CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
sᴛᴏʀᴍ

The weather was just as Alice had promised. That Saturday morning, the rain was relentless, crashing down upon the swollen earth in buckets full. It was then that I set out from my room, walking straight past Mrs Rochester without a word. I was drenched by two minutes, silken hair hanging down around my face in long strands that I had to shove away from my face.

The forest was eerily quiet, gaps of silence filled by the clattering of rain against leaves. The symphony of bird song up in the canopy was void, hiding from the harsh weather that would undoubtedly continue. Dark mist clung to the trees, slipping between their hollow branches like a serpent. Across the rocky ledges, gushes of rainwater fled toward lower ground in one hurried push. 

I ran rapidly, feet barely kissing the soft moss of the ground. My arms zipped back and forth, barely creating heat as they brushed against my waist. Once in my life I would have been in awe of my legs, moving so fast that they were a simple blur of blue, flying forward with such elegant lightness that would only ever be possible for something like me. I was made for it. The running, the exhilarating feeling as my hair whipped against the force of the wind that battled against my speed. We were made for it. It was the only thing that had ever felt natural, in despite of things. Perhaps that's why I let myself go, calling out as I sprinted, arms flowing through the air and dodging around trees.

The whole idea about the event I would soon be reaching was... overwhelming. Alice and her family were like any other family, except far more extraordinary than anyone could ever imagine. I would be lying if I said I didn't think about it: the feeling of found family, the fun moments spent testing each other's ability. There was so much that I wanted to know that they could give me, like why, with their gifts, the Cullens couldn't see straight through my facade.

But like any other time, Alice's striking scent took of the power of the wind, sending my sliding to a stop. From past the trees, a vast field spread, exposed to the battering gusts and the rain, which had softened to little more than a drizzle. I let my eyes wander across the space, noting each figure that stood on the pitch.

Alice was at the centre- I'd noticed her first out of anything, bending with a feline like movement as she reached for the ball by her feet. Then she stood abruptly, glancing my way. I hadn't realised the others were already on edge, bothered by my abnormal scent that was carried with the breeze.

Edward was stiff, body ridged with unease. From behind him, Bella peaked out confused, dark hair tucked into a baseball cap, a thick coat hugging her small frame. I frowned- it was almost as if I'd forgot all about my real purpose to being there on the field.  But I'd suspected long before leaving my room that my reason had nothing to do with Bella and all to do with myself and my selfish wants.

"Wait. Stop," someone said. It was a voice I didn't recognise- lovely and sweet.

Alice still stood staring at me, the ball held tightly in her hands. Rosalie moved forward first, eyebrows raised, but not nearly as threatening as I'd imagined her to be. If anything, they looked relaxed, as if they expected the whole thing. Glancing back to Alice I saw her step forward, catching her sister by the elbow, pulling her backs 

"You don't have to be worried," Alice said casually, though it was more aimed to me than anyone.

She sprinted toward me, leaving her family to stand in the middle of the field. Her hand enclosed around my elbow, and I felt myself jerk back in surprise. I'd seen her hand reach out to me, felt the almost undetectable moving of the air as it brushed my fingertips- but I hadn't expected her to take my arm in her hold. Alice smiled up at me, chuckling.

"Come on, don't lose your confidence now," she said.

I couldn't help but smile. "I can't stop thinking of the multiple things that could go wrong"

They could hear us, every single word we said. But Alice wasn't affected by that fact, nor was she going to dim her voice to prevent it. And so neither would I.

She smirked, an odd movement of her lips that almost seemed out of place on her soft face. "Like what?"

My eyes flickered back to the group that waited in the middle of the field. Bella stared back, eyes wide in what could only be fear or confusion.

"Bella could be furious that I didn't tell her. Edward may be angry that I'm showing up uninvited," I said.

"Edward isn't as spiteful as you think," she said.

Her tone bothered me enough to provoke a scowl. Edward had done plenty to warrant my worry. Alice noticed the look on my face and instead grinned.

"And anyway, I'm here, isn't that enough?" She said.

I let my face fall into a smile, rolling my eyes playfully, "I suppose it it."

"Then you're not showing up without an invitation," she said. "I invite you to play baseball. My family would never say no to an extra player."

From then, within seconds, her hand was on mine and she was practically dragging me across the field until we stood among her family, glancing to each one of them nervously.

"Would they?" She finally said, her eyes pointing expectantly.

It was Dr Cullen who unsurprisingly spoke first. With his kind and soothing voice, he stepped forward, a warm smile on his pale face. He was visually no older than twenty four, and the way he spoke left the impression that he was years above his look, with articulation as wise and as intelligent as a man his real age would be expected to have.

"We will always welcome a friend," he said.!

I nodded thankfully, returning the smile. "And a friend you will receive out of me. Thank you, Dr Cullen."

"Please, call me Carlisle. We've heard much about you," he said, glancing toward Alice. He let his hand drift to the side, placing itself on the back of the woman to his side. "This is my wife Esme and I'm sure you know everyone else."

Esme had the same type of beauty that all the Cullens had: the divine glow of white skin balanced with the dark, amber eyes. There was something about the tenderness too, that gave her the look of a mother, yet the kind on the old Hollywood screens, too old to have ever carried the weight of a child's dependence.

"Pleased to meet you," I said. "And yes, I do."

It was then, after looking across all of their faces, somehow cautious and uninterested at the same time, that my eyes fell toward Bella. She still stood behind Edward, hands tucked between her own arms, frostbite nipping at her nose and cheeks.

"Elide?"

"Hello, Bella," I said, my voice lacking the confidence I'd had moments ago. "I decided to stop evading from the truth for once. Better to rip the plaster off all at once,"

She didn't say anything. Her mouth was held in a strong, straight line.

"I'm here to play a game of vampire baseball."

Bella's reaction was less than I had expected. As I stood still, I watched her face raise and then drop and then pause again with realisation. She didn't say anything at first, just stared, licking over me with a narrowed and scrutinising eye. I still think it was the worst possible reaction- even worse than screaming and shouting of betrayal or something extreme as such. For that long while, I was still with no possibility of knowing what she thought. No way of knowing whether she was angry, sad, disappointed or perhaps even somewhat happy.

But then she smiled, her whole face creasing kindly, and I let my face follow suit.

"I won't go easy on you, just because you're my friend," she said, chuckling. "You know that right?"

I grinned, nodding my head. "I'm glad of it. I'm ready to show some people up."

From between Jasper and Rosalie, Emmett laughed, bay swinging from arm to arm and up to the air again. He raised a brow. "Batting or fielding?"

Glancing to the bat in his hands, I said, "I like to think I've got a rather good swing."

Alice lifted the bay swiftly from Emmett's hands and placed it in my grip. Then, in one fluid motion, she twisted to glance toward the pitch, already marked with bases so far apart they'd be hard for any human to see.

"It's time," she called, eyes flashing toward the sky.

The second after she spoke, a rumbling of thunder battles through the sky, shaking the group and trembling the trees. Lighting flashed through the sky in one quick and dance-like movement.

Emmett grinned. "Eerie, isn't it?"

We moved out toward the field, splitting off easily into two teams. I was surprised by how simple it was to break off and I headed toward the batting spot standing far from Alice. She was pitching, the ball rolling easily from her fingertips as she toyed it in her hands. Jasper took his place behind me, crouching to place his hands forward; he was catching for the other team.

"All right," Esme shouted from the edge of the field. "Batter up."

I lifted the bay pulling it back behind me, the metal light in my hands. Alice shook herself first, shoulders rolling as she looked at me from below lowered eyes. There was no intimidation in her pre-throw dance, just concentration, but even still, I set my jaw in anticipation from the stealth she would undoubtedly throw with. I watched as her arm drew back.

"Now might be a good time to say I've never played baseball," I said, bringing my second hand to join the bay in raising behind me.

From across the field Emmett cackled out a laugh. "What? You've never played baseball?"

"Unless rounders counts, then no," I said. Rosalie snorted.

Alice drew the ball back behind her, and this time I settled my feet. Heels dug into the ground, scuffing up mud as I perched deeply in a crouch. I lifted the bat higher. In one simple strike, the ball left Alice's hands with a flick of the wrist and came hurtling toward me in one sharp arc. I grunted, waiting for the sound of metal hitting ball. But instead a slap rang out from behind me and Jasper stood with the ball.

Emmett let out another bear-like sound that was supposed to be a laugh. I frowned, shrugging it off as the ball zipped toward a giggling Alice once again. The ball left her hands once again.

It came crashing toward me, and I forced the bat forward, smacking it backward. The ball shot through the sky like a phantom blurred across the grey sky. The thundering sound echoed through my ear for a second before I shot forward, feet, quite literally, leaving dust with the dirt behind me.

Carlisle tailed me, sprinting at my feet as I sprinted around the bases, letting my shoes slide me forward at the corners. Edward was gone, disappeared through the trees in the direction of where my ball had been hit toward. 

"Go on Elide!" I heard Alice screech from the middle of the field, her feet jumping down lightly upon her bowling square.

"Alice, you're not supposed to cheer for the opposite team!" Rosalie argued as I sprinted around her, Edward still nowhere in sight. The last bay was nearing, I could see the square where Esme and Bella stood.

"Out!" Esme cried.

I halted to a swift stop, eyes wide as I stared to Edward, his hand straight in the air, holding the ball at the tip of his fingers.

The thunder rumbled on, the loud crashes that echoed through the clouds not nearly loud enough to cover the deep clashes of bat and ball, or even sometime vampire to vampire. The sound of the baseball hitting the feline after one of Jasper's sneaky low hits was like nothing other.

I settled myself in between the third and last base, eyes trailing Edward as he picked up the bag and brought it behind his head. I knew exactly where it would be aimed to. Carlisle's eyes were already flirting toward the edge of the tree line, determining the quickest way possible through the thick layer of forest.

The ball was sent flying forward at the speed of lighting and Edward swung hard. But it's hands gone the same way, instead it went slipping and rolling over the mottled earth like a rat away from a farmer's gun. Carlisle dove backwards after in, securing it in his hands.

Edward was nearing third base, his speed faster than any of us. Accelerating across the field, the ball came closer and closer to my outreached hands. I caught it steadily and sent myself soaring forward toward the last base, feet sliding as I sent myself forward toward the bay, Edward hot at my side. My voice was knocked out of me as I hit the ball against the base, Edward sliding at my side.

We both glanced up to Esme and Bella, eyebrows raised and mouths agape.

Bella shook her head. "Out."

I stood to my feet in one sharp movement, smiling as Carlisle and Emmett came to cheer beside me. And as I glanced over, even Edward had the ghost of a smile on his lips as he shook his head.

"I suppose we're even," he said, and I smiled.

The score was even too. Carlisle stood up to bat, his shoulders squaring, making him look bigger than I'd first realised. Alice held the ball back, but then gasped suddenly dropping it to the floor beside her feet. Edward's head snapped toward her and then only seconds later he was by Bella's side, hustling her backwards like a sheep.

"Alice?" I lunged forward, taking her elbow in my hand so I could pull her to where the rest of the Cullens were grouping.

"I didn't see- I couldn't tell," she stuttered, eyes wide and lips twitching.

"What is it, Alice?" Esme asked, voice enough to coax an answer.

She shook her head sharply. "They were travelling much quicker than I thought. I can see I had the perspective wrong before," she said. "They heard us playing, and it changed their path."

"How soon?"

It took me a moment to understand what was happening, but the moment I did, my face dropped. Vampires- there were more vampires in Forks, and they were coming toward us. The last time I'd met one of my kind other than the Cullens was decades ago.

"Less than five minutes. They're running. They want to play."

Carlisle's eyes flitted toward Edward, his lips thinning. Bella was cowered confused in his arms.

"Can you make it?"

"No, not carrying-" he stopped himself, shaking his head regretfully. "Besides, the last thing we need is for them to catch the scent and start hunting."

"How many?" Emmett cut in.

"Three," she said briefly.

"Three?" He exclaimed, scoffing out as he stared at the tree line. "Let them come."

Carlisle seemed to consider it for a moment, but then his eyes drifted toward Edward and Bella who stood tensely by the edge of the group. His eyes were crowded, overflowing with conflicting emotion. He could welcome the fight and risk Bella in the process, or he could hope for the best and welcome them with his cordial expression. While Emmett seemed undisturbed, we stared at Carlisle anxiously. His word would be final.

I slackened my jaw, glancing around at them. "What if I go to them? Let them catch a sight and think I'm human," I said.

"No," Edward growled.

I was surprised by his sudden burst of anger- only moments ago he'd been smiling along with me as if there'd never been tension squashing between us at all. There was something about the indignant crunch of his darkened eyes that made me feel as if the exclamation was out of suspicion, rather than a kind want for me to be out of risk.

"Let's just continue the game," Carlisle said finally.

I shuffled forward gingerly, stopping as I passed by Alice, who now stood strained on her bowling square.

"What do we do?" I whispered.

She shook her head solemnly. "We can't to anything."

Her face with stricken with guilt. I wondered how often her gift had made her suffer so. I began to see how much her gift was also a curse, like mine.

"Put this on," she said, twisting toward me suddenly. "We can't afford any suspicion, even if we can mask her smell."

Alice took the baseball gap from her head, and instead placed it firmly on mine. Her hair fell back down perfectly, curling at the ends by her chin. Brushing my hair closer to the side of my face, she nodded. I left her side without another word said.

Edward was muttering to Bella. She didn't seem as tense as she should have been.

Alice bit her lip. "That won't help. I could smell her across the field."

I nodded, agreeing. Though Bella's scent would never call to me as much as it undoubtedly did to Edward, I could still pick it up from far away. I had done on my way across, even when masked under the dampness of the trees and mud. I took my place between first and second base, Carlisle reaching the adjacent space, at the head of our group.

It was then that they arrive, enshrouded within the thick mist of the forest's edge. The moved in strict positions, nothing like the fluidity of the Cullens' nature. Their arrow shape thinned until they stood close in a triangle, advancing forward in a predatory prowl. There was no familial bonds holding them together, just the incessant knowledge that hunters work better in packs.

They appeared like normal trekkers, dressed in rugged clothes that frayed at the edges, a heavy waterproof covering it all. But their eyes were anything but regular. Somber, churlish eyes, the colour of an angry blister or crusted blood, that took in the sight of our group, as Carlisle, backed with Jasper and Emmett, stepped forward discreetly to meet them.

The first man, the leader, tilted his head as he observed the affable stature of Carlisle. He was easily the most striking of his triplet, with dark skin peaking out from beneath his ghostly mask, his hair a solid black and reaching down past his wide shoulders.

Brilliant, red hair was what I saw first of the woman that hung to the right of the leader's back. There was a compelling slant to her wine-coloured lips- seductive and provocative. Her figure was more rounded, her shoulders neither bulky nor wide. But despite the lack of athleticism in her build, there was something about the sinister look on her face that made it obvious that her body wasn't her only weapon.

The last of the three stood tensely to the left of the dark haired man. In comparison to the other two, he was unremarkable, light brown hair flat and the angles of his cheeks dull and heavy. Yet under his characterless appearance, his maroon eyes were darting about, hidden behind his nondescript features and using it to his vigilant advantage.

"We thought we heard a game," the leader said first. A french accent dripped from his tongue. "I'm Laurent. This is James, Victoria."

He nodded politely. "I'm Carlisle. This is my family, Emmett and Jasper, Rosalie and Esme, Alice, Edward," he said, gliding over each face without drawing attention. "Bella and Elide,"

A strangled noise made its way through my throat at the mention of my name. I felt a sharp tug to my arm, silencing my shock immediately.

"Do you have room for a few more players?" Laurent asked.

"Actually, we were just finishing up. But we'd certainly be interested another time. Are you planning to stay in the area long?" Carlisle said.

"We're headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighbourhood. We haven't run into any company in a long time," Laurent said. The other two were silent.

"No, this region is usually empty except for us and the occasional visitor, like yourselves."

"What's your hunting range?"

"The Olympic range here, up and down the coast ranges on occasion. We keep a permanent residence nearby. There's another permanent settlement like ours up near Denali," Carlisle said, ignoring the assumptions.

Laurent's eyes narrowed noticeably, but there was a hint of intrigue behind his voice. "Permanent?" How do you manage that?"

"Why don't you come back to our home with us and we can talk comfortably? It's a rather long story," Carlisle said.

Any story involving a vampire was a long one. Surprised looks were shared.

"That sounds very interesting and welcome. We've been on the hunt all the way down from Ontario, we haven't had the chance to clean up for a while."

"Please, don't take offence, but we'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from hunting in this immediate area. We have to stay inconspicuous, you understand," Carlisle added.

"Of course. We certainly won't hunt on your territory. We just ate outside of Seattle."

"We'll show you the way of you'd like to run with us- Emmett and Alice, you can go with Bella and Edward to get the jeep. Elide you come with the rest of us," Carlisle nodded toward Rosalie.

My nostrils flared. Bella stilled. The wind tickled through the group, carrying with it Bella's sharp, human scent. James' head dates toward her, his eyes seething. He bent into a sudden Crosby, teeth bared and snapping. Edward mirrored his threatening stance.

"What's this?" Laurent said, standing still in his position as he glanced to Bella, dragging his eyes from head to toe.

Carlisle was calm and as unmoving as ever. "She's with us."

"You brought a snack?"

"I said she's with us," Carlisle pressed, this time his voice harsher and more direct.

"But she's human!" Laurent said incredulously. "It appears we have a lot to learn about each other."

James started forward again, falling onto his forward foot. Edward growled, arms outstretched cautiously in warning.

Carlisle nodded, his eyes flickering between Edward, who was still snarling, and James. "Indeed."

"But we'd like to accept your invitation."

"And of course, we will not harm the human girl. We won't hunt in your range, as I said," Laurent said, hands moving to lay flatly in the air. Victoria and James shared another glance.

"We'll show you the way. Jasper, Rosalie, Esme?"

☾
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