Taken In By The Cullens

Chapter Six

The school day passed by quickly and Maddie found herself growing more excited to go over to her friend's house as every hour passed. Though she couldn't help but find herself also becoming nervous; this was a first for her. As soon as the last bell rung out, Maddie left the school and met up with the Cullen's and Hale's who were waiting for her by their Jeep. "Ready to go?" Bella asked after they greeted her, earning a nod from everyone; Emmitt turned towards their guest "since you're our guest, you can ride in the front with me" he smiled. Not needing to be told twice, Maddie hopped into the front passenger seat whilst the others did the same in the back before Emmitt drove them out of the car park and through the many streets. "So, where abouts do you guys live?" Maddie asked as she turned away from the window; Edward explained how they lived within the forest which was on the out-skirts of town "it's nice and quiet" Rosalie added "no one around to disturb you". It did sound nice. Emmit grabbed something from the side of his seat before handing to over towards the young teenager - it was a zipped CD case "here" she took it from the man's hand "pick something" was all he said. Looking through the CD's, Maddie eventually came across a CD that earned a grin; she pushed it into the player and waited a few seconds for it to load - the first song began to play. As soon as Roxette began to sing 'Dressed for Success', there were a mixture of reactions. Emmitt, Alice, Rosalie, and Bella all cheered, Rosalie and Jasper both smirked approvingly and Edward and his daughter both groaned. Nevertheless, Roxette was played as they drove out of town and into the forest; Maddie's eyes were stuck to the window as she stared at the passing scenery - it was beautiful. As was the house that they were approaching and soon were parked in front of. "Whoa" was all she could say before somehow managing to snap out of her amazed shock "this is your home?!" she asked; the group chuckled at her amusing yet charming reaction "I hope so" Alice smirked "or else someone's about to be really confused". As they entered the beautiful building, Emmitt called out to who Maddie assumed to be the older teenager's parents "we're back!!" Renesmee followed her uncle "and we have a guest!!". As they entered the room that were the living room, two adults entered - one of which Maddie recognised to be the doctor she had met the day before at school.

"Welcome home" the woman greeted kindly; Jasper rose a brow in confusion as he asked why Carlisle was home as he would normally still be at work by the time they returned home. "A colleague asked me to switch shifts with her and it allowed me be home by three" he explained before turning towards their teenage guest; Esme smiled at the girl "you must be Maddie Hunter?" she asked earning a nod "it's nice to meet you, I'm Esme Cullen" the two shook hands as Maddie returned the compliment "likewise". Grinning, Carlisle spoke up "take note boys, you could learn a thing or two from Maddie" they all chuckled as the young teenager looking towards the doctor "it's nice to see you again Carlisle" it felt strange to call him by his friend's name, but he had insisted. Grinning, Carlisle shook her hand as he agreed with her; Edward decided to comment on his 'fathers' statement "yeah, she could teach us how to beat down the school bullies" he smirked. The young man's words caught his 'parents' off guard as they questioned what he meant; the 'kids' explained what had happened during lunch within the school's canteen, earning two looks of shock and amazement. "It was incredible to witness!!" Renesmee exclaimed, earning many agreeing nods; Esme questioned her guests beaten face - it was one of the first things both she and her husband had noticed honestly. "Did these bullies do that to your face?" Alice answered for their guest "those guys couldn't even get a hit in" she smirked; this only concerned the older couple further, especially as Maddie spoke up "this happened yesterday". And - of course - the doctors first question was "have you have anyone look at your injuries?" this earned a shake of the head from the teenager; the couple shared a look of worry before Carlisle spoke once again "may I take a look?" he asked "just to make sure there is no serious damage". Taken back by the request, Maddie was clearly unsure "I em...I don't think that is really necessary" she stuttered out "I mean...I feel fine after all" her hesitance was....concerning; Jasper decided to speak up as he gently encouraged for the young girl to take Carlisle's offer, stating that it was better to be safe than sorry. "And it'll only take five to ten minutes" Bella added. The decision had been made for her, though Maddie chose to just go along with what they were saying and soon found herself being guided away by Carlisle; Renesmee had happily taken her friends jacket and bag beforehand. As the two left for her husband's office, Esme turned towards the 'kids', sending them all a worried smile "do any of you know who did that to her?" she asked, only to receive a multiple of shaken heads; Renesmee explained how she had questioned her friend on her bruised and cut up face as soon as she had seen it "she didn't want to talk about it". Sighing, Esme told them that there were some prepared drinks in the fridge if they needed them; that was the vampires next immediate stop before they all found a seat within the living room and watched TV.