Chapter 6: Gift

The moonlight shone inside Bree's new room through its huge windows. She sat away in the shadows, hugging herself tightly. The girl had been in Esme's embrace until she had stopped weeping. She had rushed to the third floor and closed her room's door, too embarrassed from showing weakness to the yellow eyes. They had to think she was weak, unable to handle anything sad.

As time went on, the shadows grew shorter and more pronounced. Their soft edges turned to look like lines, cutting the room like scissors. The teen sat still, looking at the first rays of sunshine that broke through the forest. She lowered her cheeks to her knees, feeling the fabric of the jeans touch her skin. Her senses were strictly on the other vampires inside the house. She didn't want them to surprise her and barge into her room.

The TV had been turned off. The only sound the electronic device made was low static noise. All electronics made it. It was frustrating. How were humans able to handle the annoying noise coming from them? Didn't they go crazy because of the constant hum? Or were their senses so dull that they didn't hear the sound? The newborn squished her eyes, trying to remember what it had been like to have human senses. The only thing she was able to recall was a dim memory of her listening to a radio. She didn't remember the song but could remember a couple beats coming from the old machine. They were silent—almost whispers—and not recognisable enough to warrant a memory of the song. The human hearing, according to her memory, seemed quite bad. No wonder the mammals didn't notice the annoying sounds. They were practically deaf.

The newborn stood up, deciding she had moped enough. It was time for her to leave the safety of her room before someone came to check up on her. She was sure it would happen soon otherwise, and she did not need the pitying eyes of the Cullens. She was perfectly fine. Her mood swing was gone. No one could even suspect how sad she had felt a while ago. Only proof of it was in her and the yellow-eyes minds, lurking her and reminding her of her weak moment.

Bree moved silently towards the bedroom's door. It became closer, daunting her like a child. Her stomach jolted. Maybe she was still not ready to leave. Her body turned back towards the corner she had sat in. It definitely wouldn't hurt to stay in her room a bit longer. The girl's lip corners lifted. They formed a gentle smile on her face. Yes, it was a better idea to stay here, safe from the other vampires lurking in the house.

Her eyes turned curiously to their new destination. She had not noticed the silver-framed mirror sitting close to the bathroom door. It looked hidden, like someone would have deliberately moved it out of sight. Had it been in the room before? The teen frowned. She dipped into her mind, trying to search for signs of the shiny object in her brain. Her memories repeated all her movements in the luxurious bedroom. She had not seen it.

She walked up to it, tilting her head curiously. It had been a while since she had seen herself, perhaps around a month. Her eyes studied her reflection. She looked so different from when she had seen herself the last time. Her appearance was more…clean and less homeless-looking. Her expensive clothes lifted her appearance; she looked like the daughter of a rich person. Or at least that's what she thought. She wasn't used to looking so...rich. She and her father had been poor. Sometimes she had worn the same clothes for days before finally being able to change them.

The sixteen-year-old girl narrowed her crimson eyes. Her reflection abided by her wish and made the same movement. She turned to face away from it. It was too strange for her to look at herself. Her appearance was so different from what she was used to.

It was an ironic thought. Vampires were supposed to stay the same-looking for all of their eternity, but somehow the change of clothes had made her appearance change. She didn't look like herself anymore. Where were her dirty, blood-stained clothes? Her messy hair? It felt like they had been stolen from her, deprived of her. The person in the reflection was not her. She was her…alternative…version.

Footsteps from the hallway outside her room woke her from her mind. They came closer, alarming Bree further. She walked silently further away from the door, feeling anxiety strike her. She didn't want to be close to the door when it opened, just in case.

She didn't want to be murdered. The Cullens could have decided to send someone to kill her. What if they had realised how weak she was and did not want to keep her in their house anymore? Maybe they thought it was her time to leave the earth now. Or perhaps they were going to torture her before murdering her.

The newborn snarled as the door opened. It was the scarred boy. He walked inside the room, looking unimpressed by her animalistic noise. He raised one of his eyebrows disapprovingly.

Did Jasper think he was better than her? The teen hissed at the boy's cocky attitude.

A calm feeling crept inside the brown-haired girl. It slithered inside her like a snake, leaving her struggling against its grip. She did not want the boy to finger her emotions. They were hers, not his. He had no right to touch them.

"Stop it!" She growled. She was still in alert mode, not trusting the vampire's sudden appearance in her room.

"You need to calm down, Bree. Your tantrum won't benefit anyone." Jasper answered. He looked at the girl with a stoic expression. "I can feel your paranoia all the way downstairs. It disturbs me. You have to stop being stupid and handle your issues if you want me to leave you alone."

Bree glared at the honey-blond-haired boy. She did not like him. He emanated danger from his whole being. Everything in him screamed it. His skin looked so scarred that it was terrifying to even look at. The silver crescents tattooed on him told her that he had been in many fights, which he had survived. The military-like stances he took hint at how he was brought up in a strict environment. She did not understand why the rest of his coven was able to be around him. Weren't they scared of him? Or had they been participants in the same things he had been in. It was clear the other yellow-eyes had not fought as much. The rest of the Cullens hardly had any scars, unlike their coven mate.

Jasper sighed as the girl stayed silent. He frowned, seeming to think about something. It made the newborn suddenly curious. The emotion attacked her, completely unexpected. She almost wanted to ask what he was thinking, but decided against her odd feeling.

New footsteps rang in the hallway. As they arrived closer, Emmett's form came into view. "Hi, Bree Bee!" He grinned. His eyes focused on the girl excitedly from behind the scarred boy.

"Don't give me nicknames," the newborn said. Her gaze was strictly set on the two Cullens. She didn't want to let go of her stare in case one of them moved. Why were the yellow eyes gathering at her door? Was there a reason for it, or did they just want to disturb her? Worry wretched in her stomach. Maybe they were truly going to kill her, like she had guessed.

"But you are just like them, like a fluffy little bee! You even sting like them!" the brown-haired boy stated playfully. He was clearly trying to get her to put her guard down, but she was not going to fall for his tricks. She would never do something so ridiculously stupid.

"I'm not fluffy!" Bree hissed as an answer. She narrowed her crimson eyes, wanting to feel angry, but couldn't make herself because of Jasper's influence. The southern boy was still messing with her emotions, much to her annoyance.

The teen knew for certain that she was not fluffy. How could Emmett even think she was? Was he blind? She didn't have fur like other animals. Vampires and humans did not have coats, if hair and other body hairs didn't count. Or did he mean she was fluffy from inside? No, that couldn't be it. He hardly knew her. Dread tried to break the calm surface of her emotions. It fought against Jasper's influence, like a rabid dog, until it gave up. She had cried in front of most of the Cullens. That had to be the reason why the muscular vampire had called her fluffy. He thought she was weak.

The girl growled, startling herself. Her animalistic noises were out of control, but when she thought about them, they were understandable. She was locked inside a house with possibly murderous vampires. If she did not die in their hands, her end would come when the Volturi arrived. In other words, she was going to die, no matter what happened.

"Jazz and I want to test your powers!" Emmett's booming voice interrupted her.

The young newborn shook her thoughts from her head and returned her full focus to the two boys standing in her doorway. She wasn't sure how to respond. She felt like the wisest choice would be to decline. She didn't want the two to learn more about her powers. They already knew enough. But she couldn't help but feel curious. She wanted to be able to control her power better. It could be beneficial to her if she agreed to test them with the boys.

"I guess we can test them." Bree agreed silently. She had to be on higher alert now. Depending on whether they went outside or not, she could try to run away.

Jasper looked at her; his eyes narrowed, like he would have guessed her thought. "We will go right behind the house. If you even dare to try to run, I will dismember you." The blond boy hissed. "Do you understand?" His eyes stared at her threateningly, feeling like they were full of needles.

The sixteen-year-old teen nodded as her body filled with fear. It bubbled inside of her, through the uncanny calmness still hovering in the depths of her body. It seemed like Jasper had finally let go of controlling her emotions. He must have chosen to scare her into submission, knowing that she would naturally feel fear from his words.

Thick grey clouds blocked the sun as the trio walked outside, their heavy outlines in the sky predicting rain for today. Bree's shoes crumbled against the short sand path. It led them to a huge backyard. She wasn't surprised at its sheer size. The Cullen's seemed to be quite rich. The grass had been shaved recently, making it look healthy and well cared for. Some roses and tulips grew on the sides of a shining river. They looked intentionally placed, leaving her wondering who had put them there.

Body stiff from anxiety, she looked back to the house. This had been a mistake. She wanted to go back inside. At least there, she could stay in a corner and look at her room's door, guarding it from attackers. Out here, anyone could try hurting her. She was an easy target for anyone.

Horrifying thoughts slipped into her mind. What if Jasper and Emmett had brought her here to kill her? They were alone. All the other Cullen's were still inside the house. The scarred boy had wished multiple times that she were dead. Bringing her here alone, under the guise of wanting to test her powers, surely meant he planned to murder her. Perhaps Emmett also wanted to get rid of her. The other vampire had not vocalised his opinion about her, but maybe he was hiding it for a reason.

She took a step back, away from the boys. Her eyes widened. She had to escape.

As she moved, Jasper's warning snarl erupted into the air. His amber eyes locked to her, like an eagle's. "This is your last and only warning, Bree. If you dare to move even an inch, you will find yourself in pieces." He said strictly.

"Dude, you need to calm down! The newborn hasn't even started running yet. She just took a step back, right, Bree?" Emmett glanced at the southern vampire, worried, and then settled his gaze on the girl. "You aren't going to move." The brown-haired boy said, looking at her meaningfully, almost commandingly. His face was serious.

His words made her legs freeze in place. She felt too frightened to move. Maybe she was 'fluffy' like Emmett had proposed earlier. She acted so immensely emotionally that she even wondered if she would break and fall to pieces on her own without anyone needing to dismember her. The newborn's legs felt like they had turned into roots. They seemed to dig their way strongly into the ground, preventing her from moving. She wasn't sure if they were able to realise the danger she was in and help her stay still. Or if instead they hoped she would die? How would she know if her legs worked against her? She hoped, from the bottom of her unbeaten heart, that they still cared for her. If her body parts would start retaliating against her, what was she supposed to do in a situation where she needed them? They were supposed to work together with her brain to help her function.

The air felt humid around Bree. It stuck to her skin uncomfortably, surrounding her like a fog. Her focus went to movement in her right eye's corner. Her gaze recognised Alice. The pixie walked towards the trio, looking annoyed. "Jasper Whitlock!" she shouted. "What did I just see?! We have already talked about this! Multiple times in fact."

The young teen turned her head, terrified at the raven-haired girl's appearance. She wanted to hide. All of her instincts were now telling her to get away from the situation. She didn't want to be in the backyard anymore.

Jasper seemed embarrassed as he saw Alice's fierce eyes. "I know you are aware of what I think about the newborn! She could have easily escaped. We cannot risk letting her go. Catching her was hard enough!"

"She won't escape from us, Jazz." Alice berated him. "I've seen it!"

"You do not see split-second decisions, Alice. If she had escaped, you wouldn't have been able to see it early enough." The southern vampire reasoned with the pixie.

Emmett and Bree stood silently, gazing at them. Alice and Jasper continued talking heatedly for a few more minutes, turning the backyard into a place of tension. It hovered in the oxygen, filling the brown-haired girl's lungs with it. She felt it almost inside of her. Or then it was her own emotions making her think that way. She was still on edge, worried that something would happen to her.

The wind picked up and started bothering the nearby tree branches. It travelled to her hair, scattering her strands all around her face. A familiar smell made her body turn in its direction. She felt a small smile form on her lips. That scent. She had not expected to smell it but was glad to recognise it.

Fred.

She hadn't thought the boy would come to find her. He had made it clear that he would not search for her if she did not come to their meeting spot. She wondered what had made him change his mind. Maybe he had decided not to want to be alone and hoped Bree would still be alive. She brushed the idea out of her head. That was very unlikely. Fred loved to be alone. He wouldn't come to her because of loneliness. There had to be another reason for his appearance.

The newborn saw Jasper's demeanour stiffen. His eyes turned to look at the direction the scent had come from. The other two Cullen's soon followed his gaze. "Alice, Emmett, stay here with Bree. I will go investigate who that scent belongs to," he ordered before bolting off towards Fred's scent. The scarred vampire disappeared into the forest.

"C'mon dude!" Emmett shouted after him. The boy looked disappointed. His face dropped for a second before he turned to look at Bree and Alice. The pixie had walked closer to the younger girl without her noticing. The proximity of the yellow-eye scared the teen. She took a step away from her as her emotions whirled inside of her, warning her of the raven-haired vampire.

The muscular boy's face suddenly lightened up, and a smile cracked on his face. "We can test your abilities without Jasper then. It's his own fault for leaving when we were going to practice them."

Bree gave him a bewildered gaze. Shouldn't he be worried for his covenmate? He had left alone to chase Fred. She had thought the Cullens were more like a family than a coven. That should mean they would get worried for each other. Right? At least that's what she understood from the TV while watching it as a child. Families tended to care for each other.

Well, most families did.

"So…are you still up to test them?" Emmett asked. He glanced at Alice questioningly, waiting for a response from her.

The young teen's face changed into confusion. She couldn't wrap her mind around why the boy would ask the question first from her and then look at his raven-haired covenmate, expecting an answer from the pixie. It was idiotic. Why ask the question from her if her answer wasn't going to be the one listened to? And why did the hulk-like boy think Alice was going to know her answer?

"I guess." The red eyed girl answered. She silently decided not to reveal that she had recognised Fred's scent. She didn't want to let the yellow-eyed coven know how she might be able to escape from their house in the future with the help of her former covenmate. She was sure he was going to help her. If she were to tip them off to knowing the vampire's scent, she'd surely be locked inside and not let out before Fred would give up freeing her. Did he know she was being held captive? She would need to find a way to contact him and tell him about the mess she was in.

"Nice." The muscular vampire grinned. He clapped his hands together, rubbing them against each other. "Let's begin! How does your gift work?"

The newborn looked at her shoes. She wasn't exactly sure how. It just happened. Her gift had activated on its own when she needed it the most. She squinted her eyes thoughtfully, still making sure to keep an eye on the two Cullens looking at her. "I think it might activate when I'm in danger."

"Can you try activating it without that? What do you think and feel when you become invisible?" Alice asked. She smiled at the teen, seeming to try to calm her nerves down.

Bree didn't appreciate the pixie's attempt. She was rightfully careful and nervous around the yellow eyes. There was no reason for her to trust them. Sure, they had not killed her yet, but that did not mean they were trustworthy. She looked at the raven haired girl, opening her mouth. "I don't know...I felt terrified every time my gift was activated."

"Well, it might not be that great of an idea to make you terrified," Alice sighed. She pressed her lips together.

"It would be very easy, though," Emmett joked. He got a disapproving look from the amber eyed pixie. He shut his mouth but continued smiling. His gaze laughed.

The young girl held back her desire to snarl. Instead of making the noise, she pushed the urge deep inside of her. It wasn't funny that she was on edge. She just wanted to feel relaxed, but it looked like that would not happen before Fred would hopefully help her escape.

The two other vampires tried to make her power work. They suggested different ways to activate it. Telling her about the gifts of their coven's friends. Apparently, they had somehow acquired proper friends. She had understood that vampires really didn't have real friends, only acquaintances, but the yellow-eyed coven had gotten many friends over the centuries. It was strange.

As the sun started to set, Jasper returned. They had spent almost the whole day working on Bree's ability without much process, much to her dismay. She had hoped to gain better control over it. Learn how to activate it, at least. But nothing had happened. She still couldn't do anything with it. Were gifts supposed to be so hard to control? Or was she just incapable of learning the use of it?

"Jazz?" Alice asked, worried. She danced to the scarred man, interrupting their practice.

Jasper took Alice's hands gently and started balancing between looking at Emmett and the raven-haired girl. "I didn't catch the vampire. They seemed to have some type of gift. Every time I got closer to them, I started feeling too repulsed to continue going in their direction. It was frustrating. If they come closer to our house, we might need to figure out a way to dodge their ability."

Alice and Emmett nodded.

The newborn, listening to the boy's words, felt relief. Fred was safe and sound. Her unexpected emotion made Jasper's gaze turn to her and focus on her face. However, the boy did not say anything. His eyes burned her. She was almost able to sense his confusion. Her crimson eyes filled with nervousness yet again as she wished he wouldn't ask her anything. She needed to be careful around the southern vampire and try not to feel much emotion. It would be hard, even impossible, but she didn't know what else to do. He couldn't figure out that she knew the vampire in Cullen's territory.

"What did you see?" the hulk-like boy's voice said, taking the teen out of her thoughts. She focused her gaze, confused, at the trio standing still. Both Emmett and Jasper were looking at Alice. The girl's eyes looked distant, like she would have been somewhere else.

The raven-haired vampire shaked her head lightly and then concentrated on the two boys. She side-eyed Bree quickly. "We shouldn't talk about it in front of Bree."

The words made shivers go down Bree's back. What could the pixie have seen that she couldn't hear about? She felt a rush of panic rise in her body as the worst-case scenarios played in her head. She glanced around, hoping to see what the vampire had seen, but the backyard looked normal.