CHAPTER 11

"Daniella…" Edward turned and tried go near.

"No." She held out a hand. "Stay away from me."

"I didn't want to hurt you…"

"You're a ghost, and you didn't tell me."

"Danie, I never meant to—"

"You're a ghost!" She screamed. "And what's even worse, a ghost that killed people."

"I didn't mean to!" He exclaimed. "It made me do it."

"It?" She asked, aghast. "It makes you do things?"

"It can't control me anymore Daniella." Daniella let her guard down, giving Edward the chance to hug her. "I'm sorry…I'm so so sorry, my love."

She sobbed in his arms, unable to think properly. She was so happy this morning. She loved him—she still did, that was for sure, but this happened.

"You were never really going to London, were you?" She asked as soon as she could control her voice again.

"I can't." He frowned. "As the lady told you, I have to kill someone before I leave. To take back to my world."

"And you were going to kill me." She said dryly.

"No, no no no," He promised, kissing her forehead, willing her to love him once again. "I couldn't kill you—I couldn't do it, Daniella."

"So were you planning on leaving me at the airport or something?" She asked. Edward bowed his head. No, of course not, she thought sadly. You were going to kill me.

"I thought to kill you." He admitted. "You were so sad, but I couldn't be the one who denied you a chance at your own life. I died at twenty-three, a freak. I knew you had so much to live for and I couldn't let you do that."

"And this morning?"

"I don't know." He bit his lip. "You really wanted to, and for a moment then I thought of telling you and seeing if you really wanted to leave…forever."

Daniella stifled a sob, pushing him away. "So you lied, and then you tried to kill me?"

"It sounds bad if you put it that way."

"And how would you say it?"

"I love you." He cried. "And I would never hurt you, Daniella, even if it would hurt me. And I don't even think I can kill you, Daniella, you're not a freak."

At that, she looked up at him with emotionless eyes. "What makes a freak, Edward?"

"What?"

"You were going to take one of their own, right?" She realized, remembering what Ethel said. "So since they're from Jupiter, you can take anyone from here, right?"

"I don't think it works that way…" Edward assured her. "And a freak is…well, different—we're different from nature's plans for everyone. Like, like, conjoined heads, or no legs, deformed arms, or even like that lady, with too much testosterone in her blood."

"So even a medical thing that someone was born with?" Edward nodded. Daniella laughed bitterly. "Even with someone whose heart is abnormally big?"

"What?"

"Edward, I'm dying." Daniella said quietly. "When Dandy and I were born, the doctors found out that my heart was a bit too much, and it's not going to get better anytime soon. I'm not going to live past thirty years—I've accepted it a long time ago."

Edward looked at her, trying to feel something. He was the reaper of the freaks who dared perform on his death anniversary, and could sense what was so freakish about everyone and the desire to kill them if they are unique, but when he was near Daniella, he couldn't feel that. "You're not a freak."

"Yes, yes I am." Daniella said. "Why do you think you were pulled to me? Ethel was right—you were targeting freaks near death…even if you didn't know it."

"No," He persisted. "I was pulled to you, but it was something else—something that I never felt before. You're not a freak. You're not a—"

Surprise! It shrieked, and giggled. Edward felt a jolt, and then a buzz followed. This time, the feeling was familiar.

It was the feeling he felt when he was near a freak worth killing. Surprise!

"You knew," Edward said, talking to It. "You knew she was a—one of them. Why?"

A girl that looked just like Beatrice, also a dying freak. It laughed shrilly. How could I miss out seeing your reaction when you found out?

She was a freak. Edward felt like the shield the monster put that guarded her secret shattered into a million pieces—unless that was just his own dead heart breaking—and he could hear her heart beat very quickly. Daniella was a freak, and he felt the desire to have her as one of his own.

And at the same time, he loved her so much.

"I still love you, amidst that insignificant imperfection." He sighed. "I hope you can feel the same way about my…indiscretion."

Daniella looked at Edward, unsure of how to answer. On one hand, she still loved him. On the other, he lied. He gave her false hope that she and he could have had the happy ending she had always wanted. For a moment, she thought she was going to live the rest of her life—the next eight years—with him, away from the mother who hated her because of her imperfections.

She loved him, but because of all that, she could not even look at him.

"Go away." She said quietly.

"Daniella, my lovely." Edward's voice cracked. "Please…"

"Go. Away." She said even louder.

"You accepted me before!" He pleaded, holding onto her cold hands.

She shut her eyes and screamed. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Daniella opened her eyes. Edward was gone.