The forest house felt strangely quiet after Edward left. Snow drifted slowly outside, falling between the tall pine trees and covering the ground in a silent white blanket. Inside, the fire burnt gently in the fireplace, casting warm light across the wooden walls. Yet despite the warmth, Jenny felt restless.
She sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the broken glass scattered across the floor from the shattered window. Victoria's voice still echoed inside her mind. I've been looking for you. The words made her uneasy, though she still didn't understand their meaning. Why would a vampire travel to a quiet village just to hunt her?
Across the room, James leaned quietly against the wall. His blue eyes were fixed on the dark forest outside the window, as if he could see something hidden among the trees. His stillness was almost unnatural, reminding Jenny once again that he was not human.
"You should try to sleep," James said softly without turning.
Jenny shook her head. "I don't think sleep is possible tonight."
James glanced at her. "Your body still needs rest. You're human."
Jenny gave him a faint look. "You keep reminding me of that."
He walked toward the fireplace and added another piece of wood to the flames. "It's easy to forget," he replied quietly.
Jenny watched him for a moment. There was something strange about how normal he seemed. Nothing about him matched the terrifying idea she once had of vampires.
"You don't seem dangerous," she said after a moment.
James raised an eyebrow slightly. "That's not something I hear very often."
"I mean it," she continued. "You're supposed to be a vampire. Yet you cook meals, read books, and worry about whether I'm sleeping enough."
James smiled faintly. "Not every monster looks like one."
Jenny looked back at the broken window where the cold night air slipped into the room. "Victoria did."
The brief humour vanished in James's expression. "Yes," he said quietly. "She did."
For a moment neither of them spoke. The wind whispered softly through the forest outside, rattling the branches against the window frame.
Jenny wrapped her arms around herself and leaned back against the wall. "Why does she want me?" she asked finally.
James didn't answer immediately. Instead, he watched the fire for a moment as if choosing his words carefully. "Edward believes you're important somehow," he said at last.
Jenny frowned. "Important how?"
"I'm not sure yet," James admitted. "But Edward rarely worries about anything. The fact that he's worried about you means something."
Jenny let out a quiet breath. "That's comforting."
James walked toward a chair and sat down across from her. "Edward has lived for a very long time. He notices things others miss."
Jenny tilted her head slightly. "You trust him."
"More than anyone."
Jenny hesitated before asking her next question. "Were you always like this?"
James looked at her curiously. "Like what?"
"A vampire."
For a moment James said nothing. The firelight flickered across his face, revealing a shadow of old memories behind his eyes.
"No," he said finally. "I was human once."
Jenny leaned forward slightly, interested. "What happened?"
James sighed quietly, resting his elbows on his knees. "I was dying. There was a sickness spreading through my town many years ago. People were dying faster than doctors could treat them."
Jenny listened closely.
"I was one of them," he continued. "Edward was passing through the town at that time. Back then he still believed he could save everyone."
Jenny remembered the calm doctor who had treated Bella so carefully.
"So he changed you?" she asked.
James nodded slowly. "It was the only way to keep me alive."
Jenny studied him. "Do you regret it?"
James didn't answer the question. Instead, he simply looked into the flames of the fireplace. The silence that followed was enough to give Jenny the answer.
Eventually exhaustion began to creep into her body again. She lay down beneath the blankets while James remained awake in the chair near the fire, quietly reading a book. Hours passed while the forest outside slowly darkened under fresh snowfall.
When morning finally arrived, pale sunlight filtered through the window. Jenny woke slowly and walked toward the curtains. She was astounded by the sight outside when she pulled the curtains open. The entire forest was covered in untouched snow, shining under the early sunlight like a field of silver.
For a few peaceful seconds she forgot everything else—the attack, the vampires, the strange danger surrounding her.
A knock on the door broke the silence.
Jenny opened it to find Edward standing there with James beside him. Edward carried a tray with coffee and breakfast.
"You're awake," Edward said.
Jenny stepped aside to let them enter. "Did you find Victoria?"
Edward placed the tray on the table before answering. "No."
Jenny's stomach tightened. "She escaped?"
"She regained consciousness earlier than expected," Edward replied calmly. "But she's injured. She won't stay hidden forever."
Jenny sat down slowly. "What about Bella?"
Edward paused briefly before answering. "She's recovering."
Jenny noticed the hesitation in his voice, though she didn't push further. Something about the situation still felt unclear.
Later that day Edward returned to the village while Jenny and James walked through the forest together. The air was cold but refreshing, and the quiet beauty of the snow-covered woods made the world feel strangely peaceful.
James led her along a narrow path between the tall trees. "You used to enjoy walking here," he said suddenly.
Jenny looked at him with surprise. "Here?"
"Yes. You said the forest made you feel calm."
Jenny tried to imagine herself wandering these woods before losing her memory, but nothing came back.
"I wish I could remember," she admitted quietly.
James smiled faintly. "Maybe you will someday."
They stopped beside a frozen lake where the ice reflected the pale winter sky. Jenny sat down on a fallen tree while James remained standing nearby.
After a moment Jenny spoke again. "I think I'm beginning to understand something."
"What?" James asked.
She looked up at him. "I don't belong in your world."
James frowned slightly.
"You're a vampire," she continued. "Edward is a vampire. And I'm just human."
James sat beside her. "You say that as if it makes you weak."
"It makes me different," she replied softly.
James watched her carefully. "Sometimes being human is the strongest thing you can be."
Jenny smiled faintly at that.
But deep inside her chest something else had begun to grow—a quiet feeling she couldn't fully explain, a sense of longing for connection and understanding that seemed to resonate with her earlier thoughts about humanity.
Later that night Jenny fell asleep quickly, exhausted from the long day.
James remained downstairs reading quietly when he suddenly heard footsteps outside the house.
The door opened slowly.
Edward stepped inside.
His expression was tense.
"Victoria escaped," James said immediately.
Edward nodded. "That's not the worst news."
James frowned. "What do you mean?"
Edward lowered his voice. "The others are coming."
James straightened in his chair. "The clan?"
Edward nodded again. "The war is starting again."
James glanced toward the staircase where Jenny slept upstairs.
"Does she know?"
"No," Edward replied.
"Should she?"
Edward hesitated.
"There's something else," he said quietly.
James waited.
Edward's gaze moved toward the ceiling. "Jenny isn't an ordinary human."
James stared at him. "What are you saying?"
Edward's voice dropped lower.
"Victoria wasn't hunting her randomly."
"Then why?"
Edward answered slowly.
"Because Jenny's blood is different."
Before James could respond, footsteps sounded from the staircase.
Jenny appeared in the doorway, looking confused.
"Why does it sound like you're talking about me?"
Edward and James immediately fell silent.
Edward grabbed his coat.
"Jenny," he said calmly, "if there's anyone you want to see in the village… anyone important… now might be the time."
Jenny frowned. "What does that mean?"
But Edward didn't explain.
He simply walked out into the dark forest, leaving Jenny standing there with a strange, uneasy feeling growing inside her.
Something was coming.
And whatever it was, it was about to change everything.