There have been a few times in my life where I thought it was the end for me, whether it was being threatened by drunk patrons in the bar I used to work for or the one time I narrowly avoided getting hit by a car. Of course I survived those events but the trauma was still present and I doubt it would go away anytime soon.
To say I was shocked was an understatement, the way those ruby eyes stared down at me looked as if they could pierce my skin at any moment. I held my breath as another three figures joined the person, they were dressed similar to the other person and they all had the same colour eyes. Except one pair seemed darker, as if I was staring into an endless black void. My eyes met the darker pair and I felt a rather strange sensation spread throughout me, it was clear the other person felt it as they tore their eyes away and stepped out of my line of sight. I didn't even know whoever they were but I felt some sort of pull towards them that I have never felt before.
The group looked down at me but disappeared in a flash, almost as if they were never there. Those eyes would quite literally be engraved in my mind for a while, I mean it wasn't everyday you bump into eyes like those. They had to be contacts, right? I found it hard to believe since Halloween wasn't for another month unless there was some sort of convention going on that I didn't know about. My focus was all over the place as the events from today played in my head, I was a fool to travel here alone and an even bigger fool for ignoring Bella's cryptic warning. My mind stayed on those dark eyes and I wondered if I'll ever see them again, knowing my luck I definitely wouldn't but who knows; fate has strange ways of connecting people.
The rain had began to fall again causing me to snap out of my daydream as I swiftly left the alley, not looking back at the three men I had previously beaten to pulps. After a few minutes of walking around in different directions, I found myself back at the bus stop and waited for the next bus that never showed up. I stood for what seemed like an eternity in the pouring rain when a sleek black car pulled into the bus stop, my brows furrowed as I waited for the driver to roll their window down. I certainly wasn't expecting to see a young looking woman with short black pixy like hair and a small smile on her face. In the passenger seat sat Edward who almost looked worried, yet there was no sign of Bella in the car.
"Are you Charlotte Swan?" The woman spoke softly as she asked the question, my eyes widened slightly at her rather direct question.
"Yes I am, can I help you with something?" I responded in the same manner as her, my eyes leaving her rather pale face to see if a bus was coming.
"We don't need your help but I think you could do with ours. Bella is worried sick about you." The mention of Bella's name grabbed my attention. Of course she would be worried, despite being older than me by a month she worried more about me than herself sometimes and it made me happy to know that she cares for me. Yes, even after all these years I was still salty that she was older than me by a month.
"Bella? First of all who are you?" I spoke as I crossed my arms over my chest, the rain seemed to fall heavier than before as it soaked my jacket yet again.
"She's my sister, Alice. Now can you please get in the car? We don't want you getting sick now." Edward's voice responded from where he was sat.
I wasted no time in rushing to the car and climbed into the back seats, the door slamming shut behind me. My teeth chattered as I looked between the siblings, the way Edward said 'we' put me on edge slightly. The two exchanged a nod as Alice started the car and sped off down the road in the opposite direction.
"How did you know where to find me?" I looked at the back of Edward's head and noticed how his chest didn't seem to move like normal, it was almost as if he wasn't even breathing yet he looked perfectly fine. My gaze flickered over to Alice who was focused on the road but her grip on the steering wheel seemed to tighten as she if she felt me staring at her. This was certainly going to be an uncomfortable trip.
"I heard you mention you were heading to Seattle and Bella wanted to stay home with Charlie so I thought it would be best if I came to bring you home." He spoke and his eyes looked into rear view mirror, I never had the chance to closely inspect them but there was something about his golden irises that I found intriguing. I shook my head at the thoughts of fantasising over Bella's boyfriend when I didn't even know him or his family, but I had a suspicion I would meet the rest of his family sooner or later.
The drive home was quiet apart from the low hum of the radio but even Alice got annoyed at it and switched it off halfway through. I was grateful for the quiet as it let me reflect on what just happened, and why I felt a pull towards that mystery person. It might have just been the shock of beating those men up settling into my system but I had done that numerous times before and had never felt like that afterwards. It felt as though the world around us had stopped in that moment we made eye contact, it was as if they could read me like an open book from just a glance. To be honest I am also intrigued about them but the odds of running into them again was pretty low but you never know with these things.
"So are you back in Forks for a vacation or something?" The abrupt question pulled me out of my thoughts as I recognised the voice of Alice.
"I just finished college back in London and I'm home to stay. However I have a suspicion I'm gonna have to attend school since I'm only a month younger than Bella and she's still in school." I spoke quietly, picking at my nails as I avoided eye contact with the two.
"Guess we'll be seeing each other more often then, you're more than welcome to hang out with us whenever." Alice smiled at me through the rear view mirror and her golden eyes didn't go undetected by me.
"Sounds fun.." I trailed off, suddenly uncomfortable around them. Was it normal for siblings to have matching eye colour? That was something I'll have to research when I get home as my dead phone was currently residing in my pocket.
I sighed as the car reached home and the rain had stopped falling by the time I gathered the courage to speak to the siblings except they were no longer in the car. I didn't even hear them get out of the car and I certainly didn't hear Alice's giggle as she opened the door on my side. A smile grew on her face as she offered her hand for me to grab, I foolishly took her hand and jumped at the coldness of her skin. She must have realised this and retracted her hand once I walked away from the car.
Waiting on the steps was Bella who sprung up as soon as she saw me and pulled me into a bone crushing hug once I was close enough. This was certainly new, the old Bella used to hate any physical contact especially hugs which Is why I used to torment her when we were younger by hugging her at random times.
"I've only been gone a few hours Bella, I'm fine I promise." My voice was shaky but I cleared my throat as we were still in the company of the Cullens.
"Don't worry me like that, I just got you back today and I don't know what I would've done if I lost you." Well that hit me hard, I mean I would've been the same if the roles were reversed and I was in Bella's shoes. Although I wasn't expecting her to act like this considering the length of time I was away.
"We'll see you two tomorrow, it was nice to meet you Charlotte." Alice spoke from behind us as Bella pulled away from the hug, she walked over to Edward who already had his arms open for her. I grimaced as I watched the two stare at each other before kissing, this is certainly something I'm not going to get used to.
Once the Cullens left, I immediately headed to the kitchen for a glass of water but ended up staring into the back garden and into the forest beyond it. The lush green trees seemed to sway back and forth as the wind picked up outside but I was grateful the rain had stopped, it was this sort of weather that made me feel calm despite the majority of people hating it. How long had passed? I don't know but the rustling of a tree in the distance caught my attention, I would've looked away thinking it was the wind but the events of today convinced me otherwise. The way the tree shook was as though someone was perched up in a high branch, and it felt like I was being watched as I moved around the kitchen.
The clock read 11:09PM and I simply sighed, late nights were a regular for me at this point as it was a struggle to fall asleep half of the time. I tucked a piece of brown hair behind my ear as I headed up to my room, Charlie's loud snoring audible as I passed by. It was like a bomb hit my room with the state I had left it in before going out earlier, my suitcases were thrown to the floor as numerous articles were scattered across my bed. I shrugged my jacket off and opened my wardrobe for a hanger only to find brand new clothes on the rails along with numerous pairs of Converse on the shelves. I grabbed a spare hanger and noticed a small piece of paper poking out of a shirt pocket, my jacket found it's way back into the wardrobe as I examined the note.
'Alice found out you were in need of clothes and wanted to give you a small gift, hope you enjoy. - Bella'
Guess that saves me a trip back to Seattle. I put the note on my desk, my eyes flickering over to my window and I couldn't help but look over to the forest. I almost sighed in relief when the tree from earlier didn't rustle but despite the darkness I noticed a crimson pair of eyes staring at me unblinking. A chill ran down my spine as I tore away from the window and quickly shut my curtains, whatever was out there clearly followed me home and I had no idea if it was friendly or not.
For once sleep came to me easy that night, most likely due to the events prior but it was strange waking up in Forks. It didn't take long to get changed for school but I kept looking over to the forest, not being able to shake the feeling of unease and being watched. It was almost creepy, but Charlie being a cop helped ease my nerves as he would find whatever was lurking out there. Bella was already sat eating breakfast by the time I trudged downstairs, she raised her brows at me as I passed by to grab an apple. I took full advantage of the clothes that were bought for me and dressed differently to what I usually wear but it felt nice as I hardly knew anyone from the town and I honestly couldn't care if anyone judged me.
Charlie was reading the morning newspaper and I briefly hugged him as I followed Bella to her truck, the morning dew still fresh on the grass.
"I can't believe you can drive and I can't." I pouted as we got in her truck and Bella carefully drove us to school.
"It took me a few tries and a few car crashes but I got my license after a few months." She commented and I had to laugh at the image of Bella crashing into a lamppost with a disappointed stare from the driving instructor.
"Well maybe once I have settled back here I'll put my name down for a few lessons." I shrugged my shoulders and noticed Edward stood near his car with what looked like the rest of his family huddled together a few feet away from him. Bella smiles widely and practically skipped over to him causing me to roll my eyes before getting out of her truck, a few heads turned to stare at me as I followed Bella.
Something was certainly up with the Cullen family as I noticed the ones who introduced themselves as Jasper and Emmett were both wearing black sunglasses even though the sun was nowhere in sight. Alice introduced me to Rosalie who raised her eyebrows at me but waved at me from where she stood next to Emmett. I yet again noticed her honey coloured irises as the family split up to go to their classes and it sort of confirmed my suspicions about the family, I just needed a break from them to quickly search it up on the internet. I didn't get a break from them until I had to excuse myself at lunch to go to the bathroom where I spent at least twenty minutes scouting the internet.
Vampires. The Cullens were actual vampires.
Yet this revelation didn't exactly come as a shock to me as I suddenly remembered my run in with a warlock during a night out with classmates. I thought he was just performing cheap magic tricks in a secluded part of the club to cheat people out of money but I was completely sober when I noticed the blue glow in his eyes as he seemed to chant something in a language I couldn't identify. The even stranger thing is that he commented on the strange 'gift' I have and that I'll need to learn more about it when the time is right. We had spent a good hour talking that night about the supernatural world and the different species that actually exist yet this was my first time bumping into vampires.
Wait that means Bella is dating a creature who could literally attack her at any moment due to her blood and status as a human, but that also means I'm potentially at risk due to me now associating with the Cullens. I rubbed the my forehead as I felt a bad headache coming on as I slid down the bathroom wall, practically crumbling onto the floor as I thought about what I came home to.
A knock sounded from the bathroom door and I looked up in confusion, this was a public bathroom so anyone could enter but I cleared my throat to see a slightly worried looking Alice burst through the door.
"Are you okay Charlotte?" Her voice cracked as her short form appeared in front of me.
"Uh yeah I guess.." My reply definitely didn't persuade her as she crouched down and grabbed my hand.
"I guess the cat's out of the bag, although I'll give you credit for figuring us out this quickly. You were definitely quicker than your sister." I snapped my head up at her words, a dumbfounded expression on my face as I tried to figure out her words.
"What do you mean?" Her touch was gentle as she traced circles on my hand in an attempt to calm me down and I'll admit it worked.
"I saw this moment happen a few days ago, some of us in the family are gifted and I have the gift to see the future although I can't seem to see beyond tomorrow for you." She frowns as she adjusts herself so she is sat next to me.
"So your entire family are vampires? How do you cope in school?" My calmness must have surprised her but she replied.
"Over the years we have controlled our thirst by hunting animals instead of humans, more of a vegetarian diet in human terms." The more she explained to me, the more I understood the family. Whether it's the way they all have golden eyes and how they seemed to know where I was in Seattle.
Me and Alice spent at least an hour in the bathroom just talking about their lifestyle and the different family members, and I honestly found it fascinating but I never disclosed what happened in Seattle as Alice wasn't able to see that event. I knew I could tell her about the people I saw but I felt the need to keep it a secret, especially my gift. Apparently not every vampire has a gift and they're a pretty rare thing to have.
"You should come over tomorrow, we're having a small birthday party for Bella since it's her eighteenth birthday. Which reminds me, when's your birthday?" The mention of the Cullen family throwing a party for Bella was surprising but it warmed my heart knowing she has people other than Charlie to rely on.
"Mine isn't for another month, Bella is older than me by a month and yes I'm still salty about it." I pouted and crossed my arms over my chest which made Alice laugh.
Me and Alice eventually got out of the bathroom to find out that it was time to go home and the rest of her family was waiting for us outside, their attention mainly focused on me. Our goodbyes were brief as Bella drove us both home and I started questioning her as soon as we got in the truck. She ended up driving around for a while as we discussed a variety of topics from the Cullens to school to my time in London. She wasn't surprised that I knew about the Cullens being vampires as she said I was smarter than her which caused me to blush slightly. We headed home after stopping by a coffee shop to grab a drink and I immediately shut myself in my room, with the intention of searching up my own gift. However I grew tired pretty quickly and sleep overcame me yet again for a second night in a row.
It was nice to go to sleep without the feeling of being watched which was pretty creepy the other night but I didn't mention it to the others as I didn't want them to worry. I brushed my teeth and dressed pretty quickly so I could grab my birthday gift for Bella before meeting downstairs, I didn't know what she wanted so I got her a bracelet with matching pendants. I thought it was quite cute as the other pendant I had would be needed to join with hers, and it was rather simple which is something I know she likes.
I received another bone crushing hug after she opened her presents from me and Charlie, I watched as she slid her bracelet on before she shouted at me to finish my coffee so we wouldn't be late for school. Bella received numerous cards and presents from different people at school and I was glad to leave at the end of the day as it was starting to get annoying. I was also glad because it meant we could go to the birthday party that Alice arranged with the rest of the Cullen family which should be interesting.
2 humans and 7 vampires. What could go wrong?
Everything. Everything went wrong. The rest of the Cullens weren't surprised that I joined the party and they welcomed me into their family as if I was their own which made me happy. The exchange of presents was going smoothly until Bella had to cut herself opening a present which was quite horrifying from a human point of view.
My blood seemed to still as I watched 6 pairs of golden eyes flicker over to Bella as Carlisle rushed to her side. It might have just been a small cut and hardly any blood was drawn but it was enough for the once calm vampires to turn feral. One by one they excused themselves and I let out a sigh of relief as the tension in the room seemed to dissipate. Of course Carlisle was the calm one in these situations considering the fact that he worked as a doctor and was surrounded by humans almost 24/7. Time passed and I had done 3 laps of the house by the time Carlisle was finished stitching Bella up and it seemed like Edward was the only one to return to the room, I observed him as he stared down at the broken glass and the small droplets of blood on the floor. He looked pretty zoned out and I knew it was best to leave him alone as talking to him in that state could lead to him lashing out on me and potentially killing me in the process.
The drive back home was uncomfortable as Edward had to drive us home considering I didn't have a license and Bella was in no state to drive. I grabbed my earphones and plugged them into my phone, blasting music to drown out the silence. Bella seemed to have noticed this and started to argue with Edward, I couldn't hear what was said but from their expressions it must've been pretty bad.
I took one last glance at Edward after following Bella to the house, not knowing that will be the last time I see him for a while.