I moved to Seattle to start a band, so I guess it's not too surprising I ended up a vampire. I mean, both keep odd hours, torture humans and drink blood (well, if you're Black Sabbath. Or Keith Richards).
I think I sort of knew from the start how things would end up. I mean, I had an idea. It was like some deranged destiny. (I guess God knew any-old-destiny wasn't going to fly with me).
For starters, I've been obsessed with Seattle for as long as I can remember. Alright, since 1990. I was ten and Kurt Cobain was here to entertain me. I decided I was going to become the female equivalent of Kurt Cobain. Minus the Love.
I bought a guitar. But instead of practicing, I carried it around in a cool case. When (cute) boys asked me if I played, I constructed elaborate lies. Sometimes I was in a metal group called Agro Aphobia; other times a blues trio called Calamity Jane & the Mystery Band.
Apart from highlighting my bad knack for band-naming, these ideas also tended to get me into trouble. Which is exactly what had happened when I was rescued by Edward Cullen.
I was attempting to board a night bus without paying. (At the time, I was living off a very depressed Credit Card). I needed to get to the Soup Kitchen before last orders, but I didn't think the bus driver would be as impressed by that. So I was trying to convince her that I was in a band (?)
"Listen, I have to get to a show! My band is waiting. I promise you, my Manager will pay you the second we get there," I swore up and down.
She did not look convinced. She did look constipated.
"No fare. No ride. Get off my bus," she threatened.
Her threats only seemed to encourage me. "Please ma'am, you wouldn't want to deny the fair people of Seattle a truly amazing gig. Seriously, we're the most mind-blowing band since Nirvana." Wow. That was an unfortunate adjective.
"Off. My. Bus." she stated.
"Get off the bus!" Some jerk in the back added.
"Excuse me!" I called back at him. "This is between me and this lovely lady. Keep your freaking mouth shut!"
"You're holding up the bus!" he called back.
I was about to kick some serious ass (okay, possibly not). When I felt a hand on my arm. Normally I would have jumped out of my skin, but for some reason, I felt incredibly peaceful, like there was sunlight shooting through my veins. I could feel the slight contact of his body behind me. The air between us felt empty and hungry, like it needed to shut.
Then a smooth voice unfurled a ribbon of words. "Why don't you let her off, just this once?" it said.
I nodded dumbly. The bus drivers constipated face relaxed and she said, "Sure, why not."
My mouth dropped and I jerked from the alien touch. "No fair! Why'd you listen to him!" I complained.
I felt the warm heat of his breath on my neck as he hissed, "Just shut up and sit down!" Even though he was scolding me, I could sense a slight smile behind his words.
I huffed and did as I was told. Plopping down on the first open seat and resting my feet on my guitar case. The boy followed behind, like my unofficial shadow.
The bus jerked forward and I bumped his shoulder. As we trundled along, he remained completely still.
I glanced at his face. I felt my breath catch in my throat. I had to look away before I got a proper look. Just that one glimpse had produced a ridiculously agonizing sensation. He was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. And yes, I mean creature, because that was the only way to describe him. There was no way such a thing could be human.
He looked over at me and I tried to focus on the streets ahead of us. My cheeks were burning.
"You could say thank you, you know," he teased.
I swallowed. "I would have been fine on my own," I insisted, avoiding his gaze. How could anyone be so beautiful? How could anyone so beautiful be talking to me?
He laughed lightly. "No, you wouldn't have, Jane." I gasped, then looked at him and almost gasped again. He smirked playfully. "I've been watching you."
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A/N: I will probably give up on this if no one's interested, so I would love to hear if people like it. xoxo