Chapter Two

"Must you go?" Elena asked tearfully, watching me fold my clothes neatly into my backpack. We lived quite a ways from the nearest town, and many of the humans there didn't even know we existed. It kept them from growing suspicious. The five of us, Duarte, his mate Helen, and the two girls they had found that were like me, Elena and Andréa, and myself, had lived in this house for the past hundred years or so. Duarte and Helen always traveled far away to hunt, which allowed the five of us to maintain a permanent residence here, which was nice. I had become spoiled in the last hundred years, becoming too used to a home, and warm water, and being clean. Now I was going to travel again, and I would definitely miss this.

I had felt the pull building for the last few weeks, and this morning, it had begun to lead me north.

"You know I do. It is my purpose," I said calmly. I would never say as much, but I always missed my little family when I was away. I had never quite fit in with the four others, they saw themselves as a whole family, with Duarte as the father, and Helen as the mother, and the three of us girls as their children. I saw them all more as adoptive siblings, perhaps because I was older than all of them. I did love them though.

"I'll miss you so much!" Elena said, throwing her arms around my shoulders and sobbing into my neck. I rolled my eyes at her over reaction, but I smiled all the same, rubbing her back as she cried.

"I'll be back in a few years. And once I'm settled, maybe you can come up and visit me," I said, my eyes pricking a little. She nodded into my neck, then backed away, smiling ruefully and wiping her face clean.

"Won't you at least stay until the others get back? I know they would like to say goodbye," she said, sniffling. I shook my head.

"They know I've been getting ready to go," I said, slinging my backpack across my shoulders. "And besides, they won't be back for days, and I need to go now."

"I know," she said with a sigh, then looked at her feet.

"Don't be upset," I said, ruffling her hair in a way that I know annoyed her. She swatted my hand away with a growl, then grinned.

"I'll see you soon," she said, patting my shoulder again as I walked out of the room. I started off north, following the pull, until I reached the village. There, I snuck onto a bus headed north, preferring to save my energy for when I would absolutely have to run, areas like country borders. Riding was slower than running of corse, but I had some time. The urge to be where I was going was still faint. In the early afternoon, I decided to nap, I would run at night. If I had distanced things properly, I could be in Mexico by tomorrow evening, and the United States a day after that, and then Canada, if the urge pulled me that far north.

As I ran that night, I thought, making guesses as to what would be needed of me this time. I thought again about the reason why certain people drew me to them, from across the world at times, when others held no appeal to me, even when their need was obvious. It was a mystery to me, but I was not frightened by it as I had been when I was younger. After coming to Brazil, I'd discovered that many vampires had extra abilities like mine, though none I saw were ever the same. I had met a woman who was a master in disguising herself, she could become nearly invisible, her skin would change to mirror whatever was behind her, and her scent would change. That was the closest I'd ever found to my ability.

The farther north I ran, the stronger the pull became, and I pushed myself to my farthest limits, running as fast as I could. I had removed my shoes so as to not wear them out, and my bare feet struck the ground lightly, leaving no trace of my passing.

Within two days I was running along the coastline of California, making sure to give the cities a wide berth. I was just thinking about stopping for the night and finding somewhere to sleep in the forest when I was hit by a scent so strong and different, that I pulled up short. I turned my face from side to side, taking in more of the scent, but not moving forward at all. It wasn't an unpleasant smell, just different, like the woods, but 100 times stronger, with a little bit of something else I couldn't identify mixed it.

I took a cautious step forward, then another, until I was through the line of scent. There was no visible difference to the land, so I continued on my way, more slowly than before, just in case whatever that scent belonged to was dangerous.

I didn't hear them come up behind me, I was to focused on trying to identify the strange scent, but suddenly, they were upon me. Four giant wolves with different colored furs. They were snarling, and crouching, ready to spring. I ran. I didn't know what else to do. Maybe I could have taken them down, but it had been many many years since I had hunted, I preferred to live off of human food, it was less messy.

I raced through the trees quickly, surprised that the four wolves seemed to be keeping up with me, then suddenly, I was flung through the air, hitting a tree and cracking it in half with the impact. A large, reddish brown wolf was pinning me to the ground with a giant paw, its teeth bared in a snarl, with the three others around it. Then suddenly, the wold inhaled, and took a step back in confusion. I didn't wait to see what the problem was, I was on my feet, sprinting away from them as soon as I was let go. They chased after me again, but this time, there was no snarling or howling behind me, only the thud of heavy feet. Just when I thought I might have a chance of losing them, I whipped to a stop, my feet digging into the dirt. Three more large wolves wee in front of me, and the other four fanned out behind me, blocking my exit. I looked around frantically, trying to form an escape plan, but before I could, a tall dark haired man emerged from behind the three new wolves, and walked forward slowly, his hands held up in front of him in a truce. One of the wolves behind him whined, but he didn't even glance at it. I looked at it though, and it looked back. What was this? A pack of tamed wolves?

The man was looking at me curiously now, and I straightened from the crouch I had unconsciously sunken into.

"Hello," I said in English, hoping the strange man-raised-by-wolves could speak it too.

"Hello," he repeated, halting nearly twenty feet from me, hands still raised. "Can you tell me why you are here?"

"Just traveling," I shrugged, not willing to share information with a man I didn't know. He frowned.

"The pack is supposed to kill any blood suckers who come onto our lands," he said, a frown appearing on his lips. One of the wolves behind him snarled, as though agreeing.

"Can they… understand you?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me, though I knew I was in danger and should be trying to escape.

"Yes," he said simply.

"And they obey you?" I asked again, frowning in confusion. From what I knew of wolves, they traveled in packs like this one, with one male leader, and one female leader. so where did this human tie into it? "Did you train them?" I asked, frowning at the idea of keeping a pack of wolves as guard dogs. Wolves needed to roam free, going wherever their prey would go. Then another thought occurred to me. He had said blood suckers… did he know about vampires?

"I am their alpha," the man replied. I heard a snort from one of the wolves behind me, and the man frowned again for a second, then his face smoothed out and he looked back to me. "You are not the normal kind we hunt," he said, making the words into a leading question.

"I'm probably not," I hedged, not sure what he knew about us. He frowned again.

"Why are you on our lands," he asked again.

"I have business to the north of here," I said, shrugging again.

"With the Cullens?" He asked, and I took a second to think quickly.

"I'm looking for someone," I said at last, trying to see a way out of this mess. "Maybe they are with these… Cullens."

"We will take you to them," the man said, sweeping an arm to the side of him as an indication for me to walk. I frowned but moved, feeling uneasy with the group of wolves following behind me. We walked at human pace for nearly twenty miles, and I could tell when we were getting close, because I could small the scent of vampires int he air. Many of them. I knew I wasn't close to where I needed to be, I was still in my natural form, I hadn't changed, which I knew I would feel the need to do if I were close. I must be headed to Canada then, or Alaska perhaps. But the pull felt stronger here then it had for my whole journey.

I didn't have time to think about it much, once we crossed an undrawn line, I could hear others running to meet us, vampires by the smell of it. If the wolves were supposed to kill vampires, I wondered why they seemed so friendly with these ones. No, friendly wasn't the right word. Maybe tolerable?

Our group came to a stop in a large clearing, and I tensed as four vampires entered the clearing across from us, coming to a halt. The man approached them and exchanged words with one of them, words that were spoken low enough that I couldn't quite make them out. I frowned, then glanced at the trees, wondering if I could outrun them, but decided against it. I was tired, though attentive enough, and I wanted to know more about these strange tame wolves. The five others were crossing the clearing now, coming over to where I was still surrounded by wolves.

"Hello, my name is Carlisle Cullen," a blond male said calmly, reaching out a hand for me to shake. After a moments hesitation, I shook his hand, and the corners of his strange yellow eyes crinkled slightly, like he was resisting a smile. "These are my sons, Edward and Jasper, and my daughter Bella," he said, gesturing to the others in turn. I frowned slightly, not surprised by the labels he gave them, but rather the protectiveness I could practically feel rolling from each of them. Not only were they protective of each other, but of the wolves around me as well. These people were full of mysteries, and if I'd had the time, I would have been interested to learn them, but even as we stood there, the draw was pulling me away from them.

"Oh," one of the males said suddenly. I wasn't sure if he was Edward or Jasper, but everyone int he clearing seemed to look at him then.

"The wolves brought you here because you are different from us, are you not?" Carlisle asked me, drawing my attention away from the other man.

"Yes, I am. I am half vampire, and half human," I said, though he seemed to already know this. "May I ask you a question?" I said, my curiosity getting the better of me again.

"Of course," he said, smiling.

"Why are your eyes different? I've never met a vampire without red eyes," I said, fully conscious that the other two vampires were still looking at the one who had spoken out.

"We do not hunt humans," he said, smiling as though he anticipated more questions. I nodded.

"Animals then?" I asked, though I was sure that was the answer. I had done much the same, once I had developed a conscious, around my fiftieth year of wandering. The man smiled and nodded in confirmation. The other man gasped again, and I turned toward him. He was staring at me in astonishment, though I hadn't said anything surprising.

"Yes, my family and I hunt animals," Carlisle said, and I turned back to him,keeping an eye on the other one. In the corner of my eye I saw him nod slightly, then a few moments later, shake his head, and I frowned. I'd never heard of an insane vampire. Perhaps he could also communicate with the wolves, like the wolf man seemed to do. "We have a house nearby, we can continue the conversation there if you would like."

I thought about it for a few moments, then nodded. Whatever my reason to travel was, it could wait a few more hours. I couldn't pass up this opportunity to learn from these strangers. I nodded.

"We take full responsibility for her, Sam," Carlisle said to the wolf man, who had been silent till then. He nodded, glanced at me once, then at one of the wolves. By some unspoken signal, they all turned and walked away. All except for the reddish brown one who had pinned me earlier. I watched him warily.

"Come," Carlisle said, then turned and darted into the trees. I followed after him, the others running behind me. I could hear the heavy padding of paws, and wondered if the work would follow us all the way into the house, but then became distracted as we passed near a small town. Did these vampires live so close to town? Didn't the humans notice that they never changed, never aged? The four of them were very well dressed, perhaps they kept up human jobs to earn money, as Elena, Andréa, and I had done in a town near to our house. The hose we approached was large and white, shadowed by large trees. I could hear a river flowing nearby. It was beautiful, peaceful almost, and I couldn't help but smile. The girl vampire who had come with us darted inside ahead of us, and Carlisle slowed his run. As we entered the house, the wolf disappeared into the trees, and I was a little disappointed to see it go. I had wanted to learn more about them. Perhaps Carlisle could tell me. In the living room, four more vampires were gathered, all looking at me curiously. The girl, Bella, was no where to be seen.

"This is the rest of my family," Carlisle said, gesturing me into the room. "This is my wife Esme, and our children, Rosalie, Emmett, and Alice." I nodded to them, but I was a little confused. Emmett was huge, and very muscular, obviously a fighter. So why hadn't they brought him to a confrontation with an unknown vampire? Perhaps the other three had special abilities, ones that would help in a fight. I glanced at them again, trying to figure out what they could be. Carlisle was obviously the leader, which was why he had gone. I couldn't pin the abilities of the others, though they must have been strong. "And this is Jacob," Carlie continued, and I whirled around to face the newcomer who, obviously, was not a vampire. His scent was the same as the wolf man from before, similar to the one I had crossed int he woods to begin with… oh. Were they wolves people too? That was strange. I wondered how that worked, maybe the same was as my ability? When there was need and with concentration, they could change themselves into wolves. The need today would have been to protect their people, from me.

"I'm Sophia," I said at last, realizing they were all waiting for me. There was a strange scent in the air, a fresh one, that was nearly drowned out by the wolf, but not quite. It took me a moment to place, since I was so used to my sisters scents and this new one seemed off in a way. There was another half blood around here, and she had been her recently. It was a she, of that I was sure. I had never met a male of my kind, I wasn't sure they even existed. I wondered briefly why they had taken her from the room, but then surmised that I was probably still perceived as a threat. And this other one must be very young, perhaps unable to defend herself against a threat. My stomach strained silently, reminding me that it had been days since I had eaten anything substantial.

"We have some food here in the house," one of the males said. I thought that one must be Edward, though I still wasn't sure. I started, I hadn't realized I had made any noise to indicate I was hungry. No, I hadn't, the others were looking at him strangely as well, before one of them left quickly, returning seconds later with a sandwich on a plate for me.

"Thank you," I said, accepting the food. Maybe the man had a gift like mine, perhaps he could tell when someone needed something? No, that was too specific, he seemed to just know. Mind reading? I thought, and glanced at him. He was looking way from me and didn't move at all. Maybe not mind reading then. Or maybe years of practice so he didn't give it away. Yes, that would explain the silent conversation he seemed to have had in the of the other two that I had first met, one of them had to have a gift of protection. With how protective they were of each other, there was no way they would go near a potential threat unprotected. I would guess it was the female, Bella, who protected, rather than the other male, as he was now standing near a back wall, while Bella was off taking care of the other half blood, protecting it. I wondered what she could do for a moment, but was drawn out of my thoughts by Carlisle coming forward to lead me to a chair. His family sat around him, waiting. This was by far the biggest gathering of out kind I'd ever met, most of the time, vampires fought each other, preferring to travel alone. Maybe it was their strange diet that allowed them to get along so well, they didn't have to get territorial over hunting grounds.

The little one drew my attention next. She was tiny, with dark hair, and at first I thought her size was because she was changed younger than the others, but then I realized it must have just been her body size. She looked strangely familiar, though I knew I'd never seen her before. What drew my attention was that her hands were rubbing her temples and her eyes were closed. If she were human, I'd guess she had a headache, but I'd never known a vampire to get one before. Perhaps she had a gift as well? One that was inside the mind.

"Sam told us you are looking for someone?" Carlisle asked at last. "May I ask who?" I eyed him warily, but then decided that if they were going to attack me, they would have done so already.

"I'm… not sure," I said, ignoring the food on my plate until I was sure I was out of danger.

"You can't tell us?" Carlisle asked, his brow pulling together.

"No," I said. "I don't know who I'm looking for."

"Oh," he said, a thoughtful look on his face. "May I ask how you know where you are going then?" I smiled wryly.

"I don't know that either," I said, and heard someone behind me huff with impatience. "Its my gift, I guess," I said, and he nodded.

"We also have gifted ones," he said as an explanation that he understood. I nodded, then took a tentative bite of food, my stomach betraying me with a grumble.

"Is your gift one of foresight?" Carlisle asked, trying to get a clearer picture. He didn't seem to be threatened by me at all, but rather curious.

"I will trade information with you, if you would like," I said, seeing a way to learn more about the strange family. "I am curious about… things around here." He nodded with a smile.

"Of course," he said, nodding for me to continue.

"The wolves," I began, but stopped at a low growl behind me, from the wolf man, I guessed. I ignored him. "They are… shape shifters?" I asked.

"Yes, though they call themselves werewolves," Carlisle said, nodding. I couldn't help but snort with laughter. I'd seen real werewolves, over in Russia, and they were nothing like these people. Even in their human forms, werewolves were sadistic, horrible people. And besides, it was day time, and I had seen the wolves only a half hour ago.

"You wouldn't call yourselves werewolves if you'd even seen a real one," I said, as a way of explanation when the wolf boy behind me growled again. I turned in my seat to look at him. He had been hovering near the door, not quite willing to enter the room, but obviously worried that I would attack them or something. "I am not a threat to you," I said, narrowing my eyes at his stance, which was ready to spring. "I know when I am outnumbered, and out gifted." He didn't relax so I shrugged and turned around to answer Carlisle's first question.

"My gift… it's not clairvoyance. Not really. I'm not exactly sure what it is," I said, leaning back into the couch. These vampires might not get uncomfortable standing or sitting like rocks, but I had been running all day, and I was tired, and this couch was comfortable. "Once every decade or so, I get this… pull, like an urge to go find someone. And its always someone who needs me. I'm not really sure why its certain people, and not others."

"Needs you?" Carlisle asked, leaning forward in interest.

"Yes. Sometimes its as a friend, or helper, pretty much anything they need," I said. "I become what they need, as long as they need me for, then I leave and wait for the next time."

"I see," Carlisle said, thinking.

"She can change her form too," Edward said, his eyes distant as though he was remembering. I frowned. Definitely some sort of mind reader then. And he must be pretty fluent in Portuguese, as I had spent the last couple hundred years speaking and thinking it.

"Yes," I said, turning back to Carlisle. "I become whatever they need. I've only recently learned how to control it," I said, then concentrated for a moment, closing my eyes. I heard a gasp and knew it must be working. I opened my now golden eyes, and looked at Carlisle, who would be looking back at a mirror image of himself. They were all shocked, to say the least, and I let my form go, becoming myself again. "It takes a lot of concentration, and there must be a general need for it, but I have learned to use my own needs to base it off of," I said, and Carlisle blinked.

"I see," he said, nodding absently. I turned to Edward then.

"And you are a mind reader?" I asked, though the words were more a statement then a question. He nodded. "Then you must know that I am no threat to you and your family, and I mean you no harm, I am not a fighter," I said softly. Ne nodded again, and I smiled, briefly noticing the others int he room relax slightly. "May I meet the other half blood you keep here?" I asked, turning back to Carlisle. He looked to Edward, who nodded and left the room.

"Of course," he said, settling back in his chair. The others moved to whatever they had been doing before I came here, though they all stayed nearby. The wold hovered in the doorway still, and I look dot him now, curious again.

"What is your connection?" I asked him, noting the way his eyes glanced toward the door. "You are not comfortable here, so why stay?" He didn't answer, though I figured it out moments later when Edward returned with Bella and the other half blood. She looked about the age of a seven year old child, so I would guess she had been born about three years ago. The wolf man, Jacob I reminded myself, hovered protectively near her, placing himself so that he could stop an attack if needed. So his attachment wasn't to the family, but to the young girl.

"This is our daughter, Renesmee," Edward said, with a small smile. My eyes widened. Our? Perhaps it was an adoptive term, like Carlisle had used earlier. "I am her father, and Bella is her mother," he said, answering my thoughts.

"How is that possible?" I asked, confused. I remembered my own mother, her boy rotting away in a room in our house after I had torn my way out of her. I remembered the stories my 'sisters' had told me or their birth mothers. None of them were good stories, and no one survived.

"Bella was changed moments after giving birth," Edward said, answering my spoken question with a frown, probably caused by my memories. I nodded, but didn't reply. I'd never know a mother to survive. Without my permission, my mind began to imagine what my early life could have been like if I hadn't killed my own mother. I was distracted as Renesmee approached me.

"Hello little one," I said, smiling at her. She was beautiful, as all half bloods were. She was half her father, I could buck out his features in her, and half what her human mother had been, brown eyes, soft lips that held the same shape as Bella's.

"Hello," she replied, obviously as curious about me as I was about these people. "What's your name?"

"I'm Sophia," I said, smiling, and she returned it brightly.

"I'm Renesmee, but you can call me Nessie," she said, then glanced back at her mother sheepishly, as though she were in trouble. Bella shook her head with a smile. I could see Jacob gritting his teeth, his narrowed eyes never leaving me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"I wish you had come two years ago," Bella muttered. "You could have saved us a lot of trouble with the Volturi." I cocked my head in confusion.

"Who are the Volturi?" I asked, curious. Bella shuddered slightly, and the rest of the family wore looks of dislike, or surprise.

"The Volturi? The ones who enforce our law? You have to have heard of them," The large muscled one, Emmett, said.

"I've spent most of my time hiding from others," I said, shrugging. "Until I found my current family in Brazil, I rarely let the woods, or came across other vampires." He shook his head in disbelief.

"The Volturi are ancient beings who most of us trust to keep the humans from becoming aware of us," Carlisle began. "Two years ago, we had no idea that it was possible for a half vampire to exist, nor did they. It caused quite a… conflict." He said. He explained the story of them, and by the end of it, I felt guilty.

"I'm sorry," I said, though I knew there was nothingI could have done. "My sisters and I were warned that other vampires would try to kill us if they knew of us, so we stayed hidden," I said, sighing.

"Sisters?" Carlisle asked. "There are more of you?"

"Yes, I live with two others. There used to be another, but she died many years ago. I've never heard of a male half blood though, perhaps I will have to seek out this Nahuel when I return home," I said, thinking for a moment. I was drawn from my thoughts by a sudden tug, and it took me a moment to realize it wasn't a physical one, but the one I had followed here. It was no longer leading me north though, it was pulling me back the way I had come. I frowned for a moment. Was it someone in this town then? It was certainly not anyone in this family. But no, the pull was leading away from the town. Was my quarry moving? Yes, the pull was just one degree father east then it had been a moment ago. I stood without thinking, then remembered where I was.

"I need to leave," I said, frowning slightly. "May I come back at a later time to talk with you again? I am still very curious about your way of life." My mind was still half on the pull, it was growing stronger now. Why didn't I feel the need to change yet?

"Of course," Carlisle said, standing with me now.

"If you are running south again, perhaps Jacob should go with you until you pass the pack's lands," Edward murmured, making Jacob look at him incredulously.

"I thought she was going north?" He said, spitting the words between his clenched teeth. Edward just shrugged.

"If you think thats best then I don't mind," I said to Edward, ignoring Jacob. He huffed, and I nearly smiled. It was very easy to rile him up, and fun as well. I caught Edwards half smile as I turned and figured that he agreed with me.

"Fine," he said angrily, then turned and left the room.

"It was very nice to meet you all," I said, turning back to Carlisle. He held out a hand for me to shake again, and then I turned and left as well. I had barely reached the forest edge when the large reddish wolf joined me. We ran in silence for maybe twenty minutes, and then I stopped, feeling the change in the pull, I began to head east but Jacob blocked my way with a snarl. I could smell the scent of other wolves and knew I must be close to their lands, which would be why he was upset.

"Can you please get Sam for me, if you are not willing to let me through? I will stay here and wait," I said, frowning. Why would someone who is guarded by wolves need me? This situation was growing more and more confusing. Jacob looked at me for a moment, then disappeared into the trees. I sat with a sigh, leaning against a tree. It had been a long day, and I had run all night, and now with the sun setting again, I knew I would need to find a place to sleep, soon. Jacob returned much quicker than I expected, with four other wolves, and Sam, in his human form, leading the way.

"Hello," I said. "My name is Sophia." He nodded, his eyes tight. I explained to him about my gift, knowing he probably already knew about the Cullen's gifts, and asked his permission to cross his land. He didn't seem surprised while I talked, perhaps Jacob had told him already. He looked at me for a long moment, then nodded. "Thank you," I said, smiling.

The five wolves and Sam ran with me, slower than usual, as I followed the pull towards their village. I stopped near the outskirts of the woods when they did.

"Wait here for a moment," Sam said as the five wolves disappeared into the trees. They returned moments later as men, most of them looked to be in their early twenties, and all of them were shirtless, and shoe less. It reminded me of my own bare feet, and I sincerely hoped I hadn't tracked dirt into the Cullen's home.

All six of the men looked unhappy for me to be there, but they didn't speak as we began walking down the road. It was late summer, though I wasn't sure what month, and the weather was nice, though overcast. We only had to walk for five minutes or so before the first small buildings came into view. I followed the pull, my eyes half closed, through the village. The sun had fully set now, and not many people were outside, and those who were payed no attention to us, obviously used to this group of men always being together. I turned down a side road, ignoring the mumbling from behind me, and continued walking at an infuriatingly slow human pace. I still felt no need to change my appearance, and I guessed that if the pull was coming from someone inside the village, the pack wouldn't be too kind about letting me hang around, but I was almost positive I was nearly there. I halted outside a small one story house set back far enough into the woods that I couldn't see the village from here. I stepped forward to knock on the door.

"What are you doing?" Jacob asked incredulously, and I was slightly surprised at the lack of overall anger in his voice. I ignored him though, and the rest of them stood silently behind me as the door was pulled open.


AN: Hello again :) Thank you for reading, please leave me a review and let me know if you like it or what I can change if you don't like it.

Also, please come RP with me on Accio Nox! It's a great website full of friendly people and if you are lacking muse for your own writing, you will get some pretty good ideas there :)