AEGIS ↠ EMBRY CALL [R.U]

50| THE CULLEN COVEN

     No one had told her where they were going. Reed stayed silent the entire journey, and the only thing Callas knew for a fact was that they were driving through Forks. He had driven passed the hospital and a few other shops and buildings, continuing down to another long road, surrounded by the forest. If Callas didn't know any better she would have assumed that they were heading back to La Push and just decided to take a car ride, but she did know better—she knew a lot more now. The clouds drew together up ahead, Callas looked out of the window, trying to see if there was anything that she could use to determine where it was that they were going—although it was pointless considering that she had never been to this part of Forks, only the outdoor sports shop and the hospital. Everything was so much stranger to her now, now that the truth was revealed anyway. She was sitting in a Jeep full of wolves, albeit in their human forms rather than beastly counterparts, and one of them was her very own brother, her own flesh and blood. Reed sucked in a deep breath as a house came to view. It was large, the walls were covered with large open windows, the landscaping out the front looked like it was only just recently tended to. There were multiple floors, and from part of the front, that was built with windows, she could see the stairs leading up to each floor.

"What is this place?" Callas asked, staring at the house. But she got no response. After tearing her eyes away from the building, she looked back to Reed, who looked like he wanted to throw up. "Reed?"

"He's still getting used to their scent," Jacob pointed out with a light laugh, patting Reed's shoulders as Reed's hands tightened around the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. "At least he hasn't phased, so that's a start," Jacob tried lightening the mood with some humour.

"You didn't answer my question."

Jacob simply pointed outside, signalling for her to get out of the Jeep. With the roll of her eyes, Callas began to open the door, only to see a smiling girl with short, dark hair already looking at her. Her hair was a pixie cut, she had golden eyes, like Carlisle had, although she assumed they were contact lenses. She wasn't very tall, but Callas wasn't that tall either. Callas flinched, pulling the door closed and she pushed back, leaning onto Reed as she tried to calm her heart. Her eyes were closed as her right hand clutched over her heart. When she opened her eyes again she glared at the girl. Seth climbed over the back of the seat and opened the passenger side door to get out, clearly impatient. Jacob laughed to himself as the girl stepped back, bouncing on her feet. Callas blew out a deep breath before sliding back over the chair to get out, making sure to keep a distance from the girl as Jacob pushed the back of her chair to get out as well. He pushed the chair back and closed the door. Reed still hadn't moved, only turned his head away from the house, closing his eyes. Callas moved to stand next to Seth, still watching the girl closely as she smiled at Callas.

"Where are we?" Callas asked again, gritting her teeth in annoyance.

"Why don't you come inside?" The girl smiled kindly, making her own way up the steps up to the house where she noticed Carlisle and another woman.

"No." Callas shook her head, pointing at him. "No. No. No." She stepped back, getting ready to get back into the Jeep, but Seth grabbed her upper arms and kept her close to his body. "Not today."

"They won't hurt you," he reassured her.

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, I do."

Reed finally got out of the Jeep. Groaning to himself as he closed the door, locking it, and walked around to stand behind Callas, his fists to his side as his jaw clenched tightly. Seth began to lead her up the steps to the house, with a smile on his face as he greeted Carlisle and the other woman—who had caramel coloured hair, golden eyes, and equally pale skin as the other girl did—while Jacob and Reed followed behind. The woman was clinging onto Carlisle's arm, sending a grin his way, holding back a small laugh at Callas's reactions. The house inside was just as impeccable as the outside was. The furniture was neatly placed, seemingly modern and in fairly good condition. Her hands shook nervously as they lead her up the stairs, passed a frame of graduation caps, and into—what she assumed was—the living room, some of the walls were covered in bookshelves while others were windows, there was also a piano in front of one of them, where two people sat, and when Callas looked towards the window, she noticed a deck that led out to the forest on the floor below them. A strange feeling washed over her and her hands stopped shaking, she looked down to them with knitted eyebrows. She suddenly didn't feel as uncomfortable or as scared as she did before. But she wasn't sure how that was possible. Callas's hands twitched as she stared at them.