One week passed and Cassie felt like she wasted it away. Even if each second she spent doing something important, she still felt like it was wasted away into nothing. The Cullens were nice to her, and she enjoyed walking around their home whenever she couldn't sleep.

She knew they would be there waiting for her, that they'd make her a warm cup of tea and sit with her until she slept. Esme reminded her of her mom, the way she spoke and acted, it was comforting. Most of the time she didn't see Edward, he was off with Bella or just never around when she was awake.

She laid in bed, her body aching as she looked outside. She watched the rain that fell towards the ground. She could hear the loudness of the Cullens in the kitchen, cooking. Bella was coming over, and honestly Cassie didn't want the girl seeing her like this. No one aside from her father and the Cullens knew about her sickness and fate.

In others eyes, Cassie Lockhart just moved out of town. She was away in a new school with new friends and she was happy and not so depressed. That was the life she wanted others to think she held, instead of this one.

She watched as Edward parked his car, helping Bella out of it as he smiled at her. Cassie wrapped the blanket around her frame as her door opened softly "I made you some food sweetie".

Esmes soft voice entered the room and Cassie sat up smiling "thank you". The woman smiled as she placed it onto the small nightstand beside the girl.

"I'll tell you when Bella leaves, I know you wish to keep your presence here a secret". Cassie nodded and then watched as the woman left, shutting the door behind her. Cassie looked outside her fingers running along the window, trialing the rain drops that moved downwards.

She heard the muffled voices of the Cullens, she ate her food ignoring the fact that she felt sick after she finished it. She stood up from the bed walking along the room and just thinking.

She turned when the door opened, she was surprised at the sight of Rosalie. The woman looked annoyed by something as she pushed the door shut behind her, she seemed so lost and angry.

Cassie smiled weakly "I'm gonna assume you aren't fond of Bella, she's a danger for your family, I mean I know I am, but let's be honest, I'll be gone in a few months, and Bella will still be here. She'll still know everything and that makes you unhappy".

Rosalie huffed slightly "you're the only person around here who sees how dangerous this is. It's not that I dislike her or even you, I just... I envy you both for being human".

Cassie smiled "being human isn't really going well for me right now, you should envy Bella more".

She sat down feeling exhausted. Cassie knew the stories of how a vampire is turned, and she didn't wish that fate on anyone.

She pushed her hair back away from her face but paused when she felt it waver into the cracks of her fingers. She pulled it back looking at the clump of it in her palm, it was bound to happen eventually.

"Rosalie, do you have some time on your hands?" the woman knew what she wanted before she could even ask. "Of course I do" Cassie smiled softly.

As she stood up from the bed, "I gotta ask, does your hair grow normally? Like if you decided to chop it off, would it grow back?".

Rosalie smiled softly "it wouldn't grow, the roots in our hair die, and they can't grow anymore". Cassie sat down on the chair Rosalie placed out for her.

"Maybe you can use my hair to make a cool wig, in a few years when you want a nice hair style. Just use mine and make it look cool".

Rosalie smiled, the soft hum of the razor entering the air as Cassie felt it run along her hair. It sent a shiver down her spine. She felt like a small girl all over again, hearing that soft buzz as her mother sat along the bathtub.

Her fathers hands shaking as he watched clump after clump of hair slam into the ground. Building into an endless pile of agony and suffering.

She remembered the tears in her fathers eyes, the way he sobbed all night as he laid alone. Now he'd forever be alone, Cassie didn't want to leave him.

Cassie blinked away her tears as she looked at herself in the mirror. A stranger was looking back at her, this person wasn't her, at least anymore.

"I think it looks nice" Cassie smiled as she placed her hand atop her head. "It's cold, and a lot lighter". Rosalie was silent for a moment "why don't you go and get some rest".

—

    Cassie held onto herself so tightly she wouldn't be surprised if her bones snapped. She shivered as she wrapped the blanket around herself. She sighed deeply as she sat up from the bed, she put her jacket on before leaving her room.

She walked down the stairs, her feet aching as she looked around the living room. Esme and Carlisle sat on the couch, speaking with one another.

She walked past them going outside. The cold breeze wrapped around her, making her smile as she sat down on the steps. Light drops of rain fell onto her jacket but she ignored them.

Edwards' car appeared, and she knew he'd likely avoid her the second he stepped out of his car. She pushed her hand into her pockets, hearing the soft footsteps of Edward as he approached her.

"You shouldn't be out here" his tone was harsh as he looked at her. "I'll be fine, it's just a little bit of rain and self doubt". She looked at him as she stood up "Cassie, it's too cold out here for you".

She shrugged her shoulders as she began walking past him "don't be a party pooper Edward. Tell me about Bella, and how it went with your family".

He picked up his pace as he walked after Cassie. "I'm sure Rosalie told you all about it". He seemed annoyed and Cassie kicked at the ground.

"She didn't actually, but it's okay if you don't tell me, Bella's a pretty cool person, I'm sure they loved her. She's not dying like me".

Edward sighed "Cassie" she couldn't help but let out a weak chuckle "relax Edward, we both know I can't escape this, Bella makes you happy, and I'm glad she'll be around to help you once I'm gone".

"Why didn't you let her see you? She mentioned your father, said he seemed depressed". Cassie smiled sadly "Bella would've just made matters worse, my father doesn't deserve any more pain, besides I look like a walking corpse, I don't think Bella would wanna see me".

Edward spent so many days avoiding the presence that is Cassie Lockhart. And now she was right in front of him, and he felt like he was watching her slowly disappear from his mind.

Her eyes were so dull, that the brightness in them wasn't there anymore. He could hear the loudness of her thoughts, the way she'd ache for an end.

She was right there. Smiling at him as she went on about how much she loved the rain. She was here, with him and yet he couldn't bring himself to look at her fully, he just couldn't.

"Edward, look" her voice was low and he felt her hand gripping his. He looked forward to the deer gazing into his soul. Cassie smiled as she tugged at his hand "I've never seen a deer before".

Cassie let his hand go and walked forward slowly as she reached her hand towards the deer. It looked at her, its body growing tense as her fingers touched its nose. She let out a soft giggle as she felt the softness of the fur beneath her fingers.

Thunder boomed in the sky making the deer run away in fright. Cassie shivered as rain poured down onto her harshly. But her gaze watched the deer disappearing in the distance.

She turned when she felt someone touch her shoulder. Edward smiled at her "come on, let's go back inside, I'll have Esme make you tea".

She let out a slow breath, her mind wandered for a moment as she looked at the house in front of her. "Can I just stay out here for one more minute?" She sat down on the steps looking up at the sky.

Edward sat down beside her "it went good, with Bella, my family liked her and I showed her my bedroom, she of course was surprised".

Cassie smiled "let me guess, she was surprised by the whole no bed and the "I don't sleep" you know I can sleep, but nowadays I just can't".

She pushed her head into her knees and she sighed as she closed her eyes. "She was surprised by this" Cassie looked up slightly, her gaze locking on her notebook. "I thought I lost that" she grabbed it from him looking at the words she wrote once.

"She found it among my things, I simply just said, you never found out, that you ran off to be happy somewhere else, she believed me".

Cassie smiled "I spent so many months just staring at this thing, writing down everything I could on your family, and she figured it out after a month, you hold onto this, it can be something you look at one day and think, "wow she thought I was weird and that I was a zombie" it'll be a memory".

Edward grabbed it looking down at it "what made you make this in the first place?". She held onto herself tightly "hope, that something out there wasn't normal, that you somehow cheated death and the cruelness of being sick... I guess I just wanted something to latch onto after I got sick".

Edward stood up his hands pushing themselves into his pockets, she looked peaceful almost sitting along the steps. Her gaze looking at the stars "I don't really blame you for being like, annoyed with me about it all. You were just trying to protect your family".

She sighed softly after she spoke, her hands twitching as rain hit them "it's gonna get more cold out here" she chuckled at his comment. "Like you aren't a freezer yourself, besides it's not that bad out here, the coldness helps, in a way".

She picked at the end of her sleeves as she looked at the grass "you'll catch a cold". She turned and looked at Edward, the way his hair looked more intense as the rain coated the top of it.

"Isn't cancer enough? I'd rather it just be a cold, I just can't sleep, I don't wanna go back inside. I'll just lay in bed, toss and turn all night and just feel shitty in the morning. It's more comfortable out here".

Edward sighed as he sat down beside her "you find cold comforting, you should've worn a hat at least, can't believe they let you walk out here alone".

She shrugged her shoulders "I didn't wanna bother anyone, besides I don't have a hat. Must've forgotten to pack any when I was leaving my house".

Edward disappeared for a second, she could feel the wind beside her shifting. He was gone and then he was back like nothing happened. He pushed the hat over her head before she could protest about it.

He chuckled at the sight of her upset face, the way she slumped down into the steps in defeat. "Great, of course you have hats just laying around, this better not be Rosalie's, she'll kill me".

She flattened the top of the hat slightly making sure it didn't move off her head. "Rosalie wouldn't mind, she won't admit it but I can tell she likes you being around, which is rare for her".

Cassie smiled as she rubbed her hands together "okay, we can go inside, but only because I want too". She stood up slowly pushing her hands into her pockets.

Edward pulled open the door for her "you never listen, I could also say told you so". He joked as she chuckled slightly "it's just rain, what's the worst that can happen? I melt like a witch?".