Aeipathy • Paul Lahote

The Storm

Using her magic to battle was something entirely new to Estrella Swan. She had practiced with the Cullens, of course, but what she did normally was exist peacefully with the Earth. Never once had she used her bond with nature and the energy around her to harm someone else. 

In this circumstance, she didn't think the Earth minded. She sat hidden in the trees at the halfway point of the clearing, tucked away safely in the branches. From here, she could hear and see the entire playing field. She could just barely make out the wolves, hidden around the area, and could perfectly find every Cullen on the grass before her. 

While they waited, she allowed her thoughts to wander. It had only been a short while since she showed back up in Forks, but everything felt different. There was a connection she felt to her magic, learning while surrounded by mystical creatures and a forest so ripe with energy, that she had never felt while cooped in the safety of her marvelous school. She felt more in tune with the energy around her than she ever had. 

The ginger girl had also watched the way others changed in front of her very eyes. She sat back and watched as Edward Cullen regained the trust of the Swan family. He was true to his word after their talk weeks prior. The boy was rarely sighted near the Swan house, and never made his way through Bella's window at night. He often drove her to spend time with her human friends, coming back to tell Estrella about how excited Angela was at spending more time with her pale brunette friend. 

He also worked diligently to show his respect for the people in his life. Edward was more likely to be seen allowing Bella to make the calls, and respecting them. If anything, he seemed relieved to step back, listening to his partner and valuing her input. The boy put a lot of effort into impressing the ginger girl as well, coming to her for advice and actually listening and following through with what she said. 

Estrella watched Charlie take charge. He saw the way both of his daughters had grown, and he hated it. She waved him off every few days as he made his way over to Sue Clearwater, begging the woman for lessons on how to cook edible food and how to properly clean the house in ways he never knew before. He always came back, excited to cook a healthy family dinner for the three of them, and she and Bella loved finally being allowed to be children to their parents. 

She watched Bella become more confident in herself and her decision making. She watched Rosalie become kinder and more understanding. She watched Paul become less angry and more in control of the way his emotions were released. She watched herself fall in love with the people in her life and the world around her. 

Thinking of everything her current life offered her, she was finally able to come to a decision about her future. One that she would have to wait to share with the people she loved until after the battle was fought and won. 

Estrella was snapped away from her thoughts as she watched the Cullens take a defensive stance. Soon, the newborns flooded in, and she was focused. 

Originally her plan was to not intervene unless it was her only option, but she couldn't help herself. The wind was directed slightly, and the ginger girl had to hold back a laugh as she watched a few of the newborns stumble over their feet. Occasionally she reached out to the Earth around her, tripping up the newborns and allowing the Cullens or the wolves an easy win, but the entire battle was a simple defeat. 

The girl had to fight off sadness, realizing that these young vampires were changed and had no idea what the world even consisted of. They were deprived of any explanation and most of them were fighting simply because that's what they were told they had to do. 

Quickly, no one on the battlefield had anything left to do. Estrella stretched, relaxing back into the trees and ignoring what was going on below her until she heard a loud yelp from below. Her eyes snapped down to see a wolf trapped in the arms of a newborn, the life being squeezed out of the poor thing, and the girl didn't even have time to think. 

She landed on the ground faster than the Cullen's could reach the situation, snapping her arms upwards and apart. The newborn could barely feel the vines snaking around each leg before it was torn in half and off of the wolf, each side being flung in opposite directions. 

Estrella did not notice every single creature, aside from the injured wolf, freezing. Instead, she raced towards the broken wolf. By the time she got there, the wolf had shifted, and she was stunned to see a writhing Jacob Black below her. Her eyes shot up, meeting the concerned stare of Rosalie, before turning back to the other wolves, who were shifting back into boys and a girl she had seen before. 

Standing in front of her was Paul Lahote, staring at her with an unreadable expression. He went to talk, but a sound from Jacob snapped her to her senses and she raised both of her hands. "Carlisle," she called, dropping to the floor next to Jacob and placing her hands on his skin. The man raced over to her, falling to the other side of Jacob and the pair focused up. "I can try to keep him more comfortable than he is right now until you're able to make it back. I know you lot will have to deal with the aftermath of this battle, and I know you'll have to rebreak his bones because of his healing speed. I can try and slow it down, but he's going to be in a lot of pain."

Carlisle nodded and stood, looking at who seemed to be the leader. "Sam, if it is okay with you, I would like to send Estrella back with your pack to the reserve and then I would like to join to help Jacob heal." Sam simply nodded.

Estrella took a breath. "Okay," she sighed, looking up at Paul, who was still stunned. "Paul, snap out of it," she demanded, making the boy blink back into existence. "We will talk about everything tomorrow, over breakfast, yeah?" He couldn't hold back a smile at the girl and nodded. "Good, now I need the lot of you to pick him up and carry him out, trying to hold him steady."