A/n: woot! the chapters start getting happier from here on out. yep. uhhh, yeah, i think thats about it for the day.

i'm really sad because i don't have spiffy stories to tell you guys anymore. -pouts- its cause all the cool people on here are grounded or live on the east coast and i can only talk to then when (a) they sneak on the computer at 1 in the morning on a weekend or (b) its 4 in the afternoon here and 7 in the evening in Florida. everyone i know needs to live in one time zone. i'm selfish, what can i say?

"It could take years to find you, it could take years to find myself; And I don't need to hear your answer I just need you to see; That I think it's time to break down these walls that we throw up…Am I still breathing have I lost that feeling; Am I made of glass 'cause you see right through me…" – Made of Glass, Trapt.

Weeks turned into months and before I knew it, it was the beginning of September. I was supposed to be getting ready for my senior year right now. But instead, I was sitting here, on Edward's couch, waiting for him to get out of the shower. Even though I was dead I still had to respect people's privacy, no matter how curious I was.

Edward started talking to Carlisle yesterday. It was the second time since he started talking to Alice that he spoke to someone else, but the first time he had a full fledged conversation. I was truly starting to believe he was getting better. My optimism wasn't failing me for once.

I was hoping that Edward was going out today, but I couldn't be sure. I wondered what day it was anyway. I glanced over at the alarm clock on the table next to the couch – it was September 13, my eighteenth birthday.

"Happy birthday to me," I sang softly and smiled to myself. "Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday dear Bella, happy birthday to me."

How depressing, I thought. I was surely going crazy if I was singing the birthday song to myself.

Edward stepped out of the bathroom, then. He had a confused look on his face and I couldn't understand why. For a second I thought that maybe he heard me singing, but then I remembered that he couldn't possibly. I had tried everything I could months ago to get someone to notice me around this house and it never worked.

He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Must be imagining things," he muttered to himself, and walked out of the room.

Huh, okay, that was severely odd, right? Yeah, I thought so.

I jumped off the couch and followed Edward downstairs were he made his way to the piano…again. I swear to god that thing was his girlfriend or something.

"Morning Edward," Kate said absently as she passed by.

"Morning Kate," he replied but she was already out of the room. Woot! He talked to someone else! Yes! Okay, I was getting way too over excited about this.

Edward turned his gaze back the piano. He placed his fingers on the keys and for the first time, I saw him falter. It was almost like he didn't know what to play, or like he didn't know how to play at all.

And then that confused look was back on his face. I wanted so badly to know what he was thinking, but I couldn't.

"What is wrong with you?" I asked. I didn't realize I had spoken aloud until Edward tilted his head in my direction. Did he just hear me? No, he couldn't have.

He shook his head once again and muttered under his breath, but this time I couldn't hear. He stared at the keys again, deliberating with himself, it seemed.

Suddenly the birthday song was playing. I frowned and looked down. It was Edward. He was playing it.

"Edward?" Alice popped her head inside the room. "What are you playing?"

He stared, incredulous, at the piano in front of him. "I have no idea."

"It sounded a lot like the birthday song. Whose birthday is it?"

"I don't know," he shrugged.

Alice raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything more.

I was beginning to think that Edward actually could hear me. It wasn't my imagination anymore. I knew it. What I didn't know, was the extent to which he could hear me.

He was still sitting at the piano, staring at the keys like they were something he had never seen before. It was the first time that I knew for sure what was going on inside his head; he was thinking he was crazy.

"Alice!" He called suddenly.

She popped her head back into the room and gave her brother a questioning look. "What is it?"

"I know whose birthday it is," he whispered.

Alice's face lit up. "Oh! Whose?"

"Bella. It's Bella's birthday."

I gaped at Edward, not because of the fact that he knew it was my birthday, but the fact that he knew to call me Bella. My entire first day of school I had been correcting people on how to say my name, and here's this kid I've never even officially met and he's saying my name correctly.

"Edward how do you know that?"

"I…I really don't know," he shook his head.

"Are you feeling okay?" Alice asked.

Edward shook his head again, "I think I'm gonna go back to my room now."

Alice nodded and watched as her brother picked himself up off the piano bench and made his way to the stair case.

I was sitting on Edward's couch, Indian style, watching him pace back and forth across the length of his room. He looked distressed, like something was bothering him. I couldn't imagine by what, though.

His frustration was actually kind of funny, and I found myself laughing a bit. Well, until he looked directly at me.

I froze instinctively even though I knew he couldn't see me. It was a knee jerk reaction. But then Edward started muttering and shaking his head.

"Oh no, I am going crazy," he kept repeating.

My eyes grew wide. "You can see me?!" I shrieked.

He looked at me again and the muttering started up again. He could see me! He could definitely see me. And hear me. Oh. My. God.

I jumped off the couch and planted myself in front of him. "You can see me," I beamed.

Edward placed a hand over his eyes. "I'm going crazy…this is my conscience finally getting back at me…I…I'm going crazy."

I heaved a frustrated sigh. "Edward, you're not going crazy."

He dropped his hand. "Oh, says the delusion."

"I'm not a delusion!" I cried.

"That's what delusions always say."

This was not going well. I knew I wouldn't expect him to be instantly delighted to see the girl he murdered nine months ago, but I definitely didn't expect him to react like this. How was I supposed to make him believe that I was real?

"Edward, will you listen to me, just for a second?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why should I start listening to my hallucination?"

I groaned. "Because maybe I'm not a hallucination!"

"Bella," he sighed. "You died nine months ago."

"Yes," I nodded. "I'm fully aware of that. And I've been with you since then."

"What? You've been, like, haunting me?"

I winced at the word. "Not haunting, per say. I've been observing."

He shook his head and took a step back. "I can't believe I'm actually listening to this! Can vampires go insane? Maybe I should talk to Carlisle about this."

"Edward, please," I begged. "You have to believe that I'm not a figment of your imagination."

"And why is that?"

"Because if I was, then you would have seen me months ago. Why would I appear right when you started getting better and on my birthday?"

His face sported a curious expression. "So it is your birthday? It was you I heard singing when I was in the shower this morning?"

I smiled. "Yeah, that was me. Sorry to subject you to my horrible voice."

"Okay, so, say I do believe that you're Bella. Are you a ghost, then?"

"I don't prefer the word ghost. It provokes too many stories about haunted mansions and poltergeists. I'm just Bella without the body, that's all."

"I don't know why I'm saying this, but maybe I do believe that you're real."

"Well good," I laughed. "As long as we have that established, I do believe that we've never been properly introduced."

Edward frowned and I laughed again.

"I'm Bella Swan, you must be Edward. Nice to meet you."