Light patches of snow coated the ground as Edward Cullen stepped out of his car. Students all walked along the parking lot as they chatted alongside one another. While their thoughts were loud, Edward found himself trying to listen for a certain voice.

One that he had hoped would enter his mind soon. His gaze looked at the spot in which Cassie normally parked, it was empty.

She often would've been here by now, her loud music blasting away into her eardrums. Her eyes glued onto her notebook, and yet she wasn't here.

He shouldn't care so much about her absence, maybe she needed time to think. However he found himself seeking her presence, just to see if she was alive and not going insane.

"She's not here" he turned at Alice's words, her gaze too at the empty parking spot. "Last night wasn't pleasant, she seemed depressed".

Alice gripped Edwards arms "she'll be okay, I'm sure she's just trying to process what she knows. If you're so worried, just go check on her".

Alice smiled at him as she let him go and skipped towards the school door. Edward scoffed, like he'd ever go check on Cassie, she would be fine.

—

    The week had gone by quickly, each day passed and Cassie was nowhere to be seen. Edward had now reached his limit of not caring, he walked along the sidewalk, his gaze strong on Cassie's door.

Her fathers car was parked in the driveway, which surprised Edward. Normally the man would be off working for the rest of the night, and yet he was here. This made the boy's nerves awaken as he knocked on the door with a loud thud.

He listened to the loudness of the television blasting football. Alongside loud cheers and clapping, the soft hum of footsteps nearing the door, it was her.

Cassie opened the door, she looked miserable as she held tightly onto the blanket wrapped around her frame. "Oh Edward..." she looked at her father who sat on the couch with his friends.

"You weren't at school for a few days" he tried to not sound so desperate for answers. "I got sick, I know bad timing with the whole.. well you know".

She shrugged slightly as she moved back "you can come in, my dads just watching the game with his friends, because apparently it's more important than work". Edward walked inside following her up the stairs "I thought you did something stupid".

She was surprised by his words as she walked into her bedroom. "stupid? I mean yeah at first it was a lot to process, and I damn near almost lost my mind, but I got over it... well sorta".

He frowned his eyes, noticing the bandage on her hand. "You're lying" she let out an annoyed breath "my dad got home early, that night when you told me, and let's just say he wasn't really happy with what he saw... I was in the hospital all week, he thought I was trying to kill myself, now I'm stuck at home, now he's here all the time".

She sat down on her bed and Edward sat down beside her. She looked at him "that's why you're here, you thought I was dead".

He nodded as he looked at her with a weak smile "I didn't want to come at first, Alice told me you were fine, that you needed time". Cassie laughed lightly "I don't think, I'll ever have enough time to process that you're a vampire, it's so wild to me".

She hummed slightly "so is garlic toxic for you? Do you sleep in like old coffins? What about the sun! Is that why you're always disappearing when it's out? Cause it'll burn you?".

He couldn't help but smile "those are the first things you ask me? questions that don't even exist to us, I find that garlic is absolutely foul, we can't eat human food, we also don't sleep".

He stood up "the sun, that's something I'll show you in the morning". She smiled "wow, I'd hate being like you, I couldn't go without sleep or food, I'd probably lose my mind".

He smiled as he looked around her room "it's not so bad after a few years, you tend to get into habits, remembering your normal life fades with time, although Alice claims some effects still linger".

Cassie blinked "your family drinks animal blood, did you ever drink human blood?". He grew tense as he leaned into the wall "a long time ago, but I'm not like that anymore, I don't feel the urge for human blood, I've taught myself control".

"That's comforting then, I know you won't brutally drink my blood, I mean I'm sure Bambi is a far better snack anyways, unless you eat like birds".

She cringed slightly as Edward laughed "birds? you think I'm running around eating birds?". She nodded as she stood up "I mean you're fast".

He appeared behind her making her jump and he smiled "you're jumpy" she smiled softly. "You enjoying yourself Cullen? You're always scaring me".

The loudness of footsteps walking up the stairs made Cassie look at her door. Edward grabbed a hold of her hand, looking at the bandage.

"Meet me tomorrow morning, near the woods behind your house". He peeled the bandage off her hand running his finger along the scar.

"Promise you'll show up this time?" he looked into her eyes and gosh, has she always looked so beautiful? The way she bit her lip, a nervous habit she often did whenever she was alone.

Her flesh felt smooth beneath his fingertips "I promise" Cassie blinked and he was gone.

—

    The sun shone into her bedroom window as she sat up her hair was in a heap of knots. She rubbed at her tired eyes as she got out of bed in a hurry. The soft snores of her father could be heard as she walked past his bedroom, she needed to be quiet.

Her feet dragged as she entered the bathroom and got ready. Before she walked down the steps she listened for her fathers snores. When she heard them, she ran out of the house holding tightly onto her jacket as she slipped it on, once near the woods.

Clumps of mud and grass stuck to her boots as she stepped carefully over a fallen log. She walked along the trail "Edward?" She looked around as she kicked at rocks and sticks under the mud.

"You need to see what I look like in the sun" his voice entered the atmosphere fast making her jump as she turned around. "Geez! You could've warned me before you snuck up on me".

She felt a sense of uneasiness enter her bones, she felt like she was being watched. Even with Edward in her view, she still felt off, panicked even.

He walked towards the edge of the trees, the sun slightly shining down. Cassie watched, the second his flesh was hit with the sun. It shined brightly, making her gasp. "Holy shit, you're like a disco ball, if you spin around really fast, you could totally throw some sick parties for people".

She did a little twirl as she laughed loudly "and to think I thought you were gonna burn". She felt those sick prying eyes lingering along her flesh making her hold herself as she smiled at Edward.

"As much as I would enjoy learning more about you, I gotta get back home before my dad wakes up, if he finds out I'm not there, he'd go crazy".

Edward looked at her "let me take you home" before she could protest. She found herself already inside her bedroom, she felt sick making her gag.

"Gosh, that felt oddly weird" she sat down on her bed "it can be a tad weird at first". She looked at Edward who walked towards her window.

"Edward, I'm not going to be around much longer" she held onto herself tightly "I'm sick, which means I'll likely have to move in with my aunt soon, my dad can't handle it, says he doesn't wanna go through what he did with mom again".

For the first time in a long time Edward Cullen felt like he was going to die. Cassie was sick? Was this why she was always so eager for answers about his family? Was she hoping he'd help her get a sense of hope, of other possibilities. He didn't question her visits to the hospital, it all made sense now, she was dying, he could see it.

Cassie smiled sadly "I'll keep your secret, as long as you promise me you'll tell cool stories about me in like a thousand years". She stood up and hugged Edward tightly, he was surprised.

"I'll send postcards, just promise me you'll watch over my dad, when I'm gone". She moved back and Edward took in all her features. He wrote it down into his mind with such soft strokes.

Then he left, he couldn't stop himself from wanting to save Cassie, from making her not fragile. He stopped himself, he ran, and now he was alone.