Introductions
Scarlet had changed drastically since we had first met her. She had a spring in her step, and her eyes were no longer sad. Her whole expression was one of pure happiness. She and Seth walked around the house holding hands, and gazing into each other's eyes. It reminded me of another odd couple that used to roam the halls of Forks High School with the same look in their eyes. If they were feeling even close to the way we had felt, then I was happy for them.
Still, we had to get their heads out of the clouds and back to earth. The other covens would be coming any day now and we had to be prepared. Carlisle had arranged a "vacation" so we could get out of school for a while. We never specified how long we would be gone, and the school did not care. We were all perfect students, and they trusted we would make up the work eventually, but that was the last thing on our minds.
Tanya had told us that she planned to gather them all at her house and bring them here later. This would make introducing Scarlet to the covens easier. Tanya had also said that she knew some other clans that she would invite. It would be fun to meet them. There were three clans that she had mentioned; the Australian coven, the Soviet coven, and the German coven.
I was very interested in how everyone would react to Scarlet. Apparently she was a myth to most vampires. Out of all of them Eleazar might know of her existence.
With everything going on the council at La Push had decided it was time to tell Charlie about everything. Well, almost everything. We came to a compromise, and agreed that the Cullens would be referred to as "the Cold Ones" instead of vampires. I love my dad, and I didn't want to lose him now, and I don't think he would have been able take it. They told him the legends of the tribe, and Scarlet got permission to go over and meet Charlie. I can't say he was thrilled when he saw that she looked like the rest of us.
We told Charlie that we were having some guests over, and he guessed right away what was going on. The council had told him there would be a battle with the Cold Ones or something, so that gave it all away.
We were all getting ready for our guests to arrive. Carlisle had not told Tanya about Scarlet, so while the rest of us got ready, Scarlet, Seth, Carlisle, and Edward discussed the best way to introduce her to the others.
"Why not just come out with it?" Seth asked Carlisle. "She is one of you, so what is the problem?"
"She may be one of us, but she is the most powerful one of us in the world." Carlisle explained to them. "She is supposed to be a myth. It would come as a shock to them, and she may seem threatening. Remember what it was like when we were approaching her house?"
"Especially with the new covens coming." Edward added. "They don't know us, and here we are presenting them with this."
"I agree." Scarlet spoke up. "You should tell them all before introducing me. Carlisle will tell them his story, and then I will come out and meet them."
"As long as you think it is safe." Seth said as he took Scarlet's hand in his.
"Would you love birds help out!" Alice joked. "They will be here any minute."
Seth's russet skin darkened a shade. They quickly started rearranging the furniture and getting things set up for the guests.
"Seth. Jacob." Alice called. "Go sit in the corner with Nessie. I want to know when they are coming."
They all obeyed willingly, and sat on the chairs that had been placed there for them. Three had been reserved for Jake, Seth, and Sam. They would be representing the packs, but Edward thought it might be best if they were to keep their distance from the new guests. Renesmee sat in Sam's chair for the time being.
Alice was concentrating hard. Sam must have been on his way. She was in and out constantly.
"Tanya will be here first with the German, Soviet, and Australian covens close behind her. They did not want to come all at once. Being inconspicuous, not drawing attention blah blah blah. Benjamin and Tia will follow, but Amun and Kebi refused to come. Huilen and Nahuel will be coming with the Amazons. The Irish Coven will be there shortly after. They found Stefan and Vladimir who will be coming with Peter and Charlotte. Tanya even got Maria. Alistair refused to come, and they could not reach Mary or Randall."
Carlisle looked disappointed, but not surprised when he heard about Alistair. We had known it was a long shot to ask for his assistance now, but we had had to try.
"Do you know what time?" Jasper questioned as he hustled around with the others.
"Ten or fifteen minutes." Alice announced as Sam walked in the door.
He came in silently. He had been briefed on what to do and expect. He and Renesmee traded chairs, and he sat down without a word.
Nessie went to stand next to Jacob, and laid her hand on his shoulder. Jake patted it comfortingly. He knew that she hated being sent to the corner when Alice was trying to see things. It made her feel useless. Like she could not do anything to help but stay out of the way. Jake would like nothing more than to not be involved with the huge group of vampires that would be here any second.
I could hear four cars approaching the entrance to the driveway. They were fairly close together, but not close enough to get anyone suspicious.
"They're coming!" Edward called. "Scarlet, you can wait around the corner."
Seth got up from his chair obviously uncomfortable with the idea of Scarlet out of his sight. Scarlet took Seth's hand with a smile and led him around the corner with her.
"Everyone knows what to do, right?" Alice checked.
Everyone nodded silently as the cars approached and new ones came into range.
Everyone was still as the cars were parked and the first guests walked up the stairs and to the door. No one moved until Tanya knocked on the door, and even then, they moved slowly to greet them. Renesmee was the first to say hello to everyone.
Tanya entered first, with her strawberry blonde hair shining as she moved to hug us one by one.
"Hello everyone." She greeted us in a less than cheerful manner. They all knew about the Volturi, and this was a less than happy assembly. Kate and Garret followed Tanya's example, greeting everyone in a rather silent manner before taking a seat in the circle of chairs that had been assembled.
I could hear Carmen and Eleazar outside with a large group of unfamiliar people. They had to be the new covens.
As they talked, Benjamin and Tia came in, and greeted us in a similar way. They were followed by Huilen and Nahuel, who seemed rather comfortable considering the situation. I knew they were there, because from the moment they stepped through the door I felt Nahuel's intense gaze on my back. Nessie waved to him politely, and he smiled back at her. Jacob did not seem to like that very much.
"We are sorry that Amun and Kebi did not come." Benjamin apologized to Carlisle.
"I understand completely." Carlisle assured them. "I would not force this upon them."
Kachiri, Senna, and Zafrina walked in soon after, hand in hand. Upon sight Renesmee rushed to Zafrina to greet her.
"My child," Zafrina greeted her, "how you have grown."
They held hands and traded memories of the past when a similar trouble had risen, and we had joined forces once before.
When Siobhan entered she went straight to Carlisle to greet him.
"My friend," she said, "I know now for sure I do not possess the power of wishful thinking, for I had hoped this day would never have to come."
Carlisle smiled slightly. "Maybe you just have to wish harder."
Maggie and Liam were right behind Siobhan, and joined everyone else in the circle.
"So we have another chance at the destruction of the Volturi." a familiar voice exclaimed in a rather cheerful manner.
Stefan and Vladimir had heard the news and volunteered their services immediately. They were not favorites among the group, but we would need all the help we could get.
Peter and Charlotte greeted Jasper as soon as they came in. Though the pale blonde and his identical mate seemed to be on good terms with jasper, there always seemed to be a slight rift between them.
They were followed by Maria, Jasper's creator, and you could feel the tension between them. I had not met Maria before, but I already felt uneasy around her. She radiated a violence that was apparently common in the south where a never ending war ensued. It seemed to be made more obvious through her long jet black hair and slight olive skin tone, though she was smaller than I thought.
Looking at him now, I could see the effects of the gloomy atmosphere on Jasper. He looked so sad. Alice was next to him with his hand in hers, sending off waves of love and comfort that did not seem to help much. Soon enough, everyone started acting a little happier, and the nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach went away. Jasper too, sighed in relief. Scarlet was probably working her magic, because sadness and panic this strong had to be hard to diminish.
There were still the groups outside with Eleazar and Carmen. They spoke until the last of our old friends came in. Eleazar was the first to enter, with Carmen and the covens close behind.
"Hello my old friend." Carlisle greeted him. "I wish we could meet under better circumstances."
"As do I." Eleazar replied.
Carlisle looked to Carmen. "Thank you for bringing everyone here."
"It was the least we could do." Carmen replied. "As I told you before, we brought along some friends of ours that agreed to help."
As she spoke, a group of four stepped forward. They were all beautiful, with dark hair and bright red eyes. Three were male, all with dark hair, and all muscular. Two had dark brown hair, one straight and the other curly. The straight haired man was very tall. Almost as tall as Jacob. The other straight haired man had hair that was so black it looked like a raven's wing. He was holding the hand of a woman with stick straight black hair that matched his. The contrast with her fair skin made her look like a ghost.
"I am Anton." Said the man with the black hair, his accent strong. He seemed to be their leader. "This is Filipp and Maxim." He said as he motioned to the straight haired man, and then the curly haired man. "This is my mate Diana." He said as he patted the hand of the woman. "We are the Soviet Coven."
"We have heard many great things about your family, and would be honored to fight for it." Diana spoke up.
"We thank you for your help." Esme said as she went to stand with Carlisle.
"They are Soviet's?" I whispered to Edward. Not that politics meant much under present circumstances, but this did bother me a little. Like most people in America, I was taught to cringe at the thought of communism.
"It merely refers to the era they were changed." Edward explained. "They were all changed around 1922 when the Soviet union was first founded."
"Anton has a gift that may be of use to you." Tanya spoke up.
"It is used in two ways." Anton elaborated. "I can see through anything, or see nothing except what I am looking for. Whatever works best under the circumstances."
"That would be most helpful." Carlisle thanked him.
They joined the others in the seats silently after Anton spoke. None of the others so much as nodded their heads.
Another group came forward. In this group there were two male and two female vampires. The first man was slender with straight brown hair, and a kind face. He wore a smile that seemed out of place in the otherwise gloomy environment. He stood very close to one of the girls who also had straight brown hair. They stood so close that their shoulders touched.
The second man was young with short spiky brown hair, and looked so fierce, that I moved closer to Edward as he approached. Holding his arm was the second girl. She was also young, with curly blonde hair and a kind smile that reminded me of Esme in some ways.
"Arminius of the German coven at your service." Said the straight haired man as he bowed politely to Carlisle. "But please, call me Armin." He glanced up and winked at Renesmee, who was giggling at the display. He seemed to have an attitude similar to Emmett. He seemed cheerful and carefree, especially considering the situation.
"You must excuse him." The woman nest to him said as she nudged his side. "I am Brigitta, Armin's wife." She stated as she extended her hand to Esme. "Everyone just calls me Bridget."
"It is wonderful to meet you both." Esme greeted her cheerfully as she accepted Bridget's hand.
The blonde girl stepped up to Carlisle, leaving her mate behind.
"I am Juliet." The girl stated simply. "This is my mate Amos."
She motioned to the statue that was the man with the spiky hair. Something about him reminded me of Alice. Probably the way his hair shot out in every direction.
When he did not step forward, Juliet turned back to Carlisle.
"You must forgive him." She said. "He has trouble trusting new people. He was taken to a Jewish concentration camp when he was human. He was tortured and almost gassed to death when Armin found him."
"That's horrible." I gasped.
Amos stepped forward. He looked at me and smiled.
"You must be the shield everyone has been talking about." He finally spoke. "I too have a gift that may be of some use. It is similar to this Jane person's gift. When I was… dying, I was concentrating so hard on making those who were killing me go through what I was going through that it became my gift."
"So you… gas people?" I was hesitant to speak, but I was curious enough to ask.
"Not exactly." Amos smiled slightly. "I can make them feel the pain of it. It is not as painful as Jane's gift but it can incapacitate someone to an extent. I was rather curious to see if you could block me as well. May I?"
I nodded hesitantly. I knew I had to gain this man's trust, but he made me uneasy. As his attempt to gas me failed, I was extremely grateful for my own gift. I knew he was here to help, but Amos really scared me.
"Hm." He thought. "Hopefully my gift will be of more use later."
"Any help you can give will be most welcome." Carlisle thanked him, and with that, the Germans sat with the others.
As the Germans sat down, Tanya brought forth the other group. There were three females and one male. This had to be the Australian Coven.
"This is Idalia and her coven." Tanya announced as a female stepped forward. She was tall with black hair that had many small braids. She had a slightly olive skin tone, and looked like she understood the situation far too well.
"It is a pleasure." Esme greeted her.
"Thank you." Idalia replied. "This is my friend Coleen." She said as she motioned towards the female with curly brown hair.
Coleen nodded silently. She looked shy and did not speak after Carlisle returned her nod.
"This is Kenneth." Idalia continued. "He joined us on his own." The man's bright red hair reminded me of Victoria, but his warming smile was reassuring.
"That is an interesting name." Carlisle spoke up. "Born of fire if I remember correctly."
"Very good." Kenneth complimented him. "When I woke up all I remembered was the burning, so I named myself after the fire."
"I thought it had to do with your hair." I heard Renesmee comment.
I shot her a warning look, but Kenneth laughed and so did the other members of his coven.
"Most do."
"How did you cope after waking up?" Alice asked. "I had a similar experience and the only thing that kept me from going savage was my ability to see the future."
"I did for about a year until I learned to control myself. A while later I met Idalia and Coleen and joined them. Then I met my dear Adelaide."
A beautiful girl with wavy golden hair came to stand next to Kenneth. She smiled at him lovingly and took his hand.
"Well we thank you all for coming." Esme spoke up.
That was the last of the covens. I was rather shocked at how large they all were. Vampires usually did not form very large groups, but Edward had told me that, like Rose and Emmet, the couples in these covens would go off on their own as nomads for extended periods of time. Many vampires feel a certain loyalty to their creators and would meet with them. In the case of these covens, many of them were just temporarily regrouped.
As the last coven joined the circle, the chatter died down, and the room became silent apart from the pounding hearts of the Jacob and the other wolves and the humming of Renesmee's.
Carlisle stood up from where he was sitting next to Esme.
"First I would like to thank you all for coming. I am sure Tanya told you everything about the situation. We know what you are risking, but either way we are all in danger. We know The Volturi want to pick us off one by one, and by uniting we are making it harder for them to get rid of us."
"Carlisle." Vladimir spoke up. "You know I would gladly take any chance to take out the Italian scum, but you know as well as I that we do not stand one chance at coming out of this alive whether we fight or not. The Volturi have grown. We may have had a chance last time, but what is the point of uniting if we are all to die anyway?"
"Is there something you are not telling us?" Siobhan chimed in.
Carlisle paused. Siobhan had hit home. The room was full of statues.
"I am sure most of you have heard the story of the Skill Bender." Carlisle spoke calmly.
The room went dead silent.
"But it is just that Carlisle. A story." Benjamin went on after some time. "If she existed the Volturi would have found her. No vampire could have a skill that great."
"You are wrong on both accounts." Carlisle spoke up. "When I was with the Volturi, she came to them. We were forbidden to speak of her existence. The Volturi wanted her for themselves, but she refused to join them."
"Why would anyone refuse to join the Volturi?" Zafrina asked.
"You should ask her." Carlisle stated.
"You want us to look for her?" Maria laughed. "Even if she did exist, no one knows where she is."
"After I told Tanya about the situation, my family and I followed a rumor to find her."
"So what you are saying in she is here right now?" Peter tensed up as he spoke.
"You are lying!" Stefan accused.
"Maggie?" Liam looked to Maggie for confirmation of the accusation.
"He is telling the truth." Maggie practically whispered.
The whole room went silent. No one spoke or moved. All eyes were on Carlisle.
"Scarlet." Carlisle called, and the young girl rounded the corner to meet the waiting guests.
A/N
Not my best work, but its out. I could change the intro scene a million times and I would still not be happy with it. WARNING! even more vampires to come so memorize who the new ones are nob before you get lost XD
Thank you for your support guys. It feels great to know people are reading your material. Since I posted the last chapter there has not been a day where at least two people have not read the story. That's amazing to me.
So be sure to review. I love to hear comments and what direction you hope or think the story will take, what you want to see more of ect. It will help the writers block for my unfinished and unwritten chapters in the future.
~Twily