A/N: YAAAAAAY I'm back! I got really caught up in Bleach last night so I didn't have time to type this chapter until now, so cha…

Remember I have an eternal disclaimer! Mwahahahahaha!

Woo… I'm a little tipsy from reading all that Bleach… anyway enjoy!

Midway through the forest something dashed across my line of vision.

Easily faster than it, I changed direction, taking to the treetops instead of the ground and giving chase.

What the—this thing was huge. Composed of rippling muscles, shining fur, and sharp teeth, I saw no threat posed in it. A smirk spread across my face. Already my new instincts were setting in.

This must be the fabled "bear." But it was no bear; that much was clear.

It was a wolf.

It ran aggressively in the direction I'd come; I could hear its massive nose snuffling and growls rolling out its throat. It followed my path almost exactly, all the way back to the meadow, where it skidded to a stop. It trotted carefully up to where I'd punched a crater in the ground, sniffing cautiously at Laurent's remains.

Then something I wasn't expecting happened.

The wolf shrank and its fur dissolved, the spine straightening and shortening and the snout compressing until there stood…

A human.

He kneeled down and took one of the larger fragments in his hand, looking closely at it, even smelling it. Suddenly he dropped it with a look of fear and disgust, taking a lighter from where it and some clothes where tied around his ankle, tossing the flaming piece on to the rest of the pile. It went up in flames while he suddenly morphed into a wolf again and took off.

Ready to follow it, I glanced quickly up at the sky, and cringed. Charlie must be panicking by now. I'd have to leave this new development for later—I'm sure I could find those things… werewolves… again. They certainly had a unique stench.

Irritated, I turned around. It just fucking figured that vampires and soul reapers weren't the only freaks in this town. What was wrong with this place, anyway? Was this the norm or something?

Well, it didn't matter anymore. Had I been a human, I may have had something to worry about. But I wasn't.

If they posed a threat, I would destroy them.

Simple as that.

I carried my own car home instead of driving—its speed was nothing compared to how fast I could run now. Evading sight, I arrived a block from home and pulled into the driveway, slipping on my disguise as I went.

Hm. On the outside this human body seemed far inferior, but the sheer harmlessness of its appearance made my power all that much more surprising, which was surely a plus.

Crap—Charlie's police cruiser was in the driveway. Looking up, I realized that I'd been gone for much longer than I'd been aware. The sun was already setting.

"Bella?" Charlie called my name as I walked in the door, not bothering to lock it. I didn't have anything to fear anymore.

"Yeah, it's me."

He appeared in the kitchen doorway, expression thunderous. "Where have you been?"

Oh, great, he must've called Jessica's house. May as well start damage control. "I was hiking," I said honestly.

His eyes were tight. "What happened to going to Jessica's?"

"Calculus wasn't holding its usual appeal, if you can imagine."

He looked surprised at my easy sarcasm, but attempted to gain back his authoritarian anger. "I thought I asked you to stay out of the forest."

"Nothing happened, I'm fine." Seeing this far from alleviated him, I added quickly, "I won't do it again."

"You better not," he muttered, at last surrendering so he could study me more thoroughly. "I was worried sick, with that bear on the lose and everything…"

I could've told him about the wolves—but I figured if they were werewolves, they definitely weren't about to be taken down by some small town policemen. And if they, and not Laurent, were responsible for the murders in the forest, then I needed to be prepared.

"Are you hungry?" he asked me as I turned around to go upstairs.

"Nah, just tired,"

"Hey," he said again, sounding suspicious once more. "Didn't you say that Jacob was gone for the day?"

"That's what Billy said," I answered, turning around, confused by the question.

He studied my expression for a moment, and seemed satisfied with what he saw there. "Huh."

"Why?"

Well, it's just that when I went to pick up Harry, I saw Jacob out in front of the store down there with some friends. I waved hi, but he… well, I guess I don't know if he saw me. I think maybe he was arguing with his friends. He looked strange, like he was upset about something. And… different. It's like you can watch that kid growing! He gets bigger every time I see him."

"Billy said Jake and his friends were going up to Port Angeles to see some movies. They were probably just waiting for someone to meet them."

"Oh." With that, he finally gave up on the third degree and headed into the kitchen.

Walking upstairs, I contemplated Jacob arguing with his friends. He must've confronted Embry about the situation with Sam. Maybe that's why he ditched me today, and if it meant that he could sort things out with Embry, I guess I could pardon it.

I entered my room, my thoughts wandering to this afternoon and Laurent. If I could take care of him that easily, surely Victoria could no longer be considered danger either, right? Well, who knew. I knew what lengths a broken heart could drive you. I was living evidence.

But of one thing I was sure: I would not be beaten by her. The mere idea had my eyes narrowing and my teeth bared. If I couldn't take the average homicidal vampire, I wasn't any better than I was when I was human.

And I was never going back.

Nemesis. I called her name in my head, and she appeared before me, a dark smile on her face at the request she knew I was about to make of her. An identical grin spread on my face, my voice strong as I said but two words:

"Train me."

My first sleepless night passed in a blur, as did the next, and the next. I could feel myself getting stronger with each night as I learned how to trust my body, how to use and trust Nemesis, how to fight opponents stronger than me and win. I was a fast learner, she said. I had to be, I had replied. And we worked still harder.

I was changing, and not just in abilities. Charlie saw the differences every day, and I could tell he was confused, but didn't question. He merely smiled at me when I would come down for breakfast, enjoying the fact that I would talk to him now, that I felt again.

As good as things were going, over the duration of that week, one thing hadn't evaded my notice: Jacob hadn't contacted me at all. The little part of me inside my heart, the old, needy Bella, missed him terribly. But my prominent feeling was anger. Sure, I appreciated the extra training time, but you can only train so much. I was a vampire, after all. When I reached my maximum potential, I would maintain it for the rest of eternity. It was just a question of training until that point, which I was determined to reach in as short a time as possible.

But during those breaks, I missed him. I missed having someone to laugh with, things to laugh at, someone who was a link to all the positive things about being human—his carefree laugh, his infectious grin.

I half expected him to call on Monday. Wouldn't he want to report any progress made with Embry, if that was what had happened? But no call came.

When I called on Tuesday, nobody answered. And on Wednesday, I called again, limiting myself to calling twice, but again, nothing.

By Thursday, I'd resolved that if he was going to ignore me, I would ignore him. I didn't need a friend like that.

On Friday, while driving home from school, something occurred to me. It made sense, when I put everything together… Jacob's avoidance, Billy's vague and unhelpful answers.

Sam Uley must have gotten to him.

My mindset was immediately grim. There was obviously only one answer: to go to La Push, rescue Jacob, and beat the shit out of Sam and his groupies. Then I would knock some sense into Jacob, and the order of the universe would be restored.

Or… or I could call Charlie, and let the police bust Sam's ass. That had a certain amount of satisfaction involved, and might be a better choice this mission involved convincing Jacob on leaving the gang.

Calling Charlie ended in failure. Sam had them all wrapped around his little finger, but I didn't buy it. I called Billy again only to be reassured that Jacob was with Embry, confirming my suspicions.

Well, it looked like I would have to go with option 1, then.

I gunned it and sped into the forest at the pathetic pace my truck was capable of making, and as I approached the edge of the forest I could see a tall boy wearing a baseball cap.

It wasn't Jake, that much was obvious. But I was fairly sure it was Quil that was walking alone on the road. He looked even bigger from when I'd last seen him. My lips twisted. Unnatural freaks, all of these Quileute boys.

At any rate, I felt bad for him, now that all his friends had been sucked into Sam's gang. I crossed over to the other side of the road to stop next to him.

His face looked bleak when he looked up, nothing compared to the cheerful kid I'd seen hanging around Jacob a few weeks ago. His brow was creased with worry and his eyes dark with brooding.

"Oh, hey, Bella."

"Hey, Quil." I leaned out the window. "You alright?"

His dull face darkened. "Fine."

"Can I give you a ride somewhere?"

"Sure, I guess." He climbed in around the other side, not really meeting my eyes, just staring straight ahead.

"Where to?"

"My house is on the north side, back behind the store." He instructed.

There was a morose silence. "So… have you seen Jacob today?" I asked.

The silence prevailed for a moment. He stared out the window gloomily. "From a distance."

"From a distance?"

"I tried to follow them—he was with Embry." His voice was low, but my heightened senses picked it up, even when masked. "I know they saw me. But they turned and just disappeared into the trees. I don't think they were alone—I think Sam and his crew might have been with them. I've been stumbling around in the forest for an hour, yelling for them. I just barely found the road again when you drove up."

"So Sam did get to him." My voice was hard.

He stared at me. "You know about that?"

"Yeah. Jake told me… before."

"Before," Quil repeated, and sighed.

"So Jacob's just as bad as the others now, huh?"

"Never leaves Sam's side."

I hummed thoughtfully. "And before that—did he avoid everyone? Was he acting upset?"

He spoke quietly and roughly. "Not for as long as the others. Maybe one day. Then Sam caught up with him."

"Hmm." Well, whatever this little club was, I would take care of it. It felt good, to have the power to fix things now. And to use the power for something that was right, unlike… my teeth gritted. "Do you think it could be drugs or something?"

"I can't see Jacob or Embry getting into anything like that… but what do I know? What else could it be? And why aren't the old people worried?" He shook his head, and suddenly he looked afraid, staring at me for the first time. "Jacob didn't want to be a part of this… cult. I don't understand what could change him. I don't want to be next."

His face tugged at my heartstrings, and my resolve hardened. I wouldn't let these guys terrorize him any longer. "Are your parents any help?"

He grimaced. "Right. My grandfather's on the council with Jacob's dad. Sam Uley is the best thing that ever happened to this place, as far as he's concerned."

A grim silence reigned once more, and at last Quil said, "I'll get out now. My house is right over there."

I pulled over, and he jumped out. I watched him leave, saying quietly, "I'm going to wait for Jacob."

He didn't look particularly confident. "Good luck," he slammed the door and shuffled forward along the road, his head bent forward, shoulders slumped.

I turned around, tearing off towards Jacob's house. It was stuffy, inside and out, so I rolled down the windows, killed the motor, kicked my feet up on the dashboard and settled in to wait.

Get ready, Nemesis. We might finally get some action.

I spied Billy peering out his front window some time later with a confused expression. I waved and smiled genially. His eyes narrowed; he let the curtain fall across the glass.

Sensing more movement, I looked up to see Jacob moving towards my car. I froze.

"What are you doing here, Bella?" He growled out.

The change in Jacob since last week was, quite frankly, shocking. His long hair was gone, sheared off, leaving a cropped, almost military-style haircut. The planes of his face seemed to have hardened subtly, tightened… aged. His neck and shoulders had thickened, and even his hands were bigger as they gripped my window frame.

But that wasn't the truly startling part… it was his face that stopped me in my tracks. All that joy that had resided in his face, the open, friendly smile, the sunny warmth in his eyes, had morphed into a brooding resentment that was just so not Jacob it threw a wrench in the gears of my mind.

I looked down, away from his face, letting my hair fall and cover my eyes. I couldn't resist the small smile that spread over my face.

Well, if this was how he wanted to play, I could more than match him.

Because my sun may have imploded, but his pale, fragile little Bella had hardened into marble.

And I was far more dangerous than him.

I looked up with that same, dark smile on my face. "Well, hello, Jacob."

The tense anger in his eyes loosened to shock. I looked him straight in the eyes, raising an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

"N-no," immediately the mask was back up, and he fell silent. I looked coolly behind him to see four other boys, built just like him, hair cut just like him. I snorted audibly. They really were like a cult.

Of wannabees.

I could see Sam in the back, differing only by age. His eyes were serene and calm, overseeing with unwavering confidence. I locked eyes with him purposely, my smile widening and my mask slipping every so slightly so he could see my pointed canines. His eyes widened minimally.

Not so confident now.

I slipped my mask back on before anyone could catch a scent, returning my attention to Jacob.

"What do you want?" he repeated hostilely. I stretched, gently removing my feet from the dash.

"I would like to talk to you, but I'd settle for talking to the whole club, if it makes you more comfortable," I sneered.

One of the boys looked furious, literally trembling with anger. I looked him up and down, dismissing him and getting out of the car. Sam laid a hand on his shoulder and said, "I think it best that you talk to Bella alone, Jacob."

He turned and walked into Jacob's house, the others following him obediently.

"Okay," Jacob looked marginally less livid when the others were gone, but in addition to the calm was a sense of hopelessness. His mouth seemed permanently pulled down at the corners.

However, looking down at me, he seemed more confident. I smirked mentally. Underestimation was such a blessing in disguise.

"You know what I want to know, don't you?" I asked, my voice lilting.

He merely stared at me bitterly, not answering.

"Hmm," I hummed absently, gesturing before me. "Shall we?"

I led us to the fringe of the trees, stopping before him with a hand on my hip as I looked at his impatient face.

"Let's get this over with," he muttered.

I waited, quite patiently, for me.

"It's not what you think." He sounded suddenly weary. "It's not what I thought—I was way off."

"Really," I drawled. "So what is it, then?"

He studied my face for a long moment, contemplating. The anger never completely left his eyes. "I can't tell you," he said at last.

"I thought we were friends," I replied coldly.

"We were." I didn't miss the emphasis on the past tense.

"But you don't need friends anymore," I tilted my head mockingly. "You have Sam. Isn't that precious—and you've always looked up to him so much."

"I didn't understand him before."

"And you understand him now."

"It wasn't like I thought it was. This isn't Sam's fault. He's helping me as much as he can." His voice turned brittle and he looked over my head, past me, rage burning in his eyes.

"Naturally he's helping you," I spit out.

He was ignoring me again, taking slow, deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He was already shaking with fury.

"Listen to me, Jacob. Tell me what's wrong. I can help you."

"No one can help me now," The words were a low moan; his voice broke.

"What did he do to you?" I demanded, reaching out to touch his arms.

He cringed away, holding his hands up defensively. "Don't touch me," he whispered hoarsely.

"Why? Is Sam catching?" My voice was beginning to rise now, and I could feel myself getting angrier.

"Stop blaming Sam."

"Then who should I blame?"

He halfway smiled; it was a bleak, twisted thing. "You don't want to hear that."

"The hell I don't!" I hissed. "I want to know, and you're going to tell me."

"You're wrong." He snapped back.

"Don't you dare tell me I'm wrong! Tell me whose fault this all is, if it's not your darling Sam!"

"You asked for it," his eyes glinted, his voice rough and straining. "If you want to blame someone, why don't you point your finger at those filthy, reeking bloodsuckers that you love so much?"

My mind went blank.

Vaguely I registered that his face was hard, furious, not a trace of indecision to be found.

I heard myself say frigidly, "I don't understand who you mean."

He raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "I think you understand exactly who I mean. You're not going to make me say it, are you? I don't like hurting you."

I don't like hurting you. The words echoed in my head; my body ground out mechanically. "I don't understand who you mean."

"The Cullens."

I don't like hurting you.

Lies.

I don't like hurting you.

All lies.

You are my life now.

Never. Again.

I could feel the mask slipping, my body trembling, I could feel my teeth sharpen in my mouth, my muscles harden.

"Bella?"

You lie.

"Bella!"

"You lie!" I screamed, my eyes a bloody red. I could see him, too shocked to be angry now, too stunned that his precious Bella made of glass had hardened into steel. I hissed through my teeth, my hair whipping from the effort of restraint.

Why was I restraining…?

I fell to the ground, a torturous, jagged pain in my breast once more, the breast I'd worked so hard to harden, the heart I'd worked so hard to repair.

Again. It had happened again.

"Bella…"

"Leave."

I could imagine him, removing his extended hand, but I could still sense him. At least I wasn't so far gone. I looked up from my cradling hands, my eyes flashing.

"You wanted to leave so badly. So leave. Leave me."

"Bella…"

"I never want to see you again!" I screamed. "Leave!"

He stumbled back, standing there for a minute, looking back with tortured eyes, before turning around and trudging into the house.

I lay there.

I hadn't been steel. I hadn't been marble. I hadn't been anything. It took one last broken heart to show me that trusting was for mortals. It took one last wound to show me to be merciless.

I could feel power in me again, so much harder than before, so much fiercer than before; Nemesis was telling me to get up, that we'd train again. Next time…

No.

There would never be another next time.

I picked myself up, walking towards my car in the rain, never looking back.

A/N: I know, long chapter this time. But I hope you enjoyed it. I worked hard for you! _ Anyway in the future: will Bella truly never forgive Jacob and Edward? Stay tuned for the next installments and drop me a review while you're at it!