Chapter Eleven – Stories

"I'm not human," Edward said at the same time as me. He stopped, allowing me to go on.

"What do you mean, you're not human?" Carlisle asked, his curiosity overcoming his cautious nature; however his 'family' bunched closer together, thinking strength in numbers would provide more protection.

I opened my mouth then closed it again, hesitating. What I was about to say went against all that Charlie and Renee ever taught me, making me vulnerable. But then I thought of the loneliness of being different and the risk of being alone and carried on.

"I mean that I'm not really the average human." Blank looks were on every face. Esme opened her mouth to speak but I cut her off, carrying on with my speech.

"As you probably already know, I was born to Charlie Swan and Renee Swan here in Forks, but one of the things you probably don't know is that I was also selected for a 'vaccination'. Charlie was a bit worried but Renee was young and naïve. She let them get on with it. They only found out what it was later, but by then it was too late." The details came out alarmingly fast, making me wonder if I had ever been cover-safe.

"The injection was given by The Agency, a group of high-tech mercenaries that were interested in strengthening their ranks. They kept me locked in a room for a whole year, trying to create an invincible soldier." I looked up directly at the Cullens.

"One that would never tire, never feel pain, never be wounded. They had just completed the last set when Charlie came in and fought them off with one shotgun. It's amazing really, with the odds, that he succeeded, but I guess you can do that when you love someone."

"But the point is that they failed, they made a mistake. I am invincible during the day but at night, the wounds come back, my energy depleted. The only reason I survived most wounds was because of the availability of hospitals, but then they got suspicious so my parents treated me themselves."

"I was so careful of not doing anything that might reveal who I was, I didn't participate in sport or tried to make friends; it was safer alone. We were afraid of The Agency; the thing was that they didn't know that the whole experiment was a failure, and so my DNA was valuable property. They chased us for so long and soon enough Charlie gave up."

"He wasn't the man who had single-handedly saved his daughter anymore; he was a tired old cop who couldn't take it anymore. So Renee and I left for Phoenix, I was only two." I ignored the pitiful expressions that came my way; I hated being considered less fortunate.

"I learned how to act like I didn't care about anybody and soon enough I didn't. I had no friends, nobody to talk to and I was happy; I didn't hurt anyone and they didn't hurt me. I grew up, living the same life every day until it changed. My Mom found another man. His name was Phil, and he seemed perfect. He made my Mom happy, happier than with me and so I decided to leave. Better for them to be happy than scared for their lives for a freak daughter."

"And so I came to Forks… and you know the rest of the story from there." My heart felt lighter after saying everything, after putting my heart on my sleeve for near strangers.

The Cullens didn't act the way I thought they would; instead of screaming and calling the Police, they relaxed and looked at me as if they understood. I thought their first question would be 'What on earth are you talking about?' but the reality was quite different.

"Did you have anything to do with the murders of those men?" Jasper asked, still tensed. He didn't even have to name them; I knew exactly what he meant.

"Yes, they were from The Agency. They tried to take me. So I killed most of them and the rest fled." I said it simply, knowing that the Cullens would now know who I really was: a murderer. A monster.

"Are you alright?" Esme asked, her face full of concern. I had just confessed to being a monster and she was concerned for me? 'These people are too good for me.' I thought.

"That's wrong." Jasper muttered quietly. "You were feeling shame because you thought we were too good. You're wrong."

Edward looked away. "We are vampires." He said it without fuss, expecting me to run away and plead for my life. I did neither. Something told me that they weren't bad; that Edward was not the evil blood sucking parasite that I considered a vampire.

"Carlisle was bitten in 1663; he was the son of a priest who found it his passion to hunt vampires and witches. He was often wrong and innocent people died, but Carlisle was smarter. He found a coven of real vampires in London and so they went out with the torches and pitchforks, which didn't work out so well."

"Carlisle found that he didn't need to kill humans to survive. Instead, he drank the blood of animals. He only changed those who would die anyway: I was his first, Esme second and then Rosalie."

"So we are monsters, more than you. I am not good for you Bella, at all."

I forcibly closed my jaw, which was shamefully hanging open by the end of the story. 'They are vampires.' I thought over and over again. I knew I should run away, hide from them but part of me knew that I couldn't because I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time. I cared for Edward Cullen.

"Are you alright?" Alice asked.

"Huh?"

"Are you alright? You never answered Esme's question."

I smiled grimly. "I'm going to die at night." was my reply. My death didn't shock me but Edward's next words shocked me to my very core.

"Then I'm going to make that last day your best, and care for you any way I can, because you deserve that," he said softly.

His golden eyes never seemed so welcoming.