A/N – Please don't forget to leave a review at the end of this chapter if you're enjoying what you've read so far :D

I stare at him in shock, unsure whether he is teasing. He looks back at me, his face completely serious. Apparently not teasing me then. I wonder how to reply to such a thing when Alice yells for Edward and after shooting me a crooked smile he flits to the front of the line.

Jeez he was fast.

I stare at him, shaking myself mentally. What the hell was I doing? I hardly knew Edward yet I was pining after him like a teenage girl pumped full of hormones. "Jesus Bella." I mutter to myself. "Get a grip already."

"They say talking to yourself is the first sign of madness." A musical voice says lightly and I look up in surprise to see that Kate has fallen into step beside me. She's grinning.

"They also say vampires don't exist but here we are." I murmur back.

"Correct you are, Bella." She laughs in a long light peal before her expression falters. "Forgive me if I'm wrong but did Edward say you're a guest of theirs?"

I raise an eyebrow at her. "If you want to ask me about it, go ahead Kate. Just don't pretend you've forgotten what Edward said. Even I'm aware that vampires don't forget anything." I say fiercely.

Kate chuckles. "I think I'm going to like you Bella."

I smile at her. "Yes. Edward did say I'm a guest."

"How long have you been a guest?"

"Twenty-four hours, give or take." I murmur.

She looks surprised. "So they're as much strangers to you as they are to us? How strange. You seem so…"

"So what?" I ask abruptly.

She smiles softly. "You seem like you're a part of their family already. That was why I wanted to confirm you were a guest. You seem like you've known them for years." She hesitates before continuing. "Especially Edward."

I frown at her. "And what do you mean by that?" I ask quietly.

She bites her lip, unsure. "I don't really know." She confesses. "It's just like you have this… magnetism. It's strange. I've never seen anything like it."

"I have but it's rare, Kate." I glance up to see Eleazar looking back over his shoulder at us. I glare at him and he smiles apologetically. "I apologise for eavesdropping but I could not help hearing your conversation."

"Kate's right." Carmen interjects suddenly. "I have only been watching you for a brief while but you seem to have this…inner energy. You connect with each other." She finishes softly, her Spanish accent thick.

"It's almost as if you and Edward center yourselves around each other. You shift and he shifts along with you and vice versa. You mirror each other and it's a completely unconscious process." Eleazar adds quietly.

I scowl at both him and Carmen. "Well since you've been eavesdropping you should know that I've only known Edward for a day and most of that day was spent chasing after him." I forced myself not to show any emotion as I spoke his name. "So whatever you're hinting at is complete nonsense." I say coldly.

Carmen's dark eyes show me she isn't fooled by my coldness. "Is it?" She asks softly. "I don't think it matters how long you've known someone if you're meant to be together. And anyone can tell, just by looking at you and Edward, that you belong with each other."

"You're wrong." I say fiercely. "We can't belong to each other."

"And why not?" Eleazar asks, his voice gentle.

I sigh, regretting saying anything. "My scent drives Edward insane. No matter my personal opinion how can we be together when he can't stand to be in close proximity to me?"

"What do you mean 'your scent'?" Kate asks, looking puzzled. She sniffs the air as she speaks and suddenly whirls to a halt. Eleazar and Carmen scent the air too before immediately skidding to a halt. I roll my eyes and force myself to stop running. They double back, sniffing the air.

"That's impossible." Eleazar breathes. "You smell like a human."

Kate blinks and sniffs me even closer. "How is that possible?"

"Makes you glad we're vegetarians." Carmen murmurs quietly as Eleazar takes a step towards me.

"If I may?" He asks, gesturing to my hand.

I nod curtly and he leans forward, taking my hand. His touch is warm against mine, we are the same temperature, but nothing like the hotness I'd felt when Edward had touched my skin. His golden eyes peer into mine and I stare back unflinchingly. He sighs. "Your skin is the same temperature as ours, just like you have the speed, beauty and presumably the strength of us. Your eyes are lighter than they should be for a newborn, even if you have been drinking animal blood and obviously you have a human scent, although it is mixed in with a vampire scent that stops the human scent from being too overpowering." He releases my hand and steps back.

"How is this possible Eleazar?" Kate asks, staring at me.

He shrugs. "I don't know. I've never witnessed anything like this. Never." He says quietly.

I was seriously uncomfortable with all the sniffing and staring so I forced myself to smile. "Shouldn't we be catching up to the others? I don't know the way back." I don't wait for an answer as I sprint off after the others.

Eighteen hours later Kate, Eleazar and Carmen hadn't taken their eyes off me but finally we had arrived back at Carlisle's house. We'd all just jumped the river when Edward had stopped and told us all to walk the last few meters.

The Denali sisters along with Eleazar and Carmen all murmured appreciatively as they spotted the Cullen house. Edward grinned at them as he knocked lightly on the front door.

It was open almost instantly by Esme, her golden eyes worried. "Edward!" She exclaims. "I'm so glad…" Then her eyes fell on the rest of us and she blinked in shock. "What is going on?"

"We have a few visitors." Edward grins lightly. "May we come in?"

Esme wordlessly steps aside and watches open-mouthed as our eight vampire party walk into the entrance hall. Esme closes the door behind us, looking thoroughly in shock.

A dark blur races down the stairs and Emmett skids to a halt. "Well, well Bella! Someone's been naughty." He grins before noticing the other vampires and instantly drops into a hunting crouch. "What's going on?" He growls.

I notice Carmen back away slightly from the intimidating size of Emmett as Edward calmly answers. "They're friends Emmett. Relax."

Emmett straightens up, his eyes seeking mine. "You sneak out for one and come back with five more." He grins, showing his pearly white teeth. "Well played." He tuts.

"Thanks." I say sarcastically.

"Are they back yet?" I hear Carlisle's voice says before he blurs into the room. He notices us all instantly and his golden eyes widen. "Edward? Alice?" He pauses. "Bella? What's going on?"

Edward steps forward. "It's okay Carlisle. We met them yesterday. They're vegetarians like us. That's why I brought them back." He says softly.

Esme, who has just blurred back to Carlisle's side looks as shocked as Carlisle. "Vegetarians?" She whispers.

Carlisle doesn't speak until he's looked at each new vampire in turn. "Yes I can see they all have golden eyes." He blinks. "But I thought we were the only ones."

"So did we." Tanya murmurs.

"As did we." Eleazar adds.

Carlisle's face lights up into a brilliant smile. "Well I'm glad to see how wrong I've been. I'm Carlisle Cullen and this is my wife, Esme."

"I'm Tanya Denali and these are my sisters, Kate and Irina." Tanya says softly, a friendly smile on her face.

"I'm Eleazar and this is my wife, Carmen." Eleazar explains.

Carlisle smiles even wider. "Two different families, how brilliant." He sounded excited. "Who is the eldest out of you?"

Tanya looked at her sisters. "I was born in the early 1000s and transformed not much later by my great aunt, Sasha. Kate and then Irina were turned not long after but I am the oldest. I don't know about Carmen and Eleazar though." She admits.

They shake their heads. "We were both born and transformed in the 1700s." Eleazar explains.

Carlisle blinks, his expression completely shocked. He turns to Tanya. "You are older than me. That was not something I expected. I was born in 1640 and transformed in 1663."

I stare at him, along with Carmen and Eleazar. Carlisle was so much older than I'd expected. It really wasn't helping that he looked twenty-three.

Tanya smiles but it's not flirty like it was with Edward. "And how did you discover the ability to survive on animal blood Carlisle? Edward told us it was you who discovered it." She breathes.

"Can you hold that thought?" Edward asks suddenly. "Rosalie and Jasper are coming in."

Sure enough, two seconds later Rosalie's beautiful face along with Jasper's leonine body came into view. Rosalie was scowling but her expression instantly turned to one of surprise as she noticed how full the entrance hall was. Jasper tensed, scanned the room and instantly relaxed.

"Rosalie, Jasper." Carlisle says warmly. "These vampires are all vegetarians like us. These people are Tanya, Kate, Irina, Carmen and Eleazar." He points each vampire out. "Everyone this is Rosalie, my daughter and Jasper, my son. You've already met Alice and Emmett." He turns to Tanya. "I would like to hear more about your family and how it was formed, especially how you came to be vegetarians. Please come with me. Alice, will you please answer any questions Carmen and Eleazar may have? Rosalie and Jasper please show Kate and Irina around our house."

There was a brief silence and then Rosalie and Jasper gesture for Kate and Irina to follow them. They all flit out of the room. Alice dances out gracefully, Carmen and Eleazar following her. Carlisle squeezes Esme's hand before leaving with Tanya.

I scowl at her retreating back. Why was she so pretty, even for a vampire? Edward hadn't seemed interested in that but she was astoundingly beautiful. Esme's soft voice broke into my inner monologue. "I'm so glad you're okay Edward!" She says, hugging him fiercely. "Thank you so much for getting him to come back Bella." To my surprise she flits over to me and hugs me tightly too.

"Ah Bella, you're so lucky. Esme never hugs me." Emmett winks from his place on the stairs.

Esme laughs, lightly stepping away from me, wrinkling her nose slightly. "Only because you're too macho to want a hug from your mother." She teases, smiling broadly.

Emmett grins. "I have a reputation to uphold."

"You don't mind with Rosalie." Esme laughs.

"Ah well Rosalie's my exception. I can't have any other female ruining my reputation." Emmett winks.

"You're just afraid you'll look soft." Edward jibes, grinning at him.

"I agree." I say, laughing along.

"I am not soft!" Emmett says loudly. "I'll prove it to you Bella."

"Do it." I challenge, crossing my arms and grinning at him.

"Fight me." Emmett suggests, flexing his mountainous muscles.

"What?" I was briefly stunned.

"Unless you're too scared?" He asks mockingly.

"Nope." I say lightly. In reality, I wasn't sure if I was stronger than Emmett's huge stature but I wasn't going to let him intimidate me.

Emmett laughs lightly. "Let's go outside then."

A few seconds later, we're outside, a safe distance away from the house with Edward and Esme standing a short distance away from us.

Edward is frowning. "Bella," he says quietly as I stare down Emmett. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Oh come on man." Emmett rolls his eyes. "Don't be a spoilsport."

Edward looks affronted. "I'm just checking that Bella's comfortable with this."

I keep my face smooth as I glance at Edward. "Yup, I'm fine." I lie through my teeth.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Emmett chants, baring his teeth at me.

And then he's reaching for me.

I instantly dance out of the way, much to the surprise of Esme, who gasps loudly. Emmett blurs towards me again and I instantly drop to the ground and kick upwards. The kick connects and he staggers backwards.

I blur to my feet noting his shocked expression as he recovers. Then he grins and charges towards me. At the last second I jump up of the ground, grab a branch high above me and swing like Tarzan over him. I then flip around in mid-air and land neatly on his back.

He instantly tenses his shoulders and jumps backwards, smashing me into a tree. It shudders. I jab sharply downwards with my foot, interfering with his balance and giving me enough room to slither off his back.

He turns and recklessly charges again. I wait until he's close enough and then grab him by his throat, flinging him into the tree.

As Emmett hits the tree, a loud ominous creaking sound can be heard and then the whole tree topples over.

All seventy feet of it.

Emmett, who has been charging towards me again, freezes and stares at the fallen tree in shock and all the disruption it'd caused. It was raining leaves. I was motionless too wondering how I'd managed to knock a tree that big down. My strength was obviously more than I'd thought.

I turn to Emmett, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Edward and Esme. "I win." I say quietly.

He doesn't argue, very uncharacteristically of him. "Yes, you do." He says, still staring at the tree.

"Are you okay?! We heard fighting and…" Carlisle appears out of nowhere along with Tanya and her sisters but trails off as he notices the damage.

Eleazar, Carmen, Alice, Jasper and Rosalie appear in the same second and their jaws drop open too.

"What happened here?" Carlisle breathes. "Surely one of you didn't do this?"

"Bella." Edward says quietly, when no one speaks.

Twelve pairs of golden eyes stare at me, the expression accompanying them varying from vampire to vampire. Carlisle is the first to recover.

"You… did this Bella?" He looked disbelieving.

I make a guilty face. "Yes, it was an accident." I say quietly.

Carlisle frowns "But how did you do it?"

"I threw Emmett into the tree." I admit.

I hear Edward chuckle and Rosalie growl but Carlisle ignores them. "You threw Emmett with enough force to knock the tree down?" He questions.

"Yes." I squeak.

Carlisle's eyes widen. "That would require a lot of strength Bella. A hell of a lot. More strength than any of us possess, including Emmett."

Emmett scowls. "Bella's not stronger than me!" He protests.

"She is." Alice and Edward say together.

"She's a freak, that's what she is." Rosalie mutters under her breath, but of course I hear her.

I'm frozen to the spot for one never ending second and then I'm sprinting away from all of them as fast as I can, using my strength to my advantage.