How We Met
Disclaimer: Go back to the first… technically now second chappie and read what I wrote, though this chappie is dedicated to Cae for getting her driver's license and passing the test! Oh, the horror! : p Luv ya Cae! And CONGRATULATIONS! Just don't run down any innocent people plz (bad experiences with speeding cars… points to authoress). Teehee.
(A/N) Okay, so you might be asking why there's yet another chappie to read. Well, even if you weren't, then I'll tell you anyway. Cae got her license and passed the test. Oh, and one more thing. This technically should have been the first chappie, but I'm writing this backwards for Cae cuz she asked me to. =D So, technically, this is pretty much the prequel chappie. Yeah, this is one of my messier written stories. Thanks loads, Cae (note the heavy sarcasm, deary). And in case anyone was wondering, this was initially set up to take place the year before Bella shows up, but I've decided it's easier to write without Bella in the picture altogether. K? Great… So, Bella never comes to Forks in the first place and this whole story as a total takes place in the sophomore year anyway. Hopefully, that explains everything.
~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~
She had come to Forks for two reasons – 1) her family had decided to move here for school and 2) she had heard rumors of there being vampires in this dreary little town. It had been her dream to meet a vampire and become one, but that all depended on her powers of persuasion. Sitting in History, doodling in her notebook, she occasionally glanced up at the boy sitting diagonally across from her with a perplexed expression. There was something strange about him and she wanted to find out what it was.
Continuing to draw her picture of Toto chasing a car down the yellow brick road leading up to Emerald City, she thought a canary yellow Porsche would look pretty strange on a yellow brick road. Quickly, she changed it to a Pries, hoping her parents would get her one of the two dream cars because as of two weeks ago she had finally gotten her license (Oh,God,why?). When the bell rang – more like buzzed – she got up and saw the boy was already gone just like he did every day.
As she put away her books, she carefully thought over her mental check list:
1) Follow the vampires
2) Move to Forks, Washington: home of rumored vampires
3) Get unpacked and settled in
4) Go to school
5) Don't forget back pack
6) The sky should be purple
7) Focus on driving
8) Go to front office
9) Get to class so teachers can sign my slip
10) Take a seat in the back of the class
11) Don't trip, don't trip, don't… too late
12) Watch out for stray books in the aisle… or really mean people
13) Death glare
14) Ooh, it's a boy who keeps watching me
15) He has pale, paper white skin
16) Auburn hair
17) I wonder if he saw me trip
18) Wait… are his eyes black?
19) Must remember to talk to him
20) He keeps staring at me, but answers the questions Mr. Jefferson asks correctly when I can't even hear what he said
21) Must have really good hearing or mind-reading powers
22) I want to meet a vampire, so… prove he's a vampire
23) Doodle a doggy chasing a car to Emerald City
24) Class is over and he's really fast
Shaking away her thoughts, she realized it was time for lunch already, so she quickly added to her list.
25) Follow him
She quickly hurried out of the room before she had the chance to be the last one remaining. Just as she got outside so she could hopefully find him, she noticed the boy from her history class was practically speed-walking to the cafeteria with two other boys and two girls, who looked to be couples. Deciding it was safe to follow them, she headed in their direction. Just then, the smallest pixie-like girl leaned towards the auburn-haired boy and whispered something she couldn't hear. It sort of started to make sense to her. They all had skin as white as his and they were inhumanly perfect.
26) Prove they're all vampires
She smiled excitedly at that addition to her list and just as she followed them inside the cafeteria, she suddenly realized, "I was right. There are vampires in Forks."
It was then when the five turned around to face her in surprise that she realized how loud she'd spoken. Actually, she hadn't meant to say anything out loud in the first place. The five stared at her, possibly thinking over their possibilities. To make it somewhat easier for them, she opened the door leading outside and motioned toward it so they could talk outside, but the tall blonde girl shook her head and motioned for her to leave first.
"I don't like her very much," Cae explained, catching the blonde a bit off guard, "She seems mean."
"That's it," the auburn-haired boy muttered before approaching and leading her outside, so naturally, the others followed.
Though, when she looked back, the tall muscular boy she noticed resembled a teddy bear had been chuckling slightly while trying to get the pushy blonde girl to calm down.
When they were all outside, she turned to them and smiled saying, "I'm Cae."
They just stared back at her, unphased. "What are you talking about?" the auburn-haired boy asked as if he were confused.
Cae shook her head and started over. "My name is Cae and you guys are vampires," she said with a determined smile, "Come on, even vampires have a name." – she glanced at the blonde girl – "No matter how undeservingly weird."
The boy she'd been following rolled his black eyes and sighed in frustration. "Fine. I am Edward and this is Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett," he explained, pointing to the pixie-like girl, her partner, the pushy blonde girl, and then the muscular teddy bear, "Now, what do you want?"
She didn't even have to think about it. "Bite me," she stated immediately.
She saw Rosalie and Emmett look at each other before taking Jasper inside. Alice glanced worriedly in their direction, but remained rooted to her spot.
"That makes three strikes today," Edward pointed out to the girl who apparently had a death wish, "You shout to the cafeteria that you think we're vampires where you could have started a mob if anyone believed you weren't crazy, then you continue to taunt Rose as if you were just asking for her to bite your head off, and just now you say the one thing that might set off Jasper after we finally got him calm enough to resist any urges he might have. Are you really that suicidal?"
Cae stood there and blinked at him, trying to find the right words. "Check list 27: must think before I speak," she said out loud. This was going to be harder than she thought.
"Yes please," Alice answered before looking over at Edward, "Didn't I tell you this would happen? I thought you, of all people, would have made sure to heed my warning."
The still-human girl thought it over to herself. That could have been what she told Edward when they were walking to the cafeteria.
Edward turned to her. "Okay, listen. Stay out of trouble and… we'll get back to you on that," he said before motioning for Alice to follow him and they hurried inside.
~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~
The next day was almost uneventful up until History, where she took her seat next to Edward; he stiffened when she sat down.
"So…" she whispered, turning to face him excitedly, "How about now?"
Edward turned to look at her briefly. "No," he stated simply and looked away again, but she kept being persistent.
She put on her best pleading look. "Pwease bite me," she begged him quietly, "Pwease? Note the adorable ws. Come on."
He seemed to be practically grinding his teeth with discomfort. "No," he practically growled, so she gave up for the class period.
~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~
At lunch, she took her time going to the cafeteria, carefully planning what she would say next. Bravely, she went over to their table and smiled as they looked up at her. Before she could say anything, Alice smiled politely and asked, "Would you like to sit with us?"
Cae nodded and went to sit next to the pixie-like girl. "It's like you saw it coming," she began knowingly before lowering her voice and turning to Edward, "Okay, I've figured it out. You can read minds" – she turned to Alice – "and you can see the future."
It was silent at the table, but Cae just turned to look at Jasper for his reaction. He kept staring at her with a pained look in his gold eyes. Now that she thought about it, Edward's eyes had turned gold as well when just the other day they were black. She figured he must have gotten food – blood – from some living creature, since no one had been reported missing. When she turned to look at him, he was almost glaring at her.
"Come on, Eddiepoo. Don't be mad at me," she begged, making Alice twitter at her use of a nickname for him and she was pretty sure Emmett chuckled and the others smiled, but Edward rolled his eyes, "You know you love the name I came up with for you. I'll keep saying it until you smile, Eddiepoo." – She tugged on his sleeve and poked him, noticing how cold he was – "Eddiepoo. Come on, Eddiepoo."
He just kept staring at her, seeming slightly agitated.
Silently, she tried to think of something to say to break the tension. "Checklist 28: find pencil," she said, hoping to get a reaction from him as she let go of his sleeve. The others shook their heads and she thought she saw some disappointment in Jasper's expression, which made her wonder.
"Checklist 29: not helping," Edward played along with the game, hoping that she would stop asking about vampires.
Cae turned in her seat slightly to look at him when he spoke. She knew he had a point. "Checklist 30: this is a stupid checklist," she stated, almost reluctant to admit her originally brilliant idea was being looked down upon by a vampire in denial – not like he'd really denied being one.
Edward nodded at her, though he still wasn't smiling. "Checklist 31: I agree," he said in a casual tone.
Sighing, she sat back in her seat as she looked around at the others. They seemed to be attempting to ignore her presence. "Checklist 32: what do you think?" she asked Alice, who turned to her in confusion, so she decided to explain, "About this checklist…"
Alice gave a strange look as she thought over the right words to use. "It's odd," she stated when she finally decided on an answer.
Cae shrugged. It could have been worse… but apparently vampires don't appreciate her brand of humor.
"What's wrong with Jasper?" she suddenly asked, noticing the confusion in his eyes, "For some reason, he seems a bit… you know." She couldn't think of the words to describe how out of it he seemed. The others looked at her as if she was a little kid.
"No… we don't," Rosalie stated, silently wondering why she had to deal with this.
Cae glared at her before looking back at Jasper, which made him back up a bit in his seat. "I'll figure it out… eventually," she explained and then noticed the trays of untouched food in front of all of them, "I have a question. Since you don't eat, then why do you buy food just to stare at it? It doesn't make much sense, does it?"
They glanced at each other and she smiled. For once she had a point that sort of proved she was right about them.
"Rose likes us to watch what we eat so she's not the only one watching her weight," Edward quickly told her, though she knew he was lying by the way Rosalie straightened in her seat.
Not believing him for a second, Cae looked at him skeptically. "Really?" she said in a way that almost seemed like a challenge, "Are you sure most of her weight isn't coming from her head? You're just making that up. What's the point of spending money on food you won't eat?"
Emmett chuckled from where he sat across from her next to Rosalie. "Rose likes to torture us," he added with a grin, earning him a smack on the arm from Rosalie, "See?"
Cae sighed as she began to eat the cookies from her lunch bag.
~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~
When school was over, she hurried from the Gym to get to the car she'd borrowed from her parents. Catching a glimpse of something silver in the parking lot, she glanced over and saw the Cullens' silver Volvo shimmering in the slight sunlight that managed to break through the clouds. Stopping to think it over, she realized it would probably be a bit of a difficulty for the vampires because she knew the sun would prove to everyone else in the parking lot what they really were.
She went over to the Volvo and realized the Cullens hadn't yet come outside. Realizing the door was locked, she pulled out her pocket knife and jiggled it around in the lock – she'd picked up a few bits and pieces of information in case she ever locked herself out of her car. When she got the door unlocked, she opened it and sat down in the driver's seat. Sighing as she realized getting the car to start would be a bit more of a hassle, she ducked under the dashboard. When she found the wires she was looking for, she connected the right ones needed to get the Volvo to start. Hearing the engine start, she sighed, proud of herself, but hit her head lightly on the dashboard as she sat up again.
Rubbing her head, she glanced out the window and noticed the Cullens staring at her – some confused and some angry, though Emmett seemed amused. She waved sheepishly and she figured she was acting sort of guilty. Edward stood in front of the rest of them where they waited in the shade of the buildings. He beckoned her to go over to them. She looked behind her to see if they were trying to communicate with someone else. Seeing no one else was there, she turned back to look at them again, pointing to herself in question. Edward nodded and pointed at the ground in front of him, suggesting he meant now. Quietly, she got out of the Volvo and made her way towards them. They waited expectantly.
"Why were you in my car?" Edward demanded when she approached.
She smiled innocently. "I hotwired it. But I wasn't going to steal it, honest," she said, crossing her heart, "Though the way you're looking at me in accusation makes me wonder if I should. See? At least I can be truthful." She smiled brilliantly at them.
Edward refused to give in to her innocent act. "Oh, really, then what were you doing?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow expectantly.
She thought over her reply quickly. "I was going to drive it into the shade because the sun was in the way," was her reply, earning a chuckle from Emmett.
Rosalie smacked him in the arm to make him stop. He continued laughing harder, which in turn made Jasper start to chuckle, too. Cae did the most serious thing she could do, realizing something was off: she started doodling in the air with her finger. Everyone else stared at her in confusion as if to ask what she was doing. Emmett continued to chuckle at their confusion. Meanwhile, Jasper didn't know whether to laugh or stare at her curiously, so he let out a small confused chuckle.
"Aha!" she exclaimed, suddenly getting what was going on, "Jasper has the power of emotions!" She knew it didn't make sense the way she'd said it, but the others seemed to get it.
Jasper looked at her nervously as she stared at him.
"You can channel emotions," she rushed in excitement, trying to keep her voice at a level where no one else around would hear her, "You… you can feel them… and make others feel them, too. How else has Rosalie been remaining so calm? Usually, she would have tried to lung at me."
The others shook their heads and Edward slapped a hand to his forehead. "Alice…" he began and she nodded, quickly stepping forward.
Cae looked at her curiously.
"Cae… I think we need to get something straight first," Alice stated sweetly, "About this… theory you have about vampires. Try to keep it under wraps. Okay? If certain people were to find out… bad things would happen."
Cae nodded in understanding. "I get it," she said with a smile, "Bite me now."
Edward threw his hands in the air in frustration. "Go home, Cae," he told her sternly in all seriousness, "Now."
Cae just shrugged, though she was a bit taken aback. "Fine," she gave in simply, "Good luck getting to your car." With that, she pranced back to her car, feeling accomplished.
~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~
After returning home and watching TheWizardofOz instead of doing homework like she should have, she turned off the TV, beginning to get bored. Still not in the mood for anything boring, she decided to go on an adventure like the one in the movie. Getting up, she went outside and took a walk up the path into the woods – against her better judgment – thinking it was the closest thing she could find to a yellow brick road, though it wasn't made of brick and it wasn't dirt or even that much of a road for that matter. She sighed as she continued walking through the trees, being careful not to stray from the path or she'd get lost. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. Where else would a vampire live if not in the woods where it was harder to find them?
Whistling, she skipped along the path with a new mission in mind: search for more vampires. Hopefully, they would turn her, though a small part of her wanted Edward to be the one to do that, but becoming a vampire definitely was more important than that right now. Maybe the Cullens lived there and she could ask them again. Then she remembered how they would have had to wait until everyone left before going to their car or at least until the sun went away – unless they paid someone to drive it to them. The slightest bit of guilt tugged at her, but she shrugged it off. She'd only tried to do something good for them and they had told her to go away. Men and their pride. She rolled her eyes.
Just then, she stopped as she saw a house off in the distance. Curiously, she headed towards it, but before she could take the first step, something rushed passed her like a breeze.
"Vampires," she whispered excitedly.
She turned away from the house to look around, hoping to see someone. Something rushed passed behind her and she spun around to see if she could find what it was. Strangely, the only thing there was the house, which she guessed belonged to the Cullens. Something didn't seem right. She was about to ask who it was, but someone from behind her put a hand over her mouth. It was cold, so she knew she was right about there being vampires.
"Don't worry. We'll take good care of you," the vampire's voice whispered in her ear.
We? So, there were more. Just then, she started blacking out, realizing that it must be the vampire's doing. Through her blurred vision, she saw another figure approach them – she figured that was the 'we' the one holding her meant – and stop in front of her.
"Say goodbye to Forks and hello to Italy," the newcomer stated with a smirk clear in the voice.
Just then, Cae passed out, just hoping someone would save her… someone like Edward.
~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~Caeward~
Hours later…
She started to come back to her senses as she heard the two vampires arguing about some plane ride – which was probably what had just happened for however long she had been knocked out – in hushed tones. She could tell she was being carried somewhere. She tried to open her eyes, but only managed to squint ever so slightly as she saw they were bringing her into what she could only imagine was their headquarters in… What place had they mentioned before? Right… Italy.
She watched carefully as they carried her through hallways and rooms until they got to a door, where they stopped to open it. They carried her inside and sat her down against one of the cold walls, unaware that she was waking up – or at least making no note of it. It was dark, so she lost sight of what was around her.
"He'll come for her," one of the vampires said, "Are you sure of that?"
There was a pause in which the other one nodded.
"Then when he does, we'll be ready," the first one assured the other and the door slammed shut as they left, plunging the entire room into an eerie darkness once again.
(A/N 2) Remember that convo, Cae, with the whole checklist? MP should remember it, too. Good times we have when we're bored in History class. That's where everything happens. Ah… so, sostrange. And do me a favor and don't kill anyone over the summer in a car accident. :p But really… be safe.
Oh, and for everyone else, I have a note for you, too =D:
So, you must have read the note above and found out why you just read another chappie it took me around a month to write. And it's true… She did pass (only it was forever ago) and I just hope when she gets the hang of driving, she'll offer to give us a ride up to school in the morning instead of having us walk something of a mile up the large hill to school every single day.
But the other reason is because we both made a bet. Here we go again. I told her I didn't think she could go a month without eating or drinking anything unhealthy for her (aka: sugary drinks, bagged snacks, candy, chocolate, pudding, ice cream, all that good unhealthy stuff).
And in return she said she wanted to give me a time limit on a chappie of my story for her, since I was gonna continue it anyway. So, we all started on March 12 and we were gonna end it on April 12 to see who could fulfill their tasks fairly as in ABSOLUTELY NO CHEATING! So, yeah… She wanted to see me do it and I managed it pretty fine. I won the bet… which she neglected to tell me until a few weeks after she lost. So, yeah… this chappie is just posted reallyreallylate. Sry.
Everybody, leave me pretty little – okay long and respectable – reviews, then I'll be happy. Cae, you better review for this, since you asked me for it. Thx loads! L8rs! =D
EDIT:
Right… Second chapter edits done. Same basic changes were made. Fixed grammar and formatting, though I did add a few words to the narration where I left them out when transcribing written words into typed words. O_o' Yeah… sorry.
I was supposed to post the third chapter forever ago, but I guess I either forgot or just got really lazy. I can't quite remember. Either way, I know that Cae read it while it was still on paper, so she's not missing out on much. Heheh… =/
Original Post: 4/24/09
Revised: 10/27/11
Reposted: 10/30/11
