"Dim phantoms of an unknown ill
Float through my tired brain;
The unformed visions of my life
Pass by in ghostly train;
Some pause to touch me on the cheek,
Some scatter tears like rain."
A Year and a Day
Elizabeth Siddal
~o~
After a couple of hours travelling by car – not that they would mind going running, since Portland wasn't that far from Washington, - the five vampires finally entered the city of Forks. It was Frida's first time in the small town, since it never had anything special that caught her attention, besides being constantly cloudy, which was certainly the reason why the Cullens had a permanent residence there. The car passed the "The City of Forks Welcome You" sign, and Frida eyed the many trees decorating the sides of the road, remembering her own hometown of Wiesensteig, an ancient small town in Germany, built in the middle of a valley.
The smell of earth, rain, wet grass and trees hit her and made her smile; she enjoyed nature more than anything. It was something that never changed, except for the humans' constant deforestation and pollution, it remained with its trees, animals and wildness.
When they entered the center of the town, she eyed the many humans walking around, and her throat started to burn from the strong smell of warm blood, which suddenly made her remember something very important. — How is hunting around here?
She was so caught up in imagining how good would that blonde's man blood taste that she didn't see the looks of exasperation Peter and Charlotte exchanged. They knew that they would be absolutely forbidden to hunt in the region, not only because the Cullens didn't like killing humans, but they also had some kind of agreement with a local tribe that knew about their existence.
— Actually, it's forbidden to hunt humans around here. – Emmett was the one to answer, turning around to look at her from the passenger seat. Though he had a friendly smile on his face, his honey eyes shone with solemnity, showing the new vampire that he wasn't joking. — As you noticed, we don't drink human blood, only animal. You're welcome to do the same, otherwise go to another place.
— Not even the bad ones? – she eyed Emmett with a questioning look, but he still shook his head.
— When we come here, we usually go to Seattle or even Vancouver. You know the Canadians are absolutely delicious. – Charlotte offered, smiling at her. Frida only nodded, not really caring about that little misfortune.
— By the way, why hasn't Jasper come? – Peter asked, intrigued. It's been a couple of months since they had last spoken to each other, the last time being when they visited Forks. Again it was Emmett who answered, and Frida noticed that he usually was the one to talk, and that the blonde, Rosalie, almost didn't say anything.
— He went to the south, searching for other possible witnesses. - the big vampire answered, without looking back at them.
— Oh, right.
The conversation ended and the car was quiet once again, and it was kept that way until they entered a road that passed inside the forest and arrived at the Cullen's house. The house was surrounded by trees, surely in a way to conceive their lifestyle from the curious eyes of the inhabitants of the town. It was a really nice house, made following the Swedish modern design, all very open and light.
When they got out of the car, the first thing that came to her was the smell of the different vampires inside the house, one particularly weird and stinky, and a scent that never before she had felt.
— How many vampires were you manage to recruit? – she wondered, eyeing the big house.
— Some. – was the only answer she got before Rosalie opened the trunk of the car and they took off their baggage.
The house from inside was also very modern, though some objects here and there were certainly old, so well decorated that Frida appraised.
— Nice house.
— Yeah, we have our own architect with years of experience. – Emmett sent a smile on her direction, not really explaining what that actually meant. She didn't care, though.
They left their baggage in the hall, and followed Rosalie and Emmett upstairs, to the floor were everybody seemed to be reunited. Sweeping her eyes around the room, Frida counted about six vampires, however, she couldn't recognize their faces. While roaming her eyes through each of them, her stare fell on a young boy with olive skin and dark hair. It was from him that the weird, unpleasant smell was coming, and she scrunched her nose in disgust. He realized she was doing it and glared daggers at her, which made her smile amused. He wasn't a vampire; he seemed only to be rotting inside, since his smell was foul, so maybe he was sick or something.
She shifted attention when she felt eyes on her; she was getting the look from another vampire with golden eyes – which she noted that most of the vampires in the house had. He had brown hair with some strands of bronze that were very subtle for human eyes, but for a vampire it was impossible to miss. He was standing next to a female with a weird eye color, a mixture of red and gold, and long wavy brown hair; she was smiling softly to something, or rather someone, bellow her. Frida shifted her eyes, looking at what the woman was looking at, and seeing, then, the reason for them coming all the way from Portland.
The child.
Instantly, Frida had all her attentions on her. Her smell was…different. Though she had pale skin and a subtle vampire scent, Frida understood why she could never be an immortal child. Her heart was beating fast inside her chest, flowing blood, something that no vampire had, through her veins, and making her cheeks rosy and her skin warm. In addition, her delicate vampire scent mixed with the sweet human blood made a smell so amazingly wonderful that Frida swore never in so many years of existence having felt something like that.
When she turned around, probably noticing that someone was staring at her, the older vampire could see her face. She had dark brown eyes, and light brown wavy hair molding her face, giving a perfect contrast with her pale skin. The child smiled, then, and instantly Frida felt a very endearing feeling towards her. She was innocent, much too innocent for the world she was about to start her long life as an immortal.
Suddenly, Frida's memory took her to a very distant past, in a time that things were a lot more difficult and she was just a poor human girl, living with her mother and sister. She was about five and her sister, Hilda, seven. Hilda had long dark hair, similar to Frida's own hair color, with bright hazel eyes, and a cute face, just like the little girl coming in her direction.
If Frida had a beating heart, it would certainly be hurting because of the memories the girl had brought her. They were painful, the screams still possible to hear in the back of her mind, a constant reminder of what she once had and that lived no more.
She got to her knees when the little girl stopped in front of her. Without either one of them saying anything, the girl's small hand came in the direction of Frida's face, touching it with soft, warm fingers. Abruptly, it was like Frida had known her since day one, for images of a weird place, a beating heart and distinct voices all came flooding down her mind. They were her memories, she realized, amazed. The girl smiled, showing all her little white teeth, a gesture that was not unanswered.
— You have a really nice gift, Nessie. – she said the name she felt the girl liked being called by others, smiling brightly at her.
For a moment, she forgot she was in a room full of strangers, so stupefied she was by the hybrid girl, and raised her hand, bringing in her direction a vase of flowers that was on the table not far from there. It didn't take a second for the object to come flying, involved in a reddish glow, reaching her extended hand with a low tump. Taking one rose out of the vase, she gave it to the girl, who smiled even more, delighted with Frida's own special gift.
— Thanks. – she said, smelling the rose briefly, never losing her smile.
After the little exchange, the girl looked behind her, and then Frida realized what she had done. She had shown her own gift in front of everybody, something that she'd never have done, unless she absolutely trusted the people. Golden-eyes full of wonder analyzed her, whilst Charlotte and Peter smiled.
Standing up, and returning the vase to its place on the table, she stared at everyone.
— Show's over, ladies and gentlemen. – Although she had a smile on her face, in the back of her mind she was kicking herself for being so reckless.
Way to be smart, Frida. She thought.
— Sorry, I don't believe we know you. – the man with brown hair and golden eyes, who had some very similar features to those of the little girl, came forth, staring at her with a little, almost inexistent smile.
— I'm Frida. – she extended her hand, feeling all the eyes still on her. — I came here for the party.
She heard Peter snickering, while the man in front of her just nodded, his lips uplifting just a little.
— I'm Edward Cullen, and this is my family. – he opened his arms while motioning to the golden red-eyed woman and Nessie. — My mate Bella and my daughter, Renesmee.
The woman, who had been looking at her with curiosity, smiled, embracing Nessie at her side like she was a treasure too precious to be seen by anyone.
— It's a pleasure. – she finally said, receiving another smile from Frida.
— She came with us, Edward. – Charlotte came forward, standing next to her friend and grabbing her hand. — She's the vampire we mentioned when we came here last year.
— I figured. - Edward nodded. — Well, I thank you for coming. More people are always welcome.
— Sure.
— Why don't you guys introduce yourselves to Frida? – Edward looked around to the rest of the vampires, and the stinky boy, and everybody seemed to relax and come forth.
That day, Frida met all the vampires who called themselves "vegetarians". The two covens, Cullens and Denalis, both had learned how to feed only on animals, and she was truly astonished when they told her, Peter and Charlotte about their diet.
— It takes off all the competitiveness, all the anger. – one of the Denali leaders, Tanya, a beautiful vampire with strawberry blond hair, said.
— It's like human blood is the responsible for our hatred. – her sister, Kate, supplied.
— Why did you stop drinking from humans, if I may ask? – Frida was curious, since it was the first time she came face to face with those vegetarians, even after having heard of them a couple of times.
The sisters, Tanya and Kate, smiled at each other, like there was an intern joke between them that they would not tell.
— Let's say we got tired of killing men. – Kate was the one who answered.
— Does it change anything in your skills? – this time Peter, always the soldier, wondered.
— No. If anything, it only makes us more controllable around humans, and that's why we, and the Cullens, can live in permanent residence.
That sparked the interest in Frida. For her, it was impossible for a vampire to keep a fixed residence in a place. First, they didn't age, and the humans certainly would notice that after a family lived in a city for seventy years and remained with the same face. Second, how could they hunt and not be discovered, or at least suspected? Although Frida had quite the capacity to control herself around humans – after so many years, and being bored of having to hide all the time, she'd learned how to get a grip of her instincts, which made it possible for her to walk around in a crowded city, like once she did in New York, if there was no blood, of course. All her control was thrown in the air by the casual sniff of blood flowing freely.
— That's interesting. – she mused, wondering if she would be capable of doing such a thing. — Don't you miss it, though?
A collection of sighs was heard from all the Denalis at the same time.
— It's impossible not to. That's why we live far away from the city, though we still go there eventually. To avoid temptation, you know. – the one called Carmen said, and the others nodded.
— I see. – she muttered, closing the subject, since it was not a very comfortable one.
— What about you? Don't you get tired of flying from one place to another all the time? – Kate broke the silence, staring at the only vampires there that had red eyes.
Peter answered first, taking Charlotte's hand within his own. — Not actually. It helps to keep things interesting.
— Well, I'd very much like to have a permanent residence, though I don't know if I'd be able to. – Frida sighed, thinking about the many times she imagined herself living in a cozy house, with a nice view, a backyard, maybe, and a lot of trees.
— Why not? – Tanya asked.
Frida shrugged. — Fear of being discovered, I suppose. Also, the prospect of living alone isn't so…exciting.
Carmen gave her a gentle look. — You don't have a mate?
— No.
Once again, the room was cloaked with silence. Frida looked around, seeing that everybody had someone. Tanya and Kate, though they didn't have a mate either, were sisters, thus having a strong bond with each other – they had also mentioned another sibling that wasn't there; Carmen and Eleazar were lovers, just like Rosalie and Emmett, Edward and Bella, Charlotte and Peter. Out of everybody there, she was the only one that was utterly alone; even if she had some friends here and there, that was it. She didn't have a family, like the Cullens and Denalis seemed to have formed; she also didn't have a mate.
Trying very hard not to be sad with that, and once again remembering her time as a human, with her human family, Frida decided to change the topic of the conversation and cut through the awkward silence.
— So, I hope it isn't weird to ask that, but how did the two of you meet? – sh eyed Edward and Bella, who looked at each other with a smile on their faces.
— Kind of a long story. – Edward was the one to answer.
— She was his singer. – Frida's eyes widened when Emmett offered that piece of information with a playful smile. Then all eyes were on the couple. Edward rolled his eyes, probably annoyed with his brother, but he decided to explain anyway.
— We met at school.
— What? You went to school? - Frida was really confused now. She knew from what Charlotte and Peter had told her that the Cullens lived amongst the humans. But she'd never have guessed that they actually went to school. Looking at them, they didn't quite look like the human teens, even if they did look young.
— Yes, we always go to school or college. It's part of the coverage. – Edward explained. — Anyway, Bella was the new girl in Forks, she had just moved.
— And he fell hopelessly in love with me. First sight. – Bella intervened, sending her husband a wink, which made him widen his smile instantly.
— More like he wanted to drink her dry. – Emmett, who Frida was starting to like more and more, made Edward and Bella look at him wearily, before sending a look towards Renesmee.
The little girl, though, was playing with the stinky boy, with Rosalie watching intensely, and wasn't really paying any attention.
— I'm really surprised that you didn't, Edward. – Peter shook his head in wonder. – You were able to resist your singer.
All vampires nodded, and everyone seemed to think about their own singers, a human whose blood was so appealing to them, like it sang and called them. Usually, when a vampire met his or her singer, death was eminent, for it was difficult for them to resist the urge and desire to drink the blood. Frida remembered a long time ago, when she had come to face her own singer, a girl named Olivia, British, beautiful and with a really, really delicious blood.
May she rest in peace, Frida thought warily. It had been the first time, after many years killing only bad people, that Frida didn't resist and killed an innocent human.
Edward eyed her for a moment, his brows rising for a second before he returned his look to Bella.
— Well, it did take a lot of effort.
— He didn't go to school for quite some time, running away from her.
This time, Edward didn't stop the annoyance from showing on his face when Emmett didn't stop talking. Frida bit her lip trying not to laugh, as did some of the other listeners.
— Thank you, Emmett, for your insights.
Though Edward was obviously being sarcastic, Emmett smiled. — Any time.
— We became kinda friends after that. – Bella jumped in, before Edward shut Emmett up with his fists. — And soon we fell in love for each other.
— And how did you become pregnant, if I may ask? – Frida asked, curious.
— I thought you were an experienced vampire, Frey. – Peter interfered, smirking. — Do you truly not know how babies are conceived?
She ignored his comment deciding to focus only on Bella, who smiled.
— It was a surprise. – the newborn vampire said, and Edward nodded. — We didn't know it was possible.
Frida agreed before replying. — Yeah. I thought we were all dead inside.
— Apparently the boys are still working pretty well. – Charlotte commented, smiling slightly, which made everybody chuckle.
— Oh, I have a question. – Carmen raised her hand, a curious look on her face. — How was the delivery?
Out of a sudden, an uncomfortable silence took place. Even Emmett looked disturbed, while Edward looked at Bella with such a painful expression that it made Frida avert her eyes.
Carmen, realizing this, gave an apologizing look. — Sorry, you don't need to tell.
— It's okay. – Bella shook her head, smiling. — It was difficult, since my body wasn't ready for a baby vamp.
— Was that how you changed her? – Peter asked, eyeing the couple.
Edward nodded, taking Bella's hand in his own.
— And how do you feel, being a newborn and all? – Frida decided to change the focus of the conversation once more, and she could see Edward's shoulders relax a little.
— It's actually pretty amazing. – Bella answered honestly. — My senses seemed to have developed like a hundred percent.
— Oh gosh, I'm so old that I don't even remember the feeling of being a newborn anymore. – Tanya complained, making people laugh.
Frida nodded. — Roger that.
— Not old. Experienced. – Kate nudged her sister with her elbow.
The day continued with the vampires – and Jacob, the werewolf boy, Frida found out later -, talking and getting to know each other. It was all very amicable and comfortable, a good conversation with people who knew each other's struggles and pains. In the evening, when everybody dispersed, Frida went to the balcony of the Cullen's house, staring at the millions of stars in the clear sky; in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but be grateful that she had the chance to come to Forks and get to know the Cullens and Denalis. Now, after listening to their stories, she wanted to help them. She only hoped that they were enough to stand against the Volturi.
Sighing, she looked inside the house, surprised to see Edward Cullen staring intently at her. When he realized she was looking at him, he did something that he hadn't done, at least not to her.
He smiled.
