Renesmee finished her homework and went downstairs to join the others. Everyone was in the big living room. The living room faced west and had huge windows that gave a spectacular view of the meadow that was about two-hundred-yards-long that ended at the tree line. The reflective coating on windows kept prying eyes out but enabled the people on the inside to see perfectly fine.
As she entered the room, she saw Emmett and Rosalie standing near the glass. They were holding hands. She could tell that they were soaking up the sun as it was low on the horizon. They were looking over the meadow, probably thinking about their next kill surmised Renesmee. Jacob was lounging on the sofa, throwing a small bean bag up into the air and catching it. He turned and looked at her and smiled. She smiled back. Jacob sat up so that she could sit next to him.
Leah and Embry were sitting on the love seat looking at their phones. Playing a game. Quil and Seth walk in followed by Carlisle and Esme, each of them have a dish of food. At the smell of food. Leah and Embry looked up and headed towards the table, putting their phones away. She looked at Jacob and they both headed to the table also.
Esme loved cooking for the wolves, and they loved her cooking. For supper today they had deer, bear, and goat. Alice and Jasper came in with goblets of blood for the vampires. It was a new thing that the wolves came up with actually. When they prepared the animals for jerky, there was blood left over. The wolves would gather it up and put it into containers. When the vampires needed blood, they would pour some in a glass, microwave it, and the vamps would have blood for themselves. This led to a decrease in the number of kills the vampires had to perform.
They all sat at the dining room table. Once Carlisle finished saying grace, the wolves dug into the meal that was prepared for them. Esme looked on with fondness on the way her adoptive children ate. There was small talk around the table, but everyone was waiting for Edward to finish his goblet of blood. Edward took a big swig from the goblet, he timed it right so that everyone could enjoy their food and drink without having to interrupt for something they needed off the table.
"How was everyone's day?" asked Esme getting the conversation started.
The vampires turned and looked at Edward as the wolves continued to eat, refraining from talking to one another as they waited on Edward to tell them what was going on.
"As you know from Alice's vision," Edward started by saying. "The world is not like it was. I am not sure I fully grasp what is going on. But I will say that our world has gotten a lot more crowded. When we were in our reality there were only vampires, Children of the Moon, and shapeshifters like the Quileute's."
"Are you saying that we have witches, zombies, and mummies," said Emmett trying to be funny but even his constant jovial mood could not lift the seriousness of what was going on.
Edward smiled at him. He loved his brother dearly. He knew that he used humor to hide his insecurities. Edward took a minute to gather his thoughts. He brought out a tablet that he had on his lap and took a sip from his goblet while powering it on.
"I thought it would be easier if I show everyone some pictures of who I am talking about," said Edward pulling up the first picture.
Everyone saw four teenagers sitting at the lunch table, two boys and two girls. The blonde-haired boy and girl looked like they might be related. The other dark-haired boy looked like he was of Hispanic descent while the girl looked to be of African descent.
"The dark hair boy is named Marco, he is best friends with the blond guy named Jake," said Edward pointing to each person on the screen. "The blonde girl is Jake's cousin, Rachel, and her best friend is Cassie."
Everyone started to get up to see the screen better. Embry growled at Leah when their heads collided into each other. Jake had to pull Leah back from striking Embry.
"Can I suggest?" asked Carlisle. "That we move into the living room. That way you can project the pictures on to the TV and we can get a better look at who Edward is talking about."
The pack looked at Esme. They knew that she kept a spotless house. She did not allow food in the living room. The wolves were still eating and were torn between eating and hearing what Edward had to say.
"Seth can you please go into the garage and look for the TV trays. Leah can you make sure everyone has plenty of napkins, especially Emmett, he sometimes drools." Esme said, grabbing her goblet and heading towards the living room.
Seth dashed off to get the trays. The vampires all took drinks from their goblets - just to make sure that the blood was nowhere near the brim before they took them with them into the living room. Jacob grabbed two chairs and headed out of the room. Quil started piling his plate with food. Renesmee grabbed some bread and put it on her plate before Quil took it all.
Seth returned in with his arms full of the TV trays. He set one down in front of each of the wolves, he noticed that none of the vampires were sitting on the white furniture except for Esme and Carlisle. Alice and Jasper were standing near the window drinking their drinks. Emmett was using the remote to get the TV to sync with Edward's tablet. Bella was coming out of the kitchen. She must have finished her goblet because she did not have it in her hand. She sat in one of the big comfy white chairs near her husband.
The wolves had set the chairs in front of the television but with enough space that someone could slip by if the need. Quil had taken some paper towels and laid them all around his chair. He loved Esme cooking and wanted to make sure that he did not make a mess. He was worried that if he did Esme might not cook for them again.
"Ok try casting now," said Emmett.
Edward pressed his finger on the tablet and looked at the TV. This was the picture that Edward was trying to show them earlier on the screen."
"Well, this is easier," said Embry absently rubbing his head at the spot where Leah bumped it.
Renesmee let out a little laugh. Embry just looked at her and was about to say something smart back at her. However, looking at Jacob, he thought better of it. Instead, he went back to cutting the meat on his tray and eating.
"As you know we have a certain effect on humans when they see us," Edwards says. Everyone knew that the vampire venom caused vampires to be alluring for humans. "We had the same effect on these four also. But once they got over their first reaction, they were worried that we might be Controllers."
"Controllers?" asked Jasper he wasn't asking Edward he was looking at his wife. She had that faraway look on her face. Everyone knew she was seeing a vision of possibilities.
"I see small worm-like creatures," she said. "I also see humans. My vision of them is overlapping. They were on one of the spaceships I saw when I was with Jasper." Everyone knew that she was referring to the day that the multiple dimensions were merged into one.
"So, are these the aliens that are going to invade?" ask Renesmee. Jacob could tell that she was afraid. He pulled his chair next to her and held her close. Bella moved from the chair she was sitting in and moved to stand behind Reneesme. Her hand stroking the top of her head before leaning in to kiss the top of it. Letting her know that she would be protected.
Edward was looking at Alice. "These are aliens, but they are not the same ones that are going to invade. They are already here; they use stealth to invade a world. They infest key personnel and leadership. Then once they get control, they slowly take over the rest of the population. Now, humans are human, but they know about these worm-like aliens. They call them Yeerks," he said.
"Are there any Yeerks around us now?" asked Reneesme.
"Yes," said Edward. He did not want to tell his daughter that, but he knew that she needed to know the truth. She would be hurt if he withheld the information. "Jake's brother Tom has been infected. Jake and his friends know about it and are trying to save him. By the way, they can communicate amongst themselves, they figured out that I could read minds. But I fooled them into believing that I could not. They might be easy to convince them that we mean them no harm."
"Sorry to hear about his brother, it must be awful for him," said Reneesme taking a sip of her blood and snuggling into Jacob's embrace. She still did not like the idea that a worm could get into your brain and control you.
"Don't worry I will squash any worm that gets near you," said Jacob.
"What about when you sleep?" asked Renesmee. "I mean you have to sleep sometimes, and I sleep. What if they crawled into our ears when we are asleep?"
"Luckily, you live in a house with people who do not have to sleep," said Jacob.
"Plus, we have excellent hearing," said Jasper. His words had the effect of alleviating Renesmee's fears. Letting her know that they would hear them before any worms could get close.
"The next part is somewhat difficult to describe," said Edward.
Seth's eyebrows rose with that statement as he stuffed a huge piece of meat in his mouth. Renesmee tried to hide a smirk from her face. Her father was always eloquent with his words and was never at a loss with them.
Edward looked at them with a small smile barely creasing his lips. "These kids," said Edward pointing at the TV screen, trying to get everyone focus on the image on the screen. "I got the impression that they know what it is like to be a bird, frog, wolf, lion, etc. It is like they have been these animals."
"Are they shapeshifters like us?" asked Jacob. Studying the picture of the kids on the screen.
"Not sure," said Edward.
"Do you think that they can change into more than one animal type?" inquired Carlisle his scientific mind intrigued by the idea.
"But, how would they live with all them inside trying to get out?" said Embry.
"I am not sure; they call their shape-shifting morphing," said Edward. "I know that they can change into different animals. I believe that they use their morphing abilities to fight the Controllers. In the lunchroom, they were hoping that I was an Andalite. From what I could tell an Andalite is a blue centaur looking creature. The creature did not worry them, it was their ally and friend. They were very concerned with Controllers, and someone called Visser Three."
"Their emotional states were ones of emotional exhaustion," said Jasper. "Similar to people who have been in combat for a while, they are beginning to show signs of PTSD."
"Do you think that they could harm us?" asked Emmett.
Edward just looked at him and shrugged. "If they can only morph into animals, we should be ok, unless for some reason they can enhance the animal. We won't know until we see their abilities."
Edward tapped on the tablet again. The picture changed on the television, it showed three teenage boys and two teenage girls. Two of the boys were brunettes one was a blond. Both girls were blonde, one with straight hair, the other had long curls.
"The two dark-hair guys and the straight blonde hair girl are humans. They reacted typically when they saw us, especially the bigger brunette boy when he saw Rosalie."
Rosalie just rolled her eyes. She was used to people ogling her. But her eyes and heart belonged to Emmett completely. Emmett just smiled a predatory grin at the television. Letting Rosalie know that he would not let someone come between them. She casually swatted her hand on his chest to let him know to calm down. But everyone knew that she loved it when he got a little jealous. Their lovemaking was more intense when he was being competitive in his mind with someone else.
"The blond guy and curly hair girl," said Edward trying to not read Rosalie and Emmett's mind. "They were not in the least bit attracted to us."
"Now you know how the rest of us feel," smirked Jacob.
Rosalie just glared at him. She had gotten used to people being drawn to her. She thought it would nice if she was around people who wanted to be around her just for her, not just for her looks.
"The blond who goes by John at school. But his known by Four to his friends. He and the curly blonde girl, Six, are aliens from what I could gather. They are running from something called the Mogadorians. I don't know if these are the ones that are going to attack us or not. Alice do you know?"
Alice got a faraway look on her face. She was looking at all the possibilities that would come to her family. Everyone knew that she was having difficulties since there were so many new super-naturals in the world. It was harder for her to see far into the future.
"It is hard to tell," said Edward interpreting Alice's vision for everyone. Alice had trouble putting into words what she was seeing. "There are many black voids that Alice cannot see around when she looks at them."
"Do you think that they can be part of an advanced force trying to get intel on us?" asked Jasper.
"I did not get that from them," said Edward. "The blond guy, Four, can read minds in a way. It is not like me. But he can communicate with animals. In a way, Jacob, he was really interested in you. He could not figure out how you could have a wolf mind and a human one also."
"He needs to stay out of my mind," growled Jacob. Reneesme snuggled in closer to him. Making him calm down some.
"He also tried to communicate with me," said Edwards. "He knew that I could read minds also. He resisted me getting a clearer picture of what he was thinking about. But he did try to give me a picture of tattooed humanoid."
"You think that he is some kind of a shield?" asked Bella looking a little worried. She did not like it that people could block out her husband. They were all relying on him to tell friend from foe. It was nice to have someone around who could read minds. It could be tiring for Edward, especially with teenage boys around Rosalie.
"I don't think so, more like he has a different mind-reading ability than mine," said Edward. "He is geared towards animals; mine isn't."
"I wonder if he would be able to communicate with us in our wolf form," said Quil out loud. All the other wolves just looked at him each thinking of what that could mean.
"Wow, that would be nice," said Embry, "Not having to keep shifting between a wolf and human when Edward is not around to relay the messages. It gets tiring to have to constantly take off and put on clothes." The others just laughed at him. He was the most modest out of the wolves, especially around the vampires.
"Another mind reader would also allow them to trust us easier," said Esme.
"Maybe," said Edward. "But I am not sure if he can read minds like me. His was different than mine. I got the impression that when his mind made contact with an animal's mind, he was able to bridge that gap between higher and lower cognition. Don't ask me how but he can do it, but he does."
"How have you been holding up?" asked Carlisle.
"I am doing well," replied Edward. "For so long, I have grown used to blocking people's thoughts out. I was able to read most of the minds that I saw in Alice's vision."
"Is there another shield?" asked Bella picking up on what Edward had said.
"I don't think so," said Edward. He ran his fingers over the tablet and another picture appeared on the screen. "This is Cameron Smith. I could not read her mind at all."
"I got no emotions off of her either," said Jasper. "I even tried to manipulate some for her. But got no response."
"Is she a shield?" asked Bella again.
"No," said Edward with a small smile.
"Well if she isn't a shield and Jasper can't read her emotions, she must be a robot or something" smirked Embry.
"Correct," said Edward.
"What? No way," said Quil.
"Yeah," said Embry. "She is so hot." Embry was the only male wolf who had not found his imprint yet.
Leah just rolled her eyes and reached out and swatted him on the back of the head bringing him out of teenage hormones. "How did you find out that she is a robot if you could not read her mind?" she asked.
Edward again ran over the tablet and the picture disappeared, in its place was a new one. This time it was of a young man with brown hair wearing non-descript clothing.
"This is John Smith," said Edward. "His real name is John Connor. He is a great leader in the future." The wolves were looking at him like he lost his mind, the vampires just waited for him to explain his strange statement. "According to what I have read of his mind. In his timeline, man created an artificial intelligence called Skynet. It was supposed to keep mankind safe. Instead, something happened and it turned on mankind. It launched a nuclear strike against mankind, billions died. But mankind rose-up and John lead them to fight against the machines. The machines adapted and created robots that are called terminators to hunt humans. They managed to infiltrate many of the human resistances and took out several leaders but were unsuccessful in taking out the top leadership. They knew who the leader was and finally found a way to get him. They unlocked the secret of time travel and sent a terminator to kill his mom before he was born. Well, future John figured it out and sent someone to protect his mom. There have been many terminators sent back to kill him. So, the future John sent this reprogrammed a terminator to protect him."
"That is so sad," said Esme. "Constantly living in fear that someone is coming from the future to kill you."
"He just wants to be a regular teenager," said Edward.
"That is so sad," said Rosalie.
"How strong is this terminator?" mused Emmett out loud.
"From what I saw in his memory," said Edward. "They are very durable and very strong. From what I saw they are no faster than a normal human. Their endurance is very remarkable."
Emmett just smirked to himself and stretched his body while raising his arms over his head allowing all his muscles to bulge all over his body. Everyone knew that Emmett was very protective of the ones he considered his family and relied on his strength to help keep his family safe. There were not too many vampires that were stronger than Emmett. Knowing that there might be something even stronger than they unnerved all of them. None of them were excited that there were somethings that might be stronger than Emmett. Rosalie rubbed his back reassuring him that he was still her knight in shining armor.
Edward pressed his fingers on the tablet again. He was about to say something but stopped. He looked over at Alice. She had this faraway stare in her eyes. Edward saw what she was seeing. She was getting better at seeing around the wolves. She could see Jacob's decisions clearly; Seth and Leah were coming into focus more and more each day as her gift became more familiar around them. Everyone else was also looking at Alice now. The room was quiet, the wolves had even stopped their chewing. Everyone knew that when Alice went into her little trances that things were going to change.
Alice shook her head and smiled. "It is time to meet the new neighbors," she said. Turning to Jasper she said "I believe we need to go for a jog around the lake. Emmett, no putting pebbles in Jasper's shoes this time because you cheated to get there first." The wolves were confused by what she meant. The vampires were not, they knew that what Alice meant. When they first started being a family and moved into a new area. If they had neighbors near them, they tried to find ways for them to accidentally meet them. In the older days, neighbors were more curious about their new neighbors. There were always several ladies bringing pies or other baked items to the Cullens to meet and welcome them to the neighborhood, even if the ladies lived several miles away from them. Now, people did not have as much free time as many mothers and wives entered the workforce. In the more modern era, drop-ins did not happen as often, if ever. The vampires would try to find different ways to meet their human neighbors, especially the kids their own age. One of the ways they devised to meet the kids was to run into in the woods, they would let Emmett win the race and blame it on cheating because he put a pebble in Jasper's shoe.
Jacob got up to get ready to move with the rest of the Pack. "No," said Alice stopping them in their tracks. "Just Emmet, Rosalie, Jasper, and me." Jacob was about to open his mouth to argue. He did not like the vampires going off without some wolf protection. Now that he and Renesmee were imprinted, he considered them part of his pack. He was Alpha and could not help to act that way towards them. Most of the time the vampires just put up with it except for Emmett, who loved to goad Jacob when he tried to go Alpha on them sometimes. He did it as a big brother messing with a younger brother. But for all their alpha wolf and alpha vampire chest swelling towards each other in the beginning when the pack moved in, they had each other's backs.
"Carlisle is going to get a phone call soon," said Alice. "You and the pack will need to be here for that. Edward, Bella, and Seth go to the mountain. Carlisle and Esme to Alaska. The others tell Sam that I said hello and be careful of her."
Jacob sat back down, as did the other wolves, to finish their meal. They were still on alert with what Alice had said. They were used to Alice giving cryptic answers. So they would wait until they needed to act. Edward looked back at the tablet and disconnected it from the TV. He would finish his report later.
Alice finished her drink and looked over at Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper. "We're going for our jog around the lake. Emmett, you need to go first. We will catch up later, and don't kill him when he sees Rosalie."
Edward watched them leave to change into athletic clothes. He saw Alice's mind and knew what some of the possibilities were. He was more concerned with the phone call that Carlisle was going to receive. There was a chance that he would never get one. But as soon as the others left for their jog, Carlisle's phone rang.
"Eleazar, is everything alright?" asked Carlisle as he answered the phone. Jacob and the rest of the pack finished their meal quickly and started to clear the dishes and put the furniture that they had got from the garage away. They did not need to be in the same room as Carlisle to hear the conversation. They all tried to ignore what was being said. Everyone in the house gave the person on the phone privacy out of respect. But most were listening now since Alice's vision had told them to expect a call. The wolves were interested in why they would be going back to La Push and the reservation. Most were excited to be going back and seeing family.
"Hi, Carlisle," said Eleazar. "I will get right to the point. Irina and Laurent have just shown up here."
"Say that again?" said Carlisle. It was not that he thought that is friend was a liar. He just wanted to make sure that he heard him correctly.
"They came in about an hour ago. Laurent said that he woke up in the woods where he had the confrontation with the Quileute wolves. He said that he remembers the altercation and being dismembered. Then something happened and he said his body came back together. Irina said the same thing, but she remembers what the Volturi did to her. She remembers Caius burning her. She said she awoke in the field. That she doesn't know how it happened. She told us that she was heading here to Alaska when she ran into Laurent in the woods. They both headed this way."
"This is remarkable," said Carlisle. "Do they appear to be who they say that they are?"
"Yes," said Eleazar. "I can tell that they are who they say they are; not just because they say so, unless, someone is fooling my abilities. Let me just say that they caused quite a scare for us up here. We thought we were seeing ghosts."
"Do you think that the Volturi know?" asked Carlisle.
"I am not sure," said Eleazar. "But Laurent did say that he saw Victoria running through the woods."
"What?!" exclaimed Carlisle. Everyone else rushed into the room. Even though they tried to Carlisle his privacy on a phone call with his friend. The tone that he had used alerted everyone that there was a major problem. Carlisle was normally levelheaded when he was faced with a problem. Even when he learned that the world had changed, he processed the information logically and rationally. This outburst was out of character for him.
"Victoria is back," said Carlisle.
The room erupted in disbelief and doubts about what they had heard. Renesmee did not understand what was exactly going. She wasn't sure who Victoria was and why everyone so worried about her. Seth kept saying that he saw her head get ripped off by Edward and was lit on fire. Edward was agreeing with him. Bella was asking if it was true and how could she be back and if Victoria was becoming after them since they killed her mate. Esme was asking Carlisle if Eleazar had misheard him. Renesmee watched has Edward was closer to Bella almost have if trying to protect her from unseen dangers. Embry, Quil, and Leah keep looking out and turning their noses towards the windows for any signs of danger.
"Who is Victoria?" asked Renesmee loud enough to get everyone's attention.
"Before you were born," said Bella. "She and two other vampires, Laurent and James. Made their way into our territory one day when we were playing baseball. James' ability is that of a hunter. He got a whiff of me and wanted to hunt me. He saw it as a sport if he could get through the family to kill me. The family tried to save me by making me go to Phoenix. But that did not fool him. He attacked me and your dad and the rest took care of him before he could kill me. He was the mate of Victoria. She wanted revenge, so she made an army of newborns in Seattle and they came and attacked us. But they failed. We thought that they were all killed. But Laurent is apparently back so is Irina."
Renesmee took in all the information for a minute. "Do you think that they are all back?" she asked.
Jacob took out his phone and called Sam as he headed out the living into the kitchen putting his glass away. Quil and Embry did the same. Leah kept looking out the window to make sure all was safe.
"I have booked us two tickets to Anchorage tonight," said Esme has she looked up from her phone. Carlisle smiled at her. He loved it that she was so in tune with him, anticipating his needs and wants before he had said anything.
"Just spoke with Sam," said Jacob as he walked into the room followed by Quil and Embry. "Something is barring them from going to the area where we fought the newborns. He and the rest of the pack can smell the leeches there but can't get to them. An invisible shield is around them."
"Interesting," said Carlisle. "Did Sam say he could see the newborns?"
"He did not say he could see them," said Jacob. "Just that the area has a strong smell of vampires. The same ones that we fought before."
"Edward," said Carlisle. "You and Bella go with Jake and the pack to Forks and check things out. Esme and I will go to Alaska to see our cousins."
"Are we going to drive or run there?" asked Renesmee.
"Babe I think that he would be better if you and Leah stayed here," said Jacob walking up to her and grabbing her hands. Jacob knew that Edward and Bella would feel better if their daughter stayed back also. Plus, he knew that Leah was not yet ready for a reunion yet with Sam. She was over him but just barely.
"You just don't think that I can fight," said Renesmee.
"I know you can," said Jacob trying not to belittle her confidence. She had been training regularly with Emmett and the pack on ways to protect herself. She was still a novice when it came to fighting others though. She did not have the killer instinct that most vampires had. She had too much empathy for others. He loved that about her. She looked for the good in everyone. He thought she was a little naïve, but she was proven to be right more often than not. "But I don't want Leah to be here by herself."
"The others will be back soon," Renesmee pouted.
"I know they will," said Jacob. "But you are her favorite. Plus, I need you here so that you can read her mind to the others. That way if we need help, she will be able to tell you and you can let the others know."
"OK," she said. Jacob just hugged her tight as she nestled her head into the crook of his neck. He just scent marked her several times before Edward cleared his throat to let him know that was enough. He smiled and kissed her cheek before breaking the embrace. This earned a glare from Edward, but his eyes held no malice in them. He knew that Edward was ok with him dating his daughter. He was just stuck in the 1800s on how people should date. Bella was working on that with him.
"We are leaving to go to the airport," said Carlisle. "Our plane leaves within the hour."
Esme went over and hugged each of the wolves. Telling each of them to be careful and to say hello to each of the family members for her. She promised Quil that she would make some brownies when they were all back together.
Edward and Bella hugged their daughter before heading out of the house to meet with the others who were waiting outside. Jacob was giving Leah last-minute instructions before he shifted into his giant wolf. Quil and Embry were already in their wolf forms pacing around, ready to get going.
Leah and Renesmee watched as Edward looked at Jacob and gave a nod of his head. Then they all sped away from the house leaving the two girls behind. Renesmee was anxious that someone would get hurt or worse. Leah was slightly annoyed and relieved all at the same time. Annoyed that she was not going, relieved that she did not have to face her old pack.
"We should be back soon," said Carlisle has he loaded two small suitcases into the trunk of his car. Esme hugged them one more time before she got into the passenger seat. "Make sure you tell the others what happened. I am sure Alice already knows. But tell Emmett he is not to come barging in unless we need him. We will keep everyone informed once we know something."
Renesmee and Leah watched the car leave the driveway and went back inside without saying a word. Each lost in their own thoughts. This was the hardest part for them. To wait for information.
"I am going to go take a quick shower," said Leah. "Before I meet you on the porch."
"Ok," said Renesmee. "I will clean the kitchen and meet you out there." She knew that Leah needed to clear her mind. The thought of her old pack had brought up feelings that she needed to deal with before she went into the mind link with the others. Even though the Black pack did not delve into each other's thoughts and tried to respect everyone's privacy. She did not want them to be burdened with her feelings right now.
Renesmee finished cleaning the kitchen and putting things away. She went and sat in one of the rocking chairs that Esme had on the big back porch that overlooked the lake behind the house. Leah came out soon after wrapped in a towel and drying her hair with another. Renesmee got used to the wolves running around half-naked or fully naked that she did not even bat an eye when Leah walked over and removed the towel from around her and hung it over the banister. She removed the other towel from around her head and ran it through her hair one more time before placing over the banister to dry also.
She shifted into her gray wolf and sat down beside Renesmee. As soon as she got comfortable Renesmee put her hand on her and the connection was made. Leah was mind-linked to the pack. Renesmee with her abilities could join in also. There was a wave of happiness coming from Jacob as soon as he felt Renesmee enter the link. There was fake hacking coming from Quil and Embry as the sweetness of Jacob's feeling went through the link. Edward's voice broke into the conversation. He must have known that Renesmee was there when he heard Embry and Quil clearing a fake hairball from their throats.
"Are the others back yet?" asked Edward.
"No, I can hear them still talking with the neighbors," answered Renesmee.
"Sam is going to meet us at the river," said Jacob. The others just pushed harder to get there. Edward looked over at Bella and smiled before he gave a burst of speed and sprinted ahead of everyone else. She knew he wanted to get there first so that he could make sure it was safe. Even though she was now an almost indestructible vampire, he still wanted to protect her.
"Show off," thought Embry has he was unable to keep up with Edward's speed.
The others soon caught up with Edward as he was talking with Sam and his pack. Jacob could tell that Sam and the rest of his pack were on alert. Bella was beside Edward who was telling her what was being discussed between the packs. He knew that Leah was letting Renesmee know what was going on also. Renesmee informed them that the other vampires were back also, and she was keeping them in the loop.
"Jared was on patrol," thought Sam. "He became aware of a heavy sickeningly sweet smell that you vampire's get off. Coming from the glade where we had our battle. He alerted the rest of the pack. When we arrived, there is a barrier keeping us from going in. We can see the Vampires in there, but we are unable to get to them. Our teeth and claws cannot break-through."
"Was Victoria in there?" asked Bella after Edward told her what Sam had said.
"No," relayed Edward. "He said that the red-headed one was not there."
"Did anyone check the mountain?" asked Seth this time. "That is where we killed her at."
Edward informed Bella of Seth's concern. He could tell that Bella wanted to go check the mountain out also. He knew that Bella would not rest until she knew Victoria was not a threat to the family, especially Renesmee.
"Jacob is it alright if Seth joins me and Bella as we go check out the mountain?" asked Edward.
"Yes," said Jacob.
"We will meet you at the glade once we know the mountain is safe," said Edward.
He kissed Bella before they took off towards the mountain. He did not take them long to get up there. Even though the mountain was miles from where they were. Upon coming closer to the spot where Bella almost died from hypothermia. They heard voices. One sounded like Victoria talking.
"I don't need you no more," they heard her say.
"But you said you loved me," this voice sounded like Riley's.
"I could never love someone as pathetic as you," said Victoria. "You were weak and an end to a means. I used you to get revenge on the Cullens but you could not even do that. You are such a weakling and a loser. How could you think that I could love someone like you?"
"Please don't hurt him," said a new voice that Edward did not recognize.
"Don't worry little girl," said the voice of James. "You will do what we say, or this will be your fate also."
Edward sped op the mountainside. When he crested the cliff, he saw that James had Riley's hand twisted behind his back and Victoria was moving to remove his head. A small brown-hair vampire was standing off to the side. He could tell that she was scared. Edward barreled into James before he even knew that Edward was there. The force of the impact slammed against the side of the mountain, causing an indention in the side and rocks and debris falling on top of James. Victoria hissed and turned to see Edward helping Riley up.
"You," said Victoria with a voice laced with malice. "I will get even with you. I remember what you did to me. But this time you don't have anyone to help you."
"That is where you are wrong," said Edward. Bella appeared right beside Edward. "I am not alone."
A loud crash came from James as he leaped out of the debris. He landed beside Victoria, his face was in a snarl, teeth bore and venom oozing out of his mouth.
"I think that the odds are even now," said James. "Last time it was you and the mutt against her and from what she told me. You barely beat her. Now that I am here. The odds are more in our favor. Two against two."
Bella laughed out loud when James made his threat. "I see that you can't count," Bella said. "So, let me do that for you. I see four vampires and a very pissed off wolf. That has his entire pack behind him."
James and Victoria turned around to come face to face with Seth, who snarled at them and a deep rumble coming from his throat as he bared his teeth towards them. Salvia dripping down and hitting the ground. He looked ferocious. Victoria and James took a step back. So did Riley, he remember that it was that wolf that killed him. Edward squeezed his arm trying to tell him that he was not in any danger.
"I can see your gift as told you that it is best if you leave," said Edward. He knew that Victoria's special ability was of self-preservation. He saw what she thought and knew that they needed to run. James, on the other hand, was ready for a fight. He wanted to get back at them for killing him. "You might want to tell your boyfriend that if he stays and fights that you and he will both die."
"You don't scare me," said James.
"I am not trying to," said Edward. "But your mate's ability is telling her to run. So, unless you want to see us kill her before your eyes. I suggest that you heed her advice and leave. Before Seth grows inpatient and the rest of the pack arrives here."
"Come on," said Victoria trying to pull James away from the confrontation. She knew that they would not survive the encounter.
James just took a deep breath through his nose and looked at the small brown-haired vampire. "I will get you first."
He turned towards Victoria and they sped off the mountain and out of the area.
"What is your name," asked Bella to the small vampire, who was almost shaking at what she had just witnessed.
"Brie, Brie Tanner."
"Brie you can come with us if you want," said Bella. "We are going not hurt you." The small vampire reminded her of Renesmee in a way.
"You too Riley," said Edward. "We are not going to hurt you. Seth even apologized for killing you earlier. You don't need to be afraid."
Seth looked over at Riley and wagged his tell and cocked his head trying to convey to him that he meant him no harm.
"We know things are confusing right now, "said Edward when he read Riley's hesitancy. "We will tell you everything we know. But now is not the time. Do you think that you can follow us back down to the rest of the pack? They will not hurt you I promise."
Brie looked at Riley not sure about what to do. Riley was the one who always had the answers and plans. But now he was lost. She knew that he worshipped Victoria and to find out that your crush just manipulated everything about you was hard to recover from.
"We should go with them, Riley," Brie said to him. He just nodded his head still wary of Seth.
"Seth why don't you lead the way Bella will follow, then Brie and Riley. I will be in the rear to make sure James or Victoria does not try to attack us."
Seth bounded down the mountain with Bella and the rest following behind him. He linked to Jacob and told him that they were on their way back with two new vampires with them. He told Jacob to make sure that Sam's pack did not attack them.
They made it to where Jacob and Sam were. Both packs were there also. They were at the edge of the glade and there was this semi-transparent wall around it. They could see the other vampire in there.
"I assumed that they know we are here," said Bella as she saw the other vampires. They looked at her when they arrived.
"Yes," answered Edward for Jacob.
"They have made no aggressive move to get out either," said Edward relaying Sam's message to the others.
"When I woke up," said Brie. "I was the first. I was confused. I saw some of the other vampires come together before my eyes. It was like an artist was molding dust first, this dust turned into bones then flesh and clothes. I was shocked and wanted to find Riley. I knew that he went up to the mountain. So, I started to head there. I heard a strange sound like a ripping popping noise. I turned around and there was this lady standing in the middle of the glade with a staff in her hand. She just said that we would do nicely. She held her staff high and a shield-like thing came out of it. It covered the entire glade. I was on the outside they were on the inside. She said that she would be back soon. Some of the vampires tried to break it but could not."
"Look," said Bella as she pointed to the center of the glade.
They watched as the air was torn in two and pushed apart. A dark blonde woman stepped out of the portal that was created. Two other women were standing behind her. She said something to the vampires. They could not hear her. The shield prevented them from hearing.
"Edward can you read her mind?" asked Bella.
"I am trying," said Edward. "But she is blocking me. She is very strong. She is not human or vampire."
They then saw has more people came out of the portal. They all looked like they were trance and they came to stand between the women and the vampires. They watch as the woman pulled out a knife and sliced one of the human's arm. This caused the vampires to descend into a feeding frenzy as they attacked the zoned-out humans tearing them apart. The dark blonde woman just smiled has the humans were slaughtered.
Sam and the rest of his pack were going crazy trying to break down the shield. Jared had blood coming from his mouth as he tried to bite into the shield. Edwards was hitting it with all his might and could not break it down. Bella threw a boulder at it with no discernible effect on it. They watched as the last of the vampires had finished eating. The woman said something again and the vampires follow the other two women into the portal. Once everyone was in. The woman lifted her staff and the shield started to be pulled back into it.
"You are lucky. I let you live today," said the woman. "The master has plans for you later."
Jared raced towards her. When he was about to pounce on her she hit him with her staff and sent him into the trees. "Insolent," she muttered as she stepped into the portal and closing hit behind her.
Everyone was in shock at what they just saw. There was too much discussion going on in the mind links for Edward to relay to Bella, Brie, and Riley.
"I suggest that Sam you and your pack go warn the elders," said Edward. "Jacob, we have to get back and warn the others also."
Bella went over to make sure Jared was ok. He was knocked out cold and in human form. His heartbeat and breathing were steady. He took a hard hit. Paul had change into human form and took Jared from Bella.
"I will take him to the Elders," said Paul as the rest of Uley's pack came over to make sure he was ok.
"I can call Carlisle if you need me too," said Bella to Sam.
"He said thanks for the help and will let us know if he needs Carlisle's help," said Edward relaying Sam's message to Bella.
They watch the rest of Sam's pack leave, each of the wolves taking up guard positions around Jared. They instinctually put Jared and Paul in the middle to better protect him.
"We need to go also," said Edward. "Brie and Riley, I hope that you will join us. It is not safe out here by yourself."
Brie and Riley looked at each other and shook their heads they knew that on their own they would not make it. They followed Edward, Bella and the pack toward Beacon Hills. Hundreds of thoughts and doubts plaguing them.
Graphic are on my wattpad story.