If she knew he took the long way home, she didn't make it obvious. Her mind stayed perfectly in the present, replaying the area around them to mask her true feelings, only minor stray thoughts here and there revealing the effort she put in to shut him out. Pathetic, he knew, but he held onto her a little tighter as they ran, knowing that this may be the last time it would happen. As much as he hated it, they would have to return to the house sooner than later.

Everything was exactly the same at the house. Esme was humming to herself as she clicked away on her computer. Alice was chatting away as she painted Rosalie's nails, trying to convince her to pick something more colorful than nude. Emmett and Jasper were once again playing in the living room, jostling each other good-naturedly to distract the other from winning. Carlisle's car was absent from the driveway.

Edward didn't bother with pleasantries as he rushed into the house, not stopping until his door closed with a resounding click!, an appearance of privacy when he knew there was no such thing in a house full of vampires. All of his family members unknowingly synchronized their thoughts, too curious for their own good to just leave him alone. The humming stopped, the clicking of buttons stopped, Alice's voice quieted.

Edward?, they all called out at once.

"Not now," he whispered, well aware they would be listening for his response. It took a moment, but the buttons resumed, the clicking of keys continued, and this time Rosalie actually contributed to the conversation.

Lettie wiggled her legs against his hands. He had almost forgotten she was still on his back, so comfortable and natural it felt a part of him. The expression she barely managed to wipe from her face was nearly painful to witness, his exchange with his family not going unnoticed. Instead of taking her usual seat on the couch, ready to be read to or listen to music or gaze out into the forest beyond the window, she marched over to his desk, plopping herself down on the seat, before realizing anything she usually used was neatly organized in piles, too heavy for her to move. The debate in her head would have been cute if it wasn't such a painful reminder.

"May you please open this book?" Polite as ever; it sent a bolt through his heart. He opened his mouth to speak, before resolutely snapping it shut, all too aware of the listening ears. He moved his lips, willing the words to reach her ears. Her downcast eyes pointed towards nothing but the empty desk in front of her, shut out any attempt.

His backpack weighed heavily in his hands as he fumbled with the zipper, taking more time than necessary to pull out the Pre-Calculus textbook and place it in front of her. He flipped it open to the chapter he thought would be most useful, the problem they were working on before everything had gone wrong glaring up at him.

Though she didn't seem pleased to see him sit close to her, practically falling off the couch in his effort to watch her work, she continued to ignore him throughout the night, only calling out to him if she absolutely needed his help.

The following morning wasn't any better. They had spent many hours, just the two of them, gazing at the morning sun as it rose past the horizon, lazily moving about his room to fill time before classes started. Today, however, felt simultaneously quicker and slower than usual. Countless of his CDs tried to fill the tense silence between them, but it did nothing to stop him from jumping in anticipation every time her mouth opened, even if it was simply to mumble something under her breath. Even though most of his family didn't possess the ability, they all seemed to know something was wrong, steering clear of Edward's room as much as possible.

"Edward?" came Esme's gentle knock, exactly on time for her usual wake-up call. He could hear his siblings bustling around in their rooms, getting ready for another school day, taking the extra time to put Lettie's advice to good use. "Ready for the day, dear?"

"Almost," he called weakly. Though her thoughts conveyed her concern, she didn't push him, waiting only another moment before making her way down the hallway to Alice's room, no doubt about to go through the same process of reeling the pixie girl's fashion sense. Lettie perked up at Esme's voice, thoughts trailing excitedly to the plans for the day (they were going to finally put their lessons to use and have free reign over the Chemistry lab, which meant all the experiments Lettie wanted).

"I am very much excited for-", she began, but when she turned to Edward, mouth open to chatter away, his guilty face reminded her of where they stood. She slammed it shut resolutely, turning back to her books, mind whirling. As soon as she realized she was thinking through her emotions, she tried to think of something else, an old song or a story she barely remembered the plot of, desperate to keep her privacy. Edward's guilt only grew the more her mind confused itself.

"Did you…" She flinched lightly as he stood, taking a daring step closer. Edward lowered his voice. "Did you still want to come? To school?" Lettie's mind fluttered with uncertainty. "I'll understand if you want some time away from me, but you're welcome to come. As always."

"And your…abilities?"

"Too many thoughts," he supplied, leaning down to catch her eye, gently tapping his temple. She spared his action a glance, then stood, gathering the lightest of items at the edge of the table. She tried, just once, to lift the textbook she had been studying all night, but Edward snatched it before she could do anything to hurt herself.

School was as painful as he imagined it would be. Though Lettie sat beside him in the car as always, her gaze was not the excited curiosity it usually was. Instead, she held a far-off look, trying too hard to keep her mind blank to register the passing scenery. She stayed close to him in the halls, but there was an invisible force between them, keeping him from reaching out and brushing her sleeve like he so desperately wanted to. Too distracted from trying to get his attention, his headphones were left at home, a fact which Lettie immediately noticed, whipping her head to alert Edward of anyone approaching. An upperclassman managed to get a remark in while his back was turned, but when he didn't even so much as flinch, Lettie's clarity, that Edward knew what she was going to say before she even said it, had her quiet for the rest of the morning. She sat purposefully as far away from him in class, and during lunch, she sat on the closest table outside. None of the family suspected him of watching her through the window, but Jasper did give him a questioning look. Edward didn't have the desire to lie for the sake of peace, turning his head and ignoring his brother's worry.

When they returned home that night, instead of heading up to the mountain as usual, Lettie sat herself at his desk, asking him to open the book closest to her. She didn't utter more than 10 words to him, not even as he left to join his family on a hunt, nor did she acknowledge his presence when he returned. She kept the same routine the following day. Then the next, then the next, until the ground was covered in ice, and holiday songs began to play from every speaker in town.

The most exciting thing to happen was a close call with Alice, a crewmate, and a nail gun gone rogue, but thanks to her foresight, she was able to convince Whitney that she was just blood-sensitive, biting her tongue to stop herself from acting too suspicious. Whitney had apparently given Alice a strange look but otherwise moved along with a small jeer. Edward was supposed to be there, help out, and hang out with Alice before they went home together, but he'd gotten sidetracked, staying late in the library with Lettie as she poured over her newest book. He was scolded as soon as he got home, but there was little they could do when he pleaded an innocent mistake.

Emmett, as kind-hearted as he usually was, gave up trying to get Edward to hang out with him the first time he got snapped at. Carlisle tried his stern but gentle approach, though it did little more than get Edward to join them in the living room for a few more minutes. Esme kept her distance, offering her listening ear as much as possible. Alice's overattentiveness leveled Rosalie's indifference, and Jasper's prying eyes only set him more on edge. They were all tiptoeing around him, but Edward was too distracted by Lettie to care. That, and his new habit of not wearing his headphones, a desperate plea to hear even the smallest of Lettie's words since she refuses to talk at the house, has caused more people to approach him and meet his foul attitude, the rumors flaring up again.

Alice's play was a smashing success, and the whole family went on opening night to cheer her on. Lettie watched with dazzling eyes, gasping and cheering along with the audience as the story played out in front of them, eyes glittering as the play came to its mournful conclusion. The costumes, obviously, were meticulously crafted and were the star of the show, even managing to hide the obvious awkwardness that resided between the leads (Alice informed him that the two had broken up during tech week, too high-strung to have a civil conversation). When Edward gave a rather lackluster congratulations at the end, the family was kind enough not to voice their disapproval out loud.

And now, in an effort to bring everyone together, Esme suggested they continue their tradition of decorating the house for Christmas. She delegated tasks in the most civil manner possible, letting Edward string together popcorn and cranberries by himself at the table. Jasper was listening carefully as Esme explained the plan to garland the fireplace, looking humorously shy as he fiddled with the garland in his hands. Carlisle and Emmett had just returned with the trees, setting up the last and largest in the living room. Alice was adding the final touches to her display on top of the piano, and Rosalie was begrudgingly organizing boxes of ornaments. With the soft holiday music playing in the background, they were the picture-perfect family, pulled straight from a Hallmark catalog. That is, if you ignore the stifling air that surrounds them, making their movements more robotic than jolly.

"Edward, could you come grab this?" Alice called softly, barely looking over her shoulder as she switched between two vases, holding the larger one out to him. The room tensed instantly at her voice, each person trying to continue their tasks without seeming too obvious in their eavesdropping. This was the reason Edward denied Esme this morning when she asked for him to join them. As stifling as the room was with Lettie, at least he was able to gaze upon her and pretend everything was okay. Here, all eyes were on him, waiting for him to explode or break down or throw a temper tantrum. Rosalie's annoyance was as irritating as Jasper's inquisitiveness, and Alice, as much as they usually got along, was overcompensating to smother some of the tension. Even Esme and Carlisle were acting strange, being more affectionate with their touches than usual.

Edward finally snapped, "I'm not your lapdog."

"What is going on with you?" Jasper hissed immediately, head whipping, throwing the bunch of garland to the floor. Esme would normally be furious with him for damaging any of her precious decorations, but she was too busy worrying about her sons fighting to give it more than a glance. Edward rolled his eyes, slumping into his chair.

"What are you talking about?"

"You've been crazy as a loon the past few weeks, like you can't make up your mind on something." Jasper's observation set him on edge. "And I've tried, really, we all have, to give you your space, but snapping at Alice like that? We've given you plenty of time to figure this out on your own, and you've only gotten worse."

"I never asked you to psychoanalyze me." Rosalie scoffed from across the room, glass clinking dangerously as she set her box down.

"Oh, so it's okay when you invade everyone's privacy, but not when Jasper does?"

"Rosalie…" Carlisle began, trying to keep anyone else from joining in the fight.

"No!" Though her harsh glare did little to intimidate Carlisle, it did get her point across: Keep out of this, and don't tell me what to do. "Someone needs to set him straight, and it's obviously not going to be any of you." She whirled on Edward, stepping up until she was side by side with Jasper. "He's been a pain in the ass even though we're all bending over backward to do as he says. And for what? To appear a little more human? News flash! We're not! And you moping around not doing your job is screwing us all over!"

Though they only pretended to be twins, the way they stood beside each other with identical scowls made it all too clear how they kept the ruse up while at school. Their minds were whirling with similar thoughts, the need to protect the family being the only reason neither of them had tackled Edward, to do something to knock some sense into him. He matched their scowl, eyes narrowing.

"I can't help it-"

"Can't help it? As if Jasper has any more control over it than you do!" Rosalie stepped forward, shadowing the usually fearsome male. Jasper's mind flickered with the usual disbelief that someone would love him so much to protect him, before narrowing again on Edward. "For all your talk of self-control, you only seem to care when it's convenient for you. We're all busting our asses-"

"Rosalie!"

"-to blend in, and you can't even be bothered to wear the headphones, possibly the easiest thing you do! We're all looking after one another, and what are you doing?" Her glare was usually nothing more than an inconvenience to him, but this was so much more intense than before. Rosalie was truly, completely enraged at him. And, worst of all, she was right to be.

He tried, he really thought he did, to remain inconspicuous with the turmoil he and Lettie were involved in. Every day was like walking on broken glass, tiptoeing around to avoid pain, but all it took was a glance in her direction, to remember the look of absolute betrayal on her face, to spiral all over again. He's stopped wearing his headphones in hopes that Lettie's unfiltered thoughts would somehow make its way to him, but that's only brought on the whispers once more, everyone trying to get a sliver of Edward's attention. And, with his concentration on Lettie, it was his fault Whitney was able to corner Alice, only thanks to her foresight that she wasn't caught doing something less than human.

Had it been anyone else yelling at him, he would have immediately bowed his head in defeat, apologizing with precise words and a demure attitude. But this was Rosalie. Hardened eyes and sharp tongue lost their effect on him years ago.

A horrible part of Edward overtook him.

"Just because you feel inadequate, doesn't mean you have the right to speak to me like that."

"That is enough." Carlisle stepped between them, stopping Rosalie from taking another step forward. Despite the flashes of ripping his head off, Edward felt no fear towards his adoptive sister, instead meeting her glare head-on. "The two of you need to apologize to each other, now. That is no way to speak to one another."

The room remained silent.

"Rosalie, why don't you take a breath? Could you accompany her on a hunt, Emmett?" Rosalie opened her mouth to protest, but Emmett's gentle hand on her shoulder and Carlisle's stern look had it snapping shut. Edward allowed a small smirk to grace his lips before Carlisle turned to him. "Edward, I expect better from you. You have your right to privacy, and so do the rest of the family. We won't push you to talk, but it is incredibly inappropriate to lash out like that."

"Sorry, Carlisle," the two muttered in unison, glaring when they realized what happened. Carlisle cleared his throat pointedly.

"Now, go. We can handle the rest of the decorations while you two cool off."

Edward rushed up the stairs, vision blurring around him to get there as quickly as possible. The door closed behind him with a loud SLAM!, startling Lettie from her concentrated study session, really looking at him for the first time in days. He allowed himself to bask in her stare, before answering the question floating in her mind, the one it didn't even seem like she was aware of.

"I'm not fine," he muttered, walking over to his stereo and turning on whatever CD was already in. The music flared to life, an old classical album that Edward remembered Lettie liking, blocking out downstairs as he flopped onto the couch. He adjusted so his head was propped up, meeting Lettie's eyes as she watched his minor tantrum. "My family, they don't understand."

"Understand…you?" Edward felt a thrill shoot through him at her willingness to talk, mind forgetting that she was supposed to be mad at him.

"Understand that I can't control my ability. That I don't want to be privy to all their thoughts, and that I try, when I can, to avoid listening." Her eyes narrowed.

"And yet, you still have the ability and the desire to listen to their private thoughts whenever you would like." Lettie's voice was soft, but her tone was accusing, the perfect mix to have his hands clench with an unexplainable feeling.

"But I don't want-"

"And yet, you can!" She turned until her body was facing him, arms tucked against the back of her chair so they were tightly pressed against her chest, a strange sort of self hug. "Edward, do you not realize your own privilege? It is not so much that your family does not trust you, for I have seen the way each and every one of them gazes upon yourself and the others with adoration, but that, with your abilities, they never have a truly private moment for themselves. It is only by your word that their secrets are not spilled, and it is only by your good heart that you do not use their thoughts against them." Edward felt a stab of guilt, mind replaying the conversation from downstairs. "You know who they are, truly and deeply, for you have seen what lay in their hearts. But, they may only know what you feel they deserve to know."

Edward was at a loss for words.

"I didn't-…It wasn't my intention to-..." He kept starting, but the ends of his sentences disappeared before they could leave his lips, tongue too tied up in revelations to speak.

"Your family believes in your good intentions," Lettie continued, fingers fidgeting, "as I do. But, Edward, we have only known one another for a short time. You know more about my past than I was ready to reveal, and that has unbalanced my soul. I can only imagine that your family has felt similar."

The room was silent for a moment, music being the only thing to fill the space between them. Her round eyes were looking at him expectantly, daring for him to say something, anything, but his mouth felt dry.

"Thank you," he finally managed, voice wheezing as if all the air left his lungs, despite his distinct lack of needing air to breathe. For what he was thanking her, he wasn't completely sure. For being honest with him? For speaking to him at all? The leather suddenly felt too cold under his palms. Lettie watched as he fidgeted for a moment, before sighing.

"The time I asked to be away from you was to adjust to the sudden change in my knowledge of you. You know me, in more ways than I ever thought possible in such a short time, and yet, you are still as much a mystery as the day we met." Her hand started to reach out, almost as if she was going to pet him comfortingly, but she retracted it as soon as she noticed her actions. It didn't stop Edward, however, from lurching up, scrambling to the other end of the sofa to close the distance between them. His knees hit the floor before he could stop himself, looking up at her with vulnerable eyes.

"I'm afraid that if you get to know me," his tongue felt like lead, "you'd never want to speak to me again."

With her gentle hand, she allowed herself to reach out, hesitating only a moment before running her nail lightly against his hairline, pushing a messy copper strand out of his face.

"Should that not be my decision to make?"