Authors Note: Okay, guys, this is the first chapter of our collaborated fanfiction Will-o'-wisp. In case you were wondering, the definition of a will-o'-wisp is below:
The will-o'-the-wisp, sometimes will-o'-wisp or ignis fatuus Latin, from ignis ("fire") + fatuus ("foolish"), plural ignes fatui refers to the ghostly lights sometimes seen at night or TWILIGHT [ironic, eh?] over bogs, swamps, or marshes. It looks like a flickering lamp, and is sometimes said to recede if approached. Much folklore surrounds the phenomenon.
This chapter was written by me, Qaralia. The next one will be written by etherealloveliness.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. They belong to Stephenie Meyer.
"Bella, I don't want you anymore," Edward said, his voice cold, watching my face.
"You....don't want me?" I stuttered, my heart breaking.
"No," he said. With that small word, my world shattered into a million fragments, impossible to put together again.
"You're just a distraction to me, you're not good for me Bella. My family and I will not be coming back. It will be as though we never existed."
"If that is really what you want....." I trailed off, unsure and unwilling to continue.
"Just promise me one thing," he requested. I nodded, my eyes glued to his beautiful pale face, taking in his burning gold eyes and messy bronze hair.
"Anything," I whispered.
"Don't do anything reckless. For Charlie's sake. He needs you to take care of him," he said. I nodded again.
"Good bye, Bella," he said, and with that, he was gone, disappeared into the dark forest.
I was not aware of the fast movement of my feet, in a vain attempt to follow his trail. The only thing I could feel was the pain, ripping through me, destroying all rational thought, shutting down my body. I collapsed, and wrapped my arms around my torso, trying to stem the searing pain.
An unmeasurable amount of time later, I heard a twig snap behind me. I felt cool hands grasp my neck and teeth sank into my throat, disappearing a second later. But in that short amount of time, venom was injected into my bloodstream. The searing pain, the endless fire I had felt once before, when James had bitten me in the ballet studio. But there was no loving Edward to save me this time, no Carlisle to give me morphine. I was changing into a vampire. Vaguely I thought that I was finally getting my wish. The pain took over me then.
I screamed as loud as I could and thrashed all around, trying to get away from what was inside of me. I thought I heard a high, cold laugh behind me, but at that point, nothing was clear to me. Nothing but the raging wildfire of the venom coursing through my veins. I fell unconscious, trying to get away from it, but still enduring the fire nonetheless.
The next thing I was aware of was the small areas of me the venom had left. My fingertips and toes were blissfully cool and pain-free. The pain in my heart and chest increased though. I became aware of my senses heightening. I could hear the insects buzzing in the air and rabbits sleeping in their dens. I could smell the blood going through the veins of deer nearby me.
The burning continued to retreat from my limbs and gathered in my torso. My heart stuttered twice, beat once more, then stopped. The transformation was over.
I lay on the forest floor, not wanting to move. I breathed in air I no longer required. Then, slowly, my eyes opened. I saw with total clarity. I could see each individual hair on every leaf of the trees above my head. I could also feel the burn in the back of my throat, an echo of the venom that had changed me. I needed to hunt. The question was should I hunt animals like Ed-......him, or humans. Just then, his voice echoed in my head.
"It will be as though we never existed."
If it was as though he never existed, why should I drink animal blood? They said it never satisfied that burning, the ache in my throat. I made up my mind. I got up from my position on the forest floor and brushed dirt and leaves off myself. I was momentarily stunned at how smooth my skin seemed, then shrugged it off. I would have time to look at myself later. Now was time to hunt. I took a moment to try and catch the scent of a human. My nostrils flared as I smelled two human beings to the west of where I was right now. Fools.
I took off in the direction of the hikers, amazed at how fast I could run. I could tell that even if I weren't a newborn, I could run faster than any human eye could follow. The trees seem to move back to make space for me. I stopped a few feet away from the hikers, hiding in the trees around me. I could hear their debate easily.
"....you have no idea where we are, Tim!" a man in hiking gear with light brown hair and blue eyes yelled at the other man.
"Well, we wouldn't be here if someone didn't want to go looking for deer to photograph for that stupid nature magazine!" the other man replied, holding a map and gazing at it in confusion.
The smell was too strong here for me to bear. I launched myself out of the trees and latched onto the neck of the second man, Tim. He screamed and tried to beat me off as his partner ran off in terror. I smiled at him and sank my teeth into his throat.
Bliss. That was the only word to describe the feeling of the hot blood, flowing down my throat and soothing the burn. Too soon, though, he was drained. I shoved him off me, then caught the scent of the other man a few hundred yards away from where I was now. I caught up to him in a second and drained him too. To my displeasure, the burn in my throat wasn't fully gone, though it was much more bearable.
I sighed and sat down in the grass. Well, what to do now? There was no way I wanted to be a nomad. I wanted to have a purpose in this new eternal life. And right now the only thing that came to mind was the Cullens. I winced as I thought the name. Get over it, Bella, I thought to myself. If there was one thing I wanted right now, it was revenge on my so-called family for deserting me and leaving me so broken. What had he said before he left me? Oh yeah, something about Italy and the Volturi as the vampire royalty.
The Volturi sounded like they had a lot of power. They could help me punish the Cullen family for what they did.
I stood up, my mind set. How to get to Italy though? No way I was going on a plane. I guess I would have to run and swim when I got to the ocean. Maybe I could steal a boat from somewhere. With a smile, I started running toward the direction I knew to be east. I was starting my long journey to the country of Italy for revenge on those vampires who had wronged me.
A/N: Okay guys, there's your first chapter! Please review and send me any suggestion you have for the story! Don't forget to vote on my poll for who you want Bella to end up with. Next chapter will be written by etherealloveliness.