I apologize for the delayed update. . . But I'm back now, and the next chapter will be up soon! Many thanks to all of the reviewers—you guys are what keep me writing! Hope you all enjoy this one, and don't forget to review after reading. Any kind of feedback is welcome. Thanks again!
Chapter Four:
The lighting came quick, fast, and strong—and it didn't stop. It was like a severe thunderstorm, minus the rain and thunder. The vampires were unaware of what was happening, but Edward sought through the mass of voices that surrounded him now, and caught someone . . . familiar.
"Logan."
And then the lightning stopped, and everything was just as it was before—not including the rabid newborn vampire and Rosalie still shivering in Emmett's arms from the shock of her previous encounter.
Alice was panicking. I want to know what the hell is going on.
Edward nodded silently, and turned to face Bella. "Everything is okay, my love. Please retract your shield."
Bella reluctantly did what she was told, although she was still unsure why Edward had suggested she do this. Ever since Alice had sensed the threat's danger at the door the first time, and had sent Rosalie to answer it, she'd stretched her shield out as far as she could, over the whole house and all of its happily distracted guests. Now, it snapped like a rubber band as she coiled it back to herself.
But her attention was quickly gained elsewhere as they came. They came quickly and silently—eerily, almost, as they walked forward, unafraid and determined. They could have resembled the Volturi, in a way, if they had all been wearing long robes and had piercingly white skin. They each were beautiful, in their own, mortal way—and their heartbeats were steady and rhythmic. But Bella knew that these were no ordinary humans.
The five mysterious beings came forward—the group was led by a wolfish-looking man, with extended metal claws that shimmered in the darkness. His eyes were focused, but not angry (at least not yet). For some reason, Bella knew that he wasn't the leader. The aura that was emitted off of the man in the technologically advanced wheelchair, despite his fragile state, radiated colors of strength and intellectualism. He was the leader.
The woman with the icy white hair and beautifully shaded skin was an obvious second-in-command, her face strong and intimidating. The other visitors—one a short brunette with evident intelligence and the other a muscled giant that easily matched Emmett's brawn—were more subtle than the others, an unreadable expression upon both their faces. Despite this, they all were still painstakingly beautiful. Bella was intrigued.
When they finally stopped merely a few feet away from Edward, everything fell silent. Even the ongoing party inside the house seemed to hush at this meeting of the supernatural.
Though Edward and the Professor had been communicating with their minds, Wolverine was the first to speak.
"Well, well, Eddie—it's been awhile." He mused.
Edward snarled at the nickname, and answered sharply, "Yes, it's been a very long while. I'm surprised you're still alive."
"It's hard to get rid of someone like me," Wolverine chuckled. He slid his metal claws back into place, intently watching the surrounding vampires as they watched him. "We mean no harm."
"I'm aware," Edward replied, annoyed. He turned to his family and saw the utter confusion along their faces. Emmett was the most confused—he looked both betrayed and infuriated, all at the same time.
What the hell, Edward? What's happening? The tone of Emmett's mind was anointed in pain.
"Get Rosalie inside," Edward directed, "and have Carlisle come here, please."
Emmett listened to his brother and carried Rosalie inside the house, slurring profanities within his mind. Carlisle returned in an instant, his calming aura illuminating the stress between everyone outside. He and the Professor exchanged warm smiles, and the tense atmosphere seemed to vanish. No one seemed to notice that Jasper had come outside, too.
"Xavier! It's been years." Carlisle and the Professor met halfway, closing the gap between vampire and mutant, as they shook hands.
"It has indeed." The Professor said in a friendly voice. "How are you, my friend?"
"I am doing very well." Carlisle answered. "Have you spoken to Moira lately?"
Edward! Give me answers—now. Alice was frustrated, despite Jasper's presence. Why is Carlisle shooting the breeze with the guy who attacked us?
"Alice, it's rude to interrupt," Edward said silently, loud enough so only the vampires could hear. Carlisle turned, hearing their conversation, and chuckled.
"I thought I've taught you both better than that," he mused; now turning back to the Professor. "Forgive me, Charles, but this is my family—Edward, Bella, Alice, and Jasper."
The Professor nodded his head and smiled his age-old smile.
"I am Professor Charles Xavier; it's very nice to meet all of you." He then turned his chair so that he faced his own 'children'—the X-Men, who stood opposite the vampires with an equally confused expression across their features.
"Allow me to introduce my team of gifted students—the X-Men." He gestured his hand in a proud manner, as if displaying some sort of award-winning experiment. "This is Storm, Wolverine, Shadowcat, and Colossus—all code-names, of course."
"We are pleased to meet all of you," Carlisle answered to the X-Men, smiling politely. "But it seems as though we've encountered another one of your students—"
"Rogue," Xavier chuckled softly.
Suddenly, the newborn vampire's head lifted up off the damp ground, her eyes becoming soft.
"Rogue, control your power." The Professor's words were fierce.
But the girl obeyed. All eyes watched as she slowly pulled herself up off the ground, her body relaxing and her eyes growing a somber color. Within minutes her acquired bloodlust had vanished as she joined her teammates. She still seemed a little taken aback, though, as she turned to face the vampires who seemed to share the same expression.
Alice threw up her arms in disbelief.
"Will someone please tell me just what the hell is going on?" her voice broke through the awestruck silence. "Carlisle, you know how angry I get when I can't see what's ahead of us—and these people are blocking out my sight entirely!"
"I agree, my friend," Xavier said quietly, exchanging a glance with a requited Alice. "I must explain to you my intentions of coming here and disrupting your gathering—I have some very unsettling news."
Edward cringed, his entire body stiffening as he read the Professor's thoughts.
Carlisle nodded as he took in Edward's expression, his face now serious.
"Very well then," he said quietly. "Allow my family and myself to rally the guests and tell them that the party is over—and then we can all discuss the matter inside."
*-*-*-*
Jacob and Nessie seemed to be completely oblivious to the happenings inside the house as they continued playing on the back porch. Jake lounged along the wooden porch swing, his eyes carefully watching Renesmee as she collected rocks and inspected them with utmost curiosity. He smiled as he took notice at how pretty she looked, even after messing up her perfectly curled hair and dirtying her dress. The pitter-patter of Seth and Leah could be heard nearby.
"Hey, Seth!" Jacob was bored out of his mind; might as well check and see if anything interesting was up. The sandy brown wolf appeared from the woods, his eyes intense—almost like he was bothered. "Is your sister being difficult again?" Jacob guessed.
Seth's wolf-form shook its head. A flicker in his dark, canine eyes told Jake to hold on as he returned to the forest. In seconds, Seth reappeared in his human state, his dark hair tousled and his body absent of any clothing other than a tattered pair of shorts. Nessie ran up to greet him, embracing his massive leg in a warm hug.
"Hey, Jake." he greeted sullenly. "Hi, Ness."
"You look upset," Jacob replied sternly. "Something the matter?"
Despite how fast Seth was aging, he was still just a kid—and Leah sometimes seemed to forget that. Jacob tried his hardest to look out for the little guy—he chuckled at the word 'little' being used to describe Seth in his mind—whenever Leah's wrath ensued. Even Renesmee looked worried.
"Kind of," Seth answered ruefully, kicking the dirt with the foot Nessie wasn't attached to. "The blonde vamp got attacked by a newborn out front—only, I didn't sense anything. She didn't have a specific scent or anything. It was a little sweet, but not sweet enough to be a vampire." His features arranged themselves into a fixture of puzzlement.
"Sounds strange," Jacob agreed, contemplating Seth's explanation. "Were you close to the house when this happened?"
"A few hundred feet—I could hear the blonde and the other vamp going at it. O'course, I didn't know the other girl was a leech at this point—like I said, her scent wasn't special. Anyways, Leah is blaming me for letting her get too close. She can come up with some pretty mean stuff in that head of hers." Seth sighed.
"Yeah, I know." Jake laughed, picking up his beloved Renesmee and hugging her tightly. "I'm just glad that rabid parasite didn't get you, Nessie." He gingerly touched his finger to her button-nose.
"That's not very nice," replied Renesmee in her delicate voice, her eyes scrutinizing Jacob's features in evident disapproval.
Jake chuckled again. "Okay, okay—the rabid vampire. That better?"
Nessie nodded.
Jacob now redirected his attention to Seth, who still looked upset.
"Hey, kid—don't worry about Leah. She'll get over it." He reached over and patted Seth's shoulder. Seth smiled weakly at the gesture. "So how's Blondie? She okay?"
"Ask her yourself." Seth said with a grin.
Jake turned to see Rosalie standing in the doorway of the sliding backdoor, looking happier than usual. She had exchanged her party attire from earlier this evening to a more casual outfit, but still looked stunning. She even smelled a little different.
"Speak of the devil!" Jake crowed, flashing Rose a joking smile.
Rose rolled her eyes, stepping toward Jacob and Nessie apprehensively. She shot Seth an uninterested glance and held out her arms for the child.
"Come here, sweetie," she said quietly, smiling now.
Renesmee emptied herself from Jacob's arms, willingly clinging to her aunt Rose. "How are you feeling?" She asked with obvious concern.
"Better than ever," Rosalie replied absentmindedly. "That was some party."
Jake scrunched his eyebrows. "Boy, that newborn must have ripped you a new one—are you suffering from amnesia, Blondie?"
Rose looked confused. "What are you talking about, mongrel?"
"Hmm," Jacob hummed, exchanging an entertained look with Seth, "guess you're not feeling much like yourself, huh? Wish I could've seen that vamp tear you up!"
Rosalie looked annoyed. "You're an idiot. I'm taking Renesmee into town for a bit. We'll be back in a few."
"Wait—what? It's almost her bedtime; you're not taking her anywhere." Jacob replied authoritatively.
"Oh, calm down. Bella, Alice, and I are taking Jessica Stanley home—we're hoping the car ride will put Nessie to sleep." Rose smiled innocently.
Jacob hated to have Renesmee apart from him, but he decided that it would be a good time to check in with the rest of the pack. "Alright, I guess that's fine. See you in a bit, kid." He leaned forward and kissed Nessie lightly on the forehead. "Don't do anything stupid." He instructed Rosalie.
"Take your own advice, canine." She spat back, hugging Nessie closer to her cold frame. As they rounded the corner of the house that led to the garage, she turned to give the two teenaged werewolves another acidic look.
Jacob swore that for one moment he saw Rosalie's eyes glow a menacing yellow color.
"Vampires," he huffed, and ran into the forest alongside Seth.
*-*-*-*
When Jacob returned only but fifteen minutes later, the house was still crowded with guests. Only, these guests weren't anything like the previous ones at the party—in fact, these guests weren't even human at all.
He walked into the living room to see a colorful array of characters crowded on the couches and loveseats. There was a tall woman, talking to Esme, an older man in a wheelchair speaking with Carlisle and Edward, and three would-be teenagers conversing with Bella, Alice, and Jasper. Emmett and Rose must still be out with Nessie.
In the back of the room, propped against the wall, was a short man with a cigarette in his mouth. He stood out amongst the guests, looking utterly unconcerned, reaching into his black leather jacket every so often to pull out another cigarette from its package. Jake wasn't sure who these people were, or what business they had here, but they looked entertaining. He took a seat next to Bella on the couch, a smile spread across his face.
"Hey, Bells—who're your new friends?" He asked with obvious interest.
"Hey, Jake." Bella returned the smile. "These are some of Carlisle's old friends—but, where's Renesmee? I've been dying to let her meet them."
Jacob felt the confusion on his face. "Uh. . . Isn't Nessie with you?"
"Of course not, Jake," Bella laughed. "She never leaves your side."
Jacob's voice grew shaky. "Yeah, but Rosalie came outside earlier before I went to go run with Seth—she said you guys were taking someone home, and that the car ride. . . "
Jake trailed off, now realizing that all eyes were on him. He turned to meet every frightened gaze as he broke his sentence off to stare right back. Panic painted Bella's features as she looked into Jacob's eyes, her mouth open in awe.
"Jake, Rosalie is upstairs. . . She got hurt. . ." Bella's voice was barely a whisper, but everyone could hear it in the silence.
"I figured that's why she was acting different. . ." Jake replied softly.
"Oh. My. God."
Alice's voice broke the silence as she sat frozen from where she was on the recliner, her fingers massaging her temples forcefully in her attempt to focus. Bella rushed to her side, a worried expression now on her face, as the rest of the vampires followed suit.
Jake was still confused. "What's going on?"
The voice that answered him was unfamiliar, but entirely knowledgeable, as the man in the wheelchair responded:
"An imposter."
The word made Jacob begin to convulse angrily as he felt the blood heat throughout his body. How could I let this happen? He scolded himself, shaking uncontrollably as he headed toward the front door. The faces around him began to blur as the jolts grew more intense, and he tried to brace the wall for support.
"But. . . She didn't smell . . . different—"he coughed out between vibrations, still struggling to keep from phasing.
"How could you let this happen?" Edward growled from elsewhere in the room, his voice drenched in fury. "Alice, can you see Renesmee? Do you know where she is?"
"She's—I can't—"
"Carlisle, I urge your daughter not to strain herself—I'm afraid to report that the Rosalie that fooled Jacob is a mutant, like us." The Professor's words were hardly helpful, but everyone's attention was now directed on him. "She is a shape-shifter, and can alter herself to appear as anyone—both human and non-human alike."
"Mystique," the tall, white-haired woman said achingly—Jacob cringed in infuriation as she spoke the captor's name.
"I knew I smelled something foul," the man against the wall called out, extending his metal claws. "No worries, Eddie—we'll take it from here."
*-*-*-*
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