Chapter 2

I put my hands on Emmett's chest where Yuki slashed him, and healed him instantly with my angel power. He sits up and grins at me like some kind of lovesick puppy, but I know I can't have that. Rosalie would kill me if he fell for me and, although I like him, I have already pledged my heart to another.

"Thanks Nat. So what now?" He asks cheerfully, as if I didn't just bring him back from an inch from death.

"Well, you go get the others away from Yuki and I'll go hunt her down and take care of her." I command, trying to sound all official.

"Aye, aye captain!" Says Emmett with a smirk on his face as he salutes me sarcastically and darts through the door with impossible speed.

I shake my head in false somberness. I've gotten in way over my head with Emmett Cullen; that's all I can think of. So now I head through the door with its roughly scarred frame, and somewhat tarnished paint coating my mission at the forefront of my mind.

How do I kill someone who has thoughts, feelings, a future, and maybe even a lover? I don't know, but I must stop my conflictions if I am to succeed with my plan.

I wander the darkened halls with no specific idea of where Yuki is. I pass several rooms that are personalized so thoroughly that I can tell whose room is whose even though I don't know these people.

The pastel with full-length mirrors and designer clothes hung neatly in a gigantic walk-in closet belongs to Rosalie. The black, mostly empty except for a dresser must belong to Jasper. The room with a dark, beautiful mural on the wall and another giant walk-in closet must belong to Alice. I see a room with warm colors and lilac prints on the shades that must belong to Carlisle and Esme. I savor the last, knowing Yuki won't have come in here anyway.

I'm wrong.

The room with the half-glass walls and epic music collection is occupied by Yuki Yen, playfully torturing none other than Alice Cullen.

"Yuki!" I shout, attempting to distract her.

Her attention slips for a fraction of a second and Alice runs off. Yuki swears in Seraphin and turns angrily to me.

"Nat, why did you do that?" She says, a wicked light glimmering in her eyes.

"It isn't right for you to be killing these people! Don't you recognize any of them?" I say, desperate for reason.

"Listen to me Nat. They. Have. No. Souls. They. Aren't. Supposed. To. Exist." She says in short choppy sentences that cancels out any of my hopes of reasoning.

"Fine then. Have it your way." I snarl, pulling my swords that glint darkly in the sunlight.

"You wouldn't." She gasps.

"Watch me." I reply, sure that I'm scaring her beyond the ways she's scared me today.

I swing my blades in the dangerous ways that my good friend Paul Smith taught me on Earth. That road had many bruises and good laughs on it. I missed Paul.

"Please!" Yuki is pleading with me now. I disarmed her quickly while I had been thinking about Paul.

"No. I can't let you kill innocent things."

"You kill me, you lose everything." She reminds me, fear deep in her eyes.

"I don't care." I say, my voice quiet and deadly.

Yuki Yen's death is fast. My first kill. Her eyes turn a midnight black, and her body dissolves into silver swirls that carry themselves off to Heaven, probably.

All I can think of is: I hope she doesn't get assigned to come back here when I am. Then I'd have to kill her again.

My attention is drawn back to myself. I have to drop my swords because they started burning my hands. I collapse on the ground instantly; the fiery pain all throughout my body now. I shiver, cold of all things. It feels like I'm dying for real. My first death was much too fast; I must have just been in some surreal dream where I get wings and I get to meet the Cullens and kill people.

Just my luck.

Against all odds, I stand up. I'm still in Edward Cullen's room, but a person I'm not expecting stares back at me. This person has pretty golden eyes, ice pale skin, eyes shadowed as if from lack of sleep, and wings darker than a black hole.

Me.

I look like some sort of freaky vampire-angel mix. It's almost like I didn't get all the genes for one kind of creature. My swords are black too. Fantastic. I guess I'm some sort of Goth angel. I pick up my favorite weapons and put them in a magical trans-dimensional pocket to store them where they can be safe.

I turn around and there is Alice. She is staring at me in blank shock so she's either having a vision or something else; I obviously don't know. I walk up to her slowly and she becomes animate again.

"Who are you? You aren't like that girl who was trying to kill me; otherwise I'd probably be dead." She reasons.

"Natalie Summers." I say; supposing this is enough to answer her question.

"Okay then, I think we better go put the others back together." She says.

"If you say so. But that shouldn't be necessary. At least I hope not…"

"Why?"

"I warned Emmett so he should have gotten everybody out in time."

"Hmm…well I suppose… no never mind I can't." She says, half to herself and half to me, "Ah, I can sense them. They're all outside waiting. Come on Natalie!"

Alice jumps out the window; gesturing for me to follow her. I soar up into the air, flying for the first time for real. The sensation is incredible, like being in an airplane and sticking your head out, but all over your body.

"Ya gonna come down any time soon angel girl?" Calls Emmett.

I roll my eyes in the hope that he sees, but I come back down to Earth anyway. Emmett is grinning hugely.

"You saved us all." He says happily.

"Oh you could have taken her Emmett!" I tease lightly.

"We are forever indebted to you miss…" says Carlisle.

"Natalie Summers." Says a voice, but it isn't me who speaks.

The Cullens part ranks slightly and a male figure emerges. This is the one I have been waiting for.

His skin sparkles like a forgotten diamond, his eyes are a warm gold, and, best of all, there is no Bella anywhere. He is looking at me in puzzlement and I'm wondering why.

"Edward Cullen." I say out loud; I have a strange feeling that he can read my mind, so the out loud part isn't really necessary.

"Yes?" He asks in mock surprise.

"What do you want with me?" I ask bravely.

"Nothing… I just thought… Alice you didn't!" He exclaims.

I am missing this entire conversation and yes, it is very frustrating.

"I can't help what I see and you know that!" She argues.

I notice something in Edward's eyes that looks like pain; he's trying very hard to hide it from everyone, but Jasper's expression tells me he isn't fooled. What should I do? Everything is so confusing. I decide to go for brave and stupid.

I walk up to Edward and pull him down so he is level with my face.

"I've always wanted to try this." I say like some stupid, lovesick Twifan. And maybe I am one.

I press my lips to his hungrily and twine my hands in his hair. I am surprised to find him doing the same. I melt in his arms and wrap my dark wings around him. The next thing that my mind registers besides pleasure is pain.

I'm on the ground and Edward is tearing away.

"I'm sorry! You just shouldn't have done that…" His voice trails away as he runs from me.

I feel the tears flowing from my eyes and Alice pulling me off the ground. Why! I scream in my head; hoping he hears me.