Dusk

by Verizon

Dusk is the Story of Elizabeth Dusk, and how she met Edward Cullen accidentally after overhearing a conversation between him and Carlisle. I'd blame the party quite frankly, but very rebellious and totally NOT a Mary Sue like Bella :P y

'Dusk' – An alternate to 'Twilight', with the vampires left in

Dusk is an alternative to Stephanie Meyer's Twilight, but a re-run on fate. Instead of running away to Alaska, which changed everything for Edward's life, although he didn't know it, he instead decided to take a long drive to Seattle, where he just happened to overhear a certain conversation. It was between a good vampire who wanted to change and a human who was quickly and accidentally becoming her prey. Edward intercepted them just in time. And fell in love with his female opposite – she could hear people who didn't want to be heard, she had his hair, his face, and frankly, she was better than Bella. It saves a vampire who had been lost longer than Edward had been alive, and rescues two hearts for the price of one.

Sweet, red liquid rushed through my lips. It didn't taste right though. I'd be chucking it back up later, but I couldn't let on. I'd already refused food for the past three weeks, so I couldn't deny them a cherry juice box that they'd already bought me.

"Elizabeth, please don't look so fussed. I know the weather's bad, but...," Freddy went off into another long ramble about the weather. I was glad for it, to be frank. It meant not having to indulge in too much foundation.

I'd been staying with the Mahoney family for a while. They didn't smell too bad. But I was practicing how long I had to go without eating blood. It was getting difficult, but Fred, the father, blotted himself with disgusting cologne every morning, and the mum and daughter were... well, female. I always ate male prey – it felt too intimate to eat women. Jeez, I was picky for what I was.

"So, are you sure you don't want Gill to cook for you? Eating out every night – it can't be good for you. You're so good, getting a job," he said. Their other daughter, their real daughter, Mary, hated me. It wasn't her fault that I was naturally beautiful, good at sports, the head cheerleader, and basically the smartest person in school. She was talented, but she was no vampire.

Yes, I am a vampire. I was bitten at the age of fifteen, and have remained as such for the past hundred and a half years. Boring as hell is eternity, that's for certain. I remember vaguely my creator – tall, fit, blonde hair. Said he liked the taste of my blood, but wanted me too much to kill me. He said the taste of it was the most potent thing he can ever remember. But then he went away, and married another vampire. The appeal I held for him was gone.

So I wandered around getting really down and dirty, saving up money at jobs that no teenage girl should ever have to do. It was really annoying when they said kids could not work anymore. But I had made my money. Not that I needed money. All I needed to survive were humans.

"Rob invited you to the party, huh – tonight?" Mary asked. I'd just finished choking up the juice when she cornered me. I was afraid she'd heard. Humans just don't know when to leave it be – when you're throwing up, they start thinking you're bulimic, or ill, or pregnant. I can't be any of these things.

"What?" I asked. But I was pretending to be human. Like I hadn't heard her before, or even known what she had said. I have an annoying talent – though it can be useful occasionally. I hear the echo of what just happened in a place for hours after it's happened.

"I said—," she began again, but I got bored quickly. Vampires do.

"Yes." Jealousy flashed in her eyes. Rob was the prime candidate for me to date. And the boring specimen of a human that he was, I liked the idea that it would annoy the other girls.

"Could I tag along?" she asked hopefully. I shrugged. I had no objection, of course, but I had no intention of making her feel wanted. There was an awkward silence. I couldn't bear it. Her scent was not smothered in fragrances today. I held my breath.

"Sure," I let slip out between my locked jaws. The pressure would snap Mary's neck. I had brought bears down on the mountain side, so she was insignificant to me.

"Thanks!" she said, running off to get ready. I had to hunt. I was weak when I wasn't fully satisfied. I would have to hunt less cute guys tonight, in Olympia or something. But not here, where all the kids were off to a party. Someone would be missed.

"I'm off for a bite to eat," I muttered. I knew they couldn't hear me, and I fluttered off. Once I was off the main road I ran. And when I run it's like a bullet's been released, and I'm off to catch it. And I could, as well.

I got to Olympia, and I listened in to the alley ways, probing for someone who'd made plans for this evening. I heard the echoes of the day.

"I'm off for a pizza with Joanne at lunch." Too early. Not useful to me at all. I dropped eaves for some more recent speakers.

"See you at the party, Tad!" This wasn't good – meeting up.

"I'm off to the pub. Got to get back at seven, though, the missus wants a family evening." Huh, did everyone have to have families?

"Okay, so when she gets to the other side of the road, nab her." Whoa – crooks. And these guys sounded nasty. Their echo was clear, so I was sure this had been a recent conversation. I followed their scent into the quiet road, where a car was parked across from me. I could hear breathing – four humans, men, around twenty five – yum, just my type. They were behind the yellow block of an old warehouse. They were perfectly positioned because although I couldn't see them, I could smell them and hear them.

"Here she comes," one said. Oh – I got it now! I was the prey! This would be more fun than I'd first thought. I didn't really care about Rob's party, but I was technically Mary's ride, so I couldn't be too late.

"Now – go!" Two gorgeous, yet slightly creepy, and hunky, guys leapt out, followed by another man with a moustache who seemed to be the leader, and a skinnier guy. The hunks grabbed my arms. I played along, although they were slightly perturbed by my ice cold granite skin.

"Get her in the car! Girl, if you dare scream for help, then you're dead, hear me?" he growled. His breath smelled like beer, but most overpowering was his blood. In fact, the reek of it was driving a starved vampire insane.

"You're dead!" I said, and I wrenched my arm free with ease, and smashed him in the face. I'd accidentally shore his face off in the process. His mouth screamed in pain, and the other guys were so shocked and terrorized, that they released me. Over in seconds, I darted from man to man, draining their bodies until they were limp corpses. I wiped my mouth and stood up.

Okay, my eyes were probably blazing red right now, but I had some amber contacts. The colors fused to form a shade of brown that went well with my soft, flowing auburn hair. I put them in, and made sure no one was looking before I hauled the men off into the bushes at the side of the warehouse.

I was finished. I turned along the next road, 'jogging' along to the centre of the town. I saw the hospital and shuddered. I could not even bear to think about what would happen if I got set loose in there. No vampire could do it, be a doctor.

"No, Edward, it's fine. One more day shouldn't do it any harm. Unless Esme is missing me too much," I heard a man's voice echo. Huh – probably a dad tending to his wife in hospital while this Edward and his younger sister Esme stayed home. It was a smooth, lovely voice. Calming, soothing. Maybe he was a doctor himself. I listened in for more.

"No, Carlisle" said another voice, likely to be Edward, "I think this new girl, Bella Swan, has a clue as to what we are." He sounded regretful. I sat on a low wall as I listened on. What they were? What did that mean? Thieves, perhaps, or maybe FBI agents?

"I know, Edward, but how could she possibly think that immediately? She might think about it later, but it isn't wise for you to become too concerned about her, or she will eventually guess correctly."

"I can't hear anything from her though – how do you know she doesn't think we're vampires already?" The word! Vampire! They were vampires, and they lived nearby. But wait. One more day? Esme might miss him? They weren't home, they were away.

"Edward, about her blood – we aren't human killers – it's alright, I know you won't do anything to her," Carlisle's voice said, "You're better than that, I know it."

"Thank you, Carlisle – after you've finished your doctor's convention, I'll see you back in Forks – I may go for a drive, tonight though...," their voices faded away. But I had already got the information I needed. Forks – that little town near the native's reserve? What were vampires doing near such a small residence of human blood? Surely they'd be noticed. There were at least three of them, and evidently there'd soon be four. I'd never tried to stop drinking after biting myself, but I knew it was hard to do.

"I'll help you too!" I wanted to tell them. But I could sense that this conversation was only an hour old. I glanced around for a convention advertised for doctors. The hospital was of course the hosting venue.

I sprinted faster than any human could possibly see across to the entrance. It was full of them. Doctors in suits, a few from the Olympia hospital itself, all in chairs watching some head honcho demonstrate how his method of brain surgery was safer than any other before. I knew this one already. I looked around for a man who wouldn't be thinking about it. Someone who'd be incredibly still, bolt upright, not fidgeting. I spotted him. A vampire if ever I saw one. And I'd only ever seen two, including myself.

His hair was perfect, blonde, smooth. His eyes weren't red. No, his eyes were an odd amber colour. But this didn't put me off my assumption. He was hardly breathing, his note writing much too fast for any human. His face was perfect, his skin, pale as snow, and I couldn't see any blood pumping below it. I caught his scent amongst the humans – much sweeter, and it did not set off a burning sensation in my throat. His name tag said 'Carlisle Cullen'.

"But doesn't the cerebrum contain an amount of physical activity knowledge that would be damaged by such a procedure?" he suddenly asked. The voice matched the memory from the road outside. Got him – another vampire, like me – after all the years I had spent in human care and hospitality, in foster programs, I felt it was time for me to reunite myself with my own kind.

I waited for ages, listening in to a lecture I'd already heard in Seattle, but finally the speaker finished. The doctors started to get up. Carlisle's effortless grace was without a doubt that of a vampire.

"Young lady, I noticed that you have been waiting," he said as he approached me directly, "May I help you?" He spoke softly. But I could tell he knew that I was like him. None of the humans would be able to hear us.

"Yes, Mr. Cullen," I said equally as quiet, "I want to learn about your vampires. Not 'human killers' is what you said, wasn't it?" He smiled pleasantly at me.

"I did. To my son, Edward, if I recall correctly – did you wait here all day?" he asked.

"No. It's just that I heard you with my... talent. I can hear conversations after they've happened. I heard yours," I explained. He nodded. He had such a doctor's complexion – I bet his patients jumped for joy when they saw he was their doctor – his grace, his smile, his bedside manner, and no doubt his expertise. Unless he drank their blood, then pretended it was 'natural causes'. But how could this face be so evil. Carlisle Cullen cared about people – this much was obvious.

"A few vampires have similar talents to yours. Would you like to come to meet my family?" he asked. Wow. His family? He had a family? But of course, Edward and Esme.

"I must get back to my humans," I said quickly. It was such a tempting offer, but I couldn't stand up Mary. She couldn't drive, and she didn't have a car like I did. My Aston Martin was the pride of my life. And the attraction to me for most guys – they would be scared if I didn't try to befriend them.

"I see. Then tomorrow, perhaps. Here's my number – I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?" he enquired, handing me a sleek slip of paper with his mobile number written on it in a fabulous calligraphy. So much for the scrawls of doctor's writing!

"Ellie, short for Elizabeth," I muttered. It was annoying having an old fashioned name in such a modern time.

"Beautiful name," he said, "Do you have time enough to tell me about your lifestyle?"

"Well, I eat in Olympia, and live with a foster family of humans in Seattle," I said, wondering what he'd think of it.

"I see. You drink," he paused, and kept his voice low as he guided me out of the room along with the human doctors, "human blood, I assume?"

"Yes, of course!" I said. I'd never thought that there was any alternative. Animal blood didn't satiate your thirst at all!

Carlisle to the human's eyes would pass as thirty, but young for his age, so it didn't look weird that he was talking to a similarly beautiful girl, and I could pass for seventeen – I could be his daughter or something, as we slugged along at a human pace through the town. I didn't know where we were going.

"Well, you say 'of course'. But my family and I – we thrive on animal blood," he said. Living on animal blood? That would be hell for me. But he and his family obviously tried to exercise self-control. I mean, of course – he was a doctor. He probably had to every day of his life.

He was a British man, by the way, but had obviously been living here a while; I could tell from the American twinge on his words, but his lecture notes had the letter 'U' in the word 'colour'.

"Oh, yeah. I tried to do that once. I couldn't. How do you do it?" I asked.

"Practice. And a lot of self discipline. You could do it. Why don't you come on a hunt with my family tomorrow? I'm sure they'll be happy to show you the ropes, so to speak." I nodded. I would - why not? I was sure that they had experience. And I didn't particularly like killing people. I made it as romantic as possible, normally (tonight had been a one off massacre because they were nasty men), but essentially, it was murder.

"Okay, Carlisle, I'll be there. Forks, is it? I'll find your scent, no problem!" I grinned.

"Twelve then – we'll make it lunch?" he suggested with a perfect smile. He ran off into the forest. Wow. I suddenly felt so much better. Other vampires, and nearby too! I wasn't alone. I had given up hope after losing my creator. I'd thought that maybe we were the only three – him, his new wife and I. But Carlisle Cullen and his family gave me a new hope, and it felt really good to be welcomed into it.

I sprinted home faster than usual, really going for it. I got home just in time to take Mary to this ridiculous party. She wouldn't go without me. I sighed. Despite all her hard work, and my non-effort, I still looked better. I shook my hair, and got all the leaves out, and waltzed up to the front door in my ever graceful manner.

"Wow – you look amazing, Ellie, where you been?" Mary asked. She was waiting outside the front door, leaning on my Aston. I knew she liked to pretend it was hers. What was the point in correcting anyone? If I went to join the Cullen's family, she was perfectly entitled to it.

"Oh, you know, just into town to get something to eat." She was fooled into thinking that I hung out at Mickey D's – the gruesome place – with the 'cool' crowd of kids. What was so cool about them, I did not know, they were all atrocious, but again, it isn't my place to correct people. I shouldn't really even know about these things. I was out of the house when she cried about it to her teddy bear, Mr. Flops. I felt slightly guilty, occasionally, but I would leave soon. She'd have the car, the friends, the house and her parents all to herself.

"You went to the salon, didn't you? I can't believe you were left so much money by your mom and dad!" she said. She couldn't complain this evening. I'd already done her a favor by inviting her along to this party.

Rob had set it up in a plan to ask me out. Like that would happen. I'd heard the conversation a few hours after it had happened with his friend Aaron. I would be his, apparently, in a snap. But I intended to leave my adoptive sister one last favor. I'd convince him to ask Mary out instead. I was too nice for a vampire.

"No," I sighed. I gestured for her to get in as I got into the driving seat at high speed. She looked confused, as always, when I was starting the car a few seconds after replying to her question.

"So where'd you go? You're gonna make us late!" she asked. I noticed my reflection in the mirror – I realized what it was now – happiness. I looked happy. Well, for someone that looks like they haven't slept in a while.

"I went to have dinner... alone, but then I met a new friend," I said finally.

"New friend?" she said skeptically. I don't make new friends often due to that fact that I look really creepy in daylight.

"Yes. He's taking me out tomorrow for lunch," I said affably. Mary was shocked now. Yes. This may have had something to do with the fact that I hated all guys at our school, and had told her so. So either this guy was from across town, or not even in school. And no one ever talked to the guys across town.

"You. Are. Busted!" she said slowly.

"What's your theory?" I asked. It entertained me to hear a human's point of view. It would never be right.

"You're dating a college guy, aren't you," she said, "If I tell mom, you're dead meat!" Mary smiled at me. Uh – thank you human. You're in for it now! But I couldn't be hurt by anything. I was invincible. Mary on the other hand could be crushed by me simply kicking her into the seat. Dead. And I could go and crash the car, and say that's how she died. I would, of course, walk away unharmed.

No. That was too mean. Siblings fought all the time, so why not us?

"No, he's a doctor, and I'm not dating him," I said. This set her off on a roller coaster of fitting and laughing at me.

"A doctor? To get through all the applications and training he'd have to be at least… oh my god? Twenty five?" I started the car and we drove at a slow eighty around the suburbs to Rob's house. "You're dating a man in his late twenties? Well, not yet, but going to lunch with him? Alone?"

"With his family, actually," I corrected. It was fun hearing her rant. For some reason.

"Wait, you mean his parents?" she squealed.

"No, with his son and his wife... he's got a few more kids by the sound of it, too."

"Okay, you've got me – what are you thinking?"

"Shut up." She wasn't quiet.

"You have to tell me who this guy is? Who is he? Where did you meet him?" she asked.

"At a doctor's convention," I said.

"But it left to Olympia yesterday – you couldn't have met him tonight!" she said. Oops. Usually I never got away with myself.

"Be quiet. Or I will take you straight back home!" I snapped. She did shut up this time. We arrived at Rob's house – a huge mansion on the outskirts of town – right on time. People stared at my Aston as usual, as I parked it on his massive driveway.

"Hey, look," Aaron said from inside the house to Rob, most likely.

"Yeah, I can see her!" Rob replied.

"No, the car… but yeah, Ellie as well, dude." Men and their cars. Well, I couldn't blame them, but seriously. I was much prettier than any car – even a DBS.

Several little whelps came over to stare at it. I glided up to the house, and sat on the sofa where Rob said he would make his move ages ago at school.

"Hey, Ellie," he said from behind me. He'd been sneaking up on me, but I was never surprised.

"Hello Robert," I said. He hates being called Robert.

"Rob's fine." I shrugged, and tossed my hair. He was stunned. I looked like a super-model, there was no denying it, and the simple school boy was only the president of the senior class, and the captain of the football team. He had no chance.

"So, can I get you a drink?" he asked.

"No, thanks, I don't drink… punch," I said. It was better to tell the truth.

"Then what can I get you?" he asked.

"Nothing, thank you!" I said in my most charming voice.

"Okay, that's cool. I love your car – your sister, Mary, she doesn't have anything like that… how'd you get it?" he said, sitting down next to me.

"It's Mary's," I said. The plan in motion, though she didn't deserve it.

"She can't drive, though," he pointed out.

"Yeah, well, she will be able to soon."

"But – you…she said it was yours yesterday at lunch."

"Well, it'll be hers soon, anyway," I told him, smiling sweetly. He paused for a second, taking me in, and his mouth even dropped!

"Why?" he asked, after a moment's silence.

"I'm moving away!" I declared. His face filled with disappointment.

"That sucks," he muttered.

"But don't tell anyone," I said, "Because even Mary's family doesn't know!"

"What are you talking about? They're your foster family – shouldn't they sort of... know about things like this?" I shrugged.

"Why?"

"Guardianship and stuff... you're not running away?" he said, as it dawned upon the simple boy.

"Sort of," I said exactly like he had. I enjoyed playing with humans, like little dolls in a dolls house – and I was the prettiest doll in the world. This meant I could totally make anything I wanted to happen... well, happen!

"Don't – it's stupid. You could get killed by bears in the forest, or by people in the city." I laughed. Apparently humans loved this sound – my laugh. It gave them added highs. I loved watching them breathe in and drop their jaws.

"You will," he sighed, still stunned by my tinkling giggle.

"I won't," I said, leaning over to his face. His heart was speeding out of control. I didn't want to give him a heart attack, so I sat back a little, and whispered, "I'm invincible. I'm a vampire!" Instead of bolting out of control like I would have expected when I told someone I was a vampire, it slowed. What?

"You're a vampire?" he asked in a hushed tone, "Yeah, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I could prove it, if you want. Vampires have icy skin," I said, and I pressed my hand to his face. He shuddered at the coolness of it. My skin was even colder than when a human sticks their hand out of a window for ten minutes in a car.

"You're not. You could have put your hand in a freezer," he said smoothly. I grinned, letting my canines, normally short, become slick with venom, and they lengthened ever so slightly. He gulped.

"My whole body is frozen – and hard as stone!" I retorted. Why was I trying to prove myself to this boy? But now it had become a challenge. I had recently eaten, so the burn of his blood wasn't as harsh as it usually would be. It was dormant enough for me to touch him with my hands. I took his. He raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah? I'm pretty hard too, you know, Ellie," he said.

"I'm sure, Robert," I said silkily.

"Sorry, it's just, you don't look that strong," Rob said.

"Yeah. Tell me when to stop." I took his hand. I squeezed, harder and harder. I stopped just before the point I knew his bones would snap. He told me to stop.

"Jeez, what was that?" he said. He grabbed hold of my upper arm to find my muscle. Nothing there but stone hard vampire flesh – and he felt stone hard ice.

"God, what are you?" he murmured. I giggled again.

"Told you!"

"Vampire," he breathed, "But vampires... they drink... blood!" He inched away from me.

"Yes," I said, "But I'm going on a diet tomorrow – that's why I'm running away. To find animal blood instead of human blood!"

"I'm not sure you're serious – this is all a bit creepy!" he muttered.

"I'm dead serious," I said with a grin.

"You don't have fangs. You're no vampire!" he chuckled.

"Hey! I do have fangs, but not like you think – Robert," I purred, "All my teeth are fangs, and I am perfectly capable of bringing down a bear!" He looked at me piteously. He thought I was crackpot. Served him right for coming on to me like that.

"Not – they're not pointy!" he said, worriedly. I wasn't sure if he was worried about my mental health or his own life. Most likely the latter.

"So?" I said. He was freaking out.

"I think you're right. It won't stop me though. I think you don't like me," he said.

"What makes you think that?" I asked.

"You're trying to put me off you with all this gothic stuff."

"I'll show you!" I growled. Occasionally I hiss out loud. It can seriously scare me, but only when I get pissed off, which isn't often.

"Snarl much?" he said, "How will you show me? Don't bite me!" I raised one of my eyebrows.

"If you must know," I said, sure that this would be his last straw, "I just ate. I'm not hungry right now." And his blood wasn't overly tempting to my appetite.

"What?" he said, the blood draining visibly (to my eyes anyway, but in the dark, no human would see), "Just ate what?"

"Blood, idiot – some guys in Olympia." I was glad he wasn't running away. I could hear Aaron and some of his friends laughing at us. I wouldn't disappoint. I had higher standards than this feeble human boy, but I had to admit, no one could possibly be more understanding than him, and he wasn't the ugliest frog in the pond. I turned to face him.

"I'm okay. You said you were drinking animal blood from now on anyway," he said.

"I could," I said, leaning over to his ear again, "Be tempted. It isn't going to be easy."

"Yeah?" he shivered.

"No."

"Look, I kind of held this party for you. I was going to ask you out," he admitted.

"I know." I checked his reaction – he was not bothered.

"So? I know you said you were going to run away tonight, but I think you're so cute," he mumbled in my ear. Normally humans are scared of getting close to me, instinctually. But from a distance, they like to look at me.

"Everyone does," I grinned. He looked like a rabbit in the headlights again.

"Will you stay?"

"No."

"So it can't work out then?"

"Look," I said, "Why don't you date Mary? She's pretty cute herself – and she has an Aston Martin, and she's nice. And smart. She likes you too!" He shrugged, but looked in Mary's direction. She was giggling with Aaron as he explained to her about us two.

"Oh. Well, that's something. Can't I give you a kiss goodbye?" he said. I laughed at the prospect.

"If I bite you by accident! Ha! No, I'm sorry, I might hurt you," I said.

"Come on, not even here. Let's go up to my room?" he said, "And you couldn't bite me – you said you have not got any fangs!"

"Nope, but the scent of your blood is like a drug. It's like an alcoholic in a room with a thousand bottles of wine. I have pretty decent self-control, but if I kissed you!" I said, smirking at the thought. I guess it wouldn't be totally horrible, even nice – I'd never been kissed before – but I couldn't, no matter how much I might like it.

"Aw. That's harsh."

"I'm going home," I said, finished here, "Thanks for the party, Robert!"

"Wait, I'll see you to the door?" he offered. People! They don't know when to drop it.

"Sure, if you like," I said with a smile. He maneuvered me through the people. Or so he thought he did. I actually got myself through the packed house without touching a single person because I was quick. They didn't bump him because he was the host, and the 'cool' boy.

"Well, good luck with your new family," he said, "How you getting home?"

"I can run," I said. He winced.

"I'll drive you – Aaron's got it covered!" I grinned at Rob. He was alright, and although I never got tired, I accepted. I would tell Carlisle about my amazing start at self-control tomorrow. Rob opened his car door – a land rover – and I darted in. He stumbled backwards at the speed. I giggled again. Humans were such fun to toy with!

"I told you!" I said again. He nodded, and went back around to his side. Why were they so slow? I really was overly-adapted to my predator role.

"So," he said as he drove away from the party towards my house, after I'd told him the address, "Vampires. What's the deal with you?"

"Nothing. I'm no liar!" I said.

"I didn't call you a liar. I don't think you're human!" he said, his knuckles white on the wheel. His scent was filling the car. It was on every surface. The scent of human blood. It was like having McDonald's take-out in the car. How hard is it not to take just one chip, you know? It was overpowering. A thousand times worse than a packet of fries.

"No. I'm a really dangerous killer... can I have the window down?" I asked. He nodded. It buzzed on its smooth way down. Electric – as normal nowadays.

"So, you live around here? Nice place," he muttered, "So, I guess this is goodbye?" I didn't move. I was telling myself to get out. I had eaten four portions. Usually enough for me to deal with humans.

But there was no one around, as far as I could hear. My eyes focused on his neck. A prime place to strike. Over in seconds. I could do it. Who was this boy? He had wild parties. He was only the most popular boy in our school. So what? His death would be noticed, but his blood was there. Mouth-wateringly close. I watched it flow below his pale-ish skin. His curly black hair was messy, but it was quite attractive. My lips parted, and venom flowed into my mouth.

"Ellie?" he said. My own name echoed in my ears. Vampires, with so much to see and do and think about, find it hard to concentrate sometimes.

"Yes, Robert?" I said, ripping my eyes from his jugular. He stared at me – into my now crimson eyes. I knew the contacts would have dissolved slightly.

"Your eyes – they're red!" he said.

"Vampire," I hissed the word. To me, mostly; he wouldn't have heard with his human ears. He leant across the gear box and took my ice cold face in his hand. I wasn't the delicate teenage girl I should have been, in the jock-slash-senior-class-president's careful touch. I was the vicious creature planning his death. Right at the moment he breathed on me, things changed.

One second: I attempted to stop breathing, but there was a thud on the car roof.

Two seconds: Rob looked up and gasped. The hunter in me took over, and I made a move for his throat.

On the third tick of Rob's watch a man, or boy, who seemed about seventeen ripped open the car's roof and pulled me up and away from the human.

"He's mine!" I shrieked. Mary's parents were mulling about inside, but I heard them stop when I squealed.

"Not now, okay?" he said. His hair was bright, auburn like mine. His skin had a lack of blemishes of which I'd never seen before. His strength was intense, holding me away from Rob. I glanced at his face – horror was dashed across it, but there was concern there as well.

"Oh, god, what happened?" the stranger said to Rob.

"She – she kept telling me about this stuff – I – I don't know what happened!" he said, looking upwards. At me, actually, and not the guy who'd shredded his car.

"Say it. What she said she was – Robert, please?" the strange boy demanded.

"A vampire?" Rob answered. He wasn't sure what the right answer was. I could see the blood in his neck, pulsing with shock. Full of adrenalin, no doubt – it was so delicious when it was like that! I struggled to free myself, but this man was indubitably a vampire like me. Strength, perfection. It was obvious with the way he spoke.

"Don't worry, I'll deal with her – it's true, okay? You just go back to the party." He wasn't one to be argued with. And he knew a lot.

"It's full of adrenalin, idiot!" I snarled. The auburn haired beau holding me in a crushing grip understood immediately, but just squeezed harder. It takes some strength to make me feel squished, I can tell you!

"Ellie," he said, "Stop." I writhed about, trying to get at the blood in that boy's veins, but I knew it was futile. And he knew our names – he must have been listening in for a while.

"Are you a Cullen?" I said as he jumped off with me, and up a tree opposite the house. He stiffened.

"Yes. I'm Edward Cullen. How do you know me?" he asked. I wanted to say, from his and Carlisle's conversation on the street, of course. But I couldn't tell this guy I'd met his father only an hour before in Olympia, and eavesdropped on a conversation they'd had hours before I'd even got there. It was bad form. And he wouldn't understand my gift anyway!

"You have the gift of hearing echoed conversations?" he asked. My turn to freeze.

"How did you know?" I said.

"I read minds. It's my special gift," he replied. I stared at him.

"Well, I see you've calmed down now. The boy Robert thinks that we're both insane, but that's for the best. He'll tell his friends nothing." I nodded. Rob and his adrenalin doused blood were gone. It felt like he'd snatched away a pearl from my hands, just after I'd found it.

"He would have been delicious. Why are your eyes amber?" I snapped at him.

"Maybe, but my eyes are amber because, like Carlisle told you, I drink animal blood," he explained.

"Oh. It's better than red," I sighed. I felt so ashamed. I wouldn't be able to tell Carlisle how controlled I was. I couldn't even deal with one car journey. I was pathetic.

"Don't feel bad," Edward said, "I see you were meeting up with Carlisle tomorrow?"

"Hey! Get out of my head!" I said.

"I can't turn it off. It's mightily annoying at times, I can tell you!" he said, smiling. I grimaced at him. How dare he.

"I would not have killed him. You started this mess. I was going to kiss him, like he wanted, and then go inside, like I wanted, and most likely have cooked up some dinner for the humans." I scowled at him. Edward just laughed, and then he smiled. His mouth looked uneven, but it just made his smile even cuter.

"You would have drunk every drop, Ellie. And you'd have revealed yourself, and gotten the Volturi over here," he said gravely, the smile vanishing.

"The who?" I asked.

"The Volturi – a large guard coven of our kind that protects us from exposure. You broke the rules tonight by telling that boy."

"Bite me," I growled.

"I would, but I'd fear my teeth would break your skin, and hurt you." I growled lightly.

"I would have been fine."

"We know you wouldn't – there's a psychic in our family." I wasn't going to stand here and be slapped about like some sort of novice. I had been a vampire for ages and never heard of the Volturi. Who were they to stop me? Who was Edward? I only cared about Carlisle's approval.

"Carlisle would also prefer anonymity. I find your self-control is actually quite adept – really!" he said, catching up to me easily. I wasn't used to other vampires being around me. I found usually that I was the fastest. Always, the best runner, the smartest, the most pressed upon. It hurt that this boy was here, messing with my head. Reading every thought that went through my mind's eye.

"Sorry, I know you aren't used to this," he said, "But I can help you. And I'm not a boy – I'm older than you."

"No, you're younger!" I spit back.

"Seventeen!" he pointed out.

"One hundred and fifty years. Deal with it, sonny!" I said sardonically. He stopped, and glared at me.

"Fine, you win, but if we're talking immortality, I'm a hundred." I smiled sarcastically at him. I wished he'd go away. He was so stunning, that if someone looked out onto the street and saw us, they may think that we were related, with our similar hair colors and stuff.

"My self control is adept, huh?" I mused, "Then why did you interfere?"

"Because this one time you lost it. Or would have," He corrected himself, and then looked smug that he'd saved the day. What a snob.

"I'm not a snob!" Edward said quietly.

Go away! I thought deliberately at him.

"You caught on fast!" he chuckled, "Just like everyone else who knows about my talent." I shrugged.

I don't really want your talent; I just want you to leave.

"Come with me. Do you have any essentials in this house?" he asked, and he looked up at the windows.

No. Just a few books and CDs.

"Then grab them and come with me now, yeah?"

No way!

"Why not? You can join our family. And don't take this the right way, but my mother, Esme, would be glad to have a girl for me. But I don't really mind whether this leads to anything. Normally Carlisle is the one to change our family members, except for Jasper and Alice, but they're family too, pretty much," he informed me. I shook my head with frustration. I had a fine life by myself. Then the Cullens came along and made life terribly interesting. And he wanted me to be his girlfriend? Well. He was forward, but cute too. Well above my standards.

"So what do you want to do?" he asked. He could read my mind, but he couldn't see what I wanted to do if I didn't even know yet.

"I'll think about it. If you want to list your reasons why I should drop everything to join you, just say them now and I'll come back to listen later," I said, and I slammed the door a little too hard. My foster parents came running.

"Oh, Ellie, what is it? There was a bit of squealing outside earlier, are you okay?" they asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks."

"Where's Mary?" Fred asked.

"She's still at the party," I said, "But I'll go back and get her later." Gill glanced out of the window that framed the door.

"Young lady," she said – I was worried that Edward had stayed put and she'd just seen him, "Where is your car?"

"It's still at Rob's house," I said, putting on my sweetest voice, which they were yet not to fall for.

"So how did you get back?" Fred said.

"Edward Cullen drove me back home," I explained. A white lie never hurt anybody. The confidence in my tone sent them into wonderland. They were crazy about me and my charms. I tossed my hair in Fred's direction and smiled adorably at Gill.

"Oh, right," Gill said, put out by my gorgeous grinning.

"Is he a nice boy?" Fred asked.

"He's okay," I said, turning for the stairs, "A bit clingy, but he's okay." This was a lie. And I knew, somewhere in the back of my mind, that tonight, as I sat awake on my bed reading up about astro-physics and space station workings, I'd probably be fantasizing about him. And despite his disturbing offer to be his… partner, I decided that it might not be such a bad idea.

"Thanks," he said from across my bedroom. He was stood behind the wardrobe. I had to learn to keep that stupid latch bolted.

"Go home!" I snapped.

"You think it would be a good idea?" he grinned, "Because I'm very distracted at the moment, and you've cheered me up. I'm not normally like this."

"Distracted how?" I asked him.

"I am lusting for a human's blood. I couldn't get it off my mind."

"Then drink it, for freaking hell's sake!" I said. He chuckled darkly.

"I can't. Carlisle would be so disappointed in me." I looked in his direction. He seemed messed up. "I am not!"

"You are. Carlisle said something and you can't do it?" It seemed Carlisle was stricter than I'd thought. Maybe I wouldn't go.

"Please, Carlisle would try to stop me because I know I'd regret it later," he said.

"Who is she to you anyway?" I asked. No human could mean that much. And if it was getting in his way, he should just be cool about it and get it over with. I'd once smelled a human from right across a city. Straight there. Lured him away… and he was mine. Simple as that. It wasn't a difficult task.

"She's my biology partner. I can't just eat people. I'd start on her, and then who knows how it might end. I could kill the whole school. A whole class of children!" he cried.

"Shut up!" I said. If Gill and Fred came up here because they'd heard a boy's voice, they'd kill me. I wasn't that favored.

"Okay, but can you see my problem?" Edward asked.

"Yes and no. I would have just killed that boy, and he was the centre of school attention. No problem. A car accident would solve that!" I said.

"With no blood on the scene?" he asked skeptically. He sat on my bed next to me.

"Oh, god, who cares?" I asked.

"You're so evil," he said, somewhat teasingly. I did my best, what with being a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing… in a field of sheep. "Nicely put," he commented.

Thanks.

He was so close. I reached out to touch his skin, his hand – it was so perfect, but it felt… cool, normal. Everything only felt warm to me before.

"Strange, is it?" he asked. I touched his face, his neck, every bit of his perfect skin on display.

"Squeeze my hand!" I demanded. He raised an eyebrow, but he did as I asked. It hurt. Really, it was just uncomfortable, but somebody was changing the shape of my skin, of my flesh. It was the most surreal thing. Not even bashing into trees, which I did occasionally to burn off steam if I was angry, did that.

"I wouldn't run into trees if I were you – you'll bring the forest down," he said. I giggled. He just smiled! Cheek! When I giggled, it was everyone's cue to look stunned. Not Edward!

"Don't be hurt," he murmured, "You have an amazing laugh. I just heard one slightly similar before... but she's more of a sister than a potential mate!" He laughed. His laugh was outstandingly fine as well.

"Mate?" I asked.

"A partner – you know?" I did know. It made us sound like those animals in documentaries. Ew! "Don't think of it like that!" he said. If I had any blood, I'd have had it reddening my face.

"We aren't animals!" I said.

"No, but I do feel like one, from time to time," he said bitterly.

"Just stop it!" I said, "We aren't. You're not an animal – you drink their blood. I drink human blood. Who's the monster here?" I asked.

"Me, mostly," he sighed.

"Stop that!" I said, and I pushed him down on the bed. Or I tried to, at least. He stayed put on the bed. It made me nervous not to be the most powerful being in the room. If humans felt like this all the time, then I didn't wasn't to be one.

"Rosalie would disagree – my other sister – she would give anything to be human again," Edward said in response to my thoughts.

"She's weird."

"I agree. But sometimes, I wish we could be human again." I looked down at him. He was so sad; all beat up about being a vampire. And he wasn't even a murderer like I was. He was looking at this wrong, somehow. Or was I?

"You might be right, there," he said, suddenly smiling.

"I'm right?" I asked.

"Yes. You need help," he laughed.

"Thank you very much, but I'm fine. I think your family is a little bit too gloomy over this thing. It's just a food chain – does the Osprey feel bad about eating a mouse?" I pointed out.

"No, but then again Ospreys only eat fish." I leapt at him. I finally had him lying down! I won!

"Got you down now!" I grinned. He smiled back.

"Well done," he purred. Silence – it was definitely an awkward moment. I tried to get up, but his hands held me to him. He was so cold.

"I should probably go and fetch Mary," I mumbled.

"The party doesn't end until ten-thirty," Edward said, taking it straight from my mind.

"Oh, right." He let me go this time, though. I paced across the room to the door. I would go and cook Gill and Fred a snack or something.

"Do you want me to wait?" he asked.

"No, you could go, if you want," I said.

"Thanks." It made me cringe, the tone. I didn't turn around as ran down the stairs to the kitchen. I set about fixing up the duo of adoption some tagliatelli and salmon in cream sauce. I was done in ten minutes, and watched them eat, both thanking me repeatedly. It wasn't like I was a guest or anything. It was just something you pick up after a hundred and fifty years of life, and I was quite skilled at it. Even though I didn't eat myself, of course, I was determined to be the best at everything.

Upstairs I could hear someone. Edward hadn't left. I could hear flutters of paper – he was probably rifling through my books, or... my diary! If he was he'd pay later.

"So, Edward, huh – did you meet him at the party?" Gill asked.

"Sure, mom," I nodded. I knew she preferred it if I called her mom.

"Could it be leading to anything?" Fred enquired. I didn't know. They were just making chit-chat, and I hadn't got any real answers for them.

"Actually, I wanted to say something," I said. I heard Edward breathe in upstairs, and he was quiet. Listening to us, no doubt.

"Go ahead, Ellie, sweetheart," Gill said.

"I'm going away," I said. They stared at me, "And I'm going to live with some other people, who are like me."

"Ellie, you're being ridiculous! Your social workers haven't said anything to us!" Fred told me, but he was unsure.

"No. I'm going on my own. Edward's family is more like me. I have a problem, which I have to deal with by myself, and I need to within the confines of the Cullen family." This only raised more unanswerable questions.

"What problem?" Gill said – she looked like she were about to cry. I wished Edward were helping me. Bang – he knew that now!

"What family?" Fred asked. He was looking more angry than upset. I waited for Edward to come and save me again, like he had in the car. He wasn't moving from my bed. But then I heard him say something meant for me to hear only.

"Gill will let you go if it's for your own good, and Fred will let you go if Gill does. But I can't think of what problem matches the symptoms of vampirism."

Thanks. That's helpful! I thought back to him, with cynicism in my tone of thought.

"No problem," he said. I knew he was grinning.

"Gill – I have anorexia nervosa." She laughed at me.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sure you don't, you look perfectly normal..." she trailed off as she remembered that I never ate with them, and I bet that they'd heard me chucking up the food I did have to eat with them.

"Oh my god!" she cried out.

"Nice one," Edward said from my room, "She's going to help you pack now. See you in the tree in a minute!"

"Kiddo, I knew something was up," Fred said, not looking at me. I sighed. Here we went with the whole, 'It's my fault, no, it's mine' thing.

"No child should have to go through what you've been through, Ellie, I'm so sorry! Oh, darling, would you eat something now?" she asked, and insisted on dishing out the remainder of my recently cooked dinner onto a plate.

"Cheers, but I have to have a special diet at this Home. When I said family, I meant they're like a treatment centre with a real family feel," I said. This was easier than I'd thought, but I felt really bad lying about having anorexia. If only there really was a place that people like that could get better.

"Oh, right. Let's get you there now – let me pack your things!" Gill said.

"I just need a knapsack," I said, but she was almost faster than I could see (almost) as she rushed up to my bedroom.

"Ellie, kid, I'm so sorry," said Fred. I sighed.

"It isn't your fault," I said, unemotionally. He shook his head. I shrugged, and darted up to my room. I looked around for Edward, but he was gone. In the maple tree across the road – right, time to get going.

"Darling, I had no idea – is this place far, do you have a number, what's it like, and, is it nice?" I was bombarded by questions, but I could easily remember every one of them, and I answered them in the right order.

"It's fine, no, it's in Forks, I have no number, but I'll call you, and it is sure to be nice. I met the doctor. He's really kind and understanding." Gill nodded at each piece of information. Maybe I shouldn't have said Forks. It was a small town, and there were certainly no specialized hospitals there. There was just one main hospital, which Carlisle probably worked at.

"Alright, Doll. Is Edward taking you?" she asked.

"Yeah – Mary can have the Aston Martin, okay?" I said. Gill gaped.

"No, sweetheart, that's your money! She has to earn her own."

"Please," I said, "I want to give it to her."

"I'll tell her," Gill said. She didn't really say anymore. She was just crying. Humans were way too emotional.

"Thanks for everything, Gill," I said. Best to separate now, I thought. I plodded at a human's pace down the steps and I hugged her for her own sake as I went out the door. Hmm – she wasn't going away. For sentiment sake I waved, and as I paced along the road, she finally went indoors, weeping. Jeez – way to make me feel bad.

Edward was beside me in a flash.

"Hello," I said.

"Hello," he replied.

"Do you have a car? Or are we running?" I asked.

"I have a car, don't worry."

"Why would I worry? I'd leave you behind if we ran. The only thing I'd worry about is embarrassing you!" I laughed. He pursed his perfect white lips.

"I don't think so," he said. I thought about the times I'd measure my speed against cars. I'd once even gone supersonic.

"Really, I think you may be exaggerating a little," Edward said.

"No way! It's true," I protested. He rolled his eyes.

"Alice is the only one who comes close, and that's because she's small and light."

"I'm light too!" I said. He laughed at me, which I found seriously cheeky.

"Ellie, I'm sure you are, but Alice is five foot tall."

"Oh," I said. He took me round a corner into an alleyway where a silver Volvo was parked.

"Edward," I said, "You have been around for how long with a family how big and haven't even thought to make some money?" He looked at me incredulously.

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm not driving around in my Aston Martin just to have it stolen," he said. I remembered my own Aston, still there at Rob's party.

"Do you want to pick yours up? Huh, a DBS? I have a DB9."

"No, Mary can have it. She adores it."

"She can't drive?" he said as it briefly flashed through my chain of thought.

"Nah, but it doesn't matter, right?" I said.

"That's quite selfless of you," he said, "It's a nice thing to do for her, even though she can't even drive – bordering on the insane. You are mad, come to think of it," he continued as he moved out of the slim parking space, through the suburban streets and onto the main road, headed for Forks, "A human-blood drinking vampire who lives with humans, but only eats away, every three weeks. Why did you sign up for the fostering program anyway?" he asked.

"I like family. Really – I've never gone without one. It's nice to come home to something warm and fuzzy, especially seeing as most people don't talk to me," I explained.

"I see," he said, taking any extra details from my mind. It was a nice way to communicate what you couldn't put into words.

"It is," Edward said after a while.

"What is what?" I asked.

"A nice way to say things you cannot word – I wish, occasionally, I could reverse it."

"Oh, right. Well, it could also get mighty annoying at times, I suppose?" I asked.

"Imagine a room filled with people. They're quiet on the outside, but inside, most people are never silent."

"Most?"

"This tempting human – I cannot hear a thing from her head."

"So eat her," I suggested. He laughed, but shook his head.

"I will have to deal with her, but not as one might deal with food," he said, smiling that strangely stunning crooked grin.

"Is it really stunning?" he asked. I felt uncomfortable now. Okay, so it was kind of annoying.

Yes, I thought, now, out of my head!

"Sorry," he chuckled, "I can't switch it off!"

Try to switch it off for me! I insisted. I heard him breathe out slowly, attempting to carry out my request.

Now – is it off yet? I asked.

"Think something," he told me, suddenly looking astonished.

"Okay," I said. You have done it, haven't you?

"I couldn't do it. Something's wrong. You told me to turn it off – and it did!" he said, amazed.

"Is it any effort?" I asked, now slightly concerned. What if I'd broken him?

"No. But what if I can't turn... no, it worked for the family in that car we just passed," Edward said, now puzzled. He seemed to me the kind who questioned things, and theorized.

"I can't hear a thing from you," he said, frustrated, it seemed.

"Well, turn it back on!" I said. He was being particularly annoying – he'd just discovered he could do something extra cool, and he was just complaining again.

"I am not," he said, "Complaining."

"I thought that!" I said.

"Oh!" he said. He looked at me, scrutinizing my eyes, as if he could see into my head.

"I wonder – when you tell me to 'turn it off'," he said, "I can, and similarly for retrieving it."

"I've always been bossy," I said cynically.

"You cannot only hear long gone conversations, but you can also order other's gifts about. I wonder if it works for other gifts. Or perhaps if you could tell Alice to look for a specific thing in the future, or lengthen my own beyond my natural ability?" he speculated. Yeah, he was so nerd!

"It doesn't help being ignorant," he murmured as we wound our way through some thickly spruced out alpine roads towards Forks. The countryside was really beautiful around here – I'd never really dropped in to Forks before – it was so small, it had nothing I couldn't get in Seattle.

"But it's recluse, and it makes it perfect for my family – the forest provides plenty of prey," Edward explained.

"It's gorgeous!" I said, grinning at the rain. Huh – I certainly wouldn't be covering my face in foundation here to cover my sparkling skin – the rain clouds stretched out forever.

"I'm glad you think so. Most of the people here would prefer the sunshine," he said.

"Edward, what if your family don't like me – Carlisle only said to come over for lunch tomorrow," I said, slightly embarrassed.

"What on earth are you embarrassed for? You're my guest now," he grinned.

"Wow – that's really nice of you. But still, my question stands," I said.

"I'm sure they'll like you. Alice likes everyone, and generally, they're all very friendly," he said.

"May I ask who the exception is?" I asked. It was obvious that there was an exception to the rule – I mean, generally?

"Oh, right – Rosalie – she doesn't like competition. Over me, even though she has found her true love, Emmett, she is never pleased to see that I prefer someone over herself. Carlisle intended her for me, initially. He turned me first, when I had influenza, in 1918. Then he bit Esme, his wife. He wanted me to have a partner too, as I was pretty misled back then."

"Misled – don't tell me you were a rebel?" I asked, giggling.

"Kind of – I went around looking for criminals. As a newborn, I gave in to temptation a lot."

"Oh. At least you weaned yourself off it. I never did stop myself," I sighed.

"Well, you're going to try now, right?" he said. Right!

"Carlisle seems so nice – why would he just go around biting people?"

"He only bites people if they're dying – over the last century, we've moved around a lot, finding, one by one, our family members."

"So what was Esme dying of?" I asked.

"Esme lost her child, and threw herself off of a cliff. She was an inch from death, but our venom can work wonders. She is like our mother now," he said, and his lips turned up a little. "And Rose had been attacked and abused by her betrothed when he was drunk. He left her for dead, and Carlisle found her just in time. Emmett, my brother, was mauled by a bear. Rosalie found him and dragged him all the way back home, for fear of killing him if she bit him herself – and held her breath the whole way, for fear of being tempted into drinking his blood. She saw something in his face that meant something to her. Their relationship is a special one."

"It sounds so romantic, this vampire business," I said, "She must really love him if she rescued him as a human, and Carlisle too."

"Indeed. But even with Emmett, as... enthusiastic as he is," Edward said, sounding as if enthusiastic really meant hyper, "Rose can still be as cold as her skin most of the time."

"That's too bad," I muttered. I decided to try and find out what was bugging her.

"Good luck."

"That attitude probably doesn't help her, you know!" I snapped back. But I felt bad, so I nudged him playfully. He smiled.

"Then there's Jasper and Alice – they weren't bitten by Carlisle. Jasper comes from the south, and he was initially created to fight in the wars that happened down there in the nineteenth century. Alice can't remember anything about her human life. All we know is that she woke up in an asylum, and she could see into the future. She saw Jasper waiting for her, and picked him up on the way to finding our family here in Forks. When I got back, bam! All my stuff was in the garage." This made me laugh.

"Do you have a lot of cars?"

"Ah – I see you'll get on with Rose. She adores cars, like you do. Yes, we do have a lot of cars." I smiled – a stepping stone to being Rosalie's friend.

Edward turned suddenly to the right and we sped down a twisty drive way for about a mile. He smiled to himself.

"What is it?" I asked. He smirked again.

"They all heard you. This is no longer a private conversation," he said breezily.

"Oh?" I asked, "Can they read minds like you?"

"No," he said. He lowered his voice so that only I would hear, "But they think you're the girl whose blood I want."

"And you don't feel like telling them?" I asked.

"No. I want to see what they think!" he laughed quietly, "It's amusing. Rosalie's fuming, by the way. Alice is eager to meet you. Wait... oh, man – no!" Edward sped down the remaining driveway, and rushed out of the Volvo, leaving it on the side of the gravel that lead up to their house. It was a modern style mansion, with long glass walls and wide lawns around it. It was beautifully symmetrical on the outside, and through the windows between the sheens of light I made out a staircase and a piano.

"Who is that?" someone whispered.

"She's pretty – she isn't the girl from the cafeteria," another person said.

"No," I heard a familiar, soft voice say, "This is Ellie. Well this is a coincidence."

"Who is she, Carlisle?" a boy asked.

"She's changed everything!" someone with a high, pretty voice said.

"Her name is Elizabeth, or Ellie," Carlisle said as Edward came around the side and opened my door for me, which was nice. He obviously wanted me to hurry – he needed to do something. I'd changed everything, huh? I wondered what I'd changed, exactly. It seemed Edward knew – as soon as I thought this, he winced a little.

"What's wrong, Edward?" I asked.

"I need to ask Alice something," he murmured to me. I nodded, and we walked briskly up to the giant front door.

"Hello!" someone sang from the doorway, which was now open.

"Alice, come with me, we need to talk!" he snapped. How could he be so harsh? She seemed so nice.

"Sure, but can't I meet Ellie first?" she asked, smiling gleefully. I was really shocked to see her, really. Sure, the cheerleaders in the squad besides me were slightly attractive, but Alice, with her snow white skin and short, dark hair, was absolutely stunning.

"Ellie," Edward said. He meant for me to go inside.

"Welcome to our home, though this is earlier than I expected," Carlisle said, suddenly appearing as Alice was whisked away by Edward into the woods that surrounded their home.

"Carlisle," I grinned. He smiled back, and I stepped inside. The room was bright, with plenty of subtle decorations, and not only was there a large dining table (which they really didn't need), and a grand piano in the middle of the room, but there were so many vampires!

"Oh!" I said, as five faces looked me over. I looked at Carlisle's.

"Everyone, this is Ellie, she's from Seattle. She wants to start drinking animal blood like us. I'd appreciate it if you could help her. She's been living with humans," he explained.

"Welcome to our home!" said the older looking lady, who I assumed was Esme. She had the same amber eyes as Edward and Carlisle, and apparently all of the vampires here. She had flowing brown curls bouncing on her shoulders.

Next I was being squished in a hug by a bigger vampire, with dark curls and a giant grin, who said, "Hey, Ellie, I'm Emmett!"

"Hey, Emmett, that's kind of hurting!" I laughed.

"Living with humans and drinking their blood? Harsh life!" he said.

"Yeah, I guess," I muttered. Next, another one of Edward's brothers, who could only be Jasper, designed for battle and covered in crescent-shaped white scars, came over to me. He nodded to me.

"Hello, Jasper," I said. He must have assumed I knew his name from Edward.

"Hello, Ellie. Trust me; it's a difficult thing to do, change from a human diet to animals. But don't worry, I'll help you. At least I can empathize. If you find it hard, well, that's perfectly normal."

"Oh, thank you, Jasper, that's really kind of you," I replied. He smiled back at me.

"She's changed what Alice saw yesterday." Everyone turned to look at Rosalie. I gaped at her, and felt insignificant next to her radiance. Every bit of her was perfect; her hair, her eyes, her body, her face. It frightened me to death. I'd always been confident of my looks – I was the prettiest girl in the world. My crown had been snatched from me in this moment. And by god, did it hurt my ego!

"Alice saw that human girl in the picture yesterday. Now, she can only see Ellie." She seemed indifferent, as if I was no more to her than this human that Edward wanted to eat.

"Yeah?" I asked. She stared at me.

"What did Edward say to you?" she asked.

"You have a lot of cars and that you like them. Same here – I had an Aston Martin, but with the humans about, I couldn't indulge." Emmett laughed out loud.

"What else?" she asked, but slightly nicer, "Because if he said you can stay, he shouldn't have!" I felt rather offended. Hadn't Esme just welcomed me to their family?

"Rosalie," Carlisle warned her, "Ellie is perfectly welcome to stay with us."

"Huh," she scoffed, and ran upstairs and through a door.

"She really doesn't like me, huh," I muttered. Emmett and Jasper shrugged, and as they did so simultaneously, started laughing, and began a play fight in the middle of the room.

"Boys, please," Esme said, "I'd prefer you fought outside!"

"I'd better go and find Rose," Emmett said, and waved at me once before rushing off after his prima donna.

"Come up with me," Esme said, "We'll put you in Edward's room for the minute – you can put your things there."

"I'll take her, Esme." I turned to see Carlisle standing behind me.

"Okay," she said, practically swooning at him. He was no eyesore; I had to admit, despite being about thirty years old, he was a hottie.

"Ellie, could you tell me how Edward and you met, and why he's taken Alice away to interrogate her?" he asked as we headed up the stairs.

"I don't know about the second bit of that, but he saved a human boy from me. I guess I should be thankful – he was supposed to be becoming my boyfriend," I said, bitterly. I'd always wanted a boyfriend.

"You were going to attack your boyfriend?" Carlisle asked as he showed me into a third storey bedroom, with a long white sofa in it, and a massive selection of CDs. Edward's room was so simple, it was nice. And unlike any boy's bedroom I'd ever been in before, it smelled sweet.

"He was asking me out."

"So you decided to drink his blood?" Carlisle asked, shocked.

"Yeah, I know."

"Why did you go in the car with him?" he enquired. I dumped my bag neatly on Edward's couch. There was no dignified response, and if Carlisle was going to be my new father, I might as well tell the truth.

"I thought you'd be impressed with me if I could control myself around humans," I admitted. Carlisle didn't laugh. He smiled.

"I'm always proud of people who try new things. But please do not risk a human in an attempt to gain my approval. I am not that highly rated," he said, "You should try befriending Rosalie – she has no wish of my pride for her at all!"

"Actually, I'd only hang out with Rose if she wanted to talk about cars. Or fashion."

"And there are plenty of things to do in those subcategories," he pointed out.

"Perhaps," I said. There was a door slamming, and a fuss going on the ground floor. I bolted down the stairs in pursuit of Edward.

"Edward?" I called. He was beside me in a matter of seconds.

"Elizabeth?"

"Ellie," I corrected him. It sounded really babyish.

"Are you alright? Have you met the family?" he said.

"Yes. Rosie hates me."

"ROSALIE! My name is Rosalie, Ellie!" she roared from behind me.

"See?" Edward turned me away from her and took me into the kitchen. It was all wooden panelled cupboards and granite surfaces. I sat on the warm granite and watched Edward pace.

"What did Alice tell you?" I asked, "You seem really distressed." For some reason, it made me feel horrible to see him so upset.

"Thanks for your concern," he said. Edward paused a moment, and walked around the room once, slowly. Suddenly, he was right there, up in my face, an inch from me, "I have lost a love," he said, almost viciously, "But you... Alice said you. I have gained you."

"Oh? Meaning what?" I asked him

"I don't know. She says that you've come to save me from making some sort of mistake."

"Right... well, sorry, I haven't," he admitted. I sighed. "Let me show you to our room," he said, and he got up from the couch.

"Okay," I said, smiling. No reaction to my smile, again. I felt extremely disappointed.

"What a beautiful smile," he purred, taking my hand.

"That's cheating," I said. He grinned his own beautiful smile.

The Cullen family were a quiet one. There weren't many left over conversations, and it was if they all understood each other anyway. Well, I guess with a mind reader and a psychic there wasn't much they didn't already know. I heard a few remnants of an argument between Rosalie and Carlisle from two days ago, and another between Alice, Emmet and Edward around the chess set. A game had taken place between the two knowing ones. Emmett enjoyed watching this.

I was vaguely aware that Edward could hear every word that I thought. But truthfully, it didn't really annoy me. I was glad that I could tell it to switch off when I wanted it to. As I thought this, he chuckled quietly.

"You are proud of that, huh?" he asked. I nodded.

"I am."

"I worry. Is it you, or is it a breach in the system?" he pondered aloud.

"Which would be best?"

"Probably that it were you. I'd feel more secure about it."

"But you didn't even try to turn it off – I just told your power to, and it did! Has anyone ever told you – actually ordered you – to do that?" I asked him.

"Well, no. Just like nobody's ever ordered anyone else to turn their power off."

"Well there you go, theory becomes theorem." He shook his head.

"No. We'd have to test it out. Go back to the chess set, where you heard that conversation about chess – then we'll see if it's just me, or if it could possibly be everyone," he said, steering me around and back to the room with the chess set in it. It was a library, one of probably many in their massive house. I heard the words again, feeding themselves into my mind over and over again.

"Please just give up, Edward! Alice is going to retrace all your moves before you even think of them!" Emmett had said.

"Now, turn it off!" the Edward in front of me ordered.

"But he won last time, I don't always win!" the past Alice protested.

"Damn it," Edward said. I sighed – he'd read my mind and known immediately that it hadn't worked.

"Hey, now," I said, concocting a second theory, "Maybe it's just me?"

"But that would make it a talent – and no vampire has two talents!" he said, frustrated as he paced the room.

"Well, I might be an exception?" I said. He shook his head, and stalked from the room. He was mad at me. There went our relationship, and anything that might have happened.

"Edward, please, I said, catching up to him momentarily. He stopped immediately.

"Jasper, would you come here please?" he murmured. Jasper was at my side in a second.

"What is it, Edward?" he said. Edward's gloomy mood was making Jasper mope too.

"Ellie can turn my power off if she wants to. Could you please see if she can remove yours as well?"

"Jasper, what do you do?" I asked.

"I can manipulate moods," he explained. I suddenly felt really happy, then unusually sad, then i felt tired.

"Stop it!" I demanded. It stopped.

"Wait, I can't... that's special. Never seen that before. It's like you have a shield of some kind."

"The only thing is, Jazz, she already has a talent."

"Oh, yes." Jasper thought about this, Edward nodding at unspoken questions.

"Okay, just go and tell Carlisle," Edward snapped suddenly. I was surprised at his tone. Jasper hit him on the back of the head, and then darted away.

"What was that about?" I demanded.

"Something he thought. Think nothing of it." I pouted a little.

"You look very sweet when you do that," he commented.

You look very drop dead gorgeous, psycho, I thought. Or something along those lines.

"Thank you – so do you. Come on, it seems we'll never get there!" he laughed. He scooped me up in his arms and bolted upstairs. I was unfazed by the lightening speed, and he seemed disappointed. I giggled, and then he did something odd.

"You kissed me!" I said, putting my fingers to my lips where his own had recently been.

"I'm sorry," he said, suddenly standing up, "I am so sorry, Ellie – oh," he stopped as I thought about it in my head. Again, remembering it, although only a second long, it had been my first kiss - lips on lips. I held my breath.

It had felt good. He smiled a little.

"I'm sorry," he said again, but I knew he wasn't really sorry. And neither was I.

"It's okay," I said. I was distracted once again by the grin on his beautiful, perfect face. He leant down again, fluidly moving to sit beside me, and pulled me onto his lap. We were like two cogs in a machine, designed to work together in perfect synchronization. I leant up to him and kissed him. He didn't stop me, but he didn't kiss me back, exactly.

"Hey, what gives?" I asked. He stared at me. "We can't all read minds!" I said.

"Ellie, I can't. I don't know what would happen, I can't do this to you," he muttered, turning away from me, slipping me down beside him. He swivelled and was suddenly lying on his back behind me on the couch.

"Can't do what to me?" I asked.

"You know what you were thinking!"

"In all fairness to me," I said defensively, "I wasn't actually going to let you!"

"You would have."

"Ooh, Mr. Confident-that-you're-so-beautiful!" I said.

"Stop fighting, you two!" Rosalie screamed as she came in. It was like someone blowing a dog whistle, the pitch of her angry voice.

"Rose, leave, please!" Edward said. She shot him an angry glare before leaving the room.

"I'm sorry," I murmured. Edward pulled me down beside him, holding me to his side. I breathed in his scent. Sweet, light, warm. It was so good. I wondered if my scent was anything like his.

"Yes, yours is. You smell like cotton candy to me," he said, inhaling close to my neck. He kissed it lightly.

"Edward," I said warningly.

"It's okay. It's not like you're a human!" I smiled as I remembered that I was in the midst of vampires. Vampires like me, who wanted to be good, and have the pleasure of other vampires. I was one of them now – I was Ellie Cullen.

"That has a nice ring to it," Edward said, tracing the palm of my hand, although there weren't any patterns on it, only vampires themselves can truly appreciate the smoothness of our own skin.

He kissed it, and then ran his lips up my arm, up my neck and across to my mouth again, pulling me to him tightly. He was a very good kisser – it felt brilliant, for another thing, to be then one having to move, to have my rock solid vampire skin and lips moved by someone else. Our lips moved together, rather than me being the one in control. Eventually, he stopped, when Esme called and said it was time for school.

"Me too?" I asked. He nodded, smiling.

"Don't worry, you can accompany me to my classes. School's a drag, though, isn't it? Like a form of hell."

"No, I like it – i like playing with the humans. They're so funny!"

"We're not in the popular crowd that you imagined, that you were in Seattle," Edward said, stroking my hair.

"Oh?" I enquired.

"We keep to ourselves. We like it in Forks and don't want to get noticed."

"I didn't get noticed in Seattle," I said, slowly sitting up.

"There was only one of you. The bell goes in two minutes, let's go," Edward said, and he picked me up and ran us down to the garage. Everyone was sat in their silver Volvo. I sighed. There was a Ferrari, and they wanted to go to school in that?

"I hate this," I said. I was sat in Spanish class with a bunch of idiot children, re-learning Spanish verb endings from a woman who was less Spanish than I was.

"Just suck it up, Ellie," Emmett muttered beside me. Edward was on my other side, holding my hand under the table. I knew that the people in the room were all distracted by the new Cullen girl.

And they could see me holding Edward's hand, I was sure.

"But I know this, can't I tell her?" I mumbled back.

"No, play the human game," Edward warned me. I sighed, and scribbled out all of the notes she was writing down from Edward, who already had them all jotted down. Even notes she hadn't written yet.

"I like to play with humans," I said, "Does that count?"

"No," he replied, squeezing my right hand as I wrote with my left.

"Ellie and Edward Cullen, please pay attention!" Senora What's-Her-Face said, spinning around and glaring at me and Edward. How the hell had she heard. Maybe it was our hands. Yeah, the hands intertwined on the table in front of us. Everyone tittered around us. Apparently, the perfect Cullens never got in trouble. I heard someone mutter, "Where'd Carlisle get that one?" "Probably from a weirdo orphanage!" "Looks like he's already done that plastic surgery thing..."

If I could have blushed, I would have. But I kept a straight face, and smiled beautifully at the teacher. In perfect Spanish I told her that I was fluent, and that I really didn't need to learn any of this. I was perfectly capable of doing the exam without her help. I stormed out of the room. Edward said something quickly about getting me back, but I was not in the mood for his human loving games.

"Don't do that!" Edward snapped at me when we were in the corridor outside the cafeteria.

"Do what? I think she's fine with my Spanish!" I retorted. He nodded slowly.

"The Cullens have a reputation to uphold. A good one," he said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I'm not a real Cullen yet!" Edward raised his eyebrow, as if trying to decide something. Then he smiled dazzlingly.

"Would you become my wife, Ellie?" he asked. I almost laughed, but he was being serious. SERIOUS!

"I'm perfectly serious. Despite your obvious rebelliousness, you're a kind, selfless person, and not a cruel though goes through you mind. I am in love with you, and it's crushing my heart to see you upset," Edward said, every hint of truth in his eyes. I didn't think or say anything for a while. I just thought, over and over again; He can't be in love with me, but what if he is? His face was rigid, waiting for my answer.

"I know what you mean," I said eventually, really slowly for a vampire, "I understand what it's like – a crushing feeling inside... come to think of it, it started when I saw your face, even through the haze of attack. I just didn't know what it was that made me excited to be in the room with you..." Edward looked so utterly joyous – in his eyes, the amber irises sparkled like liquid gold. I couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm not in any position to marry you yet, Edward," I sighed. His face fell like a stone in water. "But," I continued, pacing a few brisk steps to embrace him outside the Spanish classroom, "I will someday, I promise." The teacher wasn't looking at us, but some of the kids were.

I wanted so desperately to show off, so I kissed Edward, just like I had this morning. The Spanish teacher was about to whip around to see what all the commotion was about, but we separated quicker than they could all see, and Edward took my arm, winking at me as he led me back into the room. The Senora nodded and turned again to write something.

I knew that Emmett had heard all of it, and I rolled my eyes when he winked at me too, which put him off guard a little. He was only trying to be nice, but I didn't feel like I wanted to admit it, no matter how much of an epiphany it would take to get me to realise I was in love with Edward Cullen. He was my perfect match. I took his hand again, and jotted down all the notes she'd told the class to write down, listening to what she'd recently said. Edward wrote her current notes, and then we swapped. It was a perfect little system; Edward and I worked beautifully together. I could see in my peripheral vision all the stares of disbelief as we silently shared notes.

In the cafeteria was all the juicy gossip. Who would I sit with? My family, the cheerleaders, the jocks – I was spoiled for choice!

So we just sit here in silence glaring at people?" I asked dubiously. They nodded, and took an apple, two sodas and a juice on a tray, paid for the food and drinks we weren't going to eat, and glided across to a table on the far side of the canteen. I was furious with them. Edward read my mind, and Jasper could sense my anger. They were both right to take me outside instead.

"Ellie, you have to stop trying to interact with them. Especially as you get... thirsty," Edward said as he sat me on the bench beside Jasper. I growled quietly.

"I don't. I want to chat. And I did fine before you were here," I said.

"I know, but you were always looking forward to a few every week, weren't you. It was all for something – now it's for nothing." I felt my forehead crease automatically.

"It is difficult – I've been trying for twenty years and still haven't lost the cravings – Edward can tell you!" Jasper said beside me, comfortingly.

"Hello!" it was Alice, dancing across the paving under the roof of the cafeteria's outside wall. She leapt across the table and onto the seat on the other side of Jasper. I put my arm across my face and bent backwards, becoming a statue. I'd had enough of this. I didn't want to be treated like a new comer.

"Ellie – that's not what we're trying to say!" Edward said.

"What is it?" Jasper said.

"Ellie?" Alice murmured.

"She is just mad with us... she wants to interact. Ellie, we just can't risk being revealed for what we are!" Edward explained, sliding his knees beneath my head, even though he knew I didn't need support. He was getting his jeans messy on purpose.

"You don't want me here?" Edward asked.

"You can stay," I sighed, taking my arm away. Edward took my hand, intertwining our fingers, and holding it to his cheek. Jasper sighed, took Alice's hand and led her back inside the canteen building. I looked at Edward adoringly, the way I always had, really, and ordered him to turn his talent off. He couldn't hear me anymore, I could tell from the uncomfortable look on his face.

"Do you want me to make it worthwhile?" I asked, turning in a single movement to hold his face in my hands.

"Mr Greene wouldn't appreciate us kissing on campus," Edward sighed, but he looked regretful. I smiled in agreement. Instead, he put his arm across my shoulders and walked back inside with me.

"Oh, and by the way, Ellie," Edward said, "It's not your self-control that I doubt, it's your outgoing persona – you wouldn't want the mysterious Cullens to become too friendly, because when we move away, we don't want any ties."

"Okay," I muttered, kissing his hand which rested on my left shoulder.

"You're very different to us, Ellie," he sighed.

"How so?" I asked.

"I cannot speak such for my siblings – our siblings – but myself. I think of myself as two creatures in one shell – there is the rational, thinking one, this one, who can control himself... and then there's the monster. Then one that wants to eat that girl across the cafeteria right now." I followed his eyes to the central table, where a girl sat. I heard one half of a conversation – "No, that new girl, Bella – she's got you toast for Cullen!" "Yeah, she was tonguing him outside Spanish!" – And then empty spaces where Bella had spoken. She was a mental mute. I giggled. She was shield against our powers.

"But Alice saw her future," Edward murmured in my ear.

"Against mental powers then – I need to get into heads to hear the echoes, as you need to get in to hear their minds. The future is a physical thing that will happen."

"Interesting... I hadn't thought of that Ellie," he muttered. He sounded as if he loathed talking about her. "The scent – I remember the scent," he said.

"Oh. Could I smell her?" I asked.

"If you like... from a distance, Ellie," Edward warned me.

"I won't be killing anyone, Edward – I'm a Cullen!"

"Even this Cullen," Edward said, indicating himself with a miniscule jerk of his head, "Was contemplating murder just yesterday – be careful, whatever you choose."

"I'm not selfish, Edward – I will protect our family."

"Thank you," he said, and he kissed me gently, but quickly. I nearly melted in his arms. He was the epitome of perfection. He smiled at me, and we went to sit around the empty table, practically, of Cullen children. There were six of us. There was not much to notice in the cafeteria – a few cracks here and there, tall windows, the scent of blood, easily dimmed out.

I listened closely for the conversations.

"Who's the devil is she?"

"A new Cullen!" – The bold taste of the conversation – a dash of heat mixed with something sour, indicated that it was a fresh piece, and about jealousy. It was my own form of mindreading. Not as sophisticated as some people's but effective. Edward smiled ever so slightly as he read my conversation.

"Mike Newton and Lauren Mallory," he said, barely moving his lips.

I listened intently.

"She looks so bitchy," said Lauren, a very unpleasant flavoured voice.

"She looks gorgeous!" Mike said, ignoring Lauren. He tasted sweet, with a hint of what could be comparable to peppermint mixed with carrot. He was an average person.

"Mike!" Lauren had hissed.

"Well, she's so clingy to Edward. They are so gross. Ben said that she made out with Edward Cullen outside the Spanish doorway, practically in front of the teacher!"

"I bet she didn't!" a new, softer, fluffier voice chirped. Despite not being important in names to faces for me, I could taste marshmallows and ginger. Calm, warm and caring.

"Angela," Edward muttered.

"She did, shut up, Ang," Lauren had said spitefully.

"Don't they all look seriously related?" Mike had mused.

"Plastic surgery, remember?" Lauren had sighed.

"Hmm," Mike said. I didn't bother listening to the rest - though I would certainly hang around Angela Weber's spots from now on. I love the marshmallow smell, and it makes up for not being able to eat properly as a vampire.

"Jasper, it's okay, you're not doing anything." Alice had put both her hands over Jasper's which were gripping the table. It was moments from snapping. I had missed something.

"Ellie, hold your breath." I didn't – instead the scent of Bella Swan, pest child, hit me like an atomic bomb on a mouse.

Worse.

The instinct to run with her from the room and to sink my fangs into the thing making that smell was almost unstoppable. The only thing that stopped me was Emmett's hand on me beside me, and a picture that I conjured up of Carlisle's face.

Edward relaxed a fraction beside me, battling the scent as well. She moved away. Jasper, Edward and I gulped the now fresh air.

"Phew, thank you Ellie, for that – Carlisle is a good thing to think about at times like that," Edward said, taking my hand.

"Has there ever been a time like that before, Edward?" I asked, smiling sarcastically. He smiled back, shaking his head ever so slightly. Rosalie even smiled at me, and Emmett mouthed, "Well done" at me and Jasper and Edward.

I didn't want it to feel like an achievement to have to resist a human's blood.

"It is," Edward murmured, to quiet even for the others to hear.

"I'm going to have to kill her" I muttered back.

"No you aren't!" he said a little louder, and the others glanced at us. Edward's head jerked across to Alice. Her eyes were wide.

"NO!" he said. People were looking at us from the nearby tables. I glared back at them.

"Edward," Rosalie mumbled warningly.

"She won't!" he growled deeply. God, I had been joking. These guys needed humour, really fast.

"Love, I should take you home," Edward said, "I need to talk to you." I felt my face screw up in disdain – I didn't want to talk right now. I loved this man though. He'd saved me so much. I darted from the room, leaving my brothers and sisters and Edward behind. They may be afraid of being adored, but I wasn't. I ran almost too quickly for a human, until I was stopped by a hall monitor. It was a good thing anyway, because I had no idea where I was going. I got a warning. Whoop.

I knew Edward's schedule by heart – not a difficult task for a vampire. I'd just gazed momentarily at it, and it was perfectly set into my head. He had biology now. With the thing that smelled like blood soaked in flowers and sugared violets.

I'd go and sit outside the window – there were no spaces in that class, and I didn't want to sit through babyish physics lectures about stuff like relativity. Yawn. Heard it from the horse's mouth, people!

When I found Edward's car, in which was a phone I'd be playing with to keep myself entertained, trying to remember all the Cullen's phone numbers, he was already sitting in it. He leapt out and grabbed me, kissing me forcefully. I didn't mind, but it was a little bit forward. Especially for Edward, the gentlemanly seventeen years old guy.

"Ow," I muttered. He was a bit stronger than me – being a boy, and I'd never been hurt before.

"Sorry about lunch," he said quietly, still grasping me close to him.

"I don't care," I said, "I know you want to protect yourselves. If I didn't care about you, I would have just killed her there and then, the moment she walked by," I pointed out. He nodded, and kissed me again, more carefully.

"I'm sorry I over-reacted," Edward whispered in my ear, grazing it with his teeth lightly. It made me physically shudder. I felt his mouth curve into a grin against my cheek.

Don't you laugh at me! I thought deliberately.

"I wasn't," he said, still grinning, "You just make me so happy." It was my turn to smile. I made him happy?

"Edward?" I called around midnight. He was there in a flash, literally. I'd decided.

"What is it?" he asked, grudgingly. I'd told him to turn his talent off, and it obviously peeved him.

"Turn it back on," I said. I immediately began a stream of thought – I do, I do, I do. He could taste in my mind what "I did".

"You will?" he asked, sweeping me into his arms, and sitting on the side of our couch. He was in absolute ecstasy, and I was so overjoyed myself that I'd caused this unnervingly dominant joy. This had to be the happiest day of my long, eternal, and if I must say oddly entertaining life.

"Mine as well, I assure you, Love," Edward mumbled as he kissed my neck. I felt a surge of pleasure rushing through me.

"Do you want to—?"

"No," he said, suddenly pulling away from me. I became a pool of disappointment. I felt a painful whimper building in my throat, but I swallowed it at once. Maybe he was scared.

"Have you ever?" he asked quietly. No. My first kiss had been with Edward, and I believed in abstinence, really. But then again, I had just agreed to his proposal to be his wife.

"Is that it?" he asked, suddenly hurt. I leapt up.

"NO!"

"I didn't mean that, Ellie," he said.

"I got it. Okay, okay. I know. I understand. But I'm not shallow. I've heard Rose muttering to herself – she and I are alike, but different in one way in our "I'm so gorgeous," ramblings – I don't mean it."

"Ellie – I read minds!" he sighed, exasperatedly.