The Turning of Cecily Stewart

The Investigation

Cecily was frozen as she stood silently at the roadside, staring at a tree with half the trunk scorched. It was all that remained of the car accident that was supposed to have taken her life all those months ago. She wondered what had happened to the rental car. And her luggage in the back seat. The Cullens hadn't retrieved any of it, so she figured what hadn't been destroyed in the fire probably went into evidence. From there, she didn't know.

But she couldn't help the flashes of that day that immediately came flooding into her mind.

Seeing her hotel room wrecked. Grabbing for her things as quickly as she could and making her way to her car. Her heart pounding as she noticed an SUV following her. Frantically trying to dial Gabe. The squealing of tires. The car rolling across the ground and a sickening crunch of metal against strong bark. Dragging herself out and into the clearing.

"The car was here. Upside down. Guess it rolled and slid a bit before crashing into that tree," Alice said, looking over at Rosalie, who was making her way up to the tree. "We could see the SUV from the trees but didn't stick around long enough to see anyone."

She continued talking, but neither Demetri nor Cecily registered any of it. Cecily was starting to walk into the forest while Demetri was studying her, concerned.

In the light of day, everything looked different. Granted it wasn't as though Cecily had been that concerned with taking in her surroundings back then. She had been more concerned with getting away from whoever was after her.

She stopped as she came into the clearing, marveling at how she had managed to get that far in her condition. And without the others in the SUV catching up to her. Perhaps they had stayed back and watched from a distance, knowing that the car would explode and kill her.

"Is this where they found you?" he asked softly from behind her.

"Yea," Cecily said, bending down to the ground, wondering if this was the spot where she had waited to die while staring up at the stars.

"It took incredible strength to get this far away... especially if you were that injured," he murmured.

"It's a good thing Alice and Jasper found me when they did," Cecily said, still staring at the ground as she straightened up. "I thought for sure I was going to die."

"I am grateful that they did find you," Demetri said, causing Cecily to look over at him.

Everything about his face told her that he was being honest. She still wasn't used to his open affection for her. She quickly turned away, focusing on the ground again. They had made progress. And more and more, she was beginning to think to herself that eventually she was going to have to admit she felt something more for Demetri.

But not yet.

"I came back to my hotel room and found it ransacked," she said, finding that once again she couldn't keep the words from pouring from her lips. But it was easier than fighting it. "My laptop was gone, but I had taken to carrying hard copies of everything with me, plus a USB with all the information. But... I knew that someone had found me and I had to get away."

Demetri remained quiet, letting her continue at her own pace.

"I hopped in the car and started calling airlines, but nothing was leaving soon enough, so I just kept driving. I guess I thought if I could get up to Vancouver or... something... I don't know. Across the border? Just somewhere not Seattle... I'd be safe. All I knew was that I couldn't stay there. Everything was so... confusing... that night."

Cecily stopped a moment, her eyes scanning around the clearing. Looking everywhere but Demetri.

"I've gotten myself into some tough spots before, but this... this was different," she finally said. "This was the first time I ever felt truly scared... the first time I thought... 'Man, Cecily... you really fucked up this time...'"