Chapter Thirteen
It didn't bother me yet how these voices were leading me away from my family. I just followed.
There was definitely someone there, just up ahead of me, but they stayed just out of my line of sight, which only made me suspect that I was following another few vampires. I couldn't tell, though, because there was no scent to who I was following. We eventually turned, heading south, and I worried for a second about the position of the sun in the sky. If they didn't stop soon, we'd hit the populated areas. How far was I going to be following? My curiosity was still strong enough to keep me going, but the further we went, the more that curiosity no longer mattered.
Thankfully, we must have been sufficiently far enough away from home, as they stopped. I stopped instantly, not wanting to approach too closely at first.
I frowned as I jogged to a stop. Concerned now at the three new scents ahead of me, where there hadn't been any before. I'd just started to get worried by the fact that I was out here alone, when one of them spoke.
"Don't be scared." The voice that called to me was clearly immortal, but also very young. A young boy, more specifically. It was so strange to hear him clear now, instead of just in a whisper, but I definitely recognized it as one of the voices that had been outside all those times.
"I'm not." I called back hesitantly, but that was a lie.
"Can we come closer?" The boy asked.
"Yeah." I muttered, finding comfort in the fact that they would ask. I studied the three that approached, surprised by what I saw. These were kids, not one of them any older than I was. The front-most boy looked physically about where I should have been at my age, the second boy as well, but the third was a girl, looking physically about six.
"Don't be scared." The boy repeated, "I'm Gage. This is Brett," He pointed to the other boy, and the girl last, "And that's Reese."
Gage himself had short light brown hair, typical crimson eyes. He was about as tall as I was, which wasn't very tall. Just as skinny as I was. Brett was about an inch taller than us, with darker brown hair, as well as the same crimson eyes as Gage. Reese was a tiny thing. She stood there, staring at the ground, her long, yellow-blonde hair falling in ringlets on either side of her slightly pudgy baby face. Brett held her hand, and I gathered that that was to make her feel better.
The first look at these three puzzled me. Where had they come from?
"Hi." I greeted quietly. I didn't know what to make of what I was seeing. I had no idea there were any others out there as young as I was. Even younger. I honestly didn't know what to make of them, and that naturally unsettled me.
"We've been following you for awhile." Brett admitted almost apologetically. I knew that.
"Why?" I muttered.
"We were waiting." Gage answered quietly.
"For what?" I wasn't appreciating their vague answers.
"You're like us." Brett pointed out, "It's kind of hard to explain without showing you first."
I frowned so Gage smiled a little, "Us young ones have to stick together."
"Sorry." Brett said, "We're getting ahead of ourselves. Come with us and we'll show you. I'll explain more on the way, but I don't like standing around for too long."
My curiosity was piqued again, and got the better of me, so I nodded. He turned and started off at a slow run, and I followed. The other two bringing up the back. This time we all ran together, which made me feel both slightly better and a little more uneasy.
"Explain?" I prompted, speeding up until I was running right beside Gage. I sensed he was the one in charge of the three of them. I wasn't sure how I knew. I just did.
"We're the ones nobody wants." Brett offered from the back.
"What do you mean?"
"You're just confusing her, Brett." Gage rolled his eyes, "Shut up." He fell quiet, so Gage looked over at me, "I'm sure you've heard about the rule?" The rule.
"About not turning kids." I recalled easily.
"Yeah." He said, "Well, that rule was never really specific. All it said was not to make an immortal child." I nodded, following so far. It made sense to me, because I'd been wondering the same thing.
"Well, nobody likes how non-specific it is." He continued in my silence, "What they don't think about is the bottom line. We're children, but we can learn."
"I know." I was still confused.
"We're made on a whim." He went on, "Someone sees an opportunity, but after our usefulness wears off, we're chased away because it's too risky to keep us around. It's been like that since back when that rule was made."
"Chased away?" I asked, surprised, "By who?"
"Our coven." Brett answered, "If you could even call them that."
"But why?" I was having a hard time understanding. I had absolutely no idea, from any of my three times as a vampire, that this was a problem. And was he suggesting that there were more? More than just us?
"See, once our newborn flair wears off, we really don't have much to offer any coven." Gage explained, "We require more than we can provide. We take more than we give, because we're so much weaker than them. It's just.. We're different, and even the attachment to our creators couldn't even keep us safe. Most of the time, it's the coven that chases us off, but sometimes, our creators come to their senses themselves."
That reminded me so much of Rosalie's attitude toward me getting harsher and harsher. I'd seen what he was talking about, so I didn't doubt it in the slightest.
"Too much worry." Brett added quietly, "But that's where Gage comes in."
"I collect all the kids like us that I can and offer them a safe place to stay." Gage said, "Because it can be scary out there on your own. When literally everyone else is bigger and stronger than you, and the only thing you have on your side is speed, it's not easy to be a loner."
"So we avoid them, and stick together." Brett simplified it.
"Avoid who?"
"The adults." Gage replied, "We stay away from them. We try to find places that are safe-"
"But why?"
"Pay attention." Brett sighed, "You know what would happen if the wrong person knew we were alive? Besides. They're not all good."
"There's a lot of bad ones." Gage agreed almost bitterly.
"You mean, you haven't found any adults to help you guys out?"
"You're kidding, right?" Brett asked.
"There are a few older." Gage replied, "But none older than sixteen." That surprised me, so he went on, "For a lot of reasons. One, they're the reason we're here at all. Two, guilty by association. Nobody wants to help us out when they could get into trouble for even knowing we exist. So.. We tend to just do our own thing, and avoid adults at all costs."
"That," Brett said, "And not a whole lot of us have a good past with adults."
"What do you mean?" I asked again.
"Think about it." He said as we all stopped, "What reason would we have to be turned if we would have all had a decent life? We were all used up and tossed aside in our human life as much as we were in this life."
I finally looked around me.
We had come to a stop outside of a very abandoned building on the outskirts of Tacoma, right beside a river. It used to be some kind of factory or warehouse, its entire front face filled with old and broken windows. Large open doors gave it a slightly more open look, instead of pure creepiness.
"So we watched." Gage went on, "Since that first night you went running. We were waiting for you to run away so we could catch you and talk to you, and I'm glad you were listening today."
"Why?"
"Because this is how it starts." Brett replied instead, and I looked over, "You mess up, and they talk." I looked down.
Reese stepped away, running toward the building while we stood there.
"She doesn't talk." Gage explained quietly, answering a question I didn't know I had. I could understand that.
"She looks familiar." I admitted, "Where did you guys find her?"
"Nobody knows her story, but she's attached herself to Shannon."
"Shannon is one the oldest of us." Brett offered, "She made it to thirteen." I nodded a little, "Reese is the youngest. We've never found any others as young as her."
"We found Reese on one of our trips south." Gage went on, "All alone, of course, scared to death hiding out behind the thrift store in some small city in Georgia." Hmm. She couldn't be familiar then.
"How many of you are there?" I asked, deeply curious. Finally asking the question that had been plaguing me since I first started learning about them.
"Altogether, there's thirteen of us." Gage answered, "You would make fourteen. Some come and go, but nobody goes out alone. That's one of our only rules."
I nodded again.
"You said Shannon is one of the oldest?" I asked quietly.
"Yeah." Brett replied, "There are three older than her. They keep everybody out of trouble. They're out right now, but Olivia should be back soon. She and Shane took the younger ones out for a hunt earlier, before they went back out."
"They're the closest to adults we'll trust." Gage added, "Nicole and Shane are sixteen. The strongest, and the ones that protect us. Olivia is fifteen, and she helps Shannon and me keep everyone from killing each other."
The more I heard about this group, the more interested I got.
"Gage." We all looked over at the sound of his name being called. An older girl approached with long, straight brown hair. She spotted me and studied me a bit as she came to our side, "Oh, good. You guys got her. Welcome. I'm Shannon."
"I'm Leandra." I replied quietly and she smiled.
"Nice name." She said.
"Thanks." I mumbled, "But I don't know if I'll stay."
"It really is up to you." She said, "Most don't turn us down, but we leave the option open to those that do. But.. Feel free to look around."
"What did you need?" Gage asked, bringing her attention back.
"Oh," She said, "I just wanted to tell you that the last hunting party got back about an hour ago, but Shane and Liv went to meet up with Nichole. I need you and Liv to lead the rest tonight."
"No problem." Gage replied, "Reese needs a hunt too."
"I'll be taking her myself tonight." Shannon replied, "She won't go hunting with Toby or Nick anymore after what happened the last time."
I was slowly getting an idea about how this whole group worked.
"Reese can't hunt on her own?" I asked, once again, curious.
"She can," Shannon allowed, "But we don't want her to. She has trouble with it sometimes." That made sense.
"How was Cody?" Brett asked, "Did he behave?"
"He did, actually." Shannon replied, surprised, "I don't know what you said to him yesterday, but it worked. Hopefully he stays that way." She sighed and looked to me, "I'm sorry. How rude of us."
"No," I said, "I don't mind."
She smiled again, "Come on. We'll show you around, and you can meet everyone."
I walked with her now, Brett and Gage following us toward the building. The closer we got, the more scents I picked up. Individual voices echoing inside, a few hushing as we neared.
"Line up." Shannon called as soon as she was inside. Instantly, a line of kids formed in front of us. To my amusement, Brett and Gage did as well. I only counted eight there in line, though.
"Cody." Shannon rolled her eyes. He suddenly appeared, shoving his way between Brett and Gage. She looked at him, "Thank you." Nine.
It was pretty surprising to see how much control she had over these kids.
"Left to right, oldest to youngest." She told me, "It's easier to keep track of the younger ones when we do it that way." I nodded, looking to the two boys furthest left. It was surprising to see that they were twins. Identical in every way, including scent. It was pretty interesting to see them like this. Both had longer medium brown hair, and the only way I could tell them apart was by their clothing.
"Those two trouble-makers are Toby and Nick." Shannon started, "They still argue about who's older, but they're both ten." Beside those two was another girl, so Shannon moved on, "Don't call this one Mandy, or she'll hurt you. This is Amanda. She's ten as well." Amanda seemed pretty bitter, but I recognized a lot of the contempt in her eyes as something I carried around with mine. Her red hair braided back out of her porcelain face.
Beside Amanda, was Gage, and to Gage's right was another boy with darker blonde hair. More of the color of dead grass.
"You know Gage," Shannon told me, "Next is Cody. He's eight. Brett is eight, Lisa is seven, Mary is six, and Reese is.. Five? I think. She's never told me her age."
Lisa and Mary both had brown hair, but Mary seemed a little stockier than Lisa was. Lisa was almost a twig. Mary had a rounder face, clearer crimson eyes.
"Guys," Shannon addressed them now, "This is Leandra. She's visiting today."
"How old are you?" Mary asked quietly.
"Nine." I answered her just as quietly.
"Ha." Cody barked, "Another nine. In your face, eights."
"Stop it." Shannon rolled her eyes.
"If we're going by vampire years, who's older?" Brett shot back, and that shut him up, "That's what I thought, kid."
"Why are your eyes like that?" Lisa piped up next. I'd be lying if I told myself I wasn't expecting that question. My eyes were about a shade different than theirs. Just barely enough to notice.
"I'm trying to learn how to not hunt people." I answered, "And hunt animals, instead." A collective frown of confusion and some disgust followed.
"Can that work?" Shannon asked, obviously very interested.
"Yeah." I replied, "It's definitely not as good as human blood, but it works if you want to stay out of trouble. It makes your eyes gold, instead of red."
"Ew." Cody muttered.
"Hey," Gage told him, "It's a good idea. Shannon, we can do that when we're hiding out."
"What, like rabbits and stuff?" Mary asked, "I don't wanna hunt rabbits."
"Me either." Lisa admitted almost silently, shaking her head.
"No," I said, "Rabbits are too small. Deer, or bears or stuff like that."
"Hunting bears?" Nick asked, suddenly excited, "Man, that sounds like way more fun. Do they fight back?"
"If you want them to." I replied, "Especially if you piss them off in the winter." He laughed in response, Toby joining in. I spoke again, "Pretty much any animal out there is fair game. It keeps you away from the humans, and all the adults will be hunting humans, so there's almost no chance you'll run into them."
"That's perfect." Amanda looked over at Gage, as if looking for his approval.
"Is that why we've never run into your coven before?" Gage asked, "Do they hunt animals too?"
"Yeah." I answered, "They never hunt people."
"Another rule that's impossible to follow." Brett muttered.
"We've been here for a little over two years." Shannon said, "We've done what we can to stay well clear of your coven's territory. South and east only."
"Are they nice?" Mary asked, "Is your coven nice? Is that why you don't leave?"
"They're very nice." I assured her, "So if you do run into them, you don't need to worry. They're the nicest people I know." Nervously, she looked over at Brett.
"We'll keep doing what we do." Brett nodded, "It's better to avoid them."
"I agree." Cody grumbled, "Don't need that mess in our lives. We're doing just fine on our own."
"So what's your story, kid?" Toby asked, and I looked over at him. My story?
"Rude." Shannon frowned.
"No, it's okay." I hesitated, "You first, though." I wasn't quite sure what he meant.
"Huge car accident." Toby replied, "Ten years ago. Nobody even noticed we were gone. We were taken by a pair of nomads that had no idea what they were getting themselves into."
I got the idea now. My story. What happened to make me this way.
"I ran away from home." Mary offered without me asking, "When my dad killed my mom. I was on my own when my vampire found me. She went hunting one day and never came back for me. Brett found me after that." She looked over at him.
"Cody died in a fire." Nick said, gesturing over at him, "His mom got drunk and torched his house while he was still inside."
"Shut up." Cody snapped, and I could tell it was sore subject. For good reason.
"I don't remember how I died." Lisa mumbled quietly, "This is all I can remember."
Amanda spoke up bitterly, "I won't go into mine. My vampires found me in a dumpster in Chicago." I winced, looking down.
"I was kidnapped." Brett spoke next, "Never found the guy, but my vampires were worse than he was." That certainly explained why he seemed to be more against involving any adults than the others. He wasn't treated right in this life either.
"Me too." Gage said, "I was tied up and left for dead in the middle of the woods once he was done with me."
"My dad killed me." Shannon finally murmured, "He was super drunk one day when I came home from school. He tried to bury me while I was still a little bit alive."
All these stories were so sad. It made me feel so bad for them.
"They think they're helping." Amanda mumbled, "By changing us, but.. When we're not useful anymore, we're more trouble than we're worth. It doesn't take long for them to figure that out."
"I knew my coven before." I finally said, and they all listened, "They tried to help me while I was human, but I was just too hurt. I was beaten too bad, and.. Other stuff."
"Been there." Amanda muttered bitterly.
"Me too." Gage added.
"I think most of us have." Brett nodded a little.
"It's that other stuff that really gets to you." Shannon said supportively. They knew what I meant by that. I was glad I didn't have to go into details.
"My stepdad is the one that did it." I went on, "They brought me back to their house before I died." Gage nodded, understanding.
"I wanna meet them." Mary mumbled, and I quickly got the feeling that these kids were as curious about them as they were about me.
"No." Brett immediately told her, and she looked down, "You know the rule. No adults. They can't be trusted." I also got the feeling that they'd been forbidden by their own rule from approaching any adult. All they knew about them was what they'd experienced, and refused to give anyone any chances.
"These ones can." I offered.
"That's what we were told." Mary murmured, her tone sad. I looked over as Reese finally moved, coming forward to stand with Shannon. Mary spoke again, "We were the lucky ones. Sometimes they don't bother to let us go. They just kill us, and we can't fight back."
"It happens more than you think." Nick agreed with her.
"It usually happens to the ones that don't want to run." Toby added, "The stubborn ones."
I looked down, surprised, as Reese reached out and put her tiny hand in mine. It saddened me to see how much bigger my hand was than hers, and it really hit hard how young she was when she was turned. I was certainly small for my age, but she was smaller. She really couldn't have been more than four or five.
I felt horrible for her. I couldn't help crouching down so I could see her better. She looked at me, and I just knew. She had seen too much. I felt an odd sort of connection to her.
She stepped forward, dropping my hand only to wrap her arms around my neck. Of course I returned it. There was no way I couldn't hug her back.
"She never does that." Amanda spoke sadly, "She doesn't even hug Shannon." That broke my heart. She held onto me tight, even as I went to stand up. Carefully picking her up with me. I was so suddenly protective of this little girl, and I could easily understand the look on Shannon's face. She understood.
"That's what we do." Shannon murmured, "We find the lost ones and give them a place to go. Some of us feel a connection to each other. Where we just know someone else would benefit most from our personality, or would be the best for our personal healing. I think Reese has picked you."
"As kids," Mary spoke up, and we looked to her, "We see more. At least that's what Shannon says."
"It's true." She replied, "They still see things in a different way than the adults do. They still have an extra sense when it comes to observing the world around them. Immortality couldn't take that away from them."
"Maybe this is why I been having a hard time." I wondered, mostly to myself.
"We're different." Gage murmured, "Not just in our instincts, but we don't fit. You would have a hard time fitting in with your coven."
"We've never come across one that does." Cody spoke quietly, almost as if he was nervous about speaking up at all, "For.. Whatever reason."
Though that made sense, it also made me sad. All these kids were chased away by their creators or their coven. I couldn't imagine the amount of pain that kind of rejection would cause, just because of a vague rule set in place however many years before.
"I just don't get it." I mumbled, "Why?"
"They have their reasons." Brett answered, stepping forward as the small group slowly dispersed, "We've been asking ourselves the same question, though."
"Nothing but cowards." Toby spoke up from the side, and Nick looked over as well, "The whole lot of them."
"But they just keep making them." Nick added quietly, "I wish they'd think before just turning us, but since nobody knows we exist, there's nothing there to teach them not to."
Shannon shook her head and I looked at her, "I've spent enough time around these guys to know. The ones who change us go into this knowing all about the rule against creating immortal children, but it's never really specific. The whole time, they're scared of the consequences, so once they figure out that we're not as strong as they are and that they require just as much affection and protection as a normal kid would, it becomes too much work. We lose our worth, and it's easy to toss us.
"They don't get that a kid is just a kid. They need stability and they build bonds to their creators just like any kid would to their parents. They need a lot of patience to learn, to be trained. They need more guidance than a normal newborn. None of them ever think that maybe.. Their old ways won't work."
"Stuck in their ways." Gage added.
"When these kids don't get that patience or guidance, they act out." Shannon went on, "These creators don't get that chasing them off or abandoning them hurts them in more than one way. Immortal or not, rejection hurts."
This made a lot of sense as well. Especially considering what Edward and Esme had said my first night. They were on the right track, apparently, but not enough. All of this was making me see that the way Jasper was trying to train me wouldn't work. Why nothing he had been trying had worked so far. It explained so much.
"You said we're different." I mumbled, "Why are we different?"
"I don't really know." She replied apologetically, "I think it has something to do with how young you are. Olivia says a mind changes when you grow up, and it works differently than a kid's does. We have different instincts, and use more of our senses than the older ones do."
"Now I get it." I nodded a little, "Is that why I could hear you, but everyone else couldn't?"
"Mostly." Gage nodded, "They forget how to listen like we do."
I stuck around. I listened to stories, and learned all I could about these other kids. It made me feel a lot less alone. Before I even knew it, over two hours had passed, and I realized that I still hadn't been hunted down yet by my family.
"Gage?" He was closest to me, so I'd ask him about it. He looked over, "How haven't I been followed yet?"
He laughed a little in understanding.
"Reese." He replied simply, "From what we've figured out, she has an ability. She hides."
"Hides?" I asked, curious.
"If she doesn't want to be found," He explained, "She won't be. She hides scents. Hers, and anyone else's around her so she can't be tracked. Which is mostly the reason why we don't let her hunt alone." He laughed, "We'd never find her again."
I frowned in thought as he told me that. It definitely sounded familiar, so I searched my memories for the answer. I recalled it fairly easily.
"Eli." I spoke out loud, and gained a pretty strong reaction from Reese sitting in my arms. She leaned back and looked straight at me with what I could only describe as desperation. She clearly recognized that name.
"Who?" Gage asked, surprised at her reaction.
"Eli." I said again, tightening my grip as Reese bounced excitedly in my arms, "He's another vampire I met.. I guess a long time ago. He could do almost the same thing she could, except his gift was a little different." I looked at Reese, "Did you know him?"
Before I could even hope for a reply, she hopped down and ran off.
"Okay." I laughed a little, Gage laughing as well. I had to admit. I really liked it here. I loved how easy it was here. With no real expectations or rules to weigh me down, and I really liked talking to Gage. He seemed like someone I could really get along with. Brett was almost the same way, but I sensed he seemed to be hiding a lot under the surface. Gage was as open as the twins were.
Toby and Nick were the most at ease of everyone. Off toward the back of the large, open building, they kept Mary and Lisa entertained with, what looked like, an elaborate drawing on the wall with some kind of chalk.
Brett was sitting on one of the rafters near the high ceiling, watching everyone below him, and I hadn't seen Amanda or Cody since they walked away. I knew they were here, though, by their scent. Shannon was outside, probably keeping watch for us.
I did like it here, but I would have to hunt soon. It'd been bothering me since I left, and soon, it wouldn't be ignored anymore. That would be a problem if none of them had ever hunted animals before.
I considered it. I really did, and it was very tempting to just give in and hunt with the others that night.
"What's wrong?" Gage noticed my distraction.
"Thirsty." I admitted sheepishly, and he shook his head.
"I know that." He replied, "Your eyes have been getting darker fast. I mean, what else is wrong?"
"I can't make up my mind." I sighed, and together, we started walking. Around the perimeter of the building, staying inside.
"About going back?" He asked.
"Yeah." I mumbled, "I like it here."
"Then stay." He suggested, "I mean, not to pressure you or anything, but we could really use someone like you, and if you're having that hard of a time trying to talk yourself into going back, then why bother going back?"
"Just a feeling I have." I said, "It's not their fault I don't want to go back. I.. Kinda screwed up today."
"I heard them talking." He nodded a little, "But what did you do?"
"I bit somebody." I answered, "The very last person in the world I should have bitten."
"That's not good." He frowned a little, "Are they watching him?"
"Yeah." I replied, "But I won't. They never should have made me do that. I get that he was my last human tie, but.. I told them something would go wrong."
"That's a tough one." He murmured, "But we can't make you stay. Our little group wouldn't work the way it does if we forced people to stay."
"I know. It's just hard."
"You're welcome to stay as long as you need to to make up your mind." He offered, "You're pretty safe here with Reese doing.. Whatever she does. Sometimes, I don't think she even knows she's doing it."
We both paused, turning back to look outside at the sound of two others approaching.
"Finally." I heard Shannon sigh from outside, so they were obviously welcome.
"It's just Shane." Gage explained, "And Olivia."
Shannon followed the two inside, and all three stopped just inside the building. I watched them, curious but cautious. I knew now that it was instinct to distrust these two older ones.
My first impression of Shane was strict. He reminded me a lot of Jasper in the way he carried himself, but a little tougher than that. Olivia seemed a lot nicer, thankfully. Greeting Mary with a loving smile and a hug as she approached her.
Before Shane had even noticed me, though, he was talking to the other kids.
"No more hunts tonight." He told them, much to their disapproval given the collective whine from the twins, Cody and Amanda.
"Why?" Shannon asked, clearly surprised.
"Nichole has spotted some nomads in the area." He answered her, "It isn't safe. Shannon, I need you to take Reese out and cover our tracks, but don't go too far. Just far enough that they can't stumble on us."
"Sure." She replied easily, gesturing Reese forward.
Nomads? I frowned and looked down, ignoring Gage as he looked over.
"Nobody goes out until we decide it's safe." Shane added.
"What about Leandra?" Lisa piped up, pointing at me, "What about her?" He did say nobody goes out. Shane looked over as I looked back up. His gaze made me feel a bit insecure, making me edgy and nervous. Especially as I thought more about these nomads.
"Three of them?" I asked before Shane could even reply to Lisa's question.
"Yeah." He replied hesitantly, "You know them?"
"No." I said, "I don't know them, but I know of them." My tone was quiet, and I was suddenly worried as I realized that these were the same nomads I'd warned my family of in the beginning. All of that hadn't even happened yet.
"Well," He said, "I take it you're not sure you're staying?"
"I don't know." I replied sheepishly.
"Then you should get comfortable here for the next day or two." He murmured, "Because I'm not risking letting Reese take you back."
"Days?" I asked, surprised, "I can't go days."
"She's brand new." Brett spoke up from the rafter he still sat on, "Like.. Not even a week old. She needs to hunt, Shane."
He cursed under his breath, and I bit my lip.
"Alright." He finally said, "Just sit tight until nightfall, and I'll take you." Before anyone else could speak up, though, he looked around, "Just her. The rest of you have waited longer." Though they seemed disappointed, the rest of them seemed to understand.
"No," I mumbled, "I have to go back."
"That's too far." He replied quickly, "Forks, right? Way too far." He knew they'd been watching me.
"But my coven-"
"Will be safer if you stay put." He replied, his tone surprisingly gentle, "Your scent will lead whatever nomad that crosses it right to them."
"What about Reese?" Gage asked.
"Like I said," Shane sighed, "It's too much of a risk sending her out that far when nomads are around. I'm sorry. I'm sure they're aware, anyway."
He had a point. It definitely explained why Rosalie didn't want me to hunt while Carlisle was out, and why Jasper agreed with her.
So instead of arguing further, I just nodded. He nodded as well, looking to the others just as Shannon and Reese returned. He really didn't seem like a bad guy.
I was still nervous, though as he walked over to us seconds later. Unable to help the small step back at his too-quick approach.
"It's okay." He assured me easily, holding both hands up. He definitely seemed like he'd handled someone like me before, and knew how to ease my worry a bit. I vaguely wondered why Gage didn't try to calm me down too, but I was more focused on me.
Shane spoke quietly, "I just wanted to talk to you without standing across the room." I hesitantly nodded a little, "You're brand new, so I need to know how much you've been taught about hunting by your coven so far."
He was nice enough, but weirdly, I found it hard to talk to him when he was this close. Across the giant building was one thing, but within reaching distance was different. I was honestly having a hard time responding, which was weird when I'd just been talking to him. When I couldn't, I just looked down.
"Oh." Gage seemed to understand, "Oh, okay. Want me to talk to him for you?" I nodded, "It's okay. Brett was the same way at first, and Amanda didn't talk to Shane or even Olivia for the first three weeks." That made me feel so much better. I didn't feel as stupid.
He looked to Shane, who also seemed to understand. He offered a small smile, but I just looked down.
"She says her coven only hunts animals." Gage told him, "It works, but it's different."
Shane frowned, "That is different. I've never heard of doing that, but I guess in theory it could work. Is that what you would prefer?" He was looking at me again, so I hesitated. He was giving me a choice. I swallowed nervously against the burn in my throat that this conversation stoked, looking up at him. He seemed to read my expression like an open book.
He laughed a little, "We'll get you a human. I won't tell you cheated." I couldn't help smiling a little at the way he said that, "Anything else I should know?"
"She said that she slipped up earlier this morning, and bit a human, but they stopped her."
"That's.." Shane frowned, "Cruel, but whatever. I'm not out to tell a coven how to train their newborns, but I promise not to stop you." I nodded a little at the floor, "Anything else?"
"I don't know." Gage replied before looking to me, "Anything else?" I hesitated again, and I shrugged. I didn't know much about hunting humans besides killing the closest one.
"Typical newborn." Shane nodded a little in understanding, "Okay. I can work with that. Just hang on a little bit longer, okay? I know it's hard. Especially after bring stopped earlier."
I tried, but I really couldn't. I held out for just over an hour before I had to find him and beg him wordlessly to let me hunt.
Thankfully, it didn't take much to convey what I wanted. He gathered Shannon and Reese anyway, probably for the protection Reese offered. He seemed okay with bringing them along, so I had a feeling Reese's ability stuck wherever she had been.
It was trickier going out on a midday hunt, but it wasn't impossible. We didn't go far at all, considering we were right on the outskirts of Tacoma. I could see why they wouldn't want to do this too often, though. It was really close, and hunting too often close to where they chose to stay would just bring attention to the area. This was an exception, though. One, I was desperate and two, I was very inexperienced. The fewer people around when setting me loose, the better.
I appreciated how patient Shane was with me, though. Instead of giving me all these speeches about what I shouldn't do, he explained the way I should do it. There was a massive difference.
He taught me to hold my breath until an opportunity wandered by. It would help me keep my head until the last possible second. He taught me to just pick one and follow them. To make sure they were alone. He taught me to move quick, and be thorough. Leave no traces, but eliminate the possibility of detection. To just grab and run if the area wasn't that safe from prying eyes.
He taught me that the best ones to go for were the factory workers, since their job was dangerous in itself. Leave the business people alone, as there was almost guaranteed someone to be either with them or waiting on them. Go for the older ones, as they were already guaranteed to have either screwed up their lives, or have lived enough life compared to the younger ones. Plus, that left the humans in their twenties and thirties to breed and continue on our food source.
It was funny to think about it like that, but it made sense.
Generally the males were better to hunt on, as they were bigger and provided more blood where females would take more to sustain us.
With his direction, I managed to pick someone, grab them and run off within half a second. I snapped this guy's neck before he could make a sound.
To my surprise, it took two humans before I was actually satisfied. Reese even managed to pluck one off for herself, and it was really the first time I was comfortable with feeding with someone else right next to me.
We returned to the building within thirty minutes, and I certainly felt better. I couldn't help feeling a little guilty, though. Not because I'd hunted humans, but because I did so behind my family's back.
"I think I'd call that a success." Shane smiled a little at me, "You did very well, kid." I smiled in return, feeling good about myself instead of ashamed like I probably would have been if Jasper knew about this.
Almost immediately after we got back to the warehouse, I went back to dwelling on the problems that waited for me when I did go back home, and I was certainly tempted to just wave all that off and stay here. Here, there were no problems and there was no Jack. I didn't want to face what I'd done, and it was almost too easy to choose not to face it.
Here, I would probably be safe from Aro, too. Considering this group's main goal was to stay undetected, secrecy was everything to them. Of course, I would eventually have to disclose my gift and what that would mean to him, but I was scared.
And as tempted as I was to stay, I knew I'd eventually have to go back. I owed them more than just vanishing without a trace. I couldn't deny that I felt more at home here than I did there, but then again, I hadn't yet given them a real chance. Too many things had been going on at once to have given them a chance.
They were probably already pissed at me, though. For what I'd done, and for disappearing on them. My mind continued on in circles. I had no idea how I was supposed to go home when I'd screwed up this badly.
I spent hours, well passed nightfall dwelling on all this crap. I wasn't even sure where Gage had wandered off to, but I didn't mind my alone time. It was nice to be ignored for once. Shane and Olivia stayed around, keeping watch on everyone just inside the doors to the building.
"Thinking?" I jumped a little at Brett's voice above me. I hadn't heard his approach in the rafters.
"Yeah." I muttered, looking up at him, "I know it's stupid, but I don't want to face what I did."
"Exiling yourself isn't really the answer either." He replied, jumping down to land next to me, "There's probably a reason why it's bugging you this bad. You're a little stuck here for the next few days, so use those days to figure out that reason."
That seemed reasonable.
He was about to speak again, when an argument between Nick and Amanda broke out on the far other side of the building, and we both looked over just as she pounced on him, dragging him down to the dusty floor.
"Get him, Amanda." Brett called just as Shane reached their side to attempt to break it up. It didn't take much to pry them apart, but Amanda was still pissed.
Shane shoved Nick back while Olivia showed up from outside to lead Amanda back. With just a stern finger from Shane, Nick turned and walked away. Back to Toby's side. Both of them giving a dangerous glare back at Amanda, who was now getting a firm but quiet talking to.
"Wow." I muttered, and Brett looked over at me.
"That sort of thing happens sometimes." He replied, "Everyone gets a little tense when Nichole isn't back when she's supposed to be."
"Plus the no hunting thing." I understood, and he nodded.
"That too." He agreed, "Now they'll be separated for the rest of the night, and tomorrow, it'll be like nothing ever happened."
"This happens a lot?" I asked, surprised.
"Yeah." He laughed as if it were obvious, "The twins love to pick on her until she snaps."
"Why?" I frowned, "That doesn't seem fair."
"It's worse when Cody and her get into it." He said, "They all fight all the time, but in the end, we all know they have each other's back."
That made me really think about what Mikah was saying. If I hadn't seen an example like this, it probably wouldn't have sunk in like it did just now. I looked back over at the twins. They were now talking to Cody, exactly like nothing had happened, and Amanda was further off to the side. Olivia was still talking to her, but she didn't seem as upset anymore.
"Leandra," Brett spoke again, and I looked to him, "No matter what Gage was saying before, I have a feeling this coven of yours is different."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Anyone with eyes can see that you weren't ready to leave them." He replied, "You weren't chased off or abandoned like the rest of us. That attachment hasn't been broken yet, or you wouldn't have that look on your face."
He had a point. I knew he had a point, but I looked down anyway.
"Believe me." He went on, "We talk bad about the adults, but I know one-hundred percent that half of these kids would have given their left arm just to be able to stay with their covens. Don't give up on it until you absolutely have to. Having that kind of attachment to someone.. Anyone.. Isn't something you need to give up on. Hold onto it as long as you can. If you still have someone trying to teach you or keep you safe, why would you throw that away?"
The emotion in his voice touched me. It was the sound of someone who knew what he was talking about, because he'd lived it.
"My advice?" He said, "Don't listen to Gage. Don't choose us. Come to us only if you have to, but.. Go home, Leandra."
"I can't." I mumbled, "I'm supposed to stay here, remember?"
"Go home, Leandra." Shane called from where he stood. I looked over, and he was smiling gently, "But be careful, okay? Take the long way back. Last we heard, the nomads were headed straight north. Go east and around." He wasn't mean, he wasn't kicking me out. He was giving me instruction I needed to make it as safely as I could. I couldn't help smiling a little as well.
"Thanks." I managed to tell him, and he gave me a small nod.
"See you around, Leandra." Gage called next, and I took that as my cue to leave.
Shannon and Reese both followed me until I got into Tacoma before they turned back.
"Best of luck." I heard Shannon say as they let me go. I felt like I was leaving them on good terms, and that I'd just made a lot of new friends. I knew what I'd learned there would stick with me for a long time, and with any luck at all, I would be able to teach my family a little more about myself. Without telling them exactly how I'd learned all of this, of course. I couldn't give these kids away like that, because I knew curiosity would just lead my family to find them.
I turned east at the center of Tacoma until I reached the Washington Idaho border before I turned north. Following the border until I got far enough to take a straight shot home. I probably should have gone north well into Canada and just gone south, but I didn't want to take that long.
"Where in the hell have you been?" I heard Alice demanding before I'd even reached the yard. I would have been lying to myself if I said I didn't expect to be interrogated.
"I can't tell you." I replied, finally landing in the middle of the yard, "But those nomads I was telling you about.. They've been around. I shouldn't have come back until it was safe."
I watched as they all came outside. Emmett and Jasper both in the front, Alice and Rose behind them. I half wondered where Esme and Carlisle were, as I wanted to see them, but I was a little distracted.
"Oh, great." Of course Rosalie was first to speak to me from the group I faced, "She came back."
"Shorty," Emmett was next to speak, but I knew he was pissed, "We looked everywhere for you."
"If you'd actually looked everywhere," I half joked in reply, "You would have found me." I was just trying to lighten them up, because I was a bit nervous facing them the way I was.
"Now isn't the time for jokes, Leandra." Jasper said, "We need to discuss what you've done." I looked down. I wasn't willing to talk about that. Just the mention tried to make me bitter.
"It won't happen again." I told him instead, "I learned a lot."
"You've learned?" Alice asked, frowning a little, "Where you were?" I nodded.
"I was taught how to not hunt humans until it's a good time." I replied, "So-"
"By who?" Jasper asked, obviously not liking that bit of information, "Please tell me you haven't been hunting humans."
"By someone." I answered, "Someone who gets me."
"Leandra, you can't just trust everyone you come across."
"It wasn't him I trusted at first." I admitted, "But he took me hunting after what happened with Jack."
"Hunting humans." It wasn't a question.
"I'm not sorry." I replied defensively, and he sighed, "He taught me how to hunt them, and how not to hunt them."
"Leandra," He said, "It's going to be a thousand times harder to give them up because of this. Who was it?"
"I don't care. I'm still not sorry."
"You're avoiding the question."
"Yeah." I replied, "Because they don't want to be found."
"Now I'm nervous." Emmett added, "Shorty, who are you talking about?"
"No one you have to worry about." I insisted, "Trust me. They're more afraid of you than you are of them. Just leave it."
"They must be pretty important if you're willing to learn from them more than you are from us." Jasper pointed out, his arms crossed.
I wasn't sure how to reply, looking down.
"It wasn't that." I finally said, "It was the way he taught me that made me listen. Like I said. They get me."
"Then why did you come back?" Rosalie demanded, and I glared a little at her.
"Because I want you guys to get me too." I replied, "I can teach you."
"I understand you just fine." Jasper countered, sighing heavily in disappointment as he started forward. I countered his steps with backwards ones of my own, and he paused.
"That." I mumbled, "You can't do that." He was about to reply, but Alice spoke to him first.
"Humor her, Jazz. Just listen." She murmured, and he glanced back at her, "And Rose.. Stop being so mean to her. I know you don't approve. We all know. You know it's no more her fault than it was yours, so stop it." I appreciated her speaking up for me. Especially as Rosalie actually seemed to listen to her.
"Okay." Jasper said, looking at me again, "I'm listening."
I took a breath and nodded.
"I'm not like you guys." I started, "I mean, I'm like you, but I'm different. The same things that would work for you won't work for me."
"I'm gathering that." Jasper nodded, crossing his arms.
"Don't walk right at me like that." I said, "It makes me want to run away."
"Then how do you suggest I do it?" He was barely holding onto his patience.
"Slower." I replied, "If I know you're mad at me, I need to get used to you walking at me." He seemed annoyed, but he did as I suggested. I still felt like I wanted to run, but it was tolerable. It was choice, instead of an instinct.
I watched his approach, and though I was tense, I stayed as he came to my side.
"Like that." I told him, "It helps."
"How do you know this now?" He asked, and I hesitated. Thankfully, I heard Carlisle and Esme's fast approach from the north, giving me an excuse not to answer.
Before she'd even fully stopped, Esme was walking toward me. I trusted her, so I walked toward her instead of retreating like I did with Jasper. She hugged me tight, and I returned it carefully.
"What the hell?" Emmett asked, and I looked over, smiling a little at him. I knew he was confused, as he really couldn't understand the difference, and everything about this just contradicted everything I'd just told them, but I wouldn't explain just yet.
"I'm so glad you're okay." Esme sighed, smoothing my hair. This was what I was coming back to. This was why I made the choice to come home. It gave me more of a sense of peace than I had while I was with the Tacoma kids. Even with all the rules, issues, and expectations here, this was what brought me back. It obviously meant more to me than I thought before.
I wasn't willing to give this up yet, and I finally fully understood what the other kids had been getting at. Losing this would kill me, but getting to know those kids and listening to their stories made me really appreciate everything that was offered to me so freely, despite how things happened.
In a big way, I really owed those kids.
A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long. Family problems demanded my attention, and I didn't have much in me to focus on this.
I hope this helped. ;) I hope the wait was worth it.
THANK YOU! To my AMAZING REVIEWERS! BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG THANK YOU!
Chapter Fourteen might take a bit, as I have a busy week ahead of me, but I should have more time soon.
Until Fourteen, my amazing friends! :)