Thank you so much for every review! You don't know how encouraging they are. And now I'm finally back with another chapter! :)

.:CHAPTER EIGHT:.

~Rosalie's POV~

Train stations were loud, obnoxious places. Among the scraping of luggage against cement, the chiming of bells and whistles, the blaring horns, the chugging engines, and the occasional drum of an announcement through crackling speakers, there was the consistent cacophony of chattering, feet slapping against the ground in a drum-like chorus, hurried to get to their next destination. People were always in a hurry.

Today, I felt I could hardly blame them.

Patience was never one of my virtues; however, everything seemed extra tedious when the majority of your family was lying motionless in an underground bunker, and you were left to either save them or end up with them. So, here Edward and I were in Massachusettes, flooded with uncertainty. We had no solid lead to find what we were seeking, and what we were seeking was as much a mystery as everything else. It was like we were drowning, and drowning blind. We didn't know what we were drowning in or how it happened, but we knew it was happening, and the only thing we could offer was incomparable bravery, facing our unfathomable futures with some grace in our steps and little hope in our hearts. We were existing in a state of desolate wishing. What happened if we failed?

"We are not going to," Edward said, barely audible above the human commotion around us as he led the way into the station. He held the door open for me once we reached the entrance.

Awfully optimistic of you, I thought in response as I entered. Although I supposed we had no choice. It was left up to the two of us, and young Renesmee, who was left to wonder, to research, and to wonder some more. I hoped she was alright, mentally. A lot was happening. And she was so young still...

"Our locker number is 243," Edward said, following me into the building and quickly turning left.

Right. It did no good to lose focus right now.

Unlike the old stone exterior of Lowell Station, the interior had been recently renovated, albeit slightly. Keeping their natural stone flooring, the walls were redone to be abstract and colorful. Overhead, vintage bronze and glass chandeliers somehow added charm to the otherwise bright aesthetic. The public lockers were still relatively old-fashioned in comparison, however; discolored steel doors numbered with the white-against-black archaic typewriter font, with rusted hinges with tiny lock pads gracing each of them. They appeared untrustworthy to secure anything of value. I could hardly imagine what waited for us - or rather, for Carlisle - in one of these lockers.

Of course, I could not fathom how this scavenger hunt was our sole lead, either. But alas, here we were.

Edward weaved through the rows quickly until we reached locker 243. He pulled the key from his pocket, inserted it into the lock, then hesitated, glancing at me.

What are you waiting for? Open it.

He didn't need to be told twice. Turning the key, the locker door screeched open. I peered over Edward's shoulder. There was nothing in it, save for a single scrap of paper. Edward didn't hesitate now; he swiftly pulled it out and unfolded it. Something slid out. He deftly caught it. It was a ticket for the Amtrack train for tomorrow morning, headed northwest.

Now we had to get on a train?

Edward was deliberately avoiding my gaze. Surely, he had to know how ridiculous this was. Here we were, two vampires playing Nancy Drew while the rest of our family's lives were on the line. Where the hell were we even supposed to get off once on the train?

"A bay," Edward answered, tilting the paper that had held the ticket. In a cursive font read, Go to the Bay at Twilight.

This time, Edward did meet my eyes, and they were just as irritated as I knew mine had to be.

Do you really think this is worth it, Edward? Because I sure as hell do not see the logic. I mean, chasing an e-mail that Carlisle received? What are we doing?

"It's lead us this far, Rosalie. After everything we've been through, you know I don't believe in coincidences."

You don't have to believe in them for them to exist, I countered with a wave of my hand. "I know you think this will lead us someplace helpful, but I am beginning to have my doubts."

"I am fully aware," he said, grumbling past me. His tone was not appreciated, and I caught on immediately what he was getting at.

Excuse me? If you don't like what you hear, then back off.

"You already know I would love to. I've tried for decades to shut you off."

The way he emphasized 'you' had me bristling. "Not hard enough." You intrusive, pretentious bastard!

He narrowed his eyes over his shoulders as he hurried away from the crowd, pushing out of the building without bothering to wait for me. I kept up easily. "Do you think I enjoy listening to your cynicism?" he demanded after we were further down the dock. "I am doing everything in my power to be optimistic here."

"Oh, are you now? Well, this is news to me, because all you seem to do is scowl." You realize, just as I do, how foolish we're being right now in staking our family's lives on a string of mystery-party clues.

"It wasn't my first choice," he muttered.

Wasn't it?

"No," he all but snarled. Then, calmer, glancing around, he added, "Right now, this is what we have to work with. We cannot afford to be picky."

We were far enough away from the crowd now that Edward felt the need to growl out his frustration before slamming himself - a little too forcefully - on the last bench at the end of the platform. I guessed he decided we were getting on the train.

"Correction," he said. "I am getting on the train. You are going back home."

I laughed, incredulous. "Really, Edward?" You can't handle somebody disagreeing with you, so you send them away?

"You don't want to go home to Renesmee, then?"

"Don't even start," I said softly, nearly growling. We could use his daughter against each other all we wanted, but it wasn't going to change the fact we were in this together.

"Our plan was to follow this clue," Edward said. "Now, we have another one. You don't have to continue along with me - I'll go alone, and you can protect Renesmee."

"Our plan was to follow that clue to the end." And, in case you've forgotten, per Alice's directions, we shouldn't be alone in public lest we blackout.

"Alice is gone," he said, sudden and fierce. Both of us froze. His sudden hostility surprised me, and I saw that desperation back in his eyes. Edward turned away from me with a huff.

"Alice isn't gone," I cautiously clarified. "And I have no intention of leaving you alone, like it or not."

"Then you have to cooperate, or we're not going to get anywhere."

I have to cooperate?

What was with him? He was more controlling than usual lately, and it was getting on my nerves. I followed him blindly into this, didn't I? That seemed more than my fair share of cooperation.

Ignoring me, he changed the subject. "If you are going to stay, will you get your tablet out? Let's see where this train heads."

That's how you ask people for favors? I chortled, snide, sliding my backpack around to my chest to open it.

"It's not a favor..." he started.

"Oh, so it is an order." This must be how Bella felt when you tried to control her as a human.

Suddenly, Edward was right in front of me, pinning my bag between the two of us. His eyes flared like a battling blaze as he bared his teeth. "This isn't easy, you know? I know you think I'm continuing this seemingly-endless quest because I hate to be wrong about something, but this is - quite literally - the only thing we have to go on right now. So, unless you can come up with something better, I suggest you keep your bitter comments to yourself."

I took a step back, doing all I could to hide how startled I actually was. I dripped as much sarcasm into my words as I could. "I'm sorry, I thought I was." I tapped my head, indicating my thoughts.

The two of us glared at each other for a second longer. Edward, as always, was the first to break. He sighed, heavy and tired and irritated. Well, he could just join the club. We both lost our mates; we both lost a brother and a sister and the two people we respected as our parents. I inspected his profile with caution in my thoughts. Disregarding what Edward's usual behavior entitled, I felt there was something brewing in that stupid head of his that was making him even more difficult to reason with, and it was slightly worrisome.

"Okay, Rosalie," he said, quieter now. "Maybe I am a tad bit stressed. This situation has taken our family completely by surprise, we have very little to go on in order to help them, and the information we do have is nothing but riddles. On top of that, I have you and Renesmee to think about. So-"

"Hold it, Edward. What do you mean you have me and Renesmee to think about?"

"I have to keep you both safe," he answered, matter-of-fact.

He almost had me. He really did. It had always been odd to me how Edward seemed uninterested in his own well-being. If he cared about this family, he should know that he mattered to it, too. And, for a split second in time, I saw the worry in Edward's stubborn face, and I could even relate; but then he had to keep talking.

"So, can we just stay amicable enough until I can figure out our next plan of attack? Please?"

"So you can figure out our next plan?" The disbelief I had was palpable. How arrogant this boy was...

"Yes," Edward snapped, already losing that amity he was preaching about. At my thought, his eyes narrowed further. "I am trying my best here."

"Your best what?" I remarked, unimpressed.

"Come on, Rosalie."

"No, really. Because what it sounds like to me is you think you get to make all the decisions here."

"That's not-"

"Because you have been. You know that, right?"

"Look, you can think what you want. Right now we have to focus on our family, and you aren't helping."

"Do you ever take responsibility for your own actions, or are you simply conditioned at this point to blame me? Pavlov, and all that..."

"Do you want to hear the plan or not?" His patience was intolerable.

"Let's hear what you think our plan should be," I said. He didn't seem to appreciate the clarifications, but he didn't fight me on it.

The train ticket that was presented to us, according to the screen now in my lap, was sending us to Union Station in Vermont. We were backtracking now, and Edward was determined to follow it to the end, to purchase another ticket for me and wait for the boarding call. A boarding call that did not arrive for another sixteen hours.

A very Emmett-like groan slipped past my lips.

"I know it's not ideal," Edward began, sighing. "But perhaps we can dig up information on Dr. Marshall's wife and daughter while we wait."

Isn't that Renesmee's job? It was all becoming redundant. We had no more time to waste. Why wait for a train when we had our own car? Even on foot, we would arrive at our next clue before sunrise. And there would be another clue - Edward had to know that.

"We should take the train," he said. "There could be a clue on it."

How? I quirked an eyebrow at him, not even bothering to acknowledge how he at least accepted it would lead to another mystery.

He shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I never expected them to be as thorough as they have been, and I don't want us to miss anything."

"You realize how long we'll be idle."

"Of course." His brow furrowed. "Think about it, Rose. Even if we got there earlier, the note still tells us to meet at "the Bay at Twilight". The inbound time into Vermont isn't until after sunrise, so we will obviously be forced to wait until sundown anyway."

Perfect. "And what "bay" are they referring to?"

In response, Edward gestured to the tablet in my lap. I sighed. Of course - research. We weren't even supposed to be using it except for emergencies. If our assumption that radio waves were the weapon against us, anything that emitted even the smallest levels of Hertz signals was dangerous, which included using the internet. If we did use my tablet, we would have to separate at least a mile apart before one of us used it. Just in case. Were the risks we were taking worth the hunt we were on? I was afraid to know the answer.

Edward placed a hand on my tablet. "If you wish, I will take it to the other side of the station, a little way into the trees, and figure it out. You get yourself a ticket inside." I let the tablet slip from my hand into his without complaint. Let him do the work. I still wasn't keen on the idea.

The ground shadowed around me. I glanced at the darkening clouds, a sheet of metal across the sky. Holding out my hand to Edward, I said, "Give me the car keys." I had a hooded jacket stored in the trunk and I-

"Hate getting your hair wet, I know." Edward handed me the keys to the Volvo while I glared at him for finishing my thoughts. Nobody asked for that.

As I turned to leave, Edward suddenly grabbed my elbow, pulling me back. I swung my head sharply in his direction. "What-"

"Ssh!" he sharply interrupted, eyes hard, contradicting the confusing expression on his face; he almost seemed relaxed, and his voice came out even calmer. "Hold on. Someone is watching us." The corners of his lips quirked up. An act of lightheartedness.

He dropped my elbow as I turned to face him fully. I enforced a sunny laugh, following his example. "Who?"

"A light man in a dark blue sweater, navy cargo pants, and velcro-strapped boots. Graying blonde hair. Black, Movado leather strap watch on left wrist." Edward made a show of shrugging nonchalantly, glancing away with a grin and looking back. Like he was telling a joke. "He is searching for our kind."

I tilted my head. With only trees and a parking lot behind Edward, I worked my magic in my body language rather than my expression. "Is he sure he's found what he's looking for?"

"He suspects."

"And what does he plan to do with his speculations?"

"Nothing right now." Edward tilted his chin up in a fake laugh. "He's planning out a scenario where he can confirm what we are. There's no decision made about what to do if he realizes he is correct."

Well, the man was out of luck then, wasn't he? He could hardly walk up to us and ask. As long as Edward and I acted human, and stayed near humans, there was no way for him to confirm his suspicions.

Unless he could send us into unconsciousness.

My panicked gaze met Edward's, but his eyes showed no alarm. He shook his head, diffusing my fear. But there was something else. "Interestingly, however, there is a connection," he said, carefully subdued. I equally suppressed my shock, my sudden eagerness for more answers. "At the moment, he's wishing the project was portable, but it's not."

The project? It was apparent what Edward meant by it, what the man's thoughts were referring to. What did this mean, though? The Blackout wasn't random, clearly. Someone had to operate something, yet they only had one? And it was stationary?

"I think..." Edward continued, running his fingers through his ridiculously chaotic hair, keeping his posture carefree. "We are safe for now. We should continue our previous plan."

I swayed my weight from one foot to the other, crossing my arms in the same movement. "Edward, if this man is part of whatever is happening, we should approach him. If he has no power here, he can't stop us. We can interrogate him. He will tell us exactly what we want to know." Then we can forget about chasing clues to who-knows-where. This was the perfect chance.

Edward lightly shook his head, though some of his façade ceased. "He won't come quietly. You know this."

He doesn't have to.

Already, I had pictured the exact artery in his neck that I would hit. The tables would turn, and he would be the one unconscious.

"And create a scene, Rosalie?" Edward's fabricated smile was completely gone now. "You of all people-"

"We lure him to the edge of the platform." Trees encompass the place in either direction. "It's not rocket science, Edward. He will come with me to confirm his suspicions, and before he knows it we'll be carrying his limp body into the woods." I waved a hand behind me at all the people who I knew had their noses stuck to their cell phones. "The odds of anyone here noticing us in the shadows is low."

"But not zero."

"Low enough that even one set of eyes would be harmless." And either they won't believe what they witnessed, or they will tell somebody who won't believe.

The clashing of Edward's constant conflicting thoughts were almost visible beyond his thick skull.

Come on, Edward.

Finally, he said, "Carlisle would not approve of that."

That is so far beyond the point.

"No, it's not. We are not risking exposure."

"Haven't you been paying attention?" I glowered, now. "Our kind is already exposed." The entire government has known about us for decades!

"We are not risking exposure," he reiterated.

"You are being unreasonable."

"You are being reckless."

My back straightened as I easily matched his cavalier glare. "This isn't the time to follow rules, Edward."

"You've clearly forgotten about security cameras. Are you saying you would like the Volturi on us, too, amidst all this?"

"Of course not! But, you know what, this affects them, too. And-"

"We have to stay covert."

"Our speed is covert. We can destroy evidence if you're really so concerned."

"No."

"I have ideas that can help. If you would only listen-"

"This is not up for debate."

"The hell it's not."

"I am not allowing this."

"You are not in charge."

"Carlisle wouldn't-"

"You are NOT Carlisle!"

Edward stepped back like I had slapped him, his body freezing in place. It took me a moment to realize what I had said, what I had done; and then I saw it. I saw what Edward had been trying to do, probably from the beginning.

Oh.

Guilt seeped into my thoughts without my permission. I tried to bury them, to keep my stance on his unwanted authority before Edward could write them off as anger-induced and invalid; because I was right, even if I hadn't meant to hurt my brother's feelings in the process of expressing that. Of course, Edward might not be listening anymore anyway.

Edward collected himself before I could say anything, gripped my tablet tighter, and started to walk passed me. With a gruffness to his voice, he said, "Stick to the plan for now. I'm going for a walk." Then he was gone.

Hugging my backpack, I stood alone at our small corner of the station platform for a good ten minutes before I realized I should probably sit down to keep inconspicuous. Not that it mattered. There were only a few arrival times left for the day. As I scanned the area, I could see the crowd had dwindled as the sun went down. In my sweeping gaze, I spotted the mysterious blonde spy a few rows down. He was watching Edward's back as he walked to the other end of the platform. I would let both men be, for now.

Groaning as I sat, I slumped my head onto my backpack and closed my eyes.

It was no secret how much Edward idolized our father. I probably should have realized earlier what had gotten into Edward recently. Should have known that my idiotic brother felt responsible for the family in Carlisle's absence. What a fool. Why did he insist on carrying burdens too heavy for his shoulders? He had a family for a reason. We helped each other, didn't we? Or what would the point be? Why stay together - why love each other? Why bother calling him my brother if he was too stubborn to embrace the role?

Maybe I was being slightly unfair, as there had been many times Edward had been nothing but a friend to me. At the moment, however, I didn't want to care. He was so aggravating sometimes. Almost a century together, and I still failed to understand what went through his head.

A tiny tap against my knee broke my attention away from my thoughts. I stared at the wet, dark spot on my jeans with disgust. Right. The rain.

Heading for the parking lot, I noticed Mystery Man unabashedly watching me. Meeting his gaze was unavoidable. I tucked my chin against my chest and smiled sheepishly, acting embarrassed that he might have caught the argument with my brother. A very human thing to feel. It was also a good way to give him a proper glimpse of my eye color, neither black nor crimson. Shock played on his face as I passed, so I hoped it helped.

Quickly unlocking the trunk of the Volvo, I slid the thin, purple raincoat onto my shoulders, immediately tucking my hair into the protection of the hood. Just in time, as the clouds gave way, sending a torrent down to the earth. I made for the cover of the station, sniffing as petrichor began seeping into the air. One inside the building, I went to purchase that godforsaken train ticket before the counter closed for the evening. It would be a great miracle if Edward changed his mind, but the chances of that occurring were slim to none, and I was not going to argue with him again tonight.

Well, an effort would be made, at least.

My ticket slid neatly into my jacket pocket as I returned to the rain-soaked platform. It was drizzling now. A light shower speckling the earth. Mystery Man had moved. He stood off to the side, closer to the parking lot, by the station's drop-off curb. His sweater was soaked black. He held no umbrella, even as he plucked away at the screen of his phone. At least he wasn't looking at me.

However, Edward's and my previous bench was occupied now. A woman dressed head-to-toe in black sat, head bent toward her own phone, its light tinting her dark skin pale blue. My focus zeroed in on her cargo pants and velcroed boots.

Edward appeared beside me.

"They know," he whispered in my ear.

They.

Of course.

Edward linked his arm through mine and gently guided me toward the parking lot. I pulled the car keys from my pocket as Edward hurriedly whispered words only I could hear. "The man called for backup. They were already in the surrounding woods. Eleven of total. They'd been sent out to find sleeping vampires."

A chill that had nothing to do with the weather swept over me. I watched from my peripheral vision as the man's fingers stilled over his phone as we passed, stepping into the lot. A couple stepped off the curb at the same time we did a few feet away from us. Edward picked up our pace. I gave up the keys, and he unlocked the car doors, the backlights flashing too bright in the evening drizzle. Then, he cursed. I watched as two strangers appeared from behind parked cars, dressed in the same cargo pants and boots, and... Are those guns? Scoped guns, no less.

The couple who had followed us into the parking lot were edging closer. I realized they had stopped being discreet and were openly watching us now.

Another woman appeared on the left. It was the same one who had been sitting on the bench at the station. Mystery Man was right behind her.

What is happening? I demanded, not exactly sure how Edward could explain now that we were being circled, closed in on like a meal for vultures. Ironic, considering Edward and I were the true predators.

It was impossible to pretend we hadn't noticed what was going on. Edward realized this at the same time, and he pulled us to a halt, oddly tapping his fingers against the inside of my elbow.

"May we help you?" Edward asked, ever the charade of confused-human. The circling finally stopped, and we were centered in their cage. I eyed the two men with the scoped rifles. What could they possibly need those for, against us?

Edward put more pressure into his taps on my arm. What the hell was he doing? I tried to concentrate on the strange behavior, over the humans circled threateningly around us. Venom coursed through my cold veins like adrenaline; I recognized my instincts telling me to fight, but ignored them. Edward's fingers hovered just above my elbow, deliberate, forcing my attention. Once my eyes swept onto them, he tapped two fingers against me, paused, then tapped again, holding them there, before lifting them and starting again. Tap. Hold. Tap. Tap. Tap. Hold. Hold. Tap.

My eyes widened. He was using Morse code.

R-U-N

For second too quick for human eyes to catch, I locked eyes with Edward, he tilted his chin down and my gaze dropped to the keys in his hand, thumb ready. It was the signal. I nodded, scanning the crowd before us again. Clearly, we were heading for the covering of trees. One good jump over the gunmen was all we needed before the sprint.

None of the humans made to answer Edward. I didn't think he was expecting one, until the man with the blue sweater and gray-streaked blonde hair stepped slightly forward, ahead of the rest. I never caught what he opened his mouth to say, as it was that moment our silver Volvo erupted with its blaring alarm. Every human heart skipped several beats as their bodies recoiled from the abrupt sirens. My feet were already off the ground, soaring above them.

I landed at the same time as Edward, and then we were running.

"They have other devices. Weapons!" Edward all but shouted, lithely launching over a fallen log. I pictured the rifles, still confused. Edward continued. "They weren't thinking details. I could only see-"

Something whirred past my ear. I hissed, lurching sideways. A foot ahead, a trunk splintered down the middle as something pierced its bark.

"What the hell was that?" I shrieked.

"They're shooting!"

Shooting what? Nothing in the chaos was making sense. How are they keeping up?

"They're not. It's their custom scopes. They're not shooting bullets - they're-"

Another whirring sound. A splinter.

"Agh!" Edward's knee slammed into the dirt and his body tumbled. Just as quickly, though, he righted himself, never losing speed. I frantically looked over him. His hand was on his thigh. He glanced down as the same time I did. Sticking out of his calf was a thick needle, opaque and shining like opal.

Did it go through his skin?

How can it possibly-

Edward stilled as the strange needle sizzled, crackled. In a flash of light, it burst into flames. My scream ricocheted from the trees, only a fraction of the volume as Edward's. My brother crumpled to the ground.

"Edward!"

His leg was engulfed in a fire within milliseconds, the flames licking upward. The rain had let up so much that the drizzling wasn't helping put out the sudden blaze. Flames wrapped around Edward's torso, our flammable venom fueling its path. It would kill him whole within minutes!

No, no, no.

Edward thrashed against the ground, and I ducked as another explosive needle hissed by. I had to get us farther away while, somehow, putting out the fire simultaneously. My mind was racing, and I swear my unbeating heart was, too. I gripped one of Edward's arms, spun, and threw him with all my strength. If I carried him I would be set ablaze, too; but I had to gain distance from our attackers. At the same time, I slammed the sole of my foot into a wide, ancient spruce. It tilted, then began to fall at precisely the angle I wanted it to; it would block our path and keep us out of sight from the gunmen, and whatever advanced weaponry they had invented.

I had barely begun running in the direction I threw Edward when he landed and rolled, leaving a trail of orange light in his wake. The flames slithered continuously up his body, burning him to death. He screamed out his agony, and I was instantly by his side. The rain was picking up again, but not enough. I gripped the back of Edward's shirt, the heat of the flames burning into my arms, and tossed him again, down a small, flooded slope. Edward toppled onto the wet ground, stopping inches from the mud.

I cursed.

Edward was too consumed in pain to understand what he needed to do. I pushed off and slid to him, kicking his side quickly, before the fire could attach to me. He rolled into the thick, moist mud. With one hand, I began to bury him; with the other, I ripped my jacket off, battering the inferno with everything in me. I wasn't losing my brother - not today, not ever. And especially not like this.

Even as smoke entered my lungs, the curling strands of orange and yellow burning through my brother's cold skin fueled my own fire. I wasn't sure how long I had been beating the flames, or how deep in the mud Edward's body was buried, but I knew I couldn't stop. As long as any light remained flickering, I vowed to keep going. My haste turned desperate. Thunder crashed through the darkened sky, and everything became wetter and uncomfortable, and I couldn't find it within me to care. I had plenty of time to care once the fire was out.

The fire had to be put out.

The fire had to stop.

Please.

A moment later, I barely registered that Edward was moving. The light engulfing him had lessened. His eyes were scrunched closed, but his arms were slithering further into the cool ground. I focused on suppressing the flames with my jacket as he blanketed himself with mud. Whimpering, he covered more of his legs, and finally - finally! - the last of the fire sizzled out, wispy tendrils of smoke barely alive before being pummeled into nonexistence by raindrops.

Covering Edward's smoking leg wit my jacket, I knew we still had to get away from here, but the silence after the turmoil had me pinned in place. I realized I had stopped breathing at some point as I let out a relieved breath.

Edward? He was too still. I pushed his hair back from his eyes and cleared the mud from his face with my thumbs. I shook his shoulders, a little harder than I intended. "Answer me," I demanded.

Golden eyes peered up at me, a bright contrast against the sable ground. There was still pain in them, but I sat back, relaxed, knowing the worst was over. Surely whatever burn damage that was done was healing beneath the layers of mud, and he would be good and whole in a minute.

Edward shuffled. Slowly, he pushed himself onto his elbows. He glanced down at his buried legs, at the once-purple raincoat laying in tatters over his right thigh. Then he was looking at me again. I shifted under his intense stare. "What?"

It took him a moment to find his voice. "Your hair. It's wet..."

I breathed out a hysteric laugh. "Really? That's the first thing out of your mouth?"

"You never get your hair wet by the rain," he said, as if that was explanation enough for his nonsensical focus. The boy had almost burned to death.

I sighed, irritated already. "Are we really going to do this right now?"

Edward straightened, never taking his eyes off mine. I felt him searching through my head, listening to my thoughts as if they carried some secret he wanted exposed. But there was nothing to hear there that was different. I didn't understand Edward's confusion. He was in trouble, and I got him out of it.

"You saved my life," Edward said.

"What did you expect me to do?"

I protected my family. Besides, hadn't I put him in danger in the past with no ability to save him? Actually being present this time, I wasn't about to let him die on me.

"Thank you."

"Whatever, Edward. Can we just get out of here?"

He grinned crookedly, as if my words amused him in some ridiculous way, and then he nodded. "Just give me a second to unbury myself."

I watched as he struggled to find the right angles to free himself and find his footing again. The mud clung to him in drooping layers, and I pressed my lips into a thin line. He arched an eyebrow at me. But, surely, he couldn't deny that a sasquatch had nothing on the way he looked right now. Maybe it was the rush of instinct still coursing through our veins, effectively bringing out our own insanity, but we were suddenly laughing.

The moment was over quickly; Edward's ears picked up the thoughts of the human hunting squad. He hurriedly swept off as much wet dirt as he could, and I did the same, and then we were running again. I had to keep pushing the soaked strands of my hair out of my face; they clung to my ears, to my neck, down my back like seaweed. I hated it.

Yet, as we moved, my mind had its chance to analyze everything that had happened tonight. It was absurd, feeling like a hallucination rather than reality, and my brain wasn't sure where to start. There was so much to process, but at least it would keep me distracted until we reached wherever we were going. I assumed Edward was leading us to Vermont now. Ironic, considering we ended up skipping the train as I had suggested in the beginning. If that made me a tad smug, Edward could just deal with it. I saved his life, after all.

Of course, as tonight proved...

I glanced at my brother, and he glanced back.

...There was no telling when, or how, our lives would be threatened once again. Because they would be. Because what happened tonight was only the beginning.