This plot is about to get THICK. Try to keep up. XD

So, there are a few rather exciting things that I would like to point out. Number one – I am a character in a fanfiction! XD False Pretense by Simply Kiwi – go check it. It's the sequel to Transparency, so you should probably read that first. Otherwise you'll be like… whaaaaat??

Number two – Midnight officially has more success than Moonrise. And although that's slightly saddening, it's also completely awesome! Moonrise didn't hit the one hundred review mark until after it was finished, but Midnight's already there! DO YOU KNOW HOW EXCITING THAT IS?!?! I actually have people who read Moonrise and wanted MORE! It will never cease to amaze me…

So this chapter is a little sad again. And it's also a little shorter than usual, but I hit my stopping place sooner than I expected to.

Many, many, many thank yous to Italian-swim-chick, paypay07, t3hg0dd355, Simply Kiwi, quietandclear, edardfan13, Edward-Addiction, hotlipsb, Monkey-en-TuTu, addict-4-dramatics, ridiculouskopec, not done baking, Organic Banana, Silver Butterfly07, Hotaru89, A Rose in the Night, CynicalInkSlinger, Badr, and Lily Turwaithiel. You guys are fuhreeking awesome. XD

So anyways, the song. It's Shadow of the Day by Linkin Park

NOW I COMMAND YOU TO READ!

7. M A S S A C R E

The stench of the leaking werewolves reached a climax as the door swung open. The silent whoosh of the entry way sent a concentrated wave of the reeking odor directly into my face. I could feel my eyes burning from the intensity of the scent, and I blinked rapidly to keep from tearing up. Once my eyes grew accustomed to the aroma, I stared at what the door had been hiding with a morbid sense of shock.

It was dark inside – but it didn't matter. I could see perfectly, but I wished I couldn't. It was like a battlefield. Five bodies were scattered across the small living room; all in human form, all bleeding freely. My mouth had fallen open again, but I made no move to close it. I felt myself take a shuddering breath, and I smelled something that made me clutch Edward's arm as if my life depended on it. Human blood. I could almost feel the adrenaline that would be speeding through my veins had my heart been pumping blood. A human's blood had been spilt – an innocent human. Billy? Or perhaps one of the neighbors had heard a commotion and come to investigate?

Shock was numbing my senses, so it was a moment before I realized that Edward had proceeded into the room and commenced turning the bodies over. I winced as he pulled one man's comatose shoulder to face the group – Sam Uley. Something was wrong – terribly wrong. Five dead werewolves and a dead human? But who had killed them all? Suddenly I realized that one of these bodies could well be Jacob himself. With a wild fear, I rushed to Edward's side, holding my breath and pulling the bodies over so that their faces were pointed to the ceiling. I let out a sigh of relief before quitting my breathing again – none of the russet skinned and black haired boys was Jacob.

All of them, however, held one thing in common – the area in which their skin had been pierced was charred at the edges, like it'd been burnt. I studied Sam's wounds. There was a hole in his chest with the burnt edges. Sam's heart had stopped beating, but it was obvious that the wound had been gushing before his pulse died away.

I looked at Edward in fear. "What…?" I let my voice trail. I remembered something – something from my human past. Jacob had told me that werewolves healed incredibly fast. He'd been about to cut himself and show me, but I stopped him in the nick of time. If werewolves were supposed to heal so fast, why hadn't Sam and the rest of the pack healed in time to save themselves?

Edward's face was grave, but uncaring. "A vampire's venom keeps the wound open, unable to heal. Which means" – he sighed – "a vampire did this." I moaned – I should have figured as much.

"Oh… my…" came a soft voice from behind me – I had almost forgotten the others were there.

Raychel's eyes were wide with utter astonishment, her mouth forming a perfect "o". She looked at the scene before her, taking it all in, before meeting my eyes – hers held so many questions. "What's happ-" she started to ask, but a loud crash from upstairs – from Jacob's room – stopped her short. A short moment of eye contact, and the seven of us were racing towards the staircase.

I was the first to realize that if we all burst into Jacob's room, the walls might explode. "Wait!" I whispered. Everyone stopped short and turned to look at me.

"Just… just wait here a minute…" I soothed. I chanced a glance at Edward; his face was mixed with total concentration and a wild fear. He looked at me, and his eyes showed something else… trust. I looked away and started to ascend, slowly, up the stairs to Jacob's room.

I heard a light thump come from the opposite side of his door and, as I took the stairs one by one, the smell of human blood became stronger and stronger. I gulped – trying to swallow my fear. I heard Emmett whisper to Edward: "What's up there?" Edward muttered something that I could not comprehend. I heard Raychel gasp, and then Alice murmur something to her consolingly. I wished my hearing were more acute.

The door to Jacob's room was shut, looming over me – beckoning to me. I caught sight of my terrified face in the sheen of the doorknob. "Ridiculous… you're being ridiculous, Bella…" I breathed to myself as a louder thump than the last emanated from the room. I took a deep breath and composed my face, reaching forward to twist the knob and peer into the room.

The sight would haunt me for eternity.

Billy's wheelchair lay on its side, one of its wheels spinning idly. Billy himself was on Jacob's bed. He was dead. The poor, old man's arm was sticking out at such an awkward angle and his eyes were staring blankly into space. His throat was ripped out. Blood was everywhere, staining Jacob's bed sheets – not that he used them, anymore – and his room with the tantalizing scent. I lowered my head in respect for his death and was about to turn to leave the room, when a dark figure sprang through the window and landed on the floor in front of me in a crouching position, ready to attack, its earsplitting growl surprising me.

Edward was in the room in an instant, growling back. I tried to work up a menacing snarl, but it caught in my throat and did not sound anywhere near as sinister as Edward's had.

It took me a moment to realize who the looming shadow was. I immediately ceased my pitiful growl. "Jake!" I cried, about to rush over to him. I would have if Edward hadn't caught me around my waist, still snarling.

Jacob's wicked face lightened at the sound of my voice. "Bells?" he rasped. I nodded frantically, straining against Edward's arm. "What are you doing here, Bella?" Jacob snapped, his voice gruff.

"Bringing you home! Jacob, what happened?" My question caught him off guard and his face became guarded again.

"Nothing," he muttered irritably.

"Don't give me that!" I snapped back. "What the hell happened here? There's been a massacre! Who's done this?" My words were fast – I was digging for answers.

"Easy, Bella…" Edward murmured, pressing his mouth to my ear, "Don't anger him…"

Jacob's answering growl was blood curdling. "She never angers me! It's always you and your kind!"

Some of my pride flickered in me – I was Edward's kind. And who was he to talk to my husband in such a manner? It went beyond me what had gotten into Jacob – he'd kept his opinions to himself, lately, at least. I was still staring at him hard, trying to figure what had gotten into him, when I smelled it. It took a lot of willpower to keep from cringing in a mixture of disgust and fear – Jacob's werewolf side was overpowering him.

I could smell the anger coursing through him, threatening to change him. I swallowed, trying to make myself calm down – I wished Jasper were up here to help with the three of us. But to call down to the others could be lethal. It was best to just watch my step and try and calm Jacob down myself…

"Jake…" my voice was shaking, "the others… they're all dead… a vampire got to them… what happened?" Jacob's eyes flashed, and I realized, for the first time, that they were not their usual color of amber; they were instead tinted a horrifying crimson red. "Your eyes…" I gasped. That did the trick. Jacob's anger promptly vanished, only to be replaced by utter agony. His face twisted into a grief-stricken grimace, and his shoulders slumped forward in a defeated position.

"I… I couldn't let them, Bells. After what they said… and Alice's vision… I could- couldn't let them hurt you…" I felt the horror start to take over at the realization of what Jacob was trying to tell me. He… it… it was him. Jacob had killed his brothers… his father… He had killed them… for me…

My voice was hard to find, but when I did my words came out in short gasps. "Are… you… crazy?" Edward squeezed me tighter to his side in his attempts to keep me safe, but there was no need. Jacob seemed to be broken.

"I must be…" he mumbled.

The misery that took over him after that was terrifying. A gigantic sob racked his body; shaking it so hard he fell backwards onto the bed next to his father's lifeless, bloody body. He began to wail, crying tearlessly. Through his incoherent moans, I made a few words: "What have I done? Oh, God… Dad, what have I done to you?" I was so wrapped up in my best friend's self-inflicted pain that I didn't even realize that tears were falling down my own face and Edward was tugging at my waist, whispering to me.

"Come on, Bella! We must leave! Now! Bella come on!" His words seemed to be stuck on a loop. I understood the danger that we were facing by staying here in the room with an agonized werewolf, but I just could not uproot my feet from the linoleum.

"Why did you kill Billy, Jake? Why'd you take him, too?" I found the words escaping from my mouth before I could contain them. Jacob looked up at me and I wished he hadn't. The anguish that was crawling across his face was too much. I couldn't look at him – he was truly broken.

"I couldn't… couldn't control myself… He got hurt in the fight and… his blood just… set me off…" Jacob's breathing was heavy and his eyes seemed to ask for forgiveness. I didn't understand why he was looking at me that way. I couldn't forgive him – it wasn't my place to. The fact that he'd killed Billy was insignificant to me – it was the fact that he'd lost control that I was concerned about.

"Jacob, you have to come home! You can't do this on your own. You don't want to be like the others, I know you don't! We can help you, but you've got to stay with us. Come home." I tried to make my voice soft, convincing. Jacob's eyes flickered from mine to Edward's. I inconspicuously nudged Edward's ribs – he needed to help me out, here.

Sighing, Edward agreed. "It's probably best if you return, Jacob." His name sounded strange on Edward's tongue. I'd heard it many of times, but was still unused to the inflictions that Edward put on each sound.

Jacob's eyes flickered back to mine and I worked to make them pleading. "It will be alright, Jake. Just come home." The raging battle of indecision that was taking place inside of him seemed to relax just a little bit.

"You… still… want me around?"

I nearly laughed out of relief and disbelief at his question. "Of course I want you around! Jacob, you're my best friend. I don't know what I'd ever do without you!" A shadow of a smile crossed Jacob's face. "Now, come on. There's someone waiting for you downstairs."

Curiosity lightened Jacob's dark expression further, and he followed Edward, who followed me, down the stairs. When we reached the landing, I had barely set foot on the floor before a blur of white and black shot by me.

"Oh, Jacob!" Raychel cried, throwing her arms around Jacob's neck. Taken aback, Jacob quietly wrapped his own arms around Raychel's waist. "Don't you ever do that to me again! You had me worried sick! I thought a vampire got you…"

"I'm sorry," Jacob murmured in her ear. "I won't leave again."

Their embrace was lasting, and I turned into Edward to take him in my arms. Peeking over his shoulder, I saw Jasper's hand entwined with Alice's, her head resting on his shoulder as she smiled contentedly at the reunion of the couple. I looked over to Emmett and Rosalie – ready to grimace if they were making out – and was met with a surprising sight. Emmett looked very focused.

Rosalie had raised an eyebrow at her husband, but even as she glared at him, horrified recognition crept across his face. Edward snapped around, looking wildly at his brother. The movement snapped the couples under the influence of love out of it, and seven pairs of eyes turned to Edward.

"You're sure? You're absolutely positive?" Edward seemed to be speaking with unnecessary clarity.

"Yes." Emmett's voice was barely audible.

Rosalie's annoyance was immediately apparent. "What? Stop mind reading, Edward! We all like to know what's happening." The brothers didn't look her way, they simply kept communicating by telepathic means. She sighed, impatiently. "Can we at least leave this house? I don't think I'll ever be able to wash the smell of werewolf blood out of my hair… and I may as well burn these clothes…" Her statement made Emmett turn his attention to her, finally.

"Don't play with fire, Rose."

Rolling her eyes, she muttered, "It's an expression…"

"Alright, we'll go, then." Edward announced, heading towards the front door. I hurried after him.

"What… what was all that?" I asked under my breath. We were fairly far in front of the others, and I hoped that maybe now I could pry some information from Edward.

"One moment," he muttered back, opening my door for me. I had barely sat down when he got into the driver's seat. The other six vampires were still coming across the lawn. "Emmett recognized Raychel, he just couldn't put his finger on where from," Edward began, speaking so quickly that it didn't look like he was speaking at all. Despite the glass windows and metal doors, I knew that if Edward wasn't keeping his voice as soft as he was, the others would hear. "He just figured it out."

I turned from looking out the windshield to meet Edward's eyes. Something was wrong. He was too serious. "Emmett was the one that bit her."