Pearl Black || Seth Clearwater

Chapter Twenty

"Pearl, Bella's here to see you." Seth called out to Pearl who was sitting in her small, shared bedroom.

The doorbell had rang and both her father and Seth had told her to wait in her bedroom until they saw who it was.

They were her two babysitters for the day.

"I told you it would be nothing." Pearl groaned as she made her way to the front door.

"What's up Bella?" Pearl asked the older girl who hadn't stepped a foot in the house.

"Can we talk outside?" Bella bit her lip uncomfortably, looking from Seth to Billy who both watched their interaction carefully.

"Please." Pearl said gratefully, ready to take any excuse to get away from her prison guards.

"Don't step a foot in those woods." Billy told her as she walked outside.

"Ten minutes!" Seth called as well and Pearl just rolled her eyes before slamming the fragile front door in their faces.

"I love you Bella." Pearl sighed in relief, feeling at least a tiny bit freer.

"Its that bad, huh?" Bella chuckled but avoided eye contact. Despite the large age gap, Pearl was just as tall, if not taller.

"What's wrong Bella?" Pearl asked, noticing her slight distancing from her.

There was a moment of silence as they walked through the open backyard, and Bella brushed her fingers through her hair while she filed through her thoughts.

"I just . . . kinda feel guilty for all this, you getting hurt and being hunted I mean." The paler girl confessed.

"And here I was thinking we were doing all of this because you were getting hunted." Pearl laughed lightly at the older girls worries.

"Well I'm not being followed around by burly men everywhere I go." Bella added to the laughs.

"Well, I'm not a senior." Pearl reasoned and Bella stopped their aimless walking.

"Actually, that reminds me why I'm here." She remembered. "My graduation is in like a week, and of course Alice is going to throw this big party and all , so I was wondering if you would like to come?" She rambled on.

"Oh I'd love to! I am definitely one for parties!" Pearl beamed at the invitation, also just grateful for another chance to get out of the house.

"Great." Bella nodded. "Jacob and Seth are welcome to come too of course." Bella added.

"Well I'm pretty sure if I'm going, the rest of the pack is bound to follow." Pearl tightened her lips, hoping that would be okay.

"That's fine, its at the Carlisle's house though." Bella blinked quickly as she informed Pearl of the location, hoping that it wouldn't be a problem.

"Even better, means they won't hang around and they should be fine with the protection of your little friends." Pearl was really getting her hopes up for some free time.

"Times up!" Seth's voice echoed from the house, ending the girl's conversation.

"I gotta go." Pearl sighed apologetically. "Seth'll send the whole pack out for me if I don't."

"That's alright, that's all I wanted to tell you." Bella nodded understandably.

"See ya next week Bella." Pearl started to jog back to the house with a hopeful smile on her face.

"Don't forget to tell Jake!" Bella reminded her and Pearl had a funny feeling it was Jacob who was supposed to answer the door today.

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