Chapter Two: Meeting is such sweet sorrow

Now we were driving. We passed over the bridge at the Calawah River, the road winding northward, the houses flashing past us growing farther apart, getting bigger. And then we were past the other houses altogether, driving through misty forest. I was trying to decide whether to ask or be patient, when my dad turned abruptly onto an unpaved road. It was unmarked, barely visible among the ferns. The forest encroached on both sides, leaving the road ahead only discernable for a few meters as it twisted, serpent like, around the ancient trees.

And then, after a few miles, there was some thinning of the woods, and we were suddenly in a small meadow, or was it actually a lawn? The gloom of the forest didn't relent, though, for there were six primitive cedars that shaded an entire acre with their vast sweep of branches. The trees held their protecting shadow right up to the walls of the house that rose among them, making obsolete the deep porch that wrapped around the first story.

I'm not sure what I had expected, but it definitely wasn't this. The house was timeless, graceful, and probably a hundred years old. It reminded me of the house from the skeleton key. It was painted a soft, faded white, three stories tall, rectangular and well proportioned. The windows and doors were either part of the original structure or a perfect restoration. Our jeep was the only car in sight. I could hear the river close by, hidden in the obscurity of the forest. We all climbed out.

We walked through the deep shade up to the porch. My dad opened the door for us. I didn't really think it was odd that he had a key to the house. I mean, these were his and my moms best friends after all.

The inside was even more surprising, less predictable, than the exterior. It was very bright, very open, and very large. This must have originally been several rooms, but the walls had been removed from most of the first floor to create one wide space. The back, south-facing wall had been entirely replaced with glass, and , beyond the shade of the cedars, the lawn stretched bare to the wide river. A massive curving staircase dominated the west side of the room. The walls, the high-beamed ceiling, the wooden floors, and the thick carpets were all varying shades of white.

I observed all of this while still standing on the porch.

Edwards P.O.V

"I wonder if they'll look the same. I mean it has been seventeen years since we last saw them." Rosalie, who was filing her nails pondered out loud. I shrugged. "They're demons, Rose." Emmett chuckled. She rolled her eyes. Distinctly I heard tires approaching the house, as everyone else did I'm sure. I sniffed the air, and my eyes widened. What was this new smell? It was mellow yet spicy…and oh, so mouth watering. I stopped breathing. Why was I so thirsty all of a sudden? I searched Carlisles mind. 'You guys can come down.' He thought, knowing I would hear it. "Come on you guys." I notified everyone. They nodded.

Carlisle and Esme were standing by the piano and there, in the door way, was Roy, Vivian, and Saiyuri. "Hey, Vivian and Saiyuri!" Alice called enthusiastically. She ran down the stairs, a streak of black hair and white skin, coming to a sudden graceful stop next to our parents. "Hey you guys." Roy greeted waving and smiling. We all stood next to Carlisle and Esme.

"Right here." Roy said pointing behind him. But there was no one there. "Uh, honey…" Saiyuri giggled.

"Hey, Olivia! Get your butt over here!"

"Yeah, Yeah, I'm coming!" a girls voice called back, from somewhere near the side of the house. "Sorry." She said popping up behind her father, and stepping into the house. She was…I couldn't even begin to describe. 'This is where the smell was coming from…' I thought, suddenly, ravenous. She was wearing a black caped sleeved, Invader Zim shirt, covered in pink cupcakes, with a picture of Gir with frosting smeared around his mouth on the bottom right corner, dark blue, grunge wash jeans, black high tops with Spongebob SquarePants laces, crescent moon and sun amulets, jelly bands, and various rings. Her nails were painted black, her hair was down and curled softly past her shoulders, and had red ribbons woven into it. Her turquoise eyes were outline in black kohl and her lips colored red.

My P.O.V

I was checking out the side of the house, trying to see if I could spot the river. "Hey, Olivia! Get your butt over here!" my dad called. I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" I called, and walked back to the front door. My mouth nearly fell open. One of the men was young, blonde…and handsomer than Pete and Patrick from Fall Out Boy. He was pale, though, and tired-looking with circles under his eyes. From mom and dads description, this had to be Carlisle. The woman next to him, must have been Esme. She had pale skin as well. Something about her heart-shaped face, her billows of soft, caramel-colored hair, reminded me of the ingénues of the silent-movie era. She was small, slender, yet less angular, more rounded than her husband. They were both casually dressed, in light colors that matched the inside of the house. They smiled in welcome, but made no move to approach me.

I looked passed them at their children. They were just as beautiful, but didn't look anything alike. Of the three boys, one was big- muscled like a serious weight lifter, with dark, curly hair. Another was taller, leaner but still muscular, and honey blond. The last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze- colored hair. He was more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in collage, or even teachers rather than students.

The girls were opposites. The tall one was statuesque. She had a beautiful figure, the kind you saw on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, the kind that made every girl around her take a hit on her self-esteem just by being in the same room. Her hair was golden, gently waving to the middle of her back. The short girl (not shorter than me though) was pixie like, thin in the extreme, with small features. Her hair was a deep black, cropped short and pointing in every direction.

And yet they were exactly alike. Everyone of them was chalky pale, the palest of all the kids that I've seen in Forks. They all had very dark eyes despite the range in hair tones. They also had dark shadows under those eyes- purplish, bruise-like shadows. As if they were all suffering from a sleepless night, or almost done recovering from a broken nose. Though their noses, all their features, were straight, perfect, angular.

But all this is not why I couldn't look away

I stared because their faces, so different, so similar, were all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful. They were faces you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrushed pages of an American Eagle fashion magazine. Or painted by an old master as the face of an angel. It was hard to decide who was the most beautiful- maybe the perfect blonde girl, or the bronze-haired boy.

I blinked rapidly several times. Vivian nudged me forward. Apparently the Cullens were assessing me as well. "You are very welcome, Olivia." Carlisle step was measured, careful as he approached me. He raised his hand tentatively, and I shook it. "You can call me Via. It's nice to meet you, Dr. Cullen."

"Please call me Carlisle."

"Carlisle." I grinned at him, my sudden confidence surprising me. I could feel my parents' relief at my side.

Esme smiled and stepped forward as well, reaching for my hand. Her cold, stone grasp surprised me, but I didn't show it. I just smiled once again.

"It's very nice to know you," she said sincerely.

"Thank you. I'm glad to meet you, too." And I was. It was like meeting a fairytale princess- Snow White, in the flesh.

Carlisle turned to his children. "This is Emmett, Jasper, Edward, Rosalie, and Alice." He pointed to each in accordance to their names.

"Hi, Via!" Alice said, and she bounced forward to kiss my cheek. If Carlisle and Esme had looked cautious before, they now looked staggered. There was shock in my eyes, too, but I was also very pleased that she seemed to approve of me so entirely.

"You smell nice," she commented to my extreme embarrassment. No one else seemed to know quite what to say, and then Jasper was there- tall and leonine. A feeling of ease spread through me, and I was suddenly comfortable. The boy, Edward, who was staring at me with a slightly frustrated look on his face, now turned to Jasper and raised one eyebrow.

"Hello, Via," Jasper said. He kept his distance, not offering to shake my hand. But it was impossible not to feel awkward near him.

"Hello, Jasper." I smiled at him shyly, and then at the others. "it's nice to meet you all- you have a very beautiful home," I added conventionally.

"Thank you," Esme said. "We're so glad that you and your family came." She spoke with feeling.

"So," my dad began clapping his hands together. "Why don't we let the kids, get more acquainted, eh?"

Carlisle nodded. "Yes. They could get to know each other while, we prepare dinner."

Mom, dad, and Vivian stared at him with open mouths. "Hey! Weren't you the ones who told me not to stare at people like they were on Crystal Meth?" I scolded. Carlisle laughed. Dad cleared his throat. "Yes, well. That sounds good." And the grown ups left for the kitchen and we were left alone. "Um…" I trailed off.

"Come on, Via! We can all hang out in Edwards room!" Alice exclaimed, taking me by the hand and pulling me towards the stairs.

"Why my room?!" Edward asked following us. Alice just ignored him. "Well, I'll be in my room." Rosalie called over her shoulder and walked away. "Alice, wait! I can't run so fast otherwise-" too late. I tripped and fell flat on my face. "Ow…" I mumbled. Emmett laughed. "That just made my day!" I stood rubbing my cheek, and glared at him. "Glad I could be of assistance." I replied sarcastically. He laughed again and clapped me on the shoulder. I stumbled a step or two. We walked to the last door down the hall. Edward opened it.

His room faced south, with a wall-sized window like the great room below. The whole back side of the house must be glass. His view looked down on the winding Sol Duc River, across the untouched forest to the Olympic Mountain range. The mountains were much closer than I would have believed.

The western wall was completely covered with shelf after shelf of CDs. His room was better stocked than a music store. In the corner was a sophisticated- looking sound system, the kind I was afraid to touch because I'd be sure to break something. There was no bed, only a wide and inviting black leather sofa. The floor was covered with a thick golden carpet, and the walls were hung with heavy fabric in a slightly darker shade.

"Good acoustics?" I guessed.

Edward chuckled and nodded. Alice and Jasper went and sat on the sofa together. Emmett had gone to check on Rosalie. Edward picked up a remote and turned the stereo on. It was quiet, but the soft jazz number sounded like the band was in the room with us. I went to look at his mind-boggling music collection.

"How do you have these organized?" I asked, unable to find any rhyme or reason to the titles.

He was sitting in a chair looking at Alice and Jasper who were in turn staring at him. "Ummm, by year, and then by personal preference within that frame," he said finally glancing at me. Walked back to where they were and sat on the floor cross legged.

"Did you know that we haven't seen you since you were a baby?" Alice asked, excitement glowing in her eyes. Edward flashed her a look. I cocked my head to the side. "You couldn't have seen me when I was a baby. Because we're the same age." I stated matter-of-factly. "What Alice means, is that we saw your baby pictures." Edward clarified quickly. I narrowed my eyes. "Really?"