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it would take for me to transform? It was hard to get Edward to leave me during a normal day, not that I minded, but how would I get him to leave me when I needed him most? When I was in pain, screaming and twisting in agony, I shuddered. But I knew that it would hurt Edward to see me like that, especially when he knew that he had been the one to bite me. I couldn't let him go through that, no matter how much my selfish self wanted him to stay. Maybe I would talk to Alice…?
Finally the plane took off. When we were able to take our seatbelts off, I took mine off so I could lean against Edward. He wrapped his cold arms around me. I didn't look at his face, afraid of what I might find there. I continued to think of ways to get Edward away from me for three days when I was unable to do anything about it.
The next thing I knew, I felt Edward kiss the top of my head and then gently shake me.
"Time to wake up, sleeping beauty, we're here."
"Oh." I said as I opened my eyes.
I had fallen asleep. Everyone was walking past us to the door.
It was freezing as we exited the plane; the sky was gray and cloudy. I shivered from the cold, wanting to kick myself for leaving my jacket in my suitcase. Edward, who had not forgotten his jacket, took his off and put it on me. I knew the cold wouldn't bother him, so I didn't object.
Edward didn't have his silver Volvo, the rest of the Cullens would bring it with them, somehow; so we had to ride in a shuttle. As we got in, I suddenly remembered we were going to Tanya's family's house.
"What is Tanya's family like?" I whispered so that the driver couldn't hear us.
"Well, they're like us. They don't drink human blood. Remember?" He whispered back.
"Yeah, I know that. But, I mean, what are they like…?" I struggled to find the right words, "Are they nice or, uh, you know."
"Their nice," He seemed hesitant, "There's not much to tell."
I felt like there was something he was trying to keep from me. I racked my brain for everything he had ever told me about Tanya's family. They were all 'vegetarians' as they called themselves, only drinking animal blood. I remembered how Rosalie had said that there were a lot of females in the clan, how Edward had not shown any preference to any of them when they lived with them in Denali. Though nothing had happened, it had still bothered me. Maybe Edward was trying not to remind me of that conversation I had with him. Then I remembered how Tanya's family wouldn't come help the Cullens fight the newborn vampires from Seattle because the werewolves had killed Laurent, who had been in James and Victoria's group. When James and Victoria had started hunting me, Laurent had gone up to visit Tanya's family. Irina, a member of Tanya's family, had grown very close to him. When the werewolves killed him, she said they would help the Cullens in return for permission to attack the werewolf pack. The Cullens had refused, and weren't on very good terms with Irina anymore.
"What about Irina?" I whispered to Edward after a while.
"Irina isn't very pleased that we're coming, but the rest of them are fine with it. Irina knows that we won't be there permanently, so she shouldn't be difficult."
I was silent as I digested that.
"This driver is going so slow." Edward moaned under his breath.
I giggled.


I gasped when we reached the house. I had been expecting something like the Cullens house, but it was entirely different.
It was a large, 2 story, log home surrounded by forest. The wooden exterior seemed to be made of cedar. The rectangular windows had black shutters, matching the color of the door and roof. On one side of the house was a large turret, which made the house look like it was from medieval times. The yard was beautiful; the grass was deep green, surrounded by bunches of flowers. A short wall of rock surrounded the yard, breaking where a wooden path led from the gravel road to the cozy looking front porch. All together, it looked very majestic. To call this place a house was an insult. Castle seemed to be the right word.
"Wow." I breathed.
"It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" Edward said.
"Amazing." I repeated stupidly.
Edward tipped the shuttle driver, took our suite cases, and then we walked up the wooden path to the house. As Edward knocked on the door, I gulped.
"It'll be fine." He said, but I thought I heard a bit of doubt in his voice. I took a deep breath.
When someone opened the door I felt my lower jaw drop.
The woman who opened the door, who looked to be about nineteen or twenty, was gorgeous beyond belief. Her strawberry blonde hair fell in waves around her face, her golden eyes were perfectly almond shaped, and her lavender lips were full and perfect. Her skin was vampire pale. Her tight shirt and jeans emphasized her already perfect figure. She was almost as beautiful as Rosalie.
"Hi," She said pleasantly, "We've been expecting you," Then she turned to Edward "It's nice to see you again, Edward." Her tone was full of adoration as she tried to flirt with him. I felt a surge of jealousy run through me. I looked at Edward to see his reaction. His face was emotionless.
"It's nice to see you, too, Tanya." Edward's voice was polite, but I thought I heard an edge of annoyance in his tone.
Tanya seemed to pick it up, too. She turned to me.
"And you must be the future vampire, Isabella Swan. Well, according to Esme, you're now Isabella Cullen." She glanced at Edward, disappointment in her eyes, but quickly turned back to me.
"Bella." I corrected, my tone acidic.
"Well, why don't you come inside?" She gestured inside, moving aside so Edward and I get through.
"Thank you." Edward said as we walked in, his tone unchanged. I wondered what he could hear her thinking, and I guessed that I probably didn't want to know.
The inside of the house was shocking as well. I had been expecting the front room to be huge like at the Cullens house, but it was exactly the opposite. Instead, it was small and cozy. Two, comfortable looking couches sat against opposite walls with a wooden coffee table between them and a large fireplace, which seemed to have never been used, took up the space on the wall facing us. Across from the front room was a small staircase.
"You can put your suite cases there." Tanya told Edward, pointing to the floor next to the coffee table. While Edward put our suite cases down, Tanya walked to the bottom of the stairs.
"Kate, Carmen, Eleazar, Irina, come down. Our guests have arrived." Tanya said, her voice as quiet as if they were standing right in front of her.
Suddenly, three people were standing next to Tanya. Two were female and the other was male.
The first girl seemed very excited when she saw Edward and I. Her hair was light brown and cut short, about an inch above her shoulders. She was tall and very thin, but didn't have much of a figure. The second girl, who held the boy's hand, had long black hair. She was very tall, with long legs. Though her skin was albino white, she had Hispanic features. The boy, too, had Hispanic features despite his pale skin. His height was average and his black hair was very short.
"Where's Irina?" Tanya asked them.
"She said she doesn't want to see them." The brown haired girl said, her happy mood disappearing.
Tanya sighed.
"I'm so sorry. She's still upset about Laurent's death." She spoke to Edward mostly, but glanced at me when she said Laurent's name.
"I understand." Edward said politely.
Tanya then looked at me and saw my confused expression.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot you didn't know. This is Carmen," She pointed to the girl with long black hair, "and Eleazar," She pointed to the black haired boy, "They're married, by the way."
"Pleased to meet you, Isabella." Carmen said as she stretched her arm across the small space between us and shook my hand.
"Bella." I corrected again. It felt like my first day of school, except it was another house full of vampires instead of a school full of kids.
"Bella." She repeated, smiling beautifully. Eleazar smiled, too.
"And this is Katrina." Tanya continued, pointing to the brown haired girl, whose hyper mood had returned. She skipped gracefully to me and took my hand.
"Call me Kate." She said cheerfully as she shook my hand. She reminded me of Alice, only taller.
As Kate walked back to take her place next to Carmen, Tanya walked over to our suite cases and picked them up.
"I'll show you to your room." She said. She started up the stairs at human speed, so I could catch up, I guessed. Edward and I followed.
"I hope you're okay with sharing a bedroom. If the rest of the Cullens are coming, we'll need to leave room for them." Tanya said as we walked down a long hallway.
"That'll be fine." Edward assured her.
Our bedroom was at the end of the hallway. Somehow, Tanya opened the door while holding both of our suitcases. When we entered, I repressed a sigh. Tanya's family, too, had bought a bed for me. It was large, with metal posts painted white. The covers and pillows were white, too.
The room was very large. The floors were wooden. The ceiling and walls were white. The walls were empty except for the large bay window that faced the west. The sky outside was very dark.
"Do you like it?" Tanya asked us.
"It's wonderful." I said.
"It's great. Thank you so much for your hospitality." Edward said.
"Any time," Tanya replied, "Are you hungry, Bella? We bought you some food." She asked me.
"Yeah, sure. Thanks."
"Alright, then. I'll let you two unpack." She said. Then she left the room.
"What was that about?" I asked when I thought Tanya was out of earshot.
"What was what about?" Edward asked innocently.
"You know-Tanya. I saw how she looked at you. I thought you told her you weren't interested."
"I did. But, apparently, she still has feelings for me despite what I told her," He took in my expression-which I tried to control, but to no prevail-and he smiled, "Are you jealous?"
"No, I'm not jealous. I was just curious." I said too quickly. I blushed. Edward walked over to me and put his arms around me.
"Bella, there is no need for you to be jealous. You are the only one I've ever loved and ever will love. My heart will always be yours as long as you want it, and no one will ever change that."
I sighed and laid my head against his chest.
"I know." I whispered.
I felt Edward lean his head down and kiss my hair. I reached my face up and my lips found his and we kissed. Even though I believed him, I still felt a little jealous. In fact, one part of me wanted Tanya to enter the room and find Edward and I this way.
Hopefully, she'd get a clue and back off. I crushed myself against his body and put more enthusiasm into the kiss. Apparently too much enthusiasm, because, all too soon, Edward pulled away. I tried to force my lips back to his, but he restrained me.
"Bella…" He said, shaking his head.
"I don't care." I said, still struggling to kiss him again, though I knew it was hopeless.
"Well you should." He said.
I didn't say anything.
"Let's get you something to eat." Edward said as he began to lead me to the door.
Though I knew it was ridiculous, I felt depressed that he hadn't continued to kiss me. I felt that the reason was because he didn't want me, though I knew the real reason; he craved my blood as the scent of it screamed at him. I was his 'La tua cantante' or 'his singer' as Aro from the Volturi had put it. But I knew that my blood wouldn't be a temptation to him for much longer.


Chapter 7: Transformation

Now that some of the hardships were over, such as leaving my family and human life behind me, other worries were starting to resurface. I now found myself fearing the time when Edward would change me. One of the reasons, of course, was the pain, which I was not looking forward to. Then there was the worry that, once I was a bloodthirsty newborn, I wouldn't feel the same about Edward anymore. That all I would care about was blood. I knew that being a vampire was what I wanted, but I didn't want to lose Edward in the process. And the fact that Tanya was still trying to flirt with him was not helping. I didn't tell Edward my renewed worry. I knew that he would try to reassure me, and then tell me that if I didn't want to be changed, I didn't have to. I wanted to be changed, but I wished that there were someway I could guarantee the return of my sanity afterwards.
When the rest of the Cullens arrived, they started getting ready for my transformation. Despite the fact that his eyes were still golden, Edward wanted to hunt before changing me. He said he didn't want to take any chances. So, all of the Cullens left to go on their hunting trip, leaving me in the care of Tanya's family. So all I could do was sit, wait, and let my worries take me over. I sat down on one of the couches next to the large, empty, fireplace in the front room. As I sat there in the silence, the conversation that Rosalie and I had had ran through my mind; "Yes, I know that's what you want now. But have you thought about what you will want in the future? In the future you may be wishing that you stayed human. This is a permanent thing, Bella. I thought I had been clear before, but apparently I wasn't clear enough. You can't do this, Bella. You are throwing your whole future away! You can't do this!" Rosalie had said.
"My future isn't a future at all without Edward. There is no other way." I had answered.
But what if, when I was a vampire, I didn't want him anymore? What if, by becoming a vampire, I was throwing a whole future with Edward away? But I knew that if I didn't become a vampire, I wouldn't have a future at all. The Volturi would see to that. And I wouldn't let Edward risk his life that way trying to protect me. I would have to become a vampire. There was no other way…
"Are you alright? You look really pale."
I jumped when a voice came from right beside me. I turned and saw that it was Kate.
"Sorry." She said as she sat down next to me.
After my breathing returned to normal I answered the last part of her question, "I'm always pale." Unless I'm blushing, I added mentally.
She laughed quietly, "I guess you are, if you're from Forks. You can rarely see the sun down there. Not that you see the sun around here very often." She looked down, lost in thought, for a moment before looking back up. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." I lied.
She looked at me doubtfully. "Are you afraid of being changed?"
"A little." I said quietly.
A thought came to my mind. Maybe I could ask Kate. Maybe she could help me understand all of this. I didn't know how that would help. I didn't know anything about her. But it couldn't hurt.
"I'm worried," I finally said, "about…my sanity…afterwards." I took a deep breath and tried again, "I'm worried that I won't love Edward the same way once I'm a vampire. That all I'll care about is blood…" I stopped as an amused smile spread across Kate's face.
"What?" I asked, confused.
Suddenly, Eleazar was there-standing next to Kate-with a smile on his face, too.
"You were going to come get me, Kate?" He asked her, still smiling.
"Yes, Bella seems to be worrying about how she'll feel about Edward when she's a vampire, and I thought that you could help her out a bit." Kate said without looking at him, still smiling at me. Then her smile disappeared, replaced by frustration.
"Okay, Kate. You can stop playing with Bella's mind." Eleazar said to Kate, his smile disappearing, too.
"I'm not doing anything. It's not working." Kate said, her frustration turning into anger. I remembered that Kate was supposed to have a special power like Edward, Alice, and Jasper. Apparently, whatever she was trying to do, it wasn't working on me because of the strange glitch in my brain.
"It's not working?" Eleazar asked, looking back and forth between Kate and I.
"It's not just her. Edward can't use his gift on me either. He can't read my mind." I explained.
Kate looked at me in confusion, "Why is that?"
"We're not sure. Alice said it was because my mind was a safe place and that no one could reach me there." I said.
Kate still looked at me, confused, and then shrugged, "Anyway, you're worried you won't love Edward anymore once you're a vampire. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"Well, Eleazar might be able to ease your mind." She stood up and looked at Eleazar as she gestured to her seat.
"I don't know, Kate." Eleazar said as he sat down, his voice full of doubt.
"Oh, come on. If she's brave enough to hang out with vampires, she can handle listening to your life's story," She said to Eleazar, and then looked at me as she backed up toward the door past the stairs, "Have fun." She said, then she turned around went through the doorway and closed the door behind her.
"Ah, Kate. You can never really rein her in." Eleazar mumbled.
"So, what is your story?" I asked, suddenly curious, "Unless you don't want to tell me." I said, incase it was something he didn't want me to know.
"No, it's fine. Kate's right, it might help you," He looked down-trying to decide where to start, I guessed-and then looked back up, "what have the Cullens told you about our family?" He asked me.
"Not much," I answered, "Edward told me that you lived in Alaska and that you didn't drink human blood."
"Hmm." Eleazar looked down again. It was silent for a long moment before he spoke again, "Well, the world was a lot different when we were born," He said as he looked up, "Tanya, Kate, and Irina were born during a more peaceful time in Slovakia. Tanya changed Kate and Irina and together they discovered that they didn't need to drink human blood. They love men," he rolled his eyes, "even human men. They hated killing them. That's how they started drinking animal blood, so they wouldn't need to kill any more men. They lived in Slovakia, living in a remote area, for many years. They lived a very peaceful life, until the war started.
"I was born in Spain during the Eighty Years war. The Spanish Empire was fighting against the Ottoman Empire, but I never got involved. When I was eighteen years old, I wouldn't have even known there was a war going on if there hadn't been soldiers marching up and down the streets all the time-not when I was around Carmen.
"Carmen and I had been friends for a long time. Our relationship had grown and we fell in love with each other. She was all I could ever think about, she was-and still is-my whole world.
"But when my father joined the army, he asked me to join him. I was worried about my father. He was very old and I didn't know if he could fight well. I couldn't get him to change his mind and stay home, so I decided to fight with him-to watch out for him. I promised Carmen that I would do everything in my power to return to her before I left. She gave me this," He lifted a small locket that hung around his neck with his index finger so I could see it, "for me to remember her by.
"I found that I was very good on the battle field. I had a knack at predicting what my enemies would do before they did it. My father and I survived many battles. But when we fought in the battle in Slovakia, my little talent didn't help when we were surrounded. There were too many of them, and I was fately wounded. I lay on the ground, waiting for death to take me. I thought I had died when I saw a beautiful face, the face of an angel, looking down on me," He smiled, amusment in his eyes, "It was Tanya. Her house was close by and she had been watching the battle. She had thought that I was handsome and wanted to save me when I was hurt. Everyone else was busy fighting, so no one noticed when she took me away. She changed me," he looked at my face, and I wondered what he saw there. I was too enthralled by his story to tell what my face was showing. Whatever he saw made him edit,
"They told me what I'd become and how they lived. I agreed to live the same way. It was hard, I was new and my thirst for human blood was strong. I stayed away from humans. But even though my whole life had been changed, I never forgot about Carmen. I asked Tanya if I could see her. It was becoming very hard to live without her. Tanya wouldn't let me. She said I was still too young and unable to control myself and that I would probably kill Carmen. I didn't know if Tanya was restraining me because she wanted to protect Carmen, or if she was just jealous of Carmen. Whatever the reason, she wouldn't let me go. Whenever I tried to escape, Kate used her ability-to confuse people-on me, making me unable to remember why I wanted to leave. But I found that my knack for predicting everyone's next move had become stronger, and I was able to get around Tanya and her family. Despite the danger it held for her, I went to see Carmen.
"I visted her in her room in the middle of the night. She had many questions for me. I was supposed to have been killed in battle. But I couldn't answer any of her questions. I was trying to concentrate on not killing her. The scent of her blood was too strong for me. I thought I could control myself, but I slipped. I bit her," He looked away from me, but not before I saw the pain in his eyes, "But, I was able to pull myself away. I found the will to stop drinking her blood. I took her back to Tanya's home. After three days, I explained to her what had happened, what I'd done to her," his voice cracked, "She believed me and she joined our family. But we had to leave soon after. Carmen's parents had set up a search party for her. So, we moved here, to Alaska."
He looked up at me and smiled.
"So you see? Just because you will crave blood doesn't mean you'll stop loving Edward. You won't even have to worry about killing him." He laughed weakly.
"But how were you able to stop?" I asked. He knew what I meant.
"I'm not exactly sure. I think it was because-I loved her so much-the thought of her ceasing to exist because of me was just too horrible. My love for her was enough to make me stop," He smiled at me again, "So if you love Edward as much as you say you do, I highly doubt there will be a problem."
I looked up when the door next to the stairs opened. Carmen entered the room.
"Eleazar, what are you doing? I've been looking for you. Irina is…" She stopped when she saw me.
"I was just telling Bella our story." Eleazar said as he stood up and walked over to her. He put his arms around her.
"Oh." She said. She smiled and then kissed Eleazar on his cheek.
"Let's go calm Irina down. She's going to have to get used to the Cullens being here sometime," Eleazar said to Carmen, then he turned to me, "I hope I helped you, Bella. Just because you'll be a vampire doesn't mean you'll have to lose your sanity." Eleazar smiled again and then he and Carmen were gone.
I sat there in the silence for what seemed to be a very long time. I thought about Eleazar's story, how he had been able to stop himself from killing Carmen. It reminded me of how Edward-after he thought I'd killed myself-was now able to control himself. He had lived for twenty-four hours thinking I was dead. It hadn't changed the way I smelled to him, but he now looked at a lot of things differently. Was that the same thing that had happened to Eleazar? Maybe my lust for blood wouldn't be enough to change how I felt about Edward. And, as Eleazar had said, I wouldn't even have to worry about killing him. I would just have to wait and see.


When the Cullens returned, all of their eyes a light butterscotch, they began preparing for my transformation the next day. I would spend the three days it would take me to change on Edward's and my bed. Carlisle was going to try to use morphine on me so that the pain wouldn't be so bad.
I sat on Edward's lap with his arms around me as the rest of the Cullens got everything ready. My breathing was ragged.
"It'll be fine. I swear I will control myself." Edward whispered in my ear.
"I know. I trust you." I whispered back.
Suddenly, Carlisle was standing next to us.
"I want to show you something, Edward." He said.
Edward nodded, and then he stood up and sat me down on the chair he had just been sitting on. I grabbed his hand. I didn't want him to leave me.
"It'll only take a minute, Bella. Carlisle is just going to show me how to bi- make it less painful for you." Edward said, his face pained.
I nodded and released his hand. Then Carlisle and Edward were gone.
Just a few seconds after Edward left, Alice suddenly appeared next to me. She leaned down so her head was at the same level as mine.
"Nervous?" She asked.
I just nodded my head.
"It just three days. It won't be too bad, I guess. Actually, I'm not sure. I don't remember when I was changed." She said.
"Alice," I looked up at her, "I was wondering if you could do me a favor."
"Sure, what is it?" She asked.
"I don't want Edward to have to be there…while I'm changing. I don't want him to have to see that. I was wondering if you could try…to keep him away."
"I don't know. I could try, but it won't be easy-"
"Alice, please." I begged.
"Alright, Bella. I will, don't worry." Alice said, her tone more serious now.
I sighed in relief, "Thank you."
Suddenly, Carlisle and Edward were standing next to Alice.
"Are you ready, Bella?" Carlisle asked me.
I took a deep breath. "Yes."
Edward took my hand and helped me out of the chair. Then we walked, at human speed, to our room with Carlisle and Alice behind us.
The rest of the Cullen family was there in our room. Even Tanya's family, except for Irina, was there.
Edward and I walked to the bed. It felt like we were in a funeral procession. I took another deep breath and I lied down on the bed. Edward, too, took a deep breath and then leaned down and brought his lips to my throat.
"Wait." I said. He stopped and looked at me.
I took my hands, placed them on both sides of his face, and brought his lips to mine. I focused on the way his lips moved with mine. The feeling, the taste, the smell. I tried to plant it in my mind permanently so that I would remember this when all of my other human memories faded away with time.
The kiss started out sweet, but then he began to kiss me with a stronger passion-almost desperation-as if this would be the last time we would ever kiss. My heart went wild, as if it knew it wouldn't be beating for much longer. My breathing became even more uneven.
I wanted to stay here with him forever. I wanted time to stop so I wouldn't have to become a bloodthirsty vampire. I didn't want to have to worry about the countless enemies I had waiting in the shadows. I never wanted this moment to end.
But, despite me trying to bring his lips back to mine, Edward ended the kiss. I was surprised I could hear his uneven breathing past my own. He smiled.
"I love you, Bella." He said.
I smiled back, "I love you, too, Edward."
I looked at his glorious face on last time, my last human memory, before closing my eyes.
And then the pain started.


Day One
Day Two
Day Three


Chapter 8: Control

Relief flooded through me as the pain began to fade from my fingertips. I had felt as if my whole body had been engulfed in flames for months, though I knew it had only been three days. All I could remember from those three days was the agony, joined by my own tortured screams. I hoped that Alice had succeeded in getting Edward to leave.
I twisted in pain one last time before the burning disappeared completely. Slowly, I opened my eyes.
The room looked very different. It looked sharper, clearer. I turned my head and saw Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper standing there. I noticed everything; the slight movement of a finger, the twitch of an eye, an intake of breathe. Carlisle took a step towards me.
"Bella, are you alright? Is the pain gone?" He asked me.
I nodded.
"I'm so sorry, Bella. I tried to give you morphine after Edward bit you, but it didn't work. The venom destroyed it the minute the morphine was in your bloodstream." Carlisle apologized.
His last word was what triggered it. I suddenly noticed the thirst I felt. My throat and mouth were dry. A liquid, which I guessed was the venom, flowed into my mouth. My hands balled into fists around the sheets of the bed I laid on. I tried to control it. I would not be a monster. But I didn't know how.
"Edward, her eyes are open. You can come in now." I heard Alice say in a whisper from the other room.
I saw Edward run into the room and stop next to my bed. He hadn't been running at human speed, but my eyes were now more adjusted so that I could see him run at vampire speed. When I saw his perfect face for the first time in three days, my thirst for blood was forgotten.
"Bella." His voice was full of relief. He leaned forward-as if about to kiss me-but then took a step back, his face suddenly cautious.
I looked at him curiously, and then sat up slowly.
"Bella, it's alright. It's over now. You'll be okay." Esme said.
I didn't answer her. I looked around the room. It was so strange; everything seemed so much clearer, like a high definition TV compared to a normal TV.
I gasped when I saw the window. It was pitch black outside, but light inside, making the window act like a mirror-showing my reflection.
My eyes were what I saw first. They were bright red, almost glowing. But, besides that, I was beautiful. Not as beautiful as Rosalie, but I was still beautiful. My skin was like white stone, like marble. My features hadn't changed much, but they seemed slightly sharper, more angular. I heard Edward walk over to me and he stopped next to me. He slowly wrapped his arm around me. His reflection showed in the window, also. No longer did we look out of balance. We now looked like we were made for each other, equally beautiful. Except for the eyes. My blood red eyes looked evil next to Edward's golden eyes. I hoped it wouldn't take too long for my eyes to turn gold.
After Edward had wrapped his arm around me, he turned to look at me so that I could no longer see his eyes in the window. I turned to him. He looked worried.
Dozens of emotions suddenly ran through me, taking me by surprise. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressed my face into his shoulder, and started to cry.
"Bella, what's wrong?" Edward asked. He sounded frightened.
I let myself cry for one more moment before pulling myself away from him and trying to compose myself.
"I'm sorry," I said. I lifted my hand to wipe away any tears that had not soaked Edward's shirt, but I found none. Then I remembered that vampires didn't have tears, "I just…I can't believe it! I'm finally a vampire!" I smiled.
I was surprised by the emotions I felt. I felt happy, relieved, excited, shocked, amazed, and some emotions that I couldn't even identify. As if all of my problems were gone.
"Welcome to the vampire world!" Emmett congratulated me. He ran to me at vampire speed and then patted my shoulder with his large hand.
The rest of the Cullens followed Emmett. Most of them were smiling, looking relieved. As everyone else began talking to me, I saw Rosalie's face. She did not seem pleased at all. I looked away. Then I saw Carlisle's face. He looked concerned. His expression worried me. Then I saw Jasper's face. He was looking away, confusion on his face.
"I'm so glad you're alright, Bella." Edward said.
"Welcome to our family." Esme said.
"See? I told you it would work out." Alice said.
"Bella," When Carlisle spoke, his tone serious, everyone went silent, "Are you thirsty?"
Why did he have to bring that up? When he reminded me, the thirst came back. My fists balled up again. I nodded stiffly.
"You'll need to hunt right away. Edward?"
Edward, who was standing next to me, looked up.
"We've all gone hunting recently. We don't all need to go. Do you want to take her?"
"Of course." Edward replied. He took my hand and we turned to the door.
"You ready?" He whispered, but I could still hear him plain as day.
I nodded, not sure if I was or not.
He smiled my favorite crooked smile. Then, together, we began walking at human speed. Then we ran at human speed. And then, side-by-side, we were flying.
It was easy, second nature. As if I had been running at vampire speed all my life. Together, we ran down the stairs. He opened the front door for me, and then we were in his silver Volvo. It had all taken a second. Edward started the car and then we were zooming down the road.
"You're going to love this. We may even find you a grizzly bear. It's the summer, though, so they won't be irritable, but it might become one of your favorites." Edward shrugged.
"I hope not. Emmett would get mad. We would have to share." I said.
Edward laughed and I laughed with him.
I found that, as I sat here with Edward joking about what I would have for dinner, that I didn't feel the thirst for blood I had felt before. It wasn't as strong, at least.
"Well, it would be good for Emmett to learn how to share. But your right, he would get mad." Edward smiled and I smiled, too, grateful that I still felt the same way about Edward. Eleazar had been right. I loved Edward. I would always love him. Not even my craving for blood could change that.


Despite the darkness of the forest, I could still see perfectly. I was able to dodge every branch and every rock as Edward and I ran through the woods.
I caught the scent before we reached it, making fresh venom flow into my mouth.
Then we saw it. It was large, furry, and full of fresh blood. Our passage through the trees had been so quiet that it hadn't heard us, and was still unaware of our presence. I took in a breath, smelled the blood of the doomed grizzly bear we had found, and then I lost control.
I shot through the air toward the bear and Edward followed behind me. I no longer had a conscience; all I had was my instinct. I was a predator and the bear was my prey. That was all that mattered.
Killing the bear was easy. We were too strong, too fast for it. It took only a second for me to snap the grizzly's neck. Then, wild with thirst, I knelt down in the dirt and sunk my sharp, venom coated, teeth into the bear's flesh.


I ran through the forest searching for another animal, with Edward not far away doing the same. I was now excited. I remembered the taste of the grizzly bear's blood in my mouth, the feeling of it going down my throat. It had tasted delicious. I wanted more.
Then I saw the light, a dim light past the trees. Curious, I ran towards it.
I gasped when I saw the source of the light. I braced myself, waiting for the thirst to hit. I hoped Edward was nearby so he could stop me before I killed the group of happy humans that sat around the campfire.
A second passed, then another second, and then another. I waited for my instincts to take over, for me to lose control. But nothing happened. I couldn't smell their blood, though I knew I was close enough to do so. What was wrong?
"Bella!" Edward whispered from behind me, his voice panicked. He grabbed my arms and began pulling me back.
"Edward, I'm alright," I turned to him. Confusion replaced the panic on his face, "I'm under control. I can't smell them."
Though I told him I was under control, he took my hand and began pulling me away. When we were miles away from the campsite, he stopped.
"You couldn't smell them?" Edward asked, confusion still on his face.
I shook my head.
Edward was silent for a moment.
"We need to talk to Carlisle." He finally said. He took my hand once more and we were flying again.
We stopped once on the way back to Edward's Volvo when we found another animal, a Caribou. But then we ran at full speed to the car. I didn't speak the whole time until we were shooting down the road at one hundred miles per hour.
"What's wrong with me?" I asked. I knew, as well as he did, that what had occurred was not normal…for a vampire.
He turned to me and lifted one of his hands to face, keeping the other hand on the steering wheel. He laid his hand on my cheek.
"There is nothing wrong with you. It was just a little strange, that's all. Everything will be alright." He comforted me.
I nodded, still staring into his golden eyes, not entirely convinced.
When we reached the house we ran inside and burst into the kitchen. The kitchen was not small, but not large either. The cupboards were wooden and the long counter tops were marble. Carlisle stood against the nearest counter across from Jasper, both of them lost in thought until we entered. They both looked up.
"What's wrong?" Carlisle asked when he saw my face. I didn't know what he saw there. I wasn't paying attention.
"Carlisle, something…strange happened," Edward said, "Bella came across a campsite full of people. She was defiantly close enough to catch their scent, but she couldn't smell a thing."
Carlisle looked at Jasper for a moment, his face full of understanding, before turning to me.
"I thought this would happen," He said, "After you had became a vampire, you felt thirst-but it wasn't strong enough. It's usually stronger; it was for all of us. I wondered why that was.
"Jasper and I were just talking about it. I think it may be because you chose this way of life willingly, unlike the rest of us. Maybe you have gained more control."
I suddenly felt excited. More control meant a better chance that I would not become a monster. But then I thought of something.
"Vampire's sometimes get special talents, right?" I turned to Edward, "What if this is my special talent."
"You can't have two special powers." Jasper said. I turned to him, confusion spread across my face.
What did he mean two powers?
Jasper saw my expression and nodded. "When you started crying upstairs, I had tried to calm you down. But I didn't affect you at all. I couldn't even feel the tenor of your emotions. My talent hadn't worked on you.
"Carlisle believes that your ability to protect your mind has now spread to your body. No vampire power can affect your mind or body."
I felt shock replace the confusion on my face. Was this true? Could I now protect my body as well as my mind? Yes. I could. I could feel it in my un-beating heart.


Chapter 9: Decision
Now that I was a vampire, I could no longer sleep. This meant that I could spend the night with Edward instead of sleeping.
After our discussion with Carlisle and Jasper was over, Edward and I went up to our room where we would spend the night together undisturbed. When we were in our room, Edward sat me on the bed where I had spent my transformation and then sat down next to me."I can't believe it! Alice said that I might be different because I would become a vampire of my own free will, but I didn't know I'd get more control!" I smiled.
Edward smiled, too, my favorite crooked smile.
"I still can't believe I'm a vampire." I whispered to myself, though I knew Edward could hear.
Edward's smile disappeared.
"You had scared me for a minute there. I thought you had changed your mind after it was to late." He said.
"Sorry." I mumbled.
"You're fine though, right? You're not having second thoughts?" He asked me.
"No, I'm fine." I said.
It was silent for a moment. Then I thought of something.
"We'll need to tell the Volturi."
"Yes, Carlisle was thinking about that before we came back from our hunting trip. He thinks we'll visit them in a few days." Edward said.
I remembered the long, cold, dark, stone hallways, the posh reception area where the future vampire-Gianna-stood smiling, and the large stone antechamber where they brought unsuspecting tourists for dinner. I shivered at the thought of returning to that place.
"Are you alright?" Edward asked, concern in his voice.
"I'm fine. It's just going back to Volterra…" I shivered again.
"I know. I'm not happy about going back, either." Edward said.
Then I thought of something else.
"Do you think they'll ask us again?"
"Ask us what?"
"To join them." I said.
"Probably." Edward answered.
I nodded slowly, looking away.
"What will happen if we refuse?" I asked.
"I don't know." He said.
My breathing began to quicken, but not because of my heart. My heart was now silent, as it would be for eternity. I breathed air in and out of my lungs only out of habit, and my breathing picked up speed only at the thought of what might happen if Edward, Alice, and I declined Aro's proposition.
Edward wrapped his arms around me and leaned his lips down to my ear.
"Everything will be alright. Nothing bad will happen. Everything will be alright." He chanted in a whisper.
I leaned my head against his chest as I tried to calm down. I was a vampire now, as they wanted. We had not broken any rules. We should be okay. But if they wanted something, they could twist the rules. Their lateness to the battle between the Cullens and the newborns had proven that. My breathing sped up again.
I tried to stop thinking, tried to pull myself together. But it didn't work. I found that I could think of multiple things at once. The Volturi, my discovered power, my self-control. I even found myself thinking about Jacob in one part of my mind. How was he? Was he alright? Did he know I was a vampire? Would he and his werewolf pack come looking for us?
As if it wasn't hard enough to stop myself from thinking about one thing, but multiple things at once? I wanted to forget everything. There was only one thing I could think of that could have that effect on me, and I craved it more then I had craved the blood of the grizzly bear we had found in the forest. I closed my eyes and lifted my head, my lips searching. Edward knew what I was looking for and brought his lips down to mine.
No longer did we need to be cautious. No longer did Edward need to keep himself under control so that I wouldn't get killed. Edward placed one hand on my shoulder and the other found the small of my back and pressed me against his body. I wrapped my arms around his neck and grabbed two fistfuls of his bronze hair and pressed his face closer to mine. It worked. I forgot everything except the feeling of his lips on mine. My breathing matched his, hard and fast. But we never broke apart. We didn't need to. Air was not a priority.
Though the kiss went on for a long time, it seemed like only seconds. Neither of us tried to end it. There was no reason to do so. This is what I had wanted: Edward for eternity. Eternity had no deadlines, no ending.
So when Edward pulled away I was shocked. I felt hurt spread across my face.
"Jasper's coming." Edward said. He looked very annoyed about this, so was I.
"Why?" I asked, my tone thick with irritation.
Before Edward could answer, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in, Jasper." Edward said, not taking his eyes off me.
The door opened and Jasper entered the room. Edward turned to him.
"Couldn't this have waited until tomorrow?" Edward asked him, his tone full of annoyance.
"Sorry." Jasper said quietly, but stayed where he was.
Edward sighed, and then gestured to me.
"Go ahead." He said, his voice calmer.
Jasper turned to me.
"Um, Bella. I was wondering if you could do something for me."
I waited, curious. I kept my face emotionless.
"Well, Emmett and I made a bet. He thinks that he'd be able to beat you in a wrestling match, even though you're a newborn, and I bet that you'd win. So I was wondering if you two could have a wrestling match, prove him wrong…"
He stopped when I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Well, it doesn't have to be a wrestling match. Maybe just an arm-wrestling match or something." Jasper shrugged.
Suddenly, I burst out laughing as I remembered something that Edward had said from my past life-my human life: "Do me a favor and challenge him to an arm-wrestling match. It would be a good experience for him."
Jasper looked at me like I was crazy.
I calmed myself down before I spoke.
"Okay, Jasper. One match." I said smiling.
Jasper beamed at me before running out the room and down the stairs.
"Emmett! Bella's coming!" I heard him call out once he was down-stairs.
I turned to Edward. He was smiling.
"Real quick." I whispered. Then he took my hand and we flew down the stairs after Jasper.
Everything was ready. Emmett sat on the floor at one end of the coffee table in the front room. Alice sat on one of the couches next to Jasper holding his hand. Rosalie sat alone on the other couch. Carlisle and Esme were just coming in from the kitchen.
Emmett jumped up when Edward and I arrived.
"Hey, Bella. You ready to wrestle?" He said with a big grin on his face.
I laughed, "We're just arm-wrestling, Emmett."
Emmett sat back down, still grinning. I reluctantly let go of Edward's hand and sat down across from him. I heard Edward sit down on the couch behind me. Esme walked over to the fireplace and faced us. Emmett put his right arm on the table-elbow on the table's surface, arm lifted, and hand open-and I did the same. I couldn't help but have a grin on my face like Emmett.
"Ready?" Esme started.
Emmett and I clasped our hands together.
"Set?"
I saw Jasper-in the corner of my eye-shift his weight.
"Go!"
It was too easy. In a fraction-of-a-second Emmett's arm crashed to the tabletop, my arm on top of his.
"Bella wins!" Esme declared.
"No! That's not fair!" Emmett complained, and then turned back to me, "Re-match!" He demanded.
Everyone-besides Emmett-started laughing, including myself.
"No rematches," Jasper said, then he leaned down to Emmett, "I'll expect the keys to your Jeep tomorrow morning." Jasper smiled.
Emmett turned to him and growled, looking like a vampire. With Emmett being as big as he was and then looking at Jasper with pure rage on his face, he looked terrifying. I stood up and then sat down between Edward and Rosalie on the couch.
"Don't worry, I'll give it back to you day-after-tomorrow, just as I promised. But I get it all day tomorrow." Jasper's smile widened.
Emmett hissed at him and then turned away, folded his arms across his chest and huffed.
Everyone started laughing again. Everyone except Alice.
The laughing stopped immediately when Alice gasped. Everyone's eyes turned to her. Her eyes were unfocused, full of terror. The last time I had seen that look in her eyes was in the meadow before Jacob had attacked.
And I knew immediately that something was wrong.
Everyone gathered around her. Edward held my hand as we crowded around Alice.
"Alice, what is it?" Jasper asked her in a calm voice, his hand on her shoulder. Alice didn't answer.
I looked up to Edward, knowing that he would be able to see what Alice saw in her head. Panic flooded through me when I saw his face.
Edward's eyes were wide with horror. His teeth were clenched together. His expression was a mixture of anger, panic, and fear.
I turned back to Alice, my whole body shaking.
"Alice, what is it? What's wrong?" I almost shouted.
Alice didn't look up. Instead she muttered one word that sent another shiver of terror through me.
"Charlie."
I began shaking violently.
Then Alice's eyes snapped back into focus, but the terror didn't leave her face. She looked up at me.
"The Volturi have made a decision." She whispered.
My legs were shaking so hard I thought would collapse.
"Alice, what happened?" I forced the words to come out.
"They're coming." Alice whispered.
I knew whom she was talking about.
"Where? Here?" I asked.
"No."
I had been afraid of that.
"Where?" I asked, though I knew what she would say.
"Forks."
I wished that vampires could fall into unconsciousness.
"Apparently Aro was getting impatient," Edward said, his tone angry, "The whole guard is coming."
I felt my lower jaw drop in horror as I turned to him.
"The whole guard is coming to Forks?" I asked, horrified.
Edward nodded.
The Volturi guard. Nine talented vampires…who drank human blood.
"Charlie." Alice had said.
"Why did you say Charlie?" I asked Alice. It was a stupid question, I knew why. But I couldn't bring myself to believe it.
Alice, who had looked away, turned to me.
"They'll get hungry. Charlie will be one of the victims." Her voice was shaking, too.
My legs buckled beneath me and I began to fall. Edward caught me before I hit the ground and cradled me in his arms. I pressed my face into his chest and began to sob, but no tears came out of my eyes.
"Not Charlie. Not Charlie." I cried. The words were muffled by Edward's shirt.
Carlisle sighed.
"All we can do is hope that the werewolves will be able to handle this," His voice was full of worry, "How long until they reach Forks?" He asked Edward.
"A couple of hours." He answered.
That surprised me. The Volturi were all the way in Italy, it should take them a lot longer then two hours to get to Forks. I lifted my head.
"Only a couple of hours?" I asked in a whisper.
"Aro knows about my talent. He knew we would try to hide you once I saw him give the command. He did the same thing that Victoria did. It started a few hours after Edward bit you. I didn't know what to make of it until now." Alice explained.
Victoria, the memory of her made me shudder. She had constantly changed her mind to keep Alice from seeing her create an army of newborn vampires to help her get past the Cullens and destroy me. Aro had used this same technique. Now, in just a few hours, the Volturi guard would reach Forks-reach Charlie-searching for me. Another tearless sob came from my chest.
I tried to pull myself together. I didn't have time to cry. I had to hurry. Charlie's life depended on it.
"I have to go." I said to Edward, though I knew the rest of the Cullens could here me.
"What do you mean?" Edward asked.
Reluctantly, I tried to get out of Edward's arms. Edward saw what I was trying to do and put me down. I turned to him.
"I have to go to Forks. I have to show myself to the Volturi. Once they see I'm a vampire they won't have any reason to be there." I said.
Shock appeared on Edward's face. He took a deep breath and his face became emotionless.
"It's too dangerous, Bella." He said.
"But it's the only way to save Charlie!" I protested.
Carlisle appeared next to me and put his hand on my shoulder.
"Bella, if we go to Forks the werewolves might find us. We've broken the treaty by changing you. If they discover us, the war will start." His voice was calm.
"You don't have to come. The Volturi just need to see me, not you. You can all stay here." I said.
"You really think we would let you go alone?" Edward asked.
"It's too dangerous for all of you." I said.
"Exactly, that's why you should stay here." He said.
"I'm not going to stay here and let Charlie die!"
"I'm not going to put you in that kind of danger." Edward's voice remained calm, but I could see the pain in his topaz eyes as he tried to make me understand the risks. I knew what the dangers were, but I had no choice. I had to save Charlie.
"Edward, she's right. We can't just sit here while innocent people die. We have to go." Esme said, standing next to the couch where Alice sat.
"But what about the werewolves? We won't be much help to Charlie if we're busy fighting in a war." Alice said.
"If we're careful we may be able to avoid detection by the werewolves." Jasper said.
"We?" I turned to him.
"Bella, you don't really think we'll let you go to Forks alone and have all the fun, do you?" Emmett said, a grin still on his face.
Rosalie looked at Emmett with disapproval. "Maybe we can ask Tanya's family to help." Rosalie suggested.
Jasper shook his head, "Not if we want to avoid the werewolf pack. Irina would go looking for them."
"We'll just have to make do by ourselves." Esme said.
"Edward," Carlisle said calmly, "It's your decision." Everyone's eyes turned to Edward. I stared at him with pleading eyes.
"Edward, please." I begged in a whisper.
Edward looked at me, a mixture of pain and indecision on his face. Then he took a deep breath, closed his golden eyes, and slowly nodded.
Everyone sprinted into action.
Jasper ran into the kitchen-to use the phone and call the airlines, I presumed. Rosalie and Emmett followed Jasper into the kitchen to write Tanya's family a note. They'd have to tell them a fake story to explain our absence.
"They left to go on a hunting trip somewhere up north while you were changing." Emmett answered quickly when I asked where Tanya's family was.
Esme and Carlisle ran outside, probably to get Carlisle's black Mercedes so we could leave quickly.
Only Alice, Edward, and I were left in the room.
My legs began to shake again. Edward took my hand and walked me to the empty couch across from Alice and sat me down. Then he sat down next to me. I continued to tremble.
I had thought that-by leaving Charlie-I had been leading the danger that always surrounded me away from him. That the danger would follow me and leave Charlie alone. But, in the end, I had just been leaving him defenseless. He had no knowledge of what was coming, and he wouldn't know until it was too late. Another violent shudder ran through me. Edward wrapped his arms around me.
Everyone I loved was in danger: Charlie, Jacob, and the Cullens. I was about to lose everything.
I saw Alice on the couch across from me. She was looking at the floor, still shaking. I remembered the horror in Edward's eyes as he saw Alice's vision inside her head. What exactly had she seen? I probably didn't want to know.
I looked up as Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie burst into the room from the kitchen.
"Our plane leaves in an hour. Let's go." Jasper said before running toward the front door. Edward and I sat up from the couch and Alice did the same and we all followed Jasper out the door.
Carlisle's black Mercedes was out front, Esme and Carlisle inside. The car's engine was on.
Emmett and Rosalie climbed into the back. There was no more room.
"We'll take my car. We'll meet you at the airport." Edward said.
Carlisle nodded, and then the Mercedes sped away from the house.
Alice, Jasper, Edward, and I began running to the side of the house-Edward leading the way, holding my hand. There was a large garage where all of the Cullen's cars were. Alice's Porsche, Emmett's Jeep, Rosalie's BMW, and Edward's Volvo sat silent in the garage. We ran to Edward's silver Volvo and got inside.
I never relaxed as Edward drove the Volvo down the road above a hundred miles per hour. I should be going alone. None of the Cullens needed to go with me. The Volturi just had to see me and no one else. If Jacob's pack discovered us, the war would start. And if the Volturi joined the fight…it was too horrible to imagine. Either way, people would be hurt, or worse. People I loved.
I turned and looked at Edward in the driver's seat and panic flooded through me at the thought of losing him. I began to shake again. Edward saw and put one hand on mine and turned his head away from the road.
"Don't worry, Bella. I won't let anything happen to you. You'll be safe." He promised. His golden eyes were full of determination. I turned away; it wasn't me I was worried about. His hand left mine and returned to the steering wheel.
There had to be someway I could protect everyone, some way I could ensure that no one got hurt. I had to get the Volturi to leave as soon as possible, before the werewolves could find us.
I looked at the clock on the dashboard. It was two O'clock am. Edward had said the Volturi would reach Forks in a few hours. I hoped we'd get there in time.
I looked out the window-thinking of what horrors awaited us-as we drove to our doom.

Chapter 10: War
It would've taken an hour to reach the airport had it not been for Edward's fast driving. We reached the airport in thirty minutes. Once we were in the air, all I could do was sit in my seat next to Edward and let the horrible images of what might happen run through my mind. I was so worried that I didn't notice that I couldn't smell the blood of any of the humans on board. Despite Edward's efforts to try and comfort me, I never relaxed. It didn't help when Alice-who had been resting her head against the headrest with her eyes closed-jumped up and said that the Volturi had arrived in Forks. I had begun panicking again and I wasn't able to compose myself until Edward and Alice had told me dozens of times that they weren't hungry yet and that Charlie was safe for the moment. Many of the passengers looked at me like I was a mental patient in a hospital.
When we finally landed in Seattle, we had to steal a car again. We found a good car. It wasn't as fast as Alice's Porsche or Edward's Volvo, but was able to hold all of us.
When we were almost to Charlie's house, my breathing began to quicken.
I'm almost there, Charlie, I thought. Don't worry, you'll be safe soon.
And then there it was, Charlie's house where I had lived for two-and-a-half years. I had my hand on the car door handle ready to jump out of the car the second it came to a halt. But the car never stopped. Edward-who was behind the steering wheel-kept driving.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"The Volturi aren't at Charlie's house, they've already searched here. They're going to the clearing where they last saw you." Edward answered.
I felt horrified and relieved at the same time. Relieved that the Volturi weren't near Charlie at the moment, horrified that the Volturi had been here, and then relief again that they hadn't harmed him.
Once we reached the point where we couldn't drive any farther, we all got out of the car and ran at vampire speed the rest of the way through the forest. Along the way I caught a scent that I couldn't identify, but I was pretty sure who's it was. I looked at Edward while we ran and he nodded. "They're here." He said, confirming my suspicion.
The scent grew stronger as we got closer. Then we stepped out of the trees and into the meadow where the Cullens and the werewolves had fought together against Victoria's newborn vampire army.
And there stood the Volturi guard-in their black and gray cloaks-on the opposite end of the clearing. They turned to face us at the sound of our approach. Edward placed himself in front of me as we advanced towards them.
"Well, well. What's this?" I recognized Jane's voice. I stepped to the side so that Edward only covered half of me and I could see the Volturi guard.
At the front was Jane, shorter then the rest of the Volturi except for her brother, Alec, who stood beside her. Behind them I saw Demetri, Felix, and Heidi, and four others whose names I did not know, but some I remembered seeing in the antechamber where our fate had been decided during our last visit to Volterra. But then I saw that there were not nine Volturi in the clearing. There were ten. Though her dark skin was now vampire pale and her green eyes were now bright crimson, I recognized her at once. Gianna's wish had been granted. The Volturi had turned her into a vampire-into a monster.
"We've been wondering where you were. We were beginning to think you weren't here." Jane continued.
"We've left this area. We now live up in Alaska. We're sorry for inconveniencing you." Carlisle apologized.
"That's alright. Anyway, we were just coming up to check Bella's status. Alice had said that a date was set, if I'm not mistaken." Jane recalled.
"Yes, it was." Alice said.
"Well, then. I take it that she's been changed?" Jane asked.
"Yes she has." Edward said.
Edward then stepped out of the way so that Jane could see me, but he kept my hand in his. Jane's eyes focused on me. Everyone was silent as she studied me. Then she looked away.
"So she has," she mumbled to herself, then she turned back to me, "Aro will be very interested in hearing that you're a vampire, Bella. Speaking of which, Aro would like to speak to Edward, Alice, and yourself about his proposition, of which I hope you remember."
Jasper, who had been standing directly behind me, began to step towards Alice. Edward and Alice gasped at the same time. "Jasper! No!" Alice and Edward cried out in unison.
But it was too late; Jasper was already at Alice's side-leaving an empty space behind me. Edward and Alice turned around and got into attack position, growling. It took only seconds for me to catch the scent. It was bitter and foul. I wondered what could smell so bad. I turned to see what it was and I saw the ten enormous wolves enter the clearing.
Sam, his fur pitch-black, was the first wolf to enter, followed by a wolf that I hadn't seen since when he had attacked Edward in the meadow. The russet-colored wolf's eyes were still the same as when I had last seen them. But this time the hostile look in his eyes was mixed with pain when he saw me as a vampire for the first time. Pain and guilt ran through me. I had never meant for him to see me this way.
I heard the Volturi gasp when they saw the werewolf pack. Horror flooded through me when I remembered what Edward had said before the Volturi's last visit:
"The Volturi do not honor truces with werewolves." Edward had said.
But now there was no truce. I had been changed. The war would start here and now. My family and friends would have to fight against each other. I looked back and forth between Edward and Jacob, both ready for attack. This couldn't be happening, not again!
But I was a vampire now. I no longer had to stand on the sidelines and wait to see the outcome. Was there a way I could stop this?
I looked back at the Volturi, shock on all of their faces as they looked at the werewolf pack. What would they do? Which side would they take? Would they even take a side? Or would they just stand on the sidelines and watch my family and friends slaughter each other?
Edward put himself between the werewolves and me.
"You have broken the treaty, you are not welcome here any longer." Edward translated, hearing the words in the werewolf pack's mind.
"We will leave immediately. We mean you no harm." Carlisle said calmly, trying to keep the peace.
The lead werewolf, Sam, shook his head.
"We do not give mercy to our enemies. Especially enemies who have broken the rules." Edward translated.
"We do not want to fight against you." Carlisle said.
"You have no choice."
I small scream of horror escaped my throat as Sam leapt through the air towards Carlisle. The rest of the werewolves followed his lead and attacked different members of the Cullen family.
I expected Jacob to attack Edward. But the russet-colored wolf attacked Jasper instead.
A brown wolf-Embry-ran at Edward. I gave out another cry of horror when he whipped one of his claws at Edward, but Edward dodged it. Embry and Edward began to circle each other, breaking the formation only once in a while when one would try to attack the other again.
I tried to will myself to move-to help-but how could I choose a side to fight for? Every single person fighting was someone who I loved. Except…
I gasped when I saw that the Volturi had joined the battle. They were fighting against the werewolves with the Cullens. The werewolves were outnumbered ten to seventeen. Oh, this couldn't be happening! It was the fight between Edward and Jacob in the meadow all over again! Though I was now a vampire, I was still just as helpless. All I wanted was for the war to stop completely, but there was no way I could make that happen. All I could do was stand and watch in horror as the war continued.
Then I saw, in the corner of my eye, a light gray wolf running towards me. I turned towards Leah, as she got closer. I suddenly realized that I had no idea how to fight a werewolf in the first place. Fear ran through me as I braced myself for the blow.
"No!" I heard Edward call out. In my peripheral vision I saw Edward ram himself into the werewolf's side-knocking him down and momentarily stunning him-and then he put himself in between Leah and me. Leah then began to fight against Edward instead.
As Edward fought Leah, Embry recovered from Edward's blow. He ran at Edward to assist Leah. Edward was now outnumbered.
I didn't care if I wasn't good at fighting, I could at least distract one of the wolves so that Edward would have a better chance. But I wasn't able to take a single step towards battle before I heard the screaming.
My head turned automatically towards the sound. It was horribly familiar for I had heard it once before. But it was different this time. Before, the scream had been a scream of pain when he found out that Edward and I were getting married, but it was different now.
Jacob was in physical pain.
Then I saw that Jacob was no longer fighting with Jasper, he was now on the ground-writhing in agony-at Jane's feet.
Anger flooded through me as I saw Jane smiling while she tortured Jacob with her mind. But anger was replaced with pain as I realized what I had to do.
I looked back at Edward fighting two werewolves at once while trying to protect me.
And I realized that I had never made my choice. I had only been keeping the official choice on hold. Though I had chosen Edward, a piece of my heart still belonged to Jacob. I had thought that that was how I'd have to live for eternity-a part for Edward, a part for Jacob. I remembered how Edward had said that I could have any piece of him I wanted-or none at all-whichever I decided. In this moment, I saw how wrong he was. I couldn't have both Edward and Jacob at the same time. I could choose only one. But by doing so I would be condemning the other to death. And if I didn't choose quickly I would lose them both.
Suddenly the ghosts of the two holes-one made when Edward left and the other made when Jacob left-made themselves known again as e