No lie could mask the anguish that played across my face as I stared into the eyes of a girl I had seen but once before. Her face was pale, her eyes glazed. Her hair was windblown and covered in the blood that had been pulsating from the wound on her forehead. The mangled body was limp and barely hanging onto life. I had a decision to make. I knew I had to save her and I knew how.

"I can save you," I whispered into her ear. She did not look at all phased by my intent to rescue her from death. In no humanly way could I save her though, she had lost too much blood.

I fought against the arguments that came reeling through my head telling me that this was wrong and that to take her life- well, her mortal life- was not the path she would have chosen for herself. Time was against me, ironically enough. I had to act, so I quickly overcame my own conflicted thoughts and scooped her up into my arms. Her body lay unbelievably limp in my arms, she seemed dead already but I couldn't bear the thought.

Ambling through the crowd of patients and doctors in the hallways of the hospital, I tried my best to avoid any unnecessary contact with any one of them. I slipped my way around the passers-by and finally reached my exit at the back door. I heard a faint moan as I laid her down into my car trying not to jolt her.

The car would not be fast enough but I knew that I needed to reach the outskirts of the city before I could carry her the rest of the way home.

The car screeched to a stop as I pulled it along the side of a dark, thick forest. She was fading fast. I looked at her beautiful face and knew that now was the time. I could do this. I had done it once already. I had the strength.

I took her body into my lap and laid her head on my shoulder. Her neck was so brilliantly white and soft. I gathered her head in my hand and rubbed my thumb over it. With my teeth bared, they plunged into her neck spilling her blood into my mouth. The taste was sweet and so satisfying but I kept my strength and kept my instincts from overpowering me. I released my hold on her and held her there in my arms waiting for a response from her body. She screamed but the sound was muffled by my hand held over her mouth. Her eyes shot open and she pushed away from me.

"What happened?" she asked confused. She grabbed her neck and felt the wound I had given her.

"Don't worry, lie down. You are not well enough yet. Wait to regain your strength and I'll bring you home," I tried to console her.

"You can't take me back to my husband. I won't let you! He's awf—"

"I'm not taking you back to that home," I interrupted her. "You are coming with me to my home."

"Oh, but..." she paused. "I thought I was dead. How did you save me? I fell pretty far and I am sure that fall would have killed me."

"I will explain everything once we get there. Don't worry you're safe now."

"But—" she retorted.

"Shh..." I tried to calm her.

"But— there's a pain in my throat. It's spreading... It's burning my chest. Stop it! Stop it NOW!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. The pain was overcoming her now. I looked through the windshield of the car unable to look at her and what I had done.

"I can't. I'm sorry. There was no other way."

"Please stop it," she asked as she started to cry and gasp for air. "I'm suffocating. I can't bear this." Tears streamed down her cheeks and her eyes shown the true torture she was experiencing.

"I know how you feel. It happened to me too."

"Stay with me," she grabbed my shirt and nearly tore it off trying to forgo the pain. "AHH!"

I couldn't stand it. She writhed in agony and I couldn't do anything about it. She was helpless and I was the cause of it. How could I do this to her? Was I acting selfish by doing this? Was it really a necessary action to save her life? I had seen many people die and pass on to a world that I would never see myself. All this time and I have still not overcome those imperfections that come with being this creature, this monster. I had done something irreversible and this sin will be counted among the many.

All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.