Chapter 8:

It was still shocking, seeing them all standing before me. I honestly never thought that I would ever see them, much less become a vampire myself. They watched me intently as we approached, as if studying my every move. It made me a bit uncomfortable, as I had never been one to enjoy the spotlight. Esme was the first to move. She walked up, hugged me, and whispered in my ear, "I am so proud of you."

Something so simple, yet disarming. I was overcome with emotion. I had never had a mother to tell me she was proud of me. I felt my throat tighten, and started to feel like I was choking. This is what it must feel like to cry, I thought. When Esme pulled out of the hug, she must have seen the look on my face because she looked concerned, but she was smiling too. She stepped back into the line.

Next was Carlisle, who smiled warmly in a way that flooded me with a feeling of safety and love.

"Doctor Cullen," I said with a smile, "Thank you for saving me. I would have died all alone without you, and I am so thankful that you happened to be there." I thought for only a fraction of a second, before asking, "What were you all doing at the sit of the crash anyway? You definitely weren't hunting."

"Carlisle, please," he said with a small laugh. "You are so sure we weren't hunting. How do you know that?"

"I was simply stating fact, you're 'vegetarians'," I quoted (while adding air quotes around "vegetarians."). "You wouldn't have been hunting. Besides, your eyes are all still gold."

"Incredible." he muttered to himself. "How do you know so much about us?"

This was when Alice piped in. "Might we continue this inside? Nessie's gone out shopping with Jacob, and I think that it's going to rain in...about five minutes."

We all laughed and made our way inside. The first time that I had been through this house, I hadn't paid much attention to the interior, but now that I looked I could hardly take my eyes off of the house. It was all angles, perfectly aligned so as to let beautiful streams of light in. The living room was spacious, filled with beautiful furniture and modern art, all working together seamlessly to create what looked like the front page of a Martha Stewart catalogue. A set of glass spiral stairs led up into what I assumed were the bedrooms and offices. We all sat down n the circle of couches, chairs, and loveseats as I got ready to tell my story.