Perhaps they had been too eager. Even if there really was something unusual about the girl, she would hardly tell them the truth when this was only their second meeting.
Knowing how to protect herself was a good thing, though the girl's vigilance and concealment skills seemed to need some work.
"Miaomiao," Carlisle said, choosing his words carefully, "have you always been like this? Have your parents or other relatives, such as your brother, ever told you anything you should keep in mind?"
"I've always been like this. Everyone knows. It's perfectly normal."
Looking at their complicated expressions, Miaomiao felt that there was more to what Carlisle really wanted to ask.
If she didn't understand, she should ask. As it happened, she had questions for them too.
Miaomiao blinked and spoke up directly. "Dr. Carlisle, it's all right. Ask whatever you want. I'll tell you anything I'm allowed to."
Carlisle had never met anyone so open and clear-hearted. After a brief hesitation, he chose a relatively cautious way to probe. "Have you heard of vampires? What do you think of their kind?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Cullen family quietly fell silent.
"Vampires?" Miaomiao hadn't expected to hear the word from the Cullen family before she brought it up herself.
"Yes, vampires." Carlisle softened his voice, as though afraid of frightening her. "Haven't there been rumors lately about vampires attacking people?"
Although they had only recently arrived in Blüdhaven, they had heard the legends that had entwined the city with vampires ever since its founding. The recent rumors of "vampire murders" had spread so widely that even Blüdhaven's mayor had been forced to step forward personally to quell them. The Cullen family had heard about those too.
It was a reasonable enough question for them to ask.
"Hmm,