A/N: I would just like to let all of my readers know that this story GENTLE TOUCHES is the very same as author ANIMAL8. As I adopted it from her earlier on this year, most of the chapters that ANIMAL8 had already created are being posted the same as I do not want to ruin the amazing work she has worked so hard on. I will be setting up a link to ANIMAL8 page so it will be accessible to new and old readers. I do hope that I can do this story as much justice as ANIMAL8 and I do hope that you enjoy the old and new chapters of GENTLE TOUCHES.

Disclaimer: I Own Nothing Twilight

Gentle Touches

Chapter 4 – A Start (EPOV)

I listened as Alice left the girl and heard her thoughts. She believed there was a chance that the girl could understand us, even if she didn't respond in any way or even seem to trust us. Again, I tried to imagine what had happened to her and why someone would do this. But I was hopeful that if she could understand us, it would help us to help her.

I was glad that my family and I had found her. I knew that we could look after her properly and be the ones to get her better. I couldn't wait to see my angel again as I impatiently paced inside my room.

Alice found me like this when she entered and rolled her eyes at me. She's fine, Edward, she thought, I don't see there being much of a problem, but leave her alone for a couple of hours. "She needs some time alone to adjust," Alice contemplated, "I think if we go steady and not overwhelm her with too much at any one time, she should get used to being around us and then we can work on other things."

It seemed like a reasonable place to start, but I would have to see what Carlisle said about it; he knew more about these things despite my being able to read his mind. I didn't want to rush things and risk threatening her recovery.

"Okay, we'll discuss it later, alright Alice?" I asked, looking at her questioningly. She nodded and followed me as I felt and went downstairs, though not without pausing to listen to the heartbeat of the small human first. I was aware that Alice hid a smirk at that action, but ignored her for now.

We found the rest of the family waiting in the lounge. They looked up as we entered and I heard most of their thoughts wondering about the girl. I went straight to my piano and sat at the bench while Alice explained.

"Well, she definitely does not like any physical contact," she stated the obvious, but I refrained from making a biting remark, "Her whole body has bruises of varying sizes, though I don't know the severity of it." She turned to Carlisle with a worried look as she said this.

I grimaced at the thought of there being more damage we were unaware of, as we didn't remove any of her clothes in order to not stress her any further. Even then, we had found her wrists and feet. How bad was she? I wondered.

Carlisle was concerned, but I was relieved to see that he didn't think she had any serious internal injuries. He hadn't smelt any bleeding that would indicate as such, and I breathed a sigh that there wasn't any serious damage.

"What I'm worried about, besides trying to get her weight up, is when it comes to checking her bandages," Carlisle frowned, "I don't want her reacting that way every time, it's not healthy for her, but I don't see what can be done to avoid it."

Alice was quiet for a moment, watching me. "I'm sure something will come up," she suggested cryptically.

I frowned at her, not sure if I liked the way she hinted at something between me and the angel. At the same time, though, my insides fluttered at the thought of getting to be close to her, trusted by her. I pushed that feeling away quickly, not understanding the reason behind it.

Everyone else was confused, but didn't bother to ask, already knowing Alice had her own convoluted way of seeing things thanks to her ability. "So, what do we do with her?" Emmett asked, "How do we help her?"

Carlisle sighed. "That's a difficult thing to know because we have no idea how she'll react to everything. Some things we know, like the physical contact," he nodded to me and Alice. "But, first off, I think we shouldn't crowd her. Just let her get used to a few people at a time," he suggested, "After that, we can see how things go. We'll just have to take things one step at a time, go very slowly. Eventually, we should be able to work her up to getting around outside and back into a normal life."

His mind showed his uncertainty. He believed we could help her, but didn't know how to go about it, so he was lost in this and was playing it each moment at a time to dictate the next move.

"She seemed to trust Edward," Jasper noted. He remembered in the cabin that she had allowed me to carry her despite constantly flinching away from my touch.

Alice nodded in agreement. "Carlisle as well will need to see her, to keep a check on her physical recovery," Alice said.

"What about the rest of us?" Emmett pouted. I rolled my eyes at his behaviour, but part of me was glad that he really wanted to get involved in helping this girl. "What if we want to help?"

"Don't worry, Emmett," Alice assured, trying to pat his shoulder, "You'll get your chance. Who do you think is going to teach her about all the fun video games? You'll just need to be patient with her."

Emmett was surprisingly uplifted at the thought of playing games with his new 'sister', as he thought of her. I smiled slightly, hoping that she would fit in with my family.

"But now, we get to go shopping," Alice squealed, bouncing around while Jasper attempted to control her with little success. I felt sorry for whoever was dragged with her, and sorry for the small human she was planning on showering with clothes.

"Alice," I placated, "I really don't think she will need all of those clothes."

She huffed at me and glared darkly. "She may not need them now, but trust me, she will need them," she asserted. No one argued with her after that, which was just what she wanted.

"Do you think we should start keeping more human food in the house?" Esme asked with a worried, motherly frown on her forehead. I wasn't surprised that she was already accepting her as another daughter; that was just they way she was. And she was a wonderful mother.

Alice lost her exuberance and looked down sadly. "We could have some," she hesitated, "But to be honest, I'm not sure when we'll get her to eat. And once we do, it will probably be a while before she's on solids. She's very weak."

I felt myself frown at that. Yes, she had a lot of fight in her still, but her struggles were a lot weaker than a healthy human's. And if she wasn't being touched, she made no effort to move apart from curling herself smaller. I don't think she even had the strength to stand. It brought back the harsh reality of her dire condition to me and fuelled my desire to see her well again.

"I still can't see how things will turn out," Alice confessed, "She could go downhill very quickly for all I know and I probably wouldn't see it until it was too late."

Too late, my mind echoed with dread. I didn't want that possibility to ever become a reality. I wasn't sure what was happening, but this girl was affecting me. She was vulnerable and afraid and all I wanted was to protect her, to be near her.

I shook my head from those thoughts, refusing to get carried away. Jasper glanced curiously at me for a moment before turning away. I would have to be more careful with my emotions around him if I didn't want to make him suspicious.

Esme had left the room without me noticing and she returned now with a thick, fleecy blanket in a pale blue colour folded neatly over her arm. She came over to me and I looked up at her, taking the blanket as she offered it to me. "For the girl," she explained.

Understanding, I nodded and placed it next to me so I could bring it up to her when I went to see her. Now that the conversation had lagged to an end, I turned to my piano and lightly fingered the keys, debating what to play. I could hear my mother's hopeful thoughts and smiled as I immediately knew what I was going to play.

My fingers pressed the keys, settling into the familiar pattern as I brought the song to life. Behind me, my family were excited to hear me playing after so long of neglecting the instrument and I chastised myself. I really needed to play more often, I reminded myself.

Oh, Edward, Esme sighed as she listened to the song I wrote for her, it's beautiful. I smiled at her thought, pleased that she appreciated my playing. I liked that I could stir such strong emotions in people just by my music; it made me feel like I could at least do something well, something that was good.

Thank you, my son, Carlisle thought to me as he held his wife gently, pride and gratefulness radiating in his mind as he spoke. The song came to a close and the last chord hung poignantly in the air as my fingers finally stilled.

I turned around, suddenly self conscious to find, not only my parents, but all of my siblings gathered together as they appraised my work. But, despite that, I was glad. This was one of those times I felt as though I belonged with them. Except now, there was another reason for me to stay.

I was curious about this girl. I wanted to know more about her, everything, including what had happened to her. Most importantly, I wanted to be the one she trusted, even though I knew she shouldn't. These feelings disconcerted me because I couldn't explain them. I didn't even know her to be able to feel this, but there was something that drew me in.

For a start, I couldn't read her mind. I had no idea what she was thinking, so I couldn't understand why she behaved the way she did. She was a mystery.

Edward, I know you can hear me. You can go and see her now, Alice's thoughts came to me. I was standing in an instant, remembering to grab the blanket at the last minute, and rushed up the stairs.

Her scent grew stronger as I approached her room and I slowed, inhaling cautiously to make sure I was in control. I was. So I reached my arm out and carefully opened the door to the bedroom, trying not to startle her with any sudden movements.

When I entered, I stood and quietly observed her from the doorway. She was curled up into her tight ball, her head buried in her knees and her long hair, still damp from being washed, was splayed across the pillow beneath her head.

I shut the door behind me, the soft click causing her to jerk slightly, though she didn't look up to see me. As I moved closer, she began trembling delicately, so slightly it was barely detectable, and a quiet growl rumbled in her chest. She still didn't lift her head, the only sign that she was aware of my presence being the increase in her shivering as I came closer.

"It's okay," I soothed quietly as I sat tentatively on the edge of the bed, "I'm not going to hurt you." Her growling quietened and then stopped altogether and I waited to see how she reacted.

She didn't do anything for a moment, but then, hesitantly, she lifted her head and I was met with those strangely deep brown eyes again. I stared at her, willing her to understand that I meant her no harm.

I stretched out my hand to touch her arm, above the elbow, and she flinched as I expected, but I didn't pull away. I moved my thumb to lightly stroke her skin through the thin top, amazed at how her warmth burnt through my fingers, spreading to the rest of my hand. When she whimpered almost silently, I stopped and watched her carefully. Her eyes were closed again and her face turned into the pillow, hiding her eyes from me.

Wanting to show her that I accepted her reluctance, I moved my hand back, exercising a careful, none touch distance between us. She relaxed imperceptibly, but her posture was still stiff and clearly displaying her discomfort.

Desperate to do something, I looked down and recalled the blanket I had brought up for her. I picked it up and unfolded it, running my palm over the soft material when I saw her glance up curiously. I repressed a smile that I had her attention and instead positioned myself so I could gently lay it over her.

She watched warily as I moved, tightening her muscles when the fabric covered her. I released the blanket, making sure no part of me came into contact with her. Once I was sure it would keep her comfortable, I sat back, resisting the urge to brush a finger to her smooth skin.

She looked down at the blanket then back up to me, a wondering expression on her face. I smiled softly at her and explained. "I don't want you to get cold."

For a moment, she just stared at me. I could see she was still wary and cautious, but there was curiosity in there as well. And then, so fast I couldn't be sure I had actually seen it, her lips twitched into a slight smile before disappearing in an instant.

It didn't matter that it was small and didn't last. It was a start.

A/N: I make no promises as to when I post new chapters…but I will do my best to make them as closed together as possible. Please remember to review as more reviews will get a faster posting of the next chapter.