A/N: Alright, first I must say thank you once again for the reviews, and apologize for not saying thank you last time. That was incredibly rude of me. I also must apologize for the long update. I was going to do it this morning, but I got stuck at church for three hours while my mom decked her classroom. Then, I was going to update after lunch, but my laptop wasn't giving me Internet. Then, there was the matter of getting the Internet back up, practicing piano, and now, because I have been on my laptop practically all week, I am in great peril of losing it. Sorry for the hold-up, and thanks for the reviews. They motivate me a lot.

Chapter Three

The sun, a brilliant gold beacon in the forever blue sky, filled me with passion and joy. I threw my head back and laughed as lightly as the swallows that dived through the air. The light caused my skin to give off a breathtaking sparkle, one that would have put ice castles and colossal chandeliers to shame. I let the sunlight embrace warmly as I walked through the tall meadow grasses, my fingers lightly gracing the top of each blade. I twirled, feeling the warmth all around me, and stretched down beneath the sweet grass once I got dizzy. The gently summer breeze brushed the grasses and rustled my hair, and I giggled in delight. Oh, how joyous was this afterlife of mine! To think that a vampire could see such beauty in the world when humans could not, it was very much difficult to fathom.

(A/N: Okay, now I'm scaring myself. I mean, I'm kind of describing one of those scenes in Marie Antoinette, the one where she runs in the field? Or maybe she doesn't run, maybe she walks? I dunno, I never paid much attention to the movie.)

"Karma?" My head turned instinctively towards the sound. I looked up expectantly towards the light, facing the dazzling eyes of Will. He offered a hand, a grin upon his face. I took it and he pulled me up. "We're going to play tag." He said, walking next to me, his hands in his pockets. "Would you like to join us?"

(A/N: Tag? Tag! I'm sure you're all thinking that you're all wanting to play tag at this very second…okay, I'm being sarcastic, sorry. But I will tell you that this tag is so much better.)

Tag: mere child's play for humans. But for vampires, given their lack of being alive, the game was shown whole new horizons. Instead of just playing in a regular backyard, full of green grass, we had probably over twenty miles of land. From dangerous mountain climbs to daring jumps across waterfalls, tag with vampires was literally impossible to survive…if you had a heart, that is.

I nodded, accepting his request with much enthusiasm. He smiled back at me, his topaz eyes twinkling in merriment as we continued to walk along. "There they are!" He waved excitedly to the rest of the coven, who were now sitting on the steps. From our long distance, we could clearly see the despair on their faces. So, we ran. "What's the matter?" Will asked worriedly, not breathing hard at all from our quick, minute second mile.

Sparrow nodded at Chase, who was looking off towards the distance, his back facing us. I grew curious. "Chase, what's wrong?" Slowly and almost painfully, he turned to face us. His expression was clenched and wearied, almost that of an old man. A sudden chill ran over me. "Chase? What's…"

I never finished. The pit of fear that had started in my stomach soon grew and blossomed at his whispered words. "Someone's coming."

A/N: Ha ha ha! Cliffy! So annoying to get, but so much fun to give! But…I am feeling generous today, and I did say that I would give you a visit from a Cullen, so I will continue…

Chase's words rang in the back of our minds for the rest of the afternoon. We had been assured by both Edmund and Aida that they would stay behind and make sure that this someone wasn't dangerous. Still unsure but trusting enough to take their word for it, we went to play our game of tag and tried to be as merry as we could, given the current news.

"You're it!" I shouted happily, pushing Will into a bunch of leaves and then taking off faster than a rocket. As I sped along I could hear him curse at first for not being careful, and then laughing as he tried to catch up with me. I laughed lightly once more, filled with the ecstasy of the chase. Flying up the steps, I ran through the house, planning on exiting the front door when I came to a sudden halt. What was in front of me rooted me in place, forcing me to become a statue, frozen in time. That face…that face…it's familiarity hit me harder than a tsunami. His expression was hard, but then melted into a questioning stare.

"Bella?"

A/N: Ha! Now you have a cliffy! I feel so evil! Don't worry, there's explaining tomorrow. Hey, stop groaning! Explanations can be a good thing, even if they do ruin a story.