Hey everyone! So I'll be honest, I had completely given up on this story. It wasn't like I didn't have more story to tell, I just wasn't that into Tangled anymore. However, after a year or so, I realized that it wasn't fair to everyone who had been gracious enough to follow my story for me to just stop writing. So here I am, ready with new chapters and back to finish this one out. I'm so sorry for the wait and thank you for being so patient! Reviews would be much appreciated. Happy reading!
Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled or Twilight.
Chapter 3: Family
Running fascinates me. Everything I see is so clear, yet I know that to anyone else I was a blur. It is like riding Max, only a million times faster. Rapunzel would love this. I can't wait to tell her-
I stop. Carlisle stops as well. It takes me a moment to realize that we have arrived. "Are you ok, Eugene?"
I nod and bite my lip, wincing at the sharpness of my teeth. Carlisle chuckles and pats my shoulder. As we approach the house, I take advantage of my new senses. The building is large. Not as much as the castle, but still a lot bigger than most of the houses in the village. It seems to be made of a combination of glass, stone, and wood. Giant windows make up most of the walls. In town, this architecture would be completely unacceptable. But since the house is secluded in the woods. I guess Carlisle and his family don't have to worry about prying eyes. I like that. It seems fitting, in a way.
As Carlisle opens the door, I realize not only have I been holding my breath, but also the fact that I don't really need it.
As soon as we stepped over the threshold, a woman with brown hair threw herself at Carlisle. He catches her easily, spun her around once, and put her back down.
"How was your hunt, sweetie?" The woman asked.
Carlisle's expression lit up at the sight of her. "It was fine, my dear. I have someone I would like for you to meet."
The woman examines me with her with her golden eyes. I stand there uncomfortably until her soft face breaks into a grin. She holds out her hand for me to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Esme, Carlisle's wife."
I take her hand and manage a smile. "Please, ma'am, the pleasure is mine. My name is Eugene."
Esme giggles. "Please, tell me how you came to meet my husband."
My smile wavers and I can tell that she noticed. Her eyes flickered to her husband who said, "Why don't we call everyone for a meeting?"
Another vampire was there in an instant. He had copper hair and the same golden eyes as the others. I jumped slightly.
"You called?" The boy asked.
Carlisle sighed. "Edward, you must stop doing that. How many times have I told you to stay out of people's minds? You're scaring our guest."
Edward frowns and looks at me. "Who are you?"
"The reason I'm calling this meeting." Carlisle answers for me. In a normal tone of voice he says, "Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, come downstairs please."
Four more vampires enter the room. They all look nothing alike, yet they do. Their hair colors and sizes differ greatly, but they all share a few key features, such as golden eyes and marble skin. The blonde and the muscular guy are holding hands and so are the short-haired girl and the boy with brown hair.
"What is it, Dad?" The muscular one asks.
Dad? Carlisle doesn't look that much older than them. How is that-? Oh, right. Vampires.
Edward chuckles beside me. Carlisle gives him a look and says, "Let us all go to the living room. Everything will be explained there."
I follow behind the group. The two couples seat themselves on the couch, Carlisle and Esme take a loveseat, and Edward claims an armchair. I sit in the other armchair across from Carlisle and Esme. Carlisle introduces me to everyone. The blonde, who I now know as Rosalie, is glaring at me with distrust. Emmett, Jasper, and Edward are looking at me with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. Alice is grinning. Esme is smiling at me but I can see the curiosity in her eyes. Carlisle's face remains neutral.
"Now can someone please tell us what's going on?" Emmett asked.
Everyone looks at me. I cringe and don't meet their gazes. I look at Carlisle and silently tell him that I can't speak. He gets the hint.
"While I was on my hunt, I came across Eugene here." Everyone is listening with rapt attention. "He was alone and obviously terrified. He explained to me that he was brutally attacked and left to turn by another vampire. He was unsure and starving, so when a passerby asked if he needed help… well you can imagine what happened next."
I keep my eyes fixed on the floor, but I can feel their looks of pity. Esme gets up to give me a hug, but Carlisle stops her. "There's more."
Esme sits back down. Carlisle continues, "Eugene is engaged to a royal."
Everyone gasps. Edward sits up. "That means-"
"Search parties," Jasper finishes.
Carlisle nods. "Exactly. We are going to have to be extra careful. We have to-"
"We don't have to do anything!" Rosalie shouts. "This is not our problem. We have no connections to this newborn, so why should we help?"
"She's got a point," I mumble, forgetting about vampire hearing. They all stare at me and I stammer to explain myself. "I-I mean, after what I did…" I trail off as they continue to stare at me.
Jasper spoke for the first time. "Eugene, we've all done horrible things. We have no right to condemn you for one mistake. Especially since you didn't know."
A tear slips from my eye. I barely notice the gasps of the Cullens around me.
"He's crying."
Before I can defend myself, Carlisle responds, "That's the other thing I wanted to talk about. He's not a normal newborn."
I frown. "Not normal?"
"You can cry," Carlisle responds.
"And you can't?"
"No," Rosalie stated. "Vampires lose the ability to cry when they turn."
I blink. "Okay, so what. I can cry, big deal."
Carlisle leans forward. "Well, that's not all," he looks me in the eye. "Your eyes. They're gold."
Now I'm really confused. "How is that odd, so are everyone's here."
Carlisle gives a small smile. "A newborn's eyes are always red. If that newborn continues to drink human blood, their eyes will continue to be red. The reason ours are gold is because we feed on animals instead."
My mind is racing. "But I haven't fed on any animals."
"Exactly," Carlisle says. "You are a newborn vampire who has only fed on human's since his transformation. Your eyes should be crimson. Yet they are as gold as ours."
"Why are mine different?" I ask.
"We don't know," Carlisle turns to the girl sitting next to Jasper. "Alice, can you see?"
Alice shakes her head. "No. I've tried, but I can't. I can't see anything when it comes to him."
All the Cullens looked at me again, which I must say is quite unnerving. I squirm in my seat.
"Does he have any gifts?" Edward asks.
"Gifts?" I hope it isn't customary to bring presents to your vampire host family, because I'm out of luck.
"Powers." Carlisle explains. "Some vampires have them once they turn. None have manifested for you yet, but it could take a few weeks to form."
I look around at the Cullens. Do they all have powers?
"Not all of us." Edward says. Noticing my confusion, he laughs. "I can read minds."
"That was kind of creepy," I say.
"Says the vampire boy," Rosalie snaps.
"Says the vampire girl," I snap back. Childish comeback, I know, but there was no way I was going to let this chick push me around.
"Anyway," Edward interrupts. "Jasper and Alice have gifts as well. Jasper can manipulate emotions and Alice can see the future."
"That is so cool," I say, amazed. "Can I do something like that?"
"Possibly," Carlisle says. "Like I said, we don't know yet."
I nod and Alice asks another question, "What do you remember of your human life?"
"Um, all of it?" I respond to the odd question.
Everyone looked at each other again. "Okay, you guys have got to stop doing that. I get it, I'm weird. So the memory thing is another abnormality. That's just great."
"Please," Emmett says. "This family is full of abnormalities. You'll be fine."
I look up. "You mean-"
"Yes, you are a part of this family now." Esme smiles.
I am overcome with emotion. No one, except for Rapunzel, had ever cared for me this much. I grin. Rosalie huffs and storms out of the room.
"I'm sorry?" I say, confused on what I did.
"You have nothing to apologize for, dear." Esme reassures me. "Rosalie just doesn't do well when meeting new people."
"Plus, siblings fight, right?" Emmett grins.
I give a small smile. "I guess I wouldn't know. I'm an orphan. I've never had a proper family."
Everyone tried to mask the shocked looks on their faces, but I caught them. I don't let it bother me, I'm used to people's pity. Esme ran over and hugged me. "I promise you, that won't happen again."
The Cullens all murmured in agreement. Carlisle smiled. "Welcome to the family, Eugene."
