ELIZABETH CANTERBURY

:Victim

Luke dropped in on his way home from work. It was a relief to see him – it had been days – but I was reluctant to be close to him while I knew there was so much I had to keep from him. I answered the door and was surprised by his expression when he took off his helmet. He looked bothered; threatened. I didn't say anything until he was inside, shoes and coat off, and he turned to me quite viciously.

"Been up to anything interesting?" He snapped, failing to keep his cool.

"Umh, plenty." I said, trying to stay vague.

"Like what?" He asked.

"Watching TV, playing guitar, writing songs... the usual." I lied, despite the fact I knew lying to Luke was useless. It seemed to fuel his anger. I regretted what I'd said instantly.

"Olivia says you had company this morning. Anyone I know?"

"Olivia hasn't been here. We only argued this morning on the phone." I defended myself.

"What about?" Luke probed.

"She was moaning I don't take her seriously anymore and that I never see her - the usual." I tried consciously to keep my heart rate down and my palms from sweating.

"She seemed worried about you. Why would she call me at work to tell me you'd had company, Elizabeth?"

"What are you accusing me of Luke?" I asked him plainly. "So what, I had company. Am I not allowed to have company? Do I have to sit here on my own all summer while you're at work?"

Luke studied my reaction. His eyes narrowed and then he shook his head. He wrapped me in his arms and I felt the luckiest girl alive; despite being tracked and hunted by vampires.

He strode out through the French windows into the garden; his movement more relaxed and natural. I often studied his posture and his body language as he was reluctant to talk about his emotions and feelings. I understood a lot by just watching him from a distance. I remembered the photo mum had taken of my prom dress and fetched it from the study upstairs. Luke's face lit up when I passed it to him as we sat on the lawn.

"Ah – I recognise this." He smiled. "You bought the one you liked from Debenhams; the one I saw you in?"

"Yeah, it was a perfect fit." I told him.

"Absolutely perfect." He said, winding his arms around my waist and kissing me. I tried my best to kiss him back; but a wall of tension materialised between us. I was no good at keeping secrets from him; it hurt me to act like everything was okay. We lay out in the sun on the lawn for hours; an activity I couldn't enjoy with Kristian. Luke apologised for working so late and not seeing me; and I apologised for not keeping in touch. We both wondered why Olivia would have wanted to cause trouble. I secretly assumed it was because she wanted my spotlight back on her. I curled up in Luke's arms, appreciative of the simple human way of life. Everything had been put into different proportions since vampires arrived. I loved being with Luke, happy and peaceful; a human, rather than a target. I didn't want him to leave when he offered to answer the door; I was too safe and happy in his embrace. I lay still on the lawn, waiting for him to come back.

I was disturbed by a familiar voice, which I used to love to hear. Kristian stood just inside the patio doors, unable to come outside to speak to me. Luke stood defensively four or five paces behind him, with a scowl on his face. I had no idea what Kristian had said, but I panicked instantly.

"Elizabeth, did you forget?" Kristian asked.

"Forget what?" I asked, completely confused.

"We were supposed to be going out tonight. Remember?" I was torn whether to go along with the story or stand up for the truth.

"Go out where?" I asked hesitantly. "I don't remember any arrangements."

"We need to leave now, Elizabeth." Kristian said, glowering at me. His eyes looked angry; deathly. His face made fear pulse from my heart to every part of my body. For the first time, Kristian looked like a predator. His expression helped everything click into place; the Volturi were coming.

"Oh my God," I whispered to myself, letting it sink in that danger, and I had no idea on what kind of scale, was chasing me. I started to hyperventilate.

"I think I'll leave, Lizzie, as you seem to be very forgetful these days. It's only been three days and you seem to have forgotten about your own boyfriend." He had always hated to use the words boyfriend and girlfriend; we were much more mature than that. "I'll always love you, Elizabeth. But I'll only be here when you love me back." Luke said, in agony; broken hearted.

"Luke, No! You don't understand!" I cried. I wanted to shout the truth; I wanted him to know everything. He was a part of me; he had to understand what I was going through. We could go through it together. I wanted to wrap him in safety, introduce him to my bodyguards, and take him with me to wherever we were running to. Luke said nothing as a tear rolled down his face and he stormed out. The sky suddenly filled with a blanket of black cloud, a storm brewing above us.

Kristian was next to me in an instant, rocking me in his arms. I did not want to be in his arms, I wanted to be with Luke. I screamed into his shoulder, muffling the sound. I sat and I cried as I let everything I'd worked for slip away. They truly were monsters; they had been right about that from the start. I didn't care what anybody said now, they had ruined my life. As desperate as I had been to escape the hardship of leading a normal, socially acceptable life, I was now desperate to go back to that time, and rebuild a life which did not involve mythological creatures. I heard the front door slam and a tear rolled down my cheek, a perfect twin for Luke's. I'd lost everything. I had nothing to live for anymore.

Kristian tried to explain "It's the only way he would leave us alone, Elizabeth. I'm so sorry. We have to leave, now. The Volturi..."

"Let them come." I murmured.

"Come on Elizabeth. Jasper and Carlisle are waiting in the car outside. We have to leave!" Kristian's voice was urgent.

"Let them come." I repeated, with more assertion. "It's me they want. No one else has to suffer. What do I have, now? My only friend has it in for me, my boyfriend thinks I'm a liar and a cheat and I'm being chased out of my home by a family of vampires! You might not understand, Kristian, what it's like to lose someone – what it's like to watch someone you love walk out of your life – but right now I don't feel like living to endure it myself."

"I've watched my mate die, Elizabeth. Is that good enough? Does that grant me authority?" Kristian growled. "Elizabeth, look at me. Look at me!" Through his mask, I could see his eyes were completely black. He hadn't hunted after all.

"Give me a few hours. I have to think things over." I spluttered.

"Remember what I told you, that none of us have had a choice; apart from one or two, throughout the history of our race? Hardly any of us have chosen to become vampires. It's an irreversible change Elizabeth; listen to me! You cannot want this! We're killers!" Kristian sounded furious. He couldn't empathise with my pain. I wondered what sort of emotions vampires had, if all of them bar Jasper missed empathy.

"Who chose it?" I whimpered.

"The one vampire I know who chose this fate chose it to be with her soul mate, Carlisle's foster son. Her name is Bella, and she's happy now. I want you to be happy, Elizabeth, but your soul mate is not a vampire! Your soul mate has just walked out of your front door. If you're alive at the end of this, you can get him back! Don't you see?!"

Carlisle and Jasper were stood in the lounge now, impatient to leave. Jasper ran his long vampire fingers through his slicked back hair, stressed by my negative aura. Carlisle looked like he was going to, but I had no idea if vampires could, start crying. Alistair stood behind them; his face full of regret and sadness, a long way from the cocky man I'd met in the stairwell. His jacket was flung over his shoulder.

If I didn't leave, I would hurt the people who had come to save me. If I did leave, I might just live to win Luke back. Then again, if I did leave, I would spend my last hours away from Luke. To me, every single option looked like I would end up being devoured by vampires, death, or loneliness.

"Give me some time to think." I commanded through my tears.

"We'll be here when you're ready to leave; the sooner the better, Elizabeth." Kristian reminded me.

I decided to have a bath before I left, hoping I could think properly, alone. I plunged my right foot into the deep, clear water. I was such a shame I was going to spoil its purity. The water was far too hot, just right. I shifted my weight onto my submerged foot and a wave of pain flew up into my thigh. My left foot was no more prepared for torture than my right foot had been. The water lapped at my leg, burning the bare flesh slowly and effortlessly. I sat in the bathtub and lost all sensation in my feet. A sore, burnt, red ring formed around my stomach as the water attacked my skin. Slowly, I lay down. Only my face was above the surface. Every part of my body ached; then suddenly a feeling of numbness overwhelmed me and I couldn't move. It felt brilliant – just how I'd intended. I had less to control in my life. My body had abandoned me.

I sank so my face was underwater. There was pain; indescribable, comforting pain. Nothing inside of me screamed to move. I wondered if there was a reason to breathe again. What would I achieve? What would the world gain, apart from forcing me to live through more anguish and depression? I didn't move for a very long time. I knew I wasn't dead, but nothing reminded me to breathe. I waited for the relief to come; for oxygen and the cool air which would save my burnt, suffocated body. The other half of me waited, no, longed for the end.

The end never came.

I didn't have the courage to finish it. I drifted in and out of thoughts and the dark; seeing Luke's face; hearing him threaten me; hearing him scream at me; watching him hate me. I heard a violent knock on the door but I didn't register panic. I tried so hard to concentrate on keeping the memory of his face alive. I had to stay with him in this sick and twisted way. I heard and felt the second knock. It was violent and urgent. The room shook. Ripples ripped through Luke's perfect face in my mind but his voice was more vivid somewhere outside of my head. With no forethought or warning, I threw my body upwards. Scalding water flew everywhere, splashing against my skin, but I had no feeling now. I had heard Kristian's voice, and that meant he was here, outside my bathroom door. I had to be alive, if only for him.

I grabbed my bathrobe and pulled the plug from the bath. Tears streamed down my face, and though usually they were warm the tears felt cool against my smouldering cheeks. I sat on the floor, waiting for Kristian's next yell. I couldn't answer him through the floods of tears.

Kristian walked at my feeble human pace with me to the car. We slipped into the back seats, Carlisle driving and Jasper in a foul mood in the passenger seat. I noticed the steering wheel was on the wrong side. I felt so embarrassed; what I had tried to do was ridiculous and irrational. Kristian had thrown some of my things into a bag. I began to tear through my hair with my brush as Carlisle smoothly pulled away from my house. I hoped I would be home soon. Luke could always find me there.

I sighed; "Americans". Jasper flinched, and broke into a smile. My mood was improving, and so was his. I realised that we'd left Alistair behind. "What about Alistair?" I asked Kristian.

"Alistair is following on foot through the forest. His talent is more specific if he can concentrate alone. He'll get in contact with us to let us know where the Volturi are..." He paused, "And who they're bringing."

I shivered; not because of Kristian's cold arm wrapped around my shoulders, but because the Volturi had an army. We had four vampires, and a completely defenceless target. What chance did we have, if we had to stand and fight? What talents did the Volturi already have control of? My thoughts flicked back. I was talented, too.

"If I knew what my talent was, I'd help you, Kristian. I'd stop all of this." I reassured him.

"I know." He sighed.

Jasper turned to face me, studying me with his golden eyes. The storm had eased off. Quickly, rays of sunlight were falling through the clouds, bright on the black clouds behind them. Jasper's attention changed to the sun out of the rear windscreen. Suddenly, his face lit up to a degree of emotion I had not seen in a human, let alone in a vampire, let alone in Jasper.

:Lovers

"As you can imagine, Miss Canterbury, you've been a fascinating person to inspect – your emotions are so complex. You remind me of my sister in law." Jasper began, talking quickly.

"Bella?" I asked.

"Yes. Her talent is a shield against powers which interfere with the mind. But having listened to your emotions, I do believe you work the other way around. I think your mind interferes with things subconsciously." Kristian lifted his head, he obviously agreed with what Jasper was trying to explain. "For example, have you noticed? When you're happy, the weather is calm and peaceful. When you were angry, a storm approached overhead."

Kristian interrupted him. "And when I argued with you, it poured with rain – you were upset."

I controlled the weather with my emotions. That was what the Volturi wanted. I tried to ignore the voice in my head that squealed that it was impossible. Gravity and air pressure controlled the weather. I was a new element; my name could appear next to water, fire, earth and air – I felt like a Goddess.

Before I had time to fully understand Jasper's theory, Alistair landed on the roof of the Mercedes. It was getting dark. Carlisle pulled over into a lonely lay-by, and Alistair dismounted the car. Carlisle and Jasper got out to talk to Alistair while Kristian and I stayed in the back seats.

"The Volturi aren't our only problem, Carlisle. The shape shifter is following us. She has obviously sided with the Volturi." Alistair announced.

"Shape shifter?!" I gasped; more mythology. I shivered.

"There's just one?" Carlisle asked Alistair. "That in itself is a miracle."
"As far as I can tell, yes. They're hazier to track though, stupid half breeds." Alistair complained.

Kristian got out of the car to join the conversation. "We should deal with the shape shifter before the Volturi arrive, Carlisle."

"How much time do we have before the Volturi reach us, Alistair?" Carlisle asked.

"36 hours, tops. Then Aro'll be knocking on the window." Alistair informed us.

"Aro is one of the Volturi leaders, Elizabeth." Jasper explained; he obviously sensed my misunderstanding.

"Then we wait." Kristian announced. "We deal with the shape shifter once she's caught us up."

"And how do you plan to deal with her, exactly?" Carlisle asked.

"You're the one who's known them, Carlisle. How do you kill a shape shifter?" By the tone of his voice, I could tell Kristian had raised a single eyebrow.

"You can't kill her." Alistair announced, quietly but firmly.

"He's right; their self healing powers are astonishing." Carlisle confirmed.

"That's not what I meant. We mustn't kill her." Alistair corrected himself.

"Why not, brother?" Kristian asked Alistair.

"You'll find out when she arrives." Alistair said calmly; his tone ordering the conversation to a close.

Kristian sat with me in the car. I drifted in and out of sleep until half past twelve. I was woken by Kristian moving out of the car. He noticed me stir and told me not to follow. I turned and saw through the back wind screen the four vampires, all staring into the forest that surrounded us, all with stiffened arms ready to attack; apart from Carlisle who stood elegantly and calmly. I got out of the car and stood about 3 metres behind Kristian. He didn't acknowledge my presence. The vampires twitched, all hearing something far in the distance earlier than I did. They formed a V shape in the direction they'd heard the noise from; Carlisle at the front, me at the back. Two figures emerged from the trees; both of which I knew well. I forgot to breathe when I recognised who they were.

A mouse-brown haired girl, the same height as me, strode out of the forest, followed by a dark haired boy. It was Olivia and Luke. Olivia wore nothing but a long men's tee shirt which reached her knees, secured at the waist with a cord. Luke's well toned torso was exposed; he wore blue jeans. Both of them were barefoot.

"Good evening. My name is Carlisle; this here is Jasper; and I believe you both already know Alistair and Kristian."

"My name is Olivia, this here is Luke; enough formalities." Olivia sounded purposeful, like a true leader.

"You two are an unlikely alliance, considering the circumstances." Jasper sneered.

"Olivia told me Elizabeth was in danger. We're here to take her home." Luke announced. He sounded hurt; he blinked a few times in quick succession after he'd spoken, composing himself.

"We are no threat to Elizabeth; I believe you are mistaken." Carlisle explained. "We are escorting her away from the danger."

"What other danger is there apart from you, undead scum?" Olivia spat the last two words with disgust.

"It's a long story," Kristian interjected.

"We have time." Olivia declared.

"Elizabeth is an amazing young woman." Carlisle began. Luke closed his eyes for a few seconds and then rejoined the conversation. "A band of highly respected vampires, named the Volturi, are tracking Elizabeth to take advantage of her talents."

"What does that mean?" Luke stuttered.

"If they succeed in turning Elizabeth into a vampire," Carlisle paused to make the news easier for Luke to digest. "Her talents will be intensified and she would be a useful asset to their forces."

"Scum!" Olivia scoffed.

Alistair stepped out of the defensive formation. "Olivia, please. It would help everybody if you could cooperate."

"What reason do I have to cooperate with you?" Olivia hissed.

"Olivia, we are here to help Elizabeth." Luke protested.

Olivia spun to Luke, attacking him. "No, Luke, you are here to save Elizabeth. I'll be here to watch her scream in agony as she's turned by whoever reaches her first!"

Luke lost control, leaping into the air. In a blur of colour he transformed before my eyes into an abnormally large grey and white panther. I flinched and ran to Kristian.

Olivia cackled at the sight. "Still haven't learnt to control yourself, have you Luke? Still can't decide what's best for you."

Luke growled, rattling my human skeleton. Olivia remained in her human form. "You haven't learnt that an Alpha has total control either, have you?" she snarled. Luke winced at being reminded of Olivia's supremacy.

"What do you mean?" Alistair asked her.

Carlisle interjected before Olivia could taint the explanation. "In each shape shifter pack there is an Alpha personality; someone who has a natural gift of leadership. The members of the pack are compelled by some supernatural force to follow the Alpha's orders."

Olivia laughed gently. "Useful, wouldn't you agree?"

Luke growled at her, frustrated. There was a pause before anybody spoke; the vampires and I all struggling to relate to what Luke was feeling.

Carlisle turned to Luke; he looked like he'd had an idea to help him. "You can resist it, Luke. There is an occurrence among the wolf pack in Washington called imprinting."

Jasper became more animated at once. "Yes!" He exclaimed.

"Imprinting is when fate has chosen a life partner for a particular shape shifter." Carlisle explained.

"That all sounds like a fairy tale to me; Carlisle." Olivia deflected Carlisle's theory.

"Carry on Carlisle," I urged him.

"I'm sure, if Elizabeth... If you have imprinted on Elizabeth, you could resist such a young, inexperienced Alpha." Olivia hissed at Carlisle, taking an aggressive stance, presumably ready to phase and attack. We all knew she wouldn't do it – she had no hope of survival. Carlisle continued. "Find a way, Luke, things don't have to be how fate initially intended. We are living proof of that." Carlisle gestured to Jasper and Kristian, tactfully leaving out Alistair, who still had deep crimson eyes.

Luke collapsed onto the floor, his head underneath his paw. I ran over to him, comforting him, running my fingers through his light fur, which upon close inspection included flecks of silver. He purred softly. I was so distracted, trying to make Luke's decision as easy as possible, Olivia phased slowly and silently into her panther form. She disappeared into the darkness, presumably covered from nose to tail in pitch black fur. Luke stood beside me, his head level with my waist. I tried to keep my breathing even so I didn't disturb Luke. I stroked the silky fur on his head gently. His fur felt burning hot; something I wasn't used to after spending so long in Kristian's arms. Jasper had turned on the headlights of Carlisle's car, flooding the lay-by in white light. Shadows, two to three times taller than our figures were projected onto the forest behind us; but Olivia was nowhere. Luke growled menacingly. He purred at me. The relief to know he'd forgiven me was immense. I fell to my knees and Luke brushed my face with his whiskers.

"I'm so sorry Luke, all of this is my fault; I've done this to you." I said repeatedly in various paraphrases. His eyes were the same deep, emerald green they were in his human form; the eyes I loved to gaze into so much.

Olivia was now on her own against four remarkable vampires and one renewed panther, but she wouldn't leave without declaring herself in the right. That was so typical Olivia. She'd obviously phased back to her human form, somewhere in the darkness.

"You did this to us, Elizabeth. If your beloved vampires hadn't arrived, we wouldn't have been created. We're natural enemies. We cannot coexist!" She shouted. "You've not just ruined my life, Lizzie, but you've ruined Luke's too. I hope you realise that."

Luke growled again, a more threatening noise; something that warned Olivia to shut her trap.

"It doesn't have to be that way." Carlisle suggested. "There is no reason we cannot ally against the Volturi. My family are allied with the wolf pack in Washington. It's perfectly feasible."

Olivia sounded disgusted and upset at the same time. "I could not live with that." She knew she could not win, whatever it was she wanted. That, I'll never know. Revenge possibly, for being transformed into a mythological creature. That would be a reasonable excuse.

I turned my attention back to Luke, who lay back down, resting his head on my lap. "He can't speak back to you and he can't phase back. His jeans were ruined when he phased." Alistair informed me. I raised my eyebrows at Luke and I giggled; he purred in reply. My biggest smile in three days made my cheeks ache. "I'm sure it's not so much you, Elizabeth, it's displaying his regalia in front of three naturally well endowed vampires." Alistair laughed.

"Four," Kristian corrected him.

"Three - I wasn't including you, lil' bro." Alistair teased.

"They'd never match you, gorgeous." I whispered so faintly only Luke would hear.

The light hearted banter distracted me from the impending situation; I was still being tracked by Volturi. My heart sank, a shooting pain hitting my chest like a bullet. Luke looked up at me, tilting his head, offering to phase back. I would have given anything for him to kiss my problems away.

"Luke, follow us in the forest; run with Alistair. We'll stick to the roads parallel to the tree line." Carlisle instructed Luke.

"Where are we heading, Carlisle?" Kristian asked. He seemed distant, spaced out by the whole encounter.

"One of the most densely populated places in the world," Carlisle informed us, "we need a human audience to discourage the Volturi from making a scene. London." He concluded.

:Patriarch

I slept well until we stopped in a service station at around five in the morning. A thin blanket of cloud filled the sky, protecting the vampires from exposing their beautiful secret. I wondered if it was my talent ensuring the sunlight was held at bay. Nobody had mentioned anything about Jasper's theory since we were rudely interrupted.

Alistair and Jasper had run west to hunt. Alistair had reluctantly promised me he would avoid hunting humans from now on. I felt happy, but I knew the transition from human blood to animal blood would be difficult for him. Kristian's eyes were pitch black now, but he refused to leave Carlisle with me on his own.
"I can control myself, Carlisle, it's not worth it." Kristian argued; keeping his statement vague so not to alarm the humans around him. He paced up and down the length of the car, frustrated.

"I don't see what the problem is. You know you would be a great deal more comfortable if you did." Carlisle politely protested.

"I'm not leaving her so vulnerable, Carlisle. It's nothing personal, it's just – two are safer than one."

"No offence taken." Carlisle muttered as he started to feed petrol into his glamourous car. Without five amazing men beside it, I could appreciate how spectacular it really was. The seats were all black leather, with flawless decorative stitching on every seam. The computer console looked ridiculously complicated, with a large screen and lots of buttons all over the place. The windows where very heavily tinted; I presumed that was very useful for driving around in sunlight. A pair of leather driver's gloves and a peaked chauffeur's cap lay in a storage tray on the dashboard. Again, I presumed, for keeping as much sunlight off of the driver's skin as possible. A chauffeur wouldn't look out of place driving a car like this, anyway.

It was almost an hour before Alistair and Jasper returned. I immediately inspected Alistair's eyes; they were a warm orangey amber. I decided that was a good sign; his transition had started well. Alistair laughed when I praised his efforts.

"Y'know what they say; 'change the world one person at a time'." I said smugly.

"It's going to be like living on dishwater." Alistair complained. He reminded me of a stubborn child complaining about vegetables.

Jasper smiled at my joke, obviously pleased with my determination to bring Alistair to the vegetarian way of life. He climbed back into the front seat of the car and watched Alistair talk privately, but aggressively to his younger brother. After a short tantrum, Kristian made his way across to the bushes, and disappeared into the forest; Alistair had persuaded him to hunt.

Carlisle gestured for me to get out of the car. He handed me a wad of cash, a mixture of twenty and fifty pound notes, and patted me on the shoulder.

"There's quite a large store just inside the station. Go inside with Jasper and buy Luke something nice to wear. He's feeling a bit lonely waiting in the woods. And oh", Carlisle smiled at the thought, "he could do with a plain double bacon cheeseburger, too." He laughed. The thought of food made my own stomach rumble. I hadn't eaten since the previous morning. Jasper grinned at me through the windscreen of the car as I walked past. He'd obviously talked to Luke in the forest whilst he was hunting, or empathised with his hunger. I decided on the first option; I didn't think a creature which never ate anything could empathise with hunger.

I was absent minded as I thumbed through the clothes that hung on the racks in the small service station shop. There wasn't anything particularly appealing, but I remembered that practicality was important now. I wondered how much time we had left to keep running before the Volturi caught up with us. I wondered how they were following us – in a fleet of Mercedes, perhaps. Was it a trademark vampire car? Or it could have been something even more expensive – they were royals, after all.

I decided on some combat trousers and a black tee shirt. I picked up some walking boots and socks in his size too – just in case. I was completely bewildered with the men's underwear section; it wasn't something I'd ever bought before. Jasper laughed and handed me the right box, patronisingly patting me on the shoulder as we headed for the tills.

Jasper had really come out of his shell by now. He was a completely different person to the emotionless apprentice I'd met in the street. I'd really begun to appreciate Jasper as a brother and a friend. As we stood in the queue, I noticed the side of his face had hundreds of incredibly faint scars, exactly the same shape as Kristian's. I breathed in suddenly and he turned towards me.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly.

"I'm Fine." I answered.

I dropped the clothes I'd picked out for Luke onto the cash desk. The assistant's jaw almost hit the floor when I handed her three of Carlisle's fifty pound notes. She wasn't even sure if the store could accept them. Jasper used his vampiric charm to reassure the young lady everything was quite alright, leaning forwards onto the desk and dazzling her with his sparkling golden eyes.

I burst out laughing as we left the shop, and Jasper beamed at me.

"What?" He asked. "What's so funny?"

"You just completely mesmerised that poor assistant. It was hilarious, the way she fluttered her eyelashes and got so flustered when you leaned forwards." I managed to say in between laughing fits. "That's tampering with free will, Jasper."

As we ordered breakfast I spotted through the glass wall that the sun had broken through the clouds. It made sense; I was happy. Jasper stood beside me, furthest away from the window. After ordering, I became anxious to know where Kristian, Alistair and Carlisle had taken refuge from the sunlight. I wondered over to the window and scanned the forecourt but the Mercedes was empty. My eyes flicked to the forest and sure enough, the three vampires were in the shade of the trees. No one would have noticed them unless they already knew they were there. I sighed; maybe my talent wasn't such a good thing after all; I couldn't be happy around my vampires. I tried to concentrate on dampening my mood but the weather didn't change. I even felt Jasper try and nudge my emotions, but the sun kept blazing down on the forecourt.

"Maybe I was wrong." Jasper muttered.

"Or maybe I'm just not strong enough yet." I corrected him, but he didn't respond. Jasper handed me the food and I left him to pay.

I ran across the petrol station forecourt to where Carlisle, Kristian and Alistair were waiting. I heard Luke purr from behind the trees, and I tossed the bag of new clothes through to him. A few minutes later, he emerged in his human form and beamed at Carlisle.

"Thanks Carlisle, that's much better."

"Try not to destroy them though; it's good kit." Carlisle informed him. Luke saluted Carlisle playfully and he smiled.

Kristian turned to me. "Could you at least try to control your emotions?" He said fiercely. I was shocked by his tone of voice.

"It's not working." I protested. "Even Jasper tried to alter my emotions but the sun won't budge."

Kristian looked incredibly angry, like he had when he'd stormed out of my bedroom window. His arms were crossed and his eyes closed behind his mask, as he leant against a tree in the shade. I had no idea what had caused his mood swing this time.

I was glad Jasper was not close enough to hear Kristian's anger. I had begun to care for him as a brother; similarly to Carlisle and Alistair. I wanted to feel the same for Kristian too, but until I fully understood him as a real person I struggled to convince myself to do so.

Kristian suddenly lifted his head and opened his eyes, like he'd had a brainwave. The clouds began to reform above us, concealing the sun, allowing the vampires to move out back onto the forecourt. The only one who didn't seize the opportunity was Kristian, who muttered that he fancied a run and Luke could take his seat in the Mercedes. Carlisle looked concerned but did not stop him leaving into the forest; Alistair promising to run parallel to the road to stay with us. Jasper joined us shortly after the sun had been safely locked away behind the clouds. He stared intently at Carlisle who shook his head. Kristian obviously needed some space; for a reason I couldn't fathom.

I sat in the back seats of the car with Luke as we began our tepid greasy breakfast. I shivered when I realised it might be my last.