Disclaimer: The Twilight saga, and its respective characters, belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Bella POV

The second flight was not as long and we were again placed into our own section, every other seat empty. I wondered briefly how Alice could have done this at such short notice, but ultimately decided I'd rather not know.

"You must have a lot of money," I commented once the plane had taken off, my sunglasses tucked safely away in the fold in the seat before me. Edward glanced towards me and then back at the map that he had been silently mulling over for the past twenty minutes.

"Why do you say that?"

I scoffed. "Well, you just bought a brand new car and then ditched it a day later like it was nothing – you could have at least left it at your house in Forks." He only shrugged, not bothering to look up. "And your family was able to quickly move out of state with barely any warning, not selling the other house or shutting off the electricity and water."

"We own a lot of houses. We move around a lot," he stated dryly.

"Not to mention the plane tickets," I continued, "And not just ours. Clearly they have bought out all of the section again." I made a sweep with my hand to illustrate the empty seats surrounding us. I expected Edward to retort, but instead he grabbed my hand as it swung back towards him, his eyes intently searching my arm.

"What are these from?" he demanded, his tone softer now, but deadly somehow. I shrugged, pulling my arm from his grasp.

"The day I was changed, probably." I knew what he had been looking at. It was the first time he had seen them; the first time I had worn anything but long-sleeved shirts around him. There was an almost-invisible crescent shaped bite mark on the junction between my wrist and palm, another in the crease of my elbow, and yet another beneath my underarm. Not to mention the marks on my ankles and backs of my knees. I was fully marked, I knew.

His brow furrowed and he reached over quickly to clasp my other arm gently in his hand, turning it this way and that to glance over the exposed flesh. Yes, all of the marks had a replica on the opposite limb. He swiped the pad of his thumb very gently over the mark by my wrist and I shivered slightly at the touch, his thumb escalating the warmth that shot through my body whenever he touched me. It was not uncomfortable in the least.

His honey-colored eyes flickered up to meet mine, his hand still holding my arm.

"Do they hurt at all?"

"No. I don't even feel them anymore." It was true that they had stung for a few months after my transformation. It was almost impossible to wear long sleeved clothing; it felt better to wade around in a cold pond somewhere.

"I'm…sorry." His velvet voice held a tinge of distress as he released my arm. I pressed them to my sides, not wanting to gain his pity.

I only shrugged. "Isn't that what is supposed to happen?"

His eyes widened and he shook his head, his eyebrows knitting together.

"Marks like those… They are not typical…"

I had no idea what that meant and he seemed to grasp this from my expression as he continued on.

"Typically, if it is an accidental change, there will be one point of biting, usually around the neck area. But to bite so deliberately in each of these places… It just isn't something that happens during a normal feeding."

He was right, of course. I thought back to each time I had fed from a human. It was a savage, ferocious moment of attack. My teeth would sink in wherever I had been able to find skin and they wouldn't move until the body was drained completely.

The marks I left were not perfectly shaped crescents of teeth marks, but gouges as the throat had been torn by my teeth. But they never felt the tearing of the flesh; they were already dead each time. I always snapped the neck before drinking in order to give them some hope of reprieve.

"So…what does that mean?" I asked, studying the bites for the first time in months. I seldom looked at the ghastly marks.

"Whoever changed you had meant for you to become one of us."

His words, spoken so sternly with dazzling eyes had my breath leaving me in a whoosh. Who would do such a thing? Who would change me – an innocent, healthy human with an entire life ahead of her? It didn't seem fair. I was trapped in this never-ending nightmare of bloodlust, and for what? The vampire who had changed me had abandoned me.

"Bella."

I looked to Edward quickly and could practically see the anguished, horrified look that was written across my face through his eyes.

"How were you changed, then?" I asked quickly, wanting to derail the distressed look on his own face. He shouldn't worry about my torment.

"Carlisle changed me while I was dying of the Spanish Influenza. There was no hope for me."

So was this normal, then? For vampires to change other vampires on purpose? But of course, Carlisle had not stolen Edward's life as mine had been stolen. Carlisle had saved Edward's life. He would have died without the bite.

"Carlisle saved you, Edward," I relented. "I was killed."

He didn't say anything, but I could see by his troubled eyes that he understood what I meant, and didn't agree with it either. That made me feel better…. Somewhat.

I took a deep breath and glanced out the window and then back to Edward. My change was in the past; whoever had done this to me had abandoned me and there was nothing to be done. Besides, there were much more pressing matters at the moment – like trying to stay alive.

"Did Carlisle change all of you?" I asked, my tone less terrified now. I would have plenty of time to dwell on the negatives; right now the tales of his family would be a welcomed distraction.

"He changed me first, and then his wife, Esme. Rosalie was soon after, and then Emmett." He paused for a moment, his eyes becoming guarded as he stared at me. "We were all dying, and he was only trying to help," he added.

"Of course," I stated quickly with a nod, my eyes widening. Had Edward thought I didn't agree with Carlisle's choices either?

"Like I said – Carlisle saved you all."

Edward only nodded once and then continued after a moment of deliberation.

"We aren't sure where Alice came from – she doesn't know either. Jasper was changed in the nineteenth century by a vampire named Maria. It's not something he likes to speak on. It was a rough upbringing for him, and he has the scars to prove it."

I was shocked into silence by this. "Nineteenth century…. Wow," was all I could rationally come up with. A hint of a smile pulled at Edward's lips and I tried to ignore how it made me feel.

"Carlisle was changed in the sixteen-hundreds," he commented quietly.

"And you all drink from animals?" I asked, not even sure how to respond the previous tidbit. Everyone was so old. I was so…infantile.

"Yes…" he trailed off, pursing his lips. "Most of us have had our fair share of humans, though. Except Carlisle and Alice – they were able to refrain from taking human life. It is astounding, of course," he added as my mouth fell open, "But you…" He trailed off, cocking his head to the side.

"You are a newborn of only a year and yet you have been able to control yourself impeccably – in a crowded airport, no less."

He seemed reverent at this fact; awed even. He looked at me as though I was some fascinating idol. I squirmed in my seat beneath his intense gaze.

He leaned closer to me, his eyes widening and melting. The butterscotch color seeping through me, burning me from the inside out.

"How do you do it?" he breathed, his cool breath fanning the air around me. Every thought that had been circling my mind; every astonishment and question about his family and their living habits disappeared instantaneously. There was only me and Edward in that moment. My mind was a cloud of confusion.

"Do…what?" I finally managed to ask.

"Keep your thirst at bay. How could you stand to be around all of those humans while thirsty and young! So incredibly young!" His voice was but a musical note, velvet and honey dripping through my senses.

"I'm…not sure. I just stop breathing if it becomes too much." I could hardly remember what we were talking about.

Suddenly, he pulled away from me, his liquid eyes forming back to their crystalline gold as he sat back, his body curved towards mine.

"I was surprised you had wanted to hunt animals today," he said after a moment of intensely watching me. My mind was slowly resurfacing; my senses were slowly gaining traction. Holy… This vampire was something else.

"I told you I wanted to switch," I answered slightly breathlessly.

"Yes, but it normally takes months to have the control to do so. We were less than three miles from human civilization which, really, was my own fault. I should have insisted we keep moving further in." He paused, collecting his thoughts.

"But you just simply hunted a few deer as though you had been doing so all your life."

I blinked a few times and sat back in my seat, facing the front of the plane. I couldn't look at him anymore. I wanted to look at him – god I wanted to look at him, but it was hard to focus.

"Um…I don't know. I just…followed the scent."

He seemed appraising again and it was unnerving. If anyone should be appraising, it was me appraising him. He was the one who had taught me to do so!

"I must admit," he said after a moment, smiling at me sheepishly. "When I had left to hunt, I wasn't entirely sure you would still be there when I returned."

I remembered the moment of hesitation; the lingering eyes before he had finally retreated into the woods. I was appalled now. If I hadn't done so while hungry, what made him think I would do so when full?!

"You thought I would have gone off to hunt a human?"

He looked shocked, as well. "Of course not! I thought you would have run off; found your own route of escape. Clearly I have no idea where I am headed."

His words hit me like a freight train. Was he tired of dragging me around with him? I was doing literally nothing – I was useless. I only followed what he had planned…

"If you want me to go…" I started, but his brow furrowed and he shook his head vehemently.

"Believe me," he chuckled – it was a lovely sound, "You are a welcome distraction."

Thank you for reading and I apologize for the wait! School and work have slowly taken over my life! But no need to worry – I have the day off Monday and I plan on completing another chapter by then, so hopefully you will have another update within a couple of days!