April 19, 2012

Dear readers,

Not much to update today. PTB returned my chapter in speedy time, and I am attempting to pour my efforts into the sequel. Have a lovely read!

evelyn-shaye

Special thanks to my temporary betas, wynnebat and babykay16. You gave great, encouraging feedback!

Chapter Fourteen: Explanations

"I'm really sorry about the slumber party, Tam," I apologized over the phone. I wished that our house were more old-fashioned, with a phone that had to be connected to the wall instead of multiple cell phones per person. My hands wanted to twist around the cord and distract me from my growing apprehension toward Tamara's anticipated answer. There was no way she hadn't noticed that Jake and I had disappeared halfway through the movie, and now I was skipping her party.

I settled for tugging nervously on my shirt. I had an excuse for her, but I hated telling even half-truths.

"It's okay," she answered flatly. Her voice was resigned rather than annoyed, which I supposed was preferable. "You have family in town. I understand."

"I really wanted to come," I said, laying the sincerity on thick. "You know I would be there if we hadn't forgotten that they were coming today."

"Yeah, of course." Tamara didn't sound like she believed me.

Well, desperate times call for desperate measures. I decided to lie. "But I think Jake might be sick."

Those seven words elicited a shocked gasp from Tamara's lips. "Oh, no!" she cried. I heard Garet ask what was wrong on the other end. Tamara quickly whispered, "Jake's sick." To me, she asked, "What's wrong with him?"

I spoke slowly, trying to weed out as much Jake-and-Ness time as possible. "Well, I noticed that something was off when Jake walked me to the restroom." I neglected to mention that the problem was me; she didn't need to know about what I had finally guessed might have been some sort of—I cringed to think it—arousal. From the impatient breathing on the other end, I imagined that Tamara was nodding politely, waiting for something of concern to her.

"I felt his skin, and it was blazing." Another good thing? One, Tamara didn't know that Jake's temperature was naturally higher than mine. Two, if my temperature was that high and I noticed a relative difference in Jacob's…that was almost dangerous. And I knew that Tamara would surely realize it. "He went outside after that, probably to call someone to pick him up. That's around the time my family called to tell me that they were on their way."

Tamara completely ignored the last bit about me. "Your skin is really hot, though, isn't it? Wouldn't that mean that Jake's temperature is really high?" Case in point: Tamara could remember anything about me if it also pertained to Jacob.

I shifted in my seat. "Yeah, I think he has a really high fever," I answered uncomfortably. If Jake weren't a werewolf, I would be seriously concerned for him in this moment. A temperature of one-hundred ten was supposed to be fatal. But there would be no hospitalizations for Jacob. Even in the flash of phasing, his temperature could exceed one-hundred fifteen and not completely engulf him.

There was no way to tell Tamara that, though. I wondered if this was how Momma felt the night Jake shifted for the first time.

"But I've talked to him some," I hedged. I didn't want to hint at the dating thing just yet. "He's a fighter. I bet he'll be at school on Monday."

"I don't know anyone that heals that fast," Tamara murmured, her voice much more relieved than before. Her fear for Jacob's health probably made it easier to convince her; she wanted to believe it.

We chatted for a few more minutes before I gave her the "family in town" excuse. It wasn't much of an excuse. Alice and Eleazar were waiting patiently for me to wrap up loose ends with the humans before they launched into their interpretations of this afternoon. When we hung up, it was with a concerned "Let me know if you hear from Jake" and a bright "See you Monday!"

Were humans that easy to manipulate? Shout out for being supernatural!

When I entered the living area, Daddy watched me with appraising eyes. "Well done, Nessie," he commended.

I blushed as I settled down between Momma and Jacob, who wrapped his arm around me automatically. "I'm just trying to be believable," I muttered.

"You're doing very well," he replied sincerely. "I was honestly worried about how you and Jacob would fit in, but you've certainly found your place and given your friends no reason to doubt."

This was high praise, coming from Daddy. I was optimistic that he would support our date next week and then allow us to declare ourselves officially…

"Don't get too optimistic," he warned but his tone and expression were teasing. I blushed again.

Alice leaned forward. "Is it time?" she asked eagerly. "I've been dying to tell everyone what happened!" This was more like the Alice I knew. Lately, she'd been very foreboding and even more annoyed at the holes in her vision, compliments of her two favorite hybrids. Now she was quivering with pent-up energy, as if she were about to dance across the room.

"Of course, Alice," Grandfather acknowledged. "Nessie, Jacob, and the Denalis have yet to hear the full story."

Alice stood, not quite pacing, but moving with enthusiasm. "Ever since the meeting Wednesday, I've been keeping closer tabs on all of us," she began excitedly. "It was really a stroke of luck that you two met Tamara and the other humans." She nodded to Jake and me. "Even though the two of you are blind spots, I can still see your friends, even if they are a bit blurrier than the rest of the family. I watched them meet you in the parking lot—losing vision momentarily, of course, since I'm assuming they hugged you in greeting."

I growled softly, startling Alice. Jacob gave me a subtle squeeze to calm down, but even he couldn't hide a grin in reaction. You don't like her, either, I reminded him. He sobered quickly.

Alice continued as if we hadn't interrupted. "It became easier to see around you once you got to the restaurant. When you sat in the movie theater, too, it was difficult to see Tamara, but Garet and Jonathan were easily recognizable."

Alice frowned. "Then a new vision took priority," she said softly, almost dangerously. "I had been watching Braden's coven almost in my peripheral, waiting for another slip-up like the last time. They were wandering aimlessly, it seemed, this afternoon"—she paused for effect—"until they made a snap decision to go to the movie theater, where my vision suddenly disappeared." She glared at the floor. "My suspicions were confirmed when I could see Tamara more clearly than I had been able to all day."

My eyes widened. "This wasn't a chance encounter." I had thought that it was too perfect to be coincidental—hadn't Braden mentioned that he needed to speak with us away from the protection of my family?—but I wanted to believe that they hadn't set out to hurt us. If they failed once, they would simply try again.

Daddy's face crumpled at my thoughts. So I was right. There was no guarantee of safety from Braden's coven. A part of me wanted to run back to Forks and escape this nightmare. The other part wanted to obliterate them before they could attack anyone else.

I started. That train of thought sounded familiar…but Alice interrupted my near-epiphany.

"We made for the woods immediately, Edward calling Tanya on the way," Alice said. "The movie theater wasn't that far away—for us, anyway—but we were trapped in the forest due to the sunlight and wouldn't have been able to run once we entered human civilization anyway."

"Fortunately," Daddy continued, "the Denalis were closer than we were, and Kate had the presence of mind to suggest calling Benjamin." He smiled at her proudly.

Kate tucked her head into Garrett's shoulder with embarrassment. "I knew that he couldn't technically control the weather, but I figured he could blow some clouds our direction," she explained. "His gift is greater than I thought, even when he displayed them so openly in the clearing."

"The overcast sky put us in better humor. Which we desperately needed at that point, since your parents were going wacko," Alice added.

Momma glared at her. "My daughter and best friend were at the mercy of a coven that has given us no basis for trust," she snapped. "I wasn't sure if I would have a daughter when I came home." Her eyes searched mine almost with desperation, as if making sure I was still Nessie. I smiled reassuringly and took her cool hand in mine. She relaxed.

"But you know the rest of the story from our point of view," Alice concluded. "Perhaps we should hear from Jacob and Nessie, and then Eleazar?"

I glanced at Jake. I knew only sketchy details of his side of the story, and those were mostly my own assumptions, such as the text message. Had Braden stolen his phone? Did Jacob get it back?

Daddy answered that question. "We deactivated his phone on the way home. He'll have a new one by tomorrow, or even tonight, if he's feeling industrious."

"Tomorrow's fine," Jacob replied. "Just as long as I can borrow someone's phone to let Sam know of the situation."

Daddy frowned. "Make it clear to Sam that we don't need or want a werewolf invasion," he warned. "That would only exacerbate our problem."

"You can use my phone," I offered quickly, hoping to avoid another argument. Jake smiled gratefully.

After some silence, Momma prompted, "Why don't you begin, Jacob? I believe that your part of the story begins before Nessie's."

Jake leaned forward, still keeping a protective arm around me. I wasn't sure I would ever get used to the comforting warmth and security my friend exuded, or lose my yearning for it. "Nessie needed a bathroom break, so I walked her there," he said. "I didn't think anything would happen, but I wasn't about to let her out of my sight, even for a second." He smiled warmly at me, and my heart fluttered. "I made a loose, casual patrol, being careful not to draw any attention to myself. Then someone opened the door, and I could smell them."

There was never so much hatred in Jacob's voice. It was pure, unadulterated detest, only emphasized by his flared nostrils and a dangerous gleam in his eyes that I might have seen in the alley earlier this afternoon. I didn't understand until his grip tightened.

Oh. He was angry on my behalf, how they could very easily have hurt me.

"I knew they were here for only one reason, and that was Nessie. There was no question in my mind. She was in danger, and I had to stop them, even at the risk of our truce, unstable as it was." He frowned apologetically at Daddy, but Daddy gestured for him to continue, his face expressionless.

"I knew that I couldn't shift into a wolf in broad daylight, but I had a plan for luring them away. If I could taunt them enough so they would chase me…It was a long shot, of course, but I also hoped that maybe the psychic would see something and head that direction." Alice nodded.

"My plan failed, though." Jacob lowered his head. "It was as if they were hoping I would come first. No one was around, so no one noticed that they were wearing long sleeves and hats out of season to cover their gleaming skin. And no one noticed when they dragged me into the alleyway." When he lifted his head again, there was an almost fanatical light in his eyes. "It was too perfect. I could've shifted right then and ended them. Seth has burned vampire's arms before with the flash of phasing. I knew I could do it, too. Until—until they grabbed my phone and sent Nessie the text message to join us outside.

"I knew I wouldn't have time to dismember them before Nessie came," he said regretfully. "And there was the risk that one of the vamps would grab her while I was still fighting, or that I would turn my anger toward them on her. I couldn't risk attacking her, and they knew it. So I had to wait and hope that Nessie either wouldn't fall for it or that she would bring help."

"Neither was the case, though," I said. It was my turn now. "Something seemed off with the text message, more formal than I was used to, but it was Jake. I had no reason not to trust him." Jacob winced; I rubbed circles in his arm soothingly.

I recounted everything, including Jacob's and my shifts in attitude toward Braden's coven. That was when my epiphany came back. "They seemed genuinely upset about something, unless that was Braden's gift forcing us to sympathize," I told Daddy. "They were talking about creatures in the woods that threatened vampire existence."

"Of course, they also said that they were willing to stay here and try to finish them off instead of running and leaving someone else with the problem," Jacob scoffed. But when he met my gaze, I knew we were thinking the same thing: we had both believed them. We had both been impressed by Braden's "sacrifice" for vampire kind. The thought unnerved both of us.

Grandfather frowned. "Eleazar, you met Braden in the alley. What is your perception of him?" All of us leaned in. Eleazar's gift wouldn't seem special to a normal vampire, but to us, it was vital.

Eleazar started in with a burst of energy. "I have never seen a gift like his before," he exclaimed. Obviously, he'd been keeping this to himself and was more than ready to share it. Only Grandfather seemed to know already. "After what Edward and Carlisle told me, I was prepared for just about anything—a shield, emotional manipulation, even something like Chelsea with strengthening or loosening bonds, or the possibility of a leadership gift, though I've never encountered a gift of that nature. But what I discovered threw all my assumptions out of the water.

"Braden possesses the gift of mind control."

Everyone jumped, even the rest of the Denalis, who had just seen the nefarious coven with their own eyes. Carmen trembled slightly behind her mate, who continued, "But it's completely physical, no illusion. Braden alters the states of all five parts of the brain. He can tap into emotions, halt or change thoughts, and slightly control actions, but only to an extent. He could probably tamper with memory if he chose to." He frowned. "It's hard to tell, but it's possible that he's already done so with his coven."

I was confused. "Mind control is definitely plausible, since Jacob and I both felt the effects of it," I allowed. "But it took time. It wasn't something that just happened."

"That is all due to the first point I mentioned," Eleazar explained. "This mind control isn't an illusion. He doesn't create the feeling of control; he actually does control you. He reaches into other people's brains, so to speak." He shuddered. "This manner of control requires a deep connection. I don't have the gift for seeing relationships, as Marcus does, but I would guess that the three of them are very intimately connected. They are beyond loyal to Braden. They follow his every whim. From what Edward and Carlisle told me, he can change thoughts or make them nonexistent, and he can hold back actions. That is a powerful gift. Braden probably hasn't even realized his full potential."

There was only one blank spot left on the page, besides the completely different matter of the creatures Braden had mentioned. "Why were Jacob and I able to break free?" I asked.

Eleazar smiled. "Every gift has a flaw, as I'm sure you Cullens and you, Kate, are aware." Kate and Alice scowled at him; Daddy, too, seemed slightly disturbed at the reminder. "Braden's gift requires concentration, however minimal. As long as he is aware of his connection, it stays strong. When he increases his focus, as I'm certain he did this afternoon with you hybrids, it is formidable, nearly impossible to break, though a shield like Bella's might do the trick." He acknowledged her; she nodded with a proud smile.

"However, this connection means that anyone under Braden's influence could feel his feelings, think his thoughts, if he didn't protect them well enough. When that happens, he momentarily loses control. There's a sort of…whiplash, I suppose you would call it. It incapacitates him, and those under his control are free until he regains composure. He can't control them unless he controls himself." Eleazar let this thought sink in.

"So that's why Jake and I were able to break free when he lost his temper," I guessed. "I felt a surge of anger inside me right before the connection was broken."

"Proving my point exactly," Eleazar answered. "Braden seems to have an issue with his temper thus far. Even the tiniest bit of frustration can set him off. I'm assuming that's why Ashton and Carlisle were able to have a rational, scientific discussion when you informed them of our vegetarianism."

Grandfather nodded. "It was truly amazing to watch, now even more so to remember, with the information you've given us," he said excitedly. "Braden and Leanna both flew back in fear, but Ashton stepped in front of Braden to speak with more emotion—enthusiasm—than we had seen from him previously. Once Braden came to, however, Ashton stepped back, allowing Braden to take the lead."

"It's a convenient and powerful gift for a leader," Eleazar pointed out. "If the Volturi knew of his existence, I can't imagine that his coven would be safe for long. To have complete control, not merely loyalty, would be wondrous to them and hazardous to the rest of us."

He frowned. "That's another limitation I didn't mention," he murmured. "It seems that his gift works most powerfully on humans, then hybrids, then vampires. It's difficult to tell just how quickly Jacob and Renesmee succumbed, since they barely noticed when it was happening and since Braden was focusing extraordinarily hard. I could feel his talent, but it seemed concentrated on the two of them, not really reaching towards our group, except perhaps when Renesmee told us about the creatures."

"That's the other mystery," Grandmother said. "None of us caught wind of any strange scents or movements when we hunted yesterday."

"But this is the second or third attempt that they've made to convince us of their need for protection," Rosalie countered. "When our family wouldn't bend, they turned to the—" She cut off suddenly, glancing at Jacob almost apologetically. "—not weaker members of our coven, but those that his gift is designed to reach more easily. I suppose Braden thought that, if he could win the two of you over, we would be forced to cooperate for your safety. And then he would take control of the rest of us," she added harshly.

Jasper spoke up. "But Braden knows that he can't reach us, as long as Bella's here," he reminded us. "There's no proof yet that her shield can reverse the effects of the control—I assume it would, since it's all about Braden's ability to connect with our minds—but her shield is too powerful for him to gain a foothold in our minds."

"Jasper's right," Momma agreed. "Even though his gift is a physical manipulation, my mind is safe from everything. As long as I can offer you protection…" She froze as something occurred to her. "Braden would have to kill me to fully turn us to his side," she said slowly, each word emphasizing her increasing dread.

Daddy was at her side, arms wrapped around her and face buried in her hair, before any of us had time to gasp. My burning skin suddenly felt clammy as my heart thudded to a halt inside of me. Momma was in danger? My Momma? Braden wouldn't dare! He would have to kill me first!

Daddy lifted his head to face me seriously. "It will never come to that, Renesmee," he vowed. "Get those thoughts out of your head right now! Nothing will happen to my Bella, and you will not offer yourself up to save her, if it ever comes to that point." He shuddered and pulled Momma closer to him, as if willing himself to believe in the impossibility of that situation ever occurring.

The rest of my family chimed in with similar sentiments, all agreeing that I should stay out of it. Beside me, Jacob held my hands in both of his and met my gaze as seriously as Daddy had. "They're right, Nessie. We'll all take care of Bella," he assured me. "And I—I will keep you safe." His words were strong with promise. Jacob would protect me like a wolf protected his imprint.

Suddenly, it didn't matter that nothing supernatural was tying me to Jacob. At the moment, he loved only me, and that was enough to solidify my feeling of security.

Still, I glanced worriedly at Momma, whose soothing voice was obscured by unshed tears. How could we feel safe when the enemy was posing as our friend?