Belle Âme ~ Seth Clearwater

2|festivities but no fighting

Aurélien expected to walk into a solemn house when he entered his home. He did not however, expect to find his family in such jubilant moods. Alice was even skipping across the living room, humming a tune.

"Aurélien!" She cried out happily, dancing over to the French vampire and wrapping her arms round him. He reciprocated the hug, easily dwarfing her at 6'3.

"Why are you so happy? Last I heard there was an army of newborns being built on our doorstop and some strange vampire was in Bella's room." Alice shook her head exuberantly, short hair bouncing. Aurélien had almost forgotten how intense his sister was.

"Yes, but Bella is graduating for the first time, danger isn't imminent and I'm planning a graduation party!" The pixie sized vampire squeaked, clapping her delicate hands together. Aurélien merely shook his head. Leave it to his sister to plan a party despite the danger that could lay ahead.

"I came here for a fight, not festivities," complained Aurélien as his significantly shorter sister dragged him into the house, which was being transformed to host a party. All the furniture had been moved from the living room except the tables, which were covered in food. There were fairy lights everywhere and there was a sound system set up in the corner, no doubt courtesy of Emmett.

"You're attending the party and that's final. It's bad enough you weren't there for graduation," Alice chided her adopted brother. Aurélien smiled and nodded. His sister was a hard person to say no to. "Now come and help me string up some more fairy lights, guests are arriving in an hour and I can't have the decorations half finished."

Aurélien did what he was told. After about half an hour the house was finished and Alice sent him upstairs to get dressed. Knowing the kind of person his sister was, Aurélien was unsurprised to find an outfit laid out for him already; consisting of black skinny jeans, a white shirt and a dark blue jumper. She'd left out shoes, knowing her brother would refuse to where anything but the red Doctor Martins currently on his feet (he owned multiple identical pairs).

Guests were already mulling about when Aurélien walked downstairs, their punctuality no doubt inspired by curiosity as to how the Cullen's lived. They were of course impressed by the large house. A couple of people gave Aurélien surprised looks quickly followed by polite greetings, but no one really bothered him until he made it to the middle of the living room where he was accosted by Jessica Stanley, Lauren Mallory and a few girls he faintly recognised.

"Aurélien, oh my god! I didn't know you were back," Jessica exclaimed in her usual melodramatic manner. Aurélien suppressed a groan.

"I only arrived a few hours ago. My family wishes for me to attend the party considering I missed graduation," Aurélien politely explained, grasping his hands behind his back. It was a habit from his human life, one he'd never been able to shake. It was a result of years of etiquette training as a young boy.

"Right. You finished your studying abroad. Is that why your accents so strong now?" Lauren queried. Years of practice and being surrounded by the American accents of his family, excluding Carlisle, had dampened his Frank accent down, but you could still make it out. There back story for this is that Aurélien, whom everyone believed was Edward's cousin on his mother's side, was half French and that he'd lived with his father in Paris until his death, when he'd gone to live with Edward and his mother, who charitably agreed to take him in. They'd gone into the foster system together when she passed and were both adopted by Carlisle.