1.

CELEBRATIONS

“Happy Birthday,” Edward whispered. He leaned into the hollow of my throat and
caressed the skin with his lips.

I turned over, away from Edward, and glared at the calendar. The date loomed
out at me, mocking me. Why does my birthday still bother me, I thought. The
thing that used to bother me was that every second I lived was a second older
than Edward, but now that didn’t matter.

“I’ll go wake Nessie.” Edward rose from the bed, pulled on some dark green
combat trousers and a navy blue t-shirt. I took in his appearance with awed eyes.
I would say that there was nothing more beautiful then Edward in the morning –
hair tousled, eyes bright, clothes creased in the hurry to pull them on – if I didn’t
know any better. He saw my gazing and flashed me a quick smile before walking
to Nessie’s room. I flipped onto my back and kneaded my forehead with the
heels of my hands in anticipation of the reception I would receive when I saw the
rest of the family. Although I had stopped aging over a year ago, the family still
wanted to make a fuss of my birthday, especially Alice. Although I had asked, or
ordered, that I wasn’t making a big deal of my birthday, Alice, Esme and Renée
had completely different ideas. My mom had flown from Jacksonville on Nessie’s
birthday, three days ago, with Phil. It was a surprise visit, and she was only
meant to stay for two days, but when she saw how Alice and Esme organised
Nessie’s party, she insisted on helping with mine.

“Bella, we have to go in a minute,” Edward called from Nessie’s room.

Edward, of course, knew exactly what would be happening, but refused to tell
me. I didn’t weasel it out of him because at least the dread I felt was lessened
when I didn’t know all the ins and outs.

I slid out of the bed and over to the wardrobe. The wardrobe, still being Alice’s
walk-in-closet, was still the biggest and most confusing room in the entire house.
I had to smell a path to clothes I could wear. I picked out some black denim jeans
and a deep purple polo neck. Alice would surely attempt to re-dress me when
she saw me, but I was beyond caring.

I wandered down the corridor to Nessie’s room staring at the pictures on the
wall. All of the original artwork that Esme had hung here, Edward and I had
replaced with pictures by Nessie. It was alarming to see how, as she progresses
even a week in age, her skills aged years. Although Nahuel had told me what to
expect from a half-human, half-vampire child, I still could not make myself
believe he was right and the feeling I had was wrong; the feeling that somehow
she would be exempt from the rule, and that she would be different somehow. A
hand threaded through mine and startled me. I looked up into Edwards smiling
face and smiled back half-heartedly.

As we ran from our house, my stomach was full of dread. I had a clear idea of
what Alice would have done, having seen Nessie’s party. When we arrived at the
Cullen’s house, Alice’s preparations were painfully evident.
 There were twinkling lights strung from the wooden porch columns, and lit
candles floating on rose scented water in crystal bowls forming a narrow path to
the door. I was staring in mute horror.

“And this,” Edward groaned, gesturing with our intertwined hands, “Is only the
outside.” Edward gripped my hand tighter, like he was keeping me from fleeing,
and led me towards the door.

Edward was right to warn me about the inside. The scene that met my eyes
inside the house horrified me. Alice had covered every available wall space with
black and white helium balloons and every available surface was swathed in lacy
white cloth. There were more twinkling lights strung around the legs of Edwards’
grand piano. There were also more candles on scented water covering every lacy
cloth, along with small bunches of ruby-red roses. The table nearest to the grand
piano terrified me the most. The smallest table in the room, ironically, held a
gigantic three-tier black and white cake. The cake its self was beautiful – each
tier held a small black and white pattern of iced intertwined lines on one side.
The bottom tier held a small collection of black, white and red rose petals and
the top tier was iced with the words ‘Happy Birthday Bella,” in neat swirling
script that looked suspiciously like Alice’s. The cake was surely a work of art, but
in the circumstances, I was not able to appreciate it then.

I glared at Alice and she held her hands up, like she was confessing a crime.
She may as well have been for the annoyance I felt for her. “It was not me at all!
This was entirely your mom. . .” She spun her hand around the room, indicating
the horrifying decorations.

I turned on my heel to face my mom. She was smiling uncertainly, obviously

expecting a different reaction – a reaction a normal person would give. “Don’t
you like it?” she asked, her voice breaking near the end.

I felt like saying “No, to be honest, it terrifies me,” but I thought, what am I
afraid of. The main reason I had disliked birthday parties was because I didn’t
want to get older, and now, I couldn’t.

“I love it, it’s just a bit of a shock,” I lied smoothly. My mom ran forwards and
embraced me, flinching slightly at the sudden shock of my ice cold skin.

“And we also have presents!” My mom was nearly hysterical with excitement
now. Trust my mom to be the most excited person at my birthday party. Mom
skipped to the hallway and retrieved two small parcels wrapped in black and
white patterned tissue paper; she had obviously gone with a black and white
theme. She grabbed Phil’s hand on the way over to me and dragged him along
beside her, her hand clamped over his in a similar way to Edwards hand on mine.
When she was near, she thrust the larger of the two packages towards me. I
ripped off the paper, eager for the event to be over, and was left holding a
picture frame. It was silver metal with black and white roses intricately patterned
all over. The frame held a picture of all of us together: Phil, Mom, Edward, Nessie
and me. We were all smiling and laughing, no one looking directly at the camera.
I felt a smile spread across my face as I stared at the frozen moment. I was sure
that if I could cry, my cheeks would already be soaked. I looked up at my mom
and embraced her again. “You like it?” she asked, wearing the same smile as
from the picture.

“I love it,” I said. She smiled wider and handed me the next present. This
parcel was wrapped in the same paper, but with a crimson metallic bow on the
top. I could tell that this present was meant to be the best, and prepared myself
to pretend, after all, the other present was the best she had ever given me. I
unwrapped this present carefully, finally getting in the mood to celebrate. This
present was a navy blue box. I stared at it for several seconds, preparing my
facial expression.

“Look inside," Phil whispered. I did as I was told and lifted the lid. The box
contained a small necklace chain with a locket on the end. The locket had flower
patterns and vines winding over the covers. I opened the locket to see the inside
and there were two pictures already inside. One was of Charlie, Renée and me
from years ago – when Charlie had a full head of hair and I had no front teeth.
The other was Edward holding Nessie with his arm around my waist. I began to
shiver my shoulders and choke on air – I began to cry.

“Oh Bella!” fussed Renée, breaking free from Phil to comfort me. “What’s
wrong?” Edward released my hand as my mom wound her arm around my waist.

“Nothing’s wrong, everything’s right,” I choked.

Soon the presents were all handed out and my emotional outburst had been
forgotten. Alice and Rosalie had, quite predictably, given me a trunk full of new
clothes. Esme and Carlisle had given Edward and me another week’s vacation on
Isle Esme. Edward had given me a CD of all the songs he had ever composed for
me, and there were a few. We were now gathering all of Nessie’s essentials for a
visit to Charlie’s. When we eventually piled into two cars twenty minutes later,
Edward, Nessie and I were all in our car. Edward and I had our first argument
over our car. After Edward had insisted on visiting Charlie in my “after car,”
Charlie had nearly suffered a haemorrhage. The dark blue Ferrari was not the
most inconspicuous of cars. Edward had insisted on getting a new car to visit
Charlie in – a blue Audi Coupe. It often pained me to use the Audi at times other
than visiting Charlie – although I wasn’t too interested in car models, the one
hundred speed limit enforced by the Audi was restricting on leisure journeys.

When we arrived at Charlie’s, he and Sue were waiting on the doorstep. Since
Charlie had been welcomed into the world of werewolves, Sue had become his
almost constant companion. They were only ever apart for a few hours at a time.
I smelt werewolf as soon as I left the car; probably Jacob and Seth.

“Hi dad,” I said as I stood from the car, holding Nessie on my hip.

“Bells! Ness! Edward! Great to see you all!” Charlie had his arms stretched
out, ready for embraces. As I embraced him, I squeezed him gently. He then
shook hands with Edward and took Nessie from my grasp. He began cooing as
we all went inside. We were the first here apparently. Jacob and Seth were
sprawled out on the couch and chair watching the flat screen intently.

“Hey Bella,” said Jacob, not even looking away from the TV. Seth however
jumper from his chair and ran over to Edward. Edward and Seth’s friendship was
stronger than ever thanks to Sue’s new role in the family.

“Hey Edward, Bella,” said Seth as he embraced Edward.

“Hey Seth,” replied Edward, smiling in surprise at Seth’s forward reaction.

“Hey, how’s Leah?”

Seth hesitated. As a general rule, nobody spoke about Leah. She had since
last year spiralled into a depression. I still felt guilty for my involvement in that
night.

* * * * *

I glanced at Edward, irritated. How come after weeks of trying to make Nessie
laugh this much, all Jacob does is pull a stupid face and she’s in hysterics. I tried
to join in the laughter, but I was too sour.

The front door burst open and Leah stepped through. Her hair was a matted
black mess and her clothes were dirty and ripped. She wore no shoes. I looked at
her face and she was scowling, but her eyes were brimming with tears.

“What’s up Leah?” Seth asked tentatively. He was still more than a little
scared of his sister.

“Am I a freak?” she asked her voice cracking.

“What do you mean?” asked Seth, leaning towards Leah slightly but not quite
getting within reach of her.

“Colin. Colin and Brady. They’ve both imprinted,” she sobbed. She collapsed
onto the couch and tears began to run down her cheeks.

Jacob went over to her and sat down. “It doesn’t matter. We don’t all imprint.
It’s okay that you haven’t.”

She straightened up and glared at Jacob. “Everyone else has! That’s the
point!” she shrieked, tears flowing down her face.

“Leah, it’ll be okay. You can, err, you can fall in love like a normal person.”
Jacob laid his arm across her shoulder and patted the top of her arm
comfortingly.

“I won’t! I’m a freak, aren’t I?” she wailed.

My last nerve broke. Leah was whining for no reason. “Oh Leah, shut up!” I
shouted. She straightened up, shocked. “Leah, you’re free to fall in love with
anyone! You’re free from the stupid rules of imprinting! You’re lucky!”
 She stared at me in shock for several seconds and then dashed out of the
front door. Seth and Jacob glared at me for the rest of the night.

* * * * *

“She’s okay. A little bit better than last week,” Seth said finally.

Edward nodded and went to sit on the end of the couch. Jacob’s legs were so
long that he covered most of the four-seater couch. He pulled his legs further up
the couch as we went to sit down.

“Hey Bella, how’s Nessie?” Jacob leaned forwards to hear the answer.

“She’s fine. She’s out front with Charlie actually,” I told him. He shot straight
out of the door. When he stood to leave, I noticed from the corner of my eye that
he was sat on a small parcel. I looked at the small bundle of brown paper and
read the tag from my peripheral vision.

“Bella,” it said in Jacob’s untidy writing . . .

Open this when you’re alone, I’ll explain it all later.

Jake x
I looked away from the piece of paper and decided to do as he said, even
though it made absolutely no sense to me.

I shuffled up the couch, grabbing and hiding the parcel in my back pocket as I
did so. Edward took hold of my left hand and started to trace the stones of my
engagement ring with his index finger. I stared into Edwards eyes. Our eyes were
now exactly the same colour – deep topaz with a hint of black. The crimson had
faded within a few months and my eyes had only been deep amber for a few
weeks. Charlie had let himself believe the story I made up about contacts. My
mom however didn’t believe a word of my story, but had the sense to leave it
alone.

Esme, Carlisle, Renée, Phil and Alice arrived in Carlisle’s black Mercedes
minutes after Edward and I had. The car still stuck out on the street, even after
most of the neighbours had modernised their cars. Soon we were all sat around
the flat screen talking. I was sat next to Edward with Nessie on my lap. Jacob was
sat beside me, entertaining Nessie by pulling stupid faces. Charlie spent most of
the night knelt in front of Nessie, joining Jacob in his game.

“’Bye Charlie,” I said as I took Charlie into an awkward one armed embrace
when it was time to leave.

“See you around Bella.” Charlie was smiling broadly, his eyes crinkling at the
sides.

As Edward, Nessie and I were walking back to the Audi, Jacob caught up to
me.
 “Bella,” he breathed. “Are we still okay for tomorrow?” Jacob and Nessie had a
once a week play date on a Thursday. So far, not one had been missed, but Jacob
always liked to be sure.

“Yeah, be at Carlisle’s at ten.”

He smiled and kissed me on the cheek. “Right, tomorrow at ten. See you then
Ness,” he cooed, bending over to speak directly to Nessie. He kissed her on the
cheek and ran back into the house.

On the twenty minute journey home, Nessie fell asleep in my arms. I stared at
her all the way home. When we stepped back into the house, everyone resumed
their nocturnal activities; reading, writing, designing, playing. Renée and Phil
looked a bit surprised at everyone’s choice of activities. They said their
goodnights and went upstairs.

Edward and I walked back to our cottage carefully, trying not to wake Nessie.
When she was safely tucked in her crib, I walked to the living room. As I entered
the room, Edward was stood at the fireplace, staring at the painting that hung
above. I had always despised that painting; it had reminded me too much of the
hotel print when James was tracking me; although most of my human memories
were foggy and hard to see, the time when James was tracking me was
surprisingly clear. When I had looked at that painting, all I could see was a large
crimson iris looking back.

“Bella,” whispered Edward as he span around to face me. His eyes were dark
and his face was a forced void of emotion.

I sighed involuntarily, anticipating an argument. Edward had always made it

clear when something bad was coming – his eyes going dark or his mouth
twitching. “What’s the matter?” asked Edward, his previous words forgotten as
his eyes filled with concern.

I shook my head and stepped forwards to hold his hands. “It’s nothing.
Anyway, what were you going to say?”

He didn’t look convinced. “Well, Alice had a vision tonight of a visiting

vampire.”

“Why are you telling me though? Are they a danger?” I broke my hands free
and began to pace around the room.

“No, she looks quite the opposite. Alice said that, although her vision is a bit
blurred, the woman is very interesting.”

“Why?”

He opened his mouth and closed it again. “I don’t know,” he mumbled finally.

“And you don’t know when she is coming either do you?”

“No. Are you sure you’re OK?”

 “Yes, why?”

Edward smirked suddenly as he walked across the room and swept me off my
feet to carry me into the bedroom for the night.

The shrill sound of the alarm clock forced me to break my gaze. I had been
staring at the large painting that hung over Edwards pine dresser. The painting
was of sea, beach and sand. I had been trying to remember if that was what Isle
Esme had looked like, but I couldn’t find a clear image in my old, fuzzy human
memories.

“Mom, Dad, aren’t we supposed to be at Carlisle’s in about two minutes?”

Nessie asked sarcastically from her room.

“I’ll go,” mumbled Edward, pulling himself up. “I’m coming Ness.” Edward
walked over to the dresser and pulled out the first things his hands touched,
which were a pair of dark blue jeans and a dark grey t-shirt.

I rolled onto my back and glared at the clock. Night time was the only time
Edward and I got to be together, so why did it have to be over so soon? I
wrenched myself from the bed and walked to the closet. Surprisingly, Alice had
not stripped me and re-dressed me in the clothes she thought appropriate
yesterday, so today, I would deliberately set her off, just for something to do. I
found a pair of pre-ripped blue jeans and a white stretch cotton top. I wandered
over to the shoe corner and picked out some white pumps. This outfit would
surely send Alice into a panic attack.

When I re-emerged from the vast closet, Edward was stood in the doorway to
our bedroom, Nessie in one arm, her supplies bag in the other. We had a bag of
supplies ready packed for Thursdays with Jacob. The bag had milk formula, spare
clothes, her current reading book and a mobile phone. The mobile was only
because Jacob would not accept a phone as a gift, so we made him carry it
around on his days with Nessie.

We were at Carlisle’s with seconds to spare – literally. As we walked through

the back door into the kitchen the scent of werewolf was almost overpowering.
The stench of werewolf was not as potent to me as to others. I had speculated
that it could be that I have spent so much time around werewolves that I have
become used to it. Jacob had merely said it was because I loved him too much to
let it bother me. I walked into the living room and spotted Jacob lounging on a
couch. He was talking animatedly with Alice who was sat in the far corner of the
room. Jacob was fascinated with Alice. When life got back to normal after all the
trouble, Jacob had finally met Alice as Alice, not a secret weapon against all of his
enemies. He was more than a little hostile towards her at first; mainly he had
ignored her or shot her loaded glances. Now, he loved to ask her endless
questions and used her to ensure that each day with Nessie ran smoothly. Alice
had adapted to his endless requests. She sat as far away from him as possible
and concentrated around him. The blank spot he used to be had shrank over
time, and now that she was used to being around him more, he was easier to
see.

“Hey Jake,” I said. He stopped talking abruptly and turned to gaze at Nessie.
She giggled and waved at him.

“Nessie!” he plucked Nessie from my grasp and spun her around in circles
before pulling her tight to his chest and embracing her.

“Here you go,” Edward said, holding out the supplies bag. Jacob took it and
slung it over his shoulder.

“I’ll see you at four then,” Jacob said. He turned towards the door and began
striding away. He was gone before I could say a final goodbye.

I turned to face Edward and stared into his eyes for several moments. I began
to lean into him and he began to lean down. When our lips were an inch apart,
Esme’s voice trilled from the kitchen. “Bella, can you help me with breakfast?”

I fell back into my standing position and smirked. “Yes, I’ll be a minute.” I
jumped up to Edwards face and kissed him gently on the lips before slipping into
the kitchen to help Esme.

The day was uneventful. Phil attempted to beat Emmett at baseball and still
lost by a long shot, even though Emmett had to tone down his performance. My
mom and Esme cooked pretty much all day. Jasper and Alice went hunting with
Carlisle. Edward and I were due to hunt with Nessie tonight, as we went to pick
her up. It would be my first hunt in four days and my throat groaned with thirst
just thinking of it.

Four o’clock rolled around slowly, probably as Edward and I were watching
every second tick by. We practically ran from the house and into Edwards Volvo.
When we arrived at La Push, Jacob was waiting outside his house holding Nessie.
I instantly knew something was wrong. Edward was very quiet beside me,
probably knowing more than I did.

“What’s wrong Jake?” I asked my voice stern. I was not going to be lied to.

“Bella, just go, Edward will explain it to you,” he replied, his eyes wide in
panic. I grabbed Nessie and hastily bundled her into the car.

When we had pulled off from the house, I turned to Edward. “So, go on then,
tell me.”

He hesitated. I was about to order him when he spoke. “Leah. Leah was at
Billy’s. Jacob didn’t want there to be a fight, as I am sure Leah wants.”

I was quiet now. It was not as conspiratorial as I had thought. It was all due to
me, and my nerves. I felt another swell of guilt for Leah. We pulled into some
dense forest area and cut the engine. I could hear the faint drumming of hooves
as I stepped out of the car and my thirst already felt calmer.
 Hunting was one of my favourite activities. I felt like around humans I had to
pretend to be something I’m not, but when I’m hunting, I can pass my mind over
to my senses and truly be the creature I am. Hunting felt like the only thing I did
that I was truly myself in. I also loved hunting because it was something Nessie,
Edward and I could all do together. An hour later, my thirst was satisfied with
three elk and a mountain lion.

We took Nessie straight to bed after we got in, skipping dinner as usual. I took
this night to watch Nessie sleep. Edward watched with me, reading her thoughts.
She had the most wonderful dreams: dreams about all of her family, dreams
about Jacob and all of the Quileute werewolves, dreams about Edward and me.

2. BAD NEWS

The rest of the time with my mom was quite uneventful. We spent most days
taking Nessie out, or staying in with Nessie, according to the weather. The week
passed without incident and my mom went home as she usually did, saying I
should visit more often, saying she’ll visit more often, saying that I’m too pale
and don’t eat enough and saying how much Nessie has grown.

When Edward and I were back from the airport, I slipped back to our little
house to open the present. The ideas of what the paper could contain had been
haunting me for days. It wasn’t just the ideas that were haunting me though, I
was wondering why he didn’t want Edward to know about it.

As soon as the door was shut I sprinted to the closet and dug out the small
parcel. I had hidden it amongst my many pairs of shoes, hoping that Edward
would not look there for anything and that the scent of paper would be masked
by the sheer number of shoes. I examined the gift in hands for a few seconds
before opening it – It was small and soft with three hard lumps inside and the
outside of the gift was very basic; brown paper and a thin white string. I ripped
away the paper and was left holding a small leather pouch. I wrenched the pouch
open and tipped out the contents. It was a small bracelet made from coloured
pieces of wool, woven into an intricate pattern. The pieces of wool were deep
gold, pale white and reddish brown, alternating the three. I could guess the
reasoning behind the colouring.

A thought still nagged at my mind. Why was Jacob going out of his way to
keep this secret from Edward? Edward would think this was a lovely gift and
probably congratulate Jacob on his choice. Jacob was due to spend the afternoon
with Nessie at the Cullen’s house, so I could ask him all these questions myself.

Edward could tell something was on my mind when I went to wait for Jacob.

“What’s wrong?” he said. His eyes were brimming with concern and
confusion. Unfortunately, I couldn’t shed any light on the situation any more than
he could.

“It’s just something I have to ask Jacob,” I sighed. He opened his mouth to
speak again so I took evasive action and changed the subject. “Has Alice had any
more visions about that woman?”

“Yes and no. Yes, because she has had a few visions about her. No, because
they are all the same. Each vision is the same scene, but each time it gets
mistier and harder to see. Alice thinks that something needs to happen before
she decides to visit.”

I was about to begin speculating when a familiar scent flew through the doors.
Jacob was just taking the turn off from the freeway onto the Cullen’s driveway. By
the time I had stood up and walked over to the door, Jacob was stood on the
porch towering over me.

“Jake, can we talk for a minute? Outside? Now?” I was half pushing him from
the door. He looked utterly perplexed, his eyebrows knotted together in
confusion. Eventually he let me push him off the porch and nearer to the woods,
so we couldn’t be heard in the house.

“What’s the matter Bells?” His tone was stern but his eyes were soft.

“Jacob, what was with all the secrecy? About the bracelet?” I stuck my wrist
out to show him the bracelet, pulling back the sleeve I had worn to cover it.

He laughed. “Oh, that. Well I didn’t know what Edward would think of it, so I
didn’t want to mention it.”

I was now the confused person. “About what?”

 “Okay, don’t get mad.” He held his hands in front of himself as if in self
defence. “This is going to sound bad. Okay, It’s a Quileute love bracelet. I still
love you Bella.”

I stared mutely in horror. I was sure we were all past this, and that all this love
stuff had been forgotten.

“No, no not like that,” Jacob stammered after seeing my expression. “I mean I
love you the right way now. This is just to remind you that I’ll always love you.”
He kissed me on the cheek and walked into the house without a glance back.

Trust Jacob to confuse a confusing situation.

I staggered back into the house and fell onto the couch next to Edward. He
looked at me, a thousand questions swimming in his eyes. He caressed my
cheek, a clever trick he used to make me speak. Then he noticed the bracelet
and his eyes widened in shock briefly, before he composed himself. “What’s
that?” he asked, mild curiosity colouring his tone.

“My Quileute ‘love bracelet.’ It was a present from Jacob.” His jaw locked in
agitation momentarily but he didn’t say anything more on the subject for the rest
of the night.

Jasper came back from his hunt late the next morning. I could tell something
was wrong as soon as he was on the long path home. As soon as his thoughts
were within reading distance, Edward stiffened infinitesimally. He walked in
clutching a newspaper to his chest, a frantic look in his eyes. “Look at this,” he
gasped. He threw the paper down onto the table and we all began to read.

RETURN OF THE SEATTLE MURDURER?

 But there are alarming patterns beginning to be seen. For
example, all of the missing persons have disappeared at night, from
- places near to their homes or work. All of the people are from the same
area of Seattle, each disappearance no more than four miles apart.
Both bodies found have been discovered burnt and broken. And the
most alarming pattern? This is reminiscent of last year’s bout of
homicides.

Last year, more than forty linked homicides were left unsolved.
The police suspected gang violence, but there was strong evidence that
there was a killer acting alone. Many factors of this case bear strong
resemblance to last year’s events.

So this begs the question, is this the return of last year’s killer, or
is this someone new? Whoever this is, one thing is inescapable.
Something hideous and violent is stalking Seattle once more.

Police have no leads

Seattle, a once peaceful city, had once again been struck by

murder. Last evening, the body of Lizzie Taylor, 36, was recovered in
the woodland near her home. Her body had been burnt beyond visual
recognition and the use of dental records for identification was
necessary. Her body had been brutally treated, with most of her bones
snapped. A similar case was found last week, near Jennings family
store. Pete Jennings, 19, was found outside his parents store, his bones
brutally crushed and his body burnt beyond recognition.

There are more than eight other missing cases in Seattle, all of
whom have disappeared in the past three weeks. These missing
person’s range in age, gender, occupation and religion.
 I scanned through the list of names at the bottom. Caroline Sterling, Ben
Smiths, Greta Styles . . . I couldn’t read on.

“What are we going to do?” Edward asked, breaking the silence that had
settled over us.

“There’s only one thing we can do: go and sort them out,” said Emmett. His
childish grin was especially irritating in the circumstances.

Carlisle sighed. He would have to tell them that violence was not the way to
deal with newborn vampires. “When should we go?”

I turned to stare in shock at Carlisle. He was usually the voice of reason in a

room full of irrationalism. “What? We can’t just kill them!”

“Bella, I don’t like this anymore than you do, but after Victoria’s newborns I’m
taking no chances.” Carlisle looked so sad to be saying this. He was saying the
words that went against all his principles and everything he believed in. “You
three plan the journey,” he said as he pointed at Alice, Jasper and Emmett.
“Edward, choose the cars with Rose. Esme, gather some clothes for everyone.
Bella, can you go make arrangements for Nessie? We should go tomorrow.” He
walked toward the hallway and shot up the stairs. Everyone became engrossed
in their tasks and immediately forgot everyone else. I slipped upstairs to talk to
Carlisle.

Carlisle was sat in his office, his head in his hands. I knocked on the door and
walked over to him. “I can’t remember that last day I truly believed all I say I do.
I have murdered, stole, hurt people, lied, cheated . . . I’m beginning to think it is
impossible to be a good vampire.”

He didn’t appear to be speaking specifically to me, but I answered anyway as

a knee-jerk reaction.“Oh, Carlisle, you are a good vampire. You are the best
vampire I have met.” My reassurance was doing little to help him; it was plain on
his face.

“I used to think that if you kept yourself to yourself then you could be good.
But even in becoming a social recluse and forcing my family to too, I have not
been able to avoid trouble. First it was Aroura. Then Srenna. Then James and
Victoria and . . .” he mused in a sad voice.

“Who were Aroura and Srenna?” My question broke through the barriers I had
carefully placed to stop inappropriate questions. I clamped my lips together a
fraction of a second too late.

His head jerked up suddenly. His eyes looked tired, as if he was sick of telling
stories. “Aroura was my first real vampire friend. When I had told her what I was
– a vegetarian vampire – she had gone insane; shouting and pulling down trees
and very nearly attacking me. She had run away afterwards and found several
other vampires hell bent on changing my beliefs. I was forced to fight my way
out, dismembering most of them, including Aroura. I still to this day don’t know if
she lives.”

“And Srenna?” I pressed. I cursed myself silently; another inappropriate

question I couldn’t contain.

“Srenna was my fist vampire friend with a conscience. She too tried to be a
better person, not drinking human blood. But a band of vampires had found us
and killed Srenna. Sometimes I wonder if it would be easier to just join the other
vampires and do things normally.”

Carlisle had never expressed any wish to become a ‘normal’ vampire before.
As far as I knew, his beliefs were his main reason to be. Without his beliefs,
Carlisle would just not be Carlisle anymore.

“Why have I never heard these stories before?” I was intrigued. Surely Edward
would have trusted me enough to tell me the full life of Carlisle.

“Because I have never told anyone before,” he confessed. I felt a mask of

confusion settle over my face. “I’m not three hundred and sixty-four. I’m three
hundred and seventy four. There are ten years of my life that I could rather
forget, and they would be easier to forget if only I knew them.”

Carlisle’s confession had spooked and confused me. I left and practically dove
into my house.

I suddenly remembered the task Carlisle had given me while I was idly staring
at the phone. It was a Thursday, so I should call Nessie’s mobile. Two short rings
and Jacob answered.

“Bella? What’s wrong? What’s happened?” Jacob was unused to receiving

calls from us on Nessie’s mobile.

“Have you seen the newspaper today?” I tried hard to keep my voice from
shaking and succeeded. Almost.

I heard rustling of paper on the other side and a few seconds of silence as he
read the article. “Oh,” he whispered. “What are we going to do?”

“Were going to Seattle tomorrow, so could you look after Nessie for me
please?”

“Sure! Are you sure you don’t need my help?” The last part sounded like an
afterthought.

I hesitated. Jacob would be very useful if the visit should turn to a fight. But if
the visit was supposed to be peaceful, then would a werewolf being present
spook them? “No, we’ll be fine,” I sighed, regretting my words in the back of my
mind. “Take care of Nessie for me.”

“I will, don’t worry Bells,” he promised cheerfully as he hung the phone up.
Back in the house, preparations were already underway. Esme was sorting
inconspicuous city clothes into outfits. Jasper, Alice and Emmett had several
maps and pieces of paper spread across the dining table. Rosalie and Edward
were, presumably, in the garage. As everyone was engrossed in their tasks still, I
went up to Alice’s room to sift through her clothes and find some for Nessie. Alice
had been working on her own designs for Nessie for months, but kept them in a
trunk in her closet so that I couldn’t use them; she thought I would spoil the
outfits. I pulled out a blue and cream checked dress and a pair of black sleep
trousers and a matching sleep top. I bundled it all into a black leather handbag
Alice had stashed at the back of her closet and flew down the stairs.

As I opened the door, six pairs of curious eyes appraised my appearance. “I’m
just dropping some clothes by Jacob for Nessie,” I explained quickly. Everyone
turned away, except for Alice.

“That’s my bag!” Alice accused, glaring at my right arm where her black
leather bag hung.

“I’m just borrowing it,” I retorted defensively. Actually, if she hadn’t noticed
me borrowing it, may have kept it; it was one of the few of Alice’s possessions
that I particularly liked.

Alice looked appeased, but I could tell she would be checking for it in her
closet from the second I returned.

I fled to the Audi and threw the bag onto the passenger seat and jerked the
ignition to life. I was at Jacob’s house in a matter of minutes, thanks to my
complete disregard of the speed limits.

When I knocked on the door, Jacob looked genuinely surprised to see me.
“Bella, what are you doing here?” he asked, pointedly looking at his watch to
demonstrate the time; it was not time to take her home yet.

“I just brought some clothes for Nessie,” I explained. The trace of annoyance
on his features dissolved as I said the words. I lifted the bundle from Alice’s bag
and handed it to him.

“Do you want to come in or something?” he said when I hovered on the

doorstep long after he said thanks. I considered it for a moment and then shook
my head – I didn’t want to disturb his day with Nessie.

I saw on my drive home the woodland trail that Edward, Nessie and I took to
hunt last week. I drove down it, thinking that I could spend my time productively
and get myself stronger for the next day.

I didn’t quite know what to expect the following day. Last year, with Victoria’s
newborns, there had been indications of their intentions and numbers. This time,
we were going in blind – we had no idea how many there were, how new they
were, if their intentions were devious of if they were just curious. The only vision
Alice had seen recently was of the same woman, and she was wandering through
dense forests, not a Seattle street.

After I had hunted, I went home. Everyone had mellowed out and was full of
excitement for the following day. Emmett and Jasper were still planning the
journey and arguing over strategies, but now they were dressed in Esme’s city
clothing. Alice, also dressed inconspicuously, was sat by the window awaiting my
return and therefore the return of her handbag. Rosalie and Esme were talking
animatedly about their outfits, lounged on the white leather sofa. Edward was
not in sight, but I could hear the soft melancholy notes of his latest composition
drifting from the dining room, where his piano had recently been relocated to.

I sat on the bench beside him and watched his long white fingers fly across
the keys, playing several notes at once. I stared at his hands until the song came
to a close. His eyes flashed to mine and he instantly understood my anxiousness.

“Don’t worry Bella, things will be fine.” His words rang with sincerity. I found a
small smile playing on my lips but carefully beat it back.

“It won’t all go smoothly though, will it?” His eyes questioned me silently,
asking why. “Because I’m going to be there. Things always go wrong when I’m
there.” I hung my head and looked at the piano keys.

He chuckled, lifting my chin to meet my eyes. “Do you really think that you
could influence a situation so thoroughly?” His eyes were intense and he was
searching my expression for a hint that I was beginning to believe his words.

I opened my mouth and closed it like a gormless goldfish. He had well and
truly beaten me with logic, but my feeling that things would go wrong refused to
be reasoned with.

We stayed with the family that night, a show of solidarity. Jasper and Emmett
had decided on a route and battle tactics after hours of arguing. We were leaving
at nine in the morning, hopefully to surprise them, and we would find them using
Alice’s visions. A thought plagued my mind as I replayed the plan in my head.
Alice had searched and searched for a vision of where they would be, and had
found nothing but the same woman as before, wandering through the same
dense forests. We had no guarantee of finding these vampires. I shushed my
thoughts and concentrated on Edward’s words which I had made into a mantra.

It will be fine. Things will be fine. It will be fine. No matter how many times I
said the words in my mind, they didn’t seem to sound any more truthful.
3. CAPTURED

Everyone watched the silent tick of the clock as the thin strand of plastic
slowly beat its way towards nine. Emmett was visually agitated at having to wait;
he was so excited that I began to think any more waiting would force him to
explode. Everyone else was merely waiting in silence for a deed that had to be
done. My stomach felt strange, as if it had wound its self into a tight knot over
the hours of waiting I had endured.

As the clock struck five to nine, Emmett jumped up. Seven pairs of curious
eyes flickered to his now erect figure.

“What?” he asked defensively. “Oh, come on, you’re not going to make me
wait until nine are you?”

Carlisle rose suddenly, closely followed by Esme and Rose. Carlisle’s face
looked strange – curiously dead. Alice and Jasper unfolded themselves from the
floor and went to follow Carlisle as he walked out of the door. Edward tugged my
hand gently and the knot in my stomach became more noticeable, as if it were
reacting to the significance of the gentle tug. I glanced into his eyes and an
expression of shock crossed his face. I looked into the reflective window and saw
my face. My eyes were dark and my mouth had turned down into an involuntary
frown. I worked to straighten out my face unsuccessfully.

I followed Carlisle and the others out to the car, still being led – or dragged –
by Edward. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper all climbed into Carlisle’s
black Mercedes. Emmett walked over to the Volvo and climbed in. Edward tugged
my hand and pulled me into the backseat of the car.

It was strange that after so long, Edward’s Volvo still retained my scent. It
clung to the roof and was embedded in the seats. The scent wasn’t
overpowering, but it was strong. It was a nice, floral scent, like lavender and
cherry blossom. Edward breathed deeply and appreciatively.

The drive was short to Seattle. Maybe the ride only seemed short because I
was hoping that the ride would help me better accept the monster I was about to
become. Maybe the ride only seemed short as Emmett drove even faster than
Edward. Whatever reason, the ride was too short and the knot in my stomach
tightened painfully.

I glanced over at Edward. His eyes were wide and his face was carefully
expressionless. I saw through his facade easily despite the effort he was
expending to it. He was trying to keep a brave face, trying to make me hopeful
and trying to make my fears seem irrational. Unfortunately, it failed to have any
effect on me, other than extreme guilt; even though his life and his families were
in imminent danger, he still tried to comfort me.

He seemed to suddenly notice I was staring at him, as he reached over and

caressed my cheek. “Bella, you aren’t such an unlucky charm that you could
make this situation a disaster. They are newborns, easily . . . dealt with.” He
hesitated slightly at the end, obviously thinking of the best way to word it. I
painted a small smile on my lips and he squeezed my hand hard in
encouragement. He climbed of the car and began to walk around to my side. I
acted quickly to perform the act Edward would think was irrational.

I plucked the locket my mother had given me from the pocket of my

inconspicuous polo shirt, courtesy of Esme. I had been thinking about this for a
few hours before I finally decided to wear it. I thought about my family: Charlie,
Renée, Nessie, Edward . . . How could I go to this and not be with them. It pained
me to face such a situation and not know if Nessie was safe. I decided to wear
my locket close to my heart, so that all of my family would be there too, no
matter what happened.

In my hurry to fasten the necklace, my fingers fumbled uselessly at the clasp,

a cold sweat breaking out of my hands in frustration. Eventually, with no time to
spare, the locket was fastened around my neck and concealed beneath my
clothes. Edward pulled me out of the car with a false smile on his face, mirroring
my own.

Carlisle and Jasper were already searching the surface of the map while Alice
burbled directions at them. Eventually, Alice’s head jerked up and shared the
vital piece of information. “Brad Dean’s warehouse,” she said, her words coming
out in an excited rush. “Near the bus station.” I guess Jasper and Emmett had
been right to trust Alice.

Carlisle and Jasper skimmed over the map and pointed to the same spot
simultaneously. Emmett peered over at the map before taking a purposeful step
forwards.

“Oh, come on, trust me! I can tell this is the way!” Emmet cried when he
turned around and noticed that no one had moved.

Jasper turned to face Emmett’s route and strained into the distance. “He’s
right, that is the way,” Jasper conceded, a playful tone colouring his voice that
seemed out of place in the current situation. “It is the right way,” he defended as
five pairs of disbelieving eyes looked at him; five pairs of eyes as Alice was
looking away, pointedly refusing to take part in this debate.

“How do you know it’s the right way?” Rosalie challenged.

“Because you can see the sign in the distance.”

 We all peered into the distance in unison and I saw what he meant. Bright and
bold, seemingly suspended in the sky, the words ‘Brad Dean’ hung.

Emmett began to walk again, more purposefully this time as understanding

became painted on every face. We all followed this time, unquestioning about
Emmett’s route.

The walk was silent. The other Seattle people were chatting animatedly,
buying food from the stalls and running for busses like this was just like any
other day. And this was just like any other day for them. These people wouldn’t
have to go home tonight with a guilty conscience. I was about to murder people,
children. If they were indeed newborns, then this would be just like killing a child.

The looming sign came around far too soon and I stood staring at the
building. The words I had seen from the distance now glowered from their place,
hung off the big glass warehouse. I hadn’t noticed from the distance but the sign
was deep red – the colour of blood.

Emmett had not stopped as I had to admire the building and instead was half
walking half running through the door. The door was faded deep red, the same as
the sign, but this colour had been sun bleached and faded from years of disuse,
and was now closer to orange than red. The inside of the building was quite
bleak. The open door let a small trickle of light into the otherwise pitch black
room and threw a dim light over the floor and walls. The stone floors were dirty
and dusty and encrusted with decaying leaves in every colour imaginable. The
walls were made from the same stone as the floor, with small light bulbs in cages
placed at odd intervals. I could tell what everyone would be thinking without
looking at them because I was thinking them too; the place was empty. There
was not so much as a small breath or faint murmur to indicate people being
present. There wasn’t even a footprint in the dust.

Alice gasped suddenly, breaking the silence, and everyone turned to look at
her. Her face was horror struck, her mouth open and her eyes wide with terror
and yet strangely vacant; she was having a vision. Jasper ran to her side and
clamped his hands over the tops of her arms.

“Alice? Alice! What is it?” His voice was rising in pitch with panic which was
unusual for Jasper. He was normally the calmest person in a situation like this,
but now he was panicking. It was unnerving.

Alice’s eyes refocused of Jasper’s face and she threw herself into an embrace.
“Jasper!” she gasped, relief saturating her voice.

Suddenly Alice gasped. She broke free from a hurt looking Jasper and glared
over at the corner, pointing one of her slender fingers at the sudden disturbance.
In the seconds that had just passed, I had not heard the light footsteps on the
stairs or the light breathing that was now issuing from the corner Alice was
staring at.
 The actions were so swift that I barely registered them. Rosalie and Esme
stood in front of Alice, their arms out, shielding her. Carlisle fell into a crouch in
front of the huddle with Jasper and Emmett flanking him. Edward fell into his
hunting stance next to Emmett and in front of me. After seeing the defensive
display take place, I instinctively threw a protective shield around my family.

The people in the corner didn’t hesitate after seeing our defensive
preparation. They walked forwards with long strides and closed most of the
distance within seconds.

Under my protective cover, I was hyper-aware of every movement. I felt

Emmett sink deeper into his crouch. I felt Alice struggle slightly against the
confines of Esme and Rose’s arms. I felt Edward lean out of his crouch and stare
at the approaching figures. I felt Carlisle sway, as if losing his balance, and stand.

“I’m Carlisle. This is my family: Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper and Alice, Edward and
Bella and Esme.” I could tell from his tone that he still fathered a small hope that
there would be no need for violence.

One of the people stepped forwards. He was tall – very tall, maybe even taller
that Emmett – and very muscular. As he walked, the thick bands of solid muscle
on his arms tensed and relaxed with each stride. He was just as beautiful as any
other vampire I had met, but he was somehow different. His features could not
be compared to beauty when twisted into such a deceitful mask. His eyes were
almost black with small swirls of crimson, indicating that we were right to believe
that these vampires were behind the murders. He was dressed in simple city
clothes: a blue long-sleeved shirt and some dark blue jeans. He looked no
different to the many city-dwellers I had seen on their daily commute this
morning. I had to remind myself that this was no ordinary person – I was looking
at a killer.

“Carlisle, yes I know,” he murmured, obviously intending for Carlisle to hear.

His face was dark and dangerous. I didn’t trust this face. “I am Arun, and this is
Caroline.” He smiled darkly as he indicated the small shadow behind him.

Caroline stepped out, revealing herself, and stood next to Arun. She was very
small, comically small standing next to Arun, and very thin. Her thick curtain of
dark blonde hair swung over her face and she smiled sweetly. She too was
dressed in city clothes: a long floral patterned shirt and thick black tights. In any
other situation, I wouldn’t have believed that such an innocent looking girl could
be something so devious; her smile looked non-threatening but her crimson
tinged eyes stood out on her skin repulsively. Those eyes flickered uncertainly to
each face, pausing on Carlisle’s kind face and Emmett’s grimace.

“Is it just you two?” Carlisle looked wary. I could tell from Edwards slight body
shift that there were more.

They seemed to notice as Edward’s expression become threatening and knew

they had to tell the truth. Arun grinned wider and exchanged it with Caroline.
“Just one other; she is out hunting.” His expression turned mocking. “You should
have let her know you were stopping by. She would have loved to meet you.”

Emmett’s grimace tightened and Jasper poorly restrained the growl issuing
form his throat. Rosalie and Esme took a tiny step back towards Alice, shielding
her further. Alice put up no protest now. She was concentrating hard, rubbing her
temples with her fingers, trying to guess the outcome of this confrontation.

I stared at Caroline, wondering what her thoughts were. She looked

surprisingly unhappy to have triggered this reaction. Her eyes tightened and she
stared at Carlisle’s face again; he had still not been shaken by their responses.

She stared for several seconds and then looked up at Arun, a terrified
expression on her face. His face was the mirror of hers. She began to glare at
Emmett, then Jasper, then Rose. Each time she stopped glaring, she looked at
Arun, the same expression on her face.

I gathered that she was attacking. I had seen the look of concentration and
frustration on Jane’s face when my shield had stopped her. Obviously Caroline
was trying to attack. I noticed a faint fog outside of my shield and knew that her
power was weak. I began looking for holes in my shield, just in case, when I
noticed something inside the shield. It was blisteringly hot inside the shield, and
my chest felt like it was on fire. I would compare the pain to heartburn, but soon
it changed and became more like the fire from transformation.

I felt like I was burning from the inside.

I looked nervously from face to face and paused on Edward. He hadn’t noticed
the fire yet, because he wasn’t looking. I began to retract my shield from myself
to warn Edward when I felt a blaze in my head. I felt myself thrashing on the floor
and crying out. The pain stopped as suddenly as it had started and I reattached
my shield.

Edward was at my side, crouching over my head and brushing the hair from
my eyes. His concerned face drifted towards Caroline slightly and changed into a
terrifying expression, filled with rage.

As I sat up, I noticed that Jasper and Carlisle had drifted forwards slightly and
Emmett back towards Rose.

“What was that?” Carlisle demanded with no anger in his tone, just defensive
curiosity.

Arun just looked at Caroline and nodded slightly. She restarted the attack, this
time her gaze centred on my face, obviously seeing me as the weak link, the
easiest target.

Edward growled and stepped in front of me, shielding me.

I saw Emmett going deeper into his crouch and shuffling forwards as Carlisle
dropped his body a few inches. The fight was about to begin.
 In the same second, Caroline and Arun took a small step back.

“You obviously want violence,” sighed Arun. His dark eyes still glowed
playfully and I knew he was about to try a trick.

I was right.

He and Caroline lunged forwards simultaneously, each grasping at air until

their searching fingers found Carlisle and Jasper. Arun grasped Jasper’s midriff
and slung him over his shoulder with ease despite the violent protest Jasper was
making. Caroline took Arun and Carlisle’s hands and joined them. She clutched
Arun’s arm and they disappeared.

This was all done in a matter of seconds and the shock made everyone’s
reactions slow.

Alice screamed and battered against Esme and Rose’s restraining arms. She
flew to where Jasper had just been and collapsed to the floor, her shoulders
heaving with tearless sobs for her love.

Esme stood still, stuck in the position Alice had thrown her into, staring at
Alice’s back.

Emmett ran to Rose and enveloped her in a tight embrace.

Edward just reached silently for my hand and clutched it tightly between both
of his, muttering to himself angrily. It sounded like “I should have known, I should
have known!”

I should have been comforting him but I was just as shocked as Esme. How
had this happened? How had we let Jasper and Emmett be captured?

Had Edward been wrong? Was I such a bad luck charm that I had influenced
this situation? I was beginning to think that my bad luck had no limits.