Disclaimer:
I own nothing, everything belongs to the amazing Stephanie Meyers. c:
Chapter 1
Humans love the taste of destruction. The ability to shatter life itself, within the palm of your hand and watch something beautiful crumble before your eyes. Admittedly, it's not what we were taught but personally I think that's why the tinkers ruined the earth, used every resource, spilt each other's blood and broke each other's hearts without a second thought. It's not like I would dare tell anyone my assumptions though, the last thing I want is to be out casted by my own. I shudder at the thought, suddenly aware of my own body. I began to stir groaning as my head pounds, punishing me for last night's mistake. I feebly pushed myself up on my elbows against the hard bed of the sorry excuse of a safe hostel I had passed out in. The movement, combined with the distinctive smell of trash caused a sudden wave of nausea came over me, hitting like a proverbial tonne of bricks.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid..." I mumble as I lean over into the bin next to the side of the bed cot heaving. This happens every time I go to a new district. Yes, each time I make the same mistake of being talked into going to the districts bar and into drinking one too many shots of my poison of choice, whiskey, or as I love to call, the devils drink. At this moment, I can't help but wonder why I love the taste of destruction.
I stop heaving enough to lift my head to take in my environment. Observation, the first lesson you get taught in T.N.G.S school. The room is dimly lit by a single melted scarlet red candle flickering on a table in the corner of the room being the source of the light unlike the heavily barred window in the top corner of which I rendered no person, nor shifter could enter or escape. The decoration itself leaves much to be desired; the walls covered in dull brown aged paper, peeling and speckled with mould. I crinkle my nose at the smell.
I sigh fleetingly; supposedly these safe hostels were the one place that us Shifters are meant to feel completely secure. They were set up in 2431 by sympathisers.
"Not like barely anyone even sympathises anymore..." I murmur resentfully to myself. I lay my aching head back on the pillow, closing my eyes taking in the cool air that I feel tickle across my face distracting from the reality of my own sombre thoughts.
After what felt like years, I eventually found myself drifting into a light sleep but to no avail when at that moment the sound of hellfire forcing me awake. Admittedly by hell fire I mean footsteps but with the state I was in it might as well have been bullets. The sound whirled my head and triggering another wave of nausea over me as I jolted up reaching for the bin again.
"TIME TO GET UP BELLA", huskily boomed the voice of my best friend who had come whirling into my room all with but the force of a tornado. Despite my state, I feebly curse toward the general direction of said person, Edward.
I continue to mumble a stream of incomprehensible curses and words into my bin come-bucket-come-new best friend, not caring that my I probably looked a sorry state at this moment. Truthfully right now, my only concern was my urge to crawl back into bed and not have to move my already aching body.
"-leave me alone Cullen, can't you see that I'm dying here?"I whimper dramatically, collapsing back on the bed for added effect.
"Don't be a drama tinker Swan, we're going" Edward stated in a matter of fact tone. I give it him; I had to admire his upbeat mood considering how much he drank last night. He really didn't ever change, which was one of the things I loved about him.
"10 more minutes... What no-you can't be serious-"I squeal despairingly. Too late, I found myself already being bundled up out of bed into Edwards hard yet I give it to him oddly comfortable arms. I also give it to him, for some with cold blood running through his veins he was oddly warm.
"PUT ME-"I start as I desperately try and cling on to the itchy material of the bed sheet for dear life, to no avail as I feel it slip straight out of my grip. Storm however paying no attention to my show of wild despair, continued across the room towards the unwelcoming bath which sat lonely in the corner of the room. "-DOWN NOW" I pleaded to Edward desperate, my chances fleeting as we got closer to the bath. I have to think fast, my body seconds away from being submerged into the freezing water. I stopped wriggling about and raised my hand delicately to his face, mustering all my virtually non-existent femininely charm, even going as far as to pull my best puppy dog eyes, and silently pleaded with him to let me suffer in silence in my bed again. I had to admit, Cullen was inhumanly attractive. Perhaps he could even be considered handsome. His eyes were of a deep emerald green, suiting him every bit and they were framed generously with thick black lashes. Despite his fair complexion, a tan brushed over his body, every defined muscle, from his work which involved him constantly being out in the sun and he was gifted with the most unruly dark bronze, almost copper curls which fell into his knowing eyes over the side of his sculpted face. I blushed, looking down as he grinned at me playfully.
"If you insist..." He said defeated, before giving me one final devilish look showing me he had not fallen for my final ploy.
"Oh no, no, no-" but before I could even finish my sentence I found myself landing into the icy cold water of the bath causing a tidal splash to immerse me with its freezing tendrils, much to my delight also soaking Edward. Ha, good, if I was going down I sure as hell was taking him with me. I spluttered out the water of which I had drunk in, gasping for air. Gratefully I felt the numbing effect of the water spread through my body from the tip of my toes to my teeth which were now chattering, however, I was thankful to say my nausea and headache had now subsided.
"I hate you." I quipped at him, my head tilted back, eyes closed taking in the sensation of complete numbness, detachment from my own aching body.
"Aw, come on Bella you love me really!" he whined going along with my pretend anger. I reluctantly open my eyes to see him sitting on the side of the bath giving me his best 'forgive me' look, pouting like a child.
"Humph, fine, but I'm getting revenge just so you know" I stated, sticking my tongue out at him.
"Okay deal." He grinned back at me, "Now get your ass up we're going for this run-"
I looked at him ludicrously, he had surely lost his mind. "See, that's all great but you just soaked the only pair of clothes I own" I stated truthfully, pointing widely down to the clothes I was wearing which were now clinging to every curve of my body, saturated in water.
"No problem, you can borrow some of mine" he brushed off easily, giving me a look as if to challenge me otherwise. I sighed in defeat leaning back grateful, eyes closed once more, while Storm not wasting another second, was already out of the room to fetch me the clothing.
Even when we were in T.N.G.S together, Edward always won. To go against something he had his mind set on was hopeless and being his best friend, I knew better. I resigned my fact to the fact I was going to owe him a hell of a favour after this. Maybe I'd help set him up with that pretty tinker he was infatuated with since she slapped him in his attempt seduce her.
"Brave girl" I smiled to myself knowing before frowning. A feeling that if I didn't know any better felt like jealousy began to twist itself into my heart, but I quickly brushed it off before taking a deep breath and sinking further under the water. After what felt like a life time of heaven, I began to feel a tingling sensation in my toes from the numbness fleeting my body, signalling it was time to return to the real world. I pulled myself up out of the tub, my clothing heavy from the water and my body and heart heavy from the previous night; it was going to be a long day.
I picked up the bed sheet which was currently sprawled across the floor the remains of my struggle, wrapping it around me to act as a towel. My hair cascaded around me in a veil of chocolate, falling in tight ringlets down to my waist. Dawn had begun to creep through the barred window, casting stripped shadows over my pale creamy ivory skin. Time; since I was a child I had found it an ironic concept. We like to tell ourselves, teach our children that we're different from the last generation, war, poverty, corruption but the truth is time doesn't change things, only we ourselves are capable of that. The undeniable truth is that we still have the same D.N.A surging through our veins, defining us, creating us, we still share the name of our ancestors, their history is our history, not matter how much we try reinvent and separate ourselves. We can't run from the truths of the world forever because at some point we run out of breathe.
"umph-" I jumped as I felt something soft hit the back of my head, distracting me from my thoughts. On my bed lay a worn cotton shirt and a pair of ¾ length jeans, my fingers lightly traced across the soft materials and I grinned up at him. "Edward, where did you get these? It's the nicest stuff I've seen in years!" I complimented enthusiastically. "That also means I can wear them." I frowned remembering. You see, clothes of this quality were nowadays hard to come by as a Shifter, ever since 100 years ago when the government had blacklisted us history, a mistake that they like to say 'didn't happen'. The eternal glory of a spotless society. But to tell the truth, even back in the days of the first of my cold blooded ancestors, we never really had rights back then either, such basic commodities like clothes were hard to come by and this meant they were extremely valuable. I looked up to him with a sombre face "I can't possibly take these, they must have cost you-"
"Isabella Marie, you're my best friend and I refuse to have it any other way, they're yours now, call it a permanent loan." Edward chided me with what could only be described as affection riddled in his voice.
I scrambled up off the bed, running into his arms catching him off gaurd.
"And who said chivalry was dead" I grinned up to him, "I love them." I said placing a chaste kiss on his cheek.
We had always been close, growing up together in a small neighbouring district on the outskirts of the 3 main districts.
Our fates collided when our mothers who used to have their set jobs foraging together in the famously named 'Passage' forest which lay right next to our distract, decided to bring us pair of freshly work aged six year olds with them to help collect. That day, naive six year old me decided that I was going to impress my momma' and papa' by foraging on my own. With that when her back was turned and she was immersed in the forage, I wandered off on my own into the depths of the forest. However, unsurprisingly I soon enough got lost, yet still stubbornly determined, a trait of which has always been my greatest strength and weakness, I had continued to stumble through the thick wildlife with a heart of its own, until I found a bush covered in rich red berries. I picked one off the bush splattered blood red with the rich fruit, putting it towards my mouth to eat with anticipation of tasting my success, knowing how proud my parents would be. Than at that moment a voice scared me, causing my too drop it, staining the roots of the tree to look like it was bleeding.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you silly" A boy's voice smugly announced. I whipped my head around to see my intruder. There stood a chubby faced little boy, head rich with black curls and stormy grey eyes. I recognised him from playing out but we had never spoken before.
"Hey! I'm not silly." I pouted at him angrily,
"It's poi-... poison-... poisonous" He stuttered then at managing the big word proudly giving me a toothy grin. I gaped, suddenly terrified with the consequences of what could have happened. I had felt my eyes begin to fill with tears, threatening to escape and ruin my big girl facade.
"No but but- you're not allowed to cry" The little boy had told me, awkwardly patting me back, copying what he had seen his daddy did to his mommy whenever she was crying.
"Oh yeah- and why is that?" I hiccupped, looking up at this boy with a warm touch of whom I had only just met.
"-because we're going to get married one day" He stated to me matter of fact, causing me to stop crying. He pulled a concentrating face as he rummaged through his pockets, which made me giggle. Then his face alit as he pulled out what he was looking for, a ring lay in his palms which he held out to me.
"o-o-okay" I hiccupped, reaching out to take the ring off this boy. I clumsily slipped it onto my finger. It was pretty but too big for me so I tightly screwed my fist up around it and clutched it in my small palms instead. "You didn't steal this did you?" I asked curious of where someone my own young age would have got some an artefact. In response the boy furiously shook his head, "no stealing bad." He stated, "My gramps gave it me"
I nodded and grinned toothily, suddenly excited by the prospect of my new friend, "what's your name then, cause momma' told me not to talk to strangers?"
"I'm Edward, but I prefer what my papa' calls me, Eddie." and as all good history is made, from that moment on the two of us were virtually inseparable.
I pulled the shirt on over my head, enjoying the feel of the expensive material against my skin warming every cold fibre in my body.
I looked up to see Edward staring his cheeks red as he quickly looked away, distracting himself with the flaking wallpaper guilty that I had caught him staring. Weird, he normally didn't care, being on the run together and all, personal space wasn't generally an issue between us, we had grown up together it was nothing he hadn't seen before. When I saw that he had turned away, I manoeuvred the bed sheet around me for cover and then I skilfully put on my worn underwear followed by the jeans.
"You can quit defacing the walls now" I joked at him, as I busied myself with rolling up the jeans to make them into shorts, consequently causing my hair to curtain my blushing face from him. I grabbed my bag stuffing in it the few objects I owned, which was the beautiful intricately detailed knife that my father gave me before he died, my now only damp old clothing, a water bottle, nutrition tablets for when food wasn't at access and my compass. What was the Tinkerers saying again? 'Home is where the heart is' right? Well it was a good job, because my, no- our home no longer exists. Destroyed. Fragile. My home now was where Edward and this bag went. It had to be, as we were constantly on the run. I finished lacing up my boots, surveyed the room to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything then followed him to the door. The moment that my hand touched the handle, I felt every sense, every instinct in my body ignite. My blood boiled agitated but I fought back my shifter need as we made our way through shadows escaping the dawn of the main district. Yes time, an ironic concept, defining us, no matter how much we try separating ourselves from it. But we can try. It's just eventually we run out of breathe.