All righty, this isn't my first-ever story, but it is my first story that anyone other than myself has read. So hopefully it won't be too dreadful. Let me know how I did?
Hilary
Preface
Through her narrowed eyes, the young woman watched as the gorgeous man dropped into a crouch; back stiff and legs bent he was prepared to pounce. His scarlet eyes focused on her and judged the distance between them. All too soon, he lunged. In the next instance, the girl was on the ground and staring up at a rare cloudless sky, wondering when death would fall upon her.
She felt his cool breath on her neck and anticipated his teeth sinking into her flesh. When reality set in, she began to scream. Not even bothering to stifle her, the man bit down. The air left her lungs in a whoosh and she began to feel lightheaded. After everything I've been through, she thought, I can't believe it's going to end this way—at the teeth of a vampire. Her screams died down to frequent whimpers. The vampire raised his head and met her gaze. Blood, her blood, dripped from his chin onto her shirt. He stroked her cheek gently.
"Shh. It will all be over soon."
She could no longer feel her fingers or toes. The vampire bent over her neck to finish what he started, and seconds later, she could feel nothing except the mind-numbing pain in her neck. However, the venom did exactly the opposite. It allowed her to feel every split second of fire that raged through her throat, heading to her heart. Her vision blackened around the edges, until all she could see was darkness.
"Goodbye, Isabella," a sweet, velvety voice whispered through her head.
"Don't cry," the vampire said, while wiping tears she did not know about from her face. "It's over now." Her eyes closed, her breathing slowed, and she could barely feel her heart beating out an irregular rhythm.
"Goodbye Edward," she whispered. Her heart stopped beating and Bella lay motionless on the meadow floor.
The vampire finished feeding before he wiped his mouth and chin on the girl's shirt and stood up. He began to walk into the forest and disappear, when a pack of wolves appeared from the opposite side of the clearing. The second largest wolf, a russet colored one, sniffed at the girl and let out a wail of unmistakable grief. Then the wolf reared back on its hind legs and lunged for the retreating vampire.
The creature fell to the ground under the weight of the giant wolf. With a horrible screeching noise, the vampire's arm was ripped from his body. Along with his other arm, his legs and head were also disassembled. Breathing heavily, the wolf backed off and began to shake violently. In the spot where the huge russet wolf had once stood, now was a young Quileute boy. Pulling on his cut-off jeans, he walked over to the girl lying in the grass. He crouched down and brushed the hair from her face.
"Oh, Bella," he murmured. "I'm so sorry I'm late." And the tears he was trying so hard to hold back spilled out of eyes and rained down upon her.
"Jacob." The boy turned to see his four Quileute brothers in their human forms also.
"We were too late," Jacob sobbed as the eldest sat in the grass beside him. "Sam, we were too late. It's all my fault."
"How Jacob? You weren't the one who caught his scent. You couldn't have done anything," Sam reasoned, trying to comfort the grieving boy.
"I should have though." Sam shook his head. "You had no way of knowing that bloodsucker would find her."
"I guess," Jacob mumbled. Sam stood and suggested, "We should take the body to the father."
"'The body'? She might be dead, but she's still Bella. How are we going to explain the bite marks to Charlie?" Jacob asked. None of the other Quileutes answered, it was up to Sam, the Alpha.
He hesitated, and then said, "We'll have to get rid of her body. Or we can claim she was mauled by a bear."
"But she doesn't look like she was attacked by a bear," one of the other boys pointed out.
Sam looked at him levelly. "Not yet, Embry." Then he turned his attention back to Jacob, who crouched protectively over Bella's body.
He glared at the pack leader through narrowed eyes. "No," he snarled. "There is no way I will allow that."
Sam shook his head sadly. "There is no other way, Jacob. We have to." He stared off in the direction they had chased the bloodsucker, coming up with a different course of action. "We could give her a proper burial—but only us Quileutes could attend. We tell those who are trustworthy the true story, but no one else. Not even Chief Swan.
"When he begins to wonder where his daughter is, we'll 'search' for her. We will not be able to find any trace of her…except for her bloodied shirt. That way, he'll think Bella was attacked—like she was, but instead of a vampire attack, a bear attack."
Jacob relaxed onto the ground beside Bella's lifeless body while he mulled this new plan over. "All right," he finally croaked. "We'll do it that way." He spoke sadly, looking down at Bella's sweet face.
"Let's go," Sam ordered. "Give Jacob some privacy." Ushering Embry and the other boys towards the trees, Sam called over his shoulder, "Take as much time as you need, Jacob. We won't be listening." Then he, too, disappeared into the forest, his footfalls making not a sound.
Jacob picked Bella up carefully and laid her gently across his lap. Stroking her hair, he let the new tears flow over.
"I'm sorry, so sorry, Bella," he whispered. "I love you. Nothing will ever change that. Goodbye Isabella Swan."
He threw his head back and let out a wail so loud and laced with agony, it made all forest activity freeze. No bird sang its song. No insect scuttled across a branch. Not even the wind blew through the trees.
