"Rose?" she carefully asked. "What's wrong?"

At a loss for words the beautiful vampire looked up. Then she looked back at the spot they had just been sitting. Isabella followed her gaze and gasped.

"Oh shit," she muttered.

The flowers, which were previously only budding, now were blooming, their bright colours standing out in the moonlit meadow.

Chapter 21 - Manteío

The two women walked back to the house, a heavy silence sinking down on them. The relief Isabella had felt after she had talked to Rosalie was gone. After the beautiful vampire had, as the girl had requested, promised not to tell anyone of the incident they had left the meadow behind. It had been a while since they left the house and Isabella was certain someone would be starting to worry by now. Although she usually tried to avoid worrying anyone, it was not the most pressing matter she had on her mind right now.

It was Rosalie who finally broke through the silence. "Are you alright? Can you at least explain to me what happened in the meadow?"

"I don't want to-"

"Stop," Rosalie halted the girl in her words. "I understand that you may not like to talk about subjects like these, but you cannot avoid it forever. It won't do any good to you, or anyone else for that matter, to keep it a secret. Please trust me to not tell anyone else about it until you give me the heads up."

Isabella sighed. "It's just that- if everyone knows it's going to become a big deal and all. I don't want to be a special case even more than I already am. I hate it that they're 'studying' me, as if I am some kind of animal."

"They don't mean it like that, you know?" the vampire said after a moment of silence.

"I do know, which is why I just let them do their thing," the girl explained. "I get the appeal of finding out more about the unknown, especially when you've been alive for centuries and life's getting boring. And I understand that they need to be able to prepare for whatever will happen in the future. All the studying just makes me feel… I don't know, it makes me feel alien or something. I already am different than anyone else, and there will never be someone like me at the same time that I am alive."

"I'm sorry you feel like that," Rosalie said softly as they spotted the lights of the house through the trees. "But please, trust at least one of us with whatever is going on. It will help you too, you know. And we should know, from more than one person's judgement, if this new development will influence the plans that are being created."

"It won't," Isabella said, before her expression turned to one of contemplation. "Or maybe it will..."

Before they entered the fence surrounding the garden Rosalie stopped the girl and looked her into the eye. "Make sure to tell someone."

With a sigh Isabella nodded before she turned back around and opened the fence. As they walked over the path to the front door they could already hear sounds coming from within. Rose was about to knock on the door when it opened.

"Hey," Peter said with a voice muffled by the pile of bags he had stacked in his arms. "Could one of you open the car for me? I forgot to do it and I don't want to have to put this all down again."

Rosalie shook her head and muttered something under her breath. She grabbed the car keys from the dresser in the hallway before she went to the garage.

In the meantime Isabella looked on in amusement as Emmett followed his mate a few seconds later, carrying several suitcases.

"Hey Bells," the burly vampire said with a grin. "How're you doing? Did the walking help?"

"Yeah, it was nice," Isabella answered. "Now go on and continue your task before Char comes out and whips your ass."

Emmett stuck his tongue out at the girl, but walked up to the garage as he heard Rose starting to argue with Peter.

While her husband and his friend were taking their luggage outside Charlotte walked into the hallway. When she saw Isabella standing in front of the house she called out.

"Bella, come inside!" She motioned for the girl to follow her back into the living room. Isabella entered the house and took a seat on the sofa as her friend fluttered around, pushing a plate with some sandwiches into her hands.

"Eat," Charlotte ordered with a stern gaze when she saw Isabella looking at the plate in disdain.

The girl sighed but complied and took a small bite out of the bread. Suddenly it dawned on her what was going on. She must have been really tired not to understand it when Peter left the house with all their bags. "We're moving?"

Charlotte nodded. "Yes we are."

"You know we don't have to, not yet at least," Isabella said, frowning.

"It has nothing to do with us not being safe here," Charlotte explained. "We have made a slight change in our plans."

"What is it?" Isabella asked, her expression one of confusion. Just as her friend was about to answer her eyes lit up. "Wait! We are finally meeting with the others, aren't we? We are going to start planning the next phase."

"How did you-" Charlotte stopped herself when the girl tapped a finger to her head. "Yes, you're right. Although we are going to stay somewhere else for a little while before we meet the others, it will happen soon."

A smile graced Isabella's face and she jumped up, the plate of food lay forgotten on the sofa.

"Finally," she sighed as she gave her friend a hug. "When are we leaving?"

"Right now," Peter said as he entered the room. When he saw the food he corrected himself. "Actually, we'll leave when you have finished your sandwich. And take something to drink as well."

Isabella shot him a glare and grumbled something inaudible before she slouched over to the couch. After another look from both Charlotte and Peter she reluctantly finished the food. With an exaggerated gesture she placed the empty plate on the coffee table. "Done."

"Great!" Charlotte said happily. "Now, go and get ready. You'll take the van with Emmett and Rosalie this time. Peter and I will take the car."

"Sure." Isabella nodded before she stood up and left the living room, walking past Rosalie who had checked over their cars once more.

"You're sure it is the best idea to leave at this time?" the beautiful vampire asked. "Wouldn't it have been better if Bella could have tried catch some sleep first?"

Peter shook his head. "She would not have fallen asleep. We have put some extra blankets in the van; she will be able to fall asleep while you're driving. But please remember to wake her up before you cross the border, if you don't want her to start screaming."

"All right," Rosalie said with a worried look on her face. "We won't forget."

"I'm going to start up the car," Peter said as he stood up. "We'll be leaving soon."

-oOo-

Place unknown

The sky was pitch black, there was not a sign of the stars or moon tonight. A woman walked through the silent forest, following the manmade path that would lead her to her destination.

She was walking fast, and it wasn't long before the trees of the forest started thinning. Through the leaves an enormous building could be spotted. It was a dark grey, and if she hadn't known any different she would have thought it had been out of use for years now. As it was, she had knowledge of what exactly could be found in this building. Or more exactly, who. She knew she could find him in here. He had not moved from this place since he raided it years ago.

The woman walked up to the steel door. She climbed up onto the small porch before she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Shaking her head she let out a joyless chuckle. It was time to get the show on the road.

She only had to knock once for the door to open.

"State your business," the deep voice demanded.

"I'm here on invitation," the woman answered. "I need to speak to him. I have got some information to share."

"The Master said he does not want to be interrupted at the moment," he growled as he moved to shut the door. "Unless-"

"Unless I want to have my head torn off and my body set on fire? Oh, come on, can't you do better than that?" she said, cocking her head to the side as she caught the door, preventing it from closing.

"Was I not clear enough?" the aggravated man said. The woman was starting to get on his nerves. It was his job to keep anyone out of the building who did not belong there, and she was blatantly disrespecting him. He knew she had been here before, as he recognized her scent, but he was not going to ignore his master's orders. Especially not for this tiny woman. "Leave. Now."

"I said I have to speak to him," she sneered. "You would do well to listen to me. I don't think your Master would like to hear how you kept the Manteío from him, but if you want to take the chance, I won't try to stop you."

As she mentioned the name the man relaxed slightly and raised his eyebrows. "Manteío? But your arrival is not expected for at least a few days to come."

"As I already said," she said, emphasizing her words as she was starting to get irritated. "I have information. And if you keep me here, outside, for any longer now, I'll make sure you will lose your job. And with that, your head too."

Before the man could react the door was open and the woman quickly passed him, her head held high. He was about to run after her when he saw the message he had received on the computer. It confused him, but he closed the door and sat back down in his chair. He was curious how this would end.

The hallways were dimly lit, and though a human would have had problems seeing clearly, that was no concern for the woman. She walked on until she reached a dark blue door and knocked once.

"I have come to bring you information," she stated. She could hear some movement in the room before the door opened and she was allowed to enter.

"What is it you know, Manteío? You do understand that I do not appreciate it to be interrupted when I have specifically requested to be alone."

"I do understand that, and I do not mean any disrespect, but I know you will want to hear this," the woman answered.

"Then, by all means, tell me. I will decide whether it was worth my time," he said as he walked back towards his wooden desk.

She took a deep breath before she outed the knowledge she had recently acquired. "They have started planning and will soon be reunited with the girl."

When the man sat up in interest she continued. "The inhabitants of the castle have decided and started packing up. They'll completely disappear from the grid in a week and a half."

"You mean that we will know her location within two weeks, if you follow the black while we follow the scents," he clarified.

"Yes."

The man hummed, sitting back in his chair. "Thank you for this information. You may leave now."

The woman nodded her head and quickly left the room. As he heard the front door closing he sighed and turned around to face the corner of the room.

"Hmm," he murmured. "She thinks she is so important, doesn't she? Shall I tell you a little secret?"

The old man sitting in the corner looked up at him with wide eyes. He chuckled evilly as he heard the heart rate of the feeble human speed up.

He leaned forward before he whispered. "She is not of any more significance than you are, dear Antonio."

The man sat back in his chair. "In fact, if your lovely employers and their so-called niece were not so fond of you, you would have been dead a few years ago."

Antonio shook his head while the sadness was clear in his eyes. He had been captured long ago and was locked away in this building with three others who had joined him last week. Although he obviously hoped that they would all somehow come out of this mess unscathed, he knew that chances were big that a sacrifice would have to be made either way. And as much as he wanted to live, he would rather die knowing Isabella was safely out of the evil man's hands.

The chef was an old man; he knew he had just years, maybe a decade, to live before his body would give out on its own. But he knew the other three who had been abducted not long ago were younger and could live happy lives for longer if they would ever escape this mess.

What saddened Antonio even more was the reason he had been captured. The one who was overseeing the entire operation had never straight up told him, but it was not hard to guess from all the conversations he had overheard that they were bait. Isabella, blesses her, had a heart of gold and would do anything for those who she loved. While most of her friends and adopted family were vampires, and thus not easy to capture, she had also befriended several humans. Her love for others was unique, and it was also exactly what would be used against her.

He could only hope she understood that he and the others would sacrifice their lives without hesitation if it meant she nd the rest of the world could live in peace because of it.

-oOo-

"Have you heard anything from Peter?" Jane asked as she entered the conference room, which had been turned into an office for the time being. She quickly closed the door to block out all the commotion in the hallway.

Jasper looked up from the last papers he had to go through. "No, I haven't spoken to him since this morning. I did, however, get a text from Charlotte stating they have departed."

The small vampire hummed. "It is quite a chaos in the other parts of the castle. I believe some people would do well with a little more guidance."

"I'll look into it when I'm finished in here," Jasper promised. "It won't do any well to anyone if no one is thinking straight."

With a nod Jane left the room, Just as the door was about to close Carlisle hurried inside and sat down in the chair opposite of the Southern vampire. "Do you know anything on the whereabouts of Charlie Swan?"

Jasper frowned. "I don't think so? The last time we checked on him and Renée they were still under the protection of the group who was on a mission to Canada the day of the incident in Florence. Why do you ask?"

"I just got off the phone with William Black," Carlisle said. When Jasper looked at him, confused, he elaborated. "He is a wolf shapeshifter, a descendant of Ephraim Black. I met Ephraim, and even his father when I travelled along the west coast one day."

"And what does this shapeshifter want from us?" Jasper asked, looking confused. "How did he get your phone number in the first place?"

"William and the Quileute tribe are from La Push, which is not far away from Forks. He is friends with Charlie, and he often came around for dinner. But Charlie disappeared a week ago; he left for a conference in Seattle on Monday. He was supposed to be back by Wednesday, but he never returned. The police have been trying to find him, but it was to no avail."

The Southern vampire sat up straight. "Charlie is gone? That is definitely not a good sign. Are you sure he has completely disappeared? "

"William and his pack have been searching for him, as the clues left behind did not make sense at all. Charlie would always leave a message if he knew he would be out of town for longer than expected, but they have heard nothing from him. When they went to investigate in Seattle, as well as the road leading to the city, but they could not even find a trace of scent," Carlisle said.

"They think he was taken," Jasper stated as he looked Carlisle in the eye. "We should send someone to take a look and investigate this further. If Charlie Swan is really gone that can provide us with some serious problems."

"The shapeshifters have been trying to find him," Carlisle said. "They started searching through his house and found some of the pictures we have sent him through the years. William recognized me from one of the drawings his ancestors made."

"And Charlie still has your number," Jasper nodded. "What is it they want from us?"

"Charlie is like family to them," Carlisle explained. "And they protect their own. William has been trying to get him officially included in the tribal community for years now, sadly to no avail. But no matter what the papers say, everyone is very fond of the Chief of Police, and they want to make sure he gets back safe."

"The shapeshifters want to help?" Jasper clarified. When Carlisle nodded he sat back, a pensive look on his face. "We should talk to the kings, but in my opinion it is the best to accept all reliable help we can get."

"You are right," Carlisle nodded. "If we want to bring this to a good end we'll need to unite with everyone who offers their help."

"I'll go and subdue the chaos from the others now," Jasper said. "Would you mind searching for the kings? We might have to do some convincing. I believe Caius had some rather... unpleasant encounters with wolves in the past."

Carlisle stood up from his chair. "That is a great idea, I will try and gather everyone within half an hour. Where should we meet again?"

"Let's meet up in here," Jasper said. "We will be able to explain everything without immediately alarming the rest of the castle."

"I will see you back here." Carlisle turned around and left the room. Jasper sighed before he too stood up from the chair he had been sitting in.

It was time to set everything into motion.

A/N: Hey, I'm finally back with a new chapter for you this week :) Some mystery for you today (or not, it isn't that hard to guess who visited our lovely friend in the middle of nowhere) The Quilleutes have entered the game as well, so the action can finally begin... soon at least ;)

Thank you to all who reviewed last chapter! It makes me very happy to see what you think of my story. I'll try and upload again as soon as I can, but I don't know when that will be as I'm kind of a mess at the moment. Please make sure to leave a review for this new chapter :)

- Laura

Update: I (again) forgot to mention that Bella is currently 15 years old ;)