Lacey
I don't like when they stare like that. It makes it so much worse. It reminds me that I'm not normal. I'm not even a good non normal person like the Cullens and at least Jacob has a pack. My parents avoid me; they don't come to practices in the woods. Bella is always annoyed with me and Edward mad. The others barely talk to me, only when I do something stupid. Now this new boy, the one that has a strange overlay, he is mad at me too. He's amazing though. Tanned and muscled with dark hair and his eyes are intelligent, questioning.
"What's going on?" I winced at the beautiful boy's harsh tone. He was looking at me but I had no answer. How was I supposed to know why he had an overlay? I'm certainly not an expert in weird things 101. Bella and Renesmee were glaring at him and Jacob was trying to get him to calm down. He was scared and confused, why were they mad at him? I would be too. Why couldn't they see his nervousness?
"It seems that Lacey has imprinted on you, Nahuel." Carlisle said calmly. I liked Carlisle, he always talked in a soothing tone.
"Yes, you've said that. What does that mean?" He choked up on mean. He was upset and I was upset that he was upset. I wished they'd stop making him upset, they treated him like a villain. I couldn't do anything though. They were so much more powerful, smarter and intimidating then me. Who was I to get in the middle of this?
"It's like a connection, like a soul bond, you can't fight it or break it. If you do you will hurt yourself. It's deeper than love though. Love is only surface, surely you can see that pull, that connection?" Renesmee spoke from the couch with a inquisitive look on her face. Nahuel looked tortured. Could I see this bond? I looked between us and saw nothing there. Could the others?
"It's not physical, Lacey, not the bond anyway, it's something you can see in your mind, in yourselves. You may even see Nahuel in another way, as if there is another image on top of him." Edward said quietly to me. It makes me nervous when he reads my mind and it starts a whole cycle of questions. Is he listening to me now? Can he hear this thought? Or this? Does he know it makes me nervous? Did he hear that? Edward moved away from me. He certainly had heard me. Nahuel scowled at Edward.
"I see it. It's the overlay." I whispered to myself but the whole room, besides Nahuel, nodded. Super- sonic hearing, see, that's cool. Sure my hearing improved once I started shifting but according to the Cullens, my smell did not improve. It got worse, making me even more of a freak. Nahuel looked at me with wide eyes. Maybe he saw it to. He stiffened and then bolted. He ran from the room so fast even the vampires were surprised. All save Alice who was looking somewhere else. Seeing the future, cool. Attacking Bella because I can't control my shifting, not cool.
"I'll go get him." Edward said. Jake and Carlisle followed him out. I looked over at the strange vampire who was now talking to Renesmee. They must be close because Renesmee's hand was on the strange one's shoulder. Alice came to sit beside me. The couch didn't even move when she sat. Esme sat on the other side, she was very nice too.
"It's okay, hun, he'll come back. The boys will find him." Esme said, rubbing her cold hand up and down my arm.
"I know." I told her. She stopped trying to comfort me and just stared at me in surprise. Alice laughed a little. Renesmee and the odd one, Zafrina, were still staring at something I failed to see. Emmett and Rosalie were nowhere in sight. I stared at the Cullen's Christmas tree. It was beautifully decorated like the rest of the house. Focusing on it kept me from focusing on Esme's intense stare.
"You know?" She finally asked. She inched slightly away from me, probably sensing my discomfort.
"Yes. He's upset and confused and you were all making him nervous. He just has to think about some things." I said it quietly not wanting to upset them. It wasn't their fault, not really. "Couldn't you tell?" I brought my knees up to my chin and wrapped my arms around them, making myself smaller.
"No, not really. What you felt is because of your bond, Lacey. You have an innate sense of how your partner is feeling and sometimes it influences your own emotions. The imprinting is a very deep connection. I doubt my dad even heard his thoughts about how he felt because Nahuel himself isn't sure." It was weird thinking of Edward as Renesmee's dad. I tried to avoid it. I liked thinking he and Bella were just normal seventeen or eighteen year olds. It's easier that way.
Zafrina had left the room. Good, I didn't like her eyes or the way she moved. It screamed predator. Is that what I looked like when I was a cheetah? I took in what Renesmee said though. It made some sense. How else would I know that? It's not like I was looking at his face or his eyes to discern his mood. "We're sorry we upset him more, it wasn't our intention." Renesmee went on. Her tone was anxious causing me to look up. They were all looking at me again.
"It's fine." I mumbled. They seemed to be satisfied with that because Esme stood up and asked if I wanted any food. As much as I loved her cooking, I couldn't eat. My stomach was knots. Was this because of Nahuel's feelings? I should go find him.
"I don't think that's a good idea." Alice said quietly to me. She put a hand on my shoulder, forcing me down. I was annoyed at her restraint. I felt a sudden urgency to go find him. It was boiling up, I had to see Nahuel. I don't know why but I just had to get out of this house. My body started to tingle. Uh Oh.
"Let her go, Alice." Jasper's voice sounded from far away. Reading emotion, also handy. I ran out of the house just as my body exploded. I had shifted accidentally yet again. Focus, Lacey, focus. I had to keep my mind at least. I thought of Bella, Edward, Renesmee and her growing baby, my parents who were at home, Carlisle, the beautiful Rosalie, William, one of my human friends and Hiedi. They were mad at me for ditching them for the Cullens. They didn't understand. I was a freak. I could feel my body start to move unbidden and changed my course of thought. Nahuel. That was it, he was it. I started running towards his scent. He needed me right now.
I flew through the trees, thinking about him to keep me grounded, to keep me, me. There was a noise above me but I couldn't look up. I was almost there. Almost to Nahuel, was he running towards me too? There was another noise above me but this time something hit me in the back. Hard. I felt a snarl ripple from my throat as something hard as marble caused something in me to snap. I lost the feeling of my legs as I was pinned to the ground. Then there was sharp pain at my neck. I couldn't breathe, I was losing myself, slipping. I noted through I cloud of pain that the weight of Zafrina's body was removed from me. It didn't matter. My body burned and my blood boiled. Pain. Darkness, blissful darkness.
Rosalie
I did not like Zafrina. I was convinced she did not like me. Emmett and I watched her come out of the house. "Wonder what she's up to." I said as I sunbathed at the top of the tree.
"Who cares?" Emmett said off handedly. Climbed up to my branch and kissed me roughly on the neck. "You should be worrying about what I'm up to." He kissed me again, softer this time, on the lips.
"I know what you're up to. Not here, my hair is going to get messed up from the branches." I pushed him slightly and he grinned, nonplussed.
"Rosalie? Emmett?" Zafrina's obnoxious voice floated up to us.
"Ignore her." I whispered to Emmett. He didn't listen, instead he jumped out of the tree and made a small crater in the ground. I followed more gracefully, flowing down the tree.
"I was wondering if you could go hunting with me?" She looked only at Emmett when she talked. I ground my teeth but otherwise remained prim and proper. I was a better person than she was. I didn't pay more attention to others like she did. The last time I saw Zafrina she was attached to Bella and Renesmee, barely gave me a glance. As if hearing that thought she turned to me, "Rose, dear, I just love your hair! It's absolutely radiant." I guess he wasn't that bad. I thanked her but didn't return a compliment. Chew on that.
"Hunt?" Emmett asked dubiously.
"Yes, your way. I've never done it and I figured I'd give it a shot. You all seem to be so happy and settled and you have a family." She sighed fakely, "I want that. I figured if I can live like you than I can have what you have. And who better to hunt with than the strongest vampire, the one who can keep me in line?" Edward. At least he could tell if you were lying or if you were after a human. Or the little shape shifter girl. I don't like Lacey, in fact I almost despise her but Zafrina did not look happy about the imprinting. I didn't want the girl to die for it.
"Sure." Emmett answered. I elbowed him hard in the ribs. He just smiled but I kissed it away.
We ran through the woods, towards the bears. We just hunted this is ridiculous. Now we're babysitting. I had just about enough babysitting and protecting others in my life. It was getting really old and really annoying really fast. I caught site of Edward on the way. Perhaps I could get him to come babysit her so I could split. He and Emmett can go bond over the Amazon. "Edward!" I called and his head snapped up. He was pretty far away but I could see his eyes suddenly widen. Maybe he was finally appreciating my looks. He snarled at me as I approached. "Touchy touchy."
"Where's Zafrina?" He asked harshly.
"She's with Emmett." What was his problem?
"My problem, is that Emmett seems to think she's with you." Sure enough Emmett came out of the woods without the freak. He looked at me confused and I held back the urge to hit him over the head. He wiggled his brows and I giggled.
"We should go help find Zafrina. That scent she caught is probably Lacey. I can smell her from here and man does she smell good in cheetah form. Weird because Jacob doesn't smell good ever." Emmett said, sniffing the air like a dog. I rolled my eyes at him.
"What's the worst that can happen? Edward is on his way and I'm sure that mutt is already with him." Well Lacey could get hurt. That wouldn't be great but it's not like she's protagonist in some story, we'd all move on after she was gone, maybe even without all the intrigue that has plagued us here in Vermont. Maybe I could try being normal again, try being a teenager again without the reminder that pointed to the contrary. She was the antagonist, maybe even the villain.
"Still, let's go." He said, I didn't argue.
Nahuel
I didn't know this girl. I didn't know her but I loved her. Do I love her? Yes, I love her. It is a strange feeling to love a stranger. She's not a stranger though. I know her soul. I know who she is and what she is. I know how she feels and why she feels it. It's like I've known her all my life. I thought I had seen it all. I did see it all. I knew about the werewolf and Renesmee's bond but I didn't really know. Not until I saw Lacey. She knew I wasn't mad at her so I ran. She confirmed the bond and I ran. I was a chicken, not a man. I never thought I was a man and this proves it. I ran from her and she came after me.
I growled at the monster that hurt my love. She had evil eyes, killing eyes. She was a predator, a villain and I would kill her for killing my love. The monster was still after I threw her off of her kill. I waited, waited for it to move. Someone was pulling on my shirt but I ignored it. I couldn't see anything else or hear anything else. It was just me and the monster. Finally something permeated my mind, "Lacey!"
Lacey. Yes, the girl, my love. "Nahuel, the venom will kill her! Do something!" It was the wolf in human form. He was looking at a Cheetah. The Cheetah was going in and out of focus, in and out of shifts. She was writhing in pain. A scream tore through the woods. My anguish almost engulfed me and I knew I would go with her. "Do something!" He yelled again. He pointed to the blood pouring from her neck. It was like another knife wound in my own gut. I had to ease her pain, make it a more peaceful ending and then I will join her. She shifted one last time into her human form and was still. She was dead. She was dead I was sure of it so why were my lips on her neck? Venom that was not my own filled my mouth. It was the villain's venom and I had to keep myself from spitting it out. Then it was just blood, clean blood. Delicious blood. Stop. I listened to the voice, it was the voice of an angel, a perfect angel in my head. There was only one angel and she was cold beneath my lips.