Memory Lapse

“You guys really don’t have to babysit me,” I insisted for the millionth time. Dad was out fishing for the weekend with Billy so Bella, Rosalie, Alice, Nessie, Leah, Emma, Blaike, and Erica were spending the time with me at our house. It was like the slumber party from hell that I did not want to be a part of.
“Yes, I do, actually,” Erica teased. She walked out of the kitchen with a big bowl of popcorn as Emma sorted through the stack of DVDs by the TV. Everyone was in flannel PJs with braided hair like from some stupid sitcom. I curled up tighter on the corner of the couch with my newest book.
“Let’s watch something funny,” Nessie demanded as she finished up Bella’s hair. She shot a devilish smile at me. “So does your hand still hurt from when you punched Daphney?”
I glanced down at my bandaged knuckles. “No. I’m good.”
My niece giggled. “That is badass that you just decked her in the nose! You’re, like, officially my hero!”
“Language,” my twin snapped at her daughter. Renesmee was a complete mixture of Bella and Alice and had my attitude.
“I’ll be right back,” I announced as Emma popped some romantic comedy into the DVD player. I went up to the bathroom and just stared at my reflection for a moment. I cheeks were sunken in more than before and my stomach was expanded like a balloon. My chocolate eyes were sad rather than having that hard edge they used to. Nessie had called me badass but I hadn’t been like that since Jacob followed me to Vegas? What happened to that bitchy girl? I missed her. Well, there was no time like now to get her back.
I woke up early the next day. Everyone but the three full vampires was still snoring away in the living room. I got up and threw on a pair of sweats, long sleeve shirt, and brown knee-high snow boots. I went out the door silently, lucky that no one stopped me. There was a fine sheet of powder on the ground so the crunching snow muffled my footfalls.
At some point I ended up at Coffee Hut. I went in, ordered a macchiato, and sat with my warm espresso. I was minding my own business when the seat across from me scrapped across the tile floor. I glanced up and my eyes instantly hardened.
“What?” I demanded.
The guy in front of me smirked and his green eyes blazed mischievously. My eyes slid over his leather jacket and down to the eight-pack etched on his shirt from his abs. Damn. “What? Not even a hello? I’ve missed you, Z.”
My fist wrapped around the hot coffee. “Don’t call me that.”
“I hear that you’re not with that kid from the res anymore. What happened? Did you realize that you’re too good for him?”
I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and sipped on my drink. “So what? You think that you’re good enough for me? News flash: you’re not that impressive.” I emphasized my point by burying my head in my new House of Night book.
“Then why were you checking me out?”
Crap. Well, there was one way to see if I was really back.

~ERICA’s POV
“Where did Lizzy go?” Emma asked when we were all awake.
“We saw her head out at like five this morning,” Alice announced. “She was in one of her ‘leave me alone’ moods so we just let her go. I’d thought she’d be back by now.”
“She’s fine,” I answered. “I think she just needed a little time alone. I know I’m supposed to watch her from Jane and the Volturri but she needs a minute to herself.”
Blaike bit her bottom lip and glanced wearily at the Cullen girls. “Well, this might be a good time to tell you guys something. When I got here last night I smelled something. It was a vampire but I couldn’t tell if it was one of yours or some stranger. But now that I’ve met you, I know it wasn’t you. It was bitter and kind of like cinnamon. I didn’t want to worry Liz, though.”
Bella scrunched up her forehead in deep thought and took a quick sniff of the air. “I don’t smell anything strange. Is it possible that whoever was here can mask their scent from us?”
“From all of us?” Rosalie asked
“Sure, why not. If they know Liz and know who we are, who’s to say it’s not possible? I mean, Victoria used to holes in Alice’s visions to get to me. Maybe someone else is blending their scent with ours.”
I frowned. Her thought had merit but then… “How was it that Blaike was able to pick it out?”
“She’s new here,” Leah said slowly. “Maybe they didn’t know to block against her.”
“Or it could be that I’m more sensitive to vampire scents at the moment. It’s been taking a lot of concentration to decipher between scents.”
“Look, I don’t think that we should tell her yet. One thing is for sure, though, whoever is doing this is someone that knows Forks well enough to know that she’s being protected. Lizzy’s right- someone is helping Jane. And we’re going to find out who.”