EDDIE
The next few days were just us getting back to normal, it was getting close to my parents anniversary and Renesmee and I still hadn't thought of what to get them. Pancrazio was adjusting, he didn't really like the fact he had to drink animal blood but my father was supplying him with a human and animal mix. It sounded awful if you ask me but he said it was to ease him off the human and onto the animal. He would slowly add less human and more animal until Pancrazio started liking it. It was like a human being addicted to cigarettes. Chloe told me that if you're addicted you can't just stop smoking; you have less and less every day. But that did also mean that I was extremely protective over Chloe. Alex still visited and so I had to get her out of the house then but Pancrazio lived here. The good part was that he had good self-control and he knew not to hurt her. It didn't mean I wasn't extremely cautious. Pancrazio had also taken to my Uncle Jasper, they spent a lot of time talking and my uncle played video games with him nearly every day, all day. Initially I thought that my Uncle Emmett was going to be the one Pancrazio would grow attached too but it seemed Jasper had what Pancrazio was drawn to. I was curious about the bond they shared, maybe it was a brotherly bond, maybe it was different. I secretly hoped it would become a father and son sort of thing since Pancrazio seemed to enjoy Alice dress him up in a million different outfits I was wondering if maybe Jasper and Alice would get the son they never had. He enjoyed spending time with my aunt so I also wondered how Aro must have treated him. Did he have just one outfit or something?
Chloe and I were on our way back to my house, we had been to the movies whilst Alex came to see Chantelle. As we walked from the garage to the back yard I noticed a noise coming from the forest. I heard it before I saw it. The vampire approaching was fast. Very very fast. I span around to the opening of the forest from the back yard. Everyone was congregated in the yard because it was a surprisingly sunny day in La Push. Everyone else heard it too and got defensive, there was a vampire heading straight to us. My dad had my mom behind him in a flash; Jacob did the same with Renesmee as well as my grandparents and Emmett and Jasper with their wives. Chantelle ran over to her dad but Pancrazio stood strong in the centre of the yard. My Uncle Jasper reached for him, pulling him behind him. Pancrazio had been brought up to stand straight in front of threats not cower away, so his reaction in the yard wasn't surprising.
As the vampire came into view of us all there was a gasp coming from most of those in the back yard. She was beautiful and practically glowing, she had a long white dress on, I was confused thinking she was an angel or something at first. Her eyes were an amazing blue; I never imagined anyone's eyes to be like that. She was looking directly at me and I pushed Chloe behind me completely. Her long blonde hair that reached her hips was resting over her shoulder. I noticed she had no shoes on at all. Our eyes locked together and I knew. I knew at that point exactly who she was. I felt like I had known her my entire life. She smiled a dazzling white smile, without taking her eyes from me, she walked towards us, slower than before, everyone was staring at her but she didn't observe anyone else but me. I felt Chloe at my side tugging my hand for my attention but I just couldn't bring myself to look away from the beautiful woman walking towards me.
"Eddie," Renesmee hissed from behind Jacob as the woman reached me. She smiled widely reaching for my face; she wasn't that much smaller than me, maybe five foot ten at the least.
"Hello, my name is Esther," she said in a musical voice that was a mix of accents but mostly British.
"Erm… hi," I said unsure on how to greet her. She smiled warmly at me.
"Do you know what I am?" she asked. I nodded; I could tell the minute I looked at her.
"You're a moon pool child, like me," I said confidently, she smiled and nodded.
"The first," she said. Everyone around me gasped, and I mean everyone. I stared at her in shock.
"How old are you?" I asked, I realised how rude it was but I wanted to know exactly when my kind started.
"Very old," she laughed. She was avoiding an answer so I didn't ask again.
"Esther, my name is Carlisle Cullen, this is my family. I assume you have come to see Eddie?" my grandfather asked.
"Yes Carlisle, I have hidden for many centuries but now I'm free thanks to you," she grinned.
"Please, come inside," my grandpa said motioning to the house.
"Thank you! That is very kind. I am sorry to come unannounced like this, I just had to see for myself," she said as we made our way into the living room.
"If you don't mind me asking, why have you kept hidden Esther?" my grandpa asked. I knew that we would be straight into the questions. As I pulled Chloe down onto my lap I had never been this intrigued as to how the person would answer.
"I remained hidden from most supernatural and mankind for a very long time. I was aware that the only way my kind would be created is if I existed so for the future of my race I hid from everything, only leaving my fortress to eat."
"I have so many questions," I laughed slightly. "Your eyes are blue; I have recently learnt that our eyes stay the colour we were born with if we didn't feed on human blood," it felt so nice to say 'our'. She was like me, exactly like me.
"Yes that is correct. Although they do have a reddish tint when recently fed. Mine is so subtle now, it's almost impossible to notice."
"How did you know about me?" I asked.
"I didn't. Not really. I came to see the battle. The Volturi have ruled this world for a very long time, I remember the day they came into power. Before then I walked around like a normal person, only ever feeding on animals. When the Volturi came and I saw how cruel and powerful they were, I hid. For the future of my kind, I was hunting the other day in the forest by my home when two vampires passed through, I overheard them talking about you and the Volturi being dead. I came straight here. I didn't realise you were here but I knew who you were the moment I saw you," she said to me. Chloe squeezed my hand lightly, clearly trying to make me acknowledge she was there.
"Esther, can I ask what happened to your parents?" my mom asked. Esther nodded slightly.
"They were killed, by the witches that created me. I never knew my parents. Not really. The warlocks and witches experimented on my parents and many other vampires for years, when my parents successfully conceived me they killed them both in order to experiment on what they had created. Me." She said holding her arms out; I saw cuts and lines all over her white skin. I hadn't noticed it before now because like Uncle Jasper's scars they are only noticeable in certain lights. My grandmother gasped.
"You poor thing. You were only a child," she said. Esther nodded.
"By the time I looked seven I ran. I ran away from the people that called themselves my family. I ran as far as I could away from them because I knew there was a better life. There had to be. I hid for a hundred years. Waiting for them to die, when I was sure they were gone I went out into the world and started living my life. That was until the Volturi came. And we come full circle."
"So have you always been alone?" my grandma asked.
"Yes. I met a few of my kind in the years before the Volturi. Only two others, you are the third,"
"You're the first for me. I haven't met anyone like me before you," I said still completely amazed she was even here. She smiled warmly at me.
"Any questions I am happy to answer. I was in isolation for hundreds and hundreds of years but I do know a lot about myself. I stole the research the warlocks and witches found, everything they knew. So I know a fair amount about us."
"This is probably unlikely considering you didn't get out much. But can you guys have kids?" Emmett asked.
"The males, I am not sure. The females cant. I never menstruated. I wouldn't know about the males, I am sorry I cannot answer that. You have a mate I see, have you not been able to reproduce?" she asked me matter of factly.
"Oh…" I said looking at Chloe. "No. we haven't... erm… tried yet," I said completely embarrassed.
"Eddie is only five years old. He's still treated much like a child around here. As is Renesmee my daughter," my dad said.
"Renesmee… that's a beautiful name," Esther said looking at Nessie. "I see the resemblance to your brother… but I'm sorry to be rude but I don't understand. What exactly are you? You are not human, nor vampire."
"She's a hybrid. Half and half. Bella was human when she carried her; she gave birth and was turned by Edward. Chantelle and Pancrazio are also hybrids but from different parents," My grandpa said.
"Interesting. That's what allowed you to create your son. The fact you already had a daughter together. My parents had a human child each from earlier in their life. The child doesn't need to be shared in order for someone like us to be created," she said turning to look at me again. I nodded, we knew about the kid thing.
We spoke for hours, hearing her stories and everything about my kind never got boring. I felt Chloe pat on my leg, I looked down at her next to me. She was staring at me intently. I took her hand back and read her mind.
I'm going to bed. I'm tired. She thought. I nodded at her.
Okay, I'll be up in a bit. I placed in her head and she let go of my hand.
"If you excuse me, I'm going to get some sleep, its late," Chloe said and stood up leaving the room.
"Yeah I'm gunna go too. Nice to meet you Esther," Renesmee said smiling at the blonde.
"You too Renesmee," she answered with a smile and Renesmee left the room with Jacob tight on her heals.
"I have a question," I said and sat back on the couch.
"Go ahead," she urged.
"Do you still sleep?" I asked her.
"Occasionally. It's more of a recreational pass time than a necessity."
"What happens when you're about to fall asleep?" I asked her.
"My entire life plays over in my head, just like it does for you," she said, there were a few confused stares and mumbles from my vampire family. I had never ever told them that before.
"But surely a thousand years worth of memories takes a while to get through before you fall asleep. When I was a child it took seconds to fall asleep. Now it's closer to two minutes."
"It's just shown faster. As you grow your abilities and strengths will strengthen. You will get faster. Your thought process will be faster too, everything will be heightened." She answered. My eyes widened. "When you were a baby you were very much like a human yes?" she asked, my parents nodded. "As you got closer to two years old you became more and more like a vampire, soon you will surpass the normalities of a vampire."
"So is that why my ability is growing? Is that why it's so confusing? When I was born all I could do was read the thoughts of my family. Now I can read Chloe's and I used to able to read Aro's."
"Yes. Possibly. It's like a growth spurt. Your strength and abilities will advance over the next few years and then it will slow down rapidly for a few hundred years. It will slowly increase with time after that."
"Do you have an ability?" I asked. She smiled and nodded.
"Every one of our kind has an ability. Whereas the normal vampires it's about a fifty fifty chance, ours is guaranteed. When I was born I couldn't actually do anything. The witches thought they had failed with creating the ability within me. But as I grew I learnt what I could do. I can replicate abilities. At first it was only the one ability, I replicated the ability of speed. But as I grew older, much much older I was able to replicate more. Although I only have those I collected in the years before the Volturi. I imagine I could become quite powerful if I tried."
"Wow," was all I could say. The ability to replicate abilities was so cool!
I continued to talk to Esther long into the night. It wasn't until my dad moved from his spot to sit next to me that I was knocked out of my trance. He grabbed hold of my hand, a signature move for me to read his mind.
Eddie. Sorry to interrupt but have you completely forgotten about Chloe? Crap. Yes I had. I looked to him. Oops I mouthed. He raised his eyebrows and nodded.
Is she not asleep? I placed in his head. He nodded.
She is but she keeps waking up. She knows you're not there. I let go of my father's hand and looked back at Esther.
"I'm sorry; I must go to bed now. But will you stay?" I asked too hopeful. She smiled and me and nodded.
"Of course. I'll see you in the morning."
"Thanks, goodnight," I said to her standing up. I left the room and took the stairs three at a time. I peeked into Renesmee's room to see her fast asleep with Jacob's arms around her waist. I closed the door and looked into Chantelle's room. She was sprawled out right across her bed. Her covers were tangled in her legs. I chuckled to myself and left the room. I walked over to mine and closed the door behind me. I stripped down from my clothes into the usual sweats and gently climbed into the bed next to Chloe. She rolled over to face me and her eyes flickered open.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to her. Her eyes closed briefly before she opened them again.
"Itsk," she mumbled and moved over to me, snuggling herself in my chest.
"It's just so nice to be able to talk to someone about my kind," I whispered.
"She's very pretty," she mentioned, totally ignoring what I said last. I shrugged.
"I guess."
"She didn't stop looking at you," she murmured, I chuckled slightly.
"Are you jealous?" I asked almost amused.
"No!" she replied defensively and a little too fast. I laughed more and tightened my arms around her.
"I only see you," I whispered in her ear.
"You weren't seeing me earlier," she murmured, her voice was muffled from my chest.
"She was glowing, it's pretty hard not to look at her," I answered.
"Yeah well it seems pretty stupid for you to be with a human when you've got the goddess of your kind grinning at you like you're her prize," she said bitterly. I sighed and moved my arms to push her away from me, I moved so I was hovering over her, my face centimetres from hers. I kissed her gently, trying to get as much emotion into it as I could.
"I only love you. You don't need to be so worried. It's you and me forever." I whispered against our lips. She smiled slightly. I wasn't going to admit to her that I felt drawn to Esther, I did, I felt this pull towards her, I wanted to be with her but at the same time I couldn't deny the love I felt for the girl in my arms right now. Because that was the difference. I loved Chloe, more than my own life, more than anything I could imagine ever loving, Esther was just new and different and she held a lot of answers about me. It was nothing more than that. Chloe closed her eyes, keeping her hands twisted in my hair. I rested my forehead against hers and watched her sleep. I moved so I was on my side after a while and she moved into my chest. I held her tight against me. There was nothing that could tear me from Chloe. She was mine and I was hers. Forever.
