Chapter 9

Patch stood waiting for me by the farmhouse's patio. I got out of the car, a little apprehensive. I knew he was watching my performance tonight with the Black Hand's society but I am unsure what he thought of it. I know I could have done better with communicating with them. Maybe I should have called for several more meetings instead of breaking it to them like that. The kind of alliance we need takes time, right? I knew we needed more time to know what they actually feel and they need to know what exactly it was they need to do. I was completely unsure. But when I was near enough, I saw his face break into a smile. I felt relieved and pleased enough to give him a hug as soon as I reached him.

"You did so well, Angel," he assured me, gently patting the back of my head.

I pulled away and looked directly as his dark eyes. "I wasn't sure. I know I should have done better with them. I know I should have given them more." I stopped briefly, thinking about the biggest worry swirling inside my head. "I don't know if I can trust them or how far I could trust them."

"Let's go inside," he said, gently egging his head towards the door. He took the keys from me and led me inside. He closed the door gently and opened the lights to the living room, completely aware where he was going.

"Well?" I asked as he settled down in one of the couches.

"I agree with you. I never remember them agreeing to something as easily as they did just now. Not with Nephils. There must be something beneath it."

"But I made them swear loyalty to me through a Blood Oath," I told him.

He shook his head. "That won't bind them completely. When Hank abducted you to get to me, there were a lot of Blood Oaths sworn between Hank and myself. It's all about technicality."

"What are you saying?"

"Hank promised he will let you go when he believed I had enough information on fallen angels for him. He never swore he'll tell me when that is or where you're going to be released. He also swore he will never harm you but others had done it for him. Technicality."

"So…you don't think they'll attempt to get the Devilcraft?" I was already feeling my stomach sour.

He stared directly at my eyes. "What exactly did they swear to you?"

I bit my lip, trying to remember every word they recited. "They swore that if they broke their loyalty to me, they and their descendants will return to dust. I thought that would be enough. It is against my wishes for them to attempt getting Devilcraft."

He sighed heavily. "Nora that is another technicality. If they believe they're doing it for you, to keep these creatures from it, the Blood Oath would not harm them because they would be doing it with the intention of protecting you. Another way to look at it is through the belief that that power, since Hank had harnessed it from hell, belongs to you as his heir. Either way, they can get Devilcraft as long as they believe they're doing it for you."

With a sinking feeling, I realized there was something they could do to reach the Devilcraft. I knew the Archangels would be quick to blame me if any of the Nephil members of the Black Hand's society reach the entrance of hell. What was worse is I now endangered Patch once again. He would be thrown to hell before I could even think of any way to stop it.

Patch's gentle touch brought me back from my fears. Despite the horrors in my mind, I was surprised to see his smile never left his face. "Don't worry."

"Why shouldn't I?" I asked, barely getting the words out.

"Because you warned them," he cupped my face in his palms. "You told them about the consequences of crossing Archangels. They know the power of fallen angels and they know someone like me, a fallen Archangel. They would actually think twice before doing something reckless. But just to make sure, I'll leave Pepper here to remind them how powerful Archangels actually are."

"I don't think they'd like that," I said apprehensively. "They're not feeling particularly friendly towards fallen angels, remember?"

He agreed. "I remember. But you do remember they tried tricking you. You seriously need to keep your subjects in check."

"What about Pepper?"

He shrugged. "He'll be okay with it. For some reason, he doesn't seem to bothered if he does things for you. Serving me is a whole different story, however."

"And Vee?"

"I trust Vee. But since we're leaving Pepper, we'll need Vee to come along now more than ever. I already fixed the plane tickets and I already picked the motel we're going to stay in when we get there. All we need to do is actually plan out what we're going to do there."

"You don't think sightseeing is on the agenda?" I allowed myself to smile. Maybe this was actually quite possible. At least, the certainty and motivation in his tone made me believe we'll get through this, even though it does seem impossible.

He chuckled softly. "We'd have to do without that. But I think it would be better if you call your mom. At least she would know where you are. I believe she's not going to come back here for Christmas?"

I shook my head. I haven't had the chance to talk to her yet. Maybe it's because I felt guilty I already planned on lying to her when I heard Basso say Forks, Washington. "So I can tell her I'm planning on checking out Seattle University during my Christmas break. Oh, she'll love that. She'll love to think I'm getting a good head start on this college thing."

"All right. I'll leave the talking to you."

The following day, after school, I dialed my mom's number from the library while checking out Seattle University's website. If I wanted to make this lie believable and without brainwashing her, I need to make every single detail convincing. I looked for any Open House dates or university tour dates. Unfortunately, all of their tours were in spring. This was going to be harder than I thought.

"Nora," my mom answered a few rings later. "I'm sorry baby, I was fixing several artworks we're going to sell during the Christmas auction. The Holidays are so hectic, you wouldn't believe it. I mean, I never realized how many people actually want to buy antique things for gifts. I'm really sorry I can't be there for Christmas sweetie. But I already sent you your gift."

I smiled. "It's fine, mom, really. You really didn't have to get me anything."

"Oh, but I do. I feel so bad not spending Christmas with you. I hope you can spend a little bit of time with Vee so you wouldn't have to be completely alone."

"It's fine, mom," I repeated. "Vee promised I wouldn't have to be alone this Christmas. And you know once she promised it, she never really breaks it…most of the time."

I heard her chuckle on the other line. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Oh and Patch is back," I said quickly, figuring revealing one little truth would ease my conscience a bit before I lied big time.

"What?"

"Patch, he's back. So I might spend Christmas with him."

"Oh baby, I'd rather have you spend Christmas with Vee," I heard her pessimism on the other line already.

I sighed. "That's the thing mom. I am spending Christmas with Vee and Patch."

"Patch is invited to the Sky's household for Christmas too?"

I imagined Patch sitting with Vee's parents and her little brother at the table, eating mashed potatoes with them. Well, saying Patch would be out of place was a colossal understatement. He couldn't be more out of place than a Pepsi can surrounded by Coke bottles.

I inhaled sharply. I might as well get this over with. "No, mom. I was searching for good universities to apply to for English Literature majors and I stumbled across Seattle University. I mean, okay, it's really far away from Maine and all. And it's not one of the universities I'm considering the most but it sounds like it'll be a lot of fun. I was thinking of going there to check out what it has to offer."

"Seattle University? In Washington State? Do you really want to go there, Nora? I mean, Harvard has the best English Literature program and you're looking at Seattle University? We don't even know anyone in Seattle. Where are you going to stay? You won't have any place to stay. Besides, tours start in springtime and you'll be doing that next year on your senior year."

I sighed. This was the reaction I was expecting. I might as well bring out the big guns. "Okay, I understand mom. But Vee, Patch, and I had actually found dorms around the university so housing is not a problem." Hearing Patch's name with the word "dorm", I was sure she was about to protest big time. "And don't worry, the dorms for girls and boys would be separate buildings. There would also be councilors on every floor so we're guarded."

"But Seattle University? Oh! I know! Why don't you guys just visit NYU? It's a great university and you could stay here with me!"

"Yeah I was planning to but that's actually one of my plans for this spring. I want to explore different universities on my own, mom. I decided to visit the ones I was considering but not likely to go to and Seattle University is one of them. I just want to have multiples of plans just in case all of my plans for the Ivy League schools don't follow through." If I was really going to visit universities I'm actually not really thinking of going to, it would be the Ivy League schools. But then, if my mom heard that, she would drag me to New York with her before I could open my mouth to protest.

"How many days are you planning to stay?" she asked. Her tone was guarded as she thought it through.

"Just the whole winter break, so two weeks," I told her, calculating the days in my head. It was already the nineteenth and our school lets out the twenty-second. We were going to leave right after school.

She was silent for a few seconds. I held my breath in anticipation, hoping I wouldn't have to result to mind tricks just to go. I don't want to brainwash my mom but since not going to Washington was not an option, I would have to delay being a good daughter for a while. "All right, fine. But I still want you to call every hour or I am going to Washington, do you understand me?" her voice couldn't be firmer.

I smiled, feeling the nervousness lift off my shoulders as she bought my story. As if I didn't feel guilty enough, more of it crept through the back of my mind. I pushed them away. "All right mom."

By the time the twenty-second had come, the temperatures were at its all-time low. Since it was Christmas break, the school had decided to let out early. I was uncertain if we were going to be moving a lot so Patch advised us to keep everything light. A single check-in luggage and one hand-carry would be enough. I decided to put small toiletries, an extra outfit, and my computer on the hand-carry just in case my luggage gets lost. I was already packed by the time I got home and used the remaining time before we had to go to the airport to do extra homework.

I heard Vee carefully roll unto my driveway and met her by her car. She looked a bit annoyed as she pulled her luggage out of her car. "I cannot see why we had to have only two bags. Do you realize how many space my bag actually needs? This is so inconvenient!"

"Well, Patch did say that we need to be ready just in case we need to run as quickly as we could. I understand where he's coming from, Vee. I mean, I wouldn't want anyone knowing who we are by looking through our stuff," I told her, briefly placing her luggage down to the icy ground.

"Ugh, I hate it when you take his side. What about me?" she sneered. "Anyways, what time will he pick us up?"

I looked at my watch. Our plane leaves at one in the afternoon and it was already eleven. We need a couple of hours to check in and the drive to Portland takes about an hour. "He should be here any minute." As soon as I said it, Patch's black Jeep Commander slowed down in front of the house. He walked across the front yard in his steady gait. He was wearing a dark gray sweater and dark blue jeans. He had left his boots and was wearing a pair of simple black sneakers.

Within thirty minutes, we had loaded our luggage to his car and headed to the airport. The lines were already filled with people traveling for Christmas. I spotted a couple of people from our school but luckily, everyone was too busy trying to get into the right places to bother with pleasantries. The security check was long and slow but luckily, we passed through it without any problems. By lunchtime, we were checked in and seated by the gates, waiting to be boarded.

"I'll get us something to eat," Patch suggested after thirty minutes. I had a feeling he was getting a bit impatient. I was too, considering I never really left Maine but I was feeling mainly nervous. What exactly are we going to find in Forks, Washington? Vee was beside me, reading a copy of the Cosmopolitan magazine she bought at a stand near our gate. "Do you ladies want anything?"

"A donut would be really great right now," Vee told him, peeking at him through her magazine.

"Yeah, same for me," I added. He nodded and turned to go search for a Dunkin Donuts.

Once he was out of sight, Vee lowered her magazine and looked directly at me. "You know, when the others heard Pepper was going to guard them, none of them were pleased."

I nodded, remembering the argument I had with the other council members a few days ago when I announced Pepper was going to jump-start their training. Of course none of them believed me and knew Pepper was there to guard them. I feigned innocence, emphasizing the fact that I shouldn't have any reason to guard them. But my case with the council members was definitely not on the good side. Still, they did take a Blood Oath and if they refuse to fight with me, they are denying loyalty to me, meaning they would be breaking their oaths. We found a way to corner them.

"Are you okay with Pepper training them?" I asked Vee, wondering if she feels any sympathy for the others of our kind.

She shrugged. "I'm not in that bunch so I really wouldn't know how having someone like Pepper guarding me would be like. Though I understand the irony of the whole situation. But at the same time, if anyone attempted to harness Devilcraft, I would probably stop them too, for everyone's sake. My loyalty is with you and I agree wholeheartedly that no one should even think about harnessing that thing from hell."

I felt very appreciative of Vee right now. I knew her loyalty was solid and nothing would ever change that. "Thank you."

By five, we landed in Seattle just in time to catch the five-thirty flight to Port Angeles. Unlike the plane to Seattle, the plane to Port Angeles was extremely small, seating only about sixty-five people. When we landed in Port Angeles, it was cold, dark, and damp. I was already missing the misty, salty air of Coldwater, even the relentless fog that hang around my front yard seemed reasonably friendly at this moment. Patch rented a black Rav4 from a small dealership beside the airport and drove an hour down to Forks.

The complete change in scenery was unnerving. Coldwater is a decent-sized town but compared to Forks, it looks completely like a city. Main businesses, even Forks High School were all in the main road, completely accessible. Every road, building, house, and even signs were surrounded by endless forest, which in winter looks dead and haunting. The ground was still wet with patches of black ice, though that didn't bother Patch's driving at all. We parked in front of a mangy motel with only about ten rooms. There was no one in the parking lot besides us.

Without turning off the engine, Patch got off the car and headed towards the main office. Vee was sleeping at the back so I had no one to talk to. Deciding to stretch outside after several hours of travel, I stepped out to the cold air and observed the scenery around me even more. The gravel on the ground crumbled beneath my weight as I walked around. I stared steadily in front of me, towards the thick forest, wondering if there was some kind of clearing inside. That was when I saw something whip by fast. I blinked, wondering what it could be. An ominous feeling settled inside me.

"Nora?" Patch's voice made me jump. He stood behind me, looking concerned and confused. "What is it?"

I glanced towards the forest again, trying hard to figure out what I had seen. But maybe fatigue was getting to me and I was starting to see things. "Nothing," I muttered as I went over to the back of the Rav4 to get my stuff. I opened the trunk and pulled out my bags.

Patch stared at me for a second longer before pressing a card key on my hand. "You and Vee will be sharing one room. I figured she would be extremely uncomfortable with a guy in the same room."

I almost chuckled. "Vee uncomfortable around guys?"

He shrugged. "Well, just for decency's case. You guys got room number five and I'm in number four." He looked at me intensely I could almost feel the temperature rise up a bit. "If you notice or need anything, don't hesitate to knock, all right?"

I nodded.

"Very well, let's get Vee out of the car and we can all rest. Tomorrow we'll start planning."

I followed Vee and Patch towards the rooms, dragging my luggage behind me. I looked back just to check on the car when I felt like something was watching me from the forest. I looked around but saw nothing. Still, the feeling didn't go away until I was inside the room.

The following morning, Patch woke us up around six, bringing our breakfast of eggs and sausages with coffee. As we ate, he drew out the plan he had formulated overnight. He settled down on my bed, running his fingers through his hair.

"We have to start somewhere," he said, refusing to eat himself. "I'm going to the local high school to check for anything out of the ordinary but I doubt there will be anything. I want you to lay low, hike around the forest, and tour around the town. If you hear anything, give me a call right away."

"Why can't we come with you?" Vee asked. "There's nothing to see here in Forks. We might actually hear something in places like the high school."

He shook his head. "I'm going to go through the school records and I will erase a lot of memories. I'm going through each person's past here in Forks and see if there are any anomalies." He smiled teasingly at Vee. "And I thought you loved snooping and sleuthing around?"

"I do but what would we hear or see when we're going through the town?"

"Gossip," he replied to her simply. "You can learn a lot about the people of a town through the things its citizen say about each other. It's not going to be hard, just keep your ears open."

"And the hiking?" I asked.

"Just for the landscape's sake. If there's going to be a fight here, we need to know how to deal with the environment and use it for our advantage. The creatures know Forks and the surrounding areas and we need to make sure they're not going to be able to use that against us."

Vee's eyes traveled to me and then uncertainly to Patch. Noticing, Patch rose his eyebrows. "What is it Vee?"

"Well…About the hiking…"

"What is it?" I asked, frowning. She's going to train the other Nephils when we get back home so knowing the landscape should be a part of the training.

"I don't have any hiking shoes," she shrugged.

"Vee, you don't need a sophisticated pair of hiking shoes. Sturdy boots would do or even sneakers," I told her.

"Yeah, well tell me if I have brought a sturdy pair of boots or sneakers," she retorted, waving towards her luggage. That was when I saw the three pair of boots she had brought along. Two of them were knee high and one was ankle high. But all of them had three inches of heels.

"You're kidding me, Vee."

She brought her hands up innocently. "In my defense, I didn't know we would be hiking. I figured it's Christmas and we would be celebrating. Besides, I don't have any other boots with heels lower than three inches."

"Yeah but you should have expected we would be fighting, didn't you?"

"It's fine, Vee," Patch spoke up before she could open her mouth to argue. This town isn't completely empty of shops. You can drive around and look for an outdoor equipment shop." He handed me a sleek black credit card.

"Well I would have wanted to use your money on some real shopping but in a town like this, I guess shopping for hiking gear is the best you can do," Vee sighed, staring at the black card I was placing away in my wallet.

"Take the Rav4 with you," Patch instructed a few moments later. "It'll stick out on the student parking lot and it can increase the number of people I have to give amnesia to."

"All right. If we're going to start hiking, we'll just leave the car here," I nodded, automatically staring towards the parking lot and at the Rav4.

"Okay. We'll meet here at six. If I'm not back by then, go immediately to Seattle. If you're not here by then, I will come look for you." He bent down to kiss me, cupping his palm against my neck. His lips met mine, brief and gentle yet the electricity was there. He pushed back hair from my face and tucked it beneath my ear. "I'll see you later, Angel. Don't forget to call anytime. Keep your phones near." He headed towards the door and exited.

We spent the morning driving around town, looking for an outdoor equipment shop which to my annoyance, there was none, at least none that served our purpose. We went to a shop filled to the brim with hunting knives and large guns but no boots or water bottles. We went to a smaller stand where they only sold books about the plant life and animals of the area and maps. We bought a couple of them to use in reference. But nothing else was available.

"We can always drive up to Seattle," Vee suggested a few hours later as we entered a souvenir shop with dead deer heads perched on wooden placards like trophies. I grimaced as I looked at each dead and stuffed animal. Well there goes my appetite.

"I don't think we should go to Seattle," I told Vee as I headed out the door as fast as my feet could take me. From behind, I heard the cashier snicker at my reaction. I would have come back and made sure he didn't see me as a coward but I was too disgusted to even think about turning back around.

"Why not?" she demanded, following me to the car.

"We need to get information, remember?"

We went around some of the back roads, passing by several houses. The good thing about a small town like Forks is that you can always find your way back to the main road. We were never lost. After a few minutes of driving around, we saw a decent looking sporting goods store. I parked the Rav4 in one of the three parking lots.

Vee looked at me as if I got a bug on my face. "You're kidding right? We're looking for boots and hiking gear not jerseys."

"It's the closest we'll ever get to hiking gear. I mean, you can buy a pair of sneakers and they may even have sweatpants. They'll have water bottles and backpacks and we're good to go."

A small bell chimed when we opened the door of the shop. The guy by the counter looked up at his new customers and smiled pleasantly.

"Hi, can I help you with anything?" he asked politely, looking at me then Vee. He was good looking, about three or four years older than I am, with a cute baby face and light blonde hair handsomely cut. I would have guessed he lived in California rather than Forks.

I shook my head, spotting their display of running shoes at the back wall. "We're just looking, thank you."

I looked back at Vee, who was giving the place a condescending eye, and pointed at the shoe rack at the back of the store. She sighed and heavily stomped towards them. I stalked several aisles looking for anything that we might need. I spotted a couple of backpacks that would be useful. They didn't have ready water bottles but they did have several colorful tumblers and I decided we can fill them with water at the nearest food chain.

"So," the guy in the counter began, his eyes following me through the first two aisles. "I haven't seen you guys around here. You guys new?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

He stood up suddenly and waved his arms comically. "Well then, on behalf of all the citizens, all three-hundred something of us, I welcome you to the small, sleepy, humble town of Forks, the rainiest place in the United States," he declared loudly, showing his perfect white teeth.

I gave him a small chuckle. "Thanks."

That encouraged him as he settled down, his smile widening even further. "So, are you girls staying for good or just visiting?"

I didn't like this. We haven't found anything about the creatures yet and one of the citizens are already curious about us. Small towns. "No, just visiting," I said vaguely.

"Well," he said slowly, clearly trying to decipher my tone and words. "What's the big attraction?"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, what made you visit Forks? It's not that great, you know."

I smiled vaguely, attempting to hide my annoyance. I moved on to an aisle a bit farther back, choosing to ignore his question. Wondering if I'm putting myself as suspicious and if I should have said something, the bell rang again and a group of early-twenties adults came in. I made myself unseen, joining Vee at the back.

"Oh, Mike!" I heard a girl squeaked as soon as they saw him. "Angela has great news!"

"Hey, what color do you like better?" Vee asked me, weighing two sneakers at her hands. One was a dark blue while the other was black lined with red. I chose the dark blue, trying hard to ignore the loud group at the counter.

"Excuse me," she called to the counter.

I heard the cashier excuse himself to his friends and approached us. When he reached us, he smiled pleasantly again. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, do you guys have this in size 9?" Vee asked, pointing to the sneakers in her hand.

"Hang on, I'll go check." The boy took the shoe from Vee's hand and entered a door with the sign "Personnel Only".

I walk aimlessly through the back counters while waiting, looking at different souvenirs from different teams.

"I didn't know Mike has customers right now. Do you think we're bothering him?" a shy voice spoke out uncertainly. "Maybe we should come back later after his work."

"Oh come on, Ang," one of the guys assured her. "It's yours and Ben's big announcement. I think Mike should hear this as soon as possible, don't you?"

"I guess so. What about Bella?"

Someone scoffed and I heard the squeaker's voice again. "She's in Alaska with her husband. They're probably too busy with their oh-so-beautiful brothers and sisters. If they weren't, Bella would have shown herself here in Forks by now. Besides, now that she's a part of the Cullens, what makes you think she'd want to hang with us normal people?"

"We could try and call her," the shy voice suggested earnestly. She sighed and added firmly, "Bella isn't like that, by the way. I know she'd want to hear this. I think she'll be here for the wedding if we ask her to."

"Come on, Angela, be realistic."

"Five bucks says Bella won't come here for your wedding, Angela," a sneering voice spoke out loudly. "I don't even know why she's still considered in our group. She's having fun with the Cullens so let her be. We don't need her."

"Here you go," the cashier, I guess the one they call Mike, handed Vee a brown Nike box. She opened it and examined the shoes before sitting down at one of the stools and trying them on.

When she seemed satisfied, she looked up at Mike while taking the shoes off and putting them back inside the box. "Yeah, this would do." She handed the box to Mike who returned to his post to ring all our purchases.

I followed him with Vee at my heels to the front. His friends were all gathered there. I immediately noticed the tall dark-haired girl smiling from ear to ear, busy chatting with the others. Beside her was a petite dark curly haired girl, examining the tall girl's finger where I noticed was jeweled with a simple gold band. To the right of the girl was a tall dark oil slick haired boy with the worst complexion I have ever seen. The other girl gawking at the tall girl's ring had silver blonde hair. I guessed she was the sneering voice I heard earlier because her face seemed to be frozen like that.

"Hey Mike," the curly haired girl looked up as soon as Mike returned to his post. She was the squeaker. She shoved the tall girl's hand towards him to show the ring. "Angela got engaged!"

Mike's face broke out into a sincere smile, not the one he plasters on for us because we were customers. "Oh, Ang! Congratulations!"

The tall girl smiled shyly. "Thanks Mike," she muttered quietly.

"Are you going to be done soon?" the tall oily haired boy asked him.

"Yeah, just going to finish up with their purchases and I'll go with you guys for a lunch break."

As if on cue, I placed the two backpacks and the two water tumblers I took from the shelf. Mike gave me a smile but I didn't acknowledge it, pretending to look away to search for my wallet inside my bag.

"So you haven't answered me," Mike spoke again a few minutes later as he gathered all our items together in neat piles. I had a feeling he was stalling a bit for the chance to chat.

"What was the question again?"

He gave Vee the same smile. "What are two pretty young girls doing at such a small, dreary town like Forks?"

"Hiking," Vee answered shortly, not bothering to look up as she examined her nails.

"Oh, well no offense, you guys don't look like much of hikers, at least not with those shoes on," he replied, nodding towards Vee's heeled boots. The others had gone quiet, watching Mike's efforts to befriend us. I felt their eyes on me, the guys were curious about us while the girls were examining us with disdain.

Vee's infamous scowl was on her face. I could almost hear her growl inside her head. "Live life to the fullest, right? Besides, you don't know us enough. You should be thankful we're here buying stuff from you."

"Vee," I warned her in mind speak. "Be nice to locals. They might know something."

"He's hitting on you and it's annoying me, greatly," she was still scowling.

"I know. But we don't want to have any unnecessary attention. We need to keep our heads low."

"Hey, no need to be rude," the squeaker said, coming to Mike's defense. They were all looking at us, throwing dirty glances. Well maybe the shy girl looked disappointed while the sneering girl's facial expression didn't change a bit.

"Sorry," I mouthed, looking apologetically at Mike. I looked desperately around for anything that would change the topic. "So you guys know any good hiking spots?"

This did it. The others returned to the tall girl, still glaring at us as they did so but otherwise ignored us. Mike on the other hand returned to finishing up our purchases. When he spoke, his voice was a bit uncertain and a little cold.

"You have to check with Police Chief Swan at the police station for that. You'll need to register too. Just standard procedures. They'd want to keep track of who's going into the woods for safety reasons."

I nodded, though I doubt this Police Chief Swan's help would make any difference if we do ever encounter something in the woods.

Another awkward silence engulfed us as I handed Patch's credit card to him. The others were watching us again while Vee looked bored out of her mind. That was when I saw the pictures hanging on the wall behind Mike. One picture caught my eye and familiarity hit me as I examined the girl in the picture. She had long brown hair and her lower lip was thicker than her upper one. But instead of gold eyes, her eyes were a warm chocolate brown. She looked exactly like the girl I saw at Enzo's.

"Hey, I've seen her before," I said, unconsciously, pointing at the picture. "Is she a model? She was at our town a few months ago. Was she shooting for something?"

Everyone, including Vee, looked at the picture I was pointing to. But when I glanced at Mike's friends, they were all looking at me like I was crazy.

"She's not a model," the sneering girl said. "That's Isabella Swan Cullen or Bella. She lives with her husband, Edward, in Alaska."

I blinked, realizing I had grabbed their attention unknowingly. "Oh," I muttered.

"Well, maybe she did go to…where did you say you came from again?" the shy, tall girl asked.

"Oh, well maybe I just saw someone who looked like her," I said, swerving over the question again.

The sneering girl and the curly haired girl looked at me with contempt. "Yeah, probably," the sneering girl said with a flick of her hair. "She's not nearly pretty enough to be a model."

I looked back at the girl in the picture and disagreed inside my mind. She was pretty enough to be a model, at least in Maine. But I knew I grabbed their attention and I was certain they would talk about us once we left. This is the exact opposite of keeping our heads down. I wondered if I can erase their memories. But I don't want to put any lasting impression on any of them just in case these creatures can detect any unnatural beings. Mike handed the credit card back to me and handed three plastic bags with our purchases to me.

"Thank you," I muttered, placing the credit card back to my bag. I just wanted to get out of there.

"Hey, if you guys wanted to grab lunch with us, you can come," Mike suggested as we headed towards the door, past his friends. At his invitation, the petite curly haired girl scowled again. Obviously she didn't think much of any girl Mike would date. She probably is attracted to him.

"No can do," Vee said in a mocking tone. "Her boyfriend is meeting with us later on. Sorry, bub."

Mike's face fell while the squeaker's face lit up. I opened the door with Vee, letting it close by itself once we were out but not before I heard the sneering girl said, "What's their deal? They're not even that pretty to be acting so snobbishly."

"Do you think once we find your evil half sister we can dump her here?" Vee asked as we got inside the car. "I'm telling you, she and her evil little posse can fit right in there with those girls. Can you believe them?"

I backed out of the parking lot and entered the road smoothly. "I guess you'll meet Marcies everywhere you go, even in a little town like Forks."

It was already noon and Vee was beginning to whine for food. Knowing we need to have energy for the hike, I agreed to stop by at a small diner just off the main road. I parked the car and headed inside, dialing Patch's number.

"Hey, where are you? Do you want to eat?" I asked as soon as he picked up.

"You go ahead. Have you found out anything?"

I hesitated, unsure if I should say something about the girl in the picture and the possibility she was the same girl I saw at Enzo's that one day. It was only after we left the store that I remember when I passed the girl's table as I ordered my chicken wrap that day. I knew she was definitely not human. But it couldn't have been the same girl in the picture at Mike's store. She looked…normal, unlike the girl at Enzo's. I chose not to mention it.

"Well, unless you want to know that a local girl is getting married, then nothing."

"Is the girl human?"

"Yeah, positive. No weird aura or anything."

I heard him sigh in the other line. "I guess we're hitting dead ends."

"I guess so."

"What else are you going to do now?"

I followed Vee at an empty table, picking up their menus. "Well the cashier at the local sporting goods store told us to go to the police station to register for hiking. I guess it's just for security reasons. They'd want to know who's out there just in case something happens."

"Do it. Since a local already suggested it, it would be less conspicuous if we followed their rules."

"All right," I agreed.

"I need to go, Angel. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

After lunch, I parked the car in front of the police station. Unlike the high school and most of the buildings here in Forks, the police station wasn't in the main road. We had to take several detours, a few blocks away from the high school. There were five police cruisers and one police van parked in their parking lot. Compared to Forks, Coldwater has two police stations with three times the number of police cruisers and three vans were divided between them.

I entered the station with Vee. There were ten police officers on duty in their desks. A railed door stood at the back and I figured that's where they kept the criminals they find here in Forks, if there were any.

A police officer looked up from the lobby desk. "Can I help you ladies?"

I glanced at Vee briefly, feeling the butterflies. I felt like I was already doing something illegal, even though technically we're just investigating about supernatural human beings.

"We went to the local sporting goods shop and we were told to register here if we want to go hiking around the area." I muttered the words like it was a question.

"Yes, of course. It's advisable for any visitors to sign up here just in case," the officer said, standing up and opening the small barrier that separated the main lobby and the officers' desks.

He led us inside, past several desks. "We learned to take care of our visitors. Several years ago, several hikers had gone missing from Seattle and Port Angeles. We worked hard to find these people but we never found anything. Until now, we're still trying to figure out what happened to them but we did learn to keep a better eye on our visiting hikers."

Vee looked at me knowingly but we remained silent. We both know these killings must be because of the creatures that are now attempting to harness Devilcraft from hell.

"Just out of curiosity," I began slowly, wondering about these creatures' power. "How many people had gone missing then?"

The police officer looked at me curiously. "Well, we estimated that at least thirty or thirty-five people had gone missing from the surrounding areas, including visitors from out of state and that's the only one reported here in our police station. Who knows how many people had actually gone missing we don't know about."

My stomach dropped. How strong were these things? Can the Nephil race actually face these things? If they can take God knows how many people, can we take them?

The police officer led us to the only office in the small station. The door with the name "Police Chief Charlie Swan" painted on the surface was open. The officer knocked briefly against the door and stepped inside.

"Chief Swan, there are a couple of hikers here that wants to register," he said, waving towards us. He stepped aside to let us in before heading out himself.

"Good afternoon," the man behind the desk said, standing up. He was about my mom's age with brown hair and a moustache. His eyes were a soft chocolate brown and he stood around at least five feet and eleven inches. He was relatively lean. He was clearly fit when he was younger but it was clear he enjoyed a couple of beers now.

"I am Police Chief Swan," he said steadily, shaking our hands. "Please sit down." He waved towards two chairs in front of his desk before he settled down back behind his desk.

"I'll need your IDs," he asked us as he typed something on his computer. I turned to Vee. I wasn't comfortable revealing our identities to Chief Swan but what choice do we have? I fished out my driver's license and waited for Vee's. I gathered both of them and slid it over the desk. He picked up my license and studied it.

"So, Coldwater, Maine huh? You two traveled really far," he commented.

I nodded but was unsure what to say.

When he didn't receive any response he continued. "I guess there aren't a lot of hiking spots in Maine?"

I shrugged. "Not really. It's a complete change of scenery here. I mean, there are more trees while Maine is just surrounded by the ocean."

Swan nodded. "I guess you're right. Well, is it only the two of you?"

I hesitated, wondering if I should mention Patch. But I decided it's better if we kept his identity a secret. With Patch's plan to erase the memories of those who do see him, he would be basically invisible and I had a feeling he wanted to keep it that way. "Yeah, it's just the two of us."

He typed a couple more sentences before looking up again. "So, where are you two staying?"

"Pacific Inn Motel," Vee answered. "Just off the main road."

"Ah yes," he said, typing several things in again. After a few seconds, he looked up. "All right, I'll be right back. I'll just scan your IDs in our system and you two will be good to go." He excused himself and headed out of his office.

"Why didn't you include Patch?" Vee whispered when he was out of earshot.

"Because I don't think he wants anyone knowing he's here," I answered, looking around the small office. It was neat with ancient files of cabinets pushed along the frosted glass wall. The computer was the only 21st century thing in his cabinet. If it wasn't there, I would have thought I stepped back in time. Mindlessly, I picked up one of the picture frames facing his desk and I froze. The young woman smiling at me was the same woman in the picture at Mike's store. Then I remembered the name his friends mentioned. Bella. So she's Bella Swan Cullen. I realized she had the same brown eyes as Officer Chief Swan so she must be his daughter.

I picked up another frame and felt my stomach drop as I saw the people looking up at me. It was Bella with a young man about my age and a beautiful young girl, about six or seven years old. But unlike the picture from the previous frame and the picture in Mike's shop, Bella looked a lot different. She still had the same long brown locks and the same thick lower lip. But her eyes were golden and her skin was as white as marble. She was the girl I saw at Enzo's, the model who had that strange power I felt buzzing from her. In her hand was the same ring I saw that day.

I examined the man who had his arm wrapped around her shoulder. He had the same golden eyes and the same pale complexion. He had reddish brown hair and a tall, lean muscular built. He was smiling crookedly. Like Bella beside her, he was absolutely breathtaking. They reminded me of Greek gods and goddesses marble statues.

On the other hand, the young girl, though absolutely beautiful, looked normal enough. She was pale but actually looked like she had more color than the two adults standing around her. She had the same brown chocolate eyes and long brown hair as Bella in the last frame.

I placed the frame back to its place, deeply troubled. I didn't understand any of it. Who was Isabella Swan Cullen and what did she want from me? I was certain the brown-eyed, brown-haired girl in the previous frame and the gold-eyed brunette was both Isabella Swan. There were too many similarities to deny it. But what did it mean?

Before I could sort it all out to tell Vee, Chief Swan entered his office again and sat back down behind his desk. He started clicking on his computer.

"We'll just wait for the pictures to upload and I'll let you go," he explained, clicking away.

A knock came from behind us, making him look up. His eyes lit up and he smiled. "Seth!"

I froze as I heard the name and I wasn't the only one. Vee glanced at me hurriedly before we both turned slowly around.

Standing behind us, holding a plastic bag on his hand, his eyes wide, was Seth Clearwater.

Nothing was coincidence.