Adsila closed her eyes. Ilvermorny. She missed it. Homesick for school, she thought, amused.

Now, the bigger, wider world awaited her. She missed the safety, the comfort, the seclusion of the castle. The rustle of the parchment. The smell of ink. The leather covers of the books, and the scratching of quills on parchment. The hours she would spend pouring, comfortably curled up in the dormitories, or the armchair in the Common Room, in front of a cosy fire. Or in the library. Now, everything was unpredictable. There were no timetables. No teachers guiding or directing you. Now, she had to do it all on her own.

But first, she had to see her grandfather.

Apparating to the front door, she waited, almost impatiently, for her grandfather to answer her knock.

She cleared her throat.

Suddenly, her grandfather did open the front door.

She grinned broadly. "Osiyo, Eduda," she said.

Her grandfather beamed broadly. Ignoring any idea of protocol, even as an important elder, he went and scooped her up in his arms.

"Adsila!" He said. "Hasiyu?"

She gave a small smile. "Yes, I'm fine, Eduda." He pulled back and scrutinised her face.

"You're not fine," he said. "You're worried; look at you."

She shrugged it off. "Seriously, Eduda. I'm fine. I've just been in a meeting."

"At work?" He asked.

"With the president," she muttered. Her grandfather's eyes widened in understanding.

"And?" He pressed.

"He gave me an assignment." She took a deep breath. "I'm going north."

"North?" His grey-black eyebrow shot up to his forehead. "What for? What's up north?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "He's sent me to investigate some suspicious rumours. We can't afford to have the NSPS finding out." Her grandfather barely restrained his frown when he heard the name NSPS. "Or any illegal Pure-Blood supremacist factions either. Both are already causing enough trouble as it is. And clearly we can't rely on the No-Maj president because apart from anybody related to witches and wizards, nobody else is allowed to know." Her grandfather looked extremely solemn.

"I see," he looked very serious now. "I've been speaking to the other members of the tribe. The magical and the No-Maj as well." This sparked her interest.

"And?" She asked breathlessly.

Her grandfather snorted. "The No-Maj members when I visited, thought the NSPS were a bunch of superstitious idiots who used what they believed to justify murder. But they're not going away, they said. Any more than the Ku Klux Klan." That was the No-Maj white supremacist group that basically was against anyone who wasn't of European ethnic origins or part of their faith. It was the stupidest thing she had ever heard. Even Pure-Blood supremacists didn't care what skin colour you had.

"The magical members are afraid. They've imposed curfew. They followed every law that's been passed for security to the letter and made new ones." He shook his head. "It's not going to go away. The NSPS know to target Native Americans in particular, though they definitely do their best to target Caucasians, and African Americans too. They know some of us may have powerful abilities, so they look into our legends and start thinking it they're clues and not stories."

"That's not good," Adsila fretted.

"No," her grandfather agreed. "But we can hardly non-tribe members from buying books in our stores and reading our stories."

Adsila groaned.

"The No-Maj members definitely don't suspect anything," her grandfather continued. "So they go around as usual. This can be very dangerous."

Adsila shook her head. "Right. Well, I have to go off. Please, let me know if anything happens. I'll be in Forks, Washington. I'll send you the details later."

He nodded. "You be careful, Adsila."

She gave a small smile. "You too, Eduda. And Elisi too- say hi to her from me as well."

He nodded. "Stiyu, Adsila."

"Donadagohv I," Adsila replied, before disapparating.

Forks….

"Claire!"

Claire looked up.

It was Renesmee Cullen. "Hi."

"Where's Jacob?" She asked.

Claire shrugged. "No idea. I don't know where they've gone."

Renesmee was younger than Claire, but she looked older. In fact, she already looked like a teenager when in fact she was three years younger than Claire who was ten.

Renesmee breathed out. "Okay." She looked at the space next to Claire. "Mind if I-"

"Sure," Claire said, budging over.

This was the only company she received that wasn't a member of the Pack, Emily, Sue, Billy Black or Quil's granddad.

Claire really didn't mind. She really, really loved them, all of them. Especially Quil. But she was growing bored.

"So…" Renesmee- or Nessie, as everyone called her- began. "What're you up to?"

In answer, Claire held out the flower. She opened and closed the petals, just like before.

"That's amazing," Nessie breathed.

Claire sighed. "Yeah. Just don't know why I'm the only one who can do it. Plus, I'm bored. No one's letting me out," she complained.

Nessie grimaced. She knew exactly what that felt like. She had her parents and Jacob monitoring her twenty-four seven.

"So no one can explain anything?" Nessie asked curiously. "I mean… You came from the Makah reserve right? Surely there must be legends that the elders there can talk to you about?"

Claire shook her head sadly. "Nada. Nothing."

Nessie shrugged. "You know how my dad can read thoughts? Well, he read mine- and I swear, he didn't tell anyone!" She said. Claire nodded, knowing that he wouldn't have. "Well, he thinks that maybe it's a power that you have, like my mom- he couldn't read her thoughts, but he didn't figure out why until after she'd been turned into a vampire. That was when she started using her shield."

Claire perked up. "Oh?"

"Yeah, well… He also thought that your powers, are a little… Different though. I mean, they don't exactly fall into a certain category. My mom blocked my dad and Eleazar- he's a vegan vampire who lives up north and can sense people's powers- he couldn't look into Mom's accurately so that's how he knew she was a shield. But my point is, Mom falls under a certain category. My dad falls into another. Benjamin, an Egyptian vampire who's able to control the four elements; water, earth, wind and fire- his powers fall into the four elements category, right?" She asked, shaking her head, at how she phrased it. Claire nodded, understanding. "What I meant is every power is different, but they come into certain groups. Your powers- you can do all sorts of things that are completely unrelated to one another. Like boiling water. And making flowers grow. Flying off the swing. Unless you can manipulate water molecules… And even then, it won't be easy. Dad can only read the thoughts that pass in a person's head without touching them. This guy named Aro, he can read every thought that goes into a person's head as long as he touches them."

"So no answer there either," Claire's shoulders slumped.

"Well…" Nessie began and then she heard someone. "Hey- that's Jacob calling. I gotta go. See ya!"

"See ya!" Claire replied, still looking at the flower.

She rushed off. Claire liked Jacob- or Uncle Jake as she used to call him when she was small- very much. But right now….

She wandered off, despite her Aunt Emily's warning.

"So…. Angela," Adsila looked around at the rainy, wet town. "What's the situation?"

"Rumours," Angela shrugged. "I've been undercover in Forks for years now. Drinking De-Aging potion to make myself young. Ever since I heard about those Cullens…"

"Those Cullens?" Adsila asked.

"Yeah, the Cullen family. They're blending in with the No-Majes but it's different for them, because they definitely look different. Not in a bad way, they're really attractive. But that's the thing. They're so attractive that people are taking notice. And they don't seem to grow old. I mean the Cullens have just adopted another kid, a girl still in her teens, but she looks the exact same age as Edward, her older brother who was in my year in Forks High School."

You went to the No-Maj High School?" Adsila asked.

Angela sighed heavily. "I've been doing this for years."

Adsila's curiosity was piqued. She wondered how different it was, the No-Maj school system from the magical one.

In Ilvermorny and other magical schools, they usually took students from aged ten, eleven or even twelve, though few took aged twelve or upwards. Except for Mahoutokoro in Japan which took kids from age seven (though they stayed overnight only at age eleven), kids learned reading and writing at home, taught by parents and caregivers unless they were No-Maj-born which was rare for some reason in the United States.

"So… The president told me there were reports about vampires and werewolves."

Angela frowned, thinking. "I don't think they're werewolves. They've never bitten anybody. Yeah, I haven't seen them, but there are no witches or wizards in this area, so I would know if a No-Maj came running to the hospital screaming that some kind of big wolf bit them, especially as this is a small town. As for vampires…" She shook her head. "Again, I haven't seen them," she said frustrated. There's not much sunlight, at first I suspected that the Cullen family may be vampires- they're never seen on sunny days in High School, their parents- Doctor Carlisle and Esmé Cullen- take them out hiking when its sunny, and at first I thought they were vampires, but there are no reports of any human or animal carcasses with their bite marks, and their youngest, Renesmee- I know, strange name, but she's really gorgeous like the others- was seen in sunlight. She didn't burn. So…"

"Not vampires then," Adsila said grimly. "Look, whatever it is, we just need to get is sorted, and fast. The NSPS are on the rise, and I heard from my grandfather they're looking into Native American legends for any clues. Of course, they're extremely dumb, but the tiniest speck of awareness and suspicion resides in them, and that puts us in danger. And Pure-Blood Supremacists…" She shook her head.

Angela grimaced. "I know. Looks like we've got a tough job."

"So this is the house," Angela announced pulling over in her car. "And your dad?" Adsila enquired.

"Yeah, he's out right now," Angela said. "The bedroom's upstairs. I told him that I've got a friend here. He already knows I'm a witch anyway." Angela was a half-blood.

Adsila made her to the house. The house was spacious, comfortable, decorated tastefully, but modestly. She nodded her appreciation, especially with coordinating colours like the soft green carpet, the ivory walls and the shiny mahogany tea, coffee and dining tables. No, there was no sign of anything magical which was exactly what they needed.

"Tell me about these Cullens," Adsila went on. "Well, Edward is one of their sons, like the others he's adopted." Angela listed. "When he was eighteen, he married one of my best friends in school- her name's Bella- Bella Swan, the daughter of the Police Chief here." And of course, Adsila already knew that police were the Muggle Aurors. "On the honeymoon, Bella caught some kind of tropical bug. Had to be quarantined for months." Adsila stopped in her tracks. "When she emerged she looked… Different. She looked as good as the Cullens. More like her mother-in-law than her mother." Adsila looked at her strangely at that.

"And after that, well, we didn't see her very often." Angela sighed. "We never really saw her after she started hanging out with the Cullens. Of course, we said, hey and all that. But there was this one point when Edward and she broke up and he moved away, and she was… I don't know, I think he might as well have died or disappeared from the face of the earth. She was more dead than a zombie." Adsila went very still at that. "And when he returned, she lavished all her attention on him. Some of our friends in school resented that. They- me included- tried to be there for her, help her out of that mess, but she just… Didn't answer our calls, barely said hello, didn't look at us in the eye, she might as well be the only person in the room. And then, she eventually made her way out of that mess, tried to reconnect with us. I really tried to see her, I knew she was going through a lot, a breakup is never easy, as extreme as her reaction was. But the others didn't take it so well- Jessica, for example, another girl in our group. Wasn't pleased. In fact, she had this thing for Mike Newton anyway, and really didn't like the way Bella treated Mike or the others, just pushing us away and genuinely seeming surprised that she's not welcomed back."

"But Edward came back?" Adsila asked.

"Yeah, he came back," Angela agreed. "He came back and she came and revolved around him all over again, like satellite planets around a sun."

Adsila frowned. "That doesn't sound… Like typical No-Maj behaviour. Or any kind of behaviour from any being or beast."

"No," Angela agreed. "I don't know what hold he has on her, or if he's responsible for everything that's happened to her so far- I mean, she broke her leg, just before her first prom here in Forks- she moved in from Arizona where she lived with her mother. But it may be magic. Some kind of hypnosis, or drug. I don't know. You can get addicted to Cheering Charms if you use them too much. You'd find it hard to be happy without them."

"So… What is Edward Cullen?" Adsila asked. "Is he using a Love Potion- a very powerful Amortentia? Is he a wizard?"

"I don't know," Angela frowned. "If so, he's never confronted me. I've been extremely careful, if he is a legilimens, because I've had to observe him very carefully, he seems to act like it. So Occlumency has its uses, or false thoughts."

"False thoughts?" Adsila sounded impressed. "It's hard to conjure those."

Angela grinned.

"But why would he use a Love Potion on Bella Swan?" Adsila asked. "Is he in love with her? By the sounds of it, he would have no trouble picking up all the girls he wants."

Angela shrugged.

"And that doesn't explain Bella's looks either," she said.

Adsila let out a huff.

"False Thoughts Charm… At least I can do that," she conceded.

The False Thoughts Charm was tricky, but they could do it well. It was a non-verbal, no-wand magic originating from North America in North Carolina by the magical Cherokee who then taught to European settlers, like the Founders of Ilvermorny. While Occlumency simply blocked any legilimens from delving into a person's mind and hearing or seeing their thoughts, this charm, true to its name, created false thoughts to be seen or heard by prying legilimens. In Ilvermorny today, the charm was in the advanced level.

"Okay, you know what? I'll get started on that, as I need to meditate to get the spell working properly."

"So… Any suspicious activity up here?" She later asked Angela. Angela shook her head.

"Apart from what I've told you and what you've already been briefed, none whatsoever." She admitted.

"Okay, so did you take a look into the Quileute legends?" Adsila asked.

Angela nodded to a book, on the desk right next to the pile of papers she was stacking.

Adsila picked up the book, and flipped through its pages, trying to find something interesting. One caught her eye.

It was an illustration. A mask of the Cold Ones the caption read.

Adsila frowned as she read it.

The mask itself appeared to be a dissection of a diagram of a humanoid skull. Adsila read the passage.

The Cold Ones were a terrifying Quileute legend, spoken of in hushed tones. Their mere mention was taboo. They were cold to the touch, because they had no blood and therefore they needed the blood of others to sustain it. Adsila raised an eyebrow. So a vampire. But she knew that in Europe, Selkies were, in the eyes of No-Majes or Muggles, thought of as being seals that could shed their skin or seal-coat, and transform into a gorgeous maiden or an attractive young man. However, what she had read about Selkies was that they were a variation of the merpeople who themselves were an actual race of their own not fish-human hybrids. Selkies were native to Scotland, whereas Merrows were native to Irish waters. Sirens the most famous merpeople, came from warmer waters in the Mediterranean and thus were considered by humans to be more attractive.

So was this Cold One a variation of No-Maj perceptions of the vampire 'myth'? She wondered. Or an actual subset of the vampire race- an evolutionary group? She had no idea.

Adsila sighed and shut the book.

"Look, I don't know what's going on in Forks," she said to Angela. "But whatever it is, the president is trusting us to keep it contained. No-Majes are easily frightened. When they're scared-"

"They attack," Angela finished. "I know."

"So apart from you- and me- are there any witches or wizards within this town?" She asked.

"As I've said, I don't know," she admitted.

"Okay, then. The NSPS are known to target Native American individuals, because maybe they suspect the legends and stories might be real." Adsila pointed out. "Plus, the original inhabitants of No-Maj Salem, Massachusetts really didn't get along with Native Americans in general, believing them guilty, or at least some of them, of witchcraft."

Angela nodded. "So we expect the NSPS to take a serious interest in Native American tribal legends?"

"If it gives them the slightest clue- they aren't the smartest," Adsila said contemptuously. "But they have the most miniscule spark of brilliance even if most No-Majes call them crazy."

Angela looked grim.

"Well, be careful of this Bella Swan and the rest of the Cullens," Adsila warned. "Avoid them if you can."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Angela muttered. "She mostly avoids me."

"Is there any chance we can visit the Quileutes?"

Angela nodded. "Their reservation's called La Push," she stated. "They have a beach. And I know some people there."

Forks, the next day….

The air was crisp and cool, her breath came out in puffs but at least it wasn't raining. Adsila wondered how people could stand all that rain, and how there were no floods, and no drowned vegetation.

But then again, they did live near the sea.

They were outside La Push when a car pulled up.

It was a Volvo.

"Oh no," Angela muttered soco votte. "It's him. Or maybe her."

The car pulled over to a stop.

The car door opened. A young man opened the door. He was beautiful. Or at least somewhere between handsome and beautiful. It stunned and shocked Adsila to the core. He was lean but strong and straight, like a rapier, with chiselled features; strong jaw, full lips, straight, slim nose and lovely bronze-coloured hair, reddish-brown and glossy. His eyes were golden.

That wasn't it. He was pale. Unnaturally pale, like he had never seen the light of day. Adsila's thoughts were blocked and false thoughts (in case of any legilimens) were shown or heard, about the topics she had chosen for that day, so she did not need to fear anyone suspecting. But there was something different about this man-boy, whatever. And furthermore, she began to suspect more and more that he was a vampire.

But that was silly. The descriptions that she had been given in her reports did not come close to vampires.

So what was he?

Before she could answer that question a young woman, around the same age, came out.

She was breath-taking too beautiful to be a complete human, and that was what Adsila thought. She was pale, her skin glinting subtly, luminous as a pearl. It was heart-shaped, framed by very luminous dark hair, mostly straight, with large wide-set eyes as golden as the man's, with a thin nose, high cheekbones and very full lips, accentuated by her narrow jaw.

Adsila let out a breath.

Right.

But that wasn't the end of it. The girl that looked around their age, stepped out of the car as well. She looked just like the boy- with the same chiselled features, except more feminine and delicate. And her eyes were brown and her hair was in loose bronze curls.

"Hi Bella," Angela waved.

The woman- Bella- looked at them and waved back. Huh. She seemed friendly. At least for now.

Do they suspect that she was a witch? The three of them came over.

"Hi Angela," the woman- Bella's- voice sounded like golden bells. "What brings you here to La Push?"

"Oh, I have a pen-pal visiting," Angela grinned. "I invited her to Forks, and I'm in the process of showing her around."

"That's nice," the man- Edward, must be- stated.

"Hi," Bella said, looking at Adsila. "I'm Bella- Bella Cullen."

"Adsila Sizemore," she smiled and shook Bella's hand. She had to struggle not to recoil. Her skin felt like ice.

Edward shook her hand as well, and Bella introduced them and Renesmee. Edward's hand was as cold as ice, but Renesmee- or Nessie's as she liked to be called- felt warm, like she was running a temperature.

What the heck? She looked related to Edward, but her skin…

"So where are you from, Adsila?"

"Oh, I'm from North Carolina," she said. "Wow, you came from quite a warmer place," Edward noted.

Wow, was he really to talk. She gave a sheepish smile. "Yeah."

"So you're Cherokee?" Edward asked. She looked at him curiously.

"Yeah, my dad's Cherokee," she said. "My mom's Narragansett." She looked at him still. "How could you tell?" She managed to sound merely curious. But if this Edward was truly dangerous…

"I've been to North Carolina, I know the Cherokee," he said casually. "And you have a Cherokee name." "Ah," Adsila said nodding. "Do you regularly come to La Push?" She questioned.

"Nah, we're just dropping Nessie off- we're off to work soon," Bella said. Nessie nodded.

"Meeting someone there?" Adsila asked.

"My friend, Jacob," Nessie replied. "Jacob Black. He's a family friend."

"Nessie!" That signalled the arrival of a highly ripped and toned boy with glowing russet skin, deep liquid-black eyes and high cheekbones. Really enviable skin, Adsila thought, though who was she to talk.

"Hi Jake!" Nessie said merrily. "Hi Bella, Edward." Jacob greeted.

"Jacob you remember Angela, my friend, right?" Bella asked. Jacob nodded. "It's nice to see you again, Angela."

"Likewise." She nodded to Adsila. "This is my friend, Adsila from North Carolina. She's my pen-pal."

"Hi." Jacob took her hand and Adsila gave him a smile. His hand was as warm as Nessie's.

"Welcome to La Push," Jacob said. Adsila smiled warmly. "Thank you."

"Jake!" Voices called out from behind him. "Jacob!"

Several Quileute boys appeared. They all looked toned and ripped. Do they all work out regularly? She wondered.

"Hi, Nessie, Bella, Edward," the boys greeted in turn. Jacob introduced them to Angela and Adsila. "She's from North Carolina," he informed them.

"Hi, I'm Quil," one of them said. "Welcome to La Push. This is Embry," he nodded to another boy. "Collin." Another boy nodded. "Wait, where's Seth?" Jacob asked.

Quil shrugged. "Dunno, somewhere behind. Last I saw he was trying to keep Leah and Paul off each other's throats."

Jacob groaned. "Right. I'm gonna go sort that out."

Just then, another boy emerged. "Hey, Nessie, Bella, Edward!" The boy- Seth, Adsila presumed- waved a hand in the distance.

"Hi Seth!" Nessie said cheerfully. "Seth, this is Angela and Adsila."

Seth walked over to them, grinning, and then stopped and froze.

"Errr… Hello?" Angela said hesitantly.

Adsila tried not to squirm. Seriously, what was wrong with that boy? It made her self-conscious. Was she that terrible-looking? Weird?

"Seth!" Jacob grabbed his arm.

"Hi," Seth said breathlessly. "It's really nice to meet you guys."

"Likewise," Adsila replied. She noted the covert looks the Cullens seemed to be exchanging, with the other Quileute boys, like they knew something she and Angela didn't.

"Well, I hope it's okay, I really wanted to show Adsila, La Push," Angela said cheerily. The response was a chorus of enthusiastic 'Of course!' and 'Why not?'s from each of them.

"So, Adsila right?" Quil asked as they walked into the reservation. "That's a Cherokee name?"

"Yeah, my dad's Cherokee," Adsila said. Second time that day. "My mother's Narragansett."

"Oh," Quil stated. "And you live in North Carolina?"

"Yeah, but Angela's been my pen-pal for a while, so I decided to come along and visit," Adsila explained. "She's been begging me to for a long while."

"Yeah, I'm really glad she could come," Angela grinned.

"Me too!" Seth said cheerfully. A little too cheerfully. Adsila frowned, but forced a smile.

"Thank you," she said.

The tour didn't go so badly. Seth seemed a nice guy, actually. Eager to please, adorable, but not clingy or as annoying as Adsila thought at first.

Some of the boys headed off. Apparently, they said something about telling Sue Clearwater- Seth's mother, apparently- something. And Leah, she was Seth's sister.

Sue Clearwater came as soon as the boys told her what had happened.

She spotted the girl from a distance. Beautiful, definitely, though not vampire. She had silky coppery skin, glistening black hair, wavy and thick, and an oval face with beautifully-shaped and delicate features. Her eyes were astounding. They were large doe eyes, framed with long lashes, coloured like melted caramel.

The way she held herself, Sue could tell that she was a strong girl, able to handle the secret of the pack. Her smile was warm, but it also looked… Strained. Like there was a hint of sadness there. Sue blinked. She didn't know what to think.

She sensed- despite not looking like it- that this girl had a sort of grimness to her that did not match up to her warm and friendly demeanour, the way she laughed and joked around with the others. Like there was some hardness there. Some sorrow.

Something that wasn't- as nice as she may be- as light-hearted as the people that surrounded her.

Sue blinked. How did she know that? How could she possibly know that?

Either way, Sue thought, hopefully, that this girl would make a good match with Seth's light-heartedness. They would balance each other out, she decided.

Adsila looked up ahead. There was a group of tribal elders, she guessed. Angela had headed off somewhere, and now her companions included Seth and his friends, including the warm and friendly Jacob and Nessie and now it seemed they were about to introduce her to the tribal elders.

No-Majes, she thought. There were no witches and wizards here, apart from Angela.

"Hello there," a man in a wheelchair came up in front of them.

"Hi, Billy," Nessie said, bending down to kiss the man on the cheek. "This is Adsila, from North Carolina."

"North Carolina, huh?" Billy shook her hand. "What are you doing in wet, rainy Forks?"

"Visiting a pen-pal," she shrugged, smiling. "I'm Billy Black- Jake's father." He informed her.

Oh, that explained the familiarity.

"Adsila Sizemore," she replied, shaking his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

"This is Sue, Seth's mother," Billy nodded towards a woman with short black hair, a thin face and black eyes.

Sue put away her scrutinising expression and had a warm smile on her face.

"Hi," she reached out with her hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Hello," Adsila smiled politely. "Pleased to meet you too."

Sue smiled, but her eyes searched Adsila's face.

"This is my sister, Leah," Seth gestured to Leah. His eyes pleaded with her, Be Nice!

Leah forced a smile. "Hi."

Adsila nodded and her lips twitched politely. She didn't seem like the casually smiling sort, so meeting a person which seemed overly chirpy did not seem like in Leah's best interests.

Adsila studied the young woman. She was tall, with perfect copper skin and glistening black hair. Her eyelashes were incredibly long, thick and curling.

But there was something else about her. A sort of toughness. A shrewdness. A lack of girlishness. Adsila thought she might just like this girl.

Her smile was warmer, much to Leah's surprise, when she regarded her.

"Are you gonna be staying here for a while?"

"Well, actually, I need to head back after a while, send some messages to my folks back home," she admitted. "I'd love to stay though."

"Well, there's a bonfire soon enough," Billy spoke up. "We'll be telling the legends of our people. Maybe you can share some of yours."

Adsila smiled. "I'd love that."

Her eyes turned back to Leah whom she regarded with interest, before smiling and nodding at Sue, Billy, Quil's grandfather, Seth and the boys.

Billy let out a low whistle.

"Well, Seth, she seems nice."

"Yeah," Sue smiled. "Honey, I'm really happy for you." Then her smile faded. "But she lives in North Carolina, though."

Seth's smile faded and he instantly looked worried.

"Don't worry," Billy assured him. "This happened for a reason. I'm sure it'll work out."

Seth sighed. "I hope so. But I don't think it's going to be easy."

Billy gave him a serious look. "Love is never easy."

Leah blinked. "That girl… I don't know, but she seems different. Not in a bad way, but… I think she actually likes me."

"Yeah, thought so too," Jacob murmured.

"Really?" Sue sounded pleased. "Well, I hope she stays."

"How're we supposed to break the news to her?" Quil muttered.

Claire lost track of time. She was out in the beach. The boys were in human form, talking to Billy, Sue and the others.

She sighed, bored, wishing she could run with a pack. Just like the others did.

Claire tossed some small pebbles out onto the sea.

She wanted to go to school again. Meet some friends. Even do horrible stuff like homework.

She wandered on the beach, not really seeing where she was going.

What made her so different? She wondered. Why could she do all the things she could do, and no one else could?

Why was she all alone?

Claire wandered on, feeling miserable.

She hated feeling so isolated, so alone. Nessie's family were vampires and they stuck together. One big happy family. The Pack was family. But even though Aunt Emily and Uncle Sam were like her parents now, she felt isolated. Different.

Renesmee had grown up in a loving home, but she also spoke to her what it felt like to be different, before she knew that Nahuel and his sisters existed.

Who did Claire have? Was there anyone like her?

In the clearing in the woods, Claire picked up a pebble. She watched it float and bounce around above her palm a number of times.

If there is anyone like me, she prayed. Please, please let me know. I don't want to be alone anymore.

Suddenly there was a rustle from the bushes and Claire jumped.

Are those pack-members? She wondered.

The rustle went out again.

"Quil?" She asked, hesitantly. No answer.

She tried again. "Jacob? Seth? Leah? Uncle Sam? Embry- anyone?"

Then the rustle came again.

And they attacked.

Claire screamed.

The men jumped from the bushes all around her and grabbed ropes covered in foliage, tossing them to each other all around her.

They swung the ropes and lassoed her. The ropes caught her on the arms and legs and Claire gasped as they tightened, and the ground disappeared from beneath her feet.

Only for her to crash to the ground.

Quil froze in shock at the sound of Claire's scream. So did Renesmee and the pack.

"Claire!" He cried out. The pack were running in her direction in no time.

But in the meantime, Claire wasn't having any of it.

"Grab the nets!" One of them yelled.

They started throwing nets all over her. Claire gasped, as she realised that even the wolves would find it difficult to save her if they heard.

Then suddenly, from the corner of her eye she saw a blinding flash of light.

What was that?

Claire didn't have time to think about it as more flashes of light ensued and the men who captured her howled in fear, pain and shock.

Suddenly, it was all over.

She heard some tearing noises and someone was up there, pulling the nets away from her.

She jerked.

"Hey, it's okay," the young woman soothed. "It's okay."

Claire stared fearfully up at her.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," she said. "I promise."

Claire tried to breathe evenly.

"Take deep breaths, then let it out," she advised as she pointed something- some sort of carved stick, at the ropes.

Stop! Sam shouted in his head.

The wolves froze.

Quil would have went on murderously, but then he stopped dead at the sight in front of him.

So did Seth.

"Here," Adsila said, pointing some sort of intricately carved stick at the ropes that held Claire's hands and feet together.

Nearby, several motionless figures lay.

Adsila muttered a word and the ropes that bound Claire's hands and feet together snapped.

The wolves gaped.

Claire gasped. "How- how did you?" Her eyes travelled to the men lying on the ground and they bugged.

"Here now," Adsila warned. "Look at me." She held Claire's face between her hands. "Remember what I told you. I'm never gonna hurt you. I'm here to help you. So breathe in and out. In and out. That's it."

Claire kept breathing and soon, her breathing and heart rate calmed.

"You okay now?" Adsila gave a small and reassuring smile. Claire nodded. "That's good. What's your name?"

Claire swallowed. "Claire."

"Alright, Claire. Are you hurt?"

Claire shook her head, frantically. "N-no," she stuttered. Quil went to go forwards again but the others blocked him.

"You sure?" Adsila raised an eyebrow.

"Y-yeah." Claire blinked rapidly. "Who were they?" She asked.

Adsila spared them a look. Her face grew dark. "Not tribe members," she muttered. And then she saw the emblem. Her eyes widened.

"Claire," she said turning back to the young girl. "What happened? How did they see you?"

"I- I don't know," Claire admitted. "I was in the beach, but then I, um, sort of wandered off." She looked ashamed. "I know I wasn't supposed to, but I just needed… Time I suppose."

Adsila sighed. "Alright, Claire." She said. "But what made them attack you?"

Claire opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything.

Adsila watched her carefully. "Claire," she said. "It's alright. I've already promised not to hurt you. Did they see something? Something that they couldn't understand? Something that you've kept secret for a long time?"

Claire bit her lip and looked down.

Adsila sighed. "Did they see… Something floating, for example?" When Claire looked up again, her eyes wide, Adsila knew she hit a mark. "Were you making it float?" She asked as gently as she could.

Claire bit her lip again and nodded.

Adsila closed her eyes. "Claire," she said opening them again. "How many do you think there are?"

She sat straight and blinked. "There are five of them." She stated.

"And how many do you think I am?" Adsila asked dryly.

Claire stared. "One."

"But I beat them," Adsila stated. "I beat them and they're knocked out now. What did you see?"

Claire blinked. "Only flashes of light. I saw lots of light exploding, in many colours."

Adsila nodded. "That's what I did," she admitted.

Claire's eyes widened and she sat straight. "How?" She demanded breathlessly.

"The same way I cut your bonds," Adsila replied. "The same way I broke the net that they threw over you." She looked right at Claire, though trying not to intimidate her.

"The same way you made that thing float."

Claire was breathless. "You're… Like me?"

Adsila nodded, smiling.

Claire gaped. "I knew I couldn't be the only one!"

Adsila smiled and laughed softly. "No Claire, you're definitely not." She said. But then her smile faded.

"Claire," she said. "I take it nobody in your family is like you?" Claire shook her head. Technically, Uncle Sam could turn into a wolf and so could Quil, but they weren't like her.

Adsila sighed. "Right. Claire, there is no easy way to say this, but yes, you're definitely not the only one who could do these things that you do." She looked at her. "There are many people in fact. Many, many people from all over the world, not just the United States of America." Claire's jaw dropped.

"The reason you haven't heard about us, is because we've stayed hidden for centuries, as long as history can remember," Adsila continued. "We've stayed hidden… Because of people like them." Her eyes darkened as she pointed to the unconscious men. "They don't understand us. And because of that they're afraid because they don't understand how we can do these things and they're paranoid because they don't trust us, because we're different and we can do things that they can't do. Some of them might even be jealous because we can do these things. And because of that they think we're evil and we should be killed." Her face darkened. Claire's eyes widened.

"Why?" She asked hoarsely. Adsila stroked her hair. "Because they're afraid. They don't know much about us at all, but they know the tiniest bit, and that is only that we exist. We're not stories. But they make stories up about us. They say that we can do these things because we're evil. And that it's not natural. But you're not evil Claire, are you?" Claire shook her head.

"And neither am I," Adsila said gravely. "But they won't stop to listen to us. Or even exercise patience just because you're a child. They don't understand how we can use magic and they can't."

Claire's eyes widened. "Magic?" She breathed. "It's magic what I can do?"

Adsila nodded. "Yes. Claire, you're not just an ordinary girl. And neither am I. They say bad stuff about us, and they try to hunt us, to hurt us, but not all of us are bad. You're a witch, Claire. That's how you can perform magic."

Claire's eyes were positively massive now, and so were the wolves.

"A witch?" She breathed. Adsila nodded. "And I take it you're a No-Maj-born too."

"No what?"

"No-Maj - short for No Magic. It's what we call people with no magic. If you're a witch or wizard born into a family that can't do magic, then you're a No-Maj-born."

"Oh." Claire said softly.

"It's hard to say how that happens," Adsila admitted. "But some witches and wizards are born into No-Maj parents. Because of that, that makes things very difficult to keep children safe from No-Majes like them." She pointed to these people again.

Adsila stood. "Claire," she said. "Who do you live with?"

"My Aunt Emily."

Adsila frowned. So she was an orphan. "Only her?"

"There's my Uncle Sam," Claire offered.

Adsila sighed and helped Claire to stand. Then she walked over to the still-unconscious men and pointed her wand at them. Ropes burst out from the end of her wand and tied themselves around their arms and legs. She lifted them and they floated in the air, like gruesome, overgrown puppets.

The wolves tried to breathe normally.

Adsila murmured another word and they turned invisible.

"Where'd they go?" Claire asked, alarmed.

"Don't worry, they're just invisible," Adsila explained. "I cast a spell that's known as a Disillusionment Charm on them."

She looked back at Claire.

"Claire," she said. "Where do you live? We need to speak with your Aunt Emily and your Uncle Sam. I know you have more questions, but they'll have to wait until we get you to safety."

Adsila here has a Cherokee father and a Narragansett mother. I don't want to offend any Cherokee or Narragansett person reading this (Or Quileute, Makah or any other Native American for that matter), so please let me know if I accidentally did something, like misspell something or anything. I'm sure J.K Rowling didn't mean to offend either, which is why she took the wording out when she wrote about Ilvermorny, and rephrased it, though people said the damage was already done. In this, she uses some Cherokee words when speaking with her grandfather, because some Native American tribes do have magic which was what the J.K intended, though I don't know if there are any completely magical tribes, or non-magical tribes. I think there's some magic everywhere. I think that every witch or wizard, regardless of ethnic origins or culture in North America would have followed Rappaport's Law, so this meant that unlike the No-Majes who assimilated and used a great deal of English, though they also spoke English, they clung to their languages especially, made easier by the separation from No-Majes.

Cherokee words:

Osiyo- (Pronounced: oh-see-yoh) Greetings to a tribal elder, a clan mother, or another person in a high rank in the tribe.

Eduda- (Pronounced: aa-dou-dah) Grandfather- paternal.

Hasiyu?- (Pronounced: Hah-see-you) 'You are good?' Can be used as statement without the question mark.

Elisi- (Pronounced: aa-lee-si- like sit without the t) Grandmother.

Stiyu- (Pronounced: Stee- you). Be Strong (a goodbye).

Donadagohv i- (Pronounced: doh-nah-dah-goh-hun-i). Until we meet again.