Rip Tide: A Twilight Fanfiction

Chapter Three: Meet the Cullens

The ride to the Cullens' place was a silent one. 

Lost in thought, I watched the trees fly by while Carlisle focused on driving and allowed me to rest. After a phone call to Charlie, the vampire doctor convinced him to let me leave the station. Of course, that didn't mean I was free to go wherever I pleased. While the Captain had dismissed me as a suspect in the investigation, I was still the key witness. Until my memory came back, I wasn't authorized to leave town. Not that I had anywhere to go. I had no money, nobody to contact, and no identity. 

Forks would be my home, for the foreseeable future.

As nervous as I was about meeting the other Cullens, I was eager to take a shower and change out of my horrid, dirty dress. It was difficult to think about anything else when wearing the blood of homicide victims. My wrist still hurt like hell, thanks to Edward. Perhaps I shouldn't have been so bitter, since his quick actions saved my life. But it wasn't like he'd done it because he cared about my life. 

He hated me.

"Don't be nervous," Carlisle told me, as we turned onto the dirt road leading to the Cullen residence. "The others promised to be kind to you."

"Except Edward," I clarified, addressing the ugly, gloomy elephant in the backseat. Figure of speech; Edward actually rode home with Jasper and Emmet in a monstrous jeep.

"Ah, Edward," Carlisle chuckled lightly, offering an apologetic smile. "He'll warm up to you. He's just worried about our family. We've been through so much the past few years. Once he gets to know you, he'll stop trying to scare you off."

 "I'm not scared," I said indignantly, crossing my arms.

Carlisle chuckled again. "I believe you. You're a tough girl. I only hope you remember your name, soon. I dislike having to refer to you so impersonally."

"You and me both," I replied with a sigh, slumping back in the smooth leather seat. Heat radiated underneath me, helping to fight off the hypothermia that had started to creep into my bones. Man, the car was incredible: I could only imagine how much it cost. Not only were the Cullens beautiful, they were filthy rich. Go figure.

"We're here," Carlisle announced, parking in the empty space of the driveway. There were several, expensive looking cars surrounding us, but they were only appetizers for the eye. Sitting in the clearing in front of me was an enormous house. There were windows that took up almost the entire walls, tinted to keep privacy and fill the place with natural light. It was the most beautiful work of architecture I had ever seen. Of course, I only remembered a few hours of life on earth, but that was beside the point.

"Wow," was all I could say.

Carlisle smiled proudly. "Thank you. We do love it here. It saddens me that we can't stay forever."

I pried my eyes away from the breathtaking house to look at Carlisle. The emotions inside me were a horrible, tangled mess, just like my mind. Whenever I saw the man smile, it warmed my heart but sent a stab of anxiety to my gut simultaneously. Don't trust Carlisle, the warning haunted me, repeating in my head every time I let my guard down. It was maddening.

"Come on, the others are waiting to greet you," Carlisle said, breaking me out of my thoughts. He looked over to see me wringing my hands nervously. "It's alright," he soothed, reaching over to touch my shoulder. "You're a guest here, not a prisoner. I brought you here for your protection. No one in this house will harm you, I promise."

Don't trust Carlisle.

I chewed my lip, glancing out the window toward the dark surrounding forest. It was my golden opportunity. Without Edward lurking nearby to read my thoughts, I had the element of surprise on my side. I could make a run for it, and possibly outrun Carlisle. Slim chances of that, though. After a long night of questioning, nearly being torn apart by a werewolf, and crying for a good thirty minutes, I was on the verge of passing out. More than likely, I would just collapse into a pitiful heap before I even reached the treeline.