Fragilely Immortal
Prologue
February, 1941
University of California, Berkley Campus
The young man walking to his dormitory was ecstatic. He had been chosen to be Dr. Seaborg's new laboratory assistant, and had just finished the paperwork that committed him to a two-year, paid internship with the famous chemist. He was scheduled to graduate in May, and this development would keep him from having to enter the draft for the developing world war.
Not that the young man thought that there was anything wrong with fighting for his country – it was just that his talents leaned more toward the research and development part of the war, rather than the actual fighting. Rumor had it that Dr. Seaborg was on the verge of discovering a new, radioactive element – something that could possibly be used in a weapon to fight the Nazis and their allies.
As thoughts of scientific discovery and possible Nobel Prizes danced through his head, the young man did not take notice of his surroundings. It was very dark – the moon was completely hidden by clouds of the darkest gray, and no light penetrated them. The street lamps were placed too far apart to adequately illuminate the path, and there were voids of shadow and darkness between them. The darkness could not extinguish the triumph he felt at being selected for Dr. Seaborg's program, the joy. It felt as if his entire life had been moving toward this point in time, and he relished it.
He was already making a queue in his mind, the order in which he would contact his loved ones to tell them the news. His father would be the first – serving in the United States Navy, he'd have to be contacted by telegraph. The man would be extraordinarily proud of his son – he was content with his life in the armed forces, but had always known his son would amount to more than a mere soldier.
Next his mother, who could be reached by telephone. His younger sisters would probably be at home as well, making the call efficient. Citizens, including students at UC Berkley, were encouraged to keep the switchboards clear of everything non-essential, to do their part to aid the war effort.
The young man, caught up in his happy thoughts, did not realize that he was being followed. Truthfully, even if he had been at full alert, he would not have caught the stalker. There were no footfalls to give him away, not even the lightest breathing to hear. The predator slid between the shadows effortlessly, his elegant but obscure clothing making him all but invisible in the night.
The hunter was excited, too. He had just fed on a young co-ed down by the pond, and easily disposed of the body in the science department's industrial incinerator. Well-fed and satisfied, he had actually been on his way back to his lair, a home outside of the campus' sprawling streets. He was careful to keep the exterior of the dwelling dilapidated and the windows boarded, in order to avoid curiosity. He was thinking of ways to fill his time until the next night's feed, when he'd caught the scent of the young man in front of him.
It was perfect. The astonishingly beautiful killer was not only that, a killer – he fancied himself every bit as much a scientist as the young man he was stalking. A dark alchemist, a Doctor Frankenstein, even. The nuances and subtleties between those like himself and those he hunted had always fascinated him. His most recent infatuation was with the idea of creating, instead of murdering. He'd known for years that the venom that coated his razor-edged teeth was capable of making another vampire, even if he himself wasn't. Several times he'd tried, to no avail – he had not been able to stop feeding in enough time to leave a token amount of blood in his victim, enough to carry the venom to the heart and through the body. This time, with a stab of hope, he realized that it might be possible.
The young man in front on him was handsome – the vampire noted this in a very matter-of-fact way, even though he himself was unattracted. It was his scent that had caught his attention, caused him to divert from his route home. The surprising unattractiveness of his scent had been what drew him in, not the other way around.
Most humans smelled delicious to the hunter. Some better than others, but all were generally fantastic both in scent and taste. This particular vampire preferred young women – he was able to frighten them enough before the kill to actually taste the adrenaline and fear in their blood. Once, he had run across a female who's scent had been so irresistible, he'd ventured into the sunlight and risked exposure rather than let her get away.
This was a first, however. The young man's scent was so bland, so boring, that it had stood out among all the others in the area. The hunter was saturated with the hope that, if the taste was as plain as the smell, he would be able to leave the young man alive. The fact that he had just fed well would only add to his chances of success.
The young man's route was bringing the both of them closer to the dormitories, to the lights. The hunter made up his mind to take him, to try once more to create another vampire. The young man heard nothing as the vampire sprung, wrapping his arms around him. The predator stole him through the dark yards of the campus, making haste for his own home. The young man screamed in confusion and horror at this sudden, inhuman abduction, but the vampire only smiled. By the time anyone came to investigate the cries, if they even did, the two of them would be long gone. As he traversed the moonless city with blinding speed, he talked to the struggling human in his unbreakable grasp.
"Don't struggle," he whispered encouragingly in his captive's ear. "I don't think I'll kill you. You'll be more likely to survive if you don't fight, if you don't scream. Trust me," he purred seductively, and for a wonder, the young man did cease his struggles. He did not trust the vampire, as he'd suggested, but he believed him. There was something honest in the suggestion that he wouldn't kill him on purpose. The young man's honed, scientific mind presented him with the best course of survival, given these sudden, horrifying circumstances, and he accepted it. Survival required he do what his abductor said. It was because of this that the vampire was able to slip into his den undetected by another soul, left to experiment with this suddenly cooperative victim to his heart's content.
This time would be different. This time, he would succeed.
Author's Note : This is my first attempt at a fic in the Twilight fandom. Please let me know how you think it's going so far. Fair warning – this isn't going to be your typical cutesy Twilight fic. I plan on having lots of darkness and angst, and no one here is going to fall in love with a human. Probably. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy, and please review!