I fell onto the couch with an, "Oomph." I could not believe the day I had just had. The memories floated around in my head as I closed my eyes and willed a glass of water to magically appear in front of me. Memories of my ridiculous idea, of Jacob getting there just in time to save me from a terrible fate faded in and out. I hadn't thought I was stupid enough to jump off a cliff in the middle of a storm. But obviously I was just that stupid.

I then realized I was being selfish. I had just almost killed myself, bringing all the attention to myself instead of where it should be: on Harry.

Poor Charlie. It would be right for me to make something special for dinner, try to console him as much as possible. I had hurt him enough.

I had just gotten up off the couch, trying to figure out what I was going to make, when the door bell rang. I sighed and changed direction, walking to the front door. I opened the door, expecting to see Jacob, or even Charlie having forgotten his key. It was neither of those two, though.

Who it was, I had no idea. But just her appearance ripped open the whole in my chest and clawed at the emptiness there. The ghostly pale skin, the strikingly beautiful demeanor. I was vaguely surprised to see the familiar golden irises as I doubled over in pain, gasping. I realized through a haze that the structure of this figure's face was familiar. I knew the shape of those eyes.

The woman stared down at me, frowning at my obvious pain. There was nothing I could do about it, though. This pain would not be stopped. I just had to fake everything. I had been getting good at that lately, but this would be a different story.

I had just stood up again, after realizing that the shock was not going to wear off anytime soon, when the woman's voice stabbed me yet again.

"Are you alright? Can I help you?"

I closed my eyes. I could not bear that melodic wind chime voice right now . . . ever. I finally straightened out, eyes still closed, and answered, not bothering to make my voice even. It shook violently, and cracked at the end.

"I'm fine. Is there something I could help you with?"

Her head cocked to the side, not believing me but realizing that it was none of her business. I took a deep breath waiting for her to answer so I could get to Jacob as fast as possible. I wasn't really sure how I felt about letting this creature leave, though. I knew it would be inevitable, but it wouldn't be easy. Either way, I would be in more pain than I would care to admit to Jacob.

She hesitated. "I'm looking for a Carlisle Cullen," the name ripped through me as it always would. "He's an old friend, and I haven't been in touch with him for a while. I was told to come here, to Forks, and this house looked like a good place to start."

She smiled guiltily, and I grimaced. Someone somewhere was laughing at me. Fate really had it in for me today.

"He's not here," I answered brusquely.

She frowned. "Do you know where he is?"

The knowledge that, in fact, I did not know left me gasping from the pain.

"No," I managed to choke out, and then out of curiosity that I should have squished right then and there, "Who are you?"

She smiled a little and seemed to deliberate for a fraction of a second. Something I would have missed had I not been so attuned to it. She nodded the tiniest bit to herself, deciding on something. What, I couldn't be sure. I didn't even know if she would tell me her real name.

She took a deep breath. "My name is Elizabeth Masen. I'm an old family friend of Carlisle's."

This has been hanging out in my mind for an embarrassingly long amount of time.