chapter 18 Annabell Susan McCleary

"I met her in the winter of 1933," Edythe continued. "The day we met, we didn't say a word to each other. But we both shared something on a personal level. By that time, I was back in Washington with Carlisle, Esme and Rosalie. We built a building with no windows right in the middle of town. We used it as a soup kitchen. Malnourished people were bad meals. Or worse, they may try to hunt the animals that we were using as replacement food. So it was in everyone's interests that my family and I fed them..."

The clouds that hung over Forks were thick. It hadn't snowed yet, but it was considerably cold. Well, back then it wasn't officially Forks. It was a plot of land where make shift houses and scattered bon fires. Shanties and hobbles stretched for yards, piles upon piles of junk flooding the sides of the shabby homes. A few cars were seen every now and again, arriving and leaving. Why any human would want to stay in a place where it got so cold was beyond Edythe. She didn't mind the cold; it was better then the sun. Even so, it made no sense for her that humans stayed there. Currently, she, Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme were serving the moving line through their soup kitchen. It was a simple job in a simple building. There were two doors. One where the people came in, the other where the people came out. They kept drapes over the door ways in order to block out the sun when it was warm. Above them was one small lightbulb, dangling from the ceiling. Edythe had bread duty today. As human after human past her, she put a small roll on their tin plates. She was just glad that Rosalie was dishing out the stew. It smelled vile to her. Even Esme's coffee smelled better. She went through her work quietly, listening as her mother and sister greeted the humans with smiles and small talk. In the back room, she could hear Carlisle making batches of beans for that night's dinner. It was routine for them now. Get up, make food, serve food, make more food, and hunt when all the humans were asleep. Edythe was glad that her wild streak was over and done with by that point. If she had been as restless as she was before, there would be no way she would stand for such a monotonous pace on her new life. Aside from the clamor of tin and the murmur of steady voices, nothing seemed to break the atmosphere. Well, almost nothing.

"Don' worry!" came a slightly loud, female voice. There was a definite mid western twinge to the dialect, the speaker probably from one of the Dakotas. It was a voice Edythe hadn't heard before. "We'll be outta this dump in no time! Then we'll be on our way to Cally-fornia!" Edythe peered to the in door, and saw two strangers walk in. Both were girls. The one who was speaking was a tall, thin girl, with short blond hair and blue eyes. She looked perhaps sixteen or so, her teeth slightly yellowed from ill care or smoking. She continued to talk about how she was going to California to become a star in the movies. She was certain she had all the right talent for it, and they'd never have to go hungry again. Beside her was a smaller girl, listening quietly to the elder's banter. This one caught Edythes eye.

She was young, that was for certain. Though she was probably older then she let on to be. Her clothes were ragged and mismatched, her messy, sandy hair in two braids off to the side. Freckles clouded her round cheeks, her nose red from the cold. Her eyes were a soft, lily pad green, her ears slightly smaller then normal. She was more focused on getting food then she was listening to the other girl speak. When they got to the bread rolls, she hungrily took two. The older slapped it out of her hand.

"Now come on!" said the older girl. "Ya can't take more'n ya need!"

"But I'm hungry!" she pleaded to the other. She had the same, mid western accent. "There's a lot here, Daisy! C'mon!"

"Don' be selfish," she snapped. Taking her tin plate, she turned on her heal and strode out. Crestfallen, the girl turned with just one bread roll and started to move to the out door. Edythe looked at her tray and grabbed a roll. Moving to the other side, she tapped her shoulder. She turned around, her green eyes wide at her. With a smile, Edythe tucked the bread roll into one of the girl's large pockets. She seemed to have been wearing a man's coat to keep herself warm. The girl's face brightened, and she scampered off, out from the soup kitchen. Edythe wasn't quite sure why she had done that, but she felt good about it. After all, they were left with a generous supply of bread every day once they were finished, and often had to reuse it the next day lest it rot, which sometimes it did. Edythe resumed her post at the line, but not before receiving a glance from her dear sister. Edythe could tell that she had a good amount of questions ready for her. And indeed, that night when they were doing dishes, the questions began.

"So I saw you give an extra piece of bread to that girl," Rosalie began easily. Edythe said nothing, but instead focused on rinsing the tin plates. The two of them were to clean up while Carlisle and Esme hunted for them. In order to get some sleep, they would often times rest up in the soup kitchen's basement. It was cold in order to keep the food preserved, but the cold didn't bother any of them. In fact, it was almost as comforting as a warm bed would be for a human. Rosalie glanced at her sister while scrubbing out the stew pot. "Why so generous all of the sudden? You know we need to be sparing of their food. It'll be a while until we have a new shipment."

"What's one bread roll?" Edythe replied with a shrug. "Besides, she was hungry."

"Everyone here is." Rosalie scraped out a bit of gunk and threw it into the trash can beside the counter. "You realize that Carlisle will become irritated if you start favoring a human?"

"He did with Esme," said Edythe simply. "Besides, it was one roll. There is nothing devious about giving a child a bread roll."

"For the record," she retorted, "Carlisle didn't favor Esme, no matter how much he wanted to. He kept a respectful distance."

Edythe snorted. "Oh yes, because you were right there when it happened."

"You were in New York," she pointed out, waving a wooden spoon around. "They both say that Carlisle kept his space." She set the spoon to the side and walked up to her. "I know we've only been siblings for a few years now... But I know enough about you to tell when you want something."

Edythe made a disgusted face. "Rosalie! The kid's probably ten! Don't make me out to be a pervert! I was just being nice..." she added in a grumble.

Rosalie held out her hands in defense. "Just my observation," she said innocently. "But seriously, Edythe. Please be careful. If these humans have any reason not to trust us, we'll have no choice but to leave."

Edythe tossed the tin plate to the side. "It was a bread roll, Rosalie. Stop being so paranoid."

"I'm just cautious." She turned on her heal and went back to work. Edythe rolled her eyes and turned, washing the plates that were in front of her. Weeks passed by. Edythe and the girl saw each other every day three times a day at meals. And every time, Edythe gave her a little extra. An extra roll, an extra bit of soup, an extra scoop of porridge. She smiled in thanks every single time, but neither of them spoke to one another. They communicated through their eyes, their body language. Until finally, she sought her out one night. The other three were out hunting. Edythe was left to gather timber for their stove and for the humans' bonfires. Though it would have been easy to just break apart trees with her bare hands, Carlisle gave her an axe just in case anyone saw her. It was like a tin toy in her hand, and she wielded it with no trouble. The blade slit through pieces of wood like butter, and soon, she had an impressive pile beside her. She was just ready to pack it in, when she sensed that someone was watching. Her eyes turned to a small figure, timidly spying on her from afar. It was the girl from before. There was an odd, yet familiar silence between them. Edythe set the axe down and sat herself on a stump, not even laboring for air or breaking a sweat.

"You can talk to me you know," she said loud enough for the child to hear. "I won't hurt you."

There was another pause, before the girl moved forward into the moon light. She smiled. "Hi."

Edythe nodded to her. "Good evening."

She gently kicked a bit of dirt out from under her, rocking back and forth on her heals. "Whatcha doin?"

"Chopping wood," said Edythe, gesturing to the pile beside her. "But I guess you already knew that. You've been spying on me."

"I ain't been spyin!" she retorted in a slight, embarrassed flare. "I was just... lookin."

She laughed a bit. "Ok, ok. You were looking." She stood and picked up the axe, playing with it in her hands. "What's your name, kid?"

"Annabell Susan McCleary," she said immediately.

"And how old are you?"

She became proud. "Twelve years, eleven months and twenty seven days."

"But who's counting, right?" She laughed again and stuck the edge of the blade into the stump she was sitting on, before taking a couple logs of wood. She could take much more, but she didn't want her to become suspicious.

"How come you're workin at night?" she asked, staring at the axe.

"I don't like the sun," she began. "I get burned really easily."

"Oh..." She stood on a separate stump and balanced on one foot. "That didn't never happen to me. Me and my sister – Daisy – we was raised on a farm in North Dakota. Till our mom died, that is."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Edythe, watching her as she switched feet.

"S'ok. We get around fine." She hoped down and picked up a twig, looking at it. She seemed to be busying herself so as to not look at Edythe. "After momma died, Daisy said that she was gonna take me to California to become a star in them movie shows. But I don't think we'll ever get farther then here. She talks a lot, but she don't ever really do nothin' bout it. I'm surprised we're this far." Her eyes fell once more to the axe. "How heavy's that?"

Edythe blinked at the sudden shift of topics. "Oh this?" She realized that she saw her using it as though it weighed nothing. "It's a light axe. It's small, anyway."

"Let me see." She held out her tiny hand expectantly. Edythe frowned at her. "I won't hurt myself! Now let me see." Hesitantly, Edythe took out the blade and put the blunt end in her palm. It dropped like a stone to the ground, and she struggled to get it back up. "Well son of a bitch! This thing's heaver'n me!" She stopped herself and looked up at Edythe. "Oh, I ain't supposed to swear... Couldja not tell nobody?"

Edythe took up the axe and rested it on her shoulder. "Sure. I won't tell a soul."

"Good," she said, dusting herself off. "Oh and... um... Daisy don't know I'm out this late... couldja keep that a secret, too?"

She smiled. Annabell proved to be quite amusing. "Sure, kid. Not a word. Any other secrets you want kept hidden?"

"Not right now," she said with a shrug. "I'll tell you later if I do." Edythe laughed a bit at that and she pouted, putting her hands on her hips. "Whatcha laughin at! I'll pummel you!" She flailed her fist threateningly, but it only made Edythe laugh more.

"I'm not laughing at you," she said, waving her hand at her. Though it would have been funny to see what would happen if she tried to hit her. "Really, I'm not." She patted her head in a sisterly way. She looked at her strangely, her head tilted to the side like a confused puppy.

"You're odd," she commented lightly.

"And you're young," Edythe pointed out. "Go on. Get to bed before your sister finds out."

Annabell huffed, but agreed and headed back towards the homes. She paused first and turned, looking at her. "What's your name? Ya never told me."

She kept her smile. "Edythe Cullen."

"Ya ain't got a middle name?"

"Just two."

She narrowed her eyes in thought, but then shrugged it off and went to bed. Edythe picked up a pile of logs and positioned them on her shoulder. With a chuckle and a shake of her head, she walked to the back door of their soup kitchen and began to stock up their timber...

"...We got to know each other over the years. She was bright, loved life and all it had to offer. In many ways, she was my little sister. I always gave her a birthday present, and she did like wise. I was there when she had her first boy, and there when she had her first heart break. Rosalie didn't like how close I was getting to her for obvious reasons, but I didn't care. I watched her grow through the gangly stages of puberty. And she watched me as I didn't change one bit. One year I had to leave. There was a clan up in Alaska that my father needed good relations with. I knew a goodbye would be hard – I'd be gone for a while – so one day, I just left. It was 1937 when I got back. And Annabell was not the awkward little girl I loved any more..."

Edythe yawned as she was roused early that morning for breakfast duty. She complained that she wanted to sleep more. In her year in Alaska, she had gotten used to sleeping all day. Unlike her own family, the clan up north didn't bother with human affairs, unless they ended with a meal. But Carlisle wouldn't have that. So, with a grumble, she awoke and trudged to her duties. She constantly rubbed her eyes as she served oat meal to the humans. She was so groggy, that she didn't even notice a familiar face as she moved closer to her.

"Edythe? Edythe Cullen?"

She looked up to see the blossomed features of a sixteen year old girl staring at her. There was something familiar about that girl. Her eyes... were clear and green. She had seen those eyes before. She smiled brightly, her face lighting up. "Edythe, don'tcha remember me? It's Annabell!"

For lack of a better expression, Edythe's jaw dropped. The young woman who stood in front of her was not Annabell Susan McCleary. This was someone completely different. This was someone who had matured into... something Edythe couldn't describe. She laughed at her bemusement. Her laugh was exactly the same. She locked her arms around her neck, hugging her over the counter. Her smell was the same too. When she broke the hug, she gripped her hands together, grinning. "Oh God! I thought you'd never get back! Where'dja go? What'dja do? You gotta tell me everythin!" Edythe just stood there, mouth agape at her, until a man beside her cleared his throat loudly. She realized she had been holding up the line. "Ah shit... Well I gotta go. I'll meet you t'night, kay?" With that, she took her food and hurried off.

That night, Edythe stood at the place where the two of them first met. As though acting as a landmark, the axe she used that night still stuck out from an old stump, the blade not as sharp as it once was. She paced back and forth, twiddling her hands about. What was she going to tell her? She had yet to come up with an alibi for the past year. What would she believe, anyway?

"Boo!" Edythe looked over her shoulder as Annabell hugged her waist. She beamed at her and let go, standing with her hands behind her back. "Ya know, people round here were startin ta think you were dead."

Edythe sat herself on an empty stump, hands propping herself up from behind. "I was visiting family." Partially true.

"For a year?" Annabell questioned.

"They live in Alaska." Also true.

"Oh..." She looked at the hem of her skirt, her boots out of place, as always. She really had grown up, in more ways then one. Her sandy hair was now in one long braid down her back, only a few freckles remaining on her soft skin. She was much taller now, thought not as tall as Edythe, and her once tiny, child like bosom had grown to a proper size. She was a woman now. Edythe wasn't sure of what to say next. And, it seemed, neither did she. She shifted back and forth on her heals, much like when she was younger. Finally, she spoke. She chose her words carefully, her eyes downcast. "Why didn'tcha write?"

Edythe looked off to the side, but said nothing. "You didn't even leave a note... or tell me you were leavin. I was worried you weren't never gonna come back..."

"Well I'm here now," said Edythe simply.

"That ain't enough!" Annabell looked at her, pleadingly. "You shoulda given me somethin! Anythin! You didn't leave nothin tellin me where you were! You just left!"

Edythe rubbed her temple. "It's complicated."

"What the hell does that mean?" she snapped. "I was worried sick that you'd gone and eloped with some... two bit man whore! Or ya died! Or – !"

"Annabell, that's enough," said Edythe sternly. She shut her mouth, though kept a defiant glare. "I didn't know I would be leaving right then. It was urgent that I left. And... well I didn't think you'd be here when I got back. I thought your sister might have taken you to California by now."

"She's pregnant," said Annabell simply. "She wants ta get married now, but I think ol' Peter would rather run off to Canada instead."

"Oh..." Edythe rubbed her neck and sighed. "Listen, Annabell... I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I should have. It's my fault, ok?"

Annabell shifted and turned, walking over to the stump with the axe. She tapped at the handle tip. "There've been rumors bout ya'll..." She looked up to her. "Bout yer parents and sister and you..."

This caught Edythe's interest. "What kind of rumors?" she asked carefully.

She ran her fingers up and down the wooden handle. "That... ya'll ain't human." Her eyes turned up to her, her maturity showing. "In the years I've known you, I ain't once seen ya take a bite of food. Ya can't move around in the daylight... And you move heavy things like they're nothin. The rumors... are that ya live forever. That ya'll don't need food to survive..."

Edythe stood there, her face stoic and unreadable. In reality, she was starting to panic. What was she going to do? She knew too much. They were being as careful as possible... But still, she figured it out. Carlisle was going to be furious. They would have to uproot and go somewhere else. She kept her emotions under control long enough to ask: "What do we eat instead then?"

There was a silence. Annabell's lips were connected simply by the top and bottom tip. "Blood," she finally said. Edythe's muscles tightened. She could feel her fangs sharpen out of sheer anger and instinct. But she kept herself stationary. She began to move towards her. It wasn't until she was only a foot away that she took a step back. She wrung her hands nervously. "I... know what you are..." Her chest tightened. "But I didn't never start no rumors... I swear." She looked at her boots. "I... I wanna be like you, Edythe."

The tension that Edythe had been feeling vanished the minute she said that. She felt herself taken more off guard then when they saw each other that day. "What?" she croaked. "Annabell... You don't know what you're asking for."

"Yes I do..." She looked up, eyes frightened, but determined. "I know that... you ain't human, Edythe. But I can't live like this no more..." She shook her head. "You don't know... what it's like. You can live off of blood... we gotta stand in line and beg for food... like dogs. I sleep on the floor where the rats live. If I get cold, there ain't nothin I can really do but curl up and hope I get warmer. There ain't one night where I dont go to bed hungry, even with the little extra I get from you. It ain't enough." She edged forward. "My mother died when I was seven. My sister don't give a rat's ass about me, and my father walked out when I was just a baby. You say I don't know what I'm askin for... Edythe I do." She grasped her cold hands. "I know what I'm askin for, Edythe... I'm askin for freedom..."

She took her hands away and turned a bit. "What... you think it's easy? When I was first turned, it was hard not to think about killing myself. It's a brand new balance, Annabell. You have to learn how to live all over again. You think that if you become a vampire, all of your problems will go away? Just like that? Or is it our lure?" She edged in, angry at her for ever giving it thought. "Do you think we're fun? Beautiful, maybe? Well I'll tell you right now. We are nothing but demons who have to live off of the life of innocents – it doesn't matter if they're humans or animals, we're killers none the less. And I'll be damned if I let you become one too." She turned and was about to leave, when she said something that stopped her in her tracks.

"I'm dyin."

She froze, her stomach having dropped out from her body. She turned her head and stared at her. "What did you say?" Her pulse began to race. "Did you just say... you were dying?" She could see tears well up in her eyes and she nodded.

"I... told your pa not to tell you when you got back." She held her hands to her stomach. "I'm bleedin... on the inside, I'm bleedin. It won't stop. I'm dyin, Edythe." Her eyes began to leak down her soft, child like cheeks. "It hurts every day I'm alive. I can't stand it no more... I don't know how much longer I got. I can't stand the pain, but I ain't ready to die. Please..." She walked up and gripped her hands once more. "Don' let me suffer, Edythe... please do this for me... Make me like you... So I can't feel this no more..."

She opened her mouth to protest, and then shut it again. How could she say no to that? She didn't know how tough it was to watch the world pass by without changing yourself... But that would be considered a blessing by someone prepared to die... She looked up to the moon. It was a half crest tonight. She shut her eyes, the cool wind brushing her face. Edythe then let her eyes fall to hers.

"Give me your neck."

She pushed away the collar of the blouse without hesitation. She stood there, ready and willing. She slowly made her way to her, staring at her neck. Over the years... she had always thought about it. Often found herself fantasizing about tasting her blood. Her scent was intoxicating, so her blood must have been heaven. Her mouth began to water as she eased closer, her arms moving around her waist. To finally have her guilty day dreams become real... She was glad her damned soul had been prejudged to Hell. That made doing this all that much easier. Gripping her tightly, she moved her lips forward and sunk her fangs deep into the crux of her neck. Oh how wonderful she tasted. The warm, gushing fluid that ran down her throat was like honey. She gasped and shivered in her grasp, gripping her even tighter then she was her. She drank deeply and greedily, her primal instincts taking over her actions. When she was done, she pulled out and moved her head up, crimson blood shimmering on her lips. She cradled Annabell in her arms, watching as her wide eyes stared at her. She began to spasm. Her irises, which were once so gentle in their color, started to drain and fade into a coal black. Her skin color also began to dwindle, taking away her charming freckles. She gasped for air, her body becoming stiff and rigid. She seized up, her mouth gaping at the night sky. Finally, her movement stopped, and she laid in her arms, eyes open, though they saw nothing. Edythe stared at her as she laid against her. She had never seen a transformation take place before. She was worried that something had gone wrong. Finally, she began to blink. As though her body was turning on, she slowly started to move again, her breath jagged. She almost collapsed and leaned against Edythe's chest. Her sweet, lovely smell was replaced with a sterile scent. One that she herself shared. It was undetectable for vampires, but sickly sweet for humans. When she was able to grab her footing on her shaky legs, she looked at her, amazed at what she now was. However, there was still a test. Edythe wiped off her lips and held her hand to her. The smell of her blood was strong, and she licked her lips. Grabbing her wrist, she leaned in, lapping at the blood hungrily. After she had licked away any and all red on her hand, she looked up at her in awe. A smile came to her face then. She leaned forward and hugged her around the neck, gripping her tighter then she usually did. "Thank you," she whispered. She held her as well, closing her eyes. They embraced for a long time, breathing softly against one another. When they did part, it was only so much to let their noses touch. After looking at one another, they leaned forward, sharing their very first kiss...

...Bella sat in total captivation of the story, her knees tight to her chest. "Wow..." What a love story. It sounded like something out of a novel. Although... if they loved each other like that then, where was she now? "What happened?" she pressed, curious beyond all belief. Edythe stared at the ground in front of her.

"I would like to say we lived happily ever after," she began again, "but it's not what happened..." She scratched her head. "Carlisle accepted her into the family. Once the Depression was over, we moved into our family home. At first, everything was ok... but..." She shut her eyes. "Some vampires... can't discipline themselves like we can. To drink human blood sparingly is... something that only a few can do. She began to show the signs of intolerance one night when we were hunting..."

...Trees flashed by them like speeding cars, the only sound being heard was the swishing of the leaves as they raced. The moon was bright tonight. It was perfect for hunting. Edythe had her senses acute that night. They ran about until Annabell stopped, grabbing her arm to stop her as well. She gestured to a small clearing, and she nodded. They raced forward and stopped at the edge of it. A bear was crying, a steal trap on his foot. He limped about, clawing at air and moaning. Edythe nodded to her, and without warning, they sprang to end the poor creatures misery. To give it a quick death, Edythe snapped the neck before clearing some fur and diving in. Annabell followed suit, but it wasn't long before she pulled back and began to cough. She held a hand to her lips, blood falling from her lips and onto her nude body. They never hunted in clothes. The blood was so hard to get out. Edythe stopped feeding and hurried to her.

"What is it?" she asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head, her now free hair loose behind her.

"I... it tastes terrible," she said, staring at the carcass. "It's gettin worse and worse... It tastes like... ugh..." She coughed some more, leaning against the bark of a tree behind her. "I can't describe it. It's just awful..." She looked up to her. "But I don't get it... I've been hungry lately... Even though we hunt all the time..." She shook her head. "Ya think... there's somethin wrong with me, Edythe?"

Edythe stroked her hair. "No, of course not..." She kissed her gently, rubbing her shoulders. "Maybe your pallet is just a little more specific then ours." Running her fingers through her hair, she sighed and cocked her head to the side. "If it'll help, you can take some from me."

She looked at her and then nodded. "Thank you..." Leaning up, she bit into her, feeding until she was satisfied for the moment. Even if it might have been a phase, Edythe was worried about her. What if her hunger became too strong? In any case, they'd have to find a way to keep her satisfied, or something terrible may become of her urges...

"...Soon, she could barely stand the smell of animal blood. Carlisle let her hunt humans, but only sparingly, and only under moderation. I let her drink from me when her hunger drove her close to the edge. Still, it wasn't what she craved, and it wasn't enough. One night... she did something that she never forgave herself for..."

"...Goddamn it, Anna," Edythe hissed under her breath. She jumped from tree to tree, searching for Annabell. She had vanished from her room that night. They weren't hunting today, so why would she be out? Carlisle wanted to find her himself, but Edythe was afraid she'd be angry with her, so she volunteered herself to go instead. She caught glimpses of the newly christened town, Forks. It had only been a few years since the town became official. A good hunting ground for a starving vampire, Carlisle declared it off limits to Annabell, much to her displeasure. Edythe kept her ears open, searching for any sound that might lead her to her. That's when she picked up a faint sob off in the distance. She shifted in midair, and picked up the speed, running into town so fast, the human eye couldn't catch her. The sobbing became louder, and the smell of blood and tears filled her nostrils. She finally stopped at a house just a little ways off the main road to forks. Now, she was sure that even with a human's hearing she'd be able to detect Annabell's cries. She rushed in through the door, only to see a horrible sight.

On the floor lay a pool of blood, shimmering in the moonlight from the window. The smell was almost overpowering for Edythe, but she restrained herself. In the middle of it was a small girl. She was perhaps four or five years of age. Her throat was cut open and bleeding, her eyes paled from death. Off in the corner, shaking and weeping, was Annabell. She was covered in blood spatter, her clothes stained with the red of the child. She cried hard into her palms, rocking back and forth, almost in insanity. Edythe pulled herself together and rushed over to her love, taking her in her arms. She clung to her, simpering and screaming against her shoulder...

"...She didn't talk after that. She stopped eating all together, and instead just... wandered around the halls of our home. I tried talking to her, but it was like she didn't even see I was there. She didn't sleep. It was like she forgot how to. Late one morning, her screaming woke me up..."

...Edythe had currently been laying in her bed, sound asleep, when a shrill screech broke her slumber. She bolted up, realizing the scream was Annabell's. "Anna!" she shouted. As quick as she could, she ran to the front of the house and wrenched the door open. There, laying on the grass, the sun hitting her full on, was Annabell. Her skin was steaming and bubbling, bright red from the exposure. She screeched bloody murder, her fangs flashing with each cry. She writhed and shook, her body sizzling. For a split second, Edythe couldn't move. Suddenly, it snapped that she was trying to kill herself.

"No!" Edythe moved to run to her, but two hands caught her. Carlisle stood behind her, grabbing her arms. "Let me go!" she demanded. "Anna! Annabell! ANNA!"

"You go out there and you die too," said Carlisle. Edythe struggled and cried out her name, but it was no use. Carlisle would not let her go. Finally, her red skin turned gray, and she began to crumble in on herself. Now, all that was there was her ashes, laying in her shape against her favorite dress...

...Bella didn't know what to say. Edythe stopped speaking after that. She kept her stare at the ground, her face defeated and her eyes sad. Bella suddenly began to feel guilt. Here she was with a true, tragic love story, and for the past few days, Bella had been wallowing in her own self pity. How selfish she had been. Her heart pained at Annabell's demise. Edythe must have missed her terribly. She probably still did. Slowly, Bella leaned forward. Without permission, she hugged her shoulders comfortingly. She sat there for a moment before returning the embrace, laying her eyes on her shoulder. She could feel silent, hot tears run down her neck as she stroked her hair.

This time, it was Bella's turn to be the strong one.