TWILIGHT

MORNING MIST

She was just a normal girl, until she got sucked into the Twilight world. Sounds fun, right? It would have been, if she hadn't been targeted by the Volturi, who wanted something the Cullens had. Can the Cullens protect the hunted girl from their strongest enemies? And where does Seth come into all this?

CHAPTER THREE

She Saw Me Coming

I awoke to the sound of rain on a window, and opened my eyes to stare at the ceiling above. Where am I? I wondered, and then my left wrist gave a painful throb – a remainder.

"Ow!" I cried out loud, in shock.

And there was movement at the door. I had been awake for about ten seconds, and hadn't even had time to wonder if last night had been a dream, and already I was looking at a vampire.

It was happening very fast.

It was like looking at an angel of untold beauty, that blonde hair and those golden eyes, so it could only be Carlisle Cullen.

I blinked in disbelief. This…oh my God…

I gulped, and waited.

"Are you alright?" Carlisle asked gently, keeping a careful distance between us. I realised that it was because of what happened last night – my first experience with vampires had certainly not been an enjoyable one, and Carlisle must've reasoned that I'd be a little bit frightened by it all.

I wasn't sure if he'd reasoned correctly, yet.

It took me a few seconds to remember how to talk. I sat up slowly. Then I stammered: "Y-yeah…" I glanced down at my wrist, which was bound in a bandage. "My wrist..?"

"You haven't broken it," Carlisle said. I wondered how he got his voice to be so reassuring. "You suffered a mild sprain when you fell, but your wrist should be fine within a few days. Are you in any pain?" He asked me.

I thought about it. "Not a lot," I replied. I tried to pretend I was talking to my doctor at home, and not to a complete stranger (who looked like a god). "It only hurt when I woke up because I wasn't…expecting it, you know?"

Carlisle nodded. "If you need any painkillers at all, let me know." He told me.

I replied: "I will." Even though I wouldn't, because I don't like depending on tablets at all.

We looked at each other.

"Umm…C-Carlisle…" I stammered. "Umm…" There were a trillion and one things I needed to say, and I had no idea how to say any of them, starting with I COME FROM ANOTHER WORLD WHERE YOU GUYS ARE WRITTEN IN A STORY. It would freak them all out, panic them even, and then there was the Volturi…

I shuddered at the mere memory.

There was suddenly movement at Carlisle's side, and a person who was literally the same height and build as me peeked into the room. With eyes like topazes and spiky black hair, this could only be Alice Cullen.

I suddenly realised that I was not wearing the same clothes as I had been the night before. What I was wearing now could only have come out of Alice's wardrobe – a long-sleeved red cotton jumper (with the left sleeve rolled up to accommodate the bandage) over a pair of black pants. The clothes – and the room for that matter – seemed to remind me of a flower garden, and I felt like I was inhaling seventeen different kinds of perfume at once.

But it was not just the presence of two of my favourite characters from the series that made me feel suddenly warm despite the cold. The prospect that, somehow, I might be able to fit in with this amazing family was enough to bring a faint smile to my face.

Alice's responding smile was utterly dazzling.

But she too kept her distance (probably at a warning glance from her surrogate father) as she asked me: "How are you feeling?"

"Better," I replied. "Alice, right?" That seemed like the best way to kick things off.

Alice's smile grew and, ignoring Carlisle completely, she came closer to me. She said: "Yes! I knew you would know!"

That surprised me, though I wasn't sure why. "Y-you did?" I stammered. I looked at Carlisle. "How did she know?" Then I looked back at Alice. "You saw me coming, didn't you?"

She nodded. "We were all out looking for you last night, because I saw you arrive in a downpour," Her smile faded as she frowned. "Of course, once the wolves became involved I couldn't see what happened, and then the Volturi showed up…"

"Alice," Carlisle warned quietly.

"She's alright," Alice said confidently, placing a cool hand on my shoulder, which I could feel even through the jumper. I was reminded of Felix's touch, however, and wondered where my jacket was by now. Probably with Demetri. "She knows all about it, don't you Emma?"

I blinked again. I reminded myself that Alice was not Felix – as soon as I remembered that, Alice's hand was welcome on my shoulder. "Umm, yeah…somehow…" I said evasively. "Alice…umm…just how much did you see?" What I really wanted to ask was 'did you see where I came from?' but I was afraid to, in case she had.

"I saw a girl show up in the middle of the forest during a storm," Alice explained. "And that she would know almost everything about us. For obvious reasons, I knew we had to find you."

I nodded, and then remembered something. "But…Felix knew me as well…he said he had orders to take me back to Italy…" I trailed off. Alice and Carlisle exchanged a glance. A thought suddenly occurred to me. Alice and Bella going to Italy to save Edward…Aro grasping Alice's hand…seeing her visions…

Seeing me coming.

I wanted to groan, to murmur something about my doom, and to bury my head in my hands, but I didn't want to worry Alice and Carlisle further.

Possibly they already thought I was insane.

So I did my best to look as if the memory didn't bother me (which it did).

I suddenly heard a door open and close from somewhere in the house, and a voice whose words I couldn't quite make out.

"Leah's back…" Alice murmured, frowning at having her afternoon erased. "She wants to know why Seth's still here…she's been looking for him."

Seth. Seth!

My heart-rate accelerated, and I'm positive Alice and Carlisle heard it.

Seth had been the one to find me out there after Leah had left me, and I'd fallen and hurt myself. Seth, the one who could turn into a sandy-coloured wolf. The one who had carried me to the Cullens.

The one I really wanted to see right now, for reasons I couldn't explain.

My feet were swung over the side of the bed and I was standing up before I even realised what I was doing.

I looked at Alice, swaying slightly at having stood up so fast. "What's she saying?" The voice from downstairs did not sound so happy. In fact, it sounded like Leah was yelling at Seth for some reason, and something about that brought annoyance to my mind.

"Let's go and find out." Alice suggested brightly.

"Yes, let's." I agreed, forgetting to feel shy.