dusk

by originella

Elizabeth Partridge is the daughter of the fire chief of Forks, Washington. When she decides to move to Forks at seventeen, she never knew what could happen. While hiking, she is attacked by a rogue vampire, and Carlisle rushes to save her life. Blessed with weather and psychic telekinesis, she soon meets a Nomad, Alexander, who has chronokinesis - can these two vamps find love?

2. New Developments

Chapter Two: New Developments

After Edward and Bella dropped me off at Dad's, I could find the key buried in the soil of the typical potted plant upon the front porch. I unlocked the front door and stepped inside briefly to put my suitcases in the front hall before returning the key to the planter. I locked the door behind me and remained in the foyer for a moment, becoming aware of my surroundings and considering what to do next. The logical choice was to bring my many belongings upstairs and I decided to do that first.

The staircase was a typical dozen-stair arrangement divided into two separate parts. The first part was seven steps, and led to a landing which held an end table, and, just above that, had an oil painting of a bouquet of withering wildflowers. I got all my suitcases onto the landing before climbing up the final set of five stairs, three times over, to bring all my suitcases completely upstairs. I made my way down the corridor, stopping at the end of it and opening the door, finding myself raising my eyebrows at what I saw.

My new bedroom consisted of a full-sized wrought-iron bed frame—which curled delightfully in some places and had four rising pieces on each corner; a desk with a desktop computer center stage; a fatback T.V. with a VHS and DVD included; and two doors—one for the walk-in closet and the second for the en suite bathroom. My new bedding was, of course, a standard, patterned comforter; a goose down comforter; a fleece blanket; and standard sheet set. My walls were an appealing green, while my bedding and curtains were coordinating colors of green as well.

The second logical thing to do was to unpack my suitcase and hang my freshly laundered clothes up in the closet, as well as in the dressers I had scattered about the room. Two were in the closet—which I assumed could house my few pieces of lingerie and my necessary underwear. I remember going pink when my mother had physically dragged me into Victoria's Secret and had me promptly measured and outfitted into things that the perky salesgirl claimed were 'all the rage', 'hot', and something she said was 'fluffy'. I hardly absorbed any of it, instead opting to drag my mother into a bookstore immediately afterwards to buy some textbooks I needed for school.

After precisely folding and hanging every piece of clothing I owned, I tucked my suitcases into the back of the closet and looked out the window. It had turned out to be a lukewarm afternoon, and I decided to make the most of the day, although I didn't know the first thing of what to do in a place like this. After plugging in my cell phone, I considered searching on it—or the new desktop—to see what could possibly be done for recreation out here. It was tempting, but I wanted to see the rest of the house first.

I went downstairs to the kitchen, feeling terribly ordinary as I pulled a cardigan around my shoulders, and discovered a note from Dad upon the fridge. I raised my eyebrows for the second time that afternoon, and wondered what on earth that was doing there. He must've had a break between the massive fire break-out, I thought to myself as I pulled it off the fridge to read it. Dad always had unique handwriting; when Mom finally revealed her address to him when I was in middle school, his backlog of old birthday and Christmas cards suddenly flew in, and I immediately felt guilty for not reaching out to him on my own sooner than that.

Beth—

Hey, sweetheart. Sorry about the late notice but I must do some paperwork at the office until late. I got a ride from Deputy Channing, and I've left the car in the garage for you to take. Also, if you want, I've left some cash for you in the jar in the cupboard if you want to order in or, perhaps, drive into town and eat out or go to the store. There is enough cash to do virtually whatever you want within town—just no caviar dinners, I'm afraid, but you're not much into fish.

I have taken a few days off starting tomorrow and we'll plan some hikes or I could drive you to Port Angeles if you like to show you around the place. You've hardly been here since you moved with your mom—have you? I know you could search online for pictures of the Olympic Peninsula or whatever it is you kids search for, but, these days, the real thing is just as beautiful as it was twenty years ago.

Love you, kid.

—Dad

I decided to go for a run or for a hike, come back for a shower, and then take Dad's car and some cash and just head into the town itself to see what looked appealing. I made my way back upstairs to my bedroom and changed into some hiking clothes—capris, a tank top, a different sweater, and some sneakers—before heading out. I locked the door behind me and jogged up the street, not heading in any particular direction, merely just going which way the scenery looked 'better'.

After jogging about five miles from home, I found myself in a beautiful forest and seemed utterly content at this untouched piece of land, save for the for trials that were clearly man-made. The air smelled rich and clean—it had obviously rained earlier that day, but the sun was determined to creep through the clouds and surprise everyone. I thought such a thing was ridiculous but trudged on, finding myself nearing a clearing, and nearly gasped aloud at what I saw.

There were Edward and Bella sitting in the center of the clearing, violets and other wildflowers growing around them, utterly absorbed in one another. The sun was covered by the clouds then, but something seemed different about the two of them, now that they were on their own in a seemingly private location. Bella said something to Edward, which he clearly found to be a combination of amusing and troublesome, but Bella immediately got to her feet and ran—so quickly that she disappeared into a nearby thicket! Edward didn't much care for that, so he ran as fast as she did, into the very same thicket.

Shrinking backwards, I nearly ran all the way home, shocked at the unexpected development and resolved that they were weird and that I should probably not be around the pair of them any time soon. As I ran the five miles back home, a heavy rain picked up and I had to use my flimsy sweater as cover. It wasn't going well, and by the time I arrived on my street, I was dripping wet from head to toe. I nearly let out a scream on Dad's block when a rather large car almost collided into me, and one rather bulky guy in the driver's seat absolutely lost it. It was a Jeep, and I resolved to report their sorry assess once I was in a condition to do so.

Just as I let myself in and stepped inside, I nearly screamed for the second time that day when my father stepped out from the kitchen. He hardly recognized me, due to my doubly altered appearance, and told me to throw my clothes downstairs before my shower so as he could wash them. He was terribly understanding about the whole thing, my father, and I hollered to him about the Jeep, to which he found utterly amusing. I stuck my tongue out at him as I returned to my bedroom to take a shower, only in my bra and underwear now, quickly taking those articles of clothing off me before allowing the hot water to clear my senses from my mind and the rainwater from my body.

I trooped downstairs afterwards, dressed in jeans and a typical long-sleeved shirt and my clean pair of sneakers, and Dad threw my raincoat at me. He explained he was taking me out to the local 'nice' restaurant in town called Creekside, and I wasn't about to pass up a night where I wouldn't have to cook or pay for a meal. Dad had already changed from work into casual-elegant attire, and he told me my clothes were just fine as we stepped back out into the rain. Just as we were about to get into the car, someone from across the street called out to us.

"Hey, Partridge!"

Dad turned around and grinned, and the rain seemed to let up in that moment. "Swan! How are ya?!" he called back. Looking both ways, both Dad and this man—who I quickly deduced to being Chief of Police Charlie Swan, stopped mid-way in the street and clapped one another on the shoulder and continued exchanging pleasantries.

"How ya been, Chris?" Chief Swan asked.

"Not bad. Yourself?" Dad asked.

"Not too bad," Chief Swan replied, looking past Dad to me. "No." He turned back to Dad, a look of shock on his face. "Rosemary gave you custody?!"

Dad laughed and shook his head. "No. Beth opted to come up herself."

"Oh, my god..." Chief Swan shook his head. "So, that's who Bells and Edward said they gave a lift to." He chuckled as Dad put an arm around Chief Swan and approached me again, and I automatically put out my hand.

"Chief Swan. Great to meet you," I said, smiling.

"My Bella spoke very highly of you, Elizabeth," Chief Swan replied, shaking my hand. "She doesn't often do that—last person she did that to, she married."

"Well, she seemed very nice, sir," I reply.

"Oh, Elizabeth, please call me 'Charlie'. Everyone else seems to."

"Charlie," I say, smiling up at him. "Call me 'Beth', please."

Charlie smiles at Dad and leans up familiarly against his car. "So, tell me, Beth... You here to stay? I was afraid that your father would do something drastic..."

I raise my eyebrows, turning to my father. "Perhaps a dog?" I asked.

Charlie cleared his throat uncomfortably, and quickly changed the subject. "Where are you taking this one tonight?" he asked Dad.

"Creekside," Dad replies, either not caring or not noticing Charlie's clear discomfort only a moment ago. "Why don't you join us?"

"Thanks, but Renesmee and Jacob are coming over," Charlie says with a smile. "The wife's making dinner..."

"Sue is well?" Dad asked.

Charlie beamed—he was clearly in love with this woman. "Yeah. Still hard to believe it's been almost four years."

"And the kids?" Dad questioned.

Kids?! I thought to myself. Bella hadn't mentioned having any siblings... Then again, we'd only known each other officially for a few hours...

"Leah and Seth? Fine," Charlie replied. "I can adopt them, but they don't have to take the name—Sue and I call it a 'modern adoption'," he says with a chuckle. "Great kids—I love them, really. Seth and I spend all our weekends fishing, and Leah helps Sue out around the house. It's happy."

"Their eating is under control?" Dad asks—clearly an inside joke.

"No—they're as bad as Jacob. Renesmee goes through bouts of hunger, too—one day, she's all over Sue's cooking. The next, she's claimed to already eaten. Mostly, she just puts her food onto Jacob's plate—but you can do that sort of thing with your wife." Charlie's front door opens and a woman who looks to be Native American stands upon his porch. He turns around at what must be a familiar set of squeaks and his face breaks into a grin. "Hey," he calls, waving.

"Hello, Charlie. Chris! How are you?" the woman calls.

"Just fine, thanks, Sue!" Dad calls. "This is Beth!" he says, indicating me.

I wave. "Nice to meet you, Sue," I say, wondering if I should've asked permission before calling her by her first name.

"Beth! So, wonderful to meet you," Sue says with a smile. "You should meet our Leah sometime, Beth. You two would hit it off, I think."

I smile at that. "I'd love to, Sue."

"Oh! Our reservations are in fifteen minutes," Dad says.

"All right. Good night then, Fire Boy," Charlie says, clapping Dad on the shoulder.

"Back at you, Cop Guy," Dad says.

"Beth, really nice to see you," Charlie says, shaking my hand.

"Back at you," I reply.

"Beth?"

I raise my eyes, the half-dead body of a mountain lion barely managing to writhe in my hands. I lean down and complete the kill, the rest of blood trickling down my throat with ease. I straighten up then; it will be dark soon and I still have an essay due tomorrow. I then remind myself that sleep is no longer a necessity, so it quickly calms my nerves as I perch on a nearby tree limb and wait for Bella to complete her hunt.

"You were gone," Bella says after she's finished. She shoves the carcass of her own mountain lion away from her, and moves to stand at the base of my tree. "What's the matter?" she asks, and I see genuine concern in her golden eyes.

I sigh. "Did you ever have a moment when human memories suddenly returned to you?" I ask her. "Long-term, it's not an issue for me, although I suppose I should begin writing things down just in case," I say softly. "But short-term... They come at me in waves and I find myself..."

"Confused?" Bella asks.

I nod. "Yeah. Something like that..."

She nods. "What did you see? Anything good?"

"Your dad," I confess. "I remember meeting your dad."

At once, Bella is tense. "My dad?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"Could he see you? Clearly?"

I shake my head. "I don't think so. It was dark—close to dinner hour. On my first night here, after you and Edward dropped me off, I went for a hike, and then..." I shook my head, and then found myself laughing. "I thought you were trouble..."

Bella laughed. "Trouble? Us?"

"To be sure," I replied in a faux British accent. "I went for a five-mile hike or jog or whatever and found you two in..."

"In...what?"

"A meadow," I say, unable to find a better word.

"Oh. Yeah, that's our place," Bella says softly.

"Well...you said something to Edward—I didn't know what—and ran away from him! And I mean ran—vampire ran..."

"Whoa. So, you dodged a bullet quickly..."

"What do you mean?"

"Had you inadvertently revealed yourself, or if we'd somehow got wind or it..." Bella shook her head. "The Volturi."

"What?!" I cried out.

Bella zoomed forward then, perching directly in front of me on the tree limb. "Do you remember anything—anything—about the thing that bit you?"

"I couldn't see his face..."

"You're sure it was a man?"

"Yes. He yelled at me to keep quiet—I remember now..."

"Good. Remember anything else?"

"His face was covered. I couldn't see it. White hands and...red eyes," I whisper then, the detail having escaped me before.

"What was he wearing? A mask?"

"No," I reply. "A black cloak, with red velvet inside it..."

Bella looks shocked then and immediately drags me down from the tree, through the woods, and towards the house. We fly in through the nearest door, and, just as we get up the stairs, Alice is seated on the couch, Jasper beside her. As we enter, Alice looks quite shocked, a sketch of something in her hand.

"Alice?" Bella asks.

"What's that?" I ask.

Alice holds up a sketch then as Carlisle and Esme enter from the kitchen. Edward appears at Bella's side, and Emmett and Rosalie peer over Alice's shoulders. "Does he look familiar to you?" she asks.

Just as I am about to answer, I feel myself tense as Alex comes into the room. How he had such a profound effect on me, I'll never know, but as he peered at Alice's sketch, I sensed some familiarity in his eyes. His look of shock soon turned into anger, and he grabbed the sketch from Alice and tore it to pieces.

"Alex!" I shouted.

"That monster!" he shouted. "I never thought that I..."

"What?" Carlisle said, genuinely concerned.

"That... He did this to me!" Alex screeched.

I find myself lowering myself to the other living room couch, opposite of Alice and Jasper. "I suppose that would make two of us," I reply. "I recognize the bridge to his nose..."

Alex yells again, smashing a glass vase from the dining room table. "Made me suffer—for years I endured... All that blood of innocent people spilt..."

"Who is he?" I ask, softly, calmly.

"You haven't told her?" Alice asks, raising her eyes to Bella.

"What? Told me what?" I ask.

"The Volturi are our royalty, of sorts," Carlisle says softly. "They reside in Tuscany, and they've been in...business for centuries. I was once a high-ranking member, but I could not abide to drink the blood of humans, so I left on good terms."

"Yes, I remember all that," I say, a little impatiently. "And he's a member of the Volturi?" I ask, nodding to Alice's sketch. "That man that you've drawn is a member?"

"He's the leader," Jasper puts in.

"He's called Aro," Alice replies, looking from me to the sketch. "Aro makes the choice to convert those who he sees as valuable, just as you've proven to be..."

"Or risking the exposure of our world," Bella says softly.

"What?" Edward asks, looking down at his mate.

"Beth told me in the woods that she saw us," Bella says.

"I saw them in the meadow, on my first day in Forks," I reply. "Bella said something that Edward thought to be amusing, and then Bella...ran," I say, not wishing to draw it out longer than necessary.

"Aro didn't want Beth created..." Carlisle says, shocked.

"Aro wanted Beth eliminated," Alice replies, looking up at me. "I can't see them coming, but I'll watch for it. Perhaps if she sees what a prize Beth is..."

"No." Alex's voice is firm; clearly finished with his tantrum, he comes and stands in front of me protectively. "Aro is not coming near Beth—not again."

I manage to walk away from him, to a relatively safe distance as dictated by human personal space laws. "I don't want you to protect me," I say, firmly. I turn to the rest of the Cullen's. "That goes for all of you. I can't ask you to..."

Esme comes and takes me into her arms. "Beth, you know full well that we've managed to obtain legal documents for your formal adoption," she says softly. "We are your family, like it or not, and we'll protect you, like it or not."

"I can't ask you to..."

"You can." Carlisle puts a hand upon my shoulder. "Trust us, Beth, you don't need to pretend with any of us."

"I just don't want to be a burden," I say, settling into Esme's arms. It was never like this with my own mother—granted, she was a dear, loving woman, but it was like living with a rich teenager when I was with her. For junior prom, she went for the slutty dress—when I didn't even want to go to a dance with a boy I didn't care about and waste a whole bunch of time and money.

"You're not," Esme assures me.

"We'll tell you if you are," Emmett tells me.

I glare at him. "Will you?" I ask, a challenge, and he backs down. "It is wonderful that you all wish to protect me, but..."

"But what?" Esme asks, pulling back and looking at me. "What are you thinking?"

"I still can't hear you," Edward tells me quietly.

I shrug. "No idea why..."

"Come," Carlisle says softly. "If you don't tell us your thoughts, we'll never be able to even attempt to help you."

I pull back from Esme and turn away from them all, crossing my arms and gripping my elbows tightly to hold my own concentration. "Perhaps if I left... I could become a Nomad and practice vegetarianism under an assumed name..."

"No." Esme crosses to me and grips me, tightly. "You won't go anywhere, Beth. We don't even know if there's danger yet, and I won't have any of my children leaving here if it's under the guise of protecting all of us. We remain together as a family, Beth. If there is danger to be considered with the Volturi, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But unless that time comes, you'll stay here."

I turn back to face them, knowing that, had I remained human, there would be tears falling from my eyes. "I didn't ask for this—any of it. I don't want to put any of you into danger if it comes to that... And my father..." My voice breaks.

"Your ability to be in control is impressive—as impressive as Bella was as a Newborn, as I said before," Jasper says, still at Alice's side. "If you could control yourself as well as you do at school..."

"It's just a tickle," I tell him. "I barely feel the burning sensation anymore."

Jasper turns to Carlisle. "If, by next summer—after Beth has graduated and turned eighteen—we could reveal her to Christopher..."

"I don't know," Carlisle says. "Charlie was pretty willing to accept Bella's change—with lack of the full story—and her living here, but that's only because..."

"Only because I married Edward," Bella says, shaking her head. "Other than the name you gave her, Beth has no ties to us. And if she's found out now, you two could be arrested for kidnapping..."

"I'd see it coming," Alice says softly. "And besides, there's the psychological aspect to it. I mean, suppose we do wait to tell Christopher about Beth being alive. He's friends with Charlie, right?"

"Yes," Bella and I say at the same time.

"Maybe there's a way to do it without alarming him or the authorities," Carlisle says quietly, mulling it over. "Nothing has to be decided tonight. We'll wait out the next few months, after Beth's graduation. Is that all right with you, Beth?"

I nod. "Yes. I don't want you getting into trouble on my account," I tell him, leaning back into Esme's arms again, comforted by her.

I soon excused myself to finish writing my essay —it was about the scandal involving Queen Victoria and Lord Melbourne—and found myself wondering if, perhaps, Alex would know anything about it. He'd lived with us for nearly three months now, so, due to his being an authority on the subject, I thought it right to ask him about it. I went to his room—in the attic which had been renovated for our cousins from Denali—to ask him. I found the walk easy—I merely walked a few paces down the corridor, and jumped up the ladder to the attic, cat-like, and stood, poised on the door paneling.

"No need to stop there," Alex tells me, from where he is perched by the window.

I step inside, making my way towards him, my laptop in my arms. Coming to stand beside him, I can feel him shift slightly so as he is angled away from me. I decide to ignore it and produce my laptop, informing him of the subject matter and repeating word-for-word what our assignment is and how our conclusion should reflect what it means to us. I am pleased when Alex offers a first-hand account, and I modify it to sound more plausible to a typical audience. I am pleased with it, and decide to remain there if he will have me, finding myself content in his presence.

"How long did you stay on your own?" I ask softly.

"Quite some time," he replies. "Before the Volturi wiped them all out, I stayed with some of the larger covens around the world. It was so wonderful to be a part of a big family. It was not difficult to get used to..."

"You had a big family?" I guessed.

He nods. "Yes. After my mother died when I was a teenager, I had to help support the family to my fullest. My father was a baker in Buckingham Palace, and I strove to aim as high as possible—I was such a haughty, greedy boy that when the Prince Consort got wind of my behavior, he sought to straighten me out."

"What happened?" I wanted to know.

"I was fourteen when my mother died, and my father thought it was high time I quit regular education and began apprenticeship to him. It was long and tiring work—I never liked the concept of baking. I would rather pocket the sweets and eat them myself than work for my father. He was not a patient man, and if I did not do something per his instructions, he ordered the Master of Horse to have me whipped." Without hesitation, he lifted his shirt completely off his body, and I saw lash marks upon his back.

"Alex!" I cried, shocked.

He nods. "If you have some sort of ailment or change upon you—short hair, like Alice; or like my whip marks—they remain with you after you're turned," he explains, not even bothering to put his shirt back on. "Thus, I was whipped regularly by him because I would not conform to his way of life."

"But if you were a servant to Prince Albert at the time of your transformation," I say, "why would you still have whip marks?"

"Depends upon how much and how hard one is whipped," Alex replied patiently. "My father beat me regularly out of disappointment that I did not work alongside him." At my perplexed expression, he goes on, "There was an understanding of hierarchy when it came to the kitchen staff. When my father died, or retired, I was expected to pick up where he left off and become the new baker. But I did not see myself kneading bread or baking cakes; I did not envision such a life for myself."

"Did you see yourself with a beautiful woman?" I ask him softly, careful not to look at him as I press him. "A woman as lovely as Queen Victoria, perhaps? A woman to give you a great many children to spend your life with?"

"I was married," Alex admits, softly.

I don't even blink. "Were you?"

"Yes. I married at seventeen—your age—to a girl called Miss Emma Harrington. She was a lovely girl, and while I loved her, I was not in love with her. Her father, Sir John Harrington, was another favorite of Prince Albert's—from Germany. Emma spotted me sneaking one of my father's cakes one afternoon and, instead of turning me in, I offered to share it with her. I suppose she informed her father or somebody about the situation later, because I was soon summoned to Prince Albert's rooms. Instead of kicking me out of the palace, he said that perhaps it would benefit everyone if I did not serve in the kitchens anymore. He then decided to employ me as a spy."

"A spy?!" I demand. "Whatever for?!"

"There were rumors that Prince Albert, who later became King Edward the Seventh, was having an affair with an actress by the name of Nellie Clifden, and the queen and Prince Consort would have none of that. I accompanied Prince Albert to Cambridge where the Prince of Wales was, and, although history would have you believe differently, I was sent to become a friend to the prince and to spy for the Prince Consort. Prince Albert was far too ill to speak to his son; while in Cambridge, I was bought the clothes of a proper gentleman, despite being given the courtesy title of Sir Alexander Radclyffe—with a 'Y', not an 'I'—and was dressed as a fine lord."

"What happened with the Prince of Wales?" I asked.

"I merely informed him that we're all men," Alex replied simply. "He agreed to stop the affair—never confirming or denying that there was one—in order to appease his mother and father, although he detested them for it."

I felt my insides twisting. "Do you mean to say that all men, despite apparent commitment to the kingdom or to their wives, took mistresses?" I whisper.

"Some did, of course. It was a standard practice for those days, as it is now."

I lower my eyes. "Perhaps to some, yet if women dare to step outside of what men call 'the marriage bed', we are branded as sluts and whores," I say, raising my eyes to his, "and forever ostracized from 'goodly' society."

"You seem to feel quite strongly about all of this," Alex observes.

"One must," I reply.

"Your father or your mother?" he asks, understanding my meaning.

"My mother, of all people," I reply. "She had to go to a psychologist to treat her postpartum psychosis in the months after giving birth to me."

"What did she do?"

"Tried to kill me," I replied. "Attempted to drown me half a dozen times, at least. She nearly burned me on the stove when she attempted to 'cook' while holding me..." I shake my head, shocked at her depravity. "Ups and downs are natural, I suppose, but this was anything but natural."

"What happened?"

"She started sleeping with her therapist," I reply, bitterly. "I was too young to really understand it all. She left my dad when I was about two, taking me with her. Dr. Quack, as I like to call him, bought a new practice down in San Francisco, California, and lived with us until I was about halfway done with elementary school. He then proposed to my mother, but she had another episode and we ran away again. We ran to Sherman Oaks where my mother finally followed up with the attorney for her family and managed to seize all the assets she was promised. The conditions were she either had to be married, at least thirty, or have a child. She'd followed up on a third of the bargain, so I was her bargaining chip to get her fortune. We bought a house and she enrolled me in private school; she also got a different psychotherapist—a woman—and actually got help..."

"Is that why you have all these walls up?"

I cross my arms, my nails biting into my elbows. "I don't know what you're talking about," I say, gritting my fangs together.

"You do," Alex says. He reaches out then, putting his hand on my arm—it is the first time we have physically touched.

I find myself letting out a gasp; I don't move away, nor do I move towards him. I cannot look at him, even though I am clearly on fire. Finally, I turn my head ever so slightly to look at Alex, and I find him so close to me. "What are you doing?" I whisper.

"Does it matter?" he asks.

"Yes," I say back. "It means everything..."

Alex takes the opportunity to close the distance completely between us and brushes his lips with mine. He wraps his arms around me and pulls me to him, so as his body is up against mine. He manages to tip my neck back ever so slightly to get a better angle to my mouth, and our kiss deepens. His body feels wonderful pressed against mine, and I reach out to pull him closer to me as well.

Then, the thoughts ebb within me and I cannot do this. I consider him sleeping with me and then discarding me, and I know that I will never be able to live such a thing down. It is too soon, I think to myself. Three months you've known him... No promises have been made, and no conversation! Don't do this!

I pull away from him then, making an excuse about finishing my essay. Although Alex is clearly disappointed, he allows me to leave his room and to go on my way. I return to my bedroom—which is really a moot point—and stand there, motionless and at a loss for what to do. My mind takes me back to the night of junior prom and my date, Sawyer Hathaway, one of those typical jock types from our all-male-high-school counterpart. Sawyer had never heard the word 'no' in his life, which cemented the first lie I'd told the Cullen family and I knew it wouldn't be the last. Biting my lip and finding that it hurt, I'd remembered Sawyer fumbling with my dress, getting out the protection, and—despite my protests—taking away something that I hadn't even wanted to give him.

I quickly emailed my completed essay to the homework website. I had to get away from here completely for a while. With winter break coming up after this weekend, I would only be missing a couple of days of school. Besides, you can always manipulate the weather to be sunny, I thought to myself. Quickly, I packed a bag—my laptop, clothes, phone charger, and other necessities—and stole out of my bedroom like a thief in the night. I am now wearing my winter coat, hat, gloves, and snow boots as I slip outside, unheard, and walk stealthily across the snow to my car without slipping once. I hop inside, the full tank of gas staring back at me; I know that due to my fast driving and leaving at almost ten o'clock at night, I'll be able to make it there by dawn at least. I'd left a note in my bedroom, telling the Cullen's that I needed some space due to new developments, and I needed to figure some things out. Quickly, I turned on the car and left the property, making my way up the winding road—past the forest and the cottage that Edward and Bella lived in—and onto the main highway.

Hardly any cars passed through here, and I found comfort in that as I drove along the road in the darkness. I felt my eyes prick for what must've been the thousandth time that day, and I found I didn't know very much about the world at all. Besides Forks and various cities in California, I'd never been anywhere in my life. This was my first adventure—well, my first adventure on my terms. I checked my brand-spanking-new GPS system, and soon discovered that I was indeed going in the right direction along the highway, and I hoped that, perhaps, I'd be able to be welcomed with open arms.

It was soon pitch black outside yet I found the darkness to be calm and welcoming to my psyche. I remembered those few good years with Mom, knowing full well that it was all too good to be true. And then she'd met Andy and her first priority—although she'd never admit it—was to make him happy. I'd managed to track her successfully from where she was—she was now on location with Andy somewhere in London—and it was reported in all the gossip magazines that the pair of them had gotten engaged. The following day, she was confirmed to be pregnant and—just a week ago—she reported to the media that she was expecting twin boys. I saw the tabloid pictures of her and merely saw her fresh face—probably a hidden endorsement for COVERGIRL or Revlon or Maybelline New York—and not at all like a woman who had only just lost her firstborn child.

Bella had managed to receive reports my father through hers over the last few months. If she and Edward believed that Charlie wasn't being truthful enough, then Edward would glean the police chief's mind further. By all accounts, he'd not stopped working, and his performance rate was higher than ever. He seemed to want to take on more and more dangerous missions, however, and really got a kick out of rescuing children and small animals from burning buildings. From what Edward had managed to glean from my own father's mind directly was, quite simply, that he either wanted to get married and have more children or to simply adopt.

I thought it was wonderful that my father had managed to show grief appropriately. I just wish that the months would roll by quickly and I could somehow beg for my father's forgiveness for 'pretending' to be dead all this time. I decided to inform Carlisle that it would be prudent if I simply lost my memory for all these months, as well as the fact that, due to the burns, I had to receive severe plastic surgery, resulting in my massively altered appearance. Humans, I'd learned over my past few months of being a vampire, we're quite gullible creatures and—though I feared and loathed to trick my own father a second time —I knew it would be to both our benefit to have him in my life. As the sun rose, I just made out the mountain of Denali, and found myself growing nervous as I made my way past it, then up the drive—hidden to the public—of where the Denali Coven had chosen to live. As I made my way up the embankment, I spotted two blonde women, a raven-haired woman, a man with jet-black hair who stood beside her, and a man with brown hair who stood beside one of the blondes. I parked a few feet away from him and got out of my car, hesitating for a moment.

The blonde standing alone stepped forward. "I am Tanya. How can I help you?"

"I am Beth Cullen," I say, feeling odd at saying my new name outside of a school setting. "I am one of the newer members of the Olympic Coven."

Eleazar steps forward. "And quite a powerful one, too," he assesses quickly. "You are the one who can control the weather and manipulate objects. Your self-control is evident—not seen since Bella was turned... And your shield...remarkable."

I nod. "I have those gifts."

The second blonde steps forward; where Tanya's hair is attractively curled, this girls' hair is perpetually straight; the man who stands with her—her mate—is close behind her. "Show us your abilities," she says, clearly not trusting me completely.

Kate, I deduce immediately; Bella had told me of the shocks that this girl could give, and yet, I wanted to see it for myself. I step forward then, remembering Edward's warning about Kate's 'force field' but I didn't care. Maybe a night jolt or zap of something would wake me up from this eternal nightmare. I raise my hand to hers, and touch it—and it is exactly like touching a human hand. I find myself smiling at her, not feeling a thing, and Kate tenses, clearly putting her abilities on full blast, but to no avail.

"Shield. Nice," she allows, pulling away. "Now, for the others."

I raise my arms towards the skies, pointing my fingers towards them. Lightning erupted from my fingertips and filled the sky, sending lightning bolts bouncing off the nearby mountain. Mid-talent, I switched my ability to snow, and I could sense some raised eyebrows among me. Then, rain, and all of them covered their heads in shock—the raven-haired woman gasped in delight. Finally, I parted the clouds and permitted sun to rain down upon us, and we sparkled at one another.

"What about your telekinesis?" Kate asks.

Smiling, I decide to turn the tables on her. I manage to lift Kate effortlessly with my mind from the ground, bringing her higher and higher, and finally allowing to bounce all the way back down. I let her go about a foot off the ground, straight into a snow drift, and her clothes are quite wet immediately. I find I do not begin to laugh until everyone else does so, too, not wanting to laugh at my own joke.

"Garrett!" Kate screeches in anger, and her mate falls silent.

"You are quite talented," says the raven-haired woman. "Carmen," she tells me with a quick smile to her plum-colored lips.

"My better half," Eleazar tells me. "Where is Edward? And his bride?"

I sigh, shaking my head. "The other Cullen's are still in Forks," I report. "That Nomad you kept with you for a time..."

"Alex?" Tanya asks.

I nod. "Yes. Him. He... He has made the living situation complicated and difficult. I was going to go out on my own..."

"No." Tanya steps forward. "Carlisle and Esme have made you family—now you are ours, too. It will be wonderful to have another girl cousin. Books or clothes?"

I raise my eyebrows. "What?"

"Bella prefers books, but Alice and Rosalie would pick clothes any day," Kate huffs, still covered a bit in snow. "It'd be nice to have a ratio."

"Books," I reply, immediately. "However, I'm not a slob. I want to look nice now and again but I don't depend upon it."

Carmen steps forward and puts an arm around me. "Then we shall get along just fine, dulce niña," she tells me. "Come. You shall have Irina's room while you are here," she says as Eleazar and Garrett automatically wander to my car to get my bag. "I trust you know full well who Irina is, Beth?"

I nod. "Yes, of course. I'm terribly sorry."

She smiles. "I should think that you would be sorry. You have a kind heart," she replies. "It will all work itself out—your problems. I know it."

I smile. "Can you see into the future, like Alice?"

Carmen giggles as we head up the stairs. "I only possess the basics and self-control," she replies easily. "One's gifts aren't earned, they simply appear."

"One would think kindness in and of itself would be one," I say quietly as Carmen opens a door in the center of the long hallway.

"You seem to be quite kind," Carmen tells me.

I sigh. "I'm not," I tell her. "I've lied to my father..."

"Yes, Carlisle called Tanya and she relayed to us what happened. It may have not been a kind thing, Beth, but it was a considerate thing. Newborns have no self-control—save for you and Bella—but it was too risky to chance it. What if one thing had gone wrong and it had ended badly? At least he is safe."

I nod. "Yes," I whisper, finding myself looking out the window at the rather impressive view Irina's bedroom had to offer. "But at what cost?"