*All characters except Emily and Sarah are the intellectual property of Stephanie Myer. Emily and Sarah are the intellectual property of me.*
Five Years Later
I brushed my hair and quickly pulled it back into a ponytail. Today was the first day of classes and I had to make sure that not only was I ready but that Sarah was okay to stay by herself. I remember the day that I had found her, six months ago.
I had returned to my hometown for the first time in four years to see how my mother was doing. Although I knew that I could never truly come back, I had to make sure that she was surviving. I had looked after her for as long as I could remember and I couldn't bear to stop now.
I was forced to come during the night because my thirst was so strong. I had gone to a library and done some research. Turns out that I had been turned into a vampire and that scent was their blood. I guess I was supposed to need it to survive but so far I had been fine. Not one drop had crossed my lips since I had been bitten all those years ago. How? I have absolutely no idea.
I snuck into the house using the spare key that mom kept under the gnome next to the back door. Mom was sleeping soundly, without the use of medication. After I had disappeared she had used meds to sleep. I had come every night for months and flushed them to make sure that she didn't gain a dependency. Thankfully she hadn't. The house was clean which meant that there was probably a man in her life. When it was just her, she struggled to do much of anything.
I gave her a small kiss and left the house exactly as I had found it. With a small sigh, I began to leave town but caught a slight scent of blood. A lot of it. I stayed in the shadows and followed the scent. I saw someone lying in the alleyway between the school and the mall. I took one last breath and then walked over. Sarah was lying very still and had several bite's on her arms. I knew that she may not survive because of all the blood that was now spilled on the concrete. Yet how could I leave her here?
I scooped her into my arms and kissed the top of her head.
"It's okay Sarah. I'm here now. I've got you." I laid her head against my shoulder and left town.
A knock pulled me from my thoughts. I smiled as the door slowly opened and Sarah popped her head in.
"Just making sure you hadn't forgotten." She skipped into the room and perched on the edge of my bed.
"How could I Sarah. It's been five years since I dropped out of school. I have to finish eventually." I threw the hairbrush at her and she caught it with ease. "Are you sure you are going to be okay alone? There are going to be a lot of people around today?"
"Yes Emily! I'll be fine. If it gets overwhelming, I'll have the deer blood that you got for me. Don't worry so much. You're starting to sound like my mother!" She gave me a hug and skipped back out of the room.
I grabbed my backpack and took one last look around my room. When I was satisfied that I hadn't forgotten anything, I closed the door. Sarah was sitting at the table in the kitchen working out this month's bills. We had to buy human food because people would become suspicious if we didn't. I gave her a quick kiss on the head and headed to the front door. I grabbed my keys from the hook and glanced in the mirror. My eyes had become a black color that never faded. Sarah's did but only after she fed off an animal. I had taken it upon myself to teach her not to feed from humans even though I was not her maker.
With a sigh I headed out. Luckily this town was mostly overcast and rainy during the summer while it was overcast and snowing in the winter. I walked to school as we lived on the edge of the small town and the school was in the exact center.
Upon arriving I went straight to the administration's office to finish filling out the forms required for me to begin. It was almost the end of September but I had to make sure that I was caught up to grade elven before I dared begin. In order for me to start, Sarah had called and pretended to be my mother. She had made herself out to be hair brained and forgetful so they wouldn't ask for a social insurance number. They had asked for a birth certificate but thankfully I had thought to have a couple forged when we applied for the apartment.
A woman cleared her throat and brought me to the present. I quickly plastered a smile on my face and walked up to the desk.
"Hi. I'm Emily Cooper." I smiled at her as I pulled out my birth certificate and handed it over.
"Yes the home schooled girl from the city! How are you liking our small town?" She smiled as she began to fill out some kind of form.
"Honestly I love it. The city was too busy for my Mom and I. This is much better." She held out the certificate and I quickly tucked it back into my bag. She held out my schedule and turned back to her book. I quickly left and inspected it while in the hall.
I took a deep breath and froze. Something didn't smell right. There were definitely humans around but I swear I smelled another vampire. I quickly scanned the crowd but didn't spot anyone that didn't appear human. I shrugged it off and went in search of room twenty-two for my first class, math.
The teacher handed me a text as soon as I walked through the door. He smiled at me and gestured to a seat in the very front row. I shook my head and headed to the middle, where I could blend in. I pulled out my binder and pencils and settled into the chair. I looked around the room and knew that I would have to tone down my math skills if I was to not stand out. I smiled knowing that I was probably the smartest person in the class.
Then the scent hit me. It took all of my will power to not jump out of my seat. I slowly looked at the door out of the corner of my eye and felt my stomach drop. Two blonds, most likely siblings walked through the door. I saw the male sniff the air and felt their eyes boring into my skull. I kept my eyes on my paper and began to doodle as if waiting for class to begin.
The girl sauntered past me and sat in the very back row. The male on the other hand, dropped his books next to me.
"I'm so sorry!" He smiled and let out a small gasp when he saw my eyes. I was also shocked because his were a stunning golden color! He quickly hurried to his seat and began whispering to the girl. I shook my head and took a steadying breath. There was no way that I was going to throw away my only chance to complete high school!
The last few students wandered through the door and the teacher began. Luckily I already knew all the work I was able to daydream and work out a way to avoid the other vampires. The bell rang and I stood to leave but a hand landed on my arm. It gave a slight squeeze and I knew that they meant business. I quickly exited the classroom and walked towards the front door. As soon as I stepped outside I scanned around for the most secluded area. Instead I spotted three more vampires and knew that I was most likely in trouble. I swung around and began to job down the street, aiming for the woods on the side of town. Within ten minutes I was there.
I stepped under the cover of the trees and kept walking. After I was sure there were no people around, I stopped and sat on a fallen tree. It didn't take long for the rest to catch up. There were three males and two females. They seemed to be coupled off although one seemed to not have a mate. I eyed them careful trying to figure out if they were a threat to Sarah and I. No one said a word until the small female sighed in exasperation.
"Oh come on! Just ask her already." She glared at the male who was alone and he shot her a glare back in return. He then turned towards me and held out his hand.
"I'm Edward Cullen and these are my siblings. Emmet, Rose, Jasper and Alice." I didn't move from my spot and he eventually dropped his arm. "Jasper and Rose were concerned when they saw your eyes. When was the last time you fed?" His voice was hard but there was an edge of concern hidden underneath.
I couldn't help but laugh at his question.
"Fed? Never." I straightened my face and saw shock shoot across all of their faces.
"What?" Edward seemed dumbfounded and I sighed as I stood up.
"I don't fed. Never have never will." I shrugged. "So no need to worry about me messing up and exposing us." I tried to walk past them but a hand hit my shoulder and held me in the place. I hadn't even notice Emmet move up to block me.
"What do you mean never? Doesn't the thirst get the better of you? How long is never?" I noticed that they were beginning to form a half circle around me and I didn't like it one bit.
"Never Edward. A single drop of blood had never crossed my lips. The thirst came to a peak when I was six months into this life. I got used to it and can now tune it out. Um, five years and a bit. Can I go now?" I glared at him and shoved Emmet's arm off my shoulder.
The wind picked up and I took a small breath. I gasped when I smelt blood and knew that something had happened. I took off towards home and quickly found myself being followed. I sped up and soon veered into the road. I slowed down and jogged home, praying that Sarah was alright.
As soon as I turned the corner of our building, I knew it was over for us. At least in this town. Sarah sat in the alley holding the corpse of a young man with blood running down her chin.