Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does.

This story is non-canon and contains fem slash.

Author's Note:

Please follow, favorite, and review. Thanks!

A note for readers who were following this story prior to 2024: I have revamped (no pun intended) this story and intend to start posting new chapters occasionally. I would recommend rereading the existing content before continuing to the new chapters.*

First Person POV: Izzy

Today was the big day, I was talking the next major step in my human scent acclimation training. Of course, I wouldn't be directly interacting with humans yet - just relaxing in the vicinity of humans at the park in the closest town.

It was late winter now and my newborn year would come to an end in another month. I had trained rigorously for this and conquered ever test my family put before me. Tanya and her sisters had gone as far as stealing a freshly worn scarf from a home on the outskirts of town. I couldn't help but giggle at the image of them breaking into a stranger's room to steal it. When I'd made it a prolonged period of time wearing the scarf around my neck they told me that was the worst indirect test they could think of.

My family was confident in my restraint, and I trusted their judgement. I just hoped they weren't overestimating my control. I didn't want to ruin the life they had built in Alaska, so it was imperative that I keep my beast in check while we visited the park today. I would feel awful if my control slipped and they had to face the consequences of my indiscretion.

I fiddled with the button on my pea coat as we drove through town towards the park. The girls had reminded me that humans were sensitive to extreme temperatures, so it was important to dress the part when I went out into society. They jumped at the opportunity to help me select an acceptable outfit and I ended up in a charcoal gray pea coat over a mauve sweater dress. They topped the outfit off with a pair of wool tights and black leather boots with a kitten heel. Luckily I didn't require contacts at this point, my eyes had adjusted to same pure gold color as my family members over months of maintaining a strict animal diet.

I rode in a luxury SUV with Eleazar, Carmen, and Tanya while Kate and Irina followed behind us in an ostentatious yellow sports car. As we drove through the suburbs, I watched out the window at the passing neighborhoods. The area we drove through was rather well-populated, with humans walking their dogs outside and children playing in the yards.

I swallowed nervously as the park came into view.

"Remember, the most important thing for today aside from maintaining control is to moderate your speed and strength. Today will be a good opportunity for you to observe humans and try to mimic their behaviors and mannerisms." Tanya told me.

I gave her a reluctant smile in response, and she placed a comforting hand on my knee.

"You're going to do amazing, Izzy. The family believes in you, now you just have to believe in yourself." She assured me.

I knew she was right, if I had faith in myself then I was more likely to succeed.

Eleazar parked the car and looked back at me.

"We can head to the park whenever you're ready, no rush." He said and I nodded at him appreciatively.

I took a moment to collect myself and still my emotions. I mentally ran through my coping skills: focus on my non-scent senses, imagine being in my happy place, and take deep, calming breaths through my mouth. My family had warned me that the indirect trials I faced would be nothing compared to the real thing.

"Okay. Let's do this." I said, mustering my confidence and reached for the door handle.

We stepped out of the car together and were joined by Kate and Irina. The parking lot luckily didn't have any humans present but I could still smell their residual scents lingering in the air. We approached the park, and the burning sensation in my throat grew more intense with every step. I could hear the tempting heartbeats thumping steadily around me below the ambient noise of the park.

Tanya guided me to a bench in a less populated section of the green. Kate and Irina took another bench a few yards away from us and Carmen and Eleazar left to take a stroll but promised they wouldn't stray too far either.

And then we waited.

A young woman, clad in spandex shorts and a t-shirt jogged passed in front of us along the paved path and I tried to suppress my wince of pain as a flash of fire seared my throat. I felt my instincts rise and I fought them down. My fists clenched with effort as I resorted to holding my breath until the runner passed us.

Tanya, noticing my reaction, placed her hand on mine. I loosened my grip and let her gently threaded her fingers through mine. She squeezed my hand, and I felt myself grounded back to reality through our contact. I looked at her and saw the pride in her eyes. I could do this; I wouldn't let her down.

Feeling more at ease, I focused on my non-scent senses, hoping to distract myself from the human scents wafting through the air. The most notable sensation being the light pressure and pleasant tingle of Tanya's skin against mine.

I felt the wind swirling around me and my long hair fluttering with it.

I heard the random chatter of group of preteens gossiping and the cheerful shouts of children playing soccer in the distance.

I saw an elderly couple walking hand in hand down the path and a man walking his golden retriever.

After nearly an hour of people watching, I had acclimated to the scent of human blood around me. It wasn't that the humans smelled any less appealing, it was that my throat had almost become numb to the burning.

"How are you feeling? You don't look like you're struggling anymore." Tanya spoke.

"I'm surprisingly okay. But I'm still tempted by their blood." I replied honestly and Tanya hummed in understanding.

"Does it ever go away?" I asked her even though I already knew the answer.

"No, but I promise it gets better. You'll never lose the burn in your throat, but it becomes tolerable with time and practice. At my age, the feeling is almost like background noise." She assured me.

"Have you ever met a human that wasn't appealing to you thirst-wise?" I asked.

"Absolutely, just wait until you go out clubbing with us." She smirked. "Intoxicated humans don't smell nearly as good. It's the same with humans who are sick or chronically ill. Having said that, when you're desperate, blood is blood."

I turned forward as I saw a young boy kick a soccer ball into the air towards our direction. It flew towards me and the boy ran to follow it. I froze as the soccer ball hit the ground and bounced a few times, rolling directly to my feet.

Irina and Kate's conversation immediately halted as the boy ran towards me. However, I knew there wasn't time for them to intervene without using their enhanced speed. Oddly though, Tanya remained seated next to me despite the fact that she could have easily stepped in.

I stared apprehensively at the ball for a second before releasing Tanya's hand to pick it up and hand it to the boy. My jaw clenched and I held my breath, but I managed to give him a tight smile through the inferno raging in my throat. The boy returned my smile and grabbed the ball from me before running off to rejoin his friends.

I looked at Tanya with a perplexed expression.

"Why didn't you help me?" I asked her, feeling almost betrayed that she hadn't come to my aid in what I considered a high-risk encounter.

"Because I knew you could handle it, and you did." She responded with absolute conviction.

Third Person POV: Victoria

Victoria drove through the streets of Seattle as the hour approached midnight. Tonight, she was taking Riley on his first trip to the city to feed. He wasn't out of his newborn year quite yet, with about two more months to go, but Victoria was tired of fetching meals for him.

"Now, there are only two things that you need to remember tonight. Don't leave evidence and don't leave witnesses." Victoria told her companion.

"What happens if there are witnesses?" Riley asked her.

"Then the Volturi track you down, rip you apart, and burn your pieces." She responded casually.

"Oh…" He said, swallowing nervously.

Victoria parked on the street a few blocks away from a local dive bar. She hopped out of the car and popped the trunk to grab a can of gasoline and a pack of matches.

"Follow" she told Riley and stalked off without waiting for a response.

She approached a building, scenting the area to make sure there weren't any humans outside within viewing distance and then scaled the building with Riley following closely. She jumped a few buildings over until she reached the dive bar. Then she walked to the edge of the roof over the alley behind the bar and pointed down at the two middle aged men smoking against the wall.

"That's our meal, you take the bigger one." She told Riley, keeping her voice low to avoid detection.

She could feel Riley's impatience building because of their proximity to fresh blood. So, she leapt off the side of the building onto the street with Riley in tow and then prowled around the corner towards the men. She dropped the gasoline and matches as she stepped in front of her meal.

The men didn't pay them any notice until they were directly in front of them. When Victoria's kill noticed her, he looked her over and smiled lecherously.

"Well, aren't you a pretty little thi-" He started to say only for his voice to be replaced by a choked gargling noise as she bit deeply into his throat.

The other man's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, and he drew in a sharp panicked breath. Riley took that as his cue and eagerly bit into the man's throat before he could scream for help.

The man didn't taste particularly good due to the alcohol content in his blood, but Riley was thirsty and drank greedily anyway.

Victoria suddenly froze and then unlatched her teeth from her meal, holding the body upright to avoid spilling blood.

"Someone left the bar and is heading towards us. Let's move." She whispered urgently to Riley. However, Riley was too absorbed in draining his kill to acknowledge her.

She growled in frustration and dropped her meal, tugging urgently on Riley's arm to get his attention. Riley just snarled and shook her off.

"Riley, you imbecile!" Victoria screeched as the man finally rounded the corner.

When man registered the scene in front of him, he released a frightened scream. He turned on his heel, sprinting towards the entrance of the bar but Victoria flew after him and caught him by the collar of his shirt. She tugged him backwards and snapped his neck, abruptly cutting off his wailing.

As she dragged the man's body around the back of the bar and saw that her original kill had already bled out on the ground.

"So much for being inconspicuous." She said and glared fiercely at Riley, who had now finished feeding. He shrunk back under her ire.

Victoria bit into the man she was carrying and drained him swiftly. It was always more satisfying to drink from a live human, but Riley had costed her the original kill.

"We need to dispose of the bodies now. Throw yours in." She told him as she tossed the body she was holding into the dumpster followed by the body of the man who had bled out.

Riley did as he was told and then Victoria doused the dumpster with gasoline. She stepped back a few yards, motioning for Riley to back up and lit a match. She flicked it into the dumpster, watching it go up in a blaze.

"Let's get out of here." Victoria said and ran back to the car followed by Riley.