Chapter 10 – You're A What?

Ilina –

Sarah drove me home after school, regardless of the fact that it was still technically illegal (her six months weren't up yet), but she didn't seem too worried about it. Besides, she knew that my mom was still a mess after Dad's death a few years ago, and she'd just bought some more liquor yesterday. It was kind of a race to get home.

She dropped me off in front of my house, waving as I got out of the car. We hadn't spoken about Edward for the whole trip, so I hadn't told her that I didn't believe her theory, but I could do that tomorrow. Outside, the cloud cover merely dampened my mood, as well as the fact that I could practically smell the alcohol from outside the front door. Mom had been drinking again.

I unlocked the front door, gagging at the scent of the wine that hit me as I stepped inside. I covered my nose as I closed the door behind me. She was sprawled across the couch, the bottle slipping from her hand as she slept through the soap opera that was on. I scoured the house for any other discarded wine bottles and found none. She hadn't drank herself to death yet. I took the mostly empty bottle from her fragile hand, corking it again and stashing it in the trash can outside. I took the rest of her stash and threw it away as well. She'd be angry in the morning, but I couldn't stand worrying about her getting alcohol poisoning.

I cleared off the table, putting the dishes that she'd used this morning in the sink to wash later before starting my history homework that was due tomorrow. I breezed through it quickly, so I started to think about Edward again as I started to prepare dinner. I made it for one – Mom didn't look like she was going to be awake anytime soon – and busied myself with the most difficult thing to cook possible. In the end, it didn't taste great, but I'd managed to take enough time to make it to warrant work until it was time to eat.

I felt exhausted. My eyelids drooped, even though it was only six o'clock. As I walked into my room to boot up the computer, I rubbed at my eyes. Maybe I just needed some caffeine. Besides, if Mom woke up later, she'd want some to ward off the hangover that she'd have. As the machine started up, I turned on the coffeemaker.

Of course, when I returned to my room, I had a visitor.

My mind hadn't even comprehended who it was before I had started screaming. Loudly. A second later, a cold hand was clamped over my mouth, and I was struggling – fighting – with my assailant.

"Ilina!" he said softly but sternly. My limbs dropped as I recognized the voice. His face finally focused in front of me.

"E-Edward?!" Maybe Sarah was right. Maybe he was some sort of . . . rapist or something. "What are you doing here?!" As my shock wore off, suspicion set in. What was he doing here?!

Chagrin showed on his face as he looked down. "I-I have something to tell you. It's a secret though, so you can't tell anyone, okay?" He seemed intent on this as he clasped my wrists with his cold hands. I nodded slightly. Whatever his explanation was, it had better be good.

Edward –

I hadn't meant to startle her like that. She was looking at me with wide and frightened eyes, and I realized that I needed to calm her down before I could do anything else. "Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Her thoughts were racing quickly inside of her head, none of them really comprehendible. Even so, her heart rate was beginning to slow again, her blood not pumping so rapidly through her veins. "I just couldn't tell you this at school because it was too dangerous. No one else can know, okay?" I knew that I was restating this, but since she nodded again, this time looking a little bit surer, I trusted that it would be fine to tell her. "Here, sit down." I guided her over to the desk chair, and she obediently sat.

I took a deep breath, pressing my fingertips together. I'd never really told anyone this . . . how could I start? I pressed my lips together, finally looking at her. She looked more expectant than anything, wondering what had me so riled up. My calm demeanor had been shaken; this at least she could see.

"Ilina, I'm . . . a vampire." Yeah, I went for a more blunt approach. She blinked a couple of times.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm a vampire," I repeated. Her mind was struggling with this.

"Are you insane?" I snorted. She questioned my sanity. I questioned my sanity. Why had I told her again?

I flicked my hair from my face. "No, actually, I'm not."

"And what makes you think that you're a vampire?" She thought that she was just humoring me with this, like I was insane or something. In the back of her mind, though, she was piecing some of the pieces together.

I grinned. I was going to be cruel. "Well, I can't sleep . . . I drink blood . . . I'm a hundred years old . . . oh yeah, and my heart doesn't beat." That was going to be my trump card – the one thing that she couldn't refute. Humans needed their heartbeats. I could hear hers fluttering inside of her chest.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Your heart . . . doesn't beat?" she asked slowly.

I walked close to her, placing her hand on my still chest so that she could feel it. "No, it doesn't."

She looked down, her hand still perched over my heart. "You're . . . you're telling the truth. Your heart doesn't beat . . . Does that mean . . . ?" Her mind was piecing it together.

"Yes, I'm a vampire."

'But . . . is he going to . . .'

I answered her thoughts quickly, the very idea repulsing me. "No. I'm not going to bite you." I could already see her pretty eyes screwed up in pain, her teeth clenched together tightly . . .

Her eyes widened. I had forgotten that she didn't know that I could hear her thoughts. "Um . . . I read minds too." This sentence was slightly awkward as it came out of my mouth, making me sound more like an awkward teenager than a hundred-year-old vampire. I grimaced – so much for getting better at talking through years of experience.

"So . . . you're really a vampire," she said softly, her hand falling back into her lap. It had been a good idea to make her sit down before telling her. Her face was so much paler than it had been before I'd come, I worried about her health for a moment.

"Yes."

Her lips twitched as she tried to revive her normal spirit. "I guess you won't be wanting dinner then."

A/N: Yay! Ilina knows Edward's a vampire now! But how shall she react, I wonder? Actually, I know, but give me your speculation! Do you think she's going to tell Sarah and Beki? Or not? And will she meet the rest of the Cullens? I wonder?

I'm thinking of making a new fanfic for Phoenix Wright:Ace Attorney! If you've played the game, tell me - should I or not?

Read and review!