Chapter Text
“I love my wife” is a common thought Carlisle Cullen has.
For the reasons that, of course, he loves his wife. Esme, the other half of his unbeating-heart. Savior of his eternally damned soul. More than that, however, is the fact that “I love my wife” seems a much healthier sentiment to express than “I hate kids”.
Which isn't to say he hates kids. Hate is an overstatement. In fact, he finds the younger variety of them to be somewhat cute. Their ignorance is endearing--a bliss he hasn’t felt in a long while. But, having been alive much longer than Carlisle would care to dwell on, if he had always been especially paternally inclined, the number of kids he’d be able to claim father to would be a lot more than five. He certainly never thought he’d end up with so many damn teenagers. It’s Esme who loves kids, and who is he to deny her that joy?
That’s all to say Carlisle loves his wife. And by proxy he also loves anything and anyone his wife loves. Which is how he ended up with five teenagers. He loves them, too, but that’s probably just him being a softie.
Having kids also seems to be the life-hack to keeping immortality interesting, as he constantly finds himself in increasingly messy situations. It had just been Jasper losing control in the last town over and killing a few people, and then it was Rosalie designing to turn herself into a vigilante…it’s like his children were rebelling against any chance of a normal, peaceful life. Granted that the family had to move around regardless, and technically his children are forever rebellious teenagers…but still! It wouldn’t kill them to behave once in a while? So Carlisle knows how difficult--no, how dumb--kids can be, so perhaps that’s why he feels a bit for the poor girl shaking in his arms now.
It was expected that she would have taken off. After all, she was so frantic. Carlisle knows he should have restrained her and kept a closer eye on her, but there was just something about the girl that made him pause. In all honesty, something about her was unsettling to him. The population of Forks, Washington, was so small, and yet nobody knew the girl. Weirder than that, she had no phone or no money on her, and was found wearing pajamas. Just pajamas! She had no shoes on, but oddly enough her feet weren’t dirty or bruised at all. Above that all, she looked at him as if she had seen him before. As if she knew him. Which was impossible. Right? He’s not worried, she’s only human, and Alice would see any danger, but it’s been a long while since he’s been taken aback like this.
Carlisle was so taken aback he strayed just far enough back to not immediately notice the car speeding through the parking lot, towards the mysterious girl. He just barely stops it.
“That was close…”
He wants to talk to Esme.
“~~s~, ~~~~ ~~m~ ~~~~ ~e ~~ ~~~ p~an ~n ~~nning ~~~~ ~~~ ~~oad.”
Hmm? A muffled voice breaks through the blurry planes of my vision. Vertigo…that’s what it is. There's no pain, I was just moved too quickly.
“Dr. Cullen?” I croak out, eyes coming into focus to stare at him. For the second time today, I’m completely befuddled. Stupidly, I had run out of the hospital. A car almost hit me. No, it did hit me. It must have…and yet I’m completely fine. Dr. Cullen must have pushed me out of the way, but he wasn’t behind me at all! How did he get to me so fast?
“That was some stunt you pulled,” he says, voice surprisingly pleasant. “You’re lucky I was close.”
He wasn’t close, though. The doctor pulls back, a reassuring smile on his face as he scans me over. Somehow this scene feels…familiar.
I find my voice. “How did you get to me so fast?”
Dr. Cullen raises a brow. “I was right behind you. Where were you going in such a hurry?”
I remember why it feels so familiar. In Twilight, a similar sequence is what makes Bella start to suspect Edward of not being human. He stops a car from hitting her with just his hand.
There’s no way, it must just be an eerie coincidence. That's a book, vampires don't actually exist. People don't just *have* super human speed and strength. Dr. Cullen was behind me, and I just didn’t notice!
Flashing the doctor a shaky smile, I try to act like I’m not freaking out. “I’m so sorry…I-I..."
What's going on? I don't know what's going on. "I need my mom. I....where is she?"
Tears are welling up in my eyes, and I can't push them down. "She...s-she wouldn't abandon me like this. A-and there's something weird going on in this hospital-"
Through my blurry vision I can see the car that’s stopped a few feet from us. The one that almost hit me. Even with the tears, I can make out the imprint of a hand on the side of it.
"Shh...it's alright. We'll take care of you. Things will be ok..." I welcome the comforting embrace of Dr. Cullen as he wraps an arm around me. I wish I wasn’t so aware of how cold it was.
Looking back, I wish I could say I handled the revelation of waking up in a new world like a champ.
The reality was…quite anything but. Can you blame me, though? In what universe would waking up in a world with VAMPIRES be happy news? Just HOW many humans died in the series? And now I could be one of them! Not to mention, I'm still in the same bummy body I was in before. I didn't wake up as a glamorous girl with a supportive family...I'm quite literally just me, but without what makes me, me. I miss my life back home--I want to BE home. It wasn't the best, but I had my mom and my school and my room!
Now I'm staying at some strangers house. When Dr. Cullen dropped me off at the police station, I was still a mess. Of course, they started off with questions like “where are you from?” and “how did you get here?”. Which I was in no state to answer…
I must have been a sight, because the Chief of Police offered to take me home for the night. Not in a weird way, but in a kind, ‘this would only ever happen in a small town’, way. The home of James and Doreen Miller is comfortable and feels warm and safe. They used to have kids, I think, but they all went off to college or started families of their own.
I don’t remember much of the night, but I know they left me here with “take your times” and “rest up”. Kind people...
While I should be sleeping in the guest room so graciously offered to me, my thoughts are much too wild for that. Accepting the fact that I am in literal *Twilight*, a few things are important to keep in mind.
Firstly, I have to avoid Edward at all costs.
I imagine if Edward met me and read my thoughts it’d go a little bit like this…
*Sha la la la whatever Edward usually thinks~ “Oh, no..This human’s thoughts…i-it can’t be! She knows about Bella, and us being vampires…somehow…so we must kill her to protect the secret. Just some random side character, anyways, who cares.”
Cra…ack…
That’s the sound of my neck getting snapped, or something like that. I mean, does Edward even kill people in the movies? I really wish I had paid better attention. There's also the question of what part in the book I've entered. Dr. Cullen is here, so it could be any point. I should look for a Charlie Swan, maybe.
Regardless, by no means at all can I meet Edward. The Cullens can never know I know about them being vampires. If they did., wouldn’t they have to kill me? My memory isn’t terribly good (really should have paid better attention, again) but wasn’t it a whole plot point that vampires need to remain secret, and that’s what the whole Volturi were about?
Under no circumstance can I meet the Volturi. Granted, I have no intention to get tangled with Bella or the Cullens--in fact I should leave Forks as soon as I can.
It’s highly unlikely to happen, so I shouldn't worry about it, but suppose if the Volturi-top-guy read my thoughts-erm, memories? Does he read thoughts or memories…? That’s not an important detail, but either way that would get me killed.
I mean, imagine you're a super old vampire overlord or whatever, and this random girl shows up with random thoughts(memories?) of the world you’re in being in a book…I hold back a shudder. I'm just a kid, but I dont think vampires would care. I might not get killed, I might get tortured! For information, or something! And I'd sing like a nightingale…but then perhaps they'd think i'm crazy…or something?
Thrraaa…
That’s the sound of my head and arms getting ripped off. I actually don’t know what sound it would make and I'm a-ok without that knowledge!
…
While it’s soothing to go through a game plan, and act as if I somehow have the upper hand in this situation, the truth is I’m scared. So incredibly scared.
I don’t even want to be in this world. I still don’t want to die, though.
A part of me wonders if dying will return me back home. Home. With its familiar faces and a life that’s not upended. But despite having almost faced death once, in that almost car crash, I’m still so scared of what will happen to me now.
Is my mom here? Would she be a younger version of herself? Unlikely...considering I don't think vampires exist in my world. The future for me might be the foster care system...or something else? I don't know.
I’m not Bella or one of the Cullens. I don’t know what will happen to me--I don’t have plot armour. I don’t even have anyone looking out for me. Sure there’s the Cullens, but I can’t even appeal to them on account of Edward. And besides, they were kind to Bella, yes, but who knows, maybe that was just because Edward favored her? I don’t remember enough from the books to trust in their morality.
I miss my mom. I should probably go to sleep now.