A/N I just wanted to tell everyone that I did not write this story. I held a writing contest on pocket puma pets . com and this is the story that won. This story was written by Kate S. she does not have a fan fiction account but this is her pocket puma pets account username kate39393 please R&R thank you.
Edward growled softly under his breath. "What are you doing, Carlisle?" He demanded. "Innocent lives don't need to be wasted, Edward. " Carlisle said in a warning tone. "But we destroyed the first batch! What difference would it make if we did the same to this one?" He asked. "Besides, it's putting Bella in danger." He added, glancing at me lovingly. I almost groaned but stopped myself just in time. I wished he'd stop treating me this way! I was virtually indestructible now!
"Edward, the chances of them recognizing her are slim to none. Plus, they're all two years old, so even if they did, we'd be able to stop them before any real damage was done." Carlisle rationed with a reasoning tone. "I still don't like taking chances." He said, softening a little. "When we gain their trust, we will reveal to them who we are calmly and send them on their way." Edward seemed to relax at that, but only slightly.
Victoria. She seemed to be haunting us from beyond the grave. We had discovered that she had, in fact, planned a 'just in case' plan for in the event that she died. In Austin, Texas, she had a reserve of newborns ready to break out in the event that she didn't come back. I guess she was counting on me still being human now. I smirked
Edward looked at me curiously for a second before smiling slightly. "What are you thinking?" He asked swiftly. I stared at him a second before answering, "Victoria must have counted on me being human, and somebody else dying in the last fight." I answered, giving in with a heavy sigh. Edward could always get the truth out of me.
He smiled slightly and said softly, "I'm glad that's not the case." My breath became slightly faster and I'm sure if my heart were still beating it would've skipped a few. Hearing the acceleration in my breathing, he smiled and leaned forward to kiss my forehead lightly. I sighed but kept myself in check. I glanced back at Carlisle to see him clear his throat just in case.
Emmett mumbled something to Rose that I couldn't quite hear. She laughed hard and smiled sweetly at him. Her eyes glanced to mine, a silent promise that she would fill me in later. I shook my head slightly to try and tell her that I probably didn't want to know anyways. Edward was reading it in Emmett's mind, and his expression was an odd mingling of amusement and annoyance.
Carlisle turned back to the cave's entrance. This is where we had determined to be their hide out. I wondered briefly what Victoria had told this group.
Walking into the shady entrance, Carlisle spoke calmly. "We will not hurt you if you surrender now. We are peace loving creatures and would like to avoid a fight." He said, the echoes bouncing off the cave walls, forming a strange melody of overlaying sounds.
A pair of flip flops appeared in the beam of the flashlight, and seeing that he was discovered, the owner hissed and crouched, a low growl escaping his throat. He saw all of us and gave up, clearly going out on a limb and choosing to believe us. He straightened himself and said calmly, "I'm George, leader of this group of vampires. If your peace is true, we will hear you out." He said smoothly.
Carlisle nodded respectively and started to tell the about the wonders of a vegetarian life. "Whatever Victoria told you, it was a lie. She tricked and deceived you all. She was trying to get you to attack us because we killed her mate, James. You are probably wondering something along the lines of, 'Why would they do that?' Well, I believe an explanation is due. Edward fell in love with our dear Bella here when she was still human." He paused to let that sink in.
"James had the intentions to kill her. We were only saving our Bella. Victoria is dead now, and I fear anyone following her will end up the same. Any wishing to give up any old allegiance to her will be spared. Any wishing to join us in our vegetarian lifestyle may. There is also another coven like ours in Denali."
Some were intrigued now, stepping out into the light to listen to him speak. "A 'vegetarian' lifestyle is basically a supplemented diet. We drink animal blood, and live amongst humans. If you will not stop any hostilities towards us or Bella, step forward now or forever hold your peace." A couple of them giggled. I probably would've, too, if I wasn't busy fearing an attack.
A few tentative feet stepped into the light. "We want to join your coven." Said a tall brunet , who had a slight accent that I couldn't place. It was almost a mix of Australian and German. His chiseled features turned up in a smile. "Well, maybe not join your coven, but we want you to teach us so we might start our own." Said the small blonde female behind him.
You could tell they were mates by looking at them. The way his body sheltered hers, the way he glanced at us with worry, obviously fearing for her life rather than his own. I wondered if Edward and I looked that way sometimes. I glanced at him just long enough to see his expression was sympathetic. "We aren't going to hurt her. You don't have to worry." Edward said, clearly talking to the male. He turned to the small female. "Tessa, is it?" Edward asked politely. The couple could not keep the shock from creeping into their expressions.
"I'd like to join, too." Said a female in the back. Her voice seemed oddly familiar, and that was when I realized she was the one who laughed. Her hair was a dull, dark orange. She reminded me of Victoria, but only slightly. She had slightly Asian features, but they weren't so prominent due to her pale skin.
Making her way to the front, she looked us up and down. "Well, are we goin' or not?" She asked. "Of course. As long as nobody else would like to join?" He asked loudly. Nobody did.
We turned out of the cave and started the twenty minute run home. During the run, several times they caught the scent of human blood. I shuddered myself a few times, caught off guard. At One point, the Male, at which point we'd learned his name was Devin, veered off track, starting to hunt the humans. Carlisle stopped him just in time. Finally, after what felt like hours, we arrived back at the Cullen's house.
Renesmee, safe in Mine and Edward's Cottage, was probably starting to get antsy. Although she had protested when we told her she would have a baby sitter, she was fine when she heard it was Jacob. Edward and I ran back to check on her before beginning the newborns' training.
Opening the door, I found her sitting down, playing Clue with Jacob. She had grown a lot in the last year. She looked roughly twelve now. She was sitting on the big rocking chair with a book in front of her. Jacob was at the table, playing what looked to be Solitaire.
"You can move the king to the right." I whispered in his ear. He jumped about three feet and yelled something along the lines of, "Gah!". I laughed hard and Renesmee joined in, followed by Edward. Jacob was blushing deeply. "You can't sneak up on me like that, Bells." He said, shaking his head slightly.
"We won't be back until close to the morning tonight, Renesmee." I informed her lightly. "Three newborns wanted to learn our lifestyle." I added. "I figured as much." She said with a slight frown. "There's good news, though." I said, watching for her reaction. Her face lifted, looking at me in anticipation. "You get to stay with Jacob again." I said jokingly, but her smile was genuine. She touched my face to show me a game of Monopoly that she had won.
Edward and I ran out of the house and back to the house. "What all do you want to learn?" Edward asked them lightly out in the yard. "We just want you to teach us the basics and we'll be on our way." Said Devin, who was still wearing a weary expression. "Well, then, we're here to show you the purely physical part of our lifestyle. The hardest thing for us is probably getting used to hunting animals. So we'll go do that." I said, slightly nervous. "Normally, you'd eat Carnivores, because they smell more like humans, but we're short on Carnivores here in Washington." Edward said, smiling.
We ran out into the forest, listening to the sounds of animals. When we'd all taken down two Deer, with the New Recruits in a mess, we headed back home. "It's mostly a matter of keeping yourself well fed, and mind over matter." Edward said. "Wait, do you have any tips on mind over matter?" Asked Gennell, the female who'd laughed. Edward looked to me, clearly expecting me to elaborate. "Don't think about it." I urged. "If you think about how much it hurts to resist, or how nobody would know if you cracked, you will fail. Would you believe me if I told you I was younger then you?" I asked with a smile. Tess started to open her mouth, but Gennell interrupted to say, "But you're so tame!"
I grimaced, glancing at Edward. I pulled back my shield slightly, just enough to think to Edward, 'I hate it when people call me that.' He chuckled slightly, looking at me with affection in his liquid gold eyes.
The next few days passed with no real events, other than getting to know the new Coven. At the end, I think we all bonded. Gennell laughed at everything, and Edward informed me that she said almost everything that she thought. Devin was quite informative and had tidbits of information on everything. Tess was quiet and reserved, but had a good sense of humor. At the end, everyone ended up fine. Plus, we had new friends in Africa, where they decided they would teach themselves control.