Darkness. I've got to open my eyes, I thought. Damn it why can't I open my eyes?!

"Edward?" said a voice beside me. I know that voice, that's Dr Cullen's voice, no Carlisle, he asked me to call him Carlisle.

"Edward, I need you to open your eyes." I forced my eyes open, with much difficulty. And there was Carlisle's face. He looked very young and was incredibly handsome, but he was very pale, no that's not the right word, he was white, white as bone. But he had deep bruises under his eyes.

"Edward, I need you to listen to me. I'm afraid your mother she….she's gone Edward I'm so sorry."

No I wouldn't believe him. He's lying. But Carlisle never lied to me, not even when he was ordered to.

"Mother?" I croaked my voice hoarse from disuse. I tried to roll on my side to look at her, to prove Carlisle and I wrong, but Carlisle restricted this movement, goodness he was strong.

"No, Edward, she's not there, she's in the morgue."

My eyes started to sting. I held them back it would do no good to cry. Besides, mother wouldn't want me to lose control.

"Edward, I'm going to make you well again, okay?"

"Okay." I said, my voice thick, wondering how you were going to do so, when everyone who had got this disease had died so far.

"You need to get up Edward. I have to take you to my house." He said in a soothing voice. He had an odd expression on his face, a kind of anxious, frazzled sort of thing.

I swung my legs carefully over the edge of the hospital cot, that I'd been lucky to get. I tried to stand but my legs began to tremble and I nearly collapsed but, thankfully, Carlisle caught me.

"Thank-you." I mumbled, ashamed by my weakness.

"No problem." Carlisle replied.

And he half-carried me out of the hospital. He caught a carriage and carried me inside. When we were on our way to…wherever we were going, I focused on keeping my eyes open, if Carlisle was going to make me better I'd have to stay alive. We arrived at a house, which I assumed was Carlisle's. He took me inside and brought me into the living room and sat me on the couch.

"Now, Edward," he began. "What I'm about to do to you won't be pleasant, but it'll save you, okay?"

I nodded.

He took a deep breath.

Give me your wrist." Was all he said. I held out my wrist and he took it in his hands, he leaned over and he…HE BIT IT!

And I screamed. I screamed more than I'd ever done in my entire life. I felt like my insides were on fire!

"Kill me!" I begged. "Just end it! Please!"

"I'm sorry, Edward, it was the only way."

And he explained everything. About what he was. That I was becoming that too. Everything. I was only half listening. The pain was too much.

I began to lose track of time, but the pain began to lesson.

And it lessened

And stopped.

As did my heart.

"Edward?"

"Yes?" I replied.

"How are you feeling?" He sounded anxious.

"Fine. But where are all the voices coming from?" For we were completely alone, and could hear many voices talking at once.

"Voices?"

"Yeah, voices."

Maybe I did something wrong.

"Well I sure hope you didn't." I exclaimed.

"Didn't what?"

"do something wrong. You said that maybe you'd done something wrong and I'm saying that I'd hope you didn't."

"But I didn't say that! I thought it! Hey maybe you can read minds?!"

"Read minds!"

"Yeah, hang on. Concentrate on the 'voice' that sounds like me. What am I thinking?"

I concentrated on the 'voice' that sounded like Carlisles.

Edward can you hear me?

"You said-I mean thought-'Edward can you hear me?'"

"Brilliant" said Carlisle.