The day trudged on and on as I endlessly waited for the class period to end. After this Edward Cullen was taking me home, and I was bouncing in my seat. My leg bounced up and down as Mr. Brunner kept talking in the Shop class.
"Well, that's the plan for this quarter, hope you en-" The dismissal bell interrupted the teacher's voice and the chorus of stomping feet from the classroom drowned out his finishing.
I followed the sea of students as they left the building heading towards their lockers, or car, or detention. I headed towards my locker which was a building away. Suddenly a big beefy arm wrapped around my shoulder and pulled me against his chest. It was the towering form of Emmett Cullen who had his own bright red, expensive looking backpack on his left shoulder, and my rattier, older, and black backpack on his right. He slung it off with a grin and handed it to me,
"Thanks?" I said, confused.
"Any time, dude, Eddie said he was taking you home so I thought I could help a friend out," He replied, keeping pace with me as we changed directions to the parking lot.
"O-Okay," I muttered, knowing I didn't have to worry about my voice volume.
"But there was another reason," His face darkened and a more sinister look entered his eyes.
"Oh?" I said wonderingly.
"It's about my ghosts," He said surely.
My eyes widened as I reached into the pocket of my backpack, pulling out a granola bar.
Emmett continued, "Basically, I wanted to know why they're here, and I need to know how to help them leave."
I knitted my eyebrows together and said between bites, "Why? You don't even know who they are?"
"But... I do," He said after a long pause.
I stopped in my tracks, and I put the pieces together myself.
"Can we sit Astor?" Emmett asked, sensing the worry in my stature.
I nodded and headed towards the nearby wrought iron fence.
"So... You did, kill them?" I asked quietly, staring ahead towards the nearby parking lot, none of the other Cullens in sight
"Yes, I did, but there's more than just-" He began, but I cut him off.
"Why? That's 90 percent the reason they're still here." I turned to look at him.
I was seen by people of legend as an advocate of death. My ancestors and I never bothered with that. We saw ourselves more as a friend of death. With the knowledge that I went to school with a murderer didn't sit very well in my stomach. I wrapped my arms around my middle, feeling myself about to be sick.
The parking lot sat empty save for a few of the teachers' cars, and students' stuck in detention. I still refused to look at him.
"Sometimes, as a vampire, you find humans that are just... too much. They drive us crazy, and I couldn't deal with it. I never drank a drop if that's what's worrying. That's actually why I killed them. One in Alaska, and one in New York when Rosalie and I had lived there. I didn't want to risk losing control and hurting them. I made it fast and painless." He said to the air around him.
The ghosts of the pale, sickly looking girls stood tall as he spoke. They held onto his every word, anxious to hear what would set them free. Tears welled in their ghostly eyes, and in turn, mine as well. It was always emotional to watch them go. I rested my hand on Emmett's. They both sat on his knee.
I could tell even with no tears falling from his eyes, they would if he were human. The two girls smiled at each other, then to Emmett.
"Astor, please," The first one began, "tell him he's forgiven." The second finished.
