Chapter Text
“Very few of us are what we seem.”
(Agatha Christie, The Man in the Mist)
⛧°. ⋆༺🌊༻⋆. °⛧
Lilian sighed. It drizzled on her first day. Of course, it did. Somehow it always seemed to be rainy or if not at least foggy in Forks. If someone had told her prior of moving here, that the weather would be like this, maybe she would have changed her mind to accept the house here from a friend. But now it was too late. Her life already packed up in boxes, shipped across the ocean and her new life roughly mapped out.
It was just like any other move she had had in the last hundred years she told herself. That the fact, she had to leave her home due to the Volturi wouldn’t change anything. That her routines would still be the same.
With that determination in mind, Lilian opened the doors to the community hospital in Forks. Her steps echoing through the corridor, the linoleum floor only partially swallowing the sound of her heels. The hospital was smaller than the ones she had worked in before, but still looked like any other. Long halls and bright lights. Bleak walls with pictures every two meters to make it seem less sterile but somehow ending up to do the opposite. The photos and paintings of lakes, mountains or the sky looking oddly misplaced.
She wrinkled her nose at the acrid smell of antiseptics. That was one factor she really hadn’t missed. In her little practice back home, it had always smelled warm and cozy, of sandalwood or white sage. Though she had had to tone it down a bit, especially with the vampires she had had as patients, who are rather susceptible to strong scents. And as they, and especially the ones that worked for the Volturi, ranked among her wealthier clients, she hadn’t wanted to alienate them. So, she adapted.
After all, it wasn’t only the money from her clients she profited from, but also the information she would get out of them – some of them given to her freely, some under hypnosis and some even less voluntary enticed through the ability all sirens shared: to lull persons in, make them dance to their tune. She had sold the information she would get or she and her flock had used them to their benefit. Was this unethical – yes...but hey so is life.
Everything went rather smoothly for a bit over thirty years. But well, everything comes to an end at some point, doesn’t it?
So now here she was, defecting abroad, hoping that no one would trace some of the spilled secrets back to her.
At first, she had refused to go, after all she would leave pretty much everything she had built for herself in the last decades, including her family behind. But even if her whole family - first and foremost her flock - would go against the Volturi, they would still be outnumbered, especially given their abilities. Sirens were fast – and even faster in the water – and though one shouldn’t underestimate the power of their voice, let alone the power of several sirens combined, they still couldn’t compete with joined forces of vampires specifically selected for their abilities.
Also, if Lilian really thought about it, a fight wouldn’t be fair. She understood the anger of the Volturi, or at least the anger of the concerned persons - because somehow, she doubted they had informed their superiors. Another factor why an open fight didn’t seem to be the wisest decision. If Aro knew some of his subordinates couldn’t keep their mouths shut, she was sure she would have noticed, everyone in Italy for that matter would have noticed. So to keep a low profile seemed best to avoid too much attention. Because what seemed most plausible at the moment, was that most of her former clients were just pretty pissed some of the secrets they knew of or were responsible for, got out. What remained to be seen was if they would figure out that she knew about these things.
“Do you need help?” A voice ripped her out of her thoughts. A bit startled she turned around, her bracelets jingling as she moved. The voice belonged to a petit nurse. Her brown eyes studying her curiously as she cleared her throat.
“Yes. I am looking for the boardroom.” Lilian answered and the nurse raised an eyebrow.
“Lilian White. I am the new psychiatrist.”
“Oh Dr. White. Yes, I heard you’d come today.” The nurse responded. Lilian didn’t care for the title. In fact, she had several and after the years the thrill of being called “doctor” had worn of a little. Only when she entered a new field the degree got a bit exciting. But she had been in the psychological field for far too long for it to hold any of that exaltation.
A new work place on the other hand – very different story.
“Just follow me.”
“Thank you…erm Maggi.” Lilian said, peering at the name tag on the nurse’s shirt. Maggi’s face lit up with a warm smile.
On their way Lilian studied the pictures on the walls, the plaques on the doors, the signs and markings. Trying to memorize the way to the boardroom, where the nurses’ room was, where the toilets for the staff were and and and.
She bit her lip to suppress an annoyed groan. She hated starting from zero. Which, given that she had had to start new in her life rather periodically, was ironic. But she despised not knowing where everything was, how everything worked or who was who. It was like groping in the dark with a half-broken flashlight. You somehow knew where the doors were or how the room was supposed to look, but you still didn’t have all the details for a full picture, to really move without bumping into any inconvenience.
“There we are. I believe they are already waiting for you.” Maggi said when they stopped in front a beige door that looked exactly like the ten others in the corridor.
“Hey, Maggi, anything I should know?” Lilian asked. Maggi chewed on her lower lip, thinking about her question. Lilian checked her watch, if the nurse took more than two minutes to think of her response she would have to knock without an answer. But then Maggi’s eyes lit up.
“Oh, I know…” Her initial enthusiasm came to a sudden stop when she looked at Lilian, suddenly blushing a little.
“What is it?” She asked. If the reaction of the nurse told her anything, then that whatever she was about to say wouldn’t be practical information, but rather gossip. Her favorite kind of information.
“Well…you’ll know when you see him.”
“Him?”
“The whole hospital staff is practically drooling over him but we’re not quite sure if he’s single. Though that mystery only adds to his appeal.” Maggi stated and chuckled at Lilian’s undoubtedly confused expression.
“Then why don’t you just tell me? If there is already that much mystery about that man, why add to it?” She asked while a cheeky smile spread on the nurse’s face.
“Where’s the fun in that? Also, I want to know your unbiased reaction afterwards.” Maggi answered and Lilian jokingly rolled her eyes at her.
If she wanted to she could use her powers to compel Maggi to tell her more about him, but she didn’t like using her powers in such an unthinking manner. Even less now that she tried to stay below the radar as much as possible. Vampires could be pretty resentful, so her modus operandi would consist pretty much of laying low. At least until she had a plan how to deal with everything. She hadn’t even used her ability in her job interview – for the first time in the last 100 years.
“All right, if I promise to tell you afterwards, will you fill me in into everything you know?” Lilian asked, leaning in conspiratorially. Maggi nodded eagerly before encouragingly patting her arm. Lilian shot her a thankful smile before turning around.
After a short knock she opened the door. The room was plain. White walls. Long fluorescent lights mercilessly washing away any warm color. Plants in various stages of drying out lining the window sills.
When she entered six pairs of eyes jerked in her direction. They belonged to six men in white coats, sitting more or less bored at the long table. One of the doctors looked as if he were obliged to be here after a long night shift. Pinching the bridge of his nose and blinking rapidly as if that would wake him up more. The others looked at her with undisguised curiosity. She daringly met the gaze of each of them. Looking them up and down just as they did with her.
For them she may was an attraction of some sort. A new face in a small town where everyone knew everyone. But for her, they were nothing special. Even within a normal life span one would now and again meet the same type of persons. Some of them more frequently than others. At one point being able to assess someone within a short period of time. Lilian hated stereotypes as they were mostly untrue, but the concept of categorizing people wasn’t all bad. It was a shortcut for the brain and if done differentiated and careful enough, that shortcut could actually be helpful. Nothing else happened when categorizing diseases or assessing possible employees. But she was aware, that doing that for a whole human, and not only for a certain trait or criteria, wasn’t possible within the approximately 80 to 90 years of a human life. There was just too little time to gather enough experiences. Too many people then ended up stuffed in one box.
Her assessment faltered at one pair of golden eyes. It wasn’t only the color that made her stop, but the look in them too. Curious – yes. But also attentive. Not bluntly staring, but studying her as much as she studied him.
The eyes belonged to a pale man in his thirties. Even in the bright fluorescent lights his skin looked closer to marble or snow than human flesh. His blond hair combed back in a manner that seemed nonchalant and intentional at the same time. Like a look perfected over the years. A faint but warm smile on his lips while he met her gaze.
A shiver ran down her spine. Neither excited nor frightened. But something in between. Those eyes... Those golden eyes... They weren’t normal, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. But whatever he was, he sure wasn’t human. At least not entirely.
She narrowed her eyes at him while the chief doctor – Dr. Meyer – rose from his seat to greet her. The blond doctor didn’t even flinch under her inspection, like he was used being stared at. Which, given his looks, did make sense.
He also didn’t move. Or at least not as much as the others – well the half-asleep doctor excluded. Like a perfect still life at the end of the table. An Adonis carved in marble.
Lilian shook her head at that last thought. He was pretty, that was out of the question. But she had better things to do in her first week than joining the crowd of nurses drooling over him.
So, she dragged her gaze away from him, which much to her annoyance was harder than expected. Could he also be some sort of siren? Maybe lulling her in with his looks? No, she never heard of anything like that. Though you know what they say: never say never…
But before she could think about it further, in her mind already listing all the different non-human species she knew, she was interrupted by Dr. Meyer.
“Dr. White. Pleased to officially welcome you here in our hospital.” The chief doctor said, shaking her hand. She gave him a forced smile while he squashed her fingers.
Having a firm handshake was all fun and games until you wore more than two rings. And she wore at least one on each finger. Dr. Meyer glanced at their hands, undoubtedly also having noticed her jewelry.
In some stories or tales sirens were pictured as mere predators, luring seafarers into the water and to their death. In others they were described closer to nymphs, protecting sailors and saving castaways. But what most stories forgot to mention, was that sirens didn’t only go after the humans, but after everything that went down with a ship. Like magpies collecting everything that sparkled and glistened.
Over the years Lilian had accumulated a considerable number of rings, necklaces, bracelets, pendants and pretty much everything that was either gold, silver or caught the light in a nice way.
And though she knew that it didn’t particularly align with hygiene regulations, she would only take any piece of her jewelry off over her dead body.
Dr. Meyer glanced one last time at her hand before letting it go and introducing her to everyone in the room. She doubted he wouldn’t say anything about her rings, but he probably didn’t want to call her out in front of everyone. A noble move from him.
Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Lilian repeated the name in her mind when the chief doctor introduced the blond doctor. He nodded friendly in her direction before they moved on to the next, though Lilian had to force her gaze away from him. He still threw her off and it annoyed her that she didn’t know why. He was a factor she wasn’t prepared for and there was nothing she despised more. Ariadne had once joked she would always strive for being 200% prepared and that wasn’t even that far from the truth. Always having a plan for anything wasn’t realistic, but one could at least try or not?
Dr. Meyer went on to rattle off the usual information and instructions. Lecturing her about the safety and hygiene concept of the hospital. Handing out a paper with most of the staff’s speed dials and the numbers of their offices, a floor plan, a list with passwords to access certain files, her own password to set up her work computer and what felt like 100 pages for her to sign. Confidentiality agreements, data protection information, house rules and documents she had signed countless times in the past. Though every decade the stack of papers seemed to grow.
“Dr. Cullen will show you around a little.” The chief doctor said, finishing off his monologue about patient and staff safety rules. While that seemed to be the secret signal for everyone else to finally leave the room, Dr. Cullen stayed behind. Gently nudging – who was introduced to her as Dr. Snow – awake, who abruptly lifted his head from the table. Looking around rather dizzy for a second before leaving as well.
Dr. Cullen walked towards them with smooth deliberate steps. His stride calm, measured. There was no hesitation, no wasted motion. His walk more like a catwalk if it weren’t so casual.
For a second the picture of a white lion crossed Lilian’s mind. A predator having chosen its prey and now determinedly approaching. Precise, vigilant, deadly.
It didn’t fit his warm smile and the kind sparkle in his eyes and yet she couldn’t think of another simile.
When he came to stand in front of them there was no real interruption, no falter in his movements. No hitch in his breath, no twitch in his muscles. He just stopped. At one point still walking and then not. Just standing there, perfectly still.
The same shiver as approximately half an hour ago ran down her spine while his eyes flickered over her. Lilian suppressed the urge to hold her breath. It was ridiculous. Not human or not he was only a man, he shouldn’t throw her off so much.
Still he did. And that was unsettling.
“Pleased to show you around.” Dr. Cullen stated, extending his hand. He still smiled at her. Warm, polite. It was irritating how he could seem so friendly and uncanny at the same time.
When Lilian shook his hand it was cool, almost cold. Hospitals surely weren’t the best heated buildings, but even under those circumstances his hand felt more like touching cold stone than anything else. Stone. That was the second thing that was weird about his hand shake. He didn’t squeeze her hand like Dr. Meyer. His handshake was lighter, gentle. But it didn’t feel soft, at least not human-soft. Maybe it was just because she had been intently looking out for any more hints of him being not-human. But his skin felt rather firm. Not like the palms of workers, rough and calloused. But more hard, solid. Like if she were to squeeze his skin wouldn’t give in. Though she couldn’t test that theory as he already let go of her hand.
“Sorry, I have pretty low blood pressure so my hands are always a bit cold.” Dr. Cullen said and she quickly dropped her hand that still hung somewhat halfway in the air.
“I bet your patients love you for that.” Lilian responded jokingly and for a heartbeat Dr. Cullen looked a bit startled. But she couldn’t say for sure as the expression was more of a flicker, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. His face instead depicting a rather amused smile.
“You have no idea.” He whispered conspiratorially and she returned his smile. There was a slight English accent in his words.
“Dr. White?” The chief doctor cleared his throat, looking a bit uncomfortable when she met his gaze.
“Before you go...In regards to the hygiene concept you have signed I…erm…” He stuttered a bit.
“You mean my rings don’t you?” Lilian asked and he nodded, relieved that she had brought it up herself.
“You wear your wedding ring?” She added, keeping her tone polite. Dr. Meyer blinked, a little thrown off.
“Yes. But that is only one ring.”
Lilian’s bracelets jingled softly as she folded her arms in front of her. Her fingers tapping lightly on her upper arms.
“That is true. A ring you most certainly can quickly take of when needed.” Dr. Meyer nodded again, this time more confused.
“But you’re a surgeon so taking off your jewelry quickly is important. That isn’t the case for me. I don’t handle open wounds, blood or sterile equipment. My patients only get in contact with my hands when I shake theirs or offer them tea. For that my rings are hardly a safety hazard, are they?” She asked sweetly. Dr. Meyer swallowed loudly, shifting a bit uncomfortable in front of her.
“I am not saying that it is a completely fair rule. But if I get sloppy with such small details, some might question the bigger, more important rules.” He insistence, holding onto his clipboard like a shield.
Her gaze flickered over to Dr. Cullen. He was watching their discussion interested and she wondered if he would contribute something. At least it looked a little he was going to.