Guys sorry about the slow update, I had a lot going on! I had testing at school for the first three days and two big projects due that I needed to finish and a whole heck of a lot of friend drama. Fun fact: This chapter was originally going to be the last one, but just the day before I started this chapter I was listening to Taylor Swift and thinking about how sad I was that this story was almost over when I suddenly had a genius idea for the plot!

It had been almost three days since The incident with Victoria and the police had no new leads on what had happened to Demi. Charlie, Rene, and Bella were in a state of horrible shock, Bella for a slightly different reason than what they thought. Demi was being moved around a lot because the risk of anyone finding out what was really going on was too high at the moment. The police had searched the room but had only been able to find fingerprints identifying as Demi's and Bella's. When they tried to question Bella, Charlie turned very defensive. By the fourth day, they were starting to give in to the fact that they might never find Demi. But what they didn't know was at that very moment, a new danger was awakening from her agonized trance.

Demi's POV:

The pain seemed to last a century, and the days were a blur that I couldn't keep track of. For example, I would be in one place, and then suddenly I'd realize I wasn't their anymore without having the slightest idea how I'd gotten there. It was all very confusing! But one morning, as the sky grew brighter, the pain grew duller, until I was finally free! Free of the awful, horrible pain that made me want to claw off my own skin! Free! Once I had the strength, I rose to my feet. "Everett?" I said allowed, because for some reason that was the name that first came to my mind. "Demi?" He entered the room and stopped halfway to me, his mouth slightly open, stunned. You're one of us now." He faultered. I closed my eyes. "I know," I whispered. Finding the courage to do what I really didn't want to, I turned toward the mirror. It was startling to see myself that way; to know it was my reflection when it didn't look like me. I was as pale as Everett, and (despite not having brushed it in who knows how long) my hair was perfect and silky. I was a little bit skinnier than I used to be, curvy, with my lashes long and dark, framing my blood-red eyes. Just then, my vampire scenes picked something up. It was a human. I stiffened, my brain not understanding the situation as it was overcome with an incredible, irrevocable thirst for blood. I whirled toward the human, ready to attack. Somewhere, deep inside, I knew it was Bella, but the ferocious, thirsty, far more dominant vampire part of me didn't care. "DEMI NO!" Everett shouted as he realized what was happening. He grabbed me as I tried to lung at Bella, but I was far stronger than him and it wasn't any use! In an instant, Carlisle was there too, helping Everett desperately try to hold me back. Bella yelped, terror in her eyes. "Demi it's me!" She cried. "She knows," Edward whispered soothingly in her ear. "She's not herself right now. Her instincts are too strong. The only thing you can do for her is stay away." He muttered, leading her out the door. Shortly after Bella left, I collapsed to the ground, my brain in charge once more. That was when I started to cry. Alice was suddenly beside me, her arm over my shoulder. "Shh Demi, it's okay." She said. "I can't believe I attacked her!" I sobbed. "It's not your fault," Alice soothed. "It's instinct! Jasper's done it too." Jasper nodded in confirmation. "And you should've seen Edward on Bella's first day!" Jasper muttered. A wave of calm suddenly washed over me, and I remembered that Jasper could control emotions. "Thank you," I sniffed, whipping my eyes. He nodded. And then suddenly my hands were still. Frozen. "I'll never be able to see her again." I realized. "It's too dangerous. I'll just end up killing her." I was shaking, and I could only imagine the enormous effort Jasper was making to keep me even relatively calm. "Do you want to call her?" Rosalie asked, the gentlest I had seen her yet. I nodded, and she brought the phone over.

"Hello?" It was Edward. "Can talk to Bella?" I asked. There was a short pause. "Demi?" Bella asked. Her voice sounded like she had been crying, making me feel even worse. "Bella I'm so, so sorry!" I cried. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry! You're probably terrified!" "Demi, stop! Calm down, it's okay, breathe." Bella soothed, forgetting that I no longer needed to breathe. "What do you mean it's okay?! I just tried to kill you!" I yelped. "Not you Demi, that wasn't you! That was your instincts," Bella said fiercely. "It was still me inside," I whispered. "No Demi, listen to me! Your heart and soul and mind are what determine who you are, not what you are!" "I'll miss you, Bella," I whispered. "What do you mean?" Bella asked. She knew exactly what I meant, she just didn't want to. "I can't be around you anymore." It was the hardest thing I had ever said. "It's not safe. I have no control over myself when I'm near you." This must have been how Edward felt when he had left Bella. But I had no need to make her feel like I didn't care about her. "I know," Bella whispered. "I love you, Demi." "I love you too." Hanging up was even harder, it felt like finalizing this. Like hitting send on an email, or submitting a huge assignment you hadn't finished. Somehow, I did it.

Time passed, and things weren't getting better. Most of the time I could be found with my back against the wall of my new room, sometimes in tears, and sometimes having a blank staring contest with the wall. Sometimes it was the big things, like all the people I'd never get to see again, all the people in pain because of me, and the fact that I couldn't even go outside because I would probably kill someone. But other times, it was the little things, the things most people took for granted that I would forever miss. Like never being able to eat any actual food or the color of my eyes, and feeling the slight chill in the air when a storm is coming. And on top of all of that, the one person who I really wanted to see, and actually could be around, seemed to be avoiding me. Everett was almost never with me, though I thought about him a lot. These days I felt like more of a hollowed shell, formed when all the things in my life that I loved most, the things that formed my soul and made me who I was, were taken out, leaving nothing but my body behind. And then there was the day when I found myself. It was the same day that I left the house for the first time in weeks. Before that, Carlisle or Alice or someone else would bring me back something after hunting, but this time, they took me with. They helped teach me the best techniques, and a lot of other stuff I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to. But that night, when we returned a thought dawned on me. This is ridiculous! I thought to myself. This isn't me! I don't mope around hoping things will just fix themselves! No, I get up and do something about it! And that's exactly what I did.

Everett had been avoiding me for the past few weeks and I wasn't sure why. It hurt, but it was also how I eventually knew that I liked him as more than just a friend who rescued me from Italy. As the next few days passed I found myself thinking about him more and more, so one day, I finally decided to confront him. I saw him in the hall, and I marched up to him. "Why are you avoiding me?" I asked bluntly. He blinked, startled. "Avoiding you?" He asked. "You saved my life, and now you're acting like we're not even friends!" I accused. "You... want to be friends?" He asked. No. "Yes."

Everett's POV:

"You saved my life, and now you're acting like we're not even friends!" She accused. "You want to be friends?" I asked. "Yes." She said confidantly. The truth was, I had only been avoiding Demi because I had been sort of embarrassed. Remembering the conversation we'd had in the car... it was too awkward. But she didn't even seem to remember it. Now I felt guilty. "Okay, we can be friends." I agreed. Her smile was huge, but there was something buried underneath it that I couldn't quite read. We both just smiled awkwardly at each other for a while. "Well, do you wanna... um, hang out?" I asked lamely. "We could go hunting," I added. "Sure." Demi agreed. We left the house and started off in a random direction. "So, how do you like being a vampire?" I asked. She scowled at the dirt in response. "I don't know how you guys have tolerated it for so long." She grumbled. I shrugged. "You get used to it. Demi gawked at me. "Get used to it?" She asked indignantly. "I'm getting less and less used to it every day! The prospect of living forever is so boring it's not even funny, and then goes all the way back around to being funny again." I shrugged again. "It is pretty boring most of the time, but there are some highs." "Like what?" Demi asked. "When I met Alice and Jasper, coming to Forks, meeting you... just to name a few." She shifted slightly when I listed her, but didn't say anything. "I've already done all of those things and they weren't too exciting." She muttered. I laughed as I realized she was right, she had done all of those things.

Demi's POV:

"I've already done all of those things and they weren't too exciting," I muttered, turning my head away to hide that I was blushing. He laughed, rolling his eyes a little. "I'm sure Alice would love to hear that. Maybe I'll tell her." My eyes widened. Alice might actually kill me if she heard about that. Except, she can't. I remembered with a sigh. "What is it?" Everett asked, his playful attitude disappearing. "Nothing it's just-" I hesitated. He probably wouldn't even care. "Just what?" He asked gently. "You can tell me. What do you think I'm gonna do?" he asked. It wasn't so much what he might do as what he might think, but I wasn't going to admit that. "It's just that, I keep having these thoughts, just little things that remind me that I'm not human anymore, and then it ruins any good mood I might have been in before," I admitted. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this." I kicked at the dirt as I spoke, avoiding eye contact. He waited a moment as if knowing that there was a lot more to it than that, and waiting for me to go on. I wasn't about to say any more so I started walking again. Everett just stood there, startled for a moment before finally catching up to me. "There's more to it than that." He guessed. I stopped and turned around, exasperated. "Are you sure you're not actually an empath? Because last time I checked your power was teleporting plants, so stop trying to read my emotions!" I turned around and kept walking. Everett snorted in amusement, catching up to me quickly this time. "You can tell me!" He urged. I ignored him. "Is it- is it me?" He asked quietly. I froze. Clearly, he wasn't about to let this go. "I'm sorry," He said. "Er- what did I do exactly?" I turned around, exasperated, only then realizing how close he was. "For heavens sake Everett!" I snapped. "Chill, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, okay? I just- I don't like seeing you upset and I hate to think that it's because of me but I don't know why you're mad at me!" Everett said softly. That was the last straw. "Well I don't know if you noticed, but it's a little bit traumatic when one's life is finally starting to go in the direction she wants it to, and then it's suddenly upended on top of her and she's suddenly living a whole other life, facing new challenges she never imagined facing and missing people she thought she'd never be without! And it's extra stressful when the one person who she's constantly thinking about, crossing her fingers that he'll notice her, is avoiding her! Did you maybe think of that!" I shouted. For a moment, Everett didn't react, his face blank with shock while I just stood there, seething. Then finally, slowly, he reached out and gently grabbed my clenched fists, unclenching them into a more relaxed position before gently returning them to my side. "That's all you had to say." He whispered gently, and I felt my breath catch in my throat, any anger at Everett suddenly gone, replaced by an abyss of eternal loneliness in which my heart ached with an ever-present hope that he would notice me, want me, love me. Instead of shouting, or picking a fight like I normally would have, I surprised myself by throwing my arms around him and sobbing into his neck. Everett was still for a startled moment, and then he hugged me back, never pulling away even as I cried all the tears I had been holding in for so long. "I'm so, so sorry," He whispered. I was crying too hard to respond, so I just hugged him tighter. He turned his head to whisper something in my ear again, but this time, in a single moment of daring, I turned my head towards him, cutting him off as our lips touched. He didn't pull away.

We walked home in silence, him holding my hand the whole way. When we got back, Alice was lying in wait for us. "It's about time! I was beginning to think you guys would never figure it out!" She cheered. "Wha- OH..." Everett realized. "Yup. That's the whole reason I chose YOU to rescue Demi. Well, that and you were the closest. It took you guys way longer to figure it out than it took Bella and Edward..." She trailed off. My head was spinning. Was it possible? Were we really... mates?

It was only a few days later that I decided to try and do something about my other problem. It was risky and crazy, but hey, those words described me too! I would do it it at night or sometimes during the day. I made sure to avoid running into any humans and went into the forest. There I tested myself, I tried out my fire, and my new strength, and I found a strange, chilling pleasure in it. After about an hour of that, I decided it was time to stop playing around and do what I really came here for. I prowled through the forest until I managed to catch something. When I did, instead of sinking my teeth into it like I normally would have, I slit its throat. This was the test. As its blood spilled onto the ground and dripped over my fingers, my instincts began to kick in, telling me to attack, but I wouldn't give in. Try as I might, it was less than a minute before my inner Vampire took over. Not great, but it was progress. I would do this every single night for weeks. My goal was to be able to turn around and walk away from the scene without looking like I was fighting some invisible force. It was about a month before I could finally do it, but I kept practicing for a few weeks to make sure I could really do it. Finally, one day, when I was confident in my abilities, I took a deep breath and walked out the door. With a final check to make sure none of the Cullens were watching (they could hear about it after I actually did it) I turned and walked in a different direction than usual. I knew for a fact that Charlie would still be at work right now, so I disappeared into a patch of shadow and entered the house silently. Bella was in her room, lying on her back on the bed. Edward was sitting on the edge, holding her hand as she talked about something. Crap. I hadn't anticipated Edward being here. Suddenly, his head snapped up as he heard my thoughts and I winced. It's okay. I've practiced for this. I thought. A lot. I thought forcefully about the nights and nights I spent training for this moment. Finally, he sighed, and I took that as him giving me a chance. "What is it?" Bella asked, sitting up. Edward didn't say a word, he just stared into my patch of shadow. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out, and Bella gasped. "She won't hurt you," Edward whispered calmly, glaring at me with a look that said Try me. Hah. I thought smugly. You wouldn't lay a finger on me so long as Bella still cares about me. Edward rolled his eyes. "How?" Bella asked. "I just- I couldn't be without you anymore and I- I've kind of been practicing," I muttered. "I can't believe you're here." Bella gasped. She got up, and walked over to me, hugging me fiercely. Her scent was overwhelming, and I pushed her away as gently as I could. "Sorry." She said softly. I shook my head soundlessly. There was a pause as I gained control of myself once more. "So, how is- everyone?" I asked awkwardly. "Charlie's been bad," Bella admitted. "He hardly slept the first few weeks, trying to figure something out." I flinched. "And Renee?" I asked. "She's been freaking out, constantly telling me to be careful. In case something happens to me too." "Figures," I muttered.

As the conversation drew out, I eventually had to face the fact that I needed to tell the Cullens. This was gonna be awkward. Edward and Bella decided to come with, as Bella could now be around me. I wasn't going to admit to Bella how hard it was to be around her. In fact, I was surprised Edward let me be around her, reading the enormous amount of effort this was taking. Probably because this is what he goes through every moment he's around her. I realized. Suddenly, I looked to Edward with a new respect. Maybe this was why he had left Bella. Because she was at risk every moment they were together. Not that that makes it okay. If you really had to leave, you could have at least explained the truth to her. I thought loudly. Edward flinched. When we arrived, Alice was there, waiting for us, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "How did you do it?" She asked me. "Um-" "Oh, never mind, everyone else is waiting!" She interrupted, dragging me into the living room. Many pairs of eyes stared at me, wanting an explanation. "How?" Jasper was the first to speak. "Um... I've kind of been practicing... every night?" It came out as more of a question than an answer. Carlisle looked impressed. "It's not without major effort," I added. "Still, impressive," Carlisle said.

And then things were fine for a while. Not to say that there weren't challenges (there were still plenty of difficulties for a new vampire) but they were better. However, one day, in early August, something changed. I came back from hunting with Alice one day, our eyes a bright gold, to see everyone clustered around the couch. "What's going on?" I asked. "It's the wolves," Carlisle replied. "They don't like you being here." "But I thought they agreed to let me stay!" I said. "They agreed to give you a chance, yes." He corrected. "But I didn't do anything wrong!" I said defensively, my hair turning red. Carlisle sighed. "I don't know, I think they don't particularly trust you now that you've been spending more time around humans. Not to mention you're a little more 'wild' than they like. That's what Edward says anyway." "Too wild." I let out an amused scoff. "Anyways, they want to have a meeting to discuss the situation." "Well alright, when is it?" I asked. "Here's the thing... it's on their side of the border. "WHAT?!" I nearly shouted. "why would they even tell you about a meeting you can't even attend anyways?" I asked. "And WHY are they having a meeting to discuss my fate WITHOUT ME!? I mean, you'd think I should get some input on this!" "Bella is going to be our spokesperson," Carlisle explained. "So let me get this straight," I said. "The werewolves are having a meeting to discuss what they are going to do with ME and they conveniently hold it on their side of the border so the only person who can actually attend is my twin who they really genuinely like a lot more than me, and conveniently also really genuinely likes them a lot more than I do so they can definitely NOT take advantage of her loyalty and the fact that she'll tell the truth 99.9% of the time. Who planned this, Jacob?" I asked sarcastically. "Demi!" Bella complained. "Oh come on, he's obviously in love with you!" I scoffed. "Demi..." Bella muttered, looking away. I rolled my eyes. "He's toxic, stay away from him Bells," I added. Bella gave me an annoyed look, whereas Edward looked like he was on the verge of bursting into laughter.

That afternoon, I was nervously passing back and forth alongside the border waiting for my sister to come back from the darkest depths of pure evil. "Demi, calm down." Alice hissed. "I can't!" I replied. "They're discussing me, Alice! Who knows what they're gonna decide to do! And not to mention, the last time my sister crossed over the border, those idiots allowed her to jump off a cliff, Alice. Do you trust them?" I asked. "She has a point," Edward called from where he stood, leaning casually against a tree. "Exactly," I said. Alice sighed in defeat, and Edward went back to straining his power to try and pick up on what they were saying. A moment passed in silence. "It's no use," Edward sighed. "They're too far away." "Keep trying," I urged. In the moment, we were no longer enemies. We were momentarily unified in our mission to spy on the wolves. "I'm getting some flicker, some fragments of thoughts." He said after a moment. "What are they?" I asked eagerly. "They're questioning her, I- hold on, I think they're trying to trick our secrets out of her." "What secrets?" I demanded. "Nothing really, they're just paranoid." "Nothing really?" I asked skeptically. "Well, nothing big, just things we'd rather them not know about. Like your power and Everett's power." He explained. "Oh." I nodded slyly. Things were quiet after that, nothing but the occasional faint rustling of branches in the breeze. It would have been peaceful if I weren't so stressed. I wish Everett were here. I thought with a sigh. "I think they're headed back. Their minds are starting to become clearer." Edward said. I nodded, but this only made me more nervous. I was about to learn the fate that had been decided for me. Looking back, there are three things I wish I had done differently. 1. I should never have stood so close to the border. I was closer even than Edward and Alice. If I had just stood back a little, maybe things would've gone differently. 2. If I hadn't told Edward to try and listen in on the wolves, maybe he would've noticed something else. 3. I should've kept my guard up. Then I'd have seen it coming. But I didn't. I didn't do any of those things and so a heartbeat later, this is where I stood.

Alice's POV:

If it hadn't been for those damn werewolves messing with my power, I could've seen it coming, could have stopped it, Could have stopped everything! Screw them! Screw them all!

Demi's POV:

Suddenly, A branch snapped loudly, and I looked up in time to see something hurdling toward me at an intense speed! It was too fast for me to have time to move out of the way. As the object slammed into me, I realized it was part of a fallen log. It jarred me with such force that it slammed me backwards. The sudden shock of being hit was enough to send the log up in flames and it nearly knocked me over! But then, I regained balance, stumbled, turned, and took a staggering step back in an attempt to regain my balance. That simple, perfectly justified act was my biggest mistake.

Edward's Pov:

Suddenly, a branch snapped loudly in the forest, jarring my mind back to where I stood. If I hadn't been so distracted by the thing hurdling out of the forest at top speed, I might have been able to catch the thought of the mind I hadn't noticed as it slipped out of my range. But I was distracted, and so what I saw instead was what appeared to be part of a long-ago fallen log. The log burst into flames as it slammed into Demi with enough force to jar a strong newborn vampire back a few inches. My eyes widened in horror as Demi began to fall, but then, she seemed to regain her balance, stumbled, turned, and took a staggering step back... over the border.

OOOOH CLIFFHANGER EHEHEHE! Yay, Demi and Everett are finally together! What did you guys think of me attempting to write romance for that one section? It's not my usual style, and will probably only be featured in small sections of my stories so I'd love it if yall could let me know how to improve it! Or maybe it was perfect idk ;) oop and now Grammarly says idk is an unknown word *Face palms*