──•~❉᯽❉~•──

DROPLETS OF WATER SLOWLY DESCEND FROM DYLAN'S SOAKING WET HAIR TO HER ARMS UNTIL LANDING ON THE DEPTHS OF THE BATHROOM FLOOR. The white towel wrapped around her body, knuckles turning white as she clutched onto the fabric. Concern filled her blue eyes as she looked at the once intense injury on her leg, now seeing it almost completely healed.

She kept staring at it, puzzled, not knowing what to do.

It had been three days since the game. Only three days, and yet the wounds are completely healed except for the big bruises decorating the side of her leg. However, the weird part is the color of the bruises. Instead of being purple and red, they're a mix of yellow and green.

The Swan girl couldn't stop inspecting it; she found the matter fascinating yet worrisome. It would've taken a few weeks for it to heal completely. In three days, however, is something Dylan never expected to see. There were large cuts and scabs from how hard she fell onto the ground.

Dylan remembered her knee hitting rocks and feeling the pain afterward when realizing what happened. Yesterday, when she went to change the bandage, the wounds were still prominent but not as intense. Yet it was only when she went to take them off to shower this morning that she noticed a major difference.

At first, Dylan thought she was seeing things, but after looking at it for a while, she realized what was right in front of her was real. She couldn't stop staring at her leg as she showered.

Thoughts ran through her mind, thinking about what to do about the situation. Should she tell someone? What would they do if she showed them her leg? Would they freak out? Tell someone, and somehow the news is spread around town and everyone knows? This wasn't normal. Dylan knew for a fact this wasn't normal.

She let out a soft sigh, feeling defeated by the limited options she had. Dylan decided to take another look at her leg. A glimpse of her smooth, pale skin looking normal. Nothing was there, just skin.

She reached forward with her thumb, caressing where the wounds would be. However, Dylan abruptly stopped this action and lifted her hand away. She felt something on the pad of her thumb. Her brows furrow, inspecting a translucent muck that gleamed in the bathroom lighting.

"What is that?" Dylan whispered to herself softly, the crease deepening in the middle of her brows. She started to smear it with her index finger, feeling it glide smoothly.

When she was about to check on her leg again. A sudden knock on the door startled her. Dylan immediately took her leg off the toilet seat and straightened herself. The panic settled in her chest as she tried to slow down her rapid breathing.

"Dylan? Dylan, please, we're going to be late!" Bella slightly yelled from behind the door.

It took Dylan a second to find the words, as she was in a dazed state. "I'll be right out!" She shouted back and quickly walked, around the tiny bathroom to look for gauze and bandages.

"Hurry okay? Edward will be here any minute." Bella's soft-spoken voice is heard again before her footsteps sound distant from the door.

The blue-eyed girl scoffed, wrapping a bandage on her wounds. "It's not like Edward has anywhere else to be." She mumbled out.

Dylan decided at the last minute not to tell anyone. She needed time to figure it out before making decisions. It was the one thing she felt sure about.

It constantly wandered in her head as Edward drove them to his house. It was a quiet ride, and normally there would be some chatter by the younger Swan. At the moment, Dylan was still thinking about what happened this morning.

However, Dylan was unaware of Edward trying to read her mind. He tried to concentrate on the matter but to no avail. Dylan's mind was complicated to read, and the way Edward described it was static, with only a few words peeking through every so often.

A hand from the passenger seat is drawn back, catching Dylan's eye. She smiled and reached forward to hold it. The girl gave a firm squeeze to hopefully calm Bella's nerves. She knew how nervous Bella was when meeting her boyfriend's parents. The older Swan worried that they wouldn't like her, even when Dylan would reassure Bella that everything would be fine.

Not only did she come for Bella's support, but Edward insisted Dylan come with them since she is now aware of who they are. The younger Swan is still baffled, to say the least, and is still processing the situation at hand. However, this was for Bella and Dylan's determination is to be there for her.

A house came into view as Edward drove up the driveway. Dylan sat there in awe, seeing the beautiful architecture of the home surrounded by the scenery of nature. Once Edward put the car in park and turned off the agitation. Dylan swore she blinked, and he was already on the other side. It startled her as Bella let go of her hand, seemingly not fazed by her boyfriend's supernatural nature.

The light-headed brunette clicked off her seat belt and opened the car door before Edward could even reach it. Bella stood beside him, pleading with her brown eyes for the girl to be nice. Dylan smiled a little and got out, her sight shifting onto Edward. "I got it, but thank you, Edward."

After she spoke, Dylan could see Bella slightly relax as Edward only nodded with a charming smile and reached behind Dylan to shut the door. The trio walked up the steps to the porch, Edward, being a gentleman, opened the door for the twins.

Upon entering, Bella immediately complimented the house as Edward helped take her sweater off, along with his. Dylan nodded in agreement with her sister as she slowly walked ahead of the couple who talked to themselves.

"It's so light and open, you know," Bella explained, looking at how many windows there are.

"What do you expect, coffins and dungeons and moes?" Edward replied with a chuckle while throwing his jacket on the bench by Bella's.

Bella shook her head. "No, not the moe's."

The younger Swan couldn't help but giggle at what she thought. "I expected Dracula music and some bats hanging around." She turned to them, seeing Bella's mouth turn into a smile.

Edward laughed and nodded. "I'll have that noted next time." He followed the joke before leading them to the staircase. "This is the one place we don't have to hide." The vampire tells the twins, briefly stopping at the steps.

As Dylan stood beside Bella, she smelled something lingering from upstairs, making her mouth water. "Something smells good," The girl pointed out.

"I told them not to do this," Edward responds, looking embarrassed as he leads them to the kitchen.

Dylan could hear some faint opera music playing as they got closer. She's welcomed by the sight of vampires cooking and a beautiful young woman walking up to them with a smile. The blue-eyed girl smiled back, feeling a motherly energy from her. They all looked like the perfect family.

"Dylan, Bella, we're making Italiano for you." She informed the twins.

"So that's what smelled so good." Dylan voiced out, earning a few smiles from the kitchen beside Rosalie.

"Bella, Dylan, this is, uh, Esme, my mother for all intents and purposes." Edward introduces.

"Bonjo," Bella greeted in Italian, having Esme excitedly greet back in the language.

"Give us an excuse to use the kitchen for the first time." Carlisle intervened, standing beside Emmett. "I hope you guys are hungry," Esme added, smiling warmly at the twins.

"Starving," Dylan replied as Bella said, "Yeah absolutely."

Edward stepped in, his voice hushed in a whisper to Esme, even though everyone else could hear it. "They already ate."

The shorter girl scoffed, glaring at Edward for his rudeness. "Are you kidding? I can eat again."

Another second later, shards of glass hit the floor, startling Dylan. She looked at Rosalie, seeing the bowl that once contained salad was now on the floor by her feet. The blonde stepped aside from the mess, her topaz eyes staring hard at Bella. "Perfect." She started, and everyone got quiet.

Dylan stood still, not knowing what to do as Bella started nervously spilling out words. "Yeah, it's because I know you." Bella then glanced at Dylan. "We know that you guys don't eat so." She trailed off, avoiding eye contact with Esme, who wasn't offended.

"Of course, it's very considerate of you both," Esme said, giving a warning look at Rosalie.

Edward turned to the twins and said, "Just ignore Rosalie; I do."

Dylan frowned at Edwards' unnecessary comment and mumbled out. "Now I see why she doesn't like you." She then realized what she said and caught everyone staring at her. The girl let out a nervous chuckle and glanced down at the sleeve of her jacket.

"Yeah," The Hale girl started with anger still evident. "Let's just keep pretending like this isn't dangerous for all of us. Especially putting her sister at risk. It affects everything." She spat out, her arms folded over her chest.

"I would never tell anybody anything, and now that Dylan knows. She wouldn't do that either." Bella confessed, and Dylan nodded eagerly at her words.

In truth, Dylan is struggling with how to refine this new information. However, with time she knew she'd be able to live with it and come to terms with the fact that vampires existed. She needed more time than Bella. And she would never tell a living soul about vampires. It just wasn't her.

"They both know that," Carlisle added, trying to persuade the blonde to further her concerns.

"Yeah, well, the main problem is you two have gone public now." Emmett pointed at the couple while chuckling beside his wife.

"Emmett.." Esme bids him to stop, but Rosalie cuts her off.

"No, she should know; the entire family will be implicated if this goes badly." She stepped closer to the older Swan before glancing at Dylan.

Bella thought for a second, "Badly as in I-I would become the meal."

Erupts of chuckles and soft laughs fill the kitchen, and Dylan tries to hold in a laugh of her own but fails miserably. She leaned closer to Bella, lightly whispering. "I don't think that's what she meant, Bella." She giggled and leaned away.

"Hi, Dylan! Hi Bella!" A cheery voice is heard from the patio. Dylan looks over, seeing Alice and Jasper jump off an overgrown tree branch. "I'm Alice." She introduces herself, walking quickly towards them, with a pained-looking Jasper following from behind.

"Hi," Dylan and Bella greeted them as Alice unexpectedly hugged them, which Dylan didn't mind.

"Wow, you both smell so good! Especially you, Dylan, you smell extra sweet!" She let them go, and Bella cleared her throat awkwardly at the compliment.

Though Dylan smiled, "Thanks, it's a new perfume." Her smile then slowly disappeared, realizing it might not be her perfume Alice was referring to too.

"Alice, what are you doing?" Edward stepped in for Dylan, saving her from feeling embarrassed.

"No, it's okay," Alice waves off. "All I know is the three of us are going to be great friends." She gushed and looked back at Jasper, who was trying his best to contain himself.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Sorry, Jasper's our newest vegetarian. It's a little difficult for him." He informs the twins.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Jasper struggled to say, and Dylan offered a comforting smile to him. "It's nice to meet you, Jasper."

"It's okay, Jasper; you won't hurt them." Alice comforts him, and that line alone makes Dylan worry. She didn't know these people well enough and wasn't sure if she could ever be fully comfortable around them.

Edward frowned, seemingly uncomfortable with the whole situation. "Alright, uh, I'm going to take you on a tour with the rest of the house." He turns to Bella, having the girl nod.

The older Swan looks over at her sister, silently asking if she would be okay by herself. Dylan noticed and waved her off, "Go, I'll be fine here." She smiled reassuringly.

"I'll see you soon!" Alice hollered towards Bella, who awkwardly waved.

Dylan watched her sister until she disappeared behind the wall. Feeling nervous, she tugs at the end of the sweater. Facing the family of vampires, who ended their small conversation. She politely smiled before looking at Esme. "Is the offer for that Italian dish still up?" She asked the woman whose eyes lit up and walked to her with a big smile.

"Of course! Come, let's fix you a plate." She happily said, gently guiding Dylan, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Clean this up," Esme ordered Rosalie, pointing at the mess on the floor.

Upon sitting on one of the stools, Carlisle serves Dylan a plate. Steam flows in the air, making her mouth water. "It looks so good." The blue-eyed girl spoke, picking up the fork and digging into the hot dish.

Esme and Carlisle share joyous smiles after seeing Dylan hum at the taste. "You guys said something about not having been using the kitchen?" She questioned, putting another fork full of food into her mouth.

Esme nodded, leaving her side and treading around the island. "It's been a little while since we've made anything." The woman sheepishly smiled, grabbing a glass cup from the cabinet.

"We were worried about our cooking skills being rusty, so we dusted off the cookbooks and got started," Carlisle said, leaning on the island with his elbows supporting him.

"It felt nice to cook something," Esme handed Dylan a fresh glass of water.

After a few gulps, she sets it down. "Well, I don't think you need to worry about your 'cooking skills being rusty' because this is delicious." She reassured them, picking up another bite.

The older couple smiled once more, "Thank you, Dylan." Esme said.

A sudden figure appeared beside Dylan, startling her as he said. "I would say you're about," Measuring the girl's height with his pointer finger and thumb. "Four foot." Emmett finished, flashing Dylan a grin.

"Emmett." Esme's stern voice is directed to the tall Cullen, who looks at her confused.

The girl pressed her mouth into a thin line before sighing. "You're off by thirteen inches." She said, taking another bite of her food. "I'm five feet one." She then mumbles out.

"Alright, sorry, my bad." He apologizes, raising his hands to the younger Swan, who shook her head. "No, it's okay, but can I ask you a question?"

He smiled, "Shoot."

She puts her fork down on the plate, making a clicking sound. "What's the weather like up there?"

Carlisle let out a chuckle, and Esme tried to contain her smile. Dylan giggles while taking a sip from her water as Emmett nods knowingly at her. "Okay, you got me."

"Dylan?!" Alice calls out, having everyone turn in the direction she came from. Her bubbly energy makes Dylan smile, seeing the pixie-haired girl skip towards her. "Major fashion crisis; I need help choosing which pair of sunglasses would go on this outfit." She explains while slamming down an open magazine on the counter.

Dylan looks over it, seeing the options Alice circled with a red pen. "Hmm. I think this one's cute." She points at one of them. "It doesn't necessarily go with the outfit, but it'll stand out."

Alice squeals, excitedly clapping her hands. "Perfect!

A while later, Dylan sat in the living room with Alice, looking at clothes and accessories from stacks of magazines. Carlisle and Emmett excused themselves a while ago, and Esme continued to do some more cooking and checked on Dylan now and then to make sure she needed anything. Dylan was slowly growing comfortable and was getting along quite well with the hyper vampire sitting next to her.

"Rose! Come here, join us." Alice waved over the blonde who was passing through. She looked at the two of them annoyed but walked over. She sat the opposite of Dylan, who showed her a smile.

"Looks like we meet again, Rosalie; haven't gotten enough of me yet?" Dylan joked, getting a magazine from the stack and passing it to the blonde.

Rosalie faked a smile and took it from her. "Seems that way, doesn't it?"

"See Rosalie, this isn't so bad. This is a good thing; come on, cheer up!" Alice ushers the blonde, and in return, she receives an eye roll.

"I'll cheer up when Edward and Bella split." The blonde barely mumbles as she begins to look through the pages.

Alice scoffs with a smile and continues her search for clothes. The Swan girl, on the other hand, stopped on a page that contained different types of jeans jackets. Her blue eyes trailed over a few until one stood out in her interest. "Alice, what do you think of this?" She laid the book flat, and Alice looked over, seeing what Dylan was pointing at.

"Cute!" She gushes.

"It's tacky," Rose utters out without looking up.

"No, it's not." Dylan defends; a slight pout forms on her lips. "Rhinestones are cool, look." She handed the catalog to Rosalie, who sighed, bored. The blonde shrugged, handing it back. "I stand by what I said."

Dylan huffs, "And I stand by what I said." She glanced at the jacket. "I like it."

"Good, because you're going to need to circle it." Alice held out a pen for Dylan to take. "I demand it." She said it in a serious tone. The younger Swan chuckled with a nod before taking the pen, doing what Alice said, and circling it.

𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊

A longer chapter for you guys. I hope you like it. ❤️

-M

𖡼𖤣𖥧𖡼𓋼𖤣𖥧𓋼𓍊