Chapter 5 – Information
I became an Anthropology major. I chose this major because I could study about other cultures and have an idea about their legends. Some legends held a seed of truth and that was what I was looking for. As part of my major, I have study every culture in European history. It was said larger schools would have more information to offer. One of my classes was "Monsters & Mythology." Of course I would jump at taking that course. My professor was colleagues with another professor from Washington State, who started this course. In class, students had to study about famous monsters in books and compared them to films. It was interesting to study this course, to see how humans really viewed mythical creatures. I knew, at least when it came to vampires, they were not completely right. Professor McCallister was fascinated with this subject. It could easily been seen that he loved the so-called 'creatures of the night.' At least once a week, the class would watch a monster film. The topic that I was mostly interested in was on vampires. He noted how the look of the vampire has changed in the past century. In "Nosferatu," Count Orlok was the vampire that haunted the village he resided in. I had to hide my laughter when the movie discussed how to kill the vampire. A woman pure in heart must willingly give her blood to him, so that he loses track of time until the cock's first crowing. Nosferatu looked inhuman, compared to how vampires were seen today.
"If something like that was stalking me, I would just stake it," one of the students commented after the film was over. "Vampires can't be staked." I looked up at the professor as he was muttering under his breath. After class was dismissed, I went to speak to him. "Prof. McCallister?" "Bella," he was a tall, lanky man with dull red hair and his scent was like chocolate, "what can I do for you?" "I couldn't help overhearing what you said about vampires. That they cannot be staked." He looked at me, "Good hearing. But, yes, what of it?" I smiled bashfully, "What did you mean by that? That's what all the legends say." He closed his briefcase and took it up off the desk, "Not all legends are true." "But all legends have a bit of truth in them." He laughed once, "Of course you're right about that. But trust me in this. Staking is not how you kill a vampire." He looked at his watch, "If you'll excuse me, I have to get to my next class." "It sounds like you believe that they really exist," I called after him. He turned and smiled, "You never know." On the drive home, I decided I would have to keep a close eye on Prof. McCallister. Before I reached the outskirts of Forks, I decided to hunt. Of course, I took on the Cullens' preference of feeding. Besides, the wolves protected Forks and they would realize a vampire was in the area when people started to going missing, again.
Something else I discovered about myself is that I could control the flow of my venom. When I bit my prey, I could stop my venom from flowing, so they were not left writhing in pain. Whenever I wanted a "snack," I would find a deer. After taking a small amount of its blood, it could run away. But when I wanted to incapacitate my prey, I would let my venom flow, but I mostly did that with larger, more dangerous prey. While driving home, I thought about the differences I had from the Cullens. Edward said he had to be in control all the time and it took a great deal of concentration. But for me, it was fairly easy. He was over eighty years old and he still had to focus all the time, but I was a few months old and it seemed effortless to me. I could silence the monster at any time. I visit the reservation quite frequently. None of the wolves could tell the difference. This was becoming strange. I've been this way for months and still, nothing has changed. I was glad that they could not see what I really was. However, I was somewhat disappointed. I wanted my skin to glow like his did. I could walk in sunlight and my skin did not shine as brightly.
"Bella, how is school?" I was visiting Emily. She was the one I called now when I wanted girl time. "It's wonderful. I love it." She was putting the finishing touches on her wedding dress. She and Sam were getting married next weekend. "I really don't want to be in this wedding, but I always promised Emily I would be and she would be in mine." Leah Clearwater was very unhappy. None of them told me, but I could smell it. She was a werewolf. On the night of the bonfire, Billy was telling the legends of the Quileute tribe. I heard Jared whisper about Leah being the first female wolf in the tribe. Jacob explained to me about Sam imprinting on Emily and he had to leave Leah. "It wasn't pretty. If he never met Emily, it was possible that Sam would have married Leah. They were heading that way and Leah was very happy. You could see it, compared to how she is today. She was very sweet and always smiling." I thought about the comparison Jacob told me about the Leah he knows today to the Leah she was before.
I remembered Leah from when I began to spend time with Jacob. She had long hair and was chatting away on Billy's phone. Leah came into the living room. Her hair was cropped short. She had to maintain her short haircut because when she was a wolf, her fur would be short too. "Hi Bella." I smiled, "Hey Leah." Leah had her dress hung over her arm, "It fits perfectly, Emmy." Emily smiled at Leah, "Ok, are you hungry?" I have noticed that Leah's appetite has picked up, making a stronger confirmation that she was a wolf. Leah walked past me and she did not flinch being near me. It was baffling that none of the wolves could tell I was a vampire. It was clear that I was a different kind of vampire. I still tried to do research on what I was, but the internet wasn't getting me anywhere. It was like before when I wanted to do research on vampires when Jacob told me the story.
In class, we were now studying Brom Stoker's Dracula. It was difficult for me to watch the movie. Dracula was so in love with a human, who looked like his lost love. He came to love her for who she is and it was painful watching them together. I know I didn't look like someone he cared about before, but he cared about me. At least with Dracula, he loved her to the end. "Ok, now what did you learn from this film?" One student raised his hand, "Bad overacting." Everyone laughed and Prof. McCallister smiled, "Besides that?" I raised my hand, "This story was strongly based on Nosferatu. He was attracted to a human that looked like his lover who died." He nodded, "Exactly." Once again I have impressed Prof. McCallister.
"In today's media, vampires have taken on a different role. Today, more vampires are being portrayed as good people in a bad situation. They are viewed as romantic figures, promising eternal love. Also, the main characters are choosing to live alternate lifestyle. Basically, like humans, vampires have a choice on how they want to live their lives." Prof. McCallister's eyes lit up from statement, "Exactly." After that response, I finally got him to discuss vampires with me. I wanted to know how much he knew. "Your response was very impressive today, Ms. Swan." I smiled, "Thank you." "Ms. Swan, did you know that vampires were real?" I raised an eyebrow, "Really?" He sighed, "Yes. Actually there is a coven in Italy that has been around for 3000 years." "Interesting, how do you know this?" He stood, "Let me show you." We were in his office after class. He was more comfortable in his own space to talk about what he was most interested in. He moved a sliding door to the side and pulled out a painting hanging on a track, "See these three men?" I nodded. "This painting is from the 1600's." He pulled out another painting and my eyes widened. It was the same painting I saw in Carlisle's office. Carlisle standing on a balcony with three men; two with dark hair and the other with snowy-white hair. "Turn of the century," my response was more like a question. I knew exactly when this painting was done. He pulled out another painting, "Early 1900's?" He looked at me, "Very good. Now look at this," he pulled out an art book from on the shelves. Flipping through the book, he showed me a photograph. It was the same trio, standing on the same balcony, hidden in the shadows, "This was taken in the 1950s." I looked up at his with speculative eyes. "They are called the Volturi. They are the enforcers of their laws."
Prof. McCallister informed me about all he knew about the vampire world and he knew a great deal. "Professor? How do you know so much about this?" He sighed and sat behind his desk, "Because I am related to Aro. I am a long descendent of his human family. It's a family secret that has been passed down for centuries." I blinked, "You're related to a vampire?" He half-smiled, "Yes, but he doesn't know. Again, one of their laws is to keep the secret of their world from humans." "Hmm." I knew all this already, but I was not aware about the laws. Edward never told me about the laws. It added another reason to why he left. He broke the law by letting me know what he was. I was putting his family in danger. Thinking about this, my arm clutched around my torso. The hole was beginning to burn. Prof. McCallister didn't notice. He was too busy looking over the art book, "If only I could find one." I looked up, "Find what?" He looked up at me, "It's nothing." I could hear his heartbeats increasing, causing the blood to color his face. I smiled sweetly, "Tell me." "No, really."
I stood and looked him in eyes, "Prof., what were you talking about?" "The other kind." "The other kind of what?" He half-blinked, "The other kind of vampires. They're called Daywalkers." My neck jerked back, almost breaking the compulsion, "Daywalkers?"
