A/N: I felt bad that I didn't update yesterday, do here are two chapters! Yay!

Chapter Seven:

"But you have to come!" Carlisle begged

I sighed, wary of the conversation already, "You are more than welcome to go, but I just want to enjoy a quiet day here," I repeated, rubbing my temples.

Today was one of the two days a month that the inhabitants of the school were allowed to wander around and go to Maribel— a town seven miles away. Carlisle was as excited as a young school girl— knocking at my door at the ungodly hour of seven in the morning. This was my first official day off. Last week, I had spent the weekend reading files and devising of future exercises for the boys. As far as I was concerned— this weekend was for relaxation and I definitely did not want to leave.

"But I'll look like a lonely old man if I go by myself. Please," he pled, pouting.

I nearly laughed at the sight of Carlisle pleading with me. His bottom lip jutted out in a pout— the action seemed beneath him normally, but I was obviously proven wrong. I groaned, unable to stand the pitiful face that he begged of me.

"Fine," I groaned, reaching behind me into my room and grabbing onto my coat and gloves before shutting the door firmly behind me.

Carlisle's sky blue eyes sparkled with child like excitement, "Onwards!" he crowed, offering me the crook of his arm

I laughed, taking his arm and walking down the beautifully decorated hallway, "You'll love Maribel! It's so beautiful in this time of year! The snow lands on the houses just right and the coffee there is wonderful! You do like coffee, don't you? Oh, but if you don't, they have tea and cocoa that is equally delectable—"

I smiled as Carlisle babbled about the lovely town. We descended the steps of The Academy, down onto the lightly gray path, leading out into the hills of snow. I took one step towards it when a firm tug pulled me back, "And where do you think you're going" Carlisle reprimanded his thin eyebrow raised up in a challenging form.

"To Maribel?" I stated as a question.

Carlisle tutted like an old hen, "Dear, dear Isabella. Do you want to travel seven miles in the snow?"

"I guess not. But there isn't much choice—"

"Wrong!" he interrupted gleefully, "We have snow carts!"

I gazed at him for a moment wondering if he was okay, "Snow carts," I repeated.

"Yes! Snow carts! They're the latest technology given to The Academy. Each teacher has one. Didn't Mr. Varner give you one?" Carlisle asked quizzically.

Ii sighed, my breath coming out in a pasty smoke, "We're not exactly on speaking terms, yet," I said tightly.

Carlisle pondered that for a moment before adding a quiet, "Ah."

I grimaced. Mr. Varner, not only wasn't speaking to me, but he withheld information from me in order to make my stay more uncomfortable. Now, not only was he a terrible example to the students; he was a pathetic child, unable to do his job right.

"No matter," Carlisle said lightly, "We'll take mine," he said arriving at a shed.

He disentangled his arm from my own before opening the door to reveal rows upon rows of golf carts. But as I took a closer look, the golf cart had enormous wheels— big enough to go over piles of snow. Hence, snow carts.

"Snow carts," I repeated with a short bark of laughter.

Carlisle hid a smile behind his hand before holding his other hand out, dangling a key in front of me, "Universal key. Are you up for driving?" he snickered, his eyes mischievous.

Without giving him a second to rethink that thought, I snatched the key from his hand and ran to the nearest vehicle. I seated myself, inserting the key into the ignition— watching with fascination as a series of lights turned on, the entire dashboard electric.

Carlisle laughed as he seated himself next to me, "Could never figure out what those do," he said with a chuckle, gesturing to the variety of buttons before me.

I smiled wryly at him, pushing the blue button nearest him, "Seat warmer," I said with a giggle.

Carlisle smiled, a peal of laughter tearing the eerie silence, "It's good to have you around."

I laughed once more before shifting the gears into drive and pulling out of the shed, driving over the mountains of snow as if it were flat and sound, "this runs like a dream," I exalted, loving the way the machine purred under my hands.

Carlisle smiled, petting the dashboard as if it were his child, "Yes she does."

We passed by several students, glaring at us as we sped past them. Carlisle closed his eyes in relaxation as an icy breeze blew by, ignoring its chill and the amount of snow particles that were pelted at him.

I smiled, "Carlisle?" I asked softly.

His sky blue eyes opened with warmth waiting. I swallowed thickly, "Do you have any children?" I asked softly.

Carlisle's endlessly bright eyes dimmed at my question, proceeding to turn his head towards the mountain of snow and away from me, "I was once married. But she dies long ago. I have never had the heart to find another," he murmured softly.

A lump appeared in my throat, catching my breath, "I'm sorry," I muttered.

Carlisle shrugged, turning to me once again. I saw from my peripheral vision that his eyes held wistfulness but seemed content, "Live with no regrets, Isabella— that's the only advice I offer," he said, back to his cheerful state.

But while his pleasant mood was back, his words soured mine.

'Live with no regrets.'

That was a joke. Had enough regrets to fill and overflow the proverbial well. My hands tightened on the steering wheel as my train of thought went down that path. I shouldn't be here. I should be in my room, planning how best to train the boys.

Aro was still out there and our current army was clueless and useless.

My angry thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice, "Coach!"

My gaze snapped to the mirror to see Edward, Emmett and Jasper running a few feet behind the snow cart. I slowed the speed so that they were able to catch up.

"Can we get a ride?" Emmett asked, his blue eyes bright with excitement.

I bit my lip in anticipation. I didn't want to play favorites— but who was I kidding; they definitely were my favorite students. They were the only ones who picked up slack!

"I'm in a good mood. Hope on," I said gesturing to the back seats.

The three boys gazed at each other, smiled on their faces. Quickly, Emmett and Jasper took the two seats while Edward hopped on, holding onto the roof of the snow cart.

Emmett dusted some snowflakes off of his head, smiling when he saw Carlisle, "Hey Mr. J," he greeted.

Carlisle waved, "Hello Emmett, how are you?" he asked politely.

Emmett nodded, "Great. I'm just glad we don't have to walk."

Carlisle chuckled in agreement, "Are you doing all right, Edward?"

Edward ducked in, his emerald eyes sparkling, "Just peachy," he replied, dusting the snowflakes off of his head before poking his head back out.

Carlisle leaned towards me, whispering, "I don't think Mr. Varner will appreciate us giving rides to students."

I snorted, entertaining the idea of Mr. Varner's face turning a violet hue if he ever found out, "Screw Mr. Varner," I laughed pushing down the accelerator.

The cart jolted for a moment before tearing across the snow. The boys whooped as we flew by.

At the sound, I couldn't help but let a carefree laugh go free. These boys were so innocent— sure, they had tragedy and shed tears that can't be taken back; but they were pure and not seen the ugly face of evil yet.

Yet.

That thought was sobering. Today— at this moment— they were fun loving guys who had a couple secrets to hide. But now I was training them to look into that ugly face— to lose that purity that was just so damned addicting.

I looked in my rearview mirror to see Edward's face— filled with unmistakable joy. His emerald eyes were alight with joy, his copper hair wind blown and filled with bits of snow drift— but most importantly, it was his bright smile that eased my pain. It was beautiful. So full of hope, so childlike.

He saw me watching him through my rearview mirror, sticking his tongue out at me before whooping at a sharp turn I had to make. He shook his head like a dog in order to make a majority of the snow fall from his hair.

I tore my eyes away from the sight and to the roadblock of snow. The small village of Maribel was within sights. I smiled to myself, deciding to live in the present.

~TMW01~

About ten minutes later, we arrived at the town of Maribel. I turned the key from the ignition, easing myself out and watching as the boys playfully pushed each other into the snow.

"You guys better get going— I'm not giving you a ride home," I told the guys pulling my gloves on.

The boys paused, groaning in protest. At that, Carlisle's hand rested on my shoulder, his sky blue eyes alight and teasing, "If we happen to see you boys at the halfway mark, then we might give you a ride. Isn't that right, Isabella?" he said with a playful wink.

I rolled my eyes, "Maybe."

The boys grinned at each other before taking off into Maribel, "Thanks Coach!" they chorused without looking back.

Carlisle chuckled, offering me his arm once more and with a sigh I accepted, allowing my friend to lead me through the town.

The town was quite quaint, small cottages covered in snow and shops that seemed to be out of a Renaissance fairy tale. I watched as numerous boys ran around, sticks of candy in their hands.

"Ah, here we are!" Carlisle exclaimed disentangling himself from my arm to open the door to a small coffee shop.

"Why thank you kind sir," I laughed with a mock curtsey.

Carlisle rolled his eyes as I walked in, closing the door behind us and leading me to a small table near the bar. Immediately, as if we had called her by name, sashaying her hops over to our table, "Hello Carlisle, who's this?" she asked softly as if it were supposed to sexy.

I bit my lip to hide a laugh. It was nice to see Carlisle have someone crushing on him. It seemed to amuse Carlisle as well. With a hearty laugh, he placed his arm around my shoulders, "This is my good friend Isabella," he introduced, "Isabella, this is my good friend Amy."

I extended my hand for a hand shake, "It's nice to meet you," I said, hoping as to come off as polite.

Meeting new people had never been my strong point; that, and being polite. Never quite mastered the art of manners.

"Oh, it's definitely nice," she purred, taking my hand and caressing the sides of it as if it were her child.

I could feel my eyes bug out of my head as I made the connection. Carlisle vibrated with laughter and Amy continued to caress my hand, eyeing my fingers like she was a child in a candy store.

Before I completely lost it, a young girl with dark coffee colored hair ran over, "Amy! Leave the poor girl alone!" she scolded, shooing Amy away, her eyes turning to me in apology.

"I'm sorry— I warned her to stop being so forward with our customers," she apologized, ignoring Carlisle as he roared with laughter.

I took a deep breath, hoping the blush that had appeared on my cheeks would disappear, "I'm fine. I'm just not used to anyone behind that bold," I admitted.

The girl laughed pushed her wavy bangs away from her face, "Understandable. Anyway, I'm Angela and I'll be your server— what can I get you," she recited, pulling a pad from her apron and pulling a pen from behind her ear, waiting patiently.

I turned to Carlisle who was just calming down from his episode of laughter, "Are you done?" I asked sweetly.

He waved me away, turning his gaze to Angela, letting a chuckle or two out before ignoring me completely and answering Angela's question, "I'll have a chamomile tear with your blueberry muffin— and you Isabella?" he said, then turning to me, his hand over his mouth, hiding a smile.

I rolled my eyes, very much annoyed, "I'll have a black coffee; no cream, once sugar."

Angela jotted down the order quickly, saluting me and running behind the counter to retrieve our orders, Carlisle rolled his eyes, "I should have figured you were the type to get black coffee."

I raised an eyebrow at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you're strong— like that coffee you just ordered. But the true you is sweet—"

I interrupted him by laughing, unable to help myself, "You're so full of it!" I cackled.

Carlisle pouted, "It's my job to know these things,"

I inhaled deeply, "And what is your job?" I paused for a moment, reveling in my question, "Actually, I have never asked you what you teach, now that I think about it," I said, ashamed of myself.

Carlisle patted my hand good naturedly, "Don't worry about it— you've had a lot on your mind. I teach Herbology— how to recognize and handle different herbs," he explained.

I nodded, remembering that part of my training. It was a vital part of the training—in case you were injured and out in the wilderness. My eyes trailed to the windows and stiffened as I saw a familiar face that I never wanted to see again.

I shot out of my seat, throwing myself out the doorway. I paused when I didn't see anyone at the window. My head snapped around and in my peripheral vision, I saw a black cloak billowing. I whipped around chasing the cloaked figure down the street, bumping into shoppers and young boys.

The snow began to train down from the heavens, covering the footsteps. Anger pulsed in me, hot like fire. Fed up with the chase, I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted, "Roger!"

The cloaked figure faltered and stumbled against eh snow path, giving me the opportunity to run up and grab him by the back of the collar. I whipped around to see a familiar pair of chocolate eyes and brown hair. It was like looking in a mirror.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I seethed.

Roger's eyes narrowed and his open hand pushed against my shoulder, causing my grip to loosen. Without second thought, I swung my leg out and tripped him, watching him land safely in the snow. I stepped back to assess my attacker but too quick for me to catch, his legs wrapped themselves around my knees causing me to fall over and Roger to pounce on top of me.

A sharp pinch came at the side of my neck and I gasped as the pain became more evident, spreading across my shoulders and down my arms.

Blearily, I looked up to see sad jbrown colored eyes, "Wha—" I slurred but two fingers came at my lips, silencing me.

"Shh, we'll meet again," he whispered, both sets of brown blurring together before I completely lost consciousness.

~TMW01~

"Isabella! Come on, Isabella, open those pretty eyes for me," a gentle, angelic voice begged.

I struggled to open the heavy lids, surprised at how tedious they were to even move a bit.

"Come on Isabella," a different voice pled with me.

With great effort, I opened my eyes to see a pair of sky blue eyes and a pair of emerald ones. Both were tinged with worry and relief.

As my eyes registered my surroundings, I recognized a bitter taste on the back of my tongue, "What's that taste?" I mumbled; the rest of my face numb.

As my eyes focused in, I saw Carlisle grimace, "Don't ask. Who did this to you?" he asked hurriedly.

My body felt heavy and my muscles ached. I could feel myself begin to drift back into darkness, "My brother," I whispered, allowing the heaviness to envelop me and comfort me.

A/N: Review! She has a brother! *gasp* Dun, dun, duuuuun!

Best wishes.

Themidnightwriter01