𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓:
Closure

"HAVE YOU EVER FELT SCARED BEFORE?"

Thalia asks as she approaches Eloise, whose elbows are resting on the glass railings of the balcony in the main residence, deep in thought.

"I have," Eloise answers Thalia as she cranes her head to the side of her shoulder and glances at Thalia. She continues as she looks back to the dense forest. "But I try not to let it control me anymore."

Thalia then stood beside Eloise, arms crossed against her chest, as silence engulfed them, the serene sounds of the trees whooshing, the leaves rustling, the gushing water against the rocks.

Mother nature is truly a masterpiece.

It was the type of comfortable silence that Eloise felt soothed by. She'd only know Thalia from what Alice had told her and what Jasper wrote about Thalia in the letters.

"Why did you ask?" Eloise questions.

Eloise didn't mind Thalia's presence.

Something about Thalia feels welcoming.

Unlike the rest of the family, she was too wary of being in a house filled with vampires.

Yet, unlike the last time, these vampires didn't crave chaos and bloodshed.

Thalia answered with a shiver as her hands rubbed her shoulders. "With the newborn army's motive to attack my family, I couldn't help but feel scared."

Eloise then turns to face Thalia, her back leaning against the railing. Eloise tilts her head and gives Thalia a nod of understanding.

"We all feel fear because we have something to lose. But it always passes. It won't always be as permanent as we thought it would be. "

Thalia smiles and tells her, "I've always wanted to meet you since Jasper told me a portion of his past. His peace amidst the chaos."

Eloise released a small laugh. She could feel herself blushing at Thalia's last sentence, "He's always the romantic one in our relationship."

Thalia then takes Eloise's hand in hers and genuinely tells her, "But the woman Jasper described is no match for the woman standing in front of me. We haven't known each other for long, but I see how far you've come to be who you always wanted to be you."

Eloise then tugs Thalia towards her for a hug. Thalia, too surprised by the sudden reaction, reciprocates the hug nonetheless as she soothes Eloise, combing her fingers through Eloise's golden blonde hair.

Eloise felt like she was eighteen again, in need of a maternal figure that always sought approval and understanding.

"I may not have lived in the century you were born in, but I know how difficult it was to be a woman back then, to be so young and thrust into such circumstances," Thalia gently tells her, "And I'm so proud of you for fighting for yourself."

Eloise then gently pulls away, and now they are standing side by side, their arms around each other's waists, Eloise leaning on Thalia's shoulders, "But you don't have to be strong alone anymore. You have Jasper, and you have us now."

"Some part of me always wanted to be a part of a family, but my past wasn't easily accepted in the vampire community."

Rejection. Even though Eloise accepted herself wholeheartedly with Jasper and Alice's assurance that the family would also accept her, she couldn't help but feel her insecurities resurfacing once again when it came to joining a coven.

It was unusual in the vampire community for the Cullens to have a coven of ten vampires living in such a rare and close bond.

Their kind usually travels alone or in pairs, but then Eloise suddenly remembers that the Cullens are not just a coven of vampires but a family.

"I wanted to thank you." Eloise begins as Thalia furrows her eyebrows, confused. "What for?"

"For not being wary of Jasper's appearance when you joined the family."

The scars.

The bite marks that lingered on their skin are one of the reasons why other vampires see them as a threat.

"Kindness is an endangered thing in this world of ours, and it's not that hard to give. Everybody needs it more than anyone can know." Thalia tells Eloise.

They heard footsteps coming toward them, which Thalia immediately recognized. The boys were back from their hunt.

"Love." Carlisle's deep and gentle voice calls to Thalia and she responds with a hum. Carlisle approaches them as Eloise unwraps her arm from Thalia's waist, taking a step back, and giving Carlisle a nod.

"I should go. Jasper is waiting for me downstairs." Eloise says as she gives Thalia an appreciative smile and walks towards the door, and heads towards the stairs.

Carlisle then kisses Thalia on the forehead as he wraps an arm around her waist, and Thalia places a hand on his chest as.

Thalia says, "They are still teenage kids, Carlisle. No matter their age, they've been turned so young under the wrong circumstances. They still need our support."

Carlisle then places a hand on Thalia's cheek, his thumb brushing softly against her skin.

He loved her even more than he ever thought he could.

"And that's what we try to give them. Love, we'll always be there for them."

•| ⊱✿⊰ |•

"YOU HAVE AN INTEREST IN PAINTING?" Cordelia asks as she approaches Eloise, who is looking at her paintings hung by Alice in the hallways of the Cullen residence, Eloise's eyes looking intently as if she's deciphering the meaning behind every brushstroke, every element, every value.

Eloise looks behind her shoulder as she gives Cordelia a small smile and nods, clasping both of her hands behind her back as she looks at the painting with a dreamy look.

"I tried painting before, but I never seem to know where to begin," Eloise tells her, eyes gazing at the painting before her, a garden filled with wonderful and vibrant colors of lively flowers, a marble-like fountain in the middle, with a man sitting in a bench, wearing a hat, white shirt, and overalls, as her crimson red eyes observed the man closely, red eyes meets hers, the man in the painting was a vampire.

"Painting is staring at a blank canvas filled with endless possibilities of what you want to create, a continuous adventure you want to explore with every shape, line, form, texture, space, and color. You'll never begin when you think of where to start, you do, and you'll find yourself immersed, never wanting to stop. Time passes without a thought, and you've finished the painting, and you told yourself a few hours ago that you couldn't." Cordelia says, her eyes fixed on the painting before her.

"The garden of peace. 1930"

Eloise looks at her with awe, "Very well said, Cordelia."

"I wanted to donate some of my art pieces, and I was wondering if you could help me with where I should donate?"

Eloise beams as she nods. "UNICEF holds a charity auction every month, sells art pieces to the highest bidder, and all the money goes to your chosen charity cause."

"Excellent!" Cordelia exclaims with an excited clap of her hands, "My art being appreciated and able to aid people in need boosts my inspiration even more."

Eloise felt at ease with Cordelia. From what Alice told her, Cordelia was very wary of the people surrounding her.

It takes time for her to adjust to new things. It was quite a surprise for Eloise when Cordelia approached.

"It's nice to see Jasper so happy." Cordelia suddenly says.

Eloise looks at her as Cordelia continues, "When I joined the Cullens, Jasper seemed so detached from everything. Alice said he wasn't always like that until that disastrous birthday party happened."

Right. Bella's eighteenth birthday led to a horrible accident that led the Cullens to leave Forks per Edward's forced request.

Leading to Edward's suffering, Bella being, a depressed human with suicidal tendencies, jumped off a cliff, with Edward believing that his beloved was dead, enter the Volturi mishap.

"I didn't want him to carry the burden of changing diets. I never wanted him to feel that way."

Cordelia makes a noise of disagreement and says. "The Cullens assured Jasper that it was okay if he stuck with the human blood diet, they never forced me to change diets, but for Jasper, he never wanted to give up. He wanted to try."

Eloise pursed her lips and crossed her arms to her chest, "I should talk to him about that."

"You should." Cordelia agrees, "Human blood might just do good for him."

"Lia! El!" They hear Emmett yell, "We should go hunt like right now. Bella is making a move on Edward's virgin pipi!" Eloise laughed so hard that her hands went to her knees as uncontrollable fits of laughter escaped her lips, joined by Cordelia, who was trying to control her snorts.

Eloise loves this family's relationship with each other.