"Want a drink?" I asked as we walked into my penthouse, dropping my clutch on my counter as I walked over to the fridge, "Oops. I forgot." I smiled as I opened the door, peering inside before grabbing a bottle of Vitamin Water. "Please, make yourself at home." I nodded as I screwed the cap off, taking a gulp, easing my burning throat. "Nice apartment." Edward commented, walking over to the sliding glass doors, peering at my ocean view. "Thanks." I grinned, leaving my empty bottle on the counter before walking toward my bedroom, "If you'll excuse me, I have to change. I don't like to lounge in party dresses." I sighed, pulling my heavy hoop earrings from my lobes, listening as they clanged together. I unzipped the back of my dress, walking into my closet. I pulled on a tank top and a pair of pajama pants, walking back into the living room. "So, ask." I sighed, collapsing on my couch, the plastic of my remote control cold. "Who are you?" Edward asked again, and I rolled my eyes. "I'm Beth King. Formerly Elisabeth Johns, or Eliza Marie, Elizabeth LeFevor, Liza Thomas, this list could go on forever. It changes every half-century, usually. Sometimes I feel spontaneous and it changes before, maybe even a little later than every half-century." He stared at me as I shivered, taking a seat next to me. "Why is your apartment so cold?" He asked, changing subjects. "I have a low tolerance for extreme or excessive heat. Funny, isn't it? A low tolerance for heat, yet I live in Florida. I have a low tolerance for a lot of things, actually." I laughed, shaking my head. "So, Beth, what are you?" He asked, a flash of fear showing in his eyes. I smiled; finally, he'd asked the question I'd been waiting for. "I don't know how it exactly happened, it happened so long ago, before me. There was a man, a scientist, far more advanced than his time, far more advanced than some things even now. His name was Thomas; his wife's name was Julia. She was like you, a vampire, and she mothered me in a way. He extracted her DNA, what he could get before creating me, a test tube baby. He implanted the fertilized egg into his best friend's wife, Mary. 8 months later, I was born. He summoned the Volturi when I was 19. My menstrual cycles stopped, I became menopausal, and I ran. They murdered Thomas, Julia, Mary, her husband and my 3 siblings for foolishness, yet they still look for me. I'm not like the others, the other half breeds. I have to relocate every few years, when they're right there on my tail, and I like to live on the edge. I don't like to imagine what they would do to me if they murdered my family. They'd probably dissect me, study me, find out how I work before perfecting me, and making others like me. I'm like you, a vampire, but I still have a heartbeat. I have to eat. I don't feed the way you do; I eat like a human, mostly. I suffer from a severe iron deficiency, though. I crave red meat often. I have all your strengths, but I don't have your most fatal weakness. I do have flaws though, major ones. I have a slow heartbeat; it's similar to Bradycardia, with reverse effects, like when my heart starts to race uncontrollably, I get dizzy, sometimes I faint. It affects me in other ways, too, I get dehydrated easier than most humans, and my immune system is far from the best. My body temperature is higher than average, due to my fast metabolic rate, hence why my apartment stays so cold, and I don't go into very hot places often. I could send myself into shock. I also suffer from insomnia; I'm left up late at night with silence and my thoughts, but a plus is I can walk in the sun without drawing attention, unlike you. I have a keen sense of things, sometimes the feelings overwhelm me, but my ability works with me, not against me. I've built walls, so no one can find their way in. I fine-tuned my sense the years, like your ability to read minds. Don't look so shocked, Edward, I sense things and I read people, it's rather easy." I smiled, leaning back into the couch. He stared at me, still a bit dazed, and I smiled back, crossing my legs under me. "So, you're half vampire, and half human?" He asked after a moment, slowly digesting everything I'd just said. I shrugged, nodding my head. "More or less, however, I prefer the term hybrid." I sighed, glancing away from him for a moment, lost in my own thought. We sat there, in silence, for what seemed like hours. Neither of us moved, or spoke, we sat there, waiting for the other to speak. "Why did you bring me back here, to your apartment, just to tell me that?" He asked, and I looked at him for a second, studying his sharp features for a second, trying to find the answer there. "You reminded me of Carlisle in your own ways. Your eyes are like his, but don't hold what his did the last time I saw him. Your mannerisms are quite the same, but not exact. I was hoping you'd be like him, that you'd be like his clone." I told him, standing up as I sighed, walking toward the sliding glass doors, "Please don't ask how I know him, and don't ask him either whenever you see him again. I'd prefer that you didn't mention me to anyone, actually. Could you do that for me?" I asked, turning to face him. He met my eyes, and we stared at each other for a moment, and he nodded slightly, almost unnoticeably. "Thank you," I whispered, licking my lips slowly, sighing. We stood there for a second, in silence, not looking at the other. "Well, maybe you should get going. I can give you a ride to where you need to go, unless you don't need it." I finally said, walking into the kitchen, opening the fridge to grab another drink, "Or I can give you cab fare or something, whatever you need." I walked back into the living room, looking at Edward again. "I'm sure I can find my own way, but thank you." Edward answered in a polite tone, a light smile on his lips. "Suit yourself then." I shrugged, returning his smile. "I left my number, over there by the TV. Don't hesitate to call me if there's ever something you need." Edward told me, his voice honest, and the offer genuine. I nodded, grasping my glass with both hands. "Stay safe." I smiled, taking a sip of my drink as I walked toward the door. He opened it for himself, waving at me before walking out, the door shutting behind him quietly. I sighed, turning the lock on the handle, chaining the door, and sliding the padlock to the left, locking it again. I walked to the couch, taking a seat before grabbing the remote, flipping through the channels blankly, my mind occupied.