Disclaimer: All the characters of the Twilight universe are the property of Stephenie Meyer. This is a work of fan-fiction and intended purely for the purpose of entertainment.

The building they were staying in during the day made me wish I could make myself vomit, purely so that I could feel a little better. The stench of rot soaked the place, and every molecule of air in it. All the windows and vents had been solidly boarded or bricked over to keep sunlight out, which turned the area into a damp hotbox of viscera. What little patches of fresh blood that would usually make me fight for control over myself were completely soured by the stench of the place, something that, ironically, would probably only be mildly unpleasant to human senses.

The large male vampire, whom Riley had informed me, was named Fred, and the small mouse of a girl that shadowed him, Bree, had taken up residence in a far corner of the interior, around a threadbare couch. While Bree seemed contented with her small pile of books, Fred sat looking bored with headphones covering one ear, his gaze drifting from one vampire in the room to another.

The other seven newborns were spread about the space, giving Bree and Fred a noticeably wide berth, and every so often glanced at me with looks that ranged from curious, to downright deadly.

I felt like a child left at the playground without a mother all of a sudden, but did my best steel my nerves, as I would have to, everyday for the ten hours that it was light.

Thankfully, Riley led me over to a quiet corner and sat against the wall, before gesturing for me to sit with him.

I swept some of the dust away as lowered, which made Riley smile, and nestled against the wall next to him, just glad for someone willing to play nice.

'So where are you from Bella?' His tone was neutral, but some of the other vampires were visibly surprised to see him speaking to me so casually, as though they had sooner expected him to rip my head off than make small talk.

I saw no particular reason to lie. It wasn't like anyone from back home could really matter anymore, but just in case, I didn't want to be too specific, 'Here in Washington, out near Port Angeles'

A quick lesson from Victoria had taught me half-truths were the best way to lie. Not quite the truth, but close enough that you won't be caught out, or get tangled in your own web.

He raised an eyebrow and nodded approvingly, 'I'm from Forks, but I was studying at U-Dub when I ended up getting involved with all these wonderful folk' he gestured to the others milling about the space with a smile. Someone hissed back.

I arched an eyebrow, 'Forks?' As much as I might have liked to believe that was a coincidence, I wasn't stupid, and evidently Victoria wasn't either. Riley knew the area where the Cullens would likely make their stand.

He nodded, 'Yeah, pretty close to you huh? I used to love going to that nice bookstore in Port Angeles, what was it called?' he looked down thoughtfully, 'you know, the one on the corner of First and Lincoln?'

I made a show of pondering my answer, and then shook my head tentatively, 'I don't think there's a bookstore there' I think we both know that there's no bookstore there. So maybe the looks from the others had some merit after all.

He sighed and laid his head back against the wall, 'Ah, I must be getting muddled up. My memories from before are getting murkier by the day'.

I just smiled and nodded. Playing dumb to his traps might give me an edge, at least for the moment.

He sat perfectly still, smiling off into the room, eyes drifting from one vampire to the next. He scowled when he realized how many of them were eyeing me like I was a new toy to be played with.

Nudging my arm, he raised his voice a little so as to make sure the whole room heard, 'So, I'm told you know how to fight, Bella?'

Many of the hostile expressions suddenly melted to wariness and curiosity. Even Fred glanced up at the revelation that I wasn't just a random new recruit off the street.

I suppressed a smirk, with a crowd as dangerous as this one; I didn't see that as a moment to be humble, 'Sure, I can hold my own – although you're not too shabby yourself,' I gestured back to where we had entered, and the courtyard beyond.

'Thanks,' the corner of his mouth curled as he eyed the brunette from earlier who was still nursing her new scar, and immediately dropped her gaze, 'practice make perfect'.

One vampire in the crowd, who had been out hunting during the fight, narrowed his eyes at Riley. He was only young and rather short but stocky, with an unevenly shaved head that was almost bald in patches, and there were more than enough scars on the exposed skin of his neck and hands to act as a sure-fire warning to others.

The challenge between the two continued until a low rumbling growl built in Riley's chest, and the vampire curled his lip and turned away.

As the room settled down for the day, I noticed that the other vampires didn't talk much, with most of them just sitting around and staring off into space, reading books or listening to music. Many of them looked bored, and I assumed the lack of privacy that a room full of vampires provided was a bit of a conversation dampener.

The rest of the day passed in a miserable blur of anxiety and boredom, and once again my patience ran low. Riley asked me questions every now and then, although didn't seem massively interested in my answers.

I didn't move from my space against the wall for the entire time, simply doing my best to observe the few interactions that occurred and glean as much information as I could. By the time sunset came around, and Riley gave everyone the all clear to head back outside, I had mostly pinpointed everyone's names, as well as the troublemakers - the shaved one, called Raoul, and a young woman with sandy colored hair, called Kristie.

Fred and Bree were given a strangely wide zone to themselves the entire day; one that even Raoul and Kristie, who were quite obviously the two most dominant players in the group, didn't dare set foot in. It only succeeded in making multiplying my curiosity as to what the gift was that made them all so wary of him. None of them even seemed to want to look at him for whatever reason.

Riley split the group into two, with one going off to hunt in the city, chaperoned by him, and the other remaining behind. He nodded for me to stay with the others while he was gone.

Thankfully, Raoul and Kristie went with the hunters, leaving me alone with Fred, Bree and three others, all of who promptly disappeared off into the trees as soon as Riley was out of sight. Fred and Bree both vacated the building, leaving me alone in the darkness.

I released a breath I had been holding for what felt like the entire day and steadied myself.

For as awful as spending half of my time cooped up in there was, I had the other half to do pretty much whatever I wanted. And right then, I wanted to plan – to give myself something to work towards, and I had a pretty good idea of my first step; I needed safety.

This was a dangerous place; there was no doubt about it. If the fight and execution the previous night hadn't convinced me, then Raoul – rather impressively – managing to orchestrate several arguments between other vampires, without being involved himself certainly did. One of the conflicts had ended in someone getting an arm ripped off and Riley had to intervene when someone pulled out a lighter, much to Raoul's delight.

Here, it was very clear that I would not survive long enough to fight the Cullens unless I was smart. It was no wonder that Victoria had made sure that I was past my most volatile newborn phase, and trained to defend myself, before bringing me here.

Riley wasn't going to be around me much of the time, and hadn't seemed at all impressed with me during our little chats, so I doubted I could rely on him to keep me safe yet. I needed to find another means of protection - a life raft.

As I wandered outside, I began pacing in a wide arc around the building until I narrowed in on the scent I was searching for. I remembered it perfectly; having scented them on the way into the den several hours prior. It was weighty with the smell of vanilla and driftwood. Strangely for a vampire scent, it carried an undertone that verged on pungent, like the too-sweet smell of rotting vegetation. I followed around to the south side of the mill, where it took off sharply in into the trees.

A little ways inside the forest, away from the main cluster of buildings, Fred was leaning against the trunk of a tree that had apparently been decapitated during the saw-blade Frisbee several days ago.

The air was much clearer there, as a damp misty rain drifted through the forest, bringing the gift of fresh air and the lush smell of moss and plant life to wash away the stench of our dwelling. If the rain didn't work, then I would almost certainly go and find a stream to wash off in – the sour odour of rot clung to my hair and clothes like mothballs.

Bree was nowhere to be seen as I drew closer, although I wasn't surprised; the few hours I had spent in the building had made me unimaginably appreciative of the time I had been able to spend alone in the woods just after being turned. I could perfectly understand the quieter vampires wanting to spend their valuable hours of freedom that came with darkness, out in the wilderness on their own.

Fred faced away from my direction of approach, and I stepped on twigs and leaves in a deliberate attempt to not frighten him. He turned while I was still a few dozen yards away, as though he had expected me to follow him out there, and spoke with a surprisingly soft tone considering the way he had glared at me in the courtyard the previous night, 'Hello, Bella'

'Hello Fred'

He smiled warily, 'Would you care to take a walk with me?'

Nodding cautiously, I stopped a good fifteen yards away. Fred was easily a head taller than me, and although he was lean in stature, he could quite obviously crush me in a fight if he wished.

He smiled in acknowledgement of my caution and headed off at a jog, carefully keeping his distance. I followed in a parallel fashion, with neither of us showing our backs to the other.

The forest here was sparse and flat, with mostly new-growth trees and saplings jostling for light as they reached up from the rocky ground, suffocating each other with their roots. A few old growth trees that had rooted in places too bothersome to log were all that remained of the lush forest that had occupied the space a decade ago. The scent of diesel and oil was still faint in the air among the plant life; even several years after the logging operation had finished.

We slowed as we came upon a small bluff that overlooked a shallow valley, which snaked several miles to the ocean, and Fred stopped to gaze out at the view. He wasted no time in cutting to his point.

'Who are you really? The redhead obviously didn't poach you like the rest of us'

I hesitated, 'That's a complicated question,' Victoria had mentioned that the newborns were aware of other vampire clans and that they had claimed territories nearby, but they were not yet in the know about the upcoming fight with the Cullens. I made sure to give the same story as the one Riley had been told, word for word, 'I was created by a friend of hers'

'Why?'

I made a show of clamming up, 'It was a kindness, I guess. I was dying as a human, and he took pity on me. I think he hoped I would become a companion' Half-truths.

His eyes softened, but he continued, 'And where is he now?'

I looked away and bit my lip, feigning a difficult topic.

Acting was certainly a skill that improved with my new fine muscular control, as I was quickly coming to learn. I made a filed away a mental note to be more cautious around anyone else who played me for sympathy. After all, if even Bella Swan could act as a vampire, then lord only knew how well someone experienced in manipulation could manage it – although I supposed I should have gathered that from my experiences at the hands of the Cullens.

'He strayed into someone else's territory about a week ago. They killed him'

He looked away, 'I'm sorry'

I nodded distantly.

He seemed to think for a moment, and then kicked at a rock with a sigh and returned his gaze to the horizon, 'Why would you come here? Surely its better to be alone than here?'

If he was thinking of running then that was not good, him and his gift might be the only thing that could keep me alive for the weeks or months before we fought with the Cullens.

I sighed, 'It's a death-sentence to be alone out there. It may not be much of a life, living somewhere like this, but it beats certain death'

I need you to stay here.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I registered the feeling of a fist clamping around my insides – a wrenching spark of guilt trying to take hold after the words left my mouth. I did my best to snuff it out. I don't want to die.

His eyebrows knitted together, 'Is it really that dangerous?'

You'd understand if you knew why I was doing this.

I nodded.

His face dropped slightly for a split second before returning to a stony facade, and he closed his eyes, leaning back against a tree.

The little flame in my gut persisted. Change the subject.

I waited politely for a moment and spoke softly, 'Are you gifted?'

His eyes flicked open with a scowl, 'Someone told you?'

'Not directly, but I gathered that you were. What can you do?'

Scrutinizing me for a moment, the scowl deepened, 'Why does it matter?'

'I'm just curious I guess'

He stared at me for a moment, and turned to leave, 'you're bright, I'm sure you'll figure it out on your own sooner or later'

I frowned. The apparent safety bubble around Fred was quite obviously powerful, considering how at ease he had seemed during our brief talk, and during his time in the vampire den – a quiet confidence that oozed you can't touch me. A part of me wondered if it was some kind of force field.

A sigh escaped me – this approach isn't working.

I called after him before he could vanish into the trees, and he turned as I jogged to him.

'I'm not... I'm just worried, okay? This place seems dangerous as hell, and you seem to be like, invulnerable or something. I had hoped to cozy up to Riley to stay safe, but he's…'

'A psychopath?'

I shrugged, 'I doubt he'll care about keeping me safe anytime soon'

His brows knitted together for a moment, and then he barked an amused laugh, 'So, you're asking me to be your damn bodyguard?'

'No, I just don't want to be caught out in the deep end, is all,' he regarded me with raised eyebrows. I exhaled and pressed on, 'We can call it friendship - or whatever. At least until I can, you know, establish a place in the hierarchy or something'

'Unbelievable,' he shook his head with an incredulous smile, 'you'll have no problem fitting in with the rest of them, that's for sure'

'What's that supposed to mean?'

'It means leave me alone,' he turned away, 'I don't want friends here'

'You hang around with Bree though'

'I said leave me alone Bella,' and with a dismissive shake of his head, he turned to leave again.

'Please Fred,' I gently grasped his wrist, 'Just for a little while, until I can look after myself, I promise'

He froze. A flash of of alarm and confusion etched into his features as he stared at the spot where I had touched him, as though I had done the impossible. His eyes drifted up to my face, and I quickly withdrew my hand with an apologetic look.

'How the hell did you-' He took a cautious step back, before retreating into the forest, 'you stay the hell away from me, Bella'

With a blur, he disappeared into the rain, leaving me alone on the bluff. The rain had soaked me to the bone, and I sighed. It wasn't even that much to ask.

The rest of the night was spent alone in the forest. I briefly caught Bree's scent an hour or two after Fred had left, although thought better of trying to follow it. She hadn't struck me as a people person either, and if Fred was protective of her, then the last thing I wanted to do was make her feel threatened, and further dampen any chances of a future accord with Fred.

The temperature had dropped quickly in the hours following sunset, and a thin veil of frost had covered much of the surrounding area, bathing the sparse forest in a peaceful, ethereal glow – one that was sharply contrasted by the den of death that had been nested in the nearby buildings.

As I returned to the complex half and hour before dawn, I could hear that the vampires from the hunting party had returned, and were already bickering away, freshly fueled with blood.

The next option for me was to find a way into Riley's good books, and that would almost certainly put me at odds with some of the more aggressive vampires.

I took one last breath of fresh air and braced myself for another day crammed inside with them.

Riley smiled wearily as he saw me, but didn't gesture me over. He looked tired, and the deep purple bruises that had settled underneath his eyes had grown a shade darker since I last saw him. The burgundy of his eyes was fading to black at the edges.

I smiled in return and sat down nearby, 'How was hunting?'

He pursed his lips and threw a look at Raoul, who made no attempt to hide his smirk. He spoke through gritted teeth, 'Busy'

With as warm of a smile as I could manage, 'you look like you're run ragged'

He chuckled quietly, 'No rest for the wicked'

'Victoria said I might be able to lend a hand; maybe I could you help out tomorrow?'

He looked at me with surprise, 'Seriously?'

Several of the others in the room glanced my way with looks of unveiled contempt that made me want to curl away in a corner.

It took all I had to keep my voice from catching in my throat, 'Sure'

Kristie cursed and spat out a low hiss, but Raoul just looked me over with a cruel gaze, and after a moment, began quietly chuckling to himself. The sharks are circling.

A/N Don't worry, character development will be a thing in this story. I've had a bit of a crappy week with Job applications, so the next chapter may not come out for a week or so as I've been a little out of it recently - although I am getting better at writing longer chapters so thumbs up on that front. Thank you as always for reading. I really appreciate the kind words Ray Star Hinamori, so an extra thanks to you :) Meg xx