Disclaimer - Twilight is Stephenie Meyer's.

Chapter Nineteen – Southern Surprise

"Go ahead, Miss Masen," he commanded in a falsely cheerful voice. "I'm sure we'll see eachother again."

I walked stiffly to the door—fully aware of the eyes on my back.

A whisper followed me into the hall: "Don't worry, dearest. I promise you I won't be lonely while you're gone."

I didn't know what to do—I needed help, so I ran.

Human pace. Human pace. Human pace. I repeated the words again and again, as my thoughts became a mantra and my legs carried me forward with a stiff and drum-like rhythm.

As I rounded the final corner, I saw Jake and my mother standing in the doorway of the main office. Before I could utter a sound, they had a lock on both of my arms and were half-carrying me out the main doors. Alice was ready with the Volvo at the bottom of the steps.

I realized we were leaving.

I grabbed the hands of both Jake and mom and tried to drive my heels into the pavement.

No. No. No. He has my friends. There are four of us. We have to go back. We can stop him.

Neither Jake nor my mom slowed.

Let me go. He'll KILL them. Let. Me. Go.

Jake threw open the door—and my mom tried to push me in the car—but I braced myself, arms and legs spread so I could not be shoved in. I was not leaving. I was still half a vampire. Unless Jake phased and they cracked both of my arms—they were not getting me into the car.

"Nessie," Alice moaned from the driver's seat. "You can't go back."

"I have to!" I demanded.

"I saw, Nessie. Go back and they all die. If we fight him, we will win, but at the expense of every single girl in your class."

Alyssa. May. Carina. Maryanne. Julia. The Udall twins. Their faces flashed through my mind.

My arms and legs went limp, and then I was in the car. We were leaving.

I lay wallowing in misery on my bed. My brain was not in a happy place. I was corralled, trapped, and worst of all being "protected." Like a damn baby. I could snap a 300 pound man in eight pieces in less than a second, and yet here I was being prevented from leaving my room.

The rest of my family was gathered in the main house while my mother kept watch over me. She sat on the floor with her back up against my bed.

My family told me that everything was going to be okay. They said they'd take care of it. They said my friends would be fine.

I did not believe a word.

Jake had abandoned me to go strategize with the lot of them. I begged him to stay with me—but instead he told me that it wasn't what I needed. Apparently I needed to be "protected."

Imprints suck. It also sucked that I was pathetically in love with him. Whatever happened to good old fashioned head-over-heels, I'll-do anything-for-you passion and love? What happened to giving into want over need? Argh.

I had been trying to figure out how to get back at him, when my "concerned" father intervened. At first he had seemed cheered that I was pissed at Jake—but I suppose that as my brainstorming for retaliation took on a more, well, erotic nature, he decided to step in. Thus, I was stuck in my room.

In my misery, I began reciting every last bit of anomalous, half-crocked poetry that I could summon. I did it to soothe myself—and also because I knew it would keep my mother from talking to me and my father from hearing my thoughts.

I began by going straight down the literary rabbit hole with the Jabberwocky—"One, two! One, two! And through and through/the vorpal blade went snicker-snack!!" I was happily chasing down the evil villain (who looked remarkably like Olivier) in my head and taking his ass down.

Then I moved on to enthusiastically chant good ole Sylvia Plath. Daddy. I had a feeling my father was monitoring me, and really, there was no better way to flip him the mental bird than to recite that poem.

Hah! My mother looked like she wished she had a physical as well as a mental block. Oh, well. Yes, mummy and daddy dearest—this is what you get when you treat your almost-adult child like a two-year old and refuse to allow her to participate in the decision-making and planning regarding HER life!

Humph.

Next I sang out a few Tang dynasty pieces, mostly drunken Li Po pieces. I decided that I really need to try out getting drunk soon—try out a Bloody Mary. I deserved to try the human experience. I wondered if I would even like the taste? It did not smell particularly yummy. Would it be sick if I used actual blood? Tomato juice was disgusting. I'd have to figure this out later, though.

Crap. Control my thoughts. Control my thoughts. Dad would hear and try to lock me in a crypt.

My anger was being replaced by impatience so I started chiming out the wonderfulness that was Edgar Allen Poe.

Keeping time, time, time
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the throbbing of the bells -
Of the bells, bells, bells: -
To the sobbing of the bells: -
Keeping time, time, time,
As he knells, knells, knells,
In a happy Runic rhyme,
To the rolling of the bells -
Of the bells, bells, bells -
To the tolling of the bells -
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells, -
To the moaning and the groaning of the bells. [Last stanza of The Bells]

And then I heard the front door of the main house open, and I saw my father, Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle run into the night. They were going after him.

I gave a mighty sigh, before jumping off my bed and just as quickly out the window. My mother did not stop me. She followed closely and lithely behind me.

The women of the house, plus Jacob, sat in the couches in the living room. They were not speaking.

I found Jake's eyes—but he broke the stare and looked away.

I understood immediately. They were hiding something. Each of them wore their poker faces, my mother the lone exception. Even as a vampire, she was a pretty terrible liar. Hmmm. The reason for her watching over me instead of others was beginning to become clear.

I turned my focus on Alice. Alice would have seen Olivier in the future. She would have seen my friends. She would know.

I sat down on the old oak coffee table in front of her. I pointedly ignored Jacob, the traitor. I rested my palm on Alice's shoulder. Alice, what did you see?

She refused to answer me.

Alice, where are my friends?

I watched her carefully. She didn't move an inch. She was perfectly still. Alice, unfortunately, could actually keep a secret.

Suddenly, her eyes fogged and her expression broke.

The entire room turned to watch her warily.

"They're here!" she exclaimed happily.

Everyone looked up, surprised and slightly confused.

"Who?" Rose asked, her voice expressing her confusion.

Alice began madly flying around the room—straightening vases and smoothing wrinkles in rugs and curtains.

And then we heard the sounds of approach from the south. I listened carefully. Two, four—five. There were five approaching.

Alice did not wait for us. She ran to the back door and out to the back porch.

We followed.

Five figures were racing through the orchard. I first recognized Zafrina—the fastest—followed by Kachiri and Senna. The final two, I heard before I saw their faces. Nahuel and Estela.

They had come early.

They were up on the porch in less than a few seconds. Zafrina found me first.

We did not speak at first, but touched our finger tips together. It had been our habit since I was very small.

"You have grown much, my friend." She let her images accompany her thoughts. She showed me how much I had changed. She could see my growing strength, the new fierceness in my expression, and my transformation from girl-child into woman.

I loved talking to Zafrina—it was strangely fulfilling. Our powers always seemed to allow us to communicate on a much deeper level. There were never miscommunications. Just pure exchange. I also loved the fact she never treated me as a child.

You have NO idea how happy I am that you are here.

"We have much to discuss, my Nessie." She smiled indulgently.

"Mi, Mina! Ge' your prrritty hind end over to Estela!" Before I could turn to face her, Estela had me clasped in a tight hug. "I heard a nasty turro is sending the ratones your way, eh? I'm right, no?"

You heard. Is that why you're early?

Her mouth opened to speak—but then Alice grabbed her away from me at the same time that Rosalie shoved me into a different set of arms.

I looked up to see the dark eyes of Nahuel smiling down at me. I smiled back.

Over Nahuel's shoulder I could see Jake.

Jake looked pissed.