Two
The class seemed to drag on forever, and the moment the bell rang she was on her feet and quickly walking out the door in the slowest, yet fastest way that she could without giving away anything. She froze again when she stepped out of the door and her eyes locked on another one. This one was petite, short black hair pointed in different directions, her eyes were dark and black which set her mind off in warning.
She turned quickly and continued walking, the sound of her heels echoing through the hallway. Sophia knew she was being followed due to her other secret. As if she didn't have enough secrets already, she had another one on top of that she had to hide. However, this one was beneficial to her in her situation, and she knew that she could use it on these two following her now, but she decided her best bet would be to get away from them as soon as possible.
Sophia walked out to her car and the moment she reached it she turned and faced the two she knew were following her. They stopped yards away from her, the petite one seemed confused, and the other was tall, handsome, a boyish face and unusual bronze hair. His eyes were also dark, and he looked furious as he stared back at her, his body looking as though it was going to spring out at her at any moment.
"Who are you?" He asked through gritted teeth.
"Sophia Leon." She answered simply, cringing a little as her accent came through. "And you?"
"My name is Alice Cullen, and this is Edward." The small, female one answered.
"Why are you here?" The one named Edward asked her his serious expression never wavering.
Sophia paused to think at how to answer this question. "I moved here... I wanted to be in a place where I could be outdoors during the day... and the last place I lived... well, people began to get suspicious of me."
Edward looked at Alice and clear as day she heard her thoughts, We need to talk to Carlisle about this.
"There are more of you?" Sophia asked. "And... that human in the class... she's with you?"
Edward growled. "You stay away from her!"
Sophia shook her head. "I have no intentions of going anywhere near her... I apologize, I meant no harm in coming here."
"I don't believe you." Edward commented.
Alice put a hand on Edward's chest. "Edward, stop it."
The human girl ran up towards them, she looked over at Sophia with curious eyes, this girl was wondering who she was and why she was here, and she was afraid of her. Funny that this human girl was afraid of her when she was the last person that anyone needed to worry about fearing.
"You must understand, we are going to have to tell our father that you're here, and... we will need to take you with us..." Alice explained softly.
"I understand."
"I'll take Bella in my car, I don't want them in the same car, for obvious precautionary measures, of course. Alice, go with her." Edward demanded, pulling the human girl along with him.
"Where is your car?" Alice asked.
Sophia pointed to the car she was standing right next to. "Shall we?"
Alice made a move towards the driver's seat. "I'll drive, since you don't know how to get there."
"No, no... I know." Sophia assured her. "Plus, I don't ever let anyone drive my car."
She looked at Sophia for a moment wondering whether she should trust her, or not. In the end she resigned and shrugged, climbing into the passenger seat. Sophia sped out of the school parking lot and off into the town quickly. She soon found the clearing in the wooded trees and turned in, stopping when she reached a beautiful white house that looked old-fashioned. It was larger than any house that she had ever lived in, or seen for that matter.
Alice got out of the car and stared at her. "How did you know..."
Sophia smirked and closed her door, gesturing to the house. "It's quite large. I don't believe I have ever seen a house of this size before. There must be a lot of you sharing this home."
"There's a good few of us."
"From the looks of all these cars, it looks like more than just a good few." Sophia replied while she followed Alice into the house trying to keep a brave face on to show that she wasn't afraid of what was about to happen, when she was terrified.
In the house were five more and Sophia froze. They stood in pairs, except for the younger of the blond males who was quickly at Alice's side. There was another blond man who seemed older than the rest of the males, but still young. Next to him, a woman with soft features, and oddly enough a soothing smile her brown her falling softly around her face. Another male stood with a strikingly gorgeous blond woman. He stood taller than the rest, and larger than them as well. Each one of these males were handsome, and each female varying in different types of beauty.
Edward walked in with the human and they stood farther from the rest. Sophia looked around the house, and was not surprised in the least that everything inside seemed so open and bright. It reminded her of her house. Her small house had large, arched windows that reached from the ceiling to only inches from the floor. She always had her window open for the most part, nobody would see her there, and therefore she had no reason to hide.
The one she had noticed earlier as the older male stepped forward, holding his hand out to her. "I'm Carlisle... I've been told you're Sophia?" She shook his hand quickly.
"That's right."
"Well, Sophia, this is my family you've met Edward, Alice, and Bella. With Alice over here is Jasper. This is my wife Esme, and over here we have Rosalie, and Emmett." He pointed to each one as he introduced them, and she noticed the only two that smiled were Esme and Emmett and they were completely different smiles.
"Okay, now she knows us all... can we figure out what she's doing here?" Edward growled.
"You're not a very pleasant fellow." Sophia commented.
Everyone in the room laughed. "Don't mind him, he can be a bit overly dramatic sometimes without need." Alice explained.
"We just need to know why you're here." Carlisle stated.
"Well, I moved here because it was ideal for being able to live a fairly normal life without being found out. The constant cloud cover allows me to be outside almost every single day without worrying about anyone or anything. As I'm sure was the base of it's appeal to all of you."
"But the problem is you're on OUR land." Rosalie said.
"Rose..." Emmett whispered.
"I'm sorry, I'm only surprised I haven't come across your scent yet. Had I know that there were others here... I wouldn't have stayed."
"Why is that?"
"I... well... ever since my change, I've been afraid of ever coming across another one of us. I have always hated what I am... I didn't want this, and so to keep myself from killing humans I found that I could sustain myself on animal blood... I'm sure the thought of that is disgusting to you."
They had all frozen. "You... feed off animals?"
"I know it sounds strange, but really it isn't so bad. I don't want to feed off humans, it isn't their fault that I'm still here and it wasn't their fault that I was changed into this. It's almost my way of denying what I am." Sophia explained.
"No, you don't need to explain... that is how we feed." Carlisle said.
"Really?" Sophia asked. "I've never met another one that lived how I lived."
"Are you alone?" Carlisle asked.
"Yes." Sophia answered.
"Fascinating. I don't think in all of my years I have ever come across a single vampire who hunts the same as we do." Carlisle replied.
Everyone in the room relaxed, even Edward. Sophia looked over at him and heard him. Thank God she's not like the rest.
Sophia looked to the human, and wondered why she couldn't hear her thoughts. It was as if she had a block on them. She turned her attention back to Carlisle.
"Yes, well, my apologies for coming here and stepping on your territory. Give me a day or two and I will be out of your way." Sophia said.
"No! Oh no! You don't need to worry about that, you see, we were only concerned that you were like the usual of our kind. We feared that if you were feeding off humans then it would have ruined everything that we've tried to build here." Carlisle explained.
"I have a question..." Alice asked.
Sophia turned to give Alice her attention. "Your eyes are so blue... where did you get those contacts?"
Confusion washed over her face. "I don't know what you're talking about... these are not contacts."
The whole family seemed to freeze again, as if she had revealed a fact about herself that nobody was supposed to know. "You mean... your eyes never changed color when you became a vampire?" Alice asked.
"No, not that I'm aware. They will go black if I'm thirsty, but they always return to the blue color."
"That would explain..." Carlisle began but stopped.
"What?" Sophia asked.
"At first I thought maybe it was just... no, you don't think it could be that you're still in part human?" Carlisle asked.
"I don't understand."
"How familiar were you with your parents?" Carlisle asked.
"Well, my father was from Spain, my mother was from England. We were living in Spain only for a short time after I was born, and my father died. I don't know how he died, I was too young to know. My mother left with me to England, and I lived there my mother died when I was seventeen. I was eighteen when second World War started. I was helping with our military, a nurse. I was in France, and I was going outside to get a breath of fresh air... I heard a sound and turned to see a man, he was filthy from head to toe and I assumed he was a citizen caught in the middle of the war, an innocent bystander. I went to help him, and he grabbed me carrying me, running off into a dark place and I couldn't get away. He looked at me for a moment... and then he bit me. I remember everything, I remember a slight burning, and I remember him looking at me so confused. He waited for a moment, and then he ran. I remember being in that room for a while... I passed out... and became conscious a few times during the course of, I don't know, I assume a few days. When I woke up I remember going back to work and finding that the building was empty. I found a mirror though... I was pale... really pale... my eyes looked the same and yet I could notice everything looked so much clearer I could see farther. I could hear better, I could hear things being bombed that I'm sure were too far away for me to hear. Then I remember the sun coming out and... well, you know what happens when the sun hits you. The problem is though, despite all of this I... my heart is still beating... I feel it, but it's not strong it's like my heart is whispering... my skin is not cold like the one who bit me... or even you, I'm sure."
"But you're a vampire?" Carlisle asked, completely fascinated by the idea of her hybrid species.
"I only crave blood... even human blood, but again like I said... I refuse to kill a human for a mistake that wasn't theirs in the first place. I'm fast just like you, strong just like you, you'd probably have to kill me the same way... my body is like a stone... just slightly warm. Not quite as warm as a human, I consider myself like a human who's been out in the cold all day and has only just come back in to try to get warm. I'm every bit like you except my eye color, my heart, my skin temperature. My bite is venomous. I could make any human a vampire, full-blown like all of you I even believe. I don't know... I view it almost like my soul isn't completely gone..." Sophia explained.
A booming "WOW" came from Emmett. She could hear his thoughts without even looking at him. I wonder if I touch her...
Sophia walked over to him slowly, Rosalie bracing herself to jump at this girl who was moving far too closely to them. She held her arm out to Emmett patiently. He looked at her shocked at first, and then looked over at Rosalie who was seething. She pulled the sleeve of her sweater up and Emmett reached out to touch her, she looked down at the floor not wanting to see Rosalie's angry glare. His touch was cold, although to her it wasn't completely ice cold she was almost used to the temperature. What had shocked her was the almost electric shock of his touch. She felt every bit of her alive under his touch. His fingers grazed up her arm. He grabbed her hand, and squeezed. She looked up to meet his challenging eyes and squeezed right back, his eyes opened up in shock.
"She's strong!" He exclaimed, releasing her hand with a laugh.
Rosalie hissed at her. "Don't EVER touch him again!"
Sophia laughed, looking Rosalie from head to toe, her head tilted to the side with a smirk on her face. "I'm not here to start trouble, he was wondering what it was like... so I let him touch my arm. I figured it was the safest place, I wasn't going to do anything, I know he's your territory."
Rosalie growled, and Emmett said, "Well, I'm not territory..."
"You're MINE!" Rosalie yelled looking at him seriously.
"Well, I mean... we're together, but I'm not an object..."
"No, I found you, you belong to me!" Rosalie exclaimed, her face looking livid.
"Rosalie..." Carlisle said calmly. "She was not trying to upset you."
"How did you know what he was thinking?" Edward asked in an attempt to change the subject and allow the atmosphere to calm.
She looked over at him. "Well... you see, I have this ability... I didn't ask for it, but I can just do it. I can hear what people are thinking. Usually, only one at a time and only if I focus on them. It is what's gotten me so far with this lifestyle. It's how I was able to live places without people getting suspicious of me. I could hear if someone was suspicious, and I have the ability to take those thoughts, I can... fabricate my own thought or lie with visions and everything and replace that being's thoughts with my own... normally I would do that and then I would leave so they were unable to come to that conclusion again. To them I'll always remain this beautiful, quiet, lonely girl who ended up moving because her parents wanted her to."
"You can change peoples thoughts? Erase their old memories?" Edward asked.
"Not their whole memory of course, usually just certain memories. I suppose if I wanted to I could change every thought, but it would be tedious. It's not an easy task." Sophia explained.
"It's interesting... because I can hear everyone's thoughts. I thought that was every single person until I met Bella, and I can't hear hers... but then you came and although you have the scent of a vampire, and the scent of a human only ever so slightly... I couldn't hear your thoughts either." Edward said.
"I can't see her future." Alice added. "Which is probably why I didn't see her coming. Well, actually, it's odd... now that I know you... I can see futures of other people that include you in significant ways."
"Oh..." Sophia said.
Edward's eyes widened and he shot a glance to Alice. "No..."
"I can't stop certain things from happening Edward. It's not like I'm making these things up." Alice said defensively. "I wonder... Jasper..."
"Yes?" He asked, a slight southern twinge to his voice.
"Can you control her emotions?" She asked sweetly.
He looked over at her and she could feel a calm setting over her as he walked towards her. Her body felt like it should get away, but she felt so at ease with his narrowing gap that she stayed where she was. He smirked and held his hand out to her, she shook it, and he tested her strength as well, she only laughed.
"The other one already told you I was strong, and you doubted him?"
Jasper let out an easy laugh. "I was curious... I like her, she has a certain spunk about her. I can't describe it, Alice... her... emotions are hard to describe, they're so complex."
"It's okay, Jasper." Alice said.
"Can you wait here a moment, Sophia?" Carlisle asked.
Sophia nodded, and focused on him. Edward, family meeting, bring Bella maybe she has an opinion as well. He looked at Sophia and smiled. I know you can hear my thoughts too.
Carlisle took everyone into another room and Sophia looked around the room clearly noticing the beautiful grand piano. She couldn't help herself, she walked over to it, sitting on the bench. She began playing one of Chopin's Nocturnes seeing as she had them all memorized. She sighed at the perfect pitch. Her piano was so used and abused that no matter how much she tuned it, it was only the slightest bit off, but she knew it all the same. It was brilliant how the sound of this piano filled the entire room full with fantastic acoustics.
Sophia heard the sounds of someone stepping into the room, and she saw Bella standing there. She walked towards her and Sophia looked back down at the keys as she continued to play. "That's really beautiful." She commented quietly.
She could hear the nervous tone in Bella's voice. "You don't need to be scared of me. Your boyfriend doesn't need to be afraid either. I'm not going to hurt you, I have no intentions of doing anything to jeopardize your life."
"I think part of me knows that, and I think part of him knows that, but we've been through a lot so he's just being cautious with someone he doesn't know entering my life that closely." She explained, as she sat next to Sophia on the piano bench, her eyes on the keys.
"They must have been some really awful things that you two have been through." Sophia guessed, having left Edward to his own thoughts. She made a mental note to look into it later.
"You don't know yet?"
"Not yet, I've had no need to invade his own private thoughts. You see, with my talent I can opt to ignore people's thoughts. I can leave them to their own life as if I was normal. At the same time I tend to use it to my defense so I know when it's time for me to leave a place."
"Why did you leave your last place?" Sophia asked.
"Well, there was this boy in my class who liked me very much, and he expressed that to me many times. He couldn't understand why I wouldn't give him the time of day, he was the most sought after boy in the school, all the girls were jealous of me for it... but I just didn't like him and not to mention I knew his intentions and they weren't always good. Well, you know, aside from the obvious fact that he's naturally what I'm made to kill." Sophia paused to look at Bella for a moment before continuing her story.
"He gave me a lot of unwanted attention, watched me through a microscope, and began to see things that were odd with me. One day, I don't know how, but he figured it out... and that's when I changed his thoughts quickly replacing them with my own intricate, fabricated thoughts and I made sure he forgot... he had. He was back to his unnecessary wanting of me. So, that night I left, and drove here because it's cloudy here. Then, there you two were. I was afraid he would kill me. I wasn't sure how strong I was because I'd never met anyone who had the same diet, but of course I didn't know that until I came here. I just knew that he was a vampire... he was one of them, and I've been abused too many times by his kind, and hunted by his kind to have an instant reaction to their scent."
Sophia ended the song and looked over at Bella who seemed to be taking everything in. "They call themselves the 'vegetarians' of the vampire lifestyle. Was it hard... to live on your own like that?" She asked.
Looking down at the keys again, Sophia began to play another Chopin song. "Yes... it's hard when you have nobody. I'm always alone and... well, when you're awake all day long... it's difficult to find things to entertain your time for so long."
"I can imagine."
The whole family came in from the other room and Sophia stopped mid-song to stand and move away from the piano in one swift flash of a movement. Bella, who had been sitting next to her while they were talking jumped up and quickly walked over to Edward, although she envied Sophia's quick, graceful, and silent movements, who wrapped his arm around her. He glanced up at Sophia for a moment.
What was that about? He asked. Can you hear me?
Sophia nodded in response, but didn't dare answer the rest of his question with the rest of the family watching her every move so carefully. She looked over at Rosalie again who seemed to be calm for the moment, a bit smug, even. Jasper and Alice were smiling, and Esme who followed with Carlisle was also smiling. Carlisle on the other hand just looked calm with no other emotions showing on his face, a look that Edward seemed to have picked up from him.
"Before you say anything, I apologize for playing your piano... it's beautiful. I only wish mine was so great." She commented, glancing once more at the piano longingly before walking closer to the family.
"No, it's fine, you're a talented pianist." Edward commented. "It's mine anyway, I don't mind. I'm afraid I've been neglecting it too much lately, I'm glad that someone has found use for it."
"We have a proposition for you." Carlisle began.
She shifted her attention to him. "What is that?" She asked, curiously.
"I think it would be easier if you joined our family... but only if you want to. Obviously, it would be your choice, and yours alone. I cannot make that call for you, but I can tell you that for the safety of our entire family, and yours it would be the best decision for you to stay with us." Carlisle suggested.
Rosalie growled. "YOU DID NOT SAY THAT YOU WOULD LET HER IN THIS FAMILY!"
"Rose..." Emmett sighed holding his arm out to stop her.
She quickly shrugged his arm away and launched at Sophia. Sophia caught her in her jump, and held her arms length away, trying not to laugh at Rosalie's snapping mouth as she hissed and tried to get closer and closer to her. "You're a feisty one, aren't you? Quite territorial. My dear, jealousy is not becoming on you. You are one shockingly beautiful creature, but this behavior is a bit unnecessary, and I daresay not attractive in the least."
Rosalie screamed trying to break free of the grasp Sophia had. I'LL DRINK ALL THE BLOOD OUT OF YOUR BODY AND KILL YOU MYSELF! She screamed in thought the determined sound of her voice ringing loudly and equally as clearly in her own mind.
"You honestly think that drinking my blood will kill me? You don't think other vampires haven't tried that already? Here, I'll inform all of you... Emmett, would you be so kind as to take your... girlfriend?"
"WIFE!" Rosalie screamed.
"Yes, well... all the same, would you?" Sophia asked, and Emmett took a step towards her.
Rosalie made a sudden move and latched on to Sophia's neck. Sophia gasped in shock at first that she even tried. Emmett, Jasper, and Edward all grabbed a hold of her pulling her off. Rosalie's eyes were wild with thirst for her blood, she was no longer in control of her usual thirst. She had a taste of Sophia's blood and she wanted more. Jasper was quickly losing his control too, but Sophia remained unworried.
"You see... oddly enough... I'm a bit of a freak. You can drink from me... but you see I'm immune to the venom that leaves the victim in pain as I have already been bitten before. Somehow though, as someone drinks my blood, my heart seems to go into overdrive to replenish what has been lost. It doesn't end. I've had a vampire latch onto me and drink until he was so full of it he could drink no more. It doesn't kill me, and as you can see..." Sophia showed her neck. "I heal..."
Carlisle examined the area, and sure enough it had sealed itself again. "So, they can't bleed you dry?" Carlisle asked.
"No, my heart can beat at irregular speeds pumping out as much blood as needed. It's as though my brain knows how much it needs to be replenished. It's all back in my system within minutes or hours depending on how much is lost. The only thing is that it makes me weak while my body tries to recover from the loss which in turn makes me easier to kill." Sophia answered.
"You're basically like a super-human." Bella pointed out.
She smiled at Bella. "I suppose that's one way of considering it."
"What do you think made it so that you did not fully transform into a vampire?" Carlisle asked, he was genuinely curious to figure this out it was a sort of medical marvel, or just some phenomenon that was not supposed to be possible.
"Well, I did some research on my father... it seems that he must have been a vampire himself. I was too young to remember. My mother was... human... when she had me there was no trace of me being abnormal at all, the vampire gene must have been in me but only ever so slightly... so that when the transformation was made... I was immune to some aspects already... that's my only theory. It's the one that makes the most sense."
"Was there any difference in the pregnancy?" Carlisle asked.
Sophia shook her head. "The vampire gene must have been quite the inferior of the two. I remember seeing pictures of my mother while she was pregnant and she was fine. Other people had told me what an easy pregnancy I was for her."
"Are you sure your father was a vampire?" Carlisle asked.
Sophia shook her head again. "I'm not completely sure, mainly because I never really knew him, but my research points in that direction, and it just makes my theory come together. So, I just imagine he was. I suppose I will never know."
"I imagine not." Carlisle mumbled. "Well, would you like to join our family? We have plenty of room. Alice and Jasper said they would not mind sharing a room as right now they have separate rooms. We could give you one of theirs, and help you move all of your things here."
Sophia looked towards the door where Emmett, Edward, and Jasper had left dragging Rosalie. None had come back in yet, and she turned her attention back to Carlisle. "I'm not sure that your daughter wants me to be in this family. I don't want to be a burden, and I don't want to ruin the relationship that your family has with each other."
"You would be no burden, dear. You're all alone, and what kind of life is an eternal life alone? You're paying such a high price for something that was done to you and you could not have stopped if you had tried. Do not force yourself into a life of solitude when you could have people to spend the rest of your existence with. It would be so much easier for you." Esme explained soothingly. She put a comforting hand on Sophia's shoulder.
"What about Edward? He didn't like me in the beginning... and Jasper looked like he might lose control..." Sophia pointed out.
"Edward has no problems with you now that he sees you don't kill humans." Bella spoke out. "Trust me, I know... he told me himself."
Sophia nodded, and looked at Alice. "But Jasper..."
Alice smiled. "You are going to play a significant role in Jasper's life... one that I will be eternally grateful for. He is fine with you, he has no resentment towards you, in fact he's quite fascinated by you. He's never seen anything like you in all his years as a vampire which, next to Carlisle, is longer than the rest of us."
"I'm just afraid I'm intruding..." Sophia began.
"Carlisle, don't let her talk herself out of this... she's really lonely..." Bella sputtered.
Sophia's mouth fell open. She had told this girl something in confidence and she spilled it out for the whole family to hear. "Well then, please, join us..." Carlisle tried again, his voice was full of sincerity she could never think his request untrue.
She was about to object again when the door flew open and all three men came in. Edward was at Bella's side in an instant, jaw clenched. Jasper looked serious, and Emmett was furious. He didn't stop in the room but flew up the staircase.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT WOMAN!" He yelled just before he slammed a door that was upstairs behind him.
Sophia heard something crash to the floor and shatter. She turned to look at Carlisle, and pointed up the stairs. "That is probably why I shouldn't stay..."
"No, that has nothing to do with you." Jasper commented. "Believe me..."
"Edward, what happened out there? Where's Rosalie?" Carlisle asked.
Edward sighed, and looked over at Sophia for a moment before returning his gaze to his father. "She was wild, Jasper helped calm her down, but once we calmed her thirst she was furious. We had run pretty far from here, but she was screaming at Emmett telling him she hated him for wanting to let her stay. She said this was not her family, and that anyone letting a disgusting half-bred vampire in this family shouldn't deserve to exist in this world."
"But she let Alice and Jasper in so easily when they came." Carlisle said.
"Yes, but you see, first off Sophia is part human, even if it is just a little." Edward pointed out, before he continued. "... Alice came with Jasper. Sophia came alone, and she is not a fan of anyone else interrupting the idea of perfection that she has in her mind. She's also jealous of the fact that Sophia isn't exactly plain looking."
"Gorgeous is more like it." Alice commented.
"Sophia, please... it would make things so much better for you. This is something you don't need to worry about." Carlisle begged.
She looked around the room to see every set of eyes on her. She even heard movement from the top of the stairs, and she looked up to see Emmett standing there watching her. Everyone wanted to know if she would take them up on this offer. Now, if only she could feel comfortable enough being here. Her life had been alone for so long, but did she really want to step into a family so large and possibly ruin everything for them. What happened if someone became suspicious of her? She would not be able to leave without consulting the family, and that restricted things quite a bit. This was not going to be an easy decision either way.