Chapter 1

Song for this chapter: Starlight Addiction by Push Play

Alternate song: Things I'll Never Say by Avril Lavigne

Chapter 1

"Edward! Are you listening to me?" I snapped back to attention.

"Yes, Jack. I'm sorry." My manager looked annoyed, but resumed his lecture.

"Anyway, you'll be working in room 321 today, alright?"

"Yes, sir." Jack glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then leaned towards me and whispered.

"Mix it up a little this time, okay? The board's getting suspicious with all these broken necks." I nodded.

"I'll do my best."

"You'll do better than that." threatened Jack. "Remember, I know your secret." I shuddered at the memory. Jack had figured out that my family and I are vampires through a combination of stealth, cunning, and persistence some years ago. Since then, he had sworn to secrecy on the grounds that my family and I would work for him, or else he would reveal our secret to the entire population of Forks, Washington. Truth be told, that population isn't much, but it's enough. Enough that if it got out that the Cullens are vampires, it could destroy us. Jack is a very powerful man, in more ways than one. When he says something, people listen to him. Fear can be a very useful motivator.

I listened to the meaningless gibberish inside my head as I walked down the hall, a broom and dustpan as my props. Usually it's very easy for me to tune out other people's thoughts; the asylum residents, in particular, typically only have wild, erratic thoughts that rarely form themselves into something coherent. But this day there was something different, a bell-clear voice that rose above the others. I couldn't make out the exact thoughts, but the voice was incredibly absorbing. I stood there for quite some time before I broke out of my trance and realized that standing in the middle of the hallway listening to the voices in my head was not the best way to make sure my secret wasn't exposed. Nevertheless, the voice was just too compelling. I began to head in the direction I heard it coming from.

I stopped in front of a door, exactly the same as all the others. There was nothing to suggest the occupant's unusually addicting inner voice. Only then did I realize that I had been holding my breath since the moment I had first heard the voice in my head. I took a deep breath...

...and nearly fell backward from the sheer power of the scent that assaulted me. Only once I had regained my footing did I realize that the scent was not a bad smell, in fact, it was the purest, sweetest, most aromatic scent I had ever inhaled. My throat closed with fierce burning, and for a minute the thirst was so powerful that I couldn't even think. I closed my eyes and the voices in my head blurred together into one big roar. Eventually the craving subsided, and, against my better judgment, I placed my trembling hand on the doorknob and opened the door. Just before I went in, my eyes caught the number on the door: 321.

She was sitting in the middle of the room, facing the window, in an ancient wheelchair that looked like it had been around longer than I have-and that's saying something for a nearly century-old vampire. Now that I was in the room, her thoughts became clear to me. The ocean is so beautiful...I wish I could swim in it. The simplicity of her wishes surprised me. She was not mentally retarded-anyone who listened to her thoughts for half a second could figure that out. Yet, with all the pettiness and selfishness that comes with intelligence, all she really wanted was to swim in the ocean. On the pretense of cleaning the floor, I moved into her line of vision. Her eyes, which had been darting around the room of their own volition, suddenly focused on me. They were blue-the color of the ocean she loved so much. They drew me in, just like the ocean's current, and refused to let go.

Wow...he's hot. I stifled a laugh at the typical teenage girl thoughts. This one definitely had all her mental facilities in place.

Bet he'd never look at a girl as ugly as me, she thought wistfully, and my heart ached.

"Actually," I said softly before I could stop myself. "I think you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Her eyes widened, and for a minute I feared I had made a grave mistake. I must've just imagined it. I breathed a sigh of relief, and right then I knew I couldn't kill her. Not today, at any rate. I needed time to collect my thoughts and my senses. And maybe talk to Carlisle. I turned and made my way out the door, feeling those blue eyes on me every step of the way.

A/N: My first Twilight fic!! LOVE Twilight! prattles on for a bit about Edward Cullen OK, I'm done now. So...what'd you think?? Please review!! Chapter updates may be a bit erratic according to school and the mood of my muse, but I promise to try my hardest to get them up in a timely fashion! Again, please review!