Chapter 1

The burning. The horrible, all consuming, charring, biting, excruciating burning. With every scream I thought some relief might follow and with every scream the agony only intensified. I was being cremated, I had to be. It was the only explanation for this incendiary anguish. Nothing else made sense. But I could still breathe. I shouldn’t be able to breathe in flames this intense. But I could.

I don’t know how long I squirmed and shrieked, in that moment, time had no meaning for me. It added to the theory of time being a made up construct. This pain was infinite.

But then something changed. I felt barriers in my mind collapsing, burned down by the flames until nothing remained but ash and wide open space. My mind began to take flight. Suddenly there wasn’t anything I couldn’t understand. I could not only see but understand the vastness of space, the structure of the universe, everything.

I was a scientist once upon a time, before I was bitten, before I was thrown into a pit and left to die. The burning continued, still somehow intensifying. But somehow that wasn’t the most important thing anymore. I thought back to my life, my work. Back when I thought that was all there was in the world. Science. It was my one true love, my inspiration, my meaning for this seemingly pointless mortal existence. I thrived on the search for knowledge, the understanding of truth, to find answers to questions some didn’t even know to ask. My mind fell back on the familiar pattern of thought, the comforting structure of how I always used to find answers. Theorize, hypothesize, experiment and come to a conclusion. But where to start?

Why was I burning? I stopped screaming and took a deep breath. The air didn’t hurt, I did. I moved my fingers, clenching my fists and loosening, over and over. My skin wasn’t charred or blistered as I thought it should be based on the whole body scorching I was feeling. My skin wasn’t quite the same either. It felt stiffer, like it was hardening. Whatever was happening, it was physical but it was also internal.

I could work with that.

I felt the rest of my body, studying the feel of each muscle as I tensed and released it. Everything hurt, everything. I groaned.

No! Concentrate!

As each muscle flexed and relaxed, the pain remained the same. I felt my heart pounding hard in my chest. I was breathing fast and shallow. I couldn’t help it. The burning---No! Cant’ think like that!

I searched my mind. Trying to understand this horrible pain. I had no name for the change taking place in my body. Randomly, I wondered if caterpillars hurt this much during metamorphosis. Then I understood.

I was changing. How? I wasn’t sure, too many unknown variables. But my mind couldn’t process this change. Every cell was morphing or mutating somehow and my mind could only process this transition as pain. But other than the agony, nothing felt amiss. I wasn’t actually burning, I was sure. My body was in a dark, dank hole, no fire, no significant outside heat.

I thought about my brain, remembering back to biology classes in college. I had been a prodigy back then. I thirsted for knowledge without direction. The idea of becoming a medical doctor had entered my mind at one point and I had started taking the required classes. I had changed my mind before completing the degree but I could remember the anatomy class as clearly as if I had taken it yesterday.

The brainstem, keeps control of the body, regulates temperature and other such functions. I still had control over my body but it was difficult to move efficiently with the agony clogging the neural pathways. Next step, the pain matrix. Unfortunately there isn’t one single part of the brain that controls and interprets pain. I had to go through each node one by one and turn off the pain. The most important part would be the frontal lobe. It connects an emotional response to the pain, normally important for survival and learning but in this case, useless.

It took a few seconds but I cut off the emotional response and suddenly the pain was meaningless. It was still there and I could feel it just as intensely as before but it didn’t matter to me. I could move more fluidly.

I lifted my arm experimentally. It didn’t feel right. I moved quickly, far faster than normal but it wasn’t quite right. The metamorphosis wasn’t complete. I put my arm down, opting to wait for the change to be complete before I tried moving around.

I kept my eyes closed, best to wait before trying to focus my eyes. I could hear so much. The sound of the air flowing down hallways, brushing against walls and other objects, the sound of voices, lots of voices speaking all at the same time filled my ears. They were speaking too softly for me to hear them distinctly but I could hear them.

Time took on a new meaning as infinite anguish turned into infinite boredom. I noticed that as the seconds ticked by (which I started to count when the soft ticking of a clock reached my ears) my senses became increasingly sensitive. I could hear individual voices whispering, light footsteps brushing almost noiselessly across the stone floor, the sound of breathing and sniffing. Conversations didn’t interest me, I didn’t really understand what they were talking about and I figured, like most things social, you have to be a part of it to really understand it.

Part of my brain analyzed the sounds I was hearing, trying to gauge distance and clarity. Another part of my brain kept count of the seconds ticking by and translated that into minutes then hours. In an uncharacteristic moment of sentimentality which I partially blame on the boredom, I sifted through my old memories, thinking of friends and family, remembering every part of my life with perfect clarity.

Sifting through the memories of my life was somewhat unimpressive. So much had held deep meaning then and now all I could see was what I had missed. I saw the girl in my eighth grade class that I had never had the courage to speak to. I saw the fliers hung up and down the school hallways for dances I never attended. I saw missed opportunities and regrets that I would never get the chance to make right. I was suddenly overcome with a sense of loss. The feeling was fleeting though.

While I wallowed in self-pity over my past mistakes or lack thereof, I also kept track of how my body was functioning, analyzing the speed at which my heart was beating and how fast I was breathing. I didn’t try to alter any of it, it felt natural the way it was but I noted casually that I should have had a heart attack by now. But my main focus was above me, waiting for whoever had done this to me to come back.

Then I heard a conversation that was worth pushing to the forefront of my focus. New voices speaking slightly louder than all the others had been. As soon as the slightly familiar trill of a young female voice spoke, all other whispers went quiet.

“How long has he been silent?” She asked. Randomly, I wondered why she even asked, she sounded completely disinterested. I knew they must be talking about me.

“Nearly twelve hours.” A young male voice answered.

More like ten by my count, I thought.

“Why has he been quiet for so long?” Her reply was slow and bored.

“Maybe he didn’t survive.” He offered. Then he groaned and a thump followed. He had fallen to the ground and continued to groan in pain.

I counted thirty seconds before he stopped grunting and writhing against the stone floor.

“How do you explain his heartbeat if he did not survive?” Again her voice was monotone, indifferent.

“Idiot!” Another slightly deeper male voice snapped.

Silence. There wasn’t a sound other than the movement of air and my own heart and lungs. All the voices I had heard before were completely silent. No one was even breathing.

She sighed, exasperated. Then there was the muted shuffling of cloth and feet quickly brushing against the floor. The sound was getting louder. Whoever it was, he was heading in my direction.

I disliked the idea of opening my eyes but I thought I probably should see what was going on. I lay on my back, arms by my sides, staring up to the dark ceiling from the bottom of the pit.

My sight had changed. When I had been dropped down here it had been completely black. Now the space around me was shades of purple and blue. I could see dust and various other particles dancing in the air above me. Then a young boy’s head appeared over the edge of the pit. He was twenty feet above me, staring down with wide eyes. He looked so young, possibly fifteen or sixteen years old. He was pale, even in the dim light I could tell he was far whiter than the average person. His shaggy, sandy blond hair fell to just above his crimson colored eyes.

I focused on his bright red eyes. That wasn’t possible. He couldn’t have red eyes. My sight must still be in the process of changing, skewing the color.

“Are you done already?” He asked in hushed awe. His voice was barely a whisper but I heard him like he had called down to me.

I thought about that, analyzing how I felt. The pain had shifted slightly, fading from my extremities but was still present.

“No.” I answered confidently.

His brow furrowed and his mouth twisted into a look of confusion accompanied by stress.

“Why aren’t you crying anymore?”

I shrugged, “I don’t feel the need to.”

“You aren’t burning anymore?” He shuddered once and gazed down, awestruck.

“No, I’m still burning. That’s how I know I’m not finished changing.” I replied casually.

“How?” Was all he could manage to say.

I thought of how to word my reply. How would I tell him that I could feel the impulses of my brain as signals were transmitted? Would he understand if I told him I could navigate my neural pathways, sending incoming signals to other parts of the brain, deviating messages like pain so they ended up not effecting certain parts of my brain while I could still analyze and process them in other areas. I knew I was in pain but it wasn’t affecting my body the way pain normally would. I looked into his eyes and couldn’t identify any signs of significant intelligence. Odds were, he wouldn’t understand no matter how much I dumbed it down, “I couldn’t explain it in a way you would understand.” I told him flatly.

His lips pulled back from his teeth as he hissed. He thought I was insulting him. I guess in a sense I might have been. He might actually be smart enough to understand the basics if I decided to explain it to him but based on the previous conversation I had overheard, I thought the evidence pointed to a below average intelligence.

After he hissed, he vanished from my view. I heard him run quietly back to the two he had been speaking to before and tell them I definitely had a talent. He said I didn’t feel pain.

I sighed. That wasn’t entirely true. I could feel it, I knew it was there, it just didn’t drive a response.

The seconds ticked by creating hours of uninterrupted boredom where I occupied my time contemplating complex mathematical proofs that I would never get to publish, fantasies of futures I would never have, wondering if I had chosen differently in the past, would I be here now? All the while I monitored the change in the pain I was feeling. My heart began to pump faster, I could barely breathe in anymore. The pain intensified in my heart as it pumped faster than a humming bird flaps its wings. I was glad I could separate myself from this agony because I felt sure if I had to experience it the way I had in the beginning, it would shatter my sanity. And then my heart stopped.

My focus shifted to my now silent body.

The loudest thought screaming in my head: I should be dead! I SHOULD BE DEAD…

But I’m not.

Chapter 2

For the very smallest division of a second I freaked out about not having a heartbeat. For the tiniest fraction of a second I freaked out about still being conscious and sentient without a heartbeat…and then I was over it. I knew I had been changing on a cellular level and evidently that change had rendered the cardiovascular system unnecessary. Idly I wondered what my internal system looked like now.

My visitor returned, staring down the deep hole at me. I observed him with my newly improved eyes. I could see him much clearer now but his eyes were still red. It bothered me. Part of me insisted that people don’t have red irises. It’s not in the genetic code, no DNA marker for red that had ever been discovered by man to my knowledge. The most unique color was violet.

I frowned.

“C’mon newbie.” He said softly. I knew he wasn’t shouting but I could hear him like he was. “Climb out of there.”

I thought of standing and without a delay in response I was upright on my feet. I moved to the wall so fast it was like I had just appeared there. Experimentally I reached out and as gently as I could manage I touched the wall. The bedrock crumbled under my fingertips, leaving a gap where my fingers had been. As carefully as I could I climbed up, leaving small indentations where my fingers gripped the wall.

When I reached the top, I smiled. I had never been good at sports or anything athletic before. It had bothered me to some degree that there were things I couldn’t do. That was gone now. I knew there wasn’t a mountain I couldn’t climb, no distance I couldn’t run, this body felt invincible.

I breathed in through my nose. I could smell the dirt and particles of rock I had sent into the air as I had climbed out of my once prison. I could smell all the creatures in the building with me, most prominently the boy sent to get me. But what became most prevalent even though it was the least intense fragrance in my proximity was the smell of blood. It couldn’t have been much but the second I inhaled, it attacked my throat, making it ache. It was like I had never had a drink in my whole life and my throat was as dry as the desert floor.

Instinctually, I grabbed my throat.

Ouch!

My mind went to work. In a split second I cut off the pain. I wondered why it hurt so bad to smell blood.

I lowered my hand almost as soon as I had raised it but my visitor noticed.

He smiled, “Don’t worry.” He said with a hint of humor in his tone, “We’ll get you someone to drink.”

Someone to drink?

It took my brain the tiniest fraction of a second to make the connection. I could not only identify the smell of blood but it made me thirsty. The pain flared in my throat as I thought of blood but I ignored it. My senses were supernaturally intense as well as my strength and ability to think. My heart was no longer beating and I didn’t feel the need to pull air into my lungs. And I remembered being bitten.

These thoughts flashed through my brain at the speed of light and without hesitation as soon as the blond boy had spoken, I replied, “I’m a vampire?” I sounded incredulous. “Seriously?” I made a disgusted sound at the back of my throat.

My voice was different now, clearer, strangely musical in its pitch and tone. I would have to get used to the sound of my own voice.

The blond boy looked puzzled.

I moved past my denial just as fast as I had made the realization of what I was now. No point dwelling on preconceived notions. There were a lot of things about this world that I didn’t know. Now was the time for research.

The young warden shook his head at me, “Come with me.”

I followed him through the halls, making mental notes of where I had been and mapping the building as best as I could. We entered a cold dark room with steel grating as doors and a drain in the floor. Everything about this place was old, gothic and medieval. Kind of cliché in my opinion. I mean, why play up the vampire stereotype? In fact, it made this band of vampires that had transformed me seem sort of juvenile. Can’t we be grownups in the twenty first century or was the Transylvanian castle a prerequisite for this life?

He left me there, only telling me to stay. He returned seconds later with two more vampires. He told them to stay just like he had to me and he vanished out the door. I wondered how many vamps were invited to this party. The two others were jittery. Their eyes wouldn’t stay in one place for more than half a second. They were both partially crouched with their backs against the wall and yards of distance between them and me. They both clawed at their throats which made the burning ache in mine intensify for a moment. I didn’t let it bother me.

Then their eyes locked on the door. I heard the sound of hearts pounding. Instinctively, I inhaled. I could smell them, their skin, their sweat and most of all, their blood.

The young blond walked through the door first followed by nine beating hearts. Behind the humans was another vampire, ushering them in to their doom. The other two vampires nervously eyed the large one that had come in last. He smiled congenially at them.

“Go ahead,” He said like an encouraging father.

They wasted no time. Immediately they attacked the two closest humans. Petrified screams erupted from the rest. The young blond vanished out the door followed by the large dark haired fatherly vampire. He locked the door behind him, preventing the humans escape. Suddenly the drain on the floor seemed practical.

As the other two ripped into the flesh of their first victims, the scent of blood filled the air. A strange sensation took hold of my body. An ingrained instinct was trying to take control of my actions. My eyes scanned the room. I could feel the heat of the humans, hear their hearts beating. Without hesitation or conscious thought I sprang for the closest available prey.

The warm, sweet blood was more than just a relief for my burning throat, it was a pleasure. It felt better than any meal I had eaten as a human. Without thinking I went on to the next human, ignoring the screams filling the room and the other two ravenous vampires.

When the other two started in on their third victims, I finished with my second. Only one human remained. She cowered by the steel door, sobbing. Something about the sound pulled my mind out of instinct and into conscious thought. She looked up at me as I slowly walked over to her.

“Please,” She begged, the only word that she could form before she began crying hysterically again.

Suddenly I wanted weep as well. When I looked at her face I thought of someone I used to know. Amy Porter. She had the same soft brown curls, the same tawny eyes and the same perfect peach complexion.

Amy was the most beautiful girl in my sophomore class, or at least I had thought so back then. She was the most popular girl in my high school. But what made her stand out to me, what made me admire her so completely back then was that she was nice to me when no one else was. My permanent geek status and general awkwardness made me an easy target for the bullies of my class and while she could have joined in while they tortured me or simply ignored me, instead she was always kind, smiling and waving to me in the hallways, even when her friends were around. It left a lasting mark on me.

As I stared at this girl, obviously not Amy but so much like her that I couldn’t ignore it, I realized what I had done. I wished I could vomit but I got the distinct impression my body wouldn’t cooperate. I had just killed people, mindlessly, eagerly. While I prided myself on my analytical mind, I never wanted to be so cold as not to care about others in the process. These were people. Real people. This girl couldn’t have been more than twenty. She was college age, her life had just begun. She hadn’t really experienced the most meaningful parts of life yet and this was how her life would end. I couldn’t bear the thought.

I only stood over her for a second, contemplating at the speed of light, when the other two vampires focused on her. I felt a change in the atmosphere around me that made me look over at them. They saw prey and their instincts told them to attack. I knew if they felt I was in the way, they would attack me as well.

My body reacted to the feeling of being threatened automatically. I turned my back to the girl and crouched in front of her. The smaller of the two, a skinny boy with a pale olive complexion and short dark brown hair, sprang at me first.

He moved fast, much faster than the girl behind me would be able to process, but to me it was like he was moving in slow motion. I analyzed the position of his body as he leapt forward at me, his fingers curled into claws, his lips pulled back from his teeth in a snarl. I did the math in my head as I watched him descend, where his body would end up, what he would most likely do when he finally reached me. Then my body took over, instinct ruling my movements. I ducked out of the way of his arm swinging down at me and grabbed him by the hair with one hand and the shoulder with the other. Without hesitation I bit into his neck. I felt his hard skin give way under my teeth and I pulled his head by the hair until his head snapped off. It made the worst sound I had ever heard, like a steel plate being shredded. The metallic ripping was like nails on a chalkboard. I quickly diverted that sensation in my brain. The fight was a blur of movement, lasting less than a second before I ripped his head off and chunked it at the other vampire’s feet.

The other one, a girl of average height, beautiful and pale, looked conflicted. Her eyes shifted from me to the girl cowering behind me, back and forth, unable to decide what to do. It only took a second for hunger to win out. But she tried to get around me rather than face me head on. I saw her body sink low to the ground and to my left. She tried to use speed, and she was fast, faster than the boy, but not fast enough to get past me. I grabbed her by the leg and swung her around, send her flying into the opposite wall. The stone wall cracked, sending dust flying thickly through the air and shaking the foundation under our feet. She immediately came at me and just like her predecessor, I took her head off. The sound didn’t bother me this time.

“Impressive.” A soft feminine voice sighed from outside the door.

I looked over at her. Instantly I recognized her. She was the one that had walked up to me on campus. I had been taken by how beautiful she looked, almost ethereal. Her angelic voice was like a Siren’s call. I had been mesmerized. She looked young, too young, my mind had screamed, ‘jail bait!’ at me but I had followed her anyway. Logically, I knew she was too young to be in college. Part of my brain had rationalized that she was just a young prodigy, a young genius unaccustomed to college life and wanted my help finding her way somewhere. And I had followed her to my demise…or to the end of my human life at least.

“What is your name, child?” The taller, dark haired vampire that had ushered in the humans asked. He stood next to the immortal girl, making her seem even smaller in comparison to someone so tall and muscular. He seemed like the bouncer type, more muscle than brains which was why I became irritated when he called me child. Of the two of us, I’d bet I was the more intelligent and emotionally mature.

“Adam.” I answered, my musical voice sounding brisk. I cringed slightly at the sound of my strange voice.

“Well, Adam, finish your meal and come meet the other new recruits.” The girl whispered, her soft voice indifferent.

“No!” I snapped at her.

My response got her attention. She looked at me more closely, scrutinizing my response. She looked more curious than confused, no irritation or stress accompanying her bewilderment.

“The others won’t attack you as these two did. They didn’t mean any harm. It can be hard at first to remember your manners when feeding.” She said with a slight smile on her lips.

As she spoke, I slowly moved to the girl still crying on the floor. I moved painfully slow as I bent down and reached my hand out towards her. I kept my eyes on the vampires outside the door. Before I could touch the girl, she moved away from my hand, scrambling back away from the door. I let her move on her own, positioning myself between her and the others.

The look in the small vampire’s eyes changed as she realized it wasn’t the prospect of meeting more vampires that bothered me, it was killing the girl. All amusement vanished and was replaced with annoyance.

“Let her go.” I said softly.

“I’ll handle this.” The boy that had led me here offered.

He walked in the room and watched me for a second. Then he came at me. He moved more expertly than the others. He changed his angle of attack as my posture changed to meet his. I didn’t get him on the first try. He moved out of the reach of my arm while simultaneously repositioning for another attack. He knew what he was doing but his speed wasn’t faster than I could process. I didn’t catch him at first but he missed me too. With each attempt to grab or claw at me, I ducked out of the way. As he grew frustrated, he became clumsier and a little more predictable. I took his head off as well and threw it onto the forming pile.

“Felix.” The girl sighed, exasperated.

With this one, I wasn’t so sure I would win. I looked over at the girl, feeling certain she had to be in charge here.

“Please, there’s no need to kill her. Just let her go.”

“Ah, but there is.” She replied, a sneer curling her upper lip, “One of our most important laws is secrecy. Anonymity is crucial to this existence. She knows too much. That makes her a threat.”

“One girl knowing we exist is a threat?” I scoffed, “Illogical. Even if she did tell anyone, no one would believe her. She’d be committed to a psych ward for the rest of her life. That’s if she decided to say anything to anyone at all.”

“We can’t take the risk.” She said firmly.

I knew at that point arguing was useless. She wasn’t unintelligent, I could see it in her eyes. She could see the validity of my argument and didn’t care. It was an excuse, the propaganda they spouted when someone thought to question their motives. It didn’t matter that this girl knew the truth. What mattered was their way of life. Those that rejected the hunt were a threat to the way they lived, not just their food source but their entertainment, the thrill of the hunt. I was endangering a part of what made this existence worth living to them.

I braced for Felix’s attack. He came at me like I guessed he would, relying on his strength to take me down. There was an arrogance to his movement. He was sure I couldn’t beat him.

His arrogance annoyed me. He reminded me of so many bullies I had suffered under growing up. To him strength of body was superior to strength of mind. It kind of pissed me off. My doubt and anxiety dissipated as anger took over. As each blow came at me I moved out of the way, studying how he moved, how he fought. I saw the opportunity to take a kill shot but I opted for just taking his arm off. I moved to the far wall, still holding his severed arm. He looked confused at first as he examined his ragged stump. Then he looked at me.

On impulse, I waved at him with his arm. Juvenile, yes, but funny nonetheless. A tiny part of my brain registered that this action was disturbing. And yet I couldn’t find it in me to care. I smiled as I waved his own hand at him.

He let out a shriek of rage and came barreling at me. His rage worked against him and I managed to rip his left leg off at the knee.

“Enough.” The girl outside the door huffed.

I was suddenly burning again, like I had when I first started changing. I dropped the severed limbs I was holding and collapsed to the floor.

My mind searched, trying to find the cause of this pain. I went over every part of my body, twice. Nothing was actually on fire. It wasn’t part of the change and it wasn’t from a physical source.

Then I looked at her. It was her. She was doing this to me somehow. But how?

Not important at the moment!

I went through the pain matrix again. All my previous barriers were still in place. It didn’t make sense. Unless she was attacking a specific area, one central location that sent messages to the rest of the brain screaming signals that alerted me that there was a torrent of flames engulfing me. I concentrated, and found one part of my brain working far more vigorously than the rest. It was an electrical storm, wave after wave of electric impulses spreading from here to the rest of my brain. Putting the walls up was intensely difficult just due to the sheer strength of the assault coming through. But in only a second I managed to block off the pain.

Her assault affected me for all of two seconds. I stood and faced her.

Her lips pulled back from her teeth and a growl ripped from her throat.

“Patience, sister.” A soft voice sighed from behind her. “What would master say if you destroyed him?”

She stomped her foot, leaving a dent in the stone floor and shrieked, “No! Not another one!”

“Think of what he could do.” Her brother suggested gently, “Given time and training, he would be a most valuable asset.”

He was almost as small as his sister. I wondered if they were actually related. They had the same lank brown hair (although his was slightly darker in color), the same complexion, the same shape mouth and eyes. They looked like they could be dizygotic twins.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and she straighten her posture. Her sneer softened until her features appeared neutral. She only glared at me now.

The brother walked around her and came into the room. He was confident as well but he didn’t have the stature that Felix had to make that pose seem natural. He had something more than mere physical strength. I imagined he was probably able to do something like his sister. Something magical.

My brain shied away from that thought. Thinking of magic in a practical manor felt wrong.

“Come meet the others.” He whispered to me. His tone was soothing, placating.

I tensed, “The girl.”

“Don’t worry about the girl.” He reached one hand out towards me and the other made a sweeping gesture to the door. “Come, there is much for you to learn about this new life.”

He had said the only word that could have distracted me from the girl. Learn. There was a lot that I didn’t understand, so much that I wanted to see and ask. The possibilities seemed infinite.

I walked to the door, glancing back at the girl. The boy followed close behind me. I didn’t like the proximity of him to my back so I kept moving. His sister took the lead, guiding me away from the feeding room. Part of me realized what they were doing. I told myself I couldn’t stop them. I was possibly the only vampire in existence that felt a moral dilemma when consuming their only available food source. No, dilemma didn’t cover it. There was a repulsion attached to the thought of killing people. There had to be another way.

I froze when I heard her scream cut short. Every muscle was locked in place. The stress sent a flood of electricity all over my brain. I felt the urge to run, scream, fight, crush things, bite the boy that had convinced me to leave her, to go back and kill them all. Nothing happened. I stayed still as a statue, not even breathing.

The boy placed his hand on my shoulder much like he had to his sister, “We’ll work on your aversion to food another time.”

A sense of hopelessness consumed me. Was this what life would be like from now on? Would I spend the rest of this strange life hating what I had become and wishing for death? Or would I eventually become desensitized? Is that something I wanted or would it be better to suffer the guilt and self-loathing in order to keep the part of myself that still cared?

I turned to him. My eyes stung like they had during allergy season while I was human. No tears came which I was glad about. I hadn’t ever liked the sensation of crying. It was a worthless reaction for adults in my opinion. It accomplished nothing.

I was weighed down with emotions right then. Nothing felt right anymore.

“Why?”

“Try to remember you are no longer human. They are food now. Did you feel so strongly about cattle before?”

“No, why am I not like her? Why did you decide to change me into this?”

A patient smile pulled at his lips, “You are special.”

I considered that. Based on what I had done so far I assumed I was probably formidable as a vampire. But why should that matter? And how did they know I would turn out this way? I wasn’t this capable as a human. How could they predict that I would become something special?

I briefly thought of asking him these questions, he was by far the closest to me in intellectual capacity but I decided against it. I couldn’t trust him, he had proven that already. Any answer he gave me would be suspect.

I nodded and turned around, following his sister down the hallway again.

She led the way to a large room, larger than the entire floor plan of my parents’ house. There were stone covered pillars supporting the ceiling at uniform distances, structural support for the heavy castle above. I counted twenty vampires spread out along the edges of the room. They had been whispering among themselves until they had heard our approach. Then there was silence. Now they all stared at us with wide terrified eyes. Obviously they knew what the twins could do, either from experience or observation.

“We have three new members to add to our ranks.” The girl announced softly to the petrified group.

“Be courteous to the new recruits.” While his voice was a whisper just like his sister’s, I could detect a tone of warning, “Remember, you were once new here as well.”

They both glided out of the room without another word. Apparently there wasn’t a need to warn them further. Many eyes looked my way; wary, suspicious.

I looked around the room. The windows were up high, close to the ceiling. I ran to the back, sending a few vampires scattering away as I approached, and climbed up to sit on the ledge of the window. From there I could observe all the vampires much better.

“I wouldn’t try to escape.” A soft shy female voice warned me, “No one escapes from here.”

She was beautiful but I had grown accustomed to that. I had yet to see an ugly vampire. Her eyes were glowing bright red, brighter than the red spikes of her pixie styled hair. I could imagine her with brown eyes and freckles to go with her carrot red hair, but her complexion was a flawless pallor, no freckles. Her back was to the wall and her knees were slightly bent like she might run or leap out of the way at any moment. Her fingers twitched restlessly and her eyes darted around the room every other second.

“I wasn’t planning on it.” I answered quietly, trying to keep too many others from hearing me.

She darted to the other side of the room. She stood beside another vampire. He looked to be close in age to her, late teens. They both wore alternative style clothes, ironic commentary T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers, all in decent but a well-worn state. They didn’t look at each other as they conversed.

It was nice of her to try to warn me. I wondered if it was past experience that made her feel the need to caution me. Something significant compelled her, of that I was certain.

As I looked around the rest of the room, I noted that pretty much all of them had their backs to the wall and held a defensive stance. Conversations were dull and meaningless, just words spoken to pass the time. Everyone was twitchy and nervous. When anyone did move, they moved as fast as they could. Most of them would react to movement by running from it but a few would bare their teeth and growl. It never amounted to a fight and I felt sure that was because of the two that had led me in here. They were in charge of this place and they kept everyone else in line.

What would master say if you destroyed him? The words came to me in a flash of understanding. They were upper management but not the masterminds behind this. Someone one else was giving the orders. They were definitely powerful enforcers but not the top of the food chain. My imagination ran wild, wondering who could be more formidable than the twins.

I heard more vampires approaching the door, interrupting my train of thought. Everyone else heard them coming too as the room fell completely silent. Felix walked through the door completely intact with the two vampires I had decapitated. Mental note: severed appendages including the head can be reattached. Severing the head does not kill vampires. That fascinated me. They seemed fine, just like they had been before. Felix could walk and move his arm as if nothing had happened. Maybe this body was indestructible.

Felix met my gaze and sneered. I hadn’t frightened him, but now I was competition. He must not encounter too many others that can beat him in a fight. He snarled at me for a second before vanishing out the door again.

The other two ‘new recruits’ moved to an empty space on the wall and started talking. The atmosphere seemed to lighten a bit. The conversations became slightly louder and felt a little more personal in nature. Some of them stopped looking around quite so often. Some were even comfortable enough to straighten their posture. Within five minutes the general mood had become considerably less tense.

Then a boy in the far corner of the room from me started to change in appearance. His clothes and his skin slowly changed to match the gray of the stone wall he was leaning against. Even his bright red eyes faded to a matte gray. He wasn’t invisible but he blended into the background perfectly. With human eyes it would be impossible to see him.

The energy of the room became charged, filled with electricity. Others followed the first boy’s lead and started practicing whatever special ability they happened to have. There was so much going on that I had trouble cataloging everyone’s abilities. There wasn’t much that was grandiose about the display other than the fact that it was happening at all. No one was showing off or really trying to attract attention to themselves. And not everyone was doing something that I could see with my eyes but I got the distinct impression that everyone in this room could do ‘something’. We were all ‘special’.

Chapter 3

As the mood of the room relaxed, individuals became more themselves, acting on impulse instead of driven by the fear the twins inspired. A few times, one would snap at another one or someone would rip off a limp. It didn’t take much to make some of them react violently. Just one misstep, one accident and he or she would explode into a burst of rage. It never lasted more than a second and any severed limbs were always returned, generally by throwing it at the offending vampire. My attention was completely absorbed by the reattachment process. It was truly fascinating to watch.

The hours went by a little easier with my mind occupied by studying these intriguing creatures. I also noticed that the light of the sun was starting to show through the windows. It wasn’t direct sunlight, I couldn’t see the sun. I wondered if you had to be directly in the path of the sun’s rays for it to cause any damage. How many of the legends connected with vampires were true?

I didn’t have too long to consider it. Everyone went silent, drawing my attention away from the outside world and back to what was happening in the room. Footsteps approached in that familiar almost soundless way. Felix walked in, followed by the girl. They walked to the center of the room.

“Gather around.” Felix said. He didn’t yell or even speak all that loud but he might as well have for how well we could hear him.

Everyone moved cautiously but quickly to form a circle around them. I did the same, curious what would happen next.

“You have been created for a purpose.” He spoke like a politician giving a speech to people at a rally, “You have been chosen to become part of a larger, more glorious existence. All of you have a gift. All of you have the ability to do something no one else can do. And these gifts will help us make our world better for our kind. We have a powerful enemy. An enemy that threatens to destroy our way of life and rob us of our freedom. You have been chosen to help us defeat this enemy and help protect our kind.”

The edginess of the atmosphere had returned and only grew in intensity as he spoke. Everyone was processing this like he had told them there was a threat against their life. The words were well chosen, I decided immediately they weren’t his. Someone wrote that speech for him. It was a rally cry. And we were the troops. We had been drafted to fight a war none of us had ever known existed until now.

“This enemy is strong.” The girl said in a soft but clear high soprano voice. “Some of them are gifted as well. And they are many but we now outnumber them. While you are powerful, you are also young. It will take time for you to develop your talents and learn control. The enemy has been around much longer than you. They have fought and won for hundreds of years. You will need time to become as skilled and disciplined as they are. We know you can become powerful soldiers for the Volturi. It is an honor to be chosen. Remember that as you begin training.”

Felix looked around at the group. He was looking for someone to demonstrate with. His eyes stopped scanning when he saw me. I wondered if he wanted to pick me. A small, juvenile part of me hoped he would. I wanted the opportunity to show the others that he could be defeated. But he was smart enough to keep looking. He didn’t want to take the chance of showing weakness to the rest of them.

He finally picked a guy that was close in stature and build to him. Victor, he called him. This guy was built, Mr. Universe style built. He had the chiseled jaw, buzz cut blond hair and broad cheekbones. He looked nervous but ready for a fight.

Felix gave instruction and critique as they fought. I barely noticed them. It felt unnecessary to me. If I felt inclined to fight, I was pretty sure I could win without his instructions. It didn’t really take practice as much as it took understanding and control.

I paid more attention to the group watching. Some were engrossed in the fight, looking eager to join in. Some looked intent, concentrating hard on what they were being taught. Only a few looked like they didn’t want to participate or even be here at all. I hated to think of what happened to draft dodgers in this world.

The fight ended with Felix catching Victor as he charged at him and throwing him across the room to smash into the far wall. The floor trembled as he landed with a sound like an avalanche of boulders crashing down to the bottom of a valley. Then Victor took his place in the group, observing with the rest of us again.

“Hector. Lars. You two give it a try.” Felix ordered.

He backed out of the circle to stand next to the small brunette girl. She refused to look my way, obviously still pissed I could block her gift for causing pain.

Hector and Lars entered the circle and started to fight. It was choppier and more impulsive than Victor and Felix had been. Then one of them tripped up, stuttering a step. There was something strange about the kid’s clumsy misstep. He hadn’t tripped over anything. In all other ways he had been graceful. It didn’t make sense that he had tripped. The other, smaller kid took advantage of his stumble and took off his leg. He smiled a little.

“Try again,” The girl said softly, no hint of annoyance in her gentle voice.

Then the winner fell to the ground crying out in anguish. He didn’t try to hide the agony as he writhed and screamed.

“Jane,” Felix whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear.

She shot Felix a warning glance, but released the boy from her torturous hold.

“This time don’t use your power.” Jane warned the boy. “This exercise is to develop your hand to hand combat. You cannot rely solely on your powers. There is always someone who can cancel out your gift. When you meet with someone like that you must be able to fight without your talent.”

“Again.” Felix ordered.

The loser had reassembled himself and they fought again. It was a pretty even match in terms of skill and force. The smaller wiry boy with long, wavy, dark hair won again, taking the loser’s arm this time. Felix ordered the kid to take the kill. Curiously I watched, wondering exactly how you kill a vampire.

The boy hesitated.

Jane pounced on the opportunity to deliver punishment. The winner was in agony again.

“Mercy is for the weak.” She sighed. She moved like she was floating, slowly sneaking up behind the boy that had lost the fight. He didn’t seem to notice her, his eyes locked on the boy writhing in pain, “In battle, any hesitation will only aid the enemy. If you think your enemy will show you mercy,” Like a strike of lightning, she reached forward and ripped the boy’s head from his shoulders, “then you are mistaken.” She dropped the head and wiped her hands on her dark gray cloak like she had touched something filthy.

“That’s enough for now.” Felix said, “We will practice again later.” He gave Jane a look filled with meaning. I didn’t quite understand what was passing between them. Jane finally released the boy from her spell. Then they walked out of the room together.

A tall girl with an almost ash grey complexion went to the winner’s side.

“Hector,” She said softly, her voice filled with concern, “Are you all right?”

He was still panting slightly, “I’ll never get used to that.” He shuddered.

She helped him up and they moved over to the back corner of the room together. Two other vampires helped put the loser back together. He looked traumatized when awareness returned to his face. It didn’t last long. He went off with the two that had helped him. Everyone spread out from the center of the room, moving to the edges. All except me.

I looked around the room. There were definite groupings, clans forming. They mostly grouped in pairs. There were a few that had three members huddled together. Only one group was larger than three. In the back corner Hector and the girl that had gone to him were joined by another boy and girl.

They were an odd group. None of them looked quite a like. Hector was small, young, maybe sixteen or seventeen and had a slight olive tone to his pallor. He wore non-descript clothes, a plain black shirt, baggy jeans, keds on his feet. The girl with the ash complexion must have had dark brown skin as a human. Although her color was unusual, it was still beautiful. Her black hair hung long in hundreds of thin braids down past her shoulder blades. She wore a tight short sleeved blue shirt and cut-off jean shorts. Strangely, her feet were bare. The boy that joined their group looked slightly older, maybe a senior in high school or just beginning college. He had neatly cut brown hair that was parted to one side. He wore a polo shirt, khakis and dusty white sneakers.

I made all these observations in my mind in the time it takes to blink, but when my eyes moved to the last girl in the group, time seemed to stop.

She was an enigma. Her appearance was chaotic. Her black hair hung at its longest length to just below her shoulders. It was choppy and uneven, like she had randomly grabs chunks of her hair and cut them without measuring or caring how long or short they ended up. Her shirt looked hand made from four seemingly clashing materials that somehow worked together perfectly. Her jeans had tears with black lace showing through the ragged holes. She wore thick black army boots that looked worn but sturdy. Her complexion was white as snow, making her hair look bold in contrast. Everything about her appearance seemed to suggest she should look plain and that she didn’t care. But she was breathtaking. So beautiful I couldn’t look away.

That was until her eyes met mine. Then my eyes had no trouble darting away. Part of me felt like I should be blushing but I didn’t. Another relief about this body. Blushing is a useless physical reaction, one I always despised.

Hoping to seem nonchalant, I took my former seat on the window ledge. They were close enough to me from there I could focus on them easily without drawing attention to myself. I let my eyes scan the room, making mental notes of things that caught my attention but my main focus was on her group. I didn’t look directly at them, just scanned them with my peripheral vision now and then. I mostly listened to them.

They didn’t talk too much and they were far less twitchy than the rest. They kept their backs to the wall but they sat on the floor. No one else was sitting other than me and this strange group. There was something else about them that made them different and it took me a minute to identify it. While everyone had anxiety issues here, most of them didn’t seem disturbed or unhappy, except this group. They seemed intensely morose.

My attention shifted as movement down the hall made everyone become still. More vampires entered the room, escorted by Felix and the male twin that had brought me here. Felix and the boy disappeared without a word. The three vampires they left behind were teenage girls. The girls were all very similar in facial structure and size. They must have been sisters. They walked quietly to the back of the room and joined the four I had been observing before. They fit in perfectly with the group. They seemed even more depressed than the others. They each had long reddish brown hair, the same gentle pallor, and they all looked strangely skinny, far skinnier than any other vampire I had observed so far. But something else stuck out about these three. Their eyes. Everyone in the room had glowing red eyes, the four I had observed before had slightly duller eyes than most but still very bright in comparison to Jane and Felix. But these three had dark red eyes. While everyone else’s eyes were fire engine red, theirs were closer to wine colored. I wondered what made them different. For the first time I became curious what my own eyes looked like. It was a fleeting curiosity.

The large group began conversing again, asking the newcomers if they were okay. They seemed to know each other and no one else in the room seemed surprised to see them. I wondered where they had been and why they were separated from the group.

“This place sucks.” Hector sighed. He didn’t seem to be talking to anyone specifically.

“I don’t get it.” One sister said. Without hesitation the next sister continued, “It doesn’t make sense.” And the third immediately picked up where the last had left off, “Why don’t they just kill us?”

They made it sound like one stream of consciousness, like it was one continuous thought they were all thinking at the same time. They didn’t seem to be directing their questions at anyone in particular either.

“Maybe they don’t want to decrease their numbers anymore.” My stunning enigma suggested softly.

“I doubt it.” The other girl said sharply but quietly, “They haven’t exactly been shy about it up to this point.”

“Bianca’s right,” the older boy whispered, “If they think they’re getting low on numbers, they’ll just get more.” He cringed and looked away from the group.

“So why not us?” The first sister asked. Without a pause in between the second said, “We aren’t like the others.” And the third finished the thought with, “And they won’t be able to make us conform.” Then they all sighed in unison, “Why won’t they just kill us?”

I thought about that. They evidently had no issue killing their own kind according to the group. When I had shown defiance, they had tried to kill me or at the very least disable me. But when I had shown I could beat them, the attitude had changed. The brother had said I could be a valuable asset. They wouldn’t destroy what they deemed too valuable.

“You’re too valuable.” I whispered to them.

The entire group peered up at me. They looked mildly curious through the depression clouding their faces.

I jumped down from the ledge and moved closer to them. The boys flinched but otherwise no one moved when I came closer. They all still watched me with sad, questioning eyes.

“Valuable?” Bianca scoffed.

“Whatever it is that makes you special, they feel they can’t do without it.” I clarified. “Whatever this enemy clan can do, they apparently need very gifted individuals to fight them.”

They all seemed to ponder that but no one replied.

“Have you thought of forming a rebellion?” I breathed, making sure only the group beside me could hear me. Last thing I needed was to give Jane an excuse to kill me.

Panic quickly took hold in each of their eyes.

“Don’t talk like that!” Bianca whispered harshly.

“Others have tried,” One sister said sadly. The next said, “No one succeeds.” The last said, “They always kill them.” All together they whispered, “They burn them in front of all of us as a warning.”

Mental note: fire kills vampires. Good to know.

So they kill mutineers to deter the others from trying. They probably do the same to those that try to escape. Keeping the troops in line.

But this group, the sisters particularly, seemed so suicidal it occurred to me that death shouldn’t be a contributing factor in that decision.

“Does that really matter? Wouldn’t death be preferable to you?” I asked, purely curious.

The sisters all looked at each other. They seemed to ponder their answer carefully. Then in unison they shook their heads slowly.

“You could try to run. Could they really catch all of you?”

“There’s more of them out there than you know.” The older boy whispered. He spoke with authority, he must have seen them. “No one that’s tried has ever escaped.”

So they had guards around the perimeter. They were determined to keep their recruits through force or intimidation. Not one had escaped. They put a lot of effort into keeping their army. It reeked of desperation.

“If only I knew more about their enemy.” I was talking to myself, not thinking about the fact that they could hear me mumbling, “I don’t have enough information to even begin to form a hypothesis.”

“They have a mind reader, one that can see the future, one that can cause pain, and one that can shield herself and others from those with gifts like Jane.” The older boy replied.

I was astonished not only that he had answered me at all but that he had that information.

“How do you know that?” I asked.

“They aren’t as guarded with me, I heard them talking about them. They talked about the kinds of vampires they need to defeat them. And that they weren’t allowed to destroy two of them. They talked about taking a few hostage but the two most important were named Alice and Bella.”

“Why let any of their enemies live?” I pondered quietly, “If they’re so dangerous to their way of life, you would think they would just destroy them all. Wipe out the threat.”

“I don’t know why.” He replied, shrugging.

“Did you hear anything else? Who started the war? What exactly they’re fighting over?”

He shook his head.

It occurred to me that they knew nothing about me but they were being very open. I could blame it on the depression, thinking that they were so indifferent to the idea of death that they would speak openly to anyone. But that didn’t quite track. They were being quiet enough that no one else would be able to pick up on our conversation. Maybe I just didn’t come off as threatening. That thought was kind of encouraging. I didn’t quite like the idea of being a monster. At least there were some that didn’t see me that way.

“I’m Adam.” I introduced myself to the group.

“Pim.” The older boy replied.

“Hector.” He answered next. I didn’t say anything even though I already knew his name.

“Bianca.” She smiled a little as she spoke.

“Laney.” The chaotic beauty whispered shyly.

“Rain,” The first sister said. “Zephyr.” The second one whispered. “Meadow.” The third answered.

Surprised by the sister’s names and without thought to my rapid and impulsive reactions, I snorted.

“Seriously?” I laughed quietly.

The sisters glared at me. All three pairs of eyes met mine at the exact same moment.

I tried for a sheepish smile but I couldn’t tell if I was doing it right.

“Sorry.” I said.

They glared for half a second longer and then shrugged as one.

Laney appeared beside me. I had seen her move, quickly taking her place next to me with her back against the wall again. She squatted, staying on her feet while also staying low to the ground with the rest of us. It occurred to me that her position would be uncomfortable for a human. But without circulation to cut off it probably felt as natural as any other position.

“Don’t feel bad.” She whispered softly to me, “I laughed too.”

I smiled at her. There was something so alluring about her, I wasn’t sure what it was but it made it hard to look away from her. I tried unsuccessfully to pinpoint what it was that made her more beautiful than the rest of the vampires here. She didn’t seem uncomfortable with my staring.

“How do you do it?” She asked me after a couple minute of my silent staring. She was gazing into space, probably not focusing on her surroundings as much as her thoughts.

“Do what?”

“How do you stay so calm?”

I shrugged, “Maybe I’m not smart enough to be nervous.”

She looked over at me, “I don’t believe that.”

I thought about her question more seriously. Everyone else was considerably more nervous than me, even my new group of friends. Why wasn’t I anxious?

“I don’t feel the need to be.” I answered. Her eyebrows lifted so high they hid under her choppy bangs. “There’s a lot I don’t understand yet, but I haven’t come across anything I couldn’t handle. I suppose my biggest conundrum now is survival.” I still didn’t have a solution for the whole killing humans for food thing. It would make this life somewhat unbearable if I couldn’t find a solution.

“Conundrum?”

“I,” I started to explain and stopped myself. Would she understand my aversion to killing humans? Would I become a freak to her if I confessed the thought of drinking human blood was repugnant to me? “It’s difficult to explain.” I admitted.

She studied my face. My lips pulled up at the corners. I liked how she looked at me. I hadn’t felt this kind of attraction in a long time. Maybe never; at least to this magnitude.

“It was you we heard, wasn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“We heard one of you fighting for one of the humans, trying to protect her. It was you, wasn’t it?”

I nodded. I told her the truth, keeping my voice low so only my friends could hear me. They all stared at me in amazement when they heard my story.

“Wow.” Hector breathed.

“You can tolerate the pain she inflicts?” Laney whispered.

“Tolerate isn’t quite the right word for it. I can render it ineffectual. Present but unimportant.” I clarified.

“I don’t believe it.” Pim whispered, staring off into the distance.

“I’ll show you if the opportunity arises.” I replied.

Laney looked at me with anxious eyes. I winked at her, one corner of my mouth lifting in amusement. I wanted her to see that Jane didn’t scare me. But I understood why she was worried. Jane possessed a powerful gift.

We sat, eight of us now, quietly reflecting. The mood of the group had lightened a little bit although I couldn’t understand why. Nothing significant had changed but the aura surrounding us didn’t seem as heavy now. We were all still as statues but none of us looked outwardly depressed. Maybe it was the feeling of safety in numbers. As I glanced around the room sporadically, I noticed that the others eyed us warily. Maybe it was comradery. It was nice to know I wasn’t the only one that didn’t like this place, that didn’t want to be a part of this war. Or maybe it was just me. The others might have been just as sad as they had been before and decided to conceal it. I hoped that wasn’t the case, though. I didn’t want to be the only one feeling optimistic.

The light faded away, leaving everything perfectly visible in shades of purple. I noted there were no lights in here. I didn’t hear the hum of electricity either. We were far away from the modern world. The hours ticked by quickly with not much to show for them.

Chapter 4

When the sun started to send light in through the windows, Jane reappeared. Her brother, Felix and the young blond warden joined her today. They held a perfect diamond formation, always remaining the exact same distance from each other. Even when they stopped in the middle of the room, without a signal or a word they came to a halt in unison. They had been soldiers for a long time and based on that display, moving as a unit was second nature to them. If they did manage to turn this bunch of vampires into soldiers as impressive as them, I couldn’t imagine an army strong enough to stand up to them.

“Line up.” Her tone was soft and flat, she stared straight ahead, looking bored.

We all moved into a line, shoulder to shoulder, in front of her. I took the spot next to the unknown vampire in line, making sure none of my new friends had to worry about standing in such close proximity to someone they weren’t comfortable with. Everyone was edgy being so close to so many. The instinct to run or fight was evident on many faces.

Jane moved to the opposite end of the line from me. I wondered if she did it on purpose, not wanting to confront me right away. At the other end of the line stood the girl that had warned me not to try to escape my first day here. She looked ready to cry or scream or run or faint, none of which would be of any use to her.

“What can you do?” Jane asked quietly.

She looked confused, “Do?”

The girl shrieked and crumpled to the floor.

“I can cause pain in others simply by thinking it.” Jane sighed. The girl stopped shrieking and stood, shaking like a leaf, “What can you do?” She asked again.

“I can tell when people lie to me.” The girl replied in a trembling voice. Jane didn’t look impressed. The girl stammered on, “It’s not just what people say. I can tell if something isn’t right. If someone’s trying to trick me or fool me. I can tell when I’m being deceived.”

“A lie detector.” Jane whispered thoughtfully, “Useful in more civilized situations but not exactly useful on the battlefield.”

The girl braced for another wave of anguish to assault her mind. It didn’t come.

“Go over there.” Jane pointed to the left. The pixie like girl was over in the far left corner of the room in a flash.

Jane went down the line asking the same question and in some cases asking for a demonstration. Some had very impressive abilities: causing loss of consciousness, invisibility, camouflage. One girl could reflect or rather deflect others’ abilities. She demonstrated by sending Jane’s gift for pain back at her. There was a boy that could anticipate an opponent’s movements. He fought Felix to demonstrate. Felix gave it his best effort but couldn’t catch the boy no matter how hard he tried. When Felix looked as though he might have a fit, Jane stopped the fight. Everyone with an impressive ability was sent to the right corner of the room.

Others with less impressive talents like the girl who could communicate with wildlife, the boy that could sense where a person was anywhere on earth, the trackers, the lie detectors (of which there were a few, each talent working in a slightly different way), and the girl that could make the temperature of the room rise and fall were sent to the left corner of the room. She was segregating the valuable ones from the less valuable ones. She eyed the left corner and then the right. Then she looked over at Pim. There was something significant about her gaze but I couldn’t say what it was.

She moved on to me next.

“Adam,” She sighed, “The one with the extraordinary tolerance for pain.” She used her talent on me. I rolled my eyes at her. She laughed, “Just checking.”

There was a murmur of awe and wonder that spread from each corner of the room.

“I think you know I can do more than just tolerate pain.” I said, feeling bold.

“Like what?” She asked, curious.

“My brain processes information better and faster than the average vampire from what I’ve observed so far. I believe I can work around any offensive or aggressive talent.”

“Let’s test that theory.” She said with a smile, “Alec.”

Her brother stepped forward. He lifted his hands towards me but didn’t move otherwise. For a few seconds I waited, mentally bracing for something painful to attack my mind. Just when I was starting to wonder if his talent had any effect on me at all, everything went dark. I couldn’t hear, see, smell, taste or feel anything. This was complete sensory deprivation. My immediate reaction was panic. My body wanted to know what was going on around it. Then I observed the sensation more closely. There was something mildly cathartic about feeling nothing. I could be in danger, my mind had already alerted me to that, but I wasn’t in any pain. Even the thirst that was ever present in the back of my mind was gone. It wasn’t the mild annoyance it had been for the past few hours. There was nothing. And it felt good.

At this point, I needed to make a choice. I could give in to this and let it over take me, let it be an escape that I could retreat to if necessary or I could fight this. If Alec had done this to me when I had tried to protect the girl, I would have just given in. But now, in the darkness, my thoughts gravitated to Laney. She had to be scared for me. I had to fight this.

Feeling the impulses of my brain was difficult but not impossible for me. Everything was muted and it took me a while to find the part of my brain that controlled my sight. It felt like a fog in my mind, keeping things from moving. I pushed the fog back and suddenly I could see again. I had to go through each area individually, turning things back on as I went but I was able to look into Alec’s eyes, then hear myself as I said, “That is a marvelous gift you have.” Then I turned on the feeling in my body and stood. I didn’t remember falling, but I had ended up on the floor while I was under Alec’s spell.

He surprised me by not becoming angry as his sister had when I first defeated her power.

He smiled, “Your gift is far more impressive.”

His compliment shocked me. I fell back into line, standing close to Laney. She grabbed my hand and squeezed.

I looked over at her, “I’m fine, really.” I mouthed.

Alec moved back to his original position. Jane motioned for me to join the group on the right. I squeezed Laney’s hand once before letting go and moving to the corner of the room.

“And what is your talent?” She asked Laney.

“I can feel when I’m being pursued. Anyone chasing me or even just trying to find me, I can feel them.”

“Not quite so useful for fighting but could be an asset.”

“It doesn’t seem to matter how far away they are.” She said, looking as though she might cry even though I knew she couldn’t shed tears, “My parents are looking for me, but they’re far away. I can feel how far away they are.”

Jane lifted an eyebrow. She assessed this new information for a moment before motioning for her to join my group. I sighed in relief.

Next up was Hector. He could control the actions of those around him which he foolishly demonstrated by having three vampires from the less impressive group attack Jane and the others. Jane inflicted a long bout of pain on Hector while the other three took care of the mindlessly springing vampires. She warned him to behave himself before releasing him and sending him to the right.

Bianca was up next.

“I am an excellent liar.” Bianca replied with a proud smile.

“Hardly a talent.” Jane said softly.

Bianca shrugged, “People just believe me. I can tell the most outrageous story and people believe it. Like this: my power is, I can look like a normal human, completely blend in with them.”

Her skin and eyes darkened to a healthy brown. She looked around the room, showing everyone how she had changed.

“Oh, and I have blue eyes.” She added quickly, smiling, “I always wanted blue eyes.”

Her eyes became a brilliant shade of blue.

I knew it wasn’t real. The logical part of my brain told me she couldn’t actually look like that. But my eyes saw a beautiful, dark skinned, blue eyed girl. I closed my eyes and analyzed the part of my brain that interpreted sight. I could feel the difference in the signal I was receiving. She was projecting the image straight to everyone’s mind. It was in her words, maybe the sound of her voice carried a hidden message that the brain interpreted as reality. She could alter others’ reality.

I opened my eyes and looked at her again. I could see her clearly, just as she was but I could also see what she wanted me to see, like a double exposure on a picture. One image transparent but visible over the other.

“Fascinating.” I couldn’t help but say it aloud although I kept my voice soft.

Bianca met my eyes. Her eyes widened when she realized she couldn’t fool me. I smiled conspiratorially at her. She seemed to relax.

She turned back to Jane, “Just kidding,” She said and her projected image vanished, “Fooled you guys, didn’t I?” She was happy with herself.

Jane motioned for her to move to the right. Evidently she saw the advantage of someone that could convince others of anything she wanted.

She skipped Pim, motioning for him to join the more valuable group. She knew what he could do, that was clear. But why not have him tell the rest of us? Why not put him through the testing the rest of us had just gone through? There was something about him she was trying to keep secret from the rest of us.

The last in line were the triplets. They all stood straight backed, arms folded across their chests, glaring at Jane. They didn’t like her, but none of us did. What made them different was they weren’t afraid to show it. They glared at her with hatred in their eyes.

“The witch sisters.” She said with a smile, “Care to show us what you can do?”

“Certainly,” Rain said and then she was gone. She reappeared directly behind Jane and yanked a small chunk of hair from the back of her head.

Alec and Felix took a step towards them but Meadow turned to them and raised her arms. Felix and Alec lifted off the ground, suspended in midair.

“Look what I can do.” Meadow said in a taunting manner.

Jane turned on Rain, using her talent to make Rain scream in agony.

“Leave her alone!” Zephyr growled at Jane.

Suddenly the sound of screaming was amplified by a thousand. Everyone in the room except Zephyr, her sisters, and the girl who could deflect others powers were crouched down, our hands clamped over our ears. Even with my palms pressed firmly over my ears, it didn’t dampen the sound. It felt like my head would explode if the noise didn’t stop.

I looked at Zephyr. She wasn’t screaming with her mouth. She was screaming with her thoughts. She was a telepath. She projected her thoughts on others.

I quickly found a way to turn down the volume of her screaming so to speak. She was powerful. They all were. And they were defiant. They wouldn’t last long here, especially with this display of insubordination. I saw an opportunity, one I wasn’t sure would work. If it didn’t, it might mean the demise of our entire group and definitely the destruction of the sisters.

I got up and ran to Rain’s side. With everyone distracted, I didn’t think anyone would be listening to me, but to be sure I whispered to her, “Can you teleport more than just yourself?”

She looked at me with a face that said, “Why the heck hadn’t I thought of that?”

Doubt clouded her eyes, “I don’t know.” She whispered back.

Bianca ran over to join us, dragging Hector and Pim with her. Bianca dropped the boys’ hands and held Rain’s face between her palms. She stared into her eyes, concentrating hard.

“Yes, you can. You have the power. You can do this.” Bianca said softly but firmly. I ran over and picked up Laney. She was still consumed by the sound of screaming.

Jane had gained her wits, obviously still in pain but able to use her power all the same. She aimed it at Meadow. Meadow lost her concentration, consumed by the burning. She dropped Alec and Felix. They moved towards Meadow, still having trouble because of Zephyr. But they were close and determined to destroy her.

“Meadow!” Rain gasped.

And then our surroundings were different. It was quiet again as Zephyr immediately recognized that we were no longer in danger. We all looked around. I did a head count first thing, immediately worried we had left someone behind. Hector, Pim and Laney were standing now, completely fine. Bianca let go of Rain’s face and looked around in confusion. The triplets moved to each other’s sides, hugging each other around the middle. They looked relieved.

We were in a field, surrounded on all sides by large stone structures. Suddenly I recognized where we were. I was glad we had happened to teleport at night. This would have been problematic in the day time with humans gathered around, watching us.

I looked over at Rain, “Why did you bring us to Stonehenge?” I asked curiously.

“It was the first place that came to mind.” She explained. She sounded drained, her tone lifeless.

“Who cares why?!” Hector said in an exhilarated tone, “We’re free!”

“How did you do it?” Pim asked, astonished.

“I had to, so I did.” Rain replied, looking at Meadow. Rain looked exhausted and her eyes had changed. They were almost black now, only the slightest hint of red left. Meadow and Zephyr’s eyes were only slightly lighter than Rain’s. Their talents drained them physically and it showed in their eyes.

We were right in the center of the circular field surrounded by stones on all sides. It was night, the stars were shining bright above us. I took a moment to examine exactly how clearly I could see the stars now. It was like looking through a high powered telescope at the entire expanse of the sky. It was majestic.

Lucky for us, there weren’t any lights illuminating our sudden appearance. We moved quickly and quietly to the nearest cluster of trees to the west. There, hidden from any unsuspecting humans, we stopped. Rain was running significantly slower than the rest of us. We had to have a plan of action or they would find us. And the next time we might not make it out alive.

“What do we do now?” Hector asked.

“Run, and keep on running.” Bianca said, confident it was the only choice.

“It doesn’t matter if we run. They’ll find us. They have Sergei. He knows exactly where we are. It’s only a matter of time before they catch up with us.” Pim replied.

“They’re already on their way.” Laney said, looking out into the distance like she could see them coming.

The answer was clear. We needed a safe harbor, a place to regroup and ready ourselves for the fight that they would bring to us. There was only one place I could think to go. Only one clan that was strong enough to make them resort to drafting people to join their army, now eight less than it was earlier today. We had to find their enemy, and hope that they would agree to become our allies. We had to at least try to talk to them.

“Pim, do you know where to find the clan the Volturi are at war with?” I asked.

“I think they’re in the U. S. somewhere. You can’t really want to go looking for them.”

“The enemy of my enemy…” I replied.

“But what if they are as bad as the Volturi?” Hector asked.

“We have a little leverage. We can offer them information in exchange for safe harbor or at the very least, to just let us leave with our lives. I’ll bet they’ll be interested to know what the Volturi are up to.”

I formulated a plan while the others took in what I had said. No one was arguing. They all looked worried, but determined. And in a matter of seconds I had a course of action ready.

“I hope no one is opposed to breaking a few laws.” I said.

No one declared their opposition to the idea. We ran to the next town. It was small enough that most everything was silent. Just the sound of wildlife and wind in the air.

I soundlessly broke into an electronics store and stole what I needed; a laptop, a disposable cellphone and the cash in the safe. Then we ran to the next biggest city outside of London. I found a closed clothing store and we all went inside.

“What are we doing here?” Bianca asked. She sounded curious and excited. She went through the clothes on the rack lightning fast, looking for stuff she liked.

“We need to blend in.” I told her as I perused through the men’s selection, “Inconspicuous, plain clothing. Hats and sunglasses are going to be a must. I don’t think people will react well to our red eyes.”

Laney sighed.

I looked over at her, “If you don’t like any of it then just find a black jacket with a hood. But we all have to wear sunglasses. Well, maybe not Rain or Bianca.”

“Actually,” Bianca spoke up, “I might be able to make it so all of us can go without sunglasses.”

“We’ll see if we can make that work later. For now, we just need to find a wi-fi connection. Maybe locate a passport office and make ourselves some passports.”

“Passports?” Hector asked.

“I suppose we could swim across the ocean, but flying would be faster.” I answered.

“Maybe we could steal a boat.” Bianca suggested.

“It would still take too long. They could beat us to the shore.”

“What about Rain?” Pim suggested.

I looked over at the sisters, still huddled together. Rain was in the middle with one arm around each sister’s waist. Meadow and Zephyr each had an arm around her waist as well, apparently holding her up.

“I don’t think she has the strength to teleport us again.” I answered.

“Not yet.” Rain qualified.

“We can’t wait for you to get your strength back. We have to keep moving.” I told her.

“I know.”

“Maybe if you fed.” Laney suggested softly.

The three sisters hissed in unison. The whole group looked uncomfortable for a moment before they went back to searching for clothes. I noticed the sting at the back of my throat become more pronounced. It didn’t hurt but it annoyed me. It was a constant reminder of something I didn’t want to think about yet. I pushed the thought from my mind and went back to searching.

Laney sighed again as she went through the rack of women’s shirt.

“You all right?” I asked her.

“I was never one to blend into the crowd.” Laney explained, “I was all about anti-conformity. Before.”

She didn’t have to expound on what she meant by before. We all knew what she was talking about.

We all changed into new, non-descript clothes. I put on jeans and a plain gray long sleeved shirt. I went to the mirror outside the dressing room and looked at myself.

I couldn’t stop the disgusted sound that ripped from my throat.

Laney was next to me in an instant.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

I motioned to myself in the mirror, “That!”

She looked at my reflection, confusion coloring her features, “You look fine.” She said reassuringly.

“I’m too…handsome. I can’t blend in with a face like that!”

The store filled with muffled laughter. They all found my outburst very amusing. I scowled at the mirror.

Laney rushed away and was back a second later. She handed me a black ball cap and large bug-eye sunglasses. I put them on and sighed. It was no use. Even in a hat and sunglasses that covered half my face, the beauty was still noticeable.

“You worry too much. Anyone ever tell you that?” Laney said, nudging my shoulder with hers.

“This was never something I had to worry about before.”

“I’ll bet you were cute.”

“If by cute you mean nerdy, then yes, I was cute.” I replied, smiling. I studied her features for a moment, “You must have been gorgeous.”

She laughed, “Not even a little bit. This,” She gestured to the mirror, “is a marked improvement.”

I noticed that everything had gone silent. The group was standing together on the far side of the store, watching us. I wondered what we had done to make them stare at us. It must have been my outburst earlier. I shrugged it off.

We moved quickly off to London. We located a sports bar that had wi-fi. To avoid trouble, we climbed up on the roof to use their signal. Once settled, I got to work on the laptop. I located the passport office and booked the earliest flight to the U. S. available. We broke in to the passport office and doctored our documents. It surprised me how easy I found it to bypass the security and work the equipment in the office. In no time, I had printed our new passports. I gave us all brown eyes on the paperwork, trying to make it easier for Bianca.

We found a store open that sold luggage. We could have broken in to some place that was closed but I didn’t want to get used to stealing if I didn’t have to. I had Bianca test her theory out. No one noticed our unusual eyes. To avoid suspicion at the airport we all bought carry-on bags. Mine was a backpack that I stored the laptop, sunglasses and hat in. Laney picked out a brown suede leather messenger bag. She bought a book, a brush and a wallet to put in it. I suggested to the others that they buy things for their carry-ons as well. Bringing an empty carry-on was more suspicious than no luggage at all.

We went back to the bar, hanging out on the roof to wait for it to be closer to our flight time. Hector paced uneasily back and forth.

“What is it?” I asked.

“There’re too many people. I can’t think straight.” He said in a panicked tone.

I breathed in deep through my nose. I could smell them too. Suddenly my body became aware of the warmth below us. The sound of heartbeats moved to the front of my focus. I quickly pushed it to the back of my mind.

“How long has it been since you last fed?” I asked, directing my question at all of them.

“Couple weeks.” Pim said.

“Same for me.” Laney said.

“Little more than a month.” Bianca offered.

“A couple months.” Hector said.

“Never.” The sisters said together.

I stared at them, confounded, impressed and fascinated.

“Never?” I asked.

“We refuse to hurt people,” Rain said defiantly. “Even if it means our own demise.” Zephyr continued. “We value life too much to take it needlessly.” Meadow finished.

“None of us like killing people.” Laney said defensively.

“If there was another way to survive, we’d do something else.” Bianca added.

“How long have you been vampires?” I asked the triplets.

“Three months.” They said as one.

“Three months with nothing? Is it possible to starve?” I asked, consumed in my curiosity.

They shrugged.

A part of me really wanted to see how this experiment would go. Could they go indefinitely without blood? Or would they eventually die of starvation? How long would it take for a vampire to starve? Could they hold out forever or would the instinct that took over when blood was near eventually take command of the body? And was that something to be concerned about now?

“We’re going to be on a plane full of people. Is this going to become a problem?” I asked, looking around at all of them. I knew I could control myself but they might not be able to control themselves like I can. I really didn’t want a plane full of people massacred if I could avoid it.

“No, it won’t.” Bianca said with confidence, “Give it a second and you’ll see how that burning sensation fades away into a minor itching. No worse than allergies.”

Everyone relaxed. They could control it if it was just a little irritation at the back of their throats. I wondered why she didn’t get rid of the feeling all together for them. But I would save that question for another time.

The flight was, thankfully, uneventful. We made it through security and customs without any hassle. Bianca’s talent worked, camouflaging our unusual eyes. People did stare at us frequently, though. No one seemed scared or anxious about us. They seemed admiring and awestruck.

We boarded the plane and sat in first class. I had thought the red eye flight to New York would be pretty much empty and we would have some privacy. We weren’t completely alone, there were a few beating hearts seated around us. And I hadn’t thought about the flight attendants. They came by frequently and offered us drinks and food. Out of curiosity I accepted the meal. Everyone else declined. I tried the roasted turkey, remembering that I liked it when I was human. It was awful. It was something like what I imagine clay would taste like and about that consistency. My friends watched me with a mixture of fascination and horror.

“It was worth a shot.” I said after I finished the one bite. I didn’t take another. When the flight attendant asked after me, I informed her I wasn’t hungry after all.

Once in New York, inside the airport I pondered how next to act. It was daylight outside. We were safe inside, I didn’t worry about the indirect sunlight. But what would happen when we went out into the sun? Should we wait for the sun to set before leaving? I wasn’t sure but I didn’t like the idea of staying in one place for so long.

“Is anyone else worried about being directly in the sunlight?” I asked them quietly.

“We won’t burn up or anything like that. But if the sun is shining, we will attract attention.” Pim informed us.

I looked out the windows. We couldn’t rely on the clouds. They were light and sparse. They might provide shade for a few minutes when they passed in front of the sun but most of the day was going to be sunny.

“Any suggestions?” I asked Pim.

“Hats, sunglasses, scarves, hoodies, long sleeves, gloves, leave nothing uncovered. We’re lucky it’s cold outside. We’d look really weird all covered up in the middle of summer.”

We went to a gift shop in the airport to buy hooded jackets, scarves and gloves. Once we were bundled up, we set out into the city.

We walked at an annoyingly slow, human pace. It felt unnatural to move this slowly. It was like we were trying to mimic the slow motion you see in movies. It had to be hilarious to watch. But no one seemed to notice our pace. Although people still gazed at us as we walked by. I heard them as we passed by, talking about us like we couldn’t hear them. They whispered about how beautiful we all were, how hot we looked, how sexy…and then I couldn’t listen anymore. It was inane babble and too distracting. Hector, Bianca, even Pim seemed to like the attention, smiling to themselves.

“I always wanted to come here.” Hector said, his tone full of regret.

“I don’t see the appeal.” Bianca confessed.

“It was my dream. I was going to move to the big city, become an actor, make a name for myself. I was going to be somebody.”

Bianca bumped him lightly with her shoulder, “You are somebody.”

He smiled but shook his head, “I would have liked to see my name in lights, though. Take the stage and hear the applause.” He said dreamily, “I suppose that’s what I’ll miss most. What could have been.”

Such things had never appealed to me but I had my own regrets. Things I wished I had had the chance to do. I felt bad for him. At least I had lived a part of my dream. I had made it through school, started my career. It was short lived but I had done it. They all had been cut short, never given the chance to actually become who they were supposed to be.

“What do you think you’ll miss the most, Bianca?” Laney asked.

“I suppose I miss knowing what to expect. Everything was so clear before. The path was laid out in front of me. I’d go to college, figure out what I wanted to do, start a career…have a life.” She sounded nostalgic.

“What about you, Pim?” Laney said softly.

“I miss sleeping…dreaming. I used to have the wildest dreams. I don’t really remember any of them but I remember how they made me feel. It felt like I could do anything, be anything, like the world was full of endless possibilities.” He answered.

“Girls?” Laney said without looking back at the triplets.

“Grandma Lou.” They said together in one voice. Rain said, “She took care of us,” Zephyr added, “taught us about magic.” Meadow continued, “She loved us.” Then they spoke in unison, “Hope she’s okay.”

“I miss my parents too.” Laney said sympathetically. “I know they’re going crazy right now, trying to find me. I’ll always wish I had spent a little more time with them while I had the chance.”

I wish I felt that kind of connection to my family. It wasn’t that I didn’t care, I did. I thought about them and the friends I had before. But I wasn’t so despondent at the thought of being without them. I guess that makes me kind of unfeeling but I never meant to be. At some point I realized that my life was no longer dependent on my parents, my life was my own. I had work to keep me occupied, to keep me fulfilled, happy. Even though I knew I’d never see them again, I couldn’t find it in me to feel deeply depressed by the idea. I felt bad that they would never know what happened to me. I felt bad that they would cry for me, mourn for me. But I didn’t really feel the need to mourn over them. And that made me far more depressed than anything else.

“What about you, Adam?” Laney asked after a moment of silence. I guess she had been waiting for me to volunteer something like she had.

“I’ll miss getting coffee every morning at the little café off campus. I’ll miss the little hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant that I went to for their chicken alfredo.” I admitted casually. “And the pie shop down the road from my place. They had the best banana cream pie in the world.”

“Really?” Rain said in disbelief. “Of all the things in life,” Zephyr continued. “You’re going to miss food the most?” Meadow finished.

It wasn’t so much food itself as it was variety and comfort. It felt good to go to the same place every morning and have people know what you wanted. There wasn’t any worrying about what to expect or fear of the unknown. But there was also the privilege of options; numerous options. Something I didn’t have anymore. At least in terms of food.

But rather than explain it to them, I only shrugged.

The triplets were appalled, but the others snickered softly.

“You’re kinda strange, Adam.” Hector commented, amused.

“Honestly, with your love for food, I’m surprised you weren’t fat.” Bianca said, still giggling.

“Oh, come on. They wouldn’t have picked me if I was fat. I’m surprised I made the cut with how old I am. I've got at least five years on everyone that was drafted.”

“Drafted?” Hector asked.

“Yeah, the mandatory call to serve in the Volturi army. Training to fighting against the mysterious enemy clan we’re trying to find now.” I explained.

“I don’t know why I didn’t notice that before.” Pim said. He sounded like he was talking to himself.

“Probably because you’re so close in age to everyone else that was there. I noticed right away because it made me feel old. I guess older people don’t survive the transition process as easily as young people do.” I replied.

“How old are you…were you…whatever.” Bianca asked.

“Twenty seven.” I answered.

“Wow, you are old.” Hector said. He sounded sincere and a little shocked.

“Shut up, Hector!” Laney snapped at him, “Twenty seven is not old.”

I laughed, “It never mattered to me. I wasn’t ever concerned about growing old. Seems ironic. The person that never cared about eternal youth will never grow old.”

The conversation stalled. We walked the streets in silence. I wondered if they had thought about the fact that they would forever be stuck in their teens before now. Or had I sprung this heavy news on them. They would always be exactly as they are now, never being seen as anything other than children.

We took refuge in a department store, hiding from the setting sun.

Everyone but Laney and I migrated over to the electronics department. Laney and I just wandered the aisles from department to department, watching the others from a distance. They seemed to be having fun, amusing themselves with stereo systems.

“I’m sorry if I brought everyone down with my talk of eternity. I guess I didn’t think about how they would handle the idea of never aging.” I whispered to Laney low enough so only she could hear me.

“There’s a lot about this life we haven’t had the opportunity to consider until now. I don’t think any of us thought we’d make it out of there alive.” She turned my way, “Until you came.”

“I didn’t do anything. Rain’s the one that deserves the credit. Without her, we’d all still be there.”

“Maybe. But I get the feeling you would have found a way to get us out of there eventually. None of us even entertained the idea before you came along.”

“I love this song!” Hector said loud enough to attract the attention of the people around him.

He started to dance, moving in perfect time to the beat. It was amazing to watch, he was fluid and graceful.

Then the people near him started to dance just like him. They moved into a triangle formation, Hector at the head, still dancing flawlessly to the music. I counted six humans in line behind him. He had good control, they each moved at exactly the same time. They followed his movements. I wondered if that was because he was thinking about the moves as he danced or if he had to move his body to get those around him to do the same. I thought back to his fight with Lars. He had caused Lars to stumble. And with the three vampires he sprung on Jane, Felix and Alec, Hector hadn’t moved at all. No, he was just taking the lead of his own personal dance group. Taking the stage, so to speak. As more humans started to flock towards the commotion, more joined in. Soon, he had more than twenty dancing in step with him.

“Adam!” Rain huffed quietly, but I could hear her just fine. “Make him stop!” Zephyr whined. “He’s embarrassing us!” Meadow sighed.

The display was attracting considerable attention from all around the store but I was curious about Hector’s abilities. I wanted to see the extent of what he could do. His powers weren’t limited to vampires. He had no trouble controlling humans. It was good to know. Could come in handy in the future.

“Lighten up!” Bianca said, laughing a little.

She skipped over and joined Hector, moving to his side. She moved flawlessly in step with him. I wondered if she was the one moving or if it was him making her dance like him. Either way, she seemed to be having fun.

Pim stayed back with the triplets, laughing quietly as he watched. He seemed to study Hector until just before the music ended. Then his attention shifted to Zephyr. He looked back and forth between the two a few times. I wondered what it was that got his attention.

When the next song came on it looked as though Hector was going to start up again but his eyes darted to Zephyr as well and he froze. She was talking to him, communicating with her mind, probably telling him to stop.

“We’d better get over there,” I told Laney, “Before Zephyr starts screaming at Hector.”

We joined the group. People were clustered around where they had been dancing, talking excitedly. The people that had been dancing seemed confused. They didn’t recall what had happened and were becoming anxious.

Mental note: people under Hector’s control don’t retain memory while under his influence. I wonder if it’s the same for vampires?

The anxiety level of the dance group was becoming an issue. I walked closer to Bianca.

“Think you can convince them they were part of a spontaneous dance mob?” I asked.

“You mean a flash mob?” She asked, smiling at me like I was so out of touch.

“I don’t care what you call it, just convince them nothing strange or scary just happened.” I snapped.

“No prob, bossman.” She replied, smug, “I got this.”

She talked to them for about ten seconds. By the end of it they were smiling and talking about how much fun they had. She came back to us with her chin lifted, feeling proud of herself. It was a useful talent; I’d give her that.

The sun had gone down far enough that the buildings in the skyline provided enough shade for us to keep moving. When we finally made it to a less occupied area, we were able to move faster.

“Did Zephyr tell you she was going to use her talent on Hector?” I asked Pim as we ran.

“No, you could just see it on her face. She was glaring at him like she wanted to kill him.” He replied, smiling.

“How did you know to look at her? Something she did got your attention.”

Pim’s smile vanished, “How do you know that?”

“I’m observant.”

Pim didn’t answer. I wondered why. And it occurred to me; the question none of us had thought to ask.

“Pim, what’s your talent?” I asked.

My question got the attention of the others. We all looked at him curiously. Pim looked deeply uncomfortable.

“I’m sort of…a tracker.” He answered hesitantly.

“How does it work? Do you have to know the one you’re tracking before you can find him?” I asked, my mind already at work.

“Not exactly.” It was obvious he really didn’t want to tell us about his gift. “I can’t track everyone. Only specific…individuals.”

“What makes these individuals different? Do they have to be human? Vampire?” I was interrogating him now.

He stopped running. I stopped right when he did but the rest had to back track a bit.

He pleaded with his eyes, begging me not to ask.

“What is it you don’t want to tell us?” I asked softly, trying to be as non-threatening as possible.

“It doesn’t matter what they are. It’s what they can do that I can track.” He admitted.

“You can sense the powers others possess. That’s how you knew Zephyr was using her gift. You could sense it.”

He nodded.

“Can you track the clan we’re looking for? They have a large group of powerful vampires. Can you sense them?” I asked.

Pim concentrated for a moment. He closed his eyes and held very still. Then he opened his eyes and looked at us.

“They’re to the west about two and a half thousand miles.” He responded confidently.

“You’re sure?” Laney asked.

Pim nodded.

“They would be on the west coast.” I sighed. “Come on, we better start moving. We should head for the Canadian border, run the line through the trees.”

“We need to move fast.” Laney warned us, looking to the east, “They’re on their way.”

That was all the motivation we needed. We ran as fast as we could, keeping to the forest as much as possible and away from any civilization. It took all night but as the sun started to rise we made it there. Pim had been able to direct us better the closer we got. It was overcast, no sunlight to worry about.

As we approached through the trees, we slowed down, not wanting to scare anyone. We slowly made our way to our only hope for survival.

Chapter 5

It was beautiful country. Everything was green, even though it was the end of fall and growing cold. Everything was covered in moss and a dampness hung in the frigid air. I noticed that although it was chilly, the temperature didn’t bother me. No temperature really made an impression on this body. It had no bearing on comfort.

I heard movement a couple miles ahead. People walking. No, not people. They were too quiet for humans. Vampires were walking.

My friends froze in place, suddenly overcome by the stress.

“It’s okay,” I told them softly, “We’ll be fine.”

They followed me, staying slightly behind me. I wondered if that was because they felt like I was the leader of this group or if they just wanted as much distance between them and the unknown clan as possible.

I could see them now, lined up in front of a huge, stylish house. I counted eight of them. The male standing just slightly ahead of everyone else was blond, in his early twenties, dressed in nice expensive looking clothes. He wore a neutral expression but his eyes seemed kind.

And then the color of his eyes grabbed my attention. They were yellow, the color of honey in sunlight. They all had varying shades of yellow eyes.

When we made it to the tree line, we stopped. I was still at the front of my group. As much as I didn’t want to intrude on their property without invitation, I felt a much stronger inclination to have a fair amount of distance between us and them.

“We mean you no harm.” I said in a normal voice, the volume I would pick if I were talking to a human standing next to me. There was several hundred yards of distance between us, but they heard me just fine.

“We know.” The blond male standing in front said in a calm, gentle voice.

“That’s right. You knew we were coming.” I said as I remembered they have psychic, “Then you must know why we’ve come.”

“You want our help.” A small dark haired girl said in a musical soprano voice. She spoke as though she knew, as though she had heard us talking. I wondered if she was the psychic. Or was she the mind reader, figuring out from our thoughts why we had come?

“To fight the Volturi?” A redheaded boy said in a stunned tone.

“Yes…and no.” I replied, “We came to ask for…sanctuary. For lack of a better word. We’re running from them.”

“What did you do?” A blond boy standing next to the small dark haired girl asked.

The redhead gasped. He stared at each of us with a look of horror on his face.

The mind reader.

“Carlisle,” The rusty haired boy sighed, still overcome with the horror of our thoughts.

I lifted my hand, gesturing for the mind reader to stop. He eyed me curiously.

“Give me the chance to explain, this concerns your entire clan.” I said to him. He nodded, pressing his lips together in to a thin line.

I slowly stepped out of the tree line, moving cautiously closer to them. My friends followed, staying close behind me. When we were ten yards away from them we stopped.

“They’re after us, because we escaped.” I explained, “I suppose our crime would be treason. They changed us for the purpose of drafting us. They’ve amassed an army.”

A couple of them hissed in disapproval. The blond boy shook his head vehemently.

“No,” He said harshly, “They wouldn’t do that! They wouldn’t break their own law! The Volturi wouldn’t make a newborn army.”

“Newborn?” I asked, simply curious but Hector and Bianca snarled at the word.

“It is what we call those that have recently been made into vampires.” The leader said calmly.

“They aren’t making a newborn army.” The mind reader informed them.

“He’s right,” I continued, “They had no intention of releasing us into battle anytime soon. They are still training the ‘newborns,’ teaching them not only to fight, but to use their powers as well.”

“Powers?” A hulk of a boy with dark curly hair scoffed.

“They’re talented, Emmett.” The mind reader told him in a sharp tone, “Like Alice and I are talented.”

The humor vanished from Emmett’s expression. He could appreciate the gravity of what that meant.

“And Bella.” I added.

“How do you know my name?! How do you know anything about me?” A girl with long brown hair exclaimed. The red haired boy took a step in front of her, blocking her from my view.

I lifted my hands in a sign of surrender, showing I meant no harm.

“You should know, they mean to keep Alice and Bella alive. They mean to capture them, not destroy them. I still haven’t figured out why.” I admitted.

“The leader of the Volturi is a collector of sorts.” The mind reader explained.

The unknown leader, the mastermind behind the vampire boot camp they were running. The one in charge of Jane, Alec and Felix was a collector.

“I can’t believe Aro would do this.” The leader said.

“He didn’t. I would have seen it.” The little girl said, looking puzzled.

The psychic.

“They’re working around your vision again.” A tall blond girl said.

“Moving in your blind spots.” A lady with soft brown hair standing next to the leader added.

“What does that mean?” Laney asked shyly.

She was the first of my group to speak other than me. I looked back at her briefly, impressed that she had voiced her question. No one else was brave enough to talk to them.

“I can see the future but I can only see what people decide to do and where those decisions will lead them. If Aro decided to make an army, I would have seen it before any of you had been created.”

“Aro could be like any other leader and delegate his authority.” I offered. Everyone stared at me. “You don’t really think the President is the one giving commands to the troops, now do you?”

“Then who is the one making the decisions?” The mind reader asked.

“Jane.” Everyone in my group said at the same time except for me. I wasn’t so sure. My money was on Alec.

“Alice, check Alec.” The mind reader said quickly.

“It’s just a theory. I could be wrong. But he was the one with a level head and he seemed to be keeping an eye on everything both inside and outside the camp.” I said.

Alice concentrated for a moment, “Nothing.”

I thought about that. They weren’t making the decisions. They were following orders. Jane and Alec seemed like the most likely to be in charge and it made sense because their gifts made them effective leaders for such a volatile group. But if you wanted to avoid detection on this scale, would you pick two very likely to be in charge? No, you’d go with the least likely to make important decisions. The one with more muscle than brains. Felix.

Then I remembered when Jane had been torturing Hector. “Jane.” He had whispered and though it had pissed her off, she had stopped. There was also the significant look he had given her when he cut practice short. He was trying to tell her to behave. Felix was the one in charge.

“No,” The mind reader said to me, obviously seeing my train of thought, “That would be reckless. Aro would never trust him with something that important.”

“He’s not the mastermind, that’s for sure.” I agreed, but there was validity to my hypothesis. I thought of Jane, Alec, Felix and the other boy entering the room. They had moved as one, thought as one. It was second nature. Once given the suggestion to make an army (an order would be too much like a decision), would he need instruction on how to proceed or would he know the orders before they were given? And would he be smart enough to set this up without the help of his superiors?

“I still don’t see Aro allowing him to take command.” The mind reader said.

“Who?!” Bella asked, obviously frustrated with only hearing half the conversation.

“Adam thinks Felix is the one making the decisions.” He answered patiently.

“Adam?” She inquired, looking at me.

“I’m sorry,” I said, totally forgetting that they didn’t know any of our names, except the mind reader of course, “I’m Adam.” I pointed to each of them as I introduced them, “This is Laney, Pim, Hector, Bianca, Zephyr, Rain and Meadow.”

“Forgive us,” The leader said softly, “I am Carlisle.” He gestured to each of his clan as he spoke, “This is my mate, Esme. This is Edward, Bella, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper.”

Mate, interesting terminology. They all seemed to be paired off in couples but they were obviously bonded to each other as a whole as well. They were guarded, but calm. They seemed peaceful, serene. I couldn’t believe they had started this. It didn’t seem like the natural reaction for them.

All this effort over eight strange golden-eyed vampires. I couldn’t understand the motivation. I felt far more threatened by the Volturi than I did by them.

“You would have to know our history with them to understand their motivations.” Edward told me.

Zephyr huffed, the slightest sound of irritation. Then almost the entire clan of golden-eyed vampires froze for half a second. Immediately followed by a rush of everyone talking at once.

“I can’t stop myself from hearing what you’re thinking.” Edward said, sounding guilty.

“He isn’t trying to be rude.” Esme said calmly.

“Edward sometimes forgets that the rest of us can’t hear what he hears.” Carlisle said with a repentant smile.

“Who did that?” Jasper asked.

“What was that?” Emmett asked.

“Wow!” Alice exclaimed, smiling.

All of them spoke at the same time. I sorted quickly through what each had said and before the others could react, I turned to Zephyr.

“Zephyr!” I used a scolding voice like I remembered my father using when I would act up us as a child, “Not exactly the best way to get your point across!”

“It worked, didn’t it?” She replied like a petulant teenager.

“What did you say?” Hector asked her.

“That it’s rude to eavesdrop.” She said, glaring in Edward’s direction.

I took a deep breath and shook my head.

“Sorry.” I said with contrition, “They can be spirited but none of us mean to be threatening,” I turned to look at the triplets, “Right Zephyr?”

“Yeah, whatever.” She replied, looking away.

“That is quite a talent you have.” Carlisle said. He looked curious but he didn’t inquire further.

“We were picked by the Volturi because we each possess a talent they feel would be useful to them. Useful in counteracting the talents that you possess. You all have some talent as well, right?” I asked.

They stared at me, no one spoke.

“Pim, can you tell how powerful they are?” I asked.

Their eyes shifted to Pim. He closed his eyes and concentrated.

Then he looked at me, “I count one pretty powerful, two moderate and one that barely registers.” He answered.

Jasper snarled.

“What?” Pim said defensively, “Yours is moderate. It’s his that is barely showing up.” He pointed to Carlisle.

“That’s only four. There’s eight of them.” I said to Pim, ignoring the reaction the clan was having to Carlisle being picked out.

“The rest don’t show up.” He looked over at Bella, “She’s not even there.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Bella snapped. She sounded hurt by his assessment.

“I can feel energy, even from those that don’t have power. You don’t show up at all. I can’t feel you.” He answered.

“The one that can block the talents of others.” I surmised. “Fascinating.”

“Oh,” She replied sheepishly to Pim. “Sorry. Can you sense me if I remove the shield?” She asked.

Pim immediately took off back into the trees. He ran as fast as he could.

“Pim, what’s wrong?” I called after him.

He stopped running when he was a few miles away and said, “Ow!”

“Evidently you are a strong presence without your shield.” I said to Bella.

She smiled a little. Then Pim came back. She had evidently put her shield back up.

“You okay?” I asked when he was beside me again.

“That was intense.” He said to me with wide eyes. He pointed to Carlisle, “Candlelight,” Then Edward and Jasper, “Bonfire,” Then Alice, “Three story building engulfed in flames,” Then Bella, “The sun. Like if you were standing directly next to it.”

“Ouch.” I replied.

“Ya think?!.” Pim quipped.

I smiled. He was right. I was stating the obvious. My smile faded as my thoughts returned to the situation at hand.

“Years of training to fight five gifted vampires?” I thought aloud.

“Years?” Laney asked.

“I was there for six months. And I was one of the first.” Bianca informed me.

“No, you weren’t.” Pim said solemnly.

“I wasn’t talking about how long we had been there. I was talking about how long we would have been there if we hadn’t gotten out.”

“You think they would have kept us there like that for years?” Hector asked, looking slight paler than before.

“For as long as it took,” Rain said, “for us to be ready,” Zephyr continued, “to face them.” Meadow finished. They hugged each other a little tighter around the waist.

“They’re right.” I said to Hector, “I got the impression they were planning decades ahead. We might not have seen battle for fifty or sixty years. Maybe longer.”

“Decades.” Laney breathed.

I looked over at Laney, “We won’t be that lucky. Our escape has changed the time table. They can’t wait decades now. Whatever they’re going to do, it’s going to be soon. How close are they?”

“They’re coming here?!” Bella exclaimed.

In the background I heard Edward call Alice’s name and in my peripheral vision I saw Alice shake her head. But my focus was on Laney.

She looked confused for a moment, “They aren’t coming for us anymore. I’ve been so preoccupied I didn’t even realize they stopped pursuing us.”

“When was the last time you remember feeling them?”

“When we made it to Washington. After that I was too distracted to notice.”

Edward was looking at Carlisle as he said, “She can feel those that are tracking her, even if it’s only the thought of finding her, she can sense them.”

Carlisle looked concerned, “Very powerful, indeed.”

“They aren’t like the others. They don’t want to be a part of the Volturi.”

“They are evil,” Rain spit from between her clenched teeth, “Cruel,” Zephyr snapped, “Heartless.” Meadow whispered. Meadow seemed far more sad than angry. Her sisters felt only anger for the Volturi. Part of that was probably because Felix had tried to kill her. I wondered how that would have affected Rain and Zephyr. They functioned like a single organism, their thought and speech patterns were so connected. They were bonded, deeply bonded. The way only family can be. Would they survive with a third missing?

“That’s why we ran.” Laney said, “Some of the others found the idea of fighting exciting and fun. They embraced everything about their new life without question. We weren’t like that. It made life there unbearable.”

“You are right to be worried, Carlisle.” I said, “There are many still there that are equally if not more impressive than we are.”

“How did they find so many that have gifts?” Bella asked Carlisle, “I thought we were rare. That only one in a hundred turned out to be special.”

“They don’t hesitate to dispose of those that aren’t useful. They weed out the deadweight.” I replied. It was true but it was also a deception. I knew how they had found us, but I wasn’t sure the rest of my friends had made the connection yet. Don’t tell, I thought at Edward.

To my surprise, it was a needless thought.

“You can tell them the truth, Adam.” Pim said in a soft voice.

It didn’t really surprise me that he knew I knew. What did shocked me was that he wanted me to share what I knew. I didn’t want to do that to him.

I turned towards him, “I did tell them the truth.” I replied slowly. I was hoping he would read between the lines. Hear me telling him that he didn’t have to confess. And that I’d never tell.

“I mean that it’s my fault.” Pim said quietly. The guilt was weighing on him, we could hear it in his voice. He looked around at us, his only friends in the world now, “I found you, all of you. I’m the reason all of you were changed.”

“That doesn’t make it your fault.” I said.

“Yeah, what were you going to do? Tell Jane no?” Hector said and then shuddered.

Bianca gazed at him with a look of deep sympathy, “You did, didn’t you? That’s why she tortured you for so long.”

“I didn’t hold out very long.” Pim sighed.

“None of us would have lasted an hour before giving in to her.” Bianca replied fiercely, “Let alone four days.”

“That’s not true.” Pim snapped, “Adam would have.”

“That’s not a fair assessment, Pim.” I placed a hand on his shoulder, “If I couldn’t block her, I wouldn’t be strong enough to stand up to her. Bianca’s right, I wouldn’t last an hour.”

“Doesn’t change what I’ve done.”

“And what you’ve done doesn’t make us think any less of you.” Laney said.

“How did they find you?” I asked him.

“On accident. I was backpacking through Europe with a couple friends, taking advantage of my freedom before I started college. We had made it to the Italian countryside, Tuscany I think. There was no one around. We thought there was supposed to be a youth hostel nearby but we took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in no man’s land. We decided to just stop for the night, sleep under the stars. That’s when they appeared. Out of nowhere, they just suddenly were there.

“It was Felix, Heidi and Jane. They stood there for a minute, talking to each other but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Right away I knew there was something different about Jane and Heidi. I said it to my friends, I told them to be careful of the girls. There’s something about them that’s different. I wanted to run, I just had the feeling from the moment they appeared that they were dangerous. But I didn’t. I just stood there.

“They killed my friends. Then I tried to run but they caught me before I got ten feet away. Jane asked me what I thought was different about her. I told her the truth. I could tell that she and the other girl could do something the guy couldn’t. That she was magical in some way. My reply made her pause. They took me to this city called Voltura. I stayed in this weird office underground until Jane took me far away, I have no idea where. Then she bit me.

“They explained the rules: avoid discovery, kill inconspicuously. Jane worked with me to develop my talent. After a couple months I was put to work. I had been seeking out potentials for nearly a year before I found you, Bianca.”

“But there were only a handful of us.” Bianca said, confused.

“Jane found most of the first few batches worthless, not powerful enough. I found dozens before you, they burned them all. Some they accused of trying to escape or turning on them, to inspire fear in the others that actually thought of rebelling. I watched so many get destroyed, so many lives wasted, I couldn’t do it anymore. I refused to find anymore. Jane was relentless. I thought if I waited long enough she’d just destroy me. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I focused on trying to find more that were what they wanted. I tried to find the ones that showed up as the most powerful. But even then, I couldn’t identify what it was they did. Even some with incredible power, weren’t really useful as soldiers.”

“So they were thinning the herd.” I said, thinking of how Jane had separated us as we showed our talents. “That’s why everyone was so nervous. Some of them must have picked up that those with less impressive talents were conveniently rebelling and being destroyed.”

“Yeah, we all knew.” Bianca said, “I had been through the line up three times. The first time I didn’t really know what I could do, but that happened to a lot of us. I was pretty new, they let it slide. The second time I had some idea of what I could do but I didn’t have a good handle on it yet. By the third time I could show off for Jane.”

“It was our second time through when we escaped.” The triplets said together.

“At least they won’t do it anymore.” I said, feeling a little relieved. “Without Pim to replenish their numbers, you can bet they won’t be decreasing their army. They’ll work with what they’ve got.”

“That’s still sixteen vampires we’re up against.” Laney said.

“That’s okay, the Volturi have retreated. They’re counting us as lost, part of the enemy to fight. Now we need to come up with a plan.”

“Think we can take ‘em, bossman?” Bianca asked.

“Maybe with help.” Pim said. They all looked over at the other clan for the first time since Pim had declared his guilt.

“Wait,” I said. I needed to think. I didn’t want to ask the other clan to fight with us if I could help it.

My mind went through the variables, the endless possibilities, probable eventualities, searching for the solution that left us all alive. I didn’t have many parameters to work with. I had to consider all the possibilities no matter how outlandish or unlikely they might seem. My mind was working hard, running the scenarios at about a hundred thousand every eighth of a second. I had only made it about a million in when I heard Edward groan in pain.

My train of thought broke off, more concerned with what was happening around us.

His clan, especially his mate, Bella, were asking after him, trying to figure out what was wrong.

“It’s okay,” He said in a shaky voice, “I’m fine.”

“What happened?” Bella asked.

“Adam’s thoughts…give me a headache.” He admitted.

They all looked at me.

Feeling sheepish, I said, “Sorry. I need to do this, though.” I needed to find a plan that would work but I couldn’t think the way I needed to with Edward listening. Then I wondered if I could turn down the volume, so to speak, the way I had when Zephyr was screaming in my mind. Only way to know was to experiment. “Want to play the Verizon game?” I asked Edward.

He snickered.

“The Verizon game?” Bella asked.

I closed my eyes and concentrated, trying to locate the area that I had when I needed to block Zephyr. I moved things around a bit, but there was only one way to figure out if it had worked.

I opened my eyes, “Can you hear me know?”

His clan and Laney chuckled. Apparently the younger ones of my group didn’t get it. Again, I felt old.

“That will fade after a few decades. After a while you start to feel timeless.”

Okay, so he could still hear me.

“Adam?” Rain said. “I don’t get it.” Zephyr said. “What are you doing?” Meadow asked.

I continued to work in my mind while I answered them, “Edward is a telepath. Sort of like you, Zephyr, only in reverse. Where you can transmit signals to even the weakest of receivers, Edward can pick up signals, no matter how softly they’re being transmitted. Oh!” That gave me an idea. It took me a second to find the part of my brain transmitting and shut it off. “Can you hear me now?”

“Amazing.” He replied, “I can’t hear a thing.”

“Good,” Was all I said in response.

I was busy again, trying to find a plan of action that would keep us all alive. A small piece of my brain registered the conversation happening around me. Edward was trying to explain my talent with limited success. I didn’t have the focus or inclination to correct him, though.

I went down the line, scenario after scenario. The problem was I could go through billions of simulations in my head and still have an infinite amount leftover that I hadn’t thought through. More information was required. We needed to do some reconnaissance. We had to research the enemy. Hopefully this peaceful clan would help us with that part. The psychic would also be useful.

One thing was certain, if I could avoid a fight, that was the ultimate goal. A peace treaty would be the pipedream, but unlikely. Another thing to consider was the rest of my group. So many things to consider.

“I need information.” I said to Carlisle, “As much as you can give me about the Volturi. Everything you know.”

“We can do that much for them, Carlisle.” Esme said.

“Are you sure you want to get involved?” Jasper asked him.

“We’re already involved, Jasper.” Edward snapped at him. “Or did you forget about the last time?”

“We don’t know that this is related.”

“We knew they would come for us eventually.” Bella sighed.

“They didn’t like running away with their tails between their legs.” Emmett said.

“They’ve already formed an army, Jasper. What more proof do you want?” Rosalie added.

I noticed a change in the atmosphere, almost like when I had tried to protect the human from the other hungry vampires, except this feeling was tangible. I could feel myself becoming edgy, irritated. Maybe it was the idea of Jasper not liking us. I remembered what Pim had told me they could do. Edward, the mind reader; Alice, the psychic; Bella, the shield. There was only one ability left, the ability to cause pain. I figured it had to be Jasper that had that ability; they had been surprised by the information that Carlisle had a gift.

I noticed the rest of my group becoming visibly agitated as well. I had to get them to stop arguing.

“We don’t want to cause trouble,” I said, unable to shake off the edgy tone of my voice, “If you don’t want to help us, that’s all right. We can leave.”

“No!” Esme said, sounding concerned and motherly, “You don’t have to go.”

“We don’t want to be a burden.” Laney said in a small frightened voice.

Edward looked at us, then Jasper, then us again.

“Who told you Jasper had a gift like Jane’s?” Edward asked, shocked.

“What?!” The rest of the golden-eyed clan cried.

“They think Jasper’s gift is to cause pain.” Edward explained.

I turned towards my group. We all looked at Pim.

He lifted his hands and shrugged, “It’s just what I heard. They have one that reads minds, one that sees the future, one that causes pain and one that can block the abilities of others. I don’t know how they got it wrong, but they sure believe that one of them is like Jane.”

“They must mean Kate.” Carlisle said.

I turned back to them, curious.

“There are more of you?” I asked.

“Kate is a friend. She can send a painful electric shock to anyone that touches her skin. She is part of Tanya’s family. They are good friends of ours but not a part of our family.”

Family. No wonder they were so tightly bonded. They saw each other as family. Not just a group with a common goal or even a clan. They were strong because of how tightly bound they were to each other by a deep emotional connection.

“I wonder how they mistook her as one of yours.” I said, thinking aloud.

“Tanya’s family is much like ours.” Carlisle answered.

“They stood with us against the Volturi five years ago.” Bella said.

“The Volturi may see them as a threat as well.” Edward said to Carlisle.

“We should warn them.” Esme said.

Jasper looked pensive, staring off into the distance as he spoke, “They probably expect us to call on our friends to fight with us when they decide to come for us.”

“I’ll do what I can to make sure it doesn’t come to confrontation.” I said.

All eyes were on me again. There was a mixture of surprise, disbelief, wonder and sadness in their expressions. No one said it aloud but I could see that they didn’t believe I could prevent this, even if I really did want to.

I don’t really know what made me volunteer that. It didn’t make sense. Logically, avoiding a war with an army determined to fight was futile. But I wanted to find a way, if only to spare this…family. They were good, decent. It felt important to protect them. And to make sure no one else was pulled into this.

I had a purpose now. I had to bring an end to the war, hopefully in a peaceful way. But more importantly, I had to bring an end to the draft. No more changing people into vampires to build armies. No one should be forced to live the way we had.

“I’m going to stop them.” I said with unexpected fierceness.

Laney grabbed my hand, “We will stop them.”

“Think we can, bossman?” Hector asked, picking up Bianca’s nickname for me. I guess I really was the leader of this group of misfits.

I looked over at him, “Yeah, I think we can.”

“We can take ’em!” Bianca said with a confident smile, “We’re the best fighters out of the whole army.”

“We have a lot to do before we start thinking about fighting.” I turned back to Carlisle’s family, looking specifically at Alice, “Will you see them coming?”

“I’ll watch them all, even Felix. If one of them decides to come our way, I’ll know.” She assured me.

“Good,” I felt like I could relax. Without the axe hanging over our heads, it made things less stressful. I could focus on other important things. The most important of which was finding an alternative to killing people in order to survive.

“Please, come inside. You all are welcome here.” Carlisle said, inviting us into his home.

They all walked in before us. My friends had relaxed a bit. I wondered if they could sense how gentle this family was. Or if they were just following my lead.

It was beautiful inside, windows everywhere, letting in lots of natural light. There was a grand piano, nice, expensive furniture, lots of flowers in crystal vases. It all looked expensive. When I was human this would have been the kind of place where I wouldn’t want to touch anything. I looked around, taking in how normal and human it felt.

Laney and Pim stayed close to me, Laney still gripping my hand. But Bianca and Hector lost all restraint. They ran around, looking at everything. They ran up the stairs, snooping in their bedrooms.

Bianca gasped, “Look at the size of her closet!”

The triplets stayed down stairs but wandered into the kitchen, asking question about why they had food in the house and why they needed appliances like a stove or a refrigerator.

Again, I felt the strange sensation like I should be blushing. They were being childish and rude. Carlisle’s family didn’t seem to mind. Most of them smiled at their antics, Rosalie looked slightly irritated but calm.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed. I suddenly had a whole new respect for my father. If I had been half this bad as a kid, I can’t imagine how he would have let me live. It didn’t take very long before I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Children!” I snapped loudly. They all appeared in the living room with us. “We are guests. Show some curtesy.”

The triplets, Bianca and Hector all looked at each other, smiling conspiratorially, “Sorry Dad.” They all said together.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. The rest of them chuckled.

“How is it that I’m the most mature?” I complained.

“All of us have been wondering that, Adam.” Pim said.

“You have old man syndrome.” Bianca teased.

“Yeah, you didn’t go through the whole disorientation of feeling nothing but thirst.” Hector said. He sounded a little accusatory, like I had skipped the twitchy, volatile part of this life on purpose. Well, in a sense I guess I did.

“There wasn’t anything normal about my transition from what I can tell.” I replied.

“How so?” Carlisle asked, seeming deeply curious. I could appreciate his curiosity.

“Eight hours after he was bitten, he stopped screaming.” Laney told Carlisle.

“That was always the worst part.” Rain said. “Listening to the new ones changing.” Zephyr whispered. “Reliving the burning.” Meadow groaned.

“We all wished they would change the new ones somewhere else.” Bianca said, looking slightly paler than before.

“For days, all we could think about was how it felt when it happened to us.” Hector whispered.

“Until they changed Adam.” Laney said, looking at me with an expression I couldn’t identify. Wonder? Respect?

“It freaked everyone out. We could hear his heart beating but he wasn’t making any other sounds. He wasn’t squirming, groaning, gritting his teeth. It was all anyone could talk about. The Volturi had no idea what to make of it.” Pim said.

“Ralph thought he had died.” Hector said, smiling.

“Jane had to point out to him that he couldn’t be dead with a heartbeat.” Bianca added, also grinning.

“Then we heard Adam talking to Ralph. No pain or even irritation in his voice. Ralph was so pleased to report that your talent was an incredible tolerance for pain.” Laney said.

“Jane wasn’t thrilled with my ability. She wanted to destroy me but Alec talked her out of it. She threw such a fit when she saw she couldn’t hurt me. Like a toddler throwing a tantrum.” I remembered.

“She doesn’t take kindly to being subverted.” Edward said, “She reacted the same way to Bella.”

“So, you’re a shield, like Bella.” Carlisle said. It didn’t sound like a question.

“I think I’m more of a shield than Bella is.” I said.

“I do all right.” Bella proclaimed, smirking.

“I don’t mean that you aren’t powerful. I believe Pim’s assessment. What I mean is, my talent is only useful to me. From what I’ve heard you can shield others as well as yourself. That would make you more of a weapon than a shield.” I replied.

“That’s true.” Edward said.

“My shield is hardly a weapon.” Bella argued.

“Like most things, that would depend on how you use it.” I replied.

“Yeah, you’re like Captain America!” Hector interjected.

We all looked at him with the same expression.

Seriously?

“What?!” He responded defensively, “His weapon is his shield.”

I rolled my eyes and then continued as though he hadn’t spoken, “You can project your gift onto others. Render those with offensive talents inert. I have a theory about that.”

“What is that?” Carlisle asked.

“From what I’ve seen so far, there are two types of talents. Those that are transmitted and those that aren’t. Those that transmit, send signals to others causing a physical response. There are a number of uses for these, aggression, information, protection, etc. Those that shield from the talents of others, don’t transmit. I can’t make others do what I can do, but I can interpret and deflect what others can do to me. I think Bella is a jammer. She sends out a signal that disrupts the signals of others. She doesn’t inwardly deflect it. She outwardly cancels it out.”

“So you can block anything?” Hector asked. I didn’t like the sound of his voice.

“Be nice, Hector.” I warned.

Edward looked over at Bella. She stared at Hector.

“What is it you can do, Hector?” Carlisle asked.

Edward laughed, “You make people dance?”

I saw Alice smile the moment before Edward lifted his hand and slapped himself in the face.

“Why are you hitting yourself?” Hector said tauntingly.

“Hector!” I snapped at him. “Apologize!”

“He did that?” Emmett asked, looking impressed and amused.

“Hector can control the actions of others with his mind,” I turned and glared at him, “and he’s going to apologize for using his gift aggressively.” I growled.

Hector only glowered at me.

“Quit burning bridges.” I snarled through tightly clenched teeth, “I’m not going to stand in the way if he decides to beat the crap out of you for that.”

He narrowed his eyes, “I’d like to see him try.”

“Moron,” Laney snapped at him, “His girlfriend can block you from controlling him. He can tear you to pieces if he feels like it.”

“And none of us,” Rain said. “Are going to stop him,” Zephyr continued. “If he decides to.” Meadow finished. Then they said together, “You kind of have it coming.”

His bravado faded. Bianca moved closer to him and elbowed his side.

“Just say you’re sorry already.” She whispered.

“Sorry.” He mumbled.

“With contrition, Hector.” I said, still glaring at him.

He stared at me with a blank expression.

Laney sighed, “Say it like you mean it.” She translated.

He apologized again, sounding a little more sincere this time.

“He’s just having some trouble with his impulses because he’s thirsty. We all are kind of touchy right now…except for Adam.” Pim explained.

Carlisle’s family stiffened in their stances, looking a little more wary of us. Edward was the first to relax.

“They’re under control for now.” He squinted, looking confused, “They aren’t really burning, they’re itching. It’s annoying rather than painful.”

I glanced at Bianca with a meaningful expression and looked over at Edward. He had followed my gaze and was reading Bianca.

“Wow.” Was his only response.

Apparently the longer we went without feeding, the harder it would be to control our impulses. Well, they would have trouble at least. I didn’t foresee a problem even if I went an extended time without blood. Just the thought made the irritation at the back of my throat flare. I pushed it back again. So annoying. But that was all it would ever be for me, an annoyance.

“We have to feed.” I said, thinking of the trouble the rest could get into if their irritability intensified. I could see us losing our allies if we weren’t careful. “There’s no way around it.”

“Not here.” Carlisle said quickly, “We cannot condone hunting in this area.”

My group didn’t appear to be paying much attention to Carlisle. They were all facing me. The triplets looked angry and the rest looked unwilling.

“No!” Rain snapped harshly at me. “No way!” Zephyr growled. “Not happening!” Meadow snarled.

“We’ll be okay for a while.” Laney insisted.

“We can hold off.” Bianca agreed.

“Too bad your super scientist brain can’t develop a substitute.” Hector said jokingly.

“Even I can’t synthesize blood.” I admitted, “I could probably clone it, given the right equipment and enough donor blood to work with.” And then it clicked. “Wow, I feel painfully slow!” I said aloud.

“You’re going to clone blood?” Hector asked, puzzled.

“No…well, maybe…eventually, but no. The answer is so obvious, I should have thought of it sooner.”

My friends looked at me expectantly.

“Donor blood. Like the kind at a blood bank. No humans involved, just blood. The answer to the conundrum.” I explained.

Their faces seemed to light up as they caught on.

“Can we do that?” Bianca asked.

“Don’t they add chemicals to it?” Pim asked, “To keep it from coagulating?”

“No, they just freeze it. Thaw it out and it’s just like it was coming out of the vein.” I answered.

Then I heard Edward answer an unspoken question, “They’re as averse to taking human life as we are.”

“We have another alternative, if you are interested.” Carlisle offered.

We turned and looked at him.

He explained his alternative to hunting humans. They hunt wild game. Fascinating. I hadn’t thought that was an alternative. It never really showed up in the old myths and legends. But that was hardly a reliable source.

“No!” Rain protested. “We won’t do that!” Zephyr agreed. “We can’t kill an innocent animal!” Meadow added.

Typical. Where Carlisle jokingly called his family vegetarians, the triplets would be the vegans of the vampire race. Pacifists, determined not to take life in any form. Well, at least my alternative was still an option for them.

“Sounds interesting.” Pim said.

“I’ll try it.” Bianca agreed.

“Yeah, me too.” Hector said.

“Sounds intriguing.” I looked over at Laney, “Want to try it?”

She looked at me, then around the room, then back up at me. She shook her head.

“That’s okay. I’ll find a blood bank, get what I can, bring it back for you and the girls. Then Pim, Bianca, Hector and I will go try out game hunting.”

“It isn’t easy to control yourself, once the scent of blood is in the air.” Jasper warned us. “You could start drinking the donor blood and lose control of yourself. You might start hunting live people before you realize what you’re doing.”

I looked at Bianca. I wondered if she could override the instinct that took control when we sensed blood. Would her power of suggestion be strong enough to cancel out our baser instincts, the ingrained need to survive?

She met my eyes. She seemed know what I was thinking.

“I think it will work.” She answered me.

“Bianca can alter perception.” Edward said, answering another unspoken question. “She can make others follow her suggestions, make them see things that aren’t there, disguise herself and others just by speaking.”

He did a lot of the talking for his family. Probably because no one else really had to. They just had to think it and he’d know. It was too bad he wasn’t like Zephyr as well. They’d be able to communicate without anyone ever knowing.

“It’s more than that.” Bianca said proudly, “I can make it real. You don’t wonder if it’s an illusion. It’s real. I can make it so we keep ourselves, our conscious thoughts while we feed. We won’t have to worry about losing control.”

“Will that work on anyone?” Jasper asked.

“Almost.” I answered.

“It won’t work on you.” Edward said to me.

“It doesn’t need to. I was thinking more of Bella. Bianca’s suggestions would be disrupted. They wouldn’t get through.” I replied.

“I’m fine.” Bella said. “I’m pretty good at keeping myself under control even while I’m hunting.”

“She’s had amazing self-control from the beginning.” Edward beamed.

“So unfair.” Pim said under his breath.

“I know, right?” Hector sympathized.

“I’ve been working for decades to control the thirst and I still have trouble.” Jasper admitted.

“I think I can help you with that.” Bianca offered gently. “If you want.”

“I might take you up on that.” He replied.

“Jasper.” Alice said in surprise.

“It’s his decision, Alice.” Carlisle said.

“But he doesn’t need it.” She insisted.

“Alice.” Esme said, her tone a strange mixture of sympathy and reproach.

“He’ll be the same as he was before.” Edward told her, “Just better able to control his urges.”

Just as I was truly becoming engulfed in the drama of the situation, my attention was pulled away by the strangest sound. It was a pair of heartbeats but not human. One was loud, too loud for a human. The other was light and fast. Twice the speed of a human heartbeat. My eyes tracked to the back window, following the sound. Two people approached the back door. I couldn’t believe it.

One was a man, close in age to me. He was tall, gigantic. He looked strong and very tan with short dark hair and brown eyes. Definitely not a vampire.

The girl looked to be a teenager. As I analyzed her appearance I noticed the similarities in her facial structure, build and hair color to that of Bella. I could also detect some genetic similarities to Edward. She was beautiful and very much alive.

I noticed that the room went still as they entered the back door. And then I noticed the smell. As did the rest of my friends.

“Holy crap!” Pim said in disgust.

“Oh!” Rain exclaimed. “Wow!” Zephyr said, looking as though she might retch. “That is terrible!” Meadow added.

“What is that?!” Hector joined in the chorus of complaints.

The scent was profound. It triggered the response I once associated with skunks. It made the air feel too thick. I quickly blocked the response in my mind. The smell was still profound but it didn’t bother me anymore.

“Bianca,” I said quickly, “You’re up.”

She was quick to react.

“Just give it a second.” She said, her influence resonating in her voice, “See how the smell fades after a second. It’s barely noticeable and not nearly as repulsive now.”

The whole room relaxed, everyone becoming much more at ease.

“Wish she had shown up sooner.” Emmett commented.

The two at the back door had frozen in place as soon as they had walked through the door.

I was focused on her. I had so many questions.

“She’s your daughter.” I stated, since it was obvious and I wanted them to know I knew, “Is that normal? Do vampires procreate often?” Without thinking, I looked over at Laney. I felt this strange pull, as I thought of family, biological family. Could we do that? It was a strange inclination, one I shook off immediately.

“No, vampires can’t have children.” Edward said.

“Bella was still human when she gave birth.” Carlisle explained.

“It isn’t something I would recommend.” Bella added.

“She nearly died.” The girl said.

Rain teleported next to the half human girl. She reached over and lightly touched her long curly hair.

“You’re so pretty.” Rain said in awe of her.

The man standing next to her suddenly began to shake violently. The next second there was the sound of clothes ripping. In the blink of an eye, he changed. He transformed into a giant wolf.

Bianca, Hector, Pim, Laney and I froze. Definitely wasn’t expecting that.

The triplets reacted entirely differently.

“Aww!” The three of them sighed at once. “They have a dog!” Rain said excitedly. “That is so awesome!” Zephyr enthused. “We’ve always wanted a pet.” Meadow added, just as excited as her sisters.

Zephyr and Meadow rushed over to their sister, cooing over the wolf. He snarled and bared his teeth at them. They giggled.

“It’s all right, Jacob” Edward said. “They’re friends. They won’t hurt her.”

“We’d never hurt her.” Rain reassured the wolf. “Or you.” Zephyr said soothingly. “We’re nice.” Meadow added. “We promise.” They said together.

Jacob whined.

“We didn’t expect you back so soon.” Edward said in replied. “We would have prepared you and them if we had known you would be back so quickly.”

“So you were trying to get me out of the house.” The girl said accusingly to her parents, “I knew you were acting weird! Stop treating me like a child! I don’t need you to protect me from everything all the time.”

“They love you.” Rain said softly to her. “It’s a parent’s job to watch out for their child.” Zephyr added. “It just means they care.” Meadow said.

“They were right send you away for our arrival. Especially considering where we came from.” I interjected.

“So, what’s going on?” She asked curiously.

“We came to ask for help.” Rain explained. “We had to run away.” Zephyr said. “From…” Meadow started but her voice drifted. They looked at each other for a split second and then looked at me.

Should we tell her, they were wondering. I could see it in their eyes but I had the same thought as well. Her parents went through the trouble of hiding our arrival from her. Part of that, I’m sure, was because they didn’t know how dangerous we would be near their living, breathing daughter. Another part may have been to protect her from the gravity of the situation. Did she really need to carry the weight of this? If it was at all possible I’d find a way to keep them from fighting. She didn’t need to worry about something she wouldn’t be involved in.

I shook my head.

The sisters nodded once in unison.

The girl was less than pleased.

“What is going on?!” She demanded in a loud, petulant voice. She looked at her parents, “You never tell me anything! You always treat me like a child!”

“Perhaps if you did not act like one, we wouldn’t have to treat you like one. Please, just calm down.” Edward said.

“Make me!” She shouted defiantly.

“Renesmee!” Her mother reproached her.

“It’s nothing.” Rain said. “Really.” Zephyr said. “We’re just visiting.” Meadow assured her.

She didn’t look mollified.

“The girls are very open.” I said to Renesmee, “And they sometimes forget to think before they speak.” I shifted my eyes to the triplets. They didn’t look happy. With emphasis I said, “Some things are not ours to share.”

The edge faded from their glare. They nodded again. Smart girls. They had figured out I was telling them to be more guarded in what was said around Renesmee.

“I don’t understand.” She said, her tone still frustrated but I detected a note of defeat as well.

“And that’s okay.” I replied.

“Renesmee.” Rain said, just to hear how it sounded but the girl turned to Rain when she heard her name. “Such a beautiful name.” Zephyr said. “Very unique.” Meadow added.

The girls started talking, introducing themselves, telling their new friend how they got their names and so on. Things calmed down quickly.

Then the wolf huffed. I looked at him, so curious about the creature. He was looking out the back window. I followed his line of sight, wondering what had attracted his attention. In the trees I saw four more huge wolves. This reddish brown wolf seemed to be communicating with them somehow.

Unfortunately, the triplets noticed them as well.

“Oh my gosh!” Rain squealed. “There’s more of them!” Zephyr exclaimed. “They’re so adorable!” Meadow said admiringly.

Then they were surrounding me, hands clasped in front of them, jumping excitedly.

“Can we have one? Can we have one? Please! Please!” They begged in unison.

There was a chuckle in the air. Carlisle’s family was very forgiving of their childish exuberance. Pim and Laney sighed. Bianca and Hector kept their opinions to themselves.

I was deeply embarrassed. Aside from the fact that I had seen him in human form, Edward had communicated with him, read his mind. He was sentient. And they were asking to own one of them.

“Don’t be rude, girls!” I scolded, taking on the father mantle again, “Jacob is a sentient being. He can understand you.” They were still looking at me with pleading eyes. I sighed, completely frustrated. Then I snapped at them, “No! You cannot enslave a sentient being!”

“Better apologize to him.” Laney added, smirking. “You’re probably pissing him off.”

I looked over at Jacob. He didn’t look angry or defensive based on his posture but I felt bad all the same.

“Sorry about them.” I said directly to him, “You can bite them if they get on your nerves.” I looked at the three dejected girls standing around me, “It might do them some good.”

They turned around and faced Jacob, “Sorry.” They said as one. “We didn’t mean to seem cruel.” Rain explained. “We just like having animals around.” Zephyr said. “Feels more like home.” Meadow sighed.

They migrated to the sofa and sat down, looking dejected. I couldn’t win. Now, I felt bad for the girls. It was hard to concentrate with so many emotions going through my system. It was easier to focus before I started caring about others. I looked into their nearly black eyes and found a little clarity.

They needed blood.

“Carlisle,” I called softly and he came over quickly, “Do you know where we can find a blood bank?”

“I can get blood for you.” He offered. “I work at the hospital in town.”

“Wouldn’t that be conspicuous? We don’t want to blow your cover here.”

“No, not at all. I make house calls on the reservation from time to time. It isn’t unusual for me to stock up on blood. It will be fine.” He insisted.

“All right.” I agreed warily. We’d have to find a more permanent solution later. I’d do some day trading on the stock market, get some cash set aside, maybe buy out a blood bank somewhere remote. Somewhere where they wouldn’t keep track of inventory so well. Or I’d work the books. I could keep us fed that way.

“We can take the new kids hunting.” Emmett offered.

“Show them how it’s done.” Jasper said with a smile.

“I’ll go too.” Edward joined his brothers. He didn’t really seem eager to hunt like they did. I got the impression he was worried about them getting into trouble. And that made me worried.

“Bianca,” I said, looking over at her. She was standing off to the side with Hector and Alice. I hadn’t noticed until just then that they had been talking with her.

“Yeah Boss?” She replied.

“Go down the line, please. Make sure everyone’s in control before you start hunting.”

“Sure thing, bossman.”

That took care of any accidental human contact. But that wasn’t the only thing to worry about. Hector could still act up, especially if he’s out with no adult supervision, so to speak. The damage he could do was enough to make me think about going with them.

“Maybe I should go too.” I said to Laney, “Will you stay with the girls?”

I noticed for the first time that she still had hold of my hand. It was strange that I hadn’t felt it until just then. I only noticed because the pressure of her grip increased.

“Do you really want to try it that much?” She asked, keeping her voice very low.

“I’m curious but that’s not why I think I should go.” I looked at Edward and then Hector. She followed my line of sight and then understood what I meant.

She nodded.

The look on her face made my heart feel suddenly heavy, like it had become solid steel and was trying to sink into my stomach. It was a sick feeling. She was nervous or frightened. I wanted to tell her these vampires were decent. They wouldn’t hurt her. But I couldn’t discuss that in their home. And now I couldn’t leave her. She’d grow to trust them, I was sure but until then I had to stay with her.

“Bella?” I looked around for her.

“Yes?” She said, standing with Esme, Jacob and her daughter by the back window. She hurried over to us.

“Are you going with them?” I asked her quietly.

“No, not this time. The boys like to play when they go hunting.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” I said, eyeing Hector. “You’re the only one that can keep things from getting…out of hand.”

She followed my eyes. Then she looked back at me and nodded.

With both Edward and Bella going on the hunt, they decided it would be better for Renesmee to go with Jacob. They discussed having Jacob take her to the reservation. Jacob seemed to be in agreement. Renesmee was less amenable. Which started another round of arguing between parents and child. It ended with Renesmee running out the back door. Jacob followed after her.

She was fast, not as fast as us but certainly much faster than a human. Jacob was just as fast as her, catching up to her before she was out of our sight. It made me curious if he could keep up with a full vampire as well.

“Drama.” Bianca said under her breath.

“Don’t judge!” The triplets snapped at Bianca in unison.

“It’s a tough age.” I said softly, looking out the window to where she had disappeared into the trees, “It can’t be easy being so different from everyone else. Even your own family.”

“It’s a phase.” Laney said to Bella. “She’ll get past it soon enough.”

“She was always so mature, even as a baby. She’s so smart, sometimes it’s easy to forget how young she is. I guess I wasn’t prepared for her to really act like a teenager.” Bella confessed.

“Believe it or not, it can be harder for the more intelligent and mature. There’s an impatience. You’re so close to adulthood and you feel like in your mind you’re already there but no one treats you that way. And the sudden influx of hormones makes using your brain effectively difficult at times.” I said with a feeling of sympathy.

Pim came up and leaned on me, resting his elbow on my shoulder, “Translation: Doesn’t matter how smart you are. All teenagers are moody. Take it from the professor, he knows.”

“I should,” I said, lifting an eyebrow as I looked at him, “I’m surrounded by sullen teenagers.”

“If all she does is yell and run off in a huff, you should feel lucky.” Bianca said, smiling. “I was a terror. I’m surprised my…” Then her voice and her grin faded as she thought of her parents.

“In time, it won’t hurt so badly to think about them.” Edward said to her.

She crossed her arms over her chest, “They’re the reason, you know? The reason I find it so hard to be like this. I’ve got such a big family: siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, nieces, nephews; there’re a ton. I can’t keep ‘em straight.” She looked away from us, “Can’t stand the thought that I might hurt one of them one day.”

“It won’t happen.” I said.

“Yeah, we got your back.” Hector said.

Bianca shook her head, shaking off the grief like it was water on her skin.

“Come on!” She said, excited again. “Let’s do this.”

The enthusiasm spread to the rest as they prepared to leave. Bianca used her influence to get everyone in our group to focus during the hunt. She even used her gift on Jasper. Then they were off, running with our new allies.

I opted to stay with Laney and the girls rather than going into town with Carlisle. Esme went with him instead. Rosalie disappeared on her own, not wanting to socialize with us. It seemed like she saw us as intruders. Alice, on the other hand, had a lot of fun with the triplets, finding them new clothes to wear and doing their hair. They really seemed to like her too.

Laney and I stayed quiet, standing in the living room. It felt good, comfortable. This was a new sensation and I was indulging in it. We weren’t frozen with fright or anxiously waiting for an attack that could come from anywhere if you weren’t prepared. For the first time in this existence we could just be. And it felt nice.

Chapter 6

Carlisle didn’t take long or at least it didn’t feel that way. I probably could have stayed standing like that for the foreseeable future without complaint. Time didn’t feel important right then.

When he got back I made sure everyone fed before I did. Partially, I wanted to be sure they were okay, that they had enough. Also, I had just fed three days ago and it had been considerably longer for the rest of them. The red came back to their eyes. I felt a little better after that. The girls were noticeably more energetic and happy.

Carlisle had been watching me with a look of fascination the whole time. I imagined I looked much the same most of the time. It was nice to not be the only one consumed with curiosity. But he was polite, not asking what I was sure he was dying to know.

When the others returned from their hunting trip I was able to relax completely. I hadn’t even realized I was worried about them until the tension dissolved with their arrival.

Carlisle was still looking at me inquisitively.

“You can ask me anything you’d like.” I said to him.

His brow furrowed.

“There’s been a question on your mind since you got back from the hospital.” I told him.

“I was only wondering what it is like for you, having so high a tolerance for pain. Most young vampires can’t stand by and do nothing while the scent of blood is in the air. It took me centuries of practice to be as at ease as you seem.” He said.

“I know the sensation. I’ve felt the full force of the instinct that takes command of the body when blood is near. I gave in to it once. I didn’t know what to expect. It was only after, when I saw what I had done and felt the shame of my actions that I worked out a way to bypass that instinct. It isn’t an issue for me now. But I still feel it.”

“Does it hurt?” Pim asked.

“Not anymore.”

“What is it like for you?” Carlisle asked.

“It’s like a little brother.”

“What?” Pretty much everyone asked at once.

“For those with younger siblings, I think you will understand better the annoyance I feel. The thirst is always present, always demanding my attention, and after a while it becomes irritating, not so much a physical pain but an emotional one. But also like a younger sibling, I can tune it out.” I explained.

“If only more vampires were born with a respect for human life.” Carlisle said.

“I don’t know that it really came so naturally for me.” I admitted. “If they had picked anyone else for me to feed on, I might have bypassed the morality issue all together.”

“What do you mean?” Carlisle asked.

“She looked like someone I used to know.” I confessed.

“Who?” Laney asked.

“Just a girl I went to high school with.” I replied casually.

“Was it actually her?” Hector asked.

“No, she just looked like Amy.”

“Amy.” Laney sighed so softly I almost didn’t hear her.

I looked over at her, puzzled. Her reactions to things still bewildered me. What had I said to get such a melancholy reply? She wasn’t giving anything away. She refused to look me in the eyes.

“He doesn’t think like anyone I’ve ever encountered, Carlisle.” Edward said, “I don’t think he understands that his answers only inspire more questions.”

That got my attention. I turned back to everyone else, still trying to figure out what was going on with Laney at the back of my mind.

“I have no base of reference. You would know better if my reaction was normal or not.” I concentrated and turned my transmitter back on. I thought of the girl when I had stopped feeding and really taken a good look at her. Then I remembered Amy, like I had then.

Edward gasped.

I turned it off again, worried my thoughts were too much for him.

“Those were human memories.” He said, stunned.

“No…well, the memory of Amy was from when I was a human but with the girl, I was a vampire.” I clarified.

“There’s no distinction. You remember being human like you remember things now.”

“Oh, yes, I have perfect recall of all my memories. Then and now.”

Everyone looked stunned now. Evidently no one else remembered things like I could.

“I barely remember anything from when I was human.” Hector said. “It’s like trying to see things through frosted glass. It’s too fuzzy.”

“I remember feelings and important stuff like family, but I don’t know if I’d recognize anyone from high school now. It’s all kind of a blur.” Bianca said.

“It hurts when I try really hard to remember things from back then.” Laney said.

“Maybe that’s why it’s so easy for most to disregard human life.” I said. “If you have no connection to it, can’t remember much about it, what is there to make you feel guilty for taking it?”

“It was my talent that connected me to humans.” Jasper said. “Without it, I never would have wanted to find an alternative to killing them.”

We all looked over at him. He hadn’t actually told us yet what he could do.

Carlisle must have figured out that we were curious but unwilling to ask, “Jasper can feel and control the mood of those around him.”

“An empath?” I said, intrigued.

“I never heard it put quite like that before.” Jasper replied.

“It makes sense.” Laney said, looking off into the distance, not appearing to talk to anyone specifically, “You can feel them. You can tell what they’re thinking. It makes it difficult to disconnect.”

“You sound like you know the feeling.” Alice said.

Laney nodded.

“I can feel their life energy.” Pim said. “When it disappears in my hands it feels wrong. It’s bothered me from the beginning.”

“I have a direct link.” Hector told us, “If I use my talent on them while I’m hunting, I can feel the pain I’m causing as they die.”

“Is it that way with the animals you were hunting?” I asked.

“Nah, I can’t control animals. Just humans and vampires.”

“Must be the wrong wavelength.” I mused.

“Not everything is science, Adam.” Rain said. “Somethings just can’t be explained.” Zephyr added. “Magic doesn’t always play by your rules.” Meadow stated.

“I disagree. Magic is just science without an explanation…yet.” I retorted.

They narrowed their eyes at me. There wasn’t ever a delay in response with them. Everything they did together was in perfect synchronicity.

“Careful,” Pim mock whispered, “You’ll upset the charmed sisters.” He was smiling. I couldn’t tell if he was teasing me or them, though.

“Don’t let his inflexible analytical mind get to you, girls.” Laney said, also smiling.

“I’m not inflexible.” I protested.

“You are kinda weird, though, Adam.” Hector said, chuckling.

Edward started to laugh, hard. We all looked over at him. Everyone else looked as puzzled as I was. It made me feel better; like I wasn’t the only one missing out on the joke.

“I’m sorry,” He said still laughing a little, “Hector just thought of Adam looking at his reflection for the first time.”

My friends started laughing as well. They explained to the rest about my aversion to being good looking. They all found it very amusing.

“Just because I’m the only one here that isn’t vain, doesn’t make me weird.” I said in response to their laughter.

“You’ll get used to your appearance.” Carlisle said, trying to be comforting.

“It isn’t really about good or bad. I really don’t care either way. It’s how noticeable I am now. It was so much easier to study people when they didn’t know I was watching. Now, anytime I look at anyone, they notice and react immediately. It’s disruptive.”

“Disruptive?” Bianca asked.

“Now I have to worry about the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.” I explained. My attempt was unsuccessful.

“The principle states that you cannot observe something without affecting that which you are observing.” Carlisle clarified on my behalf.

“Technically, the principle applied to you as a human as well.” Edward observed.

“You didn’t know me then.” I replied, “I was as good as invisible. I didn’t even have to wear sunglasses most of the time. People’s eyes just scanned right over me. It was like I wasn’t even there.”

“Sounds lonely.” Laney commented.

I shrugged, “I never noticed.”

“So, now that you’re one of the pretty ones you don’t get to look at the rest of us like we’re under a microscope anymore.” Bianca teased.

“On the bright side,” Rain started. “You’ll probably never get turned down,” Zephyr continued. “For a date now.” Meadow finished. Then they said together, “You might even get asked out.”

“You’ll grow accustomed to that as well.” Edward said, grinning to himself.

Bella looked at him through narrowed eyes.

“Just because my features more closely line up with the Fibonacci sequence? It hardly seems fair.” I said, shaking my head.

The triplets, Bianca and Hector stared at me blankly. This was becoming intolerable.

“The golden ratio? The mathematics by which we judge beauty?” They still looked at me like I had just spoken in a language they didn’t understand. “Troglodytes.” I huffed under my breath.

“Ouch!” Laney reproached me, “That’s a little harsh.”

“Yeah, ease up, professor. Not everyone got to finish high school, let alone college.” Pim added.

“And it is disputed whether the Fibonacci sequence does correlate with the visual interpretation of beauty.” Carlisle said.

“You have to admit, the math fits.” I argued, “Symmetry and a certain order of spacing and measurement make for a more beautiful face. Rosalie is a perfect example.”

As soon as I had said it, I felt Laney move. She had been standing slightly behind me so I didn’t see her face. She didn’t say anything or even make a sound but I could feel it when she left. I turned to where she had been standing. She had run out the front door, leaving it open.

“Way to go, Adam.” Bianca said in a demeaning tone.

“What did I say?” I asked as I turned back to them.

“You don’t have much experience with girls, do you?” Pim asked.

I lifted an eyebrow in reply, shifting my eyes to meet his.

“For a genius, you can be kind of dense.” Bianca said.

“Don’t you get it?” Rain said like it should be obvious. “You just called Rosalie beautiful.” Zephyr said like it was an explanation. “Now Laney thinks you like her.” There was a tone of condescension in Meadow’s voice.

“I didn’t say anything about liking anyone. All I said was the math indicates she’s beautiful. How people look shouldn’t have any effect on emotional attachment.”

“Yeah, I’m sure she knew that’s what you meant before she ran out the door.” Bianca said, her words drowning in sarcasm.

“Now who’s the Troglodyte?” Hector taunted.

“Tell me the meaning of that word and I might accept that criticism.” I retorted.

That shut him up.

“I don’t understand why that would upset her though.” I said, still confused. “My loyalties haven’t changed. It doesn’t matter who I meet or what friends I make from here, I won’t abandon you.”

“No one thinks that, Adam.” Pim said.

“Then what? She’s offended by the idea of me liking Rosalie?”

Bianca and the triplet shook their heads at me. Each of them shared the same expression as they stared me down. At that moment I felt like I could read what they were thinking, like it was printed on each of their foreheads. Moron, it read.

“How is that fair? And the irony of it is I don’t even like her! Of everyone here, I like her the least.”

Rosalie growled from up the stairs.

“She has that effect on people.” Edward said with a smile.

I had started putting my foot in my mouth. I was too flustered to argue this clearly. It upset me that Laney was upset. Not just that but that it was something I said to make her feel that way.

Alice walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. At first I mistook it for a comforting gesture. But then I looked in her eyes. They held a look like she was trying to explain calculus to a preschooler.

“I don’t know how you missed it,” She whispered, “but Laney likes you.”

“Where we’ve been, what we’ve been through, tends to make you cling to those around you that you trust. In three days, I’ve made closer friends than I did in twenty seven years as a human. We’re all close.” I told her softly.

“No doubt, bossman.” Bianca said, her attitude a bit nicer now, “But you had to have noticed that it was different with Laney.”

“Yeah, we’re friends but I don’t hold your hand all the time.” Pim teased.

“She’s intimidated here. I was being comforting.”

“Wow, I’ll admit I’m not the best at picking up hints from girls, but you take clueless to an entirely different level.” Hector said.

“She likes you.” Rain said, “The question is,” Zephyr said, “Now that you know,” Meadow said, “What are you going to do about it?” They said as one.

I didn’t have an answer. This was uncharted territory for me in every sense. As a human, I had different priorities. Work was the center of my life, everything else sort of orbited around it. I had dated and I was by no means a virgin, but that part of my life was trivial and transitory. I hadn’t ever met a girl that I felt like I couldn’t do without. I hadn’t met ‘the one.’

Laney was different. From the first time I saw her I felt drawn to her. There was a magnetism between us, I could feel it physically and emotionally. But I didn’t know how to define it. Other than to call it attraction.

So what was there to do about this situation? So much was happening around us. It was important to stay focused, not lose sight of the danger coming for us. When we were on the run it was easy to stay focused. Instinct pulled the mind in one direction; survival. Now that we were momentarily safe, I could feel how distracting everything else could be. This had to be what ADHD felt like.

“Let her down easy, bossman.” Bianca said, “She’s not as tough as she looks.”

I looked at her, confused, “Why would I let her down?”

Then I ran out the door, following Laney’s scent. It was strange but it came naturally to me. I had been near her so often I knew how she smelled. She had an interesting mixture of earthy smells like cinnamon and cloves while also smelling slightly floral. She had her own distinct scent, it was similar but not exactly like those things. And I liked it so it was easy to pick up.

She had run fifty miles into the forest before she stopped. I reached the end of her trail. I couldn’t see or hear her but her scent was still very potent. I looked up.

She was perched at the very top of one of the pine trees.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered.

“For what?” She inquired, not looking down at me.

“For being clueless.”

“As if,” She replied, smirking.

“Hey!” I called, “I got that reference.”

She chuckled briefly then made a “W” with her thumbs and index fingers, “Whatever.”

She still wouldn’t look my way and the amusement faded quickly from her expression.

“You know I wasn’t referring to you when I called the kids troglodytes, right?” I asked.

“Yeah, I know.”

“You do know my reference to Rosalie was purely academic, right?”

“Yeah,” She remarked sharply, “I do.”

“Then you know that while the calculation is viable, it is also subjective.”

“I thought math couldn’t be subjective. It’s all about absolutes.”

“It is. One plus one will always equal two.”

Laney huffed.

“What’s subjective is its meaning.”

She finally looked at me. She didn’t look happy.

“Look, one plus one equals two. That doesn’t mean that I care. It is what it is.”

Her brow furrowed.

“Rosalie is beautiful. Doesn’t mean that her beauty holds any significance to me. When I look at her I literally see an equation in my head: a+b is to a as a is to b.”

“I don’t see how that’s supposed to make me feel better.”

I climbed up the tree. She didn’t move. She just watched as I quickly pulled myself up, branch by branch, trying to be careful not to break any while I used them to lift myself up. It was more complicated than it sounds. I stood on a branch lower than hers so we would be face to face.

“Beauty does not equal attraction. Rosalie is beautiful. You…are attractive. Rosalie’s beauty doesn’t signify much since we’re all beautiful to varying degrees. To me, you are far more alluring. But I suppose that has more to do with who you are than the structure of your face.”

“Really?” She asked. She seemed so unsure. Why would I lie to her?

“Absolutely.”

The corners of her lips pulled up, making a faint smile.

“Sorry I ran out like that.” She said sheepishly, “I bet the others were wondering what the hell is wrong with me.”

“Not at all. They all immediately jumped on my case. All the girls got mad at me.”

“All of them?”

“Well, not Carlisle’s family but Bianca and the triplets did.”

“Aww,” She said, grinning. “That’s sweet.”

“Not for me. The kids don’t like it when mom and dad fight.” Her eyes widened, she looked stunned. “Sorry, is that weird? Maybe it’s from hanging out with these docile vampires but I’m starting to think of our group as a family.”

She didn’t say anything but the astonishment was fading to a more pleasant expression.

“I don’t really know what to call us, but I feel like we’re more than the band of renegade soldiers we started out as.” I said.

“No, I like to think of us as family but…mom and dad?”

“In terms of maturity, we sort of are the surrogate parents of our group.”

Her nose wrinkled as she made a face.

“Okay, not parents.” I said, smiling at the look of disgust on her face, “Leaders, though. You have to admit they can’t seem to keep out of trouble.”

“Pim doesn’t cause trouble.”

“Pim stands by and lets it happen. He does nothing to stop the others, in fact he takes up for them when they get yelled at. Sometimes, I think he gets a kick out of watching me take on the role of disciplinarian father.”

She opened her mouth like she was going to say something but she didn’t. She looked pensive for a moment before conceding my point, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But I am not the mom of the group.”

Whether she knew it and didn’t want to admit it or she just hadn’t realized, she was sort of mothering to them. She scolded me for demeaning them, she got on to them too when they caused trouble, she helped us bond. But the idea was repugnant to her so I let it go. Although, I kind of liked the thought.

“All right,” I acquiesced, “It’s just me. I’m the leader of this…whatever we are.”

“Let’s call it a coven. The girls would like that.”

“Well,” I said, becoming serious again, “I feel responsible for our coven now. I don’t want this to come to a fight with the Volturi. I need to get started, learn as much as I can about them before they decide to come after us.”

Laney nodded.

I contemplated how best to get down from the very tall tree and laughed inwardly at myself for a flash of acrophobia when I first looked down. Maybe remembering things so clearly from being human wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. As I decided jumping was faster and just as safe as climbing down, Laney reached out and placed her palm on my cheek.

“Wait,” She said as she climbed over the branch separating us. “Before we go back.”

She folded her arms behind my neck, pulled herself close, pressing her whole body against me, and touched her lips to mine. I was frozen as she moved towards me, locked in place as my mind was bombarded with billions of conflicting messages, all assaulting my mind at once. But as soon as she kissed me, my mind cleared. I raked my fingers through her choppy hair, clasping the back of her head with both hands.

I needed her. I needed this. There was nothing else in the world anymore. Time, space, reason, everything ceased to exist except her and me. Her soft lips brushing against mine, keeping time with the movement of my mouth was the only sensation I registered. There were no sounds, no smells, nothing but her. She was the center of my world now. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else came close.

We stayed like that, lost in the moment.

Until the tree shook enough that I felt my balance falter. I compensated for the shift, never coming close to falling. But it did get us to stop kissing.

Then I noticed the sun was rising behind the clouds. I hadn’t noticed it set. We both looked down, bewildered by the sudden disruption.

“All right you two.” Bianca said, amused with herself and her mockingly scolding tone. “Break it up.”

Pim was standing next to her at the base of the tree. He was the one that had shaken the trunk. I was glad he didn’t snap it at the base. He easily could have.

“Yeah, don’t make me get the hose.” He added, grinning up at us.

Then Hector appeared at their side.

“Hey!” He teased, “Mom and dad made up.”

“I wouldn’t call her that.” I said with a faux-warning tone, “She’ll kick your ass.”

“You guys have no manners.” Laney complained, “You could have just cleared your throat, maybe called our names rather than trying to knock us out of the tree.”

“We did.” Bianca replied.

“For almost five minutes we shouted at you. I’m sure there are probably humans around here that heard us. They probably think there’s a couple lost in the woods right now.” Pim said.

“We could hear them calling for you back at the house.” Hector said, “Alice and Edward kept laughing. They wouldn’t tell me what was so funny. I had to come see for myself.”

“How long have we been out here?” I asked.

“All night.” Bianca said.

“Something like twelve hours.” Pim clarified.

I glanced at Laney. She looked shocked too.

“Come on, guys.” Hector said impatiently, “Carlisle wants to tell us stuff about the Volturi.”

Laney shifted away from me, removing her arms from my shoulders and standing next to me on the branch. I took her hand and we jumped down. I could see exactly where we were going to land and was prepared to match the angle of my feet to the uneven terrain. Laney made it seem easy, not even looking down as we fell.

We ran back to Carlisle’s house. My mind didn’t want to shift back to how it was before. This would be a difficult balancing act. But there was danger coming and I needed to focus. It helped snap my brain back to the analytical machine when I thought of Laney in danger.

Time to get to work.

Chapter 7

At the house Carlisle had old books laid out on his kitchen table. He was looking through several at once, flipping pages at random. He had a method to the chaos, I could tell. I wondered what he was researching.

When he looked up at us, he welcomed us back with an amused smile. I guess Edward and Alice were willing to share what they found amusing with their leader. He quickly shifted to a business-like demeanor.

“The history of the Volturi goes back well over a millennia.” Carlisle started.

Jasper interrupted, “Maybe we should let them start, Carlisle. It might be better if we knew what to expect.”

“Jasper,” Esme whispered disapprovingly.

“No, that’s all right.” I said quickly, agreeing with his thinking. We had no idea what they were up to. We might not have time to research and strategize before they showed up. “We can tell you what we know.” I looked at Pim, “You were there the longest and they didn’t hold back when talking around you. You should be the one to tell them about what they have planned.”

Pim froze, looking nervous and surprised.

“It’s all right, Pim.” Edward said soothingly, “Just think back to when they first started changing people. Did they talk about what they planned to do? What they would do when they had enough soldiers?”

Everyone was silent. Pim was still stuck, locked in place. But Edward was hearing what he wanted to know, based on the look on his face. He would occasionally glance at members of his family. It didn’t take long before Edward started relaying the information to his family.

It was stuff I had heard before or figured out for myself. They were building an army to destroy them, they were willing to go through as many recruits as necessary, weeding out the weak, in order to have troops strong enough to defeat them. They had to be careful not to destroy the valuable members of Carlisle’s family.

“They might try to take Jasper and I captive as well.” He seemed relieved as he said it. I didn’t see how that would be comforting. He had to know what they were like. In some cases I believe death is better. I guess he didn’t agree.

“How does he know about Jasper?” Alice gasped.

“Aro saw him the last time. He saw how protective he was of you.” Edward replied.

“But I don’t think he knows that Jasper has a special ability.” I said.

“Why else would he want him alive?” Emmet asked.

“Leverage. What good would Bella and Alice be if they refuse to use their powers for the Volturi? This gives them something to encourage them to be cooperative.” I answered.

They all looked nauseated. But no one looked like they doubted that I was right in my assumption. The Volturi would do anything to get what they wanted.

“Logistically, it’s a smart move.” I continued.

Laney elbowed me in the side, “Stop.” She whispered, taking in their expressions with pain and empathy.

“I’m sorry, but it’s true.” I said, “It’s a normal practice for groups like them. I’m actually shocked they didn’t try it with us.”

And then my mind started to race. What if they had thought of it?

“We’re all together.” Pim said, not noticing that I was frozen with anxiety, “There’s no one left that we care about to hold hostage.”

Profanity flowed from my mouth like a waterfall. I was starting to panic. Why hadn’t I thought of it sooner? I should have known they wouldn’t give up that quickly. Not unless they had another idea ready. A way to get us back.

The whole room became loud with questions and movement as I paced back and forth, dragging my hands through my hair, pulling it back away from my face.

I vaguely noted the conversation happening around me.

“What’s going on?” Bella asked, concerned.

“I have no idea.” Laney said, sounding scared, “I’ve never seen him like this.”

“I can’t hear him right now.” Edward said, “He’s blocking me.”

Laney stepped into the path of my pacing. She gently took my face in her hands and stared into my eyes. I could focus a little better now.

“What’s wrong?” She asked in a trembling voice.

“That’s why they haven’t decided to come for us. That’s why they turned back so quickly. They knew we’d go back.” I whispered.

“What are you talking about?”

“Leverage.” I breathed. “They know us. They know how we feel about human life. They know they can take our human families, our friends, anyone we cared about and we’ll go back for them. It’s probably already started. They’ve had a whole day. They might already have all our families held captive.”

The whole room became still.

Laney looked terrified.

“Mom.” She mouthed the word.

My mind snapped into action.

“Rain, can you teleport to places you’ve never been to before?” I asked, my words coming out in a rush.

“If I can see it on a map. If I can get an idea of where it is in relation to where I am, I think I can get there. Or at least close enough.” She answered.

“We need a place to hide them. A place none of us have been before so they can’t track us using our scent.”

Carlisle was already on the phone before I had finished speaking. I gathered from his end of the conversation that he was arranging for a place where we could take them.

“Now we need a list. The people we think they would target.”

We all contributed names of loved ones, except Hector and Pim. According to them, they didn’t have anyone left from their human lives. Rain and Jasper went over a map on the internet, giving her an idea of the distances she’d need to go, including the safe house. The first step was to test to see if she could find these places.

The instant I suggested a test, she vanished. Two seconds later she was back where she had been standing before. I wanted to yell at her for being so impulsive but I held back. She was back and not hurt. But I worried that if they were still in the process of taking our families that she might run into them. If she appeared in the middle of them, would she have the presence of mind to jump back before they destroyed her? I wasn’t willing to risk it.

“I made it there,” She announced, “I was about a mile or so off the mark, but I think I can get closer now that I’ve been there.”

“This time,” I said in a firm tone, “I’m going with you.”

“No,” Zephyr and Meadow said together, “We’re going.”

“And what do you plan to do if Jane and Alec are already there? And who knows how many others they might be traveling with.”

“We’ll kill them.” All three growled as one.

“That’s what I thought you’d say.” I shook my head, “No, you’re too volatile. Just Rain and I are going. And if we run into them, we’re coming straight back.”

Zephyr and Meadow argued with me, demanding that they be allowed to go too. I refused but they wouldn’t give up. It didn’t matter to them that teleporting so many could wear Rain out too quickly or that we were trying to avoid a fight with the Volturi. They wouldn’t listen.

A growl ripped from deep in my chest. They went silent.

“This isn’t a negotiation.” I said through my teeth, “I’m the only one unaffected by them. I’m the only one that’s ever won a fight with Felix. You. Are. Staying. Here!”

They continued to glare but didn’t fight me anymore.

Then Rain grabbed hold of my hand. As soon as her hand touched mine, she teleported us to her home. We stood outside a small, faded blue house. It had a big porch with a rocking chair, a little round table and a bench off to one side. I could see all three girls easily fitting on that bench.

The sun was shining outside, no clouds in this part of the country. I marveled at the way our skin sparkled, all eight colors of the spectrum refracting off the surface. Rain noticed too.

“Wow!” She sighed.

The sound of movement from inside broke our concentration, bringing our attention to her grandmother inside. Her grandmother moved slowly, molasses in the winter slow.

I looked at Rain. She was staring at the front door. I wondered what she was thinking right then. How many memories were making it through the fog?

“Do you want me to go in alone? I can try to break this to her gently.” I offered.

Rain shook her head, “She’s very understanding. She’ll be okay. There isn’t a lot about the world Granma doesn’t know.”

We walked up to the door and I knocked. I knew I wouldn’t break the door down on accident. We waited, Rain holding her breath.

As her grandmother opened the door I noticed the irritation at the back of my throat. So annoying. I wondered if it would ever just go away.

She looked at us, not saying a word. Her eyes locked on Rain and stayed there for a minute. I hoped this wasn’t going to cause a heart attack for her. Her heart was pumping faster now.

“Hi Gran.” Rain said, her voice loud enough for her grandmother to hear.

“Rain?” She whispered.

“We’ve come because you’re in danger.” I told her softly. “You need to come with us.”

Her grandmother completely ignored me, “What have you become?” She asked Rain.

“A vampire.” She replied.

“Zephyr? Meadow?” She inquired.

“They’re like me.”

She waved a hand at her like that didn’t really matter, “Are they all right?”

“Yeah, they’re okay.” Rain said with a soft smile, “They were so mad they couldn’t come with me. They miss you a lot.”

“I miss you girls, too. It’s so quiet around here without you. But I knew you’d come back.”

“Gran, I need you to do something for me. There are other vampires after us. Horrible, evil creatures. We got away but now we think they’re going to come after our families. We’re going to go get them. Take them somewhere safe. I don’t think many of them are going to be comfortable with us. I’m going to have to surprise them when I take them away. Could you help smooth things over? Keep everyone calm? We’re trying to help them and we don’t want them to panic.”

“Of course I will.” She said enthusiastically.

“You’ll need a coat, Gran.” Rain told her, “Where we’re going, it’s going to be very cold.”

I was surprised by her thinking of that. It hadn’t even occurred to me that the humans traveling with us would be affected by the weather. And it should have. I was becoming accustomed to the nuances of this body and forgetting about how it had been while I was human. It wasn’t that I forgot what it felt like. I had forgotten to care, to take note at all.

Once her grandmother was appropriately dressed, Rain took hold of her grandma’s hand and mine. Then we were in Alaska. Everything was white, covered in snow. Rain picked up the shivering old woman and we ran to the house a quarter mile in front of us. Rain had seen a picture of it in Carlisle’s house. I could smell the other vampires inside.

I knocked on the door, unsure of what the protocol for house calls to vampires was.

“Come in.” A woman’s voice said softly.

The door was unlocked. We walked in.

Inside stood five vampires, two male and three female. They too had gold toned irises. How many vampires embraced this style of living? Was this the real reason the Volturi sought to destroy Carlisle and others like him? Were they showing others that there was a way to live peacefully with humans? Would so many really follow them?

Now was not the time for questions. We had many others to bring and we couldn’t be as upfront as we had been with Rain’s Gran.

“Thank you for this.” I said to the clan standing in front of us.

“Of course.” A female with curly blond hair replied.

“We’re glad to help.” A tall male with short, dark hair said.

“We should be thanking you.” Another female added.

“Revolting against the Volturi was very brave.” The other male said and then smiled, “My kind of vampires.”

I didn’t really know how to respond so I turned to Rain instead. She had set her grandmother down and they were looking around, taking in the scenery.

“We need to go.” I said to Rain.

She looked at her grandma, “We’ll be back soon with the rest. Remember, some of them will be frightened and some might try to leave. Keep everyone calm, okay?”

“Don’t worry about a thing, honey.” She said confidently. “I’ll put some tea on.” She walked towards the kitchen like she owned the place. The vampires didn’t seem to mind. They smiled at her.

I whispered low so the old lady wouldn’t be able to hear, “Please make sure no one leaves.”

“Don’t worry, young man.” Her grandmother replied, “Everyone will stay until its safe.”

I looked at her. She was in the kitchen, poking around in the cabinets.

All of us looked in her direction. She shouldn’t have been able to hear me. Even a healthy young person shouldn’t have been able to hear me. The only ears strong enough should have been the vampires.

Then the old lady looked up from what she was doing---setting tea cups out on the counter---and smiled at me. She looked me right in the eyes. It was like she knew what I was thinking. Her grin spread wider.

Creepy.

“Come on,” Rain said, she sounded like she wanted to laugh. She grabbed my hand, “Let’s go.”

We went back to work. It wasn’t easy. Most, we had to take by surprise. It was easy to sneak up on them, keeping them from hurting themselves trying to get away from us was not as simple. Once we got them into the house in Alaska, Rain’s Gran had a pretty good handle on things. She talked to them, gave them tea and somehow kept everyone tranquil. There was something about her, something unique. The thought crossed my mind that she might be something more than just human.

I insisted that we get my parents last. Partially because I felt like I could handle it if my parents were taken. Of course, I’d go back to the Volturi if they did have them but I’d make sure it was just me. No one else. I could handle the Volturi, the others couldn’t. I didn’t want to think of what Jane would do to them if they did go back.

We made it to my parent’s house. The sun was hiding behind thick, dark clouds. I was grateful. Having to hide from the sunlight and trying to acquire people was troublesome. This way we only had to worry about finding and taking my parents back.

I wondered if they would recognize me. What would I look like to them? Would they see some of what I had looked like before lurking beneath the surface of this handsome face? Or would they only see glowing red eyes and marble skin?

I froze. I didn’t want them to see me. I didn’t want them to recognize me. This would be too much for them. They wouldn’t be able cope. I wouldn’t just be dead or missing. I’d be a monster. They’d see that I was a creature now, something to be feared and hated.

Rain noticed when I stopped.

“I can do this alone.” She whispered to me. “I’ll come back for you.”

As much as I wanted to be the leader, to shrug off the fear and pain and do what I came to do, I couldn’t. I couldn’t get around the look of horror I knew I’d see on their faces.

Then I heard something out of place. I immediately went on alert. Soft footsteps moved through the alley. They weren’t human. And we were outnumbered.

“Rain,” I whispered urgently, “Get my parents out of here!”

She looked uncertain for a split second before disappearing into the house. I heard the start of a shriek that was cut off. She teleported them away as soon as she appeared next to them. It must have frightened my mother, seeing a red eyed girl appear out of nowhere. But at least she was safe.

I wasn’t so lucky.

They moved through the hedges, slowly coming towards me at the side of the house. I looked around. It was the middle of the day in a well-established suburban neighborhood. Most people were still at work or out doing their daily errands or what-have-you. No one was watching me.

So I ran.

I hopped the neighbor’s backyard, over the front and back fence in a single leap, landing in the alley. From there I sprinted down the alley, listening for signs of life, trying to avoid any unnecessary collateral damage. I navigated the allies and back roads to the park. There were jogging paths cut through the dense forest. At this time of day I knew no one would be walking these paths.

I knew they were following me. I could hear the sound of their feet lightly touching the ground as they loped gracefully through the woods. Their capes made more noise than their feet, brushing against the trees and bushes as they rushed by.

The forest wasn’t that big. It was all that was left of what was once a large expanse, cleared to make way for the businesses and shopping centers I knew I would find if I kept going in this direction. There were people there. I could already smell them. There were too many. I wouldn’t be able to keep all of them from seeing me, from seeing something. Someone would get hurt. Caught in the cross fire. I couldn’t let it happen. When I came to a small clearing in the trees, far from the hiking trails, I stopped.

“So very clever.” Jane sighed in her usual bored tone, “I told Felix you would figure out that we were tracking down your precious humans.”

They flowed through the underbrush, their gray cloaks snagging on stray twigs and branches here and there. It didn’t interrupt the flow of their movement. They stayed perfectly aligned, slowly coming towards me into the clearing.

“You should tell Aro he should put someone with more intelligence in charge of his army.” I said, eyeing Felix.

His lips pulled back in a sneer.

They paused, halting their advance at the edge of the field. I had surprised them with the name of their leader.

“You’ve been conversing with the Cullens, I see.” Jane said.

“Carlisle is very knowledgeable and willing to share his wisdom.” I answered.

I looked at the third vampire. I hadn’t seen him before. He stood as tall as Felix but had a leaner build. His dark hair hung to his shoulders. The natural wave of his hair gave him a wild, unkempt appearance. He had an olive tint to his pale skin. He looked relaxed but focused.

“I haven’t met your associate. Another of the upper echelon of the Volturi?” I said to Jane. Then I looked at the mysterious vampire, “And what do you do for Aro?”

“I have a talent for…finding things.” A smug smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, “I know where you’re hiding them.”

A tracker. Worse, a supernatural tracker. He didn’t need their scent to find them. He used an extra sense to locate those he was seeking.

“It doesn’t matter.” I lied. “They’re being protected.”

They snickered softly.

“You have no idea what you’re up against.” I said, trying my hand at bluffing.

“I know exactly what we will be up against.” Jane corrected me.

“You only think you do. And that was your problem, Jane. Your arrogance. You’re a soldier, not a teacher. They’re learning, growing more powerful every second. You don’t stand a chance against them. Now that they know they can beat you.” As I said each word, it began to feel like the truth. They would survive, I could feel it.

I felt Jane try to use her power on me.

I shook my head, “So pathetic.”

She bared her teeth at me, a shriek of rage erupting from her throat. I could feel her trying harder. It wasn’t changing anything, I still wasn’t affected, but I could sense the increase in intensity.

“Would it make you feel better if I said, ‘ow, ow. Oh, the pain?’” I said without inflection.

“Felix!” She snapped. “Demetri! Finish this.”

Two at once. This would test my focus and speed. They moved in opposite directions, trying to attack from opposite sides. They moved together, each springing at me at the exact same moment. I anticipated Felix’s strength and eagerness for revenge. His leap was much higher and faster than Demetri’s. I moved quickly, sinking low to the ground and ducking under Felix. He landed with his back to me. I didn’t hesitate. I jumped at him, pulling his head to the side with both hands and biting down on his neck. His head ripped free with a quick metallic screech.

I threw his head as hard as I could into the trees. They’d have to search for it later. His body went limp and fell at my feet.

Demetri hadn’t been fazed by his associate being decapitated. He was already coming at me. I couldn’t avoid his grasp. I did, reach for him as well. Jane joined him, coming from behind. She was on my back, lips at my ear.

“I’ll enjoy watching you burn.” She murmured.

I braced, waiting for the end.

It surprised me when she let go. She crumpled to the ground, along with Demetri. They had their hands clamped down on their ears.

I looked up. Zephyr was standing at the edge of clearing, glaring at the two soldier lying on the ground.

Rain and Meadow quickly ran to my side.

“Are you okay? Rain asked.

“We have a problem.” I said, looking down at Demetri.

“What is it?” Asked Meadow.

I didn’t waste time explaining. I bent down and decapitated Demetri. I slung his body over my shoulder and carried his head in my hand.

“Keeping a souvenir?” Rain asked. She looked a little disturbed.

“We need to get back.” I told her flatly.

We sprinted over to Zephyr and then we appeared on the Cullen’s doorstep. Rain, Zephyr and Meadow didn’t inquire about the body I was carrying, but they looked nervous. They walked into the house ahead of me.

In an instant, everyone was there.

“Where should I put him?” I asked Carlisle. I dropped him on the floor, careful to keep his head far from his body.

“Why did you bring him here?” He asked.

“He can find our families. He already knows where they are although I don’t think he told the others. They were expecting him to lead them there.” I answered.

“How does he know?” Laney asked.

“Tracking is his gift. He can sense others purely in his mind and follow them to wherever they’re hiding.” Edward told them.

“It was too risky to leave him there.”

“We need to destroy him.” Jasper said.

“Wait!” Carlisle said with a tone of urgency.

“We don’t have a choice, Carlisle.” Edward agreed with his brother.

“We do.” I interjected, “We can keep him incapacitated like this until we know that we can’t avoid a fight. If this can be negotiated peacefully, we’ll return him. If not, we burn him. One less to worry about.”

“No!” Bianca protested, “We should destroy him now.”

“He’s a risk to our families. They can’t defend themselves. We have to protect them.” Laney agreed.

“It will be a declaration of war. There will be no way around it, if we do this.”

“They declared war the second they started building an army to destroy us.” Jasper snapped.

“You think you’ve got it bad?” Pim raised his voice. I was mildly shocked by the anger in his tone, “They consider us traitors!”

“Yeah!” Hector snarled, “This isn’t just about you anymore!”

“We didn’t ask for this!” Bianca joined in, her tone just as biting as the others.

I was angry too. Livid, in fact. But it didn’t feel right. It didn’t make sense. Jasper’s anger was justified. We were a part of an army meant to kill him and those he loved. Sure, we had been dragged into the middle of it but the Cullens hadn’t asked for this either. I focused the reasonable part of my brain before joining the increasingly heated discussion.

“Stop!” I yelled. Every quieted. “We all have a right to be angry and we are all involved now. It doesn’t matter how it started, we’re in this together.”

“You don’t know what he’s capable of.” Edward said to me.

“This is our fight.” Jasper said. “We know them. We’ve faced them before. This is our decision.”

“I won’t stop you, if you choose to burn him. But I don’t want to be a part of it. Not if there’s another way.”

“Adam is right.” Carlisle said firmly, “We do not kill needlessly.”

His family reluctantly agreed to wait. We moved his body to one side of the room, out of the way, and his head was moved to Carlisle’s study. I followed him there. He had an impressive collection of books and art. I saw his likeness painted in one of the pictures.

“Nice use of color.” I murmured as I examined the painting more closely.

“Those three are the head of the Volturi.” He replied. “Aro, Caius and Marcus.”

Our enemy.

He told me of his history with them. He was explicit in his details. Two out of three of the top Volturi were gifted. Poor Caius. It had to anger him to be less powerful than the others. Aro was at the top of the pyramid, the mastermind. No one did anything without consulting him first.

Aro sounded like an intellectual. He was cold and calculating but didn’t want to appear so. He was very fond of his reputation. He had spent centuries building this empire, policing the vampire world. His laws were simple, and justice was swift. He didn’t show mercy unless it suited him. He had collected his gifted army over the centuries, taking a few every couple hundred years. And he needed everyone to see him as fair when he passed judgment. That made this army I had been drafted into completely out of character for him. It violated his own rules. I wouldn’t put it past him, based on what I’d heard, to build an army of gifted soldiers using Pim to create new loyal vampires. But he would have been inconspicuous about it. He would have done it slowly, over hundreds of years. This move was far too fast to be his. But who else could orchestrate this?

Marcus sounded unmotivated. Carlisle told me of Didyme, Marcus’s mate. He hadn’t been the same since her death. He had apparently become bored with this life. He did nothing unless pushed to by Aro or Caius. He wasn’t the one pulling the strings here or anywhere else for that matter.

Caius, on the other hand, was impulsive and rash. He had pushed to send a battalion to check on Bella before she had been changed only months after first meeting her. According to Edward, he disliked Aro using his ability to read his mind and refused to touch him. He resented Aro for taking control of the Volturi instead of allowing all three to have an equal share of authority.

To me, that last piece of information was the most telling. Caius was most likely the one who had started this, given Felix the idea of building an army using Pim. It fit. He couldn’t start taking vampires that already existed because that kind of news would make it to Aro’s ears. And Aro would most likely investigate something like that. But changing humans you knew would become gifted vampires could be done inconspicuously; what did vampires care if a bunch of humans went missing? So, he plans to build his own army, all with supernatural abilities; but why? Was it just a matter of revenge? Did he see their last encounter as an embarrassment? Or was there more to it? Could he actually be staging a coup d’état? And if he was, what would Aro do with this information?

Chapter 8

“I might have found a way to end this peacefully.” I announced. Everyone was gathered in the living room. My family looked at me with hope in their eyes. They really trusted my judgment. The Cullens looked doubtful. To be expected, I suppose.

I explained my theory, my reasoning. No one really argued. Edward and Carlisle stared at each other with pensive expressions. They were looking for flaws in my logic. I didn’t wait for them to find any.

“I plan to go to Aro, present him with this information in exchange for the freedom of the drafted Volturi soldiers and a truce with the Cullen family. We all walk away, no war and no plans for any future aggression.” I said, keeping my eyes mostly on Carlisle and his family.

“He only pretends to be a pillar of justice and peace.” Alice said. “He won’t give up what he wants. He’s just going to wait for another opportunity and declare war then.”

“And he won’t tell you as much. He’ll speak eloquently of his desire for peace and never meaning to be the villain. But it’s all a lie. He’s far more interested in acquisition than peace.” Edward added.

“But not at the risk of his reputation.” I qualified, “Look, we haven’t broken any of his rules. He doesn’t have cause to come after us. His own guards, his own brother has violated his law. With the possibility of Caius being a traitor, and an army being built by his guards, right under his nose, I think he might be too distracted to be calculating at that moment. I move quickly, I give him all the information at once and make my demands right then. He’ll be so caught up in the drama of the ones he trusts betraying him that he might slip up. He might even be grateful, especially if Caius is the one behind all this. Can you imagine if he reads Caius’s plans to overthrow him right from his head? I see things getting pretty chaotic. I can use that. And no one is at risk, except me.”

“What?!” Laney nearly screamed.

“We can’t ask that of you, Adam.” Carlisle was much calmer as he spoke.

“I’m volunteering.” I insisted, “I go, play ambassador, hopefully come back with a peaceful resolution. If I don’t come back, you know to start preparing for the inevitable. It’s the safest way for all of us.”

“I’m going with you.” Laney growled.

Then the rest of my family joined in, insisting on going with me. They were yelling, actually yelling at me. The anger and the fervor were surprising. I let them vent uninterrupted for a moment before speaking.

“It’s safer if only one of us goes.”

“I don’t care!” Laney shrieked.

“Yeah, you’re not leaving us behind.” Bianca snapped.

“If things go badly, which is a distinct possibility, whoever goes in probably won’t be coming back out. If we all go, we could leave the Cullens to face the Volturi and their newly created army, all alone.”

“Fine then!” Pim shouted, “I’ll go.”

“No!” I yelled back at him.

“I’m the one that they started this with. I’m the one that they forced to find every one of you. I’m the one that is going to bring an end to this.” He said, glaring at me.

“This isn’t about revenge, Pim.” I tried to keep my voice level, “If you go in there looking to accuse them and deliver judgment, you won’t be coming out of there alive.”

“We have to do this together.” Rain insisted. “We’re stronger when we’re together.” Zephyr agreed. “We won’t make it if you don’t come back.” Meadow added.

“I don’t want you girls anywhere near them.” I said feeling protective, “Even if this turns into a war. I want you three and Laney to run. Stay hidden until it’s over.”

All four started screaming at me again. There was much profanity thrown around, especially from Laney. She looked like she should be crying. The triplets just looked pissed. They got on to me about being gender biased. They said I confused chivalry with chauvinism.

“I don’t think you’re weak.” I protested, “You’re all very powerful and probably the best weapons we have. But you’re also our resident vegans.”

They stared at me, confused.

“You were willing to starve yourselves indefinitely rather than kill anyone or anything. You three won’t even swat a fly. You value life, all life. I don’t want to put you in a position where you’ll be forced to take lives.” I turned to Laney, “And you can make sure that happens. You can feel them coming. They’ll never be able to find you and the girls. They’ll never have to become killers.”

“We don’t advocate mindless savagery.” Rain said. “But, ‘the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.’” Zephyr murmured. “We have no intention of standing by and doing nothing.” Meadow stated.

“I still don’t think we should all go.” I argued, “It’s not practical.”

“Stop using that big brain of yours so much and try going with your gut.” Hector advised.

“It isn’t logical.”

“But it is right.” Laney said defiantly, “We’re all going, or none of us are.”

All of them were shoulder to shoulder, arms folded over their chests. They had formed a semi-circle around me. They were a united front. I could argue all I liked, it wouldn’t do any good. If I went, they’d follow me.

“All right, we all go.” I relented. “But, no one speaks except me. No one does anything aggressive unless it’s in self-defense. And at the first sign of trouble, we evacuate. Rain,” I looked at her, “Be prepared. We may need you to get us all out quickly.”

They agreed willingly.

We prepared to go. Rain looked at maps, getting an idea of where we should land. Everyone else took some time to mentally prepare for what was coming. I took Zephyr aside, out of hearing range of the others. We discussed ideas I hoped would prove unnecessary.

When we were ready to leave, I turned to Carlisle and his family. Esme was hugging Carlisle around the waist, holding on to him tightly. Edward and Jasper had a hand on each of his arms. It was like they were trying to keep him from trying to go with us. He didn’t feel right about us going. I could see it in his eyes.

“Be ready,” I looked at Alice, “If things don’t work out, the moment things go wrong, start calling everyone you know. Anyone willing to fight, get them to come to you. There’s safety in numbers. And if this does go south, I get the feeling things will become very unsafe very quickly. Move fast.”

“We can’t ask you to do this for us.” Carlisle protested.

“We’re not doing this for your family. We’re doing this for ours. For everyone that lives in fear of the Volturi.”

Then Rain placed her hand on my shoulder and the Cullens were gone.

Chapter 9

It was night, which wasn’t surprising since it had been daytime on the other side of the world. We had ended up in a courtyard next to a clock tower. It was quiet, no people roaming around just then.

I could smell the scent of many different vampires. I followed it, hoping it would lead me to them. My family followed close behind me. We walked down an alley. It curved around and ended at a brick wall. I was confused. The scent was just a strong here. They must have climbed the wall.

As we got closer, I noticed a round grating at the end of the lane. I pulled it out of the way and stuck my head inside the dark hole. The scent continued into the sewer. These vampires and their clichés.

I jumped in first. When I was sure no one was down there waiting for us, I signaled for the others to join me. We moved quickly through the wide tunnel, following the smell of those that had traveled this way before us. It didn’t take long to reach a large metal grate with a door. The door wasn’t locked. We walked through, still no one around.

We had moved into a building of some sort. It looked like an office building, with the usual eggshell colored walls, horrible gray carpet, and florescent lights in the hung ceiling, the lights currently turned off. We were here after hours. I wondered if they had business hours. Do you have to make an appointment to meet with Aro? Were they more like a business than I had originally anticipated? Or was this a front for unsuspecting humans?

“I remember this place.” Pim murmured. “Jane brought me here before she turned me.”

I nodded. Confirmation. Whoever started this was here. Either Caius had masterminded this or Aro had a good method for avoiding Alice’s visions. I was hoping for the former.

We followed the scent down the drab hallway. It ended at an elevator. I pushed the button, lighting it up. When we got inside things became considerably more complicated.

“Which floor do we chose?” Laney asked.

“Not a clue.” I answered.

“We could try them all.” Hector offered.

“Let’s not.” Bianca replied. “Do you remember, Pim?”

“I wasn’t really paying attention at the time.” He quipped.

“Well, we’re already underground, from what I can tell. Nowhere to go but up from here. Let’s try the lobby, maybe we’ll get lucky.” I said and hit the appropriate button.

We exited into an office reception area. It had a very human appeal to it. There weren’t any windows but there were painting of landscapes spread out across the walls.

“I waited right there,” Pim pointed to the ash gray leather couch, “for Jane to comeback for me. I should have run. I don’t know why I didn’t just run right then.”

“Yeah, ‘cause she never would have caught you.” Hector’s tone was mocking.

“No way for her to find you once you found your way out of here.” Bianca added, sarcastic as ever.

“Enough you two.” I whispered. “Although, they make a valid point, Pim.”

There were a pair of large wooden doors. Slowly, we walked to them, feeling sure we were getting close to finding them. These doors were locked. There was little effort involved in breaking the doors open. What concerned me was the noise. It was a large bolt that locked these doors and the resounding splintering and snapping of the wooden doors alerted them that we had arrived.

We entered the lavish hallway, but we stopped there. It was best to wait for them to come to us from here, since they knew we weren’t one of them.

Two vampires appeared from behind a hidden door in the wall. Not what I was expecting. I thought the huge gold doors at the end of the hall would be the entrance to Aro’s lair. It seemed appropriately grandiose and pompous.

“Who are you?” One of them snapped at us, “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to see Aro on a matter of important business.” I told him, keeping my tone calm and polite. No need to ruffle feathers if I could avoid it.

The guard narrowed his eyes.

“Our intentions are peaceful. Trust me, he’ll want to hear what we have to say.”

“Let them in, Santiago.” A soft voice sighed from inside the room. His voice had a strange quality to it. It sounded weaker, slightly rougher than other vampires I had heard.

We followed the two vampires through the hidden door. Inside we were back to the cliché, high vaulted ceilings with long thin windows so high you’d have to climb up there to see out of them, walls and floors made of stone, a drain in the floor. Very gothic chic.

We walked to the center of the room. I stood in the lead, Laney and Pim behind each of my shoulders. The girls were lined up behind Laney and Pim, standing shoulder to shoulder, holding hands. Bianca and Hector stood on either side of the triplets. I could feel how close they were to me. I wanted it that way. Rain was in the center, within reach of all of us if we needed to leave quickly.

Three vampires sat in three oddly spaced, ornately carved, wooden thrones.

“It is rare that we are surprised with visitors.” The vampire in the center throne with long ebony black hair and skin that looked like tracing paper, said to us.

“Are you Aro?” I asked.

He stood, watching me with inquisitive and calculating eyes. Two other vampires, a male and a female, walked over to stand nearer to him. They didn’t get in his way or even stand next to him. They just seemed to shadow him.

“I am.” He replied in a congenial tone, gliding slowly over to me, his entourage following behind him, “And you are?”

“Adam.” I answered, “There is something we wish to discuss with you. Something I think you might not be aware of happening within your ranks.”

“Is that so?” He didn’t sound worried or all that interested.

“What is the meaning of this?!” A white haired, ill-tempered looking vampire called in astonishment. Caius. I could tell by the inflection of his response and the look of utter disinterest on the other dark haired vampire’s face.

“Let us see.” He said as he reached his hand out like he meant to shake hands with me.

I knew what he was doing. And I knew it needed to happen but I wasn’t sure if I could stop my mind from blocking him.

“Oh,” I said apologetically, “Your gift might not work on me. But Pim knows more than any of us. He was with them the longest.”

“May I see if your assertion is correct?” He asked. He sounded curious, no animosity in his voice.

I took his hand. It wasn’t like it was with Edward. I could feel Aro. He wasn’t picking up stray transmissions. He was a hacker. By touching my hand he connected himself to my thoughts. Part of me was deeply intrigued by his gift. But a more prevalent part of me felt that this was an invasion. One I needed to stop immediately. I felt where he was getting into my head and blocked it off.

He gazed at me in astonishment.

“I had not thought in so short a time I would come across another…very interesting.” He sighed.

“I’m not as gifted as Bella. She can extend her talent to others. I can’t share mine.” I was trying to win a few brownie points, placate his ego. He wasn’t thwarted often; didn’t have to know his history to know that about him.

He smiled a little, still staring with a look of amazement.

“You have met my young friend, Bella?” He sounded excited. Something about his enthusiasm bothered me.

I wanted to laugh at his use of the word friend. I couldn’t figure out if he thought I was ignorant or just stupid. But I kept a look of polite indifference on my face and all my sarcastic thoughts to myself.

“I have met all the Cullens.” I answered honestly. No point lying, he’d find out when he read Pim.

“How is my dear friend, Carlisle?” He asked.

“Distressed.” I responded. “He is disturbed by the news that the Volturi have become a hostile force, bent on conquest rather than justice.”

“I am sorry he feels that way.” He said with no contrition in his tone. “But I assure you, I am only intent on keeping the peace and preserving our way of life.”

“We are proof that isn’t true.”

Aro’s brow furrowed, crinkling like paper.

“Pim,” I said, looking over at him. He looked a little nervous but in control.

He lifted his arm, extending his hand to Aro. Aro eagerly accepted it. The look on his face transitioned from enthusiastic curiosity to confusion to aggravation. Then he released Pim’s hand and stepped back.

“You know my theory,” I whispered, looking at Caius, “of who orchestrated this.”

“What is this about?!” Caius growled.

“A most disturbing development, brother.” Aro answered, “It appears our dear ones, Felix, Jane and Alec have been creating an army.”

“Aro, as the leader of the Volturi, I’m begging you to let the others go. They know the rules, they won’t cause trouble. Please do not allow them to remain enslaved.” I pleaded.

“Impossible!” Caius said, “They would not do such a thing.”

“Do you doubt me, brother?” Aro asked. I could read the irritation and insinuation in that question.

“The Cullens wish to know from you that you have no intention of starting a war. I can assure you, they have no wish to fight you.”

“If that is so then why have they taken one of my dear ones hostage?” He asked me.

“They didn’t!” I answered quickly, “I did.”

“They did, however, conspire to destroy him.”

“But they didn’t do it. He was working with Jane, doing her bidding behind your back. We had to be sure he couldn’t hurt us before we had the opportunity to talk to you. We have every intention of returning him.” I assured him.

“For this you think I should be grateful?” He asked pointedly. He wasn’t talking about returning Demetri. He was talking about the information I had brought him. I probably should have chosen my words more carefully when I was talking to my family. We were a little too candid. He knew what we thought of him and his.

“I admit I thought you would appreciate knowing there is a traitor in your midst. How long has it been since you read his thoughts?” I was referring to Caius which I was sure he knew. Caius didn’t seem to know that, though.

Aro didn’t reply.

“This is a council, right? The three of you decide together?”

“Yes.” Caius answered.

“Marcus, what do you think?” I asked him, trying to engage him in our debate. “Would you declare war on the Cullens?”

Marcus’s cloudy eyes shifted to meet mine. I felt a chill slide down my spine as I looked into his ancient, weary eyes. This was not the face of boredom. This was the face of despair. Is this what happened when the one you loved, the one you connected to, your soulmate died? Or was it that he was forced to live without her. I can’t imagine Aro destroying him, he was too valuable. Ironically, I didn’t sense he’d have the same reservation if it had been Caius rather than Marcus begging for death.

Automatically, I looked back at Laney. I couldn’t imagine what life would be like if I lost her. But to suffer through the centuries, nothing holding my interest, nothing breaking through the fog of misery, that would be Hell, literally.

I looked back to the Volturi. I couldn’t look at Marcus directly anymore. It hurt, deep in my soul, to see his anguish.

Feeling a deep sympathy for him, I murmured, “Perhaps you wish for war.” With the hope that we will win and end your suffering.

“Peace is always preferable.” Marcus answered in a faint whisper.

“But not always realistic.” Caius added.

“Sometimes, punishment is unavoidable.” Aro was looking at Caius as he spoke.

“I have been told there is a law against building newborn armies. All we ask is that you enforce your law and punish those responsible. As for the newborns, allow them to go their own way. They’ve done nothing wrong, broken no law.” I said.

“I assure you, this was an unfortunate mistake on the part of my dear ones. But the Volturi are not so vicious as you think. Join us. You will see that we are an honorable assembly. You and your friends are welcome.” Aro offered.

I couldn’t help but smile. He was something else.

“I think our time with the Volturi has been sufficient for our lifetime.” I replied.

“Do you speak for all?”

“Not at all. They know they can do whatever they want. I sure as hell can’t stop them.”

“You underestimate your influence.”

“Any that want to join the Volturi under Aro are free to.” I looked over my shoulder towards Pim’s side, “I won’t judge and I won’t stop you.”

They closed ranks, stepping a little closer to each other. No one said anything.

“I think you have your answer.”

“Very well.” He sighed. His tone was resigned but I didn’t get the impression that he was resigned at all.

“And the rest?” I asked.

“Of course, I will extend them the same curtesy.” He lied.

Maybe it was that I knew what to look for, Carlisle and Edward had told me in detail about him. Or maybe he was just being obvious. The smugness of his smile and the way he seemed so sure of himself, gave him away. He wouldn’t give them a choice. It begged the question, why was he giving us one? Or was this a front, just for show. The attack would come later when it couldn’t be connected to this meeting or to him at all.

I sighed. This wasn’t going at all like I thought it would. He wasn’t ruled by emotions, they didn’t have the slightest pull on his decisions.

“What of the Cullens?” I asked pointedly.

“What indeed.”

“They’ve done nothing wrong.”

“In your opinion.”

“They have no quarrel with you. Will you agree to a truce? No hostility on either side. You release the army, and grant the Cullens their peace treaty.”

I felt something strange, a change in the aura of the room. I couldn’t define it but I could feel it. My anxiety was fading little by little.

“We shall see, when we have examined all the evidence.”

The feeling was increasing. I wasn’t nearly so uncomfortable to be here anymore. But nothing had changed. So why had my nerves calmed so much?

“We need an answer.”

“I cannot make such a decision in haste.”

He was avoiding Alice’s sight. Which meant he had already made his decision. All that was left was to decide when. We had failed.

“We’re under attack.” Zephyr breathed in my ear.

“Chelsea.” I murmured, remembering what Edward had told me about her. She was trying to shift our loyalty, make us join the Volturi. I wondered if it always took so long for her to break ties. Did Aro have to distract us for a long time before she could get us to become truly loyal to Aro? We couldn’t wait around to find out.

When I said her name, her eyes shifted to meet mine.

“Zephyr, care to teach her some manners?” I whispered.

Then Chelsea was on the ground, palms clamped down on her ears. The comfort vanished, replaced with a renewed sense of anxiety and dread.

Aro glanced at her and then us.

“All right, Zephyr.” I said and she stopped screaming in Chelsea’s head. Chelsea got up, looking at us with fear. I met Aro’s calculating gaze, “I don’t appreciate the parlor tricks.”

“I’m sure she meant no harm.”

“This is apparently a wasted effort. Enough politics. Enough games. This is your last chance. Will you agree to peace or not?”

“I will collect all the facts before a decision is made.”

“I’ve given you the facts. I’ve been nothing but honest and straightforward. But you can’t see the loophole that will get you your army and the excuse to destroy the Cullens. What you haven’t taken into consideration is that you are no longer the only ones able to enforce justice. Choose peace now or we will choose war for you.”

The guards were getting fidgety, shifting their weight from foot to foot, knees bending slightly. They were ready for a signal to take us out. Other things were happening, powers being pushed out into the atmosphere, making the air thick. They were getting ready to strike. I was grateful Alec wasn’t present. With him, I might have had more difficulty getting my family out.

“Plan B, Zephyr.” I breathed.

Aro’s eyes narrowed slightly. He watched Zephyr closely.

Zephyr spoke to Hector, using her gift. I knew a plan B would be pertinent before we left. And now she was telling Hector to use his power, see how many of them could resist him, how many he could control easily at once.

They all stood straight, all at once and slowly walked backwards towards the wall. Hector let out a relieved laugh. It was short, he wasn’t taunting them; he was just pleased.

“Zephyr,” I whispered.

She told Hector to stop and told Meadow to try her talent.

Everyone lifted a foot off the ground. She was breathing hard, this was a struggle for her.

“Rain, time to go.” I said.

Chapter 10

We were in a small living room. All the furniture looked old, worn but cared for. Most of it looked like it had been purchased in the sixties. Everything was decorated in shades of gold and emerald green except the brown shag carpet. The walls were wood panel.

Everyone looked as shocked to be here as I did, except the triplets. They smiled. This was home. I hadn’t actually seen the inside on my first visit.

“Where are we?” Bianca asked. She looked disgusted by her surroundings.

“Gran’s house.” The triplet’s replied.

Bianca tried to remove the look of disgust. Now, she just looked uncomfortable.

“What’s going on, girls?” Laney asked.

“Before we report back to the Cullens,” Rain said, “We wanted to know from Adam,” Zephyr continued, “How we did back there?” Meadow finished.

“My biggest concern will be if they bring Alec and Jane back in time for the fight.”

“What makes you think Aro’d let them come back?” Hector asked.

“You saw him. He’s not concerned with betrayal. I think he might have suspected Caius was up to something. Most of all, he’s not willing to give up the crown jewels of his treasured army. He’ll blame anyone else for their mistakes rather than punish them. He might destroy Caius for this, but not until after this is over. He’s a smart man. He knows he needs numbers. He saw what we can do.”

“If they have the full army,” Rain started, “Including the new recruits,” Zephyr added, “Do you think we can take them?” Meadow asked. “Without the Cullens?” They asked as one.

“Maybe, but we wouldn’t all come back. I wouldn’t be able to anticipate that many vampires and we don’t have a shield. Bianca and I would be the only ones able to fight if Alec was there. Even with the powers we have on our side, there’s no way we’d be able to act fast enough to get them all. If we took out Jane and Alec first, we’d have a better chance but we’d also have to take out Veronica. She’s a powerful shield and able to use our talents against us. She might be under Chelsea’s influence, I don’t know for sure that she reflects every supernatural gift out there. If she is in their control, we might not be able to talk her down. We might have to destroy her, fast, without hesitation.”

“If we took out their top players, would we be able to win?” Bianca asked.

“There’s a good chance,” I said. They stared at me. They could hear the hesitation in my voice. “But it would be improbable that we’d leave intact. Some of us wouldn’t make it.”

“So we would have a better chance,” Rain said, “To make it out alive,” Zephyr said, “If we included the Cullens.” Meadow finished.

“With them, it would be easy. We’d win and it would be unlikely that we’d have any casualties.” I stated.

“Think they’ll be as optimistic?” Pim asked.

“I think we should let them decide if they want to be involved. It should be their choice. We are, after all, talking about killing a couple dozen vampires.”

“Carlisle won’t want to, that’s for sure.” Laney said.

“We can do fine with just Bella, Edward, Jasper and Emmett. The rest can stay home and it wouldn’t hurt our chances.” I said.

“What if they all go pacifist tree hugger on us?” Hector asked.

“Then that’s their choice.” I replied but to myself I thought that would be very unlikely.

“So, we ask.” Laney said.

“We better not leave them waiting. I’m sure they saw what we did and how it turned out.” I reminded them.

Rain dropped us in the forest a mile off from the Cullen’s house. This was the path we had traveled to meet them the first time.

“You missed.” Hector teased.

“Not by much.” Rain replied.

I could see them already, lined up in front of their house.

“Déjà vu.” I murmured.

The smell of smoke was think in the air. I could see a pillar of purple smoke pillowing from the backyard. It smelled strange, distinctly sweet. It wasn’t pine they were burning back there.

We moved quickly to join them in the front yard. Alice had seen what had happened.

“How could you?!” Alice snapped. Her tone was both accusatory and pouting.

“We tried. I swear, we gave Aro every opportunity to settle this peacefully. He’s set on conquest.”

She rolled her eyes, “Of course he didn’t go for the diplomatic solution.” Then her eyes narrowed at me, “How could you try to leave us out of the fight! Do you know what would have happened if you had gone through with it?!” She nearly screamed at me.

“Whoa!” I raised my hands in a sign of surrender, “I had no intention of excluding you. However, we did want it to be your own decision. We understand if you don’t want to be involved.”

“And let you have all the fun?” Emmett said as he flexed and relaxed the knuckles of his fisted hands. He was ready for a fight.

Edward was staring at the triplets. They weren’t looking at him. I wondered what he was reading in their minds that was so fascinating.

“It wasn’t Adam.” He told Alice, “It was them.” He pointed to the girls.

They looked at him then, all three glaring at him.

“They wanted to leave us out of it. They had decided after seeing how well they did testing their powers on the Volturi that they would leave right from their grandmother’s house. But they changed their minds when Adam said they might not all come back.” Edward explained.

I turned to them, surprised by what I had missed, “When did that happen?”

“Zephyr might have told us about your plan B.” Meadow said, her eyes avoiding mine.

“And she might have suggested that we go somewhere private to discuss an alternative to fighting them with the Cullens.” Rain added quickly.

“When did you have time to discuss this? I’ve been with you the whole time.”

Zephyr smiled.

“You talked to them while I talked to Aro. How did you know they would go along with your suggestion?”

“We don’t need words to communicate.” Zephyr answered.

I knew they couldn’t communicate back and forth with their minds. They would have done it far more often and I would have picked up on it by now. But they were sisters and they thought in unison most of the time. They had worked out a system, how to talk to each other without anyone knowing. Zephyr could get the more detailed ideas across to each of them. They’d just have to come up with a way to say yes or no without anyone noticing.

Edward looked at their clasped hands. They were very rarely out of contact with each other. They held hands when we were in the Volturi stronghold.

Then it clicked. They could signal her by squeezing Zephyr’s hand. And no one would be the wiser.

I lifted an eyebrow as I gazed at them.

“Impressive.” I sighed, smiling. “But next time a heads up would be nice,” I tilted my head in Alice’s direction a couple times, “so I’m prepared for the fallout.”

They giggled.

“Sorry, dad.” They said as one.

“Stop calling me that.” I complained.

They all chuckled.

“Well, that leaves you to choose.” I said, mostly to Carlisle, the one I knew wouldn’t want to fight, “Do you want to come with us or stay out of it?”

“We will help you.” Carlisle said in a grave tone.

“You don’t have to, Carlisle.” I said, sensing his hesitation, “We can get this done with just Edward, Bella, Jasper and Emmett. You don’t have to be involved.”

“We’re a family. I will fight for my family.”

“We stand together.” Esme said softly, “We’re all going.”

“Very well.” I replied. “Alice, anything happening on Aro’s end?”

“He’s changed his mind a few times now.” She told us, “His future keeps changing.”

“We’ve pushed him into a hasty decision. He’s not trying to avoid you now. He’s trying to pick the strategy most likely to succeed. Pim, can you feel the camp?”

“Yeah, they’re all still there. They haven’t killed anyone since we left.”

“Are they moving?”

“No, they’re still in Siberia.”

“Good, when they start to move, let me know. We’ll meet them in Voltura.”

“It might be better to wait for them to come to us.” Jasper suggested.

“We can make sure there aren’t any human casualties here. Voltura is filled with people. We’d never be able to save them all. And it would expose us for what we are.” Edward said.

“But we don’t have a way to make sure they all come at once. You’ve said they’ve tried that before and it didn’t work for them. I don’t see Aro doing the same thing and expecting to win. If we hit them in Voltura, we’ll get them all. It’s their home base. The one place they’ll all return to.” I argued.

“But what about the people?” Laney asked.

“We have to try to get them out. Quickly. Without attracting the attention of the Volturi.” The more I thought about it, the more it seemed unlikely we’d be able to do it. Evacuating thousands of people would take a catastrophe. And anything that would spark a mass exodus would inevitably alert the Volturi. “If only we had someone that could just inspire the thought of escape without an incident to attract the Volturi’s attention.” I mused.

“It would take me a while to get to everyone, bossman.” Bianca said, “And I think they’d catch on before everyone was out.”

“You’re right.” I agreed.

“There might be someone.” Edward said.

We all looked at him. Evidently his family didn’t know who he was talking about either.

“A few years ago, a newborn army came and tried to kill us. We won and one girl surrendered. She thought of a boy that had been with them but had deserted them before the fight. She called him Fred. Freaky Fred. She wanted me to be nice to him if I ever met him. He has a unique gift. He can repel those around him. Literally make it painful to be anywhere near him. It’s not agony like Jane gives but more like feeling nauseous, being violently ill. You can’t even think of him for a while after he’s used his gift on you. If we could get him to come, he could clear the city in a matter of minutes. Everyone would run from the sensation he sends out.”

“Do you think he’d help us?” I asked.

“I think he might when I tell him we’re going after the ones that killed Bree. She was his only friend then. He might like vengeance on the vampires that killed her just so she wouldn’t reveal that she knew they were involved as well.”

“Sounds like he has a powerful gift and he might still be alone, given the nature of his talent. Pim, can you feel anyone like that?”

“Several.” He answered.

“In the Canada region?” Edward asked.

“A couple. How powerful we talking?”

“Think forest fire powerful.” Edward said.

“Yep, I got one like that in the northern Quebec area.”

“Pim and I can go track down Fred while the rest of you take lessons on fighting with Jasper.” Edward said.

“And if Fred doesn’t want you to get close enough to talk to him? How are you going to get close if you can’t even think about him for twenty minutes after he repels you?”

“Good point.” He conceded, “Adam, Pim and I will go track down Fred.”

“Do you want me to take you there?” Rain offered.

“No, stay and work with Jasper. He’s going to be the one laying out strategy for this fight. We’ll be back in a day or so.”

“And we probably shouldn’t surprise him by just appearing in front of him. It might make him hostile.” Edward said.

“We’ll be back soon.” I promised, looking at Laney.

Chapter 11

We ran as fast as we could, following Pim’s lead. Edward would sprint ahead at times. I got the feeling he could leave us in the dust anytime he wanted to but he was good about letting Pim lead most of the time. We stuck to the woods and uninhabited areas, watching for any signs of life.

We finally caught up to him. He had fed recently, I could smell the blood. He hadn’t cleaned himself off yet. We moved slowly, trying not to spook him.

When we were a mile out I tried speaking to him.

“Fred,” I called, “We’d like to talk to you.”

He started to run. We followed after him, Edward in the lead. When we were within yards of him he decided to turn back and face us.

The feeling was incredible. It was akin to the sensation of being sprayed directly by a skunk. The atmosphere felt thick and putrid. Edward and Pim collapsed. They looked sick, Pim even dry heaved a couple times.

I diverted the sensation at top speed, not wanting him to get the opportunity to continue running.

“We don’t want to hurt you, Fred.” I said, lifting my hands to show I meant no harm. “We came to ask for your help.”

“How do you know my name?” He glared at me suspiciously.

“Bree,” Edward croaked.

The atmosphere cleared quickly. Edward and Pim were able to stand. They stood beside me but neither of them could look Fred in the eyes. They couldn’t even look in his direction.

“Bree thought very highly of you.” Edward said, “I hope she was right.”

“How do you know Bree?” He asked.

“She was with Riley, with the others but she surrendered rather than fight.”

“You’re the yellow eyes Riley was after.” He said, connecting the dots, “I’m guessing he didn’t survive.”

“Only Bree survived the fight. But Bree knew some things, things she wasn’t supposed to know. So another group came and destroyed her before she could tell others of what they had done.”

“I wanted her to come with me.” He sounded sad, regretful, “She had to go back for Diego.”

“He was already dead.”

“I thought he was.” Fred replied, nodding, “What about these other vampires? What did they have against Bree?”

“She was proof of their wrong doings. The Volturi are a powerful group of vampires. They keep our kind in check, keep them from exposing us. Your army should have been taken out long before they ever made it to Forks. The Volturi knew about the army and did nothing. They wanted us to be destroyed as much as Riley and Victoria.” Edward explained.

“Why spare her if you only meant to let them destroy her later?”

“If you knew them, you’d know no one could have stopped them.” I protested.

“We pleaded on her behalf, asked them to leave her to our charge but they refused.” Edward added.

“They’re powerful and on their way to becoming damn near invincible if we don’t stop them. We need your help. We’re different from them, different from most vampires, really.” Pim said.

“We aren’t asking you to fight the Volturi. We can do that on our own. But we need your help clearing the area of humans. Your gift could be useful in making sure we aren’t exposed and that there isn’t collateral damage from the fight we’re starting.” I said.

“The ones that killed Bree, they’ll be there?” He asked.

“Definitely.” Edward replied.

“I’ll help if you let me kill the ones that killed Bree.”

“Felix is the one you want.” Edward answered. “And we guarantee you’ll be the one to burn him if you help us.”

Fred didn’t hesitate, “I’m in.”

Chapter 12

We returned to Forks with Fred. He kept his talent under control. Edward and he talked a long time about Bree and her thoughts before her death. He was surprised by her thought to Edward, telling him to be nice to Fred. There was definite sadness in Fred’s tone as he spoke of her. I wondered how much he had really liked her. Had he connected to her like Edward had to Bella or me to Laney? And had it been one sided? Could it work that way?

We returned to the Cullen’s house to find many others there with the Cullens. Tanya and her family I recognized as soon as I caught their scent but there were a few others I didn’t recognize.

“News travels fast.” Edward muttered.

Others had come when they’d heard we had declared war on the Volturi. But how many of them were here to join us and how many wanted to deter us?

“Carlisle?!” Edward called as we entered the house.

Carlisle appeared in the entryway, looking calm.

“I thought we agreed we wouldn’t involve our friends if we didn’t have to.” Edward murmured.

“News of Adam’s family going to the Volturi spread faster than any of us could have anticipated.”

Pim chuckled, “That’s us, the Adams family.”

“Seems appropriate, doesn’t it?” I remarked, snickering with him.

“You could have claimed ignorance. You didn’t have to tell them what we’re planning to do.” Edward said to Carlisle.

“I couldn’t lie to them. Besides, the young ones were only too willing to share their story. Ignorance is something I couldn’t claim even if I had wanted to.”

“Stefan and Vladimir?” Edward asked, he sounded dubious.

“They were the first to arrive.” Carlisle answered. “Hardly surprising.”

“Alistair?” He seemed confused.

“We were all surprised by his arrival.”

Edward laughed hard for a moment before speaking, “He’s sorry he came now.” He looked over at me, “Zephyr’s been annoying him almost constantly since he arrived.”

“Where is she?” I asked, worried that she might provoke this vampire without realizing.

“She’s on the roof.”

“Is he on the roof as well?”

“He’s in the attic. His preferred hiding spot. He prefers to be alone. Zephyr has been communicating with him telepathically since he hid in the attic.”

“Perhaps you could convince her to leave me alone.” An unfamiliar voice said from up the stairs. Alistair.

“Zephyr, wasn’t it you that gave the lecture on the indecorous use of powers?” I said.

“But he’s all alone.” She whined from the roof.

“Go bug your sisters and leave the poor man be.”

“But,” She argued.

“Zephyr!” I snapped.

She huffed, “Fine!”

“Teenagers,” I sighed, “Tell me it gets easier.” I said, looking at Carlisle.

“You’ll grow accustomed to the drama and stress they cause.” He answered with a smile.

“We’re not so bad.” Edward said to his surrogate father. He paused before adding, “Well, I’m not that bad.”

A general scoff of disagreement came from the backyard. His siblings didn’t seem to agree with that assessment.

“Edward,” Carlisle said in a lighthearted tone, “You may be the worst of all.”

Edward’s eyebrows pulled together and his lips pressed into a thin line. There was truth hidden in Carlisle’s teasing.

Bella joined us inside, hugging Edward around the waist.

“I’m the bigger troublemaker.” She defended her mate, “I caused a lot of trouble as a human. Most of the trouble he got in to was my fault.”

“Water under the bridge, I’m sure.” I was speaking more to Edward than to Bella. He seemed to need the reassurance more than Bella did. “No sense dwelling on it.”

Edward met my eyes, his gaze scrutinizing. He nodded once but didn’t really seem to let go of what was bothering him.

We went outside to join the others. Tanya, Kate and Garrett were standing with the triplets, talking quietly together. Pim ran over to them and joined the conversation. Meadow threw an arm over his shoulder and rested her head against him for a moment. It was a welcoming gesture, a sisterly gesture. They really were bonding like siblings. Odds were they wouldn’t ever be as close as the triplets were to each other but they did have a bond.

Bella and Edward stuck close to Fred, making him feel welcome. He seemed to find Bella’s presence comforting. She had no trouble looking at him.

Esme, Jasper, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett and a crowd of others were taking turns practicing sparing. I spotted Laney, Hector and Bianca in the bunch. Carlisle and I moved over to them, watching them. Laney moved to my side, taking my hand.

I looked around at the crowd. They were all friends of Carlisle’s. Willing to stand with him. Possibly die with him. He inspired a sense of loyalty. I remembered how quickly I had offered to stand up for him, to do anything to keep him and his family from fighting. And as I looked around, I thought I figured out why.

His gift.

That candlelight drew us to him. He was a magnet. He drew allegiance from those that were close to him. It wasn’t strong enough to change our character on a fundamental level. It wouldn’t overcome Aro’s ambition. Nor was it transmitted deliberately. But if you allowed yourself to care for him, that magnetism drew you in and made you fiercely devoted.

“I think I figured out your gift, Carlisle.” I murmured.

“Oh?” He replied.

“You draw loyalty from those around you. Those that care for you, would follow you to Hell and back.”

He contemplated for a moment before responding, “I think not. They are just good friends. They would do the same for any other friend. Not that I would ask this of them.”

“Apparently, you don’t have to.”

“I think, if I have a gift, it might be my willpower. I have often wondered if my ability to resist the instinct to hunt was something more than natural determination.”

“It’s just a theory.” I said with a shrug, “But you draw loyalty from a wide range of personalities. Whether natural or supernatural, it is still impressive.”

Emmett and Jasper were in the center of the crowd. They appeared more playful than I remembered Felix being during training. They were actually practicing, but there was a lightheartedness to their sparing.

“Want to give it a try, professor?” Emmett asked me.

I laughed a little, “I don’t think that’s necessary. If even half the vampires present are coming with us, none of us are going to be doing any sparing. This will be the proverbial shooting fish in a barrel.”

“It can’t hurt to be prepared, Adam.” Jasper said.

“Don’t worry about him,” Pim said, joining the crowd, along with the others he had been talking to. I noted that Tanya stood beside him instead of her own family. “He can take care of himself. He’s taken on Felix and won.”

“Twice.” Rain corrected him.

Everyone turned and stared at me.

I shrugged, “The second time wasn’t all that impressive. I took down Felix but Demetri and Jane would have destroyed me if Rain, Zephyr and Meadow hadn’t shown up.”

“He’s being modest.” Rain said.

“I’m being honest.” I countered. “And I don’t think I said thank you for coming back for me.”

“We wouldn’t just leave you there.” They replied, shaking their heads at me.

“Anyway,” I said, redirecting the conversation, “We should work this as an execution rather than a battle. We go in, contain, disable, destroy. If we move quickly and efficiently, there won’t be a fight. Does anyone have a problem with that?”

Carlisle shifted uncomfortably.

“Remember,” I said, looking at the ground but aiming my comment at Carlisle, “No one is required to come.”

“We’re with you.” Carlisle answered.

“As are we.” Tanya said. There was a fierceness to her tone. She had a score to settle. Many of them probably did.

“What of our families, Tanya?” I asked.

“Eleazar and Carmen are with them.” She assured me.

“We all have an interest in seeing this through.” A dark haired vampire with the same papery skin as Aro, said. “If you are unsuccessful, it will affect us all.”

“All I ask is that we maintain order. I know you all have a bone to pick with them, but if we lose order, there is a chance someone will slip through the cracks. Even one of them escaping will make this an unresolved issue for us. We don’t want one of them getting away, creating another army and coming for us again in the future. But we also don’t want to condemn the innocent. We know there are those that are being forced to be in the army. They deserve a chance to live peacefully.”

“Such a humanitarian.” Another ancient looking vampire commented mockingly, “You are very peaceful for one so young.”

“You have no idea.” Edward said under his breath.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” I replied to Edward’s remark.

“Not bad,” He said, smiling, “Remarkable.”

“Hardly,” I scoffed, “You’ve read the girls’ minds. They’ve never killed a human or anything else for that matter. That’s remarkable.”

“You stopped hunting with blood in the air and a live human in the room. Trust me, that’s something even the sisters would find impossible.”

They hissed at him.

“I’m not saying you’d want to.” He said defensively, “I’m saying you wouldn’t be able to stop yourselves.”

They folded their arms and glared.

“They were strong enough not to start in the first place. They have a clean record. I have two kills on my conscience.”

There were those that laughed at my use of the word conscience. There were those that looked confounded. Those with gold hued eyes had varying expressions of sympathy.

“Credit should be given where credit is due, Adam. None of us had as much self-control as you after only a week.” Edward said.

“How old are you, child?” The ancient vampire with dark hair asked.

“Twenty seven.” I replied.

“He means how long have you been a vampire.” Edward clarified.

“Edward is right, one week.”

Everyone was silent. All eyes looked my way. I could see disbelief in many eyes, and anxiety in others. I couldn’t fathom why, though. So, I wasn’t nervous and easily distractible all the time. I don’t see the cause for alarm in that. Carlisle’s family and mine seemed at ease with a subtle undertone of awe mixed in.

“It didn’t take him a week to master his self-control.” Laney bragged, “He never seemed nervous while we were with the Volturi. Nothing they did fazed him.”

“He was born middle-aged.” Hector teased.

“Won’t be long, he’ll be shaking his cane at us.” Bianca added, laughing.

Pim joined in, saying, “And calling us,”

I cut him off, “Brats? Slackers? Degenerates?”

They laughed. Everyone else was still pretty caught up in how young I was.

I accepted that how I experienced things was fundamentally different from pretty much everyone here. Given the explanation of my unusual talent, others seemed to come to that conclusion as well. I still seemed to make the ancient vampires nervous. Couldn’t imagine why, but I didn’t let their unwarranted anxiety bother me.

To satisfy Emmett’s curiosity, I spared with him once and won. He was less eager to try again. Jasper watched me closely while I fought. He declined to spar with me. Which was just as well. I didn’t really enjoy it that much anyway.

I was introduced to those I didn’t know. I found Benjamin intensely fascinating. He was kind, indulging my curiosity and showing me the extent of his powers. The triplets gravitated our way, impressed and somehow drawn to his use of the elements. They found a profound significance in his ability. I just thought it was neat.

Zafrina showed me her talent. It showed up much the same way Bianca’s did. I could see the image she projected translucent over the reality of my surroundings. Bianca and Hector came over, comparing their talents with hers. Bianca admired Zafrina’s skill and wished she didn’t have to use words to implant illusions. Zafrina was quick to point out that her illusions didn’t have a lasting effect, while Bianca could fundamentally change someone’s personality. Hector and Bianca stayed with Zafrina and her clan, Kachiri and Senna, while Laney and I moved on to mingle with the others. They seemed to become fast friends.

Alistair came down from the attic when he heard the mention of Laney’s ability. His own gift was similar in nature but not as powerful. He disappeared when Zephyr started talking to him telepathically again. I was grateful for his absence. I didn’t like the way he looked at Laney. But I still told Zephyr to leave him alone.

The sun set behind the layer of clouds and rose again without any of us taking note, except for me in the back of my mind.

As morning waned, Pim sought me out.

“They’re on the move.” He whispered, feeling the camp of talented newborns traveling.

“All together?” I asked.

“Yeah,” He replied.

“Heading south?”

He nodded.

Alice froze, her eyes far away, watching something that would soon happen. She gasped. Edward stiffened.

“He’s lost his mind!” Edward said in disbelief.

“He can’t!” Alice groaned.

“What has happened?” Carlisle asked.

“Aro made his decision.” Edward said, “He’s going to add to his army. There are hundreds of them.”

“But without Pim they’ll be lucky to find two or three that are gifted.” I said.

“He’s not looking for talent. He’s looking for numbers.” Edward responded.

“Even with our talents, there’s no way we’ll be able to take on hundreds of newborns. They’ll slaughter us.” Jasper whispered.

“How soon?” I asked.

“No way to know for sure.” Alice answered, “Maybe a week.”

“He’s moving the gifted ones to Voltura now. He’ll probably send out his older ones to get more recruits once the gifted ones are safely in the Volturi stronghold.” I muttered, thinking out loud.

“It will be several hours before they get there.” Pim said.

“All right, we hunt now, power up and then as soon as the recruits are there, we begin our strike on Voltura.” I said.

“Are you sure that will work?” Bella asked, “Shouldn’t we go now and wait for them.”

“No, they’d smell us before they got there. They might scatter. There aren’t enough of us able to take them on individually if they disperse. We need the element of surprise.” I said.

The consensus was made. We would hunt.

The golden eyed vampires and my little family went hunting together. The triplets joined us under protest. I insisted they come to show support. But I figured I would give them donor blood when we got back since they wouldn’t kill anything while we were out. As we ran through the woods, two giant wolves showed up and ran with us. One was reddish brown, the other a light golden brown. I heard Edward call the smaller one Seth.

“We’re going to face the Volturi.” Edward said to Jacob, “We have to leave soon. If we wait until they come for us, none of us will survive.”

“Don’t tell Renesmee until we’re gone.” Bella told him, “She’ll want to come.”

Jacob whined.

“If the pack comes with us, Renesmee will be here alone. We need you here. To keep her safe and more importantly to keep her here. She might try to follow us.” Edward replied.

Jacob huffed and then nodded. He seemed to agree with him. But Jacob whined again and Bella hugged him gently around the neck.

“They’ll come back.” I said to Jacob, guessing what was bothering him. “No matter what.”

“I’ll make sure of it.” Rain added.

He seemed encouraged by our assurances.

Seth bounded up to Meadow. She giggled and then ran. He followed after her, trying to catch up to her. He didn’t seem hostile but I didn’t understand their interaction.

“They’re just racing.” Laney whispered to me.

“I just didn’t expect the wolves to get along with the girls. Especially with their wonderful first impression.” I murmured back.

“Seth is very forgiving.” Bella said, suddenly by my side.

“Seth thinks they’re great. He’s particularly taken with Meadow. Jacob is tolerant but the others still keep their distance from them.” Edward joined our conversation.

“Taken?” I said with a little alarm, “Should I be worried?”

“I don’t…think so.” He answered carefully.

“They’re friends.” Laney insisted.

“He likes the girls’ philosophy on life.” Bella said.

“They are oddly tolerant of his hunting habit.” Edward remarked.

“Circle of life.” Zephyr said in reply. “We wouldn’t ask him to go against nature.” Rain added.

“And yet you rebel against your own intrinsic nature.” I observed.

“What we are is contrary to nature.” Meadow remarked.

Seth whined and nudged her with his nose.

“She didn’t mean to include you in that.” Edward responded to him.

“Of course not!” She exclaimed in horror.

“You were born the way you are, Seth.” Rain said. “We were infected with our need for blood and violence.” Zephyr added.

Seth shook his head, followed by the rest of his body. He bounded off into the trees and the girls raced after him. I could hear the girls laughing as they played with their furry friend.

I took to hunting wild game quickly. There was something fun about it. I could let my instinct out in a small measured way. I kept my focus, but it felt nice to let the animal part of my mind out a bit.

The elk was disgusting. It didn’t smell or taste right but I drank it anyway, removing my sense of taste while I drank. I didn’t complain aloud but the others could tell I didn’t enjoy animal blood.

“Carnivores are a little better.” Edward said, trying not to laugh at my expression.

“I suppose this is our equivalent to lima beans and Brussel sprouts.” I joked.

“You get used to it.” Bella said.

I shrugged. It didn’t really matter. I could sacrifice taste for my conscience.

“I still think this might not be the healthiest alternative.” Garrett said.

“It isn’t the only alternative to killing humans, but if you enjoy the hunt, tracking and ultimately killing something, this is a good alternative.” I replied.

“I guess that part would be hard to give up.” He conceded.

“You could probably do both.” Laney said as she watched the others running through the trees.

“Think our eyes would turn orange if we drank equal amounts human and animal blood?” I asked her.

She looked at me and smirked, “You’ve thought about this a lot, haven’t you?”

“It crossed my mind once or twice.” I admitted.

“Anything would be better than red eyes.” She sighed.

Then Rain appeared next to Laney. She had used her gift instead of running.

“That is the one drawback to donor blood.” Rain sounded disappointed. “We don’t get the cool yellow eyes.”

“Stop using your power, Rain.” I scolded her, “You need to conserve your energy. You’re going to try to move more vampires than you ever have before.”

“I’m fine.” She replied, her tone implying that I worry too much. “I’ve got this.”

“Then just use your feet for my peace of mind.”

When we finished hunting, we ran back to the Cullen’s house. The wolves went back to the reservation with strict instructions not to tell Renesmee anything for at least a day. I knew the army would reach Voltura long before then.

The others had gone hunting as well, having to run hundreds of miles away from Forks. They arrived a couple hours after us. Everyone had bright eyes and a slight flush to their cheeks.

When Pim alerted us that they were there, Bella, Fred and Rain teleported to the center of the city. I had wanted to go, to make sure things went according to plan, but Bella was the one that could shield Rain from Fred’s talent. I knew they’d be all right. Rain would bring them back at the first sign of trouble, but I still worried. The seconds seemed to move slower as we all waited for their return. Edward was even more affected than me.

After five minutes some started whispering. Questions of what to do if they didn’t return were tossed around. Edward and I didn’t reply but our eyes met. After ten minutes the anxiety really started to spike.

“Jasper.” Carlisle whispered.

The tension evaporated almost instantly. He was using his gift to keep everyone calm. Since I knew what he could do and how it felt, I was sure I could bypass it but right then I didn’t want to.

Rain, Bella and Fred finally reappeared. We collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

“What took you so long?!” Hector complained.

“People move slowly.” Bella explained, “It took almost twenty minutes for everyone to evacuate and that was with Fred using his talent at maximum capacity. And I had to shield the Volturi so they wouldn’t feel compelled to run as well.”

“We need to hurry.” Rain said, “They know something is up.”

Everyone moved close together, placing a hand on the shoulder of the vampire in front of them. And then Rain worked her magic.

Chapter 13

We landed outside the gates of Voltura. Carlisle’s family, the Denali’s and my family went inside while everyone else made a perimeter around the city. They were making sure no one got out.

Tanya, Carlisle and I led the way to the center of the city. We stopped in front of the clock tower. Our families formed ranks behind us, leaving the leaders in front.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” I said with a slight sing-song quality to my voice.

They came from the alleyway, flowing in near perfect synchronicity. They younger ones weren’t as fluid as the old ones. But they had a definite unity to them. They all wore varying shades of gray cloaks. The recruits we had been trapped with all wore the lightest shade, an ash color.

Aro, Marcus and Caius along with two females were the last to come out. Not surprising, really.

“I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, Aro.” Carlisle said, his tone full of regret.

“As did I, old friend.” Aro sighed.

“Then this is your chance.” I said, “Let the army go and agree to a peace treaty.”

“As I told you before, I would never hold anyone against their will.” Aro replied and then spoke to his troops, “Any of my dear ones that do not wish to remain with us may go.”

“And you guarantee they will incur no retribution for leaving?” I asked.

“Of course.”

This time, I addressed the army, “You don’t have to fight for them. You can leave. We will make sure you are allowed to remain free. If you choose to stay and this becomes a fight, I cannot guarantee your survival.”

“Tess,” Laney begged, “Please, I know you don’t want to be a part of this. Run! Run while you still can.”

The girl with spiky red hair that had warned me not to try to escape from the camp looked over at Laney. There was no recognition in her eyes. There was no fear, either. Whatever was keeping her there, it was stronger than her fear of death.

Tess remained, not even flinching at the offer of freedom.

I looked at Aro, “Last chance. What shall it be?”

“You have brought this war to our doorstep. We have no option but to fight.” He answered.

“You know this would have happened anyway, with many more newborns in tow, if you had been given the time.” Alice growled.

“Lying to us is trite at this point.” I commented.

“You know I can hear what you are thinking,” Edward said, “And I have no incentive to keep from sharing your deceptions with everyone.”

“Understand this, you cannot win. But we don’t want to be like you. We are offering you the chance to live. All you have to do is stand down. And mean it.” I said.

“You want me to admit defeat? To submit to a new ruling class?” Aro asked like we were crazy.

“We have no wish to rule anyone.” Carlisle said.

“You’re the only one seeking conquest and domination.” Edward added.

There was silence. It was heavy with intention and anticipation. Aro would never back down from this. And he was arrogant enough to think he might have a chance at winning or at the very least surviving.

“You’re more organized this time.” Bella commented, her eyes on Jane.

“They’re all attacking at once.” Edward explained.

“I’m truly sorry, Carlisle.” I whispered.

He placed a hand on my shoulder but didn’t speak. He didn’t need to.

“Hector, Meadow, it’s time.” I sighed.

The vampires with ash colored cloaks started towards us. They only made it a few feet before half were frozen in place and the other half levitated a foot of the ground. Aro, Caius and Marcus were frozen at the back, held in place by Hector.

“I made a promise,” I said to Carlisle, “I intend to keep it.”

He nodded.

“Fred,” Edward called. He came quickly from behind the city wall. Edward pointed to Felix, “He’s the one that destroyed Bree.”

Fred wasted no time tearing Felix to pieces. I couldn’t help but feel the slightest twinge of pity for him. Poor Felix didn’t stand a chance. It really was like shooting fish in a barrel.

“We should start with the ringleaders.” I said.

Carlisle, Tanya, Edward and I moved through the frozen army. We lined up side by side, facing the three ancient vampires.

“Hey Edward!” Hector called.

Edward smiled just before Caius slapped himself in the face.

“Aw! Come on, man! That was your cue! You were supposed to say, ‘stop hitting yourself.’” Hector said, sounding both amused and disappointed.

There was a soft chuckle that surfaced from those with the same maturity level as Hector.

I sighed and shook my head.

“Hector,” I said with as much patience as I could muster, “Not appropriate, under the circumstances.”

“Yeah,” Emmett said, grinning, “But still hilarious.”

I moved to stand in front of Marcus.

“I wasn’t really one to buy into the idea of an afterlife when I was human. I don’t have a good explanation for why I do now. Something about the way I think now makes the idea of Heaven seem plausible. The complexities and nuances that I understand about this life, I can see the design. I can’t say for sure what or who, but I can say with a fair amount of certainty that there is something. Whatever the other side is, I do believe Didyme is there, waiting for you. If nothing else, I hope there is some peace in that.” I murmured to him.

His eyes shifted to meet mine. He couldn’t speak but there was gratitude in his hazy red eyes.

I slowly reached out to him, fighting my hesitation. I didn’t want to kill him but I felt like it would be cruel to ask him to live after this, all alone. I placed my hands on his neck, my thumbs on his jaw.

“Wait!” Edward called.

I looked over at him, releasing my hold on Marcus.

“There’s something you should know, Marcus.” Edward said with a pained look on his face. “About who killed Didyme.”

“Hector, release Marcus, please.” I said.

Hector looked uncertain but I nodded to him, assuring him everything was fine and then Marcus was free.

“It wasn’t the nomad Aro told you that killed her.” Edward whispered, “Aro killed her.”

“No,” Marcus sighed lightly, “Didyme was his sister. His true sister from his former life. He wouldn’t hurt her.” He didn’t seem perturbed or even a little disturbed by the implication. Something wasn’t right.

“It’s Chelsea.” Edward growled.

“Zephyr, teach Chelsea some manners, would you?” I said, looking sharply at Chelsea.

Chelsea was levitating and could still move, talk and use her ability. When Zephyr started in on her, she grabbed her ears and started screaming, squirming in midair. I waited five seconds before I signaled for Zephyr to stop. Chelsea was quiet again.

“Kindly stop influencing the others or I’ll let Kate teach you manners next.” I said in a menacing tone.

The expression of those still able to control their muscles, changed rapidly from determination to fright.

“Aro didn’t want you and Didyme to leave. When he changed her, he had hoped she would do something useful for him. But all she could do was make others happy. Not useful in his opinion.” Edward said to Marcus.

He didn’t look quite so lethargic now. His brow creased as he contemplated what he had been told.

“What a wonderful gift.” I said without thinking, “There is so much good that could be done with such a beautiful talent.”

He met my eyes, pain and rage burning full force in his.

“Hector, let Aro speak.” I said to him and then turned my focus to Aro, “How could you?”

“Lies, brother!” Aro insisted fervently, “They mean to turn us against each other! You are free! Fight them!”

“She knew, didn’t she?” I asked Marcus. “She knew what Aro really wanted, what he was planning and she didn’t want any part of it.”

“She and I wished only to be together. We cared nothing for the army he desired.” He replied.

“And she convinced you that you both should tell Aro that you planned to leave.” Edward whispered, seeing Marcus’s memories.

“She loved her brother. She would not leave without first saying goodbye.” He replied.

“Then she was killed. And you never questioned the timing.” I sighed.

“He was never allowed to question it. Chelsea made sure he felt too deep a commitment to even think of Aro being responsible.” Edward growled.

Marcus didn’t seem to question it now. He knew we were telling the truth. He faced Aro, standing toe to toe with him.

“Why?” He snarled, “She was your sister! Your true sister! Why did you not kill me instead of her?”

Aro stared helplessly into the eyes of his once brother-in-law. But he said nothing.

“You know the answer to that.” I mumbled softly. You serve a more useful purpose than she could.

“Brother!” Aro sighed, maintaining his tone of innocence to the last.

Marcus screamed, a sound so loud it shook the walls of the city. A sound so full of agony and loathing it made my heart physically hurt to hear it. This was worse than any pain Jane could have inflicted on him. This was beyond betrayal. He had served the one that had killed his soulmate. He had been forced to suffer through this existence, desolated without her and betraying her by protecting the one that had taken her from him. None of us could possibly fathom the intensity of what he was feeling right then. I certainly hoped I never would.

“You are not my brother!” He shrieked, “You were her brother! And you killed her!”

Then, faster than even I could see, he ripped Aro’s head from his shoulders. He proceeded to tear Aro into small pieces, throwing them into a pile that looked like a mound of jagged rocks.

“Benjamin.” I called. He came to us, looking slightly nervous. “If you would be so kind.” I said as I pointed to the pile.

He ignited a flame by snapping his fingers and threw it at the destroyed vampire. A thick pillar of purple smoke rose from the burning pieces.

When Marcus was finished he watched the rubble turning to ash. I walked over to stand beside him. I didn’t look at him, I didn’t think I could handle it. The intensity of his despair and anguish had to be a thousand times what it was the last time I had looked in his eyes and I could barely stand to see it then.

“I am ready, young one.” He sighed, speaking to me.

“Marcus, you are as much a victim as the rest of us.” Carlisle said, “You are free to go.”

Marcus took no note of what he had said. He turned to face me. I did the same, keeping my eyes trained on the ground. He took my hands and placed them as they had been before.

Laney came up behind me and placed her hand on my back.

“Tell Didyme we’re sorry.” Laney whispered.

“There is no need for regret. This is a mercy.” Marcus sighed.

“Not that we ended your existence here.” I clarified, “That it took us so long. It’s a crime how long she’s had wait for you.” And then I tore his head from his shoulders and quickly threw it on the fire before I could change my mind. His body collapsed to its knees and then fell to the ground. I picked him up and placed the rest of him in the fire as well.

Then I gasped for breath. I couldn’t explain it. My eyes burned and my lungs constricted without my consent. I was crying. Tearlessly sobbing. I hadn’t wanted to kill him. I knew it was what he wanted, but it didn’t make it any less of a tragedy for me.

Laney was there, hugging me tightly around the waist. Rain, Zephyr, Bianca and Pim formed a circle around us, hugging each other and us. I couldn’t seem to get a grip.

“You did the right thing.” Laney assured me.

“Trust me,” Edward said, confidence in his tone, “Living would have been unbearable for him.”

Esme came over, followed closely by Alice and Rosalie. They all had sympathy in their eyes. Esme reached up and held my jaw with both hands.

“No one thinks you acted unfairly or did anything wrong.” She said.

“It shouldn’t have been necessary!” I growled, “I never should have had to kill an innocent man.”

Alice glared at the Volturi soldiers. “Monsters!” She snarled, feeling the same rage I was feeling.

“There’s still another to blame for this.” Tanya said.

We formed a circle around Caius.

“Tell me, Caius, was this your idea?” I asked, holding back my anger as best as I could. “Did you think of using Pim to create an army?”

He only stared at us.

“Hector, let him speak.” I barked.

Hector let go of his face but kept the rest of him frozen. A sneer formed on Caius’s loathsome face.

“Yes,” Caius snapped angrily at us, “I am the one that told Felix he should build an army.”

“Why?!” Pim shouted, his rage bursting through to the surface.

“My brother had lost his way. He cared entirely too much for his reputation. We were humiliated by the Cullens and he refused to act. It showed weakness. He made the Volturi appear weak.” He told us, his tone biting.

“Conquest.” I sighed, “That’s all you and Aro ever cared about. It never mattered to you the destruction you left in your wake. The lives you ruined.”

“Pim,” Edward said, “Do you want to take this one?”

He stared at Caius for a moment. I thought he would say yes. This was the vampire that had set his fate. But he surprised me.

“No,” Pim answered quietly, “There are others who deserve this more than me.” He looked over at her, “Tanya?”

She seemed surprised too but it faded to a look of appreciation. She called her sister Kate. Kate took hold of him.

“You can release him, Hector.” I said.

Caius screamed in pain. Kate kept him that way for a minute. I figured he had it coming but Carlisle was deeply distressed by it. After the minute passed, Tanya took his arm and threw it into the fire. They tore him to pieces, burning his head last. I wondered if that made the pain last longer. Were you aware while you were decapitated? Could you feel the pieces burning even after they were detached? Again, I hoped I’d never find out.

Pim did the same to Jane. I was more merciful to Alec, taking his head first thing and making sure it was incinerated before I threw the rest of him in the fire. One by one, the old regime of the Volturi were destroyed. The Romanians took a little too much pleasure in the executions for my taste.

The wives had been so quiet, I thought they wouldn’t be a problem for us, that we might be able to set them free. But Edward could read the vengeance in their thoughts. They truly loved their husbands, despite the atrocities they committed. They ended up in the burn pile as well.

We made it to the new recruits. Most of them were terrified of us. Tess was the first to go free. There were only a few that had really bought in to the Volturi lifestyle. Edward spotted them and they joined the rest of the Volturi smoldering in the ashes. It was too hard to watch. I couldn’t do it. Neither could the rest of my family. We turned away as those that had been dragged into this without permission or warning, were destroyed.

Those that were left alive, we reminded that the same rules applied as before. No conspicuous killing, no forming armies. I added the rule that no one changes a human into a vampire unless they agree to it first. I figured for the ones that fell in love or couldn’t stand to let someone die before their time, it was an option they could use but only if the human agreed to it first. I told them I’d be watching and anyone that broke the rules, would answer for their crimes.

We also brought up the alternatives to killing humans. I laid out my plans to open blood banks around the world, where vampires could come when they needed to feed.

“Is this also a new law?” One of them asked hesitantly, “Are we required not to hunt humans anymore?”

“No, the only requirement is subtlety.” I answered.

“Why not force us to do things your way?” Another asked, sounding suspicious.

“I have no desire to rule.” I replied, “None of us do. What we want is for everyone to know all their options. Some of us can’t live with killing humans. For those that can, I say do what feels right.”

“But you are like the Volturi now.” Veronica said.

“No,” I protested vehemently, “We’re not.”

“We’re more like the Justice League.” Laney offered.

“Yeah,” Pim said, “We show up when trouble is around but we aren’t interested in recruiting.”

“And we won’t stick around after we’re done.” Hector added.

“With any luck, one day, we won’t need to enforce these laws.” I said.

The former Volturi soldiers were the first to leave. After they disbanded, we moved outside the gates of Voltura.

“Light it up.” I said to Benjamin, “Burn this place to the ground.”

He obliged, sending a huge fireball hurling into the city. We watched from a distance as the buildings crumbled and the smoke blocked out the sky. This was the end of an era and all the vampires around the world would know the time of the Volturi had ended. This was our warning to any that thought like Aro. Try to take us on and you’ll get burned.

“You were right,” Garrett commented as we watched the flames cascading, engulfing everything, “It wasn’t much of a fight.”

“You doubted me?” I asked jokingly.

“When you’ve lived long enough with one power always ruling, it’s difficult to believe they could fall.”

“We are the revolution. And this is our new government. Let’s hope we don’t screw it up.”

The nomads slowly dispersed, saying their goodbyes and promising to spread the news along the way. Soon everyone would know what we had done, what we had achieved. We would be as feared and revered as the Volturi had been. But it wouldn’t mean to us what it had to them. Conquest wasn’t in our nature.

“Come on, Adam.” Rain said, placing a hand on my shoulder, “Let’s go home.”

“Home,” I sighed and looked over my shoulder at her, “Where is that?”

Chapter 14

I stood staring at two dozen TV’s, each tuned to a different station, all news related. I had set up the living room so each thirty inch flat screen was mounted to the south facing wall, stacked four high, six in each row. This was the only way I could stay interested enough to actually watch the news. Gone were the days of watching one news report. I also perused the internet on my laptop while I scanned the news on TV, looking for any signs of trouble.

Laney nudged my shoulder with hers, “You worry too much. Anyone ever tell you that?” She said with an amused smile.

“Once or twice.” I replied.

“You’re a workaholic, Adam.” She complained, “If you’re not watching every news station on earth, you’re working in your lab. All work and no play makes Adam a dull boy.”

“I haven’t been able to work in my lab for days now.” I grumbled.

“And why is that?” She asked although she already knew the answer.

“Because the human shipping industry works at a torturously slow rate.” I retorted.

“She’s right,” Rain said, stopping right in the way of my view of the lower left quadrant of TVs. “It’s time for a break.” Zephyr added, showing up next to her sister, further obstructing my view. “Come on, we haven’t seen our friends in such a long time.” Meadow whined, blocking the rest of the TVs as she stood next to her sisters.

“It’s only been four years.” I said, trying to look around them. They moved in my way each time I moved, forming a wall between me and the news. “You have no patience.”

“It doesn’t help that it is mind-numbingly boring here.” Hector complained. He had come into the kitchen from his room down the hall, sitting on the counter as he griped.

Bianca ran at top speed, joining him in the kitchen that over looked the living room where the triplets and I were having our standoff. She leaned against the wall, watching us with amusement in her eyes.

“Don’t you miss Pim as much as the rest of us?” Bianca chided.

Pim and Tanya had bonded in the time after we returned to the Cullen’s after destroying Voltura. He had opted to go live with them. Part of me wondered if he still harbored some guilt for leading the Volturi to us and condemning us to this life. Was it easier for him to be happy with Tanya and her family? I hoped so. I was glad he found someone that he connected to. Tanya was nice. She had spent quite a bit of time helping us return our families to their homes after it was all over.

Bianca had erased the memories for some of our human family members, making it all just a dream for them. The rest did okay coping, although we never really told them the truth. The word vampire never came up. I had Bianca wipe my parents’ memories of me. They needed to grieve and move on.

After that ordeal, we stayed with the Cullens for a while. They were nice, very hospitable even in such tight quarters. But I knew we’d need to find a place of our own. Luckily, with my above average intelligence and a friend that wasn’t morally opposed to a little ‘insider trading’, we were able to save up enough to buy the materials to build a house. I built a lab in the basement, six bedrooms, I even included a kitchen and dining room in the designs. For the occasional human that might happen upon us, they could enter and not think anything was unusual…about the house anyway. Here we had stayed in the northern most region of Canada. Barely anyone lived out this far. The seclusion was nice…for a while.

But the kids tend to get stir crazy. Doesn’t matter that we’re only a hop, skip and a jump away from polar bears and orcas.

“Pim wants a little distance, remember?” Laney said softly. None of us liked that Pim wasn’t with us. And we all thought we were part of the reason why.

“It’s been years.” Rain whispered. “Do you really think he’d mind seeing us?” Zephyr asked. “Doesn’t he miss us too?” Meadow sighed.

“Of course he does,” I said, “You’re his sisters. I’m sure he misses all of us.”

“So, can we visit?” Rain asked. “We should call the Cullens.” Zephyr said excitedly. “Yeah, then we’ll get to see Seth and Jacob too!” Meadow cheered.

My brow furrowed. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see our friends. It was just that there was always so much to do.

“We have a responsibility.” I said, “We took out the ones that maintained order. It’s our job to watch out for those that might hurt us or our way of life.”

“We have friends all around the globe.” Laney said, “They’re watching out the same as we are. If anything happens, they’ll let us know.”

“Or the Cullens. Or the Denali’s.” Bianca added.

I sighed. It was no use fighting them. They always got their way.

I picked up my phone and dialed the number I knew by heart.

“Hello?” Pim answered.

“Hey,” I said, unable to hold back the joy and relief I felt at hearing his voice, “We’re heading down to the Cullens. Feel like joining us?”

“Do they know you’re coming?” He asked.

I snorted, “I doubt we’ll ever surprise them.”

He laughed, “Oh yeah! Alice!”

“Think you can make it?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be there.”

Before I could even hang up the phone, Rain had a hand on my shoulder and we were there. She disoriented me with how quickly and easily she could do that these days.

All the Cullens were there, waiting for us. Jacob was there in human form, standing hand in hand with Renesmee. She was full grown now, passed the hormonal adolescent stage of her life. Seth was there too, also in human form. It was nice that they were that comfortable with us.

“It’s about time!” Alice said and then leaped over to us, trying to hug all of us at once.

Alice quickly stole the triplets away, no doubt to play dress up with her willing life-size dolls. Renesmee followed after them. Bianca and Hector wandered off with Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie. I could hear them discussing fighting techniques and laughing as they shared stories of past exploits. Seth and Jacob changed into their wolf forms and ran off into the forest, checking in with their pack.

The rest of us stayed in the living room, catching up. They stayed out of sight in Forks these days. Carlisle was itching to move on but Bella was determined to stay until Charlie passed. Their home was far enough out that they didn’t get unsolicited visitors. But Carlisle longed to be of use, serving mankind. I thought it was noble. I told him of my lab and my experiments with cloning human blood, hoping to leave humans out of the equation completely. He was deeply interested.

A few hours later, the Denali’s show up. My family appeared from the places they had scattered to and jumped on Pim the way Alice had on us when we arrived. Laney and I stood back and watched, laughing. Pim hugged the girls and wrestled with Hector for a minute before coming over to say hi.

“It’s been a while.” Pim said with a grin.

I rolled my eyes, “None of you have any patience!” I huffed teasingly. “Four years in the grand scheme of things is not that long.”

He shrugged, “Feels like a long time.”

“Yeah, we missed you too.” I replied.

“The girls have been bugging him for months to come visit.” Laney said. “But you know Adam.”

“Right,” He chuckled, “All work and no play.”

I narrowed my eyes, first glaring at him and then Laney. There was a conspiracy going on here, I could feel it.

Pim laughed, “Zephyr told me what Laney said. She thought it’d be a good joke if I said it too.”

Everyone gravitated to the living room, eager to catch up with old friends. The Denali’s were all happy. There was a sense of unity with them. They were complete, each partnered to their soulmate, each deeply connected as a family. As much as I missed Pim, I was glad he had found his peace.

“We should get a house in Alaska.” The triplets said after listening to Pim go on about how great it was there.

“We’re fine where we are.” I replied.

“It’s not so bad there.” Pim said.

“It isn’t that.”

“Adam is far too caught up in his research and obsessing over the news to have time to think about buying a house.” Laney said in a reproachful tone, “Carlisle, tell Adam to lighten up. He might listen to you.”

Carlisle laughed, “I think I am better off staying out of it completely.”

“It is hard to believe it’s really over.” Bella said, “We’ve faced so much in so short a time. I’m still waiting for the next disaster.”

“With the Volturi gone, there’s nothing standing in the way of our happily ever after.” Edward whispered to her.

“Nothing but forever ahead of us.” I murmured, looking into Laney’s dark citrine colored eyes.

“Enough of the romantic mumbling.” Emmett said, “Who feels like finding some grizzlies?”

There was a roar of approval. We all ran into the woods, the sun starting to set, making the sky come alive with color.

“Another day gone.” Edward sighed as we loped through the trees.

I understood his sadness. Part of what made life beautiful was the transition, the movement, the development, the change and ultimately, the end.

“And here we stay. Locked in time. Never growing old.” I replied, sharing in his melancholy.

Then Hector started to sing, joined quickly by the rest of my family. Even Pim sang along. I recognized the song and the irony wasn’t lost on me. I laughed a little, along with the others as they listened to the lyrics, unfamiliar to some of them. As the chorus approached, my family looked at me expectantly. The Denali’s and the Cullens watched with curious expressions.

I sighed, still smiling. If you can’t beat them, join them.

And so I sang in my perfect tenor voice, “Here’s to never growing up.”

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 29.01.2019

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