Winter Solstice (A Seth Clearwater Fanfic)

Chapter Ten- Jane Doe

This was going to be my greatest trick yet.

Aunt Rose and Mommy were in the kitchen, discussing something of unknown origins, Grandpa Carlisle and Grandma Esme were upstairs with Daddy, going over something legal and my sister was in a far corner, content playing with her new Malibu Barbie and dream house.

There was no one to witness what I had in store for my good old Uncle.

"Are you ready, Kid?" Uncle Emmy whispered. His face was covered in some colored patterns -  he described it to me as "war paint", something people used to do before a big battle to boost morale - and he had on my kid sized army helmet. (Something that distinguished Ness and I were our taste in toys; she preferred dolls and thing with bright colors, where my toys of choice were usually dress up and toy guns/ foam swords.)

Strapped to his chest was a spray gun and in his hands was a large bucket of water balloons. I had a super soaker, filled to max compacity, teetering in my little hand. 

Laying on the lawn, arms folded behind his head, his diamond skin glittering was my uncle Jasper. He looked like a disco ball.

"Okay, on the count of three, we ambush him. One."

I gripped harder to my gun, excitement bubbling. He had no idea what was about to happen.

"Two."

"Three!" Jasper appeared out of seemingly no where, throwing his own water balloons at Emmy. I turned my own super soaker at him, blasting him with ice cold water.

"Hey! Traitor!" Emmy gasped and starting laugh, throwing water balloons in every direction.

We went on like that, hooting and hollering, blasting each other with freezing water in September.

"What on earth is going on?!" Wrapped up in the drama that was this water war, I directed my aim to the voice. Only, this voice was my Aunt Rose.

Suddenly, we all froze. Rose's face remained a hard statue, glaring at us. I choked on a gulp locked in my throat.

She went over to the bucket, now half empty, of water balloons. She picked one up and inspected it.

"Having a water war, are we?" she commented. She looked at Uncle Emmy and started tsk-ing. "You see Emmett, my dearest, this is where you made a deadly mistake." She backed up a couple of paces and grinned at me. "Because you didn't ask me to join."

With out missing a single moment, Aunt Rose launched the balloon straight into my Uncle's face.

It was all out war from there.


***

I awoke in a puddle of mud and dead plants, sticks in my hair and a dirty face tight form crying. Of course, the dream of my family, the one that I no longer had, caused a fresh wave to washed over me. The stone in my stomach seemed to weigh heavier and heavier every hour.

I weakly picked myself up, my limbs shaking from exertion and exhaustion. I hadn't had anything to eat in 25 hours. Being part vampire, my metabolism was much higher then an average person. I have to eat 3 times more and where I don't drink blood, ( not enough nutrients in regular food is to blame, or something science-y like that) I'm more at risk of complications.

  My vision whipped around in all directions, making it hard to get steady. Getting my feet under me was a real chore. Everytime I got one down, the other would slip and I'd be all over again. I let out a  cry, new tears burning just behind my eye lids. Even though I live in the body of a four year old, I've never felt so helpless.

"How am I going to get out of here?"

 When I first ran away, I didn't want to be found. For the first two hours I walked and ran and wondered. I was so glad to be free and away. But then, the loneliness set in, followed by sadness and guilt and then the hunger and weakness. I prayed and prayed someone would find me, even a human who just happened to be hiking or any sign of humanity at all.