(Edward's P.O.V)

"Come on, Edward. Please," Alice begged for the umpteenth time within the last ten minutes. "You haven't played baseball with us in nearly two decades! It would mean so much to all of us."

I wasn't in the mood to be around my family. I wasn't in the mood to be around anyone. I never was.

"I'd really rather not," I said to my sister who was looking up at me with hope in her eyes.

She stomped her foot and huffed, instantly reminding me of a certain human girl who was occupying each of my thoughts.

"Puh-lease, Edward! Please!" She jutted out her lower lip in a pout, causing me to roll my eyes.

Perhaps, it would be a good distraction from my incessant thoughts. Alice beamed at me and squealed.

"Yay! I'll see you in forty-three minutes. Don't be late!" She giggled as she flitted away. I knew you'd say yes.

Of course she did.

"Edward's out of practice," Emmett chuckled lowly from across the field. "Take it easy on him, Rose," he teased.

Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme were teamed up, leaving Alice, Jasper, and me on the opposing team, since Carlisle picked up a shift at the hospital. I held the bat firmly in my hands as Rosalie readied her pitch. Just as she was about to throw the ball, a scream flew through Alice's lips.

My head swiveled in her direction, my entire body stiffening when I saw the vision. Lynna— swerving to dodge a deer and losing control of the car, causing it to flip before rolling off the bridge and into the river below. Lynna— unconscious and covered in blood as the water came pouring in.

"No!" Alice screamed, collapsing to the ground before Jasper rushed over to her.

Panic gripped me. Pure fear coursed through my veins. I felt cold. I recognized the bridge— It was less than a two-minute run from here; for me anyway. The others weren't as fast, so I knew it was up to me. Without saying a word, I took off at a full sprint towards the bridge. I had never run so fast in my life; my legs seemed to have a mind of their own as they carried me through the woods.

As I ran, the panic I felt drastically increased. I could only assume that Jasper had been manipulating our emotions in the field, trying to keep the panic at bay. Now, it was unleashed full force. The thought of something happening to her had me seeing red. My stomach twisted painfully. A stabbing sensation pierced through my chest, nearly knocking the breath out of me. No harm could come to her. That's all I knew.

I leapt out of the woods, landing in the middle of the desolate road, planting myself firmly in front of the bridge. Just as I did so, I saw her blue SUV round the corner. She turned the wheel sharply, avoiding the deer that had jumped out of the woods. The high-pitched sound of the tires squealing against the pavement caused me to jump into action. Using my full speed, I practically teleported in front of her car, placing my hands on the hood and slowly guiding the car to a slow and steady stop, trying not to jostle the human girl behind the wheel.

Once the car came to a standstill, I hesitantly looked up, my eyes locking with her horror-filled ones through the windshield. Before I could even process what was happening, she jumped out of the car and rushed over to me with wide eyes. Her heart was beating frantically in her chest.

I assessed her with scrutinizing, appraising eyes from head to toe—Looking for any sign of injury. She appeared to be unscathed, at least physically. But her frantic heartrate, labored breathing, and wild eyes had me worried about her mental well-being.

"Are you okay?" I didn't bother trying to mask the worry in my voice.

Her jaw dropped. She inhaled a shaky breath before asking in a voice much calmer than I had anticipated, "Are you okay?"

I couldn't stop the relieved smile that spread across my face. She was okay. She was unharmed. She was safe. Despite knowing that I had exposed not only myself, but my family as well, I couldn't help but feel elated. Lynna Holloway was alive and breathing, without a scratch on her—And for some reason, that was all that mattered to me. She was still looking at me with wild, frantic eyes and flushed cheeks; her worried expression was what pulled me back to reality.

"I'm fine," I assured her with a firm nod, struggling to keep the emotion out of my voice.

"How? Y-You just.." She trailed off, running a hand through her golden waves before continuing, "You just stopped my car from flipping. I.. I saw it. It was going to flip and go in the river. The vision.." Her breathing was ragged and shallow, putting me on edge. I didn't want the poor girl to have a panic attack. "A-And then you—Just appeared. Out of nowhere! And stopped my car with.. with your.. with your bare hands!"

I could hear my family approaching in the woods. Their thoughts were chaotic as they glided through the trees. Alice was the first to emerge. Relief washed over her when she took note of Lynna's unscathed appearance. My sister darted over to the girl and threw her arms around her neck in a tight embrace.

"Oh, Lynna! I was so worried! I saw everything. You were going to crash into the river. You were—" I pulled Alice from the shocked human girl, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"Give her some space, Alice. She's in shock," I stated sternly, watching as the blood drained from Lynna's face.

I feared she might faint. I hovered over her with my arms slightly outstretched, ready to catch her, just in case.

"I-I was going to.. wreck. But.. Edward saved me," she breathed out, her brows knitting together to form a 'v'.

Alice looked from me to Lynna then back to me; many emotions were swirling in the depths of her golden eyes.

"He did," Alice stated, studying my face with both curiosity and admiration. Her thoughts were jumbled.

The rest of my siblings emerged from the tree line in that moment. Jasper quickly flitted to Alice's side, using his empath abilities to ease the tension in the air and calm everyone's nerves. Rosalie wasn't exactly thrilled with me, but I couldn't detect any resentment in her thoughts for what I did. Lynna was Alice's great-great-niece, after all, so they all felt that saving her was the right thing to do.

Emmett sauntered over to the front of the car, staring at the hood where my hands had left indents. He let out a low whistle and shook his head. "You really did a doozy on the hood, Edward," he teased in jest before locking eyes with Lynna, who was still as pale as a ghost. "I bet you have a lot of questions."

The aghast girl simply nodded and wrapped her arms around her chest as if to comfort herself.

"We'll explain everything," Alice said to her with a small smile. "Do you trust us?"

I noticed how Lynna's heart skipped a beat before she met my gaze. Her lower lip trembled nervously, but her eyes showed no weakness as they bore into mine.

She ripped her eyes from me before turning back to Alice and whispering, "Yes."

Alice placed her hands on Lynna's shoulders and said in a calm, soothing voice, "I'm going to drive you home, okay? We will get together tomorrow and talk about this. I promise. But, please, Lynna— Don't tell anyone about what happened here."

Lynna jutted her chin in a stubborn manner. "I wasn't planning on it. I would never.. tell." She turned to look at me with her sapphire eyes that were lit with emotion. "Thank you," she spoke softly.

I gave her a curt nod in return, not wanting my voice to give away the effect she was having on me. Lynna waltzed over to the passenger's side and got in, waiting patiently for Alice to join her.

My sister looked at me tenderly. Thank you, she repeated her niece's words before joining her in the car.

I watched as Alice started the car and started heading in the opposite direction. Lynna glanced in the side-view mirror, locking eyes with me for a brief moment before they rounded the corner, disappearing from sight. Emmett clasped my shoulder with his large hand, giving it a squeeze.

"You did good, bro," he said with a smile before darting after Rosalie who vanished into the woods. Nice save.

Jasper gave me a nod of approval with guarded thoughts as he, too, darted into the trees. I was quick to follow, catching up to them in no time and beating them back to our extravagant Victorian style home in the middle of nowhere. Esme ran outside to greet us with wide, frantic eyes.

"Oh, is she okay?! Where's Alice?! I called Carlisle. He's on standby at the hospital. Is she alive?!" Her panicked words came out in a rush.

Jasper sent a calming wave her way, which caused her to visibly relax. Emmett flashed our mother a goofy grin before wrapping her in a giant hug.

"She's perfectly fine. Edward got to her just in time," he explained as he pulled away from the embrace.

Esme gasped, her eyes lighting up with glee as she turned to face me.

"She doesn't have a scratch on her," Jasper continued, smiling warmly at our mother figure. You were quick to jump into action, he thought, pursing his lips at me.

"Oh, Edward," Esme held her arms out to me before pulling me into a hug. "My dear son. That was so kind of you."

I pulled back and cleared my throat awkwardly, causing them to look at me with perplexed expressions.

Frog in your throat? Emmett teased, knowing fully-well that vampires have no need to 'clear their throats'.

I ran a hand through my hair, struggling to keep my nerves at bay, which Jasper picked up on immediately.

"Yeah, well. I'm faster than the others." I pressed my lips into a thin line. "They wouldn't have been.. quick enough."

Jasper and Emmett both quirked their brows at me.

"Of course," Esme agreed with a loving smile. "She was lucky you were there."

She continued praising me in her thoughts.

"I did it for Alice," I stated sternly, locking eyes with each of them, willing them to believe it.

Emmett scoffed loudly. No shit. "Why else would you do it?"

His thoughts had taken an angry turn which surprised me.

"Emmett," Jasper spoke in a warning voice, picking up on our brother's temper.

Rosalie stared at her mate with curious eyes. Esme's gaze shifted between me and Emmett; she was just as confused as Rose.

"No, really," Emmett continued, his face twisting into a scowl that pulled down his usual jolly features. "I'm honestly surprised you didn't just let her go in the river," he snapped.

My jaw dropped, as did Jasper's. A gasp flew through Esme's lips, followed by Rosalie's. We were all surprised by his sudden change in demeanor. This was very much unlike him. I felt anger simmering within me at his words. He knew nothing.

Jasper stepped between us, sensing the rage rolling off the both of us. "Easy," he ordered, trying to ease the tension in the air.

My tense body relaxed, as did Emmett's.

"I'm sure you don't mean that, Emmett," Esme spoke up in a disapproving tone.

Don't I? Emmett taunted via his thoughts, causing me to shoot him a glare in return.

"I couldn't care less what he thinks," I stated dully.

"I think you have a serious issue," Emmett continued, his voice dripping with annoyance. I see the way you look at her. Which is it, Edward? "You act like you hate her one minute then drool over her the next! Which is it?!"

I took a threatening step towards him, feeling fury sweep through me. "I do not!" I growled, clenching my fists.

"Can we not do this right now? Seriously?" Rosalie spoke up out of frustration before rolling her eyes. "It's not like this would be the first human he's drooled over," she added, shooting me a glare.

My eyes threatened to bulge from their sockets. "I DON'T DROOL OVER HER!" I shouted.

This sent Emmett over the edge. His eyes flashed with fury as he stepped towards me. "DON'T YELL AT HER!" He shouted, his voice booming.

"That's enough!" Jasper got in between us, placing a hand on each of our chests.

His calming effects were much stronger with direct contact. I found myself taking a step back as the anger evaporated from within me. Emmett's jaw was still clenched as he, too, stepped back. His thoughts were mangled and chaotic before he took off like lightning towards the trees, leaving Rosalie to stare after him. She turned to me with wide eyes.

"Whatever is going on between you two, you need to figure it out," she hissed, her eyes narrowing into slits as she looked at me. I mean it.

Before I could respond, she was chasing after him. Esme wrapped her arm around me and laid her head on my shoulder. I ran a hand through my hair, wondering what in the world saving her would mean for me and my family.

"So, what does this mean for us?" Rosalie was the first one to speak, breaking the eerie silence.

My family and I were seated along the large oak table in the dining room. I focused on blocking out the chaotic thoughts of my family, fearful of what they might give away.

Carlisle, who was sitting at the head of the table, locked eyes with me. His thoughts were kind yet guarded as he spoke, "I'll start off by saying— Edward, you did the right thing."

Alice and Esme, sitting on either side of him, quickly nodded in agreement. Carlisle continued without any urging, "Lynna, like it or not," he paused, narrowing his eyes at nothing in particular before finishing the sentence, "Is family."

No one disagreed with him. Even Rosalie, whose thoughts were tinged with bitterness, agreed with our father figure.

"Under different circumstances, I would advise us to leave and start over some place new. Far away…" He trailed off glancing at each of us warily.

My chest constricted painfully at the thought of leaving. That couldn't happen. I wouldn't allow that to happen. I had no idea as to why, but I knew that leaving wasn't an option. A gasp flew through Alice's lips—She, too, was not okay with leaving. Jasper placed his hand over hers; he would support his mate no matter what her decision was.

"However," Carlisle spoke a bit more loudly, "This is an unusual circumstance. One that we must approach delicately. I, personally, don't know the girl, so I am trusting those of you that do to speak on her behalf."

My chest ached uncomfortably. It certainly wasn't my place to speak for Lynna Holloway. Alice was fully prepared to vouch for her, but Emmett beat her to the punch.

"She won't say anything," he spoke sternly, clenching his jaw.

He made eye contact with me briefly, threatening me mentally if I spoke up to protest. Of course, I had no intention of doing such a thing. From what I knew of Lynna Holloway, I certainly didn't question her loyalty and devotion to her friends. She considered both Alice and Emmett to be close friends, so I didn't doubt for a second that she would keep her mouth shut.

"She won't," Alice was quick to agree. "We can trust her."

Carlisle pressed his lips into a thin line before locking eyes with me. What do you think, Edward? "Based on the inner workings of her mind.. Do you think she can handle the burden?"

Everyone looked at me with curious faces. It was Alice's pleading eyes that I locked with. Please, Edward, she begged via her thoughts.

Emmett's eyes were narrowed in my direction. Don't ruin this for her. The thought sounded like a threat, though I wasn't sure if he was referring to Alice or Lynna—No doubt, it was both.

I honestly wasn't sure what to say. Alice already had suspicions that I was unable to read Lynna's read; should I openly admit that to the rest of my family? What would that mean for Lynna Holloway? Would Carlisle try to uproot us if we didn't have the upper hand of knowing the human girl's every thought? My normally joyful sister's shoulders were slumped forward in defeat as she stared at me; the hope was quickly dissolving from her eyes as she took in my sullen expression.

Jasper raised his brows, growing impatient. Well?

I clenched my fists before finally speaking, "Yes."

Alice's eyes lit up as a delighted grin spread across her face.

I swallowed around the sudden lump that had formed in my throat. "She can be trusted," I spoke with finality, struggling to keep the emotion out of my voice.

Thank you. Alice offered me a tender smile, which I was unable to return.

I was tense, to say the least. My stomach was in knots, and I wasn't sure why. I felt.. nervous? Carlisle nodded before, he too, smiled. Esme clasped her hands together joyfully. Emmett gave me a nod of respect while Rosalie sat there completely stoic. Jasper wrapped his arm around Alice and grinned.

Carlisle then turned to Alice. "What exactly do you plan on telling her?"

She lifted her chin and spoke, "The truth."

(Lynna's P.O.V)

That night, I paced my room nonstop, quickly wearing a path in the carpet. Edward Cullen had saved my life. He stopped my car from flipping with his bare hands. That was physically impossible (obviously). My mind went over countless possibilities, but I kept coming up blank.

Alice had promised that she would explain tomorrow, but how could I possibly wait that long? My mind was working in overdrive, and I knew it wasn't going to rest anytime soon. I tried in vain to distract myself, but even SpongeBob couldn't pull me from my incessant thoughts.

Another question occurred to me. This whole time I've been asking how he saved me; I never thought about asking why. I groaned in exasperation as I sprawled out on my bed. Answers. I would get answers tomorrow.

"Vampire," the word rolled off my tongue in disbelief.

My wide eyes locked with Alice's, who was studying my face intently. Luckily, I was the only one home at the moment. Mamaw had gone to the store and Dustin was hanging out with Jade, who was now his official girlfriend. It was just Alice and I tucked away in the confinement of my room as she openly admitted her family's earth-shattering secret.

"Are you frightened? Oh, please don't be scared of us! Most of us haven't tasted human blood in decades—" I cut her off mid-sentence.

"I'm not afraid of you," I assured her, running a hand through my hair as my mind tried to wrap around the fact that two of my closest friends were something straight out of a storybook—That I was saved by Edward Cullen, a vampire; a vampire that couldn't stand me, nonetheless.

"You're not?" She questioned skeptically, tilting her head to the side before nodding once in confirmation and stating, "You're not."

"I'm not," I breathed out, blinking rapidly. That's when my brain was able to register what she had just said. "You said.. Most of you haven't tasted human blood in.. decades?"

She nodded. "That's correct."

I wringed my hands nervously. "When you say most..?"

Her eyes widened as her face twisted into one of anguish, causing me to quickly add, "Not that I'm.. judging any of you or anything. I mean—I get it. Kind of. I mean.. I don't really get it, but I understand in a way."

She pressed her lips into a thin line; an indecipherable emotion was playing in her golden eyes. "We are all trying to do what's right now. None of us mean anyone any harm. I assure you."

I visibly breathed a sigh of relief. Why wasn't I freaking out right now? Alice, one of my closest friends, just admitted that she's a vampire. So, why am I not freaked out beyond belief? I dug a little deeper within myself, trying to force myself to feel something— Anything. The effort proved to be pointless; I felt perfectly at ease around my 'vampire' friend.

"I believe you," I said with a tight-lipped smile. The image of Ashley's lifeless face and blood-stained neck flashed in my mind, causing me to gasp. "Y-You guys didn't kill Ashley, did you?" My voice wavered.

"No!" She was quick to say, shaking her head vigorously. "That.. That wasn't us, Lynna."

Her voice had a strange edge to it. "But it was… Someone like you," I stated, searching her eyes for answers.

She nodded solemnly. "Yes."

My heart dropped to my stomach. I felt my mouth run dry, but I was still able to put on a brave face. I had lots of questions, and I was desperate for answers. "So.. Can you guys compel people? Like off The Vampire Diaries? You're not going to make me forget, are you?"

Surely, she wouldn't be telling me all this just to wipe my memory. I felt like an idiot for even asking. She chuckled airily, swatting her hand in the air dismissively.

"No and no. None of us can 'compel' anyone. However, some of us do have unique gifts." A smile flitted to her lips.

I was instantly intrigued. My eyes widened in earnest. "What kind of gifts?"

Alice joined me on my bed, sitting cross-legged as she stared at me with her face lit up in excitement. "Well, you already know that I'm psychic. When someone is turned, their human traits are strengthened substantially. I remember nothing of my human life, but I can only assume that I was psychic. Apparently, my father locked me away in an insane asylum. That's where I was turned."

My heart lurched as I processed her words. "Oh, Alice. I'm so sorry." I felt my eyes well up with the tears.

I could only imagine what that must have been like for her. She gave me gentle smile.

"It's okay," she shrugged nonchalantly. "Like I said, I remember nothing. We'll get back to that later."

I nodded, signaling for her to continue which she did without any urging.

"Anyways, I'm psychic. Jasper is an empath." Her smile grew as she took in my shell-shocked face. "He can feel and manipulate other's emotions. He could calm down an entire crowd if he wanted to. He has difficulty with it sometimes. Feeling everything that those around him are feeling really drains him mentally, I feel like."

"I'd say so," I agreed with her, wrapping my arms around my legs and pulling them to my chest. "So, does everyone have a special gift as a vampire?"

She shook her head. "Not exactly, no. Esme is the most passionate individual you could ever meet—She has a heart of gold. Her ability to love unconditionally is her gift. Rosalie—Well, she has her beauty, of course. And Emmett has his strength. Edward, on the other hand…" She trailed off, pursing her lips.

I raised my brows, extremely curious as to what she was about to say. The words she spoke next caused me to freeze like a deer in headlights.

"He can read minds," she stated, breathing out a dry chuckle that was without humor. "It can be annoying sometimes, as I'm sure you can imagine."

My jaw hit the floor. Of all the gifts he could have had, he had the ability to read minds! This entire time he has been able to hear my every thought. My mind started racing as I tried to replay every conversation I've had with him—Every single thought that had passed through my mind. He heard them all.

Alice tilted her head to the side, seeming to be studying my face intently. I hastily tried to collect myself. In that moment, I was incredibly grateful that Jasper nor Edward was here. Jasper would be able to pick up on the panic coursing through me, while Edward could recite each of my very thoughts. I inhaled deeply, allowing the air to fill my lungs and clear my muddled mind.

"Yeah.. That sounds very.. annoying," I agreed in a wary voice.

More like mortifying.