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Post by meredith on Jul 16, 2009 2:03:43 GMT -5
Running. It seemed like such a funny word now. Something Meredith had been doing her entire existance; since the day she opened her eyes to this new world twenty years ago. It seemed almost tragic that she had never really slowed down until now. But running was easy when you never tired. There was no weariness to slow you down. Her entire immortal life was based around three central things: hunting, surviving, and running. But the core of everything was the running. Never had she stayed in one place for more than twenty-four hours. Naturally she wanted to protect herself from exposure, so staying in one place was never a good idea. But now, so many years later...she saw no point to the running anymore. Her human family was all gone, with her father passing away just two years prior. Neither her mother or father really knew what happened to their precious only child. Presumably she had been raped and murdered, or so they were lead to believe by her mysterious disappearance twenty years ago. There was no way she could have faced them with the knowledge of what kind of monster she had become. In her early years she probably would have killed them if they were in the same room as her. The thought still plagued her mind of knowing her parents thought she had died. They had mourned her death, but never moved on in their lives.
As she pondered that thought for a while, she stopped in the mountains somewhere in the Northwestern United States; at least that's where she guessed she was by the scenery. The last state sign she had seen had been for Washington about five minutes prior, but she could never be too sure of where she was these days. Less than twenty-four hours ago, she had been at the tip of South America. Stopping in the mountains, she found a huge boulder to perch herself on to continue her silent conversation with herself. Twenty years of practice had made her an excellent conversationalist with her own mind. Yeah, let's just tack on the fact that I talk to myself to my list of already qualifiably insane characteristics, she sniped, crossing her legs underneath her. Let's see...I'm a vampire which means I drink blood and look like a diamond in the sunlight, not to mention my eyes change color with my thirst level. I run faster than any automobile known to mankind and can lift a two-ton boulder over my head without any problems. Have I missed anything? Her eyes rolled sarcastically as she sighed and realized, Oh yeah...and I have premonitions. Yep, that about covers it.
Meredith laughed out loud to herself. "Congratulations, you're certifiably insane," she muttered. That was one option she had considered early on, when her immortal life began. But over twenty years, she had grown to accept the fact that she was a vampire and would never age, seeing that as at least some positive from her doomed situation.
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Post by Edward Cullen on Jul 18, 2009 14:24:02 GMT -5
Edward had not been hunting with all that was going on at the mansion and with the family. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for him. He was running through the mountains looking for something to eat. He know that he had let himself go to long without hunting. He was dealing with everything in the family. He had a new grandchild, and an ex-sister that was out for vengeance against his family for killing her mate. Not to mention the fact that Jasper was back, but off on a mission with Rose to find Lexie and the kids. Edward was concerned about that one. He was not worried about Jasper killing Lexie, but he was worried about how he would kill her. Edward did not want Jasper drinking human blood, but he was sure that Rose could stop him from doing that. Edward was glad to see Rose happy again. He knew that having Jasper home would calm her back down. Edward thought about Bella and their time together too. He knew that they needed more balance time, but also knew that Bella wanted to be with Nessie and Alicia. Edward could not help but want to be with them to. He was a proud grandfather, even if he was eternally 17.
Edward was lost in his own thoughts when the scent of the mountain lion caught him. That was the scent that he was looking for. Quickly he altered his course to intersect with it and take it down. He took to the trees to pursue it as it was in a tree. Edward went higher in the trees, so that he could pounces down on it. As he lunged for it, he sank his teeth into its tender neck. Edward had drained it dry before they hit the ground. He knew that he still need to hunt that the one lion would not be enough for him. He stood up and was dusting off his clothes when he caught an unfamiliar voice in his head.
Edward knew that he was still in the Cullen's area, so he went to investigate. He was wondering what vampire would come into their area and not come to the house. He slowly walked in the direction of the voice. He was cautious as he was alone, but he knew that he could protect himself. As he approached he saw her sitting on the boulder and was listening to her conversation with herself. Edward could not help himself and he laughed out loud. "I think that we are all certifiably insane on some level." He said as he approached her and knew that she would wonder how he knew what she was thinking. He went ahead and introduced himself to her, holding out his hand. "I am sorry if I startled you. I am Edward Cullen. You are on my families property." He said to her as he waited for her to shake his hand.
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Post by meredith on Jul 18, 2009 14:38:45 GMT -5
Meredith continued to mind her own business, sitting out under the cloudy sky on the boulder. For the first time in a long time, she wished that the sun would come out. She loved how it danced off her skin, causing diamond-like facets to illuminate the air around her. It was one of the few things she truly enjoyed about being a vampire, other than running fast and being able to endlessly travel where she pleased. Well at least it makes the insanity worth while, she mused privately. A new voice behind her startled her and made her jump off her boulder to see what threat loomed behind her. She had been so lost in her own thoughts that she had not noticed the scent of another vampire come near her or sensed his presence. Once the stranger apologized and introduced himself, Meredith's reflex reactions retracted her "claws" so to speak.
Reaching out and shaking his hand, she smiled. "I am terribly sorry if I'm intruding on your land," she apologized. "I didn't know that any of this had been claimed by anyone. Had I known, I would have steered clear." Meredith felt horribly embarrassed by the whole situation. She had been so off in her own world that she had not even thought to see if the land she wandered onto was taken by anyone else. It was careless of her. "I'm Meredith Brandon, by the way."
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Post by Edward Cullen on Jul 18, 2009 14:55:34 GMT -5
Edward smiled and laughed lightly as her as she spoke. He realized that she did not know who he was and that raised his curiosity. It was rare to meet a vampire that did not know about the royal family and the rules. "You really don't realize who I am do you?" He asked her smiling as he continues to listen to her talk. He was totally intrigued by her and could not wait to tell Bella about her. He knew that Bella would love to meet her. A vampire that did not know about the family and was a golden eyed one like them. That did not happen often.
He listened to her apologize and smiled. "That is quite alright. We are not territorial. We welcome all that do not mean us harm." He said to her quickly. He heard her say her name and that shocked him. He name was the same as Alice's real name. That truely peaked his interest in her. "It is nice to meet you Meredith. May I ask where you are from original? Where did you live as a human?" He asked her. He knew that he question as odd, but he needed to know to be sure that she was kin to Alice. He knew that she obviously had no idea who she was.
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Post by meredith on Jul 18, 2009 15:08:55 GMT -5
Meredith gave Edward a perplexed look before replying, "I'm sorry, I don't really know anyone of our kind to be honest. Much of my immortal life has been spent travelling alone." It had never really interested her to seek out other vampires after her transformation, particularly because very few were "vegetarian" as she was. But, she could obviously see in Edward's eyes that he was like her. That gave her a strong sense of comfort to know that she was talking to someone who saw her views on diet. Giving a faint smile, Meredith began to feel more at ease with Edward as their conversation continued.
"My entire human life was lived in Alabama," she explained. "But I also had family in Mississippi. I would spend my summers with my grandmother there and great-grandmother, before she passed away when I was ten." Meredith had not thought of her human family in some time, mostly because of the pain it caused her. Leaving her parents with no idea of her fate was the hardest part of being a vampire that she hated. She knew that her grandmother passed away a year after her transformation and her parents followed just recently.
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Post by Edward Cullen on Jul 18, 2009 15:24:37 GMT -5
When Meredith mentioned that she did not know others of their kind Edward wondered how she became a vegetarian. In all he existence the only vegetarians that he knew were his family and Tanya, which were like cousins to them. Edward as never meet another that was not part of one of the families, or that had been friends wit the families. "I am curious. How did you become a vegetarian?" Edward asked her. He knew that they had much to talk about.
Edward knew when she told him about her family that she was kin to Alice and that Alice would want to know about her. Alice had never remembered her human life, but she did know a little about it thanks to James, unfortunately. Edward shuttered slightly at that memory. He did not like to think about those days in his and Bella's life. He knew who Meredith was but it was not his place to tell her. He must speak to his twin first. He decided to move on to different subjects like how she had managed to survive for twenty years, with knowing about the royal family.
Edward decided that he would explain that to her and formally introduce himself, since his name was not enough. "Let me formally introduce myself to you and explain everything." He said to her trying to decide on where to start. "I was wondering how you had managed to survive for twenty years without knowing about us, but I guess I can understand. We only make ourselves known to those that break the laws of the vampire race. Since you are a vegetarian like us, you are not in danger of exposing us to the humans." Edward said to her, knowing that she would be confused so he continued. "We are the royal family of the vampire race. We took over after the Volturi a few decades ago. My wife and I are the royal couple and rule over all vampire. We along with the rest of our family govern to make sure that we are not exposed to the humans." Edward said to her. He knew that Bella would want to meet her, so he decided to invite her to the mansion. "Would you like to come to our house and meet the rest of the family? We live here in Forks and have a home that we all live in." He said as he waited for her to decide.
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Post by meredith on Jul 18, 2009 15:37:26 GMT -5
Meredith smiled and began to think back on her history as a vampire. It had only been twenty years since her creation, but in those twenty years she had seen a lot of things. However violent her creation had been, the years that followed were peaceful. "Well when I was created, I was so disgusted by what I had become I ran away from my creator," she explained slowly. "Once I was alone, I could not ignore my thirst, but was so repulsed by the idea of taking a human life that I attacked an animal that was nearby. I discovered that I could keep my thirst at bay with the blood of animals, so I kept hunting them rather than humans." Reflecting on her first few years, Meredith remembered how hard it was for her stay away from human habitations. She had yearned for her family and human interaction, but forced herself away in order to keep humanity safe from the monster she was.
Upon hearing that Edward was one-half of the royal couple, Meredith immediately knew that she was really out of touch with the vampire world. Even the humans knew who was in charge of them at all times, but it was so easy to lose yourself when you don't technically exist. And it wasn't like the vampires broadcasted their leadership on the television or in newspapers. However, Meredith was shocked that she was standing in front of the leader of her entire race. "I must be really outside of the loop in the vampire world, especially since I don't know the rulers of my own kind when I see them," she said, shaking her head. "I apologize for my ignorance. And I would love to meet your family, if they are willing and are not busy with other things."
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Post by Edward Cullen on Jul 18, 2009 15:46:28 GMT -5
Edward laughed at Meredith's comment. He knew the family and the fact that they were always busy. "Well some of them are out of town currently, but you can at least meet my wife." He said as he turned to head back toward the mansion. Edward knew that he was the fastest runner that he had every met, but he did not was to show off either. "Shall we go then?" He asked her as he took off running but not at full speed.
He knew that he better give Bella some warning, so he took out his phone and sent her a text.
Bringing company to the mansion, be there soon.
- Love Edward
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Post by meredith on Jul 18, 2009 15:58:23 GMT -5
Meredith nodded. "Meeting your wife sounds like the easiest way to start meeting the family," she said, knowing that meeting more than one person in one day was pushing her limit of social interaction. However, meeting new people could also be a good thing for her. At least, that's what she was telling herself. As she took off running, she noticed Edward sending a text, presumably to his wife. She was glad that he was giving his wife some sort of warning instead of bringing some stranger into the house, regardless of if they were the royal couple and saw tons of people every day.
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Post by Bella Cullen on Jul 18, 2009 16:05:53 GMT -5
Bella had been busily shopping for some clothes for Alicia, who was growing out of her clothes almost every day. Normally, she hated shopping, but she would only do so for her daughter and granddaughter. Things had been turning around since Jasper's return and their family was mending on some level. It made Bella relieved to see that there was some improvement in the family and the rifts were closing. Once she was done shopping for clothing and a few other items for Alicia, she made her way back to the mansion to see if anyone was home. She wanted to talk to Alice about some stuff, but Alice had not been around lately. As she stepped through the door, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. When she pulled it out and opened it, she read the text message and sent a reply.
Alright. I just got home a few minutes ago from picking a few things up for Alicia. I'm at the mansion.
Love you!
Bella
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Post by Edward Cullen on Jul 18, 2009 16:13:49 GMT -5
Edward laughed at the reply. Bella knew how fast he ran and that he would be home within minutes of sending the text. When he reached the mansion, he did not stop. He went through the front door and straight to his beautiful wife. He scooped her up in his arms and kissed her. When he sat her back down, he smiled that crooked smile that she loved. "I have missed you today." He said to her. Edward was in a very playful mood for some reason. Maybe it was the fact that his family was coming back together.
Edward turned and took Bella by the hand only. "Let me introduce you to, Meredith Brandon." Edward said to Bella. He then continued, "Meredith, this is my wife, Bella Cullen." Edward said. He knew that Bella was going to catch on to Meredith's last name and he was waiting for the thought that he knew would be coming.
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Post by Bella Cullen on Jul 18, 2009 16:26:50 GMT -5
No sooner had Bella put away the clothes she bought for Alicia than she heard and saw Edward coming through the door with the company he mentioned following right behind him. As he swept her in his arms and kissed her, she laughed and smiled at his playful nature. His mood had greatly improved since Jasper's return home. In fact, everyone's mood had in general. Even Bella found herself smiling for no real reason other than she was happy. As Edward led her by the hand to introduce her to their visitor, she caught Meredith's last name. Immediately she recognized it. Pushing out her shield in record time she thought Brandon? That used to be Alice's last name when she was human...do you think...no she can't be related, can she?
While thinking that to her husband, she reached forward her hand to shake Meredith's. It's a pleasure to meet you Meredith," she said. "Is this your first time in Forks?" Bella decided that it would be easier to continue a pleasant conversation instead of focusing on her thoughts and wondering. That could be saved for later in a private conversation with Edward.
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Post by meredith on Jul 18, 2009 16:44:37 GMT -5
Following closely behind Edward, Meredith ran until they arrived at their house. Meredith had never seen anything like it. The house was a huge white mansion with bay windows all around. She looked in awe as they went inside. Even while she was a human and did come from a fairly prominent family, she had never seen anything like this at all. After the initial shock of seeing the mansion, she went inside and watched Edward greet his wife. She was beautiful, with the same pale white skin and golden eyes as her husband. Bella was stunning. In a way, she reminded Meredith of a picture she once saw of her human mother when she was young with the same long chestnut hair in waves.
Shaking Bella's hand, she smiled warmly. "I am very happy to meet you as well Bella. This is my very first time in Forks," she said. "Your husband was kind enough to offer to introduce me to your family since I am still fairly young in this life." Meredith nodded her head toward Edward. "I seem to travel so much that I really have never met another of our kind."
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Post by Edward Cullen on Jul 18, 2009 17:01:59 GMT -5
Edward catch the thoughts that Bella wanted him to hear and just nodded slightly to her. He knew that she would have multiple questions for him later. They were going to have to tell Alice about Meredith soon. Edward knew that Bella would be a great host as always. He smiled and looked down at Bella, explaining some of what Meredith had already told him. "Meredith is alot like Carlisle." Edward said to Bella. "She was created but could not stand the idea of hunting humans. She discovered this live the same way that he did." Edward said as his moved into the living room to sit down.
Edward turned to Meredith to explain who he was talking about. "Carlisle, is my father for all tense and purposes. He is the one that created me and most of the rest of the family. There are eight of us that are true vampires. Carlisle turned me first and then our mother and his wife, Esme. Later he turned my sister Rose, who is out of town, and then for her he turned Emmett our brother and her husband." Edward realized that he was making Carlisle sound like a monster so he quickly added the the rest. "I guess I should have explained that we were all on our death beds, when Carlisle turned us. He was saving our lives. Carlisle is a Doctor and works at the local hospital here." Edward said, before he continued to tell her about the rest of the family. "Then a few years later Alice and Jasper showed up on our door step and sort of adopted the family. They are our other brother and sister. Jasper is Rose's twin and Alice is mine." Edward said talking of the charade that they used. "We live life as humans and even attend the high school here sometimes and we go to college around the country." Edward continued. "Bella as you know is my wife, I turned her a few decades ago to save her life. We were already in love and she knew who and what I was. She chose to join me of her on free will." Edward said as he looked down into Bella's eyes and fell quite. He was not going to mention Nessie, Alicia and the wolves right now. There was no need to scare Meredith or to tell her about Nessie. Edward knew that with Nessie only being half it make her weaker than a vampire. He was not going to endanger his daughter or granddaughter.
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Post by meredith on Jul 18, 2009 17:32:40 GMT -5
Meredith paid special attention as Edward mentioned a man named Carlisle, who he later explained was his father and creator. Thinking back on her own creation, she would have never looked on her creator as her father. He was simply the man that ended her life as she knew it and transformed her into something she never would have chose voluntarily. She also listened as Edward described their family, talking of his parents and brothers and sisters affectionately. Meredith had been an only child in her human life and alone entirely in her vampire existence. Although she had chose her life of lonliness, she knew that had she been given another choice she might have chosen a family like the Cullens.
A new sense of awe filled Meredith as Edward explained about his wife and how she joined the family of her own free will once she had fallen in love with him. It utterly stunned Meredith that someone would freely choose this life, but it made her respect Bella all the more. "Since you have shared so much with me, I guess I should share a little of my own history," she said, wringing her hands a few times. "I was just over twenty-years old and going to college for my degree in music. I went out one night with some friends and we were attacked by a gang...or what we thought was a gang. Instead of raping and killing me like I thought they were, one of them kept saying how powerful I was going to be." Meredith paused and remembered the pain she endured for three long days; the burning, fiery feeling that spread through her body and did not let up until her transformation was complete. "When I woke, I was no longer human. After I left my creator, I have travelled from place to place and remained alone." Meredith stared at the ground for a moment before looking back up at Edward and Bella. Maybe had I been in this family, things would not have been so alone for all these years. The thought was fleeting in her mind as she wondered what might have been. She pushed back those thoughts to focus on the present. "Is there any chance that I might meet more of the family?" she tentatively asked, looking toward Bella and then Edward.
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