Bella

I called Charlie and told him that Mike and I would be cramming all night for a history test at his place. He put up no fuss, and if anything was happy to have me out of the house and doing something "normal" for a change.

It had been so long since I had been inside this house. I had always stayed on the porch before, never brave enough to enter. It no longer felt like home, the buoyant atmosphere now long gone. A light layer of dust now coated the tabletops in the dark house. Everything appeared to have been left behind...just like me. There was no happiness here anymore. It was just a house. That was the worst part of it. I remembered so clearly the times spent here. I used to sit on the sofa in the family room and play video games with Emmet. Alice used to drag me up the stairs in the foyer and into her room, where she would torture me with endless piles of beauty products, and just about every issue of 16 magazine that had ever been published. Room by room, I went through, until stopping at Edwards door. Should I expect it to be the same as the other rooms? I didn't know if it would be worse to see it empty or undisturbed. My hand ghosted at the door nob, but I could not bring myself to open the door. Tears rolled freely and shamelessly down my cheeks. I couldn't bring myself to care if Caius thought I was weak, after all, I was probably dead in his eyes anyway. I sat with my back against the door, knees curled to my chest, and arm wrapped around them. A month after he left, I began to think that maybe, with time, that the pain might start to subside. I thought that by keeping the memories I had with him alive, that maybe I could feel less alone. I would always have memories of him, and he could never take that away from me, or at least I thought. As the time passed I thought that this pain might start to subside, but it didn't. It's like the longer I spend away from him, the worse it gets. Pulling the pen from my vest, I begin to draw on the inside of my wrist. I trace the basic shape of his eye, pushing hard into my skin, welcoming the ache as I ink along my skin. After his eye I moved to his brow, then to his hair. Before long I began to grow tired. Tucking the pen back into my vest. Leaning onto my side on the floor, I tucked my right arm under my head, and pulled my knees close, and before long I was asleep.

The grey light shining through the window told me that it was nearly one in the afternoon. I stretched and clambered to my feet. I made my way down the stairs, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Took you long enough," I could hear Caius say from the kitchen, "Thought you would sleep all day."

"Sorry," I yawned as I walked into the kitchen.

"Catch," he said, throwing a bag of something my way. Startled I jumped back, letting the bag fall to the floor. "Good catch."

He smirked.

I picked up the bag, turning over to read the pretzel label.

"Where did these come from?" I asked.

"They were in the cupboard. We can't have you passing out. I wouldn't be much of a captor if I let you starve to death," He said with a bit of a chuckle. I just stared at him, a little surprised to hear him joking.

"Please do tell me you at least have a little sense of humor, otherwise this is going to be very dull."

I leaned against the counter beside him wordlessly, opening the bag of pretzels and nibbling on one.

"I'm beginning to grasp that conversation is not really your strong suit."

"It's hard to keep a conversation with someone who views you as lunch."

"You're really more of a snack."

"Hence the pretzels?"

"Hence the pretzels."

I couldn't help but grin a little at the stupidity on the conversation.

"So she does smile.

"Feels weird."

"What does?"

"Smiling."

"Then perhaps you should practice more often. What did he do to you anyways?"

I was silent for a moment. The smile immediately dropping form my lips.

"Nothing."

"It doesn't seem like it."

"Why am I here?"

"Because our laws require it."

"Vampires have laws?"

"Only a few. One of the core laws, is that no human is to know of our kind. Occasionally, if the human were to show potential, he or she would be changed, but it is uncommon. Most likely they become what you would refer to as 'lunch.'"

"You want to see if I have potential then?"

"Essentially. You're braver than the others. Almost all of them ran, but you never even seemed to consider it."

"It wasn't that hard really. Besides, I fall down a lot when I run."

He laughed, "I'd like to see that."

After a few moments he broke the silence.

"You don't know who I am, do you?"

"Was I supposed to?"

"No, I don't see why you would. It's just...unusual is all."

"Why? Are you like a lord or something?"

"Worse."

"A duke?"

"I'm a king."