Carlisle was thinking the same thing I was; this girl needs blood. I don't know how long she has gone without feeding but it has taken a toll on her. She was in no position to hunt herself so we would have to improvise.

"I can head to the hospital and take some blood bags. Nobody would notice they were gone. The sooner we get them to her the better. Maybe then she will start to open up." Carlisle said. I prayed to God this would work. I wasn't sure what else to do.

It was morning and we had sat here all night. Neither of us moving. The girl's trembling had stopped but the fear was still very much present. She made no sign that she would be coming out from under the couch anytime soon. I had tried speaking to her but it was useless. There was still no answer. All she did was stare up at me with her wide doe-like eyes.

There was a knock on the door. It was Alice. She gave me a soft smile before entering the room. I didn't know whether to be relieved or angry. The sight of the girl was overwhelming. How could she still be alive after everything she has been through? It was a miracle we found her when we did. She could have been even more injured.

Soft growls erupted from her chest which died down into whimpers as Alice came into sight. She cast wary glances at Alice. I didn't know what to do to help. Alice came and sat right beside me.

I understood where she was coming from. Arriving in a foreign place with strangers. You were bound to be scared; who wouldn't be? But the way her shoulders tensed and the way her body was angled suggested more. The girl was bracing herself for something. No against something. Alice and I were both situated right in front of her, blocking the exit to the doorway.

"It's ok sweetie. Nobody is going to hurt you here. You are safe." Alice repeated what I had already said so many times. But still, the girl was terrified. I sighed in frustration. How would we make her see we meant no harm?

She was picking at her nails, clearly stressed, when there was a knock on the door. The girl stilled and waited to see what would happen. Carlisle walked in with a cooler. Inside was full of blood bags. I looked at him in disbelief. Why so many?

I read Carlisle's mind, "From the way she looks right now it seems to have been a long time since she has fed. I thought we should have a lot in case she wanted more." I nodded in agreement. I should have thought of that.

I looked back the girl squished under the couch and what I saw broke my heart. Her gaze was solely focused on the blood but yet she didn't go for it. She gripped the sides of her arms keeping herself grounded. Forcing herself not to run to the blood. The look in her eyes was pure hunger. Her growls were no longer scared but desperate. Desperate for blood. This was the most control I had ever seen. I was baffled.

Ever so slowly, Carlisle passed the first bag of blood to me. I opened the bag and held it out to the girl. Her eyes kept switching from my face to my hand. Obviously suspicious of my intentions but at the same time yearning for the blood.

"It's ok. You can have it. Here- take it." I held it out closer. She was practically drooling at the sight of it. The girl was still hesitant.

"Nothing bad will happen. This is for you." I whispered toward the girl. "Please don't be afraid." My voice was filled with pain as Alice and Carlisle watched from behind me.

So slowly, the girl reached her arm out and took the bag from my hand; slightly shivering as her hand touched mine. The girl put the bag up to her lips and started to drink. She moaned in delight as the blood rushed down her throat. For a brief second, I saw peace in her eyes. But in a flash, it was gone.

"Hey, do you want another one?" I said. Her eyes flashed to mine and looked at me in disbelief. Instead of giving it to her, I put the bag of blood in front of my feet. If she wanted it then she would have to come out from under the couch.

She eyed the red liquid with much consideration trying to decide if the blood was really worth leaving her safe haven. The remainder of the blood was left on her lips and she licked it up, savoring the taste. I could see she wanted more. I knew that the one bag of blood wouldn't suffice her needs. I knew she would need more. The question was what would she leave her safe zone to have it?

It felt like time had stopped. I couldn't believe my own eyes. As slow as could be the girl shifted to her knees and with much courage crawled out from under the couch. Nobody said a word as she came out into the open. We were all watching in shock. We didn't want to scare her back under the couch again.

With her dirty hands, she took the blood and drank it in less than a second. Just as I had predicted.

"Good girl. You are doing so good." I said softly. A flicker across her face showed what I believed was recognition. "Do you understand me?" I said eagerly. But there was no answer. She took another bag from my hand and drank it up greedily.

Each bag I moved further and further away, forcing her to venture further into the room. The girl didn't even seem to notice anymore. All she cared about was getting the blood. Something told me that this was the most blood she had ever had. The look on her face was pure joy and you could already see her frame was starting to fill in. She was getting her color back and the girl's eyes were turning to a bright red. It was uplifting to see.

The bags were finally finished and she sighed in content. This was the most interactive I had seen her. I hoped it stayed this way.

Alice slowly came forward and kneeled down in front of the girl. I smiled to myself as I read her thoughts.

"You liked that didn't you?" Alice said with a smile. The girl looked at Alice cautiously and then back to me. Carlisle had retreated to the door and was silently watching from there.

I smiled at her encouragingly and slowly reached to touch her hand. She tensed, obviously thinking she would be hurt but nothing happened. I gently rubbed her hand, whispering, "you're alright. You're being such a good girl." Those were words she seemed to recognize.

The girl seemed to get more comfortable and shyly leaned into my touch. Everything she did ceased to amaze me. She was one unpredictable girl. Though there was something about the girl that just wasn't right. The way she crawled across the room, the collar, her lack of clothes, lack of understanding, her behavior, and so much more. Only one thing could come to my mind. She was behaving like an animal.

Alice had the same thoughts and caught her breath. We would have to explain to Carlisle later. Alice started to speak in her head.

"This is now more complicated than we thought. Whoever had her before has done serious damage. I didn't think this was possible but it does make sense. We just have to take this step by step." It distressed us deeply to think someone could be abused so badly to the point that this kind of damage could occur.

Alice started speaking, "Sweetie, I bet you are feeling pretty icky right now. Do you want to have a bath? I bet that would make you feel better." The girls head shot up and cocked it the side. It was as if she were a confused puppy. This was the most she had interacted with us and we finally seemed to be getting somewhere.

Alice pointed to the bathroom. "Bath. You can wash yourself. It's a bath."

Alice was mimicking the actions with her hand. I was internally laughing, it was just making the girl more confused. She looked to me with a curious expression and tugged on my hand. It was the action of a small child and it just seemed to make my heart melt even more.

"Yes, sweetie? What is it?" I asked kindly. Her eyes shifted to the bathroom and back to me. I quickly figured out where she wanted to go.

"A bath. You want to have a bath?" She looked at me and Alice and just pointed to the bathroom again. She may not understand us but she was determined to get her point across.

I stood carefully so she could see everything I was doing. I reached forward and she became tense again. I had thought we were past this. It wasn't her fault for though. I slipped my hands around her and lifted her up easily. I could feel her breath coming out in short gasps. I put her head on my chest and pet her hair. This seemed to calm her down.

I hated that I had to treat her like an actual child but this seemed to be the only way to communicate with her. Alice followed us silently to the bathroom.

The girl's eyes widened at the sight of the bathtub and struggled in my arms to get down. I let her go and once on the ground, she crawled to the tub.

Alice had gone to turn the water on and it came jetting out. The girl jumped at the sudden noise.

"It's alright sweetie. It's just water." Alice said. The girl stared at it as if it were something magical. I had an inkling feeling that she had never felt or seen the water before. Everything was new to her.

"See it feels nice." Alice took some water and gently poured some on her hand. The girl gasped in surprise and stared at Alice in wonder. I would have smiled at this interaction if it wasn't so concerning. It just wasn't normal behavior.

Alice helped her in and immediately she relaxed. The girl seemed to like the bath. Her hands drifted across the water in wonder as Alice got different shampoos and put them on the edge of the tub for her.

"Sweetie, do you want to choose one of these shampoos to try? They smell very nice." Alice said.

The girl just stared at her as if she were speaking a foreign language. Her eyes briefly drifted to the shampoo's in mild curiosity before going back to playing with the water.

Alice just chooses the strawberry scented. The girl didn't seem to have a preference. Or even understand what was going on.

The girls were preoccupied with the bath and I was just standing here, staring at them like a creeper. As much as it pained me to do, I decided I should go and come back later. I was almost out the door when I hear whimpers sound from the girl.

I turn around and she is staring at me with big eyes. It looks like she is about to start crying.

"It's alright. Edward can stay right here. He's not going anywhere." Alice calmly said.

That was right. I wasn't going anywhere. I would stay here as long as she needed me.