Manipulation

by Jessica L

Things are pretty boring these days on the college front.  I have been attending classes, hanging out with Alice and Jasper on campus, and being a regular guy.  It is very weird to be looked at like everyone else.  This is the first time since my creation- since any of our creation actually- that we haven't turned any heads.  People really don't notice us in any odd way.  It is hard to get used to, almost like losing a part of your personality.

The women here are all over me also, but not in the obsessive, girly way the high school group I had to deal with earlier was.  These women are older and more direct, more intense.  I have learned how to get certain things from them, such as if I need access to the library after hours, or a coffee for the professor when I don't have any money on hand.  It surprises me how often a professor will just pick a student out of the front row and order them to leave class to fetch them a coffee or a water.  I stopped sitting in the front row a month or two into the first semester.

Anyway, at first I felt bad for manipulating women like this, and then I started dissecting it further.  I wondered why I was able to do this.  None of the others seem to do it and I wondered if it was a power unique to me.  I didn't want to tell anyone what I was doing, however, as it didn't seem very nice.  I wasn't really forcing anyone to do anything.  I was merely leaning closer to the woman, making sure their heart beat faster and their ability to think started getting fuzzy, and then I asked for what I wanted.  It usually worked.  The first few tries were trials.  Practices.  Then I knew what I was doing.  The women seem more than happy to oblige to my needs.

After a while, my curiosity about the whole thing got the better of me, and I couldn't keep quiet about it any longer.  I finally confided in Carlisle about what I was doing.  I tried to read his thoughts as I was telling him about my adventures, but all I was getting from him was surprise.  Then imagine my shock when he started laughing.  He actually laughed at me.

He said that he was surprised that it took me so long to figure this little trick out.  It was the oldest vampire trick in the book.  Human manipulation.  It sounded horrible when he said it, of course.  Then he really knocked my socks off.  He said the Denali sisters were true professionals at it.  They manipulated men like an art form.  In fact, their exploits with men caused the Denali sisters to grow quite fond of men in general, which gave them a love for the human kind, and in turn, a sense of guilt when they fed on humans- especially the men they found to be so amazing in the first place.  I had heard the short version of that story, but this version was much better.

Carlisle went on to say that there were always times when vampires needed to use a little sense of "charm" to get their way with the humans.  Sometimes, if he had a particularly difficult patient it came in handy.  The trick was to know the difference between when to use it and when to use your conscience.  Carlisle was also surprised that I hadn't discovered this sooner, but after some contemplation on the matter, he figured that my lack of interest in the opposite sex probably distracted me from trying to manipulate them, or ask them for anything.  Therefore I wouldn't have discovered this neat little trick.

The funny thing is that Carlisle is going crazy trying to document all my stories, asking me every detail about every time I've used any form of persuasion on a human.  He finds it truly fascinating to combine the natural ability of vampire persuasion with my extra talent of mind reading.  Surprise surprise.  Anything to give Carlisle something to study I suppose.  Now he has me asking a girl for something silly once a week.  Last week I asked this woman at the cafeteria for a free piece of apple pie.  I don't even eat.  She gave it to me of course, then I had to pretend it was the most delicious thing.  All for Carlisle.  He got such a laugh out of it.  Next week I will be smarter about my choices, but the cafeteria was right there, and the day was almost over.  Oh well.

I guess that's it for now.  I am tired of writing, so I should probably sign off.  I am working on a new song that needs my attention anyway.  Better get back to it.
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