SILENCE filled the room, as my Godmother and I were staring at each other. Her green eyes were calculating, as if trying to catch each detail of my face and her lips were formed into a warm smile. She looked happy? Pleased? I didn't know.
Just like I didn't know her.
"Well then, I would love to speak with you later Charlie. But right now, I want to get to know my Goddaughter" said Aldris to the Chief with a smile.
Charlie got up and nodded awkwardly, saying "Yeah, em of course. If that's okay with you Thea?"
I stared at the woman in my living room, my nails digging into my skin, as I smiled tightly and nodded "Sure. How about we take a walk?"
"It's a wonderful idea, dear one" Aldris answered while putting on her red gloves, that were the complete opposite of the dark green colour of her coat.
Smiling once again, I turned and left the house while sending an apologetic smile towards Bella. She returned it, although I could see worry in her eyes.
Once outside I started slowly walking towards the forest, faintly I could hear confident steps of Aldris behind me. Being in the forest calmed me down, I could feel my fists relax as the tingling feeling disappeared. Taking a deep breath I smiled, as the smell of pine, rain and wild flowers filled my nose. For a moment all was good. For a moment I could imagine that I was at peace.
For a moment I could dream of cold hands playing with my fingers, as I enjoyed my surroundings.
"It's connected to you"
I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to look at my Godmother, questioning her "What?"
Her red lips curved into a smile, as she explained while looking around "This forest. It's connected to you, I can feel it"
"You can... feel it?" I asked, not quite believing the older woman.
Aldris let out a small laugh, that sounded like gentle bells "Indeed, dear one. You know, for someone who knows about vampires and is having a tough time with her own powers. You're a bit more sceptic than one could imagine"
My heart stopped as she mentioned the V word, I felt tingling in my hands coming back as I asked "How do you know?"
The older woman smiled kindly and said "Let's start with who I am. Or rather who we are" then she snapped her fingers and suddenly her green eyes became more intense, almost glowing and her ginger hair turned a darker green colour matching her green coat.
As I saw it all happen my heart stopped and my vision turned dark for a moment, but I forced myself not to pass out. Instead I asked "What the hell is going on?!"
My Godmother smiled and said proudly "I'm a sorceress, dearest Dorothea" then as if nothing ever happened, her hair turned back to its ginger colour and her green eyes stopped shining, becoming more normal "We are guardians of the peace and natural order. We keep humans away from our world and our people away from humans, although from what I can see it's not going so well lately"
I blushed deeply as I knew that she meant me and Bella, "So what, you came here to wipe our memory or something? Like Men in Black style?"
The sorceress laughed and shook her head "No, dear one. I came here to take you"
"Take me where?" I asked, rising my guard up.
"To a place where other sorceress' and sorcerers are. There you'll learn to control yourself"
I bit my lip before glaring at the woman, saying coldly "I don't need your help. I'll take care of whatever is happening to me. My place is here, with my sister and dad"
Aldris frowned as she said "I understand that, dear one. But you must think of them, right now you're like a ticking bomb. You're not in control, one argument with your sister and the whole house could be destroyed"
"I'm fine. I can take care of it" I said stubbornly.
"Dorothea. You carry a great amount of power within you, one that I haven't seen for centuries. You even survived a bite from a vampire, one of the few things in this world that can kill us" explained Aldris, her beautiful voice becoming more begging with every word.
I put my hand over the scar at the base of my neck asking "How do you know that I was bitten? And what do you mean one of the few things in this world that can kill you?!"
My Godmother sighed, before answering "The night you were bitten, your power unlocked itself. Probably because of the damage that was done to your body or some kind of mental blockade was taken down--"
My mind instantly replayed my words from that night "Bring it!" and the feeling of confidence filling me. Holy shit.
"-- and when that vampire bit you, with your essence finally released and running through your veins. You should die, like every other sorcerer or sorceress before you. But you didn't, you went into a healing coma and survived. I am centuries old and I can't explain it"
"So what? I'm an error in your system or something?" I asked, already feeling my mental walls going up around myself.
Aldris smiled at me and said "Quite the opposite. You're unique, Dorothea and very powerful that's why I need you to come with me. At least do it for your sister and father"
I believed her. Something deep inside me, made me even trust her. But I knew that, if I left Bella would be destroyed. They already left her and now me? She won't survive it. But on the other hand, what if I do hurt her? She could also not survive a fucking house colapsing on her or being ripped apart by my powers. Dear God I have powers. That sounds ridiculous!
Says the girl who was dating a vampire... said a voice that sounded almost like Rosalie in my head. The thought of her made my heart ache, I really missed her... but she left me. They all did.
"To us? You mean nothing. You never did"
Nothing. Maybe that's all I ever was meant to be? To them that's all I was.
"And you were the perfect target. Little broken girl, with no one who would cry---"
Little broken girl. That's all I was to him.
Sadness, anger and heartbreak filled me as I clenched my jaw, thinking.
Fuck. That. I will show them nothing. I will show him a little broken girl.
My eyes and veins were tingling as I opened my eyes and looked at my Godmother who was looking at me with interest and said "I will go with you"
Aldris nodded at me "Thank you. I promise you that you'll be allowed to leave whenever you'll like after you get ahold of that power inside you"
I nodded and took a deep breath, focusing on the forest around me slowly feeling the tingling disappear.
"Already getting better. I can't wait to see your true potential" said the older woman.
Sighing I opened my eyes once again and said "Yeah. Now let's head back, I need to talk to them about my decision. When are we leaving?"
Aldris smiled sadly and said "Tonight would be the best. I can't be away for too long"
"I understand... I'll get to packing after I talk to them" I said, my heart feeling heavy. But it was for the best. I will learn and come back.
The walk back was silent, Aldris was following me as I was thinking deeply about what's going to happen. What words to use? What promises to make? What will happen when I leave? Will Bella forgive me for my decision? Will Charlie? What will happen to him?
"We're here, dear one. It's going to be alright, I'll talk to Charlie while you talk to Isabella" said my Godmother while putting her gloved hand on my shoulder.
I shied away from her touch and finally headed towards the front door. Inside I was met with a rare sight. Bella and Charlie were sitting together in the living room. It made my heart clench painfully, that a sight that should be normal was becoming more abnormal and rare.
"Thea!" said Bella, as she jumped up from the couch and wrapped her arms around my shorter figure.
"Yeah, I'm back. I need to talk to you both" I mumbled into Bella's shoulder.
"What is it?" asked Charlie as Bella let go of me, but instead grabbed my hand.
I took a deep breath and said "I decided to go with Aldris. But just for a while, just to get to know her and all. I promise that I will visit and---"
"No! Please Thea, you can't!" said Bella in tears, her eyes showing fear. Fear that I knew all too well. It was fear of being abandoned, of being alone.
"Bella, I need to" I said hoping that she'll catch my meaning. But instead she bit her lip and ran to her room, slamming the door. I flinched at the sound, but still looked at Charlie who was looking sad and powerless. It made me tear up and whimper "Dad, I---"
Charlie quickly hugged me and said "Shhh... it's alright kiddo. I understand, just don't forget about us okay?"
"N-Never! I'll visit you on Christmas! A-And maybe some weekends? I'll find a way, dad.." I said as I cried into his shoulder.
"I'm sure you will, kiddo. But also remember to give this old man a call every once in a while okay?" he said soothingly, making me feel safe and calm. He squeezed me a bit, before pulling away and wiping my tears saying with a small smile "Besides you're not going to be there forever right?" I shook my head and he continued "It'll be just fine. Now go and talk to Bella, while your Godmother and I have a chat okay"
"O-Okay" I nodded and slowly went up stairs where Bella was in her room.
For a moment I stood outside her room, before finally opening it just to see Bella sitting on her bed with a picture frame in her hands. It was a picture of us. From when Bella, Charlie and I went to a restaurant to celebrate my birthday as a family. Charlie took it as Bella and I were hugging and grinning like there was no tomorrow. There were three copies of that photograph. One was in Bella's room on the nightstand, another in my room set on the windowsill and the final one was at the station set on Charlie's desk so that everyone could see it.
I smiled gently and closed the door, before sitting down next to my sister. We sat there in silence, just for Bella to break it asking.
"You promise that you'll come back?"
"Bella, I swear on my life that I won't pull a Cullen on you. I will call as much as I can, I will visit and will be back once I've got these powers under control. I don't want to hurt you, like I did with these boys" I said honestly.
Bella finally looked up from the picture and said "You wouldn't hurt me. I know you and I trust you Thea..."
I let out a small laugh saying "What is it with you and trusting monsters so easily"
"You're not a monster Thea. Neither was he" said Bella softly.
Anger flared inside me as I remembered my last meeting with Edward, but I only clenched my tingling hands and took a deep breath. This isn't the time.
"Bella, we might not always agree but I promise you that I will be back. I won't run away from my problems, okay? I will face them"
My sister hugged me and whispered "I believe you. Just don't leave me like he did"
I squeezed her and whispered back "I won't"
We stayed like this for a while, it was so nice to have a bit of my sister back. But eventually, I pulled away saying.
"I need to go and pack"
Bella nodded and said "I'll help you"
So together we went to my room and started packing my things, which were mostly clothes and books. Later came my more personal stuff as make up, bathroom things and pictures.
I took one with Jacob, Seth and Leah Clearwater that Billy took of us when we were still kids. Bella let out a laugh as she noticed my angry red burned skin and cowboy hat that I wore.
"Har har really funny Bells! Do you know how that hurt? And let me tell you that, that hat was stylish and useful against the sun!" my sister only laughed harder, as I shoved the picture inside my bag.
Another one was the one with Bella and me, then came a picture with Charlie and I on a fishing trip, after that was the only surviving picture of my parents. I smiled at it and kissed it gently before carefully putting it inside my bag. Finally I took the last few pictures which I hid in my closet.
Two of them were with Rose and Alice from my birthday preparations, another one was taken on one of many of our sleepovers that showed Emmett and I playing chess. I was grinning just as Emmett was angrily holding a broken chess piece in his hand, while glaring at the board. Then there was a picture of me, Esme and Carlisle cooking in their kitchen, Esme was hugging me, while Carlisle had his hand on my shoulder. Then there was Bella, Edward and I sitting at the grand piano. Both me and my sister were wearing sunglasses to look fancy and while I made a pose like a celebrity, Bella was laughing so hard that her glasses were almost falling and Edward was simply rolling his butterscotch eyes with a small smile. And finally the last picture.
It was me and Jasper... the picture from Bella's birthday party. The last picture of me and him. The last reminder of him. The last piece of him that I had.
I knew that I should burn all these pictures.
Erase them from my past.
But I couldn't.
Even though they might have never cared for me, I cared for them. And these photos are a reminder of that, that a part of me that was shining brightly, a part of me that was happy. So I will keep them. And I will remember that I was happy and that I cared.
Well, that chapter was a challenge for sure so I hope that you'll like it. I know that many of you wanted Thea to stay, but I want her to have a story of her own and the same thing goes for Bella. They need to get on their feet on their own. Anyway what do you think about this chapter? Do you like the idea of sorceress' and sorcerers? Did you enjoy Thea remembering Cullens and her happiness through the pictures? Or did you like something else?
As always, if you have any questions or ideas please leave a comment ;)
Love you all!