The house was huge. It was three stories and a pale yellow color. There was a wrap around porch with four huge steps and two white rocking chairs. The windows were all high and large. On the corner side of the house the window rounded with the house. The largest window in the middle had a balcony. I looked back at the porch. There were two people sitting on the steps facing me. One was a short women around 18 or 19 with pixie style hair. She wore a purple low cut long sleeved shirt with a short tight black mini skirt, and wedge style knee-length boots. She was beautiful, she had a bright warm smile on her face. Next to her sat a man around 20, holding her hand. He had dark blonde hair, was tall, and a brooding look on his face, as if bracing himself for a tragedy. The women lent over and whispered something, I couldn't hear, in the man's ear. He nodded at her, looked over at me, then sprang up and walked into the house. The women gracefully stood and slowly descended the stairs and walked over to me. Instead of feeling scared or defensive I felt open. I wasn't scared of this women, actually I had a feeling I'd really like her. She still had her beautifully warm smile on her face when she stopped in front of me with her hand stuck out for me to shake.
"Hi. I'm Alice Cullen." I shook her hand smiling at her, we were about the same height now that I saw her closer. She had a golden amber colored eyes her hair was a dark brown and she was pale.
"Hi, Alice. I'm Scarlett Lane." our hands dropped. "Um, where are we?" I asked hertentatively.
"Pines Pacific. We're few miles away from Forks and the La Push reservation." she chirped.
"Oh! Well, um, I'm from Seattle and I-"
"Alice!" She turned her head towards the house. "Bring her to the house!" Alice turned around.
"Come on!" she grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the house and up the steps. She dropped my hand and skipped over the threshold I walked slowly towards the door. Alice turned and smiled, she grabbed my hand pulling me in, "It's okay, silly. We won't bite!" she laughed. She gently led me to the living room, full of nine others. I heard breathing and two heart beats, one normal and the other faster. I looked at the people in front of me. They were all beautiful and pale, except for two, they were beautiful but not pale like the others, they had the heartbeats. Alice and I were standing in the under the entryway to the living room. The room was open with light green walls and light brown plush furniture. A huge window with a window seat sat at the wall on the right facing the front of the house. On the wall facing in front of me held a plasma screen TV, which was turned to a baseball game, set on mute. To the left, in the pallor was the grand staircase that winded up the three stories. To the left of the staircase was a door leading to the empty kitchen, to the right of that was the opening of what seemed to be the sparse dining room. And behind me with dark blue walls and gray furniture had a massive beautiful black grand piano that I just wanted to run to and play my heart out. The two heartbeats sat on the window seat while another couple sat on the love seat. The oldest people of the nine stood in front of Alice and I, the blocked the other sofa from my view. The man holding Alice's hand earlier was sitting on a step of the staircase. I stared at the people in the room. I gulped suddenly nervous. What am I doing here? Who are these people? My nervousness must have shown on my face, because Alice laid a gentle hand on my shoulder. I turned my head to smile my thanks at her. I looked back and the oldest man walked up to me. He looked to be in his twenties maybe early thirties. He had blonde hair, pale, and beautiful. He wore his clothes as in an old era, he seemed intelligent and kind just from the way he looked.
"Hello. I am Doctor Carlise Cullen." he stuck his hand out for me to shake, and I did.
"Hello, Mr. Cullen. I am Scarlett Lane." I stammered, I bit my lip casting my eyes to my feet.
"No need to be formal here, dear." Carlise laughed softly. "How old are you dear?" I looked back at his gaze.
"Sixteen." I told him quietly. "Sir, if I may please use your phone, I need to call my family and tell them I am fine. I don't need them to worry about me." A look of pity came across Carlise and the rest of the people's faces. I looked around at them, my questioning look prompted Carlise.
"Dear, I'm sorry but you can't go back to your family." he told me sadly.
"What?!" I whispered. Frightened I started backing away from him, but Alice stopped me, gripping my shoulder. "Why can't I go back?! I have to tell them! They must think I was kidnapped! I must tell them I'm perfectly fine!" I yelled, breaking loose of Alice's grip and backing towards the door. Carlise followed me, as did the man who held Alice's hand and a tall, muscular, burly dark haired man. I was scared, nervous, and confused. All I wanted to do was crawl up in a ball hide under my blanket and cry. I was hyperventilating my back pressed up against the door as the three men surrounded me. "Who are you all?!" I cried out. I started shaking.
"I am Carlise and this is my family. We..." he hesitated. "We are vampires, Scarlett." My eyes widened as I looked at them. What? Are they crazy? Don't they know vampires don't exist? I laughed.
"What are you kidding?" I asked between my spasms of laughter. But there was no humor in their faces. The seriousness was written on their faces. "Are you serious?" I whispered. They nodded.
"Well, where are the fangs?" Now I was curious. Then they started to laugh. "What? I thought vampires were suppose to have fangs?" I asked.
"No we don't have fangs, Scarlett." he smiled.
"Oh. Well, um, I don't know a lot about vampires fact or myth. I never did believe they existed well...until now." I laughed softly. "So, I can never see my parents again? Or Annie? Ever again? Why?" I whispered sadly.
"Yes. No one can know of vampires existing, only certain people may know they do. Because, Scarlett, you are a vampire too." he informed me.
"What?!" I shouted. He nodded his head.
"Try and find your pulse." I gave him a puzzled look and he nodded his head again. I place my index and middle fingers on top of the underside of my wrist. I couldn't feel it. I looked at him horrified. My fingers flew to my neck, searching not finding anything again. This time I put my hand over my heart. Nothing. I couldn't even hear it. A whine, a dry sob escaped from my mouth.
"I am a vampire." another sob escaped me. "This isn't fair! I'm suppose to grow up! To graduate from high school! I'm suppose to go to college! To have more than two friends!" I screamed stamping my foot on the ground as my dry sobs continued. I knew I must have sounded and looked a fright. But I didn't care, if I got this out now I wouldn't do it again. I rubbed at the non-exsistant tears on my face and whispered, "I didn't even fall in love or say good-bye to my parents. I leaned heavily on the door. Once my dry sobs subsided Carlise spoke.
"Scarlett, being a vampire isn't a terribly dreadful thing. You can still graduate high school, go to college, and fall in love. Just it'll all happen in the body of your sixteen year old self. You will never age again. You will live forever." I can graduate, go to college, and fall in love. That isn't so bad, except I'll be alone forever, and literally speaking.
"Oh, yeah living forever, by myself. That sounds absolutely great." I said, dripped with sarcasm.
"Who said you'll be alone?" Carlise smiled.
"I can't go home, so obviously I'm going to be alone." I informed them as if they should know this.
"No, you'll stay with us." Carlise said confidently. I gaped at him.
"What? Forever? Are you serious? You've already got a big enough family, Mr. Cullen, I don't want to burden you."
"You won't burden us. We like our large family. Why not add a new member?" he laughed. I gaped again and nodded my head. He smiled. "Okay, now we must introduce you to the family." I just nodded. Carlise gestured to his left to the man who was with Alice on the porch. "This is Jasper Cullen. He and Alice are married." Jasper nodded to me. To Carlise's left he introduced Emmet. "This is Emmet. He and Rosalie are married, too." Emmet grinned a big warm goofy grin.
"Hello, Scarlett, nice to meet you." I smiled back at Emmet. Jasper and Emmet backed up to lean against a wall, staring at me. Carlise turned around and walked to the living room. Carlise pointed to the beautiful young women sitting on the love seat. She was blond, tall, and had a slight frown on her face, she seemed cold and distant. "This is Rosalie." she nodded and I nodded back. Walking up to Carlise was another blond women, but she was older around the same age as Carlise. "And this is Esme my wife." Carlise smiled. Esme smiled at me and came up giving me a gentle hug. I must say I really did need that hug and was very thankful for it. Esme, you could tell was the mother, if not by blood, to the rest of the family. I smiled back at the beautiful women. Carlise then pointed to the youngest at the window seat. "That is my granddaughter Renesme and her boyfriend Jacob Black." Renesme bound off the seat and glided toward me. She wasn't as pale as the others, she had some color to her face, she had dark brown hair with a reddish tint to it. But she had brown eyes, unlike everyone else, who had the golden amber color eyes.
"Call me Nessie, everyone else does." she smiled a wide beautiful crooked smile. And pulled me into a warm hug, and this time I felt myself hugging her back, I could tell I was going to like her. She was around my age I could tell give or take a year. I smiled back her a true smile. Behind her Jacob waved at me. He had dark skin and shaggy jet black hair. He looked Native American. He had a warm wide smile on his face as I waved back at him. Nessie backed away and sat down next to Jacob and he slid an arm around her waist. I turned back to Carlise and he pointed to the last couple sitting on the large sofa. The couple they were breathtaking. So beautiful and radiating love. I smiled at them. I gasped as Carlise said, "This is my son, Edward, and his wife,-" I cut him off.
"Bella?!" my eyes widened as I laid them on my cousin, whom I haven't seen since I was 7. Wait. I haven't seen her since I was 5, but how do I remember her? Everyone looked at me oddly. Especially, Bella. I started to panic.
"Uh, well, you probably don't remember me. I don't even know how I remember you. Since the last time I saw you I was 5. Charlie's sister is my mom, Bella. Andrea Lane, or use to be Andrea Swan." I told her, looking her in the eye. Suddenly realization dawned on her.
"Oh, Scar!" she said softly and she flew from her seat. Soon she was enveloping me into a massive hug. "Scar! I haven't seen you in so long! How are you? What happened?" she stepped back her hands on my face. Then pulled me into another hug, whispering, "Oh, how could I forget you, Scar?"
"It's okay, Bells, I'm invisible, remember?" I laughed softly. "Even grandma said it. I don't think I'm going to be missed much. But I was never meant to stand out and shine." I whispered softly.
Bella pulled back again looking me in the eye.
"Oh, you are going to be missed. They are going to miss the nicest smartest girl." she lent her forehead to mine. "You always hid behind your music and books."
"And what you didn't Bell? Oh, yeah you had your clumsiness to shine you." Bella huffed.
"I never had music. And like you should talk, you had bad clumsiness if I recall, correctly." we laughed.
"So Bell when did you get married and have a kid?" I smiled at her.
"About 5 years ago." she sighed like a sap. I laughed.
"God, Bells don't love me enough to invite me to your own damn wedding? So is it another supernatural thing for your daughter look sixteen when she was born 5 years ago?" I laughed. Bella laughed too.
"In all good time, Scary," I cringed at the old family nickname. "I'll tell you everything. Remember we have forever."