One of A Kind

Pre-Twilight: Chapter Nineteen

I wake up to the sound of my alarm. I turn it off and curl up under my blanket. How could I not know he was a vampire? I mean, I understand why. They hid it well. If they were going to hurt people, they would've done it by now. I mean, hell, Carlisle is a freaking doctor. A surgeon! Which should mean that blood doesn't faze him? If they don't feed on humans, what is their blood source?

A knock on my door interrupts my thoughts.

"Netta, sweetie, time to leave," Anna says. She waits a moment and comes in. "Netta! Are you okay? Why aren't you ready for school?"

"I don't feel good. Bad cramps. Can I stay home?"

"Of course, sweetie. Your dad already left, and I'm heading out now. If you need anything, I can bring you whatever you need on my lunch break. Just call me."

"Thank you." She closes my door, and I hear her leave the door and lock it. I lay in my bed for a few minutes.

I can't take this anymore. I pull out my phone and text Jasper.

I need to see you. Can you come over?

Be there soon.

I get out of bed and change into sweatpants and a hoodie. I go to the bathroom and brush my teeth. I throw my hair up and wash my face. By the time I'm done, I hear a knock on the door.

I go down the stairs and take a deep breath. I open the door, and of course, he looks amazing. He's wearing a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve blue sweater. He looks at me. I can feel the worry radiating off of him.

"Hey." He says.

"Hey." I move away from the door. "Come on in." He walks in, and I close the door. I walk into the living room and hear him follow me. I sit on the couch, and he also sits but keeps his distance. "I'm sorry for last night. I shouldn't have... you know... thrown you all around my yard. I lost my temper."

"Don't apologize. You had every right. I wasn't leaving as you asked." He says softly. We stay silent for a few moments. "Ask away. I can sense you want to ask some questions."

"I figured out that you don't feed on humans, or there would be deaths by now." I pause and look at him. "So, where do you get your blood supply?"

"My family is different than others of our kind. We call ourselves vegetarians because we feed off of animals. Inside joke." He stops and stares at me, probably waiting for me to freak out.

"Okay. How old are you?"

"I was born in 1844." I quietly gasp. "I was turned when I was 19. I was fighting in the Civil War and came across some vampires. Of course, I didn't know what they were when I came across them. One thing led to another, and they turned me." He stops and looks at me.

"I'm not going to run away. I have a high tolerance for weird, usually. Last night I was only caught off guard." I let out a soft laugh, and he joins in.

"I met Alice in 1948, and she told me about a family that only feeds off animal blood. We found them in 1950 and have been a part of the Cullen clan since then."

"So you've fed on humans before 1948?" He pauses for a moment, and I can tell he is trying to decide whether to lie or not.

"Yes." My eyes grow big. "I'm not proud of it. But, you have to understand. The moment you wake up from your transformation, there is a fire in your throat. The only way to satiate it is by drinking blood. The burning is constant. Never-ending." I look at him sympathetically. "I have had the hardest time controlling my thirst. But I've gotten better. I admit that I almost lost control when I first met you. I stopped myself. I didn't want to throw away everything my family had built by making one mistake. And then I got to know you more, and that made resisting even easier." He scooted closer to me. I didn't move away. "If I ever hurt you, I couldn't live with myself." I looked into his thoughts. He's telling the truth.