Ellie breathed a sigh of relief as the pressure in her head began to ease. "Yes, thank you." When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see that they'd attracted a bit of an audience. Several pairs of eyes stared curiously between Edward and Ellie, having heard their exchange.
"Edward," Carlisle said, moving through the small throng of onlookers. "What happened?"
Edward shrugged. "I'm not sure. I had noticed last night that at one point, when Ellie's thoughts stood out to me, she seemed to feel unwell at the same time. When I redirected my focus, she seemed okay. I heard her talking to Esme just now, and if I'm not mistaken, we are both working toward a similar theory." He smiled apologetically at Ellie. "So, I thought I would test it out."
Ellie gaped at him, wishing this had happened before Christopher had left.
"Your head, it hurt," Edward continued, eyeing Ellie. "And then it stopped as soon as I shifted my focus, again, didn't it?"
With a nod, Ellie looked at Carlisle. "I felt this…throbbing," she touched one of her temples with her fingers. "I had just asked Esme if anyone else ever felt anything like that, but…I'm guessing the answer to that is 'no.'"
Carlisle gestured for Ellie to sit down across from him at the kitchen table. "Very curious," he mused. "I wonder…" Looking around at his family members behind him, he motioned to Jasper, Bella, and Alice and then turned back to Ellie. Esme quietly shooed the rest of the crowd of vampires from the room. "I wonder," he said again, "if that's some specific reaction to Edward's mind-reading, or if you can detect other intrusions as well."
Ellie eyed the selected vampires that joined them around the table curiously and then glanced back to Carlisle. "Renesmee's images, though somewhat unsettling, didn't seem to bother me."
Bella pursed her lips. "I wonder if that's because she's not taking anything from you, but giving you something, in a way."
Carlisle's eyes lit up. "Maybe," he said, his mind obviously spinning with possible scenarios. "Ellie, I wonder if you would be willing to…?"
"Giving myself headaches for science?" she supplied.
"Something like that," Carlisle admitted. "I completely understand if…"
"I'll do it. I'm as baffled by this as you are." She looked around the table again. "I know Alice has visions, but what about you two?" She glanced between Bella and Jasper.
Carlisle held up his hand before either could answer. "For science," he said with a small smile, "let's discuss that after."
Ellie laughed and leaned back in her chair, leaving her hands pressed palm-side down on the table. "Okay, then. Hit me."
No one moved, and Ellie stared at Bella and Jasper as each watched her, unblinking. Closing her eyes, she thought she felt something pricking her shoulders.
"Ow." Ellie gasped as the sensation intensified from a light tingle to a sharp piercing between her shoulder blades. But despite the discomfort, she didn't feel the need to shift or move. She felt oddly calm and accepting of the sensation. Her eyes flew open, and her gaze automatically landed on Jasper.
"What was that?"
Jasper's eyebrows raised in surprise. "How did you know it was me?"
"I'm not sure. When I opened my eyes, I just knew," Ellie replied. She rubbed the space between her shoulders, but the discomfort - and her indifference toward it - were completely gone.
"What did it feel like, Ellie?" Carlisle's tone was gentle, but she could see the excited fascination behind his eyes.
"It was in my shoulders. I could feel it building. It became painful, but, whatever he was doing, I was totally unbothered by it."
"That's incredible," Carlisle murmured. "Jasper can manipulate moods, essentially."
"I was projecting calm toward you," Jasper elaborated. "I didn't want you to feel panicked..."
Ellie nodded. "And no one feels anything weird - other than what you intend - when you do that to them?"
Jasper shook his head. "No ma'am. At least not that I've ever been told."
"Huh," was all Ellie could manage. A new sensation was starting to wash over her, she realized. It was similar to the one before it - a creeping tingling that moved down her arms. It felt like goosebumps. There was no pain this time, though. She just felt the impulse to fold her arms over herself like she was shivering.
"Bella," she said and described the sensation. Bella smiled.
"Interesting that it didn't cause pain. I can shield someone against mental offenses. Not everything, but, for example, Edward can only read my mind if I let him, and Kate's electrical shock can't hurt me."
"Kate's what?!" Ellie turned as Kate giggled from the doorway. Suddenly remembering, it was Ellie's turn to laugh. "Oh!" She cried. "Sparky."
Ellie leaned away, shaking her head. "Um, I don't know about that."
Ignoring her, Kate stepped closer, her fingers just inches from Ellie's bare arm, but careful not to touch her. This time, there was no subtle tingling, but a searing heat blazed against her skin. Ellie yelped in surprise, wrenching her arm away and running the place that had burned.
Kate's joking expression changed to one of contrition. "Sorry about that."
Ellie shook her head. "It's okay. It just was a little…uh, shocking."
Kate groaned. "Garrett would have loved that little pun."
"You know," Carlisle said, turning to face Kate, "Eleazar will be fascinated by this. Are you sure you've never experienced anything like this before?"
All eyes were back on Ellie, who could only shrug.
"Not that I know of. I've never been around one gifted vampire before, let alone a half-dozen of them." She looked down at her fingers as they tapped nervously on the table. I've never felt anything more intense than some fatigue if I haven't hunted in a long time - but it's never been like any of this. At least, not until that night at the hospital..." Ellie trailed off, remembering how ill she felt before the blood overran her senses. Her eyes flashed to meet Carlisle's.
Christopher pulled into their garage. It felt like much longer than only a couple of days ago that he and Ellie returned from their trip only to find Garrett waiting for them inside. He turned to his friend as he cut the engine.
"No breaking and entering required, this time."
Garrett grinned as he exited the car. "I did check for a key under the doormat."
Christopher laughed, opening the door that led into the kitchen. He flipped on a light and they both stopped dead in their tracks. Somewhere in Christopher's mind, he was able to appreciate the intense feeling of deja vu. Mostly, though, he was focused on the unfamiliar scent that betrayed the presence of another vampire, very nearby.
Beyond the reach of the kitchen lights, Garrett caught sight of a blurring shadow. He nudged Christopher, eyeing the area the shadow had run toward.
"Who's there?" Christopher growled.
Garrett held up one finger, and Christopher nodded; they agreed that there was only one intruder.
"There's two of us, friend," Garrett said, drawing out the words. "Best that you step into the light so we can speak like adults." Christopher moved to another light switch, flipping them all on. Garrett shrugged, sauntering forward. "Or not. We can see you, anyway."
They reached the living room, and the blurring figure ran behind Christopher. He spun, grabbing the intruder by the shoulder. "Not so fast," he snarled, smashing his captive into the nearest wall. Christopher gasped when his mind registered the face of the woman he now held by the throat.
"Is that…?" Garrett whispered, stepping beside his friend. The woman smacked Christopher's hand away, taking advantage of his distraction.
"I'm disappointed in you, Christopher," she purred. "You've let my daughter get mixed up with Cullens?"
She flew across the room, locking arms with Christopher and knocking him to the floor.
"How is Eleanor, by the way? Feeling better after that little…" the woman's mouth widened into a sick smile, "incidentat the hospital?"
"What did you do?" Christopher hissed, jumping back onto his feet as Garrett lurched forward, pinning her arms behind her.
Towering over her as Garrett kept her restrained, Christopher bared all of his teeth and growled. "What did you do to Ellie?"
"Easy now. Don't forget your neighbors." She spat at him, and he shoved his hand under her jaw, snapping her teeth together.
Tightening his grip on her arms, Garrett snarled in her ear. "Let's not be cute, love. Answer the question, or you might just find yourself on fire."
"And then what would you tell your wife?" the stranger challenged with a laugh, looking straight at Christopher.
Christopher's roar shook the walls. "One more time. What did you do?"
Still refusing to answer, the woman twisted her body to throw Garrett off-balance, hurling him toward Christopher. Garrett recovered his balance, avoiding the crash, but the woman doubled back, knocking Christopher back to the ground. His head hit the floor with a sickening crack.
"I just gave her a taste of my medicine," she said with another demonic grin. She glared at Christopher as her hand squeezed his throat. "You should tell her to stop looking. It won't end well if she finds me." Christopher grabbed her arm, knocking her away.
Springing back to his feet, Christopher spun to reach for her as she bolted, but she'd disappeared through the garage before he could get another hand on her. Garrett and Christopher followed her out to the street. Her scent dissipated a block away from the house.
"Damnit," Christopher hissed as his phone started to vibrate urgently in his pocket.
Ellie sat quietly in the kitchen as separate conversations multiplied around her. Feeling exposed and isolated all at once, she escaped to the front porch. Ellie reached into her pocket, her fingers closing around her phone and pulling it out. She was desperate to hear Christopher's voice and tell him what had happened at the house since he'd left, but she knew it wouldn't be long until he returned.
The front door opened, and Ellie spun around, startled as the sound interrupted her inner conflict. Alice crept out onto the porch, sitting in one of the wooden chairs. Ellie set her phone on the porch ledge and leaned back against it, facing her.
"You didn't feel me looking at your future," Alice declared.
Ellie's head cocked to the side. "You never ask questions, do you?"
Alice laughed with a musical trill. "Sorry. It's a habit." She wrinkled her nose. "I'm told that can be annoying."
"So," Ellie spoke after a few seconds passed, "were you? Looking into my future?"
"Just scanning," replied Alice, her eyes losing focus again. "Do you feel anything now?"
Ellie shook her head. "I don't suppose you see anything that could tell me what the hell just happened back there?"
It was Alice who shook her head this time. "I don't need the visions to tell me that, silly. You obviously have some kind of defensive talent and just never knew it."
Ellie made a face. "I'd like to go back to not knowing it, please, and thank you."
The tiny vampire bounced in her seat. "That is outside of my abilities," she giggled. "But, it's good that you and Christopher are planning to head to Denali. Carlisle is right - Eleazar will be very interested in what you can do. He should be able to help you refine it, so it's less…brain melty." Alice's musical laughter rang out again.
"And in the meantime," Bella appeared at the front door, joining Alice and Ella on the porch, "I can help. I can't shield you from Jazz, but I can keep Edward out of your head if it gets to be too much."
A grateful smile spread across Ellie's face. "Thank you, both of you. You've all been so kind."
Bella grinned. "Hey, I know you just went hunting yesterday, but do you want to get away from this place for a little while?" When Ellie nodded eagerly, Bella glanced at Alice, who was already on her feet.
It felt good to run again. Ellie lagged behind her vampire companions but not by much. Racing through the forest, effortlessly dodging tree limbs, rotting logs, and wild brush gave her a tremendous euphoric rush. When they approached a cliff, Ellie didn't hesitate like she had the day before. She soared over the side, landing perfectly balanced on her feet.
Bursting forward again, Ellie could feel the burn in her muscles as she pushed herself faster. In the distance, she could hear Alice and Bella tracking their meals, and Ellie caught the scent of a herd of deer nearby. While Ellie was accustomed to going long periods between hunts in the past, it was freeing to feed again without concern or consequence. She tracked the herd, launching forward to catch a large buck that lingered when the deer cluster scattered. By the time she'd drank her fill, she heard Alice and Bella running back toward her.
"Having fun?" Alice flitted to a stop just in a few steps away from Ellie as she wiped her mouth. "You didn't even make a mess this time."
Ellie giggled, brushing dirt from her clothes.
"Ready to head back—" Bella started to ask Ellie but turned instead to Alice, who stood frozen, her eyes widening and losing focus. "Alice? What's wrong?"
"Is she…" Ellie's eyes flicked back and forth between Bella and Alice. The tension on Alice's face made her stomach churn with new anxiety. Bella only nodded with a brief glance at Ellie. She refocused on Alice, waiting for a sign that the vision had passed.
"Ellie," Alice choked. "Someone is at your house. They were waiting there when Christopher and Garrett…."
"Alice? Who? Who was waiting for him? Is Christopher okay?" Ellie's anxiety was now panic. She reached into her pockets to find her phone, realizing she'd left it on the porch. She looked at Bella and Alice, realizing neither of them had brought their phones either.
"Alice!" she growled. "Please."
Bella grabbed Ellie's hand. "Come on, let's get back to the house. I'm sure he's fine." She jerked her head back toward Alice. "Alice, let's go."
Alice ran with them, continuously scanning for any updates in the scene that awaited Christopher and Garrett in Boston. By the time they were within a few miles of the house, Edward and Carlisle were running toward them.
"I have to talk to Christopher!" Ellie cried. "I have to get to Boston…"
"Ellie!" Edward reached her first, placing his hands on her arms to hold her still. She thrashed wildly to get past him, but it was no use. "Ellie, Ellie, stop. I talked to him. He's okay."
She froze. "He's okay? What about Garrett? How did you…?"
Edward relaxed his hold on her arms, tapping his forehead. "Mindreader, remember? I heard Bella and Alice shouting at me to call."
"Right," Ellie gasped, doubling over trying to catch her breath. "Mindreader. Remind me not to complain about those headaches, okay?" She stood up straight again when she could breathe in and out at a normal rate. "What happened? Are they on their way back?"
"They will be here soon, Ellie," Carlisle said.
Her eyes narrowed when she realized he was only going to answer one of her questions.
"Carlisle," she pleaded. "What aren't you telling me?"