flightless bird

Chapter 12

I tossed and turned all night. My mind was clouded with thoughts of Edward. I sat up in bed and bit my bottom lip. There were 3 things I was sure about. 1. My mom was a vampire and not only her, but Edward too. 2. There was a part of Edward that wanted to kill me and 3. I was stupidly, head over heels for him. I got dressed and as I slipped my top on, I heard a beep.

I walked over to my window and saw Edward parked out the front, leaning against his car. I smiled before before grabbing my bag and heading downstairs. "Bye mom" I said as I hugged her before I walked out the front door. "Hey" I said as I approached Edward. "Hi" he said with a smirk as he opened the passenger door for me and I thanked him before sliding in.

As we drove to school in a comfortable silence, I felt the nervousness and adrenaline kick in at the thought of everyone's reactions. What would people say? Or better yet, what wouldn't they say? We arrived at school and instantly, people turned to Edward's silver Volvo. He climbed out and walked over to my side of the car, opening the door for me.

"Thanks" I said as I climbed out, throwing my bag on my shoulder. I wanted the ground to swallow me whole as everyone stared at Edward and I. "Everyone is staring at us" I said lowly to Edward. "Not that guy...Uh no he just looked" said Edward. "I'm breaking all the rules anyway, since I'm going to hell" said Edward as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. In a strange way, it brought my comfort. Like it was some protective shield or something.

After school finally ended, Edward and I walked through the woods. "So, in order to become a vampire, does a person have to be dying?" I asked as we walked. "No that's just Carlisle. He'd never do this to someone who had another choice" said Edward as we appeared near a lake. "How long have you lived this life?" I asked as we stepped over the moss covered rocks.

"Since 1918. That's when Carlisle found me, dying of Spanish influenza" said Edward. "What was it like when he you know, turned you?" I asked. "The venom was excruciating. But what Carlisle did was much harder. Not many of us have the strength to do that" he replied. "Didn't he just have to bite you?" I asked as we moved under some trees to get away from the rain.

"Not exactly. When we taste human blood, a sort of frenzy begins and it's almost impossible to stop" said Edward as I pulled my jacket tighter around me. "But Carlisle was able to" I said and Edward nodded. "First with me, then with his wife, Esme" He replied. "So is Carlisle the real reason that you don't kill people?" I asked and Edward paused for a moment.

"No. He's not the only reason. I don't want to be a monster. My family, we think of ourselves as vegetarians cause we only survive on the blood of animals. But it's, it's like a human only living off of tofu. It keeps you strong, but you're never fully satisfied" Edward explained as he looked at me with his golden eyes. I found it hard to concentrate and not get lost in them.

"It wouldn't be like drinking your blood for instance" said Edward and I gave a small smile. "I'll remember not to get too close to you if you're mad at me" I joked and he chuckled. "Was it other vampires that killed my uncle?" I asked as I turned to Edward. "Yeah" he replied and I felt my chest clench. He would've suffered and died painfully.

I sighed as I averted my eyes looking down at the rocks in front of me. "There are others out there. We run into them from time to time" Edward said as I remained silent. "Do you know who they are?" I asked and he shook his head. "They're most likely nomads. Vampires that don't belong to covens. They're often alone or in groups of two or three. We've caught their scents a few times around Forks and we don't recognise them" he replied and I nodded.

"What's a coven?" I asked. "In the vampire world, groups of vampires that coexist together are called a coven. There are roughly nine active covens across the world. My family are only one of two covens who eat an animal based diet. Our cousins in Alaska are the others. The rest feed off of humans. Each coven has a leader or leaders who are the founders of that coven most of the time or the longest surviving. Our leader is Carlisle" Edward explained and I nodded.

"So can anyone else in your family read minds like you?" I questioned. "No. That's just me. But Alice can see the future" said Edward. "She probably saw me coming" I said as I tucked my hands into my jacket. "Alice's visions are subjective. I mean the future could always change" Edward said as he looked out at the lake.

"What about the rest of your family?" I asked. "Jasper, Alice's mate, can feel peoples emotions and also manipulate them. It can be very tolling on him sometimes and Christopher can manipulate a persons mind changing their thoughts, making them do whatever he pleases. At his will, he could make you forget who you are" replied Edward.

"So it's just you four who have gifts?" I asked and he nodded. "Some vampires who don't have gifts, have a heightened attribute or feature. Carlisle has extreme self control and is not easily tempted by human blood like other vampires. Rosalie has enhanced beauty as apposed to other female vampires. Some would say she's the most beautiful vampire. If we hunted humans, she would have no trouble finding her next meal. Esme, my adoptive mother, is extremely caring and loving - she will accept you no matter who you are. And Emmett is the strongest vampire in our coven with accelerated strength. Gifted vampires also have heightened attributes. For instance, Jasper is great at fighting, Alice is extremely agile and I'm the fastest in my coven" Edward said and I nodded.

"How about your mother? Does she have any gifts?" Edward said as he turned to me. "Uh yeah she does. She said it was a tracking gift of some sort. That she is able to physically see someones scent and what they were doing in that moment" I explained and Edward nodded. "Tracking gifts are among the most common gifts in vampires. They do vary though like your mothers gift" said Edward and I nodded.

"This is all so crazy. Last week I only believed vampires were myths like Santa Claus. What's next? The tooth fairy is real?" I joked and Edward chuckled.