Chapter Port Angeles
The drive to Port Angeles was fun. It was full of turns the McClaren handled beautifully. It took about an hour to make it to the city. The drive gave me time to really think. I reflected on my day with Edythe. It was honestly the best day I've had in a very long time. Edythe was so different from anyone else. She made me feel almost normal. I felt lighter around her, words just flowed when we talked.
Though the more I thought about her the more the things I have been disregarding came back. Edythe did have some odd things about her, like the way her eye color changed periodically. It was always a golden honey or a gray, or an onyx black. The fact that she hadn't eaten all day minus the breakfast she told me she ate this morning, that really bugged me. Logically I thought maybe she fasted, but then I recalled my earlier memory from all the times I observed her lunch table that her whole family never ate their food either.
Something wasn't right about the Cullens. Everyone avoided them, kept a reasonable distant
from them, they did keep to themselves. All the gossip I overheard from my lunch table, mainly Mikayla and Taylor, was that none of the Cullens ever tried to attempt to be friendly with any of the other students. Though when they worked with students in class, everyone described them all, even Royal to be polite and helpful, just abnormal.
I pictured Edythe and her family. I could easily picture Edythe. It made my pulse quicken. The rest of them put me on edge when I really thought about them. They all looked harmless in appearance. I could tell Royal would be the hardest one to fight but he wouldn't be a match for me, no one in the school was, I was lethal, a weapon of mass destruction. Though for some reason all of Edythe's siblings including her mother frightened me, it wasn't a feeling I was used to. Was it the fact that all of them were so incredibly attractive? They all had flawless skin and I knew all the guys thought the Cullen women were the hottest in the school and the girls thought the same of Royal and Archie. I also knew that many of the adult men in the town thought Doctor Cullen was a looker and she was.
I pictured . She was a little taller than Edythe and just a little bit more filled out. People had told me that was an extraordinary doctor and for her age she was extremely knowledgeable on medicine. It was hard to believe that she was in her mid thirties. Not that she could be older but that she looked like she was the same age as my sister Lexi, she looked far too young to be in her thirties.
I sighed. There was so much more that I had noticed and just didn't acknowledge about the Cullens. Well the fact they all seemed to miss school a lot. It wasn't that hard for me to not notice when Edythe wasn't at school during our hiatus. Jeremy had once told me when I glanced at their vacant lunch table that the Doctor pulls them all out of classes when the weather is nice. Mikayla added that is always in her parents Outdoor Sports store buying gear for hiking and camping. It wasn't weird that they did that but it was every time it was sunny out. Then not mention Edythe's strength. The fact that just today she held my weight back against the bus seat like it was nothing. She didn't strain or anything. She had barely rested her hand on my chest and I was restrained to the seat. Or the time we were in the ER room and I was walking out of the room and she had grabbed me jacket and stopped me dead in my tracks. I remember she didn't even waver at the force of me pulling.
I passed the sign that read "WELCOME TO PORT ANGELES"
It wasn't that big of a city but it really put into perspective how small of a town Forks is. I found the movie theater and parked behind the building so my car would draw a crowd. I sighed. I had to stop thinking about Edythe and the other Cullens, but the hard part was I knew something was definitely not right with them. I just didn't know what it was. It put me one edge, the bad parts of me wanted to investigate more but the part of me that was somewhat normal wouldn't dare jeopardize ruining whatever this thing between Edythe and I. I sighed.
My phone buzzed. It was Allen.
Jaxon, we are on our way to the theater, see you there. - Allen.
10-4. See you guys there. - Jaxon.
I got out of my car and walked to the front of the theater. It wasn't much but it was a decent sized building. It was an IMAX theater. I waited about ten minutes for the guys to meet up.
Logan and Allen had rode with Jeremy. They all filled into the theater. I waved them over.
"What's up guys, any luck with corsages?"
Jeremy nodded.
"Yeah I went with a red rose with white ribbon to add some trim. It will match Mikayla's dress."
"Oh damn she asked you? Awesome man."
"Yeah she asked me at dinner yesterday."
I looked at Allen and Logan.
"I got this blue orchid for Becca. She mentioned how she liked them when we first started to date." Allen said.
"I didn't really have to pick. Taylor sent me a photo and instructions for the florist."
"Hey, that makes it simple." I said, shrugging.
"You know Jaxon, you could still go to the dance and just hang out with the group." Allen said.
I shrugged. The thought crossed my mind a little bit. There was a new idea that formed today about asking a certain redhead to the dance but it was a girl's choice so technically she had to ask me. And like Jeremy was a mind reader he called my thoughts out.
"Or Jaxon besides the group you could take Edythe Cullen." He was smiling with a shit eating grin.
I tilted my head. Logan and Allen were both smirking at me now as well.
"I don't think so guys. Edythe and I are just friends and besides I'll be in New York."
"Yeah sure you too are just friends. We all saw you and her today. I saw the way she looks at you." Jeremy said.
"Couldn't you go to New York after the dance, since you own the jet you fly in." Allen said.
That was a good idea. Maybe if I could get Edythe to ask me to the dance I'd go with her and reschedule New York. But there was also that new suspension about her. I could stay and figure that out too. Was it that big of a concern? My subconscious clearly thought so. We walked over to the concessions.
Logan's comment pulled me from my thoughts. "If you want to know my thoughts on it. I'd be careful if I were you Jaxon, with that Cullen girl."
I looked at him. "What do you mean?" I was a little defensive.
Allen and Jeremy both were staring at Logan now.
Logan gulped. He expected me to act positive towards his statement. "Well we all know that Edythe was never interested in any other guy before. Jeremy, how many times did you ask her out last year?"
Jeremy's face went red with embarrassment.
"What are you getting at?" I asked.
"I personally think the only reason she is interested in you is because you have money."
I scoffed. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, this was some bullshit.
"So you really think she's a gold digger because she wasn't interested in you or Jeremy." I struck a nerve now.
Logan looked pissed. "Whatever man I'm just saying for your own good. Don't come complaining to me when it bites you in the back."
I shook my head. We made it to the front of the line for the concessions.
"Hello, how can I help you?" The cashier asked me.
I looked at the guys. "What do you guys want?"
Jeremy, Logan, and Allen just stared at me. I nodded at the cashier.
Jeremy was the first to speak. "Oh I would like a large coke and popcorn please."
"I have the same." Allen added.
"Same." Logan mumbled.
I looked back at the cashier. "Make that four cokes and four popcorn."
"My pleasure. Your total will be forty-two thirty-seven sir."
"Cool." I said as I pulled out my Amex and paid.
"You are all set. Your food will be ready down at the pickup sign." The cashier said.
"Thanks." We all walked over to the pick counter."
"Jaxon, you didn't have to do that." Allen said.
I shrugged. "Don't worry about it." I said smiling. Money was never a concern and I was always doing something like this for people. Normally I'd buy rounds at clubs or an entire restaurant's meals.
We all grabbed our food and drinks, then walked into the viewing room. We found our seats and waited for the lights to dim
As soon as the lights went out and the movie started to play, my mind started to think more about the weird things about Edythe and her family. I was completely drawn into figuring out what Edythe and her family were and if they posed a threat to me or the order. My rational mind knew that they were harmless and I was just a paranoid, crazy man.
I tried to focus on the movie, watching Weasley Snipes destroy vampires. It was a good trip down memory lane, when I was a kid and life was simple. The vampires in this movie were so cool. They were strong and fast. Nothing human could hurt them. Though the sunlight limitation was a downside, being a daywalker like blade would be perfect.
The movie credits finally rolled. It was a good time. I'm glad I went. The guys and I walked outside. Jeremy's car was parked down the block near the flower shop.
"Well guys that was fun, we will have to preorder the tickets for that Krampus movie and go watch it later." I said.
"Yeah definitely." Jeremy said.
"Totally." Allen said.
"Thanks for the food, Jaxon." Logan said.
I nodded. "Well I'll see you guys tomorrow. Drive safe." I said.
"Yeah you too." Jeremy said.
"See ya Jaxon."
Logan just nodded. I watched them all walk down the street chatting away. It was good for me to get out with some people my own age. But honestly for the last hour I only wanted to talk to one person, despite my paranoid thoughts about her and her family at the moment.
I had turned my phone off during the movie and just now powered it on. I had a few emails and a text from Dave and Edythe.
Hotshot, have you asked Edythe to the football game yet? -Dave
Damn why does he care so much. He never cared this much about my past relationships.
Yes I did. She said it would be fun. I'll pick her up on Sunday morning. -Jaxon
I looked at Edythe's text.
How was the movie? -Edythe.
She had sent it forty-five minutes ago.
I smiled as I texted her.
It was a good walk down memory lane. Nothing like Weasley Snipes be heading vampires. -Jaxon.
I had walked behind the building to me car while I had texted and to my surprise there was a group of five guys in their late twenties hovering around my car.
I sighed. I could see the liquor bottles and could smell pot. Hopefully they just wanted to take photos of it and didn't want any trouble.
They all looked at me as I approached them. I got a bad feeling. They all looked rough. One of them was leaning on my car and it rubbed me the wrong way.
"Can I help you guys with something?" I asked. I kept a cold tone.
"This is your car?" The guy leaning against the car said.
"Yeah and if you wouldn't mind getting off of it." I said.
They all smiled with bad intent. The leader of the gang straightened up off the car. I closed my fists ready for whatever was about to happen. I knew that none of these guys were a match for me. They might land a few hits but I would incapacitate all of them.
"Well man honestly I think I'm gonna take this smokin car off you okay." He smiled in my face and I could smell the booze on his breath.
I sighed and started to laugh. The group of guys that had now circled me. Trapping me, but Unbeknownst to them they just caged in a dangerous animal. They all locked nervously around amongst themselves.
"Something funny creep?" The leader asked.
"Yeah. You guys have no clue what kind of shit storm you are getting yourselves into." I said still chuckling.
They all laughed now.
"You do realize there is only one of you and five of us." One of the men said between laughs.
"It won't matter."
The big leader walked right up to my face.
"Man why don't you make it easy on yourself and just give me the key right now. No fuss." He said, poking my chest with two fingers.
That did it. I grabbed his fingers and snapped them to the side causing him to scream. The rest of them froze with shock.
"Get him!" One of the fools yelled.
One of them grabbed my shoulder. I hit him in the throat with a jab, he fell to the floor choking for air. I blocked the next hit with my elbow and spun to dodge another punch.
My body moved on instinct. I was punching and blocking. I took two of them down within twenty seconds. The leader was rolling on the ground screaming about his hand while the rest were jumping at me. One of the attackers had grabbed a pipe from the ground to use against me. I smirked.
"Alright that's enough. You can walk away now and I'll let this go." I said giving them an opportunity to leave.
"Fuck you bitch!" One of them said, charging me.
He swung a wide arm. I caught it at the wrist, I swung my other arm up under his elbow breaking it. I then kicked his knee causing him to fall down. I pushed him over as the leader got back up to his feet clenching his wounded hand.
"Your dead man! Let's get him!" The leader roared.
The leader and the pipe guy rushed me. The man swung the pipe. I moved out of the way but as I moved the leader connected a left hook to my chin. I fell to my knee, but on the way down I hit him in the crotch hard enough to make him fall again in pain. But before I could get up the attacker with the pipe was swinging the piece of metal down on me. I could only block it with my forearm. It would definitely sting. But my next move would rip the pipe from the fool's hand. But right before he could land the blow. Something flashed in front of me faster than I could see, then the pipe hit something with a god awful bang. I looked up and to my fucking surprise stood Edythe and she was holding the pipe in her hand and held the rather large man up with her other delicate looking hand. I just stood there flabbergasted. The man's face was in shock as well. That's when Edythe threw him thirty feet away from us into a dumpster, denting it.
"What the fuck." I said. Edythe was staring at me, she looked frightened, but I don't know why.
Edythe stepped toward me and I shuddered. She froze.
"Whoa! Back up freak!" The leader said. I turned my head and he had a pistol pointed at Edythe. He clearly saw what she had done to his buddy.
Edythe stepped closer, despite the man's command. I was terrified now.
"I said stay back!" He yelled again, his good hand with the pistol shaking. It jumped up closer to Edythe's face and that was too much for me. I grabbed the man's hand pulling it down, I swept his legs out from under him. Instinctively I got the gun from his grip and slid it away from us. I then proceeded to jab him repeatedly in the face till my knuckles ached and I wasn't stopping. This man, this man who pointed a gun at the woman I had feelings for needed to die at my hand now. I knew I was losing control. I just kept hitting him. My hearing was muffled. But something grabbed my fist and I was restrained. I jerked my head back to see who dared interrupt my execution. It was Edythe, and she was terrified. I froze and looked down at the man whose face was destroyed but he was alive.
I was out of breath. I stood up away from the man. Edythe's hand was still on my wrist, it felt so cold and I could tell that she was allowing my arm and my body to move. It was pretty clear that my assumptions that she was strong were dead on the money. She is definitely stronger than anyone I know, including myself.
She looked at me.
"Jaxon, are you okay?" She said quietly.
I was still huffing. I looked around and the attackers were all unconscious. The man who Edythe threw laid over on the ground, near the dumpster. I looked back at Edythe, whose face was rigid with I don't know what emotion, agony maybe was the best way of describing it. She was waiting for my response.
"Yeah." I managed to say. "I'm fine." I looked down and then noticed the pipe the man used as a weapon. It was at Edythe's feet and it was bent past a ninety degree, like it was hit on a stronger steel beam. I looked at Edythe's hand still on mine. She had caught the pipe when the man swung. Her hand that could be hidden by my hand, bent a pipe that would require a hydraulic bender. I was a little uneasy having her hand clenching my wrist. That pipe was going to fracture my forearm, the hand that bent the pipe surely could shatter my wrist. But she blocked the pipe to protect me, so she wouldn't want to hurt me. Why was I still frightened though?
The moaning from the unconscious men brought me out of my thoughts. We needed to leave, people would have heard the commotion by now. I quickly looked around.
"Jaxon, are you okay, seriously? What are you looking for?" Edythe asked. She sounded frantic.
"Cameras, basic operation, destroy all evidence including cameras." I said as I scanned. There didn't appear to be any.
"There are no cameras here. The owner of the building neglected to make that security upgrade." Edythe said calmer.
I stopped looking around and looked down at her hand still clenching my wrist. I tried to move my arm but I couldn't, her hand was a vice.
Edythe instantly let go of my wrist. "Sorry I hadn't realized I was still holding you." She mumbled shyly.
I nodded. I looked on the ground for the gun. It was only four feet from us. I bent down to pick it up.
"What are you going to do with that?" Edythe asked.
I sighed. "I told you a moment ago, destroy all evidence, including this. Besides, do you think we should leave it with these idiots?" I asked. My tone was unchecked but honestly I didn't care. My mind was racing. I had to deal with this crime scene and more importantly I had to figure out what the hell Edythe was now, because my subconscious had been right.
Edythe smiled slightly at my smart ass comment. "I suppose it's better in your possession." She said.
I smirked as I took the gun apart and put it in a pocket in my jacket. I then picked up the pipe and examined it. It was solid steel. It was a good choice of weapon, though not anymore. It was in the shape of a deformed u. I took the pipe in both hands and tried to straighten it but it barely flexed. I huffed. I then turned my gaze back to Edythe. She looked like her normal self, wearing the same clothes she had on today. There was no logical explanation for how she did this or how she appeared out of nowhere or how she flung a guy thirty feet into the air like he was a pillow.
"Are you in shock?" Edythe asked, obviously uneasy again.
I shook my head. "No I don't get shocked, right now I'm blown away." I said dryly. Edythe stared at me and stepped closer. I hesitated, my body was screaming to move away from her but it wouldn't. I knew she wouldn't hurt me. We stared at one another till the moaning from the fools caught both of our attention
"Come on, we need to get out of here now." I said. We walked to my car Edythe following I popped the trunk on the front and layed the mangled pipe in it.
Edythe opened the passenger door and got in. This would be the first time I got to drive Edythe around. I got in and pulled my phone out to text Alexi
Alexi, The movie theater in Port Angeles, there are some unconscious idiots behind the building. Have them relocated, and handle it how you want to just have it done. -Jaxon
Okay. I'll have a crew pick them up. I'll let you know when it's done. -Alexi
I smiled and started the engine. We were flying down the road in minutes.
I looked over at Edythe. How the hell was she here. Did I conjure an angel here in her form?
We pulled up to a stop light. I looked at Edythe and she met my gaze. She looked amazing but terrified. Why was she scared, was it me, was it the fact I was beating that man to death. Fuck! This is exactly what I wanted to keep her from. This version of me. God the universe was a cruel bitch.
I closed my eyes, breaking the eye contact. I stared to breathe deeply.
I felt her cold finger on the top of my hand. My eyes snapped open and immediately located the point of contact and then back to her dark honey colored eyes.
I sighed. The light turned green and it dawned on me that I needed to find Edythe's car. But we were going to have a talk first because clearly there was some topics that needed to be discussed.
"Okay." I finally said, breaking the silence. "I think we need to talk about what just happened but first I need to know where you have your car parked so I can drive in its direction."
Edythe's face fell.
"What's wrong, you do remember where it is right like it has to be close." I said.
Edythe smiled. "Well my car is actually back at my house in Forks." Edythe mumbled.
My mouth fell open. "Then how the hell did you get here then?" I asked.
Edythe's gaze shifted ahead of us and she raised her face to the ceiling, closing her eyes, shaking her head.
"I can't tell you that." Edythe finally mumbled.
I scoffed. "What do you mean? You can tell me anything, Edythe." I said.
Her head snapped quickly to face me. Her eyes were pleading with me to drop it, but I needed answers now. All the paranoid thoughts I had today needed putting to bed and only she could do that with answering my questions.
"Jaxon I can't, that's the thing even if I wanted to it would endanger you and I won't let that happen. I already put you in jeopardy now by revealing what I have. Damn those vile thugs, I should have paid more attention, and damn Archie he distracted me when he called me. Those thugs hadn't been there before he called me and I was so entranced with watching you in the theater, that I hadn't even registered them. Oh it's all my fault I should have done something before you had to." She said distraught. She was almost hyperventilating, her shoulders were shaking. I pulled the car over.
I laid my hand on her shoulder, it was greeted by the constant cold chill.
"Edythe you couldn't have known they were there, and besides you did stop that man from hitting me with a pipe, trust me that would have hurt but I'm okay, promise. Do you remember how I said early that the little squabble with Royal hadn't even registered with me as a situation?"
She looked at me. Her eyes looked wet like she was crying but I couldn't tell if those were tears on her face. She nodded.
"Well this was barely a situation. Trust me I've dealt with worse." I said. Smiling to try and cheer her up.
She frowned. "But still I should have been more vigilant."
"How could you possibly have been more vigilant? You showed up in the nick of time. Wait, how did you even know where I was and hold up? Have you followed me here?" I asked.
She grinned. "Please don't be mad I just wanted to be near you and I wanted to be close in case something were to happen and you needed me. I'm sorry really I'm just instinctively protective." She said her hand had migrated to mine which was resting on the console.
"Okay that's fine I guess." I was in disbelief that she was here. It was really hard to process that but I was gonna go with it. If it keeps her talking I need to get to the answers. "But if you didn't drive here, did you walk here?"
Edythe sighed. "I ran here."
"Okay so you can run almost fifty miles in less than an hour." I said, because logic was so far out the window now that I was going with it.
"It would take me less than ten minutes to get from my house to this spot by running." She said shyly.
I did the math in my head. If she was being honest and I'm sure she was, that meant she could run over three hundred miles per hour. I gasped.
"Are you okay?" Edythe asked.
I nodded, but was I. What the hell did I have sitting next to me, far as I knew she was a kryptonian. I was seriously comparing Edythe to comics, but what else did I have to go off of.
"Okay so you can move incredibly fast, that's covered and well obviously you are strong, cause I mean how else do you fling a guy thirty feet into the air like he's a marshmallow." I said.
Edythe grinned.
"I kinda got a little out of hand with that throw. I only intended to shove him but I was so angry I just lost it. I'm sorry if I frightened you, that was far from my intentions. I assure you of that."
"I'm okay, not frightened, just surprised more or less. You can't blame me for not being surprised, I mean when a girl that weighs less than a hundred pounds can lift and throw a two hundred plus man with ease it would surprise anyone." I said.
Edythe smiled. "I actually weigh one hundred and fifteen pounds." She said, correcting my sarcastic statement.
"Jaxon, it's getting late. We need to keep driving."
I sighed and pulled back onto the road.
"Okay, so how did you know where I was? I would have noticed you in the theater but obviously you were because you said you were watching me."
She looked at me, frowning. "You picked up on that."
I nodded. "Is this something you can't tell me either?" I asked.
"I guess this I can explain, but I think it will scare you." She said.
I glanced at her face. It was rigid with distress. I needed to calm her. I instinctively laid my hand down on top of her hand that was on the console. Her hand was ice cold but I didn't mind. Honestly my hand was swelling and the cold of hers felt nice. She looked down at where our body's connected. She smiled but looked wary at the same time.
She sighed. "I wasn't in the theater." She said with a smile. "I wasn't even on the same street, I was a few blocks away on the rooftop of a building."
"Okay, but how were you observing me?" I asked. I was definitely a little weirded out but I was going to deal with it.
Edythe frowned. "I was watching you through the minds of the people in the theater." She mumbled.
I let that sink in. So besides her physical abilities she is also a telepath. Wait, does that mean she could read my mind? Does that mean she knew every thought I've had around her? I could feel my face tightening with fear. She would really know me, god she could hear this monologue in my head right now.
"Are you okay, is it getting too weird?" Edythe asked shyly.
"I ugh am okay it's just ugh, well you can read my mind right now?" I asked.
Edythe frowned and shook her head. "No, I can't, that's one of the problems. I've never come across someone's mind who I can't hear, until you. I can't even begin to explain to you how irritating it is not being able to see your mind." She said.
I let out a breath of relief. "I think that's awesome you can't read my mind. Trust me it's pretty fucked up in here." I said, smirking and pointing at the side of my head.
Edythe laughed. It was a blessing to hear it. She was still the same girl I spent the day with, just different. The sound broke some of the tension in the car.
"Okay well first I don't read minds, it's more like hearing people's thoughts and I'm limited to what they are thinking about at that given moment. I can't dive into your memories. That's a whole other gift on its own. And second, I've seen some pretty vile minds in my time. I can't say for curtain but yours isn't vile, more kind than most." She said, I just noticed she had flipped her hand over and she now held mine. It was nice.
I didn't want to argue about it, so I moved on to my next question.
"Okay so you followed me to Port Angeles on foot. Running at some three hundred miles an hour. Just to watch out for me and to be near me. If you wanted to be near me, why didn't you ask me to go to the movies with us?" I asked.
Edythe tilted her head to the side and frowned. "I didn't want to impose and I felt you needed some guy time." She said.
"Okay. But you wouldn't have imposed it, it probably would have made the night better honestly."
She smiled and my hand tightened around her cold one.
"I agree it would have been nice, but then your friends would have been there and I'm not overly fond of them all."
"Yeah they can be annoying trust me I dealt with that tonight." I said. Instantly irritated by Logan's statement earlier.
Edythe face went sullen. "Yeah I heard what Logan said. I also saw his thoughts." She shuddered.
That didn't make my mood any better if anything it kinda made me want to hit Logan in the nose.
I think Edythe could tell I was pissed now.
"You do know that isn't true. I'm positive that you do but it doesn't matter to me that you have money, and if it's any comfort to make you believe me, I am pretty well off." She said.
"I know. I can tell when people only care about the size of your bank account. It's one of the problems with having money. I'm sure some of my so-called friends are just nice to me because well I'm Jaxon Stone." I said frowning.
Edythe sighed. "Do you want to know who?" She asked quietly.
"Probably best if I didn't know, thanks though." I muttered.
"It's their loss. They don't get to experience the real Jaxon. The Jaxon that buys a business so his classmates could continue their field trip."
I smiled and chuckled. "Full disclosure, I bought the facility so I could spend the day with you." I said.
"I figured. You were pretty obvious about it." She said smiling.
I sighed. My phone started to buzz. It was Alexi.
"I have to answer this. I turned on the hands free.
"Yeah." I answered.
"I took care of it kid, they'll be in transit by morning."
"Thanks. I'll call you tomorrow." I muttered.
"Do Svidaniya." Alexi said.
The line went dead. Edythe looked at me questioningly.
"I'm having those pricks dealt with." I muttered.
"What do you mean?" Edythe asked.
Was this something I could tell her? I sighed.
"Those jackasses didn't know who they fucked with. If they had they wouldn't have gone within two hundred feet of me or the car. Now they are going to pay for their actions." I muttered.
"Oh so this has to deal with your gangster stuff." Edythe mumbled.
My jaw dropped. She knew, how did she know? I glared at her. "How do you know about that?" I asked.
Edythe looked down at her hands embarrassed. "Okay again please don't be upset. Like I said I just like being close to you and I'm highly protective. So I've been tailing you."
"Tailing me! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? You could have been hurt and I wouldn't be able to do anything, what would your parents say?" I said. I was emitting rage. How could she do something so idiotic, I thought she was smart.
She frowned. "They already know about my activities. Besides that, Jaxon, do you really think any of those people you have dealings with could hurt me after what you've seen tonight?" Edythe asked.
I let that roommate for a moment. "Being quick and strong doesn't mean bullets won't kill you."
Edythe chuckled. What was funny about that statement.
"Oh let me guess you are bullet proof too?" I said, sarcastically.
She shrugged. "Kinda." She said with a smile.
"Of course you are. But still that's so dangerous." Then I realized she knew more about me. Definitely if she had heard the minds of the mob leaders or Alexi's mind. She knew exactly what I was capable. "Shit." I whispered. My grip on the steering wheel tightened and my hand in Edythe's began to shake. She knew about what I was involved in and what I've done.
She looked at me concerned. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Edythe asked frantically.
"No." I mumbled. "Edythe, what about me do you already know?" I whispered.
Her grip on my hand tightened though only slightly, compared to the pressure she could exert.
"That doesn't matter."
I laughed and looked at her with dread. "Edythe it does matter. If you know the stuff about me that I'm thinking you know then it does matter."
She sighed. "I know what the men you meet think about you. I know that you have a reputation for being a cold and calculating warrior. I know what they call you."
I interrupted her. "That's enough I can't bear to hear anymore." I said as I shuttered.
I stopped the car at a stop sign.
"Jaxon, look at me."
I shook my head. I didn't deserve to look at her or to even be near her."
"Jaxon, look at me now." She said her hand letting go of mine and going for my face. She gently forced my face to look at hers. She looked anxious but when I was finally looking at her, she relaxed. I then realized she was hesitant about touching me. I had noticed this multiple times. It had to be because of her strength. I stopped resisting it only made it harder on her and I didn't want to trouble her anymore.
"What are you thinking? I can't hear your thoughts but I can tell you are anxious. Your heart is beating like a drum and you blood is filled with adrenaline."
"How can you tell all of that?" I asked quietly. This was really starting to get weird.
She frowned. "If I tell you, will you please tell me what you are thinking and what has you so distraught?"
I nodded.
Edythe sighed. "I am able to hear your heartbeat and my sense of smell is equally if not superior to my hearing. I can smell your blood."
My mouth dropped again. What is she?
"What are you?" I whispered.
"No. No. I told you that, now it's your turn to tell me what is going on in that head of yours." She said warmly.
I groaned. It was bad enough that she knew about my baggage. I didn't want to add onto with my mental instability. She still had her hand on my face but then she frowned. Her fingers traced across my face to the spot where I'd been hit. It stung but the chill of her skin felt nice on the bruise.
"This is where he hit you right?" She whispered.
I nodded.
"Does it hurt?" She whispered.
"No. It'll be fixed by morning." I mumbled.
"Ready to talk?" Edythe asked, smiling slightly.
"Not really but I guess. I didn't want you to know that stuff about me. To know who I really am. That part of me is bad. It's worse than those thugs at the theater. I've done worse and I'm a vile monster that doesn't deserve to be near you. To feel your touch." I laid my hand on top of hers that was on my cheek. She smiled slightly at my gesture. But I wasn't finished.
"I never wanted you to see this part of me. You saw a slight glimpse inside of what I'm capable of. Edythe I am a killer, the real me is a cold heartless murderer." I mumbled.
Edythe didn't look shocked in the slightest.
"You already know this about me too don't you?" I whispered.
She nodded. "You aren't heartless, your actions right now proves that, you feel remorse for your actions, even if your victims don't deserve it." She said.
I scoffed. "How can you possibly be so accepting of this about me? A normal person would be clawing at the door to get away from me." I said.
Edythe's head tilted. "I'm not a normal person Jaxon."
I laughed. "I guess you are right about that."
"Are you okay to continue driving? Cause I can drive if you want me to." She said smiling. It was obvious she wanted to drive the McClaren.
"I'll drive. I don't have the nerves right now for your speed demon style of driving."
She frowned. "For your information I've never had a single accident or a speeding ticket." She smiled and pointed to her forehead. "Built in police scanner."
I laughed at that. And pulled away from the stop sign. I looked at the clock and it was almost nine-twenty. We still had thirty minutes to drive.
"Do you have a curfew?" I asked.
Edythe laughed. "Jaxon, Carine and Earnest are my parents for all intent and purposes but my siblings and I have as much freedom as you possess." She said.
"Okay then so I don't have to rush. But still you must be tired." I said.
"I don't actually get tired." Edythe said.
"Like ever? You don't need sleep or anything?" I asked. I really couldn't figure out what Edythe was. Maybe an angel actually. I was never a big believer in religion but what she could do might explain it.
"I can't sleep actually. My body doesn't require it. I can close my eyes for periods of time but I'll remain fully conscious."
"That sounds tedious." I mumbled. "Shit I didn't mean to say that aloud."
She chuckled. "It is very tedious. Trust me."
I still wanted to know what she was. I was trying to put all the information that I had accumulated about her together but nothing was connecting. I was out of my element. Best guess she was an alien.
"So besides not requiring sleep, I'm guessing you don't need to eat food?" I asked.
She frowned. "I eat. Just not what you would consider food." She mumbled. This was clearly a sore topic.
"Okay so you don't eat food so no going to restaurants then." I said. Like she would go out to eat on a date with me anyway.
"Hang on, I didn't say that. We can still go out to eat and I can just watch you eat."
"Or better yet I can just bring my food and you can bring whatever you eat." I said making a compromise.
Edythe's face went grave like I hit a rabbit with my car.
"No never. You won't ever be allowed to see me eat. It's too dangerous." She said matter of factly.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Edythe looked frustrated again.
"Damn I wish I could tell but I can't. It would make all of this so much easier." She said.
"Can you be vague about it?" I asked.
"No. Maybe. I don't know. If I tell you what I am then I am cementing you to a destiny that might get your hurt or worse and besides that you might not want to be near me." She said. She was shaking again. I looked at her face and I could tell she was definitely crying now, but her tears were red, like blood. I kept my cool, this was her and I accepted it. I could accept whatever she was.
"Edythe, it's okay. I can take it. You obviously can deal with my fucked up problems I can handle yours. They can't be as bad." I said trying to make her feel better.
She shook her head. "Oh but it is worse. I'm worse. You said earlier you are a monster. Jaxon I actually am one."
"You aren't a monster, you are you. Whatever that is, it's fine."
She huffed. "Jaxon, would you still say that if I told you I was an apex predator and you were my prey?" She said violently. This was clearly a bad spot of conversation but it needed to happen.
"What do you mean, I'm your prey? Like food?"
"Exactly." She mumbled.
She was holding her hands in her lap. I took a chance now. She just admitted that she was dangerous to me like I was fish to a bear. I laid my hand down on both of her hands. She looked at me with streams of red tears going down her face.
"Okay so I'm your food. Why did you save me from that guy then?" I asked.
"Because Jaxon I don't want to see you as food. I don't want to be like this. Nothing about what I am is good. If you only knew how dangerous I am you'd run screaming." She mumbled through sobs.
I pulled the car over again and tried to take her hands but they didn't budge. So I just held them where they rested on her thighs.
"Edythe do I look scared?"
She looked up at me. She had so many lines of red on her face now. I took my hand and wiped them up. She stood there blinking at me. I wiped most of it up, but right as I tried to get the red by her mouth her hand grabbed mine to stop it from moving. It surprised me. She was so fast.
She looked bashful. "Sorry. But you were getting too close to my mouth and I'm not in control right now to have that kind of temptation." She mumbled.
"Sorry." I said.
"It's not your fault. It's mine. I need to be careful with you. You have no clue how dangerous I am to you. Almost every part of my body is designed to kill you." She mumbled.
"Okay like what? Do you have claws or something that is poisonous to me." I said. Trying to make a joke to lighten the mood.
She wasn't taking the bait. "No, not poisonous, I'm venomous." She muttered.
I tilted my head to the side. "Seriously." I muttered.
She nodded. "My teeth are lined with venom. That will cause paralysis. Like I even need that. Do you think you outrun me? Or when I caught you, be able to fight me off?" She was being serious with the questions.
"I would suppose not." I muttered.
"No you couldn't. There is no part of me that gives you an opening of surviving. I can outrun you and overpower you. My damn saliva is a venom that will kill you or." She trailed off, shuddering again.
We set there in silence. I didn't know what to say. Edythe was literally some specially designed creature that could kill me with the ease of breathing.
"Yeah so what if that's what your body can do. I've been around you for days. Hell I fell asleep on you. So either I have terrible survival instincts or you aren't as dangerous as you say." I said.
Edythe just stared at me. "I was surprised when you rested your head on me. Our physical lures draw humans in only so far. Typically humans avoid my kind. So you resting on me was such a miracle in my mind Jaxon."
"How was it a miracle?" I asked.
"Because it proved to me that you might actually consider me worthy of your attention, despite me being what I am."
"Okay so why explain to me how lethal you are to me. That seems pretty counterproductive." I said.
"Because you need to know these things about me for your own good. I need you to know that I'm dangerous. That's why I hesitate when I touch you or look like I'm scared when I do." Edythe placed her hand back on my cheek. "Oh Jaxon you have no clue how terrifying this is for me. A simple touch by me could hurt you or even kill you. If I don't make sure I'm completely in control when we touch I could mean to simply touch your head and accidentally crush your skull. You are so delicate to me that it's terrifying." She sobbed.
"Okay I understand that you are dangerous. It's noted." I said. I was trying to make her feel better but what could I do.
"I don't want to be dangerous to you. I just wish I could touch you without the fear of the potential consequences. God how I envy Mikayla Newton, she could touch you and not think twice about it." Edythe said.
"Hey do not compare yourself to Mikayla. She holds nothing to you. You are you, Edythe and that is everything."
"How can you say that when you know what I am?" She said so sadly.
I couldn't help but laugh. It was funny. But it just irritated Edythe more.
"Why are you laughing, this isn't funny at all." Edythe said, obviously pouting.
"Because if you have forgotten I don't know what you are." I said laughing.
Edythe face twitched. "Vampire." Edythe muttered.
I stopped laughing and just stared at Edythe. "What?" I asked. Surely she was joking. Aliens were more believable.
"I'm a vampire, a fucking vampire Jaxon." Edythe said. Spitting the word vampire like it was acid.
It all started to click. It made perfect sense. She never ate food. Her siblings all skipped school when it was sunny, she said she didn't sleep. The pale skin. Even the eyes. The physical abilities made even more sense now too.
We stared at each other now as my brain put the pieces together.
"Are you scared now?" Edythe whispered.
Was I? I mean she had done nothing to suggest she would harm me. She protected me from the thugs.
"No." I said confidently. "You have given me no reason to be afraid."
Edythe sighed. "How can you be okay with this? I am literally a monster. I have killed humans before. I have eaten humans, Jaxon. How can you be okay with knowing this about me?" She said angrily.
"Because you are not how you describe, you are sweet and passionate and gentle. If you weren't you wouldn't have stopped that guy from hitting me with the pipe. You even took care of me when I was hit by the car. We were strangers, and you were the first one there to check on me. You care about me. Everything you've said tonight proves that you care about me." I said.
Edythe was crying again. I was sure it was blood now.
"You are right, I care about you. My body knew it before my mind did. That's why I risk touching you now. My body knows it won't hurt you but the predator, monster side of me wants too. It's a war inside me at all times."
"Is it bad like all the time?" I asked. The fact that she admitted that a part of her saw me as food should be upsetting but it wasn't for some weird reason.
"It's weird to explain. But can you keep driving? I'll explain. But you need to get home and sleep soon." She said.
I nodded and proceeded to drive down the highway to Forks.
"So for most humans." She froze. "Is it weird if I talk about humans as food?"
"I mean no not in this case." I said.
"Okay. So all humans have a scent. Well multiple scents. The one that stands out the most to my mind is the scent of blood. Most humans have the same scent with hints of different flavors." She paused and looked at me, I guess to make sure I wasn't uncomfortable.
"And?" I asked.
She smiled slightly. "Well for me having given up consumption of human blood for almost one hundred years it's not that difficult for me to abstain from the desire."
She's been alive for over one hundred years. Hang on, she doesn't drink human blood, what does she drink then. I stopped her.
"Hang on, I have some questions now."
She didn't look frustrated. "Okay." She said.
"You said you don't drink human blood so what do you drink, because until now I was thinking you did."
Edythe laughed. I frowned. "Sorry I'm not laughing at you. It's the situation. I've never explained this to a human before so bear with me. I should have explained first that I'm what my kind would call a vegetarian. I only consume animal blood." She said.
"Okay that kinda makes sense. But you said you've abstained for over one hundred years." I said.
"What's your question?" She looked puzzled.
"Well how old are you?"
"Seventeen." She answered. It sounds like she had rehearsed that.
"How long have you been seventeen." I said with a grin.
She smirked. "A while. Let's leave it at that for now okay. I've dropped a lot on you and I think that detail can wait." She said.
I sigh. "Fine." I mutter. I'm gonna find out her age.
"Okay so back to the explanation. I said humans all have a familiar scent and well some of you have a more unique scent. Yours in particular is very sweet to me. It's harder to fight the urge for your blood. Think about it like your blood is a sugar cookie and I'm on a diet trying to fight the temptation."
I laughed.
Edythe looked at me puzzled. "Are you still okay?" She asks.
"Yeah it's just I've never been described as a cookie."
"Sorry I don't mean to compare you to food, and let me be clear at this moment you are far from food in my mind."
"It's fine. So I just smell sweeter to you. Is this common?" I asked.
"It has never happened to me but I questioned my sisters and Eleanor said it had happened twice to her when she was much younger and." Edythe paused. I looked at her and she frowned. I figured Eleanor wasn't able to stop herself. "Jessamine said it hasn't ever happened but she thinks due to her only joining our way of life recently she hasn't had the chance to develop the ability to separate the different scents." She frowned again and looked at me.
I sighed. "Edythe you don't have to worry about offending me or whatever. If this is how you think I can somewhat put myself in your shoes."
"Okay." She said with a slight smile.
We were getting close to Forks.
"Edythe, do I need to drive you home?" I asked.
She shook her head. "No, I'll run there from your house. I want to make sure you get home safe and sound." She said.
"Is that the protective instinct thing?" I asked somewhat jokingly.
She nodded and then shrugged. "Yes and no. It's hard to explain. I've never been on this side of the instinct. But I was also wanting to spend more time with you, if you wanted to as well."
I looked at Edythe, she was looking nervous like I would say no to spending time with her.
"Yeah we can hangout. And just for your information I don't go to sleep till late. I'm almost an insomniac." I said smiling.
"I am technically an insomniac." Edythe said and then smiled.
We drove in silence till we got to the center of town. We were a few miles from my house.
"Jaxon?" Edythe said my name.
"Yeah?" I answered.
"I know I've asked you multiple times and it might be annoying, but are you okay? I've told you a lot and it is all heavy stuff to take in." Edythe asked.
I nodded. "I'm okay. It's a shock but I mean I was expecting you to say you were an alien not a vampire. I said.
Edythe laughed. "What did you think I was like a kryptonian or something?"
I laughed too. "Can you blame me? I mean super speed and strength. Your senses and reflexes are kinda like Superman level."
Edythe frowned. "I don't think I'm at Superman's level. I'm strong but not that strong. Besides, I cannot fly. Though that would be rather fun." She said.
"So what else are you able to do?" I asked.
"Well nothing much more. Oh I can do this." She said with a smile.
"I have the ability to mimic my voice." She said in voice. My jaw dropped. That was cool.
"Okay that is awesome." I said smiling.
Edythe chuckled. "Never thought I'd show that ability to anyone else before. I'm amazed that you aren't freaked out even the slightest." She said.
"What did you expect?" I asked.
"Well in all honesty. You run away screaming for the hills. Far away from me." She said frowning. I laid my hand on top of hers. Her hand spun super quick and then she was holding my hand, though she wasn't squeezing tightly.
I pulled up to the gate of my building and drove into the compound. Once the McClaren was inside the garage the lights in the building turned on. I loved having a smart house. It was probably my favorite practical thing. I got out of the car and Edythe was already standing by me. She was really moving quickly. I looked back at the passenger seat and then back at her. I smirked.
I blinked and Edythe was gone. I looked around the house. "Edythe?" Had I just imagined her here?
She reappeared and I realized she had just gone to wash her blood tear lines from her face.
She smiled up at me. "Sorry I didn't like looking like that. It must be unsettling to see me covered in blood. I really would like to keep that image from you." She said.
"Blood doesn't scare me." I said. Edythe frowned.
"I would suppose it doesn't." She mumbled.
"So what do you want to do?" I asked changing the subject.
She came to life again. "I don't know. What do you normally do?"
I looked over at my cars and work bench. It was too late to tinker. We could watch tv and talk more.
"What's your favorite tv show?" I asked.
Edythe frowned. "Parks and Rec." she said.
"Oh really. I love that show." I said.
She smiled. "I don't watch much television but I love comedies." I walked over to the sofa and picked up the iPad to control the television. I had the show on in seconds. The wall opened up to reveal a giant television.
Edythe's eyes widened at the sight of it and then she chuckled.
"What is it?" I asked.
"My sister Eleanor would love this television, she is addicted to sports gambling."
"Oh really. Well this is a custom. I can get one for her if you would like."
Edythe's head tilted in what I guess was astonishment.
"Does that come naturally to you?" Edythe asked.
"What?" I asked.
"Your philanthropy. I see you all the time at school. No one notices but I have. You are always buying students lunches and they don't notice. There have been several large donations from you to the campus. I even heard talks of a new cafeteria menu." She was smiling.
"Well I don't know if you could call that philanthropy cause all of the donations do affect me. The first one is for updated computers. Those ones we have are relics worthy of the Smithsonian, and secondly I'm tired of not being able to eat the school lunches well beside that salad bar."
Edythe frowned. "Is the food there really that bad? Everyone else eats easily enough."
"Well I would suppose it is edible but it's not healthy and it is pretty bland. And anyways I have the ability to help so I should." I said.
"You really are a consumer aren't you." She said with a smile.
"I would prefer the term capitalist." I said grinning. We were both sitting on the sofa now. It was weird that I could be this comfortable with Edythe. I knew rationally I should be on guard because well she was a vampire but she wasn't what I imagined when I thought of the word. I never would have pictured her.
"Speaking of food, you must be hungry. You haven't eaten since the field trip." Edythe said.
Damn now that she mentioned it. I was pretty hungry, the popcorn I had at the theater only did so much.
"Yeah actually I am. I'll be right back." I walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge. I had a lot of food prepared. I decided to make a chicken sandwich. I got everything I needed out of the fridge and got the bread out of the pantry. I turned and Edythe was sitting on the bar stool. I hadn't even heard her move. She was watching me intently.
"Can I get you anything?" I asked. It felt rude not at least offering something.
She laughed and shook her head. "No I'm okay, nothing really in here for me to eat." She said with a wicked smile. Little did she know I had a stock of o-negative for emergencies, but that would be bad taste for a joke.
"So how often do you eat, like everyday.?" I asked.
"Well I can go indefinitely without blood but the longer I go the stronger the desire becomes and the harder it is to resist. I typically hunt two or three times a week just to be safe."
I nodded, popping a piece of chicken into my mouth.
"So do you hunt any animal then, or do you have a preference?"
"Oh yeah I have favorites. I prefer carnivores, but large herbivores like deer or anything similar are tolerable. I don't feed on birds, I just cannot bring myself to do that."
I nodded again. This wasn't that weird. I've talked to people that have strange diets, Edythe's just consisted of blood. I finished making my sandwich. I took a bite and realized I needed a drink.
"So do you have favorites?" Edythe asked.
"Mhmm?" I didn't know what she was referring to.
She smiled. "Food, what are some of your favorites?" Edythe asked.
"Oh, ugh." I smirked. "Well I love most food. I really like Italian, Russian, Chinese, etc. I'm really not picky." I said.
"Pretty diverse palette." Edythe said smiling.
I shrug. "Food is food." I said. I never really gave it much thought.
"Okay but what are your favorites?"
"Oh easy a Philly steak, with grilled mushrooms. To be even more specific from a little hole in the wall in New York called TheBridge." I said.
Edythe smiled with her dimples. It froze me. Those dimples were hypnotic. She snapped her fingers. I blinked and realized she was standing next to me now.
"You okay? You just froze." Edythe asked.
"Yeah, you just hypnotized me with your dimples. Is that another ability?" I asked.
Edythe tilted her head and then shook it. "Can't say I've ever had that power."
"Well anyway, any other favorite foods, dessert, special food, you know steak, pizza?" Edythe asked. She was really interested in my diet and I had no clue why.
"Well I guess another one of my favorites would be roasted bone marrow." I said.
"What?" She asked in shock.
"Roasted bone marrow. You know the fatty inside bones." I said.
"I know what it is but are you a ghoul? Do you also eat liver and hearts." She asked jokingly.
"Well stuffed Ox heart isn't actually that bad." She looked shocked.
I laughed. "Okay besides scraps," she smiled darkly. "Favorite desserts?"
"Ugh. Cookies, like regular sugar cookies, vanilla ice cream. I don't know, I don't really eat desserts."
Edythe looked shocked. "I thought all humans enjoyed sweets?"
"I mean I just don't eat them often. I would say vanilla ice cream is probably my favorite dessert."
"Well that's good to know." She said. I had just finished my sandwich.
I looked at the clock on the wall. It read almost ten.
"So what do you wanna do?" I asked.
"We could talk for a while more until you want to go to sleep. I'll head home then."
I didn't like the fact she was going to run home, though however fast she might be, the idea didn't sit well with me.
"You could just take one of my cars. I really don't mind." I said.
Edythe laughed. "Oh Jaxon, that would take me longer to get home."
I shrugged. "So do you have a favorite animal to hunt?"
Edythe frowned. "You are being too open about this. It's odd."
"It's not odd. You just happen to eat different foods, and also have the abilities of an X-Man."
Edythe laughed. "You amaze me sometimes."
I blushed. "Are you going to answer my question?"
"Mountain lion. Grizzly is a close second."
"Wow." I said. I looked down at her hand resting on the countertop. My curiosity got the better of me, I rested my hand on top of hers examining it. I tried to lift her hand but it was stuck to the counter. I realized I was being weird. I looked up at Edythe who was watching me amused.
"Sorry." I muttered. Moving my hand away from hers.
"Don't be. I don't mind." She slid her hand to mine. "I can't explain how warm your hand feels on mine. It's very pleasant."
I smiled. I tried to raise my hand with hers on mine. It moved as easily as it would normally. I frowned. I flipped my hand over to be on top of hers and pushed down gently. It lowered with my force and it didn't take much effort. Edythe giggled. I looked up at her. I looked back at our hands. I turned mine again and held hers. The cold of her hand wasn't surprising anymore. I tried lifting it but it didn't move at all. I shook my head.
"I was moving my hand for you." She said.
"So I can't move your arm if you don't want me to?" I asked.
"Yeah. My muscles and joints are naturally locked in place. My kinds default is to be still like a statue."
I nodded. I lifted our hands up and she let me this time. I layed them on the counter and I propped my arm up for leverage.
Edythe giggled. "You want to arm wrestle?" She asked.
I nodded.
"Well okay then. I'm not gonna let you win, you know that right."
"Don't I want to see if I can even budge you."
Edythe rested her elbow on the counter like mine. I took her small hand. It looked funny, my hand completely wrapped around hers. I could feel that her hand had no give. I gave her arm a testing push and nothing. I looked at her face to make sure I wasn't going to hurt her. She was smiling.
"Well? Is that all you have ."
I huffed. I pushed against her arm as hard as I could. My bicep started to ache from the strain. I grabbed the overhang of the counter for more support. Edythe just stared at me passively with no sign of discomfort. I stopped. I let my hand rest on her steel girder of an arm.
"What did we learn?"
"That you are Supergirl without a cap." I teased.
"Hardly." She said grinning.
"I'm not done just taking a second. This time you push my arm back." I said. Maybe I could stop her though I highly doubted it.
Edythe looked unsure. "I don't think that would be safe. You might hurt your elbow and I would feel awful if I hurt you."
"Oh come on. I'll be okay, you don't even have to push hard, I bet. I just want to see if I can stop you."
Edythe sighed and her hand began to slowly lower with mine in it. It was unstoppable. I was straining. I was sure I had a better chance of stopping that car that hit me then her hand. She stopped halfway.
"Happy?" She muttered.
I lifted my arm to examine it. I looked down at her. She looked upset. I sighed. "I'm okay. Just wanted to see how strong you are." I said as I laid my hand back on hers. Her fingers wrapped around mine immediately. It was nice.
"Well that really wasn't a good test to demonstrate my strength." She said.
I frowned. "Are you saying I'm not strong enough?" I asked, faining hurt.
Edythe's eyes went wide. "No no. You are really strong for a human. I didn't mean to hurt your eg." I cut her off with a laugh.
"I'm just messing with you." I said, smirking.
Edythe shook her head. "Well anyway. I'm not a good comparison to base your strength against."
"Yeah I kinda figured that when you launched a man into the air." I said.
Edythe shrugged. Edythe eyes flashed to the wall clock. "Do you need to be going to bed soon? You didn't sleep much last night and only had a one hour nap on the bus. You must be exhausted."
I shrugged. "Because a lot of my Order business is mainly dealt with at night I'm almost nocturnal." I said.
Edythe frowned. "It's none of my business but what is the Order really?" She asked.
I sighed. Could I tell her about this? I shouldn't but she had been so forthcoming with her secrets. I owed her some of my own.
"The Order is an underground government for crime. It regulates and enforces laws.. What the regular world knows of crime is what we allow them to know. It gets complicated but to put it simply the Order has a hand in everything." I said.
Edythe nodded. "So the Order controls the criminal underground?"
"More or less. We allow certain crimes, we offer protection and we also hold really bad people accountable. Without order there is death." I muttered. I never liked discussing this stuff.
"So what is your position in this Order?" Edythe asked.
"I'm a Regent. It's like a baron or duke. I have authority from the council and my word is law." I muttered.
"So you are like an enforcer. Darth Vader to the Emperor." Edythe smiled. I laughed.
"Well I've never thought about it like that but I guess I am the Darth Vader of the Order. Well at least in reputation." I said.
Edythe nodded looking down at her hands. I frowned, Edythe did know of my reputation, she knew about the rumors of what the Devil of Chicago has done. I sighed and let my head hang. I couldn't escape my past and I didn't deserve to.
"Edythe I know you have some idea of what I've done, because you can read minds, which is pretty cool, but I think I owe you an explanation." I said looking at the pattern on the counter.
Edythe laid her hand on my forearm and squeezed slightly. "Jaxon, it is none of my business. I'm not going to invade your privacy. I know things but it is up to you if you want to explain them to me. I understand what those people think of you are just rumors they have heard about you but those are that, just rumors. I'm not going to believe them. I have no reason to."
I snorted. "You should believe them. Whatever those men think of me it is watered down from what I really am like. The real me isn't this." I gestured to myself. "I am cold and calculating, I'm the guy you send when someone needs to be taken out." I mutter.
Edythe frowned. "That's the real reason you are in Washington isn't it?" Edythe asked.
I nodded. "Me being in Forks is a cover." I muttered.
"So I guess your mom didn't go to Forks high school then?"
I smile. "That part is true. She went there for a year like I said. I mean there are hundreds of schools I could have chosen. Really if I was being technical I should have settled in Seattle. That's where all the Order business is based out of, for the NorthWest territory. But I was being sentimental." I said warmly.
Edythe smiled.
"And besides, if I had gone somewhere else I wouldn't have met you." I said smiling.
Edythe frowned. "Yeah you wouldn't be in danger of me." She muttered.
I shook my head. It was clear we both had self image issues. What could I do to show her that I didn't regret knowing her?
I took her hand and she allowed me to lift it. I smiled. I raised her hand to my mouth and kissed the top of it. She gasped and stared at me smiling.
"I am happy that I have met you Edythe. It's weird to explain but it feels natural to be around you." I said. "I hope that wasn't unwanted." I add.
"I didn't mind it. I have a confession, Jaxon." She looked down at our hands. Her dimples were on full display.
"Okay. Have you been lying? Are you actually an alien?" I teased.
"No nothing like that. I don't really know how to put this in words. It's all new feelings, and I haven't experienced them before even in my human life." She paused. I waited patiently for her to continue. I had never seen her struggle to express herself so this must be important.
"Jaxon, do you remember how I said I'm protective of you?" She asked.
I nodded. It was only a few hours ago, though tonight felt like it was going to last forever.
"Well my kind is extremely primal. We are alpha predators and we become protective of the individuals we care about." She sighed and scratched the top of her head. I smirked. I knew exactly where this was going.
"You like me." I said, smiling.
Edythe sighed. "Yes." She murmured.
I smiled. "I have a confession too."
"Yes." Edythe asked.
"I like you too." I said. Edythe smiled at me and it is like watching fireworks for the first time.
"Jaxon I want to try something, but I'm gonna need you to stand incredibly still okay?" Edythe says.
"Okay." I tightened my body so it doesn't move as well as a human can. Edythe walked around the corner of the island to face me. Her face looked uneasy but she walked closer to me. She got half a foot away from me and looks up into my eyes. She looked determined.
"I promise I'm not going to hurt you. I swear." She said.
I nodded. I had no clue what she's going to do but I believed her. She slowly and wrapped her arms around my torso and she rested her cheek against my chest. We stood like that for a bit. Her body gave me a chill, not from fear but how cold she actually was. I could really smell her scent and it was this warm honey citrusy aroma that made the temptation to move harder. Edythe made this purring noise that was muffled by my shirt. She slowly let go and backed up away from me. She smiled up at me. But her eyes caught my attention. They were wild with I think desire.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Mhmm. Yes I wanted to make sure I could do that."
I smiled. "That was pretty nice." I said, rubbing the back of my head nervously.
"Here." Edythe said, taking my hand. I couldn't resist. She could easily move my hand. She placed my hand on her cheek that had been against my chest. It was warm compared to the rest of her. I realized this was one of the first times I had touched her skin besides her hand. It was so soft and yet hard. I could tell that she was like granite.
Edythe closed her eyes and relaxed into my hand. She kept hers on the back of mine.
"Stand still." I whisper.
Edythe's eyes snap open and she smirked. Then her whole body went rigid and she really does take the form of a statue with clothes. She did a much better job at not moving than I did. She closed her eyes again.
I took my hand from hers and traced the knuckle of my index finger over her cheek, down her jaw, to her neck. Her skin had a chill that I was growing accustomed to. Granite was too common, her skin was like porcelain. My hand trailer back to her jaw and stopped at her lips. They looked so soft and honestly I wanted to kiss her but I didn't know if she'd want that. She had said earlier being too close to her mouth was too much of a temptation. I placed my hand back at her cheek where she had placed it originally.
Edythe opened her eyes and they were burning again. I didn't know what that meant. "Was that hard for you?" I asked. I didn't want to be a burden for her.
She smiled and shook her head. But I wasn't sure. "No, that wasn't hard at all. It was enjoyable." She said. She looked happy, both of her dimples were on display.
I sighed. "Well I'm going to be honest I was worrying I was causing you too much burden." I said.
She frowned. "Why would you think that?" She asked.
"Well earlier you said my hand being too close to your mouth is too tempting."
She sighed. "It was then. I was crying and not in control. This time I was completely mindful of my body and my mouth was closed." She said taking my hand from her cheek and placing it to her lips. She kissed my hand not just once but all over it. I smiled. Her lips were softer than her regular skin. She stopped and held my hand closer to her with both of hers, against her chest.
"Like I said, I'm not going to hurt you. The more I'm around you the more sure I'm going to be of that." She said, grinning.
I smiled. This was a different part of Edythe and I was thrilled I got to see this side of her. Edythe smiled at me and then her eyes flicked away from me and she frowned.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
Edythe sighed. "It's getting late and you need to rest. I need to leave so you can."
I frowned. I could take a stimulant and stay up but she probably wouldn't go for that. She smiled again and placed her hand on my cheek. This time she appeared to not even hesitate.
"You need to go to bed and rest. We have tomorrow and the day after that to talk." Edythe said.
I sighed. "Fine, I'll see you tomorrow." I mumbled. Edythe smiled. "You look adorable when you pout.
"I do not not pout. I'm not a child." I said feigning anger. Edythe rolled her eyes.
I shook my head. "I'll walk you out."
"Okay." She said.
We walked to the door. I glanced at my cars. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to drive home?" I asked.
Edythe laughed. "As tempting as that sounds, it'll be much faster if I go on foot." She said, I just nodded.
"I'll see you tomorrow then." I said.
"You definitely will. Can I come here before school and we can drive together?" Edythe asked, looking nervous.
"Yeah that sounds cool. I'm driving though or I can come pick you up."
"I'll just meet you here and you can drive if you insist."
"Ok." I said. I didn't want to go inside.
We just stared at one another.
"Jaxon, stand still. I want to try something." She said, her face looked determined.
"Ok." I said freezing in place.
I watched Edythe slowly raise up on the tips of her toes to reach my face and she kissed my cheek. My body came to life and I had to fight to remain still. She slowly leaned back and she opened her eyes. They were on fire again, but what really caught my attention was the big, ridiculous smile she had.
"This is getting easier." She mumbled.
"Was it hard before?" I asked.
She frowned. I could tell this wasn't a question I should ask.
"Sorry dumb question." I said.
"Not dumb, it's a valid question." She said, closing her eyes. "Yes it is hard, but it's not what I expected. I can stay in control around you and the more I'm around you the more I become desensitized to your scent."
"Well then that sounds like a win-win. I get to spend time with you and you become more desensitized to me." I said smiling.
Edythe frowned. "I get two wins though. I also get to enjoy your company."
I shook my head and smiled at her. "I'll see you tomorrow morning Jaxon." She said.
"Good night. Have a safe run." I said.
"Good night Jaxon." She said and then she was gone. I looked around. She was really nowhere in sight. I sighed and walked back inside.