𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑. paul lahote ✓

𝐓𝐄𝐍

┏━━━━⋆｡ﾟ☁︎｡⋆☾ ﾟ｡⋆━━━━┓

UNWANTED COMPANY

AUGUSTINE NEVER REALLY UNDERSTOOD ALL THE HYPE ABOUT BASEBALL.

Sure, it was one of America's favourite pastimes, dating back to the Civil War, which she learned from Jasper, but so was football—and the Cullens sure as hell weren't playing that in the clearing.

While she wasn't a fan of the sport being played by the others, the ravenette found she was a fan of Bella Swan when her scent wasn't confined to a room claustrophobically.

The two were standing just behind Esme, chatting away about small things. It was mostly Augustine doing the talking, ever the social butterfly, and Bella doing most of the responding. She figured that she would at least get to know the girl mated to her adoptive brother, and she was pleasantly surprised with the information she absorbed.

Bella was a Forks native, although she hadn't been in the town since she was four following her parents' nasty divorce. Her dad was the chief of police. Her favourite thing to get from the diner in town was their veggie burger, and she seemed to have an affinity for biology. Augustine then asked her why she had a sudden love of the subject, following the girl's shy gaze as it settled on Edward speeding to the second base.

The Swan girl was shy, perhaps some would say a little socially awkward, but Augustine could get information out of anyone if she tried hard enough. And boy, was she desperately trying ti know anything about Bella aside from how alluring her scent usually was.

In a way, standing next to her as the game played on was kind of like exposure therapy.

ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆

"Any college plans?" Augustine asked the girl next to her while she adjusted the cap on her head. "I started being scouted by Michigan in my freshman year, so I probably would've ended up there."

Bella seemed to think it over. "Michigan's cool," she replied, and Augustine knew that was the closest she'd get to a congratulatory statement. "I think I'm going to apply somewhere up North in the fall."

Augustine's eyebrows furrowed, easily tracking Bella's gaze as it lingered on Edward standing alongside Jasper across the field. The human girl didn't seem to like the gloominess of Forks, and based on what Edward had told her, she didn't like the cold either. So, a college up North sounded quite bizarre, but the ravenette knew better than to press.

Just when she was about to ask a follow-up question, severely drowning in her boredom, she heard Alice yell from across the field. "Stop!"

The distress in the girl's voice made Augustine freeze, immediately noticing how each member of the coven stopped in their tracks. Edward's head seemed to snap towards the forest behind him before rushing towards where Esme, Augustine, and Bella were standing— the others quickly followed suit.

"They were leaving, then they heard us," Alice told Edward, the two coming to a stop directly in front of Bella.

Augustine inched forward. "They?"

"Nomads— three of them," the pixie-haired girl answered as Edward grabbed Bella's forearm, attempting to drag her to the Jeep they arrived in.

The atmosphere tensed when Carlisle stopped them with an it's too late. The frustration and anxiousness on Edward's face were clear, and you didn't have to be a mind reader to know what he was thinking. "Get your hair down."