GLADIOLUS || FELIX VOLTURI

two - the barren field.

In the time since Bella had recklessly crashed her dirt bike, a couple of weeks following that incident were quiet. It was definitely a nice change. Bella and Jake hung out whenever they had free time, Rowan occasionally tagged along but for the most part, left them to hang out alone. She didn't mind Jake, and was happy Bella had a friend outside of her own cousin to hang out with. Jake was a distraction for Bella, and while Rowan knew that Bella would need to truly accept and move on from her ex-boyfriend – Rowan was happy for the time being that Bella could find some sort of happiness in a friend.

In the meantime, Rowan kept herself busy by reviving Charlie's very sad excuse of a garden bed and working part-time at a local bookstore. Her small job was nice, but her gardening is what truly kept her happy. She felt a special connection to the plant life that surrounded her. She felt truly at peace surrounded by it. It made her time in Forks much kinder given the circumstances of her staying there.

But overall, it was nice, Rowan thought, having a quaint and quiet life in Forks. She didn't have many worries, especially with Bella finding a deep friendship with Jake. Rowan could finally take some time for herself and figure out what she plans to do after her gap year.

Well, that was before all hell broke loose in Rowan's life.

All of the chaos started on what seemed like a normal day. Bella and Jake went to see a movie together, then the next thing Rowan knows Jake is ignoring all of Bella's texts and calls. While Rowan would much rather stay out of the drama, she tries reminding herself that Bella could use someone, so Rowan decides to spend her day off distracting Bella.

Rowan knocked on the door to Bella's bedroom, waiting for an answer. To no surprise, Bella completely ignored her cousin. "I don't know why I try sometimes," Rowan muttered to herself with a sigh, attempting to quell the frustration bubbling up inside her. She wasn't angry with her cousin, more so annoyed at how much Bella was pushing everyone away. With a shrug, Rowan decided to give her cousin more space, and went to the backyard to continue her renovation of Charlie's garden beds.

Half an hour passed, and Rowan was nearly in her own world, immersed in her gardening. That was until Bella attempting to sneak into the woods behind the house caught her eye. Rowan's brows furrowed and a frown quickly formed upon her face. All the frustrations from the past few weeks were building up for Rowan, and seeing Bella sneak into the woods after she already got lost in the woods earlier that year was enough to make Rowan truly question how reckless and idiotic her cousin could truly be.

Rowan stood up, throwing her gardening gloves aside, and started marching into the woods after Bella. Rowan considered stomping straight to Bella, lecturing her on how reckless this was – but she knew better. Bella's stubbornness wouldn't allow her to listen to any lecture, so Rowan simply stayed behind Bella at a distance and followed her into the woods, waiting for her cousin to reach whatever destination she had in mind.

It was difficult at moments to follow Bella. It was clear to Rowan that Bella knew the woods much better than herself. Rowan stumbled over large roots and failed to avoid large rocks in her path. She thankfully never lost complete sight of Bella. Eventually, Bella reached her destination, which Rowan was more than thankful for – especially since Rowan was trying not to collapse due to how out of shape she quickly realized she was.

As Bella slowly made her way out into the open field, Rowan quickly followed her cousin. Rowan took a deep breath, attempting to regulate her emotions before confronting Bella.

"Bella, what the hell were you thinking?"

As Rowan spoke, Bella looked around at the former meadow, now a wide field of dead plant life. A distressed look was upon her cousin's face as she observed the open field. Upon hearing Rowan's voice, Bella's head quickly snapped back to where her cousin was standing near the tree line.

"Rowan? Were you following me?" Bella's distressed expression quickly changed to one of frustration.

"Yeah. I did. You know, I told both Charlie and Jacob you didn't need a babysitter – but maybe I was wrong. Going into the woods alone? That is so incredibly reckless for more reasons than I can count."

Bella rolled her eyes, shaking her head while doing so. "You don't know these woods like I do Rowan," Bella mumbled, her eyes scanning across the barren field.

"Sure, I can agree to that. But you also seem to forget that I know you got lost in these same exact woods earlier this year," Rowan said, her voice growing louder in frustration. She started walking towards her cousin, not feeling comfortable with the distance between them. While Rowan knew the people of Forks were comfortable in the thick surrounding forest, Rowan definitely was not. She couldn't help but feel watched and vulnerable while standing in the open field.

"I didn't get lost I-"

"Bella."

The two girls paused at hearing a deep voice come from across the field. Bella's eye widened at the figure standing across from them. Rowan let out a shuddered breath, feeling her chest tighten with fear and anxiety. She slowly took a few steps in front of her cousin, placing her arm slightly in front of Bella as a shield. Before Rowan could say anything, Bella spoke.

"Laurent."

Rowan's brow furrowed at the mention of this stranger's apparent name coming from Bella. She glanced back at her cousin in confusion, but Bella only kept her eyes on the figure ahead of them. When Rowan glanced back, she quickly gasped and stumbled back into her cousin.

"How did he...get so close?"

Laurent was now standing only a few feet ahead of them. Bella didn't reply to her cousin, only taking a step forward so she was beside Rowan instead of behind her.

"I didn't expect to find you here. And I see you brought a guest."

Rowan was smart enough to keep her mouth shut and decided to observe the man as best she could. His demeanor and tone were off. While it seemed like both he and Bella knew each other, there was no friendliness in his tone as he spoke. His appearance seemed somewhat normal, other than the fact his clothing was somewhat strange, but Rowan usually wasn't one to judge solely on that. The one thing Rowan couldn't keep her eyes off of were his eyes. His piercing red eyes. It sent a wave of fear through her the moment she realized the color. While she didn't know what it meant, she knew to trust her gut and keep her guard up.

"I went to visit the Cullen's, but the house is empty," Laurent said, taking a few steps around the girls, circling them in the field. "I'm surprised they left you behind. Weren't you sort of a, uh, pet of theirs?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Bella said, with a nervous nod.

Rowan immediately had a look of disgust on her face once hearing the term "pet" used. She didn't quite like Bella's ex beforehand, but she certainly didn't like him and his family now.

"Do the Cullen's visit often?" Laurent asked with a sly smile.

Rowan kept her eyes locked on her cousin as they conversed. She noticed Bella's gaze focus on something in the distance beside Laurent, though Rowan couldn't figure out what. Then her cousin gasped suddenly, nearly stumbling backwards.

"Yeah, absolutely, all the time," Bella said, her nerves evident in her shaky tone. "I'll tell them you stopped by," she said with a slight smile.