• When I opened my eyes, I was in that dream again. I was standing next to my Jeep in the school parking lot, where all the kids stood around their cars, sprawled across the hoods. Their voices seemed far away and distorted, echoing around the atmoshpere. There was a slight breeze with a mist blowing across the parking lot. Suddenly, the echoing sound of a school bell rang and everyone disappeared. An eerie silence fell over the parking lot, except for the soft breath coming from me. "Roxy..." a soft honey sweet voice said softly. Before I could turn around, a pair of small arms wrapped around my waist. I felt someone rest their chin on my right shoulder, their body pressed against my back. Judging by the feel of it, i was a small girl. I thought we were gonna sing the same song, but she started singing something else;
    "Everytime I look your way, I feel tears stream down my face. I want you to know, I can't ever let you go. I love you so...please don't leave, baby please just stay. I won't ever let you go away. I need you...and I love you." Another one of my songs. Something I was writing on the plane, with the fantasy of finally finding someone to truly love. She pulled me around and I faced her. I gasped quietly; it was Alice. She held her body against mine and pressed her forehead against mine. Her breath smelled as sweet as her voice, sugary...
    She continued to hold me, the warmth of love bubbled in my stomach. Suddenly, a familiar song softly played in the air. I recognized it right away; "Camilla and Ellinor" by Basshunter. Suddenly everything went black, and I felt Alice slip away from me. I felt an overwhelming sadness come over me, and I shed a few tears. I....I don't want to be alone anymore.... I thought.

    My eyes fluttered open, and I was still in the room I fell asleep in. Sunlight shined down on me, making my hands glitter. Alice still sat in the same chair, Jasper...had left. My head was throbbing, and I realized where the song was coming from; my phone was ringing. I felt it vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out, and checked the screen. It was Michael. I sighed, and flipped open my phone.
    "Hey Michael..." I said quietly, putting my hand to my forehead. I had a slight fever, but I'd live.
    "Hey, ho. You okay, you don't sound so hot."
    "No, I'm fantastic, actually. Just..." I glanced at Alice. "...a little sore from last night, did some shopping, ran into some....friends." Alice smirked and shook her head. I smiled back at her, then made a face. I just felt like making her laugh. She giggled, which Michael apparently heard. "Hey hey, what was that I heard in the background? Did you meet a cute girl already?" I flustered, looking over at her, "Michael-well, yeah, I mean...yeah she's cute but-!"
    "Oooooh, is someone embarrassed to admit that you finally got a girl who doesn't just want to get in your tutu?" he laughed. She giggled again.
    "Shut up! Christ, you're the most annoying gay man I've ever met."
    "I'm bi, sweetheart, there's a difference."
    "Well, whatever."
    "Well, I just wanted to see how you liked your first night in the new house."
    "Oh!" I completely forgot about the house. "Uhm...yeah, it was great. That reminds me-!"
    "Uh oh, I smell screaming rants in my future. I gotta go, bye!" He hung up. I growled. I texted him, "You are SO gonna get it.... =3="
    His reply? "Kinky! Bring it on, girlfriend! > biggrin " I sighed. "What did he say?" Alice asked, although I'm sure she knew. I chuckled, showing her the text I sent, and his reply. She laughed, a graceful beautiful sound. Carlisle appeared in the doorway. "Well, good morning sunshine!" he said with a smile, looking cheery as usual. "How are you feeling today?"
    "Well, I'm well enough to come close to lecturing my best friend about buying me a house that's about as big as this. Oh!" I realized something. Mike said something about me living close to the Cullens. "One of the guys who brought you up....he said that I live right by you."
    "Really? Where?"
    "Uh..." I scratched my face, then remembered I had the address in my pocket. I reached for my pocket, the pain shooting through my veins. I handed him the sheet. He took one look at it, blinked and laughed. "Well, I'll be....you live right next door!" I blinked. "What?" me and Alice said simultaniously. We looked at each other, and we both smiled. "Awesome!" we said at the same time. Not only did I make a....friend, but she lives next door! Words could not describe my happiness. "Can you stand?" Carlisle asked, "without running downstairs for your sister?" I chuckled, "Well, there's a challenge..." I sat up slowly, swaying slightly. I braced my hand against the wall to my right. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and slowly lowered my feet to the ground. I stood up, removing my hand from the wall, and stumbled forward, but caught myself. Alice stood by my side, ready to catch me if I fell. Such loyalty... I thought, looking at her. I was close to her, like, inches. My heart beat fast and was tempted to just fall sideways into her arms on purpose. She smiled at me reassuringly, and I smiled back. I focused and stood up straight. I stood strong, and I grinned. My legs trembled, and I collapsed. "Heh, I guess I'm not as strong as I thought I was..." I sighed. She took my hand gently and pulled me up. The smooth softness of her skin made me want to never let go. I still invisioned her holding me close like she did in the dream. I shook the image out of my head. Now's not the time for such thinking, I thought. As Alice guided me to the bed, I heard someone clear their throat. I looked up and there was Edward standing in the doorway, behind him was Jaime. She had a scar on her right cheek and a swollen black eye. I uttered a cry, tears streamed down my face. She shoved past him and ran into my open arms, sobbing. "I was so scared..." she said, choking on her sobs. I hushed her, stroking her hair. "You're okay sweetheart, you're safe now," I said to her quietly, pulling away to look her in the eyes, holding her face in my hands, "and that's all that matters." Alice quietly "awwww"ed at us, and I fought away a blushing smile. She came up to us and put her arms around us and said, "Let's all be a happy safe family from now on!" she gushed, squeezing us tight. Her boobs were kinda up in my grill there. I blushed and smiled to myself. I win at life, I thought. "Carlisle, I need to talk to you." Edward said. Alice grew suddenly quiet. "Is everything okay?" I asked her as our group hug seperated. She shook her head and said, "Don't worry about it."
    Bipolar much?
    Carlisle stepped out of the room and talked to Edward. I wanted to listen, but at the same time, I didn't. I did what was right, and struck up a conversation. "So, Alice. What kind of music are you into?" Her eyes brightened suddenly, which threw me off completely."All kinds! Pop, techno, alternative, classic rock, J-rock, J-pop, classical, hip hop, some country, just..." she scrunched her face up in disgust, and I knew what she was gonna say. "No polka." we said simultaniously, then laughed. "What about you?"
    "It really depends on my mood, really. Recently I've been listening to a lot of techno, it just puts me in kind of a down to earth mood, but when I'm kinda in a blah mood, I'll listen to some Five Finger Death Punch and Slipknot. When I'm sad, I'll listen to some acoustic music by Silverstein and Secondhand Serenade. If I'm in my otaku mode, I totally geek out and listen to J-pop and J-rock."
    "Same here!" she squealed. I giggled at her enthusiasm. I'm starting took like her more and more, I thought. "I take it you like anime, then?" she asked. "Pfft, of course. I'm the biggest otaku nerd you'll ever meet, girl!"
    "Are you saying you can out shine me?"
    "Oh, a pretty girl like you? Otaku? No way in hell."
    "No, I'm serious! I like FLCL, Inuyasha, Loveless, and my favorite, Lucky Star!"
    "I love Lucky Star! I used to really like Loveless, but I only got in like....three episodes."
    "What's your favorite manga?"
    "Shugo Chara, I'm not a huge fan of violent anime, I'm too moe for that."
    "So I take it you're a decora girl who digs Hello Kitty and tutus?"
    "Pfft, of course. I'm learning Japanese so I can move to Japan when I graduate. Shibuya!"
    "So what do you want to be when you grow up, seeing that you're the only vampire I've met that can age."
    "Hmm..." I thought, pushing the vampire comment aside. "Either a writer, or a music producer. Me and a few friends back in Brooklyn are making an anime and I'm making the songs for them."
    "That's awesome!"
    I grinned. "Where do you like to shop?"
    "Hot Topic, Wet Seal, I shop everywhere."
    "I love Hot Topic. I shop at Wet Seal every once in a while, I shop at Claires too. Gotta love Goodwill, too, find stuff there and customize it."
    "I do that sometimes, it's pretty fun."
    "I know, right? What's your favorite color?"
    "Royal purple, what about you?"
    "I like neon colors, especially pink and lime green."
    "You're just a colorful little rainbow, aren't you?"
    "Duh."
    Someone cleared their throat in the midst of our giggling fan girl laughter. Carlisle stepped in, and I saw Edward go down the stairs. I frowned, and thought, I wonder if everything is alright... "So, Roxanne. I understand that this...vampire madness confuses you."
    "Well, now that I think about it, I've always had abnormal strenght and reflexes. One time in PE in seventh grade, we were doing the long jump and I jumped seventeen feet." I said with a chuckle. Carlisle laughed, then said, "Well, you've taken it better than I thought you would after last night."
    "Yeah, last night just...wasn't a good night for me. Obviously." I said with an awkward smile. Carlisle smiled back, then said, "How long have you gone without blood?"
    "Uhm....I haven't really drank any blood, I don't think I need to because I'm still alive."
    He frowned, "That's strange...so you just eat and drink like any other human would do?"
    "Yeah, pretty much."
    "Huh....perhaps you're not necessarily a half breed, but a quarter breed?"
    "Eh?"
    "Well, one of your parents must have been a half breed, and another was human. This is rare to come across."
    I sat up and said with a lisp, "Does that make me speshul?" Carlisle laughed, and Alice giggled. I swung my legs over the edge and lowered my feet to the ground. "Let's try this again..." I muttered. I put my arms out to keep my balance. Jaime had disappeared; knowing her, she probably went to go back to sleep. I slowly stepped towards the stairs, taking one baby step at a time. Alice took my hands and stood in front of me, guiding me. I was mesmerized by the soft gentle touch of her hands. I avoided eye contact to keep myself from tripping over my feet. I could feel those eyes staring lovingly at my face. We approached the stairs and she stepped down without having to look behind her. Soon, I found myself gazing into her eyes. They were a golden brown color, warm and full of kindness. My knees wobbled, and she lurched towards me to catch me. I caught the railing and pulled myself up. Carlisle followed close behind. I felt the strength in my legs come back as we got to the landing. I start to quicken my pace and take longer strides. Alice let go off my hands, and a slight sadness came over me.I took a deep breath as I stepped down the next set of stairs. I paused as I got to the bottom. I looked back at them with a grin on my face. Alice started clapping. "Good job!" Carlisle said, descending the stairs. "Now, there's something else I'd like to address....your self control. Here, have a seat on the couch." He motioned to the white couch that sat behind me.I took a seat. Jaime was snoozing on the other end of the L shape. I sighed; I knew this would be brought up eventually. "I would like to say something before you start." I said, staring at my shoes. "I've tried my whole life trying to control my temper, but every time I try to control it, it only comes out worse than when I don't control it."
    "Maybe you get frustrated with yourself because you feel that you can't control it?" Carlisle suggested. I shrugged. "Have you been diagnosed with anything?"
    "Yes; bipolar, AD/HD, severe anxiety, depression, mania, and insomnia. Obviously."
    "Have you ever been prescribed anything to help with that?"
    "We tried once, but we couldn't afford it."
    "Well, I can find some medications to help you. I'll pay for it." he said with a smile. I looked up at him. "Are you sure?"
    "Yes, it's the least I can do to help a neighbor." he smiled again. "I suppose...." I said, looking back down at my feet. Alice sat down next to me and put her arms around me. "Don't be ashamed, we're gonna help you!" She smelled sweet, like strawberries. I leaned into her embrace. "Thank you. SO much. This means a lot to me. Would it be okay if we found something for Jaime as well?"
    "Sure."
    "Okay, well. I should get ready for school." I glanced at the clock on the wall; 5:45 AM. Plenty of time to get ready. I stood and approached the end Jaime was sleeping on. I put my hand on her shoulder and shook her lightly. "Jaime, wake up sweetie." Her eyes fluttered open, and she sat up, rubbing her eyes. I put my hand on her back and said gently, "We need to head home and get ready for school."
    "Okay..." she yawned.
    We headed for the door. "Roxy!" Alice called out. I turned to face her. "Come sit with me during lunch, okay?" I nodded, "Okay. You can't miss me, you'll know when you see me."
    "Oh, don't worry. I know what you look like." she said, tapping her skull. I blinked stupidly. "She can see the future, and Edward can read minds." I turned a slight red. So that's why he was laughing and had to talk to Carlisle... I thought. I turned and opened the door for Jaime. She drowsily shuffled out the door. I was suddenly tackled from behind; it was Alice. "See ya laterrrr!" she sang cheerfully. I blushed and smiled. "Wait," I said, stopping. Where's my truck?" Alice smirked, "It's parked out front." I sighed, relieved. "Okay. See ya in a few." I headed out the door, Jaime in tow.