(Thomas POV)
Kickstart My Heart by Motley Crüe was cut off halfway through as Edythe pulled up next to Edward's Volvo and shut the engine off. My nerves were all over the place and I suddenly missed the comfort of the familiar music. It's true that I like listening to classic and slow music to calm down. But for pure entertainment it was definitely the 70s and 80s music. I was happy it seemed Edythe shared my taste.
I was very interested to see what else we had in common, but right now it was the nerves of officially meeting the family that had me occupied. I took a deep breath and let it out before finally reaching for the door handle. When I finally opened the door and got out, I noticed that Edythe was there waiting for me.
"I thought for a minute I would have to bring everyone out here to meet you." She joked with me.
"Give me a break, this is the first time I have gone to meet my girlfriend's parents."
"So... I'm your girlfriend?"
I felt like I just stepped on a landmine for some reason. It only took a moment of thought before I realized why, "Well, I never asked you and made it official, but would you like to be my girlfriend? I don't want your family to think I am taking advantage of you and don't take this seriously."
Edythe stepped into me again and threw her arms around me, this time the hug had my ribs creaking in alarm, but I just wrapped my own arms around her and held her. She felt small and cold in my embrace, but it was not uncomfortable. After a few moments like that, she let me go and I took a moment to look around the outside of the house she brought me to.
My very first thought was {I would not want to clean that many windows.} It was a 3-story house built into a hill. The first and third story was a slate grey exterior that made it look strong and part of the hill it was built into. The second floor was lined in wood though, it stood out in its golden oak color and made it look very grand. It must have cost a fortune to design, much less build. There was a hanging deck on the second floor that looked like it should fall off under its own weight, but it seemed as strong as the rest of the house. Despite the windows making a majority of the exterior, it still looked strong. I loved it.
"This is amazing! Such beauty and strength."
"My mother designed it, she is a well renowned architect."
As we began to walk to the front door I asked, "Do they know that I'm in on the vampire secret?"
"Yes, I showed them the diary that Henry kept, we are amazed that any vampire would be dumb enough to keep a written record like that. It's just stupid in so many ways. I uh, also told them about your shape change ability. I am hoping you will show us here where we are safe, and you don't have to worry about hurting anyone. It's better to do it in a safe environment, instead of in a dangerous situation out of our control."
I wasn't happy with the thought of changing here and potentially hurting one of my friends, but she had a point. It's better to find out if I can control it here, then it would be in an emergency situation elsewhere.
"We can talk about it with everyone, but if I have a choice, I want Jasper to be the first to approach me. He is the best fighter I have ever seen."
Edythe nodded as we reached the door, then she stopped and looked at me, "Another thing, this is where we are the most comfortable. We don't hide our traits or try to act human here, so it may be a bit strange to you."
I just nodded in reply and followed her inside when she opened the door. Despite the cold, I didn't have a jacket, so I just walked past the coat rack and looked around. It was warm. That's the feeling I got. The decorations were few and spread out, but it was just short of being sparse. Everything on the walls had a symmetry that fit perfectly together to create a lived-in atmosphere. Old and new meshed together perfectly.
Edythe walked to my side and took my left hand in hers as I gawked like a tourist in the state capitol. Stepping up some stairs to the second floor, I was met by a group of five people. I recognized all but 1 of them. Edward stood next to Emmett and Rosalie and Dr Cullen stood next to a woman I assumed was Esme.
She was the one resident vampire I had yet to meet. She was just as beautiful as the rest of her family, but where so many of them looked sharp in their appearance, Esme was soft and rounded a bit. She just looked friendly and approachable, someone you would want to protect in any situation. She stood 5ft 6in with a caramel-colored head of long curly hair, her eyes were a darker color than gold, but not yet black enough to indicate that she needed to feed.
Her eyes locked on mine and Edythe's hands and a brilliant smile broke out on her face. I stepped forward and offered my free right hand to Dr. Cullen.
"Mr. Cullen, my name is Thomas Raizel. It is good to meet you, formally."
Carlisle took my hand and shook it firmly. "It's good to meet you as well Thomas. This is my wife Esme, and I'm sure you know your school mates beside us."
"Yes sir, though I have yet to speak with the lovely Rosalie. Edward and Emmett share Spanish class with me."
Then out of nowhere, an exterior door slid open, and a gust of wind blew a small figure into the room. She was moving fast, but my eyes were able to follow Alice as she rammed into me in excitement. I had to pull my left hand free from Edythe to catch Alice and spin her around to kill some of the momentum she hit me with.
I laughed, "There's the little Fairy of the house. Keep pulling stunts like this and I'll rename you Gremlin. Where is your man? I don't want him to think I'm trying to steal his girl and his sister. I don't think I'd survive his wrath."
Jasper walked through the open door and closed it behind him. "Howdy Thomas. Welcome to the house."
I shot him a smile as I put Alice back on the floor. "It's good to be here, thank you all for your welcome."
I wasn't aware of the danger standing next to me until I heard a hiss from the lips of Edythe. I looked to see her giving a very unfriendly look to Alice.
"You made him let my hand go you little Brownie."
Alice immediately looked apologetic, I'm sorry Edythe, I was just so happy to see him in our house. Please forgive me."
I was quick to retake Edythe's hand in the hope it would settle her down. Surprisingly, it worked rather well.
Alice just stuck her tongue out at Edythe and gave her a smile and a shrug. Everyone laughed at their interaction. Edward shook his head and muttered something about playing with fire.
Esme stepped forward and asked, "Have you eaten yet this evening, Thomas?"
My heart sank, "I did not, but no worries. I can eat when I return home. I know you don't consume food here."
"You don't have to worry about us Thomas, we are meticulous about making sure the house has food stocked. Anything unused gets taken to a women's shelter in Port Angeles long before it goes bad. We can't have the town thinking we don't feed a family this large."
Esme was interrupted by Edythe, "Actually mom, I was hoping to cook the back-strap from the Elk I took last night. I have a family recipe I would like to cook for him. Though I bet it would go great with some garlic mashed potatoes if you wouldn't mind helping me."
I was taken aback at the idea that Edythe had planned this out so much. I was a bit embarrassed by it all.
As Edythe and Esme started talking, Carlisle spoke to me, "Would you like to join me in the living room, Thomas?"
"Yes sir." I brought Edythe's hand to my lips and kissed it. "I can't wait to try your cooking. I will go keep your dad company."
Moving to the Living Room wasn't much more than taking a few steps to an area that had a couch and some chairs. The whole house was an open concept, and you could see all the way to the kitchen from most anywhere. Emmett and Rosalie went upstairs, but the rest of the family followed Carlisle and I. Alice and Jasper took a loveseat and Edward took a chair by himself. I took another solo chair and Carlisle sat on the couch facing me.
Looking me in the eye, Carlisle spoke, "You seem to be taking this... New reality of the supernatural world, in stride. Are there any questions I could answer for you?"