Oh shoot- I just realized an important fact that slipped my mind in the last chapter. Apparently, somewhere in Breaking Dawn, Quil and Embry join Jacob's pack. Yeah, I totally forgot about that. Sorry. I'm going to change it so it says they're in his pack- you shouldn't need to go back and read it. Again, sorry.

Rosalie wasn't completely surprised when it was Alice who entered her room after knocking briefly, walking slowly over to stand next to her at the window. It was usually Emmett who followed her when she needed a moment, but this time it was Alice she needed to talk to.

Through the years, their relationship as pretend sisters had been meaningful to them. Before Bella came, it was just the two of them, as Esme was more of a maternal figure. Rosalie had never had a sister before, and she had very much wanted one in her human life. Of course she had Emmett for fifteen years before Alice and Jasper joined them, but sometimes she longed for someone to talk to who would understand her, like the sister she never had. Rosalie also knew that Alice was the only one who would really understand at the moment.

Neither of them said anything for a minute, just staring out into the mostly quiet forest, save for the normal backgrounds noises they heard, such as the stream behind their house.

"I'm sorry about before," Rosalie finally spoke up, an apologetic grin on her face. "I expect I don't need to explain what that was about."

Alice nodded in agreement.

"No, I understand," she replied. "But I think you have it wrong."

"Do I? Are you not going to take care of her, to teach her in this life? To be like her new mother..."

"I doubt she would ever think of me that way Rose," Alice explained. "Besides, part of her hates me for not killing her when I could have. She doesn't want this, but I knew there had to be a reason to save her."

"I completely agree with you there, but..." Rosalie trailed off, hesitant to explain. "I'm going to sound selfish for saying this, but it doesn't seem fair. Esme has all of us, Bella has Nessie, and now you have Tayla. There's nothing I want more in this world than a child of my own, and it seems like everyone else is getting what I've been dying to have for almost a century." Her eyes flashed to Alice for half a second. "I have nothing against anyone else getting what they wanted, but that doesn't make it any better."

Alice considered that for a fraction of a second. Rosalie was making perfect sense. She had wanted a child more than any of them, and now with Tayla here, it seemed very unfair. However, all considered, there was little any of them could do about that.

"I understand how it feels to you," she said. "But think of it this way. With all that has ever happen in our family, I highly doubt this will be the last time we get ourselves into trouble of this sort."

"Did you see something?" Rosalie asked hopefully.

"I haven't seen anything like that yet, but I have a feeling you'll get what you want when this situation has died down. After all, the Cullen family can't stay normal for very long."

Rosalie laughed at that, the conversation effectively lightened.

"I can't think of a time we could ever be called normal," she said, causing Alice to laugh as well. "But thanks, for coming up to talk to me. I didn't want you to think I was thinking badly of you for this. I think it's great that you're helping Tayla."

At this, Alice's smile fell of her face, as she stared thoughtfully out over the forest. Rosalie noticed this and waited patiently for her to speak.

"I'll help her as best I can," Alice said after a short pause. "After all, I was the one who saved her and brought her here. The best I can do for her is to show her how to accept this life. She may not be happy with it, like you weren't at first, but I'm sure she'll manage see the brighter side of what happened."

Alice's eyes glazed over for a second, staring into the unsure future, and she smiled. As if in response to her previous comment, the sun broke through the cloud layer once again, illuminating parts of the forest. Rosalie laughed at the irony.

"Yes, I'm sure you'll have no trouble there."

Alice laughed along with her, until she had another quick glimpse into the future and straightened up.

"Well, Tayla needs me," she said. "Or she will in a minute. Let's go."

Alice grabbed Rosalie's hand and pulled her out of the room and down the stairs to their waiting family.

The silence in the room wasn't an awkward one. It would have been had Jasper not been there to control it, but that didn't make Tayla any more comfortable as she waited for Alice to return. Oh, there was still the television on, but that noise was easily drowned out by her racing thoughts.

One of her thoughts was focused on the members of the Cullen clan- or family, as Alice said they were. From what she had already seen, every one of them was so different, and yet, so alike at the same time. Joined not only by their lifestyle, but also by their unyielding connection to one another. It was unlike anything Tayla had seen before in her human life. They were their own strange little family, each one of them balancing the other perfectly.

The second thought was on the half-human girl, Renesmee. What if she came back, and Tayla couldn't control herself? What would they do to her if she killed her by accident? She doubted that she would ever get used to the smell of human blood, although it seemed the rest of them had been doing it for years. Tayla would try her hardest, but then again, she didn't have to try for very long, as she was planning on leaving soon. She had no idea where she was supposed to go, but she needed to get away from everyone.

The third and most prominent thought in her mind was backed up by the flash of fire in her throat. She winced slightly, and then hoped that it went unnoticed. She was thirsty again. Tayla's eyes flickered around the living room, wanting to say something about it, but unsure how to go about it. Alice had told her all of their names, but she barely knew them, and yet she was supposed to be perfectly comfortable with them. Luckily for her however, the other vampires in the room were usually very observant.

"Is there something you needed Tayla?" Esme asked her with an inviting smile on her face. Tayla hesitated for a second, but her thirst won over in the end.

"I'm thirsty," she mumbled, hoping that was normal enough to say. She averted her eyes from the others who were watching her, staring at her hands in her lap.

"That's expected," Carlisle said. "You're only days old. Someone can go with you."

"Is there anyone in particular you'd like to go with?" Esme asked her, although they all knew her answer already.

"Umm, Alice," she replied, still feeling only comfortable with her. As if on que- well, exactly on que- Alice bounded down the stairs with Rosalie right behind her. Rosalie flashed a small, apologetic smile at Tayla before going over to Emmett; Alice stopped right at the side of the couch, next to where Jasper still stood silently.

"Are you ready to go now?" she asked cheerfully, surprising Tayla for a second until she remembered Alice's power.

"Yeah, I guess so," she replied, feeling more at ease already. Alice smiled again, and started towards the open back door. Tayla stood up to follow, and then saw that Jasper had moved with Alice, intending to go with them. She hesitated for a fraction of a second, and then followed the two of them out the door and into the forest.

There was definitely one thing Tayla loved about being an immortal: the speed. Never in her life had she thought she could run so fast without having to worry about tripping or tiring or running into trees. Everything came as second nature to her as she was flanked by Alice and Jasper as she darted without thought through the darkening woods. However, the enjoyment was hidden by the heat in her throat, the burning desire to kill and taste blood to sate her thirst.

Those thoughts did not please Tayla at all. She actually wanted to kill. Sure, it would only be an animal, but it felt so wrong to be doing it herself. She had eaten meat countless times before in her life, and yet, this felt different. She had never been the one draining the life from a helpless creature. Once she truly began hunting, she wouldn't care what she was doing, but until she caught the scent of blood, she was able to think like a human.

Like a human. What a sick joke. If she was thinking like a human she would be appalled by the very thought of taking another creature's life. But like a vampire made her sound like a monster, like the thirst-crazed newborn she would be in a few short moments. Another phrase popped into her mind. Like a Cullen. Yes, until she caught the scent of blood, she was able to think like a Cullen. That made much more sense to her. From what she knew, thinking reasonably came as second nature to them, even during the hunt. If she ended up staying with them, she could-

Her thoughts were cut off rather suddenly when it happened. Tayla's lips curled back, exposing her now razor sharp teeth. Her eyes grew wild, and fire flashed through her throat, much hotter than before. Her speed increased in response, and even Jasper was helpless to control her as the hunt began.

Tayla wasn't thinking anymore. She didn't need to. She acted purely on instinct, unable to comprehend anything but the smell. All considered, it wasn't the most amazing thing she had ever smelled. Renesmee had been about a hundred times more appealing, and yet the scent of lone mountain lion carried in on the wind was enough to drive her senses mad in her newborn state of mind.

Humans would have a hard time understanding how it was for her, because they're all so ruled by their minds, and by reasonable thinking. During the hunt, a newborn vampire becomes exactly like a starved animal. The mind runs on its natural instincts, reacting in the way that will get it what it wants. For a vampire, that meant it wouldn't stop until blood was spilled.

She was far past caring what she was about to do. She could barely even hear the two vampires in pursuit of her, making sure they were close enough to restrain her if necessary, but far enough away that she wouldn't feel threatened. Tayla was closing in on the mountain lion; she could feel it as well as smell it. A sudden and unexpected rush of excitement flashed through her mind for the briefest moment, before being covered by the thirst. Some distance part of her mind counted the time. It took exactly nine and a half seconds before she found the mountain lion.

It was just finishing off its own small kill on the ground; the not-quite-so-appealing smell of whatever it had been was almost completely covered by the mountain lion. It didn't hear her approach, her bare feet gliding over the rough terrain. However, it did notice when she tackled it to the ground.

It was much too quick for any human to see. Within two seconds, Tayla had her teeth in its neck and felt the blood rushing down her throat, soothing the intense burning feeling that had become more prominent the second she had smelled it. A few seconds later and she had completely drained it. In a flash she was upright again, finally able to think clearly. When she looked down at herself, she sighed.

"I liked this dress," she mumbled, hearing laughter in response. She glanced up to see Alice sitting in the nearest tree, perched on the lowest branch, with Jasper standing underneath her. Tayla forced a laugh as well at her appearance, but Jasper wasn't fooled.

"Don't feel bad about it," he said. "Either you kill animals or you kill humans. This is how we survive. It doesn't take long to get used to the idea."

Tayla sighed and shrugged, trying to ignore how wrong it felt now that she was done. Of course, her throat was burning less intensely now, which made her feel much better. She was still thirsty, and she knew she would need to continue hunting before she could return to the house. But it wasn't like they were short on time- just the opposite really. They had all the time in the world if she needed it.

"You actually did very well," Alice commented, jumping down gracefully to the ground. "Much better than your first time. And don't worry about the dress, I can find you another just like it if you want."

Alice did look slightly annoyed about the ruined dress, but she was more worried for Tayla, and how she was feeling about her most recent kill. Obviously it was hard, but when compared with the alternative, it made it a heck of a lot easier to accept.

"Alright, let's keep hunting," Tayla decided, having just caught the faint scent of elk on a small breeze. It wasn't nearly as appealing as the mountain lion had been, but she still needed to sate her thirst. Nodding their agreement, the three of them took off towards the smell to continue their hunt.

Tayla was feeling much better after she had drained a few elk from the small herd they had come across. Alice and Jasper had fed as well, but they mostly paid attention to Tayla, making sure she was handling herself alright. There had been a moment when she had just finished off three of them, and she paused to think about what she had just done, seeming more distressed than in her previous kills. However, with some help from Jasper and some comforting words from Alice, she was able to put those thoughts aside.

"Overall, I'd say this is going well," Alice commented to Jasper while Tayla was busy. "It's not her first time, but on our way back we had just hunted whatever we came across, and never this many in a row. She doesn't seem as bothered by it as before."

"Yes, this is nothing like Bella was at first, but she has a lot of rationality for a newborn her age," Jasper agreed, unconsciously tightening his arms around her.

Alice smiled and leaned back into his embrace. They were standing leaning against a tree while Tayla chased down stray deer in a thinly wooded area of the forest. Having missed four days together, they felt that a certain amount of catching up was required, no matter how small. Of course, this would be a challenge with Tayla needing to be watched twenty-four seven, but there were six other perfectly qualified vampires to help out…

The thought trailed off as Tayla finished off the last of the deer, turning to face the two of them. Her dress was beyond help now- torn all down the skirt and almost completely covered in blood. Neither Alice nor Jasper had a single spot on their clothes with their years of practice.

"Done?" Alice asked the young girl, who looked embarrassed by her disheveled appearance. Tayla nodded, beginning to walk over to them just slightly faster than a normal human pace.

In the next five seconds, two things happened. First, Alice had a quick flash of a mere moment into the future, and she stiffened, sucking in a surprised gasp of air. Half a second later, a small breeze blew by them, swirling the irresistible scent around Tayla. She lowered into her hunting crouch, and a quiet growl slid through her clenched teeth.

Human.

I like cliff-hangers. Not so much when I'm the one being left in anxiety over it, but they're fun to bug you guys with ;)

I had a request for more Alice/Jasper moments- don't worry, there will be plenty more to come. I'll throw small ones in there wherever I can, as well as have several chapters dedicated only to them. Keep in mind however that this story is as much about Tayla as it is about them; by the way, let me know what you think of my OC! Her personality is an important part of this story. You'll notice it changes as the story progresses, as she begins trusting them more as well as having to deal with her mixed feelings about becoming a vampire.

Oh, and sorry I took too long to update- but don't worry, its winter break now and I have two weeks with nothing to do but write!