Chapter Eight

"What's your mother like?" I asked as he carried me on his back to his village. "What does she look like? How does she act? What's her name?" I clarified.

"She is kind. She heals. She is beautiful. Her name is Esme, but everyone calls her mother or mama because it's her title."

"Her title? Is she important to your people?"

"Very much so. Both my mother and father are extremely important to our people. My father is the protector. He is the strongest and biggest male because of his title. My mother is the healer. - specially chose her at birth to heal the people. To lead them spiritually and always keep them close to -."

"Wow," I said. "So does that make you famous?" I chuckled.

When he said nothing, I figured he didn't know what I meant.

"Never mind," I said quickly. "You said you have a sister? How about her? What is she like?"

"She is energetic, but she's still a child. And she is excited to meet you. You are going to be her friend."

I chuckled. "She sounds nice. How does she know we are going to be friends?"

"It is what she says. Children say strange things. Kind of like you. I think she is just excited to meet a chosen female."

"When you say I'm chosen, what do you mean by that?"

"It means that - chose you to come here. The men from the other side die. They are not chosen. We were given females when our people started to disappear. - saved us. Now we are plentiful."

"Ah." I nodded. "Has anyone ever gotten back to the other side?"

"No." He said gruffly. "No one goes back."

I sighed heavily; Edward has made it very clear that no one goes back.

I don't know why I was so eager to get back. It's not like there was anyone on the other side waiting for me. My father is dead. My mother has been dead for years. I didn't have any other family. So, what would I be going back to?

"Why are you sad?" He asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"You are sad," He stopped and put me on my feet then turned around to me. "Why are you sad now? Have I made you sad?"

"No," I shook my head. "Of course not. It's not you. I just… I was just thinking about my mother and father. I miss them."

"I am sorry you miss them." He said. "If there was a way to send you back to the other side, I would tell you. But - does not give the females back."

"It's okay. My parents are dead."

He nodded. "I am sorry."

"It's okay." I shrugged. My head jerked up at him. "How did you know I was sad? You couldn't see my face."

He placed his hand on my chest, right between my breasts. I felt strange because his one hand pretty much covered the entire width of my chest. If he was a pervert, he'd be giddy over the fact that he was touching my nipples, but his face told me that he couldn't care less. He got real close, his face hovering over mine. "I can feel your heart. Your heart was sad."

I placed my hand over his. "How can you feel that? Can you feel the emotions of everyone else?"

"No."

"So how come you can feel mine?" I asked.

His eyes widened slightly. "I-I do not know."

My eyes narrowed. "Are you sure? It kind of sounds like you are lying."

"We must get home." He said, grabbing me and throwing me onto his back. His tail wrapped around my me, securing me in place.

I sighed. He obviously wasn't going to tell me and that was okay. Edward had helped me so much since I ended up on the island. As much as I wanted to pry, I couldn't push my luck. If Edward decided not to help me, then I would most certainly be screwed.

We had been walking for a while in silence when Edward broke it.

"What is your name?"

"Oh," I said, "I'm so sorry. I completely forgot to introduce myself. I was just so surprised you spoke English."

"Hm," He acknowledged softly, "So what is your name?"

"It's Bella," I said. "Isabella Swan."

"You have three names? Bella Isabella Swan?"

I lightly laughed, "No, no. You can just call me Bella. My full name is Isabella Swan. Bella is my nickname and Swan is my last name."

"Oh, I see," He said. "The first females had last names, but they abandoned the last names when they accepted us."

"When did the first females arrive?"

"Many, many years ago," He said. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"I don't, I'm an only child." I said, "When did—,"

"How did your father prove himself a worthy mate to your mother?"

"Oh," I blushed slightly, "I'm not really sure. I think they met in a bar and just hit it off."

"He didn't have to hunt for her or take a whipping? How did she know he would be a worthy mate?"

"Where I'm from, we don't really do any of that. People just meet and talk. They get to know one another before mating or whatever."

"Do you have a mate?"

My blush returned, only brighter than to first one.

"No, I don't have a mate." I said.

"Hmm," He hummed quietly, but it sounded like a noise of approval.

"When will we get to your village?" I asked.

"Not for a long while," He said. "I know you are tired. Sleep. I will protect you."

I was pretty tired, but I was hesitant to fall asleep. Not because of fear, but because the parts of the jungle we were walking through were so beautiful I didn't want to miss anything.

Nighttime was probably the most beautiful time of this strange island. All of the plant life seemed to awaken, glowing just bright enough so I could see the surrounding area. The noises, although scary, were also enchanting. The sounds of the different creatures inhabiting the island were interesting. Animalistic noises I've never heard before making me want to investigate.

Several Hours Later

At some point, I had fallen asleep. My cheek was pressed against Edward's very warm back. I had tried to fight sleep off, but it didn't help that Edward was making that strange yet comforting purring sound. I hadn't intended on waking up so soon, but I couldn't shield my eyes from the bright sunlight.

"You are awake?" Edward asked without looking over his shoulder. I didn't even realize I had fallen asleep, so I was still a bit shocked that we were still walking.

"How come we're not there yet?" I asked before yawning and stretching.

He chuckled softly. "I told you it was a long way away."

"It didn't take you this long to grab food and clothing for me. Is your mother in the village?"

"She is."

"Then why is it taking us so long now?"

"I can run very, very fast."

"Why don't you run now? To get us there faster?"

"You will die if I run at my full speed. I can only move a little faster."

"How will I die if you run at full speed?"

"- does not want us using our abilities when the females are around. Your bodies are not strong enough to handle it."

"If you put me down, could you show me how fast you can run?"

"Perhaps later," He said before letting out a soft chuckle. "You remind me of a child."

"How?" I asked.

"You ask many questions. Children are curious like you."

"I'm a scientist. We ask a lot of questions. It helps us learn."

"Like children." He chuckled before pausing. He stopped suddenly and slowly looked around. His pointed ears swiveled as a noise caught his attention.

"What's wrong—," I started to ask but then suddenly he dropped me to my feet and pushed me into the soft underbrush.

A man of the same species but wider than Edward suddenly burst out of the trees and lunged at Edward. Edward was quick to dodge the man and grab him in a chokehold. My eyes widened as I tried to keep up with the lightning speed of their fighting. Edward wasn't joking when he said he could move very fast.

Edward got the upper hand and slammed him to the ground. Edward got close to his face. They began snarling at one another for a few moments before their snarls turned to laughter.

"You are a moron," Edward said as he jumped to his feet. He extended his hand out and helped lift the man.

"You are a lot faster than I expected," The man said as he sharply shook his head, his black curly hair bouncing.

Edward growled softly before walking over to me and gently helping me to my feet. Edward pressed his forehead against the top of my head for a brief moment. I heard him inhale softly through his nose.

"I am sorry I threw you." He apologized.

The black-haired man lumbered over to us, towering over me. He leaned down, his hands on his knees as he looked me over. I crossed my arms over my bare breasts and stared into his golden eyes. His tail was slowly swaying behind him, but I could see it was decorated in bright colors, and stuff that appeared to be jewelry. I wondered what this meant, because Edward didn't have the same decorations on his tail.

After a moment of staring me in the face he then started to circle me. My head circled as I closely watched his movement. He leaned forward and sniffed me briefly before lifting my arm up. I was lifted off my feet for a moment before he dropped me back down.

When his fingers reached forward and touched my lip, I slapped his hand away. I didn't even think about it, I had just reacted. My eyes widened.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly.

The man let out a boisterous laugh. "What a confusing signal. Are you angry that I touched you and sorry about smacking me? So strange."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"This is my hunting partner and one of my litter mates, Emmett." Edward said as he checked me over. As he was checking me, I realized that his once red eyes were now golden, like Emmett's. "Pay him no mind, he can be a bit of a brute."

Emmett was giving Edward a strange look. He opened his mouth and said something in the strange, screeching language. I covered my ears and winced.

"No. Please do not bring it up again." Edward growled as he gently lifted me onto his back. "You know we don't speak like that in front of the females." Edward said before he started walking back down the neatly cut path.

"What did he ask you?" I asked as we passed Emmett.

"Nothing important," Edward said as he shouldered passed Emmett playfully.

"Your mother is worried." Emmett said as he started to walk with us. "You missed lunch. And you're going to miss the ceremony. You never miss a meal and you have never missed the mating ceremony. She is afraid you were killed."

"Well, I was not killed," Edward said. "She will see me in just a few moments. Why don't you run ahead and let her know?"

Emmett sighed heavily. "Fine. You can run faster than me though."

"I won't leave Bella to run ahead."

"Is that what the female's name is?" Emmett chuckled. "Bella. At least it's an easy name."

"She has another name. Like the old females."

His head turned; his eyebrows raised. "You have two names?"

"Well, technically three. But Bella is fine."

Emmett fell in step beside us. "You have three names? I want to hear them."

"My full name is Isabella Marie Swan. But please just call me Bella. I prefer Bella."

He started to laugh but then paused suddenly. His nostrils flared and he let out a growl.

"Rosalie is not happy." He sighed.

"Rosalie is never happy." Edward said.

"Who is Rosalie?" I asked.

"She is Emmett's mate. She is a very unhappy female."

"She is happy some of the time. But she is with child, and she is in the last stage of her pregnancy. She's very uncomfortable."

"Emmett forgets how difficult Rosalie tends to be when she isn't pregnant." Edward chuckled.

Emmett paused. "I will return soon. Rosalie is desiring the fruit of the Usno tree."

"Good luck harvesting," Edward called as Emmett suddenly disappeared from sight.

I blinked several times. "W-where did he go?"

"He ran. I told you we can run very fast."

There fight had been very fast, but I could keep up with their movements. However, Emmett seemed to just vanish into thin air. It was almost unsettling.

The sun was now very high in the air when I heard the sounds of singing and an assortment of instruments playing. I pulled myself a little straighter to look over Edward's shoulder. I felt Edward straighten up as well.

Edward walked onto a wide path that led us to a large, stoney archway. The singing and the instruments became louder.

My eyes widened as I viewed Edward's village.

I know some of you probably want me dead since I ended it with such an aggravating cliffhanger. Sorry! I will update soon! Thank you all for taking the time to leave me a little review!

Alright, so some of you are asking how Edward looks, because I just haven't explained it properly. Usually I'm better at explaining appearances, but here we go:

Edward's height: 7'6 (which is just two inches shorter than his father, BUT Edward is still growing *wink*)

The average height of these males is between 6'11(shorter side) and 7'8(Carlisle's height, no one grows bigger than Carlisle!)

Edward's build: Very wide and muscular. Thick enough to support his massive height. I'm picturing the thickness of Jason Mamoa. Jason has freaking tree-trunk sized legs. None of the males in this story are scrawny skinny, only if they're small children. So their build is proportionate to their height.

Alien Features:

1. Slightly pointed ears

2. Double tongues: The first tongue is similar to a human's tongue, but underneath it is where their venom comes from. The males can combine their saliva with their venom and heal their females. But straight venom will immediately kill anything.

3. Tails: Very long and very similar to an extra limb. They are flesh covered and not very exciting. Mates will often decorate their male's tails with colorful jewelry and paint, but since Edward doesn't have a mate, his doesn't ever get decorated. Decorating tails was a tradition started by the males who mated with the first females to get them accustomed to the strange feature. Now it's just part of their traditions.

4. Sharp teeth for penetration

5. Enhanced senses (sight, smell, hearing, etc.)

6. A bluish undertone to their skin, but not overwhelming. Much like Anne Hathaway's blue undertone. Their skin is exactly like Stephanie's Meyers description of vampire skin.

*If I remember anything else about my strange creatures I will update you all!