Part 2:

Changes

"I wanted you to know

I love the way you laugh

I want to hold you high

And steal your pain away

I've kept your photograph

And I know it serves me well

I want to hold you high

And steal you pain

Cuz I'm broken

When I'm lonesome

And I don't feel right

When you've gone away

You've gone away..."

-'Broken', Seether and Amy Lee

Weeks went by, and Edward adjusted fairly well. He and Chris had become pretty good friends, as well as Samantha and Lance. The doc was very kind to him, and always seemed to make sure that Edward was never left out. Edward had become well known for his skill in cutting the hedges, and soon became even more well known for cutting hair. The girls came to him when they wanted a new hairstyle, and almost always loved what they got. And even if they didn't they never complained. They always felt the thrill of danger whenever those razor sharp blades were near their skin.

Corina still isolated herself from everyone else, and she was the only girl who had not gone to him for a haircut. Her hair was almost six inches below her waist. Edward had not yet succeeded in cracking her shell, but every once in a while he could have sworn he had made her crack a smirk. Joshua was still a bit of a brat, but every so often he got along well with Edward.

"When are you going to get hands?" asked Chris one day while he and Edward walked down the hallway to get to the gym.

"The doc said he was getting close to it," said Edward. "He said I might go in for surgery soon."

"You nervous?" Edward shook his head. "Most people feel a little jittery before going under the knife."

"I'm not very worried." Chris smiled and patted him on the back. "That's pretty good then. I wouldn't be too worried either. The doc will definently be able to help you, trust me."

"He didn't help Corina," said Edward, glancing at Chris to see how he'd respond. Chris sighed and shook his head.

"Now that's not fair. Corina's a whole different story. And you don't even know the half of it."

From the shadows, Corina watched as Edward and Chris passed. She was holding her cat, Snickers, in her arms and listening to them.

"I know she tried to shut out everyone, and she's sad," said Edward.

"How do you know she's trying to shut us out?"

"I saw it in her eyes," muttered Edward. "What happened to her? I want to know."

"Then she'll have to tell you," said Chris, shaking his head mournfully. "That's not my job, and it wouldn't be right. All I can say was it was hell for her and she'll probly never be able to get over it." He sighed, his face darkening. "For those of us who knew her before, it's even harder."

"What was she like?" asked Edward.

"Talkative for one thing. She always had this sort of spirit to her, and she used to be very energetic." He chuckled to himself and shook his head. "She was a little clumsy too, and had a great sense of humor." His smile faded, and he sighed. "I can only pray that she'll come back."

Edward felt his heart sink a little, and continued on to the gym with Chris, talking about other things.

When Edward reached the TV lounge, Lance, Mark, and Samantha were all gathered around a sketch book, flipping pages and gasping at what they saw. "Wow!" sighed Samantha. "It's so beautiful." Edward walked over and peered over their shoulders.

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's Corina's sketchbook," said Mark. "She must've left it here on accident. Look at this!" He held it up so Edward could see. It was a rose, drawn in charcoal, every detail made perfectly. There were little water droplits on the petals, and the leaves and thorns looked so real.

"It's beautiful," he said softly.

"She loves roses," said Samantha. "There's like six other drawings of roses. They're so real looking. She's got good talent."

The door opened, and Corina rushed in, a look of worry in her face. "Hey, Cor," said Lance in a friendly tone. "Your drawings are awesome!" She stormed up to them and snatched her sketchbook away. They all looked at her, slightly shocked, and she turned and left with it, her tail whipping through the doorway angrily. "Touchy," muttered Lance.

"Something tells me we shouldn't have done that," said Samantha.

"I didn't know she'd get mad," said Mark. "I just saw it there and I wanted to see what was in it."

"It's not your fault, Mark. She just needs to be left alone," said Samantha gently. "Let's just let her be." Edward wasn't paying attention to them, but watched as she headed outside, onto the porch with her sketchbook.

Three days had passed since that day, and Edward had watched as Corina distanced herself even more. It wasn't fair, he thought. Why should she have to be alone all the time? The sketchbook incedent had made her very upset, and the next day the doc had lectured them all about the importance of other people's privacy.

Edward had become excited with other things. A date had been set for his big operation. It was two weeks away, but he couldn't wait. In fourteen days he'd have actual hands. He had told Chris who had congratulated him enthusiastically.

"That's great, Ed," he said with a grin. "You must be excited."

"I am," he said with a smile.

"Two weeks. I'll be sure and write that down. That'll be a big day for you."

Edward smiled proudly. It would be a good day for him, and he could hardly wait. Unfortunetly he still had to, but it didn't matter.

"Hey, Ed," said Samantha as Edward sat down with her at Lunch.

"Hello," he said softly with a small smirk.

"I heard the good news about your hands," she said warmly. "Sounds like you'll be putting me out of the job." He smiled.

"You'll still sit with me right?" he asked.

"Of course I will! Why wouldn't I?" She smiled warmly and gave him a spoonful of homemade applesauce, the doc's specialty. She took a bite of her own and smiled, closing her eyes and savoring the taste. "I love it when he makes this stuff. It's so good."

"I know," said Edward.

"Nice outfit by the way," she said, pointing to his dark blue jeans and blue sweater. The doc had bought it for him along with other clothes.

"The doc gave it to me," he said with a smile.

"It looks good on you." She gave him another mouthful of applesauce before turning to see Corina walk into the room to get her food. She sighed and glanced back at Edward. "I feel so terrible about the other day," she muttered. "I meant to tell her that, but she doesn't listen to anyone. She seemed so upset. I don't really understand why, though. She's such a good artist. You'd think she'd be proud to hear her work is appreciated."

"I would be," said Edward.

"That reminds me," she said, changing the subject. "Can you give me a haircut later on? I really am due for a trim." He smiled and nodded.

"Sure," he answered. "I can do it after lunch." He looked back up at Corina who was eating alone, avoiding any eye contact with anyone. She seemed so sad, and he noticed a new bandage wrapped around her right arm that started at the wrist and ended an inch below her elbow. Samantha turned and looked at her.

"Oh, don't tell me she was at it again!" she groaned.

"At what again?" asked Edward. Samantha looked at him unsure.

"I don't know if I should be telling you this, but she's a cutter. Do you know what that is?" Edward shook his head. "She cuts herself. She hurts herself and damages herself on purpose." Edward's eyes widened and he looked over at Corina.

"Why?" he asked, slightly shocked. He didn't know people did that either.

"I don't know for sure. There's so many possible reasons. All I know is the doc has been trying for years to help her stop. No one's been able to."

"That's terrible," muttered Edward. "She shouldn't have to do that."

It was dark out when Edward slipped outside, unnoticed. He had an idea, and looked up at the porch to make sure it would work. Corina was sitting there with a cup of coffee, sipping it and watching the moon. He smirked, and looked back out to a hedge nearby that needed to be trimmed. The plan may not work, but he wanted to at least try.

Moving silently, he walked over to the hedge and began to cut away at it. In the dark, he could barely see what he was doing, but he managed to slowly form the hedge into the shape he wanted. Then, waiting till the moon was giving off enough light, he form all the needed details as well as he could, and waited for Corina to notice.

It did not take long. He glanced up at the porch, but she wasn't there. His heart began to sink a little, and he feared that it wasn't going to work. A light flashed on to the hedge, and he turned to see a flashlight shining in his eyes. He blinked, and the figure moved to the side, using the flashlight to look at the hedge. It was Corina, and her eyes were wide. She scanned the hedge up and down, and stepped up to it, feeling it and resting her face against it, closing her eyes. The hedge had been formed into a giant rose on its side.

When Corina opened her eyes again, she looked at Edward and walked up to him, a smirk on her face. She placed a hand on his shoulder and her smirk grew into a small grin. Even though she didn't say anything, her eyes told him enough. This meant the world to her, and he was glad he had been able to do something for her to make her feel better.

"I hope you like it," he said softly. She blinked and he was surprised. There were actual tears in her eyes. She turned back to the giant rose, and rested her head on the stem, placing her arms around it, and feeling all the leaves with her fingers. A tear fell down her cheek, and she walked over to him, smiling weakily. She hugged him lightly before stepping back and running back into the house. Edward smiled to himself. One step at a time, he reminded himself. Just seeing her face lighten up was enough for him that night.

"I saw your little creation in the yard," said Chris as he and Edward sat in the TV lounge. Edward looked up at him but said nothing. "I thought that was a pretty cool thing you did for Corina. I'll bet she loved it."

"She hugged me," said Edward with a smirk. "I think she loved it." Chris' eyes widened.

"She what?" he muttered. "She never looks at anyone, let alone hug them! That's a huge accomplishment on her part. You must've really made her happy."

"It was real quick, and she ran away. I did want to make her happy." Samantha wheeled herself in, and looked at Edward with a smile.

"That was a sweet thing for you to do," she said with a smile. "You have no idea how much that must've meant to her. No one ever does things like that for her, ever."

"I thought it was better than hearing 'freak' everyday," he said softly.

"I thought it was very beautiful. That's so cool though how you made it for her. I would've been in tears if it were me." He smiled to himself. She had been in tears, but he decided not to tell them that.

"One more day till the operation, Ed," said the doc. He had called Edward into his office to prepare him for the big day. "You nervous?"

"A little," said Edward. "Will it hurt?"

"Not while it's happening. You'll be put under a type of medicine called anesthesia. It puts you to sleep, and you won't be able to feel a thing. It shouldn't hurt at all to begin with, but once we get those hands on there, the nerves are going to react with pain like anyone else's would. That's why we need the anesthesia." He pulled out a small diagram of the human body. "You see, I'm going to give you more than just hands. I'm going to give you full arms and a torso. It'll function a lot better than what you've go right now, and it'll make you more human like. You'll still be practically immortal though, living on forever because you won't be completely human. Your body still won't age either, which is one thing a lot of men would kill to have." He chuckled and Edward looked pleased. "When this is done, it'll take about a week of recovery before you can do much again, but I'm pretty sure you'll find it well worth it."

"Whatever it takes," said Edward softly.

"Someday, I want to do the rest of you was well, but not all at once. One step at a time." Edward nodded.

"Thank you," he said softly with a smile.

"Now, this is going to be a major procedure, almost bigger than anything I've ever done. If you want to wait a while to make yourself mentally ready, I completely understand." Edward shook his head.

"I think I'll be fine." The doc smiled.

"Good. And feel free to change your mind. I don't want to rush you into anything." Edward stood up, ready to go. "Oh, one more thing," said the doc. "I saw your rose in the yard. Corina loved it a lot. That was an awesome thing to do. Believe me, you have no idea how much it meant to her."

"She always looks so sad. I wanted to make her feel better." The doc smiled.

"You're a good man, Edward. That inventor must've given you a heart of gold. He'd be proud if he could see you now. I mean that." Edward smiled greatfully, and the doc allowed him to leave.