Chapter Eighteen: Dismemberment and Sporks

Waterfall House, January, 31st

"My outfit hardly matters, and I shouldn't be late for my first day." Isabella said as she stood in front of Eliza's floor length mirror. Eliza mulling over another shirt to go with the black jeans Isabella insisted on.

"I like the black one. Goes with your whole theme." Leah said with a playful smile, as she tore off a piece of the muffin sitting on a plate next to her, and popped it in her mouth.

"I do too, let me just wear what I want." Isabella begged her daughter who gave them both a small frown of displeasure.

"Fine, fine, be boring." Eliza grumbled, tossing her mother the black v-neck shirt. Isabella put it on and then picked up the eye drops. Leah cringed as Isabella put a drop in each eye.

"What's wrong?" Eliza worried that something offended the wolf.

"Oh, I just have a thing about eyes." Leah said with a small shudder.

"Really, the badass wolf second has an eye phobia?" Eliza teased, and Leah shrugged helplessly.

"Can't help it, Seth…" Leah paused and looked towards the room where her brother was still unconscious, then shook her head, "Seth teases me mercilessly about it."

"Mom here teases me constantly about my obsession with movies and shows from a hundred years ago." Eliza smiled, and threw an accusing look towards her mother.

"I've watched everything you wanted me to watch without complaint." Isabella shrugged, her face impassive.

"Yes, but you don't react, it's like sharing news with a stone." Eliza's eyes were wide as if she were serious, but her frustration sounded playful instead.

"But you can feel how I feel, does my outward reaction matter?" Isabella's question was almost asked in confusion, her daughter had been with her for so long that she had thought they had an internal shorthand about this kind of stuff.

"Yes!" Eliza said with a bright laugh. Leah started to laugh with her, as Eliza plopped down beside her. "Whatever, I think you look like you always do in that top, I just wanted to give your style a bit of life."

"Fine, how about that dark blue cardigan." Isabella relented, pointing to the loose knit sweater. Eliza jumped up with a big excited smile.

"Yay!" She said clapping her hands and picking up the top with a move so fast that Leah had trouble tracking it again.

"I still have no idea why you two are subjecting yourselves to high-school." Leah said with more than a little amused confusion.

"Unlike you, our community doesn't know about our immortality so we have to blend in a bit more. Plus, I've always wanted to go." Eliza explained, giving her a warm smile

"In that case, I kind of wish I could go with you." Leah said with a genuine smile in return, her own loneliness showing up in her eyes.

"Well, I'll just have to regale you with the events of my day." Eliza said, giving the wolf a big smile. It had barely been two days and she was already feeling like Leah belonged in her life. She wasn't sure if it was attraction or something else, but she didn't want it to end.

Forks High School, January 31st

"I hope this doesn't turn out as badly as I'm expecting." Isabella grumbled to her daughter through their mental link. Unfortunately, in a repeat of the previous day, students immediately turned to stare when they heard two motorcycles arriving. "Here goes nothing." Isabella sighed in her daughter's thoughts as they pulled into the parking lot.

"Worried about the other students, I'm surprised you care." Eliza mentally teased her mother.

"The students, meh I don't care much about their reactions. The Cullens are just as unimportant, although he might be a problem." Isabella replied as they slowed pulling into the parking lot proper.

Eliza sighed, she saw the Cullen's all standing outside their jeep, in its normal place. Well, all but three, Alice and Rosalie were nowhere to be seen and Edward was standing in the motorcycle spot like he had been the day before.

"Gotta be cool mom, real cool." Eliza sang through the link. The tune triggered a memory from Isabella's hazy human childhood.

"I know that one." Isabella would've cracked a smile at the memory of her mother Renee singing along to West Side Story, if it were not for Edward fucking Cullen standing not five feet away with a huge expectant smile on his face. "If he touches me like he touched you yesterday he will lose an arm."

"Um mom… we agreed; no public dismemberment. Though it might make us slightly more popular around here, high school being what it is, I doubt it would be a good thing in the long run." Eliza teased and Isabella gave her the impression of rolling her eyes before turning off her bike. She removed her helmet and took off her gloves, ignoring him completely.

"That's been more your territory than mine if I recall correctly." Isabella said looking towards her daughter with a genuine smile and a small chuckle.

"That happened one time before I knew what I was doing." Eliza retorted, her amusement as much about Edward's confused look as it was to the comment.

"Twice." Isabella said, covering her impatience at Edward's active stare.

"I hope you don't mean Ibiza! That business with the statue doesn't count." Eliza replied haughtily.

"In front of 100 people, on a stage, I don't think it gets much more public than that. You're just lucky everyone was plastered, and were more concerned with the band setting their instruments on fire. Otherwise there could have been trouble!" Isabella retorted, following her daughter into the school pretending that Edward wasn't there, as he kept step behind them with a confused look on his face.

"Bel… Isabella?" Edward said loudly enough to be heard by some of the other students. Then as they approached the door, they both heard him call out "Bella!" when it sunk in that she wasn't going to talk to him.

Eliza led Isabella to the office, which was hardly necessary since it was in the same place that it had been nearly a century ago when she'd originally attended the school. Upon opening the door Isabella had a moment of extreme deja vu as the woman behind the desk looked a lot like the woman who sat there a century earlier; Shelly Cope. She smiled and winked at Eliza.

"This must be your sister." Miss Cope grinned as she pulled out a tablet and gave Isabella a small shake of her head, clicking her tongue a few times. "I hope Mr. Jansen gave you an excuse for missing your first two days."

"He did, he gave me some kind of chip for verification, is that all I need?" Isabella asked, having already accounted for the attendance issues with Henry and knew full well what was required.

"Yeah, just tap it here." She pointed to a spot on her tablet. Isabella pulled out a slender white rectangle from her pocket which she pressed against the spot indicated. There was a small chime sound and the red lines on her attendance record turned green. "All set, I hope that house is all settled now."

"Should be fine, there was a lot of chaos the last couple of days." Isabella gave her a convincing smile.

"Well, welcome to Forks High, your sister has your tablet which has your schedule, map of the school grounds and buildings, textbooks and your digital key for your locker. There is a preloaded app you'll have to get your teachers to sign proving they have accepted you into their class and you'll have to do an assessment with Mr. Franklin who handles all the math courses. Like I always say, don't worry about the cliques you'll find your place. Most of the students don't bite, well except for your sister. Do you do as well?" Miss Cope smiled at Eliza and failed to notice Isabella's stunned expression.

"Oh yes, sometimes worse than I do!" Eliza replied before Isabella could, which made the secretary giggle.

"Have fun out there." Miss Cope said with a small awkward wave and Eliza led Isabella out into the hall.

"We bite? What the hell Eliza?" Isabella immediately turned on her, and spoke with an admonishing tone of voice.

"She made the joke, I just ran with it." Eliza grinned and then started towards their lockers which were next to each other. Eliza pulled Isabella's tablet out and then they deposited helmets, gloves and their jackets. "So our first teacher is a tool, but Hailey sits next to us so I can introduce you finally."

"I forgot you made friends." Isabella said with a slightly happy smile, she was encouraged that Eliza was adapting so well to Forks. It didn't really matter what she felt about everything, her daughter always took priority over her own wishes or desires. Although, if left to her own devices, Isabella would be at the Batcave computer scanning for threats without pause.

"Well potential friends, it's only been two days." Eliza corrected, although she was hoping that the two girls could be real friends. Even if she wasn't sure if those friends would work long term logistically, since the friendships were likely to last only the length of their time in Forks.

"I met Angela and Jessica that first day, I wonder what happened to them?" Isabella pondered, although her mind rejected the thought almost as soon as she started it. There was too much pain wrapped into the fates of her human friends and family. Knowing the truth, even removed by a century, was simply too much to take in.

"You never looked?" Eliza asked, knowing that it made sense but was surprising.

"No, I knew that Charlie disappeared shortly after I did. I couldn't bring myself to look into the rest of them." Isabella said darkly, looking over at Eliza with a pained expression.

"Bella!" Edward said catching up to the two of them. Isabella immediately rolled her eyes at her daughter. She didn't want to stop but she gritted her teeth and turned around. He stepped too close, entering her personal space, and Isabella's nostrils flared in anger. Edward seemed to misinterpret her reaction because he smiled that lopsided grin that had once made Isabella go weak in the knees. He murmured softly, "It really is you… My Bella," and reached his hand out to brush his fingers over her cheek.

Just before his fingers made contact with her skin, Isabella's hand snapped up and encircled Edward's wrist in a crushing grip, scowling at him. She half snarled, half hissed in a voice too low for anyone to overhear. "My name is Isabella. It's been a very long time since I was your anything. And if you ever think of touching me again, make sure it's with something you're willing to part with." She increased the strength of the grip on his wrist until he flinched and tugged his arm back instinctively. She waited an extra second and then she released it.

Edward reacted with utter shock, as he stared at his arm and then at her, horror crossing his features. "Bella… Thi… this isn't you! What did the Volturi do to you?"

Isabella blinked, a look of pure amazement crossing her face before sneering at his sickeningly pretty visage. "Once a long time ago you could claim to know me. Now to assume that you understand my past, well that makes you a fool. You're selfish, arrogant and willfully ignorant about things you could never understand. Life continues, it doesn't stop at your whim or retreat into a corner because you've left the picture. Your actions, your choices destroyed my life, and you were directly responsible for the death of my father."

"How is that my fault? He probably killed himself because you ran off." Edward rebutted and Isabella brought up her forearm into his chest and pushed him into a locker. His eyes were wide with shock and a touch of fear.

"Oh you idiot, I didn't run anywhere." She said barely above a whisper, her voice dark and threatening. "I wonder, have you ever felt real pain? I doubt you have, you miserable waste of space. I know pain; I know it so well it's become a part of me. If you come near me or my daughter again, I'll share my knowledge of it with you, in ways you cannot even begin to imagine." Her eyes were black as night, despite her camouflage, hinting at the agonizing truth of her words. Then she let go and turned away without a backward glance. Eliza just chuckled at him while shaking her head.

"I have to admit, that was a little cathartic" Isabella sent through their connection casting a look towards her daughter.

"A little? If he were human he would've been pissing his pants." Eliza sent back with a blast of laughter. Isabella sighed outwardly and followed her into the class.

Isabella moved towards the teacher with her tablet. Eliza split off towards the back of the class, and was happy to see Hailey sitting up waiting for her instead of hidden behind a book. She looked a bit different, perhaps exuding a bit more confidence than the last couple of days. Her hair was clean instead of stringy, and had an attempt at some style. But there was something else, a glint to her eye that gave Eliza pause.

"Hailey?" Eliza said feeling a bit unsure.

"Eliza, how're you?" Hailey's voice was tentative, perhaps even more than before.

"I'm fine, Isabella will be over in a second. We're kind of close, do you mind if she joins us for lunch and stuff?" Eliza asked expectantly. Almost needing her approval.

"Sure." Hailey said looking slightly worried, but the emotion must've passed because she managed a welcoming smile as Isabella sat down.

"Hailey, this is Isabella." Eliza motioned towards Isabella.

"So nice to meet you, we've been wondering if you were even real." Hailey said, trying to figure out if the spell had actually worked. Were these two actually vampires? What were the rules if they were, because she had seen them both during the day as they arrived. Taking off their helmets outside. Sure the day was overcast, but even indirect sunlight should hurt a vampire, at least according to most vampire lore.

"Yes, well house stuff kept me busy the last couple of days. Eliza speaks highly of you, so I'm looking forward to getting to know you too." Isabella sounded genuine, making Hailey feel instantly guilty for invading their privacy.

"She did… I… me too." Hailey was suddenly very unsure of herself, when she felt so strong after the spell. They were being nothing but nice and she had gone behind their back to ferret out the truth using very dark methods. Thankfully the teacher chose that exact moment to interrupt.

"Class, please open your tablets to location 833 in your main textbook." The teacher launched into his lecture and talked through the entire class leaving little time for any kind of socializing.

Isabella wasn't entirely sure what the protocol would be after class, but everyone filed out and rushed towards their next class, so she didn't get to say much to Eliza or Hailey before separating from them. When she arrived at her next class, she took a moment to compose herself before entering the classroom. The teacher looked up in surprise as Isabella handed her the tablet.

"Oh I didn't realize you two were identical. You're Isabella I…I…Rutt Low Va? Did I say that right?" Eliza had an afternoon class with the same teacher, but Isabella hadn't realized people would assume they were twins.

"Close, you need to roll the R a bit more, but otherwise that's right." Isabella corrected as she took the tablet back, along with a printed off code for a second book download.

"Well, go ahead and find a seat, it'll probably take you the rest of the week to get caught up with the readings. We're almost through act one of Romeo and Juliet." Isabella nodded, realizing that would be the download and then she turned to find a seat. She felt the eyes of every student in the room on her as she glanced around. Unfortunately the room was nearly full and there was only one seat available, near the back.

Isabella rolled her eyes slightly as she made her way back to the seat. "How predictable, my first class and the only seat available is next to Rosalie Cullen." She sent Eliza who was in Biology with Madison on the other side of the school. Madison was acting even more nervously than Hailey, and Eliza was starting to feel frustrated that maybe she had done something to alienate her new friends.

"Well look at it this way, after you managed not to rip Edward into small chunks, Rosalie should be easy." Eliza replied, but even her mental voice was distracted. Isabella took a seat next to Rosalie, who seemed to be working up to looking at her. When she did it was not the expression Isabella expected, Rosalie's look was pained and sad and she immediately looked away out the window.

Isabella contented herself, idly doodling on a notebook, drawing little eyes in the margins. Finally the teacher spoke up and announced they would be partnering up to discuss the reading selection and its themes. The professor looked at Isabella and smiled, "Miss… Irutlova, you and Miss Hale can work together, she knows this material very well and ought to be able to help you along."

Isabella rolled her eyes and shifted her desk slightly closer to Rosalie's in an effort to make it look as if they were working together. Rosalie did the same, it wasn't until the teacher looked like she may walk over to investigate the lack of activity between the two that Isabella finally spoke up.

"Are you going to say anything?" Isabella asked impatiently, irritation dominating the tone of her voice.

Rosalie nodded a couple of times very slowly, "I've been thinking about what to say for the last four hours. I should apologize to you, but we weren't friends. You never sought my approval, and I never gave it either…"

"So it should be easy to ignore each other." Isabella interrupted turning away.

"Isabella, I know it isn't my place to say anything to you. But for what it's worth, I am sorry we left. Alice, Esme and I fought for you, and if I had known the truth… I would've. I don't know. I never wanted to leave." Rosalie's voice was almost pleading, her expression soft and emotional as though she were on the verge of tears.

"What truth? Is it the same thing that Alice got upset about?" Isabella shot back, with confusion. She had expected indignation or arrogance, not pain and raw emotion.

"Alice? Wait, you've spoken to Alice?" Rosalie said, leaning forward.

"No, not yet. But Eliza has, and there was something she said she would take care of." Isabella explained, feeling as though there was something she needed to know.

"The lie." Rosalie whispered, leaning back and shutting her eyes, and then shaking her head a couple of times as she realized Alice's conversation earlier with Edward was entirely fake on her part because Alice was playing a long game of manipulation. Probably to get the truth out of Edward once and for all.

"What lie?" Isabella scowled, leaning towards Rosalie with her eyes darkening ever so slightly along with the lights in the room.

"That isn't my truth to reveal. Suffice it to say you were not the only one hurt when we left." Rosalie looked down at her tablet which had gone into sleep mode. Then turned back toward Isabella. "We have pieced together some, but something doesn't make sense. Did Victoria come after you too?"

"What do you mean? Who… who else did she get?" Isabella stared at Rosalie intensely, and Rose gasped in shock.

"Oh god you don't know." She whispered, heartbroken that she had to be the one to break such awful soul crushing news to her.

"Know what?" Isabella leaned forward, her eyes hard but her voice quivering with emotion.

Rose choked back her own emotions, and hesitated only a few seconds before responding. "We think she must've gone after your family and friends. Your father disappeared shortly after you did and your mother and her husband were killed in a car accident a month later, and all of your friends died or disappeared after your own disappearance."

"I… no I knew about my father. Who else?" Isabella choked out, realizing that her fantasy about her mother living a long happy life was suddenly gone. She didn't want to imagine what else Rosalie might say, but she had a feeling it would be bad.

"Angela, Ben, Eric, Jessica and Mike. Ben in particular was found brutally murdered and Angela's body was never found according to the police."

"Excuse me." Isabella stood up out of her seat with such force that the chair flew back and slammed into the table behind her. She rushed out of the room without another word and then out the back towards the woods. Once she was out of earshot of any human in the surrounding areas she clenched her teeth to stop the flood of emotions, doubling over in emotional pain. Her body shaking violently as a scream ripped out of her, sending waves of distortion through the deep shadows beneath the canopy.

"Mom." Eliza was suddenly there, holding her as Isabella collapsed in a ball as heavy sobs began to overwhelm her. "What did she say?"

"Victoria made good on her threat. She got them all." Isabella got out between shudders of emotional pain. Eliza's entire body tensed up, and she stared out into the woods unblinking.

"Oh god. We should start the hunt again." Eliza's voice was monotone, although she was seething with an anger she hadn't felt since she first understood what happened to her mother at Victoria's hand.

"No, there's no point. They're all gone, and nothing will bring them back." Isabella sounded defeated, her usual strength gone from her voice and mind.

Pedestrian Underpass, Chicago - January 31st

"She made it to here, after that she retraced her steps." Charlie said touching the steps of a small building entrance built to create a small alcove so that tenants and visitors could escape the rain when entering the building.

"There's a faint scent trail too." Angela said jogging down a block to a single parking space large enough for a limo. She stopped, as something towards the back caught her eye. Moving forward she found purple ash on the ground and a black plastic bag. She opened it and flinched in shock as she was met with Erica Caravelli's expression of horror.

"Charlie, you're up." Angela said, handing the bag over to Charlie who looked inside and almost retched.

He took a few calming breaths and then reached in and touched her cheek bracing himself for the shock. Inanimate objects usually held some kind of imprint, especially the longer an individual held it. Dead things held the real deal, true unfiltered memories. Whole cloth, and the more recent the death the stronger the images. Some stretching back a lifetime.

Charlie knew exactly when Erica died, just long enough for most of the memories to fade. All that was left was her final moments. Words began to echo in his mind, "You're right, I do want to let you go." The face of the woman framed in the limo window looked familiar, but Charlie couldn't place her. He had to let the vision play out, but wondered if maybe Angela might recognize her.

Through Erica's eyes he watched as she scrambled out of the limo only to find over a dozen vampires with bright red eyes surrounding her. The woman stepped out of the driver side of the limo and walked towards Erica with a swagger.

"You think you're special, powerful, untouchable. You're wrong. We are legion, and you are dead along with the rest of your coven." The strange woman cackled as three of the other vampires took a hold of her and then began to pull on Erica's head. The vision ended in blackness.

"Fuck." Angela said loudly.

"She looked familiar." Charlie said, looking towards Angela with confirmation. She nodded a couple of times with a deep frown.

"Yeah, she used to be one of my best friends." Angela looked up at the clouds, the storm had passed and soon the sky would be too bright.

"Wait, Jessica?" Charlie sounded momentarily confused, he had known Jessica Stanley and her family for years. He couldn't imagine, even as a vampire, Jessica doing something so violent. Of course he would've said the same thing about Angela, before her brightness was torn out of her.

"No, it was Lauren. At least we have a face and a name, I'll have Zoey start a search. Lauren is not one for subtly and gets off on proving she is smarter than everyone around her. That was what a dozen?" Angela started walking towards their car, putting out feelers to make sure they weren't being watched.

"Roughly, and most were young, maybe two months into their transition. Lauren is attacking one of the largest covens in the world with a newborn army." Charlie sounded tired already, this was going to be dangerous and he felt old and worn. Perhaps ready to retire from the game and settle down in some remote cabin in the middle of nowhere. But he couldn't abandon Angela or Zoey.

"That's enough for shock and awe, but they will need more than a dozen against Michael's guard." Angela shook her head, she had a feeling in her gut there was something more to this.

"There are two options; we report this to the coven and start a full investigation. Or we make a call to the Volturi." Charlie didn't really like either option, but Angela just frowned and let out a small sigh.

"I'll make the call? Michael needs to know about Erica." She pulled out her cell and dialed, without a clue how she was going to break the news to the ancient that his daughter was dead.

The Cullen Residence - January 31st

"Carlisle Cullen! My good friend, how are you?" Aro's voice attempted to project warmth but seemed to cross the line into creepiness. His holo-image smiling that weird faux joyful smile he would use whenever he talked to Carlisle.

"I am well. How are things in Volterra?" Carlisle replied reclining in his office chair. He desperately wanted to get right to his questions, but knew it was better to display proper courtesy and decorum. Conversations with the Volturi always remained polite, a careless word could be remembered for decades or longer until they chose the appropriate time to return the impertinence; usually at the most inopportune of moments.

"I am doing well my friend. We've been a bit busy of late, as I know you've heard. Isabella tells me that you're now aware of the situation in the area, and that you know to be on your guard. But my coven is doing well. How about your coven? How does your clan fare?" Aro replied, his singsong voice belying the truth behind his question.

"We are well, for the most part. As you no doubt aware, we have just settled back in Forks for a new cycle. Things have been strained, we have been trying to sort through some difficult emotions, regarding a member of your coven in fact. Did Isabella ever mention that she was almost a member of my family?" Carlisle didn't try to conceal the faint note of disappointment in his voice. Aro raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"She has never fully detailed her past, but she did tell Marcus about your family. I do wonder how you could ever cast aside someone with so much… potential." Aro cast more than a little disappointment into his own voice, letting his smile drop a little. "Regardless, it has been so long since you've visited, we've hardly had time to catch up, and you almost never call just to chat."

"It has been too long, we did plan to visit after we leave this place. However, I am curious why her presence in your coven was never mentioned to us, even as a courtesy? Jasper visited you some twenty-five years ago to introduce you to our newest family member and you never mentioned her." Carlisle countered lightly.

"Ah yes, dear Adara, quite the addition for your family and for Jasper. Yet another convert to your rather… esoteric dietary lifestyle. Although I do wonder, why did Jasper break up with poor Alice? Whatever the reason, please send Alice our regards." Aro's comment was pointed, because Alice and her 'unique' gift was always on his mind.

"I'll be sure to extend your thoughts to her." Carlisle replied, managing to keep his disapproval and anger over Aro's continued pursuit of Alice into the Volturi.

"Anyway, to be honest it didn't come up in our conversations, and the two of them didn't stay long enough to enjoy our hospitality." Aro said, disappointment in his voice once again. "As for Isabella, well, in this case she specifically requested her presence not be made known to your family. At that point she had already become one of us, and I saw no reason to deny this personal request. Besides, your Edward decided she wasn't good enough for him, and your family obviously agreed, clearly she was of negligible value to you." Aro said, his voice calm, with a faint trace of smugness.

"It's complicated, but we didn't abandon her. We left as a way to protect her after a run in with another vampire. Edward thought it was better to leave her behind, and give her a chance to live a normal life. The family eventually agreed, albeit some of us reluctantly. So we left the area." Carlisle said with a frown on his face.

"Ah, well my friend, you know what they say about the best of intentions and regrets." Aro said, his voice filled with sympathy and compassion, Carlisle was certain it was feigned.

"Quite so. I'll admit that I'm quite curious how you discovered her? While I know her abilities are unique, usually you spend years determining whether or not to convert a human who has interested you. I'm even more curious as to how Eliza comes into play in this situation. The logistics of Eliza having a daughter baffle me." Carlisle asked, as close to bluntly as possible.

Aro was silent for a protracted moment, his face impassive, and he sounded thoughtful when he replied. "That is not a story we discuss outside our coven, except at Isabella's discretion. If she hasn't chosen to share her own story with you, then I am not one to betray her confidence or her privacy. I will say this, do not cross her. She and Eliza are our most lethal enforcers and carry the privilege of examining and executing our laws."

Carlisle sighed inaudibly, he was aware he had run into a stone wall regarding his questioning so he tried a different tack, "I was surprised to find out that you had approved any sort of relationship with the Quileutes, much less an alliance with them. Circumstances must be unique indeed to warrant an alliance of that nature."

Aro coughed delicately "I will confess it came as a surprise to us too. Isabella chose to offer the alliance, which makes it her responsibility. It was unexpected, Isabella rarely makes rash decisions. Of course my brother was most displeased with the idea. It took us several hours for us to get through the conversation without Caius snarling every thirty seconds. You know how he feels about wolves. However the alliance has been forged and we will honor it. It may come to pass that the alliance will provide insight into these disruptive attacks in so many places."

Carlisle frowned, noting the implied dismissal, "As this directly affects my family, can I trust that we'll be kept apprised of any developments?" Carlisle asked.

There was a pause before Aro replied thoughtfully, "I will instruct Isabella and Eliza to make sure that you are kept up on any developments that could directly impact you."

"Thank you, Aro." Carlisle said, sighing audibly, knowing that was the best he was going to get.

"Anytime my friend. I have missed your company. Be well and I hope that visit comes sooner rather than later." Aro gave a wide pleasant smile before his side of the call cut off abruptly. Carlisle sat back in his chair and closed his eyes, knowing he had just been given the runaround.

Forks High School - January 31st

Eliza wasn't sure her mother would be able to pull herself together, but after ten minutes of emotional chaos, Isabella was up and headed towards her next class. Thankfully there were no Cullens present, but there were a few of the 'cool' kids who all glared at her without hiding their contempt. She couldn't quite understand the ire until Eliza cut in.

"I may have pissed off their leader on Monday." Eliza didn't sound regretful, and Isabella didn't care either way.

"That fits, I'm gonna ignore them." Isabella thought back neutrally, although she was still coming down from the release of emotions. She still felt a bit shaky, almost fragile despite her physical strength remaining unchanged.

"Solid plan, lunch is next." Eliza said with a brightness that lifted Isabella slightly.

"Maybe Hailey will say more than hello this time." Isabella offered, trying to go with the flow and not really succeeding in being positive.

"I wouldn't count on it, Madison is pretty cool though." Eliza gave the impression of a small laugh and a shrug.

"I'm counting the minutes." Isabella tried, but the sarcasm came through anyway.

"Isabella, since you were paying such good attention would you please answer the question on the board." The teacher drew her attention and she had to admit that she hadn't been observing her surroundings as per usual because there were no active threats. She looked up at the board and almost laughed;

What Italian city was home to Saint Marcus' Day on March, 19. Which commemorates when Marcus is said to have run all of the vampires out of town?

"Volterra." Said passively, and the teacher nodded thoughtfully.

"Very good, and as a bonus could you tell me when the city was roughly founded?" The teacher asked, his eyes wide with the fact that a student actually answered a question right, other than the Cullens.

"There isn't an exact date, but sometime in the eighth century BC. Although I have it on good authority that is apocryphal. It was closer to the tenth century BC." He gave her a look, and she shrugged. "I have family that live there."

"Ah, well then I guess I called on the right person. Anything else you would like to share?" He said overly excited.

"No." Isabella's deadpan voice and flat expression deflated him immediately.

"Okay, moving on." The teacher said and then started his lecture again.

"You have family from Italy? I thought you were Russian." A blonde girl asked leaning over slightly to whisper.

"Yes, families can come from more than one place. I know it's so weird right?" Isabella said still deadpan, the sarcasm so thick that only an idiot wouldn't catch it. Yet the girl nodded as if Isabella were responding with complete seriousness.

"Totally, my mom is like one eighth Cherokee or something and my dad is from like Pakistan or Egypt or something." Isabella looked at her sideways trying to figure out how she had such a pale complexion and naturally blonde hair with that kind of lineage.

"Interesting." Was all Isabella could think to reply.

"Thanks, I'm Brittanee, spelled with two e's." The girl continued introducing herself and Isabella almost shuddered from overexposure to vapid and idiotic.

"Gotcha, interesting choice." Isabella didn't make any attempt to hide her contempt for the name, but she managed to suppress a sigh of impatience.

"Well there are two ee's at the end of Cherokee, that's where I think my mom got it." The explanation made Isabella's eyes roll involuntarily, but she covered with a small head bob. There were two ways to respond that she could think of, and snark was probably not the right choice.

"Makes sense. My dad named me, he had a thing for Isabella Rosselini." Isabella tried not to let the pang of grief rise up conjuring the memory of her dad. She tensed her body and faked a friendly smile, which seemed to work.

"Who?" Brittanee looked confused, and it took a moment for Isabella to realize she didn't know who she was referencing.

"Actress, before your time." Isabella tossed back, trying not to sound old.

"Oh, okay." She nodded as if that were enough, and then leaned in towards Isabella. "So I'm not sure if Jennifer would be happy about it, but you could join us at lunch. Your sister was kind of mean on Monday and has been hanging out with the witch sisters."

"Super mean, she basically said that Jennifer wasn't real. Like what does that even mean?" Another girl sitting behind Brittanee leaned forward to interject.

"I honestly have no idea." Isabella said blankly, "Eliza, I'm being socially attacked by idiots."

"Do what I did, tell them off." Eliza shrugged through the link.

"How, I tried that and my sarcasm went over her head." Isabella replied helplessly, she honestly had no idea what to do.

Eliza mulled it over for a few seconds, "um… I don't know. You might be stuck for lunch. I'll probably figure something out by then."

"Great, whatever." Isabella frowned internally while nodding at Brittanee.

"Well if you think it wouldn't work I can join you another time." Isabella tried, hoping she could escape.

"I think I can convince her. Sisters are not the same right? Even twins?" Brittanee didn't seem to know, even though it was a rhetorical question.

Isabella pursed her lips, "true."

"Oh, by the way, this is Jessika with a k. Don't get her confused with Jessica with a c." Brittanee motioned towards the girl sitting behind her.

"You know you… got it." Isabella started to say, but stopped herself because there didn't seem to be a point in explaining that there was no way to actually tell the names apart without actually commenting on the spelling. Then she idly wondered if Jessika with a k actually called herself that, or maybe she forced Jessica with a c to announce she was the non k Jessica… the train of thought made her head hurt.

"Eliza, I thought my biggest challenge coming to school with you would be not to go nuts and try and rip the Cullens to shreds. I'm doing really well in that regard, but I swear if I have to sit at a table with these two morons, I'm going to stab one of them in the throat with a plastic spork." Isabella wanted to leave the school and never come back, but she promised Eliza she would try. So she owed her at least a week.

"I don't think sporks exist anymore." Eliza sent back, and Isabella felt herself whimpering inside.

Thankfully the teacher called for quiet and the lecture resumed. Isabella realized she was stuck heading to lunch with the two idiots, and then was introduced to the rest of Brittanee's group. There was Jennifer who gave Isabella a disapproving once over, but didn't do more than frown. Then there were three generic looking jock boys, one named Kevin who seemed to be dating Jennifer, and his two friends Jay and Cameron.

Kevin leaned towards Isabella as they were walking to the cafeteria and whispered; "I don't care what Jen says about your sister. I think you're hot as hell."

Isabella managed to hold in her reaction and ignored the looks from the Cullens entirely as she entered the lunch line. It was all standard fare, although doctored up to look fancy for the money it cost. Isabella didn't pay attention to the food, as Brittanee and Jessika talked at her. She nodded and made replies when things were asked directly of her, but that didn't happen often. Kevin and Cameron lingered a bit closer than Isabella liked and she was feeling her anger rise into the danger zone even before they made it to the table. Her tray filled with basic ala carte options because she knew she wasn't on the meal plan.

The conversation continued that way until she spotted Hailey walking towards her table along with a girl with ash blonde hair and goth clothing which Isabella assumed was Madison. A nerdy looking boy followed the two of them and Eliza headed up the rear. Hailey was not really paying attention in front of her, staring at the table Isabella was seated at instead. Her focus was on Jennifer Thomas, so she didn't see the leg pop out to trip her.

Isabella stood and started to spit out a warning, but it was too late and Hailey tripped over the outstretched leg. Kevin started to laugh with malicious glee as she went flying forward. Her tray flew out of her hands and onto the floor making a huge mess. She followed and landed chest first in a pile of pasta, her hand slipping on the tomato sauce. Madison stopped in mid-step her expression furious and pained as Hailey flipped over and stared at the entire table who were all laughing and pointing.

Two things happened at once, Isabella shoved Kevin off his seat and into the aisle where he landed in some of the food. He looked up to see her standing over him, her expression serious and cold. Next Hailey started to mumble under her breath, as she picked herself up and took a few steps back.

"Hailey no… he isn't worth it." Madison tried, but it was already too late as Hailey snapped her fingers and suddenly the left sleave of Kevin's jacket caught fire. He screamed as he raised his arm and then scrambled to get the coat off. He looked around, and couldn't figure out who was to blame for ruining his precious letterman jacket. So he turned towards Hailey who was now leaning forward breathing hard.

"You little bitch!" He reached forward to grab at her only to find himself on the floor again, this time with Isabella's boot against his shoulder, and his arm being pulled hard. He winced in pain as she leveled him a dangerous glare.

"Call her a bitch again, I dare you." Isabella's voice was flat and the threat was clear.

"Mom, I thought we said no dismemberments." Eliza sent, worried that her mother might not have the mindset for this kind of social situation. Isabella pulled for another few seconds and let go. She took a step back and Kevin got to his feet looking at her like she was a leper.

"You ruin my jacket, nearly pull my arm out of my socket and you think we're just gonna let you out of here without a lesson?" He glanced over at his friends who had gotten up and were behind Isabella.

"Lesson. What kind of lesson could you possibly think you are capable of teaching me?" Isabella said unflinchingly towards the much larger guy towering over her.

"That no bitch, even with karate moves and a macho bike, can mess with us without repercussions." He said with a sneer. Isabella sighed, she really didn't think things would escalate this quickly. Eliza stepped up next to her mother and gave him a big grin. "What do you think? That the two of you are actually scary?"

"The sister, Jen mentioned you. You talk big but I bet you're not so sassy when I have my boot up your ass little girl." Kevin said with a sneer.

"I'm not remotely afraid of you or your threats." Eliza said, trying not to lose her temper.

"You're a pathetic coward like all bullies. Now go sit down before you get hurt." Isabella's tone was less advisaral but she realized calling him a coward was probably the wrong tactic.

"Screw you." Kevin said clearly enraged, and then Isabella saw the punch coming from a mile away. She hadn't really expected him to go this far when the confrontation began, so it was a surprise. But to someone with her reflexes, it was as if he'd phoned in his intentions. His fist swung forward, aiming for her jaw. Isabella waited until just as she felt the fist begin to connect, to spin her head and upper body to the side. To Kevin and any non-vampire in the cafeteria, it looked like he had just punched her in the face and the force had spun her around.

In the immediate aftermath the room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Occasionally there was a fight between some of the jocks and other boys they picked on. Most of the time it occurred during class or at lunch, but nine times out of ten it was just a heated exchange of words. Rarely did it devolve into outright blows, so there was an excitement and confusion that quickly filled the room with muted whispers.

Isabella slowly turned back, to face Kevin, her hand up on her jaw. "Oh, I'm so glad you did that." Her voice was cold ice, and she didn't telegraph the swing, as she brought her fist up into his stomach, not hard enough to permanently hurt him, but enough to knock the wind out of him.

Kevin doubled over with a gasp for a few seconds and then charged forward in an attempt to tackle her. Isabella had no room to maneuver out of the way so she rolled with his charge, twisting as he forced her to the floor and punching him in the left side, rewarded by the soft crack of a rib snapping. A sound she'd heard before, a sound which made her almost as happy as Kevin's ensuing, high pitched, scream.

He rolled to one side, so Isabella rolled to the other side and got back to her feet; her arms down at her sides, clearly making no attempt to continue the confrontation. Kevin held his side grimacing in pain. Finally he looked at his friends. "What are you doing? Get her!"

Cameron and Jay each took a step forward, clearly intent on helping their leader. Neither of them got farther than a single step. Jay gasped in surprise as his arm was grasped then twisted around and up behind his back. It was an iron grip he couldn't break and the more he struggled the more the arm twisted until he felt it was going to break. Turning his head he found himself looking down into the face of Eliza, who was scowling furiously. "I think it's better if you sit this one out." She said coldly.

Cameron was brought up just as sharply, as he suddenly felt a large muscular arm wrapped around his neck from behind in a simple and effective choke hold. Cameron's hands went up to try and dislodge the arm from his throat, after several useless attempts, he turned his head and nearly swallowed his tongue.

He was being held by the only person in the school who was bigger than Kevin. Emmett Cullen's scowling face glared back at him, his top lip quivering in a sneer. Cameron immediately gave up all pretense of fighting back.

Isabella blinked in surprise, finally looking towards the Cullen table. Rosalie was smiling at her with what looked like approval. Edward looked confused and upset about the whole confrontation. Adara was on her feet, ready to join if needed. Jasper had one eyebrow raised with an amused expression on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. Lastly there was Alice, who was staring at Isabella with an expression that she couldn't begin to parse.

"I'm warning all of you." Kevin said, causing Isabella to turn around. She found him brandishing a black object that took her a moment to place.

"You've got to be kidding, you're threatening me with plastic cutlery? What is that even? A spork?"

"Huh, I guess they do exist." Eliza said with a small mental chuckle, Isabella glanced at Eliza rolling her eyes and heard Kevin charge at her. She moved smoothly and flipped him onto his back as gently as she could knowing he already had a broken rib. He made a loud grunt and a moan of pain as he clutched his side.

Isabella knelt forward positioning her knee on his chest, just below his throat, pinning him easily. When she spoke her voice was clear and loud for everyone to hear. "You're nothing but a bully, and like all bullies, you're mostly just macho posturing and cruel actions. I don't know who made you afraid, but keep pushing at me and at everyone here and you will end up alone. Overweight, washed out and alone. Chugging cheap beer in your parents basement, thinking fondly of your time here. Yet you will keep replaying in your tiny little head what I'm saying to you now. That you will never amount to anything, unless you get your head out of your ass and treat those around you better. However, if you pick on anyone else while I'm here, I'll keep teaching you this lesson. As you said, actions have repercussions."

Kevin's eyes began to water, and he nodded a couple of times wordlessly. She stood up and backed away a step, he scrambled to his feet and ran out of the cafeteria. Eliza and Emmett released Jay and Cameron and they followed after him. There was stunned silence for all of five seconds before there was the sound of someone getting ice out of the fountain dispenser. A heartbeat later everyone was whispering to each other and looking over towards Isabella.

"Thank you Emmett." Isabella said somewhat reluctantly, but she had to admit he may have helped intimidate the boys.

"Anytime Isabella." He gave her a wide familiar smile and waved before heading back to his table. Isabella looked at her tray and then started to chuckle.

"I suppose I'm not welcome anymore?" Isabella smirked, and Brittanee shook her head with a terrified look on her face. Isabella simply shrugged and followed Eliza, Hailey and Madison towards an empty table towards the back.

Hailey sat down heavily, and started picking food off her shirt. "Thanks for the help."

"Isabella, this is Madison and Justin, you've already met Hailey." Eliza's introduction was without flourish, sitting down feeling a bit guilty for letting things go so far with Kevin.

"It's good to finally meet you." Madison smiled and shook Isabella's outstretched hand before nudging her friend to do the same. Justin gave her a smile but was clearly intimidated as he realized he was sitting at a table with four girls and all he wanted was for Jay to notice him. He knew it was stupid, but he couldn't stop how he felt.

Hailey glanced over at the table where Jennifer, Brittanee and Jessica remained, glaring daggers at Isabella. "You know you didn't have to do that for us right?"

Isabella shrugged as if she didn't have a care in the world, "I don't like bullies. He's a bully. It would have happened sooner or later, I just figured it was better to address it immediately than let something like that pass. I'm sorry you were the catalyst. Was it normal for him to pick on you or did you just happen to be a target of opportunity?"

Hailey frowned, her eyes sad and then looked down at the table for a moment. "It's easy to pick on people that are different." She shrugged slowly, as if trying to indicate that it wasn't a big deal. "We tend to be pretty popular targets."

Eliza and Isabella both tilted their heads curiously, though it was Eliza that spoke up. "What do you mean?"

Hailey took a breath and glanced around at the cafeteria. The noise level of chatter had finally started to pick up again, though it was still all soft murmurs about what had just happened.

Hailey swallowed, "I'm surprised no one has told you yet."

"Well I had assumed you two were gay, but after that display earlier… Are you actually practicing witchcraft?" Isabella asked, putting two and two together. Elemental abilities were rare, but minor witchcraft had been reported around the world dating back to Roman times.

Both Madison and Hailey blinked in surprise and stared at Isabella speechless before Eliza spoke up, rolling her eyes "She's kidding."

Hailey reached over and grabbed Madison's hand, intertwining their fingers together. "You're right, we are together. But it's also true that we have started working spells, so if you want to save yourself from being social pariahs then it's generally best not to be associated with us."

Isabella and Eliza blinked, looked at each other, and then threw their heads back and laughed together. Hailey and Madison both looked at them as if they'd both sprouted a second head.

Eliza was the first to recover her composure though her response was broken up by giggles. "Isabella just beat up one of the 'cool kids'. I think becoming social pariahs is inevitable; I'm not sure the meter has been invented which could measure just how little we care. Plus, if you are working actual spells I've gotta see how it works! As for the whole gay thing; let's just say you're not the only one with interests in that area." Eliza chuckled softly, looking somewhat self-conscious, though both Hailey and Madison raised their eyebrows to look at the pair of them.

"So if you're okay with company, we can totally be pariahs together." Isabella said, without the slightest bit of humor in her voice. The rest of the table burst out in laughter at her earnest statement; laughter; uncaring of the attention they were getting.


Author's Notes:

This one was so hard to write. I dithered about how to even start the cafeteria fight several times. Especially since we had written out all the bullies in previous chapters. So a quick introduction, no wasted screen time and now the conflict has moved on. I'm not sure if there will be many more school scenes but we'll keep things moving. Chapter 7 took place on a Monday for practical purposes, so this is only mid-week.

There are no current plans to change any particular character's fate. Two were mentioned this week in your comments. I cannot speak to either character at this point, save for keep reading. I do want to mention that Jarjaxle... Edward's actions are identical to the Original, we just didn't explicitly spell them out this early on.

The next chapter will be the last one until April. I am taking a temporary Hiatus to deal with a real life move which will take most of the month to coordinate, eating up most of my spare time (I do work full time as well). I do apologize for the small delay in posting, but I promise this is a set break and will not stretch to months or years. As always I will keep my profile updated with progress news.

Next Chapter: An Artists Rendering of a Bowl of Fruit