Chapter 21

I arrived home and placed my backpack in my room. Gazing at my reflection in the mirror, I lifted out the Volturi pendant that Demetri had given me from underneath my shirt. The gold glimmered beautifully against the light from my desk lamp. Tucking it back under my shirt, I knew it would come in handy if they didn't believe me. Closing my eyes, I calmed my mind and let the power I held flow around me. I wanted to ensure I'd be ready for anything, so I tested my abilities by lifting several objects around the room, even slicing several pencils into one-inch sections. My abilities felt primed and ready, and I knew I could handle the situation if they turned out to be a threat. Thankfully, they hadn't given off any danger vibes at school, and they seemed to be upstanding citizens for the past few years here. I hoped they were cool, and I could become friends with them. As I tidied up the mess I had made on the floor, I heard the doorbell ring.

I walked downstairs and opened the door, finding Alice and Jasper standing there. Alice smiled brightly at me, while Jasper wore a serious expression on his face. The name Jasper was completely new to me; I had never met or heard of anyone with that name before. It sounded like an old-style name, but was probably common from whenever he had been born.

"Hey, come on in," I said with a smile. I stepped back, holding the door open, and Alice and Jasper came inside. "Why don't you make yourselves comfortable in the living room? I'd offer you a drink, but I'm really not on the menu." Alice smiled at me, clearly liking my joke.

She and Jasper sat down on the sofa while I took a seat in Charlie's chair. "I'm sorry I was messing with you earlier today. I just never expected to meet a group of vampires going to my new high school. You're going to have to tell me your stories as well if you want to hear mine."

"That's fair," Alice replied, glancing at Jasper. It seemed he would be the one taking the lead.

"How do you know about vampires, Bella?" Jasper asked, concern evident in his voice. "I don't know how much you know about us, but it is a death sentence for any human just for knowing of our existence. You will be in grave danger if the wrong vampires find out you're aware of our kind."

It sounded like they were concerned for my well-being, which put me more at ease, realizing they didn't appear to be a threat. "Thank you for your concern. Hopefully, my story will allay your fears. I found out about vampires last year when I lived in Phoenix. One night, as I was walking home from a friends house, I heard a crash. Like an idiot, I decided to investigate, and there I saw a man standing over a body. I didn't understand it at the time, but he had just taken out another vampire. He advanced on me, and he would have drained me dry, but thankfully he stopped, and we got to talking. He explained all about vampires to me and gave me the whole 'change or die' speech. However, I was able to make a bargain with him to give me time to graduate from college, and then I would happily change. Now, I know you're probably thinking that the vampire didn't have the authority to offer me this, but he did." I lifted my Volturi pendant from underneath my shirt, showing it to them. "You see, it was a member of the Volturi that I met that night."

I could see the wide-eyed disbelief in both Alice and Jasper. Skepticism shown clearly on Jasper's face until finally he spoke, "This flies in the face of everything I've ever heard about the Volturi. The secret is our most important law. Who was it that you met?"

"It was Demetri that I met last year. After our discussions, he talked it over with Aro, and I was granted a reprieve. I'm actually looking forward to when I can become a vampire. I just didn't want to be 17 forever. Both of you are relatively young. I would guess 18 or so for you, Alice, and I don't know, maybe 20 for you, Jasper. If you had the chance, wouldn't you have wanted to change later on?"

Alice still wore a confused look on her face but responded, "I guess, but neither Jasper nor I had a choice in the matter. How did you get them to allow this, Bella?"

"I guess I'm special," I replied with a smile. "The truth is, they probably thought they would have a better chance of recruiting me if they treated me well. And, well, they were probably right."

"Your gifted." Jasper declared. "That's why none of our powers are working on you."

Well, that was interesting; several of them had abilities. "Oh, what are your abilities? I would love to hear what you guys can do."

Jasper and Alice exchanged a quick glance, likely communicating with each other at vampire speed. Almost immediately, Jasper looked back at me and said, "Well, I can feel and influence others' emotions."

Well that was pretty interesting. An empath. I looked over to Alice who said, "I can see the future."

"Holy shit." Now it was my turn to stare wide-eyed at her. "You can see the future? Then how did you not know that I knew about vampires?"

"Well, I get visions of the future, so I only know something if I get a vision," Alice explained. "My visions are also based on decisions that people make. The thing is, my visions have not been working well recently and stopped altogether when I was in your presence at school today. I can only assume you are doing something to affect me from getting a vision. Jasper's gift does not work on you either, nor Edward's."

"What can Edward do? I did feel a little tickle in my head in the cafeteria when he was staring at me. Kind of like a feather was brushing against my brain. What was he trying to do to me?"

"Yes, well, Edward can read minds. All minds it seems, but yours," Alice said.

"Well, damn, those are some powerful gifts you guys have. Your right Jasper, I do have some sort of shield gift. Demetri's ability did not work on me either. That's what saved me from being a late-night snack." I did not feel like revealing everything I could do with them yet. I figured I would get to know them first. "So what's your guys' story? Why are you going to high school? Why are your eyes golden and not red?"

Alice smiled and began recounting their story. "Well, I was changed around 1920. I don't know by whom. When I woke up as a vampire, my human memories were all gone. It was my visions that helped and guided me until I met Jasper in the 1940s. Eventually, we found our way to the Cullens in the 1950s," she explained, her eyes reflecting memories of the past.

Jasper continued, "I was a Confederate soldier fighting in the Civil War when I was changed into a vampire. Afterwards, I found myself entangled in a never ending war in Mexico. It was only in the 1940s that I finally managed to escape that hell hole, and, well, here we are with the Cullens."

"You fought in the Southern Vampire Wars? Demetri told me about them. They sounded dreadful," I remarked, noticing Jasper's surprise that I had knowledge of those events.

"You have no idea," Jasper finally said, his expression indicating that he had no desire to delve deeper into that topic.

Alice continued, "We go to high school because the younger we pretend to be, the longer we can stay in one area. Our eyes are golden because of our diet. We drink the blood of animals instead of humans."

"Really? I didn't know that was an option. Demetri told me only human blood tasted good to vampires. Are animals the same as humans?" I asked.

"No," Jasper said, shaking his head. "Animal blood tastes awful. We do it because we don't want to kill people."

Hmm, so the Cullens were pacifists, it seems. That's probably why Demetri said the Doctor was kinda weird. I wonder if I would want to drink from animals instead of people? Thinking about it, something turned me off to the whole idea. I would feel bad hurting a defenseless animal. A criminal knows what they're doing and consciously hurting others. Heavy questions for sure, that luckily I would not have to be confronted with for several more years.

Jasper and Alice told me a little about the other members of the Cullen family but said it was up to them if they wanted to tell me their whole story. That seemed fair. I did have a nice time talking with Alice. She had a very energetic personality. Jasper seemed cautious, but he did not seem like a bad guy.

Later on in our conversation, I remembered to ask about the story Jessica had told me about her friend Lauren. "Earlier today, Jessica told me about a bear attack that killed two students last year. I took her story at face value, but when I saw you guys, I thought that might not be what really happened. Was I wrong?"

"No, you were exactly right, although we didn't do it," Jasper said. His expression darkened as he continued, "Last year, a group of nomads came around. They had been feeding without regard and doing a poor job covering their tracks. When we confronted them and asked them to leave our territory, they agreed, but later that week, we found those two students drained and left on our front porch. We had to make it look like a bear attack."

"Assholes. Did you find them and take care of them? You could have asked the Volturi to look into it, right? It sounds like the nomads were breaking the law if they were not covering their tracks, and threatening to implicate you guys in two murders sounds like potential exposure issues as well," I said, feeling a mix of anger for the dead students and concern for the Cullens.

"Carlisle did not want to pursue the issue, as they had already left the area," Jasper said, though his tone hinted at his disagreement with the decision.

"We are wary of asking for the Volturi's help. Some feel that they might try to make us join since we are gifted," Alice added, her voice filled with concern.

"I don't know. They seem to have been very fair in their dealings with me. I mean, they could have forced me to change if they had wanted to. I have gotten along quite well with Demetri during the times we've been together," I replied, reflecting on my interactions with the Volturi.

"It does make me think we may have misjudged their intentions," Jasper said, his expression contemplative. "I met Demetri and several of the other guards when they came and neutralized the fighting in Mexico at the turn of the century. They killed many but allowed my creator Maria and me to live. I wish now they had taken Maria out, but that's a story for another day."

We chatted for a couple more hours, getting to know one another better, but eventually, I realized that Charlie would be returning home soon. I suggested that unless they wanted to join us for dinner, they should probably leave before he arrived. Alice smiled warmly and suggested that we should be friends, to which I happily agreed. Having more vampire friends was something I looked forward to. After they left, I decided it was best to call Demetri and inform him about the presence of the Cullens.

I rang his number, and he picked up immediately. "Hey Bella. How was your first day of school?"

I smiled, hearing his voice. "It went fine, but you'll never guess what happened. I truthfully think you could guess for the rest of eternity and still never imagine this happening. Get ready for this one. It was lunchtime, and I was in the cafeteria when I noticed five vampires walk in."

"What!" Demetri said, shouting. "Who were they? What did they want? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. They are actually attending high school for some reason, which still sounds crazy to me. They are the Cullen family. I take it you know some of them."

"The Cullens..." Demetri paused for a moment, probably thinking about them. "Yes, I've known Carlisle Cullen since he lived in Volterra for several decades in the 1700s. I have not met any of the others except Jasper Whitlock."

"Yeah, that's pretty much what Jasper said. I think I can be friends with Alice. She seems nice."

"Yes, always be on guard, of course, but the Cullens are probably the most docile vampires you'll ever meet. I don't mean to speak poorly of them, but they are often thought of as unusual due to their diet."

"Yeah, I was surprised when they said they drank from animals. I thought about it for myself, but I think I'd have an issue killing a defenseless animal."

"Animals taste only slightly better than human food. I don't know how they do it, but it does keep them alive. I do think it weakens their strength and other abilities when compared to a vampire who drinks normally. I've had to drink from an animal a few times in my life when I was injured and needed something quick. I would not recommend it."

We chatted a bit more, sharing what we had been up to since our last conversation. However, when I heard the sound of Charlie opening the front door, I let Demetri know that I had to run and we quickly said our goodbyes.

"Bells?" I heard Charlie's voice calling out as he closed the front door. I descended the staircase to greet him. "How was your first day of school?"

"Hey, Dad. I had a pretty good day," I replied, smiling. "I met a lot of people and think I can make some friends here."

"That's great, honey," Charlie beamed. "Who did you make friends with?"

"I had English class with a girl named Angela; she seemed nice. I don't know her last name yet."

Charlie interrupted me, saying, "That would be Angela Weber. She is the town's minister's daughter."

"Okay. And I also made friends with Alice and Jasper Cullen."

"I have not met them, but none of the Cullens have stepped out of line since they got here. Dr. Cullen is an amazing doctor. We're lucky he wanted to live in such a small town. I'm glad you're making friends." It was at that point that Charlie's stomach rumbled pretty loudly. He looked down for a second and rubbed his stomach before continuing. "How about I order a pizza for dinner?"

"Sounds perfect," I said, glad that my first day of school had gone so well.

Carlisle POV

I had just completed my rounds and was back in my office, jotting down some notes when my phone rang. Glancing at the screen, I saw it was Alice calling. I picked up and was about to greet her when she cut right in, sounding urgent.

"You need to get back to the house, Carlisle. We need to have a family meeting as soon as Jasper and I get home," Alice stated in a serious tone.

I froze. Had there been an incident? I prayed none of the family had slipped up. It was extremely rare, and really, it had only happened with Jasper, but he had been doing so well for decades.

"What happened? Did…" I started to ask, but Alice interrupted me.

"No, nothing like that, Carlisle. We have another issue. Jasper and I are going to see how bad the situation is, and once we return, we will need to talk about it with everyone. I have to go. I'm sure the family will fill you in when you get home," she ended the call.

I quickly informed my staff that I had to leave early due to a family emergency and asked them to take over my remaining duties for the day. I drove right home, and as I approached, I could hear yelling from inside the house. I couldn't imagine what had happened. Everything had been peaceful since those nomads had left the area last year. Maybe they had returned.

As I entered the living room, the rest of the family was in a state of high agitation. Rosalie was yelling and pacing, while Esme seemed to be trying to calm her down without much success. Alice and Jasper were not here so it appeared they had not arrived home yet, and from what I could grasp from Rosalie's screams, our secret had been discovered.

Edward, who was sitting on the sofa with Emmett, looked up at me and conveyed with his eyes that I needed to do something to get the situation under control. As I thought this, he nodded his head.

"Everyone," I said in a raised, but calm voice. "Please, sit down. Let's be rational and discuss what has happened calmly. I still don't know what has occurred. Rosalie, please sit down next to Esme. It will be alright."

I watched as Esme guided Rosalie to the other sofa, rubbing her back with care in an attempt to calm her. I let out a breath and hoped all was well. "Good, now would someone please let me know what has happened? Alice didn't tell me when she called me at the hospital."

Rosalie jumped to her feet, the dueling emotions of rage and fright clearly evident on her face as she yelled, "The secret is out, Carlisle!" Her loud voice quivered with anxiety. "This new girl at school somehow knows we're vampires. She was taunting us, mocking us, and even threatening to expose us..." Her hands clenched into fists, and her pacing quickened, betraying her rising agitation.

"That's not exactly true, Rosalie," Edward spoke up, his voice calm and measured. "I was listening in to the conversation between Alice and this Isabella, and it seemed more likely that she was just having a good time making Alice uncomfortable with her leading questions. She clearly made sure no one else was listening to their conversation, and she never said the word 'vampire' out loud."

I was taken aback by the revelation. How had our secret been exposed? "Please tell me, Edward. What was this Isabella thinking? Who is she, and what are her intentions?" My mind raced with questions, unsure of how to proceed. We had always been so careful to avoid exposure issues like this. The mere thought of the Volturi finding out sent shivers down my spine, but I knew I needed to gather all the facts before deciding our next move.

Edward paused, which was highly unusual for him. Finally, he admitted, "I don't know, Carlisle. My gift does not work on her. We were all at the cafeteria when we encountered her for the first time. I concentrated as hard as I could directly at her, but I couldn't hear a single thought from her. It was very strange. I saw her, but when I tried to read her, it was like there was no one there. Alice, too, was unable to get any visions when talking with her. It left her at a distinct disadvantage as she was waiting to know how to best answer Isabella's questions, but no visions ever came. Jasper couldn't feel any emotions from her either. Something was very unusual about her."

"I got up close to her later in the day while she was walking to one of her classes to see if my ability would work up close. She didn't notice me, and I left almost immediately when I still didn't pick up anything. I did get a good dose of her scent, and it was unusual. She smelled particularly good for a human, I mean really good, but there was something else in her scent that was distinctly other. I had never smelled anything like it, and it helped overcome her own scent, which I found quite appealing. The other scent slightly resembled a vampire's, but I don't know how that would be possible as she was clearly human."

"Are you sure she's a human?" Emmett spoke up, smiling. "Maybe she's an alien or some other type of supernatural creature. If we can exist and those wolves, why not other species? Have you ever encountered any other mythical creatures, Carlisle?"

"No, Emmett," I replied with a smile. "Who is this Isabella? I had not heard of a new family moving into town?"

"She is Chief Swan's daughter," Esme spoke up. "From what I gather, she has come to stay with the Chief for her Senior year."

"Well, I've met Chief Swan many times, and he is clearly human. I didn't know he had a daughter." I pondered what we should do, but it was evident we needed to wait for Alice and Jasper to get back so we would know the full story.

We waited for several hours, some of us more patiently than others. I feared Rosalie would go crazy if she did not get answers soon. Eventually, Alice and Jasper did return, and everyone settled around the dinner table to hear what they had to say.

Jasper spoke, his voice calm as he began, "Okay, we've talked with Bella and have gotten her story. It seems hard to believe, but she does know a great deal about vampires, and it was the Volturi who told her everything."

The room fell silent as no one could believe what Jasper was saying. Eventually, I spoke up, "Please tell us more, Jasper, as there must be more to the story than that."

"There is more. It seems she met Demetri last year, and somehow she found out about vampires. She convinced them to agree to put off changing her until after she graduates from college. She said she wanted to be older before becoming a vampire. She is gifted, Carlisle. She possesses some sort of shield that protects her from seemingly all vampire powers. She believes the Volturi would like her to join them, and that's why they didn't change her immediately." Jasper explained, his tone steady and serious.

"Is there anything we can do to protect her?" Edward spoke up. "It seems wrong to damn her to this life. If Demetri cannot find her, maybe we could hide her."

"I don't think she would appreciate that, Edward, and I wouldn't suggest anything like that to her," Jasper stated. "She seemed quite taken with the idea of one day becoming a vampire."

"She's mental! I won't stay here and be a part of this when she exposes us to the world. Let's go, Emmett," Rosalie yelled, standing up quickly and knocking her chair over in the process, then storming up the stairs to her room. Emmett got up quickly, following her, trying to get her to calm down.

"What were your impressions, Alice?" I asked, as she had been quiet so far.

"I really liked Bella. I'm going to be good friends with her," she stated assuredly.

"Did you get a vision of this happening?" I asked.

"No, Carlisle." Alice said rather abruptly. "I can just decide I want to be friends with someone. I don't need a vision to rule my actions."

I realized I had insulted her. "Of course, Alice. I'm sorry if I implied otherwise."

We spent another hour getting to hear more about this Bella Swan. It sounded like our next year in Forks would be much more interesting than we had anticipated. We had never been in close contact with a human before, but I guess it would be alright as the human already knew our secret.

After the meeting, I was contemplating all that had occurred today when my personal cell phone vibrated. I did not recognize the number, so I answered, "Hello?"

"My good friend Carlisle. It's been too long. How have you been?" I would know that voice anywhere. Aro Volturi was calling me. We had not spoken for... I guess it's been close to 70 years now.

"Aro. It's good to hear from you. Yes, it has been too long. I am quite well." I had a feeling I knew why he was calling. I just hoped it would not affect my family greatly.

"Good, good. I just had a conversation with Demetri and felt I should give you a call to clear up any questions you might have and to make some points clear on the matter."

"Yes, I just had an interesting talk with my family as well. It seems they made an interesting acquaintance today."

"Yes, I'm sure. I have not had the pleasure yet of meeting Ms. Swan, but I have been told she is quite special."

"I have not met her yet either, but I hope to. Both Alice and Jasper reported good things from their conversation with her. I have to say I was quite surprised when I learned she had been allowed to stay human and keep the secret."

"Yes, well, we are trying something new with her. I would appreciate it if you do not discuss this matter with any other vampires, Carlisle. We would like to leave Ms. Swan in peace until her time to undergo the change arrives."

"Of course, Aro. I will tell all the family to keep it under wraps."

"Thank you, Carlisle. I am interested. I know several of your family members are gifted. Could you tell me if any of their gifts worked on Ms. Swan? I am especially interested if Edward's gift worked, as it is somewhat similar to my own."

"No, they all confirmed that their gifts had no effect on her whatsoever."

"How fascinating. I cannot wait to meet her myself to see if she can block my own gift. And think of the day when she becomes a vampire. She will most likely be extraordinary."

"Yes, I agree with you on that, Aro."

"I would like to ask a favor of you, Carlisle, and I really must make it more of an order. While Ms. Swan is staying close to you, I would like your assurance that if she ever finds herself in need of help, you will provide it. And if any unfortunate accident should befall Ms. Swan, and you feel she is not going to make it, I want you to change her immediately without delay. Do you understand and agree, Carlisle?"

"Yes, I would have offered assistance to her in any regard, but yes, if she is injured and in mortal danger, I will change her. I promise."

"Thank you so much for your assistance. You and your family must visit us sometime. It has been far too long since our last encounter."

"Of course, Aro."

We said our goodbyes. I sat back and pondered our conversation. It seems this Bella Swan is far more important than I thought if Aro himself is calling me so quickly. It will be quite interesting meeting the girl who has so greatly affected the vampire world.

Let me know your thoughts.