WITCHCRAFT

CHAPTER 9

Angela went with Jessica after school to start on a partner project for French class so Lucy drove directly to the address Carlisle had given her. His kids were getting out of their cars when she arrived and turned to the arriving car.

Lucy gripped her steering wheel tightly but parked her car and took the key out of the ignition. Alice waved at her happily, giving Lucy a bit of an incentive to get out of the car.

"Hi Ms Swan", the pixie greeted happily.

Lucy smiled unsurely, "Hi Alice, hi everybody."

"We're happy to have you here, Ms Swan", Edward told her, with the tiniest hint of a smile.

Lucy nodded in thanks and followed her students inside. A woman around her age, maybe a few years older, opened the door with a warm smile, "Hi, you must be Lucy."

The woman pulled her into a hug, having Lucy's eyes wide in surprise but she caught herself before they pulled away to smile, "You must be Esme. Hello."

"Yes", Esme smiled, "We're so glad you're here. Please, come inside. The kids were going to go up into their rooms and Carlisle will be right down. He's in his study."

"Thanks", she habitually took off her shoes and jacket, "You have a beautiful home."

"Thank you", Esme's smile was so genuine she couldn't believe she had ever felt any kind of disdain towards her, but it also made her think why Carlisle would pick her if Esme was right there, "You don't have to take off your shoes, by the way."

"Oh", Lucy frowned. It felt wrong to be wearing shoes inside a home, "I- May I, though? I'll bring house shoes next time, promise."

Esme smiled and Emmett who was still behind Esme smirked, "Great to hear you're planning to come around again."

Lucy's face smell at that, "Oh, I- Er, we'll see where this goes, won't we?"

Emmett grinned and nodded, before going upstairs when Rosalie called him scoldingly. He passed Carlisle on the stairs. The blond smiled when he saw Lucy. So she came. He had almost doubted it, even though Alice had assured him she would.

"Lucy", he breathed out in greeting.

"Carlisle", her lips twitched into a smile, "Hi."

"It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you", she agreed.

"I would-", he paused, waiting as Esme left them alone, "I would like to show you something, talk to you, outside, preferably."

Lucy looked out where it was pouring rain, "Uhm, do you have a gazebo or something?"

He smiled, "The sun was shining when I came up with this plan in my head."

Her small was only on half her face and immediately became serious again, "What is it with you and the sun?"

It's not like she hadn't connected the dots. Pulling his hand out of the sunlight, the kids missing on the only two days of the year where the sun was shining and the little sparkle she had seen when it did hit his arm.

"I sparkle in the sun", he almost deadpanned.

"I saw that", she said, "That's my opening line, now give me the rest of the essay."

"It's caused by the venom that's running through my veins instead of blood", he held out his arm for her, showing her the veins on his wrists that should have been blue-ish-purple, maybe green, but his were white, "It's silver so it sparkles in the sun, like I have mirrors on my body."

"Why do you have venom running through your veins?", she tried her best to stay calm.

"I'm a vampire."