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"Edward?" Though in the best of moments, Esme's calming voice was enough to slow the pulsing vampire tendencies that spurred him to do irrational things, this tension was beyond what she was capable of diffusing with kind words. Edward remained hunched, lips pulled back into a silent snarl. "What's going on?"
"I think we would all like to know." Jasper's voice was strained, shoulders were completely still, and Edward could hear the running stress that invaded his mind from all directions.
"I think we all need to take a moment-" Defuse the situation before it can get worse.
"Edward, get away from that thing-" A monster. We need to get away from it!
"Rosalie! What are you-" How did everything go so wrong?
"Edward, if you don't explain-" I should have done something before it went so wrong.
"Babe! Just tell me what's going on-" I feel so useless.
"Edward…" My head is pounding, I'm sorry.
His family's voices were swirling in his ears and in his head, overlapping and pounding against his skull until he got the closest thing to a headache a vampire could get. Still, no one moved from their spot, choosing to stay rooted to defuse the situation, and swivel their heads to the other people crowding the backyard. He knew they didn't mean it, the situation was too big to care about their panic feeding into both his and Jasper's abilities, but he couldn't stop the flick of irritation that cut through him. There was never a moment where he believed his family finding out about Lettie was going to end well, but there was the hope that they could at least be civil about it.
Emmett was scared for Rosalie because Rosalie was scared of Lettie, a threat he could not see, and Jasper knew better than anyone how reckless Emmett was when it came to protecting his wife. With Alice still reeling from her visions, and Carlisle all too willing to step between anyone and his mate, everyone's animal instincts were at an all-time high. Edward didn't want to risk it, no matter how much he trusted his family.
"Edward. Forgive me-" Rosalie flinched as Lettie spoke, which had Lettie flinching in return, her hand accidentally tugging on his sleeve. Still, he didn't turn, wanting desperately to reach across his body to put his hand over hers and give it a reassuring squeeze, but he wasn't in full control. He settled on shifting his weight, bringing himself closer to her, as a show of comfort.
He nearly jumped when he felt Lettie's forehead against his back, practically slumped over him, her hand tightening around his elbow. Then, he did jump, when her voice rang clearly in his mind, dimming the other's thoughts for a moment. It was such a surprise he finally raised from his defensive position to look at her, eyes meeting her downturned lips and creased brow. The necklace, he could hear her beg for, something about the necklace, but he was too busy reeling at hearing her so clearly.
"Can you not hear my thoughts?" she whispered, mindful of the continuing argument. Carlisle had taken to calming down Jasper, who only continued to argue, while Esme helped Alice get back on her feet, everyone momentarily distracted from them.
"No, I…I can." His eyes widened with awe. "You just…you called me…"
"Please, Teddy." The name sounded even better falling from her lips. "You must part from my necklace and allow myself to lay a finger upon it. It may undo all of this and erase my existence from whomever has touched-"
"What?" She flinched slightly at his clipped tone, downcasting her eyes. It caught the other's attention as well, voices stopping instantly. "I'm not doing that."
"Look upon your sister! Do you not see that, had she been human, she would have been frightened to death at my appearance! You may see beyond it, but not everyone possesses the ability to do so." He didn't have a chance to question what she meant before she continued. "Please. Let them continue to live in peace."
"Lettie-" But she was already reaching for his hand, the one closest to her, the one holding her necklace. He ripped his arm away from her grasp, but she just followed, managing to dig her nails into his fingers before he pulled away again, this time hiding it behind his back and sidestepping when she tried to reach for it. "No! What are you doing?"
"Edward?" He could feel his family's questioning gaze burning into his back, and the unanswered thoughts running through their minds, but stopping Lettie was far more important.
"Please. Allow me to-"
"No!" he shouted again, leveling her with a glare. In all the time they'd been together, Edward had yet to find himself angry with his ghostly companion. She had very little to hate in his eyes, her kindness and curiosity shining in every interaction. But this? Asking this of him? To forget she ever existed? It made a red-hot fury bubble inside him. "From that first day, I promised myself you'd never be alone again. I'm not letting you do this!"
"Edward!" It wasn't Lettie this time, but Carlisle, voice sharp and commanding, ever the leader of their chaotic coven. He clasped a firm hand on Edward's shoulder, but was wise enough to sidestep the hand holding the necklace, giving it space as he stood close. He knew how strange it looked, Edward arguing at seemingly thin air, but for the first time in a long time, Edward disregarded how his family perceived him, and opened his mouth to continue his argument. Carlisle's hand tightened. "You're making Esme worry, and Rosalie is scared. I want you to have your privacy, but this is now beyond what you can keep to yourself."
Carlisle was right, of course. There was rarely a time when he wasn't right, and that's what made it all the more irritating when he was so humble about it. Rosalie and Alice had seen Lettie already, their negative reactions setting everyone on edge. That, and the fact that the rest of his family couldn't protect themselves from something they couldn't see. But, he was angry that Carlisle was effectively interrupting his argument, and Lettie's decision to make herself disappear, to make them all forget she ever existed, only solidified the more his father spoke. So, without thinking it through, he opened his palm, pressing the small painting into Carlisle's exposed forearm.
"Wait!" Lettie cried, but it was too late. Carlisle's head whipped up to acknowledge the newest addition to their patio, body going stiff as the shock paralyzed him. It was one of the things he carried over from his human life, his mind completely clearing as fear took over. It was one thing to see Rosalie panic at Lettie's appearance, she was always one for the dramatics, but Carlisle? Carlisle was a person who valued facts and evidence, and let his emotions guide rather than rule him. So it was a shock to hear his mind say a single word, demon, before going blank. Jasper's thoughts increased as Carlisle's panic did.
"Carlisle, dear?" Esme rushed over when Carlisle stayed frozen, reaching out her hand to clasp his tightly. He reacted instantly, gripping her hand and pulling her slightly behind him. She turned to look at her son, whose eyes lowered to a soft glare at Carlisle's response. "Edward?"
Edward reached out to Esme next, palm with the necklace heading towards her hand. Carlisle, instinctively, pulled Esme, stepping between them. Both he and Edward exchanged surprised looks at his defensive action.
Is it safe? Carlisle asks him in his mind. Edward scoffed, though he gave Carlisle a firm nod. It had been many years since Carlisle was an avid member of the Church, yet their stories and beliefs are one of his strongest human memories. Calling Lettie a demon, no matter how much it angered him, made sense.
Esme was just as shocked to see Lettie's sudden appearance, though she did a much better job of hiding it. Instead, she allowed herself a single gasp, before wobbly giving Edward a nod. She also spared Lettie a small smile, though it was more than obviously forced. Edward appreciated the gesture all the same.
Jasper was next, practically forcing his way to Edward and clasping their hands in an aggressive handshake. Edward growled when Jasper hunched into an attack pose reflexively, but the moment was otherwise uneventful. He did, however, give Edward a verbal lashing in his thoughts, eyes not moving from Lettie as he backed up to support Alice. Emmett wouldn't let Rosalie go, and Rosalie wouldn't come any closer to Lettie, so Edward had to meet them in the middle, eyes flickering to all his family members in case they tried anything.
"Holy shit!" he exclaimed as soon as she spotted Lettie's meek figure. The more attention drawn to her, the more she seemed to shrink in on herself, hunching her shoulders and clasping her hands to fiddle with her fingers. She flinched as Emmett yelped. "'Darkman'!"
"Emmett!" Edward couldn't help himself as he snapped, Emmett's mind conjuring the grotesque image of Liam Nesson's burned face, flesh charred and peeling away from his body. Not only was it disgusting, but there was no way Emmett was making the comparison between the two, when Lettie looked as put together as she always had, hair mussed and dress dirty being the only real imperfections. But those aspects only added to her appeal, letting her hair flip around as she explored, dress evident to her carefree nature.
"What? It's true. You can't tell me no one else thought of it." They hadn't. Or at least, they hadn't until Emmett said something, and then suddenly every member of the family was playing scenes from the movie in their mind, all of them involving the protagonist's burned face. Edward swung a glare around to all of them. "She's even got burns on the same side of her face."
Burns? Edward had looked at Lettie's face hundreds of times in their short companionship, and her skin had always been blemish-free. No times, not even when her face was close enough for his breath to ripple over, did he see burn marks, especially not to the extent that Emmett would compare her to…to that monster. Flesh falling off his face, teeth and eye sockets exposed, hair burned away. He shook his head.
"I don't appreciate you lying to me." All he received back was confused looks, including
from Lettie.
"Why don't we head inside and talk about this? It's getting cold out here." No one had the guts to correct Carlisle, that none of them could feel the cold and be affected by it, so they shuffled in one by one. Carlisle gave Esme a quick kiss on the crown of her head before walking over to Jasper and giving him a stern look. Jasper sulked away, demanding they don't start without him.
"Teddy…" Lettie reached out, catching Edward's sleeve as he came to a halt beside her. Her eyes were glittering, an apology playing on repeat through her head, only for him to hear. He gave her a small smile, knocking her chin lightly with his knuckle.
"You'll be fine. This was going to happen sooner or later." His hand skimmed down her arm, coming to rest atop her own, giving it a squeeze. He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but the corners were too pinched, and it did nothing to calm the onslaught of her thoughts. He tried to aim for a teasing tone, something to bring back her wonderful smile, but even he could tell his tone was off, too pinched to be relaxed. Still, he soldiered on, reaching to guide her inside. "Come on. Let me introduce you to my parents."
By the time they made it inside, Lettie taking an extra second to try and calm her nerves ("I would not want to impose negative emotions on any more than I already have"), everyone was seated in their usual seats. Carlisle at the head of the table and Esme to his right. Jasper was seating himself as they entered, having just finished putting up a tarp to cover the huge hole in Esme's glass. Rosalie, sitting closest to the door, flinched when they entered. Emmett pulled her chair slightly closer to him and puffed up his chest. Though it did nothing to deter Edward, who just rolled his eyes, it did make Lettie flinch, tucking herself behind Edward even more.
"There you are!" Lettie jumped once again as Alice sprung out of her seat, making a b-line for them, despite Jasper's warning hiss. Her smile was blinding as she approached without fear, the usual skip in her step. Edward couldn't help the small relief that shot through him, encouraging Lettie forward with a nudge of his shoulder. "Sorry about earlier. It's the first time I've ever seen the same thing twice like that!"
"Hello!" Lettie winced as her voice came out louder than it seemed she wanted, but she soldiered on, sticking her hand out with a stiff elbow. Edward bit his lip to hide his smile. "Nice to meet you!"
"Oh! Uh…" Alice hesitated for only a second, eyeing Lettie's outstretched hand, before clasping it, looking amusingly surprised as Lettie pulled them up and down with more force than necessary. "Yes, it's nice to meet you too! I would say Edward has told us so much about you, but you know that's a lie."
"I apologize for Edward's lack of transparency. T'was by my own suggestion that he hold his tongue on the matter."
"Ha! 'Twas'!" Edward shot Emmett a glare, but for whatever reason, it seemed to shake Lettie out of some of her nerves, shyly letting a grin pull at her lips. Alice beamed at Emmett's reaction, hesitating before grabbing Lettie's hand again, and tugged her towards the table.
"Come on, we have unofficial seats, but Edward has a spare seat next to him." She laughed. "Funny how things work out like that."
Lettie could barely hide her stutter at the attention, especially the kind attention, from his sister. She stumbled forward with Alice's insistent tugging, following behind her obediently as she led her to one of the open chairs. Rosalie tugged on Emmett's hand as Lettie began to sit, Alice's hands on either of her shoulders.
"Change sides," she insisted, voice too low for Lettie to hear more than a soft buzzing. Lettie was too busy, or distracted, to hear Rosalie's hesitance, instead thanking Alice for showing her to her seat.
"And miss the show from the best seat in the house?" Emmett's playful response was underlined with a slight wobble, his thoughts betraying his lackadaisical attitude. He would, in fact, like to change seats and be as far from Lettie as possible, but his desire to protect Rosalie far outweighed his comfort, feeling better being a physical barrier between his mate and the newcomer to the table. So, he stayed where he was, giving a toothy smile to Lettie when she spared a glance towards him.
"If you would be more comfortable," Lettie said softly, as if no one at the table was holding onto every one of her words, "I may find another seat."
"Nah, you're all good." Jasper shot Emmett a confused glare, obviously sensing his slight elation at Lettie speaking to him. He was touched she asked about his comfort.
"Edward, if you could take a seat, we can begin." Edward hurried to his seat, paralleling Alice as she also sat down. It was as they always were, each seated in their seats, but there was something about having Lettie beside him, openly being seen with her, that made it feel different. Made it feel right. He stopped himself from reaching out to her, but he could tell by the simple glance Jasper sent him that he wasn't so subtle in his desires. "I imagine we all have questions."
"That's an understatement," Rosalie scoffed. Due to the circumstances, Carlisle let her snark pass, simply sending her a stern glance before looking at Alice.
"First and foremost, are you doing alright, Alice?" Alice gave another of her bright smiles, nodding.
"I'm alright now!"
"But what happened? You suddenly collapsed." Esme reached across Jasper, grabbing Alice's hand and giving it a tight squeeze. "I've never seen you react to a vision like that."
"That's because it wasn't just one vision, but about 50!" Alice's bright tone did nothing to reassure Esme, whose eyebrows furrowed even more at the information. Alice didn't seem to notice, too excited to share what she saw, eyes directed at Lettie. "They were things I've already seen, but this time, you were there!" She paused, looking contemplative. "I'm sorry, I never asked. Your name is Lettie?"
"Oh!" Lettie turned sheepish again, the failure of etiquette running through her mind. "Yes. Carnall, though you and your family may call me Lettie." She looked around the table, before turning to Edward, whispering, "Am I to shake hands again?"
"Only if you want to," he whispered back, biting his tongue so as to not laugh. He felt a swell of happiness when many thoughts of endearment rushed through the table, though no one beside Alice let it show on their face.
"Shaking hands is old fashioned anyway, most people high-five now!" Emmett supplied, voice far too loud. Lettie looked at him wide-eyed, so he raised his hand, mimicking a high five with the other. Hesitantly, she raised a hand, to which he automatically slapped, the ringing of the collision echoing in the room. Lettie's jaw drop was not from the force, but from the action itself. The rest of the family, however, turned to Lettie, shocked and concerned. "Woah! Your hand doesn't feel as weird as I thought!"
"Emmett! That was far too hard!" Esme chastised.
"It's alright, Esme," Edward soothed, though he did reach for Lettie's hand, rubbing a soothing hand over her palm, "she doesn't feel pain."
"Then, you didn't feel…" Emmett gestured vaguely to her face. Lettie shook her head, stealing her hand back from Edward to run it over her cheek.
"I'm sorry, didn't feel what?" It was his turn to be stared at, confusion evident on all their faces, Lettie included.
"Uh…the giant burn covering her face and body?" Emmett's tone, implying Edward was stupid, made him scowl.
"I have no clue what you're talking about."
"Fascinating." Carlisle leaned forward, voice colored in intrigue. "You can't see her appearance as we do, even in our thoughts?"
Carlisle closed his eyes, picturing Lettie in his mind, sitting at the table with the rest of the family. Edward stared, trying to see the difference between what was in front of him and what was being projected, but he came up blank. Her dress's high-laced neck still flopped awkwardly at the nape, and the color was still the same soft blue as a spring sky. Her face was as soft as ever, roundness even more evident as she sat beside Emmett's sharper features. Her full lips were untainted by any marks, dark lashes concealing her light brown eyes as they continued to look at him curiously. He ran a finger over her jaw, just to see if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but it glided without resistance. There was no difference between what Carlisle was projecting, and what he saw before him. But it was clear when everyone's thoughts were questioning how he was so easily able to touch her, that they were seeing something completely different.
"Do you, Edward?" He didn't like hearing his full name now that he knew what a sweet melody a nickname sounded like from her lips, but he didn't express that aloud. Not with his family listening in. "Do you not see what your family does?"
"I see…you. I don't see any burn marks for anything that they're describing." He shook his head. "I don't even see a difference in Carlisle's mind. You look like you always have."
"Truly?" Her voice was breathless as she asked. "I had always assumed you were simply hiding any observation for my benefit."
"Should I be seeing something else?"
"Oh yeah, dude." Esme cleared her throat pointedly at Emmett's response, to which he had the decency to look a little sheepish.
Edward looked around the table, trying to pry into this family's minds, but no one was able to conjure a different image of Lettie than the one he delighted in seeing every day. He figured Rosalie would be the one more open to speaking her mind, but all she did was glare when he looked for too long. No one moved, too polite or nervous to try and explain what they were seeing. He was surprised, then, for Lettie to break the suffocating silence
"I imagine," she began hesitantly, "that your family has the burden of viewing my appearance upon my death."