"I'm tired Bella! I'm tired of being dragged into these messes!" I yell at her as I drag my suitcase down the stairs of our home. Forks, Washington. Population, five. Soon to be four.

"Jess don't be this way. Please. He needs me and I have to go." I sigh and look at her. I then turn to look at Alice Cullen.

I glare at her causing her to step back, "If anything happens to us, I'm killing you first." She nods her head and walks out the house. Turning back to Bella I let out a sigh, "Come on. Let's go save your boyfriend."

She smiles and throws her arms around me. "Thank you Jess." I pull back and roll my eyes. Making my way down the stairs and abandoning my suitcase, I head out to the vehicle and get in the back. As Bella gets in, I wave to a sad Jacob who just shakes his head and runs into the forest.

Letting out a sigh, "I still don't understand why it's so important I be there." Alice looks back at me and frowns, "I'm not sure either. When I looked at each outcome, one with you there, and the other without you. I only see things going right with you there. I can't see exactly why but in the end, we all survive."

I cross my arms over my chest and lean back. "Wake my when we get to the airport." I grumble out and close my eyes. Allowing myself to drift into a heavy sleep, my dreams are plagued by a blonde man. He has beautiful, stormy blue eyes and a strong jaw. I see a man who looks vaguely like him shove his hands into his chest, "Please Elijah." The blonde says in a British accent, "They aren't dead. I have them." He grunts out through the pain. "If you are lying to me…" Elijah threatens. The blonde brings a hand to Elijah's wrist and shakes his head.

Then before I can blink, they disappear. Feeling myself pulled from my sleep by the car breaking to a sudden stop, I turn angry eyes to Alice. She shrugs her shoulders and soon we are out of the car and running for the terminal to board. Barely making it in time, we find our seats and each let out a sigh of relief.

I look over at Alice as she is sifting through her visions. "Alice, what are the rulers like?" She looks up and tilts her head to the side. "Ruthless and at times unfair. Once upon a time, they weren't even the rulers of our race. There was family of siblings who ruled in their stead."

Bella had turned her attention to Alice as she said that, "What happened to them?" Alice shrugs her shoulders, "They started fighting with each other. They soon broke apart. Splitting into two groups. The Volturi rose in their place and as they say, the rest is history."

I frown, "Too bad they couldn't just get along." Alice nods, "True. Things would probably be a lot different than they are now." That ended all conversation until we reached Italy. As we walked out of the airport, there was already a replica to Carlisle's Mercedes waiting for us.

As we get in, Alice immediately starts heading out of the city. "Once we get to Volterra Bella will have to run to the clock tower. It's St. Marcus day so I won't be able to go with you. Too many people and I can't risk exposure." Bella nods, "What about Jess?"

I perk my head up and Alice sighs, "She and I will meet you after you get to Edward. Things are going to get harder before they get easier." With that she increased the cars speed until we reach the city. Once we reached the farthest we could go, "Now Bella!" She hops out and begins running.

Alice pulls away and to an underground parking garage. Getting out, she pulls a cloak out of the trunk and puts it over herself. "Come on." She whispers. I quickly follow her through the crowd and into the clock tower. As we enter, there are three other cold ones surrounding my sister and Edward.

They turn their attention to us and Alice drops her hood. "Careful. Wouldn't want to make a scene." She says smartly. The blonde cold one glares at her. "Master Aro is expecting you. Follow me." With that she turns and we begin following her down several halls and into an underground passage.

After what seemed like eternity, we are being brought into the main throne room before the vampire royalty. Alice grabs my hand as Edward clings to Bella. "What a happy sight to see indeed." Says the king in the middle.

"Aro. It would appear I will not be needing your services." Edward says in a bland tone. "This must be the lovely Isabella and her sister Jessalyn." I frown. Not liking the idea of him knowing my name. As he comes forward, Aro takes Edwards hands and looks between him and Bella.

"Intriguing. My dear?" He holds out his hand to Bella and she looks to Edward. 'For Christ sake Bella grow a back bone' I think and Edward flashes a glare over at me which got him the response of my middle finger. He turns back to Bella, "Aro can see every memory or thought you have ever had by touch."

Bella nods in understanding and puts her hand inside of Aro's awaiting one. After a few seconds he bursts into maniacal laughter. "She confounds us all." He whispers. He turns to the other two on the thrones, "I see nothing. How exciting." He whispers to himself and turns to the blonde that we followed in.

"Jane. If you would."

Suddenly Edward puts Bella behind him and his entire body seizes. It was obvious he was in severe pain. My sister starts frantically pleading for them to stop. Once the pain releases Edward, he can do nothing but writhe on the ground trying to recover.

As the blonde's gaze turns to my sister, I step forward. "Okay this has gotten out of hand." I say. All eyes turn to me. I look back at Alice and she nods. I look back to Aro, "It won't work on her and you already know that. You just want to make a big show out of something where there is no need."

He looks at me and smiles, "Aww my dear. I had almost forgotten you were here. Would you mind?" I look at his hand and back at him. As I go to give him my hand, Alice steps forward and puts her hand in his instead.

After a few seconds he looks at me and my sister with a huge smile on his face. "How wonderful. Wonderful indeed. Brother?" He says turning to the other with dark hair and a sad look on his face. As his eyes ghost over Edward and Bella he smiles slightly. "True mates." I felt a frown mar my face at his words.

I have never liked Edward. I have only ever tolerated Alice but because my sister cares for him, I guess he would have to do. While lost in my thoughts, I didn't see the vampire who just spoke to turn to me.

"It cannot be possible." He whispers. I look up at him and he leaned forward, staring at me intently. I could feel myself begin to become uneasy under his stare. "Marcus?" The blonde king says impatiently. Marcus looks at each of his brothers and smiles. "She has a true mate as well. It would be in our best interest to allow them to leave. Bringing harm to them, will lead to the downfall of us all."

I look at Alice and she smiled smugly. Okay maybe Alice wasn't so bad. "But given what dear Jessalyn is, our laws dictate she must be dealt with." I frown at that and Alice steps forward, "I know why Marcus recommends you let us go. Aro, you have seen it." He frowns at Alice and takes his seat.

"So be it. Do not come before us again Jessalyn Swan. For if you do, it will mean your death." I bow mockingly, "If it pleases you." I say sarcastically. Alice grabs my hand and leads me out with Edward and Bella following behind us.

I had to force myself to tune out the sweet nothings passing through my sister and Edward. As we board the private jet that Alice arranged and take our seats, I decide glaring at my sister's mate is my new favorite past time. All I could was bring up the images of my sister for the past four months and let them replay on repeat.

After seeing the images in my head for over half the flight he turns and glares at me. "Glare a bit harder and my hair will catch on fire." I say sarcastically. I could see Bella already stepping forward to defuse the situation. "Will you two please not fight. We are safe. We are together and now we can get on with our lives." I turn my eyes to my sister and couldn't help the snort that left me.

"You are going to take him back after everything that has happened?" My sister looks at her hands and nods, "You don't understand Jess. He's my forever. Once you find yours, you will understand." I scoff, "What kind of forever leaves his mate in the middle of the forest with a deranged vampire after her? Have you forgotten about Victoria? What happened to Charlie? It's their fault Bella."

She shakes her head, "No it's mine." I had to use all self-restraint not to smack her.

"No. It's theirs. If they would have just stayed away, you never would have gone to Phoenix. James never would have died and Victoria wouldn't have murdered our father in revenge!" I could see Edward was shocked at my words.

"Charlie is dead?" I nod my head, "Yeah. Not that any of you really care. Honestly, I wish the Volturi would have killed you. After all the problems your family has caused for us, it's least the universe could do."

With that I turned away and stared out of the window. Allowing the memory of finding my father's dead body replay in my mind. Bella had been on the Reservation at the time. By the time I was able to actually get ahold of her, they had already moved his body.

She still doesn't know exactly how he did. Bitch made it look like an animal attack alright. I could see Edward stiffen out of the corner of my eye. Frankly, I could care less. I'm still leaving once we get back home.

"You can't leave Jessalyn." I frown and look at Edward, "Why the hell not?" He frowns, "Bella needs her family. You need to stay for Bella."

I shake my head, "My going to Italy to save your ass is the last thing I will ever do for the sake of my sister. She has made her choice even after swearing to me she would never take you back. One look at you and she falls at your feet." I couldn't help but feel disgusted. "When we get back to Forks I am going to continue with my original plan. There's nothing any of you can do to stop it."

Edward frowned and went to speak but whatever Alice told him her head shut him up really quick. Luckily for Bella, she was sleeping through all of this.

As the plane landed, I spared none of them a second glance as I stepped off the plane. Walking past all off the Cullens, I don't even say hi to Emmett. One of the only two in that family I actually liked. I just kept walking into the airport and up to the ticket counter.

"What can I do for you miss?" I smile at the attendant working, "I booked a ticket online for a one-way flight to Virginia. I just wanted to pick it up now to save time tomorrow when I leave." She nods her head and asks for my identification. I pull my passport from my pocket and hand it to her.

She hands it back and prints my ticket. Taking it from her, I walk outside to waiting Cullens. I get into the car with Rose, Emmett and Jasper without even glancing at my sister. During the ride home, no one spoke. I'm sure Jasper wasn't enjoying the tension in the car. I sent him a feeling of remorse and he smiled at me in the rear view mirror.

"Thank you Jessalyn." Rose whispers from next to me. "Alice explained you were the only reason they walked out of there with their lives. Thank you for that." I shrug my shoulders, "Just protect my sister. I won't be around to do it anymore after tomorrow." I could see Emmett turn around with a sad look on his face.

"Where you going Lyn-Lyn?" I smile at the nick name. "Virginia. Since Charlie is dead now, I am going to stay with my aunt Carol. Given I'm only seventeen and can't stay on my own, she got custody." He frowns, "You aren't going to be around anymore?" I shake my head. "Sorry Em. It's the way it has to be." He nods slowly, "Can I take you to the airport tomorrow?" I smile and nod my head.

"I'll be there as well. Not gonna let my favorite Swan leave without a proper goodbye." I smile at Jasper as well. "I would like to be there too, if that's okay." Rose says hesitantly, "If you want to Rosalie. I have no problem with it." With that I look back out the window and the car falls under silence once again.

As we pull up to the house, I see an unknown car parked out front. Getting out, both Bella and I frown at it. Making our way cautiously to the door, the front door opens and out steps Tyler. Our cousin. "Tyler!" I yell and run to him.

Jumping into his arms he spins me in a circle. I was always closer to the Lockwood side of the family than Bella. She didn't enjoy the dressing up and fancy parties while I ate it up. "Hey Jessa." He says holding me tight. I pull back from him and smile, "What are you doing here?" He shrugs, "Wanted to get out of town for a couple of days and knew you probably wouldn't want to fly alone so here I am." I punch his arm gently, "A phone call would have been nice." He frowns and pulls out his phone showing it to me.

"I did. You never picked up."

Then the trip to Italy came rushing back. "Oh. Sorry about that. Had an emergency to deal with." I look over at Bella who is talking quietly to Edward. She gets into the car with him and they leave. I frown and shake my head. Can't even bother to say hi or goodbye to her cousin?

"So what's for dinner?" He chuckles, "Let's hit the diner." I nod and start walking off the porch. I walk up to Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie. "Hey guys. This is my cousin Tyler Lockwood. Ty, this is Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper. They are siblings of Bella's boyfriend Edward." He nods his head but doesn't reach out a hand.

"We will leave you to your dinner Lyn-Lyn. We will see you tomorrow?" I nod and they all take off without another word. "They are really pale. Also weird." I just nod my head in agreement. "Come on. Dinner time." I smile and hop into the Jeep that he must have rented.

As we make our way out of the driveway, a silence falls over us. Not an uncomfortable one but one with unasked questions. "Spill." I say looking at him. He smiles at my ability to read him. "Some things recently came to light about the family. Given you are part of the family, there's a chance it may affect you too." I frown at that and look over at him waiting for him to continue.

"Did you know our family came from werewolves?" I bust out laughing. "I'm being serious Jessa." I shake my head, "I don't doubt it. That actually explains something I had been wondering."

He looks at me confused, "Another time. So, how does it work? Turning I mean?" He tilts his head back and forth, "You have to be the cause of someone's death. Whether you deliberately cause it or not doesn't matter. Even an accident can cause it to trigger if it results in someone's death." I frown at the implications.

"You haven't…" He shakes his head, "No but Uncle Mason has. He's who told me about all of this. Stuff at home is really messed up Jessa." I frown, "Messed up how?" He pulls into a parking space at the diner and puts the car in park. As he lets out a deep breath, I couldn't help but frown further.

My cousin was a pretty stoic person. We both were. Lockwood family traits and all. "Everything is real. Werewolves. Vampires. Witches. All of it." He says looking at me. I nod my head, "I know." I could tell he wasn't expecting that answer from me. "How do you know?" I smile sadly, "Story for a different day. Although I didn't know about witches. That's a new one." I say getting out of the car. As we find a table in the diner, we wait for a waitress to come by.

"So mom is already planning a welcome home party for you." I smile really big, "Really? What is she planning?" He rolls his eyes, "I forget you like getting dressed up and dancing around. It's a masquerade. She knows how much you love them." As I go to respond, the waitress comes by and takes our orders.

As she walks away, Tyler is checking out her butt and I could only roll my eyes. With a slap ofmy hand on the table getting his attention, "Hey now. She's like super old. Stick to your own age group. Besides, aren't you and Vicky a thing?" He shakes his head, "I forgot you didn't know. Vicky Donovan skipped town. No one knows where she is."

"That's too bad. I really liked her even if your mom didn't. How's everyone else?" He leans back and tilts his head slightly down, "Matt is pissed at me because I kissed his mom. Him and Caroline are dating. Elena is dating some dude named Stefan who has an asshole for a brother. That's about it really. Oh, also Elena's parents died in an accident this past summer."

"Damn. A lot has changed. You are fucking gross for kissing Matt's mom. Seriously, eww. And while we are on the topic of eww, how is Elena holding up?" He shrugs, "She has her bad days. Bonnie lost her grams." That really hit me hard. Sheila was always nice to me. Even when the others wouldn't want to be my friend, Tyler and I would help her bake cookies over the summers to give to the homeless shelter. "Damn." Was all I could say. As our food was set in front of us, I started to eat immediately. After ten minutes both of our plates were empty and we were both sitting back satisfied. "I am going to miss this place." I say wistfully. "Same here. With uncle Charlie gone, there's not much reason to come back."

I nod my head sadly. He leans across and grabs my hand, "Hey. Everything is going to be fine. You sure Bella won't join us?" I let out a heavy sigh, "No. The Cullens are her family now. We might as well not exist." With that, he throws some money down and we begin making our way back out to the car.

I look up at the darkening sky and to him. "Let's leave now." He stops mid-step and turns to me, "You wanna go now?" I nod my head. "Yeah. I have nothing here for me anymore. My bags are already packed and I've already given Bella my goodbye." He nods, "Alright then. Let's go now." We hop in the car and head back to the house. Walking inside, I grab my two suitcases and he takes them from me.

I smile thankfully and take one last look around the house. The house I grew up in. Bella went with mom and I stayed with dad. I didn't even know the woman who gave birth to me. She never wanted anything to do with me. Running a hand through my long brown hair, I say a final goodbye to Charlie. Grabbing my purse, I pull the door closed and lock it. Making my way out to the car, I hop in and don't even bother sparing a second look at the house.

"Let's go." I whisper and shortly after that we are on the road to Seattle.