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"Good morning!"

Edward pulled his covers over his head and rolled onto his side, groaning. "I'm not getting up yet, Alice."

The petite girl walked over to the wall opposite his bed and pushed back the long curtains from the huge floor-to-ceiling window. The room stayed dark. Alice huffed, tilting her head. It was possible she had mistaken the time.

Nevertheless, she strode back to Edward and took a corner of his comforter, yanking at it. Edward held on tight, determined to stay in bed. Muffled under the blankets, he said:
“I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is no.”

She dropped the blanket and let it go limp over her brother’s body. With a sigh, Alice sat at the end of his bed and said, “That’s not fair. You have to at least let me ask.”

Throwing the covers away from his head, Edward turned to look at her. His eyes were encircled by black bags and his mouth parted, showing his fangs. “Fine. Ask me.”

Alice furrowed her brows, looking him over. “You didn’t feed,” she told him.

“No. I didn’t. Now ask me so I can go back to sleep.”

“Edward, that’s dangerous. You’ll get sick,” she said, reaching over to touch him.

He batted her hand away and lay his head back down on his mound of pillows. “I’ll be fine. I got busy yesterday so I couldn’t go out. I’ll just hunt later today.”

Alice shook the boy’s legs. “Come on, get up! We can find you something leftover from Ruben. Colin isn’t home yet.”

Edward shook his head, “There isn’t any left. He drank it all.”

“I’m sure we can find you something.”

“You know what?” He sat up straight, adjusting his flannel pajamas and licking his lips. “If you find me something to drink, I’ll play for you.”

Alice’s face lit up like a bolt of lightning, “Yes! Yes, get up get up!” She wrenched the blankets away from Edward, who took a dainty step out of bed and stretched himself. With a quick glance from him, Alice slipped out of her brother’s room to let him get ready.

Edward stood in front of his window, gazing into the jet black forest that went on for miles around their home in all directions. He began to undress as he mused: technically, his family controlled comings and goings of the forest from here through the entire Olympic national park. More of the land had been disputed in the past when Colin and Ruben first made their claim in Washington, but the Quinault tribe of Native Americans encountered them trespassing and drove them out. They said they didn’t want their kind near their people - having recognized their condition from folk tales and lore passed down through the centuries. Colin explained their peaceful nature, but the tribe insisted they were dangerous and forced them to live elsewhere. Discovering what later was made into the national park, the two of them settled further inland and adopted the name of the Olympic coven.
Now, the appearance of the Cullens only lived on in the tribes’ legends.

It was possible some of the descendants still believed the tall tale of vampires prowling around their native lands. Edward remembered a boy he’d met last year at school - Jacob. He must have had some ancestry with the tribe, he thought. He’d never bothered to ask him, lest he question his reasons, and instead kept his distance while trying to seem as normal and genuine as he possibly could. The first year in a new place was always tough anyway, he didn’t need a human to start an absurd rumor about his family based on some old story. Even if it was true.

“Are you ready yet?” came from outside the door.

In a rush, Edward pulled on clean clothes and zipped out the door to his bedroom, closing it without a sound. Alice gave him a satisfied smile and they started down the hall together.

They walked down the grand staircase in the center of the house and made their way to Colin’s study. Alice opened the door with the gentlest touch, as to not disturb the rest of the family, and they entered. The back wall was made into a bookshelf, and was overflowing with literature. Stacks of unorganized books laid all around the walls and on his antique kingwood desk. The man could never get enough knowledge.

In the corner of the room, Alice unlocked a trapdoor. As far as Edward knew, Colin never hid anything from the family and the lock was only for a potential human break-in. The wood couldn’t stand a chance against the strength of any of the vampires to begin with, so there was no need to keep secrets.

They descended into the basement, where Alice took Edward’s hand and led him through a corridor. The underground room was used for storage, and they passed by old furniture and medical equipment as well as countless more books. Edward even recognized a few of his old things - a leather armchair with a ripped cushion, for one. What a shame. He missed that chair.

At the end of the corridor was a wine cellar, stocked with bottles dating back to the seventeenth century. The air was stagnant and frosty. Alice let go of Edward and stepped in front of the back wall, bracing herself against it. She gave the stone slab a strong shove and it creaked on rusty hinges as it swung forward out of their way. With a look over her shoulder, she escorted her brother into the tiny recess of the basement.

The room was illuminated by several dim LEDs on the ceiling. Although the family could see just fine in complete darkness, it was important that everything on the shelves was unobscured in case of an emergency. This room was even colder than the rest of the underground, and Edward swayed on his feet to keep his blood flowing.

Alice held her nose to the metal canisters that filled the shelves, eyes closed. She inhaled deeply and walked up and down the single aisle at different heights to get the scent of every vessel.

“There’s none left,” Edward said after a minute, interrupting her concentration.

Shaking her head, Alice continued her efforts. She opened her eyes a few times in false assurance, but at one point her eyelids flew open in a frenzy and she plunged her arm behind all of the canisters to the very back of the bottom shelf. There she retrieved a shiny, metal, thermos-like bottle and brushed the dust off of it. Turning it over a few times to mix the contents, she handed it to Edward.

“I told you I could find it.”

Doubtful that it was still any good, he unscrewed the cap and took a whiff. To his surprise, the viscous liquid was still as fresh as it was the day that it was gathered. He turned away from Alice to gulp it down, embarrassed that he had lost his bet. What’s the use betting against a psychic, anyway?

Colour flushed Edward’s cheeks when he licked the last drop from the brim, capping it again. He swished saliva around in his mouth to get rid of the red stains on his teeth, then looked back at Alice.

She stood, smug, with her hand out. Taking the canister from Edward, she tossed it in a bin to be cleaned later and ushered him out.

As they traveled back upstairs, Edward asked:

“So, it is the same deal as last time?”

“Yes, exactly that. I need more rehearsal time.”

“I still don’t understand why you can’t practice here, or at least use a recording. I have any song you could think of in my room.”

“It’s much more fun with you there!” she whined. “Besides, I can’t keep stopping and starting a recording when I mess up. It’s easier to just have you play again.”

“You don’t mess up anyway.”

“Yes I do.” She shot him a smile, "Sometimes."

Soon, the two of them stood in the garage waiting for the door to open. Machines were so, so slow. As Alice walked over to her bright yellow Porsche, Edward held up his hand.

“I have to take the others to school. I can’t go.”

She pulled on the handle with a frown, her charcoal curls bouncing as she plopped down in the driver’s seat. “Rosalie drives like an angel.”

Edward begrudgingly took the other seat and buckled in. A crash couldn’t harm him, but the threat of getting a ticket from some nosey police officer was enough to make him wear a seatbelt anyway. When they were on their way, he said, “Who’s taking care of Lucia?”

“Jesse,” Alice raised an eyebrow, stating the obvious.

It took Edward a moment to put the pieces together, “Oh shit, I forgot he was back. I haven’t seen him yet.”

“He’s tired. I wouldn’t bother him; he’ll come out when he’s ready.”

“But he’s alright, yeah?”

“Yes.”

Dropping the subject, he rested his chin on his palm and stared out the window. The sun was just starting to rise over the treetops, covering the city in a white-orange glow. Everything blurred together and his eyelids drooped, but he shook himself awake. There was no point in sleeping now.

They arrived at the school in good time and Alice led him to the performing arts center, where they hopped the fence with ease. She walked to the side door and produced a key, fitting it into the lock and swinging the door open. They entered, turned on the house lights, and Alice sprinted up and onto the stage. Edward followed her at a slower pace and took a seat on the piano bench off to the left side of the stage. They both peeled their gloves off and tossed them on the lid of the piano. Alice stood beside him as he uncovered the keys and stretched out his fingers.

“What am I playing today?” he asked her, running up and down a few scales.

“Prelude number fifteen, by Chopin,” she replied, waltzing away to warm herself up.

“Raindrop? That’s a new choice.”

“I like it!”

“It’s a masterpiece.” Edward situated himself with the tonality of the piece and sighed as he waited for Alice to be ready. Her refusal to negotiate another time or place had put him in a petulant mood. He would have much rather stayed in bed to regain a bit of energy, but he was grateful for the meal she had been able to get him. The fresh, strong blood in his veins helped him stay alert in his grogginess.

Alice assumed a starting position and said, “Ready.”

At her command, Edward began the piece. He was very comfortable with it, having played the song as a teenager. Wealthy homeowners would hire him for their parties and paid him meagrely because he was so young. It was a passionate piece, full of swells and decrescendos, and his body moved up and down with the volume. He always put his heart into his music - it was the only that that had stayed with him from his human life. People die, places are abandoned, and even languages fade away. But music could be remembered and replayed for eternity.

In rhythm with his piano playing, the small dark-skinned girl danced in and out of the shadows. She jumped, twirled, and contorted her body in expressive ways as the melody ebbed and flowed. At one point during the climax, Alice tripped up and cut Edward off. “I can’t figure out this footing! I’m sorry, could you play those bars again?”

He nodded and repeated the tune, his thin, pale fingers pounding on the keys with familiar precision. She asked him to repeat himself a few more times, and he thought it seemed odd for her to be so clumsy. "Are you alright?" Edward asked her. "I thought you knew this routine."

Alice sighed, letting her arms drop out of position to her sides. "I do. I'm a little distracted."

"What's on your mind?"

She took a seat next to him on the piano bench, putting her hands in her lap. "It’s not a big deal, I just wonder if-” Alice suddenly stopped speaking and stared at the piano keys, her jaw slack. Her burgundy brown eyes glazed over and she didn’t breathe or blink.

Edward watched her for a moment, then continued practicing. This was a regular occurrence for his sister, and nothing could be done for her in such a state. It could last anywhere from a few seconds to hours, but she claimed to have been in a psychic trance for over a day once before she joined the coven.

A noise at the door startled Edward and he lifted his hands from the keys, eyes flicking to the beam of sunlight that flooded the room. The girl he’d seen at the start of the semester stood in the doorway - Bella? - and he moved to duck behind the piano. It was a horrible idea and he just ended up bumping into Alice, who then returned to her conscious state.

“Hello?” Bella called out into the theatre.

Alice stood up and Edward looked to her for direction. She smiled to the newcomer, ignoring him, and picked up her brown gloves as she began to step away from the piano. Before she could leave, Edward grabbed her wrist and pulled her close to him again.

He whispered, “What did you see?”

She freed herself from his grasp and motioned towards Bella, then skipped down the stairs and to the girl. “Hello!” she said to her, then enveloped her in a hug. “I’m Alice.”

With a surprised expression, Bella stood rigid until Alice let go. She gave her a sheepish smile and said, “Uh hi, I’m… Bella…”

Alice took a step back, still presenting her with an enchanting smile. "I'm afraid I must be off, but I'll be seeing you again sometime, Bella." With that, she turned and exited the building.

Bella watched her leave, then turned to the stage. She shrugged off her coat and exhaled a soft laugh to relieve some tension. "What were you two up to?"

The scent of warm, pulsing blood wafted up to Edward's nose, but he resisted the urge with the ease of countless years of practice. "Nothing."

She raised an eyebrow in disbelief, walking towards the stairs. "You got to school early just for the hell of it?"

Shaking his head, he tried to come up with something to say. "No, I mean, it's really not important." He closed the cover to the piano as she traveled across the stage to him. "What about you? This place is supposed to be locked."

"Is it?" Bella ran her fingers along the rim of the frame of the grand piano. "I came to see if the dance instructor was here, but it looks like it's only you."

Edward smirked and folded his hands in his lap, looking up at her. "I don't know how much I can help you there, I just know a waltz or two. What do you dance?"

"Ballet," she said, dropping her bag onto the stage. "Since I was six."

"Impressive. I've been playing piano that long too." Give or take a hundred years.

"Oh, so that's why you were here? To practice?" She gave him a smug smile, thinking she'd uncovered some mystery.

"Ha! No, no," Edward stood, reaching over to grab his gloves. "I don't need the practice. We have a grand at home."

Bella rolled her eyes and Edward huffed. "Why don't you play me something if you're so good?"

"We aren't supposed to be in here," he retorted, pulling the thin black biker gloves on.

Picking up her bag again, Bella said, "Why don't you come around to one of my ballet rehearsals, then? You could play something for me there."

Edward passed by her to walk off stage, "That's an invitation?"

"Yes. What else would it be?" She followed him through the theatre.

"Hey. I was just making sure." Vampire tradition forbade him to enter a human's place of living without invitation. It was old fashioned, but kept them civil. Even the human-drinkers were not supposed to kill inside another person's home. It would be very rude.

When they reached the door, Edward realized Alice had not given him the key to lock up. He scanned the area and was relieved to find that she had left it in the lock for him, and he then closed and bolted the door behind Bella. The school was bustling by now and the two of them crossed campus to the main building.

"Do you have a motorcycle?"

Edward glanced at Bella, then shook his head. "I drive a Volvo. It's just about the same."

"What do you wear the gloves for, then?"

He looked down at his hands, stretching his fingers out in the leather material. Most of the time he forgot he even wore them; the habit had really grown on him. "Well, it is cold out today."

She laughed, "Those can’t actually keep you warm, do they?"

"They do the job."

"I would invest in some mittens. You dad has cold hands, too."

He furrowed his brows, quickly turning towards her, "My father?" His phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Yeah, the doctor? I saw him the other... Is something wrong?"

Edward was looking at his phone. He held up a hand to Bella, "I'm sorry, I have to go. I'll come to your ballet thing, but... I need to leave."

Bella called a disgruntled goodbye to him as Edward ran off towards the front of the school. Sitting by the curb was the yellow Porsche, and he threw himself into the seat as soon as his fingers touched the handle. Alice hit the gas and they sped out of the school, dodging kids left and right.

"Are you sure that's what you saw?" he asked her, bracing himself against the car door.

"Edward, he's going to die."