Chapter Four

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"Bella told me a few of your friends were going to the beach tomorrow," Rhys said, nudging her legs to let him sit next to her

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"Bella told me a few of your friends were going to the beach tomorrow," Rhys said, nudging her legs to let him sit next to her. She swung her legs down. He slumped on the sofa next to her, grabbing the TV remote and switching the channel. "She also told me you're not going," Cerise let her head fall back, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. She waited a moment before turning to look at her brother. 

"You need sleep Rhys,"

"And you need to be a teenager. I'd rather miss out on a bit of sleep than you not go and live your life,"

"It's just one day,"

"Go out. There's no point in wasting your life,"

"Fine," Rhys smiled, happy he managed to get her to agree without much arguing. "but on one condition. Rhys rolled his eyes, internally facepalming. Always a catch. Cerise giggles, knowing she was irking her brother.

"And what's that?" He huffed.

"You order some Pizza," Rhys nodded, pulling out his phone. Cerise rested her head on her brother's shoulder. Her eyes trained on the TV show he had turned it to. A weird remake of Dracula playing in front of her. She didn't know if it was supposed to be a comedy or if it was just bad. 

"Meat feast?" Rhys asked. Cerise hummed in agreement. 

A sudden cold breeze washed over them. Cerise's head shot up. They turned to see the backdoor wide open. Cerise felt her heart speeding. Pounding against her chest. "Did you not close it properly?" Rhys asked her. 

"I must have forgotten," She mumbled. Getting up to close it while Rhys finished ordering the food. She crept forwards, her hand resting on the handle for a moment. A sudden rush of wind knocked her back slightly. Like something had run up to her at supersonic speed. She quickly closed the door, grabbing the key to lock it. Her breath was heavy. She closed her eyes, trying to calm down. She spun around. The feeling of a breath on her neck sent chills down her spine. 

"You okay in there?" Her brother called. Cerise swallowed the lump in her throat before responding.

"Yeah. Want a drink?"

"Cider, please!" Her brother called back. For a moment, she wondered if she had just locked something in with them. Ignoring the paranoia, she walked and grabbed two ciders from the fridge. Sitting next to her brother. The now familiar feeling of eyes burning into the back of her head set in. 

:・゚✧:・.☽˚。・゚✧:・.:

Cerise sat in the van with Bella while their friends suited up to go surfing. The girl had a fear of the water, and so would often spend their trips to La Push Beach quietly reading. She was thankful to have Bella keeping her company. Especially since Edward had bailed on Bella. Cerise was trying her best to be happy for her friend. However, the three figures making their way over to them meant the time they'd have together was cut short. Jacob, Embry and Sam sauntered over to the group. It's almost as though they had sensed people were on the reservation. 

Cerise smiled, waving at the boys. They waved back. Cerise was well known to the people on the reserve. She often wandered the beach, where to read, look around or clean up the rubbish left behind by others. They appreciated it. 

"Are you stalking me?" Bella asked. Cerise chuckled, closing her book and setting it back in her bag. 

"You're on my rez, remember? You surfing?" The question was very obviously pointed to Bella. Cerise turned to Sam, leaving the two to flirt with one another awkwardly. 

"Hey, Sam," She greeted him. The two had seemed to get along well. She didn't speak to many people on the reserve, but Sam was one she seemed to bump into often. Whether it was scouring the forest for flowers to dry to use as bookmarks or walking along the beach. He never seemed to have an issue with her. He'd even show here where the flowers had blossomed the best, and the two would spend hours together clearing the beach of the mess some people would leave behind. 

"Are you okay?" The older asked her. She nodded, but the weary smile gave it away all too easily. She kept flicking her head like she could see something in the corner of her eye. "Walk with me," He said, turning and waiting. She sighed, stepping forwards.

She had hoped that this trip would clear her paranoia. But the feeling of eyes watching her never seemed to fail. On top of that, she had a dream. She couldn't see anything. Blond. But she could hear. She was screaming for her father. Begging - what she assumed was a door - to open. She listened to her screams and begs on a loop for eight hours. Not once did her mind allow her to wake. "What's going on?"

"It's nothing, Sam," He gave her a pointed look. She closed her eyes for a second, letting her shoulders drop. "It's nothing, really. Just small stupid things,"

"Like what?"

"I went out for a smoke the other day and-" She stopped for a moment, trying to figure out a way not to sound insane, "I swear I saw these blood-red eyes staring at me from the forest. Then last night, the backdoor was open. Rhys said I must have forgotten to close it after going out for a smoke. But since that day, with the eyes, I haven't been out of the back for a smoke. There's no way I left that door open. And when I went to close it... I swear I felt someone's breath on my neck," She paused. Stopping and squeezing her eyes shut. She sounded insane. She felt insane. Wondering if the nightmares had finally seemed into reality. "Maybe I'm just going insane,"

"I don't think you're going insane," Sam responded. She opened her eyes slowly. Looking at him. He didn't seem to be lying. She let her guard down. Her head dropped. 

"Then what the fuck is going on," Sam hated that he couldn't tell her. Believing it would be safer if she didn't know. He knew the Volturi's rules on humans knowing about them. She'd be their next feast. He'd send some of the pack to check the house regularly and would let the Cullens know. It was likely the bloodsuckers were targeting her due to her proximity to Bella and Edward. Sam would be sure to warn them that if her blood spilt, it would be on their hands. 

"I think you're tired, Cerise. I know how little you and your brother are sleeping. If you just let someone help you take care of your father-"

"He's fine. We're fine. Rhys said he's not deteriorating. We'll be fine," Sam noticed that she seemed to be trying to convince herself more than him. Sam knew Rhys was lying. A small part of Cerise knew too. She just didn't want to admit it. "I should get back to my friends,"

Sam nodded, "You know you can always speak to me, right?" He reassured the girl. She nodded, her smile slightly more genuine than previous. They walked back towards the group together. Bella and Jacob finished their conversation as they approached. 

Hello guys! The part should actually be working now

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Hello guys! The part should actually be working now. For some reason, when I published this part it decided to delete the entire chapter, so I've had to rewrite it to the best of my abilities. Part 5 likely won't be published tomorrow now, sadly, as I'm very behind schedule with writing this, but I'll try and get two chapters ready for either Monday or Tuesday.

If you have any constructive criticism feel free to let me know, or if you have any suggestions in general, I'd love to hear how you guys are liking this book

See you soon!

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