Who is there to know?

There's a swelling of the sea.

A pit of darkness in the lowest depths of my soul.

The land of oblivion.

I am concerned within my heart even though I do not speak.

I feel pain within me as I lay here drowsed with sleep.

There's a burning anger deep inside.

That swells like the ocean on the morning tide.

It comes crashing down

Wave after wave.

As I begin to waken from my darkened sleep,

I need to find a peaceful refuge,

Cradled in a lasting peace.

Who is there to know?

A sigh escaped my lips as I closed the worn, leather-back journal and replaced the cap on my pen. My hands were marred with ink-stains from smearing the pages. I could feel the damp ground soaking through my old, faded jeans. The wind whistled through the trees, causing my hair to whip against my face. I closed my eyes briefly, relishing in the feel of the breeze against my skin. I had missed this.

The muggy heat of Florida had been horrendous, which is where they had sent me for the summer to stay with my great-aunt, Pat. My grandmother thought it would do me some good to get away from here for a while— to escape from the memories. It didn't work, of course. Everything reminded me of him.

"I miss you," I whispered hoarsely as my fingertips trailed across his tombstone. I traced each letter of his name with care.

Grayson Cole Evans

The love of my life who was taken from this world far too soon. If only they had listened. I lifted the hood of my hoodie over my head and laid down on my side, pressing myself against the damp earth and wishing it would swallow me whole. My eyes fluttered shut as I remembered the feel of his arms wrapped around me.

(3rd P.O.V) *

The Cullen's

"That's the last of it," Emmett stated as he brushed the dust off his hands.

The family had finished loading up the furniture into their new home in record time. Esme started sorting through the boxes with inhuman speed, prattling about as she does. Alice dropped to her knees and started digging through a small box, appearing to be concentrating on its random contents.

Edward rounded the corner with the same permanent frown that has been haunting his features for almost twenty years now. Esme immediately stopped what she was doing and looked at her tortured son with sorrowful eyes. She was glad to finally have him back home as a part of the family once more, but everyone could see how miserable he was. He hadn't been the same since Bella, and his family feared he never would be.

For the first three years after her, he lived in solitude in the streets of London. In the throes of heartbreak, he had given up the lifestyle that Carlisle had taught him, just as he had done once before many years ago. When the dead bodies began piling up, he had moved to Paris, where he continued killing. This pattern continued— taking many lives and moving, over and over again. Until now. He had finally found his way back to his chosen family, and just in time to assist with the move from Minnesota to a quaint town in Maine known as Gray.

Esme peered into the eyes of her bronze-haired adopted son. His eyes were still red from consuming the blood of humans, though they weren't as bright as before. When he first returned several weeks ago, his eyes were a scarlet red; a constant reminder of the choices he had made— a constant reminder that he had let his family down. Due to feasting on animal blood every day since his return, in an attempt to rid his body of the constant reminder of his mistakes, his eyes had faded to a deep burgundy.

"Where would you like your piano?" Esme asked him in a musical voice.

Her voice was kind and gentle; her thoughts were non-judgmental. His entire family had welcomed him back with open arms, including Rosalie. None of them so much as mentioned the blood swirling in the depths of his irises. No doubt, Alice had witnessed every human life he had taken via her visions. Nothing got past her. Still yet, the pixie-like vampire looked at him fondly as she sprung to her feet and approached him.

"Ooh, I know. How about in the parlor by the bay window? The sun will illuminate the room on sunny days and make for a picturesque scene. Perfect place to make music, right Edward?" The words spilled effortlessly from Alice's lips as she granted him a gentle smile which he didn't return.

Edward simply nodded once. He was a man of few words, as of recently. He only spoke when spoken to and, even then, he would give one to two worded replies. Jasper could hardly bear to be around the brooding, broken-hearted vampire. His thoughts gave himself away. Edward couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt knowing that his empath brother was suffering alongside him. It made him think perhaps he should have stayed away permanently. As quickly as he had the thought, he attempted to banish it. He knew that if he didn't have his family's support, he would go right back to killing humans without so much as batting an eye.

Deep down, Edward was still good. There was no doubt about that. However, heartbreak can make us do crazy things. A heartbroken vampire— Well, that was simply a recipe for disaster.

Emmett picked up the grand piano with one hand and hauled it to the parlor, placing it precisely where Alice had envisioned.

She clasped her tiny hands together in excitement and beamed a brilliant smile, "Perfect!"

Emmett hurried over to his visibly distraught brother and grabbed hold of his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Edward attempted to block out his optimistic thoughts to no avail.

"Down for a quick hunt? Probably ought to get as much blood in us as possible before Monday," Emmett voiced his opinion.

What he really thought, was that Edward needed to prepare himself to be around humans once more without viewing them as a food source. Emmett's thoughts clearly gave him away, earning himself a scowl from the mind reader.

Alice flitted to the other side of Edward. "That's a great idea."

Edward simply shrugged. He hated to admit it, but Emmett was right. He needed to prepare as much as he could to integrate himself back into human society.

The trio took off at a full sprint into the woods surrounding their home. They didn't plan on venturing far. There were plenty of hooved creatures to feed on without straying too far from home. The grazer tasted like dirt compared to human blood but Edward was able to stomach it as he forced himself to drain every last drop from the deer before dropping the carcass to the ground.

Emmett and Alice rounded the corner, having just fed on a deer of their own. Edward wiped the remaining blood from his chin before he let his hand fall limp to his side. They crouched down into a hunting position and inhaled, the scent of the forest filling their nostrils. That's when it hit him.

The sweet scent set his lungs ablaze as a fire licked down his throat. The aroma was intoxicating. It was a cooling breeze on a hot summer day. It was a cozy fire on a cold winter night. It instantly reminded him of her, but this scent was surprisingly much more potent. Immediately, he was off as quick as his feet could take him towards the delectable smell.

"Edward, wait!" He could hear his adopted siblings following behind him, but he paid them no mind.

He was much faster than them, after all. By the time they caught up to him, he would already be sinking his teeth into the unlucky victim. He came to a stand-still at the edge of the woods and started encircling the owner of the irresistible blood from the tree-line. In front of him was a small clearing with what appeared to be a private cemetery situated directly in the center of it.

There were two tombstones, side by side. One appeared to be much fresher than the other; small tufts of grass had just barely started peeking through the soil while the other was overgrown with wildflowers. For a split second, Edward had to do a double-take as he caught a glimpse of the owner of the sweet scent.

A petite figure was curled into a ball directly beside the newest tombstone. Based on the size, he assumed it was a young woman, but a large hoodie swamped her body and hid her face. Her head rested against the ground beside the tombstone. Her back was to him. She had her legs tucked against her chest; the side of her body was flush with the fresh dirt of the earth. Her breathing was slow and steady; she was sleeping. Her heartbeat echoed loudly in his ears, taunting him.

The monster roared manically within him. This is too easy. The girl would never know that her death was imminent. Edward wasn't heartless; he would feel guilt for taking the life of a young girl. He knew that. But it would be a quick death. He would make it as painless as possible. He truly believed he would be doing the girl a favor. He would be saving her from a life full of heartache as that was all life had to offer. And, clearly, the girl was grieving.

For just a moment, he was able to put the monster on a leash as he looked at the name on the tombstone.

Grayson Cole Evans

08/15/2004 – 08/14/2022

An eighteen-year-old boy was buried there. How tragic. And he died the day before his birthday nonetheless. Edward was curious. Who was the boy to the sleeping girl? Brother? Lover, perhaps? He shook his head, as if trying to shake away his curiosity. The girl twitched slightly in her slumber. Perhaps she was dreaming of her deceased loved one? Only one way to find out.

Edward focused on the sleeping form, attempting to hone in on her thoughts. He was met with resistance. Her mind wasn't silent, but all he could make out were hushed whispers. Echoes. He began massaging his temples as he felt a slight headache trying to come on. How odd. Vampires don't get headaches.

He had gotten distracted from the task at hand. He came here to drain the life out of the delectable-smelling creature and here he was trying to decipher her dreams. How ridiculous. He straightened up and inhaled deeply; the sweet smell of warm vanilla mixed with fresh strawberries filled his lungs. She was irresistible to him. He had been too entranced by the delicious scent to notice that his siblings had caught up to him.

Alice placed her dainty hand on his shoulder and whispered from behind him, "Don't do this."

Emmett jumped directly in front of him, blocking his path and direct view of the sleeping girl. He placed his broad hand on Edward's other shoulder and looked into his glowing midnight eyes that were bright with hunger.

"You've dealt with temptation before," Emmett reminded him in a gruff voice.

Something flashed in the depths of his onyx orbs. Sorrow? Guilt? Anger? It was a mixture of all three.

"I can't," Edward choked out against the flames in his throat.

Alice glanced at the sleeping girl and felt an odd sensation run through her. Familiarity? Déjà vu? She couldn't quite place it. The girl's face was well hidden by the large hood which only added to Alice's confusion. Edward was, once again, momentarily distracted as he read his sister's thoughts. He, too, was at a loss. As far as they could tell, they didn't know the girl from Adam.

The girl began moving about in her sleep. A stray golden lock managed to escape from the hood. Her light hair contrasted against the black fabric, catching Edward's eye.

"Grayson," she whispered breathlessly, as if in a panic.

Her soft voice carried to Edward's ears, causing his entire body to tense before slowly relaxing. He cut off all breathing as he tried to regain control of the monster begging to be unleashed. Emmett's grip on his shoulder tightened as he took in the distraught look on his face.

"I'm fine," Edward grumbled as he roughly shook off their hands from his shoulders.

Edward locked his jaw and clenched his fists as he watched the girl stir in her sleep. He so desperately wanted to rush over to her and sink his teeth into her neck, but he didn't want to let the monster win. He didn't want to let his family down.

And as much as he hated to admit it, the sound of her voice was what prevented him from killing her. It was soft yet broken. Who is she?

"Let's head back. At least we now know not to hunt in these woods. Didn't realize humans were that close. I know that was rough. Sorry, bro," Emmett said to him.

Must be hard trying to switch back to our diet. You'll get there, his thoughts rang out.

Edward only shook his head. His brother didn't realize that his near loss of control wasn't due to difficulty adjusting to the diet; it was because he had never encountered such an intoxicating scent as her. Her scent put Bella's to shame. Instead of correcting Emmett, he kept the information to himself.

"Come on," the large vampire urged them.

Alice was still staring intently at the sleeping girl, same as Edward.

"You two go ahead. I want to make sure she's okay. She shouldn't be out here alone like this," Alice said with a firm nod.

Judging by her thoughts, Alice felt somewhat protective of the sleeping stranger. Neither she nor Edward had any clue as to why.

"Kay. You babysit Sleeping Beauty while we head back," Emmett chuckled.

Before either of them could respond, the girl began to weep. She began to thrash about as if she was struggling to breathe. A weak scream broke through her lips. A strange emotion coursed through Edward at the sight; he felt.. afraid; panicked. He froze in place, torn between running towards her or in the opposite direction. She was clearly having a nightmare. How could she not with three vampires watching her sleep?

Alice was about to step into the clearing to go to the girl when they heard footsteps approaching, followed by a heartbeat. Another human. A young boy around seventeen or eighteen appeared, stepping into the cemetery with a forlorn frown. He took one look at the sleeping girl and ran over to her.

The vampires watched as the boy gently attempted to shake her awake.

"No, no, NO!" She screamed before awakening.

She instantly sat straight up with bright, wide eyes filled with horror. Her dark hood fell back, finally revealing her face. Edward's jaw went slack. Hair the color of spun gold flowed down her back in unruly waves. Tears spilled from her piercing blue eyes. Her features were soft, delicate, yet somehow hardened as if she had already experienced a lifetime of sorrow in her short life. Edward couldn't deny her the beauty she so visibly possessed. Judging by his siblings' faces and their thoughts, they were just as surprised by her beauty as he was.

The young boy stared down at her with a worried expression before she flung her arms around him in an embrace. She wept into his shoulder as he rubbed soothing circles on her back. Clearly, these two were close.

The trio continued to watch curiously from the tree-line; they were tucked away behind the trees and listening intently. Eventually, the blue-eyed girl pulled away and wiped furiously at her tear-stained face. The boy's brows knitted together.

Same nightmare? He signed with his hands using ASL.

The boy was deaf. Luckily, the vampire trio all knew American Sign Language. You pick up on a few things when you have all of eternity to learn.

The girl shook her head. "Not exactly."

Her voice flooded Edward's ears, causing something to stir deep within him. He scowled at the feeling.

The young boy tilted his head to the side and signed, Explain.

The girl crossed her legs in front of her. The giant hoodie nearly fell to her knees, hiding her body from view.

" Eyes," she spoke and signed at the same time. " Red eyes. Before I only saw two pairs," she paused, choosing to only sign the last part. Now, I see three.

Red eyes? The three vampires shared looks amongst themselves.

"That's some nightmare," Alice whispered aloud. "Do you think she was dreaming about us?"

Emmett was the one to answer in a voice that wouldn't carry to the humans. "Nah. The only one here with red eyes is him," he pointed to Edward before adding with a boyish grin, "Plus. The red in his eyes are fading. They could pass for a strange brown purpley color now."

Edward simply rolled his "strange brown purpley" eyes in response.

What do you think that means? The boy asked with wide eyes.

Edward took note of his thoughts. He was worried about his friend. The blonde-haired beauty shrugged her dainty shoulders.

" No idea," she signed as she spoke. " But it's not good."

Her gaze fell to the tombstone beside her. She placed the palm of her hand on the stone and sighed deeply.

"I miss him," her voice broke at the end.

Tears were swimming in her blue eyes. The boy smiled sorrowfully at the grieving girl before he signed, Me too.

He studied her face for a moment before he told her, Let's get you home. He wouldn't want you out here at night.

Edward took note that the boy was protective of the mysterious girl. He cared for her deeply. The girl nodded in agreement and hesitantly stood up. She brushed the dirt off her hoodie and frowned.

I ruined it , she signed before looking down at the mud on the fabric.

Edward noticed how her lips turned down in an adorable pout and he hated himself for it. He clenched his jaw in anger as he stared at her.

The boy let out a light chuckle. It can be washed. We have plenty of his hoodies at home. I'll bring you a couple more.

Thank you , she signed with the faintest of smiles.

She reached down to grab her leather journal and held it close to her chest. He casually slung an arm over her shoulder as they started in the direction he came.

"Okay. Sleeping Beauty left. Can we go now?" Emmett asked with a joking smile.

Edward took off towards home without so much as a word, leaving Emmett and Alice behind. He was at war with himself. For the past twenty years, he had been an empty shell. Hollow. Seeing the girl with golden hair and eyes the color of sapphire caused a flicker of emotion to surge through him, though it was brief. Safe to say, he didn't like it. He didn't want to feel anything. A part of him thought about circling back and draining every last drop of delectable blood from her little body. The only thing stopping him from doing just that was his family, and (he refused to admit it)— the girl herself. She was hurting; grieving. The thought of killing her caused a sharp pain to pierce through his chest, which only fueled his worry.

He gritted his teeth as he envisioned her delicate face. He was angry. He was absolutely livid towards the girl whose blood sang to him; whose echoes in her mind taunted him. He decided that he couldn't stand the girl. He absolutely despised her. He knew his hatred towards her was unjustified, but that didn't stop him from feeling so. Regardless, he wouldn't kill her. He was trying to do right by his family and he had a lot to make up for. He considered keeping the girl alive a favor to his loved ones; really, it was a favor to Alice, who seemed to be oddly fond of the stranger. Perhaps she simply pitied her. The girl had cried herself to sleep in a graveyard after all. That is pretty depressing. Edward swiftly banished all thoughts of the mysterious girl from his mind. He refused to think about her.

Lynna's P.O.V

Noah walked me to my car and gave me a hesitant smile. I drove him home and dropped him off at the end of the driveway at his request.

Dad will talk your ear off if you come inside , he signed with a smile.

I chuckled at his joke. His father was deaf, same as him, and I knew the pun was intended. Noah always had a wonderful sense of humor, much like his older brother, Grayson.

Some other time then , I responded, returning his smile.

He nodded and grinned cheerfully. Drive safe . I'll see you tomorrow.

See you tomorrow , I told him.

He went to open the door, but I stopped him.

"Wait," I spoke aloud as I grabbed his arm.

He raised his brows in questioning. I looked into his eyes and mouthed ' thank you' before adding in sign, For everything.

Since Grayson's death, Noah had been more than a good friend to me. He was my best friend. He was family. I knew how badly his brother's untimely death had destroyed him, but somehow, he managed to be strong. For his family, but also for me, I think.

His eyes twinkled brightly before he said, You're welcome .

As I walked into my home, the smell of fresh baked cookies filled my nostrils. Surely enough, my grandmother was standing in the kitchen holding a can of diet coke as she waited for the kitchen timer to go off.

"Hey, honey," she greeted me with a loving smile. "What did you get into today?"

I shimmied out of the dirt-covered hoodie and hung it over my arm as I walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. As I did so, the timer went off. Ding. The cookies were done.

"Um. Nothing really. I hung out with Noah for a bit," I told her.

I didn't want to tell her that I had spent all day at the cemetery visiting Grayson. I didn't want to worry her. She worried enough as it was. She believed I was finally healing, and I didn't want to burst her bubble. Of course, I didn't want to lie to her either. My grandmother and I have always been super close. I didn't like keeping stuff from her.

"For a bit?" She questioned with a quirked brow as she removed the cookies from the oven to allow them to cool. "You were gone all day."

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, I guess the time got away from me.."

She gave me a disbelieving look as she sat down across from me. She placed her hand over mine and looked me in my eyes. Her green eyes sparkled with understanding. Her right eyelid twitched, as was custom, with worry as she looked me over.

"Are you doing okay?" She asked me.

I nodded and gave her what I hoped was a convincing smile. "I'm better than I was."

Her eyes were dancing with sympathy. "Would you tell mamaw if you wasn't?"

She referred to herself in third person causing a glimmer of a smile to spring to my lips.

"Yes, mamaw. I would," I said to her before I stood up and made my way to the stove. "Thanks for the cookies."

I eyed the warm chocolate chip cookies with hungry eyes, but I couldn't bring myself to eat one. When I was depressed, I had a hard time eating. Unfortunately, I was depressed more often than not since the tragedy.

"Take some of those upstairs to your brother. He's on that game again," she said with a slight shake of her head.

I did as she asked, making my way to Dustin's room with a plate full of cookies.

"Knock, knock," I called from outside his door.

"Come in," his gravelly voice responded.

I swung open the door with a small smile. "Mamaw made cookies," I told him as I set the plate on his nightstand.

He spun around in his computer chair to face me before he took off his headset.

"Thanks!" He said with a bright smile.

I sat down on the edge of his bed and wrapped my arms around myself in an attempt to hold myself together. Tomorrow is the first day of my senior year. To say I was dreading it was an understatement.

"I take it you're not looking forward to tomorrow?" He asked with a concerned frown.

"Is it that obvious?" I laughed dryly.

He gave me a crooked smile before saying, "You don't have to keep it to yourself, you know."

I released a sigh. "I know." I stood up and walked towards the door, not wanting to talk about it. "Don't stay up too late, okay?"

He rolled his eyes in faux annoyance. "I wooon't."

I genuinely laughed at that, but only for a split second. "Liar," I grinned before closing his bedroom door and making my way to the shower.

The hot water against my skin was divine. I closed my eyes and imagined it washing my worries away. If only it were that simple. After I finished my evening routine, I walked into my bedroom and plopped down on the bed. It was after nine p.m. but it was still light outside. Regardless, I could feel sleep tugging at my eyes. In my depressed state, I felt like I spent more time sleeping than I did awake.

When I was awake, I was constantly thinking about him. The events that led up to his death played on repeat in my mind like a broken record. One would think that sleep would be an escape for me— It wasn't.

Every time I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, I experienced the same nightmare. Was it really even a nightmare? All I saw were crimson red eyes. They followed me, watching every move I made. One set of eyes stared at me much more intensely than the others. Goosebumps erupted on my arms at the thought before I was dragged into a deep sleep where the red eyes were waiting for me.