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WHEN THEY EMERGED FROM THE forest one by one Bailey could immediately see the disparities between these strangers and the Cullens. The walk of the three nomads was catlike, a pace that seemed constantly on the edge of shifting into a crouch. They dressed in ordinary gear of backpackers; jeans and casual button-down shirts in heavy, weatherproof fabrics. Their clothes were frayed, though, with wear, and they were barefoot. One man had long hair in dark locs, the other man had medium-length ashy blonde hair in a low ponytail, and the woman's brilliant orange hair was filled with leaves and debris from the woods. Their sharp eyes carefully took in the more polished, urbane stance of Carlisle, who flanked by Emmett and Jasper, stepped guardedly forward to meet them. Without any seeming communication between them, they each straightened into a more casual erect bearing.
The man in front was easily the most beautiful. He was of medium build, smooth-porcelain like dark skin, hard muscles, of course, but nothing to Emmett's brawn.
He smiled an effortless smile, exposing a flash of gleaming white teeth.
The woman was wilder, her eyes shifting restlessly between the men facing her, and the loose group around Bailey and Bella, her chaotic hair quivering in the slight breeze. Her posture was distinctly feline. The second man hovered inconspicuously behind them, slimmer than the leader. His eyes were completely still and seemed the most vigilant.
Their eyes were different, too. Bailey noted that they were not gold or black that she had unconsciously expected, but a deep burgundy colour that was more sinister.
The dark-skinned man, still smiling, stepped toward Carlisle.
"We thought we heard a game," he said in a relaxed voice with the slightest of French accents. "I'm Laurent, these are Victoria and James." He gestured to the vampires beside him.
"I'm Carlisle. This is my family, Emmett and Jasper, Rosalie, Esme and Alice, Edward, Bella and Bailey." He pointed them out in groups deliberately not calling attention to individuals.
Bella and Bailey? Bailey repeated in her mind. She had not taken her eyes off the vampires but was surprised that Carlisle had included her and Bella in his listing.
"Do you have room for a few more players?" Laurent asked sociably.
Carlisle matched Laurent's friendly tone. "Actually, we were just finishing up. But we'd certainly be interested another time. Are you planning to stay in the area for long?"
"We're headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighbourhood. We haven't run into any company in a long time."
"No, this region is usually empty except for us and the occasional visitor, like yourselves."
Bailey observed the changes in everyone's body language—relaxing of shoulders, smiles that were beginning to stretch across faces. The tense atmosphere had slowly subsided into casual conversation; Bailey attributed this to Jasper using his particular gift to control the current situation.
