Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Magic Of Heartbreak

By Mama4Dukes

Chapter 03:

On Saturday morning, the girls were busy preparing their offerings. Angela was busy baking while Lauren was out shopping so she could cook up a storm. Bella, on the other hand, was visiting a farm in Sequim, Washington obtaining her gift. Jessica wasn’t concerned about her gift; she had already thought of something.

Meanwhile, Leah was in a predicament. She wanted to bring fish as her offering, but for once, there was no fish in her family’s fridge or freezer to be found. Her mother had donated the fish for Mrs. Haloke’s smokehouse, so she could sell it to tourists visiting the area. So, she sat and contemplated what to do. She couldn’t exactly go to the marina and purchase salmon off the boat. The story would be around La Push within the hour, and her parents would question her extensively about her doings.

Her father fished on Sundays with Billy and Charlie, so waiting for them was not an option. Suddenly, she had a thought, but it would involve a bit of subterfuge. Today was Saturday, and if Sam had kept to his usual habits, he would be fishing now. She glanced at the clock. It was already close to eleven. He might even be returning from his trip.

Leah knew Sam had been assigned a reservation home once Emily and he became engaged. She had never been there but knew where it was. She couldn’t understand why the elders would suddenly assign the prick a home-he didn’t deserve one, and neither did her two-faced cousin. She stopped herself from thinking any further negative thoughts. If they wanted each other, they could have each other-they deserved each other. Hopefully, after tonight, she would find love.

Lost in her thoughts, she wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings. Unfortunately, Sam pulled into his driveway at that exact moment, and Leah didn’t have the opportunity to hide. Fortunately, he didn’t notice her, and neither did Emily, who had come out to the porch to greet him. Sam rushed to her and began kissing her before the pair held hands and walked into the house.

Leah couldn’t believe her luck. Rushing to the bed of Sam’s truck, she noticed his fishing equipment and a cooler. She looked inside and saw his catch sitting on ice. She quickly grabbed the fish and threw it into the reusable shopping tote she was carrying and took off for her house in a run. Once home, she found an empty cooler and threw the fish inside along with some ice. She would need to purchase more, but not at the tribal store.

She quickly packed her overnight bag and hopped into her SUV, driving straight to Forks Outfitters, where she ran into Lauren shopping for groceries.

“Oh my God! Please tell me you’re done with whatever you’re offering.”

“Almost. I just need to get some ice. Why?”

“Can you help me with mine? I tried calling Bella, but she said she’s running an errand in Sequim. Who the hell goes to Sequim on such a monumental day?”

“Maybe it has something to do with her offering,” Leah suggested

“Why couldn’t she think of something to do here?” She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration and then took a deep breath. I can do this.” She put the final items into her car before heading back to her house with Leah following.

When they arrived, Leah finally asked what Lauren was planning.

“I’m offering her a cornucopia of food. What do you think? I already have the turkey roasting in the oven.”

Leah’s eyes widened. “Do you think she expects cooking effort?”

“I’m not sure it has to be cooking, but as long as some effort is put into it, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Leah then admitted she had taken the fish from Sam’s cooler. “Do you think the fact that I stole it will jinx me?”

Lauren sat and thought about it but eventually waved her hand, dismissing Leah’s thought as nonsense. “No, I don’t think so. The way I see it, Sam owes you for his foul treatment of you, and Emily owes you for being a man-stealer, so the fish is a tiny portion of the penance they must pay.”

“I like that logic.”

“Good. Now help me cook.”

“I will, but how the hell are we going to bring all of our stuff to the lady? We have to hike there.”

“I have no idea. Hopefully, Angela and Bella’s items aren’t too big.”

---

At four pm, Lauren and Leah drove to Angela’s house. Reverend and Mrs. Weber were apparently out with their two young sons at a youth football game in Port Angeles.

Angela opened the door and greeted them with, “I’m never baking again. Never!”

“It smells good,” Leah noted, sniffing the air. “It smells good.” “What are you baking?”

“Bread. Thank goodness I woke up early because apparently, the dough has to rise overnight. I just got the loaves in the oven a half-hour ago. There’s still a half-hour to go. Are the two of you all set? Where’s Bella?”

“I don’t know. Her last text message said she was in Sequim running an errand.”

“Today?” Angela questioned, appalled. “This is such an important day!”

“We know.”

Just as Lauren and Leah replied, the doorbell rang. Angela went to open the door; Bella stood at the entrance with a smile on her face.

“Hey, I’m here.”

“Obviously. How was Sequim?”

“Interesting.” She dusted what appeared to be hay off her jacket. “Educational.”

“What did you do there?””

“Come and see.” Bella guided them to the bed of her truck. Inside was a metal cage lined with hay with two chickens inside.

“You’re kidding me? You’re going to make her kill her food?” Angela asked.

“No, silly. These hens lay eggs. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. I even bought her a warehouse-sized bag of feed.”

“And how exactly are we lugging this to her? We have to hike for a few miles to get there, you know?”

“Clearly, I didn’t think about that issue.”

“I have an idea.” Lauren had a bright smile on her face. “In the alley, behind my Mom’s salon, there are always abandoned shopping carts. We could load a couple of them onto the bed of your truck and roll everything to their destination.”

“That’s a terrific idea.”

“That’s a terrible idea.” Angela, who was ever so good, shifted nervously on her feet. “I can’t condone stealing.”

“It’s not stealing, Angela. The shopping carts have been abandoned, which means someone already did the thieving. These carts are now free for the taking.”

“It’s like recycling,” Bella added with an encouraging nod.

“Well, if you put it that way. I suppose it’s okay.”

As soon as Angela’s bread was out of the oven and packaged up nicely for transportation, the friends all piled into two vehicles. They took Bella’s truck and Leah’s SUV because they had the most room. They quickly parked by the alley to grab the shopping carts before driving to the Upper Hoh Road visitor center. Fortunately, the visitor center was closed; otherwise, they’d have trouble explaining everything they were carrying.

Jessica Stanley was waiting impatiently by her vehicle, tapping her foot and huffing, with her arms crossed in front of her chest. “It took you guys long enough!”

“We’re actually early by ten minutes. What are you bitching about?” Lauren had lost her patience with her long-time friend after realizing how shallow she was.

“Nothing. Let’s just get this over with, okay?”

“Fine, do you want to give us a hand?”

“I kind of just got my nails done, and…”

“No problem.” The other four girls rolled their eyes as they got to work. They hadn’t been expecting her assistance anyway. She had distanced herself from the group from the beginning, and none of the girls planned on continuing their friendship with her after this night.

The girls loaded up the two shopping carts to the best of their ability and pushed them through the trail, which was at times muddy and sometimes a bit unwieldy. They quickly reached the rainforest, which was absolutely gorgeous with its dense flora, giving it a jungle feel. One wondered about the fauna hiding within its depth, making the rainforest its habitat. It took them a good hour to arrive because of the extra load they were carrying. The cabin was nestled amongst trees and well-hidden from public view. They weren’t quite sure what to do with their offerings, so they stood awkwardly until they were greeted by the medicine woman.

“Welcome. Welcome. I am Kachina.” She was beautiful. She was older, perhaps in her sixties, with long, salt and pepper hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her hands were worn from years of toil, but she had a gorgeous smile and wise, dancing eyes.

“What kind of name is Kachina?” Jessica snipped, crinkling her nose.

“It’s a Hopi name, meaning Dancing Spirit,” Bella replied. “I think it’s beautiful.”

“You are absolutely correct, young lady. The name Kachina is Hopi in origin, although I am Chalá·at.”

“The Chalá·at are the members of the Hoh Nation,” Leah explained.

“Ah, cool. It’s like how the Navajo call themselves the Diné.”

“Exactly, young lady.” Kachina smiled kindly. “You have a great deal of knowledge stored in that noggin of yours.”

“Thank you. Um, we brought you offerings.” Bella motioned to the two shopping carts. For a moment, Kachina seemed stunned at the number of goods.

“My goodness. You girls put in a lot of effort. Well, why don’t you explain your offering to the spirits one by one?” She motioned to a round table constructed of wood.

“Certainly, I’ll begin.” Jessica, with her nose up in the air, handed the woman a frozen pizza. Kachina placed it on the table. “I’m Jessica, by the way. I thought you’d want a treat. It’s a DiGiorno’s Stuffed Crust Pizza-not the generic stuff that you’re probably used to.”

The other girls all turned to Jessica, appalled at her rudeness. Kachina acknowledged her with a tight smile and a nod.

Angela went next. “My name is Angela. I brought bread and butter for you.”

“That’s it? That’s all you brought! Oh my God!” Jessica chided.

“I can tell that the bread is homemade, and the butter is freshly churned. The effort you put into it is obvious. I will add it to the bounty on the table,” Kachina stated, and then turned to Leah.

Leah reached into one of the shopping carts for the cooler. “I’m Leah. I brought steelhead trout.”

“Ah, freshly caught fish. I thank you for your generous offering. Fish is the symbol of change, of moving currents.”

“Wow! You did good, Leah,” Lauren complimented.

After the cooler was placed on the table, Kachina suggested Lauren proceed.

“Hello. I’m Lauren. I brought a cornucopia of food as an offering. Well, I don’t have a real cornucopia. Still, I brought turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, filet mignon, lobster, and apples. Um, Leah helped me cook. We hope you like it.” Lauren smiled brightly as she laid everything out onto the table.

“You forgot the drinks,” Leah reminded her.

“Oh, yeah. I brought sparkling apple cider and a case of bottled water.” She placed two bottles of cider onto the table, along with the case of water.

“I thank you for your effort. It’s clear to me it took you the entire day to prepare this bounty. You are clearly unafraid of toil.” Kachina nodded and turned to Bella. “What do you offer to the spirits?”

Bella pulled out the cage of chickens and then went back for the bag of feed, which Lauren helped her to bring because it was so heavy. “I brought a pair of egg-laying hens and a warehouse-sized bag of feed.”

“Why a pair? Why not just one?”

“Well, gee, I didn’t want them to be lonely. I figured they’d be happier together.”

“Oh my God! You are so weird.” Jessica rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Kachina ignored her rude comment and stated, “You are clearly concerned about the happiness of all beings.”

“I am.”

“You forgot to tell me your name.”

“Oh! I’m Bella. Bella Swan.”

“The hens are a gift that keeps on giving, a continual offering. The spirits thank you for your generosity.”

Kachina smiled at the group and led everyone to the clearing behind her house, which connected to the expansive rainforest. She had five wooden logs, strategically placed, where the points of a pentagram would be. In front of each log was a candle in a glass mason jar. A wooden crate-sitting on its side-was located in the center for her to sit upon. Standing up in the ground, next to the crate, was a long, wooden stick adorned with beautiful feathers-the type used in ceremonies.

“So, do we just sit?” Jessica asked with a bored expression on her face.

“Yes, have a seat, please. It doesn’t matter where you sit, there’s no special meaning-everyone chooses a log to sit on.” Kachina lit everyone’s candle before lighting her own and taking a seat. “In my experience, we each have a story to tell, which culminated in your coming to me. Let’s begin with hearing your stories. Lauren?”

Lauren suddenly became nervous. “Do I really have to go first? I’m not sure what to say.”

“Alright, we’ll get back to you then. We’ll start with Bella. “Tell me your story.”

Bella turned to Lauren. “You’re choosing now to become shy?”

“Yes, Bella! Besides, you’re better at this than I am.”

“It’s simple, really. I was involved with a boy who broke up with me in the cruelest way. He told me that I wasn’t good for him and that he didn’t want me. Let’s just say he completely broke my spirit because I was so depressed that I was nearly catatonic for the last month and a half. It wasn’t until Angela and Lauren approached me about coming here that I realized there was more to life than just focusing on one boy. Then I met Leah, and after hearing her story, I realized I had no right to be upset about Edward. She devoted over three years to the guy she was engaged to until he suddenly broke up with her. I only dated Edward for a few months, and he had the decency to leave town.”

“Bella, you shouldn’t minimize your pain just because Edward moved away,” Leah stated. “You were hurt by his words just as much as I was by Sam’s. It doesn’t matter how long you were with him-the words he used were vicious.” 286

“Exactly!” Lauren joined the discussion. “Edward, Sam, and Tyler were unnecessarily cruel. Why was it necessary for them to hurt us using those words? In your case, Bella wasn’t just Edward who hurt you; it was all of the Cullens. Those peons left town without warning to anyone-not even to you. They should have at least told you!”

“Lauren, all I’m saying is at least I no longer have to see any of the Cullens again. They did me a favor by moving. As for Leah and you, I truly do believe you have it worse. You still have to see your exes around town.”

“All three of them acted maliciously,” Angela stated. “They had no reason to cut down your self-esteem. They could have broken up with you in a civil manner instead of saying the things they did.”

“What exactly did they say?” Kachina asked.

“Obviously, they each worded it differently, but they basically told them they were breaking up with them because the girls weren’t good for them, that they let the relationship drag on, and they didn’t want them anymore.”

“Hmm… It seems to me the boys didn’t accept any responsibility for the dissolution of your relationships and instead placed the blame solely on your shoulders. Leah, let me hear your story.”

“Like Bella explained earlier, I was dating a boy, and he broke up with me.”

“It can’t be that simple.”

“Well, no. The truth is, I don’t really have an explanation. Sam and I dated from our freshman year of high school and were engaged to be married. During our senior year, he suddenly disappeared for two weeks. When he came back, he had a tattoo, and no explanation as to where he had been, then he abruptly broke up with me and started dating my cousin.”

“Did he explain why he broke up with you?”

“Not really. All he said was that he let the relationship go on for too long, and it was time we parted ways. When I asked him why he was breaking up with me without any true explanation, he said I wasn’t right for him, he had met someone else, and he didn’t want me anymore. The next day, I caught him making out on First Beach with my cousin Emily.”

“Oh my God! Are you saying that Sam Uley dumped you for your cousin?” Jessica’s eyes were wide, and her mouth popped open in an excited smile. She looked as if she had just heard a juicy piece of gossip for her to spread throughout the town. “I mean…” She shrugged her shoulders. “I feel bad for you and all.”

Kachina and the four other girls glared at Jessica, open-mouthed, at her insensitive remarks. She, on the other hand, didn’t think anything was wrong. She sat on her log, twirling her hair as if it were the most natural thing to do. Collectively, everyone decided to ignore her comments.

Kachina returned her attention to Lauren. “Are you ready to tell me your story?”

Lauren nodded before speaking. “My story is similar to the other two. I dated a boy named Tyler. I was in love with him and thought he was the one. I even gave him my virginity. The following Monday, he wanted to go to my house after school to have sex. I told him ‘no’ because my mother doesn’t allow boys in the house when she’s not home. He insisted she wouldn’t find out. I told him no. Then he lost his temper and said, ‘If you aren’t going to give me what I want, you’re just wasting my time. You’re not good for me anyway; this thing went on for too long anyway. I really don’t want you anywhere near me anymore. Get out of my car!’ I was so stunned that I immediately grabbed my tote bag and left his car. He sped out of the Forks Outfitters parking lot like a bat out of hell. That’s when Angela found me, and thank goodness she did because I doubt I would have made it home in one piece.”

Lauren’s story was, indeed, terrible. Everyone, with the notable exception of Jessica, who was rolling her eyes, was affected by Tyler’s outright cruelty. Bella wasn’t a violent person, but after hearing Tyler’s exact words, she wanted to beat him to a pulp-perhaps set a human-feeding vampire on him. This, in itself, was an issue. Normal teenaged girls weren’t able to distinguish between human-feeding and animal-feeding vampires. Heck, normal teenaged girls didn’t know vampires even existed. Was she forever going to be an abnormal teenager?

A jolt of anger, directed at the Cullens, spiraled through Bella. They had no business attending school in plain sight amongst humans. How dare they? They should have kept to themselves instead of mingling with humans. Sure, Edward told her she should stay away from him, but he said it to her as he told her that vampires were created to lure in humans. He was a little hypocritical, to say the least!

Why? Why? Why did she ever get involved with a vampire? It was the dumbest thing she ever did in her entire life! She put her friends and family aside for a dead guy! She still thought setting a human feeding vampire on Tyler would be handy, though. She wished there was some sort of vigilante vampire group she could contact. Vigilante vampire group? And there went her brain – off in tangents again.

Suddenly, there was a strange, keening wail coming from somewhere in the forest.

“What was that?” Bella snapped her head in the direction of the noise. They all did.

“Perhaps it would be prudent for us to all move into the cabin,” Kachina stated.

And then, from out of the forest beyond the cabin, a woman stepped out into view. She had brilliant, long, red hair and gleaming red eyes, indicating a human feeding vampire. Bella wondered if her thoughts somehow summoned a demon straight from hell to them as Victoria walked toward them at human speed.

She wondered how in hell she was going to persuade the vampire to leave them alone. If she sacrificed herself, would she let her friends go? She scanned her group of friends, who were all innocently staring at the newcomer, all except Jessica, who had an annoyed expression on her face. Bella wondered if Victoria would leave them alone if she offered up Jessica as a sacrifice. She quickly shook her head at the thought; the girl was a bitch, but still innocent of the supernatural world. Besides, if Bella were a vampire, she probably wouldn’t deem Jessica as appetizing. The weird thing was, she probably should be frightened because of the situation, but the Cullens had conditioned her into not being afraid of vampires. How was she going to extract her friends from this predicament?

“Those are some of the saddest stories I’ve ever heard,” she cried. “Men are all pigs!”

“Excuse me. Who are you?” Lauren asked.

“I’m Victoria.” She dropped to her knees and started bawling like a baby. “I was wrong. I was so wrong and selfish, too! I thought I was the only one suffering, but it wasn’t true. He was only my companion-not my mate!”

“Um, Victoria, should you be…” Bella was about to tell her that she probably shouldn’t be spouting out her vampire traits amongst the humans, but Victoria chose now to ask her.

“What is it, Bella Swan?”

“You know her?” Angela asked.

“Uh, yeah, she’s a relative of R… Rosalie. A cousin.” She wondered why she named Rosalie, who would be the least likely to back up her story.

Victoria’s eyes snapped to Bella, who whispered, “Work with me here,” knowing she could hear her. “They don’t know what you are.”

The vampire suddenly stood up, “Right! I’m Rosalie’s cousin. I met Bella when we played baseball together.”

“You play baseball, Bella?”

“Not very well. Vicky is the one with the mean curveball.”

“I am! I’m Vicky with the curveball!” the vampire chortled.

“How did you find us?”

“Oh, I was just taking a walk when I recognized Bella’s voice.”

“You were taking a walk in the woods-alone, in the dark?” Angela questioned.

Victoria turned to Bella for assistance. She had no idea how to assist. The vampire motioned to her to say something.

“Um… Rosalie once said Victoria’s wandering was an issue. Isn’t that correct?”

“Yes, I once ran from Maine all the way to Wash…”

Bella suddenly coughed the word “humans” to remind the vampire to keep knowledge of her world a secret.

Yes, I once ran ten miles.”

“Ten miles? In a row?” Lauren questioned.

“Victoria was the star of her cross-country team, if I’m not mistaken, right?”

“Yes… Excuse me.” She zipped over to Bella. “What is a cross-country team?”

“It’s a team where you run long-distance races.”

“Yes, I was the gold medalist on my cross-country team,” she declared.

“Meaning you came into first place often,” Bella assisted, nodding to Victoria.

“Yes, always first place. Enough about my past, I’d like to share my story, too.”

“You can’t,” Jessica informed her snippily. “It’s only for five people. Besides, you need to make an offering of food.” She pointed to the table. “We each brought something.”

“I’ll be right back.” Victoria disappeared into the forest. Before the others could converse, she returned with a live deer struggling in her arms. “Venison. Humans still eat venison, right? Would you prefer it if I drained it for you?”

Bella turned to Victoria, aghast, and mouthed, “Really?”

“I mean, I offer you a deer.” She placed it on the ground, near the table, and it took off running into the forest. “Now, can I share my story? Please? I really need to get some stuff off my chest.” Without waiting for permission, Victoria took the stage. “I was with James for a hundred-three years.”

Bella cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes at Victoria, “You mean three years.” In a whisper, she added, “Humans.”

“Right! It was three years, but it felt like a hundred-three.” She turned to Bella for approval and got a thumbs up in response. “Throughout our relationship, he cheated on me, belittled me, and stepped all over me-as if I didn’t matter.” Victoria put her hand on her chest and started hyperventilating, her chest started heaving, and she let out a piercing cry of agony.

Bella had no idea vampires could hyperventilate. Of course, she had never seen one having an emotional breakdown before. The Cullens were all so bland. It’s not that they were emotionless; it’s just that she’d never actually seen one of them having a breakdown, most likely because it was frowned upon for them to show too much outward emotion. They were very focused on maintaining the façade of a happy, all-American human family. It was also very possible they hid their feelings from Bella because she really hadn’t been a part of their family. She had just been Edward’s human girlfriend. The only person she’d seen express emotion was Rosalie, and it was always anger-for the most part, it was anger at the Cullens for fraternizing with a human. Bella thought she had a good point-mingling with a human was not good, considering Bella’s situation now. She had an emotional vampire on her hands.

Frankly, Bella thought Victoria’s response to James’ infidelity was a very human reaction. She had been with him for a hundred and three years-emotionally abused for most of it, it seemed. On the other hand, she had only been with Edward for a few months, and for most of those months, they were happy. Or were they? Bella wasn’t really sure. Maybe she had been in love with the idea of being in love rather than being in love with him. All she knew was that her relationship with Edward hadn’t been as deep or as long as Victoria’s, Leah’s, or even Lauren’s. Would she ever find someone to love?

Victoria’s wails eventually subsided into quiet whimpers as she attempted to collect herself. She finally returned to her story. “And then one day, James decided to chase after a human… a girl all the way to Arizona, and got himself killed.”

“Oh my God! Are you saying that not only was he an abusive prick who cheated on you, he moved to another state to chase after some hussy and was murdered, too?” Lauren cried. “Oh, you poor thing.”

Bella dropped her face into the palms of her hands and sighed in exasperation. Why the heck was Victoria here, and what was she going to do about it? She had no way of getting in touch with the Cullens. On second thought, she didn’t want to foist the Cullens onto Victoria. She may be a crazy loon, but she’d clearly suffered enough.

“How did he die?” Leah asked with sympathy.

“He… He was… ripped ap…”

“… off!” Bella finished for Victoria, flashing a warning look at her. It wouldn’t do for everyone to find out James was ripped apart in an attempt to feed from her. “He was a victim of a carjacking… Yes, he was ripped off during a carjacking in Phoenix and attacked by a band of thugs.”

“But he deserved it anyway,” Victoria concluded.

“Yes, especially after what he did to you, Vicky.”

“Oh, I like it when you call me Vicky.”

Jessica, who had been glancing at her watch, suddenly stood up looking annoyed. “You know, it’s great to hear Vicky’s story when she really isn’t a part of this. I kind of feel out of place here because I’m not as desperate as the rest of you. I’m just going to leave. I have to meet someone anyway.”

“Alone? In the woods?” Angela questioned. “It’s dark!”

“I’m not that stupid. I have some friends waiting for me. They’re going to signal when they get here.” Sure enough, there was a loud whistle hailing Jessica. Before any other questions were asked, she turned to leave, grabbing the frozen pizza on the way out. “I’m just going to take this with me since I didn’t use your services. See ya.” With that, she disappeared into the woods.

“Good riddance,” Bella muttered, thinking Jessica was no friend at all. She was haughty, rude, and selfish. She couldn’t see how the girl could make any long-lasting friends at all.

“Well, I believe Angela still hasn’t shared her story yet,” Kachina stated.

“Me?” Angela pointed to herself. “My… My story is so different. I don’t want you to think I’m a…”

“Stop, Angela. Don’t finish whatever you were going to say. There’s no self-denigration here and no judgment. We’re just here to listen,” Kachina stated.

“Okay.” Angela nodded as if to reassure herself. “I… I was dating a boy. His name was Ben, and he broke up with me because… because I wouldn’t have sex with him. You see, I took a vow of chastity and made a commitment to God and to myself that I would remain sexually pure until the day I marry my one true mate. Anyway, I told Ben this, and he became upset. He said he had put enough time into the relationship, and that I should be ready to have sex. I told him that I would remain true to my vow of chastity. He then proceeded to give me an ultimatum-either have sex with him or we break up. I refused to have sex with him, and he broke up with me. We haven’t spoken since.”

“Personally, I wish I hadn’t given Tyler my virginity,” Lauren said. “It’s something I’ll regret forever; especially, considering how arrogant and cruel he ended up being. I bet the rest of you feel the same way, huh?”

“I sure do,” Leah agreed. “Sam turned out to be a monster, and I truly despise the fact that I gave him my virginity. What about you, Bella? Do you regret having sex with Edward?”

“I…” What was she supposed to say? After all, she was the one who wanted to have sex, not him. “Um, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had sex before.”

“Really? The way you and Edward were always together, I thought for sure you’d done it with him,” Lauren noted.

“No, like Angela, Edward took a vow of purity.” There. That should do it. It wasn’t a lie, really. “I want to experience all facets of a relationship prior to committing myself to marriage.” Including sex.

“Really? Edward was like me?” Angela asked.

“Oh, sure. He firmly believed that sexual relations should be reserved between man and wife,” Bella replied.

It was true. He was stuck in the Victorian Era and believed men and women should be married before doing the deed. Of course, he was from the Victorian Era. Angela, on the other hand, had taken the vow for moral and religious reasons. Bella, of course, was different. She wanted to see what sex was like. It would have to be with someone she loved and who loved her back-if she ever found someone like that, but still, she felt sexual compatibility was necessary for a relationship.

Considering Edward’s views, she wondered why she had been so into him. Honestly, whenever she wanted to make out, he’d deflect her and start in on one of his self-righteous, moralizing speeches. He had the nerve to lecture her when it was him who left her all hot and bothered. Not only that, but every single one of her classmates was, according to him, morally corrupt and promiscuous, with the exception of Angela, who he believed was a genuine, good person and a proper lady.

Kachina’s voice jogged Bella out of her thoughts. “Thank you for sharing your stories with me and for giving me a better understanding of what brought you here.” She turned to Angela. “Do you remember what you told me was your group’s reason for coming to me?”

Angela pointed to herself before replying, “Oh. Oh, yes. I told you we’d all been unlucky at finding love and that we wanted to know if we’d ever meet our one true love. We’ve all had our hearts broken.”

“Yes, your hearts were broken, but each of you has learned from your experiences; otherwise, you would have been unable to share your stories with me. You are not going to focus on your past relationships. You will leave them behind in the past where they belong and focus on healing your hearts and moving forward. The fact that you came to me asking if you’d ever meet your one true love is proof that you are ready to move on.”

Bella, for one, knew Kachina brought up a valid point. The fact was, she wanted to move on and put Edward behind her. After sharing her experience with Edward, she felt strong enough to stand on her own two feet. At some point, to move forward, she had to let go. After sharing her experience with Edward, she felt strong enough to stand on her own two feet. She was ready to let him go.

As the realization hit her that she was no longer shackled to memories of Edward, a feeling of warmth bubbled up inside of her. She smiled, genuinely happy for the first time in over a month, and she beamed at Kachina with gratitude.

Kachina stood up and reached for the ceremonial stick. “And now I will ask the Creator for a blessing.” She tapped the stick three times into the ground, turned her face to the spirits, and spoke. “Just like the moon is pure and the sun is bright, so should Angela, Bella, Lauren, Leah, and Victoria always be pure of heart and bright in spirit. I call on the Creator to watch over these young women and keep them protected. Bless them with wisdom so they may rely on their inner strength to bring them happiness and fulfillment in their lives.”

And then she shook the spirit stick three times over each of their heads before returning to the center of the circle, shaking the stick towards the moon, and tapping it three times into the earth. She sat down on her wooden crate and faced the girls. “The five of you will always share a bond. Always trust your own judgment, but when your faith in yourself is shaken, always remember that you have your friendship to rely on.”

Kachina then tied a bracelet onto each girl’s wrist. To Angela, she whispered, “May you always hold steadfast to your beliefs, but remember to open your mind to new possibilities.”

To Lauren, she said, “Have faith in yourself as you go forth in life.”

To Leah, she stated, “Do not dwell on the troubles of the past, but on the promise of the future.”

When the medicine woman got to Victoria, she arched an eyebrow quizzically. The vampire simply smiled at her with a sheepish expression. “You will be a victim no more. Trust your friends.” And then she whispered something into her ear so no one else could hear.

“I promise.” Victoria nodded solemnly.

And then the woman got to Bella. She flipped over her wrist to tie the bracelet onto her. She stopped and examined the scar left by James when he bit her in Phoenix. With one finger, she gently traced the bite mark. “You wear the scar of a warrior. The strongest of souls emerge from suffering.” Kachina nodded her head and, with a squeeze of her hand, softly murmured. “If you find yourself on a path you never expected, remember that it might lead you somewhere beautiful.”

Bella inspected the bracelet. It was made of woven leather with a hand-etched wooden charm of a feather attached to it.

“Life is a journey full of twists and turns, but if you face it with courage, strength, and wisdom, you will be able to live it on your own terms. The feather is a symbol of those traits which you have in abundance. Thank you for sharing your stories with me. Do you have any questions?”

Kachina gazed at everyone, smiling fondly at them.

“I truly feel at peace. Thank you,” Angela stated.

Lauren raised her hand. “Excuse me, are we ever going to meet our soulmates?”

“I am not a seer, so I cannot tell you the answer. What I do know is that it takes a strong heart to love, but it takes an even stronger heart to want to risk love again after it’s been hurt.”

“I like that.”

Bella next raised her hand. “Out of curiosity, why did you say you needed five people to speak to us? At first, I thought you were invoking the five points of a pentagram for protection, but clearly, you are not a Wicca practitioner.”

“Oh, that’s easy. I only have five seats.”

“Cool. You’re awesome!”

With that, each girl thanked Kachina and trekked out of the rainforest. They were mostly silent, lost in their own thoughts. When they arrived at the parking lot, Angela invited Victoria to her sleepover, but she declined, stating that she had to get home. Bella wondered where home was for Victoria. By the time the girls got into Bella’s truck and Leah’s SUV, she had disappeared.

---

Victoria rushed into the forest away from Forks. She ran as far as she could until she was deep in Canada, where she broke down and cried. This evening, she had finally cornered Bella Swan and had been ready to exact revenge by feeding from her, but after hearing her story, she realized that the girl had been a victim just as she had been. James should not have played his ridiculous game of cat and mouse with her-a young, human girl who had simply fallen in love with the wrong guy.

“You will be a victim no more. Trust your friends,” Kachina had told her. Looking back, Victoria realized she had been a victim her entire life-both human and vampire. She had been born the daughter of a scullery maid-a by-product of rape. Her earliest memories had been of abuse. She had been beaten for disobedience, beaten for not succumbing to the master’s lecherous demands, then after she met James-beaten whenever he lost his temper. She thought it was a bad idea to go after Bella Swan, even Laurent had left because he wanted nothing to do with angering the Cullens, but James had insisted. He wanted the girl because he thought it would bring him closer to Alice. Instead, it had gotten him killed and left Victoria alone and bitter. Now, after meeting Kachina and her new friends, she realized that it had freed her from the chains wielded by James.

There was one more thing Victoria had to do. She made a promise to Kachina, and she intended to keep it. She had to feed from animals if she was going to remain in the area with her friends. How the woman had known she was a vampire was a mystery to her, but the woman knew and had given her a warning. She also reiterated again how the girls around her could be trusted, especially Bella. Victoria was resolved to change her ways, and she would begin now.