COLOURS || Seth Clearwater

TWENTY EIGHT

After Lucinda had finished cooking the needed meals for the bonfire on La Push beach, the boys in the pack had helped her carry things out to her car. Then Sue had helped her set everything up on the beach.

She'd cleaned up all the garbage and done all the dishes — with the help of Seth — and had finally made herself comfortable on a log between Leah and Seth.

"I'm assuming you know our legends, Lucinda," Billy smiled knowingly at her.

"I do," Lucinda nodded. "Back when we were here in '37, Carlisle explained to me what you all were. So, I decided to familiarize myself with your customs and legends so I could — um — wipe you out if the occasion came up, as my brother would put it."

"Then there is really nothing for us to tell you," Old Quil piped in, his voice soft and raspy.

Lucinda furrowed her brows. "I don't mean to be rude," she murmured quietly. "But I'm not quite certain why I'm here, then."

"Because they want to learn more about you," Leah whispered to her quietly. Seth hooked an arm over Lucinda's shoulders and tugged her into his side.

"Oh."

"As long as you don't mind," Sue assured her with a small smile.

"It's not that I don't mind," Lucinda frowned, resting her head in Seth's shoulder. "It's just that — well — I'm not sure you have enough time to hear everything."

"Then tell is what you think is important," Sam shrugged.

Lucinda let out a small sigh. "Alright then. Some parts of my story aren't exactly pleasant, so I'm going to ask for you all to restrain yourselves from interrupting. Including you, Seth."

"I can do that," Seth shrugged. Lucinda eyed him skeptically, knowing he wouldn't be able to when they reached certain parts of her story.

"Well, I was born as one of the very first people on Earth," Lucinda began carefully. "I don't remember a lot from that time, but I do remember that I grew up with one of my oldest friends, Virginia."

Embry held up his hand, as if he were a third grader asking his teacher a question. Lucinda rolled her eyes. "Yes, Embry?"

"Is that Virginia the one you went to spend time with in France?"

"Yes," Lucinda smiled faintly, happy they were already able to make connections. "Moving on. I grew up in a small Village on an island called Capri near what you now call The Mediterranean. I spent most of my time as a child collecting berries, playing and climbing in the trees, hunting and catching fish with my friends and family, it was all quite lovely.

"I don't remember much after that, just that I had separated from Virginia for a little bit. I was in Italy when Mount Vesuvius when it erupted, and that I was I spent some time in Greece and Rome. But I — uh — the next thing I can remember is—"

Lucinda sucked in a sharp breath. She leaned closer into Seth's side, her hands trembling.

"Well, I'm sure you know all about Vampires."

"Definitely," Paul smirked. He jokingly flexed his arms and wrapped his arm around Rachel Black's shoulder.

"Well, I didn't," Lucinda murmured. "I didn't know what they were like. And one morning, I woke up tied to a chair in the middle of a shack with bloody bite marks covering my body."

Lucinda felt Seth tense up next to her, but she didn't react to it. "They kept me there for almost a year, drinking my blood in hopes of gaining an ability from my magic. They didn't."