Chapter 24: Chapter 24 – Being Hunted

After Blake and Sue had departed, Xavier and Tyler spent the next two hours scouring the junkyards, garages, and repair shops for parts.

In the end, they found the perfect exhaust, but that was also the only thing on the Volkswagen Beetle that seemed to be in relatively good condition.

The duo departed Mason in defeat.

The entire way back, they didn’t talk, until suddenly…

Xavier hit the accelerator on the car, hastening their return back to Forks, but Tyler knew – even at their fastest speed – it would take another hour.

Accelerating in such an isolated area, especially with the winding roads was akin to suicide. Tyler quickly tightened his seat belt, unwilling to be a victim of Xavier’s recklessness.

“Do you understand how animals hunt, Tyler?” Xavier suddenly questioned.

“What? Slow down!” Tyler yelled.

“I slow down and we die…” Xavier then pondered for a couple of seconds before adding. “Actually, you’d die – I’d probably live.”

“Do you understand how animals hunt?” Xavier repeated the question.

His foot on the accelerator pressed down some more, shooting the car to a speed approaching 90mph. Still, Xavier had no intention of slowing down, even as a curve was approaching.

“I don’t know… I don’t know!” Tyler panicked. “My dad said to raise your hands above your head and try to seem big.”

“That’s for bears!” Xavier cursed, his eyes peering through the tinted windows at shadows flickering through the forest trees. “What’s hunting us is no bear!”

‘Hunting?’ Tyler was confused.

Xavier’s statements were far too cryptic for someone unaware of the supernatural side of the world.

“The truth is,” Xavier explained, easing his foot on the gas. “That you can run when you first encounter the animals since they will toy with the hunt – you live a little longer, get them to underestimate you…”

Tyler breathe a sigh of relief, but he failed to understand from Xavier’s tenseness that the hunt was far from over.

“Stay in the car!” Xavier instructed, reaching into the glove compartment and withdrawing a gun.

“What the fuck?” Tyler jumped, hands reaching to detach his seat belt. “No fucking way I am staying in a car with a gun and you driving all psy—”

BANG

A blur of movement from Xavier’s hand and Tyler’s eyes closed – he had been knocked unconscious. Xavier judged it would be countless times easier to deal with the next events without Tyler hanging over his shoulders.

The gun was a second to last resort – the true last resort was using his powers, but aside from The Cullens, Xavier didn’t yet want the vampire world to know what he was capable of.

That would bring too much attention.

Xavier stepped out of the car, and as soon as the door was opened, he trusted his senses and pulled the gun’s trigger three times.

POP

POP

POP

His aims were wide but somehow seemed incredibly precise.

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James, Victoria, and Laurent twirled between the barks of trees, avoiding impact with the narrowest of movements.

Three miles – for three miles they had been tracking Xavier’s car – the blood inside was not particularly appealing, but they were hungry and that was reason enough.

But somehow, the driver was aware of them.

He accelerated the car, and they chased – but now, for some reason, the car came to a stop. As vampires, they didn’t need to be cautious, but just as they were about to pounce.

POP

POP

POP

Three bullets tore through the air.

Victoria, given her gift, was able to dodge the bullet, but James and Laurent were not so fortunate. The bullet sparked off of Laurent’s forehead and James’s outstretched hand.

It was precise – too precise.

Still, it wasn’t as if bullets could do anything to them – it would take a rocket or two to get the job done.

Yet, they were more hesitant – at least, Laurent was more hesitant, while Victoria waited for James to decide. Laurent was certain their feral nature would win in the end.

“We should withdraw,” He suggested.

James and Victoria shot him vicious glares, but one sniff of the air – smelling the power of Xavier’s – was enough for Laurent to never back down.

“He is too conspicuous,” Laurent justified, knowing if he said Xavier was powerful, James and Victoria would be even more tempted. “Look at his car. It’s expensive and it will be missed.”

James snaked his head from left to right, trying to withhold his more animalistic tendencies. “Not a good enough reason.” He stated.

“We can’t kill people who will be missed,” Laurent argued. “One look at him and you know he will be missed – definitely more than the others. This is not a small-town human.”

“He’s isolated,” Victoria ran her hands over James’s chest. “And we always clean up after ourselves so…”

Just as James was about to decide the feast was worth the risk, even drawing the ire of the Volturi, he gazed upon Xavier’s figure and noticed The Eternal was gazing back at him.

James’s non-existent breathing hitched.

Victoria and Laurent were much the same upon meeting Xavier’s faintly glowing golden irises.

As if in a trance to check if everything was right with the world, the trio took a couple of steps to the right, noting how Xavier’s eyes followed their movements precisely.

“We should withdraw…” Victoria suggested, her gift telling her to escape as soon as possible.

“Search somewhere else,” James decided.

That was all Victoria and Laurent needed to hear before their figures blurred into the depths of the forest – they were gone.

James lingered a little longer…

The Hunter-Vampire smirked and looked at Xavier with interest, then he sniffed the air to memorize the scent of The Eternal before blurring into the forest as well.

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Xavier breathes a sigh of relief.

Whatever was hunting him and Tyler – likely vampires – had departed.

Xavier had never fought a vampire before, but he was confident enough to take care of two to three by using guerilla warfare available to him through flight.

But with Tyler on the ground, and if Xavier had chosen to protect the teenager, he knew that facing three vampires would have meant his death.

Especially if the three vampires were who he suspected them to be – James – Hunter Extraordinaire, Laurent – power sniffer, and Victoria – Escape Artist.

“I wouldn’t stand a chance against three of them with Tyler around,” Xavier mused, realizing how lucky it was that they chose not to attack. “I need to keep everyone out of isolated areas for the next couple of weeks.”

Xavier couldn’t shake the feeling that his presence in Forks was what caused James, Victoria, and Laurent to show up earlier.

From his understanding of the plot, it should be another two weeks before James, Laurent and Victoria made their way anywhere near Forks.

“I need more contingencies,” Xavier mumbled.

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The Eternal cocked the safety of the gun back in place and detached the cartridge to check on the remaining bullets – definitely enough.

Finally, Xavier walked back to the car and once again placed the gun in the glove box. Throughout the entire ordeal, Tyler remained sleeping – none the wiser about how close he had come to death.

The car restarted…

Xavier and an unconscious Tyler departed the scene…

۞۞۞

THE ROBINSON’S HOUSE

When Xavier stopped the car, Tyler didn’t hesitate to hop out of the car and depart. He would have returned the swollen cheek Xavier had gifted him if the basketballer thought he could win that fight.

Nobody could win that fight…

“I expect some more parts next week!” Xavier yelled.

Tyler flinched, subtly nodded, and broke into a run, less Xavier finds another reason to gunbutt him.

Xavier was mentally exhausted as he exited the Bugatti, but still, he somehow managed to place a smile on his face and march toward Angela’s house.

He was aware that her parents were already peeking at him through the windows, but The Eternal pretended to be blissfully unaware.

Today had been a long day.

It was only thanks to great mental fortitude that Xavier could walk without his legs shaking – an Eternal his body might be, but his mind hadn’t had a long time to adjust to the new reality.

The memories helped, but not enough.

Still, Xavier was happy that his body was shaking now – better now when no danger was around than later when the inevitable collision with The Volturi was around.

There was no need to knock since Angela opened the door as soon as Xavier was on the second stair. She pulled The Eternal into the house, and into her embrace.

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“So, if I am hearing this right…” Mr. Robinson Weber put on a pondering expression as if Angela and Xavier had been previously speaking in another language. “You want to move in with your boyfriend while you’re still in high school?”

“When you put it like that—”

Angela elbowed Xavier the same way Mrs. Weber elbowed her husband for reducing a complex topic into a few sentences that sounded blameful.

“I just want the chance to make mistakes, if this is a mistake, you know what?” Angela turned to Xavier, staring him dead in the eyes with a loving gaze. “It’s probably a mistake for us – but we want to make it.”

“Angela, dear,” Mrs. Weber sighed, remembering her own youth. “You’re still in high school, and there are bound to be more things—”

“Xavier lives thirty minutes away,” Angela explained. “As soon as he breaks my heart, I can just walk home…”

“But, dear…” Mrs. Weber was hesitant. “You have time.”

“That’s what I am afraid of,” Angela muttered before raising her voice to repeat it. “That’s what I am afraid of – Xavier doesn’t seem to have time…”

“What?” Mr. Robinson frowned. “Are you sick?”

“Not sick… just,” Xavier frowned, deciding which explanation was best. “At the risk of sounding too prideful – I am extraordinary and people like me don’t get to have a lot of happy times. This thing with Angela is worth breaking self-imposed rules, but—”

“But?” Mr. and Mrs. Weber questioned.

“But when you miss a moment, it will never return,” Xavier slid an arm around Angela’s shoulder and she leaned into him – the place she belonged. “I can’t promise you anything – I would be lying if I did, but I can say what it will be…”

“And what will it be?” Angela curiously inquired.

“The best mistake you ever made, and you live…” Xavier’s reply was blunt. “Or a world full of wonders you never knew existed, and you fight for every additional day of survival – it is not that simplistic, but that’s as simple as I can make the choice.”

Angela directed a pleading gaze at her parents, and though reluctant, they returned her gaze with an expression of acquiescence.

There was no stopping Angela once she put her mind to something, and right now, that something came with a name – Xavier Ikaris Aionios.

An hour later and a special form of an agreement had been reached – Angela would be moving in with Xavier, but once a week she would be required to sleep at home.

Her parents could come and go from Xavier’s house as they pleased – with Angela’s permission, of course. And most of all, Xavier had to take some time to go fishing with Mr. Robinson.

Apparently, the old man tended to catch bigger fish with Xavier around.

Xavier departed from Angela’s house in the Bugatti, and without Angela in tow – not that he would have brought her along even if he could.

The mother and daughter had to have the talk.

Xavier didn’t want to be there when Angela tried to explain to her mother why they didn’t need birth control – or maybe, Angela herself had yet to figure out that she couldn’t bare an Eternal's child.

۞۞۞

CHARLIE’S HOUSE

It was around midday when a text message came in and Xavier diverted from his initial course.

A visit to The Cullen’s home was long overdue, but Edward was unlikely to return until tomorrow, and Xavier felt as if a visit wouldn’t be warranted without a grand entrance.

For some reason, the fanboy in him still lived.

Hence, The Eternal was all too eager to divert to Charlie’s house when a text message came from Bella. It was supposed to be another study day, but his intentions were to do anything but study.

“I think that’s the first time you ever responded to my text,” Bella joked, opening the door to come outside as soon as Xavier had parked the Bugatti.

Xavier checked the text message again, confirming he hadn’t sent a text in response – it wasn’t his style.

It was a quirk of his – text Xavier and see if he shows up…

“I didn’t reply though,” He voiced.

“I could kinda just feel it in my bones like you would show up,” Bella shrugged her shoulders.

Xavier and Bella met at the center of the walkway, and even before he could open his arms to embrace the girl, Bella acted first and embraced The Eternal.

The hug lasted a couple of seconds.

“Am I really that predictable?” Xavier frowned after they parted. “Why are you in such a good mood today?”

“It’s sunny!” Bella gestured skyward.

It was indeed sunny – a rare sight in Forks.

The snow had turned to sparkling droplets on the tips of the grass, and the driveway had somehow gotten even more slippery.

Bella’s footing grew unstable, and it was only by Xavier’s observant grace that she was able to avoid a tumble.

“Now this day feels a bit more normal…” He voiced.

The Vampire-to-be and Eternal soon settled on the semi-wet grass, going over the notes for the three classes they had together.

The notes weren’t a lot, and their classes together were limited so the duo found themselves – more than once – going over the same notes.

Eventually, Xavier would regale Bella with stories from his memories – Ikaris’s memories. He was surprised to find that, as he repeated the stories to Bella, the headache he had been nursing for days was dwindling.

Memories were cementing their places in his mind.

It was a frightening realization but The Eternal didn’t stop telling the stories.

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