CHAPTER TWENTY:
FIRST TO DIE

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MAE COOPER WAS NOTHING if not determined (stubborn) even at the best of times. When combined with other determined (stubborn) people — take Paul Lahote and Jared Cameron as an example —  everything was bound to go to shit. Really, Embry should've remembered this before leaving her alone with them, even if it was for only an hour.

That would certainly explain why Mae thought it was a genius idea to adopt a dog from a rescue shelter — of course, under her father's name, for who in their right mind would let the three Stooges — that being Mae, Paul and Jared — adopt a labrador with no jobs and a barely-there school record to showcase their trustworthiness. It was safe to say that Embry was stunned beyond belief when he returned to Sam's place, only to be greeted by a labrador on a sparkly pink leash. A leash that his girlfriend was holding for dear life while Paul and Jared hovered on either side of her like bodyguards.

"Oh, Mae. You didn't."

"What?" she smiled up at him. She knew Embry couldn't resist her smile. "I didn't even say anything."

"You didn't have to," he grumbled, shooting a glare down at the dog that was sniffing around his feet. He backed up a step and frowned when the dog whined at him. "Your new pet said enough for you."

"Oh, come on," she sighed and leant down to cradle Spot's face in her hands. Yes, she had called him Spot. And she loved it. It didn't matter what Paul or Jared thought. Spot suited him. She'd known it from the moment they walked into the shelter. "How was I meant to say no to this adorable face?"

"Easy," Embry muttered, trying his best to stay unamused when Jake and Quil made their way outside and immediately started gushing over the animal. "Seriously? Come on, guys. Not you too."

"What?" Jake shrugged, earning a fist bump and a pointed look from Mae when he added, "It's just a dog. Plenty of people own dogs."

"Right? And at least I have company for when you're out patrolling."

Which, nowadays, was every waking moment he wasn't at school or in trouble with his mum — Tiffany Call, a viper of a woman who Mae was terrified to meet. What if Tiffany hated her? Or worse, blamed her for her son's sudden 'rebellious phase.' Mae did have the trouble-making vibe, as much as it pained her to admit it. Her ex-girlfriend's mother had hated her for it. Not that Mae cared much back then but this was different.

And also not the point.

It wasn't Tiffany she had to be worried about when it came to Spot. She'd already tackled Embry, who worried enough as it was about protecting her let alone something else Mae had grown attached to. All that remained now was James, who Mae believed she would be able to sway — that is, if she left out the fraudulent lengths she took to get Spot in their possession. The real battle would be Kira who, for as long as Mae could remember, had always hated dogs.

I'm allergic, she would argue whenever Mae and Lina used to bug her about it.

Secretly, Mae believed Kira Song was just a cat person living in a house of dog people. Which, at the end of the day, only served as reassurance for Mae. At the very least, her fight with Kira would be outnumbered, and very much in her and Spot's favour.

(Spoiler alert, that was not the case.)

By sunset, Mae was grounded and Kira was at her wit's end. James, as suspected, had immediately come around to the idea when Spot bounded into the living room with his tongue out and his tail wagging a mile a minute. Even Lina had seemed enamoured with him upon first glance, as fleeting as her reaction was when she came and went from the Cullen house.

According to Jacob — who had complained about it the whole morning before Mae, Paul and Jared decided they couldn't take it anymore and had to flee the house — the Cullens were throwing a party. With the Forks seniors graduating that morning, and the La Push kids lining up to do the same the following week, the teens of Forks and surrounds had called for a celebration, and for some strange reason, Forks' most elusive family to date had taken it upon themselves to act as the hosts. Mae didn't like to give it much thought, really. A bunch of humans crammed into a house full of vampires... sounded like a recipe for disaster.

But again, this wasn't the point. As Mae had predicted, James came around, then Lina, but not Kira. Mae's beloved step-mum had taken one look at the dog and started coughing up a storm, which made Mae panic for a hot minute because what if she really was allergic to dogs and Mae and Lina had just never believed her? But Mae overheard James and Kira discussing it later on, and she was in fact right. Kira just hated dogs and was too stubborn to admit it.

And now Mae was grounded.

Only for the night — which Mae really didn't mind, since she wasn't all that fussed on the Cullens party to begin with — but according to her dad, it was the only way he could convince Kira that Spot was there to stay. Kira still believed Mae was getting on great with Emmett and Rosalie, so what better punishment than to deprive her of their company? Something about compromising and teaching Mae important life's lessons. In all honesty, Mae had just nodded along until James left to take Kira out for what he called the 'apology dinner.'

It was all very dramatic, with Spot sitting on the floor none the wiser to the chaos he'd created. Mae adored him already.

Kira and James left not long after the sun started to set. They warned Mae away from the television, informed her that there was leftover pizza in the fridge, and departed for Port Angeles with the promise of being home at 10pm. The second Mae heard the car disappear from the driveway, she made her way towards the living room where Marty McFly and Back to the Future were calling her name. She didn't make it very far before a knock sounded on her bedroom window, and Mae jumped sky-high from the shock of it.

She knew almost immediately who it would be.

Alas, waiting on the other side of her curtains was Embry. He stood between a grinning Jake and Quil. Embry winced at the expression on Mae's face but the others seemed oblivious, their smiles only fading into confused frowns when she furiously began to shake her head.

"No, no, no, no, no."

"But—"

"Not happening," she insisted, shuddering at just the thought of stepping foot in the Cullen Crypt. She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head again for good measure. "No way."

Twenty minutes later, Mae had left Spot sleeping on the couch (Kira would never know if Mae had anything to say about it) and was facing death with a smile on her face. Not. She grumbled the entire way, cursing out Jake and Quil, who seemed immune to her frustration, and even more so at Embry, who smirked in a revenge really is sweet kind-of-way that Mae hated to admit was attractive on him.

The Cullen Crypt loomed ominously before them with the oblivious teenagers of Forks milling about in the front yard. Music pumped through the open door, some oldies and some of the latest hits which lured them inside to where a large table of snacks and drinks waited in the living room. Someone had clearly spiked the punch, for the dancing Mae was witnessing was absolutely atrocious. It momentarily distracted her from the thought of impending doom, and then Mae ran right into Bella Swan.

"Jesus christ," she coughed and sputtered as the air was knocked out of her lungs.

"Oh, my god, I'm so sorry—" Bella hurried to apologise, her face bright pink with embarrassment, when she recognised Mae and paused. "Wait... Mae? What are you...?"

It was then that she spotted the three boys behind Mae. More specifically, she spotted Jacob.

A hesitant smile tugged at her lips. She redirected her question to him.

"What're you doing here?"

"You invited me, remember?"

Bella scoffed. "Was my right hook too subtle for you?"

Mae frowned, unsure what she was missing, but both of them had seemingly forgotten that anyone else existed in the room — no, in the whole house. Mae was forced to sit through the total gag-fest while Embry and Quil scoured the room cautiously. Probably keeping an eye out for the Cullens. Not that Mae could see any of them. What shitty hosts.

She spotted Lina in the corner talking to a redheaded boy — Mae vaguely recognised him though she couldn't put a name to his face - but for once, Emmett and Rose weren't hovering around her like a bad smell.

In the middle of the dance floor, she caught sight of a girl dancing on her own, a red cup tipping in her hand until the contents were threatening to spill across the Cullen's pristine white carpet. Mae had never seen her before but Quil seemed to recognise her because a scowl settled across his face.

"Old friend?" she leaned in to ask while Bella and Jacob chatted away.

Embry followed their gaze and burst into laughter.

"That's Jia," he said through shuddering breaths. Just the name worsened Quil's mood. His arms folded across his chest, reminding Mae of a pouting toddler. "Quil had a crush on her in elementary school."

"Shut up," Quil hissed. "I did not."

"They even got married in the sandbox when Quil was five and she was seven."

"And then she threw sand in my eyes!"

Mae snorted. "I love her already. Why haven't I met her before?"

"She lives in California last I heard. Goes to some fancy music school," Embry explained when Quil stubbornly refused to say anything. He was still watching Jia dance. She'd started singing along to the song playing, her voice loud enough to rival the music. "I didn't know she was back. Did you, Quil?"

Quil rounded on him, huffing as if to say does it look like I knew? Embry grinned and patted him on the shoulder.

"You should say hi."

"No way."

Snickering, Mae remarked, "Oh, I think you should."

But Quil shook his head. "Not happening. If Jia doesn't kill me, Collin would."

"Who's Collin?" Mae scrunched up her nose at the unfamiliar name.

Embry and Quil both gaped at her. "Collin?" Embry said, as if repeating the name would do anything to jog her memory. "He's the new kid. Phased last week."

Oh. Mae hadn't really taken much notice of him. If her memory was accurate, he was only, like, thirteen. Even younger than Seth, and Seth was a baby in Mae's eyes. This Collin boy was practically an infant. No wonder Mae had never heard of him let alone his cool, mysterious sister who lived in California and drunkenly danced like no one else was in the room.

When the trio turned back to look at Jia, the redheaded boy who'd been in the corner with Lina had approached her and they were chatting in the crowd of drunken bodies. Quil's face faltered, and Mae smirked. So much for hatred. "Damn, looks like she's got a boyfriend."

"I've never seen him before..." Quil trailed off curiously.

Mae shrugged. "Must be Californian. Looks a bit pale, though. He probably burns in the sun."

Embry chuckled and kissed her cheek, amused by Quil as he regarded her with a confused, "Are you drunk?"

Mae's face dropped. She punched his shoulder, to which he exclaimed ow! although both of them knew it hadn't hurt one bit. She rolled her eyes. "Oh, toughen up and go get your wife, Ateara. She's right—"

But Jia and her friend were gone.

Mae shrugged and turned away obviously.

Just in time for Bella's shoulder to smack against hers as she shoved past her to get to the staircase. Alice Cullen stood at the top of it, her golden eyes dazed.

"The decision's been made," Alice said in her bell-like tone. She sounded... afraid. Mae had never pictured the Cullens as people who were easily scared. The whole interaction unnerved her and the boys.

Jacob marched over to hover at Bella's side. "What's going on?"

Bella hesitated, clearly unsure if she should involve him, but in the end she turned to Alice and said, "You're not going to Seattle."

Alice shook her head. "No. They're coming here."

"Who?" Jacob demanded, growing annoyed when neither of them answered. He rounded on Bella. "Bella, who?"

Bella sighed. "We shouldn't discuss this here."

Which was how Mae found herself in the upstairs section of the Cullen Crypt. She was yet to see any coffins, but remained wary as she stuck close to Embry's side. It was the three wolves and Mae in a room with Carlisle, Alice, Jasper, Edward and Bella. Lina made an appearance at the last second, closing the door carefully behind her. Neither Emmett or Rose were there. Nor was the matriarch, Esme.

"They'll be here in four days," Alice said as Lina came to stand beside her.

"This could turn into a bloodbath," Carlisle murmured, more to himself than anything, though everyone heard it.

"Who will be here?" Mae frowned, beginning to feel like an owl the more she and the boys said it.

Who was coming in four days?

Why did it concern the Cullens?

Only glancing at Mae, Edward turned to Alice. "Who's behind it?"

"I didn't see anyone I recognised," she sighed, but then she hesitated. "Well, maybe one."

Looking into her mind, Edward frowned. "I know his face. He's a local. Riley Biers. He didn't start this."

"Whoever did is staying out of the action."

They were quiet for a moment, contemplative. Mae bristled at the silence strangling the room. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute in her chest. She was sure the Cullens could hear it.

"They must be playing with the blind spots in your vision," Carlisle told Alice.

It was way too much for Mae to understand.

She couldn't comprehend how Lina fit in so effortlessly in this... whole other world.

"Either way," Jasper said. "The army's coming and there aren't enough of us to protect the town."

"Hold up. What damn army?"

"Newborns," Carlisle answered Jacob, unphased by his display of anger. "Our kind."

"What are they after?" Embry asked. Mae tightened her grip on his hand.

Refusing to look at Edward now, Alice admitted, "They were passing around Bella's scent... and Maggie Sullivan's..."

Well, fuck.

Now this had to involve the pack.

Paul wouldn't stand for it otherwise.

"Okay, what the hell does this mean?"

"Is Maggie in trouble?" Mae echoed after Jacob.

The thought of her friend being at risk was enough to push through the anxious slam of her heart against her ribcage. They needed answers, more than the Cullens were willing to give.

"It means an ugly fight," Carlisle warned. "With lives lost."

Three pairs of eyes turned to Jacob. He nodded.

"Alright. We're in."

Mae's grip was relentless on Embry's hand. If she let go, she was sure he'd disappear right before her eyes. He frowned down at her in dismay, but she knew he had to do this.

For Maggie.

Bella vehemently voiced her protests, but it had already been decided.

When this army came, the pack would be there beside the Cullens, ready to fight with them.

Even if it meant that some of them were lost along the way.

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A/N: I made this to set the scene. It's shit but I love my babies and I'm back on my Twilight bullshit so expect more from where this came from! Also, don't mind the Jia mentions. She (and the redhead boy) are characters you'll see a lot more of later on in this series. For now, it's just Maggie and Mae.