"But what if they don't like me?"
Ellie rolled her eyes, but was sympathetic to her sister. She had been through this before. Most of her last pack hadn't liked her, and if Allison hadn't taken to her so well, they probably would have never liked her. The Cullen coven was a different situation, though. They had let her think they cared for her and then left her completely. So she could understand Evie's fear with her new pack. The alpha absolutely had to accept her, or Evie's life would become more complicated than Ellie wanted her to ever face.
Shifting her eyes to her sister before pulling them back to the road in front of her, she said, "They'll love you, Eve. You're good with people, and these people are now your people. You'll be absolutely fine."
As they pulled up to the treaty line, they were met by an old, rusty Chevrolet that held two men, one much older than the other. The twins shared a look before stopping the vehicle and watched as the younger man stepped out of the truck. He was tall with short, dark hair and as muscular as some of the men they watched on the television, and he held a stern expression on his face. He stood by the hood of the truck and waited with his arms crossed. He didn't trust the blonde behind the wheel of the silver car, and he wasn't sure about her lookalike. If they trusted the leeches, their sanity was to be questioned in his opinion.
Ellie nodded at her twin and assured her that she would be fine before the duo stepped out of the Porsche and moved to meet the man that was standing on the wolves side of the treaty line. As they neared the line, the muscular man said "That's far enough."
Ellie stopped in her tracks. She was aware that this was a possibility. She was supposed to be on the side of the vampires. They wouldn't want a "leech lover" on their side on the treaty line, and she understood. They didn't trust her, and honestly, she didn't trust herself right now.
"Why can't we come any further?" Evie asked, aware of the treaty but unsure as to why the two sisters were not allowed to cross the line. They were still human after all.
"You can. She can't," the man said, keeping his stance strong. He would not have the leech lover on his lands. As far as he was concerned, she was dangerous.
"And why not? She's human. She's not a threat to your people," Evie said, angered by the man's thoughts. Sure, she hated vampires as much as the next person, but this was her sister, her other half, and she couldn't let her be treated any differently than herself.
The man didn't like her abrasiveness. If she wasn't going to be complacent, he wasn't sure she had a place in his pack. They didn't need anyone to be a danger to them. This one would have a lot to learn if she was going to be one of them. "She's with the leeches. She's not welcome, and you would do good to learn your place. We don't let any threats come into our lands. Our tribe is our number one priority."
Evie bit her tongue ready to lash out at the man. Her sister wasn't a threat. He needed to see that, and as far as her learning her place, she didn't see where it was any of his business to say so. He needed to keep his thoughts to himself. She opened her mouth to say so, when Ellie spoke.
"I mean you no harm, but I do respect your wishes. I will not enter into your lands," Ellie said, remaining in her spot. "I will ask that you be kind to my sister, though. She is your emissary. You are not hers. You may be her alpha, but it is her council that you will seek. She will learn more as she gets the opportunity. Do not push her to " learn her place" for her place is just as important as yours."
"But Ellieâ" Evie started, wishing for her sister to join her.
"No, Evie," Ellie said, shaking her head. "This is something you have to do on your own."
Evie hesitated but nodded. Her sister was right. She wouldn't always be there. She was going to have to do this alone.
Ellie pursed her lips and nodded back at her sister before tossing her the car keys. "Do you think you can find your way home?"
"Yes," Evie said, allowing her gaze to switch between her twin and the man standing outside of the rusty truck.
"Take care of yourself," Ellie said before turning to the alpha in front of her. "You are welcome in Forks as long as the Cullens are not present. The town will need a protector, and I cannot do it on my own."
The alpha nodded, "Are they returning soon?"
Ellie bit her lip and took a deep breath before shrugging, "I'm not sure. They told me not to come looking for them. They could be gone for a month or for a millennia." She paused for a moment, weighing her words, before saying, "I'm not sure I want them to return."
Sam sighed at her words. Maybe she wasn't as bad as those leeches. Maybe she could be trusted.
Ellie began to walk away before she stopped and turned her head back, "Take care of my sister, Sam Uley. She's all I have."
She then disappeared from their sight leaving them all in the blink of an eye.
Ellie appeared in the damp forest behind Bella Swan's home. After her encounter with Sam and the ruling that she was not to be in La Push, she needed to see someone who reminded her of why she was staying in this wet town, and with Mike's burgeoning curiosity toward her, she was certain that spending extra evening hours with her male best friend would not be beneficial to the duo. So, trying to pull Bella out of her Cullen stupor was what she planned on spending her evening doing.
Trudging through the wooded area, Ellie thought of everything that she had been through. From Jesse and his manipulations to Jasper leaving her without pause, she was getting sick of vampires. They had done so much more than ruin her life. They had taken the lives of those she loved most. They had taken her best friend. They had taken the person who helped her normalize. They had taken her freedom, and now, they had taken the one person who would know how much sorrow she felt and turned her into a catatonic zombie who couldn't even look at her. They had taken far too much, and it was time for her to fix their stupid mistakes if it was the last thing she did.
Bella would heal from this. Ellie would ensure it. They would not keep her.
Knocking on the door, Ellie waited. She knew Charlie would let her in. He admired how she was trying to help his daughter. She just wanted her friend back.
"Here to see Bells again, Ellie?" Charlie asked as soon as the door was open. He was glad she was here. He hated to admit it, but all of her other friends had given up on her. Ellie was the only one still trying, and he was grateful to see that Bella had at least one person on her side who cared.
"Yes, Sir," Ellie replied, a small smile on her lips. She was glad to at least be appreciated here. "I figured you wouldn't mind if I tried again."
"Not at all," he said, allowing her in the house. "She's not done much today. She's still just sitting in front of her window."
"I'll see what I can do, Charlie," Ellie said, stepping toward the stairs. "I'm not going to give up on her."
Ellie trekked up the stairs and into the familiar room. She saw Bella sitting in the same chair, facing the window, and she shook her head. Edward Cullen had really done it, and if he ever came back, Ellie was going to knock some sense into him.
She stepped in front of the brunette and blocked her view, "Hello, Bella."
Bella was silent as usual, but Ellie continued, "Listen, I've been thinking about this really hard, and I want to offer you something."
She looked to Bella, hoping that she would say something, anything at this point. She really hated that the thought had even crossed her mind, but she was willing to do just about anything to get her friend back.
Bella was still silent though.
Ellie sighed. This was not as easy as she wished, but it was an option for the heartbroken girl, one that the emissary couldn't have for herself. "Bella, do you want me to erase him?"
Bella lifted her eyes to the blonde in front of her, terror etched into her features. Erase him?
Ellie continued, "I can make you forget that he ever existed. All you have to do is say yes, and I will erase him from your memory. You can be happy again. You can live."
Bella closed her eyes. Could she really do it? Of course she could, she was Ellie. The real question was did she want to forget him? Her mind flashed to all of the happy moments they had shared: the meadow, their first kiss, their long talks at night. Bella knew her answer. She couldn't just forget him. He was her forever. She brought her eyes to her friend, the one who had stood by her through everything, and she shook her head. The answer was no.
Ellie nodded. She had offered, and that was all that she could do. Now, for the hard part. "Bella, you have to start acting normal. You can't just go through life like a zombie. It's no life at all. It's not how he would want you to live, and I've seen zombies. They're literally the worst. So, you need to get it together. If not for me, do it for Charlie. The man is worrying himself sick, Bells, and if you can't do it for him, do it for you. You deserve more. Give yourself more, Bella. Just get out and do something more than look out of this window because as much as I hate to say it, I don't think they're coming back, Bella, and you can't waste your life on someone who isn't going to be there."
Bella frowned but nodded, and while it wasn't exactly a real answer, it was a start, and that was all that Ellie was looking for at the moment. There would be time for more in the future. Ellie just hoped they would both get there in one piece.