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Victoria

"And the woman, Victoria, don't underestimate her."―Laurent's warning.

Victoria was the main antagonist in New moon and Eclipse. She was a member of James's coven with the power of enhanced self-preservation, and James's mate and started a vendetta against Bella Swan in revenge for his death at Edward Cullen and the Cullens' hands.

To this end, she spearheaded several plots to end Bella's life, including creating a newborn army in Seattle, with the express purpose of killing her and destroying the Olympic Coven. However, at the conclusion of the newborn crisis, Victoria's life of violence and malice was ended by Edward in the battle with the army.

Victoria was born in London, England in the 1550s. Her mother was a scullery maid and her father was the master of the house. She was the second illegitimate child, after her sister, Anne. Victoria and Anne worked hard as servants from early childhood. Anne was quite pretty, with mahogany hair and a cream and rose complexion, and though the green-eyed, bright red-haired, and freckled Victoria had nice features as well, she was considered "witchy." The sisters eventually got jobs together, Anne as a lady's maid, and Victoria as a kitchen grudge. The master of the house mistreated them; he was not a kind man, quick to beat a servant for any perceived fault--and lecherous as well. Both sisters grew adept at disappearing whenever possible. With her shockingly bright hair, it was more difficult for Victoria to avoid notice than most, and she received extra beatings simply for being visible.

Though their jobs kept them fed, the two sisters fled the house when Victoria was twelve years old. To avoid living in the streets during winter season, they started working for a local pimp, on the condition that they would receive free lodging with the other working girls. The situation was worse for Anne and nearly as bad for Victoria as the house they'd run from, but it was better than the streets. Victoria perfected her ability to evade during her time here. One night, Anne went out to find a client - but she never returned. The pimp kept her locked up, but she managed to escape shortly. She spent 2 years in the streets and survived on her own, sleeping in small, hidden places and stealing as little food as possible to keep her theft from being noticed and moved from house to house, leaving no trace behind. Her evasion had been perfected to the point that even dogs could not react to her presence. At age 15, a scullery maid was fired and she took the opportunity to get the job. Though the job was hard, it was at least stable.

3 years later, the pimp spooted her buying groceries in the streets and tried to follow her home, but she managed to escape. She realized it would only be a matter of time before he found her, but she wasn't sure if she could make a living in the country if she left her job. During this time, her sister returned as a vampire and changed her into one after hearing what she went through during her absence. After her transformation, she was introduced to her sister's creator, Hilda, and two other vampires, Mary and Heidi. Victoria led a perfectly happy life with her coven for 2 years, and then they were joined by Noela. Shortly after that, the Volturi came to her coven and claimed that they had drawn too much attention from society and executed Hilda for the crime. Heidi was immediately taken in by the Volturi, under the influence of Chelsea's power. Victoria sensed that the rest of them will be slaughtered whether they surrendered or not and screamed for them to run. They all ran in different directions, but only Victoria survived. She lost her only sister that day. Since then, she had avoided all vampires.

While in London, she became the target of the tracker James, and she tried to avoid him for years. Eventually, he felt intrigued by her evasive skills and no longer wished to harm her. His change of decision allowed Victoria to lower her guard and let him catch up to her. In James, she found someone who was honest in his intentions and confident in his abilities. She was also attracted to his tracking skills, which was like a mirror of her own. Eventually, she fell in love with his self-assurance. It felt safe to her, stable in an odd way. While she was happier with James, her life was neither peaceful or easy. The way he liked to live constantly put her into situations that, on her own, she would have avoided. While chasing Mary Alice Brandon's scent to an asylum, Victoria made James hesitate for a short second when they crossed another vampire's scent.

As James grew more ambitious in his games, she became more cautious. She suggested teaming up with other useful vampires for the sake of numbers. Laurent joined their coven during one of these experiments, who was also attracted to James's powers.