Note: The backstory for the Amazonian coven is posted in the Outtakes for this story. You might want to read that before starting this chapter (you don't need to though). It's only 1k words.

Palmofafreezinghand, there are no appropriate words with which to thank you for your help, always making me think outside the box. Thanks for always being there for me and willing to work on this at odd hours!

Alice's White Rabbit wields her red pen and makes everything flow and look better! If there's a grammar error in here, it's because I actively didn't take her advice for aesthetic reasons. She is a top shelf editor!

Visions Interrupted: Chapter 14 - Off the Grid

Over the next few days, I would see my own death eleven different times. Each time would chip away at my forced optimism and cause me to be nearly overcome with anxiety. Add to that the return of my broken gift, and Jasper just may have to pull me off the ledge.

For now, I still held onto a modicum of hope. Jasper and I watched as our friends crested one of the huge San Francisco hills on their way to Forks. I hoped they would decide to stay and witness for my family. Peter seemed wary about it, but Charlotte seemed more determined. My visions were unclear as neither of them had truly decided what they would do, but I saw several outcomes where Charlotte decided to stay, which also kept Peter there. I really hoped their willingness to help wouldn't come back to bite them. Once they saw Nessie, I was sure they would realize Irina's misunderstanding and stay to help defend the family, even if they weren't directly charmed by her like everyone else. Jasper had warned them not to touch her, but you didn't even really need to be touched to be sucked in by the girl's charms.

There was no doubt in my mind that Peter would do anything for Jasper; that much was clear in his return to Maria's coven to rescue Jasper, even though it was a great risk for him to do it. Of course, I knew the reason was their former affair. Jasper didn't realize I knew about that, but I'd seen it happen, of course. I'd seen what Maria demanded of Jasper, to dominate the newborn males when they became too unruly, and I had seen Peter approach Jasper and ask for it, even though he'd been well behaved. Whether Peter's proposition had originally been a means of survival or not, I wasn't sure, but it developed into something they both wanted and enjoyed. I didn't begrudge them that. Jasper didn't even know of my existence yet. And intimacy with Peter was a lot easier to watch than with Maria—at least Peter actually cared about him. The whole thing ended when Charlotte came along, never to be spoken of or considered again. Jasper never told me about it. And I knew Charlotte didn't know about the affair either. If Peter had told her, she would have never: a) let Peter rescue Jasper, or b) let Jasper run with them for years afterward. Charlotte wasn't all that fond of Jasper to begin with; if she knew he'd slept with Peter before her, she'd probably explode. Charlotte was a tad prone to jealousy. But she still tolerated Jasper's presence, so I knew she couldn't possibly know. Although, it was pretty obvious Peter was bisexual from his choice of meals at the club, not to mention his outfit and dance moves!

I knew for sure that facet of Peter and Jasper's relationship was no longer in play. I saw no futures in which they were together, so I was confident the affair was fully over and had no cause for jealousy. Besides, they never acted affectionately when they were together. Now, they were just close friends who had experienced a lot together. I would never tell Jasper I knew. I didn't know his reasons for not telling me, but it didn't matter, not really. It was over, and I had nothing to fear.

When we could no longer see them, we turned to each other and hugged, Jasper brushing his lips over the top of my head. I looked ahead and saw Peter and Charlotte in our living room back home. So they would definitely go there, but would they stay? The anxiety I was trying to stifle started to claw its way out, and Jasper worked to settle my nerves while I thought of my family's probable fate. "Okay, okay, you're right," I muttered, soaking in his calm and shaking off the unhelpful thoughts, focusing on what we could do rather than what we couldn't. Pulling back so I could look into his eyes, I said, "There's no time. We have to get to Brazil." I pulled away more and turned to start running in that direction, but Jasper quickly caught my arm.

"Hold on, darlin'. Don't you think it'll be faster to swim? No cities to avoid, just a straight shot down the coast. We can swim to the Panama Canal and get out in Colombia, then run across Brazil toward the island."

"Wow, you've really thought this out. Well, sorry, but I am not soaking my clothes again. We can run just as fast; it'll be fine." If there was one thing I could control right now, it was the state of my outfit!

I went to move again, but Jasper didn't remove his hand from my bicep. "No, Al. I don't want to. We'll have to cross through Maria's territory. We'll steal a waterproof backpack for the clothes."

Maria's name froze me in my tracks. The idea of being in that salt water for an extended amount of time was unpleasant, but so was the thought of running across Jasper's sire. Jasper had every reason to want to avoid her.

Of course, I didn't want Jasper to be uncomfortable. Hell, I didn't want to see Maria either. When she had come to Calgary, Jasper had me pose as Edward's mate to protect me, but if we showed up on her doorstep, she'd know I was actually Jasper's true mate. What would she do if she knew he was mated? I decided to travel on foot through Mexico to see what would happen.

Maria realizing I was Jasper's mate and vowing to exact revenge for his desertion by killing me. She was older and faster, but I had my visions to help me dodge her moves. I was holding my own against her, so much so that Jasper stayed on the sidelines watching. His lack of interference made me begin to doubt myself. Was he leaving me to it because he was just that confident in my ability to fight her off? Or was he waiting for Maria to finish me off so he could return to her? My doubts made me falter, and she got me in a headlock. Jasper ran to defend me, but he was still several yards away when everything went black.

Swimming suddenly sounded like a fantastic idea.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

By the time we'd gotten to the coast of Mexico, the novelty of swimming nude with my love and feasting on ocean mammals had lost its appeal, not that it had been too appealing to begin with. At least my clothes were safe and dry in the pack strapped to Jasper's back, but I was starting to resent the utter boredom that was swimming through the water, not being able to speak, just basically speed swimming for what felt like endless miles with an unchanging view.

To help alleviate the ennui of monotonous ocean scenery, I took to checking in on people's futures, taking stock of the situation back in Forks.

Carlisle and Esme were in a desert palace with some Arabs. Rosalie and Emmett were returning with a scruffy-looking nomad. Carmen and Tanya were cooing over Nessie with Bella and Edward. So the family was doing their part in gathering witnesses, just like I had warned them to do. That was a huge relief. Even if they still doubted the selflessness of my departure, they still trusted my visions enough to listen to my advice. Next, I searched for Charlotte and saw her arriving at the house. There were lots of other vampires there already. Most I'd never met before, so they must be some of the names I'd written down in the note. They milled around the silvery blob, all eyes upon it. The dhampir had won over all of them.

Finally, I looked into Bella's future specifically and saw her in Jenks' back alley office talking to Max. She'd figured out my clue. Everything I could control was falling into place. A sigh of relief escaped me unbidden, bubbles escaping to the surface. Even if they didn't survive in the end, at least they had hope, and they wouldn't give up. At this point, it was all I could ask for.

At long last, we reached the shores of Colombia. Jasper and I spun in circles to dry ourselves off before putting the clothes back on and ditching the backpack. Now we would run across the vast country of Brazil where the Ticuna people were located and where we could hide out at Isle Esme. As we began the running portion of our journey, I looked ahead to my own future, searching for Isle Esme, more than ready to be some kind of restful after this intensely long trek. But I didn't see the island, no matter how hard I concentrated. It was the same picture I'd seen before, right after the initial vision of the Volturi's advance.

"Ugh." I sighed with exasperation, skidding to a stop. Jasper ran on a little before realizing I'd stopped and doubled back with a questioning look. "All I can see is a jungle," I whined, my nerves beginning to spike. While I couldn't see the outcome of the battle, I had always been able to see what the two of us would do. I saw us find Peter and Charlotte, I'd seen us travel to Brazil, and I'd seen us hiding out on the island. But now, there was nothing but that single picture of the jungle that made no sense to me. This was the first time since we left that I couldn't see what would happen to me and Jasper. And it had to be something; I just couldn't see it. And that was absolutely terrifying.

Jasper felt me working myself up and tried to soothe me with nonchalance. "Well, we are really close to the Amazon rainforest. Maybe we're meant to go hunting there on the way."

"No, it's not that simple," I cried, shaking my head frantically, my agitation mounting into a panic. "I can't see us at the island at all. If we were just hunting before going to the island, I would see us there in the end. But I see nothing!"

Jasper grabbed my hands, which I didn't realize were tugging at my hair, and drew me to him, working overtime to settle me down. "Shush, Al, don't panic. Didn't Carlisle mention something about having friends in the Amazon?"

"Yeah?" The change in the direction of the conversation helped distract me, and I leaned into it, focusing on this new topic.

"I think we're meant to find them, darlin'. Maybe we can send them as more witnesses. You can't see our future because it's entwined with vampires you don't know. You'll see; as soon as we find them, you'll know their auras, and you'll be able to see us again. I promise."

He said it with such conviction that I couldn't help but be convinced. I took a deep breath, relieved to feel my panic subside.

"And maybe they can point us in the direction of the Ticuna," I added hopefully.

"That's the spirit! But we should approach them with caution. They don't know us, and that could prove dangerous."

"If they're friends of Carlisle's, how dangerous could they be?" Jasper just raised his eyebrows at me. I huffed and conceded. "Aside from Aro, I mean." I laughed, trying to flip the script and think positively. "Come on, Jazz. I'm sure it'll be fine. Just let them try to fight us—no one's getting past you."

I swatted his arm playfully, and he gave me a lopsided smile, but I still felt a little of his unease. He never wanted me to be in any kind of potential danger, even if it was mostly unfounded. "Whatever you say, darlin'," he drawled, trying to tamp down his ridiculous worry over my safety. Studiously ignoring his overprotectiveness, I set off in the direction of the damp, tropical scent of the rainforest foliage.

Once we reached the edge of the forest, we went in using the only tool we had at our disposal: matching the environment to my vision. But nothing seemed to match it exactly. All the trees looked the same, and we really had no idea where to look for Carlisle's mysterious friends. After hours of searching, we finally caught the scent of vampires carried on a breeze. "Three of them," Jasper whispered. "Here, get behind me." He moved to run a little bit ahead of me. He was so sweet, always thinking about my protection. I probably should have been scared, and I did feel a little scared, but that was Jasper's fear leaking into me—it wasn't my own emotion. These three vampires could be dangerous, but they were probably Carlisle's friends, and if they were, then there had to be some goodness to them. I wished I could see who they were, but since I hadn't met them before, I couldn't see their futures or their effect on ours.

Suddenly, there were screams down by the river. We chased after the sounds of terror and the scent of our kind. We broke through the tree line at the river's edge and saw five bodies lying in a heap next to a banked cruising trawler. Three extremely tall women, wearing nothing but animal skins, were next to the pile. One vampiress was starting a fire with sticks, not an easy task in this damp and humid environment. The other two vampiresses were feeding from the final human, and I saw Jasper lick his lips from the corner of my eye as he stared. When the last man was drained, the shorter of the two women threw the body on top of the pile of desiccated corpses. The third one had made a fire and brought the flaming torch over to the bodies, methodically setting fire to their clothes. A large gust of wind blew and helped the blaze catch, but it also alerted the women to our presence. I saw the firestarter's head turn sharply in our direction, her glowing red eyes landing on Jasper and me, her full lips curled into a snarl.

And then, everything changed. I wasn't in the jungle anymore, and I was alone. I was in a cold, dank, cylindrical room made of stone with no windows or doors. The top was open, but it was miles above me, and there were few footholds for climbing. It reminded me of those stories about babies falling and getting trapped in an old well. I looked for Jasper, realizing he wasn't beside me anymore. He was gone, and I was alone. I struggled to control my unnecessary breath, which was coming in desperate gasps as I groped the cold, smooth wall, looking for a loose stone or a hidden button to trigger a trap door that might let me escape. Small whimpers left my lips as I circled and circled, finding nothing to grab onto. My eyes were blind as I searched my future for a way out, but I could see nothing. Just me, in this circular room, desperately clawing at the walls, trying to escape. There was no way out, not that my visions could see.

"Al?" Jasper's voice was a ghost of a whisper, like he was afraid to say anything and reveal his position, and I could hear the fear and hesitation in it. My unshakable Jasper sounded scared, and that made me start to panic. I cried out Jasper's name, hoping he would be able to find me. When I heard him yell my name back, his voice was much closer than I expected, almost like he was right next to me. I frantically looked in the direction his voice had come from, and all I saw was a stone wall.

"Jasper! Where are you?" I cried.

"I'm in a pit! I can't find a way out," he answered, and it sounded like he wasn't all that far away. I could hear the rustle of his clothes as he moved about frantically, no doubt searching for an escape the same way I was.

"I am too, Jazz. It's like an old well I can't climb out of."

"Is it … is it made of stone?" he asked, his tone a little bit less distraught, more curious now.

"Y-y-yes," I stammered in response.

"I … I think it's all right, darlin'. I … it's really convincing, but I think this is some kind of virtual reality. We're in the same place, but we can't see each other … I think one of them is gifted. I think they're making us see something that isn't there."

Even though I couldn't see him, I felt the reassurance he sent me, and my panic began to subside. Maybe these were the people Carlisle had spoken of, though they seemed pretty wild to have ever crossed paths with him. I took a chance and spoke to empty air, my voice shaky with nerves. "Um … hi. I'm A-Alice; this is my mate, J-Jasper. We're from America—Carlisle Cullen's coven. Please let us out of here. We mean you no harm. I swear!" I pleaded with them first in Portuguese, then in English. My plea was met with silence, and I let out a defeated wail, sinking to my knees and sobbing into my hands. Was I going to die in this hole? Would I ever see Jasper again? This not knowing was worse than facing the Volturi.

Suddenly, I was back in the jungle beside the river, although the pile of bodies was burning fiercely, almost all incinerated. Jasper was right next to me, and we grasped each other's hands in relief. The firestarter was flanked by the two other women, and she was staring at Jasper, all three ready to pounce at the threat he presented. "I can believe you are part of Carlisle's coven," she said in stilted English, pointing at me, "but how do you explain him?" She nodded toward Jasper. This happened a lot when Jasper met new vampires; they were always afraid of his scars. Even Bella had been when she first saw them when she woke up. The prominent and numerous scars broadcasted how dangerous and fierce Jasper was, to have been bitten so many times and survive.

Three futures swirled through my brain rapid-fire.

The three women converged on us, moving faster than Edward. The silent one grabbed Jasper's arms before he could react, stunned by their unprecedented speed, and the firestarter sank her teeth into his neck, tearing off his head. The third one had me in her iron grip, and I screamed and screamed as I watched them destroy my love. I was in mid-scream before it all went black.

The firestarter made a run at Jasper, but he was quick to react, leaping onto her back and tearing off her arm with his teeth. The silent one screeched, and the other ran to help her fallen comrade, but Jasper swiftly knocked her head off. The screech turned into a wail, and the voice was suddenly behind me, and then everything went black.

Jasper diplomatically placated the three before their defensive instincts got the better of them, and we were able to convince them to help us.

As my visions cleared, I watched as the third one came to fruition. "I have fought many and won," he explained quietly, soothing waves emanating from him. "But that is not my intention today. Our family is in trouble, and Carlisle hoped you would be willing to help."

I was about to question the firestarter about what she'd just done to us, but when I opened my mouth, she cut me off before I could speak. "Carlisle?" she asked in confusion and surprise, sharing a glance between her companions. "Trouble?"

"How could Carlisle be in any kind of trouble?" asked the other one in the same stilted English.

I guess they deemed my Portuguese so bad that they thought we'd communicate better in English. I wasn't that bad at speaking Portuguese, was I? I didn't use it much; we rarely spoke to anyone when we visited Isle Esme, we would just swim to the shore or take the speedboat Carlisle always had docked there. And I preferred torturing Edward with more Cyrillic languages.

At that moment, a slow-onset vision took hold of me, and I heard Jasper calmly start to explain why I'd gone suddenly blank. They hadn't noticed before as they were too focused on the threat Jasper presented to them to pay me much mind. His words faded out as the visions flooded in.

If we told the women what the trouble was, they wouldn't understand. These women were isolated from both humans and vampires. What would they make of a child born of each of them? There would be too much hesitation, and it would cause too much delay. By the time they agreed, it would be too late—the Cullen family would already be dead. But if we just sent them on their way without explaining in detail … Better to let them see Renesmee for themselves with no preconceived notions. That outcome showed the firestarter and the one who hadn't spoken at the house in Forks, mingling with the Denali sisters. But it was only the two of them. The third vampire was not with them in Forks. She was with us.

As I came out of the trance, Jasper was just finishing up. "… and they change depending on the decisions people make. Oh, Alice, what did you see?" he asked, noticing I was present once again.

"There's no time for long explanations I'm afraid. There are some very powerful vampires who think Carlisle did something bad, but he really didn't. We need as many vampires as possible to witness that there is no crime so they'll stand down."

The women looked between one another, and the firestarter answered, "We'll go. Carlisle is a gentle soul. There is no way he's done something wrong."

"Exactly. Thank you …"

"Zafrina. And this is Senna"—she gestured, indicating the silent one— "and Kachiri."

Kachiri was the one missing from the vision. How would I convince her to come with us when I didn't even know why she needed to?

"There's something more," Jasper said to them, then he leaned closer to me. "What is it, Al?

Hesitantly, not sure of anyone's reaction, I told them. "The visions only show Zafrina and Senna going to Forks. Kachiri comes with us."

The women all gasped and looked desperately at one another. "But why?" Senna finally spoke.

"I don't know exactly. The vision wasn't clear about that. We were going to visit the Ticuna on a tip from Carlisle. Maybe you help us with that?"

The future flashed in my mind as Kachiri struggled to decide if she would help us or not. It felt like what I imagined whiplash might feel like for a human—the picture changing so rapidly I was reminded of my Nessie headaches.

Kachiri nodded slowly. "Yes, their tribe is located on the other side of the forest. The Brazilian coven often fed on the Ticuna when they lived in the area. I was part of their coven once."

Sounded like Kachiri might just be the key to everything. I just couldn't see the answer at the end of the line just yet. It reminded me of the problems Jacob and Renesmee gave me in my visions, and I was thoroughly annoyed. Would we encounter another creature unknown to me? It was unsettling to think there could be yet another unknown supernatural entity out there to face.

"I think that must be it. Please come with us, Kachiri. We're totally lost here in Brazil. We need a guide." I gave her my best puppy-dog eyes, and I felt Jasper pushing sympathy her way.

Kachiri looked to her sisters, then back to us. I could feel Jasper's influence in a big way, making her want to help us. Morally, I wasn't sure I should support this, but I didn't have much of a choice. We needed her for something, and we would never know what for if she didn't come with us.

With an extra surge of urgency from Jasper, she turned back to her sisters. "I must do my part to help our friend Carlisle, just as you must do yours. We'll see each other again when the trouble has passed."

They all looked to me, the future seer, for reassurance, and even though I couldn't see how any of this would pan out, I nodded with an easy smile. God, I hoped that was true, that these three would be reunited, that Jasper and I would see our family again. But as it was, we might just be sending Zafrina and Senna to their deaths. Now that I had considered that as a possibility, I saw that when her sisters didn't return, Kachiri would hunt us to the ends of the earth to take her revenge. There would be no place we could hide without her finding and killing us both. We had to find a way to prevent this battle from happening. We just had to. If we didn't stop it, there would be a bounty on both our heads until the end of time … or until Kachiri killed us.

The women then formed a tight triangle, performing some kind of farewell ritual. They stood palm to palm, fingers interwoven in the empty space between the three of them, their eyes closed, and chanted in a language I didn't understand. They swayed and rocked, edging closer to one another until the three of them were tightly embracing. They stayed like that for a long time; it was becoming apparent that it was too hard for them to part. Jasper met my gaze, and I sent him my frustration—we had to move, damn it. He trained his eyes on the triad, and I felt urgency and determination being sent their way. It slowly worked itself into Zafrina, who was closest to him—I could tell by the squaring of her shoulders—and spread to the other two. His influence had worked its magic, and the trio broke apart.

"We will go now. Time grows short," Zafrina proclaimed.

Jasper nodded solemnly when she met his gaze, and I quickly explained how far up the coast they should swim. To avoid the wolves, I told them to swim to the Strait of Juan de Fusco, which separated Washington from Canada, and get out near Port Angeles, which I described as a place where lots of boats were docked. From there, they would be able to simply follow the familiar scents of our coven to Forks. It wouldn't be hard for them—they'd smelled the rest of the coven before in the '40s, and vampires didn't forget one another's scents. That was how we recognized friend or foe, and it was instinctive to remember the scents of all vampires you've ever met.

Kachiri watched her sisters leave until they could no longer be seen and continued to stare after them for some time. I went to tell her we had to get moving, but Jasper stopped me with a shake of his head. I guess she needed time to adjust to their absence. Eventually, she came out of it and turned to us, saying, "Come. To get to the Ticuna, we must travel through my territory."

"This isn't your home?" I asked gently. I wanted to handle this woman with kid gloves. Maybe if she saw our interactions in as peaceful a manner as possible, then if her sisters ended up killed, she'd realize my intentions had always been good, and maybe she'd let us live. It was extremely wishful thinking, but it was worth a try.

She gave me a soft smile, affected by my tone. Maybe there was hope of befriending this wild woman after all. "No, this is just where we hunt. We live in the Pantanal wetlands."

"Why not just eat at home?" Jasper wondered.

"No humans live there." Jasper glanced around at the jungle, eyebrows raised, making Kachiri smile. "No humans live here either, but there are always people coming to cut down trees and kill endangered animals. Plenty for us to eat."

"You'll have to tell us what's on the endangered species list," Jasper joked, and we all had a much-needed laugh, releasing the tension.

"I think I can let you two slide." Kachiri chuckled.

We ran on through the night. Eventually, we crossed into her lands, and I could see why no humans lived here. The Pantanal wetlands were lush and gorgeous, but it was just that—wet land. It was December—summer in the Southern Hemisphere, and that meant it was a massive floodplain since it was the rainy season. It was like a giant marsh—a swamp with raised islands of slightly higher ground throughout. And the rain never let up. A human could have never withstood the deluge. Kachiri brought us to one of these islands, to an area that held the remnants of a fire and a few keepsakes and personal effects. Her home. Jasper and I looked at one another briefly, trying not to be too obviously uncomfortable, though I was a bit annoyed that my clothes were soggy yet again. We were so used to the comforts of a modern home; we felt a bit out of our element here in the wilds with not even a chair to sit on.

"You must be thirsty."

"We are." Jasper replied, and I nodded in agreement, rainwater whipping off the ends of my spiky hair, my throat burning at the thought of a meal. We'd been so focused on seeking out Carlisle's friends, and relatively satiated by the sea life we'd feasted on, but after running so far, we'd burned through our reserves and could use a pick-me-up.

"Well, there's a lot of wildlife to choose from. Monkeys, capybara. Perhaps you could try a tapir. I'm curious to know if you think those ugly things taste good or not." She chuckled at the idea.

"Glad we can amuse you," Jasper quipped.

"Why don't you try one with us?" I asked, not needing my sight to know she wouldn't agree.

Kachiri pulled a disgusted face. "No, thank you. I'll wait here."

We set off to satisfy our thirst, each bagging a tapir as well as a few capybaras. The tapir wasn't too bad, but the capybaras left something to be desired. When we came back to Kachiri's island, she had started a fire (protected from the rain by a tarp made of animal skins she'd erected) and pulled some rocks over for us to sit on around it. We really needed to get going, but I thought it was probably best to indulge our host. After all, I still didn't really know what we were doing or where we were headed. A little conversation would hopefully enlighten us all. So, Jasper and I dutifully took a seat, grateful to at least be under some sort of shelter to avoid the relentless rain, and the three of us sort of stared at one another for a few long moments.

I missed the creature comforts of home, and I was getting increasingly anxious over the fact I couldn't see my own future unless it ended in death. On our journey, Kachiri had apparently entertained several scenarios in which she betrayed us. She was still leery of Jasper and really didn't know what to make of me and my frightening ability, so I saw her decide to kill us multiple times before we reached her homeland. I figured some conversation would go a long way in softening her toward us; "humanizing" us, you might say. I broke the silence and asked her, "How do you deal with being out in the middle of nowhere, just … getting rained on. Constantly. What's the appeal?"

Kachiri smiled slightly and got that far-off look in her eye. "This was where we grew up, where our tribe was originally from before they were pushed out by the government. We live here in remembrance, and I don't need anyone else but my sisters. They were my best friends in my human life. When I was stolen away by vampires, there was nothing I missed more than the two of them. So when I regained enough control over myself to do it, I left and found them, bringing them into this life with me. We couldn't live without one another. It's painful to be apart from them now. The first time in more than 450 years."

Jasper let out a whistle at the length of time Kachiri had been alive, and then commented, "Zafrina's gift is quite powerful."

"Yes, it has secured us many meals. Sorry if she frightened you, but she was only protecting us. I'm sure you can understand that. She uses it for our amusement as well, conjuring up different environments in which to immerse ourselves and play in." She smiled indulgently to herself, and I saw Jasper shift uncomfortably in his seat. I caught the definition of a ridge in his trousers, so it occurred to me that she must have been feeling lustful, which meant … Oooooh. The three of them were a thrupple. Of course! I did a mini victory dance in my head. The difficulty they had in parting made sense to me now.

Kachiri seemed to shake herself out of her stupor, and Jasper sighed with relief. "Why do you want to see the Ticuna so much?" she questioned me with narrowed eyes.

"We believe they have tribal legends that explain the trouble we're having," I hedged, not giving a full explanation because I wasn't quite sure how she'd take it, and I needed her to help me find the path.

"They will not speak to you. They are terrified of our kind, and rightfully so. My former coven enjoyed preying on their people and feeding into their superstitions. Of course, we weren't figments of their imagination. We were quite real and were steadily culling their numbers."

"You don't think they'll talk to us?"

She laughed. "No. First of all, you're white. Second, you don't speak their language. And third, they have legends about what to look for in a lobishomen. Of course, you two do not have red eyes, but you are still stone-skinned and reflect the sun."

Jasper and I shared a look of dismay. If the Ticuna would be a dead end, then what was our next move?

"So," Kachiri continued, "you did not have time to tell my sisters why Carlisle is being targeted. Can you tell me?"

I quickly looked ahead to see what her reaction would be.

"A human friend of ours became pregnant with a vampire child …" I began to explain, but Kachiri's jaw dropped. Jasper gasped at her strong emotional response. "Wait! Carlisle did this?" she demanded, rising to her feet, fists clenched. "I know he is a doctor, but this kind of experimenting goes too far!"

I stopped that decision in its tracks. Damn, this woman was touchy. The slightest mistake seemed to trigger her more feral instincts. Okay, I had to phrase this better and make sure she didn't think Carlisle had done it.

"Edward fell in love with a human girl," I began, and the future I saw showed she would remain calm and listen to the rest, so I continued. "They got married and had a wedding night …"

I gave Kachiri the whole rundown of what happened, and in the end, she was stunned silent for a few moments before she asked, "And why is Carlisle implicated in this?"

"He's not, but he will die all the same when the Volturi come to kill the child," I told her flatly. "They're all really invested in her."

"And you aren't?" Kachiri asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Someone had to try to find help." I explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world, even though it was far more complex than that.

She sat back and got lost in thought. I stared at her as she stared at her memories, waiting for her to come back to the present. Still staring, she shook her head slowly, whispering to herself, "I can't believe one lived."

"Wait, you know of this?" Jasper asked, jolting her back from her memories. His question launched me into a future only a few seconds off from reality, so everything seemed to be an echo of itself. It was actually sort of irritating.

"I know of a vampire who had an interest in impregnating human women. He was a scientist—very curious, very creepy. He was friends with Christian, the leader of the Brazilian coven—the one who changed me. This man wanted to use native women who would not be missed to bear his spawn. Christian led him to the Ticuna people. I don't know if he ever succeeded. I do know he killed many women trying."

"When was this?" Jasper asked, fascinated.

"Centuries ago."

"It stands to reason that he could have eventually been successful, if he kept trying." From his expression, I had no doubt Jasper was running through strategy in his mind.

My God, if this was true, then there were others out there just like Nessie. No wonder I couldn't see what was going to happen! We were going to be searching for hybrids. "If we can find another hybrid, that would be all the proof we need to stop Aro!" I exclaimed.

"Can we speak to the Brazilians?" Jasper asked furtively. "Do you know how to find them?"

Kachiri balked at the idea. "I left without a word centuries ago. I do not think I will be well-received."

Jasper shrugged nonchalantly and spoke with absolute confidence. "Then I'll go instead. They'll tell me what I need to know."

Kachiri simply raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

A/N: Original content comes out slower, my apologies! I'm just taking the time to make sure I provide quality content. Thanks for your patience, and especially for reading and reviewing!