A/N - I expanded Bella's observation "Senna and Zafrina were more like two limbs of one organism" into the circle. It came in handy often toward the end of Breaking Dawn. Also, she isn't identified as a 'gifted' vampire in BD, but then why would Alice need her? I gave her a gift.


I was in the room when the Amazons arrived. I saw Carlisle greet them at the door. "Zafrina and Senna! But where's Kachiri? I've never seen you three apart." I wondered, too, but only as it affected my counting.

"Alice told us we needed to separate," the one on the right answered. "It's uncomfortable to be away from each other, but Alice assured us that you needed us here, while she very much needed Kachiri somewhere else." That was interesting. I had to find out what Kachiri's gift was, how it was helping Alice. She was obviously in South America and that reinforced my theory that she was following the trail of hybrid legends. Why was that so important right now, I wondered. Would we need some sort of proof beyond my heartbeat for the Volturi? Surely she wasn't avoiding the coming conflict. Even if I could believe that of Alice, and I couldn't really, it was impossible to think that of Jasper. There was some vital information about me that we needed, and she was going to get it. I wished her luck and safe return before turning my attention back to the long-limbed visitors in front of me.

I liked them. They had much in common with Jacob, though he would cringe and howl to hear it. They were wild, like he was. They used hides rather than cloth for coverings. Alice must despise that, but it suited them. Their eyes were red, so I knew they still hunted humans, but I got the impression they hunted animals too. I was almost sure those pelts weren't come upon by accident, they were trophies. What animals could give a vampire pause? Standing so close together, and the earlier comment about it being uncomfortable apart, made me think of the wolves too. They were a pack. Not a wolf pack obviously, but like the pack, they were parts of a whole, each autonomous but inexorably linked. It was very interesting. I was still formulating questions when Mama nudged me forward. She was reluctant; I could tell by her very gentle touch. Was she afraid of these large women? I supposed that someone meeting Jacob for the first time would be intimidated by his size too. Of course everyone was big to me, just by varying degrees.

My father came to stand beside Mama while I stepped up to the one who had spoken and waited to be lifted by her. Rather than touch just one cheek I touched opposite cheeks of both women and showed them my story together. They smiled widely at me. "What a smart child," the one on the right, Zafrina I later learned, murmured. Was their group mind a secret? Had I discovered something others hadn't? In any case, they enjoyed my pictures and then each kissed one of my cheeks before setting me down. I giggled a little at their cold lips. I'd never been kissed by two at once.

I went back to Mama and Edward. He was telling Mama about Zafrina's gift. Zafrina stood behind me; she was listening too. His eyes seemed to looking at something far away even though they were looking at Mama's face. I didn't understand.

"It's a very straightforward illusion," he was telling Mama. I looked up to Zafrina to see if I could see what she was doing.

Her eyes narrowed on Mama. "She can't see it?" she asked of no one in particular.

"Mama's special. She has a shield." I told her.

"For example," I turned my attention back to my father's explanation, "right now I would appear to be alone in the middle of a rain forest. It's so clear I might possibly believe it, except for the fact that I can still feel you in my arms."

Wow. I could make pictures. I could make them believable. But people could always see through them. They still knew where they were and what was going on around them. Also, she didn't have to touch my father to do this. And she'd asked if Mama could see. She could show more than one person at a time. I wouldn't have tried that with anyone who didn't have a group mind. I was so thoroughly impressed my little mouth hung open.

My father blinked and focused again on Mama's face, then smiled to Zafrina. "Impressive." Understatement!

I turned to Zafrina then. "Can I see?" I asked.

"What would you like to see?" she asked me.

"What you showed Daddy." I didn't often call Edward Dad or Daddy; he was so much more.

Zafrina didn't touch me either, but suddenly I wasn't in my beautiful home any longer. I was still surrounded by trees, but of a kind I'd never encountered before. So much life here! The flowers growing on the trees, the mushrooms on the ground, every aspect of the image was perfect. I could even smell the water dripping from the leaves. It was spectacular. I wondered, if I stepped forward, would the image move with me? But before I could try the scenery was gone.

Rather than be sad at it's leaving I looked up to Zafrina with a wide grin. "More!" I knew I should have asked and said please, but I just couldn't. She obliged me immediately, and this time I did get to walk a few steps before Mama asked to have me back. I tried not to be angry with her. After all, Zafrina and Senna would be here for two weeks at least. I'd have lots of time to talk to her and see more marvelous things.

Before long, Mama and my father were carrying me home to the cottage for the night. Once again, Jacob would stay with me. During their conversation on the way home, I determined that Mama was planning to begin her combat training after I was asleep. If I thought staying awake would keep her from it for more than one night, I'd try, but Mama was stubborn. I shot Edward a disgruntled expression. When was she going to accept that we couldn't fight our way out of this? Edward shook his head very slightly at me, and I caught his meaning immediately, never. I sighed quietly and curled up in Mama's arms.

The next morning, I woke to Jacob's nails scratching the floorboards. He looked like he was running on his side. I'd never seen him run in his sleep before. I heard soft whimpers from him and vaulted over my crib bars. I was going to chew those off soon. I landed softly beside his head and draped my small body over his ears and neck.

"It's Okay, Jacob," I whispered into the huge ear. "I'm right here. I'm fine." His great eye flew open, and he jumped to his feet. I was glad I'd wrapped my arms around his chin. I laughed aloud as my legs snapped. I lost my grip and came crashing down on his back. Still giggling, I got my balance. "Again!" I chuckled.

He coughed a laugh and dropped his back legs causing me to slide toward his tail. Then he kicked his rear up, almost like a horse, and bucked me to the ceiling. He was human when I came back down, and he caught me in his arms. I was still laughing madly. I touched his cheek to show him the thrill he'd given me. Then my laughter cut off as I remembered his troubled dream. What had it been?

"Ah you know, Nessie. Just imagining the worst." He held me tight to his bare chest, and I breathed him deeply. I tried to send an image through my hand on his chest: us together forever. I did this by imaging myself getting bigger, no response though. I sighed. I would definitely talk to Zafrina about learning to extend my talent. If what we did was at all similar, she might be able to teach me. It took me a moment to realize I heard Mama's raised voice from another room. I looked at Jacob and put a finger to my lips. He nodded and we peeked out the door.

Mama and Edward were arguing. I quickly learned that they had sparred last night, and Edward was now refusing to teach her. Good, I thought. Unfortunately, now she was just going to learn from others. I sighed. Their argument paused - they had heard that, figured

"Renesmee!" my mother cried, "you're awake."

"Jacob?" my father arched an eyebrow. He backed away as Mama took me and phased back to wolf. Honestly, what was the problem with being naked anyway? Clothes were pretty, not necessary. He was still naked, just hairier.

My father put his head in his hand and shook it. I stuck my tongue out at him as I'd seen Alice do. His face was mostly hidden, but I thought I saw his lips curl.

I hugged Mama, showing her Jacob's bad dream, and how that had woken me. She nodded but didn't say anything. I think she didn't want to embarrass or upset Jacob. I reached for my father, and his head came up as he took me. His smile was genuine now. I touched him and showed him Jacob with clothes on; I could be good. He laughed at me and kissed my hair. Then I showed him Zafrina and Senna; I really wanted more time with them.

"Are you ready to head back to the house, love?" he asked Mama.

"Yes. After all, I need to talk to Emmett." Her voice was sour. I frowned just like my father at her. I saw his expression in the corner of my eye and giggled. That broke Mama's momentary mood as well as Edward's.

"You also have to talk with Kate," my father reminded her, hoping to divert her to a different type of lesson. I nodded to myself; That would be helpful in preventing the fight that couldn't happen. If Mama could shield a number of us, not just herself, and that fact was seen by the Guard, they would not want a fight either. My father kissed my cheek, reading my thought.

Zafrina and Senna were conversing with Benjamin and Tia when we arrived. I tried not to interrupt, just sat beside one of the tall women; Senna, I thought. They were very similar, it would be easy to mix them up. I held her hand while she listened.

Then, the oddest thing happened. I heard words that didn't match lips. They were obviously the voices of Senna and Zafrina, but they were speaking a language I didn't know. It was similar to Spanish, but not quite the same. Yet despite the fact that I didn't know the words, the meanings were clear. I dropped Senna's hand like it had burned me. She smiled a little sadly and brushed a hand over my curls. I took a deep breath and deliberately took her hand again. This time it wasn't startling. Now I understood why so many people flinched away at my first pictures. It was disturbing to have things in your head that you didn't put there. Now that I was ready for it, I could listen to both the spoken words and the unspoken ones. Zafrina was fascinated by the gifts of those around us. Especially Benjamin. To be able to affect the physical world, not just the perception of it, that was very rare. Senna was less impressed. She agreed it was useful and interesting, but it didn't affect their circle, did it?

Circle. The circle was broken. I could feel the break. That was where Kachiri's mental voice should be. I tried to step into it, but as usual, I was too small. They gave me mental hugs for trying and welcomed me into their circle anyway. I realized that I could ask my questions of Zafrina this way instead of trying to make images for them. I told her and Senna about not being able to show Jacob my pictures while touching his chest, showed them my desire to be able to pass images simply through hands. I imagined being able to touch people through gloves and sleeves, or even without touching them like Zafrina did. They listened carefully while still conversing with the Egyptians. Now they were talking about the sand and desert. Something the Amazons had no experience with. They'd passed through deserts, but never spent any amount of time in one. I doubted they ever would; they loved their forests too much. And after seeing them myself, I could understand why.

Not long after I'd taken Senna's hand, Zafrina excused herself and her sister. She accompanied me to the shore of the river. I walked between them, holding each of them by the hand. Jacob followed behind. One of them thought of him as a faithful hound. I tried to explain just how tightly bound Jacob and I were. How it went far beyond the loyalty of a hound for his master, but was more similar to some of the other forms of love I had seen. I led often, but Jacob could lead. He helped me and gave me almost anything I wanted, but attempted to shield me from things I might want but shouldn't have. He was my best friend, my partner. We couldn't be a circle with only two, but we were halves of a whole. They understood.

Zafrina began to share her power with me. She showed me more pictures: a small village with huts made of branches and fronds from the bountiful trees, animals of all kinds, which through Senna's power, I knew by name. It wasn't as overwhelming, seeing Zafrina's pictures while holding Senna's hand. While I could see nothing but what she showed, I could sense that it wasn't real through her and Senna's thoughts, because they were beside me and didn't see the same. I dropped Senna's hand from time to time to enjoy the images without the distraction. That often brought a laugh from my new friends.

Zafrina showed me the part of her head where she held her images. I couldn't see it, but through our linked minds, I could feel it. I looked for my own and found it in nearly the same place in my own brain. Then she created an image for Senna to see, and I could feel how she shone herself through that part. She made it brighter, and I heard Jacob huff. She quickly turned that internal light off.

I comforted Jacob right away. "She was showing me, Jacob. Don't be angry." He wasn't. He licked my face, and I giggled. I touched Zafrina's hand, not taking Senna's again yet, and tried to shine my light brighter. Could I show her how it felt to have Jacob kiss me like that?

Her face scrunched. "That is disgusting," she muttered dropping my hand to rub her cheek. I clapped my hands and Jacob barked a laugh. I took Senna's hand again now as I watched what was happening in the rest of the yard. Eleazar, Carmen and Tanya were sitting on the back steps watching Kate, Edward and Mama. Mama had her hands around his waist and Kate was touching his arm.

She's getting it, I heard in Zafrina's voice. From what they tell me, he should be dropping to the ground, but he doesn't. Her shield is fighting her though. She doesn't understand its nature.

Senna, with a gift so different from these, wasn't entirely interested in the scene. I showed her my image of Mama shielding some of us so we were aware while the rest fell under Alec's spell; she became interested again. We walked along, sharing images. Thinking of Mama's shield and how we might help her control it better.

One day, we crossed the river to quiet meadow, and I got to meet Kachiri through their thoughts. I sat facing Senna, holding her hand in my left while my right ran through Jacob's fur, he was napping between us. Zafrina sat behind me, braiding my hair like theirs.

Kachiri was a type of translator. Her gift fell between Senna's and Zafrina's. She linked minds with the one she touched, like Senna, and then broadcast their spoken words like Zafrina did her images. The words would seem to be heard, but would be in the language most familiar to the listener. It was very strange, and I was glad I didn't have to explain to anyone, neither pictures nor words really made it make sense. Eleazar had said that no two minds think in exactly the same way, and I was starting to think that no one I knew thought quite like these women. It made their gifts strange and more powerful. Senna had formed the circle with Kachiri and Zafrina. They no longer needed to touch to hear each others' thoughts, but she could include others, like me, if she wished. She shouldn't need to touch me, but it helped. She thought my mind was strange, too, and that this might be the impediment. I wondered at that. Was I strange because I was me or because I was raised by ones who thought in a certain way. She agreed with the latter as she would have needed contact to bring any of my family into the circle as well.

When I returned, Rosalie was not impressed with my new hairstyle. I only got to keep my braids a few hours before she recruited Carmen and Tanya to help her take them all out. Pouting the whole time, my braids were unwound with vampire speed.

I spent most of my time with the Amazons that week, but I tried to remember to take time to visit Carmen and the others too. Carmen missed me. "So many people to divide your attention, mi querida. Do you still have time for me?" I jumped into her arms and hugged her. I kissed her cheek and showed her that I was just playing with a new toy, I still loved laughed.

I turned in her lap to see what else was happening in the yard. Mama was still practicing her combat skills; I frowned at that. Edward and Jacob came to sit on either side of Carmen and I. Mama was working with Garrett now, and I watched as he threw her through the air into a tree on the other side of the river. The tree snapped in two, and Mama landed on her feet. "Right. So how do I avoid that?" she asked. I held my father's hand, feeling his anxiety in watching her fight, even when it wasn't for her life. I showed him that she had landed on her feet. I showed him the two of them practicing with Kate, making it clear which exercise I thought more worthy.

He stared at my tiny hand wrapped around his first two fingers. "How?"

"I'm learning too," I told him with a bright smile, and he smiled back.

"Do you ever stop?" he asked rhetorically, and I laughed. Carmen laughed with me.

"But what are you learning?" she asked, and I showed her Mama without moving to touch her face. "Such a brilliant child. You learn to extend too. And faster than your Mama. Let's not tell her; it might hurt her pride."

Jacob laughed at that one. "Or make her stubborn enough to work harder." He winced as another tree fell casualty to Mama's training.

I loved spending time with all my new friends and would tell Jacob and Mama stories on our way back to the cottage at night. Mama wanted to see what Zafrina showed me. I think she worried Zafrina was showing me things I shouldn't see. She didn't, but as my lessons continued, the pictures became less. I tried one day to do what Zafrina does and make an image. It was something she hadn't shown me, but something I hadn't seen either. I showed her a city, like I'd seen on the television. She just nodded at this image. I'd done it! She hadn't known the difference. But, did that mean I could lie with my pictures? That seemed wrong. More wrong than acting asleep or even saying a lie out loud. People trusted me in their heads. I couldn't deceive them. I didn't tell Mama about the false image, but I never showed her another one either.

Jacob often humphed in human form, complaining about the number of vampires in the house. He never really got to know any of them. He recognized the Amazons as a pair and Carmen, but the others were just 'bloodsucker' to him. I could understand. His purpose was to protect people, but he was letting these monsters, though it was hard to thinking of them that way, carry on in his sight; it was contrary to his being.

When Mama tucked me in one night, I only pretended to be asleep. I watched Jacob curl up on the floor before climbing over my crib; I would get around to those bars one day. I laid down amidst his paws. "Thank you, Jacob," I told him aloud. "Thank you for staying with me."

He huffed in my hair. I touched his muzzle. This was what Zafrina and I had been working on last, projecting through clothing; I should be able to reach through his fur now. I showed him his anxiety, his unease at the house. I showed him I knew that this was very hard for him. "Thank you," I repeated aloud.

He stood, moving far enough to phase, and knelt next to me. "It's no burden, Nessie. When did you learn to show me pictures when I'm a wolf?" he asked.

I touched his knee and showed him me touching Senna through her fur jacket. "Ah. Well, try not to do it too much. You scared the crap out of Embry." He laughed. "Thought vampires were about to jump out of the trees and wondered how he hadn't smelled them." He laughed again.

I laughed, too, and climbed into his lap. He carried me to my crib, but I didn't let go. I asked if I could sleep with him tonight.

He made a rumbling in his throat. "Your Dad is gonna kill me, but OK." He set me on the floor to phase back. Before he did he reminded me, "No pictures." I made an X over my heart. He curled up again and I folded myself between his forelimbs.

I felt cold hands sliding me out from under Jacob's chin. The sunlight felt warm on my skin, and I blinked wearily into my father's face. His hands sparkled in the light. It faded as he stood in the shadows. Then he deliberately stepped on Jacob's tail, who yelped and jumped. I turned and punched Edward hard just under the collarbone, it hurt my hand. In the contact I showed him that I'd asked Jacob and what he'd done was not nice.

He growled loudly. "I'm sorry if I hurt you, Jacob," he said through clenched teeth.

"Nah, didn't hurt. Sorry. I know you and Bella don't like when I do that." I heard cloth rustling behind me and knew he was getting dressed. I never took my angry eyes from my father's face.

He sighed. "Let's get going," he said and passed me to Mama as soon as we caught up to her outside. I showed her what he'd done and she just said, "Good." Now, I growled.

That was the day I helped Mama learn her shield. She continued to work with Kate to try to protect Edward. She'd asked for Zafrina's help, but Kate thought she needed higher stakes. I was walking with Senna and Zafrina, asking them about this. Some find clarity in need, Zafrina tried to explain. The desperate desire for something allows them to grasp it more easily, more fully. Seeing Edward in pain makes your mother try harder.

But I hadn't needed anything so potent to learn my extension.

You have a greater drive to learn than your mother. Also, your clarity comes in stillness. You think differently from her. She reacts, you contemplate.

That made sense. It also explained her ridiculous need to learn combat skills that could not be useful. Zafrina laughed at that. I looked toward where Mama was working and tried to imagine her shield as a physical thing. Something that she pulled over my father. It was difficult. Maybe the nature of her shield also made it difficult for her to learn. It was something instinctive, she'd never really thought to do it, whereas my talent was always linked to my conscious thought. Mama told me once that she listened to my dreams, but I never really believed her. With Mama it had even taken a very slight push to reach her. This thought hit me like a baseball to the gut. That was her shield. I tried to remember what I had done that first time, but it was long ago, and I hadn't had to do it again. I wasn't sure if I had punched through or pushed around. I took new interest in her current session just as Kate was calling for me.

"Nessie," she called, "would you like to come help your mother?"

I skipped to Mama intent on being the latest target for pain. Mama would work extra hard to protect me. Edward caught my eye. This was a trick! Kate wasn't going to hurt me. Edward was going to tell them when she shielded my thoughts from him. I almost giggled.

"No," Mama snarled. She hadn't caught on, good. This might work then. "Absolutely not," she continued to object.

I jumped into her arms, "But Mama, I want to help." I showed her how I was going to help her learn.

"No," she repeated and started backing away from Kate. I scrambled to her back holding onto her neck. "Stay away from us, Kate," she warned. I smiled to my friends who were watching.

"No," Kate replied stalking forward, her eyes merry on mine.

I knew I couldn't possibly feel it, but I thought I felt a darkness wrap me, like a blanket. Kate continued to stalk us. Mama growled at her, baring teeth.

"Be careful, Kate," my father warned her now. My mother's rage was at it's peak, if she was going to find the nature of her shield it would be now.

Kate seemed to realize this, too, and stopped, turning her back on us. For a fraction of a second I thought Mama was going to lunge at her. "Can you hear anything from Nessie?" she asked Edward.

"No, nothing at all. Now give Bella some space to calm down, Kate. You shouldn't goad her like that. I know she doesn't seem her age, but she's only a few months old." I understood his logic but couldn't agree with it. It was a small risk to Kate, but very important that Mama stay angry enough to learn her shield.

"We don't have time to do this gently, Edward," Kate agreed with me. "We're going to have to push her. We only have a few weeks, and she's got the potential to..."

"Back off for a minute, Kate," he insisted moving closer to Mama, doubtless to comfort her. I didn't really want him to.

Hoping to lie somewhere in between, I replayed the scene for Mama: Kate never really came closer, her merry eyes, Edward also watching or listening to me. Maybe knowing she'd been duped would keep her angry while easing her kill instinct.

It seemed to. She put her hand on my father's back and called Kate to try Edward again. I watched Kate's brow furrow as she increased the intensity of her attacks, but none of them reached my father who was safe with me under Mama's shield. Isn't this great? I thought to him.

Now my friend stepped up to add her instruction. "Can you see this?" Zafrina asked.

"I don't see anything I shouldn't," Edward answered her.

"And you, Renesmee?" she asked me. I smiled and shook my head, still hanging on Mama's back.

Mama was panting now, and I was afraid her anger and clarity were fading, but Zafrina had one more exercise for her.

"No one panic," she warned the assembled witnesses. Mama's audience had grown steadily. "I want to see how far she can extend." How many people would she be able to cover in this shield? You can do it, Mama! I thought intently at her.

Gasps came from the group and everyone froze. Everyone except Senna, of course, and Edward and I, who were already safe under the shield. "Raise your hand when you get your sight back. Now, Bella, see how many you can shield."

The shield reached Kate first, and Edward began musing aloud. "Fascinating. It's like one-way glass. I can read everything they're thinking, but they can't reach me behind it. And I can hear Renesmee, though I couldn't when I was on the outside. I'll bet Kate could shock me now, because she's underneath the umbrella. I still can't hear you... hmmm How does that work? I wonder if there are layers to the shield and you've only moved one, could you separate us into different layers..." his mumbling grew harder to understand. Layers? Like separate pieces of cloth. I tried again to remember my first touch. Had I pushed through one or two. There was no way to know. I guessed that if Mama did have layers, there were only two. One she was willing to share, and one that was just for herself. Edward was nodding, but whether to his own thought or mine, I didn't know.

Mama had shielded Garrett, too, and Zafrina was congratulating her. "Very good, now..." But just then I felt a snap, and I clung to Mama to be sure I hadn't let go. I saw people burning, pieces of people, it was Alice and Jasper. Their heads hadn't been put on the pyre yet. I shivered and shook and tried to remind myself it wasn't real. It was hard without Senna and Zafrina's thoughts to confirm that. Then just as quickly the image was gone; Mama had me shielded again. I buried my eyes in her shoulder; that was awful.

"Can I have a minute?" Mama begged of Zafrina.

"Of course," she replied with a smile, and everyone seemed to relax.

While I was still trying to gauge Mama's mood, I saw Garrett approaching Kate. He is sweet on her, I thought again. "They say you can put a vampire flat on his back." It wasn't a question, but he questioned the validity of the statement.

"Yes," she smiled. Then she wiggled her fingers, "Curious?" Wait, was she sweet on him too? I hadn't seen anything to make me think that before.

"That's something I've never seen. Seems like it might be a bit of an exaggeration." I moved from Mama's back to the curve of her arm for a better view. This would be good.

"Maybe," Kate hedged. "Maybe it only works on the weak or the young. I'm not sure. You look strong, though," she liked his strength, and she was right; his musculature was similar to Emmett's, though he didn't match him in size. "Perhaps you could withstand my gift." she teased. Then she held her hand out to him.

Garrett grinned back and touched her palm with one finger. His eyes rolled up, and he was falling backward. His head hit a rock and broke it. I laughed; Mama didn't.

"I told you," I heard my father mutter.

When his eyes opened, they were wide and focused on Kate. He smiled broadly, not upset at all. "Wow."

"Did you enjoy that?" she asked, a laugh still in her voice.

"I'm not crazy," and his laugh was full, "but that sure was something!"

"That's what I hear," she told him.

I didn't hear what had caught the others' attention, but I did notice that our crowd had thinned. Mama carried me with her into the house. It was there that I first heard what had most likely drawn the others. New visitors had arrived.

"No one sent us," the voice sounded like the pages of an old book, whispery.

"Then what brings you here now?" Carlisle asked.

"Word travels." I could just barely register that this was a second voice, it was so similar to the first. "We heard hints that Volturi were moving against you. There are whispers that you would not stand alone. Obviously, the whispers were true. This is an impressive gathering." Did that mean they were going to stand with us? It sounded like they weren't going to do that so much as stand against the Volturi. If it happened to be with us, that didn't bother them.

"We are not challenging the Volturi," my grandfather insisted. "There has been a misunderstanding, that is all." Carlisle continued to insist there would be no fight. I suddenly didn't like these newcomers; they wanted to fight too.

Regardless, my father asked Mama to bring me out to meet the Romanians. My friends hovered protectively, though I was sure these men wouldn't hurt me; they just wanted to hurt Volturi. I was surprised when I saw them. None of the other vampires assembled looked like these. Vampires can't age, but these looked old somehow. Their skin, I thought, not pale and hard, pale and thin. Still hard I was sure, but it looked brittle.

Their eyes found me now. "Well, well, Carlisle. You have been naughty, haven't you?" I resented that.

"She's not what you think, Stefan."

"And we don't care," the blond of the pair repeated.

"Then, you're welcome to observe, Vladimir, but it is definitely not our pan to challenge the Volturi, as we said before."

"Then we'll just cross our fingers," the dark-haired one said.

"And hope we get lucky," the other finished.

I approached them, but they kept their hands to themselves.

"Hello," I greeted them.

"Hello," they answered without emotion.

"You look different. Why?" If they wouldn't let me ask my usual way, I could speak. I still hadn't learned how to project without touching, and Zafrina doubted I'd ever be able to. Just as she doubted my images could ever be opaque like hers. That wasn't their purpose, she reasoned.

My question wasn't exactly polite, but they answered anyway. "We sat still for a very long time, child," the blond, Vladimir, began. "Contemplating our own divinity. It was a sign of our power that everything came to us: prey, diplomats, those seeking our favor. We sat on our thrones and thought ourselves gods. We didn't notice for a long time that we were changing, almost petrifying. I suppose the Volturi did us one favor when they burned our castles. Stefan and I, at least, did not continue to petrify. Now the Volturi's eyes are filmed with dusty scum, but ours are bright." They were, but the red was almost more menacing than that of my other new friends. "I imagine that will give us an advantage when we gouge theirs from the sockets." I just nodded, showing interest. I didn't mind if they destroyed the Volturi, as long as they didn't do it whlie standing with my family; I didn't want my friends hurt.

"Thank you. It is good to meet you." I was careful not to say nice. These Romanians were anything but nice. Mama seemed happy I didn't seek them out after that.