Chapter 14
Understanding from an Unexpected Source
"Hey leech," Julie said sounding ecstatic to hear from me again when she called back just after sunset.
"What's up dog," I answered back. We had both begun teasing each other much like the rest of both the group did but unlike them, we never meant it like the rest did. Between us, it was only playful razzing.
"So ten, huh?" Julie asked. Apparently Bonnie had relayed that much at least.
"Yeah."
There was a slight pause but I knew what she wanted to ask.
"Yeah, not sure how many of you are coming tonight but I have a favor to ask."
Again a slight pause. My hope was that most of them would be there. "Anything Beau."
I smiled. "Could you bring Lee with?"
This pause seemed a little more nervous than before. "Why?" She asked.
Of course I knew why she'd be hesitant to bring him. Lee hated all of us. Heck, he wasn't that interested in helping us at all. He only went along with it because Sam had agreed. "I just need to ask him a couple of things. That's all." This was nothing but the truth, but it would be something that I would need to get him away from all of the rest that could hear like we all could.
"Hmm," I could hear the thoughts spinning in Jules's head. "I guess. That'll make it easier on them, I guess. Sarah's been whining all day that she won't get to come tonight. At least this way it makes some sense to have both of them." Her voice was determined again. "All right, but I'm not gonna force him. If he'll do it, then fine. Otherwise, I guess you'll just have to come here." She was teasing now, her voice sounding more like she was begging me to come to the reservation.
I knew that a few of them were good with me, the new me. Sam was not one of them and neither was Lee. But most of the rest of them were at worst lukewarm towards me. If I went to La Push, everything would depend on who I met first. But there was something in the way she said it made me think that Lee was looking for a reason to come tonight. "That's good Jules. Thanks."
"See ya in a couple hours Beau."
"You too."
After I hung up, the thought of what I was about to do crossed my head again. Carine would be home any minute now and I knew what she'd be bringing. I felt my mouth water from just the through of it. Blood; real human blood. I knew the smell of it would be even harder than anything that my imagination could possibly think of. I wasn't surprised that Royal, Jessamine, and Eleanor had left the house when Archie told them what I would be trying tonight, not wanting to put themselves in to that much temptation. But now I began to long for Jessamine's gift, as apprehension filled me again. What if I liked human blood too much? What if I'd do anything to get it, including killing someone I never met before or worse, maybe even my own family? I'd be no better than those in Seattle right now.
As I felt myself freaking out, Earnest and Archie came back in the house seeing me standing completely stationary next to the phone.
"You'll be fine," Archie whispered as he walked in.
I tried really hard not to think about what I'd be doing in the next few minutes. I had tried as hard as I could to stay away from any temptation that might put me too close to taste human blood and here they were wanting me to try it.
"Just remember what happens if you actually bite someone," Archie said, his voice not showing any nervousness about what would happen. I should have figured as much. In the past three months, we had become best friends like he knew we'd be, so naturally he'd see if I slipped up. "You're different than any of the rest of us. I know it." He pointed to his head again, the again bragging a little bit about his gift.
Confidence filled me again. Had I not told Edythe that I could do anything with her by my side? Well now we were going to put that to the test.
"I still don't get why it has to be tonight," I scoffed. For once, procrastinating seemed like a really good idea.
"There's no reason for it not to be tonight," Archie added, his voice sounding more like singing.
"My eyes?" I asked. I had thought that tasting human blood would make them redder than they had been before. And with the wolves coming, no doubt they'd put two and two together and realized that my eyes being redder had meant that I'd tasted human blood, most likely by killing someone.
"I don't see any change to your eye color from this," Archie said. He was confident in this, so I was as well.
His timing was impeccable as always as no sooner had Archie said the words did I hear the sound or Carine's Mercedes turning off the highway and onto the head of the driveway. For just a moment, the horror from what I was about to do filled my head again. What if I couldn't control myself after tasting human blood for the first time? But then Edythe was at my side, her arms wrapping around my right arm. Could she feel me freaking out? No doubt she could if Jess was within about a mile of me but they had left an hour ago. Knowing Eleanor, they'd be half way up the mountains by now looking for bears and lions. Would she be playing with her food before eating, or should I say drinking them like normal?
As I heard Carine's door close softly, I caught the first faint whiff of what she was carrying and even more venom began pooling in my mouth. It had been about a week since my last hunt so I was thirsty in any case. But what Carine carried promised to quench my thirst like nothing had before. It smelled so tempting that if not for Edythe still holding me, I may have sprinted and wrestled Carine for the bag. But then I remembered again what the price might be if I were to do that and let the desire take over. I couldn't allow myself that first step down the road that led to me being a slave to my instincts. I had to stay logical about this. Archie and Edythe both thought I could handle this.
Carine entered the front room with a look on her face that looked wrong for her. She was nervous about this, there was no doubt about that. But it was more than that. She looked like she knew this was a mistake; like she thought I might set out to massacre the entire town if I liked real blood too much. Only I knew that wasn't going to happen. If the desire for human blood got too strong, I'd simply run until I was in the middle of nowhere until I got my senses back again.
"Are you certain of this Archie?" Carine asked as she set the two bags of donated blood onto the table. Maybe for the first time ever, the dining room table would be used for its intended purpose.
"Yep," Archie said. I'd learned a while ago that with him, the shorter the answer, the more certain he was of anything.
"Well, okay then. Beau, whenever your ready," Carine said offering one of the pouches to me.
It was strange. Even though I wanted to taste the liquid inside the bag, I knew that I didn't really need it. No longer did the desire for it overpower every other sense I had. It seemed that all of my panic from what I was going to do had been a complete overreaction. I'd be okay. As I realized that, I made a slight slit in the top with the fingernail on my left index finger and placed the bag to my lips.
The flavor was indescribable. It was a million times more delicious than any of the animals I had hunted; not even in the same league. And it soothed my throat in a way that no animal's blood ever had before. But still, it wasn't all that sweet that I couldn't resist. It had kind of an off putting flavor to it that I couldn't place. Yes, it was delicious but I was pretty sure that even if I found someone who was bleeding, I probably could resist even then. I wondered briefly if human blood would taste better fresh but that wasn't something I was in a hurry to find out. To answer that would mean I would either kill someone or change them. A couple of times I came close when visiting my dad while he slept to wanting to wake him, knowing that I really wanted him still in my life. And there were only two ways that could happen. One of us could change him; that would have solved a lot for me but was it right for him? Probably not.
The other option would be if there would be some way where he could be in on the secret. The most likely option there would have been if he could be inducted into the Quileute tribe. He and Bonnie had been growing a little closer in the last few months. And for a brief second the thought hit me like a ton of bricks. If somehow he married Bonnie, that would be his in. The two of them were old friends so maybe. But I was pretty sure that ship had sailed. Still, we didn't know why Archie still caught flickers of Charlie. Both he and I hoped it was because somehow he had gotten mixed up with the mess in Seattle.
It felt like forever with the bag to my lips but as I looked at the clock in the dining room, I noticed it was only half a minute when the pouch ran dry and then I set it back onto a plate that was on the table. "It was good, I guess," I commented with a shrug. I didn't really know how to describe it.
Edythe and Carine still looked at me dumbfounded. Archie, on the other hand didn't look surprised in the least.
"Amazing," Carine gasped, the awe evident in her voice.
"What?"
"Your eyes," Carine finished her thought.
I ran to the bathroom at my full speed and looked. Somehow, not only had my eyes not turned redder but they were actually brighter gold than before. I had no idea how this was possible. None of us did. We had all always thought that consuming human blood made our eyes red. Maybe it is something other than that. Was it possible that the eyes being a window to the soul was even more accurate for our kind as it was for humans?
"Did you want to try the other pouch?" Carine asked. "I figured to make the test conclusive we should try with two different blood types. What you had first was AB-. While the other is O+. I didn't want to take any O- since the hospital needs as much of that as we can get, not that it is that frequent an occurrence that we need to administer transfusions."
Even though the other bag did smell a little more appealing, I wasn't thirsty any more. "I'm good, I think."
Edythe looked even more surprised than Carine, but she was also more relieved too. "I knew you were special, Beau. It just turns out that we never realized exactly how much until today."
Carine smiled as she added, "I'm beginning to have doubts about my own control the more and more I see you. It's as if your morality, your sense of right and wrong has carried over and you've come through into this new life with it intact. Normally that takes a decade or more. You really are extraordinary." Her smile was even more brilliant as she finished, her awe now apparent.
"I know I can do anything with you by my side," I declared myself to Edythe again
"Then here I will stay." Our arms wrapped around each other yet again. Confidence filled me. Edythe was the one I couldn't live without. Just a few more weeks; really what was that when the two of us had eternity together? Suddenly it didn't seem soon enough and I felt even more ready than I ever had before. I was ready to marry her; any doubts about that had been completely erased.
Archie and Edythe both smiled, no doubt from what Archie had seen in his mind. I started picturing it again. The whole family, maybe even Tavar and his family would come down from Alaska for it. But then hurt filled me again. My parents would never know the absolute best thing I would ever do and suddenly immortality didn't seem to have the same benefits to it that I had thought before. Even though I didn't stay with him all that long, just a few months really, I missed my dad. I thought I'd give anything to see him again.
Quickly Carine returned the other bag of blood to the hospital, no doubt doing everything she could to be undetected. But she still returned before the others did.
Before she returned, all the other got back. "So how'd it taste Beau?" El prodded. "Come on; best thing you ever tasted, wasn't it?"
I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess; it was okay," I answered.
"Okay?!" Eleanor screeched. She threw her hands up in frustration. "I'm beginning to think you're not even a vampire. Human blood is just okay," she said trying to mock me. I knew she was trying to upset me but it wasn't going to work. Did she want me to best her again in a test of strength?
"Impressive," Jessamine commented, "but perhaps we should test you for real."
My eyes got wide from panic and I wasn't sure if it was Jess or just au naturel. Was she really suggesting what I thought she was? That I should be near someone who was really bleeding? Shaking my head, the only thought that passed through was that it was a horrible idea.
"Not sure that's the best idea right now," Archie said as he swept Jessamine into his arms and off her feet. "Those mutts will be here in about twenty." I was so relieved by Archie's help, even if I was irritated by his insulting Jules and her friends.
"How bout you just prove you're actually a vampire then?" Eleanor challenged as she slid next to me at the table, placing her elbow on the table. She began rippling her biceps, challenging me to an arm wrestling match. "Come on, twenty minutes? Plenty of time for me to kick your butt." She said, planting her elbow on the dining room table.
Archie cut in, "Uh El, maybe not inside. Earnest is kind of fond of that table; it's an antique after all."
"Thanks," Earnest said with a relieved sigh.
"No problem," Eleanor answered as he raced outside. By the time I came out, she already had a huge boulder, yeah an actual boulder that was as wide as she was tall- and it wasn't like she was a midget either, in her arms. She carried it like it weighed only a few ounces.
Once again, she set her elbow on it. "You know how much I like to bet right?"
I nodded.
"Well, I was thinking," this was dangerous. El was the most like one of the guys than anyone I'd ever met. She even talked like it. "I still can't believe that you two haven't done it. I mean, you're not gay, are you?"
I growled.
"Or is it that Edy's a lesbian?" Eleanor looked questioningly at Edythe again, joking, "So that's it. Edythe likes eating carpet, huh?"
I growled again, but I wasn't the only one. Edythe looked pissed, like she was ready to literally rip Eleanor's head off. I knew what we'd arm wrestle for now. "Listen, when I kick your butt this time, you can't say anything else about any of our sex lives. Not Earnest and Carine's, Archie and Jess's, or Edythe and mine. Got it?"
"And when I win, it's gonna get a lot worse," El snickered but was answered with a growl from Jessamine. There was no doubt that she'd be able to stop El from it, but as for the others, not so much.
I grasped her hand and Earnest put his hand over both of ours. Referee; that role suited him quite well. "You two ready?" He asked. We both nodded. "Okay, one. Two. Three." And as soon as he said three, he let both of our hands go.
It still felt weird, feeling all of this force into my arm, but it didn't move. I stood there for a couple of second as I saw Eleanor grunt with effort. She was giving everything she had, and my arm wasn't moving. I decided to toy with her just a little with a slight yawn. That must have ticked her off because she started to grunt with exertion, but still it did no good.
Suddenly I remembered back to what I was told while I was burning, going thru the change. Edythe had warned me about this; how for the first few months I'd be stronger than anyone else in the family until what was left of my human blood burned up in my veins. And I laughed from understanding. I could toy with El as long as I wanted to but that wouldn't exactly be the nicest thing to do.
Instead I started slowly applying more force through my arm. The slightest increase was enough to move El's arm a sixteenth of an inch. Then with a little more effort moved her even more.
I laughed realizing I could drag this out as long as I wanted to, but the nicer thing to do would be to end this quickly. "Just keep your mouth shut, big sister." With that I let all of my strength flow from my hand and her hand slammed into the rock sounding like two boulders smashing against each other. Along some invisible fault line, a large chunk of it fell on her foot and she started hobbling and swearing. It was kind of funny. Then El kicked it and the shard sliced a young maple in half; it collapsing in time with the shard she had kicked.
"Rematch, tomorrow." She challenged.
"I don't think it'll wear off that quick." I answered.
"Tomorrow," she said again confidently.
I shrugged. If she wanted to get her butt kicked, I'd be more than willing to oblige.
I was relieved when I saw the truck pull up to our site, but still surprised. They had come human. Five of them; Jules, Emma, Quinn, Lee, and surprisingly Sarah. But I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised. If anyone trusted Carine more that any of the others of the Quileutes it was Sarah. Maybe that was why Lee was wanting to come, if it meant that his sister could come back and see Carine again.
"Thank you for coming… again," Carine said gratefully. "I cannot begin to express how much this means to my family."
"It means we get to kick some vampire butt," Quinn joked back, "that's all the reason we need."
"Indeed, but first there have been some new developments. Archie?"
"Right," he said stepping forward. "As of now, their numbers are down to 26 but I'd expect it to drop further. As my darling," he added wrapping Jessamine's waste in his arms, "told you all yesterday, a small army of newborns can be absolutely impossible to control. They'll fight more with each other than any enemy they are pointed at. I see them pulling out of Seattle either tomorrow or the next day. It's not definitive either way yet. Whoever is behind this keeps changing their mind. But there has been something else. I keep getting flickers of Charlie. I'm not sure, but it's possible that he's still alive and has been changed."
I shook my head from shock. My dad might still be alive? Was it possible? Archie had said this before, but he sounded even more confident now about it. And better than that, if he was changed, then he could know everything.
"What?!" The shriek was from Lee.
"Like I said," Archie said trying to further elaborate, "it's only glimpses. I can't be sure, but I figured it best if your side was ready for it."
"So we wouldn't accidentally kill him?" Jules said.
"That'd be great," I said sarcastically. How would we explain this to everyone in town? My disappearance-slash-death had been hard enough but Charlie, someone who had lived in Forks all of his life, leaving would be his only option- our only option. There'd be no way to keep that from getting out. Unless, but I had to get that thought out of my head now. There'd be no way to keep this from the people of Forks. And they could not know about the secret world of vampires. But my dad could. Unless- no don't even think that. The Volturi had ruled for over a millennium. If someone could have overthrown then, it would have happened by now.
But then I let my mind wander into the world of 'what if'. If my dad was changed then I wouldn't have to ever say goodbye to him. He could be fully immersed into the supernatural world. He had been tangentially involved for years without even knowing it. I knew he grew up along with Holly, Saul, and Bonnie. It was possible that they had told him some of the legends without even knowing that they were indeed true much like Jules had. But unlike me, he never learned that they were true; he may not even have known of Carine's involvement with the tribe.
"Come on Beau," Julie joked back, "you know I was just kidding. We wouldn't hurt Charlie unless there was no other option. And even still, your kind can be put back together, right?"
I nodded.
"When he saw you, I bet that would be all it took to snap him back to reality."
I really didn't know what to say to that. I had been warned that our kind was led by instincts mostly for the first few months. That I was a glaring, extraordinary example that no one could figure out; not even Carine or Elena who had centuries of searching for someone like me. Someone who came into this new life completely in control of their self.
Carine started again welcoming those who had come. I walked towards Lee who looked absolutely pissed to be here. "What do you want?" He snapped.
I shrugged. I had to be out of my mind for even thinking this could work. But still, he had come. I wondered for a second how much of a guilt trip Jules put on him to get him to. "I was hoping that we could just talk for a little."
Hair all over his body stood on end and I could tell he was really tense. No way he wanted to be anywhere near me, that much was obvious. Sarah started to come towards us, but surprisingly he put his hand up and Sarah went back to watching El and Jess sparring.
"Alright," Lee sighed. "Let's get this over with. But I'm warning you, if you so much as try anything, it'll be the last thing you ever do."
"Wasn't planning on doing anything but talking."
We walked along side each other deeper into the woods. I had hoped we were out of hearing range for both Edythe and Jules; I didn't want either of them to know this. But there were a few things I had to get completely resolved before I knew where my place in this world truly was, no matter how much I was sure that it was beside Edythe.
"Jules said that you and Sam were quite the item back before… you know."
He sat down beside me looking up towards the tops of the canopy of foliage. Seeing him deep in thought, I didn't want to interrupt him.
"I want to hate them," Lee said, sounding like he was admitting it to not only me but himself for one of the first times, "the Cullens I mean. I want so badly to hate them for taking Samantha away from me. We were so perfect together and I loved her with every inch of my being. But when the Cullens came back, when Sam phased for the first time and saw Elliott for the first time after that and imprinted on him," I could tell he was searching for the right words very carefully. "It felt like my whole world was taken away from me."
"They didn't do it on purpose, you know?"
"I know," he admitted, "at least now I do. It's just easier to blame someone else for it. There's no way to know if Sam and Elliott had met if they would have hit it off if she hadn't been a werewolf- hell, we'll never know that- but it's easier to just blame them.
"So, the reason you hate us-"
"I don't hate you, Beau for what's happened to me. I don't like you for what you're doing to Julie. Every time I phase when she's a wolf, all she can think about is losing you. She hopes that somehow, someway you'll choose her over the bloodsucker. But I see it in you. It's the same thing I see every time I see Sam and Elliott together. It's as if the two of you were made for each other. The sooner you admit that to not only her, but yourself the better for all of you. Julie's holding out hope, no matter how foolish it is, that you'll choose her. In a way, you and Sam are a lot alike. Both of you are torn between two people who love you even if you don't really have a choice."
"Huh," I said. I always thought that I was a lot like Lee, and what he was saying made complete sense. Sam was more akin to me in this regard. If anything, Julie was like him while Edythe was on par with Elliott. I felt it every time I looked at her; Edythe was my only choice. She completed me in a way that no one, not even Jules could.
"I wanted to destroy her," Lee said, breaking me out of my reflection, "I wanted to do everything I could to break her heart the way she did to me when Sam chose my own cousin, who was as close to me as if he was my own brother growing up. But every time I thought of it, even when human I couldn't do it. I couldn't hate Elliott ever enough to take her away from him.
"Elliott tried everything he could after we found Sam after her first phase to get the two of us back together. In fact, that's how his face got all messed up. Elliott was reading Sam the riot act again, hoping that it would sink through but he saw that she wasn't listening. And then, he slapped her. He didn't mean it and didn't hit her hard, but frustration filled Elliott from the fact that she hadn't listened to a word he had said. Instinctively she phased; right there in front of him. For the first time, Elliott was in awe of her and it wasn't because she was a werewolf. He saw something in her that made him crave her in a way he never had before. Unfortunately, those first few seconds after phasing is when we're at our most animalistic. Without even thinking, Sam's massive paw struck the right side of Elliott's face, with her claws scoring direct impacts into his flesh. After which, the two of them were both very upset. That was why Elliott was in the hospital for so long afterwards. The tribal doctor knew of the legends; in fact had seen that they were true. She knew that Sam had inflicted Elliott's injuries.
"Sam actually tried to kill her self from it. She was scared of herself; terrified of what she had done to Elliott. But in a way, it actually was what caused the two of them to understand each other.
"I didn't talk to either of them for almost six months after that happened. I was beyond pissed at both of them, but more so Elliott. I wondered every day how he could do that to me.
"Things got better after I joined the pack." His smile looked a little mischievous. "I have a weird way of making Sam pay for it every time we're both wolves. I think she understands my pain now."
I wanted to interrupt but couldn't. I knew exactly what it felt like in reverse. I was making the two people I cared about most live through my own struggle with me. They had to hate me for it.
"I still believe that she's out there for me, my one true soulmate. I just have to hope that the two of us meet soon."
"How can you be so sure of it?"
Lee looked back towards the clearing where I could hear clear as a bell the sound of two large boulders striking each other. It was probably Eleanor and Jessamine still going at it. "Until a few weeks ago, I couldn't be sure. But when Quinn found Clay Young, now I know. We thought it was rare, for us to find our imprints, but apparently not. She's out there… somewhere."
"Any relation to Elliott?" I asked turning the conversation back to something else.
"Yep, his nephew. At first it seemed kind of freaky since Clay is only two, but she doesn't see Clay like that. Quinn looks at him as if he's somewhere between a baby brother and her son. We tend to be whatever our imprint needs us to be at the time. For now, Clay needs her to be that but there will be a day in the not too distant future where he'll need her to evolve from brother to best friend to one day lover."
"Huh, must kind of suck for her."
Lee shook his head. "Not at all. Yeah, Quinn's never been really good at patience but for him, she'll wait as long as she needs to. And it helps that while we turn into wolves we don't age."
Of course, I knew that. Julie had told me as much not long after we met again for the first time.
"So I have confidence that I'll find her somewhere; just don't know where or when."
I motioned with my head that we should probably head back to the clearing. Of course, we did. I don't think that Lee really liked being alone with me but we did have a new sense of understanding between us. In a way, we were alike. Both of us was going to break one heart one day even if it had already been done to Lee. But I had to tell Jules the truth. Not just that I didn't see a way that the two of us could be together but that what Edythe and I had, there just was no comparison.
I saw Edythe and Julie talking and wondered what they had said. Sure I heard some of it, but there was no doubt that a ton went unsaid thanks to Edythe's mind reading.
"I'll try," Edythe said to Jules as Lee and I returned.
"You'll try what?" I asked.
"Nothing Beau," Edythe said. I knew better than to press as she wouldn't tell me, no matter how much I pestered her.
I thought about trying to torture it out of her. Maybe even wrapping my arms around her and even nipping her with my teeth, much like she had done to me accidentally during one of our not so infrequent make out sessions.
Jessamine giggles at whatever emotions must have been coming from me. I wanted so bad to tell her off but I wouldn't. It really wasn't her fault anyway.
"Thank you again for coming," Carine said as it looked like all of them were finishing up. "There will be no more for now but Archie does have some information he has seen that may be of help."
Archie stepped forward, Jessamine directly at his right flank guarding him as always. But this was the first time that he might actually need it since he couldn't see the wolves.
It still shocked me to see Jules and Quinn human. Sarah and Emma had both changed into their wolf forms, as I assumed both of them had participated in the sparring.
Archie began sharing his latest vision. "It seems that the newborns will be leaving Seattle the night after tomorrow, traveling straight through the Sound. I see them reaching the clearing just before daybreak. We'll need to try and discover a way to lead them towards both sets of our kinds as they will probably be revolted by your stenches."
"Let's not go comparing stinks now, antifreeze," Quinn jabbed back.
Archie smiled realizing it was all just a jab. "They're passing one of Beau's shirts around just before they'll leave, so they'll be tracking him in."
The realization hit hard. All this was about me. Revenge; that was the only possible reason for this. And the only one who could hate me this much was Victor. It had to be him.
"So rest up tonight," Carine said again with gratitude in her voice. "We'll need all of you here midnight tomorrow night."
A goofy smiled filled Sarah's wolf grin that almost said, "We'll be here."
As they left, with only Sarah as a wolf I was a little surprised by all of this. I guess I shouldn't have been when it came to Julie but even her friends seemed to be okay with me as a vampire. Sure, Sam was guarded and despite my little talk with Lee, I got the feeling we were never going to be really close friends, there seemed to be no animosity between the Cullens and the Quileutes any more. It was almost as if me being changed had created some form of a weird compact between us.
"I'm still scared to death about this," I said to Jessamine.
"We all are," Carine answered.
"Never before can I remember a newborn force or such a size as this one, but even my former ones inflicted several casualties on our opponents even when bested." Jessamine mused, sounding like she was just thinking out loud.
"They just seem so confident," I said again, referring to the Quileutes. "I don't want anyone to get hurt."
Jessamine looked towards the sky. The moon had just turned full so apparently Archie's prediction was right on as usual. "If anything, the wolves have an advantage over us," she explained. "A couple actually. First, the newborns won't be expecting them; won't even know that they exist. Second, the wolves naturally hunt vampires in packs. It's part of their nature they'll watch each other's backs. And lastly, the wolves heal very fast. Unfortunately when El was sparring with the brown one, she got a little too caught up in the action and accidentally broke her right front leg. When Carine went to examine it barely three minutes later, it had already begun to heal. I wouldn't be surprised if by the morning it will be as good as new. So as long as they don't get bitten, they should be just fine."
This relieved me and I couldn't be completely sure that Jessamine didn't have just a little to do with it.
"So who's gonna be my babysitter?" I asked somewhat teasingly, looking around the clearing. I still held out slight hope that they'd actually let me fight.
"Earnest," Carine answered.
"Of course," Earnest replied smiling.
Jessamine was back in field commander mode again. "You two will take up a defensive position in reserve behind our lines, only helping if we need it. We shouldn't have too big of a problem getting to them before they get to us."
"How will they find us?" I asked curious about it.
Archie looked distant again, looking into the future. "They're passing something around; something red. But I can't tell-," but then he must of saw exactly what it was because his voice was full of confidence again. "It's a shirt. One of yours Beau."
Of course they'd be after me. I had known it all along, even if Edythe tried to hide this fact from me. Now I was certain that Victor was the only possibility. Edythe had repeatedly suggest that it could be the Volturi, but they didn't know about me yet. Of course they had met Edythe before but she could not give Sulpicia anything that she didn't have already. But Archie… Archie had a gift that surely she would crave.
Archie looked distant again. I knew he was seeing something cementing itself in his mind. Edythe tuning into it, what did she think about whatever it was? What was it?
"It'll be tomorrow night, just after midnight… I think. I see the army getting here just about first light. So we better make our preparations later this afternoon."
Jessamine looked at all of us. All of our eyes were darker. "Very well," she said stepping back into her strategic mind. "I think we should take this opportunity to hunt now. We will need to be at our absolute strongest when they get here." I could tell there was something she was thinking but not saying and Edythe looked somewhere between irritated and pissed. "Just a passing foolish thought."
"Absolutely not," Edythe answered. Nothing more was said before we all separated to go hunting. Everyone but Edythe and I who remained in the clearing for just a few minutes before we would be off to the north, hopefully looking for lions or bears. But still I wondered what had Jess thought of that set Edythe off like that.
AN: Sorry for it being so long between updates. Between work and the holidays coming up, everything's just been insane. I've been toying around with the next chapter and it's about a quarter done. My difficult part is that I'm trying to work off the audiobook versions of Twilight when I have parts I can take straight from those stories. So with any luck, the next chapter will be up before the first of the year. In any case, I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holidays.
And it goes without saying, please take a couple of minutes to let me know what you guys all think of this one and any future ideas.
Thanks