CHAPTER THREE:
THE HAND THAT FEEDS YOU

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THE LAST THING JIA wanted to do — and at first light, no less — was submerge herself in ice-cold water, a dramatic entrance be damned. She seriously doubted it would make much of a difference to their enemies whether or not they arrived in style, but now Jia would have to fight them sopping wet, her hair bedraggled and her jeans weighed down as if they had anchors attached to the bottoms. She glanced at Finley with an unimpressed frown as Riley herded them to the edge of the dock, huffing when Finley merely shrugged back at her. Bree was standing between them. She began to tremble as the first group of newborns disappeared below the inky surface of the lake.

"It's fine," Jia whispered to her, nudging her arm to get her attention. "Just stick with us, okay?"

Bree nodded shakily, then grasped Jia's hand in hers. "Okay, Jia."

But of course, nothing went to plan.

Carnage waited for them on the other side. The sun had fully risen when they emerged, casting warm shadows through the heavy forest that spanned out before them. Snow clung to every surface, thick beneath the soles of Jia's shoes as she shifted uneasily in her water-logged clothes.

The first thing she noticed was the scent. It was one Riley and Victoria had been passing around for days; sickly sweet, floral and painfully familiar. Finley's eyes narrowed as it reached him. When Riley charging ahead like a man on a mission, Finley hurried after him. Jia tried to follow but was quickly swallowed up by her ravenous companions.

Fools, the lot of them.

"Bree!" she called, realising too late that the younger girl's hand was no longer in hers. "Bree, where are you!?"

Everything was a blur, her body moving faster than her mind could comprehend. The image of her started to flicker. A seed of panic had exploded within, taking root despite her best efforts to remain calm and confident. This wasn't just a one-on-one against some useless, blood-hungry newborn. How could she possibly be calm and composed when she recognised the faces that were waiting to kill them?

The Cullens.

She'd had a feeling it would be them. Still, it floored her how prepared they looked, lined up in their defensive positions in the centre of the clearing. There was no sign of Edward (the tall, bronze-haired one, if Jia remembered his name right) or the owner of that sickly sweet scent, but her companions didn't seem to realise this. As Jia stumbled back, still desperately searching for Bree despite her retreat, the army that Victoria and Riley had strewn together began to drop like flies at the Cullens' meticulous hands.

That was when the wolves came, only adding onto the enemy numbers.

"No..."

Jia had to get out of there fast. She couldn't do this.

What was she thinking?

She had to find Finley and Bree.

But where were they? Were they dead already?

She had to find them, now.

Her body suddenly flickered and a scream tore through her throat as a heavy form collided with hers. One of the wolves loomed over her, teeth bared, the whites of his eyes like twin moons gaping against the dark chocolate tone of his fur. Jia didn't think before she struck, driving her fist into his side hard enough to crack bone. He let out a startled yelp, his gaze catching hers for a second before he froze up. He didn't fight as she released him and quickly scrambled away, sprinting for the trees without looking back.

Control, she thought, breathing erratically despite the lack of need for air. You're not useless, Jia. Get a hold of yourself!

She wondered which Quileute boy she'd just hurt. Was it one she knew, respected even? Did he freeze just then because he recognised her, sensed the betrayal of her very existence?

She saw a flash of a familiar face from the corner of her eye; all at once, her frantic thoughts went silent, the wolf momentarily forgotten.

"Bree!"

At last, she had found her, but it was seemingly too late. Bree had been cornered by the two older Cullens, the matriarch and the patriarch; for the life of her, Jia couldn't place their names. Her back was pressed up against a tree. Her red eyes were wide and glossy.

"Jia!" she called back to her desperately.

Much to Jia's surprise, the two Cullens paused at the sound of her name. They let Jia pass them, even moving back a step when she quickly pushed Bree behind her and dropped into a crouch to glare at them. Death had drawn near again, ruthless and relentless. Jia was outnumbered, inexperienced and panicked, but she would try. She would do this for Bree, to get them out of there. She would—

"It's alright," the woman said then, her voice soft and soothing. Jia bared her teeth, recognising her raised hands for what they really were. "We won't hurt you if you surrender."

"Bullshit," Jia laughed. Slowly, she edged her and Bree to the side, leaving Bree just enough room to flee if she had the opportunity. "Did you seriously think I'd believe that?"

"This is no trick, Jia," the man insisted. "Whatever lies you've been told about us, they're not true. We can help you."

"But from what I've seen, you can't control it," Victoria once said to her. "I can help you."

Everyone wanted to help her and Jia was so tired of it. She wished Riley had killed her that day. That one of the newborns would have defeated her in their 'training' and torn her limb from limb. Maybe it would be better to fight after all, to follow in the footsteps of her dead companions and leave the Cullens no choice but to rip her apart too.

She wasn't a piece on a chess board to move on command. She wasn't sure what she was anymore, just that she was so desperately frustrated and stuck.

"And what would you want from me?" she asked, the words an echo on her tongue.

"We're at war," Victoria had replied, eyes searching for every strength and every weakness she could give. "With a family I believe you know."

The Cullen matriarch's smile was sad. "Nothing, except for the same respect we extend to you. We are not your enemy, Jia. You're free to leave if you want to. Both of you."

Victoria had been wrong. Jia knew nothing about the Cullens, not really.

Free. Jia couldn't even begin to think of what that would mean for her.

Quickly, the fight around them fizzled out until only the Cullens, the wolves, Jia and Bree remained. Jia noticed several sceptical glances sent their way but ignored them as the woman — Esme, as she introduced herself — began to point out her husband and each of her children by name, 'just in case Jia didn't remember.' Jia tried to listen but she was too busy searching for Finley and gripping onto Bree's hand to really take anything in.

She didn't even notice the wolves disappearing as she turned to the man, Carlisle, and finally blurted out, "Have you seen a red-haired boy around, by any chance? He's taller than me, kinda scruffy-looking."

"Scruffy-looking?" an incredulous voice echoed somewhere to Jia's right. She whirled around just in time for Finley, Edward and a brunette human girl to emerge from the woods. No Victoria or Riley in sight. "I take offence to that."

"Fin," Jia breathed out. She landed a punch on his arm as soon as he was close enough for her to reach him. "I was worried, you idiot!"

"Yeah, I can tell," he grunted, and it was then that Jia finally noticed how tense his smile was.

The scent from before was more potent than ever, leaking out of the human girl with every thump of her heart. Jia could barely think straight, as if she'd been smacked in the face with a bowling ball hurtling at full speed. It was all she could focus on. She had to muster up every last scrap of strength to stay rooted in place, gaze locked on Finley's waning expression. Suddenly, his absence in the fight made sense to Jia. This girl had to be Bella, his cousin. He must've recognised something in her scent that Jia didn't, but now he could barely look at her without reality sinking back in.

"Are they gone?" she whispered, not that whispering would stop everyone else from hearing her.

"Yes," he nodded. "They're gone."

Curled up beside her, Bree let out an elated gasp.

Freedom, Jia thought firmly, squeezing Bree's hand as a reminder. Freedom started here.

The three of them waited together, isolated from the rest, watching with blank but content expressions as the Cullens gathered up the last of the newborn army and dumped them into a fire. The flames crackled and burned. They filled the air with the rotten scent of decay, melting the snow around them in a sluggish ring.

"How long do we have?" Edward asked Alice.

"A few minutes," she replied solemnly.

Jia's brows furrowed when Carlisle said, "The pack needs to leave. The Volturi won't honour a truce with the werewolves."

She'd sensed the pack waiting in the woods but had tried her best to ignore them until she couldn't anymore. Two wolves lingered by the treeline, scoping out any hiding spots that the Cullens may have missed. Jia spotted the newborn before they did. It was the one she had fought only the day before, the boy she'd defeated so easily in what felt like a different lifetime.

"Seth, don't!" Edward shouted, but it was too late.

The smaller wolf attacked from the wrong angle, giving the newborn the perfect opportunity to wrap his arms around his neck, squeezing tight despite the wolf's pained yelps. His friend was quick to come to his rescue, tackling the newborn away just as Edward and a few of the others rushed to their aid. Jia and Finley hurried over, too. Jia didn't think, ripping into the newborn's arm with her teeth which forced him to remove his deathly grip on the wolf.

He howled, stumbling right into the open jaws of the rest of the pack. He'd never stood a chance, not really, but his eyes simmered with resentment, locked on Jia even when his head was torn from his shoulders. She turned her back on him, searching for Finley and finding him a few feet away. He stood over a familiar figure who writhed in agony on the ground.

Jacob Black.

Jia flinched at the familiar features, her mind easily piecing together the boy she hadn't seen for a long time. He was staring at Finley in dismay, shaking his head despite the pain it seemed to cause him.

"Hold on, okay?" Edward was saying while helping his father carefully hold him in place. "Carlisle's going to take care of you."

"The bones on the right side of his body are shattered," Carlisle commented grimly, and even Jia winced in sympathy when she heard that.

Bella reached them then, heart hammering like a bird trying to free itself of its cage. Jia slunk back into the shadows and Finley followed a moment later. At last, Jacob's eyes tore away from him, landing on Bella with a strange, detached emptiness that festered when he whispered her name.

One-by-one, the pack arrived on the scene again, this time in their human forms. Jia recognised each of them easily; Sam Uley was their obvious leader. He kneeled down beside Carlisle, nodding along to whatever medical explanation he was giving. Jared Cameron was next, then Seth Clearwater, Embry Call, and him.

Quil Ateara.

He was already looking at her. Jia glared back.

"We'll take him back to Billy's," Sam told Carlisle, frowning when they heard a sudden howl echoing through the clearing. It came from miles away but it was hard to miss its agony, its search for help.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," promised Carlisle, sharing a nod with Sam, and the wolves were quick to lift Jacob onto their shoulders, trying their best to hold him steady despite his sobs. Once they were gone, Carlisle turned his concerned stare over to where Finley had rejoined Jia and Bree. "The three of you should leave, too. I can't promise the Volturi will be merciful if they see we have spared you."

"Where will we go?" Finley asked before Jia could.

Carlisle and Esme exchanged a look.

"You are more than welcome at our home," said Esme at last. "Do you remember where it is?"

"Yes," Finley answered when Jia merely nodded. "Thank you, Esme."

"We'll meet you there soon, discuss things properly," Carlisle assured them just as Alice warned, "They're almost here!"

Jia didn't need telling twice. She was only somewhat familiar with the Cullen home but it was hard for her to forget the spot where her life ended when her heart could guide her there on instinct. It felt strange coming back, walking by the road like the faded police tape fluttering in the wind wasn't there because of her. Jia surged ahead, not wanting to linger in the silence, and she hoped Finley would do the same. His expression was blank but the sight of that tape seemed to rip him apart at the seams. He walked with his head bowed, looking up only when Bree hung back.

"We're almost there," Jia said, desperate to urge her along.

But Bree was shaking her head. "I can't. I'm sorry."

Jia stilled. "What?"

"Freedom, right?" she said, glancing back down the road behind them. "I don't know what it is yet, but I don't think I'm going to find it here. Not how I want it."

"Bree—"

"It's okay," she said, smiling when Finley frowned at her. "Promise."

Jia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Bree Tanner, the girl who clung to her like a second skin, wanted to go off on her own? Jia feared she'd never see her again, that Bree was way in over her head, but it wasn't her place to stop her.

"At least think about it first," she said instead, glancing down the road at the winding bend to where the Cullens driveway should be. "Come back to the Cullens. Maybe they'll know somewhere you can go."

"I know where I want to go," Bree insisted. "Fred's waiting for me. I know where he is."

"And if you run into trouble?"

"Then I know where you are."

But Jia, in all honesty, wasn't so sure freedom meant Forks for her either. She went through the motions of one last goodbye, clinging to the smaller girl like she was already a ghost, then stood and watched her disappear back the way they'd come — hopefully, she wouldn't run into any unwanted visitors along the way. Jia didn't think she'd ever see her again. It hurt, like a freshly scabbed over wound, just another for her to bury deep.

"Come on," it was Finley who made the first move. "Let's go."

And so three became two, in a future that had never seemed so uncertain.

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A/N: Okay so reminder that this is happening at the same time as Maggie's final chapters in Lotta Love 😁 Just so everyone's following along & it makes sense why I changed a few small details!