Chapter 5 (Bree)

The contents of my stomach sloshed as Rosalie, Emmett, and I approached the house. We'd taken down a whole herd of elk, two mountain lions, and a bear for Emmett. Rosalie had stopped after the Elk, giving me one of those to myself and both of the mountain lions. Emmett and I were debating whether we could each drink an entire whale by ourselves when Rosalie hissed.

"What's wrong?" Emmett asked, immediately on high alert. She didn't answer, allowing him to sniff the air and find for himself the foreign scent. At least, the scent was foreign to them.

"No, no, no, it's fine. I know him." The scent hit my nose just a few seconds after it his Rosalie's. I was shocked that he wasn't repelling us, but that meant he wanted us to find him.

"Hey, Fred," I called at just a slightly louder volume than I'd been speaking. "It's okay, you're safe here."

Almost a hundred yards away, a tall, handsome vampire stepped out from behind the trees. Even with the cloud cover, his blonde hair glistened in the shards of light. He stayed about half a football field away from us, probably because Emmett was still tensed for a fight.

"It really is okay, guys. Fred is a friend," I said, trying to ease the tension. Rosalie was looking back and forth between Emmett and I, probably trying to decide who she should go to. Emmett finally released his crouch, and even though she walked to his side and took his arm, she looked at me.

"Why don't you introduce us?"

I walked toward Fred, Rosalie and Emmett cautiously following behind me.

"You came back," I said.

"I did," Fred answered. "When you didn't come meet me, I took off like I said I would. But I kept wondering what happened to you so I went back a few days later. I could smell that you'd left with other vampires I didn't know. I wanted to know you were safe, I guess."

"Yeah, I am. The Cullens could see that I didn't really want to fight. I was only there to find Diego." Pain shot through me when I said his name, so I quickly continued. "Anyway, they offered to let me surrender. They've been taking really good care of me." I turned back to Emmett and Rosalie to give them a smile.

"I'm happy to hear it." Fred extended his hand to Rosalie first, then Emmett. "I'm Fred."

"What's up?" Emmett said in response. He was still tense, but he was fully upright now.

"Fred," Rosalie said, "would you like to come back to our home? I'm sure you and Bree have some catching up to do."

"Your home?"

"We maintain a permanent residence nearby. Please, come. We'll tell you all about it."

Fred was still apprehensive. I could tell he was deciding whether or not to bolt and block us from thinking about him for the next hour.

"It really is okay. I'd tell you if it wasn't," I said.

With one short nod in acquiescence, Fred followed us the mile back to the house.

"Wait outside," Rosalie said when we arrived. "Jasper can be…well, just let me go ahead."

She entered the house. I could hear her telling the others that we'd come across a friend of mine while out hunting and that he'd come back with us.

Carlisle came outside almost immediately. "Welcome," he said kindly. He extended his hand, and Fred took it politely. "I'm Carlisle. It's nice to meet a friend of Bree's."

"Nice to meet you as well."

The rest of the Cullens, again sans Edward, filed out of the house to greet the newcomer.

"Please, come in," Esme said after all introductions had been made. Bella's scent was almost nonexistent in the house by now and Fred didn't react as if anything in the house was affecting him. Fred was also much closer to the end of his first year of vampirism, though. That probably counted for something.

We all took seats in the living room, ensuring that Esme's interior design decisions were more than just props. Fred kept looking around, taking in this style of living that was so different from what we'd known.

"Where've you been living?" I asked him.

"I was outside of Vancouver for a few days before I came back to see what happened to you. I don't like all the people in the city, so I stayed well outside of town. Plus, I kill less people when I'm not around a lot of them."

Carlisle sat up and studied him more intently.

"You've been here?" Fred asked me.

"Yeah. The Cullens have been very welcoming. They're helping me adjust to my new diet and this way of life."

"You new diet?"

I hesitated. Given all the people we'd killed, sometimes together, it felt strange to tell him I didn't do that anymore.

"We only hunt animals," Carlisle provided to fill in my silence.

"Animals?"

"Yes. It allows us to live in harmony with humans, and with each other. I work as a doctor at the local hospital, and my children here attend school. I find it preferable to the time I spent as a nomad."

"How do you stand the blood?" Fred was leaning forward in his seat. I'd not given much thought to him since joining the Cullens, mainly because I'd been so focused on curbing my own appetite. But Fred had a streak of compassion in him that was uncommon amongst vampires. Maybe he'd be suited to this new lifestyle as well.

"Year and years of practice," Carlisle answered him.

The conversation shifted then. Fred was interested in hearing Carlisle's stories of the centuries he'd been alive. To be fair, I was interested in hearing them too. He stayed with us most of the evening, conversing with everyone, but mostly Carlisle. In Fred's human life, he'd been a researcher, interested in science and logic. He and Carlisle seemed to be kindred spirits in that regard.

I learned from the conversation that Alice and Edward were the only Cullens still attending the local high school. Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper were attending the University of Washington. When I asked what they were studying, Rosalie answered that she'd decided to pursue a degree in architecture this time. She'd chosen that major as a gift to Esme. Jasper, it seemed, thoroughly enjoyed philosophy, and was currently working on a Ph.D. Emmett never committed himself to one major, instead preferring to bounce around in the subjects that interested him.

Their talks of college fascinated me. That had never been a possibility for me before, but now, it could be. It was probably be years before I had the self-control, but still. One day, I might be able to get a degree in literature, or fashion, or any of the other interests I discovered between now and then. My thoughts on this were interrupted when I noticed Jasper scooting just a tad closer to me.

Before I could ask him what he was doing, he turned to Alice. "Is Edward not coming home tonight?"

"He'll come home a little later than usual. Bella is talkative this evening."

"Edward is another of the Cullens," I told Fred, making sure he was included in the conversation. "Bella is his human girlfriend."

Fred's face split into a massive grin. "You're kidding."

"Not at all."

"No offense to any of you, but you guys are really weird," he said, looking around at each of the Cullens as they laughed with him.

I briefly considered what it would be like if Fred stayed. Would the Cullens accept him as easily as they'd accepted me? I had no doubt that they would, if he wanted them to. And it would be nice to have someone here to balance out the numbers so that I wasn't constantly the odd woman out. I looked at Fred, taking in his handsome face and calm, kind demeanor. I wondered if I could grow to care for him as I had Diego. Just as quickly as the thought flitted through my mind, I dismissed it. I wanted nothing but the best for Fred, but he would only ever be a friend to me.

Just as Alice had predicted, Edward came home about forty minutes before daybreak.

"Finally asleep, then?" Alice asked him.

"She'll be exhausted tomorrow," he answered. "But we've so rarely had time to just be together with all that's happened. I couldn't bring myself to cut her off."

Edward then turned to Fred, clearly waiting on an introduction.

"Um, Edward, this is my friend Fred. We met when… while…well…"

"Yes, I know." He offered an easy grin. "I'm Edward Cullen," he said, inclining his head politely at Fred. "And to answer your question, yes. I am the one that reads minds like Riley told you."

Fred's face didn't change, but for a split second, I felt a brief nausea roll through my stomach. Edward's brow furrowed, then relaxed as he smiled. "That is quite a talent," he commented.

The rest of the Cullens looked thoroughly confused.

Fred sighed before addressing their expressions. "I can repulse people by thinking about it. That's why you were all momentarily nauseous just now. My apologies. The roots Riley sowed run deep, and I've not yet had time to fully dig them up."

The apology was eloquent, and I found myself wondering why Fred didn't speak more. He was clearly very good at it.

Edward was very intrigued by the talent. Apparently, something akin to a fog fell over Fred's mind whenever he used it, not quite pushing Edward out completely, but making him work really hard to hear anything. The rest of us endured bouts of revulsion as they practiced, seeing if Fred could fully repel Edward.

The sun eventually rose, signaling the start of another day of pretense for the Cullens. Fred and Edward both stood up to leave. Fred had not yet managed to keep Edward completely out, but both boys seemed to think it would be possible with practice and promised to try again the next time they crossed paths.

Edward again ran up to his room to change clothes and then hurried back to Bella. Fred, on the other hand, was looking incredibly awkward about how to go about saying his goodbyes.

"You're welcome to stay," Esme said.

"You're very kind," Fred answered. "But I really think I should return to my nomadic ways. You've all given me a lot to think about though. I'd very much like to visit again, if you'll have me."

"Of course," Esme said. "Anytime. Just make the decision and Alice will see you coming." Fred shook his head with a smile, just as he had when we'd first revealed Alice's talent to him.

"Bree," he said, turning to me. "I'm glad you're alive. And I'm even more glad you're happy."

"Thanks, Fred. Be safe, okay? Don't be a stranger."

"I'll try not to," he answered before he darted off into the trees.

Alice predicted thunderstorms all day, and, sure enough, as the Cullen clan began leaving for their various schools, thunder rocked through the house and the rain started to pour. I spent most of my day catching up on some reading, Carlisle was at work, and Esme was ordering the materials for the addition to the garage.

Days in the Cullen house existed in stark contrast to my previous lives. As a human, my days had been spent rummaging through garbage cans for food. And the first weeks of my immortal life had been spent trying to stay alive. Now, there was no threat, either of starvation or of another newborn's temper tantrum, and I could breathe peacefully.

Rosalie and Emmett returned home early, as did Carlisle. Apparently, Carlisle had asked if Rosalie and Emmett would be willing to skip their afternoon classes to stay with me so that Carlisle could spend some quality time with Esme. They acquiesced easily.

Carlisle and Esme were giddy, almost like two teenagers about to go on their first date, as they sprinted through the back yard and out of our view. Rosalie and Emmett hovered without hovering, and I eventually told them to go upstairs and spend some time together as well. They'd been so worried about me since I'd joined the family that I knew they hadn't had nearly enough time for themselves. Eventually, they gave in and retreated to their rooms, imploring me to simply say if I needed anything.

I cozied back up with my book. My stomach was still full from the night before, and while the thirst always prickled, it was well controlled. And I was happy. It was more than peace, or contentment, or even satisfaction that I felt here. It was true happiness, and I was reveling in it.

Obviously, Rosalie and Emmett were reveling in something as well. Not wanting to continue overhearing their private moments, I left the house, wandering just far enough that I couldn't hear them anymore. I leaned against a tree, some kind of fir, and just enjoyed the sounds of rain and thunder.

The thunder seemed to never stop, almost like each loud clap was rolling into the next too quickly for the individual occurrences to be distinguished. It only took a second for me to realize that the sound wasn't thunder. There was a rumbling coming up the driveway. The noise steadily progressed into a roar, and I realized just a few seconds too late what it meant. None of the Cullen cars would ever make such a sound. This was someone, definitely human, to withstand that much noise, who'd made a wrong turn.

I knew I should run. I should get away before I had a chance to smell the blood and lose myself in it. But I couldn't make my feet move. They'd already been taken over by the thirst that was rising in my throat, scorching me with insatiable flames. The vehicle, clearly a truck, started to take shape through the rain. I sank into the trees, hoping against all hope that if the human didn't see me, I could stand my ground. It would only be if they saw me, if I scared them, if the sight of me made the blood pound heavier in the chambers of their heart…

The truck got closer, taking on a definitive color. It was red, red like the blood I so desperately needed, so longingly ached for. I fought for control. I tried to solidify myself like I had before. Start at the fingers, immobilize the fingers. I couldn't do it. I couldn't stop myself from shifting into the crouch, the hunter's stance, the killer's pose. Where were Rosalie and Emmett? They had to hear this monstrosity of a vehicle by now. They would come. They would stop me. They would save this poor, poor human.

The truck was within ten yards of me now, and despite the roar that assaulted my ears, I could hear another sound. It was faint, oh so faint, but the truck was old, not welded together as tightly as a new one would've been. Through the smallest of gaps, I heard it. The thump of a heartbeat, like the glug of wine to a drunk, calling me forward to drink until I no longer knew anything but the blood.

I gave one last effort at trying to carry myself away, but it was futile. Without my conscious consent, my body had committed. To an observer, it would've seemed like I was flying when I pounced. I landed on the door only a second later, ripping it from its hinges with a growl. The smell of blood sweeter than most hit me. Sugar and summer gardens, all wrapped up in the most delicate of packages. I knew this scent. This scent had tormented me in the field where I'd almost died. It had teased me in my first nights with the Cullens. I'd thought I'd won, but I held no power over this scent.

It owned me, body, mind, and non-existent soul. As Bella screamed, I sunk my teeth into her throat, feeling the warm nectar flood through my veins like water out of a dam.

And so the real changes begin! I hope you don't mind the short chapters too much—they allow me to tell the story from the views I think voice it best. The next chapter will be posted soon! Until then, keep reading and reviewing! -SS