Seraph

85

Serafina knew everyone else had their tasks to fulfill. Emmett, Edward, and Carlisle took off in Emmett's Jeep. Esme and Rosalie were in Bella's piece of crap truck. Those two groups led the nomadic pair on separate wild goose chases while Jasper, Bella, and Alice snuck away in Carlisle's Mercedes south to Arizona.

Everyone was busy. Serafina was bored. She felt a presence creep close to the Swan home. As soon as Serafina felt the presence, she only turned in that direction when the presence immediately left. The presence tried two other entry points, barely stepping a toe over Serafina's sphere of territory, and would back off. Whoever it was, they were good. It was as though they could sense the threat that was Serafina.

It didn't take long for Rosalie and Esme to join her. It turned out the redhead was avoiding them. She only trailed them for about an hour before she lost interest. She began scouting the town from what Rosalie could figure out after tracking her. Serafina guessed that the presence testing her limits before was the redhead.

They decided to take shifts to care for Chief Swan while also tracking the nomad. Serafina refused to allow either to stay alone, so she would take her shifts alone and demanded the two remain together at all times. She would prefer to stay with Rosalie. But she wanted to make sure her mother was safe, too. Serafina wasn't usually this demanding; the two deferred to her, knowing she was concerned for their well-being.

The next day, the mother and daughter pair traversed the forest searching for the nomad. While they did that, Serafina played her usual truant self to be picked up by Chief Swan and have a legitimate excuse to stick to his side. At least, that was what she thought. But Chief Swan seemed very upset. He was not openly sobbing or even acting any differently than usual. But he was a little more quiet. He asked Serafina if her brother was okay. But the way he gripped the steering wheel let her know he more than likely hoped he wasn't.

From what she remembered, Bella had used the excuse that she didn't want to be 'trapped' like her mother and spouted other hurtful nonsense to her father. She thought this was what Emmett mentioned before he left. She felt bad for the chief. Even though the girl tried to make herself the bad guy, not Edward, Serafina could see the chief's thinking. If she had never gotten involved with Edward in the first place, this wouldn't have ever happened. To him, it was Edward's fault. She wholeheartedly agreed. She told him that he was heartbroken at home being looked after by the family because of his mood. The chief eased up on his steering wheel after hearing.

He dropped her off at school a lot more quickly than usual. Once inside, she made it through the back door and sped to circle the building. She followed him from a distance out of sight. No one approached the entire time. But once they reached his house, she felt the trace of a presence. She met up with Rosalie and Esme, who confirmed the nomad went to the home when they were out but left as soon as the two noticed and came to investigate. They had even felt her presence around the school. From the timing the two provided, it was after Serafina left. After that, they tracked her to an airport.

Rosalie and Esme stayed at the Swan home while Serafina went out to find trails from the nomad. Edward soon joined her. She asked where the others were, and he told her that Esme and Carlisle were protecting Charlie while Rosalie and Emmett went through town looking for clues about the nomad's whereabouts. Esme insisted that Emmett go with Rosalie since she knew Serafina didn't want her alone.

While the two were searching, Edward received a very upsetting phone call that sent him, Emmett, and Carlisle on a flight to Arizona. Edward informed Serafina of the female nomad's thoughts before he left. He somewhat grasped her personality the day before. She wasn't a risk-taker. So their group would be safe from her. She would keep her distance.