DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. *Whitney Houston voice* I have nothing, nothing, nothinnnnnnnnng –
There isn't much to say about this chapter other than I'm secretly a Jasper hoe. I didn't like how smeyer just sort of mentioned in passing how he was a confederate soldier and didn't follow it up with any sort of remorse. Like, you're telling me Jasper, the EMPATH, thought slavery was cool? Whack.
Also, some have been asking when Eddie makes an appearance. You won't be waiting any longer, friends, because here it is! Edgeward's first appearance post-wolf-transformation.
A notable quotable from this chapter was " smeyer Alice is RIGHT there" and NeedMoreZzz's agreed. Alice WAS right there. Shoutout to her for understanding where to put a semicolon! If you haven't read her story On the Run yet then I don't know what to tell you. Do you hate joy? Let her know what you think about it, she's been working so hard and I think it's really good.
On a personal note, I want to thank each and every person who has read this far in the story. You guys seriously have no idea how much it means to me to hear your thoughts and respond to them. I've been running on coffee and cigarettes getting ready for the NCLEX (the cigarettes are a nasty habit – don't start smoking, kids.) Every notification makes my heart soar and gives me the strength to carry on.
A bit of expectation management – there's about ten or so chapters left, so we're reaching the final arc! This has been a labor of love and I appreciate you who have read this whole damn thing. I promised there was a plot somewhere in here, and I hope it doesn't disappoint.
XXXI
We waited, watching the trees as three of the Cullens emerged.
The first one to come into sight was obviously the leader. He was not taller, or bigger in any way, but he had the air of someone with responsibilities on their shoulders. I recognized him as Carlisle.
The second one was much taller, with black, wavy hair and matching menacing eyes that roamed along our lines strategically as if he were deciding who he would kill first. His porcelain skin was different from the others, some odd sort of pattern I didn't recognize, like it had been shattered and glued back together. Next to him was the spiky-haired leech, holding his hand. I recalled Alice's name from earlier, but I had forgotten what the other one was called.
To my extreme displeasure, the entire Cullen clan appeared out of the mist. Two males and two females emerged from the forest behind the first three, making seven. The pack quickly materialized behind us, snapping at the group of bloodsuckers rapidly approaching.
"Damn," the biggest one muttered under his breath. "Did you ever see anything like it?" The two unfamiliar females exchanged a wide-eyed glance.
Get used to being outnumbered, Paul thought.
We should just kill them now, I thought. Practice for the others.
Agreed, Leah responded.
Sam said, guys, Jared reminded us, treaty's not broken, we stay down unless they move first.
'Sam said,' three people mocked in unison. I may or may not have been one of them.
"You must be Sam Uley," Carlisle said, nodding respectfully. "I am Carlisle Cullen. This is my wife, Esme, and the rest of my family; Alice and Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett, and Edward." He pointed to each of them in turn, ending with the bronze-haired one, who I recognized as the leech Bella danced with at Prom.
Unsurprisingly, I hated him instantly.
Sam nodded tightly. "We came to speak with you about the infestation in the Park."
Carlisle smiled. "Of course," he said, laying his hands on top of each other in a casual way. "My son, Jasper, has the most expertise in this area. He has agreed to explain."
The leader's eyes glanced over to the leech with the weird skin, and so did everybody else's. From the hood of the car, I heard Bella's feet grind against the asphalt as she readjusted herself to face him.
The wavy-haired leech looked up, his eyes fixed on Bella.
"How much do you know about me, Bella?" He asked, addressing only her, raising his voice just loud enough to hear from the unpaved road.
"N-not much," she stammered, eyes wide with shock.
"Edward never told you anything about how I became a vampire?"
"No," she squeaked.
The bloodsucker nodded thoughtfully, then started to roll up the arm of his ivory sweater. The pack watched with bated breath as we saw the lattice pattern of scars engraved in his forearm. He pulled a flashlight out of his pocket and shined it on his wrist, then traced his finger across a raised crescent mark on the pale skin.
Bella took a few steps forward, leaning closer to get a good look. I followed closely behind, eyes focused on the vampire less than three feet away.
"Oh," she breathed, as her less-sensitive eyes focused in on the wrist. "Jasper, you have a scar exactly like mine." She held out her hand, the silvery crescent more prominent against her creamy skin than his alabaster pallor.
The leech smiled faintly. "I have lots of scars like yours, Bella."
He pushed the sleeve of his thin sweater higher up his arm. Bella gasped as she saw what all the wolves had already seen; the curved half-moons crisscrossed in a feathery pattern, the bright glow of his flashlight throwing the slightly raised design into relief, with shallow shadows outlining the shapes.
Bella grabbed her own scar, eyes wide in horror, then gasped.
"Jasper, what happened to you?"
"The same thing that happened to your hand," he answered in a quiet voice. "Repeated a thousand times." He laughed ruefully and brushed at his arm. "Our venom is the only thing that leaves a scar."
"Why?" She breathed, her voice laced with horror.
"I didn't have quite the same… upbringing as my adopted siblings. My beginning was something else entirely." His voice became hard as he paused to glare at the wolves.
Bella gaped at him, appalled. I nipped at the bottom of her shirt to pull her back, but she ignored me.
"Before I tell you my story," the bloodsucker said, "you must understand that there are places in our world, Bella, where the life span of the never-aging is measured in weeks, and not centuries."
The whole pack was eagerly listening in. Sam crossed his arms against his chest, eyes intent on the wavy-haired leech. Idly, I remembered this was the vampire with emotion-controlling powers.
"To really understand why, you have to look at the world from a different perspective. You have to imagine the way it looks to the powerful, the greedy… the perpetually thirsty.
"You see, there are places in this world that are more desirable to us than others. Places where we can be less restrained, and still avoid detection.
"Picture, for instance, a map of the western hemisphere. Picture on it every human life as a small red dot. The thicker the red, the more easily we – well, those who exist this way – can feed without attracting notice."
Bella shuddered, and I rested my nose on the small of her back.
The leech went on without pause. "Not that the covens in the South care much for what the humans notice or do not. It's the Volturi that keep them in check. They are the only ones the southern covens fear. If not for the Volturi, the rest of us would be quickly exposed."
What kind of a vulture is that? Paul wondered.
"The Volturi?" Sam asked.
"Yes," Carlisle replied. "They are our ruling body – they make sure humans do not learn of our existence, mostly."
"The North is, by comparison, very civilized," Jasper continued as if the interruption hadn't happened. "Mostly we are nomads here who enjoy the day as well as the night, who allow humans to interact with us unsuspectingly – anonymity is important to us all.
"It's a different world in the South. The immortals there come out only at night. They spend the day plotting their next move, or anticipating their enemy's. Because it has been war in the South, constant war for centuries, with never one moment of truce. The covens there barely note the existence of humans, except as soldiers notice a herd of cows by the wayside – food for the taking. They only hide from the notice of the herd because of the Volturi."
"But what are they fighting for?" Bella asked.
The bloodsucker smiled. "Remember the map with the red dots?"
He waited, and Bella nodded.
"They fight for control of the thickest red.
"You see, it occurred to someone once that, if he were the only vampire in, let's say Mexico City, well then, he could feed every night, twice, three times, and no one would ever notice. He plotted ways to get rid of the competition.
"Others had the same idea. Some came up with more effective tactics that others.
"But the most effective tactic was invented by a fairly young vampire named Benito. The first anyone ever heard of him, he came down from somewhere north of Dallas and massacred the two small covens that shared the area near Houston. Two nights later, he took on the much stronger clan of allies that claimed Monterrey in northern Mexico. Again, he won."
"How did he win?" Bella asked with wary curiosity.
"Benito had created an army of newborn vampires. He was the first one to think of it, and, in the beginning, he was unstoppable. Very young vampires are volatile, wild, and almost impossible to control. One newborn can be reasoned with, taught to restrain himself, but ten, fifteen together are a nightmare." He scowled, and I had the sense he was speaking from experience. "They'll turn on each other as easily as on the enemy you point them at. Benito had to keep making more as they fought amongst themselves, and as the covens he decimated took more than half his force down before they lost.
"You see, though newborns are dangerous, they are still possible to defeat if you know what you're doing. They're incredibly powerful physically, for the first year or so, and if they're allowed to bring strength to bear they can crush an older vampire with ease. But they are slaves to their instincts, and thus predictable. Usually, they have no skill in fighting, only muscle and ferocity. And in this case, overwhelming numbers."
Sam nodded. "Yes, we noticed that last night. We were able to destroy three, but one of them managed to injure an inexperienced fighter. They are stronger than any the tribe has met before."
It was quiet for a moment while the vampire paused, his eyes darting warily to the wolves for a split second before he returned his gaze to Bella and continued.
"The vampires in southern Mexico realized what was coming for them, and they did the only thing they could think of to counteract Benito. They made armies of their own…
"All hell broke loose – and I mean that more literally than you can possibly imagine. We immortals have our histories, too, and this particular war will never be forgotten. Of course, it was not a good time to be human in Mexico, either."
Bella shuddered. I scratched at the grass, creating a patch of dirt.
"When the body count reached epidemic proportions – in fact, your histories blame a disease for the population slump – the Volturi finally stepped in. The entire guard came together and sought out every newborn in the bottom half of North America. Benito was entrenched in Puebla, building his army as quickly as he could to take on the prize – Mexico City. The Volturi started with him, and then moved on to the rest.
"Anyone who was found with newborns was executed immediately, and, since everyone was trying to protect themselves from Benito, Mexico was emptied of vampires for a time."
Sounds like Mexico was a nice place for a while, Embry commented.
"The Volturi were cleaning house for almost a year. This was another chapter of our history that will always be remembered, though there were very few witnesses left to speak of what it was like. I spoke to someone once who had, from a distance, watched what happened when they visited Culiacán."
The leech shuddered. I wondered how terrible the Volturi must be to inspire such fear in a vampire who had obviously been attacked hundreds – if not thousands – of times, and won.
"It was enough that the fever for conquest did not spread from the South. The rest of the world stayed sane. We owe the Volturi for our present way of life."
The wolves all glanced at each other, our thoughts converging and spilling over each other, but the curiosity was impossible to ignore, and when the leech continued we listened rapturously, unable to focus on anything else even if we wanted to.
"But when the Volturi went back to Italy, the survivors were quick to stake their claims in the South.
"It didn't take long before covens began to dispute again. There was a lot of bad blood, if you'll forgive the expression. Vendettas abounded. The idea of newborns was already there, and some were not able to resist. However, the Volturi had not been forgotten, and the southern covens were more careful this time. The newborns were selected from the human pool with more care, and given more training. They were used circumspectly, and the humans remained, for the most part, oblivious. Their creators gave the Volturi no reason to return.
"The wars resumed, but on a smaller scale. Every now and then, someone would go too far, speculation would begin in the human newspapers, and the Volturi would return and clean out the city. But they let the others, the careful ones, continue…"
The vampire was staring off into space now, lost in thought.
"That's how you were changed." Bella's realization was a whisper.
"Yes," he agreed. "When I was human, I lived in Houston, Texas. I was almost seventeen years old when my father was conscripted into the Confederate Army in 1861. But he was old, and I was his only son. I went in his place, lied to the enlistment officers and told them I was twenty. I was tall enough to get away with it. There were other Tejanos who fought the draft by arguing they were Mexican citizens, but I was young, and naïve, and I thought the war would bring me glory. I didn't care which side I joined, nor did I care what we were fighting for. Only later, when I read about the Confederate agenda, did I regret my decision."
The leech looked at the ground with a mournful expression, and the spiky-haired one rested her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. His voice was slower as he went on, like the words got stuck in his throat and clawed at his mouth, desperately fighting against being said.
"My military career was short-lived, but very promising. People always… liked me, listened to what I had to say. My father said it was charisma. Of course, now I know it was probably something more. But, whatever the reason, I was promoted quickly through the ranks, over older, more experienced men. The Confederate Army was new and scrambling to organize itself, so that provided opportunities, as well. By the first battle of Galveston – well, it was more of a skirmish, really – I was the youngest major in Texas, not even acknowledging my real age.
"I was placed in charge of evacuating the women and children from the city when the Union's mortar boats reached the harbor. It took a day to prepare them, and I left with the first column of civilians to convey them to Houston.
"I remember that one night very clearly.
"We reached the city after dark. I stayed only long enough to make sure the entire party was safely situated. As soon as that was done, I got myself a fresh horse, and I headed back to Galveston. There wasn't time to rest.
"Just a mile outside the city, I found three women on foot. I assumed they were stragglers and dismounted at once to offer them my aid. But, when I could see their faces in the dim light of the moon, I was stunned into silence. They were, without question, the three most beautiful women I had ever seen.
"They had such pale skin, I remember marveling at it. Even the little black-haired girl, whose features were clearly Mexican, was porcelain in the moonlight. They seemed young, all of them, still young enough to be called girls. I knew they were not lost members of our party. I would have remembered seeing these three.
"'He's speechless,' the tallest girl said in a lovely, delicate voice – it was like wind chimes. She had fair hair, and her skin was snow white.
"The other was blonder still, her skin just as chalky. Her face was like an angel's. She leaned toward me with half-closed eyes and inhaled deeply.
"'Mmm,' she sighed. 'Lovely.'
"The small one, the tiny brunette, put her hand on the girl's arm and spoke quickly. Her voice was too soft and musical to be sharp, but that seemed to be the way she intended it.
"'Concentrate, Nettie,' she said.
"I'd always had a good sense of how people related to each other, and it was immediately clear that the brunette was somehow in charge of the others. If they'd been military, I would have said that she outranked them.
"'He looks right – young, strong, an officer…' The brunette paused, and I tried unsuccessfully to speak. 'And there's something more… do you sense it?' She asked the other two. 'He's… compelling.'
"'Oh, yes,' Nettie quickly agreed, leaning toward me again.
"'Patience,' the brunette cautioned her. 'I want to keep this one.'
"Nettie frowned; she seemed annoyed.
"'You'd better do it, Maria,' the taller blonde spoke again. 'If he's important to you. I kill them twice as often as I keep them.'
"'Yes, I'll do it,' Maria agreed. 'I really do like this one. Take Nettie away, will you? I don't want to have to protect my back while I'm trying to focus.'
"My hair was standing up on the back of my neck, though I didn't understand the meaning of anything the beautiful creatures were saying. My instincts told me there was danger, that the angel had meant it when she spoke of killing, but my judgment overruled my instincts. I had not been taught to fear women, but to protect them.
"'Let's hunt,' Nettie agreed enthusiastically, reaching for the tall girl's hand. They wheeled – they were so graceful! – and sprinted toward the city. They seemed to almost take flight, they were so fast – their white dresses blew out behind them like wings. I blinked in amazement, and they were gone.
"I turned to stare at Maria, who was watching me curiously.
"I'd never been superstitious in my life. Until that second, I'd never believed in ghosts or any other such nonsense. Suddenly, I was unsure.
"'What is your name, soldier?' Maria asked me.
"'Major Jasper Whitlock, ma'am,' I stammered, unable to be impolite to a female, even if she was a ghost.
"'I truly hope you survive, Jasper,' she said in her gentle voice. 'I have a good feeling about you.'
"She took a step closer, and inclined her head as if she were going to kiss me. I stood frozen in place, though my instincts were screaming at me to run."
The vampire paused, his face thoughtful again. I got the sense he was editing something out.
"A few days later," he finally said, "I was introduced to my new life.
"Their names were Maria, Nettie, and Lucy. They hadn't been together long – Maria had rounded up the other two – all three were survivors of recently lost battles. Theirs was a partnership of convenience. Maria wanted revenge, and she wanted her territories back. The others were eager to increase their… herd lands, I suppose you could say. They were putting together an army, and going about it more carefully than usual. It was Maria's idea. She wanted a superior army, so she sought out specific humans who had potential. Then she gave us much more attention, more training than anyone else had bothered with. She taught us to fight, and she taught us to be invisible to the humans. When we did well, we were rewarded…"
He paused, editing again.
"She was in a hurry, though. Maria knew that the massive strength of the newborn began to wane around the year mark, and she wanted to act while we were strong.
"There were six of us when I joined Maria's band. She added four more within a fortnight. We were all male – Maria wanted soldiers – and that made it slightly more difficult to keep from fighting amongst ourselves. I fought my first battles against my new comrades in arms. I was quicker than the others, better at combat. Maria was pleased with me, though put out that she had to keep replacing the ones I destroyed. I was rewarded often, and that made me stronger.
"Maria was a good judge of character. She decided to put me in charge of the others – as if I were being promoted. It suited my nature exactly. The casualties went down dramatically, and our numbers swelled to hover around twenty.
"This was considerable for the cautious times we lived in. My ability, as yet undefined, to control the emotional atmosphere around me was vitally effective. We soon began to work together in a way that newborn vampires had never cooperated before. Even Maria, Nettie, and Lucy were able to work together more easily.
"Maria grew quite fond of me – she began to depend upon me. And, in some ways, I worshipped the ground she walked on. I had no idea that any other life was possible. Maria told us this was the way things were, and we believed.
"She asked me to tell her when my brothers and I were ready to fight, and I was eager to prove myself. I pulled together an army of twenty-three in the end – twenty-three unbelievably strong new vampires, organized and skilled as no others before. Maria was ecstatic.
"We crept down toward Monterrey, her former home, and she unleashed us on her enemies. They had only nine newborns at the time, and a pair of older vampires controlling them. We took them down more easily than Maria could believe, losing only four in the process. It was an unheard-of margin of victory.
"And we were well trained. We did it without attracting notice. The city changed hands without any human being aware.
"Success made Maria greedy. It wasn't long before she began to eye other cities. That first year, she extended her control to cover most of Texas and northern Mexico. Then the others came from the South to dislodge her."
He brushed two fingers along the faint pattern of scars on his arm. "The fighting was intense. Many began to worry that the Volturi would return. Of the original twenty-three, I was the only one to survive the first eighteen months. We both won and lost. Nettie and Lucy turned on Maria eventually – but that one we won.
"Maria and I were able to hold on to Monterrey. It quieted a little, though the wars continued. The idea of conquest was dying out; it was mostly vengeance and feuding now. So many had lost their partners, and that is something our kind does not forgive…
"Maria and I always kept a dozen or so newborns ready. They meant little to us – they were pawns, they were disposable. When they outgrew their usefulness, we did dispose of them. My life continued in the same violent pattern and the years passed. I was sick of it all for a very long time before anything changed…
"Decades later, I developed a friendship with a newborn who'd remained useful and survived his first three years, against the odds. His name was Peter. I liked Peter; he was… civilized – I suppose that's the right word. He didn't enjoy the fight, though he was good at it.
"He was assigned to deal with the newborns – babysit them, you could say. It was a full-time job." The left side of his mouth curled up in a cross between a snarl and a dark, humorless smile.
"And then it was time to purge again. The newborns were outgrowing their strength; they were due to be replaced. Peter was supposed to help me dispose of them. We took them aside individually, you see, one by one… It was always a very long night. This time, he tried to convince me that a few had potential, but Maria had instructed that we get rid of them all. I told him no.
"We were about halfway through, and I could feel that it was taking a great toll on Peter. I was trying to decide whether or not I should send him away and finish up myself as I called out the next victim. To my surprise, he was suddenly angry, furious. I braced for whatever his mood might foreshadow – he was a good fighter, but he was never a match for me.
"The newborn I'd summoned was a female, just past her year mark. Her name was Charlotte. His feelings changed when she came into view; they gave him away. He yelled for her to run, and he bolted after her. I could have pursued them, but I didn't. I felt… averse to destroying him.
"Maria was irritated with me for that…
"Five years later, Peter snuck back for me. He picked a good day to arrive.
"Maria was mystified by my ever-deteriorating frame of mind. She'd never felt a moment's depression, and I wondered why I was different. I began to notice a change in her emotions when she was near me – sometimes there was fear… and malice – the same feelings that had given me advance warning when Nettie and Lucy struck. I was preparing myself to destroy my only ally, the core of my existence, when Peter returned.
"Peter told me about his new life with Charlotte, told me about options I'd never dreamed I had. In five years, they'd never had a fight, though they'd met many others in the north. Others who could co-exist without the constant mayhem.
"In one conversation, he had me convinced. I was ready to go, and somewhat relieved I wouldn't have to kill Maria. I'd been her companion for as many years as Carlisle and Edward have been together, yet the bond between us was nowhere near as strong. When you live for the fight, for the blood, the relationships you form are tenuous and easily broken. I walked away without a backward glance.
"I traveled with Peter and Charlotte for a few years, getting the feel of this new, more peaceful world. But the depression didn't fade. I didn't understand what was wrong with me, until Peter noticed that it was always worse after I'd hunted.
"I contemplated that. In so many years of slaughter and carnage, I'd lost nearly all of my humanity. I was undeniably a nightmare, a monster of the grisliest kind. Yet each time I found another human victim, I would feel a faint prick of remembrance for that other life. Watching their eyes widen in wonder at my beauty, I could see Maria and the others in my head, what they had looked like to me the last night that I was Jasper Whitlock. It was stronger for me – this borrowed memory – than it was for anyone else, because I could feel everything my prey was feeling. And I lived their emotions as I killed them.
"You've experienced the way I can manipulate the emotions around myself, Bella, but I wonder if you realize how the emotions in a room affect me. I live every day in a climate of emotion. For the first century of my life, I lived in a world of bloodthirsty vengeance. Hate was my constant companion. It eased some when I left Maria, but I still had to feel the horror and fear of my prey.
"It began to be too much.
"The depression got worse, and I wandered away from Peter and Charlotte. Civilized as they were, they didn't feel the same aversion I was beginning to feel. They only wanted peace from the fight. I was so wearied by killing – killing anyone, even mere humans.
"Yet I had to keep killing. What choice did I have? I tried to kill less often, but I would get too thirsty and I would give in. After a century of instant gratification, I found self-discipline… challenging. I still haven't perfected that."
I was surprised by how lost in this story everyone was. I suspected the vampire was using his power to manipulate our emotions, but the vital curiosity I felt wouldn't melt away no matter how hard I tried to stifle it.
His expression smoothed into a peaceful smile. "I was in Philadelphia. There was a storm, and I was out during the day – something I was not completely comfortable with yet. I knew standing in the rain would attract attention, so I ducked into a little half-empty diner. My eyes were dark enough that no one would notice them, though this meant I was thirsty, and that worried me a little.
"She was there – expecting me, naturally." He chuckled once, turning his head to the tiny vampire hanging on his arm with an amused expression. "She hopped down from the high seat at the counter as soon as I walked in and came directly toward me.
"It shocked me. I was not sure if she meant to attack. That's the only interpretation of her behavior my past had to offer. But she was smiling. And the emotions that were emanating from her were like nothing I'd ever felt before.
"'You've kept me waiting a long time,' she said."
The spiky-haired leech gazed up at him lovingly. "And you ducked your head, like a good Southern gentleman, and said, 'I'm sorry, ma'am.'" She laughed at the memory.
He smiled down at her. "You held out your hand, and I took it without stopping to make sense of what I was doing. For the first time in almost a century, I felt hope." The wavy-haired vampire took the small one's hand as he spoke.
The small one grinned. "I was just relieved. I thought you were never going to show up."
They smiled at each other for a long moment, and then the tall one looked back to Bella, his soft expression lingering. "Alice told me what she'd seen of Carlisle and his family. I could hardly believe that such an existence was possible. But Alice made me optimistic. So we went to find them."
"That's a… nice story, I guess," Bella said, the first one to break the silence. "The happy ending part, I mean."
"Do you believe she has created one of these 'newborn armies'?" Sam asked, taking a step forward.
"Yes," the tall leech replied. "I saw the headlines, but I thought I must be interpreting the signs incorrectly. I didn't see a motive. Why would someone create an army in Olympia? There is no history here, no vendetta. It makes no sense from a conquest standpoint, either; no one claims it. Nomads pass through, but there's no one to fight for it. Or, so I thought," he added, shooting a pointed look over to where I stood behind Bella.
"But I've seen this before, and there's no other explanation. There is an army of newborn vampires in Olympia. Fewer than twenty, I'd guess. The difficult part is that they are totally untrained. Whoever made them just set them loose. It will only get worse, and it won't be much longer 'til the Volturi step in. Actually, I'm surprised they've let this go on so long."
"What would it mean, if the Volturi came?" Sam asked, eyes wary.
"They would clear out the newborns and whoever created them, naturally," Jasper replied. "But you don't want it to come to that. The Volturi have hunted werewolves all but to extinction. They would seek to destroy your pack here, if they knew it existed."
Sam's jaw clenched together with an audible snap. A low growl rumbled in my chest involuntarily, joined by Paul and a chorus of the other wolves, a communal agreement that we would not back down from such a fight.
Jasper's eyes widened, picking up on the change in our demeanor. "You should not want that," he insisted. "The Volturi Guard are lethal. They've been killing werewolves for centuries. You wouldn't be a challenge."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Sam hissed through his teeth.
"If we want to avoid the Volturi's involvement, we will have to destroy the newborns, and we will have to do it very soon."
His face was the hard, stone-cold mold of a seasoned soldier, staring down the barrel of a gun for the umpteenth time. The only option was battle. Our plan to pick them off slowly wouldn't work if an even bigger group of vampires would come knocking soon.
"I can teach you how," the tall leech continued, "The young ones aren't concerned about secrecy, but we will have to be. It will limit us in ways that they are not. Maybe we can lure them out."
"You won't have to," Alice said, eyes fixed on dead space.
"What was that?" Edward asked, voice tense. "What are you remembering?"
"Flickers," Alice said, eyes darting around distantly. "I can't see a clear picture when I try to see what's going on, nothing concrete. But I've been getting these strange flashes. Not enough to make sense of. It's as if someone's changing their mind, moving from one course of action to another so quickly that I can't get a good view…"
"Indecision?" Jasper asked in disbelief.
"I don't know…"
"Not indecision," Edward growled. "Knowledge. Someone who knows you can't see anything until the decision is made. Someone who is hiding from us. Playing with the holes in your vision."
"Who would know that?" Alice whispered.
"Laurent!" Bella gasped.
All eyes focused on her. Her cheeks turned bright red.
"What do you mean, Bella?" Alice was the first to break the silence.
"Wouldn't your cousins in Denali know enough about Alice's visions to try and work around them? Laurent lived with them for so long. And if he was still friendly enough with Victoria to be doing favors for her, why wouldn't he also tell her everything he knew?"
Edward considered this, his forehead creased in concentration. The rest of his family and most of the pack were watching him, since they knew he could hear their thoughts.
Hey, mind-reader, is this getting to the part where we DO something?
The mind-reader is the ginger, right? Do you think he would hear it if I thought about killing him?
Best not to risk it, Leah cautioned, stationing herself on the other side of Bella.
"Hmm," Edward finally said. "That has to be it," he decided. "Your theory suits Victoria's personality perfectly. She's shown a remarkable gift for self-preservation from the start – maybe it's a talent of hers. In any case, this plot would put her in no danger at all, if she sits safely behind and lets the newborns wreak their havoc here. And maybe little danger from the Volturi, either. Perhaps she's counting on us to win, in the end, though certainly not without heavy casualties of our own. But no survivors from her little army to bear witness against her. In fact," he continued, voice picking up speed, "if there were survivors, I'd bet she'd be planning to destroy them herself…" He frowned into space for a long moment.
"Then let's go," roared the biggest one, flexing his arms impatiently. "What are we waiting for?"
My question exactly, Paul agreed.
Carlisle and Edward shared a long glance. Edward nodded once.
"We'll need you to teach us, Jasper," Carlisle finally said. "How to destroy them." His jaw was hard with resolve, but there was pain in his eyes. Unwillingly, I was starting to like him; I could see that he was averse to any violence.
"We need to hurry," Jasper said. Carlisle frowned, looking shaken.
"Tell us what you're planning," Sam demanded. "We have a right to know, as Bella is one of us."
Edward grimaced, as if remembering the wolves were there.
"It's okay," Alice said, resting a hand on his shoulder, eyes distant. "He has a point."
"What do you see, Alice?" Jasper asked, gliding over to her protectively, glaring at the wolves as if daring us to strike.
"The decision has been made," she said ominously. "They're coming to Forks. Two days, three tops. One is carrying that awful red shirt I told you to throw away," she added, eyes fixing on Bella with disapproval.
"We can't let them come that far," Jasper said. "There aren't enough of us to protect the town."
"I know," Alice replied, her face suddenly desolate. "But it doesn't matter where we stop them. There still won't be enough of us, and some of them will come here to search."
"No!" Bella gasped. "Alice," she breathed, "I have to go. I have to get away from here."
"That won't help. It's not like we're dealing with a tracker. They'll still come looking here first."
"Then I have to go meet them!" She shrieked, voice hoarse and strained. "If they find what they're looking for, maybe they'll go away and not hurt anyone else!"
That was when I'd had enough. Without consciously deciding to move, I was suddenly facing Bella, pushing on her chest with my muzzle to get her back to the Rabbit, where I would drive her as far away as possible.
"Bella!" Alice protested.
"There are too many for you?" Sam asked, though we knew the answer.
Jasper bridled. "We have a few advantages, dog. It will be an even fight."
"No," Sam said, a fierce half-smile spread across his face. "It won't be even."
"Excellent!" Alice hissed. "Everything just disappeared, of course," she said in a smug voice. "That's inconvenient, but, all things considered, I'll take it."
Bella stared, frozen in horror, as I continued to push her backwards.
"We'll have to coordinate," Sam said. "It won't be easy for us. Still, this is our job more than yours."
"I wouldn't go that far, but we need the help. We aren't going to be picky."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Bella interrupted. The whole clearing turned to look at her despaired expression. Her jaw clenched in a familiar, stubborn expression.
"Coordinate?" She repeated through her teeth.
"You didn't honestly think you were going to keep us out of this?" Sam asked.
Bella wasn't looking at him. She put her hands on both sides of my face and raised my head so I had to look her in the eyes.
"You are staying out of this!" She ordered.
"The psychic doesn't think so," Sam replied.
"Alice – tell them no!" She insisted. "They'll get killed!"
Quil, Embry, and Paul laughed from somewhere behind Sam.
"Bella," Alice said, her voice placating. "Separately we all could get killed. Together –"
"It'll be no problem," Sam finished her sentence, then laughed again. "Can you tell from your vision how many there will be?"
"No!" Bella shouted.
No one paid attention to her except me. I tapped my nose against her forehead, trying to tell her it would be alright.
"It changes – twenty-one today, but the numbers are going down." Alice replied.
"Why?" Sam asked, curious.
"The newborns fight amongst themselves," Jasper reminded. "Since they're obviously untrained, they won't know how to control themselves."
"We need to plan strategically," Carlisle interjected. "To make the best use of our numbers."
"This isn't the best place for it," Sam replied, eyes darting over to where Bella was still staring me down.
"Later tonight?"
"Yes," Jasper agreed. "If you're going to fight with us, you'll need some instruction."
The pack murmured amongst themselves, disgruntled.
What? They think we can't kill a leech? Paul thought. Maybe they need a demonstration.
How many times are we going to have to smell these guys? Embry wondered.
Might as well learn what we can. As long as I don't have to be downwind, Leah added.
"No!" Bella moaned, hands dropping from my face.
"This will be odd," Jasper said thoughtfully. "I never considered working together. This has to be a first."
"No doubt about that," Sam agreed. "What time?"
"What's too late for you?"
All ten werewolves rolled our eyes simultaneously.
"What time?" Sam repeated.
"Three o'clock?"
"Where?"
"About ten miles due north of the Hoh Forest ranger station. Come at it from the west and you'll be able to follow our scent in."
"We'll be there," Sam promised.