juliette relented, before she yawned. "Night, P." She hung up her phone, and laid it on the dresser, before her mom left the plate of cookies on the bed.
Her mother kissed her forehead, causing Juliette to make a teasingly disgusted noise, which only made her mother roll her eyes. "Night, mija." The asian woman mused, before waving a hand and walking out the door.
"Night, mama." She called behind her as the woman disappeared. Juliette put one of her earbuds in her ear, before she scrolled through the playlist designated for the songs Edward had picked for her. She picked up another cookie as she finished with the first, and began to listen to the songs, classical music filling her ears. As she finished with the last cookie, she laid back, turning her lamp off, and curling onto her side. She heard the sound of the plate hit the floor, and groaned as she forced herself to pick it. If she didn't, she knew she'd probably trip over it in the morning. She pushed it back onto the dresser, next to her alarm clock, before rolling onto her back, tossing and turning.
After the playlist had hit its third cycle, she finally managed to doze off. For her, it seemed to be an impossible feat.
As Edward crept into her window, sitting down into their chair in front of her desk, he looked to the small picture frame, pushed into the corner of said desk. There was Juliette's adopted father and mother, standing with a younger, about five years old in fact, Juliette, and another girl who was about seven or eight, with a head full of curly hair. He picked up the picture, observing it, as he turned his head to the sleeping girl behind him. She whimpered softly in her sleep before relaxing, as he saw the smeared black makeup around her eyes. He noticed the faint shadows under her eyes, hidden by her thick lashes much like a curtain. He began to wonder how often she had gone lacking in sleep, until he saw the white cord of her earbuds tangled around her right arm. He walked over, cutting her mp3 player off, and laying it on the dresser once he managed to free her from the mess that was the cord around her forearm and elbow.
He laid the device aside, watching her sleep. There was something fascinating about how she could be so unaware and content in her slumber. His nose twitched as he picked up the smell of smoke and burnt honey lingering around her bed. The smell was unusual, except for the last scent that smelt like mint and fressia. He was sure he recognized the last scent, but he couldn't be sure. He knew what her mother, sister, and father had smelt like, and none of the scents matched.
His phone began to ring, and he swore as he pulled it out of his pocket, seeing Alice's name flashing. His ears picked up the sound of the floorboards creaking, and he quickly left her room, shutting the window afterwards, answering the call outside once he had ran far enough.
"Edward," Alice said frantically. "You need to come home, now."
"On my way, Alice." He replied, before zipping through the trees.
The run there seemed to be faster than his run away from their makeshift home. Of course, Esme had decorated and was still decorating the home, but it wasn't as broken in their home in Forks. He only wondered what Alice had seen that caused her to panic. As he walked through the front door, his family was arranged in the living room with the exception of a familiar face.
Brandon.
Brandon was a lanky vampire, more willowy in figure. His strength wasn't advertised, not like Emmett were it was evident. His bright amber eyes peered at Edward as he looked at him. His tan skin reminded him of Juliette, his dark brown hair falling in curls and down into his eyes. He even had her same strong jawline.
"What is he doing here?" Edward asked bluntly, his eyes falling on Alice. She shifted her head and rolled her eyes at her brother's dramatics.
"He came to warn us." Carlisle answers softly, his hand squeezing Esme's. Edward looked over all of his siblings' faces at once, all of them seeming to be aware of something he didn't know.
Alice's features fell as Jasper sat her down, putting a pencil and paper in her hands so that she could sketch her vision. Alice tensed solely, as the vision behind her eyes came to life.
Juliette was running, just as fast as she had before. But there was a frightened, frantic pace in how she was carrying herself. She turned her head to look over her shoulder, as she ran. Her movements were random and wild, as she finally tripped over a branch. She landed hard on her shoulder, before rolling onto her back, breathing heavily. Alice couldn't see the face of her attacker, but she heard Juliette's cry loud and clear as they sank their teeth into her wrist. Her face contorted into a look of pure agony as she began to moan and scream in pain. Her eyes flew open to look at someone, her other hand reaching out for them.
"Edward!" She yelled, her throat constricting in pain. Tears welled up in her eyes as she cried for him again and again, but he never came.
Alice's eyes snapped open, and she forced herself to breath despite the fact that she no longer needed to.
Edward looked at her, then followed Alice's glance to Brandon, who stood in silence, observing the situation. He picked up the scent of mint and fressia on Brandon, remembering the smell from Juliette's room. Edward growled and charged him, slamming him into the wall with no regard for Esme's vase nearby.
"You know something, don't you?" Edward growled, his teeth snapping at Brandon's cheek.
"Edward! Enough," Carlisle yelled, his eyes narrowed at his son's behavior.
Edward let go of Brandon's shirt, still inches away from him, his eyes narrowed with an unspoken anger.
Brandon looked at Edward and then focused on Carlisle. Carlisle nodded, resuming his calm composure. "Resume where you left off, Brandon."
"Okay." He took a nervous breath, ignoring the fact that they no longer needed to breath. "My father, who is also Juliette's father is coming for her. It's how his coven is built. The full vampires, which the only remaining one is my grandfather, created offspring, which was my father and his half brother. And in order for them to be turned to full vampires, they have to birth a child. My uncle was the first, and would inherit the power of the coven once my grandfather died. My father didn't want that, so he impregnated both my mother and Juliette's mother. Juliette's mother was just a fail-safe in case my mother didn't become pregnant. My mother died in childbirth, which he simply saw as a lost. "
"But for Juliette's mother, he loved her. Once Juliette was born, he turned her mother. In fear that she would attack Juliette, they gave her to a woman who lived in the slums of Costa Rica. They meant to come back for Juliette to raise her, but by that time, she had been adopted. They found out where she was through the agency, and tracked her here. My father wants Juliette, as he sees her as something that belongs to him. He wants to turn her into a vampire, so that he can finally have the power he needs to kill his brother and take control of our coven. He was going to turn her a few nights ago, but he discovered your scent, Edward. I told him not to pursue it and that I would find it, but he tracked it himself and decide that he would have me stay in Forks, which is where I was anyways. I had to leave my girlfriend last night to come and tell you all."
Edward took a step back from Brandon and clinched his fists. Carlisle glanced at him, a bit confused onto how a vampire could conceive a child, but he didn't press it. Brandon, in all the years he had known him, had never lied, and as passionate as he was about this, Carlisle couldn't believe him to be lying.
"Edward," Carlisle said softly. "Have you told her?"
Edward shook his head. "No."
Rosalie quirked a manicured brow, her fingernails tapping her chin. "Please don't tell me you're going to suggest that he should tell her he's a vampire. What good is that going to do? It's just going to put us in more danger." She smirked slightly. "I think that if her father wants to turn her, then he should. He's not harming us."
"Rose!" Esme started. "Your brother loves this girl." The brunette woman hesitated, looking at Edward. "You do love her, right?"
He nodded firmly, his hands clenched as Alice came and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You have to tell her. You have to protect her if you're so insistent on her staying human."
Edward nodded, and Carlisle smiled at Brandon, although his eyes were soft and sad, as if he were a thousand miles away. "Thank you for telling us," Esme nodded at him. Brandon walked out of the door and they watched as he ran away, before disappearing through the wood line.
"I'll tell her when I see her Saturday." Edward sighed, before disappearing to his room. He looked at the piano in the corner of his room, and sat down stiffly. He began to absent-mindedly tap at the keys, but nothing more than that.
He wasn't sure if he was looking forward to revealing himself to Juliette. The thought of her made his heart want to lurch in his chest. And the thought of losing her was worse.
The drive to her house was easy come Saturday morning. He wore a freshly ironed white t-shirt and dark blue jeans. He took a second glance at his blue windbreaker and his black shoes, hoping it was casual enough. As he drove down the neighborhood, he saw Juliette's cherry red Jeep, two surfboards strapped on top. He parked on the side of the road, and walked towards the door, before ringing the doorbell.
Her father answered with a kind smile, "Come on in," He said. "She's finishing up eating."
"Dad, is that Edward?" Juliette's voice ran out from the kitchen. Juliette's father waved a hand, leading Edward through the kitchen. Edward saw Juliette, dressed in a pair of board leggings and a blue rash guard top. Her eyes lit up when she saw him and his body felt lighter with her. Juliette stood up from her spot at the table, and ran over, wrapping her arms around his neck. She laughed as he spun her around, his hands landing on her hips. The fabric of her clothes were thinner, and he could feel all her heat radiate off of her at once.
"I hope you brought something to entertain you," She smiled as she pulled away from his neck. "And I hope you've gotten everything you need out your car, because I'm driving." She grabbed her bag and tossed her plate in the sink. "It's a thirty minute drive, so my food will be well digested," she informed him.
Edward parted his lips to comment about why they couldn't take his car, but she pressed a finger to his lip as she turned around.
"I'm not getting sand in your car." She said, walking to the door and Edward followed her.
"You know, I'm not even going to argue with you, Juliette."
She grinned, kissing the corner of his mouth dangerously close. "Good," she smirked as she walked to the driver side of her Jeep. "Cause you'd lose, every time."
"Unfortunately," he laughed softly. "I know I would."
[ there's the end to another chapter! There's probably a good four to five more chapters left in this part, and I'm excited for the next parts of Juliette's story! So far, the power for Juliette I like most is fire manipulation, and the baby name I like most is Johnathan. Continue to give me ideas for powers and names and genders, as we still have a long time to decide! And I hope everything is sort of clearing up as to how Juliette is and her background. If you have any questions still, please ask! ]