She was swathed in a deep blue coat made of something like velvet that only revealed the shoulders and an inch of the hem of a short, flowing black dress that reached barely halfway down her pale thighs. Her brown curls were covered with a black scarf wrapped loosely around her head and neck. Her bare feet made almost no impression on the soft, damp earth of the forest floor as she meandered lithely through the foliage. She did not appear to be going anywhere in particular, only wandering, running her smooth, white hands over the trunks and low branches of nearby trees. Jasper and Emmett watched her intently, jointly wondering why she had not reacted to their presence. It wasn't that they had been particularly noisy or disruptive that night on the hunt, but any vampire should have smelled or heard, if not seen them by now. They certainly had seen her. Emmett, as usual, was fairly relaxed, confident that should the need arise they could handle the situation. Jasper, on the other hand, was tensed and maintaining a low crouch, ready to spring if she turned on them. Yet, in truth he couldn't see that happening. Observing her emotional state, all Jasper could read was contentment and a vague sort of indifference to her mood. He began to loosen up as he watched her, shoulders slackening slightly. Throwing a glance at his brother, Jasper noticed that Emmett's eyes were a bit dazed and before he could be stopped Emmett was calling out to the girl.
Suddenly the forest was utterly silent, the mysterious humming that had hung in the air dying away, though they hadn't noticed its presence until it was gone. Jasper's muscles were rigid once again, his hand shooting out to grasp Emmett's shoulder in an attempt to hold him back. The girl had not turned to face them, but they could see that she was watching them in her peripheral vision. For a moment, no one moved in the dead quiet. Then Emmett shrugged off Jasper's restraining hand and took a few more steps toward the girl, calling out to her again.
"Your eyes look funny," she finally said, head tilting to the side like a confused puppy, though she still kept her body turned away from them. Her voice was a touch lower than Jasper would have expected, though certainly musical and fluid, with a soft Scottish brogue curling the sound of her words. She seemed amused, but there was a question in her comment. Emmett laughed.
"What's your name, kid?" he asked.
She tilted her head to the other side, twisting it slightly so that she was almost looking at them, before answering, "I'm not supposed to tell that to strangers."
"I'm Emmett and this is my brother, Jasper. Now we're not strangers anymore," Emmett replied, laughing again. Jasper felt a low growl stirring in his throat, but he controlled it, not letting it escape his clenched teeth. It did not, however, seem to have gone wholly unnoticed as Emmett's crushing hand pounded him on the shoulder a second later. "Chill, Jazz, she's no threat."
"Maybe," Jasper whispered so only his brother could hear. The girl seemed to find Emmett funny, as many did, and a muted giggle escaped her lips.
"No, I suppose I'm not really, am I," she chuckled. "I'm not a very good fighter, anyway. Alright, then, I'm Analiese. Nice to meet you, Emmett, and your brother, Jasper." Finally spinning to face them, Analiese let a small smile brighten her face. Seeing her full on, the Cullen brothers noted that she looked no more than 14 or 15, and wondered how long she had been a vampire.
"You too, kid. Are you all alone out here?"
"No, Nico just ran off for a bit. Nicholas, actually. I'm not sure when he'll be back, though."
"Not to interrupt your evening," Jasper cut in, tone entirely that of the polite gentleman, though he was still tense, "but we would actually ask that you don't hunt in this area. It's a bit close to our home and it might cause trouble for us."
Analiese's head cocked to the side again, bringing back the puppyish look to her round face. Her hands clasped loosely in front of her and she rocked back on her heels.
"We can't hunt here?"
"We would prefer not. Our family is well-settled and it would be troublesome to have to move."
"Where do you hunt, then?"
Jasper hesitated, unsure of whether it was worth explaining his family's peculiar diet to Analiese, or if it would be easier to send the girl after her mate with the simple message of hunt elsewhere. Emmett jumped in and took care of this.
"We don't exactly eat the same things as you, so our hunting around here isn't as much of a problem. It's a little too obvious if the humans down the street start disappearing, versus a couple elk and the occasional bear from the forest." Emmett grinned, thinking of the meal he had just had on exactly those items.
"You drink from animals? Isn't that odd, now, though I suppose it explains your eyes." She gestured towards Emmett's face and his golden eyes. Her own crimson gaze flitted to Jasper. The tension was clear in his eyes and she easily guessed at its reason. "I suppose I should go find Nico and stop him eating one of your neighbors then." Her eyes stayed locked on his and he inclined his head in gratitude to her quick understanding. It was always a bit tense to try to explain the Cullens' "vegetarianism" to outsiders who were not friends of the family and he was glad, if not a bit surprised, to see how quickly this girl accepted it. He offered her a small smile now, but it quickly tightened on his lips as the scent of a new vampire caught his attention.
"Ah, Nico's back," Analiese grinned and twisted so she faced away from Jasper and Emmett once again. The approaching vampire was tall, lean and well-dressed in a button-down white shirt and brown pinstriped pants and vest. His dark hair was cropped short and neatly coifed. His deep red eyes were fierce as he took in the situation in front of him: his young mate alone with one very large and one very dangerous looking vampire.
"Ana," he hissed, the sound smooth but harsh. He came up behind her and slid an arm around her shoulder, still managing to look ready for attack. "You wandered away from where I left you."
"Did I? I apologize, it was unintentional. I suppose I got distracted." She reached up to take the hand that dangled over her shoulder. "I met some new friends," she said, sounding apologetic.
"I see that," he replied, one eyebrow arching in question.
"This is Emmett and Jasper," she said, indicating each by flicking her hand at them. "Their family lives nearby and we're not supposed to hunt so close. At least," she added with a tiny grin, "not the usual fare. A curious idea, isn't it, Nico? Only eating animals." Her head tilted back against his shoulder so she could gaze up at him. His reaction, as Jasper could have guessed, was not as accepting as hers had been. Nicholas sneered at her words and looked at them like they were insane, an opinion which he stated rather bluntly a moment later.
"Sounds disgusting."
"I suppose, but it is an interesting alternative. Must make living in one place a bit simpler."
"That it does," Jasper answered.
"Where does your family live, then?" Analiese asked with an already familiar tilting of the head.
"Not too far from here, actually. We were just on our way home, if you'd like to join us." Jasper's gaze shifted to Nicholas, as he would clearly decide this. A curt nod answered and they turned to head off to the Cullen house. Jasper knew who they would find at home, only Esme, Alice and Rosalie. Edward and Bella had taken Renesme for a short vacation and wouldn't be back until the end of the week. This was fine as far as Jasper was concerned; Renesme had proven to be a touchy subject when revealed to other vampires. He did wish, however, that Carlisle would be home; dealing with outside visitors was usually best dealt with by the unfailingly calm and sincere father of the Cullen household. As Carlisle was working late at the hospital, though, this would have to be handled without him for the moment. Maybe Alice would see them coming and call him. Jasper was no longer worried about the placid female, Analiese, but her mate, Nicholas, was an edgy type that made Jasper apprehensive about leading him to their home. He had not seen any peaceful alternative to the situation, as Analiese had clearly been curious about their family and Nicholas seemed quick to fight.
The group of four finally arrived at the house. Emmett strode forward ahead of Jasper.
"Better go warn the family that we've got visitors," he smirked.
"There's no need for that," came a sweet soprano from the doorway. Alice fluttered down the front steps to Jasper's side. "I saw you coming." Emmett laughed and shook his head with a look that clearly said 'I should've known.' Jasper quickly introduced the new pair to his mate, and then to Rosalie and Esme who appeared in the doorway soon after.
"It's very nice to meet you, Nicholas and Analiese," Esme replied warmly from the steps. Rosalie, in her incredible beauty, stood leaning against the doorway with her arms folded. Her only greeting was a slow nod to each newcomer before reaching up to kiss Emmett as he came to stand at her side. Her impeccable lips curled into a perfect smile as she felt Nicholas' eyes slide up and down her body, pausing in all the right places.
"I'm sorry that all of our family isn't here to welcome you," the always pleasant, welcoming Esme said, returning to the house and waving them after her. "If you'll stay for a bit, you'll meet my husband, Carlisle, but one of my sons and his wife are away at the moment."
"There are so many of you," Analiese remarked in wonder as they were lead into the living room.
"Yes," Nicholas added, more suspicion than intrigue in his voice. "How do you manage it?"
"It's kind of like the eyes," Emmett said, leaning on Rosalie's shoulder.
"Ah, so you told them about our eating preferences," Alice cut in, eyes going blank for a moment as she ran over Jasper's and Emmett's decisions in the forest. "Yes, I see. Well, as Emmett said, it's a product of our decision not to hunt humans. We've found that it makes it easier to coexist in larger numbers." Her eyes flitted to Jasper's for only a moment, but she could see the gratitude for her there that she had taken over the explanation. She gave him a quick wink that only he would see. "It also makes it easier for us to remain in one place longer. As you can see, this is a permanent home – well, as permanent as it can be, so I'm sure you'll understand when we ask you – "
"Yeah, we heard. No human hunting in the area," Nicholas replied, cutting Alice off. Jasper tensed at the rudeness, but Alice's smooth fingers brushed his hand, restraining him and she continued.
"We would greatly appreciate it," she said, flashing an exquisite smile. Nicholas nodded. "Were you planning on staying around here for a while?"
"No plans in particular, but we weren't in a hurry to leave either." Nicholas paused, pursing his lips attractively and crossing his arms. He appeared to be the image of ease and indifference, but all of the Cullens could sense that he was challenging them to see if they would throw him and Analiese out of their territory. The silence was tense as the Cullens silently and discreetly conferred with one another across the room. Alice slipped into a brief blank-eyed trance, checking the possible futures if they did not ask the newcomers to leave. An almost indistinguishable nod told them that nothing terrible would happen if they were allowed to stay and Esme quickly invited them to do so.
"As long as you hunt far enough from our home, I don't see why you shouldn't stay for as long as you choose," she said with a warm, inviting smile. "We would love if you would stay with us while you are in the area." Even Nicholas was able to loosen up a bit under Esme's affectionate gaze and he loosened his grip on Analiese's shoulder. Analiese smiled at Esme.
"That would be lovely, thank you, Esme. You're all so kind." Analiese cocked her head to the side, a clear indicator that she had a question but Carlisle walked in at that moment and she snapped her lips together. Esme flitted to his side and took his hand, kissing him tenderly on the cheek.
"Carlisle, these are our new guests. This is Nicholas and Analiese."
"Just Ana is fine," Analiese interrupted, bowing her head slightly in apology. "I hope it's alright that we're here."
"They were passing through and I invited them to stay with us until they're ready to move on. We explained our situation to them and they have agreed to go along with it," Esme explained in a soft tone. He smiled back at her.
"Of course. You're very welcome, Nicholas, Ana. What brings you out to rural Washington?" Ana cocked her head to the side and Nicholas' fists clenched. Carlisle backpedaled quickly. "I didn't mean to pry. It's just that you don't sound like you're from around here. Please, if it's personal, forget that I asked."
"No," Nicholas replied, his tone cutting but he relaxed his hands. "It's not that. We of course are not from around here. At least, Ana's not, so it's only natural for you to be curious, I suppose. We just needed a new scene, that's all." This time, it was Ana who tensed, all the muscles in her back and shoulders contracting. Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes fell to the floor. The Cullens quickly averted their eyes from her sudden distress. Nicholas caught Ana's chin between his fingers and pulled her face up. He didn't kiss her, but he gazed with a strange intensity into her eyes. Her breathing became sharper and her lips trembled for a moment before she clenched her teeth together. Nicholas kissed her forehead and she slid out of his arms, mumbling an apology as she flew out the front door. After watching her go, Nicholas closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. Jasper watched him warily for a moment before slipping out the door after Ana before Nicholas had opened his eyes. As he walked down the front steps of the house, he could hear Nicholas protesting that Ana should be left alone, and Alice explaining Jasper's particular gift. He then heard Nicholas walk towards the window to watch and even from outside, Jasper could feel the tension rolling of him. He ignored this, however, and turned to follow Ana's scent into the trees.