Twilight is not mine



Edward saw Jasper run out of the guesthouse, his thoughts a tangled mess vibrating with… lust? What in the world happened in there? Jasper's eyes were wild and glazed over when Edward grasped his shoulders and gave him a firm shake.

"Jasper? What happened?" Suddenly, in his mind, he experienced what the girl had been feeling clearly in Jasper's head. He gasped at the force of the emotion radiating from her and fought against the effect it had on him.

"What… was… that?" he whispered.

"I don't know!" Jasper replied desperately. "I have to get out of here, I can't stand it any longer!" He wrenched out of Edward's grasp and ran.

Edward turned to watch his brother disappear into the forest towards the main house. Tentatively, he cast his mind out, ready to pull back at the first sense that she hadn't quite finished with her reverie. He waited for the sexually charged onslaught, but nothing came. No, that wasn't right; he did hear something, but it wasn't the coherent thought he was expecting. It was more like a sensory output, as if her thoughts were reflected in color instead of words. Right now, the brightest yellow flashed in his mind in peaks and valleys.

Frowning, Edward stepped closer to the small stone cottage and opened up his mind further. The brightness of the color intensified and swirled in his brain. Happiness? Yes, the tenor of her mind was clearly audible, but the thoughts behind them were not.

He walked briskly to the door and entered the guesthouse. The girl glanced up at him and the color rapidly changed, the yellow bleeding into a cloying red that seemed to swirl sensuously against him. Edward stopped where he stood, regarding the girl curiously. He concentrated harder on her thoughts, trying to decipher their meaning, but nothing came.

Suddenly, the red leached away to a crystal clear white, and he realized that she had cleared her mind. This was disturbing, to say the least. His family was expecting him to help figure out what the girl was thinking and feeling, and he would have no information for them. This, coupled with Alice's lack of vision and the overload of Jasper's empath ability meant--he realized sickeningly-- they had no way to know what this girl was all about or if she was a danger to them.

Edward was thankful they were inviting the Denali to come and help with the girl in more ways than one. First, he hoped that they would take her into the wilderness with them, so Bella would be welcome back to the house. Second, they would need Eleazar to meet with her and let them know what her latent powers were. Obviously, the girl had some type of gift.

Eleazar had worked with the Volturi. Just by being in the presence of a vampire, he could tell if they had any powers. This came in handy, especially if the Volturi needed to acquire someone with a special gift. When Eleazar met Carmen, he left that life behind him and joined Tanya and her sisters in Denali to live out a more peaceful existence.

All this passed through his mind in a second; he arranged his features in a semblance of friendliness and greeted her.

"Hello, Bree," he said softly so as not to startle her. Her mind pulsed red when he spoke before becoming a blank again. "My name is Edward."

Bree felt a moment of desire at the sound of his voice. It was quiet but resonated deeply, a simply luscious sound. She drank him in--his disheveled hair, his smoldering golden eyes, the perfect curve of his lips, almost feminine in their lushness. He had high cheekbones, a broad clear forehead, and a square chin. His shirt and pants clung to his frame, long and lean, yet hinting at the promise of muscular definition. She shuddered briefly as arousal flooded her senses.

"Hello, Edward," she said, matching his tone.

"I know this must all be confusing for you. Is there anything you need that will help you feel more at home?" Edward asked her solicitously.

"Well…" she said hesitantly, "I'm getting awfully thirsty. I was wondering what the plan is, you know, to hunt?"

"Oh, right, of course you would be. Why don't we go back to the house so I can let Carlisle know and see if anyone else wants to join us."

Thirst; of course she would be thirsty, thought Edward. As a newborn, she would need blood much more frequently than they did. That would probably explain the pulses of red he felt directed at him occasionally. Red meant hunger? It was plausible.

Edward made a gesture for her to follow him, and she rose to her feet in a fluid motion. He appraised the girl for a moment. She was slight of stature and slim flanked. Her hair came to just under her chin and framed a delicate face with large eyes and full lips, both crimson-colored. Her small, high breasts poked out underneath her shirt as she pulled her shoulders back and thrust her chest out. Edward averted his eyes quickly, but if he had the ability to flush, his cheeks would have flamed.

A flash of scarlet pulsed at him yet again and reminded him that she must be thirsty, so he turned for the door. Bree followed him quietly as he ran towards the big house, her desire for him kept escaping her control and she could feel it break through her carefully crafted wall against the mind-reader. She would have to work on that.

They walked into the house, and Bree looked around her. She had no idea vampires could live this way. The subtle opulence of the house was reflected from every surface. After Bree was turned, they had spent the majority of their time wandering around aimlessly. Sometimes they stayed in the houses of their victims for a few days at a time until someone decided to come and see why their phone calls were not being answered, and the police flooded the place. The idea of having a home struck her to the core.

Edward felt her thoughts shift and green clouded his mind briefly. He looked at the girl, watching her surreptitiously as he explainined to his family why they came. Carlisle's thoughts called to him.

Edward, have you found out anything about our guest?

He shook his head slightly, still watching the girl. Carlisle frowned deeply.

Is she blocking you as well?

Edward lifted one shoulder faintly, indicating he wasn't quite sure, while arranging for Emmett and Rosalie to accompany them on the girl's first vegetarian hunting trip. They left shortly after.

Carlisle watched as they ran towards the river and into the forest. He flipped open his cell and punched a number in quickly.

"Tanya? It's Carlisle…"

~*~*~*~*~

The next day, Bree sat on one of the couches staring out the glass wall towards the forest. She was mulling over her first animal hunt. She had hated it. Animals tasted disgusting as food in comparison to human blood. It barely even slaked her thirst. Bree wasn't sure how she would ever get accustomed to it.

The doorbell rang, and Bree looked up to see five vampires saunter into the house. There were four females and one male, each more beautiful than the next. Carlisle was at the door welcoming all of them. If she understood correctly, she may be leaving with them when they returned back to the Alaskan wilderness. She glanced over at Edward, and her resolve hardened. They wouldn't take her if she could help it.

"Bree?" Carlisle called to her. She stood up to meet with the Denali vampires.

After the introductions, he asked her quietly if she would mind showing Eleazar and Carmen to the guesthouse so they could speak with the sisters alone. Bree knew that there had been some bad blood between them in regards to the werewolves and wasn't suspicious about the request. She left with the two vampires.

What Bree didn't know was that Carlisle had explained everything to Tanya and had asked if perhaps Eleazar could come and see what latent gifts the girl had as a show of good faith between the two families. They had agreed in order to mend the rift.

Carmen and Eleazar sat with Bree and talked with her, keeping her distracted. After a while, she became bored and excused herself to one of the bedrooms for a book. Not realizing the young girl was coming back, they began to talk amongst themselves.

"So, mi amor? Does she possess any talents?" Carmen asked in a sotto voce.

Bree pressed herself against the hallway wall and prayed she had been quiet enough that they hadn't noticed her return. Talents? It had never really occurred to her that perhaps she was gifted like some of the Cullens; certainly nothing such as their powers, for she would have noticed right away had that been the case. She listened intently wondering how Eleazar would know.

"Carlisle was right to call us; the girl is very talented, as a matter of fact," he said quietly. "He was also very smart not to tell her that I can sense latent powers in vampires, as she is quite adept at blocking other vampire powers."

"Ah, so that is why Alice and Edward can't seem to get a good read on her."

"Yes, she has been prepared, by the looks of it. Not only that, but she is a Siphon." Carmen drew in a sharp breath.

Siphon? Bree thought. What does that mean? As if in answer to her question, Eleazar started to speak again.

"She can extract emotions, so if someone is sad or upset she would be able to draw it straight out of them."

Both of them stayed silent a moment, contemplating what had been said. Bree's mind was in turmoil. A siphon! Who knew such a thing even existed? She doubted she would have even realized she had this gift at all, but now it gave her an idea.

The two vampires began another conversation. While they were engrossed with each other, she silently let herself out of the cottage and snuck back to the house. She came from the side so no one would see her and sat underneath one of the living room windows. She could dimly hear the Cullens and Denali sisters speaking inside.

Bree wasn't quite sure what she was doing. She cleared her mind and reached out to everyone in the room. Sure enough, she started to feel the emotional climate of the room, and she concentrated harder. She was able to pick out the various vampires and started to focus on the sisters.

One in particular caught her attention. Her emotional climate was mostly angry but held in check by the love she felt for the Cullens. The love was growing by increments as Carlisle tried his best to make peace. Bree could see the emotions swirl around the woman, black held by a thin ribbon of the palest pink.

Now what? Bree thought to herself grimly. How do I take it? She closed her eyes and focused completely on Irina. Bree drew in a breath and saw the ribbon shift towards her slightly, as if wafting in a breeze. Her eyes snapped open, and she felt a thrill shoot through her body. She closed her eyes again, bringing Irina back into focus and drew another breath. This one was deeper than the last, and the ribbon started to unravel.

Bree started to become giddy and sucked the air into her lungs deeper yet. The pink ribbon that had been holding Irina's anger in check floated away entirely. She was now completely surrounded by the blackness, and Bree listened breathlessly as the vampire lost her patience and snapped.

Bree ran back to the cottage as fast as she could. Her nimble feet carried her through the forest without a sound. She made it back into the cottage and onto the bed with a book before she heard the door to the guesthouse fly open. She heard Irina's irate voice and smiled to herself.

"That's it! We're leaving. Now. Eleazar, Carmen, let's go!" Bree heard the two vampires starting to question Irina as she walked into the living area. She put on her best scared child impression.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Bree asked innocently.

Irina turned on her angrily. "None of your damned business!"

"Irina, please!" She heard Carlisle begging her, "Don't do this."

"Carlisle, the time for talking is over!" she seethed. "Either you let me take revenge on the wolves, or we leave here, now."

Carlisle shook his head mutely, trying to figure out how everything went so wrong so fast. It seemed just a moment ago that Irina had forgiven them for not allowing retaliation, and then, all of the sudden, she just exploded. Her sisters Tanya and Kate had even been taken aback by her sudden vehemence but really had no choice but to support her wishes. It was either that or split up their family, and they just couldn't face losing a sister after the loss of their mother.

Carmen and Eleazar looked from the sisters to the Cullens, unsure of what to do. Bree focused on them both to find the color of their indecision and drew it away in a swift breath. She was pleased how much easier it seemed to be getting. The two vampires looked at Carlisle mournfully before following the three sisters who had already left.

"I just don't understand…" Carlisle began, confused.

Esme walked up to him and placed an arm around his waist. Her eyes were wide. She looked like she would cry if she had tears. The rest of the family had similar expressions on their faces: confusion, disappointment, betrayal.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle," Jasper began quietly, "I should have tried to calm Irina down, but her anger just came from nowhere!"

"It's alright, Jasper, this isn't your fault. Alice, do you see Irina attacking the wolves?" Carlisle asked urgently.

Alice closed her eyes promptly and shook her head.

"No," she said slowly. "They just go back home." She had a frown on her face. "It almost seems like Irina isn't quite sure why she lost her temper so violently. I feel her shame and regret."

The Cullens all looked at each other in confusion.

Carlisle sighed. "Well, maybe once she calms down she will contact us. Let's go back to the house." He turned to face Bree. "Looks like you will be staying with us for a while, young one."

Bree hid a smile in her cheek. Things had gone according to her plan, and she was thrilled. She turned to see Edward looking at her, his head cocked to the side with a quizzical expression.

She threw up her guard and saw a slight frown mar his face. Confusion, she noticed, was gray. She inhaled swiftly, and it dissipated. Edward's face became smooth once more. Bree smiled at him coyly. He shook his head slightly before returning her smile, and they all headed back to the big house.


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