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Edward smiled back and then kissed my forehead. I put my forehead against his shoulder and he set his cheek on the top of my head. Then I heard someone clear their throat from the door. Carlisle had a glass of something thick and red in his hand. I inhaled through my nose and the smell made me queasy. But Edward stiffened. "What is that?" I asked, my face twisted out of disgust. "Human blood. I had some of it in the fridge. I am a doctor." Carlisle said with a smile. "Get it away from me. It smells gross." I said, covering my mouth with my hand. Carlisle nearly dropped the glass. "You don't want it?" he asked. I shook my head and looked away. "Just get it out of here, Carlisle." I said, through my hand. I felt him leave and then smell went away. "That was disgusting." I said. "I don't understand. That blood was fresh. I could smell it." Edward said. "I don't care how fresh it was, I just want it never to come near me again." I said with a small tightness to my voice. Edward smiled at me. I leaned my head against his chest. "What does it feel like not to sleep?" I asked. "Kind of boring." Edward chuckled. I was listening to the sounds of the house. There was no beating of his heart. I felt him humming again. I smiled as I listened to my lullaby. I started to hum along with it. "Do you like it that much?" Edward asked as I continued to hum. I nodded. "You know I wrote lyrics for it?" I asked, sitting up. He looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Well, I don't think they fit very well." I said. I knew I couldn't blush anymore. I had no body heat to rise in my cheeks. "What are they about?" Edward asked. "Loss." I whispered. Then suddenly an enticing smell drifted from the doorway. I looked up and saw that Carlisle had a dark substance in a wine glass. It wasn't thick like blood. It smelled so appealing; I wanted it. I got up and it shocked me how easily I moved now. Carlisle handed me the glass and I drank it down without ever stopping. I didn't need to breathe so I didn't need to stop. I lowered the glass when I had drained the very last drop. "What was that?" I asked Carlisle, a smile spread across my now beautiful features. "Red wine. It was set down around my birth year." Carlisle said. I raised my eye brows. "Yes wine makes a good blood substitute, but I found that there must mass quantities of it to satisfy my thirst." Carlisle said, taking back the wine glass. "But I feel fine. I'm not thirsty anymore." I said confused. "I can tell." Carlisle said, nodding at the mirror again. I looked and I saw that my eyes were a piercing shade of green. It was brighter than my original eye color. It was bolder and kind of stuck out. I liked it. I turned to Edward and smiled. He smiled back. "Well, you'll have to drink the wine every day before you go in contact with humans. We wouldn't want any slip ups." Carlisle said. I nodded. "And you'll be starting school with Edward and the others in about two days. We got all of your supplies, so don't fret about that." Carlisle said. I nodded again. "And tomorrow is supposed to be the new student orientation, but you'll have most of your classes with either Edward or Alice, so I don't think that will matter much." Carlisle said. I nodded one more time. "So be ready for the long haul. Welcome to our world." Carlisle said before walking out of the room. I sighed and rolled my eyes. I sat back down on my bed next to Edward. "So what year am I in?" I asked. "You're a junior." Edward said. I smiled. "Well, this year will be interesting." I said with a shrug. "I guess so." Edward said. Something was bothering him, I could tell. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Well, the five of us have been acting like we have been family for the two years we've lived in Forks. You're going to have to be my adoptive sister when school starts." Edward sighed. I sighed as well. "That could be a problem." I said in a low voice. "So I don't think that we should get too involved with each other. It would be weird if anyone saw us holding hands or something like that." Edward said very slowly, choosing what he was saying word by word. I sighed, knowing where this was going. "I guess I understand." I said. "Well, we can still be best friends." Edward said. "Promise?" I asked. "I promise." Edward said with a smile. We shook on it. "And just so you know, renege on a vampire and you'll regret it." Edward said when we released hands. "I don't think I made a promise." I said confused. "Don't try and be more than friends or siblings. That was our deal. We both have to hold our ends of the bargain." Edward said. I shrugged, knowing he was right. Then suddenly there was a loud noise from downstairs, even by human standards. Edward and I rushed downstairs and Emmet was standing over Alice as she read a letter. The envelope was on the floor and she looked infuriated. Emmet was shaking worse and worse by the second. Jasper was now getting up to see what the fuss was. I didn't want to ask, but it was inevitable. "What's going on?" I asked as curious as I could be. It was like a bomb exploded when Emmet started to yell. "THE STUPID DOGS FOUND OUT ABOUT YOU TURNING INTO A VAMPIRE AND THINK WE'VE BROKEN THE CODE!" Emmet screamed at the top of his voice. I looked at Edward for an explanation but he had grabbed the letter from now furious Jasper and was reading it quickly. "What code?" I asked loudly before Edward could get started. "About seventy years ago, Carlisle made an oath with those dogs," Jasper said the word like it left a funny taste in his mouth. "and promised that we would never bite a human. Well those Natives think that we bit you and turned you into one of our kind." I was instantly enraged by this fact. "But you didn't bite me." I growled. "Well, they think we did. And now they demand that we meet with their kind for our punishment." Emmet said in a low growl. It seemed to echo from the depths of his deep chest. "What do they say is the punishment?" I asked, suddenly terrified. "They didn't say but I bet you can guess." Alice said in a tone of quiet anger. It was scarier than Emmet's raging. "They wouldn't kill you?" I asked, my mind freezing up. "We don't know." Edward said. Then suddenly I heard frantic steps from upstairs. Rosalie, Esme, and Carlisle were now beside me. "What about the Natives?" Esme asked, a little breathless. "They think that we bit her." Jasper said, now pacing in his anger. "Well, did they send a summons or was it one of Alice's visions?" Carlisle asked, remaining quite calm about it. Rosalie was now at Emmet's side, trying to calm down. Esme was shocked into non-motion. "They sent a letter. We have twenty-four hours to get there for the punishment or they come here." Edward said. His voice was even. I was on the verge of tears. "Where do we meet?" Carlisle asked. "First Beach. On La Push." Edward said, scanning the letter. "Doing that right there violates the treaty. We can't go there." Carlisle said his gold eyes deep in thought. "Like we have a choice." Rosalie said, speaking up for the first time. "So we either go to our deaths or wait for them to come here?" I whispered. Everyone was silent and still. Even Jasper stopped pacing. "Well, you could put it that way." Carlisle said. "I think that Esme, Carlisle, and Edward should go." I said, my brain starting to work again. I had always loved strategy games. My father had teased me saying that I would be a master of war one day. "Why should I go?" Esme asked. "You are the female head of the family. Edward was there when the treaty was made. And Carlisle is the only one immune to the scent of human blood." I said. "I think that I should go instead of Esme." Alice said. I looked at her confused. "As soon as they make their choice, then I will know about it." Alice said. I nodded at this thought. It made sense. "And I think that I should go as well." I said in a low voice. There was instant uproar. "I'm the one that this whole ordeal is about. I have the right to take the punishment." I said over all of the hubbub. Carlisle looked at me critically. "Well, in all honesty, you look less like a vampire than any of us could imagine. You look like your old self minus the slight tan." Carlisle said. "Less of a reason for them to suspect me." I said. Everything was silent. "She's right. She goes. Edward and Alice come with us as well." Carlisle said in a final word. Emmet and Jasper were about to object. "Emmet, you have a temper. We need level heads here. Jasper, you have the least control out of all of us." Carlisle said, cutting them off. Emmet and Jasper looked mutinous, but didn't say anything to contradict him. Rosalie was able to get them both into chairs to help them calm down. "We leave tomorrow at first light." Carlisle said to Edward, Alice and I. We nodded. Then it was silent again. It was very awkward, to say the least. I turned my back on the group and went up to my room. I paced the floor, tried to draw to pass the time, and even tried to write some lyrics or poems. But nothing worked. I just kept moving all of the time. I cleaned out my drawers twice and reorganized my clothes three times in my closet. It was very irritating to be like this.
One of the sucky things about being a vampire now was that I didn't sleep. Which meant that I could not pass time by taking a nap. But there was a plus to not sleeping: no night terrors. Since I couldn't sleep, I wouldn't wake myself up by screaming. But there was a con to that: I felt tired, REALLY tired. I paced around my room like a caged animal. It was nerve racking. I went into a pattern after a while. I would sit down and try to write something. But then I would just stare at the blank page until the thoughts of the meeting, or trial more appropriately named, would float into the front of my mind. Then I would get up and pace for a while. Then I would sit down and try to draw something, but nothing would come to mind. I would stare at the blank page and then think about the trial again. Then I would get up and pace again. This pattern went on for hours. And then finally, someone opened my door. It was Edward. He was looking so solemn. It was scary to think that earlier this morning he was smiling and laughing at me. He nodded toward the downstairs and I followed him out of my room. Everyone was gathered in the dining room. Carlisle was sitting at the head of the table. There were two empty seats to his right and Esme was on his left. Alice sat two seats down on Carlisle's right and Jasper was next to her. Rosalie sat next to Esme and Emmet was next to her. I sat between Alice and Edward on Carlisle's right. "We need to come to an agreement of what is going to happen with this meeting. Alice, have you seen anything new?" Carlisle asked. He was very serious. Alice shook her heard. "I saw a brief flash of a group of people and then a few minutes that group changed. Originally, they were going to get Chief Swan involved but decided that this was best left for their own kind to handle." Alice said slowly. Carlisle nodded. "We need to decide what is going to happen if they want to kill all that go. Esme, are you willing to make a run for it with Jasper, Emmet and Rosalie?" Carlisle asked. Esme's face was tight and her lips were pursed into a hard line. She looked on the verge of tears. She nodded once very jerkily. "Emmet, you are to take my place as head of the family if it goes ill." Carlisle instructed. He nodded and wrapped an arm around Rosalie, who also looked like she was crying. I looked down. I had on my black leather gloves. They were starting to get worn out in certain places. Then Carlisle's voice called my name. "If they ask you, Lilith, please tell the complete truth." Carlisle said. I nodded vaguely. I felt tears in my own eyes now. "We have an hour to leave. Make sure you are ready to leave." Carlisle said, standing up. I assumed that he had instructed the rest on what they were supposed to do. I got up and rushed to my room, feeling the tears burning at my eyes. I got in my room and closed the door. I dropped down in the middle of the room and hugged myself, trying to hold in the pain of my terror. I didn't want to die. I was finally happy after my parents died. And then I stopped. I had a thought that had just come to me. What if they chose me to die? What if they decided that the Cullens were all this area could handle in the number of vampires? What if it was just me that was going to die and not the others? I had to stand up. I looked around me room, covered with my drawings. I found the drawing of Edward and looked at it again. It was so beautiful. I had to push it away so I didn't ruin it with my tears. I felt one leak out of my eye and run down my cheek. I was about to wipe it away before another hand did so. It was Edward. I latched onto his neck in a tight hug. He hugged me back just as tightly around my chest. "I'm scared Edward." I whispered. "They're not going to hurt you. I won't let them." Edward said into my hair. "I'm afraid that I'm going to die. I'm afraid that they are going to say that I'm one too many." I said, letting all of my terror out finally. Edward pulled away and he looked me in the face. "They are not going to hurt you. I promise that they won't." Edward vowed. He put his hands on either side of my face. I felt my tears still falling from my eyes. Then he brought my face to his and kissed me. He kissed me very hard and on the lips. I kissed him back now. I wanted to enjoy this while I still had time. I didn't know if my life was going to end or not. I leaned into him and I could feel him trying to break away. I pulled away, and I didn't even try to hide my hurt. "Edward, please say that you love me." I whispered. "Lilith Nicoletti, I love you." Edward said. "Do you mean it?" I asked with more tears coming to my eyes. "Yes, I mean it. I know I do." Edward said. I leaned in and kissed him again. But this time he didn't pull away. He kissed me back just as passionately. I ran my hands through his bronze hair and got very into it. His fingers were gently playing with the tips of my long hair. I pulled away this time. I looked at him in the eyes this time. "I love you Edward Cullen." I whispered. "I love you Lilith Nicoletti." Edward whispered back. I leaned forward and put my forehead on his. I looked into his golden eyes. "Your eyes are darker. You better drink some wine before we leave." Edward commented. I nodded. "I think I'm going to change." I said. Edward nodded. He kissed me on the cheek and then got up. He closed the door on his way out. I quickly got up and locked it after him. I went to my closet and pulled out three different dress bags from the very back. I had never told anyone but I had taken a little bit of ballroom dancing in my life with my parents. They found it amusing that I was so uncoordinated yet I wanted to dance. I will say that I was pretty good at it, when my partner was willing to get a few toes stepped on. But I did rather well in competitions. I unzipped the first bag. There was a very tiny shirt that was facing me. It was almost like an over sweater that only tied around my chest and showed the rest of my stomach. It was black and there was a red gypsy type skirt that was for the bottom. I shook my head and set it aside. I wanted to look innocent, not like a slut. I opened the second bag. I liked this light blue dress a lot. It was all one piece but the top part looked like it belonged in ancient Greece or Rome with the different gold swirling patterns on it. The skirt was white and just tickled my ankles. The dress itself had no sleeves but came with two arm band things that acted like sleeves. I also had this dress in light green in the back of my closet. I set the dress I had in my hands back into the closet and pulled out the partially light green one and put it on my bed. Then I unzipped the last bag. This was the dress I was going to wear for last year's state finals but then my partner broke his leg doing God knows what. It was floor length and all white. The bottom part was kind of sheer and was very flowing. The top was satin and was sort of skin tight. This one also had no sleeves but came with two elbow length white satin gloves. I sighed and set it on the bed next to the green dress. I would be wearing my mother's gloves; that was for sure. But if I was to wear the white dress, the leather would look funny against the satin. In the end, I went with the green dress, because it brought out the green of my bright new eyes. I put on some light makeup to disguise the darkening circles under my eyes. I was glad that I had bought that very light cover up for my Halloween costume last year. I put on some white high heels and looked at myself in the mirror. I didn't look half bad. I ran a brush through my long hair and I looked amazing. My eyes were a darker green now and resembled my old ones now. I pulled off the black leather gloves and slipped on the white pair. It looked nice. I unlocked my door and found Edward standing out there, waiting for me. He gasped when he saw what I changed into. He took my hand and spun my gently to get the full effect of the dress. "You look amazing." He said, drawing me closer to him. I hugged his chest tightly and he hugged me back. "Carlisle is downstairs. He wants you to drink something before we leave. Just so you don't go crazy." Edward said slowly. I nodded and I let my hand slide into his. It was a perfect fit. I realized how effortlessly I moved when I was walking down the stairs after Edward. My heels barely made a sound as I descended. It was funny how the prospect of death really snapped these little things into perspective. I realized now what it felt to be conscious of my own movements. They were so light and graceful. It was like I was dancing rather than moving. And the way my dress moved only added to the gliding sensation I had. I walked into the kitchen and found only Carlisle in there. He had a bottle of deep red wine sitting in front of him with and empty goblet. When he saw me, he filled the goblet with the wine. The sweet smell filled my nostrils. I walked swiftly to the center island and took the goblet as soon as Carlisle finished filling it. I drank it all in one long draft. I set the glass down and looked at Carlisle expectantly. He filled it again and I drank it all. Two glasses later, I was finally satisfied. I wiped away the mustache of wine from my upper lip. I smiled at the two men and they both smiled back. We walked out on to the front porch. Esme, Alice, Rosalie, Emmet, and Jasper were all standing there. I sighed as their jaws fell open at my choice of outfit. "We'll take your car, Lilith." Carlisle said. "My keys are upstairs." I sighed. "No. One is on the key hook." Edward said. I nodded. I was hoping to avoid this judgment as long as possible. Edward dashed in and out of the house, dangling the key to my car in his hand. He gave it to Carlisle and then put an arm around my shoulders. I felt a little uncomfortable at this move. We had never shown any sign of being more than brother and sister in front of his family. We walked in silence over to the car. Carlisle was hugging Esme tightly and Alice was talking to Jasper. Then suddenly, he took her in his arms in a tight embrace. I let Edward slide me into the car. It was too much for me to take. I was twisting my own hands in the back of my car. Carlisle was soon in the driver's seat and Alice was sitting in the passenger seat. I leaned on Edward's shoulder and he pulled me closer to him. I felt my own body shaking. I was in fear for my life. This could possibly be my last day or even hour with Edward and the Cullens. I looked back toward the house but it was already gone.
The drive wasn't long but it was nerve racking. Edward was stiff and silent as we rode. Then suddenly, we turned a corner and I found that we were on a beach. The sun was setting. I didn't realize how late it was. But the sun was casting a warm glow over everything. "Good thing we brought those jackets." Alice said under her breath. Edward was handing her a long black jacket with a hood. "Do you have one for me?" I asked. Edward shook his head. "They might as well see you at your best. Alice, give her those shoes you grabbed." Edward said. Alice smiled and gave me a pair of white sandals that matched my dress exactly. They were flat and had ribbons that laced up my perfect legs. Edward was pulling on his own thick black jacket. Carlisle had his coat on by now and was staring out of the front window. The car was angled so the sun was hitting the back of the car in our parking spot. Then suddenly I felt a great amount of tension sweep through me. It was like being doused in icy water. Every muscle I had tightened. Then I saw why. There were three cars being driven right up the path we came up ourselves. Carlisle killed the engine and undid his seatbelt. Then suddenly nine people were stepping out of the three cars. But then there was a fourth car that was a little late. It was being driven by a young man. I was breathing normally but then a scent filled my nose. It smelt like sweat and wet dog. It was gross. I wrinkled my nose as I saw a relatively young man step out of the car. He was huge. He had a bare chest. He was deeply tan. I was suddenly envious. I wanted my tan skin back. At least I would fit in with these people. They were definitely Native Americans. Their black hair gave them away. Carlisle and Alice opened their doors and stepped out of the car. They closed them but not before the stench reached my nose again. I put a hand over my nose. "That's the scent of a werewolf." Edward said. "Disgusting." I commented in an undertone. Edward chuckled and I looked up at him. He was looking at me. I turned in my seat and put my hand on his cheek. "I don't want to die but I will be happy if this face is the last thing I see." I whispered. "You aren't going to die." Edward said. He put his hand gently on my neck, right below my jaw line. "They brought the executioner, Edward. Werewolves were meant for killing vampires." I said. My voice cracked. I silently leaned in and touched my lips to his. I closed my eyes as he started to kiss me back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he held me close, hugging me tightly around my waist. This was a much longer kiss than any we've had before. I broke away, needing to ask him something. "Edward, I need you to do something for me." I whispered. "Anything at all, Lilith." He said. "Write music to the lyrics I made. Put my words to my lullaby." I said. "You want me to finish it?" Edward asked. I saw his eyes starting to swim. It was amazing. I nodded. "Write it for me and play it for your family when you finish. Teach Alice how to sing it. Make sure your family knows. Think of it as unfinished business. I won't rest until it is done. I will make sure of it." I said. "I promise to finish." Edward vowed. "Don't renege on a vampire's vow." I said with a small smile. Edward kissed me again. When he pulled away, "I promise." Edward said. Then I turned in his arms and looked out to see Carlisle arguing with the nine men. I shuddered. It was scary to see Carlisle so angry. Alice was calm on the outside but her profile, or what I could see of her profile around her hood, read infuriated on the inside. One of the men made a violent motion towards the car and then Edward sighed. "Carlisle wants me to bring you out there." He said softly. I kissed the end of his perfect nose and smiled. "Then you shall." I whispered. He smiled and then he scooted over to the nearest door. He got out while pulling up his hood and held a hand out for me. I stepped gracefully out of the car, my face set in a small smile. I looked down at Edward's hand. It was shining with the blood red light from the dying sun. It looked like rubies were catching the light and throwing it everywhere. I could only imagine the light I was giving off because of how much skin I was showing. "You are Lilith Nicoletti, correct?" one of the men asked once Edward and I reached the small group. I never took off my small smile. "That is correct." I stated. "I'm going to get right to the point. Do you have any memory of any of the Cullen vampires biting you?" he asked very stiffly. "They never even once tried. They have been nothing but kind to me." I said in a soft tone. I was hoping that it would show innocence and hurt at the accusation of my family biting me. "Well, do you deny that you are a vampire?" he asked quickly. "I will not deny it. I am as much as a vampire as Alice or even Carlisle." I said. I was trying to be as gracious and light in my voice as possible. "Then how did you become a vampire?" another man spluttered. "My father was Giovanni Nicoletti and his wife, my mother, Silver Black was turned by my father upon the news that she was carrying a half vampire child." I said smoothly. The nine people looked around at this answer. I felt Edward slide his hand into mine. "Even if you were not bitten by them, you are a new vampire. You are not allowed to bite humans." The first man stated. "I hate the scent of blood. It is almost as bad the scent of your friend here." I said, nodding at the young man at the back of the group. Edward's hand squeezed mine and he pulled me back into him. "Or so you say." The man said. "Cut your finger. She hates it. She drinks red wine instead of blood." Carlisle said. The men looked at each other. I squeezed Edward's hand and I felt him tense up. Alice was also tense. I had a sudden thought. Edward and Alice haven't fed in a while. "Edward, Alice, please go sit in the car for a little while." Carlisle said. He must have been thinking the same thing I was. Edward glared at the young man and put and arm protectively around my shoulders. Alice just shifted her weight and refused to move. Carlisle sighed and shook his head. "If they attack, then we kill all of you." The man who seemed to be in charge said. Carlisle nodded. Another man from the group pulled out a very sharp switchblade. He gave it to the man in charge. He ran it across the palm of his hand. I had to hold Edward back. It was very fresh blood. He wanted it. Alice was holding her own but was staring at the man's hand intensely. I smelt the blood and it was sickening. I wanted to start puking right there and give into the feeling in my stomach. But I held on for Edward's sake. If I let him go, we would die. "Why is she holding her mate back? Shouldn't it be the other way around?" one of them whispered to another. I could feel myself getting dizzy from the blood. My arms were like twigs against Edward's pull. Suddenly, I collapsed from the spinning and almost sea-sickness like feeling I had. I held my mouth to avoid from puking. I was shaking and I felt it. "See! She is trying to resist biting me herself." The man said. I shook my head, not wanting to open my mouth for fear of throwing up. "She isn’t feeling well. She is physically sickened by the smell of blood. I don't know if you noticed, but she is turning green." Carlisle said coldly. The suddenly the smell went away. I was still shaking. But then I heard the sound that vibrated every chord in my body. "RUN! HE'S TRANSFORMING!" Edward was screaming at us.
I looked up and saw that the youngest man was vibrating violently. It looked like tremors of pure rage were running through him and making him tremble. I was frozen in horror for a moment while the men who were trying us backed away quickly and into their cars. This revealed the exact moment when the young man transformed into a giant wolf. This wolf was so much larger than a bear. Its eyes were glaring at us. Then it charged. It was running at Edward. I leapt up and jumped in front of Edward just in time. I screamed as the giant wolf's mouth grabbed me around the chest. It bit down hard, probably breaking every rib I had. He picked me up off of the ground and threw me aside like a rag doll. I felt myself collide with the ground and it probably broke my back as well. I could see Edward and the wolf locked in battle. But then Edward delivered a very nicely placed punch to the wolf's nose and I heard a crack of bone. In the moment that the wolf was stunned, Edward picked it clean off of the ground and threw it at least 50 yards away. The wolf never stood up. Then suddenly I was crowded with people. I wasn't breathing but I could tell that the blood that had practically frozen in place when my heart stopped was flooding out of the puncture wounds in my chest. "Lilith, can you hear me?" Carlisle was saying. "Carlisle." I gasped. "Don't talk, honey. We need to get you to the hospital." Carlisle said frantically. I shook my head once. "It's too late. I'm going to bleed to death before you even get there." I said. My voice was rough. "You can't die." Alice was saying hysterically. I don't know when I had closed my eyes but I opened them and smiled at her. "It isn't dying. I'm just going to a better place. You'll all be there sooner or later. Everyone has to go to heaven eventually." I said, reaching out to touch her perfect face. "It'll be a long wait though." I said with a strangled laugh. I felt someone touch my chest and I cringed. "She isn't going to live through this Edward. There's no point in killing Sam. He lost control." Carlisle was saying. I looked at the voice and saw that Edward was angrier than I had ever seen him. He almost sensed me looking at him and then looked at me. He came over and knelt beside me. "Remember your promise." I whispered. He nodded and I saw that his anger was gone. "Smile for me, Edward." I said. He choked back what sounded like a sob and gave me a shaky half grin. "I know you can do better than that." I said. I was struggling to hold onto the life I had right now. Edward swallowed hard and gave me a big smile. "There you are, Edward." I said smiling back. "Don't go." Edward said. I sighed and relaxed the muscles in my neck. "I'll always be with you Edward." I said, closing my eyes. "Lilith." Edward gasped. His voice was fading. "Kiss me one last time." I said, my words coming out like a wind. I felt the cold silk of his lips press against mine. I closed my eyes and kissed him back with all I had in me. It was the last thing I ever did.
EPILOGE
-From Carlisle's Journal-
Edward was never the same after Lilith died. He was deeply depressed and never really was his old self. He never smiled and almost completely stopped playing the piano. I think that was the only time it ever was dusty. That lid didn't open for a full month after Lilith died. The Natives never admitted that they did anything wrong by not calling off Sam. I think that was the kicker for Edward. He was angry that they weren't at least a little sad that she was gone. Edward had taken it upon himself to bury her. I never knew where she was buried. He had taken her broken body away from the beach and came back several hours later covered in mud and her blood. He refused to eat. He refused to feed. I thought the slightest little cut in his school would set him off. But then one day he came home and it was like something snapped in him. He played his piano for hours at a time. He always played the same song. It was never Esme's favorite or one of his other songs. It was always Lilith's lullaby. He was playing something and had a single piece of paper in front of him. It was like instructions. He never let it out of his sight and kept it in prefect condition. I once was able to catch a glance at the piece of paper. It didn't look like anything special until I started to read the paper. It looked like any old sheet of lined paper. But there was something about it. The title was drawn intricately on there. Then there was what looked like a poem under it. The title was "My Immortal" and this was the poem:
I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time can not erase
When you cried I wiped away all of your tears
When you screamed I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still held all of me
You used to captivate me
By your resonating light
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face that haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice that chased away
All the sanity in me
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just to much that time can not erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still held
All of me
I tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still held
All of me
I was honestly struck dumb when I read these words. Edward would never write something like this. But then I looked closer and it wasn't Edward's writing. It was Lilith's. This was what was meant when Edward muttered about finishing it. He was putting music to the lyrics. I had put the paper back where I found it and waited. Eventually he called us all together and Alice sung the song in her own way. It was the most haunting melody I had ever heard. As he played I heard a lingering note from a familiar but at the same time not so familiar voice. Alice sang through the song but then broke down after it was over. Edward stared at the keyboard for a long time after the last chord had died away. But then his head shot up and he stared at something that none of us could see. But then I heard the faintest sound. It was a crystal voice laughing and two small, leather clad hands clapping. And then the voice spoke to us. "Brava Edward. I love it. Thank you." It was Lilith. I tried to find the source but only Edward seemed to see her. He tried to stand but he sat down with a smile on his face. I found out later that day that he had promised to finish the song and she said that she would never rest until it was complete. Then he handed me the sheet music and the paper with Lilith's lyrics on it and told me to lock them away. I did so but with a heavy heart. Lilith's song is still locked up in that safe to this very day. No one has mentioned her since. I think it was the best thing that ever happened to Edward when he met Bella. He needed someone like her to take the pain away. She was his immortal. She was his only one. But some scars never heal. I can tell that when he drops his guard, he thinks about Lilith. He goes in her old room, left exactly the way she left it. He would just lock himself in there for hours during the night. But Bella is helping him heal now. It was like she was a gift to my son to help him make it through. I'm glad she came. Edward needed her more than she could ever know…
