COLOURS || Seth Clearwater

ELEVEN

"Leon has called on someone else to join us in the fight, though I have received no word as to whether she will come or not," Carlisle spoke to the wolf pack, his family standing behind him, watching the Quileute shifters closely.

Who are they, Sam Uley growled through the pack's mind link, knowing all too well that Edward Cullen would be able to hear him.

"An old friend," Edward answered truthfully, clenching his jaw. Lucinda hadn't taken the time to meet Bella before she left town. The day the new girl had arrived in Forks, she left with her brother to Alaska and stayed for a night before leaving, and never came back. The Cullen's thought that she had gone to stay with Dorian and Leon, though apparently neither of them had heard from her since the First World War.

Dorian had bumped into her — she was working as a nurse on one of the many battle fields of France — after he'd been shot. She had fixed him up, left a short letter for both him and Leon, then was gone by the next morning.

Will she be staying long? Seth Clearwater — one of the newest shifters in Sam Uley's pack — asked curiously, pawing at the dirt beneath him.

"We aren't sure," Edward answered again, smiling lightly as Bella entangled her fingers with his. She looked up at him nervously, unsure of what would become of the situation.

"You of all people should know that I don't plan on staying, Edward." The smooth voice of Lucinda Emrey - Cullen caught the attention of the pack, who immediately became alert and tense.

Bella, who was unable to hear what was going on, looked around in confusion. "Edward, what's going on?" She whispered nervously, glancing at Alice who shot her an encouraging smile. Edward shook his head and squeezed her hand, glancing down at her before following the sounds of his oldest sisters thoughts.

Seth followed his gaze and he almost choked on his own spit — a difficult thing to do while in wolf form — at the sight of the woman who entered the clearing. Her long red hair hung between her shoulder blades as straight as it could be, her bright blue eyes sparkling mischievously in the rare sunlight. Her porcelain skin was practically see through, and her small height almost made him laugh.

She wore a nice button up white shirt paired with a grey pencil skirt that ended just above her knees, black suspender like straps holding it up. The shoes she wore were strange to him. A nice formal pair of black high heels, ones that Leah would never wear to save her life.

"Lucinda," Leon Adams breathed happily, moving from his brothers side and bent down to pull his old friend in for a tight hug. She let out a breathy laugh and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her feet dangling above the ground as Leon soon stood to his full height.

"Well would you look at that; The Beauty and the Beast have been reunited at last," Dorian Adams snickered, slowly stepping towards the pair. Seth watched closely as Leon put the red haired girl down, and she turned to face the second brother with a roll of her eyes.

"Now I wouldn't exactly call her a beast, brother," Leon chuckled, earning an elbow to the ribs from the small girl at his side.

"I'm glad to hear that the both of you missed me so much," she mused dryly, pulling Dorian in for a hug as well. Paul snickered quietly. The Adams brothers had been living in Forks with the Cullen family ever since they came back, so the Quileute wolf pack was very familiar with the pair.

"This is Lucinda Emrey, an old friend," Carlisle introduced the small girl with a relieved smile, and was wrapped in a tight hug.

"I go by Lucinda Cullen now," she chuckled, wrapping an arm around Rosalie's waist, who had since pulled her in for a tight side hug.

"That's lovely," Alice mused, tilting her head to the side with a soft smile. Lucinda turned to face her, and almost immediately noticed the human girl standing between her brother and Alice. Edward held Bella's hand tightly in his own, and Alice had stepped slightly in front of her, as if to protect her from the terrors of their oldest sister.

"So this must be the infamous Bella Swan," Lucinda spoke, her upper lip curling in distaste. Bella moved to step forward and introduce herself, but Edward held her back.

"Not yet," he whispered quietly. Lucinda stepped close to the girl and used her magic to push Edward backwards with the mere flick of her left wrist, and send Alice back towards Jasper with the other.

"Let's be clear on one thing," Lucinda stated, staring down at the girl with her usual passive expression. "If you were not Edwards mate, Darling, you would be dead." A low snarl broke out from the russet wolf behind her, and Lucinda turned around with a loud scoff. "What are you hoping to do, mutt? I was the first thing to walk this Earth, I am a god damned witch. What do you think you can do to me?" The Wolf was given a warning grumble from the animal that appeared to be the alpha, and he backed off.

"Play nice, Lucy," Esme sighed, settling into Carlisle's side. Lucinda stared at them and chewed on her lip, having to look away. Even though it had been over half a century since she'd lost him, Lucinda still couldn't look at a couple without seeing Kane. She could hardly walk around the streets, nowadays, without seeing people kissing or hugging or falling in love, and it broke her heart.

"This is me playing nice," Lucinda responded stiffly, wrapping her arms around her stomach.

Seth watched curiously as the strange girl's attitude changed. When she'd first arrived in the clearing she had been snarky and confident. Brutal, even. But now, she seemed more tired and upset than anything else. What's going on with her, he asked Sam, but the alpha shook his head nonchalantly.

I wouldn't know, Sam responded.

Lucinda stepped back a short ways away from the rest of her family, standing between Dorian and Leon. The two brothers stared down at her sadly, knowing exactly what was going on with her. They could read her like an open book.

"We know you miss him," Leon began, glancing up at his fraternal twin brother.

"But you have to try and be less of a bitch to everyone," Dorian finished, earning a smack on the back of his head from Leon. "What? It's true! she needs to be nicer to everyone. We miss Kane too but we aren't being down right asses about it."

"He's right, Leon," Lucinda sighed, allowing her hands to fall to her sides. "But when have I ever listened to him." Leon and Dorian let out quiet chuckles as she squared her shoulders, held her head up high, and strutted over to Jasper.

A/N

And so it begins.

*rubs hands together mischievously*