Hey readers!! So sorry for waiting to post! I had school and vacation and it was just crazy. But i should be updating more often now. Anyway here's an extra long chapter to make it up to you.
And I'm not one to hold chapters hostage, but I will update faster if you review! and If you do, I will give you a hint for the next chapter!
Special thanks to Taybee, my amazing beta!
Chapter 10: Revelations
Edward arrived at my house 15 minutes after our phone call. I ran outside and got in the car with no hesitation. "Hello," I said.
"Hi." He kept his eyes forward as the car shot through the streets. He was obviously feeling uncomfortable. He was probably just thinking about what he was going to say. I looked out the window, and I realized we were heading out of Forks.
"Where are we going?" I asked anxiously, almost nervous. This new Edward frightened me a little.
"Just somewhere I like to go when the weather is nice. It's right outside Forks." I looked out the window. The cottony clouds didn't look very lasting. We settled into silence as he sped down the freeway. Suddenly, he turned onto a side road. We were on a dirt road. I couldn't see anything but the forest.
"We are driving through the woods?" I sounded incredulous.
"We're stopping the car soon. We're hiking."
"What?! You know how clumsy I am!" I shouted. He chuckled.
"Don't worry. I won't let you fall."
"You better not."
The car stopped suddenly. I climbed out and started for the trail.
"Where are you going?" he asked me.
"On a hike." I responded sarcastically.
"You're going the wrong way." He said.
I realized with a jolt that we weren't taking the trail.
"Great, Edward. Just great. Remember, when I break both my ankles, you have to carry me."
"Deal." We started walking. Luckily, the land was pretty even. Edward held aside all the branches for me, and when we came across a fallen log, he lifted me over it.
We had been walking for over an hour, and I was getting frustrated with the silence. Finally, I decided to break it. "Edward, I think it's time you tell me your story."
He sighed. " All right. I'll start with the night of my birthday." He paused. I looked at him expectantly. "After you left and my mom finished cleaning up, I decided to go for a walk. It was dark out by then. I took another way, walking away from the neighborhood a bit. After a while, I was aware of someone following me. A woman, with wild red hair that matched her red eyes. I walked a little faster. She caught up to me easily." He stopped again.
"Why did you stop?" He was really frustrating me with all the stopping. If he needed to say something, he should just say it.
"Before I go on, I need to tell you what I am now." His voice was barely more than a whisper.
I was confused. "What do you mean, what are you? You're a person." He shook his head slowly. I stared at him. "What are you, then? Humor me." I said flatly.
Now his voice was a whisper. "Vampire."
I stared at him, shocked. Then I burst into laughter. "A vampire?! Come on, Edward, even I'm not that stupid!"
He looked frustrated. "It's true! I'll prove it."
"How?" I teased. "Are you going to bite me?" I laughed.
"I wanted to. I still do." He admitted. I fell silent at his serious tone.
"Wait- you really aren't kidding." I stated. He nodded. "How?"
"It's in the story. Well, the woman caught up to me and tossed me to the ground so easily it was like I weighed as much as a feather. She bent over me. I was really scared. I knew something bad was going to happen."
"What happened?" I asked, completely immersed in the story.
"She bit me." He laughed bitterly. "She began to drink my blood. It hurt so much, Bella- you can't understand. That's when Carlisle found me."
"Carlisle?" I repeated with difficulty.
"Yes. He was in Phoenix for a doctor's convention. He was taking a late night run when he smelled the blood and heard my screams. He ran over and fought off the woman. She ran off, and he picked me up and ran with me. Three days passed, the most painful days of my life. He was running, and we were somewhere in California when the pain stopped completely." His voice tightened.
"So by then, you were a-" I couldn't make myself say the word. I still wasn't sure if he was faking.
"Yes. I wanted blood so badly. I would have killed a whole city- a whole state! That was when Carlisle took me hunting."
"You… killed people?" I whispered. This wasn't like the Edward I knew.
"No. Carlisle has existed for 300 years without drinking human blood. We only drink from animals. I was fairly controlled, for a newborn. I was able to go in public without trying to murder anyone who walked by in about six months. That was when he brought me to Forks."
"Your brothers and sisters are like you, too." I said. I was beginning to believe his story, and his 'siblings' all looked so much like him.
"And Esme- my mother for all intents and purposes. They accepted me, and by the year mark I was civilized enough to attend school. I had been there for a half a year when you showed up and made Forks a living hell." His tone was joking, but I could hear the intensity behind it.
"That's why you hated me. Because you were a… vampire." My voice trailed off.
"No- Not at all! You see, every person… smells different to us. We have acute senses, and humans smell like the most delicious food or drink. But you, Bella Swan, for me, you were so much worse."
I was afraid to ask why. Luckily, he continued without my prompting.
"Your scent- it was irresistible. It was like I was a heroin addict, and there is my brand of heroin, right in front of me, ready to be taken."
I gulped. "I was the heroin?"
"Yes. If I hadn't known you for so long before this, nothing would have stopped me from killing the whole class. Even now, your scent hits me just as hard as it did that first day. I just learned to control the monster." He sounded angry with himself.
I stopped walking, and he stopped as I did. "Wow. That is one impressive story." I said, trying to lighten his stormy mood. "But I'm still not sure if I believe it." I reached out to touch his hand, forgetting about my scent for a moment. He stiffened at my touch.
"Bella. I am the world's best predator. Everything about me invites you in- my voice, my face, my smell. As if I need that!" He pulled away as I stood there, shocked at his outburst. He sprinted away into the trees, faster than anyone should be able to go- probably as fast as a car. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I whipped around to see him standing behind me. "As if you could outrun me." He sprinted away again, towards the biggest tree I'd ever seen. He ripped it out of the ground and hurled it an easy fifty feet. It smashed into another tree, which cracked in half on impact. I stared, dumbfounded. He was in front of me again. "As if you can fight me off."
I had no idea what to say. "You killed a tree," was all I managed. Really, where did I come up with this stuff?
He groaned in frustration. "Bella, don't you get it? I'm dangerous. You shouldn't be here with me!"
Oddly enough, though, I didn't feel any fear. "I'm not afraid."
He turned suddenly and smiled. "Look, we're almost to the place. Do you see the light?"
I peered through the trees and saw a warm yellow light ahead. I began running, but then stopped. "Wait- if you're a vampire, doesn't the sun hurt you?"
He laughed. "Myth." I shrugged and began running again. Then I stepped into the most beautiful meadow I've ever seen, bathed in warm sunlight. I turned around. Edward was hesitating in the shadows.
"Come on!" I shouted. What was he waiting for?
He took a deep breath, then stepped into the light.
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