*Disclaimer: I own nothing. All rights go to Stephanie Myers.*

"It's not as good as a human," Alice announced once we were done hunting and walking back to the house. "But it keeps you strong, and satisfied," she said with a glimmer in her eyes. There way of life to me was strange. I'd never met a vampire family like this. Not only was the way they are confusing but the way they live was also confusing. Are humans really so blind they never notice anything different about the Cullen's?

"How do you stay inconspicuous?" I asked casually.

"We act like humans," she said with a smile. "Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Edward, and I all go to high school. Esme acts as the caring mother, and she actually is caring and mother like so it works out well. Carlisle is the doctor and wealthy father. There's a lot we do to keep up appearances, we just don't go out of our way to befriend humans most the time," she explained with a smile.

"I got that Carlisle and Esme are actually together…" I trailed off making Alice give a slight giggle.

"Emmett and Rose are together, Edward and I are together. We are act like a couple at school. That's not something you have to hide because dating is all part of high school. The kids talk about how we live together and it's weird but we act as adoptive siblings so we're not actually related," she went on letting it all sink in.

"There's a human here," Edward muttered looking over to me. "Are you alright?" He questioned looking me up and down.

"Fine," I said shrugging my shoulders. "Promise," I said crossing my heard with a smile.

"Put these in," Alice said handing me a small box. "They're annoying and cloud your vision but going in with bright red eyes is not an option," she said following Edward while I stuck the annoying contacts in my eyes. That's when I noticed I felt too calm about the situation.

"The last thing we need is you feeding from a human," he said with a smile. "I'll probably be around a lot," he said hinting that he would be watching me. I found it somewhat insulting that he didn't think I could handle myself, but then again, he didn't know me. He had no reason to trust me.

"We're back," Edward called through the house as the aroma of human food quickly filled the air.

"You remember my colleague Charlie Swan," Carlisle said introducing everyone while his eyes found mine.

"Did you take in another one?" He questioned sounding like he didn't believe it. By the look on Carlisle's face I could tell he hadn't come up with an award winning story on why he would bring in another teenager.

"I'm Isabella," I said politely offering my hand. Charlie took my hand without hesitation flinching at how cold my skin was. "I'm sorry," I offered taking my hand back. "It's nippy outside and I left without a coat," I explained. By the looks of the clouds outside and how the human was bundled up it actually was cold outside.

"What made you take another one in?" He questioned sitting at the table next to Carlisle who was racking his brain for an explanation.

"My mother recently passed," I piped up so Carlisle didn't need to come up with a story. "She was very sick for a while with Leukemia, and passed a few months ago. Carlisle knew my mother and promised he'd take care of me in the event that anything happened," I lied watching Charlie shake his head.

"You seem awfully ok with your situation," he said eyeing me up and down like he didn't believe it.

"You have to find something to be grateful about in this world, if you don't you might not make it through," I said watching him roll his eyes. "Besides, it hasn't sunk in yet. I'm sure when it does I'll weep in a corner and wont come out for days," I said explaining it to him in a way that he seemed to understand.

"Where's you dad?" He questioned as the rest of us took our seat.

"He left when I was a baby." I was keeping as close to my human life as I could. "Never met him. The much my mom told about me was I got my eyes and hair from him," I said shrugging my shoulders.

"Are you going to look for him?" He questioned like that was the only logical thing left to do.

"No. If he doesn't want me why should I go searching for a disappointment?" I questioned making the man somewhat roll his eyes looking back over to Charlie.

"How's work at the hospital going?" He questioned moving off the subject of me making Edward clear his throat motioning for me to follow him.

"Yes?" I questioned following him into the living room.

"Where did you come up with that story?" Jasper questioned apparently taking the words from Edward's mouth. "Because it was a good story," he said with an approving smile.

"That's how it actually happened. I just replacing Carlisle with Alec and left out the vampire thing," I whispered in a voice low enough so Charlie wouldn't be able to hear.

"What?" Jasper questioned raising an eyebrow like he didn't believe it.

"My mom knew Alec somehow and made him promise if anything happened to her he'd take care of me. So he took care of me in the only way he knew how," I explained rolling my eyes.

"How did they know each other?" Alice questioned tilting her head off to the side as Emmett and Rosalie emerged from a room.

"He never told me. Anytime I brought it up his response was I just saw her around sometimes. I know there's more to the story, because he wouldn't have turned me if he just saw her around, and there wouldn't be a picture of her in his safe at his home," I explained biting my lip. "It was just something I could never get him to talk about," I said rolling my eyes.

"Are you ever going to ask again?" She questioned truly interested.

"Probably," I said honestly. "I've been wondering for the past twenty years how they knew each other. Eventually he'll tell me," I explained as Emmett turned on the TV so it sounded like we were watching some game.

"Were they pissed when you left?" Emmett questioned with a laugh.

"Aro was, but he was on;y mad because he lost my gift," I said shaking my head. "Alec wasn't upset, he was more glad I was doing something for myself," I explained with a smile.

"We finally pissed them off," he said doing a little dance in his seat making everyone laugh.

"Yay we pissed them off so they can all have our heads on a stick," Rosalie muttered a little bitterly.

"Calm down babe," Emmett said leaning over and planting a kiss on her. "I'll protect you," he laughed kissing her cheek. Emmett and Rosalie made a couple that was hard to look at. They just made such a gorgeous couple, which I'm sure is one of the reasons they were together. Rosalie looked good on Emmett's are and Emmett looked good holding Rosalie.

"How did you meet?" I questioned the two of them making Rosalie smile.

"I found him," she said smiling. "But that story really starts with Edward," she said letting him take over the story.

"Carlisle found my dying of the Spanish Influenza he was lonely and turned me. He just needed someone to be around him, to share his way of life," he explained. "Then he found Esme, she fell from a cliff and was so close to dead he wasn't sure he could save her. Ever since then they ended up just being together. Soon after that Carlisle felt bad that I had no one to spend eternity with, he found Rosalie in an ally bleeding out, and changed her. His hope was that Rosalie and I would be together and Esme and Him would be together. Rosalie and I never clicked," he said handing the floor over to Rose.

"One night I was hunting and smelled human blood. I saw Emmett lying on the ground on the edge of death. I knew I wouldn't be able to stop but from that moment I knew he was mine. So, I ran him to Carlisle," she said smiling at him. "We've been together ever since," she said squeezing his hand with adoration in her eyes. Maybe there was more to the two of them than just looks.

"So how did the two of you come into this life?" I questioned Jasper and Alice.

"I saw them," she said with a smile. "I knew they were out there and one day I would join them. When I showed up on there doorstep they welcomed me with open arms. After about a week, I feel completely in love with Edward," she said with a smile nestling a little deeper into his chest.

"I don't have the same up bringing as my family," he said motioning to his scars. "Peter and I were messing around in a town when we ran into Esme and Alice. Alice saw me, like she saw you, and they took me in like they're doing with you. I made it somewhat difficult for them," he said with a sheepish grin. "It took me a while to get use to the animal blood. It's still difficult to be around humans for me but I manage," he said with a slight smile shrugging his shoulders.

"You're turn," Alice said crossing her legs. "Tell us about living with the volturi," she announced with a smile.

"It was never a family like this," I said motioning around. "Aro wanted my gift, that's the only reason he didn't kick me out a long time ago. The first few years I only spoke with Alec knowing the rest of the coven didn't like me. After a while Aro made me work with my gift, something I viewed as more of a curse. The first one he made me take was Jane's gift. She must have caused me more pain than anyone ever had, it was worse than the changing process. After that he made me take powers of nomads that he wanted. Once I was holding about twenty I told him I knew I couldn't hold anymore. I was pushing it close holding that many, but he saw a gift he wanted, bad. He told me to take it, and you don't argue with Aro. So I tried, and every power I had gotten snapped back. Honestly the pain of Jane was nothing compared to what my shield did to me. I couldn't move, I couldn't breath, I couldn't scream. I was just stuck standing there until my knees buckled and I gave out. It was the first time since being a vampire I felt like I was dying. The lights started dimming, faces became unclear, I felt different than I had ever felt before. After that I started giving attitude to Aro not caring if he threw me out on my ass, I knew he wanted me. I made life pleasantly difficult for him," I explained making Emmett come out in a smile.

"So how does your power work?" Edward questioned.

"I'll let you know when I figure it out," I said with a snicker. "I have no clue how it works, it just does," I explained hearing Charlie walk over to the door leaving. "It isn't something I've experimented with on my own. I've always been forced to use my gift," I said shaking my head.

"Aro forced you to use it?" Rosalie questioned.

"Yes, he wanted gifts and he'd tell me to take them. Any time I tried to say no he'd persuade me, or have Jane inflict pain on me till I gave in," I explained watching her expression change.

"I thought it was a shield."

"Once I have there power they can use it on me at any time. Since I had her power she could inflict pain on me whenever," I said shuddering at the memory. "Don't ever piss Jane off," I said shaking my head. "She's good at making you wither in pain for hours on end," I explained watching their faces change as Esme and Carlisle walked in the room joining us.

"That's terrible," Alice muttered shaking her head. "He just made you do things," she said shaking her head.

"Will someone show Bella what of homework you get in school?" Esme questioned smiling at me. "I'm sure you haven't been to school since you were human," she said knowing that no vampire attended school regularly.

"Jasper," Alice said with a laugh. "You show her we're going to have some alone time," Alice laughed pulling Edward to his feet and dragging him out of the house.

"They live in the woods, they've got a cabin Esme built for them," he explained as I followed him up the stairs. "We're all quite surprised it's still standing," he opened his door walking through closing the door after I entered the room.

"It's all fairly easy," He said grabbing papers off his desk. "It takes about three seconds to do," he added letting me look over the problems. It was hard to focus with Jasper in the same room. I found my eyes wandering to his lips and to all the scars that covered his body. They were dangerous yet, they made him look beautiful. Jasper gave a short laugh running his fingers through his hair. I forgot he could tell what I was feeling. That gift was going to get annoying fast. "Distracted?" He questioned with a slightly cocky edge to his voice making me hit his arm leaning back on the bed that definitely wasn't needed since vampires don't sleep.

"Shut up," I mumbled shaking my head. If I could have blushed there was no doubt I'd be bright red by now. "Those are all from the war right?" I questioned tracing the scars with my eyes.

"Mhmm," he said watching my eyes as I slowly starting tracing them with my fingers. The scars were a colder temperature than the rest of his body which was a little strange since his body was already an ice cube compared to a human. "You seem a little fascinated," he mumbled silently watching.

"I've never met a vampire with scars," I said tracing them. "Normally vampires are perfect," I said noticing he gave a slight chuckle. "Not that you're not uhmm," I trailed off unwilling to finish the sentence. "I was just saying that most vampires don't have flaws," I said trying to find the right words.

"I get it," he said saving me from babbling on and on. "You're not use to seeing vampires with any blemishes on their skin," he said what I was trying to say in a way that sounded, well… not insulting.

"Do you ever talk about it?" I questioned as I stopped tracing the scars.

"No," he said looking over to me raising an eyebrow. "I'm not going to start now either," he warned before I got off his bed.

"I wasn't asking you to," I announced with a smile. "Do you know which room is mine?" I questioned watching him step off the bed pointing to the room across from his. I walked in the room closing the door throwing myself on the bed. Great, I've got a crush on the vampire that refuses to talk about his past. I've got a crush on the vampire who can tell I've got a crush. It's not like I'm going to be able to down play the constant babbling that goes on inside my own messed up head. "Fantastic," I groaned to myself thinking of all the other vampires I could have gotten a crush on. It just had to be Jasper. It felt like I was in high school all over again trying to convince myself that I didn't have a crush on the hottest guy in school.

This is going to be interesting, I thought to myself rolling my eyes.