Hiya guys! So, i guess the last chapter surprised some of y'all! Which was all part of my master plan! *insert evil laugh!*
Some of y'all know this story from before, so y'all were prepared.
Something that wasn't in the original story was the fact that ALL of the Cullens have gifts. When I went to rework it to possibly publish it, I changed that and ended up liking it and keeping it when I changed it back to ff. It will play into later events in the story that weren't in the original version of this story. So, stayed tuned for that!
See y'all below!
Chapter 5
BPOV
The man in front of me turned to look fully at me and held his hands up in surrender. He then slowly moved towards me. He was slender, with sandy blonde hair and honey colored eyes. He looked to be maybe in his early thirties.
"Bella, dear, it's ok. No one is going to hurt you. I promise. My name is Carlisle." He told me in a soothing voice.
Two more men came further into, what I assumed was, the living room. One was muscular with dark, short, messy hair. And the other was more slim and with shaggy blond hair. They were followed by another woman with caramel-brown hair and a very loving face.
I growled slightly, not knowing where I was and feeling cornered and outnumbered. "Where's Edward?"
"He's fine right now. We're monitoring him closely. But we need to explain to you what happened. I know you're probably very confused as to what has happened to you." The man, Carlisle, tried to explain to me. I wasn't so sure if he was telling the truth.
"Please, dear? You've been… unconscious for a couple of days, and there is a lot to tell you. Would you like to sit down so we can talk?" He motioned to the couch.
I looked around the room cautiously, looking at each person in the room. The girl with a sweet face and short, curly brown hair, that was there when I woke up, was looking like she was going to pounce out the window in a minute, but was trying to contain herself. She was odd, but friendly, I guess.
"Emmett, would you please go ask Rose to join us?" Carlisle asked the muscled man. I guess there were more people in this house. I'd have to ask exactly how many people were here and what the hell was going on.
"Sure. You know she's just being pigheaded." The big guy, Emmett said, strolling to the back door, and then stopping dead in his tracks.
"EMMETT, I HEARD THAT!" I heard from outside.
A beautiful blond that I recognized from somewhere, came barreling in the house ready to rip Emmett's head off.
"Baby, you know it was a joke." Emmett tried to defend himself, backing up as she stalked towards him.
Rose, I assumed, looked somewhat of a loose cannon right now. She looked like she could seriously hurt Emmett.
"Rose, set it aside right now, and we will talk later. Right now we are going to explain things to Bella as a family, whether you like it or not." Carlisle told her, in a very fatherly voice that left little to be argued.
She huffed but sat down on the far side of the room.
Carlisle turned back to look at me, but I was still confused.
"Rosalie Cullen?" I asked, then threw my hand over my mouth. That seriously was not my voice. I hadn't noticed it earlier because I was so worried about Edward, but now it freaked me out a little bit. What happened to me to make my voice so different?
"It's all part of the explanation." Carlisle said, taking a seat on one of the couches.
I finally sat down on the couch but I still felt defensive around these people. I wish I knew what the hell was going on.
"Bella, dear, what was the last thing you remember?" Carlisle asked me as he sat down across from me.
I sat there and thought for a moment, trying to piece together what had happened.
I remember our date earlier, Edward proposing to me, telling him about the baby, driving home… OH SHIT.
"Oh my God! Where is he? I need to know he's ok! The last thing I remember was him holding me on the road and…" I trailed off trying to form coherent thoughts. He was so weak looking when he was holding me. And I have no idea what happened after I lost consciousness. He could be dead for all I know. NO! He can't be dead! Oh God… what about Olivia?…
A painful sob left my mouth that came out instead of tears. I had no idea why I couldn't cry now. "Is… is she gone? Is my baby dead?" My hand flew to my stomach, then I heard it. What sounded like a heartbeat through a stethoscope. My eyes widened. How was it possible to hear something like that with normal ears?
"Your baby seems to be fine, as far as we can tell. But 'why' is what we are coming up blank on. Yes, you are able to hear the baby's heartbeat right now, but first, you should know that… you are no longer… human." Carlisle told me in an almost calm voice, but you could hear the wonder underneath it. Wait… did he just say that I'm not human anymore?… What the fuck?
"…What do you mean? I'm living and breathing and talking to you. How am I not human? I'm still the same as I've always been… except that my voice does sound different. And I can see things perfectly clear. Even dust particles. Like I've had contacts in that are amplified by a hundred. My throat feels like it's on fire. Like I haven't had anything to drink in years. It's somewhat manageable, but… it's so weird. And I can hear… Everything… Is that… another heartbeat?" I asked, looking above me to where I could hear what sounded like another beating heart upstairs.
It has to be Edward.
"Yes, it is. But I need you to focus right now. You need to understand what is going on so you can learn how to adapt." I nodded. The sooner I understood all of this, the sooner I could be with Edward. It hurt not to be near him right now. "I know that this is very different for you. But… have you ever heard of a vampire?"
I snorted. "Are you serious? Vampires aren't real. Are you high or something?" Seriously, what the fuck was this guy smoking? Vampires… Really?
He laughed at that questioning. I guess that would be a normal kind of reaction if you asked if someone believed in vampires.
"Actually my dear, that's what you've become. I am so sorry, but I did it to save your life. I came across the accident and saw you fall into unconsciousness. Your injuries and your heart rate put me into action. You would have died had I not bitten you and changed you into what you are now. We are all vampires in this room. It has never been my practice to go around biting humans to become like us. I've only ever done it to save these people in front of you from dying." He said, then paused for a moment gather his thoughts.
"We found an alternative way of living and have stayed with it, for the most part. Some think we are going against our instincts, but I don't feel as guilty as I would if I'd taken the life of an innocent soul. We aren't the only ones that live this way, but for the most part, we drink from animals."
My eyes widen and I nod for Carlisle to go on.
"I've given each of my family members the option to leave and take on the 'natural' practices of a vampire. Some have gone off and given it a try, but they've always come back to be with family." He says as he looks over at Rose and Emmett.
"You will have a burning feeling in your throat until you hunt, and even after that it will still linger because you are a newborn vampire. But we will make sure you are well fed so when you go back into the world at some point, you won't be tempted, if you're willing to adapt to our feeding style." I could only nod. "Ok, as soon as we're done here, Esme and Jasper," He motioned to the woman beside him and the blonde haired guy, "Will take you out and teach you how to hunt. There is not much to it. Your instinct will be your best asset when you are in the woods. You will learn to use it.
"I know you are worried about Edward. As you should be. Right now he is stable. But there has been no change in his condition in the past two days. I'm afraid if he doesn't get better, his organs will start to deteriorate and fail. I can already sense them teetering. At which point we will have no choice but to act quickly and change him into a vampire. But only if it is ok with you. I could see how much love was between the two of you on the highway, and I know how hard it is to be away from the one you love." He glanced over at Esme, "But it has to be your decision, ultimately. I made a split second decision to change you. But if you feel that you don't want to subject him to this life, I will understand." I growled at him then. "Ok, I guess that means you would rather have him by your side?"
"Yes. I don't know if I can deal with this without him. And what about our baby? I don't understand what's supposed to happen to her. Is she going to die? Is she going to be deformed? What? I'm so confused." I got out in a strangled voice. The more I started to think about each of them, the more panicked I became about it.
"Dad?" The younger, light brown haired woman chimed in, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
He looked over to her, and she still seemed to have the same look as earlier. "What is it Alice? Did you see something? Does it have something to do with the baby?"
Alice nodded. "It's them!" She squeaked out.
"What? What are you talking about, dear?" Carlisle asked. She wasn't making any sense to me.
"You were looking at the books weren't you?" Carlisle nodded, "It has to be them! You came across the story about Una Potente, the Powerful One, right?" Again, Carlisle nodded. "You thought about what it could be like if that were them, and when she woke up, I saw it! There's no other option! It's them! They're the parents of the Powerful One. That child that she is carrying is going to be the most powerful vampire that's ever been known. Which means the two of them should end up having some pretty kick-ass powers themselves." Alice told us, looking at me to see if anything seemed different about me. I was even more confused.
What does she mean 'she saw it'?
"Whoa, hold it there, short stack. How is that even possible? Everyone has said that that story could never be true since we never change. How is she going to carry a baby if she's a vampire? And how the hell is it not dead yet?" Emmett said, then looked over to me, apologetically. "Sorry. But you all said so yourselves that the baby shouldn't have survived. And if she's already awake, and that baby still has a heartbeat, then will someone please tell me what the hell this is supposed to mean?" he asked, trying to understand.
They each took a look at me and could apparently still hear the sound of the baby's heartbeat. So there was no doubt she was still in there, and very much alive.
"Can someone please fucking explain now?" Emmett asked.
"Language, Emmett." Carlisle scolded, then looked over at Rose and Jasper, then back to me, and started talking.
"The story basically says that there will be two mortals that will come together to make a child. It doesn't say how, but the parents will be changed to become the child's protectors. The child is said to become one of, if not the, most powerful vampires in the world. It doesn't say anything about what its powers will be, only that it will be a feared creature and highly sought after. Which means it will have to be protected from the Volturi. You all know their affinity for power. It's why we drink from animals, so we can stay off their radars. They wouldn't hesitate for a second to round us all up and drag us with them to Italy. But the child will be the equivalent to royalty in our world. We have to help protect the three of them. This has to be the reason they have fallen into our laps." He explained to each of us.
"Holy shit…" Emmett eloquently put it.
"That's about right." the other blond man, Jasper, said with a slight southern drawl. "This child will probably be hunted for its gift. We all have been sought after because of our own gifts. But this child will be stronger than all of us. I think you're right, Carlisle. With this family being the largest established group of vampires in the world, besides the Volturi, there had to be a universal reason they were sent our way. We will make sure no harm comes to any of them."
"Jasper's right. We can't leave them unguarded. But, the child is said to be born as a half-vampire, half-human. No one has said why that is supposed to happen, but it could be that since Bella was changed while pregnant, the venom that is flowing through her veins now, will be feeding the baby. That will alter the child somewhat. But it still has a beating heart, so it's still part human… I'm wondering what your powers are Bella… that could have something to do with this." He looked at me, then at Alice, waiting for an answer from her.
She shook her head. "I don't know. The vision I had wasn't completely clear, but it gave me enough to solidify the 'Powerful One' theory. We may not know until she uses it to know for sure what it is."
"Wait, what do you mean 'powers'? What kind of powers are you talking about? How am I supposed to have powers? And how the hell did you 'see' it?" I asked, frantically.
"Bella, please calm down, dear. Powers come to some of us when we are changed. Everyone in this family has some sort of advanced senses or gifts. Jasper can feel and manipulate emotions." I sat there gaping at Jasper. "Alice can see the future. But only certain parts. Sometimes it's random chance." I always thought that kind of thing was bullshit. "Rose can sense what people are feeling, physically and emotionally. Emmett can sense environmental shifts. Esme has a calming essence to her. And me, I can move things with my mind.
"If what the story says is true, then you and Edward will have highly powerful gifts, yourselves. But that is something we will work on once we get you taken care of. We can talk more once you've returned. I know you're anxious to be around Edward, but it will have to wait until either he is one of us, or that you have enough control over your thirst. He is still a human, so with you being a newborn, you could easily go in there and kill him. Which I know you don't want to do." Carlisle said, making sure I knew what was what going forward.
He looked at me straight in the eye as I spoke. "I can smell it from here. But I don't want it. Yes it smells good, but I don't think I could take his blood." It was strange. I could smell it, it was appealing, but I didn't want to consume it.
Carlisle looked over at Rose and Jasper again.
I'm seriously getting tired of all this looking around to different people.
"She's fine. She doesn't feel the normal rage or bloodlust we normally would have. She's right. She can smell it, but it doesn't make her crazy for blood. I've never seen someone do that before. Maybe it could be part of her gift." Jasper said, seeming to try to figure out what was going on within me.
That doesn't mean anything to me. What the hell is bloodlust?
Carlisle apparently saw my confusion. "Bloodlust is how much someone's blood appeals to us. It can make you go crazy and attack. We have learned to refocus our bloodlust and control it so that we don't kill humans."
"Wait, so are all vampires like you? Or are you just… different? I know you said earlier that you feed off of animals, but I don't understand that fully." I wondered. I had never heard of vampires not drinking human blood.
"It's mainly my doing. When I was created, I had a loathing of what I became. I didn't know what I was at the time, but I could tell I was something different, and I didn't like it. I stayed in the woods for a long time just waiting to die. I didn't want to be a monster.
"A deer came across my path, and something snapped in me, so I chased after the deer and fed off of it. It sustained me and kept my strength up. So that is how I started living. I have never fed off of a human in over five hundred years. But I did change every member of this family. So that's been the only time I've tasted human blood. I've always been able to control myself around blood, which is why I became a doctor. That is the abridged version of my story, but the rest can wait. But for now, why don't we get you fed and we can discuss what we are going to do about Edward, when you return." Carlisle said.
That sounded like a very good idea to me. The sooner I got this out of the way, the sooner I could be near Edward. I don't know why, but I feel like I have to be around him all the time.
I nodded to him and stood up, a little quicker than I'm used to and was halfway across the room before I even knew it.
"Holy hell… Did I really just do that?" I said more to myself but I heard Emmett snicker behind me.
"Yeah, it's one of the things you'll have to get used to, Lightening." Emmett said.
I looked back at him with a raised eyebrow and he burst out laughing. Alice let out a sweet little laugh, herself. I saw the others holding their laughter back, but it was with some effort.
"She does seem to be faster than most of us." Alice said.
Ooooook.
I looked over and focused on Esme beside me. "Alright, let's get this done. I want to get back here as soon as I can."
She nodded and looked back to Carlisle. "I'll have my phone with me. Come on, Jasper. Let's teach her some new things." Esme laughed, and then turned to bolt out the back door.
I looked after her, guessing I should follow. I turned back to where Jasper was, standing beside me, and he nodded towards the door.
I took off after Esme, with Jasper on my heels. We leapt over the small river in the back yard, quite easily, I might add. That had to be the coolest thing I've ever done. Then Jasper took off again into the trees. I didn't see him but I could smell him.
That's still weird.
"Just follow the scent. You'll get used to each of our scents, in time. But you should be able to follow his and be able to keep up with him." Esme told me with a sympathetic smile.
I gave her the best smile I could muster, and smelled the air again, then ran off in the direction that I could smell Jasper. His scent smelled very masculine. Kind of like a woodsy smell with a bit of citrus. Huh, that will take some getting used to.
Esme was beside me and I inhaled her scent to see if hers was much different. She smelled more like a homey kind of scent. Like cinnamon. It was nice and welcoming. Her honey colored eyes exuded that motherly feeling, too. You would always feel loved and cared for in her presence. I don't think I could ever feel threatened by her. Also, the calmness she exudes is a nice surprise.
"What is it dear?" She asked me, noticing me stare at her.
Normally I would probably blush, but I didn't feel the tale-tale signs of it creeping up my neck and cheeks.
Wow, I guess that's one more thing that works in my favor being a vampire. HAA!
"Nothing really. I'm just trying to get a feel for you. You seem like such a mother. I don't think I could see you being in any way mean or cross."
She laughed, "Oh sweetheart. You'll see my vampire side when I have to protect my family." She laughed evilly, but then straightened out her expression. "But yes, I guess I am the mother of the family. And Carlisle is the father figure. We do really act as a family unit. Not that many of our kind have that close of a connection or live in a group this large. Normally it's only two to three. But since we are different, in a manner of speaking, we seem to form a much closer bond than others of our kind." She explained.
"So, how many other vampires, like you, are out there, besides your family?" I had to know out of curiosity.
We were still weaving through the trees, following Jasper's scent.
"Well, we've only ever come across one other group that shares our way of being. They've settled in Alaska for the last couple decade or so. But I'll let Carlisle tell you the whole story. There are five of them, and we'll more than likely visit with them in the near future. I would love for you and Edward to meet them, as well." She told me as we jumped over another small stream.
The mention of Edward made my heart clench.
"That would be nice. I just want him to be ok. What if Carlisle is too late? If what they said was true, how the hell am I supposed to do this on my own?" I asked, knowing I could probably count on her to tell me what I needed to know.
She looked at me with that motherly smile. "Bella dear, Carlisle will do whatever it takes to have Edward returned to you, one way or the other. But if the story is true, he will have to be changed into one of us, regardless. He won't be safe as a human. As a human, his knowledge of us would put him in severe danger if the Volturi ever found out. Also, your child's scent will be a mix of yours and his. So any one of us would be able to know he is the father. You'll also be able to find them wherever they are because you will share your child's scent. It will be easy for you to pick up on. In a nutshell, you, Edward and your child will be able to automatically know each other's scents. It will be like second nature to you all. But I don't want you to worry about any of that right this second." She looked up to see that Jasper had come to a stop not far ahead of us. "Let's get you fed. Now, this won't be too hard. Just listen to what we say and you should do just fine."
We came up behind Jasper and stopped. He had his eyes closed and I was trying to figure out what he was doing.
Esme saw my confusion. "Close your eyes, Bella. Listen to what's in the woods. Let your hearing and other senses take over and let it tell you where animals are around you. You'll be able to locate them that way. Just try it."
Ok, so I guess it's supposed to be like a sixth sense or something.
I closed my eyes and just listened. As I let my senses fan out around me, I could hear something, I think it was leaves and twigs crunching under hooves. I could smell it too. It smelled semi-appetizing, but I didn't even know what it was, yet. Hopefully that didn't matter much.
I looked over to Jasper and he was looking at me expectantly.
"Umm, I'm not sure what it is, but with this area, I'd have to say something like maybe a deer… Sixty yards… four o'clock." I pointed in the direction that I smelled it.
Jasper looked a little shocked at my vernacular.
"My dad was a hunter and took me out hunting with him sometimes." I told them with a shrug.
He looked at Esme with a wicked grin. "She's gonna be awesome." And Esme laughed with him. "How many?"
"Four?" I said it like a question.
He nodded and motioned for me to stand in front of him.
"Let go of everything, let your senses take over and just go after it. You'll know what to do." He said with his hands on my shoulders.
I closed my eyes again, felt a cleansing wave come over me, and tried to do what he said.
I felt where they were and somehow, my mind was calculating how far it was to get to them, and which way was best to go on the hunt. I'm not sure how my brain did it, but it just clicked.
My eyes snapped open and I looked up to Jasper behind me.
"Go." He said.
He didn't have to tell me twice.
I stepped away from him and leapt up into the tree that was right above me. I started making my way through the tree limbs, with no problem, and ended up about ten yards away from where the deer were grazing.
I crouched on the tree branch, and tried to figure out my best line of attack.
It was weird that I was thinking this way. Like I was an animal myself and I was stalking my prey.
Well in a sense, I was. I had the instincts and the means, obviously, now to take down animals that previously could have ripped me to shreds.
Oh how the tables have turned.
Without thinking too much about it, I jumped down from the tree and pounced on the nearest deer, and sunk my teeth into its neck. The gush of blood that flowed into my mouth was beyond relieving. The burn in my throat subsided minutely, I was still slightly thirsty though, but it was manageable.
"I'm very impressed. You didn't even have to think twice about what you were doing. But, we'll work on not making such a mess next time." Jasper chuckled from beside a tree, with Esme walking up behind him with a smile on her face.
I looked down at myself, and realized that I wasn't wearing the dress I had been wearing on our date. I was in a pair of jeans and a dark green button-up shirt. They were both covered in blood. Huh. Guess I'm not quite as observant as I like to think I am.
"You did very well, dear. I'm proud of you. Most of us are very messy and careless when we first hunt. You went with the simplest route and got your kill. You didn't dwell on how to do it, did you?" She asked as she walked towards me.
I was a little defensive as she walked towards me but she put her hands up in front of her to tell me she wasn't a threat. So I settled down some.
"No. How did you know?" Did she watch me the whole time as I hunted?
"That's because you were quick in taking down that deer. If we think about it too much, we get too many different ideas of how to do it and they start to mesh once we pounce. We get sloppy if we think too much on it. It's only during the first months while we learn. But you seem to have gotten a hold on it out of the gate. I don't think you'll have any problems hunting in the future. You just have to narrow down what you like. We'll take you around so you can get some variety." She smiled at me.
"That would be great. I don't know about you guys, but that deer tasted kind of… are they supposed to have a hint of a vegetable taste to them?" I asked. I wasn't kidding either. It tasted like a mix of leafy greens of some kind.
They both laughed at that. "Well, in a way, yes. I guess you could put it that way. All animals that we hunt have a different taste to us. Herbivores usually have that taste that you're talking about. It takes time to get used to, dear. Don't worry. Do you want to try again, or do you think you've had enough for right now?" Esme asked.
"I think I'd rather get back to the house. I'm desperate to get back to Edward. I'm so worried about him."
Jasper grabbed his cell phone to check the time. He dialed a number; I'm assuming that it was to someone back at the house.
"Hey Ali. We're headin back... Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow it down. What happened? Was there no other choice? Ok, I hope no one gets killed over this." Jasper ended the call and looked at me with a somber expression on his face. "Edward's heart rate started slowing…"
A/N: Alirght, sooooo, some things are explained further here. Hope you guys are still enjoying it. It just gets more interesting from here!
Don't kill me for that cliffhanger!