Thursday, December 14, 2017

Seismic Shift Chapter 26

Maybe it's not about the length of time
you've known someone; maybe it's about
instant recognition on an unconscious level.
Our souls know each other.
~ S.E. Hall

BPOV

The plane touched down, and the feeling of anticipation heightened. There was something here, in this place, that I knew. It was a soul-deep knowledge that I couldn't name, but it made me jittery as we disembarked. Edward took my hand, and I immediately felt more relaxed, but I couldn't shake the buzzing feeling along my spine.
I was positive my parents were here in this place.
We had to take an all-terrain equipped vehicle because we were heading quite a distance off the paved roads. The four of us bumped along as Carlisle drove without needing directions of any kind; he knew where we were headed because he'd memorized the route. We were staying at the home of Zafrina, Kachiri, and Senna, three sisters who shared a residence in the middle of the jungle. We slowed a bit as the trees thinned, and a house on stilts came into view in front of us. Finally, we stopped, and everything was still and silent.
Suddenly, a blur streaked past the vehicle, causing it to rock slightly. I gasped quietly, looking around for where it had gone. Surely it was one of the sisters. Another streak rocked the truck, this one emitting a strange high-pitched noise. The third vampire came to a halt directly in front of the jeep, and I stared at her. Her dark hair seemed to continue to move, her eyes a shining gold that held the canniness of a wild jungle cat. She was incredibly beautiful.
"Zafrina," Carlisle said in greeting as he opened his door.
"Carlisle, my friend," she replied as she inclined her head. She stared into my eyes long enough that I felt uncomfortable. Beside me, Edward chuckled and I frowned.
"Come on," he said, taking my hand.
I followed him out of the car and stood slightly in front of him as we joined Carlisle. I would not allow myself to appear intimidated by these feral vampires.
"Zafrina, this is Edward, and this is Bella, Edward's mate." Carlisle spoke as Esme exited the jeep and joined us.
"Zafrina has a special talent," Edward explained to me. "Ony it will not work on you, it seems."
"What is her talent?" I was intrigued now.
"Visual projection," she answered me her thick accent. "I tried sending you to Antarctica for my enjoyment, but nothing happened."
Esme actually laughed a little at Zafrina's admission. "I would love to see whatever you are capable of showing me."
"I can aim it at all of you if you wish." She paused, cocking her head to the side as she concentrated. The look in her eyes was reminiscent of the one Alice took on when she was having a vision.
"Enough playing around with our guests," a different woman called from up on the porch of the house.
Looking at all three of them as the other two flashed down to join us, I knew that I would not want to come across them alone in the middle of this wet forested area. Their faces were painted with various designs, their hair slick and straight, so black it almost appeared blue. My own hair had been frizzy since we landed, and I was curious how theirs was so smooth. Their clothing consisted of leather pieces, what little they wore, and exposed long, muscular arms and legs. It was hot and humid, and it was not surprising they were barely dressed. The two from the porch were thin and tall as well, almost looking like twins.
"Welcome, I am Senna," one of them greeted us.
"And I am Kachiri."
"It's lovely to see you again. Thank you for having us in your home," Carlisle said, assuming his role as head of the family.
We were ushered up the stairs and inside and Edward and I were shown a bedroom where I would be able to sleep. Carlisle and Esme were staying across the hall from us, though I wondered what they would use the room for besides storage for their luggage. We gathered together in the kitchen after dropping off our bags.
"We are curious what you want with these strange people we have not seen," Kachiri spoke first. "When you sent word to inform us that your coven member had a mate that was part shapeshifter, we were somewhat surprised."
"My son's mate is part Quileute and part therianthrope. The Quileute are known to be spirit warriors, as you most likely know. It is Bella's parents we seek." Carlisle was the most comfortable with doing the talking out of the four of us, and I noted the subtle corrections he made to Kachiri's assumptions.
"They are in hiding," Senna spoke, her throaty voice bringing up thoughts of smoky nightclubs. "We have not made contact, as you requested. We don't see many humans this deep in our rainforest, so when we smelled the dog and his woman, we were taken off guard."
"My father smells like a dog?" I spoke up. He really was Quileute.
"Yes, young one. The male smells dog-like, the female has quite a clean scent. Very strange. They don't smell like typical humans and their warm blood, so we investigated. It has been years, but we still catch the scent of their trail regularly."
"Trail, as in they're moving around a lot?" I questioned.
"Yes," Senna nodded. "I believe they have a permanent home, but they must travel frequently for provisions."
"Where is this trail?" Esme inquired. "Should we make efforts to find it and follow it?"
Kachiri spoke up. "We know where their home is, give or take an acre. We have not imposed upon them, but it is obvious when you have the heightened senses we do." The last part she directed at me. I smiled at her and nodded my agreement.
"Is this something we can do now?" I was impatient now that we were here. There was no reason to wait, in my mind.
"We can," Edward answered me. "Do you not need to rest?"
"No, I couldn't possibly. There's an intense buzzing feeling; I'd never sleep."
"We can show you now," Zafrina said. "Though, you will need an alternate form of travel, as it is not a path fit for humans."
We'd agreed I wouldn't phase out here in the rainforest to keep the possibility of being found out lower. There weren't many other vampires around, but the sisters had encountered nomads over the years and we all needed to be cautious.
"I know exactly what to do," I assured her, grinning at Edward. It looked like I'd get to ride him in at least one way while we were here.
The seven of us headed out of the house and down the steps. I had admired the colorful paintings and woven artwork on the walls inside the house, and I noticed that several areas on the outside of the house were painted in designs as well. When we were on the ground again, Edward bent his knees so I could climb on his back.
"Hold on tightly, and if it gets to be dizzying, close your eyes," he cautioned.
"Okay. I can do this."
It was a whirlwind, without a doubt. It was exhilarating, so similar to how my wolf ran. I knew he was checking himself, since he was so fast but had to follow the others, but it was still amazing. The speed blew my hair behind me in a stream, and the wind bit at my eyes. I had to close them for a few minutes at a time to fight the dryness, but I enjoyed watching the green of the trees and plants rush by. There were also plenty of colors to be seen, in exotic flowers exploding at the base of trees and birds high in the branches.
When we slowed, I slid off of Edward's back. The others began to speak softly.
"I smell it now," Esme commented.
"Yes. Wolflike, but only vaguely," Edward noted.
I sniffed surreptitiously, trying not to let on that I couldn't smell anything other than the fecund earth. "This is it?"
"Just down that way, at the base of the small valley." Zafrina pointed and I strained to see.
"We will need to be closer for you to see it," Edward told me.
We walked cautiously, me doing my best to stay quiet. The others moved silently through the thick growth, and I couldn't imagine where in the world a house fit into this tangle of vines and leaves.
And then finally I spotted it, a house built high in the trees. There were towels or blankets hanging from the railing of the tiny porch, and the windows were completely open. There was a small black monkey on the roof that jumped down to the railing as we approached. Suddenly, the monkey started screeching.
The door to the treehouse flew open, and a man ran out and jumped down the ladder, his feet barely touching the rungs. As he ran, the monkey joined him and wrapped its tail around his neck as it clung to his shoulder. But they were running in the wrong direction.
They were running away from us.
"Wait!" I called desperately. "Are you Charlie?"
He had already disappeared into the thick overgrowth, and my heart sank as I realized I would never be able to catch up with them.
"We aren't here to harm you!" Carlisle called loudly. A few birds scattered out of the nearby trees. "We bring your daughter to meet you!"
We stood in silence, six vampires and a not-quite-human, wishing I could find the answers to what and who I truly was. Tears were leaking from the outer corners of my eyes, and I turned into Edward's comforting embrace. All this way, and they ran from us.
"What is her name?" I heard from a distance. I looked up into Edward's eyes, hope creeping back into my pounding heart.
"Isabella!" I yelled, hoping my voice carried far enough that he could hear me. "I'm Isabella, and I'm hoping you're Charlie and RenƩe."
I heard the crunch and the swish of the leaves and twigs bending and trampling, and then two people emerged into the small opening. Sunlight snuck through the canopied trees, and I gaped at the couple. They looked no older than me, the man a spitting image of myself. And it made me giddy to realize it was actually the other way around; I was the spitting image of him. My father.
"Isabella?" the woman whispered, and I looked at her light brown hair and blue eyes, and I felt the pull of familiarity. I knew without needing to be told, without the obvious feature match between the man and myself.
"Mom and Dad?" I responded tentatively.
"Oh, what have you done?" my mother cried. She didn't sound nearly as happy as I'd hoped.
"We'd hoped to never be found," the man said. "By anyone."




2 comments:

  1. Aww man. I hope they arent shitty parents. Sounds like they might be. Adults suck! Lol

    ReplyDelete