Trials of a Destiny
Swan Residence
Billy and Sue arrived at Charlie's house promptly at 8:15 PM. When they arrived, they noticed a relatively new car on the side of the road. Charlie opened the door for them and when they went inside, they saw Carlisle and Esme Cullen sitting on the couch. By the looks on their faces, the vampires were just as confused as they were.
Carlisle and Esme had arrived fifteen minutes before and were surprised to see Charlie Swan answering the door. "Hello, Dr. Cullen. Mrs. Cullen. Please come in and have a seat in the living room. I hope you don't mind waiting for a little bit."
"Not at all," Carlisle replied. "How are you feeling Charlie? Any pain?"
"I hope you don't mind, I brought over a casserole. Please call me Esme," added the mother vampire.
"Thank you, Esme. No pain. Thanks for asking. If you're looking for Edie, she'll be down in a bit."
It didn't take long for the hybrid to come down and meet the vampire pair in the living room. "Thanks for coming over, Carlisle and Esme."
"Why is Charlie here," asked Esme.
"I promise I'll explain everything as soon as everyone arrives."
Right on cue, Billy and Sue come through the front door to see the vampires and the hybrid sitting in the living room. Charlie made his way to stand behind Edie and clap a hand on her right shoulder as a show of confidence.
"What's going on Charlie?" Billy asked his long-time friend.
"I can take it from here Charlie," she responded instead and placed her hand on top of Charlie's. Then Charlie excused himself to the garage; he used the newfound abilities he had received from Edie's venom to hear the entire conversation. "He thinks you're here for a different reason. I asked Charlie to bring you here because I think it's time for you four to know the truth."
"And what would that be," asked Sue nervously at the display of affection they had exhibited.
Edie brought her hands back to the middle and clamped them together. "After my grandmother died, I started drinking. I would drink ten, sometimes twenty bottles a day, but the pain wouldn't go away, it wouldn't even numb. Eventually I found something that would. I didn't stop drinking until I was forced to… when I was captured by the Volturi."
The four adults simultaneously, yet discretely leaned forward. Edie continued, "They had been chasing me for a long time and after Grandma died, I evaded them alone for thirty years. I was still sloshed when they took me to Volterra. Then they chained me up and started experimenting on me. For five years, they skinned me, burned me alive, detached my organs while I was awake, nearly decapitated me, and injected me with various poisons and unmentionables; they did anything they could to test my durability, but I wouldn't die."
"Why did they want you," asked Esme in concern.
"They wanted my blood venom. Aro told Mengele to use it to 'improve our kind'. They made monsters and I was, indirectly, their creator."
"What makes your blood so special?" Carlisle inquired.
"I don't know all of the details, but there is something in my bloodline that gave me more power than any 'normal' being can have."
"Why do you suspect your bloodline? Why not your creator," asked Sue.
Edie showed a small smile that didn't meet her eyes. "I don't suspect my creator because I don't have one in the normal sense; I was never bitten. I was born this way."
"Just hold on for one second," Billy interrupted. "Then who was the supposed grandmother who raised you? How can you not have been bitten?"
"He's right," Carlisle concurred. "That is the only way to become a vampire. What you are suggesting is impossible."
"No, it isn't. There is a tribe in Brazil with at least five human-vampire hybrids. Born of a vampire father and mortal mothers," she retorted.
"Did any of the mothers survive," Esme wondered.
"No."
"Was that what happened to your mother?"
"No. My mother survived the birth," she replied solemnly. "I lost Kah because he was weak from the death of his imprint, but he still thought he could take on a vampire by himself," the glass on the window trembled then cracked in the middle from the upper left to the lower right corner.
"What happened to your father?"
"He's had more of an impact on my life than I care to have, or not much of one, depending on how you look at it."
"You never knew him?"
"I had second-hand knowledge of him," she left the subject at that. "Anyway, the reason I started drinking again is because I've been keeping a secret from everyone, but they're not ready, at least, I'm not ready for them to know."
"Well, don't keep us in suspense," Billy chided with that witty humor his son obviously inherited.
She showed the chief her wolfy smile. "Alright Pops, don't get your moccasins in a twist. The story begins when Edward went to the Volturi to kill himself."
"I won't hear more of this. You have been evading us and now you're trying to spin a ridiculous story of my son committing suicide," Carlisle erupted and tried to leave.
"I wouldn't lie about that! Why do you think I got rid of Bella for?"
"She drove him to..." He stuttered in disbelief.
"Edward and Bella had been dating for nearly a year. For her eighteenth birthday, Alice decided to throw a party at the house, but there was an accident and Jasper attacked Bella. You all left and Bella eventually rekindled her friendship with Jacob and then he became infatuated with her too. Jacob didn't become Alpha when he was offered the position, so Sam was in charge. Bella somehow got the idea that by doing reckless things, she would get your attention and you would be forced to turn her. She jumped off a cliff, but Alice didn't see Jacob pull her out of the water. She assumed Bella was dead and went to Forks to confirm it. Edward had been living away from you, so he didn't know about the vision right away. When he found out, he went straight to Italy. Alice and Bella went to Volterra to stop him from exposing himself to the humans. Jacob begged Bella to stay."
"And then she joined the Guard," Carlisle concluded.
Edie nodded. "It wasn't that long afterward when my family died. Only my mom and my grandma survived."
"How did that happen? How does your family fit into this?" Sue implored, "What role do the wolves have in your vendetta?"
"My parents," she began. "They met after Edward had come back from Volterra. They were in the woods when it happened and of course, they had their qualms about each other. Their families were the Capulets and the Montagues; mortal enemies, but they still fell in love. Sam found out about Kah's imprint and tried to use an Alpha Order against him. He thought my father was using his 'mind tricks' to fool Kah into believing they were soulmates."
"You know this from your grandmother's memories," Esme queried.
"Yes and no. I learned about most of my family's past from Grandma, but the stuff I know about the Quileute, I learned from Kah. I knew we had very little time to be together before the imprint would take effect, so I tried to learn as much I could, even from the womb."
"Extraordinary! This certainly raises questions about your genetics, your mother's pregnancy," Carlisle exclaimed.
"Carlisle..." Esme chided her husband.
"My apologies. Please continue." Sue and Billy did nothing to hide their amusement.
"Kah fought the Alpha Order. He broke from the pack and took his rightful place as Alpha. The pack split up; Seth, Leah, Embry, and Quil joined the Black Pack while Jared, Paul, Brady, and Collin stayed with Sam."
"You're not making any sense," Billy interrupted. "Your mother can't be an alpha. Unless, she's part of my bloodline and neither of my daughters are wolves. Rachel is Paul's imprint and Becca is married and has been living in Hawaii since she graduated high school."
Edie stood up, she got the hair tie from her pocket and stood in front of the mirror. She grabbed strands of hair closest to the top of her head and tied them loosely in a half-ponytail. She closed her eyes and spoke, "You always told me that if I wanted to see my dad, all I had to do was look in the mirror and if I wanted to see my mom, I only had to smile." She opened her eyes. They were the color of emeralds; the color of Elizabeth Mason's eyes, the color of Edward's eyes when he was human. That was what Carlisle and Esme saw. However, Billy could only see his Sarah in the smile on the hybrid's face as the midnight hair framed it she had inherited from his grandfather. Sue had yet to comprehend Edie's implications.
"This is impossible," whispered Carlisle.
"As impossible as sparkling vampires and wolves the size of minivans?" Edie responded sarcastically. "I don't care if you believe me or not. The fact of the matter is that my parents are a wolf and a vampire."
"But that's just it. How can two species who are supposed to be enemies, complete killing machines to the other, possibly conceive a child? Not to mention the fact that both parents are men!"
"Is it the imprint," Billy inquired. "Our tribal magic can do many wonders. Is it possible that the magic of the imprint could've done this?"
Sue finally caught on, "This is pure fantasy."
"Enough!" Esme went into Mother-mode, or in this case, Grandma-mode. "Are you all completely blind? From the moment this exceptional girl came into our lives, she has not once put us in danger. She's been trying like mad to help us survive, even at the cost of her own sanity." She hugged Edie with all her strength, infusing her "warmth" and feelings into her granddaughter.
Edie hesitated, yet when she let go of her logic (the one that kept her from being honest in the first place), she returned the hug with full force. "If I'm exceptional, it's only because of you, Grandma. I missed you so much."
"I'm sorry I left you, My Girl."
"It wasn't your fault." She shed a small tear at her old nickname. She gently let go of her grandma and turned to the chief. "To answer your question, it's possible that the imprint did help my conception."
"I'm just trying to wrap my head around this," he answered. "But seeing you and what you've done...you're definitely of my line. A born Alpha, just like your father, err mother?" He saw that she warmly accepted the compliment. "A vampire killed him?"
"He was going to die anyways. He'd been separated from my father for nearly a year."
"How were they separated," Carlisle finally spoke.
"My father died near the end of the battle," Edie bit out. It was clear that any further investigation would've been unwise.
"I'm a man of science. The evidence is clear and overwhelming and I find myself doubting its findings."
"I understand Grandpa. People only see what they want to see. It's only when the truth is screaming in their face that they open themselves up to a greater reality. Still, people are stubborn. Do you want to hear the rest of the story?"
"Please."
"With the pack split in two, their forces were weak. Aro came and wanted to take the wolves prisoner as they tried to do with the Children of the Moon. Seth was the first to die."
Sue took shallow breaths. "Who killed him?"
"The person that killed Seth won't get a chance to do it this time," Edie reassured her. "It's actually kind of funny, though. I guess some things are just meant to happen." She smirked the way her father smirked. "Rosalie was always meant to kill your son's killer. She's always been my favorite."
"You're favorite," asked Esme.
"When I was little and you were trying to explain things to me, you would tell me these stories about the Doctor, the Soldier, the Pixie, the Bear, and my favorite was the Puma. When I grew older, I started to relate more to Puma. We were both brought into this life without a choice and we desperately wanted to be normal. To have a family."
"What happened next?"
"Everyone died. They never even got to say goodbye because Sam took it upon himself to banish them from the reservation. You and Kah were the only survivors, not including me." Suddenly, Edie felt vertigo.
"Are you all right," asked her Grandpa.
"I'm fine Grandpa." The dizziness was trying to take her again. Her vision became red as she tried to overcome her sudden handicap. Edie closed her eyes and was granted an image of the moon soaked in blood. 'No.' "Where are Mom and Dad? I need to stop them!"
"They wanted to be alone tonight," Billy explained.
"The cliffs, then." She zoomed outside toward her parents' private spot, but it was barren. Esme and Carlisle were the only ones able to follow her. "Where are they," she pleaded.
"Tell us what's so urgent," Carlisle answered.
A Few Miles from Edward and Jacob's Cabin
Instead of responding to her Grandpa, she turned to the moon and watched as it 's white light began to taint in crimson. Edie knelt to the grass and began to sense out her parents' bond. They were in a cottage five miles North of the Cullen mansion. She was getting close, but grew weaker. Edie was on her knees, crawling on the soft earth of the clearing where she lost her family.
Her actions brought on the attention of the rest of her family as they witnessed her struggle at the edge of the field. They attempted to aid her, but the guttural sound coming from her mouth warned them, "Don't move!"
They behaved like loyal subjects and obeyed her command. Edie's eyes glowed bright green even as her body weakened, or so she believed. The power of the Blood Moon made her body malleable to her to her new transformation, a new form known only to the Blood Moon itself and emotionally denied by its subject.
The motionless Alice stared at the eyes that had obtained her curiosity since their first training session. They were the eyes of the monster Edie had warned them about, though the hybrid neglected to mention that she was the very same creature. The wolves and the vampires could only watch as the Blood Moon shone its crimson light at the time-traveler.
The light eradicated her clothing and lifted her just above the canopy. The mark on Edie's back glowed and the two wolves inside the emblem stepped out of the circular barrier and began to dance across Edie's skin. Each wolf left a trail as they traveled across their half of her body. Each traced a pattern with an ancient spell of protection being written as the wolves traveled. From a distance, the design looked like armor.
When each wolf was done with their leg and arm, one traveled to Edie's heart and the other went to her forehead. The one closest to her heart drew a spiral pattern and the one on her face created a vine-like band across her forehead. In the end, both wolves went back to their place inside the Quileute pack symbol.
Edie's eyes were glazed over; She was in control now. The creature appeared immovable; not frozen, but certainly unwavering. "Come forth my subjects, as you will be judged for your crimes." Her voice was calm and commanding.
Everyone followed suit. They weren't in control of their bodies. Each of them tried their best to resist, especially the vampires. They had never known this type of lack of control. Even when they were newborns, they consciously knew of their unquenchable thirst for blood. However, the wolves had a different experience with this type of command. Even so, they would never obey someone other than their alpha, knowingly. They all kneeled before Her as She descended upon them. "I find two guilty souls among you. Alice Cullen and Samuel Uley."
"You're wrong!" Jasper proclaimed. "What could Alice possibly be guilty of?"
"Sam is a great leader and friend. Everything he does is for the pack and the tribe," Jared defended the former Alpha.
"Edie, snap out of it," Seth cried.
"You have a mission, remember," Rosalie reminded the trapped hybrid. "You're not going to let this bitch take over before you can save your family before you can save us all. Are you?"
Edie heard her aunt and uncle's pleas from the small light in the darkness. She found the strength to barely break free. "Rosalie. Seth," she croaked out. The Blood Moon began to wane and the sky turned back to its midnight hue. The new tattoos on Edie's body disappeared and her body dropped towards the earth; she landed in Emmett's arms and the girls worked to cover her up. Soon, she was wearing one of Leah's spare shorts and Rosalie's zipped up jacket.
"I am so sorry," Edie eventually said with her nose, knees, and forehead touching the grass. "I thought that if I changed enough events, then She would never appear."
"Who is She," asked Alice.
"She is part of me, but I'm not exactly sure who She is. Everything would be much simpler if She didn't exist."
"Is She why you've been blocking me?"
"She's part of the reason. I'm sorry Alice. I'm sorry Sam."
"Out of curiosity," began Sam. "What were our crimes?"
"It doesn't matter because they never happened. I'm going home." Eventually, everyone dispersed and spent the rest of their night contemplating what they had just witnessed and the newborns they would face in the morning.
Everyone who could sleep stayed up until the early morning hours. Those who couldn't stayed up in silence, being plagued by the same things. When Edie got home, she went to bed immediately. Charlie sensed her and went upstairs. In the moment where he opened the door to her bedroom, he didn't see that soldier from the future; he only saw a young girl who needed to be told that things were going to be okay. Even if that was something he wasn't completely sure of himself.
A Clearing near Forks
Oddly enough, while everyone else was too wired to sleep, Jacob and Edward (who had no use for sleep) were knocked out. They knew everything that had happened that night leading up to that final orgasm, except what happened afterwards. They didn't get the chance to enjoy the afterglow and they ignored the marks they had left on each other.
They arrived at the battlefield with time to spare. "I can't wait to tell them. Maybe they already know." Jacob stayed close to his fiancée.
"Alice definitely knows; she's speeding toward us with wedding details in mind."
True enough, Alice received the couple's news just two hours earlier. Despite the events of the night before, she went into full wedding-planner mode. Immediately, Alice started pouring out all sorts of ideas, themes, and wedding details.
Jacob's wolfy smirk was on display. 'At least she gave us a few hours of peace.'
'We were lucky to even have that, Love.'
'Love? Is that gonna be your thing now?'
'You've always been my Love. Just like you were last night.'
Jacob smirked, 'Who knew my leech was such a sap and a pervy one at that?' He chuckled.
"What's so funny?" The hybrid asked with her gold eyes "returned" to her face.
"Sunshine!" Jacob was surprised to see Edie at the field when she adamantly expressed her absence.
"Why aren't you with your group?" Edward asked in response to the others' thoughts.
"I just came to wish you all luck. Carlisle, did you bring the vial with you?"
"How did you...?" The doctor reached into his pocket and tossed her the vial. "Alice told me to bring it."
"Who do you think showed her the vision?"
"Really?" Alice was astonished. She thought the vision came from one of Jasper's decisions.
"I can't have any of you die because we weren't smart enough to utilize every asset."
"That's your blood," Edward stated definitively.
"Yup."
"What do you want us to do?"
"Get ready and get into your positions." Jacob and Edward were the last to pull away. "Jacob? I...um, here."
She reached into her pocket and placed a leather braided necklace with a loop on one end and a crystal bead on the other. "It's really nice. Thank you. Kinda long though."
"It's not for...It's supposed to go around your neck. It's long enough that it won't choke you when you phase."
"That's very thoughtful of you. I appreciate it."
"Anything for me?" The bronze-haired vampire interjected.
"Only my undying devotion, my prince." She genuflected.
The trio had a good laugh before Edie was left alone in the center. The Quileute had phased and the vampires were downwind. Edie uncorked the test tube and dropped the bottle. As soon as she opened the container, she raced to her group who were on the outskirts of La Push.
It was stampede of vampires. Being teenagers, they made it into a game. Each of them was counting the number of newborns they killed in their head. So far, Paul and Emmett were in the lead. They gathered the corpses in the middle where Edie's blood was. Alice quickly built a fire and the bodies began to burn.
Esme and Carlisle noticed a newborn hiding in the bushes and moved to attack. However, when they got closer, they didn't see someone as bloodthirsty as they others. They saw a genuinely scared little girl with slit eyes and long black hair. "Please." Carlisle and Esme looked at each other with their minds made up.
Jacob and Edward had been searching for Victoria for the entire battle. The entire field had been devoid of the redhead. Jacob had noticed early on that the newborns had been avoiding them, specifically, Edward during the fight. He tried reading their minds, but they were too crazy to make out anything clearly. 'It's like they were saving Ed for last, or something.'
'Not for last,' Edward pointed out. 'For Victoria. Here she comes and she has a friend with her that's aiming for you.'
'Don't die on me, Bloodsucker.'
'Same to you, Mutt.'
'I love you.' They expressed at the same time.
Out of the canopy, came a female vampire with long red curls and a deranged and determined look in her eye. Her male companion had dark blond hair and a pointed chin. He never strayed too far from his "mate". Edward had deduced that Victoria had played with the boy's mind to make him think so. His senses kept searching the field. Victoria non-verbally instructed her companion as he advanced to Jacob.
"Riley, if you attack, you will die. She knows this. She just wants you out of the way so she won't have to deal with you anymore."
"I know of your mind-tricks, Cullen. I won't be fooled," Riley bellowed.
"Don't you see, you're already a fool? Has she ever told you about her mate, James?"
Victoria rapidly grabbed Edward by the neck, preparing to twist his head off his shoulders. Jacob reached for Victoria but was being blocked by Riley who was aiming for his torso. Then, all movement stopped. A boom went off and trees were being knocked down by the massive force running through them.
"Let. Them. Go." A guttural voice came from the canine-like creature. It crouched on two legs and its teeth were pronounced and sharpened into fine tips. The eyes glowed green in an almost nuclear-like way. Its legs were bending backwards like a dog and the nails looked like actual claws and every muscle was more defined. The hair flowing over its shoulders shined in an almost bronze color.
Fifteen seconds ago…Quileute Border
The hybrid was experiencing pain and felt danger coming close, but not near her. She began to morph into a canine-like creature with a humanoid shape. Emily quickly stepped away from her and went behind Brady and Collin. The result of her transformation was more animal than human and it growled.
It poised itself for an attack and in a guttural voice, it cried, "Kah! Hayda!" (Mom! Dad! [in Quileute]) The creature left in a boom and it left a translucent, protective dome surrounding the entire reservation. The people she deserted were dumbfounded.
A Clearing near Forks
With Victoria and Riley distracted, Jacob and Edward made their escape. The creature crawled in front of them protectively. The opposing vampires visibly flinched at the sight of it.
Knowing that Jacob and Edward were securely behind her, the creature stood tall and spoke in a deep and intimidating voice. "Kneel and submit!" Victoria and Riley obeyed the creature's orders and bared their necks at her. "American Nomad Victoria, you are charged with threat of exposure to our kind by means of creating newborns. How do you plead? Speak!"
"Guilty! I mean, guilty!" Victoria tried to lie but was unable to.
"Why risk exposure?"
"I didn't care. If I avenge my mate James, then I don't care if we're exposed."
The creature peered at her coldly. "Your creations have been nearly eradicated. As for your punishment, it will be dealt by your near-victim." Edward took his cue from the creature and decapitated Victoria and tossed her in the bonfire. The creature then turned to Riley and her eyes softened. "Riley Biers. What will you choose, now that you know the truth?"
"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "It's not like I can stay; they'll kill me. And I can't go home."
"There's a battle coming." She explained and in more detail, "Bigger than this one and it will define the future of our kind. I would like for you to join me."
"And be a pawn again?" He responded sarcastically.
"Not a pawn, a knight. I would be your teacher. I will protect you. Be warned, you will need to adapt to our vegetarian lifestyle if you agree."
"Fine. I accept," Riley agreed, thinking he had no other choice.
The creature then motioned for Riley to stay behind her as she approached Edward and Jacob, who hadn't phased back. "Are you two okay?" The creature's voice was still deep and awe-inspiring.
"Yes, thanks to you," Edward cautiously replied.
All the canine-like attributes from the creature then suddenly retreated. The hybrid that they knew and loved was in its place. "Thank God!" she exclaimed in her normal voice as she wrapped her arms around the couple and hugged them with full force.
"Sunshine?" Edward was in disbelief. The girl he had come to know was the terrifyingly powerful creature. He gently pushed her away to get a better look at her, he cupped her face and brushed away the strands of hair that were in the way. "I can't believe this. You've been the 'monster' this whole time and you kept it from us."
"I didn't know I would be the 'monster'. I thought that if I changed enough events in this period, then it wouldn't appear. I was going to tell you after we fought the newborns."
Sam interrupted, 'What happened to Emily? Why did you leave the imprints and Brady and Collin behind?'
Edward translated, "Sam wants to know..."
"I know." Edie reminded him, "I can still link with them, remember? They were never in danger. I put up one of my shields around them and the reservation."
"Guys," Alice interrupted. "The wolves need to get out of here, quickly."
"The Volturi are coming, but only four of them," Edward confirmed. Jacob gathered his troops and ran the hell out of there.
"Hey, Girl behind Carlisle," Edie called out. "Come over here and stand next to Riley." The female newborn was hesitant. "I won't hurt you, but if you want to live past this hour, you need to do what I say. What's your name?"
"Bree. Bree Tanner."
"Bree, my name is Edie. I promise I won't let them hurt you." Bree stood next to Riley and they were engulfed in a lavender translucent orb that was only visible to Edie.
"If you run, you can still make it to the house," Edward suggested.
"She doesn't have time," Alice retorted. "If she runs now, and they catch her, we're all going to be taken in."
"She's the fastest person I know, she can make it."
"Alice is right," said Edie. "Your lives are not something I'm willing to risk."
"You haven't transformed back all the way; your eyes are still green. They'll mistake you for human. How are we going to explain that?"
Edie secretly pulled out a contact solution bottle from one of her jean short pockets. Soon enough, her eyes turned vampire gold. She didn't bother explaining herself, "Emmett."
Emmett understood the silent cue. He hoisted her in the air and gave her the biggest bear hug he could muster and coating her with his scent. The family closed in behind Carlisle and were instinctively hiding Edie from direct sight.
The twins Alec and Jane were at the center of the group with Felix and Demetri at both sides. Edward was scanning their minds; they mostly thought about the newborns. "I see our interference is not needed," Jane spoke with a bored expression as she always does. She subtly sniffed the air. "You missed one."
Edie mentally reassured the actual newborns. "The one behind Emmett Cullen. You forgot to kill her."
"There must be a mistake," Carlisle suggested. "Edie is over seventy years old and has been with us for nearly a year."
"Then what are we smelling" Demetri questioned.
"May I speak?" Edie asked in a demure voice.
"Of course," said Jane. Though she never planned to give the girl a chance and immediately attacked her with her mental pain gift. She was dumbstruck; it had no effect on the suspected newborn. Suddenly, she was on the ground silently screaming in pain. Though, no one took notice because it was all going on inside her mind. Then her brother, Alec, tried to get her attention back in the present.
"You're probably smelling the corpses," Edie politely explained. "If it would please you, Felix could test my strength. I heard he's the strongest vampire in your coven."
Soon enough, Felix and Edie were standing on opposite sides of the other on the field where many newborns had died hardly half an hour ago. The fight began immediately with both opponents racing to the middle. Punches were thrown and dodged. Though, it ended almost as soon as it began. The moment Edie touched Felix's left arm, it shattered into fine dust.
Felix shuddered. This was beyond his wildest imagination. No one had ever broken off his arm, let alone, shatter it beyond recognition. There was no sound. Everyone was stunned, to say the least, even Edie. She thought of a way to fix her mistake. This was meant to be a demonstration of her power, she never meant to leave Felix handicapped.
"Newborn!" Demetri reached out to his fallen comrade. He signaled Alec to incapacitate her.
All at once, Alec was trying to delay his smoke and Edward rushed in to save Edie. "Stop!" Felix commanded. "She's not a newborn." He clarified, "No newborn has that much control."
"Control?" Demetri rebutted, "She disintegrated your arm! She must be dealt with."
"I can fix it," Edie swore. She gently tapped the edge of what was left of Felix's arm. A new arm grew in its place. "I hope it is to your satisfaction, Felix."
It was time for them to leave and they would take an interesting tale with them to tell Aro. Before they got too far, Edie sent a mental message to Alec to meet her when possible. When they left, Edie took down the shield around Bree and Riley.
Cullen Residence
They traveled home without a word spoken. The pack was there waiting for them and for answers. The first being as to why there were two newborns left alive. Their thoughts were all over the place; there was the what happened, the why are they here, etc. Mostly they wanted to know about Edie's newfound transformation.
Jacob whistled sharply, "Everyone, shut up! First things first, the weapons have been destroyed and the imprints are in their homes."
"Good," Edie simply replied.
"They're kind of pissed because they didn't get any action," Collin commented.
"Tough titties. I told them I'd train them. I never said they would fight. I was clear; humans have no chance against vampires."
"Second order of business," Jacob continued before things escalated away. "The Cullens have adopted a newborn."
"Don't you mean two?" Paul scoffed.
"Bree was the only one invited to join the family. Riley doesn't have to join the family if he doesn't want to," the hybrid clarified.
"Is he like your new boyfriend or something," the question came out hesitantly from Brady.
They waited anxiously for her response. "Riley isn't my boyfriend, Brady. He's my new student."
"Why do you suddenly need a student? Aren't we enough?" Jasper questioned.
"We could always use more soldiers."
"You know, those half-answers are starting to get old," Sam's low voice cut through the air.
"That's the best I can do under the circumstances."
"Sunshine," Jacob interrupted. "We're gonna need some actual answers eventually. Which brings me to the third order of business; what did we see out there?"
Edward continued, "Carlisle and Esme went to meet you last night and today you can turn into a…a… I don't know what to call it. A wolf-girl? Tell us. Don't we at least deserve an explanation? We're your friends, your family." They were nearly a foot apart. He stared down at her with kind and stern eyes. She gazed at her father with defiance with the same scowl she had used as a child.
It was a battle of wills and they all knew it. She was the first to turn away. 'Why did it have to be you?' Edward was confused over the thought, but didn't show it. She continued, "Last night, I asked Carlisle, Esme, Billy and Sue to meet me. I wanted to tell them why I had been acting the way I have been acting. I thought that if I told them first, then it would be easier to tell you. I'm an alcoholic. My poison of choice is grain alcohol."
"That stuff can kill you. It can kill us," Jared exclaimed.
"After my grandma died, I started with the small stuff; a twelve pack of beer, maybe some vodka or tequila, but nothing made the pain go away. I had tried grain one other time before and I swore off it afterwards, but then I remembered it was the only thing that could numb me. The next thing I knew, I broke into a liquor store and stole their whole supply. I didn't wake up until four days later."
"And your transformation?" Edward encouraged her.
Edie started with a bit of background, "I met my parents a few months ago."
"You met your parents?" Jacob interrupted.
"Well, I saw them while I was feeding…Anyway, last night they–"
"What are their names? What were they like? Do you look like them? What did you say to them?" The Cullens and the pack spouted out their questions.
"That's not the point," Edie stressed. She bore her eyes towards Edward and Jacob. "I didn't want to interfere with their lives, but last night I had to. After I finished telling my story, I felt uncomfortable. Somewhere deep in my gut I felt a pull and it hurt. When the moon turned red, I knew what was going on; I tried to sense out my parents so I could stop them, but I was too late. I turned into this creature and I blacked out somewhere in the middle."
"It was weird," Seth explained. "It was like she was a whole different person and she had this, like, tattoo armor and like a crown on her head."
"She commanded us," said Embry. "It was like an Alpha Order."
"The vamps had to obey too," Quil contributed.
"It was as if we were her subjects and she was the queen," Emmett was still in awe.
"We couldn't physically disobey her," said Rosalie. "But she left us with control over our voices and minds."
"I remember you and Seth were calling out to me and that's when I snapped back," Edie thanked them.
"So, last night, the moon turned red and that made you more powerful?" Jacob tried to make sense out of the new information. "Carlisle, is something like this possible?"
"Theoretically, a force of nature can cause a type of metamorphosis on certain organisms," the doctor confirmed.
"What I can't understand is, why was there a lunar eclipse last night if there were no indications of one happening at all," Edward directed the question to Edie.
"Why are you asking me?"
"You're the one from the future."
"It doesn't mean I know everything! None of my PhDs are in astrophysics. I have an MD, but that's beside the point."
"That is exactly the point," Edward proclaimed. "You keep yourself hidden from us and it's making it difficult to trust you." He calmly added, "Sunshine, we love you. We understand that everyone has a past that they would rather forget."
"What we're trying to say is," Jacob added. "Can you at least promise us that you'll open up more?" He gently brushed off the loose strands of hair from your face and tucked them behind her ear. "Trust goes both ways; we trusted you with our lives and I need you to give that back just a little at a time."
'I'm so glad it's you.' She leaned into his warm palm. "Okay."
"Now, why did you need a new student?"
"It's more like I needed a secret weapon."
"Why is he the secret weapon?"
"Because him and Bree didn't survive in my time. The Volturi took care of the newborns before they became a problem here."
"So, this problem was a result of your interference," said Sam.
"Maybe, but we used it our advantage; we gained great practice."
"Practice? This wasn't that great battle you were going on about?"
"Definitely not. It was a miscalculation on my part. I thought I came here with just enough time to train you, but no plan is perfect."
"A huge miscalculation, if you thought the newborns were going to be any sort of challenge."
Riley growled at that. "Calm down," she commanded. "Ladies and gentlemen, the real work begins now. Before, I just needed you to survive, but now, we're going to win."
"Win? Against the Volturi," Jasper was skeptical. "Do you realize how powerful their guard is? Aro has the greatest offence in the world and his defense is pretty damn strong too."
"I know. I was part of that guard."
"You were part of their future guard, you know nothing of the one of this time."
"I've spent the last fifteen years of my imprisonment studying the minds of everyone in that coven. I've looked over more strategies than you could possibly imagine and they all have one weakness; Aro. His arrogance is greater than his fear. That is how we will win."
"You really hate Aro, don't you," Edward stated. He made this conclusion from the words that she said and didn't say and from Jasper's own findings on her emotions.
"Hating him serves me no purpose. His ambition is a danger to the planet, so he must be stopped." Edie answered him matter-of-factly.
"Did you only come to us so we could do what you couldn't do yourself? Are we even friends or are we just your pawns?"
"Ed!"
Edward ignored Jacob's outburst. "Is everything you ever told us just a trick? A rouse so we would play along with your schemes? Do you even care about us?" His voice cracked with the last question.
"That is enough, Edward," Carlisle scolded.
"I don't need you to defend me, Carlisle," Edie spoke adamantly. She addressed everyone in the room. "Yes, I do care about you; which means that I won't let my emotions distract me from saving you. You are all important to me."
"Edie," said Jasper. "I believe I speak for all of us when I say we feel the same way. However, you can't blame us for being wary, especially after the last 24 hours."
"I know. Look, I'm not asking you to trust me. I want you to, but," she sighed. "After last night, I realized that some things will just happen because I have no control over them. It fucking irritates me, but it doesn't mean that I will stop doing whatever is necessary for you."
"I'm almost afraid to ask," Leah murmured, but she knew they could hear her. "How far are you willing to go for us?" She was fearful at what the hybrid's answer would be.
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes for you all to lead happy lives," the time-traveler confessed and her eyes expressed determination.
There are dozens of words that could fit this scenario, but shock seems to sum it up better than most. The newest blonde male vampire was the only one brave enough to speak. "Who are you?"
With a tiny grin, she responded, "My name is Edie. Riley, you can still leave. You don't need to be confined by our rules. I'll even lead you to our borders so you can begin your own life."
This woman overwhelmed Riley in the short hour that he had known her. It was curiosity, no, interest, or possibly fear, that kept him near. He had every opportunity to leave. She didn't restrain him with her powers, though, he knew she could. Jacob had read this from his mind and more while Edward was trying to decrypt Sunshine's mind. "You saved my life even after I tried to kill your friends. It doesn't make sense. All this drama makes even less sense. Why did you choose me out of all the others?"
"If you leave, you'll never know."
"Fine. I'll let you teach me."
"That's one problem solved," said Jacob. "On to the next one, where is he going to stay?"
"We have at least a day to figure it out. For now, let's celebrate. We survived the newborns and you two are engaged!" Edie spoke with excitement.
"That's right," Alice squealed. "Who proposed to who?"
"We proposed to each other," Edward responded. Everyone agreed to leave the celebrations to tonight. For now, everyone dispersed to their families and imprints. They thanked whatever deity was in-charge for their lives and prayed that they would overcome their next obstacle. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and while Edie was trying to steal away her brand-new student, the newest Cullen daughter decided to follow them.