Chapter 11

To Me, My Puppets

Orion's POV

The seven of us stepped through the hole, into an identical area of snow and ice. There was a thin covering of trees around this land, though not enough to provide any cover. "Can you sense the other wolf pack in your wolf form?" I asked the leader, whose name was Yakov. He replied icily, only because he had to, "No. We cannot even sense each other as wolves. We barely maintain any humanity as wolves, sticking together through sheer willpower as humans."

I looked towards the two females, Yuliya and Lada, who stared straight ahead into the woods. Lada glanced over towards Yakov frequently, attempting to be inconspicuous about the gesture. I read from her mind that, before they had become werewolves, they were husband and wife. Yuliya had joined them later, merely happening upon them by chance.

"Orion, I smell them. They have been close by recently." Felix broke into my thoughts, his normally loud voice very quiet; He was scared. Werewolf venom had the capacity to kill vampires, if they were bit in the right place. Even if they survived, bites cut off functionality below the point of the bite. If a vampire was bitten on their forearm, they would lose control of that hand.

Werewolves could also cut vampires with their claws, something that the Quileute wolves could not do. The only thing that evened the two wolf species out was that the Quileutes were far more powerful, as wolves. I compared all of this knowledge from the werewolves with that of what I had gleaned from the Cullens' minds, and Jacob.

"Jane, they're coming, handle them." I told her plainly, uninterested in the fate of the wolves; they were mere pawns to help me overthrow the witch. The moon still glowed fully, bright overhead. It cast shadows all over the forest, bathing everything in an eerie light; typical of the monster movies I had seen in Volterra.

The rapid patter of feet alerted me to the wolves' presence, approaching quickly. Jane smiled, causing several yelps and roars of pain to erupt all around us. Four more werewolves flew into our view, nearly crashing into us as they landed at our feet. The massive creatures writhed in agony, caught in Jane's wicked torment.

I quickly entered their minds, ensnaring them with the same bonds that held the other wolf pack. Clothes appeared in my hands as I gave them the same alterations that the others had as well. "Welcome, my new friends." I gave them the same speech that I had already given Yakov's pack, using the same cold voice that I had before.

"Orion, where are we to go now? There are no more known wolves, and we have not heard of any other mythical creatures." Alec said, wondering if he would get to see other parts of the universe. "Yes, my dear friend. We are going to travel to a deep part of space, far, far away from here. You will see a creature that you have never dreamed of." His eyes grew wide as I spoke of a creature that I was not entirely certain existed.

"Werewolves: You are to stay here. You will begin making your way towards America, to the Washington Peninsula. On your way, you will recruit any mythical creatures that you come across." As I spoke, I bestowed another power on Yakov, the power to ensnare minds. He now possessed the ability to gather minions for me, increasing my army while I was away. "Do not worry," I continued, "We will not be gone long. It may take even less than a single minute."

I turned away from the wolves, opening a small portal to the deepest region of space that I knew of. My three original companions followed me fearlessly, stepping through the void. I stared around for a moment, searching for the creature that should have been visible for light years. As I searched, I noticed something else; Nothing. Absolutely nothing was here, an emptiness such as I had never felt before, staring me in the face.

The Witch. I cursed silently, remembering the great black hole that had devoured a large section of the Quentiar-1721514209118 sector of space, named by the Glellians. My newest plan was ruined, the creature, that I had only heard of in her mind, gone. It had been known as a Deity, and would have been my most valuable ally. "We will return. The creature is gone." I said, my voice utterly empty. I turned my back from the void, reopening the hole to earth.

(AN: Okay, just so I don't forget: Yakov- the Russian translation of Jacob, which is why he's the leader. Lada means wife, and Yuliya means fluffy/fuzzy. I thought that it was just kinda interesting to do something with the names that fit.
Also, Quentiar-1721514209118 is just a random place, that has no human equivalent. The number, if you think about it, matches the numerical equivalent of Quentiar. Q=17, u=21, etc. Again, just random.)

Rosalie POV

I was utterly glowing, completely ecstatic. My stomach was already growing at a rate that surpassed Nessie's, but which Wardient assured me was entirely good; He had sped the growth rate dramatically to pass the time more quickly. There was still an imminent war brewing, so he wanted me to bring the vampiric baby into the world as fast as possible, having it grown and healthy by the time said war did come around.

Although only two weeks had passed, my stomach looked as though it were six months through the pregnancy. Only one more week to go. I thought, rubbing my bump fondly. I would have loved doing the full nine month pregnancy, feeling every emotion and nudge, every tiny detail. As much as I regretted being unable to have that experience, the mere fact that I would have my child overshadowed any negative feelings I had felt about it.

Emmett came up from behind me, snaking his arms around my waist. "How are we doing today?" He asked me, barely whispering in my ear. "We're doing fine, Yogi." I answered, using the goofy nickname that I came up with last week. Stupid pregnancy, messing with my thought patterns. I thought, smiling affectionately. Although my thoughts were harsh, I had no malice towards the way the pregnancy was treating me; I loved every moment of the confusion and gooey-ness.

Emmett kissed my hair lightly, chuckling at the use of his new name. "I still don't understand how you came up with Yogi as my nickname." He said quietly.

"It's really all the kid's fault. I was feeling very goopy and mushy, and you remind me so much of a big, fluffy teddy bear. Teddy wouldn't exactly work, so I got the next best; Yogi from Yellowstone." I was still feeling somewhat fluffy, so I continued with the cutesy talk. "You know, I find it entirely too sexy when you talk like that. You should stop, before this bear goes wild." He said, growling lowly. I giggle like a little girl, finding it hilarious.

"Alright, Yogi. Let's go see what has been happening with Virgo and the wacko twins." The twins had gathered their entire school down in the living room, kids flooding out the front door, sitting on each other, and just trying to find space. This meeting would have occurred sooner, but there had always been some delay or other, resulting in many of the kids being absent. They were all insanely nervous, being surrounded by vampires and the giant dogs. Of course, the dogs were humans, but they were still huge!

As we stood at the top of the stairs, the only available space with all the teenagers taking up the living room. "Excellent job, girls." Virgo said, referring to the twins. I still did not know their names. "Their names are Adeli and Delia." She said, looking up towards me. It still unnerved me that someone other than Edward could read my mind. "Thanks, Virgo." I said uneasily, the nerves amplified by the pregnancy screwing with me.

"Alright, girls. It's time to gain your powers. As for the rest of you, kids, I am proposing that you have a power of some sort, preferably something mental. Do not ask for anything exceedingly difficult. Look to the powers in the show Heroes, for some ideas. I must warn you, you do not have much time to learn them, and they will all be dangerous. I very highly suggest that you get parental permission first, and you should all tell them about this anyways. I expect to see most of you back here by tomorrow, with parents and ability decisions in tow." The tone of her voice sent chills down my spine; the authority that she spoke with was disturbing. It was strange watching the little girl that had just returned a few weeks ago ordering children around like soldiers.

"As for you two," she said, turning to the twins, "I believe it is time for you to receive your power."

Virgo POV

"As for you two, I believe it is time for you to receive your power." I told them, beckoning them forward. As they stepped within reach, I placed one hand on each of their heads. Extending my conscious mind into them, I found their souls; everything regarding a change had to do with a soul. I wonder if I could create a soul, giving an inanimate object life…That's a thought for later. I realized, focusing back on Adeli and Delia.

I grasped their united subconscious completely, holding their weak, human souls in my hand…Metaphorically. I set a thin purple lining around it, similar to the black one around vampires' souls. This lining would make them more resilient, better able to receive their power. It would act as a cell wall, as in plants, holding in all of the vital parts. It would provide the necessary structure and support that their minds would need to fully harness their ability. In reality, this was all that needed to be done, and then they would eventually discover one power on their own. However, I would teach them that one power before they ever learned another.

I then receded, touching only their mind. I let the images and thoughts flood into them, teaching them all about the ability that they desired. The twins gasped as the knowledge flooded their mind, allowing them to extend their thoughts beyond themselves.

"Is…Is it done?" They asked their faces identical masks of shock and wonder. "Can we…do it now?"

"Try it out. Only do it within this house though, and nothing too large." I told them firmly, taking on the role of concerned mentor. Their minds were exactly the same now, they would be able to see and feel exactly what the other was experiencing, if they so desired. Their abilities extended beyond that, however, almost reaching the point of physical manipulation.

The two girls looked at one of the boys in the room, and I decided to monitor their thoughts. Let's get him…No, not that. How about…No. Let's dance! They thought, their minds on the same wavelength. The two started moving to an inaudible beat, but I felt that they had reached out and touched the boy's mind. I looked at him, and saw that he too, was dancing, exactly the same as they were.

I touched his mind, and was almost shocked to find the same thoughts running through his head; the twins had gained control of the boy! It was a very subtle type of control, however. He would not think that he was being manipulated, but would think that what he was doing was his own free will. He had just decided to dance randomly, to an imaginary song.

The two girls looked around the room, and I felt them extend their thoughts out and touch other members of their school. As they did so, the kids that they influenced began dancing. None of the kids even thought that it was weird, because Adeli and Delia did not find it weird that they were all dancing.

I was astounded at how quickly they grasped the concept of their new powers, as I had been fully expecting it to take at least a few days to even project onto other people.

Virgo. They thought at me, drawing my attention back to the room. The people had stopped dancing, and they were all looking around in wonder; The Twins had withdrawn into their own mind. "Virgo…We were stopped." They said, somewhat scared. I could see the fear on their faces, as well as feel it in their mind. "We could not affect anyone else after we reached out to the people outside the door." The girls attained looks of concentration as they thought back, trying to see what had gone wrong.

"Girls, it is normal. You are still human, albeit much more powerful humans. You will still have limits as to what you can do. As of right now, you cannot affect more than thirty people in the immediate vicinity." I said, after quickly counting how many people had been dancing. "With time, those parameters may expand, allowing you a wider range, but who knows? You might also be able to make people do things that they would never normally do, like real hypnotism. There are very few people in this world that will be able to fight off your ability." I told them, warning them with my mind about what they should not do.

"Like who, Virgo?" They asked, their mind flashing to all of the members of my family.

"Well, I know that it will not affect Bella, but it may very well be that all vampires will be immune, because they can think more than one thought at a time. I wonder…" I trailed off, looking at Edward. "Sure." He replied to my thoughts, stepping forward. "Try it out, girls." He said lazily, as though he did not care if it worked or not.

I felt them focus their mind on Edward. They touched his mind, and began trying to think of things that they could do. I noticed Edward's thoughts followed theirs exactly, a second thought train of theirs matching his. Their faces were marred with intense focus as they began trying to move. They both thought about raising their right hand, but could not actually move it.

Edward smirked with triumph as he stood up straight, pulling them with him. Fear coursed through all three of them as Edward began moving forward, taking control of the link. His thoughts began to dominate the twins as the puppet attached the strings to his master. When they were nearly face-to-face, the twins jerked the link away from Edward, separating his thoughts from theirs.

The two girls stumbled backwards, nearly falling over, gasping for breath. "Well, that did not quite work out as planned. Oh well, that is what experimentation is for." I said, curiosity marring any concern I may have had. The two wolves jumped through the crowd, landing directly next to their imprints. They gather them up into their arms, and the two girls separated their minds as far as they could. They still thought the same things, but they were not linked; it was just natural.

"It might not have been a fair test, you guys." Edward said, breaking the tension with his dazzling smile. "I am far more used to peoples' thoughts than any other vampire, and I have also had much more reason to resist doing what I think I should. I have more experience controlling my actions as a result, which is why it probably didn't work right." He said, explaining what I had been thinking about. "You should try Emmett." He said, smirking at his brother.

"Oh yeah!" He said, moving gently away from Rosalie, and then bursting forward to stand in front of the girls. "I'm always up for a challenge, even if it is just overpowering two little girls' minds!" I felt the girls anger flare up briefly, before they linked minds, channeling their thoughts into Emmett.

He seized up, feeling them trying to gain control. I heard their thoughts fuse into one, but both parties remained motionless. On the girls' foreheads, a vein popped out, their concentration was so intense. Emmett merely shut down physically, expending all of this willpower on keeping the girls from controlling his body.

It truly was a tug of war between a puppet and its master. The puppet was far too strong to be controlled, but the master was too skilled be taken over by its subject. The strings were tight, the limbs pulling against the master's fingers, but not gaining any ground.

I had a feeling that Emmett would win, merely because he was unable to become tired. The girls' defenses were falling rapidly, sweat having broken out all over their faces. Emmett was slowly gaining power over them, his loud, obnoxious thoughts taking over their calm, quiet ones. Emmett began to think of Rosalie, which only strengthened his power.

An idea popped into Emmett's head, which surprised everyone that could see it. I nearly laughed as he implemented it before the girls could respond. They immediately tried shutting out the link, but they were now unable to think of doing so. Emmett had used the little leverage that he had to force them to keep the link open. Three mouths opened and, while the girls now looked scared, Emmett looked cocky. "You're mine now, kiddies." The three of them said at once. Clearly, Emmett had gained control. He was beating away their resolve, which was very little at this point.

The link faltered, and I felt the girls' true conscious fade away. Emmett was now controlling all three bodies, with no competition whatsoever, as the girls were unconscious. Emmett did not realize this, as all three of them jumped into the air, looks of absolute triumph on all of their faces. "I did it!" The three shouted, running forward to slap high-fives.

"Emmett. Stop. The girls aren't there anymore, they're unconscious. Yes, you won, but now there is nothing to fight against." I said, severing the link myself. Collin and Brady rushed forward to grab the fallen twins, lowering them gently into their laps. "They'll be fine, guys. Trust me. They are just exhausted from fighting off a vampire attack." I said, smiling slightly. No other human, or any number of humans, would have been able to hold out so long against a vampire's clearly superior mind.

I turned to the congregation of students that were now staring with concern at the twins. "Don't worry, kids. They will be absolutely fine. Now, all of you need to go home, and talk to your parents. Carlisle and Esme will be back within a few days, and I want as many of you as possible to have powers. They will be bringing around forty vampires, and all of them eat humans. This will be problematic, but less so if you can defend yourselves." I closed my statement, sending them all out of the house to run to talk to their parents.

Tanya's coven had already arrived, but had gone out hunting when they smelled the first of the humans approaching the Cullens' house. So far, they were all that had arrived of our fellow vampires, all that were currently helping us against Orion's army.

A gasp drew my attention away from my thoughts, my eyes traveling to Rose and her hand cradling her stomach. Her words shocked everyone that was standing in the room, "Guys…It spoke."

Okay, sorry it took so long to post a new one, to all of the few people that have followed it this far. Be sure to tell me what you think, and if anything is confusing. I tried to explain everything the best that I could, but there are just some things that escape me until someone brings them up. More from Adeli and Delia (notice anything about their names?) in the next chapter, along with Rose's kid!