Rising: A Life and Death fanfiction

Prologue Part 2: Normal

"I wondered what you've been keeping from us," Edythe said, suddenly flitting to stand behind Archie "it's not often that one translates the British national anthem into one hundred different languages, and then sign."

"You would've freaked if I'd told you as soon as Ea made the decision..." Archie said, and from his face it seemed like he was trying to show Edythe something - but I couldn't see what.

"Ea?" I asked, raising my eyebrows "haven't heard that one in a while."

In fact, I hadn't been called Ea since the late 1950s - it had been what my friends had called me, although I couldn't remember any of their names. Somehow, I doubted Archie had called me that as a coincidence.

"I saw you telling me that at some point in the future," Archie responded "it's incredible how much you staying here just for five minutes has cleared up! You're going to fit right in! I wasn't too sure on some things before this because there were so many paths, but now you've made the decision I can really see"

"Um.. cool. I guess." I murmured, cautiously looking around the room again. It was weird to contemplate that I would stay here, become a part of this coven, this family; I couldn't understand why they had accepted me so readily, even though they barely knew me. Neither could I understand Archie's apparent enthusiasm, although I had a feeling that Archie could never be fully understood.

Edythe suddenly looked towards me and smiled warmly, almost reassuringly.

"We've learned not to question Archie's judgement," she said " if Archie says that you'll fit in: you'll fit in."

She smiled again before turning to Beau and motioning for him to come forward; he glided towards Edythe and put his arm around her waist, and despite the simplicity of the gesture, I could almost feel the depth of their feelings towards one another from where I sat. The way he looked at her was comparable to a blind man seeing the sun for the first time; love in our kind is, like everything else, much stronger than anything humans are capable of feeling and is a truly beautiful thing to watch.

"You can drop your shield now, Beau" she coaxed, which confused me as he wasn't holding anything that vaguely resembled a shield. "he's not going to hurt any of us."

"Positive?" He asked, quickly shooting me an apologetic look, as if he thought he was hurting my feelings.

"Yes."

Although I'd never actually experienced one, I'd compare what I felt next to a sensory overload. All at once, my vision returned and I was assaulted with the pasts of the Cullens - a torrent of flashes, disappearing as quickly as they came, each as confusing as the next. An old truck, a ballet studio, a piano, medieval cities, a faded white homestead, flowing black robes, bear attacks, a desert... None of it stayed long enough to make any sense out of, and the range of emotions that cascaded over me made it difficult for me to concentrate on anything at all. Panic, confusion, jealousy, sadness, loss and love. I closed my eyes as I tried to regain control of myself, beginning to filter what was coming in - but there was just too much.

"Ah." I said, blinking my eyes as if it would somehow clear my senses "You've certainly had a lot go on."

"That's putting it mildly," Beau laughed quietly, leading Edythe to the sofa next to Archie "the last couple of years haven't been easy, that's for sure."

"It's all settled down for now, thank heavens!" Earnest said, smiling "I don't think I could cope with anymore drama, imminent death quickly becomes tedious."

Although I didn't think Earnest did it consciously, I could tell that he was trying to reassure me that there was no danger in staying; Edythe looked at me inquisitively and grinned to herself, and I suddenly wondered if she could hear my thoughts - which would explain all the weird mutters in what I assumed was her past. She nodded at me, which I took to be confirmation. I suppose I should have been surprised, or disturbed or whatever but after fifty odd years of vampirism you get used to our various parlour tricks.