CHAPTER FIVE
ᴛᴇʀʀɪʙʟᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢ

Alice's blindness was a problem we'd faced before, but never to this scale.

It was unsettling, to Alice, to not be able to anticipate each move the opponent would make. For the rest of us, though it was normal to have no glimpses of the future, we'd grown used to being able to rely on her abilities. But as we raced through the rainforest, feet carelessly digging deep tracks into the mud, we had no foresight at what would greet us. The presence of Renesmee and the wolves and now Nahuel created a permanent fog.

Zafrina and Senna would have a few days on us, enough time to join the witnesses that would hopefully be there to support Edward and Bella's claims. Kachiri, for her own reasons, remained behind, watching from the edge of a clearing as we disappeared into the morning, picking up speed in hopes of reaching the water by nightfall. It was quicker to swim part way, reaching the western coast.

It gave us time to observe the hybrid in a way we had not been able to understand Renesmee. His heart was eerie to hear as we sprinted across states. It was unnatural to hear the sound run with us, rather than away. His steps seemed louder too, and more laboured, without taking its toll on his apparently immortal body- the appearance of a human run, so messy and powered, yet with the speed and agility of a vampire. It was incredible in its own, unique way. Addictive to watch, like a racehorse around a circuit

When it came to the water, Nahuel seemed unsure. They'd never reached the sea within their hunts, never going far from their home. But even still, he tossed himself from the cliff with an immortal's elegance, crashing into the waves and resurfacing again a moment later. When we reached the same coastline that Alice and I had departed from, Nahuel and Huilen waited behind, letting us climb up first, emerging onto the rockface that I'd seen the pack jump from so many times.

It felt different, setting foot on the pack's territory then. Different in a wrong way. There was no wolf to warn us away with snarls and neither was Sam there to guide us across from boundary to boundary. No, the pack would be grouping with the Cullens on the clearing, if Alice's past visions were still no be believed- if the presence of Nahuel or the wolves didn't change anything.

There was a frown on her face as Alice stepped into the shadow of the trees. They were so different to that of the rainforest we'd run from. Thinner, more spindly. The scent of pine was more distinct, in the absence of such dense undergrowth. Her hands touched the bark as she slowed to a walk, feeling the roughness of texture as if it could bring some hint of what we were hurrying into.

"Everything feels so still," I said, drifting past her, further into the shade.

Where she stood in the treeline, the sandy light of dusk fanned across the horizon, painting shimmering speckles of gold dust onto her skin. This type of sparkle seemed different to the bright luminescence the sun of Brazil seemed to spark- it was softer, cooler.

"It's like the forest knows they're not here," I added, meaning the wolves. "Do you think it's started?"

"Yes," was all Alice said at first, her voice strained. Then her hand reached out to mine, gripping it as if she was suddenly too scared to let go. "We have to do this. We have to convince them. There's too much that can go wrong. I've seen it"

"You've seen it? How?"

"By the tree, in the amazon. It was only little flickers before I went blind. But Elide, I can't repeat what I saw... It's- It's unthinkable," she said, and before she could continue her stuttering, my hands were wrapping around her, words muffled by her face pressing against my shoulder. "We can't fail this."

"I wish I could wrap us up and turn us invisible, so we can hide away and pretend this isn't happening. I want peace and quiet," I said, and Alice let out a feeble laugh as if the thought was impossible. "But peace and quiet don't want us yet. This conflict won't disappear. We have everything we need to make it go away. So let's win this."

Her lips were pressing against mine in the next instance, knocking the words from my mouth with an inaudible gasp. I was laughing then- so quiet was the sound, until Alice's mirrored mine.

"You can't get out of this with a kiss," I said, and Alice shook her head, hands on either side of my face. "Not this time."

"That's not what this is," she said, shaking her head again. "Normally I'm the one with positive words."

"I'm just keeping you on your toes."

Her eyes were brightening with determination by the second. "I'm ready for this. We're ready for this," she said, hands releasing me as she took a step forward. "And I love you, no matter what."

"And I love you," I said, pressing a kiss against the side of her head before she could step too far. "But I want to hear you say that when it's quiet, on the beach maybe, when everyone's safe and happy."

"You'll hear it," she promised, and we ran on.

There was no plan in place, only a thin, lacklustre outline. And in someway, that made it easier. If we had no rules, no step-by-step to follow, then no scrutinisation could happen as we ran full force to the clearing, Nahuel and Huilen following tensely but at a distance. They seemed weary at the prospect of the Volturi and their ominous ways, so unlike their own ways in the rainforest.

Voices reached us before we even broke through the trees.

"Then I do have something more to offer."

It was Edward's voice, words spoken ominously, commanding attention. We could not yet see them. But the presence of the Volturi was loud enough in the vastness of our anticipation, that it echoed, warning us before the red and black of their cloaks could be seen.

"Edward. He can hear us now," Alice whispered.

Had his mind been able to sense us before the sound of our quiet footsteps could reach their ears?

"She is absolutely unique. Her future can only be guessed at," a voice I recognised to belong to Aro, said next.

"Not absolutely unique. Rare, certainly, but not one of a kind," Edward continued, before pausing. I could sense the glare only from his voice. "Please refrain from attacking my wife, Jane. We are still discussing evidence."

The clearing was in view then, with two sides looming, a great, vast expanse of no man's land, which Edward had taken to occupy with clenched fists. To the right, the wolves stood stationed around a crowd of vampires, Bella and Renesmee like a heart in the centre. There were faces I couldn't recognise- faces I now loved for their cooperation. But even Alice seemed shocked by how many witnesses had gathered to the family's aid, and our newcomers looked upon the sight with nervous excitement.

"My dear ones, we must hear him out. Evidence must be collected before we deliver our decision."

Edward nodded in thanks, turning his head to look upon the far stretch of empty land that lay between us.

"Why don't you join us, Alice?"

There was a collective gasp, the sound like a brush of wind through trees, marking the beginning of our movement. Nahuel and Huilen remained behind. Silent and unseen, I felt the mask, the camouflage, so eerie and unfamiliar, roll upon my skin until it was the snow that could only be seen as I tilted my head down to stare at where my hands should have been. I didn't think I'd ever get used to the extension of my gift- the gifts that Aro may have predicted.

Alice's hand was slipping from my grasp as she began to run, emerging from the trees with her small shoulders squared with confidence, to face the Volturi. Aro's face was a picture of relief.

"Alice!"

"It was not just us here, who were looking for witnesses, Aro," Edward said, a prideful smirk taking over his features. "Alice was successful in bringing her own. Why don't you introduce them?"

"The time for witnesses is past! Cast your vote, Aro!" Caius shouted, blond hair whipping across his shoulders as he turned to stare at their leader with reproach.

Alice ignored him and beckoned her hand for the two newcomers to join them. Huilen stepped forward first, Nahuel quickly joining her side as they strode across the clearing, footprints tainting the pure snow beneath bare feet. It seems as if they had transformed, turning from the defensive animals coiled in on themselves to the predators with squared shoulders and clenched fists, teeth bared for all to see.

"This is Huilen and her nephew Nahuel."

Aro looked upon them with quiet delight.

"Speak. Give us the witness you came here to bear."

"I am Huilen," she said, casting a glance across the field to the Cullens and back to the Volturi. "A century and a half ago, I lived with my sister, named Pire, after the snow on the mountains. She was beautiful- too beautiful. She came to me one day in secret and told me of a man that found her in the woods, who visited her by night. An angel, as some here, may call it. I warned."

There was a tint of bitterness in her voice as if even after so many years, she still had blame to be made. Accusations to reach. Nahuel was still and silent, his heart steady but rapid as it always was.

"The bruises he left on her skin were not warning enough. But I knew him to be the Libishomen of our legends. Pire did not listen. She was enchanted by the man who visited her nightly. Whose child was growing inside her. We knew the others- our family- would not understand, would want to destroy her and the child before they let such a creature out into the world," Huilen spoke, commanding the attention of Aro. The way she spoke was easy- as if she was accustomed to speaking at such length with such a threatening audience. It was a transformation from the women that'd told us such history in the rainforest of Brazil. "So we took to the night in search of the man, tracking into the deepest parts of the forest, only to find nothing. The baby grew too heavy and I hunted for her. One night I returned to find her eating the last of our stores from the day previous- raw animals and their blood. I knew then what lay in her stomach."

There was a pause and Nauhel stepped forward under his Aunt's gaze. "I wanted to save her life before I killed the monster," she said. I wondered how often Nahuel wondered if she should have. "But she loved the child as I do now. Named him Nahuel, after the jungle cat, and even when he grew strong enough to break her bones and rip her flesh, she loved him still. Her dying wish was that I cared for him, and protected him. I agreed."

Aro was watching her with a deep fascination- an expression that brought me back to the crypts of Volterra and the council Edward had forced into succession there. The Volturi had seemed so unwavering there, thirsting for the gifts that Edward and Alice held, speaking of such talents he thought I had the potential for and later did. But here, upon the blank clearing, the Volturi, under Aro's command, seemed weak in comparison to the numbers that flocked the Cullens' side.

"As I lifted him, he bit me. The pain was immense enough that I thought I would die. I crawled away, deep into the forest so that I would not have to see my sister's body as I lay dying. But I opened my eyes to see that the newborn had crawled to me through the undergrowth and lay by my side, waiting for me to wake. He was curled into my side, asleep," Huilen continued. "I needed only to care for him until he could hunt for himself. We never go far, but Nahuel wanted to see the child."

There was a pause as Huilen finished and Aro let his eyes roam the man's body: to the human eyes, a deep brown; the full-grown stature, holding the strength of a vampire; and no doubt he heard the heartbeat beneath warmer skin, so erratic.

"How old are you?" Aro finally asked.

"One hundred and fifty."

I let myself move forward, weaving around the crowd of witnesses, glancing to their faces as we passed. I recognised few- Charlotte, Peter, and then Thomas, standing proudly at the end, just last Emmett and Jasper. I moved toward them, to where they were stood furthest from Bella, less protected that the rest. I couldn't shield them from Jane's mental and physical torture, but I could hide them from an another's attack.

As I did so, Edward seemed to look my way, if only for the slightest of moments. 

"And you reached maturity at what age?"

"Seven years after birth. I was as I am now," Nahuel answered.

For a split second his head moved to glance back towards the Cullens, searching. They stared back, knowing what his presence proved. Renesmee would be fully grown in several years.

"And your diet?"

"Blood or human food. I can survive on either."

Then Aro's eyes switched to the woman by his side. "You were able to create an immortal?"

"Yes, but none of the rest can."

If Alice seemed worried by that drop of knowledge placed in the Volturi's palm, she didn't show it. I had to be thankful for my invisibility- too much would have been shown on my face.

"The rest? There are others?"

Nahuel nodded slowly. "My sisters."

"Perhaps you would tell us of the rest of your story, for there seems to be more."

There was one wary glance sent back to his Aunt, and when she nodded, he did too. Nahuel told Aro all he had told us. Everything about his father, Joham, and how his sisters would come to him, pleading to join their twisted family.

"And this Joham- this immortal so fond of experimentation. Perhaps we should speak with him," Aro said finally.

Nahuel let out a heavy breath. "Stop Joham if you will. But leave my sisters be. They are innocent."

Watching him for a moment, Aro nodded and turned to his own witnesses. "We do not fight today, dear ones," he said, arms raised like a church pastor while preaching. "There is no danger here, of that I am sure. This is an unusual development, but there lies no threat. These half-vampire children are much like us, it appears."

It was Caius that let out a growl-like sound. A warning. "Is that your vote?"

"It is."

The air around us seemed to move again, bringing in a brisk wave of wind, brushing the powdered snow from the ground. It was as if the earth had held its breath, so tense in the waiting for the Volturi's verdict, for the wrong judging would surely end in war. A battle between vampires would sooner rip the ground apart before stone flesh could be broken. But with Aro's breath, there was an exhale of relief. I couldn't quite believe it.

Sharp red, his eyes drifted across the crowd once again, landing, as always, lastly on Alice. There was doubt of what he thought, lusting after her gifts, craving the ability to control them. My hands unconsciously clenched by my side. But Aro did not need to touch her skin to read her own thoughts on the matter. Alice's chin lifted defiantly and something like pride swelled through my chest.

"I'm so relieved this could be resolved without violence," Carlisle said, clawing the attention away from his adoptive daughter.

"My friend, Carlisle, how pleased I am to call you friend again! I hope there are no hard feelings. I know you understand the strict burden that our duty places on our shoulders."

With furrowed brows, Carlisle did not smile. "Leave in peace, Aro. Please remember that we still have our anonymity to protect here, and keep your guard from hunting in this region."

If Aro was disturbed by Carlisle's reproachful response, he didn't show it. Instead, he merely nodded his head with a flourish and bowed his arms slightly. The kind of bow made by a jester to the fool, rather than subject to king. A movement made in arrogance- an expression that Carlisle could easily read.

"Of course, Carlisle. I am sorry to warn your disapproval, my dear friend. Perhaps in time, you will forgive me."

"Perhaps in time if you prove to be a friend to us again."

Aro nodded once, his eyes beady and unblinking, head tilting and gaze observing. The last row of the Volturi's witnesses seemed to melt away first, moving so swiftly that they were a simple blur against the thinning snow. The rustling of the trees was unsettling as they all began to sprint away, wind whipping from their direction like a storm.

With a last withering glare, Jane and her brother turned first, cloaks stretching out like a shadow from their shoulders, dragging against the ground as they strode toward the forest There was a purposefulness in their slow movement, so forceful in their steps. Then went Caius and Marcus, angled on either side of their leader as Aro cast one last look backwards before turning to sprint through the middle of their arrowhead, running so fast that they were almost rendered invisible.

There was a cold silence, so vast that I could hear the disapating of nerves echo.

"Is it really over?" Bella gasped, tucking Renesmee further into her side as the girl clung to her leg.

"Yes. They've given up. Like all bullies, they're cowards underneath the swagger," Edward spat, turning to join his family closely.

It was only as Alice called out her part, that the group began to ease. "Seriously, people, they're not coming back. Everyone can relax now."

A course of shouts rang out then, filling the uncomfortable void.

"Alice, where's Elide?" Emmett called above it all. "Leave her in Brazil?"

"At least if I was in Brazil, you'd get a holiday visit, Emmett. No, I'm sorry to say I'm still here."

The man almost jumped from his skin as I leant an arm across his shoulder, revealing myself finally. He stared for a moment, eyes wide and pale like a moon, and then laughed- a cackling sort of sound that struggled to reach further past his throat that a strangled cry- and cast his arms around me, lifting my shoulders from the ground until I was spinning.

"What the hell was that? Since when can you go invisible?" Emmett screeched, earning the biggest grin from Alice. "She's been holding out on us! Elide has been holding out on us!"

"Put her down you oaf," Alice chuckled, tugging me down by the hand, pulling me from Emmett's arms easily into hers. "We have a lot to discuss."

Her words seemed an understatement, given the weeks we'd all spent scraping for witnesses, all pulled apart and separated. But the Cullens only smiled, their guests coming to surround them closely, warm smiles painting the faces of all except a few. There was an overwhelming feeling of collective relief and disbelief, as if most had come expecting a fight, only to not receive one.

I felt a kiss land heavily against my cheek. It was a picture of victory, rolled out upon the clearing. A beautiful image based upon the icy background of Forks and one that I would remember forever.

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