*Zoey's P.O.V*

"I'm going to miss you so much." I sighed into Carter's chest. We were laying in my bed, the night before Bella and I made our false trail that would lead the newborns away from us.

"I'll be home for Labor Day, and you're going to come to see me in August remember." Carter reminded me of the trip I planned, even though my dad didn't like the idea of me flying to Nebraska to stay a weekend with my boyfriend. Bella convinced him to let me go.

"It seems forever away," I could feel the tears forming. Carter's flied took off at five tomorrow. So, he had to leave before I would even be awake to meet Seth in the clearing. I clinched my jaw at the idea of going against Carter's back, knowing he wouldn't like the idea of me being with Seth all weekend.

"Forever is such an overrated word." Carter kissed me on the nose, as he slid out of bed. It was almost eleven at night. I know he had to leave, but I was too selfish to let him go yet.

"Please, stay." I begged, as I reached for his hand.

"Zoey, my mom is already pissed I spent most of my last night here." Carter tied his shoe laces up. I wrapped my arms around him, kissing his cheek and sighing. I knew he was right. "I have something for you." He stood up and then knelt in front of me. Pulling out a small box.

"Carter, I love you but I'm not ready to…" My heart was racing.

He laughed, "No your dork, it's not a ring." I let out a sigh of relief as he opened the box. It was another charm for my bracelet.

Pulling out the small little red N, I clipped it onto my bracelet that I never took off.

"It is the N for Nebraska. No matter where I go, you'll be with me." He smiled at me. I grabbed his face, pulling him into a kiss.

"I love it, I love you." I kissed him again. He pulled me into his arms, and we stood there for a while in silence.

"I have to go," his words stung so much, but I know he was right.

"I know." I walked him down to the front door.

"I will call when I arrive safely." He kissed me one more time before turning to his car. "I love you." He called out, as he drove away.

"I love you too…" I whispered, closing the door. A tear rolled down my face, and I looked up to see my dad staring at me. "I'm okay." I walked into the kitchen, not wanting to be bugged.

"No, you aren't," He followed. He opened the fridge grabbing the milk, and a brownie off the plate. Handing them both to me. I smiled and took them.

"Thanks," I bit into my brownie, and sipped on my milk.

"It sucks, having to watch the one you love go on with life, and not have you there twenty-four seven." My dad spoke to me, I didn't say anything because he was right. "Carter loves you, and he will always be there for you."

Shocked my dad said that, I smiled. "I know he will."

We sat there in quietness, the house was empty beside me, him and Bella who was sleeping upstairs. The rest of the family went hunting, needed to refuel for the fight.

"I just asked Bella to marry me, this time with a ring." My dad eyed me. "Got on one knee and all."

I didn't know what to say, I know my dad loves Bella. I couldn't be happier for him. He was finally going to be married, and this time get to spend forever with her. That's if she turns into a vampire, which she will.

"I can't think of anyone else I would want to have in my life as a mother." I looked at him, he relaxed a little.

"She is something amazing, isn't she?" He started off, and I didn't say anything. I just let the moment be content and quiet. Because soon, it wouldn't be.

My family got home around noon. There was a new, businesslike feel to the atmosphere around them, they were ready to fight.

"I think" - she made a face as she used the uncertain word - "that you're going to want to pack for cold weather, Edward. I can't see where you are exactly, because you're taking off with that dog this afternoon. But the storm that's coming seems particularly bad in that general area." Alice looked at me and Bella.

"It's going to snow on the mountains," she warned him.

"Gros, snow," I muttered to myself. It was June, for crying out loud.

"Wear a jacket," Alice told me. Her voice was unfriendly, and that surprised me. I tried to read her face, but she turned away.

Since our family had so much camping gear, everything was easy to pack. My dad grabbed down sleeping bags, a small tent and some food.

When we were done pack my dad handed Bella his phone. "Why don't you call Jacob and tell him we'll be ready for him in an hour or so. He knows where to meet us."

After Alice, and Bella had a long talk in the garage, about Alice being upset my dad and I kept the fact he proposed to a secret. We headed to the clearing. Arriving moments before Seth, and Jacob.

"All right. Just walk north for a way, touching as much as you can. Alice gave me a clear picture of their path, and it won't take long for us to intersect it." My dad ordered Bella and I, pointing out the direction he wanted us to go.

I wandered into the woods, leaving the clear yellow light of the strangely sunny day in the clearing behind me. The sky was mostly clear, though the wind whipped furiously through the open spaces. I walked slowly, trailing my fingers over anything close enough: the rough tree bark, the wet ferns, the moss- covered rocks. Bella did the same.

My dad stayed with us, walking a parallel line about twenty yards away.

"Am I doing this right?" I called.

"Perfectly."

I had an idea. "Will this help?" I asked as I ran my fingers through my hair and caught a few lose strands. I draped them over the ferns.

"Yes, that does make the trail stronger. But you don't need to pull your hair out Zoey." My dad chuckled.

"I've got a few extras I can spare." I grinned at him.

Bella cut her finger open a little, putting some blood onto the trees. Clever. I did the same, my dad shook his head. "You two are going overboard." My dad search the camping bag for the first aid kit, cleaning both of our fingers.

"Ready to go?" Jacob asked, as he stood there shirtless. Jacob and Seth were, all business. "Where do we take them?" He looked at my dad.

My dad pulled a map from a side pocket on the pack and offered it to him. Jacob unfolded it.

"We're here now," my dad said, reaching over to touch the right spot. Jacob recoiled from his hand automatically, and then steadied himself. My dad pretended not to notice.

"And you're taking them up here," my dad continued, tracing a serpentine pattern around the elevation lines on the paper. "Roughly nine miles."

Jacob nodded once. Seth looked at the map, studying it.

"When you're about a mile away, you should cross my path. That will lead you in. Do you need the map?" My dad look at Jacob, then Seth.

"No, thanks. I know this area well. I think I know where I'm going." Jacob handed the map back to my dad.

"I'll take a longer route," My dad said. "And I'll see both in a few hours." He gave each of us a hug, before fading into the trees.

As soon as he was gone, Jacob turned cheerful.

"What's up, guys?" he asked with a big grin.

I rolled my eyes. "Same old, same old."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Bunch of vampires trying to kill you both. The usual."

"The usual." Bella muttered.

"Well," Seth said as he shrugged into his jacket to free his arms. "Let's get going."

Seth picked me up without a struggle, "You're light."

"What did you expect?" I eyed him, as we started to run through the trees, following Jacob and Bella.

"Well the way you eat tacos I was assuming you'd weigh more." He teased and I smiled at him. I did love my food. Seth kept a steady pace, a brisk jog that a fit human could keep up with.

"You don't have to run. You'll get tired." I whispered.

"Running doesn't make me tired," he said. His breathing was even. "Besides, it will be colder soon. I hope your dad gets the camp set up before we get there."

I tapped my finger his parka. "I thought you wolves didn't get cold."

"I don't. I brought this for you, since you do get cold. And just in case you weren't prepared." He looked at my jacket, almost as if he were disappointed that I was.

I let that pass. "Alice was worried about the storm, too."

The pathless way he took began to climb more and more steeply, but it didn't slow him down. He leapt easily from rock to rock, not seeming to need his hands at all.

"So, what did I do?" He asked me, I knew we would have to talk. I couldn't escape him right now.

"Seth, it's not you. I just have a boyfriend and he doesn't like me around you." I know how dumb that sounded know that I finally said it out loud.

"You can't be with your friend?" He sounded pissed. He was shaking a little.

"It's just, you like me more than a friend." I pointed out. He didn't reply.

"I told you I would be whatever you needed or wanted me to be." Reminding me of the conversation in the kitchen. "You wanted me to be your friend, regardless of how I feel. I respect your wishes."

I didn't know what to say, he was right. I would talk to Carter once this was all over.

"I am glad you aren't fighting." I looked up at Seth.

"Who's that?" He kept running, jumping from rocks to rocks.

I kept whispering, my eyes shut. "If anyone gets hurt, it will always be my fault.

He snorted. My eyes opened slowly, and I was sad to see that the hard mask was back. I sighed. "I know."

"No one is going to get hurt." Seth reassured me. He wrinkled his nose. "We're not far now, I can smell him."

I sighed in relief. Ready to be away from this conversation.

"I'd happily slow down if you want to spend my time with me." He teased, "But you're going to want to be under shelter before that hits."

We both looked up at the sky. A solid wall of purple-black cloud was racing in from the west, blackening the forest beneath it as it came. Just then, the wind shook more fiercely through the trees around us, and it felt like it was blowing straight off a glacier. The sharp sound of wood cracking echoed off the mountain. Though the light was vanishing as the grisly cloud covered the sky, I could still see the little white specks that fluttered past us. Seth stepped up the pace, keeping his eyes on the ground now as he flat out sprinted. I curled more willingly against his chest, recoiling from the unwelcome snow. It was only minutes later that he dashed around to the lee side of the stony peak and we could see the little tent nestled up against the sheltering face. More flurries were falling around us, but the wind was too fierce to let them settle anywhere.

"Bella! Zoey!" my dad called out in acute relief. We'd caught him in the middle of pacing back and forth across the little open space.

He flashed to my side, sort of blurring as he moved so swiftly. "Thank you," my dad said over my head.

"Get them inside. This is going to be bad - my hair's standing up on my scalp. Is that tent secure?" Jacob asked, looking around.

"I all but welded it to the rock." My dad would do something so extreme.

"Good." Seth replied.

"I'm going to change," he said. "I want to know what's going on back home." Seth turned and left me alone with my dad and Bella.

"Let's get you girls inside." My dad pushed us to the tent. We both climbed in and by the sound of it, it was going to be a long, cold night.