Divenire
Ch. 1
Bella's POV
I took one final look at my childhood home as my father packed the last of our stuff into the U-Haul. After 21 years, Charlie was moving us to Seattle. He'd transferred to the Seattle PD. Though, initially, I had been pissed at the idea, I understood why he wanted us to move. With each passing day, it grew harder to walk through our home, constantly bombarded with the memories of my mother, his wife and mate. I'd seen it in my brother, Jacob's, eyes that he was taking it just as hard. Even though Renee wasn't his biological mother, he'd been just as close with her as I. From the moment we stumbled upon him in the woods during one of our hunts and taken him in, he was practically attached to her. He'd quickly become a momma's boy, and just as quickly become the brother I'd always wanted. If it weren't for the difference in our eye color, I'd forget we weren't blood related. Where my family had icy blue eyes like the rest of our kind, Jacob had one brown and one blue. We'd not found out why his eyes were so, since he had no memory of his biological family. He'd been on his own for as long as he could remember, before we'd come along.
"Come on, Bells. Jacob's waiting for you in your truck. Just follow the U-Haul," Charlie said as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and gave me a reassuring pat. With a nod, I turned and headed towards my truck, the old Chevy that Jacob and I had just finished restoring. Jacob and I didn't say a word as we pulled out of the drive for the last time. And in that moment, I knew he was craving revenge just as much as I was.
The next 3 hours dragged on as we made our way to our new home. Jacob and I had hardly spoken the entire time. We pulled up to the new house and began the tedious task of unloading the trucks and beginning to unpack. I moved all of my boxes and my mattress to my room, then only unpacked what I really needed for the night and following day; clothes, shoes, toiletries, my guitar, and my longboard. After a quick shower, I settled onto my unmade bed and went to sleep.
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!
BEEP, BEEP, CRASH!
Though my alarm clock didn't deserve the death I'd just delivered, I couldn't help but feel a little better having taken some anger out on something. It was 7 in the morning, and I was obviously not pleased to be up so early. But Jacob and I had an hour to make it to campus for our tour of the campus at Cornish College of the Arts. Though I was beginning my 3rd year of college, Jake and I were both new to this college. I got out of bed and started getting dressed. I grabbed a v-neck white tee, then slid into my skinny blue jeans. Then, I began my attempts at taming my hair. After a 15 minute battle, I opted to just put on my black beanie and head downstairs for breakfast after slipping on my black Vans. I could smell, as well as hear, the bacon sizzling in the kitchen, and my stomach gave a growl just to verify my hunger. I should've known Jake would already have been down to scarf most of what Charlie had prepared for us, but I still gave him a frustrated pop over the head as I passed to get to my seat. I scraped the remaining bit of eggs onto my plate, and grabbed the last piece of toast.
"Do you always have to eat so much, dude? You know it doesn't really do much for us."
"Doesn't mean I don't love it. I can't help that I love eating. You know this," he said with his mouth full.
"No need to bicker, you two. I made some extra bacon for you, Bells," said Charlie, as he placed said bacon on my plate. I finished my breakfast and went back upstairs to brush my teeth and grab my bag and board. A few minutes later, Jacob and I were headed out the door.
We arrived at the campus just in time to begin our tour, and by the end, I was in love with it. I was actually looking forward to starting classes. Jake and I decided to check out our new stomping grounds, and spent the couple of hours skating around. We stumbled upon a cozy looking café, and decided to stop for a break. Entering the café, we were immediately hit with a scent we both recognize. The too-sweet smell could only belong to a vampire, and we recognized it immediately. We looked to each other, with anger burning in our eyes.
"Do you think…?"
"I don't know, Jake. But we're sure as hell going to find out," I said, barely suppressing a growl. We took a seat in the corner of the café, in a spot where we could see the entire place. After a few minutes, I hear the soft steps approaching the door to the kitchen. I looked up just in time to see the source of that sound, and of the scent Jake and I had caught. A woman, about 5'4, looking no older than 26, walked through the doors. I could see the confusion towards us on her face as she approached our table. To a human, she would look like a movie-star type beauty. But I could see the marble-like texture to her too-pale skin. I was taken aback, though, when I looked at her eyes. Instead of the glowing red that I had been expecting, she had eyes the shade of amber, nearly golden. As I took in the rest of her appearance; her heart shaped face, reddish-brown hair, and kind smile; I realized just how different she was from the vampire I'd been expecting. The one I'd been hoping to find. I looked to Jacob and could see that he must have been thinking the same. Even so, we both knew just what these leeches could do, and we weren't about to allow one to catch us off guard simply because she seemed kind.
"Welcome to the Infinitá Café. What can I get for you two?"
I felt a pang in my chest at the sound of her voice. It was so motherly and soft, I couldn't help but be reminded of my own mother. Jacob had yet to stop staring at the woman, so I decided to speak up.
"You can start by telling us what you're doing around all of these humans," I said, so low that only the 3 of us could hear. With the same volume, and just as calm as she had been before, she replied.
"This is my café. And these humans are safe, for they are not a part of my 'diet,' if you will."
"What the fuck?" Jake finally spoke, and it was my turn to stare at the woman. I was utterly confused as to what she could mean by that.
"Do you two need a moment, or are you ready to order," she asked, this time with a hint of irritation in her voice. "No, we'll be leaving," I said as I grabbed my things and practically shoved Jacob out of the door, ahead of me. We quickly made our way home, and waited for Charlie to return from work so we could tell him of the woman.
"There's a vampire….here in Seattle…..running a café? You're positive she's one of them?"
I huffed, yet again, at my father's inability to comprehend what Jake and I had told him.
"Yes, dad. But she's…different. I don't know why, but she wasn't aggressive at all. And her eyes were gold-ish, not red."
"Different or not, I do not want you going near that place again. You hear me, Bella? And same goes to you, Jacob. Don't go sneaking around, you two," Charlie said, fully aware of what Jake and I had in mind. I couldn't help the rise in volume to my voice, "What if they know of the others? We could use them to find the two we've been looking for! Finally have our chance to make them pay for that they've done!" I could see Jake nodding in agreement out of the corner of my eye. But I could also see Charlie wasn't going to budge.
"Bella, you know I want to rip those two leeches to shreds just as much as you do. But we can't risk it. And I cannot lose either of you, too. Leave it be, Isabella. And stay away from that café."
I could see the look of defeat in my father's eyes as he stood from his seat and made his way to his room. I hadn't realized that I'd just been staring in the direction Charlie had gone until Jake spoke up.
"You know we can't just give up. We need to do something. This could be our only chance. I can't move on knowing those assholes are still out there."
"I know," I said, quietly enough that Charlie wouldn't hear. I needed to think, to devise a plan, so I decided to go finish unpacking and try to work something out.
After successfully setting up my room, I still hadn't come up with a solid plan. I decided to just play it by ear, and hope for the best.
The next few days consisted of unpacking the rest of our stuff, painting, and decoration the house. Though, there wasn't much "decorating" to do. That had basically just consisted of hanging the photos we had, and placing dad's gigantic flatscreen on the wall above the fireplace. We'd gotten everything done the night before Jake and I began our classes. We hadn't hunted since the night before the move, so Charlie suggested we do so before we began class in the morning. The three of us ran the short distance to the woods in our human form, then shifted once we reached the cover of the trees. As unpleasant as the shift sounded, what with the cracking and resetting of bones and the shredding of flesh to make way for fur, I always found myself enjoying it. There was an odd sense of relief and comfort when my wolf took form. Jake's shift always took a few seconds longer than my father's and mine, but soon we were running headlong towards a stream that we could hear nearby. As we drew closer, the smell of elk permeated the air, and I picked up my speed, intent on having first choice and snagging the largest of the elk. As soon as I came through the clearing, though, I was hit with the scent of something else and came to an abrupt halt. Charlie and Jake nearly passed me, but I could tell they'd caught the scent, too, as they both stopped and began to growl, quickly looking around us. The scent was being blown our way from the northwest, and without wasting another second, I took off in that direction. I left behind the sounds of my father snapping at me, and continued chasing the scent. I knew they'd follow, but with my head start and higher speed, I knew they wouldn't catch me.
I followed the scent though the woods for miles before it suddenly veared off and led me to an area that was just behind some buildings in the city. Apparently the camp had walked through an ally and onto the city sidewalks. I cut my losses and turned back the way I came, immediately coming face to face with a very pissed Charlie.
"What the fuck were you thinking, Isabella? You can't just take off like that after a god damn vampire! Have you learned NOTHING?" Pissed as I was that I'd lost the vampire, I knew better than to show my temper with Charlie. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. It won't happen again," I said, lowering my head in hopes that Charlie would ease up on me.
In a quieter voice, he continued. "This has got to stop. And you better get your head on straight and start thinking before you wind up dead. Let's wrap this hunt up and get home." I nodded and followed Charlie back towards Jacob and to the stream we'd found before. We came upon a few deer, and easily took them out. We arrived back at home around 2 in the morning, with full bellies and stronger bodies. I headed straight up to the shower, and collapsed into bed afterwards. Since I still hadn't gotten a new clock, I set an alarm on my cell for 7 a.m., and made a mental note not to crush it when I woke.
Alice's POV
"Alice, just pick something out already. You're hogging my mate and we all need to hunt," Edward said, being his usual whiney self.
"We just hunted three days ago. Calm down," I said. My outfit choice was first priority, and I knew I could handle the first day of the semester without the urge to snack on some human, anyway. I felt a little bad for putting Jasper in this position, though. Making him choose between his mate and his best friend. But I needed an outside opinion and Jazz was always best for that.
"Babe, can't you just wait a little longer? We'll get this done and then we can go hunt," said Jasper, as he tried to avoid actually having to choose a side. He almost always did so, unless he knew he would suffer the consequences if he didn't do what Eddy wanted.
"Forget it," Edward said, "I'll just go by myself. I'll be back later." With that, he silently left the apartment, and Jasper and I continued searching for the perfect outfit for yours truly. As I disappeared into my closet to pick another contender out, I felt the workings of a vision coming on. My head tingled, my sight tunneled, and suddenly I was seeing Edward in the woods. He was standing in the cover of the brush, watching a herd of elk drink from a stream. Just beyond the stream, I saw what looked to be 3 large, bright, orbs lurking in the trees. Suddenly, one of them was racing towards Edward.
When I finally came out of the vision, I felt Jasper's soft grip on my shoulders.
"What'd you see, Ally," he asked, sending a wave of calm through me.
"I….I'm not sure. But we need to…"
Just before I could finish my sentence, Edward came into the room. "Call Esme and Carlisle," he said in a rush, "and tell them to get here immediately. And to bring Rose and Emmett. We're having a meeting."
I only nodded as I waited for someone to answer the phone.
"Alice, dear, how are you?" Esme was the one to answer the phone.
"Mom, round up everyone and get over here to the apartment. Quickly."
She knew not to ask any questions, and hung up as soon as I finished talking.
"They should be here shortly."
Exactly 4 minutes and 7 seconds later, we were all seated in the living room of the apartment, waiting for Edward to begin.
"What is it, son," Carlisle asked, eager to find out what had Edward so upset. The rest of us felt the same, especially myself. I hoped he could tell me what I had seen in my vision, because I certainly had no clue. Edward was standing and began pacing the room.
"I don't think we're the only 'supernatural' beings in Seattle, anymore," he said, as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"What do you mean," asked Esme.
"I mean…I think there are werewolves living around here."
All of us had questioning looks and shock plastered on our faces. All except for Emmett, who gave a smirk and a shout of "Awesome!"
"No, not 'awesome,'" Edward corrected, "They obviously don't take too kindly to vampires. While I was hunting, I heard the thoughts of two people approaching. Only they weren't people at all, and there were actually three of them. Two males, one female. I don't know why, but I couldn't read the female. And as soon as she caught my scent, she charged me."
"Oh my," said Carlisle, "This is quite interesting. I thought the wolves had been secluded to Europe ages ago."
"Apparently not," said Edward, pointing out what we obviously already knew. Ass.
I decided I should speak up then.
"I had a vision of three being in the woods where you were, and one charging you. But I didn't see them as wolves. They only appeared as white orbs in my vision," I said. Carlisle gave me a quizzical look, obviously intrigued by the bit of information.
"Wait!" Esme stood from her seat and turned to Carlise. "Remember the two kids I told you about that came into my café a few days ago? They acted as though they knew what I was. There was one male and one female. Perhaps they're two of the wolves? They did smell...odd….to me."
"Could be," said Carlisle. He continued to sit completely still, deep in thought. After a few moments, he spoke again. "Well, the good thing is that Alice can still somewhat see the wolves in her visions, even if not in their physical forms. We'll all have to be extremely careful, regardless, but I would also like to see if maybe we can acquire more information on them."
It had been decided that I keep a look out for the wolves in my visions, and that non of us hunt alone again until we knew it was safe to do so. By the time our parents, Rose, and Emmett had left, it was nearly time for Edward, Jasper, and I to be leaving for our first class. I had exactly half an hour to decide on what to wear, so I went to my room.
When Edward called for me to tell me it was time to leave, I was dressed in my favorite flats, a pair of dark-wash skinny jeans, a red low-V top, and my form-fitting leather jacket. Coincidentally, that had been the first outfit I'd laid out in the beginning of my wardrobe debate.
I grabbed my bag, and the boys and I headed to campus.
I couldn't help but be excited as we found a spot to park.
"I don't understand how you can be remotely happy to be here, Alice. Especially after all of these years," Edward said. I'd explained to him hundreds of time why I loved coming back to college, but he never understood. He didn't understand how much I loved attended my dance and theatre classes. The classes gave me a chance to perform again, and I always had fun watching the new students. It was interesting to see a person perform, and to have a vision of where they'd be in years to come. To see who would end up being the next big acting star, or who would go on to be a successful professional dancer. I could easily steal their spotlight and be the best around (not to boast), but I chose to keep my skill level at just-impressive-enough, that way I was able to apply myself a bit without drawing too much attention.
The boys and I exited the car, and I headed for the Fine Arts building for my Acting: Improvisation class. Theatre had been a passion of mine for as long as I could remember. I'm not sure where if I acted in my past before my change or not, but I figured I must have. The class would be wonderful, especially when it came to watching the other students. I suppose I had a thing for people watching.
I entered the large theatre and took a seat in a row behind everyone else in the class. Shortly after I got myself settled, I went into a vision. What I saw both intrigued and worried me. In about 30 seconds, one of the wolves would be entering the very class I was in. This intrigued me because I'd been wanting to see what the wolves really looked like, as wolves and as humans. But it worried me because I wasn't sure what would happen when that wolf came in the door to find a vampire in the room. Things could easily get ugly. I prepared myself for the worst, and waited for the wolf to enter the room.
I found I was completely unprepared for what really happened. As the theatre door opened, I was hit with the smell of rain, earth, and a hint of something sweet, almost like vanilla. The combination of it all was absolutely intoxicating. I tried to stop the thought, stop enjoying the smell, knowing it was the wolf coming in the door. But what I saw had me completely floored. The girl was stunning. She stood at about 5'8", and looked to be about 22 or 23. Her body was perfectly toned, and her skin was almost golden it was so perfectly tanned. She had dark brown hair that hung in waves and fell just past her breasts. What struck me next were her eyes. They were so bright, especially in contrast with her dark hair and tanned skin. They were almost an electric shade of blue. Like icy arctic water being hit by the sunlight. They were mesmerizing, to say the least. After what felt like minutes of ogling, I finally snapped myself out of it, and remember this gorgeous girl could be a threat. When I looked at her again, she was the one staring. Only she wasn't staring in the way I had been staring at her, only moments ago. What I saw in her eyes now was pure outrage. She was still standing at the door, and seemed to be almost stuck there. Her eyes never wavered from mine, and I noticed that her once blue eyes were growing lighter, until they suddenly became completely white. And just as soon as she had entered the room, she was gone. And I couldn't understand why my stomach seemed to drop, and my unbeating heart seemed so heavy all of a sudden.