BPOV

I crouched lower and braced myself for a fight. The good news was I was no longer bored. I channeled all of my anger towards the situation, the sadness of being so alone, the fear…I channeled it all and focused on Victoria. I was ready to fight back. I was excited to fight back. A small grin flickered on my mouth. This would be fun…I had nothing to lose.

I noticed a nervous looking boy with her, partially hiding behind a tree. She kept her eyes trained on me and lowered herself into a crouch as she got closer. I could tell she was sizing me up for the fight. I had a feeling she expected me to still be…human.

"It's been a long time, Bella. I see time as been…kind to you," She laughed. "It was smart of your Edward to change you. It makes for a more interesting fight. But where is he to protect you?" She grinned sadistically at me.

"HE didn't change me, he left me…"I replied, knowing I had said too much. Her eyes perked up and she cocked her head to the side, looking at me quizzically.

"Who did it, then," She asked, curious now. I sighed. "Laurent…before the werewolves killed him." I replied. The shock on her face at the word "werewolves" made me smile.

"Werewolves," She hissed. I nodded proudly. She took a quick step towards me, taking a swipe with her left arm. I side-stepped her and dodged the hit. She moved back and got back into position. She lunged at me again, this time making contact with my shoulder. The impact threw me back into tree, making a loud cracking noise. I jumped back into position. Now I was pissed. I swung around and landed a round-house kick right in her side, sending her skidding across the ground. She snarled at me from where she landed.

"What did you mean that he left you," She asked as she got up and dusted the dirt off of her. The casual tone caught me off guard.

"Um…I mean he left…He said he didn't want me," I replied. Why was I telling her this. She laughed out loud. Then sighed and crouched back down.

"Ugh, I'm losing my motivation," She groaned. I looked at her with my eyebrows raised. She continued. "I was hoping to kill you, which would piss him off. But if he doesn't care…And I LIKE this shirt. Look at it now!" Now I was really confused.

"You loved James," I told her matter-of-factly. She shot me a look. The boy hiding behind the tree made an indistinguishable noise. Now, Victoria was looking at him. She stood up straight.

"He left me, too," She admitted. She was now sauntering towards me. "He always did that. Made me do the work of finding what he wanted and then like that, he told me to wait and he got in the kill. He was such a bastard."

"Um…Sorry?…" I wasn't sure whether this was a trick or if she really gave up the fight. I went trick and stayed in my defensive pose.

"Goddam MEN," She exclaimed. "No offense, Riley," She shouted in the direction of the boy.

"None taken," he called back. She looked back at me and smiled again.

"I like you, Bella. You got fight in you," She stood in front of me, one hand on her hip. I started to relax and stood slowly up.

"Thanks," I replied, still slightly cautious.

"The way I figure it, you're alone. You're free to join us. But you have to find your OWN meals. I don't share, anymore," She started to walk away, and turned her head slightly to talk to me over her shoulder. I thought it over for a minute. I had nothing to lose. I didn't have anyone else.

"Okay…but, you should know," I warned her. "I'm a vegetarian." She laughed and patted me, hard, on the back.

"We're going to get along just fine, Bella. Just fine."

EPOV

Emmett had called first. He had taken the easterly route and caught what he believed to be Bella's scent. As I ran out in that direction, my phone buzzed. It was Alice.

"Alice-" I started but she quickly interrupted me.

"EDWARD! She found her!" Alice yelled into the phone. I pushed myself to run harder. Fear engulfed me like a wild fire.

I caught up with Emmett. We followed her scent, running as quick as we could, trying hard to hold onto it. It had started to rain. We moved quicker. Suddenly, we hit Victoria's scent…But the trail ended there.

BPOV

Being with Victoria and Riley made me a little uncomfortable. I maintained my pure-animal diet. I waited behind when they went hunting for themselves. Finally, I was able to convince Riley to give a moose a little taste. He admitted it wasn't as bad as he thought. Victoria scoffed at him. But, she eventually gave in, too.

"I'm not committing to this life-style," She warned me as she finished the animal.

"I know," I assured her, smiling inward. It was a small step, but a step nonetheless.

One day, as we waited in an abandoned home somewhere in New England, Victoria offered her story. How she had been changed.

"I just turned 18. My friends and I were at Woodstock," She started.

"As in 'Woodstock'," I interrupted. I didn't take her for a music lover…Or a hippie.

"Yes," she hissed, "As in THE Woodstock." Hmm, I thought.

"Anyway, I met this nice, good looking man…" She was smiling, lost in her memory. "It was the summer of love." She laughed at something, then sighed. "We got 'interrupted'…and he left me for dead. Luckily, a few undead found me during my transition. They took care of me long enough to help me adjust to my new life, explained the rules, and left."

"Rules," I asked.

"Yes, don't piss off the Volturi…Don't reveal what you are to humans…Mass murders in the same city consecutively, that kind of stuff," She shrugged.

"Volturi," I asked, very curious at this point. Riley must have been, too, as he leaned in for the answer. She briefly went over the basic facts; lived in Italy, leaders of Vampires, will destroy you if you do anything wrong. I had a lot more to learn than I thought.