COLD WATER

fourteen.            laurent

▬ CORI HUMMED AS SHE munched on a bag of doritos as she followed Bella through the woods, her eyes on ground in front of her to make sure she didn't fall. That was the last thing she wanted. She looked up when Bella stopped and turned to face her, making sure she was keeping up, and Cori smiled as she waved at her older sister.

"Why did you insist on coming?" Bella asked once Cori reached her by a small creek.

"I wasn't gonna let you go traipsing through the woods alone, Bell. I love you but you're a bit clumsy."

"You're one to talk." Bella muttered as she turned and started across the creek, using the rocks to get across.

"Whatever." Cori shook her head. "You also have a very poor sense of direction. I know this because we passed the same tree twice before you changed direction. Where are we going anyways?"

"This way."

"Oh, yes, thank you, captain obvious."

Bella hesitated for a moment as she turned and held her hand out to Cori to help her over the last little jump to the edge of the creek. "Edward showed me this meadow once and I wanna find it."

"Find it as in you don't know how to get there and we're just wandering aimlessly around the woods until we do find it?"

"Not exactly." Bella shrugged as she turned and walked away, Cori shook her head before following her sister.

"Well, if we're lost it's better to be lost together then lost alone." Bella chuckled slightly, she never understood how Cori could find the brightside to any situation but it was something she loved and even envied about her younger sister. "And if we get too lost I can call Paul, he and Jared know the woods pretty well."

"We're not lost."

"Okay." She shrugged, finishing off her bag of chips before tucking her trash into Bella's backpack before wiping her hands on her jeans. The rest of the trek was pretty much quiet between the two girls, there was the occasional are you sure we're not lost? from Cori which Bella had started to ignore after the third time she asked. And she was about to ask again when they broke through the treeline. "So you do have a sense of direction." Cori mumbled as she walked past her sister and looked around the clearing. "He brought you here? It's kind of dead. Though it makes sense because he was a di-" She turned, her face falling when she saw her sister on one knee, her hand pressed into the dead grass before she tightened into a fist and pulled some of the dead blades from the ground. "Bell?" Bella didn't answer, she unclened her fist and let the dead grass flutter back to the ground as she stood up but her eyes were focused on something behind Cori.

"Cori." Bella reached out for her sister, but the younger girl had already turned around to see a man standing on the other side of the clearing, his eyes - which even from the distance Cori could tell were red - on them. He had dark skin, long dreadlocks, and a look of intrigue on his face. Cori stumbled backwards, her hands shaking as she latched onto her sister's arm.

"Bella." The man spoke, his red eyes moving from her to the girl at her side.

"Laurent."

"You know him?" Cori asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You seem pleased to see me." He mused, his voice low and eerily but smooth.

"I almost believed none of it happened." She told him and Cori looked up at her sister, her eyebrows creased. "He's helped up with James." Bella to her sister, which only confused the young Swan even more – of course it happened. She was in the hospital for days, she had creaked two ribs and was covered in bruises for what felt like months.

Still, she wasn't sure who this vampire was. She had never seen him before, but that fact Bella seemed to know him did ease her nerves just a little - but not much.

He chuckled and Cori flinched when he was much closer in just the blink of an eye. "What an odd thing to say." And again, he was closer in a matter of seconds. "I didn't expect to find you here. And is this Coraline?" His smirk seemed almost evil as he looked from Bella to the shorter girl once again. "Oh, I've heard a lot about you."

"What?" She nearly squeaked and he just nodded as Bella tugged her arm a little, putting herself between him and her sister.

"I went to visit the Cullens, but the house is empty." He started circling then and Bella turned a little, keeping Cori behind her. "I'm surprised they left you behind... either of you. The big one spoke very fondly of you." He pointed at Cori for a moment before settling his crimson eyes on Bella once again. "Weren't you a sort of... a pet of theirs?"

Cori squeezed her eyes closed, pressing her forehead into the back of Bella's shoulder as she tried to push away the memories, memories she had worked hard to put behind her. But the way Laurent looked at them was almost the same way James had looked at her. He was teasing them, taunting them for entertainment just like James had done to the blue-eyed Swan. She had tears in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks as her hands gripped at Bella's jacket, the rest of the conversation a mere blur as she tried to stop the rising panic in her chest.

Cori looked up, taking in a much needed breath but a scream ripped out of her throat when Laurant was suddenly right in front of them. He shoved Bella to the ground, despite her yelling, and he bent down in front of Cori.

"Please." She begged, the word cracking with her sobs. "Please."

"Sh, sh, sh." He held his finger to her lips before reaching up and moving her hair from her face. "Oh, you smell..." He leaned closer and she squeezed her eyes closed. "...devine."

"No!" Bella shouted but he ignored her.

"Victoria wants your sister, but she won't mind if I kill you." He mused, his voice oddly cheery.

"Please, don't." She shook her head, her entire body shaking as flashes of James ran through her head and the pain radiated in her torso, like it was new and not just a memory of the pain. "Please."

"It's alright, Little One." He softly caressed her cheeks, pushing her hair over her shoulder to expose her neck and the hickey that stood out against her pale skin, his cold finger lightly grazing her pulse point. "I'll make it quick. Painless. I promise."

"No!"

Cori closed her eyes, biting her tongue to keep from crying as she waited for the pain, the darkness to follow, for her death. More tears built behind her eyes as Bella screamed and pleaded for her sister's life, she was on her feet, her hands shaking by her sides and tears leaking down her face.

"Laurent, please! Kill me! Take me! Plea-" She was cut off by the sound of a twig snapping and the vampire turned towards the sound just as Bella did, but Cori kept her eyes closed.

"I don't believe it." He muttered and Cori finally opened her eyes, turning her head to see a eight-foot-tall, jet black wolf step out of the tree line. He was snarling, his teeth bared and his eyes focused solely on the vampire that stood before the youngest Swan. A relieved breath left the girl, her body still shaking but a sense of comfort washed over her as the wolf neared them, towering over all three of them. Then four more broke through the trees and she managed a small smile as she locked eyes with the silver wolf.

Hi. She mouthed and he nodded his head so subtly that if she hadn't been so focused on him, she would've missed it. Laurent suddenly turned and ran and the wolves took off after him, all snarling and growling. But one wolf, with a beautiful russet colored coat, stopped in front of the two Swan, his eyes searching Bella's face. Cori knew it was Jacob and that he was trying, hoping to imprint. Then he turned and joined the others just as the vampire turned, throwing Sam back, which forced a gasp out of Cori's lips, but he was up and after the vampire in seconds.

Bella quickly grabbed Cori's arm, simply holding onto the sleeve of her jacket as she took off across the clearing and back through the woods.

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▬ CORI SAT ON THE FLOOR in her room, her back against her bed as she held a throw pillow in her arms. She had showered, hoping to wash away the day and the memories it had brought up but it was no use. Her head was full of James, his red eyes, his evil smirk, that way he held that camera in her face. She closed her eyes and shook her head but not even that made it go away. She flinched a little when a knock came at her door.

"Yeah?" Her voice was rough, her throat sore from crying.

"It's me. Can I come in?"

"Y-yeah." She called out and the door opened, the stairs creaked a little and she looked up to see Paul standing there, his brows creased with worry for the girl.

"Oh, Munchkin." He breathed out, quickly moving to sit next to her, when he saw the tears on her cheeks and the fearful look in her eyes. "It's okay. He's gone." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his side as he lightly kissed the top of her head. "He can't hurt you. I told you that no vampire would you again. I meant it."

"He... wanted to... kill me."

"I wouldn't let that happen." He squeezed her a little bit more as she sobbed into his chest. "I'm always here."

"Can you stay... t-the night?"

"I'm not going anywhere." He pressed a kiss into her hair again, holding her closer to him and she turned her head so her cheek rested against his chest. "You're okay. You're fine."

But she wasn't sure she was. Or that she ever would be.