So, I know it's been a long while since I updated, but don't fret, I'm still planning on continuing. I just got to a roadblock with how to do the big reveal chapter and decided to just leave it alone rather than force myself to fight through it. This is a story that's just intended for fun and stress relief, so I don't have an update schedule and can't promise when I'll write the next part. I can say that I'll write whenever the interest spikes and post the chapter as soon as I finish it.
I also just realized that I should be replying to you guys in some way. So, first, thanks to everyone who has shown an interest in this fic. I didn't really think it'd be all that popular honestly, but I appreciate you all for being here anyhow! It encourages me to keep going.
Vale Herondale: Thank's so much for the nice comment! I'm glad you're excited. Your concerns for Addison's looks were justified, and if I'm being honest, it was bad writing on my part. I completely forgot to even mention something like that, and I'm glad you pointed it out, thanks! As for the explanation, it has to do with her unique ability to change between human and vampire. She is slightly paler (though I didn't have Bella or Charlie mention that because of bad writing), and they never mentioned her looks because she was already very attractive before. Addison is not vampire attractive though. To explain it simply, she looks more human than your average vampire, but she also has little things about her that make her too vampire-ish to be fully human, ya know? I meant to mention this during one of the chapters, but Addison also has a slight glow to her when she's in the sun in her human form. It's not very noticeable at all unless someone's really paying attention, but it's there. I hope that helped clear some things up.
Anyone feel free to ask questions if something confuses you about Addison or the story. If you notice plot holes or things that just don't seem to add up, please let me know in a kind and respectful way, and I'll do my best to fix it or explain it when I update next. Thanks a bunch! (I didn't proofread this chapter btw, so let me know if there are any glaring errors.)
While the rest of the student body began shuffling their way to class, I was following a stiff-backed Edward out to the parking lot. Secrets had been revealed on both ends, and we needed to go somewhere more private to talk and understand each other.
As he breezed right past his car and towards the forest, I swallowed back my nerves and continued to follow him. Sure, there was the possibility that he could be luring me out to my death, and I was being a complete idiot, but I trusted Edward. It was probably dumb of me to put my trust in a vampire who could easily kill me at the moment, but I truly did feel safe with him. This was the guy who'd saved me twice already in the short time that we had known each other. I highly doubted he would go through all that trouble just to kill me after I found out his secret. Had it been anyone other than him though-like his siblings-I wouldn't have dared.
The terrain morphed from smooth pavement to uneven and damp moss-covered ground the further we got away from the school. As we began to weave through the trees, all sounds were lost besides the sound of nature and our footsteps-mainly mine because Edward hardly made any noise at all. It soothed me a bit and cleared my mind enough for me to figure out how I was going to explain everything to him.
He was a vampire, obviously; that was something I knew for sure. I was a vampire, but also… not, at least, not fully. And it wasn't hard to tell that my… 'ability' wasn't something that was common amongst others of my kind. So, going about getting answers wouldn't be the easiest. He would probably have more questions than answers anyway.
Edward suddenly stopping in front of me and spinning on his heel startled me, but I managed to stop myself just in time. His eyes-which were regaining their golden color-were alight with so many emotions that I couldn't really distinguish one in particular. It made me a bit uncomfortable. "Do you have no sense of danger whatsoever? I've just told you that I'm dangerous and drink blood, yet you followed me so willingly to a place where I could easily kill you if I so chose."
My face contorted in a frown. "Okay, firstly, what the hell kind of a start to a conversation is that? Second, of course, I have danger sensors. I almost physically felt how much Rosalie wants me dead back there, and I didn't just up and leave with you without taking caution first. I'm not a complete idiot, ya know?"
"Yet, here you stand in the middle of a forest alone with a vampire," he retorted.
He did have a bit of a point there. Shrugging, I said, "I trust you."
He looked angry. "You shouldn't."
Not exactly in the mood to play his back and forth game, I rolled my eyes. "Alright, let me just take my trust back real quick. It'll only be a second." Sarcasm rolled off my voice in waves, and I could tell he didn't appreciate it at the moment, but couldn't find it in myself to care. "You really need to stop telling me how I should and shouldn't feel. It's getting old real fast."
"I find it hard to believe that you're able to put your trust in someone who could easily end your life."
I let out a deep breath. He really was making me question the already questionable amount of trust I had in him. "If you keep indirectly threatening my life, I might start thinking you actually do want me dead."
"I just want you to fully understand the situation you're in, Addison."
"And I do. I just don't believe you'd-" He was standing directly in front of me before I could even process his movement. My breath caught in my throat, and my muscles tensed as I went stiff as a board.
His face was anything but welcoming and turned down into one of the most vicious snarls I'd ever seen. His teeth were bared as he growled and his eyes were a dark gold that was bordering on the edge of black. It was an intimidating sight; much darker than the expression he'd given me at lunch that one day. He'd been holding back then. This one actually had my heart kicking into overdrive, and not in a good way. As much as I didn't want to admit it, he had frightened me.
Seeing that he got his point across, all traces of aggression left his posture, and he was back to the Edward from before. "Do you understand now?" His voice was slightly remorseful as if he regretted scaring me, but I had a feeling he'd do it again in a heartbeat if it meant that I'd feel even a little fear of the situation.
Blinking a few times and forcing my muscles to relax, I reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, you got your point across. You can be dangerous. I still don't think you'd hurt me intentionally though." Even though I muttered the last part, of course, he still heard me and frowned disapprovingly.
"Intentionally or not, I'm-"
I cut him off. "I swear, I'm going to bash my head against the nearest tree if you say you're dangerous one more time. Besides, I've told you not to underestimate me."
It was as if my words were the magic switch to getting our conversation back on track. His eyebrows furrowed in that way they did when he was curious or confused. "You said you weren't human. So, what exactly are you?"
Taking a deep breath, I steeled my nerves. I didn't know why I was so nervous to tell him, but I could feel the butterflies fluttering in my stomach nonetheless. "I know it's gonna sound crazy, but I'm actually just like you and your family. I'm… a vampire." His facial expression told me exactly what he was thinking, and I scrambled to explain. "I know, I know it doesn't sound believable, but it's the truth. I don't understand how or why I'm able to… let me just show you then explain more afterwards." Taking a couple of steps away from him, I closed my eyes and focused on changing. It got easier and easier to switch between human and vampire every time I did it, and now it only took about thirty seconds. I could feel Edward's eyes boring into me, and it made me slightly uncomfortable and even more anxious.
His distraction made me lose focus a bit, but eventually, I could feel my heartbeat slowing until it disappeared completely. With my hearing enhanced, I could hear the precise moment Edward stopped breathing. Opening my eyes, I was greeted by the sight of his face staring shocked back at mine. His mouth was even hanging open, and I held back the urge to smile.
Seeing as he didn't look like he was going to say anything anytime soon, I shakily spoke up. "When that vampire attacked me, he didn't leave me unscathed. After he was done playing with me, he bit me. I thought for sure I was going to die," I swallowed thickly, feeling that familiar sting in my eyes signaling my urge to cry, "but I didn't. He stopped just when I was starting to blackout and just left. I guess he thought I would die. Instead, I just burned. I don't know how long I was there, but when I opened my eyes again… I was this. I knew he'd turned me into a vampire just like him."
He took hesitant steps towards me, and I could hear the crackle of the leaves as if they were being crushed directly by my ears. When he was in front of me, he slowly reached out a hand and pressed it against my cheek. Rather than the slight chill that I'd grown used to, his hand felt like it was the same temperature as me. There was also a slight tingling sensation that wasn't painful or too strong, but just noticeable enough to have me wondering what caused it. I stared into his eyes as he looked all over my face.
His head shook subtly as he met my gaze. "I don't understand."
I sighed and tried to ignore the way his hand felt on my skin. "Honestly, I don't either. The only reason I know that I can change between vampire and human is because of this voice in my head... that makes me sound like a crazy person, but it's how I know things that I shouldn't. It's almost like a conscious but more knowing. It told me what I had to do to change back into a human, and I did it, but it's mainly just a facade. The thirst never goes away." At the mention of it, my throat ached painfully. It wasn't as thought-consuming as usual, but still persistent enough to tell me that I'd need to hunt soon.
His eyebrows furrowed as he took in the information I'd given him. "You obviously have a gift, but that doesn't explain how you're able to… transform."
I frowned. "Gift?"
His hand fell from my face as he ran it roughly through his hair. I hated how a part of me mourned the loss of his touch. "When a vampire is created, they have a chance of developing a gift based on a trait that was strongest when they were human. For me, I was given the ability to read minds, and you seem to have a gift that has given you increased insight. We'd need to speak with Eleazar to know for sure."
Now hearing the explanation, it did make sense that I would be given a gift that dealt with insight when I became a vampire. Ever since I was young, most things just clicked into place easily in my mind. I was also scarily good at guessing. About 8 times out of 10 I'd be able to guess something correctly, even if I wasn't given any context. I was a master of "guess the number I'm thinking" back in school.
"And Eleazar is a friend of yours that's good at detecting these gifts vampires have?" The corner of his mouth quirked up in an amused grin.
"Exactly; it's his gift." Doesn't that come in handy? He must have been very popular amongst other vampires.
"Do you think he might be able to figure out why I am the way that I am? Like, maybe it's some weird second gift?" I immediately shook my head after I said it. That wouldn't make any sense. Edward said that gifts were based on strong traits from when a vampire was human, but I was pretty sure there was no trait for just being human… unless there was something inherently different about vampires… besides the whole being a vampire part. Maybe there actually was a trait for humanity, but it only pertained to vampires? It sounded crazy, but my life had been nothing but crazy since I'd come to Forks, so I wouldn't rule it out just yet.
He shrugged. "I've never come across anything like your case before, but Carlisle might have. He'll be more likely to have answers than I would."
"And why would he have-" Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. My throat flared violently as the sound of a heartbeat entered my ears. I could nearly picture the blood flowing, and my mouth involuntarily filled up with saliva. It was a bit embarrassing how easily it distracted me and how quick I was to dart off in the direction. Maybe I was a bit thirstier than I realized. A small part of my mind heard Edward call out for me and realized that he was giving chase, but the bigger part was focused on easing the thirst that was momentarily unbearable.
The bear didn't stand a chance. It hadn't even had a chance to fight considering how hard I'd slammed into it. The crack its body had made was still echoing through my mind. After many greedy mouthfuls (somewhere around 200, blood lust had distracted the other part of my brain keeping a tally), the bear was sucked dry and my head felt clearer. Unlatching my teeth from its jugular, I quickly looked away from the dead animal with a gag. That was always the worst part after hunting, seeing what was left behind. It was just an empty husk of what it once was... and the eyes… I gagged again.
"It'll get easier with time." I whipped around to face Edward, who was watching me from a short distance away. I'd momentarily forgotten about him. It was a bit embarrassing to know he had watched while I'd drank blood, but I tried not to think about that too much for now.
I chuckled humorlessly. "Which part? The drinking blood part or being controlled by my thirst?"
He gave a grim smile. "Both, but I was specifically referencing the thirst. After you get out of your newborn phase, you won't be so weak to your thirst. It will get easier to keep under control after you adjust."
I took a few steps away from the carcass, doing my best not to look at it or think about the crystal-clear picture in my mind. "Newborn? What, is that like a new vampire or something?"
He nodded. "Yes. It's the term used for a vampire until a year after they've been changed. Their blood still lingers within them from when they were human, making them physically stronger and their senses sharper than the average vampire. They're ruled more by instinct, making it harder for them to control their thirst. You'll find you need to drink more blood than me, for example, to stay… satisfied."
"Well, that totally sucks… pun definitely not intended." I paused. "I wonder how that'll work for me though considering I can, ya know, switch between human and vampire."
He looked intrigued like I was an interesting puzzle he wanted to solve. "I hadn't thought of that. Depending on whether or not you still produce new blood cells despite being changed will play a large factor in figuring out the answer to that. I'm sure Carlisle will have plenty of questions for you."
"I'm sure I'll have just as many. There's still so much I don't know. I was pretty much left to figure out everything on my own." Not that I'd have wanted to learn anything from that sadistic bastard who'd bitten me in the first place. I had a feeling learning on my own was better than getting any kind of guidance from him.
Edward's jaw clenched, and I was surprised to hear the beginnings of a growl, however faint. "I'll find him; I promise you that." The thought of him going anywhere near that man was enough to make me feel sick. I immediately shook my head.
"I'll be fine so long as I never see his face again. I'd rather avoid any further interactions entirely." I knew that with me being immortal and all, we'd undoubtedly cross paths once again, but I was hoping it would be decades in the future when I was over the trauma he'd left me with. I didn't need to freeze up when I faced him and give him the chance to finish the job.
I could see it on Edward's face that he didn't like the idea of not doing anything about the rogue vampire, but he didn't say anything else about it. He just clenched his jaw some more before letting out a breath through his nose. It was at that moment I could hear his phone vibrate in his pocket. He easily slipped it out and quickly read over the message on the screen, grimacing slightly before slipping it back in his pocket.
"You wouldn't happen to be against getting home late tonight, would you?" he asked, suddenly.
I quirked an eyebrow. "Depends. Why would I be getting home late?" I asked, but I had a feeling I already knew the answer and dreaded it.
So, I wasn't surprised when he said, "My family would like to talk to you."