When the homeless clouds starts vanishing, and the river freezes over.
I can watch the sunlight melt the snow; I can feel a new light start to grow.
But I still got miles to go before I sleep.
Still got miles to go before all is revealed.
-Stateless, Miles to Go
Chapter One
Burning.
The fierce waves of blistering agony rolled through his veins. He felt the sharp snaps of his bones splintering and then fusing back together.
Paralyzed.
He violently flailed his limbs around, thrashing his head in his meager attempt to extract his body from the flames that seared every fiber inside his being. But he could not move. He could not so much as lift a finger.
He fought and fought but could not escape. Wasn't death supposed to be peaceful and easy?
In one last desperate attempt to free himself from this living hell, he tried to see something. But all he saw was black and blood red veins pulsating through his mind.
Screaming.
Screaming the whole time, screaming with a raging level of intensity that he never believed he could reach. The blood pounded through his heart, his heart and veins rapidly pulsating as if they were about to burst.
The pain grew stronger and stronger. He willed himself to lift a finger, to utter some audible noise, anything.
Suddenly, everything was still and silent.
This is it, he though. I'm dead.
His eyes shot open, and he sat bolt upright.
He put his hand to his face, expecting it to be dripping with sweat.
Nothing.
He slowly ran his fingers through his hair, surprised to find it there and intact. He stared at his arms, turning them over to look for any signs of being burned. There were no signs of the flames that had, moments ago, engulfed his entire body. He suddenly realized that his clothes were damp, but could not remember why.
He put his hands over his eyes and rubbed them, confused.
Then it all came back to him.
Bella, the creature that had killed her. She was dead. The cliff, the waves. The pain. The sickening crunching of his bones shattering. The water. Water all around him, filling his lungs, filling his stomach, turning him into a human water balloon.
Finally, he realized that he was no longer in that icy water, nor was he in those poisonous flames. He removed his hands from his eyes and looked around.
The first thing he saw was a highway quickly rolling away in front of him. He realized after a moment of confusion that he was in the passenger's seat of a car.
He tensed up as he realized that he was no longer alone, and cautiously turned to look at the driver.
The driver was a stranger. She had large, dark sunglasses covering nearly half of her face. She was young and had long, dark hair that cascaded down her back in a mountain of curls. She was ghastly pale… almost like a vampire. But she didn't have the scent of a vampire.
"Here, drink this," the mysterious young woman commanded, holding a bottle out to him as she stared at the road ahead. He could not see what was in the bottle; not that it mattered.
"No," he replied with that same cold tone.
"I really think you're going to want to drink that," she drawled, still keeping her eyes glued to the road.
"And I really don't think so," he said, shoving the bottle back toward her.
She sighed and shoved it into the cup holder at her side, not saying another word.
After a long moment of silence, he realized that he was going to have to be the one to speak first.
"So… who the hell are you?"
She smiled. "I'm the girl who just saved your life. Who are you?" she chided back.
Now he felt his irritation growing. He didn't feel the vibrations coursing through his body yet, but if she didn't start giving him some answers soon, he knew it was only a matter of time before he would phase into the wolf right here in her car and kill her. Not to say the idea was unappealing at the moment.
"Where are we going?" he tried again.
"Back to my house," she answered, still keeping her eyes on the road ahead.
"Why?"
No answer.
"Look, just take me back to Washington. Now," he commanded angrily. Still, the wolf showed no signs of appearing.
"Sorry, can't do that," she replied, the icy edge back in her voice.
"Yes, you can!" She ignored him yet again, keeping that shielded gaze on the lines of the road as they flew by.
This is it, He though. Here comes the wolf.
Nothing. He felt panic beginning to arise, though he managed to hide his terror from her. He did not want this cold bitch to have the satisfaction of seeing it.
"I'm Kathryn," she said, finally tearing her eyes away from the road to meet his gaze. She pulled the sunglasses away from her face, revealing it to him for the first time.
She had silvery blue eyes that were dazzling; they seemed to be glowing. He was mesmerized by that gaze and by her angelic beauty. He thought of the blonde Cullen, who everyone thought of as the most quintessential example of perfection. But she was hideous compared to this girl.
Looking back into her eyes, he realized that past that otherworldly eye color there was a certain look. He couldn't decide what exactly that look was; simply that, if he were not so irritated with her, he would have been terrified out of his mind.
"I know, I look intense," she said as her lips danced between a smirk and a smile. "I guess that's what happens when you have been alive for over three thousand years." She slid her sunglasses back up her nose and averted her gaze back to the road.
Now he was amused. "Oh really? Three thousand years old. Wow. You must have a great diet plan and a fantastic plastic surgeon."
"Drink this." She shoved the bottle at him again, ignoring his remark.
"I said no," he told her placidly, leaning back into his seat and turning his eyes toward the road.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her give him a crooked smirk. "Now what did you say your name was?"
"Jacob. I would say nice to meet you, but… you know… you're kidnapping me."
She faked offense before replying. "Only so you do not hurt your family and friends."
He sarcastically rolled his eyes back over to her. "Hurt them? And why would I do that?"
"Because, Jacob," she said as if she were speaking to a child. "You're a vampire now."
A/N: First of all, I want to say thank you so much to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I was so happy that it actually got read. So, that being said, what do you think of this chapter? Please don't forget to leave a review!