Chpt 11
Revealing the past
It was getting dark when Edward and I decided to leave the meadow. Instead of running like we had when we were going to the meadow, we walked slowly, just enjoying ourselves. After about half an hour, we reached the edge of the forest and meandered towards the sidewalk a few meters away.
When I could see my house farther down the road, I stopped walking, not wanting to go home and face them yet. Edward looked down at me and asked,
"Would you like to see Alice?" I brightened instantly and beamed at him. He chuckled as we turned around and started walking the other way. We had been walking for only a few minutes when Edward said,
" Now that we have eternity, do you mind if we run? I mean; walking is okay, but at this rate we'll make it to my house in a few hours." He exaggerated to get his point across: it would take a long time to get there.
Gesturing for him to lead the way, he smiled and started off without a glance behind him. I ran off after him, glad that no one could see the ridiculous grin I was wearing. I had never understood why Edward had loved running so much. But now that I could experience it myself (without getting sick) I got it.
It was like nothing I'd ever experienced while being human. I'd compare it to a rollercoaster, but… I got sick on those too. I felt invisible; like I could see others but they couldn't see me. I imagine this is how flash (the superhero that could run really fast) felt while zipping around the world, saving the day. Only I wasn't saving the day; I was going to go see a family of vampires.
I had gotten out of town before I realized it and almost missed the turnoff onto his driveway. I slowed as I neared the house and smiled when I saw that it hadn't changed much at all. I bounced with anticipation as I walked. More than ready to see the Cullens again. I took a deep breath, trying to control my excitement.
I walked up to the house and seeing no one around, I opened the door and walked in slowly. I looked around uncertainly,
"Hello? Edward?" I called out, waiting for an answer. The silence was unnerving and I almost jumped out of my skin when Edward came up behind me and put his arms around me. He laughed and said,
"I can't find Alice. She must be out right now. You'll have to come back another time." I looked at him and asked,
"Why can't we wait here?" he blinked, as if the solution was so obvious he was surprised he hadn't thought of it himself. He shrugged,
"Alright. I have some questions for you anyway." I looked at him suspiciously; he had said it very casually, as if he was just saying how nice it was outside. His questions used to make me blush. And if they were anything like they were before, I'd probably be blushing if I could.
He took my hand and we went up to his room and sat on his couch. It was black and leather; like the one he had had before. Most of his room looked the same, even the wall and carpet coloring. He searched my face s he asked,
"Who changed you?" I looked at our hands, still entwined. Not knowing how to make it sound better than it was, I told him the truth.
" I don't know. I didn't recognize them." My voice was barely above a whisper, but he still would have been able to hear it if he had been downstairs.
"Them?" he asked, "there was more then one?" I nodded and let out a deep breath,
"It was sunny when I had left the house. I was just going to go to the library. I took a wrong turn and ended up at the forest. Next thing I knew, there were two vampires there. One was a woman and the other was a guy. They both had red eyes, and I knew they weren't like you. I barely had time to think when I blacked out. I don't remember anything after that except pain.
"I woke up 3 days later and didn't know where I was. Nowhere near here. It was dark out and hot; I was alone for a few weeks before I found Damien. He brought me to the rest of my family and I've been with them ever since. I've never even killed a human.
"I found out from a news cast a few months later that I had been presumed dead. I hadn't even thought about everyone back here. I was actually a whole lot closer than I thought. I was barely over the California state line.
No one else was with me when I heard about me. I don't think any of them ever heard either. They all just thought I had been one of them for a while; I didn't even make them think that. I didn't discover my power for a few more years. But I only told Damien. I was… semi-social for the 1st 10 or so years. I kinda shut down after that…" I let the sentence hang and waited for Edward's reaction.
When he said nothing, I looked up at him; he wouldn't look at me.
"Edward?" I said quietly, trying to get his attention. "What's wrong?" He turned his head slowly and his golden eyes burned into mine.
"I thought if I left you would forget me and move on. I just made your life worse by leaving, didn't I? If I had stayed, I could have protected you from them. You wouldn't need to be a vampire right now." He said quietly, blaming himself. HE looked away towards the window.
"Edward Anthony Mason Cullen," he looked back at me, unsure of why I was using his full name; the only time anyone ever had was to scold him. " If you had stayed, I still would be a vampire; you would have changed me. If you hadn't and we had still been in forks, there would be no guarantee that you would have been with me when they attacked. Like I said before, it was sunny out; you would have stayed inside. You can't blame yourself for what happened." He looked at me,
"Would you be happy if I didn't blame myself?"
"Yes, I would."
"Then it's not my fault." He said, almost teasingly. His change in tone immediately lightened the mood and I smiled. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. I sighed; I would never get enough of Edward; no matter how long I lived.