Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, not me.
Author/Note 1: This story is the sequel to Our Dawn 5. For the ones who don't know anything about Our Dawn Series, you can always read Our Dawn 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, and Our Dawn Series Specials but if you don't want to bother I have a resume on my profile page. As it would be expected this is a next-generation story and as such, it's focused on Jake and Leah's children.
A/Note 2: A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed Our Dawn Series so far.
A/Note 3: I'm not a native English speaker so I'm sorry for my grammar and spelling. Thank you for reading.
Alpha
Book I – The Third
Interlude
Scarlett Dale
99. Brothers' Management - part 2
"My name is Season Kelsi Marsh, I'm twenty-four years old and I was born in Seattle. I was only two months old when I went to live at the Makah Reservation with both my parents. My father was Aiden Marsh, he met my mother Seara Bristol in 2004 when he was working at a construction site in Seattle and she was a bartender. He died when I was three years old in a car crash. My mother remarried a douchebag named Bruce Rowen and she became an alcoholic. I have a younger brother named Ryan and a younger sister named Vanora but she prefers we call her Norah. I met my boyfriend..."
"Husband," Harrison said from his seat correcting me. I tried not to look at him. Whenever that happened I felt nervous.
"I met my husband on the night I was attacked by a vampire named Gustaf. After the attack, my power was activated and ever since then I became a target of the Volturi coven." I continued.
"Why?" Harrison asked.
"Because I can strip them away of their greatest advantage over all the other covens. I can remove the powers of other vampires."
"What were the names of the vampires who took you from Chicago?" He asked never taking his eyes off of me.
"Yordan, Sven, and Berg."
"Harry, I think she knows everything there is to know about Season's life. We've been training for an hour." Isaac said taking his eyes off of the TV screen to look at his older brother who simply shrugged.
They looked very much alike. They both had brown eyes and short dark hair. The Black siblings were all very different in personalities but physically they all looked alike. Even the youngest brother, JJ.
"Do you have anything better to do?" Harry retorted. "Maybe I should remind you that Vlad is arriving tonight. We need to make sure she can pose as Season because if he finds out the truth we don't know what will happen."
"Nothing will happen," Isaac stated confidently. "They won't care as long as their allies believe in them. All Vlad wants is to prove to his allies that Season is still in."
"I'm not taking any chances. I've lost Season already, I'm not going to let them take my child too."
"No one is taking your child."
"You don't know that, Isaac! You don't know anything!" Harry jumped from his seat and faced his younger brother, who despite the commotion remained calm. "You're just guessing! I'm not going to put my baby's life on the line on a guess, alright?"
"Hey!" Sarah raised her voice. "Stop fighting. This is getting really annoying."
Harry and Isaac had been arguing constantly and that was getting on everyone's nerves. William, who was Harry's twin brother had left during one of his brothers' arguments saying that they were acting like idiots.
"You need to be better than that," Harry told me and then he left. "You may look like Season, but you're not her."
"Right now I really can't tell the difference between Harry and Will," Sarah whined. "This erratic behavior is killing me."
Isaac rolled his eyes and left too. Again in opposite directions like in the morning.
"Should we continue?" I asked uncertainly. "I need to be able to do what Harry said. If he thinks I'm not good enough, then I need to try harder."
"It's fine, Scarlett... really," Sarah said with a small smile. "Harry was just trying to take down his anger on you because he's... upset."
"He doesn't like me." Although he had once said that I was a decent vampire, I now had a feeling that Harrison Black hated me.
"That's not it. He doesn't like you inside his wife's body." Sarah replied. "Look I need to go to speak to my parents... if you go south in that direction, you'll reach First Beach. That's where Isaac will be."
I nodded.
"And take this." Sarah gave me a jacket. "You're not a vampire anymore. You'll freeze to death if you walk around like that and that will make Harry very angry."
Sarah was right about that. Vampires were not affected by low or high temperatures. We could dress whatever we wanted whenever we wanted without feeling cold or heat.
Now I had to remember that I was in a human body and that I could catch a cold if I didn't wear appropriate clothes for this time of the year. Actually, just the simple act of walking by myself was new to me. When I was a vampire, I was Aro's crown jewel so I couldn't go anywhere alone. When I had first arrived at Volterra, the twins were to escort me inside and outside the palace. Aro wanted us to be friends and although Alec was not a bad company, Jane was dreadful.
She was selfish, mean, and rude. And she hated me with a passion. I also realized soon enough that she didn't like being around me because I could read her mind. Lucky for her I wasn't interested in her friendship either. So taking a walk alone was a pleasant thing.
I passed by three girls, younger than me, who were laughing and talking happily about clothes and a new bar in Forks. Then I saw four boys around ten or twelve years old running towards a house. Life was different in La Push. I had only known an underground palace with the finest tapestries, with ancient but expensive furniture, and riches that people could only dream about. I hadn't made real friends while in Volterra, and my relationship with the Elders was strained. Aro liked me enough to allow me certain benefits such as studying and allowing me to continue seeing Emmett and Rosalie, but Caius didn't share Aro's enthusiasm about my presence there, and Marcus was always absent. The wives were nice to me but they didn't spend much time trying to know me and the rest of the special guard feared me so they simply ignored me.
But nothing about that life was normal. And now I was walked towards the beach, I could feel that this was different. This was life. I was a person, a human. And now I could see the world outside the fancy walls of Volterra and be with real people. Even though my physical appearance was different, I missed the red hair and the freckles on my white skin, I couldn't complain.
And the best thing wasn't being human or having a body of the right age. It was being surrounded by people who mattered. I didn't feel alone anymore.
Just like Sarah had told me, I found Isaac lying down on the sand. His clothes were soaking wet but I did notice his tears. I pretended not to notice though for the sake of not hurting his ego. Boys can feel humiliated when caught crying.
"Can I sit here?"
"I don't think I'm the best company for you right now." He said. He was not being rude. Actually, he sounded tired instead. "My sister..."
"Went to talk to your parents." I cut him off. "And I don't know anyone in the Reservation aside from you and your family."
He closed his eyes while I sat down beside him. I took that moment to look at him. He looked a lot like his twin brothers. While growing up in the small town of Tobermory I was used to hearing my neighbors' comments about me sharing traits with my father's late mother. Apparently, I had inherited her red curls. But this was ridiculous. I shared my grandmother's hair color but Isaac and his brothers were a carbon copy of their father. They shared his hair and eye color, and also his nose and his chin.
Isaac was not as tall as his older brothers but he was taller than most vampires I knew, maybe except for Emmett, and he was athletic and good-looking. The Black brothers were all handsome young men but there was something different about Isaac.
"Her power is back... actually, it never left," I told him. I had to speak to distract myself from Isaac's strong jawline and incredible muscles.
"What are you talking about?"
"Season's erasing ability. I think I still have it."
"You can use it?" He asked getting up.
"Yes. I think I can."
"I never thought that was possible."
"Neither did I."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Actually, I think I can control it. I think it's because I used to have powers when I was a vampire. I was able to control myself and to control many powers at once so... controlling Season's erasing ability is going to be a piece of cake."
"Don't tell anyone about this."
"Why?"
"If you tell everyone and the Romanians learn the truth they might consider taking you again."
"But that's what's going to happen. Soon or later they'll want Season to join them."
"Yes, but I need time to think of a way to solve this mess."
It pained me when he said that. I knew everyone wanted Season back but I still hoped that someone could show some appreciation for my sacrifice.
"I guess this wasn't such a good idea."
"What?" Isaac asked.
"Me inside your sister-in-law's body. Maybe it wasn't a good idea. I'm sorry I complicated things for you and your family."
"Not everything is your fault."
"The imprint is. If I didn't have the idea of performing this ritual, you would've never told Sophia the truth and she wouldn't have come to La Push therefore your cousin would've never imprinted on her."
Isaac looked at me, his face was a mix of pain and surprise.
"I know what an imprint is. I could read minds not long ago. You are angry and sad because your cousin imprinted on the girl you like. You feel betrayed."
"That's just the tip of the iceberg." He confessed.
"Maybe they can fight it?" I offered.
"No one was ever able to fight off an imprint."
"At least you didn't have to live the past ten years with vampires you mostly dispised in a body of a child. Ten years... it seemed like a lifetime."
He offered me his hand so I could get up too. His temperature was higher than any human I met.
"So, where did you study?" He asked.
"At the Makah Reservation Community School and then I went to..."
"No, not Season. I meant you. You were with the Volturi, right? Where did you study then?"
"Oh, right... Well, there are benefits to living with a rich vampire coven. I bought books and I studied by myself. I went to classes online. I have a few academic degrees."
"How many are a few?"
"Four," I answered proudly. Studying online had its advantages. For example, the University teachers and my colleagues never knew how I looked like. They never suspected I was a vampire in a body of a child.
"I'm impressed. Not bad for a nineteen-year-old girl."
"I had plenty of time to kill."
"How was it?"
"What?"
"How was it to live with the Volturi for ten years?"
Without noticing we had started walking along the beach. The wind was getting strong but Isaac's closeness kept me warm enough.
"In one word... it was dreadful. I longed for the days Aro would let me receive Rosalie and Emmett. He never allowed me to leave Volterra, so I would meet them in a separate wing of the underground palace, where we would talk for hours. The rest of the days were dull, especially when I was forbidden to investigate my past."
"Why would you want to investigate your past?"
"After becoming a vampire I couldn't remember who I was or where I came from. It took me almost four years to remember my short yet happy life as a human girl. Against Aro's will, I searched for pieces of my previous life and I discovered an aunt and a cousin from whom I had a few memories. I found out I was born in Tobermory where I had lived with my parents, Alexander and Ruth Dale. Then I had the audacity to ask Aro to go to Dervaig, to see my aunt and cousin from afar. I just wanted to see them. He ignored me at first, but upon my insistence, he forbade me from leaving the palace or going anywhere without an escort. He turned Gavin and Mason my personal bodyguards inside Volterra. Every move I made was watched and that's when I started to use the powers I had collected over the years in my benefit."
"Did you go to Dervaig?"
"No. I abandoned that plan because I realized that Aro was right about one thing. I didn't belong to the human world anymore and watching my human family would be worse. It would show me what I was missing. I had to accept what had happened to me, although that didn't help me either. I was just a trophy for Aro, with me his coven was practically invincible. I didn't have many friends, they all feared me, Jane hated me and Alec was an idiot most of the time. Maturing in a body of a child took away my chance to ever find a mate..."
"And now you're human again."
"Temporarily. We need to find a way to reverse this. Your brother deserves his wife back."
"No... You can't leave Season's body until I figure out a way for her to fully recover and you to remain human, no matter what my brother thinks or feels about this! Do we have a deal?"
I nodded.
"Good. Now let's go, it's starting to rain." He grabbed my hand again and pulled me with him. And for the first time in ten years, my heart raced.
xxxxxxxxxx
We were at a resting place where hikers usually stopped for a break or to take a picture before resuming their trail up the hills of the forest. There was a small structure there to serve as a shelter if it rained. And it was raining. Actually, it hadn't stopped raining since Isaac and I left the beach in the afternoon. It was just a few drops then, but now it was pouring.
I was under that structure, trying to keep warm and dry. Harry, his mother, Edward, and Carlisle Cullen were out in the rain, waiting. Vlad was coming. He was not alone but according to Alice, his three companions weren't dangerous. I was nervous. Everything was new to me in this body.
If I were still a vampire I wouldn't need to worry about being in the rain. I wouldn't be concerned about not being able to see the enemies in the dark. I wouldn't be so anxious about being hurt or making someone get hurt.
Vampires were almost indestructible. Other vampires, I mean. They were strong, fast, and immortal, but one can kill them if smart enough to decapitate them and burn them. I was indestructible though. All the powers I had absorbed plus my own power had made me the most powerful vampire on Earth.
But that vampire was gone. I had no such powers and I was a human now. And at that moment I was scared. Which was a new feeling too.
"Can you see anything?" I asked. The sun was long gone from the pouring sky and it was almost completely dark.
"Yes, don't worry. We'll see them before they can reach us." Leah said turning back to look at me. "We have you well protected."
I knew that. To the left, in the forest, Isaac and Seth Clearwater were guarding us. On our right, William and Quil Ateara were watching us too. And right behind the shelter were Jacob Black and Paul Lahote. The rest of the wolves were all over the forest in farther locations.
"You remember what we practiced, right?" Harry asked me.
I nodded. While pretending to be Season I had to look frightened and shy. And I would have to be pretty convincing.
"Don't talk unless you're addressed," Harry instructed me. "Our goal is to let him know that you're okay and that they don't have to turn you."
I didn't see them until they were right in front of us. Vlad was leading a group formed by two women. One had a man-like figure, she was bulky, had long arms, a broad flat chest, and short brown hair; the other was more feminine, she had long black hair, a long but pretty face, and a perfect smile.
"Vlad." Carlisle greeted.
"Carlisle." Vlad acknowledged. "I'm not surprised to see you here, with your dogs... I mean friends." He corrected.
"You've brought friends too," Carlisle said looking at the women surrounding Vlad. They were unnaturally beautiful and I shivered because they also looked lethal. I had no doubts that both women knew how to fight.
"I did. These are Maike and Valesca. They are part of my special guard."
"And the one who stayed behind?" Leah asked him. "Why don't you call her to meet us?"
"Danika." He replied. "She's just a precaution. You see, I intend on leaving this place with all of my limbs." He gave a dirty look towards Harry who had dismembered two of the Romanian Elders not so long ago.
"I really don't think you should leave at all, Count Dracula," Leah said. "You came here unannounced, didn't ask permission to enter our lands, so why would we allow you to leave?"
"Details... she-wolf. We didn't ask permission but we haven't done anything wrong either. We didn't attack any wolf or human and we won't do it unless provoked. Besides we're here to honor a deal." Again Vlad's eyes went to Harry.
"I kept my part, leech." Harry snarled. "We have nothing to do with your quarrel with the Italians."
"Marcus was here. Do you deny it?"
"No, we don't deny it. Marcus was here and he left. He's no longer with the Volturi, but I'm sure you already knew that since that was your plan from the beginning, right?" Harry said, his voice was showing impatience.
"I don't deny it," Vlad smirked mischievously. "Now... what can you tell us about the Volturi? If I remember correctly you said you'd give us inside information on them."
"They're hiding in a Fort. That's all we know." Carlisle replied.
"Marcus was here, I'm sure you read his mind." Vlad turned to Edward.
"He left his coven before they went to the Fort. Only Jane knows its location."
"How fucking convenient."
"This is taking too long. Let's get the girl and go." The vampire named Maike said.
"You know why we're here." It wasn't a question. "We came for the girl." Vlad finally looked at me. His piercing eyes were giving me chills. "She needs to be with us from now on."
"Why?" Harry questioned.
"Because my partners need reinsurance. You see, suddenly there are rumors about the girl not being able to use her power anymore."
"That's not true," I said unable to follow the plan. If I followed the plan, and let Vlad think that Season could no longer use her gift, Vlad would either attack the wolves or try to turn Season into a vampire. Either way, someone would get hurt in the process and I wanted to prevent that at all cost. "I still have my power and I can still use it."
"Well, that's a relief but I'm not sure your word is enough honey," Vlad said. "Can you come with us to prove it?"
"Where?" Harry asked placing himself in front of me.
"Take it easy, Romeo, she won't even need her passport," Vlad said. "We'll just make a short trip to Portland. The Forum starts tomorrow night and you'll be the guest of honor."
xxxxxxxxxx
"Why did you do that? I told you specifically not to tell anyone about it! Do you understand what's going to happen to you now?"
Isaac was still angry at me for having told everyone that I still had Season's power. It was the truth but I didn't know if it was going to work.
"They don't need to turn me... I mean Season... into a vampire. I call that a victory. Do you have any idea what it would be like if Vlad tried to bite me? You would all be at war right now."
"They were outnumbered!"
"They have backups coming from every corner of the world. You've heard Edward."
Edward had read Vlad's mind and when they parted, Vlad was thinking about a way to accommodate and control not just the vampires that were coming with Maria from the south but also a bigger number of vampires who were coming from Europe, Asia, and Africa.
They totaled between seventy and eighty vampires, a lot more than we were expecting. And they were all gathering in an old manner in the outskirts of Portland.
"I've heard Edward alright! Seventy vampires and you'll be right in the middle of them!"
"It will be fine." That made him roll his eyes.
"I won't be there to protect you, you know?"
"She'll be well protected," Harry said coming inside the room. We were back at their family house. I was packing a change of clothes, which weren't even mine, I had borrowed it from Sarah since we were more or less the same size, though she was taller than me.
"Why can't I go?" Isaac asked his brother.
"Because dad said so."
"Who's going then? You can't take only Levi with you."
Vlad had told us that they were expecting me in Portland in less than twenty-four hours and that I could be accompanied by whoever I wanted, just as long as Harry and Levi were there, they didn't care.
"All of the Cullens, except for Esme and Rosalie are going. Plus Charlotte and Peter. As for the wolves, dad is organizing things with Sam and the others." Harry replied. "You have to stay to make sure La Push is safe."
Isaac turned his back on us and went downstairs.
"He's worried about you," Harry said almost in a whisper.
"And you're worried about Season."
"Yes, I am. I know it's you in there but... I'm worried about her and my child."
"I won't do anything to put them in danger."
"I believe in you, but I don't trust the vamps. They're too cunning. We know what Vlad's trying to do, and I'm sure you've figured it out by now too."
"Yes. Vlad wants the Cullens on their side, that's why they don't care how many people will go with me tomorrow. Actually the more the better."
Harry smiled.
"You were brave out there. I'm going to protect you not just because you're using my wife's body but also because I meant what I said in Italy... I think you're a nice person, Scarlett."
Harry was about to leave when I decided to tell him something that I'd been hiding until now.
"I can feel her," I spoke and he turned immediately. "She's somewhere in the back of my head. I can tell that she's getting stronger but also more and more scared. She fears for her son."
"Her son?"
"Your son," I added.
"It's a boy?"
"Yes. It's a boy. She knows it, and every time I feel him, I can hear her saying his name."
Harry was speechless. I could tell he was about to cry.
"She chose his name?" He asked, his voice almost breaking.
"Yes. She wants him to be called Winter."
Harry laughed.
"That would be a name she'd choose. I'm not sure I like it... but I'm sure only Season would choose a name like that for our child."
"I want you to know that after everything is over, I'll be one hundred percent focused on finding a way to leave this body. But I will only do that if it's safe for Season and Winter."
Harry approached me and kissed my forehead. It felt comforting.
"Thank you, Scarlett. And... goodnight."
I was left alone in Sarah's bedroom that was now temporarily mine. Before Vlad and his female friends came, Sarah had decided to go back to the Makah Reservation but now that her brothers and friends were going to escort me to Portland, she had voiced her will to come along.
She had argued that she would never be ready to fight if they didn't let her participate in things and that she had the same rights as her brothers. Leah and Jacob Black had ignored her but Sarah was not going to quit that easily.
As if on cue she came in without even a knock on the door. She was carrying something behind her back and she was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"Ready to party?" She asked revealing a bottle of black vodka.
"What's that for?"
"I thought you were like... super smart... like Isaac." She sat down on the bed. "This is a drink to make you feel happy and carefree. It'll help you sleep."
"I know what vodka is. I just don't think that's a good idea."
"Tomorrow is going to be a blast, Scarlett! You're going to meet your brother and sister in the morning, you're going to have lunch with your cousin, talk about babies and whatever... and then you're going to Portland to a house full of stinking vampires that might or might not want to kill you, my brothers, my parents, and my friends..."
I didn't have much to comment on.
"So, still think that drinking vodka is a bad idea?"
And that was the first night I got drunk.
Thanks for the reviews: Guest(s), CentaurPrincess, brankel1, Mel9kiSihou, Island Mama, Weave the Magic, Kary G, almondbutter, rocklesson86, TheSlytherinQueenbee, nikkieowens, nene82743, Deadman'sGun, bonzgirl, Jazzmatazz30, sia-gomo01, FangsandDaggers, Sagal Farah, chemistrykim, Daughter of the earth, Gizmo60, EvangellaAkriti, Sarah Blackwater, lory77, Beauty Eclipsed, tcpg02, Aiyanna Clearwater, Ebble, riskingit, Ella Tremaine, shadoxwolfpaw, Jaybeecee, MammaNita4, Daniela, Candie Marie, etforreal, Joy Lande, Addison Faye, Finley Jean, BeeGommes, candycane56, danidaninunesfranco, Cheetah Grrl, Thumbellina, Lysette 90, Willow Jade.
I'd also like to thank all the followers of this story and all the readers who added it to their favorites list. Thank you.
Take care,
Karisan.