A/N: This is going to be probably very boring, but stick with it. I'll try and make the next one more appealing. Oh yeah, I had to put some cursing in here. Sorry if you dont like it. And thanks for the reviews! They make me feel better. Enjoy...hopefully. :D

Chapter Seven

Three days later, the day that the hunt would begin once more, I walked down the hallway with great caution. I knew that my apparel, my usual baggy and highly unflattering clothes, would make Chantal and Hope throw a fit. My feet hardly brushed the ground as I walked down the hall silently, wishing that they would not hear me. When I got to the end of the hall, I enjoyed a quiet success. I was, however, mistaken. As soon as I thought I was out of the dangerous territory, I was greeted by a malicious giggle. Crap! I thought, and looked up to see Chantal with a snigger on her face. I made a run for it, but that too became unsuccessful once I realized that Hope was behind me. They grabbed me and dragged me down the hall. I struggled, I put up a good fight, but it isn't exactly easy when you have two older vampires holding you back. "No you don't!" Hope said, as I was forced into Chantal's room once more.

"You didn't actually think we'd let you get away with this shit, did you?" Chantal asked, one perfect eyebrow arched in question at me.

"I was hoping." I admitted. Chantal rolled her eyes, and then pushed me and the outfit she had chosen into the nearest bathroom. When I changed the grabbed me once more and applied make up to my face. They waved my hair and let it fall loose over my shoulders. I moaned and looked at myself in the mirror. I had expected nothing less.

Once more, the clothes were tight fitting to show off my curves. I had on an indigo Henley that was inscribed with sky blue light green lettering. Beneath it was a light green tank top that matched part of the lettering. They had also given me a jean miniskirt. Its edges were worn and fraying, and I pulled it down self consciously. The clothes seemed small, not to mention that the top seemed to go down a bit too much at the collar. But I kept my trap shut, knowing that if I questioned their decisions it would only get worse.

A few seconds after this thought passed through my head, I heard a loud knock. Chantal surveyed herself in the mirror, checking to make sure she was the exact way she wanted. "Come in!" She called, just as the door swung open.

Chase frowned, apparently not happy. His expression conveyed the terror that would come to my heart with his simple message. His eyes were vacant and his words were empty boxes as he spoke. "They're here."

It took a while for my nerves to quiet, but eventually, calm took over my body once more. Those two, simple words-that were meaningless if you did not have enough information to understand the current situation- had made my dead heart flop. I sat, panting slightly, with my hands at my head, massaging my temples. I would not psych myself out. I would not let him have the satisfaction of knowing that I was not over him, for I knew what he would do. He would glare at me and ask me if I had understood plain English back in the forest. He would leave me again, for disobeying him and keeping Bella in love with him.

The new me, Karma, would not let that happen. No, I would be strong. I would look him directly in the eyes as a completely different person. I would not be the weak, love sick Bella Swan who stumbled over every piece of rock in her way. I would be Karma. I would be strong, I would be smart, and I would be fast. I would have total control of the situation.

With these thoughts in mind, I walked down the stairs, hearing Edmund's voice proudly show the Cullens- who had arrived and were being introduced at the time- our lovely, 'little' home. I descended down the stairs in the red hallway, hoping that they wouldn't be viewing this part of the house at the time. I did not wish to encounter them at the moment. I was however, immediately frightened when I saw the black of Edmund's hair. I turned swiftly to go back up the stairs, but came to halt when Edmund's surprised voice rang out. "Karma, darling, where are you going?"

Taking an unnecessary breath, I turned around. "To find Will and Chase." Quickly, I made up a lie. "They said that there's an old picture in the library that moves." There was no need to remind him of how ecstatic and demanding they got whenever they found something strange in the house. I smiled politely, hoping that he would take the lie.

"Certainly," He said, and just as I was about to leave again, he turned back to the Cullens and spoke the words I dreaded. "Would any of you be interested in joining her?" He turned back to me, speaking a polite command. "Karma can show you your bedroom quarters, isn't that right dear?" I did not miss that his invitation was for Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, and Edward.

"I'd be delighted to, Da." I forced out the words, the Karma inside of me grimacing at them. "Come with me." I turned abruptly and headed back up the stairs, my pace slowing so that they could catch up. The elegant gold designs that embellished the red walls soon became a blur as I headed down the hallway. Alice, as if forcing herself, made a compliment.

"Your house is wonderfully…ancient." She did not need to go further. Catching her direction, my hand waved at the walls with a flourish.

"It was the only one that Edmund and Aida liked, because it reminds them of England." Turning down another hall that held the stairs which led into the library, I called out. "So where is this picture you wanted to show me?" I asked, once reaching the stairs. Will looked up immediately from his book, his face surprised. His eyes slowly took in the Cullens before turning back to me in bewilderment. I caught his gaze with mine, pleading with him to go along with it. He must have understood, because his grinned wildly.

"It's over there in the corner, the one with the lady and the poofy hat." I walked over to the portrait and eyed it suspiciously. Even with knowing that the Cullens were watching from the top of the stairs, I managed to pull it off.

Frowning, I kept my gaze on the portrait. It was a meadow scene, with wildflowers blooming at the lady's feet and evergreen trees boldly lining the back. The lady in question was tall and statuesque, her elegant pink dress sweeping down into folds that covered her feet. And without a doubt, perched upon her pulled back brown hair, was a large and poofy hat. It could've been another dress, perched upon her head. I spoke, rudely and quick to Will, as if to suggest that he had been completely wrong. "Really, Will, I do not see your point in this hopeless explorations." I was slowly turning to face him, my expression slightly annoyed. "Once more, I have to come and prove to you that something is not moving, or making a face, or whatever you think it's doing."

Suddenly, a cold jet of water hit my face. I turned to see Will laughing and a water gun bearing Chase smirk sadistically. "Oops." He said, the grin plain on his face. I rolled my eyes, looking around for something to get them back with. After noticing how close Chase and Will were standing together, a devilish thought crossed my mind, and I put a pout upon my face and folded my arms across my chest.

"Baby," I whined, sashaying my hips and walking over to him. Will's eyes grew wide in shock, never meeting my face but looking at my curves. "You never gave me a kiss this morning. And Chantal gave me these great clothes that are extremely easy to take off."

He grinned wildly. "Come here, babe, and I'll give you exactly what you're looking for." I did as he wanted, and walked into his arms and in between Chase and Will. He leaned forward to kiss me, but at the last minute I ducked away, resulting in Will giving Chase an overly intimate kiss. I heard the Cullens chuckling quietly, and when Will and Chase broke apart, they opened their eyes and saw each other.

"Gross man! Why the heck were you kissing me? I have a girlfriend!" Will said, abhorred.

"What the hell do you think you're talking about? You were kissing me! I have a mate you know!" Chase responded, just as heated and disgusted. I sniggered, and Will turned alarmingly fast to look at me. My eyes widened, just as I saw his grin grow sadistic.

"Shit." I muttered and sprinted up the stairs and out of the library. Alice kept a steady pace beside me, her expression amused.

"What was that all about?"

"Sibling crap." I responded quickly, focused on the corridors ahead. "Here we are." I opened the door to the guest hallway, motioning them inside with a flourish. "We have seven bedrooms prepped, just in case you guys weren't planning on sleeping in the same rooms. Each bedroom has a bathroom. The stairs to the eating area, living room, small library, den, laundry room, etc, are all down the hallway. The guest rooms extend across all three floors, the stairs leading to each level. You basically have miniature house inside a house, but if you feel like hanging out with us for anything besides hunting, feel free." I took an unnecessary breath after reciting this information. I folded my arms, my expression completely bored. "Do whatever you want; we really could care less."

I started to walk back down the hallway, wishing to leave them in their silence when Alice spoke. "Excuse me, Karma, but when does the hunt start?"

"Whenever Sparrow thinks that there is enough animals close by to sustain us all." Rosalie's eyebrows knotted in confusion.

"So her power is…?" She wondered aloud. I sighed, information starting to pour from me.

"She communicates with animals," I said, and tapped my head. "telepathically, of course."

"What other powers does everyone else have?" Emmett asked, I scowled.

"Would you like to come and ask? I'm sure that wouldn't mind." My sarcasm was dripping, but Emmett seemed to brighten at the idea.

"Okay!" He smiled. Jasper rolled his eyes, and Rosalie glared at me.

"What's your power?" She asked, and a grin spread across my face.

"Making people's lives miserable." I responded, laughing at myself. "Joking." I informed her, and then frowned. "But I do not think that it's very polite, asking a hostess's power before introducing your own." I sighed and walked down the hallway. "If you want to meet them all, then you better come now. Will and Chase are going to ambush any second."

They nodded slowly and followed me down the hall. As we walked, I noticed something. Everyone had spoken; everyone except him. I wonder why that is? Did he know that Bella was dead? Was he over her as much as Karma was over him? I shrugged these thoughts from my mind and walked with the Cullens to the opposite side of the house. Flinging open the door, to Hope's bedroom, I called her name aloud. This, I thought, was going to get very interesting.

A/N: sorry about the boring chap, and the long time it took me to update. Personally, I couldn't figure out what to say. Oh yeah, Edward's muteness will be explained later on. Hope you review!

-NewLeaf