i know its been forever since the last time i updated on this story. i'm being swamped w/ school work right now and all these people wanting to talk to me on twitter. its just been crazy. and top it off, im currently working on another fanfic but for a different category--The Secret Circle Series. if u have time go check it out, its called The Guy on Crowhaven Road.

just in case u have forgotten, we r still in flashback mode with bree and will be for a few more chapters. hope u enjoy! PLEASE REVIEW.

DISCLAIMER: i do not own the twilight saga or the characters involved written by s. meyer

In the next few days of my life as a vampire, I realized that what I had done to Brent was something that needed to be done. I couldn't be angry with myself forever. I hated to say it—but killing was a way of life for me now…at least as a vampire. I knew that I would never see my family again, but at least I knew that they were okay. Maybe someday, when I wasn't some crazed vampire I would be able to see them and talk to them. But now was not a good time.

We were all still staying at the same house as before. Victoria had said that soon we would start traveling towards Forks. We would relax during the day and travel at night.

Every day while staying in the newborn army for Victoria, more and more vampires were being created. Our number had reached twenty-five.

Even though I knew that Victoria was forming this army to fight the Cullens, I still didn't understand. Something about this whole grudge didn't make any sense. I need to find out what was really going on from someone who knew the whole story—Riley.

Riley was the first vampire Victoria had created for the army. Of course he would know. Riley would have been the first person Victoria would have told about her plan. He would be able to tell me everything I needed.

It was a couple days after my first time taking human blood, that I decided to have a little talk with Riley. Adam was busy talking to one of the recent newborns about guy stuff. I was pretending to read an old issue of Seventeen magazine when I spotted Riley talking to Victoria.

I walked over to him after Victoria had left the room. "Riley, can I talk to you," I asked.

"Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

"Just some things," I said. I wasn't sure whether Riley would be able to tell me about Victoria so I wanted the conversation to be a surprise.

"Okay," he said. "How about we take a walk?" I nodded and Riley walked towards the back of the house where the back door was.

Riley was just about to open the back door to the outside when I asked, "Are we supposed to go outside? I mean…don't vampires burn in the sun?"

"You know I asked the same question when I was a newborn," Riley said. "And the answer is 'no.'"

Riley took a step out into the bright sunshine and immediately I was amazed at the sight I was given. His skin looked like millions of diamonds glittering in the spring sun. I wanted to touch him and see if he was real. I followed Riley outside and reached my hand out to touch him but stopped when I saw that my skin did the same as his. The sun bounced off my skin like a crystal making me look like an expensive Tiffany's diamond.

"I feel like a tiara," I said. Riley chuckled. I closed the door of the house and walked farther out in the sun. It felt good. It was bright and warm. I hadn't been in the sun since….well since forever. I couldn't even remember. Every time I was outside, it was night. I held my hand up towards the sky, seeing what kind of reactions I could come up with. I touched my hand to see if anything would happen…to see if the diamonds would smear.

Riley walked up to me and laughed again. "You're very fascinated in this, aren't you?"

I nodded. I felt like a little kid seeing snow for the first time and marveling at its beauty as it glittered from the sun.

For once, when the sun was shining on my skin, I felt beautiful. I had never really thought of myself as being pretty, but right now I did as the sun brought light to my skin. Diamonds are forever….and so are vampires.

"So what did you want to talk to me about, Bree," Riley asked.

"Well…," I paused. "It's about Victoria and this whole newborn army thing. I'm not sure if I understand this correctly and I just wanted to know some truth."

"So…basically," Riley started. "You want to know why."

I nodded. "I want to know about the Cullens. What are they like and how are they different from us?"

"They have gold colored eyes and a human girl with them," Riley said.

"How are their eyes golden and our eyes red?"

"Instead of surviving on the blood of humans, like most vampires," Riley said. "They drink the blood of vampires. Over time, something about the animal blood turns their eyes gold unlike the traditional red, like ours."

"So there is a way not to kill humans?" Riley nodded. "Have you ever tried it?"

"No. I think that after you start one thing, it would be hard to switch to something else."

"What about the human girl….how are they not able to kill her?"

"I'm sure that resisting is very hard," Riley stated. "But since they have vowed to only drink the blood of animals, they wouldn't kill her."

"Do you think she knows they're vampires?"

Riley nodded. "She's dating one of the Cullens. I think Victoria said his name was Edward."

"A vampire dating a human?"

Riley nodded again. I had heard of vampires and humans together in books before, but I had never thought it would be true. Now that I was a vampire myself and hardly able to contain myself against the smell of blood, it seemed impossible. How does he not kill her? I guess that's what love and resistance does. When you love someone, you never want to see them hurt.

"Why does Victoria want revenge against Cullens? What did they do to her?"

"To answer that, I would have to explain to you what happened with Victoria and the Cullens last year," Riley explained. "Before Victoria started making this army, she was involved with a guy named James. He was another vampire and they were dating. One day, Victoria, James, and another vampire named Laurent, came across the Cullens while they were playing baseball. Standing there with the Cullens was Bella, Edward's girlfriend and the human. James smelled the scent of her blood and went after her. The Cullens had to hide Bella in Phoenix, but James found her and tried to kill her. Instead of James getting Bella, the Cullens got James and killed him. That's the reason Victoria wants revenge."

"So she wants to kill the Cullens because they killed James?"

"Yes," Riley said. "Mate for mate."

"Mate for mate?"

"Victoria is mainly going after Bella; which is the meaning of the 'mate for mate' plan," Riley explained. "Since the Cullens killed James, Victoria wants to kill Bella."

"If Victoria only wants Bella then why does she need all of us?"

"In order for Victoria to reach Bella, she needs to get through the Cullens. They're protecting her."

"How many Cullens are there," I asked.

"Victoria said seven, but it's eight if you count Bella."

"So we have an advantage over them," I said. "There are more of us than there are of them."

"We do have more and our strength may be a plus," Riley said. "But some of the Cullens have special abilities that also give them an advantage."

"Abilities….Like what?"

"One can manipulate the feelings of others, another can see the future, and Edward, the human girl's mate, can read minds."

"Why do you think the Cullens continue to keep protecting Bella if they know she's what Victoria wants?"

"Love," Riley said. "Edward is dating the girl and I'm pretty sure the rest of Cullens see her as part of the family....Adam is your boyfriend right?" I nodded. "How long have you two been together?"

"Not very long."

"And how do you feel about him," Riley asked.

"I really like him."

"Do you love him?" I nodded. "Well that's it. That's the reason the Cullens can't let Bella be hurt. She's a part of their family and they choose to protect her because they love her. When you love someone so much, you don't want to see them hurt and you'll do everything to keep that person protected. Just think about how you would feel if Adam was hurt…"

Riley walked away from me and back in the house. He was right about loving someone. You can't see them in pain…you can't see them hurting. I don't know what I would ever do if Adam was hurt...

what did u think? hopefully i will be able to add another chapter soon...maybe this week :)