a/n Twilight is owned by Stephanie Meyers, this is only my fantasies based on her characters.
Chapter 2
Bethany's POV
Another Ambulance. This one is different though. this is probably the last one. I wish I felt better, cause the Paramedic is awfully cute. He was also nice when my Mom was being such a pain in the but, about riding with me from the airport to La Push. Well, it never hurts to be dying. Everyone is nice to you when they find out that you will soon be conversing with the Big Man himself. Like I could make a difference, by putting a word in for them or something. Like I have any pull. Mom is being a pain… I guess it is because she doesn't understand why I want to spend my last moments on a Podunk Reservation in the wilds of Washington. Mom thinks I should be in a first class hospital with tons of Nurses jumping to do her bidding.
Mom is crying again. She tries not to do it in front of me, but give me a break. Like I can't tell when her shoulders are shaking; that it is because she is sobbing. I am tired of crying. I'm tired of pain. I'm tired of everything.
La Push. Why does that sound like Heaven. I am finally on my way. Grandpa ( Pops) and Quil are supposed to be waiting for us. I love La Push. The times that I spent chasing Quil and his friends Jacob and Embry, around the Reservation; were the happiest days of my life. I can't wait to see them all again. To be there. Grandpa Quil won't let them keep me confined to a bed for the rest of my days. Maybe I can talk him into letting me die on the beach at La Push. Yeah. I like the idea that the Ocean would then be the last thing I see. Or maybe a bonfire, like when I was a little kid, where the Elders get up and tell the stories of our Tribe.
Reality descended on me again. The road has gotten rougher, so that means we must be close. I tried to catch a whiff of that scent, but it is hard with a stupid oxygen mask over your face. I was hoping that I would be able to smell La Push. That unique smell of earthy forest and salty ocean breezes.
I clenched my teeth as we bounced over a particularly rough pot hole. Pain. I clenched my teeth and took a deep breath. In…Out….In….Out… Ok. I got it under control. Then we came to a stop. We must be here! The cute Paramedic driving. just got out and is coming around to the back to open the Ambulance up and unload. I wonder if some of the La Push kids will be watching. I wonder what they make of the parade that my life has become.
That's funny- my life. Do I even have one? Shoot, I promised myself that I would stop crying about what I haven't done yet.. Oh no…. they're gonna move me now. I hope that I pass out for this, or it is gonna hurt like hell.
When I woke up, Pops was there. I'm the only one allowed to call him Pops. That is cause I am his only Granddaughter. He had 3 Sons, 9 Grandsons, and 1 Granddaughter (me). I used to wonder if I was a disappointment to him. I don't look Quileute, I take after my Mother, blonde hair, blue eyes and freckles. I took a second to look at him as he sat in that ratty old brown lounger. I recognize the sloping roof of the front bedroom in my Grandparents' home. Gran is gone and Pops is old. I mean he really looks old. But underneath all that wrinkled copper skin is still the beautiful brown eyes that I love. There was still a twinkle in them when he looked at me. Almost like he hadn't given up and he has something up his sleeve.
Pop leaned forward and lowered his voice "Funny thing, the house your Mom and Dad were going to stay at while here had a water pipe burst. It looks like they won't be able to stay on the Reservation, afterall. They are out right now seeing if they can get a room at the Motel in Port Angeles. It is about an hour away if they drive fast. So we have a little time to talk, if you're feeling up to it? Your hospice Nurse has got you all set up and she will check back in on you later. Unless you need anything right now?"
My voice came out barely a whisper and really scratchy "That's OK Pops, I am fine for now. It's nice to be home. " I would have liked to say more, but that little bit tired me out.
Pops smiled teasingly at me and I worried what my coming here had done to him. I wondered how he was handling my impending death? I knew he would lie to me, if I asked him straight out. I made a note to myself to ask Lil Quil about it later. Lil Quil is my cousin. No one would ever guess it because Lil Quil looks very Native American. I don't. When I was healthy, I looked like the girl next door.
I knew from his earlier comments regarding broken pipes and hotel rooms, that Pops had arranged it so we would have some alone time. By the way he was fidgeting, there was something he wanted to say. It was important enough that he had arranged my parents and siblings absence. "I have a …..friend? Who will be here soon; and we are going to talk about some important things. I need you to be coherent and not all drugged out. But I don't want you to be in unnecessary pain either?"
He was asking if I was able to hold off on my pain medication so I could make some sort of decision?What could this be about? I hadn't a clue? I wished that I hadn't sworn to give up cursing, cause a few cuss words would have felt good about now. Pops turned his head to look when the door to the front bedroom was opened. Lil Quil came in the door first, and I could see how scared he was by my condition. He looked like he wanted to cry. My older brothers all looked like that nowadays. I'd gotten used to it. Then the most beautiful man that I had ever seen (up to that point) walked in behind him. He was very pale. It looked like he needed a decent nights sleep, but his Golden Blond hair was slicked back and every hair in place. He looked like Adonis come to earth. Who was he? What was going on?
Then Pops turned to Lil Quil and said, " Did you make sure that the coast is clear Quil?"
He just nodded his head "yes" and closed the door behind Mr Perfect. Lil Quil seemed to be judging distances in the room like he was going to try to fit some furniture inside or something like that. He pointed to the side of the bed that Pop was sitting and Mr Perfect then went to stand next to Pops. I was dying of curiosity (literally & figuratively); but talking was so hard. Talking now is exhausting. I'd learned that I could use a look to ask a question for me, and I gave Pops "the look". It said " What's up?"
Pops turned to Lil Quil and said "Whenever you are ready?"
Then it was like the air around Quil shimmered, kinda like a mirage. I could feel waves of air or power or something, hit me. I stared where Lil Quil used to be, and a humongous Wolf stood there in my Grandparents' front bedroom. In the moment when he went from Quil to Wolf, there was an explosion of cloth and buttons etc… The Wolf didn't lunge for us, or do anything but stare with Quil's eyes. I know I stopped breathing. The weird shimmering happened again. This time, instead of a Wolf, there was Lil Quil. He was standing there buck naked, he quickly grabbed a pillow to cover himself..
I took deep breaths. Trying to recover, but my heart was going a hundred miles an hour. My head was spinning. I started talking to myself, OK this is it. I must be hallucinating. They say toward the end sometimes you see things or people who help you pass on to the beyond. But no one mentioned people turning into animals. Shoot, I must be closer to the end than I thought. "Damn" I swore. Ughh I did it again. Does it count if the word is in your head, but you don't actually say it out loud? Rhetorical question but who is really going to answer it? The Cancer must have spread to my brain, people with brain cancer usually have hallucinations, don't they?
Mr Perfect started checking my monitors, and he grabbed my wrist to take my pulse. I guess he could tell that I was freaking out. I wondered who this perfect being was ? And how come he wasn't freaked out by Quil's freak show? His hand was seriously cold when he took my pulse. I know, cause it felt cold to me and everyone thinks my hands and feet are really cold. I have the excuse of bad circulation thanks to the cancer and the chemotherapy. I began to guess that he might be some kind of doctor or medical person. I guess he determined I wasn't going to die in the next minute from shock. By this time, Lil Quil had left the room. Fast.
Pops waited for my heart rate to calm and began to talk. He told about the Spirit Walkers and the legends of the "Men who become Wolves". He had often recited those same stories to us, grandkids, around the bonfires on La Push 's First Beach. When he got to the part about how the sons of the tribe will take their Wolf form to protect the Quileutes from the Cold Ones, the hair stood up on my arms. I realized this stunt was his way of showing me that they are not legends. That this is fact. He was trying to show me that the legends were true. He could see that I finally understood what happened with Quil.
He looked sad and old as he explained "No one, but the direct descendants of the ones who became Wolves, their immediate family, or their Imprinted spouses are allowed to know the Tribe's Secret." I wondered why he was telling me the secret now. I didn't fit into any of those categories. Pops looked over at Mr Perfect, sighed and advised me "The reason I had your cousin Quil show you his Wolf form, is to make you believe in the Legends of our Tribe. You needed to believe so that you would understand the rest?" He paused for a moment to allow me to calm down some more.
I could feel the pain tensing up my muscles, but now I had to know. What is going on? What is happening and what does it have to do with me?
"Do you remember the name of the enemy of the Men who become Wolves?" he didn't wait for me to respond "They were called the Cold Ones. Nowadays they are referred to by the popular name of Vampires."
At this, I thought that maybe Pops had brain cancer? I mean I had just seen Quil make the change to a Wolf, so I had to believe in the "Men who become Wolves" but Vampires? Everyone knows they are make believe. Aren't they? If the Cold Ones are Vampires; then the Protectors must be Werewolves? I must be hallucinating. There is no other explanation for this. Is there?
"They are very real child. The man standing here, with me now, is a Vampire. He is also an ally." At that point, I returned my attention to Mr Perfect. He was certainly pale enough to be a Vampire. He was also otherworldly gorgeous. However, the light coming in through the curtains was not causing him to burn, though it was overcast outside so the sunlight is not direct. Still he is up, awake in the daylight hours. Shouldn 't he be sleeping in some crypt right now? I did not see any evidence of fangs, just perfect white teeth that gleamed , impossibly bright.
Mr Perfect stepped forward and his voice was like music and it seemed to ring in the air around us.
" May I introduce myself, my name is Carlisle Cullen. And yes, I am a Vampire." I knew he could read the expression on my face. My face said "Convince me?" He walked up to my side so he could look directly into my eyes and I noticed his were a strange amber/gold color to match his hair. He was beautiful and scary all at once. " The myths that are made up by Hollywood are mostly untrue or twisted to their advantage. The movies say that we are cold-blooded killers, that must drink human blood to survive. A part of that is true. Where should I begin? At the beginning I guess? A Vampire has venom. When a Vampire bites its prey the venom is a poison. It inflicts a horrible burning pain, that is meant to incapacitate the prey, so that they can be finished off. The pain usually lasts 3 days if left unchecked. Most prey do not experience it; because they die when the Vampire drains all their blood from their bodies. The venom is usually not needed, because the prey is dead long before the pain burns them up. However, if the Vampire is interrupted and the venom is allowed to burn the prey from within; then at the end of 3 days a new Vampire will be born. When we are new to the life, the pain in the throat can only be assuaged by blood. When they awake to their new life, they notice that they are quite beautiful. Their skin is inpenetratable by most substances. They will be super fast and have immense strength. They no longer need to breath. Therefore one can walk through the Ocean to get to the other side quite easily. They no longer need sleep. In fact, one cannot sleep ever again. They cannot eat human food. It will not digest. They no longer age, they are immortal. Everything is frozen at the time you become Immortal. If their hair is long or short, it will be that same length for eternity. There is no more sickness, no cancer or disease that can touch them. Some Vampires have special abilities that are strengthened by the change. My family and I, have chosen not to drink human blood. Instead we hunt wild animals and drink their blood. That is why our eyes are golden in color, whereas a Vampire with red eyes lives on human blood. We do not go out in Sunlight, due to our skin reflects the sunlight like a prism and it is quite noticeable. Here we can mingle without fear of discovery due to the constant overcast skies. We do not have fangs but our teeth are very sharp and are among the only substances that can pierce Vampire skin, besides Werewolf teeth. We do show up in photos and we aren't without a reflection in mirrors. I came here to tell you about myself and my family as your Grandfather wishes you to have a choice."
They were both looking at me. I could tell that they were trying to figure out what I was thinking about everything that had just been dumped in my lap. It was hard to think, cause I was overdue for a shot of morphine for the pain. But I tuned out the pain, and looked at Pops.
"Why?" I whispered again.
I wanted to say … "Why is he here, what do you both want of me?" but it was hard to just get the first word out, and I hoped it was enough.
Pops bent forward to whisper in my ear "Bethy, you never really had a chance at life and there are still so many normal things that you haven't done or experienced. Over the last year, we have learned to trust the Cullens. They were our enemies. Now though we don't throw our arms around each other, but we are no longer enemies. We have an alliance with them. From what I have seen they are honest and trustworthy individuals. I don't know if I were one of them, that I would be able to follow their self imposed diet restrictions. I can't even do the Low Cholesterol diet that the doctors yell at me about. I asked Carlisle, here, to offer you the chance to join them and become a Vampire. Bethy, you don't have to die. You can change. Afterwards, you wouldn't be able to be with your family, but you would be healthy. You'd be able to do whatever you wanted. You could skydive and forget the chute and still not get hurt. You could walk across the ocean to Japan and not drown. You could fall in love, have a wedding. Graduate from High School and go to College. You could live. It would be a different life, but it would be yours. You're calling the shots. Please baby girl, take this chance?"
There were tears running out of Pop's eyes. I hated that I was the one making him cry. I had so many questions running through my head. I didn't know if I had the stamina to last long enough for him to answer my questions. The pain was getting more insistent now, trying to drag me down into a hole. I fought it.
I turned to Mr Perfect " Why shouldn't I accept your offer?" it came out as a whispery rasp and by the end of my question, my teeth were grinding together. Carlisle looked at the chart at the end of the rented hospital bed. He then took out a syringe from his kit and filled it with morphine, then added it to my IV. I waited for an answer, and for relief from the pain. The two were uneasy companions.
"There is a chance that you would be risking your soul. Most religions believe that after death the soul returns to heaven or whatever. We are the undead, so some hypothesize that our souls should have left our bodies when we changed and therefore we are soulless. The other major consideration is children. You will not be able to conceive or carry a child."
I interrupted him then " Cancer already did that." It was true, my doctors had waged a battle to save my life from the Cancer that I had had since before I can remember. In that battle, they sacrificed my fertility on the Cancer Altar. I had known since I was barely more than a child myself, that I would never get to have children.
"There is one more thing to consider. Since you are a direct descendant of the original line; you may have the gene that causes the Shapeshifting. It usually comes into play only when there are Vampires in the vicinity and when puberty is ended. Since you may have the gene, our venom may be poisonous to you and could kill you." I understood now what he meant, but he understood me perfectly when I slurred "damned if I do and damned if I don't".
Pops seemed to take that as my declaration that I wanted to think about it. He said that if we decided to go forward, the Cullens had a plan to fake my death and then change me from sick Human to healthy Horror Movie Diva. I felt that things were much too serious, and I longed for Pops to smile. I remembered Lil Quil's demonstration, and asked "were the clothes supposed to explode?" Pops laughed and said " that boy just don't understand that "clothing optional" is not his personal slogan". I smiled.
Pops walked Carlisle out the door of the bedroom and to the front door. I tried to think about everything that I had learned today. Werewolves and Vampires are real. What next? a witch saves my life? Who knows? The pain was dragging me under again and the heaviness was making my eyelids shut of their own accord. I guess I could think about all this tomorrow or later… I wanted to ask a question, but the words would not form right. Then I figured I could ask tomorrow.
