"Don't you feel stupid Quinn?" Selena asked as her and her sisters walked through the forest. The three sisters were in their vampire form, simply because they hadn't been vampires for a while and it was time for a good meal.
"Yes." Quinn was walking beside Selena with her arms crossed over her chest, an angry expression on her face.
"Aww, come on Quinn, your kiss with Jake couldn't have been that bad." Amillia peered around Selena to look at Quinn.
"What! How do you know we kissed?"
"We're your sisters Quinn; we're just looking out for you." Selena said, placing a hand on Quinn's shoulder.
Quinn had a deep respect for her sisters; they had been through rough times together and they were always there for each other. "Thanks guys. I just need some time to think, that's all."
"Why don't you go home. If we catch anything, we'll be sure to save some for you." Amillia agreed with Selena and gave Quinn a push.
"Alright, alright, I'm going." Quinn gave each of her sisters a quick hug before morphing into her wolf counterpart and starting off back towards home.
"I hope she'll be ok." Amillia whispered.
"Let's just hope history doesn't repeat." Selena said, her purple eyes watched Quinn's retreating form.
The pale moonlight drifted through Quinn's window and illuminated her room with a soft, white light. Quinn sat on her windowsill looking out at the forest bordering the property; she had her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs.
'How could I have fallen for him that quick? This is just like what happened before.'
Quinn held out her left arm and pulled up the sleeve of her burgundy sweatshirt. Hundreds of small scares glistened in the pale moonlight. Snippets of vivid memories of how those scares came to be flashed through Quinn's mind. Quinn quickly pulled down her sleeve; she suddenly was hit be realization, history was repeating. She was giving her trust to someone she barely knew and she knew this would hurt her in the future. Quinn decided that she needed to be by herself, away from vampires, away from werewolves, away from pain. Quinn jumped off the windowsill and glided over to her desk, which sat on the other side of the room near the door. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. She scrawled out a quick letter to her sisters so they would know where she went.
Dear Sisters,
I have gone away for a couple of days. I need time to think and be alone. I will be in the surrounding mountains not far from here. Don't worry about me, I will be fine. I love you both.
Quinn
Quinn placed the neatly folded letter on Selena's pillow. Quinn sighed and went to the front door; she slowly opened the door and stepped outside. The cool breeze gently swirled through her hair, lifting and twirling it about her face. Quinn gently closed the door behind her and morphed into her werewolf form.
The forest was nothing but a green blur as Quinn ran. She pushed herself to go faster, hoping to leave all the pain of the past behind. Quinn was so busy with her own thoughts she failed to notice the blood red eyes following her.
X
Selena and Amillia arrived at their home sweet home. Amillia had a troubled looked on her face.
"Don't worry." Selena said. "Quinn will be fine."
Amillia tried a useless attempt at a smile, but failed to hide her worries. When they entered Selena's bedroom, in their search for Quinn, Selena immediately noticed the note on her pillow. Before Selena could move, Amillia sprinted to her bed and read the letter. She gave the letter to Selena when she was done and sighed.
"I wish I could comfort her more." Selena said as she finished reading the letter.
"Ditto." Amillia said.
A silence fell over the room, but it was not an awkward silence. All three sisters have had times when they would just spend time in each other's presence, no words were needed to fill the silence. Selena stood there, a blank look in her eyes, while she clung to a pendent hanging around her neck. Amillia simply looked out the window. After the peaceful silence reined the room for a minute or two, Amillia jumped off the bed.
"Well, since Quinn's taking a breather, I think I'll go for a walk. Do you want to come?"
"No," Selena replied. "I'm tired."
Amillia walked out of the house and into the forest. She decided to be human for the walk because she didn't feel like rushing anywhere. A couple of hours passed and Amillia bathed in the innocent bliss of daydreams while the sunset.
Suddenly, Emmet appeared out of nowhere, causing Amillia to snap back to reality.
"Hello." Emmet said in his velvet voice.
"Hi."
Emmet looked around as he walked closer to Amillia, his hands in his pockets.
"Where are you sisters?"
"Well, one is tired and the other, I suppose, can't sleep."
"And you?" continued Emmet.
"I can't sleep either."
Amillia and Emmet were walking side by side now, talking about everything and nothing, talking and listening. Hours passed when Amillia finally stopped and looked at the stars.
"What are you looking at?" Emmet asked.
"Just the stars."
"What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing."
Emmet smiled his charming smile and took Amillia's hand. "You're a terrible liar you know."
Amillia released Emmet's hand and continued walking.
"Did I upset you?" Emmet asked when he caught up.
"No."
"Do you mind telling me what you're really thinking about?"
There was a long pause before Amillia spoke. "Well, you see Emmet, my parents are in heaven and I can't help but think about them when I look up at the sky. They were killed long ago and back then, I looked up to the sky in thoughts of revenge. I lived in hatred for a long time until I decided to live again…for my sisters. But tonight, I looked to the sky thinking about how much my parents would have loved you."
Emmet was speechless. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Selena blushed a little. "I have to go, it's getting late and I don't want to worry my sister." Amillia turned away from Emmet and started to walk away. But before she could take another step, Emmet grabbed her arm and wheeled her around to face him.
"Amillia," he said gently. "If there is anything you need, please… don't hesitate to ask me."
He pulled her into a hug. After a moment, Amillia gently pushed away from Emmet and ducked out of his embrace.
"See you later." Amillia whispered.
"Until next time." Emmet replied as he watched her fade into the distance.
X
The smell of pasta wafted through the Swan residence; Chief Swan was expected to be home any minute and Bella was almost done making dinner. Between stirring the pasta and checking the garlic bread in the oven, Bella got a quick look at the clock in. 7:29, only one more minute until her Romeo should arrive. Bella jumped as she felt a pair of arms snake around her waist.
"Did I scare you?"
Bella could feel Edward's cool breath against her cheek as he whispered in her ear. Bella turned so she could face Edward.
"No."
"You lie."
Edward bent down and kissed Bella gently on the lips. Bella wrapped her arms around Edward's neck as they deepened the kiss. Bella never wanted the kiss to stop, but of course all good things must eventually come to an end. When Edward pulled away, the first thing Bella noticed was that he was smiling.
"What?" A slight blush crept across Bella's cheeks.
"Your pasta's burning."
Bella looked at Edward for a moment before she finally registered what he had said. She quickly turned around and took the stainless steel pot full of stringy pasta off the stove and drained the water out. Bella placed the pot on the counter and turned off the stove; then she rounded on Edward.
"You're lucky the pasta didn't burn." Bella smacked Edward across the arm.
"And why is that?" Edward took a step closer to Bella, pinning her against the counter.
"Because…" Bella lost her train of thought as Edward leaned in for another kiss. He suddenly stopped, his face just inches away Bella. The small frown on Bella's face made Edward laugh.
"Your father's home." Edward graced Bella's lips with a quick kiss before pulling away and going to the cupboard to get two plates. Bella grabbed to glasses a filled them with water as Edward served up the pasta and bread. As Edward placed the plates piled high with food on the table, the sound of the front door slamming announced Charlie's arrival.
"Bella?"
"I'm in here dad."
Charlie came into the kitchen with a sour look on his face. He was still wearing his uniform, which consisted of navy blue slacks, a white, short sleeve polo shirt that held his badge and black hiking boots.
"Good, dinner's ready."
Charlie sat down at the table after giving Bella a hug and a quick kiss. Bella took her respected seat and Edward sat himself next to Bella.
"Hello Edward." Charlie had become use to having Edward for dinner, although he never actually ate, so he didn't say much else.
"Evening Mr. Swan."
Bella smiled at Edward's reply; he was always so polite. Not much else was said as father and daughter ate and the vampire watched. Edward's face suddenly became very rigid. Bella noticed this and suspected that Edward had been reading her father's mind and something not too pleasant had happened to him today.
"How'd work go today dad?"
Charlie gently placed his fork on his plate before looking at Bella. "We were called to a murder scene today."
Bella nearly choked on the pasta she had been eating. "Oh my gosh! Who was the victim?"
"Mr. Newgren."
Bella's fork fell out of her hand and landed loudly on her plate. She turned to Edward for comfort, but found herself staring at a blank slate.
"The poor man was badly mutilated… or at least what was left of him was badly mutilated. Mr. Newgren looked as though he had been mauled by a pack of starving wolves; he had deep slashes all over his body along with teeth marks. On some parts of his body his flesh was torn off and bone was showing. The weird thing about the whole situation is, the wounds weren't what killed him. When the coroner performed his autopsy he found a bullet lodge in Mr. Newgren's heart, that's what ultimately did him in."
The kitchen was now completely silent. Bella looked at Edward, who had a very serious face on. Bella knew he would want to talk to her so she excused herself from the table and went outside; Edward followed. As soon as Edward shut the door Bella voiced her thoughts.
"Do you think the perpetrator is a vampire or werewolf?"
Even though it was dark out and the porch light provided little light, Bella could still see that Edward was deep in thought.
"No, I believe the creature responsible for the gruesome death of Mr. Newgren is much worse than a vampire or a werewolf…much worse. Tell your father you're going to the neighbor's house to help them unpack."
Bella rushed inside to do what she was told. A minute later her and Edward were heading across the street to go talk to the newest members of the Forks community. As Edward and Bella made their way up the well-groomed path to Quinn, Amillia, and Selena's front door an unpleasant scent insulted Edward's nose.
"The dogs are here."
"Be nice." Bella took Edward's hand in her own and led him to the front door. She knocked gently on the door and was greeted by Selena, who ushered them in and led them to the living room.
"Sam has already informed us of the murder and we are discussing our next plan of action if you care to join us."
As Bella and Edward entered the living room the first thing they noticed was Quinn's absence.
"Where's Quinn?" Edward asked. He had come to the conclusion that Quinn's absence was the reason for the sullen look on Jacob's face.
"She's out."
That was the only answer Edward got as Selena went and sat with Amillia on the moron leather couch that sat in the middle of the room. Standing together against the wall that separated the living room from the kitchen were Jacob, Sam, Quil, and Embry. Bella took a seat in the high-backed chair that was placed to the left of the couch; Edward stood behind her.
"Does anyone first of all know anything about this new threat?" Edward looked around the room. No one said anything, no one moved.
Suddenly Bella perked up, "Mr. Newgren was killed in the hardware store he owned, the security cameras might have caught the murder! My dad might be able to get the those tapes!"
A murmur filled the room, "When will your father be able to access these tapes?" Jake asked.
Bella thought for a moment, "Well, my dad will have to get a warrant for the tapes, so we'll probably be able to view them in a week." Bella said.
"It's settled then. We'll view the tapes next week then go from there. Until then I suggest we all stay alert." Everyone agreed with Edward. Amillia and Selena stood up; signaling that it was time for everyone to depart. Edward took the hint and started for the door; Bella, four werewolves, and two hybrids followed him. Once outside, Edward stopped and turned to face Selena and Amillia.
"You two take care now, and give my regards to Quinn, will you?"
"Of course we wi-" Amillia suddenly stopped; she inhaled deeply and her eyes grew wide in fear. "Do you guys smell that?"
"Blood." Everyone looked at Jake, who too was breathing deeply.
Selena took a deep breath; the smell that her senses picked up made her cringe. Selena scoured the surrounding area to see if the source of the retched smell was nearby; what she saw made her gasp. There standing at the edge of the forest, just in the shadows, was Quinn. Quinn was a bloody mess; her face was badly clawed, she had a hand over her right eye, there were claw marks all over her body, and Selena could tell there was a good chunk missing out of her sister's left leg. Quinn looked at Amillia and Selena, and then fell heavily to the ground. Amillia and Selena pushed their way around Edward and the others and ran to Quinn.
"Quinn!"
Amillia knelt down next to Quinn and took her right hand in her own. Selena knelt on Quinn's other side.
"Quinn, what happened?" Amillia asked.
"Didn't see them…ambush…werewolves…vampires…" Quinn gasped in pain.
Selena looked Quinn over and noticed a yellow substance on Quinn's shirt, just below the base of her left collarbone. Selena pulled down the collar of Quinn's shirt to reveal a nasty wound, a wound that could only be made by a needle. Selena appointed this out to Amillia.
"We need to get her to a hospital! Something is wrong with her!" Selena exclaimed.
"Are you kidding me? She'll kill someone if we take her to a hospital!" Amillia said. Quinn gasped in pain again.
"Well, what do we do?" Selena asked. Selena and Amillia glanced at Edward, who was holding Bella in his arms; both he and Bella looked really worried.
"Carlisle." Amillia and Selena said together.
Amillia and Selena ducked down and wrapped Quinn's arms around their shoulders and wrapped their other arms around Quinn's waist and stood up. Quinn was barely conscious; her head was slumped forward and her feet dragged. Selena and Amillia supported Quinn as they walked her as quickly as they could to Edward and the group.
"Oh my god! What happened?" Bella asked.
"We're not sure," Amillia said. "Edward, we need to get Quinn to Carlisle; she's been badly injured!"
"My cars at Bella's house." Edward said. "Let's go."
Edward and Bella started off towards Bella's house. Amillia and Selena started after Edward and Bella when Jake stopped them.
"I'm coming with you."
Quinn lifted her head at the sound of Jake's voice; her hair fell away from her face and Jake could see her eyes. Her green eyes no longer held the sparkle Jake had come to love, now they were dull and becoming milky and unfocused. Jake also noticed that Quinn's right eye had three deep gashes running parallel to each other that ran vertically down her eye starting just above her eyebrow and ending about an inch below her eye.
"I'm sorry Jake. There's not enough room in Edward's car for you." Selena said, pushing by Jake.
"At least let the pack and I escort you to Edward's house." Jake stepped in front of Selena; Selena and Jake stared at each other.
"Fine."
Jake looked at the pack and turned into a werewolf, the pack followed suite. Amillia and Selena hurried across the road to Bella's house. Parked in the driveway, engine purring, headlights blazing, was a silver Volvo. Edward ran up to the girls and helped Amillia and Selena place Quinn in the backseat. Bella sat in the front seat, when Quinn was a settled, Amillia and Selena settled on either side of her. Edward climbed into the drivers seat put the car in drive, sending the car speeding down the road. Quinn groaned and placed a hand on the wound under her collarbone.
"Faster Edward!" Amillia commanded.
The car surged forward as Edward pressed the gas pedal. Edward looked at Bella; she was watching the three sisters in the back seat, she had such love in her eyes that one might think that the three girls in the back seat were her own sisters. Edward took Bella's hand in his own and smiled at her. Selena suddenly felt numerous presences running along side the car. She looked out the window and saw four large werewolves running with the car; they darted in and out if the trees. Leading the pack was Jacob; he had a determination on his face Selena had never seen before.
'Wow, Jake really cares for Quinn.' Selena thought to herself. Her attention was brought back to Quinn when another gasp of pain escape Quinn's lips. Suddenly Quinn's body began to rock with muscle spasms. Bella's grip on Edward's hand tightened and Edward pushed the car to over 100 miles per hour. Bella and Edward turned around as Amillia cried out Quinn's name. Quinn's body had become deathly still and she didn't appear to be breathing.
"Hold on Quinn," Selena whispered. "Hold on."
Edward watched Selena in the review mirror. Her beautiful pale face was contorted with worry and she looked close to tears. Selena wrapped her arms around Quinn's head, burying her face in her sister's hair.
"Please Quinn…Amillia and I have lost so much already," Selena pleaded. "Don't leave us now. There's so much more you can do. You have more of a life to live."
Bella inhaled deeply with emotion as she heard these words. Edward gently stroked her hand with his thumb to comfort her. He was concerned with the well being of the girls; bad luck seemed to be following them everywhere.
"Selena, where did Quinn go?" Edward asked, almost so quietly, Bella could barely here him. Selena slowly lifted her head, her silvery-blonde hair falling over her blue eyes. Her arms still secured Quinn.
"She told us she went to the mountains," Selena whispered. "But I don't understand, Edward. This is almost like what happened to Mr. Newgren. She was lucky she wasn't killed."
"You girls are nearly invincible. I'm not surprised she made it home alive."
Selena grinned softly. "Thank you," she breathed.
Edward gently returned the grin as he pulled into his driveway. He stopped the car, getting out immediately. He opened the back door, leaned over Amillia, and carefully retrieved Quinn. Bella, Selena, and Amillia quickly followed Edward into the Cullen home.