She was drowning. That was all that her brain could tell her. She was drowning, and she couldn't save herself. Not with her weak arms and her skinny legs. She couldn't do anything about it, and she was rendered useless, worth nothing.

Not that she minded death. In fact, she embraced it to get away from her life, since her life was merely a toy, a pawn to her 'father'. He used her, acting sweet and spoiling her, then beating her up to the point of being beyond recognition. She was used as a messenger for him and his fellow drug lords throughout the U.S. And she hated it.

She had to miss a lot of school, and when she did go to school, she was forbidden to speak to anyone besides the teachers, and even then only enough words were to be said so that she could get the point across. Otherwise, the only people she could interact with were her 'father', his 'girlfriend', and her 'father's' 'colleagues'. Anyone else was prohibited.

But still, she was drowning, and it was her 'father's' fault. He had taken her to this cliff top to go 'camping', and when she had let down her guard ever-so-slightly, he had pushed her over the edge, timing it perfectly so that on the way down, she could see her favorite sight in the world. The dull but vibrant colors of twilight. Then she hit the water.

Now she thrashed to and fro, trying to escape from the violent currents that tugged at her long blond hair and her black clothes. But she was quickly losing air, her oxygen quickly running out. Her lungs expanded, desperately trying to bring in what little air she could. But instead, her lungs and throat filled with water, choking her. She knew it wouldn't be long now.

The blond risked a glance at the surface of the water, hoping to see a glimpse of her favorite sight to bring with her to the afterlife, if such a thing existed.

But all she could see were the blackness of the currents as they swam across her vision. She closed her eyes, and then she felt a terrible pain. She couldn't breathe. She had been ignoring it earlier, but she. Couldn't. Breathe!!

As much as she would have gladly embraced death, her self-preservation instincts took control of her movements and her thoughts, quickly silencing them and making her body struggle to reach the surface.

The blonde's arms and legs moved furiously, trying to reach the precious air that the surface held.

But her body would not let her.

She felt the blackness take over, numbing all the pain, and giving her sweet release from this watery world, even if for a few small moments. Then she flickered back to consciousness.

Though her lungs were filled with water, her heart was still beating.

Da-dump. Da-dump.

It beat in rhythmic strokes, emitting a strange sort of music to the blonde's ears, the sweetest music she had ever heard, however.

Then the blackness crashed upon her like waves. No, much stronger than the black currents that surrounded her. It was like a hurricane, or perhaps a tsunami. It was unbearable, yet comforting like a heavy blanket, if the blanket was smothering you.

Slowly she lost her senses, her already-limited vision failing her. She could no longer hear the beat of her heart, and she could no longer feel the black currents raging around her.

She could feel the beat of her heart, however, and that was enough. She let herself listen to its sweet music, letting herself get lost within the melodic rhythm. Then, she somehow felt cold tugging at her waist, and she felt her body move upwards. Then, she succumbed to the darkness, letting it smother her, letting it take her away into the sweet world of rhythmic heartbeats and unconscious thoughts.

XXXX

She tried to wake up. But her body was screaming at her in agony. She was breathless. The fire was spreading throughout her entire being, burning it's way through her veins, the veins acting as a tunnel for the burning inferno.

But she couldn't feel the heat of the flames on the outside of her body. All she could feel was the pain, the pain from the inferno inside her body.

But this was wrong. She was supposed to be dead, and dead from cold, black water that had engulfed her. She wasn't supposed to be burning on the inside from a fire. She had been drowning, not burning!!

And she shouldn't be thinking. She shouldn't be alive.

But the burning inferno coursed through her veins, pulsing and burning at a steady rhythm, faster than her heartbeat, but the two still went together in perfect harmony.

Slowly, slowly, after seemingly endless hours of burning, in pure, raw agony, she regained her missing senses again, opening her eyes to see the mouth of a cave in front of her, hidden behind bushes. But she was inside the cave.

She spotted stalagmites and stalactites in dark earthen colors, the small grooves and niches standing out in great detail, in more detail than anything ever had before.

She stood up, her small frame not stopping her, even though she hadn't eaten in days. But her throat burned. It was worse than the burning inferno that she had felt earlier. But she somehow managed to quench it, and then she could focus on her surroundings again.

But something was off. She couldn't quite place her finger on it. Then, it suddenly hit her. Her heart. She couldn't feel it, couldn't hear the steady beat of it as it powered her whole body.

She panicked, then she froze. Her ears had heard a shuffling outside. She quickly found a large stalagmite, and she hid behind it.

The shuffling continued, the footsteps seeming to come closer. She could hear the heartbeat, which was faster than any normal person's, and she could tell it was human.

But then the blond stuck her nose in the air, and her nose wrinkled up in distaste.

The air smelled of wet dog, damp forest mold, and still forest air. She shook her head, and then stilled completely, hoping that the bad-smelling stranger would leave her alone.

She could feel power pumping through her body, and she didn't want to hurt anyone with it, since she had a feeling that once she lost control, she would be lost in the power for quite awhile, after causing a lot of destruction.

"Who's there?" A deep, masculine voice called out.

She stayed silent.

The person came closer, and she could feel his quick heartbeat echoing through the rounded cave.

The person came around the rock, and she came into his full sight, and he in hers.

He was a tall, muscular man. But he...wasn't a...man...he was more of a teenager, maybe in his late teens. But he was built like a twenty-seven year old. He had russet-colored skin and black hair, with a rugged face, but she could see some kindness hidden within its depths, but his dark eyes were carefully guarded and suspicious.

"I thought I smelled a bloodsucker. What's your name?" he asked.

She looked at him, confused, and then she cleared her throat silently.

"My name" she whispered, surprised at the clear velvety sound of her voice. Then she continued. "My name is Amaya"

XXXX

Jacob's POV

"My name is Amaya" she whispered in her bell-like voice. I froze. She sounded so innocent...not like any other bloodsuckers I had encountered. She sounded like Renesmee...but in more of an adult way, but I could tell that she was no older than sixteen.

I slowly crept forward, and she kept her strange eyes on me. They weren't like any other of the leeches' eyes. Hers were an odd shade of purple, but they were changing from red to purple, sometimes shifting to a light blue, then to purple and dark crimson.

Seriously, I was freaking out on the inside. Really. I think I showed it slightly on the outside, because she seemed to withdraw into herself, as if there was a small invisible bubble around her that kept her safe.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" she asked quietly, her eyes downcast, but still not leaving sight of my face.

I stared at her, and then I gathered my wits about me and replied.

"My name is Jacob. Jacob Black"

She seemed to flinch as I came closer, and I guessed it was because of the scent. I was sure that she found my scent as unappealing as I found hers.

"You didn't answer my second question" she said, her voice devoid of all emotion, but her bizarre eyes drilled into me fiercely.

I looked at her strangely. She was sure a strange one. All of the newborn parasites that I had encountered all wanted to kill me or run far away. This one just seemed pissed at me and the rest of the world for some reason.

"Why do I need to answer it?" I asked, feeling the need to patronize her slightly.

She glared at me, her odd eyes only enhancing the menacing look.

I held up my hands in defense. "Fine, fine. I was walking through the woods, and I smelt you. Happy?"

She just kept glaring.

I sighed, shaking my head at her.

"I think there are some people you need to meet. Well, not people, but bloodsuckers like yourself. Will ya come with me?" I asked. She needed to come to see the Doc. Doctor Carlisle.

She looked at me like I was a freak. Which I supposed I was. After all, how many bad-smelling men/wolves did you come across in your life? And how many asked you to come with them, not knowing where you are going, or perhaps even where you currently are? Yeah, I didn't think many did either. For all she knew, I could have been some rapist or something. I shuddered at the thought.

"I take it you aren't gonna come?" I asked her.

The blond named Amaya shook her head, then backed farther into the cave, as if she was seeking shelter. Wouldn't the Cullens get a kick out of that! A scared vampire!

Well, at least that big one would. Emmett, was it? Bella too, maybe. And possibly Edward. Freakin' bloodsuckers.

"Fine. Stay here, I'll be back later" I told her. For some reason, I got the feeling that as much as she didn't want to, she would obey.

Then I left, and I could have sworn that I felt her eyes literally burning into my back. And I thought I had met all of the freaky vampires in the world…..

XXXX

Amaya's POV

I shivered. I didn't know where I was, and that one big teenager just came and left. He had wanted me to follow him. As if! He could be a rapist, for all that I know! But what did he mean by other 'bloodsuckers' like me?

I groaned in frustration, then kicked one of the smaller stalagmites, expecting to feel pain in my leg. But I think the rock got all of the pain, since the whole thing split cleanly in two, leaving the top half to just slide off.

I stared at the rock for awhile, switching my gaze to my leg. Then I looked back at the rock, then my leg. Rock, leg, rock, leg, rock, leg. I was sure that I almost looked comical.

I lifted my hand and stared at it, idly wondering if it was as pale and sleek as my leg was. And it was. It was smooth, pale, and looked like white marble, but more beautiful. That couldn't be my hand. It was outrageous to even think that for a second!

I heard a rustling in some bushes outside the entrance to my cave, and this time I heard more than one pair of footsteps, even though I could tell that they were barely touching the ground with their feet, perhaps gliding across it.

"Remember, don't be surprised at her eye color. When I reacted to it, she seemed to put up a sort of….shield around herself, but not a shield like Bella's. I mean a shield, like one she can withdraw into, so that her emotions are concealed completely" that gruff voice from before said, but the voice was near a whisper. What did he say his name was again? Jacob? Jacob Black, right? Yeah, I think that's it.

I heard a few whispered 'okay's, and I thought that I could count six. I tensed my body. If this was a fight, I didn't think I would be able to get out alive, even with all the training my 'father' had given me in self-defense to keep me 'safe' from his more….'unworthy' colleagues.

Suddenly Jacob appeared at the cave entrance, and filled the small space with mere inches to spare from the top, and about a foot to each side.

"Hello again, Amaya" he said with a cheerful but wary voice, letting a small grin slide onto his face. I curled my lip in distaste at his smell, which seemed even worse when compared to the sweeter fragrances of those behind him.

Suddenly a small, pixie-faced woman popped her head around his arm, and said in a tinkling voice "I know, he smells awful, doesn't he? You'll get used to it after awhile. And isn't Amaya a Japanese name?" she asked. I just nodded my head once in response to both her questions.

"Cool!" she squeaked, her pale pixie face lighting up, somehow managing to brighten her midnight-black short, spiky hair.

I just nodded again, speechless. Then Jacob came further into the cave, and I felt my legs instinctively fling me to the back of the cave, which was about nine meters back.

A feral snarl ripped from my chest without warning, and I felt my eyes widen in surprise.

After Jacob had stopped next to the stalagmite that I had previously sheltered behind, the other people with him filed into the room, the pixie-girl in front, with a blond man dragged behind her by the sleeve. Then in came a large, brawny man with dark, handsome hair, and then a female with long brown hair who was holding the hand of a bronze haired man. All of the people who had come in had odd, honey-colored eyes of varying shades, except for the brunette's, whose eyes were a honey-ish color of orange, with a microscopic tint of crimson around the edges. Each and every one of them except for Jacob were pale, with bruise-like shadows beneath their eyes, and marble skin much like mine. But their faces…their faces left me breathless, since they were so perfect and symmetrical. But the most beautiful out of all of them, I thought, was the dark-haired man's, the one who didn't look wary at all, more care-free and easy-going than the rest

"Hello" the brunette said, her odd eyes friendly. But I could tell that she was still wary of any of my movements. And that the bronze-colored man would be in front of her quicker than you could blink if you tried to even get close to her in a remotely threatening way.

"Hello" I replied, still trying to get used to my high-pitched voice.

She blinked, then smiled. "Would you like to know who we all are?" she asked, her voice still open and friendly, very unlike the looks given by the bronze-haired man and the blond male.

I nodded, not letting myself talk again until it was safe. Or, at least, until I thought it was safe.

She smiled even wider, then began to introduce the bunch of them. "Okay. This is Jacob, as you probably already know. And my name is Bella, that's Edward," she pointed to Mr. Bronze-y. "That's Alice and Jasper," she added, pointing at the pixie-girl and the wary blond male, "And that's Emmett" she finished, pointing at the drop-dead-gorgeous male. He winked at me, and if I could, I was sure that I would have blushed. But my face remained like marble, and my expression was the same.

Suddenly Edward frowned. "What's wrong?" Bella asked, deeply concerned, judging by her tone. I guessed that they were linked in some way.

"I…I cant hear her" he said, his velvety voice dripping with confusion and silent frustration. That simple sentence earned me odd stares from the rest of the group.

Seeing the perplexed look on my face, one of them replied "He can usually read people's thoughts. Bella is the only exception….so far" Jasper said. Well, I think it was Jasper. I couldn't be sure, having never heard his or Emmett's voice before.

I stared at Edward, and for some reason I could feel that he was kind of scared of me, but in a confused way.

Suddenly I felt a sense of serenity wash over me, smothering all other emotions. It was strange, before I was feeling oddly sadistic….I looked around the cave, trying to see if anyone else was feeling the same thing. I saw nothing remotely like that reflected in their faces, the only emotion out of place was the look of extreme concentration on Jasper's face.

Then I realized my predicament, and the serenity was immediately erased from my system. I rumble started deep in my chest, then grew until it was a full-blown feral growl, sounding like it came from all the breeds of great cats mixed into one.

Suddenly I felt strong arms restraining my arms, and legs wrapped around mine to keep me from kicking anyone or anything. I snarled in frustration. My first instinct was to self-defend, but that option was wiped out by…who was it behind me? I looked around the small cave, searching for the missing face. It was the beautiful face of Emmett that was missing, which most likely meant that he was the one who was acting as a temporary cage.

I calmed myself down, then sagged into Emmett's arms, trying to tell him without words, tell all of them, that I wasn't going to attack, that they were perfectly safe from me.

But not one of the beautiful faces…or Jacob….relaxed, except for Alice, who grinned, then tugged on Jasper's arm, causing him to look down at her. They seemed to have a quick silent conversation, then Alice looked at me.

"Do you want to come see Carlisle?" she asked, her face slightly pleading. I tried to read her topaz eyes, but they were happy, yet still somehow guarded. But they looked honest and nice enough. I nodded, trusting the bunch of them more than Jacob. I didn't know this Carlisle person, but if Emmett would come with me…I could face anything. I cringed inwardly away from the thought. Affection. BAD. VERY BAD. I just met someone, and I was already willing to follow them blindly….truly, I had a messed up mind.

"Let her go, Emmett" Jasper said, and I felt the release immediately. I stepped away from Emmett, as much as I didn't want to, and I walked slowly towards Edward and Bella, who were blocking the exit. I saw Edward stiffen and place himself slightly in front of Bella, and she rolled her eyes in response. Then she smiled at me, and moved out of the way. I tentatively stepped out of the cave, pushing pleasant thoughts about Emmett out of my mind, and strode into a new world of scents hit my nose all at once. My mind quickly sorted through them, selecting some to add to memory, since they smelled like food.

Then I turned to Bella, who was closest, and I ignored the succulent smells behind me, even though it made my throat burn with a forgotten fire.

"Which way?" I asked, inwardly flinching away from my new voice.