Disclaimer- I don't own Pendragon or Twilight.

__________________________________________

Fourth Earth

*~Journal One~*

*~Fourth Earth~*

*~Forks, Washington, 2007~*

I hope you're reading this, Jordan.

Heck, I hope anyone is reading this. Writing all of this down is the only think keeping me from going crazy. I'm in Forks, Washington. Don't ask me how I got here, all I know is that I'm here. Anyway, some werewolves decided to take my Uncle John, but we'll get to that later. I don't feel like thinking about that particular moment right now. So I'm in the middle of a war between vampires and werewolves. It's not a full-out war yet, but the storm is definitely brewing, and the treaty between the two is breaking. Let me go back to the beginning though, so that you can make sense of all of this.

I wished that I never listened to my Uncle John. It feels like years since I have been in New Jersey. I definitely miss the bagels, but I miss home more. Please tell my parents that I said hi and that I'm okay. They must be so worried about me. Still, lie to them and say that I'm okay. Say that I ran away or something to stop someone from committing suicide and I'll be back soon. Just make them feel good and not worried.

So I was inside, watching the ice hockey game, waiting for my turn to go out. I bit my lip and stared as the puck was passed across the rink. I looked at the stands and smirked to myself when I noticed my Uncle John. He was the kind of person that showed up every now and again without a rhyme or reason. He would show up for a week and then disappear again. Whenever I asked my parents about him, they would just knock me off and change the subject. They totally avoided him.

And he was made of money. I didn't know where he worked, but whenever you came by, we always did something. We went skydiving one time and mountain climbing another. I couldn't have asked for a better uncle. He even had a ponytail down his back made with his wiry grey hair. Still, it was different that day. He wore a serious face and stared into my eyes, motioning for me to go over there. I pursed my lips and turned to my coach.

"Um, I've got to go… for Catechism...," I lied, looking at how urgent he was.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he said, swiping me away. I grabbed my water and left the bench. My other teammates were so intent on the game they didn't even notice that I was leaving. It made me laugh and notice how important I was to the team even though I was a half-decent player. Still, I knew that I owed it to Uncle John to leave the game and see what he wanted.

That was a dire mistake.

"Hey, Uncle John," I said with a smile.

"We have to hurry."

His voice was just as serious as his face. I pursed my lips again and was about to ask him "Where?" but decided against it. "We're going to stop at your house and you're going to take a shower," he ordered me more than telling. He made a putrid face at my stench from racing around the rink. "Then we have to catch a plane."

"What about my parents?" I wanted to know.

He hesitated for a split second, but started to walk. "They'll understand. And leave all your gear here; your parents will get it."

It was my turn to hesitate then. I didn't just want to leave all of my gear out in the open. Still, if Uncle John said it was alright…. I looked over at my parents in the bleachers and waved a goodbye. They waved back, but didn't follow. I guessed that Uncle John had already told them.

If I knew that that was the last goodbye I ever said to them, I would've given them a hug and a kiss. Maybe I wouldn't even have said goodbye and swore to see them again. Either way, it wouldn't have mattered. The outcome would have been the same if I said goodbye or not.

We hopped onto his motorcycle and I put on my helmet. Uncle John checked to make sure I was on, and then went speeding off. He was going exceptionally fast. Actually, he was speeding down the highway, faster than one hundred most definitely. Still, we didn't hit anything at all as we zoomed past the cars. Within minutes, we were at my house. That drive was supposed to take at least half an hour, but I didn't complain.

"Shower, and then put on these," he told me, holding out dark, green cargo pants. In the other hand he held a black long-sleeved shirt with a tan coat that had multiple pockets. Without questioning, I nodded and grabbed the clothes. I walked up the stairs and took off my hockey clothes. I hopped into the shower and washed myself, thinking about what Uncle John could want. Maybe he was taking me scuba diving again? Still, he seemed so urgent. Whatever it was, it was important.

I washed myself as fast as I could and bounded out of the shower, drying myself off. I slipped on the pants and the shirt with the coat. I already started to sweat by the time I got back to Uncle John. He had also changed into long jeans and a fleece. He motioned for me to follow him, and I almost didn't. I almost asked him where we were going, but I stopped myself. He would tell me in time.

We jumped onto the motorcycle and Uncle John and taken out a water bottle from his cooler on the back of his motorcycle. He handed it to me and said in a strong tone, "Drink." I grabbed the bottle from his hand and swooshed some of it down my throat. Trying not to look like a pig, I left three-fourths of the water alone. He took the bottle back and placed it back into the cooler. With a sigh, he said-now less serious-, "You know that I would never put you into any real danger, right?"

"Well, yeah, of course," I replied with a smile. I immediately dropped it after I noticed he wasn't any where close to smiling.

"Well… people need our help," he told me with a sigh. "These people aren't… normal like us. They have supernatural abilities." He let that sink in, but it didn't help. It was like trying to sink into the Earth; you just couldn't. I actually thought that I was dreaming for a moment, but decided against it after I inconspicuously pinched myself. My mind raced, trying to figure out what he meant. "These people aren't people, in fact. They are werewolves and vampires."

Oh my, god. Werewolves and vampires are just myths, I thought to myself. Still, Uncle John was so serious, and it truly looked like he meant each and every word he was saying. I waited for him to say "Just kidding!" or something like that, but it never came. He only pressed on, putting salt on the wound. "There is a treaty between them; a peace treaty. As long as the vampires don't hunt humans, the werewolves will not hunt vampires. This treaty is about to break, and we need to make sure that it doesn't. Both of us are going to become vampires."

"What?" I cried out, almost jumping off the motorcycle right then and there.

"Look, look, it'll be fine," Uncle John softly, trying to calm me. It actually helped a little bit. "Being a vampire won't be that bad. You'll get to jump really high, and have super strength, and-"

"Not go into sunlight unless I want to commit suicide," I finished for him.

"Its stereotypes like you that those vampires enjoy most," he said grimly. "These vampires are immune to the sunlight; their skin only sparkles in the sunlight. You can't put a stake in their heart and they die, or garlic, or a burning crucifix. Same with werewolves; they can't die because of silver bullets. There's only one way to kill either, and I just can't tell you that for fear that you might try to kill someone."

I couldn't breathe. Well, I could, but it was pretty hard with all of that information. To think that vampires and werewolves actually existed. He left me to silence for a few minutes, trying to help my brain compute the information. Still, it was no use. All I could think was how vampires and werewolves had lived amongst us and we didn't even know about them. And to slam me into the wall, Uncle John said to me, "It's your choice."

"You must be joking," I said, trying to lighten the mood. Still, it didn't help. He just shook his head and asked again.

"These people really need our help."

"Why do you need me, though?" I asked him. "I'm just a kid who no one will trust."

He bit his lip and nodded slowly, but pressed on. "Just choose… you can either come or not."

It was definitely time in my life where I needed a little bit of an adventure. But all of that talk about vampires and werewolves… to think that I was going to turn into a vampire. I couldn't believe that I could turn into a vampire. But I already told you that ten times over, so let's just skip all of my thinking and whatnot.

"Okay…," I finally caved.

"Good," he said, lightening up a little bit. "Then we better get a move on… I'll get Becca to bite both of us."

"Bite us?" I questioned, appalled.

"Yeah, yeah, it will not hurt at all," he recoiled, brushing off my worry.

There wasn't anything else for me to do except to sit back and wait for my uncle to drive off. I had no idea where we were going, or how far it would be. Whatever the distance, I knew that Uncle John would do all in his power to keep me safe from those werewolves. I decided by that point that the werewolves were the bad guys since Uncle John and I were becoming vampires. It was the only logical thing that had happened up until that point.

I haven't been into the city many times. New York City, I mean, if you hadn't already assumed that. But he was taking us into the dirtier part of the city. I looked to my right and tensed up as I saw a sign that said "The Bronx." Excellent; Uncle John was leading me to my death. It didn't really strike me surprising that werewolves and vampires live in the Bronx. Uncle John stopped at a subway station and stepped off his bike. I followed in suit, walking side-by-side with him towards the subway. I took a moment to think about the motorcycle seeing that he left the keys in the ignition, but if he thought it was safe….

We walked down the stairs and a flush of relief swept through my system as I saw the station was under repair or down for the count. I was about to note that we should leave, but with a grunt, Uncle John heaved the cardboard and wood away from the doorway. I took a step back at his strength, but followed him into the station.

"Get on out!" I heard someone cry o out. It definitely startled me, and I almost hid behind Uncle John. Still, I kept my position. I looked around to find where the voice came from and saw a musty old man. "Can't I have some peace and quiet?" he wanted to know. Garbage bags surrounded him, making it look like a bed.

"I'm sorry, we're just passing through," Uncle John told the man sincerely.

We walked down the rails while the man continuously protested. I swear I could smell him from where I stood.

"You're not supposed to be down here," someone said from behind me. Uncle John cursed subtly and turned around. He frowned at the man. He wore a police uniform: a tan button-up shirt with blue shorts. Uncle John sighed-out of relief or frustration, I wasn't sure-and stared the man straight in the eye.

"Get on out!" cried the homeless man once more. The new guy stood in the doorway and stared at the man with icy blue eyes.

The man stood up and walked over to the train tracks. I took in breath as I noticed that a train was swooping by. Uncle John tensed up and I shut my eyes as the train hit the man. Blood spurt all over, and I heard the sickening crunch of bones. "That was below you," Uncle John snarled venomously.

The police officer shrugged and grinned. "I do what I can with what I have where I am," he said, quoting Roosevelt. The man smirked and pulled out a gun. Uncle John jumped in front of me and told me to run. He ordered me to look for a door marked with a star (I drew the star for you since all I had to do was sit around and do nothing) and cry out "Fourth Earth." It pained me to just run away from him and leave him for dead, but I reluctantly followed orders. I ran down the tracks and saw the door.

I heard a soft growl and stopped in my tracks. All around me were yellow-eyed dogs. They were as big as yellow labs, but pitch black so they blended in with the darkness. Still, the eyes illuminated the darkness. It took a moment for my brain to process the fact that I should run, but my feet finally received the call and I made a mad dash to the door. I looked at the crudely drawn star for only a second before bursting through it. My brain twisted around as I tried to remember the number Uncle John had told me. Finally, I called out, "Fourth Earth!"

I took a moment to admire the beauty of the tunnel for a moment. It was solid brick when I first walked-ran-in the room. But after I called out "Fourth Earth," it lit up. The bricks became transparent and I could see out to the sky. As soon as the lights came, they dimmed so that it was pitch black, the only light coming from the seldom found stars. The darkness seemed to enclose around me, and I actually got a little claustrophobic. With a prevailing of wind, I was swept off of my feet. I screamed all the way through the "ride." It was terrible, really. I was turned and twisted and didn't have any will in that ride of death. I cringed each time I turned s corner. Thank god it only lasted a few seconds, or I think I would've puked. I was definitely on the verge by the time it ended and I was dropped lightly onto the ground.

I looked around, trying to get my bearings. I was in a mountain. I swear I was in a legitimate mountain. I looked out the opening and saw a town. It seemed to be about two miles in length, two miles wide. Surrounding the town was a lust, green forest. Farther out, past to the town and the forest seemed to be a beach with a sparkling ocean. I couldn't imagine where in the world I was. I waited a couple of minutes, thinking about all of the places I could be. That's when the thought hit me that Uncle John could be dead. My mind raced, and-I'll admit it-I cried for a moment. I bet you would've done the same. I mean, my uncle could be dead and I'm in some mountain.

"Earth," I cried out into a whole. It was big enough for me to sprawl out in it, and all it had in it was a dark abyss. "Earth," I cried out again, but nothing happened. All I really wanted to do at that moment was go home. I didn't want to know anything about those werewolves and vampires.

That's when a light leaped out from the whole. It lit up the whole cavern, and a man appeared on top of the hole. My tears immediately left me as soon as I noticed it was Uncle John. It took all my might not to lunge to him and attach myself to his hip.

"Sorry about that," he said in between gasps. "Now we have to hurry."

I nodded slowly, pursing my lips. He slid himself out of the mouth of the cave and I followed. The sweat on my body was immediately swept away. It was snowing, and the sun was hid away in a cloud.

"What… happened?" I asked him, but he only ignored me, concentrating on carefully striding down the mountain. I pursed my lips and followed his footsteps in the snow. I was quite happy by that time that he had given me those clothes. I placed my hand in my pocket and fished out my cell phone.

Uncle John immediately swiped it from my hand and threw it to the ground. With a flash of his foot, it was smashed to smithereens. I could've found out what time it was and call my parents, but no. He had to go and crush it. "Why?" I objected, looking horrified at him.

"There are a few rules," he told me darkly. "One is to not mix the territories. There are ten."

"Then why'd you give me these clothes?" I questioned.

"They looked like clothes from Fifth Earth, and they're from Fourth Earth," he told me. "It was fine."

With a huff, I didn't comment any farther. Instead, I just continued to follow him down the mountainside.

"So there were these dogs…," I told him. He gave me a serious stare.

"Try to avoid them. They're called Phobias, and they're different on every territory," he explained to me. I nodded thoughtfully and I leaped off the last foot of the mountain. If Uncle John hadn't caught me, I would've land right on the corpse of some guy. Oh my, God, I thought to myself. Uncle John sighed and opened the man's mouth. His skin was sparkling in the sunlight, just as Uncle John said a vampire's would. I sneaked a peak at the man's mouth and took a step back. That's when I saw the rest of his body. It was charred and burned, and his limbs were separated from his body, scattered across the ground. Black lines streaked across his body, and I assumed it was just his natural skin.

"This is how you kill a vampire…," Uncle John said solemnly. "Tear its limbs apart and burn them."

It felt only right to remain silent for a moment, so we stood there. One minute went by and Uncle John nodded, moving on. He left the vampire there, and I carefully stepped over him.

"Does this mean the peace treaty is broken?" I asked him.

"They hadn't found this body yet," he said to me. "This may sound morbid, but we must leave him there. If a vampire finds him, there will be even more blood and the peace treaty will be broken for sure. But those black lines… I've never seen them before."

Great, I thought to myself. We were playing a game and we didn't even know the rules. I smiled to myself, thinking, we will just have to make up our own rules. Still, I had a feeling that this game was going to be like playing with a sore loser. The person will try to change the rules as much as possible so that they'll win. Those werewolves were vicious, and they definitely had a bloodlust for vampires. I wondered if all of those unsolved murders were due to vampires, and what all of those territories were. Maybe vampires and werewolves only existed on one territory?

"That's Forks," Uncle John told me.

"Roar!" something cried out from behind us. Uncle John pushed me out of the way just as something came barreling down the path. It knocked into Uncle John and grabbed him, leaping away. I leaped for the sky and ran, trying to follow the beast. Still, it was way too fast. It had hair all over its body, and I assumed it was a werewolf. Still, the moon wasn't out.

"Get down," snarled someone from behind me. I looked behind me and a boy that looked about eighteen stood. He was bent to the ground, baring his teeth and massively long fingernails, but he wasn't covered in fur.

It was a vampire.

"Get down!" he cried out again. I listened to him and dropped to the floor, afraid he was going to eat me. Yeah, I know, stupid, but what would you do?

He leaped over me and bounded off the trees. Within seconds, he was walking back. His claws were retracted and his fangs were gone. There was definitely tension in the air. "I assume you're Cole?" asked the boy.

"Y-yes," I stuttered.

"Come with me…," he ordered gloomily. "We'll find out a plan to get John back from those beasts."

I gulped and he eyed me. I got up slowly, and followed him. His strides were large and fast, and I had to jog to keep up with him. He had dirty-blonde hair streak up in spikes. He wore a black coat with jeans, and I could see scars on his hands. A few minutes went by in silence, and then we reached a house. The boy opened the door and walked right in. I assumed immediately that he owned the house. It had glass windows, and was definitely worth a pretty penny.

"John had already told me that you needed to be bitten," he told me, then added, "Oh, by the way, my name is Jasper."

"Okay… Jasper," I said quietly. "He did tell me that, too, but… where are we?"

"Forks, Washington, Fourth Earth. I'm the acolyte of Becca, who is also a vampire," he informed me speaking quickly. It was a little hard to follow him. "So let's introduce you to the family…."

I was left speechless as he sprinted across the house, calling out people's names. My mouth was left ajar as people walked into the room. They all had the same sparkling skin as Jasper, and were just as pale-skinned. Still, they all looked perfect.

"Hello, Cole, my name is Carlisle," a man that was at least forty said to me. "John had told us all about you; said that you were going to need to be bitten when you came. It sickens me to turn such a young boy into a vampire, but what must be done must be done."

I'm not young, I thought coldly, and a boy who looked around eighteen in the corner smirked. "Let's introduce everyone," Carlisle said to me. He pointed to the boy in the corner and said, "This is Edward. Bella is this beautiful young lady right here, and this is Alice. Jasper-I think you've already met for a few seconds"-he added that with a little smile-", Rosalie, Emmett, Esme, and our newest aquatint, Becca. Becca will show you to your room."

Becca wore black skinny jeans with a grey sweatshirt. She looked about my age. She turned on her heel and I followed her, feeling the stars of the people in the room. I assumed that they were all vampires, and I definitely wanted to hide in a corner. I followed her up a few stairs into a dining area, and then into a hallway. She opened a door and allowed me into the room.

"Take these," she said to me, handing me two rings, twenty sheets of paper, and an erasable pen. The rings were exactly the same, made of jet-black material and had strange inscriptions on them. A silver gem stood on the side. "After writing what has happened so far, place one of the rings on the ground, and then say Fifth Earth. Then say a trusted friend's name, one that you would trust with your life."

I immediately chose you. With a nod, she motioned towards the room. "This is all yours," she told me quietly. After I thanked her, she left me to write and think about becoming a vampire. My life had turned inside-out.

Jordan, I'm ending my journal here. I assume you got this, or Becca lied to me. Right now it's nine o`clock PM, and I need some sleep. So I'm going to send this and hopefully I'll survive another day to send you another journal. Becca had told me that it was dire that I wrote everything down in case I needed it later. So anyway, hope everything is going good. Wish me luck.

P.S. Carlisle gave me permission to go into their library. It's a maze in there, and I had already gone in half-way through while I was writing this. I'll never get bored again if I stay at the Cullen's mansion. That's their last name, by the way. Except for Alice and Jasper; their last names are Hale. Supposedly, Jasper and Alice are married, Carlisle and Esme are married, Becca is single, Emmett and Rosalie are married, and Edward and Bella are dating. They seem nice enough. They told me that I was going to become a vampire tomorrow right before I sent this. Isn't that just joyous?

Well anyway, bye.

~~~Cole Burns

Burns