Cameron

I was glad I didn't have to hunt. Being human wasn't that bad. Being part-human was better. No scent for anybody to go crazy over, and I could run like them. How I loved the running… It was the strangest, most amazing thing I had ever experienced, running faster than physically possible, but never getting tired from it.

While all the witnesses were out hunting someplace or other, I stayed at the house by myself. I would entertain myself with books, or the TV, or the piano… whichever suited my mood at the time. Right now I was lying across the couch comfortably, flipping through the guide, looking for something to watch in a few minutes.

"A Hard Day's Night," I read. It depressed me a bit to be watching something about the Beatles without my sister, Loreli. This was the first Beatles movie – and her first Beatles movie – and she would watch it over and over… She knew every line.

It had just started when the last group of witnesses showed up. I heard a light knock on the other side of the door, and I got up to let them in.

I opened the door for the Denali vampires: Carmen, Eleazar, Garrett, Kate, and Tanya.

"Hi everyone," I said. "They're just out hunting now – they should be back soon." I looked at their eyes – gold eyes, like the Cullens' – and saw that they were dark. Except the one, the strawberry blonde whose eyes were the lightest gold I had seen yet.

"I've been hunting along the way," she explained, as the other four went out to join the hunting party. I watched them go, and then turned back to her. She held out her hand, and I took it. "I'm Tanya. Forever twenty."

I smiled. "I'm Cameron. Presently seventeen."

"Presently," she said, looking into my eyes. I knew they were gold – it was almost an involuntary reflex when I was surrounded by vampires. I made them their original blue-green, and she took a step back. "You smell like nothing."

"It's a gift." I shrugged. "Failed attempt at making me a vampire. I'm not sure how something like that can fail, but I'm sure if someone else bit me, I would work."

Tanya nodded. Her hair rippled behind her, and her gold eyes kept mine. "How does that work?"

I prepared to explain again. "Well, one thing was that I woke up after a day and a half. Another thing was that it didn't burn horribly like she said it would – it was actually cold. Somewhere in there, I stopped smelling like anything, and I could practically control my heartbeat. It was pretty cool. And even way before then, I could change my appearance – I'm not sure if it was a family trait, because my sister could do it too –" Ouch, I thought. That hurt.

Tanya looked amazed. "You have a sister? Was she bitten too?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. She… disappeared when we were twelve. She's my twin. Actually, I'm her twin, because she's nine seconds older than me." She still looked at me like I were some kind of god. "I'm not amazing. I'm normal."

She shook her head. "You are far from normal," she told me. "You are amazing."

I almost heard a little click as I realized she was being absolutely serious. She really does think that. I feel liked.

Tanya

What an amazing human being, I realized. And he's gorgeous! It's a good thing I got over Edward when I did.

I gazed at Cameron. I wasn't even sure he was real. Quiet, thoughtful kind… selfless.

I think I love this kid.