A/N This is my first story on but it isn't my first online. Hopefully you guys will like it :)
Edward and Bella sat unnoticed to the side as they watched their daughter and Rosalie with anxious expressions on their faces. Renesmee's little eyelashes fluttered with delight as Rosalie produced pendant after pendant, dangling the shiny baubles in front of her. Rosalie smiled, feeling her little niece press a hand to her neck as an image of a dazzling Renesmee covered in jewels dart into her mind. "You'd like that wouldn't you?" Her niece giggled.
Bella licked her lips. "Nessie's got an eye for jewelry." Glancing back at the amount Rosalie had bought her, she furrowed her eyebrows. Just how much did they cost? Beside her, Edward grinned. "Rose is teaching her well." His hands ran up and down her cool arms.
"When's Jake coming?"
Edward shrugged. "Seth said that they're in the middle of a meeting. But Jacob most likely ditched." He said with a smile. Bella raised her eyebrows. "Don't worry," he assured her, "he won't be far."
"Edward, Bella, Rose!" The three people shot up as Alice's figure came hurtling towards them. She stopped to stand still just inches away from Rosalie, a wide pearly smile growing on her face. "Guess what?"
Edward cocked his head to the side, "When are they coming?"
"Edward," she shot him a look of annoyance before dismissing him and turning to Bella. "Don't take away all of my fun. Tanya's coming with her family." Her onyx eyes shifted slightly out of focus then snapped back. "But they've got three more as well. I don't recognise them."
Renesmee jumped to her feet. "Guests?" The adults all looked towards her, smiles adorning their faces. "Yes Nessie and guess what else?" Edward rolled his eyes at his sister's enthusiasm. Renesmee's eyes shined as she zeroed in on Alice. "Human!"
Alice ignored the sharp stares of her family and walked to her niece, picking her up. "Correct my sweet! They'll be over soon so go and pack up your toys." The young girl ran off, darting from here to there as her arms quickly gathered up her belongings.
"Human?" Rosalie asked, her dark brown eyes widening ever so slightly. "Yes," Alice walked back to them, "so I suggest you go for a quick hunt." The beautiful vampire pushed her lips out and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly before leaving without protest.
Alice peeked at Bella and Edward from the corner of her eyes. "There's not much time; they're approaching very fast so you better get Carlisle, Esme, Em and Jazz."
But they saw through her act.
"You're just trying to distract us," Bella accused, "What's going on? Usually you tell us days ahead if someone's coming." Alice shrugged her thin little shoulders and her lip curled wryly, "It was a spur of the moment decision?" They knew too well that it wasn't.
"Alice-"
Edward caught the glance Alice shot at him and rolled his eyes. "Bella, come, we might as well change Nessie into something that doesn't smell too much like dog." To that, Bella had no argument. Jacob had dropped in earlier that day and it annoyed them to no end that the large house now smelt of him.
"Oh, fine. But you're up to something." Bella stuck a finger in Alice's face before the two disappeared.
"Carlisle! Jazz, Em, Esme!" Alice darted to the door, opening it and welcoming in the fresh breeze. "They're almost here." She added in an undertone.
"What is this human business I'm hearing?" Emmett was at her side in a moment. "The Denali coven has a surprise for us!" Alice gushed, "I love surprises!"
Jasper was suddenly at the next window, staring pensively out into the bushes for any sign of their guests. His lips moved the tiniest bit, but they all heard him clearly, "The only person who can be surprised in this house is Edward since he's incapable of reading Bella," he turned to Alice with an amused expression, "but we all know her irresistible enthusiasm when it comes to surprises." A low objection came from Bella, a few rooms away from them.
Carlisle and Esme walked slowly down the stairs, hand in hand. Esme had a radiant smile on her heart-shaped face. "This is wonderful news, we haven't seen them in months."
"Quick, quick, quick! They're here." Alice ushered her foster parents to the space nearest to the door and went darting back for Edward and his family. She opened the door to see her niece slipping on a bright yellow sundress and her parents lounging on the seat in her room, "Hurry! Renesmee, come on!"
Nessie's head shot up at Alice. Her aunt only ever called her by her full name when something was serious. She turned quickly to her parents and scurried to the entrance of the house when Edward gave her a quick nod.
Without another look at the couple Alice bounded right after her, leaving them at a loss.
"Tanya, how wonderful it is to see you!" Esme held the blonde's slender hands tightly before dropping them. "Eleazar, Carmen, you're looking well and-oh! Garrett, I had forgotten you were there, you're so quiet!" The male vampire chuckled lowly and greeted Esme.
The Cullen family stood together, the only person that was very forwards with her greeting were Esme, Alice and Carlisle. The others were expecting something else.
Eleazar held his hands out and spoke in his gravelly tone. "Carlisle, friends, my family and I are terribly sorry for bothering you at such a peaceful time." He gestured to Carmen, "But we have brought three very special people."
All eyes went to the front door, where three people, two males and a female were standing cautiously.
The woman was evidently human; her lightly sun-kissed skin standing out from the alabaster of the male beside her. The males were tall against her medium-short stature, their light gold eyes sweeping the scene before them. The one next to the female had snow-white skin and was incredibly svelte, almost elegant for a man, the other had skin like milk chocolate and a build that could rival Emmett's.
"This is Tari." The dark skinned nodded, his face stoic. "This is Samuel and Scarlett." Warily, the girl lifted her eyes and locked them with the others. Her hand twitched in a small wave. Samuel actually cracked a smile.
Alice, ever the bubbly girl she was, flounced up to the guests. "Hello, I'm Alice Cullen." She noted how Samuel ran his eyes slowly up and down her.
"This is my family. There's Edward and Bella and their daughter Renesmee." She nodded to her niece and smiled when the little girl bounded up to the strangers and did a cute little curtsey. "Hi." Even Tari had to smile.
She turned around a little bit more. "That's Esme and Carlisle, and Jasper… and Emmett." Emmett puffed up his chest, evidently sizing up Tari. "We're one down," she beamed sweetly, "but Rosalie will be home soon."
"Come in, come in. We have much to catch up on." Esme ushered the Denali family and guests in, careful not to move too fast.
Eleazar stood back and watched as everyone mingled. Edward came and stood next to him. "Is there something on your mind Eleazar?"
The older one gave him a mirthful look. "I'm sure you would already know Edward, do you not?" Edward replied with a subdued laugh. "Carlisle will be in his office if you need to speak to him alone." He said knowingly.
Carmen came up to Edward, Renesmee in her arms. "Your child is truly beautiful, and a wonder too." Edward proudly nodded, "She is. Bella and I are coping better with her rapid growth now." His eyes trailed Eleazar as the elder moved away.
"Esme! We must see some photos." Carmen announced, passing Renesmee to Edward. "I'll get them." Carlisle shared a look with Edward. He was already well aware of Eleazar's hidden agenda.
Eleazar watched as Carlisle made his way upstairs and then looked at Edward. Simultaneously they made their way to where Carlisle was before and followed him up the stairs.
"Eleazar."
"Carlisle." He returned with a smile.
"What is this about my friend?"
Eleazar took a seat. He stared at Edward and Carlisle for a good time before answering. "What do you think of my three guests?"
Carlisle nodded. "I thought you might ask that. The human, her name is Scarlett?" Eleazar nodded. "I just thought that it was strange that you would bring her to us. Is she not aware of what we are?
"She is not a stupid girl, I will give you that. She suspects, but she does not know." Eleazar confirmed. "What about Tari and Samuel?"
"Ah yes." Carlisle sat down. "I have never seen you travel around with a dark skinned man before. Is he with you?"
Chuckling, Eleazar shook his head. "About three months after the visit from the Volturi, Zafrina came to us with Tari. He was… not very pleased with their natural carnivorous way of life and since you were preoccupied with Renesmee, she left him with us."
Carlisle sat forward, interested. "Really now? How has he been coping?"
"Strangely well. With his perseverance he reminds me oddly of you yourself Carlisle. Samuel is older than Tari, only by a few years though. He comes from one of the smaller Irish covens." He hesitated. "What I really wanted to discuss though was Scarlett. Does she seem slightly, odd to you?"
Carlisle was taken aback. "I never really… Edward?" He looked to his son for help.
"I haven't spoken to her enough to see anything, but I did notice other things about Samuel."
Eleazar cocked an eyebrow.
"He assesses. Non-stop. When Alice was introducing us I watched him. He was constantly running his eyes over us one by one and then storing information about us without even speaking." Edward spoke quietly. "I heard every word he was thinking. Oddly, every fact he was filing away was correct, or very close to it."
Eleazar nodded, impressed. "That's right Edward. Samuel's a… gatherer of sorts. His talent lies in the area of information. He also is the same as me; he can identify talents in both vampires and humans, though, I admit, his talent is still growing. Tari is a tracker," Edward's eyes narrowed the tiniest fraction, "and has brilliant intuition."
"My main concern however," he went on, "is Scarlett. Both Samuel and I have sensed it, however I cannot identify what it is."
Carlisle and Edward shared collective grunts of surprise. "And that is?"
"Scarlett is highly emotional. At first you know, Samuel thought it was just her being a normal teenager, however, both he and Tari noticed something strange about the girl." Eleazar looked thoughtful.
"They brought her home a few months after they were stable. Tari told us to watch her and we did."
"Was there anything odd?" Carlisle asked eagerly.
"Highly." Eleazar mused. "The moment I saw her I knew she had something special within her."
"Tari told us to watch, and we did. Samuel said something and got her upset, and when she was at the height of her anger, something completely peculiar happened!" His eyes widened at the memory.
He fell silent, leaving Carlisle and Edward hanging, then picked up again.
"I sense talents. It's like a constant buzz at the back of my mind, at the tip of my finger and toes. But as Samuel and Tari began to provoke her more and more, she just erupted, told them to shut up, and then the tingling just stopped."
He gauged their reactions. Edward's mouth fell slack and Carlisle tensed. "That's not possible. You can shield, like Bella, but to turn off someone's powers?"
Eleazar cut in. "She didn't turn it off, so to say, but more like she incapacitated us for a moment that was beyond her control. But who knows," he added in an undertone, "if Samuel decides to turn her, maybe she really will be able to control it."
Carlisle looked doubtful. "Eleazar, what if you were just imagining it?"
"But he wasn't."
They all looked to the door.
Tari shifted, uncomfortable with the sudden attention and remained at the entry. He ignored Carlisle's urges for him to come in.
"I am a tracker. It is my talent."
It was slightly difficult to decipher what he was saying. Edward's mouth turned up in a slight smile; Zafrina had the exact same lilt to her words and when they had first met her it had been near impossible to talk to her.
"For practice I track Eleazar's family sometimes." He nodded towards Eleazar. "It is like I have strings attached to the person I track. The more people I track, the more strings I have. Every movement they make is like a tug on the string."
"When Scarlett got too distressed, it was as if the strings were loosening. I could not feel the movements of the people I had been tracking," he shook his head, obviously perplexed, "and then, that day, it was like someone had ripped them off me."
Tari frowned. Just remembering the feeling of being completely… normal disturbed him.
"That… that's incalculable power." Edward muttered, crossing his arms.
Once more, Eleazar shrugged. "It happens when she is the most anxious. It happens for the entirety her temper. We are totally incapable." He admitted.
"I'd like to see this power of hers in action. You say it happens during extreme emotion. Without upsetting her, could we somehow make her happy?"
As Carlisle spoke, a sudden melody reached their ears. Edward's eyes widened. "It's the violin. The violin we bought for Rosalie." He turned to Eleazar. "Is that her?" The elder nodded.
"Is she good?"
Tari grunted. "The best."
"Carlisle this is perfect!"
There were questionable stares on the other people's faces. Edward laughed in pure astonishment. "Music conveys emotion. If she really is as good as Tari says, we'll get to see this talent of hers in motion."
His words made Tari frown. "But I do not know if it will work. She has never played for us before. She plays for humans. Lots of them too."
The gears in Edward's mind never stopped clicking though. "Exactly. It's a human crowd; they are not vampires. What could possibly happen?"
His words seemed to stir something in Carlisle who shot to his feet. "Let's go." He said.
They reached the main hall just as Scarlett was putting down the beautiful violin. "… Nothing I have ever played," she was saying, "it's beautiful. Is this yours?"
Rosalie was beside her, proudly sitting down at the piano bench. "Esme and Edward bought it for me, hoping I would learn it," she absentmindedly ran her cold fingers down the ivory of the piano, "but obviously, I chose the piano instead."
"It's a Guarneri." Edward offered. Scarlett's eyebrows shot up and almost everyone could hear her heart rate increase. Out of the corner of his eye Edward saw Carlisle twitch.
"Are you serious?" she looked down at the instrument in awe. "But this… that's amazing! It's got such a pretty tone." Her expression was wistful.
Play it innocent Edward, he said to himself. "Would you like to play for us all once more?" he grinned coyly, "It's been years since we've heard it being played."
As if in a trance, Scarlett nodded. He watched as she ran a finger down the side of the violin, admiring the amber polish.
"What will you be playing?"
She looked up. "Maybe a little bit of the Beethoven Romance?"
Edward beamed, showing all of his teeth. "Beethoven's Romance? Perfect." He meant what he said. Romantic music was intense, and it was just what he needed.
"Rose, I'm sure we have the music here. Would you mind getting it?"
"Sure…" His sister shot him a suspicious look before walking off, hips swaying.
"Do you need-"
"Oh no," Scarlett interrupted, "I've memorized it."
"Like a true musician." She blushed at his words and avoided his eyes.
Minutes after Rosalie had successfully located the piano accompaniment to the piece, the two families had made themselves comfortable amongst the scattered pieces of furniture.
Scarlett swallowed.
She looked around at the people. It was like playing for a group of A list celebrities in the midst of a photoshoot. Samuel gave her a small, encouraging nod.
"This is Beethoven's Romance in F major." Her voice was so quiet she doubted they heard her, but the looks of reassurance from her friends said otherwise.
Her heart was racing. Her palms were sweating and adrenaline pumped through her veins. This was a feeling she loved. She craved this emotion. It was why she chose to become a professional violinist. She loved the attention and the rush it gave her.
"Contact, weight and play." She muttered to herself.
Sharing a nod with Rosalie, she lifted the instrument under her chin and tightened the bow. Taking a small breath, she started.
No thoughts ran through her mind. She wasn't counting beats, she wasn't focusing on her fingers, nothing.
At a certain point in the piece her mouth turned up and her nostrils flared. This was it - this was the climax. This was her favourite part of her favourite piece, and she nailed the heartwrenching notes perfectly. She could feel her face scrunch up at the intensity, and little beads of sweat appeared at her hairline.
There was a familiar, cool silence as she held her violin in the air, the last note resonating through the room.
Scarlett swallowed again. She pulled the violin out from under her chin and turned to the audience. Waiting for Rosalie, the two took their bow.
There was a graceful smile on her face, but it wavered as she looked up. She caught the eyes of Edward; his cool exterior polite but distant, and then glanced at the two girls next to him.
She felt her blood run cold at their expressions. His wife Bella was looking at her with shock, while the other girl Alice looked even paler than she already was. A surge of horror ran through her body. Did she not play as well as she thought she had?
Scarlett's eyes found Samuel's and Tari's. Their expressions were natural and warm and it relaxed her a little, but she couldn't help but feel the prickling at her neck from the expressions of the girls before.
A small whimper caught her attention. Renesmee, the sweet baby was cowering by her mother's side, a hand pressed forcefully on the woman's leg. She darted another glance at the Cullen family, completely confused. The big one, Emmett, was clapping softly, but the man with crimped gold hair staring at her with blank fear. Her features froze in shock. What in the world was going on?
"I think that's enough now." Carmen smiled at her.