A Little Gratitude Please...

The seven pale strangers turned to the bronze-haired boy immediately, however he stared back at them confusedly, as if to say "Why are you looking at me?". I cleared my throat, since they stayed like that for at least a few minutes. I thought over the past events: They came into the house, I shut my eyes and my family came back, then I shut my eyes again and the Cullens came back. I chuckled at the idea of some kind of supernatural power; like angels - immortality and innocence then clutched at the cross around my neck. What did all that have to do with the blink of an eye and tears? What did these strangers have to do with it? What did I have to do with it? Urgh! So confusing and annoying and... crazy. Maybe I finally cracked? I knew I shouldn't have sniffed that glue in nursery, mother had told me what the solvents would do to my brain. A hysterical laughter shuttered through my internal monologue, and I soon realised that the beautiful sound came from the bronze-haired boy. I stared into his amused topaz coloured eyes with a greater confusion than his own.

"Sorry" he told me after he'd calmed down, quite enough. This was no time for fun and games! I was going insane! These people have just appeared out of nowhere, they're obviously something of my imagination. But then how did that explain where my family had gone? I huffed in frustration then sat back down in the armchair. I curled into a ball and rocked myself back and forth, chanting to myself that it was just my crazy imagination, praying that this whole thing could be forgotten.

"Apparently we don't exist" I heard someone say, almost too quietly for me to hear.

"What conclusion would you come to in her situation?" a feminine and sweet voice countered.

"Fair point" the same voice replied.

"Hey, Edward?" a different girl asked now. "Why did you burst out laughing just now?" the room was in silence beside the sound of my own breathing and the ringing in the air of the new voice I hadn't heard before.

"Her thoughts were highly amusing" 'Edward' answered with a smile in his voice.

The room was filled with the low murmur of several voices trying to get their points across, but the words were coming too fast for me to make them out. I think I must have dozed off again, because when I came to once more it was light outside and the Cullens waited for me though their lips moved too swiftly for me to figure out what they were saying.

"I'm Carlisle, you remember?" the blonde man who'd held the keys in his hands told me. I nodded in response. "This is my family, Edward,-" he gestured towards the bronze haired boy, "-Alice and Jasper." In turn the small girl with pixie-like features waved and and said 'hello' the dirty blonde haired man beside her nodded his head in acknowledgement. Carlisle continued, "Emmett and Rosalie-" he gestured towards the brawny man with dark curls who I'd been intidated by at the door, though he seemed friendly enough now with a big grin on his face, then beside Edward, was Rosalie who stared at me with resentment just about written on her overly beautiful face and lush blonde hair cascading half-way down her back. "-And here is my wife, Esme" he brought his arm around the woman with caramel coloured hair and a kind face, I could see the adoration she had for the rest of her family, Carlisle especially as she watched him cross the floor to me.

"I'm Annette" I smiled at the family despite the nagging feeling of fear in the back of my mind. There was only silence in the room then, so I took to watching the clock. It was currently seven o'clock in the morning, wow I'd been asleep for a long time.

"You sleep well?" Carlisle asked while his golden eyes seemed to analyse every little detail on my face.

"Err, yes" I replied slowly.

"Even with your sleep talking?" Edward inquired, cocking one eyebrow. I'm sure my cheeks turned scarlet because the room suddenly felt a lot hotter.

"Oh no!" I brought my hands up to my face. "What did I say?"

"Only about angels..." Alice trailed off suggestively. If it was possible, my cheeks turned a brighter red.

"Jasper" Edward reproached Jasper for whatever reason.

I heard him whisper an apology in reply . What was all that about?

"Can I ask something?" I called out from behind my two handed shield.

"Sure" I saw Esme answer reassuringly.

"What is happening here? My family have disappeared, you're claiming to live here. But I live here..." I rubbed my eyes in an attempt to see things clearer and to be able to tell what's going on. I'm probably going mad. But is there any sense in trying to make sense of it? I feel sorry for the poor family having to deal with me right now, a crazy person who talks in her sleep; speaking of which. When were they going to sleep? "Hold on, let's not worry about that for now. You probably need some sleep?"

"We're fine" Rosalie hissed.

"But surely-"

"Nope"

Urgh, she's so snappy. So rude! Who does she think she is? Waltzing into my house, telling me she lives here then I offer her a bed and she bites my head off! So rude, a prize cow.

"Hey, I'm offering you a bed to sleep in. You could at least show a bit of gratitude" I told her quickly. "You need your beauty sleep don't you? Or are you a 'natural beauty'?" I smiled sweetly once I'd finished and I could see the rest of the family not so successfully trying to hold in their laughter. The same could not be said for Rosalie though, she looked like she wanted to snap my neck and bury me in the woods. I grinned widely at her while she sank back into the sofa with crossed arms. Ha! Nothing to say to that. Once the excitement had died down I asked the family if they needed a bed again but they didn't in fact need one; as Rosalie had said. This time they declined with grace at least. I rose from my seat to find myself ravenous then remembered my guests.

"If you don't want a bed, surely you'd like something to eat?"

"No, thank you" Alice answered on behalf of her family. I sighed then headed into the kitchen, it looked much the same as yesterday as I headed for the fridge to get some ham only to find that it was empty. I can see they helped themselves already, no wonder they're not hungry, they ate a week's shop! Damn... crackers it is then. I headed to the cupboard beside the fridge, only to find that empty as well. I searched the rest of the cupboards in the kitchen, including the one underneath the sink; without finding so much as a crumb. My stomach grumbled, which was accompanied by a dry throat. I took a glass out of the cupboard above the sink and poured myself a glass of water. The Cullens must have had something to drink... yet there wasn't a single glass in dishwasher when I looked or by the sink. Right, so they've eaten one hundred salty Jacobs crackers between them and not drunk a single drop of water, ham is salty too and cheese. So this is actually quite creepy. I sauntered back into the living room where the family sat in their same places chatting quietly amongst themselves.

"Would anyone like a glass of water?" I asked. Carlisle was about to answer when Edward told me he'd like one, so the rest of the family followed suit.

A/N: How do you like it? Eh? Eh? REVIEW!