The light coming from the windows makes me jump out of bed and rejoice in happiness.
—It's sunny! I scream through the corridor, still in my pj's, running downstairs to open the front door and let the light in.
—Lights out, shorty! Emmett walks behind me, his skin reflecting the light, as he looks annoyed by my excitement for something they avoid so much.
—It's sunny! I shout again, unable to contain my excitement.
—Obviously. Rosalie walks behind him, unimpressed by my statement.
I run back to my room, rushing to get changed and enjoy the sun. Seth pokes his head out of the room, bothered by the noise and looking sleepy.
—What's happening? His eyes are still hazy, and his hair is a mess.
—It's sunny! I say yet again, opening my arms wide and smiling.
—It's six in the morning… Like Rosalie, he can't understand my excitement.
—I know! I run into my room and change as fast as I can.
These sunny days are rare in Forks, and I try to enjoy them as much as possible, but today is special. It's been almost a year since all that mess with Padrone happened, and Edward and Jasper guaranteed me there were no signs of him anymore. Mirania and Giannini are also gone, although she made sure to leave a piece of her mind behind in my head. I can still look at her memories, but Jasper said I shouldn't trust them, so I just ignore them most of the time. Especially today!
I run downstairs again and grab my boots by the door. I'm enjoying every second of it.
—Where are you going? Esme asks. She has Edward's recipes open on the tablet in her hands, probably deciding breakfast.
—To take a walk. I want to collect flowers. Today, my goal is to collect some pretty flowers and find a giant tree in the forest to put them by.
—Why? She asks, confused. She usually gets flowers from the greenhouse, but I want to collect them on my own today.
—It's sunny! Those words will be my answer to everything today. I jump right up and can't contain my smile, hugging her.
—Can't we have breakfast first? Seth is dragging himself down the stairs, half-awaken.
—You have breakfast; I won't take long. Esme, can we have cake today? Vanilla whipped cream.
—Sure, but…
—Thanks! I run out the door, not looking back, straight to the forest.
Summer is long gone now, so the rain is back in Washington. I know this might be my last chance to get out on a sunny day, and I can't believe how lucky I am that the weather is good today.
Running past the greenhouse is the fastest way to get to the flower field I know inside the woods. There are quite a few different types there, and I can collect a colorful bouquet.
I never got here this fast before, but again, I've never been this excited before about getting them. I walk around the field, collect all the colors I can find, and reach out to get some small ones to put around the base and cover the empty spaces on the top. They are humid at the bottom and make my fingers wet, but it doesn't bother me.
The small yellow flowers growing under the trees are among my favorites, so I collect as many as possible. When I touch them, I can feel the wetness of the earth, but the color seems off. It's of a pale red like it's stained. I scooch them over and notice the small running line of blood coming from a rabbit's body on the ground. A bird or something must've killed the poor guy.
—What are you doing here?
I jump up, startled by the voice I didn't recognize. When I look at him, the red in his eyes sends an alarm through my brain. I would recognize that color anywhere. Vampire.
I turn around to run but don't get to move a step. He grabs me by my wrist, turning my body, so I pull my arm, trying to get free.
—Do I know you?
He won't let go, and I can't get free.
—You know what I am? He looks confused.
—You're a vampire. You shouldn't be here. Can I talk sense into him? He didn't kill me right away, so I may be able to talk my way out of this.
—I'm lost. I'm looking for someone. This would've been easier to hear if he wasn't holding me by the wrist, making me scared. His eyes are not in the best condition too; he might be hungry or about to get hungry.
—Who? He's so close to the house. How did he get this close without anyone noticing him? Is he not from here?
—Carlisle Cullen. Do you know him? Is he here for the Cullens? Why? Is he with Padrone? I can't tell him that.
—…No. Please let me go.
—I… he pulls my hand, sniffing my arm and them pulling me closer. —What is that smell? Can he tell I've been close to vampires? Or to Seth? I can't stay here anymore.
—HELP! I scream at the top of my lungs. Everybody is home; he won't stand a chance. Even if he came because Padrone sent him, he wouldn't get close to Renesmee or the others. He's in our territory.
He grabs me by my waist, running away towards the woods like a blur. Suddenly, I'm hagging on a tall tree branch, his hand holding me by my collar as I stop myself from falling by keeping my feet touching the tree branch and holding his arm.
—What are you doing?
—Who did you scream for? What do you know? His eyes look paranoid. I knew they were too dark for him to be reasonable.
—I don't know anything, let me go! The tree is frighteningly tall. I probably wouldn't survive the fall, and I already feel my toes slipping.
—Where is Carlisle Cullen? He's losing it, I can tell. If he doesn't drain me, he'll let me fall.
—I don't know who that is! I have to buy time. They'll be here soon. I have to survive until then.
—Liar! He's angry now, and something grabs his attention. He pulls me back to the top of the branch, my back on the bark, and I can finally catch my breath. —Vampires.
Finally! I feel the relief through my body.
—Is that them?
—I don't know. Just a little more now.
—Stop lying! I can't control myself if I keep lying! He lets go of me, and I know he's going to lash out at me if I keep this close, so I take a step back, tripping on my feet and falling.
I can't make a sound; the braches hit my back and face as I fall. The vampire catches me, breaking the fall before landing on the ground.
—Get away from her! Esme arrives, followed by the others. Everyone is here now, and I can feel the vampire getting nervous. He holds me by my arm, looking at them. Seth is beside Esme, growling at him loudly with his teeth showing. I can feel the sound in my chest, deep inside, rumbling and speeding my heart.
—You don't want to do this! Edward says. He and the others are surrounding him now.
—I don't want trouble. He keeps me close to him, afraid to leave any openings for an attack.
—Then let her go. Now. I haven't heard Emmett's angry voice before, and I'm sure this vampire wished he didn't as well. I can feel him shake, knowing what will happen the moment they get me away from him. I'm looking at Seth and Esme at the corner of my eye as they both walk side to side, waiting for the moment to swoop me away.
—You'll kill me.
—Why are you here? Rosalie's eyes are threatening, her voice worse than Emmett's.
Other rumbling sounds join Seth's voice. Behind us, Jake, Sam, and the others entered the situation, making the vampire scared out of his mind.
—What the hell? He pulls me closer, my back to him and his arm on my neck, ready to snap it. Seth sounds like he's about to lose control now, and I'm shaking, afraid he'll decide it is better to kill me and run than to try to talk his way out of this.
—Don't do anything stupid. If you kill her, we'll definitely kill you. You can't run away from here. Edward read his thoughts, but right now, I can do it too. The tension in his arm around my neck is enough to tell me what he's thinking.
—You're Edward Cullen. He finally got it. Those are the vampire he was looking for, but he should know them if Padrone sent him. Why didn't he recognize them or me right away?
—Yes. Edward answers, analyzing his thoughts.
—I'm looking for Carlisle Cullen.
—What do you want with him? I can't see Esme's face, but I know she's angry.
—I…
—He wants to… join us? Edward's words confuse all of us. What could he possibly mean by joining us?
—What? Emmett says aloud what we were all thinking.
—I want to learn from him. How to control the thirst. His words make me aware of the sting on my cheek. I felt the branches snaping around my body, and the adrenaline took care of the pain, but now, with this talk about thirst, it feels ten times more painful. He can't control it.
I can see Seth pacing around, trying to close in. His fur is all standing, and his eyes are glowing with anger.
—What's that doing? He seems not to understand what Seth is. He also almost lost it when the wolves appeared. If he's not with Padrone, then is he really here to control his instincts?
—Let her go first, then we can talk. Esme might be trying to calm him or herself down. She changes her voice to a calmer tone like she is negotiating.
—I don't think so. He tightens his grip around my neck, and I can't breathe. I tap on it, complaining.
—I can't… breathe. Seth comes closer, getting louder by the minute, but Esme asks him to back down. This guy isn't thinking straight now; it's better not provoke him.
—Sorry… He whispers, loosening his grip, and I cough, gasping for air. I didn't think we would let go or even say anything to me, but he even apologized. Who is this guy?
—You said you wanted to talk, so let's talk. He seems less crazy to me now that I heard him apologize. He might genuinely be lost and looking for help, so I try my best to convince him too that letting me go is the best option here. —You don't have to hurt anyone. A.k.a, me.
—I want to talk to Carlisle Cullen. He insists.
—I'm here. Carlisle is still in his hospital uniform. He must've run here with all he got.
—Dr. Cullen. He sounds different now, like he's finally calming down.
—Who are you?
—I came looking for your help. I'm David. I want to be like you, like all of you. I can't understand his obsession with Carlisle. Did he really come looking for his help? I knew the Cullens were famous for their lifestyle, among other things, but it's now like vampires waltz in asking to be like them. It's not natural or easy to give up human blood.
—I want to control the thirst. I'm… tired of this. Again, his voice sounds gentle, making the mood weird.
—He's not lying. Edward must be keeping a close watch on his thoughts in case he changes his mind about snapping my neck.
—First, David. We don't attack humans. Carlisle takes a step forward, looking perfectly calm like the doctor he is.
—Sorry. I just don't want to die before having the chance to speak. He's looking around and stopping his eyes in Seth's direction. His grip won't let me turn my head, but I can still hear him. He might jump on top of the vampire the second he lets me go.
—We'll hear you, so let go of the girl. Carlisle is still perfectly calm, but I have to say, if I were this guy, I wouldn't let me go for nothing in this situation.
—If he said we'd talk, we will. Just let me go, and I promise we'll hear you out all right? David seems desperate to talk to Carlisle, and a promise of no violence might be the only thing he needs.
—All right… He lets go of my neck slowly and pushes me forward a bit. I run towards Esme and Seth, hugging her and touching Seth's fur, ensuring he's not moving from our side. He puts his body in front of us, blocking most of David's view, and I can feel him trembling, controlling himself not to attack the vampire.
—You ok? Esme has her hands on my face, analyzing the small cut on my cheek.
—I'm ok. I say, putting her hands down. I don't want to look weak in front of him. —Let him talk. I whisper to Seth in hopes of calming him down.
—So, what makes you think you can just come here and join us? Carlisle asks, keeping his promise.
—I heard about your family and I want to join you. I understand that might be difficult now, but at least teach me how to stop killing humans. I want to change before I lose my soul. His eyes keep turning in my direction; they are red but slightly darkened by the lack of blood now. The way he looks at me it's more than thirst. He seemed to recognize me somehow, and I have a strange feeling about that.
—You took the wrong approach, boy. Carlisle is not convinced he's here in peace. David's eyes turning in my direction all the time doesn't help either, but it does help me take a better look at him.
—I know, and I'm sorry, but please, I need your help. I tried to drink animal blood, but it was just too hard. I always find myself craving human blood and losing control. He's very desperate now, begging for help. He interrogated me instead of feeding on me because he was practicing control. Things got out of hand after I screamed, so he looked like a bad guy trying to hurt me.
—Esme, it seems like he needs help. He could've killed me right away, but he didn't. He also saved me from falling. I haven't forgiven him or anything; it's just that there is something about the way he looks at me. He might really know who I am, and if he does, I have questions for him.
Seth reacts negatively to my words. He bends his body forward, and I hold to him tighter.
—Seth's right. You wouldn't be there in the first place if it weren't for him. Edward says aloud the words in Seth's mind. I tripped on my own, but he's not wrong. Things are not looking good for David, and I still don't know if I recognize him or not.
—What if I tell you I can help you find Padrone? His name makes all of us move, looking at each other. That mad scientist was quiet all this time for a reason, then? What does he know? This is beyond my curiosity about his eyes now. I know more than ever we must keep him here.
—What do you know? Jasper speaks for the first time. He must've been analyzing him.
His eyes change. He looks at me more closely now, and I see he remembered something.
—I remember you now. You're the girl he experimented on, aren't you? You look… different. His words make me take a step back. How does he know that?
—How do you know that? Esme pulls me closer, and Seth can bearly stay still.
—I worked from him, too, before quitting… out of guilt. Was he like Mirania then? Going around and collecting vampires for experiments?
—Where is he? Edward appears more nervous now. I'm sure he still wants to kill Padrone for what he did to Renesmee.
—I'm not sure, but I think I can help you find him. I heard he's hunting Mirania and Giannini now.
Their names send a chill down my spine. I can still see her face in my nightmares and have asked myself many times what I would do if I ever saw her again.
—Carlisle… Esme felt my reaction to their names. This might be the perfect opportunity to end all this by killing Padrone. This guy seems to know about everything.
—I know. Carlisle says, his severe eyes staring straight at David. —But it's not so simple. We need to discuss this first.
—I understand. David looks more relaxed. His hidden card saved his life.
—I want you out of the city until sunset. We'll meet again at the house, and I'll tell you our decision. David quickly agrees with Carlisle's terms.
—Thank you, I will. And… I'm sorry. He looks straight at me, and I avoid his gaze. He looks at me like I'm a helpless human he attacked, and I hate that.
He looks at Carlisle one more time before moving back, running as far as he can. I can see Sam and the others following him, ensuring he won't stop before leaving the city limits.
The way back home is quiet and quick. Esme carried me all the all to the house, and I couldn't take his eyes off my mind. He could be the answer to all my unanswered questions. All the things Mirania didn't know because she was not part of the experiment itself. He might know every detail of what was done to me, and I need him to talk. The problem is, how?