Based on characters from the Twilight© by Stephanie Meyers. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

MY RARE GIFT

Edward's POV

Now dressed, I opened the door to exit the room finding that I was in the basement. It was still disconcerting seeing what was in front of me with an overlay of what Carlisle was seeing too. He had heard the door open and he stared at the stairs from above as I stared at them from below.

I raced up the stairs so fast that I ran through the wall twelve feet away from the top of the stairs. Plaster exploded into dust and wood lath and furniture shattered as I crashed through them like they were paper. I was amazed as I watched myself fly by through Carlisle's eyes. The plaster dust showered down over me and the rooms I'd just demolished. I was embarrassed that I couldn't control myself and cursed at my blunder. Though slowed I was still careening forward.

Carlisle started laughing at my surprised exclamation. I could see through his eyes, his laughter and amused thoughts made me feel better as I skidded to stop just inches from another wall.

He was at my side in an instant still laughing. We brushed the plaster out of my hair and off my clothes and I turned to view the damage I'd done.

"I guess I'll have to fix that. Sorry Doctor, um... Carlisle." I grimaced.

"We'll get it fixed it later, let's go, it will be dark for a few more hours," he said chuckling good-naturedly.

I looked down at my bare feet and then at him. He kicked off his shoes and shrugged.

"We don't really need them," he said and then pulled off his socks.

From almost dying, I had landed smack dab in the middle of a strange adventure. I didn't know how it would end but the beginning was starting out pretty interesting. Well…if you ignored the extremely painful part.

"Wait a minute, please. Before we go, how is it that I can read your mind? Can you read mine?" I asked curiously, I had caught an unusual phrase 'rare gift' in his mind.

"No, I cannot read your mind." He shook his head and looked at me appraisingly. "You should know that!"

"I think I do but I'm still not sure of anything," I admitted, shrugging with my whole body.

"We all gain the stonelike skin, the speed and strength, the possibility of a vastly extended life span and the ever-present thirst," he said. His mind told me of vampires thousands of years old, it was staggering. "But some, gain extraordinary mental control."

I wanted to know why he considered mine an uncommon gift. I really wanted to know what was going on inside me, the whole experience was overwhelming. In reaction to the delay the smoldering thirst inside my mind cranked up the burning in my throat and venom ran into my parched mouth. I swallowed the mouthful of venom, though it had no effect on my burning throat. At that moment my curiosity to learn more about what I was becoming was stronger than the damnable thirst.

I could think, thanks to Carlisle's calming mental presence, but I was nervous and reasonably startled by the whole thing. I had seen the vision of the crimson eyed man when Carlisle realized that I could hear his thoughts. But there were others in his mind too, that had other abilities. What could I expect? I wanted answers. I was having fun with all the super strong and fast part but …

"Edward, no two talents are exactly the same. So I cannot tell you how yours works, that will be your job to explore," he explained. He pictured the man in the earlier vision again. "Aro's similar talent requires physical contact to read a mind. Yours does not. What that means for you, I do not know."

"What is your talent?" I asked still curious. I knew the strength of his compassion and love was vast but I didn't know if he considered it a 'talent'.

"I don't have anything extraordinary about me." Carlisle shook his head. Then he paused and smiled reflectively, nodding.

"Except perhaps my stubbornness … some of our kind call it insanity. I refuse to bow to my thirst's desire for human blood. I will not indulge it. Period."

His resolve was absolute, his strength of will was incredible, and the beast in my mind hid from the resolve in his mind. I was awestruck. He hadn't swallowed a drop of my blood when he bit me. He tasted my blood on his tongue because there was no choice but he did not fall victim to the burning thirst.

"I accidentally discovered I could exist on animal blood while I was trying to starve myself to death."

'By the way, starving to death is impossible though at the time I didn't know it', he said, glibly chuckling, making light of his attempts at suicide. I saw tiny flashes of his other attempts and controlled a shiver.

I took it all in carefully. I found I could shuffle through each of the tiny flashes once they were in my mind and they became a much larger memory. It was frightening how much I could capture so quickly.

Should I let him know what I saw? He couldn't possibly know what I was seeing, how much he was revealing with those fleeting thoughts. I decided to wait. I didn't even know my capabilities.

Now I was really curious, could I hear anyone else?

"So I want to find out what I can do with this. Let me see if I can hear anyone else," I said hesitantly.

"No, you need to hunt," Carlisle said insistently.

"I want to find out about this first," I said stubbornly.

'Hunt now', he thought at me but I shook my head. Carlisle sighed good-naturedly and indulged me.

'You should be able to hear sounds from fairly far away as a normal part of what you are now.'

I closed my eyes and listened. I heard Carlisle breathing, of course. I heard other verbal voices off in the distance, then I sort of pushed out toward where they were, and then there was more buzzing. I focused on them; they became clearer.

"I hear someone talking and something else." I tried to focus on a particular buzzing noise. "Maybe another household?"

Carlisle stayed silent and the beastly thirst stayed just on the edge of my mind, the burn no more present than it had been earlier when my curiosity sent it to the background.

Three eggs and a cup of butter…

Now another what? – vibration?... mind?

Wake up boy you're going to get us into trouble.

Then another one, a different one…

"Wake up Randy!"

I think I heard that one with my ears. How far away was that? I wondered.

I adjusted my focus on the difference in the vibration or buzzing and a different 'voice' came through.

….hmmmm you're so pretty… a girl's face appeared before me - a not so pretty girl at that.

My eyes opened wide and I staggered back in reaction to the sudden face before me; I felt Carlisle's hand steadying me.

"Are you all right?" he asked aloud.

"Yes - I think so," I replied. I closed my eyes again, still concentrating, focusing in a different direction.

Voices started crowding my mind, almost indistinguishable whether vocal or mental. In the middle of the night, I thought, how could so many people be awake, and then bizarre visions came to me as I began to focus on the different buzzing noises.

Focus - I'm flying! Wheeeeee! … The view of the ground was fuzzy and indistinct below.

Switch focus - Where are you? - come and get me. A blue goat with red horns ran up and butted the person hard in the stomach.

"OOF," I laughed. "Dreams? I can hear and see people's dreams?"

'Oh my', Carlisle thought also amused.

Switch focus - nothing but blackness. No dreams there just sleep.

I was shocked and amused then my curiosity got the better of me as I tried to see what other dreams I could view. I pushed outward for more then as if I'd thrown a door wide open the buzzing voices were all pouring in. The sound became a roaring whine in my head and nothing made sense. Disjointed pictures and words slammed into my mind like boulders tumbling in murky floodwater and the mass of it was too much.

I opened my eyes in a panic turning to stare at Carlisle, hopeful that it would stop when I opened my eyes. I reached out for him with both hands but the roar intensified and I slammed my hands over my ears to no avail.

"Stop it! It's too much, too many. How do I stop it," I screamed at him, my face contorting in pain. I rocked back with the violent flow of noise into my mind. I knew if I didn't stop it, if I couldn't control it, I would be overwhelmed. I felt that my brain would explode at any moment.