Thursday, October 19, 2017

Seismic Shift Chapter 18


Sometimes, I think of the sun and the moon
as lovers who rarely meet, always chase,
and almost always miss one another.
But once in awhile, they do catch up.
And they kiss,
and the world stares in awe
of their eclipse.

~ Anonymous

BPOV

My damp hair was pulled into a ponytail that trailed down my back as I stood in the kitchen perusing the contents of the refrigerator. I had an idea of what to make, so I dug out the ingredients from the fridge and then the pantry. Edward sat at the counter, and it felt completely natural to have him in this apartment.

To say that I was ecstatic about his arrival would be an understatement, for sure. I’d tried to keep faith that we wouldn't be separated for long, but without his presence to ground me, I’d felt adrift. But now he was here, and he was in all of my classes. Better, he’d made so many improvements for the Quileutes that I was eager to hear about them.

“I began by contemplating how you came to be found. I searched the records for the year you arrived at the reservation, and then I started tracing the bloodlines. I realized quickly that Sam is not the true Alpha, as his blood line splits. Jacob Black has the true line to make him the Alpha and therefore the chief, passed down directly from both of his grandfathers, and his great-grandfathers, and so on. William would have been chief, but he never phased.”

“Probably due to his health,” I commented as I set a pot of water on the stove to boil.

“Mmm,” he hummed in agreement. “Diabetes. We were not living in Forks in William’s youth, and so he had no need to phase.”

I nodded. “So Jake is chief now? How is he doing with that? For that matter, how is Billy doing with that?”

“Billy is not happy, according to his thoughts. He has a nasty point of view when it comes to the vampires, as well as you.” He growled, and I raised an eyebrow. “I have heard the replay of his conversation with Carlisle in their thoughts. Billy feels quite justified in evicting you.”

“Oh.” I thought about that, remembering that he had never been friendly to me.

“Regardless, your parents have volunteered to help Jake, and we have agreed on a new treaty. There are no boundary lines anymore; the only true caveat is that we not feed from humans, and they treat us with respect in return.”

“Wow,” I commented.

“That is not the half of it. Your water is boiling,” he pointed out.

“Shit.” I added salt before dumping in the pasta. I drizzled some oil in the skillet and set it to medium before turning my attention back to Edward.

“I found the decree in your ancient tomes that states that nobody can harm the object of a Quileute’s imprinting. They are not to be separated, and the Alpha’s command cannot have a direct effect when in reference to the imprintee or imprintor. There have only been word-of-mouth mentions of imprinting for years, and it has remained a rare occurrence.”

“That’s actually fascinating.” I added a large bunch of spinach to the skillet of hot oil and seasoned it before stirring my pasta.

“It’s riveting to watch you cook, Bella.”

“Now don't go using that sexy voice on me, Edward. People are due to start coming home at any minute.” He flashed a grin and stood, leaning over the counter to kiss me.

It was a bit of a stretch, but it was how my roommates found us. Jessica opened the door and Angela followed her in, the both of them stopping mid-chatter to stare. Edward broke away from me to turn his attention to my friends, and I flushed as I turned to tend to dinner. I added a can of fire roasted tomatoes to the spinach and turned off the burner. Carefully, I added the pasta and a bit of its water to the skillet, standing back while it steamed.

“It is lovely to meet you, Jessica. Angela. Bella has told me so much about you both.” Yeah, he could totally charm the devil himself.

“Jesus Christ, Bella, you were totally holding out on us!” Angela hissed as she came around the island to me.

“Can we just drop it, maybe?” I begged. “Dinner is ready.”

“Yay! I love it when Bella cooks,” Jess enthused.

At least she was easily distracted. I got the parmesan out of the fridge and added some to each bowl before I served them. Edward insisted quietly that I make him some, and he would deal with the pretenses of eating. I did not want to know what that entailed.

Dinner was incredibly fun. I could feel the changes that happiness brought to my face. I’d been content before, but now I was complete, excited, stress-free, and happier than I could ever remember being.

“Um, I found a kitten out in front of the apartment earlier. I kind of kept him,” I admitted sheepishly to my friends.

“Is that why our doors were closed?” Angela asked, and I nodded. “It doesn’t bother me, but I haven't seen it anywhere.”

“I believe I frighten the poor furry babe. Perhaps men make it skittish?” Edward suggested. He took a bite of pasta and, to his credit, didn't frown over whatever real food tasted like to him.

“Ooh, I want to hold it!” Jess squealed. “I’ll go hunting after dinner. Is it cute?”

“Of course,” I laughed. “He’s so tiny; grey and white with blue eyes, so I named him Frank.”

“Like Sinatra?” Angela asked. I knew she’d get it before Jess.

“Yep.”

“At least they’re low maintenance,” Angela mused. “Good for when we’re all at school.”

“What’s your major, Edward?” Jessica asked him.

He grinned at me, and his ocher eyes shined. “Physics.”

Angela raised a brow. “What a coincidence, that’s Bella’s major.” Her major was clinical psychology.

“I’ve chosen a double major in astronomy, which means I’ll be in school forever. He’s looking at going into medical research.”

“My father is a physician in our hometown. He is pleased that I wish to study and work in his field,” Edward said.

Angela was looking back and forth between the two of us. “Ang?” I questioned. “There’s no tennis match. What’s up?”

She hesitated a moment. “I’ve never seen you this… glowy and exuberant.” She reached over and picked up my closest hand, and I blushed at her words. “It’s like—you seemed happy before, don’t get me wrong. I just didn't realize how small that emotion was compared to this. You’re radiating happiness. It’s such a sight to see.” She looked a tad embarrassed when she was finished, and I could feel the heat in my cheeks, the grin that couldn’t be quelled.

“I am immensely happy. I wanted to go to a big university and make new friends and explore a big city, but I wanted all of that with Edward.” I looked over at him, and he had a dopey expression on his face that probably matched mine.

Jessica made a choking sound. “How are the rest of us expected to find true love now, knowing that this is what it’s supposed to look like?”

Edward spoke up. “Love is different for everyone, Jessica. My siblings and their spouses each show their happiness in varying manners. My sister Alice is quiet and devoted in her love, needing nothing more than a deep look into her husband’s eyes to convey her feelings. My brother Emmett, on the other hand, he is boisterous and showy, and my sister-in-law eats up the attention.”

Jessica stared intently into Edward’s eyes, and I feared she was mesmerized. “Uh huh,” she mumbled. He merely broke the connection to look back at me and wink.

Edward offered to do the dishes after dinner, and the girls and I stood outside on the balcony staring out at the city lights.

“I’m incredibly happy for you, Bella,” Angela said quietly.

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Me, too. How’s Ben?”

She smiled wider. “He’s great. We have a date on Friday night.” Now she blushed.

“Yay!” I enthused.

Jess laughed. “Well, Tyler is coming over later and looking to score, so I guess I can’t be jealous of either of you.”

“Just try to remember your room is right next to mine,” Angela begged. I laughed.

Edward and I cuddled on the couch while the girls went off to their rooms. The television was on, but I wasn't watching it. Edward was staring at me, so I doubt he cared what was on.

“I have found a few entries in the old books that might refer to your parents,” Edward said quietly, tracing a finger down the side of my neck.

I looked up into his face. The love in his eyes made my breath catch. “Really?” I murmured.

“Mmm. Quil Ateara the third—”

“The one on the council?” I interrupted.

“The one that was on the council,” he corrected. “Yes. He was married to Molly Swan, but he had a son with a woman that was not his wife. There is mention of the birth, without a name for the baby or the mother. He did not leave his wife, and apparently this information was buried even after she died of illness. Nobody that I conversed with knew anything of this dalliance. However, none of the family trees account for an unknown female around the time you would have been born.”

I stared at him for several seconds, trying to process this information. “So you think my dad is the unknown male? So Quil the third is-is my grandfather? And Seth’s friend Quil is my cousin?” I have family?

“I believe it to be so, yes. You would also technically be Jacob’s cousin.”

“Holy shit.”

There was a knock on the door, and Jess came flying out of her bedroom to open it, revealing Tyler. Introductions had to be made, and I knew I’d have to put off my revelations for now.

 
 
 
 

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