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Alice didn't walk, she danced.

Ballerina in the cafeteria, sprinkling fairy dust over every mundane moment she brushed past.

Charlie could never bear knowing his only child had turned out… like that. That the family would end with me, and he would never see a grandchild born of his own blood.

Edward carried some of her beauty and grace, though beside her his glow was like that of a candle facing the blistering sun. As hard as I tried, I couldn't even see him when she was near.

Their beauty, their grace, even their feral nature, drew me like nothing human ever could. Even if I couldn't have Alice in the light, keeping Edward beside me was enough to fuel the desperate dreams that occupied the darkness of each night.

Yes, she could break even the most flawless dancer's heart. She moved like a soft cool wind, raising goosebumps on my neck every time. I tried not to stare.

Even with my disgustingly common brown hair, with my plain brown eyes and translucent skin that could only ever be burned by the sun's warm glow, I knew she found me beautiful.

Sure, Edward did too. His whole family (Rosalie aside) seemed to have taken an unusual liking to me. Of course it only mattered because it might bring Alice closer to my grasp.

I was so glad he couldn't read my mind, even if he did see the occasional flicker of desire in hers. Alice was a sensual being, even more so than the rest of the vampires that had become her family. For her to feel the stirrings of desire meant very little to Edward, especially since Jasper was so adept at providing distraction from potentially hazardous moments.

Honestly, I'm not sure why Jasper didn't kill me himself. He had to feel the desire radiating from my very core every time I so much as stole a glance at his incredible little pixie, but he had never said a word, never been anything but polite to me, even if he felt the need to put some distance between us. To this day I have no idea whether it was my enticing aroma that caused him to pull away, or the knowledge of what I felt for his eternal partner.

Jasper and Alice must have had some sort of understanding between them. He never did try to stand between us, even if I could sometimes sense him nearby, feeding off the raw lust that made its presence known once Alice and I had been given the chance to get to know each other.

Maybe he got off on that, feasted on the emotions his one love could stir in another, drank in the waves of bliss that flowed out into the universe as each orgasm created them.

I don't really care. All I feel is gratitude for his lack of possessive drive. He knew she wanted me months before I did, ever since that first day in the cafeteria, when my eyes met hers before I noticed Edward.

Oh, poor Edward. I guess I can never tell him that most of his family has found ways around his little "gift". Once his venom fills my veins, I will become his eternal possession. After that day, I doubt I'll still be able to love Alice the way I do now, even if it feels so natural, so right, it could be nothing short of destiny.

She grins at me across the room. Third hour French, we are together. She manages to make her conjugations sound clumsy, despite the decades she's spent living in the heart of Paris. Halfway through, her eyes glaze over. A mild form of epilepsy, Carlisle has the teachers convinced. I wonder what she sees. Edward is hunting this weekend. Could it finally be time?

After class she corners me.

"Bella, you need new clothes."

I pout. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"First, I love you, but you dress like a straight boy, Second, I think if you don't get out of the house soon, those hermetic tendencies may become permanent."

I roll my eyes, but the battle's already lost. I'm putty in her perfect hands.

"Great. Meet me in the parking lot when your last class gets out."

I shake my head, but she knows I'll be there, waiting. Flashing a brilliant smile, she skips away.

"What was that about?" Edward's eyes don't sparkle quite like hers. I shrug.

"Alice on a makeover kick. I'll survive."

He flashes that all-too-familiar lopsided smile, pulling me off to the side.

His kisses are suffocating. I try to imagine a smaller, more agile granite tongue dancing across mine.

Edward's tongue can't do ballet. More like a drunk attempt at river dancing, really. I sigh and push him away.

"Not here." I mutter, fully aware that there isn't a single place on the planet where kissing him would feel just right. He looks frustrated, but walks me to class without complaint.

I'm counting down the minutes 'til the end of the day. As much as I hate shopping, I can't help but look forward to being with Alice.

I don't even have to walk to the parking lot. She's waiting outside the building where I have my last class of the day, sharp teeth glinting in the dull light filtering down from the clouded sky. I hop in the car, trying not to stare. I may be used to the perfection of the rest of her family, but her smile always makes me come undone. I barely remember to feel afraid as she weaves through traffic at terrifying speeds, talking to me casually and barely bothering to glance at the road blurring past us.