“Holly comes up with the craziest things,” I stated after I finished her note. She had written that Tally Hall actually was a group of mythical creatures.
“True. I doubt that they have secret identities,” Ashley said while rubbing her eyes.
“I’d be surprised if they did,” I said while we walked to my bedroom.
“Maybe we should ask ‘em. You know, just for fun.”
“Naa. They’d probably laugh at us if we did.”
“Hmm. You’re probably right.” I placed my MacBook on my desk and opened it while plugging in the charger. Suddenly, I heard a ping and saw an iChat invite from Grace. I quickly clicked accept and sat down in my white whicker chair.
“Hey, girlie!” I heard Katie exclaim. Katie and Grace were roommies and so were Laurel and Ashley. Katie stood behind Grace in the video.
“Hey! How are you? Is moving into the apartment going okay?”
“Yeah. It’s going great. We've gotten a lot done if you can’t tell by all the boxes behind us,” Grace said while pointing at the boxes behind her. There were piles of 'em.
“Have you read Holly’s note about Tally Hall having secret identities? It’s so funny.”
“That’s actually what we wanted to talk to you about. You don’t think it’s true, do you?”
“Of course not.”
“Okay, Good. Well, we’ll see you Saturday. Bye.”
“Okay, bye.” I ended the call and turned around to Ashley.
“Well that was weird,” I said.
“Yeah. They only wanted to talk to us about Holly’s note.”
“Hmm.”
“Oh my gosh. I just realized I’m supposed to meet Nora and Rachel for lunch in half an hour. I’ll see you soon. Au revoir,” Ashley said while grabbing her purse.
“Au revoir,” I said while I hugged her. She quickly sped out of the apartment. Now I had nothing to do. My roommate, Joe, wasn’t going to be back for another hour and he was the only one who kept me the most sane and calm. I walked around the two-bedroom apartment aimlessly, stopping in the living room to turn on the CD player. It started playing my April Smith/Vampire Weekend Mixed CD. The apartment wasn’t messy, so I couldn’t clean it. Twilight was on the cheap wooden coffee table. I had stopped reading it earlier. I picked it up and flipped it open to the page that I had left off. I sat down on the couch and started reading it again.
When Joe entered the apartment, I had read about 150 pages. I was wondering about how unstable Edward and Bella’s love for each other was. Joe tossed his bag on the chair near the door, walked over, and sat next to me.
“Ah, Twilight,” he said while slipping it out of my hands.
“Yeah. It’s been a while since I’ve picked it up. It took me only one paragraph to get sucked back in.”
“Do you ever wish you were in Bella’s place? Like, in love with a vampire?”
“Sometimes, I guess. But a lot of girls do. They find the Cullen boys attractive.”
“Hmm. Interesting.” He gingerly put the book on the coffee table. For a second, our eyes connected. His eyes were topaz. Normally, they were hazel. That was a bit odd. Was he wearing colored contacts? I shrugged it off and headed towards the kitchenette to make myself some lunch. I was about to grab a head of lettuce, but Joe stopped me, resting his hand on my arm in a fluid motion. It felt very cold. I wondered why I had never noticed it before.
“I wanted to take you out to lunch,” he said while he closed the refrigerator door.
“But it’s raining,” I said while pointing out the small window at the gloomy skies.
“Don’t worry, the restaurant is only two blocks away.”
“Umm, okay.” I quickly stumbled to my room to get on some shoes. In a hurry I grabbed a pair of flip-flops, which was an idiotic move for such a rainy day. As I put a few things into a purse, I began thinking about the few things about Joe that noticed about Joe that I had never noticed before. Pale skin, dark circles under his eyes, his eyes going from hazel to topaz, the cold touch of his skin. All were common traits of a vegetarian vampire. It couldn’t be possible. Joe went out in sunlight, but never sparkled. But then again, he was always wearing long sleeves or a coat and jeans. What am I thinking? Joe couldn’t be a vampire. I was letting Holly’s note get to me.
I walked out of my room, still pondering on the possibility. Joe captured my attention once I entered the living room, umbrella in hand, coat on. When we got outside, it was drizzling, but I still pulled the hood up on my gray jacket.
“What are you thinking?” Joe asked once we started walking.
“How cold it is. I don’t like it cold.” He chuckled. Barely anyone was outside because of the rain, which was a bit odd for where in Brooklyn we lived. I saw only a few people scattered throughout the streets as we passed other streets. We walked to the restaurant in silence.
“This is the restaurant,” Joe said while pointing to a street corner. It was a Jewish delicatessen. Even for the small amount of people we saw on the streets, the place was very busy, especially since it was a rainy day. A server led us to a booth at the back of the restaurant. Not many people were sitting back there.
“You’re waitress will be out in a few minutes to take your drink orders,” the server said.
“Thank you,” Joe said while staring intently at me. The server walked back to her podium, every few seconds glancing back at Joe.
“Why’d you bring me here?” I asked, finally looking back into his eyes.
“I just felt like to talking to you somewhere else other than the apartment. Talking to you back there would’ve been too high strung for me. Don’t ask me why.” A waitress with flaming red hair and emerald green eyes approached our table.
“Hi, I’m Margarete and I’ll be your waitress today. What can I get you guys to drink?” She asked while smiling, mostly at Joe. He was charming her, just like he charmed the girl at the podium.
“I’ll have a cream soda,” I stammered.
“Make that two,” he said pleasantly. She wrote our drinks down and sauntered away. I began fiddling with my napkin, folding and refolding it. He rested one cool hand on mine, stopping my mindless fumbling. I felt sparks. The ones that a lot of people felt when they thought they were in love with somebody.
“I read a note of Holly’s earlier,” I stated.
“Which one?”
“The one saying Tally Hall had secret identities.”
“You don’t believe it, do you?”
“I’m not exactly sure. It’s been on my mind all day.”
“It’s not true.”
“Thanks for confirming that.” The waitress approached the table with our drinks.
“Are you guys ready to order?” She asked while setting the sodas in front of us. I picked the first thing I saw on the menu.
“I’ll have the Reuben sandwich.”
“And I’ll have a veggie burger,” Joe said while he handed her our menus.
*************************************************************************
I took a sip of my soda and finally glanced back into Joe’s beautiful topaz eyes.
“Did you get colored contacts?”
“Yeah. They seemed interesting, so I decided to try them out.”
“Ohh.”
“Why’d you ask?”
“It’s just that vegetarian vampires have golden eyes when they’re full and black eyes when they are hungry…”
“I think Twilight has gone to your head. I’m not a vampire.”
“Yeah. I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess it has gone to my head.”
“You always have something to say. Some of it is very intuitive, but other times they are very amusing. It keeps me looking forward to every day. You have kept me sane ever since we became friends in high school. I’ll find myself… missing you on tours or when I’m out of state. It is very hard for me.”
“In a way, you care for me the way Edward cares for Bella, even though she is very fragile when she is with him.”
“Exactly.” All of this had been said while we ate. He quickly paid the waitress when she came back, gracefully walking towards the front, leaving me to follow quickly in his paces.
“Do you have any plans tonight?” Joe asked once we were outside the restaurant.
“No. Why?”
“You’ll see. I just have to make some phone calls.” He quickly pulled out his iPhone and began dialing a phone number. The sky was clearer, so I was happy. Joe began to walk faster as the sun came out, so he beat me to the apartment. While he talked on the phone with I don’t know whom, I continued reading more of Twilight in my room. I only read about fifty pages before I felt tired. I put the book on the end table next to my bed and dozed off to sleep.
My nap was dreamless. Despite that fact, I was still frightened when Joe woke me up. It was still daylight when I looked out the window. I took a quick peek at my clock. I had only slept for about half an hour.
“Annabelle, I need you to come with me to meet up with some friends,” he said while helping me out of bed.
“Umm, okay.” I rubbed my eyes and grabbed my purse on the way out. He literally dragged me behind him while we walked down the stairs out of the apartment building. The streets were crowded. But instead of hailing a taxi, he led me to the parking garage. I saw only three cars. One was a flashy, navy blue Porsche Carrera, which was the car he was leading me to. Wow. It was so stunning.
“Get in,” he demanded, his voice stone cold. I did as he told. The leather seats were buttery smooth. He revved the engine and pulled out of the parking garage. Despite that there was heavy traffic, we were out of it in at least ten minutes. His driving was vampire-fast, but didn’t seem dangerous. He had managed to grab the CD I was listening to back at the apartment. Wow and Flutter was playing.
“Where are we going?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“I can’t say. But I will say that we will be gone for about a week or so. I packed two suitcases for us, so don’t worry about clothing.” He kept his eyes intently on the road. I still felt tired. The clock read out 4:30 p.m. I closed my eyes as we crossed over the Brooklyn Bridge.
************************************************************
When I woke up, the scenery was different and unfamiliar. It didn’t look like New York.
“Where are we?” I asked while rubbing my eyes.
“Martinsville.”
“New Jersey?”
“Yes.” I looked at the clock. It was 5:45. The sun was setting.
“How did we get here in such a short time? It usually takes about 2 ½ hours to get here.”
“I like to drive fast and the traffic got lighter as we got further away from New York.” We were driving down a dirt road, lush green trees surrounding us on both sides. It was pretty and seemed peaceful. He made a sharp turn onto a small road, which lead to a cement driveway up to a large house. Andrew’s parents’ house. It was beautiful. Joe parked and got out. I followed suit, stretching as we walked towards the door. He rang the doorbell and turned towards me.
“The rest of Tally Hall and the Pretty Committee are here.”
“Is that who you were talking to back in Brooklyn?” He nodded. Andrew’s mother opened the door.
“Come in, come in. It’s so nice to see you two. How is life treating you?” She said while we entered the house.
“Life’s good right now. Where is everyone?”
“They’re all in the living room. I’ll be back with something for you to drink. Is a sangria fine?”
“That’s fine.” She walked towards the kitchen somewhat gracefully. Joe led me to the white-carpeted living room where the two bands were. The coffee table was scattered with half empty drinks and the TV was on showing a close-up of a What Not To Wear victim. The only two not watching were Zubin and Ashley. Zubin seemed a bit pensive while Ashley seemed very happy to see me. She immediately got out of the chair she was sitting in, came over, and hugged me. Everybody watched as she did. She pulled away as Andrew’s mom came with my sangria. I took a quick sip of it. The pungent taste of liquor and the sweetness of the strawberries was enough to make me flinch a little bit, but it tasted wonderful.
“I bet you’re wondering why you’re here,” Ashley said while lifting her deep chestnut hair into a ponytail, then releasing it.
“Yes. Joe refused to tell me why he brought me here,” I said while everyone finished off their drinks, filed out of the living room, into the backyard.
“You’ll see why soon.” I thought we were going to stay within the fenced backyard, but I was wrong. They started to jump over the wooden fence into the giant field. We went as far back as the tall pine trees.
“What’s going on?” I asked curiously, starting to get a bit scared, my heart beating faster.
“Don’t worry,” Joe said as he left my side and walked into the woods, out of the blinding sunlight. There was a slight breeze that ruffled my hair and rustled the trees. I brushed the hair away as they began telling me the truth I had never known.
“You may have noticed this morning that we only talked to you because of the note Holly wrote,” Grace said. I nodded.
“You can probably guess that when we said it wasn’t true, we were lying. We do have secret identities,” Ross stated.
“We have never been close friends with… mortals, let alone in a band with one. It is very rare. We usually have to turn them into one of us,” Rob continued.
“But on your behalf, we couldn’t. You were just too…” Laurel started.
“Irresistible. We couldn’t change you because could end up killing you, so we held back,” Zubin said through clenched teeth.
“But Holly wrote that note and now we have no choice but to change you,” Katie whispered.
“It doesn’t make sense to you, but it does to us,” Andrew finished. I exhaled loudly, finally realizing I had stopped breathing.
“But Joe is the only one without a mate, so he’s going to change you,” Ashley said. I froze. Joe was hidden along the forest edge.
“Now, it’s time to show you our true selves,” Joe shouted.
*************************************************************
It was all a blur as they changed. Joe remained in his earthy homage, not moving an inch. What made me lose sight of him was the fact that Zubin was running right towards me. I could tell it was him because his fur was black and his eyes were brown. Ashley ran beside him, brown fur and all. She still had the same hazel eyes. They halted in front of me; they were werewolves.
I looked around at everyone else. Rob and Grace were centaurs. Rob’s coat was deep brown, whilst Grace’s was pure white. Ross and Laurel were Hobbits, wearing deep green capes and no shoes. Katie and Andrew were fairies. Katie’s wings were lime green, while Andrew’s were a darker hue. It was all very overwhelming. They all scattered into the forest in pairs, leaving me alone to face Joe.
Literally seconds later, Joe was embracing me in the steel grasp of his arms. The sweet smell of his skin was breathtaking and marble smooth. But what really had me entranced was the way it sparkled in sunlight. I was awestruck. I let my hand run slowly down his arm, which was as still as a statue, just like the rest of him. He grasped my arm when it got down to his wrist and he threw me on his back. He held me piggyback while he weaved through the forest at an amazing speed. Even though I had read about it in Twilight, it wasn’t enough to prepare me for it in real life. It left me surprised and out of breath.
Suddenly, he stopped running and let me go. He turned to face me, his pristine features still prominent in the darkness of the forest. He began tracing his fingers along my cheekbone.
“There’s something else you should know,” he whispered.
“What?”
“You do realize I’m not the only vampire out there?”
“Of course.” Joe sat down on a broken tree trunk. I sat down next to him, resting my head on his shoulder. He slowly put his arm around me.
“My father changed me about 1000 years ago. He had been one for about 500 years. But I wasn’t the first one he changed. First, it was my mother about 300 years before me. After a mere 200 years, I met Elizabeth and Melissa. I couldn’t help myself. I had been drinking animal blood for so long. I changed them and my father ‘adopted’ them as his daughters. When I met you, you were so… mouthwatering. But I learned to control myself around you, to not let my animal instincts win me over. I just couldn’t stand to see you hurt, so I begged my father to stay in Michigan so I could watch over you.
“Lastly, there is something I need to tell you about your father.”
“My father?” I asked, looking up at his perfect face.
“Yes. Your parents are vampires, too. But, like me and everyone else, you were to fragile to them, so they couldn’t change you. You don’t now how breakable you are to all of us.”
“How do you know this?”
“He knew my father. They were both changed at the same time by the same clan of vampires. They became friends, but eventually had to go their separate ways, but kept in touch, writing letters to each other every so often. They helped another clan become vegetarian because they originally came up with the idea to drink animal blood.”
“Is that all?”
“That is all for now. But we will be leaving very soon to go visit another vegetarian clan on the west coast.”
“Okay, but I’ve been wondering if you have any special abilities?” I asked while climbing onto his back.
“I can read minds and I also have precognitions. But there is something about you that is different from most.”
“What? You can’t read mine?”
“That is it exactly. You’re immune to my mind reading. Just like Bella. Most times, you are very hard for me to read." Joe began running through the forest, scaring away animals that crossed his path. Joe let me go when we got to the fence and helped me hop over.
“Andrew’s parents will drive my car back to Brooklyn, whilst both bands will be flying to the west coast,” he said while we walked towards his car. While he transferred our suitcases to the rental van, I talked to the rest of the bands.
“It’s a big surprise, isn’t it?” Ashley asked while she put her arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a side hug.
“A very big surprise. I feel so exhausted now.” I forced myself to smile.
“Come on,” Ashley said while leading me to the van.
Since Joe called driving the van, we got to the airport pretty fast. Our flight left at eight p.m. and we had gotten there in time to hand them our tickets and board our plane.
Surprisingly, we were the only people on the plane.
*************************************************************
The flight was seven hours long and then there was another plane we had to hop onto. That one took about an hour. I repeatedly asked everybody where we were and where we were going, but they refused to tell me.
When we approached the back of the parking lot, there were three cars waiting for us. One was a silver Jeep, another a red convertible, and the last a silver Volvo. Joe led me towards the silver Volvo, with Zubin and Ashley trailing behind us. I saw Rob and Grace hop into the red convertible, whilst the remaining four were left driving the Jeep.
I rode shotgun while Joe drove. The further away we got from the airport, the more greenery I saw. The sky was clear, with a few white clouds in sight.
“Where are we?” I asked one final time.
“You’ll see,” Joe said with a sly smile. I turned my head to the back seat to ask Ashley and Zubin, but they immediately did the my-lips-are-sealed hand motion. I relaxed my head on the headrest and let out a deep, angered sigh. They were making me anxious. I hoped I was dressed well enough. I wore a maroon, black, and white plaid button down with a white, long sleeved undershirt, a gray skirt, black leggings, and deep brown leather boots.
Joe made an immediate left turn down the hidden path that seemed to many bends, like a slithering snake. There were white lights strung on the trees that seemed to pass in a blur as we drove. The road soon ended, revealing a driveway that lead up to a beautiful three-story house with numerous windows.
Everyone pulled into the four-car garage where a yellow Porsche was parked. The house looked like the one in Twilight. Joe opened the car door for me and helped me out. He immediately put his arm around my waist as he led me into the house. I could hear sizzling coming from the kitchen, but I couldn’t see who was cooking or take a closer look at my surroundings because Joe ran up the stairs, dropping me off in a very organized bathroom. Ashley was waiting for me.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to give you a makeover.”
“Umm, okay.” There were curlers next to the sink. She reached for one and began wrapping a segment of blonde hair around it.
Half an hour later, she was releasing my long hair from the curlers and putting it back with a red headband. I looked in the mirror and gasped at what I saw. My blue eyes looked even brighter because of the lavender and white eye shadows. My lips were slicked with a coat of pale pink lip-gloss that tasted like vanilla.
“Thank you so much,” I said while giving her a hug.
“No problem, Annie. Come on, everyone’s waiting for you,” she said while running out of the bathroom and down the stairs. I followed behind, walking slowly so I wouldn’t trip down the stairs. Joe stood at the foot well, smiling up at me. He wore a navy blue button down, dark wash jeans, and a beige jacket. I peeled my eyes away from him so I could see what I had missed on the way up. It was a black and white themed living room with a piano on a pedestal. A man with bronze hair was playing a beautiful song that sounded like a lullaby.
“You look beautiful,” Joe said once I reached the bottom. He put his arms around my waist.
“Thank you.” He kissed my cheek and led me over to the L-shaped black sofa. I sat on his lap, my arm around his neck, mesmerized by the music the man was playing. The song ended, the man got up and walked over to me. I gasped.
“Edward Cullen?” I asked astonished.
“Nice to meet you, Annabelle,” he said while reaching out one hand. I slowly shook it.
“Nice to meet you, too,” I stammered.
“She gets dazzled easily,” Joe said to Edward.
“I can tell.” He smiled and left the room. I sniffed the air. The sweet scent that wafted off of Joe’s body was much stronger now. It was mixed with the smell of Italian food, but still very prominent. I looked into Joe’s eyes, which were still like liquid gold.
“The Cullens?”
“Yes. I didn’t tell you because you would go crazy with excitement.” He half smiled and pulled me closer to him. I glanced towards the kitchen where everyone had gathered. Before I even said a word, he whisked me there.
The rest of the Cullens were even more breathtaking than I could’ve ever imagined. I didn’t even realize how hungry I was until I saw the food. Mushroom Ravioli, Parmesan Popovers, and Raspberry Tiramisu were on huge serving platters and were already hacked into by everyone else.
“Annabelle, we already made you a plate,” Alice said while handing me a plate.
“Thank you,” I said. I took a bite of the delicious looking food. It was ah-mazing.
An hour later, we were talking in the spacious living room. I had a glass of Pinot Gritio in one hand, my other arm slung around Joe’s neck. We were listening to Alice and Jasper talk about when they first met. I felt tired, but I couldn’t close my eyes on such a wonderful night. I could just tell how much Alice loved Jasper and vice versa. I wondered if my relationship with Joe would be as strong as theirs. But our relationship was more like Edward and Bella’s when she was human. I took another sip of the wine and looked over at Bella. She had Reneesme on her lap and her head on Edward’s shoulder. I looked around the room at all the familiar faces. Would they be the same to me once I was changed? I hadn’t even realized that Bella had come over to the sofa and seated herself next to Joe.
“Do you mind if I go talk to Edward?” Joe asked me.
“Go ahead,” I said as I got up. I watched Joe intently while I at back down. Everyone filed out of the room in different directions except for Bella and me.
“You remind me so much of myself when I was human, except blonde and older,” she said. I half smiled, “I just can’t believe you never realized he was one of us.”
“Well, he kind of kept it under wraps. But I had my suspicions.”
“Why did he bring you here?”
“He wanted me to meet you and the rest of the Cullens before he changed me.”
“Wait. He’s going to change you?”
“Yeah. He’s the only one out of the bands who doesn’t have someone like him.”
“I wish it was as easy as that for me.”
“What I’m wondering is when he is going to change me.”
“Hopefully soon.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t worry being a vampire is easy. Except when it comes to being near humans.”
“Is there anything else I should know?”
“Well, that and not being able to go out in sunlight.”
“Of course.”
“You seem tired.”
“I’m very tired. What time is it?”
“Midnight. Twilight.”
“Safest time of day for you, right?”
“Yes. Now come on, we set up a bed for you in Edward’s room,” she said while pulling me behind her. The room looked exactly the way it did in the movie, but even more beautiful. The only difference was that there was a king sized bed in place of the couch. I walked towards it, the plush carpet cushioning my feet. My favorite nightshirt was neatly folded on the bed. I was so intoxicated with the room that I didn’t even notice Bella leave. I began changing out of my clothes into the soft, familiar nightshirt, wondering when Joe would change me. The nightshirt covered up the fact that I wasn’t wearing shorts. I crawled underneath the white down comforter, listening to the CD I had heard so many times. I Know It's Just the Same by Tally Hall was now playing.
“Good night,” a familiar voice said. The moonlight filtering through the open glass doors gave me enough light to see who said it. Zubin stood in the doorway. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Hey,” I said with a smile.
“Look, I’m sorry for acting so pensive and aggravated earlier, it’s just that I knew that Joe would be changing you, so I let my… hatred for vampires like the Cullens take over. I was afraid that you becoming a vampire would change our friendship. I still am afraid of that.” He lowered his head and tear rolled down his cheek. I sat up and wrapped my arms around his neck, giving him a hug. He hugged back, bringing a wave of emotions and wonderful memories.
“Trust me, Zub. My becoming a vampire wouldn’t change a thing about our friendship. You’ll still be the same werewolf I’ve known since high school,” I whispered in his ear. I pulled away quickly enough to see the smile I knew and loved.
“Thanks. Good night,” he said while giving me one last hug.
“Good night,” I said as he left the room. A hot tear rolled down my cheek. I quickly wiped it off. Even though my life would change drastically, these memories would never fade. I knew I would still be able to be friends with Zubin and Ashley because if Bella could be friends with Jacob, why couldn’t I? This thought kept my mind busy until I fell asleep.
After a night of random dreams, I woke up to the smell of omelets, hash browns, and grits.
“Good morning, Annabelle,” Joe said while walking in carrying a tray of food in one hand. He placed it on my lap and kissed my forehead. The sweet scent that permeated off of him made me feel dizzy when he got up close.
“Good morning,” I answered back while he climbed on the bed next to me. He didn’t move the bed an inch. I picked up the fine silver fork and began eating. Joe watched me eat, so I ate slowly. But halfway through, he started talking again.
“How was your sleep?” He asked while twirling a segment of my blonde hair.
“Fantastic. But one question, though.”
“And what is that?” He moved the tray off the bed after I finished.
“When are you going to change me?”
“Very soon. Just be patient, okay?” He kissed my cheek. I blushed, “You look so beautiful when you blush.”
“I’ll be patient. But if you love me so much now, why do you want to change me?”
“I thought you only had one question?”
“I did until you said how beautiful I looked when I blushed.”
“Okay. I want to change you because I want to be with you forever.”
“Ohh. But you know I won’t be the same as I am now?”
“I know. But as long as you’re with me, I’ll be fine,” he said while taking my hands in his. I rested my head on his chest, letting the coolness of his skin relax me. We stayed motionless for what seemed like hours, listening to the rustling of the trees outside the glass doors. It was yet another rare sunny day in Forks.
“I want to show you something. Can you be ready in half an hour?” He asked, breaking the silence.
“Yeah.” I lifted my head off his chest and he was out of the room in the blink of an eye. My suitcase was standing upright in front of the shelves of CD’s.
Exactly half an hour later, I wore a brown, short-sleeved shirt and pale blue jean capris. Joe walked in silently, watching my every move.
“Are you ready?” He asked.
“Yes,” I said while I slid a gold bracelet onto my wrist. He grabbed my arm and threw me on his back in one swift motion. He ran towards one of the trees and jumped towards it, grasping onto one of the limbs. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, but it didn’t affect him.
“You’d better hold on tight,” he said with a smile.
“I will. I promise,” I said, my arms tightening around his neck. He glided through the treetops, always checking to make sure I didn’t have any cuts or scratches.
Joe finally stopped on one of the limbs at the top of at least a twenty or thirty foot pine tree.
“Wow. It’s so beautiful up here,” I said while taking in the sight.
“Just think, you’ll be able to see this more once you are changed,” he said softly.
“Hmm,” I agreed.
We stayed in the tree for at least half an hour before he told me it was time to go. I did the now usual routine of climbing onto his back. He jumped down to the ground, unshaken by the impact and began running. I could see the Cullen’s house through the trees, but we weren’t heading towards it. The house disappeared and we were suddenly in a meadow. He released me and I slowly laid down in the ankle high grass. I heard rustling along the edge, but chose to ignore it.
“Annabelle…” Joe started.
“What?” I asked curiously.
“It’s time,” My eyes widened, “are you ready?” he asked. I nodded, “just relax, okay?” I closed my eyes as he lifted my arm. Coming from all directions, I heard last goodbyes coming from my friends, who were closer to me now than ever before. Joe then bit into my wrist. The pain from the venom was excruciating. I could hear myself screaming, but I couldn’t feel it. Tears were flooding from eyes, not just because of the venom, but because I knew my life would never be the same again. The world became blurry as the venom continued to spread, but I could tell the Cullens and the rest of the bands were there, holding Joe back and helping me. Slowly my eyes closed and I fell into unconsciousness.
*****************************************************************
That was easy, simple. But life was harder. My life was flashing before my eyes, like I was underwater.
*****************************************************************
My eyes opened to a dimly lit room. There were glass doors agape. Edward’s room, I remembered. A dark figure, illuminated by the afternoon sun, stood in front of the doors, not moving an inch. My eyes were averted to my right wrist. I saw a halo of silver on it. Joe biting my wrist came to mind. That’s when I realized it.
'I’m a vampire. Do I have any special abilities?' I began to think about any special abilities that I could think of. I tested mind reading, sending mental messages and images, changing the emotional atmosphere, even controlling the elements. All of them seemed to work because the dark figure turned to face me. It was Zubin.
“Annabelle?” He asked astonished. I smiled, “Did you do all of that?” I nodded. He smiled while shaking his head. He came over and hugged me. His skin was much hotter to me now than when I was human. I read his mind.
‘Well, let’s see how fast you can run.’
‘Oh, you’ll see.’ I thought back, escaping from his grasp. I ran out of the room and down the stairs, jumping the last five to the floor. I looked up, pushed the hair out of my hair, and took a quick peek at what I wore. I blocked Zubin’s thoughts and directed them towards Ashley. ‘I can block attacks, too.’ I thought. I wore a strapless, metallic maroon dress, a cropped black jacket, and glittery silver converses. Sunlight filtered through the glass windows, reflecting off of my extremely pale skin, making it sparkle. It wasn’t as dazzling as it was when I was human, but made me more of a vampire nonetheless.
I looked around the living room. There were candles flickering on the coffee table and the piano. My ultra-sensitive hearing picked the sound of a car approaching. I heard voices coming from the kitchen, but I went towards the door. I opened it and I was greeted with a huge hug from my dad.
“Annabelle! I can’t believe it,” he said as he released me.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked while hugging my mother and sisters.
“Aimee called us a few days ago letting us know Joe changed you,” said Emily, my younger sister. I smiled, happy to be officially part of their family.
“Can I show you guys something?”
“Of course,” Claire, my older sister, agreed. I did all of things that I had tested out on Zubin and gave my family astonished looks.
“Did you do all of that?” My mother asked. I nodded, “I can’t believe it!”
“There has never been a vampire with more than two powers at once. I’m jealous,” Claire said. I smiled again.
“Good evening, everyone,” Alice said. I didn’t even notice her come in. My family said their greetings and walked towards the dining room where everyone else was, “Zubin told all of us about your abilities. You probably got some of them from Joe.”
“Probably. But why is my family really here? They seemed to be keeping a mental block so I couldn’t read a certain thought,” I asked curiously.
“We’re having a party in honor of your becoming a vampire. Please come with me. Everyone’s waiting for you,” she whispered as she led me to the spacious dining room. I heard classical music playing through speakers. Suddenly, I had my arms looped through Alice’s, as if we had been friends forever.
The room silenced as we entered and everyone looked our way. Joe smiled. I unlooped my arm from Alice’s, walked over to him, and wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheeked. I felt him slowly wrap his arms around my waist. I buried my face in the softness of his black jacket.
‘I missed you,’ I thought at him.
‘I missed you, too,’ he said as I read his mind. I released my hold around his neck, but he never released me.
“Why is everyone quiet? Somebody say something!” I pleaded. Everyone laughed.
“We’re just happy that you’re finally awake,” Ashley said. I was glad they still treated me the way I did when I was human.
An hour and a half after dinner and talking, we had gathered in the living room. Ashley, Grace, and I were dancing to Jump On It by Sir Mix-A-Lot. We were barely tired by the time the song was over.
“Fantastic job, guys,” Claire said. I took back my spot next to Joe. Joe got out of his seat and reached out his hand for me to grab. I did it mechanically, without one suspicion of what was going to happen.
“Annabelle…you know I love you as long as I live, right?” He asked while tracing his pointer finger from my temple to my chin repeatedly.
“Of course,” I answered, “and I shall love you as long as I live.”
“Good. Now, I have only one question to ask you,” He knelt down to the ground and out of his back jeans pocket, he pulled out a velvet case. He opened it and inside was a golden ring with one big diamond in the center, with two smaller diamonds on the side of it, “Annabelle Hunnington, will you marry me?” I looked around the room at all of the expectant faces of family and friends, beckoning me to answer.
“Yes!” He slid the ring onto my ring finger and everyone applauded. Joe stood up and I kissed him, wrapping my arms around his neck, thankful for the fact that I didn’t have to worry about breathing. I was happier than I had ever been.
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It’s hard to believe that all happened a year ago, in May of 2009. It is now June 10, 2010, the day of my wedding. Alice and Aimee planned the whole thing, on the condition that they let Joe and I help. They got the dress I’ve always wanted. We’re getting married in the town where we first met: Ann Arbor, Michigan. The weather is perfect and I have butterflies in my stomach. Each second is ticking slowly; making me wait longer to say ‘I do’ to the guy I love.
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