They emerge one by one, my eyes searching intently for the blonde vampire that attacked me. That went after Alice. The first to emerge is a tall, dark-skinned man, his white shirt blowing in the wind, and tight curls haloing his head. At his side is a small, smiling woman with startling red hair - wild and flowing. She looks over her shoulders, her laughter whispering through the breeze as he appears.

James rushes to her, lifting her in the air and kissing her cheek almost tenderly. They cautiously approach the coven, the woman visually anxious, her back nearly meeting James' chest. It is almost like they haven't interacted with others of their own kind in ages.

Their movements are different from the others'. They aren't even trying to fake human - their limbs move fluidly and legs are bent slightly, ready to pounce on anything that calls to them. And James, oh devilish James, his fingers twitch with anticipation. The tallest man's shirt contrasts his skin tone starkly, but his strange affinity for dress clothes covered in dirt and blood is almost normal next to the woman's torn clothing and James' choice to keep the torn, blue shirt that Charlie ripped to shreds with his pistol. The big difference? His hair. He cut it, it's shaved down to barely an inch.

And his face, once the woman isn't looking at him, is stone.

While the woman picks leaves from her hair, the tall, dark-skinned man approaches Carlisle with a wide, friendly smile. His lean, muscular build visible even from the distance I'm at. And when he smiles, to my surprise, his fangs aren't nearly as pronounced as Edward's were when I saw his true face. He rakes his glossy black curls from his face, looking down at the red-haired woman with a raised brow.

She stands at his right hand, her posture better fitting a cat than a human, she looks around frantically, curiously, tugging on his arm and pointing at Rosalie and Esme and even at me, apparently unaware of my human status. James stays behind her, hand protectively - no possessively - on her shoulder. He stays still, eyes locked on Carlisle and his casual approach.

With twenty glowing red eyes around me, I press closer to Edward's side as the leader of the nomads opens his mouth.

"We thought we heard a game," he says with a thick, French accent. "Victoria is a massive baseball fan," he gestures to the small woman, whose nose scrunches when she smiles. "I am Laurent, and sourpuss back here is James." James nods stiffly, Carlisle returning the gesture with a friendlier air.

"A pleasure, monsieur. I'm Carlisle Cullen, and this is my family. Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Esme, Edward, Alice, and Bella." He waves his hand over us, letting the newcomers assume who is who. My stomach churns when he mentions my name, and from the corner of my eye, I notice Alice hiding just a bit behind Jasper's body.

"Such a large group!" Victoria says with a chuckle. "How in the world do you keep from tearing each other apart?"

"That's the miracle work of my son," he says as Jasper appears at his side. "Jasper is the master of keeping us calm. Would you like a demonstration?"

"Yes!"

"No," James snaps, and Victoria flinches, pulling back. No one misses that, but anything off script runs the risk of James running off before we can kill him. Patience, Bella…

"Maybe another time," Laurent offers, glaring down at James. "We were actually headed to Canada when we heard you, by way of the coast. It's been a while since we've seen others, we got curious And Victoria is impossible to live with when she wants to investigate something."

"I'm honestly surprised to see anyone out here myself," Carlisle nudges Jasper, who nods. "We are the only ones who stay in this region, and nomads are difficult to come by nowadays."

I feel the air shift, the mood changing from tense curiosity to a simple, casual, normal conversation. I look at Jasper and my lip twitches in a smile. Clever move, cowboy.

"What's your range? We'll be sure to be careful around it."

Carlisle waves off the assumption that is right under Laurent's words. "The Olympic range is where we stay, and just in Alaska is another permanent residence belonging to the Denalis. They tend to stay out of sight completely, though. Best of luck finding them."

Laurent and Victoria exchange a look, her back straightening. "Permanent? You mean, you don't travel? What about the humans?"

"I'd be happy to explain at the house, if you're interested. We were ending our game anyway, and it's a lot more comfortable around the fireplace." Even James shows shock on his face when Carlisle mentions having a house. Laurent smiles fondly.

"That sounds … wonderful. And a lot better than resting in trees or hollows. And, if it's alright, might we get cleaned up a bit?" He nods to their tattered, stained clothing. "It's been about a month since we last got blasted with a hose."

"I call dibs on holding the power washer!" Emmett pipes up, earning a slap on the head from Roasalie.

"Haha! I like your - what, son? - already." Laurent looks at the others and nods, indicating that they'll go with Carlisle and the others to the house. Edward leans down and presses his lips to my ear.

"Now would be a good opportunity to weed him out. Which one?"

"James," I fluff out my hair, stepping away from Edward so my shirt, my scent, can be caught by the flowing breeze.

"And, if it's alright, we'd ask that you not hunt in our territory." Carlisle says tentatively, clasping his hands together. "We're trying to stay incognito, you understand."

"Oh, of course! We'd never risk exposure. Besides, we already ate."

"I could always go for a bite," James comments, flashing his teeth and playfully biting at Victoria's neck. She giggles and bats him away, her cheeks turning a light pink. I fix my shirt just in time to see James' eyes turn to me.

Three things happen simultaneously. James' face floods with recognition, and the lust that I cannot - or will not - place returns to his eyes. Laurent and Victoria turn rigid, realizing that not everything is what they assumed. And Edward growls deeply, hands cracking as his claws willingly emerge.

"What's this?" Laurent looks at Carlisle with wide, surprised eyes. "A human?" Carlisle lays a hand on his shoulder and states calmly.

"She is with us, our friend." He looks at James, his face taking on a dangerous statue quality. "And he tried to kill her." Laurent and Victoria look at me with wide, confused eyes. Then Laurent turns his confusion to anger at James. He catches him before James can lunge forward, and slams him into the dirt.

"James, what the hell did you do?" He looks at me, brows furrowed guiltily. "Even under her scent, you can tell she's around vampires. You could have killed us all. She's not even a remarkable looking human." Edward scoffs at that.

"I don't care about how she looks, Laurent," James licks his lips, eyes locked on me, "it's what she can do. No human deserves that power. And since she can fight back, it makes the hunt so much more delicious."

"Fight back?" Victoria questions, looking at the brace around my wrist.

"Enough, James. She is not ours, and she is not yours. Leave it be." Laurent faces Carlisle and lowers his head, hand over his chest. "My apologies, it seems we have a lot to learn about each other."

"Indeed. But I'm afraid we can't just let him go after what he's done. Surely you understand." Carlisle says cooly, an unusual edge to his voice. "Her father is the police chief, and he nearly killed him as well. He risked the exposure of us all with his little adventure."

"No, please!" Victoria grabs Carlisle by the arm, looking around at us all. "Please, don't...I love him, he's my mate. Please, can't we talk this out. Why do you even care so much about the humans anyway?"

"Victoria, it's one human girl. We won't touch her. And we won't go after any humans while we're in your range. Vous avez ma parole."

Carlisle measures Laurent's expression for a moment. "You and Victoria can come with us. As for James … I'm sorry."

"At the least, wait until Victoria and I are gone. I'd rather not see it, and I know she feels the same." Laurent moves away from James, taking Victoria by the arm. He says something to her softly, and her face floods with tears.

"You can come with us," Esme gestures to herself, Alice, and Emmett. "We've got clothes you two can fit into as well." She approaches Victoria and cups her cheek, her warmth and kindness helping the other woman calm down a bit. Jasper and Rosalie swap places with the emotional nomads, gripping James by the arms and holding him down.

This entire situation strikes me as odd. By Edward's face and Alice's compliance, neither of them see anything bad coming. Their choices are made, their thoughts are in order. But I can't help but feel that this is completely out of character for James. Because in my dream, he didn't hold back.

In my dream, his rage and possessiveness was uncontrolled. His eyes, locked on me, show a horrific level of self control. He isn't like my mind showed him. I feel sparks fly from my hands, my body rooted to the ground, eyes checking for even a millimeter of change in his body language.

Edward approaches him, jaw unhinging in a show of dominance. James tore the doctor's head off his shoulder. What is Edward, with his lion-like jaws and crystalline claws, planning on doing to James? Tearing his head off? Ripping him limb-from-limb?

Too easy.

And to my horror, it all happens in slow motion. Edward's eyes nearly pop from his skull as James tears Rosalie to the ground, cracks Jasper's jaw, and guns it to the forest with the trees shaking from the force of his speed. Before I can blink, I'm in Emmett's jeep, strapped down in the front seat.

"What just happened?" Rosalie demands from beside me, holding her arm to her chest. "He nearly ripped my damn arm off! How did you not see that coming, Edward?"

"His mind changed before I could even hear his thoughts. It's like this is some kind of game to him. I'm sure Alice will be calling any second to tell us where he's going next." As if on cue, his phone starts ringing. "Hey! What? So what should…? Oh...oh no.."

"I don't like this at all," Jasper says from the front seat, leaning on his fist. "So what, he changes his mind too quickly? Is that what she's saying?"

"Basically," Edward says, only barely managing not to crush his phone in his hands. "He's gone into a zone of sorts, and knowing that Bella is friends with vampires seems to have heightened this for him. We need to get Bella underground and hunt him."

"Uh, no!" I lean forward and hit the back of Edward's headrest, deserving the snarl he sends back at me. "You're not hiding me like I'm some sort of relic. If he's after me, he could find anyone I've interacted with just by my scent. No, we need to think ahead. Any of you hunters in your human lives?"

"Emmett was!" Rosalie says, pulling out her phone. Emmett doesn't reply, making her entire body go rigid

"And so was I. Or, well, a vaquero, but it still counts." C-cowboy? Oh lord, I'll have to ask him about that later. "If he's using your scent, then we could use deer hunting techniques. Spread Bella's scent around to confuse him while we hone in on his location. It's basically the opposite of what you'd actually want to happen while spraying deer piss on your clothes."

"Thank God I grew up in Chicago…." Edward checks the streets around us before gunning it. "At least Charlie is safe. Carlisle says his hiding place is so far out of the way he barely found it. And there is no trace of Bella to be found there."

"But there are traces at Jessica's house. And he likes young girls, I think he'd even prefer if I were younger," I shiver, remembering how furious he was at losing the chance to change or kill Alice. "We need to make sure he doesn't think to go there. Take me home."

"He'll go there before anywhere else, Bella!" Edward snaps, his teeth making a loud clicking sound.

"Exactly. If I get there and make it seem like there's no reason I'd be at her house, then he'll avoid her completely to get to me." I pull out my phone and start texting Jess, knowing I won't make a lick of sense to her.

Me: Jess, I'm going to call you in about twenty minutes. Play along with what I say, tell Angela about it too. Nothing that I'll say is true, I promise.

Jess: is typing

Jess: Bella, what's going on?

Me: I can't say. Just wait for me to call, be in your room when you see my name pop up. And trust me.

Jess: … okay. I trust you, Bella. But you better explain.

Me: As much as I possibly can.

Rosalie leans up and flicks Edward on the ear. "Hey, pull over. Bella looks pale."

"She always looks pale, Rose."

"Smartass, I think she's going to puke!"

"I'm not," I curl up a bit and press my forehead to my knees. "I'm just thinking. But...thanks, Rosalie. Edward, when is he going to start? Can Alice see that, at least?"

"He'll start once the sun is fully down. He likes the darkness, it keeps him hidden." The steering wheel cracks in his palms. "If he thinks he can even get close to you…"

"Edward, he won't. And if he does, he's no match for you three."

"Unless the woman and the leader join him, then we'll have a bit of an issue," Jasper reasons, and I kick the back of his seat. "Hey!"

"Thanks for the morale boost…" I grumble, watching us get further into town and closer to my house. I'm betting on James checking my house out, especially while I'm there. We can try to misdirect him, make sure he stays as far away from people as possible. And … I think I know the perfect place to drive him toward.

"Do we have any other options?" Rosalie asks, straightening in her seat. "Let's at least consider them for a second."

Edward slams on the breaks, making me grateful that I'm strapped in like a toddler.

"Dammit Rose, there are no options here!"

"I'm not going to risk him attacking our friends." I state flatly, "you're taking me to my house, I'm packing a bag, and we'll go from there. You just have to trust me. He's no match for all of us, he has to realize that at some level. And if he goes for the others, at least Victoria will fight with him."

"We'll just have to play it by ear," I decide, looking distantly out the window. "Whatever happens to me, just make sure James dies. Okay?" Edward's eyes lock on me in the mirror and he growls softly.

"Jasper...give me something."

"She's thought this out quickly, and while like other plans, there's always the chance for a flub. But as of right now, it's all we have. And it's the best chance of getting him somewhere familiar." He turns and looks at me. "Where are you luring him?"

"My great-grandma's cabin. He'll know where it is, so he can get there while we set a trap for him." I puff my chest out proudly, and Jasper nods.

"Better than nothing."

We pull up to the house, a few lights on to my surprise. I guess Charlie doesn't want people to think the house is abandoned. His cruiser is even here. Edward parks behind my truck, his head checking around quickly, checking every shadow and scent, just in case something is off. The engine cuts, and we sit motionless for a solid minute.

"He isn't here," Edward says softly. "But his scent is on the wind. Whatever you're planning on, do it now." Rosalie helps me unbuckle and ruffles my hair.

"You can do this, sweetie." She squeezes my hand reassuringly and nods, her angelic face in a soft, fearful smile. I mirror her nod, and take in a deep breath. "One of us will be here in just a few minutes to fetch you, before he has the chance to sneak up. I promise."

"I trust you." I look at her, Jasper, and Edward, feeling tears sting the corners of my eyes. Every plan is flawless until it's time to be executed. Not knowing if I'll ever see them again, I take in every little detail - from the scar over Jasper's lip to Rosalie's beauty mark and Edward's hollow eyes - and let out a breath.

"You have fifteen minutes max to pack a bag and get in your truck," Edward says, facing forward, hands locked on the steering wheel. It's a warning. Any longer, and everything could fall apart. I sniff and wipe my eyes, opening my door and sliding out.

My voice comes out at a volume unfamiliar to me. A scream, a shriek, a roar. Faux fury directed dead at Edward. "I never want to see you again, Cullen! You fucking freak, you nearly got me killed!" I kick the tire and storm into the house, pulling out my phone and hitting Jessica's contact.

"Bella..?" She answers with a hesitant whisper.

"I'm done, Jess. I'm leaving Forks." I say between sniffles and sobs. I race up the stairs, catching myself on the railing before barging into the bathroom. I gather hygiene products to stuff in my backpack while Jessica stammers over her reply.

Wouldn't it be so fitting if my period showed up during all this?

"You're what? Wh-why? Is everything okay?"

"No, it's not!" I grab my backpack and empty it of everything school related, save my little black notebook. I put them in a smaller pocket and gather up clothes, keys, money - anything and everything I could need. "It's so sick of it here. Of the rain, of the clouds, of the people...there's no way I can stay here another school year."

"...people..? Bella, what happened?"

"Edward! Edward happened, okay? He waltzes into my shitty life and just turns it all to Hell." I look around and go down the hallway to Charlie's room, grabbing his bomber jacket and zipping it to my chin. It smells like his cologne. Like comfort. I nuzzle into it, tears falling faster down my cheeks. "This place is horrible enough without me having a damn stalker."

You know what? That isn't a total lie.

"Stalking! Bella, why didn't you tell me sooner? Or your dad? You don't have to leave Forks because of one asshole who can't read between the lines!" She's frantic now, panting softly with shuffling in the background. She covers the microphone, but I hear her tell her mom that she doesn't care if it's time for dinner and that she needs the car keys. My breath catches in my throat and I zip my bag up.

"It isn't just him, Jess. My mom was right, this place is just … I can't risk putting down any more roots here. Not Edward, not you and Angela and Eric … I can't stay here. I don't want to be trapped in this boring, stupid, dead-end town like my dad!" I grip my hair and start down the stairs, turning off every light I come across. "I'm not making the same, idiotic mistake he did. I'm escaping, like Mom. I'm not going to stay here for another damn minute!"

"Bella, it's past sundown, there are curfews for teenage drivers." Jessica tries to reason, her crying clearly audible through her stuffy, difficult speaking. "Come to my house, stay the night. Stay a week, I don't care. If it's about what you said at school, we can get the adults involved, we can keep you safe...please, please come here."

"Just let me go, Jess. My dad already has. It didn't work out. I hate it here. Nothing and no-one is going to change that." I hang up on her, letting my words sink in to the slamming of the front door. I look at The Thing, wiping my cheeks and taking a seat on the passenger side.

Edward egnites the engine and I cling to my bag, pulling the collar of Charlie's jacket up to mimic his rare, comforting hugs. His cool hand lays on my arm, and my hand slides over it as my body trembles, hiccups and sobs finally escaping my throat. I hate this. I hate every second of this. Even without Edward's touch, my skin feels like splintering ice. We have to pass Jessica's house to leave the town. I can't even look up.

Edward sighs. "She wants to talk to her mom, but she keeps reminding herself of the text you sent, and what you talked about in school. She's texting Angela, though she still doesn't know how to explain...you really called me a stalker?"

"I didn't know what else to say…." I grip his hand tightly. "Where is he?"

"Right behind us. He didn't see you get in the passenger seat, and he doesn't seem to be aware of me. Though this little death trap smells like you live in here. Well, save this," I look up in time to see him hold a half-empty pouch of tobacco. "And as for your little play, he heard pretty well all of it. He's focused on you, not on Jessica, or anyone else with your scent." He accelerates, my truck's engine whining in protest.

"It's Emmett," Edward says a millisecond before a loud thud in the bed of the truck. I watch Emmett settle in, leaning right against the window. "He's listening for James. Apparently we're needed at the house. At the least, we'll be safe enough there to plan further ahead. James won't go where there are more vampires than he knows he can handle."

I nod, laying my head back on my backpack. Edward's cool hands brush through my hair, gently taking my glasses off my face.

"Don't want to hurt them, or your nose."

"I'm a terrible person…"

"What..? Bella, it was an act. Even Jessica knows it was. You didn't mean a word of it."

"If you had asked me just a couple months ago, I would have said the same thing. It's...God, I don't want to sound like a dick, but it's how my mom described Forks to me. Boring. Stupid. Stuck. Oppressive. Using her own words, even as a precaution, made my stomach churn."

"And it stuck with him. Now he thinks that no-one human will be looking for you. He's focused completely on you. I know you said he likes them young, but … every time I dig for the trigger that set him off, your face morphs with Alice's. It's like he sees you two as the same."

"..." I lean back, closing my eyes. My mind goes through his comments on my youth, on how girls keep getting prettier. His possessive body language, as though I belonged to him from the moment he spotted me in the forest. James's handsome, ethereal face shatters into fury and disgust when he realized that the doctor changed Alice before he could stake his claim.

When did he see her?

How long was he watching her? Did he wait until she was a teenager on purpose? What kind of hunter goes for the cowering, injured fawn that can't even defend herself?

A piss-poor shot. That's who.

"What if the thrill of the chase isn't the only thing he enjoys?" I offer, opening my eyes and watching the rain dance on the windshield. "What if it's the kill itself? How easy is it to kill a human? Especially as a vampire. He's just another serial killer too cowardly to pick on someone his own size."

Edward slows to a stop, and I look up, spotting the Cullen house just a few feet away. He parks and kills the truck, templing his fingers at his lips, letting out a deep breath. He blinks a couple times, acknowledges Emmett knocking on the widow and saying we need to go in, and then looks at me.

"Just this once, Bella … I hope your intuition is wrong."