They'll fight like children.
That's what Jasper had said. There were two rules.
One. Don't let them get their arms around you. A newborn's strength is nothing to mess around with.
Two. Don't go for the obvious kill. That's all their prepared for.
The newborn army, created by a vampire named Victoria, was moving. Alice had been watching as best she could, trying to follow snap decisions and barely-there plans.
Victoria was probably doing that on purpose. Her coven had once included her mate, James, and another vampire, Laurent. James, incidentally, had hunted Alice as a human, but had ceased his hunt when she'd been changed by another vampire, bitter at the loss. No one escaped him. He'd flown into a rage when they'd come across her a few months ago, and his death had been delivered swiftly by Jasper, who was every bit as intimidating and skilled as his hundreds of battles scars suggested. Victoria, it seemed, still held a bitter grudge, and had abandoned Laurent.
Laurent had spent some time with the Denali Coven up north and had gotten an irritatingly good understanding of Alice's unique talent. Chances were that before his death, Laurent had explained her gift to Victoria, not truly understanding how bitter she remained about the loss of her mate.
We weren't sure why he'd been so far south – especially if he'd been spending time up in Denali, but he made a fatal mistake: he went through the Quileute reservation.
He couldn't have known – not even the Denalis knew – that the vampire-hunters lurked on the reservation, deeming themselves the protectors of the people of Forks and the surrounding area from vampires. His death must have been brutal, but we couldn't fault the wolves, who'd seen the burgundy-eyed vampire on their land. They were doing what they were made to do.
At the time, I couldn't have imagined a situation where we would have allied ourselves with the wolves.
But as the army mobilized, coming toward us with the intention of killing all of us and taking our territory – and the humans with it – the wolves had seized the opportunity. Some twenty newborns could not be allowed to rampage their way through Washington.
At least, that's what we'd thought.
With ten wolves and seven vampires, we'd thought ourselves prepared to deal with the twenty newborns. And we could have. If there'd been twenty.
Five more should not have had too much of an affect, but it was clear that these five were older, better trained. More in control of themselves and therefore stronger fighters.
The wolves howled angrily into the night as they fought the red-eyed vampires. At least in that respect, we knew we'd caught them by surprise. They'd had no idea the giant beasts would be waiting for them.
But we were beginning to crack under the extra weight of the trained fighters. Through the thoughts of my family I could see Jasper trying to do too much, desperate to protect Alice, though she was more than capable of looking after herself. But having his mate in the midst of the fighting seemed to have severally impeded Jasper's ability to think clearly. We were outnumbered and beginning to lose.
I winced when a one of the pack's shoulder was shattered, feeling it as though it were my own, and the brief second of distraction was enough for a newborn to get its arms around me, its spur-of-the-moment decision preventing me from seeing it his mind on time.
But it seemed the second the tight arms were in place, they were ripped away, and I staggered with the sudden force. The dismembered arms lay in front of me, the body hopefully being ripped to shreds. I had no time to ponder on my rescuer, throwing myself into the battle with more determination than before.
Howls continued to sound in my ears, ringing out over the screeches of the newborns as they were torn apart by my family, and the tides seemed to turn as a new presence joined the fight. The newcomer was the extra push we needed, and one by one, limb by limb, the newborn army was destroyed. As soon as I was certain no hidden newborn vampires were near me, I turned to face our recent ally.
She was of average height, and had long, chestnut coloured hair that reached her mid-back. Her skin was the usual pale, diamond-solid texture as mine, mostly covered by a utilitarian wardrobe – dark blue jeans, what must have been a simple back t-shirt, and a black leather jacket.
Her eyes shone bright red.
On instinct, my lips pulled into a threatening snarl and I dropped into a crouch, ready to attack if this was a ploy.
She held her hands up in the universal gesture for I surrender, stepping away from me to create space between the two of us. "I'm on your side," she told me in her pleasant alto, her pronunciation slow and deliberate. I searched her mind for deception or trickery, not wanting to be lulled into a false sense of security.
Nothing.
My eyes widened in surprise. I'd never met anyone – human or vampire alike – who could resist my gift.
I tried again, to no avail. It was like there was no one there, except she clearly was – I could hear her breathing, see her, smell her. She was certainly there.
"Edward?" Alice's voice cut through my thoughts, bringing me back to the presence. I raised my eyebrows at the newcomer, who didn't seem hostile now that we were no longer being attacked, and she nodded.
The two of us made quick work of gathering up each piece of torn-vampire to throw it on the flame that had already been set in a clearing only a few feet away, making sure not to leave a single piece behind as we did so.
My family's eyes widened when the newcomer stepped into the clearing with me, her fair share of newborn in her arms. Rosalie hissed and Emmett and Jasper dropped into crouches, ready to attack, but I shook my head at them.
Edward, is this one of the newborns? Jasper asked in my mind, stress emanating from him. I shook my head slightly. You're sure? I nodded. He relaxed slightly, but I could see distrust on his features, and he was careful to stand between the newcomer and Alice, who was watching her with wide, curious eyes.
Once we were certain nothing was left of the newborns, the foul-smelling smoke rising into the air, I turned to her, waiting for an explanation. The wolves had gone, presumably to get away before the Volturi saw them.
Her grin was somewhat feral, and probably would have frightened a human, but to me it looked like amusement – as though she'd enjoyed taking part in the fight. "My name is –"
"Isabella," Emmett's choked voice sounded from behind, and I whirled to look at him in shock. He was staring at the newcomer with wide, disbelieving eyes, his mind repeatedly stuck on how is she here?
Rosalie tensed next to him, disliking this unusual behaviour from her mate, and she glowered at the newcomer.
I turned to look back at the chestnut-haired vampire, who was looking at Emmett with eyes, mouth hanging in a small 'O' shape. I could still hear nothing from her mind. "Emmett?" her voice was barely above a whisper as she regarded him. She moved forward in slow steps, completely ignoring Rose's warning hiss, until she was only a few feet away.
Emmett closed the distance, and when he was close enough his hand outstretched and he carefully ran his fingers along the side of her face. She's alive, she's alive, she's alive… an instant later, he was wrapping her in a tight hug, and her arms returned the embrace, holding him in what looked like a vice-like grip. It was slightly comical, if I was being honest. At 6'5", Emmett was at least a foot taller, and had to bend awkwardly to hold the smaller female. She's alive, she's alive, she's alive…
Edward, what's going on? That was Carlisle's calm voice, and I shook my head slightly, unsure what to tell him.
Rosalie's loud growl seemed to snap the two back to reality, and Emmett stepped away from the newcomer, who seemed reluctant to let go of him completely and kept a hold of his hand. I heard Rose's teeth grind together.
"Who are you?" Alice asked the question on everyone's mind, peeking around Jasper like a curious child.
The newcomer blinked several times before looking at her, and then each other member of the family, lingering on me for a moment before returning her gaze to Emmett. She took a deep breath before speaking, and again I was struck by the pleasantness of her smooth, alto voice. "My name is Isabella McCarty," she said, her voice just above a whisper. "I'm Emmett's little sister."
Shock rang out from each family member's mind, their eyes on the two. Was it possible? I wracked my mind for any information on Emmett's sister – anything he might have said – but came up short.
Again, it was Alice who spoke first. "Can we get back to this later? One minute until the Volturi get here."
And just like that, we snapped to attention, our eyes straining to make out the inevitable dark shapes of the guard.
The rose out of the mist like ghosts, moving slowly and soundlessly against the charred grassed.
"Hmm," a bored, dead voice sounded from the figure in the front, the smallest by at least two feet. A hood was pushed back to reveal Jane's angelic face, her features empty and her eyes blazing red. She carefully took in the pyre and the eight of us standing around it. "I don't understand." She said in her usual dead tone.
"They were sent to destroy us," I spoke up, my chin held high.
Jane's gaze snapped to mine. "Why?"
"Their creator was angry. She wanted revenge on Jasper for killing her mate." I explained simply, not wanting to draw this meeting out.
Jane's eyes flicked lazily over to Jasper. "And where is the creator now?"
He gestured to the pyre, his posture remaining stiff.
"Hmm," Jane said again. "How many were there?"
"Our original guess was twenty. It was actually twenty-five." I told her, seeing her eyes widen slightly and her back stiffen. "They were inexperienced." I said quickly. "New. Stupid."
"I see." Jane said, and I could hear her mulling the information over in her mind, preparing what she would say to Aro. Regardless of what she said, she was impressed – twenty-five newborns versus eight mature vampires should not have been in our favour. "You seem to have done out job for us today." She nodded to Carlisle, her eyes blank again. "Carlisle, Aro hoped we would get far enough west to see you. He sends his regards."
"As you'll send mine to his, I hope," Carlisle said, the picture of ease save for the turmoil in his mind.
Jane's lips pressed together as she looked us over, and I heard her wonder if she should punish us for doing their duty, for fighting…we'd shown we were stronger than the Volturi thought, and perhaps she should leave us with a warning…
I winced in anticipation when she turned her fiery gaze on Rosalie, who was glaring at her in distance. A smile grew on Jane's face and she hurled her power at my sister, eager to watch her writhe and burn, to leave an impression on us, to remind us that we weren't as strong as them…
Nothing happened.
Jane's eyes widened slightly and she tried again, more force behind the throw.
Nothing.
I didn't understand. I'd never seen anyone resist Jane's fire before – why was it not working? Rosalie didn't even seem aware of Jane's mental attack.
Jane's gaze turned to the newcomer and the childish-like smile she wore when she caused pain twisted, becoming bitter and angry. I should have known she'd be involved! "Aro will be very interested to hear you were involved, Isabella." She said warningly, her thoughts centered on the red-eyed vampire who stood at my side, her head held high. I heard her distaste for Isabella and wondered what she'd done to Jane to make the member of the guard hate her so, and heard her excitement at the prospect of telling Aro that she'd been found. My family's thoughts all returned to the strange newcomer as well, wondering about her relationship with Jane.
Isabella's answering smile was tight. "I do tend to find trouble wherever I go. Or rather, trouble finds me." She answered tensely, her eyes not wavering from Jane's angelic face and her features hard, as though she were daring Jane to try something.
"Indeed," Jane said, her eyes sweeping over the scene again before she turned to the guard and nodded. "Come," she said simply, and they disappeared, returning to Italy to report their finds, presumably.
Once they were gone, I flew to Rosalie's side. "Are you alright?" I asked her with wide eyes, searching her mind for any knowledge of the attack she'd somehow not felt.
She shot me an annoyed look. "Of course I'm alright." She replied drily. What's the matter with him? Why wouldn't I be able to handle Jane? Just because I'm not gifted like him, that doesn't mean I'm weak!
"Jane, she has this…ability. She creates the illusion of pain in a mind, crippling the target. She tried to hurt you with it, but you didn't feel it…" I didn't understand. I heard Emmett's internal rage that Jane had so blatantly chosen to attack his mate for no reason, felt his desire to chase after her and rip her to shreds, and I shot him a warning glare. "You don't have a chance, Emmett," I told him warningly. "Not with seven members of the guard at her back and her ability to make you feel like you're burning up from the inside out."
"Well, obviously, her ability isn't working too well right now," Emmett snarled angrily.
"You can't know that," Carlisle interrupted before things got too heated. "We can't know what was stopping Jane from harming Rosalie, or if it extends to anyone else. No one is risking their lives today, son." I won't have another fight, not after the ordeal we just went through…
"No one is going to fight, Carlisle," I reassured my father, grateful for his compassionate and reasonable nature. Carlisle would not allow to go into a fight unprepared, especially one as stupid as attacking the vampire Aro probably valued most among his guard.
"Hi, yeah, sorry," the newcomer drew our attention back to her, fluttering her fingers in a tentative wave. "That was me."
Everyone's thoughts were on her once again. What did she mean that was me?
She seemed uncomfortably under our unwavering gazes, and unconsciously, her body turned toward Emmett, whose body seemed to orient itself towards her protectively.
"I'm a shield. A mental shield. That's what Aro called me, anyway," she formed a fist and knocked twice on her temple. "No one gets in here."
Carlisle frowned, stepping forward to examine her. I hear his curiosity, his instinct to learn, to understand, echoing in his mind. Isabella noticed his advance, however, and she shot a wide-eyed look at Emmett, stepping towards him again.
Carlisle held his hands out, much like she had earlier in the forest, and took another step forward. "I'm not going to hurt you, Isabella," he told her honestly, his voice calm and soothing. I felt the waves of reassurance Jasper was sending her way, and watched her shoulders relax slightly. Interesting. So Jasper could affect her where neither Jane nor I could. "My name is Carlisle Cullen, and this is my family." He gestured to us before turning his golden gaze back to her. "We're not going to hurt you." He promised.
Isabella frowned, her eyebrows pinching together, and then suddenly realization dawned on her face and she looked between Emmett and Carlisle with something like awe on her face. "Carlisle Cullen?" She repeated.
If she's enough time in Italy to have her ability classified, she's probably heard of me, Carlisle reasoned.
"Carlisle Cullen. The vegetarian?" She asked, curiosity lighting up her features and making her look terribly young. She turned her red gaze on Emmett. "You're part of Carlisle Cullen's coven?" She asked in disbelief, though through Jasper I could sense her excitement at having found her brother in the care of a vampire like Carlisle.
Emmett smiled fondly at her. "Family, Bella, not coven," he corrected.
"Family," she breathed, looking at each of us with wide, curious burgundy eyes. It was strangely endearing. "Fascinating. I thought Aro was exaggerating, but…wow." After a few moments of taking each of in, she turned back to Emmett. "How are you alive? They never found your body, but all that blood…" she trailed off, shaking her head, and I could see sadness etched on her beautiful features.
Emmett's smile disappeared. "It was a bear, Bells," he said quietly before smiling somewhat sadly. The expression looked foreign, wrong, on his usually cheerful expression. "All those times you warned me. Turns out you were right."
"You warned him?" Carlisle interjected, his curiosity getting the best of him. "Like precognition?"
Isabella looked somewhat bewildered. "No, I just wanted him to be careful," she said in a small voice. "He always went out on his own. I just didn't want to lose him because of a stupid mistake." She swallowed thickly before turning her gaze back to her brother. "A bear?"
Esme stepped forward then, carefully placing her hand on Carlisle's shoulder. "Perhaps we could have this discussion at home?" She asked lightly.
"Home?" Isabella jumped in, her gaze still wide and curious.
Carlisle smiled and nodded. "We have a permanent residence nearby." He explained simply. "Would you like to come by so we can discuss the current situation?"
Isabella blinked and hey eyebrows pinched again. "Alright." She said hesitantly.
Carlisle nodded to Emmett, who raised his eyebrows to Isabella, a challenge lighting up his expression.
Isabella's face morphed from the childish curiosity we'd been seeing into a look of feral mischief, and for the first time I truly saw the remarkable similarities between the two. Emmett took off at a run, his footfalls heavy and aggressive, and Isabella was off a millisecond after him, her steps light and quick as she darted next to him. She picked up speed easily.
The rest of the family took off after them, me taking the natural lead, since I was the fastest. I saw incredulity in her eyes as I passed by her, and I flashed her a challenging grin.
Her answering smile seemed to light up the entire forest, and she sped ahead of Emmett, chasing after me with with a speed none of my family could keep up with.
She seemed to be amusing herself, darting in and out of wooded areas, occasionally twirling and laughing as she moved with ease and grace. She was absolutely dazzling as she ran, perhaps more suited to this life than anyone I'd ever seen. She seemed to delight in small things like cartwheels and twirls, and her grin only widened when she heard me laugh along with her.
She didn't beat me, but it was a near thing, and when we finally came to a stop in front of our home, she was looking at me with windblown hair, and exuberant smile on her lips, and her eyes alight with mischief and joy. I imagined my expression mirrored hers, save for the bright red irises.
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