The Crash: Book Two - Heart on Fire

Chapter Twelve: ... Until Someone Gets Hurt

Mason

"For it's one, two, three strikes you're out at the old, ball game!"

- Take Me Out to the Ball Game (Albert Von Tilzer and Jack Norworth)

Friday, September 16, 2005

I was having fun. Which was such a sensation of genuine joy that I was almost euphoric. Although I had trouble isolating it to either interacting with new friends in an absolutely absurd activity, or spending time with her. The thought made me feel guilty, despite the smile spread across my face almost involuntarily. The afternoon had been perfect, winning or losing didn't matter. Made all the better by the times I met eyes with Angela, and she caught my gaze in hers and didn't let go. I felt humbled by her, vulnerable as if I were standing naked in a storm.

Every time we were locked in that examination of each other's souls, I had to look away. Somehow afraid that giving into her would mean she was going to consume me body and soul. No one had ever held my gaze like that, and it physically hurt to look away from her. Had I fallen so far so fast? Why was I obsessed with her? I tried to pull back and rationally think about my emotions, what was causing me to find her so compelling?

I could feel a chill breeze push against me, bringing with it the familiar scent of snow. I could see the black clouds shifting to a purplish gray, as the last thunderclap signaled a shift from rain to snow. That's when Alice had her vision, and issued a last minute warning. My heart seemed to drop into my stomach, and I wanted to grab Angela and whisk her away, but there wasn't enough time.

As they emerged from the tree line, I could tell immediately that the male was a hunter, his mannerisms and posture practically screamed it. The woman on the other hand was a lot harder to read. She was obviously attached to him, but beyond that I couldn't tell. Two random vampires presented a viable threat on a normal day, but this didn't feel like a normal day. Angela was vulnerable, to them she would seem like a fun snack we had brought along.

I listened very closely to Angela's breathing and heart rate and found that although she was afraid, she wasn't panicked by any measure. I took a hard look in her direction and found her casting worried glances to those gathering around her for protection, and on occasion towards me. She was worried about our safety, not her own.

I briefly shut my eyes in fear and disbelief, muttering under my breath so that not even the closest of the Cullens could hear me. "Not her." It was a vow, a promise. I would keep her safe, even though I had an entire coven of vampires who were just as dedicated to her safety as I was, perhaps more so because they claimed to love her. Was I so lost in my own emotional confusion that I had momentarily forgotten they were her family first? I was still a stranger... which was something I had to rectify. I couldn't hold back, I had to try once this current threat was over. My only hope was that these two strangers would prove to be friendly after all.

The red-haired woman took point and approached calmly and confidently. Yet despite her outward confidence I could tell this wasn't her usual role. The tilt of her shoulders and tension behind her eyes gave away that she seldom acted as the spokesmen for her coven. The male obviously had absolutely no inclination towards speaking, and my guess was the friend Alice mentioned that they were looking for was their former front man or woman. I watched carefully as they took each step towards us. And step by step my nerves twisted and tensed more and more until they sat precariously on the edge of a knife. Forty feet, thirty feet, twenty feet, ten... I was almost counting their movements like a metronome.

"Good afternoon." The redhead's voice was grating, her high soprano might've been pretty if it didn't sound so forced. A natural snarl was hidden just behind her friendly smile, cemented by the predatory look in her eyes and it made me instantly distrust her. The male hung back a little, and the way he examined us made it clear he was taking a measure of our capabilities. Whether as a precaution in case of a confrontation or as an enemy he would soon face off against, he kept his face neutral. He checked out all of the Cullen's, brushing past Angela, and eventually his eyes rested on my face and his eyebrows rose notably. Carlisle stepped forward, Esme at his side, closing the distance to stand next to me.