CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
PHONE CALLS

    LIFE felt different now.

Thea could feel it and Rosalie could especially feel it.

It was now October and the Cullens were staying the with Denali Coven in Alaska until further notice. Carlisle and Esme were still looking for a place somewhere in New York.

Jasper seemed mostly quiet, maybe still feeling responsible for being in this mess in the first place. Emmett and Rosalie were off getting married and having another honeymoon to pass the time.

Edward is nowhere to be found. The boy had been long gone ever since they got to Alaska. He would call every few months to let everyone know he was okay but even Thea could see that was bullshit.

He wasn't okay, he was hurting. Drowning in his mind. On some level, Thea felt bad for her brother. Even though she hated Bella for every reason possible, that human was somehow able to light up Edward's world like nobody else could.

Alice had used what little clues she had about her family to discover more about her human life. Thea didn't accompany her on this journey, although she wanted to be there for her Wife, Alice said it was something she needed to discover on her own.

Alice has always struggled with not knowing about where she came from, although she did a marvelous job at hiding it, it has always eaten away at her.

Despite this drastic change in the family dynamic, Thea tried to block it out. Edward had to come around sooner or later, right? It would just take him some time to adjust, and Thea knew that feeling well, so she understood.

Thea spent most of her time with Alice once she returned and sometimes she spent it with Carmilla if she wasn't too busy.

Thea stood behind the tree, her eyes on the brown bear moving across the snow. Her black eyes examine it, Emmett would love to be here for this.

She speeds over to the bear, killing it quickly to make sure it doesn't feel too much pain. The blood travels down her throat and her eyes return to a bright golden.

"Save me any?" She hears her mate's voice ring through the air.

Thea drops the drained animal, she watches as Alice hops down from the high tree with a playful smile on her face.

"I'm afraid you're too late." Thea licked the blood from her lips, smiling when she noticed she didn't get any on her clothing. "I can help you hunt another animal."

Alice shakes her head, "it's fine, I'll hunt later." She wraps their arms, "Walk with me."

Thea raises a brow at her behavior, "What's going on?"

"What makes you think something is wrong?"

"You never ask me to walk with you unless something is wrong." Thea chuckles, "It's pretty much your version of 'we need to talk'...so, what's going on?"

"I've been a little worried about you," Alice admits.

Thea frowns, "Oh? Why?"

"I know that you've been kind of uncomfortable with how different things are right now. With Edward and Emmett being away." Alice explains, "I just don't want you to feel like everything is changing. I'm still here."

"I know you are." Thea smiles ear to ear, leaving a quick peck on her lips. "I appreciate this but I'm fine. Plus, Carmilla has been keeping me entertained."

Alice sighs, "You sure?"

"Yes." Thea does a breathy laugh at her mate's concern, "When I'm not okay. You'll know."

Alice nods slowly, "you'll tell me?"

"I might not have to." Thea shrugs, "You're my wife. You'll know."

Thea was so focused on their conversation that she wasn't even paying attention to where Alice was taking her. When she does realize, her mouth drops, "this is—"

"The place you told me you loved me." Alice smiles at the memory. "I just thought we could use this right now, you know?"

Alice sits down in the snow and Thea follows, placing her head on Alice's shoulder, Alice kisses her forehead. "This is nice." Thea closes her eyes. "I missed this."

"There's something else..." Alice spoke so softly that Thea almost missed what she said.

Thea shifts her vision towards her. Her smile faltered, "What is it?"

"...I want to tell you what I found...while I was in Biloxi." Alice confesses.

Thea briefly glances at her feet, "Alice, if you're not ready to tell me, you don't have to force yourself. I can wait until you're ready"

"It's okay," Alice replies softly before continuing. "I have a younger sister, her name is Cynthia and she has a daughter, my niece. They're both still alive and they live in Biloxi."

Thea finds a faint smile, "I had a feeling you were an older sister."

I guess the oldest sibling recognizes the oldest sibling.

Alice chuckles slightly, "Yeah, I never would've thought." She continues, "I was able to track down my admission papers from the asylum I spent the last few years of my life in and it matches the dates that are on my tombstone."

Thea frowns slightly, finding it very suspicious.

"That was all I was able to find." Alice puts on a lazy smile.

"Did you meet them?" Thea suddenly asks.

"What?"

"Your family," Thea adds, her fingers silently fidgeting with the locket around her neck.

"Oh..." Alice looks down, "No, I...I'll never be able to have that connection with them. Plus, I didn't want to discover my past to return to it but rather have peace with it."

Thea's mind analyzes her words, she nods after a second, "I understand that. You don't want to move backward."

Alice watches the way Thea's eyes dilate as if her attention is no longer with her. "Have you ever thought about it?"

Thea blinks, returning to the moment, "About what?"

Alice was silent for a few seconds, "Finding your son. He may be out there somewhere."

Thea eyes soften, "If he is out there...he doesn't need me. In all honesty, he probably hates me for leaving him." Her heart feels with guilt, she shakes her head, "I just—I don't think it's a good idea."

Thea had always been conflicted about her past, dragging the baggage into her vampire life. But she didn't want to return to it, a part of her wished she could not feel the pain that she did. Another side of her believed she deserved it. She was a monster after all.

✸

Night had risen, and light trails of snow fell past the windows. Alice and Tanya were out hunting and their mates were...well—busy.

"Ha! Loser!" Thea makes fun of Carmilla as she loses for a third time at a game of Operation.

Carmilla drops the small tweezers on the dining room table, rolling her eyes, "This game is rigged."

Thea easily puts up a fake pout although she feels thrilled on the inside, "Can't handle a little game of Operation?"

"You two are still playing?" Tanya walks in with her arms crossed, a gleam of amusement in her eyes.

Alice strolls in shortly after, "What are we gonna do with them?" She whispers to Tanya when they focus back in on Operation.

"I have a few ideas," Tanya says as they both join them at the table.

Thea gasps when she hears the buzz, causing Carmilla to jump out of her seat and laugh, "Ha! Loser!" She points.

Thea rolls her eyes, "This game is rigged. I'm trying again."

"What no—" Carmilla attempts to stop her but Thea swats her hand away, trying for a second time.

Thea's phone ringing broke the silence. Alice, realizing Thea wasn't going to answer because of her competitive nature, answers the phone. Believing it was some kind of scam caller.

"Hello?" Alice answers more nicely than usual, smiling too much at her mate.

"Thea."

Alice frowns, "Uh...who is this?"

Thea, still concentrated but listening frowns, "Who is it?"

"Someone who has been waiting a very long time."

Thea's completely loses focus of the game of operation. Carmilla smirks when it buzzes, "Ha." She expected to see a smiling Thea but her expression was serious, her eyes on Alice.

"Alice, who is that?" Thea takes the phone, "Who is this?"

"Thea."

Thea felt her words get stuck in her throat. She didn't know what to say, what to do.

"It's shocking. I understand." She says on the other end. Thea walks out of the dining room, leaving the three vampires sharing confused glances.

"Harper, how are you alive?"

"Take a guess."

Thea swallows, "You're a vampire...how are you a vampire? What happened? What do you want?" Despite everything, Thea felt a sense of urgency to find her sister. Almost like a protective instinct. She pushes that feeling down.

"Ouch." Harper exaggerates her words, "First time hearing from me since what? Thirty-nine? And this is how you greet your little sister?"

"Harper." Thea was nearly at a loss for words. She didn't know where to start or if should start. "What do you want?"

There was a heavy sigh on the other end. "I want to make things right, for the both of us. I can't explain all of this over the phone, Thea, you need to come to me."

Thea's squints, "Harper, I'm no fool."

"Oh, trust me, that I know. That's exactly why you need to come to me. Thea, we're the only family we got."

Thea mumbles, "Not for me."

"Right, that little Cullen playhouse you live in." Harper scoffs, "Thea, I'm your blood. You remember what mom taught us, never turn your back on family."

Thea wasn't even surprised that Harper knew about the rest of her family, she'd probably been keeping tabs for some time.

Thea felt her fist tighten, "Funny, considering she was the first person to turn her back on me."

"Thea," Harper's tone fills with compassion, "...she was doing the best she could. We all were."

"All of you could've done things differently." Thea snaps, her jaw clenched tight.

"Says the one who killed pretty much her entire family before sending her sister away for the crime," Harper snaps back before going quiet.

Thea felt her anger dim. She was a monster just like them, she was no better than them.

"Shit, Thea, I'm sorry..." Harper apologizes, "I want a clean slate, I do. But the only way we can get that is if we both work for it."

"A clean slate." Thea ponders on those three words. For decades she spent her immortality accompanied by guilt and shame. She was a monster. Her slate was bloody.

But this. Could this possibly be her chance? She could find some kind of peace, like what Alice said.

It was quiet at Thea's end before she spoke cautiously, "Harper, where are you?"

"I'm where I've always been."

Thea didn't need to ask. She knew exactly where she was. Chattanooga, Tennessee.

"...I'll be there," Thea confessed before she hung up.

michelle trachtenberg as
HARPER QUARTS, the little sister
❝ Loyalty is everything, Thea. We could both do the worst things in the world but we still need to have each other's backs. ❞

     ragerwrites,           Let me warn you now...this might be the most depressing act of the entire book.

Me 🫱🏾‍🫲🏼 bring back people from
the past in my Twilight fics.

wordcount, 1834