empathy

SEVEN

„When did she start caring about people?" Anastasia groans in annoyance. This is the fourth time Bella has called Seth just this day to find out about Jacob, who bolted the moment he found out about the wedding.

It's a bit dramatic if you ask her, especially over Bella. What do they all see in her? Is it the great and not at all boring character? Her awkwardness? The weird expression she makes just all the time?

Or is it more that she's like a blank canvas that they can paint all over and turn into the painting they want?

Jasper pats her back lightly when she buries her face in his shoulder.

"What is she doing here either way? Edward isn't even here. Doesn't she have a home or something?"

After Bella gets the same news, she got the last hundred times she has called the wolf, she walks over to them with a somber expression on her face.

"I don't care," Ana stops her when she goes to open her mouth. "But..." "No, go bother someone else."

Anastasia gets up and Jasper doesn't bother to say anything more to Isabella and rather follows after his mate, who has joined Emmett, who is currently trying to build a trampoline in the backyard. Rosalie had taken Antonina out for the day when Bella showed up unannounced but said they'd be here in a few minutes.

"You finished?" Anastasia asks the buffy vampire, who is staring at the trampoline in front of him, having just finished it. "Yeah, go try it out." "Try it yourself," she counters. "Honey, have you looked at these?" he flashes his biceps and lets his brows shoot up seductively, a smirk dancing on his lips. "I will break this thing in two. There are countless beds, who can..."

Ana shoves him back, making sure to push him up a bit so that he can land on the trampoline.

"There. It works."

Emmett bounces a bit before sitting up. "It's surprisingly comfortable. You know what would be fun..." "You are not having sex on my sister's toy!" she narrows her eyes at him, slapping Japer's chest when he turns to look at her with a raised brow.

"Oh, watch me."

"I mean joining would be more fun, but I suppose having you watch would make me put on a great show," Rosalie's voice surprises them to the point they nearly flinch, and they all turn to look at the blonde.

"Hi, little princess," Emmett grins at Antonina, who is running after her a few steps behind and, luckily, still out of earshot. "Emmi-bear."

"Emmi-bear!" Anastasia turns to Rosalie. "She overheard me. Hasn't stopped calling him that since." "I love it!"

Emmett rushes off the trampoline and catches the girl, who runs into his arms, throwing her up far enough to give Anastasia a brief but intense moment of panic.

"Ana," Antonina exclaims and leans back. Emmett is still carrying her, so she can let herself fall until she is hanging upside down with his arm holding onto her legs. Anastasia smiles at that, happy that her little sister can finally be carefree and happy with a man again – without being afraid he might flip at any given moment.

"Hi, little one." Antonina reaches her arms out and Anastasia goes to hold her as gently as she can.

Ever since turning into a vampire, she's been cared of accidentally crashing her in a spurt of anger or something.

"Hi," Antonina turns to grin a toothy grin at Jasper, who bows slightly. "Ma'am." "Look what Emmett built you," Anastasia nods at the trampoline. "You think you can still do a cartwheel?" she challenges the girl and puts her onto the trampoline.

Antonina doesn't seem to be afraid to just let herself fall forward onto her outstretched hands. It isn't a proper cartwheel; her feet barely lift off the ground and her legs don't rise higher than thirty degrees.

"Wow!" Anastasia claps excitedly, nonetheless. "That was super cool." "You do it," Nina counters scoots to the side of the trampoline. Anastasia hops onto it as well and stands up.

Yeah, she doesn't know how her sister does cartwheels. Looking down, she's just scared to crash and fall onto her head. Cartwheels just don't make sense to her. There is no possible way that she can actually do this.

"How about this?" she asks instead and lets herself fall forward into a handstand. Which, to be fair, is completely different from a cartwheel. Letting her legs fall back, she falls into a bridge before using the trampoline to push herself back into a standing position, sending Jasper a wide-eyed look.

She is glad that worked and she didn't embarrass herself.

"I wanna do that!"

Antonina and Anastasia spend at least another hour on the trampoline together, making up for some missed time together, before they join the others, who have gone back inside. Nina is worn out and hanging over her sister's shoulder and Ana is just glad that she is learning to trust herself with her sister again. Fully trust her rather than just pretending to.