Charlie had been talking non-stop about college, asking the girls about their plans at dinner. Bella decided to seem uncertain with her father as she had with Jacob. Charlie was not impressed.
"Why won't you do a course that interests you for a year. You can change it later if you wish. But don't put off going to college Bella. Getting an education is important."
The girls exchanged a look cross the table. There was not a chance they could tell Charlie that they were dating.
"I'm not putting it off dad. We've been thinking to tour Europe for a bit, and start college in a year. It will be a waste of money to take any course when we are not sure what we want to do." Bella defended.
"You both shouldn't be wasting money and time like that." Charlie was stern.
"We won't uncle Charlie. I really wanted Bella to come with me. We will visit some of my mother's family too. I haven't seen them since… well before. I just, need to reconnect."
Alice added. She knew there was no family left on her mother's side. Jasper had helped her to research the family. She hoped that Charlie would check for himself.
"Oh dad, Mom asked us to visit. Can we go the last weekend before finals?"
Bella swiftly changed the subject. Although her words came out as a request, she wasn't really asking.
"Can you not go after that Bella. Shouldn't you use the time to study?" Charlie asked, surprising her.
"No dad, she and Phil are moving to Jacksonville. I need to get some of my things from Phoenix."
"She'll be here to attend your graduation. Ask her to bring whatever you need."
"Fine!"
Bella stood and started washing the dishes. Charlie was acting strange. Before the discussion about their college plans, he wanted to know details about their daily routine and living at Alice's. It was the first time he really pressed them for specific answers. She suspected that he must know that they have not been living there. They left quickly after the dishes were done.
"Do you think Charlie knows that we have been living at the Cullens?"
Alice asked soon as they were in the car. Without answers, they decided they would ask Edward about Charlie's thoughts.
The girls were startled when they spotted a man standing in the middle of the road that leads out of town towards the Cullen house. It became very clear that it was an unknown vampire by his paler skin and unconcerned stance facing an oncoming car. The girls panicked, unsure what to do. They knew they could not outrun him, car or not. Alice hit the brakes a short distance to where the strange stood.
Chaos broke out in a blur of colour as the vampire took slow calculated steps towards them. Eleazar and Kate stood guard on the sides of the car as all four watched Edward and Jasper interrogate and quickly dismember the vampire. They disappeared suddenly towards the forest. Kate drove the shocked girls the rest of the way home.
When the brothers returned, they informed they had chased and killed three others, who had followed the vampire into Forks.
"That was the first of many created by the redhead." Edward informed.
"He came here to get Bella and Alice in hopes of impressing her. He was infatuated with the red head. It seems she promised herself to him if he won her the war. The others have been told that we chased her out the territory; they want to help her reclaim it. There are at least 17 more left behind in Seattle. I have seen where they are hiding. The red head's plan is to release the newborns on the town in a week's time. A select few were to hunt and kill us while we are scattered trying to stop the carnage. None have been taught the rules Carlisle."
Edward informed.
Victoria had kept her first new born Riley in charge of the others. It was him that had stood in the middle of the road, intent on capturing the girls for his mistress. He, together with the others were never taught the rules. The only way they could be controlled was by limiting their access to blood. It was from him that Edward learnt of their plans. The female wanted their human mates captured and tortured before they were bled dry.
In his arrogance, Riley was never concerned about the wolves or the vegetarian vampires. He considered himself stronger, superior and indestructible compared to them. The last thought he had was sheer disbelief when his limbs were torn off.
"The female will notice the missing ones. It might cause her to act sooner or retreat" Eleazar.
"True, we must ready for her in hopes that she will be forced to act sooner. The young one acted on his own in coming here."
Jasper advised.
He was unhappy the three vampire managed to get that close to the girls, even as they were mostly herded once spotted. The girls were never in danger as they were always closely watched. He and Edward were pressed for a way to rid the area of the nearby rouges and protect their mates.
Edward felt desperate for a guiding dream from Alice. He had always been very careful existing alone. Their new lifestyle with the Cullens drew too much attention from the humans and others of their kind. Their human mates too drew attention to them. He was questioning their decision to leave the girls human too long, no for the first time.
The brothers dragged their feet to attend a meeting with the Quileute council that night. Alice fought sleep, decided on waiting for their family's return from the meeting. She wanted Edward to watch all of her dreams. She also needed Jasper's bubble of comfort. The encounter with the vampire on the road left her shaken.
Bella had watched her mate rip apart a vampire in shock, without so much as flinching. She had decided to file the memory away and not think of what she saw again. She took a long bath and went straight to bed after the family left for the meeting with the council. She focused her thoughts on her father instead.
That night, Alice only had an unpleasant dream from watching a vampire destroyed earlier. Edward noticed the recurring background dream of the red head running through the woods in Forks with others behind her. This time a few at the back of their group disappeared. He could not see much more. He and Carlisle concluded that it must be the ones they had destroyed.
The next days were quieter. The vampires and the wolves were anxious, and on high alert. Jasper prepared the vampires and the wolves for battle. Edward chose to remain in the background. The combined mentality of the wolves fascinated him to no end; he preferred to listen and learn as much as he could about them.
He discovered that the Quileute were the reason Charlie had refused the girls' travel. They had also planted seeds of doubt regarding the girls' living arrangements. Charlie was unsure how to demand that Bella move back home, together with Alice as he had been advised. Edward too, confirmed that he had developed an attachment to the dark skinned woman he had seen him kissing in Alice's dreams.
Bella avoided visiting with Charlie the days that followed. She kept busy studying for finals and even indulged Alice as they planned a surprise graduation party for their class as well as her wedding. She avoided talking about what they had witnessed.
Alice felt helpless. She was desperate to dream anything that would help her family.