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Zelda hasn't seen the wolves since the night of Harry Clearwaters death and the night Bella fled to Italy to save Edward. After the Cullens returned, Bella and Zeldas time was cut short. Bella would spent time with Edward and Zelda would either be by herself or with Angela. That was not a problem tho, she was able to concentrate on school and sometimes she'd visit the Blacks with her dad.
So really, she enjoyed the peace while it lasted. She told Angela what had been going on the last weeks, leaving out the part where the wolves were actually Sam Uley and his friends and - of course - the vampires. She did tell her tho how Paul saved her from jumping down that cliff when Bella felt particularly suicidal and how he drove her to the Clearwaters. Angelas eyebrows raised and Zelda blushed at her gaze.
"Isn't that weird? Like why not let me jump?" Zelda exclaimed, laying on Angelas bed on her stomach, feet in the air as her friend laid on her back on the ground.
"Sounds like he finally likes you back." She said and Zelda gasped at that.
"Finally? Back? Ew, that's.. ridiculous, why would you say that?" Zelda fake gagged but Angela saw right through her.
"Oh, stop it. What's so bad about him liking you?" Angela teased and that was Zeldas cue to stand up from her position on her bed.
"Bye!" Zelda called, walking towards the door, Angela giggling as she watched her friend leave.
"Be careful, text me when you're home!" Zelda nodded before closing the door, making her way home.
As soon as she entered her room, she knew something was wrong. Her dad was still sleeping soundly on the couch, the lights turned off. She knew Bella was with Jacob, as she texted her asking if she wanted to come too earlier that day. But Zelda rather stayed with Angela than seeing Paul Lahote again. At least she told herself so. But the thing that threw her off, was her bed. She was an organised girl, sometimes too much so but right now, she was thankful for it. She knew neither Bella or Charlie went into her room without her being there, too afraid to mess something up. Zelda hated that. And she knew that she made her bed this morning, and she knew the way her pillows were usually put on her bed. From largest in the back, so smallest in the front and with the pattern horizontally. So why was the pattern on smallest pillow on the right side, vertical? Next thing, her drawer was opened. Just the slightest bit but god, Zelda would have never left it open like that. And her goddamned rug, why was it laying on the floor like that? She turned on her heel when she heard Bella and her dad talking downstairs and a knock on the door.
Sprinting towards the staircase, she stopped on her way down, eyes locking on Edwards confused ones. He knew.
So after looking at the other for a few seconds, Zelda turned around and sprinted back up, Edward hot on her heels and so was Bella.
"Someone was in my room and it wasn't Charlie, nor Bella." She stated, hand motioning inside her room to let Edward in.
He instantly took ahold of the pillow, smelling it. He then walked out of her room, and Zelda followed him into Bellas.
"Edward what's wrong." Bella asked when he touched the dreamcatcher hanging above her bed. Zelda bit her fingers nervously. Not for herself, and not even for Bella - the girl had a death-wish anyways, but for Charlie Swan. Thinking about someone being in here - much worse a vampire - while her dad was here on his own made her almost tear up.
"Someone had been in here." Edward said, confirming her fears.
Zelda sat in the living room of the Cullen residence, trying not to look at them while they tried to figure out who was in their house. She listened to Edward say that he did not recognise the smell and Alice admit that it was neither Victoria, nor the Volturi. Her blood ran cold when Rosalie mentioned that a by-passer wouldn't have left their dad alive. And she was right. Which vampire in their right mind, would not eat her dad in that situation. With no one to protect him.
After a few minutes the topic of protecting the Swans, most particularly Bella, came up. And Zelda really understood Rosalies dismay of doing so. They couldn't figure this all out, feed themselves and watch them constantly. And she was aware of the fact that Bella wasn't really her favourite person in the world.
"And I wouldn't be unprotected. I have.." she started and Zeldas head whipped towards her, Bellas eyes meeting hers.
Edward was quiet, probably dreading what she was about to say.
"I know, you may not like him, but they could protect us." Bella said and Zelda shook her head.
"I'd rather die." She said and she and Bella both knew it was a lie. Zelda looked to Edward then, hoping he had another Idea. But he just looked at her. Bella wanted to add more, tell her that Paul would protect her, because now - after Jacob explained imprinting to her - she knew what Paul would do for her. But Bella decided to keep her mouth shut, after all she did promise Jacob not to tell Zelda.
So yes, Zelda did see Paul once more. She sat right across from him in the Uley house with everyone else of the pack except Jacob; who was currently at their house with Bella and Edward. Seth was there too, and so was Leah. Zelda sent Leah a smile, and she returned with a tight-lipped one and a nod. Zelda was well acquainted with the girl, having grown up in forks and around the Clearwaters, due to the fact that Charlie and Harry used to be good friends. Seth was doing a lot better, he had given Zelda a hug the minute she arrived with Embry, who had picked her up so she wouldn't be alone at home, Charlie being at work and Bella with Jacob, probably.
Sam was talking to all of them, figuring out a schedule where some of them watched the Swan house, some of them patrolled through the woods and some of them rested. Zeldas eyes went back and forth as they planned the upcoming weeks and she did not like the way Paul would look at her one bit. Softer than usual, conflicted in his thoughts and sometimes he even smiled at her weirdly, but a smile nonetheless. Earlier that day, when Zelda arrived he looked angry and whenever the topic of last night appeared, he would clench his jaw as if he was in pain.
"I'll watch the Swans." Paul suddenly decided and Zelda furrowed her eyebrows when Sam only nodded in agreement.
"Embry and Paul, you will take over as soon as the sun sets, every night. The Cullens will hunt then, in their territory." Sam said and both boys nodded in agreement. Zelda was even more confused now.
Why was Paul Lahote acting so weird recently?
I don't really like this, it's just a filler chapter to transition to Eclipse
