ALICE

I followed Edward in the direction that Mike had run while pulling out my phone. The others needed to be aware of what was going on as well. Damon was number one on my speed dial, so I called him.

"What's going on, Alice?" He asked before the first ring had even finished.

"Mike's here." I said. "Edward and I caught him watching the kids. We are following him. Tell the others to keep an extra close watch on things. We don't know if he has an accomplice or not, yet."

"Are you sure it was Mike?" Damon asked. Something about his tone seemed a little off, but I didn't think much of it.

"Edward seems pretty sure, but I will let you know what we find out. Just make sure that the kids are safe." I told him.

"Of course."

I snapped the phone shut and sped up. Edward had always been faster than me, but I could keep up with him when I wanted to. It was a matter of seconds before we reached the spot where we had seen Mike. He had completely disappeared, though. I couldn't even catch his scent. How was that even possible?

"Are you sure it was Mike?" I questioned. "I mean it could've been…"

"I'm positive." Edward growled as he inspected the area around us. "I saw everything he did to Laura and that he is planning to go after Diane next. He wants her to suffer for keeping him away from Laura. We need to make sure she has the same extra protection as Nathan and Andy."

"The Circle is altogether and protected, right now, so we can worry about them later." I told him. "We need to try to find him right now. Maybe if we do we can stop this."

"I doubt we will be able to find him now." Edward said. "If he was a newborn on his own, we'd stand a chance, but whoever he is working with is experienced. They've taught him how to hide, track, and cover his scent. The fact that I can't even catch Mike's scent says that his boss is better than even James was. This isn't going to be easy."

"Should I call Jasper?" I asked. "He has more experience with tracking."

"It's worth a try, I guess." He walked off in the direction that Mike had gone as I pulled my phone back out.

"Al, what's wrong?" Jasper asked in a near panic. "Damon told us that you guys were going after Mike."

"We tried, but he got away. Can you meet us at the south side of the park? We are having a difficult time even finding his scent. I'm hoping you'll be able to get something."

"Sure. We will be there in a minute."

"Thank you." I slid the phone back in pocket. "They are on their way, Edward. Did you find anything?"

"Not a thing." Edward answered coming back out of the trees. "I can't even hear his thoughts anymore. Not that they were very pleasant to begin with. We will talk about what I saw later, but nobody is going to tell Mel what that awful man did to her friend. She has guesses, but she doesn't need to know the truth. She already has too many nightmares."

"I don't know, bro." Jasper said as he came out of the trees. "From what you and Bella told us about the Volturi, it doesn't sound like anything could be worse than what they did."

"Believe me, this was." Edward said. "He did more than rape her, Jasper, he tortured her. And that's exactly what he wants to do to Diane."

"We are not gonna let that happen, Edward." Jasper put his hand on Edward's shoulder.

"Are you getting anything?"

"No, but we should have the pack take a sniff around later. Maybe they can pick up a scent."

"I doubt it, but we need to try everything. Until then, we need to get back to the others. We know who his next target is. We can't let him get to her."

"And we…" I stopped speaking as I was hit with a vision.

Diane's broken and bloody body lying in the alley behind Cassie's apartment complex. She hadn't been drained and didn't appear to have any bite marks on her. It looked as though Mike had killed simply for the sake of killing her.

"Alice?" Jasper asked. I swallowed hard and blinked a couple of times before looking at Jasper.

"We need to put Damon on Diane's protection detail." I said. "He is the only one who will be able to keep Diane alive."

CASSIE

I could tell by the anxious look on Melanie's face that she didn't think that I noticed Edward take off after something. I had noticed, and I was just as anxious as she was to finish this and find out what was going on.

I didn't want to rush Laura's memorial, though. Yes, my other friends' safety was important to me, but honoring Laura was as well. Besides, rushing things would've tip the others off that something was wrong. We didn't need them asking too many questions.

The bottle of rum finally arrived at Andy, and he told the story of how Laura forced him and Melanie to admit their feelings for each other. I looked over to Mel as he was speaking. She was staring at him with tears sparkling in her eyes. It looked as though her anxiety had been replaced with sadness for that relationship lost.

It was so unfair. The supernatural world had ripped her away from her soulmate while bringing mine to me. I wondered if they could ever find a way to be together. Would she ever be able to tell him the truth?

Andy finished his story before I could ponder things too much. This time there was enough alcohol left in the bottle for two people. I poured a little in the empty space next to Andy in honor of Laura. Then I turned to Mel, raised the bottle to her. She gave me a little smile as I poured the remaining liquid in Melanie's spot. I knew it was a little out of character for me to do that, but I felt I needed to acknowledge Mel's presence somehow.

"Laura, you were a beloved member of our circle and you will be forever missed. We hope that you have found peace in death. Your life will never be forgotten."

We shared a minute of silence in her memory, and Andy took the box of rocks from me. I gave them to him reluctantly. Uncle Sam had warned me that he and Nathan would be targets because of their relationship to me and Mel. I didn't want him to go anywhere alone, but I couldn't think of anything to say that would make sense.

"I'll go with you." Nathan stated giving me a small grin. I didn't like sending them together any more than letting Andy go by himself. Nathan, at least, knew to be on the lookout for anything suspicious. Nathan leaned in under the pretense of giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"Your families aren't going to let anything happen to us." He whispered before heading to just inside the tree line to rebury the rocks.

The rest of my friends were in small groups having their own individual conversations, except for Sydney. She was standing over the spot where we had buried Laura's rock. She was sobbing nearly uncontrollably. Taking a deep breath, I walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"It's not fair." She told me. "I want to be here tomorrow. I want that last chance to say goodbye. My mom won't even let me delay my flight. My dad said it was alright, but…" She shook her head.

"I know, honey, but Laura would understand." I whisper to her. Uncle Sam had made it very clear that Sydney needed to get on the plane to Florida at her scheduled time. He couldn't explain why, just that Mel's Uncle Damon had said it was important. And I learned five years ago to never go against what Damon said. "Besides, it might be good for you to get away from all of this."

"Maybe. I'm just not ready to say goodbye, yet. I want more time."

"We all do, love. Unfortunately, this is the only time we were given. We just have to try to let go and move forward. Going to Florida and getting away from all of this might be exactly what you need to do that. You can grieve without having a reminder of her around every corner."

"But I need you guys to get through it." She told me. "If I go to Florida, I won't have anyone. I need you guys."

"And we will all be there for you. You can call or text any of us at any time. And we are all available on Skype. We will still be there to help you through it. We may not be there physically, but we will be there electronically. All you have to do is reach out. We will be there, I promise." She took her hand and swiped at the tears on her cheeks. She nodded, but I didn't think that she believed me. "Would it make you feel better if the Circle went to the airport with you?"

"It would, but Mom wouldn't like it." Sydney answered. "She says that is her time to say goodbye to me, and she refuses to share that time."

I sighed and pulled her closer to me. Ms. Karlson could be a real bitch sometimes. She didn't want anything to do with her daughter until it came time for her to go to Florida, then Sydney became important. During those last few weeks, they would always have mother/daughter time.

"I'm sorry." I told Sydney. "I wish there was something we could do."

She laid her head on my shoulder and whispered, "Me too."

MIKE

I cursed myself for being so stupid. If Laura's stupid friend, Melanie, had returned, she would've brought her annoying little vampire family with her. I should've been more careful. I wouldn't be able to take on an entire coven of vampires and a pack of wolves all on my own. I was only a few weeks old, after all. Thankfully, my bosses had taught me how to cover my tracks. I had taken the necessary steps to make it nearly impossible for them to find me, now and later. I just needed to get far enough away that the mind reader couldn't track my thoughts.

I wasn't given an exact estimate on his range, but we were sure his radius was only a few miles. I slowed down when I was sure I had passed the mark and took a moment to consider what my next step should be. It would be harder to get to Diane, but…

My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out to see the picture of the blonde angel who gave me this wonderful gift flashing on the screen. I rolled my eyes feeling like I was about to get chewed out.

"Hello?" I said trying to be as respectful as possible. I knew enough about this woman and her mate to know that they were extremely sadistic and cruel. I had no doubt that they would hurt or destroy me if they ever decided that I was no longer useful. I wasn't finished getting my revenge on Laura's little friends. I refused to let sheer irritation ruin that for me.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Angel, I had no idea what else to call her, growled into the phone. "I made it very clear that after the first killing, Melanie and her little family would come running back to them. I warned you that they would be at the memorial. Why the hell would you show up there?"

"I wanted to see the results of what I had done." I told her. "I enjoy seeing the effects of the pain I cause others. Besides, didn't you say you wanted me to let them know that I was responsible for Laura's death. I made sure the mind reader heard everything I did to the little cunt."

"But he also heard who plan on going after next. They'll be prepared for it."

"That's alright, I have 8 others to choose from. I wanted her next, but it doesn't have to be her."

"Correction. You have 7 others to choose from. Sydney is getting on a plane tomorrow."

"Not if I get to her tonight."

"No." Angel growled as if I had wanted to change the plan completely. "She needs to get on that plane tomorrow."

"Why?" I asked. I found it annoying how she would only share certain parts of the plan with me. I was the one doing all the dirty work, after all. Shouldn't I be privy to a little more details of the endgame?

"You don't need to worry about it." She said. "You just need to kill as many of those brats as possible before this is all over, and not get caught in the process."

"You don't have to worry. I have no intention of getting caught." I told her.

"And the Volturi, the most powerful vampire coven ever, didn't plan on getting destroyed, but this coven did it. All because the Volturi messed with their family. If you get caught, they will do the same to you, and we won't be able to help. Don't get cocky."

"Whatever you say, boss." Knowing she couldn't see me, I rolled my eyes. She obviously had no idea who she was speaking to. I had gotten away with raping my teenage daughter for years, I wasn't about to get caught while I was trying to get rid of her annoying little friends.

She just chuckled and hung up the phone. I worried for a moment if I should be a little more worried about getting caught. Angel was right, after all. The Volturi were not a coven to be messed with, but the Cullens and their wolf friends destroyed them. If I was caught messing with their family, what would they do to me?

Then thoughts of what I was going to do to my next victim interrupted those thoughts. Even if I did get caught in the end, I decided that I was have as much fun as possible before they had a chance to destroy me.

MEL

The rest of our little memorial was complete agony. I wanted so badly to tell Cassie and Nathan what I had seen, so we could find our families and ask what had happened. I knew I couldn't do that, though. We had to appear that everything was completely normal. It was best for both of our families. Both families were already risking so much by allowing me to be here.

When it was finally over, I watched as Andy took the box of rocks from Cassie and prayed she wasn't going to let him bury them by himself. Nathan offered to go with him and gave Cassie a little kiss on the cheek. I watched them both go, praying that our families would not be let anything happen to them.

My anxiety was beginning to pique as Cassie made her way over to a sobbing Sydney. I wanted to be sure my friends were okay, but I desperately needed to know what was going on with my family. We needed to wrap this up.

"Does anybody want to go get a bite to eat?" Andy asked afew minutes later as he and Nathan made their way back to us. "We could spend a couple hours at Denny's."

Denny's was Laura's favorite place to go when she was trying to avoid going home to Mike. It was 24-hours so she could go there whenever she wanted and stay as late as she wanted. Each of us had spent hours just sitting there talking with her and drinking coffee. If things hadn't been so dire, it would've been a great way to end the memorial.

"I can't." Cassie said. "I promised Melissa's parents that she would be home by midnight. I don't want to make a bad impression. They might not let her come back."

Andy gave me a look that confused me. It was almost like he was trying to be angry with me, but couldn't bring himself to. It was a look he often gave me when we were in arguments back when things were simple. What did it mean now?

"And I have a six-thirty flight." Sydney said and I could hear the regret in her voice. She didn't want to go to Florida. Thankfully, her mother wasn't going to let her stay. At least one of my friends would be out of danger for a little while. I wish I could've done the same things for the rest of my friends.

Honestly though, if I knew who was responsible for this, I would've turned myself over by now. If they wanted my blood, they could have it, if they just left my friends alone. No one deserved to live through the things that I had, and I would sacrifice myself in a heartbeat just to keep them safe.

"I'll go with you." Denise said. "I need a night of reminiscing." Diane, Cameron, Phoebe, Derrick and Steven also agreed to join him.

Part of me wanted to ask Cassie if we could go and just have fun for a while. I wanted to forget about vampires, death, and secrets for a while. I just wanted to go back to being the carefree teenager I was before Edward kidnapped me—if only for a few hours. I knew it wasn't possible, though. Too much had happened and my friends were in too much danger for me to put my feelings before their safety. We needed to regroup at my house and find out exactly what happened during our memorial. Maybe, when all of this was over, Melissa Cullen would be accepted in the group enough to have a good time with them. Until then, though, their safety had to come first.

"Cool." Andy said. "Do you guys want to meet there or drive together?"

As the seven of them made their plans, I walked over to were Cassie, Nathan, and Sydney were having a conversation of their own.

"Sydney, I know how badly you want to stay, but if you don't get on the plane, you could get into a lot of trouble." Nathan was telling her. Cassie had her arms around Sydney. Sydney's eyes were bloodshot. I cursed her parents to the deepest pits of hell. "If you're not at the airport to meet your father, you will be considered a runaway."

"It be worth it." Sydney said.

"No it wouldn't be." I whispered as I approached them. "Speaking as someone who has run away from many foster homes, it wouldn't be worth it." Lying was something that I was slowly getting better at since becoming a Cullen. I didn't like it, but it made it easier to live this life. And if it got Sydney out of here, I would say anything, even if it wasn't the truth. "When they find you, they will put you in juvey for a few days before they send you back to your parents. Let me tell you, unless you are being mistreated, there is nothing worse than juvey." I shivered as if trying to ward off some horrible memory from the time I spent there.

I probably didn't have to be so dramatic. Sydney had a squeaky clean record, the only time she even drank underage was at these memorials. She was terrified of being arrested and having that put on her record, especially when she was going to turn 18 in less than a month. She wouldn't ruin things now.

"Were you mistreated?" Sydney asked me.

"From the time I entered the system at age 4 until Esme and Carlisle adopted me five years ago." I answered. Cassie raised her eyebrow at me, but didn't say anything. It wasn't until later that I realized I should've picked a different year for my adoption.

"We should probably get you home." Nathan told Sydney. We don't want your mother to think we are trying to keep you from leaving. Ms. Karlson was a formidable woman who always got her way. She didn't like that Sydney often preferred spending her time with us over her own mother.

"You're right." Sydney whispered. "Guys," she called to the others. "I have to go, but I will see you all at the end of the summer."

The others came over to us, hugged Sydney and said their goodbyes. I even got a few handshakes and a couple of hugs. Everyone was very polite, telling me that they enjoyed meeting me. I politely told everyone that I was sorry for their loss, but I did enjoy finally meeting them. I told them I would be at the funeral the next day.

Once everyone said their goodbyes, we finally headed out of the park and toward home.

EDWARD

I honestly didn't think things with the memorial would ever wrap up. I understood Mel and Cassie's need to say goodbye, but we needed to get home so we could discuss what had happened and come up with a game plan.

After some discussion, it was decided that Esme, Carlisle, Paul, Jared, Roxy, Damon, Quil, Alice, and Jasper would follow the group to Denny's to keep the group safe. They would then split off as they saw fit when the group went their separate ways for the night. Embry, Sam, Bella, and I would follow Nathan, Cassie, Mel, and Sydney to Sydney's house. Embry and Bella would keep watch on Sydney until she got on her plane in the morning. Sam and I would then follow Nathan, Cassie, and Mel home to explain what happened during the memorial and discuss a plan on how to move forward.

It was going to be difficult trying to decide what to do next. We needed more information if we were going to come up with a plan to protect Mel and her friend indefinitely, but we had no idea where to start. Mike had disappeared, and he was our only link to who was behind all of this.

It was times like these when I hated Damon's gift. His "special friends" knew exactly who was behind this, but they weren't telling anyone and that frustrated me so much. Like what was the point of knowing everything if you weren't allowed to tell the person able to make a difference.

I know it seemed wrong, but sometimes it did make me wonder if he was using his friends' unwillingness to tell him everything as an excuse to withhold information from us. It was something that he had done to Aro many times over our years with the Volturi. Yes, I trusted the man with my life.

He had saved me, Mel, and the rest of our family and helped us destroy the Volturi five years ago. I had no reason not to trust him. Sometimes, I worried, though, that he wasn't being entirely honest with us. He held all the knowledge of the universe, and I couldn't read his mind. It was more than a little terrifying, even though I still trusted him. I hoped that didn't make me a fool.

"Are you alright?" Bella asked as we hid in a tree just outside Sydney house. We were waiting for the kids to say their goodbyes.

"Just thinking." I told her.

"Anything you want to share?" She pressed. I took her hand in mine and gave it a little kiss.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with, love." I lied. I didn't want to worry her over nothing. I wasn't even sure if I was right about Damon. I wanted to talk to him before I mentioned my thoughts to anyone. Besides, even if he wasn't being entirely truthful, I didn't think it was because he wanted to hurt us.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Mel, Cassie, and Nathan walked out of Sydney's house just then and headed toward our place. "Let's just get home and figure out what is going on."

She nodded and we dropped to the sidewalk to join our daughter and her friends.

A/N: Thanks for reading. I know it is a bit boring and filler, but I promise things are really going to start moving along in the next chapter. Please review.