AN: Nothing much to report this time. I hope you enjoy the chapter.
-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-
Deadly Affection – Reimagined
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of it's characters. I just play around with them.
Chapter 9: Ground Rules
Bella PoV
I had gone to bed before Charlie had gotten in for the night. I was feeling a little drained after the last few days, and opted to skip out on an evening stroll to drain the surrounding flora. I knew it may have the side effect of my going on a little nightly stroll, but I was too tired to care. I did strip before bed though, just in case.
As sleep claimed me, I started having these vivid dreams of flying through the forests of Forks. Over and around the hilltops near the rez. Skirting along the border to the sea and back again, up towards Port Angeles. The tiny town of Forks a mere distant dot in a sea of trees that was Olympic National Park.
The feeling of flying up in the air was freaky. My body was covered in feathers as if I was a bird, but I was even bigger than my human form. There were no birds this size in nature as far as I knew. My reflexes screamed as I flew along the treetops near lake Crescent. I felt threatened. Something was chasing me.
I danced through the branches of the trees easily, despite my large frame. I was trying to harry whoever was chasing me to give up, but the sound of breaking trees did not stop. Faster and faster I beat my wings, gaining speed, but to no avail. The sound breaking foliage was getting closer each second.
In a last ditch attempt to find out what was chasing me, I let my senses flow free around me. Almost too quick for me to even spot it, the silvery-neon against orange outline was upon me.
I jumped clean off the bed, lighting the room up with the dim red light of my cloak as I landed in front of it. The image of Jasper sinking his teeth into my wing in my dream flashing in my mind every time I closed my eyes.
Hearing the floorboards creaking in displeasure, I hastily moved to the window, opened it, and jump outside. Sprinting into the forest, I quickly found myself in the spot where I had trained a few days earlier. Hovering a few centimeters over the boulder I had chosen to sit on thanks to my cloak, I was comfortable.
The cold sweat I had built up from the dream was evaporating quickly under the cloak, which left me feeling a little cold out in the chilly night. The clearing I was in was lit up in a dim red light like my room had been, giving it an ominous tone. It didn't bother me much however. I was alone, and I would know if anyone got anywhere close.
The memory of recognizing Jasper's attempts to restrain his actions flooded my mind. Like a starving man struggling to contain his hunger around his favorite food. Humans. Only, he wasn't a man. Vampires. They were fucking vampires!
They had been picking at the food on their plate, not actually eating any. A facade to trick the humans. No heart beat. No heat. It sort of made sense. And vampires were supposedly impossibly beautiful and immortal. That could explain why Alice spoke as if it had never happened that they met other supers. For a long time.
But how could they be out and about during the day? The vampires of myth were supposed to sleep in their coffins during the day, right? That was kind of a key weakness, besides garlic and wooden stakes. On a side note, I don't think wood could do much damage to their hard skin, so that was probably a lie. Garlic was probably a joke. Or maybe a plant, to warn them if a human might suspect what they were?
But daylight was supposed to be the antithesis to undead beings. That is if the old tales were even true. It could be that it was in fact a lie told by said creatures, to let the humans feel safe. And it could be used to throw of their scent.
So I had moved to a tiny town in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, population 3546. Among them, at least seven vampires, and one undefined super. I really should buy some lottery tickets with my amazing luck.
Jess said they had moved here two or so years ago. One would think they would have noticed the bodies left by seven or more vampires in that amount of time. With the speed they could move at, I suppose they could run out to other towns, like Port Angeles, and find their prey there instead. To hide their presence in such a small town.
It actually surprised me how little that bothered me, that they were a kind of creature that fed on humans. Guess that kind of means whatever this thing with me is slowly turning me into a bit of a misanthrope. Or I can use it as sort of a convenient excuse for anyone that asks. I have pretty much been one for years.
Still, in a few years seven vampires would have built up quite a body count. I don't know how often they would have to feed, but even if they could survive on one human a week, that would be more than seven hundred corpses in two years. Those kinds of numbers tend to be stand out, even if they make it seem like animal attacks. And I don't remember hearing anything about that high of a death count anywhere in the surrounding area. Surely Charlie would have been much more overbearing if there was.
My improvised chair was starting to crumble beneath me, small chips of stone cracking apart and being pushed aside from my weight. My hands fell a few centimeters into the stone as I tried to extract myself from the boulder.
The slow processions of a small silvery person entering my view range drew my gaze towards the forest, past where the broken remains of the tree I had destroyed rested. I didn't actually feel that surprised by her presence. And that made me want to react rashly. Only her slow, measured steps kept me still.
Fifty meters. Thirty. Fifteen. The shape of the cloak around me sharpened up, becoming more compact around my form.
I was tense to the point where I had to focus on breathing. How would she react to the fact that I knew what she was. Or was that why she had come after me. Would she be upset? She had wanted to tell me...
''Hello.'' The dulcet tone of her voice chimed in the calm night. She had stopped next to the tree just at the beginning of the clearing, just as she entered my view. She didn't seem surprised that I was already staring at her before she came around the corner.
''Hi.'' The bass of my voice disturbed the flight path of the small specks of snow falling around me. Making them vibrate for what felt like seconds, before they continued their path.
Alice seemed to be staring into my eyes, as if searching for something. Only then did it occur to me that I was standing facing her, completely naked. I turned on a dime, and ran around the boulder I had been seated on, and crouched behind it. Only my head peered over the edge. She had smiled at my bashfulness and looked the other way as I had hidden.
''Are you okay?'' Her eyes were still searching for something in mine, as the rest of her body displayed the concern I could hear in her voice. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
''I know what you are.'' Her body almost seemed to jump in surprise, yet she didn't move. The look in her eyes turned to fear, acceptance, and then sadness in a matter of moments.
''Do you want me to leave?'' Her voice was hard to make out, even in the silence. Her face had turned into a stoic mask, making it impossible for me to read her.
''How do you keep the humans from noticing?'' Not even a twitch of the eyebrows to tell me what she was thinking. If not for the amount of time that passed before she replied, I would not have known she was surprised.
''Noticing what, exactly?'' Alice's face still remained stoic, as we had unceremoniously started a guessing game, of sorts. I would have none of that.
''The bodies piling up from at least seven vampires.'' I grinned as the mask on her face faltered for a moment. Before she abandoned it completely. A self-deprecating smile tugged at her lips, as she looked to the snowy ground.
''I truly didn't appreciate just how clever you are.'' Her eyes looked into mine again. ''We don't feed on humans.'' The confusion on my face must have been visible as Alice started chuckling quietly. ''We, my family and I, subsist on the blood of animals. We're basically the vegetarians of our kind.''
The revelation surprised me to the core. I could tell from her tone and body language that she was being honest. That or she was so practiced in how to lie that she could fool me. The cynical part of me screamed at the lack of evidence for such a thing to be possible. The rational part knew I had no evidence for either argument.
''How can you be outside during the day?'' Alice looked incredulously at me, before rolling her eyes.
''You know what. I take that part about you being clever back. It must just be sheer dumb luck. How did you even guess what we are, if all you got to go off of is old fairy tales?'' Alice ranted, before she noticed my cloak bristling. Or the fact that I had stood halfway up, giving her a free show. That part probably didn't help either party.
''Don't fucking test me, vamp!'' I growled at her, but in the back of my mind I could tell I wasn't actually mad at her. I believe I should have been. I had never taken slights well from anyone. Yet as I moved my right arm to cover my breasts from her view, I couldn't find a shred of ill will in me directed at her.
''Sorry. Sorry.'' Alice's eyes darted around the clearing as I covered myself. ''Vampires don't perish in the sunlight, that whole deal is just a myth. If subjected to direct sunlight, our skin will start glowing. Think glow-in-the-dark stickers, only in daylight. It doesn't harm us, but humans would know we were different.'' Her smile had returned as she spoke.
So my guess that it might have been an idea used to hide true vampires from humans were probably not far off. There would be no logical reason for a human to start spreading the lie otherwise. Unless it was somehow linked with religion, and used to appease the fear of the dark back in the day. The problem with myths was that it starts much like a rumor. It would be impossible to find its origins at this point.
''So you're not afraid?'' Alice asked after some time had passed without a word. A hint of hope in her voice clear as day. She was afraid that I would shy away from her because of what she was. On one hand, I didn't know how much danger she posed to me. Were I human, I would have probably freaked the fuck out. I probably still should.
On the other hand, I was feeling rather happy that I wasn't the only one that wasn't human around here. Having someone I could open up to would make things so much easier. The weight of it again began nagging me in the back of my mind, as my cynical side screamed how I couldn't trust a bunch of vampires.
''I'm... not sure.'' The walls in me was starting to lower as I considered it. I could either take a leap of faith with them, possibly gaining allies of the immortal kind. Or again, I could take what I had and flee to the far corners of the world and live in solitude. The rational part of me told me it was better to take the chance with possible allies or death. The odds were preferable over a life lived alone in fear. And this time the cynical part of me did not argue.
''We need some... ground rules.'' The bass in my voice disappeared as I calmed down. With a sigh, I turned my back to her and sat down on the boulder facing away from her. The cloak was still active, although diminished at this point. I still kept a close watch on her movement with my other senses. With raised hackles, I tapped behind me on the boulder, indicating for her to take a seat.
Again she moved with measured steps towards me, sitting down on the boulder facing away from me, so we were back to back. Not even a meter of air separated us.
''I'm choosing to trust you here, so please don't let me down.'' The words were hard to get out, but I pushed on. ''As long as you don't kill anyone from school, or my dad, I can look the other way.'' Her head turned sideways fast, but I had been expecting it. At least if she was being honest earlier.
''You don't believe me?'' Alice's voice was low and tinged with disappointment.
''There is not much in the way of proof, other than your word. And you are vampires.'' The rock under me cracked as I gripped harder into it as she turned around even further, staring into my back.
''But there is proof! The color of our eyes! Our eyes only turn golden after a long time drinking only animal blood. Which... you wouldn't know... since you haven't met any other vampires.'' It was almost funny to see the earnest look on her face turn to the realization of her quandary.
''I guess it would be difficult to prove, without one of us feeding off of a human, or bumping into a nomad. Both things we would like to avoid.'' Alice turned back around so we were back to back again. ''We, the Cullen's, will not feed on any human. Is that satisfactory?'' The seriousness with which she spoke surprised me somewhat. As if this was not just a simple promise to her, but more of a pact.
There was silence for several seconds as I waited for her to speak, but not a word. ''Do you have any concessions for me?'' I asked her somewhat confused. Didn't these sort of things go back and forth? One person made a demand, then the other? I really need to get out more.
''What? Oh yeah. Sure. Well. I guess the only big one would be not to tell our secret to a human. Oh, and you have to be my friend. And at least one shopping trip every month.'' Alice was smiling and laughing as she made the last two demands, so I knew she was just trying to lighten the mood. And it worked. The cloak disappeared completely, removing the dim red light from the clearing, leaving us only in moonlight.
''I will never share your secret without your consent.'' I answered solemnly, before joining in on her banter. ''The shopping trips you're going to have to fight me for.'' A devilish smirk spread on Alice's face as she turned towards me.
''So you're telling me there's a chance?'' A shiver went up my spine from hearing the tone in her voice. What kind of shopping crazed vampire did I just get myself involved with.
''I have another rule I want in place, if it's not too much trouble.'' The smirk on her face dropped quickly, returning once again to her serious look. I kind of didn't want to ruin the good mood, but the cynical part of me had other wishes. ''No more than two of you in the same room as me at once.'' I immediately felt guilty about it, so I made an addendum. ''At least until I trust you all.''
Alice didn't even look perturbed at this, which told me she had probably already seen this in her visions. ''That is completely understandable. But what about at lunch, or if we get stuck in the same room for a school project?'' I hadn't actually thought about that. There was probably no way around those situations unless I wanted to be silly and force them out of the cafeteria. Not that they ate, but it helped keep up the pretense for them.
''That can be the exception to the rule.'' I agreed quickly, before looking up at the stars. ''We really should get some sleep.'' I said, yawning for the first time since coming out here. The laughter coming from Alice surprised me. ''What?''
''Vampires can't sleep.'' Alice said with mirth. This wasn't something I was expecting. Well maybe since they were supposed to be nocturnal creatures, but they didn't need to stay out of the sun it made some sense. Or not. How the hell can you survive without sleep. That must be exhausting. And sleeping is the best.
''Then what do you do every night?'' I asked quietly, trying to keep it civil so she wouldn't become upset at my probing questions again. I could see the wry smile on her face that showed her teeth. Teeth that were made to kill humans. They looked perfect from the outside, like normal human teeth, but I could tell they were far sharper. The peaks were more pronounced, and with thin edges to them. It was fascinating to look at.
''Well... All sorts of stuff. Anything that suits our fancy, really. My brothers really like playing games. Rose likes working on her cars. Esme, our mom, usually likes to find different designs to use with her decorating work.'' I cataloged all the entries as I listened to her soft voice spread out in the clearing. From the reverent tone she held, I could tell she loved her family deeply. But I also noticed that she had left a few out. Chiefly among them, herself.
''What about you?'' I prodded again, trying to sound as genuinely interested as I could. I felt guilty for being so nosy, but I couldn't help myself.
''I used to like to design clothes for fashion shows.'' Her face looked torn as she responded. I noted that what she revealed was in the past, but chose not to press further. If she didn't want me to know, I couldn't force her.
''But that's neither here nor there. Do you want me to accompany you home?'' Alice's tone picked back up to the perky pace she had used the first time I met her.
''Uhhm... I don't really have any clothes around.'' I flushed with embarrassment, only to see a devious smile, that quickly turned innocent.
''Ohh I don't mind.'' The reply sounded entirely to innocent to be true, even if I couldn't see her expression due to cheating with my awesome skills. Not wanting to let her get the best of me, I mustered up some bravado.
''Sweetie, you couldn't handle me if you were a foot taller. What makes you think I will graze you with this gorgeous view?'' It was a lame bluff, but I heard her suck in a breath before gasping loudly, putting an arm up to her chest in mock offense.
''You mock my height? How dare you, madam!'' I at least hoped it was just the escalation of a joke, and not something more serious. She was starting to turn around, before she suddenly stopped herself. The smile returned, and she laughed out loud. ''I think we should leave it here for now. Do you think we could talk again sometime? At school maybe?''
I think I would like that. She seemed like an okay people-eating person. And she seemed to have a similar sense of humor as me.
''Yeah, I would like that.'' For once I could actually feel some sense of hope for the future. Part of me said it could still all go to shit, but for that one moment, I let myself hope.
''Later then.'' Alice said as she stood up from the boulder, giving me a last look over her shoulder, before darting out of the clearing at full speed.
I waited for a good few minutes, making sure I couldn't sense her, or anyone else for that matter, near me. I pushed my senses out as far as I could, reaching almost back to the house by my reckoning off of the landmarks I was getting acquainted with.
Then slowly, I walked over to a grand fir a little ways into the woods from the clearing, and took my time to slowly drain it without hurting myself. Or it. Taking note of the small victory of how much easier it was to stop this time than the last. There was hardly even a mark on the tree by the time I was done. And it didn't look like it was slowly dying. I attributed that to the fact that it was such a large tree that I barely took a noticeable amount of energy from it.
And with that, I walked at a normal pace back to the house, getting lost in thought of what the future might bring.
-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-
The alarm clock felt like torture as I had barely gotten in an hour before it rang. The slumber button was heavily abused this morning. In my groggy state, I could see that Charlie was sitting downstairs, eating breakfast in the kitchen. He should have the day off, having worked so late last night. So what was he doing up so early? With a jump, I turned around to check the time on my phone.
6:30 was what showed on the dim screen. I had nuked the alarm so hard it had given up. ''Fuck!'' I yelled, as I grabbed my clothes of the chair next to my bed and rushed into the bedroom. I didn't have time for a shower, and smelling under my armpit, I cursed my laziness.
Brushing my teeth and applying some concealer to the bags under my eyes, I got dressed in a hurry. I nearly fell over as I had one leg into the jeans, and tried to jump the other one in there in a rush. If not for my increased reflexes and strength, I would have faceplanted into the toilet. That and the now slightly cracked countertop where I had grabbed. There were indentations from my fingertips underneath.
Tying my hair into a ponytail and being a little too liberal with my perfume, I was soon out of there, running down the stairs. I had to jump the last three steps as my sock got stuck on a nail that was protruding on it, in an attempt to kill me. Nice, now I got a fucking hole in my sock.
''Bells? You okay?'' Charlie asked as he heard me stick the three point landing on the floor, the boards groaning from the stress. A brief wonder of whether or not my increased weight would start to cause issues in the future passed, before I strode into the kitchen.
''Yeah, I survived attempted murder by stairs just fine. But I'm late.'' I stuck my head in there just to actually get a good look at him, with my eyes for once. In the brief period of time I had lived under his roof, I had barely had time to talk to him. I really should do something about that.
I could see he was tired from a long night, his face sallow and big bags underneath his eyes. But he still smiled as soon as he saw me, the big old grin that I loved to see on him.
''I noticed. Your damned alarm woke me up from across the hall, yet you slept like the dead. Tried to wake ya, but you seemed to slap your phone every time I made a noise.'' His voice was hoarse to the point of breaking. I wonder what he was doing last night. ''Made you some breakfast.'' He pointed to the plate by the chair across from his.
If a pb&j sandwich could look majestic, this was it. My stomach chose this time to voice its lust for this offering. I could almost swear it had a glowing halo around it.
''You are the best!'' I exclaimed a little too loudly as I stormed over to it, grabbing it in my hands. For good measure, I walked up to him and kissed him on the temple. ''Love you dad! Got to go!'' I could see his smile spread onto his entire face as I walked out the door, chomping down on the mushy goodness in my hands.
Even with me going a little over the speed limit, I only got to school five minutes before it started. The parking lot was almost completely full, and I ended up having to park at the far end. Only a few stragglers still stood near the entrance to the school, and they gave me an odd look as I rushed past them in a jog.
Mr. Mason was just about to close the door to the classroom as I got there, and he shooed me inside with a disapproving look. My heart didn't stop thumping like a drum in my ears until several minutes into the lecture. But I had made it. My clothes may be dirty, the little makeup I wore smeared, and I may smell like yesterdays garbage, but I made it.
No nightmares or late night chats could stop my tired ass self from making school on time. This super ain't got time for that shit. I huffed loudly enough at the thought, that Mr. Mason gave me a stern look. One nightmare might be over. Another may be unfolding depending on certain bloodsucking moods. Edward probably had a conniption when Alice told him I had figured them out. I bet the look on his face was priceless.
Different scenarios of what that conversation looked like ran through my head all through english, keeping me entertained as head honcho here kept trying to unravel the mysteries of different poetry pieces. It ranged from going all Count Dracula and hiding behind a cape and hissing, to Lestat level brooding.
So when I walked into government, expecting to see him either seething or just staring at me, I was surprised to see that he wasn't even bothering to look at me. Hello Edward. I concentrated on trying to project the thought in his direction. Or I just stared at him really awkwardly. His eyes flickered to me as if I had said his name out loud, so it may have worked. He just gave me a quick nod, before returning to his chosen spot to stare at in the wall. There wasn't an inkling of anger or anything in his features, and it confused me greatly. It was as if his mind was somewhere else.
Was I really that wrong, thinking he would be upset that I had figured them out after the conversation we had yesterday? He didn't seem so friendly after I pointed out how naive their notion of how I could not expose them without exposing myself. Not that many would have believed it without video evidence in this day and age, other than probably conspiracy theorists, but still.
But hey, at least they hadn't gone skulked off into the forest, never to be seen again. The cynical part of me wondered if that would have been such a bad thing. So class moved along, and I was even more educated in how this country didn't work.
A brief flicker of worry sparked in me, but was gone before I could recall why.
-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-
Lunch would prove to be an interesting affair this day, as Alice had calmly approached me with Edward in tow, asking if we could share a table. Jessica and Angela stuttered with their mouths agape, shocked by the invitation of the Cullen siblings. Angela was the first to gain her bearings.
''Yes of course, she would love to sit with you!'' She said in a mischievous tone, nudging me towards them. My eyes, burning red behind my shades, stared into hers with a promise.
''I will so get you back for this Ange!'' I whispered back to her, even though I knew everyone here would hear it. Best to keep up appearances. She smiled tauntingly at me as I turned back around to the Cullen's. Jess still hadn't gotten her jaw off the floor.
''Yes, I would so love to sit with you.'' I said in an excessively sweet and mocking tone. Alice just smiled apologetically at me as we left the shocked and deceitful ones behind. Walking behind them both, I turned around and stuck my tongue out at Angela, all mature like. She just laughed at me, before taking Jess to the usual table.
With a huff, I sat down across from the both of them at a table close to the ones the Cullen's frequent. From my position I had all them in front of me, even though that probably wouldn't have made any strategical difference.
''Now what did you want to say Alice?'' Edward asked in an annoyed tone, his arms crossed in front of him. He wasn't a willing participant in this either it seems. My gaze shifted from him, to Alice, who was fiddling with her hands on the table.
''Well... Okay, so everyone, please remain seated as I tell you this.'' Her eyes didn't come off of her nails that she seemed to be inspecting. Even the three Cullen's at the other table turned to look at her. ''Bella knows.'' For a moment it was as if nothing else in the cafeteria existed.
I was almost shocked, as I came to understand that she didn't tell the rest of her family this morning after our talk. Surprised for sure, but I was still hyper aware of the rest of their reactions. Emmett went from shocked to smiling, while Rosalie just narrowed her brows. Edward gaped, before his jaw shut and his grimace turned angry. To his credit, Jasper was the only one that didn't seem fazed. Which should not surprise me I guess, him and Alice were together, after all.
Alice ignored the rest of her family, instead looking deeply into my eyes. ''I really wanted you to get to tell them yourself, but then I saw Edwards reaction in bio next period.'' She gave a half-arsed glare at her brother to her right, poking him in the side with her elbow. ''It would have made the peace between us untenable. Thanks to your overreacting, stubborn nature.'' That last part she said with venom directly to Edward.
''She is going to out us to the humans!'' Edward hissed back at her through clenched teeth. Alice hissed back and for the first time since I met her, I could tell there was actual anger in the little elf.
''No she wouldn't, you fucking muppet! She knew, yet she still came with us. What does that tell you?'' As a bystander to this sibling infighting, I would have liked to have claimed that I felt guilty about being the root cause for this. But it was just too funny to see the little pixie stand up to Edward.
''But she told me yesterday...'' Edward started, and as if a lightning bolt hit me I realized what this was about. Edward had been under the belief that I would never have been able to guess correctly, or at least not until we had gone our separate ways. And Alice probably hadn't told him yesterday to stop him from leaving. Doing it here, in the cafeteria, would force him to confront this without being able to sprint off at full speed. But why would she care enough to stop them from leaving? Was it really that rare for her to find a new friend?
''I told you how naive your idea of me not being able to out you was. Not that I would.'' Looking around unnecessarily to convey the idea of secrecy, though I could already see that not a single person was paying attention around us. ''I don't care that you lot are vampires. I don't care enough about humans to bother warning them that they are your food. I only care about me, my family, and a select few individuals that I consider friends. The rest of humanity can go fuck itself for all I care.'' I spat out in a whisper, knowing full well that they could all hear me.
Emmett guffawed loud enough to draw the attention of some of the students. His eyes quickly shifted to Rosalie as he pretended she had said something funny. As he shook her shoulders, her face turned from shock to a shy smile as well. Edward had seemingly stopped working, his mouth as agape as Jess' had been earlier. Alice was straight up grinning like a cheshire cat.
''What?'' I asked, getting annoyed with her staring at me so intensely. Alice just shook her head side to side vigorously, still smiling from ear to ear.
''I need some air.'' Edward pressed out as he stood up from the table, making his chair squeal backwards on the floor in the process. Jess noticed this and was looking confused in our general direction, eyes going back and forth between me and the retreating form of Edward.
''Well that was fun.'' I deadpanned at Alice, whose smile hadn't diminished in the slightest. ''So that was it? You needed to ambush Edward with this so he wouldn't freak out in class?'' I felt annoyed that the ambush was merely a means to an end.
''Ohh that was just the boring bit before it would get interesting.'' Alice huffed with a wave of her hand, trying to dispel the unpleasant mood I was in. ''So, if you still don't believe us being 'vegetarians', why are you being so flippant about what we are?'' The way her shoulders hunched up as she put her head onto the palms of her hands made her look even smaller, further accentuating the comparative size of her eyes. Curiosity stormed in those honey-gold orbs, stealing my focus for a spell.
''Uhh...'' My mind was completely blank, before I shook my head and focused on the white table. ''The way I see it, you do what you can with what you got. If you're made to feed on the blood of others, who am I to stop you?''
''So might makes right?'' She questioned with furrowed brows, trying to figure out what I meant.
''Not necessarily. Can you survive without blood?'' Alice quickly shook her head, eyes darting around, looking around us for any listeners. ''Then that's the hand you're dealt.'' The logic was flawed beyond belief, and I knew that. I'm not perfect.
''But isn't that terribly selfish? To take the lives of others to survive?'' All her attention was focused on me now, and it made me slightly nervous.
''Perhaps. But how are humans different? Why does humans get to ignore the millions, no billions, of cattle and chicken lives, or those of other meats we eat? Tell me, does any of them care about that? Give it even a passing thought?'' The captivating eyes drew me in and I just stared at her for a few seconds in silence, before continuing. ''And how about the way humans treat each other? The way the few with power can't help themselves from trying to grasp even more power, even if they have to trample over the corpses of other humans to get there. Who am I to be the judge of you then, if you need to feed off of a few humans to survive in this messed up world.''
Alice didn't speak for a good minute, but I really didn't mind. It gave me time to calm down enough to let the power in me recede, and my eyes to return to normal. Her face was an enigma to me, as all that moved were her eyes.
''You're struggling with this, aren't you?'' Alice finally spoke softly. ''Your humanity.'' She clarified after she saw my confusion, and it shook me. She had seen so completely through my words that she understood my internal conflict. Understandably, she probably would have been in the same shoes as me when she was new to this. I don't think I could come to terms with killing anything or anyone easily.
The image of the bird in Phoenix crossed my mind, making me grit my teeth. I thanked my lucky stars that I could survive off of the energy of plants, not just living beings. But I think if there was no other options, I would deal with it. If only by enduring.
''What about the fact that what we are is merely the byproduct of a disease?'' She continued, never moving from her position. ''That if we feed improperly, we might create more of our kind. That we are parasitic.'' I could hear the self-loathing she held for herself and what she was. She was still struggling with humanity herself.
''I... I don't know. But I can see that you feel emotions. You have ambitions and desires. You are still mostly human, even if your diet had a drastic change. And despite that, you supposedly still hold human lives so dear as to abstain from your natural prey. Who cares what made you. What matters is what you do with it.'' I tried sound as genuine as I could, but this was a bit out of the realm of what I had considered so far.
''So in a world of prey and predator, it doesn't matter as long as you're happy?'' Alice's tone was mocking as she got out of the pose she had been in for the last several minutes. Now it was her with the crossed arms and a sour expression.
''You asked for my opinion, pixie!'' I shot back, starting to get angry with her for the first time. Alice huffed loudly, before storming off much like Edward had done. I swear, that little elf was going to give me whiplash with her mood swings if this was to become the new norm. Another of the silvery bunch of misfits approached me slowly, and this time it was Jasper. Come to the aid of your lady friend. How chivalrous.
My eyes flared up again as I looked into his tawny ones, purely out of instinct. This was the one who was struggling the most to keep from feeding off of humans. So perhaps it had been hypocritical of me to claim to not care what they were. At some level, I still did.
''I'm sorry. Alice has never gotten over the fact that we live by the deaths of others. Just give her some time to think, and I'm sure she will calm down and apologize.'' Jasper's voice was thick with a southern drawl. His tone was courteous, yet his stance was still stiff as he walked after Alice.
The bell ringing had many of the students scrambling to their next class, but I took some to reflect on what had happened.
She had come to me, trying to head off one problem, successfully. Then she had kept going until she went into a minefield of morality, head first, and deliberately stepped on one. And she was the one storming off?
Note to self, vampires are just as irrational as humans. Maybe even more so.
-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx-
AN: So it seems that you all got a bonus chapter in addition to the one in between the regular schedule. Hope you enjoyed it.