The Crushed Butterfly
A/N: Hope you enjoy!
I let my fingers dance over the butterfly tattoo on my cheek (which is obviously temporary, since I can imagine my father's anger should he see it every single day. He believes tattoos are an abomination), resisting from an eyeroll at that train of thought as I smoothed my dress once more. Going as a fairy is kind of lame. But it was the only one that I can find in a span of a few hours.
Yes, it is just a rash decision to be turning up at a Halloween party just today. I feel a stupid grin on my face as I remember my best friend Alice doing a horrified shriek when she realized I do not have a dress ready during lunch today.
"A social suicide," was what she told me. And the slight tilt of her head towards Edward Masen with his arm around Tanya Denali made me decide to go. The image still makes me cringe, even now. I sigh, sitting down on the end of my bed as I toy with the frilly ends of my pink dress. I have a crush on the most impossible person. Ever. He won't ever notice me with someone like Tanya by his side. But a girl can hope, can't she? I want to live in my dreams for a little more.
I shake my head, pushing unpleasant thoughts out of my head as I admire myself in the mirror. It actually doesn't look bad at all. I watch my reflection with a silly smile and do a little twirl again, watching the pink frilly ends of my dress float and swish around myself as if doing a dance. One of the straps is a little loose, but well, it will have to do. A childish delight comes over me and I allow myself a giggle.
And then I heard the front door burst open.
Laughing, I push my bedroom door open just as a small ball of energy comes barrelling towards me.
"Bella!" Her eyes are wide and surprised, before a wicked smile draws up her lips. "You look amazing!"
I blush at her compliment, scanning her pixie costume and her spiky hair, before laughing. "Thanks, you too, pixie. Totally fits you."
"Hey!" She smacks me lightly on the arm, tugging me along. "Charlie's out for night patrol, so we can have party for as long as we can! And find some hunks on the way." She sends me a saucy wink, making me gag.
"Don't give me that, Ali," I mutter, pushing past her and making my way down the stairs, and fighting to hide a grin. "I don't swing that way."
A few seconds pass before I feel a small weight press down on my back just as I reach the ground. I turn and glare at her, though I am simply amused her childish antics. It really is kind of a miracle that we are such best friends. "Come on," she whispers in my ear, "You know you'll totally do me if you're not attracted to a certain Masen!"
My heart gives a little jump at his name and I blush heavily. And then comes the thought to hit her. But before I can, she lands down gracefully from my back and breaks into a dash making me yell after her.
"Alice! You are so going to get it from me!"
"C'mon, calm down," she shouts back. "We're going to hail a hack chaise, lady!"
"Oh God," I mutter, my palm making contact with my forehead. "Please remind me why I am friends with such a crazy chick."
"Because you love me!" She replies, waving her hands up and down frantically to get a cab.
"Insane."
"Wow," is the only word I manages to utter as I let my eyes roam over every inch of the room. It is huge; a disco ball is set in the middle of the dance floor, rainbow colours flashing, and the music beating loudly into my eardrums. I fight a wince as I try to get used to the volume and before I can help it, my eyes sweep around the foreign place to find a messy mope of reddish-blonde hair.
"Bella," Alice suddenly hisses, grabbing my arm with a force that is almost painful. I whip my head to face her, a few stray curls falling from my bun, feeling a slight prick of irritation that she's interrupting me in the search of Edward.
"What? You saw Edw - "
"Shut up about that pig!" she retorts, taking me aback with surprise. She is normally the one who encourages me to take my initiative, after all.
She jerks her head about forty-five degrees right from my view and I followed her angle, but I still don't get what she's so agitated about. "So? That's just Jessica and - "
Both her palms smack harshly on my cheeks before they turn my face slightly. Apparently she is too impatient to point out again. "Look before they vanish!" she whispers excitedly in my ear. "Such good-looking ones are really hard to find these days..."
...but I am not really listening anymore.
My eyes are transfixed on the lean built of the man, with slightly bulging biceps; not too big nor too scrawny. His jawline is strong and defined; his lips full and completely kissable; his nose tall and his cheekbones high, accenting his alluring, dark eyes.
... And then those mesmerizing dark orbs pull me in.
I almost gasp out loud as his eyes act like pools, drowning me into their depths. He does not break eye contact, and from the corner of my eye, I watch while his long, elegant fingers dance over the surface of the bar - then as if teasing me, his eyes darken into midnight black.
I remain rooted to the ground, lest I fall from the overwhelming emotions bombarding me all at once. I suddenly remember Alice's palms squashing my face and blushes, pushing them away before angling my face back to meet his gaze. It is too intense for me to handle and to ignore. I can't pull my eyes away from the too handsome-looking stranger. As he brings the shot to his lips and downs it in a gulp, I watch his Adam apple bob, and inwardly, I curse myself for being such a pervert.
His lips lifted up to a smug smirk before he raises his shot to me, tilting it slightly in my direction. And what he does next - totally unexpected and catching me off-guard - almost causes me to have a seizure.
He places the small cup on the bar, his blackened eyes unblinking as they probe into my brown ones, before his tongue darts out and licks his bottom lip; slowly, sensually... And I suddenly imagine the sensation of his tongue against my -
A sharp nudge in my ribs startle me, breaking my inappropriate train of thoughts - and I blush when I realize exactly how wrong they are.
My eyes search for him automatically before I can stop myself; but I get interrupted by a jerk on my sleeve. This time, thoroughly annoyed, I turn to face Alice. "What?" I give her my best glare.
"I saw the look you two exchange, Bella," she says, a sly gleam in her eyes. "Why don't you go for it?"
I have no idea why, but the initial confidence I felt when I reached here seemed to have left me, and so I say the first words that come to my mind. "I thought we came here because of Edward?"
Alice shoots me look, shaking her head. "Bella, Bella, Bella." She clucks her tongue, shaking her head at me in disapproval. "I thought I taught you better." As she speaks, she pulls me to the far end of the bar, maneuvering between the sea of people expertly. She slides into one cushioned seat, and gestures for me to do so in another. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Is she serious? Starting a lecture here?
"Edward, though I admit to him being a good fish, is not the only one here. Take that hottie eyeing you just now - didn't the sensations he gave you far more intense than Edward?" She eyes me suspiciously when I do not answer. I shrug to show indifference. Okay, fine, I actually do. However, deep in some rational part of my brain, I realize that as much as he oozes sexiness, everything about him screams dangerous and dark. I suppose it's the kind Charlie will shoot at first sight.
No, no! It's not as if he'll meet Charlie anyway! What the fuck am I thinking? "Bella!" I hear mild irritation and amusement slipping into her tone before her hand waves in my vision. "Yeah, I am listening," I say with a saccharine smile on my face. She does not buy it for a second, as I thought.
"Bottom line is," she continues, downing a shot and pushing another to me. I stare, picking my brain at exactly when Alice did order, before giving up. I was probably engrossed in my thoughts then. "Live! Learn! Down this shot, gain courage, then give them one hell of a seduction when we are on the dancing floor."
"Them?" I ask, sure that confusion is evident on my face.
"Too engrossed in Mr. Hottie aren't you?" Alice does a silly wag of her brows making me giggle. She looks ridiculous! "He's a blonde. And he's absolutely hot, too. Birds of the same feather do flock together." She looks like she's about to release a dreamy sigh.
Then as if sensing my amusement, she gets defensive all of sudden. "As if you are any better, Isabella. So don't you dare laugh. You can look at his handsome features when we're dancing later."
"Wow, someone's confident." I return her the silly wiggle of my brow and a lopsided smile appears on her face though she seems to have been struggling not to smile. And then we both start laughing, clutching our abdomen and feeling absolutely stupid.
After a few minutes of feeling breathless and a slight ache in my stomach, we both calm down and take another shot for self-assurance. "Alright. I know we can do this. I have a good feeling about this." I arch my brow at her disbelievingly, before getting up from my seat grudgingly. My eyes dart around, searching for his presence, and feels a pang of disappointment when it comes up futile. I shrug off these irrational thoughts again, finishing another cup of alcohol again, feeling the drink scotch my throat as it flows down, and my cheeks burn this time because of alcohol.
I ask for another again, downing it as Alice looks at me with an expectant smile. "Let's go," I mutter, pulling on her hand as we make our way to the dance floor. The journey not as easy as it seems it is when Alice did the task of weaving through crowds at amazing speed, as people tend to move about under the flashing lights.
For a moment, I stand there, unsure of what to do and feeling awkward beside a couple who is too busy grinding against each other and letting out obscene moans. I fight a grin; this is an amusing sight for me, for some sick reason or another. A gentle slap on my arm brings me out of my thoughts, and I watch as Alice sway her hips to the beat, her confidence overflowing before tilting her chin up with a challenging glint in her eyes, meeting mine. I smirk in reply as I understand her unspoken words.
I raise both my hands up above my head, doing a body wave before running my fingers from my thighs and brushing up the side of my breast; slowly and sensually. "I like your smirk, baby," Alice shouts over the blaring music. I wink back at her in reply. It is a rather uncharacteristic move of mine, and I realize the alcohol is working rather fast to my system. As I run my fingers in my hair, a peppermint scent drifts to my nose and a pair of warm hands clasp gently on my hips.
I giggle, a little self-conscious and decide not to turn as we both work against each other, my butt pushing against his abdomen and as he let out a tortured moan -
"Bella," he rasps out huskily, his fingers running up, dangerously close to my breast. I freeze. Turning slowly, I realize my guess is correct, and I feel a sigh of disappointment coming on. Clearing my throat instead, I am about to question as I pull myself out of the embrace, but he pulls me back in. "Edward," I hiss close to his ear, no idea why I'm suddenly not so eager for his attention. "You've a girlfriend." I start to look for her instinctively and realize her eyes are narrowing slightly at our closeness, as if warning me. Though it isn't like she can say anything with another blonde - which I hope fervently isn't the one Alice is referring to - nuzzling her neck and looking awfully intimate.
"Edward," I repeats his name again, when he doesn't reply, this time more determined. "Your girlfriend is looking over here."
He steps back a little, his cheeks rosy and obviously drunk before he replies, "Why do I care? You look stunning tonight, Bella. Absolutely - "
"I apologize, Edward," a smooth, deep voice suddenly cuts in, sounding especially close to my back. The only thing I can concentrate on is his spicy and smoky scent surrounding me and his voice. I take a sharp intake of air. "I think your affections aren't very welcome to this lady." The mysterious man drapes his arm around my shoulder casually, his cheek barely touching mine and I turn slightly to see who this stranger exactly is - and my heart skips a beat.
It's him. The guy I've been eyeing. He arches a brow, and I continue to be rendered speechless by his close proximity. I can die happy, is the only thought in my mind. I swear I haven't seen such a handsome man all my life before. Edward glares at the mystery man, who is still pressing his cheek in a feather light touch against mine. "Is he with you, Bella?" he asks harshly, his handsome features twisting to an ugly scowl. "Is he?"
I take a step back of my own accord, a little frightened by his sudden outburst, and the mystery guy straightens himself, both his arms circling around my waist, fitting in my curves. A pleasant jolt of electricity pass through my veins, and I steal a look to see if he'd felt it too, and from the slightly off-guard look on his face, I suppose he did. But he recovers quickly, the side of his lips lifting up as he asks with his eyes still focused on Edward's enraged face, "Am I with you, Isabella?" He purrs out my name, and I shiver in his arms.
I absolutely hate it when someone calls my full name; but the way the syllabuses roll off his tongue smoothly and articulately;the gentleness and affectionateness surprises me - it makes me melt. "Yes," I manage to utter out, gathering the remaining parts of my mind that aren't melted to gush. He's too sexy for his own good.
A dark look crosses Edward's face and he storms off. "Good girl," he whispers in my ear, his fingers dancing on the outline of my face, leaving a tingle wherever he touches, now facing me. I shudder, stepping away from him and walking off the dance floor, chancing a glance to see if Alice is alright and realizes a blonde is indeed next to her (thankfully not the one nuzzling Tanya, if not I'd be sick), and they look like they're having a lot of fun... dancing. Right, dancing. I roll my eyes as I sit on the cushioned seat of the bar, and the stranger follows, taking the seat next to mine.
"How do you know my name?" I ask, the question coming out a little more harshly than I intended, and I cringe inwardly as I hope fervently that it won't scare him off.
He stares at me for a moment before he chuckles. "Aren't girls normally charmed by that?"
I attempt to ignore the mesmerizing effect his voice has as I fingers the mouth of my cup. "No, I think it's rather scary."
His eyes twinkle, and a feral gleam suddenly shines through as he leans in close to my face, flashing me a smile. "... Scary? Would you really like to experience true horror, Isabella?"
I blink once, and as the stubborn mule I am, I refuse to back down from the challenge he issued. Like I am scared of him. The notion is just too ridiculous. "Sure." I raise my head up high, as confidently as I can. "You're probably just a pretty boy anyway." I poke out my tongue childishly. "And only brings girls to bed."
He moves away, back into his seat, this time a smirk playing on his lips. "To bed?" He feigns surprise. "For what?"
"You asking me?" I feel my lips curve. "Well, pardon me for being crude. What else do you do other than fuck them? Don't tell me you don't take advantage of your looks."
He looks amused. "I like you." He sounds genuinely surprised. I scold myself when I feel my heart does a little skip. "My name is Alec." He reaches for my hand on the bar and brushes his lips gently across my knuckles. I jerk my hand back in surprise at the tingles only his lips caused, and see his smug smirk surfacing. Again. I scowl at him.
"Pleasure to meet you, Isabella."
I cough, attempting to collect myself and my composure. "Pleasure to meet you too, Alec," I pause for a moment, before I continue, "But I'd much rather prefer you to call me Bella."
"Why?" He arches a brow.
I shrug. "I don't really like that name. It's too..." I fumble around for the right word. "Too fancy, I suppose?"
He presses his lips together for a moment, before his eyes twinkle as if he sees something entertaining. He rests his cheek against his knuckles and I feel his eyes trail down my shoulder suggestively. I angle my body away from him awkwardly.
"Bella," he says in a low voice, making me jump. "Your strap."
Oh God! Of all times! I feel my face turn crimson red as I reach for my loose strap of my dress, and sure enough, it is dragging down a little on the side of my dress. I squeeze my eyes shut to gain more calmness and bites my lips in mortification. This is the worst.
"Yeah, I know," I mumble, before my trembling icy fingers reach for my strap, when another cold hand stops me. Is he nervous too? No, it's not possible... I look up and see him off his seat and dangerously close to me.
"Really, you do?" His minty breath wash over me and I gulp. Too close, too close! Bella, damn it, move away! But my body refuses to budge, seeming to enjoy his close distance to me too much.
"Let me help you."
My hands fall to my sides helplessly. And I watch as his fingers brush against my bare shoulder, lingering a second longer, before he pulls it slowly back up. His eyes stay focused on the strap and a stray strand of light brown hair falls before his eye. Before I can stop myself, my fingers reach out and pushes it back.
Gosh, what are you doing? I hear my inner self screaming. You barely even know this guy!
I agree internally and moves my fingers away when he grabs my hand gently, his eyes intent on mine. "Don't."
"Don't what?" I whisper.
"Don't move."
With that statement, he slants his lips over mine, claiming them his own as he pulls me closer to him till I am practically straddling him on his lap. My fingers tangle into his soft brown hair possessively as his tongue probe into my open mouth, battling with me for dominance. He tastes like ice and fire combined and I feel a tremor down my back as I press my breasts against his hard chest, and hears him let out raspy words about something sweet.
He pulls away.
I gasp for air.
And then my hands grab for him again, pressing my lips against his before pulling away. "Now we're even." I grin madly, trying to calm my heart.
"That's even? That's not even half of what I've done, butterfly."
"Oh, shut up."
A short pause.
"You look beautiful," he says.
I know it has to be another pick-up line that he always uses on girls, but I can't help but smile, feeling flattered.
Alec extends his hand, bowing deeply, before his eyes raised to meet hers, making her cheeks flame again. "May I, my lady?"
She places her hand in his and his fingers wrap around hers. Captured. The single thought makes his lips curl up.
And suddenly, she knows she is doomed.
Completely, utterly doomed.
When she watches, transfixed, as he brushed his lips over their interlaced fingers, his dark eyes weighing heavily on hers, bringing her away...
She falls...
Deeper...
Deeper...
Right into his perfectly executed trap.
The clothings are pulled off slowly, one after another, and they both stand before each other with their bare bodies.
"Extraordinarily beautiful," he murmurs against her naked skin at one point.
Then the foreplay starts; their fingers running over places where only lovers touch, passionate kisses exchanged and then the thrusts bring them closer and closer to climax... and suddenly she is writhing in the throes of passion with him, wrapped up in her pleasure. His eyes soften a little, his fingers brushing away her hair. Then she arches, exposing her neck. In an instant, his eyes harden, noticing her drifting down from her bliss and when she is about to smile at him - a sharp pain comes.
She cries out once more in a mixture of pain and ecstacy.
Then silence.
Drops of blood stain the white covers, one after another, and he licks the wound slowly, relishing his prey.
She opens her mouth for a silent scream before she falls into his awaiting arms. An unreadable expression flits to his face.
The innocence is forever shattered.
And the butterfly is crushed.
"Vampires," he says softly as he places the girl back on his blood-stained bed and covering her with a blanket carefully. "They're creatures humans should not come close to."
His fingers trace the outline of her face. "Even beautiful ones like you," he says softly, taking a whiff of her rich floral scent.
"For we destroy innocence."
A/N: Written for Halloween. Happy Halloween everyone! :D I left the ending open on purpose; you can take it however you want it to be: Whether he killed her, or he changed her... Whichever you choose. Please do leave a review to tell me your thoughts.