(2) "I'm Afraid You're Going To Have To Make A Choice"

Odessa was sitting inside of her quaint cottage, sipping on a piping hot cup of green tea. Gently, she blew on the steaming contents and took a tentative sip. She nodded her head, satisfied with the temperature and the taste. She brought out a notepad and started writing down everything she needed to do that day. She was getting ready for her decennial vacation, a vacation she used to travel the world and experience the differences years made. She needed everything sorted before she left for a month. It was a hassle, but she loved exploring the world and updating herself on the latest trends. She sighed as she looked at her list:

Find a couple willing to rent out the cottage

Clean the cottage

Pack personal belongings in the chest and hide it

Make sure there are no bloodstains in the house

It wasn't an extensive list, but the time and effort that everything took made Odessa whine in protest. She rose from her seat and poured herself another cup of tea. Instead of staying inside, she opted to sit outside and let the breeze tangle itself in her wavy dark-brown hair. She relished in the feel of the breeze on her skin. It was the middle of October, and the Icelandic air was crisp. The pitter-patter of rain sounded overhead as it bounced off the small porch roof.

She looked out at the vast expanse of green, watched the sun slowly descend to touch the earth, and appreciated her decision of moving there. She had wanted a fresh start and to be alone with her thoughts. When she had seen the ad years ago to buy the cottage, she had jumped at the opportunity.

Bored with nothing to do, Odessa decided to get a start on her list. She started packing her belongings first, knowing that it would take the longest. She started taking stuff off the walls, carefully packing away the few paintings and pictures that dotted their surfaces. Coming to an old heirloom, she halted her activities. It was a mirror surrounded by intricately detailed gold. Real gold. It was her grandmother's favorite mirror, a family gift passed down through her father's family.

Every morning, her grandmother would brush her hair in front of it and stare at herself while muttering about how fine of a day it was going to be. She told Odessa that when she was tall enough to see her reflection, she should do the same. It was an opportunity to smile in the mirror and tell yourself that no matter what, the day was going to be good. That was wat her grandmother told her, and those were words Odessa lived by.

So, as the morning rays peeked in from her curtains and danced upon her skin, Odessa took the time to do just that. She used her fingers to comb through her dark-brown waves. Her eyes took in her face for the first time in years - oval face; brown skin; small, expressive, teak eyes; a wide nose that still managed to slightly upturn; thick moderately arched eyebrows; dimples by the corners of her mouth when she smiled. She looked so much like her mother. She was grateful. Taking one more moment to stare at her reflection, Odessa said, "Today will be a good day," before packing it away with the rest of her things.

A week later, when everything was ready - the couple was set to move in tomorrow, the food was thrown out, bloodstains were gone, personal belongings were stuck in a chest in a remote location, and the cottage was cleaner than it had ever been - Odessa made haste to get to the ocean to board the boat that would take her to Canada. She was going to start in Labrador and was going to end in British Columbia.

She was almost to the dock when she felt a presence coming up fast behind her. She thought about outrunning the two beings but knew that it was too late. She hadn't sensed them early enough and running would only give way to a chase. Odessa planted her feet firmly on the ground and turned in their direction. Her body was tense and ready for a fight, should the need arise.

Two figures entered her vision at the same time. A man and a woman. The woman was a stereotypical beauty - long, blonde hair cascading down her back, a tall form with curves accentuating a nice bust and hips. The man was tall, as well, with bulging muscles and short, black, slightly curly hair. Both of their eyes were golden in color. A friendly shade opposed to the bloodied ones she was used to. Both were guarded.

"Can I help you?" Odessa asked in a clear, stern voice.

"Are you Odessa Douglas?" the man asked her. She narrowed her eyes at his usage of her last name. She detested it and hadn't heard it in over a hundred years.

"Who's asking?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow. She did not want to continue their conversation without knowing their identities. She didn't want to give out information to the wrong people.

"I'm Emmett Cullen and this is my wife Rosalie," Emmett introduced. The last name 'Cullen' rang familiar bells in her head. She tilted her head in thought as she wondered where on earth she had heard that name before. She pieced it together when she looked into their eyes again. Rumors of a clan surviving solely on the blood of animals hinted as to who she was talking to.

"You're part of the 'vegetarian' coven," she said matter-of-factly.

"Yes," Rosalie said. "And we need your help."

Odessa sighed. If they needed her help, then their conversation would take a long time, what with the explanations and the questions. She wanted to get to her destination and start her vacation. For far too long she had been holed up in her cottage, afraid to leave the safety of her sanctuary.

"Explain. Quickly," she rushed them.

"I'm afraid it's a matter that can't be rushed," Rosalie said. Odessa huffed and stomped her foot, allowing a hint of her age to show.

"I'm in a hurry. You have five minutes to explain before I leave," Odessa warned them.

"Fine," Rosalie snapped. "Our brother got his human mate pregnant. The child was born as a hybrid, something we've never seen before. Unfortunately, the Volturi caught wind of her and believe that she is an immortal child. They are coming to destroy her and our entire coven."

"Wow. That was easy enough to explain," Odessa said in feign amazement.

"Not really," Rosalie disagreed. "There are still details that you need to know."

"So, what does that have to do with me?" Odessa asked, ignoring Rosalie's comment.

"We need witnesses - people who can attest to the fact that she is not an immortal child and that we are innocent," Emmet said.

"So, you want me to help you die," Odessa said with a laugh. "Like that's ever going to happen."

"We just need enough witnesses to stop them in their tracks. We only want to talk to them, to sort everything out. It shouldn't come to a fight," Emmet said.

"It shouldn't, but it most likely will," Odessa said. "I am not willing to die for a child I don't know."

She turned to leave but stopped when Rosalie spoke.

"We know you're a hybrid, just like Renesmee. We can hear the blood pumping through your veins, no matter how faint the sound is. How can you allow another of your kind to die?"

Odessa stiffened, then whirled around. She was enraged that anyone knew of her existence. The whole point of moving to Iceland was to get away from others; to keep herself safe and away from prying eyes. She was not willing to sacrifice her safety to save someone else. She was selfish and a bit cruel, but she didn't care. None of that mattered if she was always on the run, or if she was dead.

"How do you know about me? Who told you? Was it Joham? Answer me!" she screamed. She ran towards them, targeting Rosalie for setting her off. Emmet stopped her attack. He grabbed her around her middle and threw her away from his wife. She tumbled along the ground and came to a stop a few meters away from them. Fighting was not her strong point.

"Look," Emmet said. "We didn't come here to fight you or to force you to come with us. We have a lot more stops before we can go home. It's up to you to decide. If you want to help us, we maintain a permanent residence in Forks, Washington."

"As I said, I'm not willing to risk my life and my safety for some child," Odessa sneered. "Now, you can take your leave."

Odessa was content with how the conversation ended, so she made to leave; however, the blonde had different plans. The woman grabbed Odessa's upper arm and pulled her close to her. Odessa snarled and bared her teeth.

"Let. Go," Odessa warned. She enunciated every word.

"You're hiding because of what you are, right?" Rosalie asked heatedly. "You're rare, and the more people who know of you, the more danger you'll encounter. That's why you hide here all alone, right?"

"You don't know anything," Odessa grounded out.

"You'll let a girl, not even a year old, face the dangers you're trying so hard to run away from? Don't be such a coward," Rosalie angrily said.

"I am not being a coward. I'm being smart! You have no idea what I have gone through, the horrors I have had to face! " Odessa yelled. "So, if you and your family want to be stupid and announce to the entire vampire world what you have, then leave me out of it!"

She ripped her arm out of Rosalie's grasp and stared the blonde down. Emmett, sensing the tension, grabbed Rosalie's hand and pulled her to him.

"Let's go, Rose," he said.

"If you really wanted to keep your safety, you'd help us," Rosalie said stubbornly. "Once the Volturi knows about hybrids, you're as good as dead."

"Whatever," Odessa grumbled. She walked away from the duo and continued her way to the dock. She didn't care what they had to say. She wasn't going to change her mind or her decision. She wished all the best for the girl, but she wouldn't get involved. It was too risky. Besides, she didn't want to run into him. He'd never let her go this time.

Odessa could remember the moment she could understand her surroundings, or lack thereof. Her hearing came first, letting her know there was someone nearby. The voice came out distorted at first, sounds and syllables she couldn't make sense of invaded her eardrums and made her squirm in discomfort. Eventually, she could make out what was being said. Oftentimes, it was the same voice speaking to her. Sometimes it was very orotund - confident and clear. Other times it was quiet and hoarse.

"Yer gettin so big," the voice trailed off before returning. "Dis yer Ma. I has most forgot dat I won't see ya. Marsa Joham don't deserve ya. He won't neva be yer Pa. I's s'pose to protect ya. I kin feel ya move round. Alls I want is tuh hold ya n love ya. Ain't yer fault. Marsa Joham wus too strong. I weren't strong enough tuh fight him," the voice said, crying softly. "My Ma's worry bout us. Ma lost alluh us chillun. She don't wan lose me too. Marsa Joham says she kin move in tuh da house tuh take care of ya. When I goes, shill bring ya up real nice. Yer fixin tuh come any day na. Grow big. Get strong. Be free."

Her touch came next. Slimy, wet, enclosed. She was in a tight space that allowed little to no movement. It was a bit stretchy, but it had its limits, and when those limes were reached, the voice that talked to her would cry out in pain. She learned not to move too much. She wanted to hear more of that voice, wanted to let more of its honey-soaked words to wash over her and comfort her.

Her sight came last, and boy was she surprised to take in her temporary home. It was small, and it was dark. There was no source of light, and she found herself bumping into things the more she tried to make sense of her surroundings. It was this confusion that led her to cause tremendous pain to her carrier - to the voice. The voice screamed out in pain and Odessa started panicking. There was a lot of movement causing her to swish around, and eventually, a small sliver of light invaded her eyes. She squinted against the harsh light and reached out for the huge hands moving towards her.

Odessa blinked her eyes and stared at the world around her in wonder. The world she had been accustomed to for a month had been dark and wet, but the new one around her was colorful, dry, and so pretty! She let out a noise of happiness, startling the other people in the room. She felt herself being passed to a separate set of hands. She glanced at the person who was holding her and immediately started crying. A woman with dark skin, deep brown eyes, and short, kinky hair laid still beneath her. Odessa couldn't fathom what death was at that time in her life, but she knew that whatever happened to the woman was bad.

"There, there, child," a man said to console her. Odessa quit crying and sniffled, glad that she wasn't by herself with the woman. He should be able to help her. She looked at the man who talked to her and observed his features. He had dark long hair, strong features adorning his face, and glowing eyes drenched with a menacing red. Odessa wailed when she saw them and closed her eyes.

"Hush, now," the man said strongly. "Your mother may be dead, but I, your father, am still here."

'Mother?' she thought. 'Father?'

She recalled similar words being used outside of her small, wet home. The voice mentioned that word, mother, and the other one, father, many times before. Odessa wracked her brain to remember just what the voice said about those two things.

"Come," her father said as he picked her up. His hands were cold against her flesh, causing her to shiver. He tutted and wrapped a blanket around her, swallowing her in a soft cocoon. Odessa sighed in relief.

"There is much to prepare you for."

"Translation"

"You're getting so big, the voice trailed off before returning. "This is your mother. I forget that I won't get to see you. Master Joham doesn't deserve you. He won't ever be your father. I'm supposed to protect you. I can feel you move around. All I want is to hold you and love you. It's not your fault. Master Joham was too strong. I wasn't strong enough to fight him, the voice said, crying softly. "My mom's worried about us. Mom's lost all of her children. She doesn't want to lose me, too. Master Joham says she can move into the house to take care of you. When I go, she'll bring you up real nice (raise you). You're going to come any day now. Grow big. Get strong. Be free."