Her eyes flutter open, sunlight coming through a window to her right makes her wince. She blinks a few times to adjust to the light. When she can finally see, she looks to her left and sees Carlisle Cullen bent over her. Seeing him makes her realize that his cold hands were lightly feeling around her neck. Lillie couldn't help but feel confused. Why was he touching her neck, he looked as if he was studying something that was on it.
Then she remembered. The strange man that pulled her into the alley, him...biting her neck. The fire that burned through her body. His death from the very hands that were so carefully nudging around the neck injury. She started to freak out, her heart started racing and her breath came fast. All of a sudden she was calm, she knew that she should still be freaking out, but for some reason she could not bring herself to feel it.
She looks more around the room she was in. It was a spacious room, it didn't seem to be a bedroom, there was no bed. There were books and music albums everywhere. From what she could see she was laid on a little couch.
Looking towards the door she could see Edward Cullen and Jasper Hale standing in the doorway. Jasper was looking at her with a slight look of concentration. She turned her gaze to look at Edward more. He seemed to be focused on the phone in his hands. Her eyes widen when she realizes the phone in his hands is hers. She wanted to be mad about that but she still just feels calm. He was typing something into her phone, she had no idea what and knew she was going to have to check her phone thoroughly whenever she gets it back.
Carlisle speaks which draws Lillie's gaze back to him. " , I have cleaned and bandaged your wound, you will be just fine, you don't need to worry. All that I ask is that you keep the wound clean, as well as try to keep it dry for the next two days. When washing it just use some mild soap and water, try not to let it get too wet, just enough to clean it." He takes a break from talking to make sure she is understanding what he is saying before he continues. "I had to give you some stitches unfortunately, they are adorable so there is no need for you to get them taken out, they will go away on their own as the wound heals."
She tried to talk but found that she could not, her throat was too dry. A few seconds after she realized that Edward was next to her, standing next to Carlisle, he held out a cup of water to her. With a grateful nod she takes the cup, her hands shaking. She took a couple sips and Edward took the cup back, so that she could talk. Carlisle helps her sit up and props the pillows up behind her to support her. She turns to him, wincing at how gravely her voice sounds. "What happened?"
It took a moment for Carlisle to collect his thoughts. Lillie could tell by the way he had his finger tap against his lips. It was odd though she could swear that he kept glancing at Edward as if the other man was speaking to him, but Lillie never saw Edwards lips moving. A few more moments passed before Carlisle opened his mouth. Before he could say a word Esme walked into the room with what looked like some clothes held in her arms.
She tuts at the men standing in the room. "All right you all, time for you to leave the room so our guest can change into some clean clothes."
When Esme had said clean clothes it gave Lillie the urge to look at hers, thinking she could not be that much of a mess that the woman felt the need to bring her clothes. She was wrong, the entire front of her shirt was covered in blood. She couldn't see the back of her shirt but she was sure it was not cute. She wanted to freak out yet again, with moot results. She was starting to get tired of this whole building up to panic only to feel nothing of it. It made her feel wrong.
It took a little over 5 minutes for her to change, it might have taken less but the soreness and pain in her neck made it harder for her. Esme ended up having to help her put on the hoodie, it was practically impossible for her to do on her own. By the time they were done, Lillie had to sit back down on the couch, her body begging for her to stop moving.
Esme leaves the room, Lillie's bloody clothes balled up in her arms. Esme had promised when she got them back there wouldn't be a speck of blood left on them. From the determined look on the motherly Esme, Lillie had no doubts in her words. Lillie didn't really care so much about the clothes, it was more so the fact that they were hers, and they were only shreds of normalcy she had with her in this opulent and unknown house.
The door opens up again and Carlisle and Jasper walk back into the room, no Edward in sight. She felt a little guilty about the feeling of relief when she realized he would not be in her space. His ability to give her the absolute worst heeby jeebys was insane. Lillie could already tell she would never be completely comfortable around the odd man, and she was not upset about that fact. Jasper hung back at the door as Carlisle came further into the room, taking a seat on a stool that had been near the couch.
"You will have to forgive Edward's sudden absence, he has to get back to Bella and Renesmee." He looked so kind, as if he did not have a shred of meanness in his entire body. Lillie could remember that he could indeed be ruthless when needed, her memories of last night were still rather fresh. Still she could not help the feeling of wanting his approval.
"No problem at all, family comes first." She meant everything she said too. From the looks on both of the men they agreed with the family part as well.
Lillie knew enough about the Cullens to know that they were extremely close with each other. They were always together, and it was like they all gravitated towards each other. Strength in numbers she supposed. Her cousins were the same with her after her father passed. They were definitely the wind in her sails that kept her going. It brought her some solace that the Cullens seemed to work in the same way.
Carlisle clears his throat bringing Lillie's attention back to him. "I know this must all be such a shock to you, and I am sorry that it happened to you at all, Esme and I both wish we had been there sooner, to stop the attack before it had even happened." Her stomach clenches at the utter remorse she could see on his face. "I am going to attempt to explain this all to you if you do not mind. Please just bear with me, it is not very often that I have to explain these things."
With a consenting nod from her, Carlisle launched into the most unbelievable explanation Lillie had heard in her entire life. Apparently Vampires were real and that's what attacked her last night. She was about to call him crazy when she remembered the pale skin, red eyes, and incredible strength of the man that attacked her. There was no way that the man had been human.
Carlisle waits for Lillie to process the bomb he had just dropped on her before he begins to speak again. "Luckily there was not enough vampire venom in your system to do any permanent damage, I was able to get the majority of it out of your system. It will probably take a week or two for the rest to leave her body, which unfortunately means your body and mainly your neck will be sore during it."
He pulls a pill bottle from his jacket. "Here are some painkillers, take two every 6 hours as needed. It should last until the soreness is gone, but if not just let me know and I can get some more." He places them gently in her lap.
"Remember to take them if you are in pain, they are non-addictive painkillers and there is no need to make yourself hurt if it can be helped." He patted her arm in a warm manner. Lillie could see why he had become a doctor, he was a natural at helping people. She can't help but wonder if he was the same way when he was still human, however long ago that might have been she had no idea.
She nods along as he is speaking, glad that the subject of her medical plan was something she could easily follow. She mumbles a small thank you and slides the bottle into the pocket of the hoodie Esme had put her in earlier. She would have to remember to take it with her when she changed out of these clothes into her own. Lillie definitely did not want to feel the soreness, and if she could help it even just a bit she was going to make sure to have them on hand.
Carlisle leans back on the stool. "Now that business is out of the way, I would like to explain a few more things to you." He glances at Jasper before looking back to Lillie. "I am sure you noticed that sometimes my children can be rather…different, other than the traits I told you that come with being one of my kind. Some of us have rather unique abilities, the best way I could describe it is like the superpowers you see in TV shows or movies."
Now Lillie really was looking at him like he was crazy. This just kept getting weirder and weirder, she has no idea how she is going to be able to keep up with this all. She was still processing the fact that she was attacked by a vampire. Now she was going to have to process the fact that there were random supermans all over the world, there was no way.
He continues on, ignoring the look of disbelief she has on her face. "Jasper here can sense and influence emotions. When he was human he also had empathic traits but nothing supernatural, when he was changed those traits carried over in a more extreme way. He is actually using his gift right now to help keep you calm while we have this discussion."
At that Lillie looks over to Jasper, who is still leaning against the door frame. She was confused. "I don't really feel anything though."
Jasper sent a sad smile her way. "I'll show you." All of a sudden it's like a wall comes crashing down inside her. A wave of overwhelming fear and panic slams down into her body. It had only been a few seconds before the calm returned. She was thankful for it, the emotions she had felt would no doubt make her have a panic attack.
With a sympathetic look Jasper begins to explain. "I'm keeping your fear and panic down now, if you would like I can stop, I know sometimes my gift can be…uncomfortable morals wise."
"No please!" She couldn't help speaking frantically before calming herself "I mean if you don't mind, could you keep doing it." Lillie did not want to feel those emotions like that again, once was more than enough for her. Jasper nods his head and she sighs in relief.
Carlisle then takes the next ten minutes to explain the rest of his family's gifts, and to answer the questions Lillie had swarming in her head. She had quite a lot, but Carlisle never seemed to lose his patience and answered all of them. Alice and Edward's strange behavior in school and now made a lot more sense now that she knew of the gifts. It also explains why she was so creeped out by him, he was always making weird faces like someone was talking to him when no one was. It made sense, he was listening to people's thoughts.
Then she realizes he had probably heard her call him creepy multiple times in her head. She felt a little bad, but it wasn't her fault that he could hear her private thoughts. She could not help but ask Carlisle if there was a way to keep Edward from reading her thoughts. Alice's gift she did not mind, it was not that invasive, and Lillie did not talk enough to her to worry about the girl telling Lillie her future.
Carlisle could not help the laugh that escaped him before he answered her. "Unfortunately, nothing we have found to block him is applicable to you."
She groaned in complaint, guessing she was just going to have to watch her thoughts around the man. Which she knew sounded easier than it probably was. Maybe she could just sing catchy songs in her head, he'll probably be too annoyed to listen to more of her thoughts.
Esme comes into the room, a tray of what looks to be cut up fruit in her hands. "Here honey, I brought you something to eat. Try to eat as much as you can, your body needs the sugar. You haven't eaten since last night, so I got you something light. I hope this is enough?"
Lillie nods, trying to show she understands. Esme lays the tray on Lillie's lap, and leaves the room with a warm smile her way. Lillie picks at the fruit, taking small bites, she wasn't really that hungry. Esme was so nice to her though, she knew she would feel bad if Lillie did not eat any of it. Besides, the woman was probably right about her body needing the sugar.
She looks to the right at the big wall of windows, feeling awkward as the two men were just silently watching her eat the fruit. Before she could eat the piece of fruit she had on her fork, it dropped. There was a giant brown wolf right outside of the house. There was no way that the wolf was normal. It had to be larger than a horse, there was no way.
Lillie watches as the wolf walks towards the house, it looked as if the animal had done this frequently. It displayed no caution or fear as it walked up to the house. As it got to the steps of the porch she could still see from the window, it began to shake its fur. Next thing she knew, in the wolf's place, was now standing very in the nude Jacob Black.
Lillie was completely frozen in shock, this was just way too much for her today, she was all out of processing energy. From the corner of her eyes she could see Carlisle rub his neck in exasperation. "Well this complicates things. There's more to explain now, but I will leave that to Jacob, it's not my place. Come Jasper, let's tell our resident wolf the problem he just walked himself into."
Lillie did not say anything to them as they left. She was still staring at the spot Jacob had been. He had already gone inside, but she just could not turn her eyes away. Her closest friend who she thought she knew everything about had just been a giant wolf. Who else in her life had been keeping secrets from her?