Writer in the Dark - J. HALE

61-ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ

ATHENA HAD a slight problem with the rule of having to stay in the Cullen house for her own safety and that was Benji. She wasn't allowed to leave to feed him and didn't exactly have anyone that she could ask to go and feed him every morning and turn off the light in his enclosure at nine in the morning and nine at night. So, she was the only person permitted to leave the house just to go and get Benji plus the enclosure. And she had to take a wolf with her, purely for numbers and protection for the travel. Her choices were Leah, who hated her guts or Seth, since Jake refused to go - which was fair enough really. Jasper was very against not going with her, so much so that she had to reassure him that it would be okay and she could handle herself. He had never doubted that fact, knowing how powerful she was, he just did not like the idea of her going out into pretty much a war zone with a single wolf as extra protection.

So she and Seth, in his wolf form to begin with, snuck off and headed to her house without lingering anywhere. The entire mission was so tense and they weren't even allowed to talk to each other out loud - in case a wolf on the bad side happened to overhear. So they talked in Seth's head, simple conversations that had her struggling not to laugh half the time. When they got to her house, the doors and windows were all locked and double-checked that they were all closed and locked tight - not that it would have any effect against the wolves but it made them both feel somewhat safer. She messaged Luna like they had planned moments before she had left.

ENA (:
I'm in the house
seen!

Athena and Seth started to pack away the main things that Benji needed to survive. The heat lamp, certain nutrient things that he needed and the other random things that were necessary. Halfway through the packing, Athena left Seth and ran upstairs. She packed a bag full of comfy clothes, sick of having to borrow things from others and her laptop because she had too many emails to answer from Pria and preferred to do it on her own computer. She also grabbed her single tribe book with the short legend written in it, just in case someone else saw something she didn't. Then, as she walked down the stairs with her bag on one shoulder her phone buzzed repeatedly.

LU :)
Sam's outside
Alice had a vision
do not walk out the door

ENA (:
Okay
Don't tell Jazz

LU :)
Too late...
He's pacing
May have nearly broken a vase

ENA (:
Lucifer
is the vase okay?

LU :)
that is not the thing to be focusing on right not stupid
but yes, it's okay

ENA (:
good I'm glad

LU:)
now focus
your life is literally on the line rn

ENA (:
eh
it's not that big of a deal
i can handle Sam

LU:)
Jasper doesn't seem to think so right now
Emmett literally had to hold him back from coming to get u

ENA (:
tell him not to be so daft

LU:)
he laughed
Like a semi angered laugh yet semi funny
OKAY NOW FOCUS STUPID

ENA (:
alright alright
jeez
you're acting like I could die or something

LU:)
ATHENA
SHUT
IT
AND
GO
seen!

"Seth," she whispered, looking out of the window in her living room discreetly, hoping that the block she put up around her house worked for Sam also.

He looked up from the box he was prepping for Benji to travel in. "Yeah?"

"Can you hear Sam's thoughts still?" she asked quietly. "He's outside right now."

"Not since I left the pack," he replies, shaking his head ever so slightly. The worry on his face only grew as she looked out of the window, hearing a thought of attacking. "You got it?"

She nodded, "Put Benji in the box with some bedding, poke holes in the top obviously. I'll be upstairs."

She quickly climbed the stairs and went into the library/spare bedroom and looked out of the window, getting a better vantage point as she tried to figure out where Sam was. Once she found him and his worrying thoughts that sent a loop of worry through her stomach, she searched for any other wolves. She had to turn her phone off as she went into Sam's mind, finding the constant buzzing of concerned messages far too distracting to focus. It didn't take a lot of effort for her to delve into his mind but it took a huge amount of effort to shut his brain down. She watched with a successful smirk as he lay down, falling asleep almost instantly. A slumber that would definitely last more than two hours. She then shut the curtains up, to protect the books from sun damage, then run back downstairs asking, "Good to go?"

He nodded, standing up with the box containing Benji in his hands. "What did you do to Sam?" he asked as she picked up the other bag.

"He's napping," she smiled, the smile only brightening when Seth started to laugh. The coolness of the moment soothed some of the nerves that brewed in her stomach. With a final check over of the house, she opened the door and they both ran all the way back to the Cullen house - making sure that Benji was not harmed in the process.

She walked in the door of the Cullen house, dumping her bags at the side as Seth placed Benji down onto the nearest counter, opening the lid to the box before he quickly left. Within seconds, Jasper practically flew down the stairs, jumping the last few steps before hugging her tightly. He exhaled in relief as he cupped the back of her head with his hand. After worrying that she could be murdered at the hand of a wolf, seeing her sent such relief through his mind that all he could do was hold her close. After the hug broke, Jasper picked up the bags and took them up to his room as she followed behind with Benji in her hands. 

-

Later that day, Athena sat with Alice and Luna in the living room where Bella slept. They were both the first people to see the very first copy of her new book that had been delivered a few minutes ago. She wanted them to read the dedication, something that made her extremely nervous for one specific person to see. So she asked them what they thought, nerve clawing at her throat as she awaited their answer. "Jasper releases a sense of happiness so powerful that it covers the entire house when you so much as smile at him," Alice answered, raising her brow.

She bite back a smile, replying, "That didn't answer my question though."

"Yes it did," Luna laughed. "Are you actually a blind vampire?"

They were silent for a moment before Alice asked, "Do those exist?"

"I mean I've never seen one, or heard of one through the Volturi or anything."

"And venom isn't a cure-all, some things it just can't heal," Luna added, glancing over to Bella.

"Anyway," Athena cleared her throat, picking up her book again. "I'm not going to give it to him yet. Not quite ready for that yet but do you think-"

"We already answered that question, Athena."

"What question?" Jasper asked as he walked into the room. She flipped the book over on her lap, covering it with the side of her jacket as he sat down with them - kissing her on the forehead.

"Whether blind vampires exist," Athena quickly interrupted, nudging Luna as she started to laugh. "We thought no," she continued and Jasper just shrugged.

"What an incredible contribution to the conversation Jasper," Luna laughed.

"Would you like me to be some sort of vampire einstein and give you a lecture about the powers of venom?" Jasper replied, chuckling softly as to not wake Bella.

Luna raised a brow, "Honestly? Yes."