I thought for a time that the only thing holding me together was Emmett's strong grip around me. It was real early in the morning when I decided that the not-knowing part of what was wrong with me hurt me more than my body actually falling a part. So when I finally dug up enough courage to open my eyes, I was glad to see no tears. Upon a more detail survey of my body, even the silvery scars had disappeared completely. Maybe that was just my ability enhancing the illusion like when it covers my bleached white skin with a healthy tan.

Now, with the clock flashing 4:16 A.M., I felt like a statue, afraid to move because of what could happen. What if I fell a part by just doing nothing? I had to push that fear away from me though. I was still myself after all. I rose from the bed and slowly, carefully walked over to the floor-length mirror that hung on the far wall. I don't know what I was looking for. Perhaps a tear I couldn't see earlier? None were there, but still, as I surveyed millimeter of my skin, I winced in terrified anticipation.

"Let's hunt." Emmett's voice reverberated from deep in our closet. He emerged dressed in carpenter jeans, a red and black flannel shirt, and a Seahawks ballcap, pulled backwards like always.

My lumberjack, I thought. I smiled. "Sure." Mostly confident that I wasn't falling a part or disappearing into nothingness, I found a green sweater and my favorite pair of jeans that I had hidden from Alice and her penchant for trashing every article of clothing that has been worn maybe once. I emphasize "maybe" because she is notorious for donating a pair of pants or a shirt—never worn—to charity. Apparently, fashion changed that fast.

Sliding down the banister into the living room, I felt like my normal self.

"Logan Cullen! If you scratch that finish, so help me…!" Esme shrieked from the kitchen.

I heard some snickering and glanced over at the couches. Allison was seated on the couch, her bright blood red eyes were full of interest. In her lap was Seth's head. He was drooling like a fool, asleep.

"He was tired," she informed. "He was kind of worried about you and didn't want to go to bed until you were okay."

I was about to speak when I noticed Al caressing his hair in the most caring way. Did she even know? And by the way, why wasn't his blood making her go stir crazy?! Shapeshifter gene, I concluded. I shuddered internally. Yuck. Even I couldn't change that nasty ass flavor to anything palpable. I sat carefully on the adjoining couch from Al and Seth. "Do you want to hunt with Em and I?" I barely whispered.

Al's throat clenched, her Adam's apple bobbing reflexively. The burn was omnipresent in the newborn years. I was frankly shocked she could even stand to be still right now. We had human neighbors after all despite the fact the closest one was a mile down the road. I knew my throat would be burning like a supernova right now if I were her. Maybe it was the imprint? It was pretty powerful.

"So what do you say?" Emmett asked, yelling from the banister at the top of the stairs.

Al shushed him. "Don't wake him! He just fell asleep."

"Then stop talking so loud," Emmett boomed.

Al was starring daggers at Emmett, and if she hadn't had Seth's head in her lap, she would've sprung on him.

I peeked down at Seth. He stirred a bit, but never woke. "Let's get going, ya big lug," I said, clearly meaning Emmett. He descended the oak stairs and was at the front door with his hand outstretched for mine.

"Wait," Al whispered. "I'll be right back." With equal measures of strength and grace, Al lifted Seth like a baby, an enormous, 6" 2', 250 pound, adult baby. I thought to take a picture, something to hold against Seth later. Before I could get the camera app on my phone running though, she ran Seth to his bedroom in the cupola. Shortly thereafter, Al, Em, and I were off into the ending darkness to recharge my malfunctioning batteries.

Seventy miles northeast of the island, I took down two deer and an elk. Allison, very messily, had a large black bear and a deer. Unwilling to look less like a glutton than either Al or me, Emmett made sure to get two deer and two bears. We were done with our meals and it wasn't even dawn yet. The nights were getting longer this late into fall.

"I hate that I'm the messy one!" Al complained. We were gliding down the runway of an abandoned airfield. In the olden days, bush planes would take off from here to scout Maine's wooded interior for forest fires. Now, the runway was cracked and slowly disintegrating. The forest was encroaching from the left, its roots slowly digging up through the formerly flat and smooth surface. A back roads highway skirted alongside the airfield before it too disappeared into the wild woods. We were half way down the strip and still hadn't seen a car drive past.

I snorted. "Don't worry. Emmett was just as bad when he started too!"

Emmett rolled my eyes.

"What? You disagree?" I challenged.

"You weren't there…" Emmett began, but I cut him off succinctly. As if reading the lines from a novel verbatim, I retold Emmett's story of his first animal kill. He had told it to me long ago. The image of Emmett vomiting blood from his mouth and nose was enough to make me gag.

Emmett looked miffed.

"What?" I asked grabbing for his hand.

He pulled away. "That story was a secret, babe," he whined.

"How is it a secret when the whole family knows the same old story?" I asked with sarcasm. I grabbed for his hand again and missed. He continued to walk with Allison, but I hopped over his head and landed in his arms.

"Can I help you?" he asked feigning annoyance.

I shook my head. "Nope. Just here for the ride, sugar cakes." He was about to put me down, but I locked my lips to his. Needless to say, he didn't put me down. Instead, he held me tightly, pushing his electric tongue along my lower lip. He wanted permission to enter. Permission is implied, Emmett Cullen! Forever and always…

I heard someone retch, but I didn't hear the splash of blood or vomit. Coming to my senses, I noticed that Allison was standing a few feet ahead of Emmett and I. "What's the matter?" I asked. "Bad blood?"

"No," Allison said with thin smile. "The sight of you two doesn't help matters though."

"You bitch," I commented, shaking out of Emmett's grasp. I grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

"You're not supposed to be doing that anyways! Doctor's orders!" Al rationalized.

"You're loving super sensitive hearing, aren't you?" Emmett asked with a knowing smile.

"Can't say that it isn't handy…"

"Yeah, well, that's only because we got sound proof walls in this house. Before… oh… my… god…" I gagged.

"What do you mean?" she asked, genuinely interested.

Emmett's eyes buzzed in a circle. "Uh…"

Allison snapped her jaw shut with an audible clack. "Never mind." She started to rub at her blood-caked blouse in a vain attempt to clean herself up.

I grabbed at her forearm. "It's not going to work. You're going to tear through your blouse and nobody wants to see that."

"Hey!" she whined. "There are plenty of men who would want to see that…"

I let her comment float for a moment. You're right, Al. You're a vampire, but… only one will be able to touch you there… I shuddered. Ew. The thing about a vampire's mind was that it raced a million miles a second in a million different directions.

"Anyways," Allison redirected. A cloud of awkward had fallen on the airstrip. We were nearing the end of it though. Down a subtle decline there was a rusted old fence that marked the boundary to the forest. "You haven't told me your first hunt story, Logan."

"Which one—human or animal?" I asked jokingly.

"Animal." She cringed. "I prefer not to be tempted to rip my Grandma's throat out even more than I already am. Does the burn in my throat ever go away?" She scratched her throat.

"You get used to it," Emmett informed with a quick nod. "And Logan, here, he's a cheater when it comes to the hunt."

"A cheater?" Allison asked with intrigue.

I shrugged my shoulders. "My ability and I are best friends."

"And here I thought Seth was your best friend," Allison whispered. We easily hopped the chain link fence. The sun was rising in the east and it would be time for school soon. I had to only get through today and tomorrow, the wake, and the funeral, and then I would be free to figure out my problem.

"Oh shit." I froze.

Emmett spun to face me. "What's the matter? Are you okay?"

Allison, bless her heart, kicked off the ground and found a perch on a fence post. She was scenting the air, surveying for danger. It wasn't the reaction I would have thought little ole' Al would've jump to, but I'd take it. It was clear, she was a fighter.

I had hesitated to bring up Allison's funeral arrangements with her despite not really having an opportunity to do it. It seemed wrong for some reason, but I suppose few in the world ever had to consider their own funeral arrangements when they were believed to be dead. I felt guilty for my own hesitation. It was her funeral. Not mine. Then again, I was the one who had to deal with it on top of my… what should I call it? Sickness? Imperfection? The absence of information was maddening.

I surveyed the forest in the east. The sun had broken over the horizon, lighting up the forest with a brilliance only a vampire could appreciate. The sun hit the morning dew lighting the forest up like a trillion Christmas lights. It was beautiful.

I inhaled deeply. "Your funeral is the day after next."

Allison, perched on the fence post, reminded me of Lady Liberty standing atop the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. Her lips were pursed, her face guarded. She hopped down and put her hand on my shoulder. It was a supportive gesture. "I don't blame you for what happened at the party. I fell. It wasn't you. I mean, you saved me. This funeral…" she crushed her eyes together, "my funeral... It is not your fault. It's a burden for you and I'm sorry."

I knew she suffered too though. Allison Wellington, the human version at least, came from a small, but tight knit family. She had a younger brother who was in middle school. Her mom and dad owned a small grocery store in one of the coastal villages on the other side of the island. When Allison said "her funeral," she actually meant her family's funeral for her. They would be the ones suffering and she would suffer because they suffered.

I reminded myself of the decision I made to save Allison's life. Looking back on it, I would've made the same decision. If I didn't, my family wouldn't have had a new daughter or sister. And Seth. Poor, Seth. If I didn't save Allison, would he ever imprint? Find someone? I was a firm believer in one's true soul mate. There was and would be only one. Emmett, thank God, was mine. What about Seth, if...

What if's were a powerful thing when one was immortal.

Yes, I saved Allison's life. Maybe I wasn't done though? Allison was to some degree responsible for her family. Her pain made that clear enough. Helping her family out—being a pallbearer or whatever they needed me to be—would be the only way that I could alleviate some of her pain. I was her sire and I guess I didn't understand what exactly, or more accurately, to what extent that relationship was. I was responsible for Allison, and as to the funeral, I was responsible for her family too. There was odd symmetry in it all. I would be strong for Allison. I had to be.

…

School was as dreary as it was yesterday. The collective sadness had switched though, from a sudden punch in the gut to something more along the lines of a continuous funerary dirge. The shock of Allison's death had worn off and replacing it was reality. I did my best to muscle through the sadness and was surprised to find Jasper was able to get through it too.

"I keep reminding myself that she's at home," he said to me. "She's a sweet darlin,' that Allison."

Friday was a repeat of Thursday, and the dirge continued to play in the background. Thankfully, Coach Jandron decided to cancel practice for the rest of the week not that Seth or I would've gone anyways. I only had to get through the wake and the funeral now.

By 8:00 P.M. Friday night, the entire family minus Allison had arrived in the high school gym for the wake. Eleazar, and his mate, Carmen, had arrived that morning to help me figure out my problem and were keeping Allison company tonight. I apologized for leaving her with strangers, but she reminded me that keeping up the charade was more important. The wake wasn't for her, she insisted, and that she would grieve for her human life in her own way when the time was right.

"For a wake, you look good." It was Emmett. He held my hand tightly as we slid in through the double doors that separated the gym from the rest of the school. It wasn't the time for vanity, but I knew Emmett enough to know that he was trying to get a rise out of me. He would try just about anything to wipe the gloom off my face.

I shook my head in a useless attempt to shed my sadness. "I'll be alright after the funeral," I whispered.

"Oh, deary," Esme commented. She smoothed a lock of my hair that had apparently fallen out of line. "You do look handsome." I regarded myself in the reflection of a trophy case. I was in a crisp, tailored suit. An Alice-inspired get up. It was a subdued gray number that came with a white shirt and blue tie. You were supposed to wear black to these types of things, but a small part of me refused to accept the lie I was supposed to portray. My suit was my small defiant stand. Besides, human Allison's eyes were blue.

I sat with my family high in the bleachers. We didn't want to distract anyone from the large portrait of Allison that sat on an easel near the speaker's podium. We were always a spectacle as it was. Principal Adams was shuffling through some note cards. Her lips were moving at a rapid pace, for a human. She was practicing her eulogy. My stomach churned inside out.

I couldn't help but feel like I was the cause of all this. I knew better of course… Allison would've died regardless, but maybe there was something I could've done? Told her not to go to the party? Stole her away from the party when the cops showed up? Something?

Jasper was seated a bleacher down from me. He leaned back and whispered, "Snap out of it, buddy."

I was annoyed at myself. I didn't know how Jasper was handling all the humans in the crowd and then add me to the mix? God, what did I have to be sad about? Allison was alive! That reality though was so difficult to accept when six hundred people turned out for a lost teenager's wake. They all thought she was dead and either I believed them or I believed I caused it.

A hand slid over my shoulder and pulled me into the body to which it was attached. Emmett gave me an empathetic smile. I tried to return it, but it was too hard. Instead, I counted the number of times Adams shuffled her cards. Were they even in order now?

I glanced to the side of the bleachers and noticed Coach Jandron speaking with tall, slender man. A woman was next to him. She was gripping a tissue so hard, her hand shook. And next to her was a young boy, maybe ten or twelve years old. He sniffled. Tears slowly made their way down his cheek.

It was Allison's family.

I shot up from my seat, Emmett following me. "What's the matter?" he asked.

I stared deep into his eyes searching for an answer that seemed logical or reasonable, or right. "Nothing."

Emmett nodded and sat back down. I slunk back down too, only to rise up again. Before Emmett could ask, I had descended the bleachers. And before Principal Adams could stop me I walked up to Allison's family.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Mr. and Mrs. Wellington," I started. "My name is Logan Cullen. I'm sorry that I was never introduced to you. I didn't know, um, Allison long, but she is," I stopped myself, "excuse me, she was a great… great friend."

Allison's dad rose to his feet and held out his hand. I was careful not to crush it my steel-twisting grip. "It's nice to meet you as well, Logan. Al had mentioned you were new friend."

They called her Al too. I sighed. Being a vampire is an otherworldly experience that is terribly difficult to explain. But this connection… Al… made me feel more like a human than my first life.

Allison's mom rose to her feet as well and shook my hand fleetingly. It was almost rude, but I decided to ignore it. "My dear, you are so cold," she commented to my surprise (that she would care, not that it was true). "I will tell the Principal to raise the heat." Before I could object, she stalked off to the podium.

I looked to Mr. Wellington for guidance. He shrugged his shoulders. "She's finding any excuse to avoid the reality."

"Can't say that I blame her, Mr. Wellington."

"Sam," he interjected. "Call me Sam." He turned to his sniffling son. "And this is Andy."

I knelt to Andy's eyelevel and held out a hand. "Nice to meet you."

No response. His eyes were wide black pits ringed with the tiniest sliver of blue. He had Allison's eyes. She never mentioned that. I glanced up at Andy's father. He gave a grim smile.

Rising up, I said, "Well, I won't keep you and your family. Again, I'm sorry." I turned to walk away, but a clammy hand grabbed at my suit coat.

"They won't let me carry her casket," a voice croaked.

I spun on my heel. "Why not?"

Andy rubbed away the snot that was running down his nose. It was such a boy thing to do. "They say it's too heavy, but there's no body, so how can it be…"

Sam put his hand on Andy's shoulder. "We've already been through this, son. It'll be easier if…"

"How many pallbearers are there?" I interjected.

Sam eyes were as weary as his sons. He sighed. "Six. My brother, myself, three volunteers from church, and you, if you are still interested."

"Whatever you need, Mr. Wellington. My family and I will be of whatever assistance you need."

From fifty feet away, I heard Esme whisper, "Ask him if he wants any food prepared. I can do Lasagna. Or chicken. Or anything really. I have all night. Ask him, Logan!"

I waved her off. "But I mean, I think between five of us plus your son, we should be able to handle the casket. It seems to mean a lot to him."

"Your coach said you had some powerful legs," Sam said with a grin.

"Huh?"

"Al was the girl's crew captain. Jandron kept me informed of the boys too."

I grinned inwardly. "I'm sure we will be able to handle it, won't we, kid?"

Andy's smile was like a ray of sunshine blasting through rain clouds. I respected the kid. Most pre-teens his age would gag at the sight of a casket, let alone carry it even if this particular one would be free of any body. If Andy wanted to honor his sister by carrying her casket, who was I not to help him? Four adults, one preteen, and one vampire—I think we'll have it covered.

I gave one last nod to Sam and walked back to my family. Esme grabbed me as I passed. "What about the food?"

"Just make a whole bunch, Mom," I replied. "Even if they don't eat it at the funeral, I'm sure their not going to want to cook too much in the foreseeable future."

"How did you ever get so smart?" Esme asked, slinking a hand around my waist.

Alice scoffed. "Don't tell him that. His head is already inflated."

"Looks like the family is getting back to normal," Carlisle commented to no one in particular.

"Ladies, gentleman, and students, could I have your attention please?" It was Adams. Apparently she was done shuffling her cards. The gym quickly quieted down, everyone's attention on the old public school veteran whose bun was disheveled and reading glasses needed serious updating. The 1980s was thirty years ago, lady.

"Yep, life is getting back to normal," Emmett snickered. I backhanded him with such force that it sounded like granite scrapping granite. The echo bounced across the gym causing Adams's microphone to get feedback.

Carlisle gave me a glare of death.

"What?" I asked sheepishly.

The next day was round two of "Allison is dead, let's all grieve about it." At this point, I was done. Just done. "Maybe we're pushing too much into the human world," I said, rolling my eyes.

Emmett rolled his eyes back at me. He was fixing my tie. "Logan," he started. "The funeral is in an hour and we don't have to go to the luncheon afterwards. You'll be done soon."

I eyed him meekly. "You're coming? I thought…" I thought I was going solo—to carry the empty casket by myself. I mean, in spirit if not physically. The wake was enough to give the impression that my family cared, or at least enough to not trigger suspicion. Nobody wanted to go to real event—Allison was downstairs!

Emmett ran the pad of his thumb over my lower lip and I shuddered inwardly. His lips gingerly grazed against mine. Passion surged through my body. I wanted more. To my chagrin, he pulled away, disappearing into our closet. He returned fully dressed in a black suit with black tie.

"Doctor's orders," he said. Ah yes. Chastity was a terrible prescription if you could even call it one. "What do you think, babe?" he asked, doing a spin more to make me moan than to show off his wares.

If I couldn't touch, I could imagine… What did I think? I repeated to myself. There was nothing better than a well-dressed man. Undoubtedly this was a fact of life. "Um…"

"You don't look half bad yourself," he redirected. I was in a black suit too, but I opted for a red tie this time. It's silkily texture reminded me of Emmett's skin. "Come on," he said, grabbing for the keys to his Jeep.

A flash of silver bounced into my eyes and I caught sight of its origin. "You're wearing the cufflinks I gave you," I stated with surprise. Three Christmases ago, I gave to each of my brothers and Carlisle a pair of a silver cufflinks, custom engraved with the Cullen crest. They were pretty flashy in my opinion. I mean, they were pure silver after all! But Emmett, would rarely wear the cufflinks for fear he would lose them.

"Did you catch the tie clip?" he asked snapping his fingers and pointing at the silvery clasp halfway up from his belt buckle. "It's legit, right?!"

I shook my head. Emmett wasn't known for fashion sense. He didn't care enough. "Let's go," I suggested. "Alice would definitely give you a thumbs up though, if you didn't know."

The funeral itself was held at a local funeral home in Bar Harbor. Much of what was said was merely a repeat of yesterday. How Allison's life was taken too early… What a tragedy it was… Her poor family… I did my best to care, but at this point, people needed to get on with their lives. I did feel for the Wellingtons, but the fact remained that Allison was at my house, right now, more or less alive. Yeah, well, let's just say I kept that fact to myself. Allison's grandma would probably have had a coronary. She didn't look well; I could sense it from her heartbeat.

When it came to my pall bearing duty, I lined up with Sam, Andy, Sam's brother who introduced himself as Steve, and the two volunteers from the Wellington's church. Even for being bodiless, the casket weighed a shit ton by human standards. Andy appeared to struggle at first, since he was shorter than the rest of us, but I made sure to situate myself in the middle of my row and carry most of Andy's weight. It looked like Sam might pass out himself, not from the weight of the casket, but the emotional weight that was inside it.

"What was in that?" I asked once the casket was put into the hearse.

Andy shook his head. "My mom went a little crazy trying to find pictures and clothes that she thought Allison would want in heaven. It was probably three garbage bags of junk once we were done clearing out her room." Andy's tone was sarcastic. There was a tinge of humor too. Maybe this was the real Andy. He sounded like me during my sarcastic preteen days. Still, it was nice to see him acting relatively normal, even if his pain was hidden just below the surface.

"Hey kid," Emmett called from his Jeep. "You wanna ride over with us?"

Andy's eyes went wide at the sight of Emmett's souped-up Jeep. Rosalie threw a lift kit and four jumbo tires on it for his birthday last year. I would call the whole deal obnoxious, but with Andy's furious nodding, I knew he disagreed with me.

"If it is alright with your father," I added, surveying the crowd for Sam or his wife.

Without another word Andy ducked through the horde of funeral participants and then returned. He didn't stop though. Lifting himself up to the six feet necessary to get in the passenger door, he yelped, "He said it was fine!"

Emmett poked his head out of the driver's side window. With a toothy grin, dimples beaming, Emmett mocked, "He said it was fine!"

He better have asked. That little shit will get me in trouble, I thought traipsing over to Emmett's obnoxious Jeep. I had to pretend to struggle to hoist myself up to the passenger door myself. I was only half-pretending in the end, my suit was a little constricting and I sure as hell didn't want to rip the seam quite yet. I mean, I wouldn't ever wear this suit again, but I still had the burial to get through.

Emmett squealed out of the parking lot.

I glared daggers at him. "This is a funeral," I muttered through clenched teeth.

Andy nor Emmett seemed to notice though. "Sweet!" Andy punched the air in excitement. Cruising down the highway towards the cemetery on the other side of the island, Emmett got it in his head that we would take some of the dirt roads instead. It rained last night so there was plenty of muck to throw around with his monster tires.

I know it didn't sound right to think this today, but Andy was in heaven. He was whooping and hollering to hit the mud harder. I swore Emmett blew the axle in one muck hole, he hit so hard.

"If you make us late, you will live to regret it, Emmett Cullen," I whispered so quietly, human Andy wouldn't have heard it. Not that he was paying attention. He was too busy trying to gauge the depth of the mud of the latest pool. It was only a foot below the doors. The Jeep's engine whined in protest as we started the climb out of this muck hole.

"Emmett," I whispered. "It's not like I can get us out of this if you can't." I would be damned if my arm fell off because I got out and pushed using my ability. When I would come to, this goddamn Jeep junker would definitely get the same treatment my Mustang experienced the other day.

"Come on, baby," Emmett crooned, rubbing the dashboard. "Don't let Daddy down."

Daddy? I glared at Emmett. "Ew."

Emmett gave me a suggestive eyebrow wiggle. If I was human, my cheeks would've flushed a rich shade of red. Instead, I just smiled inwardly.

I peered back at Andy. He was having the time of his life. Emmett was doing this on purpose, to get Andy's mind of his sister. My soul lurched and in that moment, I had the overwhelming urge to tell Andy the truth. It was so simple. She was alive, Andy. I just had to mouth those simple four words. I never understood family until I met the Cullens. My human parents weren't what a family ought to have been. From the Cullens, I understood Andy's situation even though I had never lost Edward or Alice, or Bella or yes, even Rosalie. I couldn't imagine my family's dynamic with a missing member in the infinitely complex family puzzle that we were. The picture would never be complete again if one of us was lost. And now, for Andy, his puzzle would never be complete again.

Emmett must have memorized all the backcountry roads on the island because when we popped out back on the highway, we were only a mile from the cemetery. Thankfully, we weren't late arriving either. The cemetery was large, but unremarkable. We passed through older sections first. The dates on the some of the headstones went back farther than even Jasper. Soon enough though, we were in the newer area and the dates were more recent. I briefly wondered what my family would do if one of us died? Would we really buy a burial plot and tombstone? There wouldn't be a body. I mean, the only thing to bury would be fire-charred dust.

"Morbid, Logan," I whispered to myself. "Morbid."

Finding Allison's burial plot was easy enough. A large tent was erected over it to ward off any rain that might hit this afternoon. It was perfect cover for Emmett in case a stray beam of sun was to pierce the soupy clouds above. Allison's family and other attendees amassed around the plot and the pastor from their family's church said a few prayers. Then, he asked if anyone would like to speak about Allison. Sam had given a eulogy at the funeral home, but I could tell the priest wasn't ready to be done yet. Mrs. Wellington was about to lose it completely. She held onto Sam tightly, muttering that Allison wasn't dead. Over and over again, she whispered that Allison wasn't dead.

That scared me at first. I searched my memory for some way that Allison's mom could know the truth. Had I said something? Was Allison seen in town? No! She hasn't left the house or if she did, someone was with her. They would've made sure Al wasn't seen. No. Al's mom couldn't know. Really. She couldn't know. That would be dangerous.

Maybe it was that she still didn't accept reality? Yeah, that was it. She was hoping that Sam would simply agree with her and they all would go home to find Allison doing her homework or surfing the internet for better sculling techniques.

Meanwhile, Coach Jandron was giving a brief eulogy. He talked about Allison's dedication to the sport and her teammates. Then, a Mrs. Ramona spoke too. She was Allison's babysitter when she was a toddler and I had to laugh when she spoke of Allison's diaper blowouts after eating mashed peas.

"They never did sit well her," I heard Sam whisper, more to himself than anyone. Sam's wife was still weeping.

Mrs. Ramona finished speaking and returned to her chair where she had been sitting. The pastor asked if anyone else wanted to speak, but no spoke up.

Don't ask me why I cleared my throat then. It wasn't necessary by any means, but it was the human thing to do and I hoped the pastor would notice me. I glanced over at Emmett, my rock. He gave me a smile. It was subtle and quiet. It was for only me, and would always be. The pastor called me forward and I stood at one end of the casket.

That's an ornate beast, I thought. It was a rich oak color, with chrome roads for handles. For how heavy it was, I knew it was solid, and I was briefly surprised as to why the Wellingtons would spend so much money on an empty casket. But who I was I to judge?

I glanced around the congregation and sighed. "When I was traveling over to the cemetery just now, I had the fortune to get to know Andy, Allison's brother. And he reminded me of my family and I had to ask myself what it would be like to lose one of my brothers or sisters…"

At the far side of the tent, I heard a low voice ask, "I thought Emmett Cullen was his brother?"

"No, he's his boyfriend," another voice stated.

The first voice replied, "Emmett is both."

"Both what?" a third voice quipped.

I wanted to roll my eyes. Rude, bitches. Rude.

I glanced over to Sam, his wife, and Andy and spoke to them directly. Mrs. Wellington was clutching at Sam's shoulder as if it was her lifeline to sanity. Andy's expression was hard to read, but it was clear he was trying not to cry. "And I decided that my family, like your family, is a puzzle and each member of a family is but a piece of that puzzle. And losing a family member would be like finishing the puzzle except you have one critical piece missing, a corner piece or something. The puzzle will be forever incomplete.

"Allison's life in this world was cut short. And I knew her for a short period of time—less than most people here, but I think I knew her well enough to know that she would want you all to remember her in death as you knew her in life. She was cool, calm, and collected; she was spacey, she was kind, she was true.

"And if you can remember her as you knew her in life, I think that together, you all can keep the puzzle piece that was Allison Wellington in place and keep her puzzle—her family whole. Because in the end, family, like Allison, is true, and kind, and even spacey. I would venture to call my family a bit crazy." There were some snickers in the background. Mrs. Wellington's lips flipped upward as well. It was the first time I had ever seen her smile. It was small, but it was sure. It reminded me of Allison in so many ways. "I'm sure you can all relate," I finished.

Sam nodded.

I placed a hand atop Allison's empty casket and closed my eyes for a quick second. In that moment, I silently cherished and cursed my knowledge that Allison, my creation, was sitting at my home in front of the crackling fire alive and well—okay, relatively speaking on both counts, but still…

The pastor said a few final prayers and reminded attendees that the Wellingtons were hosting a luncheon at their home after the funeral was finished here.

As Emmett walked me back to the Jeep, I heard Andy running up the grass towards me. I spun on my heel to notice the entire Wellington clan was following in Andy's footsteps. As Sam and his wife stopped in front of me, I asked, "Can I help you with something, Sam?"

Before I could react, Mrs. Wellington pulled away from Sam and threw her arms around me. She wept for a moment and I held her gently. "If you get to call him Sam, you get to call me Anna. I'm so happy Al met you. Thank you, lover. I just know she liked what you said. I just know." Anna pulled away from me and went back to her husband. He kissed her on the head. "You'll come to the house for food now, right? Food and funerals goes hand and hand, you know!" She laughed gently.

I smiled. "No, unfortunately, I can't. I have to do homework now. I'm… kinda behind… what with everything…"

Anna's eyes blasted concern. "What?! Have they not given you leeway? I'll have to talk to Ada…"

"No, no, no!" I responded coolly. "The school's been great, but still, I don't want to fall anymore behind…"

"Thanks for everything," Sam said, offering his hand.

I shook his hand and nodded at Andy. "If you ever want another ride, I'm sure Emmett could hook you up."

"Sweet!" Andy replied, punching the air again. What an interesting boy… He was the male version of Allison through and through.

"Ready to go?" Emmett asked.

I nodded.

Sam approached Emmett. "Thanks for coming too." He shook Emmett's hand who had dawned some gloves the second he noticed Andy running up the grass. "You have a good man, that Logan," Sam commented.

"Meh, I'll keep him," Emmett replied sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes. "No, I'll keep him."

"Well, we won't keep either of you any longer," Anna acknowledged. "Don't be a stranger, Logan. Please, I hope you know I mean that. I think that Allison might have wanted it. I don't know why."

I nodded. As the Wellingtons drove away, I noted that Emmett and I were the only ones left in the cemetery.

"Everyone probably wanted to eat," Emmett observed. "Death has a way of making humans hungry."

"We're going to have to leave the island a lot sooner than we all planned," I observed, climbed up to the passenger door.

"What do you mean?" Emmett asked.

I bit my lip. "There was something in the way Anna acted today. Like when she was going on and on about Al being alive and all."

"She was just upset, Logan," Emmett rationalized. He pulled onto the highway in the opposite direction of the Wellington's food extravaganza. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"Even so," I contemplated aloud. "Al's a newborn and this is an island. This is her island. We're playing with fire here. What are the chances she gets noticed? Even just walking in the woods? And I don't know what would be worse, a friend—Hayley—noticing Al walking and talking or Al going all newborn crazy and slaughtering Hayley in bloodlust."

"I think Hayley just seeing Allison is a whole shit ton of bad," Emmett observed.

I looked at Emmett quizzically. Oh, right. Hayley would have two options then: death or the change.

My brow furled. "I have to get her out of here, Emmett. I'm her sire and I have a responsibility. This island… It's her human life and it's over. It was over last week."