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Chapter 2: Home

Shayla's POV

I pulled up at the beautiful, white mansion. My old home. If I was welcomed back that is. Esme and Carlisle… Mom and Dad… Would they accept me back? I went straight to school when I returned. Alice had seen me return in a vision and told Jasper but the others didn't know until I called out to them before school. After a brief reunion, it was back to normal for us.

I cut the engine of my bike and took off my helmet before just sitting on my bike for a minute, staring up at the house.

Was I welcome back? Would they hate me? Dad, oh I betrayed Carlisle, my own father! Who took me in and I walked out on him!

I hopped off my bike and wheeled it into the garage. The spot where it used to always sit is empty. I bet Alice had something to with that.

I left my jacket, gloves, helmet and goggles on the bench lining the wall at the back of garage, and ran, vampire speed, out of the garage and into the house. I heard Rosalie's car pull up outside. Only her, Emmett and Jasper were in it. Alice and Edward went hunting.

I called out as I stepped into the house. "Esme? Are you here?"

"Shayla?" she asked and I follow her voice by heading to the dining room where blue-prints are spread over the table. She must be modifying the house again. "Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me," I mumbled, shame and guilt filling me again. I really shouldn't be back. I'm a terrible daughter.

"Oh Shayla!" she cried as she grasped me and hugged me fiercely. I don't know why she's so surprised, she must of have smelt me at some point. Or maybe she wasn't sure it was me.

I hugged her back though with difficulty. I towered over her 5'6" frame with my 5'9" height.

"I'm sorry, Esme. I shouldn't of left. I'm a horrible daughter and I don't deserve to be forgiven let alone allowed back here." I hung my head, staring at the floor.

"Shayla Cullen," she said sternly. "Of course I forgive you! You are NOT a horrible daughter and you are allowed back here, forever. I love you and don't forget that. I'm your mom and you shall call me that." She hugged me again.

Without asking, she took my school bag and ran up to my room to put it away. She's back in a few seconds. I cocked my head to the side and grinned at her. "You've gotten faster." It wasn't a question.

She smiled. "Only a bit. Did you know Shayla that you're not the first to run away?"

"Hm?" I cocked my head to the side again, in confusion.

"Edward did. He found a girl called –"

"Oh yeah, yeah I know all about Bella, Alice told me," I cut in impatiently, thinking back to English.

"Oh. Did you head to school?" She frowned when I nodded. "I hope you hunted first. When you've been away that long it can be difficult to resist."

"I did Mom. I knew I had to. I'm not stupid." I grinned as I leant back against the dining room wall.

"So you should know all about it. Shayla, I'm so glad you are home! Which brings me to the point, where have you been!?"

I grimaced; I knew I would to explain it sooner or later. And later would be better. "Well, I would love to tell you but I think it would be better when everyone else is here."

---

Jasper's POV

I could feel Rosalie getting more and more impatient as we sat in the BMW. I was surprised Emmett was lasting this long as well. I ignored them both and focused on the emotions coming from the house. There was guilt and shame radiating from Shayla but now there was relief. Esme had nothing but happiness coming off her.

"Alright, can I drive in now?" Rose cuts in, her voice impatient.

"Yes, it's fine now," I replied as I lean back into the seat.

Rose sped into the garage, almost crashing but stops in time and we leapt out. I'm rather anxious to see Shay. She had been miserable all day, fretting over how she would explain everything to Esme and Carlisle.

"I hope she's okay," Emmett said, slightly frowning. He was worried about Shayla, I could tell.

Esme was looking over her blueprints when we entered, beaming like mad.

"Hello Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett," she said cheerfully. "Where's Alice and Edward?"

"Hunting," replied Emmett. "He's taking Bella somewhere tomorrow."

"Where's Shay?" I asked.

"In her room, I –" she started to say but then the loud, pounding noise of drums came thundering through the house.

Emmett whooped, "Hell yeah I've missed that sound!" before he sprinted up the stairs.

---

Shayla's POV

I had heard my siblings enter the house and I decided to give them a little 'gift'.

I sped up into my room. God, I missed it. With the poster covered walls, double bed despite me being unable to sleep, desk with my laptop and sketches strewn all over it, my twin samurai swords in the case hanging above my bed, and most importantly, my electric guitar and drum-kit.

I grinned as I sat down at my drum kit. I twirl the sticks in my fingers before slamming them down on the snare, before rocking into a beat, while trying not to break it.

Emmett poked his head into the room with a huge cocky grin upon his face. "Slamin' Shay is back!" he called, referring to my somewhat hated nickname.

"Shut up!" I snarled as I finish with a crash of the cymbals.

Jasper came to the room next. "Do you want to go hunting now?" he asked.

I nodded. "It's been a while since I've hunted with someone," I confessed to him. Jasper smiles thoughtfully.

"Don't worry about it," he replied. "I sometimes prefer to hunt alone. Especially if there are newborns around."

"Hey!" I said, irritably, "I'm not a newborn anymore," Jasper grinned. He's probably remembering the time he first took me hunting…

"Come along Shayla, it's time for you to go hunting," Jasper said as he took my hand in his as he pulled me from the forest floor.

"Err, hunting?" I asked.

Jasper smiled. "Hunting is what we do Shayla. We're vegetarians in a way. Surviving on animal blood is better in a way then drinking human blood." he cocked his head to the side when he saw my confused expression. "Although, I wouldn't mind going the other way." He gave a sly grin. My mouth dried and my stomach tightened as I listen to him.

"Easy Jasper," Alice warned. "Don't temp her. The last thing we need is a newborn running around. You have got to take her deep into the forest where there will be no human scents."

Jasper's grin dropped. "Sorry," he murmured to her. He turned back to me. "Come on. I'll need to show you your instincts."

He took my hand again and we run, faster then anything I've seen before. Jasper then released my hand and I feel like I'm flying. I leapt over an outcrop of rocks, with him closely behind me. Through the air, I start to lose balance. Instinctively, I tried to curl into a ball, but I land on all fours instead, before leaping into the air again and sprinting away, still on all-fours, like a cheetah or dog.

Suddenly, a scent caught my attention. Not just one, but a whole group of smells, each one smelling more mouth-watering then the last. It's a herd of deer grazing to the west, or to my left. I stopped and half turned around, almost running into Jasper. I pulled myself upright and sprinted towards them before crashing through the shrubs near where they are grazing. They panicked and start to flee but I outrun them all. I manage to form them into a tight circle with the biggest buck at the front, snorting and threatening me with his antlers.

I growled and dropped down to all fours, shifting my weight so it felt more comfortable. I bare my teeth and snarl like a leopard just as Jasper ran round to the other side of the herd. The buck goes to turn and rush the herd away but I leap at him. The tips of my fingers morph into long, lion-like claws which I thrust into the buck's neck. It gives a grunt as it tries to throw me but I dig my toes into its rump, smaller but identical claws to my fingers erupt from my toes to break the skin. The smell of its blood reaches my nostril and I bite down hard on the animal's neck, and start to drain it of its blood. It cries out and bucks like a horse, nearly throwing me. I grasp the antlers in my unbreakable grip, snapping them clean off the head. I fall onto the ground and the buck turns to flee in a feeble attempt to save its life. I see Jasper out of the corner of my eye, run towards the buck and he throws himself onto it. I leap up, snarling and bite him on his bare arm. He doesn't growl or cry out but merely leaps out of the way, off the buck.

"Mine!" I growled as I grabbed the buck and held it in my arms while I drained it of blood. I dropped the body and turn to the now-buck less herd. I snarled and run forward like a cheetah again. The herd started to run, away from where I land near them, in the middle. I snatched a doe in my grasp and broke its neck, killing it instantly. I drank greedily from it and turn to seize another. But the herd was gone. I gave a roar of outrage and kicked a boulder which shattered on impact. I sniffed the air, trying to pick up another scent. Jasper came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder, calming me for a moment. But I was still thirsty.

I shrugged his hand off and sprinted back into the forest. I tracked the scent of a wild goat to a mountain where I pounced on it and greedily drank from it.

When I had satisfied my thirst with three deer, an elk and a black bear later, I remembered Jasper. I headed back to the river, near where I first drained the buck. Its corpse is till there.

"Jasper?" I called, wondering where he got to.

"Up here," I heard him reply with a small chuckle. He was standing on the branch of a mighty spruce, a fair few feet above me.

"What the hell are you doin' up there?" I asked. He laughed at me and leapt down.

"You were getting a bit territorial for a moment," he said. "I got a bite from you earlier." He gestured to his forearm where a double crescent-shaped moon scar is located. It seems slightly paler then the rest of him. And that's when I notice all of the scars on him. They were all pale and all shaped like double-crescent moons. Vampire bite marks.

"Oh my God Jasper," I gasped and as I gazed at him, the scars start to glitter, just like the rest of him as the suns breaks through the clouds. I then looked at my own skin. It imitated Jasper's, glittering like diamonds were set into it.

"It's nothing," he answered as he stepped back into the shade. I follow him and we lean up against the tree. "All the scars I have are from newborns like yourself."

"I'm guessing a newborn is someone who just became a vampire, right?" I asked. He nodded and I gazed at the scar I gave him. I felt bad for hurting him.

"Don't be upset," he then said as he placed a hand on mine. "It's natural for newborns to fight over their food. It's instinctive."

I rubbed his new scar with one finger, like it would make the scar go away. "It'll fade in time," he said when he noticed what I was doing.

"Do humans see these scars?" I asked as I lifted my hand from his and touched my own, just near the base of my neck. That one was unavoidable; it's where Carlisle had bit me to change me.

He shook his head. "No."

"Okay, but tell me this. Is our venom the only thing that harms us?" I was curious after all.

"Well, it's the only thing that leaves a mark. The venom cannot kill a vampire. You can only destroy a vampire by ripping them apart and burning the pieces. Not pleasant at all."

"Didn't think so," I murmured. There were so many things I wanted to ask him but I knew I couldn't. But one more couldn't hurt...

"One more thing Jasper," I started. He looks at me curiously. "When I was hunting, I kind of grew claws and I could run faster, on all-fours. Is that normal? For vampires?"

His topaz eyes lit up. "It's rare but not unheard of. That may be because you bring your best quality with you when you become a vampire. You were close to animals and so you become nearly one of them when you hunt. But it's rare that you have a gift though like I said," he added.

"Cool," I said as I glanced down at my shirt. It's caked in dirt, mud and blood. It's also torn. I groaned and Jasper noticed.

"Don't worry about it. You'll get better as you hunt more and you'll learn to concentrate better on not spilling it. That being said." He gave a grin. "You're still cleaner then Emmett."

I chuckled as he offered me his hand again and we sprinted back through the forest.

I grinned as I recall the memory. Jasper and me had been hunting partners ever since.

"Alright let's go," I finally said to him and the two of us sprinted outside and into the woods to have a long hunting session.

Chapter 4: Flashbacks

Shayla's POV

I decided to wait in my room until Carlisle gets back from his shift. Everyone was in their rooms so I could talk to him privately. Well, as privately as you could with a mind-reader in the house.

Luckily for me though, Edward was still at Bella's place.

I get up out of my room and wandered to the staircase, leaning against the top rail as I waited. I closed my eyes and inhaled, breathing in the familiar scent of my family.

"Shay?" A voice asked from behind me. It was Rosalie.

I turned around to find her standing just behind me; her hands on her hips, an anxious expression on her face. But I didn't need to be worrying about her now; I was too busy fretting on how I'm going to explain everything to Dad.

"'Sup, Rose," I muttered and turned back around to peer around the bottom of the stairs. Carlisle would've left the hospital by now, I hoped.

She sighed impatiently and moves beside me, her hand on my shoulder.

"You're waiting for Carlisle, aren't you?" she asked.

I shrugged. "You don't need to be a mind-reader to know that. Or a fortune-teller." I hear Alice make an annoyed noise from her room and I smirk at myself.

Rose smiled too. "What are you going to tell him?"

"No idea," I leant my forehead against my hands, my elbows resting on the banister. "A little help maybe? Oh right, I haven't told you-" She cuts me off though before I can continue though.

"Emmett told me, even though he shouldn't of. But I don't think I can really help you in this situation."

I sighed and lifted my head off my hands. "This…" I growled. "Totally sucks!" My chest rumbled with another growl, an inhuman one this time though, as I turned around and started to stalk into my room. "I'll be in my room."

I don't know why I'm feeling pissed off but whatever the reason is, it makes me slam the door of my room.

---

Rosalie's POV

I watched Shayla slam the door with unnecessary brutal force and feel a ripple of anger course through me. Honestly, it wasn't my fault that I couldn't help. I didn't even get to hear the story from her.

I remember the first time I met Shayla- and she has irritated me since that day. Not in the insanely mean way, but she's just somewhat annoying.

I gave a gasp of shock as Emmett ran through the back door of the house, not even bothering to open it. "Emmett, what are you doing?"

"Where's Carlisle?" he grunted, ignoring my question. "I need him!"

That's when I saw what he was concerned about. A mangled and bloodied body was in his arms, her head hanging limply to the side.

Emmett placed her as gently as he could on the coach before roaring out to our father. "CARLISLE!"

"Emmett, what's going-"I started to say but he shot me a look. Then, Carlisle was at his side in an instant.

"Emmett, what's wrong?" he asked.

"She was mauled by a mountain lion in the forest. Save her, please save her."

"What's going on?" Alice asked quietly. She was at my side soon followed by Esme, Edward and Jasper.

"You saved me Carlisle when I was mauled." Emmett growled to his creator. "Now, I'm asking you to save her." I have never seen him act or look so serious.

Carlisle face remained calm as he makes his decision.

"Carlisle…" Alice whispered. "I have foreseen her becoming one of us and becoming a sister to me. Do it… for me."

There is a brief silence but then Carlisle answered. "Alright," he said and he turned to Esme. "Esme, get a wet towel. Jasper, Rosalie, Alice, Emmett, Edward, outside, now."

Alice took Jasper by the hand and they flit outside followed by Edward. Esme returns with a wet towel and hands it to Carlisle who wiped the blood off the girl. I take Emmett's hand and go to move outside but he won't budge.

"No," he growled. "I'm staying right here. Rose, get outta here."

"But…" I started to say. Why was he so determined to be at her side when he had me?

"Now," a voice ordered but it was Esme this time.

I give a huff and stomped outside. I turned around to see Esme hold the wet towel to the girl's head, Emmett holding her wrists down and Carlisle leaning in towards her neck. I ran up into the forest where my siblings are but I am not fast enough to avoid hearing the girl's frantic screams.

Two days later, she isn't any better. She is tough though. She holds her tongue and refuses to scream and instead shudders and haemorrhages worse then anyone I've ever seen.

"It's almost finished," Carlisle said as she began to shudder violently. "Someone will need to take her out into the woods."

"I'll take her," Alice offered. "Jasper will come with me."

"No. I'll do it," Emmett growled.

"Emmett, you've done enough," Esme said. "Jasper, Alice, take her now."

Jasper lifted the girl in his arms and then he and Alice run out of the house just as the girl gave loud, ear-splitting scream.

---

Jasper's POV

I could feel resentment, jealousy and most oddly of all, concern, coming from Rosalie. I gave a snort and turned to Alice who was pouring over school textbooks until I snorted. She looked up in concern. "What?"

"Rose is being Rose," I said thoughtfully. "Do you think I could influence her to be just a tad nicer?"

"Don't be mean," she scowled and playfully punched me in the jaw. Though playful, she still managed to dislocate it. I pulled it back in place with a crack and pushed her off the couch.

"Hey!" she frowned as she hops back up. I chuckled and kissed her on the cheek.

Her golden eyes blaze. "Hate you."

"Yeah, I love you too," I replied cheekily. I ducked when she tried to swipe at me.

She giggled but suddenly sat up straight with her eyes glazed over. She was having a vision.

"What do you see?" I asked.

"Just Shayla and Carlisle. It'll go well," she answered.

"Planning to tell Shay?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I am," she frowned and punches me in the arm. "Don't be an idiot."

I chuckled as she danced out of the room, leaving me alone. I could Shayla playing music next door, Human by the Killers. How ironic.

I started to think back to when I first met her. She was halfway through transforming into one of us when Alice offered for us to take her out into the forest.

I placed her on the forest floor, making sure there are no sticks or stones nearby. She gripped the dirt with her fingers, leaving deep grooves. Her breath is coming out in pants and her heart is beating faster then before.

"Will she be okay?" I whispered to Alice.

Alice nodded. "It'll be much more painful though, since she is holding it in. I have also foreseen who she is."

"Who is she?" I asked, curious.

"Shayla Kara Brown, or Cullen, if she joins us."

I paused. "So she becomes our family?" Alice nodded and I turned my attention back to the girl. She arched her back up and her heart beat accelerates until it sounds like it's about to out her chest. She shuddered wildly and gave a shrieking scream.

And then, nothing. She has no breath, no heartbeat, and no pulse. It is done.

I crept close to her and touched her arm. She awoke with a start and sits up.

"What… What's happening?" she mumbled, staring around at the forest. "Am I, am I dead?"

I glanced at Alice. "Help!" I mouthed to her. She was at my side in an instant, deliberately moving at vampire speed.

Alice bent down close to the girl, Shayla. "Hello, I'm Alice and this is Jasper. Do you remember who you are?"

The girl forms a name on her lips. "Shayla."

So Alice was right then. Not that I doubted her.

There is a silence. I've never had to explain to someone that their now immortal and have to now feed on blood. It was always Maria that explained that to them when I was with her.

"Let's take her back to Carlisle so he can explain," I suggested to Alice, turning so my back was to the newborn.

Alice nodded, agreeing with me. "Good idea."

"Explain what?" Shayla said from behind me. "What's going on?" She tilted her head to the side and looked up into the cloudy sky. "Wow, never noticed that colour before. Has that always been there?"

"She's displaying unbelievable control," I said in a low voice.

"Look, is anyone going to explain to me what the hell is going on?" Shayla suddenly hissed.

Mood swings, great. I can feel that she's scared, worried and confused.

"We will soon," I promised. "We were just going to take you to our father so he could explain.

Alice offered her hand to the girl. Shayla gazed at it and then accepted it, allowing Alice to pull her to her feet.

"Climb on my back," she instructed Shayla. Although hesitant, she hoped on.

"I don't understand," she murmured. I can see she was a good foot taller then Alice.

"Hold on and close your eyes," I told her. She wrapped her arms so tight around Alice that it would have strangled a human, even more so now that she had changed.

And they took off. I heard a gasp from Shayla and I followed, running after them. I caught up to Alice and I glanced at Shayla. Her eyes are open and she's smiling in utter shock. She was stunned at what Alice– and her– was doing.

"Wow," she breathed. "Amazing!"

Alice and I glanced at each other. This was going well.

Soon we reached the backyard of the house. I called out to Carlisle and Esme. But Emmett is the first one we see. A feeling of relief washes over him.

"You're okay," he cried as he goes to step forward. Shayla caught sight of him and fear swamped her. It must have been his size.

"Stay back Emmett," Alice warned. I could've calmed Shayla down but I didn't. I don't want to scare her.

Emmett nodded his head sadly and stepped back. "Carlisle is inside," he then told us.

Alice ran inside to the couch and gestured to it. "Off you get Shay."

"Shay?" Shayla's brow furrows in confusion as she slid off. "How did you know that's what I like to be called?"

Alice shrugged. "Thought it might be a nice nickname for you."

Carlisle entered with Esme, Rosalie and Edward. Shayla instantly shielded back at the unfamiliar faces and numbers. There was one of her and though she had become somewhat attached to Alice and I, she was still outnumbered by the others.

"Shayla…" Carlisle spoke first. He pulled a chair up from the dining table and sat on it. He was trying to act human. "I am Doctor Carlisle Cullen. This is my wife Esme," he gestured to Esme who gave a small smile. "And my adopted sons, Emmett and Edward and my adopted daughter Rosalie. I assume you already know Jasper and Alice," Emmett gave a wave while Edward gazed curiously at Shayla. I know he's reading her mind.

Carlisle took a deep breath, to prepare himself for what he was about to do. "It's time for you to know what you are. You are what humans call a vampire."

"What?" she gasped. "Vampire? Are you being serious? I thought they were just made-up!"

"I can assure you that we are being serious," Carlisle said gravely. "You are a vampire Shayla. I bit you and transformed you. You were so close to death but my son and daughter, Emmett and Alice, convinced me to save you. And here you sit."

Shayla eyes go wide. "Really? That's… interesting... I think. But doesn't that mean I have to kill people?"

Esme spook this time, a small smile on her face. "No, we like to call ourselves 'vegetarians', our little private joke. We only hunt animals, not humans. You are free to go and live your own life but we would like to accept you as a member of our family."

Shayla's eyes lit up. "So I'll have a family? A real family?"

Esme nodded. "But there are more things we have to tell you about… us."

"Like what?"

"Well, for one thing, we are immortal and nearly indestructible," Carlisle explained. "Our bodies are 'frozen' and we cannot grow. It's like we are carved from marble or granite. See?" he lifted her hand and held it in his own in front of her eyes. "We cannot go into sunlight when any human is watching. Step into the patch of sunlight there, go on." He gestured to the doorway where sunlight pooled in.

Shayla slid off the lounge cautiously and took a few steps towards the sunlight. She gazed at the large spot of sunlight before stepping into it. Her mouth fell open in surprise as her skin sparkled, sending spots of light around the room. She stepped out of it and turned to face us. She seemed to be shocked as she gathered her thoughts.

"So what else is there to know?" she eventually asked.

"Why don't you take a look at yourself? Rosalie, can you pass me that mirror please?" Esme caught the mirror Rose threw at her and handed it to Shayla. She looked at her reflection for not even a second before her mouth fell open in complete surprise.

"That's not me," she said so firmly that we all stared at her in surprise. "There is no frigging way that I am that beautiful."

"When vampires hunt human, they are meant to draw their prey in with their face, their voice, even their smell," Carlisle explained as he bent down lower to examine her pale, alarmed face. He brushed her hair back from her face. "You are beautiful Shayla Cullen," he hesitated; he was going to explain everything now. "Your abilities are now enhanced. Your speed, your strength, sight, smell and hearing, is now much more powerful and who knows, you may have an extra ability."

"Extra ability?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Some vampires have extra abilities whether it be a mental or physical power. Edward here can read minds. He has no choice in it. And Alice can see the future. Emmett has super-strength and Jasper can sense and manipulate emotions. Calm down an angry person, excite a lethargic crowd. Rosalie has great beauty and Esme has the ability to love passionately."

"Do you have a gift?" she asked him.

"He is extremely compassionate," Esme answered her. "He saved five out of the seven of us."

Shayla smiled but then her brow furrowed. "Ugh, my throat hurts so much. Is it meant to?"

"Your thirsty, that's why. You have to come with us. It's time for you to feed," Alice answered.

"I'll come too," I whispered to Alice. I had a good feeling about Shayla, like I would know that we would get along.

Alice moved to Shayla's side and offered her hand to her. Shayla accepted it and the two walk out the door with me by their side.

I smiled at the memory. I was glad Emmett had found her. The two were almost inseparable now except for when Rosalie was around whom always wanted Emmett to herself. And she, Shayla that is, was great friend. She was loyal, tough and a protector of the weak. Not that she just protected the weak. She would stand up for anyone that was being picked on by bigger vampires or humans. "Cowards," she would call them, right up to their faces.

And that is why I love her.

---

Shayla's POV

I smelled Alice before she had even came to my door. She doesn't even knock when I called out to her. "You can come in Alice."

She danced into the room and stood at the foot of my bed. "I have foreseen how things will go with Carlisle."

"Good or bad?" I asked as I sat up on the bed.

"Good. He'll forgive you. But I didn't need to see that."

I gave her a hug. "Thanks Alice. I know I can count on you."

"That's the advantage of being a fortune-teller" She crossed her arms and pretends to be angry.

"You'll make a fortune down at the carnival." I grinned, ducking as she tried to punch me.

We ended up getting into a play fight. She managed to get on top of me while I'm lying flat on my stomach and I let her push my arm up my back. "How can anyone so small be so annoying?" I remarked cheekily, earning a slap on the back of my head while she giggled.

Suddenly, Carlisle's scent reaches my nostrils. I gasped and leapt up, knocking Alice off. I sniffed, trying to pick up the direction. He was not home yet but he's getting closer.

"Carlisle's coming," I said. "I better… I better go downstairs and get ready to meet him."

I walked out the door and headed to the top of the stairs. "Alice…" I called just as she dances over to her door. She turned around.

"Stay with me..." I pleaded. "Please?"

She smiled, ran up to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Always Shay."

And with her behind me, I ran down the stairs and am on the couch just as Carlisle pulled up.

"Here goes nothing," I murmured as the door swings open.

Chapter 6: Here comes the human…

Shayla's POV

"Shayla, come downstairs," Esme called from the lounge room. I gave a grumble as I headed to the top of the stairs.

"What for?" I asked grumpily over the edge.

"Don't be rude Shayla," Carlisle said rather sternly, something that he rarely does, as he walks and comes into view. "And to be polite, Edward will be home soon and you are going to meet Bella."

"Okay then. Just let me be decent first." I turned and headed to the bathroom where Alice is located, brushing her hair in the front of the mirror.

"Why so grumpy Shay?" she asked as she hands me my blue brush. I don't answer straight away but merely sighed as I thought about what could possibly happen if I do go downstairs to meet Bella. At the same time Alice realised my fear.

"Shayla, nothing will happen. One, you have much better control. And two, Edward or anyone else will allow it to happen."

I frowned, and looked down. "Yeah, I know. But still, I don't want to risk it."

"Shayla, you are going to meet Bella. I can foresee it."

"The future can change," I retorted back. Alice turned and tried to punch me in the arm as a joke but I grabbed her hand and forced it down with no effort at all. She stared at my hand before raising her head to stare at my face.

"Sorry Alice," I mumbled as I turned away to her to search in my bathroom drawer for a hair band. I could feel her eyes burning into my back. She grasped my shoulder–hard.

"Shayla is something wrong? You never used to react like that."

I shrugged. Alice released my shoulder and turns away. At the same time I lift my arm and traced my scar with one finger. It's still tender.

"Sore?" Alice then asked. I could see her looking at it.

"A little bit, it's just a bit tender. It really hurt when he first bit me though so this is an improvement."

She touched my shoulder again but it a gentler way. "Shayla... Are you in pain?"

I nodded. It did hurt. Not much we could do about it though. Morphine or painkillers wouldn't work on us and I couldn't even swallow a tablet to ease the pain.

"Show me it," she insisted. I allowed her to examine it as I tucked my hair behind my ears with the other hand. "I think there might be venom still in it," she concluded as she drops my arm. "Maybe you should get Carlisle to –"

"He doesn't know," I interrupted her. "And I don't plan to tell him. And you shall not either." I fixed her with a glare. "I mean it Alice."

Alice frowned. "But he'll find out though."

"I know. But I don't want him or anyone else to freak out over this. It's not a big deal."

"But– " Alice started to say.

"Just drop it Alice. Please just respect my wishes."

"Fine then." She goes back to brushing her hair. I go to my room and get dressed. I chose to wear my designer jeans (which Rosalie kindly sent to me from her and Emmett's honeymoon in Paris a few years back) and my favourite plain white t-shirt. I place my black and white Element cap on my head (which Emmett had ordered for me from Australia to make me feel more at home) and head to the staircase. Alice and Jasper had already gone done. I could see all of them in the lounge room. I heard Alice laughing and Bella talking excitingly.

I leant against the rail and just stand there, debating whether I should go down.

Alice made the decision for me.

"Hey Shayla, come down and meet Bella," she called so Bella can hear.

I smiled politely as Bella looked up at me curiously. "Hi Bella."

Jasper called up to me as well. "Don't make me drag you down here."

"I rather jump over the edge then get beaten by you," I retorted while grinning slyly. I saw Edward whisper something to Bella who was glancing between me and Jasper. "Ignore them, they bicker non-stop. They don't mean it though," he added when Bella raised her eyebrows.

"Go on!" Jasper dared me. He doesn't think I will. Well some things change, especially when you've been away for a year.

I stepped out of his view line before charging at the rail. I propelled myself over the rail with one hand and land on easily, but not generally in a graceful way as Alice would've done, on the balls of my feet. I brushed my hair back from my face and grin.

Jasper looks surprised but he then adopts a smile. He seemed to forget that Bella is in the room as he strode towards me to hug me but I, remembering that a human was in the room, sidestepped him at vampire speed before holding a hand up signalling him to stop. A quick look from Alice also does the trick. He looks sheepish and stepped back from me. I decided to introduce myself to Bella.

"Hi, I'm Shayla. It's nice to meet you." I offered her my hand and she shook it. She smiled shyly at me and I smiled back. She seemed nice enough.

---

Bella's POV

Shayla defiantly surprised me. As Edward and I drove up here, he warned me about her.

"She can be dangerous," he had said. "She is similar to Jasper in the way that she has limited control. But then again, Shayla is full of surprises. You never know what could happen with her."

But to me, she was just a nice and kind person. After she'd introduced herself, she had stepped away and stood by Jasper and Alice.

"Shayla had only recently rejoined the family." Carlisle explained to me. Edward flashed him a look and hissed something too low for my ears before glancing at Shayla. Carlisle ignored him but glanced at Shayla as well.

"What?" she asked, sounding rather annoyed. "You can tell her whatever you want, I don't really care. But I don't think it's necessary"

"I would like to know though," I said, throwing in my two cents.

"I just met up with some old friends in Alaska, nothing too major." She gave a shrug. "Tried to get rid of a couple of monsters up there but realised I too was one. So I ran back here to my family to beg their forgiveness. I also headed to Australia to find out more about my human life."

"I hardly think you had to beg," Carlisle commented. "We would of accepted you back here no matter what you had done."

"Thanks Dad. That means a lot to me," she smiled at him. I noticed that she always has a grin or smile on her face.

There is a brief silence before Shayla spoke again. "Anyyyyyyyway, moving on from my 'holiday'…"

Jasper and Alice sniggered and Edward coughed, hiding a laugh. I heard Carlisle chuckle and when I looked, Esme was smiling.

"Say Shayla," I began to say. "Edward mentions that each one of you brought your most dominant feature from your human life into this one. I'm curious, what did you bring?"

I heard her chuckle. "Glad you asked. When I was human, I could communicate with animals well, like I was one with them. So, I brought my connection with animals with me which practically morphed into me being nearly one of them. My sense of smell is heightened and I am more athletic then the others like for example, I have more stamina and better agility. Edward might be the fastest but I can run for longer even though I am slightly slower. I can partly shape-shift as well but only when my emotions become too much for me or when I'm hunting. My hearing is worse them my family's as well."

"Why?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe someone decided I needed a flaw."

She didn't say anymore. I wondered why. Shy perhaps?

Carlisle's expression distracted me from this train of thought; he was gazing meaningfully at Edward with an intense expression. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward nod once.

"Well, I have to step out for a minute. I'll see you all later," Shayla said from nearby. She shot Edward a look before running outside.

---

Shayla's POV

I kept running at human speed until I hit the woods. At the first tree, I scaled it with ease and leapt to the next, bounding from branch to branch like a spider monkey. I kept going until I am in what is our usual hunting area. I dropped from the branch I had stopped on and started to walk human-speed through the forest. What I was doing I didn't know but I knew I had to get out of the house. If I acted like my mind wanted me to do Bella… Bella wouldn't be here and neither would I. I would be a pile of ashes in the yard.

I hunted a herd of deer followed by a few small animals to ease my nerves and to calm down. I started to wash my hands in the river when I smell one of my siblings. The scent was too faint to tell who it was but I knew they were looking for me.

"Shayla!" I heard them call out. It was a female's voice.

I wondered whether to respond or not. They would find me anyway.

"By the river," I called, not loudly but as though they were only nearby.

I heard a crash of footfalls and then there is Alice standing in front on me. "Shayla, what are you doing?"

"Nothing. I just needed to be out of the house." I sat down on one of the large rocks lining the river. "Why did you look for me?"

She gave an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes. "To get you to come back, duh!"

She thought I was running away. "I'm NOT running away Alice," I growled. "I am merely staying the hell away from Bella so I don't kill her and my bro doesn't end up killing me in return."

Alice frowned. "That wouldn't happen. You know perfectly well that as much as I, even without seeing visions."

I snorted and stood up from the boulder I'm sitting on. "Alice, I had been drinking from humans for almost a year, and have recently become a 'vegetarian' again! What did you think would happen!? Seriously! Think about it!" I was angry, angry that she didn't understand how hard it was for me to resist and to act like her. She could be around humans and still be somewhat normal. Not me though.

She is silent but I know she was having a vision. She exhaled and said softly, "Calm down Shayla or you'll do something you will regret."

I scoffed. "Like what?"

She narrowed her eyes. Now, I know I'm not Edward but something about her face gives me the answer.

Me hurting her. My sister, my shopping partner, my best friend…

"No…" I whimpered. "Alice, you are my best friend. I wouldn't do that!"

"Shayla, Jasper says your rage and anger is over consuming you. That's why you are going to attack me."

I tried to calm down but I'm shaking. I gripped the rock that I sat on in an effort to keep myself steady but it shattered like it was nothing more than a clomp of dirt. I stood up from the remains of the rock while clenching my fists and staring at the ground. Others of my family are coming now. Do I care? Not really.

"Shayla…" Alice said as she takes a cautious step forward. "Did something happen in Alaska? Is that what is making you angry all the time."

Yes, I wanted to say. Yes, something did happen. Something that had shattered me and that had made me like this. But how to explain…

"He did this to me," I said softly. If I could cry, I would be doing it. Instead a dry sob escapes my throat as I let myself fall to the ground. I curled into a ball and leant my face onto my arms resting on my knees. I stopped myself from breathing.

Alice kneeled down. "Who did this to you?"

I managed to chock out a name. "Adrian."

"What did he do to you? Tell me Shayla."

I looked up and manage to silence my dry sobs temporarily . "I though he was the one, my mate. He became the one to hold me when I had done what I did. The one to comfort me when I expressed my longing to return home but when I knew I couldn't."

"But...?"

"He changed from the boy I loved. He became a bully. He told me that I belonged to him and I couldn't go home. He told me I was a monster and I should rot in hell for killing the monsters." I exhaled as I become angry. "But I knew it wasn't true. One day he tried to abuse me after I tried to leave him but I fought back. I managed to kill him before he could get a bite in. I knew I had to come back there and then. I needed my family, the one which I had left because I was sick of living by the rules. You know the rest of the story."

"Oh Shayla…" Alice reached out to me and rests her hand on my shoulder.

"Leave me Alice," I whispered as I push her hand off.

"But Shayla, you need to come back," she answered as she grips my arm hard. "Why do you think I'm here? We all want to help you."

Now I don't know why but the next thing I know that I do is that I just snapped. All the anger, all the rage that I have been holding in me and that has been building inside of me for months bubbled to the surface. I gave a snarl before I shouted, "Leave me alone Alice!" And I then shove her away, unintentionally with all my strength, from me. She is propelled into a tree, leaving a significant dent in it, before she scrambled to her feet. Shock and horror crossed her face just as Jasper bursts into the clearing. Jasper sees the dent in the tree by Alice and then me in a defensive pose, and he put two and two together.

"Shayla!" he roared as he ran at me. I braced myself for the crash but it doesn't come. Alice has her hand around his upper-arm in a shackle-like grip and is holding him back. Rage crossed Jasper's face. You never attacked another vampire's mate unless you wanted to die or be mauled.

"Jasper, stop it. I had foreseen it. If it wasn't me, it could have been Esme or Emmett or Rosalie," Alice told him. It was true of course. I felt like killing myself. How could I let that basterd of a vampire destroy myself? Hurt my family and friends? He might be dead but I was still wrecked and not me in any way.

And that's when I decided. That man might have broken me, but I will repair myself and make things right. I would return to being me.

"It's not going to happen again though," I stated so firmly that they jumped in surprise. "That was the past. But the future is bright for me, I am home and I will move past from what that bastard has done to me."

They exchanged looks. "So you'll start laughing and smiling like you used to again? And you won't stay cooped up in your room?" Jasper asked. I nod in response.

"And you'll stop being angry and violent?" Alice asked in a cautious voice but I grin at her.

"Hell to the yeah. Hey, I'll race you all back!" I answered before running off. I hear them laugh and they start to follow my complex track back through the woods.

Chapter 8: Tracker

Shayla's POV

I gave a snarl as the three vampires emerged from the woods. The first male fell back allowing the other olive skinned, dark haired male to go forward, displaying who led the pack. The third was a woman with a startling amount of tangled, red hair.

As they approached close I noticed their gait was very cat-like and on the verge of slipping into a crouch. They were dressed in backpackers clothing with button-down shirts and jeans with heavy, water-proof fabrics. They were barefoot and their clothes were frayed with wear. Although the men had neatly cropped hair– the leader was down to his shoulders– the woman's was a wild, tangled mess of orange with leaves and debris from the forest caught in it. She seemed to walk like a feline of some kind.

The first man flashed a smile at us but I never relaxed my stance. I stood with my arms crossed slightly in front of Bella and between Edward and Jasper. Jasper elbowed me in the ribcage and shot me a disapproving look. I dropped my arms and relaxed my pose as the vampires crept forward. They reminded me of lone animals that are approaching a big group of their own kind.

The man in front was the most beautiful; I could admit that. His skin was olive-toned underneath the paleness and his hair a glossy black. He was of a medium build, hard muscled but he was nothing compared to Emmett's brawn.

The women was wilder, her eyes shifting between the men in front of her and the loose group crowded around Bella, her hair ruffling in the breeze. The second male hovered near her, his hand twitched towards hers. His light brown hair and regular features both nondescript. His eyes, though completely still, were somehow the most vigilant.

Their eyes were a deep burgundy red colour. I glanced at Bella to see her reaction. She gave a small shiver. I admit it did look scary; it made them look disturbing and sinister. That was how my eyes once looked.

The dark haired man then spoke. "I thought we heard a game," he said in a relaxed voice, with a touch of a French accent. "I am Laurent and this is Victoria and James." He gestured to the vampires behind him. Victoria gave a small nod of her head in greeting but James simply tilted his head, keeping a steady eye on Edward. I resisted the urge to growl.

Carlisle introduced us, calling us out in groups and not drawing attention to us. Bella seemed surprised that he called her name.

"Do you have room for a few more players?" Laurent asked sociably.

My father matched Laurent's friendly tone. "Actually we were just finishing up. But we'd certainly be interested another time. Are you planning to stay in the area long?"

"We're headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighbourhood."

"No, this region is usually empty except for us and the occasional visitor like yourselves."

I suspected that Jasper was using his gift to calm the situation from a tense atmosphere into casual conversation.

"What's your hunting range?" Laurent casually inquired.

Carlisle ignored the assumption behind the inquiry. "The Olympic Range here, up and down the Coast Ranges on occasion." I flashed him a disapproving look but he ignored me. "We keep a permanent resident nearby. There is another permanent settlement like our up near Denali."

Laurent rocked back on his heels slightly. "Permanent? How do you manage that?" There was honest curiosity in his voice.

"Why don't you come back to our home with us and we can talk comfortably?" Carlisle invited. "It's a rather long story."

Victoria and James exchanged a surprised look at the mention of 'home' but Laurent managed to control his expression better then them.

"That sounds very interesting, and welcome. We've been on the hunt all the way down from Ontario and we haven't had the chance to clean up in a while." His eyes moved appreciatively over Carlisle's refined appearance and that's when I realised what he just said. I opened my mouth in alarm but Esme shot me a look. I get a lot of those.

"Please don't take offence, but we'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from hunting in this immediate area. We have to stay inconspicuous, you understand," Carlisle explained.

"Of course," Laurent nodded. "We certainty won't encroach on your territory. We ate just out of Seattle anyway," he laughed. I bit my lip to stop myself saying something I will most likely regret.

"Well, we'll show you the way if you'd like to run with us– Emmett and Alice, you can go with Edward and Bella to get the Jeep. Shayla, you can get the bike and head with them as well," he casually added as we started to head off. I watched James carefully as he stared curiously at Bella. I didn't like the way he looked at her at all.

Then three things happened at the same time. One, Bella's hair rippled with the soft breeze that came over us suddenly, two, Edward stiffened and three, James suddenly whipped his head around to face Bella, his nostrils flared.

Edward and I dropped into a crouch followed by the rest of the family who darted back. Esme pulled Bella back and Edward bared his teeth, a feral snarl ripping from his throat. I snapped my teeth together and gave a deep growl. Victoria leapt into a crouch beside James and I lined up in her view, blocking Bella from her line of sight. I gave a snarl and she responded with a hissing noise. I feel my hands shake and then my silver, lion-like claws burst out of my fingertips.

"What's this?" Laurent exclaimed in open surprise but I merely hissed at him before baring my teeth menacingly like Edward. None of us relaxed our aggressive poses. James feinted to the side and Edward shifted in response. I flexed my claws menacingly.

"She's with us." Carlisle's firm rebuff was directed at James. I could see Laurent had caught the scent less powerfully then James but awareness dawned on his face.

"You brought a snack?" he asked and he took an involuntary step forward.

I gave a loud growl and removed my gaze from Victoria. "She's with us!" I snarled at him as I stepped forward, ready to rip him to shreds. Edwards snarled more harshly at him, his lip curling above his bared teeth. Laurent stepped back.

"We said, she's with us," Carlisle corrected in a hard voice.

"But she's human," Laurent protested, no aggressiveness in his voice, merely astonishment.

"Yes." Emmett was very much in evidence at Carlisle's side, his fixed eyes on James. James slowly straightened out as did Victoria and I but I could see that James's eyes never left Bella, his nostrils wide and flared. I gave a small snort and bared my teeth again. Edward stayed tense like a lion by my side.

When Laurent spoke again, his tone was soothing– trying to defuse the sudden hostility I guessed, Jasper could of done a better job. "It appears we have a lot to learn about each other."

"Indeed." Carlisle's voice was still cool and calm. How, I would never know.

"But we would like to accept your invitation." Laurent's eyes flicked between Bella, Carlisle and Edward. "And, of course, we won't harm the human girl. We won't hunt in your range, like we said."

James glanced in disbelief and aggravation at Laurent and exchanged a look with Victoria whose eyes were still flickering eagerly from face to face before resting on mine. I glared at her, challenging her for look away. She in turn glared back, daring me to do what I was doing to her.

"Stand down Shayla," Alice murmured from nearby. I gave an exasperated growl and at the same time, Victoria and I turned away from each other.

Carlisle, Esme Rosalie and Jasper were leading the foreign vampires across to the woods which led home. I followed the others, shielding Bella from sight to the other side of the woods. Not bothering to wait, I ran ahead, bouncing off the trees with Edward close behind followed by Alice and Emmett.

I got to the bike and turned to see Edward throw Bella in the back of the Jeep. Alice is in the front and Emmett in the back. I heard Edward growl a series of swear words and profanities before he got in the front seat and stomped on the accelerator.

I leapt on the motorbike and revved it angrily. I followed Edward and over take him as I think angrily to myself, knowing he would hear. I should rip their faces off!

But then, he turned away onto the highway, heading away from Forks. I missed the turn-off and shot past.

Idiot! I scream at him in my head. What the hell are you doing? Oi @*+**$$!

I guess he didn't hear me. I scowled and go faster towards home. When I get there, I skid my bike in, nearly hitting Rose's car and sprinted into the house to find Rose, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and Laurent.

"Shayla, where's the others?" Rosalie asked as I skid to a stop in the lounge room where Carlisle was having a civil conversation with Laurent.

"Edward's taking Bella away from Forks for some dumb reason," I growled. "And I'm assuming Emmett is helping him, the idiot. Alice won't go down without a fight, I bet." I then realised only one of our new 'guests' is present. "Hang on, where's Victoria and James?"

"I don't know," Laurent said sadly. "I believe James might start tracking the human and Victoria is helping him."

"What the fu-" I start to say but Jasper puts a hand over my mouth to stop my swearing. I gave him a dirty look and he released me. "Hate you Jazz."

He doesn't smile for once. 'What are we going to do about this Carlisle?" he asks Carlisle instead.

"I know what I'm going to do!" I ranted. "I'm going to rip James's face off!"

"No Shayla," Carlisle said. He had a firm grip on my arm. "I know you now consider Bella a member of the family and I also know how protective you are of us but for now we need to consider our options."

"I see only one option," I growled. "Kill him or let him kill Bella. Your choice Carlisle."

"There are other options Shayla," he said again, firm and calm. Esme glanced between us and Jasper placed his arm on my shoulder. I look up at him.

"You agree, right Jasper?" I asked. He doesn't answer which bugs me.

"What are the other options?" he then asked Carlisle.

"We wait until Edward comes home and then we'll figure it out," he said, still calm.

"But that could take ages!" I protested. "Edward is stubborn! He would do what he thinks is best for Bella."

Before anyone could answer me, I flip out my phone and speed-dial Alice. "Alice, what's going on?"

"We are heading back now. Bella's telling her father that she is going home to Phoenix. Jasper and I are going with her while Edward, Emmett and everyone else stays to hunt James," she explained. She knows that I would know that James was a tracker.

"What do you want me to do? Protect or hunt?" I ask.

"Come with us, we'll need you."

I sigh. I wanted to hunt James. "Okay. Are you heading home now?"

"Yes. Shayla, please be careful and don't go after him now."

"I won't," I promised even though I was seriously considered it "I'll see ya soon."

"Bye Shay-Shay," she hung up and I turned to the family. "You heard all that?"

They nodded and we stay silent for a moment until Rosalie decided to speak.

"Why should we help her in the first place anyway?" Rosalie asked. I give a feral snarl at her. Rosalie hissed back sounding like an angry snake. "She is causing nothing but trouble," she hissed angrily.

"Bella is with Edward Rosalie," I snarled, sneering her name slightly. "And I don't know about you, but I protect my family. Even if it does so happen to include a human."

Rosalie bared her teeth and sneered at me. I growled and bared my teeth back at her in return. She shifted into a crouch-like position, a sign that she may attack. Rose and I rarely fought, but when we did, it was horseplay just like I was wrestling with my brothers. But I had never attacked her seriously in an attempt to harm her or worse, tear her to shreds.

I don't adjust my body to an attacking position. Instead I fold my arms and narrow my eyes at her. "I won't fight you Rosalie."

She glared at me and I glared back. "Why Shayla do you need to protect her?" she then asked.

"'Cause Edward would kill me if I wouldn't. You know me Rosalie; I protect my family and friends– even if it means getting injured in the process or even killed."

"You are willing to sacrifice your life for Bella?" she asked, quite surprised.

"Yes," I simply say, bowing my head.

She seems to consider straightening up but instead she shifted forward. I shift into a crouch position, identical to hers. So she still wanted to fight eh?

"Stop it you two," Esme cut in, her mothering voice on. "Fighting isn't going to solve anything."

"It might solve her attitude problem," I murmured, knowing fully well that Rosalie would hear me.

She hissed again and gave me the 'Ice Queen' stare. "Shut up Shayla."

"Make me," I replied, rather immaturely.

"I'll make you," she snarls coldly. Carlisle and Esme glanced between us, wondering whether to intervene or not but they know that once Rosalie and I started to argue, almost nothing will shut us up. She was pigheaded and I was just as stubborn.

"Two words." I give a smirk. "Bring it."

Rosalie launched at me so fast that she's a blur but yet, I still had time to sidestep her easily. Well not sidestep exactly, but rather leaping out of the way. She turned and snarled at me. I growled in response. She tried to leap at me again and that's when I decide to infuriate further.

She threw punches and swipes at me which I dodged easily when I recite my favourite lines from the TMNT movie. "Funny thing about anger… Let it consume and soon enough…" I ducked underneath her outstretched arm and creep behind her, and whispered the next line near her ear. "You lose sight of everything."

She swiped again, spinning around for me but I am behind her again, where I was standing from originally. She glared at me. "You are nothing but a stupid and immature smart-ass Shayla."

"And you are nothing but a pigheaded *$%%% Rosalie," I countered, dropping my smirk and baring my teeth slightly. This was one of the worst fights we have ever had.

We stared angrily at each other for a long time before Jasper intervenes. "Rose, Shay, stop it now! Fighting isn't going to solve anything. Right?"

I nodded with my jaw tight. "Yeah, yeah, I guess. Sorry Rosalie."

She flared her nostrils. "Sorry Shayla. And you're right Jasper."

I suddenly whipped my head around. I smelled Bella's scent along with Edward's, Alice's' and Emmett's. I also smelled James's but his is further away. I snorted with frustration. "I can smell the tracker. His scent is sickening."

"I know," Jasper says softly. "Just don't breathe."

I hold my breath and the absolutely foul stench disappears almost completely. But the taste-like sensation stays in my throat.

The door flew open and Emmett raced in, clutching Bella. Edward and Alice soon follow. Laurent, who has remained quiet the whole time, rose from the couch. I heard Emmett give a grumble as he set Bella down beside Edward.

"He's tracking us," he announced, glaring balefully at Laurent.

Laurent's face was unhappy. "I was afraid of that."

Alice danced to Jasper and whispered in his ear; her lips quivering from her almost silent speech. They then flew up the stairs together. I decided to fly up as well. Not bothering to use the stairs, I ran towards the wall by the side of stair case and leapt, bound off it, grab the railing in one hand and propel myself over it. I ran into my room, almost breaking the door, and grabbed a backpack from my closet. I stuffed a change of clothes in there and headed back downstairs, slinging the bag over my back as I went.

Laurent was talking again. "Are you sure it's worth it?" He was talking to Carlisle about Bella, no doubt. Edward let loose an enraged roar and I gave a furious growl. I also heard an angry snarl come from Alice as well. Laurent turned to look at me for a moment before cringing back.

Carlisle ignored me, Alice and Edward and turned and said gravely to Laurent "I'm afraid you have to make a choice."

Laurent understood what he meant. He deliberated for a moment. His eyes took in every face, and finally swept the bright room.

"I'm intrigued by the life you've created here. But I won't get in the middle of this. I bear none of your enmity, but I won't go up against James. I think I'll head north- to that clan in Denali." he hesitated. "Don't underestimate James. He's got a brilliant mind and unparalleled senses. He's every bit as comfortable in the human world as you seem to be, and he won't come at you head on… I'm sorry for what's been unleased here, truly sorry." He bowed his head and I saw him flicker a curious look towards Bella.

"Go in peace," Carlisle said formally and Laurent hurried out the door.

The silence didn't last long.

"How close?" Carlisle asked Edward and me.

I sniffed, trying to pick up a scent. "By the river, about 3 to 4 miles out. The female's is further away, around 5 miles away.

I looked at Edward for conferment. Hr nodded at me and Carlisle. "He plans to meet with her."

"What's the plan?"

"We'll lead him off; and then Shayla, Jasper and Alice will run her south."

"And then?"

Edward's tone was deadly. "As soon as Bella is in the clear, we hunt him. Shayla can run back if she's like."

"I guess there's no other choice," Carlisle agreed with his face rather grim.

"No, I think it's better if I stay with Jazz and Alice," I cut in, my face determined. Edward saw this and said no more, before turning to Rosalie.

"Go upstairs and trade clothes," he commanded but she merely stared back at him with livid disbelief.

Bad move Edward.

"Why should I?" she hissed. "What is she to me? Except a menace- a danger you've chosen to inflict on all of us."

I saw Bella flinched back from the absolute venom in Rosalie's voice.

"Rose…" Emmett murmured, putting one hand on her shoulder. She shook it off.

"Shut up Rose!" I suddenly snapped at her. "You're not helping!"

I turned to Edward, knowing of his temper. But he ignored her, and acted as though she hadn't spoken, or even existed.

"Esme?" he asked calmly. Esme would, I knew she would.

"Of course," my mother murmured and then she took Bella upstairs.

I could hear Rosalie arguing almost silently with Emmett. I rolled my eyes and pulled out my mobile. I hit speed dial for my Australian vampire friend, Matthew.

"What are you doing?" Carlisle asked curiously.

I put the phone to my ear before answering. "My friend Matt is in town. I want him to take my bike, so James will think it's a decoy."

I hear a Matt answer the pone. "What's up Shayla?"

"Hey, Matty-boy, how's it going? Listen, I need a favour. We got a small tracker problem and I need you to take my bike for a few days."

He didn't ask for details. "When?"

"Now."

"I'll be 5 minutes," he promised.

"You know where our place is? It'll be out the front," I said as I ran out into the garage and started wheeling the bike out.

"Yeah, okay then. See you soon Shay."

"Peace out bro," I said as a goodbye. Matt and the rest of his friends, both boys and girls, were like adopted brothers and sisters to me while I stayed in Australia for a few months. I heard a small chuckle from him and then the line goes dead. I snapped the phone shut with a twist of my fingers.

"What now?" I asked when I run back into the house. Bella and Esme are back. Esme is in Bella's clothes and Bella in Esme's. Everyone was ready to leave and Carlisle was handing out cell phones to Esme and Alice. He was also was giving last minute instructions to Bella and Edward.

"Will they take the bait Alice?" he then asked Alice. She closed her eyes and became still.

"He'll track you. The woman will follow the truck."

"Will Matt be okay? On the bike?"

She nodded. "He'll head back to his hiding place, a cave in the mountains. I see two girls and a boy with him."

I think before giving a nod. "Ah… Maddy, Tiff and Theo. Theo is his best friend, Maddy is his mate and Tiff is Theo's mate." I turn away from her face and glance out the window, now worried. What if my friends got hurt because of me?

"Let's go," Carlisle walked toward the kitchen.

I walked there with them just as Edward pulled Bella to his side. He seemed unaware that his whole family was watching as he lifted Bella and kissed her with her feet off the floor. I glanced away, feeling uncomfortable and when I glanced back, he was gone along with Emmett and Carlisle. The others looked away from Bella as she had tears coming down her face streaking noiselessly. I walked over to her and held a hand on her shoulder, as gently as I could, to comfort her.

"Bella, it'll be okay," I whispered, even though I didn't know if it would be.

She made no moment or sound to say that she heard me. The silence seemed to drag on before Esme's phone rang. It was at her ear in a flash.

"Now," she said. Rose stalked out the door, throwing a glare at Bella and I. Esme followed but lingered by Bella, her cold hand brushing her check.

"Be safe," she whispered before turning to me. "Take care of her Shayla."

"I will Mom," I murmured. "I promise."

She slipped out the door and we heard the truck thunder for a moment before slowly fading away. Then the roar of my motorbike was heard before it too faded away.

We waited. Alice's phone rang and was at her ear before it seemed to ring. "Edward says that the woman is on Esme's trail. I'll get the car."

I followed her and slid into the front seat. As it slowly backed out, I sighed and threw my head back. She shot me a questioning look while raising her eyebrows.

"I said it would be okay," I mumbled. "I told her it'll be fine. But what if it's not, what if I'm wrong?"

"I don't know," she frowned. "There are a thousand decisions being made by everyone, it's impossible to see."

We stopped then and she ran into the house and returned with Bella in her arms. She slid her into the back seat before following and Jasper slid into the driver's seat.

"Let's go," I said impatiently and we pulled out into the dark night, leaving the bright lights behind us.

Chapter 10: An apology

Shayla's POV

Bella and Alice emerged from the bedroom minutes later. Bella sat on the floor while I laid across the couch on my stomach, my feet up on the arm next to Alice; Jasper had since gone to sit at the desk in the corner, as far away from Bella as possible. I would have gone further away but one, I didn't want to be rude, and two, I couldn't really be bothered. A quick look in the mirror told me that my eyes were starting to darken and a dull ache in the back of my throat confirmed that I was starting to get thirsty. However, it was fairly easy to ignore and if I could get a chance, I would hunt at night or perhaps now, just to be safe. I wondered if Alice would agree to this.

She caught my eye and gave such a small nod that it went undetected by Jasper. Usually Jasper never missed those small movements that Alice and I made at each other as a silent conversation.

Bella picked at her food, not really caring what it was. I tilted my head towards her and looked at her for a moment before resting my head back on my crossed forearms to watch the TV. Nothing held my interest and I soon became still, so still that I ceased to breathe.

Alice shifted near my feet and I glanced back around at her to find her looking down at Bella.

"What's wrong, Alice?" she asked my sister.

"Nothing's wrong…" Alice answered with her golden eyes were wide, honest… I suspected Bella didn't trust them. And nor did I.

"What do we do now?" Bella asked.

"We wait for Carlisle to call," Alice answered calmly.

"And should he have called by now?" She was right of course. Carlisle was meant to call by now. Alice's eyes flickered to her silver phone resting on top of her leather bag and back to Bella's face.

"What does that mean?" Her voice quavered but she fought to control it. "That he hasn't called yet?"

"It means that they don't have anything to tell us." Alice's voice was even and calm.

Jasper stood and moved to beside Alice, standing closer to Bella then he usually would. "Bella," he said in a suspiciously soothing tone. "You have nothing to worry about. You are completely safe here."

"I know that," she answered, as she abandoned the food.

"Then why are you frightened?" he asked, confused. Jasper might have been able to read the tenor of someone's emotions but knowing the reason behind them was something different altogether.

"You heard what Laurent said," she said in a whisper that came out sounding like a whimper. "He said James was lethal. What if something goes wrong, and they get separated? Carlisle, Emmett… Edward…" She gulped. "If that wild female hurt Esme…" Her voice rose in volume and seemed to have a touch of hysteria added to it. "How could I live with myself when it's my fault! None of you should be risking yourselves for me –"

"Bella, Bella, stop," Jasper interrupted her, his words pouring out so quick that Alice and I could understand them but I was pretty sure whether that Bella couldn't as easily. "You are worrying about all the wrong things, Bella. Trust me on this– none of us are in jeopardy. You are under too much strain as it is; don't add to it with wholly unnecessary worries. Listen to me!" he suddenly ordered when she turned her head away from him. "Our family is strong. Our only fear is losing you."

"But why should you –" Bella started to say but it was Alice who interrupted this time, touching Bella's cheek with her cold fingers.

"It's been almost a centaury since Edward's been alone," she said softly. "Now he's found you. You can't see the changes we see, we who have been with him for so long. Do you think any of us would want to look into his eyes for the next hundred years if he loses you?"

Her words stuck a cord with me. I had too noticed that he was no longer sullen, no longer unhappy and feeling alone in the house. We were the only ones to not have a mate but I didn't mind, I was too busy being a teenage vampire to notice much. Of course I spent time with my two closest friends/ siblings in the world, Alice and Jasper but when they needed time to themselves, I was always careful not to intrude on them. And it always ended up me and Edward spending time together, being brother and sister. Carlisle once hoped that perhaps I could become Edward's mate– but the feeling remained at brotherly and sisterly love. There was nothing more, and nothing less. I could see first hand of how depressed Edward was.

And I could see how happy he was now. Bella had lit up a light in his life and I was sure as hell that I wasn't going to let some sadistic tracker take it away from him.

I stood from the couch and walked to the door. "Going out for a while, I'll be back before dawn."

I could feel Alice's eyes burning into my back as I left the hotel room.

There wasn't much to hunt in the city. I stuck to the ally ways and away from the streets, fighting my gut instinct to go climb up a fire escape and snatch a defenceless human while they slept. It would be so easy and so simple, but no… I mustn't think that way.

Instead, I found some stray cats near a restaurant exit, fighting over scraps in the dumpster. Their scent imitated what their blood tasted like – foul and unappetising. But it would have to do until I got home. I drained them quickly and hid them down the sewer drains. I still had a dry ache in my throat but it was less noticeable and easier to ignore.

I jogged at human pace through the slowly lightening streets back to the hotel. I slipped in unseen but instead of returning to the room, I headed up to the rooftop and stayed in the shade of a maintenance shed and watched the sun rise. I know I had promised Alice that I would be back before dawn but I didn't want to go down yet.

I flipped out my cell and turned it on. I went to my contacts list and went down it until I got down to the 'Rs'.

Rosalie's name was the only one there. My thumb hovered over the call button as I debated with myself. She needed an apology, a real one this time, not just a mumble. I regretted calling her a stuck-up @@!$!; it was just the heat of the moment. Her words about me though had been spot on. I was a smart-ass and I was immature. Therefore, I was an immature smart-ass.

"I wonder if Alice could see me deciding," I said aloud to no one but myself as I pressed the button.

It rang twice before it was answered. But not by the person I hoped.

"Shayla?" My mother's voice sounded worried as she answered. "What's wrong? Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine Esme," I said quietly, in case anyone journeyed up onto the roof. "I just wanted to talk to Rosalie."

"Of course," she murmured. I heard nothing but silence for a few seconds as she assumingly passed the phone to Rosalie.

"What?" Rose's cold, hard voice blared out at me. "What do you want Shayla?

I sighed wearily. Rosalie could be such a drama queen sometimes. Resisting the urge to bite her head off for being so impatient, I instead said, "I just wanted to apologise for my rude comments. They were spur-of-the-moment and unjustified. My behaviour was unacceptable and unprovoked." I swallow a mouthful of venom before continuing on. "So, basically what I'm trying to say here is that I am sorry. I'm sorry for being stubborn and impatient. I'm sorry for being immature and a smart-ass. And I'm sorry for calling you things which you are not. I –"

She cut me off and gave a hiss of annoyance. "You called me up to apologise for one little fight?" She gave a high pitched laugh and I gave a low growl at her. "Seriously Shayla, are you going soft on me?"

"How can you laugh? I thought you were mad at me?" I snarled at her.

She sighed impatiently. "I was. But with the way you've been lately, I'm surprised that you took it out on me so calmly. You've been crabby even when you're not thirsty, so I decided last night that I could forgive you. After all you're only sixteen."

"Physically sixteen," I corrected her in a hard voice. "But emotionally and mentally, I'm nearing my forties. I should know better."

"As should I Shay. I knew how easy you lash out and I went against my instincts to shut up. I should be apologising too. You are not stupid, even if some of your decisions and choices have not been smart." She paused, probably wondering if she'd offended me.

But I nodded to myself. "Yes, that's defiantly true."

"And you're not a smart-ass. You are quite witty, which I love so much about you," she replied before giving another sigh. "So long story short, I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?"

"I do. Do you, in turn, forgive me?"

"Yes. I love you Shayla, never forget that."

"I love you too. I have got to go now, the sun's coming up. Tell Mom I love her." I glanced behind me at the slowly lightening sky. "Bye Rose."

"Bye Shay." The phone hangs up with a beep and I snap mine shut. I couldn't help but smile at it. Rosalie and I may have had our disagreements, or fights if you will, but we always, always, made up after it.

I head back downstairs and go back to the hotel room. Jasper was on the lounge by himself. He raised an eyebrow as I entered. "So?"

"So what?" I asked, confused as I stood before him.

"You know what Shayla. Alice told me. I can sense that you're feeling relieved now," he answered, lifting his head from the TV to look at me. "Did Rosalie accept your apology?"

I nodded. "She didn't even expect one."

"Because she loves you," he murmured gently. "You have had plenty of fights over the decades. What makes this one different? That it's over your brother and his girlfriend?"

I shrug. "I don't know Jasper, I honestly don't know. You know I hate to fight but if it's to protect my family, I will."

He nodded and hugged me. "I understand."

That's when I notice Alice and Bella are missing. "Where are Alice and Bella?" I asked.

Jasper nodded his head at the door to the bedroom. "Bella went to sleep but now she and Alice are talking about how you become a vampire. Edward didn't tell her and he doesn't want her to now. But Bella wanted to know."

I listened and I could hear Alice talking. "It's not very pleasant."

I walked towards the room and opened the door a crack. Bella was lying curled up in bed with her chin resting on her knees while Alice sat on the end of her bed with her legs crossed. Bella looked up when I entered and I nodded in her direction as a greeting. Alice kept her back to me while Bella spoke. "Edward said it was very hard to do… I don't quite understand."

"We're also like sharks in a way," Alice explained carefully while Bella and I listened intently even though I knew how you could become a vampire. "Once we taste the blood, or even smell it fit that matter, it becomes very hard to keep from feeding. Sometimes impossible. So you see, to bite someone, to taste the blood, it would begin the frenzy. It's difficult on both sides– the blood lust on one hand, the awful pain of the other."

"Why do you think you can't remember?" Bella asked.

"I don't know. For everyone else, the pain of the transformation is the sharpest memory they have of their human life. I remember nothing of being human." Her voice was wistful, almost sad. I wrapped an arm around her and hugged her gently.

And there we sat, each of us wrapped up in our own individual thoughts. I removed my arm from Alice's shoulders and folded it across my chest, staring at the floor thinking hard.

But then Alice leapt up, landing nimbly on her feet. I looked up at her in alarm before leaping off the bed myself. "Something's changed," she said.

Jasper reached the door the same time as she did with me hovering behind her. He guided her to the bed and they began to speak in low tones. "What did you see?" he asked, staring intently into her eyes.

"I see a room. It's long and there are mirrors everywhere. The floor is wooden. He's in the room and he's waiting. There's gold… a gold stripe across the mirrors."

"Where is this room?"

"I don't know. Something is missing– another decision that hasn't been made yet.

"How much time?"

"It's soon. He'll be in the mirror room today, or maybe tomorrow. It all depends. He's waiting for something. And he's in the dark."

Jasper's voice was calm, methodical, as he continued to question her with Bella and I listening intently. "What is he doing?"

'He's watching TV… No, he's running a VCR, in the dark in another place."

"Can you see where it is?" I asked her, keeping as calm as possible.

"No, it's too dark."

"And the mirror room," Jasper questioned her again. "What else is there?"

"Just the mirrors, and the gold. It's a band, around the room. And there's a black table with a big stereo and a TV. He's touching the VCR, but he doesn't watch the way he does in the dark room. This is the room where he waits." Her eyes drifted again before flickering to Jasper's face and then mine before focusing on Jasper's again.

"There's nothing else?"

She shook her head at him. Then they both sat motionless and I wrapped an arm around Alice again, hugging her once more.

"What does it mean?" Bella asked from behind us. She got up out of the bed and moved so she was in front of us.

I hesitated on whether to answer. But Jasper made the decision for me. "It means the tracker's plans have changed. He's made a decision that will lead him to the mirror room, and the dark room."

"But we don't know where these rooms are?"

"No."

"But we do know that he won't be in the mountains north of Washington, being hunted. He'll elude them," Alice added, her voice bleak.

"Should we call? Bella asked us all. We glanced at each other, trading serious looks, undecided.

But the phone rang.

Alice was across the room before Bella could even register that it had ringed. She held it to her ear but didn't speak at first. "Carlisle," she breathed, not seeming surprised or relived. Damn future-seeing pixie.

"Yes," she then said before glancing at Bella. She listened again.

"I just saw him." She explained her vision to Carlisle. "Whatever made him get on that plane… it was leading him to these rooms." She paused. "Yes. Bella?" She held out the phone out to her and Bella ran for it.

I slipped out the door to give her some privacy. Alice and Jasper followed me. I sank into the couch before leaning my elbows on my knees and holding my face in my hands. I ran my fingers through my hair.

"I knew I should have stayed and hunted him," I remarked bitterly. "All I'm doing here is nothing."

Jasper patted my shoulder affectionately. "It'll be fine Shay. With your animal senses and Alice's visions, it would be impossible for James to hurt Bella. You know that."

I scowled at him. "But is that a guarantee?"

He stayed quiet. "No, it's not," he eventually admitted. "But, we do have a fair chance of beating him."

I growled softly at him. Fair chance; I wanted a good chance. A good chance was better then a fair chance.

Jasper growled back at me but Alice cut in between us. She hated to see us fighting and would never take sides. She hated choosing between her husband and her sister. But I would never suggest that she should pick me over Jasper; that was just unfair.

"Stop it you too!" she growled at us. "Fighting isn't going to protect Bella."

"Right," I muttered. Jasper nodded in agreement and I lifted my arm to gesture to Jasper that I wanted to give him a hug. He obliged and I murmured in his ear, "Sorry Jazz."

He nodded at me before handing Alice some of the hotel stationary. She began sketching on it a long, rectangular room with a thinner, square section at the back. The wooden planks that made up the floor stretched lengthwise across the room. Down the walls were lines denoting the breaks in the mirrors. And then, wrapping around the walls, waist-high, a long band. The band which Alice had said was gold.

"It's a ballet studio," Bella suddenly said, having finished talking on the phone.

We all looked up at her, surprised.

"Do you know this room? Jasper asked her calmly but there was a hint of another tone that I couldn't identify. I looked back over his shoulder to Alice's work now. Her hand was flying across the page, making the shape of an emergency exit against the back wall, the stereo and the TV by the right front corner.

"It looks like a place I went for dance lessons –when I was eight or nine. It was shaped the same." She touched the page where the square section jutted out, narrowing the back part of the room. "That's where the bathrooms where –the doors were through the other dance studio. But the stereo was here..." –she pointed to another section of the room, the left corner – "It was older, and there wasn't a TV. There was a window in the waiting room –you would see the room from this perspective if you looked through it."

We all stared at her.

"Are you sure that it's the same room?" Jasper asked her calmly.

She shook her head. "No, not at all –I suppose most dance studios would look the same –the mirrors, the bar." She traced her finger along the ballet bar set against the mirrors. "It's just the shape that looked familiar." She touched where the doors were set.

"Would you have any reason to go back there?" Alice asked.

Bella's head jerked up. "No, I haven't been there in almost ten years. I was a terrible dance –they always put me in the back for recitals," she admitted. I stifled a laugh with difficulty. I could not imagine clumsy human Bella dancing.

"So there is no way it could be connected to you?" Alice asked, ignoring me.

"No, I don't even think the same person owns it. I'm sure it's just another dance studio, somewhere."

"Where was the studio you went to?" Jasper asked in a casual tone. Yeah, as if this was a casual situation. He sends out a wave of calm at me as my frustration goes up a notch.

"It was just around the corner from my mom's place I used to walk there after school…." Bella said, her voice trailing off. Alice and Jasper exchanged a look. I glanced between them. Bella seemed to catch the look they exchanged as well.

"Here in Phoenix then?" he asked her, his voice still casual.

"Yes," she whispered. "Fifty-Eighth Street and Cactus."

We all sat in silence, staring at the drawing. This was bad news. If James was in Phoenix, around the corner from her mother's house… He could quite possibly track Bella. Not that Alice, Jasper and I were going to let that happen.

"Alice is that phone safe?" Bella asked suddenly.

"Yes," Alice reassured her. "The number would just trace back to Washington."

"Then I can use it to call my mom."

"I thought she was in Florida?"

"She is –but she's coming home soon, and she can't come back to that house while…" Bella's voice trembled.

"How will you reach her?"

"They don't have a permanent number except at the house –she's supposed to check her messages regularly."

"Jasper?" Alice asked.

Jasper thought about it. "I don't think there's any way it could hurt –be sure you don't say where you are, of course."

"Couldn't hurt to check though," I added. Without waiting for an answer, I dialled my cell number. It rang and I glanced at the screen, checking the number.

"Unknown number- Washington," I read out. "Yeah, it's safe."

Bella quickly dialled her mom's number before leaving a message telling her mom to ring her at the hotel number. She repeated it twice before hanging up and closing her eyes. She sank down on the couch and started to pick at the half-eaten food. Poor Bella. Were we ever going to get out of this mess?

I watched the news, bored. Bella, Jasper and Alice did too but Bella seemed to be playing extra-close attention.

Immortality grants you endless patience. Even thought once I got up to look out the window before sitting on the floor with my back against the wall, I did not feel obliged to do anything. I stared at the walls, watched the TV or watched Alice sketch the outlines of the mystery room on the paper.

Finally Bella fell asleep. I got up and went to pick her up and carry her to the bedroom but Alice beat me to it. She mouthed, 'I'll do it,' at me and I nodded before sinking back onto the couch.

It was going to be a long night.

Chapter 11: Runaway

Shayla's POV

It was early morning when Bella woke up again. I had spent the night in the bedroom; keeping an eye on her while she slept, as Jasper and Alice watched TV. Alice kept trying to see the future and I could hear their supposably quiet voices. They were speaking quickly and with urgency. I was about to see what was going on when I heard Bella wake up.

She glanced at me as I approached the door before rolling over until her feet hit the floor.

We walked out to see Alice and Jasper sitting together on the sofa, Alice sketching again while Jasper looked over her shoulder. Bella stood by Jasper to peek while I glanced over Alice's other shoulder.

"Did she something more?" Bella asked Jasper quietly.

"Yes. Something's brought him back to the room with the VCR but its light now."

I watched carefully as Alice started draw a square room with dark beams across the low ceiling. The walls were panelled in wood, a little too dark, out of date. The floor had a dark carpet with a pattern in it. There was a large window against the south wall, and an opening through the west led to the living room. One side of that entrance was stone –a large tan fireplace that was open to both rooms. The focus of the room from this perspective, the TV and VCR, balanced on a too-small wooden stand, were in the southwest corner on the room. An aged sectional sofa curved around in front of the TV, a round coffee table in front of it.

"The phone goes there," Bella whispered, pointing.

We stared at her. How did she know that?

"That's my mother's house."

Alice sprang off the couch, her phone in her hand, and was dialling while Bella stared at the rendering of her mother's house. Jasper slid close to her and touched his hand to her shoulder, trying to calm her down I guess.

I could hear Alice talking at vampire speed, her lips trembling as she tried to avoid Bella's hearing. "Carlisle, he's at Bella's mother's house. He was running a VCR in the dark. I'm not sure what his doing but we need to get Bella out of here." I couldn't fully make out what Carlisle's response was but I heard the words 'Edward', 'hide' and 'while'.

She then called out to Bella. "Bella, Edward is coming to get you. He and Emmett and Carlisle are going to take you somewhere, to hide you for a while."

"Edward is coming?" Bella looked surprised, almost relieved that my brother was coming to get her.

"Yes, he's catching the first flight out of Seattle. We'll meet him at the airport, and you'll leave with him."

"But my mother… he came here for my mother Alice!" Bella cried out, hysteria bubbling up with every word that she spoke.

"We'll stay here until she's safe."

"I can't win, Alice. You can't guard everyone I know forever. Don't you see what he's doing? He's not tracking me at all. He'll find someone, he'll hurt someone I love… Alice I can't –"

"We'll catch him Bella," Alice tried to reassure her.

"And what if you get hurt Alice? Do you think that's okay with me? Do you think it's only my human family he can hurt me with?"

Alice glanced meaningfully at Jasper. A feeling of lethargy touched me but it drew back. I watched Bella's eyes close as Jasper tried to influence her to sleep. But suddenly her eyes cracked open and she stood up, stepping away from Jasper's hand.

"I don't want to sleep," she snapped before walking to her room and slamming the door. But this time, Alice or I didn't follow her. She needed to be alone.

I could hear her sobbing in her room. The minutes she spent crying soon turned into hours. The only hope that she had left was that she could see Edward again. Perhaps he could find a solution for her.

She only came out when the phone rang; looking a little ashamed of her behaviour while Alice was talking rapidly on the phone. I paid no attention to her this time though and watched Bella. She glanced at the clock– surprised at the time. It was five-thirty in the morning.

"They're just boarding the plane," Alice told us both. "They'll land at nine-forty-five." So only just a few more hours to wait.

"Where's Jasper?" Bella asked.

"He went to check out," Alice answered her as I gathered up out few belongings and stuffed them into our few bags.

"You aren't staying here?" Bella asked.

"No, we're relocating closer to your mother's house," Alice answered just as the phone rang. Alice answered it before mouthing 'your mother' to Bella. I took that as my cue to leave.

I went downstairs with our luggage to find Jasper. He was waiting patiently in the lobby, sitting on a couch with a car key in his hand.

"Ready to go?" I asked him as I sat our few bags on the ground before sitting next to him. I wrapped an arm around him as he leant his face into his hands, his elbows leaning on his knees. The blonde secretary was giving me the evil eye as I comforted him.

"Let's go back up to Alice," I suggested as a bellboy came to load out luggage onto a golden trolley. Jasper handed him the keys, whispered some hurried instruction before following me upstairs. As we re-entered the hotel room, Alice looked up worried. Bella was nowhere to be seen and I was worried… until I heard the shower in the other room.

'I had a vision," she told us glumly. "We're going to fail… I saw Bella… And James, in the room."

Jasper walked swiftly to her side and began to mutter in her ear. "No we won't Alice. We'll do everything we can to keep her safe. We'll keep a close eye on her. Very close. Nothing will slip past us, I promise."

Alice still looked unsure. Jasper kissed her, while wrapping an arm around her. I heard Bella exit the shower. I heard her ruffle around in her bag just as Jasper handed me a pair of sunglasses. I slipped them on as Bella came out.

Back downstairs, I slipped into the backseat this time, sitting as far away from Bella as possible. Alice sat with her back leant against the door of the car, facing Jasper, but shooting glances at Bella and I every few seconds.

"Alice?" Bella asked indifferently.

She was wary as she glanced at Bella. "Yes?"

"How does this work? The things that you see?" Bella stared out the side window but her voice was curious but yet still somewhat bored. "Edward said that it wasn't definite, that things change?" A wave of serenity washed over us all, Jasper was obviously trying to calm Bella down. Still.

"Yes, things changed," Alice murmured in response, sounding somewhat hopeful. "Some things are more certain then others… Like the weather. People are harder. I only see the course their on while their on it. Once they change their minds –make a new decision, no matter how small –the whole future shifts.

"So you couldn't see James in Phoenix until he decided to come here," Bella concluded while nodding to herself.

"Yes."

We got to the airport quickly thanks to Jasper's driving and it was packed. The plane Edward was on was landing at terminal four, the largest terminal and where most of the flights were landing so it was no surprise that his was as well.

We parked in the huge garage on the forth floor. Bella led the way, knowing her surroundings of the airport better then any of us. We took the elevator down to level three, where the passengers unloaded. Alice and Jasper were discussing the departing flights.

Soon we settled in the plastic chairs by the metal detector to wait for Edward's flight to come in. Bella's foot was tapping involuntarily while Alice, Jasper and I people-watched but every time that Bella shifted or squirmed in her seat, we would glance at her quickly from the corner of our eyes.

The minutes began to pass quickly, something which I had grown used to as an immortal, and Edward's arrival grew closer. At least once every ten minutes, Alice would ask Bella is she wanted to get breakfast. Bella kept telling her that she wasn't hungry and maybe later.

As Edward's flight ticked closer to the top of the board and when he wasn't due for another thirty minutes, there was a change. Instead, his plane would be flying in ten minutes early.

"I'll think I'll eat now," Bella suddenly said quickly.

Alice stood, "I'll come with you."

Bella shook her head. "Do you mind if Jasper comes instead? I'm feeling a little…" She didn't finish the sentence.

If Alice found this odd, she didn't show it. But she did look confused. Jasper stood and guided Bella away to the cafeteria.

"That was… odd," I eventually remarked. "Why would Bella want Jasper instead of you?"

Alice looked a little worried now. "I think… I think we are still going to fail…. I don't know how but I can still see James and Bella in the room."

"Jazz is there," I reassured her and that was the end of it. We sat silent for a few minutes as the arrival of Edward's plane drew closer.

There was two minutes to go before the plane was due to land. We waited anxiously, standing by the terminal but Alice suddenly stiffened.

"No…" she whispered. "No, Bella."

"Alice, what's wrong?" I cried, panicky. I was never one to stay calm in a bad situation. Jasper would calm me down but just the presence of my family was enough to make me feel safe.

"Bella, she's in the sunlight, in a taxi. She's going to the studio," Alice explained, her voice dripping with concern. "She'll get there in half-an-hour. But…"

"It'll be too late," I finished her sentence. "But how? And what are we going to do?"

"Stay here," she ordered. "I'm getting Jasper." As she darted off as quickly and humanly as she could she shouted, "Thirty seconds!" over her shoulder.

I stared after her for a few seconds just as the roar of the plane came into my hearing range. It was very close to landing. I spun around as it landed safely and the passengers started to come out of the terminal. I searched for my lanky brother, trying to see his hair.

I saw Carlisle first with Emmett and Edward by his side. Edward looked anxious, Emmett worried and Carlisle, calm.

"Carlisle!" I called out and ran over to him just as Alice and Jasper returned.

"Shayla!" Carlisle called back as he and the others came closer. I hugged them Carlisle and Emmett first but as I turned to Edward, he stepped back, apparently having other ideas.

"Where's Bella?" he demanded.

I gulped nervously, swallowing a mouthful of venom, before speaking. "She's… she's gone. She took off. We couldn't follow her, she went into the sun."

"WHAT!" Edward roared so loud that several people stared at him. "How the hell did she get away?" He glared at me for a moment before Alice and Jasper came to defend me from his abuse.

"Edward, calm down," Jasper ordered. "It was my fault. Bella wanted to eat so we went to get her food but she needed a… a human moment so I let her go. Next thing I know, she's gone and I managed to track her to outside but by that time, the sun had come out."

Edward looked murderous. "We have to go find her—now. Before Alice's vision happens!"

"No one is arguing with you there," Jasper replied. He quickly explained what Alice had seen to Emmett and Carlisle. Their confused expressions soon turned to shock and then determination.

Slipping into the garage, Alice managed to produce several items of clothing to use to cover our skin and to stop the sun hitting it. I pulled on the long-sleeved shirt and jeans that Alice tossed at me and the leather gloves as well. She helped me tie a scarf around my face before I slipped on the black sunglasses.

"You drive," she then ordered, tossing me the keys. "I keep getting visions and I need to concentrate on them."

I nodded and got it, revving the engine impatiently as Carlisle hoped in the front with Edward, Jasper and Alice in the back. Edward expression kept changing as he analysed each of Alice's rapidly changing visions.

I sped out of the parking lot, going as fast as I could. Like the others, I loved to go fast and when I was on my motorbike, the best thing was feeling the wind in my face as I raced down lonely highways and on deserted trails in the woods.

"Keep an ear out for cops," I murmured to Edward as I ran a red light. A car honked in protest as it swerved to avoid me.

Edward gave an irritated growl. "Not now Shayla."

Alice kept talking as we drove, keeping tabs on Bella and giving me directions. "Go down there Shayla, there's less traffic. Watch out, there's a cop on the next corner… No, Bella, don't…"

It went on and on like this. Finally I saw the street which would lead me to the ballet studio but Jasper put a hand on my shoulder. "Pull over," he ordered.

"What for?" I demanded but I did so anyway.

Edward nodded his head at Jasper. "Good idea Jasper, get that one there." He pointed to a silver four-wheel-drive parked a few spaces away.

I now understood what they were doing. If any destruction happened to the ballet studio, and someone saw the car, we could be tracked down and our secret could be revealed.

Jasper quickly jimmied open the door without causing any major damage and I stuck my hand under the steering wheel, pulling out some wires from beneath the panel under it. I knew my days as a small-time criminal would come in handy one day. I had never done anything major like armed robbery, just a few breaking-and-enterings, car-jacking, and a few protests were I had been arrested for whatever reason. But it wasn't like I did it for the fun of it of course; there was a reason behind every one of my crimes. I only had gotten caught once but, thanks to Jasper and his grand computer hacking skills, my criminal record was clean, completely clean. Carlisle and Esme were not too pleased about my criminal activities though, even with the reasons behind them.

"Got it," I grinned as the car rumbled to life.

"Hurry Shayla!" Alice urged as we took off again.

Everyone was anxious as I skidded to a stop in front of the ballet studio. The blinds were drawn and I could hear the air-conditioner running. An ear-splitting scream echoed from inside it.

"NO!" Edward thundered as he raced inside. We all ran after him. I could hear Bella's sobbing and screams, followed by a sadistic laugh from James. He was dead meat now. Because no one touches my little sister when I'm around.