Astrid took a moment before she joined Jasper.

The red head sat above, staring at the small line of newborns behind the statue-like Maria. Jasper paced, hands locked tightly behind his back, red eyes sweeping the tree line. He was nervous. They all were. Not even Peter could tell them what to expect, and he'd spent the morning with a constipated face trying to find out. But now Peter and Charlotte were tucked in the dense thickness of the trees, hidden under Astrid's gift, and watching a pile of bodies that could touch the sky.

All they could do was wait. And pray that this all worked. Astrid looked at the clear blue horizon, the sun beginning to center above them, and prayed. She prayed to her mother, who had the darkest red hair and kind brown eyes and a smile that had made everything alright in Astrid's world. She prayed to her father, with his loud laugh that had people turning their heads and all the days he'd spent in the field planting their vegetables. And she prayed to her little brother, prayed for just one more day to hug him and feel at home again. She just wanted to go home.

Astrid never wanted this. She didn't even know how to pray, mother hadn't continued her Catholic upbringing with them. Was there even a God for a being like Astrid?

Her eyes landed on Jasper. His head turned towards the tree, eyes narrowed, lips pulled back over bright teeth. Such a beautiful man holding such a tortured soul. Astrid fell from the tree, landing at his side. The pacing stopped, his arm brushing hers, content in her chest. Maria turned when Jasper stopped, black eyes. She hadn't fed?

"About fucking time! Where is he? How many?" Maria came too close for comfort.

"One hundred miles out. About sixty vampires with him."

Maria turned back to the tree, talking to herself, "They'll wake up, I have it planned perfectly. They'll wake up."

Astrid didn't want to look at Jasper. If she did, she knew she would try to convince him one last time to run. But he stepped forward, leaving her first, and stood beside Maria. The flank fell into a tense silence, straining to hear anything. To be ready. Astrid counted the seconds, and when she'd hit 3,630 a shiver ran down her spine. She looked forward, where she knew that Peter and Charlotte were thirty miles out. The feeling came again and she urgently stepped forward.

"Jasper, I feel something."

He looked back. Jasper looked back, with his eyes that were so sure that he could beat anything, and a tidal wave of newborns came flying out of the trees. They ran uncoordinated, fast and shouldering each other, wide eyes and clamping teeth. Astrid lost sight of Jasper, leaping back to avoid a newborn trying to jump onto her shoulders. She spun and grabbed their chest, squeezing until she heard something crack, dropped it, and tore their head off. A hysterical shouting had began, a woman who had lost everything.

"They're ours, you idiots! Don't kill them!" Maria was side swept, disappearing to the ground.

More newborns surrounded Astrid and she was left to play cat-and-mouse, attempting to save her life as well as their own. The once calm meadow was torn, holes in the ground and grass flying. A tree came spinning past and Astrid ducked, hearing the crunch as the base of the trunk landed on a body. A hand grabbed her leg, pulling her down, and the blue sky disappeared from view. Teeth sunk into her skin, the venom stinging, her hands grabbing anything and throwing it. She ripped an arm off, standing finally, and leaped to a tree before another vampire could slam her down.

She looked down, horrified. In all the rush of the newborns arriving she hadn't realized that Benito's army had joined. A mosh pit had formed below, the clapping of thunder bouncing off the mountains as the vampires fought. She saw arms and legs flying, not able to see a face that she recognized over all the heads. With no other choice, and the fear that Jasper had already been found without her knowing, Astrid let herself drop back to the ground.

It was bodies pressing against each other, falling over one another. Astrid ran, jumping from back to back, finding it easy to just kill while everyone else was busy fighting. She kept her eyes out, trying to catch sight of a blonde head. But the only one she saw was Charlotte, rolling on the floor with spit and nails striking. Astrid ducked an arm, turning and grabbing it to pull the vampire back. They fell to the floor and Astrid yanked their head off, scanning legs for shoes that she'd remember. Nothing.

"Peter!"

To her right Charlotte was twisting with two others, fluid movement as she dodged every kick and hit aimed at her. But she was falling back, and just ahead of her, was Peter fighting someone in a black cloak. It seemed that the Volturi had been drawn by the sounds. It was Dimitri, of all vampires, and he was playing with Peter, who's right arm had been pulled off. Astrid darted forward, closer, closer, she could practically smell Dimitri-

and was slammed to the ground. Her head bounced off a rock and she grabbed it, thunking the vampire on top of her with it. It crushed their shoulder, a painful shriek, and they tumbled off. Astrid had no time to see what had happened, Peter was in a lock now, but the vampire was not letting her go. Astrid's ankle was grabbed and twisted, making her fall once more. She spat and turned, leg raised to kick, and froze.

It was Maria. Black eyes and clawing hands, her maker dragged her back. Astrid kicked and the woman flew back, only to return with vigor. Astrid fell back, Maria straddling her, and felt her hands digging into her sides. She twisted, her legs wrapping around Maria's waist, and flipped them. She didn't have the patience nor the glee to play the games that Maria had. Her fist repeatedly aimed for Maria, crunching aesthetically against her cheeks.

But then pain, unimaginable pain came over Astrid. Her vision went black, she couldn't see, think, hear. The screaming was back, high and shrill, and Astrid lost all sense of time and feeling. But then she was back, on the floor, feet around her. She had no time to waste, standing and grabbing the first one she saw. Maria had disappeared, and when Astrid had finished with her three new fights, she looked over to see Peter was gone as well. Not even a sight of that blonde bitch with the gift. Or Jasper.

Where was Jasper? Where was she? The sun had began to set. Fighting was still happening. She didn't see Peter or Charlotte or Jasper, just torn bodies and the fear that one of the arms she just crushed wasn't theirs. There was a plan, Jasper had a plan for them to leave when shit hit the fan. He said he wanted to let them kill each other, right? But where was he? Did he leave with out her?

She wouldn't leave without him. Not until she saw him. So many things had changed. Astrid flew back, thrown from a surprise hit. But she was back, spinning in the air and landing on shoulders. Still no sight. Where was Jasper?

And she saw him. Just standing there, at the edge of the battle, staring at the sky like it was the prettiest thing he'd seen. His shoulders slack, jaw open, defenseless. Vampires ran around him, unaware because he wasn't moving, but one, in a cloak, was walking towards him. The guard for that little bitch. Astrid moved fast, dodging everyone, sliding on the floor. The guard was close, touching Jasper. His hands were on Jasper's throat.

Astrid grabbed the cloaked figure, tumbling into the trees. They rolled away from it all, fists flying.

"You stupid fucking whore!" The man kicked her, she flew back into a tree. "Got my sister's head ripped off!"

Jasper. Astrid moved, their bodies colliding. She came out on top, his legs torn and left snapping at her. She raised her foot to end it when she heard her name from behind. She left him, coming out of the trees and back into the chaos, seeing now that the fighting had thinned out.

Jasper was in the center of it all, fighting Benito.