A/N - Finally I have the new chapter up. I know it's a little late buuuuut it was my birthday this Sunday so I was busy all weekend and this is a really long chapter (it's literally longer than the other two chapters combined). I actually found the first half of it strangely difficult to write, I'm not sure why, but that ended up taking the most time.

I got a really brilliant review from a guest the other day which I'd just like to reply to because they gave me some critiques and a question:

I know the pacing is a little fast and I actually regret that I didn't try harder to write more Cullen stuff (I did try writing an second chapter that was set when Bree arrived at the Cullen house but it was a boring to read and write so I scrapped it), but I can't really change it now so I have to just make the most of it. I'm glad you like the pacing though. And as for what you were saying about Bree being more apprehensive, I considered that when I was writing the first chapter and I think it would work but in my interpretation of Bree's character, all she really wants is a loving and supportive family, so in that situation she'd more at ease with the Cullens straight away because they're offering her the thing she wants the most. It is down to your interpretation of her though. As for your last question about Fred, I want to avoid giving away anything about the plot, but I will say that when I haven't forgotten about him. But thank you very much for your review, and to all my other readers, please don't be afraid to give me critiques. As long as they aren't mean or rude, I really do appreciate them because I'm not a professional writer so it helps me out a lot. Sorry it's been a really long note, enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 3 - White Wedding

"Alice, I'm not wearing that." I said. "It looks ridiculous." Alice wrung her hands in exasperation.

"What could possibly be wrong with this one?" She questioned. I stared at her in disbelief, it seemed impossible to me that she couldn't understand what my issues were with this particular dress. It was a disgusting sickly green color and the skirt of the thing stuck out like a meringue, however my main problem was the fact that the neckline plunged almost to my navel, showing off cleavage I didn't, and would never have. I gestured toward my chest, hoping she'd get the message without me having to say it out loud in a house full of vampires who could hear every word I spoke. My adopted sister rolled her eyes but understood. "Alright, fine, I have a couple more you can try." We'd been doing this all day, she'd bring out a dress for me to try on and I'd reject it. It wasn't like I was being fussy for no reason, the dress I picked would be what I wore to Bella and Edward's wedding the next day. I'd tried to convince Alice to sort out what Rosalie and I were going to wear a few weeks in advance of the wedding, but according to Edward she deliberately wanted to order the dresses in with only a day or so to spare so we couldn't just go up to Port Angeles and buy the first thing we saw.

Alice brought out the next dress. It didn't immediately strike me as unwearable, however I remained wary, there could be any number of nasty surprises hidden within its fabric. I put it on at vampire speed and looked in the mirror.

"What do you think?" She asked, her voice hopeful. The dress was still a little much for me, but I knew it was as simple as anything Alice had picked out would get.

"It's pretty. I'll wear it." A triumphant smile lit up Alice's face as she stood and clasped her hands together in joy.

"I knew I'd be able to get you in Versace! I'll get you the shoes that go with this one later." I rolled my eyes, I'd never met anyone who loved fashion quite as much as Alice did. I changed back into my regular clothes, not wanting to risk getting my new dress dirty. As I turned around to put the gown on a hanger, my eyes fell on the wedding invite that was sitting on the dresser. I felt a tug of anxiety pull at my stomach. Although I'd been excited about the wedding since finding out it was taking place, it had also caused me no end of stress for the past two months. The majority of the guests were human and I, being a newborn vampire, wasn't exactly my best self around humans. Alice had looked into the future at what would happen at the wedding if I went and she was certain that nothing would go wrong, but I still couldn't help but worry. Carlisle had assured me that I'd made enough progress over my time with the Cullens to attend, which wasn't untrue, but what he didn't know was how much pain being around humans put me in, not that this lack of awareness was his fault. A few weeks before the wedding Alice had taken me to Seattle late at night to see how effectively I could control my thirst around a higher number of humans. I'd managed to resist the urge to drink their blood, but when Alice asked me if I'd been in any pain at all, I said no, even though the entire time I felt like someone was shoving a white hot poker down my throat. It was a stupid thing to lie about, if I'd told them the truth I doubt anyone would expect me to go to the wedding. I didn't even know why I said it, but what's done is done and it was too late to tell them how much the thirst burned. I'd just have to deal with the consequences.

I spent the evening distracting myself from the apprehension bubbling away under my skin by helping Alice with the plethora of last minute preparation that was needed for the wedding before going on a hunt that lasted most of the night. Eventually the sun came up and Bella arrived to get ready, and I faced my first test of the day: resisting her blood.

As soon as she got through the door, I was straight away hit with her almost sickly sweet scent. Heat began to dance in my throat, but it wasn't unbearable. Uncomfortable, yes, but not unbearable.

"Hi Bella." I said shyly

"Hello." She returned, giving me a small smile. I took a cautious breath, wondering if perhaps I'd be able to keep my sense of smell while Bella was the only human around me. I felt the desire to drink from her her prickle in my mouth, but I could control it. Maybe it was the time I'd spent around her, but I'd built up a decent resistance to Bella's smell. It didn't get to me as much as it had when I'd first met her two months before.

"Alright, let's get started." Alice said, her voice filled with excitement. Alice, Rosalie, Bella and I all went upstairs together to get ready. "Rosalie, you do Bree's hair and makeup and I'll do Bella's." The pixie-like vampire instructed. I shot Alice a glare. Rosalie was yet to start talking to me and it was very obvious this was just another of Alice's plans to get us to 'form sisterly bonds'. Rosalie looked over to Alice, a similar stare to mine in her eyes.

"What? Alice you promised-" Rosalie begun before being cut off by Alice.

"Rosalie I don't have the time to argue, I need to get Bella ready. Can you please just do what I tell you to?" The blonde opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by a look from Alice that said 'I'm not changing my mind'. Rosalie gave an irritated sigh before grabbing my wrist and pulling me down the hall toward her room.

"Whatever." She muttered as we walked away. Before I knew what was happening, we were alone together for the first time, and I didn't like it. I sat down on the chair in front of the large dressing table and she pulled my hair into a ponytail so she could do my makeup. We sat in silence for a few minutes, the obvious tension hanging in the air like a dark cloud.

"Why do you hate me?" I blurted out before I could stop myself. Rosalie stopped applying makeup to my face, visibly taken aback by my sudden outburst. The heavy silence returned for what felt like forever before the girl who was supposed to be a sister to me spoke.

"I don't hate you." She raised her hand to go back to my makeup but I quickly stopped her, grabbing her wrist and staring her into her eyes.

"Then why do you ignore me? I haven't had a full conversation with you since I got here and I sure as hell know it isn't because I'm not trying. All I want is an explanation." I said, my mouth speaking before my brain could filter what came out of it. I was shocked at how angry my voice was, I hadn't realized until that moment exactly how much it bothered me that I did everything I could to get Rosalie to like me and the girl still paid me dust.

"It's complicated. I wouldn't expect a kid to understand." She said.

"I'll try my very hardest." I returned sarcastically, growing more and more irritated by her infuriatingly patronizing demeanor. Rosalie wrestled her wrist from my grip and set the makeup she'd been holding down, her face suggesting that she was equally annoyed by me as I was by her.

"Fine, you wanna know? I'll tell you. We're going to have to change everything because of you. When we move next our story will have to be completely different because it won't make sense anymore with as many people as we'll have, we have to make every plan with you in mind because you're always so close to fucking up and killing everyone and we all have to walk on eggshells around poor little newborn Bree. The dynamic of this family is now completely different because of you. I've spent more than eighty years trying to be ok with the life I have now and just as I'm getting used to how things have to be, you and Bella come along and make everything change again." I stayed silent, suddenly guilty. I had no idea how to respond to what she'd said, when Edward had told me she was irritated about the change I caused I'd assumed the change she was upset about was the lack of attention she was getting. I hadn't even considered the idea that maybe it was something deeper, that my presence meant her entire world was turned upside down again.

"I'm sorry." I said, my voice almost a whisper. "I didn't realize what me being here did to you." Rosalie's face softened, the anger I saw on it before disappearing before my eyes to be replaced with shame.

"Don't say that. It isn't your fault. It's mine. I'm meant to be an adult, and adults don't hold their own problems against kids who can't help what they are. It's gonna be hard for me to adjust again, I know that, but I shouldn't be trying to make things hard for you too. I'm sorry." She gave me a small smile.

"Thank you." I returned her smile.

"Can I go back to your makeup now?" She asked.

"Yeah, we're probably getting late." Rosalie finished applying the makeup to my face. I looked good, she'd done an excellent job, but being physically attractive wasn't really something I payed much thought to anymore, I'd spent the last six months of my life almost exclusively around beings who all possessed otherworldly beauty, at some point the novelty wore off and prettiness didn't effect me anymore. Rosalie moved on to my hair.

"What are you gonna do?" I asked.

"With your hair? Well, I'm gonna curl it first, then do it in a messy chignon." My face fell into an expression of confusion, I had no idea what she'd just said. She could've been speaking Aramaic for all I knew.

"A messy what?" Rosalie rolled her eyes in faux irritation.

"Just trust me. It'll look cute." She pulled out a curling iron, switched it on and started. "So what's your dress like?"

"Oh, um, it's a sort of silvery blue color and it has beading all down the front. If I'm honest it's a little much for me, but I figured it was the closest thing to understated Alice was going to get."

"Yeah, I get what you mean. Did she make you try the yellow one that was made out of raincoat material?" Rosalie asked.

"The one with the blue belt? I thought she was joking when she showed me it."

"No." Rosalie said. "She was serious."

"I can hear you two, you know! And that dress was Gucci!" Alice shouted from the next room. Rosalie and I dissolved into a fit of giggles. It was nice being friendly with Rosalie. Up until that point, it hadn't felt like I was completely a part of the family since she was refusing to acknowledge me as one, but she was finally treating me like a little sister and it made everything right. Rosalie put down the curling iron and started to put my hair in some sort of style at the nape of my neck.

"Finished." She said after about twenty minutes. I glanced up at her face, she looked proud, she was clearly happy with her work. I looked over to the mirror and I could immediately see why, my hair was in a sort of intricate but purposefully messy bun at the bottom of my head, with curly tendrils framing both sides of my face.

"That looks beautiful." I said

"I know." Rosalie replied. I smiled at her cockiness.

"You're- "

"Talented? Brilliant? Incredible? Amazing?" She interrupted with a grin.

"I was going to say 'full of yourself' but I think that proves my point." Rosalie responded with a laugh. The pair of us went back into the room where Alice was still doing Bella's hair. We were met with a glare from Alice.

"I'm not talking to either of you until you take back what you said about the dress. It's one of the best pieces from the Gucci Autumn/Winter collection and should be treated with the respect it deserves." Rosalie and I glanced at each other, both trying to hold back giggles.

"Okay, we're sorry for upsetting your lovely raincoat dress." Rosalie said sarcastically. I lost my control and fell back laughing.

"Go on, joke away! I'll be the one laughing next spring when waterproof material is the height of fashion and you're all wearing it." Alice huffed. It took a few minutes, but eventually Rosalie and I calmed down.

"You look really pretty Bree." Bella said. I gave her a friendly smile.

"Thanks, you look beautiful too." I wasn't lying, she looked gorgeous. Her eyes were large and doey and her cheeks had a rosy glow. She was every bit a bride. I looked over at the clock, it read 10:45, we had another forty-five minutes to go. "Hey, Alice, when should Rosalie and I get changed?" I asked.

"You could go now, but you still have- " Alice stopped dead in her sentence as her eyes glazed over momentarily. "Renee and Charlie are three minutes away." My stomach dropped. Rosalie, Alice and Bella all turned to me. I started to panic straight away, which was, judging by Rosalie's reaction, clear as day on my face.

"Don't stress out, Bree. You're going to be fine." Rosalie assured.

"No, I'm just gonna and get changed and-"

"You're going to have to say hello to them eventually, you might as well get it over with. Just put in your contacts." Alice said. I went to protest, but didn't bother. Alice was right, it was going to happen whether I liked it or not, and I needed to make sure I could handle new humans. I took the box of dark brown contacts and went to the bathroom to put them in. They were uncomfortable, but I didn't have a choice, somehow I got the feeling that my orange-red eyes wouldn't make the best first impression on those I met. I went back into Alice's room and was immediately hit with the scents of two humans coming from downstairs. Alice wrapped her arm around me which, although a comforting gesture, was probably to hold me back in case I lost control. Rosalie started a conversation with Bella, most likely so it didn't look like we were standing and waiting when Charlie and Renee walked in, but I couldn't hear a word they were saying. All my senses were focused on controlling my thirst. I felt them getting closer and closer, up stairs and along corridors, until they were right on the other side of the door to Alice's room.

"Oh my god! My baby Bella!" I turned my head to the doorway where Bella's parents were standing, her mother had been the one to speak first. She had a very sweet scent, almost as sweet as Bella's. It was mouthwatering. "You look so beautiful." She said, her voice full of emotion. She walked over to the front of the room where Bella was sitting and gave her a tight squeeze. Charlie followed Renee in, a little more awkward than the mother of his daughter.

"Hey Bells." He said, also giving her a quick hug. Renee turned to the rest of us.

"Let me guess, Alice, Rosalie." She pointed to both girls as she said their names, guessing correctly. They nodded, and she walked over to them, giving both of them hugs just like the one she'd given Bella. "And I'm guessing you're Bree?" Renee asked.

"Yes, that's right." I said, my voice quiet.

"Oh god, you're might just be the cutest little thing I've ever seen!" She exclaimed. She stepped toward me and crushed me in a hug. My senses went insane from the proximity to her blood. Alarm bells rung in my mind and all I wanted to do was drain her, to taste the blood I could feel coursing through her veins as she squeezed me. I looked over Renee's shoulder to see Alice, Rosalie and Bella stiffen. They all knew that I could be a split second away from bringing everything crashing down. I held my breath in the hope that it could do something, anything to lessen the burn of the raging fire I felt in my throat. After a second/century, Renee let go and went back over to her daughter. They all talked about something, but I didn't listen. The scorching pain in my throat was still there, but for that moment it was second to something else: the overwhelming pride I felt. My mouth had been fractions of an inch away from a human neck, a direct pathway into ten pints of the very thing I craved most. And I'd resisted. I'd reached a point in my self control where I was able to stop myself from drinking a human, even when they were pressing themselves right up against me. All the hard work I'd been putting in to ignoring the urges that used to control me had paid off, and although I still had a very long way to go in my self control, it was a sign that I would eventually be able to overcome my thirst. At some point I sensed a break in the conversation.

"I'm gonna go and get changed into my dress, but it was really lovely meeting both of you." I said.

"It was lovely to meet you too sweetie. We'll see you later." Renee replied. I smiled at her and Charlie before leaving the room and skipping down the hall. I changed into my dress and sat in a chair in the corner of my bedroom, alone with my thoughts. I had nothing but excitement for the rest of the day, because now I knew I'd be fine. No visions from Alice or knowledge of newborns from Carlisle could ever have reassured me that I would be able to cope with humans as much as that had. I didn't know how long I sat there, thinking about all the things I'd be able to do now I had good enough self control to be hugged by a human but still resist their blood, but after what must have been quite a while Alice came in, a huge grin on her face, which I couldn't help but return.

"I'm so proud of you!" She said, keeping her voice low so Charlie and Renee couldn't hear.

"I'm proud of me too." I replied. "I know I can deal with all the people at the wedding now. I wasn't sure before, but now I am." Alice's smile widened.

"That's excellent Bree. I knew you'd be able to do this." She said. I suddenly found myself overcome with love for my adopted sister. She'd done everything within her power to help make my transition period between wild newborn to controlled Cullen as easy as it could be and I couldn't be more grateful.

"Thank you, Alice. For everything. I wouldn't have been able to do this without you."

"No problem. I'm happy to help you. Now come on, we're already running late." She said. I stood up and followed her out to the wedding, a new bounce in my step.

As soon as I was out of the front door, I was instantly assaulted with a blend of different human scents. It was a lot to cope with, but my new found confidence told me I'd be able to deal with it. Alice and I walked down to where the ceremony was going to be held and found our seats. I'd been put between Alice and Esme in the front row. I was thankful for my seating placement since it not only meant I was with two of my favorite people, but also that the smells of hot blood were behind me where it was easier to pretend they didn't exist. I shut off my breathing completely and promised myself that I would try to enjoy the ceremony. It was going to be the first wedding I'd ever been to and I didn't want to spend it concentrating on my thirst. We were seated for a little over a minute before the soft music that signaled Bella's arrival began to play. Everyone turned to the back of the aisle to see Bella and Charlie standing together, waiting to walk down. I couldn't help but smile when I saw her, not only because she looked angelic in her long white gown, but also because of the look on her face when she saw Edward. Where she'd previously seemed anxious and uncomfortable, the moment she laid eyes on her soon-to-be-husband, it all turned to love. Bella made her way down the aisle with her father, her gate clumsy as ever. They took their time but eventually the pair made it to the front of the ceremony and, after giving his daughter one last kiss on the cheek, Charlie sat down in his chair.

Bella and Edward said their vows, exchanged rings and shared a long kiss. It was like a fairy tail, the ceremony was romantic and when Bella and Edward kissed everyone stood up and clapped. It exceeded all my expectations. After it was finished, Alice ushered everyone into the area where the wedding meal would be held and told us to find our seats. Fortunately, everyone on my table was a vampire. Well, almost everyone. I'd been put with Jasper, Alice and a member of the Denali coven, Irina, I think, but there was one boy on our table who had dark hair and skin too tanned to be a vampire. Looking at his face, he couldn't have been older than sixteen, but he towered higher than most of the other guests, at least six foot, but all that registered after his disgusting smell.

"Sorry, what's your name?" I asked the boy.

"Oh, hi. I'm Seth." He said. I paused for a split second before I remembered where I knew that name. Seth was the wolf who Edward said had 'pure and kind' thoughts. "I know who you are. You're Bree." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"A little creepy, but hi Seth." He gave a sweet little grin that I couldn't help but return before pulling out my chair and gesturing for me to sit down. "Wow, you're quite the gentleman, aren't you?" His grin turned to a chuckle as he sat in his own seat.

"I try. The food already smells good, don't you think so?" I narrowed my eyes, surely he knew what I was?

"It's, uh, not really my sort of thing." I said hesitantly. Seth's face remained straight for a moment longer before it split into a smile and then a huge laugh. I sat, confused and unsure of the joke.

"I'm sorry, I'm just messing with you. I know you're more of an AB positive kind of girl." I let out a sigh of relief - I didn't want to have to explain to Seth why I wouldn't be eating the food I got served. "So, what do you kid vampires do in your free time?" He asked.

"First, you're, like, five, so if I'm a kid, you're a kid, and second, are you really asking me what I do in my free time?" I returned.

"Yep." I raised an eyebrow but humored him.

"Well, I like to read and listen to music mostly but I play piano sometimes too." The boy sat back in his chair and huffed.

"Is that really it? Don't you swim across the pacific ocean or anything? I guess you vamps are duller than I thought." He said with a smile in his voice. I rolled my eyes before talking.

"If you wanted cool vampire stuff then you could've just asked."

"Fine. I want cool vampire stuff." I gave him a chuckle for that.

"Alright, well, Emmett and Jasper and I wrestle each other sometimes and that's ended in quite a few knocked-down trees and a rock slide or two." Seth snorted. "What's so funny?" I asked.

"Sorry, I just can't imagine you taking on Emmett. I mean the guy's built like a bear. Isn't it a little dangerous?"

"Nah, you can't hurt a vampire unless you're seriously trying to. Besides, I'm pretty evenly matched with Emmett strength-wise." I explained. It was Seth's turn to raise an eyebrow now.

"Somehow I just don't believe that." He said.

"No, seriously, I am just as strong as Emmett. It's one of the few perks of being a newborn vampire, the lingering human blood in our tissues makes us stronger than normal vampires. It wears over a year but luckily for me I'm still only six months in." Seth's face fell into another one of his smirks.

"I reckon I could still beat you in a fight."

"Oh, you think so?" I said.

"Absolutely."

"I think you're sorely mistaken. I'd take you down anytime, anywhere."

"Ooo, is that a challenge?" He retorted, leaning forward in his chair slightly, a gesture which I responded to by leaning back. He didn't seem to notice that I'd moved away from him, but I silently promised myself not to do it again in case I hurt his feelings.

"Maybe." I answered.

"Good, I love a challenge." Before I could reply, a waiter arrived with food for our table.

"Thank you." I said. He turned to acknowledge my thanks but, upon making eye contact, stumbled back and nearly fell over, saving himself only by grabbing on to the table next to ours. Seth snickered into his food and the waiter looked mortified.

"I'm welcome- no, I mean y-you. You're welcome. I- uh... I'll just.." He gestured behind him and walked away, cursing under his breath. I looked at Seth, utterly bewlidered.

"What was that about?" I asked. Seth rolled his eyes before answering, his mouth still full.

"Oh come on, isn't it obvious?" I didn't answer, unsure of what he meant. "It's 'cause you're hot." I felt my eyes bulge at the boy's words. I knew I was pretty by human standards, all vampires were, but I wasn't used to people openly acknowledging it. I'd been a plain human, and all the time I'd spent in my attractive vampire state was around other, just as attractive if not more so vampires. I cast my eyes down to the plate of food and pushed it around with my fork.

"Um, thank you, I guess." I said. I never had been good at accepting compliments. Seth snickered again before turning his attention back to his meal. It didn't take him long to finish his food, he wolfed it down (ha), and was straight away eyeing my untouched plate. "You can have it if you want it." Seth didn't hesitate in pulling my food away and eating that too. After around thirty minutes, the waiter was back to collect our plates. He'd apparently collected himself, he exuded an air of confidence now.

"How was your meal?" He asked, clearly directing his question at me.

"It was amazing, really hit the spot." Seth said. The waiter gave him an irritated smile, to which Seth replied with a huge smirk. The waiter's eyes fell on my untouched glass of lemonade.

"You haven't had any of your drink, do you want me to get you something else?" I shook my head but he ignored me and carried on. "We have juice, coke, 7 up, doctor pepper, I could even slip you some champagne if you want-"

"Really, I'm fine, thanks." I said. He looked a little embarrassed at my rejection of his help, but he quickly set his face back to happy.

"Ok, well let me know if you want anything, anything at all, and I'd be happy to help." He placed a hand on my lower back before collecting the plates walking away. I shuddered at the ghost of his touch and Seth, once again, laughed.

"It's not funny." I said.

"You know it is." I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything else. Dessert was served quickly (and thankfully by a different waiter) and was followed by the speeches. They were lovely, even if some of them (Emmett's) were a little inappropriate. After what seemed to be no time at all, the wedding meal was over and it was time for the reception. Anxiety crawled into my stomach - this was the part of the day I'd been most nervous about, I'd be expected to get up and mingle with humans that were sweating, a function which would heighten my attraction to their blood even further. My throat burned at the very thought of it.

I talked to Seth for a while. He was a funny kid, I enjoyed his company, but eventually the smell of blood got to be too much for me to breathe through, so I excused myself and walked away. I went and stood awkwardly at the side of the clearing which had been decked out for the reception, putting every ounce of willpower I had into controlling myself while also trying not to look strange. I was by myself for at least an hour before I felt someone tap me lightly on the back. I turned to see who it was and immediately recognized the waiter from earlier. My dead heart sank.

"Um, hello." I said.

"Hi, I'm Evan. I saw you were standing on your own and I thought you might want someone to talk to." I forced a smile.

"Oh, uh, thanks." I looked around, hoping there was someone near me I knew that I could slip off with, pretending that I'd been waiting for them all along. There wasn't.

"So what's your name?" Evan asked peppily.

"Bree."

"Ah, a beautiful name for a beautiful girl." He said. I cringed at his lame attempt at flirting, growing more and more embarrassed with every second. "So, Bree, how do you know the bride and groom?" I took a second to remember the story Carlisle and I had decided on together.

"The groom's my adopted brother." Evan's eyes lit up.

"Oh, so you live in that big house over there?" He gestured toward my home. "That's so weird, I live, like, fifteen minutes away. We should hang out some time, it would be fun." I screamed out in my mind for Edward to come and help me.

"Yeah, really fun." I said, trying to find an out of the conversation.

"So where do you go to school? I went to a private school about an hour out of here, but I just graduated." He placed a hand on my lower arm but quickly drew it away when he felt how cold I was. "Oh shit, you're freezing. Do you want my jacket? Here, take it." I protested, but it was already too late. Evan had draped his jacket around my shoulders and I was surrounded by his scent. Without my permission, my nose took a deep sniff and I felt the flames in my throat roar. Everything in my head went insane, similar to how it had that morning when Renee hugged me, only this time it'd been almost twenty-four hours since I'd last fed and there was nothing of Bella's scent, which I found fairly easy to resist, in this boy's blood. A small voice reminded me it would be all too easy to get the boy alone and drink from him. I could ask him if we should go somewhere more private and he, thinking he was about to get lucky with the girl he'd been eyeing all day, wouldn't think twice about obliging. The boy was mine for the taking. I was convinced I was going to give in to my thirst until I felt an arm around my shoulder and smelt Edward next to me.

"I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid I have to steal Bree away for a minute. There's someone very important she has to talk to." He said with a polite smile on his face. Edward removed Evan's jacket, put it over the waiter's shoulders, and led me away, not waiting for a reply. I soon as I stopped being bombarded by the teenager's scent, I was horrified with myself. I'd been a second away from killing an innocent human and throwing away everything I'd worked for over the previous two months.

"Oh my god." I whispered, too horrified at myself to raise my voice any higher.

"Don't feel bad, Bree." Edward replied.

"How can I not? If you hadn't come over when you did, I would've killed him. I'm just the same monster I was two months ago." Edward stepped in front of me, went down on his knee so we were at eye level with each other and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Don't say that. You're a newborn, it's natural for you to slip up. Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Esme and I all have. You're not a monster." His golden eyes burned into me with the intensity of their stare. I cast mine down in shame. "Listen, if the smell is getting to be too much for you then you can go. The Denalis are leaving soon, do you want to go with them?" I considered his offer. He was right that the temptation was overwhelming me, and it would be nice to get to know my new cousins.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." I said.

"Alright. You go and get changed and pack whatever you want to take and I'll go talk to Eleazar." I nodded and turned to walk back to the house, but was stopped by Edward. "Oh, and Bree, say goodbye to Seth." I furrowed my brow, confused over Edward's last request.

With my new vampire speed, it only took me five minutes to get changed, take out the intricate bun Rosalie had put in my hair in and pack my backpack. I'd decided to travel light, taking only my i-pod, phone, two books and a single change of clothes. I didn't plan on staying with my new cousins for more than three days, so I didn't need huge amounts of luggage. After getting myself ready, I headed back down to where the wedding was being held and said my goodbyes to my family. Edward reminded me to go and see Seth before I left and said he wouldn't let me leave until he knew I'd done so. Still confused, I agreed and went off to find Seth. It only took me a minute to locate him, his scent was difficult to miss. He was sitting on a bench out of the way of the rest of the party, holding what looked and smelled like a beer.

"How'd you get that?" I asked, pointing to the drink.

"Oh, Emmett bought it for me." He replied. "Do you want some?"

"Vampire, remember?"

"What, even alcohol doesn't work on you? Bummer." He paused and looked me up and down. "Hey, why did you get changed?" He questioned, almost sounding offended that I wasn't wearing my outfit from earlier.

"I'm leaving to stay with our cousins from Denali for a few days. I wanted to come and say goodbye." Seth's eyes lit up and his face pulled into a smile. I decided not to mention that Edward had made me come and speak to him, thinking that would sound a little rude.

"Oh, really? That's so nice of you."

"I know. I'll see you later, Seth. It was great meeting you." I turned to walk away, but stopped when I felt a warm hand grab my lower arm.

"Wait!" Seth said urgently. "Can I, uh, get your number? Maybe?" Seth looked down, refusing to make eye contact with me. I saw blood rush to his cheeks.

"Um, yeah, sure. I'll put it in for you." He handed me his phone and I typed in my name and number before giving his cell back to him.

"Ok, I really do need to go now." I said.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Well, I guess I'll, uh, see you around." He stepped towards me and opened his arms slightly, the universal request for a hug. I considered just shaking one of his hands but, not wanting to make the situation any more awkward, moved toward him and stood up on my tip-toes, giving him a one armed hug around the shoulder. I waved goodbye and walked away so I could find the Denalis.

I found my cousins quickly and, upon seeing them, immediately became anxious. What if they didn't like me? They were going to be in my life for as long as I was alive, which could potentially be forever.

"Um, hi, I'm Bree." I said quietly. The man who could only be Eleazar stepped forward.

"Hello Bree, I'm Eleazar, and this is Carmen, Tanya, Irina and Kate." He gestured toward each member of his coven as he said their names. "We're all very excited to have you staying with us."

"I am too. I was planning on staying for maybe two or three days if that's ok with you?" Eleazar beamed, his face exuding friendliness.

"That's fine. We better start heading out now though, it's a long run back. At least thirteen hours." I disliked the idea of such a long journey, but knew there was no way around it. If I wanted to spend time with the Denali coven, I'd have to put up with a lot of running.

We set off on our long journey, all running at our top speeds in the hope of arriving at a reasonable time. After about three hours of straight sprinting, I felt my always present thirst intensify.

"Is it alright if we feed quickly?" I asked. I was a little embarrassed at having to stop, not only because it meant I was slowing everyone down, but also because it made it obvious that my appetite was not under control. Most vampires would be able to stick it out and wait, but not me. I knew if I didn't feed right then, I'd lose myself to my instincts if I wandered into the scent of any human. It was unlikely to happen since we were running through woods in the middle of the night, but it wasn't worth the risk.

"Yes, that's fine, I think we're all getting a little thirsty." Eleazar lied. All of their eyes were bright gold, a clear indication that they didn't need to feed. I appreciated his efforts to make me feel less abnormal, though.

It wasn't a difficult hunt. The forest we were in was full of sleeping animals, all waiting to be drunk from. I was finishing draining what would be my last dear when I heard the sound of twigs snapping nearby. Initially, I ruled the noise out as some nocturnal animal who'd gone against their better judgement and come to investigate what I was, but the second I breathed in I realized it was no animal, it was a vampire, and not one I was travelling with. I suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable; I was completely alone, the Denali coven were all scattered across the forest hunting. If someone tried to attack me, there was a very good chance I wouldn't get away.

"Who's there?" I called out, trying as hard as I could to keep my voice even. I waited for for a reply but got nothing. I looked around, frantically trying to locate the source of the scent I'd caught. "I'm stronger than you think I am. I'm a newborn." I hoped this would intimidate the mystery vampire, that maybe they'd assumed I was older and therefore easier to take down, but the smell didn't leave. I began to slowly back away from the general area that the vampire's scent was coming from, but stopped dead when I heard more movement. Suddenly, I saw something make its way across the forest floor. I knew it wasn't the vampire - their scent stayed still and whatever it moved wrong. I watched it creep closer and closer to me until something in my head clicked.

It was Alec of the Volturi's mist.

My reaction was instant. I sprinted away, screaming and crying out for help as I went in the hope that maybe one of the Denalis would be close enough to help me, but no one came. I kept running, but, after less than a minute, I felt the unmistakable feeling of momentary cold and then numbness of Alec's gift catching on to my ankle and slithering up my leg. I started to slow down and stumble, the lack of feeling in my left leg making it near impossible to run. The mist crawled further up my body, freezing and numbing as it went, until it reached my hips and I couldn't run anymore. I fell on my back. The mist moved faster now, consuming more and more until it reached my face and entered my eyes, ears, mouth and nose. For a split second, I saw a tall figure towering above me, looking down at the body that was no longer mine, but as soon as that split second was over...

Nothing.

A/N - Ok so I know it's another time jump but I promise this is the last one for a long time. Hope you liked this chapter and PLEASE leave a review, they mean so much to me and motivate me on days when I don't feel like writing. Bye!