{{Charlotte's POV}}
I was escorted to my seat by Seth. He sat on my left and my father on my right. Jessi, Carla, and Alice sat across from me. I could see that the rest of the werewolves were already seated on one side and the vampires on the other. It's strange how two groups that hate each other can be within the same territory as one another, even though it was for one night.
Seth shifted uneasily beside me. His eyes kept darting around.
"Why are you so uptight now? Is there something I should be looking for?" I asked as I also started to glance around.
He shook his head. "Just enjoy the party. I want everything to be perfect for you." His voice was more relaxed, but it still held a nervousness edge to it. I didn't want to ask again and cause a scene, so I stayed quiet and decided to talk to him later.
I opened the gifts first: clothing and make-up from Alice, a photo album of our childhood with dozens of pictures in a separate box, books, and more clothes from Jessi and Carla, a camera from my dad—which we started using immediately—and various things from everyone else. There was too much to describe them all. It filled my car and my dad's truck. I didn't expect this much, but I was more than happy with the results. We ate the food next. The cake was a two layer chocolate with strawberry icing. I wasn't worried about all the food going to waste; it was gone in a matter of minutes thanks to the hungry guys.
"Hungry bunch of friends you got there," Carla pointed out.
"Do they always eat this much?" Jessi asked. I only nodded. I knew they were still hungry because Seth's stomach growled a few minutes later.
"Sorry," I apologized. "I would have bought more if I knew you still going to be this hungry."
He laughed. "It's fine. I'll eat later."
Music started playing and Seth pulled me to my feet. Other people coupled up and joined us on the platform. Carla and Jessi sat at the table with my father; he preferred not to dance. I felt bad for them until I noticed they were checking out all the guys. I'm sure every one of them could hear every word they were saying. I laughed to myself.
"You look beautiful," Seth whispered in my ear.
"You clean up nicely too." He was wearing black slacks and a light blue button down shirt. He looked rather hot to me.
We danced for a few more songs; most of them were slow which I didn't mind at all. I got my father to dance halfway through a slow song. He kept stepping on my feet and quickly gave up. I then danced with Jessi and Carla in a circle with our arms wrapped each other. It ended up being a very fun night. Everything was going smoothly. We all sat around a bonfire talking and making s'mores when it was starting to get late. The Cullens had left. I was guessing that they wanted to feel comfortable with their surroundings and left as soon as possible. I would never understand why they didn't like each other so much. I started to doze off when Seth stiffened.
"What now?"
He suddenly stood and pulled me behind him. I glanced around and saw that everyone else did the same.
"Leah. Quil. Brady. Collin. Take everyone and go to Emily's. Brady and Collin stay inside. Leah and Quil, you patrol. The rest are with me," said Sam. Carla and Jessi were looking confused as to how everyone stood so quickly, and how they ended up behind a wall of guys. They didn't have time to ask me what was happening. They were being pulled away as I glanced back. I saw my dad arguing but still being dragged away. Something wasn't right. I could tell that the atmosphere had changed and nothing good was going to come out of this night.
Sam, Paul, Jared, Jacob, and Seth were all facing the other side of the beach. I peered over Seth's shoulder. It was really dark. I could only see a figure coming closer to us with two more figures coming out of the trees behind the first. They stopped only a few yards away.
"I told you I would come." A soft female voice floated across the air. "I always keep my promises. And I still have time to spare." No one moved or said anything. "Well are you going to let me see her?" Seth growled. "I see we are going to have to do this the hard way. Kayla."
The area was filled with more people.
"You're outnumbered now. Are you still thinking about challenging me? I can tell you right now that nothing good will come of this. Someone will get hurt because you werewolves are being stubborn."
Seth gripped my wrists and took a step back. I didn't understand what was happening.
"There will be no escaping. I warned you, and you didn't take precautions."
Everything after that happened so fast. The figures lunged at us, everyone scattered, and Seth pulled me away from the sound of clothing ripping and growls. I was alone momentarily and then a sandy-colored wolf appeared next to me.
"Seth, what's going on?" He mad a motion with his head from me to him back. "You want me to climb on you?"
He nodded quickly and looked back. A deep growl came from his throat. I quickly climbed up onto his back, which was hard considering I had a dress on. He took off before I even gripped onto him. I kept my head pressed into his fur. I could feel the wind whipping past, but I didn't dare glance around. I knew he was running at full speed. I could hear the growls fading into the background. Soon all I heard was the thumping of his feet on the ground and the pounding of our hearts.
He stopped a few hours later. I slid off his back onto the ground. We were still surrounded by trees. I had no idea where we were. He disappeared and came back a few second later. He sat across from me. He had some serious explaining to do. I opened my mouth, but he interrupted before I could say anything.
"I know you are confused and want to have some explanations, but the main focus right now should be trying to stay away from that woman. She's dangerous. I can't stand for you to get hurt."
"Who is she?" I asked. "Where are Jessi and Carla being taken to? Why is she after me? Why should I avoid her?" I wanted all these questions answered, but by the expression on his face, I knew he wasn't going to tell me much.
"Jessi and Carla are safe. Just trust me and stay away from her."
"I don't think I can trust you fully when you're not telling me everything," I muttered as I folded my arms across my chest.
"I will tell you. Can you at least wait for a few hours?"
"It must be bad if you can't tell me now."
We sat silently for a few hours. I could see that he was debating with himself. I cared but not enough at this moment to ask. I was upset that explanations had to wait. I wanted to know now. I was such a spoiled brat.
A movement caught my eye. Another large wolf came out of the trees. It was solid black and bigger than Seth was.
"Sam." Seth nodded to it. "Is everything fine now?" The wolf nodded then disappeared. "Okay, well we can go back now," Seth said as he went behind a tree.
I stood silently and waited for him to come back. I climbed onto his back again and he took off. We were back at the woods that surrounded my house in a few hours. I slid from his back and walked to my house without waiting for him. I ran upstairs to change. My dress was ruined. It was covered with spots of mud and had rips across it. My shoes were beyond identifiably. I hoped Alice wouldn't get too mad. I momentarily wondered where she was. She was a vampire and so was her family. They should have been there when those other people attacked us, right? I took a long shower and washed my hair. Bits of leaves and dirt were tangled into it. I changed into a purple tank top and black short. I brushed my wet hair and put it into a messy bun. I wasn't planning on going anywhere for a while.
I'm sure Carla and Jessi would be here soon. I wasn't prepared to make up excuses of where I was and what happened. I hoped someone else thought of something. I sighed and trudged downstairs. Seth was sitting on the couch with his face in his hands. My dad was sitting across from him staring into blank space. Paul, Jared, Sam, and Jacob were standing in the hallway. There was no sign of the others. All of their eyes landed on me as I stood by the bottom of the stairs.
"Okay, what's going on?" No one answered. I was getting sick of this silence. "All I want is an explanation as to why no one seems to be telling me anything. You expect me to go on with life as if nothing had happened and not to ask any questions. I'm tired of being out of the loop." I took a deep breath. "I just want to know something and why everyone is so uptight about keeping quiet." I sat beside Seth. "Seth?" I asked.
He looked past me to Sam.
"We'll leave." The others left out the door quickly. "I think it's better if she knows. Having more secrets will just make things worse, might as well tell her before she finds out another way." Sam looked at me. I was starting to get scared now. "I'm sorry. It was mostly my fault. I gave him orders. Please don't be so harsh on him." He was the last to leave. It was silent for a few minutes.
"Anyone?" I asked. My dad was still staring into space. Seth had his head in his hands again.
"I don't know where to start," my dad sighed. He rubbed his hands across his face and through his hair then leaned forward and looked me in the eye. "Your mother isn't dead."