My Date With a Vampire
Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight, including these characters.
Chapter 3
BPOV
Edward stared at me with a furious expression while I munched on my garden salad. He was angry that I was not afraid of him, even though he was a vampire who thirsted for my blood. After I was full and pushed my plate slightly away so I could rest my elbows on the table, he spoke.
"Did you enjoy your salad?" he asked in an uninterested tone.
"Yes, thanks."
"Good," he commented.
"Edward?"
"Hmm?"
"Why don't you want us to be friends?"
He paused before answering, as if trying to word something correctly.
"Bella, it's not that I don't want to be around you, it's just that I'm trying to look out for your safety. I'm the world's most dangerous predator, Bella. Every time I'm around you I have to fight the urge to kill you. I…," he broke off, then composed himself and started again.
"Bella, I want nothing more than for you to be happy. I want to be with you too, but I don't want to put you in danger. I couldn't live with myself if something ever went wrong… If I lost control with you, even for a second… It would all be over," he paused, scrutinizing my face.
"What?" I asked defensively, wondering if there was something on my face.
"It's nothing. I'm just wondering how you're not screaming or fainting right now."
"I'm good at blocking out scary thoughts," I told him, "and really, I'm not afraid of you."
"You should be."
"Well, I'm not doing what I should then. Listen, Edward," I began, "I don't care who--- or what--- you are. I don't care if you're a vampire, a human, a wizard… I wouldn't care if you were the Wizard of Oz! All I know is that I feel safe with you, and I want to stay with you. I--- I'm afraid you're going to disappear, and I don't want that to happen."
"You never cease to amaze me, Bella."
"How so?"
"Well, let's see. I just told you that I was a vampire. I told you that I've killed people, that I wanted to kill you," he said as he counted on his fingers, "that I thirst for your blood, and that I could kill you at any moment. And yet here you sit," he concluded, gesturing toward me with his hand.
"I don't think you're all bad," I replied.
"I try not to be--- what most of my kind are. I don't want to be a monster, or to kill people…" he paused, looking at something over my shoulder.
A few seconds later, the waitress came and handed us a bill. She took my plate and left without a word. Edward slipped a credit card inside and continued.
"Carlisle created all of us--- Esme, Rosalie, Alice, Emmett, Jasper and myself. And he raised us to satisfy ourselves with the blood of animals, so as to not become murderers. All of us have slipped, excluding Carlisle, but we've been taught well."
Suddenly, I remembered a detail from a book I read on vampires and their characteristics.
"Edward, how old are you?"
"Seventeen."
"And you have been seventeen for how long?"
"A while… I was born in 1901, and Carlisle found me dying of the Spanish influenza in 1918. He saved me by changing me."
"Do you have to be dying to become--- one of you?"
"No, Carlisle would never do this to someone with another choice."
The waitress came by and snagged the bill.
"Thank you," Edward said coolly, not taking his eyes off of my face.
"You're welcome," she sighed, obviously having given up on making any moves toward my date.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked.
"Well, I'm ready to leave the restaurant, but I don't think I'm quite ready to go home yet," I answered, "I have a few more questions for you. Actually, more like a million."
He considered that for a moment before speaking.
"All right, I know of a place we can go. It's beautiful after dark."
"And where is that?"
"We're going to drive down to Lake Olani." (A/N I have no clue if there is an actual Lake Olani, so please don't judge my geographically incorrect comments.)
"Okay," I agreed, "Why is it so pretty after dark?"
"Because," he replied, "all of the boats on the lake are lit up by twinkle lights that reflect on the water. Plus you can get a perfect view of the moon, and I believe it's full tonight."
"Great, let's go," I said eagerly.
I couldn't wait for more interrogations with Edward. I was definitely ready to get to learn more about him, to understand him more fully. After all, is it not beneficial for someone to fully know the one they can't live without?