Don't Let it Fall to Pieces

21

Genevieve was grounded for two weeks. Lorelei knew she couldn't leave Genevieve home alone every day, so she allowed for Rosalie to essentially babysit her. Genevieve wouldn't have been too upset with it, except for the fact that she only had one week left of school, so she'd have to spend her first week of summer on house arrest. She was, however, surprised by how much her mother had taken a liking to Rosalie. Her mother wasn't exactly the biggest fan of the vampires, but for some reason Rosalie was the exception to the rule. Genevieve wasn't complaining, she enjoyed Rosalie's company too much to question her mother's motives.

So, she had to wait and bide her time until her grounding was over. She listened as Rosalie told her about how Jacob kissed Bella so she punched him in the face, effectively spraining her wrist.

Rosalie was livid as she told Genevieve about it. How dare he think it was okay to kiss Bella without her consent? And then he didn't even feel bad about it! Genevieve ranted to Seth about it, having half a mind to tell him to put Jacob on the phone so she could yell at him herself. Genevieve was surprised when Rosalie told her that she and Bella shared a moment after Bella sprained her wrist. The vampire shared her story with the human, finally letting Bella understand Rosalie's distates for her - or rather, her choices.

Genevieve listened as Rosalie told her about the graduation party Alice held for all the seniors at school. Genevieve was surprised by Alice's persistence in having parties; the last two weren't exactly successful. Rosalie thought the party was dreadfully boring, so much that she opted to leave early and watch bad movies with Genevieve.

And that's where they were now, sitting on Genevieve's couch as they half listened to the movie that was on. Genevieve's legs were sprawled off the arm of the couch as her head rested on a pillow in Rosalie's lap. Genevieve found out the hard way that the vampires felt like literal statues; cold, hard marble. The vampire was braiding her hair, taking each braid out only to replace it with a new one.

"Eve, I'm home!" Lorelei called as she came through the front door. Genevieve stood, moving to greet her mother.

"Pizza's on the way," she commented as she followed her mother to the kitchen. "I got a large in case you wanted some."

"Pizza sounds great right now," Lorelei sighed, dropping a case file on the kitchen table as she draped her coat over a chair. "These parents are driving me crazy, Eve. They think that just because I'm not from around here that I'm not fit to help find their son. I mean, come on. If you went missing I'd want every single person available to be looking for you."

"Who's the kid?" Genevieve asked as she walked towards the case file.

"Riley Biers," Lorelei waved at the file. "You can look, Eve. He's just some kid who went missing over a year ago. Charlie and I have gone through his case thousands of times, but there aren't any leads. He just vanished."

Genevieve opened the file, sifting through the papers until she reached the missing person's flyer. She felt the air leave her lungs as she stared at the picture. Horror filled her, causing her heart to beat erratically in her chest. Her ears started ringing, completely ignoring her mother's worried tone.

"It's him," Genevieve whispered, grabbing the flyer with shaky hands. Instantly, Rosalie was at her side. Rosalie put a hand on Genevieve's shoulder. Genevieve looked up at Rosalie with wide eyes, swallowing hard.

"It's the intruder."

And then Rosalie's phone went off, causing Genevieve to jump. Rosalie stepped away, putting the phone to her ear.

"Genevieve," she turned towards her mother. Genevieve dropped the flyer, clenching her fists to keep her hands from shaking. "It's okay," her mother said soothingly. She wrapped her arms around Genevieve, holding her daughter close. Lorelei brushed Genevieve's hair back as she held her daughter tightly. The two didn't say anything for a moment, taking comfort in the embrace.

"Alice had a vision," Rosalie announced as soon as she walked back into the kitchen. "The newborn army is coming here. They were passing around Bella's sweater." She paused, a hard look on her face. "Riley's the one leading the army."

Genevieve let out a shaky breath. "So what? The army's after me too?"

"I don't know," Rosalie let out a frustrated sigh. "The army shouldn't know about you if they don't have your scent. This army's for Bella."

Genevieve buried her face in her hands, her mind racing a thousand miles a second.

"I need to go back," Rosalie sighed. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Rosalie. Genevieve will call you if anything else happens," Lorelei rubbed Genevieve's arm. Genevieve moved to wrap her arms around herself. She nodded at Rosalie, knowing none of the Cullens would be far away if something were to happen. With a gust of air, Rosalie was gone.

"It doesn't make any sense," Genevieve sighed. She sat at the kitchen table, watching as her mother began to move around the kitchen. She grabbed out the kettle, quickly filling it with water before putting it on the stove. "Tea, mom, really?"

"Yes, Gen, really. A nice cup of tea will do you some good," Lorelei sighed, taking the mugs out of the cabinet. She grabbed the #1MOM mug Genevieve made for her in the first grade, along with Genevieve's favorite mug; a mug that turned into a portrait of space when there was hot water in it.

Genevieve watched as her mother filled the reusable tea bags with the chamomile tea leaves, carefully scooping crystal rock sugar into the mugs. The kettle whistling was the only sound in the kitchen as the two stayed quiet. Lorelei poured the hot water into the mug and carried the steeping tea to where her daughter sat. Genevieve grabbed the mug with both hands, letting the warmth soothe her nerves.

"Now, what doesn't make sense."

Genevieve played with the tea bag, dipping it in and out of the hot water as she sighed. "Why would Riley come here if the army he's creating isn't for me? I mean, he specifically said that they're gonna take me the next chance they get."

Lorelei sighed, reaching across the table to rest her hand on her daughter's wrist. "Gen, if everyone's fighting off an army to protect Bella, who's going to be here to protect you? Especially if Riley doesn't know about what we are; he probably thinks you'll be a sitting duck during the fight."

Genevieve bit her lip, lifting the mug to her lips. She winced when the hot water burned her tongue, lowering the mug back to the table. "But who is the other part of the 'we'? Who's the 'she' that sent Riley with that message?" Genevieve sighed, pursing her lips. She felt like the answer was staring her in the face and it frustrated her to no end.

She looked up at her mom, her brown eyes a perfect copy of her mother's. She found comfort in the brown irises, frowning when her mother's grip tightened on her wrist.

"Genevieve, who is the only other vampire who's shown interest in taking you?"

Genevieve felt her heart stop at the revelation. Of course. The one vampire that was after her for whatever twisted reason was going to kill two birds with one stone by taking Bella out with an army. She'd get to avenge her dead mate and have Genevieve all for herself.

"Victoria."