I Own Nothing Twilight

Chapter 19 – A Bright Thing (EPOV)

I hadn't said anything since I stopped trying to get her to eat. I felt as if I had failed her, as if I should have tried harder to help her. But then again, Carlisle did warn me not to push her too hard and I didn't want to do anything to damage the new bond forming between us. I didn't think I could bear that.

The girl looked down at her hands, nervously fiddling with her fingers. She wouldn't look me in the eye and I wondered if she still feared that I would force her to eat. I had promised her I wouldn't, but maybe she needed more assurance than that.

Cautiously, I covered her much smaller hands with one of my own, halting her anxious movements. She glanced up at me hesitantly, biting her lip as a worried frown creased her forehead. Her eyes glistened slightly and I was alarmed at the sight of her in near tears.

"Hey, it's alright," I soothed, my hand lifting to catch the drop of moisture as it fell. I stared at it with sudden fascination; the light from the window sparkling from the rounded surface. Slowly, I drew my finger to my mouth without really thinking about what I was doing.

I tasted it on the tip of my tongue. Exactly like her scent, I marvelled as I hummed in pleasure at the sensation of my taste buds feeling like they were exploding. It was magnificent and so much richer than just her smell, though with the added taste of salt.

The girl's eyes widened in surprise at my sudden action and even I was surprised. I didn't know what to think of what I had just done, so unfamiliar the sudden desire to taste her scent had been.

Her brown eyes were watching me curiously as I slowly lowered my hand from my mouth, feeling embarrassed. I probed her expression, noting that she didn't seem wary or disgusted despite my odd behaviour, merely interested.

Briefly, I wondered what her silent mind was picking up about me. Did she see my strangeness, the things that set me apart from humanity? If she did, what did she think about it? She didn't seem to be afraid...

She moved her hand beneath mine and brought my attention back to the comforting hand I had laid over hers. I thought she was pulling it away and a peculiar sense of loss built in my chest, but she simply readjusted its position, turning it over so her palm was facing up. Relief and happiness flooded me with warmth, driving away the emptiness of the loss.

I wrapped my hand around her small fingers gently, giving her a soft smile. She returned it with her own uncertain smiled as she cast her eyes down to our joined hands. Keeping her hand in my left one, I raised my other to thread it into her silky hair.

I started humming the melody to her lullaby as I stroked her hair soothingly, the notes already familiar in my perfect memory. The song fitted her, I thought, a representation of her lost and vulnerable soul. At least, that was how I saw her.

The girl sighed contentedly and relaxed into the mattress as her eyes fluttered closed. I watched as she drew in a deep breath, seeming to be catching my scent. Did she enjoy it as much as I enjoyed her own flowery fragrance? I couldn't help the smile that broke out on my face as I thought that.

It occurred to me randomly that she didn't know anything about my family. Perhaps knowing something about them might help her feel more comfortable around them. Of course, I knew I would have to adjust the details to make us appear more human, but maybe I could tell her things in a way so that I didn't have to lie.

While I was distracted in my thoughts, I didn't notice that the girl had opened her eyes again and was staring at me with a small, concerned frown. I realised that I had stopped humming and that she was probably wondering what was wrong.

I smiled at her reassuringly and continued to brush her hair back. "I was just thinking," I trailed off, looking down at her face to gauge her reaction. Her expression was open and curious as she waited quietly to hear what I would say. "I never really told you anything about my family."

Her expression changed as soon as I mentioned my family, becoming more hesitant as a tiny furrow formed on her brow. "Shh," I hushed her quietly before she could stress further, erasing the mark with the pad of my thumb.

"I only want to tell you some things about them," I explained quickly, squeezing her hand gently and making sure my face was earnest as I spoke. She seemed easily reassured on other occasions with my features.

She soon relaxed as she realised she wouldn't have to meet any of them, though I knew that would come in time. Her chocolate eyes became curious again and I allowed myself a small smile at the sight.

I ran a hand through my hair as I thought about where to start. "I already told you I was adopted," I began, looking down to see if she remembered. She nodded promptly in answer, her eyes persuading me to go on. I smiled again, enjoying her interest and the way it brightened her brown eyes.

"I have four siblings, all adopted," I told her, "I've already mentioned Emmett. He's the jokester of the family, but you can't help but love him, even if he is a pain in the ass sometimes." I smiled wryly to myself as I remembered some of Emmett's relentless teasing. He loved tormenting me through his thoughts where no one else could hear but me.

"My sister, Alice, you've already met," I squeezed the girl's hand when she frowned, guessing she was thinking about her encounter with the small pixie vampire. "She's a perky little thing with an obsession for clothes and fashion. It takes awhile to get used to her energy, but she's great fun, really," I chuckled, "She can certainly liven up any party."

The angel tilted her head and smiled slightly with me. I wondered curiously what she was thinking, disheartened when I still couldn't read her thoughts. I should get used to it, I berated myself; it wasn't like it was going to change any time soon. But if I had to get used to it, did that mean I wanted her to stay? Of course, I had already admitted that I didn't want to let her go.

A nudge on my hand reminded me that I was supposed to be talking to the girl, not getting distracted. I shook my head and focused back on her beautiful face. "Jasper, my other brother, is very solitary," I said carefully, not wanting to offend my siblings, who I knew were likely listening to what I had to say, "He mostly just likes to be with us, his family rather than other people."

The reason for that was because he didn't trust his control to be around humans as much as us, so he limited the contact to school hours only. That was also why he was keeping his distance from the girl, in case he slipped. He would certainly pay if he did, I promised darkly.

"He tag teams with Emmett a lot," I continued speaking, shaking of my thoughts, "They bet a lot, on practically anything at all, really. And they like to wrestle as well, though it's usually Jasper who wins."

I paused briefly before telling her about my other sibling, remembering Rose's reaction to the girl when we first brought her back. She had eased up since then, even paying a visit to us in this room, but I was still uncertain about her opinion.

"Rosalie...well, she's very strong headed at times, likes to get her point across. But she's very protective of her family, she'd do whatever she had to if she thought she had to defend us," that was a very redeeming quality for her. For all her flaws, I knew she did care for us, regardless of her attitude towards us sometimes.

The girl nodded thoughtfully and I was suddenly nervous, pondering what she would make of my family, what she would think about us. She saw me watching her and smiled a bit, tightening her hand weakly in mine.

My expression relaxed and I smiled back at her, happy to see that she didn't look at me any differently. I felt mildly foolish for my reaction. Why would I be worried about what she thought of me? I didn't want to admit it, but her opinion mattered to me, especially if it was about me.

I heard my mother outside the door and tuned into her mind curiously. What will I say? I know Edward is protective of her, he probably doesn't want her being upset and I know she's nervous around other people. Is Alice right? Maybe I shouldn't do this...Oh, but I really want to see her, she looked so vulnerable...

From what I could gather, Alice had suggested that she come up to talk to the girl; that it would be good for her in some way. But Esme was worried that she would push the girl away accidently or that I wouldn't want her being near her. She worried too much, but admittedly, I was anxious about leaving the girl alone with her.

But it wasn't because I didn't trust her, I did, it was just that I wanted to be there to soothe and comfort the girl. I wondered if Alice had seen something and if that was the reason behind convincing Esme to do this.

Esme eventually knocked quietly on the wooden door, but even that soft sound was enough for the girl. She instantly tensed, a small, hardly audible growl escaping, but it was a defensive and not aggressive sound.

I held both of her hands tightly in one of mine while I stroked her hair. Unlike before she didn't look at me immediately, still glaring warily at the unopened door until I moulded my hand to her cheek. She moved her gaze onto me, calming slightly as she was met with my soothing expression.

"It's just my mother," I spoke very quietly, trying not to startle her further, "She wants to see you, but I promise you, Angel, that no one will hurt you, especially not her. I won't let anyone hurt you, Angel." I felt exposed as I revealed that to her, but it had the desired effect as her eyes softened and she relaxed.

Keeping my eyes on her brown ones, I called over my shoulder, "Come in!" My mother slowly opened the door and as soon as she did, the angel shifted to stare at her. I watched her cautiously as she took in the appearance of the gentle, caramel-haired woman.

The girl stayed very still, but she didn't growl or try to shuffle away from her or closer to me, which was a more positive response. Her eyes remained trained on my mother as she slowly approached us, keeping a reasonable distance from the bed. Alice or Carlisle had probably warned her about getting too close too soon, I noted.

The air was tense as we both evaluated her reaction to having my mother in the room. Esme glanced from me to her and back again, trying to see what she wanted me to do. I warned her with my eyes to stay stationary.

After a few long moments, in which the girl's expression went from wary, to confused, to relieved, she finally relaxed and turned her head back to me. I smiled at her, pleased that she hadn't reacted badly to my mother's sudden presence, and proceeded with the introductions.

"Angel, this is my mother, Esme," I said softly, brushing a free strand of hair behind her ear. She looked up at the older woman to give her a tiny smile.

And that tiny smile was probably the best thing I had ever seen.