Falco di Signora

Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight.

Ch. 2: Esme

EPOV (Esme)

My family and I had moved into our new home last night; thanks to vampire speed, we were completely unpacked with nothing else to do. Denali, Alaska was very different from the suburbs of Chicago but after almost eight years in the Windy City, the family had to move because people had started to get suspicious. This place was chosen for a few reasons but I was just happy we were all together. The first was the ample wildlife in the National Park and surrounding area. The next had been the number of cloudy days and finally, this house was five miles away from our extended family – the Denali Coven.

It wasn't long before I realized that I was alone in our spacious living as all the couples were ensconced in their rooms doing the "Mated Thing." Rosalie and Emmett were the worst because no amount of soundproofing was able to block out the noises they made as they went at it like rabbits. Carlisle, our father figure, and Edward were the second worst. While not as loud as the former pair, their sexual endeavors were no less destructive. Alice and Jasper might've been the quietest of the three mated pairs but my middle brother was an empath which meant that it was only a matter of time during one of their romps before he lost control of his gift then projected their lust onto everyone, which only increased to veracity of other pairs' activities.

I quickly grabbed my I-pod, sketch pad and chalk sticks then flashed out the door as fast as my vampire speed allowed. The direction that I'd gone had been random and I only stopped after an estimated ten miles. I found myself in a small clearing with a pond; a medium sized boulder sat close to the waters edge and made a perfect perch. Without thinking, I found myself cross-legged on top of the rock, sketchpad and charcoal sticks in my lap as I waited for the dawn while I got lost in the music. My mind drifted to thoughts of my family and I wasn't able to suppress the sigh that slipped out.

Carlisle was the oldest having been changed at 23 over 300 years ago. He changed Edward in 1918 when he was 17. The next member of the family was Rose, our father changed her after he found her beaten and raped when she was 19 in 1935. She had come across Emmett, two years later, while he was being mauled by a bear then carried him over a hundred miles and asked Carlisle to save him. The overgrown teddy bear was 22 when he was changed. I was literally the baby of the family, I'd been a stupid 16 year-old tomboy that fallen out of a tall oak tree that I'd been dared to climb. If I'd fallen off the other side then I'd have escaped with merely a broken arm. Unfortunately, for me, the tree had stood on the edge of a cliff and I fell off the side with long drop. My body had been broken up pretty bad when I'd hit the rocks below. They had thought I was dead and taken me straight to the morgue but Carlisle had been there and heard a faint heartbeat. He begged my forgiveness after I'd woke up from the change and told me he just couldn't let me die. I'd never been angry that he'd made that choice.

Alice and Jasper had been adopted into the family in the early 1950's. She'd been changed at 18 but wasn't able to remember anything from before she finished the change. Jazz was 22 when he was changed during the Civil War and was the second oldest member of our family. The psychic pixie and empathic ex-soldier had taken it upon themselves to help me find a mate of my own, much to my eternal annoyance.

I'd been so lost in memories of my family and all the good times we'd had that, it was dawn before I knew it. The beauty of the sunrise coming over the tops of the trees had me drawing automatically. By mid-morning, the entire sketchpad was filled and I decided to wander through the woods. The screeching of a hawk drew my attention skyward and I quickly located the graceful fowl. I watched with delight as the bird rode the air currents in a graceful dance. The peace was shattered by the sound of a rifle shot and the majestic hawk screamed as it fell from the sky.

My eyes followed the bird's trajectory and I raced off in that direction. The bird never hit the ground but regained enough control to land on a tree branch. I noticed blood on its side from where the bullet had grazed it and knew whoever had taken the shot was going to be on the way to finish the job. I removed the flannel shirt that I'd been wearing then used it as a guard and tried to coax the injured hawk from its perch. It wasn't a necessary precaution because the talons would never be able to hurt me but habit. The bird landed on my outstretched arm then I tucked it into my chest and headed off toward home as fast as I dared so the animal wouldn't get spooked.

The rest of my family had been coming home from a hunt when I broke through the trees that ringed our backyard. Carlisle was by my side in an instant while Alice rushed inside then came back with supplies to treat the hawk's wound.

"We heard the gunshot and saw the bird fall, I knew you would be on your way back home," my father explained as we went over to my workbench and aerie.

Being vampires meant that we had an eternity to pursue all of our interests as well as any new ones we might've discovered along the way. Ever since I was a little girl, I'd loved birds – especially birds of prey. After I was changed, I devoured everything I could on ornithology. Then while we lived in England, I fell in love with medieval history. One of my professors introduced me to falconry, a hobby that seemed to tie the two interests into one. I raised and trained various predatory birds. After the first Harry Potter movie came out, my siblings bought me a snow owl but laughed at me when I named him Bubo for the mechanical owl in the original Clash of the Titans.

I placed the hawk, which I finally noticed was female, on my workbench then held out a hand and Alice gave me the first aid gear. It hadn't taken long to clean and dress the wound. I marveled at how docile the bird was while I worked. Once the dressing was in place, the majestic creature gave a soft cry then flew off. I turned to go inside and get cleaned off and get ready for my first day of classes at the nearby college; my brothers and sisters were gaping after the hawk. They looked silly so I giggled as I brushed past them.

The six of us arrived at the school but we weren't as early as we normally are because Edward just had to make sure Carlisle was serviced before he went to the hospital for his shift. I wasn't the only one that shuddered when the bronze haired vampire joined us in the car as he wiped his lips. Maybe I should get him some knee pads for Christmas, I wondered as Emmett drove and nearly gagged on images of exactly how much Eddie would enjoy such a gift were seared into my brain.

"Eww, don't you dare get those for him," Alice demanded of me as one of her visions matched what I'd just thought.

"Spoilsport," Edward replied after he read our sister's thoughts then stuck his tongue out at her.

"Do we even want to know," Rose asked with trepidation.

."NO," Alice and I shouted together and the others let the subject drop except for Eddie who pouted for the rest of the drive.

Like the others, I had only signed up for six classes; three on Monday, Wednesday and Friday then the other three on Tuesday and Thursday. My first two classes had flown by and I was now in my last class, which was being taught by Eleazar Denali – the leader of the Denali Coven. He was one of those teachers that made the subject come alive and I was more than a little sad when the class ended but I knew my family was going to visit his later, so I thought I might ask him some questions then.

The drive home was full of the usual bickering and as soon as we reached the house, I jumped out then went around back to play with Bubo. As soon as Carlisle returned home and changed, we ran off to the Denali house. They were waiting for us on the front porch when we arrived and seemed nervous. It was easy to figure out why because there was a human heartbeat coming from upstairs. Hesitantly, the Denali's greeted us then led us inside to the living room.

"As you no doubt can hear, we have another member of our little family upstairs but I felt it would be in all of our best interests if she remained upstairs for now, it is not intended to offer offense," Eleazar commented after we'd all found seats.

"No offense taken, old friend, I would be doing the same if I were in your shoes," Carlisle replied sincerely.

It had been at least forty years since our two families had seen each other so a couple of hours were spent catching up. When the conversation turned to how we were settling in and this morning, all the Denali's shared a look then Carmen stood up with an expression of mild panic.

"ISABELLA MARIE DENALI, GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT," the Spanish female yelled and most of us flinched at her tone.

The source of the mysterious heartbeat, a 17 year-old girl, marched down the steps then over to distraught vampire. Anyone could see that the girl was beautiful, even by vampire standards. She was slender but tone and perfectly proportioned with long mahogany hair that had natural red highlights. Her heart shaped face held Cupid's bow lips, a delicate nose and chocolate colored eyes that had fleck of gold in their depths. She was dressed in yoga pants and fitted tank top that had a slight bulge on her left side.

"Why did you not tell us about the hunters? Let me see," Carmen demanded but the girl shook her head in refusal then her artist's fingers began to dance in rapid patterns in the air.

The vampire wasn't deterred and demanded more forcefully, "I am your mother, now show me!"

With a put upon sigh and a martyred expression, the younger woman lifted they tank top and revealed a gauze covered wound. The other Denali girls crowded around their sister as Carmen peeled away the bandage to examine the injury. Not being slow on the uptake, my family and I connected all the dots and realized that based on the wound and what the Denali matriarch had said, this girl was the hawk that I'd treated earlier today.

My father turned to Eleazar with a questioning gaze and Spaniard sighed then spoke, "You lived in Volterra for a while my friend; surely you must know who my daughter, Isabella, is by now."

"I have never met your daughter before and the only humans allowed inside the castle walls when I lived there were food. Who is she," Carlisle shot back defensively.

"She is the Falco di Signora, Carlisle, the Falco di Signora," the other man whispered and Carlisle stared at Isabella in shock, which made her blush.

"Titles don't mean anything to me, so whose the broad," Emmett asked then winced when Rose smacked him in the back of his head.

The other women finished fussing over the human and directed her to sit between Carmen and her mate. For a brief moment, as we waited for the explanation, Isabella's eyes locked on mine and I noticed pain, sadness and something else flicker within them. Eleazar took a deep breath then let it out slowly and we all focused on him. Something told me that this story was going to change everything.