Someone Other
Summary: While wandering through the loneliest places of the world, to hide himself from humanity, Carlisle Cullen is encountered by someone who seems to know much more about his condition and chances than his own self.
I felt cold, cold all around me. I had tried so many things: burning my so-called flesh, stabbing myself in any part of my body which I could imagine as a vital one. But nothing had worked. Maybe this cold, icy wind would. Maybe I would be able to fight my own cold with another one and part from this half-life at last. I fell to the ground, waiting for my body to freeze. But I hadn't felt anything. Anything but...
Not even here. Not this scent again. I had traveled to which was a difficult place for anyone to live, even to survive, and I how was I able to find a human being. For a moment, my instincts were stronger than me as I jumped up and followed the scent of the seducing human blood, flowing in someone's veins. I didn't have to run much to find the small wooden cottage where the smell was coming from. I tried to hold myself back but there was no use. I broke the door and rushed into the house, together with the breezing wind. And then, suddenly something collided with me. Something that was stronger than me, I couldn't break it. I fell to the wooden floor, with my head spinning round and round. Someone else was in the house. He stood up and lit two candles, placed in the corners of the cottage. With some light provided by those, I managed to take a closer look at him. He was taller and had broader shoulders than me, and a silly-looking, thin mustache, too. He wore a patterned long coat and trousers and warm boots. He turned his back to me, and I really had a hard time overcoming my instinct to attack him again. He pulled a leather sack, what was supposed to be a gourd, I thought, and threw it in front of my feet.
"How do you know what do I need?" I asked, although I wasn't sure if he had understood me.
"I know much about you, Carlisle Cullen." I shivered. He answered with only a bit of an accent, and he did know my name. That made me really frightened. I was supposed to be around people who don't know anything about me. At best, I should be around no people.
"H-h-how much?" I stammered. He turned his back to me again, as he replaced the broken door with a small move.
"Open that, would you? We won't be able to speak as civilized people if you are as hungry as you are now." At the same time, he pulled a glass bottle from his coat what was full of some stinky, but otherwise water-like fluid. I stared at him and he nodded curtly. I sank my teeth into the leather and I tasted thick and tasty human blood. Between two tiffs, I managed to say a short "Thank you."
"Thank your idiot English soldier friends. They are quite good at killing and bringing war to distant lands." He also took a tiff from from the bottle and remarked "I guessed you would prefer that over my vodka."
Strange person he was, for sure. As I looked up again at him, almost finished with the blood I had, I even thought his skin was glowing a little bit.
"How do you know about me?" I asked. "And why aren't you afraid of me?"
"For the first question, I say let that be my personal secret. And calm down, I have ways to defend myself if you would go crazy again like you have done before."
The wall, I thought, that had stopped me.
"Then, do you have ways to kill me, too?"
He stared me in the eye, an almost stabbing look he had in his moderately slit eyes. He took a deep breath.
"First of all, I would like to introduce myself. Please call me Boris. Or Boris Ignatyevich. Whichever you prefer. I am a member of the Night Watch."
"What does that mean?" I interrupted.
"Our duty is to keep the Dark as away from humans as we are allowed to. But as I am here on my own account, and you do surely not have a license, I think we should stop this official stuff around."
"The Dark?" I murmured. "The Dark like vampires? The Dark like..." I was looking forward to hearing my name, so I would be sure that he would kill me at last. He was definitely more powerful than I was.
"Vampires." he just said and he shook his head. He took a deep sigh. "It's not just that easy. First, we have a treaty, and I don't even think about the consequences I would have to face if I killed you without giving a reason."
I jumped up in a split second, and grabbed his coat, pulling him closer to my face. I growled.
"What if it would be self-defense?"
"You're not willing to do that, aren't you?"
I don't know if he touched my mind some way or was it just me, but actually I really didn't want to attack him. Dammit!
"Of course, you aren't."
I let him go.
"Don't you see?" I shouted desperately. "I am doomed!"
"We'll discuss about that later."
"How can you just look at me without disgust? With the desire to make me perish. Forever. Or just tell me how I'm going to that. I'll do that myself and your hands will be pure as snow."
He didn't answer just stared at me.
"You see, I have another reason. Much stronger than the treaty we have. As you think – yes, you think it the right way – most of the vampires are affiliated to the Dark." He turned his face away, like it was difficult for him to look in my eyes. I could really understand him. "But you are different."
"How?" I shouted. "How on earth?" I burst out. "I have this thirst, this damned blood lust and I doubt that I would be able to fight it forever."
He smirked and this made me furious. I wished I would be able to rip his head off – but he was still human, and on the other hand, stronger than me. Then, why didn't he feel some mercy and tear mine from my body?
"Your aura is clean and still completely yours. That is unique. I have never seen something like that before."
"Great." I replied sarcastically. "Tell me, Boris, what should I do with that? My instincts pull me to one direction, and my mind to another. I cannot be completely myself again."
"I'm sure you haven't met any other vampires yet."
I didn't answer but he understood my wordless behavior.
"Lucky you." he sighed. "If I was able to, I would really like to show you someone else from your kind. It would be very persuasive."
"I don't think it's time to broaden my horizon."
"That's not true. What do you think what am I doing?" asked Boris.
"Chatting with a soulless monster about the dark or not dark. I wish it would be that easy. Why don't we end this conversation and let you do your duty?"
He almost laughed. After a few, seemingly endless moments, he began to draw with hands in the air. Suddenly, a great, blank sheet, or something like that, but made from light, appeared. In another blink, three lines appeared on it. One was much more thicker than the other two.
"How are you doing that?" I asked, amused.
"I am not human. I am Other. But let's focus on this here."
He pointed on the thickest black line.
"These here are the lines of possible futures. This one represents the most possible one."
"Which means?" I interrupted curiously. I have never met someone to do this. Boris was truly something new.
"You fall. You embrace Dark. You become a monster you would never want to be."
"The others?" I asked. If this had been the most possible one, I was not sure if I really wanted to hear the others.
He pointed to the one on the left side.
"You die. I don't know how I don't know when, but you'll get yourself killed."
"That sounds pretty good." I remarked. "One parasite less."
"And the third one." he pointed to the thinnest on the right side. "This one could only occur if I met you."
"And what does it mean?" asked I, demanding the answer.
"Your human feelings will overcome your vampire instincts." With a move of his fingers, the whole sheet disappeared. "Which means you'll be able to save many, many lives from vampire attacks."
"How?" I asked like I couldn't believe him. And, in fact, that was true.
"Think about living like a human, not a carnivore."
"Thanks. With my throat burning every time I get close to anyone."
"I'm sorry." he whispered. "I can't give much advice to you. Think about human things. Eat meat, but not people. Raise a family. Keep your head and the things you value in your ... er ... not your heart, let's say your head again."
I don't know if he wanted to joke with this, but it was quite annoying. He laid his hand on my shoulder as I was a lot younger than he was.
"Believe it or nor, I am older than you. My only advice is to consider your possibilities. I don't think you are destined to die in this damned place."
He looked towards the door if he had seen something.
"My friend, I should go. The Twilight awaits me."
"Hey, what about my possibilities and that stuff?" I interrupted.
"I have told what I had and what I was able to. It's totally up to you now. Like I've said. Your choice is yours only. I can only influence it, with my powers very limited. I just hope I'll be successful with you." He sighed. "And trust me, I have my own methods to protect this little memory from ... anyone else."
I tried to ask who did he refer to, but this time, the whole scene dissolved. I woke up in the middle of the great Russian tundra, my throat burning like hell. I took a sip of air. There was no human around me, just a pack of rein deers.
Disclaim: I do not own any rights to Twilight or the Watch tetralogy
Author notes:
Boris Ignatyevich (Gesar): respected and well-known employee of the Russian Night Watch, who rose to become the Night Watch leader in Moscow by the 20th century and a grand Light magician (magic power is commonly valued on a scale from 1 to 7, the lower number represents higher power, Gesar has number 0)
Other: Others are anyone who are not humans, most of them can collect magic from humans' emotions, and use it in a controlled way (humans can also use it subconsciously, like swears and curses). Others include magicians, witches, werewolves, shape shifters, vampires, warlocks, etc. A very high percent of Others have an affiliated side, Light or Dark. Others don't age like ordinary humans.
Night Watch: a group of Others trying to protect and fight for Light's cause. Its pair is the Day Watch, what does the same for Dark.
Treaty: a treaty had been signed between the forces of Light and Dark, in order to keep the balance between the two. If one side uses a certain level of magic, the other side is righteously allowed to use some at the same level.
Twilight: the source of magic, the "parallel world or worlds" surrounding the material world that all humans and Others can see. Most Others can see and enter the Twilight, practically disappearing from humans, and travel ignoring material obstacles. The Twilight has 7 levels. The higher level you enter, the more difficult it is to stay alive.