ೃ⁀➷ ˗ˏˋ 'ˎ˗
oh merde
( twilight. eclipse )

chapter seven.
danger lures

     THE party was in full swing.

     Groups of newly graduated teenagers fled to the Cullen's house━━anticipation in their veins at never seeing the building before, and adrenaline in their bones at having finally left school for good. It was euphoric. More than three quarters of their grade were congregated in the house, and Georgine felt just slightly cramped.

     (Don't get her wrong, the Cullen house was huge, the biggest one she had ever seen, but there was just too many people in one space, for her liking.)

     Music Georgine wouldn't necessarily listen to filled her ears from every direction, every room. No matter where she would turn to, a gaggle of teens would be dancing awkwardly to a completely different song compared to the room next to it. It gave Georgine a headache━━she wasn't the biggest fan of parties...

     She walked down the stairs after fleeing to the upstairs bathroom, knowing no one else would use that one (considering the Cullens had one downstairs, too, that they could use), and taking her precious time. Georgine wasn't claustrophobic, but there was a line when it came to how many people she was comfortable being surrounded by in one area, and this had just about crossed it.

     As she came to the bottom of the stairs, her breathing regular, hands tucked deeply into the suede jacket she had wrapped around her for comfort, her eyes landed on Bella, her own searching for solace and comfort. Bella found Georgine on the stairs, both breathing a breath of relief at finding the other. They just connected.

     "Hey," Bella breathed, a comforting smile placed upon her face. She looked just as uncomfortable as Georgine felt.

     Georgine nodded, and offered a tight-lipped smile, in return.  She went to open her mouth, to complain about the loud, unnecessary music and the fact that she so desperately just wanted to call it a night, to fall onto her bed and close her eyes, but Georgine spotted Bella's eyes move from her own and to the direction behind her. Turning, Georgine spotted Jessica and Angela walking towards the two girls, a light bounce in their step along with the music, elated smiles of indulgence and satisfaction.

     The newcomers pulled the girls into hugs, a slight awkwardness present when Jessica embraced Georgine, but neither spoke their feelings aloud. They pulled apart, and Jessica asked the question Georgine had guessed she had been asking everyone she had spoken to that night.

     "What did you think of my speech?" Jessica had always been one for gratification. "Too easy-breezy? Too self-helpful? You hated it?" She blurted out.

     Georgine scoffed, a teasing smile on her face. "I don't think anyone hated it, Jess."

     Bella continued on, nodding. "Yeah, I think you pretty much nailed it."

     "Yeah?" Jess asked rhetorically, breathy. "It's like I was born to lead right?" Oh, yeah, this was why sometimes they couldn't get along.

     The song switched━━another up-tuned, loud and obnoxious one━━and Angela became excited, dragging Jessica away to dance manically, once more. Georgine lifted a brow, a shocked expression on her face at how stupidly funny the pair (mainly Jess) could be sometimes. She turned to Bella, who turned at the same time. They stared at one another for a second or two, before letting out a laugh each, the idiocy of the situation enveloping them completely.

     Georgine continued laughing, looking down to her shoes as she kicked them along the floor. "God, I love Jess, but there are times where I just think why am I friends with you?" Bella's laugh picked up once more, nodding along with the girl's statement, before it suddenly began to falter.

     In front of them, after just entering the home, stood Jacob, and two others Georgine didn't recognise. Their eyes moved around, searching, and landed on the pair, walking over.

     Georgine hadn't necessarily had an opinion on the boy, anymore. She hadn't properly spoken to him in months, after the Cullens finally returned and he was quick to ditch Bella (much like a certain someone, but she tried not to mention that anymore━━especially now, when Georgine understood his reasons). Sure, he was a bit big-headed, and kind of annoying, but he would always be Jacob, and Bella would always think the world of him, so, she tried to keep her opinion non-existent.

     Oh, wait, Bella punched him in the face when he tried to kiss her, forcefully.

     Yeah, Georgine's pretty sure Bella wouldn't mind if her opinion on the werewolf was negative━━she had her own reasons.

     "What are you doing here?" Bella's tone was harsh, filled with venom, but Georgine couldn't exactly blame her friend, could she?

     Jacob pretended not to recall it. "You invited me, remember?"

     It wasn't Georgine's intetnions to get involved originally━━much like his two friends behind him, who had barely made eye-contact with either of the girls, and was just staring at the back of Jacob's head━━but that just made her fuel. She let out a sarcastic and spiteful laugh, making sure he knew it was aimed at him, and it wasn't exactly a nice one. "I'm sorry, didn't Bella punch you in the face? I mean, I know it didn't exactly hurt because of your whole furry problem━━" the two behind him scowled, finally looking her in the eye, but Georgine didn't seem to care, "━━but if there's one thing you should've taken from it, it's that she doesn't want to see you, again."

     "Georgine," Bella breathed softly, shaking her head subtly, "it's okay." She rolled her eyes, knowing Bella was too nice to kick Jacob out of her life, but let her carry on, anyway.

     Soon enough, Georgine came to the conclusion that she wasn't exactly wanted in the conversation, by all three males present. For a moment, she contemplated staying for Bella's benefit, but realised she couldn't stand to be so close to the werewolves for long periods of time. Maybe she was being too biased━━she was sort of crushing on a vampire, who she was close to kissing just the other day...

     ...Sue her.

     She strolled away, the conversation fading into background noise as the music filled her ears once again. The lights were bright, luminescent of all colours━━what a headache━━and Georgine found solace in a wall next to her. She leaned against it, arms crossed over in front of her, and just watched as everyone danced, sang, drank. Georgine couldn't understand why so many people enjoyed times like this. Sure, she supposed she could see why it was fun at the time, when you're laughing with friends and just feeling free, but every person knew that the day after was always going to cause them to feel like hell. So, why do they continuously do it?

     Georgine turned back around, towards the direction of where she had left, to find a small (one Bella seemed to be attempting to keep hidden) smile perched upon Bella's face. There was something dangling in her hand, but she couldn't see what, and Georgine presumed it was some sort of 'apology gift' from Jacob. Of course, she knew Bella would forgive him that easily, because that was just the type of person she was. She was too kind, too much of a sweet angel who sometimes (always) couldn't say no, without feeling immense guilt.

     But the feeling of slight disappointment in Bella soon vanished when she saw, in her peripherals, Alice stop suddenly on the stairs. There was a grave expression on her face, eyebrows furrowed, and golden eyes creased at the sides.

     A vision.

     Georgine quickly made her way to Alice's side, Bella doing the same, careful with the vampire so she wouldn't fall in case it was too much for her. (Georgine had been told it could happen, and she wasn't taking any chances.)

     "Alice," Georgine spoke first, concern laced within her features, grip tight but gentle on her arms, holding her up straight, Bella behind her, "Alice? Are you okay?"

     "Was it a vision━━what did you see?"

     Alice's eyes were faraway, more than likely still piecing together what she had seen, but she wouldn't meet either of the girl's gazes. It only caused more worry to ignite within them both. "The decision's been made." It was a simple statement, but one that Georgine anticipated. She knew, at some point, Alice would see something like this, involving the new vampire army, as Georgine stupidly named it, but she dreaded to see what the outcome was━━especially when Alice's expression spoke it all.

     Jacob came up behind the pair, clearly having heard the conversation from at the distance he was at, with his enhanced hearing, too. Georgine wondered what it would be like... "What's going on?"

     Seemingly, Bella came to the same realisation that Georgine had just moments before. "You're not going to Seattle." It wasn't a question, because everybody already knew the answer━━the one they were all possibly dreading the most.

     "No. They're coming here."

♡

     "They'll be here in four days."

     At Alice's previous statement, the six of them gathered Carlisle, Edward and Jasper along with them, into another room so they could speak privately about the situation at hand. Alice's tone seemed to hold one of guilt━━Georgine would have guessed she was feeling that way because she had been the one to see the vision, because she had been the one to voice the dreaded news. But, she'd never blame Alice for anything that would ever happen to her... if anything, she's helpful, because without her, they wouldn't know half the stuff they do. It puts them at an advantage point, to be honest, and they would be struggling so much more if they didn't have her.

     Four days.

     Carlisle sighed deeply, his brows creased, eyes showing horror. It seemed as though, with each passing day, with each passing second, his family were getting involved with more and more trouble. He needed a break; one that Georgine hoped would come soon━━not only for Carlisle and his family, but for herself and Bella, too. "This could turn into a bloodbath." His voice was low, like he didn't want to speak the words. He had to━━his family had to be prepared for the inevitable, now.

     Before, Georgine might have been able to argue that she wasn't too scared, that the entire situation she was now completely involved within only slightly gave her the creeps. She'd have said that yes, they're dealing with an army of vampires, but she was also being shielded by another lot. They'd protect her, and she knew it, deep down in her bones, because they had promised. Not only was Bella utterly smitten with Edward, clear that they would one day spend the rest of their lives together, but there was something between Georgine and Jasper now, too. She wasn't entirely sure what they were━━neither of them were━━but they both knew there was something. And, because of that, Georgine knew any of the Cullens would, themselves, die first before any harm came to either of the girls.

     Yet, the inevitable was just creeping closer like it was hunting its prey (they kind of were, considering Georgine and Bella were food to them), its claws like raptors and stalking. It enjoyed the hunt, and they did, too. Not only were they waiting for the right moment to pounce, they were feeding off of their panic, their fear. They couldn't get enough of it, and that's what scared Georgine.

     They were newborns; crazy and psychotic━━they'd do anything for blood.

     "Who's behind it?" Edward solemnly asked.

     "I didn't see anyone I recognised. Maybe one." Alice replied, creating the image of said person in her mind, so Edward was able to picture them, too. Georgine stood in between Alice and Jasper, both vampires close to her own body, protectively. Jasper's arm was lightly wrapped around hers, reading to comfort her at any given moment. He knew this was all too much for a human like herself and Bella━━he had already risked so much, he didn't want to drive her away, too.

     Edward nodded slowly, gaze faraway. "I know his face." So, it was someone they knew? If it was, why were they doing this now? "He's local: Riley Biers. He didn't start this." Riley Biers. The name didn't ring any bells in Georgine's mind, but it didn't stop her from wanting to stay as far away from him as possible. He was necessarily to blame, sure, but he was under someone else's orders (more than likely Victoria's), a newborn, and bloodthirsty━━he was more dangerous than ever.

     "Whoever did this is staying out of the action." Alice explained━━all of them in the room must have had an idea that it could've possibly been Victoria, but none of them had any proof, just yet. Yes, Edward had previously killed her former mate in the past, which automatically made her pissed and vengeful, but nobody had seen her; whether it be through their eyes, or through one of Alice's visions, she was staying hidden. Too hidden.

     Carlisle seemed to be coming to the same realisation━━someone was using Riley to fulfil their duties: "Someone must be playing with the blind spots in your vision." He shook his head.

     "Either way," Jasper started, his arm tightening on Georgine's, in case she needed him at any moment (she always needed him), "the army is coming and there aren't enough of us to protect the town."

     "The town," Georgine whispered, comprehension hitting her straight on.

     Of course━━the entire town. Selfishly, the idea of the rest of the town being in just as much danger as herself and Bella had completely gone over her head. They were newborns; they would attack anything with blood pumping through its veins, so long as it gave them satisfaction.

     Jacob didn't seem to know, however. "Hold up━━what damn army?" Hadn't anyone told him? Not even Bella?

     "Newborns. Our kind."

     "What are they after?"

     No one really wanted to be the one to speak the truth, until Georgine took ahold of the reins herself. She was blunt, honest. "Me and Bella. Well, more so Bella━━I'm kind of just... here." Jasper's lips upturned a little, just a little, before they fell again.

     "They were passing around Bella's scent; a red blouse. And, they were spotted around Georgine's house. We think they might be using her as leverage towards Bella." Saying it aloud scared Georgine even more. She had understood everything happening to her and Bella, but she'd never spoke the words━━it only made it all the more real, now.

     Her heart must have began to sped up at the prospect, because suddenly, Jasper's arm slid around her waist, bringing her closer. Another wave of calmness overcame her, and her heartbeat steadied. She looked up at Jasper, a small smile on her face, thankful for the comfort he was offering her. Jasper returned it, and placed a light, gentle kiss upon her head.

     Georgine could have stayed in that moment forever, but Jacob's voice brought them both back. "They're after Bella and Georgine? What the hell does that mean?"

     It was weird, hearing Jacob's voice turn annoyed and protective over the mention of the two being in harm's way. She had expected it more on Bella's side, due to how close they had been. Georgine supposed it came from before, when the three of them were truly all each other had, before he became a werewolf and everything had gone downhill. They had all been close━━maybe that Jacob was still in there, somewhere, deep down, buried.

     She hoped, anyway; every now and then, she missed him.

     Carlisle was quick to answer the werewolf. "It means an ugly fight with lives lost."

     Jacob's head turned towards his other friends present within the room, both of them looking back at him. It was like they were conversing with each other in their minds (could they do that?), or maybe their eyes said it all. Next thing anyone knew, Jacob spoke, "All right. We're in."

     Bella argued immediately, suddenly defensive. "No. You'd get yourselves killed. No way."

     "I wasn't asking for permission."

     Georgine chimed in, trying to diffuse the tension. "As much as I'm not a fan of him anymore," when the words left her mouth, Jacob scoffed, but there was a small hint of a smile on his face━━it made her feel happy, "they're werewolves, Bella. I'm pretty sure they can handle themselves."

     It seemed as though Bella was both surprised and disappointed that Georgine wasn't taking her side. She looked at Edward, hoping to convince him, too. "Edward."

     His eyes stayed focused on Jacob's, most probably thinking over every solution, before ever deciding this one. "It means more protection for you. For the both of you." Edward moved his head upwards, then, eyes flittering between Georgine and Jasper, "who are we to deprive the two of you of that?"

     But, Bella wasn't happy with that. She was adamant that the wolves would get hurt━━but they were supernatural creatures, fighting other supernatural creatures. They were strong; they, themselves, were dangerous. Georgine was sure they would be fine.

     "Jacob," Carlisle spoke, "do you believe Sam would agree to an understanding?" Sam; the alpha. Georgie had never met him, but she knew he was tough━━he would be good to have on their side of the fight. Him, and his whole pack. Why wouldn't Bella want them on their side?

     The werewolf scoffed in reply. "As long as we get the kill some vampires." The way he said it; it was like he had wanted to kill the Cullens.

     "Jasper?"

     Said vampire took a second to reply, his eyes fixated on the werewolves. He might have been thinking how he didn't exactly want them on their side, especially after that comment, but he knew they need them. They would give the two girls Edward and Jasper loved most even more protection, they would help them fight, they would help them win.

     They almost had no choice.

     "They'll give us the numbers. Newborns won't know they even exist. That'll give us an edge."

     Carlisle was quick to compromise. "We'll need to coordinate." He stood up, ready to leave, but Bella shot up, too. His name left the girl's lips in an attempt to convince him that letting the werewolves join the fight was dangerous, was stupid. But, he only ignored her, eyes not meeting her own, but everyone else's━━he knew, as well, they were needed. "We'll all need some training. Fighting newborns requires knowledge that Jasper has." Georgine had an idea of Jasper's past━━the date he was born (some time before the civil war) and when he had turned━━yet, she never pressured him into sharing too much with her. He'd tell her when he wanted to━━Georgine knew it would've possibly been a little traumatising to relive it all. She supposed that meant he knew how to fight an army. "You're welcome to join us." He nodded to Jacob.

     "All right. Name the time and place."

     Still in denial, Bella wasn't giving up. She stepped forward, towards Jacob. "Jake... you don't know what you're getting yourself into." Georgine went to open her mouth again, ready to step in on Jacob's behalf (she knows, slightly shocking), but Jasper held her back. Her head turned up towards him, and he shook his head, noting for her to leave it be.

     "Bella... this is what we do. You should be happy. Look at us, working together. You are the one who wanted us to get along, remember?"

     God, Georgine really missed the old Jacob.

♡

     Georgine winced as Emmett flung through the air.

     He landed a fair few feet away, the impact coming to his back and neck. They all should have been able to hear bones crack, but Emmett's vampire abilities meant he was barely injured from the force. Rather, he was just thrown out of bounds, defenceless, away.

     Georgine stood behind the 'fight', comfortably next to Carlisle and Esme, wincing each time someone was thrown, and they should have been seriously injured and placed in the hospital. She'd have thought she would have been slightly more used to it all by now, but she kept flinching, nevertheless. The Cullens were warming up before everybody else arrived (Bella, Edward, and the wolves), and they showed off their skills, ready to fight.

     Georgine still didn't enjoy the idea of them fighting, however, but now they had no other choice━━Alice had told them  yesterday that the army were to arrive in just four days. They didn't have the time to try and resolve anything now. All they could do was prepare for the inevitable.

     It wasn't too long before Bella and Edward arrived (maybe a couple of minutes, or so), the jeep swerving around the corner, in a hurry to get to their destination in time before the wolves turned up. The pair shared a few words with one another, the air seeming slightly awkward around them, before Bella let their conversation ease and walked off in Georgine's direction, soon after spotting her. She walked up to the girl, a tight-lipped smile upon her face, and hugged her. It was brief, but it was needed. It was light, but it was comforting. They were the only two humans who knew of everything that was going to be happening around them soon, and that bought them closer together. Without the other, they'd probably go crazy.

     Bella pulled away from Georgine, but before any words could be exchanged between them, they all turned around. Over the hill, just off in the near distance, the pack of wolves emerged. They were huge, bear-like, all sorts of colours and shades, one paw in front of the other as they stalked closer. Everyone was tense; Georgine guessed there hadn't been a time where the wolves and the vampires had stood in a close area, alone together, and not fought. Of course, it was going to be tense.

     A black wolf, humongous in size and shape, stood tall and authoritative in the middle of the others. He must have been the alpha; Sam. He held himself proud, head high, as his dark eyes looked down upon the rest beneath them, a growl on his lips. Suddenly, Georgine didn't feel so confident about the whole ordeal. Before, she imagined everything would work out fine, because they had the Cullen family on one side, who vowed to protect the girls, and Jacob on the other, who seemed to want to do the same. Now, as they all stood in front of one another, Georgine wasn't so sure. Jacob wasn't the alpha, he wasn't the one calling the shots and shouting demands━━who's to say that Sam will want to help fight alongside them?

     Movement to her left, Georgine turned, only to find Jasper stepping closer to her side. His gaze never once left the wolves in front of them, not even when she touched his arm out of comfort. Protectiveness overcame him, his body just slightly in front of hers, but Georgine didn't say anything.

     Edward looked back to his family. "They don't trust us enough to be in their human forms."

     Georgine became confused, wondering how he could tell what they were thinking. Jasper turned to her then, speaking down into her ear. "Edward can read their minds." She nodded, making sense of the situation, and didn't comment any more.

     Wait... could he read her mind?

     "They came. That's what matters." Carlisle spoke, voice soft. "Can you translate?" he asked Edward.

     Carlisle starting to walk forwards, in the direction of the wolves, and everyone became stiff, once more. Jasper shifted from one foot to the other; Alice moved to stand near both Georgine and Bella, ready; Edward━━similar to Jasper, before━━stood just a few feet in front of Bella, still not fully trusting the wolves around any of them; Esme stood off to the side, eyes grazing over everyone, concern laced within them; and Emmett and Rosalie stood close to each other, arms linked.

     "Welcome. Jasper has experience with newborns." Carlisle gestured to his son with his hand, behind him, signalling for him to walk out and stand not too far away from him. But, Jasper hesitated, not wanting to leave Georgine's side. Alice could sense it, too, as she moved to stand closer to the girl, looking at Jasper with a reassuring expression━━only then did he nod, look at Georgine, and move forward. "He'll teach us how to defeat them." The wolves looked at Jasper, Sam's face seemed to hold one of surprise at this sudden revelation.

     Edward spoke for them. "They want to know how the newborns differ from us." Georgine had wanted to know more about that, too; Bella probably included by the look on her petite face. Both of their heads turned each time a new person spoke, taking in every word like they knew everything.

     "They're a great deal stronger than us, because their own human blood lingers in their tissues." Carlisle's voice grew louder as he became more confident. "Our kind is never more physically powerful than in our first several months of this life." He ended his explanation, eyes moving to Jasper, signalling for him to take over.

     He nodded, moving forward. From behind him, Georgine could see his shoulders become stiff. "Carlisle's right. That's why they're created. A newborn army doesn't need thousands, like a human army. But, no human army could stand against them." The wolves let out a low growl, probably not pleased with being told things they didn't know, being told what to do. Jasper continued on, speaking to his own family, too, "Now, the two most important things to remember are, first: never let them get their arms around you━━they'll crush you instantly. And second: never go for the obvious kill. They'll be expecting that... and you will lose."

     As he finished, he called for Emmet, bringing him forward━━the wolves growled, once more. Everyone was watching the pair now, eyes narrowed in concentration. Alice guided Georgine to move back a few paces, Bella following. It only caused her to feel more on edge.

     Jasper and Emmett stood at opposite ends; facing each other, smug smirks on their faces. Georgine guessed this time around, the fighting was going to be worse. Earlier, before the wolves had arrived, their fighting was still hard to watch, but it was minuscule━━they were only practising. This time was bound to be more violent, more aggressive.

     "Don't hold back."

     "Not in my nature." Emmett smirked.

     Suddenly, everything sped up. Emmett rushed forwards, ready to take out Jasper, arms moving forwards and backwards, forwards and backwards. It was a blink and you miss it moment━━one minute they were both standing still, and the next, Emmett crashed into Jasper, who had barely flinched. He embraced the impact, holding onto his brother as they both slid backwards. Emmett grabbed ahold of Jasper, then, and swung him behind himself. As he flew through the air, Georgine's hand tightened around Alice's arm (they were linked, again━━not that Georgine minded; especially in the moment, bringing her comfort). She kept her eyes on the fight, focused, brows furrowed and eyes concerned. Alice looked down at the human, calming her with an expression of reassurement, and eyes speaking that he was fine━━they both were. She felt better when she saw Jasper land easily on his hands and feet, not wasting a split second before he ran back towards Emmett.

     She almost felt stupid for worrying about a vampire getting injured.

     Next was Carlisle and Edward; father and son. They fought for a few minutes, punches being  thrown here and there, each one dodged and never being fulfilled. Jasper continued to watch on from the sidelines, his eyes focused on each and every moment, looking for a flaw. The duo seemed to be finding the fight amusing; laughs left their mouths, teasing and smug smiles on their lips as they tried to land a hit on the other. Edward managed to get his father on the ground━━he seemed proud, almost, looking to Jasper for gratification. But, only seconds later, Carlisle shot up, dragging his son down with him. Georgine couldn't help but let out a small laugh, looking towards Bella, who only shook her head in return, her eyes lolling to the back of her head.

     Rosalie was a lot more graceful with her fighting technique━━her moves were smooth and her speed was elegant. Georgine was shocked that one could look so poised and lady-like during a fight; it was impressing, to say the least. She twisted and turned as if it was all second nature to her; Georgine couldn't take her eyes off of her the entire time. She began to think━━if she were to ever become like one of them (which wasn't likely, to her), she'd like to be something similar to how Rosalie held herself. Although, she supposed anyone would.

     As Alice moved forward for her turn to practice alongside Jasper, Bella walked up beside her. She had her hands tucked deeply into her jacket pockets, shoulders up, and she nudged Georgine with her left elbow. She took her eyes off the fight, watching as Alice moved with immense speed, predicating Jasper's next moves with ease, only to find Bella giving her a look. Georgine's eyebrows furrowed, trying to understand what she was getting at, but came up with nothing. She tilted her head, questioning, "What?"

     "Nothing." Bella shrugged, but her face was still teasing as her eyes landed ahead. "I was just wondering if there's anything going on between you and Jasper..."

     Georgine huffed━━she should have known this was coming at some point. "Umm," she paused, finding the right words to say. Everyone there, besides the person she was speaking to, had supernatural hearing, which meant everyone could hear their conversation if they were interested (she really hoped no one was━━she doubted it, anyway), "nothing, really." Bella looked at her, as if saying I'm not stupid. "Well, I don't really know, if I'm being honest. We almost... kissed." Bella's face lit up, excitement dawning on her. "But, we didn't. So, I don't really know what that makes us."

     If she was honest, Georgine hadn't given it all that much thought. Yes, she'll admit that she had definitely wanted to kiss Jasper, and it might have been the perfect time for them to do it. But, with everything happened around them, it wasn't exactly the most important thing on her list to think about, at the moment.

     (But, she definitely wanted it to happen.)

     Bella opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off as a grunt came from in front of them. Where Georgine's eyes had before watched Jasper and Alice fight (friendly), they newly landed on Jasper as he lay on the ground, his arm bent━━what Georgine hoped was━━loosely behind him, firm in Alice's grasp. Alice laughed sweetly, almost evil, before getting up.

     Even at a time like then, the Cullen family could always put a smile on Georgine Broduer's face.

♡

     Georgine stood of to the side, standing beside Alice as everyone got ready to leave the forest. She was stood, arms crossed against her chest, breath heaving, eyes fixated on the ground.

     She was waiting for everyone to finish, so they could go home and just relax, maybe try to pretend that everything was okay, that they weren't being hunted at this very second. During that time, she couldn't help but think about Jasper. Bella bringing up the two of them only caused her to overthink everything, whether she was doing the right thing.

     Jasper was someone she liked; hell, they practically almost kissed. She had wanted them to, and the next time it could happen, she would be hoping nothing else would come in the way. But, the more she thought about it, the more she questioned everything...

     ...Would they work?

     He was a vampire, and she was a human. In her books, it wasn't meant to work. Jasper's entire species were created to feed on human blood, and that's what Georgine had pumping in her veins. It was dangerous every time they were together, alone or with a group━━there was always that chance that one second would change everything, and she would be no more than a meal. But, he didn't drink human blood━━at least, not anymore. The Cullens fed on animal blood, they had done for years, so why was she worrying?

     Bella and Edward had made it work, too. Granted, they've had their ups and downs, times where no one thought Edward was coming back, and times where Bella had almost died, but, in the end, it seemed to be worth it. They truly loved one another, and for Georgine, that was all that mattered in a relationship.

     She wondered what she'd be doing then, if she hadn't been as close to Bella, if she hadn't stuck her nose in a place it wasn't needed. She'd be safer━━a crazed vampire, who created an army of vampires out of pure evil and revenge wouldn't be coming after her. Georgine would be busy at home, locked away in her room, worrying about whether she had made the right decision about a certain college, and therefore, her career. It would be normal.

     But, did she want normal, now that she knew what else there was?

     "You okay?" A voice suddenly asked from beside her━━Alice. Her face was pure, expression and golden eyes soft as she looked at the human. She must have been able to tell, from whenever she was doing whatever she was doing, that Georgine was falling down a dark abyss of worry.

     Georgine faked a small smile, but her eyes didn't go along with it. "Yeah." The way she said yeah was arguably enough to give away that she most certainly wasn't okay, and Alice could tell, too. "No, not really..."

     Her brows creased. "What's bothering you?"

     Originally, Georgine hadn't been planning to tell anyone what she had been thinking, what she had been worrying about, because she thought it was stupid. She was just overthinking, like she always does.

     Alice gave her a little nudge, encouraging her to speak, reassuring her that it was okay━━it wouldn't go any further than the two of them. Georgine was grateful for that. "I just... am I doing the right thing?" It came out in a rush of words, and before she knew it, Georgine couldn't take them back. "I mean━━not only am I endangering myself by being involved with Jasper, but I'm endangering him, too... and the rest of you." Alice didn't say anything; she just nodded, signalling that she was listening intently. "I know that I like him, but if it's going to cause this much hassle and harm to the people that I've recently come to care about, then is it all worth it?"

     The vampire seemed almost taken aback.

     A few seconds passed, contemplation pending.

     "Yes, because he loves you... I know that's quite a big commitment, and you haven't known each other for too long, but he does. He thinks the world of you." She paused, thinking something over, before continuing. "I'm going to tell you a little story that I never planned on telling you, but now that I'm here, hearing this from you, I think you should know.

     "Before I'd met Jasper, before I'd met any of them, I had a vision. At the time, I didn't know who it was that I had saw, but over time, I've come to realise that it was Jasper... and you. I'm not going to tell you any specifics, because I want to leave it up to the element of surprise, but you're both happy, that's for sure. The way he looks at you... it's like you're the only thing important in the entire world. I guess to him, you are.

     "Then, when I met Jasper, he wasn't exactly... in the right mind set, so to speak. Plainly, he was ready to end it all, leave everything behind. But, I couldn't let him do that; not when I'd realised that he was the one in my vision, happy and in love, with you. So, I promised that if he came with me, I would help him find you... and he did."

     For a moment, Georgine didn't know what to say. She just stood there, mouth agape, eyes wide, arms limp, but her heartbeat began picking up speed as it fluttered with each word she took in.

     That happened...?

     Jasper really thought of her that way...?

     "He's been waiting a long time for you, Georgine. I don't think he's going to let either of you give up that easily."

     And, in an instant, Georgine knew that she was making the right decision.

NOTE.
georgine doesn't actually know that these sudden waves of calmness are actually jasper just yet btw,, but she will find out.