Chapter 9: Cat and Mouse
It was six weeks later when Alice got a vision containing James. She believed that the family needed to know with only the slightest hesitation. It was a relief to be on the same page, since we hadn't been regarding most things when it came to Bella. I would tell Charlotte and Peter the vision over the phone, since it was Christmas break and classes didn't start for another week.
Once everyone was seated, Alice told them, "James decided to call in a favour. He recruited a guy named José." Then, she handed over the rendering of him she had made.
"He'll probably make his next move soon," I told the family.
"And it will be his last one," Emmett stated firmly.
Emmett's certainty was important to him, and it boosted the family, but generally the family didn't seem to grasp how if an enemy was patient enough and clever enough, they could out manoeuvre you and your strength had little role in your defeat.
It had been a year with the Cullens. Alice was ecstatic, as if all her dreams had come true at once, which I suppose they had. Her emotions were fantastic to be around, so unless she went to be around humans, I was by her side almost constantly.
One day it happened that it was just Esme and I in the house. It spoke to Carlisle's trust in me, or his stupidity, that he left his woman alone with me.
Enjoying her emotions while she fiddled with the house some and then worked, I stayed in close proximity to her.
Over the afternoon her curiosity rose.
"Ask your question," I eventually requested, as it was interfering with my enjoyment of her vibes.
Looking a little bashful and emitting a low level of fear, most likely given her character at being forthright, she nevertheless asked, "Why are you remaining near to me?"
Aware that my answer would give away some of my ability, I weighed the cost, and determined that I was ready to test the Cullens. Giving her strategic information would create the appearance that I trusted her more than the others. After working through all the potential fallouts and options as much as possible, I decided to go ahead and explained that how she was feeling radiated from her, and my enjoyment of it. I would interrogate Alice about the potential outcomes of the decision when she returned.
"That's why you follow Alice around?" she checked.
Smiling at what she had taken away from my comment, I nodded in agreement.
She smiled hesitantly and asked, "Do you have a gift?"
Her question was expected, as the information I had provided all but spelled it out. Weighing the cost of confirming, I determined that this bit more wouldn't offer the coven anything that would allow them to defeat me easily, especially as I suspected that Edward already knew that I was aware of the emotions around me.
Making a purposeful decision, so I could have Alice tell me potential outcomes, I told her, "I can sense the emotions in an environment."
She frowned and then mused, "That must have been challenging in the Southern Conflicts."
Shrugging noncommittally, I said nothing unsure of how to explain myself.
"Well, in that case, I'm glad that my presence is enjoyable," she told me with a sweet smile and then went back to what she was doing.
Many hours passed. Her reaction was within my expectations, although certainly on the sweeter and inviting side. Mulling over the advantages and disadvantages of giving more of myself away to her, as well as seeing it as an opportunity for the advancement of me infiltrating their coven, given my assessment of how it functioned, I decided to inform her, "In addition, I can use my ability to go deeper into a person's feeling world, past just what they send out. May I?"
"Of course," she replied easily. "You have my permission to do so anytime. I wish for you to get to know me better and feel welcomed in our home. It seems like a great way of doing so."
Even though I thought her foolish for giving me such a carte blanche entry into her inner life, I simply thanked her and warned her, "Both of my friends had different experiences when I entered their emotional life."
"Do I need to do anything?" she checked.
"No," I answered, "just keep doing what you were doing."
She paused a moment and then returned to the drawings of some building creation she had been working on. Using my ability to enter into just the top layer of her emotions, she stilled.
"What is it?" I asked, curious and eager to gain feedback.
"It feels disconcerting, like I'm being undressed. It's not like Edward's gift at all where I can't even tell he's using it," she explained.
The information was incredibly helpful, and her giving it voluntarily confirmed my estimate of her being the best entry into using my ability on the coven. She was too sweet, giving, and trusting for our world.
"Shall I stop?" I wondered, as Peter had welcomed me in, pulling me in deeper, while Charlotte had reacted like it was a fun experience.
"No," she said contemplatively. "Can you adjust how you do it so my awareness of it will be different?"
"Sure," I answered, fairly certain that it was possible, even if I had never thought to try it before.
Taking her request as implicit permission, I picked out the affection and concern that she exuded nearly all the time. I imagined my ability as wisps of probes leaving me and entering her, but wrapped with those feelings, so that my probing was hidden.
It seemed to be working, as she smiled and seemed to settle into my presence, as if I wasn't there.
At the surface she was studious, focused, pleased, with momentary spikes of frustration or confusion. The next layer held a strange combination of restlessness and contentment. Underneath she was satisfied, content, grateful, anticipatory, and the kind of sad, which means missing. Below those were sadness from a lingering loss, defeat, fear, and hope. Interestingly, the layer above her deepest feelings was where her connection with Carlisle dwelt, which led me to believe that her deepest layers were the ones at her turning. Most likely she had covered up these deepest layered feelings with her vampire life as Carlisle Cullen's wife and her caring of the other coven members. Her feelings towards Carlisle were wondrous to behold, and just like when I experienced Peter and Charlotte's, I sent the connection intertwining trust and appreciation. It held much of what I had expected given their stories. Esme was sending him devotion, gratitude, care, desire, lust, and submission, and she was receiving appreciation, acceptance, tenderness, care, protectiveness, and lust.
Withdrawing from her, I imagined my probes leaving droplets of gratitude and geniality. Remaining statuesque, I waited to see how she responded monitoring her continuously. She was more relaxed and comfortable than before, almost as if I had become a piece of furniture in her room. It was only when a car could be heard heading toward the house that she stopped her work. When she rose she was briefly startled and surprised to see me.
"That was lovely," she commented before leaving the room.
Without even knowing it, she had taught me how to use my ability in an even more subversive manner than I had known was possible. However, I did note that more of my energy was drained. Her ending comment had a touch of her wishing for me to do so again. I would the next time we were alone, as it gave me the opportunity to learn more about my ability. It had definitely been worth giving away this bit of me to her. Filing what I learned away as something to tell Peter, I decided to leave the house, so Alice knew to find me when she returned. Additionally, my time in the wood would allow me privacy to assess what I had learned about Esme without concern about being in Edward's range.
When Alice found me, she relayed what her visions had offered as possible options. They confirmed that my decision was likely to not lead towards Carlisle expelling me. Rather, it seemed, according to her, mostly likely that Carlisle would seek me out to learn more about my ability. That had certainly been one of the least likely of the scenarios I had expected. It spoke to how poor I still was at predicting Carlisle.
The next few days Edward's emotions indicated an increased amount of distrust towards me, while Esme could be found near me, even though none of her emotions indicated that she was actively seeking out my company. It made me wonder if how I had used my ability had emotionally inclined her towards me. In the past I had used emotions nefariously to create a false allegiance towards me. However, I hadn't used any of those tools, so her behaviour was very curious. After reasoning it out, I concluded that to get to the bottom of it, I would need more test subjects. If more of the coven responded similarly to her, then I could draw firmer conclusions.
It took Carlisle four days after my time with Esme for him to ask me to take a run with him.
He eventually stopped beside a stream emitting concern and curiosity. "Edward says that you used your gift on Esme and wished to again?"
The fact that he didn't even ask to confirm that I had an extra ability signalled to me that Edward had, in fact, picked up my mental noting of the emotions in the environment and reported them. Filing that away for later, in order to find a way to keep even this aspect of my ability away from Edward, I replayed Carlisle's words in my mind. His concern seemed to be about me actively using it, rather than passively, since he had said naught about it before.
"I got her permission," I defended, wanting to pull out of him what was his true accusation.
With my statement his curiosity became stronger and his concern decreased. "Yes, Esme said as much. She had nothing much else to say about it except that she felt better for it afterwards, lighter, like a burden had been taken from her. Are you healing her in some way?"
If not for my years with Maria, without doubt my shock at his question would have been apparent. Even still, I had to actively work to keep the feeling from exploding from me. Not only had he willingly given away all of his tactical advantage freely, but also had assumed the best of my intentions and something I didn't even know was possible.
It would have been to my benefit to allow him this misdirection, but I decided on transparency, as a form of returning the olive branch he seemed to wish to extend to me. Not to mention, since he prized honesty, that it was a more likely path in gaining his increased trust. It also meant another consultation with Alice to aid in me strategising how to manage the consequences of this conversation.
"Anything she experienced was a side effect. I was simply trying to use my ability to get to know her better."
He nodded in acceptance, but he was slightly disappointed.
"I can understand the tactical advantage and perhaps your previous need to hide your gift, but I had hoped that by now you would have been comfortable enough to confide in me," he told me.
His words had this odd combination of a dressing down and compassion.
It wasn't Maria's method of keeping her offspring in line, by any means, but I could see its effectiveness for the likes of those he had turned. It did little to or for me.
Choosing to inveigle him by offering additional truthful information, especially as he seemed to want more, I explained plainly, "My ability allows me to pick emotions in the atmosphere and when I focus on an individual, how they are feeling."
"Yes, Esme's description implied something like that," he offered back and returned to his contemplative state. Perhaps he knew her well enough to be aware of her deepest states and had been hoping for something. "I didn't fully understand Esme's explanation."
"I can't explain it better than I told you," I replied.
He seemed to ponder this.
As his curiousness rose, I realised how much he would expect me to give away. Consequently, I began to determine how much of this aspect of my ability that I would be willing to part with at this time.
"Emotions radiate from a person?" he seemed to enquire as confirmation, so I simply nodded in the affirmative. "But you can use your gift to discern a person's feelings beyond this?"
"Deeper," I corrected, as doing so gave me no tactical disadvantage.
"Deeper?" he questioned sounding confused.
"It's like layers," I tried to explain. "The ones radiated are the top ones."
His eyes became calculating and his mind seemed to be exploding with questions while his emotions mirrored these observations.
"Humans and vampires?" he questioned.
"I can only speak to vampires," I answered trying not to offend him that using my ability in the way I did on Esme on a human would have been a waste of my energy.
Surprisingly for the strength of his curiosity, it seemed to be restrained by his sense of propriety and values, including respecting me, even though I had done nothing to earn it.
Instead he requested, "Please forgive Edward for sharing your thoughts with me. He gave no details except the statement I told you. He works at respecting other's privacy, but is very protective when it comes to Esme."
"Certainly," I allowed as it had been expected he would be spying on me and reporting to his Coven Master, and as Esme was Carlisle's.
Actually, both of their reactions were extremely reserved from what I expected. Perhaps it was his way of luring in the enemy. Like a carnivorous flower, he presented pleasantness and caring until you were entrapped. Perhaps his reaction was because Esme had petitioned him on my behalf. The idea that I might need a champion was preposterous, but it fit Esme. She wanted Alice to stay, yes, but out of all the family she was the only one who strongly hoped I would become a family member rather than remaining a guest.
After a minute he asked, "Could you use your ability with me, as you did Esme, so that I can understand better what she is speaking about?"
He was testing me, wanting to know my capacity, which was expected.
Esme had said that she couldn't tell when Edward was using his ability. Maybe she was accustomed to it, as I could register when he was actively using his ability on me, but not when he was close enough for his ability to pick up my thoughts. His digging into my mind wasn't unpleasant, but I suspected his ability was much like mine. In fairness he hadn't actively used his ability on me after the first month until recently, so maybe he didn't explore Esme's thoughts, and only used that aspect of his ability with strangers to assess lies, intentions, and danger. My hypothesis fit the information I had gathered thus far, but it had not been confirmed as of yet.
Selfishly, I wanted to practice the trick that I had done with Esme again. Also, I wanted Carlisle to associate what I could do with Edward's ability, in order to make it less threatening to him, and hopefully decrease his reservations, placing me in a more secured position. Lastly, if I were to gain access to the others, his approval seemed tactically wise. Starting with Esme had worked better than I had expected, and confirmed what Alice had told me. Hopefully, I could use his request as an opportunity to continue my objective.
All those reasons combined made it easy for me to say, "Yes, but it won't be exactly the same, as everyone's emotional signature is different."
He was confused again, but said nothing about it and only replied with, "Thank you for the clarification." Then, enquired, "Do I need to do anything?"
"No," I answered, stilling myself.
Two primary emotions that Carlisle sent off almost continuously were curiosity and compassion. Retrieving from my memory a moment when I had felt those two intertwined into a way that was unique to Carlisle, I used it to coat my probes. Under his curiosity, confusion, and concern was compassion, care, a yearning mixed with curiosity, and the weight of duty. Like Esme, there was a muddled space prior to the next layer, which contained appreciation, tenderness, care, affection, and protectiveness. There I also found his feelings for Esme was along with his feelings towards Edward, Emmett, and Rosalie. They matched my observations, which was that he had a strong connection with Esme, an equally strong connection with Edward, a mild connection with Emmett, and a frayed connection with Rosalie. Under all these, however, was fear, melancholy, self-loathing, and rejection, like Esme, most likely reflecting his emotional state when turned. While removing my ability I left droplets of gratitude. Then, right before everything was pulled back into myself, I left droplets of respect.
When his eyes focused back on me he thanked me.
"Could you describe it?" I hoped.
"It has a similar experience to Edward's ability, rather than Aro's, but the after effects remind me of Corin," he mused.
His answer was far less helpful than Esme's had been. Tilting my head to the side, I presented curiosity, unwilling to reveal how my ability could also alter his emotions, since what I had demonstrated was similar to Edward's, and thus something familiar to him.
"Your ability to communicate clearly from a physical expression only is certainly an interesting skill," he offered bemused and then said, "Aro has the ability to read every thought you've ever had, but he must touch you. His gift has the sense like a part of you is being sucked into him. It's not unpleasant as such, but odd. Corin naturally emits an emotion around her that is like being content, so removing yourself from her presence brings disappointment and a desire to return to her, simply because the feeling is so pleasant."
It was hard to fathom that the Volturi were so confident in their power that Carlisle lived with them, and left with this knowledge without a vow to keep such information secret.
"Can you be any more specific?" I questioned, awed at the idea that coating my probes was being compared to this Corin's ability.
He mulled it over before he offered, "The best I can say is that what you did was like the part of me that drove me to become a doctor was palatable in a way that it isn't usually and travelled from my skin into my centre. Then, right at the end I became more grateful and the world seemed like more than a blessing than usual."
"Thank you for the clarity," I offered to him, pleased at how effective it had been.
He had given me far more than he could have imagined, and inadvertently given me additional ideas of how my ability could be used. The ability to increase the feelings a person most liked about themself would be a powerful aftereffect. Esme's draw towards me made more sense, if his explanation was accurate.
It took longer than I had expected for James to make a move against us, but three months later there was a staged car crash near the end of our driveway. It was on a Saturday, a day when the whole family was almost guaranteed to be home at some point. The two girls in the car were seniors who had been on the prom committee with Alice two years past. The fact that Alice had been required to be on the committee did not matter in the face of their deaths.
Alice was distraught. She had seen the girls in a snippet, but had no idea what it meant. By the time Edward had gone to one house and Emmett to the other, it had been too late.
When the Chief showed up at our house to ask routine questions, Alice was sobbing heavily in Esme's arms.
"Alice knew the two girls," Carlisle explained to the Chief, sadness coating his tone.
After some polite and then routine questions, the Chief asked if he had any information we could offer.
"Unfortunately, no one heard anything," Carlisle told him. "Perhaps if someone had been outside the sound might have carried, but the weather has been unpleasant."
"Yes," Charlie replied tersely. Then, looking at Alice he told her, "Sorry for your loss," before leaving and getting back into his cruiser.
How many times tonight would he repeat those words?
"Six," Alice answered a few seconds later between sobs.
The feeling of the house was heavy with sadness, but it seemed improper to lighten it.
"We cannot protect every human you ever spoke to, Alice," Carlisle said sadly speaking the obvious. "This is on James, not you."
She seemed to be absorbing little of his words.
"Should we stop our classes?" Edward offered trying to keep his eyes off of Alice, but clearly wanting to comfort her.
You should offer her your support when she's ready to leave Esme's arms, I told him.
He looked at me incredulously like he couldn't believe my suggestion.
I care that she is soothed and sees that she is not to blame for these events. Who comforts her is irrelevant to me, I detailed to him, choosing not to add how our physical contact would allow her feelings to pull me under and possibly reduce my ability to strategise, which is where my focus needed to be. Alice would care more that I kept Bella and the other humans safe over me holding her.
This was only the first shot across the field. Grudgingly I had to admire how James' actions both put the family in the firing range, and brought no risks to the supernatural world. It was infuriating how close to our home whoever had staged it had been. It was insulting, which was probably the point. This was meant to rattle our mental fortitude and it was working.
Parts of who I had been as Maria's Major came from my inner shadows. Peter had been correct. Although not the first tools to be used, my skill sets were necessary at times. James was proving to be more skilled than I had estimated. I needed to be at my top game, which meant utilizing all the things Maria had taught me.
"The quarter is almost finished," I proposed, believing that altering our lives abruptly would indicate to James that we were shaken. How we appeared to him was critical to this game he was insistent on playing.
Fortunately, no one objected.
"We are agreed," Carlisle said sadly.
It was assuring to know that they trusted my suggestion so thoroughly.
It took until almost three in the morning for the humans to completely clear the scene and go home. By then, Alice was only slightly calmer. We went down and investigated it together. It was very well constructed, almost as good as we would have done. That in itself was incredibly worrisome. All three males scents were present, but James had rubbed himself on a tree and then up higher than any human would have seen wrote "You're welcome at my side anytime Mary Alice Brandon."
James ability to not only plan such a scene of carnage, but execute it was impressive. His capacity to be in the human world as well as his level of self-control in order to get what he wanted only increased the danger he posed to humans and the family. That along with him knowing about Alice's ability made him a very dangerous enemy.
Edward carried Alice back to the house, speaking softly into her ear trying to calm her.
"I'm going to go on a run to think and check our borders," I told everyone. "Be back in a few hours."
"We need to request a meeting with the Quileutes at first light," Carlisle reminded me. "Please return before then."
Nodding in agreement, I ran from the scent of blood, from the anger and shock of the family, and my sense of failure in reaction to the gleeful taunting in James' note. Hoping that James had stuck around to watch Alice's reaction, I ran a perimeter grid pattern finding his scent three miles from the house up a tree. It was too close and another taunt. Afterwards I called Peter and reported the events.
"We shalln't leave her side," he vowed before disconnecting the call.
By the time I returned home, my brain had come up with at least a thousand ways for him to harm us and none for how we could track him down and end him. Neither he nor Laurent had yet to leave a scent trail we could follow, and no one had even come across José's thus far. Moreover, he was keeping off Alice's radar until it was too late, as if he knew how to use her ability against her. We had begun searching different locations that could be a bolt hole, but the peninsula was a big geographical area to cover, while also ensuring that the Fork's townspeople weren't left vulnerable to an attack. Thus far our searches had turned nothing up.
The meeting with the Quileutes did not go well. It was a struggle to convince them that us leaving would not solve the problem, and the four of us withdrawing from college did little to assuage their anger.
Alice stayed home the next week, called Bella, claiming she was sick, and requested that I play currier for her schoolwork.
Arriving early to campus, Peter and I met up. After I told him about the Quileute meeting, he stated evenly, "This is only going to escalate."
"I've already told the Cullens as much," I sighed.
Peter stopped, looked at me, and in that weird tone he got time from time, told me, "Move Bella to Forks."
Everything about the moment reminded me of a past one when Peter had given me the first of such warnings. It had significantly decreased our losses and probably saved my life. Instinctively, as if we were in the past once more, I grasped the sides of his neck, drew all of his emotions into me intentionally, like an in breath taking them into my inner most parts, while simultaneously sent all of my emotions into him. It was a use of my ability that I hadn't done since before Charlotte had been turned.
Stepping back, I told him, "A united front."
He put his hands on the side of my shoulders and vowed, "Until we are ash."
"Until we are ash," I agreed.
Usually when the male newborns woke up, they did so enraged at me, naturally, since I had was the thief who had stolen them from their human life and caused them pain beyond language. Peter didn't. Peter woke up, went to a crouch like other newborns, but rather than snarl, looked around as if categorizing everything. When his eyes landed on me, he froze momentarily and then, with a look of deep concentration, stood up some.
"Drink?" he asked, although it seemed difficult for him to do so. "My throat," he tacked on, as if it were important information to share.
I pointed to the humans.
He paused a moment, nodded at me, as if figuring something out, and then leaped at them.
When they were dry he stood up and examined me critically. "You changed me," he accused me.
"Vampire," I supplied, agreeing with his assessment.
"You?" he asked.
"Major Jasper Whitlock, your sire, Master, and commanding officer," I stated.
"Me servant?" he muttered, seemingly unaware that I could hear him.
"You are my changeling and under my command until you are ash," I told him, knowing that Maria would have me end him at his year mark.
"Ash?" he verified.
"You'll learn," I explained.
"More?" he asked.
Just then another changeling was getting close to awakening.
"Name," I commanded.
"Peter," he answered automatically, as if it was a reflex.
"Stand over there," I instructed, "and hold your breath. Another of your troop is awakening, as you did. Food is coming for him. If you try and take it, you will be severely punished."
He moved to where I had instructed.
This one was more usual. He opened his eyes, jumped into a crouch, and then launched himself towards me. The humans that had been brought in just moments before caught the newborn's attention, and he altered his trajectory towards them. Even though dead humans were not Maria's favourite way of awakening a newborn to this life, I had convinced her after a few decades, although the soldier who had brought them broke their necks right before dropping them off. Each newborn got two.
When the newborn finished he growled at me once more.
I growled back. "Go stand there for more," I commanded and pointed to where I had told Peter.
The newborn pivoted to move outside, but I caught and subdued him before he could even begin the manoeuvre.
"I am your master here," I snarled. "Submit or die."
After a few minutes his growls decreased in volume.
Looking over at Peter, he appeared to be holding himself together by sure force of will.
Catching his eye, I told him, "You're doing well. Being thirsty will be your constant companion, unless you perform well in battle. Stop trying to find a way of easing your thirst. Instead, find a way to ignore it."
He grunted, as a form of a reply.
The newborn took these few seconds as an opportunity to try and run, so I removed his legs, and then placed his torso along with the legs next to Peter.
"Keep it up," I commended Peter. "You were the first. There are three more to awaken."
His fists were clenched and his whole body ridged, but he obeyed.
Many times over our decades together Peter had whispered to me, 'until I am ash.' Each time it reminded me of his turning and how unique he had been. It actually had been after meeting Carlisle and learning about extra abilities from him that I contemplated the likelihood that whatever was Peter's extra ability had aided him as soon as he had awoken into his second life.
Him altering the statement 'until I am ash' to 'until we are ash' gave me hope that he had completely internalised my professions that I would defend him and Charlotte until becoming ash.
When we got to the apartment Charlotte looked shaken. It was only then that it dawned on me that what I had done might have impacted their connection.
"I'm sorry," I told her, looking wearily and apologetic at Peter. Offering this time, I asked, "Both of you together?"
He looked at Charlotte who was distressed and confused. It took him over three minutes before he agreed, while Charlotte said that she would agree to whatever Peter decided, but understood that her vow would extend to this as well.
"Stand together in an embrace," I instructed. After they did so, I added, "Stare into each other's eyes and feel the connection you have. Try and purposefully offer it to the other."
They were both disgruntled and irritated, but still obeyed. Never trying this before, I attempted to help them by taking what one was feeling and sending to the other. That seemed to help and after about an hour their emotions were nearly indistinguishable from one another.
"Here goes," I warned Peter.
Then, I put one hand on each of their necks. I pulled their combined union into me and sent myself towards them.
They started kissing passionately. There was lust, but in a small amount. Instead, it was something else, similar to what I had experienced from their connection, but not quite. I went to move my hand, but Charlotte put her hand on top of mine. It felt as if I were experiencing the emotions of being kissed first hand. It was Peter who ended the connection we were sharing by moving away from Charlotte.
"No harm done?" I checked.
He took a moment to assess himself. "Not that I can tell."
"Sit with me in a triangle with our knees touching," I requested, "so that I can confirm that my error didn't disrupt your connection?"
Charlotte opened her eyes wide. "Is that what you did?"
Looking at her as her superior needing her to accept and not ask questions, I replied, "No. I would never do such a thing. Your connection to Peter is something that I would not harm. It was worth saving back then and it still is today."
She looked down and tilted her neck open in a sign of submission.
Gazing at Peter, I questioned him using my ability if he would submit without my need to force it.
He grabbed Charlotte's hand and sat as I had requested, and I placed myself so that we made a type of star with our knees. My hand sat on top of Peter's, while Peter's sat on top of Charlotte's, and hers on top of mine.
Closing my eyes, I used where our skin touched to focus on entering Peter's emotional space, even though his feelings were flowing into me, while I attempted to set aside Charlotte's emotions entering me.
He was worried, but mostly filled with the signature that was their connection. Delving deeper, he contained the complex mixture, which I knew from experience meant that he was getting prepared to fight and soon would be itching to. Going even further was his still evenness of acceptance and contentment, and even more the connection that was uniquely Charlotte and Peter.
Purposefully imagining my probes following the connection from Peter into Charlotte, I focused on her feelings. Charlotte's confusion and worry was fraying her connection to Peter within her a little, so I used my ability to soothe and assure her along with sending her my affection and care. The tension she held dissipated a little and it felt not exactly the same as before, but there was nothing else there concerning.
Satisfied that any damage I might have done had been repaired, I returned my primary focus to the room, removing my hands from touching theirs and sent them small jolts of alertness and excitement. Remaining statuesque until they moved once more, Charlotte's eyes were still unfocused when Bella's door opened.
Bella stumbled to the restroom clearly not fully awake. Charlotte's eyes focused and immediately rested on Peter. She squeezed his hand a little and he returned it.
Below a human range, I verified, "Charlotte of all of me that I've told you about, this is the most dangerous. My life is forfeit if you ever even think about it. Do you get that?"
She looked at me refuting me, "I could never," but before she could finish her statement I interrupted, "You can. You are Maria's creation. This is why she always turned the girls. You could."
Her eyes widened slightly and mental connections could be seen being made in her pupils.
Growling in dominance, I repeated my question.
She lowered her head, and then after a few minutes looked into my eyes fervently, "Yes, I do, and my solemn vow holds, with all the consequences to my bloodline that might entail. Anything else would harm Peter."
It was just then that the bathroom door opened and Bella stepped out a foot. Then, as if she had hit an invisible wall stopped suddenly and turned to us. "What are you three doing?"
"A form of meditation," I replied smoothly.
Her face furrowed in confusion, and then she shrugged moving back to her room.
"We need to talk," Charlotte told her when she was almost at her bedroom door.
"Shower and clothes first," Bella retorted.
Peter caught my eye and sent me his gratitude before pulling Charlotte into his lap.
Moving just a smidge to give them a bit of room, I then closed my eyes and concentrated on probing their feelings as well as Bella's. As Peter's fighting preparation emotions increased, Charlotte's did also, but hers contained more fear, while his had anticipation. Bella was worried and fighting it, trying to dampen it with assurance. Helping her, I added to what she was already doing. Fifteen minutes later she came to join us, showered with a cardboard iced coloured rectangle in her hand. We moved making the same type of triangle, except Peter and Charlotte made one point.
Charlotte looked over at Bella. "Alice is out sick, because two of her high school classmates were killed on Saturday by her stalker. She is distraught, and thus not handling things well. She will finish the quarter, but will not return next quarter."
Bella gasped. She cycled between sympathy, shock, and fear before calming herself with determination.
When I nodded that Bella was ready, Charlotte continued, "We would like to temporarily move to Forks in order to be there as a support to her, but I won't unless you will."
Bella scrutinised Charlotte.
Charlotte sighed. "I'm asking you to move in with your dad and either withdraw from next quarter and work, or change your classes to online."
Bella looked accusatorily at her and then me. Finally her emotions shifted and she questioned, "Alice is one of Dr. Cullen's foster children?"
"As am I," I answered, guessing at where her mind was going.
Seemingly emboldened, Bella pressed, "And how are you related?"
"Peter and I are related," I answered her. "Alice was adopted by Carlisle and Esme."
She nodded like that made sense to her. Then, turning to me watching me critically, she stated, "The Quileutes call your family members leeches and bloodsuckers. Their legends speak of Cold Ones that almost decimated their tribe, and how their ancestor became a wolf in order to protect the tribe. Jake and his friends run hot, disappear at the oddest times, and there are a lot of wolf howls there." She then muttered under her breath, "This sounds crazy." Collecting herself once more and returning to her critical gaze, she told me, "The only logical explanation is that the legends have some truth. They are spirit warriors that appear in wolf form, and Cold Ones exists, which makes you four, as well as probably the rest of the Cullens, enemies of the Quiluetes."
Peter looked at Bella in awe and quoted, "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."
Bella replied with, "There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact."
Charlotte gazed at her earnestly, "In this case the truth is a killer."
Bella smiled sadly, offering, "And there is the Charlotte I have grown to love."
Bella nibbled on her cardboard saying nothing and we waited with her.
Looking at Charlotte, she asked, "Is Alice's stalker a danger to her?"
"Yes," she answered seriously, but her emotions indicated that she was incredibly proud and impressed by Bella, as well as awed at her, thus far, lack of freaking the fuck out.
"And my Dad's?" Bella pressed.
"Closer to the stalker, but also to the Quileutes and Cullens, and thus greater safety overall," Charlotte answered.
"You and Peter will come, and find some place to stay in Forks?" Bella asked sounding uncertain and a bit shy.
Peter looked at me, I nodded in agreement, and he answered, "Yes."
She looked between the three of us, raised an eyebrow, and then challenged us, "Jasper makes the decision?"
"About his backyard, absolutely," Peter answered.
"And they're most likely going to stay with us at our place, as Esme is the ultimate hostess," I added.
"Fair enough," Bella replied with a sigh. Then, after some more nibbling on the cardboard declared, "I will alter my classes to online. My Dad will not hesitate to let me move in, but I want to meet the whole Cullen clan."
Peter and Charlotte looked at me.
I shrugged. The real problem was Edward.
"We'll figure something out," I offered willing to do almost anything to make this work.
After a few more minutes and there being silence, Bella stood with Charlotte quickly following. Charlotte opened her arms her emotions indicating her fear of rejection. After a long two seconds of waiting, Bella entered them.
"You are my best friend in every way that matters," Charlotte told her slightly above a human whisper.
Bella pulled back and stared at Charlotte closely, tears in her eyes and her emotions a mix of fear and hope. "You want to keep me?"
"Without a doubt," Charlotte answered grinning widely, and then paused and quietly with trepidation asked, "Do you want to be kept?"
Bella smiled widely, her joy abundant, "Without a doubt."
Charlotte pulled Bella into her arms. "I love you."
Pulling a bit on their affection for one another, I sent it to Peter, so we could both enjoy the moment with them.
Oddly, Bella revealing what she knew about our nature changed nothing in how she behaved, and so us three acted accordingly.
Alice did return to campus the next week, but she wasn't her usual peppy self. I offered, but she didn't want to talk about it.
Bella changed her courses to online and asked the Chief to move in with him. She told him that Alice was having a hard time with the classmates' deaths and was going to take the quarter to support her friend with the intention that she return to on-campus studies in the summer. It was a good cover story. According to Charlotte, he fussed a bit about it, but gave in easily.
The problem with Bella coming to Forks was the melding of Alice's worlds. Thus far they had been kept separate. It was a bit like those first years after we had joined the Cullens. For Alice it was coming home, while for me it was learning a foreign culture.
"You made the right decision," Alice informed me after Carlisle had left me in the woods, him returning to the house and she had joined me.
The idea that there was right and wrong decisions was preposterous to me, as there were only decisions that aided or damaged the campaign. Letting my irritation slide, I asked her, "Which part?"
"Telling him that you gift doesn't heal others," she informed me, "although it's an interesting idea."
"I'm no doctor," I refused.
She paused, "No, but maybe one day you could be the equivalent of a vampire emotional doctor."
"What are the possible futures of my decisions?" I pressed her.
"The only flashes were of the others coming to you," she told me. Her emotions said that she was truthful, but there was too much smugness mixed in for me to trust it completely.
"Alice," I warned her.
She stuck her tongue out at me before adding, "In all possibilities given to me nothing untoward happens, and in many of them you become more bonded to the family."
It wasn't the details I preferred, but it was sufficient for the moment, so I let it go. Chuckling at the ridiculousness of her idea of me becoming a doctor, I then kissed her and enjoyed her company. It was a helpful outlet after using my ability with Esme and then Carlisle.
It was almost a month later when the family was hunting as a group and Rosalie engineered it to get me alone.
"Esme said you helped her," she stated in an accusatory tone, but the feelings she was sending out were hope and yearning.
"That was not my intent," I tried to explain. "I used my ability to learn her better. It was a side effect."
She was disappointed, and I thought about apologising, but decided Rosalie wouldn't appreciate it. It was then to my surprise when she asked, "Will you do it anyway?"
"Sure," I agreed, excited about having a third test subject. "Afterwards could you explain to me how it felt for you?"
She shrugged, uttering, "Why not?" and then lay on the forest floor.
Joining her with about three feet between us, I started.
Using her tenaciousness and protectiveness to coat my probes, I did the same as Esme and Carlisle and explored her gently and slowly almost like a feather's caress. Like Esme and Carlisle her connection to Emmett was at the level above the deepest aspects of her self. Her emotions reminded me a little of Charlotte. She was a fighter, and I could admire that. Leaving her world, I left drops of gratefulness mixed with respect. We stayed on the ground like that for hours until Emmett's footfall could be heard.
"It's like you reminded me of who I truly am. Thank you," she whispered right before he broke through the trees.
Her tone and Emmett's approach caused me to be reluctant to ask her for more details, so I didn't press her to explain herself. I would be patient to get my end of the bargain.
It was only ten days later when I could sense Edward entering my mind. It felt like someone pressing to enter the door I had created in preparation for meeting him. Stay out or I will respond in kind with my ability, I warned him.
He was in his room and I in Alice's. I got no response except him trying again.
I had never attempted to probe someone without line of sight, so was excited to see how it would work.
Warned you.
Using my ability to find his location, I focused on him, imagining myself being able to see him through the walls and ceiling. Instead of how I had handled the other Cullens, although not as ruthless as my exercises with Peter and then practicing them on the battlefield had trained me to be, I did not coat my probes, was quick, efficient, even into his deepest layers, and relentless, even when he became more distressed, and left no droplets as I withdrew.
I cannot help what is in the atmosphere any more than you can, but we can choose to probe deeper or not, I reminded him. Carlisle told me that permission was fundamental to this coven. Next time I won't warn you.
His frustration and disappointment rang out.
Not surprisingly there was a meeting held as soon as Carlisle returned from the hospital. As it was the first time a coven dispute had occurred since our arrival, I was confused and surprised to learn that it would be held at the dining table. Coming into the room to join them, I looked over at Carlisle expressing my emotions through my body.
"To remind us to keep cool heads," Carlisle told me as a form of explanation.
Once everyone was seated, Carlisle explained that Edward had raised a grievance. Relieved to see how an internal coven dispute would be handled, lots of options ran through my head. My assumption was that Carlisle, as a coven leader, would not tolerate anyone attempting to avoid his punishments, and thus any avoider would be burned for such a reaction. Any discipline he used, I imaged was something Maria had already put me through. Thus, I figured that I would survive what would come.
Edward flinched, which I noted as interesting. If nothing else, it confirmed that what I had constructed to keep him out was mostly working as I had intended.
Keep your attention elsewhere if you don't want to be inflicted by my past, I thought purposefully as a warning.
"Edward has raised a complaint that Jasper used his gift against him without permission, thus violating a family expectation," Carlisle stated.
Esme was surprised, Alice wasn't, which meant she had seen this meeting, but had not warned me, Rosalie was disbelieving, and Emmett was curious.
"Edward speak your side," Carlisle requested.
"We were each in our rooms and a sensation came over me like someone was walking over my grave," he spoke like a storyteller trying to get a rise out of the listener rather than a second-in-command giving a report. "Then, everything was more apprehensive and foreboding. Then as soon as it started, it ended. My conclusion was that what I experienced was Jasper's gift."
Esme was concerned, but there was doubt, same as Carlisle, and Rosalie, while Emmett was uncertain. Their belief in me was a rewarding side effect. Inwardly smirking, I was glad Alice hadn't warned me and decided to tell her thanks.
"Jasper," Carlisle indicated.
I reported in detail what had happened from my perspective, including how Edward's probe felt, but I left out the voraciousness in which I had acted, only simply stating that I did it quickly, as a warning.
Rosalie was fuming, which was interesting, causing me to wonder if I had another champion.
Edward frowned.
Maybe she just needed a good reason to stand against you, I mentally stated, as if talking directly to him.
Esme was disappointed, Emmett was upset, and Carlisle was conflicted. My guess was that Eddie boy wasn't used to having someone who could go tit for tat with him, let alone call him on it.
"Edward do you have anything to say in response?" Carlisle questioned.
"I cannot help my gift," he offered as his defence.
"Are you claiming that you cannot control when you probe, as Jasper calls it, others?" Rosalie pressed.
"Sometimes, but not all the time," Edward answered feeling guilty and embarrassed.
After some deliberation Carlisle stated, "As Jasper assumed that you have the same control over your gift as he does, and did warn you, I cannot see Jasper in the wrong. Instead, it seems that Jasper's presence and control of his gift highlights your need to improve the control over your own. As such, if anyone experiences Edward using his gift in the way Jasper described without your permission, unless it's an emergency, please inform me at once."
Everyone got up as if that was it.
Startled that nothing else would happen, I was momentarily stunned.
Then, Emmett stated, "I'm thinking that you're leaving me out of the club. Can you do your mojo to me?"
"Sure," I agreed, pleased to have another test subject.
"Where do you want me?" he asked.
"Anywhere is fine," I told him, so he sat back down.
Oddly everyone else also came back to the table, as if it were a spectacle. Picking out someone amongst others in order to probe them wasn't something I'd done before apart from Peter, which wouldn't count. This prospect allowed me to learn more, so I said nothing except, "Please no one touch him. Physical contact muddles things."
Everyone agreed.
With Edward so physically close, and clearly giving me his attention, I wanted to try another method of keeping him out. It was the perfect scenario, because I'd get almost immediate feedback.
Unwilling to broadcast to Edward what I might learn, I imagined my mind like how emotions were picked up by my ability. Right below the top thoughts that reviewed the meeting, how Carlisle had handled things, and Edward's immaturity, I imagined my probes focused on Emmett and created a monitor that would keep an eye on Edward's emotions. Hopefully this imagery would keep what I learned secret from Edward, while also allowing me to use my ability in two different ways. The challenge was exciting, and I was looking forward to telling Peter about it.
Entering Emmett like I had Esme, Carlisle, and Rosalie, I explored him slowly at first, but his excitement fuelled me to do more, broader, deeper, and quicker. He was a complete open book. There was nothing hidden under other emotions, nothing shielded or protected. His connection to Rosalie was at the deepest level and abiding, encompassing, and vibrated with joy. It was a shame Rosalie's side of their connection wasn't the same. It was also clear that Emmett wouldn't have cared if Edward had picked up on what I learned. It was an entirely refreshing experience for me, reminding me a little of Peter. Leaving him with droplets of appreciation and the joy he carried, when I recentred myself in the room Emmett looked like he wanted to bounce off the walls.
"Now do it like you did our Eddie," Emmett practically begged in an enthusiastic abundance.
"It's Edward," Edward corrected tersely.
"Sure?" I verified.
"Yeah, I'm tough, give it to me," Emmett insisted.
Unwilling to do exactly the same thing, I nevertheless entered Emmett without the coating and rapidly went to the deepest level and back again, and then left no droplets.
"Oh, man," Emmett proclaimed, "that sure does leave a punch." Turning to Edward, he teased, "Guess you'll have to up your game and mind yourself. I don't care, but stay out of my Rosie's head." Looking back at me, he stated, "Thanks."
Shrugging, I didn't know how to take someone thanking me for what was the equivalent of an emotional backhand.
"Don't," Edward warned right before Carlisle replied, "Can't be worse than Jane."
"Jane?" I asked, confused.
"Volturi guard that with a look can cause you to think that you're in the midst of the transformative burning once more," Carlisle explained. Continuing on, he requested, "May I experience what you did to Edward as well?"
Stories I would tell Peter.
"Sure," I agreed, inwardly chuckling at them requesting this. For a moment I considered being gentler than I even had with Emmett.
"Don't," Edward stated looking at me. "Just the same as Emmett. Carlisle is perpetually curious and requested Jane use her gift on him for a short burst to quench his curiosity."
"Yes," Carlisle agreed, "just the same" catching on quickly to the verbalised half of the conversation.
Thus, I repeated what I had done to Emmett in the second round.
When Carlisle's eyes focused once more he concluded, "Yes, quite less painful than Jane, but nevertheless an effective warning." Looking at me, he told me, "The experience cannot be compared. This one was like a slap where the first you performed was like a caress. Very impressive, Jasper, but please refrain from doing that. We have other ways to resolve disputes. I would appreciate it if next time, you came to me or Esme."
Internally grumbling, I nevertheless agreed. It was his coven, after all. Later I mused if Edward's plan all along had been to get me restricted. If so, he had been successful. He had probably hoped to watch my ability through my mind.
He was someone to watch out for.
It was the second to last day of finals when a text from Alice arrived, 911 Bella near Smith Hall on the Quad side.
Peter, Charlotte, and I converged to find Alice and Bella standing side by side on the sidewalk with James in front of them.
He moved his finger to Bella's cheek, but kept his eyes on Alice. "How about now Mary Alice?"
"See you at the library for our study group, Bella," Alice stated her voice sounding dismissive of Bella.
Bella looked at Alice, as if judging Alice's safety, and her heart raced faster, but she moved onto the grass, away from James' grasp, and on towards the library.
All of Charlotte's conversations with Bella about how to respond in different scenarios with James or Laurent or José had seemed a little excessive, but the moment highlighted their wisdom. Bella couldn't have handled the situation better. Especially important was that apart from her human reactions, she had given nothing away, and even her physical reactions had multiple interpretations. It was an impressive display, especially given her awareness of James' inhumanity.
Peter stepped towards Bella along with Charlotte. Sending him my agreement, I walked towards James.
James grabbed Alice's arm, as if he was going to force her with him.
"The lady said no," I stated firmly in a loud voice catching the attention of a number of nearby humans.
At least one dialled campus police.
"She wants to go with me," he told me as if I was thick.
"I don't think so," I disagreed.
He scowled at me and then told Alice, "I will not stop until you submit. You were meant to be mine, but you convinced the orderly to spirit you away. Even after I caught him, he would not tell me your whereabouts, and he hid you so well that I could not find you. But here you are. You were mine from the beginning, but now your protectors owe me, as this Neanderthal's sidekick killed my sweet Victoria. She really was always gullible to a pretty boy."
Unfortunately, his words confirmed my suspicions that he knew how to play Alice's visions against her.
Alice lowered her eyes like she was submitting and sounded apologetic. "I have sworn allegiance to Carlisle Cullen."
"Show me," he insisted.
She lifted off her shirt and raised her right hand displaying where Carlisle had marked her over her maker's bite. He sniffed no doubt confirming her words.
"And she is my companion," I declared.
"Yeah, your spunk is there inside her polluting her sweetness," James stated off-handedly like it was of no consequence, and then looked at me challengingly, "but you and I both know that you aren't taking advantage of that sweet pussy regularly. Makes me wonder how much you truly claim her." He licked his lips and then moved his eyes up and down Alice's body like she was a piece of candy. "When she joins me her rightful place will be by my side. Everyone will know how much I enjoy riding her from a mile away."
He paused as if the image in his mind was worth savouring and then smiled sinisterly. "So, my dear Mary Alice, you have found yourself not one, but two champions. I wonder what it will take for them to throw you at my feet begging me to take you?" Eying me, he decided, "Not much."
Never had I been so grateful for the multiple layers I wore to cover my scars from other vampires along with the ingrained habit I have of running my hands thoroughly over my clothes before putting them on, to help fool someone with a keen sense of smell. Even if other's could not see Peter or my scars, the scent of multiple venoms embedded in our skin often put other vampires on edge. Esme said my methods worked when I had asked her, even if she did so with a note of believing me ridiculous for taking such measures. Keeping our skill set from James was critical for us gaining the upper hand.
James was full of arrogance and excitement, but he had already shown himself to be clever, so we would be fools to underestimate him.
Who would become the cat and mouse only time would really tell, but my money was on James becoming the mouse.