A/N: Hey guys. I don't usually write author's notes. They annoy the crap outta me. But, hey, I'm back, with a NEW story! And this one is going to continue. For those who actually read my stories: THANKS. It means a lot to me.
I waited for the numerous people to take their seats, each one staring at me, holding up the line. The smell of their blood was appetizing to say the least, but the smell of previous humans drifted in the air around me, met by the queer air freshener that was supposed to reduce the stench of sweat, stopped me. Planes really were like torture chambers. An elderly woman, toting a young child sat next to me, sitting the kid down next to her. The woman smiled warmly at me, yet the terrified look in her eyes told me that her instincts were telling her not to be friendly to me. I didn't mind. If she were to ask me a question, I would have to utilize my limited air supply. A half hour into the flight, stewardesses walked down the aisle, offering various drinks. I declined politely, smiling, careful not to show any teeth. No, I didn't have fangs, but for some reason, when an unusually perceptive human would look at me too closely, if I smiled, they would imagine fangs. How did I know this? Well, the human mind isn't as advanced as vampires. Therefore, many humans would at least think along the same line as the other.
"Excuse me miss, would you like a pillow, a blanket?" A stewardess asked me seven hours into the flight. I shook my head no after all I wasn't going to use them. She nodded and left me alone the rest of the flight.
When we landed, I waited till the whole plane was empty, and then grabbed my bag and begun walking out. The airport terminal was crowded. It didn't make my situation any easier. After all, I was sent here on a mission, self driven of course. I grabbed my checked baggage and barged my way thru the sea of people. Outside, waiting for its owner was a blue corvette. I ignored this and kept on walking. When I arrived at a rusty old Chevy, I stopped. This car had been waiting for me since I was human. The car had been brand new back then, opposing the rust and grime that now covered almost every inch of it. I threw the luggage into the back and swung the front door open. It still smelled the same. Of tobacco and peppermint, all smothered with the stench of something rotten. I climbed in, reaching for the key in the glove compartment. The dashboard was covered in dust. I drew in a relieving breath of semi-fresh air. The pollution amount in city's had risen since I had been a child. I drove under the speed limit, carefully disguised as an innocent, terrified behind the wheel human girl.
As I drove thru the similar winding roads leading to Forks, I thought about everything. You see, I was changed in the early 1900's. At the time, I had been 17. The next day was my birthday. I had been walking outside at night- not a wise thing to do, I admit. I had sat in the local children's playgrounds. I had swung on the swings for a few minutes. Then a boy came and sat on the swing next to me. He was no older than me. We had started to exchange words. Then he had leaned over, as if to kiss me, and bit down hard on my neck. It was possibly the most excruciating experience I had ever been thru. He had left me half drunk from, hearing footsteps approaching. And even though my human memories were blurry, if not completely unrecognizable, I could remember that night clearly. I had woken up, jumped in my car and sped off towards the airport. I knew that I had become something terrible, I just didn't know what.
I had purchased a ticket to the first place I could think of- Italy. I didn't exactly know why, but I knew that there was something that could explain all the chaos. And that was how I had ended up in Volterra. I had stayed with the Volturi. Not out of the kindness of their hearts- no certainly not that- but because Aro valued my power. No, I couldn't read minds, or become invisible or even sleep- an amazing feat for my kind. No, I could simply control people's minds. It wasn't an easy task, willing someone to do something, and often times, took all my strength. It really all depended on the brainpower of the one I was trying to control. A human for example, I had little trouble with. Most of them were weak minded, and unoriginal. I could control the average human as easy as I could break a large tree. A vampire however, was another story. I would literally collapse if I tried to control one too much.
I stopped the car, sliding out of the front seat. I stared back at the old house. It had been my home, once upon a time. I had played on the front porch as an infant. I had swung from that exact tire swing as a girl of nine, falling and scraping my elbow on the rough earth under it. I stopped- the memories after that were gone. No more, wiped clean from my mind. A pair of headlights rounded the corner, and turned into the driveway. The car stopped, with a middle aged man getting out of it. His face was angered.
"Listen to me, and listen to me now! If you were even thinking about doing something to this house, you can just hop right into the back of this here Police car. You hear me?" He shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at me. "We don't want any riffraff around in this town."
I walked up to him, to get a clearer view of the man talking. He had a mustache, brown hair and brown eyes. And I could've sworn he looked like my brother. That was when I decided to look at his nametag. It identified him as Charlie Swan. I nearly fell back from the shock. This man must be my nephew! And without thinking, I flung myself into his arms, hugging him fiercely, yet carefully, afraid to crush him. Charlie just stood there, afraid of what was happening. I was nearly crying with joy.
"Uh, Kiddo, what… err… are you doing exactly?" He asked, obviously confused by the fact that a complete stranger, one that he thought was trouble, was hugging him. I let go and stepped back. He was the spitting image of my brother, no doubt about it. He shuffled his feet nervously, under my no doubt loving, and calculating expression.
"Sorry Sir. It's just that, I know you…" I explained, suddenly realizing how ludicrous that must sound. "Uh… my mom said that I should come meet my, err… uncle." I tried to clarify. He was still doubtful of my story.
"She did huh?" He asked me. I nodded, hoping he believed me. "Weird, since I'm an only child." He eyed me speculatively. I looked at the ground. "Listen kid, I don't know who you are. I only have one question. Do you have a place to go home to?" I looked up again.
"N-no…" And I didn't. For at least twenty years now, I hadn't. His eyes were glistening with tears. He seemed a sentimental man.
"Well, I'm not crazy enough to take in some random kid, but, there is a family who does that type of thing… maybe they'd take you in…" My eyes lit up with the hope of a home. Sure, I would have to live with humans, and somehow control them all the time to make them think I was one as well. "Now, listen, the Cullen's are very good people. If you are a troublemaker, I'll shut you up in jail immediately." He warned me. I nodded. Wait- I knew of the Cullen's. One of them had been good friends with Aro. Carlisle was his name I think. I hopped into my truck, thinking of how this night had taken an unordinary turn of events. The man got into his own car and led the way to a mansion of sorts. Undoubtedly the most exquisite house I had ever seen. Charlie stepped out of his car, turning back to face mine. He signaled me to come out. I slipped gracefully out of my car, and walked slowly to his side, still staring in awe at the building before me.
"Well… here it is." Charlie said awkwardly. I smiled at him.
"Thank you so much!" I turned to walk away, but he grabbed my arm, not really stopping me, but still telling me to cease movement.
"Where do you think you're going? I have to take you in there. I don't trust you yet kid." He told me. And at that moment, I didn't entirely trust him either. He started walking up to the door, after reaching it, he knocked. I ran to join him. The door opened slowly, revealing a rather handsome man, in his early twenties, by the look of it. He smiled warmly at Charlie, and then looked confused by my appearance. He shook his head.
"Hello Charlie. To what do we owe this visit?" He asked politely, glancing uneasily at me occasionally.
"Hey. I'm sorry to bother you this late at night. But it seems we have…" Charlie looked at me. "Well, I don't know what to call her at this point."
"Hm. You never told me you had a daughter Charlie!" Carlisle exclaimed. He patted Charlie on the back.
"What? No. It's not… she's not… that's not it." Charlie spluttered. He looked desperate for help.
"No, Sir. I'm not Charlie's daughter. In fact, I'm not even related to him." I stepped in. Charlie looked at me gratefully. Carlisle nodded.
"No, she's a runaway?" Charlie asked me. I was shocked, for sure.
"No! My parents… died." And in truth, they had, only it was about fifty years ago. Carlisle blinked. Charlie turned slowly to look at me. As if he was in one of those movies, and the main characters in slow-motion. He looked puzzled. Was it that hard a concept to grasp? Oh… I was a minor, in they're eyes.
"Died? And, you are here because…?" Charlie questioned me. I looked at Carlisle. He was staring intently into my eyes, as if he were searching for something in them. That's when I realized something. His eyes were inhumanly colored, and his skin paler than normal. His beauty as well was a tip-off. I inhaled a deep breath. He smelled of vampire. Only in a small town like Forks would a vampire live. It really was the perfect installation. But his eyes, they were gold, or topaz. I realized they were both expecting an answer. My power came in handy sometimes.
"I came to find someone to live with." Now, that sounded stupid. I willed them to believe me. Charlie, being human, was easy. Carlisle took a little more power. I felt my knees going weak. I grabbed hold of the wall. It nearly crumbled.
"Ok. Well, Carlisle. I hate to just dump her here on your doorstep, but do you think you could take her in?" Charlie practically begged Carlisle. Carlisle narrowed his eyes inquisitively at me.
"Yes. I suppose I will." Carlisle said, smiling warmly at Charlie, before shaking his hand. Charlie turned to leave, and moments later, his car turned out of sight. "So, you're?"
"Bella Swan." I replied honestly, and automatically. I realized after what I had done. Charlie would supposedly be my father. Carlisle smirked.
"Okay. Do you have luggage? Bring it inside. Actually, believe it or not, we knew you were coming." Carlisle told me. I was shocked, to say the least. So far, he didn't impress me. He seemed like a creepy stalker rather than the 'grand man' Aro always talked about. And really, I wasn't sure if I wanted to live here. He kept using the term 'we' instead of 'I'. Was he schizophrenic? Just then, more noises reached my ears. Someone was listening to music upstairs and another seemed to be rummaging thru clothes. There were footsteps on one of the upper floors, and someone working at what seemed to be a desk, by the sound of the papers rustling, and the noises of wood being hit. So, there really was a 'we'.
"Um… well, I'm sorry to impose, really…" I tried to weasel out of living here. I'd find a nice apartment or something. Carlisle chuckled.
"Nonsense, you're not imposing. Alice! Edward! Jasper! Esme, come down here would you?" Carlisle barely raised his voice above a whisper. Suddenly, I was surrounded by four new vampires. They also had the different topaz eyes. One of them, a tall, muscular blond was looking at me as if I was welcome, yet not entirely. The one next to him, a small pixie, had the widest smile on her face. She was so happy, it seemed a wonder she kept it inside her small frame. Nest, was a beautiful woman, seemingly the mother figure in this coven. Then came the next person- and my breathing literally halted. I was confronted by this Adonis of a man. His slightly messy bronze hair was seemingly the most amazing part of him. His topaz eyes sparkled in the lighting of this house. He had a firm jaw, a piercing gaze and a muscular build. Not as muscular as the other man, but perfect nonetheless. I abruptly looked at the ground, realizing I had been ogling him. "Everyone, this is Bella Swan. She has decided, however unexpected it may be, that she will live with us. Alice had forewarned us, but the day was not precise." Carlisle seemingly briefed them, as if they were about to go into intensive surgery. Then I remembered- Aro had told me something of him settling down and becoming a doctor.
"Pleased to meet you, I'm Jasper." The blond man introduced himself. He remained considerably far from me.
"Bella, I'm Alice! We are going to be best friends!" The pixie like girl squealed, hugging me fiercely. She stepped back, still grinning.
"Hello Bella. I'm Esme." The mother like figure introduced herself, moving in gracefully and hugging me softly. Then, it was the Adonis' turn to be introduced. He looked at me tersely.
"Edward." He said simply, turning on his heel, and exiting via the door I had just come thru. I wasn't hurt by his insensitivity. I would be just as angry if a stranger were to butt into my life.
"Don't mind him. He's an idiot." Alice grinned. "Plus, he's just a little bit… different. He'll be back soon enough." She pulled my hand and led me upstairs. "Now, we already have your room set up. It's a little plain so far, but I think you'll like it." She pushed open a door. It was a big room, with cream coloured walls. There was a big bed- which I wouldn't need- that had creamy sheets with a soft black line around the edge. There was a walk-in closet, seemingly already filled with clothes, and a bathroom thru a door opposite the walk-in closet. There was an old oak desk, with a new computer sitting on top of it. The room really was perfect.
"Oh! Thank you Alice! It's beautiful!" I squealed- a rare occurrence. Alice smiled impossibly wider.
"I knew you'd like it! And, did you see the closet? It's stocked to the brim with new clothes for you!" She beamed. I loathed shopping with a passion, but I had a feeling that, to be accepted into this family, I would have to try and endure this hyper pixie. I smiled.
"Thank you so much Alice. Hey, do you mind if we" I started to ask.
"…talked for a while? Sure Bella." Alice completed my question. She seemed to have an uncanny way of knowing everything. "I see the future." Alice replied to my unasked question.
"Right…. Well, I was wondering. Why are your eyes topaz coloured?" I asked her. She nodded, sitting down on my bed. I sat across from her.
"It's because we drink from animals. It changes the eye colour of those who do." Alice answered. I scrunched up my nose. Animal blood was so unappetizing. It was wrong how they did that. It went against vampire nature. "Yeah, it's pretty gross, compared to human blood. But, we don't think its right to harm innocent humans."
"I don't harm innocent humans!" I argued. I in fact only drank from murderers like me.
"I never said you did." Alice chuckled. "But, as you can see, it also gets rid of that nasty red eye colour." The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I had always hated the colour of my eyes. It scared most humans, and the ones whom it didn't, I stayed away from. "Topaz just goes with all the clothes, way better than red does. I don't mean to push you, but do you want to quit drinking from humans?" She asked me.
"Sure, I'll give it a whirl. I doubt I'll find many serial killers in this town anyways." I joked. She laughed.
"Wonderful! And plus, Edward will like you better." She winked at me and was gone. I lay back on the bed, thinking about the day's events. "Oh! And, you start school in the morning. I suggest you go for a hunt… animals only. I'll join you in a minute." Alice popped her head back into my door. I jumped up, and ran downstairs, unfortunately, bumping into Edward.
"Running away already?" He teased. I growled.
"For your information, I'm hunting." I sneered. This was the beginning of a hate- hate relationship.
"Oh? What type? Innocent little, frightened girl in a dark alley? Or do you prefer lured boy?" He bit back. I huffed and started making my way downstairs again.
"Actually, she's having an animal tonight. She's gone veggie." Alice quipped, standing next to me. Edward looked shocked for a moment, before composing himself.
"Just don't get to close to her, she'll eat you." Edward teased again. This boy was getting on my nerves. I dashed into the forest, focusing on the smells around me. I chased after a few deer. Alice caught up to me.
"Good job." She congratulated.
"To be fair, I tried this once before. Just didn't have the motivation." I explained. Alice raised an eyebrow. Then she chuckled softly.
"Well, of course not. I wasn't your teacher back then." I rolled my eyes. We hunted for little over an hour longer.
A/N: Short chapter much? Yeah, I'm sorry guys. Review if you care to. If you don't, I understand. I read a whole lot of stories, and rarely review. But, it makes me happy as can be when I get a review. The next chapter will be up as soon as I start writing it, maybe longer than this one.
The one and only, LW2.