Disclaimer: I don't own twilight.

The forest streaked past me, though I could easily see every detail in the drops of dew that covered each leaf and blade of grass. Running solely for my freedom, I dared not look back. They would hunt me the moment the realized that I escaped. Unbelievable it was that they hadn't already found me.

I had been waiting for this day ever since my father handed me over to them, ever since that instant that I could clearly see what had lied ahead of me in my horrid future. Finally I was tasting freedom, and I would fight and die to keep its beautiful flavor. When they had brought me along to the southern part of North America to use me as their ultimate weapon, I had known this was serious. They had never brought me along when they worked. I was too valuable. So I knew several things: they were worried that they could lose, they would be focused entirely on their mission, they would be distracted, and I had the opportunity to escape. And I had never come close to leaving their watching eyes in all the years they had held me. How could I come close to leaving? They were the Volturi.

And I was almost free. For now.

I traveled northwest, swimming across the ocean, and running through the least populated areas I could find. For days I ran, never stopping until I reached Canada. I could only tell where I was by a guess - it grew much colder, and the wildlife changed drastically. I had no idea where I was precisely; I just knew that for the time being, I was safe. The rain which I made sure to run into as frequently as possible would wash away the aroma of my trail. I lied down for the night, after having not rested for 4 days straight, in a tall tree covered in snow, finally relaxed.

I awoke to a growling stomach. What the hell was I supposed to eat out here? I followed my nose to find, miles and miles away, a small local inn. I had no money on me, so I couldn't stay the night. I only needed food anyways. As fast as light, I squeezed through a small window in the back and sprinted across the kitchen of the inn. Luckily for me, there were few workers in the kitchen, so getting in and out was easy. I had managed to grab what appeared to be a block of cheese, two loaves of bread, and a gallon of some sort of juice.

I think I inhaled the food within two minutes.

I sat up high in a tree, amazingly full, and fell asleep.

It had been 3 months since my escape. It was a wonder that I was not dead already. The Volturi must have been looking for me for a while, but I had seen no signs of them anywhere near me. And I was well aware of my surroundings. I kept tabs in the local newspapers, always checking for any signs that any vampire of any sorts could be near me. At the single mention of a homicide, I would travel for days to get away from my location. It was no sort of life to live, but at least I was alive.

During my 4th month of freedom, I met a coven that would change my life forever. I had just recently run for days on end, when a double homicide had been committed, both bodies drained of blood. This had given me a particular scare, so I ran farther than normal. I was well into Alaska, running through a white forest when I saw them.

Three outrageously gorgeous women which could only be vampires were crouched into a catlike position, obviously hunting. What kept me from bolting from the area was the strangeness of the situation. Here were these three vampires, apparently hunting, in a forest. A forest. How often do people travel through Alaska's wilderness? I mean, sure, there must be some people who are brave enough to try it, but the three women would have a much easier time catching a human in a city than in a forest. There were just more people.

My curiosity got the better of me, and, careful to not even make an impression in the snow, I shifted until I was closer to them, but better hidden.

The platinum blonde one suddenly took off in the opposite area that I was crouched in. I listened to the other women who were talking, quarreling really, about a man it seemed. A human. They were debating his abilities in bed. This was not uncommon to me; the Volturi had a few members who would capture a human to use as a sex toy really. They talked for a while about this man whose name was apparently Derek; however, I never heard the end of their conversation.

Suddenly I knew that there was a person behind me, just as I knew that if I showed any signs of being a threat, this person would easily overpower me physically. However, she wouldn't shred me to pieces just for eavesdropping.

Slowly, I turned around, my hands raised, to look at the same blonde vampire that had left only moments ago. Her lips curled back over her teeth, she hissed delicately.

Instinct had me crouching as well, a growl building in my chest. She began to circle me, hissing, as the other two came up around me as well. Three against one, under normal circumstances, were not good odds for me.

Swell.

If I fought back, I was certaintly dead.

If I surrendered... as much as vampires never surrendered (that just seems weird, really), well there's a chance they may give me some time to explain. Maybe.

Going against my instincts, my knee-jerk reactions, I stood from my crouch, forced the growl in my chest to subside, and put my hands up in the universal "I give up" signal.

The one with the ashy-blonde, shorter hair slowly came out of her crouch as well. It was then that I realized how quickly my heart was beating. It almost hurt my chest. Even without adrenaline quickening my pulse, the vamps would've heard my heart.

And they finally noticed my heart-beat. They realized there was a slight blush in my cheeks form the cold. They saw the snow melt as it landed on my face.

I could almost see the wheels turning in their heads.

I wasn't like them. My heart beats, blood runs through my veins, my temperature is actually higher than a normal human's.

I wasn't a full vampire.

Yet, they'd seen me crouching, hissing and growling. They saw my razor sharp teeth, my stone-hard skin.

The platinum blonde was glaring at me once again. "You a vampire?"

I glanced around myself, cautious.

I returned her glare.

"I'm half."

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