Chapter 3 - Vampire

Say what now?

As this wasn't already weird enough! It now appears that we've just taken a deep dive into crazy-town. Vampires?

"O-kay…I see. Of course, that makes perfect sense," I say in the same low, soothing tones I used to speak to the bear. Admittedly it hadn't done me much good then, but maybe it'll be more successful this time? These people might be lunatics, but so far no one is trying to tear me apart and I'd really rather keep it that way. "That's a real nice story, and I'm sure you've got plenty more interesting things to tell me…but my Mama will be expecting me home for dinner right about now so I'll just be taking my leave, if it's all the same to you…"

I move slowly sideways as I speak, but the boy mirrors my movements until he's standing in the doorway and blocking the only exit. For a brief moment I consider just bolting – he's in the doorway but he's a lot scrawnier than I am and I think I could probably knock him aside without any trouble – but that will only take me into the rest of the house and they'll be on me before I can figure my way out. I glance back at the large windows, but they're all closed and latched. I wonder how much damage I'll do to myself if I just throw myself through the glass.

"Surprisingly little damage, if I'm honest," Edward tells me with a chuckle. "But even so, I wouldn't advise breaking out through the windows."

"I know it sounds absurd," Carlisle says, and it occurs to me that he's using the same soothing cadence that I was trying for. "I'm sure you thought vampires belonged solely in the realm of fantasy. But here we are, and here you are, and I'm sure you've already noticed how things have changed. Your body has healed itself from what were mortal injuries. Haven't you noticed how strong you feel? How perfectly you can see, and hear, and smell? That burning in your throat, it's vexatious I know, but if you think about hunting, about blood…do you feel how you want it?"

Hunting…blood. I see it in my mind almost immediately. Hunting with Pa and Patrick, bringing down a deer, slitting the throat to kill it and watching the blood pour…I am shocked by the feral snarl of desire that ripples through my throat into the silent room.

"It's all right Eleanor. Blood is the only thing your vampire body wants. Most vampires feed on human blood, but our family only drinks the blood of animals," Carlisle says.

"You really think I'll believe this is true?" I glance from Carlisle to Edward and Esme and finally Rosalie, trying to find a hint of humour or deceit in their faces, but there's not even a glimmer of anything that isn't complete, utter seriousness.

This CAN'T be real. It can't be!

I feel like I'm being sucked down by quicksand. Because this all sounds like madness, a silly story they've made up for a gullible girl…but the brutal wounds of the bear attack have vanished like they never happened, and I can almost feel the strength and power of my own body as all my senses flare. And now that they've mentioned blood my throat is searing with thirst in a way that can't be ignored.

But…a vampire? That's…it's impossible!

"It's daytime!" I say wildly. "If you really are…isn't sunlight deadly? And I mean, this house seems to have a lot more books and lot less coffins that I'd be expecting if you're really undead. So, good effort on the joke, you nearly had me, but I really have to be going now."

"Most of those vampire myths and stories are just that, stories," Edward says. "We're different to what you might expect in several respects; living off animal blood of course, and we're not restricted to the darkness. Sunlight won't hurt you. There are no coffins – we don't sleep at all – and you won't be harmed by garlic or silver or crucifixes. I know that you think it all sounds crazy, that we're lunatics who are trying to bring you in to our shared delusion, but I'm afraid what we're saying is true."

I still don't believe it. Not really. Not until I look at Rosalie, and see the truth in her golden eyes.

"Oh, sweet hell…" I rake my hands into my hair, gripping the thick curls as I stare at the four faces looking back at me. All have the same flawless skin with its unnatural pallor, and the same peculiar golden yellow eyes.

"We can take you out hunting now," Carlisle says. "You'll feel better once you've fed, and we can talk more afterwards. I know you must have many questions."

Questions? This whole situation is so bizarre I feel like I'm beyond coming up with a coherent thought, let alone an intelligent question!

"Things will make more sense once you've hunted," Edward says. "Come on."

He steps backwards through the door and Carlisle gestures to me to follow, but I don't move until Rosalie does. She's barely said three words to me, but it was the sound of her voice that had carried me through that eternity of hellfire and I don't want to let her out of my sight now.

I'm briefly aware of the size and elegance of the house I've been brought to before Edward and Rosalie lead me outside. It's forest out there, and even though it's not exactly the same as the forest of home that I'm so intimately familiar with, I immediately feel better as we move into the trees. The cloudy grey sky, the cool scent of impending rain, the intricate details of the leaves and branches of the plants, the feel of the dirt and grass and leaves beneath my feet…it's all so intense that even the burn of the thirst is briefly overwhelmed by the wonder of it all.

"Your vampire senses are much stronger than your human ones." Carlisle stops beside me. "You're noticing that. You're far faster and stronger than you were too – everything will be more. See if you can focus on scent for now though."

I breathe deeply, feeling almost drunk with the intensity of the input. It's…everything. A forest of trees, leaves and grasses in various states of decomposition, flowers and insects and deer and squirrels and a stream and…

I find myself naming everything I can smell, not even sure how I know, my voice tripping over itself as I speak faster and faster. Carlisle smiles at me, and holds up a hand. "That's good, that's good. Can you narrow it down? You want something to feed on. A deer perhaps…can you focus in on that?"

"Oh yeah - that way."

Without waiting for him I follow my nose, feeling the flames of thirst licking higher in my throat as I follow the scent of the herd of deer. I can hear the footsteps of the Cullens following me. I start to run, and once again it's a revelation of the whole new world I think I'm in now. Because this isn't running…it's so fast it's practically flying and I give a wild whoop of laughing glee and speed up.

"This is amazing!"

"Deer Eleanor, remember the deer," Carlisle calls.

I slow slightly, reorienting myself to the scent I had been following. I can't believe how easy it is, how painless are my bare feet on the forest floor, how silently I move through the trees as I track the scent of the deer and the slight imprints of the cloven hooves on the trail. And even though I've never done this before, when I finally reach the scatter of animals grazing in between trees it's purely instinctual and I don't hesitate. Without even thinking about it I strike, seizing one of the deer and then tearing effortlessly through the skin of the neck with my teeth to gulp desperately at the spurting blood. It's only when the heartbeat fades to a stop and the blood stops pulsing that I sit back on my heels and realise the truth of what has happened now.

It's real.

Vampire.

I touch the hide of the doe that's laid across my knees. She's fat after a summer of good feed, and there would be close to fifty pounds of meat to harvest.

"At least that method of killing doesn't impact the meat," I say, slightly unsteadily as I look at the jagged tear my teeth left in her neck. "No bullets to pick out. No bone fragments. And drained already by the feel of it, I guess that makes it easier?"

"We don't harvest the meat," Edward says to me. "Not when we can't eat it. We bury the carcasses, we don't want to do anything that might raise questions or leave any evidence of what we are."

"We can't eat it?"

Carlisle shakes his head. "No. Blood is the only type of sustenance you need or indeed, can tolerate. You don't want it, do you?"

I think about eating venison, the way my Mama cooks it, swimming in a rich stew loaded with vegetables and dumplings, only instead of making my mouth water I shudder in instinctive revulsion.

"Ugh no." I frown. "But even if I don't want it, the rest of the family will. There's a lot of us, you see, so the more meat the better…wow, you really DID mean I'm a lot stronger." As I rise to my feet I bring the doe with me, and despite the size and weight it's as easy as lifting a rabbit. "Can you point me in the right direction for home?"

"Oh Eleanor, it's not that simple," Esme says anxiously. "I don't think you quite understand the situation."

"You can't go home," Edward says. "I'm sorry to be so blunt about it, but there it is. You can't be near your family or…don't run! If you go near your family you'll kill them!"

Poised to run, I check myself at the intensity of his voice. "You can't be serious."

"It's very serious," Carlisle breaks in. "Eleanor, I must ask that you return to the house with us and listen to what we have to say. It's very important."

I shake my head impatiently. "But my family must be about out of their minds with worry! I went out fishing, and now it's been…how long? And I never came home."

"It's been three days," Rosalie says quietly. "And I know that you're concerned about your family, but Carlisle is right that you need to understand. Please, come back home with us now."

"All right," I say at last. "I'll listen to you. But you have to understand that I need to go home. So I'll come back with you now and listen to what you've got to say, but then you'll have to tell me where I am and how to get back."

"Edward will take care of the deer," Carlisle says, and a little unwillingly I hand it over and then follow him back the way we came.

"I guess it won't be too hard to get another one," I say, cheering myself. "The hunting was so easy! I can smell the herd still, they didn't go far, or else there's a whole lot of other things…is that bobcat? And cattle, but I suppose you wouldn't want to start taking livestock, would you? And that's got to be a squirrel. I can smell it all, even down to the little wee things hiding down in the earth." I breathe in deep, catching something faintly on the breeze for a brief second. "Oh, a horse, I'd know that anywhere, and…oh my God, THAT."

They converge on me instantly, but I push past them as I try to catch the scent again. A scent so pure, so delicious, so bewitching that I've no thought beyond desire for it.

That…THAT'S what I want. THAT would slake this wretched burning thirst, THAT would be bliss, THAT is what I'm supposed to take…

"Eleanor, Eleanor!"

Carlisle and Esme are calling my name, hurrying to catch up to me. Edward streaks towards us from between the trees, trying to block my path, but I easily brush him aside.

"You have to stop," he says urgently. "You're smelling human blood, that's what you want – if you go after it you'll kill; you don't want anyone to die!"

I don't want anyone to die. But then the same scent drifts past again, and all reason vanishes. Nothing else matters but satisfying this ferocious roaring thirst.

At least, nothing else matters until Rosalie appears in front of me, golden eyes meeting mine intently. She says my name, so softly it's barely audible, but it's enough. I stop.

"Please," she says. "You can't. I know that it feels impossible, but you have to resist. Please."

Summer roses and sugar cookies and (mine) angel's wings…

And I nod, because I'll do anything she asks of me.

Or at least I'll try, but as the flames lick hotter and higher in my throat I'm not at all sure I'm going to be able to.

"Don't breathe," Carlisle advises. "You don't need to anymore, it's just habit, but you can stop it if you try. The scent is gone now, I think they were travelling away, but it might be safer to hold your breath until we're home again."

It's disconcerting to keep my lungs still and I don't like it, but with the memory of that captivating scent and the scorching thirst in my throat uppermost in my mind I do as he suggests. At least until we reach their house and I go to wipe my feet on the mat before I follow them in and notice the mess of the clothes and need to talk.

"I'm sorry, I ruined your clothes!" I brush helplessly at the drying bloodstains that spread across the front of the shirt and down the skirt. I'm missing buttons on both cuffs and there's a rip halfway down one sleeve. "I didn't even notice! Oh, this is a wreck, but I'm a disaster and it's hardly a surprise. Mama would have a fit if she knew I went hunting in a nice skirt that's not even mine and – do you have my overalls?"

"You mustn't worry about the clothes; I made spares!" Esme says. "You can get changed right away. These will wash, and I've got plenty of extra buttons."

"That's kind of you but really, my overalls…" I protest, as she takes me by the elbow and tows me along a hallway and into a bedroom that's so filled with elegant and expensive furnishings I immediately freeze, in case I accidently touch anything and mess it up.

"I'm afraid the overalls were unsalvageable," Esme says a little apologetically, as she takes a new shirt and skirt from the closet and holds them out to me.

"It's not that I don't appreciate the clothes; I really do! But I'm not sure…I mean…you don't have to," I say.

They're obviously beautifully sewn, and far nicer than anything else I've ever had to wear. And they also fit - did she really make them just for me? She must have, they're nowhere near the right size for her or Rosalie, so they must be brand new. I feel even worse.

Esme presses the new clothes into my hands. "It's all right Eleanor. I know how strange everything must feel right now – I remember how it felt when it was me. It's a whole different world, isn't it? We'll talk more about it all in a minute. And if it would make you feel more comfortable, we can certainly get some overalls next time we're in town. But for now please accept these and don't worry about the ones you're wearing. I can mend and launder. Now, the bathroom is just next door – there's a towel and face washer and soap and plenty of hot water, so I'll leave you to wash in peace."

An indoor bathroom. Left alone I take a moment to marvel at the sleek tiling and deep clawfoot tub and shiny fixtures. Tentatively I turn one of the taps and hold my hand under the stream of warm water. Hot water - what a luxury.

I remove the soiled clothes briskly and take up a cloth. But my hand slows as I wipe away the blood from a body that is disturbingly changed. Oh it's still me, still the same size and shape, but my skin is smoother and firmer than it should be, and utterly unblemished. The calluses on my hands, the old burn scar on my forearm where I fell against the stove as a child, the lumpy knotted scar that crossed my thigh after an accident with a fleshing knife, the pinky finger that's been crooked since Patrick broke it with a mallet when we were fixing the roof last winter, the odd freckles and suntanned skin and the usual array of bruises and scratches – all of the marks and scars gathered through twenty good years of life have vanished as though they never existed.

Something moves in the periphery of my vision and I jump back with a yelp, only then realising that's it's my own reflection in the glass. My reflection…and yet not.

Frozen, I stare and try and take it in. How can I look the same, and yet so utterly foreign at the same time? It's like the difference between a smudged charcoal drawing and the clarity of a pen and ink portrait - everything is sharper and more defined. My hair is the same chaotic mass of curls it's always been but somehow richer and shinier and smoother, and my skin has taken on the same flawless pallor of all the Cullens. It's my eyes that keep me transfixed though. No longer blue, they're not the same golden tones of the Cullens either. Instead they're red, the bright, vivid red of fresh flowing blood.

Sweet holy hell…

Vampire.