Ch. 5. History 102

About a month after Spark and I left Volterra, we headed to America. After a rather eventless trip, we headed toward Alaska, toward the Denali family, a clan of vegetarians like Spark and I. I'd chosen to become a vegetarian, because the look of terror on Sarah's face haunted my mind. Spark had chosen to become a vegetarian because she could feel their fear, feel the emotions that come with death. Which was another reason my will to be a vegetarian grew stronger; I was constantly tapped into Spark's power. I constantly was feeling what she felt; it is seriously annoying. After leaving Volterra, I'd realized that the powers I'd grown so used to feeling were gone. I could dimly find Jane's flame, as I've come to call the presence of the other powers. After some deliberation, I came to the conclusion that my ability to copy other vampires' powers was tied to the distance of the vampire as well as the familiarity. Since Jane had used her power on me as much as she had, I had grown so used to the power that it became very familiar and I could tap into it from further away. The other Volturi powers were not so familiar to me. But Spark's power, being with her for a month and having her power constantly attack me, not that it was voluntary on her part, was even more familiar than my own. I don't know how she does it, honestly. It gives me a headache, and I try to extinguish the flame as much as possible…but I never get very far.

As Spark and I are traveling through the different American states, we're talking about where we might be able to go. I suggest the Denali's, but Spark just shakes her head at me.

"I don't feel like intruding on another clan today."

I roll my eyes at her, and she laughs. She can feel my slight irritation.

"Look," she tells me, "do YOU want to deal with the emotional headache?"

"Oh good lord, no" I say with a small laugh. "Anything but an emotional headache" my bell like laughter floats around us as we run.

"Well then no Denali clan. So where can we go?"

But I don't hear most of her statement. I stop running and hold my head in my hands.

Feeling the shift of my emotions, from enjoyment to torture, Spark stops quickly and is back at my side, her eyes scanning our surroundings, looking for a threat. "What is it?" she touches my shoulder.

However, I can hear her thoughts. I can hear the thoughts of everyone around me. I grit my teeth together. "Damn it. I didn't realize they'd be around here…" I say quietly, gripping my head between my hands.

"What is going on?" Spark asks. I can feel her frustration radiating off her.

"Spark, can you try to chill your emotions? I don't think I can handle the added emotions and the voices…"

"Voices?" Spark asks with confusion in her voice but I can't feel it. I'm grateful for her ability to control her emotions.

"Yes. Apparently my half brother is around here somewhere…and by the sounds of the voices closet to him, he's with his family." I realize, only too late, that I haven't told Spark about Edward.

Feeling the dread radiate off of me, Spark accidently lets confusion leak from her. "Half brother?"

"Yeah, Edward…" I looked at her. "He doesn't consider me his sister anymore. Not since I went to Italy and abandoned him." I sighed. "Let's just go find them. You'll enjoy Carlisle, and maybe I can control this stupid mind-reading ability of Edward's better when we're closer to him."

Spark just looked confused but nodded. I could feel the concern radiating off of her, but I also felt her conscious effort to stop radiating her emotions. I sighed and just led the way.

Despite the massive headache growing in my mind, I was happy to see Carlisle; and obviously Edward but he wasn't quite as happy to see me.

Upon seeing me, Carlisle looked at Edward. Carlisle is very handsome and young looking, much like a movie star. He is also very levelheaded and fair. He has asked me on various occasions to stay with him and Edward, but with Edward's new hostility to me, I always refuse.

***

I traveled from Volterra to back home, still a newborn, but completely in control. It'd been about a month ago when I'd realized my new powers and my extreme self control. I'm worried about Edward. Word reached us of the Spanish Influenza hitting my home town. I stop at Edward's house, only to find it completely empty. My heart falls. "Edward…" I find myself whispering.

Then I notice something, two new scents, rather close to me. Stopping in my tracks, I spin and look at where the new scents are coming from. One of them is somewhat familiar to me. But I end up on the ground, my head in my hands. I hear this constant low hum and it's very distracting and very painful for my mind. I look to see who is possibly assaulting my mind with this low talk, and gasp. "Edward."

There's my brother, right in front of me, but he's so different; his eyes are crimson, and he's pale white. I can't hear his heartbeat nor can I see the blood moving under his skin in his veins. My brother's a vampire. "No!"

Then I notice the other vampire standing by him. But I don't get to take too much detail from him, because I'm suddenly flying backwards. I push Edward off of me and crouch down, only planning on defending myself. "Edward! Stop it!"

Edward just snarls at me and lunges again. I dodge, taking a quick step to the side, and look at him. "EDWARD! I'M YOUR SISTER FOR CHIRST'S SAKE!"

Edward shakes his head, crouching again. "You're no sister of mine."

I look at his crimson eyes, contemplating running, when the other vampire steps in between us. He puts a restraining hand on Edward. "Not here son." His voice is quiet, but it sends chills up my spine. He turns his eyes on me and I gasp; they're golden.

"You're not a human-feeder!" I can feel my eyes widen.

"Nor are you." He says, noting my amber eyes.

I shake my head. "No."

Edward snarls at me, baring his teeth, still in a crouch.

The other vampire looks at him. "Who are you, that my son here feels so threatened?"

My eyes glance to Edward. "My name is Elanor, Elanor Star. My mother was Tara Star and my biological father was Edward Masen…"

Edward snarled again.

The vampire looked at me with knowing, understanding, eyes. "Edward, please calm down." He turned to my brother again.

"She LIES!" he snarled, yelling.

I looked at him. "No Edward. I don't." I cringe, hearing his thoughts. "I didn't mean to abandon you. I wouldn't have left if I'd had ANY idea that this would happen to us…" I took a step closer. "I would have found a way to bring everyone, or die next to you and dad." I knew if I was human I would have been crying by now; not only was my half-brother, who'd I been fairly close to before now, so mad at me that he was literally trying to figure out the best way to destroy me, but I'd just seen in his mind that dad and Elizabeth were both dead.

"Get. Away. From. Me." Edward snarled at me.

I looked at the other vampire, knowing who he was. "I guess I have to go…" I went to turn and run, but I looked back at him. "Aro says hello, Carlisle." Then, I ran back to Volterra.

***

Carlisle, glancing at Edward momentarily, smiled and walked toward me, arms open. "Elanor. What a surprise!" he smiled. His eyes glanced toward Spark.

I smiled at him and hugged him; as redundant as that actually is with a vampire. "Believe me, the surprise is all mine." I let go of him and smiled at Edward, who returned my smile, showing all his teeth, his lips curled around them; a snarl of course.

Spark was by me instantly, feeling the hostility coming off of him. I put a hand on her shoulder gently and looked at Carlisle. "Carlisle, Edward this is my new friend, someone who's like a sister to me," my eyes glanced to Edward's face and I watched him stiffen. I held back a sigh, "This is Jennifer Parker. I call her Spark. Spark, this is my, broth…" I paused "Half-brother, Edward and the vampire who created him, Carlisle." I smiled at Carlisle.

Carlisle extended a hand toward Spark who shook it. "It's nice to meet you Jennifer."

"Please, call me Spark. I rather like the new nickname Elanor came up with." Spark smiled, and it was a friendly smile, but I could tell she didn't like the hostility she was getting off of Edward.

"Ah. Spark it is." Carlisle smiled. "So how old are you Spark?"

Spark's eyes flitted towards mine. I could tell she was trying to get a read off of my emotions. I kept myself calm so she would stay; Carlisle, after all, was very nice and caring and there was no reason for us to leave yet, other than the increasing hostility coming off of Edward. I smiled at her and nodded.

"About 200 years or so." She shrugged. "I don't have a very interesting background."

I laughed. "Liar." My laughter was like ringing bells. I smiled at Carlisle. "Spark was an artist, and as you know females weren't allowed to be official artists back then. She painted under a false name and was sneaking into an exhibit to hang one of her pieces up she was caught by a man, a fellow artist. He saw her for what she truly was and blackmailed her into dating him, posing for him, being his muse. She fell in love, naturally, and didn't know the man was a vampire. He changed her and then left." I paused and looked at Spark. I used Edward's power and probed Spark's mind. Combined with Spark's ability to feel emotions, I knew what she was thinking. I looked at her and nodded.

Spark gave me a confused look.

"That's all Spark really remembers." I shrugged.

"How very interesting." Carlisle smiled at her. "Do you have any special abilities like Elanor and Edward?"

Spark opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. "Wait. He," she nodded her head towards Edward, "has a special ability?"

Carlisle looked at me like it was a surprise that I hadn't told her.

I explained quickly. "Edward can read minds. Everything you're thinking right now is fair game for him. It's kinda like Aro, but you have to actually touch Aro. Edward can hear anyone within so much of a distance, but he can only hear what you're thinking at that exact moment." I looked at Carlisle. "Spark can read emotions, and effect them. If she came into the room all bubbly and bouncy, like she usually does," I added with a smile at Spark, "everyone will feel like doing cartwheels. Trust me on that one." I rolled my eyes.

"Ah. That's very intriguing." Carlisle smiled at Spark. He looked at me again, his eyes curious. "And you still have your power then?"

I nodded. "Yes, but it currently just likes to give me headaches." I sighed. "Although, Spark swears I have a second ability."

Carlisle frowned as he thought about that. "Well I suppose that's possible. What is it?"

Before I could answer, or Spark could, Edward spoke softly. "Spark thinks Elanor can entrance people with her eyes. She's found herself staring at Elanor's eyes, unable to look away, and swears she ends up seeing a line of this crystal blue; probably her old eye color. She thinks the only reason she could look away was because Elanor blinked. It's actually rather interesting." Edward's voice was quiet.

I felt Spark stiffen next to me. I ignored her and looked at Edward. "Edward, won't you forgive me?"

Edward scoffed; I hadn't known vampires could still make that sound.

"Please Edward. I'm not a fortune teller. I can't see the future. You told me to go! You encouraged it!"

I saw Edward remember our conversation. "See, you remember it!"

Edward glared at me. "Get out of my brain."

"Only if you look into mine and see I'm showing the truth. Please Edward." I pleaded with him, my golden eyes wide.

Spark and Carlisle just exchanged glances. I tried to ignore them and just concentrated on Edward.

Edward sighed. "You still abandoned me."

"You're happy in this world. You love being a vampire."

"Yeah, I love being a monster." Edward said sarcastically.

Ouch. I looked at him and shook his head. "You're not a monster." I said quietly.

Edward scoffed again. "I have the urge to kill people on a minutely basis. Yeah, I'm not a monster."

I rolled my eyes. If he wanted sarcasm, I'd give him sarcasm. "Yeah, you're such a monster. You DON'T kill people despite your increasing urge to. You horrible beast."

Spark laughed quietly, as did Carlisle.

Edward fumed.

"Edward you've always been a believer of things happen for a reason. So obviously there is a reason behind you and me both becoming vampires. Maybe it's time to realize I didn't abandon you." I said a little harsher then I intended.

Edward shook his head at me. "Just go." He said quietly.

I looked at Spark and tried to see what she was thinking. Thankfully, she was smarter than the average vampire, because she realized the moment Edward's power was revealed to her that I would be able to do the same thing as Edward. She met my eyes. I looked at Carlisle. "Well, it was really nice running into you again Carlisle, but I think it's time Spark and I continued on our way." I walked over to him and hugged him again.

"Where are you going?" Carlisle asked as he returned my hug.

"No clue yet. We'll find somewhere though. Maybe we'll head to New Zealand." I shrugged and looked at Edward.

Spark hugged Carlisle too, which took me by surprise. "It was nice meeting you. I hope to see you again."

"The pleasure was all mine, Spark." Carlisle smiled warmly at her.

Spark looked at Edward and nodded once. "Edward."

Edward returned the nod then turned around his back to me. "Goodbye Elanor."

I turned around as well. "Bye." I whispered before Edward and I walked in opposite directions. Spark was by my side, and I could feel Carlisle by Edward's.

The more space between the four of us, the quieter the humming got.