The Other Hale

The Stranger in the Swan House

When I arrived back in folks after a small animal hunt to get my eyes back to their golden colour, I noticed all of my family and Bella grouped in one room so I quickly ran upstairs into my room, hiding my bags, putting the rose with the others, petting my bat plushie and hanging my cloak up before going into the meeting room.

Opening the door I stand staring at my family in question, "What the hell is going on?" "Someone was in Bella's room, a vampire." Edward explains in a hurry, I nod slightly before moving to stand next to Rose, "Who was it? Someone we know?" Carlisle asked as Jasper and Emmet came into the room, "a stranger, I didn't recognise his scent" "A nomad passing through?" asked Esme as we all tried to get to the bottom of this. "A passer-by wouldn't have left Bella's father alive." Said Rose as I sunk deeper into the couch staring up at my brother as he walked towards the middle of the room, "the scent disappeared about five miles south of Bella's house." Everyone was silent before I spoke up, "Someone's orchestrating this." Bella looked at me in worry before looking to Edward, "Victoria?" Alice finally speaks up after siting in silence for the whole family meeting, "I would have seen her decide." Edwards next words caused me to send a discreet glare in his direction as Jasper grabbed my hand to calm me, "has to be the volturi." "I don't think it's the Volturi, either-" my head snaps towards the pixie like girl wanting to know what she was going to say, "-I've been watching Aro's decisions, too." I gulp as I lean towards her letting the conversation around us continue, "so we keep looking" I try to keep my voice low as I ask the question "have you been looking at any other volturi members decisions, by any chance?" she gave me a small smile before whispering back, "oh yes. does this sound familiar 'I love your dress, lets burn it' uh huh bet you loved that one". My eyes widened as I sat back in horror wondering what else she had heard. 

Rosalies disinterest and Edward nudging me made me zone back in on the conversation after sending an apologetic look his way, "Another protection detail?" "Rosalie." Bella shaking her head made me look over to her in confusion, "No, she's right. You can't protect me, watch my dad and search for the intruder.-" "And for Victoria" "-And keep yourselves fed." "I'm not leaving you here defenceless." Came lover boy's reply to his worried girlfriend before she came back with a sarcy comment making me beam with pride, "well, I'm not gonna let you starve. and I wouldn't be unprotected. I... I have-" "what?" Edward was clueless as I stood up glaring at the human in the room before turning to my best friend, "she has her mutt!" 

This led to me standing in the woods with Rosalie as a wolf came towards us. I rolled my eyes and bared my fangs before sighing and jumping up into a tree, away from the horrific scent and the stupid beast. I waited until Rose looked up and nodded at me until I leaped from tree to tree hunting for a deer or a bear to feed on. This animal diet really was not working for me anymore thanks to the multiple trips to Italy I was taking so I would have to call Jane tonight to see if she could get Dimitri to deliver some blood bags for me, I was loosing my strength, losing my fire.

---

The news report continued as I sat on the back of the sofa plaiting Jasper's hair. "Seattle is in a state of terror. Police are baffled by the escalating murders and disappearances. Theories range from a vicious new gang to a wildly active serial killer. Reporting live..." "It's getting worse." Carlisle told us turning off the TV as Edward walked into the room with Bella. I smiled slightly toward Bella before going back to the multiple plaits in Jaspers hair, taking an elastic from my teeth I secured one before creating another as he just rolled his eyes. "We're going to have to do something." "It takes more than one of our kind to cause the damage they're reporting." Jasper said going to move his head before I slapped him lightly causing him to still. "Quite a few more and they're undisciplined, conspicuous." I took the elastics out from between my teeth looking towards Edward "It's newborns." I simply said before going back to my brothers hair. "What, like new vampires?" asked Bella causing me to smirk slightly as Edward begun to explain, "The first few months after the change" Now Jasper cut in, being the one with the most knowledge of newborns, "That's when we're at our most uncontrollable. Vicious. Insane with thirst." Emmets next words caused my head to go back with laughter, taking my body with it as I fell off of the couch, "Something to look forward to." Climbing back up I lean on the back of the sofa with my head resting on my hands smiling at the human in reassurance, trying to make this all better, "I'm okay, no need to worry." Jasper shook his head at me before turning to Carlisle, "No one's trained these newborns, but this isn't random." "Someone's creating an army." Emmett standing up and causing the cushions under him to rustle caught my attention as I turned to look at him a smirk plastered on my face, "Now we're definitely going to Seattle." "An army of vampires." Bella said toward my brother as I moved to lean against the wall next to Emmett, satisfied with my brothers newly braided hair, "and they've been created to fight someone." "We're the only clan even close to Seattle." "Regardless of why they were made, If we don't put a stop to them, the Volturi will. I'm surprised they've let it go on this long." "Maybe they're behind it-" I ground my teeth together turning to Edward, "Edward" "-in Italy, I read Aro's mind.-" "Shut up" "-he wants me, Alice and Blake to join him, and he already has-" "Edward shut the" "He knows we'll never choose him as long as our family's still alive." I glare at him for the clearly targeted speech and for nearly calling me out before a wave of calm goes over me. "An army could solve that for him." I now turned my glare to my brother before sighing and leaving to go upstairs to my room.

I sigh lying down on  my bed before looking beside me at the photo frame on my small table  next to my roses. A photo of me and Caius smiles back at me, myself being dipped by Caius as he smiles to Jane in a random display of childishness. The photo had been taken by Jane and I was laughing at Dimitri and Alec shoving each other behind her, causing Dimitri to fall to the ground. I play with the petals of the roses before going and sitting at my window, legs dangling out. 

---

I walked in between Jasper and Emmet as we approached an injured Bella. Hopping up on the bench as I lent next to him Emmet asked, "trying to walk and chew gun at the same time again, Bella?" Earning a reply that made me smile bigger then I have in five years before I high fived Bella with her healthy hand, "I punched a werewolf in the face." "NOW THIS IS MY TYPE OF HUMAN!" "Badass. You're gonna be one tough little newborn." Said Emmet leaning around me to talk to Bella, I smiled over at Rosalie who was sat on the couch reading a magazine, "tough enough to take you on" Rosalie then threw her magazine down and I looked at Emmet wondering why he was still here, "don't worry about it" I simply shake my head at him looking over to Jasper with a questioning look on my face. 

"got any leads?" asked Edward as Bella kept glancing to the door that Rose had left from, "No sign of the intruder, but Victoria continues to make appearances." Jasper answered and as Bella left through the door to the balcony that Rosalie was currently residing on. "Well, I am going to go do... something. Probably graffiti a tree with fire, I will see you guys later." 

And so I did that, I graffitied a tree with fire before sitting on the branch and looking up to the night sky. My phone buzzing in my pocket made me sigh, looking down at my phone I read the text from Dimitri causing me to smile before looking back at the house and leaving to go and meet him.

FROM DIMITRI:

Blake, I'm at the sign for town, I have the stuff... hurry up x

BLAKE:

I'm on my way now, don't get your panties in a twist x