CHAPTER FIVE
FINGERPRINTS

In the year: 1939

    THE Cullen family was lost.

Esme had gotten Thea back to their home without any resistance. Thea seemed mentally gone, just at a loss of words as the Cullens were.

Thea showered her mother's blood off of her body, changing into another gown owned by Esme Cullen.

The Cullen family discovered that Harper Quarts had gone to the police and claimed her supposedly dead sister, Thea Quarts murdered her family.

Of course, the police weren't believing so they were currently keeping her locked away in a cell until further evidence was discovered.

And now the police were investigating the crime scene of the wealthiest home in Chattanooga. The Quarts Residence.

"She killed her family—her own family, how is she being here safe for us?" Edward speaks into Carlisle's ear. "You made a mistake by turning her."

Rosalie scowls slightly, "There was a reason behind it, Edward. She didn't even drink an ounce of blood from any of them, so she's not just some psycho who decided to go off the rails and kill her family because she was thirsty." 

"Even if there was a motive, someone doesn't just kill their family." Edward counters.

"Everyone, quiet!" Carlisle silences both his children, "what's done, is done. We can't stay here for too much longer, we have to leave—now."

"Is she coming with us?" Edward crosses his arms.

"Of course she is," Esme nods, "what is it that we say?"

Edward kept his protest to himself, "Be responsible for every person we turn."

"Exactly," Esme claims.

While they discussed more options, Thea Quarts sat on the roof of the home. Listening carefully to their words.

All she could think about was her baby. What they might look like, what color their eyes were. She wanted to leave, go find them. But she didn't know where, nor did she want to cause anymore trouble for the Cullens.

A loud bang on the roof causes Thea to almost jump down. "Didn't mean to spook you." Emmett snorts, "This is usually my spot, didn't think it would ever be stolen."

Thea examines the roof and then the skies, "I thought it would be a good place to...think."

"I never usually have much to think about." Emmett sits beside Thea, both their legs now dangling. "Just a nice view."

The sun was beginning to rise over the trees.

Thea stayed quiet.

He wanted to make her more comfortable but maybe he was coming off as the complete opposite, "...I hate bears."

This made Thea frown, "I believe I don't understand what you mean."

Emmett scratches his chin, "I was killed by a bear...so uh—now I hate bears. I hunt them for feeding."

Thea grins a little—the first time she smiled in the past three days. "I love snakes."

Emmett cringes, "Snakes? Out of all things."

Thea grows offended, nudging his shoulder and making him chuckle. "They're cute! They just slither everywhere they go and—oh, my favorite part is their little tongues, it's adorable anytime they hiss."

"You're insane!"

Thea and Emmett sit in the moment but Thea soon comes back to the realization of everything that has happened and her smile fades.

"Guess I am a little insane, huh?" Thea spoke in all seriousness.

Emmett shakes his head, "I didn't mean it like—"

"I know how you meant it." Thea nods, "But I'm insane, right? Because what girl kills her entire family and then laughs just a few hours later?"

"Oh, god, what have I done?" Thea brings her knees up to her chest and runs her fingers through her hair.

"Hey," Emmett leans forward to make eye contact with her. "How about I teach you how to hunt?"

Thea struggles to find words, "like right now?"

"Yeah." Emmett nods, grinning, "c'mon." He holds out his hand for her to grab.

Thea looks at his hand and then up at him.

Emmett smiles lightly.

Thea still hadn't exactly trusted him, so she refused his hand and stood up on her own.

Emmett didn't care, he was still smiling softly as he led her into the forest to hunt.

✸

     "Look at this." Edward slaps down the fresh newspaper on the bed as Carlisle packs his things.

Carlisle glances at the newspaper, then back up at Edward as he grabs the freshly printed material, "what is this?"

"I don't know," Edward claims.

Carlisle examines the newspaper.

"According to the forensic report, the fingerprints of Harper Quarts have been found to be a match with the fingerprints on the knife used in the murder of Ethel Quarts. The Chattanooga Police Department is also investigating the possibility of Harper Quarts being involved in the deaths of her two sisters, Ava Quarts, who was killed from a broken neck, and Thea Quarts, who supposedly died from a possible suicide."

"Harper didn't murder her mother and sister." Carlisle stares down at the newspaper, stunned.

"Let me see." Esme takes the newspaper from her husband and reads it for herself. "It was a kitchen knife, Harper probably touched it...And now she's about to go away for a murder she didn't even commit."

✸

     "Understand that we are very fast but so are these animals," Emmett explains while he and Thea blend in perfectly with the trees in front of them. Her eyes were laid on a deer. The brown-furred animal was nibbling on a plant, unaware of the two vampires watching

Thea didn't know what to say, she felt uneasy. She couldn't grapple with this new side of her, the vampire aspects of herself.

She didn't even realize she'd backed away from the deer. Emmett allows her to do so but is still speaking, "I understand this is...new for you but think about it like this, you're just an apex predator getting food."

Thea shifts on her feet, making eye contact with the deer. It was only then she realized that her throat felt like fire, it was burning and she knew the only way to stop the flames was by feeding.

Thea's fingers held the tree, her strength caused it to develop minor cracks. "What if I don't like it."

Emmett grins, "you will."

Thea presses her lips together, slowly stepping from behind the trees and avoiding twigs that could snap beneath her feet.

Venom filled her mouth, and her senses heightened. She could hear the deer's strong heartbeat, she could hear its blood flowing through its veins. And she wanted it...she wanted its blood.

"You got this," Emmett whispered.

Thea did one more large step before she leaped forward. The deer turned its neck at the noise only to be tackled to the dirt by Thea.

The larger animal moved wildly beneath her but Thea didn't seem to mind. She lifts the deer's chin, revealing its neck.

"Now bite!"

Thea latched her teeth onto the deer, causing it to move wildly some more before its movements became subtle.

The animal blood filled her mouth, mixing with her venom. Thea knew she wasn't supposed to like it...but of course, she did.

Because she's no longer human. No longer able to crave anything other than blood.

✸

     "Thea, Emmett," Esme calls their name when they both walk through the front door.

Emmett looks at his mate, who is sitting on the couch, Edward across from her on the other couch. "What's going on?"

"I'm sure there's an explanation," Carlisle claims.

"An explanation to what?" Emmett tilts his head.

"Harper is being sent away for the murder of Ethel, Ava...and you." Esme looks Thea's way.

"...how did they come up with that?" Thea flutters her eyelids in confusion.

"They found her fingerprints on the kitchen knife," Edward answers.

Thea lets out a small chuckle, trying to cover it as a cough but failing. "I'm sorry, I—" she laughs even harder, covering her mouth and shaking her head.

Edward frowns, "this is funny to you?"

Rosalie glares his way, "it's a trauma response, dumbass."

Esme tilts her head slightly, "Thea, mind filling us in."

"It's just...Harper has never stepped foot into a kitchen once in her life—there's no way they could've found her fingerprints on that knife." Thea claims.

"Well, she did, because her prints are on that knife." Carlisle places the newspaper on the coffee table, "is there a chance that—"

"I killed them, not Harper." Thea relives the moment for just a millisecond.

Ethel tried stopping the blade, "Harper?—stop—"

Thea frowns.

"What's wrong, Thea?" Emmett wonders.

Thea stays quiet.

"Now is not the time for secrets, Thea." Rosalie sighs.

"My mother...she said her name. She called me Harper as if I was her or something." Thea confesses. "I think it was just an in-the-moment thing."

Carlisle shares a look with his wife. "What if it wasn't?"

Rosalie uncrosses her legs, "what do you mean?"

"What if..." Carlisle looks to the newborn, "Thea was Harper?"

ragerwrites, Any predictions for the next chapter?

wordcount, 1498