BPOV

I shook my head, trying to clear it from what just happened. My eyes and nose stung from even more unshed tears. I came here to start over. I came to live with Charlie to be a normal person. My contacts were even arriving tomorrow! This was going to be my better life!

But no. Not twelve hours after I arrive is there doctor wanting to analyze my condition. Not twelve hours.

I don't know how long I was sitting on the couch, but I was broke out of my self-pity by my watch beeping annoyingly. I clenched my fists in hatred of my albinism and stormed up to the bathroom, surprisingly not tripping on the last step as I normally did.

I got to the mirror and glared into my furiously crimson eyes. With my pale skin, I looked like a vampire right out of Bram Stoker's Dracula. I can't believe that Phil thought that was a good joke, to buy that for me to read on the plane. Not helping my mood at all.

After a few moments of glowering at my reflection, I snatched the large bottle of red liquid from the counter with a ferocious snarl and gulped the entirety of its contents. I mean, I had more iron, some twenty gallons being imported from Phoenix courtesy of Renee in addition of the five I had to last me until next week when they would come. And, if I could just drink all of my iron at the beginning of the day, wouldn't that just save me from an annoying schedule. I mean, who was I going to make it through the school day, trying to be conspicuous, when I had to take my medicine in the middle of every class?

I finished off the iron-saturated liquid before throwing the empty glass container on the ground, covering the tile with millions of sparkling shards. Oops. I guess I would half to clean that up before Charlie got home from work.

I shrugged, deciding to leave it for later. Instead I went to the kitchen to make dinner.

I wrinkled my nose at the ever-so-subtle smell of rotting lettuce. The vegetable, while still looking innocent green, was obviously beginning to ferment. I looked at the clock, deciding that I didn't have enough time to run to the store, and just grabbed the rest of the salad makings. Hopefully with enough dressing, it would cover up the alcoholic taste and smell of the fermentation.

I shook my head to clear it from the sharp smell and opened up the window to get some clean air into the kitchen.

EPOV

I stormed into the house, not even bothering to properly park my car in the garage by the driveway. My only thoughts were of how Alice must have known about this; about how she smelled better than anything and it took all my will power to not bite her, even though she was a vampire.

Shit. I heard Jasper and Alice think simultaneously in seeing me briefly by their window. I kicked the front door in, knowing I'd have Hell to pay later but not caring, and ran up the stairs, only to smash right into Jasper's punch.

"You are not touching my wife." He hissed. I crouched predatorily.

"She must not have told you that she knew how that vampire smelled!" I growled back just as fiercely. Jasper's mind automatically shifted to fighting with newborns and how to keep me away.

"She didn't see it until you were already there!"

"And you guys didn't stop me?" I said through gritted teeth and lunged, snarling viciously, at Alice, driven by pure, unresolved bloodlust.

Jasper met me in midair and clenched his venomous fangs into the skin around my left elbow when I tried to get a punch in. I hissed at the stinging sensation that grew to a magnitude only matched by my transformation.

"Boys, STOP." Carlisle rarely raised his voice, but when he did, we listened. Jasper let go of my arm and I pulled my hand back from around his neck. Alice immediately pulled Jasper up to their room with an unreadable look to me, though I could hear the understanding notions going through her head, telling me that she forgave me.

"Edward, up to my office, now, please." Carlisle used his 'coven leader' voice, that was stern and left no room for question.

I followed him up to his office and shut the door behind us. Carlisle immediately began pacing, a trait I think he had picked up from me when he was stressed. He almost never paced. The last time I saw him do it was when Rosalie came back after murdering her rapist ex-fiancé.

"So, I assume the meeting went bad?" He spoke quickly and quietly.

I nodded. "Her name is Bella. Though she claims to be Chief Swan's daughter, she calls him by his first name when he's not around. It's peculiar. Her eyes are red, though she seems completely in control of herself. Her heartbeat was weak and sounded fake, so I do not doubt her power must be a disguise, or shield of some sort." I paused. "But I couldn't read her thoughts."

"How red were her eyes?" Carlisle asked, slowing his pace some.

"Bright, like a newborn's. The 'medicine' Alice and I saw in her vision wasn't a large serving, hardly enough to satiate newborn thirst completely. She have a strong immunity to blood for a newborn, or be an older vampire who reacts strongly to a small amount."

Edward, if we just convert her to animal blood… Give her the option… She may choose differently.

I sighed, collapsing into Carlisle's leather chair. "It's your call."

Like father, like son. He thought, dropping into the chair next to me. "We should confront her again. Maybe when she goes to Seattle—when she's not in her territory. If she's in an unfamiliar place, it might lower her resilience, and we'll have a better chance of converting her."

"We can't all go." I pointed out. "It may intimidate her too much."

"You and Jasper should go. You two more than anyone know what the change is like." Carlisle thought aloud.

I nearly snorted. "Bella may be a vampire, but her power must be disguise. You can tell she's a fake; her weak heartbeat and too-tantalizing smell, but it may be too much for Jasper to handle." And I don't think I want him near me alone again. I added mentally as I rubbed the still-burning bite mark near my elbow.

"How do you think the best way to approach this is, Edward?" Carlisle asked, like a father to a son, or a mentor to apprentice.

"We have to at least talk to her before she takes another human life." Immediately I was sucked into my thoughts. Another human life… The ominous sound of the words reminded me of my dark ages, the years of lurking in the Chicago shadows, licking my lips in anticipation for each meal unfortunate enough to cross my path at night. I shivered, but that couldn't shake the indescribable guilt running through my veins at the dreadful number of lives that I had taken, the number of people who, though wouldn't be alive today, never got the chance to live.

"Edward?" Carlisle tapped my shoulder cautiously, trying to wake me from my trance-like state without touching me too much. He learned my behavior well in our years as father and son; that I would flinch away from physical contact.

"Sorry." I mumbled, going back to some lighter thoughts, like how to get through to Bella without putting our family, or the lives of humans, in danger. No doubt any confrontation in public would do both, if Bella were as wild as most nomads.

He was thinking about the 1930s, I can tell from the look on his face. Carlisle's thoughts were laced with pity and disappointment.

I shot Carlisle an apologetic look, but not in sorrow for spacing off. He wouldn't meet my gaze.

"If Jasper and I can intercept Bella on her way to Seattle, that'll put us in a good position—far enough away from civilization, but close enough to home if we need help, though I don't think she'll be hard to deal with if it comes to a fight." Upon seeing Carlisle's flinch at the thought of killing, I added, "But with Jasper there, we'll be completely fine. Nothing should go—"

"Edward!" I heard Alice, so forgiving that she understood the reason I tried to attack her and held no grudge against me (though she thinks that Jasper gave me enough of a punishment for over-reacting), call to me in a normal voice from her and Jasper's room. I could tell that she was slipping into another vision.

A police car driving up to Chief Swan's house, with him getting out. He looked weirdly at the open window, but shrugged it off as nothing, though it was odd in the bitter cold afternoon air.

He opened the front door to the sound of a vicious snarl from the kitchen, and a very frustrated Bella.

"Emmett, come on!" I yelled, bolting up from the chair and running off to the Chief's house. I slowed down impatiently to match Emmett's unbearably slow stride.

"What's the rush?" My brother asked irritated. I noticed his messy hair and crooked clothes, unwanted images and noises of frustration entering my head from Emmett's thoughts.

"Bella's going to attack Chief Swan when he comes home."

"Bella—the vampire?" A smile found its way onto Emmett's face. His thoughts turned to the upcoming fight, all frustration forgotten.

It was several slow minutes before we burst out of the woods.

What's the plan? Emmett thought as we pressed ourselves against the back of the house. I could hear Bella humming inside, coughing every once in a while from the smell, cooking something.

I couldn't speak without risking Bella hearing me. I made a hand signal, and Emmett thought back to me to confirm.

Stay here until we're needed?

I nodded.

Not minutes later, I heard the uneven pounding of Chief Swan's old police car engine. Emmett and I exchanged looks, his of excitement and mine surely the opposite, and went on listening intently. I heard Bella's pitiful heartbeat grow faster and her hisses and snarls rise in volume.

A moment passed after Chief Swan turned his car off, building up the suspense, and then the front door opened with a click.

"Bell—"

Snarl! I hear coming from the kitchen, and I sprang into action, Emmett right behind me.

BPOV

I hissed and snarled in animalistic tones, frustrated beyond belief at the stove, which repeatedly refused to turn on, the lettuce, which stunk like Hell, and the stupid, flimsy carrots that were so rubbery they refused to be sliced! Ugh. This was not what I needed right now!

Charlie was not helping. Knowing that he was coming home and I didn't have dinner started wasn't helping. Thinking there was something out in the backyard making all these rustling and twig-snapping noises was definitely not helping.

I swear, one more word from anyone and I was going to go ballistic.

I was just about ready to slam down the knife when Charlie came in.

"Bell—"

I snarled, going ballistic.

See? What did I tell you?

But the next thing I knew I was out of the house, in the forest, and facing two white flashes among the jade green trees. A growl, not unlike the ones I was making in the kitchen, rang through the air. Scratch that—two of them.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait everybody! I know I hate it when an author promises or tells people they're going to update and don't. I hate the fact that I am one of those authors!

Excuse time?

My computer wouldn't let me upload. It hasn't in the past several weeks. This chapter has actually been done for two weeks. So, this afternoon, after a review asking me when to post, I sucked up the courage to ask my step-dad if I could use his computer. THANK PAUL!!! He actually let me use it!

Kylie M. (kappykuo)