Chapter Two: Discovered

The first thing Eden felt as she stepped out the back door was the chilled September air, smelling of rain and earth. Her ruby eyes widened at all the sites before her, from the gigantic trees to the birds fluttering through the air. She could sense the impending rain and cast her gaze up to the gray sky. A gasp escaped her as she watched the first raindrop fall, completely mesmerized. Her hand raised to catch it, wanting to keep it forever as a memoir of this day. As the small drop met her palm, it froze to pure ice.

Confused, she stared for a moment. That wasn't her doing... was it? She hadn't been able to analyze any further as Jasper appeared before her.

"You have to keep up, Edeline." he said, no anger to his tone. He seemed to tolerate her the best, a sense of caution to him, but a relaxed calm that only presented itself with the mildest of trust. Eden wanted to ask about the raindrop, but thought better of it. She already believed hearing thoughts was something everyone could do; it seemed better to keep this all to herself. Without a word, she nodded and followed Jasper's lead. All the scents around her were drowning the young hybrid, calling to her like the song of a siren. She desperately wanted to take a moment to decipher them, but she'd been reprimanded once already. Twice was unacceptable.

As they reached the clearing, the rest of the family watched her. They had taken their usual positions as they always did during these annual meetings with the rulers of their world. Unlike the first gathering, their friends did not return. The Volturi and the Cullen coven had made peace... for now.

Renesmee shifted anxiously, her eyes searching the brush for something. It was then she noticed Ness was clutching a pair of jeans and a hooded jacket, leather boots dangling from her other hand. Eden wasn't sure how her family would react if she approached her sister to ask about these items, seeing as they'd already separated them once. Twice would be, well, unacceptable. She decided to stand perfectly still, keeping her eyes narrowed at the frozen soil. Her twin's heart was racing so she decided to count each beat, finding solace in the rhythmic sound. She was reminded when they were in the womb, how when she heard Edward and Alice speaking of them as demons, it was the beating of their mother's heart that soothed her.

Then the smell of death met her senses and she raised her head, her body tensing. She could hear the footfalls of an animal, but the thoughts of humans. Her instinct told her to kill. Her heart told her to do nothing. The internal war waged, though no one could see she was disturbed at all. The collected calm she had displayed remained in place, but it was all in her eyes. The way they flickered slowly around the area, determining how best to save herself and her sister should these strange beings she could sense turned out of be feral. The Cullens believed Edeline to be the equivalent of rogue newborn, but she was far worse. She was intelligent, calculated in her plan of action. The signs were at her slaughter as a child. Shame no one saw the clue then.

Moments later, the wolves emerged from the woodland, prowling with their heads low. Their eyes fell on Eden, some raising their heads to take in her scent. The only female in the pack bared her teeth, growling low at the unfamiliar hybrid. The girl met her gaze and it was as if a loaded gun had been pointed at Leah. Eden didn't move, breathe, or even speak. It was nothing she did, but the uninhibited quality to her stance. Leah saw how complacent she was, how she was not afraid, and the flicker to the wolf's bad leg told her all she needed to know; the hybrid already knew how to kill her and would do so without hesitation. If that was the case, she probably knew how to kill every single one of them. The bloodsuckers were right to keep her locked up.

"Thank you for joining us," Carlisle said as he bowed slightly. Eden noted the respect he expressed and decided that the wolves were not enemies. "The Volturi will be here shortly."

She could sense one of them changing before they did so and narrowed her gaze at the russet canine, the largest of them all. His body rippled, his fur fell away, his form shifted, and a man was replaced in the spot an animal had once been. It was then Renesmee dashed toward him with the widest smile on her face that Eden had ever seen. The two embraced and she saw everything; the bright yellow joy, the cool blue devotion, and the warmth of their love blew toward her in the wind. His scent was familiar, but she couldn't remember where from.

The clothes were then given to him and everything clicked. Jacob. This was the man Renesmee told her about, the best friend as a child and the lover today. How... strange. He dressed quickly before pulling her sister in for a passionate kiss. He whispered in her ear, making Ness giggle. That man wanted to mate with her sister, Eden could smell it in his pheromones. Though still a blank face on the outside, Eden knew she would've blushed if she could. That was such an intimate color; so bright and prominent. Could anyone else see it? She glanced around, but everyone watched Renesmee and Jacob's exchange with appreciative smiles. Even Edward, though she knew he could hear everything this man was thinking. Edward must approve, so she would be forced to as well.

Then Jacob looked at Eden. He smiled. Blinking, she wasn't sure if she should return the gesture, but she had no time as Jacob and Renesmee approached her. Her sister seemed overjoyed to be introducing the love of her life and her twin. Eden choose to smile as they came closer.

"Eden, this is Jake, my fiancée," Ness gushed, her eyes twinkling. "Jake, this Eden, my twin sister."

Jacob laughed, "Wow, haven't seen you since you tried to bite me."

The hopeful moment evaporated as Edeline finally recalled his scent. This man, he was the one who attacked her as a child, the one who forced her in to the cellar as a massive dog, fangs snapping at her as if she was dangerous. Eden could still feel the terror that rushed though her; she never resisted his capture, but he was so cruel. This was the man who held her down as Carlisle injected her with the silver liquid, the liquid that would've killed her if Renesmee hadn't brought her blood. His thoughts then were horrifying, he'd been rallying the family to execute her and allow him the oh-so-gracious honor. They almost agreed. Eden lost her words, the smile fell from her face and she cast her eyes back to the dirt. Fury pulsed through her; she had imagined all the ways she would destroy this man for what he'd done to her. However, Renesmee cared for him. Life was so unfair. Eden knew his weakest spot and just how to shatter him, but she couldn't. She wouldn't. She didn't.

"Eden," Renesmee said, as if the girl had done something wrong, "Don't be rude."

Unable to hurt her sister, Eden forced her desires back and met Jacob's confused gaze, "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

This seemed to only frazzle the stupid mutt further, but the Volturi were three miles away. They'd arrive at any moment and this matter was irrelevant in comparison. Everyone assembled, Eden remained behind everyone as if they were embarrassed she was here and were attempting to hide her. The black specks grew in to six figures before four of the elegant beings dropped the hoods cloaking their faces. Eden took each member of the Volturi in, using Edward as a middleman to decipher who everyone was. She hadn't realized the glow that radiated off each person, below their aura. She looked closer and realized she knew who was gifted and who wasn't. The glittery white was mere immortality, a pale glow illuminated Renesmee and the wolves while it was brilliant among the vampires, but like Edward and Bella, there was a sliver of burnt gold to the edge that gleamed brighter than anything else. Aro possessed this as well as the girl touching his shoulder and Marcus. As she surveyed the two in the back, she saw the gold rim to their immortality and briefly wondered why their hoods remained up. Something drew her toward the masculine build beneath the cloak, a desire to reach out to him. She refrained again, a patience few ever aquire. However, it was as natural as breathing to her.

"Hello, my friends." Aro sang, "It's been far too long."

Carlisle returned the friendly greeting, "Indeed it has, but here we are again."

"All is well, I presume?" There was a stretch of silence as if there was more weight to the question than was said. It was then everyone looked back at Eden. The surprise had returned, only upon the expressions of the Volturi's faces. She tried to comprehend what they saw, unsure why everyone kept looking at her like that. Eden would never understand that it was the innocent beauty of an immortal child she wore, all who saw her felt compelled to love, protect, and trust her. Those closest felt it would be near-impossible to resist her, should she ask anything of them. Unlike Heidi, who's beauty was a game of minds, Eden's scent was the source of these desires to please. Her sight alone was astounding. Heidi was thought to be the most beautiful immortal in existence, but this young hybrid decimated the competition. Her allure was deadly.

"Is this the other child?" Aro questioned, seeming to become irritated, "This is not a game, Carlisle; we requested Renesmee's twin be present today. I hear no heartbeat nor do I feel her warmth. What have you brought before me?"

"Edeline, please," Bella whispered, looking back at her.

Eden stepped forward, slow and graceful in her movements. She was soon before the man her family feared so. She curtsied before him, seeing him as a king in his elegant rags. When her eyes met his, he couldn't believe the vivid crimson, the purest red of a newborn and yet, it rested in her iris with no sign of fading. There were no signs of a need to feed, such as the ever present bruises beneath the eyes or the lips the color of violets. Her skin, though so very pale, resisted the sun's revealing power. She didn't sparkle, not even a slight glow like Renesmee emitted. The texture was still something of stone, with a silk-like quality. She appeared so much like a vampire and yet, not at all similar upon closer inspection. This was surely a hybrid, but one so different from Renesmee, she was a new species entirely.

"My child, you are magnificent," he murmured as he offered his hand, "May I?"

Hope you enjoyed chapter two! I'd like to make a shout out to lexiblack09 for being MY FIRST REVIEW. Thank you so much for support and I hope you are enjoying this story as much as I am enjoying writing it. This is a little out of my element so I'm having a lot of fun!

Thanks for reading! Remember to spread the love :)

-Allie3