Stephenie Meyer owns the Cullens, I own the original characters. This is just for entertainment reasons, no infringement or slander intended.
Chapter Ten:
I'd been right. Edward Cullen was a vampire. But not the kind of vampire that had been described in the pages of an Anne Rice novel. All of that was myths, he'd explained. They weren't scared of crosses, garlic didn't repell them, and you couldn't kill them by putting a stake through their hearts. The one that amused him the most? The whole coffin deal. According to Edward, he hadn't slept a wink since he'd been changed.
The thing that surprised me the most was not the fact that Edward was a vampire. I'd pretty much been resolved with that since the day I had first connected all of the pieces. The thing that surprised me most was everything he'd told me once he had finished recounting all of the myths that surrounded his kind. Weird thought to reconcile myself with. His kind, even though I'd always been sure that he wasn't human. Edward was too perfect to be completely human. Every since the moment I'd met him, that hadn't been a thought I could connect him with. I'd never been able to see him as another normal, human boy.
The thirst was very real, he'd told me. But he and his entire family obstained from human blood. They hated the thought of taking human life, but the urge was still there and very strong. That had been the reason why Edward had initially looked at me like he wanted to kill me. He did. I've never smelled anyone quite like you, Houston. That makes the thirst so much stronger. Your blood is more potent and intoxicating to me than any other human I've ever encountered. I had, and still did cause him physical pain whenever he was around me. But yet he stayed. That was what I didn't understand.
Of course, there had been a reason that initially triggered him trying to get to know me. Vampires had gifts, powers that went above and beyond what becoming immortal did to the body. In his words, everyone brought something from their first life into the next. Edward's gift was hearing the thoughts in people's minds. That explained the quip he'd made about knowing just what the boys at Forks High was thinking on my first day of school. Of course, I'd blushed at that one but he didn't seem to notice. There was only one exception to his supernatural gift, he couldn't hear my thoughts. That rattled me, but then again, it didn't. I was grateful that he couldn't see into my mind. I kept so many secrets to myself that I'd initially feared he knew every single thing I didn't want him to know about myself, my life, and my health. But he knew nothing. He could only learn things if I told him and it wasn't something he was used to, being deaf to my thoughts.
It was a little amusing to watch though, to see the frustration grow on his features when I took too long to answer a question. Now that I had all of the answers, everything clicked into place. His confusion toward me at times, his blatant stares of hatred were not aimed at me but himself, but there was one thing that neither one of us could really explain yet. His irresistable urge to protect me. I hadn't been able to bring myself to explain that there were just some things out there that he would never be able to protect me from. Some were so embedded that I was even powerless.
By the time Edward left, to give me some time to collect my thoughts before Margie got home for the night, my head was swimming with all kinds of new information. He wasn't the only one in his family that had exceptional gifts. Alice could see future decisions once people had made them, and her husband (Edward had even clued me in to the innerworkings of his family), Jasper could control people's emotions. I could see the practicality in both, but I was worried about Alice's gift. Even though it'd been explained to me that she couldn't see the reasons or thoughts going into the decision, Alice still saw what a person planned to do once they had decided on it. No matter how miniscule or how grand. No one was exempt from her power like I was to Edward's.
Still curled up on the couch, I glanced at the clock with a soft sigh and shook my head slightly. Margie had already come home, eaten and forced me to eat too, then went to bed. I was alone for the first time that day and I found myself not really liking it. The silence had always liked to play tricks on me and tonight felt exceptionally weird. Maybe it was because I had finally been let in on the enigma that was Edward Cullen, but even before that... Something just didn't feel right. So when a sudden knock sounded at the door, my guard instantly went up.
I knew that it wouldn't be Edward. He had offered to give me some time to digest everything I'd learned, so it was on me to make the next move in our startling friendship. No, it wasn't Edward now banging mercilessly against my front door. I climbed off the couch as Margie sleepily emerged from her room. I knew the knocking would wake her up, she was such a light sleeper sometimes. Once my eyes met hers, she nodded and gestured toward the door. I sighed and grabbed the baseball bat we kept tucked behind the chair I'd fallen into the day I'd kicked Edward out of my house and slowly pulled the door open. The heavy wooden paneling hadn't even passed the semi-circle point of the doorway when Derrick suddenly burst through. I was knocked to the ground and the bat I'd been clutching clattered noisily down the hall. Away from me.
All I could do was sit there in stunned silence as Derrick advanced on Margie, alcohol trailing behind him like some invisible cloak. "Margie, please." He started begging instantly, her tiny hands becoming lost in his larger ones as he focused his bloodshot eyes on her still heavy-lidded eyes. "I miss you, I want to come back."
"You know the rules." She muttered and I could tell that even half-asleep, she knew exactly what was going on. She was coherent enough to stand her ground and for that, I was extremely grateful. Deciding not to get in the way, I slowly rose to my feet and locked myself up in my room.
Even though there was now a doorway separating us, I could hear their words perfectly as Derrick begged my foster mother to see reason. Having me here was doing more harm than good to their relationship and if she loved him the way she claimed to, she had to make a choice. Swallowing the bile that started to rise in my throat when my stomach locked, I turned and silently decided to make the decision for her. Grabbing my duffel from it's place on the floor of my closet, I moved mechanically as I shoved my belongings into the canvas sack. I would leave a lot behind, I knew this. But I couldn't stay here. I couldn't complicate Margie's life when all she was trying to do was be happy. Could I really begrudge her that just because I was weak and found myself wanting to depend on her?
The answer was a resounding no. I exchanged my track pants for jeans and hastily threw an oversized sweater on over my tank top. Slinging the bag over my shoulder, I hitched up my newly packed messenger bag and headed for the front door. I had no idea where I was going, or what I was going to do. I just knew that I was leaving. Tonight. I could still hear Margie fighting feebily against everything that was being said negatively about me. So when I cleared the front door's landing, I cleared my throat loudly and focused my gaze on Margie.
"Choice is already made." I spoke calmly, surprised that my voice was as level as it was even though I could feel the joints and bones in my legs turning to Jello. "I never stay anywhere when I know I'm causing damage, so I'm gone." I nodded once then gave Margie a soft smile. "Make yourself happy, I'll be okay." And with that, I strode out of the house and forced my legs to carry me into the shadows before my foster mother, the last one I would ever have, could come after me and convince me to stay. It was hopeless, after all. I couldn't be swayed when my mind was already made up about something.
The first stop on my long walk was the Cullen house. If I was going to disappear, let Margie claim I'd run away, I would have to leave Forks. That meant leaving Edward and his family behind. I couldn't do that without saying goodbye first. I'd already grown impossibly attached to Carlisle and Esme in my short time in their lives, I didn't want to hurt them by just suddenly disappearing. And of course, there was Alice and...Edward. It would hurt to leave Alice, but as I stepped into the clearing surrounding the luscious mansion, I realized that leaving Edward was going to hurt the most. But I had to do it, and not just for my own sake.
My legs were already sore and beginning to cramp as I slowly climbed the steps of the front porch. My heart was beating frantically as I tried to figure out exactly what to say. I knew this wasn't going to be easy, and I would've been stupid to believe otherwise. Even though I hoped I could simply be let to fade into the shadows. I was used to that. To being let go. My lungs filled with air and I clamped my lips together as I knocked. But before I could even get through half of the action, the door was open and Edward appeared in front of me. His face was anxious and his body was rigid with concern. Things that threw me suddenly. "Houston?"
The way he said my name so effortlessly forced the breath I'd been holding to whirl loudly passed my clenched teeth. This definitely wasn't going to be easy. "Hey...Edward." I managed, already fidgeting with the strap of my duffel. It was already starting to dig into my shoulder and I couldn't help but wonder if I would even make it back into town, where the bus stop was. Thankfully I only dealt with cash and the savings I'd brought with me to Forks was tucked safely in the secret compartment of my bag. "I know it's dark outside and you asked me not to go anywhere after sunset but I didn't really have a choice."
Oh great, I was rambling now. Fabulous! I was not going to be able to do this as convincingly as I had with Margie.
"Come inside." Edward disappeared instantly, the door being left wide open. With a jolt, I realized that he'd moved behind the door so that I could come inside. My steps were shaky, my sneakers echoing on the bright, pale wooden floor. Before I could even remember where Edward had moved to, new faces filled the room. Crap!
Keeping myself by the door, I just looked at every single face before I settled on Edward's perplexed stare. "I just came to say goodbye." My voice cracked at the last word, but I forced myself to go on. I could tell, just by the looks on the faces of Edward's parents and brothers, that he'd told them everything that had happened that day. That I knew exactly what they were. The only faces I didn't see were Alice's and Rosalie's. The beautiful blonde sister that had made no effort of hiding her distain for me since day one. But her husband, Emmett was there, as was Jasper, Carlisle, and Esme. "It's not because of anything that Edward did and I swear that I'm taking your secret to the grave with me. But I'm leaving...tonight. I'm making my foster mother's life miserable and I refuse to wait around for her boyfriend to get me chucked back into some group home. You're the first real set of friends that I've ever known and I didn't want to dishonor that by just leaving. So..." Trailing off with a sigh, I squared my shoulders and looked around at all the painfully beautiful eyes staring back at me. The gaze that seemed to strike me the worst was Esme's. Her golden eyes were stricken with remorse and I could see faint strands of her rich, dark hair start to tremble as her stone-encased body followed suit. "Thank you, for putting up with me. I know I don't make life easy, but I promise that no one will search for you because of me."
My words were beginning to hollow out and fade as I slowly turned back around to leave again. I had just made it out onto the large porch when I heard the ghost of footsteps echo against the wooden deck. Whirling around, I was surprised to find Edward following me. The cynical part of my mind had instantly assumed that he would be the one that was most relieved by my decision to leave. But just one look at his face, the pain burning in his eyes was the first thing to give him away. "Houston..."
"I don't have a choice here." I breathed and let my shoulders slump as I looked at him. I could tell, just by the way my shoulders fell and the downward curve of my lips that I had no outward defences built up against him. "This is for the best. I don't belong here."
"And just where do you think you belong?" Edward's voice was barely above a whisper too as he advanced on me a little more. On sheer instinct alone, my body tensed as if I was waiting for some kind of attack. When hurt flashed through his dark eyes, I was quick to assume that had been the wrong move to make. Forcing myself to relax, I just sighed but stayed silent when his velvety voice trudged on. "Where do you plan to go now, Houston? Have you given any thought to what you're going to do now?"
"Of course I have." I muttered on reflex alone. Truth was, I had no idea of what I was going to do now. I barely had any money to my name and no means of transportation. A bus ticket alone would completely deplete what little funds I had set aside for this exact moment. The frown on my face was easily recognizable in the dim light of his porch and I was vaguely aware of the bodies starting to crowd around the Cullen's open front door. "I don't have anywhere to go." I sighed, almost dejectedly and looked out at the dark meadow surrounding the house. I couldn't bring myself to look at Edward, to see the sudden flare of victory in his eyes. He'd won, he knew he would if he came after me. Even though I was trying to leave, even though I knew that this was the best plan for everyone involved, I was still powerless against the beautiful vampire now leaning over me. "But I've never had anywhere to go." My voice rang slightly with vigor when I finally looked up at him again and unconsciously squared my shoulders in a futile attempt to hold my own in this arguement. "So right now? Isn't really all that different from what I'm used to. Please..." I sighed and my tensed shoulders slumped as my pleading eyes locked with his blazing determination. "Just let me go, okay? All I was really supposed to be to you was a lab partner. Just another girl in another town for you. You weren't supposed to form any kind of attachment to me. That's how all of this is supposed to work, right? Keep your secret safe at all costs, don't let anyone in that doesn't need to be. Well...Edward, I don't need to be let in. I'm just someone you're gonna have to say goodbye to when your family runs out of time and has to relocate before anyone notices that you aren't going to age a single day."
The determination I'd seen in his eyes just seconds before melted away almost instintaniously, being replaced with a kind of pain and anguish that I'd never seen swimming in his bewildering eyes before. I thought I'd know what it would feel like to see something like that in his eyes but I definitely wasn't prepared. I wasn't prepared for any of this. For Edward coming into my life, for being concerned for me and wanting to protect me and I surely wasn't prepared to say goodbye to him so soon. "You're not just some girl, Houston." He nearly growled as his body tensed in anger, his hands clenching the way I would always see in Physics when my scent unknowingly hit him like a battering ram. "You haven't been some girl since the moment I met you. Why else do you think I let you see what I really am? That means something to me and it ought to mean something to you."
All I could do was just stand there as he blew my entire defence out of the water. His cool breath was washing over my face like the waves of an ocean as he continued to stand haunched over me. I wasn't going to win this. Edward was too powerful and he seemed to know exactly what to do in order to get what he wanted. What that exactly was? I had no idea. But I did know that I probably wasn't going to be able to leave in peace.
Esme's movements were quiet as she joined us out on the porch, her snow-white hand portraying no real contrast as she reached out to restrain her son. And really, that was who he was to her in my eyes. One of her children. And feverishly, against every single cell in my being, I began to wish that the title was mine to hold onto as well. Esme Cullen was like my own mother in so many ways and my heart began to ache as I watched her position herself between me and Edward. "No one has to decide anything tonight." Her calm voice was clear in the night air, even though she was speaking in barely above a whisper. Her bright gold eyes flickered from Edward's motionless stance onto my petrified green eyes. "Houston, it's late and I know you must be exhausted. Will you please just stay with us tonight then we can sit down and talk about things clearly in the morning? I'll be beside myself with worry and what kind of mother would I be if I let you go out into the dark by yourself?"
That was what did it. She pulled the mother card and I was just as powerless against her as I was against Edward. With a quiet, strained yet resigned sigh, I just nodded and let my head slump forward in defeat. I was tired, to be honest. Beyond the point of exhaustion. But I was so used to holding myself together, of forcing the exhaustion away that I just kept pushing myself. It was something my doctors had scolded me about countless times. But really, what could you do about your esential genetic makeup? I was too used to being the one taking care of others. I didn't know how to let someone take care of me. Even though it was one of the things I wanted most in life.