Chapter 5 - Cullens

It was the early 1950s, about a year and a half into my journey to switch to a vegetarian diet. I was proud to announce that Jasper and I could now be considered vegetarian vampires. Well, as proud as any vegetarian in any species could be, I suppose. "God, I missed snacking on humans," I couldn't help but admit, causing my mouth to water and venom to pool.

"Stop that," Jasper expressed with a tinge of annoyance in his voice.

I glanced at him and noticed his eyes turning pitch black, indicating that my thirst was affecting him too.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly, trying in vain to stop my mind from wandering.

"They should be right around the corner," I informed my companions.

We had recently encountered a nomadic vampire in the woods. Instead of picking a fight against the three of us, the nomad acted friendly and smartly chose not to engage. We exchanged pleasantries, shook hands, and continued on our way. That simple handshake was enough for my trained gift to copy his and fill a portion of my reservoir.

My gift had become clearer to me over time. I saw it as a tank or reservoir where I could store any gift I came into direct contact with. If the tank was empty, I could store a gift for up to an hour of usage. If I wanted more than one gift, I had to divide the tank into smaller portions. At the moment, I had 10 minutes of future sight from Alice, 10 minutes of emotion sensing from Jasper, and a depleting 15 minutes of tracking gift from the nomad we met earlier.

With my reservoir being limited, I was hoping to get an expert opinion on training gifts and abilities. I was certain I could make it bigger.

Due to the constraints of space and the "single usage rule," which allowed me to tap into only one gift at a time, my ability was fairly balanced. Well, as balanced as an overpowered ability could be.

As we turned right, we found ourselves face to face with an old mansion in the heart of New York City. The mansion exuded an aura of old money, with its high walls and pointed towers.

Feeling an unusual tension in the air, Jasper, Alice, and I made our way up the stairs and rang the doorbell.

Its sound echoed through the property, although we were already certain that the residents must have heard us coming.

Jasper seemed a little out of place, unused to entering through the front door. He paced from left to right. "Don't worry, Jasper, they'll love us," Alice reassured him.

"Not like they have a choice," I added, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere caused by our impromptu visit. "If they don't, we can just beat them into it," I suggested playfully, attempting to alleviate the tension that lingered in the air.

Jasper gave me a lopsided grin in response to my efforts.

Suddenly, the front door opened, revealing a blonde man with slicked-back hair and an angelic face. His compassionate honey-gold eyes met ours as he prepared to introduce himself.

"You must be Carlisle," I interrupted, already knowing who he was.

"The name's Johnathan. This is Jasper, and the bundle of love over there is Alice," I introduced, pointing to each of them.

Alice couldn't contain her excitement upon seeing someone she already considered family due to her visions. The only thing holding her back was Jasper's tight embrace around her small frame.

Confusion marred Carlisle's face as he took in our strange sight. Three vampires he had never met or heard of, clearly practicing his dietary choice, judging by the color of our eyes, suddenly showed up at his doorstep. Taking advantage of his speechless expression, I continued speaking with a hint of amusement.

"Are the others here? Or is it a bad time? We can come back later if you'd like, but I can't guarantee we'll be able to hold Alice back for much longer," I said, gesturing towards our enthusiastic companion.

And as expected, the bundle of energy that was Alice finally managed to slip out of Jasper's grasp. Seizing the opportunity, she lunged at Carlisle and embraced him in a hug.

"Carlisle! I've been wanting to meet you for so long!" Alice exclaimed with sheer joy.

In an instant, we found ourselves completely surrounded by a bunch of overprotective vampires. Four pairs of golden eyes glaring at us, their owners crouching with teeth bared and ready for combat.

Alice, either oblivious to the tension or deliberately stirring it up, proceeded to squeal even louder in joy as she went around introducing herself to each member of the Cullen Coven. She bounced with excitement, resembling a child on a sugar rush. The mouths of the Cullens opened and closed like fish out of water, completely astonished by the unexpected turn of events.

Jasper, ever the mediator, skillfully used his ability to ease the tension, ensuring that the situation didn't escalate into a full-blown brawl.

~~~

We were now all seated in the Cullens' living room, fully aware that it wasn't every day you had three new permanent residents showing up unannounced.

To say the situation was awkward would be an understatement.

'Hey, everyone, don't worry about us. Me and my two friends are just here to squat at your place for an undetermined amount of time. Maybe eternity, if that sounds alright with you,' I thought sarcastically to myself. Clearly, that wouldn't have been an appropriate way to address the situation.

Jasper, as our 'Coven Leader,' was having a conversation with Carlisle in his office, while the rest of us sat in the living room, feeling a mix of anticipation and unease.

"This is so boring," Alice exclaimed, her posture slouched on the couch.

"Want to play a game?" I suggested, hoping to liven things up.

The suggestion sparked intrigue in the eyes of the other vampires in the room. It was less evident in the aloof Rosalie, who sported a higher-than-thou attitude, and in the brooding Edward, who stood in the corner of the room observing our every move, as if we were here to rob the place. He seemed ready to deliver some vengeance if need be.

"What do you have in mind?" Alice asked, her eyes lighting up with curiosity.

"How about some Vampire Baseball?" I proposed, grinning mischievously.

This time, the excitement wasn't only reflected on Alice's face; it spread to Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, and even Esme.

~~~

'Best way to break the ice is through physical activity,' I thought to myself, satisfied that my idea had worked.

We formed teams of three against three, with Emmett, Alice, and me playing against Edward, Esme, and Rosalie. The game lasted for a total of two hours, only ending when Jasper and Carlisle appeared.

Our group had bonded while playing baseball, and we were now goofing around, playfully shoving each other with some slight sports banter mostly from Emmet as he teased the losing team.

"Hey, losers! Better rethink your baseball strategy or take up a less competitive hobby, like flower arranging or knitting. I heard it's good for old bones like yours, Eddy boy!" Emmet teased, while effortlessly evading a friendly tap from Edward, only to find himself on the receiving end of a perfectly timed smack on the back of his head from his wife.

The group erupted into raucous laughter at Emmet's outrageous antics, finding it impossible to contain their amusement. Even Emmet himself joined in the laughter, not one to shy away from a good laugh at his own expense.

However, our banter came to a halt as soon as both coven leaders came within earshot.

The previously united group now showed clear divisions, unsure of how the interaction between the two leaders would unfold. Even though the older vampires seemed to be on good terms, smiling and engaging in conversation, we couldn't be certain of the dynamics at play.

"So, what's the verdict?" I asked, hoping for a positive outcome.

Carlisle's voice rang out with a genuine smile, "Welcome to the Cullen clan." He announced, happy that his family had expanded a little bit more.