Changing The Future (On Hold)

Chapter 2

She was here! Now to see if there was any truth to the story. One whiff of her scent was all I needed to confirm or disprove it. I drove to Charlie's house, spotting his cruiser parked out front. I parked nearby and walked up to the car. I opened the passenger side door and was immediately hit with a scent that set my throat on fire. Venom pooled in my mouth, and I knew my eyes were black. I quickly but quietly shut the door and ran back to my car. It was true! First things first, I needed to hunt. Now.

I was back home in minutes. Everyone looked up at me as I raced through the door. Esme gasped as she noticed my eyes.

"What happened, honey?" She fretted, coming over to take a closer look.

"I caught a whiff of a delicious human scent and realized I'd let myself get too thirsty. I need to hunt now, and I was hoping you'd all come with me," I confessed. I really wanted them to be fully satiated before they encountered my Bella on Monday, but I couldn't tell them that. They were all shocked that I'd actually asked them to come with me.

Boy, he's really panicky. That's not like him. It must've been a close one. Glad it wasn't me for once… Jasper sent me a wave of calm and smiled reassuringly.

"I'm a little thirsty myself. I'd be glad to keep you company," Jasper proclaimed. Alice started searching the future. She clasped Jasper's hand and smiled at me too.

"Of course we'll join you," she remarked. "I can see we're going to have a lot of fun on this trip."

"Awesome!" Emmett shouted. "I challenge you all to a contest to see who can catch three different species of animals first."

Rosalie rolled her eyes at Emmett, but she had been watching me with concern. Since when does Mr. Perfect lose control of his thirst?

"Why don't you kids go on ahead and go? Carlisle will be home soon, and I'd rather wait for him." Unless you particularly want me to come along, Edward?Esme eyed me with concern. I smiled and shook my head, trying to relieve her mind.

"You two deserve a little time alone. Why don't you just enjoy our absence tonight?" I suggested. She grinned happily, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Well, now I'm definitely going," Rosalie complained in feigned annoyance. Nice job, Edward. That was really thoughtful. They really don't get much time to themselves. She sounded both surprisedand pleased with me.

"I'm surprised at you, Edward Cullen!" Emmett teased. "Of course, you probably think they're going to sit around playing chess all night."

We all started laughing, including Esme.

"That's exactly what I was picturing, Emmett," I joked. "And I plan to hunt far enough away so that is the only image I receive regarding their interactions tonight."

"Amen to that, little brother," Jasper agreed. Everyone started laughing again. I could tell they were confused by my convivial demeanor. Was I really such a dull fellow then? I thought back over the past eighty odd years. Yep, I guess I was a regular stick in the mud. Well, all that was about to change. I had found a reason to embrace life in this existence. Bella was going to make me a new man.

"What are you waiting for, lazybones?" I called out, dashing out the back door and into the woods. I heard their laughter as they pounded behind me. I was the fastest and could outrun them if I wanted, but I slowed down to allow them to catch up to me.

"Rules for your contest, Emmett?" I asked lightheartedly.

"Okay, three animals, three different species. Animals must weigh over a hundred pounds. The first one to drain three different animals, bury them, and return to the house receives a forfeit from the last one back," he announced eagerly. "Ready, set, go!"

We all shot off to go our own ways. I decided I really wanted to win. I ran toward my secret meadow. I caught the scent of a herd of elk rather quickly. I jumped on one and drained it, disposing of the carcass neatly. I was extremely pleased to note a nearby lynx. This was my lucky day. I rapidly dispatched it before heading deeper into the wilderness. I found a lone timber wolf, its paw caught in a trap. It was chewing its own leg off trying to escape. I put the poor thing out of its misery and mangled the trap beyond repair. Poachers didn't belong in a national forest. I cleaned up after myself and headed back to the house. I had only been gone a few hours, able to find the necessary animals nearby.

I entered the house quietly, not wanting to disturb my parents if they were busy. A few minutes after I entered though, Carlisle came downstairs.

Ahh, Edward. I was hoping it was you. "Is everything okay, son? Esme told me you seemed rather bothered earlier," he mentioned casually, his love and compassion radiating out toward me. I smiled at him.

"All better now, Carlisle," I replied easily. "I just let myself get too thirsty."

He nodded understandingly. I'm glad you resisted, son.

"So am I," I muttered under my breath. I knew he heard me anyway. He chuckled, slapped me on the back, and headed back upstairs to the master suite.

"Hey, Carlisle, note the time," I called after him. "I think I'm the first one back, so I guess I'll win the contest."

I decided to go back out and check on Charlie's house while waiting for my siblings to return. I ran over to the Swan residence. I heard their heartbeats and their breathing and knew the chief and his daughter were both asleep. I snuck in the back door. Her scent permeated the kitchen. My throat burned despite the blood I had gorged on earlier. I knew from the books I would get used to the burn, even learn to ignore it, and that Bella was worth the effort and the pain. I found the laundry room and saw two of her outfits in the dirty clothes hamper. Trying not to think of how this would look to a third party, I grabbed one of her dirty socks, thrusting it into my pocket. I then skedaddled back outside. I dashed into the woods, relieved to inhale the fresh air. I gave myself one clean breath, before resigning myself to self-torture.

As I walked toward my house, I held the sock to my nose, inhaling deeply, forcing myself to become desensitized to her mouthwatering aroma. I decided not to go back inside the house. I perched in a tree instead, with a good view of the house, so I could watch for the return of my brothers and sisters. I continued to punish myself with her scent, forcing myself to learn to ignore it as I contemplated all the things I had learned about my Bella. Frankly, I was awestruck. A beautiful, innocent, intelligent, selfless human woman loved me, or would anyway. She saw me as an angel, instead of a monster. She was willing to give up everything to spend forever with me. I would treasure her from the very beginning this time, knowing she belonged with me and feeling confident in the strength of her feelings for me. No wasting precious time with regrets. The big question was how do I approach her? I sat in the tree for hours, considering and rejecting different scenarios. Finally, I decided I just had to see her face. The burn in my throat was painful, but manageable. I had gotten used to its constant presence for the past few hours.

I jumped down from the tree, maintaining the sock's proximity to my nose. I briefly pondered the fact that all of my siblings had yet to return. I mentally shrugged. My goal had been to make sure none of them were thirsty tomorrow for Bella's first day of school. I was quickly outside the Swan residence staring up at her bedroom window. It was wide open! Why would her window be open in the middle of winter? I tucked the sock back into my pocket and leapt up to her windowsill. She was sitting up in her bed reading. I gasped as I recognized the title and noticed three other books stacked on her bedside table. She looked up at the sound. Our eyes met, and I was lost.

Ohk people! Do you like? I know you'll love when it goes on........... :)

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