Poco a Poco Chapter 2
-Edward-
I sat still in my chair as she stood up and left coldly, without looking back. She was definitely odd, and definitely did not have special needs like her school file said she had. Her playing rivaled mine, and I wasn't human. My mind couldn't wrap around her last 'words'. I've already figured you out. I knew what you were like as soon as you turned around.
What did that mean? Her reaction to me had certainly been strange. She had looked scared out of her mind, and then she had toughened up, been incredibly cool and non-emotional. Her words almost made me uncomfortable; it was like she knew something I didn't. I got up and walked into the main orchestra room. Lianna picked up her backpack, regarded me with almost a challenging stare, and then swept out of the room.
"Lianna has never been good with new people. I'm sorry." Ms. Sanyer said quietly in the doorway to her office, looking worried, and protective. "Her reaction was stronger today than I have ever seen it."
"Why-" Ms. Sanyer beat me to the punch.
"Why doesn't she talk?" She asked for me, and I nodded almost guiltily. I felt bad going behind this almost arrogant girl's back, but her cold demeanor seemed like an act. "No one is exactly sure why. All I can tell you is that she witnessed the murders of her family. She hasn't talked since. I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Cullen." Ms. Sanyer turned and closed the door to her office, while I stood there, deep in thought.
After a long while, I left the school, and went to the library of all places. To teach this girl, I was going to have to understand her. Despite not being able to become too attached, I wanted to know more; and that would require public records. The public records of the library were thankfully all put into a computer, but it was being used. Waiting, I glanced around the library and got a shock. Lianna was working at a desk, staring almost tiredly at a computer, her black hair cascading everywhere around her face.
I watched her as I waited for the computer trying to decipher what she had said to me. Was she so judgmental now, so paranoid after seeing murderers? Is that why she had judged me so quickly? The computer became free, so I tore my gaze away and sat at the computer and began my search. The last name on her file at the school had said Camus, but that appeared to be the name of her foster parent. After some digging, I found what I was looking for. The article was short, but the one picture that went with it was all I needed to understand, to understand everything.
-Lianna-
After rubbing my temples for a minute, I turned off the computer and stood up. My essay would have to wait, even though if I didn't do it, it wouldn't matter. The teachers would just tell me that it was ok if I couldn't handle it, and give me easier work to do, even though it was obvious that I had the brain power of any other ordinary junior in high school. I silently seethed internally with rage at my teachers and packed up my bag, standing up.
My gaze traveled around the library and stopped. Edward was sitting at the public record computer, looking to stiff to be possibly human. So he was following me now? Great. I grabbed my bag and stalked out of the library, not looking back. I grabbed my bike and took the long way home, reluctant to go anywhere where someone else might get hurt if Maria had sent this Edward man to kill me. I owed Helen at least a little more time.
-Edward-
May 7th, 2001
Police were called to the countryside yesterday afternoon at the sound of screams, and there they found a triple homicide. Greg, Lisa and James Aldren were found brutally murdered and butchered outside in their backyard. There were no weapons left at the scene, and the other superficial wounds looked to be made by teeth marks. On further investigation, the police also found the youngest Aldren, Lianna Aldren just inside the back door. Although Lianna Aldren survived, she too had a bite mark on her hand, and signs of strangulation. The bite patterns do not match up, and it appears that Lianna Aldren bit her own hand. Although police reports are sketchy, they paint a horrific and scarring experience for the girl, who is only ten years old. From what police can gather, Lianna Aldren is the only witness to her family's triple homicide, and it looks like she was hiding from the attackers.
When questioned, Lianna Aldren has been skittish, frightened and uncooperative. She is currently in St. Marcus's hospital, but no word yet on if this traumatized young girl will ever speak again. "Lianna Aldren is a special case, a special case indeed. I would say that she is in shock still, but it's something more than that." Doctor Stacy Lee said hurriedly, before refusing to comment more. The outlook on solving these homicides is looking very grim. With the only survivor literally not talking, The Aldren Murders may go forever unsolved.
The picture at the bottom was small, but quite enough. On the side of a neck, was the harsh half moon bite that I had seen a million times on Jasper, yet it looked terrible on a human every time. It was clearly a vampire bite. I stiffened and stared at the screen. Lianna Aldren was a survivor from a vampire attack.
I've already figured you out. I knew what you were like as soon as you turned around. She had recognized me, even though she had only seen a vampire or vampires at ten years old. I smelled her get up and leave the library, and a new thought hit me. She had been brave enough to go into a small room with me, alone, and challenge me, even though she knew what I was. I had to hear the account first hand from her, to understand the whole thing. My cell phone went off, and the librarian shot me a nasty look. I gave her an apologetic smile and left the library, then opened my phone.
"Edward, you better be careful." Alice's voice didn't surprise me in the least.
"I'm sure that I already either succeed or fail, so why don't you tell me which one, Alice?" I asked her calmly, striding away from the library and following Lianna's scent trail to her house, walking at a normal, human speed.
"Eventually, she opens up to you, but that's not the point. She can expose you, and that's what's important here. Plus, judging by the article I saw you reading, her mind has been messed with. Don't scare her anymore." Alice ordered, then hung up. I ran the rest of the way to Lianna's house, but there were no heartbeats inside, nor anywhere directly around. I identified the other woman's scent and climbed into her room, it had an open window on the first floor of the house. The room smelled strangely of pears and was painted the same yellowy color. On a quick inspection, nothing stood out clearly, but on the second pass, I noticed a diary sitting on the nightstand, and sat down on the bed to read it, turning to the newest entry.
May 6th, 2010
I knew it would happen to her again, but just the same, it still shocked me. Every year on the exact day of their murder, she has the dream worse than on any other day. The only sounds I have ever heard her make are the whimpers and downright screams in her sleep. I can only imagine what the dream is about, poor thing. To witness three family members murders, at such a young age! I can only hope that eventually, she will speak again, and that she will be able to move on with her life.
I hadn't realized it was May 6th, but I suddenly remembered that it was. So she had nightmares, no wonder she had looked tired today. But I wanted more information, about the murders, what the vampires looked like, and how she possibly got out of the whole thing alive.
At the sound of the front door opening, I replaced the diary exactly where it had been and looked silently around the corner. It wasn't the woman, but Lianna herself, looking wary yet resigned. She quietly yet precisely shut the door, deposited her bag on the couch and stepped into the room, moving as soundlessly as I think a human could move. She hesitated, but then straightened and turned the corner to go into the kitchen. I flashed through the living room to the corner to the kitchen to follow her. She read a note on the fridge and then I was forced to dive out a window as she strode back through the living room and went upstairs. I crawled back through the window and went up the stairs and into her room when I saw the bathroom door closed. Her room was plain, white with wooden furniture, and a plain white comforter on the bed.
There were no posters, no creative or personal touches whatsoever. A peek in her dresser revealed only clothes similar to what she was wearing today, plain, solid colors. Upon looking in her closet, I found dresses, sweaters…but none of them had any definition, no patterns. I stepped into her closet and closed the door and stood perfectly still as she came back into her room and stretched out on her bed. She stared at the ceiling with the same precision she used when she played, but instead of almost happiness on her face, it looked like she was drowning in misery.
What was going through her head? Memories? Thoughts, actual emotion that she refused to show at school? I was frustrated that I couldn't pick up anything from her, not even a blip. It felt like I could, but when I tried, it's like I met nothingness, with all the information across a void, unreachable. Randomly, her eyes closed, and she stayed still on her bed, almost as if she was listening. Eventually, she fell into a restless sleep, and I escaped from her closet and went back to my apartment, more confused than ever.