Chapter Five: Hello

'Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping.
Hello, I'm still here,
all that's left of yesterday.'

Evanescence - Hello

The sound of rain could be heard pounding against the ground, bouncing eagerly against the pavement as it formed puddles of mud where dirt had accumulated. Lucy sat with a frown at the end of a hard hospital bed, the white paper crunching beneath her as she swung her legs in a bored fashion. She sighed as she glanced out the window.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Amber asked softly. Lucy glanced over to the other bed in the room; bruises were forming slowly on her cheek, a scrape across her left eyebrow.

"I don't know." Lucy said, her tone steady, and void of any emotion. She watched the rain, her eyes blinking slowly. A dark purple bruise was forming around her nose, her eyes hurt, though the painkiller had helped ease the pain that she knew she should have been feeling. Bandages covered her shoulder and arms. Despite the puffiness, her face looked angered.

"I'm really sorry; I'll save up and buy you a new car." Amber said tentatively, fear apparent in her tone as it wavered slightly.

"You'll buy me a new car?" Lucy hissed, turning to look at the girl with venom in her tone. Her puffy eyes narrowed; she winced slightly. She had spun her head too quickly causing spots of light to dance in front of her eyes as she held on to a bed frame to steady herself. "Sam has been in the operating room for an hour and a half, and you're offering to reimburse me for the car? She could die."

"I know! I'm sorry, Lucy!" Amber cried out. Lucy stood up, wincing as she stepped on her bruised leg. Nothing was broken; not in her body anyways. Her nose, however, was another matter. It had been shattered entirely. They gave her painkillers, and told her to lay down until they got more surgeons in. It had been the middle of Sunday evening in Forks. There wasn't much of a need for surgeons; and the ones that were there had all rushed in to help Sam. Lucy glanced back at Amber with a frown, shaking her head. The girls blue eyes were pouring with tears.

"It's not entirely your fault, it could have happened to anyone." Lucy sighed; they had been driving back from Seattle. It was getting dark out, and raining hard. Lucy had driven to Seattle so Amber offered to drive the way back. They were twenty miles out of town when an animal ran across the road. Screeching on the breaks quickly they swerved to miss the animal, in turn, hitting a large tree. Sam had been sitting in the middle of the back; she'd just taken her seat-belt off to do something and had flown head first out the window and on to the forest floor.

Lucy would have been fine, bruised at most, though when they hit the tree, the car had rolled on to it's side. Her side. With her head turned to the side the airbag had no where else to impact but her cheek. When the car rolled her head crashed against the frame of the door, shattering her nose and the window in one swift movement.

Glancing up, she looked to Amber and tried to smile. The movement hurt her cheeks, and the pain killers only went so far. It was more of a grimace than a smile, though Amber smiled in return. She had cuts from the glass, and bruising from the airbag, though otherwise she was unscathed.

"She'll be okay. She might look a bit uglier; but it will give her a reason to get that plastic surgery she pretends not to want." Lucy said lightly, Amber laughed, sniffling at the thought.

"I think she's the only one she's fooling. She hated her nose. It was too Jewish for her." Amber laughed with a slight hiccup. It had been what Sam always said, complaining that her nose was too big, it was her fathers 'Jewish' nose. She was always attractive, though her nose was easily her strongest feature.

"She had a whole 'look book' for how much she hated her looks." Lucy grinned. Honestly, her heart was racing, and she was dreading the worst; everyone died that she was close to; Sam would be no different... but she couldn't let Amber know that. She needed to keep the girl comfortable, and relaxed. She could go in to shock, and that would be bad. "We'll all be fine for prom, it's like our spring break adventure! Some kids go to Cancun, we went to the hospital!"

"How delightful." Amber laughed lightly. Lucy laughed slightly, though the laugh turned to a wince as a wave of pain from her cheeks shot through her entire body. She looked out the window, she wouldn't let Amber know she was in pain; she hated being in pain; she hated showing pain. Even as a child, she would pretend that she wasn't in pain, she didn't want anyone to view her as weak, or decrepit.

"Ah, Miss Louhi, I believe you were told not to leave the bed." A slightly amused tone came from the door. Lucy turned and could feel her mouth dropping. She had heard many things about Carlisle Cullen, though looking at him in person was nothing short of amazing. She suddenly understood why some women had been feigning sick so often. He was absolutely beautiful.

"I feel fine." Lucy said as she shook her head slowly, shaking the thoughts of the older man out of her mind. He was married, and she went to school with his children. Yet he looked more like a movie star than a doctor.

"You don't look it. Come have a seat here." He told her with a frown. She couldn't help but oblige, jumping up to sit on the bed. Her entire right side was turning a deep shade of purple where she had slammed against the side of the car.

"It could have been worse for all of you." He told her as he flashed a light in to her eyes slowly. He began touching her cheek gently, his hands felt as cold as ice against her hot skin. "We'll have to take you in for surgery, do your parents know that you're here?"

"I don't have any parents, Sir." She said quietly, something she always hated talking about. She had long gotten over the death of her parents, though it was hard to make up a lie about how they had died in a tragic car accident a year before she moved there. "They died in a car accident when I was 14. I live on my own in town."

"I'm sorry." He told her. She got the feeling that he genuinely felt bad for her; she could imagine the scenarios in his head, everyone she told had the same outlook. Though it generally got her out of talking about her past. At the close proximity she saw that his eyes were the same golden yellow as his children's. At the close level she could see flecks of browns and blacks in them.

"Your eyes are amazing." She said quietly, she hadn't realized she had even spoke until she heard her voice. She felt her cheeks burn up with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I've always admired your children's eyes, but I never saw them this close. They are absolutely awe inspiring." She mused, watching his eyes. He laughed lightly, a musical laughter. She could tell Amber was watching her curiously.

"Thank you." He told her with a slight smile. "We can get you in to surgery as soon as you feel ready for it."

"So when I go in to surgery, what are you going to do? I know I'll need my nose to be reconstructed, it's entirely shattered, but how are you going to shape it? I mean, I really don't want to have an ugly nose." She said in a noncommittal fashion, grinning as she said it. She heard Amber try to hold back a laugh. "I mean, not that I care that much; but it is going to be on my face for the rest of my life."

"I promise you, I will not make your nose ugly." He shook his head as she grinned. Amber had a slight fit of giggles at the conversation.

"What? I'm never going to get a guy to like me if I've got a huge nose like Sam." Lucy said with a shrug. "I know for a fact, that while it was cute on her, it would look absolutely atrocious on me. What with my chipmunk cheeks, and lips the size of Texas."

"Your lips are not the size of Texas." Amber said, shaking her head, though she was grinning.

"I'll call you once they let me out, okay? Once Sam gets out we'll go get new dresses. This way we get to go shopping again!" Lucy said with a gleeful expression as she stood up. Carlisle was standing by the door holding a wheelchair. Lucy walked to the chair.

"I'll find the most atrocious balloons I can for you guys." Amber said, frowning as Lucy sat in the chair, glancing to her.

"I very well hope that you tell everyone lies, exagerate it as much as possible. Give 'em somethin' to talk 'bout." Lucy said cheekily. Amber laughed.

"Good luck with your surgery, Luce. I really am sorry about your car." The brunette girl said quickly, her tone filled with sorrow.

"It's fine, Am. Cars aren't important, People are." Lucy said with a soft smile. "So long as we all come out alive, it's no hair off my back."

Carlisle then wheeled her out. She sighed, falling back in to the chair, no longer smiling.

"Is Sam going to be okay? She looked horrible when I was pulled out of the car." Lucy asked quietly, she felt tired, and in immense pain. The painkiller had worn off, and she suddenly felt as bad as she looked. Her face felt as though it were on fire.

"I'm surprised you were able to see anything. The paramedics said you were covered in your own blood." He told her. She could hear him frowning.

"I looked worse than I was." She told him softly. She pulled a slight bandage from her arm, peering down at it. "I heal abnormally fast, so by the time the blood is pouring out, it usually closes up. Unless of course there's something in the cut. I once fell off of a cliff and had a rock heel under my skin because I hadn't been able to pick it out in time. Now that was painful. This is nothing."

"You must be very healthy." He commented casually, wheeling her in to an empty elevator.

"A little too healthy." She grumbled. "I've had more than one occasion where I should have died, but didn't."

"You're lucky, not everyone gets that." He told her. He was trying to cheer her up as her mood had taken a turn for the worse as the pain pulsed harder.

"Am I lucky, or cursed?" She asked, glancing up at him curiously, her brow furrowed slightly, though it only caused pain.

"Why would you be cursed to live?" He asked her as the doors shut. She glanced at the shutting doors, leaning back in to the chair. Her face hurt, though she could feel it adjusting itself.

"Because I can't die." She said quietly, feeling a traitorous tear go down her cheek. It wasn't a tear of sadness, but the pain in her face nearly felt overwhelming. "I've never tried, granted... but I should be dead now."

"The accident wasn't as bad as it could have been." He told her, watching the floors tick by. The elevator seemed to be moving slowly. The hospital was five stories tall, they had been on the ground floor, though her surgery was to be on the fifth floor. How long could it have possibly taken them to get there?!

"Look at my face, Dr. Cullen... Tell me this is normal." He glanced down at her face; she could feel the change. It no longer hurt as badly to furrow her brows; her nose hurt, but she could feel it readjusting itself, the bones readjusting themselves as though by magic. "Tell me that this is not the least bit strange."

"How are you doing that?" He asked her, watching in curiosity as they reached the fifth level. He stopped the doors from opening as he looked at her face.

"I am a witch, and willed it to happen." She retorted dryly, shaking her head incredulously. "I don't know how I do it. It just happens every time something happens to me."

"Emmett had seemed surprised that you were in the hospital. Does he know about you?" he asked her gently, the door opened as people wanted in. He pushed her out, and they went in to an operating room, though it was purely for show at this point as her face was quickly returning to normal on its own. The pain killers helped to ease the pain, though it also made it so that her body wasn't able to repair itself.

"Yes, I lost a game of chess to him." She said, begrudgingly as she hadn't wanted to admit defeat. "He still owes me a rematch."

"He did tell me to bring you over when you were better so that he could beat you again." Carlisle told her as she stood up, walking over to a reflective surface to poke at her nose. She rarely got in to accidents, though it was always interesting when she did, because she would simply heal up within minutes, to hours depending on how badly she was injured.

"If he hadn't cheated I woulda beat him the first time." She grumbled. She turned and sat on the table that he would have operated on her on. She frowned at herself as she heard her accent coming out stronger; it always came out after being injured badly; or when extremely mad. It was like a horrible secret that she was ashamed of and didn't want anyone to find out.

"May I?" He asked as he leant towards her face.

"You're the doctor." She told him with a frown.

"How old are you, honestly? When did you realize that you couldn't die?" He asked her, poking at her nose. It felt tender, though no more than if she had simply been punched in the face. It didn't feel as though she'd just gotten in to a horrific accident.

"I don't actually keep track of how old I am anymore. I could do the math, though it's quite depressin'. I was born on July 7th, in 1845, in Galveston Texas. I was always perfect and dependable Lucy Merriweather. After the war I trained to be a nurse; I've always been good at healin' people." She said; she hated how sugary her voice sounded, but it was no use holding it back, it came out either way. "When I was a young girl my mother had an old rabbit, nearly 10 years older than I was. Now the average life expectancy of rabbits is 8 to 12 years, so he was already quite old. That rabbit didn't die 'til I was 16. Tell me when have you ever heard of a rabbit living for twenty-six years! My mother said that I kept it alive, like I kept everything alive. But it didn't make any sense since everyone around me always kept dyin'!"

"In all of my years I have never seen anything like this; it's outstanding." He said, pressing her nose gently, feeling around her brow bone. "You've got some bruising, but the bones have realigned themselves, and healed immaculately."

"May I see Sam?" She asked with a frown as he poked at her nose. He seemed to step back with a look of deep thought.

"Do you think you could help her?" He asked her curiously. She frowned at the feeling that she was suddenly a science project. Though to be honest, she hadn't actually tried to heal anyone in at least 30 years. She had worked as a nurse in the 1970's in Pennsylvania, though she had left when they started becoming suspicious that she was supposed to be thirty yet she didn't look a day over 16. She had always looked young for her age, though even that sounded ridiculous for her.

"I haven't tried in at least 30 years." She frowned, standing up slowly. She had seen the injuries, they looked bad. "How are her vitals?"

"She is stable; we were able to stop her internal bleeding, and bandage up all of her exterior abrasions, though she got hit very bad." He frowned grabbing a bandage. "You should put this on, they knew you were coming in for a rhinoplasty."

"Right." She frowned as he placed bandages over her nose that made it difficult to breath. After a minute had passed she sat in the wheelchair and they exited towards the elevator. She had been hoping that it would be empty, though at the last moment a young woman entered. She glowered darkly at the woman, though they only went down one floor. She gulped inwardly. The ICU.

"She's this way." Dr. Cullen said as he wheeled her in to a room that held one bed. She felt her breath hitch in her throat at the sight of respirators and other medical contraptions that were never a good sign. "Her parents were out of town in Oregon, though they should be here in a matter of hours."

"I told her to keep her seat-belt on." Lucy muttered to no one in particular as he shut the door, pulling the curtains shut casually. She stood and approached the bed, touching her hand to the girls head slowly. Her other hand reached for her wrist, grabbing it gently to feel her pulse, though it was on the machine besides her.

"Do you mind if I sit alone with her for a few moments?" Lucy asked cautiously; she suddenly felt extremely self conscious at having Carlisle standing there watching her as though she were performing a spectator sport. He looked as though he was debating telling her no.

"You may have 10 minutes, though any longer and the nurses would start to question it." He said with a frown, he glanced to the broken remains of the blonde girl before he opened the door and exited.

Lucy turned to her friend and sighed. Her pulse was slow, but steady. Her head felt hot, and clammy. She could tell that the bleeding had been bad; she was alive, though if she got an infection it wouldn't take much to tip her over. She had never known how she did it, just that she had been able to heal people. Of course, if they were dying, they would die regardless of her efforts, but there was always hope. It was rather, she could speed up the healing process. She couldn't stop a disease from spreading, she couldn't cure an illness; though she could heal wounds. Or at least help them heal more quickly. She looked to the bandages and tubes coming out of Sam and fought back the urge to cry, and tried her hardest to focus on healing her. She had spent years trying to understand it; but there was never any conclusion. She knew she wasn't a saint, she wasn't a miracle worker, there were limits to what she did... but she was definitely not normal. She supposed it was in part why, or because, she had always been so compassionate towards everyone; complete strangers included. It was as though she had to care for them, there was no choice in the matter. Even if she had hated the person she had to care. She had to try to save them. Holding Sam's larger, cold hands, she closed her eyes and thought as hard as possible at healing her wounds.

Lucy had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't heard the door open as Carlisle returned to the room. Though moments after he entered, she felt Sam's left hand twitch. She closed her eyes more tightly, if she allowed her concentration to break it may not work at all; she could die. A light coughing, however, forced Lucy's eyes to fly open. Sam was sitting still, coughing on the tube down her throat. Carlisle was at her side in a blur before Lucy could blink. She continued to hold her hands, watching in awe as Sam opened her eyes, looking confused, and slightly pained. Carlisle glanced to Lucy tentatively before looking back to Sam.

"We put a feeding tube in, but I'm going to pull it out. Lay back, and stay still. It shouldn't hurt." Carlisle said softly, pulling the tube out very slowly, and cautiously. Once he pulled it out, he set it on a tray that Lucy hadn't seen before, and he was now wearing gloves that she hadn't seen him put on.

"Luce? What happened?" Sam furrowed her brows in confusion. Her bruises remained, and there were still bandages all over her body, though she lifted her arm as she looked down at it curiously. "Did we hit that animal?"

"No, Sam." Lucy said, unable to hold back from smiling as she clutched her friends' hand. "We hit a tree. You flew at least ten feet out of the car 'cause you were an idiot who took off their seat belt."

"I what?" Her eyes were wide. "No wonder I'm so bandaged up. What happened to you?"

"I just bumped my nose when the car flipped. Nothing too bad." Lucy said brightly, practically forgetting that Carlisle was even there until he stood besides the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Carlisle asked, holding her charts in his hand.

"Sore, but I don't feel that bad. I thought we were going to die!" Sam exclaimed, her hands clutching Lucy's now. Lucy reached a hand up to wipe tears from her eyes. "What are you crying for, Luce? You're not supposed to cry, you're the strong one."

"You have no idea how worried we were about you." Lucy shook her head, trying to sober up as she took deep breaths. "Amber feels horrible."

"We're all alive, and no one was hurt too seriously. She shouldn't feel that bad." Sam said, shaking her head. "Amber always over reacts."

"Yes." Lucy said with a small smile, though the truth of the matter was that Amber hadn't been over-reacting. It was nearly as likely that she could have died, than if she had lived. It was moments like this, that made her strange freakish gift worth while. "Amber always has been one for theatrics."

"I-" Sam began, but suddenly there was a light tapping at the door.

"Dr. Cullen, her family is here." The nurse said, smiling warmly to the handsome doctor.

"Send them in." Carlisle said, bowing his head politely. Lucy stood up besides Carlisle and then a tall, slender woman with a mess of brown hair entered, followed by a tall man with greying blonde hair.

"How is-" The woman began through her sobs, though her eyes then settled on Sam, realizing that she was awake. "My Baby! You're awake! They said you were in a comatose state!"

"I'm fine, Mom. It wasn't that bad." Sam said as her mother latched on to her tightly.

"What happened?" The older woman said, her eyes narrowing as she looked to Lucy. "Were you the one that did this to my daughter?"

"We were driving home from Seattle, and swerved out of the way to avoid hitting a moose. Sam had taken off her seat-belt, and when we stopped she went flying through the windshield." Lucy said, her tone level, though it was obvious that she was biting her tongue as her jaw set. "You are lucky to have such a proficient doctor, as your daughter could have been seriously injured. Accidents like this happen all the time, though when children are wearing their seat belts as directed to, they are not injured nearly as badly."

"Are you-" The woman began to ignore her daughter to go at the smaller girl.

"Mrs. Davis, I must ask you to calm down. I cannot have you exciting my patients. Lucy is not to blame for your daughters recklessness. This accident was not her fault. We will run more tests on your daughter in the morning after she has rested to check her progress. We shall leave you to talk with Sam." Carlisle said politely, with a tone of authority. Mrs. Davis looked very put out, though obliged as she returned to Sam's side.

"I'll come back to visit you tomorrow, Sam." Lucy said with a slight smile to her friend, though she was unable to contain her anger at her mother for being so presumptuous and horrid.

"Would you like to spend the night with my family? I do not think it best for you to stay here, though I would like to monitor you further. You took quite a blow to the head. I would also like to discuss this with you. I believe we have a lot to talk about." He told her as they entered the elevator once more, though this time they were alone.

"I would like that." she said, frowning as she forced down a yawn. "Though I'm feeling a bit sleepy. I should probably nap a bit."

"Of course." He told her politely as the doors shut. "Would you like to come with me?"

"Considering my car is wrapped around a tree somewhere in the woods, that would be great." She smiled appreciatively.

"I will call Esme and tell her that we will be having a guest. She will be pleased; we do not often have guests." Carlisle smiled, pulling out a cellphone from his pocket.

"Hello, Esme?... We will be having a special guest this evening... No, it's not Bella and Edward. It's one of the girls from the accident this afternoon, I believe she knows the children... Yes, I believe she will be fine... I love you, too. I will see you soon." He hung up the phone.

"Esme is very eager to meet you, though I must warn you, we do not often get house guests, so she may be over zealous to meet you." He warned Lucy. She smiled at the thought; she hadn't truly been a welcome guest in a home for many years; at least not when they knew what a freak she was. Everyone always said that they would be accepting of different people, though when it came down to it, very few truly were.

There were no words that Lucy could use to explain the Cullen's house. It was the most beautiful house she had seen in all of her years; a long winding dirt road, thick woods, and then a field with tall cedars larger than many she'd ever seen... and then the house itself was nothing short of breathtaking. It was at least three stories tall, it looked old, at least a hundred years; with tall pillars, and a large porch that must have went all the way around the house. As she slowly stepped out she could hear the soft sound of a river rushing, and a cold breeze danced between her exposed legs that jutted out from the bottom of a modest hospital dress. Before they had even left the garage the door opened. Lucy glanced up to see a gorgeous woman with caramel hair that fell in waves around her face.

"Lucy, this is my wife Esme. Esme, this is Lucy." Carlisle politely introduced the two women.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am. Your house is absolutely breath taking." Lucy said politely, bowing slightly to the woman.

"Please, call me Esme." The woman said warmly.

"Thank you for lettin' me in to your home." Lucy told her, with a slight smile as the woman welcomed her in.

"You were in the accident? The boys said that it was a horrible site." Esme said with a worried tone as the three entered the house. Lucy was as impressed by the modern inside, as she had been by the old fashioned outside.

"I-" Lucy began, though before she realized what had happened she was swept off the ground by an unseen force.

"Luce! You're alive!" The loud voice of Emmett said. She felt the world spin around quickly, her head getting light as she felt dizzy.

"Put me down you oaf." Lucy fought back, hitting his back slightly, amazed at how hard, and cold he was. She laughed as he sheepishly put her down. She clutched his arm tightly as the hallway seemed to spin about her head. She glowered at him.

"Emmett, that isn't a very nice way to greet our guest." Esme said with a stern tone, though it was still soft and loving.

"We went to see the wreckage; the car looked trashed, and there was blood everywhere." Emmett said wildly, his eyes going wide and his arms going out to elaborate just how bad it was. "I don't know how any of you survived. You humans are delicate creatures."

"Yes well, I'm good at survivin' things." Lucy said with a slight laugh.

"Are the others okay?" Emmett frowned, folding his arms in a stern manner. She raised an eyebrow and reciprocated the behavior.

"They are fine." Lucy shook her head, laughing at his behavior. "I thought that Sam wasn't gonna to make it, but she's pullin' through."

"She would have died if you hadn't helped her." Carlisle spoke up. She glanced back to see him and frowned slightly. "I would like to speak more with you about that once you have gotten a chance to rest more."

"I made food for her, no talking before she eats." Esme said, holding her arm softly as she led her through the house. "It's so nice to have someone around the house that eats. Bella always eats before she comes over, and Edward doesn't like to bring her over; he's so protective of her. Not that I can blame him."

"Oh." She said slowly, feeling as though she were missing a key part of their conversations. It suddenly seemed much more confusing, though she simply smiled and pretended that she understood. "Thank you for makin' me food."

"It was my pleasure." Esme said excitedly. Lucy froze when she entered the kitchen. There must have been enough food for at least three meals. There was no way she could eat that much.

"You really didn't have to ma'am. This is far too much food for little ol' me." Lucy said as she slowly entered the kitchen behind the woman.

"You can take whatever you don't eat home! I may have gotten a bit carried away. I do miss cooking." Esme smiled sheepishly. Lucy smiled appreciatively as she sat on a barstool at the counter. She glanced out the window as Esme piled a plate high with food for her.

"The views here are phenomenal." Lucy said in awe of the scenery.

"When we found the house, I knew that we had to restore it. That is a hobby of mine, fixing up old houses." The warm woman said. Lucy was unsure of why, but there was something that made her feel instantly comfortable around the woman, she couldn't help but like her.

"It smells delicious." Lucy held a fork out tentatively, her pale fingers clutched it delicately as she brought a bite to her mouth. Esme was watching her as though fearful that it wouldn't be edible. Her stomach lurched with fear that perhaps it would poison her... it was a pasta of some sort, she hadn't been sure what kind; but it tasted perfectly normal. She chewed it slowly, Esme watched her with baited breath. "It tastes even better. Thank you." The older woman smiled in relief, and pride that she had cooked a decent meal.

"Once you're done, you and me, chess." Emmett said, appearing out of no where behind her. He sidled in besides her.

"Don't you have someone else to bother?" Lucy raised an eyebrow at him with a smirk. "Where's Rosalie?"

"Her and Alice are shopping in France." He rolled his eyes. Lucy laughed at his tone. She had been raised to expect the finer things in life, many of her 'friends' had been the type of girls that would have ordered things from France simply to say that they had been made by the top fashion house in France that had clothed the queen. She enjoyed nice clothes, though it all seemed frivolous and slightly pointless; it served nothing more than to uphold an image. "Alice's new friend went with them, but I had better things to do with my week off of school."

"Because you pay attention to when you do, and do not, have school. You miss more school than anyone I've ever met. I'm over 160 years old; so that's sayin' something." She grinned at him as she said it.

"You're only 70 years older than I am, it's not like you're that old." He rolled his eyes at her, she shook her head and continued eating, though she was quite confused, and intrigued. They way he said it made it as though he wasn't joking, he wasn't lying; but there was something missing. They all knew why they were old, and it was more likely than not for the same reason. Both Carlisle, Emmett, and Esme had the same cold skin; she suspected all of them did. And they all seemed to assume that she knew what they were, at least for now.

"Young'n." She muttered under her breath, though she had a broad cheshire grin as she looked up from her food. He roared loudly with laughter.

"Lucy? What are you doing here?"Lucy turned slowly, realizing that Jasper had now entered the kitchen and was standing besides Esme. She was certain he hadn't been there a moment before. In all of her years, she'd never quite seen anything like that, with the exception of during a brief stay in New Orleans with his mother. His mother had been like that; able to sneak up on her without her even noticing.

"You're just like your mother was, appearing out of no where and scarin' the wits out of me." She shook her head with a slight laugh. Esme looked confused, and Jasper looked shocked.

"You knew my mother?" He looked intensely at her, watching her with a frown. "How did you know her?"

"Um..." Lucy started awkwardly; she wasn't sure how to begin this conversation.

"How did you know me?" He asked her, his arms were folded as he leaned against the refridgerator, he suddenly looked extremely tense, and she suddenly felt extremely irritated, and anxious. She glanced to Emmett as though to beg for help, she didn't know why she was suddenly feeling so angry.

"Jasper, calm down. You're freaking her out." Emmett said firmly. Glancing between the two. "She met you before you disappeared; she only knew you for three days."

"You were in the the group of women and children?" He furrowed his brows, she felt the strange emotions relax a bit. "I can't remember anything from then. Everything from my life is a blur. Though I remember not having seen my mother since I joined the army."

"You leant me your jacket, because it was cold at night, and I had nothin' but a summer dress on; I had given my shall and jacket to a couple'a children that night. When we returned to Galvaston I went lookin' for you to return it, and thank you, though you had disappeared." She frowned, suddenly feeling slightly disappointed that he hadn't remembered her at all, she hadn't expected him to; he had made no sign to know her, yet she hadn't remembered him until she was sort of forced too. "You had not listed anyone to contact in case of emergency, or death; so when I spoke with your general about returning the jacket, he asked for my name. He must have gotten ahold of your mother, because less than a week after you disappeared she arrived at my house."

"She went to your house? What did you do?" He asked her, clearly intrigued to hear the story, though she got a slight sense of disbelief in his tone, his eyes were watching her inquisitively. Esme was watching her curiously.

"I let her stay in my guest bedroom, and I helped her look for you until she died of Malaria while we were in New Orleans. She was a very kind woman. It was October 27th, I believe." She told him cautiously; Jasper had never been known to have a good temper, though he seemed in slightly better spirits at this point, and his family was around him. It was silent enough to hear a pin drop. She could hear her heart racing, it reverberated against the walls. She then had a dark realization; she could not hear their hearts. Certainly hers was not beating so abnormally fast that only hers could be heard. They didn't even seem to be breathing! Their pale complexions, without a hint of blush to them, the coldness... they were not alive.

"Why did you help her? If you only knew me for three days; why would you help a stranger out in that way?" He asked her with a frown. His voice was unusually soft, they all sounded extremely musical; they were the most beautiful creatures she'd ever seen, almost inhumanly so... she had searched high and low for Jasper with his mother, they had even spoken with voodoo queens who said that they sensed his soul, but that they could not find him. They were dead. She could feel her face whiten as she choked a bit, stumbling off the chair in shock. Emmett caught her before she hit the ground with catlike reflexes. They all held the same haunted eyes, with light purple circles under them that hardly seemed noticeable; the pale skin... she was just a freak of nature that had managed to stay alive forever; they were dead; they were no longer alive. If her heart raced any faster it would have pounded out of her chest.

"Are you all right, Luce? Calm down." Emmett said in a soothing tone as he held her up. She could feel herself hyperventilating. She knew that she should have been calm about it, there had to have been a perfectly good explanation about it, though at this point, she was beyond seeing it.

"I need to go to bed." She said quickly, taking gulps of air.

"I'll show you to your room. Is the food making you ill?" Esme said, her tone was warm, and inviting. It made her want to relax, though she couldn't relax. She'd known these people for two years, they'd been nothing but polite, and kind... they were like her. But they weren't; she was alive, they were dead. It scared her more than anything. Even as she allowed the beautiful dead woman besides her to lead her up the stairs slowly she couldn't quite grasp the idea.

"The food was delicious. I just need to sleep; everything will make sense when I wake up." Lucy said quietly as she entered a beautifully decorated room. "Thank you."

"If you need anything don't bother to call for me." Esme said with a smile as she walked to the door. "Sleep well."

Lucy lay on the bed, pulling the covers over herself. She couldn't believe that they were dead, that there was something weird going on. It was unsettling, and it made her feel sick to her stomach. She wanted to cry from enraged frustration, it made no sense. She felt nothing but confusion, and fear. Despite this, the moment her head hit the pillow she fell in to a fitful sleep.

A/N: Hey guys, Thanks for reading. Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks. :D