Chapter 4: The hunt

"Bree, will you behave if we let go of you?" The leader asked, his amber eyes pleading for an answer.

The teen was silent. She had struggled against the yellow-eyed coven's hold, refusing to move the whole way to the spot in the forest she had been dragged to. Her posture was now still, unmoving like a statue as her dark eyes evaded the vampires' gazes. She was too afraid to look into their eyes. She didn't want to see them looking at her like she was a wild animal. It was partially true, but she did not like being compared to creatures living in the forest.

"Bree?" the man asked again. He stood patiently in his place, refusing to let her be silent. "Do we need to hunt for you, or can you do it on your own?"

The coven had explained to her how they only drank animal blood and how they wanted to blend in with the humans, living alongside the stupid creatures. The girl did not understand why they would want to do so. It was a dumb idea to try to interact with the mammals. Vampires were supposed to feed from them, kill them. They were their prey, specifically designed for the immortals to feast on. Their whole existence revolved around being a food supply for vampires. Their slushy soft bodies were so easily crushed by the immortal's strength, snapping like twigs in half. It was ridiculously easy to give them death, so they were clearly not meant to survive. None of them were nice, either. Bree had struggled as one of them, and no one had realised it. They didn't deserve to live happy lives when they didn't help her.

"I still think we should kill it. It's creating too much trouble for us, Carlisle. We don't have time for this. I'm sure the Volturi would be more pleased with us if the newborn were a pile of ash," the southern vampire interjected, his stance looking impatient. The scars on his skin glistened like tiny stars as he looked irritated.

"Nonsense! We are not going to do such a thing," one of the females answered. Disapproval shimmered on her face as her caramel-coloured hair played in the small wind. She looked at the leader, concerned, and then towards the young girl standing next to him.

The blond leader opened his mouth, seeming tired. "I dislike going over the same conversation multiple times, Jasper. Even my patience is not going to last forever. I know you are not happy about our decision to keep Bree alive. If you want to go back to the house, you can do so; no one is stopping you. You are not required to guard her if you don't want to."

The southern vampire looked falteringly at Bree and the forest. His eyes were buzzing with thoughts. A sight escaped from his mouth. "I will stay."

The leader nodded, relaxing his stance. "Thank you."

Bree felt surprised. She was unsure if she could trust the coven's promise about not killing her. They could still be bluffing her, treating her like a clueless child. Hoping that she would fall for their trick. She needed to be smart and stay as silent as possible. It would ensure that her words were not used against her or be the reason she got killed. Maybe she could play along with their wishes for a while and see what would happen.

"I can go hunt something for the newborn," the hulk-like boy chimed in the conversation. He grinned excitedly, like a child getting ice cream.

"Don't take too long," the pixie next to the scarred boy warned. She didn't look particularly happy about the boy's idea, frowning when saying the words.

"I can go with him and make sure everything goes smoothly." The blond angel-looking girl, who had stayed quiet for the most part, promised. Her chiding eyes turned towards the muscular man.

"Yes. Perhaps it's better that someone accompanies Emmett. It will keep him from…getting distracted," the leader agreed.

"Wow, thanks, pops. No one trusts me these days anymore! I don't understand why. I simply like to trifle with the animals a bit; give them some good time before they die, y'know," the boy smirked, throwing his hands dramatically into the air. "Only Bella and…Bree appreciate me anymore!"

The young teen perked up, staring completely off guard at the vampire's playful eyes. Before she was able to stop herself, her lips let out a surprised "What?" The sound startled everyone. She supposed they had not expected her to start talking. Even she herself wasn't completely sure what had possessed her lips to let out the forbidden word. She had thought that she had agreed with herself to stay silent and keep her mouth shut, but apparently some part of her had not agreed.

"Man…I wasn't expecting her to talk. I almost thought she was mute!" The hulk-like boy exclaimed, seeming proud of himself. "You can thank me later for making her speak," he added, smiling snootily.

The air around the vampires had shifted to a more laid-back. Even the nature around them seemed to have let out a breath held too long in its lungs. The thick branches on the surrounding trees gravitated towards them, their brown, sticky fingers trying to reach the immortals.

Bree looked to her feet, feeling a rush of regret wash over her. She wanted to take her word back and pretend it hadn't been said. She wanted to escape and run as far away from the other vampires as physically possible. However, she was stuck like glue against her capturers without any way to get rid of them.

"This is your last chance to hunt by yourself," the blond leader said, strengthening his hold on her shoulders. She winced, afraid to say anything after her last word. She liked being the silent, almost mute girl. When she was, she ended up looking more invisible. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why, in her human life, no one had noticed her abuse, and instead she was left to suffer at the hands of her own father.

"I- " Bree tried to mumble. She was too conscious of the eyes following her face closely. They waited for her answer patiently. Where had all of her temper gone? It felt like her body had been stripped of it, leaving her with only crumbs of the once-powerful emotions. Her instinct to growl and hiss had disappeared with the strong emotions, making her feel even more horrible. She wanted to appear more dangerous to the coven looking at her but could not muster enough of her power to do so.

"I want to hunt," she managed to say through her lips. Her pale face turned towards her capturers, facing them like a lion. She didn't want to be fed like a baby. She was not a child who needed help getting fed. She was perfectly capable of hunting by herself. Or was she? She had never hunted animals before. What if they were harder to hunt than humans? No, they couldn't be. They were dumber than the other mammals, which was an accomplishment in and of itself. Human brains were so idiotic.

The young teen's eyes darted towards the forest as she tried to wonder how she was supposed to hunt.

"Close your eyes. It will help you detect an animal," the leader instructed. His hands let go of her shoulders, prepared to attack them again if needed.

Bree let her eyelids close. They turned her sight black, blocking everything around her. She smelled the air, wishing to find a scent she liked enough to pursue. She didn't know how to find it but hoped that her instinct would be able to step in by the time she smelled the animal. Her eyes snapped open as her attention got fixed on an odd smell. It wasn't delicious, but not exactly bad either. The sounds of hooves clicked on a hard surface, luring her closer to it.

She ran, hearing distant steps behind her. They kept up with her, refusing to leave her alone even for a second. She didn't blame the coven for following her. They didn't trust her yet, just as she did not trust them.

Her mind got hazy the closer the smell came, her face unable to look away from the direction of the animal. Its heart pounded undisturbed by the dangerous predator heading its way, waited for its fate eagerly, not seeming to care that the newborn was approaching. She breezed through the forest, feeling the wind whisper to her keen ears. It gave her more of the strange scent, making her run faster. Her steps thumped on the ground steadily, becoming increasingly restless the closer the animal came.

She could see it now. The deer stood on a stone, its attentive ears able to detect something was off. It turned to look at the vampire, eyes dilating from terror. Before the animal was able to do anything else, the girl jumped towards it. It stumbled to the ground as Bree's teeth pierced through its neck. Her mouth sucked the blood from it hungrily. She finally got more of the red substance she had craved. The deer did not taste as good as the humans she had fed from.

The blood stopped flooding into her mouth without a warning, leaving her wanting more. She pulled away from the dead creature, withholding a gag. She didn't want to show disgust on her face; instead, she kept it neutral.

"You will get used to it," a voice said behind her. She turned around to see the southern vampire. Jasper's body towered over her, frozen, ready to seize her.

Next to him, the hulk-like boy stared at her curiously. His name was Emmett, if she had heard right. She should probably start referring to the yellow eyes by their names. She knew some of them, but it felt wrong to do so before they had properly introduced themselves.

"I doubt so," the teen retorted, deciding to answer. Her voice sounded a bit hoarse. The blood's taste lingered in her mouth, its odd flavour making her hope it would disperse. She didn't believe the boy's words. How could he know she would get used to the taste? It was very possible she would forever suffer while having to feed.

"Trust me, you will. It might take a while, but it will happen," Jasper said, his body stiffening. He looked at her expectantly "Let's go back to the others."

Bree didn't remember much of the house she had lived in as a human. Her muddy memory showed a small house. It had been filthy and unclean from how it was hardly ever cleaned. A strong odour of alcohol had stung in the air. She had slept in a small room next to her father's room. The room had only space for a bed and a nightstand, causing her to feel a bit claustrophobic. The dust had always gathered around her until she was forced to be brave enough to ask her father for cleaning supplies. They were located in his room, where she was not allowed to go.

Now, she watched the huge contemporary house in front of her, eyes wide from astound. The coven's house rose gracefully in the middle of the forest, keeping nature off its plot. She was speechless from the building. She had expected to see a small shack overrun by plants, but instead was faced with a house bigger than her human one. How had the coven managed to pull a house like this out? Had they stolen it and killed its previous owners? Perhaps they had acquired it in some other shady way? There were millions of possibilities for how the house could have ended up for the yellow-eyes.

"We can try out some outfits and…" the pixie babbled next to the young teen. She had walked along with her, sticking to her side like a cockroach. Unable to stop herself, Bree gave a glare at the vampire. She was dumbfounded at how the raven-haired girl was walking so confidently and uncaringly next to her, whereas the scarred boy had towered over her threateningly the whole way, refusing to leave her side. It made the newborn nervous. She did not like the southern boy. He radiated danger, his scars emanating from their vicious history.

"We should let Bree settle in first," the caramel-haired woman said. The warmth in her voice radiated towards the girl, making her feel welcome. She still did not, however, trust the sudden friendliness of the coven. She needed to keep an eye on them.

"Fine! But after that, she needs to come to my room. I haven't had someone to dress up in a while! Bella is too stubborn to be my doll," the raven-haired vampire sighed, seeming frustrated. Bree wouldn't have been surprised if the pixie had attacked her and taken her away, whisking her to be a doll.

The teen was not happy about the sinister idea. She didn't want to be treated like a toy and be a Barbie.

"How about we clean and dress you? I'm sure you will be more than happy to get all those dirty clothes off of you," the caramel-coloured-haired woman said again. She smiled at Bree.

The girl stopped in her tracks, looking frightened at the vampire. "I really like my clothes."

"Perhaps we can buy a similar outfit for you then? Your current clothes are quite…torn and bloody. It would be shameful to force you to wear them any longer," the woman frowned.

They stood on the front porch of the house. A grey stone floor beneath them shone dully, trying its best to grab attention for itself.

Bree looked at her sneakers, too tense to look back at the vampire speaking to her. She hoped she could just be alone. She didn't need to change her clothes or wash herself. Her marble-like skin made sure the dirt didn't stick to her skin easily. She was fine.

"I don't want to change my clothes or wash myself," she stated, continuing to look shyly towards the stones beneath her legs.

"Don't be ridiculous! Of course you do," the pixie interjected. Her face was confronted with disgust as her eyes widened.

The newborn took a step back. She felt a growl ignite inside her lungs. It rumbled out of the useless organ, making her tremble like a twig. Her back got glued against one of her captors, the blond leader, as she was pulled backward.

"Alice!" the caramel-haired woman warned. She spun her body towards Bree, looking at her worriedly. "I'm very sorry about my daughter. She is sometimes a bit pushy."

Bree looked suspiciously towards the two, feeling again like she was in danger. Her instincts had once again taken her body as hostage, refusing to let her go. They puppeted her like a puppet master, pulling from her unsuspecting strings.

"It's a crime how horrible Bree looks. I can't let her look that way any longer. She needs a proper makeover," the pixie exclaimed back at her supposed mother.

The teen stared at her, her panicked crimson eyes giving silent stabs towards the short vampire. She didn't care anymore if she came off as an uncontrolled beast. She couldn't let her yellow-eyed capturers decide for her. They didn't even know her and still insisted that they knew what she wanted.

The caramel-haired vampire opened the door to the huge house. "Give her some time, Alice. She is still frightened. I'm sure she will eventually agree to get cleaned up," she pointed out, stepping inside the doorway. She turned invitingly back towards the others, waiting for them to move.

The hands holding the newborn tightened for a few seconds before they let go of her. "Let's go inside. We can discuss this deeper in my office and introduce ourselves properly." The blond leader's voice decided behind her.

Bree's gaze went up to him, looking at the man nervously. She squinted her eyes uncertainly, not sure when to take a step towards the door.

"You heard him. Move," the scarred boy stated strictly. He pushed the girl, causing her to take multiple steps forward so she would not fall to the cold stone floor. Her sneaker clicked against the stone as she moved her legs slowly, working to steady herself before crashing down.

"That was not needed. She would have come on her own," the caramel-haired woman scolded the southern boy.

The house the young teen had been burst into was as modern-looking as its outside form. It was plastered with large windows. They sat majestically on the painted white walls, bringing light to the already white home. The furniture followed the same look as the cover of the house. It had been decorated with contemporary furniture.

Bree was led to suspicious-looking stairs, or rather, planks flying in the air. The only thing keeping them from jumbling to the floor were the walls and the iron poles beneath some of them. The planks curled to form a circle of stairs, not helping her nervousness. She had never seen such odd stairs before. Her heart would have flapped like a rabid bird if she were a human. The sight was straight out of a TV show. It was the only place she remembered seeing the suspicious stairs.

She crawled up the scary planks, praying they wouldn't fall. She imagined she looked completely ridiculous climbing them up like a monkey, but she was too scared to walk them normally. Someone behind her started to laugh. The sound rang in the house, bouncing off the walls. It annoyed the girl, making her hiss. Her suffering wasn't something to be laughed at.

The laugh stopped as a thump cracked. It was short-lived, but it gave the newborn satisfaction. She was almost positive the sound had come from someone hitting another person. Or at least that's what she told herself to calm her mind down. She didn't want to growl or hiss again.

The newborn arrived at the office. Its door creaked as it closed behind her, sealing her in her new prison. She would be stuck here for a while. She could see it in the blond leader's eyes. He wasn't going to let her leave before getting the information he wanted. The vampire still seemed too unsure of her, not trusting to let her go. "I'm sorry about the door. I have been meaning to put some oil on its hinges," he said, breaking the silence.

Bree darted her restless gaze around the room, trying to gauge the space. She wanted to make sure she knew where the closest exit was if she were to try to escape. She could go through the glass. It seemed like the most reasonable exit out of the room. The walls wouldn't most likely appreciate her bursting through them.

The leader sat down on a black leather chair. "My name is Carlisle Cullen, and these are my sons, Jasper and Emmett. Although I suspect you have already heard their names before," the man smiled, pointing at his two coven members positioned on both sides of the girl.

The words made her flinch. How did he know she had heard their names before? Could he, too, read minds? Riley had warned her about the yellow eyes. According to him, they all had gifts and were dangerous. He had only mentioned the copper-haired boy having mind-reading abilities, but perhaps he had forgotten to mention the leader. She needed to keep herself on guard for any dangerous movements.

When the teen didn't answer, the leader shifted his gaze to the scarred boy questioningly, like asking for something wordlessly. It creeped Bree out, shoving her over the edge. She backed down, feeling a growl starting to form in her lungs. Her spine touched the wooden door, keeping her from escaping from the unsafe space.

"Bree, you're safe. We won't hurt you," Carlisle stated, standing up, his body leaning towards her behind the desk. Emmett and Jasper had turned towards her too. They loomed over her, ready to seize the scared girl.

She had heard the line multiple times now, still not believing even a single word in the sentence. She knew they could break the promise at any minute. The clock was ticking against her, plunging the coven towards her. It urged them to attack her and finish her off. She knew they wanted to get rid of her. They had no reason to help her. She was a huge nuisance to them. The southern-accented vampire had already revealed what the coven actually wanted. He had listened to his leader's request to not attack her, knowing they would do it later.

"Please," the leader continued, "we have a lot to discuss."