From Stranger to Family

There was a long pause as everyone considered Scarlet's proposition. We had certainly not expected this. There were so many things to consider. How would the wolves react to a new vampire (especially one with such a dangerous power) suddenly moving in? Would yet another vampire bring even more attention to the Cullen family? What would I tell Charlie?

Esme was the first to speak up. Her warm, motherly voice rang out clear and confident. "Well, I am always willing to add to the family." I could see the tenderness in Esme's eyes as she smiled at the young vampire.

"It would be nice to have someone around with a sense of fashion." Alice said as she eyed Scarlet's outfit in approval, and then shifted her gaze to my plain ensemble.

"She would give us an advantage." Jasper stated plainly, always considering the military aspect of the situation.

"I say yes." Emmett bellowed. "It would be nice to get a fair fight in once in a while." Of course he would be considering the advantages of fighting without having Edward's gift to help him.

"I have a good feeling about you." Rosalie said calmly. "I wouldn't mind having you around." I was slightly shocked. Rose usually didn't take well to newcomers.

"I would like you to stay with us." Renesmee chimed in with a smile on her angelic face. She took any opportunity to have someone else around to love.

"I'm with her."Jake said begrudgingly, obviously not happy to have another vampire hanging around. Anything for Nessie

"Whatever protects my family." Edward stated as he hugged me close.

I took Scarlet's hand once more before speaking. "If Edward died I wouldn't know what to do." I said softly. "If being with us helps the pain at all then I would be glad to have you with us."

She gently squeezed my hand in a gesture of understanding. I knew the pain of losing Edward far too well, and she knew it.

Everyone looked at Carlisle, waiting for the final vote, the one that really counted.

"Well, I guess it has been decided." He smiled in obvious relief. "Welcome to the family."

A smile spread across Scarlet's face, for the first time touching her eyes. There seemed to be a glint of hope in them for what was probably the first time in hundreds of years.

"Thank you." She beamed. "You don't know what this means to me. I will need time to pack though."

"Of course." Carlisle agreed quickly. "Bella and Edward will help you pack anything you want to take with you. We will get a room ready for you back at the house."

"Thank you Carlisle." Scarlet said.

Renesmee kissed Edward and me goodbye, and then did the same for Scarlet. With that, the rest of my family ran home. Edward and I looked at Scarlet, and prepared to get our orders.

"Edward, Can you get the books, paintings, and music packed up while Bella and I take care of some things outside?"

"Of course." Edward said. He kissed my hair and started packing the CD's into boxes.

"Follow me Bella." Scarlet said. She grabbed my hand and skipped through the door, dragging me behind her.

On the way out the door, she gracefully scooped up the cat and kept skipping to the back where there was a Black Chevy pickup truck waiting. It was an 05 Silverado SS. I was surprised that I could remember. Edward had tried to get me interested in cars one night, and drilled me on the make and model of every car he could think of. We had mostly gone over sports cars, but he did go over some of the faster trucks and vans.

Scarlet skipped to the front of the truck and carefully placed the cat in one of the small back seats.

It was very quiet. I felt awkward just standing there. I needed to fill the silence with something. As she went back to get one of the birdhouses I asked her one of my many questions.

"So, you have a cat?" I asked awkwardly. "Aren't animals usually afraid of vampires?"

"Yes," She laughed. "but most animals don't seem to be too afraid of me. They are still cautious, but Starlight and I have a special bond."

"So what happened?"

"Well," Scarlet Began, "After Joel was killed, I became extremely lonely. I found myself constantly wallowing in self pity and waiting for revenge. I needed a companion, but was still too suspicious of others to join a coven. One day I happened across a trap in the woods and I found Starlight inside. She was almost starved to death and in too much pain to be afraid of me so I quickly brought her home and nursed her back to health. She has stayed with me of her own free will ever since."

I was hesitant to get near the animal, but also extremely curious.

"May I pet her? Or will she not like it?"

Scarlet giggled and it sounded like wind chimes.

"Of course. She is comfortable when I am around. She knows I won't let anything hurt her."

I reached out cautiously to stroke the cat. Its fur was soft, and heat radiated off of it in waves. I could hear her small heart thudding against her chest making the blood flow. It did not shy away from my reach, but did not welcome it as she had with Scarlet. Still, it was nice to be able to pet an animal again. It had been years since I had pet anything other than one of the wolves.

"Why do you keep animals if you drink their blood? Isn't that hard for you?"

"When I learned that my best option was hunting animals, I vowed to myself that I would never hunt domestic animals. I kept thinking that if I somehow came across a dog or a horse or even a cow and I killed it, some child would lose a companion. I try to only drink the blood of deer because they are so common," She answered with a grin, "but since I never leave the area anymore, sometimes I have to take what I get."

"Anymore?" I caught the hidden meaning in what she had said. "I thought you never left the area since you moved here."

Scarlet paused as we were walking back to the house to help Edward.

"When Joel and I used to explore the world looking for other vampires, we would come across mythical creatures, and even places. Whenever we discovered a new creature we would write about it in this."

We had reached the house by then, and Edward was at my side when Scarlet pulled one of the books off of the shelf that was closest to the door.

Scarlet handed me the book. It had a faded brown leather cover. I opened it carefully and looked through it. It had sketches of unicorns, fairies, werewolves, vampires, mermaids, elves, witches, and many other creatures I still thought of as myths. As I got to the back of the book, the theme switched from creatures to places; Atlantis, the city of gold, and the fountain of youth. I was amazed. All these places and creatures people dreamed about were real. I should have guessed.

"When Joel died, I decided to keep logging any creature I came across. It didn't happen very often, but I did discover a few other creatures. I will have to add your shifter friend to the book later. Anyway, after about a hundred years of traveling things became too dangerous for me. Whenever I ran into a coven I was endangering not only myself, but that coven as well. I returned here, where the Volturi would least expect me to be."

I was thinking about this when Scarlet giggled. She saw me look over in curiosity.

"Edward is trying to read my mind, but he's having a hard time." She said to me as she looked at Edward.

Edward had a frustrated look on his face. He looked back at the shelves, and kept packing the books silently.

"How does your power work anyway." I asked. I had been wondering about it for a while now.

She stopped what she was doing for a moment. She looked like she was trying to figure out how to word something. She started playing with her hair. This seemed to be something she did when she was uncomfortable, nervous, or thinking too hard.

"The best way to describe it is like molding clay. It is already molded into a certain form, but I am able to edit it, lend it to someone else, or take it for myself. I can do this to multiple skills at a time and use it on multiple people at a time, but if there are too many I get tired. It is not a kind of illusion or something where I just send signals to the brain. It is more mentally tiring, like trying to juggle several objects of different sizes at once. It is not physically hard, but it is hard mentally. It takes practice, and I am still not very good at it."

"Has anyone been able to stop your skill." I was extremely curious now.

"Not yet." Scarlet laughed. "I have been lucky so far. Hopefully I would know if they could when they entered my perimeter and then I would have time to escape."

"What is your perimeter?" Edward asked. He sounded more interrogative than curious.

"About a mile." Scarlet shrugged. "It would give me a good chance to escape first."

Edward nodded. I could see him "taking notes" on our conversation. Making sure he got anything of the least importance memorized. He had started packing the books into boxes. I went to help him. I reached for the next book on the shelf and pulled out a book by Shakespeare.

The book was old. Probably a little less than four hundred years old. The aged brown cover had no designs except for the word Hamlet scrawled across the center. Out of curiosity, I opened the book. On the inside was a note.

It said Dearest Scarlet, I wish you peace and happiness all your days.

~Mr. Shakespeare

I looked at Scarlet in shock.

"You knew Shakespeare!"

I was not the only one who was mystified. Edward's jaw had also dropped as he read over my shoulder.

"He was a family friend." Scarlet answered simply as she packed.

As I put the book carefully in the box, I thought about all the things this girl must have done or seen in her lifetime. All the stories she must have to tell. I could question her forever, but that would not get anything done. I tried to concentrate on packing, even when I came across an undiscovered Mozart piece, or an original De Gas.

There was little chatting as we packed. I stopped now and then to ask Scarlet questions about her adventures, but quickly returned to my work after I got an answer. I asked a couple questions about Joel, but after seeing the sad look in her eyes whenever she had to answer them, I stopped.

I got a text from Renesmee that had a picture attached of a butterfly that had landed on Jake's ear. I showed it to Edward who smiled at Jacob's obvious confusion in the moment.

This led to an onslaught of questions from Scarlet. What was Forks like? Did we get along with the humans at the high school? How was the hunting in the area? What were Carlisle and Esme like? What did we do together?

When everything was packed up, and the last boxes were ready to be taken out to the truck, Scarlet stood quietly in the empty room.

"I will be out shortly." She said quietly.

Edward and I left her alone, and took the last boxes to the trailer. We held hands as we walked in silence.

"I can't imagine what she is going through right now." I sighed as I broke the silence. "Leaving almost every memory of Joel behind. I would do everything I could to hold on to your memory. I wonder how she got through the first hundred years?"

Edward looked at my face, and gently took it in both of his hands. "I don't know how she went through the first minute. I would have followed after you as soon as I could."

I shuddered at the murky memory of that dreadful day in Volterra, Italy. Edward was on the brink of suicide after Rose told him I was dead. It was not her fault. I was the one who jumped off the damn cliff in the first place. It had been for recreational purposes of course, but Alice had not known that. Well, that was my excuse. Only Edward knew about the hallucinations I had chased during that painful time.

I dropped my boxes and hugged Edward close. I turned my head so I could touch his lips to mine. I only did this briefly; If I kissed him for too long I would forget everything.

Still, his sweet breath, and his soft lips moving with mine had me dizzy in no time.

"We better get the boxes to the truck." Edward said as he smiled at me with my favorite crooked smile, and brushed my cheek with his hand as he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

"Boxes?" I asked, still dazed.

A throaty chuckle escaped his perfect lips before he picked up his boxes. I followed his example, and we started back towards the truck.

We sat together in the front of the truck waiting for Scarlet to say her goodbyes. We had agreed that Edward would drive. I sat in the middle so I could hold Edwards hand without Scarlet seeing, afraid this would cause her unnecessary pain. We waited for two minutes until Scarlet turned the corner of the house. She got in the truck quickly and quietly, and sat in the seat next to me.

Edward started down the overgrown, bumpy path that faintly led the way out of the clearing. I could see Scarlet watching the small cottage disappear as Edward drove further down the drive. I could see the sadness and loss in her eyes. I involuntarily took her hand in mine. She looked at me with grateful eyes. I could tell we would become really close the next few weeks.

The drive was long and silent. Edward drove as fast as he could without harming the items in the back of the truck. There was little chatter as calming classical music floated from the expensive new stereo that had been installed in the already new truck.

Scarlet fiddled with something around her neck. There was a silver chain, that was partially tucked into the collar of her dress. At the end of the chain was a silver heart locket. The outside of the heart was carved with intricate leafy designs. In the center of the locket was an inscription carved in a delicate script.

Our love will last

Forever and a Day

It was rather large for a locket, and much rounder. The shape reminded me of a walnut shell.

May I?" I asked as I held my hand out for the locket, and Scarlet unhooked the clasp, and carefully placed the locket in my hand.

I gently opened it. When I did, sweet music floated out. I knew the melody. It was Scarborough Fair, one of my favorite folk songs. On the inside of the lid was a little cylinder with small spikes surrounded by gears and other microscopic spinning objects. Together they created a tiny music box inside the necklace.

On the other side of the cover was a portrait of two people. One was a small, elegant girl with pale cream skin, deep blue eyes, and bright red lips. Her dark brown hair was pulled up in a twist with small curls falling from the sides of her face. She was rosy cheeked, and smiling brightly at the man next to her. The man was a tall, pale young man with dark brown hair, and bright crimson eyes. He was handsome, even though the painting could not begin to capture his beauty. He was the image of a perfect marble statue. He smiled back down at the girl who looked so small in comparison.

"We had the portrait done just before I got sick." Scarlet sighed as she caught me with my jaw dropped in wonder. I had to quickly remember how to close it.

Scarlet took the locket from me, and gazed at the picture for a long moment. She stroked the face of the boy gently with her finger before closing the locket. The music faded, and Scarlet put the necklace back on her neck in one swift movement.

The ride home continued silently. We drove as fast as the truck would go. With Edwards impeccable driving we had no reason to worry about the items in the back. We only slowed down when a cop drove by.

We arrived home at twilight. Carlisle and Esme were waiting in the driveway. When we stopped the car, Carlisle started to help unpack the truck. Esme walked towards the car, and the rest of us got out to greet her.

Esme embraced Edward and me before giving Scarlet an equally welcoming hug.

"Welcome home." She said cheerfully. "We got Edward's old room ready for you since he doesn't use it anymore. We hope you like it."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it. It has been centuries since I have been part of a real family." Scarlet smiled.

I could hear an unfamiliar car coming up the driveway. It was coming fast too. Edward, Esme, and Carlisle were smiling while Scarlet and I stood there bewildered.

A minute later, a sleek black sports car skidded to a stop in front of us. I remembered this car from the Edward car quiz; a Lamborghini Murcielago. It was supposed to be really fast and dangerous for the ignorant human. The perfect car for a vampire.

Emmett and Jasper got out of the car laughing and playfully shoving each other.

"Sorry we're late." Jasper said between bursts of laughter.

"Well, that was a rush." Emmett bellowed.

"Nice car." Scarlet complimented them as she stroked the hood. "Which one of you does it belong to?" she asked without looking away.

Carlisle and Esme grinned wider.

"It is yours now." Esme spoke up. "No one here goes without some kind of car unless they don't want one."

"Unless you are forced to have one." I mumbled under my breath. Edward chuckled and kissed the top of my head.

"We thought it would be a nice welcoming gift." Carlisle smiled as he pulled Esme into his side.

Scarlet's eyes bulged as she stared at us in excitement. When she got over the shock, she ran to hug her new mom and dad. You could see the younger side of her coming to life.

"Thank you all so much. You don't know how welcome this makes me feel."

"Mom! Dad!"

I knew that familiar greeting, and I let Renesmee to run into my arms. She gave me a big hug and nuzzled her face in my hair. I hugged her back and smelled her sweet scent.

"Hello Aunt Scarlet."

I was a little shocked at the title, but I guess she was my sister now that she had joined the family.

I smiled at my new adopted sister, and let Renesmee go.

"Let's all help Aunt Scarlet unpack. Why don't you get the others to help?"

Renesmee ran into the house to get the others.

Edward, Jasper, Emmett, Scarlet and I got most of the boxes unloaded by the time Alice and Rose got done playing with the cat.

"I have not been able to pet an animal for almost a hundred years." Alice sang as Starlight jumped for the ribbon in her hand.

"I always loved cats." Rose crooned as she stroked the sleek black animal.

Esme laughed and scolded them gently. "Get back to work girls."

They put the cat down, and started taking the boxes up to the room. Scarlet picked up Starlight, and when the boxes were upstairs , Scarlet and I took her to Edwards old room to unpack.

I did not want to mess up the order of any of the books or CD's, so I handed them to Scarlet and she put them on the shelves. There were both old and new books. The oldest was the book signed by Shakespeare, and the most recent one was a vampire novel- go figure. The CD's had music that had been composed hundreds of years ago to current as well. I unpacked a couple paintings too.

When we were mostly finished, we took a break to play with Starlight who was seeking Scarlet's attention. For the most part the room looked the same. The bed with the iron flowers that Edward had gotten me was still there, and the shelves were still lined with CD's and books. Now it had paintings on the walls, and on the bed was a silver mirror and brush set that Scarlet said had belonged to her mother.

Renesmee had followed us into the room, and was looking at all the books on the shelf by the bed.

"What is this?" she asked as she held out the brown book of mythical creatures that Scarlet had shown me earlier.

"That is a book full of all the adventures I had," Scarlet replied.

"May I read it?" Renesmee pleaded.

"I will do better than that." Scarlet answered. "I will tell you one story in there every night before you go home. How does that sound?"

Renesmee hugged her aunt and ran out of the room to tell Jake.

"She has the mind of a scholar and the curiosity of a child." Scarlet told me as Renesmee left. "How old is she?"

"She will be six in a few months." I answered.

"She looks a little older than that!" Scarlet stated with her eyes bulging.

I laughed. "One of the traits of Vampire hybrids." I explained. "Rapid growth."

"That's right," Scarlet said "she's only part human. I was quite confused when I first saw her. You will have to explain it all to me sometime."

I forgot that we had not told her about Nessie. She obviously knew a little, but we would have to tell her the story later.

"Hey Jake." A voice rang out from downstairs. It had to be Seth Clearwater. He was one of the only pack members who enjoyed visiting the house anymore. He did not mind being around vampires like the rest of them. Quil and Embry visited often. They still liked me as a person, but they were still having a hard time with the "no vampire" instinct.

"We heard a new vampire moved in and they sent me to check everything out. How's it goin'?"

"She's unpacking." Jake replied.

"Well, Sam and the others want me to officially welcome her. I guess I am the official vampire welcome wagon from now on."

"At least it's a welcome wagon and not an ambush. I think they're all getting used to having vampires around."

"I guess I should go downstairs." Scarlet said as she got up and headed out the door.

I followed her down the steps and into the living room where Seth and Jake were both chatting.

Jake looked over Seth's shoulder and saw Scarlet.

"Seth, this is Scarlet, the newest member of the Cullen family. Scarlet, this is Seth."

Seth turned around to shake her hand and froze when he saw her face. Scarlet froze too. They were staring at each other with a look I had never seen before.

At first I thought something was wrong. Then, I took a second look at Seth. His eyes were wide in wonder, not fear. He was frozen by amazement, not horror.

He looked like a blind man who had just seen the sun for the very first time.