The Major's Mate

5

Lauren's eyes widen in horror, but before her scream can leave her throat, Celeste speaks. "Don't scream."

Lauren's mouth gapes, but no noise comes out.

"Shut your mouth." Lauren does.

"What the hell?" Rosalie steps forward, looking in the mirror to see Celeste's reflection- eyes blood red, black veins prominent beneath her eyes, and actual fangs glinting in the school's crappy lighting.

Celeste then meets Rosalie's gaze in the mirror and slowly smirks. "Traditional vampire." Then looking back at Lauren, she says, "You're going to do whatever business you came in here to do, wash your hands, and then leave. You're also going to be a better friend to Angela and Jessica, and then you're going to forget this little interaction and the monster you thought you saw."

"I will forget this interaction and the monster I thought I saw," Lauren repeats back.

"Good girl." Celeste's vampiric features shift back to her more human features. "Go on then." Celeste steps back and Lauren enters one of the stalls without a word. "Shall we go?" She asks, glancing between Alice and Rosalie.

After zipping her backpack back up, Celeste moves to exit the bathroom. Emmett, Jasper, and Edward are standing outside in the empty hallway, but before they can ask what is going on, Rosalie says, "Family meeting. Now."

"Babe?" Emmett frowns. "We still have class."

"Ooh. Skip day," Celeste happily muses. "Last one to parking lot is buying me a burger." And then right before their very eyes, she disappears.

All three boys look to Rosalie and Alice in surprise, and Rosalie rolls her eyes when Edward seems to dig into Alice's mind to see what's going on. "Vampire," she tells Jasper and Emmett. "Just not our kind. She's no threat to us if she's all ready a vampire herself, but I have so many questions." And then before anyone can ask what the hell is going on, Rosalie and Alice disappear.

Emmett glances at his brothers, the other two seeing the challenge in his eyes. After all, loser is apparently buying Celeste food.

Edward makes it outside after his sisters, just inside the treeline beyond the student parking lot, followed by Jasper and then Emmett. Emmett groans about losing, but it's Edward who's the voice of reason and suggest they take the inevitable conversation home so Esme and Carlisle can hear it too. Celeste agrees with a shrug and everyone convenes to their respective vehicle, Alice and Rosalie riding with Celeste so she knows where to go.

The Cullen household is beautiful and Celeste has no problem whistling her appreciation for the glass home. They're met at the door by Mrs. Cullen- call me Esme, dear- and then wait around for their clan leader Carlisle to get home to start getting answers.

And when Carlisle gets home, hesitantly introducing himself to Celeste since his kids didn't exactly tell him what was going on, he nearly chokes on oxygen when Celeste asks, "So I was right, right? You guys are vampires too?"