Writer in the Dark - J. HALE

76 - ᴇʀɪᴄ

TWO DAYS previous to the day of the conversation or battle, depending on Aro's mood, Athena walked downstairs at just past midday. She had spent the morning curled up in bed with books and comforting movies as the dread deeply infected her stomach. And the missing Jasper had begun to reach levels that felt like some organ within her had been pulled out, brutally chopped into thousands of tiny pieces then thrown back inside and squished into the hole where it had been before. She hadn't seen him for weeks. Going from seeing someone every single day, for most of the day some of the time, to not at all without any contact took a toll on her very quickly. She did not know whether he was still living or something had happened and wouldn't know for thirty-six more hours - full of minutes where anything disastrous could happen.

She had been planning to go out and hunt, like most vampires, would be today, but a buzzing from her phone that came via a contact she hadn't talked to for a long while, paused that plan of action. "Athena! How are you?" Eric's joyful voice boomed down the phone, bringing a certain type of smile to her face.

"I'm good Eric, how's college?"

"So so stressful," he sighed deeply, drumming a pencil against a notebook."But the people here are some of the funniest people I've ever met so that's a pro."

She gasped, pretending to be offended at his lack of acknowledging her humour, he just laughed and sighed deeply as if he hadn't laughed that hard in a long while. "Is the place nice?"

"It's a college dorm," he laughed quietly."So no, not really. Anyway, anything interesting going on back home?"

"Nope, not at all," she sighed, lying straight through her teeth as she feigned boredom. "It's the same old forest and rain as it always is."

"I'm probably not going to come back for Christmas, the parents are going to come here which is going to be interesting,"

She raised a brow, "To a college dorm?"

"They're going to get a hotel," he replied, voice showing amusement and the same thought that she had. That's just plain weird really.

"Interesting," she replied after a long pause, trying desperately not to show how she really viewed the situation. Trying and failing.

"That's what I thought," he laughed, reigniting her comfort in the situation."You'll have to come and visit too you know."

"Without a doubt," she laughed, "Just not when you're stressed to the absolute breaking point."

"Sounds like a plan, as long as you bring cupcakes."

"Of course," she laughed softly, looking to the kitchen where dozens of bakes clattered the surface. She was stressed and had no other outlet, baking was the only option to distract herself for a while - Renessmee seemed to particular favour the little breaks from the Cullen house at Auntie Athena's. Then, just as she was about to take the conversation in another direction, a rapid thudding echoed in her ears and a stench caught in her nose. She flew to the door, opening it with rage contorting her face and wide eyes staring at the wolf on her doorstep. She inhaled deeply, clutching the phone in her hand a little tighter than before. She steadied her voice, jaw locked as she stared into the soul of Embry Call, "Eric? Can I call you back?"

He sat up in his chair at her sudden change in tone, ceasing the drumming on his desk as he asked, "Is everything okay?"

"Oh yeah, just a rat is on my porch and I need to dispose of it," she replied, glaring at him so intensely he thought the ground at his feet would catch alight.

"Oh damn. Don't kill whoever it is."

"Can't make any promises," she laughed shortly then hung up the phone, slipping it into her pocket.