Carlisle's Theory
Chapter 1:
"Carlisle, you've been working on this since two thousand nineteen. That's fifty years! How much longer? This idea of yours is… well… absurd. I mean, it can't be possible, can it?" Bella asked from the chair by the fire. Carlisle looked up from his work, a frown on his face. Why couldn't anyone understand the importance of his work?
"Bella, I told you. I'm not sure how much longer. I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm finished, but… I need to make sure. And as for the possibility of my theory working… we won't know until it's been tested, will we?" He said with a chuckle. Bella sighed and flashed over to the kitchen where Edward was.
"And…?" Edward asked. Bella smiled.
"The usual," She told him. He shook his head and continued reading. "He knows what he's doing," She added as an afterthought. Edward looked up in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, Carlisle doesn't just work on something for fifty years because he's board. I guess my point is that he must really think that there's a possibility that this could work. I wouldn't devote this much of my time on something that's impossible. He wouldn't either.
"I guess… I wonder if he needs us to do something. To speed things up and all, you know? You make a good point. I guess he does know what he's doing, so instead of trying to hurry him, we should help him in order to get what we want. It works both for us and for Carlisle," Edward pointed out. Bella smiled.
"I'll ask him," She whispered, then jogged back to Carlisle while Edward continued reading.
"Carlisle?"
"Yes Bella?"
"Edward and I were talking, and we were wondering if there was anything we could help you with? To speed things up, of course. I won't say that I've gotten a sudden desire to join you in your work, but…"
"Hmm… well, I suppose. You know how humans have a cure to everything?" He asked.
"Almost everything. There's a new disease going around. I think they're really close to finding a cure to it, though. But at the moment, if you get it… you're toast. But I'm sure you're familiar with it…?"
"Yes, well… I was wondering if you could monitor the people of Forks. Tell me if anyone gets this disease. I don't want to kill anyone, and there's a slight chance that this will kill anyone who takes it. I'd much rather I killed someone who was going to die anyway instead of someone who had a life to live, you know?"
"Of course. Young, old, middle age, teenager…?"
"Under twenty if possible, but above ten. I can't be picky, as no one in Forks has it yet, or at least no one known, but if a few cases pop up…"
"Got it," Bella said. "We can keep an eye on kids at school, and after school on adults." Carlisle smiled and continued working. Bella went back to Edward and told him the news.
"Good," Carlisle said a few weeks later. A girl named Joy Willis had come down with the disease, although she didn't yet know it. The symptoms were so mild at the moment that only a Vampire's keen eyes could have picked it up. She had only just gotten the disease, so it would probably be a few days before she noticed the weakness that crept through your body. In about a week, she wouldn't be able to go to school. Just walking from class to class would be too much. Her mind would be clouded; at first it would be hard to remember things, then people, and then you wouldn't be able to think very well. And after that… you just slowly die. She had maybe a month left to live and about two weeks to think for herself.
"Are you going to test this on her? She's only a year younger than us. Well, at least what we're said to be. What we were before the change between human and Vampire." Edward asked. Bella leaned against him as they waited for Carlisle's answer. Emmet, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper stood behind them, just as curious about Carlisle's response as Bella and Edward. Esme sat on the floor by Carlisle, who was looking at a piece of paper that contained some data on it. Although the experiment had never been tested, Carlisle had done every single thing he could think of (which was quite a lot, by the way) to make sure that this would work.
"Yes. I feel that I have done everything that I can to make sure this will work. It's time we tried this."
"So… when shall we?" Rosalie asked. Carlisle looked at Bella and Edward.
"For this to work, she must know that she has this disease. She'll have to keep quiet about this… Bella, Edward, I would be very thankful if you two would do this. Please? Just sneak into her room and inject it into her. That's it. Well, you'll have to talk to her, try to make her understand that she needs to keep quiet about this. Then you can leave her be. Will you? I think it would be best if she sees two teenagers that she knows or that she's seen sneak into her room versus a man that she's never met. Not that it will really matter. She'll scream anyhow, but…"
"Sure, Carlisle," Bella answered. Edward nodded his head, agreeing to the plan. They would act in a few days, when she realizes that she's sick with the disease. Until then… they would plan and watch her, acting as soon as she figured it out.
Chapter 2:
Joy's stomach bunched in fear as her mind raced. Was it true? Could it be true? She wondered. This seemed impossible. Could she have gotten the disease? And how? No one else in the small town of Forks had it, so how in the world could she have gotten it? Of course, there was a chance that she was only worried about getting it, and that her imagination was acting up… but the facts were all there.
I mean, if she didn't have this disease, then how do you explain being weaker that everyone else in gym, when usually you're one of the stronger girls? And in math, how do you explain not being able to solve a simple problem because you couldn't remember the formula that you've known since the beginning of the year? She must have it, it's the only solution. I mean, she had had off-days before, but you don't have off-days this bad. At least, she didn't.
Sweating like a pig and scared out of her wits, she pulled on her pajamas and got into bed.
She lied there for a ling time, just thinking and making herself more scared. If she did have this disease, then she'd be pretty much dead by the end of the month (it was the second). That would mean she'd have to miss her best friends birthday party, miss the mile run that she'd been looking forward to, and miss all of her end-of-semester-tests. The tests she could live with out, but the rest… no way. I can't die, I can't! She screamed in her mind.
"Then don't," Came a voice to the right of her bed. She sat up quicker than ever, her heart hammering rapidly in her chest.
"Who's there?" She asked, wondering if she'd screamed out-loud 'I can't die, I can't!' She spun around and switched on her lamp. Looking around, she froze as she spotted Edward and Bella Cullen, two kids who went to Forks High school. They were in some of her classes, and kept mostly to themselves. They had some other brothers and sisters, all who were just like them; insanely gorgeous and the best students in school. They too kept to themselves….
I was about to scream when suddenly a hand cupped over my mouth. I looked at the person, and then at Edward. Bella had suddenly gone from her spot by Edward at the other end of the room to my side in a matter of milliseconds, moving so fast that I couldn't even see her.
"Shh," she whispered. "We're not trying to hurt you. Please, just listen to us. You'll see that it's not so bad."
"Why are you here and how did you get into my room? You didn't use the door or I would have heard you," I whispered after removing Bella's arm. She didn't seem to resist me touching her, although I was extremely uncomfortable with her being this close. I felt like I should run and hide, like she was going to eat me.
Edward chuckled, and was suddenly sitting on the edge of the bed. I gasped, but was cut off when he started talking.
"You understand that you have this new disease that has broken out, yes?" He asked. I nodded silently, and he continued. "And you know that my father, Carlisle, is a doctor?" I shook my head, and he frowned. "Right… yes, you probably have never met him. Well, my father is a doctor, and he has this experiment that he's doing. The problem is, he needs a test subject." I sucked in a shocked breath, but Edward started talking again, and I wasn't able to protest. "Now, before you start screaming and saying that you won't do it, please listen and get a few more facts. I mean, do you even know what the test is for? No. So, please listen, ok?"
"For starters…" Bella continued, "You probably want to know why were here." I nodded my head vigorously. "Well, Carlisle is trying to… wait, no, that's a bad example. Look, if all goes well, you'll be cured of this disease, ok? And if things go wrong… your parents will think you died in your sleep. Or, if the effects are slower, then you may just collapse in the middle of class or at home in a few days. But please, look at it this way; you're going to die anyway, so you might as well try this. There's a chance that you'll live, so it's better to do this, isn't it?" She asked. I frowned. I wasn't so sure about my answer anymore. I had been going to tell them no way, but if it meant that there was a chance I would live… then I might just do it.
"So then come back later. I'd rather live as long as I can, and then try this and see the effects. If I die now, then you've just stolen a few days of precious life from me. After that, I've gone insane, so it wouldn't matter if I died, right?"
"You make a good point… but then you'd have the police all over us. No, we need to do in now."
"No!" I whispered as loud as I could. "I don't even know you! You're just the pretty freaks from our school! I can't let you shoot some drug into my body that may kill me!"
"But it may save you, too," Edward pointed out. I wanted to punch them so bad, but something told me not to. It was two against one, I couldn't go picking fights. They could have me down on the floor with a few broken bones before my parents got to my room. But what else was there to do? I couldn't let them do what ever they wanted to do to me!
"Look, please try to understand. We need to do this; it could be a miraculous breakthrough! Please let us, please?" Bella whispered. I shook my head. "Edward, out!" Bell a told him. Edward looked at her with question in his eyes. Bella just raised her eyebrows, and after a few seconds Edward jumped out the window. I gasped, because my bedroom window was three stories high. How could he do that?
"I'm sorry," Bella whispered, and suddenly she was on top of me. Her hand was wrapped around my mouth, completely muffling my scream. I doubted my parents could hear anything, because they were on the main floor. I was on the third floor.
In her other hand, Bella held a syringe. She pushed the needle into my arm and shot the fluid that I guessed to be the experiment into my muscle. I jerked back and fourth, trying to break loose. I was trembling and wriggling and absolutely terrified. But her hands were hard and cold and she seemed stronger that anyone I knew. That included my parents and a few weight lifters I had met at the gym.
She pulled the needle out and set it on the ground. Then she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a hug. She held me until I stopped trembling and until I had calmed down a little. Then she started whispering into my ear.
"I'm so sorry. We had to do it, please understand. You're not dead yet, and you're not in any pain that I can see, so that's a good sign. Please forgive us, please? It's not so bad, you'll see! Oh, I'm so sorry!" And then she pulled away from me, looking deep into my eyes. A deadly calm settled over me, and I didn't feel so scared. She spoke a little quieter, and this time her voice was serious. "You're going to think that I'm crazy for saying this, but you can't tell anyone about our visit here tonight." I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "I know, I know, why would you not tell? But you can't speak of this. You just can't. The doctors won't be able to reverse what we gave you tonight, so you can't go to them for help. And as for the police… just don't. We'll have to move, and trust me, we can do that. The police will never be able to find us. No one will. It will be like we've disappeared off the face of the earth. We'll find some other sick person and try it out on them. You're a nice person, right? You don't want us to do this to any more people than needed be. Please, just understand. Go to school as normal, be with friends like normal… don't do anything different. No one will suspect that you have the disease or that you were attacked by two students from school who are trying to get rid of this disease for you. Understand? I know that this is hard to comprehend, but it's for the best. When you're better, we'll explain everything. Don't worry. And if you need anything, you're worried, or you just need to talk to us, then we're always open at school. Plus, you can find us after school, too." She took my hand and scribbled down her number onto it with a pen she was apparently carrying. "That's my cell. Contact me if you need to, I won't mind. Really, I won't. Remember; don't tell anyone, not even your friends. Especially not your parents. They will call the police and the hospital…" She shivered. "Although we can move…. We'd really appreciate it if we can stay a little longer." And then she was gone. It was like she vanished into thin air. The window was suddenly closed and my lamp had been turned off.
At first I thought it was a dream. But then I turned on the light and saw the spot where the needle had poked me. And I knew. This was real, it was happening. I had the disease and a strange girl and boy from school had broken into my house and injected something into me that would either cure me or kill me. I sincerely hope it cured me.
Chapter 3:
The next morning, I dressed, ate breakfast, brushed my teeth, and headed off to school. I drove my mom's old minivan, parked it in the parking lot, and went to class. The morning was a blur. I could barely think. And it wasn't because of the disease. It was because of the events that had happened last night. I was confused. I knew that I should tell someone… but for some reason I just couldn't. This thing that they shot into my body… it might cure me. Or at least that's what they said. The only reason I came to school today and am not hyperventilating was because I made myself believe that I was getting better. It was better than facing the fact that I could be about to dye.
My first period, Math, went by fast. We started up class by doing a simple warm-up. I was feeling better today, and I was able to successfully complete the warm up. The rest of class was the same. My spirits soared, and I thought for the first time since yesterday that maybe things would turn out alright. Maybe the experiment was working, and I was going to be cured!
The next few periods were the same, and by lunch I was feeling pretty good. I felt all happy inside, and I was interested to see if I was any better in Gym, my last period.
I ate lunch quickly, and didn't talk to my friends. They didn't talk to me, either, sensing that I had a lot on my mind.
Before I headed upstairs for my next period, I stared curiously at the Cullens. They were talking to each other quietly, and it looked as though some of them were arguing. They sat at a table in the far corner of the cafeteria, away from all the other students. No one ever went near them, except on a dare. They were the school freaks, and although none of them were actually related (I was pretty sure that they were Foster kids,) they lived together. Why do I think this with disgust? Because they're all together. I'm pretty sure that some of them will marry each other. Rosalie, the most beautiful person I'd ever seen, was with Emmet, a big burly guy. They were like a thing; Two halves of a whole.
The same thing goes for Alice and Jasper. Alice was a short pixie-like girl with spiky hair. Jasper had scars all over him and blond hair. Although the scars were a little creepy, he was just as impossibly beautiful as the rest of them.
The last two were Edward and Bella. They never left each others side, and it was rare that they weren't caught looking at the other with a high level of love and joy. It was sometimes a little weird to watch.
Bella suddenly looked over and caught me staring. Although lots of people stared at the Cullens, I was a little embarrassed. Bella waved ever so slightly, in a way that no one would guess that it was directed at me. I frowned and glared at her, and she, clearly getting the message that she wasn't in good terms with me, looked a way and started talking to Edward.
After a little bit, Edward looked over. I had been looking at my plate, but I felt his eyes on the back of my head. I looked over at him, and he smiled a little bit. It was an apologetic smile, one that told me he though that it was for the best but that he's sorry. I rolled my eyes, dumped my plate in the garbage bin, and left the cafeteria.
After lunch, I headed straight to my next period, not bothering to talk to my friends in the halls like normal. I was desperate to get to Gym, to see if I really was back to normal. Could the so-called cure be working this fast?
When I finally made it, I saw Edward and Bella in their usual place; alone in a corner, watching silently as the class settled down.
Coach Hobbs, a small man with a big voice, walked in and got everyone in order. Today we were playing volleyball, one of my favorite sports. That and soccer.
"Ok everyone. I want you all to get into groups of three, and we are going to practice volleying the ball back and fourth. Got it? Now, get to work." He pointed to Jason, a fit boy who was his favorite student, and told him to get the balls out.
I only had two good friends in Gym, and they were absent today. All of my other friends were in a different class.
I looked around in disappointment, trying to find someone who would be my partner. I didn't want to get stuck with the kids who stunk at sports and didn't know how to play. It was no fun being with them. I'd spend the whole time retrieving balls that they had failed to hit.
After a moment, I spotted Edward and Bella. No one else would want to be with them, and they were actually really good at anything that concerned Gym. Bella could look a little uncomfortable sometimes, but she never failed to hit the ball right. It was like she'd been doing this for a few decades.
"Edward, Bella?" I whispered. They looked over at me, and I made my way towards them. I wasn't sure if they could do something to me with everyone around, and I really didn't want to find out. But they seemed sorry… I was either making a huge mistake, or this Gym class wasn't going to be as bad as I thought.
Bella looked at me curiously.
"Would you like to join our group?" Edward asked, surprised. I nodded slowly. Bella smiled. I could tell that she was genuinely happy, and that her face wasn't a mask. I felt a little bit better and grabbed a volleyball. We walked over to an open spot and started volleying the ball to each other.
Most of the other kids were still getting into groups, and there was no one in hearing range.
"So, please be honest, what was last night about?" I asked. Edward clenched his teeth. It wasn't out of anger, I could see that. It was more like… he didn't want to remember.
"About that… listen, Joy, we're so sorry!" Bella whispered. "Really, we are. Please don't hate us… please? It's all part of the experiment. I mean, it must be going well, you're almost normal!"
"True. Oh and…." Edward hesitated, looking at Bella like they knew something I didn't. "We're not sure of any side effects yet. If anything is a bit weird… anything happens that isn't normal… call Bella. We can help. I think."
"What type of side effects?" I asked. He shrugged.
"We really don't know. It might be cool… like you're a lot stronger and faster than everyone else. Or maybe your temperature goes down a bunch. Maybe it's all of these things. Maybe you're skin gets really hard. I don't know," Bella whispered. We continued the rest of Gym in silence.
The next day was just the same, except for the fact that I was a little uncomfortable around everyone. It was weird; I felt like they should stay away from me. At times, when my friends were just the slightest bit annoying, I felt like yelling at them to go away. I felt like I wanted to hurt them. It was scary.
In my classes, I had a lot more room to think. I did math problems easier in math. The ones that I had had trouble with before weren't a problem now.
A few days later we went down to the weight room in Gym. I walked over to a weight machine and put it on my usual weight that I lifted.
I pulled the bar towards me, lifting the weight. Frowning, I let it back down. I felt stronger. I had lifted it relatively easily, and I remembered what Bella had said about side affects. I might get stronger. Sighing, I adjusted the weight to a few pounds higher, and lifted it. Much better, I thought.
I bit my lip, noticing how my teeth were harder and sharper. Fumbling my cell phone, I thought about calling Bella. It had been almost a month since her and Edward had injected the so called "cure".
The side effects were just like what she'd said. During the mile run that had gone on yesterday, I hadn't felt tired once. I ran the same pace the whole time, trying to keep from running too fast. Earlier today, after school, I was walking home through the forest alone. There was no one around, and I decided to see how fast I could run home. It usually takes me a half an hour to get home. Today it took me five seconds… literally.
I was harder and stronger, too. One day I was really mad at my brother, and I wanted to spring at him and kill him really bad. I was gripping my desk so hard that I crushed that part of it. I scattered the pieces and shoved my brother out of my room.
My aggression towards my friends was getting worse. I tried to avoid them now, but in a way that they wouldn't notice. If I got the slightest bit angry at them, I would have a sudden urge to smack them. That would be bad for three reasons. One; I would get in huge trouble from a teacher. Two; they wouldn't be my friend any more. And three; there's a slight possibility that I'd knock their head off of their shoulders. Yes, I was that strong. It would be easy; like flicking a ping-pong ball.
I tried to avoid my brother altogether. Just being in the same room as him made my head spin with the mad rage that bubbled inside me, telling me to just kill the little pest. If he said anything to me that annoyed me, I would have to run out of the room so that he wouldn't see the hate that filled my eyes.
The last things I notices was that my skin was paling and becoming beautiful. My body was rounding out, making me look more like a model than the boring person I used to be. Even the popular girls were starting to notice me. Whether that had anything to do with the cure, I didn't know. But it was nice, being pretty. The other thing I noticed was my apatite. I was looking less at my food and more at the blood that ran through my brother's neck. Food now tasted bad. I could eat it, sure. It wasn't that bad. But I ate less and less of it. My parents observed this behavior nervously, wondering if I needed to see a doctor. I was wondering the same thing.
I made my final decision on a Saturday, almost a month after Edward and Bella's visit with the cure. It was a cold afternoon, and I was sitting on a chair in my room reading a book for a report at school. I heard my brother walk silently up the hall and into my room.
"Go away," I almost snarled, trying to beat back my rage that he was in my room. He laughed.
"Make me," He whined back. That did it. I snapped.
I flashed over to him like Bella had done that night when she and Edward came to me in the middle of the night. I grabbed his neck and held him against the wall, choking him. I knew that I could put a little bit more pressure on his puny little body and snap his thin, weak neck.
My brother screamed, jolting me out of my trance. I looked at my hand around his neck in horror. What am I doing? I wondered. I instantly let him go, and he scrambled out of my way. Still screaming, he ran downstairs. I could tell that I had less than five minutes before my mom or dad cam in, and I grabbed my school bag. Emptying it of its contents, I stuffed all of my new clothes into it. I then tossed in my pocket knife, a pillow, a blanket, and a jacket. Grabbing my laptop and my cell phone, I walked over to the window. Opening it up, I looked down. The drop was dizzying, and I wondered if I was insane. Then again, I'd seen Bella and Edward do it.
I Heard my parents running up the stairs, and, taking a deep breath, I leaped out the window.
The air sailed around me, and for a sickening moment I thought I was going to die. But I felt my feet connect with the ground gracefully, and I knew that I had just successfully jumped down three stories without the slightest injury.
Tears running down my cheeks, I ran down the street, not knowing where I was going.
A few hours later, I stopped at the bus station. No one was there except for me, and I felt utterly alone. I had to leave my own home because I was a danger to my family. What could be worse? At the moment, I was feeling like I'd rather be dead.
A few minutes later, a black car showed up. It stopped at the curb right infront of me, and I looked up in surprise. My family didn't own a car like that.
I watched, even more surprised, as Bella got out of the car. She zoomed over to me and sat down on the bench. We were quiet for a while.
"Hey," she finally said. I smiled.
"Hey," I said back.
"I'm sorry about... well... you know. Having to leave you're home. That's always the most painfull thing."
"Did you do it?" I asked in surprise. She nodded.
"Can I ask you something?" She asked.
"You just did."
"Whatever. Look... do you know what we were really trying to do?" She asked. I shook my head. Is she telling me that they weren't trying to find a cure? I wondered. Bella was silent for a minute, and then; "Joy... we're vampires. That's whay you feel like you want to hurt the people who annoy you. You want to eat them. You want their blood." I felt sick. I couldn't believe what she was telling me... but in a strange way it made sence. Me? a vampire? It didn't seem real. But her voice was seriouse. She wasn't joking. "Carlisle... he had this theory. Usually, the transformation process is extremely painfull. It's a burning sensation that eats away at your body. But he was wondering; could there be a way to make the transformation slow and painless? For fifty years he's worked on this expirement, trying to get it right. About a month ago, we decided to try it for the first time. We weren't going to do it to someone who had a life to live. But then we found you; dying. We decided that you would be perfect. So... we tryed it. And so far, it's gone well."
Are you telling me that I'm a... vampire?" I gasped in disbelief. Bella bit her lip and nodded. I looked down at the ground. Could this be true? I didn't know, but I didn't want to wait around for my parent to find me. "My parents are probably looking for me. Is there a place that we could go...?"
"Yes, of course. Our house, probably. I've got a car... you want a ride?" She asked as she shoved me into it. I smiled and leaned my head agains the seat. Bella was an ok person... or vapire. She wouldn't abandon me. I had a home, for now. And as we drove off, I was sure that things were going to work out.