Author's Note: Okay, guys, whoever's still with me, I am SOOOO incredibly sorry for waiting this long. School and everything caught up with me, and I hope I still have anyone to read this. :P Also, hope you enjoy! I've been editing this chapter for quite a while; there's still some parts I'm not happy about, but oh well! It needs to be released. xD

Chapter 3

Days passed in their little home, and Sasha tried her utmost to avoid the other coven, because seeing that bronze-haired vampire reminded her so much of her old life — and she could not afford to hope anymore. He did look extraordinarily like Edward Masen, but what were the odds?

Her demon had other ideas. It had always seemed to be sure that Edward was meant to cross her path again (whether as a friend or a foe), and that this man was indeed him. Day and night she was plagued with its incessant voice in the recesses of her cluttered mind. Eventually, as was the case in most situations, she would give in and approach the man. Not only to silence the voice, but also to appease the curious optimism that still hadn't left her entirely.

Today. No.

Tomorrow? Maybe.

Tomorrow had come, but when she left the house, having told Elena she was going hunting, the strange coven was nowhere to be found. It seemed they had disappeared without even a footprint left behind.

"Well, we have this place to ourselves again, El," Sasha declared as she slipped back in through the door.

Her friend gave her an odd look. "The freaky golden-eyed ones left?"

Sasha nodded, a slight chuckle escaping at Elena's chosen description. "Yes, and they're not freaks. They're just... different. Although I suppose that's code for 'freak' in most circles, isn't it?" she added dryly, arching a thin brow.

The girls had finally discovered what caused the strange eye coloration - that particular coven subsisted entirely on the blood of animals. Sasha had at some points in her life considered that lifestyle, but the call of human blood was too great. She did suppose, however, that once one adjusted to such a lifestyle, it would be much easier to live among mortals. In fact, these vampires could very well blend in to any place in society, obtain any job...

Her musing was interrupted by a memory, one of the latest she could recall from her human life. A rush of autumn wind, the chiming of bells above a hospital door, and a man's face: beautiful and pale, with jewel-bright eyes that were the most unique color - gold.

"Dr. Carlisle Cullen," she gasped.

(Elena, of course, was now mildly confused, due to the quite common occurrence of an important conversation occurring within her friend's head.)

"El, I'll bet you anything one of those vampires was Carlisle. I've told you about him, right? He took care of my mother and father before they died... and Edward," she finished breathlessly. "So now it has to be... I mean, it's incredible, but that man..."

"...was your crush from your past life, I see," Elena finished playfully.

Sasha grimaced at the brunette. "He wasn't just a crush... I thought I loved him. I never told him I did... but even if he didn't feel the same, it'd still be nice to see an old friend again." Lies. You never fell out of love with him; you'd be devastated if he didn't return that.

Elena looked at her friend for a moment before clapping her hands together with a sense of finality and standing up from the couch. "Well then, you know what we have to do."

Sasha tilted her head. "What?" she replied, playing along even though she knew vaguely where Elena was heading.

"We're gonna go after this guy! Edward... Masen, isn't it? If you let him get away, you'll never know what might have happened. Regret and all that. Sappy stuff. I'm your friend! I have to save you from that," she continued with a grin.

The black-haired girl frowned thoughtfully. "But they could be anywhere!"

At that, Elena actually laughed. "We're vampires! Tracking, duh!"

Sasha's lily-white face lit up with a smile. "Ah, what the hell. What do we have to lose?"

2005

Reconnaissance Day Seven

"Sasha."

"Shh."

"SASHA."

"Oh my God. What?"

"There's a spider in the tree!"

"So?"

"So, I hate spiders! Come kill it."

"Really? Can't you kill it yourself? Use your shoe, for goodness' sake."

"Ughh, fine."

A loud thump was heard high in the tree next to Sasha's, and a whispered "Yes!" Sasha rolled her eyes at her friend, returning her gaze to the clearing with a slight giggle. At least none of the humans can hear her...

After nearly a month of following the trail Carlisle's coven had left, Sasha and Elena came across a beautiful house in an extremely rainy little town called Forks, Washington. Sasha loved the rain, and Elena was indifferent, but either way, the constant cloudiness enabled the girls to stay hidden. After a few days spent watching from the nearby forest - a task Sasha had frowned upon initially, but eventually agreed to it - the pair had discovered much about the strange coven. They all took the surname Cullen, and the beautiful bronze-haired man was indeed named Edward. Carlisle, the patriarch, had found a mate in Esme, and the other four vampires - Rosalie and Emmett, Alice and Jasper - were together as well, creating a sort of family. Strangely, Edward was the sole member of the group without a mate.

The Cullens, sans Carlisle and Esme, were to attend the local high school in two months' time. Upon learning this, Elena had begged Sasha to sign up as well, claiming that it would "change the pace" to go to a normal, human high school. The younger vampire, however, was quick to remind her that a significant number of students would likely go "missing"; when that, unsurprisingly, didn't deter the stubborn Spanish girl, Sasha pointed out that new students were always a novelty in small towns, and that they would be far from unnoticed. Elena grudgingly conceded.

During the course of what Elena liked to call their "recon mission", Sasha had gotten the feeling that the Cullens knew they were being watched. Although the girls' vantage points were far from the house, both Edward and Jasper had glanced back in their direction once or twice, as if they could sense their presence. However, if they could, they didn't acknowledge it, and no confrontation had taken place.

One thing the Volturi had taught her was to keep a sort of mental wall up at all times. The nature of Aro's talent gave them reason to believe that others might possess something similar, so a mental defense system was drilled into every newborn's head. However, this did not deter the voice in Sasha's head, which was once again trying to turn her against herself. Almost constantly she was plagued with doubt, in the form of the demon's harsh tone.

Why waste your time trying to learn more about him? He won't like you, and he certainly won't ever love you. You're different from him. You kill people. He goes off in the forest and attacks some deer... you're a murderer, and his family is the Forks Pest Control.

She replied silently and calmly at first, but grew more fierce as the voice persisted, and soon her retorts were uttered aloud. Today, she had resolved, she was going to tell Elena.

Sasha was jolted out of her reverie by a rustle of leaves and a flash of white on the ground below. Whoever the intruder was, she thought with a slight frown, he or she was making no effort to conceal their presence. She motioned to Elena, silently indicating what she had seen, and her friend's eyes narrowed as she kept them trained on the forest floor. Minutes passed, perhaps half an hour's time, and the white blur passed again. This time, Sasha could make out human-like features with a shock of bronze hair.

Edward.

Abandoning any sense of stealth, she dropped down from her perch, landing somewhat like a cat. Edward, who had stopped at the edge of the forest, turned suddenly.

"Nomad," he said in a low voice - not unfriendly, but guarded. "You have no business being here. This is a protected area."

She tilted her head, a half-smile gracing her features. "We're just passing through... and I assure you, our intentions are honorable." He met her eyes for a fraction of a second, and his brow creased. "What are you? You don't seem human, but..." He gestured to her eyes, which were masked by the contacts she was so fond of.

She laughed slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's necessary to blend in... humans don't take well to me, you see."

As she spoke, she gently removed the ice-blue lenses, exposing crimson irises.

He flinched slightly - a human would not have noticed the movement - and nodded. "I do. However, as I said, this area is protected by a treaty. No humans are to be harmed here, so you had better move along."

Sasha inclined her head in consent. "Very well. Elena!" she called, staring up at an apparently empty oak tree. "It's time to go."

Elena jumped down, landing in a small pile of leaves, yet somehow not making a sound. "Oh, what a pity. This place sounds like fun!" she said, mock sadness infiltrating her words. "No killing humans? My goodness, you must get a lot of tourists!"

"Now, Elena, don't be rude. It takes all types, right? We've intruded long enough... Take care, Edward Masen."

Her last word was spoken through gritted teeth, although the tone was as pleasant and polite as everything else. He hadn't recognized her. What was worse, she'd exposed their cover for nothing. And I told you, didn't I? Worthless. You are worthless.

Sasha heard a small gasp behind her. "How... how do you know my name?" Edward demanded, and she thought she could detect a note of panic.

"I know your name, and you know mine. Think, Edward. I don't look that different," she replied briskly, keeping any emotion out of her voice.

She could almost picture the cogs working in his mind, and a moment passed before recognition lit up his amber eyes. "Alessandra," he breathed. "Sasha."

She smiled brightly, nodding, and closed the space between them with a brief hug. Not too long now, don't linger. He's only just recalled who you are. "Ah, Edward. It has been so long... I thought you would not make it!"

He returned the embrace, then held her at arm's length, chuckling slightly. "Well, I did... but how did you?"

She waved a pale hand in the air. "Now is not the time for details. I just... I can't believe I found you! Oh, now that's an interesting story."

He laughed again, warmer, fuller this time. "Interesting? By your standards? Now I'm very curious."

She giggled in response, and they were in that hospital room again, exchanging banter for what had seemed like the last time. The lights behind their eyes were blinding.

She shook her head, sending her coal-colored waves bouncing, and grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I'm forgetting something. Before we get into stories, I'd like to introduce my good friend and mentor, Elena Suarez." She gestured to the tiny brunette, who swept forward with a bright smile. "Edward Cullen. At last we meet properly. I am sorry about earlier... you caught us off guard." In her tone and mannerisms, one could still detect a bit of the young Spanish girl who had grown up in a different, more sophisticated time.

He nodded, offering a friendly hand, which she shook. "It's nothing. I realize our lifestyle isn't for everyone." Sasha's eyes flickered and her smile dimmed, but both changes in her expression were barely noticeable. "Believe me, I hold nothing but admiration for your choice, Edward, dear."

He gestured to the large white house in the clearing behind him. "Why don't you ladies come inside? I'm sure my family would be delighted to meet you. Or do you have somewhere to be?"

Both girls shrugged, and Elena turned to Sasha with a questioning look. "There aren't any..."

Edward suddenly burst out laughing. "Humans? No, we don't cohabitate."

Elena gave him a blank look. "How did you...?"

"He's a mind reader!" Sasha exclaimed. Was that why he had known they were there? Although she'd kept it up so far, she reminded herself that, now more than ever, there was a need for her mental shield. Revealing too much of herself was a bad thing... wasn't it? She was terrified he would discover what she had become on the inside.

"Guilty," he replied, smiling a crooked smile that, if Sasha had been human, would have made her swoon visibly. She was remembering more and more, with each minute, why she had fallen.

He followed with a curious tilt of the head. "Do you have a talent as well? Either of you?"

Sasha arched a brow, holding out a small, fragile-looking hand with a thoughtful frown. "Mine is difficult to explain, but... if I showed you, you would likely be... unconscious. Or dead," she added with a wry chuckle. "I manipulate plant toxins, both fatal and near-fatal... as far as I know, it can affect vampires, but I'm still getting a handle on it."

Elena sighed. "Mine's a bit showy... I rarely use it. Would you like me to demonstrate?"

Edward inclined his head. "Of course."

She chuckled once, her eyelids fluttering closed over fake chocolate irises, and disappeared.

"Did she..." Edward began, but Sasha silenced him with a Wait!, spoken in her head - she could utilize his power as long as she controlled the flow of thoughts carefully. Look down, and listen.

He detected feather-light footsteps as he watched the leaves jostle around on the forest floor. A human would hear nothing, and only see the disturbance if they were paying careful attention. "She's invisible... interesting," he muttered vaguely.

A light tap on his shoulder gave away her position, and he turned. "Very nice, Elena. I understand your ... but would that not be useful in hunting?"

She shook her head thoughtfully. "I give humans a warning... give them a chance to run away. Let them hope..." As she continued to speak, her eyes grew more and more distant, and Sasha cleared her throat. "Edward... are you sure it wouldn't be any trouble for us to visit?"

"Not at all," he insisted, sweeping his hand forward in a welcoming gesture that seemed far too antique for the occasion. Sasha thought so, at any rate, for she gave him the smallest of frowns, muttering, "Crazy old man," as she passed, arm in arm with Elena. He, however, heard the smile in her voice, and followed her to the house, laughing.

Edward

I sat across from her, listening intently, as she told her story. It was entirely new to me, not just to my family, for she was doing an excellent job of blocking me out. They, of course, found everything she said fascinating, as I knew they would, and despite her voiced worries that they'd think her monstrous. Not even simply the content of her speech held me, but also the sound of her voice... silvery, high, musical - it kept me on edge, and drew me in at once. It was an entirely strange, but, were I being honest with myself, not completely new, occurrence. The memories had flooded in when my mind finally made the connection, and they continued to sharpen. Sasha, I now recalled, was astoundingly lovely even as a human, although then it was less defined, less perfect. Perhaps I even missed that imperfection, for flawlessness had been the norm in our family since its inception. Sasha Romano, the little Italian girl who barely spoke English when she arrived, and charmed everyone just the same... she was one of those rare people whose smile would draw attention from all in the vicinity. There was this pure, bright energy within her, about her, around her, and it infiltrated every word, action, and expression she carried out. Even her scent... well, now it was stronger, of course, and exponentially more alluring. I detected something like pineapples, black cherries, and a hint of something dark and floral - perhaps violets. Sugary, dizzying, fabulous.

I realized, of course, that such prose was far too dramatic to describe anyone, the bare truth of it notwithstanding. I supposed such stylistic thoughts were the result of the sheer amount of time I'd had to read. So I resolved to sit in silence, and interjected nothing. I didn't trust myself to speak. My family gave her many opportunities to elaborate, but I merely listened, albeit rapturously.

I caught her eye once, and I heard a worried thought, inescapably directed at me.

Why aren't you talking? Is something wrong?

Oh... she'd noticed. She thought... well, never mind. I'd explain later. To reassure her for the moment, I shook my head minutely and watched her breathtaking, ever-so-slightly scarred face become smooth once more, not marred by worry. I noticed, too, the restored absence of thought - she was quite careful around me.

Having an extraordinary capacity for focusing on several things at once, I was able to divert part of my attention towards reflection.

Change... so much had changed. We grew up together, in a more beautiful, exciting, reckless time. The turn of the century... a time of new technology, new fashion, and seemingly very little problems, yet with old-world manners and ideals (which, little did we know at the time, would soon change as well). I had always tried to retain a little of my upbringing, of the polite and reserved behavior I was expected to exhibit. Now that I looked back, albeit through a lens blurred by time, I could plainly see that Sasha was one of the few who ever broke me out of my self-imposed shell. And such vibrancy, dimmed by years of moratoria, could never fully be mine again. I knew it with crushing certainty. We had been young, carefree human beings, drunk on change (and, what neither of us would admit, love), and I was not the brooding, dark individual I considered myself now.

I wondered so fiercely what time had done to her, for during her story, both outside and within her mind, all emotions were absent. She, at the very least, was a flawless liar, because I had no idea what lay beneath the surface.

"So I finally left them, and ever since, we've kind of... wandered. There are lots of places people don't look... humans don't really pay attention, have you noticed that?"

A smirk and a nod from Rosalie, at which I rolled my eyes. Rosalie hated humans for their ignorance - I wondered what she and Sasha would talk about alone, given the chance.

"But the Volturi?" Esme interjected softly. "They didn't give you any trouble when you asked to leave?"

Sasha shook her head firmly, although from her mind I caught, for a millisecond, a picture of a small blonde girl with vicious-looking red eyes, along with a low, hissing, unfamiliar voice. Jane wasn't kind to us about the whole thing, now was she, Sasha?

There was something beyond her control inside her head... something that, perhaps, had manifested itself since the change. My family, we all had our demons, whether or not we wished to talk about them. That alone was reason enough for me to attempt to stay out of their heads, a privacy they greatly appreciated. Sasha's mind, on the other hand, was a new mystery... and it was fractured. I could almost visualize the clumsily drawn line - on either side existed completely different personalities. Sasha, her caution ripped to shreds with insecurity, and this alien inside her head, the one I assumed responsible for weakening her inner defenses.

Once again, I scolded myself on my earlier thoughts. I had lived for decades without giving her a second thought, aside from a few instances near the beginning. What right, now, after all this time, had I to marvel at her looks, her enticing scent, her charm? Even to attempt to delve into her mind, which was so open now, so clear, so broken... no, this was not right.

I sat up straighter, my mouth brought together in a harder line. I hardly heard her response to Esme's question, too absorbed in my own musings.

"Aro did want me as part of his 'collection', so to speak, but it was a choice he allowed me to make. I can only hope he was as kind to the others."

"Others?" Jasper inquired, his eyes pained, but from the sympathetic, if guarded, tone of voice, I gathered that, of my family members, he had bonded the most with her in this short time. He was newest to the struggle, and privy to the war she fought with herself - and perhaps another entity - every day. I knew the nature of her diet was through no real choice of her own, nor had it been my brother's. Absent was any sort of guide from her life; Elena was hardened from far too many years of cold-blooded killing, and I sensed just a little of Maria in her. So, while she had been a great friend and resource, she likely wouldn't have supported a change to vegetarianism.

That struck a chord in my mind, and I suddenly thought of a flaw in my half-formed plan to ask her... beg her... to stay. She wasn't like us, and perhaps would never want to be. How would my family ever truly accept her - or Elena - if their habits were so fundamentally different?

A sudden gasp from Alice brought me reeling back from my own doubts. She, too, had been silent, but only, I knew, to get a reading on how Sasha and Elena would affect our family, if at all.

"You're staying," Alice said softly, with a wide smile. Sasha tilted her head, and had she been human, she would have blinked in surprise. "Are we? I didn't... what makes you say this?"

I was fascinated by the familiar, if barely detectable, mannerisms she retained, and the slight Italian accent, borne of her mother, that sometimes seeped into her words. There were times when immortals slipped into their old habits, although humans couldn't pick us out from a crowd of living, breathing America teenagers unless they were going on our extraordinary beauty.

I wondered if Sasha would deduce Alice's clairvoyance as quickly as she'd figured out my talent. However, Alice was perfectly happy to explain herself to this girl, this ghost of my past who, Alice was sure, would become a wonderful part of our family.

"I can see the future," my sister grinned, nonchalant as always. "The three of us are going to be wonderful friends."

Sasha smiled warmly. "Then, I look forward to it." She glanced at her friend, whose face had fallen. Elena was entirely unsure, I noticed, about cohabiting with vegetarian vampires, nearly as much as she'd been earlier, with humans. Carlisle exchanged a look with his youngest daughter before speaking. "Sasha, Elena, we would love to have you here. Any friend of Edward's is welcome."

She turned to Elena, her tone placating, as if she'd already said no. "Wouldn't it be nice to stay here for just a little while? The Cullens have graciously invited us, and we aren't otherwise engaged."

Elena shrugged. "As long as they're alright with it. I'm sick of standing in the rain every night, anyway," she added with a grin. She wouldn't express her doubts in front of my family - she was raised far too polite for that.

Speaking of politeness, or lack thereof, I heard Emmett's thoughts in response to Elena's last comment - something along the lines of a wet t-shirt contest - and threw him a reproachful glare. He laughed at me inside his head. Couldn't help it.

Esme turned to me. "Would you show Sasha and Elena to the guest room? I'm sure they'd like to get settled in, and then they can join us for game night."

I chuckled. "Trying to scare them away so soon, Mom?" Regardless, I rose from the chair and led them upstairs. There were two guest rooms; one was next to mine, and the other lay down the hall, across from Carlisle and Esme's. Although they were seldom occupied - only when Carlisle would, infrequently, have old friends over - and it was almost silly to call them "guest" rooms, they were fully furnished. Sasha chose the room closest to mine, commenting on its intriguing design, while Elena crossed to the other. Sasha met my eyes for a moment, a half-smile curving her lips, and then disappeared into her room, calling, "See you in a bit."

So... we meet again.