twenty-two.
::black out days::

"a thousand voices howling in my head"
—phantogram

.•°* .•°* .•°* .•°*

Things still weren't the best, specifically in the Swan house. Charlie had grounded Bella for going out of the country to save her boyfriend who made her miserable for months after he left. The Swan man despised the Cullen boy. And now there was an even bigger rift between his two daughters which made the father confused. He felt like he was out of the loop between the two girls and honestly didn't know if he wanted to be brought into it or not. It was like getting whiplash, one minute the two sisters seemed to have been getting along again and then suddenly, it was like the other one, mainly Althea, wanted to drag Bella down the stairs by her hair. But Charlie had a hunch that the main root of the issue was Edward Cullen.

Charlie Swan tried not to question most things in his personal life. Even more when it came to his two teenage daughters. He wasn't going to try and understand teenage girls. It was a been there, done that kind of thing he refused to repeat. But he still was very confused about the situation between Edward, Bella, and Althea. The first time he met Edward was through Althea when she was seeing him, so to say. But now that the boy was with his eldest daughter, it made him wonder how that even came to be. And just why? What was so special about the asshole of a boy that got a grasp on both girls?

Something that became a new thing for the household was the amount of visitors that came and went. Charlie was almost always outnumbered when it came to the population of guys in the house, but now it seemed that it was always reversed. He wasn't stupid to know that Edward was still somehow getting into the house to see Bella besides when he would bring her to and from school. But Althea seemed to have not just Paul Lahote, the boyfriend Charlie favored, come around, but also their friends. He was already familiar with Jacob for obvious reasons though the boy had seemed to stop coming around frequently. Unbeknownst to him it had to do with the same reason why Bella and Althea were at war. Charlie had become more acquainted with Jared Cameron and Embry Call. He had known of Embry for a while but it was more of just through all of Althea's stories growing up when she would hang out with the guys. The older Swan man however, got quite the kick out of the Cameron boy. Specifically on one of the evenings the guys were hanging around for a couple of hours, Jared had gone upstairs to use the bathroom due to Embry being in the other one, but when Jared went to come downstairs he quite literally fell down. It brightened Charlie's night before he had to go into work and now he always jokes about it when he would see the boy.

In between their newfound residency in the Swan household, they continued to be at Sam and Emily's too. So whenever Charlie came home and his daughter wasn't home, he instantly knew where she was. And that's exactly where she had been in that moment, sitting on Emily's couch with her legs across Paul's lap. He had gotten back from patrol and had instantly thrown himself down beside the girl who had been watching television while writing her open-response answer for class.

"Are you done yet?" Paul pouted while he peered over to the girl who was still writing. She glanced up at him before looking back down at the paper. She had to finish it and she was trying her best to ignore his whining.

He let out a low annoyed groan before his hand slightly squeezed part of her thigh. His eyebrow raised slightly as he watched the girl's actions intently. Catching her slightly squirm in her spot. Knowing that he was trying to get her riled up in order for her to give the assignment a break.

"Paul, no. I need to get this done," Althea told him.

"Can't you take a break?"

"I'm almost done. If you would stop distracting me I could already be done with this," She gave him a pointed look.

"But I like distracting you," He said with an amused grin.

"Ugh, not on the couch. I'm eating here," Embry groaned from the kitchen table. Althea chuckled while Paul turned around to glare at him. It gave Althea the perfect opportunity to move away from the boy while he was distracted. Quickly rushing towards the bathroom with her pencil and notebook in her hands.

Paul had only been distracted for a moment before he caught on to the girl escaping the room. He was quick to get up and follow her, but the bathroom door slammed closed before he could reach it. The sound of the lock echoing in the hallway.

"Come on, Thea," Paul groaned.

"Go away for like, five minutes. Take yourself for a walk. Do you need me to direct you where Emily keeps the leashes?" Althea asked in amusement on the other side of the door.

"She got you there," Jared whistled from down the hall. Paul began to mumble under his breath in annoyance while he made his way back to the room where his other two packmates were. They both began to tease the boy who then responded by pulling Embry's chair out from under him and snatching Jared's plate of food away from him.

"Paul..." Emily gave him a look as if she was about to begin scolding a child. Which in reality, that's exactly what it was like.

"What did he do?" Sam questioned walking into the house with Jacob in tow. Sam only glanced at Embry laying on the floor, moving past him to get to his fiancee to kiss her.

"They're making fun of me because Althea locked herself in the bathroom to finish her assignment. Then she made a dog joke," Paul grumbled. Sam chuckled, shaking his head at the boy who was annoyed at his brothers.

Jacob crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the wall. Finding it slightly amusing himself. Althea was one of a kind. And her dog jokes never seemed to cease when she was with the pack. Paul walked out of the house which left them all a bit confused but they assumed he was in fact taking himself for a walk like Althea told him to.

The girl had finished reading over what she had written and was closing her notebook when she let out a gasp. Everyone had heard her which made them look at one another.

"YOU FREAK!" she yelled out, the bathroom door flying open and her footsteps echoing down the hallway.

"What happened??" Jacob questioned, he pushed off the wall, seeing his friend who had an annoyed look on her face. Paul had entered back into the house laughing which caused Althea to instantly glare at him.

"Paul is a peeping tom, that's what happened!" Althea exclaimed.

"Dude," Embry let out in slight disgust.

"It's not like she was actually using the bathroom. All I did was pop up into view trying to scare her," Paul shrugged.

Althea scoffed, "You know what? You're no longer invited over tonight."

Paul's eyes widened, quickly moving over to her side.

"Thea, baby. Please," Paul was quick to beg. She turned her body slightly away from him with her arms crossed for dramatic effect.

Embry snorted at how Paul instantly turned into a begging child.

"You're so whipped," Embry said, which made Jared snicker.

"I wouldn't be laughing, Cameron. If I don't go to Thea's tonight. You can bet your ass she will make sure Kim doesn't see you tonight," Paul pointed at Jared who stopped his snickering, straightening up in his seat.

Jared looked between Paul and Althea, huffing out slightly.

"Althea, please let the puppy come over tonight. I don't need your relationship issues cockblocking me," Jared said. Althea scoffed, giving Jared a look.

"You're unbelievable, Jared. Paul, your whiney ass can still come over. But Jared, I will be sure to cockblock you tonight either way," Althea told him before grabbing onto Paul.

"I need to head home to make my dad some dinner before he goes to work. Walk me out?" Althea asked Paul. He looked down at her, nodding.

Paul wrapped his arm around Althea before guiding her out the door. Not before she said her goodbye's to the pack and Emily.

Resting his chin on the top of her head. The wolf still held the girl in his grip, not letting her step into her car yet.

"Are you sure you wanna go home? We could always have some food delivered to Charlie at work," Paul brought up.

Althea shook her head, "No, Paul. I gotta go home anyway."

"I just don't like the idea of you being there alone while I'm on my second round of patrol. I won't be there until later," Paul said.

"I won't technically be alone. Miss-I-Only-Care-About-Myself should be in the next room over. No doubt with Edward who keeps sneaking in," Althea informed him.

"That doesn't make me feel any better," He grumbled.

Althea raised her hand up, resting it gently on his face.

"I know you don't like any of the Cullens. And I'm proud that you're trying to be... civil. I suppose we still have a lot more to work on. But they don't want us hurt either. So just know that for the most part, I should be fine. Besides, I'm a big girl, Paul."

"Just call Emily if something happens," Paul instructed Althea.

"As if you wouldn't know," she rolled her eyes.

He chuckled before he placed a kiss on the tip of her nose.

"Drive safely, Thea," Paul said.

"What, afraid I'll die on the way home?" Althea tried to joke, but clearly the joke wasn't taking well for the boy. Especially not after what had occurred almost two months ago.

The look on his face was making the girl shift her weight from one foot to the other awkwardly. "Alright, geez. Tough crowd."

"Just make it home in one piece, please," Paul slightly pleaded.

"I will," Althea told him before standing up on her tiptoes to reach his lips.

"Now go find that red-headed bitch for me," Althea patted his chest before getting into her car.

🐺🐺🐺

Althea had fallen asleep while she stayed up waiting for Paul. Though she was able to drift off quickly, she wasn't safe from the nightmares that plagued her dreams. Tossing and turning in her bed. The slightly illumination from the moon in the sky shone through the window onto her glistening figure. Sweat droplets gathered on her face as her body moved around. She was getting restless.

It was all the same flashing in her mind.

Red eyes.

The crow.

Red hair. 

Teeth. Blood.

Voices.

In her sleep she was quick to close her eyes tightly from all the flashing images before everything went silent.

It was so peaceful.

Odd.

The silence was enough to make her open her eyes. Looking all around, she saw her setting was surrounded by trees. Taking a step out of place, she heard the ground crunch under her. Glancing down, Althea caught sight of the white snow below her bare feet. Something she hadn't noticed before until that very moment.

Then she heard it before she saw it. Something dripping onto the snow as if in slow motion. Althea turned to see the white snow begin to turn into a crimson color. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw all the unknown bodies and the blood. 

Soon the moment of silence had passed. Whispers began to surface. Pooling into her ears with such an overwhelming sensation.

She stumbled back, trying her best to hold it together while the voices grew louder.

But then she saw the red. Emerging from the trees was Victoria. A sinister look on her face where blood dripped down her chin. The vampire looked at Althea like she was a lamb. A lamb she was going to sink her teeth into. 

"Althea!"

A familiar voice called out her name. Echoing throughout the area she stood face to face with the red-headed vampire. And soon enough, more voices started calling out to her.

"It's no use. You can't save them," Victoria taunted Althea. 

"I won't let you hurt them," Althea shook her head while the vampire chuckled.

"You're so naive. You really think you mean anything to those mutts or those disgraceful vampires, the Cullens? No. Your sister is who they all want. They could care less about you. Why do you think Edward took your sister? Or that shifter, what's his name? Jacob? It's only a matter of time before that other boy you care about falls for your sister. And then you'll be all alone," Victoria tried to psych Althea out. Make the younger Swan doubt herself.

"I'm doing you a favor by killing you first. Then you won't have to deal with their whining when I rip your sister's head off," Victoria told her. Althea shook her head, the voices getting louder than Victoria's. Althea clenched her fists before she closed her eyes tightly. Her head felt like it was about to explode.

"No," Althea let out, her eyes flashing open to reveal a silver glow to them. "You're gonna die before you get the chance of killing any of them." 

Suddenly Edward emerged from the woods behind Victoria along with a wolf on the other side.

A small smirk rose to Althea's lips before she let out in a whisper, "Victoria." 

Then a scream left from Althea's mouth, letting out the release she needed from all the voices in her head. She watched as Edward killed Victoria before the wolf jumped in to chow on one of her limbs.

Screaming.

Althea's eyes settled on her surroundings in confusion. Suddenly a lot colder, she realized she was no longer inside her room. She was out in the woods. Panic set in before she kept looking around into the darkness. No idea what direction to go or where exactly she was in the woods. It all looked the same to her at that moment. The more reality settled in for her, the more her fear began to set in. Taking one step on the damp dirt covered ground, Althea fell. Her hands landed onto the soiled floor, her fingers digging into the Earth before she looked up. There was a small clearing through the trees to see the moon overhead. Her eyes flashed a silver before she let out a tired scream before she was met with more darkness.

———

I hope you enjoy this quick little one.
I've been super busy again and also lacking inspiration too. So I'm trying my best :))

Make sure to interact with the chapter!

—Cait