The rest of the day was uneventful. The staff just shrugged off the explanation that the new intern was not feeling well—"It's not that uncommon for surgical interns to turn out to be squeamish," the head nurse said, "He'll probably change his course to psychiatry or something."—and surprisingly, there were no more emergencies. Carlisle returned to his office and found Chris looking at his family pictures.
"Bella was human when this picture was taken," Carlisle explained without warning.
Chris jumped, not realizing he was back. "You scared me! I guess I have to adjust to people without a heartbeat, moving so silently like assassins."
Carlisle chuckled. "Sorry I startled you. Oh, and moving like assassins is important for self-defense. Especially when fighting against other vampires, make sure you're upwind. Scent travels faster than sound sometimes." He paused for a moment. "Though... I'm a pacifist. Real battles are a last resort. I usually talk first before acting."
"I don't approve of violence either. It's a waste of life."
"I agree. Well, Chris. Ready to go? Oh, before you meet my family... I bet you're thirsty, now that you've finally realized what you are thirsty for."
"Right. That... You don't kill humans, do you? I can't imagine a doctor killing humans!" Chris suddenly seemed nervous again.
Carlisle grinned. "Of course not! Follow me to the woods, and you'll see."
He led Chris to his car (Chris gaped at the extravagant car choice) and then drove ("Are you crazy?! Slow down!" Chris exclaimed, horrified) to the nearest woods. They stepped out and ran—this was Chris's second time running at his full speed; the first time, of course, was when he first left his birthplace as a baby—wordlessly. Deep into the forest, the older vampire stopped running.
"Take a deep breath and listen closely. What do you feel? Any signs of a mammal?"
"I think... a big herd of something is running, like through... that way?" Chris pointed uncertainly, but in the right direction.
"Excellent. Now... just follow your instinct."
The young hybrid's very first animal hunting went well. He took down two deer—one doe and one buck—and fortunately, a large bear. He had eaten human food earlier in the morning, though, so he had to share the bear with Carlisle.
"Wow, I'm full! And very... satisfied."
"Glad to hear that. If you hunt regularly from now on, it'll become easier for you to resist bloodlust. You'll be a great surgeon, Chris."
"Do you think so?"
"I'm certain."
"...Thank you. I mean— not just for that, but... for everything. How do I put this into words? Urgh... I don't know, just..." Chris struggled to find the right words but failed. Instead, he changed the subject, saying, "Let's meet your big family!"
Carlisle beamed at the mention of his family. "Alright. Let's go."
The drive to the house was quiet. Chris swallowed many questions, waiting for the right time to ask. The house beyond the driveway was breathtaking.
"You guys are really so rich!" He exclaimed, without thinking.
"With my hundreds of years' worth of salary as the seed money, Alice invested it, making it I-don't-know-however-times larger. Money isn't a bother to us anymore."
"Life is easier with money."
"Indeed."
They got out of the car and walked to the front door at a human pace. Carlisle reached for the doorknob to open it but failed, as Alice popped out from inside.
"You have company! I was so worried when your future vanished, but now I can see why. He's a hybrid! You see, unlike the Blacks, I can't see unfamiliar hybrids and shifters. But don't worry. Once my eyes adjust to the new ones, which takes a few years, I can—" Alice's endless babble was cut off by Esme's hand on her shoulder.
"Alice, be polite to the guest. The poor boy's trembling! Come in, my dear," Esme smiled warmly. Chris noticed her smile resembled Carlisle's. They match perfectly, he thought. "You must have a lot to ask us. I'm Esme, by the way."
"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen," Chris replied politely and walked inside.
Everyone's eyes were on him. He shivered feeling the golden gaze—not everyone's gaze, because some had human eyes—but relaxed once reminded that this was the doctor's family whom he is extremely fond of.
"This is Chris Choi, a new surgical intern I'm in charge of. He's only 13 years old and didn't know he is a hybrid until today! I've explained the basics, though, and went hunting with him. Chris, this is my wife, Esme," Carlisle gestured to Esme, who was still grinning at the (relatively) young hybrid. "And you've just met my daughter, Alice," Alice waved at him. "And her mate, Jasper," Jasper nodded silently, absorbing the nervousness of the guest. "This is Emmett and Rosalie." Rosalie just nodded like Jasper, but Emmett turned his whole body towards the newcomer and boomed, "You're no fighter, I'm bored already! You look like a nerd, like Eddie here and our Pops!"
"Emmett, you're being rude!" Esme scolded.
"And don't call me Eddie," Edward looked annoyed.
"And don't call me Pops," Carlisle tried to sound annoyed, too, but unfortunately, his calm demeanor didn't falter. His fondness for Emmett was too large for that. "Where was I? Oh, right. And this is Edward and Bella." Edward smirked, possibly having read something funny inside Chris's head. Bella mumbled "Hi" to Chris. "These eight—including me—are vampires. Now let's move on to the Blacks. This is Renesmee I mentioned before, as she's a hybrid like you," Nessie smiled widely at him. "And her mate, Jacob, is a shapeshifter."
"A shapeshifter?" Chris asked. "What does he turn into? A bat?"
Jacob rolled his eyes. "If vampires turned into bats like in those myths, it would be cool, but, no. I'm not. I turn into a wolf. Like a real werewolf in the stories."
"Under the full moon?" Chris looked intrigued.
"Nah, anytime I want. Unlike that kind of werewolves, I don't even lose sanity in my wolf form. I think like a human, act like a human—"
"You act like a dog in your wolf form, mutt!" Rosalie snorted with sarcasm. "I saw you wagging your tail at literally everyone."
"Oh, shut up! I'm perfectly human even if my form is a wolf, thank you," Jacob rolled his eyes again. "Anyway, we shapeshifters are also immortals as long as we keep phasing, so, to live an eternal life with Nessie, I phase quite frequently. Not that I'm complaining. I love being a wolf."
"Can I continue, Jacob?" Carlisle asked.
"Of course, doc. Go ahead and introduce my lovely kids."
"Thank you. Chris, this is Billy—Billy Black Jr., to be correct—and this is his sister Elizabeth. Liz, for short." Billy strolled out of the kitchen, munching on something, and waved. Liz, on the other hand, touched Chris's hand slightly.
- Liz: Channeling Chris. Can you hear me?
Chris jumped from his seat at the sudden voice inside his head.
"What is THIS?!"
- Liz: You have to answer inside your head. It's called 'Channeling', my gift.
- Chris: What's going on here? How did you get inside my head?!
"Liz, stop scaring him," Edward scolded his granddaughter, reading the Channeling. "Explain what the gifts are first."
"Sorry, Gramps."
"Don't call me that..."