Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay in updating. It's been a very long summer with a full-time internship and packed with a full load of summer classes on top of it. My free time has just now been opened up, and I've been itching to getting back into the spring of things! (so expect a routine schedule of weekly updates ;)) If you've read the Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, you may notice that some details and storylines about the characters don't line up. While I am a fan of the novella, I decided to change things up a bit timeline/storyline wise and the personalities of members in the vampire army will be different (particularly Riley. I took quite a large amount of artistic freedom with him because, come on, you have to admit Meyer missed out on a perfect opportunity to make him an even bigger threat!) But I hope you enjoy, and I would love to hear your thoughts on what you think of my OCs, Riley, and our main character...

Chapter Three:

The First Rule of Fight Club is: You Don't Talk about Fight Club

If there was one thing I had come to find any emotional comfort in during this life, it was the promise of getting to return to my personal quarters at the end of long day. While the rest of the coven was limited to the first two floors of the compound, our leader taking the top and bottom levels to use for his dark agendas, only one part of the abandoned property remained unoccupied.

The crumbling structure of the factory annex was conjoined to the main building through only a small corridor that had caved in upon itself decades ago, the mound of brick that had fallen in on itself blocking entrance to the additional unit on the main levels. But a second entrance existed beneath the street, connecting the dark basement of the main building to that of the smaller one I had come to call my own.

I had claimed the space for myself almost instantly upon our coven's move to the large space. I was met with little objection, as all knew that to try and face the wrath of the leader's second in command was to grant their own death wish. The annex became the place where I retreated to once the deeds of the day were done and I had a few hours to spare.

It wasn't the decor or treasures I had brought in from my hunts to fill the place that gave me the sense of comfort or peace, but rather it was the fact that this was the one place I could truly be alone. Free to forget about the dozens of idiots I had to watch during the evenings, free to finally drop the hardened facade of being the devil's chaos-driven second in command. For those few hours, I was able to be no one. The no one I truly was, the no name.

The solitude was the one thing in this life that I had, the one thing I could control. This was my space; I had set up a few pieces of furniture at the center of the large room for lounging and reading, a tall pile of books stacked neatly by the worn-out sofa. At the back corner of the room was a broken chest that I used to store the few clothing and personal items I had salvaged from my victims, a timeworn painting of flowers I had picked up in an alleyway hung crookedly on a rusty nail above my box of little treasures.

It had been nearly 5 am when I had been dismissed to dispose of Noah's body once the devil grew bored with playing his twisted games. I had stood in silent obedience for hours after lighting the ancient furnace built into the back wall of the basement, tending to the blazing warmth of the fire within as he took his sweet time tearing piece after piece from the boy's mangled body, chunking the limbs into the coals one after the other.

The sting of Noah's betrayal had still hung heavy on me afterwards, even as I strode through the narrow and damp corridor to the annex, the bitterness of being wrong mixed with the all too familiar emotions that came with sitting through yet another torture session. It had me less than eager to spend a moment longer in the company of my coven. I wanted my solitude, I craved it. Without it I didn't know how close I would become to snapping on someone, the need to release the pent-up rage was prickling at my skin. It wasn't an all too rare occurrence where I had ripped off a limb from a coven mate or two because they had been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

So, one would assume that the idiots would know better than to impose on such a volatile creature in their own den, right?

Apparently, there was one vampire who didn't seem to get the memo.

"I thought I told you last time, Diego," I growled over my shoulder from my place on the threadbare sofa, my eyes never leaving the page of the book I was currently reading. It was just past noon, and though the makeshift curtains I had made from discarded tarps kept most of the bright sunshine from coming in through the windows, there were still thick lines beneath them where light managed to enter the room, telling me that there was still a long while until I was supposed to go back to tending to the underlings. I could sense his body shift in the doorway to lean against the splintered frame behind me, the old floorboards beneath him creaking at the shift of weight, "that the next time you set foot in my lair your ass would be grass."

The familiar boyish chuckle tickled my ears, the almost taunting tone to it telling me all I needed to know. He never took my threats seriously. I scowled further, narrowing my eyes in a more forced effort to concentrate on the paragraph I was on as he moved from the doorway to plop down into the La-Z-Boy chair across from me.

"Oh, so you're calling it your lair now are you, Count Dracula?"

I spared the smallest of a moments glance at him, taking in the annoyingly large grin that seemed to be permanently plastered across his olive face. His faded red eyes wide in a mischievous way that set my scowl even deeper on my lips than before. He was always up to no good when he came here.

Every single member of our coven had faced my wrath at least once, most on more than one occasion as per their newborn nature. Each had deserved it in one way or another, whether it be from disobeying orders during training or out of causing chaos. But this kid hadn't. Yes, he was the biggest thorn in my side, always bugging me and getting under my skin. But it was never in a harmful way. I sensed that perhaps there was some commonality between the behavior and that of the way a younger sibling would pester their older sibling, but being I had no true experience with the feeling to relate the two it was only my best guess.

I dismissed the dig with a sharp flip of the page of my book, taking great care not to rip yet another page out from my pent-up frustration at the evening's events, a pile of twenty or so of the previous pages lying next to me in tattered shreds. He chuckled again at my response, or rather at the lack thereof. I rolled my eyes.

"So, I guess Noah must have really done a number on the downtown by the sound of how badly you teared into him down in the pit." He said, tone quieter now, low enough so that no one outside the small room could hear. Discussing words like those in the open were brazen enough to get one killed.

I slammed the book shut at that, growling as my patience had worn too thin to even fathom thinking on the matter. If I had to spend one more moment thinking about Noah, or the pit as the rest of the coven referred to the basement, I was going to go on a rampage. I met his gaze in warning, an unspoken understanding between the two of us that he knew to take the topic no further.

I evened my gaze as I calmed, watching him curiously, searching his face for signs of why he really came to visit. His visits were never without cause, his small talk was only for testing my mood. To see how best to bring up his visit's purpose. "Why are you here?"

After a moment of studying me in return, searching for something he knew he wouldn't find on my stoic face, the smile he so often wore didn't reappear as it usually would have. Something unsettling swelled in my chest, worry, before I pushed it down as soon as it came. Though his next words were nothing to settle me further. He adverted his eyes.

"I just left a meeting with Riley," he said, his tone low and gruff as he decided to bring up the subject slowly. Smartly.

I groaned internally, a million thoughts flooding my mind. Guesses of what he could have possibly discussed with our leader.

It was no secret that his second choice in a right-hand man after myself would be Diego; a smart, eager to please member of our coven who had been turned just short of two months after myself. He was fast and of average strength, the brute force he had once been able to overpower me with having quickly dulled after the first weeks of his change. But there was always a subconscious knowledge that if Riley so chooses to displace me, it would be with him. He began inviting Diego to his study more often about six weeks ago, letting him in on operations and knowledge that previously only myself had been told. Grooming him, getting ready for something much bigger than just being pent up in a factory on the outskirts of Seattle. He was planning something.

Something to do with me. I just didn't know what yet.

And as odd as it would sound, I wasn't as bothered by that as I probably should have been. My position was important, yes, but it didn't grant me immunity to the same punishments and treatments my siblings received. If anything, they were more severe and gruesome. And most of all it would be a foolish assumption to make that by being his second I was safe from extermination.

I was still a puppet. A tool, the perfect monster he had so carefully constructed out of my blank canvas of a mind. Diego knew that, and didn't seek my role as perhaps other members of our coven would if they were given the opportunities that Diego had been.

But that didn't mean he intended to refuse the offer if given it, either.

"And what did he say that I should be so concerned with?" I asked cooly, quirking a brow at him in peaked interest. He looked at me then, running a hand through his curly black hair, brushing back some of the fallen curls from his face. It was a very human action that he did a lot; he was one of the few who had a near perfect memory of his human life, his quirks and treats carrying into this dark one.

A stark difference between us.

"Well, I think you might want to find that out for yourself," he said, earning an apprehensive look from me. Once again, he was able to hold back any expressions from his face, a sober and serious look taking over the usually happy one in a way that he usually had a hard time doing. It was most concerning.

I shook my head in dismissal, going back to my book. I didn't have time for riddles and word games. If it was something he wanted to speak with me about, then it must be important and it would be a meeting to come in due time. I raised a brow, going back to the chapter I had left off at, my voice stiff with indifference as I spoke, "did he send you to fetch me, or did you come here for something else?"

He fell silent for a moment.

I sighed after a few minutes sitting in the silence, the irritated edge to it showing just how close my pent-up emotions were to coming through again. "If Riley didn't send for me, or he didn't ask you to relay an order, go back to the common room. I don't babysit before sunset"

He bristled at my biting tone, the sting of my words evident in his shocked expression. He was offended by how easily I brushed him off. My indifference was unsettling, surprise surprise.

I didn't bother looking up.

"Is that really how everything is with you?" He deadpanned after a long minute of no response, giving me a heated look. I raised my glance back up again, seething slightly at the audacity at how bluntly he spoke. He'd never spoken to me this way, no matter how harsh my order. He was riding a thin line, one that before this moment he had never came within a mile of.

"What do you mean?" I asked lowly, gritting my teeth. I didn't like his tone, the look he gave me was as if he could see right through me. As if he knew everything about me, all that I was. It made me glower with anger.

He scowled further, it was a terrible look on him. It didn't look right on his gentle features. I frowned, irritated by his uncharacteristic behavior, but he didn't budge. I bared my teeth, daring him to go on with the fight he was picking.

"I just don't see how you treat everyone and everything in your life like it means nothing. Nothing matters to you," he ranted, throwing out his hands in gesture to me. Something made him snap, I knew it. Whether it was to do with Riley's meeting or solely my piss poor attitude, I wasn't sure. But I sure as hell wasn't going to take his words kindly. I repositioned my body from my seat on the couch, moving to a half-crouched position, warning him of just how far he was pushing his luck.

"I come down here at least every other day, for what- nearly a year- spending hours trying to crack your shell, telling you all about my interests and life story," he sighed, shaking his head, a look of disappointed astonishment on his face, "yet you never budge. Ever. It's like a brick wall, nothing there. Is that really all this life is to you? You're not even willing to try living, only surviving? Killing for Riley and killing for survival?

"You know, I thought that just maybe you were just afraid. Afraid of Riley and what he could do to you, so you obliged to everything. But I don't think that's the case anymore, I think you're honestly just as heartless as he's made you to be. There's nothing going on inside, is there? You just shut it off, like its that easy huh."

He gestured to my face trying to convey emotions in his unwelcome speech, entering a territory I hated more than anything else on this earth. My venom was boiling, my mouth pooling with it as he struck a nerve I would not tolerate.

He pitied me.

I launched forward without another thought, having him pinned to the adjacent wall by his throat, teeth bare as I held him there, though I knew he probably expected this to happen. His face was free of any emotion that would invite challenge, knowing perfectly well he overstepped. Probably had done so intentionally. I wasn't sure what I looked like in that moment- my eyes ablaze in anger, a hideous scowl etched across my features, venom seeping through clinched teeth as I growled- but I know for a fact it sure as hell wasn't one of a pitiful, sappy damsel in need of saving.

"Let's get one thing straight, okay?" I hissed, voice so low it would have startled myself had I been in any other mood than the fury I was in now. He breathed out through his nose, a slow stream of air blowing against my pale arm, his eyes heavy lidded as he looked down to me with a calm expression, or at least as calm as a vampire could be with their every instinct screaming at them to fight.

"First of all, I don't know what kind of tragic backstory you think I'm harboring but this isn't fucking Candy Land, okay?" I spat, eyes never leaving his own as I wanted to make very sure he heard me, loud and clear, "Everything's not all gumdrops and rainbows, not in this world. Not for us. That little fairytale bullshit ended when you died. When you woke up as a vampire- a monster- a predator.

"Kill or be killed is our way of life. There's no room for "opening up about emotions and interests. You don't get such luxuries. Don't like it? That mentality will only get you killed- again! Wake up from whatever dreamland you live in and bask in the reality of our situation," I said, my voice going from its once frantic and fast tone to a more somber and bitter one, each word like poison in my mouth. I released my hand from his neck, backing up a step to look evenly at him, his face still unreadable. The air was thick, suffocating my burning and empty lungs.

"We do not get to make such decisions as when and if we want to fight or not, that's not how it works. If he says to fight, you do it. You ask no questions, you just obey and exceed his expectations in doing so. All it takes is one little move, one little thought out of line to end your life. You don't get to live freely, to live how you want. That's a human's dream. So arrogantly ignorant you are, Diego, to assume otherwise." I said, my arms crossed tightly as I maintained a stiff posture. The sudden flood of emotions was something I had rarely experienced, and speaking about such things, let alone so much at once was something I had never done. But I had to get it all out, to make him see just how crazy his implications were. He hadn't moved from his place on the wall, still leaning back upon it with his hands clinched by his sides. Maybe he wanted to protest, but I didn't let him.

"That's the problem with you lot-" It was my turn to gesture to him, in reference to the other newborns, " you think you're some kind of gods, chosen to wreak havoc upon the earth at your will. That you're invincible, and by being chosen by Riley to enter this life of undeserved power places you in some kind of higher power over human men. But you'd be very wrong.

"What god are you that you get to do and feel and think such things? This isn't a fairytale land where your status as being more than human gives you the go ahead to do and say what you want. This isn't your coven. And I'm sure as hell not taking orders and scolding words from you about how I have chosen to live my life," I laughed bitterly at him, shaking my head at the words in distaste.

"And second of all, I don't know what "shell of mine" you are referring to, but let me be perfectly clear when I say that you don't know me. And you never will. Because there is nothing to tell, this is my life. The one life I have ever lived and it is all I know. I'm not blind by what I do, I know I am a monster, but I am not dumb enough to even let myself believe for a single second that this fate is escapable or changeable. It's not."

I paced back and forth for a moment before planting myself firmly before him, gesturing to myself in fervor as I tried with all my might to get him to see. To see just how important it was that he understand the consequences at hand.

" This is my reality, it is your reality, Diego. No matter what I do, no matter how strong and powerful I am over the others, I am not irreplaceable. No one here is safe from their second death, all it takes is the careless action and beliefs that you hold on to so strongly to put you in a bad place of Riley's favor. Don't let that happen," I said, allowing what small sense of genuine concern seep through my voice. Let him be warned.

He had so much potential, so much to keep him alive. But he was an idiot by his own means, and it would cost him his head if he placed his nose somewhere it didn't belong.

"So, here's your look past that "wall" I have. Every fiber of my being, every thought filling my brain has been placed there by careful, rigorous design. I am not a person, that thing you lot so enjoy considering yourselves, because you happened to remember your human lives. It makes you weak. Don't be fooled by my allowing you to come here and pester me as an invitation to some kind of friendship. We don't have friends here, there's no such thing. There are only enemies, and those who have the potential to become enemies. That is all."

He stood silent for a while longer, face finally readable for once. An emotion I knew better than any plastered on his face. Disgust.

I propped myself against the back of the sofa, eyes glued to this vampire before me. Watching, assessing every move in a way I would do to a target. Because the reality here was that in the end, that was all he would be. And I to him, if he really knew better. He wasn't safe from the plans Riley had, nor was I. And both being so close to his command put us in a boat together that would eventually sink. It was designed intentionally with leaks and holes in the bottom.

"So," he started, voice deep and low and full of an emotion I didn't quite recognize. I didn't like it, but it was better than the pity it had held earlier. He looked me down then, eyes no longer holding the disgust as before but were softer, yet, like his voice, was unreadable to me. It made me feel weird, yet I allowed it. He took a step closer, and then another, slowly getting closer until a good three feet remained between us.

"You just accept that you're-" he swallowed loudly, hands out in front of him in a way to signify he was trying to grasp something. I watched in concealed interest, eyes darting between the strange face and hands. I could guess the rest of that sentence for him. I knew the word so well.

"You're a monster?"

I sat there for a bit, taking in that moment of strange emotions thick in the air and the purely disconcert tone of his voice that still rung in my ears. Like he couldn't believe, couldn't accept that for the true and simple answer that it was. I gave a wicked laugh.

"Better that than an arrogant god," I bit out, a strange sense of twisted mirth overtaking me. Reveling in the knowledge and acceptance of what I was.

He blinked at me in bewilderment.

I merely blinked back.

It would be a lie to say that I didn't know how long we had sat there in utter silence, as the weight of my words settled into the dust around us, leaving a sense of frustration within Diego. For me, it was a feeling I had long since accepted, a truth so painfully obvious to myself that I had swallowed it long ago.

But in reality, with our impeccable senses, I easily counted that we had sat there for 30 minutes and 43 seconds before Diego finally moved from his place standing over me. He inched his way towards the door almost in a defeated manner, and had I not known better I would have gloated at it. But I knew him well enough to know that he simply didn't want to stir my anger further, the poorly concealed eagerness to retaliate to my harsh words glimmered in his eyes all those moments we had sat in our silent stare down.

He paused in the doorway for the slightest of moments, not daring to look back and cause more conflict as he said, voice melancholic, "Riley asked for you to meet him tonight. Before taking tonight's group out to feed."

And with only a curt nod from me in response, he left.

I walked over to the recliner chair he had sat in earlier, taking that seat as my own before turning back to the book I had been reading before his disturbance.

As I tried to read the book, I found myself caught in the strangest phenomenon, barely managing to read the same two pages I had been looking at for the past hour, taking none of the words in. A foreign emotion had started to take hold in my chest, one that I didn't know whether to be afraid of or welcoming towards, but it had trapped my mind in replaying the unpleasant interaction I had with Diego.

I ran my words over and over again in my mind, analyzing everything I said. I had been truthful, my words dripped in the poisonous truth I had become so well known for sharing. Yet this feeling- this ache that was appearing- betrayed that part of me that wanted to be smug in putting him in his place. Why?

I didn't understand it. I tried convincing myself that I was being absurd, to feel bad for doing my job was ridiculous, yet I couldn't shake it no matter how hard I tried to distract myself. To rationalize that I was in the right, trying to get him to see. So that he would save himself.

Even as the bright rays of day from under the covered windows faded into the cloudy haze of dusk, the feeling never subsided.

So, I did what I was best at, and shoved the thoughts and the strange, powerful feeling to the side as I prepared myself for the impending meeting I had been summoned to.

My absurd emotions could wait, I had a job to do.

I raced through the connective corridors and up through the main basement, the smell of scorched coals and the sickening familiar tang of burnt venom still engulfing the space, before arriving on the main floor. I walked at a human pace to the stairs, the sharp click of my boots against the wood echoing through the large room as those around me stopped to stare.

I paid no mind, used to the looks of fear and unease I stirred in my siblings' eyes as they all took in the haunting, mangled pallor of my skin. It was a natural instinct to feel threatened by the marks permanently indented into our marble skin, a feature I used to my advantage and flaunted by exposing as much of my arms and neck as I could when around them all, my long and unruly hair in a tangled ponytail pulled high out of my face for that very purpose.

We all had scars of similar shapes and varieties, yet none stood close to the number I had begun to collect as I grew stronger and higher in my position in Riley's coven. If someone was going to get hurt dealing with rowdy newborns or put down a careless vampire that threatened our safety, it was going to be me in the crossfires.

I ascended the creaking stairs, eyes trained on each step ahead of me until I arrived at the top floor, where a single closed door stood at the end of the hallway. Riley's office.

Walking up to the door, I barely reached my hand out to take the knocker before his voice stopped me before I could touch it. The chilling calm that permanently laced his words sent a shiver up my spine.

"Come in, my dear."

I took my time opening the door, cracking it open to assess the room ahead of me before deeming it safe to enter. No surprises lurked inside to challenge me as there had been a few times before, tests he had put me through to "keep me on my toes."

But it was empty, save for Riley and me. He stood by the large window, the curtains now opened and pulled back to reveal the clouded night sky, the moon peeking out behind the murky clouds in the distance. He never looked away, staying in his place as he watched the streets below, an eerie calm washed over his face. I moved to the single chair in the room, save for his own larger and plush chair across the mahogany desk. It creaked at the shift in my weight as I sat in silence. Waiting on him to speak first.

He didn't bother to look back at me as he spoke a moment later, only shifting his stance, moving to cross his arms as he studied the bustling city beyond.

Plotting.

"I must say," he said lowly, stalling a moment longer by the window before finally turning to acknowledge me. I stiffened as his dark eyes came to rest on my face, analyzing every detail. He smirked before continuing, "after the events of last night, I'm quite surprised you handled the aftermath as well as you did." He gave a wicked cackle, amusement swimming in his beady eyes as he reminisced.

I nodded, averting my eyes to the floor, trying to take as much attention off of myself as possible. I did well at hiding my emotions, but that didn't mean I was flawless at it. I was still bitter about Noah, and the more I did to hide that fact the better.

"It was my pleasure, just another night's work completed, " I said, brushing off his comment, doing my best to sound apathetic. I glanced back at him, giving a slight smirk, "Noah was a weak link, his actions would have destroyed us had he been allowed to live longer. If anything, I am glad that he misstepped so that it could be dealt with now rather than later," I said, allowing the forced smirk to turn into a grin.

He grinned back, the tight-lipped smile he wore now spread wide like that of a Cheshire cat. He stepped closer, inching slowly to the front of his desk where I sat, before he was a mere few inches away. He leaned down to be level with my sitting form, his face even with mine as it lowered to invade my personal space.

"And just when I think you'll finally crack, you simply become more resilient," he purred darkly, raising his hand to brush at the fallen strands of long caramel hair from my face, forcing me to repress the strongest urge to recoil at his touch, "you never cease to amaze me at your strength and loyalty, my dear Persephone."

And there it was. That name, the one that I hated with all of my being, the mere whisper of it sent my venom boiling. The name that he had mockingly given me all those months ago, when I had just began training to be the soldier I was now.

A fitting name, he had deemed it, it was humorous to him that it fit my position so well as he saw himself as the figurative incarnate of Hades, as everyone saw him. And the other younglings agreed, that it was suiting to such an ironic correlation, as they had all taken to using that name every time they wished to speak of me. The mention of the Greek maiden filled their hushed whispers for weeks as they spoke of the horrors I carried out for Riley before, finally, it stuck.

He stood there leaning down a moment longer, a strange contemplative look on his face before he finally stood up again, turning to the other seat across the desk. He took out a rusty, old key that went with the piece of furniture before using it to open one of the desk drawers. While rummaging through it, he spoke more. Finally getting to business, I held back the sigh of relief I wanted to let out.

The sooner I was out of this space and out running my rounds, the better.

"It has been nearly a year since I created you, a year you have served my coven in diligence and with an iron fist," he said, finally finding the paper he sought, taking the crisp white page before folding it down into a square, placing it on the desktop. He rested his hand there for a moment as he studied me closely, far more serious than I had ever seen him before. The look sent a chill down my spine. "But I didn't create you just to clean up after the coven's messes, or to take out the rotten seeds when they disobey. No, I had greater things in mind for you."

I had wished too soon. Whatever he intended me to do next, I knew it would be bad. Far worse than anything I had done before. I sat there stunned, unable to think of what he could possibly be implying. I had an inkling, but I didn't dare let my mind go there.

"You've proven to me your loyalty and skill, something that will grant you success in your mission should you comply exactly as I have planned for you," his serious tone sent a bubble of terrible emotions swirling in my chest, emotions I had never felt but I knew they were linked to the fact that I was not liking a single word he had to say, and I didn't look forward to the words I knew he was going to say. Surely, he wasn't going to send me there. But I couldn't protest, not unless I wanted my head on a spear.

Somehow, through the strong and overwhelming emotions I managed a stiff nod, complying to what I knew would be my death. I knew this day would eventually come, but not so soon.

He smiled that ugly grin of his, eyes alight as he surely sensed the emotions rolling off me in waves, he delighted in the fact that I knew I was trapped. That I was going to do whatever he said no matter what, it made the emotions swell even more, yet this time mixed with a hint of an emotion I knew better than the rest. Hate.

"You know our coven's purpose, Persephone. Your siblings wish to make me out to be the worst devil in existence, but there's no denying the fact that I am far from the evils of those who wish to see us destroyed," he said, his rough voice taking an even darker tone. The air suddenly became thick with the tension and severity of the situation. I realized then what the sharp pain of emotion I felt was- fear.

I knew- we all knew- that there were even bigger monsters than ourselves out there. We were all told the stories, some assumed it to be a false tale created by Riley to scare us into submission. But we knew those monsters were real. I had to hear Riley talk about them time and time again as he ranted about the lands that were rightfully ours, and how the yellow eyes took it from us. How they killed and tortured the entire coven save for the lone survivor, Riley.

The Cullens, that is what he said they called themselves.

He escaped them, turning to the slums of Seattle to hide. He began to reform his lost coven, gaining strength in numbers against the threat that was ever looming over him. He said they would return, never satisfied until they wiped any remnants of his coven from the earth. That's why my siblings- why I- were created. We stood a fighting chance in numbers. At least, that's what Riley believed.

But he did a good job of striking a sense of doubt in me that we could win- not against the supposed, terrifying abilities of the yellow eyed vampires. Something that our coven didn't possess.

The sound of the folded paper being slid across the desk pulled me from my dark thoughts, and as the paper came to a stop before me, Riley's hand retreating back to his lap, I could manage to do nothing but stare at it. I didn't want to see what was inside.

I glanced up to Riley, his expression lost on me as it was a mix of many emotions, muddled together in a way that left me unsure if even he was weary of this mission too. But at his nod of encouragement I took the paper, slowly opening it with caution, as if something from the page would jump out at me.

A map printed from the internet, directions to the highlighted destination listed below it.

Forks, Washington.

I glanced at him, the confusion in my eyes apparent as he explained further.

"It's time we take our first steps toward gaining the upper hand in this fight," he said, the odd expression now gone from his pale face and replaced by one lit with a smile and eager eyes, "The Cullens have had their reign of terror for long enough, and with their belief that my coven has disappeared for good, thinking that I will live my eternity cowering in fear, gives us the chance to take the offense in this. Take a charge at them when they're least expecting it.

"However, before we can take a chance at a full-on confrontation, we need to scout the place. That will be your mission. Taking in the perimeter of their territory, analyzing their strong and weak points. You will report back to me in two days' time with the information, providing any insight to any advantages we can take when we do decide to attack.

"You will leave upon the hour, only stopping to feed in Port Angeles, if you're going to make it on good time. Take care to hunt before entering their territory- they will know instantly if you decide to, so stopping at the Port will prevent that. Stick to the town's main streets if they discover you, they wouldn't attack there if you get into trouble. But I know that won't be a problem for you, my dear. There's a reason you've made it this far. I trust no one else on such an important task."

I sat there, stunned. At a loss for finding the right thing to say- if there was anything- the fear too strong at the revelation of what I was about to do. But somehow though the fog I managed to nod, forcing a small smile to plaster itself across my face. This was going to be a breeze... right?

In my gut, I knew that it wasn't. It definitely wasn't. But I had no choice in the matter. I never had a choice before, not in the last year of this existence. I wasn't going to be granted one now.

I was going to die, one way or another. I knew that, it was always a fact for me. I would die if I did this for him, the yellow eyed monsters delivering what I knew would be a horrible death, I knew that for certain. But I would also die if I tried to refuse his command.

So, I did what I knew was my only true option in this situation. I stood, folding the now memorized map and placing it in my back pocket before leaning over the desk, staring my creator in the eye. I managed to keep the poison grin plastered on my face for a moment longer.

"Your wish is my command."

It was rare for the couple to stop in such small cities as Port Angeles for long, the risk of discovery too great for their liking, but sometimes the feeding opportunities were just too great to pass up. They had planned on only stopping for an hour of feeding along the city harbor's docks, the space crowded with empty boats providing the most ideal places to hide a body, and they had stuck to the decided schedule thus far. The hour coming to a close in less than a minute, the pair were well on their way to the city outskirts.

Until the male came to a skidding halt, that is.

The woman, who had been holding his larger, scared hand tightly, was pulled back suddenly at his abruptness. She looked to him in confusion before seeing the look in his eye. She knew that look well.

"What is it, honey?" She asked, her tone full of more curiosity than concern. His "gift" was known to be more of a hunch about random, obscure facts rather than being of factual and important meaning. Usually.

But the look on his face made her concern grow for once, furthering as he remained silent for a moment longer. She could practically see the gears turning in his head.

"I don't think we should leave town just yet," he said, his usually blithe tone turning into a more troubled, confused grumble that she hadn't heard in decades. A moment later he regained his composure, eyes now clear taking in the worry in his mate's wide doe eyes. He clasped her petite hand in his tighter, bringing it to rest under his chin as he pecked it lightly.

"Don't worry, sugar. It's nothing dramatic. I just have a feeling that a new friend of ours will be needing our help."