Edward's POV
The sweet blood flowed down my burning throat, soothing the fire that was raging there. At that moment I felt no pity at all for the human whom I'd used to quenched my thirst. Why should I? She was nothing but a mortal, and God knows that there are enough of them covering the planet. Who's going to miss this one? She was paralyzed in fear below me, her life slowly but surely being drained, entering my veins. I unlatched my teeth from her tanned neck. She would be considered beautiful by her kind, but for mine she's nothing but a drink. My drink. I let a smirk cross my features and saw her unfocused eyes widen for a moment, then I continued my task. It wasn't long before in her place lay a corpse. It would be a few days at most before someone discovered her body in the dark alley.
As I walked away, I felt myself coming back into my body. My thirst remained, but I could overcome it now. Horror and revulsion took me over. Once more, my inner monster had won. I growled softly to myself. I had to find a way to get past this. I needed to drink blood to survive. Humans had blood, making it a lot easier for us. But still, I hated having to take lives by doing it; hated the fact that the humans didn't have a chance against me. They could run, but I'd catch them before they took a second step. They could fight back, but it would only hurt them more. They could hide, but it would be mere seconds before I was in front of them again. I'm monster and there's nothing I can do about it.
Actually, there is. Carlisle, had discovered that vampires could drink animal blood as a substitute. But that blood was dull, and almost tasteless. There was no pleasure in it, only the fact that no humans were hurt, unless they got in the way of our hunt. I had tried that method for awhile, and I had honestly tried hard, but that lifestyle was not for me. I left them, Carlisle and Esme whom were as good as parents to me. Gentle Esme was broken when I left, but as I explained to her, I couldn't do it. I could tell that Carlisle was disappointed in me, and that struck something within me. He was upset, but didn't stop me. Instead, he told me that no matter when, I could return, and we would be a family again. But how can monsters be a family? Simple; they can't.
Suddenly, the wind rushed by my face, bringing with it a scent; the scent of human blood. I immediately stiffened, trying to master myself, but finding it harder every second. I held my breath, but yearend for the food. Eventually I sucked in one lone breath, it was enough. Strawberries and freesias filled by nose and instantly I was captivated. I ran. I wished it was away from her, but it wasn't.
Bella's POV
I stumbled back, trying to dodge the fist that came flying towards me like lightning. No matter what I did though, that fist always struck home. Tears were rushing past my face but I barely noticed. I could only feel the pain and the confusion. I don't understand. Why was I being punished? What did I do wrong? I tried my hardest, I honestly did! I prayed every night, I did my chores around the orphanage without complaint… I don't think I've ever said anything mean to the other kids, though they certainly have to me. What did I do wrong?
"You're a bitch, you know that, right?" came the drunken slur from the master of the orphanage. I had known him since I was four, now I'm nine. He's always liked his drink, and often became different after, but never has he hurt me that much before; it was never like this.
"You're a little stealing whore who don't matter. Your parents don't care about you, so why would anyone else? Nobody likes you, 'cause yer stupid, and worthless!" He ended his yelling with a kick to my stomach. I yelled out in pain as I felt his foot collide, making me gasp for the air that had suddenly disappeared. He didn't stop. He kept going on and on, creating multiple bruises and cuts on my body. I could smell my own blood. Just as I was about to give in to the darkness that was creeping around the edges of my vision, I heard it; a deep growl coming from behind me. I hurt too much to look, but I didn't even have to. A shadow leapt over me towards the master. The master fell to the ground, but the shadow remained over him. Barely a second had passed before the shadow stood. It walked over to me, and I could now see that it was a man. I tried to focus my gaze on him, and saw two red eyes staring straight back at me.
Edward's POV
When I arrived at the scene where the blood was, my absolute horror won against my thirst. A man was beating a little girl mercilessly. He drunkenly lashed out with fist, foot, and words. Calling her names that just hearing them made me want him dead. He stopped speaking, kicking her repeatedly instead. I heard the little girl gasp in pain, and could hear the tears in her voice. I couldn't stop the growl that erupted from my lips. The man froze upon hearing that, and I attacked him. He was easy to finish off, the alcohol in his veins making his blood almost disgusting. When he was dead, I slowly turned to the girl. I stepped forward cautiously, not wanting to frighten her. And when I saw her clearly, I found her eyes staring straight back into mine. I was momentarily surprised, and it seemed that she was too. I took that time to look her over. She had brown hair falling in loose curls to her shoulders. Her eyes were pools of dark chocolate which dominated her features, her lips a rosy red. I felt myself shake in anger as I also saw the numerous bruises that covered her face. I was about to speak, when I saw a drop of blood fall from her cheek and silently hit the ground. Instantly, her scent filled the alley. I almost stumbled back in surprise. Until now, I had completely forgotten about her delicious smelling blood. But as I breathed, I found that I didn't' want to kill her. No matter how much I thirsted for her, I would not.
I lowered myself onto my knees, so that I was closer to her level, and held out my hand. She looked up at me with eyes that seemed so trusting. Her little hand went to mine, and I was shocked that she didn't pull away from the cold. Instead, she clasped her fingers around mine as if she wouldn't let go. But right after that, she did let go. And as she did, her eyes closed and she slipped into unconsciousness.
Alarmed, and knowing that she needed help, I lifted her easily into my arms and started to run. I sped into the forest, cradling her gently and making sure that she wasn't jostled at all. That would only add to her pain, and as I had vowed before, I would not hurt her.
Bella's POV
Light shone on the other side of my eyelids, and I could feel a cool breeze dancing its way across my aching face; those two facts making it obvious to me that I was outside and it was day. I moved my head to begin my morning routine of getting up and felt a sharp twang in my neck that took my breath away for a moment. With that pain came the memories of the previous night. The master losing control, hurting me. The shadow, the man…With a groan, I opened my eyes, and met the same red ones as last night. They were very close to my face.
With a gasp, I jumped back, reawakening all of my sore muscles, bruises, and cuts. I yelped quietly, and saw the man's red eyes quickly become sympathetic and remorseful. He didn't move from where he was, simply kept looking at me. For a few minutes, we just stayed that way. During that time, I looked around. We were in a forest, underneath a large oak tree. The sun was high in the sky and I was momentarily shocked at how long I must have slept. After seeing my surroundings, I took inventory of myself. I had many bruises, but that was nothing new. What was strange, though, was that my cuts had been neatly bandaged, and were barely even hurting. This man had taken care of me, it seemed.
I turned my attention back to him, to see that he had not moved at inch. Then, he spoke in a velvety voice that made me trust him immediately.
"How are you feeling?" I tried to speak, but it only sounded like a croak from a frog. The man's lips turned up slightly at the corners before he lifted something up and held it out towards me. After seeing that it was a cup, a gratefully drank its contents, the water rushing soothingly down my dry throat.
"Fine." He frowned.
"Fine? I'm sure that that's not so. It must be hurting a lot. Now tell me really how you're doing." His voice was musical, it sounded to me as if he was singing, not merely speaking. Also, he talked better than the other people I knew…his words were clearer and easier for me to understand, and he didn't hesitate or stutter. But more so than his voice, I was amazed that he cared for how I was feeling. Usually when I'm asked they walk away before I even answered. But he was different. And because of that, I didn't want him to know how I was actually feeling. I shook my head.
"I'm fine, really!" He didn't look convinced, but let it go.
"How old are you?" He looked very curious, but also a little frustrated, so I quickly answered in case that he would get impatient.
"I'm nine and a half." For a moment, he looked stunned. I became curious, "What?" I asked. He shook his head.
"You're nine years old, and-"
"Nine and a half!" I quickly interrupted, proud at being the eldest at the orphanage. I saw him smile softly to himself, and his red eyes, quite unsettling, had a small spark of amusement in them.
"Nine and a half- " he obediently conceded and I giggled, "years old, and he treats you like that?" I became confused, and stared at him."
"Treats me like what? All of the other kids get hit, too. Everyone is treated like that." The man sighed and pinched his nose, closing his eyes for a moment before looking at me seriously.
"Most people care about children, and take care of them, which does not include beating them. The man you were with is one of the few who enjoy other's pain. Not many around here are like that." He was watching me closely, I guess to see if I understood, so I nodded my head slightly to him. He stared at me for another minute before keeping on with that subject.
"You were very brave when that man was hurting you; you hardly even made a noise. Why?" I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. That was all? I wasn't trying to be brave.
"He does it a lot. It was the first time he hit me more than twice in a row, but he hurts the other kids a lot too. I guess I'm just used to it." When I finished he didn't just look mad anymore, he looked furious, but also very, very sad.
He had also stiffened, like the master always did before he hit me, and I leaned back in fear. As soon as I did that, the man spoke quickly.
"I'm sorry; I'm not going to hurt you. I was just angry that someone would do such a thing." He reassured me slowly. Myy train of thoughts however, was no longer there. The master…what had happened to him? I asked the Shadow Man.
"He won't be hurting anybody anymore." He promised.
"Is he in the jail?"
"No, but he's gone away and won't be coming back." Satisfied, I leaned down and looked him over.
I then tried to stand. That was my first mistake. Quickly, at least three of my cuts re-opened, my blood starting to ooze slowly. For some reason, as soon as they did, the man stiffened even more than he had the first time. And then, to my surprise and a little bit of fear, his eyes even changed color. They went from a vibrant red, to a complete black. A low growl escaped from his throat.
Edward's POV
I was surprised at how quickly she woke up; I didn't even have time to move away quick enough. I had been studying her, wondering why there was something about her that drew me in, and kept me from harming her. As soon as she opened her eyes, I moved back, sure that I had startled her. She gave a small, barely-audible gasp. I didn't move, trying not to scare her again. Her eyes met mine once again and I couldn't turn away. For a while, that's all we did; sit and stare. I saw her start to grow uncomfortable, though I could tell that she was trying to hide it. Instantly, I berated myself, remembering that she had just been badly injured, and was probably feeling quite a bit pain. As softly and as gently as I could, I asked her how she was feeling.
I couldn't completely hide my grin when I saw her attempt to speak, and then fail. Knowing that her throat was probably parched, I handed her the cup of water that I had ready for this moment. She sipped at it greedily, and I had to wonder when the last time that drank that much was. Once all the water was gone, she looked up again and answered my previous question.
"Fine," she whispered in a tinkling-soprano child's voice. Her eyes were still staring into mine, a deep chocolate brown filled pain from years of suffering. Finally, after what seemed like minutes to me, but was probably only seconds to her, I registered her answer. Frowning, I pointed out to her that it was quite impossible to be feeling "fine" after what she had gone through last night and practically demanded that she tell me how she was really feeling.
She quickly responded that she really was fine, and even though I knew she wasn't, I let it go, instead moving on to other questions that I very much wanted to know. I was astounded that she was only nine years old and immediately felt very angry at the notion that a man would beat a child. When I began to voice my concerns about it, she was quick to cut in and tell me that she wasn't just nine years old; she was nine and a half. She said it with such pride and conviction, that I just had to smile. I corrected myself out loud, and she gave a smug little grin.
We talked for a few minutes longer; I was eager to learn as much about her as I could. But it was all cut short when she began to move. Before I could stop her, she moved her legs in an attempt to stand. Immediately, the smell of her blood filled the air.
I stiffened as the scent that I had been trying very hard to ignore suddenly tripled in intensity. Quite suddenly, I didn't think of her as an innocent child. The monster in me saw only a meal. The temptation grew to be too strong; all I wanted was her blood in my mouth, satisfying both my need and want which had turned into the same thing.
Her smell sent me into action, no matter how much the decent side of my protested. My body coursed with tingles, adrenaline coursing through my otherwise empty veins, preparing me to move at the slightest hint that she was going to run. Part of me wanted her to, so that I could leap forwards and give chase, letting her lead for a bit before stopping her completely. Venom pooled into my mouth without restraint. My mind was screaming at me to stop and think, reminding me that she was just a child, but the demon in me pushed it back until it was simply a whisper. But even then, I couldn't hear it…I was too far gone.
I stared at her with my quickly darkening eyes, anticipating the kill. I couldn't wait for the sweet smell of fear to surround her, couldn't wait to taste the blood that flowed within her. At that moment, who I was and who she was didn't matter...
I was the predator, and she was my prey.
"Every conquering temptation represents a new fund of moral energy. Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before."
-William Butler Yeats
"I deal with temptation by yielding to it."
-Mark Twain
Hey guys! This is my second fanfic, but it's my first one for Twilight. One of the things that intrigued me the most about the book, a thing that jumped out at me, was that Edward never spoke about his "rebellious" years away from Carlisle. Then I started thinking, 'Huh, what if he met Bella during those years?' So this is my take on what would have happened if he had.
Disclaimer: I am NOT Stephanie Meyer.
I love reviews! (Very subtle, don't you think?)
Starmaker08