mute ( twilight saga )

fourteen

Storm.

There was a storm coming. Sure, Elizabeth knew it wouldn't be the kind of storm with rain, but Elizabeth refused to think about snow. She had heard what her aunt said, and so instead of facing the situation Elizabeth happily chose to go into a state of denial for the time being and curl up in the branches of a large pine tree.

It was Christmas, and Elizabeth knew her parents would be looking for her, knew they wanted to go to her grandfathers house. But Elizabeth didn't want to go. She didn't want to listen to people talk and pretend like everything was okay.

Everything was most certainly not okay. There was a pretty high chance that Elizabeth, and everyone she had ever met, was going to die soon, so it was needless to say she didn't really feel in the Christmas spirit.

Soon enough Alistair found her, which wasn't very surprising seeing as he had figured out all her hiding spots over the past two months. He quickly jumped to the branch she was sitting in and moved to sit next to her.

Elizabeth refused to break the silence, and the fact that he didn't only worsened her mood.

The previous night Elizabeth had overheard a conversation between her mother and the male that positively shocked the younger girl. Elizabeth didn't know what she expected, but she quite foolishly didn't expect that he would be leaving her.

A part of Elizabeth was glad he wouldn't stay for the fighting, that he would be safe. Selfishly though, Elizabeth didn't want him to leave. The very thought of him not being with her made the girls stomach twist uncomfortably. She had gotten so used to his presence, she found so much comfort in the calm he could provide her with one touch. Elizabeth had started to need him, and he was leaving her.

It was then that Alistair just had to burst her bubble. "Your parents are looking for you, you know."

Elizabeth didn't reply, eyes narrowing at the nothing specific, just refusing to look at him.

"You know there not gonna be happy if you don't come."

She stayed silent, fingers denting the bark of the tree she was sitting on.

"Come on, their worried about you."

He didn't get a reply.

"What's wrong?" He finally asked, turning to look completely at her.

Elizabeth finally looked over at him, saying the next to words with no emotion whatsoever, refusing to admit that it upset her.
"Your leaving."

Alistair turned into a statue, not breathing or blinking for several seconds before nodding slowly, cautiously.

"Good, you'll be safe then." Elizabeth replied with a nod back at him.

"I could stay, if you wanted me to." He offered, his expression sincere as he watched her with burgundy eyes.

Elizabeth wanted to say yes. More than anything she wanted to wrap herself around him and never let him go. She wanted to never be without him.

But she wanted him to be alive more. So, for the first time Elizabeth was completely selfless.

"No, don't stay. I want you to leave."

Without saying anything else. She jumped from the tree and left him, pretending she didn't already miss the smell of pine and burning wood. Pretending like she had never smelled it before. Pretending that hybrid vampires couldn't cry.