There was a moment of silence in the Cullen family's modern living room. Tom could feel both hospitable and suspicious glances fixed on him. He gathered his thoughts to analyse the moment further. He was fascinated by the dynamics of the Cullen family, but he couldn't let it distract him.
Esme's soft voice broke the silence:
"Tom, would you like some tea or something? We haven't had a chance to make any extra preparations for us, but I'm sure Alice has thought of everything you need."
Tom nodded graciously. "Thank you, Mrs Cullen. I appreciate your hospitality. His words were measured and polite, as they should have been, but the tension in the room was palpable.
Jasper stood silently in a corner, trying to read Tom's energy. But Tom was not consciously revealing himself, balancing his energy so skilfully that even Jasper could not fully understand his intentions. This situation disturbed Jasper.
Rosalie, on the other hand, kept her distance from Tom. Although she knew that Alice was related to this man, she felt that Alice and Tom were very different personalities.
There was a charisma in Tom's bearing, yes, but she felt that there was a threat behind that charisma. Alice, on the other hand, had a very gentle and sweet appearance.
After Esme, Carlisle chimed in with a warm smile. "Tom, I understand you have been to many places and seen many cultures. Your accent is similar to that of an English gentleman. You must have lived in England. Were your family connections there?"
Tom paused for a moment when he heard Carlisle's question, then a slight smile appeared on his face. "My family... it was a complicated subject."
There was no emotion in his voice, but he chose his words carefully. "I lost my mother at a young age, and my father was... not as influential as, let's say, a parent should be. I mostly had to make my own way."
A look of understanding mixed with sadness crossed Esme's face. "That's very sad, Mr Tom. It can't be easy to face such difficulties at such a young age."
Tom looked at Alice for a moment, as if he was uncomfortable remembering something. Then he turned back to Esme and replied softly. "It made me strong. Every obstacle I faced in life somehow made me more resilient. But it came at a cost. Sometimes people misunderstand that resilience.
Jasper watched Tom in silence, but he felt that Tom had somehow locked himself away in his words. Tom couldn't feel any emotion when he talked about his past. As much as Jasper wanted to tell everyone about it, he couldn't do it while Tom was here.
Edward frowned as he read Jasper's thoughts. Like himself, he was disturbed to learn that Jasper's powers did not work on Tom. Even though he had learned that Tom had some powers when he had read Alice's mind before, it made him uneasy to feel how strong his powers were.
Alice interjected, feeling the need to lighten the atmosphere a little. "Tom doesn't like to talk about his past, but I think it makes him unique." She smiled and gently squeezed Tom's hand.
After a moment of silence, Rosalie asked analysingly, "Are you saying that your family... is not just any family?"
Tom looked at Rosalie and shrugged slightly. "Ordinary? No, not really. The story of my mum and dad is a bit complicated, I would say. My mum was a strong woman; my dad... not so strong." The slight sarcasm in his voice was too subtle for anyone in the room to detect.
Carlisle asked in a tone as if to get the conversation back on track: "What about Alice? I remember you saying how special it was for you to meet her. I felt the same way when I met my wife Esme. Can you tell me what you felt?"
Tom did not answer this question for a long time. Everyone watched Tom's changing expression carefully. Finally he began to speak slowly. "Alice has given me something new. She made me realise how limited the things I value in life are. I think... I'm learning to look at life in a different way."
Alice smiled with satisfaction at these words. However, Rosalie and Jasper's attentive gaze remained on Tom.
Tom looked around the room. It was as if he had made a decision. He wasn't going to hide anymore. His eyes met everyone's for a moment and he spoke in a very calm voice:
I'm watching you... each one of you. I'm happy to be with Alice, but I sense that there's a very different story under the surface here, so let's speak directly: I know what you are.
The room suddenly tensed. Silence filled the air again, but this time it was charged with an electricity so intense that even Jasper could barely keep his balance.
Edward's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, Tom?"
Tom replied confidently. "I know you're a vampire and I have to say I don't mind. On the contrary, I find it quite fascinating."
Esme quickly interjected. "Tom, we're just... trying to live our lives as normally as possible. If you see this as a threat..."
Tom reassured Esme by raising his hand slightly. "Mrs Cullen, please don't misunderstand. I don't see you as a threat, I'm just... trying to understand things more clearly."
Carlisle took a step forward and looked intently into Tom's eyes. "Some things? You can speak clearly, Tom. Exactly what are you trying to understand?"
Tom smiled slightly. He had arrived at this question sooner than he had expected, but it did not bother him. He began to speak, scanning the room with his eyes.
"To tell you the truth, when I met Alice... I realised she was different from the others. It was hard to explain at first; neither her energy nor her presence resembled a human being. But it took me a while to work out exactly what it was.
Alice looked at Tom intently. Watching his careful choice of words, she trusted his honesty. Tom's statement revealed how cautious he had been when meeting the Cullen family.
Edward narrowed his eyes and asked: "So how long have you known, or... or... what did you think it was that you knew for sure?"
Tom turned to Edward. His tone was calm, but there was a spark in it. "It didn't take me long to realise that Alice was special. But it took me a little longer to realise that he was a vampire. "
Emmett tilted his head curiously. "Then you know we're vampires too."
Tom laughed slightly. "Yes, I do. I know for a fact that everyone in this room is a vampire."
The silence in the room sharpened for a moment. Edythe weighed what Tom had said and spoke, trying to control her ability to read minds: "I find it strange that you are so calm. Most people would be frightened if they had such information about us. But you are not afraid."
Tom turned to Jasper and bowed his head. "You're right, Jasper. I'm not afraid of you, I've learnt in my life to replace fear with... other things, but the interesting thing is that this is the first time I've met beings like you and that makes me more curious. Although I've seen vampires before, you seem to be a different species.
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