Chapter 4

Althea POV

It's 1922, I am finally back, now I lost track of my father, I haven't spoken to him in years. I searched but couldn't find him alone; I went to Baltimore and Chicago. And you know what, I decided to track him the supernatural way. I found this woman over a decade ago in New Orleans who could do voodoo and I even saw her curse someone. This stuff is real. So I asked her if she could help me find my father and she agreed, she found him and I went on my merry way, even though I was sceptical.

I found him, I knocked on his door, but a woman opened up. A vampire woman. 'No, he found a woman' I think in disbelief.

"Hello, Can I help you?" she asks nervously, but smile anyway. I look at her suspiciously.

"Hello. Yes, I am looking for Carlisle Cullen. Is he here?" I ask her.

"He is currently at work. Is there anything you need from him?" She asks suspiciously and with a hint of jealousy in her voice.

'This is going to be good' I think.

"Sorry, What is your name?" I ask her.

"Esme"

"Well, Esme, What I need from him is time, love and affection" I state to her.

She looks ready to burst, when I see my father driving his own car, he stopped in front of the house.

"Althea!" My father yells excitedly, running at vampire speed towards me, and he hugs me tightly.

"I have missed you dearly daughter" He says, in an English accent (It's still funny because his accent only changes back when he speaks to me).

Esme relaxed slightly, "Oh so this is Althea you mentioned".

"Esme dear, this is Althea, Althea this is Esme, my mate" He introduces us.

"I assumed as much father. I apologize for earlier. I wanted to see the type of person you are and I thought that you could be my father's mate. I wanted to see how you react to a woman asking about your mate"

"You did what?" my father hissed at me, protective for Esme's case.

'This is sweet!"

I just grin at him. "Welcome to the family" I tell her, hugging her tightly as well.

She grins back and we walk inside.

"I have so many stories to tell you Esme, especially all those embarrassing ones. This is going to be so much fun" I tell her excitedly.

"Althea, we also have to tell you a few things" My father states.

"Alright, let's take a seat then"

We sat down and my father told me about Edward who has left a few months ago and he will probably visit soon. He told me about his new job and about Esme. And Esme told me about herself.

I told them about some of my travels and that this village attempted to kill me for some sacrificial rite. My father looked upset at that.

After a few hours of catching up and getting to know one another I drifted off to sleep for the first time in nine years. This normally happens when I am with my father or Belinda and Johnathan. Esme was freaked out over this even if my father did explain it to her before about my ability but I think he forgot to mention the sleeping part. I normally sleep for an hour or two.

So this awkward conversation came up as well, I felt like I had to mention it, but it was over the living arrangements.

"Father, I must ask you and Esme, do you want me to stay here with you, or can I get an apartment for me to stay in?" I ask them.

Esme answered first, "No, you have to stay here, this is your home as well".

"Don't be ridiculous. As Esme mentioned, you are family. We stay together"

"But won't it be strange that your nearly two hundred and seventy year old daughter is staying with the newly mated couple"

My father rolls his eyes and says, "Althea. Stop being ridiculous. Maybe you and Edward are fated to be together"

"No" I tell him.

"These things happen. With one look, you two could be mated" He tells me jokingly.

"Don't you be ridiculous father" I tell him, rolling my eyes.

"I'll try my best" he says.

"Come on, let me show you to your room." Esme tells me. 'She is so beautiful. I love her already'.

Esme and I bonded a lot. I was only waiting to meet Edward before going to London to visit. But he is taking his sweet time. Apparently he is unhappy with what he has become, and I might be as well if I had the ability to read minds all the time. 'How irritating must it be!'

Edward finally came home after a year away and I was itching to travel again.

Edward stalked inside the house, I was sitting on a couch in the living room reading a book. My father and Esme went hunting over an hour ago.

"Who are you?" I ask him, startling him out of his thoughts.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" He asks surprised.

"I asked you first, but seeing as you have no manners whatsoever, let me show you how it's done. 'Hello, my name is Althea. I live here'" I tell him mockingly.

"And then you reply with a "Hello, nice to meet you, I am Edward, and I live here too". I tell him amused.

He looks taken aback.

"Ah, Edward, I was wondering when you were going to come home. I see you've met my daughter Althea", my father walks in with Esme on hand. Esme goes over to hug Edward and he looks really awkward about it too.

"Althea was teaching me how to introduce myself because my behaviour seemed untoward for her taste" Edward tells my father. 'What an arse" I think.

"I am not an arse. I was merely stating what happened".

"Althea!" my father says appalled by my behaviour.

"What! He was being rude when he started speaking to me. You know how I get with rude people. And I will have free reign in my thoughts, he must just keep it to himself whatever he hears from me. You cannot reprimand me for what I think". I reply justified.

"Very well. Don't be rude, please. Behave, both of you". My father replies with a sigh.

"So there was no spark when you looked into his eyes?" My father asked mischievously. Edward and I looked horrified.

Edward and I got to know one another better. It was much like a sibling bond. Not that I had experience in those bonds besides now. We talked about a lot of things. He was curious about my views on religion and politics and philosophies. He obviously followed the human diet now, it doesn't really bother me, but I can see its bothering my dad. Edward did decide that while he stayed with us, he would only hunt animals.

After another three years with my family I booked a flight to London. Before that, I took Edward to Canada, I've been there once and I wanted to explore. 'We had fun, even if he is an annoying prick'

"Oh thanks, I never knew I was that bad. Try living with you" Edward tells me.

"I do live with myself and I enjoy it to the fullest" I sass him back.

Edward disappeared for a few months again after we returned home. My dad and Esme were sad to see us leave but I promised I would be back. And I was, I came back within a few months. Flying might be expensive but its faster than boat travel during this time period.

I like to visit South America often. I went there for a few months again and came back home.

And in 1934, I met my new adoptive sister, Rosalie. Incredibly beautiful, and seriously mean.

She is a real bitch. I came home after a long trip from Panama, beautiful Spanish country. Beautiful people, food, beautiful landscapes, rich culture, beautiful food once again. Lovely history.

"Who do you think you are waltzing into our home? Are you a thief? Is that why you are here? To steal? Mmm?"

This was my first encounter with Rosalie. I received a telegram from Esme about her. But if I thought Edward was rude, no, Edward is a dear compared to Rosalie's harsh welcome.

"I'm sorry, I did not realize that waltzing is a crime and anyway, I thought that I was strutting with confidence. A thief I am not, I have no need to steal. I apologize for my appalling manners as well as yours, what is your name?" I ask her.

She looked ready to slap me. "What is going on here?" Esme comes in dramatically after her hunt with my father who is trailing behind her.

"Oh nothing Esme, she was just introducing herself" I tell her.

Esme sighs, "Rosalie, this is Althea Cullen, Carlisle's daughter".

"So you are Rosalie, nice to meet you" she glares at me and stalks away. I look at her retreating back and try not to laugh at the petulant child that is in front of me. I hear laughter from outside. "Edward, come say hello to your big sister" I yell out to him.

He comes in, eyes no longer red but a lovely golden yellow. "Are you going to treat everyone that you meet in our home for the first time with such appalling manners?" Edward asks me in a mocking English tone of voice. 'I don't believe it, he can actually make a joke, he has a sense of humour'.

I reply in a posh voice and my nose in the air, "Only if they deserve my sour mood after acting with rudeness in my own home. I shall try my utter best to stop acting in such a manner unbefitting of my station" we all laugh at that.

"Althea, it's good to see you my daughter. But please, can you make things right with Rosalie"

"Alright father" I tell him. 'he is right, she is still a new born as was Edward and as such their emotions run quite high. Even if Edward's reaction to me was better than Rosalie's was.

I did go make it right. Rosalie and I hashed it out, and we clashed often. And often enough Edward had to mediate between the two of us. I thought she was a petulant child, Edward sometimes agreed. But we got the hang of our relationship and we even went shopping together as soon as Rosalie could handle being in a populated area. She and Edward bonded over their disgust of my human habits, like the discovery of ice cream and milkshakes. I still struggled with eating floury foods. I only ate one man during this year. He was so rude to Rosalie when we went to a baseball game. He was acting inappropriate towards her. So I ate him. I upped one in her book and one down in my father's. His look of disappointment says it all.

In 1935, I met Emmett, Rosalie's mate. Sweet guy, well from what I've seen as he bled to death until my father could save him.

"Why can't you change him?" Rose asks me.

"Because he would die faster than one cent fire cracker Rose. I can't change someone. I have venom but it's ineffective"

Emmett made everything fun. I liked Emmett.

My father and I were hunting together alone for the first time in years. We hunted and sat together watching the stars.

"What do you think about all this? About all these new people in our lives?" My father asks me.

"I think…well I think that it's great. It is something to get used to. To get used to not just you and me but to a whole new family. I wanted this. I've always wanted to have you here and a mother, well I imagined my mother and not Esme, but she is pretty great, even if I am older than her. I remember when I was being raised by grandfather, he was so strict and I was scared that he would chase away any new mother that you might marry. He told me often enough what a mistake I was. And I would be lucky to even get a husband. I always had the hope that you were alive and what motivated me to find you was because of my forced marriage to come. And instead I found all of this. It's unconventional but it's better than what I could've hoped for" I tell him.

And continue jokingly, "Now sometimes Rosalie and Edward are a bit much for me, and Emmett as well, but I can't imagine our family without them now. I've accepted them even before they became a part of our lives because I knew you were lonely when I travelled. I still travel and I miss you so much. I wish I could show you some of the things I've seen and the people I've met"

My father hugs me tightly and jokingly adds, "They are a bit much for me too sometimes".