The Charger and Bella's truck pulled up to what could generously be called "a wide spot in the road" and less generously called "absolutely nothing." Trees everywhere. Aggressive trees. Trees with opinions. Trees that looked like they were judging your life choices.
Veer killed the truck's engine—which died with a sound like a mechanical opera singer hitting a tragic high note—and squinted through the windshield. "This is it? This is the big reveal? Because I'm seeing a lot of trees and exactly zero hot springs. Unless this is one of those 'the real hot spring was the friends we made along the way' situations, in which case I have notes."
"The parking spot," Edythe clarified from the backseat, her voice carrying that particular brand of patience usually reserved for explaining things to very small children or very confused adults. "The actual destination requires a hike. Approximately half a mile. Through what I'd describe as 'moderately challenging terrain.'"
Eleanor had already flung open the passenger door and was halfway out before the truck fully stopped. "I wore my hiking Converse!" She lifted one foot like she was showing off glass slippers. "See? Prepared. Strategic. I'm basically a Navy SEAL but for recreational forest activities."
"You wore Converse to hike," Veer said slowly, his movie-star face doing something between amused and concerned—the kind of expression that suggested he'd seen this movie before and knew how it ended. "Converse. The shoes specifically designed for basketball courts and punk rock concerts. Those Converse."
"They're versatile! Multi-purpose! I could run a marathon in these! Or rob a bank! Or both simultaneously!"
"Why is crime always on your activity list?"
"Comprehensive planning. I'm considering all possibilities. Crime is a possibility. Maybe not a good possibility. Definitely not a *legal* possibility. But a possibility nonetheless."
From the Charger—which had somehow arrived thirty seconds earlier despite leaving at the same time, because apparently Jessamyn drove like speed limits were more like speed suggestions—Bella emerged looking like she'd just experienced a religious awakening or possibly a near-death experience. Her hair was doing things that suggested the windows had been open. Her eyes were wide. She moved with the careful precision of someone who'd just gotten off a roller coaster and wasn't sure if their legs remembered how to work.
"She drives like she's being chased by the cops," Bella announced to the forest at large.
"I drive with *enthusiasm*," Jessamyn corrected, stepping out of the Charger with the kind of fluid grace that made it look like she was performing a car commercial. Her honey-blonde hair was perfect. Her clothes were perfect. Even her body language was perfect. It was objectively unfair. "There's a difference. A meaningful difference. An important distinction."
"You passed a sheriff going forty over."
"I *waved* at the sheriff. He waved back. It was a whole moment. Very community-oriented. The foundation of civic engagement."
"That's not—"
"Plus I was only going thirty-five over," Jessamyn continued with the confidence of someone who'd done the math and decided it supported her argument. "You're rounding up. Inaccurately. The data doesn't support your claim."
"The speedometer said ninety!"
"Speed is relative. Einstein proved this. I'm basically doing science. Physics in motion. The sheriff understood. That's why he waved."
Bella turned to Veer with an expression that was pure Kristen Stewart—all deadpan disbelief and barely concealed anxiety. "Did she just cite Einstein to justify speeding?"
"She did," Veer confirmed, climbing out of the truck and stretching in a way that definitely looked like a movie star stretch—all lean muscle and casual grace, the kind of movement that probably had Eleanor making grabby hands behind his back. "That happened. We all witnessed it. It's part of the historical record now."
"I stand by my science," Jessamyn said, already pulling supplies from the Charger's trunk with practiced efficiency. "Newton, Einstein, and me. The holy trinity of understanding motion. Also I brought beer, so I'm winning this argument on multiple fronts."
Eleanor had bounced over to the truck like an overexcited golden retriever who'd just remembered that walks exist. "Okay! Hiking time! Adventure time! Time to experience nature in its raw, unfiltered, probably-going-to-result-in-someone-falling-in-mud glory!"
"The last time someone said 'hiking adventure,'" Bella said with the deadpan delivery of someone who'd learned not to trust optimism, "I ended up in a ditch. Face-first. There was mud. Some crying. Charlie had to pull me out with rope and what I can only describe as profound disappointment in my genetic legacy."
"Was all the crying yours?" Veer asked, genuinely curious.
Bella considered this. "Eighty percent mine. Twenty percent Charlie's internal emotional experience expressed through aggressive silence."
"That still counts as mostly you."
"The point stands. Hikes are suspicious. Nature has betrayed me. I have trust issues with trees."
"This hike is different!" Eleanor insisted, already pulling on a light jacket that probably cost more than most people's monthly rent but was being worn with the casual indifference of someone who bought things because they were pretty, not because they were expensive. "This hike leads somewhere magical! And warm! And wet! In a good way! Not a concerning way!"
"You're describing a hot spring," Edythe translated, emerging from the truck with that particular brand of elegant composure that suggested she'd been doing this for decades—which, technically, she had. Her copper hair caught the afternoon light like it was being personally lit by a cinematographer. "A secret hot spring that approximately twelve people know about. And now you're part of that exclusive club. Congratulations. Membership is permanent. There's no exit strategy."
"Should I be concerned about the 'no exit' thing?" Veer asked, but he was smiling that Hrithik Roshan smile—the one that suggested he was in on the joke and perfectly comfortable with wherever this was going.
"Probably," all three sisters said in perfect, creepy unison.
Bella looked at Veer. "That was objectively disturbing. The synchronized speech thing. That was horror movie shit."
"We practice," Eleanor said cheerfully. "Group coordination exercises. Very effective for unsettling people. Also useful for karaoke."
"How is that useful for karaoke?"
"You've clearly never seen us perform Bohemian Rhapsody. It's *devastating*. People cry. Some of them from emotion. Some from fear."
They started up what could generously be called a trail and more accurately called "a vague suggestion that humans might have walked here once." It wound through dense forest with the kind of casual disregard for human comfort that suggested it had been designed by deer who didn't give a shit about ADA compliance.
Veer found himself walking beside Jessamyn, who was navigating the uneven terrain with supernatural grace while simultaneously explaining the difference between naturally aspirated and forced induction engines. Her hands moved as she talked, painting pictures in the air. Her accent—that honey-sweet Southern drawl—made even technical specifications sound like poetry.
"—and that's why the Hellcat's supercharger configuration produces such immediate throttle response compared to turbo lag," she was saying, somehow managing to sound both intellectually passionate and subtly flirtatious at the same time. "It's about the power delivery curve. The immediacy. The visceral feedback."
"You're describing a car the way most people describe a religious experience," Veer observed, carefully stepping over a root that looked personally aggressive.
"Cars *are* a religious experience when you understand them properly. The engineering, the physics, the way all those systems work together to produce something greater than the sum of their parts—that's basically theology." She turned to look at him, and those golden eyes were absolutely sparkling with genuine enthusiasm. "You get it though. I can tell. The way you talked about that CJ-7 project—you understand mechanical relationships. The intimacy of understanding how things work."
"The intimacy of understanding how things work," Veer repeated, his accent making the words roll differently—more musical somehow. "That's either very profound or slightly inappropriate. I haven't decided which."
"Can't it be both?" Jessamyn's smile was pure Sydney Sweeney—sweet and sharp in equal measure, like sugar with an edge. "Most interesting things are both."
Up ahead, Eleanor had stopped to dramatically point at a tree. "This is Gerald!"
Everyone stopped.
"Gerald?" Bella asked with that Kristen Stewart deadpan that could make any question sound like an accusation. "You named a tree Gerald? Not Gary. Gerald. You went with Gerald."
"Gary is three trees back," Eleanor explained with complete seriousness. "Gerald is his cousin. They're not close. Family drama. Gerald doesn't like to talk about it."
"The tree has family drama."
"All trees have family drama. Root systems are basically passive-aggressive family dinners that last for centuries. Gerald's whole vibe is 'I'm fine but I'm clearly not fine.'"
"I'm concerned about your relationship with trees," Edythe said, though there was affection in her voice—that particular brand of sisterly exasperation that came from decades of this exact dynamic.
"My relationship with trees is healthy and supportive!"
"You assigned them psychological profiles and family dynamics."
"That's called being observant! And empathetic! I'm a good person who cares about trees!"
Veer had dropped back to walk beside Bella, who was navigating the trail with the kind of careful attention usually reserved for defusing bombs or crossing busy intersections. "So," he said quietly, pitching his voice so only she could hear, "you surviving this?"
"Define surviving," Bella replied, her voice flat but not unkind. "Because if surviving means 'not dead yet,' then yes. If it means 'emotionally processing the fact that three gorgeous sisters are clearly into you and you're just rolling with it like this is normal,' then no. Not surviving. Currently experiencing crisis."
"They're... enthusiastic," Veer offered diplomatically.
"They're hunting you like you're prey and they're apex predators who've decided you're the most interesting thing in the forest." Bella paused to catch her breath, leaning against a conveniently placed boulder. "Not that I'm complaining. They seem genuinely cool. Weird, but cool. But also they're definitely hunting you."
"I've noticed."
"And you're okay with this?"
Veer was quiet for a moment, his movie-star face doing something thoughtful. "You know what's funny? A week ago I would've said this whole situation was insane. Three sisters, all interested, all somehow okay with each other being interested? That's not how people work. That's not how anything works."
"But?"
"But they're not normal people," Veer said carefully, choosing his words like he was navigating a minefield. "They're... different. Special. And not in that bullshit 'everyone's special' way. Actually different. In ways that change the rules."
Bella was studying him with those sharp eyes that missed nothing. "You know something."
"I know a lot of things. I'm very educated. Well-read. I watch a lot of Discovery Channel."
"That's not what I meant and you know it."
"Bella." Veer stopped, turning to face her with complete seriousness. His face was doing that thing where he looked like a Bollywood hero about to deliver an important emotional speech. "Sometimes things are complicated in ways that are hard to explain. And sometimes the explanation would make everything more confusing instead of less. Can you trust me that I know what I'm doing?"
"Do you though? Do you actually know what you're doing?"
"Absolutely not," Veer admitted with a grin that was pure charm and zero apology. "But I'm doing it with confidence, which is basically the same thing."
"That's not the same thing at all!"
"It is if you commit hard enough. Confidence plus commitment equals competence. It's a formula. Very scientific."
"You're as bad as they are."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment!"
Up ahead, the trees suddenly opened up, and—
"Holy shit," Bella breathed.
The hot spring was exactly the kind of thing that made you believe in magic, or at least in landscape photographers who weren't lying. Crystal clear water, maybe thirty feet across, steaming gently in the cool air. Smooth stones at the bottom, perfectly arranged like someone had hired an interior decorator for a geothermal pool. Flat rocks surrounding it for sitting, and the whole thing framed by towering cedars that blocked any view from the outside world.
It was private. Hidden. Perfect.
"Right?" Eleanor was practically vibrating with pride, like she'd personally created this hot spring through sheer force of enthusiasm and possibly some minor geological manipulation. "This is our spot! Well, one of our spots! We have a whole system! This one's the 'people we actually like' spot! The other spots are for social obligations and people we're pretending to tolerate!"
"You have a hierarchical system for secret hot springs?" Veer asked, already pulling off his shoes because overthinking was the enemy of experience.
"Obviously! Doesn't everyone? No? Just us? That seems like a significant organizational oversight on humanity's part."
Jessamyn was already shedding layers with practiced efficiency, revealing a tank top that probably violated several laws of physics regarding how fabric could fit a human body. "Water's perfect. Always perfect. Geothermal heating. Very consistent. Mother Nature's infinity pool."
"Are we swimming?" Bella asked with growing alarm, that Kristen Stewart anxiety ramping up. "Because I didn't pack for swimming. Swimming wasn't on the agenda. I've been ambushed by aquatic activities."
"Clothes work fine," Eleanor said, already down to a tank top and shorts that suggested she'd planned this. "Or underwear. Or nothing if you're feeling bold and European about nudity."
"I'm feeling neither bold nor European."
"American prudishness is valid," Edythe assured her, settling gracefully onto a rock. "We respect all levels of clothing commitment. You can swim fully dressed. The clothes will dry. Eventually. In approximately six to eight hours. Maybe never in this climate."
"That's not reassuring!"
"I'm providing information, not reassurance. There's a difference."
Veer had already rolled up his jeans and was testing the water with one foot, making a sound that was probably illegal in several conservative states. "Oh my god. This is—how is this the perfect temperature? What kind of geological miracle is happening here?"
"Geothermal magic," Jessamyn said, and when she said it in that accent, even geological processes sounded romantic. She was already in the water up to her waist, her blonde hair catching the light like liquid gold, and Veer was definitely not staring. Definitely. He was being very respectful. Very focused on the water temperature. Nothing else. "The earth is very good at temperature regulation. Unlike humans, who are constantly complaining about being too hot or too cold."
"The earth judges our temperature complaints," Eleanor agreed, floating on her back with the serenity of a Renaissance painting titled "Girl Who Has Achieved Enlightenment Through Warm Water." "The earth is tired of our shit."
Bella had committed to the "fully clothed" approach, sliding into the water in her jeans and t-shirt with the careful precision of someone who'd thought through all possible negative outcomes and decided the warmth was worth the dampness. "Okay. Okay, I take it back. This is worth the hike. This is worth the potential hypothermia from wet clothes. This is—oh my god, is that beer?"
Jessamyn had somehow produced a six-pack from absolutely nowhere, holding it up like a trophy. "I believe in preparation. Also in celebration. This is a celebration. We're celebrating new friendships, successful hiking, and nobody getting eaten by bears."
"Were bears a realistic possibility?" Bella asked, her deadpan delivery making the question somehow both serious and ridiculous.
"Everything is a realistic possibility in the Pacific Northwest," Eleanor said cheerfully. "Bears, cougars, Bigfoot, aggressive deer with dominance issues—"
"The deer thing was ONE TIME!"
"The deer thing was TODAY and you're still processing it emotionally!"
"I'm not processing anything! I'm FINE!"
"You're in denial. The first stage. We'll get you through this."
Edythe had positioned herself strategically near Veer—close enough for conversation, far enough to not seem aggressive. Her copper hair was doing that thing where it looked like a shampoo commercial, and her pale skin was somehow glowing in the evening light filtering through the trees. "So," she said, her voice quiet enough to create intimacy without excluding everyone else, "how are you actually feeling about all this? And I want a real answer, not a deflection wrapped in humor."
Veer looked at her—really looked, not the polite social scanning people did while thinking about lunch. His face was doing something vulnerable, which on him looked like a movie poster for a film about complicated emotions and possibly international espionage. "Honestly? I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. For this to be a prank. For someone to jump out and say 'gotcha' and there's a camera crew and I'm about to be a meme."
"We don't do pranks," Edythe said seriously. "Eleanor tried once. It ended badly. There was property damage. We agreed never again."
"What happened?"
"We don't talk about it."
"Why does your family have so many things you don't talk about?"
"Longevity breeds incidents," Edythe said cryptically. "The longer you exist, the more opportunities for incidents you'd prefer to forget. It's statistical."
From across the pool, Eleanor called out: "Are you telling him about the thing we don't talk about? Because we don't talk about that! It's in the name! 'The thing we don't talk about!' Very clear labeling system!"
"We're not talking about it!" Edythe called back. "We're talking about the fact that we don't talk about it! Completely different!"
"That's still talking about it!"
"Technically I'm talking about talking about it, which is meta-discussion, not actual discussion!"
"Meta-discussion is still discussion! That's how meta works!"
Bella had settled into the warm water and was watching this exchange with the expression of someone who'd stumbled into an alternate dimension and wasn't sure if they should be concerned or entertained. "Your family is weird."
"Our family is *interesting*," Eleanor corrected. "Weird is for people who don't have sophisticated interpersonal dynamics and decades of shared experiences that create complex communication patterns."
"That's just fancy talk for weird."
"It's fancy talk for *interesting*."
Jessamyn had floated over to where Veer was sitting, her movements in the water somehow both graceful and purposeful. Up close, her eyes were ridiculous—that particular shade of gold that shouldn't exist in nature but somehow did on her. "Can I ask you something?"
"You're going to anyway," Veer said, but he was smiling that smile that suggested he was okay with whatever was coming.
"Fair point." Jessamyn settled onto a rock next to him, close enough that their shoulders were almost touching. "You're handling this whole situation remarkably well. Three sisters, all interested, all being very obvious about it. Most guys would've either run screaming or gotten weird about it. But you're just... rolling with it. Why?"
Veer was quiet for a moment, his face doing something thoughtful. When he spoke, his voice was careful—like he was selecting words from a menu where some of them were poisonous. "Because I get the sense that you three aren't like most people. That normal rules don't exactly apply. And that whatever's happening here is..." He paused, searching. "Meant to happen? I know how that sounds. Very 'fate and destiny' and probably stupid. But it feels right. Like this is where I'm supposed to be."
Jessamyn's expression was doing something soft—that particular Sydney Sweeney look that was equal parts sweet and devastating. "That's either very wise or very naive. I haven't decided which."
"Can't it be both?"
"Most interesting things are," she agreed, her accent making the words warm and intimate. "As you know, we're not normal."
It wasn't a question, not really. More like a confirmation of something they both knew he knew.
Veer met her eyes directly—no hesitation, no fear. "I know you're... different. Special. In ways that would sound insane if I said them out loud."
"But you're okay with it."
"I'm more than okay with it," Veer said simply. "I'm interested. I want to know more. I want to understand how this works. How *you* work."
"That's very brave," Edythe observed from her rock, having clearly been listening despite pretending to be focused on the water. "Most people run from things they don't understand."
"Most people are boring," Veer replied with that movie-star confidence that somehow didn't come across as arrogant—just honest. "I'm trying to be more interesting than that."
"You're succeeding," all three sisters said in unison, and then immediately looked at each other with expressions that suggested they hadn't planned that but were pleased with the coordination.
Bella was watching this entire exchange with the kind of analytical attention that suggested she was taking mental notes for later interrogation. "Okay, I have questions. So many questions. But first—" she looked at the three sisters "—you're all actually okay with this? With all being interested in the same person? That's not going to explode into drama? Because I've seen how these situations usually go, and they go badly. Very badly. Someone-ends-up-crying-in-a-bathroom badly."
Eleanor had floated over, her auburn hair spread around her like a mermaid painting. "We made rules."
"Guidelines," Edythe corrected.
"Whatever. Rule-guidelines. Point is, we talked about it. Like adults. Using our words. Communicating. It's revolutionary, really."
"What are the rules?" Bella asked, because apparently she was doing this now—mediating a supernatural romance situation for her cousin without knowing it was supernatural.
"Honesty always," Edythe said, ticking off on her fingers. "If someone's feeling weird or jealous or uncomfortable, we talk about it immediately. No letting it fester. No passive-aggressive bullshit."
"No competition," Jessamyn added. "We're not competing for attention or affection. We're three different people who all happen to be interested in the same person for different reasons. Those reasons can coexist."
"And most importantly," Eleanor finished, "Veer's comfort comes first. He's not comfortable? We adjust. No guilt, no pressure, no manipulation. This only works if everyone's genuinely okay with it."
Bella was staring at them like they'd just explained quantum physics using interpretive dance. "That's... actually really mature. Like, disturbingly mature. You're teenagers who've somehow figured out healthy polyamorous communication better than most adults."
"We've had practice," Edythe said vaguely.
"Practice at what?"
"At being mature," Eleanor supplied quickly. "We're very mature. Extremely mature. The most mature. We watch documentaries and everything."
"You watch anime."
"Mature anime. There's a difference. Some of it has subtitles. Very intellectual."
Veer had been watching this entire exchange with growing amusement, his handsome face doing something between charmed and overwhelmed. "So basically you've put more thought into this than most people put into their entire relationships."
"We contain multitudes," Jessamyn said with that accent that made everything sound like poetry and seduction had a baby. "Also we're very organized. Jessamyn made spreadsheets."
"You made spreadsheets about feelings?"
"Color-coded spreadsheets," Eleanor said proudly. "With tabs. And formulas. It was beautiful and concerning in equal measure."
"That's romantic in a deeply weird way."
"That's our brand," all three sisters said, and this time the unison was definitely intentional.
As the evening light faded and someone—probably Eleanor—produced a bluetooth speaker playing something indie and melancholic, Veer found himself settling into the moment. The water was perfect, the company was chaotic but genuine, and for the first time since moving to Forks, he felt like maybe this wasn't just survivable but actually good.
Three vampires who were interested in him for reasons that transcended normal human romance.
A cousin who was processing everything with surprising grace and only mild sarcasm.
A secret hot spring in the middle of nowhere.
And the growing certainty that whatever happened next, it would at least be interesting.
"Beer?" Jessamyn offered, holding one out to him.
"Is this legal?" Veer asked, taking it anyway.
"Legality is a spectrum," Eleanor said.
"It's really not."
"Sure it is. On one end you have 'completely legal,' on the other you have 'definitely going to jail,' and in the middle you have 'probably fine if nobody asks too many questions.' We're in the middle."
"That's not how laws work!"
"It's how laws work if you're confident enough. Confidence is everything. The foundation of civilization."
Veer cracked open the beer, looked at the sunset filtering through the trees, and decided that Eleanor might actually have a point.
Whatever this was—whatever strange, complicated, supernatural thing he'd walked into—at least the view was incredible.
And the company, chaos and all, was even better.
---
Hey fellow fanfic enthusiasts!
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Whether you loved it, hated it, or have some constructive criticism, your feedback is super important to me. Feel free to drop a comment or send me a message with your thoughts. Can't wait to hear from you!
If you're passionate about fanfiction and love discussing stories, characters, and plot twists, then you're in the right place! I've created a Discord (HHHwRsB6wd) server dedicated to diving deep into the world of fanfiction, especially my own stories. Whether you're a reader, a writer, or just someone who enjoys a good tale, I welcome you to join us for lively discussions, feedback sessions, and maybe even some sneak peeks into upcoming chapters, along with artwork related to the stories. Let's nerd out together over our favorite fandoms and explore the endless possibilities of storytelling!
Can't wait to see you there!