Chapter 10
Officer Swan stood up from his chair and approached Seth welcomingly. "What are you doing here?"
"Mom wanted to give you this," Seth told him, his eyes still on us as he lifted the bag in his hand. "It's your lunch."
Officer Swan took the bag from him and examined the contents. "Oh wonderful. Tell her I said thanks."
"Uh-huh. What are they doing here, Charlie?"
Officer Swan's eyes wandered from Seth, who was still looking at us, to me who was now glaring at him. Now I know Seth may not have anything to do with Lisa but seeing him here in Forks means he is somehow connected to the unknown creatures that wants to harness Devilcraft.
Officer Swan cleared his throat, sensing the tension. "They're tourists." Then a smile formed from behind his moustache and I heard him whisper, "I know they're both cute. Do you want me to introduce you?"
"Charlie," Seth began but Officer Swan cut him off.
"Ladies, this is my stepson, Seth Clearwater," he declared proudly as he clapped his palm on Seth's shoulder, stepping aside for Seth to shake our hands but none of us moved.
I flicked my eyes towards Officer Swan. "Can we have our licenses back? Our time here is pretty limited."
His face fell a bit, disappointment and confusion mixing together. "All right." He approached the desk and handed our licenses back. I realized I was already standing up so I just grabbed my purse from our seat and headed out, making sure I bumped my shoulder against Seth.
"What's going on?" I heard Officer Swan ask Seth once he thought we were out of earshot. "I wonder what's wrong with those two. They looked like they saw a ghost."
As soon as we got out of the police station, I tugged my phone out of the pocket of my jeans and dialed Patch's number. He answered instantly.
"Seth is here," I said, hurriedly opening the door. Vee ran to the passenger's seat and got inside just as I did.
"What?"
"Seth Clearwater. He's here. I just saw him. He knows the officer chief of this town. He's in it. He and his gang are somehow involved with the creatures," I was talking very fast while I jammed the keys in the ignition.
"All right. Change of plans. Leave the car at the motel and go straight to the woods in the front. I'll meet you there. Bring water and food. We'll start studying the landscape and I'll call Pepper to get the Nephils ready."
"They won't be here on time," I realized, my heart sinking.
"Diplomacy first, Nora. If these things can't be talked to reasonably, then we'll bring in the Nephils and it will be war."
I hung up and was about to put the car on reverse. I was in the road after a few seconds.
The sun had lowered considerably over the horizon when we parked the Rav4 in the motel's parking lot. I got out of the car, dragging the backpacks with me. They were already filled with food, water, some extra clothes, and several blankets. We still haven't found any outdoor equipment store close enough so we decided to just use whatever it is nature can provided as our shelter.
"What about Patch?" Vee asked as we crossed the road to the trees. She pulled up the straps of her backpack containing her own set of food, clothes, water, and blankets.
I breathed a bit heavier than I usually do, quickening my pace. "He's going to meet us in the woods."
"How will he find us?" Vee huffed behind me.
"I don't know," I admitted, stepping over several big branches. "But that's the thing with Patch, he can always find me wherever I am." I looked down at the black puffy snow jacket I was wearing. It didn't have a tracking device on it but I was certain he could still find us.
We traveled west for a few more miles, only stopping once to eat snacks and drink some water. As we got deeper into the woods, the trees became more close together until barely enough sunlight seeped through between the leaves. Plant life grew everywhere and the floor was littered with plants and small rotting forest life.
I heard the gentle flow of running water from a distance, the first real landmark that wasn't leaves or roots or some more trees. I looked over as far as I could see it and saw something but Vee was the first to say it out loud.
"Look, a clearing. We can rest there," she pointed at the direction I was staring at.
With her trudging by me, I pushed on towards the clearing. I stepped into it and entered into a meadow. I turned to Vee as she rustled behind me to catch up.
"I think we should camp here. It would be easier for Patch to find us if we tell him we're near a meadow."
Because there were no trees in the meadow itself, we decided to stay at the edge, using the trees' leaves as our roof. I gently spread a couple of our blankets on the ground for us to lay on. Despite the cold weather, I felt a little warm because of the exertion to get here. I took off my black ski jacket, revealing my blue sweater underneath.
Vee took her jacket as well and settled down on her blanket. "So what do we know so far?"
"Seth definitely has something to do with the creatures that want the Devilcraft. I wouldn't put it past him to be one of those creatures," I told her, massaging my temples. "We know he isn't human and his presence here cannot be coincidence."
I was silent for a few seconds as the anomaly came to me. "But he never asked me about Devilcraft. He was more interested in Patch than me."
"Well you didn't know him well. He was in our lives in just a short period of time," Vee reasoned, shrugging. "Maybe he was just warming up to you so you could spill everything you know about Devilcraft but things just didn't pan out well for him. Remember what Patch said when he searched for Seth's records at our school? He went through a lot of trouble just to get in and get close to you but he was out of there quick once he realized you were onto him. Maybe he wanted to know about Patch because he's as involved in this as you are."
"So it's likely Seth is involved," I said slowly, looking at our facts and our assumptions.
Vee nodded.
I bit my tongue as I thought of another coincidence that had bothered me so much. I was uncertain if I should even mention the mysterious Isabella Swan Cullen to Vee or Patch because I just wasn't sure what to make of her. But when I saw her pictures here in Forks, I know she must be one of the shadows lurking behind me that Patch talked about. It was too much of a coincidence to see her in Coldwater, feel that weird buzz around her, and see her again here in Forks. "Vee, do you remember when we were at Enzo's?"
She took a pack of graham crackers out of her bag. "Which time?"
"The time when this girl walked in and we thought she was a model?"
I gave Vee a few seconds as she recalled the incident. When she did, her eyebrow went up in confusion. "Where are you getting at?"
I explained to her what happened at Enzo's when I passed by her table and her sudden disappearance afterwards. Then I told her about the pictures at Mike's store and at Officer Chief Swan's desk. Then I told her about Patch's experience the last night of Cheshvan after Patch had dropped me off the farmhouse.
"So, you think she has something to do with this?" she asked me, slowly.
"Yes. I mean, what's the probability that strangers that are suddenly in our lives can be found in the same place where there are creatures interested in Devilcraft?"
"You're right. So what they really want is you."
My heart sank. She was right. They do want me. They have been targeting me, trying to get close to me. What if this Isabella woman and Seth are the creatures that Patch had chased after that night? So they're targeting me to get the Devilcraft because they think I have it or know a way to get it.
I stopped breathing as I realized something. "Seth and this Isabella woman aren't alone. If the Archangels were right, they have allies. They have allies from different creatures." I could finally see why the Archangels assigned us this mission. I could definitely see the hell in this.
Vee shivered as a cold wind passed us by. "So there is something waiting for us, then. We are going to have to fight."
"We need to talk to them diplomatically first," I told her, not really looking forward to another war especially when I just got out of one.
She nodded slowly. "You're right. Maybe these things can be reasoned with."
She stood up suddenly, brushing her jeans with her hands. I glanced up at her, confused as she headed towards the forest. "Where are you going?"
"We need firewood. It's getting cold. I know we're immortal and all but I think freezing is not a trip in the park," she answered stepping over her things. She stopped for a second, her face deep in thought.
"What is it Vee?"
"Well…you think the girl at Enzo's and the girl in the picture at Mike's store are the same but they look so different. Do you really think they're the same?"
"Yes," I said firmly. "She looks similar but different. I don't know how to explain it. It's like… she was a normal girl a long time ago but then she became…extraordinary."
Vee sighed heavily. "None of this makes sense."
"Tell me about it."
She headed off to the forest and I was left by myself at the edge of the meadow with my thoughts. It turned to the man and the young girl Isabella was with in one of the pictures. The man had the same complexion and eye color as her. He looked human enough but like Isabella, he was too extraordinary to be one. So he must be one of Isabella's kind, whatever they are. But what about the little girl? She was unnaturally beautiful but I could see the blush in her cheeks and the warmth in her smile. I massaged my temples again as I tried to connect Seth, Isabella, the man, and the little girl.
My thoughts were interrupted by the sudden rustle of trees about thirty yards in front of me. I stood up, wondering what the noise could be. A second later, I watched, surprised, as a mountain lion went sailing up in the air. I heard hoots and voices of people from where the mountain lion was thrown out.
Then I felt the air grow colder. I saw three people step out of the clearing, two women and one man, surrounding the mountain lion. One of the women was blonde and the other was dark haired while the man they were with was tall and muscular. I would have shouted at them to warn them about mountain lions when what I saw next astounded me. The dark-haired woman jumped elegantly on the pouncing mountain lion and landed gracefully on its neck. She bent down and with a sickening crunch, twisted its neck. It hung limply in her hands.
"I claim this one," I heard the dark-haired woman say as she hopped off the dead animal.
"Oh come on, I threw him in the air," the man protested.
"That's not how you hunt mountain lions, Emmett," the dark-haired woman told him. "You have to do it gracefully."
"This is why I don't like mountain lions," the man retorted turning towards the forest again.
"Come on, Emmett, let's get you a bear," the blonde woman giggled, tugging at the man's arms.
He wrapped his huge arms around the girl. "Now I like the sound of that. Maybe I can wake one up from its sleep. Cranky bears are always fun."
"Hey don't forget Jake wants to talk to us all later," the dark haired girl called after them.
They were the creatures.
"VEE!" I screamed out loud and in mind speak as I realized they were the enemies and they definitely had the numbers.
The creatures froze as they heard my voice. They slowly turned to my direction, surprised.
"A human?!" I heard the blonde say, stunned.
"No," the dark-haired girl said, staring at me with wide eyes. "It's her."
Before I knew it, the blonde had run in a breath taking speed. Her face was snarled as she pounced on me. I felt the back of my head collided with the tree behind me. My vision swam and I lost footing. I fell to the ground, face first, my whole back side throbbing. I tasted the blood in my mouth. I tried to get up, commanding my arms to support my weight but a foot had come crashing down on me, forcing me back down.
"Rosalie!" I heard the man's voice shout over to us. "What did you do?"
A hand had flipped me over with force that I flipped on mid-air twice. I landed with a firm thud on the ground, the air knocked out of my lungs. "So this is the one with the dangerous weapon? I see why she'd want to use it. She's pretty weak."
I saw her bend down to look at me. She was fearfully beautiful with her wavy blonde locks falling to my face like waterfall. She studied me closely with black eyes, a cruel grin taking over her face. She touched my cheek. I was unsure if this was because I was in so much pain that my senses were cloudy but her fingers were as cold and hard as marble. "What if I break her neck?"
"That would be a horrible idea if you don't want a war in your hands," Vee's voice floated from behind me. The woman looked up just as Vee pushed her hard off me, hard enough to send her flying somewhere. She helped me up, leaning me against a tree to catch my breath.
"Stay here," Vee said, turning just as the blonde came back with vengeance in her eyes.
I saw the blonde's companions running towards the two. Feeling better enough to stand on my feet, I let go of the tree and ran to meet them. I focused on the dark-haired girl, bringing my fist as far back as I could to gain momentum. When I was near enough, I shoved my fist to her stomach hard. I watch her fly a few yards, her long brunette hair flowing all over her face.
"Bella!" I heard the man scream behind me just as the woman flipped her hair to her back.
I recognized the eyes and the slender built. "You," I hissed, crouching low. But before I could attack, I took a hit at the side of my head, making me fly up again. I landed on my feet perfectly and saw the man up close.
Like his companions, he was amazingly beautiful with curly hair and dimpled cheeks. He too was pale and had midnight eyes. He was barely older than I was. He was tall and extremely muscular even up close. He charged towards me but I was already a step ahead. I invaded his mind, surprised at the coldness inside. His defenses were intimidating and as sturdy as granite but I found a crack and watched as his defenses crumbled down. He stopped in his tracks, his face gone blank.
"Turn around," I commanded him in mind speak. Then I switched the image of the blonde they came with Vee. His head turned sharply towards their direction. "Attack."
The man ran to the direction of the others, attacking the blonde woman they came with. I returned my attention towards the brunette who was crouched low as well. Reading her attack in her eyes before she acted it out, I jumped into the air to meet her. Despite her speed, adrenaline slowed everything down. I saw her outstretched fist reaching for my face and I met it with my palm. I turned my body the other way, meaning to hit her face with my elbow but she countered with a kick on my lower leg. My knee buckled, forcing me to my other knee. She took that moment to swing another one on me but I ducked in time. When I saw her arm pass over my head, I firmly planted my fists in her stomach and watch her hover on the ground for a few seconds before she landed.
I took that opportunity to charge, putting my weight over her so she wouldn't be able to move. Using Vee's move to immobilize me, I crushed my knees on her leg and forced her arms down with my hands.
"What do you want from me?!" I screamed as she struggled under my weight. "What were you doing at Coldwater?!" With reckless abandon, I forced myself inside her mind but found a hard diamond wall. It was impossible to see inside because of the fractures and the lights reflecting off it.
I felt the tug on my collar a few seconds before I smacked on the ground again. Cold hands were in my throat, cutting off any air. The circulation to my legs were cut off by the man sitting on my stomach. I tried to pry the stone fingers off my neck but to no avail. Red dots popped in the back of my head and I knew I was going to pass out.
"Don't you dare lay a hand on Bella," the silent, venomous voice was far away but I could see the golden eyes, the scowling mouth, and the angular angelic face distorted in anger. "You are not going to hurt anyone in my family with your evil weapon."
"Let go of her neck before I break yours," another voice said in a distance. The boy looked up just before a dash of black pushed him away. I felt my airways loosen and I gasped, chocking at the sudden intake of oxygen.
"Angel, are you okay?" Patch asked, worriedly as he hurried to my side, helping me stand up.
"I'm fine," I said, forcing my sight to stop spinning but I held on to his arm a little longer. I looked for my strangler and Bella. They were in the distance with the boy rushing to his feet and Bella helping him up.
Patch readied himself as the boy pounced. I ran myself as Bella sprinted across the meadow, her hands ready to attack.
"Break them!" I heard Patch say just as he grabbed the boy's arm and hurled him away. The boy countered by athletically crouching in midair, planting his feet on Patch's chest before pushing him away.
I ducked as Bella reached for my head. I wasn't sure what Patch meant by break them but as Bella passed me by, I grabbed for her head and smacked her forward. She rolled away as I planted a fist on the ground before kicking my back. I got up quickly just as she got to her feet as well.
"Bella! Something's wrong with Emmett! Protect us!" Patch's opponent called over just as he planted a solid jab to Patch's jaw. Unfaltering, Patch returned the jab as well.
In the distance, I saw the muscular guy stop in his tracks just as he grabbed the blonde screaming at him while Vee watched grinning at the back. When the man saw he had grabbed his companion, he froze and placed her down gently before attacking Vee again. Confused that my mind trick had stopped working, I tried to invade his mind again but the same diamond shield is preventing me to do so. I tried to knock it down and saw Bella flinch.
"They have mind powers!" Bella shouted as she realized who was attacking her. "You can invade minds?"
Ignoring her question, I ran to her again to resume our fight but froze on my spot. Surrounding us were several more people, all with the same pale complexion and golden eyes. But what made me stop in my tracks were the bear-sized wolves with them.
"PATCH!" I scrambled to his side and he stopped as well. Vee backed away from the edge of the meadow towards us. We were completely surrounded.
"Enough of this," a very attractive man with blonde locks said loudly but calmly. I watched apprehensively, my eyes on the gigantic wolves. My eyes landed on a sandy-colored wolf with familiar eyes.
"Ah," Patch smirked beside me. "You're their leader."
"Carlisle Cullen," the man introduced, stepping forward, his hands outstretched. But he stopped halfway towards us as he saw the glare in Patch's eyes. "This is my family you were attacking."
"They attacked us first," Vee hissed, wiping a bloody lip with her hand.
Carlisle sighed, looking at Bella and her companions. "For that, I am truly sorry. But they are doing so because forces that involve you are pressuring us we'd rather not do."
"You declared war when your family attacked us," Patch said, his voice calm but I felt his hand wrapped around mine protectively.
Carlisle didn't miss Patch's gesture. "This must be your mate. I understand why you're protective of her. But you must understand we are a family here also. We are protective of each other."
Patch's opponent spoke up. "He doesn't want a war. He's hoping we can all talk about this calmly but he saw me strangling her." Carlisle's eyes went to him. "But she had Bella."
"Nothing will be solved if we keep on fighting like this. My friend, I want to talk about this diplomatically as well. Please tell me what we can do to fix all of this."
"Carlisle," Bella called out just as she collapsed on her knee. Patch's opponent and the others rushed to her. "One of them is attacking my shield."
"Tell us what you are," Patch began, his eyes turning to steel. "Tell us what they are and tell us what you want with the Devilcraft. And I don't like secrets so tell your little shield there to keep her protection to herself or I will be forced to break it."
At that exact moment, Bella yowled in pain. "Bella," Carlisle turned to her, gently touching her shoulder. "It's okay. You can let go now. They won't trust us if they think we're hiding things."
"They have their own shields, Carlisle," Patch's opponent said, standing swiftly up. "I can't read any of their minds."
Carlisle looked at us. Patch nodded. "Very well, we'll bring down our shields as well so your mind reader can looked through our thoughts."
I lowered my shield, hesitantly. I was sure I would feel a cold sensation inside my head but nothing came. Patch's opponent nodded towards Carlisle.
"Very well," he said approaching us again. "I will tell you about our family as long as you tell us what you are. Be prepared with the consequences it entails with our government as well."
Patch smirked. "I already know prior to this that you are not human. It would be perfectly fine if they go after us because we would be ready." My thoughts wandered to the army we were building at home. Patch's opponent's eyes went to me and I knew he heard me. I looked away, steering clear of that.
"Very well. My family and I are known in town as the Cullens. The local Quileute tribe know us as the Cold Ones. The rest of the world know us as the living dead. We are vampires."
My jaw dropped as I heard the word "vampires". But vampires are folklore. They are not real. Besides they kill and drink human blood. If a family of vampires live in such a small town like Forks, word would have gotten out already.
"This is my son, Edward Cullen," Carlisle waved towards Patch's opponent. "And his wife, Isabella Swan Cullen. This is Rosalie Hale and Emmett Cullen. That is Jasper Hale and Alice Cullen." He waved at Isabella, then the blonde, then the big guy, then a tall guy with honey blonde hair and a smaller petite girl with a pixy haircut. All of them were either about my age or a little older.
He reached out his hand towards a young woman with the kindest face I have ever seen. "And this is my wife, Esme."
"What about them?" Patch asked, nodding towards the wolves.
"I am sorry to say their secret is not ours to tell. But if their alpha chooses to, they would gladly inform you of what they really are," Carlisle said politely. The boy named Edward looked towards them and nodded.
"They'll do it."
The wolves slowly turned back to the forest and left. I frowned, "They're not telling us anything."
"Just wait for them to be back. In the meantime do you have any questions?"
Edward looked directly at me, answering my unspoken question. "We don't drink human blood for our own reasons. We hunt animals and their blood is what feeds us. We are vegetarians. We are also careful not to mention what we really are to the humans because then the Volturi would have a reason to come here and turn any human to one of us. Even if newborns have the population size as similar as Forks', it would cause an outbreak of our kind and humans will be placed in danger."
I frowned. This wasn't the case that was painted for us. The creatures here in Washington were supposed to be the bad guys.
"Ah, here they come," Carlisle spoke up again, interrupting my thoughts. I looked up and saw Seth and his gang with Dante's doppelganger in the front. Despite the temperature, they were all wearing low rise jeans and nothing else, except a young woman in her mid-twenties who was wearing a gray tank top and short shorts. They approached us with steady steps but my eyes were on Seth. He was careful not to meet my glares.
"We are from the Quileute tribe," Dante's doppelganger said, looking directly at Patch. "I am Jacob Black and that is my pack. We are shape-shifters that take the form of wolves. We were the pack of wolves you saw just a while ago."
"Now my friends, it is your turn to tell us who you are and why you have come to Forks."
"I am Jev," Patch introduced himself after a minute. "I am a fallen Archangel. This is Nora Grey and Vee Sky," he said introducing us. "They are from the Nephilim race-half human, half fallen angel."
The shock registered on everyone's eyes. "Like vampires, we are also immortal."
Silence had settled over the meadow as the words thrown were digested carefully. It was Edward who first spoke. "So what is it you want from us?"
"To prevent any creature from harnessing Devilcraft from hell again," Patch replied.