Ok, this is a new story, which has been bouncing around my head for some weeks now. I'm not quite sure where it is going yet, so let's wait and see.
Reviews are like chocolate and I'm a chocaholic!
Obviously twilight does not belong to me.
1
It's been two days now, I think, and still I'm hoping that I will wake up and it's all been some horrendous nightmare, brought on by the information overload of the last few weeks – moving up to Forks to stay with my dad, finding out that the boy I'm having a huge crush on and his whole family are vampires.
I remember my truck going over the cliff, pushed by one of my captors as if it was a toy car. We didn't even stay long enough to hear the splash it must have made in the ocean, but started running at once, me being carried by one of them. I have no idea who they are or what they want other than that they must be vampires too, but definitely different from the Cullens. They had no problem first killing a girl who looked a little like me, draining her and then placing her in the truck, I presume for my dad to find. If they're faking my death, then they are not planning on returning me here any time soon. Why they needed a replacement for me and didn't just drink me through I don't know or understand. Edward said I smell quite appetizing. If my staying alive is an indication to my chances for survival however, I'm skeptical about that, to say the least.
When I finally got Edward to tell me his secret, I just couldn't believe that they were monsters. I thought it was just him putting himself down, but by now I'm not so sure anymore. The Cullens are nice – well, except maybe for Rosalie – and Alice is absolutely adorable, but these people are… scary. I haven't eaten or slept since they took me from my dad's house, and I'm afraid that while in the beginning I was almost going mad with fear and panic, by now I have given up hope of ever getting out of this nightmarish situation.
"Stop!" The man who had been carrying me since my capture cried out no sooner than I had finished that thought.
"What is it?" The vampire who seemed to be in charge, even though with the exception of the one female he was easily the smallest of the group, appeared next to us.
"We can't keep this up, she needs some rest and food or she won't be any good for anyone." My carrier took me from his back to cradle me in front of him. He was a tall man, taller than Emmett, but lean, and must have been about 20 when he was changed. Up to that moment he had not said a word, but the husky voice with the Southern accent fitted him exactly. Long unruly blond curls kept falling into his black eyes. It had been him I had first seen in my bedroom when they took me, and my first impression had been that an angel had somehow landed there. I could not have been more mistaken, it seemed, because of the whole group it was him I feared most, not in the least because the others kept their distance from him so pointedly. They didn't even call him by his name. Now however, as soon as he had changed my position I began to calm down for the first time in what had seemed forever.
"Do you expect us to go shopping for her?" The female vampire piped up. Jane the others called her, and for all her earnest demeanor and long hooded cloak, she looked about twelve. I was wondering why they had taken a child along for this venture at first, but when they had fed on some unlucky people out trekking, she had killed a man without blinking an eye.
"That might be an idea", my carrier said shrugging. "It's either that or we change her, but I'm not sure how much good that will be while we're running cross country."
"Don't forget yourself!" The leader chided.
"Demetri, I think he is right", the last of my kidnappers, a mountain of a man with a strong Italian accent contradicted. "The humans need their creature comforts. Besides, it would not hurt the plan."
Jane actually giggled – not a comforting sound. "Yes, give the Cullens a chance to catch up with us. There's a Motel over there, we could book in there and then get her some food." She pointed to the left. I could not see a thing, as it was the middle of the night, but that did obviously not cause a problem for the vampires.
Demetri nodded his assent curtly and five minutes later we had two rooms at a crappy roadside Motel.
Once we were settled he turned his piercing red eyes to me. "What do you want?"
"I… I don't know… I'm not that hungry…"
"Don't be stupid!" The blonde vampire said roughly after putting me down on the bed. "You need a hot meal, and probably a sweet drink as well. We'll be travelling for several more days."
I bridled at his tone. "What I need, is a bathroom! Alone!" I added when Jane made to accompany me. The blond vampire rolled his eyes and the big one chuckled. I heard some discussion going on after I had closed the flimsy door, but could not make out what was said.
I needed time to think. So there was some plan behind this whole thing. They actually wanted the Cullens to catch up with us – now the running instead of simply flying out of Seattle made sense, but WHY? Those creatures looked like textbook vampires, complete with black flowing cloaks and red eyes, and unless it was Halloween it was not a very discreet attire. Only my carrier had been wearing sensible clothes, black shirt and dark jeans with soft boots.
When I came out again, they had come to a decision. The blond man took hold of my hand and pulled me toward the door.
"Hey!" I protested at once. My growling stomach underlined my word.
He shook his head at me, sending his curls flying. "What? We're going out for a meal." He dragged me along to a Taco place across the road unceremoniously.
The place was almost deserted at this time of night, except for some truck-drivers well into their third beer. At the counter he ordered a huge meal for me – enough to feed two – and got us a table near the window and away from the other people in the room. As soon as the food was in front of me, I was ravenous and tore through the stuff liked the starved human I was. My opposite watched me with disconcerting unblinking eyes, which I noticed only once I slowed down for desert.
"I know this is disgusting for you", I said. Alice had told me that human food smell turned their stomach.
He gave a short laugh. "Like our feeding habits to you?"
I swallowed and put down my milkshake. "Yeah, thanks for reminding me." Suddenly my appetite was gone, and my feelings must have shown.
"Don't look at me like that, it's you who want to be changed into a vampire", he said with a hard voice.
"To be with someone I love."
Now his laughter was distinctly cynical. "Love? Do you humans still believe in that shit?"
I felt hurt briefly, but then rebutted. "Well, maybe it's just monsters like you who don't. Besides, the Cullens only eat animals." I crossed my arms. No wonder the others did want nothing to do with this person.
"You still don't get it, do you?" He said incredulously. "You're not going back to your happily-ever-after with the Cullens. You're the means to an end, girl."
"To what end?" Would I finally find out what was going on here?
"Aro has long wanted to get back at Carlisle Cullen, and he has been coveting your precious Edward for more than 60 years. Besides, you appear to have some talent as well, which will be much stronger once you're changed."
"I don't understand…"
"You are a pawn in a much greater game here. If Edward wants you, he'll have to come along and join the Volturi, because you are going to. Or he can die for breaking the law, it's up to him." He played with a coaster as if the whole thing was nothing to him.
The Volturi? Vampire police? Edward had told me about them, and it had been clear he did not like them at all. "I… what if I don't want to…?" I was feeling faint.
"Want has nothing to do with it. Finished?" He got up and motioned for me to join him.
I hesitated, not sure if my trembling legs would support my weight. He became impatient and while he was reaching out to pull me up, I managed to get my foot entangled with a table leg, rattling the whole thing and upending everything on the tray.
The vampire caught everything swiftly at superhuman speed before any more chaos could come from my clumsiness and put the tray away. "You are going to make for a very interesting newborn", he sighed steering me through the door.
The sleeve of his shirt had slipped up his arm during the whole thing, and even in the dim light of the parking lot I could see the most horrific marks on his arm. I caught my breath. "What is that?"
"Scars. I thought you'd recognize that." His tone was clipped.
"I know. But… who the hell did that to you?"
For a brief moment I caught his eyes, then he looked away. "None of your business."
I felt incredibly sad suddenly, not for myself, but for this strange man, who seemed to have effectively walled himself in his pain. "I see. Will you at least tell me your name then?"
When he looked back at me a crooked smile lit his featured. "I'm sorry, must have forgotten my manners completely. Jasper Whitlock at your service, Ma'am." He opened the door to our small bungalow.
I smiled back. "Thank you. For the meal, and … the rest."
The smile was gone. "I will bring you to Italy, if it's the last thing I do." With that he retreated into his silence again.