The Littlest Bird

by songtrees

Adeline Bird is a young vegetarian vampire with amazing self-control and a great skill. She travels the world alone, thinking this is her only option. What happens when she meets the Cullens? Post BD. Lemons. Profanity. First fanfic. A/U. Please review

3. 3: My second birth

Three: My second birth

The sky had darkened radically as we enclosed on their home – their beautiful home, which was not at all what I so foolishly expected. It was three stories tall, dominated by wide glorious windows, and painted in a blinding and stunning white. It stuck out against the deep green backdrop, but at the same time, it blended in wondrously. The house exuded an aura of belonging, like it was a true part of the woodland.

Carlisle, who had assumed the lead in our vampire parade, paused at the top of the stoop and turned to face me, "Welcome to our home, Adeline Bird," he said.

I would have cried if I could.

Stepping in after Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Renesmee, and Bella, I entered through the front door. Edward walked in behind me and took a place at my side.

Before I could appreciate the beauty of the home's interior design – the polished hardwood floors, the blue damask drapes, the smartly upholstered furniture, and the excellent color-coordination – I was confronted by two things at once: a strange, unrecognizable smell, well… stench, rather, and a young man I didn't know.

He was seated at the couch in the center of the grand living room, but stood up the second he saw me come in. He looked to be in his early twenties and had a very scruffy appearance. His prominent five o'clock shadow, messy black hair that reached just past his ears, tattered jeans and shabby t-shirt, however, did not take away from the beauty of his skin – a russet color that graced my vision. I then noticed a heart beat, but… no thirst plagued me, not even in the slightest way. Odd.

His heart rhythm sped to what sounded like a pulse of hundred and eleven beats per minute.

"I can't believe you brought her here!" he shouted, the gruffness of his voice not doing justice to his apparent age. He didn't shout at Carlisle or Esme or any of the others… just at Edward. His arms, defined with sinuous muscles, flailed about. "Are you crazy? You don't know this blood-sucker; she could snap at any second!"

Blood-sucker? I thought. What a cheeky little prick.

Edward stifled a laugh and pressed his lips into a thin line as he addressed the man, "Remember who you're talking to, boy." He enunciated that last word, most likely intending to put the 'boy' in his place. "This is not your home, it is ours, and we will do with it what we will."

The man approached me as the others fanned out, taking seats, totally unaffected by his blatant discomfort with me. Edward closed the door behind us, but then reclaimed his stance next to me. Renesmee ran to the man's side and took her hand in his as she walked with him.

The man stopped in his tracks just six feet away from Edward and me. I didn't know what to think of him. I didn't know whether to feel threatened or humiliated or guilty. All I did know, though, was that his indescribable and terribly unpleasant smell intensified with his closeness. I stopped breathing because I just couldn't take it.

Holy flying fuck, he reeks.

At this thought, Edward turned to me and said, "I know. You get used to it."

Our private exchange irritated the man, and he roared, "What? What do you get used to?"

Edward didn't falter, "Your stink."

Rosalie giggled in the background. Although I couldn't see her behind the man, I heard her sing, "I don't know what you're talking about, Edward… I haven't gotten used to it yet."

"Nor have I," Jasper admitted from his spot beside Alice on a taupe chaise lounge.

Then the man did something that I truly did not anticipate: he laughed a hearty and guttural laugh.

His heart rate decreased within moments to eighty-seven.

He moved forward and offered his free hand to me, "I'm Jacob."

Touched by his sudden development of civility, I accepted his hand, but before I could introduce myself, I pulled it away because his flesh… burned. It wasn't the temperature of a human, that was for certain. It was much too hot and it hurt my skin.

He brought his hand back to his side and apologized, "I'm sorry. I should have warned you."

Rubbing my palm against my opposite forearm to cool it off, I stammered out, "No, uh, no problem. Uh, I'm Adeline."

"That's a cool name," he complimented me.

"Thanks," I stated. "Um, why are you so hot? Do you have a fever? I've got some Tylenol in my bag."

"Thanks, but I don't need it. This fever is kind of…" he trailed on, "a constant thing. I always run hot."

Edward tended now to Jacob. "I thought you were going to meet up with Leah and Seth."

Jacob shook his head as he scooped Renesmee into his arms with great ease. He talked over her elated squeal, "I changed my mind. I thought it would be better to hang out here."

"Well, damn it, Jake," the vampire beside me grunted, "If I had known you were going to be here, I would have explained things to Adeline."

"What, Mr. Telepathy couldn't hear my thoughts all the way out in the woods?"

"I was a little distracted, obviously."

"Wait," I interjected, "Explain what to me?"

Esme spoke from her seat on the armrest of the chair that Carlisle had claimed, "Perhaps we should discuss this later. Wouldn't you like a hot shower, Adeline?"

Oh God yes. Point me in the direction of the soothing hot water please.

"Yes, I would love one, thank you so much."

"Alice?" Esme turned to the pixie, "could you please show our guest to the bathroom?"

The pixie-vampire, whose gorgeousness I found incredibly staggering, jumped up from her seat and half-danced towards me. She took my hand with her tiny and delicate fingers, smiling as she said, "Come on."

I followed her up the winding staircase, my duffle bag still on my shoulder, and soon we were treading, well I was treading and she was skipping, down a long hallway. Eventually we came to a door on the far right side of the corridor and we entered, still hand-in-hand.

The bathroom was beautiful, accented with tiles the shade of the Caribbean Sea, decorative white towels and lace curtains, gray granite counter tops, and brass faucets. The ivory claw-footed tub at the back of the room was the main focus. A steel bar that was bent in an oval shape suspended from the ceiling just above the tub and from it, a pale yellow shower curtain hung. Everything was so faultless, so pristine… I almost didn't want to touch anything. But I was in a dire, desperate need for a good bathing.

Alice took the bag from my shoulder and I was astonished at how she set it on the toilet seat without any difficulty. I, quite literally, had my entire life packed into that very bag, and she lifted it with all its contents in such effortlessness, as if it were a coin purse rather than an extra-large army-issued duffle sack. I mean, yes, I knew she was a vampire and had the same super strength that I did, but her meek frame was very misleading.

"Okay, so, towels are in the cupboard below the sink, and shampoo and soap just to the left of them," she told me. "I'll throw your clothes into the wash for you." She unbuttoned the bag's flap and began to pull out garments.

"That's not necessary," I said as I took my hair out of the ponytail and ran my fingers through it. "I'll be happy to do it myself after I get cleaned up."

"Don't be silly. I love to do laundry," Alice persisted, "it makes me feel human."

She grabbed a dark blue plastic laundry basket from the floor and began tossing all of my clothes into it.

Apparently there was no winning with her.

"Those too," she said, pointing to what I was wearing.

"Alice, these are clean."

"They're dusty. Give them to me; I'll put them in with this load."

I was taken aback. "But I won't have anything to wear when I get out of the shower."

"Sure you will," she politely argued, "I'll lend you something."

I looked her over. She was clad in a flattering and sleeveless magenta satin mini dress with a plunging neckline and black leggings. Her tiny feet were strapped into very complicated and very silver high-heeled sandals. It was a wonder how she managed to keep them impeccable even after trudging through the forest terrain just minutes earlier.

No matter how diligently I tried, I couldn't imagine myself in a similar outfit.

"Thank you, Alice," I spoke, "but I'll just wear what I have on now. I can wash them the next time laundry day comes around."

She paused for just a moment, eyeing me, but not in any particular way. "Suit yourself," she agreed.

Alice mumbled under her breath as she inspected each article of apparel before throwing it into the basket, "I'm going to have to take you shopping while you're here."

I didn't respond because it sounded like she didn't plan for me to hear it. It then struck me that I didn't really know how long I would be here, in Washington. I had no intention whatsoever of even entering the state in the first place – it was a chance occurrence fueled by my hunting instincts. I had hooked onto the scent of prey and followed it, unaware of where it was leading me. And before I could process my surroundings, I had ended up in a place called Forks and was standing in a bathroom with one of the nine other vampires I just met.

"Can I ask you a question, Alice?"

She perked her head up, distracted from her task, "Yes."

"Even though you already know what my question will be?"

She smiled and repeated, "Yes."

"Did you see me coming?"

Shaking her head, Alice addressed my inquiry, "No. My visions are subjective to the decisions people make. And since your crossing the border into Washington was spontaneous, I didn't see you until Edward went into the woods to hunt, got hold of your scent, and started to track it."

Subjective to the decisions people make… interesting.

"What do you see happening after today?"

"A lot of things," she shrugged, sighing in frustration. "Nothing is definite as of now. It's very annoying." She grinned again. "You haven't made up your mind yet."

"I haven't made up my mind about what?"

"About staying," Alice giggled as she picked up where she left off and resumed filling the basket with my clothes. It would have taken a lot less time if she didn't study each bit with critical judgment, but I loved that she did. "You don't know whether you're going to stay or go."

"I didn't know I had the option."

Zeal seeped from her pores, "Of course you do, Adeline! You have all kinds of different options. You could stay in Forks, if that turns out to be what you want."

"You mean that…" I stammered, "You mean that you and your family would let me stay in town?"

Her eyebrows crinkled, "Let you? Why would we need to let you?"

"I don't know… because this is your territory?"

"You're so strange," she said lightly, and because her tone was so sweet, I took it as a compliment rather than an insult. "You are free to do what you want. Besides, it would be nice to have you around, and I don't think I'm speaking for just myself."

"What makes you say that?"

"The visions," she answered point-blank. "The second we headed for the house, I started seeing all sorts of things, based on decisions the others have made. I think you're wanted here more than you know."

I bent down and opened the cabinet, submerged in conversation with Alice but still with my eye on the prize of a nice hot shower in the near future. I pulled out two thick white bath towels and queried, "What things are you seeing?"

She chucked my last pair of pants and my last sweatshirt into the now overflowing basket, stood up from her hunched position, and placed her palms on her hips. She exhaled in recollection. "I see you playing video games with Emmett in the living room. I see you making Renesmee float around like Superwoman in the backyard. I see you in our library with Esme and Carlisle, reading books together. I see you sitting next to Edward on his piano bench, watching him play one of his compositions. I see you renting a house in town and coming by every week to go hunting with us. I see you moving in with us and becoming a part of the family." She hesitated to divulge the next vision. "And I see you walking away and never coming back."

That last one stung a little but at the same time I found it kind of funny because I knew exactly who that image belonged to.

Alice's lips formed a small smirk and we uttered the name together, "Rosalie."

We laughed at our synchronization.

"I hope it doesn't come to that," she commenced once our laughter subsided, "and neither do the others."

"If it does though, I promise you that I'll visit."

"You better!" she exclaimed. She composed herself then, straightening out the wrinkles in the skirt of her dress. "Okay, well, I'll let you shower now. We'll be downstairs when you're finished."

She allotted me another smile before she left the bathroom and then I was alone. I don't know exactly how quickly I tore off my clothes, but all I am sure of is that if I had tried to do it that fast while I was still human… I'd have broken something. I turned the brass handle in the shower so that it was halfway between Hot and Cold and then I let the water run for a moment. I scrutinized my nude self in the mirror before stepping into the tub. Vampire Adeline was so different than Human Adeline that every time I saw myself naked, it was a shock.

Within the three days of the transformation, I had somehow lost thirty pounds, but I wasn't complaining. My stomach no longer had that muffin-top effect and my upper arms didn't sag when I held them out horizontally. I had lost that second chin and my thighs didn't rub together anymore when I walked. I never had a problem with my body as a human because even though my flaws were so obvious, I knew I was beautiful in my own way. But now, as a vampire, I was beautiful in the best way. I loved everything about my new figure: my unblemished white skin, my humble but noteworthy breasts, my long and curvy legs, my lean neck, the sharpness of my shoulders, the arch of my back, and the narrowness of my waist. It was going to take some getting used to, even after three years, but I was more than willing.

I cut through the shower curtain and stood still under the hot water a while. Well, I suppose to a human it would feel a little cool, but on my ice-like skin, it was hot and soothing and unrivaled to anything I ever experienced. It was long overdue.

Remembering that I needed to clean myself and not just stand under the water, I focused on the cabinet that was just on the opposite side of the curtain. I couldn't see it happening, but after a second or two, a bottle of shampoo and a small container of soap floated above the shower drape rod and into my bubble. My power was often quite useful.

I took my time in the shower since I was unsure of when my next one was going to be.

Over the din of the running water, I caught a few pieces of the discussion carrying on downstairs.

"She's only three years old and she's already trained herself to control her thirst. That is absolutely amazing, isn't it, love?" Carlisle's voice rang quietly.

Esme spoke now, "Yes it is, darling. This has put all of our theories into questioning. Clearly, the transition from human to vampire is different for different individuals. Perhaps it depends on what the person was like as a mortal."

"That's a good point," Jasper included. "Bella's easy adjustment was hard to understand. I couldn't pinpoint if it was because she had so long to prepare herself mentally or if it was because of something bigger. But now that there is another vampire who exhibits the same outstanding self-control, it seems that the quality of the adaptation is subjective. But then again, we aren't certain that she didn't have the opportunity for preparation. "

"Edward," I heard Esme call to her son, "did she tell you anything about how she came to be like us?"

"No," he replied, "she didn't even think about it. So I'm in the dark about as much as you are."

"I bet it's a bad-ass story," Emmett enthusiastically chimed in. That one made me giggle. Emmett was such a playful soul. If I wound up staying, I hoped to truly befriend that big bear of a man, as I did all of them. He continued, "I bet it's something like out of a movie. She was dancing in a night club and then was seduced by this tall dark and handsome guy, who, at the time, she didn't know was a vampire." I was stifling my full-blown laughter now. "They danced and danced and then he took her back to his place – a seedy yet charming apartment on the bad side of town. He showed her his art collection and they fell in love in spite of their differences and he–"

He didn't finish because Edward interrupted him, and he sounded rather irritated, "Emmett, be realistic. It's probably a gruesome tale. I highly doubt that she was lucky enough to be turned under such enjoyable circumstances. It's likely that her story will be a sad one." His voice was laced with sympathy, and it touched me. Then he spoke again, but his tone changed into something harder. "Jacob, please take Renesmee to the cottage. I would much rather that she wasn't in the house to hear Adeline talk about how this happened to her."

Renesmee whined, "Daddy! I want to hear the story!"

He talked with loving authority, "No, Nessie. You are too young to hear this."

"But Daddy!"

Bella backed up her husband, "Do as your father says, sweetheart."

The child didn't argue any further, "Fine."

There was a clattering sound followed by several footsteps and the noise of a door shutting. Jacob and Renesmee had left.

"I can tell her the story later," Edward assured the others, "and paraphrase if need be."

After having scrubbed every part of my body twice, I rinsed myself off and stood under the hot water for a few more minutes than necessary. As I shut off the valve and began to dry off, I found myself anticipating what was coming up next. I was very eager to share my tale because I craved that connection, that bond. I knew that it would probably be the only time I was to get to recount my chronicles for an audience, and since the audience was so appropriate and so easy to relate to, I was excited… thrilled, even.

Neglecting my soaking hair, I tied it in a messy bun and threw my clothes on as fast as I could – which was actually quite fast. Without needing to put the thought through the usually essential processes, I was dressed in a fifth of a second, the water dripping from my hair and darkening the back of my Zeppelin tee.

I hung my used towels on the curtain rod to dry out and returned the shampoo and soap to their home beneath the sink. I pulled a small toiletry bag from my duffle, removing the contents I needed. I brushed my teeth, humming a little, and applied a modest amount of eyeliner and mascara.

When I was done, I put all of my things back into the sack and brought it with me through the bathroom door. It was much lighter now since my wardrobe was not inside it. Once I reached the foot of the steps that I took to get to where I was, I heard the tumbling roar of a washing machine, which I could tell was located on the first floor and in the eastern wing of the house. The timer ticked away, signifying that there were twenty minutes left of the cycle.

More than enough time, I thought to myself as I descended the twisting staircase.

After only moments, I saw the Cullen family had assembled in the living room just as Alice promised. She and Jasper were on the chaise lounge like before. Esme and Carlisle were still in the arm chair, but now she was sitting on his lap with her arm around his shoulders. Rosalie, whose presence surprised me, was positioned on the left side of the couch, resting her elbow on the overstuffed arm, and Emmett was sitting Indian style on the floor, his back against her shins and knees. Rosalie had her free hand in his hair, idly playing with it. Bella and Edward were in the corner with the piano that I had seen in the vision Renesmee showed me – Edward seated at the bench and Bella perched up on top of the piano itself, her long legs kicking over the edge. They all looked like a real family, like a glorious portrait that was just freshly painted. I feared disturbing the masterpiece, smudging the wet colors with my intrusion.

I felt that I didn't belong there with them. I had half the mind to make a B-line right to the door and leave the Cullens in peace.

Before I could make a proper choice, Esme asked me a question with a genuine smile on her face, "Did you enjoy your shower, Adeline?"

"Yes, I did," I replied, "Thank you so much for opening your home to me."

"It's the least we can do for a friend," she claimed.

A friend, I thought, I like the sound of that.

I dropped my bag to the floor, walking over to an ottoman that was positioned perfectly against the southern wall. It faced everyone. As I sat down, I declared, "I suppose it's time for me to carry through with my part of the bargain."

Bella crossed her legs and leaned forward, pressing her elbows into her top knee, "You don't have to, you know. If you think it will make you uncomfortable, we can talk about something else."

Her husband reiterated, "That's right. Please don't feel obligated."

The funny thing is that I did feel obligated, but in a good way. I felt like if I didn't tell them my story that very second, my body would cave in on itself and Adeline Bird would cease to exist. The action of opening up completely to the Cullens, my fellow vampires, was so vital to me, so very imperative. I needed to do it. But most importantly, I truly and indisputably wanted to do it.

"I am just fine. It would be an honor to have you all know my history."

"Should I get a box of tissues?" Emmett teased with a big fat grin dominating his features.

"Only if you don't think you're man enough to handle it," I retorted with the same good humor he served.

He released one loud cackle and refocused his sight on me.

Everyone was quiet, waiting for me to begin.

So I did just that.

"Well, um…" I paused to put my thoughts in order. "Before I was turned, I was twenty-one and living in the great city of Long Beach, California. The ocean was my backyard and the salty sea air my perfume. I had a nice apartment, a decent job as the nightshift secretary at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, I had a good education and the best friends and family anyone could ask for. I had a wonderful life. I was happy. But… I was dying."

That last sentence had confused them, but I didn't plan to leave it at that. Elaboration was my primary goal, so I continued. "I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer four months after my twentieth birthday. By the time I turned twenty-one, it advanced into the terminal stage, the end stage. The doctors estimated that I had less than one year left as an able-bodied patient, and then another three to six months to spend my life bed ridden and suffering. If I agreed to increase my chemo treatments, I could have tacked on some more time. But I wasn't interested in destroying my body and weakening it in the process of trying to postpone its deterioration. So I refused treatment, all treatment. Call it stubborn, call it ignorant, call it reckless… but that is what I did. I decided to play the cards that I was dealt. I had my good days, but I had my bad days too. That didn't stop me. I kept my job and my apartment. I kept going about my daily routine like nothing had changed. I tried to keep life the way it was before shit hit the fan.

"When I was just two months into my final 'able-bodied' days… that's when it happened. That's when I died and was given the gift of eternal life at the same time.

"I was walking home from work one morning – I had left early because I was having one of my sick spells. I didn't think I'd make it if I took the long way, so I took a shortcut through the park. It was a beautiful night, one of the many that blesses that city. The sun wasn't even close to rising yet. I remember the cool air against my cheeks. I remember the way the stars glinted like a bed of diamonds. I even remember the rustling sound of the leaves in the wind: soft, sweet, and melodic."

I felt a little misty-eyed as I continued, recalling every detail and replaying the events in my head.

"I passed a large group of bushes halfway through the park and I heard a crunching noise, but I didn't think anything of it. I figured it was a squirrel or something. When I was just a couple dozen feet from the opening at the fence, when I was just two blocks away from home, from my bed, from my little world, I felt him grab me. He came up behind me and wrapped his arm around my mouth so I couldn't scream. He held me so tight that I thought my body would snap. He dragged me into the brush and thrashed me to the ground."

I paused, the memory taking advantage of my disposition.

Jasper must have sensed my distress because he said, "If you can't go on, Adeline, don't force yourself."

"I'm fine," I insisted. I took a breath and let the comforting scents of my new vampire friends consume every bit of me: honeysuckle, vanilla, homemade bread, warm caramel, and sunlight. Then I went on. "I couldn't see his face in the dark, not even under the starlight. All I could see were his red eyes, those bright, paralyzing eyes. He growled at me. He told me to stop fighting or it would hurt more. I didn't even realize I had been fighting. It was an unconscious reaction. I didn't know what he was going to do – rape me or kill me or both."

When those words passed from my lips, I was incredibly and preposterously grateful that Renesmee wasn't there to hear them.

"With his stone-like hand crushing into my throat, he tore through one of my pant legs and bit into my thigh, right here." I opened my legs a little bit and pointed to my jean-covered inner left thigh to show them exactly where He sank his teeth into me.

"I didn't know why, but it hurt more than it should have. It burned, like my leg had just ignited in that very spot and it started to spread, very slowly. The pain was excruciating, just unbearable. I had never felt anything like it before. I was writhing, even under his unconquerable grip, while he just… sucked away at my blood. If I still had the ability to sleep, I'm certain that the slurping sound would haunt my dreams. After a few seconds or so, seconds that felt like centuries, things started to get hazy. My vision blurred as the pain intensified and spread all the way to my chest. I don't know exactly why he decided to pull away when he did, maybe he heard someone coming, I don't know… but he did pull away, he did leave me there… alive but in agony that could give hell a run for its money. He had disappeared and left me behind, totally weak and immobile from the stinging.

"My voice wouldn't work. I wanted to scream. I wanted to call out to whoever may have been near, but I couldn't. I could barely breathe because of how hard he held my throat. The edges of my sight started turning black instead of just blurring out. I was so scared of the pain. I knew it wasn't ordinary, I knew it wasn't like any old flesh wound. There was something in me. He had put something in me that made my whole body feel like it was on fire.

"I had somehow managed to crawl out of the bushes, fighting the pain, trying to keep it away long enough to move. I kept crawling and crawling until I just couldn't do it anymore. I pulled myself into an abandoned shop across the street, a place that had once been a bookstore or something, but it went out of business. The windows were boarded up and the door was locked, but I slithered through an open air duct in the back.

"I didn't know what was happening to me, but I knew I wasn't dying, and I didn't want to be found whatever way I was going to end up. So I curled up, body still aching, veins still searing, sight still smudging, underneath a counter and waited. Within minutes, everything went black."

Taking a second to look at the enthralled and compassionate faces around me, I added, "I woke up three days later… like this."

A silence draped over my audience. Each pair of eyes facing me had an overwhelming cloud of sympathy burning behind them, even Rosalie's.

That was the last thing I wanted. I didn't want to evoke pity from my new friends. What kind of impression of me would that leave in them?

Esme sliced through the quiet veil and her voice cracked almost inaudibly, "I'm so sorry you that happened to you, Adeline."

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"I'm not," I stated honestly.

"How do you mean?"

"Yes, it hurt like hell, and yes it was terrifying…" I began, "but if I had the chance to go back and redo it all, I wouldn't. I was given the greatest gift conceivable for someone in my position. I was given everlasting life, endless time. I admit that the delivery was rather unpleasant, but the end result… unquestionably splendid. I was going to die in less than two years. I wasn't going to have the chance to do all of the things I wanted. I wasn't going to get to travel the world, meet new people, or see the beauty that the world has to offer. My life was going to be cut short. And that man, that vampire – even though his intentions were monstrous and selfish – changed everything for me. I love what he gave me. I love what I am." My hand was clutching my chest now, and the action felt kind of futile since there my heart was not beating beneath my flesh.

"But you had to give up so much," Rosalie said with gloom in her tenor.

Instantly, I was reminded of everything I missed from my human life: my family, my friends, Natasha…

Emmett piped, preventing my mind from straying, "You didn't finish your story. What happened after you woke up?"

Eagerness coated every bit of him, and at that moment, all that I had any interest in doing was trying to feed his pulsing curiosity.

"I was reborn," I explained to him, to all of them, "It was like coming out of a coma, I imagine, but instead of being groggy or disoriented, I felt recharged. Renewed. Revamped." I giggled softly at the last word. What a perfect choice. "Everything was just… illuminated. I saw the details in the littlest things with my new eyes. I saw new colors that weren't even named yet. My body moved in a way that seemed to skip basic measures. I was so fast, so swift in every motion. I couldn't believe it. And then I caught sight of my reflection in a dirty slab of glass. So different, I looked so different. I truly didn't think it was me in the glass, it couldn't have been." I smiled and glanced down at my hands, which were fidgeting in my lap, remembering my surprise. "My face narrowed and slimmed, defining cheekbones I never knew I had, and tightening my jaw line. My skin had lost its pigment but obtained a milky glow. And every curve and angle of my body acquired a certain grace that… startled me. I no longer stood a cumbersome, maladroit human. I had finesse. I had poise. And for the first time, I was beautiful.

"And my eyes, oh God, my eyes… they were such a bright red, like an enhanced shade of ripe strawberries. And my hearing had augmented. I heard every unthinkable sound without even trying; the dust particles accumulating on the surfaces around me, the heart beats of the people walking around outside, the traffic across town, the pitter-patter of ants and spiders and the flaps of flies' wings in the room. It was amazing."

I felt my eyebrows pinch together as I recalled my first breath as a vampire.

"Then I noticed that I wasn't breathing," I said, "because I couldn't smell anything. I inhaled once but stopped immediately once the burning in my throat and the longing in the pit of my stomach started. Something inside me had detonated the second I took in that smell… the sweet scent of what I somehow knew was human blood. Oh how it surrounded me, blanketed me in thirst and lust and hunger and want and need and insanity and fury all at once. I wanted to give in to it. I wanted to taste the blood.

"Just as I was about to crash through one of the boarded windows, I quickly realized what I had become, and I didn't bother to take the time to ponder the impossibility. I knew what I was, although I didn't dare say the word aloud. I knew that I wanted human blood. I wanted it on my tongue, my lips; I wanted it to trickle down my chin. I wanted to revel in it, to soak in it. But I was consciously aware of what that would entail. If I went outside, grabbed the first person I saw, dragged them back in and devoured them... I would have been a monster. I didn't want to be a monster. So I waited, fighting the overbearing urges with every ounce of strength I had, not breathing… and just suffering. When it got to be around 3 AM and I didn't hear anyone on the streets outside, I crawled out of the shop and jumped down a manhole to the city sewer system."

The vampire family looked at me with even more awe than before, and it made me feel a little awkward.

What is so fascinating?

Edward answered my internal question, "You," he said to me. "It is unfathomable that you locked onto the scent of someone human only moments after you woke up and then somehow managed to deny yourself the temptation. I have never heard of such a thing."

"Nor have I," Carlisle told. "How did you do it, Adeline?"

I answered him honestly, "I… I don't know."

Carlisle paused for a moment and then urged me to proceed.

I did what was asked of me.

"For six days, I remained down in the sewer, hiding and living off of rats and raccoons that came through the drainage pipes. Their blood didn't satiate me completely, but it sure helped calm the burning. And it tasted good. I spent those days telling myself that human blood was like movie theater popcorn – it smelled a lot better than it tasted." Emmett laughed at my comparison, shaking the floor. I continued. "I told myself that what I really wanted was what flowed through the veins of animals, not people. Contrary to what I expected, it worked.

"It was a sad and lonely week down there. I had so much time to think since I no longer needed sleep, so that's what I did. I thought about how I was going to live this new life without exposing myself to others. I had already found out about the sunlight issue, after a beam of light came through a half-open manhole and made my skin twinkle like a fucking Christmas tree. I knew that if I could cover up well enough, I could go by undetected among the people. But I had other things to worry about. My eyes, for one, would have given me away instantaneously. My cold hard skin was another problem, along with my newly acquired speed. I had a hard time toning that down at first, but I eventually got the hang of it.

"After some reflection, I decided that I would just let my friends and family think that I was dead, as hard as I knew it would be. I was determined to make a new life and take advantage of the extra time I was granted. So after I drank as much rodent blood that I thought would do the trick, I escaped from the sewer in the middle of the night.

"First, I went to my apartment to pack a few things, things that I didn't want to leave behind, things that I knew no one would notice were gone – a couple of photo albums, my iPod and charger, and some clothes. I emptied out my accounts that morning, holding my breath the entire time I was with the bank clerk. And then I fled the city.

"I just kept running and running, enjoying the wind against my face. I looked for a place where there no people. Even though I knew I had already established a sense of self-control, I wouldn't risk being around human when everything was still so new. I came upon a ghost town in the Mojave. I couldn't smell anyone and couldn't hear anyone, and I knew no one was around for miles. It was a great place to set up camp, so to speak. I moved into an old diner because it was the only building that still had electricity and running water. I stayed there for about six months, living off the blood of the local wildlife. I grew rather partial to coyotes." I snickered then, remembering my first big kill. "They usually gave up one hell of a fight, which was always fun. I was in the desert when I discovered my ability. What a fucking day that was." I released a thick laugh. "It made hunting a lot easier though.

"At least twice a week, I ran out to Vegas to see how well I could be in the company of humans without, you know, killing any of them. A risky experiment, I know, but there really was no alternative. I had to be sure. I never hurt anyone, don't worry. Each time got easier and easier, and eventually it got to the point where I could walk among them on the street without even feeling the slightest bit of thirst. I amazed myself because although I was fully aware of their sweet and tantalizing scents… I felt nothing for them. After the last test, I moved out of the desert and started the life I wanted, the life I was finally ready for. Since then, I've been all over the world. I've been to countries I never even knew existed. I met so many wonderful people and did so many wonderful things. After having seen almost all of Europe and almost every state in America, I went to Canada. During one of my hunts, I accidentally crossed the border and… here I am."

The second I spoke my final word, I knew something was different. By telling the Cullens the events that had brought me to them, I created an invisible, but invincible, connection between myself and each of them. There was no going back now. I knew that even if I decided to leave and pick my life up where I had left off, the Cullens would forever be a part of me. And at that thought, my venomous heart swelled within the confinement of my chest. This new bond could not be undone. This new bond was meant to stay.