Chapter 9

After everyone got settled, I began to do something I had never thought I would ever do: I told the Cullens the story of my life. "Well," I started, "my parents both died in a car crash when I was quite young, so I was passed from relative to relative until my 18th birthday. That was the day I decided that I couldn't stand it anymore, and I moved out of my Aunt Mathilda's house. I continued my education, and lived simply on what little income I had. For work I took whatever jobs I could find: cashier, babysitter, substitute teacher. But I never stayed in one place for very long. I always wanted to travel, and see the world. Whenever I would get even remotely sick of where I lived, I would scrape together all of my money and belongings, and head out to a new destination. I suppose I should have felt lonely, but I never did because I read constantly. Some of my oldest possessions are books. The characters were always my friends whenever I needed someone there, and always my salvation whenever I needed an escape."

At this point, I pause, unsure of how to describe what happened next. All of the Cullens were looking at me with pity with the exception of Alice and Edward. It took me only a partial second to figure out why. Alice had seen where my story was headed, and Edward had heard her thoughts. They already knew how the rest of my tale played out. But the others didn't, and I couldn't stand their looks of sadness, so I continued.

"The longest I ever stayed in one place was when I lived in England. I loved it there. I had a nice little apartment, and a decent job. I moved there two years ago. That's where you all come in. One of my coworkers kept babbling on and on about some new books she had read and how I absolutely had to read them. She told me would lend them to me if I wanted. Always in the mood to try new books, I accepted. That night, I started the first of the books, called Twilight. I stayed up the entire night reading, and couldn't get enough of it. The next day, I started on the second one and the pattern continued. Once I finished, I had completely fallen in love with the main characters of the story: a family called the Cullens. The story took place in a dreary little town called Forks, in Washington. I wanted to surround myself with the feeling of the books, so I began saving for a plane ticket. My goal was to come here and experience the books fully. I never believed you all existed. I thought I was hallucinating when Bella found me, and I was sure I must be dying when I saw all of you."

They were all surprised. How could a human know all about them? "What did you say the book was called?" asked Carlisle, pulling out his smartphone.

"Twilight," I responded.

He promptly Googled the story and found absolutely no evidence of such books. "But...," I stammered, "I read them. They..."

"What was the name of the coworker who lent you the books?" asked Edward with a smirk. He already knew my answer.

"Uh, Stephenie," I said, "Stephenie Meyer." At this, they all started laughing.

Carlisle tried to explain, "Stephenie's an old friend. We've known her for several years now. She came here on vacation once, and broke her ankle hiking. I fixed her up at the hospital and she seemed to know something. Later that night, she showed up here. She told us that her father had told her stories as a child of cold, white skinned creatures with golden eyes. She said she knew what we were, and that she wouldn't tell anyone, but she wanted to hear our story. We had no other choice, but to tell her. She asked if she could write a book series only for herself, so that she wouldn't forget, that focused on Bella and Edward. We agreed, trusting her vow of secrecy.

This whole thing astounded me. So Stephenie knew the Cullens were real? "Why would she give the books to me?" I asked.

"She must have thought you needed the story for some reason. Are the books still in your apartment?" Carlisle inquired.

"Uh, yeah," I said, "Sitting on my night table, why?"

"You should go and return them to her. Tell her all that happened to you because of her story, and send our regards."

"What, now?" I asked, incredulous. "I can't just...oh, wait...yes I can!" I remembered that I was a vampire now, with the same heightened speed as the rest of them. "I''l be back soon!" I yelled as I ran out the door. I ran as fast as I could, and reached my old place in a few hours. It was the middle of the day in England, but the clouds were out as usual, so I was safe. I unlocked my door and went inside. The books were right where I had left them. Grabbing them and heading out the door, I strolled to Stephenie's house. For the first time since I felt no stress, no worry. Five minutes later, I reached Stephenie's home. I rang the doorbell, hoping desperately that she was at home. When the door opened, my former coworker smiled.

"Hi!" she exclaimed. "Did you enjoy the-" That was when she noticed my eyes. They were still reddish from my own human blood. After seeing this, her eyes roamed and caught my pale skin. "You...you're...how?"

"Um," I started, not sure of where to begin, "Could we do this inside? I don't really want to be seen." I explained everything to Stephenie once we were in her house, and she couldn't believe it. She asked how the Cullens were doing, and I conveyed their regards. After we were done talking, she hugged me, made me promise to visit again whenever I got the chance, and sent me on my way.

I returned to the Cullens', where I have lived for the past 80 years. I visited Stephenie often, until she died. The last time I saw her, she gave me her books and asked me to keep them. I have never forgotten her, and now those stories reside on the bookshelf in my room, a constant reminder of the woman who changed my life. My name is Arienne, and this is my story.