Long ago, I honed my ability so that I could change the flavor of animal blood to that of a human. So biting Al wasn't a problem. My problem was that I was a glutton since my ability was fueled by my consumption. The conscious effort required not to drink Al's blood was utterly painful. Thankfully for me, I had Emmett coaxing me to remain steadfast and not drink my friend dry. I didn't show my appreciation to him well though. I growled at him, my predatory sense was that powerful. Treating Emmett like that put me in a dark place. Emmett was the light in my life after all.

I didn't swallow the blood and instead produced as much venom as I could. I felt the cold, viscous fluid mingle with Al's blood before it made its way into the artery and towards Al's heart. One bite was all that was needed, but I hit her wrists and ankles for good measure. At first, I didn't think that it was going to work. I knew the venom was beginning to circulate, I could literally see it, but it was too slow. It was like gunky sludge making its way through gummed up pipes, Al's broken body. But the more it traversed, the faster it went. The blood was consumed and turned to more venom. The process was exponential.

Suddenly, Al's piercing scream breached the silence in the room. It was awful. I didn't need Jasper's ability to feel her pain and anguish. The transition is hard on everyone.

Al cried out, "I'm on fire!"

I knew nothing we could do or offer her that would comfort her. A few years ago, Bella had confessed that the morphine used in her transformation only made things worse. So instead, I held my friend's hand and told her what she was becoming. She didn't protest or disagree with me at all. I suppose when your going through the hell, you'll believe anything if only to focus on something that wasn't the hell. She yelled for me to stop it, to make it go away, to end her. I ignored her pleas because I knew I would've said anything to have made the transition stop. I still tremble when I think about my own change.

Silently, I made her a promise though. If she didn't like what she would become, I would help her end it. Thankfully, Edward wasn't around to catch that, but regardless, it was a promise I would offer to Al when she had the ability to make a rational choice. How rational was suicide though? I guess I just didn't want her to hate me. I did make the choice for her.

I didn't leave Al's side during her transition. Seth didn't leave either. He may have had an awkward relationship with this person, but I could tell he cared for her. She was the first human to really befriend us. She wasn't fazed by our weirdness and our beauty didn't bedazzle her. That was refreshing to say the least.

While I held Al's hand, Emmett would come to check in on me. Slowly, cautiously, he would rub my back, clearly unsure of what he could say to me. That man was my rock though. I was lucky to have him. I guess I would have to remind him of that when the situation calmed down.

As three days passed and the venom worked itself across Al's body, I took the time to really survey the transition. Her spine was fractured, her hip destroyed, and the internal bleeding would have killed her within an hour. Carlisle gave me that last bit of information and it gave me some solace. When I bit her, I wasn't fully sure she would die from her injuries if I didn't act. I didn't want to be her killer. So I guess I had to settle for sire. It is hard to call venom magically. Yes, it did reset her spine and hip, and stopped the bleeding, but the pain… The pain—both mental and physical was so immense that to characterize venom as magical was plain ironic.

Slowly, Al's body transformed. The most sickening sounds were when her bones reset themselves—a sickening crack reverberated in the room ever time. Most of her body was bruised from the fall, but it was changing to the ever-familiar porcelain granite. Her normal scent returned, but heightened. She smelled sweet like all vampires do. Seth had to excuse himself to get a fresh breath of air a few times. He was used to us, but a new vampire meant a new scent to avoid puking over. Al's hair had always been beautiful, she always took hygiene and beauty to the next level, but now it was an immaculate blonde rivaling even Rosalie. Rosalie. Ah, fuck.

She hadn't talked to me in three days. She would come in to check on Al periodically, but never muttered a word. The silence was ominous. It didn't help matters that there was a Rosalie-sized hole in the wall that nobody repaired. It was probably that everyone was ignoring it like the elephant in the room.

What was Rose's problem?

When Al didn't show up at home after the party, her parents filed a missing person's report. It didn't take long for the police to track down her last known location and the local K9 unit found her coat, torn and blood-stained, wrapped around the rocks where she landed. The police concluded that no one could've survived the fall and that with the tide must have carried her body out to sea. The police report was issued yesterday. It was perfect cover for us, but Al would still have to cope with the fact she could never return home again. She was effectively dead to her family, and had to remain so for her family's safety. Al would be a bloodthirsty newborn, and soon.

Her heartbeat slowed to a putter and then was silent. The transition was complete and Al's whimpering went silent as well. She was still as a statue and I had to actively remind myself that she wasn't dead—at least based on my definition at least.

Carlisle entered the room trailed by the rest of the family. I fell in line behind him, but vigilant as to the need for my talent. A vampire couldn't run or punch, or do anything for that matter when they can't use the ground push off, or reach an object or person.

"Allison," Carlisle called quietly. "Open your eyes, sweetheart."

A shrill snarl escaped her mouth and I knew it wasn't good. Her eyes flashed open. They were blood red and angry. Before Carlisle could stop her, she pile drove him through the brick wall opposite the first hole Rose created. The boathouse couldn't handle the loss of support and came crashing down upon us. Frantic, I pulled myself from the rubble and surveyed the damage looking for Emmett. I had to make sure he was all right. I mean, I knew such was a mistake because Emmett was Emmett. But still, it was Emmett.

Meanwhile, Al was trying to get her hands around Carlisle. If she did, she could rip him a new asshole, literally. I flashed before to her and tried to reason with her. My voice didn't calm her and she charged at me instead. "Nope!" I yelled, doing a reverse somersault and catching her frame with the feet flipping her back into the debris. It took her a fraction of a second to hiss and high tail it towards my throat. I lifted her with my mind and held her there, immobile. She only became more enraged. "Allison, please!" I pleaded. "Focus on the sound of my voice. You know it. You know me. Breath."

"What's her problem?" Seth asked, dusting debris from his torn shirt.

"I can relate," Bella pointed out. "She's thinking too fast. There is too much stimuli. Keep going, Logan. She seemed to react to your voice."

Taking Bella's encouragement, I repeated myself to Al. "You know me. I'm your friend. I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you. Breath in… And out… I'm going to let you down now. Just remain calm and we'll sort this all out."

Al's eyes fell to the ground as her toes hit too. She stopped breathing. It wasn't necessary function so it wasn't automatic. We would have to work on that.

"Allison?" Esme crooned. "It will be okay, honey."

"Mighty fine mess you got us into, aye, Logan?" Seth joked. Any humor in the situation was lost however when Al caught sight of Seth. He had a gash on his wrist and it was oozing blood. It smelled rancid to me, the wolf thing and all, but to Al, who didn't know any better, reacted like a typical newborn. Her eyes were mesmerized by the dripping liquid. Briefly though, almost cautiously, she met Seth's eyes.

A long, hard moment ensued, ended only by Seth dropping to his knees, his mouth agape. He kept Al's gaze and matched it with his own.

I knew that look.

Al was a blur, aiming for Seth's jugular vein.

Seth didn't react. Seth didn't phase. Seth didn't want to hurt his imprint, even to defend himself.

Thankfully, Edward clotheslined Al. She did a somersault of her own and Bella and Edward moved to restrain her. It was only after Emmett locked a vice grip around her waist did it appear that Al was contained.

She growled, the bloodlust overtaking any rationality or conscious thought. Or was it another type of lust?

Seth rose from his feet and approached. I cut him off. "What are you doing?!" I yelled.

"Get out of my way. Can't you see she's in pain?" Seth didn't even make eye contact with me. He kept it on Al's blood red eyes.

"She's in pain now because she's thirsty. Imprinting only magnified it. You're bleeding anyways. That's what's hurting her!" Alice said.

I grabbed at Seth's arm and wretched it into his field of vision. The blood was the color of Al's eyes. Seth relaxed a smidgen.

"Let me take her hunting first, then we can deal with… this," Carlisle suggested.

Seth nodded once.

"Logan, there are too many people on the island. We have to take her north. Do you think you can keep her controlled?" Carlisle asked.

"We're going to have to go pretty far north," Emmett added, struggling to hold onto Al.

"If Emmett's going, I'm totally going!" Seth said.

"I do not believe that is a good idea, son," Carlisle replied. "You are too much of a distraction now. Besides, she could go after you."

I nodded in agreement.

Seth turned abruptly and phased.

"I'll keep him occupied," Jake yelled following Seth into the woods.

Emmett and Carlisle held Al by each arm, but even so, she was stronger than both of the men combined. I followed the three as backup as we traversed into the interior of Maine. There would be plentiful game up here and a lesser chance of running into a human. Al didn't need murder on her conscious, unless she chose to however. I may be a Cullen now, but I would never force anyone into a life choice of drinking animals over humans, or vice versa. That was an individual choice, but one that is harder to make after you have tasted human blood. Jasper was the pinnacle example of this reality. This way, by having Al taste animal blood first, she could learn to handle the bitter stuff before she decided that the sweet, human elixir was more her style.

We were deep in the forest now and the wildlife was bountiful. "What's going on, Logan?" Al asked. "What is all this?"

"We can talk about it once you have hunted," Carlisle interjected. "Just close your eyes and let your other senses take over."

Confusion was plastered across her face, but she did as Carlisle suggested.

Carlisle rubbed his hands together. "What do you hear?"

"Heartbeats. Many of them," Al growled. She wasn't angry with Carlisle. It was just the hunt taking over her for the first time. We always remember our first time. For me, I had two first times. One human. One animal.

"Okay," Carlisle whispered. "Now let your senses take over your body, let them tell your body where to go. Your instincts will carry you the way. Enjoy the hunt."

Al's eyes flashed open wildly. They caught my own for a millisecond before she jumped high over Emmett and I. She landed with a graceful thud and flashed through the woods at impeccable speed.

"She might give Eddieboy a run for his money," Emmett quipped, jostling a backpack to his other shoulder.

Where did he get that? I wondered.

"I am going to follow close to Allison," Carlisle informed. "You boys keep distant. You know what the first kill is like. The first feed."

"Yuck," I commented.

Emmett gagged. "Yeah, she'll be pissed." He laughed.

"I was going to say disconcerting," Carlisle interjected. Her senses are going to tell her animal blood is all wrong and she probably will not take the presence of three vampires well. One will have to suffice to explain it to here. "But yes, Logan should have to deal with this."

Bam. Guilt hit my stomach. Was Carlisle being serious? Is this my problem—alone?

Carlisle laughed lightly. "Loosen up, son." He slapped my back. "She would be dead had you not acted. Take some happiness in that."

I guess.

Carlisle took off in the direction Al had gone. Emmett and I followed at a slower pace. The forest parted for a small creek running downward towards a pond. A flock of geese was taking off, clearly spooked by our presence. I found Al's glamorous blond hair beaming around the pond.

"I hope she's not aiming for the birds," Emmett said, wrapping his hands around my waist from behind. "Double yuck."

"Don't have a penchant for waterfowl?" I asked rhetorically. The image of Emmett drinking duck's blood after losing a bet with Jasper years ago made me chuckle. "Ouch!" I yelped.

Emmett removed his fingers that had conveniently jabbed them into my sides. "I know exactly what your thinking, Logan Cullen. Not fucking funny."

"Mmmmmm," I replied, pushing my ass into the front of Emmett's sandblasted chino pants.

Emmett growled harshly into my ear and I shuddered at the raw power he threatened to unleash on me. To my surprise however, Emmett pulled away from me and started to rummage through his backpack.

I returned my gaze to Al. She was stalking something, and thankfully it wasn't a bird. I tasted the air and caught the scent of an elk. "Big prize, Al. Go for it," I said to myself. In a whirl, she hopped clear across the pond and onto the back of the largest male elk I had ever seen. He had been feeding in the weeds, safely obscured from vision of most predators. Most, but not all.

With the grace of a ballerina, Al threw the beast, who had to weigh more than a car, over her head and out of the water. With a little coaching from Carlisle, Al found the elk's jugular vein and bit through the skin easily. I cringed when the beast stomped Al in the face several times, but the sound of granite reminded me that Al was a hell of a lot sturdier now. The beast quieted then, realizing its end was drawing near.

I diverted my attention back to Emmett who was holding out a fresh set of clothes to me.

"You've been in your party wear for three days," he said. "I just thought you would like something fresh. I mean you smell great and I know you're not dirty, but Alice gave this to me and all." I looked at my attire. It was caked with dried, dead blood, and torn in places where I too got caught in the rocks trying to pull Al free as best I could. Emmett always knew what I needed, even if Alice was the one who packed the bag for him.

I changed in a flash. Now, I had a long sleeved white shirt with a navy crew over it, light wash blue jeans, and carpenter boots. Handing my bloodied, torn clothes back to Emmett, he put them into the back pack, all whilst staring at my form.

"You look good in navy," Emmett said as he kissed me passionately. "Anything blue makes your eyes, well, fucking sexy." Eloquent, Em. But I would take it. Emmett is crass, but I would take it any day. Any fucking day.

Al stalked about the forest again, having drained her elk dry. She gagged only a little bit on the beast and was eager to find more blood. She was a newborn and their appetite would unceasing. We followed her while she was on the trail of another animal, a deer herd. She slaughtered each one of them and drank them dry. We would have to educate her on selective hunting—aim for the sick, old, and male. Leave the females and a few males for reproduction, and definitely the kids. Evolution of the species and all. Right now though, Al's first hunting trip, it was basic, primal, where the sole goal was satiation.

While we waited for Al to get her fill, Emmett dropped his backpack to the ground and I asked there was anything other then my blood-stained clothes. He said no and I flicked my fingers, causing a flame to erupt. As the flames consumed my clothes—the evidence of a human's demise—Emmett joked that they should make hiking packs flame retardant.

"Or at least Logan-proof," Carlisle joked. Both he and Al joined us at our impromptu bonfire.

"Feeling better, Al?" I asked.

She gulped. There would be an ever-present fire in her throat now, a constant reminder of the thirst that would be her companion into eternity.

"Look, I know you have a lot of questions. And I'm prepared to answer them…" I started. I wanted Al to know she would be all right. I wanted her to know that I would stand by her. I would be here for her.

"You lied to me!" she roared, wrapping her slender fingers around my throat. She was that fucking fast. "I get it. I do. But what the hell!?"

I could say nothing but gag. But my eyes did contact with the burning backpack that was uncomfortably close to my very flammable head. Al's grip could easily detach my head. Uh…

"Back away, Allison." Emmett spoke gritted teeth and put his burly hand on Al's wrist. If he weren't careful, newborn Allison would rip his hand off, which would probably rip my head off. Fuck.

I glanced at the flames again. They were crackling ominously close to our "interaction." Carlisle knew of the danger to and tried to defuse the situation. "Emmett, son," Carlisle said quietly. "It will be okay. Logan will be okay. Just remove your hand from Allison's."

"Carlisle!" he roared. His face said it all though. Angry Emmett is a scary thing, and we were talking about my head.

"As much as your love for me fills," I gurgled over Al's vicegrip, "me with warmthhhh, Em, the warmth of that fire below me is a fucking scary proposition."

Emmett noticed our predicament. He lifted his hand from Al's and backed a step away, his hands above his head. It was like Charlie Swan was about to arrest him. It would've been comical had the situation been different.

"Al, listen to me," I started, struggling to breath and thereby talk. "I did not lie to you. There are rules you see. Rules that I must abide by; rules that you must abide by now too. It's either that or death. The human world can't know about our existence. Vampires do not exist. I didn't lie to you. I protected you."

Al didn't move a finger, but she did respond orally. A loud, unnerving hiss.

Son of a bitch!

I glanced downward and found the flames of this fire spreading in the dry underbrush. I could've snuffed it out with my ability, but that required concentration and I was already fighting my basic instinct of self-preservation as in ripping Al's head off and saving my own skin.

Double son of a bitch!

"Listen to him," I heard a familiar voice say. As if a light switch had been flipped, Al released her grip on my throat and I flitted away from her. Emmett was in front of me a moment latter crouched low to the ground to protect his mate.

Suddenly, Seth appeared out of the underbrush, doing a haphazard job at holding his shorts up.

Thanks for prioritizing me over your pants, buddy! Killing my bonfire with my ability.

Al fell into a defensive crouch and hissed, and Emmett growled back.

"Em…" I put my hand on his shoulder. It was tense and bristling in anticipation. "She's not hissing at you. Look…" I pointed in the direction Al was facing. Seth's direction.

I cautioned Seth with a wave. "Back off!" I turned to Al and sighed. "Al, everything will be alright. I'll answer any question you have, but you need to relax. No one will hurt you. We are here for you. Only you."

Al was fighting with her newfound nature, sentience versus beast. Her nature, like her thirst, would be a companion as well. The key to it all was to strike a balance. Such would take years, but years she had. As did I.

After a few tense moments, Al rose. "I'm," she hesitated, clearling fighting back the urge to fight. Or was it run? She took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm sorry for attacking you, Logan. I just have all these, I don't know, feelings and urges, you know?"

"Like you want to rip someone's head off?" Seth asked with a smile.

"I wasn't aware you knew what a newborn felt," I commented.

He laughed. "Are you kidding? On Bella's first day, she nearly ripped my arm off when she found out Jake imprinted on Ness. Yeah, I know."

"Imprint?" Al asked suddenly. "Imprint?"

Nobody muttered a word. Imprint had quickly become the elephant trampling through the northern Maine forest. I glanced at Seth and he didn't seem to want to discuss the subject either. Perhaps it was because he knew that Al had enough to deal with right now. Imprintors always knew what their imprintees needed and acted accordingly.

"Have you had enough to drink?" Carlisle asked, changing the subject.

Al clawed at her throat like a thirsty man in the desert. She grimaced and cocked her head sideways. She nodded then.

"Good, Allison," Carlisle commented. "You pushed the thirst from your mind. That is a good step."

Al shook her head. "It's not easy."

"It'll always be there," Emmett admitted. "Accept that. Then it's easier to deal with the thirst."

I slunk my hand around his torso and pulled him into my side, nice and tight. So right you are, Emmett.

"We should head home then." Carlisle turned and Emmett, Seth, and I turned as well. Al didn't.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

Al swallowed hard. "I can't go home, can I?"

"Al…"

"DON'T AL ME, LOGAN CULLEN!" she snarled. "IF THAT IS YOUR REAL NAME!"

Shit. Her emotions were all over the place. Yeah, they were heightened, but she was giving me whiplash now. I let go of Emmett and walked over to Al, creating a dividing line. "I'm pulling the Sire Card. You three go. Go now. This conversation is for Allison and I alone."

Seth eyed me suspiciously and I knew he already searching for a way to stay.

Carlisle looked to both Al and I. "We look forward to your return, both of you. Seth, Emmett, we should head back." Our leader had spoken so Emmett disappeared into the forest, as did Seth. He was a little bit more reluctant to go, but once he phased, he disappeared as well. Carlisle gave me a quick nod and was gone as well.

I walked over to log that had fallen horizontal decades to go, planting a seat atop it. Al was still standing in her place, stiff as a statue.

Eventually, she turned and took a seat next to me. "You never call me Allison," she observed.

"You're my friend. You're my Al. Simple as that." And it was.

"I like that," she said with a smile.

After another long pause, I decided it was time to get to it. "Well, what do you want to know?"

Al jerked her head in my direction. Her eyes were a fiery red. Anticipation colored every syllable when she said, "Everything."

Everything, aye? I guess I needed to start at the beginning. My beginning. My first life. And I did. I told her about my human life, as short as it was. My transformation. My ability. How I met Emmett. How Bella came into our lives and how it was forever changed. I told her about James and Victoria, and the space in between including the tribe and its wolves. I told her about the Jake-Bella-Edward pain fest and all the things that happened leading to today. She seemed to keep pace with me quite well, but what with her vampire-enhanced mind, that was to be expected.

But when I told Al about the Volturi Guard and our history with them, panic shot across her face. I did my best to assuage any fears she had reminding myself yet again that all her emotions were heightened.

"But won't they come back? It sounds like you guys totally owned them." Al wasn't completely off base with her comment.

I grinned. "Revenge is a powerful thing."

"What?"

"Uh… It's nothing."

Al gave me the biggest pouty lip I had ever seen and I helped raise Ness Cullen!

"I almost killed a human because he smashed rotten eggs in my house."

Al was incredulous. "You did what!?"

"Almost," I corrected. "The key word is almost."

"Still… Over eggs!?"

"Don't get high and mighty on me little girl! You're bound to rip some heads off in your life! Hell, you almost ripped mine off today!"

Al's eyes made every effort it could to avoid my righteous gaze.

"Mmmmmmm," I responded coolly.

"Wait…" Al eyed my suspiciously. "Little girl? Logan… How old are you?"