✔️Compulsive (Carlisle Cullen)

fifteen

Quinn O'Connell was having the strangest night of her life. Somehow, she had gone from near-hypothermic and sobbing, to moving into the Cullen residency and learning all about their mindblowing secret. She could firmly state that it was officially the best night of her life. Esme reminded Quinn of the ingenues of the silent-movie era,  meeting her was like meeting a fairy tale—Snow White, in the flesh. Esme had a heart-shaped face with a warm compassionate look, billows of soft caramel-coloured hair, delicate eyebrows, and a small slender figure that was less angular and more rounded compared to the rest of her family. As jealous as Quinn found herself being, she couldn't help but love Esme in an instant.

"Hello Quinn" she smiled softly, her arms twitching as if she wanted to hug the blonde girl but was afraid that Quinn wouldn't want that. So the blonde took it upon herself to initiate the hug, wrapping her arms around Esme, she instantly felt as if a weight was lifted off of her shoulders. Esme held her delicately, but as if she meant the whole world which surprised Quinn who hadn't ever met Esme before.

"Hello Esme" she pulled back slightly to look at Esme, the vampire took her face gently in her hands. Quinn had noticed their cold flesh when she first held Carlisle's hand the day before but it all made so much more sense to her now and it soothed her. The cold skin was so different from Jensen's clammy, coarse hands. Esme's fingers brushed Quinn's cheeks softly, scanning her face.

"Oh you are so beautiful Quinn, you're perfect" Esme gushed, as if she was looking at her own child for the first down. Quinn's eyes cast down in disbelief, a blush blooming along her cheekbones as she knew for certain that she wasn't even half as beautiful as the Cullens. "Just perfect for our Carlisle" Quinn's powder blue eyes shot up to meet Esme's gold orbs in a second in confusion. "Carlisle has been my best friend for years, Quinn, he's deserving of someone as special as you." the girl didn't know how to reply so she merely stood gaping like a fish. "Come, I'll show you the house." and she began the tour.

"You have a beautiful home, Esme."

"It's yours now Quinn, as much as it is ours. I am glad that you like it. Perhaps you can help me design the next one." Quinn instantly perked up at the idea of being able to design something, at being able to control something. "This is the kitchen, it hasn't had much use up until now, and through here is the games room. We have to have one otherwise, Jasper and Emmett would spend their entire lives in the main room." Esme winked. "Music room, bathroom, office and then upstairs, Alice and Jaspers room, another bathroom... My room... Rosalie and Emmett's room..." she trailed off on listing rooms as they went up yet another floor. "Edwards room... Guest room... Bathroom... Library... Carlisle's room and then this one on the end here... This will be your room." Esme smiled as she pushed the door open.

Currently, the room was large and spacious, bright and open with a wall of glass that showed off the tops of the treetops and rising run. The room had a fresh white carpet, walk-in wardrobe, ensuite and a large bed. It was clearly a guest room, no personal touches added but it was a beautiful mixture of peach and grey, scented softly of peaches and apple.

"It's beautiful Esme, you really don't have to do this."

"Stop saying that Quinn, you are worth the world." the voice behind them was beautifully feminine and they turned from the doorway to find Rosalie Hale in the corridor.

Rosalie was certainly one of the most beautiful people in the world, astoundingly gorgeous, even for a vampire.  She stood at a brilliant 5'9" tall and was statuesque, with an elegant figure similar to a model's. Her hair was long wavy blond hair that fell halfway down to the middle of her back, perfectly suiting the golden eyes she shared with the rest of the Cullens. Quinn was naturally in awe of her. To hear Rosalie declare that Quinn belonged with the cullens was marvellous, seeing as though Rosalie had always been the one to glare daggers in the hallway at any passing humans,

"Is it okay if I steal her away?"

"Of course, see you later my dear" Esme smiled, touching her face gently again before strolling away, back down the corridor.

"Nows probably the time where I tell you... I'm usually the one that's against speaking to humans" Rosalie began, her speech beginning on a bad note and Quinn bit her lip, viably intimidated by the utterly stunning girl. "But you're different Quinn. I'm usually against speaking to humans because I don't want to ruin their lives, I used to think that there was nothing worse than this life, the immortal life. But I would never put my family in danger and I always believed that humans couldn't keep the secret. But then you came along. And inviting you to this life is actually saving you. You can keep this secret because you kept your own for almost three years. You don't have to be afraid anymore Quinn, because you're safe now. Carlisle survived a vampire hunt, he was bitten and had to suffer the transition, alone and in pain. Edward survived the Spanish influenza, Esme survived falling off of a cliff, Emmett survived a bear attack, Jasper survived numerous wars, Alice survived an asylum, I survived being attacked by my fiancé and you, Quinn O'Connell, you survived Jensen Hargreaves. We're survivors Quinn, which makes you one of us."

"Thank you Rosalie"

"I know that I'm never going to understand how you feel and I'm not going to pretend to try to, everyone is different and everyone reacts differently. But I want you to know... I was attacked by my own fiancé on my way home from my friends house. He and his friends beat and raped me,... and then left me there to die. Carlisle saved me. And not just by turning me, Quinn. This family, they helped me come to terms with all the emotions I felt from what he did. They can do the same for you. You're not alone. I for one, will always be here for you."

"How did you get over it all Rosalie? How did you move on?"

"I met Emmett."