COLOURS || Seth Clearwater

NINETEEN

When Lucinda woke up the next morning, tired and dehydrated, Seth was gone. She had been tucked in under her blankets, her high heels taken off revealing a small tattoo on the side of her foot.

The only sign that Seth had actually been there with her the previous night was a note on her bedside table.

Sam phoned. He was extremely annoyed, but he understood why I stayed. I have patrol for the next few hours, so that sucks, but I'll stop by after (about 3ish) and if you want me to leave I will.

Seth.

Lucinda couldn't keep the smile off her face as she scribbled her own note as a response.

You can stop by, but I'll be in the forest out for a walk. I need fresh air.

Lucinda.

"Rowena," she called, holding out her right hand. The raven landed on her palm, cawing slightly before rubbing her head on Lucinda's fingertips. She smiled faintly and rubbed the birds head gently before tying the note to her leg, and allowing her to fly out the open window.

She hummed softly to herself before walking down the stairs and into the kitchen, ignoring the knowing looks everyone was giving her. "Can I help you?" Lucinda asked rhetorically, pouring herself a cup of tea. She could almost hear Edward wince while he prodded around in her mind, then she smiled.

"Are you giving him a chance?" Alice asked softly, worried she'd bring back the cold, harsh Lucinda that the whole family knew.

"I haven't decided yet," she hummed softly, takin a sip of her tea. "I'm going to Europe in a week," Lucinda told them.

Carlisle nodded. "Do you plan on telling Seth?"

Lucinda turned and scoffed. "Of course I am. I'm telling him. But if he doesn't want me to leave, then that's his problem." She used her magic to float the tea pot behind her, and walked out the sliding glass door to the back yard.

Lucinda hummed happily to herself, sipping the herbal tea. Virginia has given it to her the last time they'd talked. Which was almost thirty years prior. She focused her attention on the beauty of the forest behind her, a faint smile forming on her lips.

Rowena cawed softly as she landed on Lucinda's shoulder, the note now gone. Lucinda smiled. "Did he read it, Darling?" She hummed, stroking the ravens head. Rowena cawed and bobbed her head in response.

They continued to walk through the forest, Rowena perched on her shoulder. Lucinda was happy she'd forgotten to wear shoes. She always loved feeling the moss beneath her, and the soft grass gently tickling the arch of her foot.

She sipped her tea until the pot was empty, then sent both the cup and the pot back home. Lucinda walked until she reached a large rock that overlooked the river dividing La Push and Forks. This was her thinking spot.

The combination of the sound of flowing water, the fresh air, and the rare sunlight — sunlight she was currently experiencing — that beat down on the rock allowed her to clear her mind. Lucinda was so caught up in her thoughts, sitting on the rock with her legs crossed, she didn't even hear Seth approach.

"Hey, Lucinda." She let out a startled shriek, her magic throwing him backwards into a tree. Seth let out a low groan as he hit the ground, his hand hovering over the dull ache in his side.

Lucinda covered her mouth and grimaced apologetically. "I am so sorry."

Seth shook his head. "It's my fault; I should know better then to scare the most powerful witch on the planet."

"That's true." Lucinda frowned. "What in Gods name were you thinking?"

Seth rolled his eyes — fighting away a smile at her sarcastic tone — and shrugged.

"Apparently I wasn't thinking at all."

•••

The two talked for another hour about nothing and everything. Somehow, Seth had convinced Lucinda to tell him some of the 'amazing' things she'd seen in her many years of life. So, she told him stories of meeting Queens and Kings and Empresses and Emperors, of sailing the oceans for months on whale hunts. Of building a hut thousands of years ago in a forest that eventually became China.

"Do you remember where you were first born?" Seth asked her curiously, his soft brown eyes drinking in every word she spoke, his focus never leaving her.

Lucinda pursed her lips as she thought, completely oblivious to all the attention he was giving her. "I don't know for sure," she hummed, "but I believe it was on one of the Islands you now call the Caribbean." Seth nodded, pulling a notepad out of the pocket of his shorts. Lucinda raised her brows and fought away a smile. "What on Earth are you doing?"

Seth paused whatever he was writing and shot her a sheepish smile. "I'm taking notes. You've been alive for a long time, so there's obviously a lot to learn. I guess I just don't want to forget anything."

Lucinda felt her heart melt. "Well that's very sweet of you," she chuckled, bumping his shoulder with her own.

Seth grinned widely, then finished what he wrote. "I have an idea."

"Do share."

"We could take turns asking questions." Lucinda nodded in agreement and his smile widened. "You go first."

She pursed her lips, twirling a strand of hair around her pointer finger thoughtfully. "How old are you?"

Seth raised a brow, clearly unimpressed by her question. "Really?"

"We have hours to talk," Lucinda hummed, her heart lurching noticeably when he looked at her with a toothy grin.

"That's true," he nodded, setting his notepad down. "And I just turned sixteen a little bit ago." Lucinda nodded, taking a mental note.

"What's your question?" She asked softly, tilting her head to the side.

She watched as Seth inhaled sharply, then looked at his lap as he thought. "Have you fallen in love before?"

Lucinda felt the smile slip off her face. It felt like all the air had been squeezed out of her lungs, and she was drowning. She didn't blame him for the innocent question. After all, how could Seth have known? With a shuddered breath, she squared her shoulders. "Yes, I have. Many times." But one person came to mind, and her heart ached.

Kane.