Chapter 2

Edward waited in his car out in the parking lot until the end of school for his siblings. Alice had gone back to class when he refused to speak about why she had simultaneous visions of him both ripping out Bella's throat and sitting bored through another lecture on cell mitosis. He sat in silence with only the nervous thrumming of his fingers on his lap.

When the first students emerged from the school he searched each of them for the face that haunted him for the last hour. Their eyes had only connected for mere seconds, but Edward could recall every color variation in her irises and the way her eyes dilated when she came face to face with him.

Edward just kept replaying the moments on repeat when he caught her tantalizing scent that thrust his consciousness into the arms of his bloodthirsty monster. The way her blood called to him. He could still feel the way his chest warmed and the phantom pains in his throat. The most perplexing part of this whole ordeal was the manner in which his inner beast had been silenced. That voice had seemed familiar and it was so clear and so striking that it drowned out everything else in that moment. As if that voice was the only other in the room with him and that never happened in a crowded classroom.

Edward had never before felt his thirst cease with such finality before. Not even when he had been fully sated during his rebellious period. There was still an ember burning underneath everything else. A constant hum within every fiber of his being that reminded him about what he was. Edward couldn't remember the last time he had felt this at peace.

The doors to his Volvo abruptly opened and his siblings piled into the car.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Alice leaned forward from the middle seat to lay eyes on Edward.

What happened? Emmett always preferred to speak with his mind to Edward.

Confusion and apprehension were radiating from his siblings and Edward could hear it through Jasper's mind. Jasper's gift of empathy was sometimes a curse when Edward not only read the thoughts but could also feel the emotions from those around him.

"Alice, Edward, what's going on?" Rosalie's honey voice carried to Edward's ears, but he was distracted by something out in the distance.

He saw a lone figure stopped in the middle of the parking lot. Bella. Her face was tilted up at the sky as the rain droplets littered her skin. Unlike the others who hurriedly ran to their cars, she was caught up in the moment. Her hair looked darker and he could see that rain sparkled in her tresses like diamonds in the haze. Her eyes were closed, but he could count each one of her lashes as they lay across her cheeks.

Edward was aware that someone was trying to speak to him, but he ignored them in the hopes they would leave him alone. He didn't return his attention to the car until Bella resumed walking to her truck, a rusted orange monster that should have been retired a decade ago.

"Oh, I get it! Edward's in loooooooove." Emmett clapped a hard hand on Edward's shoulder. "Finally found someone to turn your head after all these years." Edward couldn't help but scowl at his brother as Rosalie and Alice's voices filled the car.

"In love? With a human? Edward, that's ridiculous!"

Edward scoffed loudly. "I am not in love! I haven't even said two words to her!"

"I never said it was a girl!" Emmett nudged Edward playfully.

"Is that what happened in class? Was it love at first sight?" Why did I see you… Alice replayed her previous vision where Edward had his teeth sunk into Bella's throat. It expanded to show his eyes turning a vibrant red as he drank from her and the rest of the students were screaming in fear. Bella's face slowly stilled as she was drained of blood until she lay limp in Edward's arms. Her eyes stared out and the bright chocolate brown had turned dark and lifeless.

Edward groaned and pulled the car out of the parking lot. He ignored the questions of his siblings as he sped out into the road. He wasn't in love. It was merely interest and curiosity in the face of something new.

"I need to speak with Carlisle." was all Edward said to them and he tried to block out what they were thinking. Rosalie was especially vicious in her thoughts, she was convinced that this was all going to end with Edward killing that girl. She wasn't aware that that was exactly how this had all started in the first place.

Alice was overjoyed if a bit confused as to what was happening. It only took a moment before she took the idea of Edward being in love and started planning. She was mentally cataloging his closet in the hopes of dressing him appropriately to impress Bella for the next week. She was running through all the rom com meet cutes for a way to push the two of them together. The vision of him killing Bella wasn't forgotten, but it was overshadowed by Edward's apparent self control of the situation.

Alice's faith in his self control made Edward feel worse. He knew the guilt and shame were rolling off of him because he could feel it through Jasper who had been mostly silent in the entire exchange. Jasper was content to wait until he had all of the information before making an opinion, but couldn't understand why Edward wasn't the least bit happy.

Thankfully Carlisle was on night shifts at the hospital this week so when they pulled into the long drive up to their house he was there. Edward had barely turned the car off before he was climbing out in a rush to get away from his siblings. He raced through the garage and found himself at the door to Carlisle's study on the second floor. The door was open and Carlisle looked up at him from the papers he was reading at his desk.

What's wrong Edward?

Only Carlisle was a match to Alice for reading Edward's stone features. He could see the emotions on Edward's face as clearly as if he had Jasper's talent. It was a gift that was thanks to decades of closeness.

"Could we speak privately?" Edward's voice was low and he was only just able to conceal his embarrassment.

"Would you hunt with me then? It has been awhile since it was just the two of us." Carlisle unfolded himself from his chair. He looked in his mid to late twenties and was slightly taller than Edward. Carlisle's ice blond hair was smoothed back out of his face and his eyes reflected a bright gold, much lighter than any of his supposed children. He pressed a hand to Edward's shoulder and guided him down the stairs.

They passed Alice and Jasper in the living room, but Edward avoided their eyes. Carlisle led Edward through the front door and that's when they started running. Edward set the pace and they flew through the forest, dodging branches and leaping the river that bordered their property. It was a little more than three miles before Edward stopped and turned to his father.

Did something happen Edward?

Edward cringed. It was one thing to think about what Carlisle would say about his instincts and it was another thing entirely to tell him about it. Carlisle had always preached to them that although they were vampires and were required to live off blood that taking human life was abhorrent. Other vampires lived without seeing that humans were more than just a food source, but Carlisle had always been different. He rebelled against his nature when he forced himself to live off the blood of animals and found that he could live a fulfilling life without killing others.

Carlisle had eventually grew his family with Edward, followed closely by his wife Esme, then Rosalie and finally Emmett. They also embraced the "vegetarian" lifestyle with a few missteps. Alice and Jasper who had found them through Alice's gift later on had already grown accustomed to thriving off animals.

Edward had always looked up to Carlisle as a father figure and hated to be a disappointment, but Carlisle had never once turned his back to Edward. Not even when Edward went off on his own and hunted like a normal vampire. He had been welcomed back into his father's arms with a smile and heartfelt warmth.

Edward?

"Sorry…I…" Edward looked away from his father, unwilling to see the emotions play out on his face. "I almost killed someone today. I didn't, but it was such a close thing I had to leave the room."

That's good Edward.

"Good? No. I almost ruined everything you built here. It would have been disastrous and it would have exposed us all."

It's good that it was almost. You showed restraint.

"No I didn't" Edward sighed and twisted his fingers through his hair, pulling slightly. "Somehow I stopped from going after her, but it wasn't me. In one moment I was prepared to tear out her throat in front of the entire class with no sight of the repercussions. In the next I felt…..nothing. I had no strong emotions in either direction." Edward turned to face Carlisle. "I didn't even feel thirsty. At all."

"Can you explain exactly what happened?" Carlisle's tone of voice shifted from concerned parent to doctor with a puzzle.

"The new student, Bella Swan, when I caught her scent for the first time…It changed me. It's like my body flipped a switch and suddenly I was ravenous. I have never had someone smell that good." Edward couldn't bring himself to explain just how tempting the bouquet of her blood was to him. "I was solely focused on her and when I was ready to spring on her, I heard Alice. She had seen a vision of me draining Bella and I heard her mind from across the hall. The strangest part was that I heard a second voice. It cut through everything."

Edward started pacing between the trees while keeping Carlisle in his sight.

"It just kept repeating 'He's fine.' over again. 'He's not mad. He's fine.' And as abruptly as I wanted to drink her, the feeling was gone. It had vanished and I truly was fine. I was so perplexed, but level headed enough to leave the room. I avoided her scent since, I didn't know if the effect on me would stay the same. I didn't want to kill her. I didn't want to disappoint you."

Edward looked at Carlisle while he thought.

Such a sudden change in behavior. A voice like a command? Was this voice familiar to you Edward? Was it this Bella who you heard?

"I must have been Bella. I admit that I had been attempting to hear her thoughts all day and I was unable to hear her. It was so similar to her speaking voice that I'm sure it was. It's the only explanation I can see. Something like this has never happened to me before."

He seems too shaken and sure of this. There are talents among vampires; it would be just a slight leap to imagine that humans could also be gifted too. I wonder if it was on purpose or just a reflex. What would happen if you met with her again? Do you think you would have a predatory reaction or would you be alright? Do you think this had any long term effects on you?

"I'm just all too sure that she had something to do with this, but I don't know what she was thinking at the time. It's like her mind was walled off to me. I couldn't hear anything, which has also never happened." Edward shook his head. "I must admit that humans having actual gifts seems outlandish to me. When we've never encountered them before now."

Carlisle raised his eyebrows at his son. "Is it so hard to imagine that in a world with vampires who could read minds or see the future that it could also contain humans with astounding abilities too? Just because we've never encountered them doesn't mean that they don't exist. Aro himself seeks out humans who he thinks could possibly be reborn with powerful gifts."

"I'm worried that whatever has happened to me was just short lived and that I'd want to drain her when I see her again. I'm not sure that I could control myself otherwise. She just smelled so…." Edward caught himself before continuing the thought. The shadow of her scent raced across his mind. Freesia and lavender with chamomile. It brought a shudder to his frame, but his thirst remained under control. The heat was returning to his throat ever so slowly and it wasn't until then that he had even noticed.

"What do you want, Edward?" Carlisle's voice was soft. Endearing.

"I know that I should leave. It might be too tempting the next time I see her and it would be dangerous for everyone." Edward was torn between admitting to his father or keeping everything to himself. "I'd be lying though if I said that I didn't want to see her again."

Because you're curious or….?

"I don't know Carlisle."

Whatever you decide, we will all be behind you. We just want you to be safe.

Edward smiled crookedly at his father in thanks.

Come now. Let's hunt. I'm sure Esme is waiting for us.