Who am I?

Chapter 2

Gabriel was driven through the woods, the neat pathway leading to a beautiful house with what seemed like hundreds of windows. When everyone stepped out of the car, he fiddled with the seatbelt, confused on how it worked and how to undo it. Jasper silently walked to the other side of the car, opening Gabriel's door and unbuckled his seatbelt with one swift motion. Gabriel seemed confused at first when he stepped out the car, staring at the seat belt for several moments. Carlisle, Esme and Jasper watched as he took the seatbelt buckle, and clicked it in, undoing it and repeating several times. He was fascinated with how it worked. Eventually, Gabriel turned around with a bright smile and a proud expression on his face. "I think I know how to use it now." The doctor chuckled slightly and Esme smiled at how proud Gabriel looked over the small achievement.

At first, the sheer size of the house and grand interior was overwhelming, but he warmed up after spending a long time just marvelling at each intricate vase of the high quality of some painting. It was like a dream, unreal and felt impossibly beautiful to just stand there.

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"What's that thing you said?" Gabriel asked, his mouth full of the sandwich Esme got for him. He couldn't stomach it at first, since he basically lived off of raw rotting animal meat his whole life, but as he quickly got used to it he devoured it hungrily. "A shouder?... Shoe... Shower?" He clarified, albeit with some difficulty, because Emmet was talking with and interrogating him about a lot of stuff like his past and what happened in more detail, so when Gabriel clarified, he nodded.

"A shower is where you wash yourself with water and soap, to make sure you're clean and healthy." Emmet slightly grimaced at how the boy didn't even know what a shower is, but remembered that he was locked away and fed literal poison so obviously he didn't know. Gabriel nodded to that, learning the eighth new thing that day, within the time span of three hours.

"Can I... Have a shower?" He asked a bit hesitantly, still not fully grasping the concept of a shower, or how to have one. 'I'll figure it out when I cross that bridge.' Emmet nodded, leading the boy to one of the many bathrooms in their large house, explaining how to properly shower -as best as he can remember from when he was human-. Emmet got the water ready then left to get some fresh and clean clothes.

When Emmet returned, he came back chuckling slightly as he placed a clean towel, a white shirt with a beige sweater, and some loose fitting jeans on the marble counter top. When he leaves one final time, Gabriel starts to get ready for the shower. The moment he gets in, he instantly relaxes to the foreign feeling of warm water hitting his calloused skin. It was relaxing and incredibly refreshing.

When he stepped out the shower and dried himself off with the towel, he looked in the mirror with slight suprise. "That's not me... Who am I? I... I feel different. I feel new." He breathed out, looking at the strangely clean reflection of himself. At the knock of the door, he was hurried to dress himself, and when he was done, he opened the door.

Behind was Edward, sent by Esme to get Gabriel and see what he wanted for dinner. When he saw Gabriel, he chuckled a bit at the clothes he wore. As they walked downstairs, Esme called from the living room while walking up to Gabriel. "Oh dear, you look so much better. Is there anything specific you want to eat tonight?" She smiles softly, making him feel much at home -as comforting as possible considering his actual home-.

"No... Just, anything you don't mind me eating." He says, shuddering at the still fresh memories of eating infested animal carcasses once a week if he was lucky, but he didn't notice Edward shudder next to him, unknowingly reading his mind and being incredibly disturbed. "I'd rather you guys eat first. Ill eat after, when you guys finish." He waves it off with a smile, thinking it was the polite thing to do.

Esme sighs with a sad smile. "Dont worry about us, you eat first. What is it you want to have?" Since she was insistent, Gabriel caves in and asks if he could have some kind coffee. Although it's not food, he always wanted to try it, hearing through the door how his mother always talked about what was wrong with the coffee that was made. Esme nods, walking to the front door to go to the shop to buy some, but when she leaves the house, she uses her speed to get there quicker.

"Edward, is there any books I can read? I used to do that to pass the time." He says, remembering how his eyes lit up when he found a dusty, yellowed book called 'The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde', and even though its quality was poor, he enjoyed reading it.

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~Jasper's POV~

When Gabriel walked into the living room with Edward, my eyes immediately glued to him. Specifically, what he was wearing. He was wearing my clothes, including my favourite sweater. Emmet was the one who got Gabriel some fresh clothes, why mine though? He is closer to Emmet's size: tall, even though he is skinny from malnutrition. He looks cute in my clothes. They're a bit too big for him, but that's adorable.

Edward immediately shot a glance at me, barely giggling as if he knew something I didn't. Gabriel was handed a book, one called 'Dracula'. Ironic. There was a huge smile on Gabriel's face as he read the title on the cover. He seemed to be the type into modern books -to 'get with the times' as Emmet says-, not classics, so it was a bit surprising to say the least. The way his face lit up as he walked over to the couch, sat down and started to flip through the pages carefully as he took in every sentence.

Almost subconsciously, I shift closer to him since he sat near me. 'Be there for him, be the person you needed.' I keep reminding myself, and could instantly tell I grew connected to the boy, even though the scent of his blood was enticing I couldn't find it in myself to even want attack him. I could see pieces of my past self in him, nïavety clear in his eyes. He was forced to follow orders. My eyes close as I just tune into his heartbeat, listening to the rhythmic beat as he reads the old novel.

The moment there was a shift in his movement, I would open my eyes and scan the immediate area for anything that could hurt him. Why am I so protective of him? I met him only today. Esme soon returned with some coffee, preparing it and put it on a table nearby for Gabriel. He was grateful, more than any normal human would be, but then again, he got used to being grateful for anything he got. When he stood up and put the book down, my eyes watched him carefully as he walked towards the table.

"Esme, this is delicious! It tastes bitter, but sweet at the same time. Thank you so much!" He beamed once he tried the coffee, smelling the drink for a moment before continuing to consume it. If vampires could cry, Esme would at least be tearing up at how grateful Gabriel was for such a simple thing, but tearing up because of joy at how kind and gentle he is.

The rest of the night, Gabriel read 'Dracula' until four in the morning, until eventually falling asleep mid-chapter, his head resting on Jasper's shoulder comfortably. Edward and Emmet teased Jasper in the morning while Gabriel was still asleep, poking fun at him because he refused to even move an inch, as if Gabriel was a cat, he dared not disturb his sleep. Jasper could tell he deserved a good, long sleep as he'd probably never get any proper rest. It was just him being nice, at least that's what he thought.