I lingered on the balcony a few moments longer, my vantage point revealing that whatever Carlisle needed Emmett for also involved Jasper. Stepping back inside, I followed the sound of the news channel into the adjacent room. There, I found Carlisle and Jasper engrossed in the TV, while Emmett perched on the corner backrest of the L-shaped couch, rather than sitting on it.

I tugged at the long sleeves of my white and black sweater before turning my attention to the news. It was a report on Seattle, where rogue vampires roamed, terrorizing and preying on innocent people. Unknown to humanity, they perceived it merely as the work of a serial killer, targeting unsuspecting victims at random. However, the reality was far more chilling.

With cautious steps, I traversed the expanse of the room, each footfall resonating softly against the hard wood. Arriving at the L-shaped couch, I settled onto a cozy blanket meticulously arranged over the cushions, a plush pillow offering support against the firm upholstery. Despite the comfort surrounding me, my focus remained fixed upon the screen before me, absorbing every detail with attention.

"Police are baffled by the escalating murders and disappearances," the anchor-woman announced, her voice filled with concern but also held her professionalism. "Theories range from a vicious new gang to a wildly active serial killer." Just as the tension in the room peaked, I noticed Edward and Bella enter the room.

"It's getting worse," Carlisle declared, his hand moving to power off the television. "We're going to have to do something," he continued, his voice tinged with concern for both his family and the innocents.

"It takes more than one of our kind to cause the damage they're reporting," Jasper remarked, his gaze shifting towards Bella and Edward. "Quite a few more. And they're undisciplined, conspicuous."

"It's newborns," Edward interjected, grasping Jasper's implication, but it made Carlisle lift his head up to meet Edward's gaze.

"What, like new vampires?" Bella asked, drawing everyone's attention towards her.

"In the first few months after the change," Edward started, his expression betraying the inner turmoil he grappled with, hesitant to continue because of Bella's inquiries and what she had to anticipate in her own future.

"That's when we're at our most uncontrollable," Jasper interjected, drawing my gaze towards him. "Vicious. Insane with thirst," he concluded Edward's explanation, his words sending a chill down my spine as if a ghost had passed over my grave. The thought of Bella considering such a fate was unsettling. While I would support her decision regardless, I couldn't fathom the pain and turmoil she would endure during the transition.

"Something to look forward too," Emmett chimed in with his deep, resonant voice, the sound echoing in my ears. I closed my eyes briefly, recognizing his jest, yet the notion still unsettled me.

"No one has trained these newborns, but this isn't random," Jasper declared, turning his head towards Carlisle, locking eyes with him.

"Someone's creating an army," Carlisle realized, prompting my eyes to widen in astonishment at the revelation.

"Well, now we're definitely going to Seattle," Emmett declared, rising abruptly from his position. His feet compressed the cushions as he took two steps before leaping off the couch and landing firmly on the ground. He seemed a tad bit excited to go fight these newborns.

"An army of vampires?" Bella inquired, her voice tinged with concern, yet she maintained her composure.

"And they've been created to fight someone," Jasper remarked, prompting Bella and me to exchange a quick, apprehensive glance, acknowledging the possibility that we could be their targets, but uncertainty still hung heavy in the air.

"We're the only clan even close to Seattle," Edward pointed out.

"Regardless of why they were made, if we don't put a stop to them, the Volturi will," Carlisle asserted, drawing my attention as I noticed his clasped hands. "I'm surprised they've let it go on this long." Carlisle mused, pondering whether the Volturi were aware of the situation.

"Perhaps they're behind it?" I suggested, raising an eyebrow in Carlisle's direction. He returned an uncertain look regarding their potential involvement.

"In Italy, I read Aro's mind," Edward interjected, as he thought the same as I. That the Volturi could be behind it. "He wants me and Alice to join him, but he knows we'll never choose him as long as our family's still alive."

"An army could solve that for him," Jasper remarked to Edward. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Bella's expression contort with fear at the prospect of losing another family. I hadn't noticed that I was fiddling with the sleeves of my jumper until Emmett leaned over and gently placed his hand on mine. Even through the wool, I could feel the cold hardness of his skin.

"It'll be alright," Emmett reassured me, his words soothing my frayed nerves. I forced a smile, desperately wanting to believe him, but a nagging feeling in my gut told me otherwise.

"I need some air," I announced, directing my words to everyone in the room but primarily to Emmett.

As I rose from the couch, he released his hand from mine, and I made my way across the room. Bella came into my line of vision, but I only offered her a small smile, signalling that I needed solitude. She nodded in understanding.

As I descended the staircase, I sensed the weight of everyone's gaze following me until I rounded the corner. Upon reaching the ground floor, my eyes fell upon my bag nestled by the side, its contents calling out to me. With a sense of urgency, I reached for the item of utmost importance: my Grimoire. Perhaps there was something within it that could aid us in our current predicament.

I escaped the confines of the house and wandered through the nearby forest, not venturing too far from the safety of the dwelling but far enough to find solitude for my thoughts, away from prying ears. However, I doubted I had distanced myself enough to escape their hearing.

I came to a halt when my legs refused to carry me any farther, maybe ten, or fifteen minutes later. Taking in my surroundings, I found myself surrounded by towering trees, their presence enveloping me from all sides. Here, in the embrace of nature, I felt a profound sense of peace, as if I had always belonged and always would.

Raising my Grimoire to eye level, I focused on its unadorned leather cover, its surface worn from countless readings. Despite my familiarity with its contents, I couldn't help but wish for something new, a spell that could miraculously rescue us from the looming threat of the army. But deep down, I knew such hopes were futile.

A tumultuous whirlwind of emotions enveloped me, each one distinct yet intertwining seamlessly. Hate, grief, anger, and rage surged within me like a tempestuous storm. I couldn't shake the realization that every hardship my kind endured stemmed from the actions of the Volturi. Their fear of our potential power drove them to eradicate entire generations, their insatiable thirst for dominance blinding them to the devastation they left in their wake. How many innocent lives had they extinguished? How many anguished cries had fallen on deaf ears as they mercilessly slaughtered without remorse? The echoes of their victims' pleas reverberated in my mind, their desperate cries haunting me to the core. The heart-wrenching cries of children witnessing the brutal murder of their parents, knowing that they were next...

Tears cascaded down my cheeks, mirroring the torrent of emotions flooding my soul. With each hitched breath, I struggled to contain the overwhelming anguish that threatened to consume me entirely. I surrendered to the flood of tears, granting myself permission to release the pent-up emotions. Uncontrollable sobs escaped from my lips, a torrent of emotion that could not be contained or suppressed. Simultaneously, a part of me craved to unleash a scream, releasing all the pent-up anger and rage trapped within.

As my sobs and tears cascaded down, they splattered onto the weathered leather cover of the book, leaving damp patches in their wake. With a surge of frustration and despair, I hurled the tome to the forest floor, its impact muffled by the soft earth. Turning my gaze towards the towering trees surrounding me, I felt the initial urge to unleash a scream, the bubbling intensity of it scraping against the back of my throat, eager to burst forth into the world.

For once, I was going to relinquish control completely...

Unable to suppress the overwhelming need to release pent-up emotions, I took in a deep, shuddering breath, filling my lungs to their capacity. With a primal roar, I unleashed the full force of my scream, its reverberations echoing through the dense expanse of the forest. The startled flutter of wings echoed in the wake of my cry as nearby birds took flight, startled by the sudden eruption of sound. As my scream reverberated through the air, a surge of raw power surged forth from within me, rippling outwards like an unstoppable wave. With a forceful impact, it collided with the nearby trees, causing the very essence of their being to tremble. The formidable energy splintered and shattered the sturdy bark, reducing it to countless fragments that scattered in all directions. I stood witness as the whole tree crumbled away, vanishing from existence as if it had never been. The debris descended in a chaotic dance, resembling the falling of bowling pins, each piece contributing to the surreal spectacle unfolding before me.

I only ceased my relentless screaming when the air in my lungs depleted, and the surge of power finally subsided. Even then, I could feel the earth beneath my feet quiver, as if my outburst had triggered an earthquake. Drawing in a series of breathless gasps, my chest rose and fell in rapid succession. I surveyed the aftermath of my unleashed power. What was once a thriving, verdant forest teeming with life now lay before me as a desolate landscape of truncated stumps, stark reminders of the majestic trees that had once graced the earth. Scattered around lay broken branches, some still recognizable in their fragmented state, while others lay shattered beyond recognition.

"Charlotte," Carlisle's voice echoed in my ears, prompting me to turn and face him, Jasper, and Emmett, their eyes fixed on me with widened expressions, taking in the extent of the destruction I had wrought. My breaths came in heavy gasps as I continued to recover from the aftermath of my actions.

Suddenly, it all crashed over me like a tidal wave, slamming into my chest with the force of a truck. My legs buckled beneath me, my muscles protesting with aches, and my eyelids growing unbearably heavy. It felt as though I had been awake for the past forty-eight hours, every ounce of energy drained from my being.

Losing my balance, I felt myself tipping backwards as if an invisible force had nudged me. Despite my efforts to stay upright, the force overwhelmed me, sending me tumbling backwards, eyes fluttering shut. Just as I was about to hit the ground, strong hands enveloped me, catching me before I could fully collapse. Though I didn't see who it was who caught me, I could make an educated guess as to who it was...

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