I'm so sorry for this late update... I just had an extremely weird time since I posted the previous chapter.

One thing that happened was that my best friend from Japan came to Holland to visit me last week on Wednesday until this week Tuesday. This meant I couldn't really write as we were going to different places every day.

The next this that happened was the disaster in Japan last Friday. As I've spend half a year in Japan in 2009 and another month in 2010 this really hurt me. I've got a lot of friends in Japan so I was glued to the t.v. to follow the news. I also spend a lot of time translating the news to my Japanese friend.
You have no idea how relieved I was when I heard from all my friends that they were alright. One of my friends was actually in Sendai when the earthquake hit but she and her family got away before the tsunami came so they are okay as well.

I'm still waking up with the news (CNN mostly as the Dutch news kind of sucks). I'm more on facebook than ever to follow how my friends are doing and I've never been so tense as I've been since Friday.

Even though all this is going on I still managed to write a nice long chapter for you guys :)

Thank you all for the reviews you send me! It made me feel better even through all the stress ^_^

Jasper, Bella and Zackary POV. I've noticed in the reviews I got that Zackary is becoming popular so I'll try to write more from his POV :)

Enjoy!


Jasper POV

Everyone who would walk into the cafeteria right now would look around and see nothing special. Just a bunch of students sitting at different tables, talking about school, homework, clothing, football and who knows what else. Even if that one person would look at the Cullen table they wouldn't really think anything weird. We were just sitting there, minding our own business while enjoying lunch. That was the way any human would see us at the moment. For us, however, this wasn't really the case.

For one, we were vampires but that was beside the point at the moment. The biggest problem was the tension that was hanging around the table. Ever since Edward had come to the conclusion that he was in love with Bella and that she was his soulmate, he had insisted that Bella would spend time with us at school. Edward's theory was that if they spend time together in school with all of us near Bella would be at a minimum risk of becoming victim to his bloodlust. I had to admit that it was a great plan, accept for the fact that adding Bella to the table caused some tension to say the least.

Rosalie had not accepted the fact that Bella had joined our family and was being hostile towards Bella every chance she got. Edward and Alice were over doing it to try and make Bella feel welcome while Emmett just made jokes all the time about Bella's clumsiness. This meant that right now the emotions at this table were slowly driving me crazy. Hate, shame, joy, concern, love and happiness were all coming from this one table.

I put my head in my hands and let out a sigh. Bella's shame increased at this as did Melody's concern. Just a few more minutes, then the lunch break will be over. Melody said. I know I know… I just wish we could sit somewhere else as the emotions here are driving me crazy.' I replied. I know. I can feel the same things you're feeling though I think it's a light version. Melody said. This was true as the emotions from others became my emotions on some level. I still wasn't really used to the fact that Melody was kind of my personal empath and sometimes I even forgot about that, like now.

'Bella, would you like something else to eat?' Edward asked then. I lifted my head to see Edward offer Bella an apple. Bella took it and muttered a thank you before biting down. Melody placed her hand on Bella's shoulder and gave her a small smile. 'This will get better once Edward can properly control himself.' She said in a human whisper which meant none of the other humans in the room could hear here but all of us could. Edward scowled at Melody's words and I had to almost literally bite my tongue to stop a growl from escaping. I couldn't even kick or hit Edward quickly because Bella was sitting next to me and next to her sat Melody and then came Edward. All of this was to keep Edward from draining Bella and because he only trusted Melody and me to sit next to Bella we were stuck here.

The bell rang then and I let out a sigh in relief that the lunch break was finally over. Melody gave me a quick kiss before grabbing Bella's hand and dragging her off to gym. That was one thing that came out of Edward's decision; Melody and Bella were good friends now. Alice had also gotten what she wanted because Bella and she really got along as sisters. 'Time for history, bro.' Emmett said from behind me. 'I guess so, ready Rose?' I asked my sister. 'Anything that doesn't involve Bella is good for me.' She said, sneering Bella's name. I didn't comment on this and instead grabbed my bag and headed for the history classroom.

As usual, history was extremely boring. What didn't make the lesson much better was Rosalie hissing venomously about Bella under her breath. My last class was English which I had with Melody who was an advanced student when it came to English. Melody was already in class when I came in and gave me one of her angelic smiles. Every time she did this I felt like I could float. I quickly walked to the back of the class and sat down next her. Before I could do so much as give her a kiss on her cheek Emmett walked in and gave me his don't-touch-my-little-sister look. I glared at him and send him a wave of fear which made him stop in his tracks and look behind him as if he was being followed.

'Jasper, that's not fair.' Melody giggled. Emmett shot me an angry look and sat down in front of me while huffing loudly. This was the one class that Rosalie didn't have with Emmett so luckily this lesson would be free of angry hissing. We had to start on essays about what we wanted in our future. Normally I hated writing about future hopes and dreams as I never really had them but now I did. I had lots of future dreams and hopes now and they all included Melody.

Halfway through class I had finished my essay but as this wasn't normal for a human I just took another sheet of paper and started on something else. I peeked next to me and saw Melody had started on a second one as well. Of course she saw me looking at her paper and she pushed it under her notepad before I could read anything. 'You know, Bella is coming over this afternoon to meet mom and dad.' Melody said in an attempt to change the subject. I had to admit it was working as she kind of shocked me with that bit of information.

'She's coming to the house?' I asked, completely forgetting about pretending to write my essay. 'Yes, she told me so in gym. Apparently Eddie-boy send her a text message this morning about it. He wants her to meet his entire family, so mom and dad included.' Melody shrugged. 'Well, there goes the plan to play catch this afternoon.' Emmett murmured and I felt annoyance coming from him. I chuckled at his reaction though I shared his opinion. Playing catch meant Melody would fly up and throw the ball to either Emmett or I at a high speed. After the one time Emmett destroyed Esme's wall with his throw he was refrained from throwing towards me but he didn't mind. Throwing the ball a few miles into the sky was fun enough for him.

Now that plan was out the window as Bella would be coming and she didn't know about Melody's flying abilities. Edward had point blank refused to let Bella know about Melody's secret as it might be more than the human girl could handle. 'I guess so but I'm more worried about Bella and Rosalie being home at the same time.' Melody said. 'You've got a point there, little sis.' Emmett said. 'Though I guess I can lure Rose away if things get too bad.' He continued and I could feel his lust increasing as he thought about things I didn't want to know. 'Emmett, think about something else please.' I hissed. 'Oops, sorry.' Emmett grinned and I felt the lust become less.

The rest of the English lesson passed without anymore sudden conversations or heightened emotions. As we had the entire week to write, check and rewrite our essays we didn't get any other homework. We headed towards the lockers together but had to split up as Emmett's locker was around the corner. 'Melody, Jasper!' I looked around and saw Bella running, or rather stumbling towards us. She really wasn't steady on her feet and I started wondering how long it would take her fall and draw blood. I quickly shook my head to get rid of that thought and made a mental note to catch her if she ever did fall.

'Edward said I could ride with you guys as he doesn't trust himself with me in a car just yet.' Bella said, sounding extremely out of breath as if she had run towards us from her Biology class. I could feel a lot of excitement coming from her so that might have actually run here. I did get it though; going to a house full of vampires wasn't something a human did every day. I had wondered this morning why Edward had wanted Melody and me to go to school with the Mercedes but now I understood.

'Great that Edward actually shared that with us beforehand.' Melody muttered only loud enough for me to hear before addressing Bella. 'Sure, no problem.' She said with a smile but I could feel that she was still feeling annoyance towards Edward. I'm so going to tell Edward that this isn't the way things are supposed to be done. Melody growled in her thoughts. I send her a small calming wave which was answered by a small smile from her. 'We just have to throw some books in our lockers and then we can go.' I told Bella who nodded and waited impatiently for us to finish.

Melody, sensing Bella's impatience through me, threw all of her books into the locker quickly. I copied her and closed the locker door so that we could go to the car. We walked to the parking lot and I could feel Bella's confusion as the silver Volvo we usually used wasn't there anymore. 'Uhm… are we going to run?' Bella asked a bit uncertain. 'No, the black Mercedes will have to do for now.' I chuckled as I let the way to the car.

By the time we got to the house Bella's excitement had grown to extreme proportions and I had to throw a calming wave at her every five minutes. Alice came bounding into the garage once Bella was out of the car and hugged her tight. 'I'm going to take Bella inside and have a bit of girl time before Edward comes back from his hunt. Mel, do you want to join?' Alice said. Melody shook her head and came to stand next to me. 'I was thinking about going for a run before dad comes home.' Melody said, looking at me expectantly.

'I would love that.' I replied with a smile to my girl. 'But… how?' Bella asked and I could feel her concern towards Melody. 'What do you mean with "how"?' I asked, not really understanding where her concern was coming from as she had already seen how Melody would run with me if she had to pretend to be human. 'I mean that your eyes are dark so a run for you would involve hunting right? Wouldn't that be extremely dangerous for Melody?' Bella asked while her concern grew. 'I'll be fine, don't worry.' Melody assured Bella before I could say anything. Bella relaxed a bit and I could feel her concern decrease a bit.

Before Bella could ask anything else Alice grabbed her hand and towed her out of the garage. When Alice and Bella had disappeared I took Melody's hand and let us out of the garage to a space that wasn't visible from the living room where Bella would now be. Melody stood still for a second before her beautiful wings spread out behind her. It still amazed me that her wings just went through her clothes without tearing them apart. 'See you in a bit.' Melody said and launched herself into the air at top speed.

I raced into the forest to hunt while Melody followed in the sky. I soon came across the scent of a cougar and gave myself over to my senses. Racing through the forest I noticed the cougar was slowing down so I did the same. I situated myself downwind so that the cougar wouldn't notice me as I watched its movements. Then it made the mistake to lie down. I jumped towards the animal and before it noticed me it was over. Normally I enjoyed a nice hunt and a bit of a fight but not today. I quickly drained the cougar and buried it before using my senses to locate a herd of elk. As usual the elk didn't put up any fight and just tried to run. I quickly caught one and drained it quickly.

You ready? Melody asked as she probably felt that my thirst had been quenched. I'm ready. I told her before racing to the nearest small clearing. As Melody flew down a bit I readied myself and jumped into the air. When I reached my limit Melody grabbed me and pulled me close so that I could position myself more comfortable. I put my arm around Melody's waist and held her tight as she started to fly higher. When we were just below the clouds Melody inhaled deeply and I could practically see the happiness coming from her. This was the place she loved most, up in the sky and totally free.

We flew for about an hour before we had to go back. Melody dropped me a few miles from the house and we had a race back. I had the lead most of the time but then Melody began her extremely fast decent in which she used the gravity to her advantage. 'I win!' She called as she flew inside a second before I ran in. I wanted to reply to that but was hit by a wave of shock which stopped me in my tracks just behind Melody. Bella was staring at us from the couch, her eyes glued on Melody's wings. She started to say something but whatever it was was lost as her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted.

Bella POV

Alice dragged me from the garage and before I could even look at something in the living room she had towed me upstairs and into her bathroom. 'Alice, why are we here?' I asked suspiciously. 'Well, we can't let you meet the parents looking like you've just come from school.' Alice chirped happily. Okay, I should have expected that though I wasn't going to back down even though I knew I would lose in the end. 'Alice, I did just come from school.' I said slowly. 'I know, but that doesn't mean you have to look like that. Especially with me as your best friend.' Alice replied before rushing out of the bathroom only to return a second later with a curling iron in her hands.

I groaned at the prospect of being Bella Barbie once again but I knew there was nothing I could do that was going to stop Alice. As Alice started doing my hair I closed my eyes and let my mind wander to the things Edward and I had accomplished over the past few weeks. We had started at opposite sides of the lunch table and I knew that Jasper had to work hard to keep Edward's bloodlust under control. Edward had also insisted that he wanted Melody and Jasper to sit next to me as Melody didn't have any bloodlust and Jasper was in the most control as his soulmate has blood flowing through her veins.

We were now at a point that Edward could sit closer to me with only one person in between. It still hurt Edward's throat when my scent hit him but it didn't drive him crazy anymore. I had also noticed that Melody and Edward were getting along better now though they still had a long way to go. They were actually talking at tiny bit during lunch as I had insisted on this. At first this was nothing more than a greeting and a goodbye but they were now having small conversations every now and then. I was glad for this as Melody had become a good friend and it felt good to have a human friend among all the vampires.

As Alice continued her battle with my hair the door to the bathroom opened. I looked in the mirror and saw Edward standing in the doorway with a smile on his face. His eyes were a soft butterscotch now and the shadows under his eyes were gone. 'I see Alice has gotten a hold of you.' Edward said. 'That is an understatement.' I replied while Alice started on my make-up. 'Edward, we can't use you here so go downstairs to wait.' Alice then said though she didn't take her time to look at Edward while doing so. I saw Edward roll his eyes before stepping out and closing the door behind him.

'Alice, was that really necessary?' I asked. 'Yes, it was. He couldn't help with anything here and would only stand in the way. You'll see him in a few minutes so stop complaining.' Alice said this as if it solved everything. I sighed but let it slide as Alice continued to work on me.

'Almost done.' Alice said past the make-up brush she had in her mouth. I felt Alice pull a few strands of hair in place before she stepped back. 'There, all done.' She said proudly as if I was her masterpiece that was going to be sold for a million dollars. Before I could say this to her Alice moved aside so that I could look in the mirror. I had to admit that what she had done wasn't that bad. My hair was curly now and half of it was pulled into a bun at the back of my head. The make-up wasn't as bad as I had thought either. Alice had only used make-up that made my natural features stand out more.

'Okay, now it's time for proper clothing.' Alice chirped happily but this time I was in time to stop her. 'Alice, I have to admit that the hair and make-up look great but I get to keep my own clothes.' I told her sternly. Alice pouted at that but I wasn't going to give in. I liked my clothes so Alice would just have to be happy with being able to mess with my hair and make-up. 'Fine.' Was all Alice said when she noticed I wasn't going to give in. She stepped aside so that I could leave the room and I quickly took the opportunity.

I raced, as fast as I could without falling, down the stairs and immediately spotted Edward on one of the couches. I slowed down and carefully walked towards him so that he had enough time to get accustomed to my scent coming closer. Edward turned around when I was halfway and smiled at me. 'You can go faster than that if you want to.' He chuckled. I blushed and hurried over though I sat down on the other couch. Alice soon joined us and sat down next to me. 'So Edward, are you going to let Bella sit next to you?' she asked while looking expectantly at Edward.

I saw Edward's face turn to one of concern but before I could say that I was fine sitting here Alice continued. 'I haven't seen anything in her future about her life ending so just try it already.' She said. Alice then proceeded in pulling me of the couch and pushing me towards the other couch before Edward or I could react to her statement. I tried to land gracefully, or at least as graceful as possible, on the couch but being me I stumbled at the last second and fell face down towards the ground.

Before I could throw my hands forward to break my fall I hit something hard and my decent to the floor stopped abruptly. I opened my eyes, though I didn't remember closing them, and saw Edward looking at me in concern. He didn't say anything as he pulled me back with his other hand and I noticed that he wasn't breathing. When I got my balance back I sat down slowly next to Edward. He was still holding his breath and I could tell that he was afraid to breathe. I took a deep breath myself, ignored Alice who was practically bouncing in her seat, and put my hand over Edward's hand.

His hand felt cold and warm at the same time and a small electric shock go through my body the moment our hands touched. Edward stayed completely still as I inched closer and closer until our legs and shoulders were touching. 'Breathe Edward.' Alice said. I looked at Edward expectantly but remained quiet and as still as possible. Edward's eyes were filled with fear but we had to get past this so I nodded my head slightly to tell him it was okay.

Edward closed his eyes and inhaled slightly. To my surprise he didn't cringe away from my scent and instead he inhaled deeper. I waited patiently for Edward to give any sign that he was alright. After about a minute Edward started opening his eyes and I was glad to see that his eyes were still the butterscotch they had been before. 'Edward, are you okay?' I asked when he didn't say anything. 'I'm… fine.' Edward replied, the surprise over this clear in his eyes. He then inhaled again, this time with his eyes open, and I didn't see his eyes grow dark. Alice however, did. 'See Edward, no problems. You're eyes have only gotten the tiniest bit darker. I bet Bella can't even see the difference.' Alice said smugly.

I rolled my eyes at my best friend and turned back to my soulmate who had now relaxed into a normal sitting position instead of a back-straight nervous position. I carefully placed my head on his shoulder and relaxed, closing my eyes. We were going to get past this, I was sure now. It didn't take Edward long to react to my leaning against him. He lifted his arm carefully and placed it around my shoulders. I took advantage of this and snuggled closer and letting out a sigh of contentment.

'What a lovely sight.' I opened my eyes and saw Esme standing a few feet away from us with Carlisle behind her. I had never seen Esme up close like this. I had seen her from a distance once in the hospital where I had to go after cutting myself with a kitchen knife so deep I needed stitches. She had waved at me but hadn't come closer, probably because of the blood. Charlie had seen me waving back and had told me who she was though I had already guessed as much.

'It's good to see you well, Bella.' Carlisle said, snapping me out of my thoughts. I smiled at him in return as I knew he was talking about the fact that this whole experiment could have gone entirely wrong. Esme looked at Edward who nodded, probably at a question she had asked him in her thoughts. Edward then lifted his arm from my shoulders and before I could protest I was pulled into a hug by Esme. It wasn't a bear hug like Emmett always gave me; this was a hug only a mother could give.

After Esme came Carlisle who just shook my hand and formally introduced himself to me. We all sat down and I drank my tea which Esme had made me while I was talking to Carlisle. 'I think I hear Jasper and Melody coming home.' Esme said after we had talked for over half an hour. I sat up straight, as I had once again been leaning against Edward, and looked at the door expectantly. I really wanted to show Melody what Edward and I had accomplished.

'I win!' Melody called from outside. Before I could even stand up to greet her something happened I had never thought possible. Melody, the human girl I had met at school, came flying into the house. Not as if she had been thrown but literally flying like a bird and as a bird she had wings! Brown wings which came from her back as if it was the most normal thing in the world. I opened my mouth but no sound came out of it. I just stared at the wings… and then everything went black.

'You should have let them tell her sooner.' A strong voice, Rosalie, snapped. 'That would have the same effect, Rosalie.' Another voice, Edward, hissed. 'This isn't helping, you two know that right?' A third voice, Carlisle, said. A sigh and a cold hand on my forehead, Edward. Come to think of it, I wasn't lying completely flat on my back. I was lying with my head on something, someone hard. Okay, time to open my eyes and face the truth.

'Bella!' Was the first thing I heard from a very relieved Edward when my eyes had opened. I gave him a small smile in return and tried to sit up. 'Not too fast, Bella.' Carlisle said from somewhere to my right. I turned my head to see that he was looking at me in concern. 'I'm fine, Carlisle.' I told him. When he didn't say anything I tried to sit up again and this time succeeded without someone stopping me.

I looked around the room and saw that Alice, Melody and Jasper were nowhere in sight. On the other hand, Emmett and Rosalie had returned from their hunt and were now sitting on the other couch. 'Where are the others?' I asked after I was absolutely sure that my three friends weren't in the room. 'I send Jasper and Melody upstairs after you fainted. I thought that seeing them now might shock you again.' Carlisle explained. 'And Alice?' I asked. 'She had a vision and ran out the door without telling any of us what she had seen.' Edward said annoyed. He had told me he didn't like the fact that Alice her thoughts, and therefore her visions, were silent to him.

'Who cares about that now.' Rosalie snapped. 'I would really like to know why my brother and sister were send away in their own house.' I wasn't sure but I thought I heard a hiss come from Edward but I dismissed this for later. Instead I turned to Carlisle who had been the one who send them away. 'Jasper and Melody can come back now. I'm not sure how I feel about what I saw earlier but I do know that both Melody and Jasper are my friends.' I told Carlisle.

'You mean that?' I turned around and saw Melody, wings and all, standing on the stairs and looking at me in concern. Behind her stood Jasper, his arm around Melody's shoulders and a guilty look in his eyes. I got up from the couch and walked towards my friends who walked further down the stairs as I came closer. When Melody's feet touched the floor I hugged her tight and was glad when she hugged me back. 'Yes, I mean it.' I told her. 'Though I will have to get used to the wings, Mel.'

Melody, Jasper and I walked back to the others and I sat down next to Edward again while Jasper and Melody sat on the loveseat. 'I guess you'd like to hear my story now.' Melody said. I shook my head as I realised I was staring at her wings again. 'Yes, that would help.' I laughed and leaned back against Edward who seemed completely at ease with me close.

Melody began her story then. She told about how Jasper had found her, how the family had been divided about whether or not they should keep her and about how they had no choice once her wings appeared. Next she told me about how she had gotten powers as she grew. How she could mentally talk to people who she had a link with and that her link with Jasper had always been the strongest. Lastly she told me about a guy just like her who was named Zackary who had attacked them in the past.

'So you have no idea what you are exactly?' I asked as Melody finished. 'No… we're still trying to figure that out.' Melody said sadly. 'Well, I'm sure you'll find out what you are. You're the smartest person I know and that is with counting vampires.' I told her with a smile. 'I guess so.' Melody replied and a small smile appeared on her face. After this we just talked about all kinds of things while Melody and I drank tea.

Zackary POV

The decision. I had already put it off for two weeks now. I had been ignoring the Master's calls as well and that was bound to get me into trouble. The Seer had been bothering me constantly for the past three weeks now and she was really starting to get on my last nerve. To make matters worse, Alice had contacted me that today was the day of her vision. The vision in which I would meet her family. I knew that vision by heart and I knew she was right. Alice had shown me what her family was wearing today and it was the same as in the vision.

I had to make a choice now. Was I going to chose Alice, my soulmate, and her family or was I going to stick with my own family and risk losing Alice forever. I let out a heavy sigh and leaned back against the tree I had been sitting in all morning. The thing that bothered me the most was that Alice wasn't sure about the future and I knew why. As she had given me permission to watch her visions through our link I knew exactly why she was worried. Her visions kept changing between three futures. One was a future of me coming with her to meet her family. Another vision was one of me choosing my own family and taking Alice with me. The last vision was one of me choosing my family and leaving Alice.

As I was still deliberating on what I should do the visions kept changing but I had to make a decision soon. Alice told me she was on her way as she had a vision of me making a decision and her being with me when I did. I had told her where I was waiting but I still had no idea what I was going to do. One thing was becoming more and more clear though, I was definitely not leaving Alice behind. If choosing my own family would mean leaving Alice I wasn't going for that.

'Master Zackary, the Master is waiting.' I groaned and slapped my palm against my forehead. 'What are you doing here, Seer? I so do not want to talk to you right now.' I said without looking up to her. I heard a branch move and a second later the Seer was standing in front of me. She put her hands on her hips and glared at me. 'So… you gonna tell me why you're trying to kill me by glaring?' I drawled. To my extreme annoyance the Seer didn't move or say anything. She just stood there, glaring. 'Fine, have it your way, I'll move.' I said and started walking away.

I was about to tell Alice to head somewhere else when the Seer spoke. 'Master Zackary, I don't know what you're thinking but I do know that your future is becoming less and less clear. The Master is waiting and I hope you don't keep him waiting. Choose wisely Master Zackary.' The Seer warned before flaming out.

As her flame disappeared, Alice arrived. 'What was that? Who was that?' She asked and I could see the concern on her face. 'An old acquaintance.' I told her. 'You sound bitter, not a very good acquaintance?' Alice asked, a smirk appearing on her face. 'Yeah, you could say that.' Before she could say anything else about the Seer I pulled her close and kissed her gently on her lips. 'I missed you.' I whispered when I broke the kiss. 'I missed you too… and I'm worried.' She whispered back as she laid her head on my chest. I put my arms around her and hugged her tight. 'I know, I know. It's the visions right?' Alice just nodded and I knew she wanted me to talk. 'You might have seen that I've already decided not to leave you.' I told her to which she nodded again. 'I know that, but I still don't know what you're going to choose. I don't want to leave my family, but for you I just might.'

Alice sounded sad and scared and I cursed myself mentally for it. I was the one making her feel like this and I hated it. I wouldn't make her sad; I wasn't going to make her choose. She was my life ever since I admitted my feelings to her, no even before that. 'Alice, don't worry― 'You're going to choose me and my family.' Alice finished for me and I stepped back in time to see her come out of a short vision. I hadn't seen this one as I was thinking about my own decision too much but I didn't have to see the vision to know what it was about. It was the vision from a few years ago but this time it was final.

A huge grin spread across Alice her face and before I could react she jumped at me and we both fell down on the forest floor. 'I love you.' I whispered as I stroked her cheek. 'I love you too.' She whispered back. 'This is going to cause a lot of trouble.' I said between kisses. 'I know, but for once I'm fine with not knowing the exact future. The present is what I want to think about now.' Alice replied and before I could say anything she pressed her lips to mine and I eagerly kissed back.

An hour later I had taken to the sky while Alice went hunting. We met up again at about two miles from the house from where I picked her up and flew to the house carrying her in my arms. I landed right in front of the forest edge across from the front door and let Alice down. 'You ready?' Alice asked though I could hear that she wasn't entirely ready either. Her visions kept changing as the others didn't know what was going to happen and therefore hadn't made a decision either.

I put my arm around Alice her waist and nudged her towards the door. As we came closer I heard the others inside move around and I knew they could hear our approach. Alice took an entirely unnecessary breath just to calm herself and opened the door. We were met by the family who were standing exactly like Alice had seen in her vision a few years ago. Carlisle was standing in front of the others as the head of his family. Behind him stood Emmett and just behind him Rosalie and Esme. Jasper was standing next to Emmett and had his arms around Melody's waist. Both of them were looking at me curiously but I wasn't sure whether that was a good or a bad sign. Edward was glaring while holding the previously unknown girl who Alice told me earlier was Bella Swan.

Alice closed the door behind us and I could feel all of their eyes following me as we went to stand in front of them. 'Alice… any explanation as to why the one who has tried to kill Jasper and Melody is now standing in our living room.' Carlisle said as he looked from me to Alice and back again. 'Carlisle, everyone, this is my soulmate.' Alice chirped happily and I had to restrain myself not to face-palm in front of everyone. I really did love Alice but she was really not good in reading situations correctly. This situation did not call for a happy answer as everyone in this room was clearly cautious at the moment.

'I'm sorry for everything I had done and I'm willing to explain.' I said as humble as I could. 'Dude, you almost killed my brother and baby sister. I don't think you have the right to ask us for forgiveness, man.' Emmett growled. 'Yeah, let's not listen to my story.' I said sarcastically, immediately forgetting to be humble. If this vampire-goon wanted to do it this way he would get it this way. 'Yeah, you're really in a position to use sarcasm.' Rosalie hissed. This was going to be just great… I could already see a disaster coming in fast.

'Emmett, Rosalie, stop this. Zackary came here to meet us and Alice trusts him.' Carlisle said to the two vampires who growled but didn't reply. 'Zackary, welcome to my house but I would like to know why you are here and so does everyone else.' Carlisle said directly to me. I pushed my sarcastic self back and pulled my humble self back. 'Yes, I'm willing to explain everything but I think it might be easier for the human over there to sit down.' I said while looking at Bella. She didn't seem to be standing on her own anymore and I was sure that when Edward would release her she would fall down. Carlisle seemed to notice the same as he told everyone to sit down.

Everyone sat down while Esme brought Bella, Melody and me drinks. Emmett was holding Rosalie protectively and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him. Edward had wanted to do the same to Bella but to my surprise she wanted to sit normally and said that if Alice trusted me, so did she. Melody was sitting on Jasper's lap but both of them were just looking at me curiously. I understood that perfectly as I hadn't really been the friendliest person they ever met and now I was here in their home trying to be friendly. To make matters even more interesting their sister had just told them I was her soulmate.

'Can I ask something before you begin your story, Zackary?' Melody asked after a few minutes of nice uncomfortable silence. Glad I wasn't the one to break the silence I turned to Melody. 'Sure, you can ask me everything, little sis.' I replied. It took me a moment to notice that everyone, even the human, had stopped breathing. Then it hit me that I had made a mistake but before I could explain Jasper spoke. 'You said little sis… Why did you say little sis?' He asked, sounding extremely confused. I rolled my eyes as I had just wanted to explain that.

'Gee, I wonder why someone would call someone else his little sister.' I drawled. At his Alice poked me in my side but I just shrugged. They will have to accept me for who I am right? So I'm just going to be me from now on. Humbleness just really isn't me. I told Alice. Fine… you're lucky this doesn't change anything in the future. Alice growled but I could tell she wasn't really angry. 'You mean… you mean you're my brother?' Melody asked. 'Well, half-brother to be exact. We share the same father.' I explained. 'You are her brother… and you tried to kill her?' Emmett asked perplexed.

I let a sigh escape at this. If they would just let me tell my story then all their questions would probably be answered. 'I thought I'd be able to explain that when I told my story but if you want it non-chronologically then I guess I could do that too.' I told him. 'But first, I believe Melody had a question for me.' 'Uhm… yes… We have been searching for anything that could tell us what I am. I was wondering… could you tell me?' Melody asked expectantly. I could see the curiosity burning in her eyes as she had wanted to know this for so long. 'I'm kind of surprised that you haven't figured it out by yourself, Mel. We are creatures who fly, have special powers and who can create and manipulate fire.' Melody nodded but it didn't seem like she was putting the pieces of the puzzle together so it was up to me to tell her. 'Melody, you're a phoenix.'


So... Secrets revealed... Bella knows about Melody and Melody found out she has a (half)brother and what she is!

As this is something a lot of you wanted to know I would love (and I mean really really really love!) to know what you think!

~Marieke~