Chapter 1:
The predator has many weapons it can use to catch its prey. The eagle has its sight to spot the rabbit, it has wings to fly to the rabbit, and it has talons in which to clutch the rabbit and a beak to rip it apart. But the rabbit is not defenseless. The rabbit changes color: white in the snow and brown in the woodland to hide from the eagle. It can bury under the ground. It is quick so that it has a chance to run away. It has a chance to survive. That is the way nature intended it. Why then is that humankind is in no way equipped to survive its oldest predator?
The water fell in hard plops, stunning me as I exited the tube station. It was raining; then again… it always rained in London. That's why I chose it as my home for the last five years. The rain, the gray skies, the gloom; it was a perfect setting for us. Before I left the cover of the awning, I checked my watch and stared at the moving second hand, realizing what the time was. I sped up. Damn it, damn it. I was going to be late. I decided to forgo the unnecessary umbrella appearance and bear the rain. It wouldn't look too out of place. I couldn't help but hear Diana's voice in my head. "Remember, they don't like the cold and the rain. It bothers them." I rolled my eyes; she's always saying something like that. She's a little paranoid.
Before long I arrived at the door of the St. Vincent Academy. I'd been attending for the last two years; I was an eleventh year now, as the English call it. Back where I came from it was junior year. One of the austere brick red doors stood ajar, welcoming the students into its warm interior. I raced into the building, when the smell hit me. I stood frozen in the entrance; all my senses were at attention as I tried to discern the different scents of the beings that crossed recently. Their scent clung to the carpeted interior, so strong; I was surprised that I didn't smell it across the corner. The first one was distinctly one of my own. The second smelled like a combination of the two scents I was familiar with. The third was completely new to me. I do not like surprises, this was no exception.
I began walking, awareness on high, taking note of where the scents led. Unfortunately they did not lead where I had to go. I was late for the welcoming ceremony. I was supposed to make a speech. The hall was empty so it had started already. I quickened my pace, easily eating the distance from the front hall to the auditorium. I entered back stage to see the Headmistress tapping her foot lightly on the wood floor. I adjusted my glasses and walked onto the stage. A heavy blue curtain separated her and I from the rest of the school, its silver trimmed bottom brushed the end of the stage.
"You are late," Headmistress Q. said to me in a level, clipped tone.
"Yes, I know. I'm sorry,"
"Well then go on." I always got the feeling that Ms. Q didn't like me. I became prefect because I managed to charm the other members of the Vincent Academy staff; Ms. Q was the only one who didn't seem affected. She entered through the curtains, to silence the crowd and introduce me. I checked the mirror that hung on the door of the closet. My hair was wet and lay wet on the back of my neck. My gold eyes, normally bright, were dimmed by my glasses. I smiled wide, then retracted it, careful not show any sharper than normal teeth.
"Our class prefect, Gabriel Wren," I heard Ms. Q's voice through he curtain. That was my cue. I walked through the curtains to stand behind the podium. I scanned the crowd for faces, easily visible despite the bright lights that shined on me.
"My fellow students…" My breath caught as I became aware of their presence. I narrowed my eyes and found the sources seated in the back of the crowd. Two of them sat next to each other, a small female with intense golden eyes, sharp-pixie like features, and short black hair and a male that had tousled dirty-blonde hair and a look of profound proportions on his face. There was no doubt about it; new vampires had arrived in London. They were not the ones that worried me, I could tell from their eyes that they didn't hunt humans, it was the other two. Next to the vampires sat a girl with long wavy dark brown hair and golden eyes, her pale vampire-like skin was very humanly flushed and I could hear her heart beating. Stranger still was the guy who hovered behind her, he was way too big for the seat he sat in, he was most likely Native-American and he looked very protective of the brunette. The next thing I noticed was that he smelled awful, like wet-dog. I pulled myself from the group, I'd already been silent for two second so I needed to go on with my speech.
"Excuse me. I hope you've all had a great summer, because I know you will have a wonderful school year…" My speech went on without a hitch with applause at its end. I left to stand at my spot on the stage while Ms. Q said her closing words. I searched for the group of non-humans in the crowd, I found that they were leaving. The guy with the tousled blonde hair caught my eyes for a fraction of a second before turning to follow the rest. Casually I exited the stage, not wanting to prolong my inverstigation. I followed the trail to the empty main hall where they stood as if they were waiting for me.
"Who are you?" I asked, louder than necessary. The small one stepped forward.
"Hello, I'm Alice Hale. And you are Gabriel; I saw that you'd be coming to meet us so I made them stay here."
"Why did you suddenly decide to come to London? My coven has inhabited this city for the last fifty years. We are the only vampires here. If you've come here you'll only cause trouble." The big guy glared at me, draping his arm over the brunette, while the tousled guy took step forward arms out. I turned my gaze to him. "Do not come any closer."
"We mean no harm. We come from the Olympian Peninsula, in America and we needed a change of scenery, Jasper and I. This is Jasper; I saw that you were one of the only vegetarian vampires in Europe. I decided to come here to London. Besides, London is just as rainy as Forks. Do you know how boring it is to only go out only at night? Well, of course you do because you're a vampire too. And---"
"What are they," I said cutting her off. She turned to the brunette and the big guy.
"Oh this is Renesme Cullen and Jacob Black."
"I said what they are. She looks like a vampire yet I can hear her heartbeat." The brunette, Renesme, stepped forward. Her bodyguard, Jacob, followed dutifully.
"If I may speak for myself, I am a half vampire," she said softly. My eyes widened as I made the connection. Ten years ago I lived in New York City. It was during the phase in my afterlife in which I thought going out at night only was a plus. I used to know a vampire named Domino, who had heard from someone else that the Volturi were coming to American to deal with an immortal child. I remember him telling me, it was the Cullens: a coven of eight vampires that only hunted animals, the biggest coven I'd heard of besides the Volturi. I was a newly born vampire during the wiping out of the immortal children and the vampires who created them, and so that news didn't particularly titillate me like it did other vampires.
"The Cullen's? You were the immortal child I heard about ten years ago. Why aren't you dead?"
"If I may show you?" She walked towards me arms outstretched. I bristled, removing my glasses from my eyes.
"Back up," I said giving her my full glare. She froze in her tracks. When the big guy realized what I had done he jumped in front of her. Crouched low, his fist was clenched, and he was snarling. The other one, Jasper dashed to his side laying a hand on his shoulder. Alice slinked forward, she was in a position that I first perceived as relaxed, but upon closer inspection was tensed if action was needed. She spoke steadily as if speaking to scared animal.
"That was an overreaction. But I see you are like us. You have a special ability. I can see the future, that's how I knew you. Jasper can affect people's emotions." I glanced at the Jasper then Jacob; Jacob had relaxed to stand up, six inches taller than the vampire. "And Renesme can show people things with her mind. That was all she was trying to do. It would be quicker than explaining it with words. Now could you please release her?" I felt the tension being drained from my muscles, and saw that Jasper's eyes were focused on me. At a point Renesme began to move again. She looked to Alice to see if she should approach me. Alice nodded. Jasper stared at Renesme. Jacob sort of stared into space as if he were anaesthetized. She walked at a human pace, and placed her warm and solid fingertips on my forehead. Suddenly my head was flooded with images; it was as if I watched a movie behind my eyes. And as her story unfolded, I began to understand.