Disclaimer: Rosalie and the world of vampires are not my own but Stephanie Meyers.

"You, you're not real," Rosalie said quietly as she pushed his arm off of her.

"And what makes you say that?" Anton asked with a half smile, the same half smile that Rosalie occasionally adorns her face with.

"You can't be. You're dead."

"And you are…" Rosalie opened her mouth again but nothing came out. Anton gave the familiar smirk. "My point exactly."

"But you're not," Rosalie paused and looked about to make sure no other people were near. "A vampire," she whispered.

"You're right, I'm not," Anton slumped down on a lounge chair, gesturing to Rosalie to take the seat across from him.

"Then what are you?"

"That's for me to know."

"How am I to know that I can trust you then? How am I to know you are real, and that I'm not hallucinating?" she asked as she sat down.

"You are not hallucinating," Anton said reassuringly. "That other vampire, he saw me too, remember."

"Not so loud," Rosalie said quickly. "Oh, I bet every other person here sees me talking to myself."

"Not to worry, everyone else here sees a boy and a girl having a conversation with one another. We should probably find some place else though, after all this is a bookstore."

"I can't do this," Rosalie said softly.

"Do what? Talk to me?" Rosalie nodded slowly. "Look, I can't tell you much but I can tell you that I am Anton Jonathan Hale. I used to call you my sister, and you used to call me your brother." She continued to stare directly into his eyes but she didn't say anything so he continued. "I was two years your junior be we were good friends. Our parents focused much of their time on you because you were their hope in moving up in society, because you could catch the eye of any man, one of higher status. You loved cars, but it was not lady-like for you to like them so I pretended I did. I cared nothing about them but it was acceptable for mother to buy me toy car models every once in a while, so she bought me some and I passed them on to you. We even went to a car show once. And in return you asked to be bought extra paper and coloring material and gave them to me, cause we only got special presents every once in a while, and I liked to sketch. Do you believe me now?"

Rosalie did not know what to say, all he had just said to her got her jogging down her memory. She knew what he said was true but to accept the situation she was in was still hard to do. "Are you a ghost?"

Anton gave an exasperated sigh. "No. But I don't know what else to tell you…."

"You weren't my only brother, but you are always the brother I think about when I think of my human past," Rosalie said suddenly.

"Yes, you are right. We did have another brother. He was about four years younger then I. He got put away and lived in a hospital. He was mentally ill, I guess you could say. Down syndrome or autism…we used to go see him together even when our parents didn't take us, or even want us there with him. He was our family secret. Mother did not want the other ladies of high society to know her own child was slow in the mind," he added the last part scathingly.

"Stephen."

"Yeah…I loved you then," Rosalie looked up to give him a curious look. "You cared for him, and when we would go visit and be placed in a room with him, he couldn't interact with us the way most people do, but you'd always hold him for long lengths of time, and he'd say he loved you. I was proud you were my sister, at times like those anyways."

"Not so much other times?" Rosalie asked in a surprisingly easy-going-tone.

"You could get on my case sometimes," Anton agreed. "Sometimes drove me down right crazy, and when we fought, well sometimes it wasn't great. You were the one that gave me understanding to the phrase 'Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn'."

Rosalie gave a short laugh. "I…" she started. "I believe you. I don't know what all to think but I think I do believe you."

"Enough to talk to me?" She nodded. "Great," Anton said as he rose to his feet. He gave her his hand and she took it to rise to her feet. "Let's go elsewhere then so to talk."

AN: Next few chapters will be longer and more soul-searching, you could say. And we would be catching up with our favorite empath next.