Hello everybody! I've replaced Chapter Nine-now it actually makes sense! Apparently, half of it got lost in transit last time . . . Sorry about that! And, starting in the next few chapters, the story is going to get longer. Sorry they've been so short !! =]

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. But I do own March 1. It's my birthday. =]

Carlisle then told me that I was free to go. Smiling widely at me, he slipped off his plastic gloves, carefully picked up the sample of my blood, and was out the door in a flash. I assumed that he was off to the hospital. I knew that this would keep him occupied for a while.

Alice gently took my hand and led me downstairs. Bella and Edward were sitting on the couch. The television was on, but I could tell that they both weren't really watching it. They looked up in unison when we entered.

"That's good," Edward said in a low voice, responding to Alice's thoughts, I think.

"What's good?" Bella asked. I was glad that she had asked him-I was still a little intimidated by him-and that I wasn't the only one out of the loop.

"It seems as though Lila's blood has almost no effect on us," Edward said, trying to sound casual.

"That's great!" Bella agreed, flashing me a smile. It was nowhere near as dazzling as Carlisle's had been, but it was sincere and beautiful in its own way.

"I'm not sure, Alice," Edward said, mouth hardening into a line. "I don't know what their reaction would be-and you obviously can't tell, either."

This was getting really annoying. How could Bella stand it? But I guess she was used to not hearing their conversation and looked calm enough as she patiently waited for one of them to explain. This time it was Alice that took pity on us.

"We're trying to decide whether or not we should tell the pack about Lila." The pack? Oh, she must have meant those werewolves she was talking about before. But why would we want to tell our enemies anything?

Edward saw the confusion on my face. "We've reached an understanding with the pack and we're trying our best to keep on good terms with them.

"Surprising them with a half-vampire now might be bad, but surprising them with one who's living here a month, or a year-that might anger them and make them drop the treaty. They might see you as a threat and want to, uh, get rid of you."

I saw through his choice of words. Get rid of me? I knew the werewolves wouldn't stop at that. If they were worried about the people here, surely they'd be worried about the people elsewhere. The werewolves would want to kill me?

"I could be wrong, Lila."

Oh, that was going to be annoying.

I saw Edward's lips turn up the tinniest bit-smiling at my thoughts, no doubt.

I was really going to have to learn how to control my emotions. This "I only hear your thoughts when you're stressed" stuff was not going to work out.

"So," I said nervously. "Should we just tell them? Wouldn't it be easier to just get it out there, and let them interpret it the way that they want?"

"It would be better than having them think we were deceiving them the entire time," Alice agreed.

We all looked at Edward.

He shrugged. "I don't know if it will be better or worse. I just know that we are going to have to tell them eventually."

"Then it's settled. As soon as possible, we'll meet the pack and introduce them to Lila."

Alice tried to ease the conversation into lighter topics, but it was hard not to think about what was to come. I didn't want to be torn between the werewolf and vampire feud. I was already torn between humans and vampires, just because of what I was. I was sure that the werewolves would eventually accept my presence here. I didn't feed on humans. I didn't even know most of what I could do vampire wise. After all, I hadn't ever met any other vampires until now, so it wasn't like another one could follow me here.

I was sitting there trying to convince myself of this when the rest of the Cullen's adopted children came in. They didn't give an explanation for where they'd been and piled into the room, fitting into their separate spaces as if they had been meant to be there the whole time. I didn't know how, but I could sense that they had heard our whole conversation and were thinking it over themselves.

Alice got up and motioned for me to stand. "I'd better take you home. We don't want your father to worry."

I nodded in agreement and silently followed her to the door.