Must have 10 comments and 20 votes for another chapter.
When Koda first met the Cullens, she had thought, 'What do you feel when you turn into a vampire?' the answer was hot... very hot. Like lava running through your veins, setting your body ablaze, and nothing can extinguish the fire. Koda wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she had prayed over and over for the pain to end, and at that moment, she wished for death's gentle caresses to pull her into its sweet abyss. After what felt like years of torment, Koda felt the cold for the first time in years. Her skin felt as if it was frozen, and she was sure her body was shaking uncontrollably as the sound of her thundering heart began to slow until even her own ears could barely pick up its beat. At that moment, Koda's eyes opened, revealing bright green irises with splotches of blood red. The eyesight of a werebear was already superior to humans or shifters, but it's never been like this. Koda could now see the complex beauty of things, even simple dust particles. She stands up from the medical bed the Cullens had laid her in but almost falls over by her new speed. Koda regained her balance and did her best to take plodding steps toward the long mirror on the wall. After a few steps, she comes face to face with a stranger. The mirror revealed a painfully beautiful young woman, but what really got to Koda was the soul-breaking pain in her own eyes that had once been filled with joy and mischief. That wasn't the only thing that had changed about her. Koda's lean muscles were even more defined than before, reminding her of a Greek sculpture of Athena. Her lightly tanned skin seemed paler and smoother while it glistened subtly from the sun's touch that peeked through the room's only window. Koda's once shoulder-length wavy, light brunette hair was now long, reaching to the middle of her back, with each wave more defined than before. The color of her hair was now lighter to the eye and thicker.
"I want to see her," Bella said, her voice coming from somewhere in the house, but to Koda's ears, it was as if she was yelling right next to her.
She covered her ears in pain, "It's not safe, Bella...not after the trauma she's been through," Edith explained, trying to keep her mate safe. Her words send a flash of unwanted memories through Koda.
The sound of glass breaking filled the Cullen household, catching everyone's attention. Edith keeps Bella from running up the stairs. Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and Esme take a protective stance around them as Carlisle rushes to the room Koda had been resting in. He finds the door open, revealing Rosalie hugging Koda from behind as she breaks down. "I got you...," Rosalie whispered, understanding Koda's pain and self-hate. Once Koda is calm, Rosalie has her sit back on the medical bed as Esme enters the room. She cleans up the glass on the floor as Rosalie sits next to Koda. Carlisle had left, deciding Koda was in good hands. Rosalie begins to tell her story, saying her human years were simple times because her family was very well off and she was extraordinarily beautiful, which made her the center of attention to everyone. Rosalie is very candid about her vanity, which Koda likes about her. Rosalie continues the story by telling how she met the man of her dream Royce King the 2nd. All she ever wanted was to live comfortably and raise a child. Royce, on the other hand, always wanted to be out with Rosalie because he enjoyed the way people looked at them. Koda wonders if Rosalie has so much bitterness towards her sister because she had been so close to having what she always wanted. Still, it had obviously been taken from her, while Bella just wanted to throw such things away without a second thought. Rosalie continues her story, and Koda can sense that an unpleasant ending is nearing. Rosalie begins to recap the evening of her death. She remembers everything about that night, the coldness of the weather, and her worries about having to move the wedding indoors. Rosalie had been leaving her friend Vera's house to head home when she ran into Royce. He was obviously drunk and with several of his friends. That night Royce showed his true colors as he and his friends assaulted Rosalie and left her for dead in the street where Carlisle found her. He tried to save her, but her wounds were too severe. Rosalie remembers she felt like she was flying and the searing pain as if her body was being consumed by the sun. She explains how she heard Edith express how upset she was that Rosalie had been changed. Edith had nothing personal against Rosalie at the time. It's just that she knew turning someone from a well-known family could put them in danger of discovery. After Rosalie's transformation, she chose to stay with the Cullens because she did not want to be alone. "Unlike the others, I've never tasted human blood, not even when I hunted those bastards down one by one, leaving Royce for last," Rosalie explained with a smirk, then sighed. She finally looks Koda in the eyes, "I'm not going to lie to you and say everything will be ok because it won't be....not for a long time. It might take days, weeks, months, or even years before you finally stop feeling disgusted in your own skin. It may even take longer before the nightmares cease, but someday you will find someone that...washes all the sorrow, hate, and pain away like Emmett did for me," Rosalie admitted with a soft smile.
A few days after Koda's transformation, it was decided that she was better off permanently living with the Cullens. Charlie wasn't entirely happy about it, but he understood Carlisle's reasoning. Koda was now an unknown anomaly that shouldn't have been possible, yet here she was the first hybrid. Rosalie decided to take Koda under her wing and teach her how to hunt and help her through the trauma left by Ku. As weeks passed, Bella practically slept at the Cullens every night, holding Koda through every nightmare. After a few tests, Carlisle noticed that Koda could find substances in food as well as blood, but she didn't need to hunt as much as they did. Even though Koda was technically a newborn, she had no problems being around humans. The moon no longer controlled Koda's transformations but still affected her already unstable emotions. Emmett learned this the hard way when he thought pranking Koda during her first full moon was a good idea. Koda's skin had a slight sparkle to it but not as noticeable as normal vampires. Her hearing was far superior to any other supernatural Carlisle had ever met. This irritated Koda the most since not even soundproof walls worked against her, and a certain blonde liked to show her husband 'affection' multiple times a day. So Koda had to learn how to block out sounds she didn't wish to hear, which was difficult and took a great deal of constant concentration.
One evening Koda was sitting in her bedroom staring at her cell phone, filled with missed calls and unread texts from Leah and Jacob. Koda wanted to see them both but wasn't sure she could handle seeing Leah with Sam without losing control. She lets out a shaky breath, not wanting to cry over such things. The walls left of her were painted a dark navy blue. A large bookcase stood by a wooden desk on the other side of the room. On the wall above the desk was a corkboard bulletin filled with pictures. One picture was of little Koda with Jacob and Bella covered in mud. Another photo was of a young Koda catching her first fish with a proud Charlie by her side. The last picture was of a smiling Koda and Leah on La Push beach with their surfboards. The door to Koda's bedroom suddenly opened, revealing an excited Alice carrying what looked like a baseball uniform. "Whatever has got you so excited, the answer is no," Koda said, not in the mood for Alice's cheeriness.
"Oh, come on, I promise you will enjoy this, plus you need to get out. It's not healthy being cooped up all the time," Alice explained while setting the uniform out on Koda's bed. The young teen sighed and stood up from her forest green tufted chaise lounge chair by the glass wall. Koda walks over dark hardwood flooring towards a large bed with gray pillows and a black silk blanket.
"Fine, I'll bite...why the uniform?" Koda asked.
"You and Bella are going to play baseball with us," Alice replied with even more excitement.
"Vampires like baseball?" Koda asked as she headed into her bathroom with the uniform.
Alice sits on the edge of the bed, "It's the American pastime. Plus, there's a thunderstorm coming. It's the only time we can play," she explained.
An hour later, Koda stood on a rough baseball diamond, set into an enormous field in the lap of the Olympic peaks wearing the baseball uniform Alice had made. She had the uniform's raglan shirt completely unbuttoned, revealing a tight gray tank top. On the back of the raglan shirt was Koda's name, the symbol of a bear's paw print, and then the number forty-one. Koda had allowed Alice to pull her hair into a right-sided rope braid. Koda slips a baseball glove onto her right hand as Storm clouds gather in the sky above her. Bella and Edith pull up to the clearing in Emmett's Jeep. Edith is the first to get out of the vehicle, instantly speeding to the other side of the jeep, and helps Bella out. Esme and Emmett come to greet them. "Good thing you're here. We need an umpire," Esme said with a motherly smile.
"She thinks we cheat," Emmett said with a big crooked grin.
Esme playfully shoves her son, "I know you cheat. Call 'em as you see 'em, Bella," she said while leading Bella to stand a few feet behind the batting plate.
Alice moves to the Pitcher's Mound, "It's time," she says with a smile, Just as a deep rumble of thunder shakes the forest. Bella stays by Esme, who plays catcher as Edith, and Emmett takes positions in the outfield. Alice goes for the pitch lifting her right leg up high. She releases the ball at lightning speed as soon as she brings her leg down. Rosalie effortlessly hits the ball with an aluminum bat. The impact caused a cracking sound so loud it passed as thunder.
Bella watches in utter awe, "Ok, now I get why you need the thunder," she said. The ball shoots through the air like a meteor deep into the forest, rocketing through the trees. Edith smirks, then suddenly disappears out of sight. "That has to be a home run," Bella proclaimed.
Esme smiles, "Edith is very fast," she says as Rosalie darts around the bases, almost a blur. All of a sudden, Edith races out of the forest with the ball and whips it to home plate. Esme catches it a millisecond before Rosalie slides in.
Bella gives Rosalie a nervous look, "Yer out," She said, but it sounded more like a question. Rosalie glares at her as she stands up from the plate dusting the dirt from her clothes.
"Come on, baby. It's just a game!" Emmett called out. Rosalie sighed and walked away. Seconds later, Bella watches as Carlisle hits a line drive. Edith and Emmett race for the catch, leaping fifteen feet into the air and Colliding with such might that it sounds like enormous boulders smashing together. This gives Carlisle a straight shot to home base. Jasper is up next to bat and hits the next pitch high into the air in Koda's direction. She leaps twenty feet into the air with feline grace and catches the ball, surprising Bella. Just as Jasper is inches from the home plate, the baseball rockets past him and into Esme's hand.
"Yer out," Esme said, seeing that Bella wasn't sure who had gotten to the base first. Jasper gives Koda a playful glare while she smirks at him. Rosalie is up to the plate once more and sends another baseball through the air like a bullet. She goes to run for the first plate when Alice suddenly gasps.
"Stop!" she yelled, catching everyone's attention. Edith's face grows severe, and Koda rushes to Bella's side when her nose picks up the smell of nomads. The rest of the Cullens rush towards Bella as Koda removes her jersey and has Bella slip it on, covering the scent of her blood with Koda's. Edith wraps her arm around Bella, leading her towards the jeep. "I didn't see them...until now...it was a sudden decision from hearing our game," Alice explained.
"Let's go," Edith said, going to pick Bella up, but Carlisle stopped her.
"It's too late," he said.
Edith looked at Bella with regret, "I shouldn't have brought you here.... I'm so sorry," she apologized, then pushed Bella into Koda's arms.
Bella looked at her sister, "Do not leave my side," Koda ordered, putting an arm around her, keeping her tight against her side as they followed the Cullens to the center of the field. Three vampires emerged from the tree line barefooted moving towards the Cullens. The group of nomads consisted of two males and one female. The leader of the group was easily the most beautiful, his skin dusky beneath the typical pallor. His glossy black dreadlocks and mustache make his burgundy eyes stand out. He was medium build with hard muscles, which showed through his open jacket, but he was nothing compared to Emmett's brawn. He smiled an easy smile, exposing a flash of gleaming white teeth. The man on his right was tall but physically unremarkable, aside from the vampiric physical traits that make him attractive, like his chiseled facial features, burgundy eyes, and pale skin. His long blond hair was tied behind his neck like a ponytail. He only wore a small pendant around his neck and a set of dark jeans that hung low enough on his hips that you could see a tattoo to the left side of his lower stomach leading into his pants. The only girl among them had long, curly bright orange hair like fire around her face that seemed to shimmer slightly as if it were alive. She was shorter than the men but had the same blood-red eyes. She possessed a seductive, feline beauty; every move she made was flawless. The group stops before the Cullens, and the leader tosses a baseball up into the air and then catches it.
"I believe this belongs to you," he said in a French accent, then tossed the baseball blindingly fast to Carlisle, who effortlessly caught it and smiled politely.
"Thank you," Carlisle said. The man with the blonde hair tries to get a better look at Bella, but Edith blocks his view as Koda keeps a protective grip around her sister's waist. The man raises an eyebrow growing intrigued by their actions.
"I'm Laurent. This is Victoria. And James," the Frenchman said, introducing himself and his coven mates.
"I'm Carlisle, and this is my family," Carlisle said.
Laurent ran his eyes over the other Cullens, "Hello," he greeted.
"I'm afraid you're hunting activities have made a slight mess for us," Carlisle pointed out. Laurent gives James an annoyed look, but the blonde ignores him being too busy watching Edith, Bella, and Koda.
"Our apologies. We didn't realize the territory had been claimed," Laurent said.
"Yes, well...we maintain a permanent residence nearby," Carlisle explained, surprising Laurent.
"...Really? Will we won't be a problem. We were just passing through," he said.
"The humans were tracking us, but we led them east...you should be safe," Victoria explained in a high soprano voice that contrasted with her fierce looks. The sound of her voice made Koda and Bella think of blond curls and pink bubblegum.
"Excellent," Carlisle said.
"So...could you use three more players?" Laurent asked, causing the Cullens to grow nervous. Carlisle looks at him, weighing his options, "Oh, come on, just one game," Laurent pointed out, trying to persuade Carlisle.
"Of course. Why not? A few of us were just leaving. You can take their place. Will bat first," Carlisle explained with a smile, then tossed the baseball toward Laurent. Victoria catches the ball with one hand without even looking.
"I'm the one with the wicked curve ball," she said smugly with a mischievous smirk.
"Oh, I think we can handle that," Jasper proclaimed confidently.
"Ohhh!" Laurent said excitedly. The groups turn away from each other to take their places on the field, but out of nowhere, a gust of wind ruffles Bella's hair, carrying her scent, which floats directly toward James. Who suddenly halts and slightly turns his head to the side, taking a huge inhale. His irises turn black with hunger, and his nostrils flare.
"You brought a snack," James said excitedly as his eyes locked on Bella. Koda shoves her sister behind her as Edith springs in front of them, both baring their teeth. Truly menacing, feral snarls rip from Edith's and Koda's throats. James snarls back as Bella clings to the back of her sister's shirt. In a split second, the Cullens rush into position beside Edith as Laurent and Victoria stand beside James.
"The girl is with us," Carlisle growled, making it clear they would kill and die for Bella.
"A human?" Laurent asked in surprise, but the look in Edith's eyes explained it all. "Ah... she's your mate. Don't worry; you have my word. We won't harm her," he vowed, trying to defuse the situation. James snarls, but one harsh look from Laurent silences him. Laurent knew they didn't stand a chance against a large coven.
"I think it best if you leave," Carlisle said, but Laurent could tell it was an order.
"Yes, I can see the game is over. We'll go now. James?" he said, but James's eyes did not leave Edith's. Laurent puts a hand on James's shoulder, gripping it tightly. Finally, James obeys and turns his back to the Cullens as he aggressively wraps a possessive arm around Victoria, who seems to enjoy his rough touch. Koda's lips curl in disgust, remembering familiar touches. All three nomads head back to the tree line and disappear into the woods. Once they're gone, Esme immediately gathers the bats as Carlisle turns to Edith and Koda.
"Get Bella out of here. We'll follow them," he explained, then raced off after the three vampires with Jasper and Rosalie. Koda instantly scoops Bella into her arms, catching her sister off guard. Bella wraps her arms around her sister's neck as Koda sprints into the woods with Edith.
Please comment and vote 😁👍🏻