Dark Fury, Chapter I: Rebirth

It had been a while since I, Bella, had been to the beautiful valley. That is, since I had been there with Edward. I remember so vividly the way that his skin had sparkled in the sun because of his secret and how wonderful the place had been.

Edward Cullen was a vampire. However, I loved Edward, and I wanted to go to the beautiful meadow with him, especially now that Jacob had forbidden him from changing me.

On Friday night, Edward came to my room and, as usual, his perfect appearance took my breath away. I always felt sort of self-conscious around him because of his stunning good looks.

I asked, "Edward, will you take me to the meadow tomorrow?"

His beautiful face broke into his crooked grin and he said in his velvet voice, "Of course, Bella. I owe you so much after what I put you through last year."

I shuddered at his words. He was referring to the time that he had left me, and had attempted to kill himself when he had falsely heard that I had died.

When he had left, I had gone into a depression, only slightly healed by my best friend, Jacob Black. Unfortunately, Jacob and Edward were enemies, seeing to the fact that Jacob was a werewolf.

Seeing the look on my face, Edward frowned and quickly apologized. Instead of being mad at him, I just stared at his face that reminded me of Adonis, and I was forced to smile.

Edward stayed next to me all night and probably watched me sleep because he could not.

As promised, I woke up to see Edward at my bedside. I was amazed at how his perfection was timeless and never changing.

I asked, "Has Charlie already left to go fishing?"

He answered, "Yes. He went about an hour ago."

"Perfect. Can we leave now?"

"Sure," he replied in his wonderful, melting voice.

I got dressed and, when I came out of my room, I saw that he had removed his shirt to reveal his muscular torso. However, I knew this was not just to show off, but also so that his body would sparkle in the light, like a flawless gem. I followed Edward to his silver Volvo and buckled up.

Edward drove and stopped where the road ended and the forest began. We hopped out of the car, and he went on all fours. He looked wild, like a mountain lion in seemingly human form

Then he purred, "Climb on, Bella."

I got on his back and Edward sprinted through the woods at top speed. I was always taken by surprise when I rode on him, like every time was the first time. My hair flew back and I wrapped myself closer to him.

Finally, we burst into a gorgeous, sunny valley. During my depression, I had pictured his sparkling chest, but I realized that I had not done him any justice.

I told him dreamily, "You are just too good for me."

Edward replied, "You have no idea how delicious you smell."

I could not tell if he meant my blood or my scent, but I did not care. Edward came next to me like a flash of lightning. He ran his fingers through my hair and kissed me on the forehead, then the cheek, and finally the lips.

My heart felt like it would burst from my chest. I was so excited and energetic that I could have a heart attack. However, Edward froze and smelled the air.

"Not now," he whispered in anger and frustration.

What?" I replied in confusion.

Then, he said, "Victoria."

My blood felt like it turned to ice and a shiver ran down my spine in horror.

"How could she know that we are here?!"

Edward answered, " I don't know. Maybe she has some way of finding out. Maybe Victoria can- "

His voice broke off as Victoria bolted into the valley, just as Edward had. Except, she was driven by fury, instead of fun.

Her blood red hair blew out like a bonfire, and her sharp fangs were bared. Victoria, as a vampire, would have been unstoppable, but Edward was more than enough to fight her off.

The two vampires clashed like ferocious beasts in the wild. Of course, they were not too far from big cats battling over territory or prey. However, I knew very well that this was not a simple act of hunting prey. Victoria was seeking revenge for Edward's murder of her partner, James.

The pair gradually took their fight-to-the-death match to the forest. They were out of view, which scared me even more because I did not know what was happening. I heard the scuffle and some rustling, then silence. I waited for one of them to enter the valley, but neither was to be seen.

After about fifteen minutes, Victoria came out and ran right at me. I was horrified, not only because I was about to be slowly torn apart and eaten by a vampire, but also because Edward was most likely dead.

When Victoria was about ten feet from me, I heard something like the sound of running feet in the distance. Unlike me, she was not distracted by the subtle noise. Just as she bit me and started tearing, I saw Edward sprinting forward at a faster speed than ever before.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" he roared as he ran.

He tackled Victoria off and started to destroy her. Edward's expression was filled with pure fury and hate. Once she was torn to shreds, he turned to me and tried to suck the venom from my supernatural injury.

However, Edward had forgotten to burn her remains. Her flesh came together as if the last minute or two hadn't happened, and she attacked Edward from behind.

Surprised, he spun around before he could perform the removal of the vampire's venom. As they fought for a second time, I saw my wound igniting into flame. I knew that it would be too late for Edward to stop the spreading by the time that he officially murdered Victoria.

If the pain had not been so strong, I might have even dared to grin. However, I was to the point that I was crying and screaming in pain. It felt like I was being pierced by a hundred spears and burned alive at the same time. Half of that was true, of course. I was hurting so much that a simple task such as opening my eyes was a feat.

Once I was able to open my eyes, I saw that the fire, which had begun at the bite, had disappeared.

Edward killed Victoria and burned the mess that was the product of his final attack. I was right; Edward realized that the venom had already spread through my blood. He hugged me close to his body.

"So you will finally be one of us," he said.

I tried to respond, but the pain of talking was so excruciating that I cringed.

I was hurting in every place and way, but I knew something that would keep me alive.

My dream had come true. Perhaps it was unseen and uninvited, but still: I was going to live with Edward for eternity.

I forced out, "Edward, I'm a vampire."

"I know, Bella. I love you."

In a faint voice, I replied, "I know."

It started to rain for a short while and the fire that had finally killed Victoria was suddenly extinguished.