Chapter 3
It was hard to believe what they were trying to tell me at first. What "people like us" meant. When Dr. Cullen claimed that they were all vampires, I laughed so hard that I could have cracked a rib. What kind of stupid prank was this? "Yeah, they're all vampires and I'm one too, right?"
"Actually, you are." I almost laughed again, but their faces were so straight that they couldn't have been acting. I hadn't realized that my jaw was hanging open.
"Don't worry." Dr. Cullen chuckled. "Edward was the same way when I first broke the news."
"So wait," I paused, taking in what I had just heard, "you're saying that I'm a vampire, and that they're all vampires too?" I pointed at the group of people crowded around the door. "This is ridiculous!" I almost shouted. "Vampires don't exist!"
"That's what everyone else thinks." A brawny dark haired boy from the group said, looking smug. He was clinging to the beautifully bitter blonde.
My mind flashed through my fuzzy memories of last night. What punctured my neck was not a two pronged needle, but a set of fangs.
After I finally gave in to their explanation, the rest was easy. Dr. Cullen told me how I would have died if he hadn't bitten me, which made me feel a bit better. He went on to explain that their diet consisted of blood. I was so horrified that I felt like I could have fainted if I wasn't sitting down. Unlike other vampires, their "family" he called it, fed off of wild animals. That was the reason for my burning thirst.
"You'll have great strength, and be a lot faster than before."
Although I knew this was all true, it still didn't seem real. Though my memory was hazy, I thought of my last day in the hospital. My mom hugged me with hope in her eyes, and my dad had brought me a bouquet of yellow lilies. My mind turned to them. Everything seemed like a dream, but I could see my parents' faces so clearly.
"But what about my family? Will I see them again?"
"I'm afraid not." Dr. Cullen's eyes dropped to the floor. He looked like a child who had been scolded for his wrongdoings. "Your parents think that you're dead."
I felt like crying, but no tears welled in my eyes. My sadness was not one of selfishness, but of sorrow for my mom and dad who, in an honest way, had lost their only child.
"Your supposed funeral is to be held tomorrow, closed casket, of course. I advised your parents that an open casket would be a mistake considering your gauntness. Better they remember you as you were."
I nodded. It was the only way. The pain in my throat throbbed again, now becoming too much to tolerate. "Uh, is there something we can do about... my thirst?"
The entire group took me "hunting", they called it, except for the blonde. They wanted to make sure that I was under control before any of them took their eyes off of me.
Dr. Cullen insisted that I call him by his first name, Carlisle. I was introduced to his family. Esme, his wife, looked no older than 28. His three sons, Emmett, Jasper and Edward, were all around the same height. Emmett was the smug-looking one. His two daughters, Rosalie, who I'd seen before and Alice, looked like goddesses, even compared to the prettiest girls I'd met. But there was something intriguing about the girl that Carlisle claimed to be his daughter-in-law. Her name was Bella, and she was arguably the most magnificent of them all. Hand in hand was a small child, probably six years of age. She had the same bronze-coloured hair as Edward. The baby freaked me out a bit, but I stayed quiet. There was plenty of time for them to explain later.
We ran up to the mountains. Carlisle hadn't been kidding when he told me that I would be fast. I ran like a sports car drove, and I was surprised at the development of my navigational skills. Before, when I was... human, I was always getting lost. It was a nice change.
They had me focus on a mountain lion. It was slinking through the bushes and trees. When I pounced on top of it, it was I who felt like the mountain lion. Its blood was a relief, but not quite as satisfying as I thought it would be. If it weren't for my debilitating thirst, I would have probably been disgusted.
"You did very well." Carlisle grinned, and patted me on the back. I used my sleeve to wipe the excess blood off of my face.
Later that night, I was told more about what being a vampire entailed. We had to be conspicuous about what we were, or the consequence would be death. I took this as seriously as they did. It took me a while to get up the courage to ask about the baby.
Bella spoke. "This is Renesmee. She's my daughter." The little girl smiled.
"How old are you?" I spoke specifically to the girl.
"Two and a half." She said with confidence.
"But how is that even possible?" I asked Bella, in a whirlwind of confusion.
"Can I show you?" The little girl put her hand out, as if to shake.
"Um... Okay." I wasn't sure what to do, or what she was talking about. Maybe she wanted me to come with her somewhere. Before I could do anything, she leaned in and put her small warm hands to my face.
Suddenly my sight was not mine anymore. It was if she was willing me to see what she'd seen. I saw her mother, Bella, but she didn't look the same. Her face was not made out of crystal, and her eyes were a deep brown. She must have been human. Then, a vision of Edward, the father. He looked the same as seeing him now, the same marble skin and hardened amber eyes. The girl was a half-human, half-vampire, I deducted.
Renesmee pictured a man whom I was not familiar with. His skin was a deep tan, with a muscular build. Through her pictures, I could feel the little girl's connection to him. Something like best friends. I wondered who he was.
"He's a friend of the family." Edward spoke his first words to me. He was sitting on the couch beside the mother and daughter, his arm possessively around Bella's shoulders. "You'll meet him sooner or later." It was like he had read my mind. I was in awe.
"Now there's only one problem." All of them seemed to understand what Carlisle was getting at, except for me and Renesmee, who was now busy brushing the hair of her doll.
"The treaty."
