1935 Mississippi
Two years into being a vampire, Bruce would say life had been peaceful—too peaceful for his taste. There were no vampires seeking revenge from his previous encounter, no werewolves or shapeshifters. The Cullens barely encountered any other vampires.
At the moment, Bruce was reading a book while many others were stacked on the desk in front of him. As he continued to read, his senses picked up a presence outside his room.
"Come in," Bruce said.
"Bruce, are you going for a hunt tonight?" Carlisle asked, entering Bruce's room.
"Well, I am planning to," Bruce answered.
"Great, take Rosalie with you," Carlisle said in a manner that resembled a parent.
"Oh, come on, do I have to?" Bruce said, feigning annoyance.
"You two are the ones who refused to go to the musical."
"Fine, fine, I will escort her highness."
"You know I can fucking hear you, right?" came an angry female voice from a nearby room.
"Language, Rosalie," another female voice chimed in. Listening to this, Bruce let out a chuckle. Meanwhile, Carlisle's eyes darted across the books Bruce had gathered.
"Oh, you're reading my old journals?" Carlisle asked.
"They're very useful," Bruce answered. Carlisle's journals were filled with his experiences and information about vampire society. But they also brought many questions to Bruce. He may not have been the biggest fan of Twilight, but he was pretty sure the Volturi were the big bosses of all vampires.
But according to Carlisle's journals, the Volturi were in a truce with the Romanian coven after a centuries-long war. They were currently co-ruling the vampires. According to Carlisle's words, "a fragile treaty made due to the losses on both sides rather than the purpose of achieving peace." Bruce could only wonder what other changes he didn't know about.
"So, what do you think of the vampire mindset?" Carlisle asked as they made their way to the living room. Bruce knew the reason for this particular question. The journal he was reading when Carlisle entered had Carlisle's observations and theories on vampires. True to Carlisle's profession, some of those notes were on the level of university research papers.
After pondering Carlisle's notes and his own experience, Bruce answered, "Vampires feel emotions on a much more intense level compared to humans, right? You also said it seems like vampires only feel one emotion at a time. But I think it's because we feel one dominant emotion so strongly that other emotions are suppressed."
"Go on, what about the personality part?" Carlisle said enthusiastically. Bruce felt like sighing, knowing it couldn't be helped. One of Carlisle's favorite activities was discussing science-related topics. But if vampires were in the equation, he get overexcited. Ever since Bruce showed his intellectual capacity, he was getting dragged into such discussions. While Bruce enjoyed them and benefited from them too, he was more of a tech person rather than into medicine and biology.
"Well, we carry the personality from when we were humans, but it's frozen and magnified. But what intrigues me is that we gain a leading characteristic when we become vampires like a loving person becomes even more loving, or a sadistic person becomes more ruthless. I think that's an adaptation to keep us going for eternity—a vampiric drive."
"Excellent, truly remarkable insight, Bruce," Carlisle said, clapping his hands. "Are you sure you don't want to join a university? Your intelligence is too much to waste," Carlisle said in a serious tone.
"That's a no again, Carlisle. I don't think I'm that intelligent, and I don't want to put an entire layer of Vaseline on just to hide sparkles." While Bruce absolutely despised the method the Cullens used to hide their vampiric traits, he also didn't give much credit to his intelligence. Most of his insights came from his perspective as a reincarnator.
"You two never stop about science. But I think vampires are born from a demon god," Rosalie said, coming out of her room. The smirk on her face was evident that she wasn't serious at all. But Bruce would never let such an argument go.
"No, princess. Vampires are born from evolution. At some point in history, our ancestors mutated and evolved into a different branch—not a demon god."
"All points considered, I second that," Carlisle said, coming to Bruce's support.
"Now, now, dear husband, we all love to discuss the origins of vampires for hours, but we are going to be late for the musical," Esme said, joining the others in the living room. Her smile was sweet at first glance, but Carlisle knew the danger it hid from experience.
"Let's get going, shall we?" Carlisle said strategically as Edward joined them silently.
"What's up, Edward? Stalk any girls lately?" Bruce asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
"You know, even though I can read minds, sometimes I can't understand insane people," Edward replied with an unimpressed look. Bruce looked at Edward speechlessly. Normally, Edward would not respond to his borderline insults. If he did, it meant he was in a good mood. Bruce and Edward had become closer over time, not like brothers, but like friends. According to Bruce, if Edward wasn't on his self-loathing episodes, he was fun to hang out with. The only other flaw of his was that Edward had no idea of privacy.
Bruce couldn't blame Edward for that. Special abilities of vampires can be hard to master. Bruce's own ability was a testament to that. Speaking of abilities, he told the Cullens about his power—or at least the basics of it. There was no reason to keep it secret, after all. Edward was right there when he first activated his unique ability. But they didn't know the extent of his power.
"What extent?" Edward asked with a grin.
"My powers know no bounds," Bruce replied with a profound look.
"Has anyone told you that you're narcissistic?"
"You said it, brooding boy."
"Boys, boys, you can compare your egos later, but I am not missing the musical," Esme said, cutting off the argument and taking the lead to leave. As others silently followed her, they said goodbye to each other. Carlisle, Esme, and Edward took the car to the musical, leaving Bruce and Rosalie. Rosalie waved at Esme, and as she turned back to Bruce, his eyes briefly lingered on her firm backside. Even though Bruce averted his gaze instantly, Rosalie's vampiric perception easily picked it up.
"What, never seen a woman wearing pants?" Rosalie asked with a harsh tone. Bruce wondered about her sudden hostility.
"Wha—" Then he realized in this era, women don't wear pants. For better or worse, she took his gaze for a completely different reason.
"I think it suits you," Bruce said. Listening to his genuine tone, Rosalie took it as a compliment.
"It makes hunting easier," Rosalie said, looking away.
Truth be told, Bruce didn't even notice she was wearing pants until she pointed it out. After all, it was quite normal for him. Even if he wasn't from modern times, Bruce thought it didn't matter because they were vampires—a race that is equally dangerous and powerful in both genders.
"So, hunt?" Bruce said, changing the topic.
"You know the rules, Brucie. First come, first serve," Rosalie said with a smirk before disappearing with superhuman speed.
"That's cheating, you know," Bruce shouted, speeding after her.
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Trivia:
Some vampires use a thick layer of Vaseline to hide the sparkles of their skin under direct sunlight. Many vampires do not like this method due to their heightened touch sensitivity.
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So we will continue with the first path. Thank you for the support and opinions, guys. Special thanks to Insane_Fantasy for the review. If possible leave a review and powerstones . Peace ✌