Ebony Fire

Chapter 6

"Where is she!" Vitro shrieked as he punched the concrete wall. He stormed around all of his sons with anguish as they all stood in an orderly fashion.

"Find her!" He continued. "Each and every one of you; find her before I find her!" He continued to squall around as everyone sprung in diverse directions. But before Star took off, Vitro pulled him to the side and stood face to face.

"F-father?" Star asked nervously.

"I will give you one chance to tell me the truth…" He snarled. "Tell me…where…is…Tarantella?" Star began to quiver unnoticeably as he watched the provocation rise in Vitro's eyes. He stayed silent for a certain amount of time.

"Answer me!" He snapped. Star cringed in fear for a split second. He took a deep breath, straightened himself, and looked instantly in his face.

"I cannot say where she is not…" He answered in a sincere tone. Vitro's eyes went narrow as he stared at Star a bit longer. After a long minute of stillness, he waved his hand at his face to let him join his brothers and the search party. As he joined them, Star thought to himself,

"I can't believe that worked…"

Tarantella had just finished her last animal for the day. She had returned with Edward back to the house with the rest of the Cullens. Her eyes were wide among satisfaction. As they entered, Emmett jogged in with a smile.

"So," He said. "How did she do?"

"Took a while," Edward sighed. "But she got the hang of it."

"How was your first taste of blood?" She stayed silent in a daze.

"…Amazing…" She said. Emmett chuckled as he came over and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"You remind me of Jasper when he first started." He said. "And trust me; he was one piece of work."

"And you weren't?" Jasper suddenly came in.

"Of course not!"

"And why are you so special?" Alice asked with her hands on her hips. Emmett tittered again.

"Because, I'm me." He said with a cocky smile. Tarantella giggled to herself as the others did.

"Do I see a smile?" Alice asked as she walked closer. "Did she just smile?"

"I was starting to think you weren't the type…" Edward said.

"Yeah, me either."

"Heh, I thought you knew everything." Jasper rolled his eyes as everyone else laughed.

"Shut up, you!"

The next morning was the beginning for her. Everyone was outside enjoying the sun rising and nature that surrounded their home. Rosalie and Emmett however were "training" deepin the woods. Everyone was benefiting from each other's company. But Tarantella stayed inside and began to read a book she found to her interest. Edward took a peak inside and saw her sitting Indian style on the couch. She was reading a book called, "Comatose", which was Alice's favorite book. He came in the room and looked down at her.

"Good morning…" He said. She looked up at him.

"Oh, good morning." She said and then swiftly continued reading. Edward saw how she was already on the 10th chapter.

"Don't you want to come outside?" He asked.

"No, I'm fine thank you."

"Have you ever had any time to yourself?" She found a random piece of paper and used it as a book mark.

"Well, most of the time it was me, my brothers, and my father. So, I guess the answer would be no. It's actually kindof pleasant." Edward nodded as he looked away for a moment.

"Would you mind coming with me for a second?" He asked. "I want to show you something." Tarantella then put the book at her side and started to follow Edward out into the woods.

Edward and Tarantella were standing at the top of a hill covered with dandelions and other flowers. The sunrise shined on them as they gazed. The wind was blowing a small breeze across the ground, causing most of the flowers to shed. As the peddles fluttered in the wind, Tarantella held her hand up to catch a few and then let go.

"This is beautiful…" She sighed. Edward looked at her for a second and then back at the sunrise.

"Yeah," He said. "This helps me think and unwind when I need to. I even revise for tests and school here when I call for some peace." She nodded as she listened.

"Many centuries ago," He continued. "This is where Carlisle proposed to Esme." She looked at him with interested eyes.

"How romantic." She said.

"He said it in Italian."

"Oh? Do you know Italian?" He smirked again and chuckled.

"I know over 15 languages."

"Wow…that's startling."

"What about your parents?" She looked down and thought for a moment.

"He never said much about it." She answered. "All I know is it was love at first site. And I favor her very well. He never mentioned her name though."

"May I ask why?"

"He said it was too painful saying it knowing that she doesn't exist anymore." She looked up at the sky after she said that. After a second of immobility, a sent came across her. She glanced down at a deer that was far down the hill. She then looked at Edward. He exhaled deeply as he continued to look straight.

"Go ahead." He sighed. In an instant, she charged after the deer with full force. It began to run from the sight of her, but of course she's to fast. After she devoured it, she had the urge for a few more. So, she went deeper into the forest now on a short hunt.

Later on, she found herself stalking an overweight deer drinking along side a river. She waited to make her way to it as she crouched behind a near by bush. But before she could charge, a sudden voice came behind her.

"Well, well, well…" A cocky young voice said. "Look what we have here." She turned around quickly to see her sudden encounter.

"Looks like we got another blood-sucker on our turf!" Another young man said as he followed. She found herself cornered by three shirtless men with dark tattoos on their arms. She has yet to realize that she in a wolf-infested territory. She stood up as she looked at them frantically.

"Allow me to introduce, Jacob and Sam." The man in the middle said.

"And I am Quill." He continued as he tilted his head. "Hey guys…I think we got ourselves a newborn!" They all harmonized chuckles and oh's.

"Do you know what we do to vampires around here?" Jacob asked walking closer.

"No…" She said timidly.

"Well, let us demonstrate..." In seconds, they were all full fledged wolves on their feet. They all growled and snarled at her as they surrounded her closer. Now horrified, she begins to run. One of the wolves shook their head and started to follow her quickly. As she ran, she breathed rapidly with fear. She paused for a mere second as she thought about the Cullens. That being said, she changed her direction and ran over the wolves in the trees. Realizing her sent had shifted, they change direction as well. As soon as she saw a glimpse of the Cullens, her velocity without delay increased. Edward looked at her with concern.

"Tarantella…" He said calmly as she ran into his arms.

"What's wrong?" He asked as the sent of wolves began to answer his question. He gently pushed her behind him and stood straight.

"Don't move…" He said in a low-tone as the wolves approached. When they saw Edward and the other Cullens appear behind him, they stopped.

"She's with us…" Carlisle said evenly as he came next to them. They looked at her and then back at the rest. Jacob snarled as he kept a frown at Edward and Tarantella. Soon enough, the wolves departed from them.

"They'll leave you alone as long as you stay off their territory." Carlisle said to her. She looked up at him and nodded. She wanted to go back into the house but she could not seem to let go of the back of Edward's shirt. He looked back at her with a small smirk.

"Don't worry…" He said. "They won't hurt you. Just let me know the next time you go hunting." She nodded quickly and agreed. But she still did not let go.

"Tarantella…" He chuckled.

"A little shaken up, aren't cha?" Emmett asked. She then glanced at her hands and then at Emmett.

"N…no!" She snapped as she snatched her hands away.

Back with the rest of the Dawns, Vitro was growing more infuriated than ever. He watched the sun set as his sons began to return. They all stood in line and waited for him to respond. Pure silence continued to fill the area. They all glanced at each other as they grew anxious…especially Star.

"I see you're bare handed…" He said. They all looked straight when they heard his voice.

"I am dissatisfied…" He continued as he turned to face them.

"With that being said," He began to walk towards them. "You all have the next forty-two hours to find her." He paused for a moment as he walked down the line.

"If you fail me again…I'll discard every one of you." He growled as he frowned at them. That sentence struck them all like a knife in the chest. They all stood in shock before they continued their search. As they all replayed his voice in their heads, their mouths dried up with fear…particularly Star's.