A/N:

Alright everyone... this is going to be my warning for the rest of the story.

From this point on, the plot is going to start moving away from the events of Twilight and getting more witchy. And with witchy stuff comes dark stuff... I'm talking ghosts and demons, I'm talking descriptions of bones and blood, I'm talking maybe killing an animal or two. I am not getting into religion. I am not going to be super graphic. It will still be mentioned, however. If you can handle TV shows like Supernatural, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Vampire Diaries, etc., then the stuff in this story won't really be anything to worry about. Just thought I'd mention it here first to give everyone a heads up!

As always, I will add specific triggers at the beginning of each chapter if necessary.


My aunts welcomed me in the door with an energy replenishing potion. They didn't question me about how I managed to arrive home in a different vehicle than I had left in. Instead, they asked me about my day. I don't know why I expected anything else.

"Alright then, what did you do?" Isolde asked, getting straight to the point.

I cringed. "They were testing blood types in Biology. I didn't see it coming. I left as fast as I could, but there was a kid with me—Mike—he wouldn't leave. He ended up touching me, and I stunned him."

"Come on, Emme, you know better than that," Blair chided.

"I wasn't expecting him to actually touch me," I defended. "I had it under control until then. I was trying to get rid of him so I could do something safer."

"Is he okay at least? Did you clean up after yourself?"

"Edward helped me take him to the nurse's office. We told her he passed out in Biology. I won't be able to see if he bought it until tomorrow, but I don't think he'll be any problem," I assured them. It was too late before I realized my mistake.

"Edward was there?" Isolde's tone was much more interested now.

Blair's was too, for that matter. "Did he see what happened?"

I looked away from them. "Yeah. He was there, and I think I stunned him too, just not as hard. I told him I wasn't human, but I didn't really explain anything else."

The pair of them absorbed this new information, probably having a silent conversation between themselves. I figured this might as well be a good time as any to tell them I invited Edward to next Saturday's festivities.

"Oh, and Edward's coming to Ostara." My voice was nonchalant, trying not to make a big deal of it.

But it was a big deal. People with no magic were only invited to these sorts of events on very rare occasions. By inviting them, I was basically telling my aunts that I had accepted him as my soulmate. I hadn't yet—I hardly knew the boy. But the pull between us was unlike anything I had ever felt before, and I would be foolish not to acknowledge it. The first step would be getting him to accept my magic.

"Are you sure?" they asked in unison. They didn't seem upset that I had asked Edward to attend without permission. They just seemed resigned.

I nodded. "I think it's the right call. I'm going to explain everything to him and see where it leads."

"Well," Blair began, "Make sure he knows the rules before he gets here."

"In other news, it's invocation day." Aunt Isolde quickly switched to business mode. "And we're testing you as a Feor."

"I'm sorry, what?" I was surprised. I wasn't quite sure if it was normal or not to be ranking so quickly.

"You know how to do it. Why wait?"

She had a point there. If I could pass the test, why shouldn't I take it?

Invocation included three aspects: mediumship, spiritual sensing, and necromancy. No sane witch would ever practice necromancy except maybe as a party trick. There was no need to control a corpse in this day and age. It took too much energy and was too messy.

The other two aspects, however, were much more useful. Being able to sense the spirits was something that anyone with even a drop of magic could do. I could easily step into a home and tell you if it was haunted or not and what type of spirit was doing the haunting. And I had learned that hauntings were way more common than most would think.

Mediumship was my favorite aspect and one of the most powerful tools for a witch. It involved calling, communicating with, and even invoking spirits. I could speak with any spirit I wanted to, as long as they answered my call. And if I called a demon, I could even use its energy to heighten my magical abilities even further.

I wouldn't be doing that for my test though. All I had to do was prove I could summon and hold a spirit—easy enough.

I grabbed the things I needed and began to create my circle: six stones and a large pillar candle.

"Tell us what you're doing. Don't leave anything out," Isolde said, watching me like a hawk. She was always like this for trials. I wouldn't get any help from her, so it was good that I didn't need it.

"First, you need to create a summoning circle. To make a circle, you need six stones. Each stone helps with something different. You can choose the ones you use based on your strengths and weaknesses and what you're summoning."

"It doesn't have to be anything impressive. You just have to summon something enough so that it can take form and speak to pass the trial," Blair reassured.

The thought of my father passed briefly through my mind, but I quickly decided against it. Now was probably not the best time. As much as I wanted to speak with him, I had to be sure I knew what I was doing first. Not to mention my aunts would certainly not approve.

I began to create a circle out of the six stones I had gathered. "Place your stones in a circle… the bigger the circle, the bigger the energy that can be summoned."

"But?" Isolde interrupted.

"The bigger the circle, the harder it is to control."

I began dropping my stones, choosing to make the circle about six feet in diameter. Perhaps it was a little overly ambitious for a witch that was testing, but I somehow knew I could handle it. I knew it was the right call after my aunts chose not to critique my choice.

I named each stone as I set it down. "Smoky quartz protects against negative energies. Kyanite makes it easier to contact spirits and helps bridge the space between spirits and us. Onyx aids psychic contact with those that have died. Obsidian makes it easier to contact the spirit realms. Amethyst helps with protection and absorbs negative energies. Celestite helps focus your channeling and eases the sending of messages between realms."

Finally, I placed the large, white pillar candle in the center of the circle. "The flame from the candle will become the weakest point between the spirit realm and ours. If called correctly, the flame will grow, allowing a spirit to pass through to our world and to take shape from its smoke."

"Perfect," my aunts acknowledged in unison.

"What do you need if you're calling someone specific?" Blair quizzed.

I answered immediately. "You'd need a memento—preferably something from their person. It's why people used to keep locks of hair from their dead loved ones. At the very least, you'd need something with enough emotional value for a spirit to want to return to this realm."

Isolde was ready with another question almost immediately. "What is the difference between a spirit, a ghost, and a demon?"

"A spirit is an encompassing term for a soul that has moved on to the other realms. A ghost is the spirit of a human. A demon is the spirit of a creature with magic… like a witch."

"Tell us more about the difference between ghosts and demons."

"A ghost is a relatively simple entity. It's the soul of the human come back to this world. They don't tend to create much trouble, although it's entirely dependent on what the human was like. Usually, the worst you'll get from a ghost is a haunting. A demon is a little more complicated. Magical souls know can navigate between realms better than ghosts can—they're harder to control, especially when they have a purpose. Most demons are harmless like ghosts, but if the witch that died had a dark soul or something they need to do, they can be prone to possession and other mischiefs. You can tell the difference between them by their eyes. Ghosts will have black eyes, while a demon's eyes will be white."

The twins nodded.

"What happens if the circle is broken?"

"If a witch isn't strong enough to hold the spirit inside the circle and it breaks, the spirit will escape. It's a lot harder to banish a spirit back to the other realms outside of a circle than it is inside of one. Plus that's how hauntings happen."

My aunts took their place behind me, out of the way, yet close enough to be able to step in if something went wrong.

"If I have to live in a haunted house, Emerine, so help me I will ground you from Ostara," Isolde threatened.

"I suppose I'll have to rethink your birthday present, then," I muttered halfheartedly, too focused to actually look at her.

She only snorted in response.

"Go ahead," Blair encouraged.

I double-checked my stone placements. I made sure I was just out of the circle but as close to it as I could be. The closest witch was always the one in control. Then, I spoke the words.

"Altera regna mea processit spiritus invoco."

The lights in the room went out instantly. It was unnaturally still and silent. I could hear my aunts breathing behind me. I felt them watching closely, though they didn't move a muscle.

"Altera regna mea processit spiritus invoco," I repeated, more confident this time. I had to be. If I wasn't, the circle would break. Despite my joking, I didn't much fancy living in a haunted house either.

The energy in the room was electric now; I heard it humming all around me. The wick on the candle burst into flame. It was definitely working.

"Altera regna mea processit spiritus invoco!" My voice was loud and strong.

The flame on the candle grew larger and large, the smoke billowing and beginning to take shape within the circle. It was time to finish the incantation.

"Peto te apparere."

A breeze flowed through the room around the circle gently shaping the smoke that had risen from the candle into a humanoid form. The smoke was so thick, it looked almost opaque.

I pushed a strand of my hair behind my ears, watching intently. I didn't really know who to expect. I wasn't calling anyone in particular, so anyone could appear. A lot of witches only called randomly like this when they were bored; they would summon a spirit that needed closure and then help them find it so they could rest easier. I wasn't exactly doing that, though. A jolt of excitement shot through me. I couldn't tell if it was from the fact that my summoning had worked or if it was at the prospect of another mystery—one that I wouldn't feel bad trying to solve.

I pushed Edward out of my thoughts. Now was absolutely not the time for pining.

A man had appeared in the smoke within the circle. He was larger than I expected, tall with broad, muscular shoulders. The man seemed to be older—middle-aged maybe—yet still much more attractive than you would expect someone his age to be. His head was shaved, and his face was tense with concern.

What concerned me, however, were his eyes. They were white; the man was a demon.

"Did you summon me, child?" he asked, voice gravelly and deep. The spirit had a thick accent although I couldn't quite place it. It seemed to be a mix of things.

"I did," I replied with a nod.

The stones of the circle shook with the sheer energy of him, but I threw my hand out and held them in place with telekinesis.

"I cannot thank you enough for that. I have been trying to cross for years."

"Why?" I was curious. Most spirits were fine with staying in the other realms. Not many actively tried to return. Even the ones that weren't at rest waited until they were called.

"I need to warn her," the man said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. His words were rushed now. Whatever he was going on about, it was important to him.

"Warn who?"

"She was like a daughter to me. I died to save her, and she is in danger once again."

The stones were getting harder to hold now. Demons took much more magic than simple ghosts did. I hadn't expected to summon one on my first try by myself. I tried to ignore the fatigue that was beginning to grow in me.

"Tell me who it is, and I'll help the best I can," I told him. "Hurry. I can't hold you much longer."

The man smiled at me, relieved. I was glad I had chosen stones that would negate any negativity; I couldn't imagine summoning a malevolent demon and trying to hold it.

"Find Mary Brandon. Tell her he will find her again. She needs to be ready."

And then the flame went out. The smoke dissipated, and the demon was gone. The lights turned back on. It was as if the summoning had never happened. The normal sounds of the outdoors flooded the house, but I wasn't listening to any of it. I was listening to the demons words echo through my thoughts.

I jumped when Aunt Isolde spoke, breaking the silence. "Of course you'd manage to summon a demon for your trial."

When I turned around to face them, they were both grinning.

"Congratulations, Emerine. You're a Feor."


The next morning, I arrived at school in the best of moods.

It was probably from passing my trial the previous day, but it also helped that the sun was shining. The rain was my favorite type of weather, but even I had to admit the sun was nice every once in a while. I hoped that had nothing to do with my mood. I didn't feel drained at all, so I assumed the weather was naturally occurring this time. It was surprising for one of the rainiest places in the United States. The sun made everything so much greener and alive. I could feel it flow through me.

I found my friends hanging out in the parking lot. Before I moved towards them, I made sure to quickly scan Mike's mind; I had to make sure the incident from yesterday was forgotten. It wasn't, but he seemed to believe the story of him passing out on the way to help me. I had been lucky this time.

"Good morning!" I chirped as I approached them.

"Someone's in a good mood today," Jess pointed out.

I shrugged. "I suppose. It can happen to the worst of us, Jess." I hope she would recognize that I was teasing her.

She did. Jessica laughed at me and rolled her eyes.

"I don't say this often, but I almost wish we didn't have to go to classes today. It's too nice to be cooped up," Angela sighed, eyeing the blue skies overhead.

"Makes me jealous of the Cullens…" Eric added.

Of course, that comment made me perk up with interest. "What does the weather have to do with the Cullens?" I asked.

Jess, as always, was the first to dish the details. "Oh, Dr. Cullen and his wife always pull their kids out of school when it's nice out. They're really outdoorsy I guess."

And just like that, my mood darkened ever so slightly. I wouldn't exactly admit to myself that I was looking forward to seeing Edward today. But I would be lying if I didn't acknowledge it somewhat. Still, I was determined not to let that ruin my day. I was a Feor now, and the sun was shining. Plus I had a different mystery to distract me if I needed it: the mystery of Mary Brandon.

"We should go to the beach tomorrow," Mike suggested. "It's supposed to be sunny again."

Jess immediately squealed. "Yes! That sounds awesome, Mike. I am so in."

Mike, encouraged by Jessica's response, looked expectantly at the rest of us. "Anyone else?"

Eric and Angela both agreed enthusiastically. Then, eyes fell on me.

"I'd have to ask my aunts," I told them. "But I think I should be okay to go." A beach trip seemed like a normal thing for a teenage girl to do. But more than that, it actually sounded like fun.

"How about everyone meets at my dad's store at like noon? We'll make a day of it and take stuff for a bonfire."

The bell rang before any more plans could be made. With the promise of finalizing them at lunch, we all headed to class.


The next morning, I rolled into Newton's Olympic Outfitters a couple of minutes after noon.

It had taken a little bit of convincing for my aunts to agree to let me go for the day. I had to remind them that I had passed my precognition trial already and should have Saturdays free now anyways. Plus, I deserved it after passing my Feor trial. They agreed on the condition that I had to take advantage of the day by having at least one premonition.

My friends were all loitering in the parking lot, chatting while Mike and Tyler finished loading up their respective cars. Mike's Suburban was filled to the brim with coolers and other supplies. Tyler's now repaired minivan was less full so more people could fit in it. I was actually surprised to see that they had managed to fix it after I had set it on fire. The scorch marks on the hood were still visible, though.

"Emme! You made it!"

Mike had noticed me immediately and stopped loading his car as I walked up to the group.

"Sorry I'm a little late."

He brushed off my apology. "It's fine. We're still waiting on a few others. Do you want to ride with me? You can have shotgun."

I hesitated. I thought he was over this crush after he agreed to go to the dance with Jess, but clearly not. "Um… sure." I didn't know how to say no without crushing his soul.

After Ashley Dowling, Austin Marks, and Lee Stephens showed up, we were ready to go. Everyone piled into one vehicle or the other. I ended up sitting shotgun next to Mike as he requested, much to Jessica's dismay. I made sure to avoid talking to him as much as was polite on the ride there. I split my attention between Jessica and Angela behind me and the scenery outside. It wasn't that hard to be distracted by the views. I had always been fascinated by nature, and the drive to the beach was beautiful.

It was about a fifteen minute drive, but when we arrived at the beach—First Beach, I think—it was totally worth it.

I had been to a couple of beaches in Massachusetts, but this one was different. It had dark sand and was scattered with rocks and driftwood. Islands of rock of various sizes littered the coast next to the cliffs and forest that surrounded the beach. The effect was beautiful.

I eagerly helped unload Mike's suburban. I was eager to get out and explore.

"You know," began Angela, "I haven't seen you this excited since you moved here." The girl was exceptionally observant.

"I really like nature, especially forests and water. This place has both," I explained.

She smiled at me. It was obvious she thought the same way as I did. "I'll take you to go see the tide pools when we get set up. I bet you'll love them."

And I did love them. There was something magical about the tiny pools that held entire worlds within them.

When we finally returned to the beach, it was late in the afternoon. The other kids had set up a driftwood fire, which I found even more magical than the tide pools. The wood was burning in different colors—blues and lavenders—in addition to the normal reds and oranges. I was mesmerized; I couldn't stop looking at it. I didn't even notice when our group was joined by a bunch of kids that I didn't recognize until one of them came up to talk to me.

"Pretty cool, huh?" he said, gesturing to the fire.

I hummed my assent without really acknowledging him.

He didn't take offense, he only chuckled. "It's the reaction of the salt that's been absorbed into the wood. It makes the fire change colors, but it makes the smoke more toxic."

I finally managed to tear my eyes away from the fire. The person that was speaking with me looked to be younger than I was. He was taller than me, though, with russet skin and long, shiny black hair. He was a little bit lanky and boyish, but he had an aura that was magnetic.

I couldn't help but smile at him. "Thanks for the heads up."

"I'm Jacob Black," he told me, holding out his hand.

I shook it. "Emme Wildes."

"I haven't seen you around here before," Jacob noted.

"I just moved here in January."

"No wonder. Not that I'm on a first-name basis with everyone from Forks, but most of them are easy to recognize by now. They kind of stand out around here."

"Is that a race joke?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Jacob looked horrified. "What? No! I just meant—"

I laughed at him. "I get it. I'm only teasing you, don't worry."

He looked incredibly relieved, and I was glad he didn't take offense to me messing with him. I'd been told my sense of humor was an acquired taste.

"This beach is a part of the Reservation right?" I wondered aloud.

"Yeah. La Push is even smaller than Forks." Jacob nodded. "That's why I said it stands out when people from Forks visit," he explained hastily, shooting me a glare that was clearly just for show.

When we made eye contact, I felt myself grow tense. There was something about this boy that was out of the norm for humans. It was a different feeling than when I had made eye contact with the Cullens. I didn't have any magical mishaps, but something inexplicable was still present.

And maybe Jacob felt it too because the look he was giving me quickly turned from playful to curious.

Before I could speak up, Lauren Mallory's voice rang out from the other side of the bonfire. "It's a shame no one invited them, right Emme?" Her question was innocent enough, but her tone was malicious.

"Who?" I already knew who she was talking about though.

"The Cullens," Lauren answered with a shrug.

We were interrupted by another boy from the reservation before I could even think of a reply. He looked to be a year or two older than me, but nowhere near as friendly as Jacob did. "The Cullens don't come here." His attitude was completely serious; there was nothing in his expression to suggest he was joking. The statement effectively ended the conversation.

For the first time, I didn't second guess myself or try to talk myself out of what I was about to do. As I stared at him from across the fire, I looked into his mind. It was such a weird thing for him to say, I knew I would be questioning it for days if I didn't figure it out now.

She doesn't know how dangerous they are. They are our enemies. I would rather die than let one onto our land—

His thoughts were interrupted by a headache slowly forming between his brows. I felt it too until I retreated from his mind. It was similar to what had happened to me when my aunts had invaded my mind. There was only one explanation for it.

The boy had magic.

And Jacob probably did too. That must be what the unexplained feeling from earlier was. Neither one of them knew it if Sam's thoughts were anything to go by, but something supernatural was definitely there.

An awkward silence had fallen around the fire. Eventually, some of the kids from school and a couple of the kids from the reservation left to play soccer before it got too dark. The boy that had spoken left without talking to anyone else.

"Sam's always weird like that," Jacob told me, rolling his eyes. "I wouldn't take anything he says to heart."

"Wasn't planning on it," I told him seriously. Maybe the Cullens seemed dangerous, but I knew better. Maybe they had the potential to be, but they weren't. And they certainly weren't our 'enemies.' "But what did he mean by that?" Maybe Jacob and Sam had the answers I was looking for. They obviously knew the Cullens were different than everyone else.

Jacob sighed. "Want to go on a walk?" He was avoiding my question.

"Only if you tell me what he meant," I countered.

"Sure, sure."

We walked away from the soccer players, back towards the tide pools. As soon as we were out of earshot from the rest of the group, Jacob began to tell me what he knew.

"So the Quileute people have this legend. Apparently we're descended from wolves."

"Wolves?"

"It's a long story that is technically not supposed to be told to outsiders," he smiled, giving me a pointed look. "But our ancestors could transform into wolves. They're our brothers still—it's against tribal law to kill them, actually. And the natural enemy of the wolves were the cold ones." Jacob said 'cold ones' like he was trying to scare a child.

I couldn't help but snicker at his retelling.

"The stories of the cold ones go way back, but there are some much more recent. Apparently my great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that keeps them off our land." Jacob rolled his eyes. It was clear that he thought all of this was just a tale fabricated to scare children.

I knew better, though. Something in the back of my mind was nagging me… something important.

Jacob looked sideways at me to make sure I was still interested (I clearly was) before continuing. "My great-grandfather was a tribal elder, like my father. When he was alive, a pack of them came to our territory. They claimed to be different—they weren't supposed to be a danger to the tribe. My great-grandfather made a truce with them. If they stayed off our lands, we wouldn't expose them to the pale-faces." He stopped to give me a wink that clearly conveyed he was joking.

Despite the intensity of the legend, I had to smile at him. I had a good feeling about Jacob. I genuinely liked him.

So according to the legends, the Quileute tribe did have magic. It might have been more potent before, but they still had it today too; I figured that much out for myself. They utilized a type of spell casting—transmutation— that allowed them to shape-shift into wolves, and they used this power to fight the dangerous 'cold ones.' I still didn't know exactly what the cold ones were though.

"So these cold ones… what exactly are they?" I tried to keep my tone light so it didn't seem like an interrogation.

"Blood drinkers."

The simple answer was enough to send a chill down my spine. Two words and everything hit me all at once.

The Cullens were all very different from one another. They had different features and hair colors, even though some of them were supposed to be related. Yet they were also the same. They were all pale—paler than me and I hadn't met many people with skin lighter than my fair alabaster shade. Their eyes were all varying shades of gold. Edward's even changed on a spectrum between gold and black. A human's eyes didn't just change colors like that. None of them showed up to school when it had been sunny; according to Jess, they never showed up on days when the weather was nice. And all of that wasn't even mentioning how Edward could move faster than I could see, how he could stop a car with his bare hands, or how the lot of them could hear from far distances. Every detail—it all made sense.

"Vampires…" I murmured.

I felt so stupid. I knew magic was out there. I was a witch. For someone who was supposed to be able to see more than others, I had been walking around with my eyes tightly closed. How could I have been so blind? I had insisted on trying not to upset Edward by prying that I had my head firmly turned in the other direction. I was so focused on learning about my own kind that I hadn't even bothered to ask about what else might be out there.

"Exactly," Jacob encouraged. "These ones weren't supposed to be dangerous. They said they were civilized."

I filled in the blank for myself. "Meaning they didn't feed on humans?"

"Right again." At least Jacob seemed to be having fun with this conversation.

He wasn't going through a mental breakdown.

"So these cold ones…" I prompted. Jacob's great-grandfather had made a truce with the Cullens.

I was right.

"They were the Cullens."


A/N:

I hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter! I'm so excited to finally post it... it's definitely a hard turn from the source material. It took me ages to sort out all the magical details, and by the time I was done, there was so much to include that it ended up being a way longer chapter than usual.

Please remember I am writing this chapter to chapter! I have a general idea of what I'm doing and where I'm going, but there are probably (definitely) some continuity mistakes, grammatical errors, and whatever else. Please feel free to point out all my flaws in the reviews so I can attempt to fix them ;) And please let me know what you think!

Until next time!