Strategy

It was hectic. Chaotic. Insane.

We had to plan it, and plan it well. We had no way of avoiding it, so we had to deal with it.

Jacob stood in the living room with us, discussing the strategy. They had to split: three wolves and three vampires and two wolves and four vampires: Jacob, Embry, Seth, Carlisle, Alice and Jasper; Quil, Leah, Esme, Emmett and Edward.

And Me.

Bella was going to look after Renesmee in her and Edward's little cottage, just over the river from the Cullens house.

And I had to fight. Fight well. Fight and live.

But, as displayed once before, I bled. I breathed. I may be living forever as I am now, without changing, but I can die. I would die. I was almost certain of it.

Carlisle and Jacob planned the fight in the clearing, with various voices inputting now and again. My name was mentioned several times, and I was being moved around and paired up and unpaired and switched around and... I was tearing my hair out.

I couldn't fight. I would be hopeless. I didn't want to fight. It was against my nature to even attempt to kill.

"Jasper will teach you how to fight," Edward said absently. He was still wary around me even though Renesme and Bella were perfectly comfortable. Though I preferred him ignoring me, he scared me. He'd nearly killed me, sweet goddess!

"Sorry."

"Uh... okay." And he said nothing.

So I just sat in a foetal position at the very end of the smart cream three-seater sofa, as far away from the table where the men, Esme and Alice planned as possible.

Bella came to sit by me, Renesmee asleep in her arms again.

"You'll be a great fighter," she said reassuringly, though we both knew she didn't mean it.

I nodded in false agreement.

"Hey, there's nothing to worry about, we've had to fight before, though I was still human, and Jasper gave us some fighting-master-classes. He and Alice are really funny!" She cried, laughing.

"Oh... right," I said uncaringly.

"Come on, Zoey, you'll be fine," She said comfortingly, putting her free right arm around my shoulders.

I leaned into her, stroking Renesmee's hair with my right hand, my left curling around Bella's back.

"I'm sorry about what I said in the woods... I do feel cared for here... I like it," I said, not meeting her eyes. I was that guilty.

"Hey, that's okay, I like it here too," she said with a smile.

We sat in our embrace without anyone else noticing, until I fell asleep on her shoulder.

I woke up in the same cream-covered bed as before, alone this time. The room was very quiet, and I couldn't hear anyone downstairs either. There was a mirror in the corner of the room, so I walked over to it.

I looked awful. My marks were a dull blue, all across my face, chest and hands. I took off the v-neck top I was wearing, courtesy of Alice, and looked at my back.

The rune-like letters had changed. They had moved. Ever since the time Stevie Rae had died (She had coughed to death like Elliot) my back had been marked like my face, neck and shoulders. There were runes between the swirls, evenly spaced on my back, and they had moved, I swore it.

Whoa.

My hair was like a haystack and I didn't smell too good. There was a shower-room next door so I stripped down and stepped into the comfort of steamy-hot water. I washed my hair and myself, and even found a razor to sort out other stuff.

I wrapped in the towel hanging on the fancy radiator on the wall, and walked into the other room.

There was an outfit, neatly folded on the bed. A pretty little black and dark grey check shirt and a black pinstripe waistcoat with bow-buttons sat perfectly creased, brand new. There was also some gorgeous (everything was obviously designer) black skinny jeans and some amazing black knee-high stiletto boots.

There was even a thick, grey knit cardigan (Joe Browns!) though none of the Cullens felt the cold. I dressed quickly and hurried downstairs to find something to eat. As I'd suspected the house was empty.

I looked myself up and down, smiling at how nice the clothes were.

"I knew you'd like them," said a voice suddenly and I gave out a little cry.

"Alice! You scared me!" I said breathlessly.

"They've all gone to talk to the wolves, the ones on our side."

"Oh, okay."

"Anyway, I thought you must be hungry, so I cooked you up a nice big breakfast!"

"Oh, goodness, thank you, what are you, psychic?"

"Actually yes, I thought you knew that?"

"Um... oh, yeah," I remembered Edward saying something about that.

I sat down at the huge kitchen table (why did they need a kitchen? They didn't eat that kind of stuff) and asked: "how come you have a kitchen anyway?"

"To fit in. If we had any visitors they'd wonder why we didn't have one. You seem to be enjoying the advantage, anyway."

"Well you're a good cook for someone who doesn't eat," I said, muffled around mouthfuls, but my own expert hearing told me she'd heard me.

She took my left hand and held it, while I scoffed down the food with only a fork in my right.

She smiled at me and, around chipmunk-cheeks, I smiled back. I really did feel welcome here. I guess I was just moaning like a typical teenager when we were in the forest.

When I was finished I helped her clear up, and then we went to meet the others with the wolves. We weaved through the trees and jumped the stream.

I wished we hadn't.

They were bickering. Alice went to stand by Jasper, but she closed her eyes and wore a very serious don't-dare-bother-me-I'm-thinking face.

Alice reopened her eyes after a time. "SHUT-UP!"

Everyone froze.

"Jacob and Jasper are right. We have to face them head on; they're expecting us to go around and try to surprise them, so they'll be waiting there. One of our teams needs to come from the north and one from the south."

"No, one team can face them head on and the other can form a circle and surround them," Embry said.

"But then we have to split up! I am NOT going to jeopardise my family!" Esme cried. She sounded tearful, but she didn't cry.

"Honey, we need to do what's best for everyone, quickly enough, though, so that we can find Rosalie," Carlisle countered.

"Vampires can't hurt, remember? It's just you," Edward whispered, appearing by my left shoulder. "I'm sorry about before, what I did was unforgivable. I'm not used to someone who doesn't... who isn't immortal, not since Bella was human and now she's not I forget."

"Not quite unforgivable," I whispered, not meeting his eyes.

"Thank you," he said simply, "I'm just... very... protective."

"I noticed," I said coldly, rubbing my throat where the purple bruising hid my marks (which annoyed me – I liked to show off my marks) just as well as my blood had. Indigo blood... I shuddered at the memory. That was caused by him, too, I remembered. But I was over that now. I didn't care.

"Thank you again."

"Zoey what do you think?" Carlisle asked me suddenly.

"Uh..." I said brilliantly. "Um, I think... we should stick together...? Without me?"

"Zoey, you don't need to worry, we won't let anything hurt you," Esme said softly.

"Maybe so, but I can't fight! I'll be more of a hindrance than a help," I said helplessly.

"Don't worry. I'll teach you how to fight," Jasper said absently. He was holding Alice tightly, and she clutched him back, because he was too scared to let her go, I'm sure.

"Oh." I said.

I looked around the circle of people (and wolves). Jasper held Alice lovingly; Carlisle and Esme embraced, Edward and Bella were barely millimetres apart. Renesme Slept on Jacob's hip, Leah stood half-hugging her brother, holding hands with Embry, Quil's hands on her shoulders. Everyone was so close.

Suddenly, I felt vary alone and vulnerable. I stood behind both families and took several steps back until I hit a tree. I sank down while they continued to argue about whether or not it was best for the family's welfare to go around or go head-on. Here, I picked at a small patch of grass and drew in the dirt like a young child, until Emmett sat by me. My head snapped up and I turned to see the family oblivious to Emmett's absence.

"You looked a little lonely," he said.

It was like he had some strange power over me: I found myself telling him the complete truth, though I didn't want to, not really. "Well, all you guys have your girl. You have your family. Even the wolves are content with each other. I don't have anyone, not really. My family and my friends and my High Priestess Neferet and my Grandma are all halfway across America," I started to cry towards the end, and my voice broke on 'Neferet' and 'Grandma'.

"Hey, hey! S'Okay! You have us; you're one of the family!"

That really made me cry. "You don't know how much it means to hear you say that," I said around sobs.

"Don't mention it!" he said, taking me into his arms. I cried even harder. I didn't realise until now how much I missed my family.

Suddenly, I was surrounded. All but the wolves were situated around my tree, comforting me; Emmett on my left, Alice on my right and Esme in front, holding both of my hands.

Everyone was trying so hard to make me feel welcome... too hard. It was overwhelming how much fuss I was getting, and I just didn't want the attention. Back home in Tulsa, my friends helped me out then left me to it. They knew I liked to be alone.

So I ran.

I ran and ran and ran. Out of the forest, away from the family, the wolves. I ran to Port Angeles, to Seattle. I ran in circles. I ran as fast as I could, confusing my trail by following that of other vampires if I found any. I think I may have run over the Canadian Border. I just ran, with no direction.

The sun began to set and I slowed. It was Twilight. Twilight was the best time for vampires. Then it started to rain. Could my day get any worse? I was homesick, I was lost, I was tired and I was cold. I started to retrace my trail south, jogging so I was as slow as a human sprinter.

"Give her time, she'll come back..."

I stopped instantly.

Carlisle's voice echoed around my mind.

"She'll be fine, leave her be!" Edward cried.

He was angry with me. How did I know that? How was I hearing things?

"I trust her. She can take care of herself," Alice said reassuringly.

"I'm sure she can, too," Esme said.

"But..." Bella. She was worried about me. It brought tears to my eyes.

"When is Zoey coming back?" Renesmee asked.

"Yeah, she could be gone for days!" Emmett shouted, he was sick with worry.

"Just leave her, I promise she'll be fine, I've seen it," Alice said, and they left. There was just Emmett, Bella and Renesmee, worrying about me with Edward waiting by.

The scene in my head flashed and faltered, then disappeared completely. I had actually seen a conversation. I had heard it, though I was miles and miles away. It had felt as though I was there, I was in the room with them. But they had not seen me. This scared me, and I began to run. I ran south, towards the Cullen's house.

Towards home.