Ten years passed. Two years in the woods of northern California where Esme adjusted to the life of a vampire, with only a few slip up's as all of us but Carlisle had, had. She accepted pretty easily this life that has been thrust upon her, but you could still tell that she wanted the child that she had lost. Sometimes when we would walk past a family I would see her look to the child with only want in her eyes. It made sense too, that she would do that. It fit her personality to a 't,' she was always so loving to all of us. She would have been a great mother and when the time came, that she and Carlisle finally gave into their developing feelings, she was already a mother figure to Edward and I. In fact she never had truly been the sister figure that she had started out to be.
After two years in the woods we moved up into Canada, first towards Alberta. There we played the part of a family once again. With the newlywed couple that took in two orphans and there we went to school just like we had in Ashland. We fell into a very set schedule of Esme being the apt housewife and she filled her time with studying art. It was something that she hadn't ever done before but one day when I was painting out a new landscape of the forest we lived in she seemed to find something to do as well. Though opposed to my painting she was better at sketching. Carlisle went to work at the local hospital, and Edward and I went to school as freshman; always the same as it had been and learning the same things. Most of the time I was able to get the homework done in the time during lunch when we would sit at a far table, picking at the unappealing food or within the first 15 minutes at home.
It was then that I moved onto learning more things, already I had lessons in Latin from the private school that I had gone to in my human life, so I moved through that with ease in the two years in California when we didn't have to go to school. Then in Red Deer I moved onto French same as Edward, along with bonding over art with Esme and even medicine with Carlisle tapping into the nursing that I had been interested in, in my human life also. Over all I spent my time cramming my head with a lot of information because my mind didn't tire. I didn't have to rest, with my mind just soaking up all this information as soon as I read it. It was impossible to forget, which meant that when I graduated with Edward from the school four years later I was fluent in French and moving onto Spanish.
But, I was bored beyond belief, both Edward and I were. Edward was more annoyed than bored though. He was aggravated I think that Carlisle now had Esme and I probably would have been to, but I just didn't care about anything as usual. He was like a bratty child and I was just a ghost, I guess. I did nothing but study, feed and follow the set schedule—I didn't even paint that much anymore—while Edward did nothing but follow the set schedule then go into his room and listen to music. When Esme had first come he had been better, playing the piano and even composing a small piece in the time of the two years but progressively he had started to drift back into his room. Then one day he was just announced that he was leaving as we packed up to move. It was starting to get noticeable that none of us were changing and four years is plenty of time to stay in one place without suspicion.
"I need to get out on my own, learn on my own about this life," He explained as Esme looked at him with only pain in her eyes. Carlisle seemed to understand, he had always said that we could leave whenever we wanted, but he would like for us to keep in touch and Edward promised to. I on the other hand had already decided to go onto university sticking to the human track. So while Edward moved to explore his vampire side I dove into my studies even more, going into Medicine at the University of Ottawa, a position which I had to fight for. I would have had to fight for a place in the University to begin with, since it was a male dominated place, and I didn't want to use my compelling gifts. I wanted to earn that place rightfully and in the end my fluency in both Latin and French along with the beginnings of Spanish provided the information that they couldn't refuse. Same as my top grades and honors in the high school, plus if I did this instead of Art I would be able to help Carlisle with keeping up to date on his career. So, for four years I studied among the men, getting looked down on but pulling ahead of the class even if I was holding back, purposely getting some things wrong as not to get unwanted attention as Carlisle had instructed.
Four years passed with some word from Edward, and I never asked what he was doing, even if it I had an idea. I also stayed in contact with Esme and Carlisle of course who were in Quebec and visited often, just able to run to them in a few hours. When I graduated with a bachelor's in medicine all were there, Edward having come back a few months earlier with a dark red tint to his irises, but still we didn't discuss it. I figured that he had talked about it with Carlisle since they were closer than they had been in the past three years, but I figured that if he wanted to talk to me about it he would.
It was then as a family once again we moved to Rochester, New York. When we first arrived that was like all the other towns and cities, rumors started spreading of our attractiveness and the fact that we had one of the best houses in the entire city. And there were the obvious rumors of our family situation, two young parents with teenagers that were going into their sophomore year in high school—something that we had begged Carlisle and Esme to allow as opposed to freshman.
We moved into the Monroe Junior Senior High School together, having been dropped off by Carlisle I was dressed in my normal fashion—which was the top fashion of the time—with pale pink and white print floral dress with short flouncy sleeves and went down to just below my knee. The dress itself was sheer but I had on a white sleeveless dress under that was in exactly the same style with a matching thin pale pink sash over around my waist to cinch it in. Then I also had my normal two necklaces and favorite dragonfly hair pin when was stuck into the side of my styled bronze colored hair.
"More school and more stares," Edward spoke too quietly for all of them to hear as we walked in, my white sensible heels clicking against the hard tiled floor. I pursed my lips and nodded while eyeing those that were staring with my own green eyes. Both of us moved through the hall, people moving to the side as we passed and headed into the office where a middle aged woman sat. As she looked up to us it didn't even take a moment for the smirk to appear on Edward's lips, meaning that she was probably thinking inappropriate thoughts about him.
"Hello," I chimed out while giving a charming smile. "We're new here, I believe that our father called…Edward and Genevieve Cullen?"
"Oh yes," She coughed out, pulling back from staring at Edward. "I have your things right here," She reached over and grabbed two manila folders and quickly flipped through them before handing us each the assigned one. "In there you'll find your schedules, locker numbers, along with a map of the school and list of extracurriculars."
"Thank you," Edward dazzled her with a charming smile and we both moved out the doors while flipping open the folders as we walked down the hall. I simply scanned over the map, memorizing it in an instant along with the schedule: French, English, Algebra 2, Gym, Biology, and Government, with Lunch between Gym and Biology.
"What do you have?" I questioned and he passed over his schedule which had almost the same classes with the exception of Spanish, but we only shared biology and government.
"Oh," Edward suddenly paused, with a bit of amusement, from looking over the papers and looked up towards the end of the hall.
"What?" I murmured and followed his eye line to the end of the hall where a group of people stood talking, or at least they had been talking. Now, like most of the students they were looking at us. But there was one person that didn't have the slightly shocked, amazed, or dazzled expression. Instead this girl that had to be one of the most beautiful people in all of Rochester had something very different. Her eyes held this look of hate but she kept a small smile on her lips, no doubt having been brought up to hide her emotions—just as I had been by my father. She was beautiful enough to be movie star and you could see that she knew that and thrived in the attention it got her, so seeing us was no doubt something that wasn't appealing to her.
"You are correct," Edward noted with small amusement having heard my internal assessment. "Those thoughts aren't kind," He gave a small chuckle having already changed so much from how I remembered before going out on his own. At both the thought of him changing and how this girl was so affected by us I let out my own smirk.
"Let's go to our classes," I offered, "I don't want a seat up front."
"Right," he nodded, understanding and agreeing with my thoughts.
oOo
I smelled the blood before anything, then Carlisle's rushing steps were the second. How I knew that it was him was because they were moving far too fast for a human and right for our house on the outskirts of town. I was downstairs when he rushed into the front living room with none other than Rosalie Hale in his arms. She had his long trench over her body and at first glance I thought it was to shield her from the cold. But then as I really looked over from the brusied and bloodied face and just caught the edge of her ripped and blood stained dress, I knew that it was more. He cautioned a look to me but I just stepped back from the stairs allowing him to race up.
"Put her in my room," I voiced, thinking that when she did wake up it might be something that she was used to. I moved after him, a little glad that Edward and Esme were out hunting because I'm not sure Esme would have been able to stand the fresh blood coming out of the cuts and Edward was going to be pissed.
"If you can't handle it…" Carlisle rushed out as he rushed in.
"I'm fine," I voiced and rushed forward to help, pulling down the covers before he laid her down. Immediately he got to work, biting her neck, wrists and ankles and the scream was the first sign of actual life she gave other than her shallow breathing and weakening heartbeat. Then her eyes opened and looked around lazily, all that she could do and I saw her connect with me as I attempted to push back her hair.
"Please kill me," She begged, looking right in my eyes and quickly I stepped back in shock. She must have sensed that I wouldn't and looked back over to Carlisle who had a pained look. Again she repeated the plea and I moved for the door as he started to apologize. Patiently I waited out downstairs, watching the snow fall without sticking, then pass over as Carlisle stayed with her, holding her hand and telling her what was happening. But still I couldn't seem to get my thoughts straight even though I could smell the venom taking over. Started up to the room I peeked in to see Carlisle just sitting there as she laid in the bed, eyes clamped shut but all of her cuts and bruises were gone. Her blonde hair was silky and golden, and overall her beauty that she had in her human life was magnified. Looking over I guessed that Carlisle was finally ready to start explaining because he got up and walked out in the hall with me.
"Wh-Why?" I stuttered out unsure at how to start this conversation.
"They just left her out there on the street to die," he gestured back to the girl in the room. "Royce King, did this with a bunch of his drunk friends." It's horrible to think but from what Edward had picked up it wasn't a real surprise I mean the man was horrible in his own mind and he wasn't really that much of a catch outwardly either. She was going to be a trophy wife and even shallow Rosalie Hale couldn't have wanted that kind of life.
I looked back to the room warring with the idea that this was stupid, but also that he was right. Just then the back door smashed open, no doubt Edward and he paused his footsteps as Esme moved up behind him and then both raced up the stairs, possibly thinking the worse but instead found Rosalie Hale joining the family. After they went in to look for themselves, we all moved back out into the hall.
"What were you thinking, Carlisle?" Edward started in, just as I knew he would. "Rosalie Hale?" he pointed out a very valid point.
"I couldn't just let her die," He said quietly, and I think just a little ashamed by doing this again, after Esme. I mean both of them had been talking about trying to get people for us, when they thought we weren't listening, but I didn't expect for him just to bring home another person, especially her, Royce King's fiancée. "It was too much—too horrible, too much to waste."
"I know," Edward sighed, seeing the whole thing relayed through his thoughts.
"It was too much waste. I couldn't leave her," He repeated sadly.
"Of course you couldn't," Esme agreed softly, taking his hand.
"People die all the time," Edward drilled in harshly. "Don't you think she's just a little recognizable, though? The Kings will have to put up a huge search—not that anyone suspects the fiend," He growled. "What are we going to do with her?" he said in exasperation.
"That's up to her, of course," He sighed. "She may want to go her own way."
"But if she does stay then we'll do what we always do," I reasoned with a shrug and then scoffed slightly. "It's not like you love it here." He narrowed his eyes, but knew I was right and shut his mouth more for Esme's sake, knowing that further arguing would hurt her.
The seventeen hours passed with a grumpy Edward (what's new there) and the rest of us waiting for her heart to stop. When it did, Carlisle once again explained what we, and now she was. You could see her processing it, subconsciously touching her throat and when she looked in the mirror gasping slightly at the eyes. But she didn't seem to hate her reflection, in fact she loved it, you could tell as she smoothed a hand over her hair. I could see the pain behind her eyes. It was almost like Esme's when Carlisle said she was frozen at this stage in her life. There was no chance of children, except for Esme's way of adopting. That truly pained her more than everything.