Aren't We Just Terrified? (Edward X Reader)

7

We didn't speak of my near death experience, half out of fear and half out of the Cullens' not even being home when we arrived. I dropped my satchel at the entrance and skipped towards the kitchen. Edward's eyes flickered at his phone that buzzed, "Alice texted - they went hunting for the night." He clicked the phone to sleep and joined me in the kitchen. I opened the fridge to be met with pathetic looking leftovers and strawberry jelly that looked as old as me. I sighed and slammed it shut, Edward must've picked up the scowl on my face, without a hitch he picked up the phone and dialed - shooting me a look,

"Cheese or pepperoni?" He questioned - I heard a young man answer on the other end, sounding as bored as ever.

"Pepperoni, extra mushrooms and if you don't mind can I have a strawberry fanta?" I asked, plopping myself on the couch and flicking on the flatscreen. Commercials for a new insurance company flashed mindlessly across the screen as I sank deeper into the couch - a fatigue falling over me from today's events. Edward finished the order and joined me on the couch,

"Tired?" He asked, flipping the hood on his jacket up.

"Absolutely exhausted." I admitted, transfixing my eyes to the screen trying not to fall asleep before my pizza arrived. We sat once again in silence for a moment before my pocket buzzed and rang with my signature marimba jingle. I checked the caller id and saw "Ava" with a million difference heart emoji's - shit maybe she thought I was dead, I thought. I shot Edward a worried look and held up the phone -

"Just stay calm, tell her you're still working on devising a plan. Don't seem nervous." He reassured me, fixing his eyes intently on me. I took a deep breath and pressed answer on my phone, awkwardly holding the phone to my ear without saying anything for atleast fifteen seconds before Ava yelled on the other end,

"Um hello?" She yelled, "Y/N, you there?" She asked again.

"Shit, uh, bad connection. Hey! What's up biotch." I said, trying to internally convince myself everything was okay.

"I haven't heard from you - I mena you could atleast let a girl know you are alive." She pleaded. I stood up and paced around the room - old habits die hard - I thought.

"God, I know - I'm so sorry. Been so into this investigation. I'm getting close to closing in." I fibbed, gnawing on my nail. I felt like shit lying to my best friend. Absolute and complete shit for betraying her trust.

"You sound different, Y/N" She whispered. "If you need help just say so - I can be on the next flight" She reassured me. Ava knew when I didn't have coffee in the morning. We were like identical twins, she knew everything about me and that's why I loved her. But I knew for her safety I had to keep her as far away from this Volturi bullshit as possible. If she was involved and the plan went wrong - she could be killed just as fast as I would be already dead. I tried to frame it in my mind as helping her survive then me lying to her.

"I'm fine, just focused I guess. Trust me, by the end of next week we'll be on some island drinking mai tais and getting massages on the beach." I randomly felt a tear go down my cheek but I was still smiling. We exchanged a few more words and by the time we hung up - my throat felt like it was closing and a warm compress felt like it was burning my chest up. I was crying. Actually sobbing. I fell to my knees and clasped my mouth from sobbing. I knew I wouldn't be going on that trip because I would probably be dead. Ava would have to bury me and the last conversation would be a complete lie. I felt a cold arm around me as Edward helped me back onto my feet,

"You're not goingt to die Y/N, you're helping your friend stay safe." He reassured me.

"Fuck Edward - you don't understand. I'm forsaking my bloodline by helping you. My ancestors, the Collective would fucking kill me if they knew what I was doing right now. They aren't exactly the most understanding people in the world" I plopped myself onto the couch and began sobbing again. I wasn't lying. The Collective took loyalty and dedication extremely serious - ingraining the tenants into our brains by the time we could talk. If someone would fall out of line, not fufill jobs or worse - betray The Collective, punishments were swift, brutal and discrete- with people simply "dissapearing" off the face of the earth. Ava and I knew a girl named Jodi that completed training with us that went to Australia for a job. A rogue vampire responsible for killing an entire community of native people. She at first went there, ready to kick ass and take names. But, she let his supernatural charm and looks win her over and she ended up falling in love with the fucker. She even taught him everything she knew about vampire hunting so he could evade capture. The Collective sent their most experienced and deadly hunter after him, and within a week - the vampire was ashes and she ended up face down in a river, with her body so badly beaten and burned her mother had to have a closed casket funeral- some real Goodfellas shit. The Collective demanded full loyalty - and up until now, I was the poster child of model behavior. I eventually calmed myself down with some deep breathing and before I knew it - the pizza had arrived, temporarily masking the peril I was facing. Edward stayed quiet and watched me eat the pizza slice by slice like a monster before excusing myself to bed, where I cried until I knocked myself out.