Stuck Between a Vampire and a Hard Place
Chapter 3: Social Impressions
Hikes aren't meant to be disturbed. Sadly, I expected to be.
This view was amazing. I'd climbed up a tall pine and looked out over the little town called Forks. I was constantly mumbling under my breath at how gorgeous this scenery was. And I wasn't the type to have conversations with myself either.
I was following the main road up the mountain. I'd guessed that I'd trekked about three or four miles from the house, enough distance to hide my trail, at least. Knowing their lethargic ways, I wouldn't think that any of them would be up to follow me this far, especially when it was barely drizzling.
Thankfully, I never got sick. –Well of course we couldn't.
All witches had –or our type of witches- was a certain preference of their comfort level in weather.
Yeah, I'm a witch with super powers. Hard believe? Totally.
We're not Satan worshipers and we can't really cast spells that well… so that sort of goes to show how we're really bad at following the typical witch. But in the mid thirteenth century, anything could've been called witchcraft. That included using special herbs and cauldrons to make cures and fragrances… yeah, making soap was such a judicial blasphemy. Sarcasm- that I adapted to very easily in the last century.
1492 was when one of our little potions went terribly wrong. Like I've said before, I don't have any answers, and I also don't like telling this story, I never have either -not ever. I'd never met anyone who I thought I could tell. Besides, it wasn't just a shared secret, but I didn't think anyone in my family wanted to remember those sad days. Sorry, if I disappoint you, but that's out of my comfort level.
Well, it's just hard to remember, rather to recollect the words really… but just the feeling of having to think back on-
My own eyes cut me off from words.
If I hadn't seen different flowers and cars parked out front, I'd guessed that I'd hiked in a complete circle. Because what I was now looking at, was a twin of my house. Dark wooden beams, forest inching at the perimeter, glass walls…
Hello, neighbors…
"Must be pretty rich, eh?"
I nearly screamed bloody murder.
"Damn you, Shadia!" I yelled at her, infuriated to my greatest extent. My flattened facial features showed how pissed at her I was. She could read my body language when it came to times like this.
"Oh, come on… you saw it coming," she sucked in one cheek and pouted with the other while folding her arms on her chest.
I rolled my eyes and gave her the cold shoulder. "Ow!" I squeaked as she bolted me with electricity jokingly on the elbow. "Hey! No abusing your powers like that! You know it annoys me!"
Seeming to ignore everything I'd just said, Shadia began walking towards the house. "Nice place," she giggled, "and nice Mercedes!"
"Well don't- Shadia!" I exerted my tone and ran in front of her. "What are you doing?"
"What, you too afraid to meet the neighbors?" she teased placing her hands on her hips and sticking out her tongue. I hated when she did this to me.
She began walking up the steps around me. I pulled her arm. "Shadia, stop."
"C'mon, Raven... They might be a group of cute new humans," she said tauntingly. I gave her a look to shut up. She understood, but continued, "Well... I'm going to say hi." Then she finally reached the door.
I couldn't believe her. She actually rang the doorbell.
"Wait! What are you doing?" I shouted while running up to her.
"I said I was going to meet them," Shadia replied. Was she really this crazy? This disobedient? I knew she was, I just tried not to accept it.
"Well, they're probably not even home! Let's just get out of here!" I shouted. This was getting way out of hand. If these people got to know us… I didn't even want to think of the consequences.
"Dingdong ditching? Oh, please… There are three cars parked right in the driveway and you think they're not home!" My friend was going to get us either killed or into some crazy neighborhood drama.
"Well, I can assure you that we are home," a soft voice said from behind us.
I. Freaked.
Turning around at full speed my eyes caught sight of a statuesque angel.
…I was seriously screwed speechless…
He was blond, tall, muscular, and flawless with distinct masculine cheekbones and the palest completion I had ever laid eyes on. Eyes… such honey golden eyes… so beautiful…
My mouth lay open in awe for twenty straight seconds now, but he was patient. Oh, how so handsome and patient!
"…I-I- umm-… I –we…" I stuttered like a dumb, infatuated idiot.
Praise God, Shadia found her voice and said, "Yo, we just moved here, down the hill a bit."
"Yeah, we wanted to check out our new neighbors," Edelle said popping out of nowhere.
I screamed.
Fuck.
I wanted to rip her head off for using her powers like that. But in the meantime, I slapped my hands over my mouth wide-eyed, and gasped at what terrible first impression I had given this heavenly being.
He chuckled at the scare I'd been given. Such relief. As for the others, they eyed me like a maniac who was in deep need of a straightjacket.
"This is Edelle, and I'm Shadia."
Thanks, Shadia. Purposely not including me in your introduction. Therefore being, I had to introduce myself… that was if I could even talk.
"What lovely names, and you are?" he asked. The sweetness of his voice made me want to melt. Was I the only one noticing this! He was an angel! And right in front of us too! Oh, the gaze I held on his perfect figure…
"Ow!" I commented as Shadia nudged my ribcage. "What was that for?" I mumbled madly from under my breath.
Shit.
AGAIN! I was lost in his magnificent aura!
"You are?" he repeated with a dashing smile. I nearly squealed at the sight. But no! I wouldn't miss this second chance!
"Oh, I am so sorry!" I sounded so apologetic, especially with my heavyhearted expression; and because of this, he seemed to give a look of commiseration. "Hello, pleasure to meet you, Raven." I thought I was going in for a handshake, but he kissed the back of my hand. His eyes, his beautiful, golden eyes, looked up to me as he did so.
He kissed my hand… I nearly fainted.
But before either of my deranged friends could giggle, Edelle spoke to silence her joy.
"Nice to meet you! Mr… umm… uh… you're name is?" she let out an embarrassed chuckle.
"Forgive me, it's Cullen- Carlisle Cullen," he replied warmly. His calm composure was so tranquil; he wasn't worried or uncomfortable at all. The way he held his body against the doorframe so innocently, yet nonchalant, gave me that inviting feeling. We were welcome.
"Well, it's nice to meet you Mr. Cullen," I said after catching my breath.
"No, please, call me Carlisle." He smirked towards me and I tried ever so hard to not gasp as I began feeling light headed.
"Carlisle," I repeated after him, smiling back. And for a small moment there was silence among the four of us. Carlisle's eyes resting intently on me… and me only?
"So you just moved here?" Carlisle asked as he spent half of his sentence looking at me then turning towards the others with a satisfied grin.
Shadia and Edelle were momentarily stunned at his direct address with his eyes to them.
"Yeah, from Colorado, actually. You? Been here long?" Shadia replied, returning a small smile.
"Two years and counting. My five teenagers and I moved down from Alaska. We find it just as and perhaps, to an extent, even more beautiful here," Carlisle replied.
We all looked at him shocked. Carlisle couldn't be any older than us, but he had teenage children?
"They're adopted," he corrected us, seeing our tweaked and curious expressions.
Shadia and Edelle giggled in reply as I gave my signature chuckle, which apparently caught his attention. Who knew I had perks?
I tried to hide my smile.
"Do you have any family or friends staying with you?" he countered.
"Umm... our other friends Regan, Mia, and Michele are still back at the house, still unpacking, I think," Edelle replied glancing towards me with a scheming grin then looking back to Carlisle.
"Yes, I thought you were a little too young to have teenagers," Shadia continued, still overwhelmed.
"I get that a lot," he chuckled kindly, "In fact, they should be home from school in about an hour, would you and your other friends care to come over and meet them?" he asked.
And if Edelle hadn't spoken up first, I would have gladly replied.
"Oh, sure, we'd love to!" Edelle said joyfully.
"Great then, I will see you in an hour." Carlisle gave me that forever-lasting smile, and with that I knew that I had fallen for him.
If my heart could, it would've skipped a beat- and it hadn't felt anything like that in a while.
It seemed almost painful to walk away from the door, even after he had closed it. Strangely, something in my chest was aching. It was a need to see Carlisle again. His lush hair and matching yellow eyes- I couldn't resist him. And, oh, his lovely-
…
What. The. Hell. Was I thinking?
I just met him! He's that neighbor that I didn't want to even meet! W-what, h-how, w-why was I doing this to myself! I couldn't let this carry on any longer. This had to stop before I endangered anyone because of my new interest. I just had to figure out how.
How would I keep myself from him? I mentally whined at the thought. If he looked that good, I wondered how his sweet body would smell… Oh, the misery I was suddenly throwing myself into again.
I fell flat onto the couch, covering my face with a pillow, trying my best not to scream.
The others came down to see what we three had been up to for the past hour.
"Hey, get ready to meet the new neighbors!" Edelle squealed.
"Really?" Mia enthusiastically questioned.
"Wow, you actually got Raven to budge!" Michele commented.
All this talk about the Cullen house wasn't helping my dilemma. My expression was so dejected under my pillow-shield that I couldn't find the courage to emerge from my dark hollow.
This fast? Only like five minutes and you've already fallen for this guy, Raven? Disgraceful.
I had to stop thinking to escape from this monstrous mental meltdown.
"Looks like someone has a crush on their new neighbor..." Shadia's voice was filled with poisonous humor.
I grunted as I seemed to rise from the grave. "Not everyone I blush at is someone I like, Shadia!"
"Well, why else would you blush?" Regan teased with a small smirk across her sassy lips.
"You weren't even there!" I scoffed.
"Stop avoiding the question," Michele jokingly ordered. Her hand swiped across some empty flowerpots. Seconds later, bright yellow marigolds sprouted from the unfertile dirt. The color matched his-
"SHUT UP!" again I slapped my hands over my mouth. "N-not you Michele! I was uh… talking to myself."
They all stared at me with a look saying that I was crazy. But, figures, what else would they think?
"…Right…" Michele replied sheepishly confused.
"Well, you saw him, Edelle. He kissed my hand. Who wouldn't blush?" I grimaced.
A pause broke out, and then thank you Mia! She changed the subject and said, "Anyways, people, just be ready before we leave, I want to meet this guy. -What's his name again?"
Another awkward stare found its way over to me. I rolled my eyes and sighed.
"It's Carlisle- Carlisle Cullen."