Chapter 1: Running

Cold, that was all I could feel. Cold as the waves pulled me under the icy water, cold as the salty water swirled around my small body, cold as my lungs longed for life giving air. Life seamed so far away as I just floated in the dark abyss that surrounded me, images from the last hour flashed though my mind at high speed as my hands tried to desperately grasp the surface and the air my lungs craved.

XxX

I was running though the thick forest; the reason why was just beyond me right now, I brushed every branch out of my way as I ran though thick bushes and leapt over stray tree roots. Thorns from the bushes caught my clothes but I didn't stop, I couldn't, all that lay behind me was heartache and pain, I never wanted to go back, never. Leaves from the canopy above sheltered me from the sun and pouring rain, if I looked hard enough I'm sure there would be a rainbow above, but right now I'm not bothered.

My feet moved on their own as I ran, not once looking back. My once tied back hair flopped into my face obstructing my green eyed view, with a flick I moved my long messy brown hair over my shoulder and pushed my legs to move faster. I had to leave to get away, it hurt to much to go back, god I was such a fool. All of a sudden the world around me lit up as the sun beamed though the small gaps the leaves couldn't cover to show me a wet but beautiful clearing, it was stunning but what caught my eye was not the scenery but what was in the middle of it.

Up ahead a tree had fallen into the middle of the path and lazily sitting on the trunk was a jaw dropping, drop dead gorgeous man, he must have spotted me as the man looked up and gave me the most heart melting smile with cute baby boy dimples, he had soft curly brown hair sitting atop of his head and his huge arms bugled as he pushed himself off the tree truck, he was built like a house. What seamed a little off was the sunglasses, yes it was sunny but not enough to be wearing them.

I was so busy watching him that I developed tunnel vision and didn't see the tree root in my way, my foot moved right for the root and I roughly stumbled to a stop, just as I breathed a mental sigh of relief I lost my footing and with a muddy spat I fell right on my face; The response was the mans deep chuckle as it drifted over to me, it was just like warm honey. Trying my best not to blush at my clumsy moment I pushed myself from the wet forest floor and steadily got to my feet.

"Be careful…" The man said with humour in his voice, his voice was as smooth as velvet and as deep as a drum "…I don't like having bruised food" The voice that always lives at the back of your brain that only appears when your life is at risk came forward with full force, it told me not to run to stay where I was, I wanted to run and the less thoughtful voice was shouting at me to do just that, run away from the man and hope he doesn't follow.

There was something about him, I don't know what it was but something made me lift my head to look right at him, to look at his face and burn it in my mind and keep it there. The longer I looked at the huge man before me the more freaked out I felt, I could feel his eyes follow my every movement as the wind blew though my hair. His legs twitched at the wind blew passed me to him.

"You smell so mouth watering…" The man spoke taking a huge sniff from the air "…I will enjoy every movement of this hunt" With his last words one hand moved to grip the sunglasses and with a flick of his wrist threw them to the floor. Oh god his eyes, his eyes were a bright red and he looked hungry, but what for; I really hope it's not me but my luck was not with me today. He laughed again but this time it was evil, a laugh that would make the sun shiver with fear and with a single step the man stepped into a beam of sunlight, I knew from the moment I set eyes on him that he was different, but his skin, his skin sparkled like thousands of diamonds had been embedded into it, he gave me one more heart melting smile and said the one thing that made me what to be back to what had made me run in the first place.

"Go on run then, I love a prey that's hard to get"

XxX

When my fingers tried to grasp the surface and failed my legs automatically moved, I kicked them with all my might as I once again used my arms to grasp the surface in vain; it was to far away for me to reach. I couldn't be to far from air, I hadn't fallen in the water that much but the water was so dark I couldn't tell where I was. My arms and legs moved together as my lungs burned for air that would not come but my brain seamed to waterlogged to register this fact as I tried to breath anyway and got a mouthful of murky salt water.

In a panic my legs kicked and kicked trying to get my body above water where I belonged, my hands tried to claw at the water it's self just to get me up. Darkness started to creep around the edges of my vision and I knew then that I was in trouble and had to get air and get it now.

After what felt like forever my head finally broke though the waters surface and I took in a large gulp of much loved, live giving air, I took in some more water but I didn't care, I finally had air; I found I would have been better off drowning under the water as wave after wave hit me, moving me around like a child with a rag doll.

I was being pushed and shoved around, the water choosing where I should go as it constantly pushed my head back under water. The weather had turned so suddenly first it was sunny, then raining to a full out storm; I hated the weather, it could never make up it's mind. With the full force of an angry sea the water shoved my back into something rough, hard and cold, the pain shot though my body and I let out a drowned out scream. Never one to give up I managed to spin myself round and tightly grip the rough, hard and cold object that turned out to be a cliff face, hoping with all my might that this would be my life line.

XxX

"Go on run then, I love a prey that's hard to get" With those words I did the one thing he wanted, I ran.

I had been on a running team when I was younger and it had paid off as I zipped though the forest greenery with speed no one had seen before, I would have been untouchable if I was back home but this man had other ideas, he was waiting for me at every turn I made. One moment he would be lazily leaning against one tree like this was all a fun game of tag and the next he would be crouched like a wild animal waiting for the right moment to pounce; I had no idea where I was going but that didn't stop me, anywhere away from him was alright with me.

"Having fun my prey…no. Well don't worry it will all be over soon" His voice hung in the air as fear soaked into my very being, this psychopath was playing with me and all I wanted was to be safe and my wish came true in a twisted sort of way.

Ahead of me was an almighty inhuman roar that made my whole body chill with fear, whatever made that noise sounded big, not friendly and very close. A thunder of paws hitting the ground followed the roar before I ran into what could only be described as a pack of horse sized wolfs, black, brown, grey and sandy, they came in a whole range of colours but I didn't stick around to see if they were man-eaters or not.

I ran past the huge animals as quietly as I could but one middle sized wolf in the centre of the pack saw me, he had a shaggy brown coat of wet matted fur with the warmest deep brown almost black eyes you have ever seen. The moment our eyes met it was out of this world, you know in sappy romance films were a couple in love kiss and fireworks shot of in the background and wedding bells ring; well it was like that, we had a connection and it was almost like I had found my sole mate, the one I was made for, born for.

The wolf slowed it's running and so did I, it was like I needed to touch him; to make sure he was real, but when another wolf from the pack growled and the present snapped back. The man with the evil smile came back to mind like a slap in the face, I turned and carried on running but it felt like the wolf took half my heart with him.

I ran and ran hoping that the wolves would eat the man hunting me and the brown wolf would be fine; my heart kept trying to pull me back but going back would mean getting closer to the psychopath and I wasn't doing that. When I finally broke though the dark and creepy forest rain fell down and cooled my overheated skin but I was to busy trying to get away I didn't notice the cliff, another roar motivated me to move faster and I ran right off the cliff to fall fifty foot before hitting the freezing cold water below.

XxX

My numb fingers clung to the cliff face as my head barley bobbed above water, I took big gasps of air relishing the feeling while I could, I had to think and keep calm but I felt weak and tired from my constant battle with the sea. I clung to the cliff so hard that the rough dirt and rock cut into my palms only making me grip harder, I would climb out if that's what it takes.

I looked up to see if I could climb out of this watery hell and there hovering above me was a dark figure, a figure looking back down, my heart leapt at the sight, I couldn't tell if they were male or female but they were help all the same. With one huge breath I let out the biggest shout I could manage.

"HELP!" I screamed once again tightening my grip as I felt blood trickle down my hand "PLEASE HELP ME" I begged hoping that they could hear me as more water fell into my mouth. A wave suddenly barrelled into my back slamming my head into the hard cliff face, I felt my forehead split open as even more blood dripped out of me. I wanted to wipe the blood away as it fell into my eyes but that would mean letting go of the cliff and that would mean me floating away so I resisted, once again scream out for help.

I screamed for help again and again as the sea slammed my already weak body into the hard rocks over and over again, I couldn't give up, I wouldn't give in. My vision started to blur and the dark edge crept further in, my body was giving out and I was scared witless. I just wanted to be safe and warm at home, to sit in a big comfy chair and laugh with my friends, I only had my sister now and we were as thick as thief's.

With another wave I was slammed into something hard, it was colder then the cliff but it was smoother and just as hard, was it a metal pole or the monster that could smell my blood. I felt whatever it was wrap itself around my frame and tug me away from the cliff, with one small pull my hands slipped from their grip to hang uselessly, I was to weak to do anything. With what felt like my last ounce of strength I turned my sore head to see a blurred blonde blob before me, someone had heard my screams and came to help.

Whoever my saviour was they turned to me, I could barley see their lips move but whatever they said I felt mine move in response, I had gone onto auto pilot, barely functioning but I was still alive. Water slowly filled my lungs as the darkness moved in but I did something I never thought would be possible in the state I was in, I kicked. My arms moved from uselessly laying by my side to pull at the water and kicking my legs to help my saviour.

More blood seeped from my cuts and the darkness had nearly consumed my vision but I carried on, I could see the lips of my saviour pull into a half smile only to move again, I focused all my might on their lips. My saviour was encouraging me, telling me 'We are nearly there' 'One more kick' and the best words I could hear 'I can see the beach, we are so close'.

With one last kick my feet hit the sandy shore and my body moved own it's own as my survival instinct kicked in, I pulled out of my saviours grip to scramble up the beach as fast as I could, coughing up all the water I had swallowed in the process, as I crawled up the beach a cold, gentle hand rubbed soft circles on my back helping to bring up every last drop of salty water. Once I was safe enough away my body finally gave up and collapsed onto the damp sand, happy to be on dry land I breathed in the salty air as my senses came back into focus one by one.

My vision came back first and I was glad to be able to see clearly, the trees swayed in the strong wind as the dark grey clouds hung heavy in the sky, next was touch, The wet cold sand felt like grit on my exposed skin but it was my throat that hurt most, all of my screaming made my throat feel raw and the salt water that poured in wouldn't have helped; it was my hearing that came back last and it was the voice of a worried man to fill them first.

"No don't close your eyes…" The voice said with concern "Come on Ruby keep them open"

"How do you know my name?" Was the first and most intelligent thing that came out of my mouth; cue the mental eye roll. The man laughed as he finally moved into my vision, just like the man in the forest my saviour had a beauty that was beyond this world; a beauty that the Greek gods would envy, but unlike the guy he had warm butterscotch eyes with a kindness shining behind them.

"You told me when we were swimming for our lives…" He broke of as he chuckled deeply, he must have found something funny about our near death experience "…you must not remember; well you have hit your head pretty hard and several times. Come on lets get you inside the warm, I have some friends that live close by" With an almost timid air my saviour scooped his arms around my body and gently lifted me off the gritty beach and tucked me into his cold hard body, before he started walking my saviour looked down at me checking if I was ok, with a small nod he started walking.

"What's yours?" I asked, I couldn't keep calling this kind man my saviour, that's just stupid. It's a good job he couldn't read minds.

"Hale, Jasper Hale" He replied with a slight Texan tang as he gave a me a smile that had pride etched into it, he was making me laugh and it was a good thing until it reached my throat, it turned into a coughing fit to which he slowed down; he made sure that I was ok before moving on. I felt safe as he carried me in his arms, it was like a light in the dark, a drink after a long summers day, something that felt familiar, warm and safe, that however did not last.

I gently swayed from side to side in Jaspers arms as slowly we made our way to his friends, I was freezing in my wet clothes but I knew that soon I would be warm, that I would be safe but there was something about this kind gentleman that did make me feel safe, he had risked his own life to save mine. I whispered my thanks to this kind hearted stranger as I snuggled deeper into his safe arms, my haven. I started to drift off when a deep voice called from the darkness around us, it was a voice I knew but they sounded desperate, like they were confirming that it was me.

"Ruby?" The voice asked, hope lacing his words. It was then, when I head his voice everything came back full blast, the reason I had run in the first place was now right before me, the bottom of my stomach fell as my gaze fell on him, please not here, not now "Ru its you, she's over here Carla" The owner of the voice, the man I loved ran closer towards us with a relived smile on his face, he held his arms out ready to take me from Jasper with Carla following not far behind him. Without Christian's knowing I gripped Jasper's wet shirt as tight as I could, Christian would have to pry at my cold dead fingers before I would let go; Jasper must have seen this as a smile grew on his face but a confused looked crossed behind his eyes.

"It's ok I've got her" Jasper said looking at Christians open arms with a slight frown on his face, I felt panic rise in my chest, I didn't want to be near Chris right now; it was just to much "We need to get Ruby inside…" Jasper said looking down me with a look of understanding on his face "…but could you get the door for me mate" The look Christian gave Jasper could have put a man sex feet under, I shied away from the look but Carla stood up to the plate and with few whispered words he finally did as Jasper asked.

With a nod of thanks Jasper moved forward and it was the first time I saw the house, it looked small but cosy from the outside and as soon Jasper walked in it was just as I thought, the owner had made good use of the space they had and it worked, it was homely. Knowing the house like the back of his hand Jasper moved from the hallway to the living room where a warm fire was already roaring in the fireplace.

"Now what?" Chris demanded sharply as he lent against the doorframe crossing his arms across his chest, he was not happy but I didn't care, Jasper was placing me in a big comfy chair in front of the warm fire.

"We will get Ruby into some fresh, dry clothes…" Jasper said sternly, it sounded as if Christian was driving his patience wafer thin "…and then call my…"

"Call who then Mr knight in shining armour?" Chris shouted his temper rising as he pushed off the doorframe "And get your hands off my girl" he demanded as he stepped closer to Jasper, all the while pointing an accusing finger at his chest.

The squeak of tires rolling on a lillo floor sounded from the room opposite; which was the kitchen, I held my breath, we had disturbed the owner and now they will be pissed but I was in for a shock, out of the gloom came a middle aged man in a wheel chair, his dark eyes held a smile as he looked around the room and the four intruders. With a half smile on his face the man looked up at Jasper, mischief dancing in the back of his eyes.

"Can you please call Emily and Carlisle for me?" The man asked Jasper as his hands rested on the wheels of his chair, with a sharp nod Jasper left the room whipping his phone out at the same time, for a second he looked back at me, the look he gave me was confusing, it was like he was telling me that he knew what I was feeling and that everything will be fine.

"Now..." The man said kindly as he wheeled his way towards me in my warm and comfy seat "…you must be freezing in those wet clothes, I will fetch you some dry ones for you to change into" The kind man smiled as he reached out to pat the only exposed part of my body; my hand, he felt so warm, I felt the urge to get out of my seat and just climb into the mans lap to snuggle up to him but the wouldn't have been a good idea. I looked up to see Chris glaring at the man as Clara looked on worried, I felt anger flow though my numb body; how dare they act like this.

"Oh…" The man said as he started to spin round and go back out the room "…my name is Billy Black, welcome to my home"