There was going to be another Cullen. She had arrived a month before mine and my Edward's wedding, or could I saw Alice's wedding. She every time I saw her, I was almost sickened with wedding details. It wasn't that I appreciated all that she was doing for me, and I was not regretting my decision to marry Edward, but I could not rid myself of that queasy feeling in my stomach. It was so soon.
Edward had taken me to Seattle for a day out and away from the staring faces and the expressions I just could not read. We were walking around a department store I did not notice the name of. It was raining outside but inside I couldn't hear that. Here, all that mattered was walking along next to my love, talking about the silly things in life which probably never needed to be talked about. It was something true and simple, something I didn't get all too much since I broke the news Charlie. That had been one horrible evening. It made my heart quicken every time I replayed it in my mind. My poor father. And my poor mother. I had been all too "small-towned" for them both. They both accepted it, and congratulated us both. Charlie even shook Edward's hand. Edward would not tell me of the onslaught he had taken from the thoughts which whirled around Charlie's head like dead leaves. All he had revealed to me was that they both were assured of my happiness, if just for now. The Cullen family had offered to pay for the wedding expenses, and was having the reception at their mansion in the woods. For the actual ceremony, Alice had chosen, and not to my dismay, a small old chapel which could only fit a maximum of about fifty people. It was a pretty little thing. She had taken me to see it the week before. It was perfect.
I smiled to myself as Edward steered me to the food court. He had mentioned that it was lunchtime for the human. Even though I wasn't hungry, he would always insist that I eat.
"You should savour the sensation Bella," he had told me and spent a great amount of money on top chefs and expensive restaurants. Today we would be eating the fatty foods of MacDonalds. I didn't normally want to eat that stuff but I guessed Edward had a point. Suddenly, Edward had stopped moving, pulling me behind him and crouching slightly, waiting to pounce.
"Why are you…?" I started to say as I looked up. I stopped. All the other shoppers were moving around us, going about their business, except for one girl. She was Edward's age, perhaps a little bit younger. She was small, like Alice, and her features were pointed and elfin. Dark auburn hair, like red-wine, cascaded from her head dead straight all the way to her waist. The red fringe hid her already hidden, sunglassed eyes from the world. Under the lights of the mall, I could tell she was deathly pale and I was sure there was no heartbeat emitting form her heart. She was, like the other Cullen girls, breathtakingly beautiful, angelic.
"Cullen?" she asked cautiously, an English accent spicing it.
I looked at Edward and heard my heart pounding in my ears. He was still crouched in defense, but his eyes weren't narrowed in suspicion. He wasn't growling under his breath either. His mind was with hers. I felt a pang of jealousy as he read her like a book, a blush flowering in my cheeks.
"Edward Cullen." He answered. The girl didn't approach. This was his territory.
"My name is Lillie," there was a faint smile to her pretty red lips, "but I am sure you knew that." Edward nodded once, and relaxed. He went towards her and held out his hand for her to shake. She shook it and they both smiled dazzling smiles. He then pulled me towards her, arm wrapped around my waist.
"This is Bella Swan, soon to be Bella Cullen."
Lillie smiled wonderfully, "Hello Bella, It is nice to meet you."
I murmured a reply before looking away form her genuine smile to Edward. He still smiled at her. "Edward…"
He bent a little to whisper in my eyes like a purring cat, "She is a vampire. A vegetarian vampire. She doesn't drink anything's blood."
I turned to look back at the girl. She had taken her sunglasses off and flashed her eyes at me. I had suspected gold but they shined at me a green like the most precious of emeralds. Then she smiled a warming smile. People drew near her as they did not Edward or other members of his family. She was like a bright light, drawing moths to a flame.
"No need to fear me Bella" she laughed a little laugh. I smiled, knowing the source of Edward's adoration. Here was a vampire who made him less certain that vampires did not own souls. She seemed to be so pure, so good. Like Carlisle. Would he be jealous?
"Let us find a place quieter to talk." Edward suggested. He steered me towards the door and Lillie walked beside us. As we walked in silence I looked at her clothing. They were tattered jeans and badly faded. Her shirt was likewise torn and one rip revealed a black bra underneath. But she wore her clothes like they were ball-gowns. Her walk was so confident. I admired the way her sandaled feet almost glided above the ground, and the way her eyes did not look down but gazed about the store. People stared back at the bronze god, the beauty queen and the motor-challenged girl.
We walked in silence until we reached the park which was across the street to the store. The rain had stopped and it was densely overcast. I saw Lillie glance a worried glance upwards as she stepped out.
"Looks like it is going to rain again," a seedy looking guy said to her as he stood smoking outside the store doors. His eyes ogled her in a stupid way. I had to admit, she had a great body. She was flat-stomached, with an alluring hour-glass figure. Her breast left both Alice and Rosalie wanting. I suppose the man had noticed the shirt straining against them. As though practiced in this, she ignored him and followed Edward and me towards the traffic lights.
"Hey, I was talking to you, pretty girl," the man called after her. This made Edward stop and turn around.
"Smoking is a disgusting habit." Lillie smiled sweetly. It was one of those dazzling smiles Edward used on me, all honey and sugar. She then turned on her heels and stalked off. Edward and I watched as he put out the foul cigarette before mumbling something and going back inside. We chuckled and then followed Lillie, who just sighed and shrugged her shoulders. She walked a little ahead of us as Edward and I spoke softly. I assumed she could here.
"A vegetarian vampire? How is that so?"
"I am not sure. She gets her sustenance from the earth instead of from blood. She was like it when she changed, eating the leaves from entire forests before the Volturi caught up to her and explained the rules to her."
My heart quickened at that. The Volturi caught her? Was she in trouble?
"They did tests but could not find anything wrong with her except that she didn't like blood. They released with the word that there were non-cannibals living here but not vegetarians. She had been tossing up whether to come find us when we showed up in Seattle where she was still debating her decision."
"Her eyes are green."
"Yes. And she is scentless. Not like she doesn't smell like a Vampire. I can't smell her at all. She would make a great hunter, although stupid considering she wouldn't hunt," he laughed.
I looked up at him, and he gazed down at me, giving me a smile. I felt my heart speed up and I blushed.
Awe all walked in silence until we got to a park bench in the deserted part of the park. I could see a couple of other people walking around, but none close enough to even hear our conversation if we were shouting it. Edward sat me on the table and he followed me, resting his legs on the seat. Lillie stood in front of us, smiling in a dreamy sort of way.
"Shall I tell you my story?" she asked. She seemed perfectly at ease with herself, in balance with all around her. I could imagine her with flowers in her hair and a long flowing robe on, like the fairies in A Midsummer Night's Dream, dancing around on those dainty little feet which were perhaps even smaller than Alice's.
"I am from England, originally. I was born thirty years ago, so I am still so young compared to the members of your family." Her eyes swirled as she remembered…
"My human memories are limited. I was the product of an unwed teenaged mother and her older drugged-up boyfriend. He didn't stick around to help her and her family had disowned her. Soon after having me, she found herself another abusive boyfriend. His grandparents graciously saved me. They disliked their grandson and thought it was the best thing for me. I was so grateful to them. They raised me until I was seventeen, when I took a holiday to Italy. I was bitten there, three days before I was due back. My Maker left me. I remember him apologizing for what he had done to me. He explained what I was to become and how my blood had smelt so good to him, like am irresistible drug. I don't remember that first year all to well. I remember being so hungry and I stripped a forest bare of their leaves. I was lucky it was autumn. The Volturi then detained me and took their fledgling away before I could do more harm. I was weak because I did not drink blood and that was all they gave me to feed upon. When it was revealed that I wanted produce from the earth, they gave it to me. I became stronger and much more civilized. My body had rejected my human blood; therefore I was not the crazy hungry and powerful from it like other newborn were. The Volturi taught me rules and Vampire history and they spoke of Carlisle, and the Cullen family. I wished to leave Italy and come find this good Vampire family. I don't really think badly of the human blood cravings of the rest of our kind. I guess Vampires are like cats who hunt mice because it's in their nature. But I was thought of as some sort of abnormity and thought I had better find a place of my own in the world. But they told me they needed to test all my abilities before they judged it safe for me to be in the world.
"The smell of human blood nauseated me. They thought maybe I was like your family and set me on wild animals of all the different continents. Although I did not hunt to feast, they wanted to test my speed and strength and my hunting abilities. I assure you, as they will, that I am a little more than deadly. They monitored my progress. It was seven years before they judged me safe to be alone in the world without causing suspicion. I spent five years traveling the world by myself, coming to terms with this life. I sort out my former family, who had bitterly given up looking for me and assumed me dead. I stole nice things for the couple who raised me – the only time I have ever stolen anything but I had no money – and left it for them. It was all I could do. They could not know me now. I had to live for eternity and I still only looked seventeen. I then returned to the Volturi asking them to point me in your direction. I had never made a decision about whether or not I would actually find the colony but here you were and I decided it was time to reveal myself.
"Now I am here, to ask to join your family,"
It wasn't a suspenseful story, not a thriller or a horror. I had listened just as closely though. Her voice mesmerized me. I hadn't realised how pretty her voice was, with a perfect articulation and alluring accent, enhanced with a predator's charm.
"You have no scent," Edward pointed out, "Do you have any other talents?"
Lillie shrugged, "Perhaps. It makes hunting a piece of cake, however useless that would be."
I could see that she was uncomfortable at that moment. Her eyes shifted to the ground as the unanswered request sprung up into the air and encircled us. I almost held my breath.
Edward pulled out his keys from his pocket, "Let us visit Carlisle."