AN: Thanks for giving my story a try – I hope you let me know what you think, good or bad! This is my first story and I am trying to clean it up. I could use all the help I can get so let me know what mistakes you see and I will do my best to fix them!
N - P.O.V
I wish I could have stopped him before he started, before he doomed another. I move closer when he is in a busy area, the scents and sounds around him hind my presence. I eavesdrop from a distance, in an attempt to find out when he's leaving.
He is a predator of the worst kind. Draining humans is one thing, but worse than that he forms relationships with them. He "dates" them, for sometimes months, before he strikes. He plays his role well gaining their trust, devotion and love.
If they live through the experience, he will not try a second time. It is too high of a risk if he has already impregnated her. Then, within days five or six at most he will know if he has been successfully. Either way, he has sentenced her to death. If she is pregnant she will have a slow painful death. If not, at least it will be quick, drained and left somewhere no one will find her. The ones unlucky enough to have a slow death are abandoned with a promise of his return, a work trip or family emergency explains his absence. He leaves them for dead just like he did with my mother.
According to my aunt, my mother was left in the woods miles from her home after he realized she was in fact pregnant. Huilen had followed my mother, Pire, when she left the village in search of her Libishomen lover. When she found him, he told her not to return to her village. He would be back for her after I was born and they would live together forever as libishomen with the child she was carrying.
Distraught over her sister weakened condition Helen refused to leave my mother's side. My mother had been so sure that she would survive and her lover would return to her. While, Huilen believed that I would kill my mother. Of course Helen was right, I tore myself from my mother's body killing her. In the process stole my loving aunt's life as well.
I remember it all, panicking when everything tightens around me, struggling to free myself, and then I was lost to the bloodlust. I bit Huilen has she tried to pull me from my mother's body, she dropped me, and fled, as fed I on my mother. When I awoke from the haze, I realized that I was barely out of the womb and had already taken two lives.
It took me over a day to crawl to Huilen's changing body. When she woke from the change, she kept the vow made to her sister and cared for me like I was her own.
Huilen did not realize what she had become until it was too late. Bloodlust took over; she killed seventeen friends and family before she awoke from her haze. She grabbed me and ran for hours before finally stopping when she broke down crying. After the crying ended, all of her movements came to a halt. She sat leaning on a tree, facing the river, sill as a stone.
I sat on the ground near Huilen and waited, unsure of what to do. Unable to ignore my thirst, I moved to the riverbank, I was leaning down to try to drink when she awoke at last. In a move so fast that I almost missed she had sprung onto the back of a large black caiman alligator, which was stalking me. With her new, unknown strength she accidentally removed his head. I drank caiman rather than the river and that was how we inadvertently learned to survive without killing humans.
I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the memory of my past and force myself to concentrate on the monster sitting at the table below my rooftop perch.
He considers himself a scientist, having come up with the idea of creating vampire-human hybrids. I can only imagine how many girls he has killed in the name of science. He still slips and drains or mutilates most of the women he uses while attempting to create more hybrids.
With his improved senses, he picks the healthiest females, strong, pretty and never younger than twenty or older than thirty. Once the woman has been impregnated, the fetus inside her grows much faster than human fetuses. The fetus is also extremely strong; it easily and often destroys its own existence by killing the mother before it can survive outside of the womb. The fetus grows to full term one month after conception. It uses its own strength and teeth to break out of the contracting womb, when labor begins.
This results in the death of the mother, as the damage is too much for her body to take even with modern medicine. I have tried six times to prevent the death of both child and mother and have saved one child.
This time I'm lucky he hasn't left town yet, meaning I'm early enough to help keep her healthy. In the past, I have always been too late finding them dead already or too close to death for me to save them.
A woman sits down next to him with a quick kiss on the cheek. I move as close as I dare, hoping hear them. She rambles on about nothing of importance, as she looks over the menu. She has not yet noticed the changes in her own body; his nostrils flare trying to pick up changes in her scent. He has asked how she has been feeling; she replies that she is well. That one question and the look on his face is enough for me to believe she is pregnant.
After some conversation over coffee and dessert they walk hand in hand down the street like any normal couple. I already know where they are going, so I don't follow them, fearing that he will find me.
Several hours later I'm waiting on their rooftop. I hear the back door of the complex begin quietly shutting, then I see him run off into the woods without a back words glance. I know that he has left, not just the apartment, but both mother and child. He won't return till after the birth of the child and destruction of its mother, in hopes of picking up his youngest science experiment. Joham, my father, has just left Renée Higginbotham to die on her own while in love with a man who is incapable of love.
~o~
It took me very little time to befriend Renée. I had moved myself into an apartment just down the hall the day after Joham left town. I stopped by asking if I could have some ice because my ice-maker was broken. Renée started chatting away, almost an hour later with ice in hand, we went back to my apartment for smoothies. Lucky for me, I had already had the liquid pre-mixed, so she would not question the contents.
After spending that morning with her I had most of her life story. She was born and raised in Wiscasset, Maine, a very small coastal town of almost four thousand. Renee only had two hundred and thirteen other kids in her high school. When she graduated everyone assumed she stay in town and marry her high school sweetheart. However, Renée had planned on going to college in Dallas, Texas. She needed to get out of that small town; she wanted the big city life and the sun in her face. After turning down Jack, her parents were livid and she left for Dallas in her truck and the rather larger trust fund from her deceased grandfather. The money could only be used for higher education until the age of twenty-five, after that the rest would be at her disposal.
She came down to Belize to do humanitarian work and fell in love with life on the beach. She finally found work at one of the many hotels as a day care worker. At the age of twenty-seven, she has happily sold her small beach cottage and moved in with "Jon", who may or may not be the one. Only now he will be traveling for work over the next three to four weeks. I learned all this on just the first morning with Renée. I can imagine what Joham must have thought when he first met her; strong, right age group, so trusting and beautiful as well.
After that first morning we would meet at the park and people watch. She felt sorry for me, because I look so young and was in an unfamiliar country all-alone. I mostly stuck to versions of the truth when telling her about myself. My mother had in fact died giving birth to me, my aunt raised me, I do have on younger half-sister at home, and I had come to the area searching for my father. All of what is true, my younger sister Aurora is at home with my Aunt. I just failed to bring up the part where my aunt is almost one hundred and fifty-seven years old. Aurora, my sister is only five years old but physically could pass for fifteen or sixteen. I also left off the fact that her boyfriend Jon is my biological father Joham, whom from what I have gathered is around four hundred and fifty years old. Although I may look eighteen, I am old enough to be her great-great grandfather.
A week later Renée finally told me that she thought she was pregnant.
She had called Jon, he returned her call right away. Telling her a story about his family having a history strange pregnancies and not to worry if things seamed moved along rather fast. With his genes the gestation time could a short as six weeks.
She told me she had never heard of such a thing, but as long as he would be back before the due date she would do as he said by not going to the doctors. Renee's trusting nature baffled me, but I told her that I would stick by her side until Jon made it home.
I slowly began to ask her more questions about Jon, what did they do together? What his favorites were? What did he do for a living? How did he like living by the beach? Did Jon like the sun and heat of Belize? What did she think the baby would look like? Would it have her eyes or his? What about the name for the baby his last name or hers? I had quietly over the weeks tried to keep him in the front of her mind. Pointing out, as many of the differences that I could, without telling her who and Jon what was.
I had also been sneaking into her apartment at night to talk with the child while Renée slept.
I told it about our family and how we hunt animals. It's brother and sister would love it no matter what. I told stories of growing up with Aunt Huilen in the Amazon rain forest. Meeting the Amazon coven, Kachiri, Senna and Zafrina. How they never interact with humans or other vampires other than my family. And about the magic pictures that Zafrina can show us with her mind.
I told the child to move as slowly and gently as possible until it was time to come out. That no matter what happens, we would be a family. I would do everything that I could to keep it and Renée safe. Soon we would leave Belize and head back to my family home in the jungle.
B- P.O.V.
I hear the other voice again. It's deep and very soft compared to the other voices I hear.
It tells me, " I will get us out of here, soon. You'll be safe, I promise."
I don't know why it only comes when "Mommy" has not been heard for a while, but I never hear them together. Sometimes he talks for a long time, telling me about the things he has seen and the people he has met along the way.
Other times, like tonight, he just says something short like "be gentle with your mommy."
It's quiet once more other than the steady, lub – dub, that is always with me. I shift around slowly, trying to move without making Mommy hurt. The constant lub-dub stays the same and I know I did it.
I stay still as long as I can; it feels like a long time, longer than I had to wait between, Mommy talking and the deep soft voice. I can't sit still any longer I have to move. I shift a bit to one side, but the lub-dub speeds up and I stop.
"Oh baby, do you always have to wake me by sitting on my bladder? Every time it's always the same. I know you are trying to be a good baby, almost all the bruises are gone now. . ."
Mommy keeps talking and now she is moving around mumbling about all the things we have to do before I come.
~o~
Now we are at his loud place again, I hear many voices and other sounds.
"Hello Nate, how are you this morning?" Nate is very nice he always talks about me and asks Mommy how I am doing.
"I'm great Renée, how are you and the little one?"
"Oh, we are doing fine today, what do think of the name Waverly?"
"Waverly, huh is that for a boy or a girl?"
"Oh, don't be silly, of course it's for a girl!" she giggles.
"What would you call her, Wave? You keep coming up with some of the strangest names. What was it yesterday, oh yes, Nero for a boy? By the way I looked up Nero last night you were right about it begin Roman. He was the emperor who played the fiddled while Rome burned, also his birth name was Lucius."
"I guess Nero is out for a boy, but, I kinda like Lucius."
"I am telling you, as some who was named Nahuel after a tribal word for a jungle cat, stick with the classics."
"Hmm, you may be right, when I get home, I should look up the name of Kings and Queens."
"Right, well Renée here's your smoothie and I put the leftovers in a second cup for you to have with lunch. I'll sop by and see you later. I have lots to do this morning."
"Thanks so much Nate, bye now."
~o~
A loud bang wakes me from my sleep, I must have moved too fast or stretched too far that time. I can feel Mommy rubbing my foot telling me not worry, it's just the door. I always feel so much stronger when Mommy drinks her smoothies. Nate tells me to take it easy on Mommy but he the one that gives her the smoothies that make me so strong. She had two so far today. So I am feeling very strong and don't have much room to move around in here. The lub-dub speeds up, I hear Mommy mumbling quietly but I can't make out the words. She gets louder saying,
"No, no, no– Shit! What am I going to do now? I guess it's time to call Jon again. Not like he will answer anyway."
I hear and feel her move around, then some odd beeping noise.
"Jon, what the hell you told me this place was yours and that we could stay for at least a year without having to worry about rent. It's bad enough that you leave me for work while I am having some freaky pregnancy. Now, I have to find some place to stay in the next two days. I am so pissed at you I can't see straight, some father you will be. I will let you know where I am when I find a place to stay."
Then she lets out a big sigh.
"Don't worry baby, I will figure this all out we are going to be just fine. Even if it's just you and me, we don't need Daddy anyway. I don't know how but I will figure it out, but I always figure it out somehow, maybe. . ."
She keeps talking and walking, I try to stay still because the lub-dub is still going really fast.
N – P.O.V.
I had the messenger deliver the very well foraged eviction notice to Renee's apartment. I waited while she paced and mumbled to herself, then she began to rant loudly. Then she called Jon reading him the riot act to his voicemail. I have to move before he calls back. I count to thirty and dial. I am sure she did not even look to see who was calling because she answered the phone yelling that I better not think that just because she has money he can be some dead beat dad and leave her high and dry.
"Hey, you okay? I was just heading out to get some dinner and wanted to see if you needed me to pick up anything or maybe come with me?"
"Sorry Nate, I thought you were Jon. Umm sure come on by then we can head out, you know I can't cook anyway. I am going to change, the door will be open" I can't be sure if she is laughing or crying now between the sniffing and giggles.
"Alright, see you in few."
I hung up the phone and headed over to her place. When I got to her place I grabbed her phone and shut off the power, then removed both the battery and SIM card. Then placed it back where I found it on the counter.
Renée and I left for a café down the street. She stayed quiet while we walked down the busy street. We arrived, she requested a booth near the back. The hostess a woman in her late fifties looked at her with concerned eyes. After we placed our orders, she let the tears fall.
"I just don't see how I can do this alone Nate, I mean I have begun to see that I don't know Jon as well as I thought I did but . . . A baby on my own? How am I going to pull that off, and what about the strange genes he was telling me about? I mean what will this baby even be like, how am I going to take care of it, I don't know what to expect? And it's getting so big so fast I just don't know what am I going to," I had to cut her off at this point she was almost hyperventilating and bordering on hysterics.
"Just take a deep breath, good now let it out slowly. Good, keep it up, in and out, nice and slow. You have to calm down you don't want the little on getting up set do you?"
She needed to calm herself before the baby gets stressed and starts kicking up a storm and we were starting to draw the attention of the other customers.
"You're right, I know when the baby gets worked up my ribs pay the price," She said. Still breathing deep and slow, and the tears had slowed down some now.
"Okay, now tell me what happened, we can come up with a plan to work it all out." I needed to know what she was thinking her next move maybe so that I could make it work with my plan.
"I guess that I am just freaking out. I have not heard from Jon in like almost two weeks. The last time we talked, he promised to be in touch and made me promise not to go to the doctor. I mean who does that, what kinda father tells you not to go to the doctor when you're pregnant. Then I got an eviction notice and . . . And. . . How. . " Stopping her again.
"Ok, first things first when do you have to leave of the apartment?" Of course I know she has till tomorrow at six in the evening. After her quick reply I told her she was more than welcome to stay with me. After some back and forth about not wanting to hassle my family or me; she agreed. Now moving on to the tough stuff.
" So you have not heard from Jon at all, after he told you about the genetics that may cause the abnormal pregnancy?"
"No." She let out a small sigh "I mean, do you think that he knows? This is just. . . I don't know, the bruises and the fast growing when he said 'strange' this is not what I had in mind. Not that I ever really saw myself as a mother, but its only been like three weeks and I just – what am I going to do?"
"Listen to me, take a deep breath. Good now, I know you said not to talk to anyone about the strange aspects of the pregnancy, but I mentioned some of it to Huilen. She told me that she knows of old stories that have similarities to what you're going though. We think that we can help you and your baby," I say softly.
She stares at me wide-eyed, then takes an another deep breath and lets it out slowly. I give her some time to process what I have said. She knows very little about my aunt, but I am hopping that she remembers that she is obsessed with tribal legends and all things supernatural.
"Your aunt thinks, what's that, um, well, I, yeah, do you think?" she barely spits out.
"Why don't we just talk about this back at my place? Just know that you are not alone, and you don't have to try to do this by yourself."
We rapidly ate our meal. Renée looked contemplative, I could almost see her going over the short list of odd things about Jon in her head. She would open her mouth to speak many times only to snap it shut and look around the café. When we finished our meal we walked back to the apartment complex in a very stifling silence.
After I made Renée her nightly smoothie, we sat on the sofa, she was still not speaking. She simply stared straight ahead, looking at nothing. After what felt like hours, she looked over to me and spoke.
"What's going on? I don't think that it's just your Aunts funny superstitions. I think that you know a lot more that what you're letting on to."
"I do," I said in a soft voice. She rolled her eyes and took a big breath before continuing on.
"I want answers not just, to know that you know what's going on. You have to tell me the truth. You have always been so sweet and kind from the start. Now, I see that you have known what's going the whole time, You knew, you know – but I don't." She is right, of course, I do know and have known the entire time I have been friends with her.
"Yes, I'm aware of many things that you are not. Many things that humans can't know about for their safety. I did approach you with the knowledge that you have been exposed to the supernatural world. However, the real question is do you still trust that everything I have told you is true? I have left out many details, but never told you a lie. I have always done what I can to keep you and your little one safe."
She looks away, staring into the nothingness again. I give her time to think about what I am asking.
Still looking straight ahead, she answers. "Yes. I believe you live with your aunt and younger sister. I do believe that you were here looking for your father and I think – hope you are trying to keep me safe," Renée said, as she turned and looked at me with a watery small smile.
Maintaining eye contact as I ask the most important question.
"Do you trust me? Do you trust me enough to keep you and the little on safe a while longer? Then I vow to answer all of your questions."
"I, um, well, it's not like I have much of a choice," she said with a small huff.
"Okay, just a bit longer and you'll know everything. I want you to go back to your apartment gather some clothes and what matters most to you. Once we leave, it will be a long time before we come back if ever." Her eyes widened and she stood and walked out of the apartment.
.
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an: Please, please, please review and thanks for reading!
This is my first story and I am trying to clean it up. I could use all the help I can get so let me know what mistakes you see and I will do my best to fix them!
Also check out my profile for charter index for this story and a link to photos!
Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight and the twilight characters, no copyright infringement intended.