414 YEARS LATER
DENALI, WASHINGTON
OPHELIA'S POV
I looked up from my old novel to see Tanya, still bustling around the house, trying to find something, anything, imperfect to perfect. The Cullens were coming up for a while, and she wanted the house spotless. She had been acting like that a lot recently. I wondered if she was developing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and then I wondered if vampires could even get that.
I had joined the Denali clan a few years ago, when I had decided to be a "vegetarian" vampire, rather than one that drank human blood. It was a vegetarian who had saved me from the brink of death, by biting me. I had lived with him and followed his way of life for a few years, but then I decided to leave him and hunt like other vampires. I had thanked him cordially for saving me, and for being such a wonderful guide and mentor. Then, I'd left him and lived as a nomad. Now that I had been a vegetarian for a couple of years, my eyes were the same buttery gold as the others in the coven. My self-control was strong, but I was careful not to stay around humans for too long.
Garrett, another member of Tanya's coven, or family, was almost as new to vegetarianism as I was. He had eloped with Kate, Tanya's sister, in Denmark, my home country, seven years ago. He and I worked together to control each other. We had formed a strange, but enjoyable bond, like an incredibly close brother and sister.
The other members of my family were Elezear and Carmen. They had been extremely kind and understanding for the first few months while I battled with my thirst. Carmen had taught me Spanish, and Eleazar taught me the best hunting techniques. They were both exceptional teachers.
I was told that there had once been three other family members: Irina, Sasha, and Vasilii. Vasilii had been an immortal child; a vampire that had been only a toddler when he was bitten. Sasha, the original creator of Tanya and her sisters, had been the one to bite Vasilii. Immortal children, according to the Volturi, the royal family of vampires, were illegal. Sasha and Vasilii had been killed. Irina had been the third sister in the family. She, too, had been killed by the Volturi, but she was destroyed for giving the Volturi false information.
I was as excited as Tanya about the Cullens coming. I would be reunited with my creator, Carlisle. I was eager to see him again, and to meet the rest of his family.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Tanya froze, looking irritated and nervous. "That can't be them," she snapped, "It's too early, and it doesn't smell like them." She flew to the door and opened it. In the doorway stood another vampire. Oddly, he looked vaguely familiar to me. He glanced at Tanya, but then looked over her shoulder to scrutinize my face. Abruptly, his expression of bewilderment and confusion morphed into one of utter surprise.
"Ophelia?" he asked in awe. "You're alive?"