I don't own Twilight or the characters.

Chapter 1

Victoria POV

I haven't left the forest since discovering he was dead. The weeks or months that have pass have been semi catatonic for me, I hardly hunt, and only when someone wanders to deep into the forest. I can hardly think pass the pain, and what little of me that can wants revenge.

I know that if I killed that little human, they would all feel the pain I'm feeling now. The demon in me wants to make them suffer. To see the agony in their eyes, watch them crumble in on themselves from the loss. However, as much as the demon longs to be set free, I keep it locked up.

So, here I am. Sitting in a tree twenty feet in the air. Wishing that if I jumped I'd die, knowing I never will. I sometimes wonder how things ended up where they are. Maybe if I had stayed with my sire, I wouldn't be here. I honestly don't know, besides nothing will change how things are.

Nothing will change things. Nothing can turn back time. Nothing will bring him back. Those thoughts keep circling in my head. Those thoughts were helping me start to think again. I started to feel outside the pain and longing of revenge.

I started thinking about how I ended up here. How had I ended up the monster I'd become? My new life hadn't started off like this. I mean the vampire that turned me wasn't evil, yes, she hunted humans. However; the humans she hunted were dying already, or murders and rapists. So, how had I ended up hunting humans in cruel games.

I remember the first game that James had made me help in. I had hated that I'd enjoyed the chase, and afterwards I'd felt horrible and guilty. Of course the next time James found another human to hunt, I was forced to help. After awhile I just gave in, I loved him and hated fighting with him.

Of course things changed, we had to hear that baseball game. I knew as soon as that family lunged to protect her, that he'd found his new game. I remember after he'd gotten back from her house, how I'd begged him to just let her be. By this time I knew Laurent had left, I'd known for awhile he was getting tired of James's games.

No matter what I said, he wouldn't change his mind. I knew this hunt wouldn't turn out good. All the odds were against us, seven to two, weren't good odds. I think that just made the game even better for him. I'm still not sure what he thought was going to happen, even if he had succeeded, they would have gone after us. How had he thought he was going to get away with it?

I almost choked at the next thought, had he insisted that I be in the hunts so he could use my self preservation ability? If so, did he actually care about me? Or did he just like the idea of controlling me and being able to use me like pawns in one of his games? When had I let him take complete control over me?

I remember when I had first met up with him. I had been a nomad for awhile, I had joined up with him because I missed company. I had missed being in a coven. When I first joined everything was…okay. We traveled together for awhile but still kept to ourselves, and that had been fine with me. When I had first joined I had made sure to stick with the way I had been taught to hunt, which James criticized constantly.

Thinking back now, if I'm honest with myself, I can admit that it wasn't until he discovered my ability for a self-preservation that he started pushing a relationship between the two of us. That, that was the beginning of him being controlling, and he started his games more often.

Realizing that I have to wonder. If I was nothing more than a play toy he could use and control, why am I sitting here thinking about revenge? Shouldn't I be thanking them for helping me out of a very unhealthy relationship. One that I'm not even sure where it would have ended.

I decided then that I wasn't going to stay here in this forest anymore mourning for someone that probably didn't care about me and was only using me. I also wasn't going to continued my hunting habits, I didn't want to be a monster. I never had, just somewhere along the way I got lost. I had two choices I could go back to the way I had hunted before on murders and rapists, or I could try to hunt animals like the Cullen's.

Hmm, the Cullen's. The way they looked out for that human they were probably expecting me to attack, especially if Laurent had talked to them, and I really wanted to try there diet out. I wanted to be able to ask them about it, I'm honestly not sure if the longing I felt at the thought of them was more for the idea of there diet and not being a monster or the idea of company. However, I couldn't just walk up to them asking for help, if they even thought I was in the area they'd kill me before I could do anything in my defense.

I jumped out of the tree and began to run, back to the place that had started the latest twist in my life…Forks.

By the time I'd arrived in Forks, I had my plan together. I just hoped it worked. So, here I am sitting on a branch of a tree about eighty feet up. I had spent an hour trying to mask my scent, I was so grateful Forks was nothing but trees, especially tall trees. About five miles out of the city limits I had started traveling through the tree tops so that no one on the ground could smell me. I was now just a couple hundred yards into the forest that surrounded the human girl, Bella's house.

I hoped that if I could get her on her own I'd be able to get a message to the Cullen's, I knew it was a risk, I could piss them off by talking to her. However, it was my only option, and I just hoped it worked. I was interrupted from my thoughts my the sound of footsteps entering the forest. Looking down I saw the human girl and the Cullen that had kill James, stopping about hundred yards away. I expected to feel just a little angry at him, but surprisingly I felt nothing accept curiosity at what they were doing in the forest. Hmm, I guess I was more over James then I thought.

I stopped my marveling and focused back on them, trying desperately to quiet my thoughts, so that he wouldn't notice me. He didn't which I found a little odd. He must be really focus on something.

"Okay, let's talk," The girl said.

"Bella, we're leaving." He stated. I started to panic. What if I wasn't able to talk to Bella alone before they left? If I wasn't able to get on her own, I wasn't sure what I'd do. I mean I could try and track them down, but they were probably going to change her when they left. She would probably kill me with her newborn strength before she'd let me have a chance to explain.

"Why now? Another year-"

"Bella, it's time. How much longer could we stay in Forks, after all? Carlisle can barely pass for thirty, and he's claiming thirty-three now. We'd have to start over soon regardless."

When she spoke next, she seemed almost…confused? Which didn't make sense, of course, they would have to leave, or else arouse the suspicion of the humans.

"When you say we-,"

"I mean my family and myself," He said in a cold and harsh voice. What was he talking about, the leader of his coven said she was one of them, that was why they had protected her the way they had. She was his mate. Why wasn't he planning on taking her?

"Okay, I'll come with you."

"You can't, Bella. Where we're going… It's not the right place for you."

"Where you are is the right place for me."

"I'm no good for you, Bella."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're the very best of my life." As I listened to their small argument trying to make sense of it, I noticed her voice becoming more pleading.

"My world in not for you."

"What happened with Jasper-that was nothing, Edward! Nothing!" I was getting more dumbfounded by the second, wasn't Jasper one of his coven. What could he have done that would cause him to leave his mate unprotected.

"You're right. It was exactly what was to be expected."

"You promised! In Phoenix, you promised that you would stay-"

"As long as that was best for you."

"No! This is about my soul, isn't it? Carlisle told me about that, and I don't care, Edward. I don't care! You can have my soul. I don't want it without you-it's yours already!"

To me it sounded like she was trying to be angry, but her words were pleas still. She was practically begging him. As I listened to her sounding more desperate I starting to get pissed off. How could he claim that she was his mate, and then carelessly hurt her.

"Bella, I don't want you to come with me."

"You…don't…want me?" Her tone was laced with confusion and hurt, and I wanted nothing more then to comfort her.

"No." At his words I saw a dozen emotions flash in her eyes before they just went blank. She looked as numb as I had been for the last several months.

"Well, that changes things." I was a little shocked at how clam she sounded.

"Of course, I'll always love you…in a way. But what happened the other night made me realize that it's time for a change. Because I'm…tired of pretending to be something I'm not, Bella. I am not human. I've let this go on much too long, and I'm sorry for that." As he'd spoken he look around at the trees, I stiffened for moment until he looked back at her with cold look and icily eyes.

"Don't. Don't do this." She barely whispered.

"You're not good for me, Bella." He said, twisting his earlier words. As he said that I saw acceptance on her face, like she agreed with his words.

"If…that's what you want."

He nodded

"I would like to ask one favor, though, if that's not too much." The look on her face when he spoke was painful to look at, I don't think she knew how she looked, devastated didn't even covered it.

"Anything."

"Don't do anything reckless or stupid. Do you understand what I'm saying?" He ordered.

She nodded.

"I'm thinking of Charlie, of course. He needs you. Take care of yourself-for him."

She nodded again.

"I will."

"And I'll make you a promise in return. I promise that this will be the last time you'll see me. I won't be back. I won't put you through anything like this again. You can go on with your life without any more interference from me. It will be as if I'd never existed."

She was starting to shake, I was starting to worry she'd have a heart attack or something.

"Don't worry. You're human-your memory is no more than a sieve. Time heals all wounds for your kind." He said continuing.

"And your memories?" She asked, sounding like she was choking. How she could still care about how he would handle things, when he was shredding her heart was beyond me.

"Well, I won't forget. But my kind… we're very easily distracted. That's everything, I suppose. We won't bother you again." He smiled and took a step back.

Something about his statement seemed to surprise her.

"Alice isn't coming back?" She whispered.

He shook his head, slowly.

"No. They're all gone. I stayed behind to tell you goodbye."

"Alice is gone?" She asked, disbelief coloring her tone.

"She wanted to say goodbye, but I convinced her that a clean break would be better for you." She didn't respond to what he said.

"Goodbye, Bella." He said in a quiet voice.

"Wait!" She choked out, reaching for him.

I watched as he grabbed her wrists in his hands, pinning them to her sides. He leaned down, and kissed her forehead briefly.

"Take care of yourself." He whispered, and then left.

Her eyes flashed open as he left, and I watched in mild surprise as she shakily tried to follow him into the forest. Figuring, that it was probably safe I climbed down from my perch on the tree. I followed her into the forest, just thinking about what I would do now. I still couldn't just go to the Cullen's. Even if that asshole didn't want anything to do with her, that didn't guarantee the others wouldn't kill me at first sight.

Besides there was this odd pull to this human girl. I didn't think I'd be able to leave her, especially not in the broken state she was in. Now my only choice I had left was did I make myself known or not? I wasn't sure. Deciding to leave that debate for later, I looked around to check on her. She kept stumbling and falling, but seemed determined to find him. I think she knew it was pointless, but just couldn't stop.

Hours passed, and just as the sky started to darken she tripped again, only this time she didn't get back up. She lay there curled in on herself, just staring ahead into the trees. I watched her, torn as to what to do for awhile. After about thirty minutes it started to rain, making my decision for me. Taking a deep breath I stood up from were I'd been sitting. I wasn't sure how she'd take my approach, but I was going to do what I could to help her through this and keep her from becoming anything like the numb mindless creature I'd been for the last few months. So taking one last breath, I stepped from the trees and into her line of vision.