Your Sister: The Beginning

May 1918

I was sitting in the hospital again. Against the nurses wishes again. Against the pleas of the family Nanny again. I say 'again' for I have been here every day, all day for almost a week, ever since Edward was emitted with the Spanish influenza. Father had already died of the disease and both Mother and Edward are both close to it. I can’t be left alone, what will I do? Nanny Mae will abandon ship as soon as Mother dies and I will be left alone at the age of 15.

While I was lost in my thoughts I didn’t see Edward begin to stir until he coughed.

“Edward!” I jumped up for the chair and ran towards his bed picking up a wet cloth and patting his forehead with it.

“You shouldn't be here Lizzy,” he chocked between coughs.

“Neither should you so hurry up and get better,” I replied as sternly as I could.

“I will try,” he said his green eyes burning into mine.

“Don't try, promise,” I pleaded my eyes filling with tears “How am I meant to live without you?” he grabbed my hand tightly.

“I will always be there for you Lizzy; I promise.” he smiled at me and I smiled back through my tears.

“I love you Eddie.”

“I love you too Lizzy.” he closed his eyes and fell back to sleep. I pulled my hand from his when his light snores filled the room and left, kissing his and Mothers foreheads as I went.

I exited the hospital and bumped into someone. I looked up to see the most handsome man I had ever seen Doctor Cullen.

“Oh I’m sorry Doctor Cullen I wasn’t looking where I was going.” I apologised.

“That's okay Elizabeth. Were you visiting your family?” he asked politely.

“Yes Sir, I get ever so lonely with just Nanny Mae in the house I just come to see if they are alright Sir.” I said remembering my manners in case he said anything to Mother.

“I understand Elizabeth, they are your family after all, and it’s only natural for you to worry. Now run along home before your Nanny Worries too.” he said smiling at me.

“Yes Sir, Thank you Sir.” I said and hurried down the road towards my house.

When I got home Nanny Mae made me wash in boiling water 'to kill any germs' she said and then she fed me on a bowl of vegetable stew 'to keep me healthy so I can fight the germs' and then sent me off to bed. That night I had a horrible dream, Mother was standing there looking healthy again she waved at me and smiled before fading away to nothing. Tears started rolling down my cheeks and I started to run in the direction I last saw her. I stopped when I saw a figure ahead.

“Edward?” I asked apprehensively. The figure turned to show Edward but instead of the green eyes I was familiar with I was met with blood red eyes, he smiled and fangs appeared. I screamed and woke with a start shaking and crying.

I looked out of the window 'Early morning' I thought still recovering from the dream. I decided to get dressed to visit Mother and Edward early so that Nanny Mae wouldn’t moan. I dressed in my neat clothes and put on Mothers Locket before creeping down the stairs and out of the house then I began the 20 minute walk to the hospital humming quietly to myself. When I got to the hospital I saw Doctor Cullen walking out looking shifty and slightly guilty.

“Good morning Sir, have you finished your shift for the night?” I asked him cheerfully. He looked up and his eyes showed surprise and more guilt.

“Good Morning Elizabeth. It’s very early. And no I just packed my things I’ve left the hospital.” he said.

“What! But what about my brother. He needs you to make him better and I need him to keep me standing Sir. You can’t leave!”

“Elizabeth I'm afraid you Mother died during the night and you Brother shortly after.” I stood there shocked.

“No...” I started and fell to my knees my eyes filling with tears. “He promised, he promised...” I felt a presence next to me and an arm around my shoulder.

“Come on Elizabeth, let’s get you home. Can you stand?” he said comfortingly. I shook my head even if I could stand I was trembling so much I would never be able to walk. I suddenly felt arms lifting me up. I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck and cried. I felt him start to walk but not much more because I fell asleep from exhaustion.

I distantly heard the voices of Doctor Cullen and Nanny Mae talking then I felt myself being laid down on something soft and Doctor Cullen whispering,

“I'm so sorry.” before there was silence. I remembered being shaken and told to wake up, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to face a world without my family, it was pointless. Then there was more silence. I opened my eyes to see if there was anyone there. I saw no one, I heard no one. I was alone.

I don’t know how long I laid on the couch without moving, it was like I was in a trance, I heard the clock chiming in the hall and the birds singing in the morning and I still didn’t move. Then I heard a loud smash. The noise a window makes when it is smashed and footsteps in the hall. I jumped up at this and walked carefully towards the hallway. My whole body was protesting from weakness. I peeked out of the door way and saw two men filling up black bags with my family’s property.

“Excuse me! That's not yours!” I called loudly walking out of the doorway.

“And what are you going to do about it lovely?” one man asked in a husky voice as he pulled a long knife out of his pocket and stalked towards me with it. I pressed my back against the wall and closed my eyes and he threw his hand towards my stomach.

I felt the coldness of the metal in my stomach as I collapsed to the floor blood pooling around me. I saw the men leave quickly and I felt the pain of the wound before I fell out of consciousness. I awoke because of a large wave of pain, I was being picked up and lain back on the couch. I opened my eyes but my vision was blurred, I heard someone muttering.

“Please don’t be dead, Lizzy Please don’t die!” only one person called me 'Lizzy'.

“Edward?” I gasped “I can’t see!” my breathing was getting shallower I could tell I was going to die any minute.

“No time left......” Edward was muttering again.

“Edward..... I love you.” then before I knew it I was in Edwards arms flying through the air we arrived because Edward stopped, I was placed on something hard and I could feel the life leaving me by the second but before I could take my final breath something sharp bit down on my neck and pain jolted through me causing me to scream loudly, and the pain kept getting worse by the minute.

The pain got worse, it felt like I was being burnt, chucked off a cliff and submerged in acid all at the same time. I heard screams and pleas asking to die it wasn’t long before I realised it was me screaming but I couldn't stop. I kept my eyes closed expecting there to be smoke and flames all around me. The pain got worse until it was unbearable. The burning continued however I noticed when my hearing got better, I could hear over my screams, someone whispering and hushed conversations. Overtime I heard footsteps and people breathing and as the pain started to leave my fingers and toes I managed to silence my screams.

“It must be ending soon, she's stopped screaming,”

“She screamed for so long, I’ve never heard anything so dreadful. Did I do the right thing by bringing her?” the voice sounded broken but I would recognise it anywhere. Edward.

“Only you can decide that Edward.” the voice sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. All the time the burning was fading however it got hotter in my heart. I tried not to scream so I could hear the rest of the conversation.

“Would you have done it, saved her I mean?”

“Edward I saved her because you wanted me to. I would have ….......” at this point the conversation was cut off by a scream. My scream. The burning in my heart was so bad it felt like it was a bird trying to fly away. And the suddenly it stopped.

All I could hear was the breathing of the other people in the room. All I could think was 'was it really over?'

“It’s over Elizabeth you can open your eyes now.” the voice was calm but I still couldn't place it, I kept my eyes tightly shut waiting for the pain to return.

“The pains not going to come back Lizzy it’s over.”

“Edward?” I was expecting my voice to be horse from screaming but instead it sounded musical. Out of shock my eyes flew open and my hands went to my throat. “My voice!” but I was already over the shock and was looking at the detail in the ceiling of the room, it was like I could see everything so much clearer, I could see each splinter in the timbers on the ceiling and the flecks of paint. I sat up slowly and my eyes searched the room for the people in it. I found them standing near the door watching me carefully. Edward and...

“Doctor Cullen?” I said not hiding my surprise as I focused my vision on him.

“Yes Elizabeth and I owe you an apology, for lying to you about Edward, it’s just some secrets are better kept as secrets,”

“I understand but what secret are you hiding?” I asked him.

“I'm not human, I used to be but I was changed centuries ago into an immortal,”

“What's an ‘immortal’?”

“A vampire.” I sat there shocked.

“How does Edward and I come into this?” I whispered but he heard me just fine.

“He was close to death, your mother begged me to save him in any way possible so I changed him too. And he found you close to death and...”

“I was changed too, that’s what the burning was,” I flinched remembering the burning.

“Yes.” he answered simply noticing my flinch.

“It hurt, it hurt so much I wanted to die, why did it hurt so much?” If I was human I would be crying but all I felt was a prickle in my eyes.

“It’s meant to hurt, but it could have hurt more because of how young you are,”

I was suddenly aware of the burning coming back in my throat.

“It’s starting again! You said it was over but my throat burns!” I cried.

“It’s not starting again, you’re thirsty you need blood.” he replied calmly. My head snapped up once he said blood.

“I will not kill a person!” I snarled.

“Good because we don’t either,” he said smiling “I found that we can survive on the blood of animals just fine without hurting humans. Come on lets go hunt.”

Doctor Cullen’s house backed right onto the forest so we didn’t have to walk far. We got outside and Edward turned to talk to Doctor Cullen.

“I'm going to go on my own to make it easier for you to teach her.” he turned to look at me and it was then that I caught sight of his eyes. They were red. I gasped and took a few steps back before Edward turned and ran like lightning into the forest. I turned to Doctor Cullen.

“His eyes!” I gasped out.

“They will fade once his body is accustomed to animal blood, your will too.”

“You mean mine are like that as well?” I spluttered out.

“No yours are brighter than his but don’t worry they will fade. I promise. Now come along the sooner we get going the sooner you can get back and clean up.” I looked down at myself and noticed I was still wearing the clothes I wore the day I was told Edward was dead which also happened to be the clothes I was stabbed in. I followed Doctor Cullen into the forest running like the wind until we were in so deep I couldn't see the sun. That’s when he turned to me.

“Close your eyes.” I closed my eyes wearily. “What do you hear?”

“Everything” I replied and I could. I could hear bugs flying, ants scuttling, animals eating in the distance. I opened my eyes and took off. It was like my newly found instincts had kicked in and I just knew what to do. I could sense Doctor Cullen behind me but I just kept running until I reached them in a small clearing. There was 4 deer eating the long grass at the edge of the clearing. I could hear their hearts sending blood around their bodies. I looked to Doctor Cullen for approval. He nodded so I pounced on the nearest one and I bit into its neck. Thick, hot blood filled my mouth and flowed down my throat easing the burning. Once the deer was finished, I turned to Doctor Cullen.

“Very good. Do you want to catch another one?” he asked smiling at me.

“No I feel full now would you like one though sir?” I asked politely.

“No thank you I hunted before you woke up. Let’s get back home then we need to start packing.” he turned and started to run back towards the house. I caught up with him easily and was surprised by how I didn’t run out of breath.

“Pack?” I asked confused.

“Yes now that people think Edwards dead and all they can find of you is blood, it is best if we move somewhere else instead of risking people seeing the two of you.” he explained. We had reached the house and Doctor Cullen was leading me up the stairs. “Now the bathroom is here,” he said pointing at one door. “And the spare room is here, now I picked up some of your clothes from your house we can go back tonight to pick up anything else you may want to keep.”

“Thank you Doctor Cullen.”

“Please call me Carlisle Elizabeth. We do live together now.” he smiled down at me.

“Okay then... Carlisle.” He beamed at me and nodded before leaving the room. I picked out a dress and went into the bathroom to clean up. I was surprised to see no scaring where I was stabbed or even bruising. I got cleaned up and went to check my appearance in the mirror. I was shocked to see the person looking out at me. She was beautiful even with red eyes. Her eyelashes were thicker and longer, her lips rosy. Her bronze hair fell in ringlets down her back and her face held no flaws. Even her teeth were perfectly straight and white. Her skin was pale and hard. She looked like an angel. I smiled at my reflection before exiting the bathroom. I listened to see where Carlisle was and followed the noise. I ended up in a large room filled with books, paintings and a large desk at which Carlisle sat.

“Hello Elizabeth, is it better to have all that blood off of you?” he said without looking up from his book.

“I didn’t really notice it was there at all Carlisle to be honest.”

“Really?” he asked looking up at me. “I wonder why that is, I know Edward was struggling with the smell.”

“Maybe because it was my own blood?” I offered.

“Could be. Now come on lets go collect your things.

It was the middle of the night when we got to my old house. The door was boarded up and someone had written 'crime scene' in pen on the wooden board. We walked around to the back and opened the back door. The house was silent and dark, I turned on the lights and the room was thrown into sight. I pool of blood was near the hall and on the couch. I turned to Carlisle.

“I will just go and get my things,” before running up the stairs and into my room. I grabbed some clothes and put them into a bag before going through my valuables. I grabbed my locket for Mother and my ring from Father. I also grabbed the photo album that mother had made of our lives. I grabbed some more family heirlooms and the letters I got from Father whilst he was fighting the war. I then grabbed a small teddy that Edward gave to me and went down to meet Carlisle who was examining our piano.

“Do you play?” I asked him.

“No you?”

“Yes, me and Edward were given lessons when we were little. Edward is the better than anyone I've ever heard.” I replied smiling at the memories.

“Have you got everything?” I went over everything I had packed and thought about anything I may need.

“Yes I’m ready to leave now.”

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