A/N: This is a sequel to Farewell, My Love, which was written by my friend, Hanna. This is written by me, and it can be read on its own. Farewell, My Love is the story of Chrystal's transformation. No characters from Twilight, and Stephenie Meyer owns it all. Enjoy, and please review! Rating due to the transformation, and some events after that. (Blood... blood...)

The Wilting of a Flower

"I have an assignment for you."

"What is it, my lord?" Chrystal stood in front of the leader of the Romanian coven.

"We have an insane vampire on the loose. We need you to track him down and kill him."

"Murtagh?" Chrystal suggested.

"Yes, Chrystal."

"We all know he is insane, no one has cared before."

"Well, he recently killed some vampires in a coven not far from here."

"Oh, I see." Chrystal looked a little surprised.

"Will you execute him?"

"Yes, my lord. He will not roam this earth any longer." Chrystal bowed and walked out.

---

"Take this to Yamanu, Sesen," an old woman told Sesen.

Sesen had already seen the flooding of the Nile eighteen times, and yet she was still not married. Her mother was reluctant to let Sesen go, since Sesen was her youngest child and so supposed to care for her parents as they grew old. Yamanu was her oldest brother, of the three still living, at least, and he lived pretty far away. It would take her two days to get there, and it was across dangerous territory. No wonder Sesen's mother looked so worried, but her brother's crops had been scarce this year: he needed the help of their corns, and Sesen was proud to provide it.

"I'm going right now, Mewet," Sesen agreed. "Don't worry; I can take care of myself. I know the way."

"I know you do." Sesen's mother gave her a loving look. "Promise me that you will come home again."

"I will," Sesen agreed. Then she went out the door of her home, hoping for the best.

---

Chrystal sat on a tree stump. It looked like she was meditating, but she was really using her powers to search for Murtagh.

When she had found him, she stood and looked one last time at the smoke coming from the fire, which was outside the cave, the home of the Romanian coven. She shook her head. That human bait is really unnecessary.

She ran through the forests and the fields. After a while she ended up in Athens. Thank the powers. It's cloudy.

Chrystal walked through the town and when she reached the harbour she felt Murtagh's presence. He was on a ship. Where are you going, Murtagh? she thought to herself.

She jumped onto the ship.

"You need to pay if you want to board the ship," a man said, looking annoyed.

Chrystal spun around. "Of course. Where are you headed?"

"Egypt."

"How much do you want?"

"What do you have to trade with?"

"I can give you this," Chrystal said, tossing a small bag with salt.

The man weighed the bag in his hand. "It will do."

---

Sesen wiped her hand across her brow. The day was sweltering hot.

In order to be sure to keep her promise to her mother, she opted for the safer, but longer route via the harbor in Alexandria, where one of her sisters lived with her husband, Imam. The nights were the most dangerous, and she didn't want to sleep on the road in these times of war.

She grimaced as she was reminded of the reason why she didn't want to stay on the roads. A group of boisterous soldiers passed her, leering at her curves.

Sesen was very relieved when she arrived in Alexandria a few hours later. On the way to the harbor, nearby which her sister lived, she met another group of soldiers, and they were not nearly as willing to let her go.

"Hey, there!" One of them shouted. There were four of them in a group, all of them leering at her. The one who had spoken to her was very big, with very dirty black hair and brown eyes.

Sesen stopped reluctantly, looking warily at them. "What is it?"

"We'd like some company tonight, if you know what I mean," the tallest one said.

"And if you don't know, then you're stupid," another one of them said. "But that's okay; we only want what's between your legs."

They all laughed again.

"I don't think so," another man said from behind Sesen before she had a chance to reply. "This lady is with me tonight."

For some reason, the soldiers looked intimidated by the man who had spoken. They glanced at each other and hurried off quickly.

Sesen turned around to thank the man, but her breath got caught in her throat by the way the short, pale man with black hair and eyes looked at her. It looked like he had meant what he had said to the soldiers.

"Come with me," he said.

"I don't think so," Sesen replied irritably, preparing to defend herself if necessary. "I'm on my way to my sister's, and she knows that I am coming."

"You can explain to her later," the man said, grabbing Sesen's arm with surprisingly cold fingers. She got truly afraid when she saw the crazed look in the man's eyes. "I'm Murtagh, by the way. And who are you?"

The look in Murtagh's eyes warned Sesen that she had better answer.

"My name is Sesen. Will you let me go, now?"

"No."

"Oh, bite me!" Sesen exclaimed. To her shock she immediately felt a sharp pain in her throat as her vision disappeared in the man's black hair. He really had bitten her! And was still biting... She began to feel dizzy from blood loss, panicking as she couldn't get away from the Murtagh's iron grasp of her shoulders.

And then, suddenly, he was gone. At the same time, a burning pain began to spread from her throat and downwards, as if she had been poisoned. Or rather, it was like she was burning. Dizzily, she looked up. A woman was literally ripping Murtagh apart. Sesen wondered if the burning pain was making her go mad. And then the fire consumed her.

---

Chrystal was burning Murtagh's body, watching the fire eat him.

Then she remembered the girl he had bitten. Chrystal spun around and saw the girl lying writhing in pain on the ground, but keeping her mouth shut, tears leaking from her eyes.

Chrystal looked into the girl's mind and recognized the pain. She hadn't gotten to her in time, Murtagh had bitten her and the venom had already spread too much.

"It's alright, dear. Sesen, was it?" Chrystal looked at the girl. The pain was apparent in her face, but something in the girl's mind recognized her own name. She couldn't answer, however.

"Don't worry, the pain will go away." Chrystal saw in Sesen's mind that she would have wanted the pain to disappear immediately.

"I will move you to a safer place." Chrystal picked up the girl and startled. The girl didn't weigh much. War doesn't help people, it only destroys them.

Chrystal took Sesen to a cave out in the desert. "Just hang in there. It will get better."

---

After a seemingly endless period of time, during which it took everything Sesen had not to scream – she could hear her father's voice in her ear: it's weak to show pain – she finally found that she could concentrate on something else again. The pain did not disappear, but she found a way to think around it – it was like her mind had expanded. She could talk to her savior, finally.

"When will the pain go away?" she managed to whimper.

"Before the next night," the woman answered.

Sesen groaned in pain. She would have to endure this a whole lot longer.

She counted her savior's breaths to think of something else than the pain, because they made more time pass. Her own breaths were fast and shallow, her heartbeat pounding a fast, disjointed rhythm in her ears.

"Why is this happening to me?" she gasped. "Why am I feeling this pain? Will I survive it?" She bit her teeth together in order not to scream.

"You will survive." The woman sounded worried. "When Murtagh bit you, his venom started to spread in you. I could have sucked it out if I had noticed it earlier, but it was too late when I did."

"His venom?" Sesen ground out, arching her back involuntarily in pain. "What am I becoming?" She was really worried now about what was going to happen to her after the pain had passed.

"You will become what I am, a vampire."

"A blood drinker!?" Sesen was so upset that her mind was frightfully clear for a moment, before the pain overwhelmed her again. "No," she whimpered. "No."

"There is nothing anyone can do. You will be a vampire until someone kills you."

Sesen shook her head in denial, her entire body shaking with the pain. She gritted her teeth and waited out the pain, her frighteningly fast mind going over horrific scenarios of her past, murders... The death of her favorite brother, killed in front of her very eyes... Her sister, stuck to death with a knife while with child... Legends of blood drinkers and visions of blood running down the corners of her mouth... Again she shook her head in denial. She would rather die!

Hours later, the fire began disappearing from her fingertips and toes. She understood immediately that it was fading. She waited, shaking and writhing with pain, her back arching by it, as the fire receded from her hands and feet, later from her arms and legs... All the while gathering in the area of her heart. Her heart picked up speed, trying to battle out the fire as the fire tried to stop her heart. Both battles lost. Finally, the fire gathered entirely in her heart, her heart beat one last, uneven thump and then it was quiet. At the same time, the pain disappeared, apart from a scorched and dry feeling in her throat.

Sesen lay still for a moment, hardly believing that the pain was actually gone, and then she opened her eyes.

It was like she had never seen the world before. She saw every speck of sand in the cave, every crystal in the rock, she even saw into the dark corner of the cave, something she knew that she would never have seen before without fire to give light. She took a deep breath, but the action felt wrong, somehow... She quickly understood why. It brought no feeling of relief with it. Her lungs did not need the air, but she liked it. She took another deep breath.

Then she caught sight of the woman who had saved her life, and also, in a way, turned her into what she was now. She jumped up in alarm, and then felt disoriented again. It was like she had not moved at all. One moment she just lay on the floor of the cave, the other she was standing up. She quickly gathered herself, though, remembering the woman... the vampire.

Sesen studied the woman as the woman studied her. The other vampire had black hair with red highlights by her face, red eyes and very pale skin. She was tall and slender, and very beautiful. Her clothes were simple, just a piece of black fabric that covered her chest and her mid-section. She had a thin chain necklace with a red stone in it around her neck, a simple metallic band around her wrist and one other around her ankle.

"No pain?" The woman looked relieved.

"No." Sesen started at her own voice. It shouldn't have been so clear, like a bell... That wasn't her voice! She started to panic for real. "What will happen now?"

"Well, the first thing you need to learn is the hunting part." The woman smiled a bit.

"No." Sesen tried to sound certain. "Absolutely not. No more killing."

"You haven't killed anyone yet," the woman said, while looking out from the cave.

"What do you know about the people I have killed?" Sesen asked, looking terrified. "I have killed. It was necessary to survive in these lands. I have seen too many killings. I have done it myself. I never want to do it again." She would have cried, she knew it, but she discovered that her eyes were unable to produce tears. Yet another proof of how inhuman I have become, she thought bitterly.

"A part of you is still human." The vampire turned and looked at her.

Sesen blinked. "What? Where did that come from?"

"Your mind," the woman said matter-of-factly.

"My mind? What about my mind?" Then she understood. "Wait. You can read my mind?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I can." The vampire smiled. "By the way my name is Chrystal." She bowed a little.

"Well, you already seem to know me, but I'm Sesen," she answered awkwardly, bowing a bit herself. "What do we do now, then?"

"Well, since hunting isn't something you want to do... Hmm... I think we have to go somewhere else. To a darker place. How about Romania?" Chrystal's face brightened a little.

"Doesn't matter to me." Sesen shrugged. "I can't go home, anyway. And I, who promised Mewet that I would..." She felt sick to her core about breaking her promise to her mother.

"We can go to your brother with the thing you're supposed to give him." Chrystal looked out from the cave again. "But it is better if we move at night, when no one can see us."

Sesen was puzzled. "I thought we would have no other choice. Don't we burn in the sunlight?"

"Oh no, my dear. That is just a myth," Chrystal laughed. "We are sparkly. It looks like a million of tiny crystals are embedded in our skin."

"Oh." Sesen tried to take it all in, while ignoring the scorching in her throat. It wasn't the easiest thing to do. "I don't think I can be near humans, though."

"The longer you stay thirsty, the greater the craving will be. And as a newborn, which you are now, it is very, very difficult. As a reminder; you will kill a human one day. You won't be able to resist it." Chrystal walked to the opening of the cave. "It will take time to grow able to resist blood even for a little while, but time is all we have." Chrystal smirked. "Look." Chrystal put her arm outside the cave, so the sun made it glow.

"Wow," Sesen said staring at Chrystal's arm. She went to the cave's opening – again, too fast – and stuck her one arm out, watching the sun making it throw rainbows, noticing the eight color in the rainbow that she had never seen as a human. "So there is something beautiful about this after all..." she mumbled to herself. "But then, there's the killing..." she frowned.

"You will get used to it." Chrystal walked into the darker part of the cave. "You said you have killed? If you have killed, then what makes you think twice?" Chrystal frowned. "I have killed many. I still kill. But of course, it is in my blood, or rather was in my blood." Chrystal laughed a bit. "I would have died on a battlefield, if I hadn't been turned."

"Oh." Sesen frowned. "Well, you see, the difference is that all the people – men – that I have killed, I killed in self-defence. They attacked me. As a vampire, I will be killing people who has never done me any harm. That's what I don't like."

"I know, but most people hate vampires and they might attack you. Self-defence will fit right in." Chrystal smirked.

"Humph," Sesen snorted. Then she sighed. "I suppose I should ask. What things should I stay away from? What will hurt me? What will kill me? I don't know anything about this, you know."

"Well, humans are good to stay away from." Chrystal smirked. "But nothing will really hurt you, except other vampires and Children of the Moon." Chrystal sighed. "They are the only ones that can kill you. And as you probably have noticed, your senses are stronger than humans' senses, and you're faster and stronger. Is there anything else? Hm... Oh, yes. You don't need to breathe. We do breathe, but it's just because we use our nose to smell. And our hearts don't beat, we don't have blood in our veins and we don't sleep, ever."

"Never?" Sesen was completely astonished.

"Never. The night is closing in, we better get moving." Chrystal stood in the opening of the cave. Her skin sparkled in the sun, before it disappeared from the sky.

"Okay." Sesen took a deep, unnecessary breath, and then she followed.

---

Sesen was looking for a lotus flower close by Yamanu's home, while Chrystal was keeping an eye on the house.

"Found it," she sighed, putting a flower in the corn basket for her brother. "There, you can take it to him. Just remember not to hurt any of them."

"Don't you trust me?" Chrystal smirked a little. "They'll live, trust me." She gave Sesen an amused look, took the basket and ran off.

When she reached the house, she looked in through a window. Poor Sesen. She'll never have a family of her own. She left the basket by the door, knocked and ran back to Sesen.

They watched together from a hill how the door opened and Sesen's sister-in-law saw the basket. She bent down, picked up the lotus flower, and threw a look around. She seemed confused.

Upon seeing no one, she picked up the basket, went inside and closed the door again.

"What is she thinking?" Sesen asked Chrystal in a low voice.

"She thinks you're running many errands and don't have time to stay." Chrystal gave Sesen a heartbroken look. You don't want to know the rest. Chrystal turned her head and looked at the house. Apparently Sesen's sister-in-law hated her and was just as glad that she didn't have to see her.

---

"Sesen, you have to eat!" Chrystal looked very worried.

They were in a meadow in Romania, at Sesen's insistence. The meadow was far away from any humans.

Sesen shook her head, her, by this time, black eyes half-mad. "I've got to stay away from humans," she mumbled, her mantra over the last few months. Since becoming a vampire, she had never tasted blood, and it had now been several months.

"I know the first time is difficult, but you have to!" Chrystal now looked even more worried.

Sesen just shook her head, repeating her mantra unconsciously. "I've got to stay away from humans."

"You have gone mad! You need blood!" Chrystal stood and shouted at Sesen.

"Blood..." Sesen seemed like she was in trance, but then she snapped out of it. "No! No blood! I've got to stay away from humans..."

Suddenly she smelled the most delicious aroma – blood. She didn't think, she just threw herself at whatever it was that had blood, sank her teeth into it and drank it up. The daze in her head seemed to clear a little as she drunk, but not enough. She threw away the furry thing in her hands – bloodless, now – and threw herself after the next thing. It tried to run away, but Sesen was much faster. She drank that, too, and then a third. After that she finally realized what it was she was doing and threw herself away from it in horror – only to realize that the things she had just killed and drank the blood from were not humans, it was deer!

She stared in wonder, feeling the fire in her throat fade away some, the mist in her head clear. She could think again. And she hadn't killed any human for it.

Chrystal stood beside one of the dead deer. "What did you do?"

Sesen looked up at her.

"Your eyes... they are... amber." Chrystal stood and stared at her.

"I can think again," Sesen said in wonder. "I think I need more blood, though... The fire in my throat is still there, but not as intense as before."

"But, how?" Chrystal didn't understand. "It's not possible."

Sesen smirked. "Apparently, it is."

"Hmm... We should report this to the Romanian coven." Chrystal looked down at her feet. "They need to know that there is an alternative choice."

"All right," Sesen answered. "Let me just hunt down a few more animals first."

"You just killed three." Chrystal looked confused.

Sesen looked embarrassed. "I haven't drunk in months. I need a little more right now."

"Fine. Go. I will wait here for you." Chrystal sat down on a tree root.

"I'll see you soon." Sesen darted off, sniffing for blood, feeling incredibly relieved that that problem was solved. She quickly caught the scent of a cheetah, hunted it down and killed it. She drank the blood, and then the fire in her throat receded almost completely. She was full.

She returned to Chrystal within five minutes. "There," she said, "I'm finished."

"Good. Let's go." Chrystal darted off.

---

"Chrystal, you're back. How did the mission go?"

"Everything went well, my lord." Chrystal bowed.

"Why, then, did it take so long?"

"My lord, may I introduce Sesen. She's from Egypt."

Sesen bowed. She may not understand the Romanian language, but she recognized her own name.

"And why have you brought her here?"

"You see, my lord, Murtagh is dead, but before he passed on he bit Sesen here." Chrystal looked at her feet.

"You let him bite an innocent human?" The vampire rose from his chair.

"Forgive me, my lord, I did not know he had bitten her." Chrystal now stood on her knees.

Sesen looked shocked at Chrystal's behavior.

"Well, we can't undo the damage." He walked over to Chrystal. "Rise, my child."

Chrystal stood up.

"Let's have a look at you then, Sesen." He turned toward Sesen, speaking in Egyptian for her benefit.

Sesen stood tall and straight, looking him directly into the eyes.

"Your eyes... they are not... red. How come?"

"I only drink animal blood, my lord," Sesen answered.

"Animal blood?" The old vampire looked confused at Sesen. "And you don't crave for human blood?"

"Well, I do, but I can resist it," Sesen answered.

"So you could say you have found an alternative choice?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Does not human blood taste good enough for you?"

"I have never tasted human blood, so I wouldn't know, my lord," Sesen answered proudly.

"Chrystal." He turned to look at her, still speaking Egyptian. "Is she your responsibility?"

"Yes, my lord." Chrystal stood straight as a soldier.

"Have you tried the blood?"

"No, my lord."

"So, we have to trust Sesen then?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Chrystal, do I trust newborns?"

"Not as far as I remember, my lord."

"Sesen, I want you to leave now, before something bad happens to you." He started walking toward his chair.

Suddenly, the chair flew up and hit him right in the head, and then broke into a thousand pieces. Sesen and Chrystal stared, wide-eyed.

"Sesen, did you do that?" Chrystal looked chocked at her.

"I didn't... do anything... I think?" Sesen gasped out.

The vampire turned and he didn't look that happy.

"Sesen, I think it's best if you leave now," Chrystal said nervously.

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving!" And she ran.

"Chrystal, you don't belong to this coven anymore."

"But, my lord..."

"No buts. Leave!"

Chrystal ran as if someone had lit a fire in her butt.

---

Sesen turned when she had gotten a bit into the forest, staring wide-eyed at Chrystal. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that... make them throw you out that way! You have to believe me!"

Chrystal walked up to Sesen and hugged her quickly. "Thank the Gods! I don't need to go there anymore!"

Sesen stared at Chrystal when she released her. "You're not... mad at me?" she asked tentatively.

Chrystal looked confused. "How could I be? I hated that coven. I only stayed there because I didn't have anywhere else to be." She smiled widely.

"Oh." Sesen looked relieved. "Good. I mean... I didn't ruin everything then."

"No, no, no. Now I'm finally free of them." Chrystal walked a bit. "So, what should we do now?"

"I have no idea," Sesen sighed. "What do you do when you have an eternity to do it in?"

"Travel around the world?" Chrystal asked. "I have done that already, though."

"But I haven't." Sesen shrugged. "I suppose we can do that... to start with. And I need to learn a few more languages." She grinned. "So, where do we start?"

A/N: To those who are curious, Sesen means lotus, or water lily. Mewet means mother. Review!