Changing rules

'Liam! Liam!' Bella called.

The boy came running towards her and let himself drop in the grass besides her. She was lying on her belly in the garden, her feet in the air. One hand was supporting her head, while the other hand was close to her face. She was studying something in her hand with an excited look.

'Look, Liam. Isn't he beautiful?'

She stuck up her hand to let him see. Edward tried to see too, but they were quite a distance away from the house. The sun was shining, which meant they couldn't go outside with Liam around. It was an inconvenience, but worth it. Bella playing in the sun carelessly with her friend was worth everything. The sun made her happy, cheerful and Edward loved it. Her brown curls fell over her shoulders. Her hand lowered in an angle towards Edward and he was able to see what she was holding. It was a small caterpillar, colored brightly blue.

'Feel this, he is soft like silk.'

She caressed the caterpillar softly and held him up for Liam to touch.

'Careful,' she warned Liam, 'don't hurt him.'

Esme stood next to him, watching Bella and Liam just like Edward. Her face held a loving smile. Bella had turned eight last week, but she was still adorable and it was all over Esme's thoughts. Bella placed the caterpillar back on a plant very carefully.

'We shall not disturb you anymore, Mr. Caterpillar. You must have more important things to do, like turn into a beautiful butterfly.'

Esme gave Edward a proud look.

Each and every day I am happy she came into our lives.

Edward agreed wholehearted. Bella's love and care for everything that surrounded her was amazing and even though she was with them now for four years she still managed to astonish him with the size of her heart. Bella had jumped ahead intellectually again. There was not much left to learn for her in primary school, leaving Liam far behind, but that didn't seem to matter to her. She enjoyed his friendship nonetheless.

Jasper joined them with a smile. He could feel the loving climate of emotions coming from them. Half an hour later Liam left. His mother had forced him to go to his grandparents for the weekend, but every other free hour he had, he had spent with Bella. Liam clearly worshipped the ground she walked on. Edward understood how that felt. Jasper and Edward hurried outside. They were both eager to join Bella and enjoy the sun with her. Bella was still lying in the grass, reading a book. They sat down on either side of her and Bella turned around. She studied them intensely.

'You are always so beautiful in the sun.' She said with a smile.

She sighed and laid her head back on the ground.

Jasper frowned and felt the emotions she emitted.

'You are tired, very tired.' He said concerned.

'Yes, I don't know why. I am not usually this tired in the middle of the day.'

Edward looked at her worried and placed his hand on her forehead. Her temperature felt normal.

'You have no fever, but you do look a bit pale.'

Bella was never sick so this unsettled both Jasper and Edward.

'Why don't you rest for a little while?' Jasper suggested. 'We will wake you up before diner.'

She closed her eyes and grabbed their hands.

'Will you stay with me?' Her voice was already thick with sleep, but it was the undertone of fear that worried Edward.

'Of course.' Both Jasper and Edward replied.

Edward hummed her lullaby and Bella drifted off.

They were both alarmed when Alice ran in the garden fast and panicked.

'Don't let her fall asleep!' She shouted.

It was too late.

She stared at the newborn. She didn't remember his face, but somehow she was sure she made him. How did he dare to approach her? She rarely dealt with the newborns herself.

'What do you want?' She asked testily.

She really didn't feel like talking to him. She had taken a second in command for a reason, to make sure they wouldn't bother her with their trivialities.

'I came across some very important news.'

'Did you inform Jasper?' She interrupted.

'No, I thought it was best to inform you directly.'

Maybe this was worth her time.

'Well, spill it. I don't have all day.'

'I have heard other vampires talk about the raging wars. They said it was going too far again. Some covens are already moving underground. They say the Volturi are on their way to wipe us out.'

She sighed, maybe this wasn't worthy of her time after all. Raging wars and the Volturi were daily business for her. If she wouldn't have been so distracted, she would have discovered the news long before the meaningless newborn had. She couldn't care less about the news. She wondered why she had become so careless. Was she finally sick of all the wars? No, that wasn't it. It was just her impatience. She needed something more. Her rise of power wasn't going fast enough. Jasper had been a great find, but he was old news now and the advantages she had gained with him were not enough anymore.

'Is that all you came to tell me?' She asked impatient.

The newborn glanced up to look in her face and she saw the glint of excitement in his eyes. He had waited to give the most important news last. She cursed the melodramatic tendencies of vampires.

'I have heard rumors.' He continued quickly. 'They say Aro himself is with them.'

She was shocked for a moment. That was unbelievable. Aro never left his precious city.

'Are you sure?'

'Yes.' The newborn answered. 'I heard it being confirmed several times.'

She tested it for herself, concentrating on her gift. She nodded to the newborn and dismissed him quickly. She needed time to think. Her breathing sped up with the excitement the news brought her. This had to mean something. She suddenly saw the opportunity of a lifetime. Aro wouldn't have left his city lightly. There had to be something very important and knowing Aro that meant he was after power. If Aro came to find power it meant she could steal it from him. Her excitement rose even further, but she controlled her outward signs. Her appearance was a mask of calm again. She needed to make a plan and nobody could know of this plan. The power was hers to steal and only hers. She would not share it with anybody, not even Jasper. Luckily she was the best in keeping secrets. She was probably the best-kept secret herself.

For a moment she thought back to her fussy human memories. She had always been powerful, even then. It was behind the scenes, but her influence had been great. Many kings and queens relied upon her advice. It was all because of her gift. It had been there when she was a human and it had grown tenfold when she became a vampire. Nobody knew of her gift, even though she knew Jasper had some suspicions. But he knew nothing of her past and therefore he didn't understand her and she was never going to let him understand her. It was the base of her power.

She remembered when she was a little girl and first understood she was special. She had walked upon a man living in her village and when she looked in his eyes, she saw his darkest secret. It had come as a shock to her, to suddenly see the man making love to a woman that was clearly not his wife. She had gone to the village elders and told them what she saw, pretending to be an actual eyewitness. The elders executed the man and the woman he was cheating with and to her surprise, she couldn't care less about their lives. She felt the doors opening for her, but she also understood she should not give up their secrets this easily. She could use the information to her advantage. After all, knowledge is power.

It didn't take long before she knew all the secrets of her fellow villagers and with their secrets came their insecurities. She could play into those insecurities and in that way she gained power over them. They came to her for advice on their marriages, on their children, on their career choices and her fame grew exponentially. More important people came to visit her and by the time she was an adult she had risen to the status of a noble woman. Right before she was turned, she had several royalties dependant solely on her.

Her gift had been powerful when she was human, but it was limited by eye contact. She needed that connection to see. The moment she was turned those limitations diminished greatly. She could pick up secrets everywhere. The advancement of her power was a blessing, but at the same time a curse. She used to be able to shut the secrets out, when she was tired of them, by just looking away. As a vampire she couldn't escape them, they surrounded her completely. They drove her crazy until finally she learned to control her gift. She could use it only when she wanted to use it.

She chuckled. She didn't even need a plan. If Aro was close enough she could get every secret he was carefully hiding from her and the world. Yes, yes, she would know it all. He was a fool to leave his guarded city. Here, he was hers.

'What is happening? Whose past is she dreaming about?' Jasper asked frantically.

They had carried her inside the moment they realized she was dreaming again. Carlisle examined her concerned.

'I can't see,' Alice said immensely frustrated, 'all I can see is that it has something to do with you, Jazz.'

It had been the base of Alice her panic when she ran into the garden to warn them. She could not see the outcome of this dream and it scared her immensely, together with the rest of the family.

'Why me? She has already seen my past. Why do I keep hurting her, it is so unfair.'

Edward understood Jasper's frustration. He didn't understand either why Jasper was giving her dreams of his past again.

'I am not so sure it is your past she is dreaming about, Jasper.' Carlisle said hesitatingly.

'Why do you think so?' Jasper asked quickly.

'There is something different about this dream and the circumstances.' Carlisle looked at him intently. 'You told us yourself, Bella was so tired she couldn't keep herself awake, even though it was the middle of the day. That has never happened before.'

Maybe she was forced into this dream for a reason.

Carlisle didn't spoke the last thought out loud, but Edward recognized the truth in it. Bella was forced into this dream even stronger than she normally was. What did it mean? He was certain it was not about his past, because Alice would have seen that and the same applied to Emmett, but Bella had no strong connection with anybody else, not counting Liam. How could her dream suddenly be of somebody else? Did the rules change again?

Bella was struggling and muttering words as always, but it was different somehow. He read Jasper's assessment.

She is not feeling distress as much as normally. There are other emotions though and they are strong. Emotions of power, hunger and excitement.

They waited anxiously next to her. Edward fought the urge to shake her, knowing that it would be useless as usual. The uncertainty of this dream scared him and he wanted to do something, anything to protect her. Bella suddenly gasped and flew upright. Her eyes opened, big with the lingering emotions. Her eyes moved to Jasper's quickly, while she caught her breath.

'Maria is coming for me.'