Chapter 2

All eyes fell on me.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Kate said excitedly. "This is great!"

"Well, I, uh, thought you'd disapprove," I admitted sheepishly. "I'm only a junior in high school."

"Technically, you're still a freshman," Tanya replied. "Edward is a junior."

"Exactly! Don't you think I'm too young?" Everyone exchanged glances.

"Um, Cassy, vampire emotions are much stronger than a human's. If you love Jack, it's unlikely you'll ever feel the same way about anyone else. Age shouldn't matter if you've found your true love." Kate stepped over to Garrett and led him into their bedroom as she was speaking, as if to emphasize her point. I grinned.

"Thanks," I said, heading for the front door. "Now if only my parents could agree with you."

"You haven't told them, have you?" Tanya gasped, walking with me. I shook my head. "Well, you'll have to tell them eventually, before college. That's probably the last time you'll be able to see them." Ouch. "Any time later is risky; they'll be bound to notice that you're not aging." I thought about this as we ran through the forest towards my house- I still had to live with my mom and dad- and up until we reached my bedroom window.

"I'll tell them at graduation," I decided, slipping into my room. "Now go! Jack needs to go home, too. Finals are today, and he shouldn't be late." She nodded and disappeared. I changed and went into the kitchen, where my parents were waiting.

"Good morning, sweetie," my mom greeted.

"Hey," I replied, sitting down. She gave me my usual bowl of fruit.

"So, are you ready for finals?" my dad asked, patting my hand. I shrugged. His fingers fell onto my engagement ring and he immediately pulled away to examine it. In a movement so fast I knew neither of my parents saw it, I switched it to my middle finger. I felt kind of guilty for moving it, but this was not a conversation I wanted to have right now. I would fix it later.

"Oh," he said, blinking. "I could have sworn… huh. I'm starting to see things. That's a very pretty ring, Cassandra. Where did you get it?" He looked at it suspiciously.

"I got it from a friend," I said innocently. A very close friend. "It was for a special occasion." It wasn't a lie; weddings were usually considered special, and he gave it to me on his first vampire birthday.

My dad nodded. "I see," he murmured.

"What is it made of?" my mom cooed, examining the silver band.

"Just some sort of crystal." No need to tell her which crystal it was.

"Why haven't we seen it before?" she persisted. They were making it very hard to keep my secret while telling 'the truth' at the same time.

"I just got it last week."

"But then wouldn't you have worn it-"

"Oh, look at the time!" I said, jumping up from my chair and looking at my bare wrist. Smooth. "I need to go. Shouldn't be late today."

"Okay, honey," she said, kissing my forehead. I felt her shiver. My dad patted my back and I rushed- human speed- out the door, moving my ring back as I went.

Finals were actually pretty easy. Of course, it helped that I had a photographic memory now. Jack's grades had improved traumatically since his transformation, though he still refused to do his homework. Sigh.

After school was probably harder than school itself; shopping with Alice. Yippee. I suppose it wouldn't be that bad, except for the fact that I was a fifteen-year-old girl looking at wedding gowns in the middle of a very populated area. Awkward.

"Oh, come on!" Alice complained, pulling me into the store. "Nobody's going to lecture you or anything, and your parents aren't coming into town today. I checked." This made me a bit more willing, but I couldn't help but try to shrink into the background when people stared.

Finally, we picked one. It was a creamy white with a flowery pattern from the waist up, and it was strapless. The fabric rolled down my body from my hips all the way to the floor, accentuating all of my curves. Now even more people were staring.

"Hey Cassy," Alice said, turning towards me. "What about this necklace…" She blinked. "Cassy?"

"What?" I mumbled, trying to ignore the shopkeeper's expression. Alice blinked again, and her eyes dimmed a bit.

"Strange," she mused, clipping the silver necklace around my throat. "I didn't know vampires could hallucinate."

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking at her. What had she seen?

"Never mind," she said, pulling the necklace off again. I sighed.

"Are you sure it was a hallucination? Could it have been a vision?"

"No, no." She gave me another pendant to try. "It wasn't something I saw; more like something I didn't see. You just… disappeared. I thought you had snuck away, but when I said your name, you were right in front of me again."

"Maybe it's just a side effect of the visions," I suggested.

"Maybe," she replied doubtfully. "Oh, that necklace looks perfect with your dress! Now we just need some earrings…" She stopped abruptly, her head snapping up and her eyes somewhere far away. She was having a real vision.

"What is it Alice?" I whispered. "What's wrong?" Was she shaking?

A long moment passed before her eyes refocused on me.

"We need to get to Tanya's house." Her voice was strained.

"Why? Alice, what did you see?"

"Word got out about your strange talent. The Volturi are interested. Cassy, you've been summoned to Italy."