A wretched soul, bruised with adversity,
We bid be quiet when we hear it cry;
But were we burdened with like weight of pain,
As much or more we should ourselves complain.
-William Shakespeare
Chapter 1
The night was dark and I was starving. I thirsted for blood more than anything else. I was miles away from the nearest wild animal, but I could make it. There couldn't be any humans around or I wouldn't be able to control myself. I ran faster and faster on the cold ground, through the streets and alleys until the signs of civilization weren't anywhere to be seen. I let myself breath again. I had no fear that I would run into any people now. I was too far from New York. Everyone should be sleeping now any ways. Humans were lucky. They got to have a break from life, not having to roam the night for the rest of eternity alone, utterly and completely alone.
I couldn't think about the pain of loneliness. But loneliness was better than the constant fear for your life. The thirst scratched at my throat again, making me start running. I left my civilized self alone, and let my instincts take over. I was a hunter now. A light breeze drifted from the east and I caught the scent of a creature so delicious, it had to be a bear. It was second best to human blood, what I yearned for the most. I followed the bear's scent deeper into the forest, occasionally checking behind myself for any attackers. There were none, as I expected. I finally found the bear feasting on the carcass of a white-tailed deer. It was small, probably just a year old. The deer didn't temp me even slightly, I was focused on the bear. I crouched down, then sprung at the creature with all my strength, knocking it backward. I plunged my teeth into it's neck and let the warm blood flow threw my immortal body.
After my dinner was over, I started running east. I didn't know where I was going, but there was something like a tugging pulling my body east, so I followed it. I ran through the dark night, letting my mind wonder. Then I thought about the worst memory.
Just keep walking, I kept telling myself. It was 1903, and I was in Port Angeles, Washington. I felt like something was watching me, but I was just paranoid. Nobody wanted to harm me in any way, at least that's what I chanted over and over again in my mind. I turned around and saw red eyes lurking in the shadows. I was being followed. I thought to scream, but I was too late. There was a man. He looked about twenty years old. His face was striking and he had blond hair. His eyes were a bright crimson color. The beautiful, yet deadly creature was sauntering towards my body, still frozen in shock. The person smiled in a very alluring way and I was drawn to the killer's eyes against my will. I just stood there in wonder of his beauty and eeriness. He was right in front of me and bent his head to my neck, almost kissing me. Then i felt the sharp pain of the tearing of my skin. I could feel his dagger-like teeth digging into my skin and I shrieked in pain. I soon became weak and numb. The man just held me up, then the real pain began. My neck felt like it was 300 degrees. It felt like I poured boiling water over my neck repeatedly. I tried to scream, but no sound would come out of my mouth. The searing pain moved down my arms and through my torso. My heart was in the most pain. The fire moved down to my legs and feet, and I felt like dying. Never being alive again would be better than experiencing this pain. I couldn't feel him holding me, but i could see I was still above the ground. He whispered in my ear, "You're mine now. You and I can be together now. You're just like me, a vampire." I felt the shock and then everything went black.
It was almost day-break. I didn't know where I was, but overnight I had passed the Appalachians. I thought I was pretty close to the great plains, but I wasn't sure. I had a feeling that I was only a day away from the place my heart wanted to be. I just wasn't sure where that was yet.
I woke up. The black and the pain was gone. I looked beside me and there was the man who did this to me. I realized we were both vampires now, the un-dead. He was staring at me with a strange look on his face. "Are you thirsty?" he asked. "My throat hurts," I answered. A sly smile spread across his face. "Let's go hunting then." I asked him where we were and he said we were in Oregon. I didn't ask how we got here, but I was still curious. I didn't know what he meant by hunt either. Then he lead me down an alley where there were a group of men joking and talking. "Hello gentlemen," greeted my creator. "Why hello there," said the man leaning against the wall. "Who is this lovely lady you have with you?" asked the other man. "Wouldn't you like to know," answered the vampire. Then he grabbed one of the men's neck and whispered, "She will get to know you very, very well." Then he snapped the man's neck and through his limp body to me. The blood and smell consumed my mind. I plunged my teeth into his throat and drank until my throat barely burnt. I hadn't even seen my partner kill and devour the other man. He was looking at me. I looked back at him and asked his name. "My name is James, and yours?" "I'm Bella Swan," I answered. "Well Bella," he stated, "I expect we will get to know each other very well."