DISCLAIMER: Some of the text and characters are from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga, which I do not own. Only the characters & text that were not in the original series are mine.

School dragged on and on, but that was because McKenna never called, nor did she return my calls, even when I invited her for my birthday, and when I asked her if she was all right… Her dad would answer the phone every now and then, telling me that McKenna had Mono, but after awhile he just stopped picking up the phone even McKenna's mom seemed to get tired of my calls.

Sitting in the Italian restaurant in Port Angeles (Josh had gotten his license in the summer without telling us), Hiro was also there and we were all trying to solve the mystery of McKenna's apparent disappearance. There was no way she was sick. Josh had seen her hanging out with two boys that were risk takers, jumping from the highest cliffs when they cliff dived. McKenna no longer went to school either, and Josh had heard around his school that McKenna had dumped her boyfriend.

Hiro suddenly slammed his hands against the table, "Argh! This is giving me a headache! Can't we just TALK to McKenna?"

"Tried," Josh said dejectedly. "She avoids me like I'm the plague every time I get close to her."

"Why this sudden change though?" I asked, looking at both of them.

Josh shrugged, "Maybe those two guys forced her into their group…I don't know."

"But McKenna's stronger than that," I pointed out.

Josh snapped, "I know!" He looked away and muttered, "Sorry…I'm just worried about her…we've been best friends since we were kids."

Hiro and I exchanged a quick glance. Josh wasn't one to voice his worries unless he believed something was seriously wrong. Now we knew that we had to figure out what was wrong with McKenna.

The waitress brought our orders, but we all ended up only eating a few bites, missing our bubbly friend's company. A month apart hadn't eased the pain of her abandoning us.

At home wasn't much better for me, unlike Hiro or Josh who could find some happiness when they got home, I only found the same stress. The vampire that had hunted me that one day, a month ago, had been hanging around. This vampire hadn't killed anyone nearby yet…but we all knew it was only a matter of time.

Jacob's pack was constantly on alert; I would sometimes glimpse their eyes in the forest surrounding my school, or catch a glimpse of fur as our car flew past the forest. Even their sensitive noses couldn't completely track the vampire. This vampire was tricky, doubling back on its own trail or leaping into trees so the wolves lost its scent.

Someone was always missing from the house now, keeping an eye on Bella's father, Charlie, and someone was always at Hiro's house, watching out for him and his family.

As I walked in, Esme said, seeing my expression, "McKenna still hasn't talked to any of you?"

"No, Mom," I answered, glad when she embraced me.

She kissed the top of my head, "I know this is hard on you, with McKenna not talking to you and this vampire, but things will get better soon."

I closed my eyes. It would be so easy to believe her, but after a month of being unable to catch the vampire it didn't seem like things would ever return to normalcy.

"Where's Dad?" I questioned, pulling away from her embrace.

Esme answered, "He's watching Hiro's house tonight."

I closed my eyes. Reality was just too cruel sometimes. Esme brushed my bangs out of my eyes in sympathy. "Why don't you go upstairs and get some rest? Things will look better in the morning."

"Sure," I answered. That was a statement I heard every night and no matter how many times I heard it, things never did look better.

I collapsed onto my bed, not bothering to change into my pajamas. Though I wasn't one for praying I closed my eyes, Lord…please…if you can hear me…help me to figure out what's going on with McKenna and help my family and Jacob's pack to find that vampire. Please…! I really didn't expect my prayer to be answered though!

At school, the next day, I was sitting in Algebra II, staring out the window at the forest, not really paying attention to the lesson, which I knew would come back to haunt me later. I was thinking of the last conversation McKenna and I had that one night…

"Hey! So…how awful was your first day of school?" McKenna teased over the phone.

I made a face, even though I knew she couldn't see me, "Terrible! The only class that sounds interesting is Art II!"

"What Algebra II doesn't interest you?" She asked in mock horror.

"Are you crazy?" I shouted, horrified. "Math and I are age old enemies!"

McKenna burst into laugher, "Same here! All those numbers!"

"Yep, and all those formulas!" I groaned.

McKenna laughed, "Just wait till my school's back in session I'll be calling you every night for help with my math homework…!"

What was that? I stared at the forest intently now. Something had moved out there; something that didn't fit in with the usual scenery. A flash of red and white caught my attention, and I watched as it slid to a halt, whatever it was. It crept forward until it was at the edge of the forest, and then it poked its head out into the rare sunshine.

It was a wolf. The top of its body was a deep burgundy, while snow white fur started on its lower jaw. I assumed that it had a white underbelly. As strange as this wolf was, (I knew that it had to be from either Jacob's or Sam's pack) its unique fur wasn't its most striking feature. It looked…delicate…yet powerful. Its ears were pricked for sound and its eyes…its light blue eyes stared right back at me intensely. I couldn't pull my gaze away from those intense eyes. It was like this wolf was trying to tell me something…something important.

"Ms. Cullen!" My teacher's voice snapped my attention back to the classroom.

"Um…" I glanced at the problem on the board and guessed, "Four?"

"You're very lucky," my Algebra II teacher grunted before going back to the lesson. Sometimes you just had to love dumb luck.

I quickly looked at the window again, but the wolf was gone. I decided to glare at the teacher for the rest of the period to pass the time.

After fourth period, I was sitting in the lunch room with Hiro, who was having one of his perceptive days.

"What were you staring at in Algebra?" He asked past his pizza slice.

I debated with myself. Tell him the truth and freak him out or lie… Lie. "I was bored out of my mind, so I was just admiring the scenery."

Hiro wasn't convinced, "Yeah right. You were staring at something, not looking half dazed like you usually do when you're in La La Land."

"I thought I saw something," I murmured. "I thought I saw…a large dog."

"Maybe it got loose," Hiro commented.

I nodded, "Maybe. I just thought it looked interesting…like a Malamute."

"They are pretty common around here," Hiro said.

I was glad that his perception seemed to have left him, "Someone must be missing it pretty badly. It was very beautiful."

Hiro nodded absently mindedly. Something was obviously on his mind.

"Hiro, what's up?" I asked.

He started, "Huh? Nothing!"

I decided to let the subject drop. I had a bad feeling I knew what was on his mind. Needless to say, I was glad when the bell rang, signifying that lunch was over. I didn't miss the disappointed look on his face. He had definitely been trying to get up the courage to ask me out and I wasn't ready for that question yet.

At my locker after school, I checked my new cell phone for any messages. Since the vampire had been hanging around the area, my parents had decided that I needed one. I saw that I had one message and hit the send button, Carlisle's voice greeting me:

"Sara, you're going to have to walk home today. Do not go into the forest, stay to the main road. We're positive that the vampire isn't near your school. Jacob and Seth are tracking it right now. I'll see you when I get home. Love you."

That was somewhat comforting. The message had been sent a few minutes ago, so if Jacob and Seth were on its trail I had nothing to fear. Hiro asked, as we headed out, "We're not being picked up, are we?"

"Not today," I answered. "I'll see you tomorrow, Hiro."

"Yeah, see ya!" He said.

Sticking to the main road was easy, and it helped that the wildlife was still making its usual noises, so I knew that the vampire wasn't in the area. My walk was very uneventful, until I got closer to home…

I could see the driveway from several yards down the road, and I was ecstatic to see it. I had been paranoid the whole way every time there had been a lapse in the bird song. I paused as a figure stepped out into the roadway halfway between where I was and the driveway. The figure looked like Edward, so I continued to walk, thinking he had come out to wait for me, hearing my approach. The birds had stopped singing but it made sense, I vampire was in the area. I glanced at the woods across the way, doing a double take. I could have sworn that a red and white shape had moved in the trees. I decided to ignore it, though, assuming it was my imagination.

I was only several feet away from my brother when I froze. He had turned to look at me and his eyes were most definitely not golden brown. They were red. This vampire was also taller than Edward, and his features were more like that of a predator, but he was still beautiful.

His voice was velvety, but it sent chills down my spine, "I've been waiting for you to be on your own. I've been wanting to see the Cullens' pet." I remained silent as he approached me slowly. "My coven has heard a lot about the Cullens, and how they stood up to the Voltouri, truly amazing, really. I would have thought they would be fiercer though, they've disappointed me, as have their mutts. I've found this experience quite boring really."

He had a southern accent, my mind managed to register that as it raced around in my head, trying to figure out what I should do. Jasper had taught me how to deal with newborns, not an experienced vampire.

He breathed in deeply, "I can smell your fear…it's about the only thing that excites me right about now. Perhaps I should just kill you now and be done with it, obviously the Cullens are nothing compared to my coven… I think I will end your life now…maybe that will be enough to draw out their fighting spirit." He stepped towards me but he stopped as a growl sounded from the trees.

We both turned our heads, startled. Relief shot through me as the red and white wolf stepped from the trees, lips drawn back to reveal its glistening canines.

I expected him to turn and run. After all, the wolf was bigger than he was. Instead he grinned, "I'll have some fun with you first, mutt!" I blinked and he had moved, appearing on the wolf's right side, but the wolf was just as fast. One second the vampire was swinging at the wolf, and the next there was this sickening crunch, and the vampire screeched in pain. His arm had been ripped from his body, which the wolf threw to the side, before lunging at the vampire, getting its jaws around his neck. Another sickening crunch and I took off, the wolf's blazing blue eyes and the image of the vampire's arm in its mouth burned into my mind.

Bolting into the house, I slammed the door shut. The one time I wished my family had gone hunting without using the excuse of a camping trip and they hadn't. Rosalie was up from the couch and in front of me, her hands on my shoulder, "What's wrong?"

My heart was trying to escape from my chest, and I was gasping for breath from my sprint, "Vampire…outside…wolf…vampire being…torn apart…" She was out the door, and I heard the back door slam shut, knowing the others had probably gone out the back. I walked to the couch and sat behind it, trying to calm myself down so I could think straight. Slowly, I started to calm down.

Everyone came back in the front door, moments later, just as I had finally managed to calm myself.

I asked, "Did you see them?"

Bella said, "We found scents, but we didn't see anything."

"What?" I shouted. "But…"

"We believe you," Rosalie assured me. "But there was nothing…no one…there."

Carlisle walked over to me and scooped me up into his arms, "We also found Jacob and Seth's scents there, along with a few others that we didn't recognize, so maybe they finished off that vampire."

I remembered what the vampire had said, "That vampire…he said that he was from a coven that had heard of you. He was seeing…if you were fierce…or something…"

Emmett asked, "Anything else?"

"He had a southern accent," Edward answered before I could.

Jasper looked uneasy, "If we've attracted the attention of a southern coven, that's not a good thing."

"And we can assume that he is now gone," Bella said. "Someone's bound to want revenge."

"Let's hope not," Esme said, glancing at me worriedly.

Carlisle looked at Alice, "Alice?"

Alice closed her eyes and concentrated, but she shook her head, "I can't see anything at the moment, probably because they don't know that one of their own is gone."

Carlisle glanced down at me, "Let's get you upstairs so you can try and relax." I didn't argue with him. I wanted to be alone. Something about the red and white wolf was seriously bothering me.

As soon as my bedroom door closed, I thought about the wolf, closing my eyes as I focused on what my family had said. Jacob and Seth's scents had been in the vicinity…along with several others… I thought about the wolf then, focusing on its face, the delicate features…the eyes…the blue eyes…those light blue eyes…those FAMILIAR light blue eyes! My eyes snapped open. I thought about what Josh had said about McKenna hanging out with two guys that jumped from the highest point of the cliffs. They could all do that without fear because they were shape shifters…werewolves, who were apart of Jacob's pack! McKenna was the latest addition to Jacob's pack!