The Alchemist

Chapter 6

Once I had finished putting them on and I had been halfway my lunch, as it was now Sunday, Carlisle cleared his throat. "So, about our questions..." Carlisle began.

"Oh right. Ask away." I said after swallowing the bite.

"How did you find out about Vampires?" He began.

"Some of you saw my hands, right?" I answered with a question of my own.

"Yes, you have tattoos on them. They remind me of alchemy circles." He said.

"Those tattoos are just cover ups for the bitemarks. Remember I didn't want to talk about why I had come back, after just six years of service?" I asked the 'kids'. They nodded.

"Yes, you said it had been a personal reason." Emmett said.

"My last assignment had been to go fix up a jeep in a rather dangerous area. Taking as little security with me as possible to not stand out towards the enemy, I went to where locals had been disappearing left and right. The damage to the jeep had been worse than first reported and the team it belonged to had disappeared as well. You can probably guess what happened to them.

I remember sensing something wrong with how quiet it had been, but after that it's fuzzy. I only remember screams, laughter, fire and red eyes. And gruesome pain. When I came to, I had been back in camp but since that day, my hands had been messed up. I wasn't able to do a single thing that required steady hands. My guards during the assignment were found dead. 

A few days later I had gotten a letter signed with mr P.W. and my knife. It explained everything and I burned the letter as per request of the stranger. That's how I know. Because I couldn't do a single job anymore I was sent home and here we are." I explained.

"That answers a lot of questions actually. How do you know we are the same kind of creature?" Esme asked.

"The hints mr P gave me applied to you as well. If you know what to look for, which I'm guessing Bella is doing as well, as I know she talked to an old friend of ours, and she has books on supernatural beings. Anyway your 'human' habits aren't as human as they would seem. Yes, you get food just like anyone else but you don't even pick at it or pretend to chew on it. Not eating everyday, is more obvious than just picking at it. 

And furthermore, I just puzzled the answers together with those hints in mind, along with what you showed yesterday. Too fast, too strong, saying things that make no sense and the eyes that shouldn't look so similar considering none are blood-related." I was surprised they had decided to actually hear me out.

"By the way, why are they that color?" I asked them as it was now somewhat my turn to ask things.

"We drink from animals. That helps us keep in touch with our humanity better. We call it being vegetarian. It did cause our eyes to turn golden instead of the ruby red you are probably more familiar with." Esme answered

"So how much of the usual cliché vampire stuff is true?" I was a bit curious now.

"Not much, we don't sleep at all, human food is like eating literal garbage, and if we eat it or drink it we have to throw it back up almost immediately. We have inhuman strength and speed as Rosalie so kindly demonstrated, senses like sight and hearing is higher and some of us have gifts. Garlic doesn't work on us nor does holy water or sunlight, but we are exposed if we get in the sun. Direct or otherwise." Emmett explained.

"Ah the 'camping trips', when it gets sunny here." I had heard about those and noticed them gone on those rare days.

"Yes, we use those days to hunt animals to fill us up, for our lives amongst humans." He seemed relieved or something.

"Makes sense." I shrugged.

"That's it?" Edward asked

"Should there be more?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we kind of expected either you threatening to expose us, or to blackmail us." Rosalie answered.

"Hmm, no interest. I explained that before and besides if I were to blackmail you, you probably wouldn't have anything to give that would interest me." I tried my best to keep calm but it wasn't easy.

"Why are you so sure about that? With our long lives and my gift comes incredible wealth." Alice asked.

"Because I don't think you can return that which I lost. Nor give me what I never had." I replied feeling a bit down. Shaking it off not wanting the memories to catch up with me, I finished eating and cleaned my plate and cup.

"She's interesting. I felt her emotions drop into negativity, before I stopped sensing them." Jasper spoke softly. Another gifted one. Probably something with empathy.

"I know what will cheer you up. A videogame." Emmett suggested.

"I don't know." I had never played videogames.

"Come on. I want to play with someone other than Jasper. Besides Charlie gave you the okay to stay until tonight." He tried the puppy look which somehow seemed to work, but more because it looked silly rather than adorable.

"Fine. Teach me." He dragged me back upstairs and taught me how to play videogames. It made me show my competitiveness, once I was able to play properly and, well, my language could've made sailors blush, that's how foul it became. Esme called me out on it, which had me apprehensive of her. Never did someone do that before. Renee usually just smacked me for it and Charlie was never really serious. It felt... odd.

"Hey Emmett?" I asked while putting a banana peel on the road.

"Yes?" He asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Why do you want to be friends so bad?" I asked him what had bothered me.

"Because I like that you are different than how girls usually react to us. As vampires we tend to have a certain way to entice humans, mostly of the opposite sex, to make them our prey easier. While we don't use it on purpose, girls usually still feel attracted to us, like flies to honey. And perhaps because I know you and Rose aren't that different, and I know you could use a friend who can help you through it, without pitying you. I just wish Rose could see that same kind of thing." He knew more about my past than any of the others or even Charlie and Bella did.

Only because he had seen me at my worst once, when things had been too much for me to handle. I had been crying my eyes out in the cafeteria on a particularly bad day, because I knew I was alone there. That is, until a big cool hand offered me a wrinkled handkerchief. I couldn't help but spill when he asked. He promised to keep it all secret and that is how he began trying to be my friend.

"Thank you." I spoke. I truly meant it too.

"Your welcome." He answered. 

"Hey Emmett?" I asked again.

"Yeah?" I smirked. He wouldn't expect this.

"You lose." I raced over the finish line first. He pouted and pushed me over sending me sprawling on the floor. 

I began shaking and he asked "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" but instead of answering, laughter came from me.

"Your face is like your favorite toy got stolen from you. It's just too funny." I said between giggles.

"I will give you something to laugh about!" I got picked up and he ran outside. Before I knew it I was dumped in a river. That cooled me off. His booming laughter sounded through the air and he fled when I climbed out of the water. I ran after him but got lost as he went a bit too fast to throw me off of his trail. Damn it. I couldn't hear him walk either. So, I just walked ahead. But after an hour of aimlessly walking it wasn't funny anymore as it got colder. I was still wet so I grew cold as well. 

My phone was still in the house, not that I expected to have any signal anyway. Wait, I could still see the sun if I climbed quickly enough. So I found a good tree to climb in, but when I reached the first branch, I fell. Right into a pair of cool arms. 

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