4. MEET THE LEADERS

ONCE WE ARRIVED AT THE CULLEN'S HOME - A LOT BIGGER THAN MINE - Carlisle was on the phone. I assumed he was talking to whoever was in London. While he was on the phone, I was talking to the rest of the family. They were really interesting people. They were older than me, which surprised me the most. When the phone conversation ended, Carlisle said it was time for me to leave. I said goodbye to the family.

Carlisle and I went to the grey Volvo car and we put on our seat belts. He turned the car engine on and reversed out of his fancy garage. He drove on a long highway to the Forks Airport. I looked at him.

"So, you know those people in London?" I asked him and he nodded as his answer. "How?"

"He's been a friend of mine for years," he explained.

"By years, you mean centuries?"

"Something like that," said Carlisle. "The leader of the coven is named Gabriel. The two co-leaders are Joseph and Simon. I lived with the coven for years until I left for the New World, or America as it is known now."

"Sounds like you guys are great friends," I commented.

"Well, they drink animal blood like me and my family."

"I'm guessing you're not the human blood sort of guy."

"I don't like the idea of taking someone's life to let me live," he admitted. "When I discovered that I can drink animal blood, I tried to perfect the diet. It took me years, but I managed to get the hang of it."

"I wish I could say the same."

"Don't worry. You'll get used to your diet." He said to me with confidence. "You're not the first vampire that came to me for help to escape."

I was puzzled. Who was the first vampire he helped escape?

We sat in silence until we arrived at the airport. Carlisle got a plane quickly, maybe it was because he was a rich doctor. He bought a private plane. It was a good idea for me. I still couldn't control my thirst for human blood. We got on a private plane and we flew to London.

The plane journey took us about eight hours to get to London. When the plane landed, Carlisle and I got up from the plane and the door opened down. We walked out of the plane and I saw three men waiting. I turned myself invisible, feeling nervous about meeting them for the first time. Carlisle smiled at their presence, making me think they were the ones he was talking to on the phone.

"Gabriel," Carlisle said and pulled him in a hug.

"Hey, Carlisle," the middle man spoke pleasantly, hugging him back. "Long time no see."

The man, or vampire I should say, Gabriel, seems to look translucent. He stood at six foot two inches with a muscular, burly like build. His skin was pale and maybe a bit colder. He had a pair of glowing golden eyes and black mullet hair. He looked thirty-eight years old but I imagined he would be older than that. He wore a dark suit: jacket, pants, everything.

"How's the family?" Gabriel asked.

"They've been good," replied Carlisle. "We have ups and downs but we've been good."

"So, where is the newborn?" the second male vampire questioned him kindly.

"I can assure you, Simon. She's here." Carlisle said.

The other vampire to the left, Simon stood at six-foot, not as tall as Gabriel but still taller than me. He was slim build yet still had muscles. He had light brown short hair, golden eyes, and pale skin. His face had thin stubbles. He wore a grey jacket with a red sweater with a white shirt underneath, denim jeans and tied black boots. He seems to have a softer approach than the two other vampires.

"It better not be some joke," the third male vampire said in a Cockney accent. "You know how much I hate time wasters."

"Joseph, she's here," Carlisle said. "She's invisible."

"Well, I can sense her yet I can't see her."

The third vampire, Joseph, appeared to be more scruffy than Simon. His hair was much darker than Simon's hair. He had pale skin and, like Gabriel and Simon, had golden eyes. He wore a black leather jacket with a grey hoodie and grey denim jeans. His feet were in a pair of brown boots. His hands were in a pair of black fingerless gloves. He stood at five foot ten inches.

"Okay, I'm here," I spoke to the group and switched off the invisibility.

The three vampires' golden eyes widened and were shocked to witness the newborn.

"Wow," Gabriel said, folding his arms. "That is impressive. I've seen gifted vampires but none can fool me like this."

"What is your name?" Simon asked me.

"Violet," I replied to him. "My name's Violet."

"How long have you been a newborn, Violet?"

"Five months."

"And you can turn invisible, luv?" Joseph asked next.

"As far I'm concerned, yes," I said.

"Concerned?" Gabriel questioned me.

"I've found out I can do that today. I don't know what else I'm capable of doing."

There was silence for a few seconds. I couldn't believe that I told them everything about me. So far, at least. Why did I do that? Am I safe with them? Am I supposed to feel safe with them? Yet, for some reason, I felt comfortable with them and I don't know a lot about them. Does that make me crazy? Perhaps.

"Don't worry about it," spoke Gabriel calmly. "Most newborns are like that. They don't know what sort of world they enter into. And then, at times, they got used to it."

Gabriel's words were a comfort to me. I didn't get this sort of comfort with Gavin, my poor excuse of a dad, or Riley or Victoria for that matter. No one explained to me what sort of world I entered in. I was born as a human and reborn as a vampire with no explanation. I was born to be abandoned, not once but twice.

I took a breath in. "Would the rest of the coven like me?" I asked them.

"They will," replied Simon. "We never met any vampires like you before."

"And if they don't, we're gonna have a serious conversation," Joseph added with a chuckle.

I smiled at his comment. I turned around and hugged Carlisle tightly. He hugged me back, wrapping his arms around me, loving and embracing me. I could feel a smile grow on his face.

"Thank you, Carlisle," I whispered to his ears.

"You're very welcome," Carlisle answered back.

We stopped hugging, releasing each other. I looked at his golden eyes once again.

"Tell Bella good luck with everything," I told him and he nodded.

"Who's Bella?" Gabriel asked, overhearing the conversation.

Carlisle looked over to Gabriel. "You know Edward?" Carlisle said. "Well, he got a girlfriend."

"Finally," spoke Joseph. "And about time as well."

"Tell Edward we said congratulations," Gabriel said and Carlisle smiled softly. "See you around."

"Bye, Gabriel," said Carlisle and he looked once again at me. "Bye, Violet."

"Bye, Carlisle," I said my farewell to him and he walked to his private jet.

I turned around, away from the jet, and watched the three vampires.

"Are you ready to meet the family?" Gabriel asked me and I nodded, giving him a silent answer. "Well, then. Off we pop." He clapped his hands together and he headed to a black Mercedes car.

Joseph, Simon, and I followed him to the car. Gabriel and Joseph sat at the front and Simon and I sat at the back. The engine roared and the lights switched on. Gabriel drove away from the airport.