Mia Cara

Chapter 4 Sentenced

One year earlier

I ran, my feet pounding on the asphalt road while behind me I heard snarls ripping through the air. I couldn't help but think sourly back to Emmett's reassurances.

"You'll be fine. The redhead's sticking to Forks but Rose will watch your dad so don't worry. Edward and I will be chasing the James guy. Nothing's going to happen in Montana."

Yeah... nothing, except for a nomadic redheaded vampire who managed to track us down even without her tracker friend. James wasn't here, which was somewhat worrying because a) he could be after my sister the same way this crazy redhead was currently after me, and b) we were less likely to expect help from Edward and Emmett who were trailing the other male vampire. Which, by the way Carlisle told me to run when we (or rather, he and Esme) noticed Victoria following us, was not good news for us.

I heard a loud bang from behind me, which sounded like a clap of thunder or two boulders being smashed against each other. It was a sound recently made familiar to me after Bella had coerced me into joining her date with Edward's family to watch them baseball: the sound of two vampires colliding into one another. I disobeyed Carlisle's strict instructions and looked back.

I realized then why he'd told me to run and not look back. The instant I locked eyes with the red-eyed vampire that was staring right at me after having thrown Esme into Carlisle, I freaked out so much I stumbled. Thankfully, I didn't pull a Bella and I remained upright instead of tripping to the ground. But Victoria was leaping at me by then as she used the brief moment that Carlisle and Esme were downed and I was distracted to rush at me.

The abject terror I felt as she lunged toward me made me lose control.

It had been so long since I'd done it that I almost jumped at the thrill that ran through me like a small electric shock as my ability kicked in. Victoria was in for the larger surprise and she just barely managed to duck as the streetlamp next to me suddenly pulled itself out of the ground and went flying at her head. Her quick reflexes had her landing in a crouch to the side, unharmed, although her eyes were wide as she stared at the streetlamp that had crashed into the asphalt where she had been earlier before she looked at me in disbelief.

Her head then snapped to the side and she suddenly took off, even before Carlisle blurred his way toward her. Carlisle altered his course, coming to a protective stop before me just as Esme blurred in beside him. I almost asked what was going on when three more blurs streaked past us and I shrieked instead.

"It's all right, sweetheart." Esme soothed, patting my arm carefully. "It's just Edward, Emmett and Rose."

"They're chasing Victoria." Carlisle added in explanation. "But we'd rather not leave you unguarded."

I nodded, exhaling and forcing myself to take deep, calming breaths. Carlisle and Esme held back on their curiosity although I saw them exchange quick looks over my head as we waited.

The others returned soon after, unsuccessful in finding Victoria who seemed to have a knack for escaping. Rosalie and Emmett were clearly frustrated, although they showed it very differently. Emmett was more sulky that he missed his chance to pulverize the redhead and based on his mutters, it seemed he and Edward had chased James near Montana only to lose him as well before they came to our aid thanks to a slip-up in James's thoughts. Rosalie meanwhile was fuming as she shot glares my way far more than she ever did in the past. Edward however was looking at me in a mix of surprise and some level of admiration that I wasn't comfortable with.

"It was impressive." He assured me with the abruptness I had come to associate with when he was responding to thoughts... after he stopped being a general jerk to Bella.