Southern Exposure

  Chapter 24

  I jumped the train somewhere just outside of Seattle, deciding it was better to stay away from civilization at least until I had hunted. The experience with Alexander—the human blood—had left me shaken to say the least. I hoped a hunt would arrest my longing for human blood. As I surveyed the immediate surroundings, I was suddenly aware of the incredible scenery around me. To call the Appalachians 'mountains' was like calling a piece of costume jewelry the Crown Jewels. All around me the majestic peaks of the Northwestern Rockies reached to heights I'd only imagined. The forest was thick, lush—I sniffed the air—and teaming with wildlife. I wasted no time, darting into the forest, picking up on the first formidable scent. As I closed on the deer, I was suddenly aware of how much larger she was than what I was accustomed to back East, yet she still ran through the thick underbrush with the same fluid motion. I didn't intend to torment her—prolong her terror—but I slowed, watching her graceful flight. When she turned, I recognized the fear in her eye and finished the hunt. Her blood was wilder, more satisfying then what I remembered. With my thirst at least in check, I considered my next move.

  In the distance, the lights of Seattle glowed brilliantly in the haze—the Olympic Mountains filled the horizon beyond Puget Sound. The perspective was wrong, but there was little doubt these were my mountains. Find the Cullens, kill the most recent addition to their coven, go to the Quileute Indian Reservation and end it. Sounded simple, but how was I going to find the Cullens? The vastness of the area spread out before me was a pretty good indication of just how monumental a task this might really be. I sniffed the air again—did I really think I was going to just catch their scent—I didn't even know what they smelled like. Somewhere to my right, a branch snapped. I listened carefully, concentrating on that range and heard leaves crushed underfoot. I moved slowly, deliberately and as quietly as I could behind the trunk of the closest pine. A slight breeze brushed my cheek—it was from my right, so whatever or whoever I'd heard—neither would have an advantage. I decided to go up, scaling the tree quickly. From here, I had an unobstructed view. It wasn't long before the cautious steps grew closer and a human image emerged from the shadows.

  "Hello?" The definitely female voice probed. She surveyed the area, pausing at the deer carcass. "Is anyone there?" Her head lifted as she sniffed the air. "I won't hurt you."

  Had I encroached on someone's territory? She was definitely a vampire, but I couldn't be sure of her intentions.

  She moved to the carcass, examined the wound, and then looked around again. "You don't have to be afraid, I won't hurt you." She tested again. With no response, she continued on and seemed to pick up my scent from the direction I'd hunted. After a short distance, she turned back. "Are you with the Cullens?" It was like she knew the exact button to push.

  I jumped from the tree, landing with a muted thud.

  She turned immediately. "There you are."

  We both stared, evaluating the other. She was slightly taller, more developed, with a full head of thick black hair that hung to the middle of her back. She wore a mix-match of clothing, but at least was cleaner than Alexander.

  "I'm Hayley." She eased out of her defensive posture.

  "I'm Izzy." I maintained the cautious stance.

  "You don't have to be afraid, I'm alone—I'm not going to hurt you." She tilted her head as she examined me. "You're not from around here."

  "I came in on the train," I offered.

  "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Did you happen to run across Alexander? I haven't seen him in decades, but I heard he's running the trains."

  "We met," I said, flatly.

  "He was rude." Apparently she'd recognized the disdain in my voice. "What did he do?"

  "He didn't agree with my diet."

  Hayley laughed. "Alexander is all about self gratification."

  "Cleanliness isn't on the list."

  She laughed again. "No, he needs a woman to look after him, but he can be a lot of fun. Did the two of you—"

  "No!" I gasped. Is that all west coast vampires think about?

  "Too bad, he's really quite entertaining."

  "He was headed south," I said, hoping to change the subject.

  "That sounds like Alexander. His food choice becomes scarce this time of year."

  "That's what he said."

  "Alexander will always prefer human blood—self indulgence, like I said."

  "You?"

  Hayley glanced toward my kill. "I'm not sure I'll ever completely give them up, but I hunt as well. Although I prefer predators."

  "You mentioned the Cullens?"

  Her carefree facade changed—became almost defensive. "The Cullens?" she puzzled.

  "Yes, you asked if I was with them," I said, hoping to compel her, but the tightness in her eyes remained. "Alexander said the coven I came from back east had a connection with the Cullens."

  "You must be very careful speaking about the Cullens," she warned. "There are those of our kind who view their existence as an abomination—an unnatural choice. They worry their closeness with the humans could jeopardize our secrecy—as do I. If you choose to associate yourself with the Cullens, there are those who would not hesitate to destroy you."

  "But you said you hunted—"

  Hayley nodded toward my kill. "I already knew you were of that persuasion even before I saw your eyes."

  "I'll be more careful. So you don't know them?" I pressed.

  "I didn't say that. What coven did you say you were from?" She turned the question around.

  "The Faulkner."

  She thought for a moment. "No, no I've never heard of them. What is your interest in the Cullens?"

  "When I told the Faulkners I was going out on my own for awhile they said I should look them up. Last they heard, the Cullens were somewhere on the Olympic peninsula."

  "You mind if we move? I don't like to linger in one spot for too long."

  "Sure."

  I followed Hayley up the side of the mountain toward the ridge. I hadn't missed the fact she didn't answer my question about the Cullens. She knew something, but was holding back. Once on the ridge, we moved in a westerly direction. Hayley slowed after a mile or so.

  "So you know the Cullens?" she resumed the conversation.

  "Not exactly. I'm the newest member of the Faulkners so I've never actually met them. I understand they have a new addition as well."

  "No, I don't think so."

  "Really?" I couldn't hide the disappointment in my voice. "Alexander seemed to think—"

  "Alexander can't keep track of his decades."

  "Oh." I knew this was too easy. We'd stopped at a rocky clearing along the ridge with a spectacular view of a low cloud bank that glowed over the lights of Seattle. To the west, the moon lit the majestic, snow covered peaks of the Olympics. I eased out onto the ledge. "Wow."

  "Trust me," Hayley muttered.

  "What?" I spun around, realizing I'd allowed myself to become cornered on the ledge. There weren't a lot of options. The wind was at my back, but I had the distinct impression there was something in the forest behind her.

  "Just stay put, don't do anything stupid. There's someone I want you to meet." Behind her, not one, but two sets of footsteps began a cautious approached.

  "Calm Izzy, they're friends."

  A slender, fair-haired man emerged from the forest edge. He stopped, leaving a safe distance between us. I wasn't sure if it was for me or for him.

  Hayley made the introduction. "Izzy, this is Carlisle."

  "As in Cullen?" No way, I couldn't be this lucky. I quickly inhaled to register his scent.

  "Pleased to meet you, I'm Carlisle Cullen."

  "Oh," was all I could manage. I wasn't prepared for this, my west coast connection and possible link to my murderer standing right in front of me.

  "There's no need for alarm," he said in a soothing, velvet voice. "This is my wife Esme." A woman eased guardedly out of the darkness, keeping herself partially obscured behind
him."

  "Hello." Esme's voice was soft, friendly and when I relaxed, she stepped out from behind Carlisle. "You're part of the Faulkner family?"

  With Hayley's recent warning still fresh in my mind, I glanced over at her.

  "Seriously?" she choked. "This is the one and only Carlisle Cullen, the original vegetarian vampire—humanity's vampire for crying out loud."

  "How do I know this isn't some kind of trick?" I countered.

  "How is Benjamin?" Carlisle offered.

  "And Elizabeth?" Esme added.

  "They're fine." If they weren't who they claimed, they'd done their homework.

  "That's wonderful," Esme said.

  "I apologize, Izzy," Carlisle said, "but I'm afraid I don't remember you, you must be a recent addition to the Faulkner family."

  "I don't know," Esme interjected, "there is something vaguely familiar, but I can't place it."

  "I've only been with them a few years."

  "Well, that explains it. You weren't with them on their last visit," Carlisle concluded.

  "That was about five years ago, wasn't it?" Esme pondered.

  "I believe so. Is Benjamin still painting?" Carlisle inquired.

  More clues that could place me on the Olympic Peninsula—the Faulkners were here five years ago. "He just finished one, but he still only paints battle scenes, one to be exact."

  Carlisle nodded. "Yes, I know it helps him hold on to his memories. Our human memories tend to fade with time, but I don't have to tell you that."

  "Actually, I have no human memories," I tested, carefully scrutinizing his response.

  "Interesting, you don't seem that old."

  "Just five years." That got a response from Carlisle, subtle, but definitely surprise.

  "Sometimes going through the change is too traumatic," Esme suggested. In a subtle way, she was scrutinizing me. I could sense she was still trying to recall the familiarity.

  I was doing the math like Carlisle. This had to be more than coincidence.

  "I'm impressed that you can manage our lifestyle after such a short period of time."

  "Elizabeth and Benjamin were with me constantly—"

  "Elizabeth raised you?" Esme said, clearly surprised.

  "I guess you could say that, although I never really experienced the same craving for human blood that they described."

  "Like Bella," Esme mumbled under her breath.

  "Bella?"

  Carlisle stiffened, shaking his head at Esme ever so slightly.

  "She's our daughter-in-law," Esme said, ignoring Carlisle's gesture.

  "Interesting that you follow the same family pretense as the Faulkners."

  "Bella was still quite human when—"

  "Yes," Carlisle interrupted. "Well, we really should be on our way." He turned to Hayley. "Always nice to see you, are you sure you won't join us?"

  "I'm still working on it."

  "Well, you know where to find us." He nodded in my direction without making eye contact, "Izzy." He took Esme's hand and they backed away into the darkness.

  "That was odd," Hayley said after Carlisle and Esme were gone. "They're usually more talkative."

  "Almost like they were hiding something," I pondered.

  "I doubt it, Carlisle is just more cautious now."

  "Cautious, why?"

  "The one Esme mentioned, almost got the Cullens annihilated."

  "How?"

  "She had a child, which brought the Volturi down on them." When I didn't react, her brow rose and she repeated, "A child."

  "I don't believe you, vampires can't have children."

  "She wasn't one of us when she and Carlisle's son Edward got married. When the Volturi learned of the child's existence, they assumed that the Cullens had changed a human child which is—"

  "—against the law," I finished.

  "Yes."

  "So Bella and Edward were destroyed?"

  "No. They were certainly prepared to destroy them all, but the Cullens gathered a large contingent to witness that the child was not changed, but half-human, half-vampire and that was enough to make the Volturi pause. Then, one of the Cullens—Alice I think—showed up with a similar child—Brazilian if I remember correctly—and the Volturi backed down."

  "That's impossible, they don't back down. You're making this up."

  "No one had ever stood up to them before and no one since, but believe it. I was there, with the Volturi."

  "With the Volturi?" I gasped.

  "Yes, as the events unfolded, I, like others the Volturi had assembled to witness their justice, realized they were wrong. One by one we slipped away. They really had no choice but to back down." Hayley's harsh expression softened. "Since that time, Carlisle has been very careful. He is certain that one day they will retaliate."

  Hayley's story was interesting—fascinating even—but had nothing to do with my purpose. "So Bella was human when she became part of the Cullen family?"

  "Yes, but all she wanted was to be changed and when the violent birth left him no choice, Edward changed her."

  "So she is the most recent addition to the Cullen family?"

  "I imagine there are those who would argue the child is."

  "Esme implied that Bella didn't have the usual craving for human blood."

  She shrugged. "I couldn't say. All I know is that day in the field, Bella's eyes were as red and wild as any newborn I've ever seen."

  Then that was it. Bella had to be the one. It all added up, a wild newborn, the Faulkner Cullen connection and the Olympic Peninsula. Maybe she wasn't the vile monster of my imagination, but it didn't matter, she was still a monster—my monster, and I would destroy her, no matter what.

  "Is something wrong?" Hayley asked.

  "No." I glanced in the direction of Carlisle and Esme's departure. "I should go."

  "Go?" she said, her voice thick with disappointment.

  "I have a lot I want to see."

  "Would you like a guide?"

  "No—" I said abruptly, but added more gently. "—thank you for offering."

  "Have it your way." Hayley turned and darted off into the woods, clearly disappointed.

  I couldn't be sure, but it sounded like she stopped after a short distance. Would she follow me? Not wanting to take any chances that she might figure out what I was up to, I left in a perpendicular direction to the Cullens path. Halfway down the mountain, I arced back in their direction. It wasn't long before I picked up their scent. They were headed west, toward the southern slopes of the Olympic Mountains. We were still well south of my picture of the mountains, but I began to wonder if we weren't headed toward Forks.

  Another twenty or so miles flew by and they turned due north toward the Olympics. The terrain grew more rugged with each passing mile. I approached each ridge cautiously, not wanting to find them waiting for me on the other side. I'd kept my distance, making sure I could not hear their footsteps, but I remained cautious. The morning sun made a brief appearance, bathing the slopes in a soft, yellow glow, before slipping behind the thickening clouds. I paused, examining the rugged valley below me. The dark water of a finger-shaped lake tucked in a deep ravine reflected the heavy, gray overcast, but it was the small-secluded cabin on the bank that drew my attention. Was this the Cullen home? Now what?

  Carlisle's sudden departure made it pretty clear I couldn't just walk up and knock on the door—besides, I would be out numbered. I needed a way to lure Bella away from the others if I was to have any chance, but how? I worked my way down the ridge, not getting too close, and nestled down in a jagged crevice in the rocks out of sight from any of the windows. As I struggled to come up with an idea, a sleek, black car pulled up in front of the house. A boy, about my age, with a thick tousle of hair came out to meet the car. The door opened and he drew the occupant up into an exaggerated embrace—they kissed.

  I couldn't help it, my thoughts went directly to Jason, I could feel his supple lips against mine, his tantalizing scent as if he were right h
ere with me. I missed him so much my whole body ached.

  "How's Charlie?" The boy said.

  "He's fine."

  "What? What's wrong?"

  It was like the boy had some sort of sixth sense—the girl from the car pulled out of his arms.

  "Bella, I may not be able to read your thoughts, but I know when something's wrong."

  She reached out, her palm gently tracing his cheek. "There was a car parked outside Charlie's house when I left."

  "And?" The boy—presumably Edward, asked.

  "There was a boy, waiting."

  "Waiting for what?" He eyed her carefully. "For you?"

  "I'm sure it was nothing—a coincidence—Charlie took care of it. He detained him while I escaped."

  "Escaped—interesting choice of words if it was nothing. Then he wasn't a—"

  "No—you know I would never let Charlie near one of our kind. Why did you think that?"

  "Carlisle—"

  "They're back?"

  "Yes, they got back just a little while ago. Carlisle said they met one of our kind on their way home."

  "Hayley?"

  "No, but she was with her, Esme said her name was Izzy."

  Edward wasn't the only one who noticed Bella's reaction. Even from this distance, I could tell she stiffened.

  "You know her?" Edward asked.

  "No, of course not."

  Edward drew Bella back into his arms. "I didn't think so, but she was asking a lot of questions. She said she was a recent addition to the Faulkner family."

  "Really?" Bella's voice—while well controlled—was obviously troubled.

  Edward turned them toward the house. "Nothing to worry about, you know how cautious Carlisle can be."

  I sank back into the crevice as Edward led Bella inside the house. There was no doubt Bella was my monster. The realization flashed through me—anger boiling like the thirst—I was so close I could taste it. Now all I had to do was lure her away from the others. Wherever she had been, she'd gone alone. From their conversation, Charlie was definitely human, maybe she was feeding on him, maybe she was just pretending to abstain from humans—the other one, the one in the car, maybe she was feeding on him too. How many other poor souls like me had she victimized? But wait, Edward knew the name Charlie, so she couldn't be feeding on him unless Edward was in on it. No, that didn't make any sense. Edward said the name casually, the other Cullens would have surely heard him, no, Charlie—whoever he was—wasn't a secret. Then what—someone she trusted—family? He had to be someone she would risk staying in contact with, maybe a brother or father. I couldn't imagine she would risk her secret with someone outside her family. Jason—isn't that exactly what I'd done? Yes, and I've regretted it ever since.

  "Jason," I groaned, clutching my hands against my temples.

  There were immediately footsteps on the porch of the Cullen house—I was too close. I glanced up, there were three boys on the porch, Edward, a slender boy on one side, and another much larger boy on the other. They were all intensely staring in my direction. I remained motionless, knowing the slightest movement could confirm my presence.

  "Anything?" The slender boy said to Edward.

  "No, nothing."

  "You sure?" The larger boy said. "I know what I heard—'Jason'."

  The slender boy nodded. "Yes, 'Jason', that's what I heard."

  "I've got nothing," Edward said.

  "I thought Bella was the only one you couldn't—"

  Edward shook his head. "I don't know what to tell you, there's nothing."

  "Maybe they took off," the large boy said.

  "We should sweep the area to be sure," the slender boy suggested.

  The larger boy slapped the slender boy's hand, in a high five. "We'll get the others."

  "No," Edward said, "just discretely tell Carlisle."

  "Okay dude, whatever."

  The two boys went inside leaving Edward alone on the porch. His eyes were fixed in my general direction, but it didn't appear that he had spotted me. As cautiously, and quietly as I could manage, I began a slow retreat up the crevice. When the boys returned, it distracted him and I bolted, fleeing along the route I'd arrived. I didn't slow until I'd crossed two ridges.

  I might not be a tracker, but I wasn't stupid either. I remembered what Tink had told me about the water. A slow meandering river ran through the base of the next valley. I jumped rocks until I was on the opposite bank, and then retraced my leaps to the middle of the river. Being careful not to hit bottom, I leapt into the water and swam upstream—if someone suspected, it would be more natural to float downstream. About a quarter of a mile upstream, I eased into a calm pool and positioned myself so I could see between two large rocks. It wasn't long before the threesome appeared, Edward in the lead. They crossed the river quickly—the same path I'd taken—but Edward paused on the far bank. He first looked downstream, but then toward me.

  "This way," the larger boy yelled with excitement.

  "You're sure," Edward said, his eyes still fixed on the river.

  "Yes, the trail is fresh."

  "Whoever it is better hope we don't catch her," Edward said softly in my direction almost as if he was speaking to me, but he turned and followed the other boys into the forest.

  I'd lost them, or Edward had let me escape, at least for now. Not wanting to take any chances, I continued my swim upstream.