6 The Accident, The Hospital and Questions

Seeing the van coming at us, Bella froze up in fear while I just relaxed my body with a few deep breathes before I took a step forward.

Slowly, I felt my muscles bulge slightly and turn metal-like in their hardness while I also felt and saw the veins and blood vessels in my arms bulge and wriggle under my skin. I wasn't going all out but I was definitely being serious about this. I'd never had to stop a moving car before and I'd rather not undershoot the power requirement for stopping it and get knocked back and risk Bella getting even more hurt if I suddenly flew back into her ALONG with a whole ass van.

The world began to slow down and I instantly saw Edward and Rosalie break out in a run for Bella and I. Edward was obviously quicker than Rosalie but that didn't mean she didn't try just as hard as him to get over here.

They were both fast - Edward absurdly so - but I could still track them with my eyes. The flicker-fusion threshold in my eyes was insanely amped up meaning stuff that'd be nothing but a blur to a normal person was perfectly clear to me. I mean, this isn't the same as reacting to a stimulus but it at least lets me know what's coming at me and from where without it being a blurry mess.

If I had to place myself somewhere on the speed scale, I'd say I was faster than Rosalie (from what I could see) yet slower than Edward. But not by too much, and I most likely have the strength advantage over the both of them, as well.

Bringing my thoughts away from useless crap like comparing power levels, I focused fully on the van that was about a meter or two away from me and Bella and I was about a foot in front of Bella.

Sighing, I flexed my toes and feet before breaking through the bottom of my trainers and gripping the ground with enough strength to crack it thoroughly around where my feet were.

I don't know how Edward did it in the books (probably because the original author didn't care about physics) but the car and it's momentum wouldn't just stop just because he was there to stop it and had the strength to stop it. You could have enough strength to stop a meteor from hitting the Earth but the meteor's still gonna effect the Earth through sending the force through you. Worst case scenario, you get buried a few hundred feet down after the meteor's momentum and kinetic energy get passed on to you.

Long story short and complex metaphors aside: Even if I have the strength to stop a speeding van, my weight is lower than a van made of metal. I need leverage for my strength to be effective. Leverage that can handle the force I'm about to have to put out. Hence me gripping and digging into the asphalt below me with my toes.

If I didn't do this, I take the force of the van and just fly back, crushing Bella.

Uh, yeah, don't want to do that, honestly. So, as the van approached, I lifted a hand and put it out in front of me, I saw Edward arriving. A bit late to save me but if I weren't here, he'd have made it for Bella. Good. Rosalie wasn't even a second behind him when she appeared but I kept my focus on the van.

The metal side of the van collided with my hand and I braced myself as the material bent and groaned, the force and momentum of the van traveling through my hand to my arm and then effecting the rest of my body.

I moved back slightly, but that was just to let off some of the force so I didn't curl the guy's van in like those pictures you see of a car wrapped around a tree. That'd be much harder to explain.

Not that I'm gonna end up explaining this to the majority of people. Just that having a car wrap around you and then tearing you're way out is a sure-fire way for EVERYONE to know you're a superhuman when I only want a select few to know.

Anyway, as the force began to ween off, I actively pushed against the van instead of just soaking up it's momentum and the because I was nearer to the front of the van, the back end swung around and went into one of the wheel covers for Bella's truck:

Sorry about the truck Bells! But I am kinda saving your life, so you'll forgive me, right~?

This'll make it easier for people to accept. Tyler's (the guy driving) van hit the back end of the truck and came to a stop. Some people with brains would think ''Hey, that's not how momentum works!'' but the majority of people would be like ''Huh. Yeah, okay. Lucky, I guess.''

The unwashed masses, am I right?

Anyway, with that, the van had been stopped. I took my hand from the side of the van which luckily hadn't ended up with a suspiciously hand shaped marking on it - just looked sort of crushed inward. I mean, I don't know how that's gonna get explained away but you know, whatever, I guess? Not like they can link this to me anyway. No CCTV, any finger prints they could pull from the van wouldn't prove anything because I could've touched the van at any point in the last week--They had nothing of value~

Flexing my fingers a little, I felt that the situation was a bit surreal. I knew I was strong - inhumanly so - but I'd just stopped a speeding van without much effort and the only thing that happened to me is that I'd ruined some sneakers and the fact that my palm felt a little sore. Like someone had highfived me a little too hard or something.

Even that limited feeling of soreness faded and I quickly turned to look at the two Vampires looking at me in shock. I saw Edward look at me with furrowed brows before he looked to Bella and saw she was okay. His brows relaxed somewhat and he looked back to me for a few more seconds before turning around walking away.

I mean, okay, I guess?

Ignoring Edward's reaction, I turned to my sister to see if she was alright, only to see her on her ass, looking up at me with wide brown eyes and a shocked face.

...Let's deal with that in a bit, yeah? All my brain cells agreed on this and I turned to Rosalie who was looking at me with a bit more than just shock. There was confusion - a lot of confusion - but also wonder and curiosity. Sadly, those gave away for a spark of indignation in her eyes. I just met this tirade of different emotions with a calm gaze before showing a thin smile, "I've gotta get my sister to the hospital, Rosalie. I'll see you there and we can talk, okay?" I calmly got this across before bending down and getting Bella up onto her two feet before walking her around to the passenger side of her truck and getting her in.

I'd got the keys off her and a crowd was beginning to build up around us and the area of the accident. I closed my eyes and gathered my thoughts for a second before I got into the truck and started it up. The wheel cover on the back lack wheel was dented inward but it wouldn't stop me from driving.

I heard the commotion and I heard Tyler saying how sorry he was about it all, but I didn't really care.

Why was I taking Bella to the hospital despite the fact she was okay? To keep up appearances, I guess. She'd just been in an accident. If she didn't go for a quick check-up, it'd come across as odd. I suppose I needed to go for one as well.

Pulling off in a hurry before the crowd spread over toward the truck, I made way to the hospital.

Looking in the truck's mirrors, I saw that the Edward and Rosalie were already gone and the rest of the Cullen foster kids were watching us leave. A bit ominous but coming from a bunch of vegetarian Vampires it ain't too bad.

Smiling to myself, I just drove while enduring the brown eyes boring holes into my temple. Boy oh boy, I can practically feel the curiosity burning in her little head like an inferno.

But I could also feel that she was somewhat distracted. Either shock...or she also saw that Edward and Rosalie were so close to us despite just having been on the other side of the parking lot. Well, at least I wouldn't be the only person in her sights if that's the case but I'd say it's more likely to be the former.

Thoughts aside, I just kept driving.

. . .

"Right," I said, scratching the back of my head, "Any questions you wanna ask first?" I voiced toward Rosalie who was sitting opposite me at the table. On her left was Carlisle who was looking curiously at me and on her right was Esme who was smiling kindly and patiently at me. Kinda reminded me of mom - a sort of gentle aura around her. Vampiric maternal instincts...sounds scary as hell.

Rosalie, who heard my question, scowled before averting her gaze. Silent treatment. Huh. I mean, I wouldn't say I deserve it. She was also hiding the fact she was a Vampire from me so we're both in the same boat.

But, at the same time, replying with ''Don't be mad with me when you were doing the same thing!'' would just be childish and immature of me. It'd do nothing but exacerbate the situation.

Time to put on the adult pants again. One of us has to, at least.

Cheap mental remarks aside, I turned to Carlisle and spoke, "I'm aware of what you and your family are, Mr. Cullen. I'd also like to assure you that I don't care even a single iota about what you are. The only reason I withheld what I was, was because of selfishness, not because of any sort of hate toward Vampires," I said something which was, in all honesty, the truth. I had been selfish when I hid what I was. If I'd introduced myself when I arrived, I would've been able to avoid this entire awkward situation and there'd be no sorta bad air to clear.

Instead, however, I wanted to play as a normal teenager for the shits and giggles of it. Only got worse when I wanted a more normal relationship with Rosalie despite our circumstances. So, like I said, it was selfish of me.

But hey, I'm not ashamed of it. I'm only human, after all~

"Please, call me Carlisle, Jason," Carlisle gave a smile before he held his hands together, "You don't need to assure us of anything. You've done nothing wrong. All I have to ask is, how do you know we're Vampires? Or more specifically, how do you know about Vampires in the first place?" he asked the obvious question. One I'd already prepared for.

Leaning back into the chair I was in, I gave an easy smile before replying, "I've met a Vampire before. Plus, the golden-yellow eyes...they're not exactly very Human," I gave a light-hearted chuckle and Carlisle and Esme followed me, lightly laughing themselves.

Rosalie kept sulking but she'd eventually come around. I hope. I mean, she can't stay mad for that long, right?

When our laughter came to a stop, Carlisle looked at me with ever curious eyes, "Though I must ask...how did you become the way you are, Jason? Just from looking and hearing what I can from your body...it's truly an evolutionary miracle. Are you completely sure you're a Human?" he asked in a good-mannered nature.

"I see where you're coming from, Carlisle. I could be considered quite an inhuman Human," I joked before frowning, "...But to be honest with you, I don't know how or why I'm like the way I am. I've been stronger, faster, and better than normal humans since as long as I can remember."

I gave him a helpless look and I was partly telling the truth - I was born like this and I don't exactly know how my mom birthed an evolutionary monster like myself.

Of course I knew I wished to a God for my physique but such a thought wouldn't cross Carlisle's mind. He was a doctor - a man of science. His exceptionally long life has probably also robbed him of all religious faith and faith in a higher power anyway, so I don't think he'd even humor ''I got it as a wish from some random God'' as a joke answer.

Carlisle matched my helpless look before he smiled, "Well, it doesn't matter either way," Carlisle stood up, alongside Esme, before continuing, "We only wanted to know the basics about you for now, Jason. But I hope we can talk more in detail later? I'd love to know more about your special genetics, after all," he gave a hopeful smile and if it weren't for the fact that I knew he wasn't gay and was happily married and in love with Esme, I'd have thought he was coming onto me.

I'd have to escape to Peru or some other South American country if that were to happen. Or I'd have to kill someone. Either one works.

"We'll leave you to speak with Rosalie then," Esme spoke up for the first time, her voice soft but welcoming. A nice woman. Then she and Carlisle vamp sped out of here. I didn't bother following their movements with my eyes and kept my eyes focused on Rosalie.

All I got was silence.

...This is gonna be a long one, ain't it?