A/N: Just came up with this idea a day or two ago while watching Eclipse because I am so Team Riley. ;) I'm not used to venturing outside of my other fandoms, especially when it comes to multi-chapter fics, so this is a bit of a big leap for me. As such, reviews are always appreciated more than you know. I am currently in the process of getting a book published, so any reviews mean a lot to me.
As for a few sidenotes to get out of the way, I have not yet read The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. I have indeed read Eclipse, (twice, and loved it), though movie details tend to push book details out of my mind, so I'm setting this strictly in movie-verse.
As for where I decided that Riley was 20 and Bree was 15, I got all the information from the Twilight Wiki and Twilight Lexicon.
In essence this is Eclipse told from Riley and Bree's point of view, though I am taking a few minor liberties in my story telling. Extremely minor, however. We don't see a lot of Bree and Riley, so most liberties I'm going to attempt to weave into the actual storyline.
Please enjoy and please review!
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Prologue
The sounds of screaming were nothing more than a dull ring in his ears.
He was used to it by now.
While people writhed on the ground in pain, Riley simply paced methodically back and forth, glancing carefully over the new 'recruits' for lack of a better word.
He smirked as he walked, reveling in the feeling of power and control, choosing who would stay alive to join the army, and who would be of no use and killed instantly.
He stopped at the edge of the dock, his eyes coming to rest on a younger girl. She was curled into a tight ball, clutching her throat in pain and terror.
Riley frowned.
She couldn't have been more than fifteen years old. Picking her for the army hadn't exactly been an easy choice.
But she was the perfect target, there was no denying that. She was an obvious runaway; her sudden absence would go unnoticed. And despite her age, Riley wasn't the least bit concerned that she would pick things up quickly.
And if she didn't, he would kill her. Simple as that.
Still, guilt tugged at his once-beating heart. The others were nothing important. No one would miss them. They should be grateful I did this to them, he thought to himself.
But this little girl...
She'd barely begun to live. And despite how brave she'd been when he first approached her, she now shook violently, a wild panic evident in her eyes.
Riley wasn't sure what possessed him to walk closer to the young girl, but he did.
He kneeled down to her level, tilting his head to get a good look in her eyes. She simply continued her fussing, clutching at her neck and hyperventilating.
He tensed a bit when her eyes finally met his.
"W-What did you do to me?" she managed to sputter between pained gasps.
Riley didn't bother answering. He knew she wouldn't understand anyway.
"I-I'm so..." The girl paused, unable to find a word to describe what she was feeling. The colors around her seemed to be intensified, the plip-plop of every raindrop was accented loudly in her ears, a hundred different scents entered her nose when she inhaled, and despite it being nearly midnight, she could clearly see the man in front of her... The man that had done this to her. More notably, an indescribable burning sensation pierced the back of her throat.
"Yea," he answered, knowing full well what she was feeling. "I know. We'll find you someone to drink."
The young girl's eyes met with Riley's once again, a wave of confusion crossing her face. If she hadn't known any better... She'd have thought he said he would get her someone to drink.
That was impossible, of course... She must have misheard.
Riley glanced behind him at the sound of a fight breaking out. The girl let out a terrified cry when the scuffle ended in a loud crash, the taller man collapsing to the ground with half his head missing. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Riley turned back to her and smirked. "Just try not to get killed. Okay?"
The girl made no response, though her panic seemed to be building. Riley imagined her heart would be beating at an unreasonable rate, had she still possessed one.
The panic was starting to get to him, however. It was dangerously contagious.
Even more dangerous were the protective instincts he was starting to feel towards the scared little girl.
Reluctantly, he reached a hand out to her. She flinched violently, causing him to hesitate before he gently patted her shoulder in a comforting manner.
The girl's breathing seemed to calm down a bit, though she still looked at him with scared and accusing eyes. Riley twisted his mouth into a crooked smile; he had meant for it be reassuring, though he imagined it probably looked more like a sneer.
"What's your name, kid?"
She shook slightly before answering. "B-Bree Tanner, sir..." she stuttered, looking down at the ground as though Riley were someone to be revered, respected, and feared. And to be honest, he was. And he loved every minute of it. The familiar adrenaline rush of having so much control over people's emotions washed over him as continued smirking at her.
"Riley," he answered. Though he attempted to make his tone as warm and friendly as possible, the look on Bree's face indicated that he'd failed miserably at doing so. After a brief pause, he rubbed her arm gently, attempting to coax a smile out of her. "Let's find you a snack, okay?"
Bree only tensed under his touch, looking to the ground again.
"I want my mama," she whimpered.
The smirk slid right off Riley's face and was again replaced with a frown. "Well get used to it," he spat, his tone becoming harsh once again. "You're gonna be crying for mommy a lot over the next few months."
With that, he stood up straight and began walking away, turning only to address the newborn once more.
"Oh, and welcome to the army."
He knew she wanted to cry.
It satisfied him that she would soon realize that she couldn't.
