On the sixth day of the first week away, we found someone. We'd almost hit the last day, the day we'd planned to head home when out of the blue, we found someone. It wasn't Brady, but just beyond the edge of Maine, we caught a scent.
"Familiar?" Anita asked as we picked up the pace, careful not to be seen as we ran along the treeline of a quiet side road. Tanya slowed and we copied, watching as she crouched down to further inspect the footsteps we'd caught in the soil and the scent that accompanied it, clinging to the branches of the trees surrounding us. My nose twitched in response.
"No, but vampire, I'm certain." She nodded.
"C'mon," Emmett said, "We need to keep moving."
And we did. We followed the scent to the edge of town to the start of a beach. Fortunately, the sun had just set beyond the horizon, turning the sand to fractions of golden and the sky a deep, bruised purple and orange wash.
Realising we were closer to the public than I'd thought, I took to the bushes to shift. Toby handed me some clothes and when dressed, I rushed to catch up with the others already walking across the sand. It was here we first heard the sound; blasting music and mechanical whirring. I frowned at the others but took off down the beach, ignoring their calls to stay hidden until I found the source.
A carnival. Screams echoed across the beach, high and shrill and full of adrenaline. The smell of cotton candy and doughnuts and hot dogs being sold from greasy carts fills the air. I couldn't help but pick up the pace, stretching my neck to get a better look. Tents had been pitched along the beach, the rides on the closed down street to the left.
"You think they're here?" Emmett asked eyebrows pinched together.
"It's where the scent leads. It's faded now, though." Tanya confirmed what I'd guessed. I had better senses than the humans, but it was nowhere to what the vampire's had; If the harsh smells of the carnival made my nose twitch, I didn't want to imagine how strong they were to the others. Dozens of people laughed and danced along with the music, hurrying to join lines.
Rosalie nodded, the bright flashing lights reflected in her golden eyes, "They're here. Find them."
We spread out. A smoke machine clouded the side and the screams and laughter increased. I caught the way Oscar beamed at Toby, tugged on his sleeve and the two disappeared into the fray. No one else noticed – or cared – but I didn't say anything. Realistically, the two of them – and Jenna – were barely older than I was. Unlike the others, they didn't have decades and centuries to look back on, they were turned only a few years ago, practically Newborn's. They deserved every human moment they could find.
Rosalie, Emmett and I moved through the crowd. Rosalie's eyes were focussed, narrowed, searching the faces of those we passed to try and recognise someone who was…like them. Emmett and I couldn't help but grin at each other, in awe of the world we'd walked into. Ten minutes into the search, Rosalie instructed Emmett to check out the edge of the beach we'd come from in case the vampire had decided to make a run for it whilst she continued on to the road straight ahead.
My job? Stay here and stay out of trouble.
Easy enough.
I slumped onto a bench, taking in the flashing lights and booming bass of music; watching in slight jealousy at the crazy rides where most of the screaming came from, the people seeming so small inside the giant mechanical death-traps that flung them this way and that way. This was my first time ever attending a carnival. Looking at that looming monstrosity spinning the life out of its sardine-caged occupants, I was dumbstruck. How had anyone ever thought this a good idea? And yet…I kept smiling.
"Hello, Jacob." Said a voice as a woman sat down beside me.
What surprised me was how human she looked. If it weren't for the smell – and my innate instincts warning me of danger - there was nothing about her that screamed vampire. She wore a form-fitting floral dress, exposing the flawless flesh of her thigh, accentuating the full force of her breasts. I couldn't help but gawk. For a bigger girl, she positioned herself in a way that exude sex and confidence, an admirable trait not often seen in women her size.
"You know my name?" I asked.
"I know a lot of things, like why you and your friends are here." Her voice was as velvety smooth as her black hair but foreign. She was British, maybe, like Jon and Georgie. She smiled softly at the crowd of people walking by who smiled back and nodded at her.
"We're not here to fight, we want to talk," I said anyway. She finally looked at me. She wore deep blue contacts, turning her eyes an unusual shade of purple.
"I know, you want me to join your army, to fight against the Volturi."
"You've heard of us?"
"Not directly but, as I said, I know things. A talent of mine." She shrugged but the way her smile shifted hinted that she was proud of it. After a moment of silence, she held out her hand. "Jade,"
"Jacob…but you know that." I shook her hand anyway.
It was then the others, who'd probably picked up snippets of our conversation, returned. They towered over the bench, Roland and Anita positioned defensively as if to attack, but something about this vampire – Jade – told me she wasn't an enemy.
"My name is Rosalie." Rose introduced herself. "We sought you out to ask if you would stand with us against the Volturi."
Jade rose to stand, towering against most of them, meeting both Emmett and me in height. "I know, Rosalie."
"You're a telepath?" Oscar asked and I immediately thought of Edward.
"No." She responded, setting off towards the road. We followed steadily behind. "I'm clairvoyant. Sometimes, I receive bits of random information from across the world, across time. This morning I knew you'd come for me."
"I've never heard of such a talent," Tanya responded. "How incredible. I wonder how it works."
How advantageous in war, I thought.
"It is. I know of you all, what you have been through, I know of Renesmee. I know where we might find others to join our cause," She paused and faced us. "And I'm in."
By the time the second week was up, Jade's power had helped us locate another two vampires. The first, Sebastian, who'd settled in Boston. A quiet, brooding man with hair as white as his skin, a man who'd once worked for the Volturi until they killed his love, Archibald, and ever since vowed on finding a way to destroy them. His gift to paralyse others through touch would come in handy. The second, Nadine, a girl similar to Alice in looks and attitude, with cropped black hair and tinted glasses she used to hide her eyes and blend easily into a crowd, a trait that had apparently transferred from her human life; Nadine could literally bend the light around her, tricking others into believing she'd turned invisible.
Both talents we knew would be very helpful when the day came that we'd eventually face Volturi. We headed back to the Sanctuary, pleased with the three new recruits we'd found, but there was still no sign of the missing wolf.
~Asher's Note~
Hello, in this chapter our scouting group meet some new recruits! I wonder what you think of them!
Responding to your reviews
Guest: Thank you so much for your reviews. You have got no idea how happy they made me. I hope you continue to read!
~Asher~