Writer in the Dark - J. HALE

50 - ɢʀᴀᴛɪᴛᴜᴅᴇ

ATHENA CHUCKLED as everyone else did then halted as she began to hear the very distant and light footsteps of the Volturi. She went straight into Sam's head, knowing that all the wolves would be able to hear her through his thoughts. It was the most efficient way to get rid of them safely. "You guys have to get out of here," she spoke in his mind, pausing as she found Jacob still staring at her with wide eyes. "Far away as quickly as possible, understand?"

She smiled out of relief when Sam nodded his head, the pack already disappearing into the treeline. Then, after a second thought, she searched through all the different thoughts to find Embry's. "Swing by Billy's for me?" she asked quickly, needing him to know that everything was okay and that she'd be there soon. She couldn't rely on Jacob to tell him that, given his current state of shock.

"Was already going to," Embry's reply echoed in her head and she smiled, quickly thanking him before she went out of his head and refocused on the now loud footsteps that came from the next wave of battle. She quickly ran back to the others, intertwining her fingers with Jasper's so she had some sort of reassurance during the entire ordeal. Risking not reacting quickly enough was worth it in her eyes and apparently his too, given that he didn't even flinch when she grabbed his hand.

"It'll be okay," she whispered to herself, rocking on her heels ever so slightly. The black cloaks came into view and her shoulders tensed again, watching their approach with the dread thinking and rising in her stomach.

"Tell that to yourself," he whispered back, smiling jokingly in an attempt to soothe some of the uncertainty within her without the use of his gift. Though he had her permission to use it whenever her emotions were on the haywire, he viewed it as a last resort and would only ever do so if it would make her more comfortable or less in danger. Constant nerves surrounding something that could attack at any given moment were not the best thing in the world, reaction time-wise.

"I am," she replied jokingly, speaking so softly that she hoped the Volturi wouldn't have heard a word. Silence fell upon them as the four Volturi approached, flinging their cloak hoods down in imperfect unison that set hatred in her stomach. Jane and Felix stared at her, so intently that she looked elsewhere to avoid it.

"Impressive. I've never seen a coven escape an assault of this magnitude intact," Jane spoke slowly, peering her red eyes around the clan. Jasper lightly squeezed her hand and soothed away some of the anxiousness, feeling relieved when he noticed the visible relaxation within her. She wasn't fully relaxed, no that would not have been good, but relaxed enough that she could look them in the eye without faltering.

"We were lucky," Carlisle replied, sticking to the fake plan that they had conceded days ago at the very mention of a possible Voltui appearance.

"I doubt that. It seems you had certain, weapons," Jane replied, glancing over to Athena as she paused. "On your side." At this comment, Athena fully zoned out. She just wanted to get away from the constant digs that reminded her of a past that she just wanted to forget. She thought about her book, waiting for her to pick back up at the sudden stroke of writer genius.

She snapped back into reality when Bree Tanner, the young newborn that had been offered housing with the Cullen Clan, screamed out in agony for -due to the atmosphere- must have been at least the third time

"Riley wouldn't tell us. He said our thoughts weren't safe," she exclaimed as the pain that Jane inflicted flooded from her body. Athena wanted to reverse the pain right back to Jane, to make her suffer for all that she had put the young vampire through, oh how she longed to such a reaction of pain. But she couldn't. It would be worse for everyone present if she did. Helpless didn't even begin to explain it.