I Don't Bite, I Swear by .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o.
Chapter Ten... Drive
"Emmett, are you sure this is a good idea?" Edward asked, hiding his nerves by talking to his older brother. They had grown quite close of late, most likely because of the girls they were in love with. Being in the same boat really brought people together.
Emmett sighed. "No. I'm not sure. But I don't have any other choices right now, do I?"
Edward looked over at his desperate brother. "The only other choice would be to leave her—" Emmett glared at him "—but I know you won't do that."
Emmett sighed deeply again, taking in the unneeded air, depressed. "I sure can't think of one... But what if she runs away? I seriously doubt I could take that... Actually—"
"Hey, Emm!" someone called from behind the pair, making them turn to see a girl running towards them. She came to a stop in front of them, breathing just a little harder than normal. "Told you I'd be here. So what—is Edward doing here?" she asked, changing her mind mid-sentence.
Edward grinned at her. "Oh, sorry, I just had to remind my brother of something. I'll be off now, though. Nice to talk to you," he said formally.
Thanks for trying to help, Edward, Emmett said to his brother. He got a tiny, brief nod from the other boy before he ran off to his Volvo and awaiting girlfriend. Oh, and Edward? Please don't listen to this... Emmett begged. He knew his brother would obey his plea when he heard him whisper 'I won't' under his breath.
Kristina frowned. "Emmett... What's up?" she asked, her eyebrows coming together.
He avoided her eyes. "Will you take a ride with me?" he asked, ignoring her question.
"Emm, I don't—" she started.
"Please, Kris?" he begged, meeting her gaze. She could do nothing but nod. But as she walked around and tried to climb into his giant Jeep, she discovered a new problem. She wasn't necessarily short, but she sure couldn't climb into his tall car.
"Ummm... Emmett? I can't really get in," she said, a light blush tinting her cheeks as she stood there staring at the mini-step leading into the vehicle. This was probably the most embarrassing thing to happen to her in front of him. Her blush grew deeper as he climbed back out of the car and walked around to her side.
He held out his hand, which she took, and helped her in, keeping a hold on her hand with his other on her hip, helping lift her in. She felt as though all of her blood had rushed to her face, making her cheeks and the bridge of her nose a bright, rosy red.
Emmett smiled a tiny bit and walked around to his side to get in. "Where do you wanna go?" he asked, getting in.
"Ummm... I don't know?" she said, though it sounded more like a question.
"Do you like the mountains?" he asked, starting up the Jeep and speeding out the parking lot.
Kristina looked a little nervous about the speeds he reached, but kept her mouth shut about it. "Love 'em," was all she could manage to say.
The boy reached over to her hand, which was holding her armrest as though it was the only thing keeping her alive. He gently pried it off, not forcing her. "Calm down. I'm good at this," he tried to assure her, though he could see it didn't do much.
She took a deep breath, trying to slow her heart, which had decided to kick further into over-drive when Emmett had touched her hand. This wasn't a good sign, she kept telling herself. She was falling way too deep, way too fast. Actually, drowning was a more accurate word. Drowning, with Emmett for company.
Everything was silent for a long while, Emmett's racing scaring Kristina too much to speak. "Emmett? What are we doing out here?" she asked after about fifteen minutes, looking around. All she saw were mountains and trees. It was beautiful, she had to admit.
"We gotta talk, and it'd be better if we were away from everyone else," Emmett stated simply, pulling off-road a little slower, that way the smaller girl beside him didn't go flying.
"Emmett? You're starting to scare me here," she told him truthfully, even though it hurt.
He winced. "Please, Kris. You gotta trust me here," he pleaded, slowing to a stop in a clearing. Then, before Kristina could hardly blink, he was at her door, holding out a hand for her. She took it without fear. She really did trust him.
Emmett helped her down, catching her as she tripped over her own feet. She blushed and stood up straight, deciding to pretend that never happened. She stepped away from him, looking at the clearing around her. It was small, especially with the Jeep there. There was a river running directly beside it, shimmering in the light. It was open above her head, letting the little sunlight there was filter through freely.
She gasped. "Oh, Emm, it's wonderful! When did you find it?"
The boy didn't ask, but watched as she walked over to the little stream, looking out over it. "I found it on a hunting trip quite a few years ago," he told her truthfully.
"Really?" she asked, turning to look at him. Just as she turned, she realized he was much closer than she had anticipated. Kristina stumbled back a few steps, catching herself with the help of Emmett just before she fell in.
"Thanks," she sighed, standing up on her own.
"Kristina, we still gotta talk," Emmett said seriously, still not smiling. "Come here," he said, gesturing towards a large, flat rock hanging out over the little stream. He walked over to it ahead of her, sitting down on the edge. He stared out into the water as he waited for her to join him. He was shockingly patient. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, clearing his mind as much as possible before he started talking.
He opened his mouth to ask her again, but heard a light scraping sound beside him as her jeans rubbed against the rougher rock. He almost grinned. He knew there was no way she would say 'no' to him if he asked the right way.
He felt her relax beside him, staring out at the water as well. "Emmett, are you ok?" she asked quietly, as though she was afraid of breaking the silence.
"For a bit," he answered, opening his eyes and looking over at her. "Kristina?"
"Yes?"
"How do you feel about me? My family?" he asked, never taking his eyes away from her.
"W-what?" she asked, confused and a bit startled at the question.
"Kris, answer the question, please."
She looked away from him, thinking hard about her answer. "I love you guys."
"Are you sure?" Emmett asked unsurely.
Kristina answered without hesitation. "Yes. I love you."
Emmett's eyes widened sharply, then closed sadly. "I was hoping you wouldn't say that…" he mumbled, not intending her to hear.
"What?" the girl asked, horrified.
Emmett's eyes closed, and he took a deep, shaky, unneeded breath. "I want to tell you something big before you get yourself too deep."
Kristina began to freak out, her breath coming shorter. "E-Emmett? What are you t-talking about?"
"Have you noticed all the strange things about us? We're never tired, we never eat, we don't go out in sunlight, we don't even always breathe."
Kristina just stared on. What the hell was he talking about?
"Please," Emmett pleaded. "Think about this. You're smart; you can put this all together."
She shook her head. "I've put it all together before, but nothing makes any sense…"
"Tell me and I'll tell you if you're right or not."
"No, that's embarrassing." Emmett stared at her, not blinking for almost a minute. "Fine. The first thing that came to mind was… vampires."
Emmett grinned, though there was no light in his eyes. "I told them you were smart." She stared at him. "Well, you are right. Me, along with the rest of the Cullens—not including Bella, of course—are vampires."
Kristina stared on. "You're kidding, right? This is just some cruel, insensitive joke, right?"
"No."
"Prove it?" she asked. Emmett's shoulder slumped. "Emmett, I'm sorry. But this isn't exactly something I can just believe out of nowhere."
"I understand."
"Well… to start… tell me about you guys."
"We don't need to breath or eat, but we do drink blood. My family and I are 'vegetarians', which means we only feed on animals. Jasper is the 'youngest,' meaning he's the latest one to go 'vegetarian'. Carlisle changed everyone but me and Jasper. Rose was the one to change me. Now for the freaking myths… we can walk in the sunlight, but our skin sparkles. We don't sleep. We are paler than normal, and we do have extra-sensitive senses. We are beautiful because it is supposed to lure in prey. We live forever, and the only way we can die is if another vampire tears us to shreds and burns the pieces." He paused. "I can't think of anything else at the moment… you?"
Kristina sat there, still staring. Though this time, she was staring at him. He waved a hand in front of her face, and she didn't respond. Well, he thought, this is better than her screaming and running away…
Suddenly, her eyes fluttered closed and she tipped over. Thankfully, she fell in the opposite direction of the stream. Of course, it wouldn't have mattered either direction; Emmett caught her anyway, pulling her close to his chest. Sighing, he lifted her up easily and walked back to his Jeep, easily lifting her into her seat. After carefully strapping in, he walked slowly over to his side, climbing in.