Author's note: okay, here's chapter four!
Sorry I haven't been able to update in a while! I have finals coming up, and my teachers have been piling homework on me!! I think that this is the most homework I've ever had. Oh, well….just as a fair warning, I probably won't update next week, either. (I'm really sorry! There's no excuse for that, but that's all I've got!) But I will update!
Disclaimer: D. O. I.
Chapter 4
Edward's Family
Edward's Point of View
I was in the meadow, just lying on the ground.
We were only passing through, not to be seen by anyone. My family and I were staying in Denali with Tanya's coven for now, and we were returning from a hunting trip in the southern part of Oregon. I had already gotten the things I needed to go back to Alaska, and then decided to come here while the rest of my family got some things.
We weren't going to leave right away; tonight was when we were going back. But for the mean time, I wanted to come here.
It had recently rained and the sun was about to come out, so I just lay on the ground waiting for it. A gust of wind had moved the clouds, and then it finally came. My skin started sparkling, and I closed my eyes, taking in the warmth of the sun.
After just a few minutes, the sun went back behind the clouds and as I opened my eyes it looked like it probably wasn't going to come back anytime soon.
Sighing, I sat up. I went over to the small stream in the meadow and studied it. It was interesting to watch the water rush by, sometimes taking stray leaves and twigs with it. It was peaceful, too.
Suddenly, I heard movement behind me. I looked up, and a few feet away stood a girl that looked to be about sixteen. She had brown hair and was a little dirty, with a tear in her shirt on her right shoulder with…dried blood surrounding it. From what she's wearing, and what she looks like, she must be a vampire. I glanced at her eyes and sure enough, they were a sort of red. So she was a newborn.
The thing that got me though, was that her eyes were red, but by now the constant red would be wearing off a little. She had a light tint to them, making them seem brown. She must be feeding off of animals to make her eyes turn that color; my family and I all had something like that color at one point in time. If I didn't know any better, I would have said that she had a very distinct color of brown eyes. (And was a human!) The only thing that tipped me off was how quiet she was when she moved, and her appearance.
I tried to read her mind and found that, somehow, I couldn't! Then I started getting glimpses of thoughts, but I still couldn't quite hear her thoughts. This alarmed me just a little bit. She was a newborn and I couldn't read her mind. That bothered me; she could be dangerous! It was extremely frustrating not to be able to read her mind. Then I noticed that she was alone, and I took pity on her. Maybe it's better to get to know her before I judge her--even if she is a vampire.
By now she looked a bit uncomfortable and seemed surprised to find me, so I asked,
"Can I help you?" I said it in sort of a defensive way-she maybe feeding off of animals, but she's still a newborn.
"Um…uh-I just…."As she replied I could see how uncomfortable she was. She seemed a little scared, too. I softened my expression. It must be difficult for her; I wouldn't want to be alone like she was. (She also probably had to discover what she was on her own.)
That would be quite hard. I thought. Then an idea struck me.
Since she probably needed help --and would probably appreciate it, too-- maybe she could come with us to Denali, and stay with Tanya's clan --or, if worse comes to worse, ours for that matter-- just to make it easier to adjust to the way of life she seemed to be taking, along with us.
"Uh.…I was just passing through. Sorry to disturb you; I'll get going, now." She seemed disappointed as she turned away.
Before she could take off running, I stood up, offered her my hand and said,
"No, that's fine. Can I offer you any help with something you might need?" She seemed cautious as she turned around, and a bit taken off guard from seeing my outstretched hand. So, to seem more friendly, I added,
"My name is Edward."
At that she smiled, carefully took my hand, and shaking it, said,
"Courtney."
After that I smiled at her.
Then it was kind of an awkward silence as I thought of how to get her to my house, and do it nicely, and without forcing her. It would be harder since I could only hear slivers of thoughts she was having. Thinking fast, I asked,
"Courtney, would you like to meet my family? You could perhaps take a quick rest, maybe clean up a little." I hoped I wasn't coming off rude, pointing out that she could "clean up a little", but I knew that she was probably interested in just getting cleaned up anyways.
"Oh, I wouldn't want to bother any of you." She answered, probably referring to me and my family. But I could see a bit of reluctance in her eyes as she said it. So I just smiled and said,
"Really, it's no problem!" And before she could protest further, I began leading her in the direction of my house.
"And in all honesty, they would probably love to at least meet you!" Which was pretty true.
"Okay." She said shyly.
As we kept walking, I was think about how I would explain this to Carlisle. I can't hear her thoughts, she is supposedly feeding off of animals, and I think that we should help her. I didn't like her. If anything, we were just friends. I felt bad for her, though, and I hoped he would understand.
Back to Courtney's Point of View
As we walked, me only about two steps behind him, I could tell that he was deep in thought. Seeing him think made me think, too.
Would his family like me? I know that I won't be staying for long, but still! Were they going to be as nice as he was? What would they do if they didn't like me? As we walked on, questions like these kept going through my head. I could only imagine what I looked like. Hunting and running almost at the speed of light for six months without changing, and without taking a shower?
Since my "change", I found that I couldn't produce sweat or anything, but I'll bet that with the dirt and dried blood, that I looked filthy and probably kind of scary! Eventually, he said something.
"Courtney?" Then I realized that while we were walking, he was looking at me. Studying my face.
"Yes?" I asked quietly.
"What type of things do you hunt?"
"Huh?" Was he referring to what I 'eat'?…Well, drink was more like it.
"How you find 'food'." I could hear the quotation marks around "food".
"Oh. I…'hunt' animals."
"Is there a reason for that?" He asked curiously. He seemed almost relieved and happy that that was my answer. I felt pathetic as I replied to his new question, but decided to tell the truth.
"Well, I don't really want to kill anyone. I didn't go back home because of that reason." Short, sweet, and to the point. Of course I tacked the home comment on at the end, but I think he got the idea.
Before he could reply, we came to a very open space. I almost thought that it was another meadow, just the fact that there was a huge, white house in the middle was the only thing that gave it away. From where we were, it looked like we were facing the side of it. He stopped walking, and said,
"This is my house."
"It's very pretty." I said politely, and smiled.
"Would you like to come inside?" He smiled at me. It seemed like he had already asked me that, but he looked nervous as he asked it again.
"Um…sure. Only if that's okay with you." He smiled, relieved yet again at my answer, then said,
"Oh, it's fine. I just was making sure."
Then we walked up to his house, he opened the door, and we walked in. I took in the amazing view before me.
"I'll be right back." He told me. He then went up some stairs, but I barely noticed.
His house was huge!! Just on the left of the door, there was a small, raised platform with a pretty piano on it. There was a huge room with a smaller hall that led off to the kitchen, and probably a family room of some sort, but I couldn't see them. On the west side of the room, there was a massive staircase leading up to the second floor. And across the big room from where I was standing, the back wall was made of glass!! I could see out the glass to his back yard, where there were some cedar trees and out a little farther, a river. It had hardwood floors, and was altogether pretty nice! It was white and very open.
Then Edward came down the stairs. I almost didn't remember that he had left! I was about to say something about his house, but I suddenly realized that he was followed by more vampires.
I had the weirdest feelings when they came down. I wanted to crouch and defend myself. But most of all, I wanted to turn and run; it felt very threatening to see all of them come down the stairs and stop about ten feet from where I was standing; some stayed on the stairs, giving me some room, I think. But suddenly, the defensive feelings disappeared, and I realized that I had visibly tensed up, so I relaxed into the calm. Then, Edward walked over to my side and introduced me to his family.
"Courtney," he said, with careful hand gestures. "This is my family. There's Carlisle," he gestured to a tall blond vampire that looked like he was probably the oldest of the males. Carlisle smiled warmly at me when Edward said his name.
" and Jasper," he pointed to another tall blond male who smiled politely at me.
"and Rosalie." he pointed to yet another blond vampire. Even though they were all extremely gorgeous, she was probably the most beautiful being I would ever see. After that, he pointed to a very small girl with short black hair.
"Then, there is Alice," Alice gave me a small wave and big grin.
"Esme," the one named Esme had caramel-colored hair and looked almost like she was from a fairy tale -like she was Belle from "Beauty and The Beast"…no, no; Snow White fit her much better. When Edward said her name, she smiled very gently at me.
"and Emmett." He then gestured to a very big, very muscular --and if he didn't have such a huge smile on his face at me, like they all did-- a very menacing-looking vampire with sort of brown, curly hair. Then Edward turned to me, and announced,
"Everyone, this is Courtney." They all said something like "Hi, Courtney", or "Hello", or in Esme's case, "Welcome, Courtney".
Then Carlisle, still smiling, said "Welcome to our home, Courtney. Edward tells us that you were alone and he wanted to offer you some help. Would you like to take a moment and sit with us in the family room?" He asked politely.
"Sure." I answered shyly and still brightly at the same time. He was very kind to me, and even though I was surrounded by (supposedly) nice vampires and was somehow very relaxed, I was still on my toes a bit.
He led us to a nice living room with a few different couches and chairs, a coffee table, and there was also a flat-screen T. V.! With a twinge of home-sickness, memories of watching "Ghost Hunters" came back to me, and I suddenly wondered what it would look like on this cool-looking flat-screen.
Carlisle took his seat in an armchair, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett took a seat on a big couch, and I sat down next to Edward on a smaller couch. Esme sat on the other side of Edward; her body was somehow angled so that she could see me past Edward, and was smiling warmly at me.
I wasn't sure what to say next, and Carlisle, thankfully, took the lead and began talking.
"Well, Courtney, Edward tells me that you hunt animals." I nodded my head 'yes'.
"We also hunt animals." Now, he had my attention. I was still new to being…a…vampire, and it would be interesting and very helpful to hear what real vampires did. I had a small reference of knowledge for vampires, and I wasn't sure about any of them now. For example, I thought that they might burn in the sun. This wasn't the case with me; I sparkled. Also, they were apparently supposed to sleep in coffins (or at least something) during the day, and I couldn't sleep at all! I never really even got tired! Maybe a little winded from running for a while, but still….
"The reason we hunt animals," he continued. "Is because we don't want to hurt other people. Do you feel this way, also?" I simply nodded my head 'yes'. Then he smiled.
Then, Esme said, "Courtney, we have some friends that also feed from animals. We were going there this evening, and were wondering if you would like to come stay with us all for a time. It would help you get used to this life and diet a little easier." she seemed very hopeful as she asked me this. I wondered what it would feel like to "live" with other vampires, to have a family. (A family of vampires, none the less!) As I tried to think quickly (I knew that I would probably end up saying "yes" in the end), Alice said,
"Courtney, while you're thinking it over, would you like to change into a new shirt? If you wanted me to, I could wash and perhaps mend your jacket?" I looked down at the rip in my shoulder, and my eyes widened. It had gotten much bigger over the course of time, and I had gotten even dirtier. I think that while I change, I'll probably ask for a shower, too.
I nodded, and said, "Yes, thank you , Alice." Then she stood up and led me up the stairs, down a hall, and to --what I guessed-- her room. She opened a door to a walk-in closet. As I followed her, my eyes grew wide at seeing so many clothes. She grabbed a full outfit for me, and before I could open my mouth to ask if I could maybe take a shower too, she asked me first. It was almost like she read my mind, or something! I smiled gratefully at her and said,
"Thanks Alice! I really appreciate all this."
"No problem." she smiled at me. "If you need anything else, I'll either be here in my room or downstairs, so just give a shout." She reached up and gave me a quick hug, and I hugged her back before she could let go.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
After taking a shower, I tried as best I could to dry my hair. I didn't use her hair dryer. (In all honesty, I couldn't find it, and didn't want to bother her for one.) And was doing okay. All I really did was towel out my hair really well, then I'd brush it and ruffle it a little. The ceiling fan was on, so it circulated the air and helped my hair-drying go faster.
It was so nice to take a shower! After seeing my appearance in the mirror, I was a little embarrassed to know that they saw me like that. I was so appalled at my dirty reflection, that I didn't realize what I looked like until I got out of the shower.
The shower only lasted about five short minutes, and after getting out, I had put on a red shirt and a pair of khaki pants with a matching sash to go around my waist, along with underwear and a cute pair of ballet-flats that were red with white polka-dots all from Alice. I'll have to thank her again. I thought. I then began to dry my hair, and that's when I noticed my reflection.
I was really pretty! Maybe not as pretty as Edward and his family was, but still! I had really changed! I had then started to "dry" my hair and just stared at my face.
I am really pale now, and now I've got dark, purple shadows under my eyes. I don't have any sort of blush, but my lips are a very light pink, and my hair is just slightly longer. It looks like it has just a few highlights showing up, and it's a little wavier than it used to be. In fact, it almost looks like it curls. I look taller, too. I thought to myself. Ruffling my hair again, I noticed that it could pass for dry, so I ran the brush through it once more. I tried to think of how long I had been in here. The shower only lasted about five minutes, and with the ceiling fan going, my hair only took about another ten minutes. So I've been in Alice's bathroom for, roughly, fifteen minutes. HA! A new record! I thought.
I hung the towel up, and put the brush back on the counter where it used to be. Then I picked up my old clothes and opened the door into Alice's room. I walked out of the bathroom, and stood by her bed. I wasn't sure what to do with my old clothes. Do I bring them with me or leave them in the bathroom? I silently asked myself. Before I could do anything else, Alice walked out of her closet. What was she doing in there?
"Hi, Courtney! Do you want me to take your clothes for you?" Not really knowing what else to do with them, I decided to trust Alice.
"Sure. Thanks again, Alice" I told her as she took my clothes.
"Really, it's no problem!" She said with a big smile. I smiled back at her.
She put my clothes in her closet somewhere, and then led me back down the stairs to the family room. As I walked in, I could tell that they were a bit surprised to see me clean…well, cleaner, anyways. I sat back down next to Edward, of course keeping a little distance; I was a little nervous still. But then relaxed again, this time without that weird, strange calmness. When I walked in, they were all talking quietly amongst themselves, and after I sat down and Carlisle began talking, they stopped talking and focused on what he was saying.
"Well", Carlisle began. "We're going to leave in about three hours. The other coven" So that's what they call groups of vampires. I thought. "lives up in Alaska, in a small town called Denali. You wouldn't have to worry about clothes; we could get you some, or Alice and Rosalie have some that you might want to borrow." Alice and Rosalie smiled at me when he said their names.
"So…what would you like to do, Courtney?" Esme asked me quietly. "We would enjoy it if you would come with us." Again, she was hopeful about my answer.
I didn't need for anyone to try to convince me to go with them; I felt very welcome here. And, as I looked in each of their faces, I could see varying expressions of hopeful and knowing. The "knowing" expressions were mainly on Edward and Alice's faces. I wondered why, but at the moment it didn't matter. I was looking forward to the time I would be spending with this family- if only for a little while.
"I'd like to come with you, if that's ok. It would be easier for me to…adjust to my diet." I was going to say more, but Carlisle's face, along with everyone else's (especially Esme's) brightened up at my answer. They seemed really happy. Why is that?! I wondered. I was totally confused! I was completely new to them, and they were new to me; Edward had just found me in some random place by a stream, and I had been in their home for about a grand total of…a half an hour!… Could have been like, 45 minutes, but still! oh, well. I'll just find out later. Everyone was talking again; it was just quiet murmurs here and there and Carlisle began talking to me again.
"I'm glad that you've decided that." And he really did seem glad. "Again, we'll leave in a few hours and, unless you would rather go shopping, there are plenty of clothes that you could borrow." I briefly remembered Alice's closet and wondered if Rosalie's was like that.
I was kind of zoning out, thinking about what was going to happen tonight. It was going to be…I couldn't think of a word…fun? That's definitely what it felt like! Then I noticed that Rosalie, Emmett, and Carlisle were gone. Edward and Alice were talking about something across the room. Alice seemed excited, and Edward…not quite as excited, but that was probably just how he was. Jasper was walking towards them, an Esme came over to me.
"I'm so glad you've decided to be with us for a while, dear." I could tell, now, that I was really going to like Esme. Probably even like a mother. She seemed to really like me.
"Thank you." I said. I smiled gratefully at her. "It'll be easier for me to not be so alone, as well as feeding off of animals."
"I understand." She seemed to know that I was a little more than confused about why they wanted me to stay with them so bad. Or at least it seemed that way to me.
" We're just excited that you feed off of animals like us. Most of our kind don't feed off of animals…. They…feed on humans." I don't know whether or not she was expecting my reaction, but I had to ask.
"Why?! Why would they do that?!" I tried not to raise my voice or seem too surprised, but she could see that. It looked like she was going to answer, but she looked at the clock, then back at me.
"I'll try to tell you later on; for now, let's go pack." Then Alice skipped over to my side and said,
"Don't worry, Esme, I'll help her." The Alice and I were on our way up to her room again. When we got up there, she told me to take a seat on her bed. So, like a good guest, I sat and waited patiently while Alice got out a medium-ish suitcase, set it next to me, and went into her closet. As I was waiting for her to get the first "load", Rosalie came in with an armful of clothes, smiled at me, and then set them next to the suitcase as Alice came out with her own armful.
And thus began some epic packing with Alice and Rosalie!
Author's note: sorry this took forever to get up and the mistakes it might contain! I feel horrible about how long this took! Go, ahead, yell!…Wait…OK…NOW! I'm ready for it! (Just know that I'll still love you even if you hate me! I just can't believe how long this took me…. But you know my excuse. :) )
ELS
