chapter 2 new faces
I sat at the kitchen table waiting for the minuets to pass. 11:25 read the small wall clock. Most of the decor in the house hadn't changed since mum had walked out on Charlie all those years ago. It was somewhat discomforting knowing the Charlie had never gotten over Rene. My palms were pressed too my head, like they were trying to push away the constant headache. I was alone, Charlie was at work, he was the 'sheriff' of forks. Not much happed in forks ( that any humans knew about anyway) so Charlie spent all of his time nowadays campaigning too find Jacob black who went missing. He was disappointed with my lack of help in the case, seeing how close my and Jacob were. My Jacob, my favorite mechanic, my best friend. Charlie was even more disappointed with his best friends lack of interest, Billy Black, Jacobs father. Billy reasoned that Jacob was grown up now and he would return home when he wanted too. Still you couldn't escape the numerous posters around town, attached to every lamppost like well deserved slaps in the face. ' Have you seen this boy' they pleaded. But the reason Billy and I wouldn't help was because we knew no one had seen 'this boy'.
I heard the smooth purr of an engine that could only belong to one of the Cullen's. It wasn't the Volvo as that was usually louder. Who had Edward sent to retrieve me? Gulp. What car had he sent them in? With the Volvo being the least noticeable of the cars I dreaded the alternatives. I hated being the center of attention but in a town as small as forks attention was inevitable. I looked out the window and immediately did a double take. The car was parked across the road. The house across the road had been up for sale for a while, but I doubted anybody would buy it so soon. However it wasn't this that caused me to do a double take. It was the beings getting out of the car. I call them beings because there was no way they were human. They were as dazzling as the Cullen's, in a completely different way the Two eldest, assumed to be the parents looked to be in their 20's. with them were 4 children, 3 girls and a boy.
All of the girls had deep ebony hair that shimmered gold when it caught the light, The rain simply covered it in crystal like droplets, and golden skin as if they had spent all year sunbathing in phoenix. And their eyes rich jewel colors even in the rain. Why would they want to move here? Maybe the amount of supernatural activity in Forks was drawing in even more. The more I stared at them the more certain I was that they weren't human. The boy looked up as if he could feel me staring at him, it was only then that I notice the true beauty of him. His hair alternated seamlessly between black and bronze depending on where the light was. His skin was gold and his eyes a deep emerald. He was what I had supposed Edward looked like as a human. He caught my eye and smiled slowly, deliberately. I looked away quickly.
In my detraction I had failed to notice Edward's car pull up on the drive. It was only when I felt a pair of ice cold and lightly soaked hands around me did I snap back to reality.
" What are they?" I murmur indicating to the family across the road.
"I wondered what had held your attention for so long" he said back in a low voice.
" They're not human, I seem to attract this sort of thing so I should know enough to see that whatever else they may be, human certainly isn't one of those things" I replied, curiosity filled my voice.
" I've never seen anything like it before" he frowned " I cant hear what there thinking"
I almost gasped aloud. Edwards face held deep concentration. "Nothing, complete silence" he mused "Carlisle will be very interested" he spoke almost adoringly of his father and creator.
"Will he know what they are?" I asked, Carlisle had been a vampire longest and was the center of the family. He saved lives, not destroyed them. Although Rosalie may disagree, she loved her beauty but wanted, above all things, a child of her own. Being frozen in time meant that she could not bear children.
"Possibly" said Edward, trailing off." But first you are going to take your car for a test drive" he spoke with renewed energy.
The Cullen's house looked very different to what you would expect from a family of mature vampires, It was very
modern and open. A place where they could be themselves, isolated by 3 miles of drive. The garage was nearly as big as the house.
"The car is only on loan" he warned.
"Thats fine" I replied, the less time it would be in my possession the less people would stare. I heard the gravel crunch as a sleek black car rolled out of the garage, drove by Emmett. He pulled to a stop and stepped out. Emmett was easily the biggest and the strongest of the vampires. His figure and over sized muscles intimidating to some degree, but really he was a big teddy bear. He and Rosalie were together. Another movement caught my eye as Alice appeared at my side.
" Its fast" she warned, delight saturating her tone. It was obvious she was the one who had taken it for a test drive.
"Um, couldn't you have gotten me something more... discrete?" I muttered
All three looked as if they would dissolve into laughter at any moment. Edward placed his hand on my shoulder for reassurance.
" Trust me Bella, this car is perfect for you" the grin on Emmett's face spread even further. They really shouldn't do that around humans, constantly dazzle them. I couldn't see the attraction to the car myself, but then again I was just proud I could tell the difference between a Ford and a BMW.
Edward stood mumbling something so low I couldn't decipher it. He nodded slowly.
" Carlisle wants to speak to us inside of the house regarding your new neighbors" as he said the words I pictured the boys face and pressed my head into Edwards torso, trying to erase the way his smile had caused butterflies in my stomach.
Edward scooped me up and ran to the house in seconds. He set me down, I stumble forward. My balance has never bee good, being ran around at impossible speeds never helps. I remember the first time Edward ran with me and I had I fainted. He reaches out automatically to steady me.
"Are you okay Bella?" asks Carlisle as he come into view "you seem a little distracted."
"I'm fine, just don't think getting ran round at high speed is something any human gets used to" I joke.
"Well you wont have too worry about that for much longer" chuckles Emmett from outside. I sense rather than see Edward frown at this remark.
" Carlisle, what do you know about my.. neighbors" I try, in an attempt to get back to the subject at hand.
" Hmmm, well Edward hasn't really told me much, only that they're outstandingly beautiful and like no creature he's ever seen before, perhaps you could tell be more?"
"Well they have gold tanned skin and bright jewel eyes." I tried hard to remember details I may have missed.
"and the parents.. they were young , very young. could have 'adopted' they way you and Esme did, but they looked like a genuine family, sort of like you do... with matching skin and everything"
"Is their anything more?" Carlisle pressed
" The boy moved as if reacting to my thoughts" it came out as a barely audible whisper. I didn't want to admit that particular point as it seemed in the vampire world I was, as I put it before, an anomaly, a mental mute.
" I thought so" stated Carlisle in wonder.
" Whats going on" Edward said suddenly. His arms tightened around me, his face held an almost betrayed expression. I knew he was referring to the mind reading.
"Well, I'm not sure but from what I know of mythical creatures it sounds like sprites." he said the word softly, as if to erase any doubt or fear.
I've never been an expert on mythical creatures but I thought sprite were fairy like creatures, Small, with wings type thing. I tried to explain this to Carlisle but Edward cut me off.
"Remember Bella, not all myths are true, sometimes the truth has been distorted, look at us for example" he explained coolly.
" Yes, thats true. Real sprites are the same size as humans and lure humans in much the same way as vampires, thorough looks. They communicate in the same way the wolves communicate, and they all have special powers,depending on what type of sprite they are" explained Carlisle.
"Different types?" said Edward
" Yes, from what I know there are fire, water, earth, air, light and dark. They can also be a combination of these. It is said they stop growing when they reach 20 years of age. "
"Why do they attract humans?" I said, remembering a point he made earlier.
" They can only reproduce if a human carries their child or they conceive with a human." Carlisle smiled as he
realized my worry. Knowing I thought that they fed on humans the same way most vampires did. The Cullen's were different, they fed on animal blood, which resulted in the rich gold color of their eyes. But they still felt drawn to the scent of human blood. Particularly mine in Edwards case. I felt as if I was missing something obvious. I crossed to the sofa where Jasper was sat. A wave of calm flooded over me and helped me too think. I smile gratefully at Jasper for the change of mood. He and Alice were both pixie like, her hair short, it flicked out all over the place, she herself was only 4'10" and his hair was short and wild, he seemed to be in pain a lot of the time. Edward remained still as of listening intently to a conversation I couldn't hear. His lips moved fast, his voice too low for me to hear. I knew it would be over the mind reading issue, he could hear neither me, nor my new neighbors, but they could hear me. Thats when it clicked, the feeling I was overlooking the obvious.
"Carlisle" he looked over at me as the conversation came abruptly to a halt " why could they hear my thoughts?
You said they communicated like the wolves, meaning they could only hear each other" I puzzled.
" Edward and I were just discussing the possibility of you being able to communicate with other supernatural beings as well as shield your mind from them." Carlisle practically sung with a renewed interest.
" Communication is a two way thing" muttered Edward as he crossed the floor gracefully to where I was now sitting, he settled himself beside me and took my hands in his " I wondered if it were possible for you to hear them" he murmerd gently. Everyone in the room looked at me expectantly.
" I could try, but wouldn't I need to be within a close proximity at least?" I countered
" OK, we will try tomorrow, but now you must take a test drive of your new car, I will leave you in Alice's capable hands for that, then I'll escort you home before Charlie arrives" Edward smiles his ever dazzling smile at me.
Alice was at my side ready to escort me out to the car, I ignore her and snake my arms around Edwards neck. He kissed me passionately, then whispered in my ear " I may be a little late tonight as I need to hunt, don't fret over me but get yourself some sleep, please" he said as if he were pleading with me.
I felt Alice rest her hand impatiently on my arm. After a final kiss I went with her, I didn't feel like playing tug of war with a vampire.