... hey there... it's been a while, hasn't it?
I genuinely didn't think I would leave this story for this long. I started working on chapter 17 right after I finished chapter 16, but I hit a block and just... never finished. I'm going to post the little I did have of the chapter here, but... yeah, I'm not about to finish this version haha. I'm so sorry; it's not funny. I've already rewritten this once, but ya know what they say, 3rd time's the charm. I want to have a clear idea of where I'm going with this story, and while I had a clearer idea when I started this, the writing isn't exactly up to par for me anymore. I'm sorry to those of you that were enjoying this version, but I hope that you'll enjoy the updated version even more when I finally post it.
I know my whole thing with writing this was me not caring about if certain things made sense or not cause I just wanted to get the story out, but the truth is... I care a lot, haha. I was also kind of using it as an excuse to not give y'all my best, which I guess I don't owe y'all, but I know how I would feel if I was a dedicated reader, so I wanna do better and actually have a plot line to follow, haha. I've also had some genuine critique about my lack of explanation on Addison (it's been so long I had to look up my own character's name smh) and the way I described certain events, so I want to take that into account and make sure it's clear.
I can't give you an exact date of when I'll post again (this update took me literal years, so...), but I will be at least posting the first chapter of the new version before the end of this year, and I'll try to have at least 5 chapters ready for when I post so you all can have a decent meal, at least.
Thank you to all of those who have followed and favorited this story, and those of you who stuck around long enough to see this update. Forgive me, but I'm not abandoning this idea... just this version of it, haha. Again, it's not funny, and I'm sorry. I'd be pissed if I was waiting this long and the author came back just to say she's done with it... anyways, enjoy! I'll be back.
Chapter 17
The first couple of minutes on the drive back to school were quiet. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but it was obvious that we both had something we wanted to say. I tried occupying myself by staring at the trees as they blurred past or fiddling with the handle of the bag Alice had given me, but I couldn't hold my tongue anymore, too curious to wait any longer.
I cleared my throat and met his eyes when he turned to look at me. Not having his eyes on the road didn't bother me nearly as much as it had before I knew his secret. "So, you never did answer me before. What's up with you and Bella?"
As I suspected, he suddenly found interest in focusing on the road again and broke eye contact. Something had happened, and I was willing to wait as long as it took for him to explain what his initial aversion to my sister was. More silence followed my question, and I could see his jaw clenching and unclenching as if he was debating whether or not to tell me. After an entire minute of waiting, he finally spoke.
"There's something Carlisle didn't mention when he was explaining vampires to you. Most of us have something called a cantante, but not every vampire meets theirs."
I blinked. "I get that's Italian, but what does it mean?"
He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes. "It translates to 'singer' in Italian. This singer is a person who's blood smells infinitely more enticing than the rest, almost irresistible." He glanced at my face, and I could see his fists clench around the steering wheel, but he continued. It wasn't hard to see where this was going. "Bella is my singer. I knew from the moment she walked into biology. I've never met a human who's blood smelled so enticing since I was changed. It was too difficult and dangerous to stay after that, and I tried to get switched out of the class to lessen the chances of something happening, but… well, you can see how that turned out. So, I went to stay with our cousins in Alaska for a while until I was sure I would be fine."
He seemed to be gauging my reaction, and I tried hard not to let myself think of the possibilities when there was a chance he could hear my thoughts at the moment. It was difficult, and I could feel conflicting and strong emotions building just below the surface. At least Jasper wasn't here to out me, and I was left to sort through my feelings privately.
Taking a calming breath, I asked, "You can't control it, right? The singers are random?"
"No, there's no controlling it, and we don't pick and choose who becomes our singer. It's not based on anything, and they're truly random from what we can piece together. Addison, you can trust that I would never intentionally do anything to harm your sister. It's difficult being around her scent, but not unbearable and surely not impossible; I've slowly been getting more accustomed to it. I'd rather die than hurt you in that way." His voice was strong and sure, and I didn't see any doubts when I looked into his amber eyes.
Of course, the knowledge that Bella's blood appealed to him more than anyone else's didn't sit well with me. The fact that he sat right next to her in class wasn't making me feel any better either. There wasn't much that could be done about it, and since there was no controlling who a vampire's singer was, I couldn't find it in myself to be overly upset… just the appropriate amount. I did believe Edward when he said he wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt her, but Bella was a magnet for bad luck; it was only natural to be worried. Accidents did happen.
Composing myself took a while, but I managed. "I believe you. It's something you have no control over, and I can see that you really mean what you say." He seemed to breathe for the first time in minutes. "I do feel obligated to let you know that I will hold the biggest and nastiest grudge in existence for centuries, and I will tear off a limb or two if you manage to slip up somehow," I added casually, internally laughing at the way he noticeably tensed.
"It won't ever come to that," he quickly replied, "but that will be noted."
"Good. Now that we've got that cleared up, I've got another question." He tilted his head in a motion for me to continue. "What have you decided to tell our classmates about this rumor that's started buzzing around because I don't have a clue? Alice said we came up with something better." I could see the school coming up in the distance, and my car was the last one sitting in the lot. I wanted to get an answer from him before I had to go home and do some explaining to Bella. No doubt, she was going to corner me the moment I walked through the door, and I needed to have some kind of an excuse handy.
A crooked grin came to his face, and he chuckled while smoothly pulling into the parking space beside my car. I didn't make a move, even as he put the car in park. There was a glimmer in his eye that made me smile despite not knowing what was so funny. "It was just a passing thought, really."
"A passing thought, huh? It had to be more than that for Alice to get a vision about it. C'mon, let me in on it," I urged.
"Well," he fixed me with the most boyish look I'd ever seen, and I hadn't expected it to be an expression he had, "we could always...
Yup. That's it. That's where I got stuck and couldn't continue. When I tell you, I was writing these chapters by the seat of my pants and had no idea where I was going the entire time... it's the truth. I got to this point and was like, "wait, what excuse could they come up with for disappearing into the woods together so obviously?" So, I got mad at myself for even making it a talking point in the story when, in the movie, they don't even mention that shit at all haha. I guess that's why I wanted to make a point of it cause who wouldn't notice, to be real? I guess I thought it was funny, but that really bit me in the ass fr.
I think I was gonna plan for them to say some BS like, Edward was too shy or scared to ask her to the dance in public (since she's a senior and he's a junior and all), so that's why they went into the woods... but then I realized that was stupid, and I didn't do it. Then, when I couldn't come up with another reason, I guess I just gave up. I can't tell y'all too much of what I had planned because I may use some of it in the next version, but tbh, it wasn't a lot.
Some things may change, and some things may stay the same. I know for a fact, her ability will be the same because that's literally the entire premise. I wouldn't do y'all that dirty. Some of the details may be switched up or entirely omitted though. Like, as fun as it was making Addison interested in cars... I do not know enough about the topic to make the interest seem genuine enough... and the only point of having it as a character trait was just an avenue to make her better friends with Rosalie; nothing else. I don't even think I brought it up in this version except for the very beginning. That was just bad writing on my part. There's going to be more meaning for why Addison is the way she is in the newest version, I swear, but she's also going to remain just as real as she was here and call Edward out on his BS. That was my favorite thing about her.
Let me know what you all think; I'd be happy to hear from the 6 of you still reading, haha. What do y'all think I should keep, and what should definitely go? I can't guarantee I'll use everything you suggest, but I will definitely keep it in mind so the OGs can stay happy.
Thank you all for reading this story! I'm gonna start work on the next version today, so check in occasionally.
