When the wind stopped blowing by us, I was set back down on my feet. It took me a moment to stand. Eventually, I ended up not standing. How much Aaron fed off of me…I instantly collapsed to my knees. Alice joined by my side, and I gave her back her jacket and allowed her to wrap her arms around my shoulders protectively.

I could smell the burning scent of vampire-parts, something I had smelt only once before and something I absolutely despised. When I collapsed, a pair of cold arms caught me. Where was Seth? I worried even more, now that everyone should be in the clearing and yet he was not. Or if he was here…why wasn't he here? …With me?

"I should have brought something to stop the blood, I'm sorry, Eliza. Here," Carlisle was away and then back before I knew it. A folded slab of cloth was suddenly pressed against the wound. "I didn't think about sealing it up with venom. That might have been worse if any got into your system… I'll need to bandage you up at home. But before we do that… someone wants to…speak to you," he murmured.

"N-not Aaron?" I mumbled, looking around.

"No, Eliza. Not Aaron," a calm, unfamiliar voice said. My gaze shot to the vampire whom had spoken. His hair was a jet black and his skin was almost transparent in color. He was tall and slender and very ghostly the way that he moved toward me.

"Wh-who are you?" I breathed. I looked around, desperately, for Seth. He was no where to be seen. Carlisle had also gone away too, which made me suspicious that someone was injured, unlike what Alice had said. Black robes surrounded this one figure, although two were by his side like they were his equals.

I turned to Alice. "Where's Seth?" I mouthed to her. She shrugged her shoulders and looked away.

"I am Aro. You must be Eliza, am I correct?" the ghostly vampire began speaking.

I nodded nervously.

"Ah, yes. Well your friend – Vincent, wasn't it? – told me about you and I needed to talk to you. I wanted to enlighten on you on the rules of the Volturi," he told me calmly, and every wolf growled. Aro held his hand up as a request for silence, and when the rest of his group tensed around the wolves, Sam in his wolf form barked at his pack and the wolves all disappeared. Jacob's pack wasn't anywhere to be seen… Oh Seth…

"We should not have let this go on so long, Eliza. However, that does not mean you can just slip back into your normal life before you were 'activated', as Vincent had explained. You see, we are very strict as to how we deal with those humans that find out about our existence. They can either be changed into one of us or, to put it easily, killed," he explained, and I froze. Alice set a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"D-do I have to choose one of those?" I muttered, my hands falling to the ground. My hair drooped on either side of my face, limp, covering my sight of the Volturi around me. Someone inhaled…another one inhaled… It was my scent, maybe? Did I really smell that good…as a human I mean?

"Dear child…" Aro began, and I lifted my head hesitantly. I saw him wrinkle his nose. "You stink of wolf…worse than the others," he admitted and I couldn't help but giggle under my breath. I hope I do, I thought. Of course…because Seth… "No matter, if you don't make up your mind, we'll gladly make it up for you. Felix, I'm sure, would love to take care of you himself," he finished, and my eyes widened as Aro gestured to the vampire beside him. The bulky, muscular man reminded me very much of Emmett…although scarier and with blood red eyes that made me cringe. He had a stern look on his face, but when I shivered, he smirked. Emmett growled deeply in his throat, but the sound of stone smacking against stone told me that Rosalie had ordered him to knock it off.

"Wolves… not like the real kind?" another asked. His skin was just as pale but his hair was a very silky, thin white. He looked more menacing than Aro.

"No, Caius. The same as your last visit," Carlisle explained. Why? Did Caius not like werewolves or something? Or…wolves in general?

"Ah… Well, Aro, I don't think it will take much to make up your mind. This girl has known of us too long… who knows whom she has told! She's dangerous. Anyways, one little human won't cost the Cullen family too much," Caius shrugged, and the scream I had was caught in my throat.

Aro nodded. "Hm… yes. Alec, would you mind?" he asked behind him. A young boy, no more than twelve when he was transformed, came out from behind an almost-identical-to-him-girl, and smiled at me. His brows knitted together and I saw a mist come out from behind him. Before I knew it, I felt nothing.

Nothing for a while, and I knew that I was dying. I was dying, wasn't I? I couldn't feel, couldn't hear or smell, I could see, and the scream stayed caught in my throat. Everything was numb.

Then the feeling went away and I gasped, clutching my throat and keeling over. Alice was still by my side, Emmett was now in front of me along with Carlisle. And then, directly in front of me, between Emmett and Carlisle… was Sam Uley. Then a new hand touched my shoulder, and I so hoped it was Seth until I noticed how cold it was. When I looked over, it was Bella. I smiled at her, hugging her tightly with "thanks."

"Who do you think you are?" Caius demanded. He was disappointed they hadn't killed me.

"This one has strong ties to the girl," I heard another dark-haired "transparent"-skinned vampire.

"Yes, Marcus…" Aro murmured. So the third was Marcus…

"I'm Sam Uley. The Alpha of the Quileute pack. And you're the Volturi," he said simply. I admired his courage. I would never be able to stand up to them. Then I worried…what would they do to them?

"We are. Such strong ties to this little girl…. Are you perhaps…her mate?" Aro asked. Sam and I both recoiled, disgusted by the thought.

"No, sir. We're her family. And as part of the Quileute pack, it is our duty to protect La Push and our territory from hostile enemies….vampires, like you," Sam snarled.

Aro frowned, holding up his hands in defense.

"Well excuse us then, Sam Uley, Alpha of the Quileute pack. But you must be aware that Eliza has been exposed and on the run from a coven of vampires for over a year now. We have strict rules of the exposure of our kind. No human shall know of our existence. One side of this issue has been taken care of already," Aro gestured to the burning pile of ashes. The fire had nearly been put out now. "As for the other side of the issue, Eliza herself, she must be eliminated. There is no discussing this. Please let us through. Bella, if you would let down your guard," Aro continued, shooting a stern look at Bella. I knew Bella had a shield, but I thought I would have at least felt something when she put it up. How long had it been holding?

Bella shook her head.

"You gave me that other option too, remember Aro?" she said coldly. I shook my head.

"No…I'm not going to be a vampire," I said immediately. When I looked at the Cullens, they seemed a little taken back, but surely they knew I meant no harm. "No offense to you all, but…I'm not ready to be one… I wanna live…" I told them. I intentionally left out the part where I wanted to live because I wanted to marry Seth one day…and have children… I knew vampires couldn't have children… well, girl vampires that was…

"We understand, Eliza," Bella assured me, rubbing my shoulder.

"Then you die. It's that simple," Caius shrugged, and I flinched as he took a step forward. Sam Uley held his arms out wide, as though they could block the vampires with that simple move.

"No. Wait. Isn't there any way we can prove that Eliza can live with us and not reveal our secret? It's been two months already, and she hasn't told a single soul. About vampires or these werewolf friends of ours," Carlisle stepped in. I looked at him gratefully, and he smiled quickly back down at me.

"Two months? Carlisle, why is it that you have held this from us for so long?" Aro sounded astonished. He looked at me and then back at Carlisle as he considered his answer. Aro did this little circuit a couple times before he frowned. "Is she in the same situation as Bella once was? Is there a vampire in your family who she loves? I thought all of your children had mates already, Carlisle?"

Carlisle nodded his head. "Not a vampire. A boy whom is nearly a son to me; we are so close… Or…grandson, should I say?" he chuckled. Of course… because Edward was his son and Renesmee was his granddaughter; and because Jacob imprinted on Renesmee, sooner or later they would end up married when Renesmee was older, thus making Jacob his potential grandson; Jacob and Seth were both Quileute boys, and because they were in the same pack, they are considered brothers, and I guess that ended up with the conclusion that Seth was like a grandson… or…something once or twice removed? Whatever. They were close. That was the point.

"If he is not a vampire…is he still your adopted grandson or such? What is the relationship between the two of you?" Aro questioned.

"None in blood. To make this conversation and interrogation speed up a bit… this boy I am speaking of is a werewolf," Carlisle admitted bluntly.

The look of repulsion was disturbing on Aro's face; as well as Marcus's and Caius's.

"My wife is this boy's second cousin. He is related by law to me as well," Sam Uley explained.

There was silence.

Please…please…don't let them hurt Seth… and please...please… let me stay with Seth.

"So… this boy is like a grandson to you, Carlisle…although he is a werewolf?" Aro inquired. Carlisle nodded. His face was still so calm. Perhaps it was Jasper's doing, or perhaps Carlisle was naturally just like this? I wondered what he looked like when he was fighting my Hunters. Was he smiling or was he frowning a vicious-vampire look that I had never before seen on Carlisle Cullen's face?

"And… To you, Sam Uley, this boy is your second-cousin-in-law?" Aro added. Sam Uley nodded now. Aro sighed, shaking his head.

"These ties mean nothing. The girl is not related to you, Carlisle. Just because she is a part of your family in your eyes, unless she is a vampire, she has the choice to die, or become one," Caius pointed out angrily. His patience was thinning.

"What if we just make her forget?" another familiar voice said. I looked over my shoulder and there was Edward, with Renesmee in his arms. Of course, Renesmee looked like nearly a seven year old, but he still held her like she was the most delicate infant in the world (scratching the fact that she could take down full grown elk while hunting with her werewolf best friend).

My eyes widened, and everyone was looking at Edward now. There was something up.

"Ah, Edward Cullen! How fair you? Now what is this you speak of? 'Make her forget'? Enlighten us, please," Aro requested. Edward nodded shortly, and Renesmee gave a short wave to me. I smiled back at her.

"As you all must know…Bella has the incredible gift to render some of your gifts, as well as ours, absolutely ineffective. My gift, to read minds, is also proven inefficient against her incredible ability. What if…" he trailed off for a moment to look at me with an apologetic stare. I gulped. Edward looked back at the expecting Volturi. "What if we taught Bella a new use for her gift? Perhaps… blocking memories within a person…making them seem as if that one event never happened to them?"

The meadow was silent. But of course, it was silent to my ears. All the vampires could probably hear my erratic heartbeat as I finally soaked in the meaning of Edward's suggestion.

Aro had a knowledgeable scowl on his face and he nodded his head once to indicate that he understood what Edward meant.

"You mean erasing her mind?"

Edward nodded slowly, without even looking at me this time for my consent.

Bella tried to conceal a gasp, but it still came out all the same.

"Edward, I don't know if I can! Think of how far I would have to go back in Eliza's memory? How old had she been since she figured out what vampires were?" Bella hissed harshly at Edward, and she looked to me for clarification.

"Since… I was five… my mom was always the main target. She gave me to my father for the first few years of my life… but we crossed paths when another group of the Hunters suddenly decided to target my father… Yeah… I was five," I explained. Bella's eyes widened in horror and she snapped her gaze back to Edward.

"Edward! I'd be erasing her entire life! Everything! Her experience of going to school, living with her parents, of-"

"Ever meeting Seth," I choked out, finishing her terrifying conclusion. I felt like curling up in a ball and crying. I nearly did this.

"Don't be sad, Eliza," Jasper whispered to me. What was the point of whispering? Vampires had advanced hearing; they could hear everything that we said crystal clear – perfectly, like it was as loud as normal speech would be. My lower lip became subject to my grazing teeth.

"Edward you know I can't do that! I can't do that to Eliza! I can't do that to Seth either!" Bella cried out, no longer caring whether her voice was a whisper or not. I looked at Edward, pleading. He didn't look at me. He just shook his head and sighed.

"You must. If it allows Eliza to live…" he murmured.

"I very wholeheartedly agree. She may live. She will have no memory of how she got here, who she is; she will not remember a single thing. She will be like, ah, what's the word. Oh! Like your little pet. You can teach her a life without werewolves and vampires, well, at least vampires. I care nothing of her knowledge of those beasts. But if you can manage erasing all of her knowledge, then I have no objection with this," Aro finished his declaration with a very "finished" look on his face. He had made up his mind.

"I disagree! How do we know Mrs. Cullen can handle such a thing? How do we know she has the ability to block memories within a person?" Caius argued. I hated that man.

"We have our own tests, do we not? Jasper, you can feel the emotions Eliza would be feeling; scared and confused, obviously, if this worked. And she could not fake it. Aro, your ability allows you to see everything in one's mind, you will immediately be able to tell if she is lying or not," Edward explained. It was like he had everything planned out in his mind.

Caius snorted, but Aro and Marcus looked at us as though they were actually considering this. I couldn't blame them. Edward knew how to act…or…or maybe they weren't acting! Maybe they were seriously going to erase my mind! Oh…oh god… Seth…!

"…We could…give it a try," Aro shrugged. My eyes widened when Bella sighed and shifted awkwardly.

"Well, I guess I could give it a try," Bella agreed.

I gasped.

"Bella!"

"Eliza, you don't have much of a choice. Would you like to die? Would you like to become a vampire? The option is no longer yours to choose. Trust me, it'll all work out perfectly," Bella assured me, hugging me tightly.

We were in silence for a moment.

"…Bella?... Bella, before you try, I need to know… will Seth still love me…? Love me the way he does now?" I whimpered.

Bella sighed.

"There are many stages to what has happened to Seth involving you and him," she began, obviously not wanting to mention the word "imprint" around the Volturi for probably confidential werewolf reasons. "Seth will be what ever you need him to be at the time. Whether it is a babysitter, a brother, a protector, a boyfriend, or a lover. You won't know him anymore, Eliza. Chances are, you will need a brother; a protector. Nothing more until you feel as though it will be time to escalate your relationship. But to answer your original question, yes, Eliza. Seth will always love you," Bella explained. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks.

No more burying my face in his warm shoulder or his furry hide as I close my eyes; no more snuggling up against him as I drift into sleep; no more kisses that shower me with the love and compassion we hold for each other at the moment… It'll hurt Seth… but I'll be with him. At least I'll be with him…

"You ready to try, Eliza? Bella, love?" Edward interrupted my nightmarish thoughts. I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. So did Bella.

"I don't know what this will feel like, Eliza, so brace yourself, alright? I'm going to try and block out the use of the left side of your brain. It might completely wipe out your memory, considering I can't pinpoint a certain time in your life… but if it works… know right now that we'll always love you and so will Seth," she said fiercely.

"I wish Seth was here right now," I sniffed.

Alice's cold hand was suddenly on my shoulder.

"He wishes he could be here too," she murmured to me.

"Then where is-?"

"Are you ready, Eliza?" Bella interrupted us. They all knew something I didn't. Then again, in the next few seconds, I would probably not even know who these kind people were around me…I wouldn't know their names…I wouldn't know that they were…my family.

I nodded numbly, afraid.

Then I felt something constrict inside my head as Bella closed her eyes and concentrated.

There was blackness.

And then I opened my eyes to the strangers around me.