Clash

After much debate with more from my parents and less from Jake, there was a solution upon my return to school. I couldn't avoid the Daniels - that much was certain...and it would be difficult to protect myself from their abilities, which are still left to be determined. The only power that we have enough knowledge of was Chase's telekinetic ability, and we have the chance to be rendered powerless against it, since my mother can only shield us from mental abilities.

With only the images I provided, Carlisle and the others are still uncertain of his power's extent. The only way to find out was to experiment, and my father was far from agreeing with the idea that popped up in everyone's head.

"No," he told them the moment he first heard it. "Absolutely not. I will not risk Renesmee to those beasts." his voice held a very dark tone, almost threatening, daring anyone to go against his word. The last thing he ever wanted was to throw my mother and me into danger, regardless if the threat was minimal or large. My mother tried insisting that it could help solve things, but even her words couldn't break him down.

One day, as my family talked about the issue in the living room, I was in the front hall with Jake, who was sent to try and calm me. There was never a day I didn't smile with Jake around, and hoped that day would never come.

"Ready to go back to school?" he reluctantly asked that day.

I was watching my family discuss before rolling my eyes over to him; a sarcastic chuckle escaped my lips. "Sure: terrible teachers, homework, detention, and nomads that are trying to infest my hometown. I'm all prepared." I gave a thumbs-up. Somehow, jokes never helped lighten a grave situation in our world, probably because we're always aware of the harsh reality no matter how much we try to cover it up.

Jake placed a hand lightly on my shoulder. "Hey. I'll be close by in case something happens. Nothing's wrong with hiding in some trees for seven hours straight."

My face was pulled down into a grimace; I felt relaxed that he as going to help me, but terrible that he would go through all the trouble. As far as I knew, the whole family could be coming along as distant bodyguards, which made me feel kind of awkward, but that was just my human nature.

Jasper and Emmett were following my parents and Carlisle, and all of their faces were too serious for a good solution. Apparently, the conversation didn't end on a too positive note.

My father sighed before speaking. "...You'll go to school today, with us and Jacob setting up a perimeter around the campus." He motioned a hand to my mother and uncles, and they nodded at me. "If possible, keep a close eye on all three of them. It'll be easier to keep track on your thoughts rather than searching the whole student body."

I nodded in response, remembering the task he gave me.

"It may not be easy," Jasper suddenly interjected. "But if there was a way you could somehow get more information on their abilities, then..."

My father lightly growled at his suggestion, forcing Jasper to look down in apology. My mother placed a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down. "Edward, please..." But no matter how much he hated it, there was no way around Jasper's idea.

Thinking about it, I realized that the safest way to attain data was to interact with Chase, the one I was closest to out of the three. I saw my father clench his fist at my thought, but I quickly assured him in my head that it was the only way. Perhaps I could talk to him in Economy...but that was it.

Act natural, as if seeing their powers were a type of fascination. The only problem was if he would buy it...and it was highly doubtful.

School was just like any other day...except for the mass of police interrogating students in the parking lot. Everyone was questioned about the incident with the cars; there were only rare lucky ones that managed to slip past them. Most of the parking spaces were taped off as scenes of crime, and I was left to park across the street with many others.

I was able to avoid cop eyes along the lot, but then I continuously heard my name in conversations around me.

"Come to think of it, Cullen wasn't in her classes after lunch, when the incident happened..."

I hastily made my way up the long stairs, and was able to dodge sudden glances.

Without a look over my shoulder, I paced myself down one of the emptiest corridors in the school; I was sure mobs of people wouldn't search for me there. Kaylene and Erica might have an idea to search for me here, but they'll most likely be too busy with the commotion to remember.

Luckily for me, some of the social outcasts were roaming around the area, and one look at them would turn anyone else away. As I approached them to enter the lonely hallway, my eyes looked into one of theirs, and there was just some type of interaction for a moment, but he then immediately looked away. I lightly smirked, somehow glad that walking through this deserted place would be easier than I imagined.

Now all I had to do was wait for school to actually begin, and Operation Kick-the-Daniels-Out-of-Town will commence. It was more of a killing than driving out, but we didn't like being so literal with these kinds of things.

I found a corner to take a seat in and sat silently, minding my own business and trying to ignore every little move the outcasts made.

'I wanna avoid them until an appropriate time...a place where not a single human will be involved.'

My family should be at their stations by now, and my father was sure to be listening in. I hoped that he would agree with my plan and the risk I was taking, and even if he suddenly decided to pull me out of it, it was simply too late to do so.

One of the students close by began looking at me intently, and I did my best to avoid the gaze. Did I ever do something to him? I never remembered seeing his face or ever speaking to him...

Now that I thought about it, there might be some other holes in my memory other than the parking lot incident. Was this all Matthew's doing? Or was there really something wrong with me? There was still so much about vampire hybrids we've yet to discover since we've only known the species for about 7 years. My mother discouraged the idea of studying with Nahuel due to her distaste for his personality...

So what if there was something wrong with hybrids? Will it eventually turn into a taboo, like the immortal children? If it did, my family would try to protect me or even hide my existence like before...and I couldn't stand by if anyone gave them even a dirty look.

The doubt overflowing my mind surprised me when I heard the bell ring out of the blue. My head snapped up along with the other students as the sound drowned out everything else, even our bustling and movement to get to class. As I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder, I realized that this was it: this was the moment that my family was depending on.

I have to find out about their abilities so we could learn of a counterattack.

The only obstacle, and possibly the hardest I have ever faced, was to get Chase alone, his mind open for my father to explore.

Making to economy was a cinch, and there were about two people there before me. The classroom was still locked, so I sat on a nearby bench by a patch of grass and pulled out my cellphone. I idly punched the buttons to look like I was doing something, but everyone still glanced at me as a habit. Ignoring them helped a little until a minute later when he showed up.

"Hey, Ren," he greeted with a boring tone.

Although the surprise didn't show on my face, I instantly looked beside me with shock and saw him sitting down, slouched in a tiring way. My fingers stopped mashing on the cellphone pad as I took in his drooping face and hanging head, for it baffled me why he had such a weird mood change.

"That homework was the worst, huh?" My jaw felt like dropping when he sighed with exhaustion. "I don't know how to keep up with this class..."

Was it possible for vampires to be bipolar? It was just yesterday during lunch when he was fierce and intimidating, and now he was...a whining human teen. I didn't even think it was possible for vampires to be complaining about homework since they should know basically everything.

My cellphone vibrated in my hand and caught my attention. After I pulled my eyes away from Chase, I saw that I got a new message...from my father. My heart raced a little faster than usual for a moment, and I for some reason hoped he didn't hear it. I flipped it open and checked my inbox, reading the text for the shortest moment.

"Try to bring up the incident from yesterday casually. Don't push about the others' abilities unless there's a chance."

I closed the phone immediately and shoved it in my pocket before looking out of the corner of my eye. It didn't seem like he noticed anything; Chase was still gloomy about the trivial human thing.

But that didn't mean I was safe and sound.

"...So," I finally said after some deliberation "What did you do yesterday after lunch?"

All he did was look at me intently for a few seconds...and smirked. The hairs on my back raised on end, making me even more nervous than I allowed myself to be. If too much clouds my mind, I'll lose my focus.

He sighed before looking forward. "Matt, Christy, and I went home. Didn't feel like sticking around to see the reason behind the parking lot incident." Out of the corner of his own eye, he looked straight into mine, and saw my intent gaze. "You were right: ditching is healthy," he ended with a laugh.

I didn't think I would get the answer this easily...or maybe he was just lying through his teeth. My father should have been able to tell; would he know if these lies were affecting our mission?

Nothing else was said when the final bell rang, and the teacher showed up to let us in the classroom. As we took our seats, my eyes never left Chase, and he appeared completely oblivious of my watch. I had to catch every little move, just to make sure we had his ability down without a hitch. As the class dragged on, I saw him do his daily routine as a star student and keep up the false human pretense.

Except for one little mistake. Never did he even try to use his ability, but he was definitely aware of my eyes on him; he completely forgot to keep up the act of twitching and simple human movements.

This wasn't helping me; I was wasting too much time, and my family would be getting anxious in dealing with them. However, I can't just get up in the middle of class and attack him, especially with all these humans around.

As time dragged on, I was thankful that the bell finally rang, and the bustling began. I packed my stuff away while peering toward him, and his speed was too fast to be normal. He was hasty and once again forgot of his facade. Was he about to crack now that my family's aware of him and the others?

He quickly made his way out of the classroom along with the other seniors; of course, he didn't get stuck in the traffic jam at the doorway...and neither did I. Without looking back, he swiftly paced to the end of the building and turned at the corner, seemingly unaware of my presence not too far behind. I guessed that he was trying to regroup with the other two, and I made sure to make a mental not of it for my father. Within a few seconds, my cellphone buzzed in my pocket, informing me of another message. I was just a second away from turning at the corner when I started reading his text, still continuing my walk...and it was too late to heed his warning.

“Stop following him! He knows!”

The moment I looked up from his text, my eyes saw dark red ones right in my face. My feet stumbled back to get away as fast as I could, my heart fluttering even faster, but the red eyes drew closer. I rushed to back away, and ended up only pressing up against the building, holding my cellphone close to my chest. As my gasp got caught in my throat, the rest of my body didn't respond, and I was a statue before him. He leaned against the wall with one hand next to my head, still staring at me intently, as if trying to see through me.

Within a second, Chase was able to block off my best route of escape...perhaps my only route.

His other hand shot toward my chest and wrenched my phone out of my warm yet still fingers. Instantly, he began searching through it, already suspicious of my plans.

"No--"

My protest was cut short when he laced his cold hand around my wrist, pinning my arm to the wall. His grip was too hard for me squirm out of. He continued to look through my phone...until he released a disappointed sigh, one that left me very nervous. His eyes traveled over to me sadly, depression lingering within them. "You've been spying on me?" He shook his head and clicked his tongue. "That's not good..."

I wrenched my arm free in disgust and snatched my phone back, my eyes glaring ferociously at him. "You wanna know what's not good? Invading on a coven's territory, that's what!" Baring my teeth, I slowly shifted to the side, my back to the dark forest next to the school.

'He's onto me!' I was screaming in my head. It would only be a matter of seconds before the cavalry came...and possibly his siblings. Whose side would arrive first: mine...or his?

Chase sighed again; every action of his was getting on my nerves. His gaze was high and mighty, as if he knew far more of this ordeal than I did.

"What's with all this 'territory' crap?" he asked stubbornly. For some reason, he suddenly released my arm and used his hand to scratch the back of his head as he looked out to the forest. I froze in terror, afraid that he could have possibly seen someone looking right back at him. When Chase looked back at me, a dark cloud hovered over the red irises, and I could hear the low rumble in his chest. "Didn't I tell you?"

With that, my cellphone was crushed into pieces in his hand, falling out onto the ground. I failed to hold in a shudder; my body couldn't move anywhere, and he would immediately catch me if I even tried.

"We're not leaving," he growled. "And you can't make us."

I didn't understand. How on earth could things get this bad? I was cornered and trapped, and it wasn't even guaranteed that I would be saved. My family could have run into Matthew and Christy on their way here, engaged in a fight to the death. Only Chase was my opponent, and I probably won't even be able to stand up against his powers.

But...

I released my bloodthirsty gaze upon him and took a step forward, forcing him to step back. He looked at me with bewilderment, wondering where my sudden courage erupted from. As my growl began crawling out of my throat, I slowly began stepping to the side in a circular fashion. Our eyes never lost contact, both of us searching for the first sign of change or movement. Chase still looked at me confusingly, and by the time my back was to the forest, I stopped with a grin curling my lips upward.

This was either madness or bravery. Who knew what he could do to me right now with his powers; the very fact that I was still standing for those few seconds was a miracle. However...I couldn't just step down and allow him to terrorize Forks any longer. If I could just stall him for the shortest time, that was enough. At least Kaylene and Erica would be safe; my family wouldn't have trouble dealing with Matthew and Christy, and eventually him. Everyone would be able to live...even if I had to risk my own life.

Without thinking it entirely through, I instinctively pounced at Chase, a scream escaping through my teeth for the shortest second...

But some stronger force slammed into me with the twitch of his eyebrow. It felt like I slammed myself into a brick wall intentionally, and I ricocheted back to my original position, but this time on my knee. My land was successful, but everything in my head was chaotic; I couldn't feel the ground beneath me for a moment, my ears went deaf, and for some reason I felt like puking.

I guess it's been a while since I fought, considering my parents' concern for my safety.

I squinted through my eyes while taking deep breaths, shooting daggers up at his solemn face. His eyes were as black as his soul, and I could instantly tell there was no remorse in them. Gritting my teeth together didn't falter his resolve, and his scowl continued defending him.

"You can't beat me," he sneered. "You're gonna have to do a whole lot more if you wanna get rid of me."

My growl came out to sound like a wild dog; every fiber of my being wanted to tear him to pieces as soon as I could.

“I don’t understand,” I whispered frustratingly while rubbing my cheek with the back of my hand. As I glared through my chocolate brown eyes, he brought his hands close to his chest and cracked his knuckles, still returning the glare coldly. Chase cocked his eyebrow in confusion to my eyebrow.

With an agitated groan, I stumbled while getting up on my feet. Deep ragged breaths wracked my chest; just looking at him frustrated the hell outta me.

‘Why the hell did things turn out this way?’

“Does it really bother you that much?”

Out of my own mental torment, my head cleared up the slightest bit to try and understand the meaning in his words. I pulled my eyebrows together as he sighed and scratched the back of his head again, tired of all this quarreling we seem to get into.

“Geez, it’s just the way we are. Is that too hard to accept?” His eyes flickered to me with annoyance, and although I wanted to glare right back and shoot his own words back at him, there was something about his words I couldn’t deny.

He suddenly took only a step forward to come right into my face, his glare darting down at me when I realized I was at his shoulder level. I could practically smell the blood rolling off of him, and feel the anger flowing around. The muscles on his arms and chest were more noticeable closer, and they were almost as big as Jasper’s that originated from his military days.

“We’re all the same,” he whispered lowly. His breath blew into my face…and I could smell it even more.

Very fresh.

“We need blood to live…to suffice for the thirst. It just so happens that humans are the best kind. If we like it, we’re monsters? Just because your family refuses to even bite someone, it makes you more humane than us?”

His tone began to frighten me even more; I wanted to run away and let someone else deal with him…but no one was around. Even as I pled for my father to come and help, I wouldn’t know if he was on his way or stuck in dealing with one of his siblings.

“Let me ask you this,” Chase growled right in my ear. I couldn’t move; if there was the slightest twitch, I could tell he would deal serious damage. “Do you think we’re just ravage beasts with no conscience? No purpose in life? We don’t feel the same things you and your family do?”

For some reason, not only his words froze my body in place…but also the meaning behind them.

And then my hair flew around as he took a giant leap back, placing several feet between us. My eyes refocused on the present…and I realized a large russet wolf stood between Chase and I, hackles rising with the sound of a raging growl. He was ready to pounce in an instant, but there was the slight concern for my safety that kept him back. Chase crouched low, glaring intently at the beast before me while baring his own fangs.

“…Jake…”

He swished his tail to softly whack me, a sign asking for my safety. As I slowly came out of my state of shock, my hand shakily placed itself on his hind leg for assurance. My lips trembled to respond.

“I’m okay.” My voice didn’t help affirm my answer. Understanding, Jake growled even more, the hackles giving off the deadliest vibe I had ever seen from him. In response, Chase released a snarl, and it was the first time I saw him truly as a vampire.

There was a slight rustle behind me, and then stone cold arms wrapped around my shoulders and head protectively. After a jolt ran through me, I saw my mother’s face out of the corner of my eye, looking in the direction of Jake and Chase. I noticed my father’s presence on my other side, walking past us to stand next to the large wolf.

“I warned you to stay away from my daughter,” he threatened acidly. I noticed the debris clinging to the back of his jacket: obvious signs of a struggle. So they did run into someone. Who did Jasper and Emmett meet with their impossible strength?

Chase smirked while shifting his gaze to my father. “She started it,” he defended in a mocking human tone. In response, my father growled infuriatingly.

I only blinked once before Christy suddenly appeared by her brother’s side, her eyes agitated and out of breath. “They were too fast,” she told him while shooting daggers at me and my family. When our eyes made a connection, I began to shiver uncontrollably; to hear those terrible shrieks again…

“Calm down, Nessie,” my father whispered. With just one glance at him, my nerves began to soothe themselves, but the fear kept wracking me from within.

Next to me, Jake growled fiercely; he knew exactly who she was and the pain she inflicted on me. On the other side, Christy sneered at his retaliation, anxious to make a strike.

“Should I?” she asked Chase through her teeth; her eyes and Jake’s were locked in some unseen battle. Chase glanced at her incredulously.

“Are you crazy? Right after what you did in the lot? Definitely no.”

My father stiffened. “We were right about her…sound waves to a massive degree.” Reassuring himself, he calmed down and looked at Chase square in the eye. “Renesmee may not have given the request courteously, but our plea is still clear. We ask that the three of you leave Washington to avoid revealing ourselves to the humans.” H used his affirmative tone, which was just too hard to go against if you were the average vampire that followed the Volturi’s laws.

Unfortunately, the Daniels were far from average.

The both of them laughed darkly, sending shivers down my spine like an electric shock. Naturally, my family would easily deal with them if that was the solution.

But how can we beat a group like this?

“Has the animal blood messed with you heads?” Christy asked satirically. “You can’t do shit to make us move!”

That must have set Jake off, because he suddenly charged quickly toward the both of them, his growl echoing all around us. My father stretched out an arm to try and stop him, but Jake easily dodged it with a deep crouch in his sprint. Instantly, my body wanted to follow and hold him back, but my mother’s strength surpassed mine.

“JAKE!!”

Nothing could stop his pursuit. Even when my father tried to rush up from behind, he wouldn’t have topped Jake in time…or avoid the other side’s retaliation.

Just as he opened his snout to ensnare Christy in his sharp teeth, her body suddenly whirled around with her leg out to kick Jake right in the muzzle. His body flew back halfway of the distance he ran, a heart-wrenching yelp coming out of him. Once he hit the ground, his body spun and skidded so that his face was in my direction; I saw the blood oozing from his nose uncontrollably to soak his face.

My mother shuddered at the sight of him. “Jake…” Neither of us could bear to see her best friend harmed, let alone beaten. In little time, the wolf before us huffed and shakily got on all fours, his breathing a little ragged. The beautiful eyes looked at my mother and me worriedly, as if wondering if we were okay.

“So this is how it’s gonna be, huh?”

We looked past Jake to see Christy with a sneering look in her eyes. Her hands were clenched into fists, and an aggravated growl was seething through her bared teeth. With orbs black from thirst, her eyes struck the worst type of fear within me, the type that took every part of me to try and resist.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my father poised for a pounce, his glare fixated on Christy. Every inch of me wanted to stop him, to keep him from getting harmed like Jake. But it seemed like nothing would stop his attack with the way he hissed.

“DAD, NO!!”

Just when my words reached his ears, it was like both he and Christy moved simultaneously, both at the same speed. As my father passed the debilitated Jake, he had the upper hand by clutching onto her wrist first just as her claw was about to slash him across the face. He shoved it downward, but it didn’t stop Christy from using her other hand to latch onto his throat viciously. Without hesitation, she pushed him to her side and slammed him to the ground, getting her hand freed in the process.

I closed my eyes for the shortest second, and when they opened up again, I saw my father pulling his knee very close to his chest before using his foot to kick straight into Christy’s chest. It sent her flying into the air, a short intermission in their battle…which gave a window of opportunity to my mother.

She left my side without any kind of warning except for the rush of wind blowing beside me. When her presence was gone, I felt too cold inside and dread filled me to the brim. Now everyone was involved.

I saw her run past my father and head toward Chase, who seemed to wait eagerly for an opponent. He already had his arm up to defend himself before she slammed into it with her own, trying to wrestle for the greater power. As they struggled, I looked past my mother’s shoulder to see a devilish smirk on Chase’s lips, his eyes looking down at her sadistically. It got me far too worried to just stay put, but my legs didn’t want to listen to me anymore. Fear took complete control of me, and it didn’t help us one bit.

My mother used her other arm to punch Chase straight across the face, the impact too loud to be a regular kind of brawl. After his head whipped to the side, he instantly looked back at her with a grimace this time, his teeth bared and grinding with rage. My guts twisted inside before I saw him raise his other arm up with his hand like a claw, ready to strike at my mother.

However, a part of me somehow knew he wasn’t going to do any regular strike.

As his hand came down, Chase drove it into her gut deeply, and my mother’s back arched too far out. Her body was suddenly thrown in the opposite direction, back toward me, and she didn’t have the strength to land safely. I rushed up after calculating exactly where she would land and held my arms out to sling beneath her shoulders, ending with the both of us slumped on the ground. Luckily, she was still conscious…or else my father would have definitely lost it.

Just as he got up and rushed toward us, Christy landed nimbly and went back to sneering, obviously uncaring about our side of the fight. Jake was able to stand firmly and growl back at her, protecting us from behind him. I watched in horror when he retook his position; I wasn’t going to let him go to fight her again. Looking over to my father, there was a mix of rage and worry on his face, and he wasn’t going to be able to fight the Daniels again.

My eyes looked back at Chase, who stood in the exact same spot while wearing a very dark expression. It was at that point when I realized that I’ve had it with him; if it came down to it, I would deal with him myself. My family’s caution wouldn’t hold me back the slightest bit, which made me feel a bit sorry for Chase when I get done with him. I never thought I would feel this much contempt for someone, and the contempt itself intrigued me. I wanted to know more about what I hated…Especially his stupid logic.

Now that I thought about it, there was still something about his words that struck me dumbfounded. Did the thing I hate within the Daniels truly exist? Did it exist in Chase…or is he hiding something else buried deeply in his subconscious?

After coming back from my train of thought, I heard growls around me, and actually looked in Chase’s direction to see Matthew rushing up to stand next to him. I stiffened up as two more presences came from behind me; my father looked over my shoulder with relief.

“Was he trouble?”

“Lots,” Emmett replied tersely. “For some reason, we thought he had some type of power that controlled us to fight each other, like mind control, but…”

“We were aware that something was definitely wrong,” Jasper finished.

The four of us glanced toward Matthew, who glared right back with pitch black eyes. He looked even more austere than yesterday.

Chase tilted his head in his brother’s direction. “Do it,” he said softly, which somehow triggered Matthew to stare at my family intensely, confusing us…

Until I saw his eyes turn completely black.

In the deepest pit of my mind, one last memory was fished out: back at the parking lot, Matthew suddenly appeared next to Christy with the same expression on his face. That was when the jocks suddenly appeared and wrecked the cars…

Or was it really them? Did Matthew’s ability have something to do with my tampered memory when compared to my family’s recollection? His ability was truly fascinating, to make his victims believe what he wanted them to believe.

It was also beneficial. For the shortest moment, I thought of all kinds of ways his abilities could help his family either escape or catch prey…and I stopped there. We were going to be sheep, left out to pasture while they made their escape to wreak even more havoc. The first thing they would do is kill off a few students just for the hell of it; if they even laid a finger on Kaylene ad Erica…

But it was going to be futile, anyway. My family plus Jake braced themselves for anything that could happen, and I did the same. This was the end; they were going to win again and get away with everything, ruining the perfect life Carlisle started for us here in Forks. The worst part: there was no way around it.

Seconds had passed, and I continued to watch for any distortions in my vision, any confusion left in my perception…but everything was still clear as crystal. I could see the three of them staring at us intently; Jake was still between my family and Christy as a shield. No brain pain.

I looked at my father and uncles, and they seemed to be just as confused as I was. They were still aware; we were all on the same page.

Matthew’s expression also turned confused, but he continued to stare at us very intently, still trying to use his power to influence our minds. Next to him, Chase was getting impatient.

“Hurry up,” he hissed, but Matthew replied acidly.

“Something’s wrong, dammit!” His pitch black eyes never left us, but we could see the darkness within them wavering. “I’m losing it!”

With a groan, Christy jumped back from her position and joined Chase’s other side to join in the irritation. “How is that possible?!”

After he tried one final time, it looked like Matthew himself was getting a headache. He pressed the temple of his forehead and continued staring at my family, but to no avail.

“He’s too confused,” Jasper explained. “There’s something interfering with the use of his power…”

“Could it…be me…?”

We all looked down at my mother, who took deep breaths as her eyes began to flutter open. Her golden eyes looked up at me with worry, a weak smile shining toward me and the guys.

“Bella,” my father whispered while helping her sit up.

She winced slightly before trying to explain. “I did my best to keep the shield up, just in case…” She looked over toward the Daniels, Matthew in particular, and pulled up the corner of her mouth.

“Well, then. I’m glad I can stop at least one of you.”

All three of them stood aghast their tongues tied on what has happened. A wave of hope washed over us as a new piece of understanding was received: Matthew’s power was a mental ability.

And my mother could block it. Two down, three to go.

With this new information, my father and uncles would definitely start planning some strategies to take them down, especially Jasper, the military guy.

Chase began to sneer at my family, particularly at me. I was definite that my fear came from him the least, and I just glared back. The urge of rip him to shreds still burned inside me, but it was obvious there was an impasse between us. No one knew who or when a move should be made, or if it would be wise to do so.

Out of the blue, Jake began to bark impatiently, still baring his teeth toward the Daniels. There was a faint orchestra of howls past the trees, probably about four to five of them in unison. I never hear it very often because peace was always within Forks and the La Push reservation. When I actually heard it, however, I knew exactly what it meant.

Cavalry.

The fur on Jake’s back began to rustle, and his ears flattened themselves down on his head. He dipped his head lower and stood his ground, making sure the Daniels wouldn’t try to find a chance of escape. As my father helped my mother up to her feet, Emmett and Jasper each wrapped arm around both of mine and hoisted me up. Jasper carefully moved himself in front of me as a shield, and I had to place a hand on his shoulder to peer around him.

“Stay back, Nessie,” he warned.

Christy’s head whipped back and forth from her brothers to the forest before huffing irritably. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” she hissed into Chase’s ear. It was clear in her tone that she wasn’t exactly fond of canines and wanted to avoid them as much as possible…but Chase and Matthew continued to glare. They refused to let this chance go, but they didn’t have any other choice. Matthew’s gaze appeared like he was trying to use his abilities again, but my mother’s shield was too strong. When his eyes locked with mine, I could tell he thought of me as a weakness, since I was vulnerable to it before…

But Jasper’s brutal hiss made him think twice. I was kind of glad for a moment that he had such power over others as long as he was in control. On the other side, Matthew grimaced at his failure.

I then noticed Chase’s gaze: much different from his brother’s, almost curious. There was still so much more I wanted to know about him, especially about the meaning behind his words...

But his decision was smart. He relaxed his affirmative stance and slowly backed up. “Come on.” In the blink of an eye, the three of them darted toward the freeway heading north, hopefully losing the pack before they got here on time.

My father turned his head to look behind him. “Don’t lose them.”

Emmett and Jasper nodded before quickly turning toward me. “Everything’s gonna be all right,” Emmett tried to assure me. “Just stay here.”

And with that, they left right after the Daniels. My pulse raced swiftly through my brains, and worry filled up to the brim. If anything happened to them, I felt like I could never forgive myself for a million years, maybe even longer.

Within just a few seconds, I saw the wolves emerge from the edge of the forest, looking in our direction. Sam was stationed first as the Alpha in Jake’s absence; his ebony fur was still noticeable among the dark forest. Flanked on his right was the silver gray one: Paul, the most explosive member of the pack. On his left was Jared with his medium brown fur; behind him was the gray Embry. I could hear their growls rumble in their chests, but their eyes posed no threat as they looked across at Jake.

He motioned his head toward the direction of the freeway, and the bristles on his back straightened themselves out. Sam looked on his left and right before sprinting in the same direction, and the rest of the wolves quickly followed. Their paws were swift and silent, and hopefully they wouldn’t be too noticed before the smell would give them away.

All six of them were after the Daniels. It made me worry even more. If any of them got hurt…

“Nessie.”

When I came to my senses, my father was already towing me toward Jake. Jake himself lowered his back for me to swing a leg over as I clutched two handfuls of fur.

“Take her back to the house,” my father told him. “And stay with her, no matter what.”

As Jake huffed and nodded, I looked at my parents with fear flowing out of me. They just kept a calm expression on their faces and nodded at me.

“It’s okay,” my mother said. “We’ll catch them.”

But it wasn’t okay with me. I wanted to go with them, to help capture the Daniels and see it with my own eyes. The urge to aid them almost made me jump off Jake and run after them myself…

“No.” My father’s voice was firm and absolute, like this morning. He looked into my eyes solidly and spoke with each word distinct. “You’re staying home with Carlisle, Esme, Rose, Jacob, and Alice. Tell Alice to be on the lookout for those three, but warn her about the wolves’ involvement.”

I didn’t like the idea of being a sitting duck while the rest of them put their lives on the line like this…but I was in position to protest. Their target was me: the most vulnerable and accessible out of all of us. If they were going to find a way to stop my family, they would have to get to me first.

It came out in a growl, but it wasn’t for my parents or Jake. “Come on, Jake!” I gripped onto his fur tightly and leaned forward, and he shot forward toward the trees with his fastest speed. As I kept my head down, he nimbly made his way through the forest, heading directly toward the house without hesitation.

As he panted, it was clear he wanted to join the rest of his pack in their pursuit for the Daniels; Jake was always anxious to get in a fight. His head swerved left and right, just in case they decided to turn around and come after me again.

I buried my face in his fur, trying to hold back the frightening tears. What if we lost someone because of the Daniels, either vampire or wolf? They could easily be subdued once Matthew’s ability kicks in, but as long as my mother was close by they would have a chance...but that didn’t help them against the other two.

I could barely feel my legs or arms, and I had to actually concentrate on holding onto Jake. I hadn’t felt like this since the Volturi came seven years ago. What if this was just as drastic? A life or more would definitely be lost; everyone behind us may as well be chasing after their deaths.

Just as I thought about everyone back there, I finally remembered Chase’s words and the confusion they brought to my mind. There was no doubt about it: they were savage beasts, as bad as the immortal children and newborns. They kill humans…They have no capacity to feel any compassion…

And we were completely different…weren’t we?