Destiny Part 1

by Stormy Grey Skies

The Oracle, The Probe, The Shield, The Sword, The Arrow, and The Bow. All part of a single destiny. All alone in their own ways, they will meet, and form unbreakable bonds. They are the most powerful of their kind, the only hope of many. They just don't know it yet. NOTE: Decided to post Part 2 separately.

24. Walk Down Memory Lane

Chapter 24: Walk Down Memory Lane

Rapid clips were flashing one after another in my mind, sounds and voices and shouts from a different lifetime. It reminded me of the time right after I first kissed Jasper, but this time my brain somehow retained all this information and put it into a comprehensive collage of events.

There were parallel versions of my life, as I grew older and lived through several different timelines. The clothes I wore were different each time, and the times were clearly spaced throughout history. It didn't seem possible, but apparently I'd lived different lives in the past. Reincarnations, maybe? The past lives were all coming together, and I recognized scenes from the dreams I'd been having, which appeared to be my most recent life. A massive, interwoven timeline began to emerge, and I noticed a pattern of familiar faces.

In some, I went through my entire life without meeting any of my treasured friends, and in those I tended to die young, for the time period. But it seemed that for every past-version of my friends past-me met, I'd live longer and happier. The ones where I'd met Jasper, that familiar feeling of deep, strong attachment was there. We'd started seeing each other in different forms, changing with the time period, but we always seemed to live quite long. Unless one of us died on the hands of another, and then those responsible had been dealt with, and the other had died shortly after. For some reason, I'd never met all five, although it seemed in my last one I'd come close. Emmett's laughter-filled face was conspicuously missing.

I began to put the pieces together. So, what, I'd been being reincarnated over and over to…meet all five of the most important people in my life? That seemed to be the thing. Well, I've met them all, now what? I'd come closest in my last life, so I delved deeper into those memories in search of clues.

I skimmed past the ones I'd already experiences the gist of, looking for the thread of where I left off. Okay, so I'd been bitten…somehow, and taken to a camp for Newbies…met Jasper…. clearly, we were vampires, I mean; we drank blood, for fuck's sake. Ah, here we go.

I was confused. Major Jasper was an odd one, all right. After the battle, after he'd erased all my doubts, and made sure I was safe, he'd been stuck in his tent for most of the time, only coming out to fulfill his training duties. I knew that I shouldn't care so much about how far he was away from me, and yet I found myself counting the seconds and the inches between us. At first, I was extremely unsure of myself. He obviously cared. He kept up a façade, but I could sense that much. Besides, the cracks in his mask were enough to show that. But had something changed? Did I do something that scared him off?

Then I remembered how he had warned me about my gifts, and thus recalled all the warnings whispered between the older soldiers about Her views on mating. I didn't know what mating exactly meant, but I did know it was a relationship of some sort with a deep attachment. While I wouldn't go so far as to say Major Jasper and I had any sort of real relationship, we did have that odd pull. And we did care about each other, at least, each other's survival.

So maybe, Maria's views on any sort of care were the same. Maybe Major Jasper couldn't show that he cared about any Newbie more than the others. That was probably it.

For the period of time after my decision, I was determined to go along. I followed his lead, and acted like I only knew him as much as the average Newbie. But I knew something else was wrong. The Newbies were gaining more control, but we were also becoming…less strong. I didn't think the others noticed, but I did. I didn't really need my extra strength, but the others relied on it to fight, and I was defeating them more and more easily while sparring. Even if we assume I'd gotten better, they were still performing below par, and steadily dropping, as well.

That might've been just an observation I filed away in my mind, but it worried me, because I was different. In the beginning, I was controlled enough to remember the other others, and how they'd gone for an 'extra special training session', and the sounds and smells that had followed. I remembered how they'd never come back.

Now, with my knowledge of how we could be killed, and the brief face of grief, regret, guilt and pain that had been shown to me on accident while the major passed by, I realized what was about to happen.

Apparently, we were nearing some sort of marking of time, and when we did, we'd be…disposed of. I'd long since disregarded the concept of time, at least as far as minutes, hours, days, and weeks went. But I quickly backtracked, counting the times I'd seen the sun rise and set.

My venom went cold, metaphorically. Because if I was right, and I'd learned that our kind was usually right, we only had a few weeks left. The culling of the Yearlings.

Maria suspected a little about my gift, but she didn't know the half of it, thanks to Major Jasper withholding certain information about me. To protect me. And I don't even know all of it, either, and so for him to do that for me…

So that was what had added the extra stress only I could sense near Major Jasper. But it wasn't like I could change anything by realizing this information, and so I tried my best to put it out of my mind. I didn't know why, but I was certain Major Jasper wouldn't kill me. Just like I felt physically sick at the thought of really injuring him, I knew he would too.

I was more curious as to his beginnings in this life, so I paid extra careful attention to what the older ones whispered about him. They said that he'd been one of the first turned, by Her and some sisters She'd apparently gotten rid of when they tried to take over for themselves. Some sisters. He'd been a particularly difficult one, though, and had so much built-in fury he'd decimated a large radius around the camp. He'd started attracting attention from something called the Volturi, so they'd had to move many times.

She'd tried in vain to control him, as he showed them true fear, killing so many the humans started to fear him, too, although they came up with their own explanation for him.

He hadn't been killed though, partly because She knew she couldn't even try, and partly because she saw his value and potential. After he'd calmed down a bit, She'd begun torturing him. She kept him away from blood so he was weakened, and had a team of Newbies she'd specially turned and trained hold him down, while she inflicted the worst things imaginable. He could've probably still fought them off, but the Bitch had his human family, who he'd loved very much. Now that he was sane enough to comprehend the threat, he'd basically had to let himself be tortured. They described some of the horrible things she'd forced on him, and I felt a great rage building up in my torso. I'd had to hold in my snarls at that point. Next time I saw her, she was dead.

They said that it was apparently eerie to watch his struggles. They were silent, powerful. He wouldn't give her the pleasure of hearing his pain, and he was too good of a soldier to waste his energy on pointless things like that, anyways. But he'd pinned his limbs to the ground, and it was mostly struggles to not just kill everyone and be done with it.

After the last of his family died of natural causes, never successfully reproducing for some reason, the Bitch grew worried. She knew he'd find out soon enough, so she'd begun to seduce him. He was feral and instinctive, like a Newbie, powerful, too. He was controlled enough not to be sloppy when feeding, but his power meant he had to feel the lust of everyone in that camp, and he'd fucked her. She'd then manipulated and duped him into thinking he had some twisted kind of love for her, exploiting the attachment one was supposed to feel for their sire until they were well controlled. Normally, the impossibility of the sire directly killing their childes, and their childes' attachment to their sires that lasted a year or two after the Newbie phase was supposed to make sure of the continuement of our kind.

But the Southern Warlords had found a way against that. Just make other childe kill the childe that needed disposing of.

After it had worn off, abnormally early for Major Jasper, he'd been given a place as second in command. He didn't know of any other life, and so began his legend. He was a huge threat on the battlefield, and thus stayed as official Second, although everyone knew he was really First. He just didn't want to deal with having to kill everyone if he dethroned Her, as he did have a conscience under that rough exterior of his. They said that names and titles were important when addressing him. His human name had been Jasper Whitlock, and Jasper was the name he'd assigned his last shreds of humanity. They speculated on what Jasper was like. Nobody had ever glimpsed that private part of himself, apparently. I secretly smiled, because I had, if only for a brief second.

Nobody could call him that without getting immediately decapitated and thrown into the fire. Except for one. That Peter I'd heard about. I heard all about the Captain, and his mate. One day, Peter had accidentally called him Jasper after they'd disposed of an old batch of Newbies.

He'd expected to die, but instead, was left alive with the memory of the haunting, calculating stare Major Jasper had levied him with.

Major was what most called him, as it was the default persona of his time in the Wars, a calculating, skilled, and powerful son of a bitch, the one who led us all into battle, the Second of Maria's Army. The Major had his own two settings, regular, and battle mode. They were pretty self-explanatory. They said that he was the mid-ground, and the one who was in charge of keeping the God of War away.

The God of War was the one who nobody wanted to ever have the misfortune of meeting head-on, one who came out infrequently. But he'd come out a lot in the beginning, that fuery-fueled Warmaker that struck fear into the most badass of hearts. As Major Jasper gained more control, that side of him had been locked away, for the most part. They expressed their relief at this, and I found myself wondering.

I'd probably been the only one; besides this Peter that had even glimpsed at Major Jasper's humanity, and that was why I called him Major Jasper instead of Major. Of course, I hadn't addressed him face-to-face with this moniker, but I felt that after seeing the softer side of him, I couldn't quite line him up with the Major.

I heard of how the only reason for Her success was mostly Major Jasper. He had a very tactical mind, and the Newbies were part of a large plan concocted from his mind, without even knowing it.

I didn't even realize that there were other camps, under Her control, that he travelled regularly to. I knew he left sometimes, but not where too. We were considered the more elite Newbies, as we were under his personal instruction. Others he appointed trained the rest.

I heard a lot more of their stories, and felt like I had a better grasp on Major Jasper Whitlock, the God of War and one of the most feared in our world. I also at least knew the basics of vampire lore.

I learned about the Volturi and how Maria had managed to escape persecution thus far. They watched, they always watched, monitoring the risk of exposure. Other armies had been wiped out hen they got too careless.

I was informed a little more about what mates were, and started to have a sneaking suspicion, one I didn't dare examine. Because now that I knew what mates meant, I didn't want to think about the obvious, glaring parallels.

Every day, we were still training, although I knew, and They knew it was pointless. Unless there was a surprise battle, we wouldn't need more skills. The other Newbies would be dead.

This was further evidenced by the screams of pain we heard on the other side of camp. New Newbies. We weren't even Newbies anymore, they called us Nearlies. Nearly dead. It was rare that one was spared, that's where the Others came into it. They were the ones deemed useful enough to survive past the year mark in order to train and impose some sort of order into this Newborn Army. I now realized we were only one regiment of who knows how many. They said we were called the Seventh. The regiments weren't numbered in terms of skill; nobody really knew how they were numbered. Separate regiments were kept apart, most of the time, so not even They knew how many there were.

The organization system was based on that of the Civil War armies, as that war was the one Major Jasper had been in, and so was the one organizational structure they actually had knowledge of. But as one of our kind can do more destruction than a human soldier, we didn't have companies. We didn't usually need the other groupings, either, so regiments were really the only ones we needed to know.

Then, one day it all changed. There had been rumors leading up to Her visit to our regiment. She usually spent her time with the Third and Second. I liked it that way.

From what I could tell from the days leading up, the entire camp got a kind of harried feeling to it, everyone seemed anxious and in a bad mood. Even Major Jasper was more agitated. I didn't really know why he still stayed with her. He sure as hell didn't care about her, that much was evident. Everyone knew he could easily just kill her and be done with it, and it's not like he still feels attachment to Her as his sire. From the way he was acting, like he was more unhappy than anything at her coming to disrupt him, he most likely didn't feel any traces of affection for her anymore. He didn't know of any other life, but there clearly was. I mean, his friend-that Peter had to have run to somewhere, right?

Perhaps it was just normal, something he was used to now, and familiarity is more comfortable than heading off into the distance to the unknown. Major Jasper was a tactical one, so he probably wouldn't want to risk it on just hope.

Or maybe he just hadn't felt the need to go. He did have a life here, however twisted it was. He had power, control…and guilt. The deep-running regret he felt for the things he's done was something that jumped out at me. I don't think anyone else has noticed, but I saw it, and it tugged at my heartstrings.

So, us Nearlies were forced to train harder and more often to prepare for her visit. The Newbies were kept far away from us, from what I understand all vampires dislike being grouped together in large numbers and close quarters, not just me. And while that could only be helped so much at this camp, they did try to separate us. The Newbies' instincts would be running high right now, without Major Jasper's gift it would be complete chaos.

So anyway, the day she came, it all went bad. At first, it was fine. We heard her talking with Them, the older ones, and the fearful replies they gave. We heard her tone take on a more manipulative, seductive tone when it came to Major Jasper. We also heard his terse, short and straightforward replies. She seemed a little offended at being turned down when she was clearly propositioning him even though she had access to probably scores of potential lovers running on instinct. He must be something in the sack, I thought to myself with a smile. Any other would be positively jumping at the chance.

When she went to go check up on the Newbies, I immediately sensed a disturbance at our camp's perimeter. Someone was trying to either spy or sneak in. Why would anyone want to sneak in? Even if they were from a competing army, they surely wouldn't try anything when we were all on guard, would they? I reached out further with an aspect of my ability, and was curious to find they were doing well with evading the guards.

Our camps were moved often, and if there was even a whisper that some spy was coming, Major Jasper would leave and come back a short while later, and the whispers would be gone. He didn't trust anyone else to do the job. So, how would somebody know the routine well enough to evade the guards? There were two of them, a male and a female, both gifted.

I could feel their sparks, a kind of glow I could only kind of see when I closed my eyes. Of course, I wasn't going to leave myself open to attack like that, and I could perfectly well sense it almost as well with my eyes open. Interestingly enough, they didn't feel like a threat. I couldn't explain it, but I didn't think of it as danger. One thing I'd come to learn about my ability was that it worked actively to keep me safe. That meant a variety of things. A physical…shield or bubble of some sort, a mental defense against ones that operated on that level, and a bunch of added…perks. For one, I knew strongly what was a threat to me, and what wasn't. I also could replicate other people's gifts, as long as they'd been in my shield before, or had been what I considered an immediate threat. For instance, if I was about to fight, actually fight to the death, with someone who had a gift, I found I could copy his or her ability.

There were other things I couldn't quite explain yet, but that wasn't what I was particularly worried about. I was worried about how Maria would act if she found out. I didn't know why they were here, and while they may not harm me, they could be out for other venom. I was worried about Major Jasper's safety. It was silly, really. Firstly, he more than knew how to protect himself. To attack him would be plain stupid. Yes, there was the possibility that a young, rash, Newbie would disregard their instincts and go after him because they were too blind and new to know better, or a younger vampire would do the same because they were too cocky and thought they could beat him and get glory and fame in our world. But he could handle them easily.

Secondly, he wasn't mine to worry about. So why was I? A voice in the back of my head, most likely Skydd, hissed at me that he was mine.

Forever. Eternally mine. Ours. He's ours.

I shook my head and cautiously looked around. Most of the other Nearlies were fighting, fucking on the dirt floor, or clutching their throats. They might have more control, but they-we were still young. Apparently young ones tend to have existences centered on those things. Tensions running high make them more susceptible in the Wars.

We haven't fed in a while, and I felt an uncomfortable itching, sore feeling at the back of my throat. It wasn't nearly the horrible, all-consuming pain of thirst that the others seemed to feel, would feel in a few days. But this was pretty much the worst it got for me. I'd mused idly once on why that was, and though that maybe it was part of my gift. To survive, I'd have to be able to go longer without blood.

My brain, like all of ours, was able to think of many things at once, and I often found myself-or the majority of myself, sidetracked, thoughts heading in all different directions. I had heard that while older vamps still felt like that sometimes, it got better. I did notice that I could get myself back on track faster as time passed.

However, I snapped my attention back to the two sparks at the edge of camp. Major Jasper knew they were there, this I could sense. He was sending out a small amount of calm, something that I doubt anybody else could acknowledge, but it was slowly but surely increasing. It didn't change my emotions, of course, but the others were slowly retreating to lick their wounds, climaxing a final time and then separating, or loosening their grips on their throats slightly. I could feel it curl around my shield. While I could tell it wasn't mine, I did know what it was and feel it just enough to tell the changes. It was like a separate part of me was roped off just for the purpose of feeling his projected emotions and then identifying and monitoring them. This was most likely to make up for the fact that I intentionally put up a blockade around his spark, or glow, or whatever. I made the decision not to copy his gift, because it took a toll on him, and I didn't want that toll. That's what I told myself, at least. In reality, it felt too personal…like robbing him of something, and I somehow felt that would make me feel guilty, and hurt, like I was robbing myself. But, I could still analyze his emotions.

It, his calm, was tinged with recognition and relief, as well as some other emotions so faint I could barely feel them. I reached further with my gift, as it was basically survival and protection, and understanding others' gifts must be connected to that, right? I was correct, as I could sense that he also felt joy, anxiety, anticipation, and longing. A burning desire to do…something ran through it, and I heard him shake Maria off by telling her he had to do some training, and she was welcome to watch. She declined, a small dose of distaste in her voice. Apparently, she wasn't too interested in this process. He must've known that, because I felt a slight uplifting to his emotions.

I wasn't feeling them like he could, but I knew what he was feeling. It didn't work on the other Nearlies, just him. I didn't know why, but I barely understood my gift, and as I had only a basic grasp on most of the other aspects of the sparkly life, I didn't really try to.

He was coming this way, and he paused at the entrance. Then, he silently changed course, running towards the perimeter, towards the two sparks. I couldn't hear him, but I could sense where he was. Mostly by identifying that weird pull I had to him, and how much it was tugging at me. Maybe a little from his spark, too. It was a bright but deep gold color but also flickered, sometimes yellow-orange, sometimes a burnt, more reddish color, sometimes brownish. It was very fascinating and I had tried mentally dissecting it, sort of, and I got layers of black, although there were other streaks mixed in. It was fascinating, and I always watched it somewhere in my mind.

I found that usually the colors were unique shades and hues and tints, wavering only slightly to lighter or darker. Unless a dramatic change came to the person, then, the spark of their gift would also morph slightly.

He stopped again in front of the other two sparks, one a darker shade of pink, and one a light gray. My own spark was a deep hue of blue, but there was another layer, a darker one, bordering on black. Below that, like Major Jasper, I found mostly black.

My best guess was that these were our…other personalities coming into play. Most of our kind, from what I could understand, did have a slightly more instinctual frame of mind capable of doing whatever they had to for survival, their 'demon', 'monster', or 'true vampire'. But distinct, separate yet the same personalities? And three of them? Major Jasper was the only one heard of, and I mentally included myself to that list.

Major Jasper had been here for a long time. He'd been through war, hell. Maybe it was some type of multiple personality disorder. But, no, that wasn't right. Because I didn't have these before I was changed, and the changing was supposed to heal not crack.

Besides, there were slight differences.

He seemed to be conversing with them. His changing emotions were evident of that, thought they were speaking too low to hear. They did seem familiar, and all parties were loyal to each other, true blue.

Was this that Peter I'd heard about? It had to be, for Major Jasper to feel this emotionally attached to them. More so to the male, though, so it must be Peter and his mate.

But why were they back?

I sensed the strangers fade back a little, as Major Jasper came closer and closer to the tent once more. He stepped inside, manipulating the emotions of the others so that they weren't interested in his arrival. They didn't even look up. He must be very good, because their instincts usually screamed at them to be very careful around him.

He stopped in front of me, and just kind of stared. I tilted my head to the side, confused and intrigued. What was this?

He slowly stepped towards me, cautiously pulling me towards him. That feeling of safety and comfort seeped through my arm and spread to my whole body, and I went willingly. It wasn't his gift, because the expression on his face told me he felt it, too. Besides, my shield was still up, fitting over my skin.

I lowered my physical shield, as we slowly made our way out. I felt the disinterest a bit more strongly, however it still didn't fully affect me. Interesting. His gift must be both physical and mental, as well as a little bit of something else.

I was going with him, now, picking up the pace slightly as we passed by some of the Others. Seeing that I was with him, they probably assumed I'd gotten myself into trouble and he was taking me somewhere to punish me.

But we started running towards the perimeter as soon as they turned away in disinterest. His hand was at the small of my back now, guiding me gently towards the two sparks I'd felt.

We weren't bothering to mask the sound of our footsteps, and I sensed that Maria was near. She was following us. She probably realized what we were doing!

Major Jasper swore, speeding us up so we were running full-speed. We joined up with those two sparks, a stockier version of him, with slightly different facial features, and his mate, a woman slightly shorter than average and blond. They looked like…kindred spirits, but I didn't have time to dwell on that now.

The situation, while grasped by my brain almost immediately, didn't seem real. We were running full out, when Major Jasper swung in front of us for a second.

He gruffly spoke to us, almost too low for us to hear, but just loud enough that we knew what he was saying. "This is Peter and Charlotte. They'll take care of you. Run, all three of you. She's my mate; take care of her, okay? I have to make sure she won't give us any trouble. I'll catch up to you where we said, alright? Thank you guys, I'll owe you forever, if we can pull this off. Pete, you're my basically my brother, and…" He stopped. "…I've gotta go, she's catching up, and she's got some guards with her. Run."

He quickly turned right back and flashed off towards the Mistress Bitch. I moved to follow him on instinct, but the rumored Peter and Charlotte held me back. They warned me with their eyes not to, and I remembered what he said. I knew he could handle it. Even though I was worried, he'd specifically told me to go with them, and run.

So against my better judgment, I turned and did what he had told me to. I ran. That pull I felt strained further and further, so much so that it actually hurt, and while I rubbed my chest, his words repeated like a mantra in my head.

Run. I'll catch up to you. Run. Run. Where we said. Run. They'll take care of you. Run.

From what I knew, he was a man of his word. If he said we'd meet up, we'd meet up. We had to. He'd be fine. He could handle them.

Despite my thoughts, a deep-seated worry and unease filled my body. The concern was killing me, helped along by the growing pain in my torso. The female, Charlotte gave me a look of empathy. She knew how I felt. I think I heard it once described as 'the mating pull'

My mind snapped back to when he had called me his mate. That sneaking suspicion I'd been having rushed into me full force, and I realized what exactly that connection I had with Major Jasper was.

Mates.

The bond between mates was the most sacred bond in our world, especially in the Wars, deemed as unbreakable and held as the most respected, stable and sure thing in a an ocean of uncertainty and paranoia.

Being mates doesn't necessarily mean love at first sight, although that does happen in some cases. It starts with the pull, the attraction, and builds up like a normal romance, but the difference is, true mates are the perfect match for each other.

The love is stronger, deeper, and truer than others, and lasts way longer. Mates splitting up permanently is unheard of, and deemed impossible. The pain of the separation would wear down on both parties until they either reunite instinctively, or die. If one died, the other was soon to follow, usually after their need for revenge was sated, or they died in the process.

Even the Volturi knew not to mess with mates.

But Maria always had a different view. Hers hadn't come along in her undoubtedly long lifetime; so many speculated in private that part of her opinion was resentment. She saw a mate as a weakness, and any mated pairs in her army were terminated, immediately.

The only pair that had survived thus far were Peter and Charlotte, but we all knew that it was because Major Jasper had let them run. Maria seldom handled things herself. She was crazed, erratic, and power-hungry, along with so screwed up it was a wonder she'd survived and even thrived so long. Most of it was the fact that she manipulated those she turned into doing most of the work for her, and had another one kill those that started to lose loyalty. But she knew that nobody would even try to take out Major Jasper and would thus lose faith in her for sending them on what they saw as an impossible mission. Because even if they did, he'd kill them before they could even touch him.

He was that good. And I knew it. Which was why I wasn't back there right now, with him. Major Jasper. My mate. I tried it out in my head. I thought I'd have negative feelings, but I didn't. It wasn't like I was overjoyed and squealing in my thoughts; it just seemed like something natural, a fact.

Yes, as I felt with as much certainty that I had venom running through me, he was my mate. The fact that he'd acknowledged it, even if it had been under duress, made it cement even further into my mind.

We had stopped, and I pulled myself out of my thoughts. The pain was horrible now, and it was all I could do to stop myself from either doubling over, or racing back. I somehow knew that he wasn't in danger, thought. I had a feeling that it would hurt a whole lot more if he was.

I turned in the direction of the pull, resigned to the fact that I'd just have to wait and endure it. The wait is always the hardest. All my feelings came crashing into me, and as I was still technically a Newbie, they were getting to me. Combined with the pain, my mind became foggier than I'd thought possible.

Finally, the pain began to lessen, but it was in such small increments I thought I was possibly imagining it. It was only once it had faded to a dull ache that the anticipation started building up. I was practically vibrating with positive energy, as the pain lessened faster and steadier by the second. After what seemed like eternity and a day, I finally felt the spark I'd been waiting for, and I almost jumped up and down with glee.

I take it my face must've been showing my emotions, because Peter grinned and high-fived his mate, who rolled her eyes at his antics but was also wearing a matching smile. She looked relieved, and jumped up to plant a kiss on Peter's cheek.

Jasper finally came into sight, wearing an expression I'd never seen before. It looked…relieved, but more than that. Hopeful. Maybe even a little happy. The sight was foreign to me, and that more than anything spoke volumes about life in the Wars.

I locked onto that bit of happiness and let it fill me, as he neared. He pulled me into a hug, his smile widening, and I didn't even care that we only kind of knew each other, that he didn't even know my name, all my worries vanished in his arms.

It felt warm and safe and familiar, and I felt so happy I was almost giddy

While I savored that feeling and was glad to know of my previous life, the memory didn't exactly give me the answers I was looking for. While still submerged in my subconscious, I felt myself being moved.

They definitely weren't Jasper's arms, and I felt a little worried. I tried to reach the surface of consciousness, but found myself pulled back down.

Quit it. Are you fucking stupid?

Oh, great. My inner bitch was here to see me again.

If I had eyes, I'd roll them right about…oh, now. Why don't I get a cool name this time, huh? You can't blame me for developing a bit of an attitude after this many rounds.

Wait a second. You!

Yes, me, what about it? I got tired of being a…what was it? A panther-thing? I've evolved, blossomed, whatever you want to call it.

Skydd, I breathed. In my mind. Wow, this was surreal.

You're telling me? And yeah, that was my name the last time around.

That's weird; I don't seem to remember you being such a smartass.

Well, what can I say? I'm still the same ol' me, but this time I figured out how to talk.

In my head.

That is where I live. So, duh.

Duh? So, not only do I share my thoughts with a talking imaginary panther-thing, but also it apparently will relapse into fourth grade comebacks?

First of all, I though you remembered my name. I'm not an it, I'm a she. Skydd, remember? You're the one that picked the name. And second, I'm not imaginary. And I'm not a split personality or whatever you were thinking of. I'm very real, and separate, too. I'm a part of you, but I'm also me, you know? I help you out and stuff. I guess if it's easier to think about it as a split personality-thing where all the different personalities are aware of each other, and can watch when the other takes over and stuff is easier and won't burst that mortal brain of yours, you can do that.

Wow. Thanks, I guess. Sarcasm intended.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You better not wake up. You're not one with this little walk down memory lane yet.

But they're moving me. And Jasper, too, if I'm right.

Relax; they're moving you to the room with the others. It makes your job easier.

Fine, but at least let me swim higher up so I can hear, alright.

The silence told me she gave me her permission.

"You sure about this? If they're just pretending, or they're fakes, Boss and the bitch will be mad."

"They're not fakes. They match the photos perfectly. And they're out cold, I mean look at them. Besides, if Boss gets a little disappointed, is that so bad? I mean, the guy's a bastard."

"Yeah. You sure he wants them alive?"

"Positive. Said somethin' about a score to settle, or whatever. They want them unharmed and undrugged so they can battle it our or something."

"Mental, I tell ya. They're head cases, the both of them."

"I'm not gonna disagree with ya there."

Satisfied? Skydd huffed, dragging me back down.

Yeah, fine, now what?

Do I have to help you with everything? I thought I was pretty clear.

Walk down memory lane. Sure. This can't get any weirder.

But as I lost myself in another memory from another lifetime, I had a feeling it would get weirder. Several times over.

"PETER!" I glance at the door, then back at Char.

"What do you think he did now?" As much as we were enjoying our talk, we knew that our mates were now going to divert our attention back to them.

"Beats me. That vamp, sometimes I wonder about him. He should've learned by now that he just can't surprise you guys."

"Nah, I think he won't rest until we let him prank us, just to appease him."

She considered this for a moment. "Probably."

We looked at each other, then sighed and gave in to our curiosity. Strolling outside to find our mates, we found Pete imbedded in a tree. Char walked over to her mate and tapped her foot, arms crossed playfully.

"I tried jumping on him from up in the tree," he groaned in response to her silent question. "Let's just say it did not go as planned."

I let out a peal of laughter, soon joined by my partner-in-crime. The continuous attempts Pete made to try and sneak up on Jasper were entertaining, to say the least. I walked over to my mate, and kissed him on the cheek. He looked a little exasperated, but brightened immediately as I joined him. Even though we'd passed the phase where it was painful to be just a little bit away from each other, we still felt the discomfort of being separated a little more intense than other mated couples.

Looking at him, I remembered how lost and confused I had felt when we first escaped Maria. But I'd learned about our kind, my gifts and self, and Jasper most of all. I was so thankful that we'd ended up a family, living a nice undisturbed life. Sure we had the occasional nomad, but other than that our life was mostly drama-free, just how we liked it.

He smiled at me and kissed his mark at the juncture where my neck, shoulder, and collarbone met gently. I saw Char fingering her own mark as she sighed melodramatically at her mate and the predicaments he got himself into.

"Jasper? Would you mind un-sticking him in a tree?" Jasper sighed good-naturally and wrapped his hands around Pete's ankles, giving him a good tug.

"You've gotta stop doin' that, Pete. It's not gonna work, you know." Pete just grinned and told him we'd see. Char and I exchanged looks.

Jasper walked back to me, throwing his arm over my shoulder. "So, what were you two ladies talkin' about?"

"Oh, we were comparing how you two are in the sack, of course." I managed to make the lie sound like the flippant truth. "You know, techniques, performance, attentiveness, all that." The words rolled off my lips like offhanded remarks, but I glanced over to Char for some backup. The look on Peter's face was funny, but I knew we could make it hilarious.

"Yeah, you know, Pete, I know men can't all be sensitive empaths who pay attention to a woman's needs, but seriously I didn't know how much I've been missing out. I mean, we've both heard how much Izz here enjoys it, but knowing all the dirty little details? No wonder she's more than happy to go at it every possible opportunity" Peter looked shocked.

"Wait, what?" He seemed like he couldn't believe what he just heard. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, did you just say what I think you did, woman?"

"Yes, Pete. Empaths apparently do it better." Char crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, but the spark in her eye went un-noticed by a gaping Pete.

Jasper had caught on quickly, our devious emotions probably alerting him. He was now shaking with silent laughter besides me, trying to keep a poker face.

"I-you-what? I can't believe you even-wha-I do not-huh?" Hearing her mate flabbergasted, Char cracked, bursting into laughter. Jasper threw back his head and joined in, and I barely managed to speak through fits of humor.

"You really thought that's what we talk about? And your face-oh, god, priceless!" By now Char and I were hanging off of each other. Jasper was spreading the feel-good juju around, so even Pete cracked a smile, then eventually caved and started laughing.

Okay, well as entertaining as that was, it wasn't exactly informative. Sure, we all make nice and Maria is in the past, but why is it important for me to see this?

The good part was coming up! No patience at all, you.

Fine, fine. Let's keep going.

Suddenly, we cut off our laughing, Jasper and I being first. I tilted my head to my right, concentrating. A male and female were approaching. Wary glances all around. Friendly or hostile?

Jasper led our group as the leader of our coven, officially. He was after all the God of War. We approached the invisible line that marked our territory, and waited. As the two approached, we stood completely still, me at Jasper's side just slightly behind him, and Pete and Char flanking us.

As they neared, the male and female put their hands up in the human gesture for surrender. We allowed them to stop in front of us, and immediately became curious about their golden eyes.

"This is our territory." Jasper stated, outright.

"Yes, we know, and we mean you no harm. We simply want to talk." The male spoke, his voice placating and steadily calm.

Jasper paused, probably carefully scanning their emotions. I felt for sparks, and found none, although it seemed the male had a talent for diplomatic behavior. Not a real gift, per say, but just a knack.

My mate turned his head just slightly, glancing at me in his peripherals but never taking his eyes off the potential enemy. He blinked once, signaling that he felt no ill will coming off of them. I copied the action to show that neither had a gift. I saw Char tapping ever so slightly on her thigh. It was an 'm' in Morse code. This was to show that she saw their bond as that of mates. Pete shifted his weight slightly to one side. He didn't feel any funny business with his freaky intuition, either.

Jasper twitched his fingers on his right hand to show he'd understood. Sizing them up for one more moment, he broke the silence. "Well, talk."

The male looked relieved, and bowed his head slightly. "Thank you. My name is Carlisle Cullen, and this is my mate, Esme. We've heard about four, and think that you may be in the center of a legend or two. We thought you might want to know…" He paused, as if unsure whether or not to go on.

"We would like to know anything that may pertain to us," Jasper prodded.

"Yes, well…I would like to tell you. I must warn you, I may be wrong in thinking that it does in fact have anything to do with you. However, if it does, and I'm quite certain it will, you'll know."

I decided that these vampires seemed a little uncomfortable. We were still giving off a hostile vibe, and they seemed accustomed to humans, as they would shift their weight, blink, and fidget unnecessarily every so often. So I slapped a smile on my face and stepped forward, ignoring Jasper's soft warning growl. "Why don't we talk closer to our home, I think we'll all be more comfortable there."

The female, Esme smiled softly, and graciously accepted. We let them walk in front of us, as there was no way we'd be turning our backs on them and inviting attack. They could easily follow our scents to the house, anyway.

"We don't know if they really don't pose a threat," Jasper hissed at me, in a tone they couldn't hear.

"None of our gifts flagged them, and besides, we've heard of Carlisle Cullen. He's the veggie vamp, remember? He's peaceful."

"He's right, they could be lying about who they are." Pete decided to put his two cents in.

Char was on my side, though. "Didn't you see the yellow eyes? You can't fake that. From what we know, they're telling the truth."

"Yeah, and you would've felt any deceit, Jasper. They don't have any scars apart from their mating marks, and it doesn't seem like they've been in many if any fights. We could take them easily if they try to trick us." Jasper sighed, seeing my point.

"Fine. But if they start to seem fishy, we kill them, agreed?" We all agreed.

As soon as we got to the house, we led them to the backyard. I may have invited them here, but they were still strangers and I wasn't going to even think about letting them inside our actual house. "So, what was it you needed to tell us?"

Carlisle glanced at his mate and then back at us. "I only ask that you hear me out before making a final judgment." We didn't nod but we didn't refuse, either. He nodded slightly, as if he had expected that.

"To tell you what I know, I have to tell you a little about my story. I was turned in London, where I'd grown up. I won't bore you with the details, but I managed to discover how to survive off animals. A while after that, I was studying in Italy and came across the Volturi. I didn't agree with many of the things they did, but they were more civilized, in a way, that many of the other vampires I'd come across. So I stayed with them for a while, pretending I didn't know the horrors they inflicted.

I tried my best to gather evidence, but I soon realized it was a futile attempt. I alone couldn't bring down the Volturi, and most of our kind know how unjust they are, anyhow. They're just too scared to do anything about it, and have accepted that this is the way things are. I'm sorry. I got a little ahead of myself. Let me explain how this has to do with you.

During my time there, I met a woman, a human that the Volturi seemed very interested in. She was a seer. They wanted to turn her, as they believed she would be a very important asset. She didn't want that life, though, and she had managed to delay her changing for half a year. She and I became secret friends, until one day when I had heard that Aro, one of the three leaders, was getting fed up and impatient. She would be changed in under a week. When I told her this, she told me she already knew. She'd seen it, and she gave me a journal. In it, I found some of her visions. They all centered on a particular group of people.

If I understand them correctly, then you are a part of that particular group." He looked around at us, and reached into a bag he was carrying. He pulled out a leather book that looked worn but well cared for. Jasper took it, curious but wary.

Opening it so that we could all see, we quickly read through them. Our eyes widened as we saw what they had said. The similarities were astounding, the descriptions and actions really did seem to match us. There were a few that were circled, though, and they confused us.

One in particular stood out. It said something about reincarnations, saying that we would be reborn again and again until we all grouped together. It mentioned four others who we didn't recognize. Two females and two males. It said that we'd take down the Volturi.

I was shocked. Taking down the Volturi had been the furthest thing from our minds. We lived a simple life, and we liked it that way. Well, most of the time. Skydd had been restless, itching for a fight or a challenge, but I had always suppressed the feeling. I didn't need the drama.

Then, something weird happened. As we read through descriptions of previous lives, an odd feeling of recognition surged through us. I could tell that Char, Pete, and Jasper felt it too, by the unnecessary shifting they were doing. A glance at Jas told me it wasn't his doing. I would usually assume it was Carlisle or Esme, but they didn't have any gifts.

Suddenly, a flash went off in my head. Memories that I was certain didn't belong to me started surging in my head. I was thankful I had the brain of a vampire, or else I would surely have passed out from sensory overload. The gasps next to me told me I wasn't alone in this strange development.

They seemed genuine, and real. The odd thing was that there was no way they'd happened, at least in my lifetime. I glanced down at the book, wondering if there was a way this was all true. These new memories certainly went along with the words written in there. But how was it possible?

Again, if not for the fact that they clearly weren't behind this from the looks of shock on their faces, I would've suspected the strange new couple. But as we groaned, holding our heads, they looked truly baffled. They tried to approach, as if to help us, but my physical shield had automatically gone up to protect us as we had a moment of vulnerability.

Then, as suddenly as it came, it stopped. My shield slowly dissolved, as we looked around the room in confusion.

Okay, so a little more information. But what-

The feeling of sudden cold on my face cut off my thoughts. I was startled out of the depths of my mind, eyes snapping open too soon. Skydd hissed at the back of my mind, and I quickly took in my surroundings. I was in a small, dank room, tied to a chair. My friends and Jasper were all next to me, eyes darting around the room, or blinking in confusion.

AN/: So, I'm stopping it there, as this chapter is already 20 pages in Word, and I do want to post it sometime. Yeah. Okay, this author's note is kind of unnecessary. I don't even know why I'm still typing. I should probably stop now.