A/N: This chapter is quite long, but a lot happens within this chapter. Also, I tried to post the link to the dress from the first chapter in my profile but it wasn't working so I'll try to get that up there as soon as I can. Chapter 4 is another long one, that will be up tomorrow! Enjoy :)

3. Answers

Edward looked at Bella, then to Alice and Jacob. The silence was killing me. I began to fidget with my fingers. Jacob placed one of his huge hands onto both of mine, and then held one of them to comfort me.

"Elina..." Edward began. "What do you know about your parents?"

"My parents?" What would they have to do with any of this? "My dad is a realtor, my mom is a housewife."

"No, I mean your birth parents."

"How..." I didn't recall mentioning I was adopted. "I...I don't really know anything, just that they're both dead."

"Do you know how?"

"My mother died giving birth to me. I'm not sure about my father."

Edward took in a deep breath, as if hearing about my parents' deaths pained him. He looked at Bella and wrapped his arm around her. I was confused.

"And you know nothing else?" He looked back at me, almost frustrated that I didn't know anything about my birth parents.

"No..."

"We should wait for Carlisle." Edward said, standing up.

"What? No...What is going on?"

"It's complicated, Elina. When Carlisle gets back we'll tell you everything." Bella said, standing up after Edward. "Edward" She said, almost pleading, as she placed her hand on his arm. Edward nodded.

"We have to go. Alice and Jacob will stay with you until we get back." Edward said, following Bella and Renesmee out the door. They were gone in an instant.

I wanted to cry. I hated not knowing what was going on. I felt the warmth of Jacob's hand seep through to my shoulder. I leaned into him. His body heat was comforting, yet strangely abnormal.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You're unusually warm."

"Oh." He leaned away from me. "No, I'm fine. I'm just...warmer than other people." He said, trying to explain.

"Right..." I said in agreement. Everything else was weird here, so why not?

"Alice?" Jacob said, getting up to stand by Alice.

Alice had a blank look on her face. It seemed like something was wrong with her. She snapped back to reality and looked at me. Jacob motioned her to another room. I stood up, quietly inching towards where they were so I could hear what they were saying.

"What did you see, Alice?" What did he mean by 'what did she see'? Does she have visions, like me? Maybe they did have all of the answers. I began walking away, thinking if it were possible. I didn't know what the rest of the conversation was and would probably never find out what Alice saw.

Jacob and Alice returned.

"Sorry, I just zone out sometimes."

"It's alright, I..." I began to say that I could relate, that I had visions, but hesitated.

"Yes?" Alice tilted her head to the side. Jacob stood by me.

"I was just going to say, I understand." I said, deciding not to tell them.

"Oh" Alice said, almost disappointed. As if she knew I would tell her I could see things too.

"Actually...what I was trying to say was that I, um..."

"Yes?" Alice said, trying to get me to say it.

"I can relate."

Alice's eyes lit up. "How do you relate, Elina?" She asked, smiling.

I gulped.

"It's alright, Elina. You don't have to answer." Jacob said, placing his hand on my back.

"No, I want to. I can see things sometimes. Visions, I guess. I just assumed that's what happened to you." It was silent. Alice just smiled at me.

"Never mind, it's silly" I said, trying to cover up what I had just revealed.

"No, it's not. Elina, you were right," Alice beamed.

"Alice, I don't think..." Jacob tried to stop her from continuing.

"I do, Jake. You were right, I did have a vision. I can see the future." She said, naturally.

I smiled. For once, I wasn't alone. There was someone in this world that was just like me. Or maybe, I was just like them.

"Alice, you have no idea how amazing it is to know I'm not the only one. How long could you see things? Why does it happen?" I had so many questions.

"We have a talent, Elina. A lot of us do, like mind reading or the ability to control emotions. I don't know why it happens, but I've had this ability for as long as I could remember."

"Mind reading..." I whispered. I occurred to me, Edward was the mind reader. He knew I was outside last night when I had seen the beast; he knew I was listening to them even though I was sure they couldn't see me. It all started to make sense now. And surprisingly, finding this out wasn't freaking me out like it should.

"Yes, that's right." Alice assured me.

"Alice, we should wait for Carlisle and the others." Jacob interrupted.

"You're right. Everything will be even clearer later, Elina. For now, let's just enjoy the afternoon. I have to step out for a moment, but Jacob will be here." Alice said, smiling as she proceeded to leave.

"Thank you, Alice." I muttered as she left.

Okay, so I still didn't know why I had visions, but I wasn't alone. There were people out there like me. I finally belonged somewhere. I smiled to myself.

"See, I told you everything was going to be alright." Jacob said, placing his hands on my shoulders.

It never occurred to me just how large he was. He had to be almost seven feet tall and he was extremely muscular. I stared up into his dark eyes. They were warm and inviting. He looked at me so passionately, as if he'd known me forever. If I hadn't just met him, I'd think he was in love with me. It was strange. But I dismissed it and smiled.

"I can't wait until they get back. You don't know how great this feels, to finally know who I am. I've struggled with this for so long, Jacob. This is like a miracle to me. My car breaking down was the greatest thing that's ever happened to me." I confessed.

"What have you struggled with, Elina?" He asked, curiously.

"Everything that has to do with who I am...Ever since I was a little girl and started to grow at such a rapid pace. No one knew why. I could speak before I was a year old. And the running, I could run so fast I was invisible. And..." I inhaled and suddenly had a flashback to when I was twelve years old and I had given myself a paper cut. Blood seeped through the wound. I brought it close to my face to examine it. The blood smelled sweet, like flowers and candy. I placed my finger in my mouth and sucked the blood. It was delicious. My mother caught me and made me stop immediately. Part of me thirsted for more. It was one of the strangest things that ever occurred to me. The memory made me remember the sweet scent and all I wanted was to have just one more taste.

"Elina, are you alright?" Jacob's voice snapped me back to reality.

"I'm sorry...I just...remembered something."

"What is it?"

"It's silly..." I said, embarrassed to tell him I enjoyed the taste of my own blood to the point of sucking it all out of a paper cut in my finger.

"You can tell me"

"Well, I had this paper cut once..."

"Oh yeah, that's really silly. Almost ridiculous..." Jacob interrupted, sarcastically. He laughed. "Go on..."

"Right, the paper cut...well. I remember smelling the blood and liking it. So much so, that I began to suck the blood out of the wound. It tasted so good. I guess that makes me some kind of creeper." I laughed.

"No...Believe me when I say you aren't the only one." He was serious.

"You too?"

The conversation was interrupted by the return of the Cullens. I noticed Edward stand still, looking at Jacob. He inhaled deeply and then whispered something into Carlisle's ear. Both Edward and Carlisle went back outside. Jacob went after them. I wished I could hear them. I walked over to one of the many windows and placed my hand on the glass as I peered outside. Suddenly, I was standing in between Edward and Jacob as they spoke to Carlisle. I didn't remember moving. I kept my mind silent as I listened.

"She's tasted blood before?" Carlisle asked.

"Yeah, she had a vision about it. You should've seen her. It was like she was about to take a bite out of her own arm to taste it again." Jacob replied.

"What do you mean a vision? She had a vision to the past?" Edward asked in disbelief.

"It's possible, Edward." Carlisle confirmed. "I think it's better for her to figure this out on her own. We can't just tell her, it may frighten her."

"How can she figure it out on her own? She has no idea who her birth parents are." Jacob was defensive.

"Settle down, pup." Edward responded.

"Her parents must have something from the birth parents. If Elina sees it or touches it, she may have a vision. We have to get her to go home." Carlisle said.

I was about to enter into the conversation when I found myself back inside the house with my hand on the window. I gasped in shock. How was that possible? Did I just travel to the present? I turned as Carlisle returned inside with Edward and Jacob.

"Elina, we think it would be best if..." Edward began to say.

"If I go home..." I finished the sentence for him.

"Yes. It's not that you aren't welcome here, but maybe you can find something about your birth parents there."

"It's no use, Edward. I've asked them many times about my birth parents and they refuse to tell me anything." Then it dawned on me. If Edward came with me, he could read their minds in case Ronald and Marie refused to tell me what I wanted to know. "Unless..." I began.

"I think that could work." He read my mind. Literally.

"Okay, then let's go." I said, walking towards the door. I brushed past Edward's shoulder and was surprised by the temperature of his marble skin. It was ice cold. I stopped, dead in my tracks and looked him in the eye. He didn't say anything; he just walked ahead of me.

I followed him to the garage and noticed the silver Volvo that had led me here in the first place. He opened the passenger door for me and waited until I was in the car so he could close it. He was such a gentleman.

On the way to my house I didn't even have to tell him the directions. I just thought of them and he knew where to go. I laughed. I felt like a game. I looked at him and noticed his beautiful smile. I took in a deep breath as he turned into my drive way. I felt nervous to go into my own home. How would I explain who Edward was?

"Tell them I'm your boyfriend. You came to see me last night because you were upset" He replied to my thoughts.

I decided from that point on that I would monitor my thoughts. This couldn't be a fun game all of the time. He laughed at that decision. My point was proven. He laughed again. I played a song in my head so he would have nothing to read.

He turned off the car, stepped out and opened my door for me. We walked towards my front door and before we could knock my parents were there. I put on a half smile.

"Hi mom, dad..." I muttered.

"Elina, where have you been? We've been so worried!" My mother said, throwing her arms around me. I looked at my father who was giving Edward the stare down.

"This is Edward, my uh boyfriend." I managed to blurt out.

"You never told us about a boyfriend." My mother said, pushing me away to examine the statuesque man standing next to me. "I'm Marie, this is Ronald."

"It's nice to finally meet you." Edward said, politely.

"Yes, very nice" My father was unimpressed.

"Elina was upset and came to me last night. I'm sorry I didn't bring her back sooner."

"Well, you should be. For all we know she could have been kidnapped." Ronald said, sternly.

"Dad..." I motioned my way inside. Edward followed.

It felt like I was visiting a stranger. Suddenly this didn't feel like home to me. I felt more at home at the Cullen's, and I had been there barely a day. Yet, entering the place I've lived for eighteen years felt cold and foreign to me. Edward coughed and I realized I had gone back on my decision to monitor my thoughts. I looked at him and he laughed.

"Will you be staying for dinner?" Marie asked Edward.

"Actually, we're leaving soon. I just came back to ask you something." I responded.

"You can't leave, you just got back." Marie did love having guests over for dinner parties. This would put a damper on her abrupt dinner plans.

"I can't stay. I just have to figure some things out."

"Oh...okay" Marie seemed hurt.

"Maybe some other time" Edward chimed in.

"I want to know about my birth parents." I said, swiftly.

"Excuse me?" Marie acted offended. She wouldn't tolerate such a conversation with guests present. I knew this from previous experience.

"We will not have this conversation again, young lady." Ronald stepped in.

"I'm sick of you hiding things from me. I need to know. Please, give me something, anything" I pleaded.

"I wish we had something to give you, but we don't." Ronald said, coldly.

"Is it not enough that we are your parents and we love you?" Marie began to weep. It was the same weep she always had when I brought up the subject. It was fake and unnecessary.

Edward coughed. I assumed it was a signal that he heard them think something of use to me.

"Uh, where is the bathroom?" Edward asked, nonchalantly.

"Come on, I'll show you." I said, escorting him upstairs to one of the many bathrooms located in the house. Edward followed me in and I closed the door, locking it just to make sure.

"What did they say? Or...think..." I whispered.

"There is a box in their bedroom closet. It's a burgundy color with your name on it. I don't know what's in it, but it has to do with your birth parents." Edward reported.

"That's great, Edward. Thank you." I wanted to hug him, but the ice cold feeling of his skin forced me not to.

"I'll retrieve the box, you go downstairs and stall." He said, opening the door so quietly I didn't even realize he had done it. I made my way downstairs as we went to my parents' bedroom. He walked so quietly, it was like he wasn't even there.

My parents were sitting at the dining room table waiting for us. I sat down without saying a word. I began to fidget.

"Stop that, Elina, you know better." Marie scorned. I stopped. I was always fidgety, but never around Marie. Being away from her made me forget the no fidgeting rule. It was hard to believe that it was the longest I've been away from her. She always kept me by her side, afraid of what others would think of me. It was one of those things that puzzled me when she told me I was simply gifted, because even she recognized that something wasn't right about me and she was ashamed of it. Edward returned, his hands empty and by his sides. Maybe he couldn't find the box. He sat down next to me, placing his arm around the back of my chair. The coolness of his skin exuded off of his skin and sent shivers down my spine. Ronald stood up and left the room. Marie sighed and followed him.

"Where is it?" I whispered to Edward.

"It's in the car, don't worry."

"What's wrong with them?" I asked.

"Well, your father doesn't approve of me and your mother feels like she doesn't know you as well as she thought she did."

"Well, they've fed me lies for eighteen years, so how could she possible know me? And my father is simply bitter because I didn't end up with a scumbag like Jason."

"Be nice, they really do love you."

"I know..." I said, feeling remorseful for hating them like I have for not telling me the truth about my birth parents.

Edward stood up and I followed his lead. Ronald and Marie returned to the dining room, but remained standing.

"We should get going." I said, looking down at the table.

"Alright" Marie responded.

"I love you both" I said, this time looking directly at them.

"We love you, sweetheart. Be safe, alright?" Marie said, smiling genuinely.

I turned towards the door and Edward followed. As sad as I felt about leaving my parents again, I was anxious to get into that box. Edward handed it to me as soon as we were in the car.

I ran my hand over the rough, burgundy lid before lifting it. There were some papers inside, mostly adoption papers. Underneath was an envelope with my name on it and two photos behind it. I could see half of the first and immediately realized it was my mother. I picked it up and was in disbelief. She was stunning, with long, dark brown hair that flowed around her. Her eyes were big, round and a warm, dark brown color. She wore a white dress that flowed behind her in the breeze. Her smile was captivating. I ran my fingers down the photograph and suddenly I wasn't in the Volvo with Edward anymore.

I was in a bedroom. There was a large, canopy bed in the middle of the room with transparent fabric draping over the sides. There was a woman in the bed, seemingly pregnant. A man was at her side, holding her hand and crying. He lifted his head and seemed like he was in agony. His skin was pale white, and contrasted with his jet black hair. He pled to the woman to hang on. I didn't understand. I moved towards the side of the bed. There was a loud cracking noise, like the sound of a bone snapping in half, as the woman screamed in anguish. As I got closer I realized that the woman was my mother. The man next to her had to be my father. This was my birth. Part of me didn't want to see this, knowing it was my birth that killed my mother, but the other was overjoyed to see my parents in front of me. My father continued to plead with my mother, telling her he was sorry and that he didn't know what to do. I stared at him. Why was he so sad? This was the birth of his child, he should be happy. And then I noticed the ferocity of red seeping through the white sheet that covered my mother's pregnant belly. My father pulled the sheet back and the site was horrific. The baby seemed to have eaten its way out of the womb. Blood was everywhere. I didn't want to see this. I screamed, begging the vision to end. I didn't want to see this anymore, I wanted out of this gory scene. My mother's eyes closed, her final breath was expelled. My father was on his knees, sobbing. He lifted his head and noticed the baby struggle. He lifted the bloody body out of my mother's womb, continuing to sob.

"Elina" he whispered. Blood covered his hands. He placed the baby down and ran out of the room. The baby let out its first cry. I stared at my mother's lifeless body, and then glanced at the monster responsible. This had to be some kind of nightmare. This couldn't be true, because if it was then I was the monster.

I jolted in my seat as I was dropped back into reality. I was back in the safety of the silver Volvo, but the images still haunted me. Tears began to stream down my face. I didn't know what to think or what to do. Crying seemed like the natural reaction. A tear dropped down onto the photograph of my mother. I didn't want it to get ruined, but I couldn't risk touching it again.

"Get it away from me; get it all away from me." I yelled through my sobs. Edward pulled over to the side of the road, took the photograph, placed it in the box and closed the lid.

"Elina, you're safe now." Edward said, concerned.

"It was horrific, Edward." I blubbered.

"I know." He said, hesitating whether or not to hug me or not. I didn't care about the temperature of his skin, I fell right into him. I needed some comforting.

"You saw it?" I asked, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

"Yes."

"You must think I'm some kind of monster." I said, pulling away from him and leaning against the passenger door.

"No, of course not, it wasn't your fault."

"How can you say that? You saw what happened." It was entirely my fault. I don't care if I was an innocent infant, what I did was inexcusable. I murdered my mother in a horrific bloodbath.

"You can't..." He hesitated. "It was entirely instinctual. That's simply how these births happen."

"What are you talking about?"

"We should get back to Carlisle; he can explain this better than I can." Edward started the car and sped off.

"No, I want to know now. What do you know that I don't?"

"Elina, be patient."

"I've run out of patience, Edward. You will tell me, right now."

"We're almost there." He said, pulling into the side road leading to the Cullen's home.

"I want to hear it from you."

Edward was silent as he parked the car in the garage. He didn't get out.

"You can't help what you are, Elina. You mustn't blame yourself for what you have no control over. Trust me; I've learned this better than anyone else."

"Stop dancing around the subject. What did you mean about 'instinctual' and 'these births'?"

"Your birth was instinctual because of what you are, partially."

"I don't understand."

"Your mother was human..." He began. "But your father...he was one of us."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"We're vampires, Elina."

"Excuse me?"

"You are what we would call a hybrid: a mix between human and vampire." He explained.

I just sat there, frozen. It all made sense in this bizarre, mythical way. The weird abilities, the blood, eating my way out of... I couldn't finish that last thought. But vampires aren't real. They can't be.

"Yes. I was changed by Carlisle when I was seventeen and dying of the Spanish Influenza. You could say he saved me. He then changed Esme, Rosalie and Emmett. Alice and Jasper joined us later."

I noticed he forgot someone; Bella.

"Bella was human until recently. We were in love and were recently married. We didn't know it was possible for humans to become pregnant with one of us. When we found out, I wanted to have it destroyed, not knowing what it would become if it were to grow. She grew at a rapid pace; there was no time to waste. But she refused to let us touch the baby. I thought I lost her while she gave birth, but her heart was still beating. I injected my venom into her heart and proceeded to bite her all over to release my venom into her blood"

"Renesmee" I whispered to myself. Edward heard it.

"Yes, our Renesmee is a hybrid, like you." He confirmed.

I sat there, disconnected from reality. Edward stepped out of the car and came over to my side to open the door. I stepped out and proceeded to go inside, my movements robotic. I heard Jacob first.

"What happened? What did you do to her?"

"She knows" I heard Edward say in a monotone.

I closed my eyes for a moment, they felt heavy. I opened them again; afraid the images of my vision would return if I kept my eyes closed any longer. I realized I was sitting on the sofa.

"What is she thinking?" Bella asked.

"She isn't..." Edward said, sounding confused.

"Nothing?" Bella asked.

"Nothing..." Edward said, a bit louder than a whisper.

I felt a warm hand on my face. I looked up and saw Jacob staring down at me. I took comfort in his eyes. He sat down next to me and I leaned into him. His large arms wrapped securely around me. I inhaled, smelling something sweet, almost edible. Was it his blood? Is this what has become of me? Jacob rocked me back and forth. The motion was soothing. My eyes felt heavy and I reluctantly let them close. At first it was just black and I felt relieved. All too quickly, red seeped through the blackness and the image of my mother tainted the image behind my tired lids. I jumped out of Jacob's arms abruptly, shaking uncontrollably. Jacob tried to comfort me, others rushed to my side but everything was blurred. I could hear talking but I didn't know what was being said. It was like someone had pressed the mute button on a TV and the reception was horrible. I stared down at my hands, my nails dug into my palms as I clenched them into fists. I must have been really digging them into my palms because I could feel the warmth of Jacobs's hands opening mine and forcing me to lay them flat on my thigh and a commotion aroused behind me.

I began to think it was a mistake to want to know so much. Sure, I was frustrated with not knowing who I truly was before, but it seems way better than this. I wished I could just go back and forget all of this, forget the Cullens. Before now, I never smelled blood like this, or thirsted for it, so why now? Why can't I just suppress it like it had been for me for so long? Will I want to kill someone soon, maybe even Jacob? Questions swam through my head, all of them unanswerable. What was I going to do now? It was clear that I couldn't go back. I am what I am and nothing can change that. I should embrace it. Yet, a part of me just wanted to turn this all off. It made me feel like running again.

Someone must have been reading my thoughts, because I heard a stern "no" in the background. I felt something ice cold on my shoulder and I could smell a sweet scent. The coolness awoke me in a way, because suddenly I was alert. Nothing was a blur anymore, everything was clear. I lifted my head and saw Edward at eye level with me, looking me directly in the eyes.

"You can't run, not now." He whispered.

"I don't know what else to do." I mumbled.

"You need to embrace who you are now. It's the only way."

I cringed. Who am I now? Better yet, what am I now? I wasn't sure I wanted to embrace that part of me. Being human was looking pretty good at this point. All of that time I wasted wondering why I was different, dismissing being human and now that my suspicions are confirmed I missed being human. I took that for granted and now I regretted it. I needed to think, to myself, and figure things out. I looked around me at everyone staring at me and began feeling claustrophobic. I propelled my arms in front of me and they moved back. I stood and Jacob stood with me, his hands already positioned to grab a hold of me if necessary.

"Elina" Edward pleaded. I couldn't understand why he cared so much.

"I'm not leaving, Edward. I just need to be alone. Completely alone..." I looked at him sternly to let him know I meant business. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts without eavesdroppers.

I walked toward the creek and was about to walk across the plank when Edward took a jump and landed on the other side. I was stunned. There was no use in that plank for them, it was there for me. He stood there, eagerly, as if expecting me to make a jump across too.

"I don't think she's ready for that." Jacob told Edward.

I took my first step across and stopped to stare down at the water rushing beneath me. A part of me wanted to know what it would be like to fall in. It was an odd thought, but I couldn't help but picture myself fall and the cold water disperse around my body, chilling my skin. Before I could take my second step, Edward was in front of me with his hands out, ready to catch me. He obviously heard what I was thinking. I just shook my head at him and placed my hand in his as he led me across. Jacob didn't seem too enthused about that.

We reached Edward and Bella's house and both Edward and Jacob stood at the door, observing me as I walked in. I closed the door slowly, watching them as they remained still, their eyes on me. I rolled my eyes.

"Unbelievable" I thought.

So here I was, finally alone. I sat on the edge of the bed and laid back. At first, I cried at the thought of what I did to my mother, knowing that I did it because of part of who I am: a...I couldn't even think the word. How are they even real? I couldn't grasp my mind around it, but at the same time it made sense. So my father was a...vampire. Part of me is a vampire. The concept started to settle with me, but it still crushed me to know that I murdered my own mother. But, maybe Edward was right. It wasn't my fault, I was just a baby. How could I possibly know what I was doing? It was instinctual, right?

I tried to be logical and take Edward's advice to embrace this other part of me. I could be a vampire. Well, I could partially be a vampire. I still wasn't clear on the details of what makes someone a vampire, or part of a vampire. But I knew that I was one and that was enough. Maybe if I explored it I wouldn't hate this part of me so much. I remembered what it felt like to run, really run; the exhilaration and pleasure that came from it. I could finally feel complete in knowing who I am and I won't have to hide what I can do anymore.

It was decided: I would learn how to be a vampire.