"You talk in your sleep." Her voice lilted over from the armchair in the corner of my room. My head snapped over to her, as if to assess a threat. Not that I'd have any kind of upper hand if that were the case. She merely closed the book in her hands with a loud clap and stood. "Did you know that?"

She watched me and it took a few seconds for me to register that she was expecting a response, "no." Seeming satisfied with my answer, she returned the book to the bookshelf.

"I thought your brother was supposed to be my guard today?"

Jane raised a single eyebrow. "Would you prefer I go and get him?" Though her words sounded venomous and resentful, there was a tingling sound as if she were teasing me.

"No," I spoke automatically.

"Yes, he has been rather moody as of late. That would be your doing, of course."

I felt guilt overwhelm my stomach, "what did I do to him?" Jane only looked at me, not even a shrug of indifference.

Resigned, I pushed the covers off of me and made my way into the bathroom. I stripped, careful about choosing the levels of both hot and cold before stepping into the shower. I tilted my head back, allowing the water to cascade over my face and down my chest. I breathed out before recognising that I had to get out sooner or later to face the day.

Today was Thursday. The day I was supposed to somehow manage to again sneak out under the noses of the all-hearing, super speeding, watch dog vampires that were to know my whereabouts 24/7.

I'd assumed it would be Alec that I'd have to get past. As he'd complained about having to babysit me while Aro's guest was here. Which, as far as I knew, they were. The plan was loosely based around the fact that I could annoy Alec enough to leave me alone in my room then I could escape. But if Jane were guarding me, I'd have to go back to the drawing board. With a very small time frame. Unless, she was just visiting and her twin would return.

A rush of nerves flew through my stomach as I considered the possibility that Alec would have replaced his twin in the short while I'd been away. That he'd be sitting in a chair or even on my bed —

A cough wracked its way out of my chest at the direction my thoughts were heading. At the feeling it brought up that I didn't quite understand; an inkling in my brain slipped the word desire to the forefront of my mind. I immediately shoved such ideas aside, ashamed at the audacity of my brain to go to such a place. As if.

I quickly finished my routine, eventually stepping out and carefully tucking the towel around myself. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have to convince myself that there was no logical reason for Alec to be in my room. It would just be Jane. Innocent looking Jane with a major dark side and an apparently, insanely painful power that may or may not have an effect on me.

When I did open the door, Jane had chosen another book. She didn't acknowledge my presence and so I made my way over to the excessively large closet. I inspected the rows of clothing, which had been filled by the magic elves that had put my room back together. Even an eternity wouldn't be enough time to wear all of the outfits that filled it up. I eyed the clothes I'd arrived in, purposefully separated from the new clothing. They'd bought me some new jeans and other modern clothing, but I hesitated at accepting expensive gifts. Not to mention the current trends were an incredibly obvious out of place fashion that I'd been wearing around for the past few days.

I glanced to Jane once more, and I think she noticed because she let out a harsh, "what?" I didn't respond, but reached up to pick out a dress that matched hers. I disappeared deeper into the closet and slipped the dress over my head, loosely tying the string that hung at its side behind my back so that it fell to form a tiny bow below my waist.

As I stepped out of the closet, I was attempting to braid my own hair - something I'd never been very good at it. I took a seat at the vanity, turning to face Jane to attempt to strike up a conversation when a cool breeze gently swiped my neck. I realized, with a light tug of my hair, that Jane had taken over my braiding for me. This was confirmed as I caught sight of her in the mirror, intensely focused on my hair. We were silent for a time as she gracefully plaited the strands at a surprisingly patient human pace.

Jane lightly dropped the end of the braid over my shoulder. I glanced up at her through the glass, twirling the end of the braid between my fingers, "thank you." She nodded and we continued watching each other in the mirror.

"Who is Misha?" My face scrunched up in confusion to her knowledge of my recent past. "You asked for him. When you were asleep."

"Misha was one of the nuns that watched after me. My father left me at an abbey when I was eleven and he never came back. It's the closest I've ever had to home, thanks to her." A frown was evident on Jane's face at this information, which surprised me. I assumed it was a response to the religious connection, as she already knew my father was missing. It seemed that only in recent years that a dislike of the church wasn't uncommon. So, religion was likely to have been built into their lives from the beginning, if my guess at history had any weight. Had her experience with it stayed so long into her years as a vampire?

My hand touched the rosary hanging around my neck and as soon as I pulled it out, Jane was in front of me. The tiny cross dangling in-between her index and ring fingers. Just as quick, she dropped it as if it had burned her. Yet, her eyes were still wild with curiosity and I continued my story.

"I wasn't fit to be a nun — I always asked too many questions." A smile graced my lips as I looked down in remembrance of the priest and mother superior's faces whenever I was too logical for the Bible. "And I needed to find my father." I slipped the rosary back under my shirt, my eyelids fluttering closed as they began to sting. I blinked it away and noticed Jane, who was still watching the mirror. Though it seemed she was lost in her own appearance, her own memories.

"They were worried I'd get into trouble because of my condition..." Her eyes flashed back to mine. There it was, the root of her inquisitiveness. "If only their imaginings of possible dangers had spanned as far as vampires."

I saw the corner of her lip tilt upward ever so slightly. "Yes. If only." I stayed silent this time, seeing if she would share a token of her thoughts with me. They seemed to be drowning her and I wondered if maybe she needed saving. I wondered if Alec were the only one that could do so.

I was sure that if she were human, she might have been crying. Not dramatically, but maybe a tear or two before she would brush it away, denying its existence. I mused briefly if her eyes had been the same colour as Alec's when they were human. A stirring in me suggested a temptation to ask her if she remembered, but I remembered Marcus' warning and a more intelligent part of my brain urged caution. "Switch?" I asked her and her head snapped down to me. She seemed to consider my question and I thought she would deny me but she nodded slowly. I stood and she took my place at the vanity.

I released her hair from its beautiful French twist and watched in awe as her locks fell down her shoulders like a wave in the ocean. Slowly, cautiously, I began to separate strands of her hair. She closed her eyes, seeming to lose herself in the behaviour. It was intimate, and not at all what I expected from the girl based on what I'd seen and been told so far. Another reminder for myself of why I liked to make my own opinions regarding new people.

Silence settled around us and I noticed Jane's eyes remained closed, as if returning once again to her earlier trance. She looked so peaceful, delicate, so I left her to it, because this was the first time I couldn't hear my heart racing since I'd entered the castle. I wouldn't say I was carefree, I knew to keep my guard up while in a building with beings that could snap my neck before I even noticed their presence. I wasn't that stupid. But, I was content in Jane's presence and that was enough for now.

After a few moments, she asked me, "what is it like? To have never felt pain?" Jane was watching me carefully in the mirror and I could tell the question bothered her. While I wasn't sure that the answer would provide her with the answers she was looking for, I tried to figure out how to explain it. I hadn't had to do so very often in my life. I bit my lip, automatically glancing in the mirror to check that I hadn't bitten it too hard before knowing where to begin.

"Every morning, I have to check over my body, to make sure I haven't scratched my eyeball in my sleep or bit my tongue in half. I can tell that your skin is cold and a tea kettle is hot, but I wouldn't be able to tell if the tea were burning my tongue." She was looking down in thought, and given her gift I wondered if she was pitying me or if she were jealous. "I can feel textures, the weight of a book, a hug..."

I trailed off and focused on finishing her braid, mimicking what she'd done for me and laying it over her shoulder. Red eyes stared into mine with rapt attention and I was reminded of her brother once again, the almost childish spirit of inquiry gracing her face was unlike any expression I'd seen on his. There was something good in her, and if there was good in her, there had to be some in her brother.

"I've learned about what should be painful by observing others and mimicking them if I receive a similar injury. But it's never clicked in my brain." Jane was looking over my handiwork on her hair when a thought overcame me and I gulped rather noticeably. "I'd give anything to feel pain...the other day with your gift..."

"You responded." I nodded. "Barely." I nodded again, remembering how she had almost attacked me in frustration. How Alec had stopped her...

She continued to stare at me and I took that as an opening to present my evidence of why she should do what I had yet to request from her. "Any sliver of pain would - it would likely be overwhelming for me, as I've nothing to compare it to. I could pass out, I could—"

"You want me to use my gift on you, do you not?" She dropped down into the same armchair, relaxed, yet guarded. I cautiously shook my head up and down in confirmation. "Just what are you expecting to happen, human?" Her tone was cold and I struggled to refrain from shivering.

I swallowed again and gave her my half baked idea that I'd spent hours trying to research.

I moved away from the chair, trying to find the right words. "If you could break through that wall in my brain...maybe you could make it fall."

"You believe the pain will trigger your brain into becoming normal." She wasn't looking at me, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. "It is a loose theory."

My shoulders fell, looking away as I prepared to apologise for even suggesting it.

"But," she continued, "I do enjoy my gift."

I turned back around to face her. She had risen from the chair. Her irises already empty and focused on me.

There was less of a delay this time and when the wave hit me, there was no denying it. I let out a small cry - out of both surprise and what I could only assume must have been pain. And it hurt - a lot. It was all warmth, except it flickered, like when you put your hands up to a fire as it danced, the ends of the flames striking towards you and away the next second. There was even a slight calm to the rush of pain, despite it taking my breath from me. I began to gasp for air, another strangled sound escaping me before it stopped — suddenly and without explanation.

The doors to my room flew open and through the tears that had begun to fill my eyes, I made out the form of Alec in the doorway. "What have you done?" He snapped at his sister, appearing at my side on the floor. I hadn't even noticed that my knees had buckled because my mind was whirling. The pain was unimaginable and it had only been a taste of what she could do. I felt dizzy, nauseous and I never wanted to feel anything like it ever again.

At the same time, I felt normal. For the first time in my life, the one thing that had always separated me from everyone else was no longer impossible. All because of her gift. I raised my gaze to meet Jane's, recognizing the shock and a fear that couldn't be helped reflecting back at me. She quickly examined my knees but noticed no other outward sign of my former distress and in the next second, her gaze snapped back to her brother, void of the emotions we'd exchanged.

"I was only complying with her request, brother." She informed him innocently, a small evil smirk on her face. My eyelids fluttered, the memory of her gift's effect only just fading despite the initial feeling being gone. Alec let out a deep sigh and suddenly his hand lightly encased my forearm, lifting me to my feet. I couldn't quite stand and he uncharacteristically wrapped a gentle arm around my waist to support my weight.

I could feel his eyes on me as they scanned my body for any outward signs of harm, just as his sister had done. Only this was different. It was as if he were drinking me in, every part of my body despite the fabric covering it. I briefly wondered if vampires also had x-ray vision and I bit my lip. Which immediately drew his eyes to them.

Apparently satisfied with his assessment as he growled to his sister, "never again."

She shrugged dismissively, and left us alone. Though, before she stepped out of the door, she blinked at me and I think she was watching to see if I regretted asking her. I tried to nod or make any acknowledgement that it was okay that wouldn't set Alec off but she was gone before I could do so. It hit me a moment later, because I was too out of it to complain about her absence, but my breath caught in my throat as I processed my situation. Even though Jane's talent terrified me, her brother's presence made my blood run cold. And here I was, alone with him once again.

I didn't have much time for recovery before Alec spoke, "that was incredibly stupid. Angering her - on purpose." He almost sounded worried, but I dismissed it as concern for his sister's decisions.

I could barely muster the courage to speak and I wanted to keep my head down, because I could feel him glowering down at me. I chose not to correct his assumption because if he disapproved of her using her gift then I doubted he would take as kindly to our reasoning behind it, "I was curious." A hand softly lifted my chin to see how he scowled at me with a look that I'm sure was meant to convey his utter distaste for my existence. The contrast in these actions — the careful touches and the disciplined hatred of my humanity — triggered a burst of rage which bubbled in my stomach. He was so contradicting. His attitude prompted my unbridled defiance and I struggled to keep it in.

"Curiosity killed the cat." He chided me, releasing my chin and dragging me over to the corner armchair. He dropped my body into the plush cushion like a rag doll and I thought that just because he could, didn't mean he had to treat me like I was as worthless as an old toy.

"I didn't think-"

My next words caught in my throat as his face appeared in front of mine, my body trapped as his hands came to grip the sides of the armchair. I tried to dig myself back into the cushion, but my efforts were futile as I found myself no further from him. "No - you did not." His red eyes met mine and my breath caught in my throat, the same exhilarating feeling racing through my chest as I couldn't help but stare back. "Next time, you might not be so lucky."

As he began to turn away, I could feel it rising in me, that deep anger of injustice and I couldn't stop myself. "What do you care? You're just dying for the day Aro gives you permission to kill me."

"Do not test me."

"Bite me!"

He let out a low growl at my sudden bravery and in less than a millisecond, my back was slammed against the wall and I know it should've hurt, but I still felt nothing. It made me want to ask Jane to try again, as twisted as it was. It wasn't that I was attracted to the pain, at least not in a masochistic way. Rather, I believed that there was a high possibility that my theory would work. If only we could try one more time.

As I opened my eyes, two hands landed on the wall on either side of my face, trapping me once more. Involuntarily, my heart skipped a beat and it registered in my brain that I was not safe right now. Alec seemed to have forgotten his lecture from Aro about being gentle with me the angrier I made him. I wanted Jane to return - anyone, because only my nightmares could express how truly terrified I was to be alone with Alec. But there was no way I'd ever let him know that. Until his lips curled up into a smirk and I realized that my heart was beating faster than it ever had in recent memory — and he could hear it.

He leaned closer to me, his lips automatically finding themselves inches from the dip in my collarbone. As my heart beat increased in speed, a low chuckle escaped him and he trailed his nose along my collar bone and up my neck. I couldn't help the involuntary shiver at the surprising warmth of his breath as it conflicted with the cool touch of his skin. While I could barely register the difference, my body seemed to pick it up without a problem. His lips reached my ear and he stopped breathing, taking a moment.

"Watch your tongue," he murmured dangerously, his eyes meeting mine and sending the butterflies in my stomach into another flurry of activity.

Just like that, he released me. My hands found the wall of their own accord, needing something to ground them to the earth. My breathing grew heavier and the bad kind of butterflies knocked around recklessly in my stomach. He was looking at me with contempt and I frowned. There was no way he was winning this one.

"You first."

A feral growl escaped his mouth and he raised his hand back, as if to knock me down for my insolence. But it never came. My eyes fluttered open to see that Alec's hand had been captured in its drawn back position by the most unlikely of saviours.

"That is enough."