Burning Star: A Twilight FanFic

Ch 2- Surprise

Forks was a small town, bordered by the woods in many places. I made some show of finding a park with trails, just to seem inconspicuous. I needed to get out of the open. My feet took me down the muddy path, far enough to know that no one was around. Then I stepped into the trees.

I took a moment as a walked deeper to scan the surrounding forest for the vampires I was looking for. They were all about ten miles east of me. Eight vampires, a hybrid, and at least one Quileute wolf. Perfect. I wouldn't have to catch them while they were divided.

The greenery flew by me as I ran in their direction. I was enhancing my speed well beyond that of a human, though a little slower than a vampire's. My approach needed to be noticed; I didn't want anyone thinking this was an attack. Once my goal was less than a a quarter mile away, I slowed down to a normal walking pace. According to the records in the Archive, Edward Cullen would be able to pick up my thoughts from there.

Feeling a little silly, I began to think a greeting of sorts. Flashing over images of my grandfather, my research in the Archives, my arrival. I thought about my peaceful intentions, my worries, and how I wanted my purpose to be a secret until I could tell it. Hopefully Edward Cullen was paying attention and all of it was making sense.

A few minutes later, a dirt road appeared. The rough driveway lead in the direction of the Cullen House. It felt more civilized to head to the front door than to try and go to the back. I walked down the path, searching ahead with my mind. Four vampires were waiting for me at the base of the porch. I could tell that one of them was Edward Cullen, as my thoughts were playing in his mind. Another was Carlisle Cullen, whose mind showed signs of a longer existence. The other two were male, and I picked from their thoughts that they were Emmett and Jasper.

They all came into view with the white house. Emmett and Jasper looked ready for a fight. Edward and Carlisle looked wary. I smiled at them hoping to ease their nerves.

"Hello there," I said. I was still a bit away, but I knew hearing my normal voice was easy for vampires. "I'm Brielle." I slowed my approach, careful not to make sudden moves.

"I'm Carlisle," the coven's leader spoke, still sounding unsure. There was a curious glint in his eyes, despite his concern. "Can we help you?"

"I'm here to speak to Rosalie, if that's not a problem." So close. If they'd let me past, I'd could give them an explanation. The dark haired Emmett narrowed his eyes.

"You want to see Rosalie?" Carlisle asked looking surprised. Edward had kept my secret. I sent him silent thank you. It was personal, and she should hear the news from me.

"Yes, I do," I responded. "As Edward can assure you I mean no harm. I know I must smell strange to you, and I'm sure that's making you all ill at ease, but I'm not going to attack anyone."

They all looked to Edward. "She's not lying. She really is here to talk to Rose."

"And is she actually a witch like you said?" Jasper asked, eyes narrowed. His posture was firm and his eyes calculating. Truly the military man I'd expected. I played memories in my head of different times I'd used magic. Edward nodded to Jasper.

"Why do you need to speak to Rose?" Emmett asked suspiciously. He was being protective of his mate.

Bombshell time. I knew I wasn't getting past them without a little more explanation. "I need to talk to her about her brother Jack," I told them.

Shock was evident on their faces, excluding Edward's. They stared, frozen still, for a long moment as I stood awkwardly in front of them. Someone moved in the window.

A polite cough came from Edward. "Well, Rose wants to talk to her, so I suppose we should let her in, wouldn't you say?"

Carlisle snapped out of his trance. "Of course. Forgive our rudeness," he said.

"Not a problem," I assured him. "It was a surprising statement."

They led me inside, Carlisle and Edward in front of me, Emmett and the still suspicious Jasper behind me. The rest of the coven awaited us in the front room. It was a large room, with a few sofas and chairs scattered about. I quickly figured out who everyone was. The taller, long haired brunette who moved to Edward's side had to be Bella. Carlisle moved to stand by the gentle and motherly looking Esme. Alice was easy to recognize by her eyes and demeanor. There was always a certain air around those who could see the future. She moved to Jasper's side and took his hand. Seated on one of the couches were the Quileute wolf Jacob and the halfling vampire Renesmee.

But my main focus was on the perfect blonde ahead of me. Even now, though the vampiric change had amplified her beauty, I could still clearly see the reason my grandfather doted on me. We looked similar enough to be sisters. Aside from my mismatched eyes and freckles, I had known I was a dead ringer for her human appearance based on pictures, but it was still shocking first hand.

Rosalie stared back for a moment. Her eyes studied my face, and I was sure she could see the same similarities I saw. I smiled at her. This was the moment I'd been hoping for. My chance to give my grandfather the closure he'd sought for close to ninety years.

"You must be Rosalie. Let me fully introduce myself. My name is Brielle Rosalie Hale, and I'm- well, you're my great aunt." I hastily flipped open my bag and pulled out the stack of letters with the yellow band holding them together- the ones from my grandfather. I pulled out the one on top, the newest one he'd written and stuck it out towards her. "This is from your brother, my grandfather. I have more here, but this one will provide some explanation as to why I'm here."

She took the letter, still silent, and opened it. I already knew what it said, I had peeked just to make sure it would work after he wrote it.

Dear Rosalie,
It's been a long time. Eighty eight years since last I saw you. Many things have happened. I've written about all of that in the past letters. I'll be ninety-nine in just over two weeks!
My grandchildren are throwing a small party for me. Chris and Brielle. Chris's wife and my daughter-in-law too. Brielle thinks she might be able to find you, so I'm writing this in hopes that you will see it. She told me that if I see you again, you might look different than what I expect. But I don't really care. The oddities I see day to day don't phase me anymore. I see no reason you should either.
So I'm asking you if you would come to see me. Come to the party. If you really are alive, I'd like to know. I want to hear about your life. What you've been doing, if you're happy. I won't be shocked or scared by you, I promise. If Brielle finds you, please don't be afraid of her either. She can do some strange things, but she's one of the kindest people on this planet.
With Love,
Jack