You Want Me To Do What, Now?
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, and to everyone who has put this story on alert. I appreciate you taking the time to not only read this, but to give me feedback as well. Please review again and continue to enjoy Family Ties. :)
Thanks again, Mel Cooley :)
PS: Everything in the last chapter about the Seneca Park Zoo is true. I used to go there as a kid and it was kinda crappy, but it's really improved. I don't remember Kumang, unfortunately, but I probably did see her at some point. And it might interest you to know that since her arrival in 1991, she has had a daughter, Dara. Which turns out to be kind of a big deal because the father was born in the wild. Anyway. Enough of my blather. If you want more info, just Google Seneca Park Zoo.
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine. If you don't recognize it, it's probably still not mine. Alex is mine. All things Twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer. Now on with the story!
Before:
"I was wondering, could I maybe take you to dinner sometime?"
I stared at him for a while. I stared so long that I could see he was getting uncomfortable and he eventually looked at me again.
"Please?" he added.
I shook my head in disbelief and walked back into the house, making sure to lock the door behind me.
Now:
It was bright and warm outside in the sun. My skin faintly reflected the light, making me look as though I had a happy glow. I loved days like this. I lounged in the front yard of my childhood home, soaking up the sun's rays, daydreaming of a far off prince charming, a future that was still a mystery to me.
I heard approaching footsteps, and opened my eyes. It was no longer warm and sunny. The sky was a dull gray, and white, fluffy flakes descended from above, landing all around me. I watched the source of the footsteps come closer.
It was Seth Clearwater.
"Why are you lying in the snow in a T-shirt?" he asked. "You're a freak."
My blood boiled. I didn't like that. A breeze blew his scent toward me, and I began to salivate. He smelled delicious.
"Don'tcallmeafreak," Ihissedathim,standingup.
"Freak!" he called. "Lexi's a freak! Freak, freak, freak, freak!"
I snapped. I was suddenly on top of him on the ground, the blanket of pure, white snow stained bright red around him, the burning in the back of my throat soothed at last…
I awoke with a jolt, out of breath and sweaty.
Again.
If this didn't ease up soon, I was going to have to find a shrink. I reached over to switch off the incessant alarm on my nightstand and hopped out of bed, wiping sweat out of my stinging eyes. I went to the window and stared out at the darkening sky for a moment. At least the dream was changing now. I hated monotony. And it made me realize something that I should have realized that morning.
While I was in constant worry of my nightmares coming true and actually attacking someone to drink their blood, Seth's blood had done nothing for me that morning. I had punched him, broken his nose, and his blood had spilled out immediately. But it didn't do anything to aggravate those constant flames in the back of my throat, not like when Grandpa Richie had cut his hand on a kitchen knife and I had rushed toward him unthinking. I had been small enough that he was able to push me back so I didn't get a taste. And that hadn't been too big of a cut. Seth gushed blood a mere two feet away from me and I wasn't drawn to it in the slightest. I wondered what that meant.
And then there was Seth himself, and yet another thing that cursed dream made me think of. He'd asked me out. To dinner. Had he meant like, on a date? That thought terrified me. I didn't exactly socialize a whole lot, for obvious reasons. There had been one guy back in New York. Just one. It didn't turn out so well. I hated to keep secrets, especially from someone I cared about. So after that last… debacle, I just didn't bother. And fat chance anyone would want me if they knew the truth.
Hi, I'm Alex and I have vivid, lifelike dreams about going on a rampage and sucking the blood out of anyone I come in contact with. Oh, and I'm insanely strong and fast, and have this ability to move things without touching them. You wanna grab a beer?
Yeah. That would work out in my favor.
But Seth knew what I was already. He'd seen my power firsthand, and apparently knew I was half-vampire (I mentally stuttered over the word; I still wasn't used to it) before I did. And he'd still asked me to dinner. It was actually kind of cute. He had seemed so nervous. Of course, it couldn't have helped that I had just broken his nose. He wasn't bad to look at, either. And he had to know, why else would he be strutting his stuff around with no shirt? Of course, I could just be over-thinking everything. Maybe he just felt bad about my car. It couldn't be a date. Weren't vampires and werewolves natural enemies? Although, I was only half-vamp. Did that count for anything?
With a sigh, I turned away from the window and glanced at the clock. I had an hour to get ready before Rosalie came for me.
I rushed to the bathroom.
I ran the comb through my hair one last time just as the doorbell rang. I glanced at the clock. Seven on the dot. I threw my phone into my pocket, tossed my jacket on and flashed down the stairs to the door, opening it with a smile.
"Ready?" Rosalie asked.
"Yup," I said.
I stepped out onto the porch and closed and locked the door before following Rosalie to, not the red BMW I expected, but a large, white, off-roading Jeep. It was already running, and someone was in the driver's seat.
Rosalie jumped into the passenger seat and I followed suit in the back. As I closed the door I looked up front and saw the driver was none other than the Hulk. I still didn't know what we were doing, but he seemed like a fun guy, so it couldn't be horrible, whatever it was. But as Emmett started to pull out of my driveway, no one was talking and the suspense was killing me.
"So where are we going?" I asked.
Emmett's eyes met mine in the rear view mirror, and crinkled as he smiled. "Oh, you'll see, Lex," he answered. I couldn't decide if the mischievous tone was intended or not.
Rosalie turned in her seat to face me. "Not far," she elaborated. "Into the forest a little ways. The others are meeting us there."
"Others?" My voice cracked slightly. "Please tell me you haven't been planning some ritualistic sacrifice this whole time."
Emmett laughed loudly and heartily. I was surprised he was able to keep the Jeep from swerving, especially when I glanced at the speedometer and saw the needle pointing at 85.
Rosalie chuckled and shook her head. "You'll see. We want to keep it a surprise."
"Why?" I asked.
But all she said was, "You'll see," as she turned back to face the front.
Now I was nervous. What could they possibly have planned for me to "try" out in the woods? Zip lining? Realizing neither would elaborate any further, I sat back in the seat and resigned myself to staring out the window at the passing scenery. Eventually we turned into the trees, onto a somewhat narrow dirt road, that was more like a worn pathway, barely visible from the road. After a few more minutes of bumping and jarring, Emmett brought the Jeep to a halt at the end of the path and killed the engine. He hopped out and flashed over to the other side, opening the door for Rosalie and helping her out, then turning his attention to me.
I'd already had the door partially open when Emmett pulled it open the rest of the way and pulled me out. He had a huge grin on his face. I looked between him and Rosalie, unsure.
"You're gonna love this, Lex!" he told me, practically bouncing up and down. "They're waiting just up ahead, come on!"
Emmett took off and I looked at Rosalie, who smiled warmly.
"It's okay," she assured me.
Emmett was back in a blur, picking me up from the ground and tucking me under his arm, almost like I was a football. "You two are taking too long!"
Before I could register what was happening, the surrounding foliage was a brown blur, and the wind was blowing through my hair. As suddenly as we had taken off, we stopped and Emmett dropped me on my feet.
I was in the middle of a loose circle, surrounded by Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, Renesmee, and Scarface, in a small clearing. I caught Edward's irritated expression out of my peripheral and mentally corrected myself. Jasper. Edward visibly relaxed.
"Hey guys," I chuckled out nervously, slowly turning on the spot. "What's up?"
As I rotated, my nervousness spiked dramatically. I didn't like being surrounded like this. But as suddenly as it came on, it was gone and I was feeling somewhat serene and at ease.
"Can I tell her now?" Emmett asked, almost as a whine. "Please?"
"Oh, go ahead," Rosalie said, exasperated.
"We're going to take you hunting!" The joy on Emmett's face lit up his features like a light bulb.
I, however, did not share his joy. Hunting? I'd never been hunting before. When it came to handguns, I could break most down and put them back together in less than a minute. I could hit a target dead center, fifty yards away, with my weak hand. But I'd never handled a rifle before. And could I take out some innocent animal as it looked back at me? A scene from MyCousinVinnyflashed through my head. You know the one, when Marisa Tomei is going on about the baby deer stopping for a drink at the brook? I wasn't sure I was up for this.
"Not that kind of hunting," Edward butted in.
My forehead scrunched. "What other kind is-?" My voice trailed off as I slowly put the pieces together. My head snapped up and I looked from one vampire to another in rapid succession. "You can't expect- I-I can't, I can't do that!"
They were right to keep it a surprise. I never would have gotten in the car if I'd known what we were doing. I was on the verge of hyperventilating when, once again, my panic began to wane and I could breathe more easily. I slowed my movements, and as my gaze passed over Jasper, I noticed a look of intense concentration. I stopped and refocused on him.
"It's you," I said simply. It made sense now. I could move things. Renesmee could project images into the minds of others, Edward could hear thoughts, and Jasper… Jasper had some kind of ability to calm or relieve tension. It made me wonder what the rest of them could do.
"Every time I start to freak out, I calm right down," I continued. "You're doing that, aren't you?"
"My… gift," Jasper said wryly. It suddenly occurred to me that he was the only one I hadn't heard speak yet. I was surprised to notice a hint of a southern drawl. "To put it simply, I have an empathic ability."
"That's useful," I said.
"So let's hunt already!" Emmett exclaimed impatiently. "Time's ticking!"
I rolled my eyes and turned to Renesmee.
"It definitely helps?" I asked, still unsure.
She smiled in return. "Definitely."
I took a deep breath. "Okay," I said. "What do I do?"
"Whoo!" Emmett yelled from behind me.
Jeez.Excitedmuch? I suppressed another eyeroll.
"It's easy," Renesmee assured me. "You just have to let your instincts take over."
"My instincts tell me to hit the closest steakhouse," I said.
"We'll start simple," Edward put in. "There is a small herd of deer nearby."
Deer?Really? "How nearby?" I asked instead.
Edward cocked his head to the side. "You tell me."
I sighed, and looked around the loose circle again, silently asking for help. I got nothing. Emmett even went as far as shaking his head and grinning.
I looked back to Edward. "How am I supposed to know?" I asked.
Renesmee smiled warmly. "Watch me," she said.
I did. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, slowly, as though she was analyzing what was in the air. A small smile graced her face and she opened her eyes to look at me again.
"Just like that," she told me. "Try to pick apart all the different scents and zero in on your target. And listen. Try to hear what's beyond what you can see. It helps if you close your eyes."
Another quick glance around at the group, a deep sigh, and I did as she suggested. I closed my eyes and listened. I listened to the light breeze that rustled the tree branches above us. Above that, some kind of bird flew overhead, it's feathers fighting against the friction of the wind to keep aloft. To the south of us, a creek babbled.
"Too far," Edward muttered.
I backed it up a bit, to slightly north of the creek, a half mile or so. Now I heard it. Heavy breathing, footsteps, a munching sound and… what wasthat? It was a kind of thumping but not footsteps. And it sounded… wet.
"You're hearing their heartbeats," Edward explained. "What do you smell?"
I pulled in air through my nose. I smelled the cool, crisp air. I smelled the damp earth, rotting wood, dead leaves. I shook my head slightly. That was it.
No it wasn't.
Another, stronger, breeze blew by from the south and brought with it a new scent, not entirely pleasant. I wrinkled my nose as I focused on it. It was somewhat earthy, but not entirely like actual dirt. There was a level of sweetness to it, too, but not exactly appetizing. Bittersweet may have been a better term.
"I think I got them," I said. I opened my eyes and pointed in the direction the scent came from. "That way."
"How far?" Jasper asked.
I shrugged. "I don't know," I said incredulously. "They sound far. How am I supposed to judge distance?"
"They're about a mile and a half," he answered. "You'll learn how to determine how far your prey is. It just takes practice."
I nodded. "If you say so," I said. I turned back to Renesmee. "Now what?"
"Well, you're thirsty, right?"
"Yeah, I guess," I said. "That smell does nothing for me though."
"Because your natural instinct is to hunt humans," Edward explained. "Animals are an acquired taste."
"Do you still hear their heartbeats?" Renesmee asked.
"Yeah."
"Focus on that," she said. "The warm, thick blood that's pumping through their veins. How one taste will put that fire in your throat right out. All it takes is one-"
I didn't hear the rest of what she was saying. I shot off toward the herd of deer. The trees went by in a blur, though not as much of a blur as when Emmett had run with me. Full blood vampires were clearly faster than us halflings.
About two minutes later, I was in sight of the deer. A large buck looked up, startled, but that's all he had time for as I was on him in a flash, tackling him to ground and sinking my teeth into his large neck. Hot, thick blood gushed into my mouth and I swallowed continuously, chugging it all down. Renesmee was right, the burn was almost immediately extinguished.
A couple more minutes went by and suddenly it dawned on me just exactly what I was doing. I was on the forest floor, on top of a 14-point buck, drinking its blood. I unclenched my jaw and slowly pulled back. The rest of the herd had scattered by now, but I felt the Cullens gathered behind me, watching. I wiped my mouth with my hand and wiped it on the dead grass and turned to face them.
"What just happened?" I asked shakily.
Rosalie beamed proudly while Emmett grinned. "You were awesome, little niece!" he exclaimed.
He was of absolutely no help.
Edward stifled a laugh.
Neither are you, I thought at him.
"You feel better, right?" I saw Renesmee speak from behind Edward, who I noticed was keeping her half hidden behind him. Afraid I would attack?
"Just being cautious," Edward answered my thought. "Once the bloodlust hits, we can be a little unpredictable."
"Bloodlust?" I repeated quietly. Gross. That would take some getting used to.
"Let's see it again, Lex!" Emmett encouraged.
"Hold on," Jasper said. "We need to bury the carcass first."
"Why?" I asked. Didn't animals die in the wild all the time? Especially deer. They were toward the bottom of the food chain. What did it matter if someone stumbled across a few dead animals before they fully decomposed?
"Not exactly," Edward answered my thoughts. "If hunters and hikers began to notice an abnormally high number of slaughtered animals in the woods, not eaten, suspicions would be raised."
"Maybe," I conceded. "But vampires aren't traditionally known for hunting deer."
"No, we're not," Jasper agreed. "Maybe Carlisle would be better suited to explain. We'll hold another family meeting tomorrow."
So after burying the buck, I did it again. I bagged an elk the second time, which left me feeling full enough to burst. I'd had enough but Emmett insisted on one more for good measure. I swear his begging was like a little kid at the store with his mom, asking for the cereal with marshmallows instead of Cheerios.
"I agree," Jasper added to Emmett's pleas. "It's something you'll have to get used to, or you run the risk of snapping one day and exposing us all. The more you hunt, the more comfortable you'll be."
"Yeah, but I eat, like, regular food," I said. "It's not like I'm starving."
"But does human food satisfy that craving?" Edward asked knowingly.
Immediately, involuntarily, my mind flashed to last night's (well, today's, really) dream. I quickly shoved it back down to the depths of my brain, but not fast enough. I saw the look of curiosity on Edward's face.
"I thought not," he added.
I mentally growled.
"All right, fine," I conceded. "But this is the last one. I have to get to work soon anyway."
I closed my eyes and inhaled. Hey,itactuallysmellsgoodthistime, I thought to myself. I shot off again, but had only taken three steps when Edward suddenly shouted "Not that one!"
Not what one?
I was halfway through another step when a bulldozer crashed into me. Were they cutting trees down today or something? But wouldn't somebody have heard them coming? It took me a few more seconds to realize that it wasn't a bulldozer, it was Emmett. And he had me pinned to the ground. And I was thrashing and growling and hissing at him. I had to get to that scent, I needed it. I struggled to turn my palms toward Emmett, the force already building, just looking for a release. But Emmett was faster and grabbed my hands, turning my palms to face each other. It spoke to Emmett's strength that he was able to keep them together. I could feel my hands pushing against each other.
Jasper appeared over me and touched his fingers to my neck. Suddenly all the fight was out of me and I completely relaxed, very close to falling to asleep.
"That was a human," Emmett said to me through the haze that was over taking me.
I felt Jasper's fingers leave my neck. It all made sense now. I understood why everyone who was here, was here. Exactly for this reason. Renesmee's presence was obvious. If we're the same, she could help me, give me tips on how to go about this messy business. Edward was here to keep tabs on my thoughts, which was how he knew I'd gone after the wrong prey. Emmett, well Emmett was my uncle by technicality and he seemed like he'd come regardless, but he had brute strength, and Jasper had more effect than a tranquilizer gun.
Yes, it all made sense now.
Emmett slowly loosened his grip and sat back, but didn't completely let go of my arms as I sat up.
"What just happened?" I asked, breathless. I slowly began to realize that I had tried to attack Emmett. Shame overwhelmed me.
"You caught the wrong scent," Edward explained. "I had meant to lead you toward the bear to the west, but you smelled the hunters to the east."
"You mean I almost- But that- that can't be, they can't-" I met Rosalie's eyes. "They smelled good! How can that be?" I was near hyperventilating again and felt nauseous. I was vaguely away that I was shaking my head. "I was about to-" I cut off as saliva pooled in my mouth and my stomach clenched. "Oh God." I ripped my arms out of Emmett's hold and turned to side just in time to vomit all over the dead grass. I coughed a few times and then heaved again. Trying to catch my breath, I realized my eyes were closed and opened them. I wondered, for a moment, why there was so much blood all over the ground when I had drank it all, and then realized, I haddrank it all.
But then I puked it all up.
That thought made me start to heave again. Intense calm engulfed me and I became aware of someone rubbing my back soothingly. The nausea pulled back a little and I stopped heaving. I spit out what was left in my mouth and turned to look at whoever was rubbing my back. It was Rosalie.
"So much for that," I said.
"Oh, honey, everyone makes mistakes," she said. "You did well for your first time."
"Everyone?" I asked.
"Well, not me," she admitted. "Or Renesmee," she added after a moment. "But Emmett has. And Jasper attacked Bella when she was still human. Edward came very close to attacking her too."
"Rosalie," Edward said quietly, in a warning tone.
"What my point is, is that it is nothing to be ashamed of," she continued. "You didn't even know what you were going after. But now you know, and you know not to pursue that kind of scent again, right?"
I nodded sullenly. Despite Jasper's influence, it still disgusted me that I had been about to kill living people and drink their blood. As soon as I was away from him, I knew the feeling would return.
Sighing, I glanced at my watch. 10:43.
"I have to get to work," I mumbled as I stood up. Emmett stood when I did. I looked around at everyone. On the one hand, I was grateful that they'd cared enough to try this, but on the other I felt completely humiliated and ashamed. At least, that's how I knew I would feel once Jasper was out of sight. He couldn't protect me from myself forever.
"Um… Thanks," I said hesitantly. And then I started back the way we came.
As always, please leave a review, even if you hated it, but especially if you loved it! I won't hold you hostage, but reviews help me to know if you are enjoying the drabble that oozes from my brain.
Edward-Filled-Cookies: I love your name! And your review made me seriously ponder exactly what a hot fudge cookie would be like. Is it covered in hot fudge? Is it filled with hot fudge? Personally, I like filled, like a lava cake, but a cookie. A little messy, maybe. Anyway, thank you so much for the review. I hope I keep up to your expectations, and hopefully exceed them! Now leave me another great review!
MonkeyBrains: Thank you SO much… for almost making me upchuck IHOP pancakes while reminding me of Indiana Jones. I'm still having disturbing flashbacks to that scene. *gag* As for your review, I'm gonna cry! You had to go and bring God into it… Thank you so much for the compliments (as I tear up again). It means so much coming from you and I'm so glad that you're still enjoying this story!
McFoster:Thanks for the review! Don't we all love Seth? :)
allthenuts1013:Oh good, I'm glad the flashbacks weren't a failure! At the time I thought it might be cheesy, but it was the best way I could think of to convey the info I needed to. The punch... Yeah, Alex has a little spunk in her. ;)
For everyone else who is reading but didn't review, thanks for taking the time to read and I hope you are also enjoying the ride.
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Read on!
Ren
