1st chapter (Prologue)

It was peaceful. Snowflakes in all variations glided soundlessly to the ground. It almost seemed as if they were dancing on the soft breezes of wind until they were laid to rest among their brothers and sisters to build a white blanket for mother earth.

The only sound that could be heard were fast footsteps, too fast for any human being or local animals. They led a trail from the southwest of Germany up to the North Sea. The responsible being left the snow-covered fields and reached the beach where she came to an immediate halt. Her red eyes scanned the unusual calm waves while her other senses checked for any disturbances nearby. She took an unneeded breath and closed her eyes, completely soaking up the relaxing atmosphere of that Thursday morning.

With a quick glance at the rising sun on the horizon, she jumped into the ice-cold water. Her destination was set and the path clear in front of her eyes. She lived secluded, completely on her own, she barely met others of her kind and was absolutely fine with that. She liked the peaceful silence, not to be bothered by anyone and being able to do whatever her pleased whenever she wanted. But deep down she was afraid. Afraid of what happened when she started her new life. There were times when she couldn't stand to be near others, so finding friends seemed as an almost impossible task at first.

It took her over 100 years to finally be able to find others of her kind she could trust and call friends. It wasn't enough to join their coven but they always cherished each other's company. Every few years they would meet and spent a couple of weeks together to laugh, talk and enjoy life.

The woman made her way through the North Sea until she reached the coast of her second home. Since she had first put a foot on this island, she felt welcomed and free. The nature was breathtaking, though the weather would probably not be favorable by most humans, for her kind it didn't matter that much. She sat down on the rocky coast, a smile formed on her lips and she hummed carelessly to the sound of the waves. Her wet clothes didn't bother her, not even with the strong wind blowing. She didn't know how long she sat there in silence, time was of no importance to her, it was probably a few hours later when she stood up again. Her mind still wandered, thinking about her transformation and her first years in her new life. If she could, she'd shed a tear as it was never in her intention to become more than a mere human. Especially not under those circumstances and losing her only friends due to a mistake. If she'd be honest, it was a mistake to happen, it was foreshadowing but neither her nor her now dead friends saw it coming. And within a few days span she lost everything, her human life, her family and her friends.

With a deep sigh she pushed those memories away. Her clothes were still freezing cold, but at least the water stopped dripping off them. It was a sunny winter day, barely a cloud in the sky, which forced her to take shelter in a nearby forest. She made sure to stay away from the capitol in the east to avoid the humans. Though in her opinion, Dublin was the most beautiful city she ever visited. Nothing compared to old castles, endless fields and deep forests, which she enjoyed far more than busy places like villages, towns or cities.

The smile never left her face when she made her way further into the forest nearing the center of the island. She heard the phrase 'shamrock in the ocean' once and couldn't agree more. The description fitted Ireland perfectly.

The woman knew her friends pathing, so she checked every known area for them but without any luck. She proceeded to go west, maybe they were moving, when she suddenly caught a small hint of a well-known scent coming in her direction. She waited patiently in the clearing, listening to the fast footsteps on the muddy ground. After a short while three people came to a halt staring slightly confused at the German woman. She on the other hand kept her small smile and walked over to the three others. It took them a few seconds to recognize until they returned the smile. Liam was the first to respond while his smile turned into a cocky grin.

"Look at that, my favorite German comes for a visit." He caught her in a quick but firm embrace before releasing her again. "Minna, we didn't expect you. How are you, dear?" Siobhan was next to welcome her friend, closely followed by Maggie who gave her friend a hug. Maggie didn't trust or even like people easily, but Minna proved herself worthy since she was honest. She may not be the loudest or speak her mind every time, but her intentions and actions were true, she couldn't stand lies or playing games with other people's mind. That gave her and Maggie a common ground.

"I'm glad to be back here. But you seem to be in a hurry. Is something wrong?" Worry filled Minna's eyes; this coven were the only people she cared about. The coven members exchanged a look.

"Carlisle, an old friend of mine from America, visited us. He and his family got into trouble with the Volturi. They accuse them of creating an immortal child, which isn't the case. He needs witnesses to help them." Siobhan explained their situation but she didn't sound as convinced as she wanted it to be. The Irish woman trusted Carlisle and Maggie didn't detect any lies in his words, but some doubts still remained. She didn't want any trouble with the Volturi, but she also didn't want to disappoint Carlisle who truly believed in her as a friend and her potential gift.

"You can join us, if you want to," Maggie said and rocked slightly back and forth on her feet. Her locks bounced slightly and Minna furrowed her eyebrows at the new information. She didn't know Carlisle or anyone of his coven, she never met anyone of the Volturi either but somewhere deep down she had an aversion for them. On the other hand, she had never been to America, she could explore the land of endless possibilities while being with her friends. She put a strand of her straight auburn hair behind her ear and smiled in anticipation. "I may not know him or his family, but I'll gladly stand at your side."

Liam put an arm around Minna's shoulders and together they walked in their destined direction.

They made their way in near silence. Minna felt the tension, as if Siobhan thought they'd come too late, if they'd make a rest. The leader of the Irish coven led the others with fast and powerful steps closer to their destination. Occasionally they got into heavy rain, but that didn't slow them down. All of them were hunting before they left their homes, so there was no reason to stop. Minna followed the group and exchanged quick smiles with Maggie. She enjoyed her somewhat carefree nature. Her red locks were curled up even more due to the weather conditions.

At dusk Siobhan slowed down and the four vampires finally arrived at a beautiful large house in the woods. Minna looked around and was immediately greeted by an intense smell. Something she would refer to as "wet dog". It wasn't a very pleasurable smell, but also not bad enough for her to stop breathing. Minna was never too sensitive when it came to scent. Within mere seconds some other vampires gathered in front of the house and a man walked to Siobhan with a small smile plastered on his young-looking face. The woman smiled as well and shook his hand somewhat relieved to be on time.

Minna examined the man in front of Siobhan as well as some of the others. She tilted her head in confusion when she noticed their different eye color. It was obvious that they were vampires but she couldn't quite understand how some of those vampires could have golden eyes. One would be a gift but multiple didn't make any sense, she needed to ask her friends about that. Then she noticed something within the group of golden-eyed vampires. She heard a strange heart and smelled something unlike anything that ever reached her nose.

Her attention shifted back to the man in front of Siobhan which she thought to be her friend Carlisle. He looked at Minna inquiringly, certainly not sure why she was here, though she had a feeling that man kind of knew what was going on in her head.

"Edward, it's good to see you. Carlisle called us, he sounded distressed. What happened?", Siobhan asked. "Thank you for coming. I believe he told you the matter. Come and meet my daughter." Edward winked at his mate and a beautiful young woman made her way in their direction, holding the hand of a small girl. Siobhan and Liam froze in an instant as they saw the child but Maggie looked rather curious at her. When they reached the Irish coven, Edward stroke tenderly over the child's head. "This is Renesmee, I'm her biological father. She was born when Bella was still human." Edward explained and looked at his mate, who in return had her eyes glued to the newly arrived vampires. She may be a newborn but those vampire in front of her or more precisely their thirst for human blood was unsettling to have near her half mortal child.

Siobhan and Liam exchanged a look and turned to Maggie. The younger vampire tilted her head lightly and gave the child a small smile. "He's telling the truth." With these words the coven members relaxed. They trusted Maggie's gift; they didn't need any further proof.

After the Irish coven greeted the other vampires, they entered the house and gathered in a corner. "Do you know why some of them have golden eyes?", Minna asked and let her eyes wander through the room. "They feed on animals, never on human blood.", Siobhan explained and Minna's head snapped in her direction. "Really? I didn't know that was possible. How does it taste though?", she wondered and furrowed her eyebrows, imagining what it would be like with all the fur. Edward walked to them with an amused smile on his lips