The Bellwood Breed

The Bellwood Breed-27

"Hey." Avery smiled kindly as he stepped in the Bed & Breakfast we had just been in this morning. "Emily right?"

"Yeah." She beamed, an excited smile on her lips. Her hair was curled and she wore a pair of tight firing jeans with a tank top and knit cardigan. Even in something so simple she was beautiful. There was a youthfulness to her skin, but even I could tell she was sad underneath the surface.

"Well, my friends are waiting for us outside. You can ride with Riley and I so it'll be less weird." He smiled reassuringly and she nodded happily.

"That's fine by me." She turned to her mother who was standing on the porch with us.

"When I said come back soon, I didn't think it would be this soon. And I certainly didn't think you'd be coming to pick my sweet girl up." She pinched her daughter's cheek and she groaned.

"Mom! Alright can we go now?"

"Sure! Have her home by nine okay?"

"Nine? Mom, seriously?" She whined. "It's already almost six." She gave her mother a pleading look and she finally sighed.

"Oh alright. Ten and no later. I swear if you come home a second late you'll never see the light of day again." She warned lightly.

Emily cut her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I believe you. I'll be home in time, promise." Her mother pressed a fifty dollar bill in her hand and sent us off.

Avery held the back door open for her before holding mine open for me as well. He then walked around his car and climbed in. "Emily, this is Blythe and his girlfriend, Winter. Guys, this is Emily, a new friend of ours." I gave him a look at his terminology of "ours".

Yes I pitied the girl, and no, I wasn't threatened by her, but it was pretty clear that she was head over heels for my boyfriend; and he was being too nice for his own good. Could you really blame me for a slight green-eyed monster, no matter how minuscule?

"What's sup Em?" Blythe smiled as he high-fived her. Winter gave her a small smile and quiet hello.

"I've seriously never been out with this many people at once." She said from the back seat.

I turned to look at her. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "Mom's a bit overprotective."

"Really? I couldn't tell." Avery joked as he looked at her in his mirrors. Her cheeks went a deep shade of pink as she looked back at him.

When we arrived at the school, Ryder and the others had already got there. They waited in the parking lot for us.

"Oh hey Emily, this is the rest of our gang. This is: Soren, Pippa, Aspen, and my best friend Ryder."

"Hey! I thought I was your best friend!?" Blythe said defensively with a smirk.

"That would be me." Soren added with a grin.

"We're all best friends ok." Avery laughed. He was being honest too, they were all that close.

I noticed Emily was still standing there with wide eyes as she took them all in. I could tell she was as shell-shocked as I was when I first laid eyes on all seven of them.

Avery waived a hand in front of her face and laughed. "Earth to Emily?"

"Oh um-" She blinked. "I'm sorry what?"

They all laughed. "Let's go in and get our seats in the bleachers, the game'll be starting soon." Avery draped his arm around me as we all walked in together.

A lot of the students were surprised to find that the "Bellwood Breed" had actually showed up to a school function they weren't required to be at. They didn't usually show up at sports' games they weren't playing in. Their faces usually made an appearance at debates and other collegiate affairs. They weren't big fans of basketball, or as Aspen put it...sweaty gyms. They preferred rugby and tennis.

As they walked up the steps to the bleachers, a lot of the students scooted down so that they could have their own space. Anyone in a five ft radius moved.

Emily's eyebrows shot up as she leaned in to whisper to Avery and I. "Um, I get the strange feeling that everyone's afraid of you guys."

The others laughed as she hadn't realized they had the ears of superman. "They're not afraid of us."

"They just respect us."

"Most anyway." Blythe laughed.

Emily sat up straighter, trying to match their haughtiness. She dipped her long blonde curls behind her back and tilted her chin up a little.

"They won't bite your head off for slouching." I giggled as I leaned over to whisper in her ear.

Her eyes widened a little as she realized I knew she was trying to impress them. I mean seriously, what was the deal with people when it came to addressing the rest of the group? I could understand if they walked around acting like they owned the place, which some believed they acted as if they did, when they really didn't, but they weren't; they were just being themselves.

"I'm not." She bit.

"What?" I cocked a brow.

"Trying to impress them."

"I didn't say-how'd you-"

"Hey, where's the snacks?" She smiled as she cut me off.

I was going to ask her how she knew what I had been thinking, but maybe she had just assumed that's what I was thinking...even though I actually was.

"Uh, the concessions are in the lobby." Avery pointed in the direction of the entrance to the gym. "I'll show you." She nodded and they both stood up to leave.

"I'll come to." I smiled. Avery extended his hand to mine as he looked at me with raised eyebrows.

"Anyone want anything while we're up?" He offered.

"Oh! Bring me a corndog!" Blythe exclaimed.

"Ew, gross man." Avery laughed as we stepped down.

Thankfully, the line was short when we got there. But to my dismay, an all too familiar face stood just ahead of us.

"Riley!" Her sweet voice cooed. "It's been some time!"

"Savannah." I said through clenched teeth. I guess her suspension was up. "You're back."

"Yeah, I heard about Lexi." She rested a hand on my shoulder like we were old friends or something. "That must really suck."

"Uh, yeah." I shook her arm off and turned my attention back to Avery and Emily. She was laughing at something he said.

To my dismay, Savannah was still there. "Oh and who's this?" Her smile was polite, but I knew better, she was sizing Emily up.

Emily's smile fell a little. Was she sensing how much of a prick she was already? Smart girl.

"Uh hi, I'm Emily." She gave Savannah the same bored look she gave me when we'd first arrived at the b&b.

"Oh Emily! What a nice name!" Her eyes sparkled. Hopefully Emily wouldn't fall for it, Savannah was bad news for any girl. She'd make her feel special and as if she were "one of them", all so that she could slowly eat away at your ego, making herself look and feel better. "Man, you Bellwood Breeders must be on a Breeding spree! First Riley, now her? I'm a little put out? How come I can't join the circle?" Her lips was pouty, and I could tell she was only half joking, as her eyes were cold and loathsome.

I felt my eyes roll in their sockets as Avery chuckled awkwardly. "Uh no, we met Emily yesterday, thought we'd all hang out." He smiled comfortably.

"And don't call us that." I snapped.

"Oh? Is it us now? So you really are one of them then huh?" Savannah's nostrils flared.

I balled my fist as Avery stepped around me. He laughed causally. "Alright, enough with the banter. We'll just be getting our snacks now. Catch ya' around Savannah." He dismissed her with a flash of teeth and bright smile.

We quickly ordered our snacks and headed back for toward the others. Avery squeezed my hand and smiled down at me.

"Ignore her okay?" I nodded through gritted teeth and he pecked me on the lips, giving my hand another squeeze as we made our way up the steps.

I was holding on to a slushy and Blythe's corndog when the ground disappeared from beneath.

"Oh my gosh!" I screeched as the cold liquid toppled down my shirt, the mustard and ketchup smudging against my shirt. I looked in time to see a smirking Savannah and her minions giggling.

"Opps, I'm sorry, I guess you didn't see my foot there." She said innocently. Why she had it out for me specifically, I didn't know.

"You little witch! You did that on purpose!" I lunged for, but was cut off by Avery who restrained me by wrapping his arms around my waist and tugging me away. My blood was boiling already and she was going to make me cause a scene.

"Not my fault you weren't paying attention." She giggled happily at seeing me make a fool of myself. I wanted to get my arms around her neck and squeeze the breath right out of her.

"Savannah, that was really childish and you know it. Riley, forget her, she's not worth it." Avery soothed. It wasn't helping. She had been back in my presence for less than twenty minutes and I was already ready to murder her...literally. All the dark in me needed was an inch, and it would take a mile.

Emily stood off to the side looking surprised and confused while others looked on in amusement.

"Riley." All he did was say my name and resolve started flooding back. Ryder had his hand on my shoulder and I blinked, forgetting where I was for half a millisecond.

Coming back to my self, I shook both guys off me. "I'm fine." I mumbled as I made my way up the rest of the bleachers.

"Lay off alright?" I heard Ryder threaten as he caught up with me. "I know the smallest things trigger reactions in you right now, but don't let them get to you. I have faith in you." He whispered in my ear as he brushed passed me. The tips of my fingers felt all tingly as he walked back to his seat.

I took a deep breath and sat down a little ways away from the others. Avery shoved his hands in his pockets and gave me a sympathetic look. "Wanna walk?" I met his sad eyes and nodded a little. "We'll be back." He announced to the others as we made our way back down the bleachers again.

We walked outside to the main circle. It was all but deserted, as most of the students were towards the front of the school where the gym entrance was.

"It's getting worse Avery." I finally said after a long, deafening silence. "A broken fingernail could send me on a rage now." I sighed.

He squeezed my hand. "She was trying to get a reaction out of you, and you reacted...you can't blame yourself." He said quietly.

I shook my head. "I've been on a serious age and you know it...we all do. And now with Savannah back, and everything else going on...I feel as if it's only a matter if time before I actually explode."

"Riley, look, babe, I know you're good okay? I can feel it, you just have to keep fighting the dark." I twisted my key around my neck as he held me by my shoulders. "I have faith that, no matter what happens...you'll choose the light." He hugged me before pressing a soft kiss to my lips.

When he finally let go, I pulled back to look at him, wiping at a tear I hadn't even realized had fallen. "What if I don't though? What if I actually do choose the dark?" My voice shook. It wasn't an unlikely possibility. And in fact, it was more possible then me choosing the light. I had almost done so already before.

"You won't." His voice was hard and sure. "Riley you won't do that."

"But-"

"Riley, you. Would never. Do that." He said strongly in a low voice. "Don't even think like that ok? Everything is going to work its self out."

I frowned as I sighed in frustration, turning away from him. "Everyone keeps saying that, yet they don't even know what's going to happen."

I could feel Avery practically towering behind me as he stood there quietly. The sun had set so the sky was dark, the only light coming from the tall lamp post surrounding the area.

I felt good in the dark; strong, safe, like it was where I belonged. It was familiar and comfortable, something I was easily used too.

Avery's warm arm snakes around my waist, causing me to jump a little as he pulled me from my dark thoughts.

"I trust you." He whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

I turned to face him, taking his face in the side of my hand. I memorized every feature of his beautiful face, seeing perfectly well in the dim lighting.

I breathed as I felt the slow fire churning down deep within the pit of me, beckoning me forward, to just accept it, to answer to it.

A sad smile spread across my lips as I could almost taste it on my tongue.

"You really shouldn't."

******

After the game, we had all went back to Avery's house. His mom had prepared some snacks for us and they all chatted amongst each other. Unlike me when I first got here, Emily fit right in. She couldn't seem to get enough of them.

I was still feeling a little put out and disturbed, so I left to wander off around the house. My thoughts were focused on my little sister and ways to get her back as I began pacing up and down the hall impatiently. Why couldn't we find anything that would help us? What were missing. I felt like there was something sitting right in front of our faces, but we skipped right over it, almost as if we were choosing not to see it.

I was so deep in my thoughts, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I bumped into someone.

"Watch where you're walking!" I barked out as if it were the other person's fault.

"You walked into me." Emily sneered at me.

"Oh um, Em-"

"Shut it." She demanded.

My eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." She breathed. "Why are you back here all by your self?" She folded her arms across her chest, challenging me. She really didn't know who she was messing with, and I had to remind myself of that. She was just smitten by my boyfriend, and I couldn't break her neck for that alone. Although I wanted too, she had been weaseling her way closer to him all night.

"That's none of your business, I was minding my business, which is what you should be doing right now." I didn't like the dirty looks she had been tossing my way all night.

"I know what you're up to. And I know what you are. My father warned me about ones like you." Her voice was low and venomous.

My eyes widened a little. "W-what did you just s-say?" I breathed. Surely she didn't know what she was talking about.

"You're evil, just like the others. I saw it in you the moment you lunged at the girl. I knew I didn't like you the moment I laid eyes on you, and now I know why, you have the blood of the damned in you." She spat.

"Stop it, stop." I whimpered as I stepped back away from her. She was saying things I didn't want to hear, bringing about thoughts I didn't want to think about because they were too hurtful and dangerous. "I didn't choose to be this way, I was made this way." I cried.

She scoffed. "You always have a choice. And you chose the other side. You should be in hell with the rest of your cursed family. You're a disgrace, how dare you think you can meander around with us!" She snapped.

"Us?" My eyes watered. "You don't know what you're talking about." I wanted to cry, it was like she was throwing salt on open wounds of mine.

"You tried to fool me, I bet it was a glamour wasn't it? What's your agenda? You may have the others fooled but I know what you really are. Darklighters don't deserve to converse with us, and they certainly don't deserve to fraternize with our kind. You'll taint our blood just like yours is. That's what you want isn't it?" She interrogated as she took another step closer.

My her was beating impossibly fast as she confronted me. Everything inside hurt like physical blows as she spoke.

"Maybe they can't see through the glamour because they aren't like you, but I can. I know the tricks, I know how to spot the holes. Of course they're so fond of you, they don't know what you really are. You're an abomination, and you're existence is a threat to everything good. You-"

"Stop!" I screamed as I covered my ears. "I said stop!" I caught her wrist and shook her. "Stop saying those things! It's not TRUE!" I roared at the top of my lungs as tears began to stream down my face faster.

The others came running at the sound of all the shouting. I was crying now, my eyes to bleary to see through the tears. "Riley!" Avery called. "Let her go!"

Blythe pulled at a screaming Emily who seemed to be beyond pissed. "See what you did!" She screamed as she held out her arms, showing the bright red marks around her wrist where I had been holding them. "You're evil! And you're a monster!"

"Hey! Don't talk to her like that!" Avery warned. He took a step towards Emily and pointed a finger in her face.

Ryder stepped in, wrapping his arms around my waist as I cried into him.

"Are you defending her?! You don't even know what she is! She's a-"

"I think you should leave." Avery spat as his voice went low. "Like right now." He pointed in the direction if the door, sending her a hard look.

The others were glaring at her as she set her pretty little jaw. "Fine. You all are blinded by her beauty, but I'll tell you now that there's not an ounce of good. She's got you under a glamour thinking she's all fine and dandy, but you'll see, you'll all see how evil she really is!" Emily looked at us all through steely eyes as she turned her back on us.

Avery's mother held the door open for her with a disappointed and frightened look on her face at all the yelling.

When she was gone I broke down, running into Avery's arms and sobbing uncontrollably. He held me in his arms as the others comforted me gently, simply just allowing me to cry. Avery's mother walked into the kitchen and came back with a glass of water.

"Thanks." I croaked hoarsely.

They followed us into the living room where Avery sat down on the edge of the couch with me.

"Ri, what happened back there?" Avery asked gently.

I was still numb as I shook my head. "Who is that girl, and how does she know about us?" I croaked.

"I don't know love, but we'll find out."

I sniffed as I wiped at my eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt her. She just...everything she said..." I began sobbing again even Aspen looked sad, and she almost never pitied me.

"It doesn't matter about what she said, she hardly know what she's talking about." Ryder rested a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

"She said...everything she said was true." I almost whispered. "I don't know who she is, but what she said was right. But you guys, I don't have a glamour I...I barely even know what that is." I sniffed.

Avery rubbed my arm up and down. "We know Ri, Ryder's right, she doesn't even know half of it." I could tell he was upset by the way he was gritting his teeth.

"She said she you guys couldn't see through the glamour because you weren't like me." I said in a small voice. "What is she was right? What if that's why I haven't been able to control anything, because I really am dark?"

"Riley, you're not dark." Winter said gently.

"Yeah, maybe a little tense sometimes, but not dark." Aspen smiled a little. It felt nice to know that they all still believed in me, but I wasn't convinced.

"Wait..." Ryder started as he stood up from crouching down in front of me. "What'd you just say?" He looked at me.

"What do you mean?" I said shakily.

"About what Emily said about glamours."

"Um..." I blinked as I wiped at my eyes. "She said you couldn't see through it because you weren't like me."

"That's it!" He suddenly exclaimed, causing everyone to jump.

"What?" They all questioned. If I wasn't in tears right now, I probably would have laughed out how in sync they all were.

"Emily, she just told us how we're going to find Lexi, and more importantly, why we were unable to so far." He was almost excited.

"What? How?"

"The hole, the hole in every single glamour. Why hadn't we noticed it before, we use it everyday?!"

"Ryder!" They all pressed for him to get to the point, now I was even siting forward.

"Guys, think about the lounge, we can only hear what's said inside, and we can only see what's really inside why?"

"Because...we created it?" Soren was unsure.

"Exactly!" Ryder clapped his hands together. "Of course we couldn't get through the glamour casted by Alec and his puppets, they're Darklighters, and we aren't."

"I think I see where you're going with this." Blythe rubbed his chin and Ryder nodded as he began to pace.

"They were clever in doing what they did, hiding their trial from is like that, but they weren't clever enough." Ryder turned to face the rest of us. "They forgot about one major thing in using Lexi as leverage."

"What?" I finally spoke.

"You."