Another cottage in the middle of nowhere. But this time I was alone with Jasper and Emmett. As we'd driven away from Forks the atmosphere had got steadily lighter and lighter. I don't think I had ever seen the bright grin that Jasper was wearing, Emmett must be rubbing off on him.

Night came and nobody needed to go to bed. I suppose it was my first taste of the vampire boredom that Edward's always complained about.

Remembering Edward made it worse. I ached with missing him.

Of course, it was the responsible thing to do. The Cullens needed to act in a believable human way. Edward had to be around to mourn my death and attend the memorial service. And, obviously, I couldn't be within sight or smell of any of that at the moment. This was my first taste of the Cullen way and I was already chaffing against the restrictions. Yes, it was important that nobody realised we were vampires, but why did that have to mean being apart?

No, it wouldn't do, if I kept sitting around, thinking about Edward, I was going to wind up running down to Forks, and ruining everything, just because I missed Edward. Forever was within my grasp, all I had to do was delay gratification for a few more days.

"What do you do up here?" I asked, hoping Emmett and Jasper would have some ideas of distractions.

"Read," Jasper said, "hunt, fight."

I laughed, "well, I don't need to hunt again yet. I don't think fighting's for me. I guess I could referee."

"Come on, Bella," Jasper said, his grin twisting suspiciously at the edges, "it's never a bad idea to train."

That hardly sounded likely. And Jasper's expectant grin was making me nervous. He seemed to be laughing at me already.

"Do you just want to see me trip over my feet and fall flat on my face?" I asked.

Emmett chuckled, "the only way Jasper's gonna see you fall now is if he knocks you down. Vampires don't trip."

"I'm not sure. Couldn't someone get hurt?"

"I promise not to hurt you, and I doubt you'll have a chance to hurt me," Jasper replied, "don't worry."

"If you do get close enough to hurt him, it'll be his own fault and it'll serve him right," Emmett added, "Mr Newborns Fight with Their Strength and Are Easy to Outwit."

I giggled, remembering Jasper comparing Emmett's fighting style to that of a newborn.

"Come on, Bella," Emmet said, "don't be boring! You're the first newborn I've lived with, be a little wild."

"I don't know. What would Edward think?"

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Edward would say: seriously, you've been alone with her for less than a day and already you're messing about and taking risks. Don't you realise how precious Bella is?"

Then he pinched the bridge of his nose in a perfect imitation of a frustrated Edward.

Jasper laughed, "but he's not here," he said, "so there's no reason not to play with us. Come on, Bella, you do need to be able to defend yourself as a vampire."

That was true. How many times had I longed to be strong enough to defend my family, or at the very least, myself? Now that I was finally strong enough, it would be ridiculous not to use it. At last Jasper could teach me more than how to make a fool of myself and cower behind him.

"Alright," I said, "but, real training, not just mocking me."

Jasper jumped up.

"Er . . . don't you want to wait until morning?"

He looked confused, "why?"

"Because it will be light then."

Instead of answering, Jasper grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the cottage into the night, the beautiful, sapphire night, with everything tinged with blue.

"Oh," my usual spectacular vocabulary, "it's . . . I can see."

"Yes, Bella," Emmett spoke insultingly slowly and clearly, "you can see. I can see. Even Jazzy here, with those dozy half-closed eyes of his can see. It's a miraculous gift. Now, can we play?"

The set up was familiar, I think it was like something we'd done when I was human, though those memories were strangely foggy now. Jasper stood by my side, whispering advice, then Emmett took a good run at me.

Seeing Emmett barrelling towards me was incredible. It was frightening, obviously, but it was something else too, something new. It was thrilling, tempting, it was an invitation to a fight and now, as a vampire myself, I was excited about joining in the fun. These new instincts were dizzying.

"Jump up and kick him in the face," Jasper had whispered.

So I did, and it was incredible, I felt like the lead in a martial arts movie. Emmett sprang away from me, just in time, grabbed me around the waist and tossed me up into the air. Ah, maybe I wasn't the lead in this movie after all.

I expected to come smashing down into the earth, but Emmett was only playing, and he'd tossed me towards Jasper, whose arms deftly broke my fall.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Emmett teased.

I turned towards him and kicked out again, but he was expecting that. He caught my foot and pulled me off balance easily.

"Use your strength," Jasper said, still coaching from the side lines, "push through him."

I wasn't quite sure how that would work, but it was worth a try. I shoved Emmett in the chest, pushing as though I expected my hands to go straight through him. He flew backwards and, without a Jasper behind him, hit the ground with a smash.

Jasper took the opportunity to whisper to me again, "you're far stronger than him, so you just need one hit. Try to speed up a bit, feign with the left. Follow through with the right."

Emmett dusted himself off and came at me again.

"Alright, Bella," he said, "let's do this!"

I followed Jasper's advice again, sending Emmett sprawling with one glancing blow to the jaw. I'd barely caught him, but just that was enough with my absurd newborn strength.

Jasper laughed.

Emmett, however, was getting steadily more serious. Head down, he ran right at me.

Just as I thought I was about to catch him, he span on a dime, darted around me and tripped me from behind.

"Wow!" I said, "you're fast."

Emmett chuckled, "just practice, Bella, here, you try doing it to me."

But, though I found it surprisingly easy to mimic his actions, barrelling straight at him, then nipping around at the very last moment, Emmett had more tricks than me, he jumped over my sweeping leg, span around in the air, grabbed my shoulders and pulled me over again.

Jasper put out his hand and helped me back up, "that's what happens when you take your tips from your opponent," he teased, "obviously, he saw you coming."

"Why don't you take turn, then?" Emmett asked, "then she can use my advice against you?"

Jasper laughed again, "that wouldn't be very sporting of me," he said, "I have rather a lot of practice fighting against both newborns and you. I don't think Bella would benefit much from your advice."

Emmett gave a low rumble of a growl, "I've knocked you on your ass a few times," he said, "care to make it one more?"

"Would you care for a demonstration?" Jasper asked me.

I laughed and nodded. Now that I'd had a taste of whatever the vampire equivalent of adrenaline is, I completely understood why the Cullens were always so eager for a bit of excitement. I couldn't imagine waiting, as Jasper had been doing, and not joining in.

"Not really," I said, "what do you say, Emmett, two on one?"

"Awesome! Let's see how quick Mr Experienced is when he's under pressure."

It wasn't a serious fight, we all knew that. We're family; nobody wants anyone else to get hurt. But it wasn't as though I was a weak human, either. It was the most exciting, most realistic fight that I had ever been in. Emmett was right; it was awesome.

Later, back inside, Edward finally called.

"I would have called sooner," he said, "but we've had company all day, and I can't be overheard talking to you. What have you been doing without me?"

Emmett winked at me, and Jasper shook his head tightly, I wasn't supposed to say.

"Just fighting with your brothers," I said.

"Hmm," Edward answered absently, "what about?" As he spoke something clicked into place and he interrupted himself, "when you saying 'fighting', Bella, love, do you mean it literally?"

"Mmm," I said back, moving the phone a little further from my ear.

"Jasper!" Edward yelled into the air, "you promised me!"

Jasper sighed, he reached out to take the phone, but I shook my head.

"Settle down, sweetie, it's fine. And it wouldn't have happened if you'd come up here too."

"Oh, my love," between guilt and anger, his voice sounded strained, "you must know how much I long to be with you. If there were any other way, I would be by your side, but we can't risk it."

"So, you're not mad at me?"

"No, of course not, it was Jasper's fault. You can't be expected to know what to do, everything's so new. How would you know what's risky and what's not? Even Emmett can't be expected to control himself. I'm irritated with Jasper," his brother's name came out as a growl, and the real Jasper narrowed his eyes in response. For a second, I was going to warn Edward that his brother could hear him perfectly well, then I remembered that vampirism was new to me, not to Edward, and he knew exactly what Jasper could hear, so I let him carry on, "and we'll have words when I do get up there. After you and I have a bit of alone time, that is."

"That's not what I meant. Do you remember reading my mind?"

He chuckled, "I could never forget it."

"Great," I said.

But Edward wasn't done, "that was the most amazing moment of my life. I always wanted to glimpse inside your mind and for a second, I was there."

"A second, what do you mean?"

"I could only hear your thoughts for a second, Bella, then you shut me back out," he said, "didn't you realise that you were blocking me?"

I could have cried with relief, "just a second, that's all you heard?"

"Yes, why? Was there something you didn't want me to hear? Did you start thinking of everything you didn't want to think about?"

"What? How do you know? Edward, don't lie to me, how much did you hear, seriously?"

"No, I didn't hear it, believe me, please. No, I was just guessing. That's what most people do when they find out I can read minds, I am rather accustomed to it. Don't worry so much, Bella, I've read a lot of minds over the years. I have mastered discretion."