Hey guys! I had this AWESOME idea for a story, and so I decided to get it down. I really enjoyed writing this, and hope to continue but I'm not sure whether it'll be liked or not. So if you like it, please review! Even if you dont like it, review! It'll help me make it better!

:P

Prologue: Leave Me Here To Bleed

I stood by my car, feeling the darkness of twilight press around me like a suffocating blanket that made me want to scream. But then I wondered…why did I want to scream now, all of a sudden, when I had never been afraid of the dark. In fact, until this night, the darkness was almost a fortress, a secret haven that shielded me from the annoyingly bright sunshine that threatened to pierce through every defense I had. So no…I wasn't afraid of the dark. But if I wasn't afraid of the darkness…then what was I afraid of?

I waited a second more, and shook off the shaking tremors that racked through me, and quickly opened the door to my car. I slipped inside, slamming the door behind me with unnecessary force. I took a deep breath, and glanced up into the mirror, seeing my familiar green-blue eyes stare back at me. Calm down Terra…you're just imagining things. Get a hold of yourself!

I ran a hand through my wavy auburn hair, and smiled as it actually took more than two seconds for my fingers to comb to the ends of my hair. I had always cut my hair really short, and had decided a year ago, on my twentieth birthday, that I would grow it out. Now instead of going to my ears, it went to just below my shoulders. I loved it, but I would have loved it even longer, waist-length, like my best friend Faith's hair, a best friend who was still back in California. I had just come back from four years of UC Davis, one of the best veterinary colleges, or so Faith and I both told everyone wondering about the school.

Faith had told me to come back when I could, and that she'd love to visit me up in Olympia, Washington…where my parents and I had lived…when my parents were still alive. They had died when I was eight, thirteen years ago, so I don't remember them as well as I probably should. But it didn't bother me as much; I stayed with my Aunt Grace, who was absolutely horrid. I moved out when I could, and went to college in California, and Faith and I had been roommates for the past three years.

I really loved Faith, and UC Davis, but California was just so bright…it made me uneasy. Made me want to curl up in a ball and wait for night to come, and stare up at the moon for hours on end. I had always loved the moon, so much more than the sun. The sun was a ball of fire, while the moon was just overwhelmingly beautiful.

I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard the wind blow ominously outside, and I flinched as a rustling sound reached my ears. I hated that sound, and I shuddered, quickly starting up the car and sighing as the sound of the engine starting eased my worry somewhat. I really should get out of here…maybe I should pay a visit to Aunt Grace…just to get under her skin. I smiled wryly, and was about to put my foot on the gas when I heard a scream pierce the night, so shrill and frantic that my hands jerked sharply on the steering wheel. I felt my heard thumping in my chest, and I cautiously turned off the engine, listening. Maybe I was just imagining it…jeez, get a fricken grip…

But then, another scream, louder than the last, tore through the night, and I was out of the car in the next second. I felt the wind whipping around me, blowing my hair in front of my eyes. I ran blindly, stumbling slightly as the wind buffeted against me, as if trying to push me back. I scowled angrily, and ran as fast as I could, toward the direction of the scream. I don't know how I knew…but it was almost like a magnet, the way that the scream pulled me through the wind. Then, just as the wind started to blow less harshly, I felt a drop of water on my arm. I looked up, and it seemed like a second before the rain really started pounding, and in barely a minute I was soaked.

"Are you kidding me?" I yelled angrily, but my voice was lost in the roar of thousands of raindrops hitting the cement. I was on the sidewalk now, and I saw a darker alley way to my right. I remember the feeling that coursed through me as I turned that corner. It was like…everything was enhanced. I could feel the icy coldness of the water on my goose bump riddled skin, could feel the frantic beating of my heart. My breathing came in short gasps, and I could feel the hair that was plastered to my face in unruly tangles.

I stared into the rain, and at first I could only see a blurry shape, but I wiped the water out of my eyes, and everything fell into place.

It was a man, who was bending over a girl not that much younger than I was. Her silvery blonde hair, even through the rain, managed to shimmer, and her blue eyes caught mine in a desperate struggle to free herself. The man, as though sensing my presence, looked up, and I gasped. His face was flawless, the carving of a god, more beautiful than anything I had ever seen. I felt myself blushing, but then I saw his eyes, and that blush drained from my face.

The man's irises were red, no not just red; they were vicious ruby flames that seemed to glow, stabbing into me like knives. I swallowed hard, and forced myself to stay my ground even though I felt like running.

"L-Let her go, or I'll call the p-police!" I said loudly, and flipped out my phone when he didn't respond. He seemed unusually excited, as though my words didn't faze him in the slightest. I saw him release the girl, who scrambled off without a second glance backward. I sighed in relief, and slowly backed up, keeping my cell phone in my hands, pressing the 9 key two times. I was about to click the 1 when I suddenly felt the phone leave my hands. I frowned, and a silky voice murmured behind me, almost seeming a part of the rain.

"Looking for this?"

I whirled around, and saw that the man was behind me, my phone resting between his alabaster pale fingers. His dark blonde hair was like spun gold, and his skin like polished marble. His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, and a excited grin spread his perfect lips apart, showing gleaming white teeth that shone in the dim light of the street lamp outside the alley. I glared, and took a step back.

"L-Leave me alone."

I felt myself trembling, and my heart was racing. This man…he wasn't right, he wasn't anything that was familiar to me. My mind was screaming for me to run, and yet my legs wouldn't move, frozen like ice on the slick ground.

Suddenly, the man was gripping me tightly, and I felt his sweet breath wash over me like a mist, and I felt my mind whirling into numbness. His body was cold, not human. I struggled to free myself, and hoped that that girl had called the police, let someone know…maybe she hadn't…

"Don't worry…it'll be over soon…" He crooned, and before I could scream I felt a blinding pain erupt in my neck. It was as if a burning hot rod was slowly pressed into my skin, only I was unable to free myself of it. I screamed, and that made the pain worse. I felt…almost like I was drowning, and yet the blood inside of me seemed to be slowly drawn out, like a straw was being put in my veins.

It was in that instant that I realized what was happening to me. My blood was being sucked from me, and the boy that held me in his vice-like grip was a vampire.

My mind went completely blank for a second before going into full panic mode. Vampires weren't real, and yet one was holding me right now…and this one didn't have fangs…were there others? My thoughts whirled in harmony with my spinning vision, and the cold icy darkness slinked into my mind like a cat waiting to pounce.

I was going to die.

I would never live to find out if there were others, because my life was slowly fading along with my vision.

I had always been at peace with death. I knew that when my time came, I would die with no regrets, with no sorrow or grief. And yet…at the same time I hated death. I hated it with every fiber of my being, at peace and yet hopelessly hating it. When death took people before their time, newborn children or young men and women just starting on their lives, I felt angry. No, more than angry. I was impossibly enraged to the point of madness. What right did death have to ruin the lives of good people, people who deserved more than the cold darkness death brought with it? What right did death have…taking life away before they were ready?

I thought of this now, and I realized that I couldn't, no, wouldn't die here. I still had so much to do, so much to find out for myself, questions to answer, things to learn. I had to fight, had to find something to hold onto in my fading consciousness.

It was like a fire had suddenly started burning in my body, burning away the pain, everything that would prevent me from reaching my goal. I would not die here. There was a small part of my mind that seemed to open with prodding from the fire, and I felt a surge of power rush through me.

Suddenly, the man's arms were gone, and I fell to the ground in a heap. I sat up immediately, and stared into the shocked eyes of the vampire. My blood was dripping down his chin, and he licked it slowly, eyes locked with mine. He moved forward again, but stopped about ten feet away from me, his eyes narrowing as he seemingly pushed against the invisible barrier. I felt something trickling through my veins, almost like liquid fire, and I hissed in pain. It hurt more than anything I had ever experienced in my life, and I groaned as it intensified. I didn't take my eyes off the vampire, and felt something pressing against a part of my mind, and suddenly realized that it was me. I was the one that was keeping the vampire away. But how? How?!

Before I could process this, however, a woman suddenly appeared by the man's side, and before I could blink he was sent flying into the alley wall, making it shudder dangerously. I gasped for breath as I struggled to see around the pain.

She was, like the vampire, gloriously beautiful, and had that inhuman grace to her movements that sent alarms off in my head. Dark waves of brown tresses fell to the small of her back, and her skin was flawless…like polished marble. I flinched as she turned to stare at me.

Her eyes were golden, a meltingly deep gold that reminded me of a jar of honey with the light shining through it. Her face was also flawless, and her dark eyebrows arched up in surprise.

The other vampire was up in a second, and he snarled harshly. But before he could take a step, another male vampire appeared beside the small, dark haired woman, his golden-honey eyes hardening in warning. His bronze colored hair

"Make one move towards her…and you die."

The newcomer's voice was low, and yet like velvet caressing soft skin. Harmonious…lovely. I felt the fire within my skin rage, and I let out a cry, slumping against the wall. I felt the urge, the need to scream, but it was only by sheer wonder that I held it in. The shield, that small part of my mind, was gone. I couldn't feel it, no matter how I reached for it.

I was distracted from my attempts when the man spoke, his voice layered with rage and subtle apprehension.

"Why did you interfere?"

The woman smiled slightly. "Edward and I were just heading home when we heard screams. You should be more careful, otherwise the police might find out. Then you'd be a bit inconvenienced, wouldn't you?" Her voice was like the ringing of bells, and hearing it made me forget the pain for a split second, but then it came back with a vengeance. The worst part was that no matter how bad it got…I couldn't fall into unconsciousness. I could barely close my eyes. It was horrifying, and I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes and sink into sleep, away from all the pain in the world.

The man who had bitten me snarled, and the woman raised an eyebrow. "Now, please leave, you've gotten enough from this girl."

The man was about to speak when I heard a low growling coming from the bronze-haired man, who was standing protectively behind the woman. The other vampire hesitated, and was gone.

I let myself cry out as the fire raged, and I curled on the ground. The woman was by my side in an instant, and the two glanced at each other. I could tell that they were talking, but not with words. How was that possible? Of course…if I survived, nothing would seem impossible to me after this.

The man nodded, and murmured something so softly that I had no chance of hearing. Of course, the fire was now burning so insistently that I had trouble just thinking straight. I heard a piercing scream fill the air, and it took me a second to realize that it was coming from me. The woman stared at me with pity, and she slowly stroked my hair. I flinched.

"I know it hurts, but you have to try and be quiet, alright? If you don't, people will hear you."

I stared at her. How can I trust a vampire? How do I know that you wont just–!

The man kneeling next to her smiled slightly. "Because we are not like him. We live very differently, and if you let us explain, you'll understand."

I blinked. Did he…just read my mind? What the hell was going on?!! I added a few other choice curses and he chuckled under his breath. The woman glanced at him, but he shook his head. The woman turned to me.

"C'mon, let's get you back."

And suddenly, I was in the man's arms, and I saw that he couldn't be more than seventeen. His perfect face stared down at me as the rain fell into my face. I felt the tears falling, and the woman bit her lip, but remained silent.

Why did I get out of my car? Why did I leave the world of darkness that had been my sanctuary for so long? Why did I have to…leave?

I felt the tears falling down my cheeks in a torrent, only to be washed away by the rain.

And all the while, the burning raged on in my body, but I forced myself to be silent. The woman had asked me to. These people were so warm, so bright. How could vampires be bright?

But all my thoughts were washed away as the vampires started running, and I was left with nothing but the fire burning through my veins.