A few people have looked at Chapter 1, but still no reviews. I hope posted this new chapter will help to entice some of you out there...^^ I should be updating this story fairly regularly as I am a waitress and have lots of free time, so be sure to check back often! The next chapter should be out in less than an week! *crosses fingers*
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any extension of it whatsoever. It's all the work of the brilliant Stephenie Meyer.
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The four watched me intently, especially the two males that had stepped out to join the one who had spoken. From their posture, I could tell that they were the enforcers - the guards. The female had the same concerned look on her face, almost outright worry. Were vampires capable of such emotion? Possibly, if it was worry for themselves, but when did they actually care about others? It suddenly occurred to me that I didn't really have time for this. There were, after all, two (or possibly more) very large, angry wolves following my trail.
"I don't mean to be rude," I called to them, "but I am in a bit of rush. It seems that I've upset the local wildlife." As if to accent my point, there was another round of loud howling, and I could hear their paws hitting the ground now.
The blond that had spoken glanced at the two males before speaking again, "Come across the river."
I didn't waste anytime, I crouched slightly and leapt across the river, landing softly ten feet from the opposite bank, and jogged a little closer to them.
"Have you been hunting?" he asked me as I moved closer, the vampire/wolf scents were very strong now - one wolf-smell, in particular, was very strong.
"I was hunting, but I was interrupted before I reached my quarry," I told him, glancing back over my shoulder nervously as the two males leapt from the porch and stood strong on the riverbank. My two pursuers were growling at the water's edge on the other side. I removed my sunglasses and perched them on top of my head, "My eyes should be proof enough of that."
"Yes," he nodded, "I see." Then he zipped from the porch to stand between the two males and called over to the woods. "She is a guest, but she didn't realize that she was within the no-hunt boundary. No human life was lost, so there is no cause for hostility."
I watched with awe as the blond male spoke with such familiarity and courtesy to the dogs that had just chased me down. What was more astonishing, the wolves backed down upon his request. Was he their leader of some sort? I heard - and smelled - as the female moved closer to me, and I turned my head slightly to look at her. I had been wrong, she wasn't short, just shorter than the three males. In reality, she was just a hair taller than me. I sensed no form of hostility from her, so I returned my full attention to blond and the wolves.
I was shocked to see there was a man standing there now, though my two pursuers were accounted for. This man was tall - very tall - and very strong. His black hair was cropped short and he only wore black athletic shorts, the rest of his tan skin was exposed - even his feet were bare. He had a dark, serious look on his face, and he crossed his great arms as his black eyes moved from the blond to me.
"A guest?" he questioned, I could tell he didn't believe it for one second. I rolled my shoulders back and relaxed to look more at ease than I currently felt. "Why didn't Alice warn us then?"
"Alice is only aware of people's decisions after their minds are set," the blond spoke with such a kind manner, such patience in his voice. Then he turned to me. "It seems that your decision to visit was too sudden for our Alice to predict."
There was a silent urging in his eyes that told me that I should play along, that I didn't have a choice.
"Yes, it was rather impromptu," I said, frowning, and then, for good measure, added, "I apologize for that."
It was a lie that could easily be corroborated by the items in my car. I was packed like I was going on an extended vacation, and, in a strange way, I was. My entire life was an extended vacation; there was no home waiting for me. I pushed that thought to the back of my mind and focused on the moment. This was no time for melancholy thoughts and bitter lamenting.
"No one was harmed," he said with a smile that mirrored his divine forgiveness, "so let's just put this behind us?"
"She nearly set Seth on fire when she threw a blazing branch at him," the man cut in, nodding his head to the sand-colored wolf. The wolf whimpered slightly and looked at the man almost reproachfully.
"So I am not allowed to defend myself?" I asked, not caring whether or not I was speaking out of turn. The blond turned to me, a shocked look on his face. "And you better not have touched my car."
The sand-colored wolf whimpered slightly and cocked his head as he looked at me. The chocolate wolf merely sat back on his hunches, looking bored with this conversation already. I was going to gather from all this that they didn't find my car.
"We did find a car," the man started, "but nothing was done to it. We... actually assumed that you'd already taken care of the owner since there was a strong human scent in it."
"That would the valet," I said, slightly irritated and relieved at the same time.
Everyone stopped to exchange looks with each other, including the wolves. The tall, strong vampire even snickered, and it seemed that his sense of humor relaxed the rest of them.
"Sounds like something Alice would say. Eh, Jasper?" he said to the scar-covered blond.
"Very much so," Jasper affirmed with a simple nod, and then he turned to me, "let me guess, it's packed full of luggage too?"
"All Louis Vuitton," I noted, "I'd be quite vexed if they were damaged - not to mention the dent that would put in my beloved wardrobe."
This seemed to be the right thing to say, as everyone started laughing - even the wolves, in their own way. I took this as the cue that I could relax. It seems this Alice was important and well-liked, so inadvertently being like her was working to my benefit. I took this moment to reassess my situation.
I had been chased in the woods by large wolves who seemed to take offense to my hunting humans. Meanwhile, they seem to be getting along with this coven of golden-eyed vampires - how do they get their eyes to change color like that, anyhow? Not only that, but now I have to pretend to be their friend and visitor, and I have no idea who they are, or whether or not I can trust them. They did save my life, so I suppose allowing a small leap of faith would be acceptable, but I wasn't exactly the trusting type. The laughter died down after a couple seconds, and I had my mind made up. I would stay for a week at the most. I wanted to get to San Francisco to catch Swan Lake.
"Fine then," the blond leader said, and turned to look at me. "Jasper will go with you to your car and lead you back here. I'm sorry your visit has started out so roughly."
"All is forgiven," I said with one of my kindest smiles, and then added with a chuckle, "I just didn't expect security to be so tight here."
"The Quileutes are a proud and powerful tribe that take the protection of the humans in the area very seriously."
I nodded. So, there was to be no hunting in the area. That was going to be very problematic. As my mind was directed on the subject, I could feel the burn in my throat again. Oh, I was so thirsty.
"Shall we go get your car?" Jasper asked, pulling my mind from my inner torture. I studied him of for a fraction of a second. The blond hair, the gold eyes, the lean frame and the crescent scars on his face, neck, and exposed lower arms. This man had seen war, and he had survived. I definitely didn't want to get on his bad side.
"Yes, please," I said with a s toothy grin, and I followed him to the river's edge.
The wolves had already retreated, but the Quileute man stayed where he was and watched me carefully. I took my sunglasses off of my head and replaced them on my nose. I didn't need to hide my eyes, but I was less likely to lose them if I was wearing them like this. We crouched slightly and bolted into the air and landed on the opposite bank. Jasper greeted the Quileute shortly, calling him "Paul", and then nodded to me for us to go. I took the lead, following my scent back through the trees. It noticed as I was nearing my top speed that Jasper lagged behind, so I eased up and allowed for him to run beside me.
When we reached the last tree I had been in before taking to the ground, so I slowed slightly to gather my bearings, and then I began to run north east. Always straining my nose to smell any hint of my scent to let me know we were running in the right direction. Some leaves had fallen with my scent on them, and that helped out extensively. Once I got to my old hunting spot, I knew exactly where I was. Jasper ran silently at my side the whole time, and I never once turned my right to look at him. When we reached the edge of the wood, I gasped happily at the sight of my Bentley.
"Oh! Not a scratch on it!" I said gleefully, and I pulled the key from my trouser pocket, as I walked in human speed towards my car. "I don't know what I would have done had I found it ransacked."
"What is your attachment to this car?" Jasper asked as I unlocked the door with the button on the key. We both got in.
"I won it," I started simply, "in a very heated wager in New York." I could feel pride building in my chest I as thought about that night and the look on that arrogant bastard's face when I won. Jasper was looking at me curiously, so I continued as I started the car and pulled out onto the road. "One of the directors of Julliard's music department and I got into a rough argument one night about... well, everything. My argument was that he wouldn't know how to find true talent even if it bit him on the nose, and he thought that I was a young, arrogant Brit that didn't know what she was talking about. So, a mutual acquaintance of ours organized a wager: we both had to find aspiring composers and attempt to get him apprenticed with the New York Metropolitan Opera. If he won, I'd give him $20,000 and a public apology to him in front of his co-workers (whom I had been present for my insults), but if I won, I got his car." After I finished, I turned and looked at Jasper. I'm sure I was smirking quite visibly.
"Well, congratulations, I suppose," he said with a small chuckle.
"Thanks," I said with a smile, and turned my attention back to the road. "Do I continue on this road?"
"Yes, then we will cut across at the next intersection. Four miles."
I nodded, and we passed into silence for a few minutes. I broke it, "Aren't you going to ask me my name?"
"I assumed introductions would be taken care of back a the house, but I suppose now is as good a time as any," he responded with a polite smile. I liked his smile, it completely contrasted his fierce, dangerous appearance.
"My name is Olivia," I said taking my right hand off the of the steering wheel and offering it to him.
"Jasper," he said, shaking my hand quickly. "So you are from England?"
"Yes, I was born in Glastonbury, but I received the majority of my education in London."
"And how long ago was that?"
"316 years ago - give or take a few months."
"Hmm," he nodded slowly.
We came to the intersection and I turned right. He then instructed my from there to go west for seven miles and then north to until we came to their hidden driveway.
"You are almost as old as Carlisle," Jasper finally said, "he was the one that spoke on your behalf."
"He is from England as well, I hear the slight lithe in this speech."
"Yes, London."
"Fancy that," I said slowly. "And the others? The female and the brute?"
Jasper snorted a laugh out through his nose before he spoke, "Esme is Carlisle's wife, and Emmett is another member of the family - a brother of sorts."
Wife? Brother? Family? When has a vampire ever referred to its collective as a family? This was all very odd. I suppose he could see the confusion on my face because he continued.
"We're a bit different. Carlisle is better at explaining out lifestyle, so I'll leave it to him, but I can tell you that it's different than any coven you'll ever be apart of."
"That's very... interesting..." I had to fight to choose a word. The Volturi liked to think of themselves as a family. I hope these vampires weren't similar. I didn't want to have to avoid them too.
My ability to produce fire once caught the attention of the Aro, the self-important leader of the Volturi, and he sent me an invitation to come visit. They were nice, but I didn't like the idea of joining - despite the rewards. I was always an independent and already had my passion, and I wouldn't be able to travel freely if I was always under the command of another. I declined and made my exit. He seemed willing to accept, but part of me was always nervous of being asked again, so I did my best to avoid habits that would put me in the paths of other vampires - thus, staying in hotels and living like a human.
"Pull in here," Jasper said, and I obeyed. "When we get to the house, you can just pull around to the garage, there's plenty of room in there for your car."
"You have cars too?" I asked, my interest peaked.
"Yes, my other brother, Edward, collects cars."
"I think I'm going to like this Edward," I said slightly amused, though the name brought memories I hadn't dwelled on for many years. Some were muddied and unclear, while one was vivid and very disturbing. I pushed it to the back of my mind as I worked to regain my former composure. Jasper was looking at me questioningly now, specifically how my hands had clamped down on the steering wheel.
"Something wrong?" he asked, though his tone suggested that he was well aware that something was wrong.
"Old memory I'm not fond of," I answered truthfully. Thankfully, the house was now in sight. "Ah, the house looks even more magnificent from the front."
Jasper noted my topic change and smiled. "Yes, Esme is a true artist. She restored it herself."
"How lovely!"
I pulled the car around the house, as directed, and found a clear, open space the cave-like garage. As Jasper had inferred, it was full of cars. I killed the engine and got out. Removing my sunglasses, I eagerly looked around at all of them. A red M3, a black S55 AMG, a black Vanquish, a yellow 911 Turbo, and a red F430 were at the forefront. I drooled greedily at the Vanquish.
"Like cars, do you?" Jasper asked, slightly amused.
"Ha," I laughed shortly and turned away, hitting the button my key to open the trunk, "they are like toys and I am the greedy child that only wants to play with the best."
He nodded and joined me by the trunk. I took two bags, he took the other two, and we moved to the house. Before we got to the door, Esme had opened it wide to let us in.
"Hello again!" she said with an astonishingly big smile. "Welcome back. Is that all of your luggage? Emmett, please take the bags from our guest, will you?"
"Erm," I began, feeling slightly overwhelmed, and not really wanting the large vampire to take my bags from me. "I have them, it's all right."
"Are you sure?" he asked, eyeing me suspiciously. "I was just going to put them in Alice's room."
"It's okay, Olivia," Jasper assured me with a smile, and I looked from him to the other three in the room.
"Very well, then," I said, still a bit hesitant, and handed the bags off to Emmett. He and Jasper disappeared up the stairs with my bags, and I forced my eyes to look back at Carlisle and Esme.
"Your car was unharmed?" Carlisle asked, helping to pull my attention to him.
"Yes, thank you," I said with a polite smile, and I folded my hands in front of me, in a gesture of humility. "And thank you for your help earlier. I was not quite ready to meet my maker, just yet."
"It was my pleasure," he said with one of the most brilliant smiles I had ever seen, "anything to help a fellow countryman."
"Ah, yes," I said with a laugh. "I guessed that you were from the other side of the pond from the subtle lithe in your voice. Jasper told me you from London? I was born in Glastonbury."
"I am sorry to say that I never have visited there," he said, with a slight frown, which I had to note was very unbefitting of him. "I have heard that it is a lovely place though."
"It was, the little I can remember," I said, a light nostalgic smile pulling on my lips, "but three hundred years is hard on human memories."
"Three hundred?" Esme gasped, "My goodness, have you been a solitary nomad all this time?"
"More of less," I said with a laugh. "Though not the stereotypical solitary that you may have met. I doubt any of them has a car or are sincerely attached to materialistic possessions."
"Not particularly," Carlisle laughed.
"Will you tell us your story?" Esme asked, her head tilting to the side and her carmel hair bobbing lightly. Just then, Emmett and Jasper returned to the living room.
"Only if you care to, of course," Carlisle added in quickly, "we don't want to push anything out of you."
"No, I don't mind telling my story, it's been a while since I was asked - not to mention, at liberty to do so."
"Who parked in my spot?" we all heard a male voice outside ask, and Emmett and Jasper snickered.
"I beg your pardon?" I asked, turning around just in time to see the door open and a rather irritated youth with tussled, bronze hair step in.
"Um," he stopped, and raised an eyebrow at him. "I assume that's your car then?"
"Olivia is a guest, we had her park her car in the garage for safe-keeping, Edward," Carlisle said. There was a moment of silence and Edward nodded.
"I see," he said, and then he looked at me. "It's a beautiful car. New?"
"It's this year's model, if that's what you're asking," I said, and I leaned my head to the right and looked out the grand window. Three women and a girl were getting out of a silver Volvo. "More members of you 'family', Carlisle?" I asked before turning around again to look at him.
I had to admit, I was a little panicky. I was greatly outnumbered, and if I was forced to defend myself, I was sure that the wolves would finish me off. This was a very bad situation to get myself into. Why did I agree to this? I could've been in San Francisco by now.
"Who's this?" a female voice asked, and I turned again.
The three woman were all as different as can be, with one similarity: their eyes. The first was a tall, exquisitely beautiful blond with a fierce expression on her face, the second was an extremely short raven-haired girl with a sort of an excited look in her eyes, and the third was a stunning brunette who was watching Edward intently. Clinging to the skirt of the third one was a young girl, around six or seven, with curly bronze hair and bright brown eyes. She was partially hidden behind the woman, but I could tell that she was very interested in me, and I was very interested in her. She had the beauty of a vampire, but the rosy cheeks and heartbeat of human - though, her heart was beating much too fast.
Carlisle broke the silence: "This is Olivia, and she is a guest."
