Chapter 10

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Edward's POV

Even in the pitch black of the forest, I could see each and every tree. Every single green bud on the branches was as plain as if it were the middle of the day, despite the speed I was running at. I could make out every ridge on the bark of the trees before they would morph into an indistinguishable blur as I ran past. All thoughts about where I was and what my next move would be faded almost instantly as I fell into the wonderfully familiar motions of running. I pushed myself to run faster, knowing that my legs would never tire and if I wanted I could keep running forever. A smile crossed my face at this thought.

"Could you slow down?" the tiny call didn't register at first. Who would be trying to get my attention? I was running and that was all that occupied my thoughts. Running forever. Towards and away from nothing in particular, just running. Again, I felt a smile form on my face. It felt so foreign and unnatural but so needed as well. Slowly, that happiness that had been building before the interrupting voice rang out began to take over once more. I ran even faster than before, the entire trees themselves blurring so that even my ultra keen vision couldn't make out a single detail other than color. Flashes of color were what I resorted to and they informed me of low branches that I needed to duck under or gnarled roots that required me to jump in order to avoid them.

"Please, Edward?" the plea came from somewhere far behind me. Curious as to why the young voice was calling out to me, I wracked my memory to remember the time before I had immersed myself entirely into the soothing patterns of running. The first image to flash into my mind was that of a beautiful young woman. Her skin was pale but a vibrant blush colored her complexion in a manner that could only be described as perfection. Long, soft brown hair framed her flawless heart shaped face and peaceful, chocolate colored eyes gazed back at me, filled with love and eternal compassion. Isabella, Isabella, Isabella. The name chanted in my head repeatedly, each time said in my own voice, reflecting that tenderness I saw in her eyes. My beautiful Bella Swan.

As soon as the thought was there a pang of guilt stabbed at my chest, causing so much pain that it was almost too much to keep running forward. I swallowed the wrenching agony that accompanied the image of my precious love and slowly allowed another mental picture to occupy my thoughts. This image was a lot less familiar to me but for some reason I knew it had to do with the distant voice behind me.

A frizzy halo of white blond hair surrounded the young, but not babyish, angelic face of the vampire girl. Her blood red eyes seemed to dance and sparkle like rubies, pleading with me for something. She had an air about her, some sort of innocent femininity that made me instantly want to fetch this something that she craved, no matter how far away it may be. A single milky white hand reached to brush a few strands of her own long, untamable hair back behind her tiny almost elfin ears.

Something compelled me to look down at her other hand. My gaze traveled down her arm to see another hand clasped around her small one. This one was the same stark white and only the tiniest bit larger than hers. My gaze lifted to the face of the second child standing next to the flawless little girl. Seeing the angry scowl on such a perfect face in direct contrast with the brilliant face of the girl next to him was enough to shock me back into remembering who could be calling out to me. The twins.

I stopped dead in my tracks and waited the half second for the trees around me to sharpen to the exceptionally detailed view my vampire sight gave me. Memories of the last few days flooded into me as I heard Jayden call, "You better slow down!" I whipped around and scanned the surroundings behind me. There was a distinct path that had been cleared thorough the underbrush, no doubt caused by my excessive speed. I stood down at a crouch automatically as I heard the approaching young vampires running towards me. Twigs on the ground cracked and leaves crunched under the quickly moving feet. Before I had time to straighten out of my protective position, the twins came hurtling out of the bushes.

Jayden was in the lead, half dragging his sister behind him. His hair was wind tossed and his blood red eyes held a furious glint as he barreled past me. Julienne, however, was slightly to his side and this put her right in front of me. Her small marble skinned body was on the path for a collision with my much larger and stronger form. In a split second I had thrown my hands out in front of me and as she zoomed close I wrapped them around her small waist. The force of the partially blocked collision was sent in unusual shocks up and down my arms but she was left unhurt. Her hand was torn out of her brother's grasp as I held her out in front of me.

"Are you okay?" I asked carefully. Julienne's eyes were wide and slightly awestruck. Her head bobbed up and down in a hesitant nod. Then she looked from me to her hands and then behind me to where I assumed Jayden was making his turnaround to head back towards us. Sure enough, I heard tiny legs stalking across the forest floor with a distinct purposeful stride. Almost instinctively, I pulled the small girl into a protective embrace, turning my back to the approaching boy. I heard a surprisingly ferocious growl from behind me and knew that Jayden was near enough to see me with his sister sheltered in my arms.

"Let her go," Jayden's young voice commanded in a very demanding tone. I glanced at Julienne's innocently pretty face. She was looking back at me, her crimson eyes reflecting confusion and what looked to me like guilt. I felt a need to delve into her mind and indulged myself in this sudden need. Thoughts were racing around like storm clouds on the day of a twister. Jayden wants Edward to put me down, but Edward wants to hold me. One will be unhappy. I want to… what do I want to do? I want to stay in Edward's arms, but I want my brother to be happy. I'll just do nothing. Surely Edward will be able to defend me.

Despite the hurried rush these thoughts were delivered, I felt a burst of pride at the very thought of Julienne wanting to stay in my arms and believing I could defend her against her angered brother. I held her close but as I did so, a voice in the back of my head reminded me not to get too attached to this unfamiliar and overall hostile new coven. Julienne's thin legs wrapped around my torso in a loose hold while her arms curled around my neck. Make an excuse. The childlike chirp of a thought echoed in my brain. It was a command directed at herself and I heard Julienne's mental process as she wracked her brain for a reason that would justify her clinging to me.

"I want to go fast," she said at last with a self satisfied smile. I felt her cheek press against my shoulder. "I can't keep up," she added matter-of-factly. Jayden made a noise of annoyance but said nothing to contradict his sister. I swung her easily onto my back and she let an excited giggle bubble out from her lips. Jayden moved to stand beside me with a glare upwards. I distinctly avoided listening to his thoughts, instead focusing on the happy thoughts of little Julienne.

Seeing nothing left to say, I took off at a sprint. Unlike the first time, however, I made sure to run at a speed Jayden's considerably shorter legs could handle. Falling into the familiar motions of running once more, I started to tone out thoughts of both the twin vampires near me. Things were settling into the same blur as before when I heard it. A laughter like pealing bells echoing off the tall trees. Spiky black hair and a challenging smirk were accompanied by a mischievous sparkle in her doe like, honey colored eyes. This was the image that forced itself into my head. The name of the pretty pixie immediately followed the image. Alice. But was she really here?

As we ran farther away from the joyous laughter my curiosity got the best of me. I carried Julienne and led Jayden in a circle back to the place where the sound was still reflecting off the bark. I slowed to a stop and listened.

"Hey!" I heard the cheery protest of my vampire sister. I was drawn closer into the bushes to see if I could see where Alice was standing. Another giggle met my ears and I froze. What would Jayden and Julienne see if we went any closer? Would they tell the rest of the coven? I thought I could at least trust Julienne but what about her skeptical twin? I sighed and started to turn away from the clearing I sensed that both Alice and Jasper were standing in. Then I felt a tug on my sleeve. Jayden was looking up at me with a knowing spark in his eyes. Fire was radiating in his gaze and a smirk turned up the corner of his lips.

"Who is there? Your friends?" He challenged, his smile growing. I didn't respond and continued leading Julienne away from the spot. Jayden, however, refused to budge and instead began to creep towards the bushes stealthily. I rolled my eyes and carefully crouched down to let Julienne to the floor so I could more easily stop Jayden's advance. I rushed to reach the small vampire when Jayden extended his hand back to beckon to his twin sister and she scurried over and placed her hand in his. The minute their hands were in contact a sort of static seemed to cloud over my brain and with pinpoint sharpness, the thoughts of both twins meshed in my mind.

Distraction time. An overwhelming giddiness washed over me in a similar fashion to how Jasper's ability usually worked. However, I could somewhat tell that this was radiating from the twins and instead of controlling my emotions it was simply broadcasting out from them. It was much like when I first saw them. Their tiny forms, hand in hand, drew me towards them so completely that I had forgotten I was even in a hostile coven. "Maybe this was a sort of power," I thought hazily. "Extreme fascination and overall happiness that could be conjured only when they are together." The latter part of that thought came naturally as I glanced at their intertwined hands. When they had not been holding hands, I seemed to at least be able to take my eyes off their individual selves but when they were together like this, I could hardly bear to look away.

I did have the will to tear my eyes away from the sweet picture made by the young vampires for a brief moment. Through the trees, I could see Jasper holding Alice, bridal style, in his arms. It seemed that the radiant happiness given off by the twins was affecting them too. I leaned lazily against a nearby tree, perfectly content to watch my elated adopted siblings perform what looked like a gold medal worthy gymnastics performance all the while not letting the twins stray too far from my line of sight. "Strange power," I mumbled to myself. As soon as I said this, Alice was back on the ground and Jasper attentively at her side. I wondered briefly if they had heard me. Would they come over? What would they think of the twins?

Jasper's lean arms enveloped Alice in a gentle hug and, sensing the tenderness of the moment, I managed to fight my curiosity and remain out of their minds. I couldn't help but read their lips to see if they had noticed me. Instead of any sign that they were aware of my presence, both had said that they loved the other. They were about to take off running when I heard a gagging noise. I frantically looked around to see what had happened and saw Jayden with his finger by his open mouth, feigning a choking noise. He obviously wasn't one for romance; then again, he was only a little boy and wouldn't understand it anyway.

Two pair of dark, honey eyes shot over to where I was standing with the twins. Each had a similar look of shock and surprise as they glimpsed over my face, however, the real things drawing their attention were the twins. I could see confusion glaze over their eyes and decided now would be a good time to see what they were thinking. Alice's quick thoughts rushed into my mind, hardly decipherable due to their speed. I could catch words here or there that pieced together loosely to a point where I could get the general meaning. More than just her...with Edward... He's not fighting… They're so cute!

Jasper's much calmer thoughts edged their way into my mind along side those of his eternally young wife's. I don't understand why Edward is so calmly standing with the two young vampires. Are they immortal children belonging to the invader? I shook my head. Perhaps Edward is befriending them in order to get the upper hand… At this thought, I nodded. I saw Jasper's eyes widen and remembered that when I last saw him, I couldn't read his thoughts. As if he knew what was going through my mind, he questioned You can read minds again? Again, I nodded. It was a small gesture that the twins couldn't have seen in their peripheral vision.

The twins, understandably bored with the lack of confrontation, took a step towards Alice and Jasper. Alice flinched and pulled in close to Jasper and he tightened his arm around her. The twins stopped and I saw Julienne look up at Alice quizzically before turning back to me. Her face held much of the same confusion that Jasper and Alice were studying her and her brother with. She thought at me, Who are they?

Jayden, noticing that the object of his sister's attention had changed, whipped around to face me with a challenging glint in his stare. "Olivia will hear about this," he warned sharply with a violent jab of his thumb over his shoulder towards Alice and Jasper. His hand slipped out of Julienne's and the glazed look that had covered the gaze of my siblings lifted from their eyes. This observation only reaffirmed my belief that the charm the twins seemed to have wasn't just because they were "cute."

While Alice may not have known exactly what was going on or who Olivia was, I could tell her instincts told her that Jayden ratting them out would end badly. She opened her mouth to protest but I shook my head minutely. Her mouth snapped closed again and I could almost hear her teeth click together at the sudden movement. I stepped forward in a grand way, as I would if I were the host of the party. I placed a hand cordially on Jayden's shoulder, steering him back around to face Alice and Jasper. Continuing my grand introduction, I guided Jayden by his shoulder to where Julienne was standing and led her as well.

"These, my new friends, are Alice and Jasper Cullen. Both are my adopted siblings and are merely here by coincidence," I said with a slight smile down at the two questioning faces. Jayden and Julienne, for once, had identical expressions of curiosity and confusion. I indulged myself by reading their young minds to get an idea as to why they were showing such emotions. The thought that echoed through my head in unison was Coincidence? I tried not to laugh when I realized that they weren't confused about how it was a coincidence or if it really was or not. No, they were trying to remember what coincidence meant.

Alice was smiling a small smile but, as intended, it was coming across as innocent and warm. Jasper squeezed her shoulder gently as if praising her careful precautions. The twins turned to stare up at the two "new" vampires with interest blazing in their ruby eyes. I could tell that I had sufficiently distracted Jayden from running to Olivia and let out a nearly inaudible sigh of relief. Alice met my eyes for an instant and gave a knowing nod before bending down to the children's level. Jasper's hand remained lightly pressed to the back of her shoulder almost protectively.

Both pairs of their wide, red eyes remained locked on Alice's pixyish figure as she greeted both of them. "Hey, sweeties! I'm Alice and you are?" She asked with a happy trill in her voice. She was doing a good job masking the frantic thoughts swirling around her mind regarding how many others there would be in this new coven. Jayden looked at Julienne, who was giving Alice her trademark little grin. Alice's small, white hand reached out in a very humanlike gesture of greeting. Julienne, thankfully knowing what she was supposed to do, reached out to shake Alice's hand; however, Jayden beat her to it and took Alice's hand in his.

Instead of shaking it, though, Jayden began analyzing Alice's fair skinned hand. He turned it over, palm up and studied it as if it were a rare gem or perhaps a prized family heirloom. Julienne's hand fell back to her side and she watched her brother carefully. I, too, kept my eyes on Jayden as he inspected the stark white skin of Alice's wrist. His gaze was so uncharacteristically tender as he let his eyes drift up to Alice's face. A smile lit up his own face. It was a charming, easygoing smile that instantly invited someone to be his friend. I saw a responding smile bloom on Alice's lips. I watched, completely shocked at how kind and open Jayden was being.

"I'm Jayden," the young boy vampire began, the grin on his sweet face growing larger. "But all my friends call me Jay," he paused, "you can call me Jay, Miss Alice." He gently kissed the back of her hand before releasing it. Alice let out a soft trill of a laugh as her attention turned to Jayden's quiet twin. Again, to my shock, Julienne's little smile was gone as she politely curtsied to Alice. Her mouth opened so as to introduce herself in what I was sure would be a curt, offhand way, but Jayden filled in the silence before she could speak. "That's Julienne."

Julienne's thoughts crashed into my brain with an intensity I hadn't yet heard from her angelic mind. Who does she think she is? The thought repeated itself so repetitively that it began to sound like a battle chant of an army before it goes to war. Though, with her childish sounding mental voice, the brutal effect of the mantra was ruined. I watched to see if any of this inner rage would register on her eternally youthful face; however, an innocent expression remained in place, glazing over her pretty features with false kindness. Alice nodded in acknowledgement of the young looking girl before looking over at me. She shrugged a little, smiled and then turned to Jasper.

He was studying Julienne's face intently, seeming to be able to sense her discontent. His hand still resting on Alice's shoulder squeezed it lightly and Alice took a step back so she was tucked safely in the crook of his arm. Upon seeing this movement, Jayden's blood red eyes shot up to take in Jasper's face. The serene expression seemed to upset the small vampire for his curious glance quickly shifted into a glare.

"And this must be Jasper?" his youthful voice asked levelly. His suddenly angry thoughts intertwined with his sister's and both soon became indistinguishable. Jasper's gaze leisurely trailed over to Jayden's face, his eyes locking on the glaring crimson orbs. A single nod came as the response to Jayden's question. Jasper's arm twined more securely around Alice's slight form and she rewarded him with a dazzling smile.

Almost instantaneously I knew what was going on and it was all I could do to suppress an amused laugh. Jayden was jealous of Jasper, meaning that, no matter how comical, little Jayden had developed a crush on Alice within the first few moments of meeting her. I glanced at Jasper and Alice who looking back at me as if waiting for the next move.

Silence dragged on for what seemed like hours but was probably only a matter of minutes if that. Is there any chance we'll be allowed to return to Carlisle and Esme? Alice thought, worriedly. I shook my head slowly, considering. The enemy coven likely wouldn't want two members of our family escaping home to warn the others of their increased number. Then again, at the moment Alice and Jasper only knew of the twins plus Olivia. I quickly tuned in to Jasper's mind to see if he had any thoughts on the situation.

As a military life had taught him, Jasper's tactical mind was rushing through possibilities and the pros and cons of each procedure. His dark ocher eyes flickered at my face to look for answers to a list of mental questions he had formed. Are there many of them? I nodded. 4? 5? 6? At this I nodded again. His mind engulfed this information, working it into his plans of escape.

"You will be coming to stay with us, won't you?" Jayden piped in, his gaze focused solely on Alice. She still had a small smile on her face and looked to Jasper curiously.

"Well, we were hoping to go back to our home. You see we were just out for a hunt." She answered in an uncharacteristically slow voice. Julienne and Jayden shared at look at this last word.

"Hunt?" Julienne asked brightly, her ruby eyes sparkling with sudden interest. Alice lightly bit her lower lip and wondered if she had said something wrong. Jasper took her hand in his and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Yes, hunt," Jasper continued carefully. "We were also wondering if Edward would be likely to return with us." He looked at me and his next sentence came as a thought. Although that really isn't likely, is it?

"He's staying with us," Julienne's interest faded and her tone was almost protective of me. Alice sighed softly which earned her a glare from the small girl. She drew neared to Jasper and closed her eyes for a moment.

"And we'd like you to do so as well," Jayden added. Jasper met the eyes of both the twins and then me.

"They'll stay for the day." I said, being sure to put an authoritative edge in my voice. Jasper nodded slowly, understanding what I was trying to do. I had to appease Olivia and her misfit coven but at the same time needed to get my siblings out of there as quickly as possible so they could report back to Carlisle and the others. Staying for a day would be enough for them to get an idea of what we'd be up against and having at least three of us get a first hand experience with these foes would be beneficial.

"We'll see…" the twins said simultaneously, identical plotting grins on their faces. They took up each others hands again and took off at a run. Jasper, Alice and I exchanged questioning glances before running after them back towards the coven.

This was going to be interesting.

Again, much thanks to those of you who persisted and asked for this chapter. I'll do my best to get the next chapter posted by next weekend for sure. Hope you enjoyed and leave a review! I'll be much more likely to write with inspiration from you guys!