I just wanted to say, thank you for all your support. You guys have truly made me want to write more, and you have encouraged me to do better. Also, my cheeks hurt after all the smiling I had done when I read your reviews. THANK YOU SO MUCH! (Hugs for all!) Plus, I will be UD more often b/c ITS SUMMER TIME! WOOT-WOOT! Let's all party with sparkling vamps! xD Pic's for this chapter will be posted on my profile! Big thanks to everyone who reviewed for the previous chapter and the small A/N! This chapter's song is called; let the flames begin by Paramore…

Somewhere weakness is our strength,

And I'll die searching for it.

I can't let myself regret such selfishness.

My pain and all the trouble caused,

No matter how long

I believe that there's hope

Buried beneath it all and

Hiding beneath it all, and

Growing beneath it all, and...

Forks, Washington, 2008
Isabella Marie Whitlock Mason Cullen's POV:

"I didn't know you were that good at snowball…" Mumbled my brother as we all walked back to the house. I chuckled harder, knowing the distress on his face was caused by my outstanding 'war' skills.

"Well I guess it just runs in the family. I have my own battle tactics as well you know." I gave Jasper a light jab in the rib cage and he rolled his eyes.

Emmett let out a throaty chuckle and said, "Dude you just got owned by your baby sister!" Everyone laughed at that, but I knew how to turn it around on Emmett.

"Yeah Emmett he did…but I think I recall you hiding from me in the woods. And as you so nicely put it to Jasper, 'you just go owned by me'." Jasper gave me a thankful smile and I giggled at Emmett's annoyed expression.

It felt good to be called their baby sister. Both of them. Though Emmett and I weren't blood related, the bond we shared was too tight to call it anything else. We were all family in our own unique ways.

And no matter how much I would love to spend the day bragging about my victory, Jasper and Emmett did get in a few good throws.

Those two tag-teamed and while Edward and I were sharing an intimate moment, they totally ambushed us! That was when ice balls started to fly.

When we arrived home, I ran up towards my room and stripped free from my soaked clothes. While I was browsing around for a shirt, I sensed my husband's presence lurking up behind me.

Before I could react, he tossed me onto the bed and was on top of me with a sinister smirk. I giggled while he attacked my neck with kisses.

My hands found his back and I gently scratched up and down, making him growl.

He loved it, and I couldn't be happier.

He ran his nose across my jaw and I giggled at the affection. My legs wrapped around his waist and he sat up, bringing me with him.

I kissed along his shoulder while he coniunted his attacks on my face.

Our moment was short lived when someone knocked on the door. For the first time in a while, I let my shield span out and search who it was.

My shield was also like a radar, always letting me know who was near.

I could tell who it was by their taste. Strange, I know. For instance, Alec had a very numb like sensation when I was near him in the raid.

The person at the door had a very sweet and colorful like taste…Alice.

"Come in pixie. You already ruined the moment; you might as well blab about the latest shoe line and ruin it farther."

The door opened and Alice frowned at me. She crossed her arms and walked towards our bed where she sat down next to us.

Edward gave me a confused look and I rolled my eyes. Alice wouldn't care what position we were in if she wanted to talk. She would just barge in and talk. That was her thing.

"I see your using your shield again." Her mood lightened and I saw a smile appear on her lips.

Edward smiled as well and rubbed my hand, letting me know he was happy that I was coming out of my depressing state. It was still winter after all.

"What do you want Ali?" I sighed getting straight to the point. Her smile broadened and she jumped off the bed.

"Christmas is coming soon, and we have decided to have a party!" I froze, looking at her like she had gone mad.

Did she not realize that I absolutely hated Christmas?

Edward frowned as well. He didn't like that I would be in pain. Edward opened his mouth to reply, but Alice held up her finger.

"And not only will the Cullen's be attending the party…" I smirked and muttered, "Well no duh."

She rolled her eyes at me and continued. "But we will also be hosting the party for a few other covens…"

I froze once more, but this time with excitement. Other covens? Does that mean my friends? All of them? Judging by the look on Alice's face, the answer was a hard on yes.

A huge smile appeared on my face and I launched myself at Alice. "Thank you Thank you Thank you!" I cried as I tackled her in a hug. The two of them laughed and I sat up to let Alice 'breathe'.

"Glad you can finally appreciate a present." She stated, and I knew I would be blushing like mad had I been human.

"Hence why the reason I came up here. Did you honestly think I wanted to get a front row seat at your little love-fest? I'd rather not.

And had I been five minutes late…well let's just say I would have walked in on some disturbing sights…"

I bit my lip and looked towards Edward. He looked towards me and I almost burst out laughing at the innocent look plastered on his face.

"Anyhow, I need you to come with Rosalie and I to Port Angeles. We need to get our outfits and a few other essentials for the party." I groaned. Shopping.

But then I remembered something.

"Alice, isn't Christmas in like two and a half weeks?" She nodded her head and replied in an ignorant tone, "So what? We need to go now before all the good things are bought."

I sighed knowing I had lost the battle. Edward leaned in to kiss my cheek and reply, "Just have fun. I'm sure you girls won't get into too much trouble."

I smiled at him and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

"See you when we return." He nodded his head, smiling down at me.

"Edward, Jasper and Emmett want to challenge you to some COD on the Xbox." Alice replied while looking at her nails. He groaned and it was my turn to laugh.

"Have fun. I'm sure you boys won't get into too much trouble." I mocked and he playfully growled at me.

Ten minutes later and I was in the backseat of Rosalie's red convertible Beemer, driving towards the mall in Port A. We drove into the parking garage and parked near the entrance.

How we managed to get so close to the main entrance, I have no clue. Probably up to Alice's future seeking.

"So where are we going to first?" I asked in a bored tone as we walked up to the doors. "Victoria's Secret" Rosalie replied at the same time Alice said, "Burberry." We were in for a long day…

"How about we just window shop? We can go past every store and whenever you feel the need to go in one tell us and we all have to be patient."

Did I really just say that? Rosalie gave me a strange look, and Alice smiled widely. Yup…something was definitely wrong with me.

"That's a great idea Bella! Oh and I think I see a store over there! Come on…" Alice took both Rose and my hands and dragged us over to a store covered with bright colors and girly pop music. Ew.

I sat down near a lounge chase and waited for Alice to pick out a dress. From the start I knew I wasn't going to find anything in here. It was all just too girly for my taste.

Not to mention, I think there were a few little kids running around in here. Leave it to Alice to pick out her dress from a kids store.

Although I took back my thoughts when she appeared from the changing rooms. "Ali that's…" I trailed off with wide eyes. "

You look gorgeous!" Rosalie giggled, taking the words right from my mouth. Alice curtseyed and spun around for us with a huge grin on her face. "I know right! It's the perfect one!"

It was a dark green dress that made her golden eyes pop and her black hair look magnificent. The dress was sleeveless and hugged her torso, making her curves more defined. One it hit her hips, the dress fanned out like a fountain until it reached the floor.

There was a slit on the left side nearing her thigh, and right about it was a jeweled design. It made her look taller, and she matched the outfit with a pair of golden high heels.

"My brother sure knows how to pick 'em." I smirked at her and she bashfully grinned my way. After she changed back and we paid for the dress (which happened to be a fortune) we walked off towards the rest of the mall.

We window shopped for a while, and I was getting annoyed with all the lustful glances from the male population. Not to mention the death glares we got from their partners or the envious sneers. It was just ridiculous.

It wasn't like we were celebrities; they needed to get over it! But one glance at how Rosalie was basking in her 'fame' by flaunting her beauty and I knew I should have thought this through. Of course my sisters found this amusing; meanwhile I just wanted to snap someone's neck.

"Oh wait! I love this store! We're going in." Rose demanded while she dragged Alice and I into yet another feminine store. It was much less girly and a little more on the sexy side. It smelled like strong perfume and had models posing on every wall. Yup, this was Rose's store.

Once again, I plopped myself down on a red chase in the middle of the store and took out my tattered copy of Wuthering Heights. "Seriously Bella? Can't you at least look around?" Alice groaned while crossing her arms in front of me.

I didn't look up from my book and just turned to the next page. She muttered a few things about 'no taste' and walked off to help Rose.

Wasn't my fault I'm not a shopaholic.

I heard some rustling and decided now would be a good time to look up from my book. Once more, my sisters never seized to amaze me.

Rosalie looked like she came straight from a Hollywood movie set. As if she wasn't beautiful enough as is, this dress seemed to make her look even more like a goddess.

Like Alice's, the dress was sleeveless and hugged her torso to perfection. It had a silver band of jewels right under her bust, and fanned out nearing her legs, almost like a mermaid styled dress.

Her dress was red, making her blonde hair look even lighter and her skin was practically glowing. The red dress had a slit on her left leg, and underneath it was a layer of white fabric. Nearing the hem of the split was a jeweled design that continued up her left side. She had on silver heels as well, making her model status absolute.

"Rose…that's the one. It's absolutely amazing on you!" I said in awe. Alice nodded frantically and smiled widely at Rosalie.

Rose giggled and bowed for us. She raced back into the fitting room and changed, once more the dress was costly but none of that mattered to us.

We walked around the mall, checking every store for perfect accessories and trinkets. "So Bellsie, have anything in mind?" Alice asked while nudging my side.

I rolled my eyes and gave her the 'what do you think' look. Rosalie smirked at us and let her eyes wander towards all the stores.

Her eyes hawked down on one a few stores to the right. "What about that one? It looks pretty dark, but still classically chic…definitely your taste."

I looked towards where she was pointing and shrugged my shoulders. I did look pretty nice, and I was being held hostage until we found my dress.

"That's perfect for her Rose! Good choice." Alice commented and once more, dragged me towards the small boutique.

The store was dark purple with black patterns and designs. It had a nice floral smell to it, but nothing like those other stores with their overly excessive smells.

"Let's split up and look around?" Rose asked. We all nodded, and I was glad to be getting some space for once.

I walked towards the back and began to shuffle through the racks. I picked up earlier in the mall that this party was going to be almost like a ball.

Gee, I wonder where that idea came from…you know, after I practically died at a Christmas ball. Thanks for being so considerate guys.

Though I couldn't hold a grudge against them. I knew they were only doing this so I could get over my frightening holiday past.

After a few more minutes, I still had nothing. I glanced at my sisters and saw they had piles upon piles of clothing. I gulped and began to hurry through the selections. I needed to find something, otherwise I was screwed.

My sisters would give me the 'sexiest' dress in the store. I didn't need that kind of attention, nor did I want it.

While rummaging through a rack of blue dresses, a slight shine caught my eyes. I picked up the dress and felt a large grin take form on my face. I knew this was the one.

Without letting Alice or Rose see, I raced into the changing rooms and stripped. Alice was too preoccupied with her shopping to look into my future, so she wouldn't see this coming.

The dress was beautiful, if I do say so myself. It wasn't to bold or daring, but it wasn't too quiet and preservative. It was midnight blue, which was a bonus because that was my husband's favorite color on me.

It was floor length like required and unlike my sisters, had no slit at all. It looked like a goddess dress and was sleeveless. In between my breasts was a jewel design. And the back of the dress was entirely made of jewels.

They stopped once the dress hit my shoulder blades, then it flowed to the floor in a fountain of midnight blue cloth. I matched it with a pair of silver high heels and let my hair flow willingly.

"Hey, guys? I want to show you something!" I called for my sisters and heard them walking towards the fitting room. Once I knew they were standing outside, I opened the curtains and watched their faces turn into awe and shock.

"Bella…" Rose said with complete fondness. "It's absolutely beautiful on you! Turn around! Let us get a look at the back!" I complied and heard them gasp.

Yup, definitely knew they'd like the jewels. Needless to say, I had found my dress.

While purchasing the dress, Alice told us that Esme had a dress at home that she wanted to wear, hence why she didn't come.

Also, the boys were more of a challenge when in the shopping center, so they just didn't bother at all. Though I'm sure Alice can whip up something for them.

"Alright, I think we have done what we came here to do. Now its random shopping time!" Alice squealed and Rosalie giggled.

I groaned and felt like an utter idiot for thinking for just a second I'd be let off the hook that easily. Oh well, I just had to suck it up and endure it.

Half way through 'random shopping time' I had it. I couldn't take any more talk on shoes, jewelry, or outfits. It was messing with my head!

Plus, Alice had forbid me from calling Edward. She said this was strictly a girl's day out. All I wanted to do was either read, go home and read, or go home and read with Edward.

"Wait, I have an idea!" I piped up for the first time in hours. The two of them stopped their fuss over who can buy what shoe and looked towards me with their brows raised. "Why don't I just head on over to the bookstore and meet up with you guys later?"

I could see them contemplating it, and I knew I was losing the battle fast. Alice was reluctant to let me leave the mall, and Rose was just reluctant to let me leave.

"C'mon, please? I promise it won't take long! Besides, am I needed here anymore? All I'm doing is 'brooding' as Rose so nicely put it." That seemed to change their previous thoughts.

"Fine." Alice huffed. "Just make sure to leave your phone on and meet back here at seven." I smiled and winked at them, then flew out of the stores and ran towards the exit.

Once I had reached the outside of the mall, I sprinted vampire speed towards where I knew the bookstore was. The store was located in a pretty dingy part of town, but I didn't need to worry about that. I could take on some drunken human with ease; I just chose not to get myself in those situations.

So I continued my gently sprint, until I heard something. Now normally I wouldn't have bothered and continued my run, but this noise wasn't something you hear every day. It was a growl, and I knew it wasn't an animal.

I stopped running and spun around. Nothing was there, but I could smell them. The sun had now set, leaving behind a black sheet to cover the sky. No stars shone tonight, and the moon was barely visible.

Light was only provided by a flickering lamp post a few feet away from where I stood. It was completely abandoned…for now.

I heard the noise again, and crouched down low. If they were growling at me, surely they weren't here for a 'tea party'. This was no game. Whoever it was they were angry. Whether that anger was directed at me, I don't know. But I guess we will find out soon enough.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dark figure run across the street. I spun around, and still nothing was there. They were playing mind games with me that much was obvious.

"Who's there?" I called out in a dark voice. I needed them to know I wasn't here to play games.

Another figure flew past me, like they were trying to circle me or something. I growled at them and heard it hiss back. There was no other response, so I decided to talk further. "You know…it's very childish of you to play games…"

I trailed off, hoping that by me aggravating them, they would appear. I got lucky when I heard them reply, "I like playing games. Especially ones that end with death." This person sounded crazed and had an almost demonic tone to their voice.

I could immediately tell it was a boy, no older than myself probably. I continued or conversation, hoping that he would reveal himself. "Well that's not very nice." I heard a dark chuckled from my right and spun around.

Nope. This guy was fast.

"Life isn't very nice, if you think about it. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here, now would we?" I smirked a bit. This guy sounded all high and mighty, yet he wouldn't even show his face. Now what's that have to say about his character?

"Well then why don't you come out of the dark and reveal yourself." I said in a childish voice. I was going against my previous decisions and playing his game. It seemed to be the only way I was going to get him to show himself.

The boy snarled at me. "No." That was the only answer I received. I frowned and put on a fake pout, knowing he was probably watching me. I crossed my arms and slowly walked forward a bit, letting my heels echo on the concrete of the abandoned parking lot.

"Why not? I promise I don't bite…" I trailed off, flashing him a wide grin that showed off my teeth. And apparently he saw it, because another growl was heard from nearby. "You seem to like games." He said in a cocky tone.

I rolled my eyes and turned around. "Games are only fun when there is more than one to play with. So why don't you show yourself?" I didn't hear a reply this time. Not even a growl.

I stopped messing around and straightened from my slightly slouching form. Now I was on alert. Where the hell did the kid go?

My questions were answered when I felt someone kick me hard in the back. I gasped and fell to the ground, the impact creating a small dent in the concrete. I spun around and lunged at my predator.

I grasped them around the neck and held them in the air. But when I actually saw him, I froze. This time, with fear.

The boy was around the age of fifteen, just one year younger than when I had changed. He had blonde hair and was lean and tall. The one thing that stood out the most where his vibrant red eyes. But unlike the other red eyes I had seen from human drinkers, these ones were different.

These were the eyes of a newborn.

While I was frozen in my memories, the kid managed to wiggle free from my grip and fall back to the earth. He shot off the ground and before I knew it, he had bitten into my shoulder, adding another one to the collection of many.

I hissed in pain and tried to swing at him. He threw me across the lot and stalked towards me with a sinister grin on his face. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Lucas." I snarled at him and lunged back into action.

I punched him pretty harshly and he tried to get a good swipe in as well. I leaned back and maneuvered out of his hit. I could see him getting more and more aggravated with each swing he missed.

I knew very well how to handle this kind of situation. "Why hello there Lucas. My name is Bella." I giggled when he snarled at me. With one more clean swing, I managed to wrap my fingers around his left shoulder.

I grunted as I pulled and heard his sickening screech fill the air. I tossed the limb a few feet away from us and focused on the raging newborn in front of me. He pushed me back with all his strength and I stumbled a bit.

Newborns tended to be a hell of a lot more powerful than regular vampires. He jumped on me when I was caught stumbling back and managed to bite me once more on the arm. I snarled at him and threw him into the side of a brick building.

I hadn't done this in a while, so I was still kind of rusty. When Lucas came back at me, I decided to start questioning him. "Who created you, Lucas? Why are you fighting me?" He hissed at me and tried to snap, but I just twirled away from his mouth and switched positions with him.

"I'm not allowed to tell you." That alone gave me enough information. So someone did create him to kill me. I needed to know more. "So…your master mustn't like me if they want you to kill me." I said with a pout.

He chuckled darkly and swiped at me. I kicked him in the chest and sent him sailing back to the ground. I stalked towards him while he stood up and narrowed his eyes at me.

"You could say that again. My master hates all of you." I almost stopped short when Lucas said that. All of us? I didn't need to be an incredibly smart vampire to know who the rest was. My family.

Now I was furious. I charged towards Lucas and grabbed him by the neck tightly. This time, he wouldn't escape. "Tell me who your creature is child. Tell me now!" I snarled in his face.

He growled at me and spat, "Go to hell!" I flipped him over my head by his neck and dragged him on the concrete. "You first" was the last thing I said before leaning down and biting into his neck.

His shrieks filled the night's air along with the sound of metal ripping. His head fell off and dropped to the floor, rolling away. I dismembered the rest of his body and walked over to grab his head.

I sighed when I looked into his face. The poor kid was practically brain washed into 'killing' me. He didn't stand a chance, and whoever made him knew that. Lucas unknowingly walked into a death trap laid out from his master. He was sent not to kill me, but deliver a message.

Whoever created Lucas, wanted my family dead. And I wasn't going to let that happen.

I piled up the body parts and walked towards where I had dropped my bag previously. I dug around for my emergency lighter and sighed when I pulled it out. Jasper and Edward gave this to me, telling me it was just for precautions.

I flicked it to life and tossed it onto the pile, watching as it caught fire and turned into a large pillar of dark purple smoke. I simply watched as the body burned, letting the remorse set in.

I had killed for the second time in a few months. And although I should be morbidly scared at my behavior, I was glad I had this kind of side to me. It didn't allow me or my family to get hurt. I must protect my family at all costs. After all, I am the shield.

Uh-oh…the newborns have arrived! Review? Once again, thanks for being so supportive! I luv y'all! ALSO: the dresses and other pics will be on my profile! Thanks!

Xoxox,

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