Chapter II

Edward Cullen

Four Days Since Bank Robbery

I was furious.

I loved the publicity I was getting yesterday and the day before about my successful bank operation disguised as a woman, but now…

The tides have changed.

Someone had found out that I disguised myself as a woman and now it's top gossip on newspapers and most reviewers found it quite hilarious.

I discovered that Mesling told the police that a 'certain doctor' had inspected his injuries and convinced him that it was a man disguised as a woman and gave him his number for the police to clarify and discuss the evidence and proof.

I knew at once that this 'certain doctor' is none other than Carlisle.

He must've gotten wind about this!

Angrily, I scrunched up the newspapers and threw it into the bin.

Perfect shot.

I drank another bottle of blood, still fuming. How dare Carlisle get into this? That vampire would never leave my life!

I slammed the bottle onto the table and stood up.

I have to teach Carlisle a lesson.

In human circumstances, when a father interferes unhelpfully in his son's life, the son would most likely kill his father or do something bad out of spite or revenge. In vampire circumstances, none of the son-against-father revenge tips would work.

I glanced at the bottle of animal blood and a plan began formulating in my mind.

Carlisle's a doctor and hates vampires sucking blood out of people (human blood is an absolute delicacy in the vampire world. Some vampires get to drink it as much times as they like, but thanks to Carlisle, my siblings and I can't even drink it once). He thinks it's bad and made all of us vegetarians by drinking animal blood in substitute of human blood.

I think I'll try some human blood for myself.

I considered killing my land owner and drinking his blood, but the police will get involved and arrest me for murdering him.

There must be another way…

I grabbed my hunting equipment (in case other hunters look at me suspiciously in the woods) and went into the forests.

I brought a clipboard, paper and pencil with me.

I'll be sketching my future house and deciding where to build it in the forest. The quicker I can sketch it, the quicker I can build it and begin my spree of killings.

That Mesling will pay with his life for humiliating me and Carlisle will be responsible for human deaths and the helplessness of not reviving them.

I went to the heart of the forest and sat on a rock.

I gazed at the sceneries around me and decided that it was a good place for my future house. I sketched a picture of my house-to-be and the scenery. I knew I must get bricks or woods to build my house, and there's only one place I know to get logs and wood.

Carlisle's house.

I realised my plan to build a house was impossible and I needed to find an actual house to put my future victims. I hated when my plans fail.

Frustrated, I headed back home and grabbed a house brochure from a passing salesman. I wasn't in the best of moods right now.

Even though I have over a million dollars in my backpack, houses are expensive and they cost from a thousand dollars to ten thousand at the least. I knew I still needed money to pay my bills once I pay for a new house.

I glanced at the houses and a small, haunted-looking house caught my fancy. It was a loner house at the

top of a hill close to the borderline of Sequim. It would be perfect for storing my victims. It wasn't particularly expensive either.

I decided to buy it.

I dropped off my hunting gear and went straight to the auction of the house. I brought all the money I had stolen with me.

To my surprise, no one else was there except the auctioneer.

"Are you here to ask questions about the house?" said the auctioneer wearily. "Here are all the information about the house."

He thrusted a booklet at me.

"No thank you," I said calmly. "I want to buy the house."

"You, what?" said the auctioneer, surprised.

"I want to buy the house. How much? Yes, I'm serious. I want to buy the house. I'm sure you're tired of putting this house in the ads on the newspapers, so here I am! I want to buy the house for whatever price you want for it."

"Seriously? There's no electricity, the water supply's unreliable, the windows' need repairing, the stairs are creaky, are you sure?"

"Yeah. I can fix the stairs and windows. That's no problem."

"How about water supply? Are you really planning to act all medieval and literally go to the well in the backyard to get the water out for a bath and stuff? Even the well can be unreliable! Sometimes you'll get a lot of water and sometimes you won't get water at all! How can you and your family survive with dodgy water and no electricity?"

"There's such thing as candles. Do you give free buckets?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then there's no problems. It's all settled. I'll bring my luggage tomorrow and the rest of my family will come when they arrive in Sequim. They're still overseas right now. I'll let you know when they come back to live with me."

"Alright…If you say so, but-"

"How much?"

"I'll sell it to you for a thousand dollars."

I handed him a wad of a hundred dollar notes.

The auctioneer's eyes widened.

"I emptied my bank account," I assured him. "Can I have the keys to the house? I want to have a look inside of it."

The auctioneer handed me the keys.

"I'll be down the street," he told me. "If you need anything, just come and knock on my door, since there's no phone in your house. Maybe you and your family should come visit me someday? My wife loves to welcome new neighbours."

"Of course," I said, unlocking the front door. "I'll see your around."

I went in and noticed spider webs in corners and tables and furniture coated with layers of dust. No one had bothered to clean it.

There was a few switches for lights and fans, but there was no electricity. I turned on the tap for water, but as the auctioneer mentioned, only drops of water came out. I looked out the window and saw the garden, which was a mess.

Apart from the dustiness, cobwebs, no electricity or water and the messy garden, this house isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

I went to the backyard and saw the well in the middle of the yard.

I peered through it and noticed it was very deep.

I dropped a stone into it and heard a loud splash when it reached the bottom. Being a vampire, I don't need to drink water anyway.

Perfect place to dispose bodies.

I left my new house to my rented one to retrieve my suitcases and tell the owner that I'm leaving and won't come back. On the way, I noticed humans walk past me and I felt a thirst of hunger, a feeling I hadn't

felt since I was born as a vampire. Why was I feeling it again?

"I'm leaving," I said to the owner. "After paying the rent, I won't come back. This house is pleasurable to live in, but I bought a house."

"Very well," said the owner, accepting my cash. "Take all your belongings."

I nodded and packed all my stuff in two suitcases. Being a vampire, I didn't need much accessories and stuff like humans do.

In a couple of minutes, I was ready to leave for my new house.

Alice Cullen

I sat in my room, gazing out the window.

"Hey," said Jasper, sitting next to me. "What's on your mind? You haven't been acting like your usual self all day. Was it the talk with Carlisle? You're normally so cheerful and bubbly, but now you're so serious, and that's unlike you."

"Nothing's on my mind," I lied.

"There is. I already told you the reasons and evidence. Come on Alice. We've been siblings for decades, and I know when something's not right."

"I feel, you know, kind of guilty. Over the whole Edward thing. If I wasn't dobbing on him the whole time, he wouldn't have ran away. He did need to improve his grades and all, but he is a great brother. If I could rewind time to apologise, I would."

"Come on Alice! It wasn't your fault!"

"I don't know why I feel so remorseful now and not two years ago, but if I saw through Carlisle's plans first, then all this wouldn't have happened!"

"Alice, what aren't you telling me?"

"Carlisle disliked me raiding through his future just as much as he hates Edward reading his thoughts, so he made me a deal. I'll never be on his Bad List and he'll give me a thousand five hundred dollars a year if I don't see his future. It's been going on for decades, but three years ago, Carlisle made me do something I really regret doing."

"It can't be that bad!"

"It is! Oh, it is!"

"What happened?"

"He made me sign document, saying that I swear allegiance only to Carlisle and I'll use my special ability to see only for him and dob you lot in if something happens. Like what I did with Edward. Basically, I sold myself into slavery."

"Why did you sign it when you know you'll regret it?"

"I didn't have any choice! Carlisle threatened to sell me to the Volturi if I don't sign it! Oh God! I'm not supposed to tell you about it."

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone about it. Does Esme know?"

"She's the one who persuaded Carlisle into making me sign the document. I was never truly happy after that day. I'm always miserable near Carlisle."

"What happened?"

"A few days ago, I accidently went into Carlisle's future and it was horrible."

"What is it?"

"Carlisle wants to kill Edward. That's definite. I don't know why, but he wants to kill him. And he will before the Doctoral State Meeting in two years time. He'll also ask us to hunt for Edward. He won't hunt for Edward himself."

Jasper was silent.

"What's he thinking of now?" he murmured. "Or what's he planning?"

"Nothing," I sighed. "He's concentrating on his medical work. His future plans so far, are to cure as many people as possible."

"Don't worry. What are Esme and Rosalie planning to do?"

"Rosalie is planning to go and visit her birth parents' graves and Esme is going to dance on her human

husband's grave. Seriously, she is. You remember how he treated her and her child? Now Esme can have her revenge by dancing on her grave."

Jasper laughed softly.

I felt much better after talking to Jasper.

He's the only one who could understand me. Rosalie and I are close sisters, but she's more interested in fashion than my conversation.

Edward was a good brother to talk to, but obviously he isn't here. He was lucky Carlisle didn't force him to sign the document.

Emmett wasn't one you can confide secrets into, unless you want them blurted or leaked out. He can be a good and protective brother in fights and brawls, but in secrets, he's not the best one to talk to. He'll forget it's a secret in a couple of seconds.

"I can always trust you," I said, smiling at Jasper. "I'm glad we had this talk. Now that I told you, I feel so much better."

Edward Cullen

It wasn't long before the auctioneer's wife invited me to her luncheon a few days after I settled in my new house.

I realised I didn't know her name.

I had never been to a human luncheon before, so this would be interesting experience. The auctioneer's wife had the good sense to pre-warn me that she had also invited the local church organist and his family over as well as some of her neighbours.

Looks like I'll be learning who the neighbours are.

I went to the luncheon in the best clothes I got and met the auctioneer on the way.

"Hello boy!" said the auctioneer heartily. "I'm glad you accepted my wife's invitation to come to today's luncheon! You know, I never learnt your name!"

"I'm Edward," I said, shaking hands. "Edward Cullen. You?"

"Ah! You must be Dr Cullen's son! I'm George Hardwick! My wife's Elizabeth, but most people call her Bess or Bessie! She'll tell ya that herself when we arrive. I was coming to fetch you because I thought you might get lost on the way!"

"I know Sequim quite well. And no, I'm not Dr Cullen's son."

"Ya sure?"

"George, I know my father. I'm not Dr Cullen's son."

"But both of you look so alike! Pale, same eye colour almost. You also have the same last name! I can bet that you're Cullen's boy!"

"Then you'll lose the bet. Dr Cullen's my uncle. My father's his brother, Vladimir Cullen, and my mother's Elizabeth Masen."

"Ha! You are related to Dr Cullen after all! I didn't know he has a brother."

"Had a brother. My dad's dead, and besides, they weren't close after all. My dad's illegitimate and Dr Cullen's half-brother. Dr Cullen was angry when he found out that his parents were divorcing and his father was going to remarry my grandmother, who's a Russian descendant of the Romanovs. That's why she named my father, Vladimir!"

"Ah! Such lovely family history! How did he die?"

"Dunno. My mother died of Spanish Influenza a few days after he died and no one bothered to actually find out how he died."

I felt bad for lying about not being Carlisle's son, but I didn't want any connection to Carlisle in case someone tells him where I'm living and my cover would be blown. I have no intention of returning to my old life under his watchful eye.

"Not even the great Dr Cullen?" said George, his eyebrows raised.

"He was out of the country. I think he was in Italy at that time. Or was it France? He was on this medical tour in Europe."

"Hello!" said Bess Hardwick cheerfully, opening the gate for us. "This must be our new neighbour! Come

in! You're just in time! The food is almost ready! George, go and take our guest to the backyard and introduce him to some of our other neighbours! After that, you can come in and help me take the food out to the table."

George smiled and led me to the backyard.

"George!" called a man in dark robes, walking towards us. "Hey George! Thanks for the donations you gave me last week! The church's in much better shape than it was a few weeks ago! I really appreciate the donations! Who's the new guy?"

"Edward Cullen," said George, pulling me towards the man. "This is Bishop Harry Weber of the local church. His father is the organist Alexander Weber."

"Hello," I said, shaking hands with the Bishop. "Are you here alone?"

"Nope," said the Bishop, looking around. "My whole family's here. Come, you should meet them! I think you should get to know them!"

He led me towards a canopied part of the backyard.

Under the canopy, there was a whole lot of people that look a lot like Bishop Weber.

"Hey folks," said Bishop Weber cheerfully. "This is our new neighbour Edward Cullen! Edward, this is my family! My father Alexander Weber, my mother Isabella Weber, my brothers Arthur and Edmund, my sisters Margaret, Mary, Elizabeth and Katherine. This is my uncle, Reverend James Weber and his children Angela, Devilstein, Eastherline and Hellena Weber. They live in Forks. The four children go to the local high school in Forks."

I forced myself to smile, but I caught sight of Angela Weber.

My heart froze.

I felt the familiar sense of hunger in my stomach and I had to force myself to cough to stop a growl coming from my throat.

"Are you alright?" asked the Bishop.

"I'm fine," I said, gasping for air. "Just a bit sick, u know. An occasional cough or so. I'm fine! I'll drink some water later."

I was not alright.

The more I looked at Angela Weber, the more I wanted to bite her neck and drink her blood. Hate and hunger swelled up inside of me and I had to curl my fingers into a fist to restrain myself from lunging forward and biting her neck.

Angela reminded me so much of a person (or vampire) I never wanted to remember.

Angela's hair and personality…

Reminded me of that tattler, my lovely sister, Alice.

I couldn't concentrate on drinking blood.

I couldn't focus on anything at all. I even tried 'sleeping' on the bed (which contained a hard mattress and no pillow), but whenever I closed my eyes, the image of Angela would appear in my head and the feeling of hunger would appear again.

After half an hour of building card houses (with no success), I decided the only way to satisfy my hunger was to return to Forks and drink Angela's blood.

I scribbled a quick note to George (in case he comes for an unexpected visit) and placed a wad of a hundred dollar notes onto a table and packed a backpack full of provisions a vampire needs. I also prepared myself with weapons.

Returning to Forks is dangerous.

There's always the risk of Alice gaining access in reading my future and warning Carlisle of my plan in stalking Angela.

I was tempted to unpack, but my desperation of drinking Angela's blood overtook me. I cracked my knuckles and prepared myself for the worst.

I closed the door and left, wearing warm clothes and carrying my backpack.

I considered whether catching a train would be a good idea, but I decided against it.

With the thought of Angela's blood in my head, I gained speed and found myself running to Forks at

seventy kilometres per fifteen minutes.

I stopped at the borderline of Sequim and Forks.

The closest way to civilisation without attracting too much attention was to run through the forest in front of me.

The problem was that it belonged to the werewolves.

When I was still in Carlisle's coven, the werewolves and Carlisle concluded a treaty in which the werewolves have the Southern part of Forks and the largest forest (near Sequim) and Carlisle and the other Cullens have the other forests and the Northern part of Forks near Port Angeles. The treaty was made at least a century ago, and still enforced now.

I considered whether to run through the werewolves' forest or not, and decided that the treaty was no longer enforced to me.

I glanced around and making sure there were no werewolves about, I silently tied my shoelaces tighter and ran through the forests.