~ Isabella's POV ~

I had to move. Now.

Bouncing to my feet, I soared across the room and into my closet. I threw myself to my knees and reached into the back where I found a large black duffel bag I had not used in a decade. I yanked on the zipper, careful not to tear it off, then begun packing away whatever items of clothing my tantrum had left undamaged – which wasn't much. As I sorted through the hangers and drawers, I could not help but feel nostalgic at what I found. I had lived many lives of luxury; in the past my wardrobes had been filled with the finest of materials and fabrics available at the time, and with each passing century came new and unique styles of fashion to obsess over. Full to the rim with gowns and dresses, corsets and petticoats, stockings and heels, only there as the period deemed it inappropriate for a lady to wear anything other.

These days my wardrobe consisted mostly of ridiculously expensive attires…except all in black. Not that it mattered anymore what I wore. I was no longer a part of the Volturi, I would not wear our robes or sigil again. I set the bag down on the desktop then turned towards my vintage vanity mirror; I knocked aside the bench which was already missing a leg and emptied the built in drawers. I had destroyed most of the jewels my wardrobe held yet I had plenty hidden away here. I lifted handfuls of priceless accessories into the bag: necklaces, rings, bracelets, anklets, earrings, and all made up of diamonds and rubies, emeralds and topaz and crystal; I even owned a tiara or two. I had kept them all for the sake of keeping them, because of their beauty, and although I still considered them to be glamourous, I took them now only for their value. Even though I had thrown at least a million dollars in cash rolls in there, I needed to ensure that I'd have an alternate way off attaining money should anything go awry.

Deciding that I had enough in riches to last me at least another two centuries, I stormed into my bedroom in search of the second most important thing I would need: an identity. I pulled a briefcase out from beneath my mattress and flipped it open to reveal a dozen of illegal documents I had been supplied in the past twenty years. Outstanding forgeries of birth certificates, passports, driving licenses; each donning a different name. I scooped them up and dropped them into the bag. I had packed the essentials but found myself scanning my chambers for anything else I might have needed. I spared a few seconds to fill up the last of the space with a few books, photographs and several spare cell phones but other than that, there was no reason to remaining standing there.

I pulled a cloak on just to disguise the attire I wore (I had not changed out of my hunting gear) then lifted the hood to shroud my face. I threw the strap over my shoulder and headed for the broken entryway, but I felt something. It was as if I had forgotten something and whatever it was screamed at me not to leave without taking it, and then I spotted it. There beneath the broken desk chair was the sketch Kai had done of me earlier that same day. The parchment was creased and the edge damp with water from the broken plumbing, but I could not bring myself to leave it behind. I rolled it up and slid it into the bag too.

These rooms, these walls, belonged to me. Hundreds of memories were made in these rooms, perhaps not real memories, but memories all the same. That bathroom was where I washed off the blood, dirt and regret of my first hunt, back then it had been nothing more than cold water in a tin bucket, but still that memory served as one of the more powerful. That balcony was where I had stood to watch a meteor shower pass hundreds of years ago, I distinctly remembered thinking how beautiful they looked, how I thought of the hundreds of children that would look up to the skies above and wish and dream. It had been in that bedroom that Kai and I first made love, where I had at last allowed his fingers touch to me, allowed his lips to press against my own, willed for him to be inside me.

It may have been intended as some form of imprisonment, but to me it had come to feel like home. Content I had all I desperately needed, I lay a hand on the stone threshold one last time, let out an exasperated sigh and left.

I decided that I had wasted enough time already – funny, how time had become a concept in which I was familiar once more. I did not pass through the courtyard and risk being exposed, instead I tore up the grate in the basement of my building and leapt into the catacombs below. Unlike before, I did not head north toward the forest but instead in another direction. After a few moments of running in the dark, I stopped directly beneath the underground parking lot and peered upwards through the grate; the bright luminescent lights above allowed for little square beams of light to shine through onto my face.

I listened for only a moment but could detect no sign of movement from the living humans or the dead members of my guard. Well, the guard, I now supposed. I leapt and grabbed the grate, my fingers slid beneath the worn bars and kept me aloft as I pressed my feet firmly against the wall, then heaved. With a gritty screech and an explosion of rust, the metal gave away and tore off in my arms. I slid it up through the hole I'd made and across the concrete, before throwing through my bag and then following.

The parking lot was brightly lit at night, a long stretch of concrete and two dozen cars of all colours, makes and speeds on either side. Using my foot, I nudged the grate back in place and walked further down the driveway. Only now did I remember that I was barefoot, and the soles of my feet – although unharmed – were filthy. I could smell the dirt from the forest, the contaminated sewage water from the catacombs. A part of me regretted not showering before this daring escape, but I soon realized that the foul odour would mask my scent, at least a little.

I found the car I desired, a similar one to the one I had previously used on my journey to Volterra. I had no name for the car, but I knew it was fast enough to get me from Volterra to Pisa within the hour, and in that moment that was all that mattered. Getting away and staying alive. Survival. Ironic, that we immortals portray ourselves as an evolved, established species of sophistication and hierarchy, but when the situation calls for it we resort to focusing on one thing: our own survival.

Survival of the fittest.

I opened the trunk and threw my bag in, but when I went to close the trunk a scent hit me and I spun. Standing fifty yards away was a human subjugate, the same human girl that had driven me from the airport back to Volterra. She took a startled step back, her hands trembling as she twiddled with her thumbs. I realized that it was her duty to parole the parking lot. But why?

"Ma'am." She addressed me, bobbing her head in respect.

"I'm taking this vehicle," Was my response. I reached up and pulled the trunk to, locking it. As I moved around the car I could feel her eyes on me, taking into account my clothes and dirty feet, my parched appearance.

"My apologies, ma'am, but the master has requested that no one is to leave the city until further notice."

"That does not apply to me, girl." I snarled. It did not, no matter what anyone said.

The girl gulped and I paused, daring her to argue with me. "I'm afraid it applies to everyone, the master instructed so. If…if you insist then, then – I must report you to the master." It hit me then. So he knew, or he suspected. Perhaps Kai had changed his mind in the throne room and told Aro everything, exposed both of our secrets. A part of me – the part that still saw him as the beautiful naked man who had made me laugh earlier – refused to accept that as a possibility, but I had to think realistically. I was leaving, there was no question about that, but this human had spotted me and would certainly report me to the trio. Unless…

I turned to face her and I wondered if something shifted in my features to show the decision I had made, as the girl's eyes widened and she took several steps back, lifting her hands in pleading.

"I am truly sorry about this, girl." I walked towards her. Tears pooled in her eyes, her lip trembled as she began sobbing and tumbling away yet the clumsy thing tripped over her own footing and hit the ground.

"Please – Please don't! I don't want to die! I've served this coven well, please!" She pushed herself up and begun scrambling away. Her pleads went unnoticed. The burn in my throat had been too severe and, in the presence of fresh, hot blood, I'd given in to the monster wearing my skin. I crossed the space between us and stood behind her, I reached down and snatched her up by her auburn locks. She thrashed in my arms, yelling out and kicking but for all it was worth she might have well as just accepted it as definite.

I offered the human girl the courtesy of a quick death and wrung her throat until I heard her neck snap, then her body fell limp in my arms. I glanced around the seemingly empty parking lot once more just to ensure no one had heard her pleads for mercy I had not granted. I heard no heart beats or panicked breaths, and could not detect neither through scent or sense, the presence of another immortal. Kicking open the sewer grate I hauled her body over my shoulder before dropping through the hole. If I was planning on escape my city subtly then I could not very well go about leaving bodies drained of blood out in the open, therefore I fed from the girl in the cover of the sewers.

It did not take long for all sense and reason to subside and the hunter to take control of my body, and she was indeed thirsty. Within seconds my sharp teeth tore through the fragile flesh of the girl's throat and spill her still warm blood onto the dust-coated stone floor of the tunnel. With each gulp, more blood pulsed from the open wound; I could feel it staining my lips, dripping from my chin. My body although still, meted at that hot, rich, almost tangy taste.

Five minutes later I found myself closing the sewer grate a third time, but this time I had left another beneath the concrete. The other guards on duty would locate her remains within a few hours when rigor mortis set in. In a way, I felt for the human as she had served this coven well in the short time she had been with us, but she had served me a great deal more in offering her life to nourish me – whether willingly or not. If the guard were to crash through those doors, fully aware that I had figured out the truth and was currently attempting an escape, then I would have had to take them on and I would have lost. Weak, malnourished – practically zero chance of survival. But now with at least one body's worth of fresh blood soaking into my veins, I had a chance should that plausible scenario play out.

Also, I'd had an excuse to change out of my hunting attire which, evidentially, was drenched in her blood. Whilst still in the sewers I'd stripped off the tank top and bottoms and changed into my comfortable tight jeans, over-sized black T-shirt and my sturdy, reliable black boots. In a way, I was still filthy as I craved a shower, but wiping my face of her blood with my cloak would have to do for now. Filthy, but full.

Again with my bag over my shoulder, I made way for the car. As I moved I could already feel the effects the blood had on my body; my muscles and bones became strong, not as stiff as they had previously been. The world became that little bit brighter, clearer, more defined now my senses were once again focused. She was not enough to appease my thirst but would tide me over during the journey, but I knew as I slid into the driver's seat that once in Pisa I would need to feet again.

No one arrived as I started the car and reversed back into the corner of the lot before speeding off down the asphalt and through the city. I kept an eye out, my eyes flicking from the road ahead to the mirrors on either side of the doors. I knew Aro and the trio would not summon me for at least another hour or two, hopefully believing me off on my hunt and would be kind by allowing me time to freshen up afterwards. Two hours was plenty to get to Pisa and board a flight out of this country. But after that…after that they would suspect something was off, they would search for me and find the girl I'd killed. Aro would know that his Overseer – his precious little girl, his prodigy, experiment or whatever I was to him – had been clever enough to figure out the truth and flee for her life.

As I left the walls of the city without detection, I reached up to adjust the rear-view mirror and from here could see the city in the distance. I could see, beyond the expanse of rolling dark hills, the angular shapes of buildings and rooftops, the hundreds of tiny golden flares from flaming torches and lights, and of course there was the clock-tower rising above it all. The thought of the faces beyond those walls caused a blow of agony to the gut and heart. I had one last look before turning back to the road and accelerating away.

Once in the heart of Pisa, I decided that ditching the car was my best option. Then I needed to finish my hunt. On the drive I had called ahead and arranged for one of the Volturi's resources to supply me with a private jet, prepared for take-off within the hour. Thankfully, the confirmation that this was possible assured me that those back home had yet not realized that I was running away. After abandoning the car, I scaled the side of a building and took to the rooftops; I crouched low on the lip of a small hotel across from a populated street of restaurants and bars. Dozens if not hundreds of absent-minded humans came and went, laughing and smoking, eating and drinking, unaware that a demon lurked above that contemplated making them it's next meal or not.

Honestly, I could have just picked two and been done with it, should have, yet I found myself searching, praying, to find someone with whom I would feel little to no remorse in killing. In the end I overheard a prostitute and her client arguing at the farthest end of an alleyway. Although I had little respect for the woman I had even less for the man that refused to pay her for her 'services' so I decided to make him my next kill. I stepped off the roof and fell to the ground directly behind him, landing as gently as I would If I had simply floated to the floor. I grabbed the woman and shoved her towards the exit, "Leave," she yelled about being scammed, so I placed a small wad of cash into her palm and screamed at her in Italian to leave. She did not disobey. The large man had tried to yell at me, to threaten me, but he barely spoke three words before I raked my nails across his throat and ended his life too.

His death was shortly followed by that of an elderly man, in his late seventies at least. I could smell the disease on him, see it in his papery thin skin and taste it in the air. From my quick, unprofessional analysis, he had a few months to live at that. And, like the human subjugate, I made his death quick and as painless as possible.

The hour was up, and a text alert on my cell informed me that my jet was ready and waiting at the same runway I had met Sebastian and his men. Sebastian, what would he think upon discovering my betrayal? I pictured him on another private jet sat across from whomever Aro would send in search of me, handing them photographs of myself from the past and hinting at where his resources had last seen me. Except they would not. I was not foolish, or stupid and undertrained and I would not be tracked by anyone they sent. Be that as it may, I soon discovered I was contradicting my own thoughts; the smart thing to do would be to just start running and never stop, not ever, but I was not doing a smart thing. I knew exactly where I would end up, exactly where Aro would expect me to go.

After making my way throughout the airport and avoiding all of those boring human lines I had no need to wait in, I found myself crossing the tarmac towards the long black jet. The door was already open, the human pilot stood in a suit and sunglasses with his hands folded behind his back. Professional. He knew what I was and would not ask questions.

I was about one hundred and twenty yards from the jet when the heavy wind blew into me and brought with it the scent of death. Beyond the smell of the forests and the hordes of humans in the building's surrounding us, the fuel in the planes and the metallic taste in the air, there was another. Immortal. Familiar. Come to fetch me home. I turned just as they attacked. Four of them, they came at me from all sides, charging out of the shadows and towards the jet with their fingers bent into bone-like claws and their teeth exposed.

Immediately I recognized them as members of my guard, Thomason and William, Malaka and Rhys. Two unimportant and two indispensable.

"Well…. shit." I set off running towards the jet and when close enough I launched my bag at the pilot whom dived to catch it. "Go!" I screeched at him, "Prepare for take-off! Now!"

We immortals were fast, and by the time I had turned to take them on, two of them were upon me. Thomason and Makala, the two highest ranking after Dimitri and Felix and the two who would take their positions should a time arise when they were needed elsewhere. Ungifted, but loyal to me – until now. I ducked beneath Thomason's obvious grab and reached up to take a handful of his long locks in my hand and pull. His head broke from his body with an awful snapping sound. I allowed a single second to enjoy the kill before I turned and leapt a good fifteen feet into the air and over Makala as she charged at me. I angled my feet so when I hit the ground I hit the ground running, straight towards William. An older vampire closer to Aro's age but strong for he was a body-builder when turned. Bigger than Felix, or even Emmett Cullen

He laughed as we ran at one another, our bodies just a blur against the wind. His laughter only made me smile as I dropped to my knees and slid across the floor, my trousers tore and my legs stung the tiniest bit, I let my head fall back and hair blow outwards; the moment his giant arm passed overhead I pushed upright, spun and slammed my foot into the bottom of his spine like a sledgehammer. He cried out in pain but it hadn't been powerful enough a kick to cripple him, so he tuned and grabbed my ankle and pulled.

Footsteps from behind distracted me and in a single second I knew what I had to do. If I focused only on William I may have managed to get free without injury but whomever was approaching would have the perfect opportunity to take my head clean off. So, in that second, I made a risky decision and twisted my body on an angle it was not designed to make. I felt my thigh stretch and crack but I used the pain to power my blow straight into Rhys's throat, the sudden movement had been too quick for him to notice and my fist knocked him a good fifteen feet backwards and into the air. I barely had time to see his face before I spun back to William and brought my elbow down hard into his face, momentarily blinding him whilst I pulled my foot free.

I stepped back on that same foot and winced at the pain but could feel myself already healing, then with my good leg I brought my knee up and snapped William's head back until he hit the ground. I could hear the engine roaring from the jet, the pilot yelling at me that we were ready for take-off.

Deciding that another blow to the knee could easily shatter it – and then I would be fucked – I made a run for the jet but did not make it. Rhys crashed into me so suddenly and out of the blue that I cried out when we hit the ground hard. He pressed his knee into the spot directly beneath my ribs and pressed down as savagely as he could, using his body weight to keep me pinned. I swung for him but he managed to catch my wrists and pin them down too. I thrashed beneath him as wildly as I could, snapping at his throat like a crazed beast with a mouth full of canines but he just laughed.

"I've been wanting to do this for a long time." He swung and his rock hard fist connected with the side of my skull, the blow blurred my vision for a quick moment and I gritted my teeth at the pain. Not meant to kill, just hurt. He wanted to take his time. "Do you have any idea how hard it's been these past few years to listen to you bossing me around and not speak back, to act afraid! Of you!" The young vampire I had spoken to on the watchtower rooftop the week prior was gone and in his place stood a more confident man, wearing his face. His terrified eyes had darkened into a mocking glare, he found this amusing. I realized now that it was an act. He had been forced my Aro to play the part of a lower ranking guard whom respected and feared their superior when in fact, it was a game.

"Do you remember when you threatened to burn me? Do you?" He yelled so loud I felt the vibrating from his vocal chords. He purposely dragged his fingers down the side of my throat, burrowing ridges into my skin. "Well now look where you are, master, it is you that will burn! You who will feel the flames of a pyre, you who will-"

His sentence cut short when a hand reached out of nowhere, stuck their fingers in his mouth and tore his upper jaw and the rest of Rhys's head from his body. I had not realized what had happened until I knocked his body aside and rolled into a crouch with my hair dangling over my eyes, teeth barred and claws ready.

Then I saw the face of my saviour.

"Kai?"

He stood there looking down at Rhys's body in absolute disgust before wiping his hands on his shirt. He looked almost exactly the same as I had seen him earlier, dressed in tightly fitted black trousers and his signature polished shoes, with his white ironed shirt was now creased beneath the flapping folds of his trench-coat.

"Kai?" His name passed my lips in a whisper. My voice distracted him and his gaze found me again. His eyes widened as he reached down and lifted me to my feet. I did not hesitate, I threw myself into his arms and buried my face in his shoulder, clinging to him so tightly it must have hurt just as much as his embrace hurt me blissfully.

"Isabella," He breathed into my neck, sending shivers up and down my spine. Over his shoulder I saw both Makala and William missing limbs or two but alive, staring in disbelief.

"You traitor!" Makala roared at Kai, "You will burn alongside her! I will see to it!" She attempted to gain some kind of stance but crumpled to her shattered knees. Their limbs were scatted about but not destroyed, they could easily be reattached with venom and time. I went to move to destroy them beyond repair but Kai grabbed me by the shoulders and shook his head.

"Don't, you need to let them live. Trust me." He glanced over his shoulder at the jet and I moved a strand of loose hair blowing in the wind out of my face before following his gaze. The pilot was beckoning me over. "Listen to me, listen, you need to get on the jet, now."

My heart cringed at the thought, "What? I will if you come with me." I squeezed his fingers, refusing to ever let go.

"I can't, I have to stay. It's the only way." He shook his head, even with panic in them his eyes were utterly beautiful. Hypnotic and beautiful. "Go!"

"I am not leaving without you!" Absurd and wrong. He had lied to me about everything but who was I to blame him when under Aro's rule? He had been keeping me safe.

"Don't you understand? I have to stay so we both can live, but I promise you, Isabella, I promise you…. we'll see each other again." I found my chest heaving uncontrollably, and if I were a human I was sure I would have been having a break down. If I was human. When I had been human I had been Bella Swan, and from the stories I had heard she had been a damsel, always panicking, always crying, always in need of rescuing. Well not me. I was not her. I would be strong.

Whatever Kai meant by that, I had to trust that it was enough. That it was the truth. So I nodded.

"Promise?"

"I swear it to you. I promise." He grabbed my face in both hands before kissing me and it felt as if my soul had lifted and consumed my entire body causing me to feel painfully light. Every cell in my body screamed at me when I took a step back. Every impulse begging me not to let go but I did, and it left my chest feeling hollow. Then I tore myself away and sprinted for the jet. I boarded and within seconds the door had closed and we were taking off down the runway.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" Called the pilot from the cockpit. I could easily make out Makala and William who were on their knees with Kai's hands on their heads. I did not take my eyes from the shrinking man on the ground below. I did not take my eyes off the man who was risking his life for mine.

"No," I answered, "But I will be."

The jet I had boarded the night of my escape had taken me directly to London, where I bought a cheap hotel room and finally showered for the first time in what felt like forever. I had lain in that bathtub and cried some more, and if I angled my head right the water streaming down onto my face could act as tears. It was in that moment, when that exact thought occurred to me, that I decided that I would not cry anymore. I went out and I shopped for new clothes of different styles, bought dozens of contacts as I did not see myself in any place I would not need them anytime soon, and kept an eye out for any sign I was being followed.

I had been followed to the airport back in Italy by four of the guard. Someone must have found the human girls body in the tunnels, reported it and it would have clicked in Aro's mind. I could imagine him as clear as day upon his throne atop the dais with one leg folded over the other and his hands pressed firmly together as he instructed the four of them to seek me down and return me at all costs. They had almost succeeded in doing so if it were not for Kai.

Mordecai. He had shown up out of the blue, I had not even scented him before he hauled Rhys off me and took that young guard members head from him. From what Thomason said, he had known that Kai was there. Perhaps he had been sent with the others to collect me, or maybe Aro thought that my lover could persuade me to return to them willingly. No – No Aro surely wasn't so delusional.

No matter the reason, he had turned against them and aided me in my escape. In that moment I had not been thinking and I'd wanted nothing more than for him to climb those steps and flee with me. On the run, together, the two of us. Yet after hours of calming myself and replaying the word he had spoken, I at last understood why had to stay behind and what he had been doing to Makala and William who had been on their knees before him. He had been altering their memories, using the ability I had rarely seen but now knew had been subjected to myself. I guessed that he had been making them forget that he had turned against them and helped me, that I had been talented to destroy two of them and elude the other two all on my own.

Which I could have done, by the way.

But what of Aro? Aro would want to take my Kai by the hand and see the events of the confrontation play out for himself through Kai's own eyes. How would he avoid that?

I began to realize that all of these questions were only adding to my worry, and that I had to focus on where I was going from there. In the spur of the moment, I had packed my bags and hailed a taxi. Hours later I was on a beach in Ireland, watching the ocean waves thrash back and forth. It was on that beach, surrounded by wet sand, damp grass and nothing but the howling of the wind that I realized I was just putting off the inevitable. I knew where I had to go. I had known before the truth had come out that in the end, I'd have to return to where it all begun.

So I pulled out my cell and booked a flight from Dublin to Seattle, and from there I would return to Forks.

The airport bathroom was small, and it smelt awful, but I needed a place to change.

I left the cubicle and smiled at the girl who most certainly was not Isabella, Immortal Overseer to the Volturi Guard. No – this girl looked nothing like Isabella. Eyes lined with kohl, lips painted in rouge and I'd even coloured my cheeks to give them that pinched pink colour. Using my fingers, I brushed my fringe aside into the rest of my long, twisting golden locks and smiled. I'd decided that Aro may have very well have sent his men to scout out any airport I may show up at, especially those not too far from Forks. In case this was the case, I'd chosen not to show up and instead, this character I now portrayed would take my place. One of my passports claimed that I was twenty-year-old Katerina Mikhailov from Russia, and at the time the photograph had been taken I had gone through a phase of dying my hair blonde. So Katerina I would be.

The finishing touches were the jade green contacts I placed over my irises; as well as the contacts, wig and make-up, I'd managed to acquire clothing that I particularly wouldn't wear: A baggy white T-shirt, jeans with tears at the knees and worn baseball boots. I'd offered some random girl on the street ten pound for her camouflage jacket and hat, she'd refused, so I just handed her another fifty and she happily agreed. I rubbed my cheeks again in a useless attempt at blending in the makeup and giving my skin somewhat of a natural glow. I'd had to apply the make-up along my throat and chest as the shirt I wore had a wide neckline that showed off my breasts, it looked rather silly with the jacket but I had also decided that Katerina was alternative and enjoyed strange, gunge styles.

I pulled the girls beanie over my head to keep the wig in place, lifted the ruck-sack I'd also bought along the way over my shoulder and slumped out and headed towards the gate. That was the other thing. I was boarding an actual flight, with other passengers, in coach. Any other situation and I would have taken a burning whip than fly coach: all those fouls smells lingering in the air, the body odour and sweat and released gasses. The wailing infants and ignorant parents – I could sit still comfortably in that small space the entire journey but that did not mean I desired to.

Alas, I would have to endure it. Having the guard members waiting for me on that runway back in Pisa had made me realize that they had guessed exactly what I would do. I would not risk privately flying anymore. I just had to hope Katerina Mikhailov was not an identity anyone back home knew of, because for all I knew one of them had made it up.

Once we landed in Seattle I wasted no time and set off in search of a quick and easy car retailer, and upon finding one had to fight with my inner queen on buying the most expensive and beautiful looking one they owned. Instead, I drove away in a '67 Chevrolet Impala. Once on the road towards Forks town, I found that the smooth leather – now warm since I had turned on the heating – and the music playing through the radio was confusingly comforting and within the hour, I smiled. I guessed the car was not awful.

I drove on and on, careful not to exceed the speed limit. Not out of fear of being pulled over but out of fear that anyone with a certain kind of eye may recognize that it's driver was not particularly bothered about their safety. I had not detected any of my kind when collecting my bag and leaving the international airport. I had stuck around and hidden on the rooftops of nearby buildings just in case anyone showed up but from the looks of things no one was waiting to drag me kicking and screaming back to Volterra. Within a couple of hours, I took notice of how the roads begin to thin, the trees on either side grew higher and darker, the cars I passed aged and aged, thus was the result of driving away from populated cities and into the middle of nowhere.

When I passed the border into forks the steady calm that had settled in wavered as I knew that soon enough they'd catch my scent and come charging. I heard the howl just as I turned another winding corner and spotted them. They were here. The pack stood in a straight line in the middle of the empty road, the rain making their fur dark and heavy. I recognized most of them, well I thought I did.

I slowed to a stop ahead, then realized that they were growling at me. It hit me then that from their point of view, there was a strange blonde vampire sat behind the rain-blurred windshield. I sighed and pulled up the hood before stepping out of the vehicle and closing the door. I moved closer and one by one, they recognized who stood before them.

"Well," I shrugged as I walked forward and folded my arms; my wet shoes squeaked. "You haven't attacked yet, so I am taking this as a good sign." One of the larger and meaner looking wolves snapped as they went to pounce but another, the reddish one I remembered to be Jacob Black, knocked the wolf aside with his muzzle and let out a snarling reply of his own. The Alpha barked a command and the grey wolf who had gone to attack bowed his giant head in apology to his Alpha. I scoffed and shook my head, finding myself amused for some unknown reason.

"I should apologise to you, Samuel." Only now upon seeing him did I even think back to the last, when I had attacked and injured most of the Cullen's and knocked Samuel out cold. He had healed completely by now, as I was sure most of the Cullen's and Denali's had also, yet still I supposed an apology was in order. I hated every word that left my mouth, even though I knew they were necessary. "You must understand that at that moment in time I was not thinking clearly, I was angry and afraid. My only focus was on escaping." Some growled and turned away, others just watched me with pity in their eyes, pity I did not want nor need. Finally, the Alpha huffed in acknowledgement and one of the many weights I carried was lifted. "Thank you." I waited but it appeared they did not trust me enough to revert to human form, and I could not blame them. Deep down a part of me secretly wanted that werewolf fur coat. "I would like permission to cross through these land to the home of the Cullen's, with your escort if you deem it necessary." The way I worded it was polite, but I also made it adamant that I was getting to that large white house one way or another, with or without their permission.

Several of the beasts exchanged wary looks, their emotions obvious even as animals. In the end, Sam finally nodded and the wolves took to the forest. Beaming that I did not need to fight my way through, as fun as that would have been, I made my way back to the vehicle, buckled up and set off down the road towards the Cullen home with the shape-shifters charging alongside me.

Asher's Note:

Hello Everyone! Chapter 14 has arrived! It's not a short one but not as long as the last, unfortunately. I begin a chapter intending to end it at a certain point, but always get too eager to upload and show you all I cut it off halfway through! Oh well, I think this should suffice for now. A lot happens in this chapter too! Isabella makes her daring escape from Volterra and successfully until she gets to the airport where she is found by members of her own guard that attack. They fight and one of them almost manages to take her down until Kai shows up and gives her a hand. I got emotional writing the scene where she leaves, and it is explained why he had to remain later. It may not seem emotional to you, but it felt emotional to me. Let me know what you think. Also, sorry if during this chapter when Isabella was in London and Ireland that it passed fairly quickly. There are only so many ways to make her sitting around waiting entertaining and it felt easier to kind of brush over that, as it did not play a large part in this story other than her finally deciding to return to Forks. Let me know what you think of her fake blonde hair? Side note: I saw an old photo of Kristen with naturally golden hair and wearing a white T-shirt and it kind of inspired that little disguise I wrote for her. A part of me wondered if she would maybe dye her hair permanently, but maybe that's not this Isabella. Who knows. Another side note: I was watching supernatural at the time of writing this chapter, thus the inclusion of a '67 Chevrolet Impala. Ha.

Responding to your reviews:

Goldielover: Well she's returned to Forks…so chances are she's going to see Edward again, aha. I'm not a huge fan of Edward either, but Isabella feels the need to know who she used to be and where else can she go? As much as she'd hate to admit it, she doesn't want to be alone right now. Thanks for reviewing!

Sharksaver23: Thanks for reviewing! As we can see, she went to Pisa, London, Ireland and now back to Forks. But she may travel to other places later!

Hopestreet: Exactly! But whether or not Jane was telling the truth…. we shall see. No, Isabella is not weak anymore, aha. Thanks for the review!

Guest: The Cullen's will be back next chapter! Thanks!

Macey: Thank you so much, Macey! Yes, Isabella certainly is those things! I'm not sure I know what you mean by E-B Story? I'm guessing Edward-Bella? If that is what you mean, then I don't know. Right now, I don't see Isabella ending up with anyone, because I haven't decided. But…I do love Kai! We shall see.

Mrs. Stilinski Clearwater: Ah! I see! Unfortunately, the Emoji did not show up on my computer but I thank you for it, and for explaining! I was rather confused! Thank you!

ElizabethMidnight: I am not sure if you shall see these responses or not as your reviews were not on the last chapter, but the 1st and 2nd, yet I shall respond anyway just in case! Thank you so much for your kind words! They mean a lot! I do write my own novels and have been working with different publishers on getting them published, but that is a long while off. If that does happen, I'll be sure to let you know!

Miss24Fan: Aha. I wish I could! Unfortunately, real life gets in the way! But I hope you enjoy!

LRJ: Here!

Alice: Thank you so much, it is what I was going for! Unfortunately, not many grand adventures…. yet, aha. Thanks!

XxTMSxx: Thank you! I am glad you caught up! Means a lot!

Kristie: Thank you I'm glad my chapters helped! Aha. And don't worry, I'm moving past the hate!

~Asher~