Chapter 4 – Would

From the song: Would by Alice in Chains

"Cassandra? Cassandra?"

I groaned and rolled over.

"Cassandra, it's after noon."

I slowly sat up to see Emily's face smiling at me.

"Good morning, sleepy butt."

I forced a half-smile.

"Breakfast in 10."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

I swung my legs over the bed and Emily stepped back to give me some room. I stood up and pain shot up my left leg and I collapsed onto the floor.

"Oh my gosh! Sam!" Emily helped me up and I heard heavy footsteps running up the stairs.

"No, I'm fine." I sat down on the bed.

"Sam, her leg." Emily said.

Sam kneeled down and inspected my leg. I hate this. He put a hand on the back of my leg and lifted it a bit to see the wound better. I really, really hate this.

"This must have been hurting for a while." Sam observed, looking at me.

I looked away.

"Why didn't you say anything, honey?" Emily put a hand on my back and I flinched.

Sam shook his head slightly at Emily and her hand lifted off of me.

"We'll have to call…Dr. Cullen."

"Alright." Emily stood up and left the room, followed by Sam.

"Ugh!" I flopped down on the bed. I sat back up and looked in the mirror that was hanging right across from me on the wall. I smirked. Kinky.

My black hair was completely jacked up (from sleep, I hoped) and my skin looked paler than ever, with dark circles under my eyes. It's no wonder. Last night I had a dream that a vampire and a werewolf were chasing me through a dark forest until they caught me (Vampire Speed) and the werewolf ripped me apart, strewing my blood over the snow. And oddly enough, the wolf was a Russet color. Coincidence? I think not.

I heard a knock on the already open door and a deathly pale guy walked in.

I bet he's a vampire. I half-joked to myself.

"Hello, Cassandra. I'm Carlisle Cullen."

"Edward's" dad. Well, crap. He is a vampire. This day just keeps getting better and better. I inconspicuously inched away from this blood-sucker, mostly moving my bleeding leg away.

He walked over to me and set this briefcase looking thing on the bed beside me and I jumped. This dude was obviously a vampire if "Edward" was (as if the pale skin a golden eyes weren't an instant giveaway.) so how the hell was he able to be around blood? Maybe the werewolves and vampires were in cahoots and Emily and Sam were bringing him here to rip my throat out! Hey, it could happen?

"Okay, Cassandra," The Vampire's voice was soft and friendly. "I am going to take your blood pressure." I reluctantly held my arm out and noticed I was shaking slightly.

He smiled slightly. "There's no need to be afraid. I won't hurt you."

Riiiiight…

After taking my blood pressure and putting that damn cold stethoscope on my heart. Um…Hello? He's a freaking vampire! Shouldn't he be able to hear my heart?

"Do you have any allergies to any medication?"

I shook my head.

"Okay. Let's take a look."

I immediately tensed up as his hands went to my leg and he smiled. "It's okay, Cassandra."

He looked at my woud for the breifest of moments before he opened his bag and got out a bottle of clear liquid, a needle and thread and small nail clippers. I involuntarily shuddered.

He put a blanket down on the bed and lifted my leg up and setting it on it.

"This may sting a bit." He told me gently.

Dr. Vampire poured some of the cleaner on my stitches and I sucked in a breath of air sharply. It was a little stonger than peroxide and hurt a heck of a lot more.

"Sorry," He smiled at me warmly and took a cotton swab, cleaning the wound thoroughly. "Only two of the stitches will need to be replaced, okay? Would you like an anesthetic?"

I cringed. "Can't we just leave it alone?" It came out a lot angrier than I intended.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." "Dr. Carlisle" answered.

I sighed irately and he smiled apologetically.

I lay down. "I hate needles." I mumbled under my breath.

He smiled slightly before I felt a sharp prick of a needle. I gasped before my whole leg went numb. I frowned up at the ceiling as waited for the stitching to begin.

"All done."

"What?" I sat up. He was right; there were new stitches in my leg. And I didn't feel any of it!

He smiled at me. "Yep."

"Oh. Uh…thank you."

"You're welcome."

As much as it pained me to admit it, I actually kind of liked "Carlisle." And no, not because he fixed my ugly wound and I didn't even feel it, but because when he smiled at me, I kind of felt…accepted.

No! That's crap! Why would I feel accepted by these people?

"Cassandra? Are you alright?" He looked at me with real worry in his golden eyes.

I didn't want to like these people, I didn't want to trust them. And they were supernatural creatures! But what if they aren't and I made it all up? What if they are, but they aren't as bad as I think? Carlisle seems nice? But what if I just end up getting hurt – physically or emotionally?

Mind overload.

"I know everything!" I blurted.

He looked taken a back for a second before he looked at me with sincerity. "What do you mean?"

"You're a vampire, and I hate it because I feel like you accept me, which is stupid. Sam is a werewolf! Your son saved me in the forest after I was attacked by a vampire. Jacob is a werewolf, which I hate because now I'm eve more afraid to get to know him, but we have a date today. What do I do?"

Carlisle smiled slightly before putting a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, Cassandra. We won't hurt you. We don't kill humans and neither do the werewolves. I promise, no one will hurt you."

"Why…how do you seem so okay with me?"

"It's one of my abilities. Acceptance."

I smiled slightly. "Well, I like it."

"As for Jacob, tell him the truth." He smiled. "It'll work out, trust me."