I flew through the air, propelled by a powerful leap. I easily cleared a dozen smaller trees before I hit a much larger one. I gripped its trunk, my fingers and toes latching onto the rough bark, then took in a deep breath through my nose. The scents of the forest washed over me. The towering pine I clung to, the undergrowth far beneath, the mist on the wind. The birds and insects were silent, The petrichor of rain across the mountain—with the charge I could feel in the air—heralded an incoming thunderstorm. I needed to work faster, lest my task become much more difficult.

I'd been searching for Waylon's killers for days on end, roaming the forests around Forks, knowing that I would eventually come across the scent of the trophy jacket. I'd divided the area surrounding the town into quadrants, and my shit luck meant that I was just finishing the third, about to begin the fourth. I loosened my grip on the tree to slide back down to the forest floor, still taking in the scents. There wasn't really anything to smell up there, but I was beginning to suffer a familiar malady. Unfortunately for many, the early stages of vampiric hunger gives us restless energy. My frustration at the long, so-far-fruitless hunt propelled me into actions that pushed my body. I managed to restrain myself from things that would be too obvious, like felling trees or smashing stones, but the occasional massive leap felt good.

My ears perked as I heard distant voices. They were muffled beyond even my enhanced hearing, but I could tell they were moving toward me. I prowled through the underbrush toward the voices. I guessed there were about a dozen men, which was strange. There were no trails nearby this region, so they couldn't be hikers. It became clearer once I heard the dogs, and obvious once they all came into view. It was a search unit. I leaped back up into a canopy, careful to land on a large branch lightly, then bounded between trees until I could understand the voices. I had to stay above and quiet, and painfully alert. If any of those dogs spotted me, I'd lose anything I was about to gain.

The unit was led by Sheriff Swan. He stood in the back, explaining the intended search area to his officers and volunteers. They still thought it was a bear. Some of the dogs were scenting for a bear, but others had been given some of Waylon's clothing. So, then, Charlie was only pretending to believe it was a bear. He probably didn't want to seem crazy, even though he was right. The dogs had led them to this point, and his search area was based on a projection of the path they'd followed.

When he dismissed the men and their dogs, he stayed back for a few moments longer. With no one looking toward him any longer, I took my opportunity to creep down the tree nearest the man. Once close enough, I could read the markings. They were a widening cone, point correlating with our current position and widening north and east. Their search area was maybe an eighth of mine, but they'd come following an existing trail. Indeed, now that I was here, I could smell the trail that the dogs had been following up to this point. A manic grin split my face, and I didn't bother to suppress it. Hunting vampires was the only time I could allow myself to enjoy my instincts. I leaped back up into the trees and took off, barely noticing how Charlie whirled and shone his flashlight where I'd just been. I quickly overtook the search party. They were being thorough to compensate for their relatively dull senses.

Once out of their sight, I dropped to the floor and sprinted through the trees. I kept a light touch, leaping off trunks and large rocks whenever possible so as not to leave a trail of destruction. I had no fear of leaving a scent trail, as my clothes were thoroughly saturated with the forests' odors. It seemed I was the only vampire on this mountainside smart enough to take such a precaution. Waylon's jacket called to me, begging me to avenge him, and I was ecstatic to grant such a wish. I was so excited that I didn't notice how the scent was fading until the trail ran out.

I landed on a boulder, hands and feet feeling it's cold surface. I scented the air again, but it was gone. I stifled a growl of rage. This was wrong. Scents didn't just fade, not like this. It would take time, or rain, to clear it out, and it was recent enough that the dogs could follow it. If that jacket had come this way, then the scent…

I slapped my forehead. Baka! I couldn't believe I'd fallen for it. If the dogs were following the trail, and if these vampires had even a half a wit between them, then this would be the decoy trail. That's why it faded away: one of them had intentionally picked up some of the scent then gone this way to mislead the humans. They weren't the true source of the scent, so it hadn't lasted like it should. If I hadn't let my thirst get to this point, hoping to indulge in the heightened aggression, I would have thought it through. I needed to slake that thirst before I went any further, lest I make another mistake. I took another deep breath, this time searching for more mundane prey. Once I had some blood in me, I could retrace my true prey's trail, find the fork, then bring this hunt to an end.

...

The soggy dirt road jostled Edward and me as we drove up the mountainside. The clouds were a dangerous, dark gray, and I could already see the occasional distant flash. We'd been driving for the better part of an hour; he couldn't drive in his usual breakneck way up here, or else we'd find ourselves upside down in a ravine.

"Baseball?" I said, for, like, the fourth time. "Since when is that a vampire thing?"

Edward smiled, and it seemed like he'd set aside a great burden. He was excited. "We don't get to do it often," he replied. "Only when a thunderstorm rolls through."

"Yeah, and you still haven't told me why the thunderstorm, either."

"You'll see," he laughed.

I figured I would. He'd tried to keep the whole thing a secret, but he'd also had me put on a baseball uniform, so I don't know what he was expecting. But he wouldn't explain anything else about the random baseball trip, which meant I had to wait.

He concentrated on the road, and I watched the scenery go past. The waiting was pleasant, at least. We were up in the mountains, following a barely-maintained road to some secret baseball diamond the Cullens knew about. The trees were all wet with the humidity of the oncoming storm. Despite the sogginess of it all, the mountain elevation still made things feel crisp and refreshing. The air felt tense with anticipation, unless that was just me projecting onto it.

"Almost there," Edward said. He slowed, then turned off the road. From here he took us through a muddy meadow, following another set of tracks that looked kind of recent. We rounded a large copse of trees to reveal a pair of Jeeps and the rest of the Cullens. They were all dressed in the same kind of outfit as me, but much better-looking, of course. They had the same excitement about them that Edward did, and waved as we got out. Edward rounded the Jeep.

"Now will you tell me what this is about?" I asked, maybe a little petulantly.

He put a baseball cap on my head, then tucked some of my hair behind my ear. I'd become more accustomed to the cool touch of his skin, but not the thrill of excitement that came with the touch. We looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and I caught the tiniest flash of hunger, the guilt, flickering through them. But he shook his head, as if to banish both.

"Well, we like baseball, and we can only play during thunderstorms," he said, repeating what he'd already told me.

"Come on." I slapped his chest, and he feigned being pushed back. "Tell me!"

"You'll see in a second, I promise," he insisted. Then he turned to the others. "Emmett! You got my bat?"

"Yeah!" Emmett called back. "You want it? Come get it!" He waved the bat, apparently Edward's, in the air, then dashed off in a blur.

"Oh, that's how it is?" Edward grumbled, still grinning. Then he dashed off, too! I could barely track the two brothers as they zig-zagged around the field, and I could tell that Edward was the faster. Every time he got close, though, Emmett would juke him, somehow, and gain a bit of a lead. I watched, a bit stunned, and realized that I'd never seen Edward, or any other vampire, really cut loose before. Obviously he'd saved me from that van in the parking lot, but I hadn't seen that. Besides, this was different. They didn't have to hide out here. I began to see what a toll blending in with humans must take on them.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I noticed that Esme was standing next to me, watching her sons vie for the bat, but the shock faded supernaturally quickly.

"Why don't you come over here, dear?" she invited, gesturing toward the others. "We're just waiting for Alice to say it's time to start."

I followed her lead toward the others. "Because she can see the future?"

Esme nodded. "Her talent is always vital to our safety, but today it helps for more fun reasons."

"Why is the storm so important?" I asked. Maybe she would tell me, since Edward couldn't…

But she shook her head. "Edward wanted this to be a surprise."

Figured.

It didn't take long for things to get started. Edward and Emmett returned, Edward holding the bat, and they divided into teams of three. They made me umpire, since I was the seventh person and also because I was not a vampire. I understood completely, and I'd never been that kind of sporty anyway. But I was intimidated at the prospect of making calls. Rosalie still gave me hostile glares whenever she thought no one would notice, and I really didn't want to make her angry. Or, angrier.

The toss of a coin sent Edward, Alice, and Emmett out into the field and put Rosalie up to bat. Edward took up an outfielder position while Emmett took the catcher's place behind his wife. A bit of thunder grumbled overhead and a little rain began to fall. Everybody held still, watching Alice watch the sky. After a whole minute of this silence, she grinned.

"It's time!" she called. Then she pitched.

The ball shot from her fingers, crossing the distance far too quickly for me to see. But I saw Rosalie swing, and I heard the crack of thunder that coincided, almost completely covering the explosive impact of bat on ball. My eyes widened and I understood. They couldn't prevent the gunshot-like sounds of their game echoing suspiciously over the mountain, so they covered them with the thunder. It was a solution that probably only worked because of Alice's gift, but work it definitely did.

At the exact moment that bat met ball, both Rosalie and Edward burst into motion, her around the diamond, him toward the ball, vanishing into the trees. I leaned toward Esme.

"That's a home run, right?" I asked.

She shook her head, and before she could answer, the ball rocketed back out of the woods. Emmett lunged to the side, seizing the ball from the air, then twisting around just as his wife came sliding toward home base. Remembering my part in all this, I watched as carefully as I could. Rosalie's slide kicked up moist dirt, almost obscuring the moment that Emmett tagged her, but I was certain he got her before her cleats touched the plate.

"Call it!" Esme said, grinning.

Her enthusiasm was infectious. I grinned, too. "You're out," I said, thumbing over my shoulder. I heard Edward whoop loudly from across the field. Rosalie's expression darkened.

"Sorry, babe." Emmett winked at her, offering his hand. "We're just too good."

She accepted his help, but still glared at me and muttered something under her breath. I thought I heard "favoritism."

But she didn't have long to be angry at me, because Esme was up to bat. Edward and Emmett traded places.

"Don't go easy on me, dear!" Esme called.

Alice raised her eyebrows, accepting the challenge. She watched the sky for a moment, then threw. The thunder crashed, but Esme didn't swing. Edward caught the ball with a fully-outstretched arm. As the thunder faded, I realized they were all looking at me.

"Uh…"

She hadn't swung, and Edward had had to reach pretty far to catch it. Was that a strike? I wracked my mind to remember what the other option even was. Carlisle stepped over to me and whispered.

"If it went through her strike zone," he said, pointing to the area above Esme's belt, below her shoulder, and over the home plate, "then it's a strike. Otherwise it's a 'ball.'" He smiled encouragingly.

I thought for a moment, looking again at how extended Edward's arm was. "Ball!" I called.

Esme smiled widely, and Alice shook her head in mock frustration. Edward returned the ball and she pitched again. The thunder crashed and this time Esme swung. The ball ricocheted straight up and slightly backward. Esme shielded her eyes, looking up at it, while Emmett sprinted straight at us. He leaped, kicking off the hood of a Jeep for even more height, then intercepted the ball as it came down. He whooped as he fell.

I knew this one. "Foul ball!" I called. "You're out!"

"Damn," she said. Then she shrugged good-naturedly. "I did ask her not to go easy on me. It's all up to you!"

Carlisle high-fived her as he took her place and their sons traded places again. At the plate, he pointed the bat into the sky above the far trees, calling his shot. He adopted a look of intense concentration until Alice pitched. The ball flew straight at him, scattering raindrops into mist, and he…

Bunted it?

Edward turned and sprinted toward the trees while Carlisle ran the bases. Edward skidded to a halt, looking a little embarrassed and determined as he dashed toward me. It took me a long moment to understand, to realize that the scattering of mud wasn't just from Carlisle's sprinting, but also from the ball being deflected into the ground. Emmett lunged forward, driving his hands into the mud and throwing the ball to Edward.

Carlisle crossed first base.

Edward caught the ball and pivoted.

Carlisle crossed second base.

I held my breath as Edward dashed after him, closing the distance quickly.

He crossed third base.

Edward realized he couldn't quite catch Carlisle in time, so threw the ball back to Emmett. Carlisle slid, and his boot touched home base just a fraction of a second before Emmett tagged him.

"Safe!" I shouted, jumping.

Esme jumped up and down, not at all acting her age, and ran to help Carlisle up. Rosalie seemed happy for a moment, but saw me notice her smile and wiped it from her face. She turned to Emmett, instead.

"Just too good, huh babe?" She pushed on his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah." He shrugged. "It was pretty close, though."

Then it was time for the teams to switch places. I was soaked through already, but so were they. It was like dirt biking. When everyone is coated in dust—or mud, in this case—it doesn't feel like anyone is. They clapped each other on shoulders, laughing. The swap was held up, though, as we all, one by one, noticed Alice's expression. She was staring through us, face slowly becoming horrified.

"Stop!" she called.

Everyone froze.

Alice—and Edward, probably reading her mind—both turned toward the woods between second and third base. Then, in an instant, they were beside me.

"Vampires, coming this way," Edward said, urgently. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked overhead, the rain suddenly feeling colder. "Bella, stay behind us."

"What's wrong?" I asked. The rain seemed to soak into my veins, chilling me to the core. "Who's coming?"

The Cullens gathered around me, even Rosalie, though she stood farther away. "It won't work," she said, scowling, "I can smell her from across the field."

Alice actually answered my question. "Another coven. This ends badly if they see you. Stay back."

With the way they all stood in front of me, postures tense, I couldn't see the newcomers until they were closer. There were three of them, two men and a woman. The man behind had a leather coat that bared part of his muscular chest and a bad-boy smirk that would make some of my classmates swoon. His companion had gorgeous, fiery hair tumbling about her shoulders and a possessive, imperious expression, like she owned everything she saw. The guy in front must have been black as a human, because his skin was pale like granite instead of marble. He had long dreadlocks, and looked more controlled than the others.

They all had the pale skin and devastating beauty I'd come to expect from vampires. But there was something… off, about them. They didn't walk so much as prowl toward us, stalking like predators. As they drew closer, the Cullens tensed further; Emmett hunched forward and Edward's grip on my arm tightened enough that it began to hurt. I bit off a gasp as I realized that the newcomers had red eyes, not gold like the Cullens. Only Carlisle remained calm. Not pleasant, though; just calm. He stepped forward when the others got close enough for conversation. Dreadlocks guy spoke first.

"Greetings, brothers and sisters," he said. "We thought ourselves alone in this part of the world. I am Laurent. By your numbers and your faces, I assume I face the Olympic coven?"

Carlisle nodded. "Yes. The Cullen family, please, but yes. And we had not expected visitors."

There was a long, tense silence. The second man began sniffing the air, his expression becoming… excited?

"I assume the recent murders are your work?" Carlisle asked, breaking that silence.

The woman snorted. "Murders? It's not murder to—"

"Victoria," Laurent snapped, putting his arm out wardingley. He turned back to Carlisle. "Yes, the one at the factory and in the boat, that was us. As I said, we were not aware this territory was spoken for."

Carlisle nodded. "It is quite 'spoken for.' Forks especially, but we also claim the surrounding counties."

"I understand. It was, of course, a simple error on our part," said Laurent. "Now that our ignorance has been corrected, we will be leaving the area. There are plenty of… how does that human saying go? 'Fish in the sea'?" He smiled.

The other man, still sniffing, chuckled evilly. "There's a human here," he said.

Edward shuffled a little, pushing me further behind. The man looked right at me, though, and electricity ran through my limbs. Only Edward's hand gripping—practically crushing—my arm kept me from bolting like a rabbit spotted by a wolf.

"And what's this?" he asked, baring his teeth in a feral grin. "So protective of a human…"

He took a step forward, and everything went from tense to hostile. Edward let go of me and lunged toward this man, growling deep in his throat, but Carlisle caught him. Emmett growled, too, moving to protect Rosalie. I stood, rooted to the spot, sure that a fight was about to break out, until Esme stepped forward. She held out her hands and her sudden motion after holding so still this whole time made the grinning man hesitate.

"Perhaps," Esme said, "We should all think for a moment before we do anything rash?"

Laurent recovered quickly, stepping forward to seize his companion and haul him back. "Of course. As I said, these are your hunting grounds." He said it toward Carlisle and Esme, but the words seemed more for his companion. "James here wouldn't be stupid enough to poach any further prey, now that we know they're yours."

Esme fixed James with a level stare, looking for all the world like she towered over him despite being a few inches shorter. James seemed to finally notice how many people were between him and me, then took a step back. Carlisle and Laurent never broke eye contact.

"Perhaps," said Carlisle, "It would be best to leave immediately, before any lapses occur."

Laurent nodded, seeming relieved. "Yes, we had best be off. Come James, Victoria. We seek new hunting grounds."

They turned and left, James turning to wink at me before he went. Edward tried to lunge at him again, but Carlisle still had him in a sturdy grip. My knees shook and my breath came in ragged gasps. I felt myself begin to fall, but Edward was beside me in an instant, wrapping his arms around me to support me, pressing his cool cheek against mine, stroking my hair. Around us, the other Cullens began cleaning up their baseball game. The storm continued, but the mood was thoroughly killed.