This Side of Fantasy

After lunch, I had Physics in building seven and what do you know, it was with Edward. I sat down next to him, watching as he cringed away growing ridged.

"Do I smell that bad?" I whispered.

"That's the problem, you smelt good before, now, now you're... well I've never smelt anything so tempting." he stammered, sending shivers down my spine.

"Should I move?" I asked.

"No stay, please. I just will have to overcome this." he answered. The teacher was into things we'd covered in my first week in Portland. "Are you really human?" he asked.

"As far as I can tell, no more special things except for my hearings still pretty good, just not like it was," I shrugged. "Feels good. Feels dangerous."

"I am dangerous Lily, I'm a killer," his whisper was almost inaudible.

"I trust you Edward," I said, before looking back at the front of the room. Class seemed to drag on, and I thought Edward would race out of the room, once the bell rang, but he didn't. He gathered my books and walked next to me out the door.

"You really don't have to do that," I said.

"What all happened to you Lily?" he asked gazing off through the rain. "You don't act the same."

"It was bad, death isn't a hard out, it's much to hard when you're so close, to find a reason to keep living. The biggest problem was the bleeding, a piece of glass severed my femoral artery, and I couldn't heal. When I woke again, most my 'gifts' were gone. Now I'm still trying to get rid of the small limp I'm sure you've noticed." I shrugged.

He said something along the lines of "I should have been there."

He handed me my books once I reached the gym, it was a mandatory thing here, luckily, I was out for another three weeks. After that he turned and headed back the way we'd come. I shook my head.

Mike Newton had a strange look on his face when he saw me sitting on the stage. "What?" I asked when he came over to me.

"Are you and Cullen a thing?"

"I don't see how that would be any of your business Mike." I snapped.

"He's not normal," he responded before walking away like a dog that'd been beaten. No Edward wasn't normal, he was a vampire.

I shook my head, walking into the locker room and grabbing my pain killer bottle from my purse before taking one and putting the rest away. I hadn't needed them before today, but after walking from class to class I did. The vampire was waiting for me when I walked out of the Gym. "Edward. I thought you didn't want to be around me?" I asked.

"I shouldn't but, damn it Lily, I can't keep myself away from you." he said. I saw his gaze move from me to his family sitting in his car.

"Are you ditching?" I asked.

"Yes, we'd like you to follow us. Carlisle's at home, Alice called him, he'd like to see you."

"I don't know I..." he grabbed my arm. "What are you doing?"

"I'll drive you there if you're unsure," he said holding out his hand for the keys once we reached my car. I dropped them into his hand, not caring enough to put up an argument.

"Death seems to be following me," I mumbled as we drove through Forks.

"From the day you met us," he sighed, he was a maniac driver.

"You know two weeks ago I crashed can you at least keep it under a hundred please?"

"Fine." I watched the needle drop to eighty five.

"So why is everyone else coming?" I asked.

"Curious." He seemed to be thinking hard about something. "You amaze me. You know what we are but you haven't asked what we eat." He looked at me with a hard face. He was so emotional.

"Well obviously not food," I mumbled.

I actually got a small chuckle. "No, we try to be good, we try to only hunt animals, but..." he trailed of.

"It's not always enough? Like Jasper when he almost attacked me in the meadow." I bit my lip, "Edward what would have happened?" I asked.

"We're here. Get out," he said, ignoring my question. I let it go for now. His brothers and sisters pulled up as we walked up the steps to the open door. "Carlisle, Esme." he called out as we entered.

"Lily." Carlisle greeted showing up beside me.

"Carlisle." I glanced at him.

"Let us talk in the dinning room," he said leading the way through the house that was open like their last one was.

I took the head seat while Carlisle paced, something odd, Edward sat to my left with Alice on my right, the remaining family took the other chairs. "Lily, how are you feeling?" Esme cooed, kneeling beside me.

"Better, still a little off but better," I said with a real smile. She truly seemed like a genuine person.

"That's really good to hear," she murmured, patting my hand before going to sit in her seat.

"Alright." Carlisle stopped all chatter and gained our attention. "I was truly sorry to hear of your accident."

"It isn't your concern," I replied.

"No but we could have... it wouldn't have been so close. Lily, I studied your file after Alice called me, you had numerous transfusions but by now you should be back to as before." He seemed miffed.

"I'm not, Carlisle I'm human, the only thing that isn't back to absolute humanity is my hearing."

"She's right, I thought she smelt good before, Carlisle I'm using every restraint I have." Edward spoke for the first time since we'd sat down.

Carlisle nodded, "Alice can you see anything?" he asked.

"No, just that she's human." Alice replied.

"We have a small problem." I whispered standing from my chair. "I know what you are, what happens now?" I asked.

No one seemed to want to answer. I waited but when I realized they weren't going to answer I decided to speak again. "I promise not to tell anyone." I whispered.

"Edward is she telling the truth?" Rosalie asked.

He looked upset. "I think we found something else she still has."

"I don't follow." I said

"Edward, you didn't tell her?" Alice hissed.

"I was trying to stay away." he growled.

"She knows so I think-"

"I know what you think Alice."

I let out a loud low whistle, causing them all to look at me startled. I did an in-my-mind happy dance while singing 'I startled the vampires oh yeah oh yeah'. "Tell. Me. What?" I ground out through clinch teeth, my voice strained and serious.

"Edward." Carlisle looked at his son and nodded.

"I can read minds."

"Oh that's just marvelous. You've known my-"

"Not yours," he mumbled.

"Beg pardon?"

"I can read everyone I've met except you." he said.

"Oh." I chewed on my lip for a second. "Anyone else want to share special need to knows?" I asked glancing around me as I paced back and fourth.

"I can see parts of someone's future when I focus on them." Alice said with a gleeful smile. "And Jasper can control emotions."

I froze glancing at her and Jasper. "O.K. I think I need to sit down." I was getting an over load of information.

"She's about to hit the floor in three seconds." I heard Alice's high cheery voice from a far away tunnel. I could see Edward throw his chair back before the hard wood floor rushed to meet me. Blackness swarming, clouding my mind and eyes.