some kind of madness is swallowing me whole

part 4

                                                                       Edward's Point of View

It was a Tuesday when things started going awry for me. I finally had enough of Carlisle and Esme haranguing me about having a girlfriend. I know they mean well and they want me to have someone to spend my moderate, dull, and eternal life with. I had to get away from them because if I didn't I would read their thoughts and I didn't need that right now. I jumped into the car and drove. I drove faster than humanly possible, easily enough because I am the fastest vampire I know. When I didn't feel like driving I ran. Sometimes it's nice to have some sort of normalcy in my abnormal life.

History

Edward Cullen became a vampire in 1918 after he died from the Spanish Influenza. At the time, Dr. Carlisle Cullen was taking care of him after contracting the flu and subsequently turned him into a vampire to save his life. It was a few years before Carlisle met and turned Esme and they fell in love. At that time, Edward was a little rebellious and did not obey the "vegetarian" diet that Carlisle imposed and went out to kill people, but in his opinion, people who deserved it. Edward did, however, turn back to Carlisle and Esme because of the massive regret that flowed over him. Soon after Rosalie Hale became Edward's sister, the first person Carlisle and Esme wanted Edward to date. Edward didn't like her though so then came Emmett. Along the way Jasper and Alice, who were vampires before meeting Carlisle and Esme. Jasper became Jasper Hale and that's how their family came to be.

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I found myself in the middle of the forest and I still needed to take my mind off of everything so I was searching for a nice deer to quench my thirst. How is it that Carlisle and Esme get to dictate who I spend the rest of forever with? I'm sorry, Tanya but it isn't going to be you.

Maybe it wouldn't be so hard for Edward to find love if he loved himself more. Either way, his search for a deer was going well until he heard someone else in the forest with him. He stood as still as he could, which for a vampire he is practically a statue. He stood there listening for that person. He couldn't see anything but he could hear what sounded like eating, how it sounds when he eats an animal. Maybe Alice just followed me and found the deer before I had the chance to get to it myself. He tried to listen for Alice's thoughts. That's odd. He couldn't hear her thoughts. Who is this? I need a closer look. He climbed up in the tree to see if he could get a look for the direction in which this sound was coming from. He was a little too far away to clearly make out who the person was.

Is this another vampire in town? Maybe I am seeing it wrong because I was unaware of other vampires in town. There is no way.

He hopped off the tree to maneuver to another tree so he could see better. Now, he was in a tree hovering almost directly over this, from what he can see, vampire.

Who was this? I thought we were the only vampires in town? It isn't anyone from the Denali Coven. Why can't I read their thoughts? Does Carlisle know about more vampires in town? How could he not tell us about them?

Edward kept watching the scene below him, it was too enticing for him to turn away. Next thing he knows the vampire has swallowed most of the contents of the female deer of the group after the male when there is a snap of a twig. Edward's eyes widened. Did I move and snap something? I am about to be found out. Right as Edward is about to flee the scene he notices a cougar down below and seconds later the vampire vanishes. With that Edward vanished, too.

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"Carlisle, did you know there was another vampire here?" Edward said as he rushed through the doors once he got home.