A/n: so i've dicovered something. everytime i come up with an original story line, i get bored with it really fast and i never actually finish a story unless its a fanfic. how pathetic is that? i was thinking of creating a fictionpress account, but if i can't actually finish and original story, theres no point. i think i'm going to have to ask Keeley for help with story ideas. she's good at that kind of thing.

anyways, sorry for taking so long to update. i've been having issues lately that i'd prefer not to talk about. i'll have the next update as soon as i can but i'm not making any promises. sorry.

theres a lot of dialogue in the next few chapters, so yeah.

"Got to get you off my conscience by Friday, On Saturday I'll be wide awake, On Sunday I'm your new best friend, On Monday learn it all again, For your pleasure, at your leisure, Use your evil, when you want…" – Evil, Ladytron.

"So you're, like, dead," Edward nodded slowly, letting the information ooze into his brain.

I wanted so badly to laugh at him and tell him to get over it and talk to me like the human being I am, but then again, I couldn't exactly call myself a human being any more. Or could I? I wasn't quite sure. I decided to ignore him.

"Am I like translucent or anything? Cause I haven't looked in a mirror in a while." The genuine curiosity in my voice was apparent and Edward definitely heard it.

"No," he shook his head. "You're pretty solid, actually."

"Huh," I mused. "How interesting."

Edward's face fell suddenly and he opened his mouth to speak, but I already knew the words that were going to come out.

I held up my hand to stop him. "Before you say what I know you're going to say, I'm going to start by telling you that it isn't necessary. I forgive you."

He gaped at me. "You're serious? You forgive me for murdering you?"

I shrugged. "You didn't mean to. I've spent enough time watching you mope around here to know that you didn't mean to do it and you're truly sorry."

The gaping continued. "You should hate me."

"No I shouldn't," I countered.

"Yes, you should."

"Okay, so maybe I should, but I don't. Call me crazy but I don't think I should be chastising you for something that was out of your control."

"Okay," he nodded in agreement. "You're crazy. You're supposed to hate me. You're supposed to call me names and tell me that I should rot in hell or something."

"Do you truly want me to yell and scream and tell you that you ruined my life? Do you want me to tell you that I hope you die and I'm going to make your life a living hell?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "My life is already a living hell, but yes, I would understand if you started saying things like that. It would be the normal thing to do."

"Oh yes," I said sarcastically. "Because I'm so normal to begin with."

"How do you mean?" he frowned.

"Well for one thing I heard what you told Alice, about the whole blood thing. And honestly, if I were the least bit normal, I wouldn't appeal to you in that way. I heard you couldn't read my mind, either. That can't be normal."

"God, you are weird," he laughed, and I made a quick mental note to make him do that more often.

"Which brings me to a question," I said.

He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything and I took that as my cue to continue.

"What's up with the whole vampire thing? There's only so much I could gather from listening in on conversations around here."

For the better part of three hours, Edward and I sat on his couch and he explained to me the logistics of vampires. He even put in the finer details, like how some vampires had special powers along with their superhuman abilities. When I asked him why some vampires had powers and others didn't, he just shrugged and said it was one of life's – or after life's, depending on how you look at it – great mysteries.

"So why do you not feed from humans, if that's what you're supposed to do?" I asked.

"It's not a matter of 'supposed to'. It's more of a matter of right and wrong."

I frowned, confused.

"Okay, just because we're dealt a certain hand of cards, doesn't mean we have to live with it, right?"

"I guess," I shrugged.

"So what's to say we have to live with murdering innocent people just because we're hungry? The alternative is just as good and keeps us civil."

"Civil?" I asked. "Does that mean that vampires that feed off humans are uncivilized?"

"No," Edward shook his head. "They can be very civilized, but they don't interact with humans so well. They're more animals than anything else."

"Oh, all right then."

"Does that answer all your questions?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Not nearly. But for today, I suppose."

We fell silent for a few moments and then I decided that I lied when I said I was done with the questions for today.

"So you really couldn't read my mind?"

Edward's face fell. "I thought you were done with the interrogation for today," he mumbled.

"I lied," I said. "Will you answer the question?"

"Can we change the subject, I'm still feeling guilty."

"Edward," I glared at him. "How many times do I have to tell you that it isn't necessary? I'm over it, you should be too."

"Please, Bella," he begged. "Change the subject."

"Fine," I huffed. "It's almost sunrise anyway. Watch it with me, will you?"

He smiled, despite the fact that I knew he was hurting inside, and nodded.

Sometime the next morning Alice came rushing into the room with a worried look on her face. I turned to Edward, who looked like he was concentrating very hard on something.

"Whoa, Alice, slow down there and explain coherently please," he said suddenly. Oh, he was reading her mind. Right, I forgot he could do that.

Alice sighed. "I keep having these visions and you're talking to yourself."

I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. Edward turned and glared at me.

"Oh come on," I said between giggles. "Like you would talk to yourself. You're not creative enough to make me up. Sorry."

"Shut up," he grumbled and faced his sister again. "I'm not talking to myself, Alice."

"Are you sure?" The worried look was still plastered on her face. "I'm here if you need me, you know. You can talk to me."

"Oh dear lord," I rolled my eyes. "She obviously doesn't realize that I've helped you more in one day than she did one week." Of course, she didn't know that we had talked all night and all morning, until she so rudely interrupted us. But, that's not the point.

"Bella, shut up!" Once again, he turned to glare at me.

I started laughing again. "Now she's really gonna think you're crazy. You realize that right?"

"Well you're not helping!" he spat.

"Well then ignore me for the time being. This conversation is entertaining. Please, carry on," I gestured for him to talk to Alice again.

"Oh, you're unbelievable," he muttered.

"Edward, are you okay? You're talking to yourself," Alice piped up. And again, cue the worried glances.

"I'm not talking to myself, Alice, I promise."

She raised an eyebrow. "Then care to explain?"

"It's a little complicated."

She smiled and sat on top of me, not that she noticed. But Edward winced.

I groaned and rematerialized next to the couch. "I hate it when you guys do that."

"I have all day, so explain away," Alice said.

Edward cast a sideways glance at me. "I should leave then?" I asked.

"That would be preferable," he said.

"You're talking to yourself again," I teased.

"You're never going to let me live that down," he rolled his eyes and shook head.

As I started walking out the door, I said to myself, "I wonder what Jasper's doing."

I hadn't realized I said it out loud until I heard Edward's snicker behind me.