1. Back to Forks
We returned, back to Forks, after the insisting of both Bella and Nessie, who were both born in Forks. Bella is my wife, Bella Cullen, and Nessie is my half-human, half-vampire daughter with Bella, Renesmee Cullen. Almost a hundred years ago, I met Bella at Forks High and we soon fell in love, then got married and had a child. Nothing has changed during the century we were gone, except that everyone we knew was dead and gone. Even though everyone feels sad that the people they knew were gone, I cannot help being happy, because Mike Newton can no longer irritate me with his less that polite thoughts about Bella and I would have one less competitor in high school. Nessie will be studying in Forks High with the rest of us, something she is very excited about because the last time she was here, it had been when she was three or, technically, the size of a three-year-old.
The house was still there, filled with dust. We had a competition where we would clean each of our rooms without using any of our enhanced senses and Jasper and Emmett betted against Alice, who won when Bella was first; she had to clean our little cottage in the forest. I have no idea why Jasper and Emmett would do that when Alice can see the future and lost Emmett's Jeep and Jasper's guitar to Alice.
Carlisle got another job at the hospital and Esme stayed at home to make Nessie breakfast and dinner. We all enrolled into Forks High and Nessie followed, after Bella demanded that she comes to Forks High with us because I still would not let our daughter be in touch with humans because I was 'over-bearing'.
The first day of school was the usual, but Nessie was squealing like a five-year-old and we had a hard time reining her in. Her curiousity about everything was annoying. I wonder where her insatiable thirst came from.
Rosalie, Alice, Emmett and Jasper went in first, then came out with a stunned looks on their faces. I was instantly alert, but Jasper made me calm down with his gift.
"What's wrong?" I asked. The others were blocking me with disgusting thoughts in their mind, something that Nessie taught them.
"You'll understand when you see it," Alice replied. I growled, then walked in, with Bella and Nessie on my sides. As soon as I saw who was at the counter, I froze in shock and stared at the girl standing at the the counter, chatting with a blonde in her thirties who was manning the table. She was a feminine form of...me.
Her hair had the same strange shade of bronze as mine, her eyes a startling shade of green, like liquid emeralds, just like those in the memories Carlisle had of me in human form, and angular facial features that was almost like a vampire's. She had faintly flushed cheeks, but only prominent to vampires, and her heart was beating, but the wet sound of her heartbeat did not appeal to any of us, like as if it was...normal. We were too mich alike to have no blood relationship. I heard Bella and Nessie respond as I did and distracted myself with their thoughts.
Is she related to you, Edward? Bella asked. Did anyone in your family survive the influenza outbreak?
Daddy, is she some sister that you didn't tell me about? Nessie asked.
"I do not remember any and she is no sister of yours, Nessie," I replied softly. Which was not soft enough because the feminine form of me suddenly spun around and looked at us with my human green eyes that were perfectly copied onto her soft, brimming with life, face. The blonde she was talking to followed where her eyes were looking and saw us, then her heart did a double thump and I heard her chant Too young, too young... in her mind. Wrong, I was old enough to be your great grandfather.
"Amber, I'll talk to you later," the blonde whispered, then turned to us. Amber moved away from the counter, slipped past us and went out the door. I caught a thought of anger as she went past me."You must be the other Cullens," the blonde said in a louder voice. She passed us our schedules and maps of the school. "I'm Miss. Lance."
"Miss. Lance," I called. "Who was that girl who went out?"
"She's Amber Estelle, although she prefers people to call her by her first name instead of Amber, and she is suppose to be your guide around the school. She's a very odd kid, but keeps to herself and gives no trouble," she replied.
"Is she from here?" I asked.
"No," Miss. Lance replied. "She came here last year from Illinois, Chicago. I don't know why she would rather come here than skip a few grades to get to Dartmouth." I froze again. Chicago? She came from Chicago too? "She's due to be married in two years' time to someone very rich." What the heck? She's even going to get married after high school graduation?
"Miss. Lance, Amber seems angry as she went past us," Nessie said. "Why is she so angry?"
"She didn't volunteer to be your guide," Miss. Lance replied. "She was forced to, because we found out that she called one of the girls in her gym class a bitch and another a slut." Although they both deserve those names...
"Then what about her engagement?" Bella asked, curious.
"We learned about it almost as soon as she started school. It's really too obvious, you see. She wears her engagement ring on a white gold necklace. It's really very beautiful. Tiffany's. Out before it had hit the stores," She replied. "She's so lucky. Her boyfriend's so rich." I saw the image of the engagement ring in her thoughts and it was indeed as she said. Beautiful. Twin swans, with a diamond at the center.
As soon as we were out, Jasper and the others bombarded me with loud, jarring thoughts.
She just came out. Jasper noted quietly. At least, quieter than the others'.
Did you see her, Edward? She's like a female duplicate of you! Alice squealed and showed me a rerun of Jasper's face turning from boredom to absolute shock.
She even has your temper, Edward. She was arguing with Miss. Lance when we went in. Rosalie ? Even my temper?
She is sure hot, Edward. I didn't think anyone with your looks would be considered pretty, but she carries them well. Her full name is Amber Clarissa Estelle, a freshman like us.Emmett commented, staring at Amber, who was talking to a tall, be-spectacled redhead girl. I smirked. Wait till Rose here about this! Wow. Nice hips, lovely lips and legs. She's sure one heck of a hottie. Wonder if she wants to date?
"Don't even think about it, Em," I whispered quietly. "Keep your hands to yourself or I'll tell Rose about your ideas with Amber."
"You wouldn't!" He said. I gave him my most venomous glare.
"Want to bet?" I taunted. He gulped.
"What are you talking about?"
I turned. Amber. What did she hear? I tuned the other voices out and listened for hers.
Why is he squinting? Is there something wrong with his eyes or something else? Maybe it's because of how alike we are. He looks like my grand uncle, though, when he was still alive. I wonder if Grandad Gabriel was right about him becoming a vampire.
Her eyes widened as mine did. Was he listening to my thoughts?A mind reader! Holy crow!
Immediately, she began backing off, wary of us. No one moved. Then, from behind Amber, someone called, "Star!" and she spun around. I froze t the sound of that perfect dark rich whisper of a voice. Another vampire.
"Ron." Amber murmured, muffled by the dark angel hugging her. He was tall, with silvery amethyst eyes and dark auburn hair, and perfect like the rest of our kind. Then, after as few minutes, he released Amber and she turned to introduce us.
"Ron, this are the Cullens. They have claimed this land, so be civil. Edward, this is my boyfriend, Aaron Swift. I promise you that there will be no trouble coming from him, or you can have us banished from Forks." Then, she turned to Aaron. "If you even try to destroy anything within five mile radius of their land, I'm moving out."
"Edward?" Aaron repeated. "Like your Granduncle's name? That Edward?"
"Yes." Amber was certain. "My Granduncle. So behave or I'm going to move back to my old room in Port Angeles, okay?"
"But I thought you hate that room!" Aaron argued.
"I did, but I wouldn't be as bad as you nearly buying a penthouse for me! And in Montecarlo!" Amber hissed. "As if I'll ever go gambling!"
"Just plans, love. In case you would ever be addicted to gambling and need a place to stay," Aaron said. Jasper, Emmett and I snickered.
"You!" She said, furious. "You'll be the death of me, Ron! You're impossible!" Then, to us. "Come on, Edward, let's leave Aarron to his stupid plans and hoping that I'll become a gambling addict." Then, she walked off, leaving Aaron behind.
"Did he really buy a penthouse in Montecarlo?" Rosalie asked.
Amber looked pissed when she answered. "Yes. Ron bought seven for my sixteenth birthday. He splurges on anything that interest him. Without me, he'll probably go bankrupt one of these days." I snickered.
"But how did you know that we're vampires?" Jasper asked. "And that this land has been claimed." The ghost of a grin flickered across Amber's face, then vanished.
"Same way I knew Edward's my granduncle, you're an empath, Alice with clairvoyance, Isabella Swan, or Bella Cullen, is a shield, Rensemee a projector and Edward a mind reader," Amber replied. She stopped, and turned around. "Ron says I have some gift called truth seeing. He thinks that my gift manifestered after I survived the vampire attack, but I've had this gift since I was a baby."