Voices |E. Cullen|

EIGHT

A chip crunched between my teeth and my tounge tasted the sweet, yet hot salsa that coated the starch. "So, how old are you, anyways?"

Edward and I were sitting at a high top in a bar in Seattle. A Steelers game was on and I knew the only place I was going to be able to watch it was the city. So there we were, Howl Under the Moon, chips, dip, and a cherry coke. He wasn't going to eat any of it, he couldn't even enjoy a beer, that had to suck.

He shrugged, "105, I think."

"Damn dude, no wrinkles? BPH? Nothing?"

"Nothing," he chuckled and produced a half smile. "What about you?"

"18," I pushed the empty chip bowl to the side of the table and moved my drink closer to me while my eyes were locked on the television screen. I was on the edge of my seat as I watched the play and celebrated when my team made a touchdown.

Edward chuckled again, "You get excited over sports?"

I shrugged and sipped my drink, "Gotta get excited about something when all you do is see dead people and listen to them drone on and on about how they died."

He shifted uncomfortably and smirked, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I shook my head, "First of all, you have no idea how many people kill other people, human or otherwise. Secondly, you're not the worst one out of your family."

A sharp sound moved through his clenched teeth, "Jasper?"

I nodded, "Of course. He's got some weird shit going on."

"He was a Major in the army back during the Civil War. Worse than that, there was something along the lines of a vampire army which he trained, as you might guess it involved a lot of death."

All I could do was nod, take sips of soda, and glance at the game. "What else do you want to know?"

"How long have you been able to see?"

"I have a feeling I saw a few people back when I was younger, but they won't just pop up without feeling a connection with something in the immediate area. My first house wasn't exactly a burial ground in my parents hadn't killed anyone so it would have been the occasional officer in the grocery store or extra people walking around in the city. They really started when I was about 15."

"I see. Do you have any siblings?"

"One, an older brother, he's in college at Stanford," I quieted down at the end and played with my fingers. I missed him, it had been too many weeks that I hadn't seen him.

"When do you get to see him next?" He noticed my change in mood, how could he not?

I thought for a moment, trying to remember what day it was, what month. "Jason might be back for his fall break, but he's in a fraternity so he might have to stay, suppose it just depends."

Edward nodded and my attention was taken back to the game for the final minute.