Something Old [1]

thirteen

By the time summer came around the Cullen's were set to leave for a family holiday. Carlisle politely asked if she'd like to join, but Wendy gratefully declined the offer; saying she was needed home for a summer gallery project.

"You're turning 17 right?" Jasper asked as Wendy sat on the couch with him while the girls were running back and forth to finish packing.

"Yup." She smiled looking outside the window, frowning slightly. "Looks like the sky is clearing up." She mumbled seeing the stings of light poke threw the thinning clouds.

"What's wrong, you seem, sad." Jasper asked, knowing the feeling of distress on her, not at all like her usual wave of calm.

"You ever think about how time just passes? And then when you blink, suddenly you're older but it doesn't seem like much has changed?" She asked, her eyes still on the slivers of the setting sun rays. Her mind racing over and over again about her last hospital visit.

'About two years to live' her doctor said. 'you are no longer responding to treatments, we are waiting for a green light on a new experimental drug.' he said. 'try to live life as normally as possible'

Of course Jasper knew about the feeling she described. But he didn't think it was in the same context as hers. Not with that lovely dazed look over her glazed eyes. "Sometimes." He answered her.

If Wendy had it her way, no one would ever know about her being sick. Not even herself.

Wendy only nodded as she rested against him, an ocean of calm overtaking Jasper while they both looked out the window for some time.

"What?"  Wendy asked once she snapped out of her thoughts.

"I asked if you were ready." Edward said again, amber honey eyes darting from Jasper than back to her. In Jaspers mine, he was fearing the feelings of loss and sadness, assuming it was because they were leaving.

"Oh, Yeah." Wendy stood up and waved her goodbye to Jasper, a hug to Rosalie, and a polite nod towards the rest of the family.

"Are you sure you're ok? You've been a space cadet lately." Edward asked as they drove towards her house.

"Yeah. Just a lot on my mind. Sometimes I wish you could just read it." Wendy chuckled.

Edward only smile, secretly wishing he could too. "Why not tell me what's on your mind? I can read people pretty well, but you? You're a mystery and then some."

Wendy laughed at that comment. "Well, I'm sad you guys are leaving, It'll be weird not having you guys around this summer. I have to think of a new gallery show for summer, and my portfolio, I'm stuck between 'life and death', 'self portrait', or 'nature' "

She left out the fact that she was given an estimated expiration date on life.

"Why not do all of them? Self portrait with nature, like flowers, as they grow and die?" Edward asked.

"I love that idea, actually. Its perfect." Wendy looked over to him with a beaming smile as he pulled up in front of her house.

He couldn't help the smile that tugged on his own lips.

"I can do one with dirt, water, sun, moon, the flowers, and then the dead ones. I can even recreate some photos from when I was little to represent youth and adolescence. Up until the early grave." She stammered as idea flooded her mind, her hand playing with the pearl that still hung around her neck.

"Make sure to save me a copy of them. I'd love to see it." He leaned in just a bit as he shifted in his seat to get a better look at her. Her last sentence went right over his head, and hers.

"See it? I'm gonna dedicate the whole thing to you. You gave me the idea." She smiled at him.

Wendy Lana Swan didn't mean to do it.

It was a spur of the moment thing when she reached over to give him a hug, whispering her thanks and a good bye until the end of summer when he would return.

She didn't mean to fall into the kiss she planted on his cold lips when she pulled away from the hug. But it felt so natural.

To her surprise, Edward kissed her back, without a moment of hesitation. It wasn't until he nibbled her lower lip that caused a hum to leave her throat, resulting in her realization.

Completely red, she pulled back "I'm so sorry." She whispered out mentally shunning herself while she swallowed harshly to clear her dry throat, "I shouldn't have done that."

Her fingers traced over her bottom lip, it was  tender and she was grateful he didn't rip the skin. No telling if she would have let him feed into his urges or not. If she would even care.

"I hope you don't mean that." Edward whispered back. His eyes falling down to see her fingers brush over her lip again.

She took in a deep breath threw her nose, "Is it wrong if I don't?"

"No." Edward answered.

"Would it hurt if I said we couldn't?"

He didn't answer. Not when she was getting out of the car and practically running up the walkway towards the front door.

Edwards mouth pooled with venom, noting how quickly her heart was beginning to pump blood threw her body. That sweet smell of hormones that emanated from the crook of her neck. The way a fresh scent of blood seemed to have lingered around him as she closed his car door.

His eye turned black watching her step into her home, shutting the door behind her. Worry in his gut that maybe he did bite her just a little to hard and maybe he did make her bleed just a little. Worried that he crossed a line with her.

The words Mate and blood singer running threw his mind over and over again. It wasn't both, he knew that much.

He just wasn't sure if it was her blood he was drawn to, or if he finally found the one. Either thought scared him. Loosing her scared him the most.

How couldn't it?

"If only you knew the power you hold over me Wendy Lana Swan." His sighed to himself running his long fingers threw his hair.

As he drove off, Wendy was hunched over the sink breathing in and out threw her mouth while trying to wash the blood off of her hands. Another nose bleed.