Though Lettie admitted to liking the adventure she got to have, she much preferred Edward's careful care to the raccoon's sporadic movement. Edward tried not to feel so flattered, and failed miserably, giving Lettie a smile that had her complimenting it. While she was sad that he wouldn't be able to spend as much time with her as the day before, she thanked him for coming back. She had much to say about spending most of the night under the stars, trying to remember all the names she had learned at some point in her life, and spent the other half watching the raccoon give birth to her babies. She said the Father was the culprit, bringing back a gift for the new Mother, but left shortly before Edward arrived to, as she suggested, gather food for his family. Edward recalled a night of construction and sorting with his family as he created a better hiding place for Lettie. Neither liked the idea of burying her box, instead settling on digging a small hole along the wall of the old house, placing a rock too heavy for any other wildlife to move atop it.

Afternoon came far too quickly, and Edward returned once more to his family, pretending like he didn't just spend another afternoon with an otherworldly being. The next day came and went, then another, then another, until a strange routine quickly formed without anyone, let alone Edward, really realizing it. Some days he would use the excuse of dropping things off at the Historical Society, other times he would simply claim to need some fresh air from the construction fumes. With Emmett's slow recovery, feeding breaks were happening more frequently than usual, and Edward could sneak off after a few bites to eat while the others were occupied.

Lettie greeted him the same way every day. Edward would run into the clearing, stopping just at the edge of the shade cast by the trees. He would listen for any nearby hikers while scanning his eyes across the clearing, always stopping on Lettie's waiting form. When their eyes met, and his lips upturned, she would come running up to him from wherever she had managed to find entertainment, a smile on her face and his name spilling from her lips (never informally, despite Edward's many attempts). She would ask about his day, his answers getting longer and more detailed the more they met up. He would then ask about hers in return, which would always lead to her taking him on the complicated route she made throughout the clearing, detailing every small 'magnificent' thing she saw. Edward would sometimes bring things from the attic that he wasn't sure if she wanted or not, laying them out for Lettie to inspect at her own pace. They would inevitably end up laying in the sun, eyes closed and whispering quietly to one another, stories or questions or explanations. Edward toed the line most days, staying out for as long as possible until someone texted him, wondering where he went. Their goodbyes got quicker, though not any easier, Lettie always walking him to the start of the path to watch him disappear in a flash.

His family were none the wiser, save Jasper and Alice, who each had their own suspicions. Jasper was able to tell something was different with him, probably feeling the strange eagerness he suddenly developed whenever he was getting ready to head back into town. Alice knew him well enough when he was hiding something from her, she had seen enough visions of him to parse out most of his quirks. Try as she might, she was only able to see Edward lounging or taking walks alone, even though something in her suspected there was something more to his frequent trips. It startled him at first to see himself smiling alone in the clearing, his posture and gait certainly suggested he was with someone just out of view, and he was, for lack of a better word, terrified that Alice's ability would be able to see Lettie without the necklace's permission. But, as the visions played out, it still remained him alone. He could recognize the look on his face, the same attentive listening look he saw reflected in Lettie's eyes, but she was nowhere to be seen, not even in her favorite spot in the grass. Alice, naturally, was frustrated about the whole thing. Edward could sympathize, but didn't offer much - this was the perfect payback for all the times Alice filled his mind with Modern Pop's Top 100 whenever she wanted to hide a vision from him.

A working theory was forming in his mind, taking shape the more visions Alice received of Edward alone. Was this connected to his ability to see and interact with her thanks to touching her necklace? Would Alice be able to see her in visions if she touched the necklace, or would these visions stay the same? And what about Jasper? He didn't reveal that he could feel another person's emotion outside of his family originally, but maybe there were too many people? Or maybe her emotions were quiet, just like her scent. If Jasper did touch the necklace, would he be able to feel Lettie's emotions? Manipulate them?

Edward had to make peace with the fact that he might never know, at least not while Lettie's being kept a secret.

A secret that, admittedly, was beginning to make him spiral. With his growing intrigue with the girl, and the slow build of a type of friendship between them, Edward worried a lot about the future. Well, more than usual anyway. His time alone in the attic, which his family quickly decided was a project Edward would manage by himself, gave him plenty of time to be enveloped in these thoughts. Just as he worried in the past about being alone, now he worried about Lettie's connection to his world, and admittedly, to himself.

Would she continue to live in that clearing forever? He would be happy to come out every once in a while, and pop in every couple of months or years, to talk and check in. If she wanted to move to a new location, would she stay in Wateeridge? They could figure out whatever she wanted to do every check-in, and maybe move her to a different spot she could explore, never giving her time to grow bored. Or would a museum be her best bet, wandering from exhibit to exhibit, similar to how her friend did? She seemed terrified to be put into storage, another dark room alone with her thoughts, but surely a pendant as gorgeous as hers wouldn't be simply locked away and forgotten? She could always travel with him and his family…

He was surprised, not by how easy the thought came to him, but by how unbothered he was by it. Lettie was an interesting creature, and entertaining to be around to boot. Surely she would like to see the world a little more, see modern advancements in real life and time rather than in Edward's choppy explanation. There were towns outside of Wateeridge that were unlike anything she'd probably ever seen, not to mention cities with blinding lights and underground tunnels and thousands of people for her to see. He could already imagine that look of wonder appearing on her face as she got to see things like skyscrapers, and subways, and computers. It even made him feel a little giddy at the idea (Jasper and Emmett gave him a really hard time for that, as he was sorting through a bunch of old corsets when the thought occurred to him).

But, however easy the thought was to justify in his own mind, he found himself at a loss for words once he tried to say them out loud.

Today was another day of attempting. It was well into the heat of summer, August's unwavering sky pounding down on the Earth. This day in particular was much too hot to be out hiking, so Edward let himself relax completely, only passively keeping his ears peeled for any stray wanderer. He and Lettie were well into their daily time together, conversation petering off into a soft quiet that allowed them to lay in the sun without disturbance. She had just finished telling him about her Father's disastrous attempt at a debutante ball for her, laughing at things Edward knew little about, but her laughter was infectious, a smile forming on his lips. Her smile softened as she relaxed into the quiet, eyelashes resting peacefully on her cheeks. Her hair was curled under her head, a pillow of sorts, and her dress was fanned out around her, the blue reflecting the sky above their heads. She looked peaceful, as she always did when she got to lay in the sun.

Edward's skin was warm to the touch now as the light bounced off of it, flecks of light dancing around her as he turned his head back and forth, taking turns between gazing at the sky above and the companion at his side. Lettie remained still, even as the refraction of his skin crossed over her closed eyes.

"Have you ever thought about leaving?" he said quietly, finally settling on Lettie's upturned face. He turned his body partially so he faced her completely.

"Leave?" Her eyes were still closed, feeling the sun melt into her skin, but she turned her head ever so slightly in his direction.

"Leave your house, this town." She thought about it for a moment, a peaceful silence forming between them once more. Neither of them moved as she thought. Edward, for the first time in a long time, contemplated trying to block out Lettie's thoughts so anything from her mouth would be a surprise.

"For a very long time," she finally started, "my friends and I dreamed of going to New York, as much news of high society originated from there. If I remember correctly, many of our country's most prominent figures moved to the city to be associated with others of their social class. Bankers, lawyers, brokers, real estate men, and railroaders primarily, and several others too. A railway was planned to be built as to help the loggers in the area, though many hoped the line would also cater to passengers wanting to go to the city." Lettie got a wistful look on her face as she recalled this memory. "Oh, how we dreamed of being in the city. Accounts from those who had visited spoke of streets filled with beautiful women in beautiful dresses, gentlemen more dashing than we could dream, and endless nights of parties and dancing." She laughed. "It seems silly to think that I was once more worried about choosing the correct hairpiece than my own death." Though her tone was light, Edward could hear the self-deprecating thoughts swirling in her mind.

"And would you go? Now, if you had the chance?"

"I couldn't say." She finally opened her eyes, turning her head to look at him. Her hair bunched under her cheek, and one of her eyes, the one bathed in light, sparkled caramel. "When my Father started declining in health, he was all I was I could think about. Many of my relatives had decided on the journey West, a promise of good trades and new land to be conquered." She grimaced. "My Father and I didn't agree with their logic, so we bid them farewell on their journey. For many years there was no contact from them, and we feared the worst. It was only after my…death, that my Father finally received a letter from his brother. They had started a trade business in a newly built town somewhere in California, though the name escapes me now."

"And your Father never wanted to visit?" Her face turned solemn.

"There were many obstacles at the time. The journey, with my Father's age and how few train lines there were to California, would have been too costly to justify. His Brother was also starting a family, so they had no money to make the journey to us." The memory of all those letters Edward found tucked away in the attic suddenly made a lot more sense. No wonder her Father was alone in the worst years of his life - there was no way for his family to come see him, even if they wanted to. "He was far too…inharmonious with the rest of our family to call upon them, despite being much closer in proximity."

"And you? You never made the journey?" She gave him a sad smile.

"The railway opened to passenger use the year after I passed." Edward winced an apology. "You weren't aware. It's alright."

"That was your human life. What about now?" That got her attention. She sat up abruptly, Edward following close behind. Her eyes were wide as they stared at him. "Would you want to leave this place?"

"I-I…I…" It was rare to see her stutter.

"As you know, my family leaves in a little over a week." Lettie's shoulders deflated at that, a passing look of deviation on her features before she smoothed them over. "And…I could move you, if you like. Take you to another part of the woods around here. You would get to explore, and I would return every summer to spend time with you and help out Esme." Lettie's face morphed slowly into a smile the more he spoke. "We could move you every year, or every couple of months. Maybe I could even get you a phone, one you could use in emergencies, left on the ground so all your energy would be just pressing the buttons."

"That sounds wonderful." Edward raked his eyes over her face, her posture, her smile, before turning away. He laid back down, eyes towards the sky, trying as hard as he could to appear nonchalant. Though laying was supposed to relax him, he felt all the more nervous as Lettie gazed down at him, sun catching the halo of hair around her face.

"Or…you could come with me?" The sentence was supposed to be a suggestion, but even he couldn't stop the way it morphed into a question.

"With you and your family?"

"Yes. You could come with us to Forks, and I could show you all the things you've missed." He took an unneeded breath to stop himself from speaking too quickly. "Take you to Seattle for a couple of days so you can see the city, experience new things. Take you to school, if you like, or you could live in the woods just like you do here."

Edward spared a glance at his silent compassion, flickering his eyes to her for only a moment before they returned upward. Her face didn't give anything away, and worse, Lettie's mind was surprisingly empty, save for the repeating of his words in a constant loop. Human heartbeats were a nuisance most days, but there was a desperate part of him now that wished Lettie had one at this moment, just to give him some indication as to how she was feeling. If only Jasper were here…

"You're far too kind to a curse like me." Edward turned to her quickly, eyes meeting hers to see nothing but the truth behind them. Her thoughts spoiled her rejection before they could leave her mouth. "I could never ask that of you, nor your family."

"I'm offering," he reassured. She simply smiled. Her hand reached out, fingers trailing up his chest, before resting against his face. She brought her smile to him, tilting his face lightly so she could press a chaste kiss against it. It took everything in him not to jerk away.

"Thank you," she said softly. "Thank you for your kind words and your kind heart." Her hand left his face, trailing down his chest to rest briefly over his unbeating heart. Then, she pulled away, all too soon, leaving a phantom burning in her wake. "But I cannot accept your offer. Your family does not know of my existence. You are keeping them safe by not allowing them to know. Should I accompany you on this adventure, you would be giving yourself unneeded burdens, the kind that I can not allow a kind soul to bear. You have given me more adventures in these few weeks than I have known since my death. I could not ask you to continue looking after me."

Lettie's mind flashed a memory of an older man, coughing violently between bright smiles, as he lounged on an antique bed. He was whispering something to her, a promise to always be nearby, as he held her hands tightly. Despite the devastating image in her mind, her face did not change. Edward opened his mouth to rebut, but Lettie simply shook her head, a soft, thankful smile spreading across her face.

"You are needed by your family. I cannot continue to selfishly take you away from them. Go," she nodded her head towards the hiking trail, a clear dismissal. "The day grows long. I am sure they miss you dearly."

And that was that.