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SKIN & BONES
xii. PRE-BATTLE BONFIRE

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RORY SWAN STOOD ALONGSIDE her fellow vampires as Edward attempted to plan out what they should expect. "Jane and Alec will try to take me out first because I can anticipate their moves," Edward explained. "Then, they'll go for Rory. She and I are their greatest threat."

"Too bad we don't all have your shield," mentioned Garett, glancing over at Bella.

"Doesn't help me fight, though," Bella said, causing Rory to pinch the bridge of her nose. You'd think dying and becoming a vampire would make Bella a little smarter.

Rory furrowed her eyebrows together. "B, have you ever heard of defense? Your power's helpful. The real problem is that you can barely throw a proper punch."

Meanwhile, Tanya explained, "Maybe you could help the rest of us if you could project it."

"Is that possible?"

"Gifts can be developed," Carlisle answered, nodding his head, "but over time."

Rory nodded. "He's right. I've been training for months and now I can basically manipulate anything with a bit of effort," she admitted. "I could try manipulating Bella's shield myself, but it wouldn't be as powerful. She's gotta figure out how to expand it herself."

Kate nodded from beside Rory. "At first it was just in my palms. Now, I can radiate it all over my body." Her hands sparked with electricity again before vanishing again.

"How do you do it?" demanded Bella. Kate and Rory exchanged glances. "Tell me!" She reached out and took Kate's hand, gripping it tightly.

"Ow."

○ ○ ○

"This is Jasper Hale—"

Rory sighed, shoving Bella's cellphone back into her pocket. After destroying her last one, she was still insistent on attempting to contact her mate, even if that meant failing again and again and again.

While Bella was left to train with Kate, Rory was in charge of babysitting Renesmee, for everyone was positive that Rory would just distract Bella. She was offended for a moment, but understood. Besides, they had already promised that Rory would get her fun with Bella eventually.

The funny thing about Bella's shield was that it typically blocked any manipulative powers that could play tricks on her brain, such as Jane's, Kate's, and Edward's. However, more physical or realistic ones, such as Rory's ability to mend her sister's bones seemed to work just fine.

Rory sat at the piano in Bella and Edward's small cottage. Her fingers brushed the keys. She hadn't played since she was young, yet she still remembered every note as though they were written on the back of her hand. She pressed down on the keys, singing a short song to herself, "One day I told my friend I was terribly blue. Was it far too late to do what I dreamed I could do? He thought for a moment, then he answered. He said, 'The rules don't apply to you.' He said it very simply, and quietly, too. But as if there wasn't any doubt at all that he knew, he gave me a gift that I would treasure. He said, 'The rules don't apply to you.'"

"Aunt Rory?"

"Jesus, fuck!" Rory shouted in surprise, spinning around to see Renesmee standing by the entrance of the living room. She cleared her throat. "Uh, don't repeat that word."

Renesmee didn't seem to care though. With her lower lip jutted out, Renesmee yawned and mumbled, "Can't sleep."

Rory smiled at the sleepy girl. She stood up and lifted Renesmee like she was a feather. "Alright, let's get you tucked in."

Continuing to hum the song she had been singing, Rory tucked her niece into bed.

"Aunt Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"Was that song about Uncle Jasper?" she wondered innocently.

Rory smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it was." She paused. "Well, I mean, I didn't write it or anything, but... to me, it was."

"Do you miss him?"

"All the time," Rory easily admitted.

Renesmee stared up at Rory through her big eyes. "Did Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice leave because we're gonna die?" Renesmee asked.

Rory's eyebrows shot upward at her niece's bluntness. Jesus, was she already turning into a mini-Rory? After all, Renesmee seemed rather attached to her two protectors (other than her parents, of course), and Jacob and Rory weren't exactly the sweetest, kindest people.

"We're already dead, silly," Rory reminded her. "The only people you should be worried about are your parents. When they find that you're not asleep, they'll beat me with a shoe."

Renesmee tilted her head to the side, her long eyelashes brushing the tops of her cheeks. "I thought you were the strongest one in the family?" she wondered with a quiet voice. "That's what Daddy says."

Rory was caught off-guard. She hadn't expected Edward, of all people, to talk so highly about her to Renesmee. Rory nodded. "I am," she insisted, "but never underestimate a mother's ability to hit you with a shoe. It's very traumatizing, you know."

Renesmee giggled at this, humming Rory's love song to Jasper until she was fast asleep.

Rory smiled at the slumbering child. She sauntered forward to the window, looking out to see if she could spot her sister and the others from the cottage. However, her smile faltered as she noticed the white snow falling from the sky. It wasn't the snowflakes themselves, but rather, what they were doing.

The snow was beginning to stick to the ground.

That evening, the vampires of Forks, Washington gathered around. Jacob Black placed an armful of lumber recklessly onto the ground. Benjamin lifted his hand, tiny flames dancing on the tips of his fingers. Rory mimicked this action. The two locked eyes, nodding. They blew gently on the fire in their hands, allowing the flames to collide and land on the lumber, creating a small campfire.

Jacob grinned. "That's what I'm talkin' about," he cheered casually. "A little pre-battle bonfire... Telling war stories." Jacob paused, sitting down beside Benjamin and looking at the others. "Or standing there like frickin' statues."

Garett suddenly appeared at the site. "Name any American battle. I was there," he insisted.

Jacob looked over at Rory, who just shrugged. Then, Jacob looked back at Garett. "Little Bighorn."

"I came this close to biting Custer, but the Indians got him first," Garett casually reminisced.

"Try Oleg's assault on Constantinople," Kate arrogantly challenged. "He didn't win that one on his own."

"If you're talking battles, you're talking the Eleven Years's War," an Irish vampire, Liam said. "No one does rebellion like the Irish."

"According to my fat history teacher, Mr. Prawns, I'm pretty sure you guys lost," Rory pointed out.

Liam nodded. "Aye, but it was one hell of a rebellion."

Rory's laughter filled the night sky alongside the snowflakes that hadn't ceased its falling. "Excuse me," she said as they continued to share old war stories. She rose from her spot on the log. "I have to make a call."

"Aw, darling, don't be too long," pouted Stella. "I was about to tell one of my favorites."

"Oh, the one with the bull?" Rory teased. Stella nodded eagerly. She laughed. "I'll be quick, I promise."

Rory, then, took off a few feet away from where everyone sat. She pulled out Bella's phone from her pocket again. It seemed that Rory had a bad habit of forgetting to take it out of her pocket. She proceeded to punch in a number she knew by heart, only to be stopped by someone placing their hand on Rory's shoulder.

The brunette spun around instantly, about to say something about how she was just making a phone call, but her eyes widened to the point where they were going to pop out of her head upon seeing the golden-haired man in front of her.

"Jazz!?" Rory whisper-yelled. "What!? Where the hell—?"

"Darling, I can explain everything," he said in a whisper. Alice emerged from the trees directly behind him. "I just need you to do something for me. Can you do that?"

"Depends," she grumbled, holding his hand closely to her body. "What is it?" When Alice and Jasper quickly explained their idea, Rory blinked furiously. "What!? Are you insane? Do you think I know how to do that?"

"You're a Manipulator!" Alice urged. She looked at Jasper. "I told you this wouldn't work."

"No, trust me," Jasper insisted. He looked back at his mate. "I know I haven't been answering your calls and I apologize deeply for that, but for now, I need you to understand that we've been gathering witnesses of our own. But if things come to the worst, we need you to manipulate Alice's vision."

Rory looked between Jasper and Alice. "How are you so sure that I know how to do something like that?" she asked.

"We're not," admitted Alice. "In my vision of the future, everything turns out perfectly fine, but if Aro tries to read my thoughts, he'll go directly to the visions I've had about the confrontation between us and them. When he does, I need you to manipulate my vision into something that'll scare him. That should do the trick and allow him to back off."

Rory looked back at her mate. "This is insane," she told him.

"Even for you?" Jasper softly wondered.

"Even for me," admitted Rory. Her thoughts were going through her brain at a few million miles an hour. "I mean... I can try, but how will we know if it worked?"

Alice smiled deviously at Rory. "Trust me, you'll know."

Jasper reached up and touched his mate's hair. "Did you cut your hair?" he randomly asked. "It's shorter than I remember." Rory's hand went to her hair. It had been cut to her shoulders spontaneously not too long ago. "I like it."

"As much as I love you two, Jazz, we have to go," Alice told him urgently.

Rory squeezed Jasper's hand. "Promise me you'll be back."

Jasper leaned forward and kissed her lightly. "I'm afraid you'll never get rid of me, ma'am."

- - -

a/n.

oooooooo boy the battle is COMING!! were yall expecting that little twist at the end of the chapter? i told you guys rory's abilities were significant!! since the battle scene in the movie didn't go with the book, i decided to add my own twist on it just for fun.

also wow thank you guys so much for 100k reads wtffff!! that's insane!! your support means the world to me and i'm so glad this book is receiving the attention it has gotten :)

rory's love song to jasper was the song i used in the trailer i made for this book! check it out :)

Revised: January 8th, 2020