DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer is the rightful owner of Twilight and all recognizable characters/devices/objects mentioned henceforth.

Jane turned to look at the newborn Bree again, her face completely bored. "Felix?" she drawled.

"Wait," Edward interjected.

Jane raised one eyebrow, but Edward was staring at Carlisle while he spoke in an urgent voice. "We could explain the rules to the young one. She doesn't seem unwilling to learn. She didn't know what she was doing."

"Of course," Carlisle answered. "We could certainly be prepared to take responsibility for Bree."

Jane's expression was torn between amusement and disbelief.

"We don't make exceptions," she said.

"But I suppose your cleaning up of your own mess deserves some sort of recompense." Jane turned to me picking me up by the scruff of my neck like some mongrel pup and heaved me in front of the Gold Eyes.

"A single word – no – a whisper from your nick of the woods and you will rue the day Carlisle."

I laid curled up in myself. I knew the Golden Eyes wouldn't hesitate to finish me if I made any movement towards their human. And they had proven far more skilled then I thought possible.

I stayed. It was near impossibility to keep myself rooted to the earth. It was almost as if gravity was working in reverse. Instead of pulling me down it was propelling me towards this human. This amazing, wretched human. The very thought of her pale face made the venom well in my mouth, my muscles contract and my nose and throat sear.

I went over in my head the mundane things to keep me distracted. Phone numbers, addresses, directions, recipes but to no avail. Her scent filled the air and permeated my skin. I was on the verge of snapping when the leader of the Golden Eyes spoke.

"Emmett, Jacob? Get her to the house. Get her downstairs." The leader of the Golden Eyes spoke to the large blonde one. Emmett. The other boy was not like us. He was darker, more tan. He stood apart from the rest.

I looked up long enough to see that the Volturi had left the clearing.

The one they called Emmett approached me carefully. His steps were slow and his arms slightly spread beside him, like he might football tackle me at any minute. He took me gently by my arms and lifted me up until I was standing. Jacob – the other boy – came on my other side.

The moment Jacob touched me I felt sick. A burning in my whole nasal complex; my nose, under my eyes, my ears and down back my throat. This wasn't the same burning as the human triggered – no; that was burning of desire – this was a burning of pain. The initial shock was so powerful I didn't know what triggered it.

The two – Jacob and Emmett – began pulling me along as I walked with them. Once we hit the cover of trees I realized it was Jacob's smell that was causing this. "Oh my god," I gasped trying to pull in fresh air to cleanse my head, "what… what is that god awful smell?"

Emmett let out a solitary, booming laugh, "Ha! You know Jake, for a moment I forgot that you do reek. I guess I'm getting used to you." Emmett clapped Jacob on the shoulder; Jacob just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

This didn't really answer my question but my train of thought quickly derailed again as I smelled human. Forgive me: the human. But she hadn't left the clearing; I hadn't heard anyone. I was also pretty sure I had been carted away for her safety. So what would be the point of bringing us back together? I was quickly drawn – almost magnetically – to a large tree up ahead. I was physically torn from Jacob and Emmett. The tree was old and covered in moss. Her aroma was imbued on this very trunk.

It was at this point that I realized there were two factions warring for control inside my mind. The rational person was telling me: Bree, you're smelling and potentially going to eat this tree. Get. A. Grip. However, my instincts told me that tree would stop the burning. That tree would taste of her. Before I could actually embarrass myself to the point of licking the mossy exterior, Emmett peeled me off.

"Okay, come on tree hugger."

I had to give him credit – although I knew he and his coven were more intelligent fighters, we were typically stronger – he was powerful. He ripped me from that trunk like I was a rag doll and flung me over his shoulder as we continued through the forest. Jacob simply followed behind him.

"That," he spoke jerking his thumb to Jacob, "strapping young lad is Jacob. He smells bad because he's a wolf. Werewolf. Wolfboy. Children of the moon. Whatever you want to call 'em." I propped my elbows up on Emmett's back and looked at Jacob.

"You look pretty human to me. Apart from being rather enormous that is," I told him, head cocked to one side.

"Yeah," he scoffed, "Except when I get mad I explode into this enormous wolf."

"Really?" I asked. This conversation was taking my mind off the scorching in my throat. No one ever mentioned anyone like Jacob. I thought Victoria and Riley had it all figured out. My mind flashed back to smoky pyre in the clearing. Guess not. "So," I said inclining my head more towards Emmett, "why does he smell so bad?"

I felt Emmett shrug, "Search me. Natural defense mechanism? We're not really typical allies. Our kind don't normally get along. I guess it just reinforces the 'keep away' idea."

"Hey," Jacob pointed, "You don't smell like a waltz through a garden yourself there, chief. And I'm hardly thrilled about this crapshoot we've been dealt either."

"So wait," I said halting his impending tirade. This boy clearly had some pent up anger. "We," I said signaling Emmett and I, "smell bad to you, too?"

"That's an understatement but yeah, you do. It's like this burning in the back of your throat and through your sinuses," he said rubbing his neck beneath his ears and down his throat.

"Yeah," I said trying to mirror the action, "That's exactly it." Weird, I thought to myself as I rubbed the glands beneath my throat.

"You're not so bad though," Jacob mused quietly.

"Wait, what?" Emmett and I spoke together. At the same time, Emmett whipped around to face Jacob, leaving me to stare into the oncoming trees as Emmett continued to walk – only backwards.

"What do you mean she's 'not so bad'?" he asked urgently. I pounded on Emmett's bicep trying to get a view of Jacob. Although I knew little about his kind this seemed to be an interesting bit of information and Emmett just cut me off mid flow. He finally lifted his arm up and I was able to peer underneath as Jacob spoke.

"I mean:" Jacob said slowly, "She. Doesn't. Smell. So. Bad. What's the big deal? It's still pretty freakin' gross, she's just… I don't know. Less sickly sweet, I guess. Like some smell that you're not sure's there or where it's coming from. It's just…" he waved his hands, "around. She gets better with time; it's better then when I first whiffed her an hour ago. Like it's wearing on me. I don't know if it's her," he pointed to me under Emmett's arm, "specifically or if I'm just getting used to you people."

The idea seemed to disgust him. He grimaced and shuddered. At this point we stepped out of the woods and crossed a winding road and began down a narrower one on the other side.

We were all quiet for a few minutes before Emmett spoke up, "So… why all the questions? You seem particularly inquisitive."

I expelled a large sigh. "I don't know," I responded intelligently. "I really don't know anything –and I mean anything – about this," I said waving about myself, even though I knew he couldn't see me. "I know I'm strong, almost indestructible and I need blood. That's about all I've got."

"Plus, it keeps my mind of the blistering in my throat," I said quietly trying to swallow back the fire.

Honestly, the concept of 'vampire' hadn't even really materialized in my thought process until just before this encounter with the Golden Eyes.

Now that had to stop. Golden Eyes? It sounded like I was narrating a sci-fi film. "Emmett?"

"Mm?" he called back as the road behind me seemed to widen. Maybe we were coming to another clearing.

"What do I call you guys? Who are you? Your coven?" I asked.

"We are the Cullens, dear. Emmett Cullen – yours truly. Edward was the one that spoke on your behalf to the Volturi. Carlisle – he's our father of sorts - and leader. Then there's Jasper, Edward and mine's brother. Rose – the blond – is my wife. Alice – the little sprite – is Jasper's. Esme is our mom. The human is Bella. Edward kind of likes her so it would be great if you could try not to eat her. Plus, I'm pretty sure Jasper would be rip shit if you got dibs."

This was a really alien concept. They had all been changed? Their whole family? What were the odds? Formerly, it was me and a pack of seemingly random people plus Riley and Victoria. None of them had been lucky enough to have family. Or unlucky depending on how you looked at it.

At this point we had stopped and Emmett set me down on the ground. I turned around and took in the house before me. I was speechless. It was large, antique and beautiful. The white house sat in the middle of a clearing of pines and I distinctly heard the rush of water nearby. I looked and couldn't see much light in the distance; we were a fair ways into the woods. I felt awkward next to this house; inadequate. I'd only bummed rides on streets with these kinds of houses.

"Wow. You and you're whole family were changed together?" I mumbled as I stared at the mansion, "Well I suppose if there's a way to go…"

"Ah, not quite," Emmett corrected me. I turned back to listen, "You see. None of us share any blood – so to speak," he rolled his eyes at the unintended pun. "We just sort of banded together." He and Jacob began to plod up the stairs of the old house and I followed slowly. "We share this lot in life. It's easier when you don't have to go it alone."

He opened the door and Jacob went in before him, essentially crashing on the living room floor, grabbing the remote. "We don't consider ourselves a coven. We're a family."

Jacob tossed the remote back on the couch. "Look, maybe we should get her something before she eats Bella."

As Jacob finished his thought a door through the kitchen burst open and the blond female – Rose, I assumed from Emmett's description – marched in followed by the rest of her family. They were all speaking at once.

"I cannot believe you, Carlisle…"

"Really? We just need to…"

"Rose! Please, just…"

"… what were you and Edward thinking?"

"… calm down and approach this rationally. Jasper?"

"… relax. You're getting too worked up."

"Look! If we just get her something to eat…"

"I think you guys are really overreacting…"

"…we can explain all this to her."

"…What's the big deal if we have a new sister?"

My eyes bugged out; they all stood in the kitchen bickering. The waving of arms, the aggravated sighs and growls, the interrupting. It was like watching a tornado except they left no path of destruction.

Jacob watched with an arched brow for a moment before shaking his head and turning the television back up.

Emmett waved his arm Vanna White style, "Bree Cullen, welcome to the familial dysfunction."

I realize that in this point in time Jake is seriously incapacitated but we're going to have to delude ourselves into thinking it was someone else.