Mortality

Budding Connection

"Bella, that you?"

"Yeah Dad, it's me." I walk to the living room, expecting him to be in Detective Swan mode. Instead, he's got Golden Girls on the TV and has a mug of ... either coffee or cocoa in his hands. "Wooow."

"Don't you dare judge." He points at me. "You're home earlier than I expected, it was sitcom time."

"My apologies then."

"First thing's first. Did you have fun?"

"Uh ... yeah, for the most part. Met Jessica's weird uncle and uh ... ran into a random vampire while I was there."

"Long black hair, white cane?"

"Well, he had a cane. I didn't get a good look at him, when I felt how cold he was I went into a panic mode. M-mostly because of that Jess' uncle said about me."

"What did he say?" Charlie pats the couch beside him, and I vault over the back, plopping beside him. "Impressive."

"Thanks. And ... he said I'm Gifted. Like, capital G. That I have abilities the average person doesn't. It overwhelmed me, so when the vampire showed up I just ... I ran."

"Leaving your bag and phone behind, I assume."

"You assume right." I swallow hard and touch the hoodie zipper. "And while I was lost, I was cornered by two men..." I unzip slightly, showing him where my shirt was torn. "They tried to ... to ..."

"Oh god ... Baby, are you hurt?" Charlie takes my face in his hands, looking for bruises, scratches, or well ... anything amiss. I shake my head, taking his hands in mine and squeezing them.

"Dad, they never had the chance. Edward showed up long before they could hurt me... he scared them off." He lets out a breath, holding me close. He's trembling violently.

"I'm just glad my little girl's safe. If you need to go to therapy or, well, anything else, do not hesitate to tell me, okay?" I nod, leaning against Charlie's shoulder. He smiles softly, wrapping an arm around me and hugging me tight into his side. "So much for Girl's Night, eh?"

"I think I want to do another one. Without the uh ... you know, vampires and perverts." I curl up slightly, cocooning myself into Edward's hoodie. " ... I did something weird, too."

"Oh? Like what?"

"I ... pushed one of the guys. With my mind..." I close my eyes. "At least, that's what I think happened."

"... I suppose one of us had to inherit that."

"Wh-what?" I sit up and stare at him in awe. Then annoyance. "You mean, you knew? Again, Dad?"

"Well no, not this time, no. But my grandmother always said us Swans were predetermined for some sort of greatness and power. I didn't really believe her ... until she made a bowl float ten feet in the air. I just never thought ..." Charlie leans back on the couch, letting out an exhausted sigh. "So, you ran from Jessica's uncle only because you could tell another person in there was a vampire. And soon after you discovered you do have a Gift."

"I also know that Edward can't ... uh."

"What, read your mind?" He chuckles, ruffling my hair. "That's probably a good thing. What with the horror movies you devour and the crazy-ass books in your room, he probably would have feared you. Don't suppose you can teach me that trick?"

"Uh ... if I knew how I blocked him, I'd tell you."

"That's fair. Just uh ... don-don't let all this get to you. I know the vampire thing alone can be pretty overwhelming, but after a couple more days, it'll be at the 'yeah, that's a vampire' stage."