ASPEN ? Paul Lahote [1]

nine

"Wolves. You saw them too?" Charlie asked, turning his attention to Aspen. He assessed that the girl was now okay, and he gave a 'thank you' to Harry, who now stood beside him.

Aspen didn't hesitate to nod, agreeing that she had seen the creatures. "Yeah. There were five of them," Aspen confirmed.

"Alright," he resigned, "Harry, you like goin' huntin'? Why don't you get some of your guys together?"

Mr. Clearwater looked a little thrown by the idea but agreed anyway, leaving the room.

☼☼☼

After the Police Chief and Harry Clearwater left the house, Aspen looked at Bella. Eyes wide, shock dissipating, and even more confusion settling in. She found her voice again. "What is going on, Bella? Who was that? How did you know that man who looked like he wanted to eat you for dinner!? How are the Cullen's involved in all of this?" Aspen exploded with questions, standing in front of the disheveled girl who wouldn't meet her eye. Aspen was desperate to understand why she was being pulled in so many directions with conflicting circumstances no one wanted to give her answers to.

"Look, Asp, it's complicated. I- I can't tell you. It's not my secret to tell," Bella began but was interrupted by the frantic girl with glassy blue eyes.

"Bullshit! We almost died! I don't know about you, but that isn't something I go through on a daily basis. People don't tell me my blood smells good before announcing to kill me!" Aspen was surprised by the volume of her own voice.

"I'm not allowed to tell you... I'm sorry, Aspen," Bella apologized, reaching her fingers forward to grab Aspen's hand, but her friend took a step back.

"I- I," Aspen took a deep breath, "I have to go."

Aspen retreated, dejected. The knot coiled deep within her grew tighter, as did her chest. Her arm hurt. Her body hurt. Her heart hurt. Her friends had secrets they didn't want to tell her and the cavern in her core grew wider, swallowing her hopeful feelings of finally being let in.

"Asp-" Bella called after her, but the girl was already out the door and pounding down the front porch steps and across the yard.

Aspen was scared. She had been thrust in and out of a situation she never expected to be in, and no one was telling her anything. 'Her blood!?' Aspen screamed in her own mind. 'Bella was going to be killed because Edward killed someone else?' she didn't understand.

She couldn't take it anymore. She knew Paul said he would talk to her soon, but it was all becoming too much. What true crime event had she found herself upon where things were left unanswered in the setting of a small town experiencing animal attacks?

What about being trusted by your friends? Having friends that wanted you around and accepted your help. She couldn't block out the feeling of being untrustworthy, unwanted, and a burden to be around. It was a spiral she couldn't drag herself away from.

The tears came faster than she wanted to allow. Her heart lept as she continued to walk, hiccuping as she tried to get herself to stop crying. She didn't want to be walking home, or rather, doing it alone. But she had no time to think as she ran away from Bella's house. Her hands crossed over her chest, her backpack bouncing against her back as she strode down the road. She jumped at the sudden thunder cutting through the stagnant, almost tranquil air of the neighborhood, and dark clouds rolled above her head. Her eyes, blurry with tears to be shed, looked up to see someone jogging towards her at the end of the street. Her breathing hitched, and she went to rub her eyes and clear her vision of tears. The person was upon her before she could scream.