Chapter Text
AN: I hope you all enjoy my interpretation of this character and the first step towards her journey. Thank you for taking the time to read.
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or its characters apart from my OC. They belong to Stephenie Meyer.
Chapter One: Flight
~O~
The hard leather chair dug excruciatingly into my back as I shifted in it for the thousandth time today. Though it squealed very loudly in the soft airy spacious room, it didn’t register with anyone else but me, as I was acutely aware of those around me. I breathed through my teeth to avoid inhaling the weak human scents, but more so, to stem the overwhelming reek of mutt that had already pervaded my senses and especially with an enormous number present. Not that I had anything to do with that. That common peculiarity wasn’t really in my control nor could I ignore it. As it was, I had to sit with the growing heat, slowly knotting my insides.
A chunk of meat flew into my hair. I gritted my teeth against my instinctual reaction but paused before I acted. I didn’t particularly want to give the fool ammunition, fuel. Trying to keep my teeth from baring, I pressed down on my outrage. Every muscle in my body wanted me to throttle the dog but I wasn’t planning to give him the satisfaction of succeeding to get under my skin. However, very delicately I flicked the muck off my beautiful golden hair and let it fall onto the pristine floor. If the mutt wanted to clean it up, then that was up to him. I was done playing his games. Not that I was averse to our verbal sparring in a twisted domestic way, the trouble was, I wasn’t in the mood for it.
Through the din of voices, my eyes narrowed onto the grinning features of Jacob Black. The infamously notorious werewolf who can’t help himself when it comes to food, as is his daily habit. The kitchen was only visible through the dining room as there was a curved wall that blocked off the living room which functioned as a screen. Jacob was leaning casually against the wall and was chewing on a lamb leg rather grotesquely not caring whether his face was covered with juice.
He wagged his eyebrows at me as if daring me to say something.
I scowled. He lived for that sort of thing. I wasn’t stupid enough to do it in front of a crowd, which was explicitly getting larger the longer they conversed. I had much better class than that. I inconspicuously gave him the finger.
He tossed his head back and chuckled quietly.
Not one person looked in our direction, though some may have witnessed the exchange but barely acknowledged it. This had become a morning ritual; which I partially tolerated, though it would seem we weren’t the only one’s conscious of this. If I had known this would be my future, prior to this, I would’ve jumped with horror. Now, I was desensitised to the whole thing. It was more routine than anything. The wolves had equal claim on Renesmee as the mongrel had somehow magically managed to get his imprint on her. A fact that I couldn’t dispute or deny, as much as I’d like to. Our main priority remained keeping the new peace treaty intact. That is usually what was discussed during these meetings between the two clans. Though Jacob followed his own exclusive clause from the rest of us making it seem easy.
My eyes rolled to the ceiling, staring at the white magnolia walls to distract me from the noise. You would think I would care for the domestic lifestyle I had wished for, a lifetime ago, now all of that seemed a faraway dream to me. I couldn’t afford to be idle when times were shifting like Alice’s constant alternative visions. The pressure to conform to a desired state. I didn’t want to be reminded of the familiar burden and so, I didn’t trust myself to not fall into that trap. I’d settle for a quiet reclusive space any day. A murderous migraine pounded through my skull, as if to remind me where I was. Which hell I was. Guests usually come and go when we do have them around, but these particular guests weren’t in a rush to vacate the room anytime soon. I tried to tune out the barrage of voices penetrating my sensitive ears, but it was no use.
‘Yes, that’s reasonably acceptable.’ Carlisle nodded. His smooth voice carried as he was seated comfortably on the couch, posture open with his forearms propped on his thighs as his gaze focused on the guests with intense attentiveness. His face polite and friendly.
Carlisle never turned away a guest, only if circumstances permitted him to. It is any wonder they hadn’t left already. He wasn’t alone. To his left was Bella with Renesmee in her lap and Edward with his arm around her shoulders. Though Bella remained calm on the surface, her discomfort was visible from the way her body flexed and clenched as she subtly shifted on the sofa, despite, Edward’s steady hand smoothing down her tension in slow circles with his thumb. Edward’s expression was bland, but his eyes saw everything. If you looked closely there was a slight dent between his brows as if he was locked in an unknown conversation.
Not only were the shapeshifters there, taking up space with their enormous bulk, spread out. Some stood rigidly with crossed arms and hard faces, others’ eyes drifted with clenched jaws, stance wide. There weren’t however going to act on their impulses as Bella’s father Charlie Swan and Sue Clearwater were present, though surprisingly sitting intimately close, hands brushing each other’s. Gazes touching before falling away, slight smiles reaching their eyes. It was in stark contrast with the still face of Sam Uley.
A faint incandescent light speared through the room but stopped in razor spades as there was not enough room in the enclosed space for it to spread.
My gaze flitted to the large platinum tv mounted on the wall, Seth Clearwater sat on the floor seeming perfectly content. He had his legs crossed and flickered through the sports channels, their static voices becoming background noise. His sister, Leah stood awkwardly beside him, though her gaze was on the tv, her body was slightly turned towards the other side of the room, listening sharply with her fingers clenched. It was clear she still hadn’t gotten used to the Cullen's hospitality. She was still frigid in a house full of bloodsuckers.
‘Give it up, Emmett.’ Jasper smirked smugly as Emmett clicked his teeth in frustration.
His hands fisted the chair into a tight grasp, a wispy dust of splinters spraying the hard floor. Though it was barely visible to the human eye, anyone with sharper senses could easily see the uneven edge of the wooden chair that his hand left a mark on.
Before anyone could notice the slight shift in scent, Jasper quickly kicked Emmett’s leg underneath the mahogany coffee table to get his attention and locked his gaze to where Emmett’s hand was resting.
For a moment, Emmett’s mouth screwed into a harsh line as if Jasper was intentionally trying to divert his attention to trick him, but looking down, he realised the near mess he made of the floor. He used his boots to sweep it under the table. Emmett raised an eyebrow at Jasper as if to say, I’ve got this. Jasper hid his laugh into his hand with a cough as a few spots were missed hastily. Though, it’s worth adding, the mutts weren’t inclined to make a fuss of it as it did nothing to shake the absurdity of the situation.
How the coffee table became another piece to accommodate the large room was anyone’s guess. Personally, I would’ve rather destroyed it whole than have it take up so much space. It wasn’t matching with the walls. An unnecessary addition that was just added filler. It made the room a lot less like anything elegant or refined that I was used to. I would much rather inhale fumes than get used to the smell of it languishing.
‘Esme, I think these could work,’ Alice’s voice drifted from the dining room mixing in with the rest of the crowd, regardless of the tremendous noise swallowing each other’s voices, but hers, no matter what still remained bell-like and charming in an elfish way. She was holding up a silken fabric with sparkling sequins, the colour hot pink blending in with the shadow of sunlight peeking through.
Esme gently leaned forward, her hands brushing gracefully down its length as if sampling the piece. She had her lips pinned and brows furrowed. ‘You think so.’ Her voice was full of softness and a breath of fresh air, as her eyes carefully roved over every inch of the fabric, I couldn’t help noticing the halo that emanated from her caramel brown locks. It made the sequins shining, breath-taking. Little dots marked the wooden table and trailed down their thin lines of clothing, revealing transparent legs.
‘Uhm,’ Alice said, practically bouncing in her seat. ‘These blend together and together they make a whole.’ She rifled through the multitude of colours in satin, lace, cotton and held up a champagne golden band that really melded together with the hot pink.
‘Hmm,’ Esme tapped her lips, head tilted. ‘We could do with something lighter.’
Alice bobbed her head, silently agreeing. When Esme shuffled through the different textures, Alice’s eyes sparked when Esme’s hand landed on baby pink. I almost huffed a laugh. Why doesn’t she give it a rest already? If she’s already seen the final design what good does it do, pretending. She could just do it herself and align it all to match her perfect vision, why bother with it at all when she was just undoing the effort. It’s undermining the work ethic. It simply won’t do. Now if I gave a hand…I don’t think that would be taken too kindly. Better leave them to it to work out their differences. Makes no difference to me.
I shrugged. The movement jolted my tense muscles. I locked my jaw and lifted my chin. An unfamiliar feline pulled at my gaze. Her large marble green eyes pierced through mine, her ears flattened as her nostrils inflated. Our gazes collided like glacial flakes. The feline meowed and thrashed before its pupils dilated and a growl ripped from the depths of its throat. I had to suppress my own urge to growl as adrenaline burst through my veins drilling a hole into my stomach.
For a beat, at once, everything stopped and suspended their gaze for a duration of a second before dismissing the sound. Not all together bothered, just another inconvenience. Like it had flying skates in its heels, the cat flew through the room. I wasn’t far behind as I couldn’t bear another second in that room. Colours and light flashed across my vision, shapeless, my shoes barely touching the ground as I chased it right into a thorny underbrush. Her bushy ginger tail curled as she wriggled in the tight space, jostling the leaves onto fallen stems and split vines.
The pressure on my chest expanded the longer I breathed the damp crisp air. A few drops of cold water trickled down my face as I closed my eyes to the dark grey sky. Hopefully no one caught onto my not so human moment in my rush to escape my cruel confinement. It’s not that much of a big deal. I’m sure they’ll manage. As the cat continued to shake fallen petals like confetti into dried mud and grass, the whistling wind blew a familiar scent my way.
Automatically my body locked. I shot out of the trees. Branches and twigs snapped, stems and leaves peeled like straws. Coconuts and rocks ground under my boots crunching into sand. I didn’t bother with stealth.
Of all the luck, I was hoping I could tinker with my red convertible, add more juice to the engine but no, instead I inherited a culpable amount of compassion for her sorry arse. I soared past the front door and the massive driveway. She was hardly paying attention, her gaze was fixed on the ground, but I did see the subtle shift in her demeanour as she cocked her head to the whoosh of my presence. I stopped just a foot away from pummelling her over. I didn’t even lose breath doing it, but I suppose my hair could use a clean. I wrinkled my nose as I cupped a string of my once marvellous hair.
Tanya’s face furrowed with deep lines, her mouth a slash of a smile. Then she looked away back at the ground again, her shoulders curving inwards as if she couldn’t lift the solid weight hanging her hard body. Her strawberry blond hair and flowing dress was immaculate as always but that invasive bubble that usually accompanied her was missing. It was actually quite unnerving. I wasn’t used to this Tanya. With this Tanya I couldn’t just ignore and roll my eyes.
‘Tanya, what’s wrong?’
Tanya did not immediately answer, her eyes stayed where they were. It was as if she was looking for a pattern I couldn’t see rather than face me.
‘Tanya?’
It was as if she hadn’t heard me or she was hoping that she wouldn’t have to reply. That I was somehow an irritating apparition that she couldn’t swat away.
She slowly raised her head, sighed and said, ‘Rosalie…’
What was so difficult that she had trouble speaking?
As I waited for her to speak, the wind rose like a tornado and howled, saturated dried leaves swept into the air, the stench of moist soil and grit on my tongue made me want to spit it out. The paved slab stone beneath my boots burned from the heat of the sun. It was different from the rush of the river.
‘Look Tanya,’ I said, my lips curling slightly. ‘If you don’t tell me what’s going on. I can’t help you.’ I was trying very hard not to bite her head off by keeping my teeth fused together so as not to scream.
She hardened her jaw and squared her shoulders looking directly at me as if she could wish me away but that wasn’t possible, so instead she had to compensate and said evenly, ‘Where is Carlisle? I need to speak with him.’
I folded my arms across my chest. ‘Why Carlisle? Why not speak to me instead? What have you got to hide?’
‘I need to speak to Carlisle.’ She floated to the side to get around me, but I blocked her path and glowered. Tanya stopped to give me a hard stare, but I did not budge. So, she twisted the other way, even though I met her step for step not giving an inch until she let me in.
A deep laugh filtered outside. The voice was rough and rustic. ‘It’s always a pleasure Carlisle.’
Tanya’s head whipped to the house, her eyebrows shooting up. Her body was rigid as she was assaulted by the stink of wolf, her nose wrinkled in distaste. She immediately took a step back. Licking her lips, her liquid gold eyes darting up to my face and back to the house. ‘Uh…I see Carlisle is busy.’ She shook her head. ‘This is a bad time.’ Tanya glanced away and kept muttering to herself too low for my ears.
‘Hey!’ I grabbed her by the arm. ‘Stop, I’m coming with you.’
Tanya gaped at her. ‘Why?’
I gazed at her for a long time before replying. ‘I don’t know, but something tells me. You need me.’
Swallowing, Tanya nodded. ‘I’ll wait here.’
I gave her a thin smile, then sprinted back into the house as if moving through air. Everything was a blur, colours whizzed by me, as if it was a mishmash of paint splatter on a wall. Voices rolled over me like electric current. I didn’t stop to explain. The stairs seemed to drop behind me like tumbling blocks. I breezed past smooth antique wood, pale cotton walls and steadily halted at my bedroom door, taking a deep breath.
I swung open the door, only to find the minx lounging on my lilac and ivory white vintage silken sheets, black lacy drapes trailing down the wooden bed rail. Cream tones dominating the walls which complimented my massive boutique-style walk-in closet. Her spiked, pixie-cut hair moulded nicely into the powder white light glinting from the floor-to-ceiling glass walls. A fiendish grin magnifying her molten gold eyes.
I stopped dead at the doorway, deliberately letting the door click shut sharply. ‘Alice? Are you forgetting something?’
Alice propped her fist against her temple and didn’t even blink. ‘Carlisle will murder you if he finds out, not to mention how Edward would react.’
Who cares what he thought? He was busy playing house with Bella rather than deal with the situation himself and Carlisle- well - I had better things to do rather than worry about every little thing that goes wrong.
‘It’s nobody’s business.’ I flipped my satin golden hair over my shoulder and placed my hands on my hips. ‘She came to me. I will handle it.’
Alice rolled her eyes as she hopped off the bed like a dancing ballerina, her steps light. ‘Relax, I didn’t come to stop you.’ The way Alice was gliding towards me like a swan, tall and each step with precision made me wonder what Alice knows that I don’t. Her eyes never left mine the closer she drew to me. Was there something she wanted me to, see? Everyone knew her fashion sense was top tier; there’s no need to gloat about it. ‘Take this.’ She brushed open my hand and dropped something in it. I hadn’t taken any notice that she had anything on her.
My gaze dropped to the black and white photograph. My glossy golden hair, white smile and my fitted puffy wedding gown was elegant next to his black suit and tie, his dark brown eyes staring at me as if he’s never seen such an angelic woman like me. In the background was a huge trellis covered in red roses, blue dahlia’s crisscrossing and the lawned grass made it look polished. The crystal in my golden wedding band caught the light in ringlets.
Once, all of this would’ve made me ache from the absence of it but now, there was only a hollow pit where my heart used to be. I curled my hand into a fist. I stared at Alice not knowing what to make of this. I held up my fist, knuckles white. ‘What’s this for?’ I didn’t shout; there was no room for it. My voice was thick and quiet.
All the humour was gone from Alice’s eyes, her mouth crooked into a grim line. ‘You’ll know why once you get there.’
My body stiffened and I said harshly, ‘Why don’t you just tell me Alice, if you know.’
Before I could think twice before stopping her, she easily swept passed me and paused at the door. ‘I’ll stall the others as best as I can, but you know how stubborn they can be.’
The door silently slipped closed. I was alone, but only for the moment. Not caring about order or whether the clothes and shoes I threw into the bag was neat, I tore through the room, snatching whatever I needed to take with me. All I knew is that something waited for me in Alaska and it was not going to be the piece of cake I envisioned it would be. It was going to be a long vacation, and something tells me, hell was just round the corner, and I just walked right into it.