Wolverine
Not too bad a response. I'll try never to put you through that again. I hope you guys won't mind if I post the first chapter of Hunter. It might help me get my creative juices flowing if I'm writing what my brain is telling me to write. It'll mean slower updates, but I'm a lot more prompt than some people, (you know who you are). I'm going to start writing it. I'll try to get through to the end of this without losing what little sanity I have left. So sorry. Please have patience.
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"If you value your ability to sit comfortably, bub, then best drop that gun. 'Cause if I have to come over there and take it away from you...I'll give you one good guess just where I'm gonna stick it."
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Edward's POV
Sunday, April 18th, 2010.
"This isn't good, Carlisle," I said. I held up the Seattle newspaper. "This isn't just a nomad; it's much more than that." I began to pace the living room.
Carlisle took the paper and read over the story. He frowned and sighed. "It seems to be too risky for a nomad. If they were aware of the Volturi, they would know to cover their tracks better. It may be an abandoned newborn, or several of them."
"What's a 'Volturi'?" I spun around as I realized that Bella had snuck up on me. I was too tense if I didn't notice her heartbeat from miles away. Bella seemed to enjoy my surprise a little too much. "Snuck up on you," she jibed. "You should pay better attention, Edward. Exams are coming up and we have to plan for our futures." She rolled her eyes at that and looked at her ring. "Seriously, what's a Volturi, and why are you two so worried?" She looked up at me and I knew I couldn't hide anything from her.
"Come sit down," I offered. We sat on the couch as Carlisle went upstairs. I could sense Bella's curiosity. "You've noticed the increase of deaths around Seattle, haven't you?" I asked.
Her eyes narrowed. "It's vampires, right? I can smell them on people who've just come from Seattle. I don't like this, Edward. What are they doing here?"
I sighed. "Carlisle thinks they might be newborns, that is to say, newborn vampires. They seem to have little control. They've just been going after anyone they can find and they're sloppy about hiding the bodies." Bella flinched. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm just going to have to get used to the whole vampire thing if I'm staying with you forever." She gave me one of her most breathtaking smiles and for a moment, I lost my train of thought.
"The Volturi?" Bella questioned again. "What do a few newborn vampires have to do with…whatever that is?"
I sighed again. This would be difficult to explain. "The Volturi are a group of very powerful vampires. They are like royalty in the vampire community. They live in Volterra, Italy. They are led be three brothers, Aro, Marcus and Caius. Aro has a talent similar to mine." I tapped my head playfully, trying to lighten the mood, but Bella didn't smile. I went on. "Marcus has the ability to sense relationships. Caius doesn't have a power. They are all over three thousand years old."
Bella gasped. "Are you frigging kidding me?" she asked.
I shook my head. "They are very respected and feared by all vampires, because they enforce laws to protect us."
"Vampires have laws?" Bella asked, a bit of a smile cracking to the surface. "So it isn't all, 'party 'til the end of time'? You actually have rules to follow?"
My lips turned up into a grimacing smile before falling into a straight line. "We have two rules. One is much more complicated. We have to keep our secret. It involves making sure that no one sees us when we feed, or covering our tracks. For us vegetarians, it involves moving every few years to make sure that no one notices that we aren't aging."
Bella looked at the carpet. Her eyes scrunched together and lines appeared in between her eyebrows. "That's a biggy, I suppose. It'd be mass panic if the people of Forks found out that the neighbours were vampires." She cracked another smile. "Sparkling vampires no less. That would just give them chills." She mock-shivered, but I could tell that she thought it was serious. "What happens if you break the rules?" she asked, although I suspected she already knew the answer.
"Depending on the circumstances, they'll hold a vote. If your actions are deemed a threat to vampires, they'll kill you."
She flinched again. "Harsh."
"It may be harsh, but it has protected us for hundreds of years." I looked away, wondering how she would take any more news. "Aro once invited me to join his guard. I turned him down. Carlisle is actually a very good friend of his, although Aro was very concerned about his diet." I smirked.
"His guard?" Bella asked. Her eyes narrowed.
"There are about nine permanent vampires in the guard, but he has several dozen who pass through. They feel it's an honour to work for them. They are selected for their talents. Aro only takes the best. To be honest, he is rather greedy." Carlisle mentally protested my statement, but I ignored him.
Suddenly, I realized that I was curious about something. "As I said, Aro has a talent similar to mine. He can hear every thought you've ever had, but he needs physical touch to do so. I wonder if he would be able to hear your thoughts," I said. Bella looked down, and I could almost swear that she was blushing.
"Let's hope we don't find out." She finally said. "What's the second rule?" she asked, trying to change the subject. I wasn't too keen on talking about that, but Bella would never let it go if I didn't.
"The second rule has to do with the creation of immortal children. That is, vampires who have been turned at very young ages."
Bella looked up, horrified. "You mean someone actually changed little kids?"
I nodded sombrely. "Sometimes babies as young as two." Bella blanched. She touched her wrist, apparently thinking about when James had bit her. I suppressed a growl. "The children had no control over their thirst. They were beautiful and deadly. Anyone who saw them fell in love instantly, but they were frozen at whatever mental age they'd been turned. Aro studied them for many years, hoping that they could learn control, but sadly, they couldn't. He ordered them all destroyed."
"Covens banned together to protect them. It was complete chaos for many years. Aro proclaimed that the creation of an immortal child was punishable by death. There haven't been any new ones created for several centuries."
Bella sat still and thought. Her hands clenched. "Why would anyone do that to babies for goodness' sakes?"
I looked away, suddenly feeling as if I were venturing into uncharted territory. "Vampires can't have children, Bella," I said. I needed her to be aware of this. "Some vampires, mostly female, would do anything to be parents. Esme feels as if the others and I are her children. She loves taking care of us, but for some, a bunch of teenagers isn't enough. Rosalie in particular would do anything to have a child. It's one of the reasons that she doesn't like humans to be honest. She's jealous."
Bella's face became distant. "That's sad," she murmured. "Back when I was a child, all any girl wanted to do was be a mother. I wanted to be a nurse. I don't think I ever considered having babies. I guess I wouldn't have minded then, but I don't think I can now. I've been stuck like this for so long, I doubt if I can even change enough to carry a baby." She brought her thumbnail up to her lips. "I guess I can understand, but it still wasn't right."
"No, I guess it wasn't." I reached out to touch her face. "The important thing right now is how we deal with the newborns. To be honest, I'd prefer if the Volturi never found out about you. It probably wouldn't end well." I looked down, suddenly aware that my eyes were filled with anger. Bella was rare and powerful. Aro would surely find her immunity to our venom and her rapid healing to be of use to him. Her mind might or might not be silent to him, but it would surely interest Aro that there was someone of whom I couldn't hear.
"Alright, so if we don't want a visit from the Volturi, when do we take on the newborns?" she asked, smirking. "That is your plan, isn't it? I can't just sit here and let more people die." She frowned.
The thought of her going up against a newborn made me cringe. "I'll talk to Alice. She'll give us some idea of what we're dealing with. She and the others should be back from their hunting trip in a day or so."
Bella nodded. "Good. Keep me posted." She got up to leave and turned around. "Oh, I almost forgot, I'm going to hang out with Jacob for a few hours. I promised I'd go motorcycling with him this afternoon. That kid," She shook her head and smiled. "He gave me these puppy dog eyes. I couldn't say no. Should I come over tonight?"
I thought about that. "No, you need your sleep. I'll come over when Alice arrives."
She smiled again. "Great! I'll see you soon." She gave me a kiss and raced outside.
Carlisle was by my side instantly.
You don't really think that Aro would try to take her, do you? His guard is powerful enough without her.
"For Aro, nothing is enough," I replied.
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Bella's POV
I somehow ended up on the back of Jacob's motorcycle. He gunned the engine and I threw my hands up. I knew that if I went off balance for a millisecond, I'd be thrown off. I'd have some serious explaining to do, but I was having too much fun.
"Faster, Jake!" I ordered, laughing. Charlie had been only too pleased when I told him I was spending time with Jacob. I guess he figured I was moving passed my 'I love Edward' stage. If only he knew…
I looked at my ring, glimmering in the faint sunlight. Edward and Carlisle were stuck inside. I wondered if they'd let me stay home with them when we were living together. It would seem odd if one of the Cullens came to school while the rest stayed home for camping and hiking. It just seemed to be one more benefit to hanging out with vampires.
Jacob slowed down as we approached his house. I laughed. "That is so groovy!" I yelled, not caring that I was using some seriously outdated slang around a teenager.
Jake laughed as well and helped me off his bike. We headed for his garage where he was working on an old car. I ran my fingers along the siding, searching for dents. I found one and surreptitiously smoothed it out as Jacob grabbed his tools.
"You're really awesome, you know?" he stated out of nowhere. I looked at him, confused. "What other girl on the planet would actually want to watch me fix up this piece of junk?" He playfully kicked the car's passenger door and looked down, shocked.
"What?" I asked, coming around to see. My eyes widened as I realized that he'd made a new dent with only a light kick. I looked closer. "You might want to replace that. If it can be dented so easily by your foot, it won't stand a chance in an accident," I explained.
Jacob still looked shocked. "That's so weird. I've kicked this thing dozens of times and it's never done that."
I laughed. "Well, Jake, if you've been kicking it all the time, you probably weakened the metal or something. Besides, you're getting some serious muscle for a sixteen-year-old." I playfully punched his arm.
He jerked back and smirked. "You wanna fight me, Shorty?"
I glared at him. "I'm 5'4"! That's average size for a girl!"
Jacob only smiled wider. "I'm almost 6'6"! You're short to me." He laughed uproariously as I playfully lunged for him. He ducked outside, a lot quicker than I imagined he could, but there was no time to think about that.
I jumped on his back and took him down. I grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back so that it was pinned. "Say I'm not short!" I ordered, grinning maliciously.
"Never!" Jake yelled, trying vainly to get out of my grip. He stopped, surprised. "Man, you are strong," he commented.
I twisted his arm more forcefully. "Say it!" I ordered again, putting my left hand on the ground beside his head to keep my leverage.
He jerked his head to the side and stopped struggling. I smirked. "Giving up?" I asked. My smirk faded as I realized he was staring at my ring. I pulled my hand out of his sight and backed away. He lay on the ground for a few more seconds before getting to his feet.
"What's with the ring?" he asked, trying to sound indifferent. I looked at his face and realized that he was jealous and hurt. I'd never thought that his crush on me had matured. I told him about how I liked the Cullen family and he didn't seem to mind that. He thought it was cool that I could hang out in their mansion whenever I pleased. He didn't really think that I was just hanging out with the girls. Surely, he'd heard all the gossip about Edward and me.
I never should have come here. I should have stayed away. I didn't think. I just wanted to go motorcycling with him. I wanted to be his friend.
"I'm engaged to Edward Cullen," I told him.
The jealously and hurt changed to anger. "You're not old enough to get married!" he yelled. He started to shake. His hands clenched into fists.
Oh, if there was one thing I hated, it was being told what to do.
I put my hands on my hips and glared at him. "I'm eighteen. I'm plenty old enough to get married. It isn't like I'm pregnant or anything!" Jacob's fists only tightened.
"You can't be serious! You can't want to stay with him!" I could hear the subtext in his voice. 'Why not me?'
I tried to calm myself down. "I love him, Jake. You're my friend, but I don't love you like I love him." It was true; he was my friend. I did love him, but in the way that I would love a sibling.
His anger turned almost feral and he snarled at me. I took a step back as the wind shifted and his scent blew into my face. It was changing again. Something was wrong.
"Jake, are you okay?" I asked, frightened.
"Jacob!" a voice called. I looked towards the woods and found Embry Call, an old friend of Jacob's. I was suddenly stunned by the similarities between them. They were both tall and muscular and their scents were almost the same. Embry walked carefully over to Jake with his hands up in a sign of surrender. "Hey, man. You have to calm down. You're scaring your girlfriend."
I was too freaked out to correct him on the girlfriend thing, but Jake did calm down a little at the mention of my fear.
Embry turned around and looked at me anxiously. "You might want to leave."
Embry was obviously an intelligent boy. Perhaps he was even psychic. There was nothing I wanted to do more than leave. I hopped on my motorcycle and raced into the forest. I detected the hint of more scents similar to Jake and Embry's but I didn't stop.
I rode until I was near the school. I realized that I was on the verge of crying. Something was wrong with Jacob, but what? I'd never met anyone whose scent changed in the blink of an eye. He'd been so furious with me. He snarled at me. People didn't do that. People didn't shoot up a foot over a couple of months. People didn't dent cars with light kicks.
People weren't so hot.
I looked at my hands as I remembered something weird. Jacob was hot. When I'd pinned his arm, his skin had felt warm, but I'd thought it had to do with our horsing around. Now that I thought about it, Jacob didn't seem to get cold anymore. On days where the temperature was below forty, he would show up at Charlie's in a t-shirt.
My musings were interrupted by a soft footstep. I'd learned to recognize the sound of vampires. I was instantly on alert. "Who's there?" I asked.
The footsteps approached and I almost sighed in relief.
"Laurent," I acknowledged. The former member of James's coven tilted his head as he walked toward me.
"Bella?" he questioned.
I gave him a pathetic smile that froze on my mouth as I looked at his eyes. They were red.
Laurent had gone vegetarian. I hadn't thought about him since he'd left, but I'd heard that he wasn't quite adjusting.
"Is there some reason that you're down here? I thought you were up with the Denali coven." Translation; I know you killed someone, you bloodsucking freak! Get out of my town and go back where you came from!
He paused. "I was, but I grew tired of the diet. It's much more difficult than I imagined."
"Well, having no self-control can really screw that up," I stepped off my motorcycle and faced him. "You didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?"
Laurent smiled friendlily. "I actually came here as a favour."
My guard went up. "And what, might I ask, does this 'favour' entail?" I put my hands in the ready position. Something was making my instincts go nuts, and it wasn't just the smell of vampire in the air. There was something wrong.
"Victoria is rather upset with you."
Ah! There it is! Victoria, James's mate was definitely pissed at me for getting James killed. Sociopaths just don't understand that if you leave people alone, no one will try to get revenge on you.
"That's a pity. Tell her that I'm sorry she was going out with an obsessive psycho. It's really his own fault he got himself killed. I warned him."
Laurent only smiled wider. "She asked me to get the lay of the land a few weeks ago. When she found out that the Cullens were still here, she decided that a direct approach would work best." He stepped closer to me.
"You'd better leave, Laurent. Edward will kill you if he finds out what you're doing here." I backed away. I mentally calculated the best approach for fighting him. Should I go for his throat or take off his arms? Maybe I should cut off his legs so that he can't run.
As I was strategizing, I heard something. My head jerked to the right as I realized we were being watched. I picked up the scents of four…no five…things.
"What the hell?" I gasped. They looked like wolves, but they were huge. Was I dreaming? What is going on?!
The wolves growled in harmony and I realized that standing around staring at a bunch of giant wolves was probably not the most intelligent thing I'd ever done, not to mention I was ten feet from a vampire who wanted to kill me as a favour for some heartbroken vampire-widow.
I looked back at Laurent and received my third…wait, fourth shock of the day. Laurent was scared.
I watched as he backed up. "It can't be," he whispered.
One wolf, this one was large and russet-brown lunged out from behind the trees. Another, this one black, leaped after him and growled in his direction. The others seemed to take this as an okay and they leapt out behind the two. The russet-brown one locked eyes with me and turned away. Its snarl made my insides rattle.
Laurent took off.
The wolves ran after him. They were much faster than I imagined. No animal ran as fast as a vampire did. The wolves weren't as fast, though, they were faster. I watched until they disappeared into the trees. I stared, open-mouthed in their direction.
I closed my mouth and froze my expression into indifference. I climbed onto my motorcycle and started the engine. Swiftly, I rode over toward the Cullen mansion.
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Well, that wasn't so bad. I've been doing a lot of thinking on where to take this. I'm sorry if it's not panning out to be what you imagined.
I need to go have a nervous breakdown now.
Adieu faithful readers.
