Stumbling through the woods with an arm broken in three places, such fun. I tried not to let the wince show on my face, to be strong, like Max would be.

Five times I'd tried to spread my wings. Five times I'd tried to take to the air. But the pain from my broken arm would double me over and I would sob and drop to the ground.

This is way too much for a twelve-year-old girl to be going through, I thought to myself. It wasn't right. I'd never done anything wrong! But why, then, had my flock woken up, surrounded by Erasers. Why had I been the only one to escape? Was it because of my special "gifts".

A tear rolled down my cheek. Everything had been going so well. Max and Fang were going to get married, we had food and a dry place to sleep every night, Nudge and Iggy flirted outrageously with each other, I'd just convinced Max to let us go to school, the older kids were heading to college-and this happens. Why? Why? We hadn't seen Erasers for months, and they attack us again!

I tripped over a root and land face-first on the ground. The pain from my thrice-broken arm almost knocked me out again. I held in my wail for a second, and then let it out, "MAX! MAX!"

I sobbed endlessly, "MAX!"

I needed my flock. I needed to rescue them. They were my only family.

I heard rustling in the trees. I turned, fear like a lightning bolt through my body. I managed to stand up, "Who's there?" I cried.

Out from the bushes emerged a man about twenty-ish years old, with Native American heritage. He stared at me in shock, wearing only a pair of jeans, "Hi," He said.

I concentrated through my pain, trying to read his mind. Before I could try, I toppled over and was a second away from hitting the ground. The man caught me.

"Man, oh man, what happened to you?" He asked, and he sounded really concerned. But I couldn't trust him. I couldn't trust anyone.

"Nothing," I said, trying to stand up. Pain shot through me, and I couldn't help it. I fell again. The man caught me and held me bridal-style, carefully holding my broken arm.

"Wow, you're really light," He said conversationally, and started jogging through the woods.

"Hey! Where are you taking me!" I cried, but I couldn't struggle. I was too tired, and too hungry, and too weary.

"To a doctor, duh," The man said.

"Um, okay," I said, trying again to read his mind. Is she okay? What happened? Why does she smell like a bird? She's beautiful. What's she doing out here in the middle of the woods? What's her name?

"Angel," I said. The man looked at me abruptly, "I'm Angel. I'm twelve years old."

"Hi," The man said, "I'm Seth. I'm sixteen."

No way was he sixteen. But I decided it didn't matter when his jog jolted me slightly and my broken arm bounced, "AH!" I shrieked.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Seth cried, but he picked up the pace until he was sprinting at a speed I hadn't known a human could run at. But something-like this man, boy's, whatever, body temperature, told me that he wasn't human.

A tremor of fear crawled up my spine.

"You're an eraser, aren't you!" I cried, struggling to get free, holding in my cries of pain. Seth looked down at me in surprise.

"What?"

I carefully examined his thoughts. His first thought was a blackboard with a chalkboard eraser next to it. It could be that he didn't know what they were-but they could have just sent a stupid one this time.

"Let me go!" I cried.

"No, the doctor's house is right up here!" Seth yelled, and, with an extra burst of speed, burst through the trees.

I stared at the white mansion house a few dozen feet ahead, "No." I breathed, "Let me go!'

Seth winced, and bounded up to the white house, jolting me. He didn't bother to knock on the door, just rammed it open with his shoulder, shouting, "Carlisle! Carlisle!"

A man with pale white skin, blond hair, and godlike perfection stood next to Seth in a flash. He motioned to the couch. Seth laid me on it, and I didn't have enough energy to struggle.

"This will hurt," Carlisle said, his fingers skimming my arm.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" I shrieked with all the air I could expel, quite a lot, considering I have a bird's syrinx and can produce amazing volumes. I curled against the couch, as far away from the doctor as I could.

Instantly, eight people stood next to the doctor in a moment so fast that I could barely track it. I froze. The eight people all looked much the same, save for a girl who seemed to be five or six years old.

I froze, listening.

None of them had heartbeats, save for the Seth person and the little girl.

They were all dead.

"Robots!" I exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" Carlisle asked, concern in his strange golden eyes.

"You're all robots!" I sobbed, "Just kill me now! I don't want to go back to the school! I'd rather die!" I glared at him.

"What's her name?" Carlisle asked Seth.

"Angel," Seth said.

"Okay, Angel, sweetie, we're not going to hurt you, okay?" Carlisle said, "I'm just going to fix up your arm. You must be in immense pain."

I reached into his mind, and immediately had to pull it. His thoughts moved quickly, processing information I couldn't even dream of at lightning speeds. I shivered.

"Just kill me now," I repeated.

Carlisle reached towards me, and I pulled up my arm to defend myself. Unfortunately, it was my broken one, and I passed out.

"Carlisle, we should take her to the hospital," Esme said, concern in her eyes.

Carlisle glanced at her, "Not so, Esme." He pulled up the sleeve of Angel's shirt, revealing the scars, cuts, and bruises. The vampires in the room gasped. Seth growled, low in his throat.

"She may be a victim of child abuse," Carlisle explained.

"Seth?" Edward interrupted suddenly, "You imprinted on her, didn't you?"

Seth shrugged, "Yeah."

"Seth!" Bella exclaimed, "I'm so happy for you!" She patted him on the shoulder, smiling. Nessie held her hand in his and sent him a picture of her and Jacob, then replaced it with him and the girl bounding through the door.

Seth shrugged, "I just. . .want her to be all right. Carlisle, you set her bone right?"

Carlisle nodded at the white plaster he'd placed around her arm, "It looks like something-or somethings-deliberately broke her bone. It's very sad," He frowned, his fingers fluttering nimbly over her right arm, the unbroken one, "It's odd. Her bones are very light and delicate, almost as if they were hollow."

"She's just so tiny," Seth murmured.

"And her heart is very fast," Carlisle added, "I was almost concerned at first, but since it's keeping up the pace, even while she's unconscious, I'm going to say this is normal for her." His eyes lost their focus, "Edward, did you get a read off her?"

"No," Edward said, "It's odd, almost the way Bella was. Rather, though, it seems like she's blocking herself from me, rather than Bella doing it subconsciously."

"And I didn't see her coming," Alice added.

Carlisle took a deep breath, then said, "All right, Seth. I'm sorry, but I don't think Angel is human."

"WHAT?" Seth exclaimed, "Then what is she?"

Carlisle shrugged, "I don't know."

I woke up with a jolt. My sharp nose detected food, frying bacon, and my stomach rumbled.

"Hey, she woke up!" A pixie-like girl with black hair exclaimed, "That's a day earlier than Carlisle said it would be!" She danced over to me, "Hi, Angel, I'm Alice!"

I stared at her, the fingers on the right hand curling into fists. The fingers on my left couldn't move-they were sealed into a cast, "Where's your heartbeat?"I said.

Alice blinked, "Huh?"

I reached into her mind, and, instead of being swept along, planted what I wanted her to do in it. She walked out of the dining room, frowned, then turned back around, "Hey, Angel. . .what?"

I jumped up, tensed, from my place on the couch. Instantly, I was surrounded. Seth, Alice, Carlisle-the only names I knew, among them.

"Angel," Seth said, "It's okay, honest. We're not going to hurt you."

"What are you?" I snapped, "You're. . .you're dead!" I looked to Seth, "Except for you. But you're not normal, either."

Carlisle broke in, "Well, Angel, I suppose we should tell you. We're vampires."

He said it, so abrupt, that I could barely believe him. I looked around at the ten of them, no, eleven-another native american man had joined them. I took a deep breath, "Vampires."

"Yes," Carlisle said.

"Then what are you, Seth?" I asked, pointing a finger at him.

"I'm a werewolf," Seth said cheerfully.

I took another deep breath, and looked inside Seth's thoughts-he seemed to think more clearly than the vampires-She seems to be taking this well. I wonder what she'll do about the whole imprinting thing. Oh, and the whole drinking-blood thing.

I tensed, then quickly formulated the plan. I turned to Seth, "Defend me while I escape."

I dodged around Carlisle, who tried to reach for me. Seth ran into him, knocking him aside. In that moment, he simply changed, one moment a man, the next moment, a giant wolf.

I tried not to scream. They'd been telling the truth! I bolted for the door. I felt strong, cold fingers on my shoulders, but with a wolf's growl, the fingers were knocked off.

Right as I reached the door, however, a bear-like vampire stepped in front of it.

"Seth!" I cried, unsure whether or not he could hear me in wolf for. I heard him behind me, fighting off the vampires. I took a deep breath and reached into bear-like vampire's mind. Let me pass. I thought.

He frowned and started to step aside. He stopped, and frowned at me.

I heard vibrations in the air behind me, and turned. Seth stood their in human form, pulling on a pair of jeans that had appeared out of nowhere, "What just happened?" He asked, confused.

"She controlled your mind," A bronze-haired vampire said simply, "I don't know how she did it, but I could feel her thoughts in yours." He looked my straight in the eye, "I'm Edward."

"Angel, we're not going to hurt you," Carlisle said again, "We just want to help you."

I couldn't help it. I burst into tears, sinking to the floor. I wanted my flock.