Chap 32
1/14/13

Bella's POV

We were running toward the direction Cassie's sound waves came from. I turned behind me again to reassure myself Jacob had Renesmee intact. My shell was practically carrying Alec along with us, his feet merely for show at this point. My head was reeling as I made my way through the now broken forest. We had to hurry; humans would probably come to inspect what caused this destruction soon.

My mind kept going back to the scene I just walked in on. I couldn't believe what Renesmee had been doing, with Alec of all people. How dare he trick her into doing those things, how dare he convince her to undress herself for him? I was feeling myself grow furious with each step I took.

"Bella." Edward interrupted my thoughts. "Can you smell them?"

Instinctively I inhaled I caught my son's scent immediately. "Masen!" I exclaimed running even faster.

"Bella there's more." Edward said next to me. "He's having a conversation with some girl named…Aria." He said squinting his eyes trying to focus himself.

"What's the matter?" I asked him. I had never seen him take so much effort into reading a mind.

He shook his head confused. "She is talking to somebody…But in her head. Someone who isn't there. I can't…I can't hear what they are saying to her. It's like she's on the phone and I can only hear her side of the conversation." He finished frustrated.

"Is my baby okay?" I asked him panicked, paying no attention to the blur that was my surroundings as I made my way toward my son.

"As far as I can tell…" Edward said trailing off, concluding with a smile. "She hasn't hurt him, in fact quite the opposite."

Suddenly I was infuriated again, both of my children in the same night, running off into the woods to… to fool around with people they just met. Was this my fault? I had kept them sheltered from people for so long that they were lust hungry now? What kind of parent was I? I was just trying to keep them safe; they are staring school in September! Why were they behaving this way?

I quickly sensed Masen and this Aria, I wrapped my shield and shell around my baby boy instantly. I stopped him in his tracks for a moment so he knew that I found him. "Did he feel it?" I asked my husband.

"Yes." Edward began. "He wants us to get there quickly. He found Damien."

It was mere moments after that Edward, Alec and I entered a clearing where Masen was tending to his cousin. Damien's clothes were torn; he was bleeding in several places and covered in dirt. I enveloped my son in a hug as Edward tended to our nephew. The girl, Aria, looked as dirty as my two boys, yet she remained unscathed. She stood standing a few feet away from us before recognizing Alec.

"Uncle Alec!" She exclaimed running towards him, not quite being able to reach him because of my shell, she was angered by this and confused. She scowled looking to her right, and nodded ever so slightly. "Let him go." She instructed me, somehow knowing I was the one who was doing it.

I growled at her. Who was she to think I would take orders from her. I laughed. "Not a chance." I uttered staring intently at her moving completely in front of my son.

Jacob finally caught up with us, Renesmee still slung in his arms, and Leah trotting by his side, protectively.

"Nessie." Masen breathed and ran towards his sister, horrified by her condition. She whimpered when he grazed her face, but touched his arm and nodded. I assume reassuring him that she was alright.

Alec was lucky I was allowing him to use his gift to help my daughter. Lucky.

"Uncle Alec" Jacob said looking toward him in confusion. "His sister is a vampire. How can he be an Uncle?"

Edward finally stood from Damien finally absorbing enough thoughts to piece this together. "He is her Uncle in the same sense that I am to Damien. In the same sense Carlisle and Esme are my parents."

"It's adoptive." Alec said finishing Edwards thought, turning his attention to Aria. "Are you okay dear, did he harm you?" Alec spat throwing a nasty look towards the child of mine that he hadn't been fondling earlier.

I snarled at him. "Of course he didn't hurt her." I said just as nastily. Alec didn't take my word for, instead waited for Aria's approval.

"Alec, I'm fine, Masen and I were looking for his cousin and Aunt Jane." She finished looking disapprovingly. "Daddy says she did this." She finished crossing her arms.

Alec glanced nervously towards Edward before answering. "She couldn't have done all of it." He said matter-of-factly. "Jane can hurt people, she can't cause this." He said gesturing to the forest around us. Not all the trees had been knocked down, but all of them had chips and slices in their bark and most of their leaves disintegrated.

Cassie's sound waves were so strong they destroyed a lot of the greenery in a pretty large radius. "It was my niece. It's her talent. When she screams, her voice carries a powerful sound wave. Jane made her scream." I stated accusingly.

Alec looked disheveled. "I don't know why she would attack you. She knew we were here to make peace."

"You call this peace?" Edward said outraged. "My daughter and nephew look destroyed, and my son has had his arm dislocated and relocated all in the same night! I've warned you to stay away from my family!"

There was a rustling from the bushes behind Edward and I. We turned to see Rosalie and Jane both making their way towards us. Rosalie looked dirty, as did Jane, their clothes torn in several places. Jane looked utterly shocked and ran towards her brother, passing by Edward and I with confidence. She hissed upon realizing I had him encased and glared at me, I smirked remembering that she was the first person I had ever used my shell on.

"Pull anything else and you'll be put back in your cage Jane." I said proudly. Jane said nothing instead her "niece" Aria defended her.

"I don't know what gives you any right to talk to her that way." She demanded of me.

"I have every right after the things she has done to my family." I growled at her, moving towards her, finally snapping.

She may have only been a child but she certainly had no manners or any idea what she was talking about. Jane, although several inches shorter than her, reacted and stood protectively in front of her, as did to my shock, and Aria's, my son.

I took a step forward and Edward grabbed ahold of me. I looked up at him, wounded, crushed that he prevented from taking my son.

"It's different." He whispered to me. "We have very important things to do right now." He said louder for all to hear, casting a glance at Rosalie who looked as if she were about to throw up if she could.

My anger quickly faded and I turned away from my son and the girl whom he was protecting.

"Rose." I said walking toward her, holding her up; she looked like she needed it.

"I…I can't find her." She said more panicked than she had ever sounded. "I thought we were just going to be looking for Masen and Nessie. I… I didn't think that she would be in danger. That she would be out here." She finished holding her arms and staring daggers at Jane.

"I did not cause this, to separate us all. That is beyond my control." Jane said blankly, no feelings of responsibility even though we all knew what caused Cassie to scream in the first place. I didn't need to read minds to know that.

"No but my daughter caused that pretty little crack along your neck didn't she you pathetic bitch." Rosalie screamed rivaling Cassie's decibel threshold.

I actually had to dig my feet into the ground to hold her back. Rose smiled almost as cynically as Jane. "I swear if anything has happened to her…you'll have an army against you. And you won't be surviving this time. Even it kills me."

Jane glared at her, yet said nothing. Perhaps finally learning to keep her mouth shut.

"Edward." Rosalie began losing al hint of vengeance in her voice. "Please, please tell me you can hear her." She begged him.

He closed his eyes and after a few moments shook his head cautiously. "No, I can hear Jasper though. He's looking for her himself. He can smell her. That's more than we have; we need to make our way to him." He said eagerly.

"But you can't hear her?" Rosalie asked questioningly, and terrified. She began to cry. Seriously. This was only the second time I had ever seen a vampire do it, and the first time somebody in the family had. Thick Crimson streaks were rolling down her face with each sob.

"Rosalie…" I said in disbelief, unable to find any words of comfort.

"I have to find her I just have to…." She finished with another sob. Even Jane and Alec were amazed by what they were witnessing.

"We have to go. Can you walk?" Edward asked Damien, a determined look on his face. My poor nephew shook his head with tears in his eyes. Edward reached out for him, but I reached him first.

"Edward, I'll take him." I reached down and smiled at him.

"Sorry Aunt Bella." He said sheepishly.

"For what?" I asked him with a laugh in my voice.

"I…I think I broke my leg. I didn't know I could do that." He looked up at me endearingly.

I chuckled as I was reminded of what he looked like when he was a young boy. "Neither did I sweetie."

He smiled and continued enthusiastically as I gently lifted him and stared running as gracefully as I could as not to hurt him. "I got thrown into a tree and it was my leg hooking onto a branch that stopped me. I think it cracked!" He was wide-eyed and tearing up all at the same time.

The biggest simplicity in life that amazed me was the difference between boys and girls.

Masen's POV

I let my Dad and Aunt Rosalie lead the way to Uncle Jasper, as I hung back with Jacob and Renesmee running slower. Mom was a few feet behind us carrying Damien. I could only imagine how angry she was at me for defending Aria.

I don't even really know what came over me. I saw my mom pissed and walking towards her menacingly and…I just couldn't help myself. It was as if something rose up in me. I couldn't let anyone harm her, even my mom. I felt disgusted with myself as I considered what would have happened if the situation had escalated.

I cast a glance towards Aria again. It was well past nightfall and her hair was so black now that it was almost blue. That was such a unique characteristic. I mean Damien could change his appearance any time he wanted. But Aria…she was affected by nature and her surroundings. I wonder how many realities I could create to change her hair.

I finally noticed my sister staring accusingly at me, with a smile on her face. I blushed. Oh God. I blushed? What was this girl doing to me, I hardly knew her! At least Ness has known Jacob all her life, I give her shit for it but if they started dating at least she knows his last name!

"Masen." She said faintly. Alec was helping her pain but I imagine her breathing was still labored, she must be having a hard time talking.

I didn't wanna do it but I gave her what she wanted. I held her hand. She showed me what I had looked like only moments ago, staring adoringly and stupidly at Aria running. She showed me dad staring back at me while I was doing this, grinning. I hadn't even noticed him. She showed me protecting Aria from mom and she frowned.

"You wouldn't have hurt her, would you?" She asked me.

"Of course not!" I thought back to her. And I showed her; rather let her feel how I was feeling right now, how Aria made me feel.

Renesmee let it absorb her and a warming smile spread across her face. "Jacob." She thought to me. I glanced towards him quickly before glancing back at my sister. She proceeded to show me images of moments she has felt the way I do now. "Jacob." She thought again more authoritative this time. As if his name was the definition of this feeling.

I sighed aloud. "Mom doesn't like her, and from what it seems her "adoptive" family tried to kill us…twice. Three times if you include tonight with Cassie. That track record doesn't look so well for me." I thought to her laughing inside.

"Oh Masen only you laugh so hard at your own jokes." Renesmee thought with a roll of her eyes.

"Aria laughs when I tell a joke." I thought smiling.

"Oh God she is the one for you!" Renesmee thought sarcastically. "Relax, give it time. Aria isn't the one who tried to kill us." She said reassuringly.

"I don't even know is she likes me." I finished. Nessie and I parted hands saving the rest of our conversation for later.

Uncle Jasper was just up ahead, and I could smell Cassie myself. He was crouching over her. I looked nervously back at my sister who nodded. I sped off leaving them behind me to join ranks with my dad and Aunt Rose; Aunt Leah did the same howling, alerting Japer we were there.

He turned to face us gravely, as we got closer. Cassie was lying on the ground behind him in a heap; there was a pool of blood near her head.

"Rosalie." Jasper began. My heart jolted as Aunt Rose dropped to her knees by her daughter. No… She can't be…