Quinn O'Connell was the pretty girl in pink, the homecoming queen and all-around straight-A student. Most people saw her as uptight, narcissistic but most importantly... They saw her as a control freak with her perfect blonde hair and patronising sm...
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It was indescribable, the thrill and nerves that swarmed aggressively through her as she stood passively alongside her family in the clearing where shortly, they would be fighting for their lives and as they huddled together in waiting, a thousand thoughts drove across her mind-- a catalogue of recollection, focusing on all the tips and tricks Jasper had provided her with. But truthfully, when fighting for one's life, most training goes out the window as adrenaline and self-preservation take over.
She heard them coming before she saw them, an array of oddly dressed vampires, running anomalistically. But the Cullens were ready and the ground felt so solid beneath Quinn as she ran, each step calculated as the newborns swarmed around them. It was immeasurable, the amount of time that passed as the onslaught presided but within moments- Quinn had removed a head from a body and tossed it lazily aside. They should've been losing due to the sheer number of the 'army' that crowded them- but they had the upper hand as they removed limbs and fought with all the strength flowing in their muscles.
When the wolves came, the already easy battle only managed to become impossibly easier. It was two on one in numbers but with the strength and performance of the Cullens faced with the animalistic and untrained arms of the newborns, they tore through the crowd. Tossing a vampire into the path of a big grey wolf, Quinn watched as it was shredded apart.
Though in the treeline, a flicker caught her attention. It appeared for only the briefest of moments though she recognised it clearly from the moment she had held a bundle of that red hair in her pale fingers. Glancing around to witness the Cullens shred apart the final few vampires, her golden eyes fell to rest upon Carlisle and he stared back intensely, nodding in approval.
The forest whizzed passed her with impeccable speed as she ran through it and the warmth in her heart told her that Carlisle was safe. The few seconds of delay had given Victoria a headstart but the speed of the blonde was no match for her and as Quinn threw herself over a tree branch, they were matched in stride as they reached the clearing and Quinn was in front of Victoria before the redhead could even lay eyes on Bella and Edward.
But they were no longer alone. Edward pushed Bella behind him and grabbed Quinn's wrist to draw her closer as the sight of two vampires overtook their vision. One, with her flaming red hair, was so marvellously familiar to Quinn's keen gold gaze, the other was someone she had never seen before.
"Riley" Edward tested the name and Quinn assessed their competition easily, aware that they were to fight at matched strength and speed here in the snow-covered mountain top. Below, the eager sound of battle drawing to a close was heard and the blonde knew that the others would be coming shortly. "Listen to me, Victoria is just using you. She knows I'll kill you. In fact, she'll be glad she doesn't have to deal with you anymore."
"Don't listen, Riley, I told you about their mind tricks" the redhead implored and Quinn held Bella back impossibly further, aware of the way Edward's arm tensed where it held hers, protectively.
"I can read her mind" Edward informed him easily as if it was the simplest thing in the world and Quinn finally understood- He was distracting to allow for the others to come. If Quinn was there, and she was the fastest, the others weren't far behind. "So I know what she thinks of you. She only created you and this army to avenge her true mate, James. It's the only thing she cares about. Not you. Think about it, you're from Forks, you know the area. That's the only reason she chose you. She doesn't love you" he spoke so easily and Victoria was fast to contradict.
"Riley, don't let him do this to us. You know I love you." her voice was so gentle and Quinn was outraged, she was a master manipulator and she had clearly gotten inside his head once more as Riley smirked arrogantly at them... And pounced.
In protecting Bella, Edward had no time to protect himself... Luckily for him, Quinn was there. The snow-kissed Quinn's body in an instant as she slammed Riley into it, the two of them rolling impossibly and her absence of strength became overly apparent. She had to power her body with all the strength she could find within her to hold him there. But Riley was just the distraction.
Pinning him down with every ounce of energy Quinn had, she easily ripped his arm from his body with a gut-wrenching snap and a sickening scream. Quinn had never heard such pain excreted in a single sound though she knew what to compare it to... It sounded so disturbingly similar to the sound she made when she was turned. For a moment, that acknowledgement brought her guilt before she saw his determined face and knew that he would fight to the death- so, so should she.
"You won't get a chance like this again" Edward called as Victoria raced to flee the scene and she froze for a moment in silent contemplation. "You want her, you want me to feel the pain you felt when I killed James, when I tore him to pieces. When I turned him into ash... when I turned him into nothing." and it was enough to make her pounce with an angry scream as she made a break for Bella.
Quinn screeched out through her teeth as Riley kicked her straight in the jaw, sending her flying through the snow as Edward and Bella ran across the clearing. For a sickening, gut-wrenching moment she knew that they were abandoning her to save themselves and as she fought Riley with all her strength- A fight she needn't have chosen if not for following Victoria, she felt alone.
Quinn needn't reach to touch her face to know that a crack now lined the porcelain skin, the pain was enough of an indication. As quickly as they left, they were back and Quinn peeled herself from her position on the ground to tackle Riley once more. The blonde had Riley pinned on his knees a second later and the mind reader turned- smashing his head straight from his body as though he were made of clay.
Edward paused in silent shock as he took in the crack across Quinn's jaw and that moment's distraction was enough for victoria who flung herself at Edward in a moment. Shoving Edward to the side, Quinn grabbed Victoria with all her strength in mid-air and they went sliding through the snow. Victoria was nothing like the newborns Quinn had been taught to fight and it didn't matter that the blonde had powers because Victoria never met her eye.
In less than a minute, Victoria had her arms locked in a vice around Quinn's neck and despite the blondes protests and cries- for a moment she felt that death was upon her. The cracking of her own flesh was enough indication. And he was there. Edward sent Victoria's head flying from her body and in doing so, released Quinn from the impossible deadly hold.
Looking up from the snow in shock and obvious pain, Quinn lept to her feet and Edward grabbed her in a tight hug of relief, holding her small form in the air for a moment, spinning her slightly before he put her down, that being enough of a reunion of safety for them both. Bella was at Quinn's side in the next second, hands taking her cracked cheek softly in her hands and Quinn hissed slightly in pain as Edward lit the corpses on fire.
"Alice needs us to go now... He was on his way Quinn, to help us... But something came up" the mind reader informed and the blonde nodded as she held her jaw. The crack was wide enough that for it to heal, she had to hold the porcelain skin together. Edward approached her, taking her jaw in his hands, rubbing his thumb over her cheekbones as he held her face and knowing the agony Quinn was in, Bella didn't mind the small moment they exchanged,
"Just a scratch now" he assured her, running his hand over her skin once more, feeling the rough texture before he allowed his hands to drop altogether. As Quinn smiled at him in relief, the crack got smaller and smaller and for the briefest of moments, Edward looked at her in shock and awe before he snapped out of his temporary daze and brought Bella close to his side.
