2. Displacement

A few weeks have passed since the battle of the newborn army, and I've quenched my thirst enough to make a public appearance again. With a set of new clothes and my eyes burning red, I follow the familiar, pleasant scent through the night..

In those weeks, I finally worked up the courage to check on my family. I'm an only child to a father and a deceased mother– the former is heartbroken that I've gone missing. I've seen missing person posters throughout Forks and Port Angeles, but they won't find me.

I can't risk going near my father right now. Not without sufficient control over this… this cursed power. My thirst has gotten marginally more manageable throughout the last months, but I still do not trust myself enough to breathe around a human.

The scent leads me to a beach called La Push, in the territory of the Quileute tribe. Through the limited research I've done, I discovered that they're a native american tribe of spirit warriors, descended from wolves.

If I was still human, I would have thought that to be intriguing. But now my feelings towards them are mixed. They have legends about cold ones, like me. Let's just say they're not very fond of my kind.

I slow to a stop as my feet begin to pierce sand. The scent is stronger here. In the distance, I can see the outline of a familiar girl jogging along the beach.

The ache in my heart has not gone away. In fact, being apart from the girl has made it worse. The nagging feeling has evolved into an unbearable curiosity. I have to know who she is. On a deeper level. I don't even know what I want, really.

I clear the distance in a second, stopping just behind her. Some of the sand was kicked up, causing the girl to jump, whirling around to face me. A wave of heat hits me like a train.

"It's me," I say, showing my hands in surrender. "Don't wolf out on me."

Leah scoffs, smoothing down her blouse. "It's hard when you don't give me a warning. I thought you were a stray newborn coming to take revenge or something."

We wordlessly fall into step, walking along the beach. The water looks strange in the dark, through my new eyes. I can see every wave, every shimmer perfectly.

"I am a stray newborn," I say. "though I don't wish to take revenge for anybody. How have you been?"

She sighs, combing her hair back with her hand. "Not good. The pack has lost the little trust they had in me, and Jacob got messed up during the battle."

I frown. "They don't trust you? Is it because of me?"

"No." She shakes her head. "It's my fault. It's… a long story. Complicated."

"I have all of eternity."

She chuckles. "Yeah, I guess you do." she says. "It's messy though. Have you heard of imprinting?"

"I'm not familiar, no." I say truthfully.

"It's this unshakeable bond that's created when a spirit warrior, like me, sees a certain person for the first time. It's involuntary and irreversible. You become tied to them on the astral plane."

"Like soulmates?" I ask.

She scoffs. "Yeah, exactly like that. Though I don't know if it's mutual." she explains. "Anyways, the pack now despises me because I imprinted on a cold one."

I blink. "Me."

"Yes, you."

I hum, scratching my chin. That makes things complicated. Is that where this unexplained feeling comes from? Our souls are bound, and yet I don't have a soul. A bond that shouldn't be.

"Don't sound so excited," Leah says sarcastically. "You don't have to move in with me or anything. We're not hopelessly in love."

"But you'd give your life for me?"

"In a heartbeat."

I sigh. "Good thing I don't have a heartbeat."

This time, she laughs out loud. It's a melodic sound, pleasant to the ears. I smile. I want to hear her laugh more. "Yeah, I guess it is." she says, grinning. "You've only been a cold one for a while, right?"

I nod. "Two months."

"And you're not… you know–"

"In a frenzy?" I ask. "Yeah, I don't know either. The thirst… It hurts, but I've managed to cope. Feeding periodically. Not breathing around humans."

"But you still feed on humans? Kill them?" she asks. Her voice doesn't betray her emotions, and I envy the mind reader right now. How I wish I could look into Leah's mind.

"When I have to." I reply. "I try to limit myself to criminals, and no women or children, but…"

"But what?"

I sigh, casting my eyes onto my pale, ice cold hands. "I can't help what I am, Leah. How I wish I could, but I can't."

We walk in silence for another minute, and it feels like eternity until she speaks again. "Why don't you become like the Cullens?" she asks.

I frown. "I don't follow."

"You could settle for animal blood." she explains. "Your eyes will be gold. The tribe won't hate you as much."

I pull a face at the thought of the stale dredge that is animal blood. I've tried it before, of course. It wasn't appetizing, but it kept you fed. The burn doesn't fade as much. Always left unsatisfied.

I decide to change the subject.

"Why does the pack dislike you if the imprinting wasn't voluntary?" I ask.

Leah notices my attempt, but she goes along with it, to my surprise. She sighs. "Well, they're hormonal teenagers, most of them. Oddly enough, Sam is the only one who doesn't seem to think I betrayed the entire tribe."

"Sam?" I ask.

She falters. "He's… He's the alpha of the pack. The leader." she explains. "Also my ex. He imprinted on a friend of mine."

"Oh." I wince. "Sorry to hear that."

She waves it off. "Don't worry. That bond was largely wiped away when I imprinted myself, so…" She clears her throat awkwardly. "Anyways, I'm the only female warrior in the history of the tribe, so they're chalking it up to that, of course."

She seems to remember something, snapping her fingers. "Also, Embry hates you 'cause you kicked his ass. That concussion I mentioned? You did that, apparently."

I remember the wolf with the black-tipped nose whom I tossed into the tree. I wince again. "Yeah, sorry. He attacked me, so–"

"Don't worry, he healed. His ego on the other hand…" she chuckles. "He needed that though. I've never seen him brood so hard in his life."

I grin. "I'm glad I could be of service."

Leah scoffs. "You speak like one of them. Like you're a hundred years old."

"I'm twenty," I counter, frowning. "My father is a very formal man. I suppose I picked up his habits?"

"Could be," she nods. "You don't act like them though. You seem less… like a statue. Less polished."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Good, it is." she says. "You don't creep me out like they do."

"Is that because of me or the imprint?" I ask dryly. Leah shrugs, grinning. I roll my eyes.

We walk in silence for another minute or so, until we reach a point where the beach ends, and the forest takes over. Behind us, the sun has slowly started to rise up from the ocean.

The morning light clashes with my skin, which glows like diamonds. I scowl, stepping into the shadows. When I look up, Leah's eyes are glued to my face.

"You know," she says awkwardly, "Billy wants to meet you."

"Billy?"

"Billy Black. He's an elder on the tribal council. A big deal." she explains. "He knows that I imprinted and… well, my case is pretty unprecedented, so–"

"I get it." I nod. "When and where?"

"When are you available?" she asks.

I raise an eyebrow. "Leah, I'm a homeless vampire. I have nothing but free time."

She frowns. "Homeless? You don't have like, family?"

I clench my jaw. "I do."

When I don't elaborate, she doesn't press the issue. I'm grateful.

"You can sleep over at my house, if you want. My mom and Seth would ask questions, but–"

She catches my dry look, and freezes. "Right, vampire. You don't sleep."

"Nope."

"Never?" she asks.

I shake my head. "I'm technically a corpse, Leah. I don't sleep or breathe, or pee."

"You don't pee?"

"No– you know, let's stop talking about this." I grumble. "Billy wants to see me, remember?"

"Right." she says, trying her best at keeping a straight face, but I can hear the mirth in her voice. "I'll figure it out. When will I see you again?"

I blink. "I don't know. Send me a text or something."

"You have a phone?"

"Yes!" I say, exasperated. "I'm not a hundred."

We spend the next minute exchanging mobile numbers, and before I know it, I've got a new contact in my phone. Leah Clearwater. I briefly wonder if I should change it to just Leah, or a nickname.

I mentally slap myself. I am not a teenager.

"Alright, seems like my time is up." I say, looking at the horizon. "It's sunny today, I can't be out for too long."

Leah nods, her lips pressed to a thin line. "Yeah, of course. Sparkles and that."

"Funny."

"I try."

"I'll see you around?" I ask.

"Soon." she says, nodding.

"Soon." I reply. She smiles at me, and I can't help but smile back, baring my razor sharp teeth.

And then I'm gone, running through the forest, chasing the dying light of the moon as a new day is born behind me.

My next destination isn't far.

I'd like to visit the Cullens, however, I can't seem to catch any of their scents. There's a hint of it, but the smell of blood and wolf makes it impossible to track. That means they probably live quite some miles out of town, which makes sense. The wolves wouldn't have taken kindly to a vampire family living that close to them.

There is one scent that stands out to me though– the same one I smelt during the battle of the newborn army. I don't know who the blood belongs to, and in hindsight I should've asked Leah. However, I know that this person is protected by the Cullen coven, and by extension they probably know where they live.

The scent trail leads me to a suburban neighborhood. I inhale, ignoring the flare of thirst it brings on, and catch a strong whiff of the scent leading to one house in particular. An old, run down truck is parked in the driveway.

I walk into the driveway, hands in my pockets, wondering how I should do this. Do I ring the doorbell and ask? Or do I just climb through a window? Won't that be creepy?

I hear voices in the room upstairs, one of them belongs to a male. The window suddenly slides open, and I'm faced with a familiar, pale face. Golden orbs stare down at me, gazing into my soul. He looks younger than me. Eighteen maybe.

"Hello," I say awkwardly, waving. I speak in a hushed tone. "You're a Cullen?"

"Edward," he says with a curt nod. "You're from the newborn army."

"Formerly," I admit. "I wanted no part in Riley's scheme. How did you know?"

"I saw you in Leah Clearwater's mind," he replies. "You're quite the enigma. Emmet and Jasper even went looking for you, but your trail went cold."

I blink. So he was the mind reader. Knowing this, I felt strangely naked. My mind felt unsafe. "I was not avoiding you, if that's what you're wondering."

"Clearly not," he huffs. "I thought you were coming for Bella at first."

"Bella?"

"Irrelevant," he says curtly. "You want to learn our ways?"

"Yes." I nod. "I want to speak to your leader. Carlisle?"

Edward nods. "He's at home. I can call him and say you're on the way."

"Thank you," I say sincerely. Edward disappears into the bedroom again, but our conversation isn't over.

"Your father, he's a scientist?" I ask. At least, I assume Carlisle is his father. They don't look alike.

"A doctor," Edward says. "Though he does have expertise in… other areas. What of it?"

"I'd like to ask him some questions, that's all."

"About the imprint." he states.

I sigh. "Yes."

"It is unprecedented," says Edward. "I don't envy you in the least."

"That helps." I huff. "Where's your home?"

"Can't you track the scents?"

"I'm not too good at that just yet," I admit. "The scent gets muddled with the human blood. It makes me lose focus."

"That's why you don't breathe?" asks Edward. I nod.

He briefly explains the directions, giving me the address to his home along with a brief warning to not mess around with his family. A thinly veiled threat. I thank him, before taking off once again, hidden by the shadows of the trees.

The sun is a frustrating thing– my eyes are rather sensitive to light now, and my skin sparkles. I suppose it's better than being burnt by it, but I still don't enjoy the sunlight as much anymore.

It takes me mere minutes to reach my destination– a lone road cutting through the woods outside of Forks. Nestled within a pocket of treeless land sits the Cullens' house. It's more of a villa, really, with its modern, sleek look.

Despite its size and the lights shining through the windows, it doesn't feel homely. Not like my father's apartment.

I hear a heartbeat inside, which confuses me. A waft of wolf catches my nose and I pull a face. A shapeshifter in a house full of vampires, that couldn't possibly go wrong. My heart jumps at the possibility of it being Leah, but I suppress the emotion with a frown.

It can't be. The scent is similar, yet different. And male.

I don't bother masking my presence, walking up to the door at a human pace and knocking. The door swings open barely a millisecond later, and I'm face to face with a short, angry blonde.

"We're very busy," she says, with a lot of bite to her tone.

Before I can reply, an older man materializes next to her, gently guiding her away from the door. Carlisle.

"I'm sure we can make some time for this particular guest," he says, smiling kindly. He's shorter than me, and his stature isn't very imposing, but I can't be fooled. His eyes speak of a thousand lifetimes.

"Your son told me he'd inform you of my situation," I say, keeping my tone level.

Carlisle nods, inviting me inside. I step into the hall and wow– it feels like a showroom, not a place that has been lived in. "That he did, you got here rather fast too."

"The perks of being a newborn," I mumble.

As I follow him into what I assume is the living room, something beyond the glass walls catches my attention. The rest of the family is carrying benches, yes, entire benches, from one place to another. There's flowers, unlit candles and a giant table… and an altar.

"A wedding?" I ask, puzzled.

"Edward's, yes," says Carlisle.

"Subtle," I comment, eyeing the giant flower crowns adorning the walls. Carlisle chuckles.

"A drink?" he asks. It takes me a second to realize what he means, but I swiftly decline. I wouldn't take that risk.

He nods, annoyingly understanding about the whole ordeal. His wisdom is getting on my nerves somehow. Why is he good at this, and I'm not? The rational part of my brain tells me that he isn't naturally gifted– he has a thousand years of experience, or however old Carlisle truly is.

The scent of wolf is much stronger now– I follow it until my gaze finds the back of a young boy, hauling some smaller decorations around. He does look like Leah, does she have a brother?

He turns and our eyes meet. Startled, I look away, but I did catch his expression. He recognizes me. Did Leah tell him about me? Did her pack? I'd prefer to remain a mystery, personally.

Feeling the boy's eyes burning holes into my back, I turn to Carlisle.

"We've heard about Leah Clearwater's imprint on you," he says, leaning against the marble countertop. "It's a marvel, really."

I frown. "And why is that?"

"Shapeshifters and vampires are two sides of the same coin. We're awfully similar, but so different at the same time," he says. "While we're soulless and cold, they're warm and bustling with life. To see that one of them imprinted on one of us…"

"It's never happened before."

"Not even close." Carlisle shakes its head. "It's an unfortunate situation, really."

My eyes narrow. "Why? Because of the pact you have with their pack?"

He nods. "We're natural enemies, August. It's just the way we are. The treaty was necessary to avoid any bloodshed."

"That treaty doesn't apply to me." My voice is more defensive than it needs to be. Why am I angry? No, I know why. Coming here was a mistake.

Carlisle's expression is unreadable. "You've crossed the treaty line, haven't you?"

I nod wordlessly.

"And they didn't kill you."

"I'm stealthy," I say.

"No one is that stealthy, my boy," says Carlisle, scratching his chin. "I suppose they've accepted you in some ways, even begrudgingly."

"Enough about this," I say abruptly. I don't want to talk about such a sensitive subject just yet. Not that the next one was any less unnerving to talk about. "I want to learn to control my thirst. Do what you guys do."

Carlisle smiles again. "Our vegetarian diet?"

My stomach turns at the thought, but I nod. "Whatever you may call it. Teach me, please."

The older vampire nods, drumming his fingers against the marble. "If you mean it, you're a good man," he says. "I'll have Edward confirm your intentions once more, which I apologize for, but with Bella so close to us…"

"You can't take the risk, I understand."

"Thank you," says Carlisle. "You may stay with us, if you wish. It would make monitoring your progression a lot easier, that is."

"I don't have anything else to do." I shrug. "I have an eternity."

He smirks at me. "Tell me about it." He pushes himself away from the counter, gracefully strutting deeper into the living room, where a pixie girl is sitting on the couch. I have to do a double take to confirm that she's not actually a fairy, but another vampire.

"Alice, I want you to do something for me," he says. "We have a guest, meet August."

At this moment I realize that I've never told him my name in the first place. This is going to be exhausting.

Rylieellie, this one's for you :)