Summary: She happens upon a boy who looks exactly like her dead friend, though this facsimile seems to have no respect for mental privacy. The Cullens find a human who seems to know way too much about their family for anyone's good. Curiosity is piqued on both sides. Fem Harry. Pairings undecided.


Chasing Waterfalls

i. Edward


Edward first notices the redhead only because he hears the shock in her thoughts. He's used to people being stunned by how good looking he is, but this is different.

She's staring at him from her seat in the hospital waiting room, her eyes wide open, like she's seeing a ghost.

'Cedric?' she thinks, but before he can finish reading her mind, her expression turns cautious and her mind turns blank.

And then she's walking up to him, fury emanating from her petite frame.

"Has no one ever told you," she asks in a markedly British accent, "that it's rude to read people's minds without their permission?"

A door opens somewhere, and the ensuing breeze catches her scent. In that moment, all Edward is aware of is how her blood is pounding through her veins; he can actually hear her pulse. She smells like vanilla and honey, and though she doesn't sing for him, she's certainly mouthwatering.

He feels his fangs begin to sprout out, and presses his lips firmly. There's no need to alarm the human, but he does need to warn Carlisle that there's a human here who senses it when he reads minds.

A second later though, a matronly woman with hair the same shade of red is closing the door to the hallway, and the air currents shift so that he's no longer downwind of this girl.

"Hermione's asking for you," she tells the girl, but then she notices how close they're standing to him.

Edward doesn't need to make an effort to read the woman's thoughts; she's an open book.

She's worried about her daughter-in-law and her new grandchild, but she now seems to be thinking of a boy who lived down the road from them — a boy named Cedric, who in her memories, looks a lot like Edward himself. The boy laughs and plays with two other boys, their hair the same shade of red as hers.

And then the image is replaced with one of a red haired girl crying over the limp and definitely dead body of Cedric.

He wants to learn more about what happened to this Cedric, but the girl in front of him throws her voice into his head.

'Stop reading her mind, you twat.'

"Sure, let's go in," she tells the woman, and then she's dragging her away, whispering in her ear.

"That boy tried to read my mind and I'm pretty sure he tried to read yours too," she tells her quietly, but Edward picks up her words easily; his ears are super sharp.

"Looked a lot like Cedric, didn't he?"

"Must be a doppelgänger; Cedric was a born Occlumens; he said he never could learn Legilimency..."

They're far away enough that he can't hear them anymore, but he knows he can hear the woman's thoughts if he wishes to; all he has to do is tune in.

He decides to respect the girl's wishes though — for some time at least.

First, he's going to inform Carlisle that there's a human girl who knows he can read people's thoughts. He'd originally come here to spend some time with his adoptive dad; see if he could be of any help with the patients. But now, there's something far more interesting worth his while.

And then, he's going to spy on this British family and get all the intel he can.


x


Predictably, Rosalie isn't too happy.

Outwardly, all she says is, "You had to read her mind and expose yourself, didn't you?" — which is very polite, compared to the vulgarities she's hurling at him inside her head.

Edward knows she's being polite for Esme's sake.

"It wasn't Edward's fault. He couldn't have anticipated this," Jasper pitches in, always trying to be the voice of reason.

They turn to look at Alice, whose eyes are closed. The whole family is sitting at their hardly used dining room, holding council over this human.

Edward usually doesn't read her mind when she's trying to "see". The images change so frantically, it always makes him a little sick. Instead, he allows Rosalie's profanities fill up his mind, smirking at how dark her thoughts are.

Jasper senses her anger and sends calmness her way; the act earning a rare smile from her.

When Alice opens her eyes, he realises they're in uncharted territory. He can literally read the question marks in her head.

"Well?" Carlisle asks, and Alice shakes her head fretfully.

"I tried to get a read on her from what Edward described of her, but it's like there are just blank spaces in the canvas. I don't know... Maybe I have to meet her? I tried to picture our life because of her, but it's like we slide around the large blanks in the canvas. It's never happened before," she trails off, and Rosalie turns to glare at Edward.

"We just moved here; I'm not moving again," she protests, but Emmett, lovable Emmett jumps in.

"It's not like she knows we're vampires; so if she isn't going to announce to the world that we suck blood, I don't see why we can't coexist with her."

"It's the principle of the thing—", Rosalie starts, but Esme interjects.

"Emmett is right. We don't need to do anything as drastic as moving. But if Edward thinks her blood is potent, it would be best to stay fed as a precaution."

Rosalie lets out a noisy breath to convey her displeasure, while Emmett runs circles on her hand.

Edward thinks of their wedding he'll have to attend once more in a few years, and almost lets out a sigh of displeasure himself.

"How would you explain her ability to sense what I did? And let's not forget that she blocked my attempts right after that," Edward says, voicing the question that's been on all their minds.

Edward reads Carlisle's answer before the older vampire speaks, but Edward does the decent thing and stays quiet.

"When we all transitioned from humans, we brought over a strength that we possessed and amplified it. Maybe that's her strength as a human; maybe she's far more powerful than the average human, in that sense," he says slowly, and it's an explanation that seems acceptable enough.

"What about those words she used — Occlumens and Legilimency?" Rosalie reminds them; always the one to keep track of tiny details.

"Maybe they're British slang for something?" Emmett suggests, but Alice shakes her head.

"I've been Googling those words, and nothing's come up yet. I'll try again later." Alice sounds determined, and Edward knows that when Alice is determined, no question can go unanswered.

"So what are we doing next?" asks Jasper, just as Alice asks, "When do I get to meet her?"

"First, we're all going to feed again tonight, just as a precaution," he says, nodding at his wife to acknowledge her earlier point.

"I'll be returning to the hospital now for my evening shift. Alice, I want you to come with me. We're going to see if you can get a read off the family, and I'm going to go through their medical records, find out more about them.

"Tomorrow, I'm meeting with Chief Swan to discus a charity fund for the families of officers who are harmed in line of duty. I'll learn more about the British family from him; he knows what's going on in this town.

"Is this agreeable with all of you?" he asks the whole table, but his question is pointed at Jasper; Jasper whose years of military training could never leave him even if he tried.

He nods, and the air is charged with static. Edward doesn't have to read anyone's mind to know that they're all focused on this new possible threat.

Privately, Edward decides that life is always a lot more fun when there's some challenge to it.


x


Do you think it's worth continuing? Meyer's announcement for Midnight Sun has me très excited. I love the Cullens, and I just wanted to explore them using a femHP crossover.

My first Twilight crossover, so bear with me while I get their voices right. Also, short chapters only, bc I don't have the mental space for anything longer.

Reviews are love, so hit me with some positivity.

Seriously, leave a review, y'all.