Don't Think They Know
By AnnieD134
It's been officially three days since Charlie died.
It wasn't good to dwell on the time afterward but, somehow, it made me feel better to count them. So, technically it'd only been two and a half days yet, I couldn't find it in me to feel sad for his actual demise; not after what he'd said. When I tried to help make things better, he shut me out; saying death was his last blessing.
How the hell was death a blessing?
I've never thought of death as a good thing-not in my eighteen years of life-but the moment I leave Charlie's home,with suitcases in each arm, I go back on my thoughts: Death would be better than what this town will suffer through in only a few short days. I could stay and help, but then I remember; I'm no longer obligated to help. My skipping-town would be the best, even for my deceased father who hates me even after death
Confused? Well, let me explain:
Charlie James Swan was, in the literal sense of the word , a witch. He was born and raised in the northwestern part of the United States A.K.A. Forks, Washington. His family protected the people in Washington from the remaining supernatural: Vampires, Werewolves, Spirits and, if need be, hybrids. From the time he turned sixteen, he helped protect the borderline; the stretch of land covered from Salem, Oregon to Victoria, Washington.
But everything changed when he met Renee Grace Jefferson.
Her family had moved to Washington after her grandfather died, so they would be living in their new inherited home. What had started out as a lustful flings for the two throughout the season morphed into love and romance; before long, she consumed his every thought. His father had thought the girl a distraction from his training, but his mother was opposed; after all he was the only child which meant he had to continue the bloodline. So, Charlie married Renee at the age of twenty two and, three years later, gave birth to me, Isabella Marie Swan.
After my birth, things went back to normal, Charlie continued protecting us and Renee stayed at home, teaching me how to read and write and play endless hours of the piano; just as her mother taught her. When I was four, Charlie taught me about witchcraft; claiming the early I started, the better at it I'd be. Renee'd argued that first night after with Charlie, she'd thought I wasn't ready to learn, but she knew until they convieved another child, it was best he continued teaching.
He quickly realized that I was a very fast learner; a child prodigy.
He'd been shocked when he first saw me reading spells, that were pages and years ahead of what he expected from me, as if it were nothing more than second nature. Charlie became facinated by this discovery and he quickly went about giving me new books, granting me materials needed for deadly spells; anything I needed to know to harm another supernatural being. Even after Renee had had another child, a boy named Seth Swan, he still kept his attention soley on me. Years went by and before long, I was keeping watch around our border; far past having already experienced my first kill. All the while, Seth was just learning what magic was at the tender age of five. At nine, I'd the belief that anything that wasn't witch or human, deserved death.
But somehow, one day changed that.
I'd been walking in a forest near the border, half a mile from Salem; checking for anything out of the ordinary. Charlie had insisted I search this place after a few hikers had spread the rumor of seeing 'Bigfoot' chasing a caribou. I thought it was ridiculous, but of course Charlie made me go see; better safe than sorry. After several countless hours of walking, I decided to call it quits and get back home. As I headed back, I stumbled apon a figure in the center of one the forest clearings. I quickly crouched down, ready to strike but crept around it, in case it was actually human. Judging from the gush of blood running down it's chin and the occasional moan and groan I could hear coming from it, It was obviously a vampire enjoying it's meal as if it were it's last. By this point, I was used to catching vampires in mid-hunt, so I hadn't been paying attention to it's victim. But when a smaller figure caught my eye, I actomatically turned to see it. What should've been a human corpse was something else, something that caught me completely off guard:
a bloodless deer carcass.
I stopped walking at the sudden discovery but accidently stepped on a broken branch. The vampire immediately stilled at the noise and I internally cursed myself for giving away my position. It was silent for a moment and just before I decide to creep closer for the kill, the vampire slowly turned around to face me.
And I can safely say, he is almost far too gorgeous to be real.
His copper hair stood on his head in piles, pointing wildy in every direction; his pale skin made the sunlight darken in comparison; his clothes were in perfect condition, something that surprised me since I didn't think his kind was capable of neatness. But, somehow, none of that held my attention.
His eyes did.
They were not the red irrises I'd cut into countless times before; they were amber globes with that glittered faintly in the late afternoon sun. I knew he was a vampire when I first saw him, but now I was suddenly doubtful. Where were his red eyes? Why was he eating an animal? Was this some trick from my father to see my approach of such a abnormal situtation?
The creature remained still and quiet as my inner monalogue rambled on, until a movement in the bushes to my left made him alert. I instantly froze.
Seth had followed just as I expected.
The boy was too curious for his own good. This wasn't the first time he'd followed me out here, but he'd never seemed to follow me on the days I'd find supernatural.
The creature stared at the unmoving bush for a moment before his eyes flickered back to me. I silently prayed Seth had the sense to leave as my inner monalogue continued it's rambling. Was he thinking of the multiple ways he could kill the insignificant little girl in front of him? Or maybe the little boy that was still an hour's walk away from any civilization; the only other threat in his way? I mentally slapped myself at the last thought. I'd done this dozens of times before, yet I find one different vampire and panic? 'No, I will not be weak,' I thought to myself.
He stood slowly and looked up at the darkening sky before he closed his eyes and smiled faintly.
"Children with no weapons or protection should 'nt wander off into a place like this,"
He opened his eyes and stared back at me; awaiting my reply. When I didn't, he frowned then shrugged. "It's dangerous to be around my kind at night, or do you not know what I am?"
His head tilted to the side as he watched me curiously. I stared back at him with no emotion before I realized something: he was standing here in daylight, but he wasn't burning. I looked up above his spot before I saw a large branch of an evergreen tree shading his person; along with a few extra feet of grass. He followed my line of sight to the tree and grinned in triumph. "The sun won't burn me, if that's what you were wondering," My eyes narrowed; I'd heard of some of his kind having extra gifts, and I hoped he wasn't a mind reader. "I can show you if you don't believe me," he explained quickly, mistaking my narrowed eyes for disbelief. He stepped out from under the shade and I shielded my eyes to keep from blinding myself.
His skin literally sparkled from the sun.
It was as if his body was made from dozens of tiny mirrors and diamonds; the opposing light threw rainbows back onto my approaching person.
Wait, my approaching person?
I looked around from where I stood, and sure enough, I'd moved closer to the creature. I was suddenly on red alert; he'd somehow made me move without making me even close to being aware. He'd been watching me watch him all this time, so the moment I tensed, he tilted his head to the side, curious at my reaction. He stepped back into the shade and I was, thankfully, able to concentrate. "See, told you so." He leaned carefully against the evergreen tree and crossed his ankles. "What's your name?"
My name?
He could be moments away from killing me yet, he wanted to know my name?
"Yes, it'd be nice to know at least one face from a crowd,"
Had I said that out loud?
He smiled before he stretched his hand toward me. "I'm Edward,"
I silently debated in my head whether this was okay, before I crossed the remaing two yards of space between us and took his hand; if he wanted me dead, he'd have done it already. His hand felt like ice-cold, especially in comparison to the warmer autumn air, yet it felt somewhat comforting; like a balm on a stinging burn. He shook my hand lightly before his towering figure bent to kiss the spot above my knuckles. I blushed slightly at the gesture-when the hell I became so comfortable around a vampire, I will never know- before he let my hand go. He stepped back to pick up the animal carcass before he turned back to me. "I'll be back another day but for now, I bid you goodnight," he smiled once before he headed the opposite way I'd come from. Just as he reached the end of the border, I spoke, this time intentionally.
"Bella,"
He turned his head my way, confusion sketched his features before he finally understood. He gave me a crooked smile as he continued walking.
"I'll be seeing you again, Bella."
And I did.
Every other afternoon of traveling along the border, I always found him leaning against the same evergreen tree, talking to me until the moon glowed bright in the night sky. He'd tell about his 75 years of eternity, and how he was changed when he was 17; his sire had abbanded him long before he'd awoken. I told him about Seth, Charlie, Renee; and, after getting comfortable enough, I finally told him of my witch ancestry. And at some point in time seeing him there in the same clearing every other day somehow turned into everyday. Years went by and before I noticed it, I'd spent every occasion with Edward: birthdays, fourth of July, Halloween-which was probably the most fun- and even Christmas. Charlie was suspicious as to why I only spent my time in the forest, but when Seth insisted on coming with me, he instantly let it go. I don't know why but when I first took Seth to meet Edward, I envisioned it to be somewhat chaotic, when in fact, Seth looked up to Edward almost right away. After that day, it was all three of us together; which got weird when puberty was slapping me in the face and somehow Edward's face was stuck in my head. It only made Seth angry whenever he caught me staring at the guy, effectivaly making our hangouts more...awkward. Things got better after Seth hit puberty, making him less focused on Edward and I; and more on some crush he had in middle school.
It was on my seventeenth birthday, that I'd finally gotten my first car. When I'd told Edward, he dragged me all the way home to take it for a joyride. We drove to the local ice rink to ice skate, something he was good at and I wasn't. I'd slipped on the ice more times than I could count before he finally took pity and caught me before I fell. "You know if you wanted me to hold you, you could've just asked." My jaw dropped in mock shock, causing him to laugh and me to elbow him in the ribs. When I tried pulling my elbow back, he grasped it in his hand and pulled me back. "You know I mean that, right?" His eyes glittered as he looked at me the same way he always did, but this time, with more depth. "If you ever need me, I'm here." He opened his arms wide to emphasize his point. I stared back him for a moment; of course I knew I could always depend on him, but why was he so emotional all of a sudden? I briefly considered asking where his man-card ran away to, but the emotion in his expression broke me.
"I know, Edward."
His crooked smile appeared, making his overall stance more relaxed. I didn't realize how close we stood together until now. His face was half a foot from mine.
"Bella-"
"Seattle Ice Rinks' is now closed, please began making your exit, and have a pleasant evening." a nasily voice rang out through the old-fashioned speakers, echoeing through the cold air, and ending our peaceful moment. I cleared my throat softly; his eyes snapped to me and my try for attention. "C'mon, it's getting kind of late; my dad might be looking for me," he nodded and together we left the rink only to find parking lot being attacked by bullets of rain. My face must have revealed the horror I felt because he chuckled under his breath before I threw a quick glare in his direction. I took a deep breath in anticipation and right as I was about to take a step into the rain, I felt his arm wrap around my waist. I stifled a gasp at the sudden ice-cold contact; it lasted for a second before warmth took over where his arm lye. I could feel the blush brush across my face as he wrapped his arm around me; the warmth from around my waist traveling up my body and to my shoulders. I didn't know what was with the spur-of-the-moment touching, but somehow I was'nt all that bothered. "Your father might understand if you spent tonight with someone, with all this rain, it's probably not...safe...to be caught in it." his breath slid across my ear and past my cheek, making me shiver slightly. "See? It's too cold and you live too far away; it's best if we stay in my home." His home? I tilted my head toward him to see those gold eyes staring back at me. I stared back into his eyes for a moment, watching them slightly smoldering in the cloudy light...and I had my answer. "Yeah, maybe I c-can call him, tell 'em I'm...spending the night at a friend's," his lips lifted up the slightest bit at my small stutter. "Alright, " his arms slid off my body slowly, "I'll go warm up the car for you." He stepped into the rain, walking casually to the car as I tried to catch my breath.
What the hell was wrong with me?' the thought roamed around my head as I made my way to passenger side of my car. Why was I acting this way, granted I had had a crush on Edward for years, I thought I had outgrown it. Was it coming back? Was I losing my mind or was I not the only one who could feel the intense aura in the air whenever I was near him? Surely, he could feel it too, that would explain the reason his eyes smoldered everytime he looked at me. Was it a crush trying to nurture into more or was it just me overthinking things? My mind trembled at these thoughts and, unintentionally, my body shook along with it. Of course, Edward saw it. "Bella, are you still cold?" His ice-cold hands, which were covered in gloves, wrapped around my face and made me look at him. For the fifth time that day, I realized how uterly gorgeous he was.
With those long curly eyelashes,
"Bella."
that unruly but soft copper hair,
"Bella?"
and those plumb cherry-colored lips.
"Bella!"
Startled out of my daydreaming, my eyes reopened to see Edward staring at me with deep concern and faint amusement. Rose petals blushed across my pale cheeks as I realized I had openly stared at him. "Sorry,"my apology leaked with shame; his lip twitched slightly as he watched the last of my blush fade away. A lone finger slid across my jaw, to my chin, and then my lips. I fought the urge to let my lips tremble as his finger swiped back and forth across my bottom lip twice before stopping. My eyes had unintentionally closed again, so when he stopped moving, my eyes opened to see those golden globes staring back at me. I took a small breath in astonishment and his lips were on mine.
They were soft.
All these years of touching his arms and feeling his embrace had prepared me to feel something close to marble or steel on my lips, but I wasn't prepared for this. They were the softest kind of roses, they were something close to celestial against my lips. One kiss turned into two, then three until it felt like an eternity had passed by. They wrapped themselves around mine until I felt warm, protected, safe. The feverish way Edward kissed slowed down as moments went by until eventually after I'd forgotten my own name, he stopped and pulled away so slowly I thought he was still there. He looked me with a mixture of relief and lust.
I had no idea how I looked back at him.
All I could feel was...amazed. Amazed, that I, Bella Swan, had kissed a vampire. Amazed that a vampire had kissed me. Amazed that I had liked it. Maybe that was what was written on my face because he smiled before leaning toward me again.
That night was perhaps the best I'd ever experienced.
I'd confessed my love for Edward and his for me.
He kissed every surface of my body.
I kissed every surface of his body.
We made love in the purest form...
"Bella,"
I looked up to see Edward staring down at me with a smile, my husband holding onto the handles of my suitcases along with me. I let them both go and he put them down behind his feet before embracing me. "I'm sorry...about Charlie." The mere mention of his name crumbled my resolve and I stood there bawling like a child. Three months after that night, we ran away to elope in Paris, knowing noone would allow a witch and a vampire to be happy together. Seth came with us as a witness and it made that day the next best of my life. Two weeks later, a nomad passing through caught us both off guard and bit me. Edward had killed the vampire,but by then it was too late; the venom had already made it's way into my bloodstream. Noone had ever heard of a witch becoming a vampire, which made the likelyhood of my survival that more slight.
But I survived.
Two days of blistering fire and agony while my husband held my hand and I was a vampire. The first year was bareable; though I was new to the lifestyle, I was able to control my thirst and still have Seth in my life. But after three years I became miserable without the rest of my family. Edward saw my pain and drove me back to Forks to see my mother and father. But when I came back, I wish I hadn't.
The look of utter horror and hatred from my own father etched itself into my very core.
He hated me, for marrying the enemy, for bringing Seth along with me to witness such an 'abomination' and worst of all, for becoming the very thing I used to slaughter. He took one glance at my golden eyes and pale skin and looked ready to puke at what he saw. He'd called me the worst kind of traitor and I watched as my mother said nothing to defend me. All I saw in her face was grief for losing a daughter. I left afterward, right into Edward's arms to cry tearless sobs.
I didn't know until after that day the horrors of what my father did next.
Renee and Charlie argued over Seth's well-being; Renee thought it best for him to come back home, and Charlie thought Seth as a trader for doing nothing to stop the wedding and deemed him banished from coming back ever again.
He stabbed my mother in her heart.
He put a pistol to his mouth and pulled the trigger.
I found out two days later and left immediately to be here, home in Forks. A note was taped to my bedroom door:
Isabella,
I never wrote this note to apologize for my allegations; you know well enough to never apologize to the enemy. I wrote this only to tell you to take care of Seth. The boy is only a child and even though you will most likely change him into the disgusting being you've become, I trust that you will keep him from killing anything with a heartbeat. By the time, you've read this, your mother and I will have already left this earth, which means that there is none left to protect Forks. Don't concern yourself with our deaths, they are a blessing in comparison to what this town will suffer through within the next two days.
Charlie
I felt disgusted that Charlie really believed I was nothing to him after all this time. I felt shame for disapointing him, but most of all I felt hurt.
They would've perferred my death to the walking blood-sucking monster that was their daughter.
I sobbed heavily in Edward's arms for what felt like years before I finally calmed down. After all, I wasn't saddenned by their deaths, more by how they chose to die. Edward watched my face as I managed to finally myself back together. "Are you ready to go, love?" I nodded slowly and he bend down slightly pick up the suitcases before leading me outside. Half down the driveway, I stopped and turned around to face the house. Edward's steps faltered behind me but I shook my head. "Just give me a second." I whispered since he could still hear me from ten yards away. I reached into my backpocket, fumbling slightly, before finding what I was looking for. I could feel Edward's gaze on my figure as I lit my last match and tossed it onto the front porch. The flames licked the surface of the house quickly thanks to the gasoline I'd poured over it earlier. Edward's hand slid delicately in mine as we watched the flames grow larger and travel into the house and I smiled at him in gratitude for let me make this decision. "Are you sure that was a good idea, love? What if you decide you want to come back here someday?" His smooth velvet voice drifted silently through the air and my face broke out into the biggest smile. We pretended the dead bodies of my parents weren't still in the house as I answered:
"I won't."
