~ Esme ~
----------- Chapter 14 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I sit up and squint in the darkness. When did it get so late? I glance at the little clock on my bedside stand, it says 2 in the morning. I groan quietly and grasp my aching head.
I quietly walk down the stairs, but really shouldn't have bothered. The living room is ablaze with lights. It is packed with my family and the Denali family. Everyone is there except mum and dad who must be asleep. I stand at the base of the stairs, and all eyes are on me.
Bella takes my hand and gently pulls me into one of the empty armchairs. I sit down and take in my surroundings.
Bella is curled up in Edward's lap on the couch, with Alice and Jazz sitting close to each other beside them. Rose and Em are on the floor, leaning against each other, while Carlisle and Esme are perched on the bar stools. Kate and Garrett are huddled up in a corner, Carmen and Eleazar sit on the two seater, and Tanya sits on the armrest of my chair. Everyone seems to have been in a conversation, but now they all just stare at me.
"I guess...you want to know what happened at the clearing," I murmur, swallowing deeply. "I went to hunt, when I stumbled across the scent of human blood. I followed the scent and found a vampire hunched over a young girl. I lunged for the vampire, only to find out it was Castella," I continue and drop my eyes to the floor. "Castella ran. I checked on the girl...she was dead. I followed Castella to a clearing. Cas is vegetarian like us...or at least I thought she was. We were talking when Kain and his pack came into the clearing. Castella attacked Kain. I tried to stop them. Then I don't know what came over me. I pounced on Kain, knocking him off Cas. Then I heard a commotion. I ran back to the clearing..." and I shudder. "Cas had killed one of the wolves, the smallest one. I jumped on Cas. She knocked me down. She continued fighting with Kain. Kain ordered the other wolves to leave. But Achan came to protect him. Cas and him fought...and he died. Cas turned her attention back to Kain. But somehow...he managed to rip her apart. I couldn't believe it. I was on my knees, and then Julian attacked me. Kain saved me. Julian was about to kill Kain when I intervened. Julian said some stuff, then left," I conclude, still looking at my shoes.
"Are you hurt?" Esme asks, concern and love in her voice. I shake my head but don't reply.
And then, a thought suddenly comes to me. I close my eyes and concentrate, before I gasp in shock. "Edward! I was wrong!" I murmur.
Edward reads my mind and the both of us stare at each other. He reads my mind and I read his reaction and so it continues for ages.
Edward finally breaks the connection, and I slump back in my chair.
"Eleazar was right. Henry's power is something the Volturi have never seen before!" Edward murmurs, more to himself than anything. He pinches the bridge of his nose and begins pacing up and down, much to my amusement.
"Edward, what is it?" Bella asks quietly. They stare at each other for a couple of minutes before Edward looks at everyone, I think he was just adding some suspense.
"Henry is a mirror," Edward mumbles.
"A mirror?" Alice asks her curiosity piqued.
"Yes. So long as he knows anyone else's ability, he can use it. That's why he could read my mind, and why he was trying to figure out Eleazar's ability," Edward says, a grin on his face.
Carlisle lets out a low whistle and looks at me speculatively for a while.
"He never knew he could do it, until I explained it to him. Then I explained Kate's power to him. Within moments he had this mischievous grin on his face and he shook my hand. He used so much power and energy that I fell to my knees," Eleazar beams at the memory, as if he were actually proud of me.
"What exactly does this mean?" Esme asks tentatively.
"It means the Volturi should fear us! Remember when the entire guard came? They brought Jane and Alec, the two of them alone would have destroyed us had it not been for Bella. But now, we have Henry who can use both Jane's AND Alec's powers, plus he has his own shield that he'll copy from Bella!" Edward thrills admiration in his voice. And for once, my family doesn't look at me like they need to protect me; they look at me with pride and admiration.
"Wait! Does that mean Henry is stronger when he's around me?" Emmett asks, with a wicked grin.
"It might," Rose ventures, smiling wide.
"You know what, Rose? Henry is even more achingly beautiful here. When he was without you, he looked like an angel, but now, he looks like a god!" Tanya continues, making me blush again.
"Carlisle!" I exclaim, suddenly remembering, "is Kain alright?"
Carlisle has a warm smile on his face. "Yes, Kain is alright, Henry. And the first thing he asked when he regained consciousness is whether you were alright."
"Okay, am I the only one confused by this?! Don't you two hate each other?" Emmett asks, flustered.
I shrug, "I don't know. Castella killed a human. Kain is supposed to save human lives, right? Plus, he did kind of save me. Had he left me there with Julian, I probably wouldn't be alive right now. Oh! Speaking of Julian, he left me a warning." I mumble.
"What did he say?" Tanya asks, enraged.
"He said it isn't over...he said he'll be back with the Volturi. I think that's the key point that's missing now. Alice should have a vision the moment Julian gets to the Volturi. And...I think I was wrong...I assumed Cas was supposed to be my mate. But I had a pretty good look in her mind today. She was toying with me. She and Julian are mates. I think they're part of the Volturi," I continue, not exactly sure how to proceed.
"You think they are part of the Volturi? Why?" Edward asks sharply, his brows furrowed. He begins pacing again. He's going to wear the wooden floor down if he doesn't calm down.
"She kept thinking about her 'master'? And every time she thought the word, his face would appear in her mind. Do the guards call Aro master?" I ask, hoping beyond hope they say no. Instead, Edward just gives me a curt nod. Great!
"I also think I know why I was so smitten by her. Her talent...is much like Jasper's. But instead of controlling the emotions, she controls the ties. As in, she made me attached to her, in love with her. After I had been knocked back...I knew I had to stop Cas. But instead, I had this sudden urge to attack and kill Kain." I mumble, again to the floor.
"How about Julian? What is his power? Why was he chosen out of everyone else in the guard to make contact with us?" Jazz asks, his brows furrowed too.
"I don't know. I was too panicked to get a read on him. So I guess we have to assume he's got a talent that would have made it necessary for him to have come, right?" I ask.
"Not necessarily. Seems to me that Castella gift was the one used to entice you. Julian is her mate. Naturally, he would come too, to protect her," Garrett continues, speaking for the first time since coming here.
"What now?" I whisper to no one in particular. And for once I'm greeted by silence.
"I can't see a thing!" Alice suddenly explodes, running up the stairs. Jazz is a blur as he runs after her. I hear their bedroom door close, and a string of mumbles proceed.
"What's wrong with her?" Bella asks, confused.
"She's disappointed," Edward and I murmur at the same time. I notice his glower and quickly duck my head. Note to self; don't mirror anyone's powers!
"We could ask Kain and his pack," Carlisle volunteers. Honestly, I don't think that will play too nicely. He's already lost two of his pack!
"Dad's pack is long gone," I continue, still looking at my feet.
"We could try the nomads?" Esme asks.
"You think it'll come to war?" I ask, glancing up at Carlisle's serious expression.
"Don't worry, Henry. We have you!" Edward says, grinning again. "We can let that wretched Jane have a taste of her own medicine!" he adds savagely.
"But you guys know what a pathetic fighter I am! I'm only a quarter vampire!" I moan into my hands, disappointed with myself again.
"Henry, you're fast. They won't be able to catch you," Bella says simply, a serene smile playing on her lips.
"Yeah, that is if I'm running! But there is no chance I would run away and leave you guys behind!" I murmur, appalled she could even think I would even consider running.
In a blur, Edward kneels down in front of me, staring at me intently, "Henry, if for any reason anything happens to us, you have to run! Don't stand and fight! Run and save yourself. You understand me?"
I nod slowly. There's no chance I would want to continue living if my entire family is eliminated! But he doesn't need to know that. I begin thinking of all the different types of stones in my mind. Edward looks intently at me for a few seconds before getting up and continuing his pacing.
"So what if you aren't as strong as a normal vamp?" Em asks, a grin on his face. "It wouldn't make a difference if they can't touch you. And believe me, we won't let them anywhere near you. You have my word," he promises solemnly for once in his life.
Edward echoes the promise and so too do Rose, Bella, Eleazar, Tanya, Garrett, Carlisle...basically everyone promises to look after me. I shake my head a couple of times, trying to wrap my head around what just happened.
I get up and grab Edward's arm. He looks down at my hand then glances at my face, his smooth face, lined slightly. "You have to teach me what to do! Who to target! And you need to tell me all the Volturi guard abilities you know, only then do I have a chance of being of any use to you guys," I murmur, quietly, intense.
Edward gives me a lopsided grin and nods, "We'll teach you everything you need to know. But not now. For now, you need to sleep! We have school tomorrow."
"No way! You can't seriously be considering going to school, can you?! We are going to go up against the Volturi for God's sake! Why would it matter if we know how to dissect a tiny, defenceless hamster?!" I mutter, annoyed at his priorities.
"Henry, we don't know when the Volturi are coming. But we enrolled in high school. And if we are to keep up the pretences, we can't all just stop going to school! As it is you, Nessie and Jake haven't gone for a week. So, discussion over! We're going to school," his voice rings with authority and I grimace.
He walks over to Bella and the two of them get all lovey-dovey. It's repulsive really. I walk out the front door, just needing to get away. Thankfully, nobody tries to stop me. I walk into the woods and climb up my favourite tree. I sit on the tree watching the forest as the sun begins to rise. It's so calm and peaceful right here. No noise...no distractions.
Soon, the first few rays break through the thick forest and land on me. I look at my slightly illuminated skin, and marvel at the difference between me and my family. And then the tree rustles under me. And soon, a brilliant glow illuminates the entire forest! Now that is a show-stopper. I'm just the warming up act.
Tanya sits on the branch beside me and admires the view.
"Freaky Tanya!" I joke, poking her shiny, glowing skin.
She slaps my hand but laughs anyway. "It's beautiful up here," she murmurs, her eyes still roaming over the beautiful forest.
"Uh huh. I come here to think sometimes," I murmur, my eyes locking in on a family of rabbits. I'm not hungry though, so the rabbits would be safe for now.
"So, what's weighing you down, kid?" Tanya asks, shifting ever so slightly so she's facing me.
"I don't know. Everything, I guess? It's like...I'm the root of all the problems my family is facing at the moment; the volturi, the wolves...and as if things weren't bad enough, I had to fall for a Volturi pawn." I mutter, resentment ringing in my every word.
"You know, you blame yourself too much! You are so much like Edward, it's actually quite terrifying," she jokes, but when I don't laugh, she sobers up. "Okay, let's address those issues, shall we? The Volturi? They always pop in. It's hardly your fault. The wolves? Hey, if you didn't run into them, someone else in your family would have; and maybe then peace wouldn't even be an option! And about the girl? It really isn't your fault...especially if she was able to manipulate you like that. So, don't worry so much, Henry. You'll go grey!" she ends, tousling my thick black hair.
I just smile at her and close my eyes, watching scenes from the fight drift in and out of focus in my mind. The lights come on in the kitchen of my house; no doubt Esme is going to start making breakfast for mum, dad and I.
"Do we have a chance?" I whisper to Tanya
"There is always hope, Henry," she whispers back. I roll my eyes and jump off the tree, landing lithely on my heels. I shove my hands into my pockets and walk human pace back to the house.
Oh joy! Another boring day in hell awaits!
And you know school is bad when you would rather be practising how to fight off a group or rather an army of blood-thirsty, lethal vampires.
'Tis the life of a schooling Cullen, I suppose?