The next three months life settled easily. The tapestry of family and friends that wove together around me was a beautiful, glowing thing, full of their bright, complementary colors, each person having their own electrical impulse their own scent, things I could recall perfectly.

The wolves with their woodsy scents and slightly rustic coloring of their trails, the vampires with golden trails. As the time grew I was developing my skill more and more. I could detect the exact path or the fastest path to my target – it made hide-n-seek a terrible thing for the kids.

So much so that I couldn't play anymore.

After dinner with the Black's, Seth had a few choice words with Jacob, but I eventually found my way to him a few days later. He was on the cliffs that we used to jump from as kids.

"are you here to yell at me? Because I don't want to hear it if you are"

I sighed "I was planning on it."

"you've changed"

"so have you" he turned to look at me finally. I could see the turmoil in his eyes, the pain.

"I never wanted this" he replied "I was fine before, happy then I changed and now..."

"you could stop"

He laughed darkly "right, this was all my dad wanted when he was my age. If I give that up now... I guess it wouldn't matter since he has another son to carry on the tradition"

"I'm sorry, I really am... I planned to leave, to end on good terms."

"you should be, but I should be sorry too. I was a shitty friend Alex. God I found a girl who could have been good and I let it consume me because the truth is... An imprint, this... the wolf none of it is my control. I can hardly keep the anger at bay"

"you need a break"

"what do you think I'm doing?"

"I think you're moping. There is a huge world out there. Go explore it, find out who you are."

I left Jacob then, after a few days it seemed like he figured it out. Only this time he let everyone know what he was doing. He wanted to be alone. I remember him coming to find me, telling me he was going on his own spirit quest.

Demetri also met the pack and imprints; they fell for the boy almost immediately. Which helped a long way in the alliance we had brokered.

Then Charlie and my mom visited often. My mom had taken it on herself to help Charlie's transition into the world of make believe. She came with him to the Cullens' most days, though she would spend a lot of time with Demetri. She was always the first person he looked to when Renesmee did something disturbingly advanced - which was often. Of course, my mom would look at me as if to say, tell me about it.

Happiness seemed to fill the home; it was contagious. Like one big happy family, Jasper was practically addicted to the feeling. Instead of being off on his own he was in the midst of the family, spending a lot of time with Demetri (since he smelled the most like him). Lucia and Emmett spent most of the time trying to beat Bella, or rather Emmett did, and Lucia egged him on.

There was a flipside to the joy, though, as fear and doubt creeped in.

Demetri spoke his first word (much like Renesmee) when he was a week old. The word 'mommy' should have made Rosalie's day, but she was so shocked and frightened by the progress that I had reassure them both. It didn't help that he and Renesmee both spoke a full sentence at the same time. Asking where grandma and grandpa were.

When he walked for the first time, fewer than three weeks later, it was similar. He'd simply stared at Lucia for a long moment, watching intently as his aunt arranged an array of video games Emmett kept in the living room gliding back and forth across the floor. Demetri climbed off my chest and got to his feet, not in the least bit shaky, and crossed the floor almost as gracefully.

Leah had applauded him, the same way Seth did, I could tell they were concerned but all we wanted was to keep that fear from the kids. So, we always made a big deal out of it, if something bad happens then, we wanted the little ones to have a good life.

Lucia, Edward, Carlisle, and I threw ourselves into research, looking for any answers, anything to expect. Lucia and I even traveled to find more information.

There was very little to be found, and none of it verifiable. I knew we had to figure out what was going on, a few times I thought about going to Canada I just haven't gotten to it yet.

Right now we were focusing on the kids, ensuring they had the best life they could.

Alice and Rosalie usually began our day with a fashion show. The little one's never wore the same clothes twice, partly because they outgrew them almost immediately and partly because Alice and Rosalie were trying to create a baby album that appeared to span years rather than weeks. They took thousands of pictures, documenting every phase of the accelerated childhoods.

At three months, Demetri could have been a big one-year-old, or a small two-year-old. He wasn't shaped exactly like a toddler; he was leaner and more graceful, his proportions were more even, like an adult's.

We had to cut his hair a few times, his brown hair kept short in messy waves. He could speak well, not to the extent that Renesmee did, but definitely more like a child than infant. I guess the books we read helped that a bit. Renesmee was the same way, but she preferred to show you rather than talk.

They could not only walk but run and dance, and even read, though Demetri preferred to be read too. At least that was more similar to a child.

By Carlisle's calculations, the growth of their bodies were gradually slowing; their minds continued to race on ahead. Even if the rate of decrease held steady, they'd still be an adult in no more than four years.

Four years.

This was taking a toll on Rose. She tried not to show it in front of the others, or Demetri but when it was just the two of us I could feel her shake in fear, I could hear the terror in her head. And I couldn't read minds.

Carlisle and Edward discussed our options for the future from every angle in low voices that I tried not to hear. I had hope that things could be fixed that they would stop aging and live happily... they were so much like the wolves, like me and we all appeared to age out in our twenties. Well with the exception of me and Seth, we still looked like teenagers, older teenagers, close enough to the Cullen's.

Carlisle and Edward had exhausted the research they could do from a distance, and now we were preparing to follow old legends at their source.

We- well the others, were going to Brazil, starting there. The Ticunas had legends about children like Renesmee.... If other children like her had ever existed, perhaps some tale of the life span of half-mortal children still lingered.

Rosalie, Demetri and I were going to Canada, starting out journey there and following any sources we could. The only question now was when to go.

Bella was the hold up. She wanted to stay near Forks until after the holidays. For Charlie's sake, but I knew it was so that the kids could have a normal Christmas, just one holiday.

There was also another journey that needed to take place, Bella had to prove to the Volturi that she was a vampire. She had to go alone, which of course caused an argument. Edward was demanding that he go with her, that she couldn't go alone. Thankfully the little ones were asleep by then.

"I'm the only one who's mind he can't read" Bella said.

"absolutely not, I will not let you go alone" Edward protested.

"you have to" I interrupted "if you go and Aro see's your thoughts... Edward he would hunt the family down just because of me. If he saw that a 'Lykaios' was here Caius would demand it. That was the first downfall of my kind. Then if he sees Seth and Leah, they'll think they're werewolves. All of this will get you killed and that's not including how they'll act when they find out about Renesmee or Demetri."

"Edward, Alex is right. It's the only way to protect them."

And he hadn't been able to argue with that. Our logic was watertight.

Even the little I'd known of Aro, I'd been able to see that he was a collector - and his most prized treasures were his living pieces. He coveted beauty, talent, and rarity in his immortal followers more than any jewel locked in his vaults. It was unfortunate enough that he'd begun to covet Alice's and Edward's abilities. Bella would give him more reason to be jealous of Carlisle's family. Renesmee was beautiful and gifted and unique - she was one of a kind. And I shuddered to think what he would do if he found out about Demetri or even me, both of us were part Vampire.

Hybrids.

I had told them if Aro wouldn't be able to pinpoint the fact that I wasn't a vampire I would go with her, seeing as my mind couldn't be read and I had the bites to prove I was bitten. But my increased temperature (that has gone back to 112̊) and eyes were obviously a dead giveaway.