"Bella if you were serious about getting out of here, we had better do it now!" Bree told me. "I hear the Volturi arrived in Texas this morning. Lucas knows we can't outrun them. He's going to abandon us and flee to Mexico today. It's a good time for us to head south too and then loop around and go back north."

I had began moving into the action the second she said we should leave now. Bree and I had grown weary of the fighting long ago. Lucas had created a whole vampire army to gain territory in the southern United States. Bree and I were included in that army. He had created Bree and Bree had created and then trained me to fight. I loved her like a mother even though since I had been turned at sixteen years old I was physically two years than her. We confided and tried to protect each other the best we could. Our best was not always enough and after so long we had begun to dream of running away.

Escaping wasn't easy though and now that we had the opportunity there was no way in hell I was going to let it pass. Plus with the Volturi coming the only other choice was death. They had been tearing through the south trying to put an end to the wars for a while now, shredding and burning every vampire they could get a hold of and with Alec among them and able to incapacitate everyone in a five mile radius they were pretty damn successful. He wouldn't be a problem for me though and by extension not a problem for Bree. I would protect her no matter what. She was all I had.

I dropped to my knees in our tent and began clawing at the dirt trying to unearth the knapsack of money Bree and I had buried for this specific moment. We didn't have much, just what we stole off humans after we fed off them but it was enough to get us away from here. Once I'd dug up the bag I pulled it over my shoulder and took a peek out of the front opening of our tent.

"I don't see Lucas," I whispered. "Do you think he left already?"

"Maybe. It doesn't matter though. He's not going to worry about keeping us here if he's planning to leave himself. He's doesn't give a shit about us Bella!" Bree hissed from behind me.

I nodded my head and tried to cement that fact in my head. I was always such an idiot when it came to Lucas. Bree always had to remind me of the truth.

We exited the tent just as the screams began. I could hear the all too familiar keening sound of the bodies' of our kind being torn apart. I could smell the burning fires and see the thick purple smoke billowing toward the sky.

The Volturi had arrived.

I felt Bree's hand wrap around my arm. She was pulling me in the opposite direction of the screams and the second I moved to follow her another hand grabbed my other arm.

"Bella come with me! You'll be better off," Lucas said trying to pull to him and away from Bree.

"Lucas just let us go! It's over! We're wasting time!" Bree yelled pulling my other arm toward her.

"Bella, honey, stay with me. I need you," Lucas begged staring into my eyes and caressing my cheek. I immediately paused.

"He just wants to use you, Bella. Please! Let's go!"

The roar of the battle between the Volturi and the other vampires of Lucas's army was deafening. I knew that Bree was right and I wanted to pull away from Lucas but his grip on me was too tight.

"Lucas let go of me!" I screamed trying to wrench my arm free. I was started to panic because the Volturi were everywhere and advancing quickly to where we were standing. Our window of time to escape was closing fast.

"None of us will make it out of here if we stand here! Lucas we need to leave!" I exclaimed.

If he followed Bree and I we could figure out a way to get away from him later. Getting away from the Volturi was the main concern right now. Bree and Lucas both seemed to be on the same page with me because we all started running into the night at the same time and unfortunately in the same direction.

I was happy to be in motion but that joy didn't last. The squabble over who would go with who had indeed lasted too long. Some members of the guard were on us. I could hear their swift footfalls not that far behind us.

"We have to split up! We all have a better chance that way," Bree said.

I didn't want to but I knew that she was right. There were three guards following us. If we split up, so would they. Bree was fast and there was never a vampire she could not out run. Lucas was a stellar fighter and had a good chance of coming out victorious in a one on one fight no matter who he was up against. I wasn't sure of my own chances but maybe whoever followed me would be gifted which would automatically tip the scales in my favor. The thought of being separated from Bree though did not sit well with me. In fact it scared me shitless.

"I can't leave you!"

Bree shook her head. "You have to! We'll meet in three days! The Point Isabel Lighthouse!"

"I'm not leaving you!" I shouted.

"She's right Bella! We have to split up! We'll meet again in three days!" Lucas growled at me in the way that he did during combat training. I hated that I reacted to that tone so instantaneously but after years and upon years my hears had been trained to recognize anything uttered in that tone as law.

Bree threw her arms around me quickly. "I love you Bells! Now go!"

I didn't even get a chance to return my love for her before she and Lucas took off. I ran away as well having no other choice.

The guard members split up just as we wanted them to. I pushed myself to run as fast as I could. I kept my mind focused on surviving and getting back to Bree. I had only been running for a few minutes when I heard the Volturi guard after me catching up. Fear only gripped me for a second though. I knew that it was a gifted tracker following me. An involuntary smile found it's way to my lips as I scaled a nearby tree. Getting away from him would be easy as pie.

Rosalie

It was late and I knew that I should be getting home soon, but I just needed a few more minutes. I had been walking around Port Angeles for the last two hours just taking some time from myself. I loved my family and my husband with all my heart but sometimes the Cullen house was just too much for me. Every so often I headed out on my own to be away from all the gifts there that denied me any privacy. There were times where I just wanted to think and feel without anyone hearing or trying to make me tranquil again.

I walked all the way to the harbor and sat at the end of one docks taking in the cool sea breeze. The second I had made taken my seat though I caught an unmistakable scent in the wind.

Vampire.

My body instantly stiffened and I took in the scent again. The vampire was extremely close by but I couldn't hear any foot steps coming toward me or hear it breathing. I knew without a doubt that I should leave. This vampire could be dangerous and I was on my own. When I stood to leave though, I found myself following the scent. My body was ignoring my minds warning and instinct to protect myself.

The scent led me back to the front end of the dock. It was strongest there but as my eyes swept over the area I could only see humans. I took in another deep breath and realized the smell was coming from under the dock. I took another quick look around to make sure no one was watching me and jumped down to the small piece of dry land under the wooden dock.

It was dark under there but my vampiric sight remained intact. I saw her the second my feet hit the ground. I gasped as the image before me sent me back in time. As I gazed at the vampire, I imagined that this what I must have looked like to Carlisle when he saved me. Of course there was no blood but she was naked, hair a mess, and her body hideously ravaged.

Her face was young and her body was small. She was laid on her side facing toward me. The vampire's eyes were closed and she wasn't breathing. She had to be alive though. It was impossible for vampires to just die or be in a coma. I figured that she had been there for a long time though because her body was coated in his dust and dirt.

My heart broke at the sight of her and I knew that I had to help her. I couldn't just leave her here like this. Something awful had happened to her and she needed taking care of. I took an small step toward her and cleared my throat trying to get her to open her eyes or something. The sound did nothing to rouse her though. She continued to lie unmoving and unresponsive. I moved to her side and knelt down before her.

"Can you hear, me?" I asked softly.

Still no response.

I lifted my hand not sure if not touching her was a good idea or not. It could scare her and she could attack me in her fear. I took a deep breath preparing for whatever her reaction might be and gently placed my hand on her shoulder.

No response.

I sighed wondering just what the hell had happened to this girl. What could make a vampire totally blank out like this? Realizing that she was not going to attack or even respond in any way I scooped her up into my arms and ran as fast as I could toward home. The situation reminded me of the many years ago running my battered husband back my house to be saved. I didn't know what Carlisle could do for this girl, but there had to be something.

Alice must have seen me coming because, she was waiting holding the front door open for me when I reached the house.

"Take her up to Esme's room. We've drawn a bath for her. I sent the boys away. We should take care of her first," Alice said leading the way up the stairs.

I nodded my head following behind her. We entered the adjoining bathroom of Esme and Carlisle's bedroom. Esme gasped just as I had at the sight of the broken vampire in my arms. I carried her over to the bath and gently placed her in the hot water. The three of us silently scrubbed her clean. We had to drain the tub, clean it, and draw another bath because the grime and dirt was so thick on her skin and in her hair.

"Do you see her waking up?" Esme asked Alice as we towel dried the lifeless vampire.

"No. I can't get a clear picture of her future. Maybe we'll get more information when the guys get back.," Alice replied.

The ever prepared Alice had already gone out and gotten clothes in her size. We dressed her in a pretty white sundress and placed her on a bed in one of the guest bedroom that had never been used since there were hardly ever any guests in the Cullen house. I placed her on the bed and sat beside her. I felt like I should do something but I didn't know what. The girl reminded me so much of myself and Emmett. So I decided to do what had been done for us. Carlisle had talked to me. I had talked to Emmett and I do the same for her.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but my name is Rosalie Hale. I found you under a dock in Port Angeles. I've brought you to Forks, Washington where me and my family live. We are vampires just like you. We won't hurt you. We want to help you and will do so however we can. You are safe here."

I repeated that to her every so often. Alice had called Jasper to inform him and the others it was okay to come back. When they arrived they all entered the room slowly. Carlisle came around to the other side of the bed with his black leather medical bag which he placed on the nightstand.

"Tell me what happened Rosalie," he said and I did giving him every detail starting from me going to the dock. He nodded his head and turned to Edward.

"What is she thinking?" Carlisle asked.

Edward peered into her face intently before shaking his head, "I can't hear anything. Her mind is silent."

"Jasper?"

"I can feel something from her but I don't really know what it is exactly," Jasper answered.

"I can't get a good read on her future either. It's all foggy," Alice said.

"Interesting," Carlisle murmured.

He leaned over her and opened her eyelid revealing her pitch black iris. Who knows how long she had gone without feeding. He flashed a small light in her eye and then moved it away trying to get some response but none came. He sighed heavily and stepped away from her.

"I'm afraid there's not much else we can do right now," Carlisle said.

"What do you think happened to her? Have you ever seen anything like this before," Esme asked looking as if she would have been crying if it were possible.

"Never," Carlisle replied. He gently took her hand and ran his fingers along the scars there. "I do know that these are bite marks though. Only vampire venom can leave marks like these. She must have been attacked…viscously."

"Poor child," Esme whimpered causing Carlisle to pull her into a comforting embrace.

"You did the right thing bringing her here, Rosalie. Clearly someone had intentions of killing her and it was only a matter of time before a human discovered her body there. We can protect her, take care of her," Carlisle told me.

I nodded my head as my husband moved beside me. His shoulder arm wound around me and rubbed my side. He kissed the top of my head and I leaned into him seeking the same comfort Carlisle was offering Esme.

"So what now," Emmett asked.

"We wait," Alice sighed. "All we can do is wait."