A/N: Okay, I know I am the worst person in the history of the universe when it comes to updating. If you're still with me, I really appreciate it. This chapter is long, and I hope it doesn't disappoint. I didn't do an Emmett POV in this one, and I may not have it in the next one. I just wanted everyone to see things from Catherine's point of view for a while. It will just make more sense. With that said, enjoy.
PS: This is dedicated to LuckyIrish and my buddy Elisa, two awesome readers.
Chapter 11
CatPOV
"You, as well as myself and everyone in my family, are a vampire."
I stared at Carlisle in disbelief. Vampire? I mulled the idea around in my head. All I could think of was some sort of cheesy dude with a strange accent saying I vant to suck your blooood. So I laughed.
The look that Edward, Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett were giving me only succeeded in making me laugh harder. They looked at me as if I were an alien. Then I thought of the movie Alien again and laughed even harder. Now all I could think of was me with a huge, elongated head with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth and lots of drool.
Jasper couldn't contain himself and began to laugh with me. I figured it was due to the empath thing considering I hadn't seen him with any other emotion other than avoid-y or angry since I've met him. Emmett started laughing at Jasper. The room filled with our laughter, effectively defusing the tense environment. Even Carlisle looked slightly amused. Edward, however, did not share our feelings. He just stared at me with a blank look on his face.
When I was finally able to calm down, I moved my finger to the corner of my eye to wipe away the tears I knew would surely be there. However, my face was dry.
"Why am I not crying?" I asked Carlisle. "I always cry when I laugh that much."
The smile that was once on his face completely disappeared. "That's one of the things about being a vampire. You don't cry. Your body is frozen at this state."
I stared at him and could feel the frown on my face. They were serious about this vampire business. I mean, the notion was ridiculous. Then again, I did just wake up after thinking I was dead and burst into flames. So, vampire can't be that big of a stretch.
"Okay," I said.
Carlisle looked at me with his eyebrows furrowed. He turned to Edward and looked at him.
"She really just accepted it. She's not in shock." Edward said plainly.
My gaze shifted between Edward and Carlisle. "What are you guys doing?"
Carlisle met my gaze and answered. "Some vampires, like you, have special gifts. Edward is able to read minds. I was asking him about your state of mind."
"Really?!" I exclaimed, staring at Edward.
"Yes, really," he said, exasperated.
"Okay, what am I thinking about right now?" I pictured a large oak tree riding a bike.
"A tree riding a bike," he said with a small smile on his face. "That has to be a first."
I was absolutely amazed. He could really read minds! "Okay okay, what am I thinking of right now?" I pictured him kissing Bella.
"You're thinking of Bella and me sharing a kiss."
I then had a very brilliant idea. I held the mental image of Bella and Edward, then it slowly started to distort. Bella's hair became blonde then began to shorten. Her body grew taller and more muscular. Her face morphed into that of Jasper's. I was desperately trying not to laugh. I was now picturing Jasper and Edward.
"You disgust me," Edward growled.
"What? What's she thinking about?" Emmett asked impatiently.
I had a huge grin plastered on my face. "Tell them."
"No." If looks could kill, I would be dead, again.
"Come on dude, what's she thinking about?" Jasper asked, unable to stop himself from throwing the feeling of curiosity around the room. Carlisle looked more than just mildly intrigued.
"Say it," I said, my grin growing even wider. "Out loud. Say it."
Edward sighed shaking his head. He looked absolutely mortified. "She's thinking of Jasper and me… sharing a kiss."
Emmett burst into a loud, booming fits of laughter that shook the walls of the room. He clutched the sides of his stomach and dropped to his knees. The sight of him made me giggle.
"Oh, that's just wrong," Jasper muttered, unable to look Edward in the eye.
Outside the door, I could hear the laughter of women. I recognized Bella, Alice, and Esme's tinkling giggles. I was amazed by how well I could hear.
"I can hear them," I said in astonishment.
"Yeah, we can do lots of cool things like that," Emmett said nonchalantly.
"What else can we do?" I asked. Before anyone answered me, I was struck with the oddest sensation. My hands instantly went to my throat due to the uncomfortable burning I felt in the back of it. "Holy crap, what's that?" I asked stupidly.
"You're thirsty." Jasper's hands suddenly gripped my wrists even tighter. I guess he realized they had become a little more relaxed while he was laughing.
If it could, my stomach would have churned. The idea of eating a person, well to be honest, grossed me out. There was just no way. I couldn't kill someone.
"We don't eat people," Edward said, answering my concerns. I did catch his quick eye roll. "We drink the blood of animals. We, as a family, have made the conscience decision to not kill humans. That doesn't mean there haven't been a few slip ups, so we'll keep a close eye on you."
Edward's gaze met Jasper's and Jasper slowly nodded. "Jasper will go with you. Out of all of us, he has the most experience with newborns."
I looked at Jasper and was a little scared. I knew he was upset with me because I was unable to control myself. I didn't want to be alone with him. I couldn't quite put my finger on why I feared him so much. Some instinctual part of me just told me to.
As if he was a mind reader as well, Emmett spoke up. "I'll go with you too. Just in case you get a little rowdy." He broke out in an infectious smile.
I smiled back and him and motioned at the door. "Lead the way."
Running through the woods had to be the most exhilarating experience I have ever had. The trees were whizzing past me, but I could see every detail, down to the newborn leaves, as clear as day. The wind whipped through my hair, making me feel a freedom that I had never felt prior to this moment. If this is what being a vampire is all about, I could get used to this.
Jasper and Emmett stopped in front of me suddenly. I ran past them a few yards, then turned around and trotted back.
"What's up, guys?"
Jasper and Emmett had their heads tilted slightly upwards. I mimicked their movements and inhaled deeply. My nose was assaulted with the most wonderful smell. It was spicy, warm, and made my mouth drool.
"What… is… that?" I asked, my eyes closed slightly in pleasure.
Emmett chuckled and clapped his hand on my back. "And this is only further proof that we're family. That, my dear, is the absolutely appetizing scent of grizzly bear." The statement threw me a little bit, but I wasn't given long to dwell on it.
Without warning, Emmett turned and ran towards the scent. I followed him as we zigzagged through the dense forest. We came upon a rather large cave. It was dark inside, but that didn't bother my new eyes. I could see everything clearly. What I saw clearly was a large, sleeping grizzly bear. It looked rather cute. Its large head was nestled in between his paws. His snoring was loud, causing the stone walls of his home to reverberate. I wanted to pet him, but was a little troubled. Could he hurt me?
Emmett turned to me, holding his finger to his mouth as a cue for me to be silent. "This is the best part," he whispered softly.
I watched him as he tiptoed slowly towards the slumbering bear. He was trying hard not to chuckle, but he couldn't contain his excited smile. Whenever the bear would snort or stir, he would stop his advances and wait for him to settle again. Needless to say, I was incredibly intrigued. What the hell was he doing?
I heard soft footsteps behind me and saw Jasper staring at me intently. I got that fearful feeling again and tried, unsuccessfully, to shake it off. Jasper approached me and stood by my side, choosing now to watch Emmett. His face was cold, but his eyes betrayed his feelings, showing just a touch of amusement.
"This is Emmett's favorite pastime," he whispered.
"Eating?" I asked, smiling softly.
"No," Jasper answered. "Fighting, and then eating."
Before I could question further, I heard an enormous roar. I turned and saw that the bear was awake due to Emmett poking it with his outstretched fingers. He began hooting as the bear stood and tried to swipe him with its enormous paw. As the bear attempted to demolish Emmett, Emmett regarding the bear as if it was trying to play. This only frustrated the bear as its efforts became more and more violent.
I could feel the worry building in my chest. This bear was massive, easily the biggest thing I have ever seen with my own two eyes. "Can it hurt him?" I asked Jasper.
Jasper gave a small chortle. "Don't worry, Catherine. Emmett's fine. It's the bear you should worry about."
As if answering his sentiment, Emmett jumped on the bear's back. The bear roared and struggled to claw at him. Emmett hollered in victory then sank his teeth into the bear's neck.
The bear yelped in surprise and began to thrash even harder. Emmett's grip never slackened, despite the bear's best efforts. Emmett drank until the bear slumped to the ground and gave up the fight. I could hear its heart beginning to slow then eventually stop.
Emmett stood up from the carcass and wiped a smear of blood off his lips. "Well, he didn't fight as much as I normally like, but he was still good."
"You didn't save any for Catherine?" Jasper asked with irritation evident in his voice.
Emmett looked at me with shame in his eye. "Sorry, I got a little carried away."
I laughed. "It's okay. But I really need something fast. My throat is really starting to bother me."
I twitched my head towards the sound of a bunch of… something running. I ran towards the sound with Jasper and Emmett running close behind me. We came upon that consisted of about five adult deer and a few babies. I let my instincts take over and jumped on the back of one of the bucks. The smell wasn't as appetizing as the bear, but it still smelled really good. I imitated Emmett's technique, but decided to quickly kill the buck instead of messing with him. I snapped its neck cleanly and efficiently then bit into its neck.
Warm blood flooded my mouth. It was the most deliciously satisfying feeling of my life. I drank the life out of the poor animal. It's blood splashed my clothes and dribbled down my chin. When I was finished, I looked at Emmett who was beaming with pride.
As I was staring at Emmett, something became so blatantly obvious to me that I couldn't believe I didn't realize it before. The way his features reminded me of Brad, the kinds of feelings I got when I was around him, the statement he made earlier before he ate the bear, even the way he was looking at me right now. How could I have been so blind?
"How old are you, Emmett?"
"I'm 20," he said, obviously sidestepping the question.
I sighed then rolled my eyes. "That's not what I meant and you know it."
He laughed and said, "Would you believe me if I said I was about older than your grandfather?"
"You know, you look a lot like my grandfather." I paused momentarily allowing myself to shake off the feeling that I was completely nuts for asking this next question. "Emmett, are we family?" My gaze was incredibly scrutinizing and I could practically see the wheels in Emmett's head turning as he thought how to best phrase his next sentence.
"We are family, Catherine. I mean honest-to-God family." His eyes were nostalgic and slightly sad. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before, but seriously, how would you react to some stranger coming up to you and saying 'Hey! I'm your great times three uncle'?"
I laughed. "You're right. That would have been the craziest thing I ever heard. Lucky for you, I've already heard a ton of other things that are far crazier than that today."
Emmett and I had tons of fun hunting. Jasper was never far behind, but he chose to spend his time keeping a close eye on me rather than sharing in the fun. Apparently I took to it really well. Emmett said it was to be expected considering I had McCarty genes.
When we reached the house, Carlisle and Edward were outside waiting for us.
"How did everything go?" Edward asked.
Awesome, I thought. Though, Emmett didn't share his bear.
Edward snickered. "No, he usually doesn't."
I laughed and threw my arm around Emmett. He looked at me confused. "What are you two talking about?"
"You're poor sharing habits," I said with a grin. He laughed and pulled me into his side. Before I could say "jerk face" he grabbed me into a head lock and noogied my head.
"Quit it!" I screeched. A playful wrestling match quickly ensued. I found out while hunting that vampires have super strength, newborns even more so. It took a little strategy, but I was able to pin Emmett.
"One, two, three!" I screamed while tapping the ground. I stood up and raised my arms in victory. "Ding, ding, ding! I AM THE WINNER!!" I ran circles around Emmett, taunting him while doing so.
Emmett stayed on the ground and was pretending to be out of breath. "You're killing me, youngster!"
I laughed and lightly kicked him in the side. "Get up weenie!"
Emmett took advantage of my playfulness and swiped my legs out from under me. I landed on the ground flat on my back, creating a sound similar to a soft thunderclap.
I was about to get up, but the clouds caught my attention. I immediately began to think of home. In Texas, Brad and I would sometimes spend a lazy afternoon on the deck looking at the clouds. It was nice. We had a nice little set up with a couple of wicker chairs and a small table that usually carried a huge pitcher of sweet tea and a couple of glasses. It was a nice memory that I began to get lost in. I vaguely heard Edward talking to the others.
"She has amazing memory recall. I've never seen anything like it. Usually newborns have to work to remember their human lives, but she is able to recall them quickly and clearly."
I sat up and saw Edward and Carlisle deep in conversation. Emmett towered over me and held out his hand in order to help me up. I grabbed his hand and he pulled me up.
"Do vampires not normally remember their human lives?" I asked Emmett.
He shook his head. "Not very well, you're lucky."
"That's terrible," I said with sincerity. "I'm sorry."
"No big deal," he said with a forced grin. "Actually, I've been remembering a lot more since you came around. You remind me a lot of the women I grew up with."
"Will you tell me about them sometime?"
"Sure, Kitty Cat." Emmett's grin was now more genuine having said my hated nickname.
I rolled my eyes and punched him in the arm. He winced and rubbed the spot that I hit. We started to head towards the house when Jasper stood in front of me. I can't lie and say that I wasn't irritated.
"Are you gonna make me sleep outside?" I asked sarcastically.
"Keep up with that tone and I will." Jasper's eyes darkened slightly, a clear signal to me of his anger.
Emmett growled next to me. I turned to him in surprise and saw that his eyes were much darker than Jasper's. "Leave her alone," he spat through clenched teeth.
Edward and Carlisle stopped their conversation and turned to look at us. The staring match between Jasper and Emmett seemed to last for an eternity. I instantly regretted what I said to Jasper. I knew he was just trying to protect his family.
"It's okay, Emmett. Calm down," I said in the most soothing voice I could muster. I placed my hand lightly on his arm. It always seemed to work on Brad when he had gotten himself worked up over something.
"He shouldn't talk to you like that, Catherine," Emmett said, his eyes not leaving Jasper's
"He's just looking out for everyone. He's looking out for Bella and Esme and Rose." I knew that should snap him out of his anger.
And it worked like a charm. Emmett's posture relaxed a little causing Jasper's to relax as well. Carlisle cleared his throat, garnering all of our attentions.
"Catherine, dear, I know this is an awkward situation for you. However, I will have to ask that you are contained in some of the less… flammable rooms of the house. And until you learn to control the emotions that are so clearly tied to your power, I'm afraid it will have to stay that way."
I nodded. I didn't see it as rude. I wouldn't want a walking match near all my nice stuff either.
Carlisle smiled and motioned for me to come inside. I followed him into the living room of their spacious home. All of the furniture was cleared out, leaving just the granite floors and a couch that smelled just awful.
"What is that smell?" I said, crinkling my nose in disgust.
"It's a fire retardant spray," a small voice answered. I turned around to see Bella coming out of the kitchen. She stopped and stood next to Edward, who had followed Carlisle and I into the house. Emmett had settled on the right side of me, while Jasper, ready to use his power if need be, settled to the left of me.
"The spray should stop you from catching the couch on fire," Bella continued. "We weren't sure how effective it would be. That's why there's only one couch in there for now."
"Bella, I thought I told you to stay with Rose, Esme and Alice," Edward scolded.
"And isolate this poor girl who has no idea what is going on and has no family or friends to help her through this?" Bella glared at Edward with her hand on her hip.
"Hey! I'm family!" Emmett yelled. "And she's not alone. She has us."
"Emmett, she doesn't really know you. And, let's face it; you guys aren't exactly making her feel welcome and secure. Carlisle, you're examining her like she's some kind of science experiment. Jasper, you're treating her like a criminal who is purposely trying to harm us. And Edward," she said, her face rising slightly. "You should be ashamed of yourself! Your patience is thin and your words are sharp. I can't believe she hasn't run away yet!"
The men in the room hung their heads, unable to look Bella in the eye. I couldn't help but smile. I knew I liked this girl from the moment I met her.
"Now, what do you say to Catherine?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.
"Sorry," they all muttered in shameful unison.
"It's okay guys," I said with true sincerity. "This is a rough situation and I know you are doing the best you can. I really do appreciate everything, despite what Bella may be leading you to believe."
"Aww, Bella. Thanks for looking out for my baby niece. GROUP HUG!" Emmett gathered me and Bella is his enormous arms and squeezed and swung us around. We laughed and playfully pounded his back until he put us down.
And for a brief moment, I had no worries. It didn't last long, but I'll never forget the feeling for the rest of my life.
