( let your soul take wings )

[bethany]

IN SLEEP HE SANG TO ME IN DREAMS HE CAME
that voice which calls to me and speaks my name

Pressing her mobile to her ear to cover herself the small shape of Charlotte Bennett pushed through the crowds that seemed to hang around everywhere she went. Her throat burned as her teeth coated with venom, her nose picking up every subtle difference in scent that the people around her gave off. How sweet it would be to just plunge her teeth into one of their chattering annoying necks, knowing they would finally shut up if she did. She resisted the urge and instead used her small size to just get through and get away from them. If there was one thing that put Lottie’s teeth on edge it was the endless chatter of little girls. They all thought they were so old, so mature, but when push came to shove they wouldn’t know how to survive in the real world. The reason Lottie hated them so much for the fact that she had been one of them before she was killed. They reminded her of the innocence she had lost when that drunken brute smashed her head in with an ashtray. It had been a cold night and she’d just been left out there to die, to rot away into non-existence. It was a few moments later that the fire began. It had torn across her skin, a pain so acute she’d been strangled into silence. The only reason she hadn’t screamed was because she physically couldn’t make any sound, it had been too harsh a punishment. Her mouth had opened but no sound had been torn from her throat, locked for three days in an endless torment that made her wish she had been left to die, her body slowly degrading until no one remembered her.

The only thing that made the choice the right one was that it had led her to Peter. He was an older member of Maria’s army, and she had been on the list to die. He’d told her to run and they’d managed to escape together before she was destroyed. He taught her control and they escaped the fighting, finding a place for themselves in a world before Peter went back to spring Jasper from Maria. They’d travelled as a three, until Jazzy went off on his own and Lottie and Peter once more set back to their nomadic life just the two of them. Sometimes they stayed with others but usually they were just content with each others company, or at least she thought they were. Usually Charlotte only mixed truly with Alice and Jasper, despite other nomads crossing her path, she didn’t like lots of new people, and they made her feel slightly threatened. After all the last big group she had passed time with were going to kill her, if it hadn’t been for Peter they would have done. It was meant to be Jasper and Peter that dispensed her from the world, but he had rescued her, their bond too strong for him to allow her to die. It had saved her life.

Finally clearing the terrible crowds that seemed to be set in small huddles around the boundaries of Forks she headed off into the woods, her feet skimming the floor as she finally found the freedom to run. She had returned to Forks with Peter to pop in on Alice and Jasper, and after the alarming IM with the first Lottie was in a bit of a rush. It had been two years since she had seen Alice or Jasper, and it was too long. Charlotte was one hundred and twenty five old, only slightly older than Alice, whom was one hundred and four. Peter was somewhere behind her as they pressed one through the wilderness, that feeling of freedom once more hitting Lottie like an anvil. Running was one of the times she felt free of all the weight of everything that weighed on her. However it was always over so fast when you could move at vampire speeds. It was a flash before you got to where you wanted to be, and she never seemed to get tired anymore. There was only that ever present ache of hunger that she was intent on putting off thinking until she was far away from Forks, she would not kill willingly anywhere near where it might be traced to the Cullen’s, her loyalty was strong with that family. Jasper had let her and Peter go. For that she would forever be in his debt.

When her feet finally slowed it was because the sound of the river trickling had alerted her they were near enough to the Cullen house to not need to rush anymore. They were about three hours earlier than had been intended, the sun having only peeked above the horizon about two hours before. Thankfully the day was overcast so she could be out in the open without fear of sparkling. Her alabaster skin was covered by a light blue t-shirt that hugged her figure and a pair of jeans that were all right for running in. Charlotte wasn’t quite as fashion mad as Alice but she tried to look at least presentable at all times. Her hair was neatly kept around her face and her clothes were never baggy. Beaming brightly over at Peter she crossed the final distance towards the door of the Cullen house and raised her hand to knock, waiting for what she guessed was going to be Alice to open the door. She knew the little brunette would have seen their arrival and hoped it would do something to cheer her friend up.

closed -- alice

[alice cullen]

alice mary cullen ,
-------fill up the air-balloon and ride with me

The world around her seemed to be failing and if her family was a body, Alice knew they would in a critical condition. Day by day, relationships became more and more strained, none more than hers and Jaspers. He had been holding at her bay ever since the attack, not letting her comfort him and Alice had given up trying. The past week she had busied herself with looking after Charlie and school work, trying to give him room to come round. Though it was clear it was not working and with Maria getting ever closer, Alice knew it was only a matter of time before she would have to drop another bomb in his world. It really was the last thing he needed and the last thing Alice wanted to tell him. Though as the hours crept by, she knew she soon would have no choice.

Unlike the days since Bella had been declared as missing, Alice did not go straight Charlie’s instead she headed straight home, her mood slightly heightened. It had been nearly 24 hours since she had seen some old friends crossing her path and Alice was more than excited to see them again. It had been a good few years since Charlotte and Peter had crossed their paths and Alice hoped more than ever, that the appearance of his old brother would bring Jasper around. Though Alice was not hopeful, if Jasper was not reacting to her she doubted he would react to anybody else. Still Alice could not wait to see them, and for that her mood was heightened just a little.

Skipping in with a smile on her face, she waved at Jasper through the window, but got no reaction. Though that did not calm her mood, she was buzzing and she had plenty of things to do before they arrived. Starting with making sure Charlie would be okay. At lunchtime Alice had rung him and apologized that she would not be over that evening, claiming that that Carlisle had demanded they have a family dinner. While he had reassured her that he would be fine, Alice could see his failed attempts at cooked and planned to whip him up something quickly before she they arrived. The last thing Alice wanted to do to Bella was to tell her that she had allowed her father to get food poisoning. However there was homework to attend to first.

Perched up at the counter it did not take her long, and soon her books where tucked to one side and she was flicking through the pages of the recipe book, trying to find something that Charlie would like. It was not long before; Alice stumbled across something called ravioli. It looked revolting to Alice’s eyes and she was sure that if she was human she would not have enjoyed it. The thing looked like somebody had just thrown up, but still Alice could see Charlie enjoying it and it looked posh enough that it would be befitting of their family image.

Hopping down from the stool at the breakfast table, Alice set work. With the recipe book propped up on against the utensil jar, Alice began to dance about the room gathering the ingredients for the meal. It was mostly sauce, fish and pasta, all of which Esme had picked up from one of her shops. In a normal rotation, the food would have been thrown out, however with Bella about it finally not going to waste and now with Alice looking after Charlie they had somebody to shop for.

Within a matter of minutes the food was slowly cooking, in all honesty it was cooking a little to slowly for Alice and she could see that it would not been done till Peter and Charlotte where here. Which just gave them another reason too think she was slightly off her rocker. No other vampire would go to such extremes to keep a human alive, unless they where Edward. Yet Alice felt a close bond to Charlie and she was not going to let him slowly kill himself on a diet on takeaway and badly cooked pasta. She would cook for him until she was sure he could take over, or at least make sure he was set up with somebody that could take over when she left. Which sadly was going to come sooner than later and Alice knew it would be hard for to her to leave Charlie. For though their bond had only recently been uncovered, Alice could see it getting much stronger and was reluctant to let it go.

Sighing at the thought of leaving him, Alice watched Jasper out of the corner of her eye. Part of her contemplated going out there and telling him who was on there way, or more who was about to land on their doorstep. Yet she doubted it would be greeted with much enthusiasm and Alice just swayed upwards, rocking up onto her toes to stir the pasta, which she thankful looked done, or at least that was what her visions. Half tempted to leave it for a couple more moment, the soft sound of footsteps made her think better as Charlotte was mere seconds away from the door.

No soon that she had packaged up the food than the knocking sounded through the house. “Emmett” Alice called, zipping to the bottom of the stairs and thrusting the container in his hands as he appeared next to her. “Take that to Charlie, or be personally responsible for letting Bella know her did has food poisoning” she teased, before he disappeared off to the garage, leaving her to great her guests.

Pulling back the door, she pulled Charlotte into her arms and kissed on each check, as per her usual greeting. “It is so good to see you” Alice sung, pulling her into the house and leading her to the living room.

[bethany]

IN SLEEP HE SANG TO ME IN DREAMS HE CAME
that voice which calls to me and speaks my name

Charlotte wished that she had the mind control needed to resist the call of human blood sometimes, but then she also thought that denying it for so long led to madness in most cases. She usually went for a few weeks at a time without hunting, letting the thirst get bad before she quenched it. She had no conscience as it were, she just didn't like to kill mindlessly. Lottie's reason for being a nomad was she just wanted a reprieve from the fighting, she wanted to live in peace with no war. Her time with Maria had almost gotten her killed and she had grown so tired of the ever destructive wars that she had raged. It wasn't even as if there had been a point, other vampires meant her and Peter no harm so why were they fighting in the first place? Maria had told them so many lies, being out in the world for even a short while had proved her that. Now she'd been out there for over one hundred years and she still knew she had made the right choice, it was the right way to go about things, move from place to place and just live in peace.

The life of the small blonde was nothing all that extraudinary when compared to the lives that other vampires led. In fact it was almost dull, when put up against others. Her and Peter lived happily together, their thoughts complimenting each other almost as much as their personalities did, they rarely argued and even when they did it was masked over with a few kind words as one of them backed down. It was a relationship of give and take and she loved it, but being nomadic meant she never really felt she belonged anywhere in particular, she had the freedom of moving like the wind, blowing in whatever direction took her fancy and then grazing the floor there. Lottie loved to be free. It was her one requirement from life. She was happy to roam to every corner of the world, taking in the subtle changes in the world as it flickered before her eyes like an ever rolling movie. When you could live forever it was easy enough to notice the little things that shifted with time. Such as the size of the mobile phones, or the landscapes of countries. Charlotte had lived through war and peace, trial and tribulation, there was nothing her bright eyes hadn't seen.

Her blonde hair fell against her pale skin as she glanced around at the inside of the Cullen house. The white walls were exactly as she expected, in fact everything was. This was the way this strange vegetarian family lived, it was just their way. But Charlotte never uttered a word on her personal thoughts about their choices. Everyone had a right to blow their own way and if this was how they chose their path than she would encourage and not discourage. She knew it was hard on Alice to see Jasper struggling, but Lottie had been under the impression that he was getting better, taking more control, yet she could read in her friend that something had gone wrong recently. Born to vampire life with no amazing abilties Charlotte had had nothing that stood her out from the crowd, which is why they were going to destroy her, but she did have an uncanny ability to read the other people that surrounded her. It had a skill she had had to learn, but she knew Alice rather well so it wasn't too hard to judge when something was bothering the little elf.

Charlotte turned to say something to Peter but he seemed to already know what she was going to speak and flittered out of the door in search of Jasper. Of course he was anxious to see his friend, just as Lottie wanted to catch up with Alice. It had truly been far too long since they saw each other. In comparison to forever two years was a very short time, but Charlotte often found herself still thinking in terms of human life spans. The day her body had become frozen stone it should have switched over, but it never did. Lottie still retained a few human mannerisms, and they often helped her blend into the world that she moved through. No one ever seemed to notice her as any different from others, apart from her beauty, it was just a matter of acting like a cameleon. "What's been going on Alice?" She asked instantly as she sat herself down on the sofa and crossed one leg over the other. "And no lies." She said simply as she locked her black eyes with Alice, it had been far too long since she hunted, she would have to pass away from Forks that night and find a murderer somewhere.
ooc -- am just kind of ignoring MS, as i wrote the other post before i read it.