CHAPTER XV ―

SHE KNOWS!

𝐕𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐒.

Edward Cullen and his entire family were vampires.

Nora had tried all weekend to wrap her head around the thought of that, it wasn't humanely possible, but between Embry and Quil's stories and the reading she had done the rest of the weekend as she reflected back on the other night Edward saved her... he gave her the rest of the puzzle pieces, she just had to put it together.

Edward Cullen was a vampire.

She didn't know how to feel about the new revelation. There was fear in the pit of her stomach, but there was also curiosity. She wanted to hear him say it, to admit to her that her thoughts were correct and her questions answered. 

Nora Elliot wanted answers.

...

Monday rolled around and there was dread that was as heavy as lead in Nora's stomach. Edward and the rest of the Cullen's were standing by their vehicles in the school parking lot. She heard Bella talking to her, but her attention was on Edward. He had to have known that she knew.

"Nora? Are you even paying attention to me?" Bella gently touched her friend's shoulder, startling the smaller brunette, who turned towards her abruptly. Bella's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you good?"

Nora nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, just lost in thought." She could tell Bella really didn't believe her, but she didn't push her on the matter, instead redirecting the conversation to talking about her Sunday with Jacob Black.

"I thought it would be weird trying to be friends with him again, but it was like old times and I missed him. Plus it helps that he's not all 100% as overwhelming to me any-" the bell rung, interrupting Bella's long speech on Jacob and Nora never took her eyes off Edward, he had to of heard her screaming in her mind that she wanted to talk to him. "Well, lets head to class, I guess." Bella began to walk, before she noticed that Nora hadn't moved from her truck. "Nora? Dude? Are you okay?"

Nora turned her attention back to Bella, but watched as the Cullen's left Edward standing by his vehicle. He knew she knew. 

"Nora!"

Turning to Bella, she shook her head. "I forgot something at home, Bells. I'll-I'll have Edward take me home real quick and I'll be back by second period, okay?" Bella turned around to see Edward staring at them, she furrowed her brows. She wasn't stupid, something was up.

"Are you sure?"

Nora nodded, pushing her friend in the direction of the school. "Go, before you're late!" Bella sighed and walked in the direction of the school. When she was far enough away and it was just almost down to the two of them in the parking lot, Nora sighed. "We have to talk." It wasn't anything above a whisper, but Edward heard her. Nora turned around, walking to the large forest that surrounded the school and behind her, Edward Cullen followed.

He knew she knew.

...

Edward prepared himself for the worst reaction from the beautiful girl that drove him up a wall. He knew that she was going to figure it out at one point, Alice had told him her vision. One way or another, Nora Elliot was his destiny. He followed her to a small clearing in the forest, where the sun would easily touch his skin if it were a clear day. He stopped just a few feet behind her, he didn't want her to think he would hurt her.

It was silent for a few minutes, he could tell Nora was trying to wrap her head around what she was about to say, trying to come up with any plausible excuse besides the hard, cold truth. Nora was trying to rationalize it, but there wasn't any room for that. They were vampires and there was no sugarcoating that.

"I know."

That was all she said for a few moments before she turned around and he braced himself for a look of disgust, a look of fear and terror, but it never came... at least not as bad as he thought. He could taste her fear, but there was also questions in her mind, racing faster than he could catch. Edward was not going to push her past what she was ready for, she would come to him.

"What are you, Edward?"

Edward sighed. "You know, Nora. I know you know and I know you're not stupid enough not to put the puzzle pieces together. Sometimes, Nora.. sometimes your curiosity gets the best of you." Nora didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or not.

"I want to hear you say it, I need to hear you say it." She was begging him, like she really didn't think it was possible and that was expected. "I need you to tell me that I'm not fucking crazy, that this is real." She took a step towards him, just within arms reach. "I need you to be real."

Edward took a step forward and could tell she wanted to shrink back, but refused to, her pride too strong. "It's true, Nora." He watched the air leave her lungs in the cold air. "My family and I... we're vampires."

She was silent, staring into his golden eyes with her brown ones. God, she was beautiful, Edward thought. The flush to her porcelain skin, the beat of her heart just a little faster than normal. This human had him wrapped around her fingers just by breathing.

"How?"

It was a simple question, but yet so complex.

"Our bite contains venom, Carlisle changed me. He saved me, in a way. It was excruciating, the pain I felt... it's indescribable, but what Carlisle did was much harder. Most of us don't have that kind of restraint. I was his first, I was dying of the Spanish Influenza in 1918. Then his wife... and the other's followed."

Nora swallowed.

"Are you going to eat me?" She was trying to lighten the mood, trying to calm herself from the nerves she felt. It helped when he smiled down at her, slightly chuckling as he shook his head.

"My family and I... we're different from the others of our kind. We're not nomadic, we have a permanent home. We only hunt animals, we've learned to control our thirst," he shook his head, forcing himself not to smell her, his eyes staring into her soul, forcing her not to look away. "but Nora, you test everything in me. Everything about you draws me in and it kills me to be away from you, I have to be in your presence. You test every boundary I've put up in myself. I can't hurt you, I'd kill myself if I ever did."

The breath left her lungs again as she absorbed what he said, watching as he looked away from her in shame. "I would hurt you at some point, I know that..." Nora took a step forward, chest to chest with Edward, raising her hand and pressing her palm to his cold cheek, the chill sending a shiver down her spine as she turned his head to look at her. His eyes held shame as he looked at her and Nora frowned.

"You don't know that, Edward. You don't know that you're going to hurt me," she could feel him gently press into her palm, like he was trying to absorb her warmth, anything to feel human again. "I'm probably stupid for saying this, but even if this doesn't go anywhere, I'd still want to be your friend."

Edward's hand reached up to her hand, pulling it off his cheek, but not letting go of it as he entangled their fingers, enjoying the warmth of her being simply human. His eyes found hers again. Edward Cullen was falling in love with this breathtakingly beautiful human.

"Nora Elliot, you are going to be the death of me."