"Wasn't it great to get out of town? I told you it would be good for you Edward; you spend so much time cooped up in your room."

"But did it have to be shopping Alice? I thought we'd go on an adventure, maybe find some good game to fight, not to use me as a pack mule!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the two of them; my sister bounced happily in the seat beside me while Emmett complained from the back, the other seats and back of the Volvo completely full of bags. Her idea of getting me out of the house to travel to Seattle and raid the stores had been well hidden from me, knowing i would have refused otherwise. I have no idea how she managed to trick Emmett into this either, but Alice always finds a way.

"Why didn't you take Rose instead? You know she would've gone with you!"

"She doesn't like it when my vision doesn't match hers and i could see her storming off, you two are a lot easier to manage."

"You talk like we're kids doing what our mom says!"

"Well, you're acting like one right now!"

"Give it a break you two." I couldn't help but saying with a sigh. "You've been arguing all day, can't you call it a truce and move on?"

Emmett grinned in response. "Sorry dad."

I sighed again, feeling like i may actually get a headache from all the arguing. I continued looking through the windscreen of the Volvo, wipers pushing away the persistent rain as the two of them continued their back and forth. I did love my siblings dearly, but recently it felt like Alice had been testing my patience. She suddenly became very invested in getting me out of the house more, never having minded before what i did with my time, but now she took extra time out of her day to seek me out, wanting to go hunting or venture somewhere. I could never tell the reason; she had gotten good at hiding her thoughts from me when she wanted to.

Maybe she had begun to sense my weariness of being surrounded by perfectly matched couples all the time; it can become grating with everyone living under the same roof in harmony when you're the only one yet to find another. I could feel my adoptive mother's concerns, even when she tried to hide them from me, worrying that i may be always alone and hoping i would find the one that made me complete. It bothered me less; i felt complete in myself and had no urgent desire to search the world for someone who may not exist.

As we drove past the sign welcoming us into Forks, i noticed in the distance ahead of us a vehicle on the side of the road. The old, rusty red Chevy pickup appeared to be sitting lower on one side and i could see a crouched figure checking the tyre, their hands up to keep the hood of their jacket in place.

"Flat tyre... great..."

I could hear the girl cursing her predicament, though i didn't recognize the voice or the vehicle in question. As we got closer, i saw her figure react to the headlights of the Volvo as she stood up, turning to face us as she squinted through the rain. I definitely hadn't met this girl before, though felt i had seen her face somewhere. As i tried to remember where, Alice stopped talking and noticed her on the side of the road as well.

"Oh look, she must have broken down, we should help her out."

I looked in surprise to my sister as Emmett then looked out the window to see who she was talking about. The Cullen's didn't interact with the others in town here unless we had to, it was common knowledge, so i wasn't sure why Alice would want to change that now. Before i could question her, she turned to me animated.

"Edward, we can't just leave her there, she needs help and she could be stuck here for hours waiting. It's not going to kill you to do a good deed once in a while, you know."

I looked again to the girl in the rain, her shoulders hunched from the cold and hands gripping her hood to stop it being blown off in the wind. I didn't pick up on any thoughts from her, though from her expression she was clearly trying to work out who was approaching. Something about the girl made me wonder if Alice was right; she did look like she needed help and i felt compelled to see what i could do. Without a word, i began to slow down the Volvo to pull over as the other two observed, Alice pleased that she had gotten through to me.

"Emmett, why don't you wait in the car so she doesn't feel intimidated? I'll get out first so she doesn't feel ganged up on, then Edward can join us if she needs help, agreed?"

Alice gave us our orders as Emmett grumbled slightly, me remaining quiet as i pulled to a stop in front of the truck. The girl's eyes followed us, maybe a little wary but not thinking much for me to pick up on. I nodded to Alice in agreement that i would stay here; more than one person hopping out the car may scare the girl, especially with the way humans react to us. My eyes stayed on the girl, watching her pull her coat to herself against the wind as i wondered if i should offer her an extra jacket; hers didn't look like it could offer much resistance against the weather.

Don't be an idiot, i told myself as i shook my head, wondering why i seemed to be looking for a reason to help. Beside me, i heard Alice zip her coat up and reach for the umbrella nearby, her thoughts being meticulous on how to appear like a normal human even if the items weren't necessary for us. For the first time, i noticed the warm, chocolate brown of the girl's eyes as she appeared relived at the sight of Alice opening the door, umbrella going up as she kept it steady in the wind and turned towards the girl with a kind smile.

"Hi, I'm Alice, can i help-?"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence before i was out of the car at lightning speed, my hands grabbing hold of the girl as i rushed us back into the surrounding forest. I caught a brief glimpse of the dark, rainy vision that overtook Alice, but i wasn't paying it any attention; i wasn't paying attention to anything but the siren call coming from the human in my grasp. I heard her gasp in surprise, but she didn't have time to think anything before my teeth found her neck, the monster fully in control as i bit through her skin. Her jacket had been ripped aside in my haste, her body against a tree and unable to escape my hold even if she had the ability to. I felt her body tense from the pain, her hands by reflex coming up to pull my arm away but finding herself unable to loosen my hold. I barely noticed anything outside of the incredible taste of her blood, sweeter than anything I'd ever tasted in my life, warming my body as she continued to struggle, beyond thoughts in her own bewilderment. I paid no attention to Alice screaming behind me to stop, or of the girl's struggles gradually lessening, my only thoughts demanding more as i continued to drink from her.

I suddenly found myself being hit hard from the side, aggressively forced through the forest not unlike the power of an angry bull. I snarled in response, instinctively turning to fight and get back to my prey, but my arms were pinned to my side as i was taken further away. I growled, struggled and, just as i felt i may have the upper hand, i was pushed down hard into the ground, face first into the mud. I continued to thrash around until i felt an immense weight on my back, arms trapped between and forcing me to stay down as a strong hand kept my face in the mud, blocking my senses. The growls continued to rumble in my chest as i found myself, frustratingly, unable to move. It was only then i began to hear frantic, concerned words in my ears; a deep voice telling me to stop, to calm down, telling me to get a grip of myself. I could hear faint screams that seemed to be moving further away from us, a panicked mind moving with the sound.

As time passed and my mind began to return to normal, i stopped struggling against Emmett and tried to gather my thoughts. I started to realize what had happened; I'd attacked the poor girl who, moments before, I'd wanted to help. I had no idea what happened, other than losing my mind as soon as i caught the scent of her blood from the wind rushing into the car. There had been no prior warning from Alice; even she couldn't have predicted something like this would happen. The guilt and shame was increasing as i replayed what I'd done, realizing I'd just taken the life of an innocent which, even in my worst days, I'd never dreamed of doing. I felt my body curling up the more i regained myself, the guilt crippling me as my eyes closed tighter.

I felt Emmett move off me, sensing i was in control again as he knelt down in front of me. He sighed in impatience, forcing me to sit up as my head hung in shame. I'd become the very thing I'd fought back for over 80 years; i had become the monster.

"Edward there's no time for this, look at me!"

I made myself lift my head to look at Emmett's concerned face, noticing my now red eyes reflected in his before i quickly looked away again.

"We need to move, now. They're going to come looking for her and if we're found, it's the end for us as well."

When i didn't move in response, he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, rushing back towards the still-running Volvo. He shoved me into the passenger seat and was pulling away before I could react. I looked at his anxious expression, eyes darting around to make sure we hadn't been noticed as he quickly sped away from the scene. I was still silent, struggling against the shame of my actions as Emmett answered his phone before the first ring was finished.

"Yeah, i got him, we're on the way now... no i haven't touched anything. Is Carlisle...?"

My eyes widened in panic at the sound of my adoptive father's name; what would he have to say about all of this? He would be upset and definitely disappointed, but he wouldn't hate me for what had happened. He would make sure we were respectful, we attended her funeral and support the grieving family, as we have done in the past. It was difficult to endure, but it was the very least we could do after causing so much pain and loss from our actions.

I came back to the present when Emmett snapped his phone shut, casting another glance at me as he sped around the bends. He could tell my question, even without asking it aloud.

"He's on the way home now, it's... too late to save the girl, but he'll do everything he can to keep her comfortable." His voice was tight and full of concern, so unlike his normal carefree self.

I frowned at that, looking to him in question. Why would he need to keep a corpse comfortable? Then i remembered the screaming from the forest as i felt my body go cold in response.

"Is she... i didn't kill her?"

Emmett looked to me, eyes deadly serious and sad as he shook his head. My head snapped in the direction of the house as i started hearing the screaming again as we were getting closer to home.

"No, i got to you before it was too late, but now..."

He didn't need to finish as i closed my eyes with the fresh pain of my actions. This innocent, unknown girl would now become a cold, soulless monster just like me and there wasn't a doubt in my mind; i would never be forgiven for it.