The Lost Swan

Chapter 9

Davina's POV

Sabrina and I spent the afternoon in my bedroom. She raided the cabinets and took out every bag of chips and every piece of candy she could find. By the time either Bella or Charlie came home we were on a sugar high bouncing on my bed and racing up and down the stairs trying to tire ourselves out.

"Having fun you two?" Charlie asked. We were hanging upside down on the edge of my bed so he looked like he was walking on the ceiling.

"Yeah," I answered sitting up holding my pounding head. I laid it down on my bed and it felt slightly better.

"So much fun. Sorry about the mess... and eating all of your chips," Sabrina said doing a somersault and laying on the floor.

"Bella made dinner so why don't you come downstairs and eat," Charlie said walking out of the room.

"You know. You remind me of him," I said standing up.

"Who?" She asked.

"Paul. A wild child but has a big heart."

"You must really miss him."

"Yeah. I really do. Hey, do you wanna go to La Push this weekend?"

"Meaning, Will you drive me to La Push to see Paul?"

"Meaning, we can have a fun beach day. I will even tell Paul to leave us alone."

She raised a hand to her chin and stroked an imaginary beard and let out a loud 'Hmmm'. "Does he have any hot friends?"

"I... guess? To be honest, I don't really give it much thought but I guess they could be considered hot."

"I'll do it. On the condition that you introduce me to all of them."

"Done."

We walked into the small kitchen to find only one plate made up. I told Sabrina to sit before walking to the kitchen to make my own. I was able to scrounge around enough for a decent meal before joining them at the table. Bella threw me an icy glare and I held her gaze with a certain fire in my eyes. She backed down first and I smirked, a trait I learned from watching Paul with the rest of the boys.

The dinner was awkwardly quiet. Charlie tried to make small talk but he was terrible at it. I hated the tense silence. Dinner with the boys was never like this. Sure there were tense moments but somehow, some way, one of the boys would find a way around the silence. Tonight was the exact opposite.

After being excused, Sabrina got a text message calling her back home. She gave me a small hug and I watched her drive away from the porch. As soon as I closed the front door and locked it Bella was in my face.

"Stay the hell away from the Cullens," she whispered growled.

I lightly pushed her off of me. "Yeah, tell that to Alice. I want nothing to do with them." I brushed past her and made my way to get started on the dishes. Charlie was already in there getting started.

"So who's your friend?" He asked as I dried the dishes he already washed.

"Her name's Sabrina. I met her yesterday. She's helping me with Math and Science. Jasper Hale, actually, is helping me with History," I answered, putting the dishes away.

"I see. What do you think of Edward and his family?"

"Do you want my honest opinion or the one that will favor Bella?"

He didn't hesitate to answer, "Honest."

"I don't trust them, any of them. From what the boys told me Edward was the reason Bella was in the hospital, the reason she delved into a deep depression, the reason she flew all the way to Italy without so much as a phone call, and they're the reason I can't see Paul-"

"You can't possibly blame them for that?!" Bella screeched.

"I can and I will. It's one thing for Charlie to say something but it's another when I can't even talk to him because they came back-"

"It is not their fault."

"Yes, it is. They left because of Edward and they came back because of you. How can you be so blind? Have you once even considered Jake in all of this? He is... a really great guy and you used him then threw him away when you had the chance. I'm sorry if you don't want to hear this but it needs to be said. I do not trust the Cullens, I do not like the Cullens, and I can't say that I like you a whole lot right now either. Now, if you will excuse me I'm going to bed."

I set down the dish towel and calmly walked up to my room. I grabbed my phone off the charger and called Paul. He didn't answer; patrol probably. I left him a message to call me back when he got done before making sure my window was locked tight and so was my door. I changed into a pair of sweatpants and one of Paul's t-shirts and crawled into bed to let sleep overtake me.

***

I opened my eyes once more and I was in my room at Charlie's watching a younger me. I looked at the calendar on her desk. Today was my... her... our birthday. Charlie quietly tip-toed into the room holding a single cupcake. The cupcake was decked out in pink frosting and a chocolate cake with rainbow sprinkles.

"Wakey, wakey Bug," Charlie whispered setting down the cupcake to gently shake her-my shoulders.

"Daddy... I'm sleepy," the six-year-old me said rolling over away from Charlie.

"But Bug, it's your birthday."

Six-year-old me sat up and saw the cupcake and just shot out of bed. I moved out of the way but I bumped into the bookshelf. Thankfully neither of them noticed. I looked at the pictures and saw...

"Sabrina... Paul..." I said confused.

~~

"Little girl," a gruff voice whispered. His voice sounded scratchy like he was a smoker. I whimpered as he dragged his dirty finger across my cheek. "You ain't ever leavin' here." His voice had a southern twist to it.

He turned around and walked out of the dark room. As he opened the door a stream of sunlight flowed in and I turned my head from the bright light.

***

I slowly sat up in bed. "It was just a dream... just a dream..." I whispered to myself.