I barely broke through the surface to scream for help before the water pulled me back under. The tight-gripped tide whipped me left and right, never giving me a moment to think I could escape its grip. I forced my mouth closed. My lungs burned for the air it desperately needed to pump to the rest of my body. I scraped and clawed at the liquid. There was nothing to hold onto. I was losing the battle. My arms and legs grew too tired to keep fighting. My eyes flickered shut.

Then the water gave a final, hard push. I broke through into the air. The river around me was replaced with a hard surface against my back.

"Sloane, sweetheart, open your eyes."

My lids obeyed the soft, commanding voice. Its owner hovered above me, his dark hair dripping and sticking to his face. "Edward?"

He let out a sigh of relief, his own eyes closing as he leaned his forehead against mine.

"Wh-what are y-y–" I couldn't finish the sentence. My teeth were chattering excessively, not letting my jaw open wide enough. Now that I was out of the water, the frigid air pierced and punctured every surface.

"I need to get you to Carlisle." Slipping his arms under me, he lifted me off of the bank.

"N-n-no," I protested. "No hospitals. H-he'll call-call my par-parents. I'm–I'm fine."

Edward growled in frustration, but didn't try to counter my argument. "Fine. But we need to get you warm."

I could feel him shifting to a run. "M-my bag!"

"I have it."

Nodding against his chest, I gave in, shutting my eyes and letting him take me to wherever he had in mind. I couldn't tell the passage of time, but it felt like mere seconds before the light turned from the dull sun pushing through clouds to harsh, unfiltered artificial lighting.

"Esme," Edward called out in a low tone.

"Edward!" a new, twinkling voice gasped. I barely turned my head to see a beautiful woman no older than her mid-twenties with calm, welcoming features surrounded by caramel covered hair. Her eyes–the same dull gold as Edward's–radiated motherly concern. "What happened?"

"She fell into the river. We need to get her warm."

Esme nodded. "To the master bathroom." Edward followed her up the stairs and towards the bathroom Esme had indicated. Inside, Esme started up the walk-in shower. "Put her down on the stool," she gestured to an old fashioned, square stool pushed up against the wall across from the sink. "Go get some of your clothes. I'll take care of her from here."

Edward nodded shakily before disappearing from the bathroom.

Kneeling down in front of me, Esme gave me a warm smile and started unzipping my jacket. "Hello. I'm Esme. You must be Sloane." Somewhat shocked that she knew my name, I nodded. Her smile grew. "Edward has mentioned you. I'm glad that he's made a friend." She made quick work of taking off my boots and socks.

"I-I can do-do the rest-t," I said, a little embarrassed at the thought of stripping down in front of this stranger, however kind.

"Okay," she said, not the slightest bit offended. "Once you're in the shower, I'll take your clothes and wash them. Stay in as long as you need to warm up. The water should be hot now."

"Th-thank you."

She patted my cheek. "Of course, sweetheart." Giving me some space, she exited into the bedroom.

I stripped out of the rest of my clothes, letting them fall to the tile floor in a sloshy pile. It took a bit of effort to curl my fingers around the handle to the glass door, but once I succeeded, I stepped into the steam and felt an immediate wave of heat.

Little by little, my skin pushed through the cold, every drop of hot water from the shower head like a healing kiss. I stayed in as long as I could, until the icy outer layer was completely gone. The heated water never let up. It never lost its warmth. I didn't want to get out. But my skin was pruning and I didn't want to run their water bill into oblivion.

Turning the water off, I stayed in the steam for a moment, realization hitting me like a freight truck.

I was in a house occupied by possible vampires.

They haven't hurt me–again, I never would expect Edward to. And besides, Edward and Esme both had their chance and their only thoughts were of helping me, getting me warm so I didn't get sick, or worse. But I felt the confrontation coming. Falling into that river somehow accelerated the timeline. The truth would inevitably come out. The only question left was who would be the one to begin?

The misty steam rolled out as I opened the shower door, billowing out to the rest of the room. On the counter sat a folded pile of clothes and a navy blue towel. The towel was warm as I dried off, as if it had just been pulled from the dryer. The clothes were the same way when I slipped into the baggy sweats and pulled the t-shirt over my head. I hesitated at the thick designer jacket, its gray wool inviting but intimidating. But I wanted the warmth to continue, so I gave in and pushed my arms through the holes with a mental note to give it back as soon as possible.

A gentle knock echoed off the door as soon as I was dressed.

"Sloane, may I come in?"

"Yeah, it's okay."

Esme's motherly concern was still etched all over her face as she opened the door and came inside, careful to keep her distance. In her hands was a hair dryer from a brand I didn't even want to think about. "If you're comfortable, I can dry your hair so you don't get cold again."

"Oh, sure." I almost said I could do it myself, but she was so eager to help, the idea of not letting her and possibly hurting her feelings made me agree immediately.

Moving the stool closer to the mirror, I sat down and folded my hands in my lap. Esme plugged in the dryer and turned it on. Strangely, she pointed the airflow at her fingers for a minute before turning onto my hair. With her warmed fingers, she untangled the knots within my strands and let the hot air blow against my next. Whenever our eyes met in the mirror, she smiled brightly.

"You're very beautiful," she said all of sudden over the sound of the dryer. I watched my cheeks redden in my reflection. My lack of response didn't seem to bother her at all as she continued smiling, picking up a brush to finish the drying process. With every ounce of water out of my hair, she turned the dryer off and placed it down on the counter. "There. That should feel better."

"It does," I smiled back in a meek voice. Turning around to face her, I said again, "Thank you for being so nice."

"Of course, honey," she purred. "I hope you don't mind, but I've washed your clothes and they're almost done drying themselves. There's a fire in the living room to keep you warm if you want to wait on them."

"Thanks. I think I will."

"Alright. Don't worry about the towel, I'll take care of it."

Leaving the second floor, I slowly went down the stairs and followed the hallway to the living room that Esme indicated.

A dance of roaring flames crackled in an enormous white fireplace, heating the room void of other life. Drawn in, I walked around the large white "L" shaped couch and sat on the floor, hands outstretched towards the fire.

"Don't get too close."

Edward approached with cautious steps, his hands behind his back. A new change of clothes replaced the ones ruined by the rescue. His hair was mostly dry, its shimmering shades slowly drifting back to bronze.

Ignoring his warning, I asked, "Did you take a shower, too?"

"A quick one," he said.

I frowned at that, my hands dropping into my lap. "But you were in the river, too. Weren't you freezing?" I wasn't actually searching for an answer, merely his reaction.

He cleared his throat and sat down next to me, though keeping several feet between us. "I wasn't in as long as you."

"Hm." With the incoming winter, that wouldn't have mattered. Being drenched in icy water would be cause for concern, no matter how long one was submerged in it. But I let him think I was believing his lie.

"Why weren't you at school?"

I laughed wryly as I tore my eyes away from him. "I'm amazed you noticed."

He didn't find that as amusing. "I always notice."

Shrugging, I unfurled my legs to get my bare toes closer to the fire. The hardwood floor was starting to make them cold again. "I didn't feel like going today."

"You don't seem like the type to play hooky."

The old-fashioned turn of phrase made me giggle. Hardly anyone used those words anymore to describe skipping school. "I'm not usually, but I wanted to go for a hike rather than sit in a classroom all day. "

His narrowed eyes told me that he wasn't believing my bluff either. "Why did you go anywhere near that river?"

I returned his expression with a glower of my own. "Like I said, I was hiking and I slipped down a hill when a deer suddenly jumped in front of me. It's not like I thought 'Gee, what a nice day, I think I'll take a dip in the overflown river'."

"You could have been hurt."

"And yet I'm lucky that you showed up." Crossing my arms, I shifted so I was facing him fully. "What were you doing out in the woods?"

"Ah-hem." Esme stood in the doorway, my clean clothes folded in her hands. Even my boots seemed dry and ready to be worn as they rested on top. "Everything is here for you."

Edward was the one who got up to get them. "Thank you, Esme. I should get Sloane home."

"Alright. Take my mercedes. Be safe you two."

"Thank you again, Esme," I said as I stood. Edward handed over my socks and boots but put my clothes into my backpack that I had somehow missed sitting in the corner of the couch. My heart leapt into my throat, but he didn't look too deep before zipping it up again. The pictures were safe.

Once my feet were clad, Edward led me out the front door and to a black mercedes parked in the long gravel driveway. I finally glimpsed at the house that Edward called home. It was practically a mansion hidden amongst the cedar trees, three floors high with a bright white outer coat of paint. A deep porch wrapped around the first floor, giving it a farmhouse quality, although the rectangular structure seemed far too grand for such a purpose. I was still gaping as Edward backed out of the driveway.

"Do you like it?" he asked, pausing right before the house would be out of view.

"Yeah," I said, my voice full of awe. "It's beautiful."

"I'll be sure to let Esme know." He didn't say anything more as he drove down the road, his gaze focused squarely on the street ahead. After he pulled onto the main road that led to my house, I made the risky decision to break the silence.

"You know, you never answered my question."

"About?"

I rolled my eyes. He definitely didn't forget about it within the five minutes since I asked. "About why you were in the woods and not at school."

He took a moment before replying, "You're not the only one who decided to play hooky today."

As logical as that answer seemed, I didn't buy it. It was too much of a coincidence that we both randomly decided to skip out on school on a Tuesday and go strolling through the woods. I didn't call him out on the obvious, though. It wasn't the most important conversation needed right now.

When Edward pulled into my driveway and shifted the gear into park, he didn't turn off the car and I didn't move a muscle to get out of my seat.

My throat tightened, not wanting to let out the words my mind was fumbling with. So, I worked around it. "If I asked you another question, would you answer it? Truthfully this time?"

Edward's hands tightened around the steering wheel. He nodded once, then forced his gaze to settle on me. "As honestly as I can."

That was as good a promise as I was going to get. Reaching down into the space in front of my legs, I unzipped my bag and pulled out the photos. On top was the one of him and Bella together in my house. "Is the answer vampire or something else?"

Resign took over his body. His eyes drifted down to my hands. The harsh line between his brows was the deepest I had ever seen it. "It seems I am doomed to repeat my mistakes."

I didn't speak. Silence seemed like the best action to take. Replying to him, bombarding him with the questions about his past, I was dying to ask but I managed to hold them back. Edward put his head against the steering wheel, eyes closed. Not a single muscle moved for several minutes. Only my lungs breathing in air dared to continue to function. Fear froze everything else.

Did I just ruin this? Did I ask in the worst way possible and now he was going to disappear? If he did stay, would he shut me out for good this time?

Finally, after so long sitting in the silence, he straightened, though he still refused to look at me.

"Do you want to run and scream?"

"Honestly," I swallowed thickly, "I've been kind of debating it." It was never the foremost thought, but it was there. Like frost on the back windshield. "It's not every day you find out that fairytales are true."

Edward snarled. "More like nightmares."

I didn't flinch at the harsh reaction. "I get it, though. That's what you meant about not being a good friend." I kept my voice low and my words carefully constructed. I need him to know that I had been listening this entire time, that I was as fully informed as I could be at this point. I could handle this. I needed him to see that.

"It's best for people not to be around us. Safer that way." His voice hitched unnaturally in his throat. I didn't think it was possible for Edward to do anything without elegance laced in its every step.

"In case you eat them?" I teased, though I immediately regretted it. For Edward, I could see why teasing could be appropriate in the situation. Though I failed to see why it existed, his self loathing was more evident than ever.

Leaning back in the seat, his hands fell from the wheel to either side of his legs. Those ever changing eyes turned to me. "We typically feed on animals, rather than humans."

I raised an eyebrow. "Typically?"

"None of us have slipped up in over a hundred years."

I nodded, a bit thankful for this revelation. They weren't the bloodsucking monsters of the current popular iteration. Animals, like most humans, were their preferred method of nutrition. It just reinforced my conclusion that the Masens were good. Edward was good.

"We're still dangerous," he warned.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I get that."

His eyebrow arched. "And yet you're still here."

"I am." I risked a small smile. "Because I care."

Edward scoffed as if he didn't believe me. "How could you care about a monster like me? I could kill you."

I snorted at the ridiculous statement. "Yeah, and so could a bear, or a tree, or myself. You're nothing special in that aspect."

The self-loathing was immediately replaced by stern frustration. "That's not funny."

"I wasn't being funny," I said. "I was serious. You can't act like you're the only thing in the world that could kill a person. Nearly every inch of the globe is dangerous to us mere mortals. I'm not going to stop being your friend simply because you're something other than plain human."

"You should," he pushed.

I sent him a pointed look. "Edward, come on. If you were going to drink my blood, you would have done it back at the river. Or my house a few weeks ago. Or at your house. Or even right now at this moment. Can you give yourself a little bit of credit? The self-pitying vampire is a little turn of the millennium, don't you think?"

His gaze narrowed as he continued to stare at me. "Any other logical person would have tried to stake me by now."

"Would it work?" I asked with a joking grin, though I was definitely curious for the answer.

"No," he stated. "Wood doesn't do anything. It would simply shatter against my skin."

My curiosity and intrigue was rising at alarming rates. He was voluntarily divulging information almost reflexively. The intricate details of a real life vampire. Unbuckling and shifting in my seat, I leaned forward on the console. "So, then how do you kill a vampire?"

"Rip them to pieces, then set them on fire."

"Sounds easy enough," I snickered. Edward did not find it as amusing. Letting out an audible sigh, I flipped back over in my seat, leaning back against the headrest. "It's funny that this is how things ended up."

"What do you mean?" Edward asked, alarmed.

I kept a smile on my face to let him know I didn't mean anything drastic. "I'm sure you've noticed my vaguely nosy tendencies?" He nodded, a slight hint of grin creeping in the left corner of his mouth. "And nobody knew anything about the Masens that just showed up in town. I wanted to be the one to know. And usually I can read people really easily. A few moments of observation and I can figure someone out. But you were a mystery. So, that's why I didn't put up any sort of fight when we were paired together. I thought that was my chance to unravel the mystery."

"Well, you certainly picked up information on us."

"More than I bargained for," I giggled. "But I don't care," I rushed to add. "I didn't just learn your physical nature. I learned about you. And I quite like what I found."

He was pulling away again. "I can't see how."

"Then you obviously don't see yourself clearly." I held out the photos. "Here. I think these belong to you."

Edward stared at the photos. There was a shadow in his eyes, the one that had been haunting him since that first day we officially met. It lingered in a way that made his eyes blacken that was different from their usual change. He didn't leave because he was bored or fell out of love, that much was clear.

Something inside me was cracking. A realization that I both knew and yet hadn't fully accepted. It was the reason I hadn't run away or told anyone about the pictures. Why I had stayed in the car when he confirmed the truth.

I put the pictures down on the console. He didn't move. Even as I zipped up my bag and put it in my lap, he remained still.

"I should get inside." It was the first time I had sounded so small. I didn't want to speak above a whisper, in case my voice broke. He didn't try to stop me as I pushed the car door open and hurried up to my door. It wasn't until I was inside that I finally turned around, glancing at the driveway.

The Mercedes was gone.

My vision began to blue, the tidal wave too strong to hold back. Somehow, the first tear was cold, stinging my cheek as it fell down. I should have said something else, something more. Maybe even give a confession of my own.

Because this might be the last time that I saw Edward Masen.