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Chapter Text

"I never thought I'd be hunting with the supposed predator."

"Well I never thought the prey would make sarcastic comments when its predator's father has more than twenty years of experience in vampire hunting."

"I think you're forgetting that I have more than one hundred years of experience in being a vampire." 

The Parkes are not the average American family. They are monster hunters. They move from town to town trying to protect humans from the supernatural. When Mr. and Mrs. Parkes hear about Forks, Washington, the town which sees more rain than sun, they know it's the perfect destination.

Nevaeh Parkes, the girl who was raised learning about witches, werewolves, and ghouls, is met with the most popular family in Forks. The family with pale, ice cold skin, features which look as if they were carved out of marble, and eyes which range from gold to black. What would happen if the boy who avoids humans at all costs reveals his biggest secret?

Jasper Hale, the boy who has not been a 'vegetarian' for the better part of his immortality, is met with the girl who does not fear him nor his family. Instead she studies his every move, as if she is preparing a counterattack if needed. What would happen if she let down her defenses?

- - -
Nevaeh Parkes

Jasper Hale

Milo Parkes

Penelope Parkes

Jeffrey Parkes

Bella Swan

Edward Cullen

Emmett Cullen

Rosalie Cullen

Alice Cullen

-Forks students, other characters which will appear in the book, and the Quileute Tribe are cast as they appear in the movies. I do not own any of the  Twilight  characters, I only claim my original characters and plot points, otherwise it belongs to Stephanie Meyer-

Chapter Text

Welcome to Forks

The day my family arrived in Forks we were lucky enough to arrive on a rainy day. Fine, maybe it wasn't luck because it is always raining. The reason I used the word lucky is due to the fact that we were not lucky enough to avoid the routine questions from the moving company. They always ask silly questions. Like,

"Sir, why do you have a secret room in your house?"

"Why do you have so many glass bottles?"

My family's favorite question is when they question the labels on the boxes.

"Uh, Mrs. Parkes, where do you want us to put the 'ghoul/spirit' box?"

Apparently, the moving company was not aware we are monster hunters. Which means we move from town to town tracking down as many creatures as we can. Usually we move to big cities, like our last home in Houston, but my mother could not stay away from the town of Forks. The town which is rarely, if ever, free from dark clouds.

I already miss the warm sun which almost always shined, I miss the few friends I had made. How can I make friends at a school with less than four hundred people?

I walk into my new home, which somehow looks exactly the same as the previous one. Our family has few necessities. All we need is three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and an at-home gym with a secret room which can store all of our monster-hunting gear. Simple.

I had only taken a few steps into the front room, which doubled as an entrance to the kitchen and living room, when I felt a gush of wind to my right. That wind turned out to be my brother running past me towards the stairs.

"Race you upstairs, winner gets the bigger room!" Milo shouts at me, pausing in front of the stairs.

"Alright," I begin speaking as I walk to the stairs, stopping next to him. "Ready?"

"Set."

"Go!" I yell, pushing him out of the way, running up the stairs immediately.

"Hey!" he complains from behind me, somehow passing me.

I speed up, using the railing to help myself, I use his chest to push myself up the last stair. My toes just barely reaching the flat surface before Milo.

"I won!" I gloat victoriously. "Which room do I want, dear brother?"

He pouts next to me, "Don't get too happy, I let you win."

"Keep telling yourself that." I shrug, peering into the first room.

It's closest to the bathroom, but the view outside is the other houses surrounding our own. I walk past the next door as it is not a bedroom. Instead, it is a closet which contains the washing machine as well as the dryer. I pass it, walking to the next room, I know it is my room once I walk in.

The window is slightly larger, showcasing the small part of forest behind the new house. The walls are still white like the other ones in the house, but instead of a slight gray to offset the white a touch of purple has been added. I sigh in content, I know the rooms are the same size but the window opens up the room more than the other one. I turn around, closing the door as I exit.

"This one's mine!" I grin triumphantly at my brother, walking down the stairs so I can show the movers where I need my furniture.

"The rooms are the same size, Vae! Don't look too happy!" he calls after me, bounding down the stairs.

I walk back outside, putting up the hood on my rain jacket. I am immediately met with the angry eyes of the woman who raised me.

"Nevaeh Parkes, where have you been?" my mother, Penny Parkes, interrogates me.

"Sorry, I was looking for my room with Milo." I reply, gesturing to her son who stood behind me.

"You know the drill, show the movers." my mom waves me off.

"Hello." I shyly greet the mover closest to my bookcase.

"Guessing this is yours." he nods towards the bookcase. I simply nod. "Care to show me the way, miss?"

"Of course, follow me good sir!" I sarcastically reply, though it's the fun way, the way with no bitterness. I walk to the door, holding it open while he easily carries the surprisingly heavy bookcase. The rest of the way is silent as I show him to my room.

"Where do you want me to put it?"

"Could you put it in the left corner across from the window?" I answered him quickly, I already knew the layout of my room as it had been the same for the past two moves. "Please?"

He laughs at my quick addition, following my instructions. This continues until my room is fully decked out with all of my furniture and belongings, although they were in boxes.

"Thank you so much for putting up with me." I smile at him while I admire my new room.

"It was no problem, believe me there have been people who have asked me to put their dresser against the right wall, but it must be exactly three inches away so it will not scratch the paint." he laughs.

"Still, thank you." I repeat, laughing with him. I looked down and saw his tan arm outstretched towards me, waiting for a handshake.

"It was nice meeting you." he says, shaking my cold hand with his warm one.

"Well, technically we haven't met. Though I'm not against that!" I point out as he pulls his hand away. "I'm Nevaeh Parks."

"I'm Jared Cameron, now can I say it's nice to meet you?"

"It's nice to meet you too, Jared. Do you go to Forks High School by any chance?" I ask with hope clear in my voice.

"Sorry, but I go to school on the reservation near here, La Push." he answers, truthfully sounding sorry.

"Dang, now I'll truly be the new girl with no friends." I sigh dramatically.

"Hey! I'll be your friend, come by whenever you want, our beach is pretty nice!"

"You have a beach?" I repeat him, not quite believing his words.

"Right, you're new here, you probably think beaches are warm and have sand which reminds you of nice summer days. No, we have the kind of beach which matches Washington. Though I do promise you it's really nice!" Jared rambles, trying not to scare me away from his hometown.

"Jared!" a loud, voice booms from outside.

"Sorry, Nevaeh, but I have to go. Remember, you're welcome to come to La Push whenever you want!" he smiles, turning to leave my room.

"Bye!" I wave, still smiling as I watch him leave.

Chapter Text

New School, Same Routine

"Please, please, can I transfer to the school on the reservation, Mom?" I beg her once more, packing my bag in preparation for the long day ahead.

"Why would you want to go there? You met one person who goes there! Not to mention I suspect not only does Forks contain the supernatural, but La Push too." Mrs. Parkes rejects her daughter's request for a second time that day.

"And at Forks I don't know a single person, supernatural or not!"

"Honey, did we accidentally skip the lesson on how dangerous all monsters are, not just the specific creatures we focus on?" Mr. Parkes asks his wife, sitting down at the kitchen table.

I quickly answer before my mom can make a comment. "This whole family business of monster hunting really backfired on you guys. You didn't teach me to fear monsters, you taught me to fight them. As well I've learned not all monsters are 'bad,' like the witch I met."

"This argument is useless. You're going to Forks High School, along with your brother. No monsters." my father dismisses the new point brought up.

"Please, you think sending me to a school with Milo is going to keep me away from monsters? Milo's more dog than person, I think I'd be better off with werewolves."

"Hey! We talked about comparing your brother to things which aren't human! You cannot call him a rat, a dog, or a witch with a b! Both of you may act like animals, but I gave birth to two humans." Mrs. Parkes scolds.

"Are you sure we're still human, maybe Milo was cursed by an evil witch, or an extremely boring demon possessed me on a hunt."

"The demon would explain your attitude. Neither of you have been possessed, cursed, or turned by monsters! Now get to school!" she urges her daughter out of the house, proceeding to call for her son to leave as well.

"Gee, Mom, I'll miss you too." I roll my eyes.

I unlock my car, throwing my backpack in the backseat. A moment later my little brother bounds down the front steps, running to the car as if he expects I would leave without him.

"Come on, Vae, we gotta get there early! I have no idea where any of my classes are!" Milo attempts to speak through his labored breathing, somehow his speech sounded as comprehensible as usual.

"We only lived in Houston for two years, don't tell me you already forgot the routine of rotating around the country every six months! It's a nice day in March, the perfect way to enter during the middle of the semester!"

"No day is the perfect day to transfer at the beginning of March. We're the weird new kids."

"I hope you haven't forgotten this school is insanely small. We're probably the newest faces they've seen in a while. Which means we're the weirdest faces they've seen in a while." I tease.

"Just drive." he scoffs, learning back in the passenger seat.

:::

"Here are your schedules Mr. and Ms. Parkes. I trust you'll be able to locate your classrooms easily as the school is relatively small. If not there is a map attached, and I'm sure students will be ready and willing to help you find your way." the secretary at the main office explains.

"Thank you," I quickly glance at the nameplate above her desk. "Ms. Cope. Is there anything else we need or are we all set for our first day?"

"Just one more thing. I need each of you to ask each of your teachers to sign this little slip in order to ensure you make it to all of your classes alright. Just bring it back here at the end of the day."

"Alright, great! Thanks for all your help!" Milo grins, taking the slip from her hand and heading out of the room.

"Thank you, have a good day." I smile, taking the slip from her hand. I take a deep breath, trying to control my nerves. I look down at my schedule, spotting my locker number and combination. I opt to look for my locker in case I am not allowed to carry my backpack to class.

Everything seems easy enough, my locker is number fifty-two meaning it's somewhere to the right of the main office. I guess I was too focused on reading the numbers of the lockers because all I felt was a large crash as I ran into another student.

"Omigosh! I'm so sorry!" I yell automatically, falling to the floor, landing on my backside. Thankfully my papers stayed in my hand.

"Are you alright?" I hear a male voice ask from above me. I slowly nod, attempting to gather up enough energy in myself to get up off the floor. I look up to see his arm is outstretched towards me. I gratefully take it as he helps me up. "I'm Mike Newton."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Nevaeh Parkes." I introduce myself. I look back at the lockers, hoping I do not run into another person. Finally! My eyes land on the number fifty-two. I rush over to my locker, waiting to see if Mike has anything else to say.

"Of course you are! I thought you didn't look familiar. Your family just moved here, right? You have a brother going here too?"

"Yep. We moved in yesterday and my brother goes here too. His name is Milo, he's a sophomore." I fiddle with the lock, entering the new combination.

"Cool, cool." Mike comments awkwardly, watching me open my locker. I shove my backpack in my locker, noticing that he is carrying his books. I take out the items I need for Spanish and U.S. History then I close my locker.

"Do you know where Mrs. Goff's Spanish classroom is?" I ask him, hoping he is willing to show me to my first class at least.

"Yeah, it's in the next building over. I'll show you!" he smiles, leading the way towards the exit which would eventually lead to more classrooms. He opens the door, laughing as we're greeted by the pouring rain. "I hope you brought an umbrella with you." Mike comments as he opens his own umbrella over the two of us.

Chapter Text

The Girl Who Tried To Begin Light Introductions With A Boy Stiff As A Board

"Welcome to United States History, Ms. Parkes." Mr. Stevens sighs as he signs the slip of paper the secretary had given me. "I don't think you'll be needing to introduce yourself as news travels fast in this town, especially new faces. You can take a seat next to Mr. Hale."

I look around the classroom hoping for a raised hand or something of the sort, but instead I'm met with a sea of new faces, only a few sticking out from my Spanish class the prior hour. The teacher clears his throat, hoping to get the boy's attention.

"Jasper, raise your hand." the bulky boy sitting in front of him says. The blond haired boy robotically raises an arm, as if the action was still needed. I send a small smile to Mr. Stevens showing I know where to go, hoping he'll begin class as soon as I am seated.

I sit, glancing at the boy to see if he will make any movement to introduce himself. He sits stiffer than a board. His eyes set straight ahead, but they aren't exactly focusing on one thing. I clear my throat and turn in my seat to face him. In response, he does not turn towards me, the only thing I do notice is his determination to ignore my presence. It's not like I had said anything which could make him dislike me. I quickly smell my own shirt, scoffing as all I can smell is lavender. Nothing to warrant disgust. The only thing left which could 'excuse' his behavior is the fact his looks are similar to a god's compared to me, an average looking human. I just assumed, based upon my experience from the dozen schools I've been to, that no person is that shallow.

"Hi, um, excuse me. My name is Nevaeh Parkes, and you are?"

If it's possible he sits up straighter.

"Hey Jasper, want to switch seats? I think your stomach is bugging you." the large boy who had gotten Jasper's attention before says. I didn't even notice him get up but weirdly enough the boy is standing as if he's sure Jasper will agree immediately. He does. Jasper got up gracefully with a speed I did not know, switching with the boy. "Sorry, he hasn't been feeling good since this morning. I think the empty air of the spot next to me may help."

He's lying for my sake. But I'm not sure what the story behind the lie is. I'm not going to let it go, but the boy who covered for Jasper seems to ignore the weirdness, so I do too.

"It's all good. Nice to know he just doesn't hate me because I stink." I shrug. The boy laughs nervously, again I don't know where the sudden anxiety is coming from. "I'm Nevaeh Parkes."

"Emmett Cullen." he wears a large, goofy smile on his face as he holds out a hand to shake. I take it, slightly wincing at the combination of his unbelievably cold hand and tight grip.

"Alright, class! It is finally the day, one of my favorite days might I add, I finally get to talk about the Election of 1860! Who knows why this is important?" Mr. Stevens asks the class.

A girl in the front of the class is called on. "It is the election in which Abraham Lincoln was elected president, ultimately leading to the Civil War."

"Yes, Ms. Stanley! Now before speaking about the election we must talk about why each candidate is running!" the history teacher kickstarts his lecture excitedly.

:::

I sit in the average sized cafeteria of Forks High School, my lunch abandoned in my locker. My English class was only a hallway away from the lunchroom and I didn't exactly feel like getting lost and becoming unable to have enough time to eat. Anyway, I'm not hungry due to all the anxiety I have for the rest of my classes today filling me.

I sit alone, engrossed in the book I had kept with me this morning. I'm not exactly sure if I took some important group's table as I chose the first one I saw. I'm guessing that's a good guess as everyone steers away from it as if it has reserved written all over it.

I hear a set of trays being put on the table with their recognizable plastic clack. I look up and I am met with a pair of familiar golden irises, although I do not recognize the two owners.

"This is our table." the blonde simply states. I can already hear onlooking students gasp when they hear the blonde address me.

"Don't be callous, Rosalie. I'm sure she wasn't aware." the pixie-like brunette warns the other girl.

"I'm really sorry. I should've known it was taken when people avoided it. I didn't want to be a bother, sorry."

"I don't care why you were at the table, what I do care about is the fact you're still sitting here. Now go." she dismisses me. I can barely convince myself to look away from the pair, their perfection draws me in. I begin to close my book and stand up, in fear the blonde's glare alone may kill me. When I stand the large boy from my history class arrives at the table.

"Look who it is. Hi, Nevaeh!" Emmett greets me as he wraps his arms around Rosalie.

"Nevaeh?" the brunette repeats, talking more to herself than anyone else. She's looking at me as if she's putting a name to a face, as if she's seen me before.

"Hey, Emmett, I was just leaving." I smile awkwardly. He nods in understanding, lifting up his large hand to wave. I nod back, sending a small wave in return, ignoring the blonde who seems to hate me and the brunette who has not moved since she muttered my name.

I look around the cafeteria for anyone I could sit by without making another scene. I spot Mike Newton's sandy blond head of hair at a table, accompanied by a group of friends including the girl who answered every question in our history class. I walk over to the table, hoping they'll allow me to sit with them.

"Hey, Nevaeh!" Mike yells when I am within a few feet of the table, greeting me first.

"Hi! Can I sit with you and your friends?"

"Of course! Have a seat." he motions for the boy sitting next to him to move over, opening the seat next to Mike for me.

"Thanks." I quietly say taking the seat.

"No problem! I'm Eric Yorkie, and you are front-page news!"

"Please don't do this again!" a girl with glasses and a curly ponytail speaks up.

"I am definitely not, may I repeat the word not, 'front page news.'" I contradict him.

"Come on, she's the newest face we've had in months!"

"One! One month! Okay, let's make a rule, new students at Forks High School are not automatically news, they are all uncomfortable when you bring it up." the girl from my history class stops any oncoming arguments.

"That is perfect, thank you. I'm Nevaeh Parkes, by the way." I greet the rest of the group.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Angela Weber." the girl with the dark curly ponytail greets me with a soft smile.

"I'm Jessica Stanley!" the girl from my history class greets me with an all too large smile, I'm thankful she is sitting across the table as she would most likely hug me if I was closer.

"I'm Tyler Crowley." the boy sitting to the left of Mike leans in front of him to shake my hand. I slowly shake it, not used to the formality from a high school student.

The girl next to him rolls her eyes at Tyler's actions. "Lauren." she nods towards me.

"I'm Bella Swan." the brunette with pale skin, wrapped up in a tan jacket sitting by Jessica introduces herself.

"It's nice to meet all of you." I smile.

"Were you just talking with the Cullens?" Bella asks me. The rest of the table seems to sigh at the mention of the Cullens.

"Yeah, I accidentally sat at their table. Emmett and Alice seem nice enough, they at least greeted me," I sighed. "The blonde seems to hate me."

"What about the last two siblings?"

"There's more?"

"Edward and Jasper, except Jasper and Rosalie go by the last name of Hale. They were adopted together but the Cullens are all siblings. Their parents can't have kids, and their dad is a super rich doctor so they adopt kids." Jessica answers for Bella. I look back at the table I had been banished from and sure enough I see a bronze haired boy who is smirking as if he knows something I don't know.

Adopted? I sneak a look at the table and see the whole group of five. If Jessica hadn't filled me in on their stories I would have assumed they were all biological siblings. They had the same exact pale complexion with perfect features, the same golden eyes, and they all sat with abnormal, untouched amounts of food in front of them. The whole thing is unsettling. Not to mention each of their strange reactions to me, Emmett's kindness, Rosalie's coldness, Edward's smugness which somehow seemed directed at me though we have never talked, Alice's strange familiarity of me, and Jasper's determination to pretend I do not exist.

"I guess both the Hale siblings hate me. I don't know Edward." I shrug.

"Who cares about the Cullens? Let's get talking about the beach trip this weekend! Are you coming, Bella?" Mike changes the conversation.

"There are beaches around here? Sounds awful."

"It's actually kind of nice. You can swim, and sometimes you can see whales!" Angela comments.

"Hey, the beaches here are fun! Come to La Push, Bella!" Mike asks again.

"La Push, baby. It's La Push." Eric says, enunciating La Push.

"I'll come if you stop saying it that way." Bella laughs, causing the table to laugh along with her.

"You in, Nevaeh?" Tyler invites me.

"Sure," I reply, although I am very unsure. "When are we going?"

"Saturday, bring a surfboard." Jessica smiles.

"Sorry, I don't know how to surf." I reply, I notice Bella nodding in agreement.

"Don't worry, we can teach you guys." Mike offers at which I laugh.

"Sorry, but I am not going into freezing cold water only to fall. Tell me more about these whales, Angela."

Chapter Text

The Beach With Cold Water, Without the 'Cold Ones'

I watch the waves crash against the sandy shore, realizing Jared had been right, the beach in La Push was the complete opposite of every beach I had visited in my life. When I think back to the beaches in Texas I see the sun shining in the sky without clouds, bright blue waves crashing against the shore scattered with seashells, and people happily swimming in the water. The waves in front of me look gray like the overcast sky, not a speck of the sun shone through the cover of clouds, and it seemed as if Mike, Jessica, and Eric were questioning whether or not the cold water was worth surfing. Soon enough Jessica has convinced the guys to test the water and waves, but they pause seeing three boys headed our way.

"Bella!" a boy with tan skin and long black hair calls out her name. Bella simply nods towards him and his friends, the boys approaching our group.

"Guys, this is Jacob," she introduces, Angela and I each give him an awkward wave. "What are you doing here? Are you stalking me now?"

He throws an arm around her shoulder, "You're on my rez, Bella. You come here to surf?" Jacob smirks.

"Funny." she rolls her eyes.

"Keep her company, her date bailed." Jessica teases the girl.

"What date?" Eric asks, popping into the conversation out of nowhere.

"She invited Edward." she continues teasing Bella, causing the blush which has bloomed on the brunette's face.

"I was being polite!" Bella defends herself.

"It was nice that she invited him, no one ever invites the Cullens." Angela helps Bella's case.

"It's because Cullen's a freak." Mike grins, enjoying the topic of conversation. I roll my eyes as they don't even know the half of what's off about the Cullens. I look up, meeting the eyes of the boy next to Jacob, he looked older than the other guys, and the look in his eyes made it seem like he knows something I don't.

"You got that right." he laughs.

"You know them?" Bella pushes the topic.

"The Cullens don't come here." the same boy ends the conversation harshly. It seems as if everyone took this as their cue to continue their days, Jessica and the guys head down to the water, boards under their arms, Bella and Jacob are on their way to the tide pool, and I am here in the same spot with Angela and Jacob's friends.

I send Angela a look which she returns with a soft smile, she gets up from her seat in the van and we link arms, walking together as we head towards the beach. We stop walking once we are right on the shoreline, sea foam tickling our toes as the waves crash in front of us. It seems as if Eric has already given up his attempt at surfing in the freezing water.

Eric bends down on the ground picking up something, the action seeming casual, that is until he is sprinting towards Angela and me, some type of dead crustacean dangling from his fingers.

"Eric!" Angela screams, detaching her arm from my own, which I am thankful for. She runs in the opposite direction from Eric, who smiles and passes me up, following her as she continues to scream as loud as the first time.

I grin, watching the pair amused, I turn to go join Jacob and Bella as it seems their 'oh-so serious' conversation has ended. That is until I bump into Jacob's older friend, I really need to stop this before it becomes a habit. "Sorry," I mutter, looking up to meet his eyes. I shiver slightly as he holds that same look.

He steps to the side, moving so I don't have to walk around him. "It's fine." he mutters. I nod, looking towards Jacob and Bella, glad to see they are walking towards me. I meet them halfway, the three of us rejoining the original group.

All of my friends who had planned on surfing today had abandoned that plan as well as their surfboards, they all hung out on the shore together, away from the sand which felt almost frozen after the water had hit it. Mike, Jessica, and Tyler were all hanging out together, Jessica intermittently batting her eyelashes at Mike or laughing a little too much at one of his jokes. Angela, who had somehow convinced Eric to surrender, stood next to him as they talked about something for the newspaper.

I smiled to myself, sure, maybe this beach wasn't like the ones in Texas, but it wasn't like moving to Forks was horrible. I had made great friends, and mom's suspicions weren't wrong, the gray skies are perfect for the supernatural.

"Angela, Bella!" I yell to the girls. "Let's go take a look at those tide pools, or see if we can see a whale or two!"

Chapter Text

Port Angeles? More Like Port Demonios.

I rush down the stairs, backpack in hand, the other trying to pull a strap onto my shoulder. My mother had woken me up that morning saying I had to leave in ten minutes, my alarm somehow ignored thirty minutes earlier. So here I am, at the bottom of the stairs, trying to remember where I put my keys. I speed walk into the kitchen, taking a wild guess they were hanging on the hook where I usually put them, if not in my pocket.

"Where are you running off to?" my father calls from the breakfast table.

"School." I reply, exasperated as my keys are not on the hook.

"Looking for these?" my mother asks, my car keys dangling from her fingertips.

"Yes! Wait. Why aren't you guys rushing me? Why does Mom look smug?"

"Have some breakfast, honey, woke you up early. We haven't eaten together in ages."

"You tricked me into thinking I would be late?" I sigh, sitting in my usual chair, some cereal already poured in my bowl.

"You can't blame us for wanting to spend some quality time with our daughter can you?" my father questions, laughing at the stunt my mom had successfully pulled. I stay silent, holding out my hand for an article from this morning's paper. He hands me the cover story, which surprisingly takes my interest.

A man from Forks had been attacked by some sort of wild animal. The catch? His body was drained of blood. "Mom, Dad, what were you telling me about vampires a while ago? What are their eye colors?"

"Red, blood red. That is when they're newborns or they're feeding on humans. Otherwise if they choose a different diet their eyes may differ, such as vampires that feed on animals are said to have a golden color iris. We also told you about how they avoid the sun, not because they burn but they sparkle. As well their mannerisms are much different than most humans. They have heightened senses, sight, smell, hearing, all of them. They don't breathe or blink as often, because they have no need for it."

"Okay. I'll, um, I'll look out for that."

"What do you mean look out for that?" my mother asks.

"You didn't read the front page? A local was found, his body drained of blood. Unless I'm mistaken, he was obviously killed by a vampire. A vampire that could still be in the area."

"Nevaeh, don't worry about that, just go to school. I'm serious this time you may really be late." Mrs. Parkes gives me the car keys as soon as Milo runs down the stairs, in a similar manner to me that morning.

"Thanks for breakfast, Mom!" he shouts, grabbing a piece of toast while simultaneously leaning down and pulling on a sneaker. Milo looks up, seeing our family staring at him in confusion, the boy simply shrugs. "Come on, Vae, we gotta get to school!"

:::

Milo and I arrive with five minutes to spare until the first bell rings. I see Jessica soaking up as much sunlight as possible, attempting to get a tan with the little sun which chose to shine over Forks for once. I wave goodbye to my little brother, who is already jogging towards his own friends.

"Hey!" I greet my friends, taking a seat at the table across from Bella, who is looking around the parking lot.

Jessica smiles at me while Bella barely spares a glance at me.

"They're not here." Jessica bluntly tells her. Bella gives her a questioning look as if she has no idea what the other girl is referring to. "The Cullens aren't here. Whenever the weather is nice they're gone."

"They just skip?" I ask.

"No, Dr. and Mrs. Cullen pull them out and take them camping or whatever. I tried it on my parents and believe me, that did not work."

While Bella sighs, a look of disappointment on her face, I gasp. My brain finally connects the dots. All five siblings have the same golden eye color, but they do not have anything genetically in common, besides the same pale skin and accompanied beauty that is seemingly unattainable for humans. It seems as if Jasper never breathes whenever he is around me. Emmett's hand was impossibly cold when I shook it because it's not like he has blood. All five siblings are most likely pulled out of school so no one will be able to see their skin sparkling like diamonds. The Cullens are vampires. I go to school with five vampires. The only thing that comforts me is the fact their irises show they are the vegans of the vampire world.

Before Jessica can continue or Bella can react, Angela excitedly approaches us. "I'm going to prom with Eric! I did it! I took control, and asked him to prom!" she hugs Bella, "Do you have to go out of town?"

Bella looks down, nodding her hand, about to say her excuse when Jessica speaks up, more excited than Angela. "We need to go dress shopping! We should go to Port Angeles before all the good dresses are gone!"

Angela nods in agreement, the two girls look at Bella and me. "I'm in." I smile.

"Port Angeles?" Bella repeats, the two girls nodding. "Can I come?"

"Yes! You need to help us pick out our dresses!"

:::

Jessica swerved her car into the parking spot closest to the dress shop. The girls lurching forward as she shifts the gear into park. The driver hurries out of the vehicle, yanking her key out of the ignition, barely sparing oncoming traffic a glance.

"Jessica! I get that you wanted to get here before all the good dresses are gone, but those few seconds you saved driving would not have been the seconds another girl bought your dress!" I groan, unbuckling my seatbelt and getting out of the backseat, thankful my door is next to the sidewalk. Bella follows suit scooching her way out of the backseat to exit on my side, and Angela nods in agreement, already out of the car.

"Whatever, Mom." the girl in question rolls her eyes, walking in the direction of the dress shop, completely ignoring my statement on her reckless driving.

We enter the dress shop together, Jessica and Angela immediately rushing towards the formal gowns. I laugh at their excitement, walking towards the same section at a slower pace. Bella walks by my side, most likely not thrilled to watch us try on dresses for the next hour or so.

"You sure you don't want to try on a couple of dresses? Just in case your plans fall through?" I asked the brunette, we had reached the racks of dresses and I sift through the many options.

"I'm good, I'll probably just hang out by the dressing rooms as soon as you guys find some options. And I don't even want to consider them falling through." she rejects my plan.

"Come on! Just one dress! It doesn't even need to be for the dance!" I push, we reach Angela and Jessica, the two girls picking up on our conversation. The two ready to try and get Bella to join in on trying on dresses.

"No thanks," Bella politely rejects me one more time, and I don't push the subject again. "I think I'm going to sit by the dressing rooms, I brought a really good book with me." she smiles, nodding her head towards the small sitting area outside the changing rooms.

Soon enough Angela, Jessica, and I had a good range of options and we made our way over to Bella.

"Are you ready for the best fashion show of your life?" I ask her, attempting to pull the girl into the conversation, though she seemed more interested in the blank wall. I brush it off and walk into the changing room.

We try on most of our options, showing them off to Bella, only to get dry, similar responses every time. This time I am trying on the one I'm relatively most excited for, an olive green strapless dress, a sweetheart neckline and a skirt which reaches the floor.

I exit the changing room at the same time as my friends. Jessica immediately jumps into her own review of the dress, commenting on how it compliments her cleavage. Angela looks at herself in the mirror, inspecting every aspect of the dress, obviously happy with her pick. I shrug, the design looking simpler than I had imagined.

A group of guys look into the store window, precisely placed right by the dressing rooms, ogling at Jessica's low-cut dress. I roll my eyes, focusing my death stare out the window, hoping it encourages them to keep walking. Jessica's focus had shifted to the rude guys outside, she blushes slightly covering up, but soon turns her attention towards Bella.

"What do you think?" she asks, twirling playfully in front of us.

"It's great." Bella replies, absent of any emotion.

"You've said that about every dress." Jessica bluntly replies, looking back in the mirror and adjusting her dress.

"This really isn't your thing, is it?" Angela asks.

Bella shakes her head no, turning her attention to the paper in her hand. "There's actually this really cool bookstore I want to check out. Maybe I could go check it out while you guys pick out your dresses. We could meet back up at the restaurant." she offers.

"You sure?" Angela double checks, only to be met with a simple nod of the head by Bella.

"Wait up, Bella, I'll go with you to the bookstore!" I call out, rushing back into the changing room before she can push me away. I quickly change out of the dress into my regular clothes. I get out and stand next to Bella, turning and waving to Jessica and Angela, "We'll see you guys later!"

Bella looks down at her map, navigating the way for us in silence. We walk down the relatively quiet streets of Port Angeles until we are met with a small bookstore. I silently wonder how Bella even discovered the place.

She enters the bookstore, shyly smiling at who I presume to be the owner, before walking to the nearest bookshelf. I follow in suit, unaware of what she's looking for, but I stay quiet, not wanting to break the peaceful stillness of the shop. Shelves later Bella triumphantly pulls out a book from the shelf, immediately going towards the checkout desk to pay.

We exit the shop together and I finally speak up, "What book did you get?"

Bella suddenly stops thumbing through the pages of her book, looking up at me obviously startled. "It's just a book on the Quileute tribe legends." she shrugs, shoving it into her bag. She looks up quickly but averts her eyes and speaks quickly. "I think I know a shortcut, follow me." she turns the conversation away from her book and the change in direction worries as I'm sure neither of us know our way around the tourist town.

(TW: assault? It's the scene with the guys from the dress shop, she fights back a bit but I promise nothing physically happens to Nevaeh and Bella, but please skip if this makes you uncomfortable!)

I follow her through the different turns, we eventually end up in some sort of back parking lot for a random business in Port Angeles, the route we were on was truly no better than a back alley. My gut feeling gets worse and worse as the sun begins to set and I keep hearing the same footsteps behind us. I quickly look behind me and I'm met with the guys who were looking in the window when we were dress shopping at the boutique. I look at Bella and it seems as if we're on the same page, taking the nearest turn and hoping there's some sort of civilization who could help us.

Only at the next turn is the rest of the group of guys. They had trapped us. I quickly put myself in front of Bella, attempting to shield her from the men as much as possible. The guys close in, alcohol wafting off of their clothing and breaths. They joke around, throwing a can of beer to each other like it's some sort of game. Bella attempts to take a defensive stance, her bag in front of her as the boy comes closer.

"We just want to have a little fun." he smirks, stepping in front of Bella.

"Don't touch me!" Bella yells at him, gripping her bag tighter. I finally take my eyes off the scene, and look in front of me, a pair of eyes already looking at me.

"Get away from me." I grunt through my teeth.

"Woah, calm down, sweetheart." the guy in front of me grins.

"If you want me to calm down then take a step back, no, better yet, run." I grimace, trying to scare them off rather than using violence. Though it's obviously not of much use as a five foot three teenage girl doesn't scare many men. Instead of heeding my warning, he takes a step closer to me, so close I'm able to feel his breath fanning on my face. I laugh, ignoring the discomfort weighing on my heart, "Alright, this is your last chance, take a step back, or else."

"Or else what?" he challenges me. I really wish I had my pepper spray or something other than the small utility knife in my boot.

"Well I was hoping you wouldn't have to find out." I say with fake sympathy, reaching into my boot, only to feel the swiss army knife I keep in there, immediately pulling out a blade. I knee the one in front of me in the groin, thankful that he immediately falls.

The next man closest to me grabs my waist as he sees I'm distracted by the one who is still on the ground. He covers my mouth as soon as I let out a scream. I should know by now no one is around to save us. I wiggle my arm out of his grasp, bringing my fist up and punching his nose as hard as I can. He immediately backs away due to the pain. I can't see much in the dark as he leans down but I really hope it's broken. I soon realize the other two guys are focused on Bella and I turn towards her.

Bella stands next to me, frozen in place, but I pull her behind me. I remain focused on the men who refuse to leave us alone. "I would really recommend stepping away." I warn them, a sickly sweet smile adorning my face, clear to him as headlights flash onto my face.

The men immediately rush backwards as the car almost hits them, a larger scene unfolds. The car screeches to a halt, its passenger side door flies open and Edward jumps out the driver's side. "Get in." he all but growls.

Bella snaps out of her stillness provided by the fear, hopping into the passenger seat. I run towards his car as well, flinging the door to the backseat open. I close my blade shoving it back into my boot, silent as Edward gets into the driver's seat again.

"What the? H-how did, how did you find me?" Bella asks him, her fear is still evident in her voice but she somehow seems calm around Edward who looks erratic to me. The way his fists gripped the steering wheel, and the way he jerked between lanes, going much faster than the posted speed limit.

He completely ignores her questions, focusing on sharing his own inner monologue. "I should go back there and rip their heads off."

Bella's eyes widen in fear, my own widening along with hers. While I'm as happy as the next girl when creeps get what they deserve, I sure as heck do not feel safe in a car with a vampire who wants to begin a murder spree. "No, you shouldn't. That is a very bad idea." she tries to take his attention away from his current train of thought.

"You don't know what repulsive, sickening things they were thinking." he speaks through gritted teeth.

"And you do?"

(Back to tourist Port Angeles!)

I stay quiet in the backseat, trying to ignore the argument between the two in the front seats. I look out the window at the speeding treeline, trying to ignore the racing of my heart and my thoughts which yelled at me to jump out of the car. Finally, my prayers are answered as Edward pulls up the restaurant Angela had chosen.

We walk up to the front of the restaurant, Jessica and Angela waiting outside for us, a look of relief washes over their faces.

"Where were you guys? We left you both messages!" Angela exclaims, worry taking over her face again.

"Sorry, sorry, my phone must have been off." I answer, giving her a quick hug.

I look to my side and see Bella, Edward standing awkwardly behind her.

"We tried to wait for you guys, but you weren't replying, and we were starving so we already ate." Jessica smiles a little guiltily. She looks up, seeing Edward with Bella, a real grin stretches across her face.

"I'm sorry I kept them from dinner, it's just that I ran into Bella and we immediately got into a conversation." he charms them.

"It's no problem, we were just leaving." Jessica nods her head towards her car. We walk towards her car but Edward abruptly calls out.

"I should really make sure Bella gets something to eat!"

Bella turns towards him, a surprised look on her face.

"I mean, that is, if you'd like. I could drive you home myself." he lightly smirks to himself due to Bella's shocked nature.

Angela and Jessica share a grin similar to Chesire cat's. "That's really thoughtful!" Angela nudges Bella towards Edward.

I turn towards the girl and pull her into a hug, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Stay safe." I nod, not only to acknowledge what had just happened when we attempted to walk to the restaurant together, but due to my own fear of the boy who would be taking her home.

"Actually, Nevaeh, can I talk to you real quick?" he asks me.

I look back as Jessica and Angela who are smiling politely, nodding their heads for me to go towards Edward. "Wait for me," I whisper. "Sure." I walk towards him, my arms crossed as I try to put up some sort of guard.

He speaks softly and quietly, as if trying to show in his tone he means no threat to me by his words. "I know about you, and I know about your family. That you're well versed in the supernatural. Meaning you know what I am, and you know what my family is. I also know you have concluded we do not feed on humans, and yes you're correct. All I want to know is whether or not you are going to tell anyone."

I ignore the fact he knows about my family being monster-hunters, it's not like Milo or I advertised it, and focus on the more pressing matter. I was right and I know the Cullen's secret. "And what? Become the 'Girl Who Cried Vampire?' No, Edward, I'm not going to go around telling people about what you are." I scoff, turning away from him, but his hand captures my wrist making me stay.

"Thank you, I owe you one."

I huff, knowing the proposed favor would most likely do me no good in the future. "Okay," I answer, attempting to keep some sort of peace. "Just keep Bella safe, got it?"

He nods, a small smile on his face, as if my behavior amuses him. I turn back towards Jessica and Angela, "Alright, ladies! Let's get home, we don't want those dresses to get wrinkled in the backseat!" I joke around as I hop into the warm car, leaving my friend alone with the self-professed vampire.

Chapter Text

House of Vampires

Walking into a classroom and sitting at a desk with two vampires in the seats nearest to me was not my ideal Monday morning, but you know what they say, 'you can't always get what you want.' I take my regular seat and see that Jasper is now sitting in the one next to me rather than Emmett. It's odd to see the boy I was supposed to sit with a little over a week ago in his usual seat. Instead of the usual chit-chat in the morning I have with Emmett, I sit up straight, staring ahead towards the blackboard. This time, it's Jasper who has to speak up first.

"Hi." he starts quietly, as if he's waiting for some kind of response from me. Like the average person when spoken to, I turn towards him. "I'm Jasper Hale." he gives me a dazzling smile.

I hate it but even though he's been an unresponsive jerk the whole time I've known him, I have to admit he is charming. And handsome. And though it goes against every bone in my body he intrigues me. I really need to get a grip.

"Nevaeh Parkes." I nod, trying to act as cooly towards him as Rosalie had towards me. She was my only reference when it came to cold introductions as everyone else I've met at this school other than the Hale twins have been oddly friendly.

He only laughs, as if he can see I'm putting up an act. It's a beautiful sound and though I actively did nothing to cause him to laugh I feel proud that I caused it. He only holds out a hand for me to shake. I looked down at his hand, suspicious, for over a week the boy had pretended I did not exist, but as if overnight he's now acting like he's wanted to be my friend for the longest time. I ignore his hand, the stubborn part of my head which tells me to act just as frigidly toward him as he did the past week overruling my heart which wanted to make him smile and laugh again.

Within the next few awkward seconds Mr. Stevens becomes my savior, his small introduction to today's class saves me from my own thoughts. Sadly his words do not reflect my hopes.

"Okay, class, we are reaching the end of our unit on the Civil War, and of course I have not been able to teach you everything about this grand time in United States history. Which is why I am assigning a project, I have a big list of topics we did not cover," he motions to the list of fifteen or so topics written on the board. "What I need you to do is pick a partner and a topic, put together some information and turn it in by Thursday."

I look around the classroom to see students running to meet their friends and rush to Mr. Stevens' desk in order to get the easiest topic. I release a sigh realizing I don't know anyone in this class apart from Emmett and Jasper.

"Want to work together?" Emmett turns to me, knowing my only other options were working alone or with Jasper.

"Sure." I answer, forcing a smile on my face, I look towards the board noticing there are only two topics left, The Battle of Chancellorsville and what Mr. Stevens' referred to as 'The South's Plans.' "I don't know about you but I'd much rather research a battle rather than what the Confederate planned to do if they won the war."

"Sounds good to me. You want to join our group, Jasper?" he cheekily grins at the boy in question.

He clears his throat before speaking, "I work better on my own." his reply short, Emmett's words bothering him as if they had more meaning than a boring school project.

Emmett and I both shrug, heading towards Mr. Stevens' desk, thankful Jasper had not taken the topic I prefer. As soon as it had started our conversation about our project was over and we were back at our desks. I opened up my textbook and took out a notebook, hoping I would be able to get my part of the project over with.

"So, do you want to come over to my house?"

"What?" I exclaim, nearly jumping out of my seat, not only due to the surprise of our silence being broken but the question itself. Okay, hear me out, I believe the Cullens don't want to kill me but can you blame me for being scared? For seventeen years I was raised being told that vampires are predators who want to suck your blood, and based upon how I was raised going to a house full of vampires is not my idea of the perfect night.

"To work on the project, do you want to come over to my house tonight?"

"No, thank you."

"You want me to go over to your house?" he cheekily reverses the roles of his last question.

"No!" I almost shout, covering my mouth surprised by my automatic response. Again, my parents are monster-hunters, one of my parents would have tried to kill Emmett as soon as he stepped on the property. Just like I don't want the Cullens to kill me, I don't want to kill them. "I mean, it's just that my parents are really strict about having people over. Plus, I really doubt we'll need time outside of class to work on it, tomorrow will probably be a work day."

"Remember, your study guides for this unit are due tomorrow and we will be reviewing together for the test during class tomorrow." Mr. Stevens called out to the class as soon as I had finished speaking. It was as if the universe was working against me.

"Well, I don't know about you but our project will certainly be better if we are actually able to see what the other is working on, and I'd like to finish it early." Emmett smiles at Mr. Stevens' announcement.

"Your house, I guess." I grumble.

:::

The day has finally come to an end without much disappointment, other than my after school activity constantly looming over me, worsening my mood considerably. Once I walked out the front doors of the school I felt my cell phone vibrate twice. I huff, doing a small shuffle as I moved my bag to reach into my pocket.

Milo-  I heard about your plans with the Cullens ;D You can take the car, my friend Aaron is giving me a ride home.

I roll my eyes and send him a quick thanks and a little 'don't tell mom and dad who I'm with,' choosing to ignore the fact I had partnered with Emmett on a school project was gossip at this school.

(360)360-3600-  Hey, this is Emmett, you can come over right away after school. If you need a ride just text me, but my address is 3333 NW Quimby St., Forks, WA.

I quickly get into my small Honda Civic, throwing my backpack on the passenger seat. I start my car, punching the address he had sent me into my GPS, I scrunch my nose looking at its surroundings. While my house has multiple streets around it leading into the city, the Cullens' house was off of one long road, essentially in the middle of nowhere. Sure, I'm not surprised but I'd be a little more comfortable if I knew where I'm going.

The drive felt longer than it had actually taken. It was most likely fifteen minutes away from the school, but the drive was so repetitive it had felt like an hour. I park in the gigantic driveway which leads to the front door, curiously peeking up at the house. It was very different from what I had expected, I pictured a dark design, maybe cool black brick and a moat of blood, okay yes I know I'm just being ridiculous. But I certainly had not pictured an open-concept modern home, windows everywhere letting as much light as possible shine in, showing the vampires which lived their lives peacefully in the home.

I pick up my backpack and slam my car door, locking it soon after, hoping my loud noises would announce my presence and I would not need to wait awkwardly on their doorstep. Thankfully, my plan had worked and by the time I had gone to knock on the door Alice was already opening it.

"Nevaeh! You're finally here," she pulls me into the house. "Was the drive rough? I know sometimes our house can be a little hard to find. Emmett!" she yells for her adoptive brother.

"It was alright, thankfully your address was on my GPS map otherwise I never would have made it here." I smile, awkwardly answering her questions, my anxiety high.

I hear a pounding in the distance and soon enough Emmett is in front of me, the blonde following close behind. "Hey, Nevaeh! Are you ready to get started? I'm sure we don't have much left, maybe like an hour's worth of work." he greets me, leading me into their living room, which is just as beautiful as the rest of the house.

Alice and Rosalie follow us into the living room, Alice must notice me looking around in awe because she says, "Our mom Esme designed the house, she has a real talent for interior decorating." But all she's met with is a small nod from me and a scoff from Rosalie, who looks at me once and walks away. "Well, I'll talk to you later, Nevaeh." Alice smiles, turning to chase after her adoptive sister.

"Well, let's get started." Emmett pulls out his textbook, immediately breaking whatever tension had been in the room previously.

:::

We were almost done with our project, about an hour and a half in because we're both horrible at not procrastinating. The only thing left was how this battle had affected the Confederate Army, that's when the man who had chosen to do his project on the South came into the room.

"Jasper! Come help us with the last part of our project!" Emmett asks, only to be met with a firm shake of the head. "Come on, you're always talking about how interesting the South is to you, all those soldiers! Who's that one soldier you find so interesting? The youngest major in the Confederate Army, Jasper Whitlock, was it?"

With a piercing glare Jasper walks to the living room, joining us around the coffee table reviewing what work we had already finished. He took the pencil from Emmett's hand, writing a small paragraph on the topic. "Is that good enough?" he keeps the question short and concise, pushing the paragraph towards him. Emmett quickly nods, a goofy grin spreading over his face.

"It's great, thanks for finishing our project, you're the best." he gloats, feeling like he had 'won' by annoying Jasper.

"You guys are done?" Alice pokes her head into the room. Both of the boys nod, used to Alice's fast actions. "Want to hang out for a little bit?"

"Sure." I reply quietly, my voice coming out hoarse from my lack of speaking around them. I get up and follow Alice wherever she is leading me. We're soon standing on a balcony, looking out at the wooded area around the house and the stars which have started to shine throughout the night sky.

"I'm going to say some things, and I need you to promise me you won't deny it, cut me off, or ignore it due to your fear, got it?" Alice asks, turning to me so we are face to face.

"Got it?" I answer, though it's a question as there are so many different directions this could go.

"I know what you and your family are. You guys are monster-hunters. Which means, you're not only aware of the supernatural but how to protect yourself. I also know you are aware that my family and I are vampires, not only because you put two and two together, but my brother stupidly confirmed it for you. Now for your secrecy you do not only deserve an empty favor from Edward, but you deserve to know what we are."

"I know, I know, you're 'vegetarians,' you don't hurt humans." I shrug, wanting to run away.

"We would never hurt a human. But vampires are not simply 'bloodsuckers' who are untouchable. Yes, it's very difficult for someone who is not supernatural to hurt us, but some of us have gifts, that's where we get to my family. Let's begin with our adoptive father, Carlisle. He saved all of us, he would never turn someone who did not need it, someone who was near death. He doesn't have a special gift persay, but he has exceptional control around blood, to the point he is an amazing doctor. Our mother Esme does not have a 'gift' either, but she has these amazing maternal instincts, and she truly knows what it is to care for others. I'm sure you've noticed how ridiculously strong Emmett is, while it's not a gift, he is much stronger than most vampires who have passed the newborn stage. Likewise, Rosalie is gorgeous, there is no question about it, but that's simply a gift of genetics which was enhanced when she became a vampire. It's not some special gift, but even in vampire terms she is exceptionally pretty. Now let's get into the good stuff. I have a gift, in the simplest terms I can see the future. The future is a tricky thing, it is constantly changing but it does give me an upperhand. Such as why I'm telling you this, I was able to see that you would be around longer than the day your history class with Emmett and Jasper ends. Edward is able to read minds, yes everyone's mind meaning he can read mine and yours. It's very intrusive but he cannot help it, and at least he rarely uses it against you. Last but not least is Jasper, your mate. He has pathokinesis, meaning he is able to feel others emotions as well as control them. And that's our family." Alice slowly explains, looking for my reactions here and there, making sure I wasn't out of it. (A/N: Sorry for the long paragraph but I can't just throw her into a story and have her automatically know their powers and dynamics. Also I threw in the whole mate thing because we know Alice cannot keep in secrets too long and Nevaeh is too scared and tired to ask).

I nod showing I understood her. "That was a, uh, lot. Thank you for trusting me with this information?"

"Wow, you look really tired. Do you want something to eat before you go home?" Alice speaks loudly, attempting to cover the screaming I could now hear coming from inside the house as I was finally paying attention.

"Why is Alice spilling our family secrets?" Edward's voice demands loudly, his words carrying outside to where we sat.

"Nevaeh figured out we're vampires. Based upon her visions, Alice thinks Nevaeh should know the whole story." Jasper answers.

"What do you mean she knows what we are?" a voice that I can only guess belongs to Rosalie shouts.

"She figured it out on her own, it's not like it's that hard with her background!" Edward replies coolly.

"And what exactly is that 'background?'" she sarcastically asks in the same loud voice.

"She and her family are monster-hunters." Edward answers.

"Monster-hunters?" Emmett repeats as more of a question.

"You told a monster-hunter what we are? How stupid can you be! Why don't you go run around and tell everyone you know that 'Hey, the Cullens are vampires!'"

"Everybody calm down." a calm yet commanding voice speaks, it's feminine so I assume it's Esme. "She promised to keep our secret, she has known for at least a week, I doubt she'll reveal it to the world. There is no reason to hate her." The last part is meant for Rosalie more than anyone else.

"In fact, her background may help us. She has a completely different perspective on vampires and finding them, meaning she may be able to help us find these newcomers in our area." Carlisle says.

"You mean there are more vampires?" my voice is weak as I announce my presence in the room.

"The animal attacks I'm sure you've seen the newspaper, I think you can guess what is really behind them. I promise you it's not us, which can only mean there are other vampires in Forks, and they do not share the same diet."

I nod, choking back the fearful answer which attempted to rise in my throat. I walk over to the living room table and grab my backpack. "Alright, well I'm gonna head out." I wave at them, heading towards the door. I expect them all to stay frozen in their spots before continuing the conversation without me but I hear footsteps behind me.

"Are you sure you don't want something to eat, dear?" Esme asks me, her voice soft as if she's speaking to a baby animal.

"I don't want to cause you any trouble." I protest. After tonight I know the Cullens are no threat to me or family, but that doesn't mean I want to interrupt their lives. Especially when Rosalie and Jasper are clear about their distaste for me.

Esme laughs in response, "I don't get the chance to cook often, I would love to get an excuse to use the kitchen." Her tone is so nurturing I really have no chance but to follow her into the kitchen. I've known her for five minutes and I already feel as if she cares about me.

I take a seat in the kitchen, watching as she pulls out ingredients, when Jasper sits next to me. "I know, I get it, I'm a threat to you all, but you could get rid of me immediately! I won't tell!" I huff. I know he tried to be nice to me this morning, but there's something about his presence which throws me off. As if our mere existences challenge one another.

"As compelling as that sounds, and I believe you for the record, that's not what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to tell you that you could really help us out with this whole 'other vampires' thing." he speaks honestly, intriguing me. I'm sure Esme can hear our conversation but she doesn't say anything or give anything away.

"What do you mean?"

"Carlisle was right, you are a hunter, maybe you can help us hunt the nomads. See who they are and how long they'll be here."

The amount of information I had learned tonight, not only about the Cullens but the Civil War as well, pounded through my head, stopping any answer from coming through. "I'll think about it." I smirk, knowing an indefinite answer would most likely bother him. He nods.

We stay sitting there in silence. It's not exactly uncomfortable, while every second with him seemed as if it stretched out this morning, now I feel relaxed in his presence. That's when I realize it.

"Are you using your gift on me?" I blurt out, causing both Jasper and Esme to chuckle.

"Yeah," he simply answers. "How did you know?"

"I'm sure you could quite literally hear my heart beating out of my chest this morning." I laugh. "Now I feel more relaxed around you and while Esme is wonderful I'm not sure if her presence is quite that strong."

"Do you want me to stop using my gift?" he turns to look at me, something in his eyes drawing me in. "Or will you run out of this house and waste the food Esme made just for you."

Once he finishes speaking Esme puts a sandwich, which looks as if it came straight out of a cookbook or commercial, in front of me.

"Thank you," I smile at her.

"Tell me if you need anything else." She leaves me and Jasper alone in the kitchen, giving her son a smug look.

"I really would like it if you stopped using your gift, it's unfair."

"What do you mean 'unfair?'"

"Not only are you a vampire so you're stronger, faster, and have better senses than me, but you can manipulate my emotions! I'm just a human, it's unfair." I shrug.

"I apologize that you think it's unfair but I feel the need to calm you down."

"Calm me down?"

"Whenever I read your emotions it's always confusing. You rarely if ever feel one thing, no emotion besides your curiosity stands out. I guess that I just want you to feel calm, even if it's just around me." he explains. "I'll stop if you want me to."

"I guess you're right and I can see how that can be annoying," I pause, taking a bite of the sandwich for dramatic effect.. "But please do stop. I have a feeling I'm going to stick around here so you'll have to get used to me."

"That's where you're wrong, I am already used to you."

"No!" I immediately exclaim. "You are not used to me! For the last week you ignored me, now you're talking to me? That is not 'used to me!'"

"Again, you're wrong," he smirks, as if my behavior amuses him. "I'm the newest 'vegetarian' in my family, now believe me I don't mean to scare you, but I could have drained you by now if I wasn't used to you. I'm sorry I was acting so cold to you but you're different." He doesn't continue his sentence much to my annoyance.

"Different?" I scoff.

"Alice hasn't told you?"

"No."

"Let's keep it that way. Let's just say your emotions stand out more than others. As if they're louder so they mean more to me. As for the whole ignoring you earlier, I was confused due to the fact your emotions stick out more, I didn't want to get you involved in all of this so I ignored you. After last night Edward told me you already know about vampires."

"So you're no longer ignoring me because I know you're a vampire. Meaning you would have continued to be rude towards me if I didn't know?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Yes." he quietly responds as if he's not too proud.

The conversation has now become awkward as my sandwich is gone and Jasper knows the reason for my resentment.

"I should go home." I quietly announce.

"I'll walk you out." Jasper nods, as if he doesn't want me to leave yet but it's not like we have much else to discuss.

Alice runs down the stairs, a blur to my eyes, and comes into the kitchen. "You're leaving already?"

I only nod in response, walking into the living room to grab my bag. Emmett is sitting there on the couch, Rosalie next to me, the couple is silent although Emmett waves and Rosalie manages a smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow." she smiles, standing in the kitchen while Jasper is already holding the front door open for me.

"Okay," I pause, weirded out by Alice's sudden presence and the way it feels like Jasper is two steps ahead of me. "Good night."

I walk out of the door, Jasper closing it behind me and once I blink he's already standing next to my car. "Usually when people say they'll 'walk you out' they, you know, walk." He laughs.

I unlock my car and he opens the door for me, I awkwardly slide into the driver's seat, not used to this treatment. "Good night, Nevaeh." he smiles, shutting the door for me.

I buckle my seatbelt, trying to push all of the questions he's caused to the back of my head. "Good night, Jasper." I reply, knowing he can hear me even though the door is closed. I turn the key and I don't wait for the car to warm up. Instead I slowly back out of the driveway, watching as his figure slowly retreats into the house.

Chapter Text

Guess the Family of Vampires is Out of the Bag

It was the usual morning routine, I rushed so I would be able to eat before I go to school. My dad sat in his chair reading the morning paper, my mom was running around packing her lunch for work, and Milo was still getting ready. I poured myself a bowl of cereal and grabbed a mug, pouring some cream and coffee into it as I took my own seat at the table. That's when the doorbell rings.

My mom stops her frantic packing and heads towards the door. She was most likely expecting it to be one of Milo's friends, or someone from the neighborhood just checking up on us. A peppy vampire was most likely one of her last expectations.

"Hi, Mrs. Parkes! I'm Alice, one of Nevaeh's friends. Is she here right now?" she chirps, her voice exceptionally melodic. I'm sure my parents can already tell she's a vampire.

"Nevaeh!" my mom's voice booms. I gulp down as much coffee as I could, knowing I would need as much energy as possible if this is just the start of my day.

I walk over to the door, hoping my mother who had known about the supernatural for more than two decades would not notice her abnormal features. "Yeah, Mom?" I ask, once I'm in the front hallway.

"Nevaeh! Hey, I was wondering if you wanted a ride to school with me?" Alice smiles, and at that moment Milo comes bounding down the stairs.

"That's very nice of you Alice, but Nevaeh usually drives her brother to school." my mom answers for me with a tight smile.

"No, Vae, please ride with her! I have my own license, Mom." Milo begs, stopping in his tracks once he hears her words.

"Milo has practice tonight, I'm sure his friends are tired of driving him around. It's just one day." I try to convince her, knowing how disappointed he would be if I don't at least try and change our mom's mind. Even if it meant I'd be in more trouble once I get home.

"Fine, Milo, you can drive yourself to school, and Nevaeh can go to school with Alice. Nevaeh, your father and I will be having a talk with you once you get home tonight." she directs us, walking back to the kitchen, without any type of goodbye to Alice, only confirming my suspicions that she does in fact know Alice is a vampire.

"I'll be in the car." Alice tells me, giving Milo a quick nod before she runs down my driveway back to her car. I walk back into the kitchen, grabbing my bag and house keys.

"Nevaeh, I know that I raised you right, which means you know what she is. Am I right?" My mom is leaning against the kitchen counter, her arms crossed, but her eyes worried.

"Yes, all of the Cullens are vampires-" I begin to speak.

"You were hanging out with vampires!" my brother exclaims.

"You are knowingly hanging out with people who could kill you in a split second?" my dad questions.

"Milo! You weren't able to tell that they're vampires from the second you met them? And, yes, Dad, I am hanging out with the Cullens because they don't kill humans, that's what I was trying to tell you. They prey on animals. What we've been seeing in the news has been other vampires passing through the areas, last night I was at their house and Carlisle had this idea, that maybe we could help them find who these vampires are, see if they plan on staying in Forks." I explain.

"We'll talk more about this when you get home." my mom sighs.

I nod, a lump forming in my throat. I make sure I have everything and leave through the front door. It's not only Alice I'm able to see in the car, but Jasper is sitting in the driver's seat. I walk around to the backseat, throwing my bag in before I sit down and buckle up.

"Sorry for making you wait, my mom kind of figured out what you guys are." I mutter.

"She's pissed." Jasper laughs from his spot in the front, he pulls out of my driveway, speeding down the road.

"Really, because I couldn't tell on my own, Mr. Pathokinesis." I roll my eyes.

"She just cares about you, every vampire she's read about is a killer, she doesn't know about vampires like us. It's going to be okay, in fact she's going to bond with you over this." Alice says this casually, as if I should immediately trust any vision she has of my family and me.

"How would we bond over the thing she hates? My parents taught me about the supernatural, not because they wanted me to meet creatures but I would simply know about it. What's she going to do, Alice, give me a pop quiz about how dangerous you are?"

"I can't tell you the complete prediction, that'll ruin it." Alice tells me smugly.

"Why would your parents teach you about the supernatural if they didn't want you to use that knowledge?" Jasper asks.

"They used to have me utilize what I learned, but after a couple bad experiences with shapeshifters they prefer that I keep to myself."

"Trust me, Nevaeh, that's going to change real soon." Alice smiles as we pull into the school parking lot.

I smile, grabbing my bag and immediately exiting the car. "I'll see you guys later." I nod at them, walking towards the front doors.

"Wait!" I hear Jasper call after me. I turn around, an eyebrow raised. "What class do you have first hour?"

"Spanish."

"My English class is near there, I'll walk with you."

"Whatever you want, Hale." I shrug as we walk through the front doors.

"So, you said you had a couple of run-ins with shapeshifters, what were those like?"

"A couple of them weren't too bad. Just friends my age who played with their abilities, like changing their hair color or their features. But my bad experiences, I had people who pretended to be my parents, or CEOs of companies, or essentially horrible people who used their abilities to hurt others or gain power. Apparently those are either 'bad influences' or 'toxic' friends. After that I was told to stay away from people who are supernatural, obviously I'm breaking that rule as I'm talking to you right now."

"Believe me, I'm breaking enough rules of my own just talking to you. Has it just been shapeshifters, or what other creatures have you met?"

"Well, you guys are the first vampires I've met. Oh, I met a witch back in Texas! I know about a lot of supernatural 'entities' but that's all I've met. My dad and mom trained me on how to protect myself a lot, but I've never needed to use it on supernatural creatures yet, don't test me. My mom swears werewolves, mermaids, and faeries all exist." I answer, a grin on my face as I remember all of my lessons as a kid.

I was always so excited to learn about faeries and mermaids when I was younger, while my brother asked about the creatures like 'werewolves' which were so masculine to him. Sure, as soon as I hit twelve I wanted to know more about dangerous creatures and how to protect myself, which is why I don't only rely on useless textbook knowledge.

I look up to see my Spanish classroom, "Well, this is my stop."

"Oh yeah, I'll see you in history." Jasper nods, which I return awkwardly.

I go into the classroom, making my way to my seat, trying to ignore the questions in the back of my mind which want to figure out why Jasper is suddenly interested in talking to me.

:::

I walk into my English class to see my normal partner has been replaced by Bella. I sigh knowing she's going to interrogate me with a million questions, I take my time going to my seat. I throw my bag down and sit.

"How did you get a ride with the Cullens?"

"They showed up at my house offering me a ride?"

"You know what I mean!" she groans.

"I have U.S. history with Emmett and Jasper, we had a group project and Emmett invited me over. Therefore I met Alice, who decided to show up at my house and give me a ride today." I answer blandly.

"Okay, I guess that's good enough. Now, why do you keep a blade in your boot?"

"My parents are really safe people?" I try.

"My dad gave me pepper spray and you didn't see me brandishing that around. Tell me the truth, Nevaeh."

"My parents are really big into self-defense, ever since I was ten years old they have taught me how to protect myself, so I guess I just started carrying it around just in case." I hope she'll allow me to avoid the whole monster hunting business.

"Okay, that's good enough. For now. But, if you have anything to do with the Cullens you would tell me, right?"

"Believe me, Bella, the Cullens and I have nothing in common. So how was your impromptu date with Edward?" I turned the conversation to her, though I know it went well as he kept her from the lunch table yesterday.

"Good. I like him." Bella comments, causing my head to snap up.

"What?"

"I like him. After he saved us we started talking and he seems to be the only interesting guy in this school." she explains herself. I nod showing I understood, hoping she doesn't see the terror in my eyes.

"Bella, liking the guy doesn't mean anything. Hasn't he told you that he's 'dangerous' on multiple occasions?"

"Okay, fine, I know he's dangerous and I know why." she ignores the way my eyes widen. "But it's not like you can say your thing with Jasper is any different. And I know you're least interested in him."

"I'm sorry, what?" I ask her, having noticed Edward's endless stares at Bella in the cafeteria and the fact Bella just admitted she likes Edward.

"Nothing, nothing, you'll figure it out soon enough," she winks. "Just so you know, I'm sitting with him at lunch again."

One thing is certain, I am not looking forward to the ride home today.

:::

"I cannot believe he is actually going out with her!" Jasper mutters, Alice had forced him into the passenger's seat as he had been muttering insults about Edward ever since he had overheard the couple's conversation at lunch. The whole Cullen table had heard Edward interrogating Bella, being so deeply interested in the girl, while I was only able to get the bare minimum out of Bella.

"You shouldn't be surprised! I have told you about my visions, they are mates! You should be proud of him, that he has enough self-control to be around her!" Alice argues. There's that mate word again, being used about the borderline lovebirds lunch, and I'm still too scared to ask Alice about it.

"Yeah, Edward is such a hero for not ripping the girl apart. It's not like I'm doing the same thing right now." he motions towards me.

"Thanks, Jasper, I feel real safe right now." I comment. We continue arguing about the school's newest couple, but both of us ignore the way Alice's eyes widened when Jasper used me as a comparison to Bella, Edward's 'mate.'

Our argument slowly comes to an end as Alice pulls into my driveway. "Well, I'll see you two tomorrow. That is if I'm allowed to leave the house." I finally realize the grave situation which awaits me in my home.

"Come on, Nevaeh, I promise you that it'll be okay. Just be honest with your mom." Alice smiles sweetly.

"I'll try my best," I smile back. "Bye." I wave as I get out of the car. They chorus their own goodbyes as I try to calm my own nerves, wishing I could keep Jasper with me, if not to calm me down but keep my parents from murdering me at least.

"Look who's home!" my mother yells from the living room.

I slip off my shoes and put them in the shoe rack and throw my backpack on the ground right next to it. I walk to the living room, knowing there's no avoiding this argument. I realize I'm right as my parents sit on the couch next to each other, the old but comfy armchair across from it. My father motions for me to sit in the armchair.

"You know we only want to be safe, that's why we raised you like this," my father begins speaking.

"Vampires!" my mother yells. "You have decided to hang out with vampires!"

"Come on, Mom! I have other friends! I didn't seek them out!"

"I'm sure they were looking for you! They're killers, Nevaeh, they could tear you apart in seconds! You are never going to be safe when you're with them!"

"Really? Because last night I was working on a group project at their house, and today I went to school and back home with them. Here I am, alive!"

"We're just worried about you, this is about your life Nevaeh, we don't want to lose you." my father softly speaks. It's become obvious they both care about me, but it's more of a 'good-cop, bad-cop' situation.

"Mom, you have trained me to protect myself against things like vampires since I was ten, don't you trust me? I know how to protect myself, and you know I would never talk to them again if I didn't feel safe around them." I try to gain some sympathy from her.

"Fine, fine, you're old enough that you can make the decision to stay around them. But I know you'll need more training if you want to live to see eighteen."

"Okay, yes, we can start whenever you want. Especially since I'll need it if we end up helping them." I agree.

"What do you mean 'helping them?'" my father asks.

"I would have told you this morning, but I didn't really get a chance. The Cullens think there's a group of vampires they don't know that are killing Forks citizens. Carlisle believes some of your hunting gear could help with finding them."

"So, you just planned on taking some gear without telling us and saving the town with a group of vampires?" he asks incredulously.

"I would ask first, but yes, the Cullens think a human may throw them off a bit. And if we're being honest I don't really trust you guys around vampires, one step towards you and you'll try to kill them. With this extra training I would be the one helping them."

"Okay, then we need to start now." my mother states, my father nodding along in agreement.

"Like, right now?"

"Right now." she sighs, lifting herself off the couch, motioning for me to follow her.

I shrug, following the two into the at-home gym they had turned into a training room.

"You already know about all of the disproven myths, such as the fact that garlic, sunlight, holy water, silver, any kind of stake or cross will not harm a vampire. The only known way to kill a vampire is by somehow ripping it apart and burning it. How? Always go for the head, they are a thousand times stronger than you, only go by their head if you're sure you can rip it off in one go." my father walks around the room, as if he's giving an important seminar, although only my mother and I are in the room.

"I heard that you mentioned burning the vampire, what does that mean exactly?" I ask him.

"The best way to ensure a vampire stays 'dead' is by ripping apart the whole body then throwing it into a fire. I think that should cover what not to do. Let's get into combat." he answers my question, walking over to the cabinet that I was never allowed to go in at any of our previous houses.

He puts in some type of code, the lock quickly opening for him along with the cabinet doors. I don't know exactly what I expected, maybe some type of vampire killing machine, but it was definitely not what's in front of me. What he revealed is a range of weapons which rivals that of an army of a moderately sized country.

"Which do you want to learn about first?" my mother asks me.

I look at the full array, my eyes focusing on the collection of blades at the bottom, ranging from simple swiss army knives to full on claymore swords. I carefully pick one of the swords, attempting to hold it in what I think is the appropriate way.

"Come on, Vae, you are not going to sword fight with vampires, that is much too close." my father stops me.

"What do you want me to do? Choose a gun and shoot a silver bullet, yeah, that'll work out." I roll my eyes.

"No, but I might recommend a bow and arrow. There are many types of arrows which can be useful when it comes to long distance battle. In fact, it's what I used during my last run-in with a vampire." my mother grabs a bow from the cabinet.

"Okay, but hear me out, you know I am unable to aim."

"And that's why you're here, honey, there are arrows made specially for hunters like us, they can start fires as soon as they meet their target, they can create loud noises which distract or harm creatures, and so much more. All you need is some target practice." my mother argues.

"After you master your bow and arrow, which is your best bet if you do end up helping the Cullens, I'll teach you all about our blades, maybe even allow you to try knife throwing if you get your aim down." my father barters.

"Fine." I give in, taking the bow from my mother.

Chapter Text

Predator and Prey

We park in the Cullen's driveway, Carlisle and Esme already waiting on the porch, both are wearing workout clothes which leads me to believe jeans and a flannel are not the appropriate clothes for vampire hunting. I begin to open my door when I see Jasper is already there, opening it for me. Somehow the family's speed still surprises me though I know what they are and their capabilities.

"What exactly are we doing today?" I ask Jasper and Alice, who walk on either side of me.

"Alice had a vision which showed the nomads are coming closer to Forks. We're just going to take a quick sweep of the forest to see if we can find any traces of them." Carlisle answers.

Soon enough Emmett's Jeep pulls into the driveway, Edward's Volvo following close behind. The rest of the vampires quickly join us on the porch. Emmett's excitement for a hunt quickly outshines whatever anxiety I'm feeling.

"So how are we doing this?" Rosalie asks, wanting to get the task done with already.

"I was thinking we would split up into teams, taking on different parts of the woods. Carlisle and Edward, Rosalie and Emmett, Jasper and Nevaeh, Esme and me." Alice proposes her plan.

"Sounds good to me." Esme agrees, knowing if she left a gap in the conversation one of her adoptive children would quickly find a problem with the plan.

"We'll take on the area by the mountains!" Emmett's voice booms, already speeding away, Rosalie following after.

"We've got area around the meadow." Edwards tells us, he and Carlisle leaving the house.

"I think it's best if Esme and I go around the treaty line." Alice smiles, the women starting their journey into the forest.

"I guess that leaves us with anything else we can find." Jasper looks down at me.

"How are we going to get there? I don't know if you could tell, but I don't have super speed."

He rolls his eyes, walking towards the line of trees outside the house. "We're going to start over here and make our way towards wherever we need to be. Do you have your bow and arrows?" he looks back at me.

"Yes." I answer curtly, motioning towards the gear on my back.

For the past few days my parents had been training me in hand-to-hand combat, which is the bane of my existence, as well as the art that is archery. They had perfected my aim, taught me what is and is not a threat, and what arrow to use in each situation. I earned an A in their crash course last night, and I was finally given permission to hunt with the Cullens. I guess Alice had seen it coming as I received an invitation to hunt with them five minutes later.

We walk through the tree line, the different calls of birds and rustling of animals quickly entering my ears. I cautiously look around expecting a vampire to jump out behind any tree or bush. I look ahead at my hunting partner, who is clearly unamused by my vigilance.

"Come on, Robin Hood." Jasper calls, walking further and further away from the Cullen's house. I follow after him, ignoring his nickname.

We continue trekking through the woods, nothing standing out against the constant green and animals which are native to the area. I had become used to the silence between us, besides the small remarks when Jasper told me to hurry up.

A large rustle comes from an area of trees near us, I quickly ready my bow along with an arrow made for targeting vampires. I'm ready to fire, that is until Emmett's body, with his arms jokingly raised, is revealed as he walks around the back of trees.

"Sorry, Vae!" he laughs, running back towards the mountains. I sigh, returning my arrow back into its quiver.

"I never thought I'd be hunting with the supposed predator." Jasper muses, quietly.

"Well I never thought the prey would make sarcastic comments when its predator's father has more than twenty years of experience in vampire hunting." I snap, tired of making laps throughout the forest only to find nothing.

"I think you're forgetting that I have more than one hundred years of experience in being a vampire." Jasper smirks.

"One hundred!" I exclaim. "Oh my God, you're so old! One hundred years? I barely made it through seventeen years of life!"

"I thought you knew how old I am?"

"No! Why would I have a reaction like that if I knew! When were you even alive?"

"During the Civil War." he replies plainly.

"Huh, so that's why Emmett was acting weirder than usual during that Civil War project. That must mean you fought in it, right? Since he essentially made you do most of our project." I observe.

"It's a long story."

"I think we have enough time." I softly reply.

"I was born in 1844, and I grew up in Houston, Texas. At the age of seventeen I joined the Confederate Army, at the time I was the youngest man to be promoted to major."

"But you still look like you're seventeen. When were you turned?"

"I would rather not tell you that story as you'd most likely be disgusted by my past." he grimaces.

"Your past has little to do with who you are now. Come on, I told you all about my abnormal upbringing, you can tell me how you ended up here. Only if you want to." I add on the last part quickly.

"As you can guess, I wasn't always a 'vegetarian.' At the age of nineteen I came across a group of women who I later learned were vampires. I attempted to help them and soon after I was turned by the leader of the group, Maria. I was inducted into her own army of vampires. I became her second-in-command, doing all of her dirty work. You see Maria wanted a newborn army, as that's when vampires are at their strongest. She would change as many people as possible, usually children and adolescents. As soon as they began to lose their newborn abilities she would have them killed. That's where I come in, I was the one who had to kill them. I felt everything they felt, and I had to be the one to kill them. This continued for years, but I finally fled her army and I was sort of a nomad, but I still fed on humans and I still felt every emotion of my victims. I was suffering until I met Alice, she introduced me to this new way of life as well as my family." Jasper finished. His words are dark, but his tone conveys the details would be much worse. (A/N: AKA I don't want to plagiarize, and I'm much too lazy to type out everything.)

"I can see how you'd think I'd be disgusted. Believe me, I considered that option, but Jasper you're a completely different person now. And if you don't think so, look at where you are. You're in a nearly empty woods with me, an annoying human, and you're controlling yourself. That's much different from being the second-in-command of a vampire army." I tell him truthfully, hoping the addition of my emotions would sway him away from his moodiness. I try to control my emotions on my own, knowing my sympathy may not be too helpful for him. I just don't want him to think his backstory disgusts me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not okay with his past, it's not right but I can tell it's not what he wanted either. I can't picture him as this cruel leader in the South, I can only see him as the person who keeps the both of us sane by calming my emotions, he cares about me though he doesn't exactly express it very clearly

Before he can respond Alice is in front of us. "We're going to head back as none of us were able to find anything." she informs us, choosing to ignore the topic of conversation we were on, which I'm sure she heard.

"We'll be right behind you." I smile.

Jasper looks at me, some emotion behind his eyes which I cannot decipher. He stays silent for a second before he quietly says, "Thank you."

I only smile in return, nodding my head towards the path back to the house. We walk next to each other, his pace matching my own for once, the two of us making small comments which change our conversation from a serious one to the normal facetious type.

Once we are back at the house, Alice is giddily waiting in the driveway. "Hey, we don't really have much to recap as none of us found anything. Are you okay if Jasper drives you home?"

"Sure." I shrug, looking towards the man in question to see if he's okay with it and he nods in response. Alice nods back happily, skipping her way into the house as we walk towards his car.

"Are you sure your parents are okay with the whole hanging out with vampires thing?" he asks me as the engine roars to life.

I laugh, "They're definitely not okay with it but I know they trust me. Why?"

"I was just curious as to why you were still hanging out around here when you're not only putting yourself, but your relationship with your parents in danger."

"Well, I think Emmett would be offended if I stopped hanging out with him just because I know he's a vampire, he'd probably annoy me about being prejudiced until I agreed to come over again. Alice would bug me into hanging out with her, probably pull a fake vision saying something like, 'I know we'll be friends, so come over already!' Rose may dislike me, but I think I may be able to break her shell, so really I'm the one annoying her. Edward still owes me a favor, plus I think he enjoys my company for some reason. Carlisle and Esme are some of the kindest people I've met. And I'm still figuring you out, so you won't be getting rid of me for a while, Jazz. I guess you and your family are worth the risk." I answer honestly.

"I'm not surprised about Emmett and Alice, they won't let you go for a while now," he decides to ignore the fact they're so interested by her due to Alice's visions. "I wish you luck with Rosalie, and Edward, Esme, and Carlisle like you very much as well. Don't worry, I'm trying to figure you out as well, hence the multitude of questions."

"You're intrigued by me?" I smirk, teasing him about his words.

"Shut up." he murmurs, rolling his eyes at my behavior.

"I can't believe Bella was right, the one and only Jasper Hale is intrigued by me, a meek and powerless human, Nevaeh Parkes!" I say, putting emphasis on the word intrigued, making it sound like more than it means.

"Bella claimed I'm intrigued by you?" he raises an eyebrow, parking in my driveway.

"She said you and me are just like her and Edward. That I'd 'figure it out soon enough.'" I tease him, not expecting his answer.

"Believe me, we are not like Edward and Bella. I am intrigued by you, but unlike Edward I am not debating as to whether or not I should leave before I end up killing you. I've hurt enough people in the past and I cannot bear to hurt you or see you hurt." We're both silent, staring at each other in the dark car waiting for the other to make the next move. I drop my eyes to the center console, his eyes heavy on me. "Do I intrigue you?" He emphasizes 'intrigue' the same way I had though it feels much more serious.

"Yes." I whisper, finally lifting my eyes back up to meet his. We continue to share this look, neither of us wanting to say the things we should. It's not the most uncomfortable silence we've shared but due to the pounding in my chest I know he's not using his gift on me.

Once I realize neither of us is brave enough to take this further I break the silence. "I should probably head inside." I unbuckle my seatbelt and exit the car as gracefully as I can with my gear. I close the door but I look at him one last time before I leave.

"Wait, actually I have one last thing to ask you." he rolls down the window so I can hear him. "My family is playing baseball tomorrow, would you like to come play with us?"

"Isn't there a storm coming tomorrow?"

"Yes, that's the only time we're able to play."

"What? You know what, never mind, I'll be there but I can promise you I will not play or get rained on." I answer him, walking away from his car before he can make a comment.

"I'll pick you up at four!" he yells after me. I turn around, waving at him to show I know the plan.

Chapter Text

Vampire's Pastime

I rush down the stairs, the clock reading '4:01,' I don't need to look outside to see if Jasper is waiting outside because based upon our rides to school together he was always at least a minute early. It's not my fault I don't have any clothes which are suitable for any type of sport. I know I won't be playing the game, but if Alice is there I'll need to at least look the part. I had settled upon some black leggings and the white and red baseball shirt I found in Milo's drawers. I pull on some rough looking sneakers, and yank open the door, pausing for a second.

"Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad! I'm going to go play baseball with the Cullens!" I yell out to them.

My father walks through the front room, newspaper in hand. "Good luck with that, hon." he laughs, patting me on the back.

I send him a quick glare before I exit my house, running to Jasper's car, throwing open the passenger door, jumping into the seat and buckling up.

"You're late." he comments.

"Just drive." I roll my eyes, not caring about my tardiness.

:::

"Oh, good, you're both here." Esme says as Edward and Bella arrive.

Bella looks confused, while I already know the extremes of the game as she had explained each family member's skills to me earlier.

"We're umpires." I tell her in a sing-song voice, knowing she's on the exact same thought path as me.

"How are we supposed to see the plays?" she whispers to me, watching as the family is already too fast as they simply practice.

Jasper is swinging around a bat, messing with it like most guys do with a basketball. Emmett is tossing the ball back and forth, messing around with Esme. Rosalie and Alice are talking as they set up the game. And just as Esme is explaining the game to Bella, thunder roars through the field.

"It's time." Alice smiles, already at the pitcher's plate.

"Just call them as you see them, girls." Esme smiles kindly, each family member taking their positions.

Rosalie is the first to bat, which is truthfully the only thing I'm able to tell on my own right away, I barely comprehend the fact that Alice had pitched the ball until I heard it smack against Rosalie's bat. The ball disappears, its place unknown to me until I notice Edward chasing after it and Rosalie begins to run the bases, both only a blur to my eyes.

"That has to be a homerun." Bella states.

"Edward's very fast." Esme states simply, neither agreeing or disagreeing with Bella.

The ball is speeding towards home base, and I step back not wanting to be blamed in case it comes closer to me than Esme. Right before Rosalie slides to the final base, Esme catches the ball touching it to the base. The women look towards Bella and me.

"You're out." Bella states, causing Emmett to cheer loudly.

Rosalie huffs, she gets up and ignores either the comments which teased her or attempted to tame her temper. Dr. Cullen is next to bat, Emmett and Edward colliding in order to catch the ball, only for the both of them to miss and Carlisle is safe. Next to bat is Jasper, who hits it hard into the forest, Edward is ready to run after it when Alice suddenly gasps, the girl having a vision.

"Stop!" she exclaims. "I, I didn't see them. They're travelling so quickly." she softly speaks to herself.

The whole family gathers around home base, Edward by Bella's side immediately, but it's clear the family is surrounding us, the humans.

"I thought you said they left the country?" Rosalie sighs, exasperated.

"They did! But then they heard us, and they decided to change course again."

"Put your hair down." Edward says to Bella, even though he's already taking it down for her. I look at the family wondering if there's anything I can do to help cover up my scent as my hair is already down. Jasper silently puts his hat on my head.

"Like that will help, I could smell them from across the field." Rosalie rolls her eyes, pessimistically honest as usual.

"We shouldn't have invited you guys. I'm so sorry." Edwards speaks quietly.

The three vampires emerge from the forest in a group, none of their features particularly matching apart from their bare feet and burgundy eyes. One of the men has porcelain skin, a blond ponytail, and a mean, cruel smirk. The woman has skin which is somehow a lighter shade than the blond man, but her hair is long and fiery red, a neutral look on her face. The other man has dark skin, but it's still clear that it is paler than the average human's, unlike the other two he doesn't look particularly hostile or pleasant.

"This belongs to you." the man passes the ball to Carlisle casually, but it's still faster than any human could ever throw it.

"Thank you." Carlisle catches the ball.

"Could you fit in three more players?"

"Of course."

"I'm Laurent, this is James and Victoria." he motions to the man and woman who stand on either side of him.

"Would you like to bat first?"

Laurent picks up the bat, while the Cullens take the field, each of them carefully placed in case any of the nomads realize Bella and I are humans. I'm on high guard, regretting the fact all I have on me is the swiss army knife I carry, I try to stay calm as Laurent and Carlisle make peaceful conversation. The game is going fine, James especially interested as Alice challenges him, that is until a gust of wind blows our cover.

"You brought snacks." James smiles, inhaling our scents.

Immediately all peace is lost, the entire family is surrounding Bella and me, Edward essentially caging her body from any of the strangers.

"The girls are with us." Carlisle states curtly.

"We won't harm them." Laurent speaks, though James who is all but licking his lips directly contrasts his words.

"Just try it!" Emmett threatens, always ready for a fight.

"I think you should leave." Carlisle suggests, trying to stop a battle.

"I see the game is over, we'll be going," Laurent agrees, Victoria turning to leave with them, but James stays in the same place staring at Bella. "James."

The man reluctantly goes into the forest, but it's clear he is still focused on the thought of our blood.

"Get the girls out of here, we'll try and follow them." Carlisle states, Alice, Rosalie, and Esme following after him.

I jump in Jasper's car, buckling in immediately as it's clear we're in a rush.

:::

"James is only focused on Bella's blood, right?" I double-check the information the family has gathered so far.

"Yes." Carlisle is the only one who speaks.

"So what can I do? He's not focused on my blood, can't I try and distract him or something." I offer.

"No, you are not going to try and lead James away from Bella. We already have a plan, as soon as Bella leaves you are going home and you're going to stay there." Jasper talks before anyone can say anything.

"Come on! I'm sure my aim is good enough where I could hit one of them! Just drive me home to get my bow and arrows."

"No. We've got this handled."

"You guys cannot go off and risk your lives alone out there! I get it, you're stronger and faster than me, but if you can rip him to pieces, he can rip you apart." I counter his determination.

"Nevaeh, James is not focused on your blood for now, he is tracking Bella, we do not want you to get mixed in there. Stay in Forks for now." Esme cuts in, a knock on the door ending the conversation.

Surprisingly, Laurent is not there to kill me or Bella, instead he speaks about James' experience, what we should and should not do. The conversation is quick as the man knows the family is warding off an experienced tracker, as he leaves Alice, Edward, Emmett, and Bella enter. Before the three vampires can attack Laurent, Carlisle speaks.

"He came here to warn us about James."

He recaps his past speech, James tracking abilities, his heightened senses for even a vampire, and the fact that James' mate Victoria is just as lethal as him.

With that he leaves and the family moves into the garage. Each member but Rosalie is packing up any equipment needed for wherever they are taking Bella. They all look to Jasper as he has the most experience with enemy vampires.

"I've had to fight our kind before, we're hard to kill."

"But not impossible," Edward and I say at the same time. "We'll tear him up." Edwards says on his own this time.

"I'm gonna rip him up into pieces with my own hands, then burn the pieces." Emmett speaks, hungry for the upcoming fight.

"Believe me, I don't relish killing another creature, even a sadistic one like James." Carlisle contrasts Emmett.

"That is if he doesn't get to one of us first." Rosalie comments.

"This is absolutely crazy, you can't put yourselves in danger for this, for me!" Bella speaks up for once.

"It's too late for that." Rosalie glares at the girl.

The family ignores her behavior, Edward continues with packing for the plan. Once he's done he grabs two sets of keys off the hook, one staying in his hands and the other going to Carlisle.

"I'll run Bella south and you guys can lead the tracker away."

"No, Edward, the tracker knows you'd never abandon Bella. He will follow you." Carlisle stops him.

Alice steps up, reaching out for Edward's keys, "I'll go with Bella. Jasper and I will keep her safe."

It seems as if he's torn, it's a lose-lose situation, either Bella is in danger with his sister or she's in more danger with him. "Just keep your thoughts to yourself." he grunts, giving her the keys.

Bella's things are thrown into the car, and finally, the plan is in motion. Edward tosses some of Bella's clothes to Esme and Rosalie. "Put these on so the tracker will believe it's Bella's scent." Edward explains.

Rosalie quickly catches the clothes, but drops them just as fast. "Why should I? What is she to me, besides a danger inflicted upon my family?"

Carlisle quickly turns to face her, "Enough, Rosalie. Bella is with Edward. That means she is a part of this family. We protect our family."

She hesitantly picks up the clothes, and the family springs into action again. Carlisle opens the garage door and they prepare the SUV. Esme and Rosalie change, jumping into the van, meanwhile Edward and Bella take a moment alone.

"Are you sure I can't come with?" I ask Jasper and Alice.

"Yes. I'm going to drive you home, then I'll join Alice and Bella on their way to Phoenix."

"Fine, whatever. I'll stay at home. Just remember, I can help if you need me to." I answer, watching as Bella and Edward break away from each other. Edward hops into the SUV with Esme and Rosalie, while Bella goes into the car with Alice driving.

"Let's go." he nods towards his car.

:::

It only took five minutes to get to my house with Jasper speeding the whole way there. I got out within a minute and he was already driving back the way he came, most likely hoping he would be able to meet Alice and Bella within the hour. In the meantime, I'm sitting in my living room, hoping no one asks about the baseball game.

Surprisingly, only my brother is home. I sit on my couch feeling useless as Bella is trying to stay alive and all of the Cullens are helping her in some way. That is until my phone rings, the number unknown to me.

"Hello?" I answer the call.

"Nevaeh." a familiar voice speaks on the other end.

"Yes?"

"Rumor has it the Cullens have left town, and there you are all alone, as James tracks their other pet down south."

"No, he can't know where she is already." I mutter quietly.

"But he does. It didn't take much to find out Bella is from Phoenix. The real question is, what would you do to save Bella?"

"Laurent," I finally realize the identity of the caller. "I thought you were done with games? That you were going up to Denali."

"What a smart little human, but I think it's finally time for my own games. Come outside if you want your friend to have a chance of surviving."

"What?"

"Come outside. And if your friend's life isn't enough, how about this, I'll kill you quickly if you comply."

"No, no, you are not going to threaten me so you can have a fun little game!" I reply, talking more so I have enough time to get a different weapon than the swiss army knife in my boot. I run towards the gym, typing in the code so I can get one of the blades my parents taught me how to use in hand-to-hand combat, I tuck it into my boot. I wish I were able to hide my bow and arrows but the blade is all I can conceal.

"But did I say 'could you please come' or 'do you want to come?' No. It wasn't a choice. Now get moving or you will be dragged." he says darkly.

"Fine." I answer, knowing there is no way out if I want to try and buy Bella more time. I walk towards the door, trying to be as quiet as possible so I don't alert Milo. That's when it hits me, I really am acting like the dumb teenage girl in a horror movie. Well, there's no going back now.

I walk outside, seeing a car which must have been stolen parked in my driveway. Laurent is sitting in the front seat, a victorious grin on his face. I simply open the door to the backseat, and buckle up knowing it will not be a smooth ride.

:::

I should not be surprised when Laurent parks the car in front of the treeline to the forest. It must be the only place they know in Forks, it's not like we'd all go to the diner together and share a plate of fries. He leads me through the twists and turns of the forest until we finally come to a stop, it looks exactly the same as the rest of the wooded area we had been through but this time Victoria is standing in front of me.

"Why are we still here? I thought we were still tracking the dark-haired human." she grunts.

"We are, but the Cullens left behind the other human." he motions to me.

"The blonde? Why do you need me here, if she was easy enough to find, she's easy enough to kill on your own."

"Because James has you keeping an eye on the Cullens while he has all the fun. Why won't you play this little game with me?"

"Exactly, James told me to keep my eye on the Cullens, not the blonde human." Victoria essentially growls.

"Fine, fine. I can deal with the girl on my own. Go on wait for his call." Laurent waves her off.

"I will." She gives me one last look before she leaves.

"You said if I went with you that Bella wouldn't die."

"Oh, dear, I'm afraid I'm not able to control James' actions. I thought you would've been able to guess you'd die no matter what."

"No, please don't kill me!" I sarcastically yell.

"Why are you not scared right now?"

I slowly reach into my boot, taking out the small blade, "I think there's something you should know. I'm a monster hunter." I show him the blade as I speak.

"I thought you wouldn't want any blood to be spilt." he rebuttals unphased. I hate his insinuation my blade would only hurt me but I know he's not entirely wrong. After his lack of surprise by the blade and how stupid I'm acting right now my chance of surving is low if not zero.

"Well I was getting bored." I step in front of him. I'm able to realize this is a mistake as I'm immediately thrown to the ground.

"Is this fast paced enough for you?" he asks, his teeth close to my neck.

In just enough time I'm able to turn him over, my blade close to his heart would be if he were alive, even though I know the placement is essentially useless as he's already dead. I can see he's shocked but he recovers throwing me forward, my back hitting the trunk of a tree, a small crack in the bark due to the impact. There's only one way I can get out of this alive, I need to somehow rip his head off when I have less than a tenth of the strength of a vampire. Thankfully, my blade is still in my hand. Laurent is up and he is slowly making his way towards me, obviously believing I've given up. I throw my blade towards his chest, causing him to stop from shock. It bounces off of his marble-like skin but it rips through the fabric of his jacket.

"Are you going to let me go now, or wait until I rip you to pieces?" I try to get the words out as I run behind him, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"That was a bad idea." he laughs wickedly, flipping me over his back so I'm now in front of him. His forearm is pressing against my neck, most likely just playing with me before he bites me. This is it, I am going to be killed by the thing my parents have trained me to kill. Unless I can have the upperhand one more time.

I wrap my hand around his forearm, using all of my strength to rip it away from my neck. I skip over all of the comebacks I have in my head, instead I push him down, putting my foot on his chest so he can't get back up right away, though my force is weak to him, it's better than nothing. I use the ground for leverage, pushing his chin up with as much force as I can gather, hearing and seeing the cracks in his marble-like skin. Finally, I see the cold look in his eyes, but I can already see I didn't completely rip his head off. That's not the important part, the important part is the fact I have enough time to get away before he heals.

I ran out of the woods, passing the trees which all look identical, passing the car which brought me here, and finally getting far enough where I am able to see some type of civilization. I stop and pull out my phone, pressing on the only person who would be able to help me right now.

"Hey, Milo, can you come pick me up?"

Chapter Text

Hide The Truth

"Bella is in the hospital and you didn't think to tell me right away?" I yell into my phone.

"Nevaeh, it basically just happened!" Alice replies.

"What room is she in?" I ask, attempting to get up but hissing when my back refuses to let me move.

"Stop moving! First, you're lucky your back isn't broken! Second, Bella is in Phoenix! Stay home and rest."

"What? How do you know about my back?"

"I had a vision of you and Laurent."

"Did you tell anyone?"

"Not yet."

"Don't. I'll be fine after I take some painkillers, everyone's already worried enough."

"Nevaeh, you fought a vampire and you survived! So what if all you have is some back pain compared to Bella's broken bones, you're still hurt. They should know. And you should have Carlisle check on your injuries."

"Alice, please, don't tell them." I beg, forcing myself to get up. "I'll stay in Forks."

"Fine, but this just means you need to tell them yourself or else I will. Most of the family is at home because they can't stand the stench of hospitals. Only Carlisle and Edward stayed with her as they fit into the story."

"I still want to make sure Bella is alright." I end the conversation, hanging up my phone. Within seconds my phone beeps with a text message from Alice, telling me to call Bella and the Cullens.

I quickly dial Bella's number only to be greeted by Edward's voice, "Hello"

"How is she?" I ask, almost missing the fact Edward had answered the phone rather than my friend.

"Good, she woke up again a while ago."

"What do you mean again?"

"Nothing." He replies way too fast, but for now I ignore it.

In the background I hear my friend's voice, "Who is it?"

"I'm going to hand the phone to Bella."

"You do that." I roll my eyes even though I know he can't read my mind or see it from Phoenix.

"Hello?" Bella is finally on the phone.

"Hey, Bells, it's Nevaeh. How are you feeling?"

"I know I'm saying this with a multitude of opioids in my system, but overall I'm okay." she laughs a little.

"What even happened?" I ask, Alice had told me Bella was in the hospital, not how she got there.

"James tricked her into meeting up with him." Edward answered for Bella. I really shouldn't be surprised they're on the phone together, I just hope it's not on speaker for the sake of the nurses and doctors who walk by Bella's room. "We arrived in enough time to kill him, but only after he had managed to crack her skull, break her leg, four of her ribs, and bite her."

"Wait, you were able to save her after James bit her? How did you get his venom out?" I ask, knowing my friend is most definitely still a human due to her multitude of injuries.

"I had to," he pauses, his discomfort clear. "I had to suck it out. While it was hard, I was able to stop and Bella survived."

"And he's dead now, right?"

"Yes, we ripped him apart and burned him."

"And Victoria?"

"What about Victoria?"

"She was on her way to find James last night. She didn't join him in the fight?"

"No. We didn't see her. When did you see Victoria?" Edwards asks, his tone tight.

"You're the mind reader." I mumble, thinking back to Laurent's attack last night, I'm all too happy he's not here to read my mind.

"You know I'm not able to read your mind while you're still in Forks. Lucky for you, Alice told me, asking was just a courtesy. You met with Laurent and you didn't think to tell us this, Nevaeh?" Edward asks me, his voice a mixture of sympathy and exasperation.

"Tell us what?" Bella cuts in. I assume Alice had spilled my story to Edward during the time Bella was unconscious.

"It's nothing." I tell her while Edward speaks over me.

"Laurent attacked her last night. He used you to bait her, but in the end he was planning on killing her. While she was somehow able to get away, she still fought a vampire." Edward gave her a summary of the story.

"You fought a vampire and you're not in the hospital! You're essentially a healthy human being, while I look like this?" Bella exclaims in disbelief, and I'm sure she's frowning at her own injuries even though I can't see them.

"I took a lot of ibuprofen." I sarcastically reply.

"You know Alice will tell them, right?" Edward reminds me.

"I would never doubt her."

"And you should take her up on that check-up from Carlisle."

"I'm fine! I fought back, and in the process he threw me into a tree which is why my back hurts so much, then he was pressing his forearm against my throat which left some bruises. Really, I feel fine overall." I explain, my tone casual.

"That is not nothing!" Bella mutters, and I'm not sure if it's because she thought I walked out of a vampire attack unscathed and now my lie was ruined or she's upset that I'm refusing medical treatment.

"Well according to Alice and Edward I have to tell the rest of the family about the Laurent situation. I'll call you again tomorrow, Bella." I promise.

"Stay safe." she says more like a demand than a request. "Bye, Vae!"

We both hang up the phone and once I try to get up I am once again reminded about my back pain.

"Milo!" I call out. "Will you bring me some ibuprofen or something?"

"Get it yourself!" he answers.

"You know I can't!" I shout louder, thankful my parents are at work so they have not seen my condition. I hear a loud groan, which I hope means he's going to the medicine cabinet.

Minutes later he is in my doorway, peering in at me sitting on the edge of the bed, holding my back although every part of my body hurts. "Here," he hands me the pills and a glass of water. "Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"I already told you, this is a 'no questions asked' situation, Milo." I ignore his question.

"Mom and Dad told me about the Cullens. Does this have anything to do with them?"

"No! Milo, I need you to believe me when I say the Cullens would never hurt any human. Just leave it alone."

"Fine. But if anything else like this happens to you again I won't leave you alone without getting answers." he warns me.

"Thank you, not only for being slightly understanding and the pills, but picking me up last night."

"You're welcome." he shrugs.

I lay back onto my mattress, waiting for the pills to kick in, planning out how I'll explain this to the Cullens. I think of a million ways I could lie, but the bruises on my collarbone left by him and my limp are giveaways of some type of fight. Even if I did make up some type of non-supernatural related lie Edward and Alice would out me. I conclude that sadly this time the truth is the only way to go, and thankfully by the time I had gotten my story together I'm able to move without tears springing to my eyes.

:::

I look in the mirror debating whether I should wear a turtleneck to hide my bruises or just wear what I would normally wear so everything will seem normal. I decide on the middle option, a high collared long-sleeve shirt which only brings attention to the marks if you're looking for them. I slip it on, my outfit complete.

I carefully go down the stairs one at a time, grabbing my purse and keys once I arrive at the bottom. I open the door, before remembering I should probably tell my suspicious brother where I'm going.

"I'm going out for a while, Milo, I'll be back by six!" I step outside before I hear his response. I walk to my car, throwing my bag on the passenger seat and buckling up before I leave for the Cullen's house.

The drive is fast as my thoughts are overshadowed by how scared I am to see their reactions. I'm not sure whether they'll be worried about me, proud of me, or angry at me. Soon enough I'm in their driveway. I park my car and climb out as fast as possible, my stomach turning although I know I cannot put it off any longer.

I raise my fist to knock on the door, but by the time my hand reaches the door, it swings open. "Hi, Alice." I greet the clairvoyant, squeezing through the doorway, not bothering to ask whether or not I may come in. "Oh good, you already got everyone together." I comment flatly, seeing the Cullens, minus Carlisle and Edward, are gathered in the living room.

"You promised you would tell them what happened." Alice shrugs.

"What did you do?" Emmett cheekily asks.

"Why do you automatically assume I did something?"

"I mean, you are the one who asked if you could help kill James last night." Rosalie supports her husband.

"Fine. I'll just get this over with," I heave out a long sigh. "I fought Laurent last night."

"What?" Jasper stands up from the couch.

"He baited me, saying if I did whatever he had planned it would give Bella more time. Obviously that was a lie, he doesn't care one bit about Bella, so he took me into the woods playing his own little game. He tried to kill me, but I was able to get away, sadly I wasn't able to kill him so he's probably healed by now, but hey, I'm alive!" I anxiously tell my story as fast as possible. I know it makes no difference as their supernatural hearing can pick up every line but it makes me feel better about it.

"I told you to stay home." Jasper grumbles.

"And I told you I wanted to help Bella."

"So what, you just agreed to his terms, assuming you would get away without a scratch?" he finally speaks clearly.

"No, I went with him because I would do anything if it meant maybe, just maybe, my friend would be safe! I knew I could've been killed, but I also knew I could survive." I defend my actions. "And for your information I didn't 'get away without a scratch,' I just got away without a hospital visit.".

"What you did was stupid!" he snaps, leaving the living room.

"Nevaeh, come sit down." Esme pats the seat next to her, which was previously occupied by Jasper.

"He's right. You were stupid to go off and fight a vampire alone, but I have to admit it's pretty badass." Rosalie gives me a small smile.

"How did the fight go? How did you get those bruises?" Emmett asks me, leaning forward so he's essentially on the edge of his seat. I give in, telling him the whole story, when I pulled the blade out of my boot, when he threw me against the tree, and how I got away.

"That is awesome. Who knew little Nevaeh Parkes was such a rebel." Emmett smirks.

"I didn't see any of that." Alice reveals.

"What do you mean? You said you had a vision of me and Laurent?"

"I saw him bring you into the woods, then I saw your brother pick you up. I didn't see anything that happened in the forest." she explains. "There has to be something blocking my vision."

"But I didn't see anything else in the woods? I mean, I made a lot of split second decisions, I changed my plan to get out of there constantly." I reply.

"Maybe it was Laurent's part, or you were too focused on James. I'm sure it's not the forest, Alice." Esme offers. Alice nods, but nonetheless rushes off, most likely looking for any information which might explain her visions, or lack thereof.

Rosalie breaks away from the group as well, knowing the conversation is over, Emmett follows her knowing I didn't have more battle tales and Rosalie would most likely ice him out if he looked for more adventure.

"You should talk to him." Esme breaks the silence between us.

"What?"

"He's not mad at you, he just won't admit he's mad at himself because you were in danger and he wasn't there to save you."

"No." I shake my head even though I know she's just trying to help me. "I'm not a damsel in need of saving. He just thinks I'm a weak little human who needs to stay away from the fight."

"Did you want Bella to fight James? Go off to the ballet studio on her own?"

"No. She's in the hospital right now, it's easy to see why not."

"But she went even though everyone told her to stay with Alice, just like you went with Laurent even though we told you to stay home. And sure you don't have any broken bones, but you're still hurt, and that's what he was scared of." Esme waits for the comparison to sink in. "He's on the balcony. Go talk to him."

I weigh my options, I could either sit here in silence next to Esme or I could sort things out with Jasper. Sure, one thing is much more difficult than the other, but I know it has to be done. I know we need to answer all of our unspoken questions. I follow Esme's advice.

"You shouldn't be scared to talk to me." he says once I step onto the balcony, his back still facing me.

"You seemed pretty angry back there."

"Well, I'm the one who can read emotions, so you shouldn't be worried about that." he replies quickly. "It's, just, I told you to stay home. I told you this was too dangerous, but instead of listening to me you went into a forest with a murderous vampire, only carrying a knife."

"But I'm fine." I counter his words.

"No, you're not fine. You got hurt, it's obvious the ibuprofen is wearing off by the way you limped on your way out here. Even without seeing your bruises, all I can read off you is anxiety and pain. Well, also a bit of anger, we both know you never feel one or two things."

We both pause the argument for a second, quietly laughing as if it's an inside joke between us. The break keeps down all of our snappy remarks, somehow without him sending out waves of calmness we're able to talk honestly.

"And that's my fault. I went with him, it's not your place to be worried for me."

"But I am. I know I should not care about you because you're a human, in fact I should stay away from you, Nevaeh, I care for you. I don't want you to get hurt, I would protect you no matter what, even if it meant protecting you from me." he speaks softly, taking a step towards me, the sensation of butterflies erupting in my stomach.

"And I care for you too. I get it, you're a vampire so in most situations you're indestructible, but that doesn't mean I'm as fragile as glass. You don't need to protect me from you. I want to know you, without every barrier you have put up. I'm a monster hunter, Jasper, I'm not going to back down from a fight if it means I can save someone I love." I defend myself but he only smiles.

"You know so much yet there's so much you could never learn through a textbook. I wish you had never known about vampires." he takes one more step towards me, only a few inches left between us. A sad smile on his face, he slowly brushes my hair behind my ear.

"You know that was never an option. I would've discovered a vampire somewhere, but it just happened to be you and your family."

"But now you're in over your head."

"Then tell me the things I don't know." I look up into his eyes.

"I want to," he pauses, but I wait for him to finish. " But I don't want to scare you off."

"I already know about your roots and I know you've changed since then. I've already fought a vampire. What could scare me away?" I let out a small scoff, unknowing of what he would say next. He moves away from me, taking a seat at one of the chairs across the balcony. I stay in my place knowing he needs space.

"Alice saw you coming. Not because you're a monster hunter, and it was not exactly a random vision. She believes she saw you because you're my mate." he lets out the breath he didn't need to hold.

"What does 'mate' mean? What did she see?" I ask, turning towards him, I'm sure all he can read is a whirlwind of emotions which eventually settle into confusion.

"It is a version of soulmates for vampires, the person you're meant to be with until your time comes to an end. Like Esme and Carlisle, Rosalie and Emmett, and now we know Edward and Bella."

"Your time comes to an end? Does this mean she saw me as a vampire? Are you going to turn me? I'm only seventeen, no offense to you or your family, but I'm not prepared to be immortal. And I know it's prejudice but due to the stories my parents have told me, I am not ready to be a vampire." I ramble.

"No, no," he stands up and walks towards me, his hands reaching out like he's trying to comfort me. I feel a wave of calmness wash over me. "I would never want that for you, if you don't want to be immortal, you won't be immortal. It's just a vision, it can change at any moment, but I thought you deserved to know."

I breathe in and out, trying to take advantage of my steady emotions, even if it wasn't exactly my choice. "I can't exactly say I don't feel we are soulmates, this will probably sound stupid but knowing you believe in this forever I might as well say that I really, really like you. And I know this is hard for you too, I'm supposed to be somebody who makes you happy but here I am saying forever is too long. Plus as a vampire you kind of want to kill me constantly. Wait, what time is it?" I ask, ending the tangent I was beginning.

"What?" he asks me, confused about the abrupt end.

"What time is it?"

"Five thirty."

"I need to go home." I whisper.

"Oh. Okay." he says, monotone. I just nod, heading for the door. "Nevaeh?"

"Yeah?" I turn around, my fingertips on the handle.

"I know this is a lot, but what are your thoughts on all of... this?"

I don't reply immediately, instead I take my time to think about it. "Well, it's not like you and your family are the worst vampires I could end up with," I attempt to joke around. "It will be strange, but I think we should give this a try. It's not like Alice's visions end up too bad." I smile, knowing I sound stupid as her most recent visions consisted of both me and Bella brushing past death.

"I'll call you." he smirks, most likely attempting to sound like a normal teenager.

"I might answer." I shrug, a mocking smirk plastered on my face as I finally open the door.

Chapter Text

Best Prom Ever

"Bella, your dress is fine! You look beautiful, so own it." I notice the brunette awkwardly tugging at the blue dress Alice had picked out for her.

"I'm not exactly the type of girl who goes to school dances. Or any dance at all." she defends herself.

"It's one night, and you know it means a lot to them."

"Who is this mysterious 'them?' The entirety of Forks High School?"

"Edward and Charlie. Your dad hates that you're dating, plus you're not exactly a 'normal teenager.' And Edward doesn't want you to miss out on any human experiences if he can help it." I smile, fixing my eyeliner before I stand up.

"Hey, we both know you're only going because Alice would force you no matter what."

"You can't say anything, it's the same for you! Whatever, we're both going no matter what. So," I pause, clipping on a necklace with a small topaz pendant. "How do I look?" I twirl around in the long, flowy, black dress, which Alice had picked for me. Of course I have dresses from past dances, but Alice had shoved the bag in my hand claiming I'd love it, and like always she was right.

"You look amazing." she awkwardly smiles, obviously not used to this girl stuff, though we have gotten closer over the past couple of months. I look out her window, seeing Edward's Volvo pull into the driveway. "Looks like the boys are here." she slowly gets up, ready to run down the stairs so her father can't scare them too badly.

"Hold on, let's make them wait a little bit." I smile, but Bella gives me an 'Are You Crazy' look as soon as the doorbell rings. "What? We can't have a little bit of fun?"

"Fine, but I will not be blamed for anything my dad says to Jasper." she smirks, knowing that would scare me.

"You know what, maybe we should head down there!" I offer my hand to her, though I know she's able to walk on her own.

"I'm okay, I'll go down by myself." she waves away my hand, carefully walking away, though she wobbles a bit. I nod, staying behind a bit so she gets her big movie moment.

I already know Edward would gasp if he needed to, and not too soon after I can hear Charlie chastising him about Bella's safety tonight. Once the door opens I head down the stairs, assuming Edward and Bella are already on their way to the car. I see Jasper at the bottom of the staircase, sporting a dapper suit, he holds out his arm in a gentlemanly way, but Charlie pushes him out of the way.

"You look beautiful, Nevaeh." he gives me a smile. "Now, don't think I've forgotten about you, I got you a little something as well." he places a can of pepper spray in my hand. "I know I can trust you more than those boys, so I'm depending on you to keep you and Bella safe. If you need me my number is 360-" he begins but I cut him off.

"911, I know." I chuckle, finding my joke funnier than both Jasper and Charlie, who barely smile.

"You should get going, have fun, but not too much fun." Charlie nods, moving out of our way so we can head out the door.

We quickly head down the steps, Jasper's arm in mine as if he's afraid I'll trip. I see Bella and Edward are waiting outside the car. I unlink my arm from Jaspers, "Bella! Look at what your dad gave me!" I wave the can of pepper spray, grinning from ear to ear.

:::

We soon arrive at the large venue at which the Prom for our small class is being held. The boys drop us off by the main entrance, the two drive off going to find a parking spot. Bella takes a seat on the nearby bench, just as I come up with some sort of small talk Bella's friend from the beach suddenly steps out of a wooded area.

"Bella!" he smiles

"Jacob, hey." she replies, caught off-guard.

He looks her up and down, taking in the formal attire, "Nice." he compliments.

"You too." she nods, commenting on his dress shirt and tie. "Are you crashing the Prom or something? Did you come with a date?" she rambles.

"No," he walks over to sit next to her on the bench. "My dad paid me to come talk to you, twenty bucks."

Bella is obviously flustered due to the weird turn in conversation. I thought his entrance from the woods was weird, but now I am fully invested in eavesdropping. "Well, let's hear it." she manages to get out.

"Just don't get mad, okay." he pauses, but he doesn't give her enough time to interject. "He wants you to break-up with your boyfriend. It's just, he said, quote, 'We'll be watching you.'" he lets out a forced, awkward laugh.

"Okay." Bella processes this information, some sort of a smile is stuck on her face. "Well, tell him thanks and to pay up."

The pair begins to stand up, both awkwardly laughing together. Just as Jacob offers her a hand, Edward suddenly appears.

"I can take it from here." he breathes out, using his body to block Bella from Jacob. Edward and Jacob exchange a heated glare.

"Guess I'll see you around, Bella." he gets out, going back into the woods.

As soon as he is out of sight I feel a hand on my back. I turn my head slightly to see Jasper, with a grim expression. I send him a 'What's the Deal?' look, but he only nods his head forward, motioning we should head in to the dance.

Bella and Edward are walking slightly ahead of us, Edward's arm wrapped tightly around her, "I leave you alone for two minutes and the wolves descend." he smirks, Jasper smiling as he hears Edward's words.

"Wolves?" I whisper incredulously to Jasper, trying to get my head around the vague reference. Why would Edward mention wolves in reference to a teenage boy.

"Come on, let's dance." he refuses to answer any of my questions. We pass through the arch at which they're taking photos, pausing quickly, we both put on our most realistic smiles for the camera.

"This conversation isn't over, but I know this is the only time you'll willingly dance with me." I sigh, grabbing his hand and dragging him into the pit of kids on the dance floor.

"How did Alice convince us to go to Prom again?" Jasper asks. While Emmett and Rosalie had shown off on the dance floor when we arrived, the song has switched to pop music and we simply copy the dance moves of students around us.

"What do you mean 'convince us?' I thought you wanted me to have as many human experiences as possible?" I ask innocently.

"No, that's an Edward thing. He's so scared of Bella's immortality he is forcing anything 'normal' on her. I know that you do not want the life of a monster." Jasper explains honestly.

"Huh. I never thought about that. Wow. We're pretty good at this whole soulmates thing for a human and a vampire." I smile, realizing how far away the past months seem.

It's strange to think that three months ago I had moved to Forks, that I had thought the man I am dancing with hated me. In three months I have fallen in love with the man I want to be with forever. We had both agreed not to talk about the details of that forever, neither of us wanting to imagine the looming fate of my immortality.

"Definitely." he nods, grabbing my waist and pulling me in as the music shifts to a slow song. We sway together for a little bit until he spins me around. "I think this type of dancing is more my speed."

"Is this our first time dancing together?" I take a step closer, so we're just swaying together again. I focus on the feeling of being in his arms, my head laying against his chest. Even through his suit jacket I can feel his cool skin, it's comforting as the high school's gym is packed with teenagers.

"I think so, I regret not having done it before, you're not so bad." he smirks.

"Well I was going to say something cheesy but I guess not." I dramatically sigh.

He slightly shakes his head, smiling down at me. "And what cheesy things would you say to me?"

"I would say that 'your eyes sparkle like the brightest stars' or 'my heart explodes with excitement whenever you are near.'" I amuse him with the worst lines I could think of.

"I mean, I already know you like my eyes and you can't deny the second one." he smirks.

"My heart does not 'explode with excitement' around you!" I defend myself, even though seconds ago my heart was beating faster due to the way he was smiling at me.

"Really?"

"Really." I continue denying it, it's of no use as I can tell by the look on his face he's planning something. I'm proven right as he slowly leans down, his lips only an inch away from my own. My heart betrays me as it practically jumps out my chest due to his proximity. It's not like it's our first kiss but I don't believe his presence will ever not make me blush or my heart 'flutter.'

"It seems like your heart is exploding with excitement right now." He says it smugly as if my heart isn't pounding in my ears.

"Just kiss me already." Instead of trying to deny it again I move my hand away from his shoulder and put it on the nape of his neck, closing the gap between us.

-END OF BOOK ONE-

Chapter Text

"Nevaeh, it's more complicated than you think."

"I know I'm not a vampire or anything, but based upon my understanding, a soulmate is supposed to be the one person you can't be without. Did he lie to me? Does hurting me give him some type of pleasure?" I rant. No one gives me an answer. For once no one has an excuse for him. "Just tell me where he is." Again they're all silent.

"Okay. I see how it is. I'd just like for you to tell him something, tell him that he has no right to regret this. If he wants to leave like this, it's his own choice, and based upon this I know he doesn't love me and he never did. He has no right to say he's sorry because there is no reason he should see me again." I walk towards the door, my hand on the handle, but I turn around once more. "On that matter, there's no reason any of you should see me again! You're all fine with leaving... is it something I did? I don't know what it was, but I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

None of them call after me. None of them give me any answers. None of them stop me from leaving.

The Cullens have left Forks.

Nevaeh Parkes refuses to let her heartbreak ruin her, much less acknowledge her pain. Instead, she makes unexpected friends with the monsters she almost began to fear. She learns about the secret of Quileute tribe, she makes new friends, whether they're vampires, witches, shape-shifters, or humans. She has changed but most importantly, Nevaeh Parkes is a fighter.

- - -

Wren Smith

Julian Melnik

Jacob Black

Embry Call

Quil Atera V

Jared Cameron

Paul Lahote

Sam Uley

Emily Young

Brady Fuller and Collin Littlesea
(There are no gifs of them for some reason?)

-Forks students, other characters which will appear in the book, and the Cullens are cast as they appear in the movies. I do not own any of the  Twilight  characters, I only claim my original characters and plot points, otherwise it belongs to Stephanie Meyer-

Chapter Text

Playing with Fire

"I think there's enough candles, Alice!" I laugh, looking around at the bouquets of flowers, all accompanied by candles and believe me, none of them ran on batteries.

"This isn't my vision yet, Nevaeh! Look at how beautiful everything is! Just imagine Bella walking down to see all this!" the pixie-like vampire protests.

"I can see Bella walking out and somehow burning the house down." I deadpan, causing Emmett and Rosalie to chuckle. I glare at the couple, "You both know I'm right."

I understood Rosalie's unwillingness to help, after all she opposed most things which had to do with Bella, but at least the girl had put together the bouquets with Esme. Once Bella had arrived Emmett had immediately bolted from the house. Rosalie had explained he was installing Bella's birthday present, whatever that meant, but even when he came back inside he had refused to help out. He had opted to laugh as I placed candles around the room. Jasper was the one lighting the candles, refusing to willingly give me fire. Alice was moving things around, such as after Jasper lit a candle or Esme placed a bouquet somewhere.

"Fine. I just need to get the cake, go grab Bella and Edward." Alice slumps a little after she lights the final candle. I nod, looking towards the staircase I had watched my friend walk up once she had arrived. Alice, Esme, and I all hid the decorations for her party behind our backs.

"Hey, guys," I quietly announced myself. "It's time."

"I will protect you from anything," Edward mutters to her. "Except Nevaeh and my sisters." A smirk is clear in his voice as he spins Bella around.

I head back down the stairs, returning to Jasper's side as I'm sure Alice wants a grand entrance for Bella, though she has talked to Alice about how much she hates the spotlight many times.

"It's time, it's time, it's time!" I can hear Alice yell from downstairs. The girl is all too excited for her first human birthday party in decades, though the birthday girl was all too reluctant to come.

I am so glad my birthday is not until February I see Edward chuckle to himself and I'm about eighty percent sure it's because he's reading my thoughts, but neither of us comment on it as the family watches Bella descend the staircase. I am also sure the entire family, besides Alice who is ignoring it, can see the awkward expression on Bella's face as she sees the decorations.

"I'm sorry about all this, we tried to rein her in." Carlisle sincerely tells her, Esme cutting in soon after.

"If that's even possible." she gives the girl a big hug, a loud click of a digital camera suddenly sounds as they pull apart. The two look at the most likely culprit.

"I'm sorry, I just found it in your bag." Alice says, holding Bella's camera, Bella of course only nods, knowing there's nothing she can really say to stop the vampire. Thankfully, Emmett distracts from the painfully awkward scene by saying a just as painful comment to Edward.

"Dating an older woman, hot."

"You first, Rosalie." Alice gives the blonde her gift, expertly moving the party away from Bella's not so smooth entrance.

"It's a necklace," she deadpans, handing the box to Bella, who only smiles and says thank you. "Alice picked it out." she finishes although Bella already knew the gift wasn't heartfelt.

Next is Emmett and Jasper's gift, but Alice doesn't hand her the box until squeezing Edward and Bella together for a couple's picture. Another loud click comes from the camera. Finally, the box is in Bella's hands, though she shakes it to only find it's empty. A confused look is pointed at Emmett, who is looking very proud of himself.

"Already installed it in your truck!" he nods with a large grin on his face. "Finally a decent sound system for that piece o-"

He's cut off as Bella smiles, quickly defending her ancient vehicle, "Hey! Don't hate the truck!"

Alice picks up my present, a large stack of cds tied together using a ribbon. "This one is from Nevaeh."

Bella doesn't tug at the bow, instead she takes the safer route, looking at the titles of the albums from the side. She takes long strides towards me, hugging me tighter than I think she ever has before. I, of course, hug my best friend back with just as much force. "Vae, I have wanted all of these for so long! How did you know?"

I only laugh at her excitement, "I saw you flipping through some cds the last time we were in Port Angeles. I thought I would give you some new bands to listen to, but it seems like you already have good taste." I tease.

She heads back over to Alice who is holding out the last present, a small envelope. "Open up Esme and Carlisle's!" she hands it over to Bella. The birthday girl looks over at the couple.

"Just a little something to brighten your day." Carlisle smirks as Esme finishes his sentence.

"We think you've been looking a little pale lately."

The whole room watches as Bella opens the envelope. Everyone in the room is silent as she breaks the seal, immediately pulling her finger away and hissing. "Ow," she lets out, the air in the room tense. "Paper cut."

The entire room freezes for a second, everyone looking towards Jasper, who is standing as stiff as ever to my right. Everything now feels as if it has been sped up ten times faster than real life. Jasper is now speeding towards Bella, his eyes wild. Edward pushed Bella behind him, attempting to protect her except he threw her into the display of bouquets in glass vases and candles alight. Edward jumps towards Jasper who is still focused on the scent of Bella's blood.

Everyone around me is moving, jumping to hold Jasper back, to try and calm him down. I watch as Jasper is thrown into the piano, but he somehow instantly jumps back up only to run towards Bella again, multiple family members needed to hold him back. But I am stuck in place, my mind barely processing anything. At last I am finally able to cry out.

"Jasper! No!"

As soon as he glances towards me a bit Rosalie is standing in front of me, as if she's afraid something may happen to me as well.

Alice is in front of him, trying to say something which will help him out of his frenzy. "Jas, Jas, it's okay. It's just a little bit of," she pauses, realizing her next word isn't helpful, but it's already out before she can stop it. "Blood."

Just as Bella is able to get up, the girl obviously in even more shock than me, Carlisle is instantly by her side. "Get Jasper out of here." he stops the scene from going further.

The scene slowly dissipates. Emmett forces Jasper outside, pulling the boy with all of his strength though it's clear Jasper is starting to realize what happened. Alice runs out of the room as the blood begins to overwhelm her as well. Edward only looks down at Bella with his face only showing pain. Carlisle helps Bella up, taking her to his office so he can help clean up her injuries. Only Esme, Rosalie, and I are left in the room as Edward is sent out to talk to Jasper.

I'm sure neither Jasper or Bella want to see me so I do the only thing I can do. I begin to clean up the mess that has been left. I start towards the place Bella had been thrown, picking flowers out of the broken glass.

"What are you doing?" Esme asks, the mother-like figure instantly by my side, helping me clean up as she slightly ridicules me for it.

"Cleaning up." I whisper, keeping my head down.

"Because what we need is another cut." Rosalie sarcastically states, though when I turn around she is picking up the pieces of the piano.

"Thank you." I nod towards her.

"For what?" she asks, though it sounds more like a snide comment with her defensive tone which has always stayed even as I've warmed up to her.

"For standing in front of me. I know you don't exactly love me but it means a lot that you were ready to protect me. So," I pause, trying to blink away my tears as I keep thinking back to what had just happened, regretting everything I did not do. "Thank you."

Rosalie only nods but I see the small smile on her lips. I reach for a piece of glass, but a cold hand wraps around mine and stops me. Esme lightly shakes her head.

"She's right, I don't want you to get hurt too, you don't need to help us clean up. Go home, Nevaeh."

"Jasper drove me here. I don't know how I'm getting home."

Once I finish speaking Emmett walks into the house. "Come on, I'll drive you home."

Apparently his entrance caused a ripple effect, Bella descending the stairs with a large bandage on her arm and Edward coming back inside, both just as silent as Rosalie and Esme.

"Where is he?" I ask.

"Alice and him are hunting. Come on, Vae, I'll drive you home."

"Are you sure I shouldn't wait up for him?" I ask another question, though I already know the answer.

Something in my chest pulls me towards Jasper, though everything I have learned is yelling at me that he's dangerous, that it's right he's off somewhere far away in the woods. I'm not thinking about every way he could kill me if I were in a locked car with him, I'm thinking about how much he is hurting right now, how I might be able to help him. How I love him.

"He doesn't want to talk to you." Edward states, matter of fact.

"What?" As the words fall out of my mouth so does one of the tears I was holding back.

"Please believe me, Nevaeh, he doesn't want to speak with you right now, he does not want to see you right now. He does not want you to see him." Edward sighs.

And I do believe him. Because I know he's right. But that doesn't mean I am not on the brink of sobbing right now. I feel every tear I had held back roll down my cheeks, the one person I need to see right now wants nothing to do with me. I repulse him.

"Really, Edward?" Rosalie scoffs in disbelief at his word choice.

He barely shrugs, nodding at Bella to signify they should go. They both exit the house. I'm still staring at the broken pieces of glass, but I finally bring my hand up to my face and wipe off my tears. I don't need Emmett to ask me again to follow him to know he's the one driving me home tonight.

I leave the house in silence, only sympathetic smiles aimed towards my back. I get into Emmett's Jeep and for the first time he drives the speed limit, almost as if he's scared he may break me if he goes faster. He keeps on glancing at me, but still he does not say one word the entire ride to my house. He pulls into my driveway, and finally we look at each other.

"There was nothing you could have done to stop it." he breaks the silence.

"I know. That doesn't mean I'm not going to blame myself. Bella's hurt and I couldn't even move my feet. And what makes it worse is all I want to do is talk to Jasper right now. He almost killed my best friend, but I still love him with all my heart. And he's disgusted by me."

Emmett doesn't have any words to comfort me. That's how I know it's bad. Because the one person from the Cullen family who can always make me feel better has no optimistic perspective of the situation. Well, he didn't for one minute.

"At least you don't have to see my idiot brother's face for a while." he lets out a forced little chuckle. Even though his attempt was pitiful, I still feel my cheeks rise into a smile, and for one second I don't realize the one thing I want is to see his idiot brother's face.

"Good night, Emmett," I force a smile on my face, despite the fact we both know it's fake. I unbuckle my seatbelt and get out of the car, but before I walk towards my front door I turn around one last time. "Thank you."

He only nods before shifting the vehicle into reverse and driving away.

I walk inside, kicking off my shoes immediately like I usually do, only to see the kitchen light is on. My mom stands at the sink, rinsing off dishes and washing some though she is loading the dishwasher.

"That was a different car," she comments. "I thought Jasper was driving you home."

"Me too." I reply quietly, the repetition of tonight's hurt somehow taking my voice away.

I'm sure my mom notices my tear-stained cheeks, but she doesn't take the subject any further. She only wipes her hands off with a dish towel and walks over to me, wrapping her arms around me, giving me the motherly hug I needed.

Chapter Text

A Loss of Words... and the Cullens

I feel crazy standing on the Cullen's doorstep right now. I've never shown up uninvited before, yet here I am, no phone calls from any family members for the past two days. I can't say I'm surprised Jasper's ignoring me, but not one text from Emmett in the past twenty-four hours is weird. They've been absent from school even though it has been cloudy as usual. I muster up the courage to ring the doorbell, I don't care who answers the door as long as I get some kind of answer.

"Nevaeh?" Esme asks, the door half open, as if she's unsure whether to let me in.

"Esme!" I heave a sigh of relief, seeing the woman who has been like a second mother to me over the past few months.

"Nevaeh," her voice is softer now. "What are you doing here?"

The very question I had feared. "I haven't heard from you guys in a while, I just wanted to come over and say hi. So, um, hi."

"Who's at the door?" I hear Emmett's voice echo through the house. At this question Esme finally opens the door completely. "Oh, Nevaeh. Hi."

I'm not only greeted by Emmett's voice but dozens of moving boxes. "Can I come in?"

Esme only nods, stepping out of the doorway. I step into the house. The only members of the family I see are Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, and Carlisle. The last two had stayed silent upon my arrival. "Why are you guys packing things up?"

"We're leaving." Rosalie is the one who finally gives me the answer I did not want to hear.

"We can't stay here, people are starting to see I do not look as old as I say I am." Carlisle feeds me the excuse.

"So you go and work at a different hospital nearby. Why are you packing up everything? Where is Jasper?"

"Nevaeh, it's not that simple." Esme only answers one of my questions.

"Then why are you trying to make this all sound easy?"

"Vae, it's fine, I'm sure we'll come back to visit you." Emmett smiles, walking over to my side, as if he wants to comfort me.

"No we won't." Rosalie is the only one giving me the hard answers.

"Okay. You're leaving, it was going to happen anyway that people would notice your 'lack of aging.' Where are you going?"

"What?" Esme asks.

"Maybe I can come visit you guys sometime. Where are you guys moving?"

"We can't tell you, Vae." Emmett gives my hand a squeeze, he looks at me with sympathy in his eyes.

"Why not? Four days ago I was here eating dinner that Esme had cooked for me, we were all laughing together. Jasper drove me home. That morning I had gone to school with Alice! And now you're just leaving? Did you just plan on going without a call? You won't tell me why you're leaving or where you're going!"

"Nevaeh, please, go home." Even Rosalie has started speaking to me with pity in her voice.

"Rosalie, please, just tell me where he is. I know he has to be around here somewhere." I somehow keep my voice at a normal level.

Though I know in my heart that it's not my exceptional emotional control which keeps my voice at a normal level. Any reason or self-control I have is thrown out the window when I'm around the Cullens. My heart is being ripped into pieces yet I feel somewhat okay, and I know he's here yet so far away, manipulating my heartbreak.

"He's not here." She lies but I can tell it's half-heartedly.

"Fine. I get it, 'he's not here,'" I say the last few words mockingly and raise my voice, unsure of where he is in the house and how well he can hear us. "I just wish he'd stop manipulating my emotions since he obviously doesn't care about how I feel right now."

"This isn't easy for any of us. Nevaeh, go home." Carlisle's tone is as kind as usual, though each time they tell me to go home it sounds more like a demand.

"Not without some kind of explanation! Was this all some kind of joke? That I would believe you care about me, that I would trust you, and you'd just up and leave?"

"No, of course not!" Esme is suddenly in front of me. She raises her hand, cupping my cheek in her motherly way.

"Then why? Why are you all doing this?" A tear runs down my cheek, and she immediately swipes it away with her thumb. I raised my own hand and carefully pulled her hand away from my face, I needed to stop myself from leaning into her familiar comfort.

"I wish I could tell you."

"Where is he?"

"He doesn't want to see you." Carlisle answers.

"Why doesn't he want to see me?" I yell out, shocking everyone in the room. I had thrown all composition out the window, finally able to feel every bit of hurt in my heart. My single tears had turned into streams running down my face. "He told me he loves me. He told me I'm his soulmate. But he's not here? He doesn't want to see me?"

"Nevaeh, it's more complicated than you think."

"I know I'm not a vampire or anything, but based upon my understanding, a soulmate is supposed to be the one person you can't be without. Did he lie to me? Does hurting me give him some type of pleasure?" I rant. No one gives me an answer. For once no one has an excuse for him. "Just tell me where he is." Again they're all silent.

"Okay. I see how it is. I'd just like for you to tell him something, tell him that he has no right to regret this. If he wants to leave like this, it's his own choice, and based upon this I know he doesn't love me and he never did. He has no right to say he's sorry because there is no reason he should see me again." I walk towards the door, my hand on the handle, but I turn around once more. "On that matter, there's no reason any of you should see me again! You're all fine with leaving... is it something I did? I don't know what it was, but I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

None of them call after me. None of them give me any answers. None of them stop me from leaving.

:::

When I come home the last person I was expecting to see, or wanted to see at the moment is standing in my driveway. Edward Cullen. The person who probably wanted to leave the most based upon his behavior after the party. I'm suspicious of his intentions in my driveway as the two of us had never been friends exactly. Even though I'm sure I should walk past him and go into my house, I get out of my parked car and walk towards him.

"You know."

"That you're all leaving and he's too much of a coward to tell me?"

"He loves you too much to tell you we have to leave. He doesn't want to break your heart."

"Well, it's broken!"

"If we stay here you and Bella are in constant danger. Bella's birthday party only proved that to me. We have to go."

"So you're up and leaving because of a paper cut? I know I'm not exactly pro-vampire, but one stupid papercut is the reason you're leaving? Every person in your family held him back! He knows his control isn't the best but he's working on it! Your whole family was there to protect us. You leaving is going to kill her."

"We have to."

"No! You don't have to leave!"

"Nevaeh, it's going to be okay. You and Bella will eventually forget about us, you'll be happy and you'll be safe."

"I'm going to be fine, yes! I'll get over this, but Bella? She depended on you. You are her plan!"

"I know. But if I stay I could kill her."

"I don't know how I haven't made it clear; she will die without you. She'd rather die because of you than live through you leaving, Edward."

"You're not going to see it now, but this is what's best for you two. Just, promise me one thing; keep her safe."

"F*ck you. F*ck all of you! You have no right to break her heart, break my heart, by leaving even though both of us want you to stay. And now you ask me to protect us? To be happy even though you're hurting us in one of the worst ways possible? No, I'm not going to promise you that. I will keep her safe, but that's because she's my best friend!"

"You're right to be mad."

"I don't need your permission to be angry!"

"Of course, but Nevaeh, if not for me or Jasper please stay safe for your parents."

"Have a good life, Edward." I turn around. I want to put up a middle finger behind me as I walk away, but why waste the effort when I know he can hear my thoughts. Why is he leaving when he saw every way I could see Bella taking this news? How can he leave when he knows everything I'm really feeling and thinking? Even before I'm at my front door I hear Edward's engine start.

I open up my door, as I step inside I don't hear anyone yell out any greetings. I must be home alone. I shut the door behind me, leaning against it and sliding down to the ground.

He's gone. They're all gone.

I'm somehow all out of tears. There's nothing I can do. They left. I run upstairs to my room and do the only thing I can if I can't cry. I bury myself under my covers and hope I can sleep.

:::

"Nevaeh?" my mom's voice wakes me up. She is softly shaking my shoulder. "Nevaeh, honey, wake up."

"Yeah?" I yawn, slowly sitting up, opening my eyes to see my room is dark except for the small desk lamp my mother had turned on. "What time is it?"

"It's still night. Can you check your phone to see if Bella has called you? Or see if she'll pick up?"

I only nod, grabbing my phone off the nightstand, hearing the urgency in her tone. "No. I don't have anything. What's going on?" I ask as I click on her contact and call her. All I get is her voicemail.

"She hasn't come home. Charlie put together a search party to try and find her."

I jump out of my bed, running down the stairs. "What do you mean she never came home? Is the search party at Charlie's house, where are they looking?"

"Nevaeh, what's going on? You never take a nap after school and I can tell your face is tear-stained. Now Bella is missing? What happened?" she asks me, watching as I pull on my shoes.

"The Cullens left. They're gone." I open the door, not bothering to grab my car keys as she's only a few blocks away. My mom is still following after me.

"Do you know where they went? Do you think Bella would've gone with them?"

"No. No, they didn't tell me a single thing about where they're moving. I don't really want to talk about it right now, but Edward showed up here to tell me that they were moving, and he asked me to take care of Bella. I think it's safe to say they left her behind as well." I spill everything I know, leaving out the parts where I sound like a silly teenage girl. The rest of the walk we're silent, looking around the street as if my best friend will suddenly pop out if we squint hard enough.

By the time we arrive at the Swan residence the search party is in full swing. I watch as people crowd around the chief of police. I quietly push my way towards Charlie. The only person I recognize talking to him is Jacob Black.

"I'll try to call the Cullens' place again." Charlie announces as he dials the number in.

"Charlie," I get the man's attention. "The Cullens left town." A couple of the people verbalize their distaste for the Cullens but the news does not help Charlie's worries.

"Where did they go?"

I stay silent as I don't know the answer, and I don't know if I ever will, thankfully the man next to Charlie speaks up, "We'll find her, Charlie."

"Thanks, Harry." Charlie mutters, only looking down at the ground like it may have a plan to find his daughter. As if on cue a large man steps out of the woods, a girl sleeping in his arms.

"Charlie?" Jacob nudges the man who is still staring at the ground.

"I got her!" the stranger calls out.

He immediately runs towards the man, as soon as Charlie is close enough I watch as he holds out his arms to take his daughter. The two exchange quiet words, once Charlie turns around and carries Bella into the house the search party slowly dissolves. We all go home. Even I do, because I know all she wants to do is sleep and not see me, the only other person who knows why the Cullens left.

:::

We're back home and I can tell my mother wants to talk about what had happened. But I'm not going to be the one to start that conversation.

"He didn't tell you they were leaving beforehand, did he?" she starts the conversation. Just like I knew she would.

"He didn't tell me anything."

"How did you know they left, then?"

"Edward came over and told me. Jasper hasn't called me in days, he hasn't spoken to me since the party."

"Oh, hon-"

"Don't 'Oh, honey' me! I'm fine. Everything's fine!" I cut her off.

"Nevaeh, it's okay to admit that you're hurt! I know you lov-"

"I'm not hurt! They left, that's their decision, and please don't say I loved him because if that was love he wouldn't have left. I didn't mean anything to them, so I'm not broken up over their departure." I cut her off again, but give her an explanation hoping she'll stop trying to talk about him.

"You're right to be angry."

"Can everyone stop telling me what I can feel! I know I can be sad, mad, or whatever, I can do what I want, it's not your call! I don't need your permission to have emotions!" I cry out.

"You know that's not what I meant. I get it, really, I know what it's like to be this angry, which is why we're going to train together tomorrow."

"What?"

"Tomorrow, we're going to train, whatever you want whether it's just messing around or new skills."

"I went through a breakup, not a near-death experience! This is ridiculous! As soon as you realize there's some problem in my life your first reaction is to train me! I just want to stay in bed! I want to watch a stupid teenage girl movie!"

"We can do all that tonight, we can do whatever you want, but you said it yourself, you never loved him. You won't admit you're hurt but you are, I don't want this to happen again so I'm going to teach you how to protect yourself. Plus, admit it, knife throwing is a great anger-management tool." she smirks a little and lightly bumps into me at her last comment.

"Yeah, whatever." I roll my eyes and walk up the stairs to my room.

I sent a quick text to Bella, just offering to wallow with her but I'm sure she won't answer me tonight. I get back under my covers again, hoping sleep may come again because I know my mom will force me out of bed to train in the morning. I know that no matter how badly I want to curl up into a ball until I forget the Cullens ever existed I can't. Not only because I can't forget them, but I can't let their absence ruin me. I can't let him ruin me.

Chapter Text

Meeting Mrs. and Mrs. Smith

My mom had offered to call me out of school today but after two days spent almost completely by her side, I knew the safer option would be attending school again. My whole weekend was spent with my mom educating me on every weapon my family owns, how to use it, and sometimes reteaching me past lessons on supernatural creatures. I knew she was just doing what she knows, for whatever reason she thought knife-throwing would be more comforting than a movie marathon. During training sessions all I could think about were the most recent supernatural creatures I had encountered, the Cullens who had left me and Bella heartbroken, and Victoria and Laurent who I'm sure will not stay away from Forks for too long.

I walk into Mr. Varner's classroom, my eyes immediately landing on Bella, the seat that I usually sit in is now occupied by Mike Newton. He's chatting her ear off about whatever is on his mind, meanwhile Bella is simply staring ahead with a blank look on her face. I had texted the girl multiple times this past weekend, even just asking for a one letter response to know she was alive, but any plans I had offered or questions I had asked were ignored. I'm not sure which of us is worse but I know both of us refuse to acknowledge the Cullens have left. I sigh as I watch Mr. Varner enter the room, knowing class will begin before Mike is out of my seat.

I look over at his usual seat, I make my way over to it and drop my bag next to it. It's a bit awkward as the girl who usually sits next to him is already there, and it's even more awkward that I do not know her name.

"Well, you look absolutely gorgeous today, Mike." she smiles, breaking the silence for both of us. For the first time since Friday I let out a laugh that isn't forced.

"I'm Nevaeh Parkes," I hold out a hand towards her, but she looks down at it but doesn't shake it. "And you are?"

"My name is Wren." she smiles, only giving me a nod. Before we both can think of any conversation topics to fill the time Mr. Varner starts today's lesson.

I try and follow along, writing down whatever the teacher is but it doesn't help since I don't know what any of it means.

Class goes by quickly and eventually I was able to understand what everything meant. I walked towards my locker, ready to throw my math textbook into it and out of sight before my next class. Who I didn't notice was Wren who led ahead of me slightly, and she stopped right by my locker. I opened my own locker and like I had planned, threw my textbook in it, but I look over at Wren who I now notice occupies the neighboring locker. I'm about to start a conversation with my new math partner, but I don't open my mouth before I hear someone call out my name.

"Hey, Nevaeh!" Mike Newton calls out to me.

:::

It's been a full week since the Cullens left and my mother had kept her promise to herself on training me more. Every day when she came home she would immediately call for me to train with her. We head moved on from supernatural weapons to my mom teaching me martial arts, working on my stance, hits, kicks, and blocks.

It felt like each time I walked into school I had a new bruise or less energy than yesterday, but what was even more strange is Wren often came to school with similar injuries. When I had a wrap on my wrist she would have a bandage on her finger, when I had a limp she had a few stitches up her arm. We both had weird injuries and we had an agreement to not talk about it.

Whatever we have is weird, but Bella hasn't spoken to me since last week, so in some weird way Wren is my only friend besides Angela and Jessica.

:::

It's been two weeks since the Cullens left and my mother has finally let up on training, at the request of my father who says we're wasting resources and dulling weapons.

Now rather than worrying about how I am holding my bow or my stance when I throw a punch, she is running around the house cooking and cleaning for a small dinner party she had planned tonight. I think this is the first time since Texas my parents have made friends in town, much less had them over. We hadn't gotten a long winded answer simply, "Jeffrey, Nevaeh, the Smiths are coming over tonight so clean up any messes you've made and make sure you're ready by six o'clock."

I take a deep breath, preparing myself for whatever disaster is awaiting in the kitchen. Surprisingly, my mom is making a simple dish and she herself does not look too distressed.

"Need any help?"

"No, I got it under control."

"How did you meet these people anyway?" I ask her, knowing neither of my parents have talked about anyone they know in town, besides Charlie Swan, until now.

"Oh, I only know Charlotte but the rest of her family is coming over tonight as well. Her daughter is either your age or Milo's age, but Charlotte comes to the shop quite often and I thought, why not, and invited them over tonight."

My mom owns a small antique and herb shop in town, originally it was to keep people from thinking the types of herbs we need for salves and balms was strange, but as more antiques came in and the 'free spirit' movement is coming back, her shop has become more popular. I'm happy she's made a friend, but mom inviting over the whole family is a little suspicious if her friend frequents the shop.

"Wait, Nevaeh, I need you to do one thing for me!" my mom suddenly speaks just as I turned to leave. "Milo went to La Push with a few of his friends after school, can you pick him up?"

"Yeah." I nod, grabbing my car keys from the kitchen table. I text Milo for the address and to warn him about dinner before I leave.

The drive isn't too long, the road was somewhat familiar as I had gone down it a couple times this summer. Once I arrive at the address Milo had texted me I see that he's already outside. He and a small group of boys, they all look around the same age, are playing soccer in the front yard. I'm not exactly sure whose house it is but I know Milo will want to win this game before we leave. I park the car and turn off the engine, stepping out to watch the game.

"Give me a couple minutes, Vae!" Milo calls out, kicking the ball away from the boy who is guarding him at once. Like a hive most of the boys look up at me quickly, causing another to kick the ball in the goal.

"And that's game!" he yells out. Milo and the other boys on their team cheer as the boys on the other team scoff, a couple letting out small protests.

"That's not fair! The game was basically paused!"

"You didn't call a timeout," the same boy who had made the winning goal shrugs. "It's not my fault you stopped to look at Nevaeh."

Once he said my name, because I am absolutely sure my brother had not bragged that his sister Nevaeh was coming to pick him up, I looked a little closer at the boy. I realize it's the one who had helped me move in, he was almost my first friend in Forks.

"Jared!" I say aloud. Once I say this Milo has a confused look on his face, but he continues arguing with his friends about who had won, and Jared comes over to talk to me.

"Hey, stranger!" he smiles. "I thought I told you to come around here, what has it been, maybe half a year since the last time I saw you?"

"Sorry, I was dealing with a bit of a mosquito problem so I couldn't come by often." I chuckle to myself a little bit at my play on words.

"So, how do you know that punk?" he gestures towards Milo.

"That 'punk' is my little brother." I laugh as his face falls, probably thinking he's offended both me and Milo. "Speaking of, we've got to get going because dinner's ready in twenty minutes."

"Wow, you come here getting my hopes up that we could actually be friends, yet you leave just as fast!"

"Well that's a weird way of asking for my number." I shrug, taking my phone out of my pocket and opening up a new contact for him.

"I mean, I guess I'll give you the honor of knowing my phone number, Parkes." Jared dramatically sighs, grabbing the phone from me and typing in his number. Just as he finishes typing out his name, Milo is finally saying goodbye to his friends.

"Come on, Nevaeh, we're going to be late!" he calls out as he hops in the passenger seat. I already know our mom will kill us if we're late so I only give Jared a quick smile before I get in and start the car.

By the time we're finally back home it is six o'clock on the dot. I park the car and take my keys out of the ignition as fast as I can, both Milo and I running towards the door fearing the wrath of our mother. Milo throws the door open as soon as we reach the porch.

"Go, go, go! Get changed and stuff, I'll try and distract, mom!" I yell at him, though he's already running up the stairs.

"Why are you distracting your mom?" my dad comes out of the living room, passing by the door on his way to the dining room.

"Milo's all gross because he was playing soccer with his friends."

"Nevaeh, we've already started dinner, I would recommend getting into the kitchen as soon as possible." he comments casually, taking long strides into the dining room.

I swallow my pride and follow him in, letting out my most awkward yet convincing laugh, "Hi!" I quickly take my seat at the table. Thankfully right as my mother opens her mouth Milo drops into the chair next to me, in a new outfit and reeking of cologne.

I look around the table, first seeing my brother's face and my own father. Next to them is who I assume is Charlotte, then Wren, wait Wren is the Smiths' daughter? We share an awkward smile once I recognize her. Next to Wren is another woman, and lastly my mother. I'm sure they've already had introductions, but once my brother and I joined the table it became silent. The only sounds which can be heard are breathing and the clanking of dishes as my brother helps himself to the food, which thankfully everyone but me and him had taken some before.

"I'm Nevaeh and that's my brother Milo. I'm sorry we're late, I had to go and pick him up from the town over." I politely introduce the both of us. The two women look at one another and the one nearest to my father speaks up.

"It's nice to meet you," she smiles. "I'm Sophia, that's Charlotte, and this is our daughter Wren."

I finally look over at my mother, curious if she's angry at me or not, but all I see is her giving Milo a look that says 'I swear if you say anything which embarrasses me you will regret being born.' Still no one says anything. I'm not sure if my brother and I made it awkward or if it was awkward beforehand.

"It's so nice to meet another family who believes in the occult!" Charlotte is the one who breaks the silence this time.

"The occult?" Milo asks through a mouthful of food. Once he says this I'm not sure whether he is genuinely dumb or he wants to know what they believe in or practice. At the combination of my brother's lack of manners and question we all laugh.

"I myself come from a line of witches, yes, it sounds ridiculous but powers and everything. Both my wife and I practice wicca as well." Charlotte sheepishly explains, as if the past times she has said this she has not been met with the most open minds.

"There's no need to be embarrassed, I'm sure my mom told you about our monster-hunting which sounds just as crazy. While we don't meet every supernatural creature we learn about, we do believe. It's really cool to meet an actual witch after only reading about them." I really hope I don't sound condescending or like I'm trying to suck up to them as I say all this, but I know my mom has always wanted friends who like the occult. "So, Charlotte, you said both you and Sophia practice wicca, and what about you Wren?"

Sophia speaks before Wren can answer, a large grin on her face, "Her powers are kicking in and she's starting to gain control of them!"

"I think my mom's more excited about this than I am." Wren jokes.

As the Smiths talk about the reality of witchcraft and ask crazy questions about monster-hunting I finally relax. I begin to put food on my plate as Milo starts to make his second plate. I smile as time passes and my parents relax as they talk about occult things which have probably bothered them for years. After what surprisingly does not feel like forever we're all finished eating and our parents just sit there talking.

"Hey, Dad, is it okay if I show Wren where we train?" I ask him quietly, knowing my mom is too invested in her conversation with Sophia and Charlotte.

"Don't break anything." he says seriously.

I only shrug it off because he says it every time and motion my head for Wren to follow me. "I guess you can come too, Milo." I dramatically sigh, knowing he doesn't want to be stuck with adults all night. Though I'm sure he doesn't want to be stuck with me either, while we would do anything for each other, we still fight and tease each other like siblings.

We walk over to the at-home gym and I punch in the code which my parents had finally entrusted me with.

"Wait, mom and dad gave you the code! Why do you get it?" Milo huffs.

"You can have the code after mom trains you for hours on end." I laugh at his childish behavior. "Wren, this is where the magic happens."

We all look around the room, while the thing which is on display first is my family's impressive collection of weapons which should most likely be made illegal, the 'cabinet' which I put the code into opens to show a whole room of monster-hunting supplies. Herbs, balms and salves which will hopefully heal any wound or burn from a failed potion, gear, and so many textbooks on the occult. Looking at her face I can't tell whether Wren is impressed or scared.

"You know, Nevaeh, I was skeptical of you at first, but I think we're going to be very good friends." Wren turns towards me, a large smile on her face.

Chapter Text

Making the Possibility Impossible

OCTOBER

It's been almost a month since the party. Bella still doesn't return my texts. I've stopped by her house a couple of times. Charlie would let me in but when I would go up to her room she'd either be in a catatonic state or frantically writing an email to Alice. I think she talks to Alice more than me, and the former's email is deactivated so it's not like Alice reads them anyway. I'm worried about her. All she does is sit silently in class, sit alone at the Cullen's old lunch table, and come home to sit in that stupid chair.

While Bella texts and emails the Cullens as much as she can, the day after they left I took the liberty of blocking any form of communication I could from them. I've thrown myself into hanging out with my friends. I usually watch Jared play soccer and hang out with him and his friends. I've helped Wren with her control of her powers, either being a dummy as she practices spells and measuring ingredients or deciphering recipes for basic salves. I think I spend more time in La Push or at Wren's house than my own. I don't know why I don't want to be in my own home. Maybe because of the times he was there or maybe because I'm afraid I'll fall into the state of grief Bella is in. Jared and Wren have helped me a lot. I think it's because while Angela and Jess look at me pityingly, Wren and Jared never knew him so they don't talk about him. I can't talk about him.

NOVEMBER

Wren and I've started sitting with Bella at lunch. Not because I think the Cullens will come back but I don't want Bella to be alone. She still doesn't return my texts or talk to me. I just sit there and talk to her about nothing. She doesn't really respond. I'm not exactly sure what she thinks about while she ignores me. I sleepover at her house a couple times a week. Charlie told me about her nightmares, and I know he can't handle them on his own. I understand because as much as I ignore him when I'm awake, he and his family always terrorize me in my sleep.

Wren has full control of her powers which is really cool. I visit her house a lot just to hang out now, we've become real friends rather than just kids who have parents who are the same type of weird. I still hang out with the guys in La Push, I've actually started playing in games and sometimes Jacob comes and joins in. Jessica and Angela are finally treating me like a human rather than some heartbroken girl. I think things are finally going back to normal.

DECEMBER

Bella is still having her nightmares. I don't know how much longer Charlie can take it. I've heard him mutter about sending her back to her mom's place a couple of times. I try to get her to start some type of conversation but all she does is say a few words. I think she's finally realized Alice isn't going to respond. She answers my texts sometimes. Her nightmares are worse. So are mine.

Jared has stopped talking to me. I don't know why. He never answers my texts anymore. He's stopped playing soccer with the guys. It's like he has disappeared. I really only recently saw him and saw that he has started hanging out with two guys who I've never met. They're really buff so I don't plan on confronting him. Jake has been nice to me. I've actually started hanging out with him and his friends, Quil and Embry, it's boring to just watch the boys' games without Jared there. Especially since Milo plays with them half the time. Wren and I are still hanging out a lot, I actually think our families might do a Christmas thing together this year since my mom is still good friends with Charlotte. I still sit with Bella at lunch but I've been hanging out with Jessica, Angela, and the rest of the old lunch table at the diner or going to the movies with them. Things are fine.

BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING

Charlie tried to send Bella to live with her mom. Safe to say Bella still thinks Edward might come back for her. All I know is she invited me and Jessica for a girl's night. It was as if she'd come back from the dead when I got her phone call. I knew she wasn't suddenly 'back to normal,' but hey, what can I say? I'm still faking it until I make it.

My mom needed me to close the shop, okay, she didn't need me to close the shop, but I just can't shop with Jessica. Not because she gets on my nerves, but I would come home having spent money I don't have on clothes I don't need. I told them I needed to close the shop and I would meet up with them for the movie. Here I am, standing outside the movie theater with my friends, trying to figure out whether the movie we had just watched was good or bad.

"I don't know why you want to sit through all those zombies eating people ...and no hot guys kissing anybody. It's gross." Jessica starts off her rant. Which Bella and I both ignore as we start walking to the restaurant. "Like why are there so many zombie movies anyway? Is it supposed to like draw a parallel with leprosy? My cousin had leprosy, it's not funny, you know?"

Okay, I can't take this. Jessica's a good friend but when she starts a rant, I've learned that I'm never really sure when she's going to finish it. I look at my surroundings and thankfully since we're in Port Angeles there are plenty of shops.

"And like is it supposed to be a metaphor for consumerism? Because don't be so pleased with your own like self-reverential cleverness, you know? Like, some girls like to shop. Not all girls, apparently. I was surprised you called at all, you know? Like, your depression thing, I'm totally, totally worried. After a while, it's like, she's still bumming?"

I turn to Bella to see if she's had any reaction to Jessica's passive insult. She's not even listening. I need to get away from this.

"Hey, Bells, Jess, I think I see a dress I like in that store window." I randomly point down the street. "I'm going to go take a look, I'll join you guys at the restaurant soon, I'll call you if it gets too late though."

Bella gives me no response besides a slight nod of her head, I think tonight she's mastering the art of talking without speaking. At least it's an honest answer. Jessica only gives me a nod of her head before she goes back into her rant.

It's almost eight at night and it seems like most of the shops on this street have already closed. Only a couple of small restaurants and a pharmacy have their open sign showing. The street is almost empty, the only other people on the same sidewalk as me are a young couple and a young man walking alone. Something about the man seems familiar, not as if I know him but the way he holds himself. I know it's rude to stare but something within me is screaming at me to not look away. He finally makes eye contact with me, his irises are crimson red. Sh*t.

Out of the many things I had guessed would happen tonight, encountering a vampire was not on my list. If I'm being honest here, my mom's whole training obsession really annoyed me for the last couple of months but right now I'm thankful she forced me to switch to a simple blade rather than my small swiss army knife. If I'm being really honest, I can't fight a vampire tonight. I don't remember how I was able to escape Laurent, it's not like a cut will cause a vampire to bleed out. I hop into the pharmacy, it was the closest shop I could find.

I spend my time browsing through the shelves, it's not exactly like my mom's shop which might have some type of 'vampire repellent.' All I have to defend myself is the blade from my mom and Charlie's pepper spray. I just hope the vampire has passed by the shop, that he didn't spot me and think of me as his next meal.

I've been in the pharmacy for fifteen minutes. I'm the only person in the building other than the cashier, who keeps looking at me, most likely hoping I'll leave. So I do. It doesn't matter whether I hide for five minutes or an hour, if I'm his desired prey he'll find me.

As soon as I walk out of the shop I turn back down the alley type of street I was walking down before. Yes, it's a stupid idea to go into a less crowded area but I fear he might've gone onto the main straight looking for me. Once I'm walking down the alley every light disappears, I can't see any light coming from shop windows, I can't see the streetlamps. Just as I really know something is wrong an arm wraps around my waist and a hand covers my mouth. I don't scream. I only close my eyes, hoping whoever or whatever this is kills me quickly. I'm pushed up against the wall, a forearm on my neck. Nothing happens, there's no rush of pain or words spoken. I open my eyes and I see those familiar red eyes. I try and move my arm so I can get my pepper spray but he's holding it in place.

"You know most people scream when they're being kidnapped." he mutters, as if my lack of reaction not only disappoints him but confuses him.

"I don't think this really counts as kidnapping, maybe physical assault, but this isn't even close to kidnapping." I don't know why I always talk back to the people who try to kill me.

"What if I told you I'm not looking for a hostage but a meal?"

"Is that what you say to all of your prey?" I laugh a little.

What kind of vampire reveals himself to his victim? His naivety eases my fear. His arm presses into my throat and I can almost feel the blood running through my veins. The idea that he's using what control he has to play with me replaces the fear I had let go of earlier.

"It usually scares them enough to make dinner enjoyable." he shrugs a little. I'm unsure of whether it's a force of habit or if he's giving me a chance to escape just to chase me. No matter the cause, I use that ease of pressure to slide out of his grip.

I push him away from me, taking my pepper spray out of my bag. I know I should've grabbed it earlier so I could prevent all this. And even though I ran away as fast as I could, he was able to catch up without effort, he's by my side again. I'm still running but he's at what looks like a fast walk. I pause, I put my leg behind his and kick as hard as I can. Bad idea! Ow! Instead of him falling, he is still upright and I am limping.

"F*ck!" I cry out, holding the area of my leg where I had hit him. "Why do I keep forgetting about the whole marble body thing?"

At my words he stops. "Marble body..." he mutters. "You know what I am?" he exclaims. His predatory stance immediately halts, his new behavior makes him look more like a teenager than a killer. I see him move his hand and all of a sudden the lights are back.

"You're not exactly the first vampire I've met." I manage to speak through my teeth which are clenched due to the pain.

"If you know other vampires and you're still alive, why did you fight me?"

"You were trying to kill me!" I exclaim. "Why wouldn't I fight a vampire who's trying to kill me?"

"Yeah, that's fair. Wait, how did you know? What vampires did you know?" he sounds like a child, as if he's newer than me to the whole vampire thing.

"Your eyes. The red gives it away. I knew... I was raised learning about the supernatural." I quietly answer him. I'm still on edge but for some reason I feel better now that he's not trying to kill me. He reminds me of someone but I can't put my finger on who.

"Yeah, I hate that they're red, but I guess it's just a vampire thing. Why would you be raised knowing about the supernatural? What kind of parent reads a child Dracula before bed?"

"The kind who are monster-hunters and raise their children to fight off monsters. By the way, if you're feeding on humans they're going to continue being red. If you feed on the blood of animals they'll become a kind of golden color. How long have you been a vampire?"

"I think it's been almost two years now. Everything before I was changed has become a little hazy. All I know is I woke up and I was changed, I didn't know where I was but I felt so thirsty and I knew I couldn't go home. If you're some kind of monster hunter why aren't you trying to kill me right now?"

I don't know why but I feel bad for him. It's as if he's been alone for all this time. "I already tried, didn't I?" I joke around. "Have you been alone since you were changed? Even your creator left?"

"I mean, I haven't exactly met other vampires but I sometimes call my family. I'll pretend to be a telemarketer or just hang up right away, but it's comforting just to hear or say 'Melnik.'" he laughs at the end, but it sounds more like a sigh to me.

"Melnik? Is that your name?"

"Last name, my name is Julian." he answers me.

"I'm Nevaeh." I smile, holding out a hand for him to shake, and he does. "Wait, do you have some kind of power? I noticed how you cut out the lights before."

"Can't all vampires do that? After I turned I was able to cloak any object I wanted. I'm kind of scared to make myself invisible, but I find it easy to cover lights and things like that." he sounds nonchalant, as if he thought the makeup for a vampire was blood red eyes, super strength, and the ability to cloak whatever he wanted.

"No! It's so cool that you have a power! Most vampires only have strengthened senses and they're frozen in time, but some can see the future, read minds, and manipulate em-. They can have really cool abilities... according to my textbooks." I stop myself, and I'm not exactly sure whether it's because I can't talk about him or I don't want to spill the family's secrets to a random vampire.

"Interesting." he smirks. "Can I see your phone?"

"What? Why?"

"I'm going to put my number in it so I can talk to you later. You seem to know more about this vampire stuff than me, plus it seems like you have a dark, mysterious past which I want to know more about."

"Why do you think I'm going to just give you my number?" I act as if this concept is foreign, but I already know I'm too trusting and he'll probably take my phone if I don't. Julian confuses me. He talks like a normal teenager but once he remembers I'm a human he's all stoic and acts like he's superior.

"Fine, I'll get it myself." he immediately reaches for my bag but I jump back.

"Hey!" I sound offended but I'm already taking out my phone. There's something interesting about him, and sure I might end up his meal in the end, but at least it'll be an adventure. I turn on my phone only to see texts from Jessica and that it's nine o'clock at night.

Jess - Where are you?

Jess - Is everything okay?

Jess - Hello? Nevaeh?

Jess - Bella and I are in the restaurant eating, we got tired of waiting.

Jess - Bella wanted to go home. Please text me back when you get these. At least to know that you're safe.

Crap. I had forgotten that I was here with Jessica and Bella. For once I'm glad they're not the worrying type. Before I forget about them again I type back a quick text.

Nevaeh - Yeah, sorry, I forgot to turn my phone on after work. I'm totally ok. I had fun tonight!

Nevaeh - Please tell Bella I'll be over later tonight :)

Once I finish sending these texts my phone is snatched out of my hands.

"Jeez! Did no one tell you how to say your number out loud? Or maybe ask permission?"

"Sorry." he mumbles, handing my phone back to me just as I hear another cell phone ding.

"It's fine." I look at his text, grinning now that I realize he's just as sarcastic as me.

Julian - Cut me some slack, I haven't really interacted with anyone in two years. Would you rather I drain you than have bad manners?

Nevaeh - Like you could kill me.

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen, well I was turned when I was seventeen."

"I really need more friends my own age." I mutter under my breath.

"What?" he asks, dramatically turning his head towards me, even though we both know with his hearing he could understand me.

"Well this has been fun, but I'm just a lowly seventeen year old human who has to get home, so I'll be going now." I say my goodbye, fumbling through my bag for my car keys. Thankfully I hadn't parked too far away.

"Are you driving?"

"Yes."

"Can I come with you?"

"What, why?"

"I haven't been in a car for more than a year! And I'm getting bored of Port Angeles!"

"You're a vampire with super-speed? You can travel the whole world." I asked, dumbfounded.

"A little after I was turned I travelled around the world, only to find out I sparkle in sunlight, it sucked only being able to see stuff on cloudy days or at night." he huffs.

"Fine, but only the car ride. Once I'm home you are not welcome to stay in town. I'll kill you myself if you bother the townspeople." I roll my eyes, knowing getting rid of him is going to be hard. But if I'm being honest I know I don't want to get rid of him completely. I turn towards him and I see the first real smile from him.

"I don't think you'll try to kill me again anytime soon." he hesitates before speaking again. "Don't worry, I won't try and kill you either, Nev."

Chapter Text

Dude, You're a Werewolf, Not a 'Shifter'

I thought that once they left I would have a normal high school experience. Why wouldn't I? It's not like I had a vampire boyfriend or best friend to distract me from thinking about the future. I thought the supernatural part of my life was only in my memories, that is until Julian enrolled at Forks High School. What is it with this school and vampires? Can a girl get through one semester here without seeing one? Apparently not.

"I told you to leave town." I mutter. I'm trying not to draw attention to us. Bella may be slowly getting better, but one look and she'd see the similarities between every vampire she knows and the idiot walking next to me.

"You told me not to 'bother' the townspeople. I don't think I'm bothering them." he smirks, some guy on the swim team passed by and tapped him on the shoulder. Oh yeah, did I mention he's already on the swim team. I'm surprised his immortal body doesn't freeze the whole pool.

"I told you not to stay in town!"

"Come on, Nev, you're the only person I know!"

"You've known me for three days. Why do you have to stay in Forks? You can go to any other town and create a life there! I hear Port Oxford is pretty gloomy."

"But, I don't know anyone in Port Oxford. Please, Nev, my eyes are beginning to change from red. I became a 'vegetarian' like you call it. I won't bother the townspeople. And I want a home again. I want to finish high school."

"Vae, how do you know the newest member of the swim team?" Wren bounds toward us, her light tone breaking through our whispered conversation. I looked around and it finally hit me that we had made it to the cafeteria.

"Haven't you heard, my dear sweet Wren, Julian here is my new best friend."

"Best friend? You hurt me!" she dramatically puts her hand over her heart. We head towards our usual table but I notice Bella isn't sitting there. I look around and finally notice her sitting by our other friends, who are having some type of argument.

I nudge Wren and lead her towards Bella, Julian still in tow. From this distance I can see Angela looks pissed while Tyler and Mike are laughing. They don't even notice the three of us walking towards them. I take a seat between Bella and Mike.

"I'm telling you, I saw something in the woods!" Angela just about yells, it directly contrasts how calm the girl usually is, though it's not like she's shy around any of us.

"Baby, I totally believe you."

"He's just trying to get into your pants!" Jessica laughs. She seemed more at ease than she was on Saturday when we had talked. When she told me Bella had ridden on a motorcycle with some random guy. While she looked calm I could see her eyeing Bella, wondering what the girl was doing at the table she had stayed away from for months. What she was doing here after she left her alone in Port Angeles for a biker.

"I'm serious! It was jet black and even on all fours it was taller than a person. A bear, maybe?"

"You're not the only one," Bella speaks up. "My dad says they've been getting reports at the station. Five hikers have been killed by some animal, most saying it looked like a bear, but they can't find the bear."

"Oh, yeah, even at my family's shop we're getting hikers coming in trying to get some protection from animals. Kind of ironic that they're going there rather than Newton's." I smirk, the boy next to me only rolls his eyes.

"See! That's the last time any of you doubt my girlfriend!"

Angela looks satisfied and there's nothing else to say on the subject. The group's conversations split off, Mike and Bella talking to each other as if I don't even exist. Well, it's mainly Mike talking to Bella.

"You're on the swim team, right?" Jessica asks Julian, the girls finally noticing him. He nods, as if he's not used to humans talking to him by now. I finally notice the contacts he's wearing to cover up his eyes which are probably some crossover between amber and crimson.

"Do you want to do an interview for the school newspaper? What it's like to come to Forks in the middle of the school year, maybe even some secrets about the swim team?" Angela proposes.

Julian peers over at me, I don't know if he's gauging my reaction or asking for permission. I smile to myself, thinking back to last year when she had wanted to interview me for the paper. I nod, not only because I want Angela to get an interesting story but I realize Julian isn't like the other vampires I know. He may be frozen in time but he can change; he's no longer a murderous blood-sucker, but a teenager looking for a new start to his immortal life.

"Sure." he smiles.

:::

Jacob Black is an idiot. He is stupid. He is sadly my friend. Now I don't usually talk down on my friends but the nitwit is rebuilding a death trap for Bella. The death trap being a motorcycle. Yes, Isabella Swan brought scrap metal to Jacob Black's house and he agreed to turn it back into a motorcycle! Well, it explains why we haven't been hanging out as much over the past week.

The worst part is neither of them told me what they were doing. Two of my closest friends were hanging out without me! Jake is the reason Bella is talking more. It took Charlie and me three months to get a coherent sentence out of her and it took Jake a day to make conversation with her.

"Since when are you two into motorcycles?" I ask.

I had found out about the bike thing after Bella tried to discreetly mention the fact he had finished fixing hers. I don't know how she thought I would miss that fact. My reaction was to call Jake and berate him. He didn't react and told me I could supervise if I wanted to. My area of expertise may be hunting monsters but I'm not sure as to whether or not I can protect my friends from motor vehicles. Either way Jake said he was finishing his bike today, Charlie would kill me if I knew about this and did nothing about it. Like my dad always says: if you can't beat 'em, we'll talk about that later, nonetheless join 'em.

"I've always been into rebuilding cars and stuff like that."

"Jacob, I'm yelling at Bella right now."

"I don't know. I saw these on the side of the road and thought it'd be something new to try out."

"Bringing yourself closer to death isn't something new for you." I mutter to myself, not sure whether or not they can hear me. I don't want to start another fight with them, I had just gotten Bella back and I've lost enough friends lately. Thankfully the sound of an engine roaring to life covers up my words.

"It's ready!" Jake announces, it may seem obvious but it's not like Bella or I would know the difference between the motorcycle needing more work or being fixed.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go for a ride!" Bella smiles.

We couldn't go anywhere near Forks because Charlie might have actually killed us if he saw Bella riding a motorcycle. Instead we stayed in La Push, Jake saying he knew a good off road to try out the bikes in case there was any trouble. The ride really tested my indurance, not because I got car sick, but the entire time he flirted with Bella. It was as if she didn't notice, or she can't stand breaking his heart every minute she's with him. Either way all I could hear in my mind was "Bella please admit you feel the same way I do and let's spend the rest of our lives together!" rather than what Jake was actually saying.

Suddenly the car jerked to the side and I was pulled out of my thoughts. Bella jumps out of the car, Jake and me going after her.

"Is that Sam Uley?" She looks forward, not at the cliff where the road ends or at the beach below, but farther towards the woods and where a group of boys, who look more like men now, are rough-housing.

Jake only nods, "Him and his cult." I look closer, while we may be far away I think I'll always recognize him.

"Is that Jared with them?"

"Yep. Sam and his disciples, Paul, Jared, and now Embry. They think they run this place." Once he finishes speaking one of the boys jumps off the cliff, Bella and I freak out while he's still calm. "They're just cliff-diving. It's scary but the rush is amazing, most of us jump from further down, but leave it to Sam and them to show off."

It may be narcissistic to believe Jared stopped talking to me due to something supernatural but he's completely ghosted me. Hearing from Jake he's in some kind of cult definitely supports my supernatural theory; the boys jumping into the ocean in January does not help their case. Before I even realize it, I'm running towards the cliff the boys are jumping from, hoping that by the time I get there they'll be ready for round two. To be honest, it's not that bad of a run, but I would've preferred to take Bella's truck or my own car for that matter. Either way I hope Jared hears me out so I don't have to find Jake and Bella later.

For once luck is on my side. I found the cliff I saw them jumping from and a few minutes after I had finished catching my breath, I see the group is walking up the trail towards it again. Instead of walking towards them I stand there with my arms crossed, partially because I'm mad but I also forgot my jacket in the truck. Sam is the first person to see me, he stops nudging the boys who all halt as if on cue.

I don't think he knows I can see them already because he nods his head towards the woods to the right of the trail. What's even weirder is they all run into the woods together. Maybe Jake is right, they are a cult, because in my lifetime I have never watched a group of buff guys with matching tattoos just hang out in the woods casually after cliff-diving. Now, believe me, I have a bad feeling in my gut and I know I'm most definitely making a dumb choice, but I follow them into the woods. It had only been minutes but I see no trace of the group. I had looked high and low but all I saw was trees, that is until I saw the ginormous wolf about ten yards ahead of me.

While it's the size of a bear it doesn't match Angela's description, the wolf is most definitely a wolf, but its fur is a brownish-gray not black. I don't know whether or not I should run or I should listen to the back of my mind which tells me it's no coincidence I watched a boy go into the woods but I'm now seeing a wolf. I'm ready to approach it, thinking back to everything I've learned from my parents about werewolves, but before I can take another step a wolf with dark silver fur is next to the brown wolf.

"What are you doing? Run!" I hear a voice behind me yell. It's Sam Uley. I shake my head.

"What are you?"

"Hikers have been killed in these woods by some type of animal, get out of here!"

"I saw you guys go into these woods and now there are no boys but there are wolves that are unnaturally large. What are you? Werewolves?" I watch as Sam's head turns, as if he thought I would simply run away. As if the stupid girl who stood there just looking at the creatures in the woods would play along with his act.

I hear a rustling behind me, Jared and Paul are walking towards us. I do a double-take, not only because they actually admitted they're all werewolves but the boys are shirtless, each only wearing a pair of jean shorts.

"We prefer the term 'shape-shifter.'" Paul smirks.

"Don't flatter yourselves, I've met actual shape-shifters and they can do more than turn into a wolf."

"This chick is weirder than us." Paul whispers to Jared even though it's clear we were all meant to hear it. I smile as Jared rolls his eyes and punches Paul on the shoulder.

"So are you guys going to explain yourselves?" The boys look at Sam who nods.

"How much time do you have?"

Chapter Text

It's A Wolf Thing

Jared and Paul were instructed to bring me to some woman named Emily's house. While the two wolves I'm with had managed to shift back to normal after Sam had let go of the secret, Embry was still in the woods, probably as a wolf as far as I know. Now I'm in the passenger seat as Jared drives us to Emily's, my friend back to his normal self as he spills all of the secrets he had been hiding from me over the month we were apart.

"Let me get this straight, because of a certain Quileute gene you can turn into wolves?"

"Yes." Paul and Jared answered at the same time.

"And when you are wolves you can read one another's minds?"

"Yep, believe me, Jared was super annoying when Sam made him stop talking to you." Paul smirks.

"Wait, Sam made you stop talking to me? Why? How?" My eyes narrow thinking about Sam Uley telling Jared to stop talking to me. Sam was the one who found Bella in the woods. He knows what the Cullens are and what they did. He knew all that and he took my friend away from me.

"Sam's the alpha. He has this type of leadership where he can command us to do whatever he needs us to do. We have to keep the secret, there was a chance I could have phased in front of you so I was commanded to stay away from anyone who doesn't know about the wolf thing unless it's family." Jared explains.

Paul must see my angry expression because he quickly goes more in depth, though he had been sitting in the backseat looking upset as Jared told me, a human, all of their secrets. The secrets he had to turn into a werewolf to learn. "It's all for good reason Nevaeh, new wolves are known to be a bit... reckless."

"Reckless?"

We pull into the driveway of a faded gray house, it must be Emily's. Jared parks the car but we don't get out right away. "Vae, when we walk in, don't stare at Emily, okay?"

"Why would I stare?"

"New werewolves are reckless. We need to stay away from others until we're able to control our emotions and phasing. One time Emily was too close to Sam when he phased." He pauses, a pained emotion in his eyes, as if he felt like he had hurt this Emily himself. "You'll see what happened."

Paul is the first to go into the house, Jared and I follow him. The woman in front of a stove in the somewhat small kitchen spins around, a smile on the left side of her lips, the right pulled down into a permanent grimace.

"You guys are back early." she comments, about to turn back to the grilled cheese she is making until her eyes stop on me. "Who's this?" Her tone hints towards the underlying question, 'Does she know?'

I believe there are two reasons why Jared told me not the stare. The more obvious one is the three long scars which go down the right side of her face and extend to her hand. The scars are vivid even though I'm sure it has been a good amount of time since the accident, I turn my eyes towards the food on the stove though I would prefer to keep looking at her. Not because of the scars, but the second reason, Emily Young is gorgeous. Seriously, she's close to Rosalie in the looks department but she is still human. She has long black hair, kind brown eyes, and her features manage to make her look better than me even with a wolf injury.

"This is Nevaeh Parkes. She just caught us phasing in the woods." Jared smiles, as if it's something natural to say.

"I knew you guys would be caught eventually but I'm not exactly sure why she doesn't look like she's in shock."

"I've met my fair share of supernatural creatures." I joke. "Do you need any help cooking?" I ask, seeing at least five sandwiches already cooked while the bread and cheese is still out as if she was making more.

At the mention of this the boys each take a sandwich off of the plate. "That would be great." Emily doesn't even look surprised that the boys had started eating when she was still cooking.

By the time Sam and Embry came back Emily and I had used up the rest of the cheese and finished off the two loaves of bread. It's safe to say Jared and Paul had come back for 'seconds' until Emily warned them to save some for everyone else. They walked in towards us, Embry taking a sandwich before sitting at the table and Sam wrapping his arms around Emily and peppering her face with kisses. The affection made me feel a little nauseous, it reminded me of the man I haven't thought about without great difficulty for almost five months now.

I take my own sandwich and sit down next to Jared. After some quick whispers, Emily turns off the stove and they join us.

"You're not going to tell anyone, right?" Sam asks me, as if the answer wasn't obvious.

"Of course not." There's a pause and the only sound is us chewing. "Do you know why you phase?" The boys look at each other and their eyes land on Embry, deciding it was the newest wolf's turn to explain something. As if there was a piece no one wanted to tell me.

"There's a certain gene that certain Quileutes are born with, a gene which allows us to shift into a wolf form, but the gene only kicks into action when there are vampires around. It skipped over some of the current council members because vampires were not present."

"I'm sorry." It's all I can say even though it's not my fault. I can't help but feel bad knowing that The Cullens caused Sam to phase and Julian or any other passing nomads caused the rest of the boys to phase.

"Don't be. It's hard but it's an honor to have the gene and protect our family and friends." Jared finally has a goofy grin on his face again now that we are done with the serious stuff. That he is able to share his secret with another person.

"Plus if anything you helped get rid of the Cullens." Paul shrugs. By his tone and the time I had spent with him I know it isn't mean spirited, but his words hang in the air. The entire room goes silent, none of the boys are eating anymore, all eyes are on me as if I might explode.

But I don't. I don't explode. I don't shed a tear. I don't freeze. A part of me lets go of a breath I have been holding ever since they left. Finally hearing their name spoken I feel free. I smile.

"I guess I did." I laugh, it cuts through the tension in the room, and I take a bite of the sandwich Emily had made for me.

:::

"You didn't tell me it was your birthday!" I yell, seeing Jared on the beach playing soccer with the guys and realize he had already ruined his own surprise party.

Emily had called me this morning inviting me to the small party and I had offered to show up an hour earlier than we planned to set up and cook some food. Emily was cooking some type of meat on a makeshift grill outside while the rest of the guys were taking soccer way too seriously. I'm surprised the weather was on our side for the party, it's as if the boy's sixteenth birthday had caused the clouds to part enough so that we could keep a fire going and you only needed a sweater to stay warm in February.

Whenever they weren't patrolling the woods, and I wasn't at school or with Wren, I was hanging out with the pack. It started out because I felt guilty about hiding Julian from them. I know that he's part of the reason they actually phased (of course there have been multiple vampires in the area over time) but I warned Julian to stay away from La Push and hunt further south just in case the wolves found him. I didn't want to lose any of my friends. Whether Julian because he was torn to pieces by werewolves, or the boys because they found out I'm still hanging around vampires. I think they can smell it on me but they assume it's just on me forever.

Either way I felt guilty and started helping out Emily with cooking for the guys; I know it takes enough labor to feed my brother and he is only one teenage boy who does not phase into a giant wolf. They helped me come to terms with the supernatural being a big part of my life again, that I didn't need to fight so often. I don't know why I needed four werewolves, two humans, one witch, and a vampire to figure that out, but the boys, Wren, and now Bella and Emily have been there for me when I needed them. Maybe I just need to relax and let my guard down more often.

"Nevaeh!" Jared exclaims, a smile breaks out on his face once he sees that the voice belonged to me. I carefully walk down the rocky beach towards him, though my feet should be used to the stones by now. I engulf him in a hug.

"You're so grown up now! And you've gotten so tall!" I joke around, we both know I was there to witness his wolfy growth spurt. "I feel more childlike knowing that you're only a year younger than me now."

"Shut up, your birthday is next week."

I pause, "Wait how do you know that?"

"Emily wants to throw a party for you."

The soccer ball is thrown at his back by Embry but Jared catches it before it can hit him. "That was supposed to be a surprise!" Embry scoffs.

"I think it's clear you're not too good at this surprise thing, I was already hanging out here when you guys brought down all of the stuff for the party."

"Is that why you asked me when my birthday is? You wanted to throw a party for me?" I turn to Emily, who is just flipping the last couple of burgers on the grill.

A girl I don't recognize is next to her, helping out with everything that doesn't have to do with the main course, meaning there are bags of chips to hold the guys over until it's finally cooked through. Emily only nods. I walk over to her and give her a quick hug. "Apparently I'm a little late, but is there anything else I can help you out with?"

"No. Kim was already here with Jared and she's been helping me out. Go hang out with them, we've got everything under control." Emily takes one of the patties off the grill and adds it to an overflowing plate. I wave at Kim and run over to the guys again.

From what I can tell they are playing two on two; Jared and Embry against Paul and Sam. I had joined in on enough games with Milo and his friends to understand how the guys in La Push usually played. I kick off my flats and watch as Sam kicks the ball past Embry and scores another point for his own team. Jared notices me hanging out at the edge.

"Vae, come help Embry and me. I don't think it's fair they paired up."

"Hey! I have made it two more times than you! And we have two points!" Embry cuts in. I laugh and run to Jared's side. Paul and Sam are messing around doing a little winning dance so I lean towards Jared though I know they can all hear me.

"So... Kim?" I ask. The guys had been teasing him about some kind of 'puppy-love' and what they had referred to as his 'gir-r-r-l-l-l-l-l-friend.' He had been blushing too much for me to ask him about it.

"I imprinted." He is grinning like a love sick idiot. I vaguely remembered the word until it clicked.

I had asked Jared about Sam and Emily. I had been curious not only about how Emily had gotten past the accident with Sam but how they were so connected. Jared had explained it in simple terms, they're soulmates but it comes with werewolf terms and conditions.

I look back towards the girl who is helping Emily and smile. She seems perfect for him, the imprinting confirms it, all I know is I'm going to make sure he treats her right.

"Are we going to play or not?" Sam brings us back to the game.

"Nevaeh just joined, I think we should give her the ball first." Paul comments.

"What? You think you're gonna be able to steal it from me, Lahote?"

"If you don't want it I'll take it." Jared stops our lazy trash talk and Sam throws the ball towards my feet.

I passed the ball to Embry who had been running forward since the ball hit ground. He is just far enough out that Paul isn't able to steal the ball from us. Jared is waiting right in front of the penalty box, waiting for Embry to pass it. I can tell Sam isn't too invested in the game, he's honestly waiting to see if Embry will pass it or try and make the shot. But Paul is just waiting for a chance to take the ball or stop it from going in. I nod at both of the boys to go ahead as I jump in front of Paul, blocking him from Embry as he kicks the ball towards the goal line. As soon as Paul has gotten past me the goal is good.

"Yes!" I yell out. Jared, Embry, and I all do a little victory dance. "That goal means we're tied right, or did the game start over when I joined?" I smirk knowing that wasn't the way Paul expected it to go.

He and Sam just shrug as we all head back to the half-way line. "Sure, we're tied." Sam shrugs but he immediately throws the ball down. "It's our ball now."

"Hey!"

I run backwards seeing that Jared has already kicked the ball away from Sam, towards our side of the makeshift field, but it is already headed towards Paul. I run forwards towards him and kick between his feet so the ball keeps heading forwards towards Embry. I hold on to his shoulders so he can't stop the ball again. Thankfully Embry is able to nudge the ball towards the goal so we score another point.

"Okay, I think that counts as cheating." Paul comments, a look of annoyance on his face even though he's still smiling somewhat.

"Oh, suck it up." I roll my eyes, it's just a game.

"Yeah, you know all about 'sucking it up,' we all know you do because you constantly come here smelling like a vampire."

"Paul." I know Sam isn't using his alpha voice but the man is still stern. Paul and I mess with one another all the time and no one is concerned, but the way Jared, Embry, and Sam all look at each other with weary expressions causes me some stress. I know I should probably back off or walk away but I don't want to offend him. He had talked so much about how he had learned to control his temper, that I was the newest person he had met since phasing.

"What does me smelling like a vampire have to do with anything? We're playing soccer." I scoff. It's as if the word vampire coming out of my mouth flips a switch in his brain.

"Because you come here acting like everything is fine but you're a leech-lover! You know we have phased because there are two vampires who continue coming to Forks and you're probably just hanging out with them."

"Two vampires keep coming back on your land? Paul, I don't know anything about them, I come here because you're my friends."

"Yeah, the man with black hair and the woman with orange hair. They constantly come here, risking our lives and our family's lives but you're fine with it! They have killed multiple hikers, but why would you care, you love vampires and think they're harmless."

"I know better than anybody that they're not harmless!" My hands floats up towards where the bruises from Laurent's hand was months earlier.

"You're right, I would think you'd do more harm to them Little Miss Monster Hunter! I'm surprised the orange and black haired blood-suckers haven't left yet. I know you did a good enough job at making the Cullens leave." he practically spits out his words.

"Low blow." Embry mutters.

Last month I was fine with Paul using their name. But now it's not the same. He's not making it seem as if I did a good thing and got rid of the vampires in Forks. He's blaming me for everything that's wrong. The thought I've been pushing to the back of my mind for almost six months. I assumed the tears would come out now but they don't. Rather I find my feet stepping forward, closer to Paul, and I slap him as hard as I can.

Paul is shaking with anger. An angry werewolf is much scarier than an angry vampire. A vampire is always a vampire but I have never seen the boys actually shift into their wolf form. I hoped I never would. I guess I technically didn't. I don't remember much of what had happened. I remember Sam saying something but it was overshadowed by the claws which slashed through my skin, right over where the bruises had been.

A woman with an oddly feline face, red eyes, and bright orange hair flashes through my mind. I'm not going into fight or flight but I'm analyzing Paul's words, looking for a truth that doesn't have to do with me hurting my friends and I find one. The vampires they're holding off are Laurent and Victoria. They're back. And before I can say anything my mind goes blank. I don't know whether it's because of the lack of blood or the severity of the pain but the last thing I remember seeing is Jared and Embry's worried faces above mine.

Chapter Text

The Girl Who Got Stitches and Became a Snitch

There are mornings when you don't feel like getting out of bed. I know those well because Bella and I went through a lot of them in late September. This morning I did want to get out of the unfamiliar bed immediately, but my best friend and brother were there to force me down again so I wouldn't hurt myself. I take the time to adjust to the room I'm in, thankful it's not a hospital room, rather I recognize the blue walls of Wren's bedroom.

I look down and see the scratches which I hadn't seen on myself but look familiar due to my time with Emily. They don't look exactly like Emily's, they were shorter first of all. The three claw marks went from the left side of my chest, over where I assume my heart is, and extended to my right shoulder. It didn't trickle down to my hand, it was contained and it was all stitched up. I don't know how I was able to get discharged from a hospital without remembering, but they were neat and while the scar would be gnarly it was safer than letting it be.

"I'm sorry that we only have ibuprofen. My mom feels bad but it's not like she can take opioids from the hospital." Wren rambles. She knows me well enough to know that I don't want to address the fact that I am in way too much pain.

"What happened?"

"Paul." Wren answers, her jaw set in anger. I'm not sure why she's angry, it's not like she actually knows him. But that's when it hit me, I'm at Wren's house after a werewolf accident.

"Sh*t. You two know."

"Jeez, Vae, give me some credit. I may have been slow on the whole vampire thing but after hearing some of the legends I knew they were true." Milo has a smile on his face, though I notice his eyes are set on my face as if he's looking for something I'm not saying.

"Yes, I know! A giant boy came to my door carrying you in his arms! And you were passed out with your shirt torn because there were three giant scratches on your chest! I'm just shocked that you didn't run away from La Push as soon as you found out there are werewolves! How stupid can you be?"

"Paul came here? And how does Milo know? Did you call him as soon as I came here?"

"Jared called me from your phone right away. I knew you wouldn't want to go to the hospital in Forks, rumors spread fast and you hate pity, so I told them Wren's address. Sophia's a nurse so I assumed she was the closest thing we have to actual medical attention."

"Anyway Paul was on my doorstep with you in his arms, I yelled for my mom and showed him where to put you. Jared was following him and he explained everything. I've never been more thankful that my mom is prepared for anything. You know that little area of the den is always sterile so all she had to do was wash up, put some gloves on and she was able to clean your wound a little and give you some stitches." Wren explains what had happened, her voice casual even though I can tell she's a little queasy thinking about it. "After hearing what happened my other mom immediately kicked Paul out of the house, Jared refused to leave until he knew you were okay. He only left after the last stitch was done. Milo showed up after that and he's been here all night."

"Don't even worry about us, Nevaeh, we got some sleep. I was on the beanbag over there and Wren was on the couch downstairs." He only says this because even after getting stitches I would yell at them for not sleeping because of me. He pauses. "Actually there is one thing you need to worry about."

"Milo. I swear if you-"

"To stay over here I had to tell mom and dad what happened."

"Milo!"

"On the bright side you can get the stitches taken out next week! But you're grounded until then. No friends outside of school. And you can't use anything from the training room."

"They usually take forever to make up punishments. How long was I out for?"

"Like nineteen hours." Wren answers but I give her a look that I hope communicates 'I woke up after a werewolf incident, don't make me do math.' "It is around nine in the morning on a Saturday. It is the twenty-first of February and the year is two-thousand and six."

"Can I go home?" I sigh, wishing I could just stay at Wren's but I know my parents will only worry more the longer I am away.

Milo nods but Wren holds up a finger. "My mom is at work but she wanted me to tell you to keep the wound clean and she'll give you a salve to help with the scarring after she takes out the stitches next week." She pauses as if she is thinking about something.

I know it may take a moment so I carefully sit up and slowly plant my feet on the ground. I'm thankful there isn't too much of a pull around my shoulder. Before I can stand up Wren is there, holding out her hands. I know I don't need the help but I take them anyway. She pulls me up and into a hug, careful of my wound.

"Please don't do anything stupid before school on Monday." She pulls away but she still holds onto my left arm as we walk out of her room. She leads me to the front door even though I've let myself out more times than I can count. I grin at her behavior, it would usually annoy me to have someone worry over me so much but I know it's just Wren being herself. She may be a powerful witch but she worries way too much, it's how she shows she cares about you, and I would rather have her care too much about me than not at all.

"I'll try my best." I grin, but I know there's only a small chance I won't.

Milo holds the door open for me, swinging the keys around his fingers. I assume Jared had driven me here in my car because to my knowledge Sam is the only one with a vehicle. And I know he would not let Jared or Embry drive it. I'm assuming the boys had phased and run back to La Push because the car is still here. I wave at my friend and walk through the door, towards the unfamiliar passenger seat as Milo gets into the driver's seat.

:::

My mom gave back my phone Sunday morning, it may make my parents sound weak but the phone wasn't a part of the punishment. They only took my phone away because they thought I'd sneak out and go to La Push. They'd be right. I woke up to see it on my nightstand. Being myself I immediately turned it back on, though I'm slightly nervous to see what people had said. As the screen of missed calls lights up I can see it was for good reason.

I have thirty-two missed calls. Six from Paul, one from Sam, one from Emily, four from Jared, and twenty from Julian. I listen to Jared's voicemail, all he says is he hopes I feel better and he's sorry he couldn't do more to stop the accident from happening. I don't feel the need to text him, it'll just stress him out more if he's reminded about what happened on Friday. Paul left me three voicemails. In the first one his voice is strained, as if he's holding back tears, and he's just apologizing. The second one all he says is my name, then he pauses and hangs up. In the third one Paul is explaining himself until I can hear Sam in the background telling him to leave me alone. Give me time. Sam and Emily didn't leave any voicemails, though Emily did text me saying to come and visit when I'm ready. As soon as I'm ready to listen to some of Julian's voicemails I hear a crash downstairs. Which is odd because Sunday mornings are usually pretty peaceful for my family.

I ran down the stairs, wondering what had happened, if something was actually wrong or somebody accidentally dropped something. What I see is not what I expected but I can't say it's surprising. My dad is holding Julian against the kitchen wall and a blade against his throat. It's one of the blades from the training room, the blade which is potentially the most lethal to vampires.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my home?" My dad all but growls out the words. I'm not going to lie, I'm impressed with my dad right now. I knew he was a badass but I've never seen him in action.

"I'm Julian, Nevaeh's friend." He squeaks more than he speaks, the sound shocking since he is immortal. Why is he scared of my dad?

"Nevaeh!" He yells causing me to jump.

"Yeah, Dad?" I walk further into the kitchen. I'm a little scared, I know my dad is already mad at me about the werewolf thing. I don't think he's going to be happy knowing another vampire is in my life after what happened in September.

"Who is this?" He finally lets go of Julian seeing I'm not afraid of him.

"Dad, this is Julian. He tried to kill me in Port Angeles! As you can see I'm still alive because I was being my dumb self and befriended him. He's becoming a vegetarian now, if you can't tell by his eyes." My tone is cheerful but I am panicking. I have no idea how my dad is going to react. "Julian, this is my dad."

Julian only nods. "You've got a good grip, sir."

"Thank you." My dad grins, finally his aloof self again now that he knows Julian didn't come here to kill his family. Okay, I can't exactly call him aloof, he's still gripping onto the blade in his hand. And this doesn't mean he isn't mad at me. I know this because he is now looking directly at me. "Another vampire, Nevaeh! It's as if you don't remember what happened with those three vampires last year! You could have died! You literally said he almost killed you! And what, you brought another vampire to this town! On the promise that he will only kill animals for their blood, not humans?"

"I can't really force him out of this town, Dad. He didn't kill me that night so I can't bring myself to kill him." I mumble.

"I'm sorry for bothering you." Julian cuts into the back and forth between me and my dad. "It's just Nevaeh wasn't returning my calls so I got worried. I only came here to check up on her. She has helped me become more human. Nev's the reason I know it's possible to not kill humans. I'm finishing high school because I met her." He uses his sob story against my father, ironic that it works because it's not like vampires can cry. I know my father believes Julian because finally he puts the blade down on the table.

"Nevaeh, no phone until Friday. Julian, you can stay until dinner and I will not attack you. Just know that if you hurt my family I end your immortal life." There's a dramatic pause after he says this, all three of us just looking at one another until he speaks again. "In the meantime, I hope you'll help us keep the supernatural out of this town."

"What?" I exclaim. "You're allowing him to stay just like that? You made me learn how to use a bow and arrow the last time I met a vampire!"

"We both know your mother taught you everything she knows and more last September. What am I going to do now, take away hunting equipment? Take away your friends? We already did the first one and you're grounded." He shrugs. "Now based on our deal, I think Julian would love to hear why you're grounded."

"Dad."

"I'm trying to enjoy my coffee, so I think you should go somewhere else to tell this story, Nevaeh." He picks up his mug and takes a long sip. "Oh, the library and training room are off limits in case you couldn't guess. Not only because you're not allowed to use any equipment, but the only supernatural person allowed in there is Wren. Oh, your mom is in the living room so I don't know if you want her to meet Julian."

"So the library, training room, kitchen, living room are all off limits? And I'm just going to assume your room and Milo's room are closed off as well. Where are we supposed to talk, Dad?"

"I don't know, that's for you to figure out." He shrugs. All I can do is look at him with no expression, it's not like I can talk back to my dad too much. It is not even ten in the morning on a Sunday and he was ready to kill a vampire, imagine what he would do to his teenage daughter.

"I like your dad." Julian whispers to me, I only glare at him.

"This family is so weird!" I groan.

I turn around and head back towards the stairs, gesturing for Julian to follow me. I know he will react negatively when I tell him about my little incident, but I can't lie to him about what happened on Friday. I mean I would lie to him if he wasn't able to tell every time, plus he'd keep bothering me until I told him the truth, so it's easier to just tell him stuff right away. Since the library, training room, kitchen, and living room are all closed off the only place inside I can take him is my room. Well according to my dad's rules warnings I could talk to him in one of the bathrooms or laundry room; I don't go to either because it'd be a little awkward to explain to my mom or Milo if they walked in. I could also take him to the backyard but it is too cold this morning and I don't know if I'm allowed outside while I'm grounded.

My parents would usually kill me for having a boy in my room but they know Julian isn't a boy, he's a vampire. I'm kidding, they know that I'm a good kid. No, that doesn't sound like them. They haven't said it out loud but I know the only reason they're allowing me to bring Julian to my room is because they saw what happened to me in September after a certain someone left. How detached I became from anything that had to do with romance all because one boy broke my heart.

So Julian hops onto my bed, leaning back onto the headboard even though his body is like stone. I'm surprised he didn't break it. "I haven't had a bed for years! This is so weird!" He grins.

I reluctantly go to sit down in my desk chair but Julian pats the spot next to him. I look at the empty spot on my bed, which has been so comfortable this morning, and the weird metal desk chair I have. I sit next to him. I have a gut feeling he won't like my story and I should have some space from him. I know I should move but his side feels nice, like an ice pack against my stitches, so I don't.

"I was attacked by a werewolf." I breathe out, the words fast even though he can hear each one easily.

"Werewolves exist? Where did you find one? Why did it attack you?"

I feel horrible spilling the boys' secret but I need Julian to understand why he needs to stay away from La Push. I know if I don't tell him he'll angrily march to La Push and confront Paul, which is something I really don't want. I'm already thankful that none of the Smiths went to La Push or berated the boys when they were in their home.

"The Quileute tribe in La Push has a lot of legends, they're stories about their ancestors. While legends are usually made up tales, theirs are true. They're about characters we would call vampires and werewolves. Though they're not really characters, they're the ancestors of the Quileutes and the enemies the tribe has defeated. For generations certain Quileutes have phased into wolves to protect humans from vampires. Right now there are four boys who have shifted. And I am friends with them. I know that they go on patrols for vampires which is why I told you to stay away."

"Yes, I have been staying away and I will. But what does this have to do with what happened on Friday? Why you're grounded." His words have a little edge as he processes the real reason I told him not to go to La Push.

I know for sure that he isn't going to like this story. I slowly get off of my bed and lean against the wall, I'm only a couple feet away from him but it's better than right next to him. "Friday was Jared's birthday party. We were messing around, having fun, and playing soccer until we weren't. Something set Paul off and we started arguing, making nasty remarks. I slapped him and he phased, scratching my chest. I got some stitches and now I'm grounded because my parents don't want me to go back."

He sits all the way up on my bed. I knew his body was rigid after I told him about the pack but he was at least pretending to look relaxed. Now he's on edge. "Damn, right! I don't want you to go back to La Push! That is too big of a risk. I know it's not my place to control your friendships but they turn into wolves. Real wolves. They're too dangerous for you to be around!"

"That's rich coming from you, Julian." I scoff. "Need I remind you that you're a vampire? That you tried to kill me the night we met?"

"But I was able to control myself! I didn't kill you and I haven't hurt any humans since that day! I can't say the same for the werewolves."

"It was one accident! They haven't hurt any humans since, Julian!" I mock his words. "Sure, you've controlled yourself since we met but you have killed people in the past! I can't say the same about the pack. They only kill vampires who are hunting humans in the area! Plus I provoked Paul! This wouldn't have happened if I had just stepped back."

"Provoked him? Nevaeh, you can't possibly blame yourself for this! If you had gotten in a fight with anyone else you wouldn't have needed stitches! You are not going back to La Push."

"Yes, I am! Jared is my friend. Emily is my friend. They have all helped me, just like you have. You cannot control where I go."

"I can if they hurt you."

"One person hurt me, Julian! And you have no claim over me! You are not my mother or father. I will go back when I am ready."

"Please, for me. For my peace of mind don't go back. You're like family to me. You're the first person I've actually talked to in years! I can't lose you, Nev."

Julian's eyes are pleading and I feel myself giving in. I quickly look down at the carpet. I can't be controlled by a vampire again. I can't give myself up to another person in case they might get bored. I can trust the pack because they quite literally cannot leave because their duty is to La Push and I know their secret. But Julian can leave at any time. Vampires can always leave. I keep looking at the floor. My body feels as if I'm about to shut down so I don't respond. I can still feel his eyes on me but they don't feel as demanding.

"Nev, I don't want to fight." He slowly gets up from the bed and approaches me cautiously.

"So drop it." I look up but stay in place.

"Okay. Let's forget about it. Let's watch a movie or do some homework or something."

I nod, taking a few steps towards him, wrapping my arms around his torso and I lean my head against his chest. I stop my made up vendetta against him which only exists because he is a vampire. He wants to be there for me. He is not going to leave me.

Chapter Text

The Shapeshifter/Werewolf/What-Happened-to-Jacob/Okay Who Cares, All That Matters is Bella Knows

I got my stitches taken out two weeks ago. They didn't hurt exactly but I hated the look of the thread. I hate knowing that I needed them. Though I am thankful it was cold enough the week when I had stitches that I needed to wear a sweatshirt. I have a feeling my friends from school would have noticed my injury if I wasn't able to cover it up with hoodies and crewnecks.

Especially because we all went out to a movie for my birthday; and sadly my birthday was the day before I could get my stitches out. It was fun to finally hang out with all of my friends at once. Almost everyone from the original lunch table came. The exception was Tyler and Lauren, honestly I don't even know who they are because whenever Bella comes along they suddenly have other plans. Jessica came even though she's still ignoring Bella because of what happened in Port Angeles. Bella, Julian, Wren, and I moved back over to the old lunch table because lunch with Mike and Jessica is too awkward for Bella. Not because those two got back together but Jessica only glares at Bella or pretends she doesn't exist and Mike always stares at Bella as if he's hoping she'll suddenly fall in love with him. I do miss Angela and Ben though and I loved seeing them outside of school. It was nice hanging out with humans for once, well minus Julian, Wren, and Jared who came with as well.

I'm surprised Bella did come along rather than wait at home by the phone. This past week was rough. And the week before that. Jacob basically disappeared from her life. She was almost fine that first week, the week after my accident when I was grounded. But eventually she started to give up on Jacob calling back. It got to the point she started having the nightmares again. Charlie finally broke and called me this past Wednesday. It's March and she has all but started screaming again. When Jacob was in her life she was alright, the nightmares had subsided. With him gone we're back where we started.

My parents started letting me go over to the Swan house again. They worry about Charlie too much to let him deal with his teenage daughter alone. This time around the nightmares seem worse. She's talking in her sleep more often than she did those horrid three months.

On Saturday, after she went hiking she came back looking like a mess. Literally she was covered with leaves, dirt, and other plants from the woods I don't know the name of. Right after she got home she took a shower and fell asleep as soon as she got into bed. She was in the woods so long Charlie had already called me over, ready to call for another search party if she didn't come home before midnight. In her sleep, I started to hear her mumble Laurent's name a lot. And mumble about wolves. Giant wolves, five of them. It is now Friday night; usually I only slept over at Bella's house Saturday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. While recurring nightmares may not be new for her, Laurent and wolves are.

We're both ready to fall asleep, me on the floor with a bunch of pillows and Bella in her bed. She told me to go home multiple times, that she's fine. I don't believe her. I'm not only staying over for her but Charlie's sake. Which is the only reason she hasn't kicked me out of her house. She thinks Charlie was oblivious to how she was acting in October, November, and December. I know he saw everything but he didn't comment on it, he was scared of how Bella would react if he talked to her about it. The light is turned off but I know neither of us are asleep just yet. Like always, I can't keep my mouth shut.

"What happened on Saturday?" She doesn't answer, she only hums as if she hadn't heard me and was occupied with different thoughts.

"Saturday is tomorrow."

"When you went hiking. What happened? What wolves did you see?"

She's wide awake now. She turns on the lamp next to her. "Laurent's back."

"Laurent?" My realization from when I passed out floods back to me. They're back in town already. The wolves are going after Laurent and Victoria, the latter are after me and Bella.

"And Victoria. They're back. I was looking for the meadow, I found it. But Laurent found me there. He said Victoria is looking for me, trying to kill me. She wants to know if I'm still under the Cullens' protection."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't want you to get hurt, Vae! That's why I don't want you to stay here anymore. If Laurent and Victoria come here and find me, they'll also find you."

"Laurent tried to kill me last year when you were in Arizona, Bella." I sigh. I already know that it doesn't matter what I say, she's going to push me away because she thinks that will keep me safe. Like always Bella never cares about her own safety. "I was almost killed too. If Laurent wants to find me he will! If Victoria wants to find me she will! It doesn't matter whether I'm at my house or yours. They'll come to our school for all they care!"

"I know what happened to you last year but right now it seems that they're occupied with me. Vae, I don't want you or Charlie to get hurt. So I need to keep my distance."

"I'm not leaving you alone, Bells. I don't want you to be alone with your nightmares or the threat of Victoria, and I'm especially not leaving you alone with both of them." I wiggle my way out from under my blanket and I sit on Bella's bed. The girl is already sitting up against her headboard, her arms wrapped around her knees, so I sit beside her in the same manner. "I'm staying with you. Don't try to get rid of me. If I ever leave you it's because I'm getting my bow and arrow so I can kill Victoria and Laurent if they come anywhere near us."

"Okay." She whispers. As if she doesn't believe me. I know it's not a distrust of me, rather Bella isn't doubting Victoria's strength. I'm not doubting the vengeful vampire's strength either but Bella will not sacrifice herself for me if I can help it.

"So what about the wolves?" I know it's unlikely she knows about the boys' secret because Jacob is still ignoring her. Sam mentioned Jacob and Quil are the next expected to phase, that they have the gene and they're at that age. Jacob was always with Bella before and now he's gone. The only reasonable explanation is Jacob phased, otherwise he wouldn't have stayed away from her. Jake's not the type to leave a friend when they need him.

"Laurent almost killed me but before he could these giant wolves came out of the woods. They were so tall even Laurent was scared of them. He fled, the wolves chasing him down. I didn't see anything else and I don't know where he is now. Or what happened to the wolves."

"You think Laurent is still out there?" She nods at me. "Bella, the wolves killed Laurent. Come on, like you said they were giant and Laurent was scared off by them. Since he hasn't come back he has to be dead." By the look on her face the possibility eases her mind but I know she doesn't believe it. "All we have to worry about now is Victoria. And I won't let her kill you."

"Okay." She sighs, turning off the bedside lamp again. Ending our conversation.

I can feel Bella trying to get under her blankets again so I get off of her bed. I lay on the floor again but my eyes are wide open. I can't sleep now I know Victoria is actually back. That there isn't a different red-headed vampire. We know she wants to kill Bella for sure, the woman being obvious in her quest to avenge her mate. I don't know if she remembers me. She seemed bored with me when she 'stopped by' the night Laurent was trying to kill me. Instead of me dying, I almost killed Laurent that night. Who knows if she really cares about the third wheel of her old coven. Maybe she'll want to finish me off as another part of her revenge.

I picture the training room, thinking about what would be best for self defense against Victoria. Most likely a bow and arrow because she has avoided the wolves this long so it's not like we'll fight hand to hand. I also picture the salve Sophia had made for me sitting in the library. I had forgotten to apply it tonight. I look up at the bed again, though it's dark I can see Bella's body move and her steady breathing as she sleeps. It's not like she'll notice if I slip out to apply my salve, and it's not like Victoria will manage to show up the one time I leave Bella alone. So, I silently tip-toe my way out of the Swan house trying not to wake up Bella or Charlie.

I was only gone for thirty minutes and Bella was still in her bed when I crept back into her room. I'm honestly surprised I wasn't caught this time, especially not by Charlie. I was able to get back into her room carrying my bow and a quiver with an assortment of arrows. I made sure my feet were quiet but I probably reek of rose oil because it's in the salve I had applied. They should have smelled me by the time I made it up the stairs. While I am now worried about how easy it is to get in and out of their house, I'm glad I wasn't caught. Bella is laying in the same position as when I left but I can tell she's not asleep. But neither one of us says anything. I just put down my bow and quiver and head back towards my makeshift bed on the ground.

I look at the ceiling again but I'm distracted by the window. It was completely closed when I left but now there is the tiniest bit open. I know enough about Bella to be sure she wouldn't open a window if she got warm during the night. And she would've been lying awake with the light on if she had gotten a visit from a vampire. My friend seems to be breathing just fine and she's not bringing up the topic. So I stand up and force the window closed, wordlessly locking it. I lay back down and cover up with the blanket, for the first time that night we both go to sleep.

:::

When I wake up Bella is already awake and out of bed. I glance over at the clock and see it is eight in the morning. On a Saturday. I cannot think of a good reason to be up at this time. The only reason I'm up is because Charlie, most likely accidentally, slammed the door when he left this morning. Bella must see my eyes open because she sits on the edge of her bed, looking down at me.

"We need to go to La Push." That's all she says, she isn't really looking for a reply from me. She doesn't even continue to speak as she puts her hair up. And I honestly have no idea how to reply.

Julian had kept his promise about not letting me go to La Push. I've talked to Jared and Emily on the phone but I haven't gone over again although I'm not grounded anymore. Julian has always stopped me from visiting the boys, I don't even tell him when I plan on going he just knows. It's like a seventh sense for him. He almost ruined the movie last week by messing with Jared any chance he had, whether it was dirty looks or snippy comments only they could hear.

Jared had been texting me every day since the incident. Whether it was just checking in on me or just casual conversations. He had all but begged for me to come to La Push. And I miss seeing him. And Emily and Sam and Embry. And I miss Paul, I know he has probably been beating himself up over this. Even though I called him and we talked everything out. I should go to La Push. It's not like Julian can stop me now, he said he was going up towards Canada to hunt this weekend.

"Can I take a shower?" She only nods, Bella leaves the room and I can hear her walk down the stairs.

I don't know what happened while I was gone last night but something has been ignited within her, and I'm glad she didn't leave without me. I go through the motions, thankful I had packed clothes and a toothbrush. I rush myself knowing every second that passes the girl downstairs is either doubting herself or growing more impatient.

Within fifteen minutes I'm in the kitchen with Bella, my hair wet but at least it shows I'm hygienic. I see cereal in a bag and I know I'm not going to have a sit down breakfast this morning.

"Do you want to take the truck or my car?"

"Let's take my truck, that way he'll know it's me."

"Didn't you say you were at his house a couple days ago and you didn't see him? You said you sat in front of his house."

"His excuse was he couldn't see me because he's 'protecting' me." Bella plays with the keys to her truck, not meeting my eyes as she speaks. "Vae, I didn't believe this world could be anymore strange but I think it is. I think it somehow got weirder, and I need Jake."

I know she needs Jacob. He's the only one who can help her forget him for some reason. So I say the only thing I can, "Let's go to La Push."

Bella tosses the bag of cereal to me and we head out the door. She starts the truck's engine and I lock the door using my own key, courtesy of Charlie. I open the passenger door and as soon as I'm buckled in Bella backs out of the driveway.

The drive feels longer because of the missing stereo. Her hands had healed since she ripped it out yet it feels like there's a scar where it used to be. We don't talk on the way there either. She pushes the old truck to its limit, so it's not long before we finally pull in front of Jacob's house. The look of determination on her face has not left and I know we won't be sitting in Billy's driveway very long.

To make things worse we didn't need to knock on the Black house's door to appease Bella, in the rearview mirror we can see the pack coming out of the tree-line. Thankfully Jacob isn't walking toward the house with him. It's only Embry, Jared, Paul, and Sam. But Bella doesn't care, Bella is already unbuckling her seatbelt to confront the men who are basically twice her size.

"Bella!" I practically yell. I can tell this is not going to be good. My friend has said the world got 'weirder' this morning, maybe she realized what the pack is. If she put the pieces together, the wolves in the woods and the legends she had heard, I really hope she isn't stupid enough to angrily approach these giant men who can turn into giant wolves. "Bella get back in the truck!" I keep yelling but I know I'm too late, she rarely if ever listens to me or anything rational.

Bella and the pack are essentially facing off, I say essentially because the pack doesn't know why she is here. While Bella looks like she's hyping herself up to say something, maybe defend Jacob from her point of view, I'm finally getting out of the truck so she doesn't do anything too rash.

"Okay, what did you do?" she almost yells at them, mostly Sam. I can tell they're getting defensive, I don't think most wolves are very 'chill' when you're aggressive towards their alpha.

"Hey." Sam says, acting as a warning, mostly towards the pack rather than Bella.

"What did you do to him?" she repeats herself. The boys are even more riled up as she takes another step forward.

"Easy!"

"Back off, Bella!" I sigh.

"He didn't want this!"

I guess she didn't make the connection about the boys and wolves, she thinks they're a cult. Now I understand she doesn't know they could kill her in a second, but even then why would you act aggressive towards cult members!

"What did we do? What did he do? What'd he tell you?" Paul stays put where he is but I can tell his anger is getting the best of him. I want to speak up or tell him to back off but I doubt he even notices I'm here. The only person who could stop him is Sam.

"Both of you calm down." He tries to deescalate the situation again.

"Nothing. He tells me nothing because he's scared of you!"

This only makes them laugh, though they're laughing at Bella's silly idea that Jacob doesn't like the pack members, not exactly Bella herself. But Bella doesn't know this, instead she thinks these are some random kids in a cult who are keeping her friend captive and now they're laughing at her. This morning I never could have prepared myself for what happens next.

Bella Swan slaps Paul Lahote.

Paul's body is basically vibrating with his anger, the second time I've seen him like this. The pack stays where they are, but I'm already running back towards the car, trying to pull Bella with me but she stays put. She's almost as angry with Paul.

"Too late now!" Jared doesn't warn Bella to back up.

"Bella, get back!" Sam and I both shout.

"Paul, calm down, now!" Sam can't use an alpha order to control Paul's emotions, Jared's right, it really is 'too late.'

"Bella!" I hear someone yell some distance away. I turn and see Jacob jumping off his front porch. He had finally woken up and now he's here to see everything that had happened within the past two minutes.

Upon hearing Jake's voice she had finally backed up some inches, just barely missing Paul as he phased into his wolf form. She gasps, turning after seeing this gigantic wolf and runs towards her truck. "Run! Jacob, run!"

He follows her directions, he's definitely running, but he's running towards the action. I hadn't seen him ever since he phased but he's good. He phases into his wolf form while running, barely missing Bella on the way.

Sam looks between the two boys who had phased and Bella. Jared and Embry are standing a little bit away from the action, thankfully not all of the boys have phased at once. "Hey! Take Bella and Nevaeh back to Emily's place." He orders them, again he doesn't use an alpha order rather his trust that they'll listen to him. They nod in response, jogging towards Bella's truck.

Chapter Text

The B*tch is Back

The drive is short, Emily and Sam's house isn't too far away from anything in La Push, and it's mostly filled with me yelling at Bella while she zones out.

"Are you stupid? I get that 'adrenaline' has been your thing lately but why would you slap someone twice your size? Why would you slap anyone? You saw those wolves in the woods and you had heard the legends, it seemed like you made that connection this morning! Why would you slap someone who could possibly be a wolf? Why didn't you listen to me when I told you to run? Bella, you could have gotten hurt!"

"You know what they are?"

"Yes! I have been in La Push as long as you have Bella! But I've been with the pack!"

"So you got hurt by a member of the pack? That's what the injury was." Bella sounds slightly concerned now, her voice no longer monotone. Jared and Embry cringe as the mention of the scratches.

"You knew about my injury?"

"Wren told me to keep an eye on you. See if you were in any pain and tell her if something seemed off. She didn't say what happened but told me you were hurt."

So Bella had paid attention to me over the past few weeks. She just doesn't say anything. "Yeah. Paul and I were arguing, I was too close. I got a scratch on my shoulder that needed some stitches."

"Sorry, I didn't listen to you." Bella mumbles the apology. I finally relax my shoulders, I give her a slight nod as my acceptance.

The truck comes to a stop and the boys jump out of the car, whooping so Emily knows we're here. I follow them while Bella hesitates, hanging back a little.

"Hey, I think we should go back and see if Jacob's okay."

"They're fine, Sam told us to come to Emily's, he's got it under control." I roll my eyes, Jacob would be fine.

"I hope Paul sinks some teeth in him. Serves him right!" Jared isn't very concerned for either of his friends.

"No way. Jacob's a natural! You see him phase on the fly? I got five bucks that says Paul doesn't touch him." Embry and Jared quickly agree to the bet. I'm honestly concerned for Embry's wallet, half the time I see him he's making new bets with the other pack members.

Bella is still standing by the truck while we're by the steps of the Uley's porch. "Come on in, Bella. We won't bite." Embry jokes.

"Speak for yourself." Jared smirks.

"Gross!" I scoff at my friend's constant flirtatious behavior.

Bella finally steps away from her truck, walking into the house with us, though Embry pauses for a second. "Oh, hey, about Emily, Sam's fiancée? Don't stare. It bugs Sam."

Emily is in the kitchen, like usual, cooking for the guys. This time I can see her making muffins for them. Her back is facing us so Bella doesn't know what to expect. I walk over to the kitchen counter, leaning against it.

She turns around, the muffins laid out on a plate. "Are you guys hungry?" She places it on the table while Embry and Jared take a seat and a muffin. "Like I have to ask."

She's finally facing Bella and I can tell my friend is stifling a gasp upon seeing the three scars.

"Who is this?"

"Bella Swan. Who else?" Jared takes a break from eating to speak.

Emily lets out a little hum as she looks Bella over. "Hmm. So, you're the vampire girl."

Bella crosses her arms across her chest, not used to the mention of vampires. "So, you're the wolf girl."

"Guess so. Well, I'm engaged to one."

"What kind of girl am I?" I call attention to myself, surprised Emily had not noticed me since I came in.

"Nevaeh!" Emily smiles, engulfing me in a hug. "You're back!"

"I've missed you too, Em." I laugh, though her hug almost crushes me.

When she lets me go she looks back at the table to see Jared and Embry both reaching for another muffin. She sighs, "Save some for your brothers! And ladies first. Muffin?" Emily offers a muffin to us both.

I gratefully accept mine as I had barely been able to touch my bag of cereal this morning, Bella takes one as well but she mostly picks at it. I can tell she's nervous as we wait for Paul and Jacob to come back. I would be nervous too but I know the boys would never seriously injure one another, no matter how angry they got. Like Emily said, they're brothers.

I take my usual seat next to Jared as the boys banter with Bella. Embry had brought up the whole 'alpha's order' thing while Jared didn't want him to tell her anything. It was as if they thought Bella was still in contact with the Cullens. I only listen to conversation after Sam comes in, Paul and Jacob behind him.

"Jake's right. You're good with weird."

"Hey." Jacob nods in Bella's direction.

Paul takes the seat next to me and both boys look relatively unharmed, I'm not sure who is going to win the previously made bet. "So, you decided to come back to the rez." Paul smiles at me.

"I didn't plan on you wolfing out again, but yeah, I'm back." I grin, I don't want anymore apologies over what happened at Jared's party. I had gotten enough phone calls and texts, I just want my boys back, maybe with a little less anger and angst.

"Wolfing out?" Bella speaks up. "This isn't the first time you've lost control?"

"First time since Jacob joined." I try and defend the wolf with the shortest fuse.

"It was Paul who scratched you, Vae?"

"I mean, it wasn't on purpose obviously."

And this obviously wasn't the right thing to say. I had not calmed down my human friend like I had hoped, she had almost as much anger as she did however many minutes ago. It can't possibly be as bad of a scene as what happened outside Jake's house, but Bella is glaring at Paul again.

"You almost killed my best friend?" Bella asks, incredulously. As if Paul's short temper always gets the best of him. I have to admit that we're not putting up the best defense for him right now.

"It was an accident, chill out." Embry tries to defend Paul. The boy in question doesn't look riled up by Bella's anger this time, rather he's slumping in his chair, once again ashamed.

"Oh, so if it had been on purpose I could be mad?"

"Bells, it was just an argument that got heated. I should've stepped away sooner, Paul shouldn't have wolfed out. I'm fine, and Paul has beat himself up enough about it."

"No. This isn't okay, they're hurting people!"

"What are you talking about?" It's Sam who questions her this time.

"The recent 'animal attacks' that have been on the news. Vampires aren't in this area anymore, so what else could it be other than gigantic wolves."

I look around the room, Jared and Embry have little smirks on their faces, probably thinking Bella has gone insane. Jake looks pissed that Bella believes the pack is hurting people. Emily is next to Sam, she isn't bothered by Bella's words, she knows her fiance would never hurt anyone. Sam has his usual calm face on, I never have any idea what he's thinking. Paul is still looking towards the floor, I bump his shoulder and send him a smile. Thankfully this helps him perk up and listen to the conversation.

"We have never killed humans, Bella. Our pack protects this area from vampires and any other threats. There have been vampires in this area since the Cullens left. The one who almost killed you in the meadow, we killed him. And there's another red-head who keeps coming on our land. These are the causes of the 'animal attacks' you've heard about." Sam explains this to her.

"Victoria." We both say the red-head's name. Our suspicions over the past month that she has come back confirmed.

"We killed the first one easily enough but we haven't caught up with Victoria yet." Jake informs us, but I can tell using a name for a vampire is new to him.

"We chased her all the way to the Canadian border the other night. She keeps coming back. We don't know what she's after." Paul is just as frustrated that Victoria is able to escape the pack.

"I do." Bella somehow admits Victoria is back for her without stuttering. "Me."

"And probably me right after."

"What did you guys do to this vampire?"

"Shut up, Jared." Jake and I both spit at our friend who is taking this threat too casually.

"We'll put a protection detail by your houses, this vampire won't hurt you or your families."

"Damn right she won't hurt our families! I usually stay at Bella's house and now I have my bow with me, if she even steps one foot on the driveway she's getting shot through her dead heart. And if she thinks she's getting into my house she has another thing coming."

"What?" Embry asks, clearly confused. I hadn't told all of the boys about my family's weird 'hobby,' only Jared knows.

"We're monster-hunters. My dad and mom believe in the supernatural and they will put an end to it if needed. Obviously Milo and I followed in their footsteps."

"If you're a monster-hunter why didn't you stop Paul?" Jake asks me.

"I would never hurt one of my friends."

"Okay, I don't care how much protection your family already has, we're still going to guard your house. I wouldn't have peace of mind if she hurt you or your family and I wasn't there to stop it." Jared stops any objections I could have.

"Fine. But I'm not going to just sit around and wait for you guys to save me, if anyone deserves to kill Victoria, it's me."

We have our plan made and the boys are all scarfing down the muffins, besides Jacob, he hangs back and nods his head towards the door. Bella stands up and follows him out the door. I'm glad Bella knows, maybe she'll get better again with Jacob there for her.

I can only hope things get better again.

Chapter Text

Cliffs and Clearwaters

I know it has only been a week, and I usually love spending time with my boys, but I haven't been allowed outside alone since Bella realized Victoria is after her. It's spring break and I have to ask permission to go on a walk. When they do say yes I'm supervised. Jake insists on driving Bella and me home most days even though we both have our own vehicles. Wren and Julian are both pissed I'm around wolves again, I tried to convince them nothing will happen to me but I don't think they'll ever not be mad at Paul. I hadn't told them about the Victoria situation either because I don't want them to worry.

We had just finished cleaning up after breakfast, I washed the dishes, Bella dried, and Emily put them away. Embry and Paul weren't on patrol, finally given a chance to sleep after keeping watch over us overnight. I still feel bad that they have the night shift but they refuse to leave us alone. We all know it's not like Victoria has the decency to not attack at night. I know she would attack us in the middle of the school day and I don't even have my bow on me there, Julian is our only defense there.

It doesn't take too long for us to clean up after the boys anymore, we had gotten used to the workload. It was oddly quiet now that Jared, Jake, and Sam were on patrol. Bella constantly babies Jake in her mind and Emily has been on edge ever since she found out Victoria is in La Push. We all know the boys should be fine, but we constantly feel like holding our breaths because of the 'what ifs.' Also it was almost silent in the house with just the three of us here because the boys rarely ever shut up unless there's food in their mouths.

"Do you guys want to go to the beach?" I blurt, tired of the silence and this house.

"You two are supposed to stay here."

"No disrespect to Sam but Alpha's Orders don't really apply to me, Em."

"It's for your own safety, Vae."

"It's just the beach! It's a two minute walk and if anything happens I'll bring my bow."

"Yes, because that will look normal. Just your average white girl on the beach with a bow and arrow. Nevaeh, I only got two hours of sleep last night, I am too tired to argue about this."

"Go lie down. We'll lock the door behind us, and if anything happens I'll call one of the boys plus I'll be weaponized."

"She's not going to give up." Bella states, studying Emily's sleepy expression.

"I'm not okaying this." Emily yawns. "But I'm going to be in my room with the door closed." She walks to her bedroom. I know it's been hard for her having Sam gone most of the time, their imprint bond strained.

"Want to come, Bella?"

"I know I'm lousy when it comes to fighting off vampires but I know I can't let you go alone."

"That's the spirit!" I cheer, grabbing my bow and arrows as we head towards the door.

Once we're out the door I feel under the doormat for the spare key, finding it and locking the door. It's a cold and windy day but it's better than the confining walls of the house. The walk to the beach doesn't take too long, Bella and I both knew it by heart as it was one of the few places the boys took us.

Bella takes a seat on one of the ginormous tree trunks a good distance away from the water. She doesn't look too interested in much of anything, her eyes either look as the sand beneath her feet or up towards the cliffs. The cliffs where she saw Sam, Paul, and Jared jump from the day she first rode the motorcycle. The cliffs where I realized my best friend is a werewolf. The cliffs Jacob promised he would take her cliff diving.

Scratch that. Jake said he would go cliff diving from a lower point. But her eyes are still switching between the ground beneath her and the cliff overlooking the crashing waves. Only a crazy person would jump in this weather. To be fair only a crazy person would be looking into the woods where werewolves were on the loose like I was. I shouldn't have left Emily's house.

I should have known better but I didn't even realize my feet had steered me towards the forest. The way I naturally gripped onto my bow as I passed each tree. I didn't realize what I had done until I saw red curls. At least ten evergreens ahead of me was Victoria.

I basically tear my bow from where it sat on my shoulder. My other arm reaches for an arrow from my small quiver. I only have three chances to shoot her, though realistically one with her speed. I know we are having our own small stand-off. The boys are who knows how far away, Victoria has spotted me and most likely believes this is her chance to kill me, and I'm hoping this one arrow will be the end of her immortality. I keep my eyes on her, I know I'm shaking but for this one moment I'm still as stone, aiming for her undead heart. I let go of the breath I was holding in, potentially my last depending on how this plays out. With this breath the arrow is released.

And I miss.

I could have ended this stupid battle and I missed. Now I'm going to die because I missed my one shot. 

Except Victoria doesn't run towards me. She runs past me, towards the water. I half expect the pack to come chasing after her but they don't. Instead Victoria is running toward the beach where Bella sits. The number one person on her kill list. 

I run after Victoria, another arrow already nocked, in case an arrow could possibly reach her before she gets to Bella. I can feel my heart pounding and I know my legs could give out at any second even though I will never catch up to Victoria no matter how fast I run. My energy is wasted, this task unmanageable, but I'd rather have my legs give out then look back at this moment and remember that I didn't try hard enough.

She is out of my sight already, I still run towards the beach. I'm sure Victoria was able to smell Bella by now. And like I said, she will kill us in daylight, she'll kill us in La Push whether or not the pack is here. My feet finally reach the beach, Bella isn't sitting where I left her. She's not anywhere near where I left her, she's a couple feet away from the water; Jake is hovering above her. And a little further in the distance I see fiery red hair poking out above the dark waves. I can't decide which is worse; the situation I made up in my mind is worse or the one I see unfolding in front of me.

As I get closer to my friends I see Bella is drenched. Jake is too but I barely notice as he tries helping Bella. She's not moving. Sure, her chest moves slightly but she's not in her right mind. She's unconscious, Jake usually looks calm in any situation but he is openly panicking now.

"Breathe! Bella, breathe!" He's shaking her as if it's going to do anything. "She was in the water, Vae! I came down to find you two after Emily told us you left and I saw Bella jump in the water!"

"She jumped!"

"What do I do?" He puts his hands on her chest as if he's about to perform CPR.

"Don't! She's still slightly breathing, do not perform CPR! That's if her heart stops!" I think back to the few babysitting courses I had taken in middle school. "Turn her head to the side."

"What?"

"Lay her head to the side. It'll drain any water it can." He finally follows my instructions. I don't know what to do. Why did she jump? Where is Victoria? Why? Why? Why?

I have my usual urge to control the situation but I don't want to move Bella in case it harms her in any way. I see there's only a few drops of water that came out, I hope that means she didn't breathe in too much after she jumped.

"What now?"

"You know how to do 'mouth to mouth,' right? Just pinch her nose and breathe into her mouth so air gets in her lungs." I explain it reluctantly. My best friend might as well be dying in front of me and her life is in the hands of the kid who has a crush on her. The only bright side here is the fact Jacob's wolf body temperature is probably protecting her from hypothermia.

"Okay." He replies, his voice a little shaky. I look away from the awkward moment that is bound to ensue. I hear Jake breathe out and just as fast I hear a feminine gasp. I look back and Bella is sitting up.

I kneel down next to her, "Bells, you need to lay down again!" I put my hand on her shoulder, using a little force to push her down. I know if she had her way she would be up and walking again.

Jake doesn't coddle her like I expected him to, sure he's holding her tight because of how badly she's shaking, but he isn't soothing her in any way. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I just wanted to see something." Bella mumbles. Just as she begins to speak I hear yelling coming from behind us. I turn and see Sam waving his arms towards us.

"Get them home! I'm going to go help out at Harry's place!"

"What happened at Harry's?" We both hastily ask the question, I stand up assuming there's some type of emergency. Maybe Seth had shifted. Maybe... I don't want to imagine anything worse happening today.

"Harry Clearwater had a heart attack." Jacob breaks the bad news.

If Harry Clearwater had a heart attack and Sam is helping out at his home, he's gone. He was one of the council members for the Quileute tribe and he was Charlie's best friend. He helped Sam and later members of the pack understand shape-shifting. His kids have shapeshifter blood. I've only known him for a few months but I can feel the mood of La Push change around me. It's dim without him.

"Is he okay?" Bella asks.

"He's gone." Jake answers her. I had only been to the Clearwater's house once before for dinner, the pack insisted I try Harry's fish fry. I barely knew him and I miss him. Jake has known him forever and here he is taking care of Bella. "Come on, Bella, let's get you some warm clothes and I'll drive you home."

"No, Jake. I can drive Bella home, you go to Harry's."

"Nevaeh, it's fine. Bella's truck needs to get back to Forks anyway. I can drive her."

"Jake, you've known Harry since you were born. You need to be there, not only for Sue but yourself."

He helps Bella stand up, it hasn't been long since she finally came to but long enough I don't think she'll faint again. She stumbles a bit but it's not too different from her normal, clumsy self. Jake reluctantly steps away from her and instead comes closer to me.

"Vae, go to Harry's for me and help out as much as you can. I have to take Bella home, I need to know she's safe."

"Jake."

"Please."

"Fine." I give in knowing he's somehow more stubborn than me.

:::

I've never appreciated Emily more than I do at this moment. She had stayed back to make sure Bella and I were okay. She was a little disappointed Bella didn't come back with me but she knew it wasn't the issue at hand. Sam and the rest of the boys are already at Harry's house, we walk together. Their houses aren't too far apart, only a five minute or so walk. Neither one of us speaks.

The Clearwater house is full, every member of the pack and their family is here. There are other members of the community but not too many I don't recognize. Billy is here, Charlie standing next to him. They're not messing around with one another like they usually do, they are both silent, as if reflecting on the friend they both lost. Sam is talking with Seth about who knows what. Leah is standing in the corner of the room, not interested in any of the pack members. She's glaring at us as we walk in. I'm not sure whether she actually hates me or if she's glaring at Emily. I'm sure Emily and Sam being here aren't helping her.

Sue wraps Emily in a hug as soon as we step into the house. The women talk quietly, Emily giving her condolences and Sue putting on her brave face. There's no right thing to say, everyone is grieving in their own way. The sadness is thick and I feel out of place. I know Jake wanted me to be here in his place but there's no way I can fill it. I'm not a part of the pack. I don't have any sort of Quileute blood and I wasn't as close to Harry as Charlie or Jake were.

I walk deeper into the house, but it seems as if everyone has stayed within the living room. I stay in the doorway opposite of the entrance, only a foot or so away from Leah. I don't say anything. We had barely introduced ourselves to one another that time I ate dinner with the family.

"So how did you know my dad?" Her voice is as monotonous as I expected. She has obviously detached herself from the situation.

"I had dinner with your family one time. He made his fish fry."

"You had dinner with us?" By the look on her face I think it's safe to say she doesn't remember me.

"It was a few weeks ago, I wouldn't expect you to remember."

"Oh! You're the girl who has been hanging out with Jake! Bella, right?"

"No. I mean, yeah, she does hang out with Jake a lot but Bella is Charlie's kid. I'm a different friend that came over with Jake. You know, I'm just gonna start over. Hi, I'm Nevaeh, and I'm sorry for your loss." I stumble over my own words multiple times.

"Nevaeh! Yeah, you've been in La Push a lot lately! Hanging out with those weirdos." She nods towards the pack. I can't exactly disagree with her, they are weirdos. At the moment they're sprawled out on the carpet talking amongst themselves, finally Billy and Charlie are engaged in a conversation together.

"Yeah. Yeah, I hang out with them a lot."

"Well, besides the circumstances it was nice meeting you, Nevaeh." Leah nods at me before she crosses the room. She taps on her mom's shoulder, Sue breaks her conversation with Emily. 

Seeing them face one another I can see the women look alike, both with the same feminine facial features but Leah looks more like Harry. She is much taller than Sue, or any other woman in the room. She has a strong jawline and in all honesty is almost like the older, female version of Seth. And that's a simple thing to say, they're siblings after all.

Before I can join the boy's conversation and check in on them Charlie is in front of me. "Have you seen Bella at all today?"

"I was just with her. What's wrong?"

"Sorry, it's just she didn't pick up her phone and I know she usually answers. I know you're usually together but I didn't see her here with you." Charlie lets out a small sigh.

"She hasn't checked her cell all day, sorry. I think she's heading home now." I hate lying to him. He was the only other person who really saw Bella during those bad months and he doesn't know half of what is going on in Forks. He doesn't know and I need to keep it that way.

"Nevaeh, can you go check on her? I probably won't be home until later and after... you know, I don't like her being alone too long. I already leave her alone too long because of work."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll go check on her." I nod.

I wave my goodbyes, giving Sue my condolences before I leave. I'm glad Emily and I walked to the Clearwater's house. It gave me a few extra minutes to think, along with the drive back to Bella's house. It goes by quickly, just like the rest of the day did.

Too much has happened today. Victoria had the chance to kill Bella and/or me today but she didn't. Bella jumped off a cliff and almost died. Harry Clearwater died due to a heart attack. And Carlisle Cullen's car is parked across the street from Bella's house.

Why is that car here? Is that his car? Are they all back? Why are they back? How many more questions are going to run through my head?

This day just does not stop.

Chapter Text

And Here's What Alice Missed on... Forks!

Bella's truck isn't in her driveway. Carlisle's car is parked on the other side of the street. The windows are so tinted I cannot see if someone is still in the car. I'm scared to go inside. Not because I think any member of the Cullen would hurt me but I'm not ready to see them. I just started saying their names again, I cannot imagine seeing them again. They said they weren't going to come back. And at least one of them is back.

I feel stupid sitting in my car and staring at the Swan house or Carlisle's car. I should just drive away but I promised Charlie I would check on Bella. I have no idea what Bella will think when she sees the car. I gather my courage and open my car door.

I cross the street and head towards the front door, it's locked. I have no idea which Cullen would possibly break into Bella's house and lock the door after. Thankfully, I have a copy of the key given to me by Charlie. I slowly open the door, flicking on the light as I step in. Before I can register it Alice is standing in front of me.

"Nevaeh! What are you doing in Bella's house?" She has a look of surprise on her face, as if she had not seen it coming.

"I could say the same to you." I close the door behind me, locking it again even though there's no reason. Bella should be home any minute and it makes no difference. I walk further into the kitchen, trying to put some space between us.

"But, if you're here without Bella does that mean?" She doesn't finish her sentence, she wraps her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug which causes me to groan in pain. I guess Alice has forgotten how to be fragile with humans, plus my shoulder is tender again after using my bow for the first time since the wolf accident. I shrug out of her embrace, I'm still upset she never said goodbye. Now she's back and behaving as if she never left.

"Sorry, I forgot about the whole shoulder thing."

"You know about my shoulder? Nevermind that, what are you talking about Bella for?"

"I saw her jump off a cliff! Did you not know? Is she dead?"

"I'm right here." Bella speaks, both Alice and I whip our heads around at the sound of her voice. "Alice?"

"Bella!"

Bella stumbles over her words, "What are you doing here?" Unlike me, she runs into Alice's arms. She only winces a little upon impact with the cold marble skin. "I'm sorry, I just can't believe you're actually here."

"Would you like to explain to me how you're still alive?" Alice's voice is a little colder toward Bella now she knows the girl is alive.

So they really only planned on returning to Forks if we were dead. What? Is she going to leave again now she sees Bella is still breathing?

"I saw a vision of you. You jumped off a cliff. Why would you try and kill yourself? I mean, what about Charlie? What about..." Alice keeps rambling, her frustration clear in her voice.

"I didn't try to kill myself!" Bella quickly interrupts her. "I was cliff jumping. Recreationally. It was fun."

"Really? It was fun." I scoff. What is going on today? Why are they pretending like any part of this situation is normal? Why did Alice come back?

"I have never met anyone more prone to life-threatening idiocy!"

"Does... He know?" I hesitantly ask. I know Edward would have a fit if he found out about any of this.

"No. He only calls in once every few months. He said he wants to be alone."

Not one of us says anything in response to this.

"What is that God-awful wet dog smell?" Alice finally speaks, her nose wrinkles as she does.

"That's probably me." Bella sniffs the big shirt she wears, she had obviously borrowed Jake's dry clothes before she came back home.

"More like Jacob."

"Why would he smell like a dog? Jacob who?"

"Jacob's kind of a werewolf."

"Kind of?" I laugh.

"Bella! Werewolves are not good company to keep."

I'm about to make a comment when the door opens again. "Speak for yourself." Jacob is glaring at Alice. Normally I would try to keep some type of peace but I'm done for today. I'm close to glaring at Alice myself. 

Unlike us, Bella looks as if she is mad at Jake now. "I'm sorry. I had to see you were safe." Bella doesn't melt at these words like she normally would, for some reason her anger for Jake stands. 

"I thought you couldn't protect me here?"

"Guess I don't care." 

Now I roll my eyes. Why is he like this? He would risk everything for Bella and she only sees him as a best friend. He's not at the Clearwater's because he's worrying about Bella. He would throw away a how every many years old treaty for her. He would risk the entire pack for her. It's always about Bella.

"Well, I'm not going to hurt her." Alice's voice sounds as if she's even shocked at the idea she could hurt Bella.

"No, you're just a harmless Cullen." Jake rolls his eyes. Honestly I have to agree with him on that. They're definitely not harmless. "I'm talking about the other bloodsucker who tried to kill Bella because of you."

"Victoria."

"You haven't seen her?" I'm worried now. What world am I in if Alice hasn't seen that Victoria's in Forks? Victoria is our number one threat at the moment and she's somehow in a blindspot of her vision. Alice came back because Bella jumped off a cliff, she hasn't seen anything else. But she did mention my shoulder, if she doesn't know Jake's a werewolf she must not have seen the accident.

"I didn't see you get pulled out of the water, either." Alice is deep in thought, and not the way she is when she has a vision. Finally, she has an epiphany, "I can't see past you and your pack of mutts."

"Don't get me upset or things are going to get very ugly." Jake is basically growling at Alice now. I really hope he does not phase here, that'd be hard to explain to Charlie.

"Both of you, shut up. We get it, vampires and werewolves are enemies. You're both engineered to kill the other." I mutter this while Bella takes the opposite route, she stands directly between them.

"Hey, stop. Stop, stop, stop, stop." She essentially coos at Jake. Alice looks as if she could care less about this.

"We'll give you two a minute." Alice looks at me, jutting her head towards the front door. Okay, so she's leaving again and taking me with her this time. Great.

"Hey." Bella softly speaks, both of us stop in our tracks. "You're not going anywhere. You're gonna come back, right?" She's mostly talking to Alice but I can see her eyes anxiously drift towards me as well.

"As soon as you put the dog out." She firmly nods, a small smile on her face, probably to ease Bella's mind.

"Really, Alice?" We walk down towards the end of the driveway together. She only shrugs, proud of her little quip towards Jake. I don't understand the animosity, she wasn't even here when the treaty was originally made.

"What happened to your shoulder?"

"Nothing."

"Nevaeh, I didn't see it happen, which only indicates it was one of those overgrown dogs. I saw your brother take you to that girl's house and you got stitches."

"Yeah, I needed stitches but it's fine now." She doesn't deserve to know. She left me. Why should she know what happened when she was gone?

"Nevaeh."

"Alice."

"I know you're upset."

"Of course I'm upset!"

"And you're right to be upset. I know we didn't just leave Bella, we left you as well."

"That's exactly it, Alice! You left. And you know what makes it suck more?"

"No." For once she seems surprised. As if she didn't expect me to actually admit I'm upset.

"You didn't say goodbye. You were one of my closest friends here and you didn't say goodbye. Edward came and told me you guys were all leaving. I saw Emmett, Esme, Carlisle, and Rosalie before they left but I didn't see you. I know Jasper was in the house when I saw them because I felt calm although one part of my life was going away." I blocked out his role that day. I don't want to admit he hadn't say goodbye but he was there controlling my emotions. I wanted to believe it was my own willpower but my voice quivers now as I remember the day they left. "He was there but he didn't say goodbye. You were all going to leave forever, and you didn't care enough to say goodbye! That's not even the worst of it. The worst of it happened after you left!"

"Vae-" Alice tries to cut in but she needs to know what it was like after she and her family left. They shouldn't get to live without knowing the pain they caused. (A/N: This is a personally heartbreaking scene in the actual book where Alice comes back and in the morning Charlie tells her what it was like after Edward left but I obviously feel as if Nevaeh should tell this to Alice. Plus I'm mostly matching to the movie, so right now it's the Bella and Jake almost kiss/phone call while Nevaeh is just screaming outside.)

"No, Alice! You've lost the right to use that nickname! You left! You left! You left! He left! You all left! And I was stuck here! I cried so hard I fell asleep! And I woke up to find out Bella was missing. Edward left Bella in the woods after he said goodbye to her. That's right, at least he had the decency to say goodbye but he left her in a forest. She got lost and Charlie put together a search party. Who found her? Sam. The leader of the pack. The big bad wolf saved Bella's life." I take a breath. Tears are stinging my eyes but they won't fall yet. I'm breathing heavily and I don't know whether it's how fast I'm talking or how emotional I am as I remember these things I had pushed away. 

"After you all left my mom didn't let me be sad or take time to heal. No, she threw herself into training me. Hard. She taught me everything she knows without a break. I'm stronger now because of it but I was a teen girl going through a breakup and my mom gave me weapons to deal with it. But even that distraction didn't help. Bella and I had nightmares for months after. I still have nightmares now and then! But we got through it together. I stayed with her because Charlie couldn't handle it alone. She would wake up screaming. Bella barely moved unless required for three months. It took Charlie threatening to send her to Florida for her to get it together. Even then she was faking it. She was faking it until she found Jacob. She started hanging out with Jacob and she suddenly came alive again. He literally saved her life today, but you're in there making petty comments against one another."

"I get it, they've saved Bella's life. But Va-'' She stops herself. I'm glad she's actually listening to what I've said. "Nevaeh, what did they do to you? What happened to your shoulder? If I didn't see it happen a wer- pack member must have hurt you."

"Fine. You had a vision of me at my friend Wren's house. She's amazing, she really helped me through you guys leaving. Remember that, when you all left? Without saying goodbye. Anyways, one of her moms is a nurse so Milo took me to her house for medical attention. It turned out I needed stitches because I was too close to a werewolf as he shifted. I got scratched and I needed some stitches."

"I knew it!" Alice exclaims, as if this human-like intuition makes up for her lack of clairvoyance when it comes to the pack.

"Wow, you sound so sad that I got hurt. And I wouldn't be too proud. You didn't see Victoria today and she tried to kill Bella and me."

"When? Where? What?" Alice blurts out all her questions.

"Today. We were in La Push and Victoria decided to pay us a little visit. I managed to escape her because I had my bow and arrow, I'm still upset I wasn't able to shoot her. Victoria was in the water when Bella jumped. I think Jake got there before she could kill Bella. Victoria knows about the wolves, they've been hunting her as long as she's been here."

I'm done. I have dumped all of my information. She knows everything, except about Julian. I don't think she would handle another vampire in the area, who originally tried to kill me, very well. At least I have one secret. To be honest I wonder if Alice had seen all that. If she had seen us have our nightmares and she didn't come back. Why she had seen my shoulder injury and hadn't come back. Was it just because she knew I had lived? Or do the Cullens only care about Bella's humanity. Either way neither of us have time to actually discuss what I had said, Alice is having a vision and I hear Bella yell from inside.

"Why didn't you let me speak to him?" Bella is yelling while Jacob is shaking with anger. Alice and I both run into the kitchen, I'm not sure whether Alice actually heard the yelling so she ran in or her vision includes something we need to know.

"He didn't ask for you, Bella."

"I don't care!"

Alice breaks up what could have turned into a yelling match, "Bella! Bella, he's going to the Volturi!"

So Edward was on the phone. Edward had called to see if Bella was alive and Jacob answered. Now he's going to ask the Volturi to kill him.

"Okay, so let's go." Bella looks as if she's unphased about going to Italy. Seeing the Volturi, whose number one rule is ensuring humans like us don't know about vampires.

I hear Jacob trying to sway Bella away from leaving but I'm already up the stairs. He's not able to stop me and I doubt he would try. It's all about Bella for him. I'm in her room, rummaging through her closet to find some kind of suitcase or duffel bag for us while Alice is on the phone. I have no idea how long we will be there and it feels stupid to spend time packing a bag but we have to blend in. Everything about this is out of the ordinary but we can't show up in Italy wearing clothes for Forks, Washington in the winter. She can't stop Edward from whatever idiotic plan he has in Jacob's giant sweats.

I finally find a suitcase and start throwing in random clothes. While I don't stay with Bella for a positive reason I'm thankful I have some toiletries and clothes here at all times. Alice is off the phone and I know Jake is unable to keep Bella from coming. I zip up the suitcase and Alice takes it from me, rushing down the stairs and out the door.

I understand Jake's perspective, I don't want Bella to go either but she's the only one who can save him. And she'd never forgive herself if Edward somehow killed his immortal self all because he thought she was dead. I don't think Edward deserves saving but I know this means everything to Bella at the moment, and I can't let her go alone. So here I am, on a quest to save a vampire.

I take Bella's hand, time is essential, and pull her out the door. Jacob follows us to the car. I tune him out, I don't care what reasons he has. I'm sure I've already thought of them. I know he's determined because I think I hear my name in there a couple of times. After that drama is done Bella rolls up her window and Alice speeds down the suburban street. I sit quietly in the back seat, unsure of whether I should distract myself or prepare myself.

My mind drifts between stupid thoughts or survival thoughts. Such as who is paying for my plane ticket. I don't have enough money on me. And I don't want to dip into my college fund all because Edward decided to be an idiot. Wait. I didn't tell my parents I was going to Italy. I'm an idiot. I should really text my mom before i leave the country without an explanation. 

If I survive confronting the Volturi and come home, my mom will definitely kill me.

Chapter Text

The One Where They're in Italy

So I'm not dead. By the hands of my mother at least. We made it to the airport and the least of my problems have been solved. Alice paid for my ticket and we are now flying to Italy, with my family's knowledge. All we need to worry about is what happens in Volterra. How we will save Edward if we are able to. On the plane Alice updates us on Edward's plans and we adjust our plans, which start at Plan A and go even farther than Plan Z. I think we have what we need.

Me, a super cool human raised monster-hunter. Sure, I couldn't bring any weapons on the plane per the rules of the TSA, but my mom taught me techniques that'll throw a vampire off their rhythm. And Alice promised to raid the security office at our destination before we go to Volterra. If that fails I'm pretty witty so my last words will be cool at least.

Bella, the one person who can save Edward. He's trying to get a pity kill from the Volturi because he thinks she is dead. All he needs to do is see Bella is alive and that'll be the end of it, as long as the Volturi doesn't see him first. Her being the one person Edward can't read the mind of helps and hurts us in the situation. It hurts us because Edward will probably assume Alice is lying if she says Bella is alive. Also he can't hear her thoughts so he can only confirm she's alive through sight. Never mind, the only positive in this situation is for Bella and it's the fact Edward can't read her mind.

Alice, a clairvoyant vampire with infinite amounts of money. If Edward couldn't read minds she could save him on her own. But he can read minds, so we have to pull off this elaborate plan which includes bringing two humans into a vampire hotspot. She can see what the Volturi will decide when Edward approaches them. She can see how Edward plans on ending his immortal life. She can see if we even have a chance. While she can see if we have a chance I doubt she'd tell us if we're going to die.

The plane ride is unbearably long. Alice is kept busy with phone calls and being able to see the future. She tells us anything she sees fit, such as the Volturi denying Edward's request to be killed and every plan Edwards sticks to for more than two minutes. Bella and I switch between sleeping and worrying ourselves sick. I'm not sure if she even sleeps, more like she closes her eyes for a few minutes and starts bouncing in her seat once she sees fit. Meaning for the better part of the plane ride I am sleeping unless Alice or Bella is whispering Edward's plans to me. While Bella's jumpiness usually keeps me awake it eventually begins to feel like rocking. Maybe that's just my sleep deprivation.

I know I want to be well rested when I fight for my life today. I will probably fight for Bella's life today, because she will not die by the hand of the Volturi as long as I am alive. I know she doesn't value her human life very much but I do. I know it's highly unlikely the Volturi will be okay with two humans knowing about their existence.

What will they do if they find out my family knows? What would they do if they found out about the pack? If they're the highest power in the vampire world they must have abilities beyond my imagination. If they have more power than a mind reader and a clairvoyant, what don't they have? Should I back out? I can't. I could never do that. I would never abandon Bella if it was a choice. Even if I could, it's not like it would help. 

I have to be positive, believe we will get out of this with all four of us alive. I have to trust Alice and the other Cullens will protect me as much as they are protecting Bella at the moment. That someone will protect me like I protect them.

As long as the flight felt it's over all too soon. While the turbulence made me feel physically ill I know I'm safer on the plane than I'd ever be on land. What awaits us is death. Whether Edward's or our own.

These next events go by quickly. I barely remember anything that was said. All I know is there are no airports in Volterra so Bella and I wait for Alice outside whatever airport we landed at. Alice picks us up in a bright yellow sports car which is not conspicuous in the slightest but it's fast. She's probably driving double or triple the posted speed limit, not that I'm complaining.

According to Alice his current plan is showing himself to humans at noon. The clock will toll and the sun will hit his bare skin. Humans in the area will realize he is not human; no one owns that much body glitter. Obviously an angry Volturi guard will take care of the rest, giving Edward what he wanted from the start.

We arrive in Volterra but it is not what we expected. Every road into town is blocked, the streets filled by humans wearing red robes. Alice had explained it's Saint Marcus' Day, humans celebrating the banishment of vampires from the city. Now I understand why Edward is continuing with this plan over the others he made up. The city is filled to the brim with humans who are blissfully unaware of the existence of vampires.

The car will never make it into town and the clock tower is within sight. We'll stick out like sore thumbs in the crowd, wearing jeans and a tshirts rather than the blood red robes, but it's our only way there. It would be worse if Alice mowed down hundreds of humans in a stolen vehicle. I open the car door before I can second-guess myself.

"Let's go."

"No, Nevaeh, you need to stay here. He'll see you coming." Alice shakes her head.

"It doesn't matter. She'll never make it there in five minutes if she's alone. I can clear a path for her, she'll be right behind me. If anything it's not like he'll be looking for my mind."

"I don't care if you come with me or not! Five minutes. That's all we have."

Alice doesn't argue. As much as she wants to keep us safe, she needs to keep her brother alive. I ignore every survival instinct and grab Bella's hand. We weave through the crowd, if we were back in Forks and in gym class we would probably be gasping for air but here, in Volterra, our breaths are caught in our throats. The bell tower is so close yet so far. It taunts me as I can start to read the time upon it. 11:57. I push against the voice in my head saying I'm tired and need to slow down. I push against it by running faster, ensuring I still have Bella following behind me and no one is in our way.

Two minutes. One fountain ahead of us, blocking the way. I stop in my tracks, there's no way we can get around the fountain and make it in time. It's over. I drop Bella's hand, I don't even know how to look at her. What now? Do we just turn around? Do we keep going? Before I can even make up a new plan I hear footsteps beside me, then splashes.

Bella is cutting through the fountain. I, of course, go after her. The water is only ankle deep, my jeans barely getting wet. Once we have both made it out of the fountain, the clock tower is a straight-shot. I let her run ahead of me, knowing this is her moment. She needs to see Edward alive as much as he needs to see her. As the bell tolls I fear Alice's vision was wrong, he had changed his plan yet again but seconds later he steps out and into the sun.

I see a blur of Bella as she tackles him to the ground, into the shade. She did it. He wasn't able to expose himself to the humans of Volterra. I hang back, watching them reunite. Exchanging words that aren't my place to hear. I wish this meant it was time to leave but it could never be that easy. I walk towards the bell tower, knowing I look out of place and while my skin may not sparkle I need to hide.

As soon as I approach Bella and Edward, two figures appear out of the shadows. Bella clings to Edward, neither of them expecting their reunion to be cut so short.

No one bothers with any greetings, instead Edward tries to make the situation disappear. "I won't be needing your services after all, gentlemen."

It's the one on the right who says, "Aro wants to speak with you again."

"No rules were broken."

The one on the left cuts in this time. "Nonetheless, we should take this conversation to a more appropriate venue."

Edward finally lets go of Bella. "Fine." He looks at me but it has been so long I'm not sure what he is trying to tell me. I don't know whether it's my own survival instincts telling me to take Bella with me and run or it's what Edward wants me to do."Nevaeh, why don't you two go and enjoy the rest of the festival?"

"The girls come with us."

No. Bella and I are not going anywhere with them. Who knows what they'll do, if they'll torture us, kill us, or make us their next meal. But I stay silent. I could say so much but I know I would only provoke them and make things worse for us.

"No. You can go to hell." He steps in front of Bella.

Before either of the men can move I hear the sound of a lock breaking, the door opens. I flinch, unsure who it could be. I hope it's Alice but who knows how many Volturi guards there are.

I spare a glance behind me and thankfully it's the former. Somehow in this situation Alice acts calm, almost playful with the guards. I'm not sure if it's all a front or she had a vision in which we all survive. "Come on, guys! It's a festival. You wouldn't want to make a scene."

"We wouldn't."

There are more footsteps, coming from the same direction the two guards had appeared and we all freeze. Even the guards freeze due to whoever is approaching.

I'm surprised when I see the figure looks to be a child. Probably in their early teens. Their face is so neutral I can't exactly tell whether they are a boy or a girl, until they speak. "Enough."

"Jane."

The girl barely stops, still talking as she approaches us. "Aro sent me to see what was taking so long." Once the words are out she turns back around.

I'm taken aback as all four vampires immediately follow the small girl, Bella and I both hesitate a bit. Alice notices it and mumbles, "Just do as she says."

She leads the way, the two guards who I still don't know the names of trail behind us. I know it would be stupid to try and escape our probable deaths but I wouldn't put it past Edward to attempt running away with Bella. I'm sure all five vampires can hear my heart pounding but I keep the mask of calm on my face. I would try and say it's for Bella but I know she isn't too scared. She'll just be happy she was able to see Edward one last time. She has risked her life enough for me to know she doesn't care about her own mortality. But I do, I care about being human even if it means I could die any minute. And this could be that minute.

It turns out the building is not only a bell tower but a passage to where the Volturi reside. The architecture is what I had imagined the Cullen's house would look like, gothic and antique. It's beautiful, but it intimidates me with its age and grace. Everything in this building is probably older than me, even the secretary who is obviously human looks like she is in her twenties. I wonder how long she has kept the position, if they switch out the secretary each meal or maybe she will be paid with immortality.

It takes little strength for the small vampire to open the two tall, heavy doors. She doesn't turn back and only walks further into the room. I'm assuming it's the throne room for the Volturi as each of the three ancient vampires sit upon their own. Somehow it's even more beautiful than the rest of the property, marble and light making it feel regal. Aside from the three rulers and the guard members I had already met, there is a boy standing in front of the dais. Based on how eerily similar he looks to Jane, in age and physical appearance, I assume they have to be biologically related somehow.

When he speaks he only confirms my suspicions. "Sister. They send you out to get one and you bring back two. And two halves." His face gives away nothing but his tone conveys slight disgust when his eyes roam over Bella and me. As if he doesn't want us here as much as I don't want us to be. "Such a clever girl."

Edward, Bella, Alice, and I stop a safe distance away from the dais. Edward has already positioned himself in front of Bella, like the Volturi guard will strike if any of the three rulers says the word. Alice is between us, probably not all there as she searches through the many possibilities of what could happen while we are here. While I'm sure the three eldest vampires must have some great abilities to be the coven which rules over all vampires, it seems like Edward and Alice have been scared by Jane the most. What power does she have that makes them cower? If hers is so mighty her brother must have one that is just as terrifying. 

There is a beat of silence, the rulers remain on their thrones, the chilling siblings stand together a few feet ahead of the thrones, and the two guards from before are flanked on either side of the doors. The one who had sat on the middle throne rises. He is dressed in all black like the rest of the guard, only his age and distinct long black hair set him apart from the others.

"What a happy surprise! Bella is alive after all." He has an unnervingly saccharine smile on his face. He looks back towards his fellow rulers. "Isn't that wonderful? I love a happy ending." He stops in front of Edward, a hand held out. This must be Aro, the one who wanted to talk to Edward.

As Edward offers his hand to Aro all I hear is small murmurs. I am confused, I'm sure Bella's expression mirrors my own as we all watch Edward and Aro. 

He gasps and finally speaks out loud. "They are so rare. La tua cantante. Her blood appeals to you so much it makes me thirsty. How can you stand to be so close to her?"

"It's not without difficulty." Edward essentially grunts, he is somehow more uncomfortable than Bella and me combined in this situation. 

"Yes, I can see that." He chuckles to himself a bit.

"Aro can read every thought I've ever had with one touch." He thankfully gives us some context as to what is happening. It only lasts a second before his attention is back on Aro. "And now you know everything, so get on with it."

Aro is unphased by Edward's impoliteness. I'm unsure as to whether people disrespect him often or he is too entertained by our little show to care. "You are quite a soul reader yourself, Edward. Though you can't read Bella's thoughts. Fascinating." He turns his attention to Bella solely. "I would love to see if you are an exception to my gifts, as well." He takes one step closer to Bella, like he is testing how quickly one of us would come to her defense.

"Would you do me the honor?" He again stretches out his hand, Bella takes it. "Interesting... I see nothing. I wonder if... Let us see if she's immune to all our powers." He takes a few steps away from Bella, looking at the girl who has not moved since we entered the throne room. "Shall we, Jane?"

"No!" Edward yells, jumping in front of Bella the moment Jane's eyes were on her.

"Pain." Is all Jane whispers before Edward lets out an agonizing scream.

He is crumpled up on the floor, while nothing is touching him he screams like he is being hit over and over again. He lets out stomach curdling cries yet Jane doesn't give.

"Stop!" It's Bella who yells this time. "Stop! Please! Stop! Just stop hurting him!

Please! Please."

"Jane?"

Edward's body relaxes on the marble floor, Jane's attention on Aro again. "Master?"

He is still on the floor, physically unable to come to her aid again. I'm sure he would go through that pain for her over and over again if it meant sparing her. And I know that if I hear Bella scream like he did I will take her place too. But, like Alice, I hold my breath as we know what is coming in the next seconds.

"Go ahead."

"This will hurt just a little." She smirks as she says it. She smirks as Bella braces herself for the torture that will come. But nothing happens. Jane's focus is upon Bella but there is no reaction. No need to save her from the pain she cannot inflict.

Aro lets out another laugh, a cruel one which fills the room. "Remarkable! She confounds us all. But what about the other human they brought to us. Nevaeh, is it?"

"Yes." There's no reason to deny it. He has already read Edward's every thought. So he knows my name. He knows how much I know about vampires, their species as a whole and the Cullens. He has seen my family. Aro knows what my family looks like, he could easily find where we live. He could kill us all because I decided to come here. My entire family could be killed because I felt the need to save Bella. Edward and Alice are risking themselves for Bella. We are in the hands of the Volturi.

"I know so much about you through Edward's own mind. You've done peculiar things for a human. You were able to take down a vampire without anything but a simple blade. And even more strange you didn't finish him off. Now here you are again, fighting vampires in an attempt to save Bella's life."

"The safety of those I love is the most important thing to me. If I die protecting them it will have been worth it." And I pray to every holy power he does not touch me. 

I have too many people I love, and he doesn't know about half of them. I haven't thought about the pack since I got here, meaning Edward doesn't know about them. I can't put their lives in Aro's hands. I haven't thought about Wren since I came here and I don't want the Volturi to know about Wren and her powers as a mortal. I don't want them to know Julian has a gift because it seems gifted vampires are collectibles to them.

"You came here ignorant of your own safety."

The one in the right throne studies me. He is immediately set apart from the others with his platinum blond hair. While he is older than any member of the Volturi guard he appears significantly younger than the other reigning members. He speaks next. "She probably came here to kill us, Aro. If she has already fought against a vampire and won she must believe she could come here and take us down." 

"That girl? Kill us? The thought of it almost makes me laugh." It's the one in the left throne who spoke. He has long brown hair, like Aro, but it has a slight curl. He looks old, again like Aro, yet he looks as if he is close to death even in his immortality. 

"You're right, Marcus, that would be a sight to see. An impossible one. You would have to be incredibly stupid to come to our home and try to kill us. What a deep insult it would be. Caius, what do you suppose we should do about it?"

"Jane?" It's Caius who calls upon the girl this time. 

I feel the tears come to my eyes even before Jane looks at me. I brace myself for the pain but there's nothing I could do to prepare. It's worse than I imagined. It feels like I am being burned alive. I scream and it's as if they bounce off of the walls and back at me they are so loud. It is like corrosive acid is in my veins. A pain ten times greater than any human medical condition. I don't know how long it lasts but it feels like forever. I wait and wait and wait for somebody, anybody to make her stop.

"Enough." It's Marcus who speaks. While this was partially his doing he seems like a savior as Jane finally frees me. "I'm sure she has learned it would be silly to try and harm us. And if you are even a bit worried you can look into her mind."

Aro glances over me once. He watches as I kneel on the ground, gasping for air. No amount of it is enough as I try to keep my breathing steady. It's difficult to breathe through my tears. Not even just tears. I am full on sobbing as I remember what the pain was like. I can't physically feel it in my body, it's only a mind trick but it felt too real. I try not to bow on the ground and thank him when he doesn't come any closer. He's not going to read my mind, at least not right now. Now that I know he will not find out about the pack or anyone else Edward does not know I am able to compose myself. I go back to my place next to Alice, able to stand but I still somewhat shiver as my brain remembers the pain.

"So what do we do with them now?"

"You already know what you're going to do, Aro." Marcus sighs, as if he is already tired of our visit.

"They know too much." Caius speaks as if it's a lazy comment. "They're a liability."

Aro pauses, considering their thoughts. "That's true." He spares a glance towards the doors. "Felix."

The largest guard steps away from his spot, towards Bella. Immediately Edward bolts towards him, slamming him as far as possible from Bella. It creates a chain reaction, Alice fends off the second guard and it becomes a sort of dance as they try to immobilize each other. Aro, the other rulers of the Volturi, and Jane all stay in their places but I watch as Jane's brother walks towards me. His pace is all too slow and I am utterly terrified as I don't know what his power is. I don't know whether I should fight him or run away. I can't run. There's nowhere to go.

So I fight. And thank whatever higher power there is my mom had trained with me so much. I use the better part of my strength to shove him away from me. If he was prepared I probably would already have several bones crushed, but he stumbled a few steps away from me due to the surprise. I'm unsure what to do next but I'm glad I wore steel-toed boots as I instinctively kicked his right knee. I was hoping he would fall but I barely made any damage. I only see him barely wince before I can't see anything. Or move. Or smell. I wince as I drop to the floor, while I can't move at all I can still feel the pain of my fall. The only sense I have is my hearing and I can also feel the cold marble beneath me. What the f*ck.

So one sibling can make you feel the worst pain imaginable while the other can make you feel nothing. That's really fair. Somehow this is worse than any physical fight I can imagine. It's almost as bad as Jane's pain. I am stuck doing nothing. Stuck inside my head. Sure, if I could move I would be badly losing in a fight against a vampire but at least I could say I attempted to save Bella. I wish I could at least get a few punches in. This is my personal hell. I can't do anything. I hear the breaking of marble, unsure if it's the building or a vampire. I can hear grunts but I don't know if they're of effort or pain, if they're coming from Alice or Bella. I know for certain I can hear Edward struggling against Felix.

"Please! No! No! Please, please!" I recognize Bella's pleas. "Kill me! Not him!"

The noise on the marble quiets and so does the entire room. I feel cold hands beneath my arms and it feels as if I am being lifted up. I slowly regain my senses. First, my smell which was nothing, then my sight, and lastly my movement. I try to move my body but I am still unable to because the vampire, who I still don't know the name of but had taken my senses, has me in a back choke hold. I see Felix holding Edward similarly and the unnamed guard holding Alice back. Both are still struggling against their opponents. Aro is yet again in front of us.

"How extraordinary! You would give up your life for someone like us! A vampire, a soulless monster."

"Just get away from her!" Edward says that like it will do anything. As if Alec won't snap my neck at any moment. Or kill Bella in seconds.

Bella too adds bite to her words. "You don't know a thing about his soul!"

Aro ignores her, only letting out a small sigh. "This is a sadness. If only it were your intention to give her immortality." He steps closer to her, leaning in and smelling her. I'm unsure as to whether he wants to simply drain her or turn her into a vampire.

It's Alice who speaks up this time. I'm unsure what vision is our saving grace but I hope it works. "Wait!" Alice pauses until Aro finally takes one step away from Bella. "Bella will be one of us. I've seen it. I'll change her myself."

She doesn't mention me. Are they going to kill me because I know? I don't see anyone come towards me, I only see Aro take Alice's hand. Seconds later he finally steps away, a smile on his face.

"Mesmerizing. To see what you have seen before it has happened." He glances at me and Bella. "Your gifts will make for intriguing immortals." He walks back towards the dais, standing before his own throne. "Go now! Make your preparations. Let us be done with this, Heidi will arrive any moment. Thank you for your visit."

As if we had the choice to 'visit.'

I look longingly towards the closed doors but they do not open. "We will return the favor. I would advise that you follow through on your promise soon. We do not offer second chances." Is all Caius says before the unnamed guard opens the doors.

He is the one who leads us out. We are basically running after him, wanting to get out of here as soon as possible. Edward is gripping onto Bella's hand, my friend struggling to keep up with him. Alice has her hand in mine, as if I would fall behind and be left here. The walk out feels shorter than the walk in, but it's probably my body begging to go outside rather than dreading any time spent with the Volturi.

We are back where we entered, I can see it is still light outside before I hear the unnamed guard speak. "You will need to stay here until the sun has set. We wouldn't want some accident to ruin the rare mercy Aro showed you today." After saying that he turns around and leaves us alone, knowing we wouldn't dare risk it.

We sit on the benches, Edward and Bella continuing their reunion. I try not to eavesdrop in case they discuss anything too personal. As I sit I realize how burnt out I am from the event which just passed and the little sleep I got. I'm too grateful to be alive to think too deeply about why I was spared.

I feel myself get more and more tired, Alice's cold and hard shoulder becoming more like a pillow the longer I am awake. I only murmur one thing before unconsciousness takes over. "Did he say immortals, with an 's?'"

Chapter Text

The Forks in the Road

I knew Rosalie was the one who told Edward that Bella had died. It’s what started this whole mess, I knew this but I didn’t expect to see every member of the Cullen family waiting for us when we landed in Seattle. After the long months they had abandoned us it felt odd to see the entirety of the family. I was finally feeling somewhat like myself because of the sleep I got on the flight home but seeing them made me feel like I was still dreaming, or somewhat delirious. I had been surrounded by vampires in Volterra and I had watched Julian’s eyes turn gold along with his new diet, yet the five pairs of eyes on me felt like too much.

Five because Alice and Edward’s eyes were black due to thirst. Five because the people who I had considered an extended family in the past had finally come back. They feel like strangers.

Even Rosalie, who still looked as beautiful as ever although the stress of the past few days had obviously gotten to her.

Even Emmett, who always made me laugh. I can’t imagine myself smiling right now, no matter what he says or does.

Even Carlisle, who always tried to help me whether I was hurting physically or emotionally.

Even Esme, who had become a second mother to me. I recognize the care in her eyes as she sees the four of us alive but I still remember how she left Bella and me.

Even Edward, who can read my every thought. He knows every vile thing I’ve thought about him in the past because I’ve thought it again at least once today. He has also seen a fraction of what it was like with Bella after he left.

Even Alice, who I had told my newest secrets to. It feels wrong how much she knows about the past months, she may have been the first to come back but she still left.

I can’t stand to look at him. I haven’t even uttered his name since he abandoned me. Since he never said goodbye. Since his absence caused nightmares which were only a little less haunting than my experience with the Volturi. His eyes are on me while mine are looking anywhere else. He’s here. Jasper came back.

While time had slowed for me I realized everyone had approached us. Or maybe we had gotten closer to them. Either way Esme’s cold arms wrapping around my waist brings me back to reality.

“Thank you.” she murmured into my ear. She pulled away immediately, I think she could feel how quickly I tensed after the touch. As if Esme realized this was not a happy coming home for me. I assume it was her maternal instincts that helped her see what this meant for me versus Bella and Edward. I watched as she moved towards them in that order.

Carlisle said his quick thanks to us, mentioning he owes us one. If I’m being honest this is basic payback for all of the times he has had to treat Bella or me for a small injury. Either way after Esme had said her thanks we exited the airport. In the parking lot I only saw two vehicles.

I watch as Carlisle and Esme walk towards one car, Alice following after. Emmett and Rosalie stand by the other. Edwards walks towards Carlisle’s car but Esme gives him a look.

“She feels awful.”

“She should.”

“Let her make amends. Alice and Jasper will come with us.”

Well, that makes my choice easier. I’m stuck in a car with Rosalie making a sincere apology for the first time in who knows how many years. I walk towards Emmett, he opens the back door of the car for me. Bella takes the middle seat and Edward sits on the other side. The girl is about to fall asleep, she leans on my shoulder forcing her eyes open while she buckles herself in.

The car’s engine comes alive and I brace myself for the painful moment which is to come. I mean, at least I know it can’t be as bad as my interaction with Jane. I watch as Rosalie takes one deep breath and turns in her seat.

“Edward,” she begins but Edward cuts her off.

“I know.”

“Bella?”

“Yes, Rosalie?” She is obviously not fully there, I don’t know why Rosalie is even trying. I believe she’s the only one who will consider this a real apology. And Bella, she has never been able to stand up to Rosalie.

“I'm so very sorry, Bella. I feel wretched about every part of this, and so grateful that you were brave enough to go save my brother after what I did. Please say you'll forgive me.”

“Of course.” She mumbles. It seems like she is about to say something else but it doesn’t exactly make it out. She shifts in her seat, putting her head on Edward’s chest now, and falls asleep.

“It doesn't count until she's conscious, Rose," Emmett chuckles.

“I know.” Rosalie sighs. At least she already has her words prepared, although they’ve been said they still contain the same meaning. “Nevaeh?”

“You don’t need to apologize to me, I chose to come to Volterra.”

“But you wouldn’t have gone if it wasn’t for my actions. And I know it was your choice but you still saved Edward. I’ll forever be thankful for it, but that’s not what I wanted to say to you. Nevaeh, I’m sorry for how I acted when we left. I was cold to you and you didn’t deserve it. I should have been more caring towards you, that I was exceptionally unthoughtful the day we left. I’m aware I rarely showed my fondness for you, but you should know I did miss you while we were apart.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

“It’s never going to be the same between us is it?”

“No. It’s not.”

“Nevaeh?” This time it’s Edward who says my name.

“What?”

“Thank you for keeping her safe. And I know you didn’t do it for me.”

“I was right.”

“You were. And I’m never going to leave again. Unless she asks me to.”

“Okay.”

“Nevaeh?”

“What?” I had hoped the car ride to Forks would have been silent. So far this isn’t working out for me.

“He did love you. He still does.”

“Can we not do this right now?”

“I know it was hard for you after we left. I know what happened because Alice has been mulling over everything you told her ever since we left Volterra. It wasn’t easy for any of us either.”

“Are you seriously saying this to me, Edward?”

“I was incomplete without Bella. I threw myself into learning how to track. Anything to fill the time without her. I rarely fed, I was sickened by my actions. How much I had hurt Bella. I’m sure Jasper felt just as horrible without you.”

“What, you read Alice’s mind and all of a sudden you know what my life has been like since September? That’s not how it works Edward! I’m sure it was hard for you but you are a vampire who has existed for more than a century and left Bella willfully. I’m a teenage girl who was abandoned by the people she had considered family. I would say you left me to the wolves but that was the only positive thing to come out of this.”

“You shouldn’t be around them. They’re bad company.”

“Are you kidding? Just shut up, Edward! You broke Bella’s heart for no reason and left her alone in the woods! She almost died there but Sam saved her. She became reckless without you but Jacob was always there to rescue her. When she tried to kill herself by jumping off a cliff, it was Jacob who pulled her out of the water! I was there helping Charlie through losing Bella even though she was right in front of us. I was the one who comforted her after nightmares, nightmares of losing you. I made sure she at least went through the movements of life. I had to do that because she shut down after you left! And I was going through all of that too but I forced myself through it. And honestly, I don’t know if I would be who I am today if it wasn’t for the pack. They were there for me when none of you were.”

“I understand they can be good at times but, Nevaeh, they hurt you. Just look at your shoulder.”

“Yes, I got this one scratch! And when Carlisle was gone because of you, Wren was there for me. This was one scratch and it healed quickly. But I had nightmares for months because of your disappearing act! I will never be able to forget Jane’s little pain trick, something I wouldn’t have experienced if you didn’t try to kill yourself! I saved you this time but you have never saved me. Not once. And neither has he. So you have no room to speak. You have caused more pain for me than any joy in the past.”

And finally the car is silent.

“Nevaeh?” It’s Emmett’s voice. His head is facing the road but I can see him looking at me in the rearview mirror.

“Don’t.”

“I’ve really missed you. And you have to know that I regret leaving you.”

“Emmett, answer one question honestly for me and I’ll forgive you. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Was Jasper in the house the last time I saw you?”

“What?” Emmett sounds surprised, like he had expected any other question.

“A few days after the party, I came by the house and you told me you were leaving. I felt my emotions changing while I was there. I wasn’t having an emotional outburst, and it would have been much worse than anything I just said to Edward. I only know one person who can control emotions. Was Jasper there?”

“Yes.”

“Well. That’s all I needed.” I look outside the window and watch as the streets begin to look familiar. “Can you just drop me off at home? I can pick up my car from Bella’s house later.”

“We could just go to Bella’s house and I could drive you home in your own car. If you didn’t want to make that extra trip.” Emmett offers.

“Okay. Yeah, you have to go to Bella’s house anyway. I can drive myself home.”

It only takes two more minutes to get to Bella’s house. The first thing I see is Charlie sitting on the front step, my car keys in his hand. Of course she didn’t explain herself to him. And I don’t blame him for being upset, he lost Bella again. After the first time when Renee left. After every vacation they spent together. After Bella was being hunted by James. After she wasn’t all there when Edward left. And now.

Bella, Edward, and I pile out of the back seat. Emmett and Rosalie stay in the car, immediately driving away once the door is closed. While they are immortal vampires it’s not like they want to see an angry Charlie Swan. We all walk towards him, there’s no avoiding this. Well, I can as long as I get my car keys.

“Thanks for bringing her home safe, Nevaeh. And having your parents tell me what happened to your girls. I’ll talk to you more later, but I need you to go home, okay?” He hands me my car keys.

“I’m really sorry.”

“I know. Drive home safe, Vae.” Is all Charlie says, I know he isn’t actually mad at me but I still feel bad.

I walk to my car, knowing I need to see my parents before anything else. Sure, my mother and father understood I needed to go to Italy to protect Bella but I doubt they’re happy about it.

When I walk through the door I see my family sitting at the kitchen table. My father is clutching his cup of coffee, it’s weird to see because he usually stops drinking coffee by ten in the morning and it is already one in the afternoon. My mom is reading today’s paper, or reading it again because she usually finishes reading it by this time. My brother is just sitting there, tapping his foot against his chair. He’s the one who hears me come in.

“Nevaeh!” He jumps up from his chair. I had barely blinked but I felt my little brother’s arms around me in a bone-crushing hug.

“I missed you too.” I feel bad for the chuckle I let out but I don’t think my brother has ever hugged me like this.

“You can’t just go to a den of vampires in Italy and not tell me! Nobody told me anything, after you were gone for two days I assumed something bad had happened. Finally, mom and dad told me where you were but they were just as worried as me.”

“What do you mean worried? We knew our girl would make it out alive.” My dad smiles as he wraps me up in his own big hug. Once he lets me go my mom immediately hugs me as tight as she can.

After we have had our little family moment my mind starts working again, I realize that it is a Tuesday afternoon. “Wait, why are you all home? Shouldn’t you guys be at work and Milo should be at school.”

“I needed to see that you made it home safe. Forks will survive having the shop closed for three days. And I called the two of you out of school, your brother was more worried than he’ll admit. You are okay, right?” My mother keeps looking me up and down, as I’m a car she had just crashed and she’s trying to find any scratch or ding.

“Yes, I’m okay. Edward survived as did Bella. The Volturi is keeping an eye on us but as far as I’m aware they do not know that you guys exist or that we know about vampires.”

“Okay. Milo, please go to your room.” My mother’s smile of relief is gone.

“What? Nevaeh can go to Italy for three days but I have to go to my room?”

“We’re going to talk to your sister about what she did right now.” My father gives Milo his special look, the look that says ‘I know I try to be a somewhat ‘cool parent’ but I am your father and you must listen to me.’

I take a seat and my parents each take one as well. I’m not exactly sure how this conversation will go. While I love and respect my parents, I am eighteen and able to travel where I want and when.

“You had us worried sick, Nevaeh! Italy! You call us and ask for ‘permission’ to go to Italy!”

“A surprise trip to Italy, with Bella, could only mean one thing to us. We’re not stupid.”

“Edward believed Bella had killed herself. He was figuring out a way to kill himself. Bella went to save him, I followed her because I knew she wouldn’t survive on her own. I know I could have died, but you raised me to do anything I can to protect someone I love.”

“We raised you to survive! Nevaeh, the Volturi are cruel. They kill humans and their secret is what’s most precious to them. It is a miracle you made it out alive.” I hate it but I can hear the pain in my father’s voice. Sure, he was on board with monster-hunting as much as my mom but I don’t think he actually wanted Milo and me to do it.

“I’m sorry.” It’s all I can say.

My parents share a look before my mother speaks. “You’re eighteen. We can’t stop you from doing anything. But you are living under our roof.”

“Mom, please don’t ground me. Like you said, I’m eighteen!”

“We’re not grounding you, I know you would just sneak out but we also want to trust you. We trusted you enough to not follow you to Volterra. All we ask is you never do this again. Don’t put us through this again. Please don’t leave without an explanation if you can help it.”

“Okay. I promise. I understand it was horrible how I left. And I love you two so much.”

“We love you too, honey. Just focus on your own survival a little more.” My dad gets up from the table, kissing the top of my head before he leaves the kitchen.

Chapter Text

Forgiving Without Forgetting

Emily Young is the one person I know I cannot disappoint. She’s the most understanding person I have ever met. That’s why I went to Sam and Emily’s house rather than Jacob’s. I know Jacob must have told them I ran off to Italy with Bella. And I know it’s obviously not the most pressing topic in La Push, they’re still mourning Harry. It makes sense, the funeral was yesterday.

It feels weird knocking on the front door, for the past months I had let myself in. But I’m not sure how Sam feels about me following Bella to Volterra. Thankfully, it’s Paul who opens the door. I don’t know what I expected but it wasn’t Paul almost killing me because of how tightly he hugged me.

“You’re alive! I was so worried about you!” Paul finally lets go of me, only to pull me into the kitchen where the rest of the pack is.

It has been less than a week but I was already starting to miss their faces, especially Emily’s, who I realize has been stuck cooking for the boys all alone these past few days. I ignore their small greetings and go towards the stove, where Emily is cooking some ground beef.

“What are we making?” I ask.

“Tacos.”

“Yeah, easier to have them put it together themselves than make a full meal every time, huh. Need any help?”

“Nevaeh, you can’t waltz back in here and act like everything is normal. We all know what happened.” My back is towards the table where the boys are sitting but I know Sam’s voice.

“Nothing is normal. I know that. So let’s get into the hard stuff,” Emily hadn’t replied to me so I took my normal seat at the table. I'm surprised they had left it open for me even with my continued absence. “How’s Sue?”

“That’s not what I was talking about.”

“Seth and Leah? Everything alright with them?”

“She’s not going to tell us what happened.” Jake speaks up, he’s sitting in the seat farthest away from me. He should be glad I’m too far away to hit him.

“Actually, I was going to tell you but I just wanted a little bit of time. I thought I would wait for everyone to heal a little bit from Harry’s death, I feel horrible for missing his funeral. I couldn’t let Bella go alone, and it’s not like I had fun in Italy. But since Jacob assumes I wouldn’t tell you guys, I guess I’ll just get into why I went and what happened there.”

“You left to go save that bloodsucker.” Jake mutters.

“Yes, though he has been a complete assh*le these past few months Bella would have only broken down if Edward was killed. So we went to the most dangerous place for humans, Volterra. That’s where a ruthless kingdom of vampires lives. We managed to save Edward and now the Cullens are back, there’s not much else to say.”

“So she just forgave him?”

“Yeah. But you knew that was going to happen all along, no matter how much we wanted her to hate Edward if he ever came back.”

“And what about you?” I always thought I would have a girl talk with Emily about what happened with Jasper but it’s Sam who asks the question.

“They apologized but I’m not ready to fully forgive them.”

“I know you aren’t ready but you need to hear his side.” Emily chimes in, offering me the advice I had hoped she wouldn’t give me.

“You want me to forgive the Cullens?”

“I want you to be happy, and based upon how much their absence hurt you I trust you were happy with him once. If you speak to him you might understand his side, maybe you will forgive him like Bella forgave Edward. Maybe he won’t have a good reason, but I doubt you are able to hate him more. If anything you’ll get closure, and that’ll be good for you.”

“I don’t think I’m ready to forgive him.”

“And you never will be, so you need to do it now.”

“You’re not even going to let me have a taco or something before you kick me out?”

“I would say take one for the ride but I didn’t know you were coming home today. I only cooked enough for me and the boys. I was kind of hoping those words of comfort would make you leave before you noticed.”

“You can have one of mine.” Embry hadn’t said anything the whole time, but his words meant more than anything my friends had said before him. Because what he said had nothing to do with the Cullens or Italy.

Embry offering me some of his food was one of the greatest acts of kindness someone had offered me in a while. The boy is a shapeshifter, he needs to eat three times as much as me because he turns into a wolf. And if my ‘werewolf’ friend is offering me a taco, there’s enough good in this world that I can face Jasper.

:::

When I pull into the driveway I can feel my breath get stuck in my throat. I’m unsure as to whether it’s my body’s reaction to what will happen next or if I had forgotten just how beautiful their house is. Either way Alice is there opening the door before I even lift my hand to knock.

“He’s out hunting.” Alice has a small smirk on her face.

“How did you know I was coming to talk to him? It was Emily who made me come talk to you guys and you can’t see past the pack.”

“I know Bella is safe with Edward so I’ve been focusing on you. I saw it only a few minutes ago. I also recognized your car pulling into the driveway.” Alice allows me to see through the slight holes in her vision.

“How sweet of you to focus on me as a second priority.”

“Nevaeh.” She sighs, as if she should be the one upset right now.

“Alice said you were coming.” Esme has a large smile on her face. She leads me to the kitchen and I know what she’s going to ask me before she does. “Are you hungry?”

“Actually, you know what, I am hungry.” I smile back. I have always enjoyed Esme’s cooking, even if it wasn’t good I would have eaten it because they only keep food in the house for Bella or me.

“My cooking is a little rusty, are you okay with just a sandwich?”

“A sandwich sounds great.” I take a seat on one of the stools by the island. I watch as Esme makes a sandwich for me, with all too many ingredients included but that’s just her way of cooking. And everything feels normal again.

“Can we please talk about what happened?” There it is, my dreaded question, thankfully not asked by the dreaded person. Only Esme.

Maybe I could avoid this. “I need you to be more specific.”

“Well, I do want you to know that I am forever grateful because you saved Edward. While I wish you hadn’t gone because of how dangerous it was, I’m thankful. That’s not what I want to talk about though. I want to talk to you about why we left.”

I guess not. “Do we have to do this? I thought I was clear enough as to how I felt the day you left.”

“I was unable to tell you why we were leaving then. You know Edward’s reasoning, he believed you and Bella would be hurt if we stayed here. I didn’t believe that, meeting you girls has brought me so much joy. You brought life into this family, literally and metaphorically. We had built a life in Forks, we didn’t plan on leaving anytime soon. Especially not without you or Bella. But Edward gave us an ultimatum.”

“Seriously. An ultimatum?”

“We could either leave Forks, together as a family, or we could stay in Forks but to ensure we wouldn’t harm either of you, we would not interact with you and Edward would stay with the coven in Denali we’re close with. It sounds insanely silly now but Edward was very serious at the time. And you know Carlisle, he can’t imagine a life without Edward. The rest of us follow after Carlisle so the choice was made for us. We were leaving Forks.”

“Why didn’t you reason with him?”

I hadn’t realized Rosalie had come downstairs until she spoke. “You know what it’s like reasoning with Edward, you don’t. He thinks he knows everything because he can read your mind.”

“So you all left? With no goodbye. You watched me scream and cry? You never checked up on us?”

“Rosalie?” Esme looks at the blonde who is standing next to me all too quietly.

“It would have been out of character for me to not check up on you.” She looks highly uncomfortable, I’m sure she wouldn’t be telling me anything if it was not for Esme’s gaze. “It had been a month and I was still thinking about you and Bella. I had finally gotten used to you being a part of this family then we left. I tried texting you but it wouldn’t go through. So I came back just to check on you. Edward and Jasper were both on their solo adventures and we were all worried about you two. In October I did a little check-in, just to make sure you were alive. I saw you getting on with your life, and how you took care of Bella. I wanted to talk to you but I know I would have made a bigger mess of everything.”

“It’s good you didn’t talk to me, I probably would have tried killing you. I was so mad at all of you, I was even mad at Bella although she couldn’t help how she took his absence.”

“I know I have been saying it a lot but we are all so sorry. It is wrong to ask anything of you but I want another chance. After this separation it’s obvious we’re here to stay and I can’t ask you to forgive me fully. So I just ask that you don’t ignore us completely.” Esme places the finished sandwich in front of me.

“Well,” I take a deep breath for the drama of it all. Finally, my fate with the Cullens rests in my hands. I take a bite of the sandwich, like I expected, it’s really good. “I guess I’ll have to stick around if you promise to feed me amazing food like this.”

Esme and Rosalie both laugh at my ridiculous acceptance of her apology. “Alright, I hope you do stay and wait for him to come back from hunting.” Esme turns her back and washes the few dishes she used immediately.

“It’s sad to think stupid jokes like that make me laugh now.” And the one thing I hadn’t anticipated happens, Rosalie gives me a quick stiff hug.

“I can keep you company while you wait for him!” Before I can react to what just happened I feel Emmett’s arm wrap around my shoulder. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m sitting but after all of our time apart I had forgotten how tall he is. And how big he is in general, how did anyone believe he was a high schooler?

“Emmett, get your arm off of my shoulder!”

“Aw, Vae, you’re still mad at me?”

“Your arm is like a boulder! I am a human, you can’t just casually rest your arm on me!” He finally removes his arm from my shoulder.

“Sorry, I forgot I have to be a lot more careful around humans. Seriously though, are we okay? I kind of realized you’re my only friend, everyone else I know I’m either married to or they’re my family. I really missed you when we were away.”

“Yeah, we’re okay.” I now realize when I say it I’m being honest. I had only accepted their apologies because I was trapped in a car with them and it would be too awkward to tell them I was still upset. After my talk with Esme I can forgive the rest of the family because I know leaving wasn’t a choice for them.

“Okay. Good. Yeah, we should do something together soon but for now I have to go.”

“You’re leaving again? Right after I forgave you? That’s kind of mean.” I joke too soon, once I have finished speaking I watch as Jasper walks through the door. “Right. You should probably go or something.”

“Good luck.” That’s all Emmett says before he disappears, literally he ran away from us so fast he was a blur I could barely see. I’m not sure whether he’s saying it to Jasper or me, either way it works.

“Nevaeh.” He’s looking at me as if I could disappear at any moment.

I don’t know what to say. I had made up so many situations in my head these past few months but none of them feel right. So I just stand there, unsure if I can do this. But I need to do this, if not for me then for Emily.

“Jasper.” Nope. I can’t do this, even for Emily, I have to get out of here.

A/N: A little filler chapter to give characters more personality before the return of Jasper :) I am trying to pump that one out because I know the past few chapters haven't been too exciting

Chapter Text

The Cullens (and Nevaeh/Bella) Are A Democracy, Let’s Vote

I had barely reached the front door when I felt Jasper’s hand on my wrist. His hand is cold like always but somehow his touch burns. He tugs me away from the door, it’s gentle but I’m still mad he won’t allow me to leave. “Please.”

I shake my wrist out of his grip and I turn around, I know this will have to happen eventually. I really wish eventually wasn’t right now. “What? What do you have to say? Because you didn’t say anything to me the day you left!”

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s it?”

“I thought I was protecting you by leaving. I had thought of it myself after I almost attacked Bella and Edward only convinced me. I know it was the worst thing I could have done now but in my mind it was the only way I could keep you safe. My way of making sure you’d be happy.” He is infuriating. This argument will never make sense to me.

“I was happy with you. Why would I be happier without you? That makes no sense logically and it didn’t work out either. I was miserable. You filled my nightmares. I was sleep deprived all while trying to convince every person in my life I was happier than ever. Because you gave into Edward’s stupid idea I had to take care of Bella who had caved into herself while I tried to stop myself from doing the same exact thing! Because your entire family left with Edward, I had no real support system! I hadn’t really talked to any of my teenage friends outside of class because I was with you and your family! Speaking of family, my own mother didn’t know how to deal with my first ‘break-up’ so she just pushed me more and more while training. And you didn’t even break up with me!”

After ranting so many times this week I don’t even cry while saying these things. In fact, now that I’m facing him I am letting out the rage I had felt all of these months rather than crying because of how frustrated I’ve been.

“I could not bring myself to break up with you or say goodbye. I had this idea in my head that one day I would come back, that this was temporary.” He can’t even look me in the eyes as he speaks.

“You’re a coward.”

“I know. I was an idiot to think passing a message through Edward was enough.”

“Your message was just how you couldn’t stand to break my heart? Or was there something different he never said to me?”

“No, I asked him to tell you I wish it didn’t have to end that way. I wished I was still a human so everything wouldn’t be so hard. I wished I was brave enough to tell you myself.” He looks into my eyes, finally. “But I couldn’t stand feeling your pain, even now it hurts me to feel how much anger you have towards me. I can feel the bits of sadness that remain. I can feel the resentment. I realize I will need to work so much harder for your forgiveness than I had anticipated over the months we were apart.”

“I don’t know if I will forgive you. It’s always a guessing game with you, and that only made it worse when you left. All I could do was completely ignore you had ever existed or I believed you hated me and all of this was my fault. Whether I like it or not, my heart is on the line. You know everything that I feel but I never know what you feel.”

“Neither do I. It’s no excuse but even after a century of feeling others emotions there are times when I do not recognize my own. Or there are so many overlaps I’m unsure if a certain emotion is amplified because I am feeling it as well or another person around me is feeling so strongly. I believe I feel sad. I can feel how disgusted you are by my actions and I think I am disgusted by my own actions too. I feel guilty about what I did. And I’m afraid of how you will react. Most of all, I feel empty without you. My months away were spent missing you. The parts of me that are not empty are filled with regret.”

“I felt just as empty. But I tried to say goodbye, I tried to reach out before you left only to find no answer. You said you couldn’t stand to feel what I felt when you said goodbye but why didn’t you call? Why didn’t you try and explain yourself earlier?”

“I don’t know why I didn’t call when I left but I did try a few months ago. I tried to call you on your birthday but the call wouldn’t go through.”

“Right. I blocked your number after you left.” I probably should have unblocked their phone numbers by now in case there’s another emergency.

All he does is nod in response.

“I know you said you’re not ready to forgive me, and I should not have the audacity to ask anything of you, but I would really like it if you gave me another chance. It will never be the same as we were before I left but I know I cannot live without you, no matter how immortal I am. I understand you cannot forgive me like Bella forgave Edward, but we have never been like Edward and Bella.”

As if on cue Edward and Bella walk through the front door. I can tell the conversation has been cut short since we are no longer alone, I need to make the first decision that comes to my head.

“Okay. I’ll give you another chance, but you’re going to have to try a lot harder than you did the first time.” With that I walk away. I deserve the last word, as well as an explanation as to what happened between Charlie and Bella after she came back from Italy.

“She is grounded forever in Charlie’s eyes.” Edward answers the question that was inside my head.

“I hate it when you do that.”

“Do what?”

“Answer my questions when I can ask them myself. If they’re not about you it’s none of your business to address.”

Bella looks between us and puts an end to what would have been a very short argument, Edward would just read my mind so it’s not like I’d even have to talk. “I’m grounded for the rest of my life, which is what I want to talk about.” She only raises her voice slightly. “All of you.”

Within seconds the entire Cullen family is in the living room.

Bella takes a deep breath before “You all know what Edward wants. And you know what I want. There is also the situation with the Volturi. I won’t force myself on you but I will not let them hurt you. If it comes to it, I'll go to Italy alone.”

“Please, no matter how this turns out you will not go to the Volturi alone. I’m not missing out on another fight, and it’s not like Edward or anyone in this room would let you go without one.” I think that’s one of the sweetest things I’ve heard Emmett say to Bella. Even if it was about him fighting the Volturi.

“That’s not up for a vote, Emmett. This is about my mortality and I want you to seriously think about this. If I join you, you'll be stuck with me forever. It's a huge decision. And I want, no, I need your honesty here.”

There are a few beats of silence before she speaks again. “Let’s take a vote… Alice?”

Despite the serious air, Alice is her peppy self. She gives Bella a hug even before she answers. “Yes! I already consider you my sister! Of course, yes!” While Bella had gotten tense in Alice’s deathgrip, again after months apart these vampires had forgotten their own strength, she now smiles at the first vote.

“I vote yes. It'll be nice to not want to kill you all the time.” Jasper is still standing next to me when he casts his vote. He’s obviously overwhelmed by all the emotions in the room. What would usually be a somewhat sarcastic remark sounds serious as his tone is flat. So I elbow him, it’s not like it hurts him but it gets the message across. He smiles a bit towards Bella. Better?

“Thanks?” She pauses for a second, as if she did and did not want to think over Jasper’s vote. “Rosalie?”

“I am sorry for what I did. And I know I don't deserve your forgiveness,” She takes a breath, looking between Edward and Bella. “But this isn't the life I'd have chosen for myself. I wish there had been someone to vote no for me. So... no.”

We can all tell it’s not the vote she wanted but the sting of her first no doesn’t last too long. She’s hurt another way, by Emmett bear hugging her with a goofy grin on his face.

“I vote hell yes! We can fight the Volturi over something else.” He finally lets go of the small human girl.

Bella is free for only a second, Esme embraces her in a gentle hug. “You are already a part of the family in my mind, yes.”

“Please, don’t do this.” I only look at Edward after he speaks. For once, I feel bad that he can read minds. He knows everything going through our heads, how we picture Bella as a vampire in the near future.

“You have chosen to live without her, that leaves me no choice.” Carlisle spoke softly, turning his head as if he didn’t want to see the pain on Edward’s face. “I vote yes.”

While it was obvious Bella had won the vote she still looked at me, waiting for my vote. Honestly, it means a lot she cares about what I think although her mind is made up, and has been ever since she learned Edward is a vampire.

“I vote yes. It’s not what I want for myself, but it is what will make you happy, Bells. That’s all I want.”

“Wait, we’re not voting on Nevaeh’s humanity?” Emmett looks surprised.

“Why would we do that? I’m not trying to become a vampire?”

“Nevaeh.” Edward and Alice both speak softly at the same time.

“What am I missing here?”

“I thought you knew.” That’s all Edward says. I hate when he’s cryptic.

“When we left Volterra alive it wasn’t just a promise for Bella to change. If that was the case you would have been killed. We promised you would change as well.” Alice’s voice makes it sound as if she’s talking to a baby animal. Except she isn’t, she’s talking to me.

“No, I didn’t!”

“Nevaeh, I haven’t told you but I’ve had visions of you as one of us. I know it’s not the same situation as Bella but it is what I see in your future right now.”

“So he did say immortals with an s! You just let me sit there thinking only Bella’s life was on the line but you threw mine in there?”

“I didn’t want to tell you! I knew you would be mad. But I can’t change it, Vae. This is going to happen even though you don’t like it. I can’t see who changes you or how it happens, all I know is you look the same age as you do now. With golden eyes.”

“Believe me, I would have died for Bella that day if it meant saving her. But dying only to be a vampire? That is completely different. You should have let the Volturi have me! ”

“What? Nevaeh, I understand that you do not want to be a vampire but you would rather die than live with this family?” Esme’s expression is too much for me, she looks heartbroken.

“It’s not that. You know how I was raised. I was raised believing vampires are monsters, something to be killed. Whether their eyes are red or gold. If I became a vampire my parents would never look at me the same way again. They would hate me. My family is going to hate me for something I didn’t even choose!”

“You are their daughter, they will never hate you. They may not look at you the same but they will still love you.” Carlisle says this with certainty.

“And if you’re really worried, I don’t know if Milo is even capable of hating someone.” I think Jasper knows not to mess with my emotions this second time around because I don’t feel any other force trying to relax me. I only hear his words.

It somehow works a little, I laugh. I know Milo hates Jasper. He only dislikes the rest of the Cullen family, but he hates Jasper because he is my brother who saw me heartbroken. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that. For the record, I wouldn’t come by my house any time soon. My parents have really stocked up on weapons ever since you left.”

“I guess we’re picking a fight with your parents then.” Emmett grins.

“Emmett, this is serious! You know my parents would win, let’s just stick to fighting the Volturi.”

“I hate to bring down the mood but what are we going to do about the Volturi? Bella wants to change as soon as possible but Nevaeh wants to stay human. We can’t take her choice away from her.” Rosalie is quick to defend my mortality and I’m grateful for it.

“I haven’t seen when the Volturi will check on us but I also haven’t seen any of us attacked in the near future. I think we’re in the clear for now.” Alice assures us all about not only my safety but their own.

“Edward?”

“I have thought of a million different ways to avoid the Volturi, whether it’s hiding or distracting them. If the worst comes to worst I’m sure we will find a way to survive a fight against them.”

“So I can have my humanity?”

“We would never change you if you didn’t want to change. I’m sorry, but I can’t change my visions, Vae.”

“I know. I just don’t know how I’m going to tell my parents about this.”

“You can stay with me if you want to. I’m sure Charlie will let you be the exception to my probation.”

I look between her and Edward, I’m sure they’re already back to their routine of sneaking around Charlie during the night. I know her offer is sincere but it feels weird keeping her and Edward apart after I had seen her nightmares for the past months.

“I’m alright, Bells. I’ll come visit Charlie later. I should probably make sure Wren and Julian know I’m alive.” I turn around before any of the Cullens, excluding Edward and Alice, can ask who they are.

I regret walking out of the Cullens house all too soon. While I was the one who got to act offended and hear apologies it would be the opposite with Julian and Wren. I would have to tell them why I left without an explanation. What happened and where I went. I have to tell my protective best friends the Cullens are back. This would probably turn into a bloodbath if the majority of the people involved weren't bloodless vampires.

Chapter Text

Another Tough Conversation, Hopefully The Last One For A While Now

"Where have you been?" Wren is immediately shouting as soon as I pull into the driveway. Julian stands next to her, his arms crossed with a disappointed look on his face.

I had assumed it would be more difficult to get my two best friends together but Wren told me they were already together when I called her. I really should have called them before I left, now their anger is amplified by ten since I went rogue.

"Italy."

"You did not go to Italy." Shortly after I had met Julian I informed him of the Volturi. To never go to Volterra if he could help it. That it was obvious he should not reveal himself to humans. My tales of the Volturi, secondhand from Carlisle and Edward were the things which scared him into blending in with humans.

"I had to."

"What's in Italy?" Wren has a confused look on her face, her anger faltering as she often knows an answer rather than asking the questions.

"I think Nevaeh was an idiot and went to the most dangerous place for a human. Not just in Italy but the world."

"Okay, I'm lost. Vae, you told me we couldn't hang out because you had to be in La Push with Jake. Now I have multiple days worth of missed calls and text, I thought they had killed you! When I called Jake he said you weren't there. Where were you?" Her question has more force the second time around.

"Julian, I need you to hear me out, okay?"

"So you did go to Volterra. Do you suddenly have a death wish? All that talk about saving Bella, yet you went to the home of some of the most cruel vampires alone!"

"I wasn't alone. I went with Bella and Alice." I can't remember how much I told Julian about the Cullens. I don't know if Wren even paid attention to them when they went to Forks High School.

"Alice Cullen?" Wren looks as if the last name leaves a bad taste in her mouth.

"Cullen? Okay, tell us what happened, we probably won't interrupt you."

"This probably isn't going to make any sense looking back on it but I'll try. Wren, I was in La Push. That night I went to check on Bella and everything went horribly wrong. Bella had tried to jump off a cliff, through some phone calls Edward believed Bella had died. Thinking Bella was dead Edward was trying to kill himself. Bella and Alice were determined to save him. So I went to Italy with them, to protect Bella."

Wren shakes her head before I even get to the part where we are in Italy. "When will you realize your life is just as important as anyone else's? I care that you are alive, maybe even more than you care I am alive. You continue to risk your life for Bella's but I don't think she will ever put in as much effort for you. While you saved Bella's life she was saving Edward's. How is that fair to you, Nevaeh?"

"It's not fair. But the past year of my life has been all about protecting Bella. I can't just stop now. I know all too well how many people care about me. My mom, my dad, you guys, and the guys in La Push. I know you all love me and want me to be alive, that's why I would never go cliff-jumping 'recreationally.' But I need you to understand that every moment I spent with the Cullens was focused on Edward and Bella. I have always been a pawn to protect Bella. When they left I had to fully take on that role because I will not allow her to die if I can help it."

"I swear if they are back-" I cut off what would probably be a threat from Julian as soon as I can.

"Can you save that until after I finish my story?" I snapped at him. My friends talk a lot about caring for me but it's overshadowed by how many conclusions they jump to. Though, a good amount of those conclusions are accurate.

He nods.

"We went to Volterra to save Edward. According to Alice he was going to expose himself to humans by revealing his skin in the sunlight. We raced to get there before anyone was able to see. Bella and I made it in time but some members of the Volturi Guard found us before we could run. So I met all three rulers of Volterra and a good amount of their guard. Alice and Edward made it worse for us by trying to fight their way out although we were outnumbered and they were stronger than us. By aggravating them the Volturi had the honor of practicing their 'gifts' on Bella or me. Thankfully for Bella their gifts were all mental, Aro couldn't see her past thoughts and Jane couldn't make her feel pain. I was able to avoid physical touch with Aro so he couldn't see my thoughts. But I could feel Jane's horrible, indescribable pain. And her twin, Alec, was able to take away my senses."

"Indescribable pain?" I don't think she meant to interrupt me, but I couldn't ignore her mumble.

"Imagine having every bone in your body crushed. Now, imagine it so you are on fire. Put those two horrible thoughts together and multiply it by however much makes the pain seem unimaginably cruel. That's what it felt like."

"I am never going to let you go to Volterra again."

"I don't plan on it either, Wren. I wasn't even sure I was going to make it out. The way they had played with us like dolls managed to calm them down enough to consider letting us go. They only let us go because Alice told them Bella and I would both become vampires in the near future."

"Nevaeh." They say my name at the same time. Julian is disappointed, Wren is angry again.

"You have never wanted to be a vampire before. Why now? What changed?" Julian had jokingly brought up the idea of changing me in the past, saying if he did we would truly be best friends forever. I've always shut down even the idea of me being immortal.

"I don't want to be a vampire. In Volterra I thought only Bella promised her own life to save Edward. Apparently leaving alive meant I wanted to be a vampire too."

"I mean, you don't want to be a vampire. How will they know if you have or have not been turned?" Wren has probably thought of more ways to get me out of this than Edward thought of for Bella.

"They'll visit us. If there is not some kind of proof that we have been turned into vampires they will come to Forks."

"I'm sure Bella is trying to convince one of the Cullens to turn her this very minute. How did they convince you to come to terms with this?"

"They haven't. I am not okay with this, at all. Today, Bella came to the Cullens house and asked them to vote as to whether or not they wanted her to be a vampire. They asked if I wanted a vote too, though I'm sure they would vote yes like they did for Bella. I asked why I would need a vote, that I don't want to be a vampire."

"Exactly, your choice is the only one that matters. Damn the Volturi and that stupid promise you didn't fully comprehend! You shouldn't be held accountable for it."

"While I appreciate your thinking, Julian, in this case my choice doesn't matter. The Cullens are not manipulating me into choosing to be a vampire, they are trying to prevent my immortality as much as you are. But Alice meant it when she saw both Bella and me as vampires. She understands that I don't want to be a vampire, but she has seen me as one in multiple visions."

Wren only nods once, to show she understands this new condition. That we won't save my mortality by fighting the Cullens or the Volturi, it's a fight against fate. "Does Alice know when you'll become a vampire?"

"Not really. Just that I look about the same age. So it could be tomorrow or in a year or two."

When I look at my immortal friend I know he isn't breathing anymore. It's obvious he doesn't need to but he usually does out of habit and to keep up his human act. But the serious reality of me becoming a vampire is bothering him. "How will it happen?"

"She doesn't know."

"I really don't like this. I know I wasn't turned the worst way but it definitely wasn't fun. I don't even know the identity of the vampire who changed me. All I saw was a blurry face then I felt the fangs. Then the worst pain I had ever felt. I'm surprised I wasn't drained completely but I woke up to an entirely new world. You know how it went from there."

Julian made me think of questions I hadn't considered this afternoon. Will I be tied to the vampire who changes me or will they be a random stranger? Will the pain of the change be worse than the pain caused by Jane's gift? Will I have a gift as a vampire?

The most pressing concern is not what my best friends, one of whom is a vampire, think of my new fate, but what my parents will think. Should I even tell them? Would it be better to prepare for what could happen days or years away, or to leave them in the dark as I learn to control myself as a vampire?

"I think you should talk to Alice about it more. I'm sure you can narrow down when it will happen. Like, ask her if she sees you graduating. Or going to college!" Wren is proud of her new theory. I would tell her how smart it was if it didn't cause me to freak out even more.

"What if it happens before graduation? I just sent in my deposit to the University of Washington!"

"You might want to drop out before you even go." I had felt bad for Julian because he was turned during his junior year of high school, but at least his near future plans weren't completely ruined with months to spare.

"I would say you could take a gap year in Europe but there are some people there looking for you."

"Very funny, Wren."

"Wait! I've never tried it before but what if I cloaked you if the Volutri ever came to visit?"

"Cloaked?" Wren has never seen Julian use his gift. He claims he got the gift to make anything 'disappear' because of his magician phase as a kid. I said that was stupid, he doesn't use his gift as a parlor trick to impress people. No matter the reason he is still able to do it.

"I can take any object." He picks up a pebble from Wren's unpaved driveway. He makes a show of placing his palm flat and putting the pebble so we can see it. "And make it disappear." I know he doesn't need to make any motion to cloak the object but he waves his hand over the pebble. As soon as the shadow has passed over the pebble is gone.

"Okay, that is super cool. But does it work on living things? Do you know your limits?" Wren is probably the most pessimistic yet reasonable of us three.

"I don't know. I haven't practiced much since my time alone, and then I only did it to scare humans when I was hunting."

"I'm glad you're willing to use your power to protect me, but we need to practice that before we make it a viable option against the Volturi. Plus, if you used it last minute Aro would see and you would be on his list too. Not his kill list but he keeps gifted vampires like trophies. He would be delighted if he had someone to hide him, in the event that any vampire dared to stand against him." I also don't want him to try and cloak me but get disappointed if he doesn't succeed.

"I could change you if you wanted to control your fate. While you would still be a vampire at least it would be my venom. Not a stranger's."

"I'm sorry but that would be my last resort. I would rather have Carlisle change me."

"Carlisle?"

"The patriarch of the Cullens. The doctor." Wren briefly explains.

"Yeah. He has changed other people before, while I love you I worry you would accidentally kill me."

"I don't like it but you do have a point."

Wren clears her throat a little, an awkward expression on her face. "Speaking of love, how are you after seeing Jasper?"

"We're okay."

"You didn't go back to him, right? I know there is a ninety-nine percent change Bella is with Edward right now, but you didn't forgive him immediately. You wouldn't do that."

Now I'm sure I look just as awkward. "No. I'm not back with him. We talked about it the best we could. I'm beginning to understand his side a bit. But you know I don't forgive people immediately."

"You forgave Paul and the rest of the pack easily."

"Wren." Julian dislikes the pack as much, if not more, than Wren does but he knows they are my soft spot. I'm sure he doesn't want us to bicker now that I'm back.

"That was an accident. He didn't mean to hurt me and he apologized and made it up to me. And it was my choice to forgive him. If you're upset about that after you talked so much about my right to choose tonight I would be shocked."

"But will you forgive him, Vae? After everything his absence caused?"

"I gave him a second chance, what he does with it only time will tell."

"Nevaeh." They say my name simultaneously again, both of them a bit disappointed.

"I hate that I did it too. But, he's my mate. I'm about to be turned into a vampire within the next few years and he's the person I'm supposed to spend that eternity with. I don't think I'm allowed to stay mad at him, but I'm trying."

"Vampires have mates?" I'm honestly surprised Julian doesn't know. Though when I really think about it it's not too surprising, I'm the one who taught him about vampirism and I wasn't in the right headspace to discuss love.

"There are two important relationships for vampires. First, blood singers, a human whose blood is most appetizing to you. Second, a mate, the one person you are destined to be with forever. So, now that I am going to live forever, I think it'd be better if I forgave the person I'm stuck with."

"But how does he know you're his mate?"

"I'm not exactly sure how they're able to tell. If you ever saw Carlisle and Esme together you'd know what I'm talking about. When you look at them it's hard to imagine they were ever apart. Edward and Bella are complicated, not because they're a bad pairing, but Bella is his blood singer and mate. Meaning he wants to kill her constantly but the mate bond helps his self control."

Wren doesn't look too convinced. While Julian and I were thrust into the vampire world, this is the normal teenage breakup-makeup to her. "Do you think Jasper is your mate? Maybe he was just a boyfriend."

"I know he has only been in my life for about a year but I believe it. I've had boyfriends in the past but our bond was nothing like what I had- have with Jasper. I think I'm different for Jasper too. He told me about his history, how he was turned only to be the second-in-command of a vampire army, Maria's army. He thought they were in love but he realized it was only in his head. He left her but he never went back. He left me too but he came back. It doesn't change everything but he is here."

"He was in a vampire army? No wonder he always looked so terrifying yet depressed at school." Wren is smirking at her own description of him.

"Ok, Nev, it's your choice if you forgive him. I just need you to know that we'll be giving him a hard time." Julian's tone is serious but I see he's on the verge of laughing with Wren.

"Oh, of course, you wouldn't be my friends if you didn't!"

Finally, after a trip to Italy and a tough conversation things are almost back to normal for me. Well, my relationship with Wren and Julian is stable again. Everything is going to change with my family, my second family in La Push, and the Cullens.

-END OF BOOK TWO-

Chapter Text

"So we have to take on an army of newborns? You might as well turn Nevaeh already so we have one fair fight." I can't tell whether Emmett is serious or not.

"Emmett." Esme's tone is enough to make him reconsider his words.

"Sorry, Vae. Since your immortality is inevitable I thought we could joke about it."

"I mean, it's not exactly a joke. I hope you all know I'll be fighting alongside you. As a human or a newborn, I don't know. Neither does Alice. But I won't let you risk your lives without mine on the line too."

"Nevaeh." Jasper had become as comfortable with my impending immortality as I had.

The Cullens have returned to Forks.

So has Victoria.

Nevaeh Parkes is finally graduating from high school, but her post-secondary plans have definitely been changed. After a nearly deadly trip to Volterra to save Edward, Nevaeh learns she is going to be a vampire in the future. While she would love to spend her numbered human days solely with her family or her second family in La Push, she spends the majority of them learning to forgive Jasper and trying to evade Victoria's attempts to kill her.

- - -

Leah Clearwater

Seth Clearwater

The Newborn Army (ft. Riley Biers, Bree Tanner, and Victoria)

-Forks students, other characters which will appear in the book, and the Cullens are cast as they appear in the movies. I do not own any of the Twilight characters, I only claim my original characters and plot points, otherwise it belongs to Stephanie Meyer-

Chapter Text

School is somehow normal, even with Alice and Edward rejoining our class for graduation after their disappearance. While the trajectory of mine and Bella’s lives will forever be changed within the next year, my friends are around me joking around. Mostly because Jessica asked us to help write her valedictorian speech, and let me tell you there’s a reason Jessica is valedictorian and not Eric or Mike.

Mike is giving Jessica another, most likely bad, speech idea when Bella and Edward join our table. We only nod towards the couple so as not to interrupt Mike.

“‘My fellow students.’ Right?”

Eric, Angela, and Jess all nod along with his greeting, giving small positive feedback.

Mike looks proud of himself over just that one line, “Right? ‘We are the future. Anything is possible, if you just believe.’ There! You’ve got yourself a speech.”

And once again we’re all laughing at another bad speech idea. Though this time Mike seems shocked we don’t like it. Eric is still laughing as he tells Mike it’s perfect.

“That’ll be my speech when I want diplomas thrown at my head.” Jessica replies only after she has stopped chuckling at his pitch.

“You gotta embrace the cliches, Jess! They are the bread and butter of all valedictorians.”

“And that is why you are not valedictorian.” I shake my head at the assumption we want our valedictorian speech to be just as boring as the past ones.

Wren nods along with me. “Jess doesn't need cliches. The speech is gonna be epic.”

Jessica grins at our words of encouragement. “Epic? It’ll change lives.”

The speech is pushed aside as Alice bounds up to our table, not even pausing to greet anyone before speaking. “I’ve decided to throw a party.”

I immediately turned my head towards Edward, there is no way he approved this.

But he’s only smirking. “After all, how many times are we gonna graduate high school?”

“A party? Like at your house?” Wren is as confused as I am.

“None of us have seen your house.” Jess, who had been aware of the mysterious Cullens longer than any of us, is baffled.

Eric pipes in, “No one has seen their house.”

It’s accurate. The Cullens live farther out than the other students of Forks High School. The majority of us live maybe two miles away compared to their well hidden mansion in the forest.

“Another party?” Bella looks a little paler than usual.

“It’ll be fun!”

“That’s what you said last time.” Bella and I both deadpan.

Before Alice can reply the girl freezes, the vacant look causes Bella and I to realize the girl is having a vision. Edward is no help as he is reading her mind, sometimes his power makes me jealous. I’m going to have to wait to learn what Alice saw while he’s constantly in the loop.

“We should all bring something, right? Maybe food or a little thank you gift for hosting. Jess! What are you going to wear?” I ramble, hoping my friends will control the conversation again.

“Are we supposed to dress up?”

Alice quickly comes back to reality, her expression has not changed but her eyes glance over Bella and me. Edward is as stony as usual, based on the fact he and Bella are still sitting at the lunch table so I'm assuming whatever Alice saw isn’t too detrimental. Yet I never have a good feeling when it comes to Alice’s visions after Volterra.

We’re saved by the bell. Edward tells the table he and Alice will give them more information when it’s closer to graduation day, avoiding any remaining questions. I’m thankful he had charmed himself into a matching schedule with Bella, because Edward doesn’t want to make her worry he’ll go to his remaining classes with her. That means I can follow Alice and find out what she saw.

The pixie-like vampire can sense I’m going to follow her, she waits for me to finish packing up while everyone else heads to their classes. “Do you always have to be this nosy? You still have classes today and I have to go back to the house.”

“It’s my senior year, skipping one class one time isn’t going to stop me from graduating. I need to be nosy because nobody tells me anything otherwise. So we’re heading back to your house?”

Her face looks pained but she n0ds her head. “Great. I’ll give my car keys to Milo, he’s in the gym right now.”

:::

Alice’s vision was perfectly timed. Esme was home that day as she did not need to hunt or run errands. It was Carlisle’s day off from working at the hospital, he needs humanlike hours to keep up with the facade. Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett were obviously not away at college, instead they travelled as they pleased or spent time at the Cullen house like they were today. Edward was still in class with Bella because I know he’s still hiding away any vision which threatens her humanity. While the time slot lined up for me I was not ready for what Alice’s vision was.

“Victoria is coming. Closer than she’s been before. Within the next few days she’s going to be within our territory, obviously looking for Bella and Nevaeh.”

“Should we send them away? Throw Victoria off?” Esme offers the idea.

“No. I’m not leaving. If Victoria is coming for me I’m putting up a fight. She doesn’t scare me anymore, my fate to be a vampire is sealed. I can’t stop that, but turning before Victoria is no longer a threat? Over my dead body.”

It’s clear no one in the room likes my idea but it’s Rosalie who speaks up. “You cannot hunt alongside us, Nevaeh. It’s humanly impossible. You’re too much of a risk to be with us. You would only serve as bait.”

There’s a long moment of silence. “Bait might be exactly what we need.” Jasper was the last person I expected to support Rosalie’s bait comment.

“It was sarcastic, it’s too dangerous to use her as bait. If she was alone for any reason it’s be open season for Victoria.” Emmett scoffs.

“Nevaeh has already escaped Victoria multiple times before. She’s not helpless. The bait idea is fine if we approach it correctly.” Alice stands up for me before I get the chance.

“I’ll bring my bow. This time I’ll know Victoria is coming, I’ll have a clear shot. Plus I’m another body so you won’t have to spread out as far. If I need help I can yell.”

“Is there any situation where we can force you to stay home?” I know Carlisle would never control my decisions, but his discomfort with the uncertainty of the situation is clear.

“No.” Alice and I both answer.

“Okay. Alice will see when Victoria is approaching Forks. We’ll patrol our territory, Nevaeh will be in the center so any of us can answer a call for help.”

“Now that we’ve got that all sorted, and we’re all here, there’s something I need to tell you all.” Alice takes a dramatic pause. “I’m planning a graduation party for the seniors of Forks High School.”

“You’re what?” Rosalie looks appalled. I’m sure the blonde is up for a good party, but I don’t think Jessica Stanley or any other student would be on the guest list.

“I do not want to witness this!” I mutter.

“Me neither. Want me to drive you home?” Jasper asks.

“Please.” I followed him out to the car.

Our relationship had gotten better since he had returned. It was not a romantic relationship because he knows I’m not comfortable with that yet. But above all he had been more understanding. We’ve been more honest. He knows I will walk away at any moment, thankfully he doesn’t know I’m unsure if I could walk away. It hurt too much the first time and I don’t know if I could do it again. Either way Jasper understands I am not going to back down for the Cullens’ comfort. Not when my humanity has already been taken away for their comfort.

This time around I’m more comfortable around Jasper. We’re past the phase where I am constantly on edge, ready to retaliate if he attacks me. But we’re at another crossroads. The talking stage. I’ve only had one short high school relationship, and he is a vampire who is more than two hundred years old. It made sense to jump into a relationship after I had my life endangered because of my ties to his family and we had feelings for each other. After those ties were so easily cut I’ve decided the idea of mates having vampires is not enough of a reason for a healthy relationship.

So we act as if we’re two normal teenagers, too scared to say we like the other person even though we both know we like each other. We watch movies together, listen to music, go on dates that don’t count as dates.

“Don’t you have calculus on Tuesday afternoons?”

“How do you know that?”

“You’ve complained about your teacher one too many times. Something about the work being easy enough but the teacher is the most boring person on the planet.” I blush remembering the rant I had gone on after getting out of the class a couple weeks ago. “Don’t you have that class not only every Tuesday, but every day you’re at school?”

“Fine, you got me. I skipped.”

“Just for Alice’s vision? Really?”

“It may not have been the most pressing vision but it was better than calculus. Plus you guys probably wouldn’t have told me anyway. You would’ve said you handled it.”

“I can’t exactly say you’re wrong.” He doesn’t look at me, he can probably feel a bit of resentment from me even without using his ability.

“I hope you know I’m glad you all understand that I’m not going to back down. Either I stand against Victoria alongside you or I stand against her alone. But what are you going to do about Bella. I’m human too but I have weapons I’m trained with. Bella might be the clumsiest person on Earth.”

“She’s going to Florida with Edward.”

“What? How do you know that? She didn’t even tell me!” We’re pulling into my driveway when I think of the source. “Alice.”

“Bella still has her plane tickets from her birthday. Edward is going to convince Bella to go this weekend so she’ll be away from Victoria.”

Right, Bella got tickets to Jacksonville at her birthday party. Edward won’t even need to convince her because Bella will probably think of it as a last chance to spend time with her mom. I don’t say it out loud, we both already know why it’ll be so easy to get Bella out of town. If it wasn’t for the ticket the stubborn girl would already know about Alice’s vision.

When I look up I see Jasper looking out his driver side window. I’m confused, but not for long because when I look at my porch I see Milo looking directly at Jasper. It makes me laugh. Milo still hates Jasper, he does this whenever he knows I’m at the Cullens’ house without my car. At this point Jasper doesn’t look at me, he says Milo gets more angry when he continues to chat with me, and he can’t look out the windshield because Milo is there.

“Are you scared of my little brother?” I chuckle. The thought of a past war general being scared of my teenage brother is one of the funniest things I can think of.

“I don’t want your family hating me more than they already do! They’re going to hate me when you’re a vampire, and they already despise me for leaving without an explanation!”

“He’s seventeen years old! His animosity means nothing.”

“He was basically trained as much as you were! If I wasn’t paying attention there is a solid fifty-five percent chance he could kill me.”

“I wouldn’t let that happen.” I grin. “Now I’m going to go inside and tell Milo to chill out because he’s scaring you.”

“Please don’t, Vae!”

“I’ll call you if he backs down!” I smirk, exiting his car.

Chapter Text

If It’s About The Hunt, Apparently I’m The Prey

“If you know anything about Edward’s sudden push for my trip to Florida, you have to tell me.” Bella had already agreed to visit her mom in Jacksonville but that didn’t save me from her interrogation.

“Is it so hard to believe your boyfriend wants you to see your mom one more time before graduation? When you’re so set on being turned almost immediately after.” I mumble the last part. Our classmates may not know about vampires but I know Jessica isn’t the only gossip in the school.

“When Alice had a vision and then my airline credit was about to suddenly expire, yes, it’s hard to believe.”

“If it was that serious I would either be locked up in my house already or sent to visit some faraway cousin.” I hate lying to her. Technically she deserves to know as much as me, but I know Bella would either freak out or demand to be changed before we graduate.

“Okay. If anything happens though I’m going to be pissed you didn’t tell me.” Bella stares right into my eyes, as if she’s making sure I understand the slight threat is a promise.

“I’m sure you will be.” I hope my grin doesn’t look too guilty.

The truth is after Bella and I get out of this class we’re going to have two very different weekends. Bella and Edward will be going to the airport to spend the weekend in the ‘Sunshine State,’ meanwhile I’ll be bait for Victoria in the middle of the woods. If I’m being honest I get nervous thinking about being within ten feet of Victoria again. But it’ll be worth it if we kill her.

So here we are sitting next to each other in astronomy, neither of us knowing what the other’s weekend holds.

:::

I’m alone in the woods, crouched where Alice told me to hide. She had placed each of us strategically based upon her vision. I have an arrow knocked and any movement in the woods makes my stomach turn. I’m too scared to stand so I have no idea whether it’s an animal or Alice decided to do rounds. I refuse to think about the other possibilities.

The isolation makes me regret the plan we had agreed upon. I had forgotten what it was like the last time I faced Victoria. How I had missed every shot, the woman is an escape artist.

I hear leaves rustle and again I fight the urge to stand and scan the area. Even then it’s no use, my bow is knocked out of my hand and I feel an ice cold hand around my neck.

“Come on, Nevaeh. I thought you learned last time that a bow won’t do anything to save you.”

“I survived, didn’t I?”

“Because I let you.” Victoria releases me from her grip. Somehow she knows I’m too paralyzed by fear to try running away. Even if I did try she would catch me.

“So what’s your plan this time?” I ask, hoping it will buy me some time. Escaping Laurent was difficult enough and he didn’t have a personal vendetta against me. I’m not sure if I’ll survive Victoria.

“It’s not a choose your own adventure but I do have three separate plans.” She takes a step closer to me. “First, I kill you. Your mate, Jasper and Bella’s precious Edward killed James. The perfect revenge would be killing you and her. Force them to feel the pain they caused me. Second, I kill them. You and Bella will experience the pain I felt, your entire family will experience the pain I felt. Now, if I’m being honest that’s not a great plan. You two will only feel the pain for maybe eighty more years, I’ll feel it forever. And the rest of the Cullens will come after me as long as I walk this earth. Third, I turn you and kill Bella. You don’t want to be one of us and Bella does. Why not switch your desired fates? Jasper will suffer knowing he’s the reason you’re a vampire, and Edward will suffer knowing he’s the reason Bella is dead.”

“How about you die instead?” I spit at her. If I die tonight, I’m not playing nice. My bow is on the ground and I can’t beat Victoria in a fistfight.

She slowly wipes the spit off of her face. “Watch it.” She growls.

How has no one smelled Victoria? How have they not heard our conversation? I hate being a damsel in distress but a large part of this plan was having six vampires around to defend me.

“No Cullens?” Victoria smirks. She tilts her head, as if that was the moment when she decided which plan she’ll go through with. She strokes my cheek, “It’s a shame your mate is so close. It gives me more reason to get this over with and kill you. Or maybe I should bite you and leave! It’s not like he has the strength to save you, too bad you didn’t go for Edward. At least he protects Bella.”

“F*ck you!” I can feel her nail under my chin. I hope it’s true Jasper is close. I hope he’ll save me this time.

“Maybe a taste will help me with the decision.” I feel her nail cut into my skin, I’m forced to look at her face as I feel the small amount of blood she didn’t catch drip down my neck. She only smiles, holding up her finger and licking the small amount of my blood she got.

“Nevaeh!” I turn my head to see Jasper running towards us. I wonder how far away he was, how long it took him to notice Victoria was here.

Before I can blink Victoria has already run away. Jasper looks off to where she’s headed but he stops a few feet away from me. He still doesn’t trust himself around my blood. That part doesn’t shock me, but I am surprised he is not going after Victoria. Someone else must be stationed down there. I can hear howls which means Sam and his pack must be patrolling their side of the border.

I raise my jacket sleeve up to my chin, I let out a sigh of relief seeing there is not too much blood. Based on the line of blood the cut was only about one inch long. It’s not gushing with blood but it hasn’t clotted just yet.

“Are you okay?” He continues keeping his distance.

“Yeah, it’s a small cut.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.” I nod, looking between him and the direction of Victoria’s footprints.

“Should I?” He is also looking off to where Victoria headed.

I smile, the Civil War general is worried whether he should go after the enemy or stay with me because I’m ‘injured.’ I prefer the term injured compared to ‘too human to survive in a fight.’ “Go.”

:::

Victoria had basically gotten away by the time Jasper went after her.

Emmett was stationed a few miles away from me. He was the first to chase after Victoria, the rest of the Cullens following suit after. The pack was on their side of the border, tailing Victoria as well as they could. Paul was at the front of the pack, closest to Victoria. Both groups wanted to be the one to kill her. She used the borderline to her advantage, hopping between it, going on whichever side had a larger gap.

“Really? They’re both so stubborn they allowed her to get away?”

“I just wanted to warn you that Paul is pissed that he and Emmett collided!” It’s weird to put into words but Jared had smelled me across the border.

Jared was sent in the opposite direction, in case the Cullens had not realized Victoria was in the area and the red-headed vampire decided to head in the direction she came from. He was in his wolf form and telepathically hearing the rest of the pack’s thoughts when he smelt me. Once he realized Victoria got away he called for me from across the ravine.

I had insisted I wait for the Cullens, knowing they would probably freak out if I went missing after a close encounter with Victoria. Jared saw my bloodstained neck and all but physically forced me to cross the ravine. So we were walking through the woods as he filled me in. Just as Paul’s name is mentioned we exit the forest, Emily and Sam’s house is in view.

“Emily!” Both Emily and Paul are on the porch, like they had been expecting us, but it had been far too long since I had seen the imprintee who had become one of my close friends.

I jog the rest of the way to her, my arms are open but Emily has a horrified look on her face. Paul is the one who says, “What happened to your neck?” Rather than asking an inquisitive question he’s basically growling.

I put my arms back to my sides because I doubt Emily wants a slightly bloody hug from me. “Not to make it a competition, but I think I found and lost Victoria before you or Emmett.” I try to make light of the situation but all three of them shake their heads.

“More like she found you.” Jared says under his breath, he’s the first to enter the Uley house. Paul follows him, but he doesn’t go too far. I know he still has to interrogate me.

Emily sighs, she was probably relieved to see the boys come back unscathed. Now I’m the one she has to take care of. “Jared, fetch the first aid kit.”

Chapter Text

Confessions and Hurt Feelings

After I had cleaned the blood off of my neck Emily agreed the cut wasn’t as bad as it looked. By the time I had gotten to the Uley house it had stopped bleeding so all we needed to do was disinfect the area and put a bandage on.

Paul had started asking questions about what happened to me as soon as I joined the pack in the living room. Jared had already told them as much as I had told him while I was being patched up. So they knew Alice had a vision of Victoria, and I joined them in hunting Victoria but I was found first. They weren’t happy when they realized Victoria had tasted my blood.

“You think I’m happy she got a taste of my blood? No! But now we have a better idea of her plans. Plans where she ends up killing or changing me and Bella.”

“Has Alice seen anything regarding Victoria? Past tonight.” Jake isn’t happy about what happened today.

“No. And I hope you know Alice can only see what Victoria plans to do, whether it regards Bella’s death or my own, if it’s on the Cullen's side of the treaty line. Anything to do with you guys she doesn’t know about. She knew Victoria would be on their side of the treaty so she made sure Bella was away for the weekend, she didn’t know you all would be there to hunt Victoria too.” I already know Jacob’s next question, he only really talks about one thing these days.

“Where is Bella right now?”

“Jacksonville, Florida. She’s visiting her mom.”

“I didn’t see Edward today. He went with her?” I only nod my head in response.

“Let me get this straight,” Sam’s voice is as gruff as usual but it sounds a little scarier right now. “Bella is safe across the country, but the Cullens, who claim they only want you to be safe, allowed you into the woods where they knew a vampire who wants you dead was looking for you?”

“I needed a second chance to try and kill her.” I mumble, knowing the entire room is going to think I’m dumb and reckless.

“Nevaeh!” Multiple people groan at my stupidity.

“What do you mean by second chance?” Quil is the first to ask questions, even though he wasn’t a part of the pack when I encountered Victoria on Quileute land.

“The last time Victoria was here, the day she would have killed Bella if Jacob hadn't come in time, I saw Victoria. I wanted to get out of this house so I left with Bella, my bow, and my arrows. Bella was sitting down on the beach like usual while I took a walk in the woods. Victoria found me, I immediately shot at her but she dodged it each time. She ran away from me but she went down to the beach after.”

“Why didn’t you call for any of us?”

I raise my head, knowing I’ll have to see their reactions either before or after I say this. “I want to save myself. I always want to save myself. You need to remember that I haven’t been hurt only on the Cullen’s land but yours too. Both of you want to protect me but we all know how prideful I am. I have trained my entire life for these moments and I don’t want anyone to save me.”

“Why didn’t you tell us Victoria had found you too?”

“I knew you would be upset if you knew that you weren’t there to save me. You were all so tired from the constant patrols. I couldn’t even think of how hard you’d be on yourselves if you knew that I’d sneaked out without your knowledge and almost ended up dead.”

The room is silent. I’m not sure what’s on their minds, if they’re even considering my words or they’re thinking about their next move against Victoria.

Embry finally speaks up. “Your phone has been buzzing this entire time we’ve been talking.” It’s not what I was expecting but I’m glad we’re straying away from more serious conversation.

“Yeah. I should probably answer that.” I get up and walk over to my quiver where I had stored my phone.

Sure enough my phone is vibrating in my hand, Jasper’s contact lighting up the screen. I keep my phone closed until I leave the living room, taking the call in the hallway. I know it’s silly to even leave the room because no matter where I am, every shape-shifter in the house will be able to hear the conversation. Either way I wait until I hear a new conversation start between the boys before I consider answering my phone.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?”

“I’m at Emily’s house. Jared found me after you went after Victoria again.”

“You’re with the wolves right now?”

“Yes. Like I said Jared found me, I was hurt so he took me back to Emily’s.”

“Nevaeh, I know you were with them during the time we were gone but I still don’t like you being over there. Wolves' tempers are short, I don’t know if they told you but Emmett and Paul crashed into each other pretty hard and it seemed like Paul wanted to continue going after him.”

“Yes, I know about Paul and Emmett bumping into each other but you need to keep in mind that he’s sixteen years old. Emmett is almost a hundred years old, sure, it wasn’t the best reaction but Emmett doesn’t have a right to be too upset. They were both after Victoria and now both are fine, just a little pissy. It’s not a big deal, I’m safe here.”

“I don’t believe you are. I don’t need you to come here but I’d rather know you’re at home with your family than in the wolf’s den.”

I didn’t even know Leah was in Sam and Emily’s house before I watched her grab the phone out of my hand.

“Can you stop manipulating her into going home. She’s family around here, none of us would hurt her. Even if we were dangerous she’s here on her own free will, she can leave at any moment. She doesn’t need you to tell her what to do.”

“What? Who are you? Emily?”

Leah scoffs. “Leah. Anyways stop telling her what to do and just tell her to get home safe. We bandaged her up and we’re going to feed her, so take a breather.”

“You bandaged her up? How bad is it? Are you sure she doesn’t need stitches? Maybe she should see Carlisle after all.”

“She’s a human, not a china doll! It was just a small scratch, so yes, I know for  a fact she does not need stitches.”

“Okay. Thank you for taking care of her, but I don’t see why she can’t go home.”

“Oh my- She’ll go home when she wants to! And if she doesn’t want to go home there’s a bed for her to sleep in here. Goodbye Cullen.” Leah snaps the phone shut.

I’m stunned silent, Leah and I just look at each other. For some reason I’m not compelled to reprimand Leah for taking my phone and arguing with Jasper. Leah’s not the type to apologize even if I was upset. So we look at each other for a second more.

“What? You were blocking the bathroom door.” I look behind me and I’m in front of the guest bedroom door, the path to the bathroom is clear. “Whatever, dinner is ready, Emily made spaghetti.”

I smile, going to the kitchen so I can get a plate before the boys eat it all.

Chapter Text

Secret Claws

The drive back from La Push didn’t feel long because Jared was the one who offered to take me. Conversation between us flowed easily during the twenty minutes it took to get from Emily’s house to mine. As we pull into my driveway my breath catches in my throat. In the back of my head I knew Jasper was going to be here but I hadn’t prepared myself to be right.

“Why is he here?” Jared asks me.

“I don’t know. I didn’t tell him when I was coming back home.”

“I’m walking you to your door.”

“Jer, no, I’m fine.”

“I’m not leaving you alone with him.” He unbuckles his seatbelt.

“I’ve been with him alone enough to handle myself. Go home, or go back to Emily’s.”

“Vae, I need to know that you got home safely. A distressed bloodsucker in your driveway isn’t on the checklist.”

I sigh, getting out of the car because I know I won’t be able to change his mind.

Jasper’s eyes graze over me from head to toe, he doesn’t bother hiding the fact that he’s looking for any sign of harm. I’m not sure how my current appearance affects his mood, it’s almost the same as when I arrived at the Cullen's house this morning. The only differences are the bandage on my chin, the sleeve of my jacket is stained with blood, and I’m wearing one of Emily’s tank tops since my shirt had blood on it. Shit. I’m wearing a tank top.

“Jasper? What are you doing here?” I hold my jacket closer to my body. Hoping he may believe the scars on my right shoulder were an illusion. A trick of the eye.

“Was that a claw mark on your shoulder? Did a member of the pack hurt you?” Jasper stands still where he is, his eyes shifting between me and Jared.

I’m a few feet away from him, Jared only a few steps behind me. “It’s nothing. Why are you here? I told you I was going to go home after spending some time at Emily’s.”

“I wanted to make sure you made it home safely. That Victoria hadn’t harmed you more than you let on.”

“I’m fine. It’s a small cut, it’ll heal in a week or so.” My jacket is still held tightly against me. Hoping if I avoid his question about the scar I won’t have to talk about it.

“Nevaeh. I saw the claw marks. Who did that to you? The only werewolves in the area are Sam's pack. The same people who were around you tonight. Which one of them hurt you?” Jasper’s voice is low. The only emotion that shows is the anger he tried to conceal.

“It was a long time ago. We don’t need to discuss that. I’m fine right now.” I avoid answering his question.

“A long time ago? It’s been three months. That doesn’t qualify as a long time. Was it him? Is that why you won’t tell me?” Jasper focuses his eyes on Jared.

Before I can stand up for him Jared speaks for himself. “I would never hurt her. I’m the person who took care of her when you decided to skip town without a second thought for her.”

Jasper’s face doesn’t change, but I notice how his shoulders slump slightly.

“But it was one of you? I know how a wolf’s temper can be. People get hurt.”

“People get hurt around you too, leech. You don’t know the story behind those scars but we all know how you left and what those bloodsuckers did to her in Volterra.”

“Jared! Go home.” I sigh. They were only making each other more angry and like hell I’d let them egg each other on.

“Not until I see you walk inside. I don’t trust him around you right now. You know about vampire tempers.”

“Stop it! I am not going to listen to either of you make passive aggressive comments about the other. Both of your species have almost killed me. Neither one of you is better than the other.” I cut them both off.

“You want to know what happened? Yes, a member of our pack, Paul lost his temper. Nevaeh was too close to him and she ended up getting scratched because of it. But at least I was there to help her. At least Paul owned up to his actions immediately rather than running away. At least Nevaeh opens up to us when she’s hurt. She’s not scared about how we’ll react.” His words are filled with malice and my stomach drops.

I turn away from Jasper and towards him. “Jared! Go home now.” My tone leaves no room for him to object.

“Vae.” He tries to plead.

“Go home.”

“He hurt you. He needed to know.”

“It wasn’t your place to tell him. It was mine. Go home.” I turn my back on him, crossing my arms as I face Jasper. “And you. I told you that I was safe. You didn’t need to come here if your only objective was to start a fight with one of the pack members.”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Jasper answers me.

“Maybe you should’ve asked me that instead of bringing up an old scar that is none of your business.”

“Your safety is my business.”

“No, it’s my own business. I have kept myself safe my entire life and I will continue to keep myself safe.”

“I know. But I’m going to do everything I can to ensure you are safe. And Paul losing his temper, even if it’s in the past for you, only proves my point.”

“You don’t get to control who I hang out with. Even if you believe it’s for my own safety. I’m the one who makes those decisions for myself. Not you.”

“But-”

I quickly cut him off. “There’s no but. I am my own person and I make my own decisions. Only I decide who I surround myself with and what I do. If you don’t respect that you need to leave.”

He takes a few steps towards me, closing the space that was previously between us.“I don’t want to leave you again, but I’ll do anything if it makes you happy. If you want me to leave, just say the word.”

For the first time tonight Jasper sounds like the version of himself that I fell in love with. Instead of sounding like a possessive prick, he's the version of himself that understands that I will never stop protecting those I care about, no matter how dangerous it may be.

“Are you reading my emotions right now?” I lift my head up so I’m looking into his eyes. He nods his head slightly. “Do you think I want you to leave again?”

He scowls slightly, like my words versus my emotions are sending him mixed messages. Based upon his previous descriptions of my emotions I most likely am. “I don’t know. You’re still pretty angry. And scared. Was what Jared said true? You’re scared of me?”

“Are you stupid, Jasper Hale?” A grin spreads on my face.

“What?” Confusion spreads across his features. He takes a step back, silently answering that he believes I’m scared of him. I only pull him back towards me.

“If I was scared of you I wouldn’t be this close to you. If I was as angry as you think I am I would have kicked your ass back to wherever you were sulking these past three months. You must be stupid if you believe I’d want you to leave again.”

He lets out a sigh of relief. “I know I can’t control you. Even if I think it’s for your own good. I understand that you are your own person. But just say the word and I’ll do whatever you want me to. I’d do anything for you, Nevaeh.”

I wrap my arms tightly around him. I hope he can’t hear the way my heart is about to beat out of my chest. All I know is he doesn’t say anything about it, he only hugs me back just as strong. 

Only Jasper Hale could make me begin to fall in love with him all over again.

Chapter Text

Missing Items

“Mom? Have you seen my gray flannel?” I yell, hoping my mom will hear me from wherever she is in the house.

“What?” She calls back. From where her voice is I guess she’s in her room. I know if I yell again she won’t hear me and we’ll go back and forth until I come to her. So I walk to her room.

I see her folding her own laundry. Scanning the flannel I don’t see my flannel so I know she didn’t take it.

“My gray flannel. Have you seen it?”

“Not that I remember. Did you check in the dryer?”

“Yes, and in the washer, and my hamper, and my closet, and anywhere in the house I may have left it. I can’t find it anywhere.”

“I’m not sure then, honey. Did you let Wren or Bella borrow it? Or leave it in your locker.”

I hadn’t thought of that. I know I would never put it in my locker, but maybe I did lend it to Bella in class and I forgot to give it back. I know Wren would never be caught wearing a flannel, in her own words she’s too fashionable for that.

“I’ll check and see if I gave it to Bella. Thanks, mom.”

I walk back to my room looking for my phone. I found it right away, unlike my flannel. I quickly find Bella’s contact and press dial. To my relief she answers almost immediately. Surprising, because half the time she doesn’t have her cell phone on her.

“Hey Bells. Did I let you borrow my gray flannel?”

“No, why?” Her voice sounds a little off.

“I wanted to wear it to the bonfire tonight but I can’t find it anywhere! I can just steal one of Milo’s but I don’t know where I would have put it. It’s nowhere in the house and if you don’t have it I can’t remember where I would have put it.”

“Weird. I can’t find my red flannel either. Did you take it?”

“No, I don’t think I have anything of yours right now except for your copy of Pride and Prejudice for my English Lit class.” I try to take my mind off of Bella’s flannel missing too. Why would our clothes go missing? Sure, I have three family members whose laundry it could get mixed in with, but it’s just Bella and Charlie. While Charlie’s wardrobe may consist mainly of flannel, I don’t think Bella would put it with his laundry because of the size difference.

“I’m sure you just left it at Wren’s or something. Anyways, do you want to ride to La Push together tonight? Or are you driving yourself?”

“I can’t drive myself because Milo needs the car. Is Edward driving you?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sure Jared would be able to give me a ride.”

“You can’t avoid Edward outside of school forever.”

“Sure I can.”

“I’ve forgiven him, Vae. It’s time you did too. Especially since you let go of your grudge against Jasper.”

“That’s not the same.”

“But it is. He’s going to be around as long as I am.”

“That’s the issue Bella.”

“Nevaeh.”

“No, Bella. I can’t just forgive him. I can’t act towards him like I did before. I’m civil and that’s enough. I don’t care how many times he apologizes. I saw how you were when he left. I went to Volterra to save his life and that only created more problems for us. I don’t want to be in a car with him as much as he doesn’t want to be in a car with me.”

“That’s not true. He wants your forgiveness. His only issue is that he can read your mind.”

“And he doesn’t like my thoughts.”

“That’s because whenever you’re around him you either think of how I was when they left or you think profanities towards him.”

“I can’t help what I think.”

“You can and you know it. Please, for me. Just ride to La Push with us. Try to be normal. He’s not going to leave again.”

“I can’t act normal. I forgave Jasper because I’m still in love with him and he made an effort to earn that forgiveness. And I’m sure he knows I haven’t fully opened up to him yet. But Jasper didn’t try to kill himself. Jasper didn’t make us go to Volterra. He isn’t the one who watched as Jane made me experience the worst pain of my life. He isn’t the reason I’m going to be a vampire even though I have never wanted to. Our experiences aren’t the same. You’re not vulnerable to Jane’s power and you want to be turned. You are completely in love with Edward even after what happened. I’m not.”

“I’m sorry. I know. I know you will never forgive him for that. But I need you to tolerate him for me. I need you. We both know that after what happened these last few months. I need both of you. All I’m asking is for you to ride in a car with the both of us. I’ll even sit in the back with you if that helps.”

“Okay.”

“Okay! We’ll pick you up at six.”

“I’ll see you soon, Bella.” I hang up the phone. 

I can’t believe I agreed to sit in a car with him for thirty minutes. I wish Jasper could come with us to relieve some of the tension but I can’t trust him by the La Push border. He’ll probably hunt down Paul because he finally saw my scar. But for Bella I can act civil. Just for thirty minutes.

:::

Just like I suspected I heard a car pull into the driveway right at six o’clock. What

 I didn’t expect is Edward to be standing outside of his car, leaning against the driver side of his stupid Volvo. 

“Can I come in?” He asks, too casual for my liking.

“What? No. Obviously not.”

Bella gets out of the car too once she hears my defensive tone.

“You’re not wearing your gray flannel so I’m assuming it’s still missing.” Bella says. “When Edward came over yesterday he smelled the scent of an unfamiliar vampire. That's when I noticed my flannel was missing.”

My heart skips a beat. “And you didn’t tell me? Bella, there was a vampire in your house? Does this have to do with Victoria?”

“See! Nevaeh thinks it’s Victoria too!”

“Alice hasn’t seen Victoria in either of your houses. Nevaeh, I want to come inside so I can see if the scent is here too.”

“Okay. But my parents haven’t noticed anything strange. If anyone passed through we must not have been home. When Julian came here my dad immediately noticed and apprehended him. It would have been the same if someone else came while either of my parents were home.”

Edward doesn’t answer me, he only walks towards my front door. After barely entering through the door he nods. “The nomad was here.” He walks back towards the car.

“It has to be Victoria. Who else would want something of Bella’s or mine?”

“I don’t know who it was. We’ll have Emmett stay out here tonight to make sure no one tries to go in. I’m sure the last time the nomad passed through your family wasn’t home.”

“No. No one is going to watch over my house. We can handle ourselves.”

“Jasper would kill me if anything happened to you.”

“Does Jasper know that the vampire came here too?”

“No. As far as he knows only Bella’s house was visited.”

“Keep it that way.”

“I can’t hide this from him, Nevaeh.”

“Yes you can. If you’re saying Emmett will watch over my house then I’m guessing that means you guys are taking turns watching over Bella’s house.”

Bella nods. “To protect Charlie when me and Edward aren’t there.”

“You guys are spreading yourselves thin enough watching over Bella. I don’t need you to make it harder by watching over me. Plus my parents would never allow you all to watch over us. If it gets bad Julian can watch over us. For now nothing is going to happen.”

“Don’t be difficult. He’ll find out soon enough.”

“You owe me one.”

“If we’re going to figure out who is keeping tabs on you and Bella, going as far as your homes, we all need to know that the nomad visited you too.”

“I can’t put more on your plates. My family members can protect themselves. If anything is worrying Julian will help us. You owe me one for keeping your secret not only from the people of Forks but Bella last year. Don’t tell him.”

Edward looks like he’s going to protest again but Bella gives him a look. “Fine. I won’t mention anything about you.”

“Thank you.” I look at my watch. Five minutes have passed. I walk to the passenger side back door. “We should go. We don’t want to be late for the tribe meeting.”

Edward gets in the driver’s seat but Bella pauses for a minute before she gets in the car. “This is a tribe meeting? Jake told me it was just a bonfire with the pack!”

“No. It’s a tribe meeting with a bonfire. The elders will be telling Quileute histories.”

“I can’t tell if he didn’t tell me because he’s mad at me, or because he knew I wouldn’t come if I knew it was for the tribe.”

“Jake’s mad at you?”

“I told him that I’m going to turn after graduation.”

“Oh.” I can’t think of anything else to say.

“He reacted as well as you can guess.”

“Did you tell any of them that I have to change eventually too?”

“No.”

“Thank you.”

Chapter Text

A Legendary Bonfire

Jake meets us at the treaty line where Edward drops us off. It’s weird. It feels like two divorced parents swapping custody but it’s just a vampire and werewolf face off rather than two scorned lovers. I watch as Edward and Jacob brood at each other as I walk towards the latter. Bella’s face looks just as happy as I do, but for my sake she doesn’t comment on the weirdness between the boys. She just nudges her chin forward and we start walking towards the beach where the bonfire is being held.

As we walk Bella breaks the silence, “Is this a council meeting rather than a bonfire?”

“Who told you that?” Jake asks her, not answering the question.

“Nevaeh.”

“Well, yes, technically it is a council meeting but there will be a bonfire.”

“Aren’t the tribe’s histories secret? Why would you invite us?”

“I didn’t invite Nevaeh.”

“Rude.” I scoff.

“I totally would have, but Jared invited you first.”

“Yeah, sure, cover your ass now.”

“Okay, I think you’re ignoring the fact that two outsiders are about to hear the tribe’s histories, is that okay?” Bella stops us before we can argue further.

“Of course it’s okay. With the pack guarding you from Victoria you're part of this. Plus it's the first time Seth, Leah and Quil'll hear them, too. But you are the first outsiders. Ever.” Jacob explains.

“Seriously? If I had known that I would have, I don’t know, dressed better.” Bella exhaustedly says.

“Yeah! I was going to wear one of my favorite flannels but that bitch Victoria took it.” Jake smirks at my comment while Bella grimaces.

“Vae!” I hear a familiar voice shout my name. As we finally step onto the beach, approaching the fire and the members of the Quileute tribe who know the pack’s secret, I see the younger Clearwater sibling with a large grin on his face.

“Seth!” I jog until I reach him and engulf him in a hug. “Jake only told me you and Leah would be here a minute ago! It’s so good to see you!”

“Bella, this is Seth Clearwater.” Jake introduces him once I let go of him.

“Hi.” Bella smiles. “So, you’re the newest member of the pack?”

Seth smirks, “Newest. Bestest. Brightest.”

“Slowest!” Jake jumps Seth, putting him in a headlock because of his arrogance.

I roll my eyes, used to the brotherly fighting between the boys, while Bella’s widen in shock.

I laugh under my breath, “Come on guys, it looks like Billy’s about to start.”

Jake lets go of Seth and we all sit down on one of the seats surrounding the fire. 

As soon as Billy begins speaking everyone else is silent. He begins sharing one of the tribe’s legends, speaking like I had never heard him speak before. Grave seriousness compared to passing jokes. “The Quileutes have been a small tribe from the beginning, but we have always had magic in our blood. We were great spirit warriors, shape-shifters that transformed into the powerful wolf. This enabled us to scare off our enemies and protect our tribe.”

Billy tells the story of a past Quileute chief, Taha Aki, and how he protected the tribe as a shape-shifter against the cold ones. The situation that put the tribe in danger was eerily similar to the one Bella and I are facing today. A scorned woman who lost her mate and came back to kill anyone and anything in order to get her revenge. The woman came back to kill off the Quileute tribe, successfully killing many spirit warriors, including Taha Aki’s son. It seemed like all hope was lost, that Taha Aki would die protecting his tribe too. Until Taha Aki’s third wife cut herself to distract the female cold one with the scent of her blood. Doing so Taha Aki was able to kill the female cold one and stop the needless killing of innocent Quileute tribe members. But due to the third wife’s courage to distract the woman, she sacrificed her own life for the sake of Taha Aki and her tribe.

Billy finishes the legend with a remark to remind us he is not telling a story for fun, but to remind the pack, plus Bella and myself, why the pack still shifts. “She saved the tribe. Over time, our enemies have disappeared. But one remains, the cold ones. Our magic awakens when they're near, and we sense it now. We feel the threat in our blood. Something terrible is coming, and we must all be ready, all of us.”

There’s a moment of silence after Billy stops speaking. Everyone is considering how the legend applies to us today. What lessons can be applied. All I can hope is that Bella didn’t listen too closely. Because I know that if she had the chance she would sacrifice herself too. Even though she has countless people who would risk their own life before her, I know she would rather save someone else than live with the loss.

People start to disband from the bonfire. Billy and the other council members stay seated, discussing tribe matters that do not concern the pack. The boys are starting a game of soccer, Paul leading a team against Sam. Bella and Jake pass in front of me and walk along the shore together. 

I stay seated on the log, thinking about what it means if Victoria actually got into my house. What would have happened if my mom, dad, or Milo were home when it happened. What it means now that she has my scent and Bella’s.

“What are you thinking so hard about?” Leah asks as she takes the seat next to me that was previously occupied by Bella.

“Are you scared of Victoria?” I turn to look at her. Allowing myself to have an honest conversation about my worries. I may not know her that well, but I know Leah isn’t going to blab to the rest of the pack or the Cullens.

“Not really.” She says it with a straight face.

“Not really?”

“Of course I’m worried about how she may hurt Seth or another pack member, but she doesn’t really scare me, I mean we shift into wolves, Nevaeh. We’ve killed vampires before. After killing one it’s not that scary to kill another.”

“So you’re pretty confident about the protection detail on Bella?”

“Why? Are you hoping to get one of your own?”

“No. No. Definitely not.”

“It’s okay to admit you need a little bit of help.”

“I don’t need it. My family can protect themselves. We don’t need to be monitored.”

“We’d be stretching ourselves thin but we’d do it for you, Nevaeh.”

“I don’t need it. We’ll be fine.”

“You’re family to us. If you need help all you have to do is ask.”

“I know that if she ever came to my house we’d be prepared to protect ourselves. The only issue is I know it’s a mind game to her. She’s not even trying to kill us or the Cullens anymore. It’s anyone we love. Or she’s not going to kill us but she’ll turn us into vampires. I don’t want that. I don’t know how to protect myself from that. I’ve never been able to protect myself from her. But I can’t ask everyone to stop taking care of themselves to take care of me.”

“It’ll be okay. No matter what or who she takes you’ll get through it. And we’ll be here for you.”

“How do you know that, Leah?”

Leah scoffs but I can tell it’s not malicious. “Because she took everything from me and the pack was there for me.”

“Right. I forgot Harry was also in the woods hunting when Victoria was in town.”

“Yep. Victoria caused the heart attack that killed my father. And because Victoria was in town Seth and I shifted into wolves. The pack was there for my mom, Seth, and me before we even shifted. And you’ve been here too. If you need us we’ll all be there for you. You just need to ask.”

“Thanks, Leah.”

“No problem. Now come on, let’s go watch Seth play against Sam’s team. You can’t possibly think about the future with how competitive the guys are.”

We both get up and walk towards the makeshift soccer field in the sand the boys are playing on. As soon as we begin paying attention to the game Seth scores a point. Emily is acting as the referee, believe me the boys need one whenever they compete, and scorekeeper.

“Five to three, in favor of Paul’s team!”

The teams are even right now and I’m honestly impressed Paul and his team are winning right now. On Paul’s team is Paul of course, Seth, and Jared. Sam’s team is made up of Sam himself, Embry, and Quil.

“Come play, Vae!” Quil calls out.

“I can’t! The teams are even right now!” I call back.

“Please! Somehow Seth is beating us!” Embry jokes.

“Feel free to join, Vae, I’m sure we can beat a team of four just as easily!” Jared smirks.

“Oh, you’re on, Cameron!” I challenge him, running towards Sam’s team, ready to win.

Soon enough we score three points, making it so the score is in our favor. I notice Leah is still on the sidelines watching

“This is too easy playing against only three of you. Come play and actually make it a hard game, Leah!” I ask her. I expected her to say no, but to my surprise Leah nodded, joining Paul’s team that had basically become Seth’s team since he was scoring most of the goals.

The game goes on for another half hour or so until I hear Bella say my name from the sidelines. “Hey, Nevaeh, we’ve got to get going!”

I look towards Emily and she calls a time out. “Okay, that’s game for Nevaeh! And luckily for her she’s leaving with the score being fifteen to fourteen, in favor of Sam’s team.”

“Yes! I knew I could beat your team, Jared!”

“Yeah, yeah, we let you win!” He retorts.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” I grin. “But I’m out of here, I hope you can at least beat a team with only three players.”

“Oh, we will!” Seth is getting in on our friendly trash talk. I grin at the younger boy.

“Ooh! Watch out for Seth!” I say to the remainder of my teammates. “Goodnight guys!”

I get a chorus of goodnights back as I walk off the field towards Bella and Jake. 

“Hey, Jake, come play!” Embry calls out.

“No, I’ve gotta walk Bella and Vae back to the treat line.”

“They’ll be fine!” Quil denied Jake’s rejection.

Jake looks towards Bella and me as if he’s not sure what to say.

“We’ll be fine, we’ve walked that path plenty of times.”

“Alright. Goodnight guys.”

“Goodnight!” Bella and I yell out as we walk away from the fire, the shoreline, and our friends.