Disclaimer: Don't own it, just get a kick out of writing about it. Thanks Stephenie!

Thanks again to my wonderful beta, Emilie Fauve!

"Rosalie." I stepped forward from the doorway, slowly approaching the statuesque blonde. I kept my tone even and my face void of emotion as she turned away from the mirror to face me. Her expression matched mine – completely blank, but her thoughts betrayed her calm pretense.

Edward Cullen. Am I pretty enough for you now?

There was no confidence in her mental question whatsoever. I debated whether to answer her, but decided to refrain. She'd find out soon enough. For the time being, I needed to use my talent to my advantage.

"Hello Edward." Her voice was absolutely magnificent. It rang out across the room like crisp, chiming bells, resonating off the walls and causing me to actually shiver. I balked at that surprising reaction, filing it away to contemplate later.

"Are you thirsty?" It was the safest thing to ask her, even though I knew that Carlisle and Esme had asked that same question repeatedly. I was especially curious to see how she would respond after hearing her previous plans of attacking Royce and his friends.

Thirsty…they say I will always be thirsty. Thirsty for blood. Expected to drink from dirty animals for eternity.

She hid the disgust in her thoughts well. "Is that why my throat aches?" She was also playing dumb. I knew Carlisle had described the sensations she would be feeling, and so I waited to see if he and Esme picked up on her act.

Esme lovingly stroked Rosalie's hair again. "Yes, dear. Please let us show you how to ease the pain. You'll feel so much better after you feed."

Edward, we need to get her to feed soon. It's the best way to acclimate her to this life.

Carlisle glanced over at me, waiting for a response to his thought. I raised and lowered my eyes once. Disappointment infiltrated my veins as I realized that he and Esme were either too blinded by Rosalie's beauty to see the truth, or they simply chose to ignore it. Either reason was downright nauseating.

"Why don't we all go out and hunt?" Carlisle suggested with an air of finality. He was struggling to control the situation and get Rosalie over her first considerable hurdle as an immortal while also distracting her from hunting down Royce. I played along for the moment, keeping a sharp eye on her reactions, and, more importantly, her thoughts.

Hunt. I never thought I'd hunt any animal in my life. How ironic. What's the point of looking the way I do if I'll be covered in dirt and blood and grime?

My urge to laugh was quickly stifled by the contradicting blank expression on her face as she turned to Carlisle and nodded submissively in answer to his question, waiting for him and Esme to lead her outside. Her attention returned to me as they moved across the room to the door.

Is Edward joining us? Or is he too good to hunt with me?

I answered Carlisle's earlier spoken question by following them out of the room. A nagging sensation was growing inside of my head every time I heard Rosalie mentally think about me. It wasn't that I didn't expect it, but there was something different about how her thoughts came across, different than how Esme and Carlisle communicated silently with me. Was it because she was still unaware of my ability? Possibly so, but I couldn't help but suspect it was something more, like the odd effect her voice had on me – why was that? There had to be a logical explanation, most likely something related to my distaste for Carlisle's reckless decision. Regardless, I did not like these new, foreign feelings that had started to course through my body.

Carlisle and Esme steered Rosalie away from the house and into the nearby forest that I had retreated to during her transformation. Once again, they were explaining the details of how we hunted. She listened patiently, but her thoughts betrayed her outward interest in their instructions.

Might as well practice on some worthless animals before finding that monster.

She was back to plotting Royce's demise.

He'll pay for what he did. They'll all pay. Even if it takes me a month or more to get them.

Her talents were amazing, even to me. Outwardly, she appeared to be listening intently to Carlisle's instructions as he showed her how to use her new heightened senses to seek out the animals that would best quench her burning thirst. She nodded at all of the right times, even asking questions when appropriate, yet her thoughts continued planning and scheming ways to kill Royce and his friends

Got to find a way to get to him without anyone knowing. He'll pay.

I considered revealing her plans to Carlisle again, in private of course, so as to keep my special gift a secret from her as long as possible. But I just couldn't quite bring myself to do that. We would be moving from Rochester soon anyway due to Carlisle's decision to change her. Would it really hurt if she had her vengeance? Wouldn't I do the same?

As much as I despised the wicked blonde, I had to admit to that I would be thinking the exact same thoughts as she if I were in this situation. I decided, for the time being, to allow her plan to cultivate in secrecy. Let Carlisle deal with the consequential acts of his new daughter.

The next few days were spent acclimating Rosalie to her new existence. Discovering that your human life is over at such a young age is difficult enough when your parents are already gone and you have no family, lovers, or children to live for, as Esme and I knew all too well. Rosalie however, was suffering from a whole other level of pain. And I felt it first-hand.

At least a dozen times a day I considered leaving until sufficient time had passed for her to mentally cope with the transformation. Her constant thoughts of never seeing her parents or brothers again were unbelievably agonizing. Dreams of the future life she had planned with Royce were almost worse. I saw it all – deeply seeded sorrow at the realization that she'd never be a mother, never be able to grow old and watch her children's children take their first steps; and the awful realization that this idealistic future she kept replaying in her mind was snatched away by the sadistic monster, whom she had given her heart, and his fellow fiends. She couldn't let that go. No amount of comforting or reassurance from Esme and Carlisle lessened her personal torment, and I bore witness it all as if it were actually happening to me.

I tried desperately to understand, to empathize with this broken girl and her grief, but her pain was simply too much for me to endure. It repeatedly dredged up my own long-buried angst over this worthless existence, constantly driving me to the brink of insanity. Even if Rosalie were the sweetest, most self-sacrificing person to ever walk the earth, it would be nearly impossible to be in the same room with her, let alone embrace her as a sister; considering her malevolent personality, extreme vanity, and well-hidden lack of self-confidence, it was all I could do to be within a half-mile of her.

So, I avoided her that entire first week. When Carlisle and Esme schooled her around our home, I hunted as far away from the house as I could get. When they stepped out to hunt, I returned home for a few blissful hours of peace in the one place I could truly relax. The physical distance aided my attempts to stay out of everyone's heads, thereby minimizing my own suffering, but it was only a matter of time before Carlisle noticed my repeated absence and confronted me about it.

Edward, what's wrong? Why are you avoiding all of us? Are you still angry with my decision?

"No," I lied. I couldn't bear to tell him how much pain I was in, both from the onslaught of her agonizing thoughts and the acidity of her personality. It was bad enough I was suffering through it; he didn't need to as well.

Then what is it? Esme and I miss your company. And Rosalie keeps asking for you.

I rolled my eyes at his last thought, knowing all too well that wasn't true.

"I just needed some time to be alone, I guess." I hadn't thought through what I would say to him in this situation, so I struggled with finding the right words. "Has Rosalie begun to adjust to her new life?" Changing the subject seemed my best option.

Carlisle sighed dejectedly before answering. "Yes, and no. She seems to have an extremely strong sense of self-control, but I'm concerned about her mental state while we remain in Rochester. I think it's time we uproot and move – very soon." I grimaced and lowered my eyes.

I believe she's finally given up on thoughts of retribution against Royce. However, it's best we put some distance between them, to remove the temptation.

I simply nodded, choosing not to inform him that plans to bring about Royce's demise continued to plague her thoughts. I was staying out of it.

"How soon will we be leaving?" I asked instead.

"As soon as we can pack everything up."

That meant no more than a couple of days. "Where will we go?"

Carlisle sighed again, "Somewhere far from other humans, at least for a while, to give Rosalie some time to acclimate. Also, somewhere we have never been before - that will help us all bond as a family." He gave me a pointed look.

Perhaps isolation from familiarity will help foster a relationship between the two of you.

I gritted my teeth and fought to keep my response even. "Have you picked a place?"

"Yes. Appalachia. I was thinking down near Knoxville, Tennessee."

"Fine. I'm ready whenever you are."

You're not happy, son. What can I do to make this easier on you?

I shook my head and looked down at the floorboards. If a move was only a couple days away, I resolved to stick it out until then. Maybe Carlisle was right – maybe a move was what we all needed to make this expanded family work. If things didn't go well, then I'd contemplate going my own way again.

"You know, Edward, you can't ignore her forever. She'll be back from hunting soon. Can't you try to get along with her?" Please? For me and Esme?

Purgatory just kept getting worse. I thought once more about my short time as a human, trying to remember whatever it was I had done to deserve this hell-on-earth. I wanted to cry out that it wasn't fair, but I had given up looking for fairness years ago. The gods of fate seemed hell-bent on pushing me to the breaking point, this time with a demon disguised as Rosalie Hale.

I looked back up from the floor to meet his pleading gaze. "Yes, Carlisle, if it makes you happy, I'll try."