A Question and An Answer

Standing off to the side, sitting on a nearby wall, I chuckled to myself as I watched Mike try and ask Bella to prom...yet Bella wasn't even paying attention to him.

She practically looked right through him and at Edward who's just arrived in the parking lot.

Poor guy, I guess. But hasn't he figured out that she doesn't return his feelings or whatever? Seems like a pointless endeavor to just annoy some girl into going to prom with you.

...Speaking of guys who annoys girl, I was struggling on what to do with Edythe as I felt her approach. I hadn't really thought about it but it genuinely was like being next to an ice cube - she was just so cold. It made me wonder how she hadn't put two and two together on what I am yet. Willful ignorance, maybe? I don't know.

"William, how are you on this rainy morning?" Edythe started off with a very formal greeting - her voice sounded a little stunted. Maybe even robotic.

She was nervous. Probably about me having seen her last night.

I turned my head toward her and gave a smile, "I'm good if not a bit tired. Something woke me up around 3 this morning," I said innocently enough before looking back to the Bella and Mike travesty.

I practically heard Edythe's fidgeting before she spoke up, "Is--Is that so?" she stuttered a little before regaining her composure, "Well, it could have just been a dream that woke you," she said, obviously trying to convince me of the 'truth' she wanted me to believe. Sadly for her, I knew what I saw and smelt this morning.

"Dreams don't leave behind the scent of strawberries and applies, if I recall correctly, Edythe," I laughed lightly, looking to the side and seeing that Edythe was looking away from me and she'd forgotten to act like she was breathing. She was probably feeling that type of dread you feel when you get caught out or someone knows you did something you lied about, so I felt the need to show her she didn't need to worry about it. "But if it was a dream, I wouldn't mind having it again," her head slowly turned to me, just enough that she could look at me from the corner of her eye with her dark gold eyes.

"What...what would you do if you knew you'd have the same dream tonight?" she asked, somewhat breathlessly, with what I imagined to be a coy look on her face.

Smiling and knowing that we were somewhat on the same wavelength, I just shrugged before answering her, "I'd ask the dream to come when I was awake instead of when I was asleep. Like a daydream. They're...better than normal dreams. You actually get to decide what happens in those," I mused while looking at Edythe who just nodded absentmindedly.

I went back to watching Mike get blanked as Bella realized he was speaking to her and she asked him to repeat himself. Seriously, poor guy.

Looking at Bella watch Edward, I really couldn't help but see the irony that two cousins seemed to be so attracted to two people who just so happened to be siblings with one another. Is it a genetic thing or something?

Thinking about this, I spoke up to Edythe who was still digesting what I said with a happy expression on her face, "Seems my cousin has the hots for your brother," I said with a laugh but I didn't get a reply, "Edythe?" I asked while looking toward her.

Realizing I was speaking to her, she nearly jumped out of her skin as she replied to me, "Y-yes?"

"I said, it seems like Bella likes your brother Edward. Maybe we should play matchmaker for them?" I asked in a joking tone. But Edythe seemed to have taken me seriously.

"Hmm...you're right. Edward's the same with Bella. Maybe we should do something--" as she was cooking up some kind of 'diabolical' scheme inside her head, I cut her off by lightly and playfully smacking her arm.

"I was joking, Edythe. I'm not matchmaking for my cousin," I laughed before looking down at the hand that touched Edythe.

Her body was...hard. Like stone. Or crystal. But it was still smooth and felt somewhat softer than I imagined. Sam had said that Vampires would be harder than diamonds...but they felt a bit softer than that for me. Maybe it was an exaggeration?

"O-oh? Sorry, I didn't quite catch onto that..." Edythe went embarrassed and I had to say...

It was nice not being the one who stuttered and felt flustered in the conversation for once. With me getting used to my new feelings - both the feelings brought on by the Phasing and the feelings I felt for Edythe - I'd began going back to my normal self in conversations. I wouldn't call myself exactly the same because I still felt...well, like shit, most of the time. But I felt better than I did a week ago and miles better than I did the week before that.

The main reason for my improvement...this small yet lovely Vampire sitting next to me.

Thinking of something, I looked down to Edythe, realizing our height difference grew every day. Edythe was around 5'5" and I was now just about 6'6" so there was a foot distance between us. But sitting next to her like this...I'd never felt so close to someone.

It was strange and kinda freaked me out but I just let it happen. Why? Because it felt nice. Nice to feel something other than drained or down in the dumps for once.

"Hey, Edythe?" I asked, gaining a hum in answer, so I carried on, "You got a date for prom?" I asked.

I didn't get a reply but I waited. I waited until I thought she'd disappeared on me. But when I looked to the right, I just saw her looking at me, her mouth opening and closing like that of a fish our of water.

When I was about to speak up again, Edythe seemed to pull herself together and shook her head, "No!--I mean, no, I don't...why do you ask, William?" she said with a slightly shakey voice.

I could see the desire in her eyes and it unsettled me somewhat...but I also knew that as long as that desire was aimed at me, I wouldn't mind it.

...Though if she, for some reason, jumped for my neck, I would have to stop her.

I don't fancy having my jugular cut open. Even if it is by Edythe--No. No, especially if it's Edythe.

Hearing her question I just shrugged, "Why else would I be asking, Edythe?" I spoke rhetorically before carrying on with a smile, "What do you say? Wanna go to prom with me?" I asked and Edythe went back to forgetting to pretend to breath.

She just stared at me and I just stared at her. I could tell she wanted to nod yes...but something seemed to be holding her back. Restraining her from doing what she wanted.

I could take a stab in the dark at what it was, as well.

But, in the end, she didn't get to answer as the teacher began to call for us all to get on the buses. We had a field trip to get to.

Before I could get an answer out of her, Edythe picked up her bag and quickly rushed off to her snickering siblings. I could easily imagine the embarrassed glare on her face and how cute it probably made her look.

I got a glance from Edward. A curious one. As if to ask that if I knew what they were, after what I saw this morning, then why am I asking a supernatural creature out to prom?

I just gave him an easy smile and a shrug before I started walking toward my bus.

I felt pretty good today, honestly.

. . .

I didn't get a reply throughout the entire school trip. Edythe either wasn't anywhere to be found or she practically ran off at the sight of me.

I'd heard of social anxiety...but this was on a different level.

I know that I hadn't done anything wrong. Even if it was a little too forward, Edythe could have easily have said no. But she didn't. And she didn't want to. I could see it--I could practically sense that she wanted to say yes.

But like I said, something was holding her back.

It was annoying and frustrating that I couldn't get a straight answer out of her...but I knew I couldn't force an answers either. Not without being a dick to her.

It wasn't until we got back to school and it was lunch that I even saw her without her running away.

Messing around with the apples, I was currently deciding whether I wanted a red apple or a green apple. The red ones are usually sweeter while the green ones have a bit more kick to them. They're both lovely and I'd consider apples to be my favorite fruit but I always had trouble picking between them.

In the end, I just picked both of them up. I was quite hungry, after all.

Just as I bit into the red one, I noticed something flying toward me quick enough that it blurred even for my senses.

Keeping the apple in place with my teeth, I grabbed the blurred object which turned out to be a piece of paper folded up in just the right way that it was easy to throw or rather, flick. Like the thing you use for paper football - a sort of triangle made of folded up paper.

Placing the green apple down, I unraveled the paper and saw some beautiful handwritting in the middle of the strip of paper.

[Yes, I'll go to prom with you, William. Edythe xx]

Upon seeing it, I smiled so wide I had to catch the apple that fell from my mouth. I must've looked weird as hell right now and before when I was holding the apple with my teeth but I really didn't care. Turning to Edythe, I saw her smiling innocently in my direction and then I realized it.

We'd both come to terms that the other knew we were different, and neither of us cared that the other new. Edythe knew I saw her this morning. I knew that a normal human wouldn't be able to catch that blurred piece of paper but I still caught it anyway. We both knew that the other understood how we were more than meets the eye.

But we really just didn't care. It couldn't stop whatever we were feeling.

I was both overjoyed and unnerved by Edythe's level of willful ignorance to be able to look over me being a completely different species to her...then I realized that I was doing the exact same with her.

...God, we're both obsessing over the other, huh? Well that's...that's okay, right?

I hope so because right now I know I'm not gonna stop. Not now that I know it isn't as one-sided as I thought.