CHAPTER 27 – SECRET'S OUT
James Vincent McMorrow – Sparrow and a Wolf
For I have seen no joy, only danger,
I seen no joy, only strangers,
I seen no joy, seen no joy in this world
Should you, choose to go, please be careful of,
Lonesome roads, men that travel them,
Will not know, will not know of your ways
A/N: Beautiful voice. If you're into Bon Iver or Daughter or Ben Howard, James is right down that street.
Moving on, guess the prolonged mystery over – the cat's out of the bag. Now how do Cullens react to this?
The answer was met with similar reactions when the majority of the Cullens remained perplexed as they cried out, "What?" which was completely understandable as I could barely keep up with the history behind my kind.
"An Angel?" Edward was more composed than the others.
I wagered over how to make it sound plausible so I began with the label, "Well my father used to call us guardians" taking a fleeting glimpse at the others to check if they were keeping up with me and saw they were still confused so I continued, "But my mother called us angels" smiling a little when thinking back to the kind hearted woman that was my mother and then involuntarily cast a wistful glance at Esme.
They would have been good friends…
Carlisle leaned forwards and tapped Edward on the back, "Remarkable isn't she?" he asked with a wink when no one else spoke and I flushed with embarrassment. He and papa use to enjoy making fun of me just so that they could see me blush.
"You're an angel?" Edward gasped out again, his brows furrowed as he looked down at my hand with a strange expression as if he waiting for it to do something.
Could a vampire go into shock?
They were all blowing this out of proportion and I knew that I had explained it all wrong so I tried to ease the situation, "More like a guardian angel-"
"You're still an angel" he was practically in hysterics as the gaspy dry chuckles left him before he fell into his thoughts. I wondered if what I was bothered him and if he saw me differently? Possibly in a negative light and that worried me.
"Not in so many words" still trying to diffuse the thick tension hanging in the air.
Edward began to mutter something which I suppose was mostly to himself but I still caught his words, "Not even close …" he trailed off when locking his eyes with mine. Bewilderment in his conflicted eyes and fleeting thoughts passed through but he didn't voice what he was thinking.
Not really sure of what was passing through his mind; I tore my fixed gaze as well as my hand away from him with great discomfort and turned to the others only for my attention to be captured by Rosalie, "So what? You believe in God?" her disbelieving words came out in an almost sneer but I knew she had no intention of hurting me so I tried not to take offence.
I shook my head with a strained smile, "Well not really but we don't revoke the notion" answering as truthful as I could while folding my hands onto my lap as I felt my blood run cold with how great the distance felt from Edward even as he sat next to me but I tried to ignore it as I focused on my explanation, "Very few scriptures have been documented regarding our kind and the majority of the readings describe us as a balance"
"A balance?" Jasper inquired, also with furrowed eyebrows. I was sure what I was saying probably sounded illogical and unscientific because even I was not sure of what I was but I tried my best in clearing their confusion with what I did know.
"From what I've read, we're expected to use our powers for good" stuttering over my words as I attempted to explain the research, "We're supposed to be protectors for the humans" I simplified what I could remember from the Aztec readings.
"From what?"
"The supernatural" my answer earned a frown as they cast wary glances at each other and I could feel their guilt and shame as they read into my vague answer.
Edward was the one to question, "Vampires?"
Not daring to look at him, I quickly added, "And werewolves" in attempts to assure them but when that didn't work, I thought of distracting them with a visual aid.
Bringing one palm up I drew in the energy crackling in the air and tried inducing it to my fingertips so that I could create the round yellow orb of light that levitated on my palm. As expected, I was thankful when they stared at my acts with fascination so I continued by bringing out my other palm to envision the energy forming into a light blue orb of light, "Like the readings say…" I trailed off when clasping my palms together and merging both orbs "We act as a balance" I finalized and parted my hands to reveal the merged orb which was now a brightly colored green.
"Like superheroes?"
Trust Emmett to be the one to compare me to a superhero although the very notion was very appealing which is why I smiled when answering, "I like to think so" the grin grew wider as I envision myself in a superhero's outfit with a long cape and thigh high boots.
Childish - I know but I just couldn't help myself.
When my thoughts drifted away, I finally focused on my surroundings only to find that the once hysterical Edward was now smiling down at me. "What?" I laughed happy to know that he wasn't freaked out by my revelation.
"You…" he took my hand in his again and I felt my tightened muscles loosen once again with his simple touch, "You continue to amaze me Bella Marie" he admitted with another smile although it grew into a wider grin when seeing that I was speechless.
My mind was still clouded with the echo of his words so I stuttered the first thing that came to mind, "It's actually Swan" I remembered to correct him, "Bella Marie Swan", I breathed quietly, still in astonishment to the fact that I amazed him.
"Bella Marie Swan" he repeated with a tug at the corner of his lips when saying it. It sounded a hundred times better when hearing him say my name.
"So do you have wings?" Alice brought us out of the reverie.
Losing my train of thought appeared to be a common occurrence when I was around Edward. I found that I would lose myself in him and the small mannerisms like when he ran his fingers through his hair when he was nervous or deep in thought or sometimes he bounces his knee or play with the arm band that had his crest.
"No" remembering that I needed to answer Alice's question, "We're not really angels" I tried to clarify, the thought had only been a theory but even though she tried to hide it, I'd already seen the disappointment so I tried to cheer her up again, "But we do have a mark"
She was easily excited as she clapped her hands and asked, "A mark?"
"It's how we identify our kind" I replied.
With a deep breath, I turned slightly to the left so that they could all get a good view. Trembling fingers reached up to take hold of the cardigan but when hesitating, I saw Carlisle give an assuring nod. Another deep breath filled air into my lungs urging me on so, closing my eyes, I slipped the soft cotton off my shoulders, revealing the tribal Celtic tattoo that had formed with the use of my powers.
Without the sense of sight, I relied on my hearing and heard the sharp intake of breaths around the room but that was it before the silence returned.
When it first began to grow, it burnt every inch of my back and my right arm and I had grown to hate it for the week that I lived in torture because of the flames that spread through my upper body. My hatred for the marking brought my self-conscious thoughts which pulled me into shame evidently leading me to hiding behind the layers.
I felt something spark on my shoulder and jumped at the unexpected touch of Edward fingers. When I didn't move away, he carried on and I felt as his fingers traced the intricate design from my shoulder before going down my arm. The fiery trail of his gentle ringers had me biting down onto my lip to stop myself from moaning at the pleasure his simple touch had brought.
"How extraordinary" he whispered the oxymoronic emotions of both awe and trepidation, "It's hot" he perceived, surprise in his voice as he continue to trace the lines down to my arm then to my wrist before trailing back up to my shoulder once again.
Once I was sure that they weren't disgusted by it, I finally snapped my eyes open to look into the shocked wide ones that stared back at me. My sudden movement, had him surprised him to a halt and his fingers now hovered in the air. The loss of contact already had me missing the cold touch to my fevered skin.
"It's hot?" this time he phrased it as a question but I didn't know how to answer it so I shrugged again. "May I?" he asked reaching out his fingers and I all too quickly nodded in reply.
He smirked at my enthusiasm before reaching down, a crease between his brows as he concentrated on the trail that he was making while I fell into a relaxed state with the massage of his tender graze running over my skin drove me into peace.
"That is…" Alice didn't seem to have any words to describe it as she trailed off, not finding a word that would fit it but instead was diverted by another thought as she asked, "Was it an initiation thing?"
"Far from it" I chuckled with the idea of my father and mother chanting around a fire, before doing this to me, "It begins to grow once you begin exercising your power" I replied and she nodded numbly, still in her thoughts but I caught the death grip that she had on Jasper.
"Does it still hurt?" Carlisle inquired.
Just as I was about to answer him, Edward whipped his head up, pulling away his fingers as he gruffly asked, "Hurt?" his frantic eyes searching for an answer as they moved between me and Carlisle so I placed a calming hand on his.
"No, it doesn't"
This didn't seem to reassure him as he narrowed his eyes at me, "I'm not taking any chances" he whispered and I pouted with the thought of his fingers not on my skin anymore.
Exhaling at this, I shrugged back into the cardigan but was sidetracked as the questions rose again starting with Rosalie, "So do all 'angels' or guardians or whatever you are" her frustration showed in the volume of her aggravated tone, "…have the same powers?"
"As far as I know, they're all shields but also have the ability to link to the four elements but everything else differs" thinking back to the common powers that had circulated around Mikael's family and mine.
"Are there more of you?"
"In the earlier centuries, there were many but…" my thoughts drifted back to the horrific day where the childhood around me crumbled away and I closed my eyes to prevent the tears as I thought of those I had lost, "Many were killed" was all I could manage to say.
Alice read into this so she thankfully refrained from asking anymore questions.
Edward had also noticed my angst which was why his fingers were laced with mine once again, offering immediate comfort.
"Aren't you indestructible?" Emmett questioned with narrowed eyes.
His choice of words bubbled up a laugh, "Yes we do have great immunity" my smile dropped slightly when I revealed another secret, "...but a drained body or a blow to the heart is all it takes" my revelation had Edward's fingers tightening around mine.
"Where do you come from?" Jasper asked, the furrowed brows still fixated as he looked at me as if he was trying to figure out the enigma that I was.
There was no real answer to give him so I challenged him, "Where do vampires or werewolves come from? Why does Edward read minds? Why does Alice see the future?" I rambled on.
He gave a sad smile of understanding, "So you don't know?" he quipped in his southern twang.
"No" I shook my head and inhaled once again, "We researched for a while and found few of our kind but nothing is really drawn up. No conclusive facts" recalling the days when me and my parents would travel around searching for legends and myths but never drawing up anything reliable.
"How did vampires not know of your kind?" Esme troubled.
I shrugged to brush off the fear that flared with their thought provoking questions, "Many were murdered by vampires" gulping down on the unnecessary doubt before continuing with my clarification, "Our blood is too sweet and this was enough for vampires to hunt as down and kill all" the last few words were barely a whisper as they had already triggered the memories of the great fires and the loud cries for help.
"Is that what happened to your parents?" she was hesitant in asking this question.
My voice was broken when choking back on tears as I said, "Worse"
A/N: Really nervous as to how you guys took it. I know it's a bit out there but I thought why not? I'm sure someone guessed correctly sometimes back. Hope you enjoyed the chapters and hope that you still want to stick around.
A BILLION times THANK YOU TO EVERYONE who has reviewed and read and favored and followed and recommended my story. INFINITE times THANK YOU. I'm going to continue writing because that's all I can really do to show my APPRECIATION.
*WARNING* – I've got a few personal issues to deal with so the next update may possibly be given by the end of next week (Friday - Sunday) but I'll do my best. THANK YOU ALL yet again.
Here are the responses to your lovely reviews for Chapter 24…
cecilia4059 – Thank you so much for your touching words and for helping me at least get to 200. Amazing feeling for me. I guess it is like a new chapter now that she's found someone she can trust. I tried so hard and spent every minute to fulfill your wish of the early update. Thank you again.
Valentine Rain – Thanks for your amazing support by reading and reviewing. Makes me happy to know that you like the story and you're still with the journey.
sujari6 – Now that Carlisle is here and she knows him – she will begin to trust the Cullens more. Glad you like Emmett – I've always loved his character and loved the arm wrestling match in Breaking Dawn. He's just awesome. I think that Angela not just in this story but in the movies and the books does notice more than she is credited for. Moving on – thank you for all your reviews – great contribute to the 200 mark and thank you for reading this and giving it a chance.
Twilight Rocker 12 – I love being mean. Stregone was actually Carlisle's given name while he lived in Volturi (SPOLIER ALERT). As always, thank you for reviewing and reading. Also just realized that I sometimes take off the 12 in your username when replying to your review so very sorry for that.
IzzyPure – Aw….IzzyPure has a crush. How adorable (patronizing moment over). Good luck with Footguy – love him already. I wish I was the fly on the wall in your Latin Class – sounds like fun.
Naked wrestling boys? – I won't touch on that.
Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Pink fan huh? (GIRL POWER) Although I do agree that songs make everything better. My life is practically a musical because I sing about everything and anything. Made a song about setting the table the other day – it's gonna be a number 1 hit one day – I just know it.
You've gone through quite a rollercoaster in relation to guys huh? The creepy kid lunging for a kiss then the boyfriend who turns out to be gay? Then fifth grade when you defended your friend (Nice BTW) – You could make one hell of a documentary.
No, I don't need a counselor – I did love your questions. All very thought provoking and I had to share some with my friends and a few of the not-too-lame family members. Had a huge debate over it coz we're just that cool.
Anyway thank you for the funny review – had those songs stuck in my head for the whole day.
chyna76 – Thank you. It's a huge relief to hear that you're loving the story and it's amazing that you're still reading and reviewing. I hope you post it and can't wait to read it. I've always wanted to read his side of the story. Seeing as you said in such a humble manner…I'll do my best.
Multi-Fandom-Lover123 – It would have been a huge set back if she ran away but I'm glad that you liked the ending and the chapter as a whole. I'll keep trying with the updates
Guest - Thank you for reading and reviewing. Happy that you loved the little twists. Many more to come.
InLoveJA - Massive thank you for the help. I am ashamed over my mistakes but very thankful to have you. I'm the same because I'm currently reading other fanfics and crossovers as well as writing and it all gets over me. Love the fact that you enjoyed the teaser and thank you for reviewing and helping me get better.
o.0 rosa o.0 – She's just using Marie as a cover while living in Forks although her real name is Swan. Glad you've been reading and took the time for reviewing. Hope you'll stick around.
A/N: (SPOILER ALERTS) Things that I will be twisting that you can look forward to…
1. ARO REVEAL – What did Aro do to Bella and her parents?
2. VISIT FROM THE DENALI CLAN – How will Bella take on to meeting Tanya Denali?
3. BASEBALL SCENE – Meeting of the nomadic clan – James, Victoria and Laurent
4. PROM – Bella will have to make a very important choice
I'm gonna stop there because I've already said too much so I'll just let you all mull over that.
Until next time my lovelies…