Well, hello everybody! SeaSpectre 160's back and ready to rock, and as a treat for you guys, I'm posting this a day early! My IB exams are done (and I think I did great on some subjects, especially math) and now I just have one EASY class for the rest of the year. So anyway, sorry to all my faithful readers who've had to wait for so long, but here it is! This is almost like a birthday present for me, being able to post again, because it's my birthday this Sunday! And no, I'm not telling nobody how old I am! You can never tell who someone is on the 'net.

Just to recap, Miriam is Jake and Nessie's 15-year-old daughter they've just been reunited with, but her best friend Elsie doesn't trust them.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight. Stephanie Meyer does. However, I own Miriam, Elsie, and my minor OCs.

WORD COUNT: 3344


Tuesday, April 20th, 2032

The next morning, I woke up, got breakfast, and was promptly informed that I was grounded for a week. My brain was still half-asleep, so I was confused as to why I was grounded. Then I headed out the door to go to school and saw that Elsie wasn't waiting there for me like she usually did.

Then I remembered.

I set off towards the school with a purpose. I had to talk to Jasper, and tell him what had happened between me and Elsie. Not only was he family, but wasn't it his job to help me with this stuff, anyway? And Great-Grandma Esme had said that a lot of the others would be at school, too. I hoped that included Mom and Dad. And, for some reason, I found myself wondering if Seth would be there, too.

Sadly, I didn't get an opportunity to go see Jasper all morning. There was no time between classes, and since Cammie Everard just so happened to be home sick that day, I had no excuse to break down crying and be sent there – at least, no excuse that I could use without revealing that my parents were a werewolf and half-vampire.

But on the positive side, Alice was in my math class. It was a huge relief to walk into Mr. Gaines's room and see her smiling and waving at me. I skirted past Elsie and her suspicious glare and sat down next to my immortal great-aunt. She told me to just call her Alice, though. We chatted quietly for the entire hour; since both of us had better hearing than humans, we could hold a conversation without the teacher noticing. I told her about my fight with Elsie, and she immediately agreed that we had to talk about it as a family. She scrunched up her face in concentration for a second, then explained to me that she was sending the thought out to Grandpa, so that he could tell the rest of the family to meet us there.

That threw me for a bit, until Alice explained how some vampires had special gifts, aside from the speed, strength, senses, and general invincibility. I really liked her gift, being able to see the future, but she said it actually drove her crazy sometimes. Apparently, she could only see vampires' and, to a lesser extent, humans' futures. She said it was most likely because she was a vampire and had been a human. Other creatures, such as Dad and the shifters or hybrids like me and Mom, weren't within her sight because she'd never been those. That was why she hadn't expected Jasper to find me yesterday.

The bell for lunch rang eventually. Immediately, Alice and I gathered our stuff and headed for Jasper's office. Mom, Dad, and Seth - who were posing as sophomores - met up with us in the hall, and Mom flitted to my side right away. "Hey, honey," she greeted me.

"Remember, we're not supposed to know her yet," Dad reminded her gently.

"Oh, right." Mom reluctantly moved away, but never strayed any farther than a foot from me.

I smiled at Seth and my parents. "How're you liking Golden Creek High so far?" I asked.

Dad grinned. "I've got the two most important girls in my life here. So far, I'd say it's pretty much paradise."

"That's great for you," Embry commented as he and Quil joined us, with Grandma and Grandpa right behind them, "That Mrs. Khayman's evil! I'm telling you; first day here, and already a teacher's out to get me!"

"Well, you know what they say," Quil replied, "Once a delinquent, always a delinquent."

I shot a questioning look at them. "Embry's mom never knew he was a shifter," Grandpa explained, "He'd have to sneak out of the house every night for patrols, and needless to say, that didn't sit too well with her."

I laughed as Embry moaned and rubbed his forehead in embarrassment. "Well, I think Maman is going to be just like that. She's pretty pissed that I didn't come home right after school. Should I tell her about this?"

Dad chewed on his lower lip. "Not a good idea, at least for now. Maybe if she starts getting really suspicious. Humans aren't supposed to know that vampires really exist. We shifters were only spared because we're just as much a part of the supernatural world as they are."

"And the Volturi didn't want to look bad in front of their witnesses by attacking us unprovoked," Seth stated, "They're just waiting for us to screw up so they'll have an excuse to wipe us out."

"The Volturi?" I scrunched my face up in thought. I knew Alice had mentioned them less than an hour ago... "Oh! They're like the vampire royalty, right?"

"Sort of," Grandma replied, "They're the most powerful coven in the world. We're the only ones who could rival them, so they're paranoid that we might try to take over."

We reached Jasper's office and just walked right in. "Hey," he greeted us, "How's your first day, guys?"

"My English teacher hates me," Embry stated, flopping down into one of the fuzzy chairs, "She's gonna have it out for me all year, I just know it."

"Well, we've got bigger problem than that," Alice interrupted, "Miriam?"

I sighed. "Elsie's completely freaked out. She's positive you guys are just waiting for me to let my guard down so you can suck my blood."

Jasper looked grim. "That is a big problem," he said, "Humans aren't supposed to know about us. It's only because she's your best friend that I allowed her to come with us. But if she's scared of us, she might cause trouble. She could call the police, expose us, stir up panic..."

"And then the Volturi would come," Grandpa continued, "They'd kill her, and no doubt they'd try to get you."

"Me?" I gulped.

One of their leaders, Aro, is a collector. When he sees a vampire with a talent that could potentially be useful, he'll try to bring them over to join his ranks. The more rare and unique, the better. He's already got his eyes set on me, Alice, your grandma, and your mom. Hell, he's even interested in having the wolves as 'guard dogs'."

"I'd gladly show him a guard dog," Quil muttered.

"You're half shifter, one-quarter vampire, and only one-quarter human. You're one of a kind, exactly what Aro would want to add to his collection."

"If he even tries to get his hands on her," Dad declared, "I'll rip him to pieces and burn the remains."

"Isn't that a little excessive?" I asked.

"Not really. It's pretty much the only way you can kill a vampire."

"Oh."

"The point is, we need to do something before this gets out of hand," Grandma insisted, "Miriam, you need to get through to Elsie, and help her understand."

I nodded. "I know. But Elsie's stubborn; it's almost impossible to change her mind."

"I can help," Grandpa offered, "I can listen to her thoughts and tell her which buttons to push."

I shook my head. "No. She's my best friend. I know her better than everyone else. She won't listen if you're looming over us. I'll take care of this."

Out of the blue, Embry's stomach growled very loudly. "Sorry," he apologised, "I'm missing lunch."

Grandma laughed, lightening up the mood. "You guys can go eat," she said, "Edward, Alice, and I are going to talk with Jasper a bit longer."

Embry immediately jumped up and bolted for the door, getting stuck when he and Quil tried to get through at the same time. The others all laughed, but I wasn't completely in the mood. I was still worried about Elsie and the Volturi.

People kept giving us funny looks as we walked down the hall to the cafeteria. Maybe it was because Dad and the guys were so freaking big. Mom and I barely came up to their shoulders, and I'm tall for my age. She especially stood out, her pale skin contrasting with their tan. I spotted Elsie by her locker and tried to talk to her, but she gathered up her stuff in a rush and hurried off. Seth patted my shoulder reassuringly, and surprisingly, I did feel a lot better when we made contact.

I blushed. Then I realised: 'Oh my God, am I crushing on a guy more than twice my age? What am I thinking? Okay, so he doesn't LOOK twice my age. Physically, he's forever a teenager, so it's not that weird. But he's my dad's friend, and friends don't date friends' daughters. Ugh, just forget it, Miriam. Put the thought out of your head.'

I hurried to try and catch up with Elsie, but a big crowd of seniors blocked my way, and I lost her.

Once we got our food and sat down, I learned the hard way not to make Quil laugh with his mouth full. He accidentally sprayed half-chewed spaghetti all over Seth and I. As my fellow cheerleaders pointed and laughed, I flushed red in embarrassment. "Come on," I muttered to Seth, "There's a paper towel dispenser over by the vending machine."

We made our way over there, passing by the football team and Walter Gaylyn. Normally, I'd get all flustered whenever I saw him. After all, he was the star quarterback, pitcher, and striker and the most desired guy in school, and I'd been crushing on him since the sixth grade.

So it was a bit surprising how easily I held my composure and kept walking. For some reason, I didn't have the same reaction to his blond hair, blue eyes, and perfect smile. Instead, I was far more interested in watching Seth pick bits of spaghetti off his arms. He had some pretty nice muscles; not scrawny, but not outrageously buff like those bodybuilders on mega steroids. I realised I was starting to think along the lines of crushing on him- again – and I reminded myself that I shouldn't be doing that. So I tore my eyes off his biceps and focused on the paper towel dispenser ahead of me. I didn't even look at him as I cranked some out and started wiping off the soggy noodles and chunks of meat sauce. I felt someone staring at the back of my head, and turned to see Elsie sitting nearby, her eyes riveted on me. She wasn't the only one. Three other girls from the squad, Wanda Johnston, Abby Kleinberg, and Beth Landsdown, were with her, although they had their eyes on Seth. I wanted to tell those vultures to stop staring at him like a piece of meat, but reminded myself that it wasn't any of my business. So what if they liked him? I mean, the age difference would be kind of weird if he started dating any one of them, but it wasn't like they would know that!

Then the annoying voices from yesterday came back, arguing again. 'Your Dad is sixteen years older than your Mom, and Great-Grandpa Carlise is about TWO HUNDRED years older than Great-Grandma Esme! The age difference between you and Seth shouldn't matter!'

'It DOES matter! Seth is closer to your father's age than your own!'

'Listen, Miriam, you now know that you're not human, you're part vampire! Age means nothing now!'

That idea scared me a little. This was the same voice that'd urged me to follow Jasper and led me to my family, but now that its first demand had been appeased, it was asking for even more. Sure, giving in to a crush on a guy didn't seem so sinister, but that voice seemed to be hinting at something else... something darker.

Seth finally noticed the girls were staring at him and gave them an awkward smile and a wave. Wanda, Abby, and Beth giggled like a couple of middle-schoolers. Elsie, on the other hand, gave him a look that was both threatening and fearful.

I sighed. "I'm going to talk to her," I told Seth. He nodded and, deciding he was as cleaned up as he was going to get, tossed his paper towel in the trash can and dug some coins out of his pocket, his eyes set on the jumbo-sized OhHenry! bar in the vending machine.

I walked over to Elsie's table. "We need to talk," I said to her, "In private." Elsie chewed her lower lip, but huffed and stood up.

We walked outside the cafeteria and found an empty classroom. "Okay, what do you want?" she grumbled.

"I need to know you won't do anything stupid."

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean going to the police, freaking out, exposing their secret." There was no question as to who 'they' were. "There'll be terrible consequences if people find out."

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you threatening me?"

"No! No, I'm warning you. Most vampires aren't as trusting as the Cullens, or as caring about humans. You could be put in a lot of danger if they find out you know about them."

Elsie snorted. "I'm not going to tell anyone. As far as I'm concerned, we're safe as long as we stay out of their world, like it never existed. That's what I'm doing, and I suggest you do the same."

I shook my head. "No way! I know you're a little freaked by this, but I can't just forget about my family after I've finally just met them! You don't get it, Elsie! All my life I've known there was something different about me, like there was something I was missing! And now I think I've found it! I know who – what I am now. I can't just pretend that never happened." I stared into her eyes, begging her to understand.

She blinked, then shifted her gaze uncomfortably to her shoes. "How can you be sure it's them?"

"I just am. If you'd taken a closer look at them, you could see how much I look like Jake and Nessie – I mean, Mom and Dad. I trust them, and we all want you to trust them, too."

"I never thought about it like that," she mumbled, "I did it again, didn't I?"

I laughed weakly. Elsie's stubbornness often made it hard to sway her opinion, so she tended to judge a person by her first impression of them. "Kind of, yeah." Hesitantly, I put one arm around her shoulders, relaxing when she didn't shrug me off.

"You'd think I'd learn by now." She turned her head back up to face me. "Do you think they'd give me another chance?"

I grinned at her. "Absolutely. Come on, join us at our table. I just hope the guys haven't stolen my food." We walked back to my family together. Grandma, Grandpa, and Alice had joined them, although they had no food set out in front of them. I noticed that Embry and Quil's plates were already empty, and they would occasionally reach for my half-eaten chicken burger. Luckily, Dad and Seth were shoving their hands away while Grandpa and the girls watched in amusement.

Alice perked up when we approached. "So everything's okay now?" she asked. I grinned and nodded, and she squealed, hugging the two of us. "I am so relieved! We were so worried about what might happen!" Something told me Alice had been slightly more worried just because she couldn't see how the conversation would turn out.

Elsie looked confused. "Yeah, what exactly would happen?" she asked, "Miriam said there would be 'terrible consequences', but she wasn't all that specific."

"We'd get in trouble with the Volturi if they found out you knew about us. They're the royalty and law enforcers of the vampire world. Humans can't know that we really exist. If one finds out, there are only two options: either the human dies, along with the vampire or vampires that slipped up, or they have to be changed. And the Volturi usually choose death."

"Changed? What do you..." Her eyes widened and she gasped as she realised what Alice meant. "And you told me anyway?!" Her voice was going squeaky, the way it always did when she got freaked.

"Just relax, okay?" Grandma advised her, "As long as they don't know, nothing has to happen. We tend not to have contact with them, and besides, the laws are only in place for our safety; you knowing we exist is no real threat if you stay quiet, and most other vampires who might find out usually tend to mind their own business. And if the Volturi do come after you, we will protect you."

"All humans in our territory, wherever we live, are off-limits," Grandpa explained, "So are the ones in Forks and La Push, down in Washington. Our treaty with the wolf pack there protects them – along with the actual wolf pack, of course."

Elsie took a deep breath and calmed down a bit. "Okay," she mumbled. I could tell she was still scared, but somehow she managed to smile. "I still feel like I'm going to wake up any second now, but I think I can deal with this."


"Thanks for the ride, Seth," I said as I climbed out of the passenger seat of his car in front of my house. Elsie was getting out of the back, trying to pull her overstuffed bookbag from where it'd fallen on the floor and gotten wedged between the seats.

"No problem." Seth gave me a grin. "Sorry we got you grounded."

"It's fine, really. This isn't the first time Maman's gotten mad at me."

"Why do you call her that?"

"'Maman'? It's French. Maman's from Québec and Papa's French on his mother's side. We don't speak a whole lot of English in the house. It's coming in handy now, though. At least I have a way to refer to both sets of parents."

"Miriam!" Brooke and the twins were standing on the front step. Their bus had already dropped them off, and they were waiting for me to show up with my house key and let them in. "Hurry up!" Brooke insisted, "I've gotta go real bad!"

I fished the key out of my purse. "I'll take care of it," Elsie volunteered, holding her hand out. Feeling extremely happy about it for some reason, I gave her the key, then eagerly turned back to continue talking to Seth.

"So, are those your brothers and sister?" he asked.

"Yep. Well, three out of four. Glenn has band practice. He won't be home 'til five, at least. Wanna come in?"

"I'd like to, but your dad wants me back to run patrols. Most vamps know to stay off our territory, but some need a little persuading, and we did only just move in. Besides, you'll get in trouble again."

I smacked my forehead. "Oh, right. I forgot. So... I'll see you tomorrow at school?"

"Yeah, see you then." We had a moment of uncomfortable silence for a few seconds. "Uh... Okay, 'bye." And then he drove off, leaving me standing there, breathless and somewhat dazed.


Alrighty then, that's the end of this chapter! I'll hopefully be back to posting every weekend, so I'll finish this up and start posting my XME fic 'Seether'. And sometime next year (I can't be sure until I figure out how many chapters another fic will have) I'm hoping to get the sequel posted, which will ficus more on Elsie after - oop! Not gonna give it away just yet!

So I'll see you guys next week!