A/N: Hi! Here's the new chapter! A little warning, it might be a bit darker than the chapters I normally write. If I hurt someone by doing this, I apologize in advance. Another thing, please keep in mind that like with Shattered, I'm mixing both worlds, TV and Books, so some differences might pop up. Other than that, enjoy!
Chapter 2
"Drink it," Damon told me, both hands on the kitchen counter.
"No," I answered.
"Drink it," he told me again, opening his eyes wider.
"No," I answered once more.
"I'm going to count to three and you're going to drink it," he said, giving me an ultimatum.
"No!" I said a little louder, stomping my foot.
"Isabella," he said seriously, lifting an eyebrow.
I took the glass and took a sip.
Crap that burns!
I spit it out immediately.
Damon took my glass and poured some blood in it.
"Try it now," he said pushing the glass towards me again.
"You try it," I told him.
Damon took the glass and drank from it without taking his eyes off me. He then put the glass back on the counter in front of me. I rolled my eyes and took the glass. This is just like when Reneé tried to make me have my medicine. Except she had a glass of Coke and mint flavored gum to give me once I had taken the medicine to mask the awful taste it left behind.
I eyed the nasty drink and decided to get it over with it, so I drank it. I felt how it burned my insides as soon as the liquid touched my lips. It burned. It was acid. It tasted like crap. I tried swallowing, but I couldn't since my throat was practically on flames. After a few seconds of battle between the Vervain and my very stubborn throat I felt how it made it's way to my stomach. As a human I had never really suffered from acid reflux but I was sure this was nothing close to what it might had felt like.
I tried to hold it in, but it was making me sick so I quickly stepped to the sink and threw up. I was coughing. I opened the faucet and drank directly from it, trying to get the taste off of my mouth.
It was impossible.
"I hate it, I hate drinking this crap!" I told Damon as I rubbed my tongue with a cloth.
"You'll thank me," Damon said, winked and walked into the living room.
I followed him.
He started putting his jacket on.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
He walked over to me, grinning, he grabbed my face with both hands and kissed my forehead. He then quickly made his way to the door.
This meant, I'm not telling you, and you can't come.
Great. I was stuck here by myself again.
Damon had been gone most of the morning. So I had spent my time training with Sage. Over the course of the three weeks we had spent in Florence, the training sessions with both of them had gotten more and more intense. My focus was on, all the time. Normally by the time I was tired of being on the ground that was when the sudden strength came along. By the end of last week, that strength had come earlier. I didn't know how, or why it happened, but it did. All I knew was that I was determined to put up a fight. I needed to learn this, I never again wanted to be in the receiving end of an attack. Never again the victim.
Both Sage and Damon would randomly test me in the most awkward and unexpected moments. Sage particularly liked testing my reflexes.
"Catch it before it spills," he would instruct, while grabbing a glass of wine and pushing it off the counter.
"Always listen," he said as he left me one day in the middle of an abandoned road and disappeared. I returned to the house, only to find him gardening. "Quit so soon Isabella?" he asked without even turning back to look at me. I tried to speak and he interrupted me, asking me how many birds there were on the tree that was standing by the side of the road. I had no answer, I had not noticed them. "And the moth fluttering in the barn a mile away?" He asked.
The moth?
"Owning your senses, your highly enhanced senses, is key," he told me.
Sage perplexed me in ways I couldn't even begin to explain. His methods were anything but ordinary. Damon insisted I pay attention to whatever he was trying to teach me. Sage was more intense in the training sessions than Damon ever was, though Damon's words always affected me more than anything Sage ever said. He knew how to get under my skin more than anyone else.
So today, while Damon was away, I had been training with Sage. After hours of fighting him, I had finally managed to pin him against a pretty dented wall that was barely even standing. I felt a strong sense of satisfaction, I finally had the winning position, and then, before I could even notice him move, I felt that ripping, tearing, sharp sensation in my belly, followed by the indescribable pain that made my inside burn and that made me collapse to the ground.
He had staked me.
"You assumed, never assume Isabella," Sage said as he kneeled down next to me. I couldn't really move with that thing sticking out of my stomach.
Sage took it out slowly.
I put my face against the cold floor. I was exhausted. Sage eyed me, his expression, blank.
"Come with me," he said as he stood up and walked towards the house.
With a hand covering my bleeding wound, I slowly sat up and then stood, I followed Sage's steps. We went into the house through the kitchen. He led me to a cabinet, which he pushed to the side, revealing a hidden door behind it.
This was getting exciting.
He opened it and walked down the stairs. It was dark, but I could see though the darkness. It smelled musty and damp. When we reached the bottom of the stairs we were in what looked like an old wine cellar. Sage walked to a table and took a match out of a small box, he lit it, and with it lit up a candle.
Rows and rows of wine bottles came clear in front of me. I quickly made the math. Number of rows, bottles in each row, amount of columns, how many shelves...
How old were they? I was most definitely curious about their taste. I felt my mouth water.
He chuckled while pulling out a chair.
"Sit," he said. I did as he ordered and sat down while he walked to the furthest shelve in the room. He took a bottle out and then came back to me, setting the bottle on the table.
It had no label.
It was just a dark matte bottle, with some small squiggly symbol engraved on the bottle's neck.
Sage kneeled beside me and only by looking at me, asked for permission to inspect my wound.
I nodded. It was healing slowly, I hadn't fed today, and I had had a full glass of Vervain before our little training session. Ergo, I wasn't healing quickly.
He lifted my shirt to reveal the open wound. He studied it and then grabbed the mysterious bottle from the table. Opening it carefully, he then poured a few drops into my wound and it started healing instantly.
"What is that?" I asked amazed. Up until now, I thought blood was the only thing that could accelerate healing.
"This..." he said turning the bottle to me, "is Black Magic Wine."
Huh.
"Is it spelled or something? I thought witches didn't like us," I said confused.
"No one really knows what it's made of, or where it's made at as a matter of fact," he answered seriously.
"It heals then?" I asked.
"Humans too. It inebriates vampires quite instantly as well," he said chuckling.
I grinned, "seriously?"
He nodded.
"But, one must know not to waste it, since it's not that common and so hard to get one's hands on," he explained.
I nodded.
"Can I try it?" I asked mischievously.
He stared at me.
"Close your eyes," he told me.
I closed them.
"Precisely, how many bottles of wine are in this room?" he asked.
I grinned.
"Eight hundred and thirty two bottles," I answered.
"Steps down the stairs?"
"Ninety five," I answered.
"Chandeliers?"
"Two," I answered and then added, "The matchbox on the table is red, there are seven matches left in them. The table has five legs. There's a stool in each corner of the room, and we are approximately sixty feet underground."
"What color are my shoes?" He asked.
"Green," I answered giggling. Sage had a weird taste in shoes, this I remembered perfectly.
I peeked through one eye, Sage was grinning. He nodded and served me less than half a glass of wine. I raised an eyebrow, it was nothing.
His face was expressionless, Sage was not easy to manipulate.
Defeated, I took a sip of the wine and immediately I felt the strong bubbly taste it left in my mouth.
Indeed, it's effect was almost instant. I could see why he called it the "instant inebriator".
I finished the last sip of wine that was left in the glass. It was much stronger than anything I had ever tasted.
"Where do you find bottles of this wine?" I asked.
He was quiet, and then spoke.
"You have to travel a long way to find it Isabella, that is all you need to know. How's your wound?" he asked, changing the subject.
I looked down, noticing it had healed completely.
"I'm good," I answered happily.
He put the wine back on the shelf and gesturing with his hands towards the stairs, instructed me it was time to leave. Obediently I stood up and went up the stairs. Once in the kitchen he closed the hidden door behind him.
"I believe you have trained enough for the day Mon Petit Infant."
I nodded and excused myself from the kitchen.
There were only a few hours left till sunset, so I decided to grab my camera and head out. I wanted to visit the ruins again. The light was perfect for capturing pictures of the abandoned villa.
I spent the last few hours of sunlight there, just snapping pictures until I ran out of film. I had to head into town to get some more, I didn't have any at home either.
I drove into Florence, visited the old photography shop where they sold the film I used, bought a few more rolls and decided to walk around. I rarely went into town without Damon. So this was one of those nights I would just stroll around, looking at people being happy, reuniting with friends after work, walking their dogs, grabbing a bite to eat, and just living their lives normally. None of them had spent their day fighting a who-knows-how-old guy, who may or may not be a vampire.
After a few hours I found myself sitting at a small ristorante, having a glass of wine. Just observing. There was a family sitting across from me, the little boy wanted to skip his meal and go straight for the gelato. There was an old couple sitting three tables away. The old lady was feeding her husband soup, they laughed together like a pair of teens. Behind me, a girl was waiting impatiently for her date, who was stuck in traffic, or so he had told her on a phone call a few minutes ago. She had been tapping her high heels on the floor for the past three minutes.
And then there was that man. The one who had only ordered a small sandwich and an iced tea in the whole two hours he had spent sitting on that chair right in the corner of the terrazza. From where I was, I could tell he was a tall man. His skin was tanned. His hair, slick and brushed back. His nose was crooked. And his eyes… his eyes were off, they had the most disturbing spark. He had been staring at the waitress who was serving in the ristorante's terrace from the moment he had arrived.
This was not his first time here.
He stared at her with such intensity my insides turned. I felt as if I wanted to throw up. It was nauseating. The man sitting in the corner of the restaurant gave me chills, and not the good kind.
And every time the girl came out with an order that thing I was feeling in the pit of my stomach got even stronger.
What the hell was going on with me?
She was a pretty girl. Tall and lean, her blond hair pulled up in a messy pony tail. She must have been around my age. She didn't seem to know him. She tended to him like any other customer in the ristorante. It was as if she didn't even notice his presence.
But I did.
Why had I noticed him?
The family finished their meal, and gave the boy his long awaited gelato. The old couple finished their soup. The girl waiting for the guy left in fury, the guy showed up fifteen minutes later with a huge bouquet of flowers. And the creepy guy in the corner? He was still here. Just playing with the napkin. He hadn't ordered anything else. He just sat there. Watching.
The girl came out with our checks, they were closing in a few minutes. I paid for my wine and walked out of the ristorante with the oddest sensation of guilt. I strangely felt filthy. As if I had within me a strong desire to do something bad.
I crossed the street and walked towards my car. As I was opening the door to get inside I noticed the waitress walk out of the restaurant, and a few seconds afterwards, out came the creepy man. He kept a distance from her, but followed her every step.
He was up to no good for sure.
That feeling of disgust magnified exponentially. I closed the door of my car and followed them. I was nervous. What the hell was I even doing?
I had never followed anyone before.
Damon had taught me how though.
Thank God I was wearing a grey jacket that didn't stand out.
"Spot your target," Damon had said, "How fast is he going? Where is he headed?"
He's right in front of me. I'm keeping my distance, twenty feet away from him. Pace yourself Bella.
"Look down," Damon's voice echoed in my head.
The guy looked behind him nervously. Checking if there was anyone in front of him.
Crap. "If he spots you, don't freak, keep your normal pace," I said under my breath, recalling Damon's words.
He looked back again.
"Change route," I told myself. Turning around the nearest corner, afraid the creep might have made me out from the restaurant.
I walked quickly to the next corner, let my hair down, took the grey jacket off and threw it to the ground. I made a right turn. I should have had him within my range of vision again, but I didn't. He wasn't on the main street anymore.
Where was he?
And then I heard it. The whimper.
I ran, tracing his stench, because he did stink. He reeked of cheap cologne and cigarettes. His disturbing scent led to this very narrow and dark street which turned into a very small alley. There were buildings around, but non were residential, they were all empty.
Two pairs of thumping hearts.
One excited.
The other scared.
Adrenaline in the cold night air.
I spotted him. He had her pinned up against a wall.
She was powerless.
And I saw red.
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
"Shhh shhh, you're okay, don't be scared, you're safe," I told her grabbing her face and looking directly into her eyes. She was crying uncontrollably, and hadn't stopped screaming.
Her pupils dilated.
"You are safe. Don't look to the ground. Nothing happened to you. You will forget this man and what he did to you. Stay calm, don't scream, don't cry. Shhh… shhh…" I said trying to compel her.
I was shaking uncontrollably.
I grabbed my phone out of my pocket.
It rang two times, as soon as I heard the phone call being picked up I started talking.
"Damon, I messed up. I need you. I… I… didn't mean to," I said crying, "I… swear I didn't."
"Where are you?" He asked immediately.
I looked around and gave him the address.
"Stay there, I'm on my way, I'm not far."
Tears ran from my eyes uncontrollably, but I wasn't sobbing.
"Please hurry," I whispered.
"Did anyone see you?"
"N-no."
"How many Bella?"
I looked at the ground, there was blood everywhere.
"One," I answered quietly.
"We'll fix this," he told me and it strangely comforted me in some odd way. It wasn't as if he could bring him back to life, because he was dead. But his words calmed me down.
The girl was sitting on a box in the far end of the alley.
I just stood there. Staring at his body. I had savagely ripped out his neck. How had I been capable of doing such a thing? I… I hadn't even controlled myself when I did it.
I was killer. A monster.
I heard footsteps approaching and then Damon peeked into the alley.
I sighed in relief and ran towards him. He took my face into his hands.
"I didn't mean to I swear, I just wanted to help her," I told him while he wiped my tears away and cleaned my mouth, which was covered in blood.
"Bella, it's okay, it happens. Who were you trying to help?" He asked calmly. Clearly looking for loose ends.
I pointed to the girl in the corner of the alley, "I compelled her, I… I… tried. I don't think I covered all the bases but she… she was screaming and I couldn't think."
"Come," he said taking my hand, "We'll do this right," and walked over to the girl, we both kneeled down.
Damon squeezed my hand, telling me it was okay. I wasn't alone.
I sighed and took a deep breath before trying to compel her again. There had to be a story. She couldn't just go blank.
After taking a few more breaths and thinking a little clearly I stared directly at the girl. I knew what to say. Compelling was one of the first things Damon had taught me how to do, and do well.
"Tonight didn't happen. You left the restaurant, like you always do, and you took the same route you always take home. You wont remember the man from the restaurant who followed you. You wont remember the attack. You wont remember what happened to him. You wont remember us. You will go home, take a shower, and go to sleep. Tomorrow is a new day, and you'll be happy," I told her.
I looked at Damon.
He nodded in approval.
"Tomorrow you will sign up for self-defense lessons. And you will always carry pepper spray with you. Never again. Don't be a victim," I added.
The girl nodded.
"Go home," Damon told her, and she stood up calmly, without a care in the world she walked out of the alley.
Damon then walked over to the creepy man's body and kneeled down beside it, inspecting it.
"If you rip, you make a mess, it splatters all over. You'll want to make it cleanly, bite, but don't tear," he said calmly as he pointed to the guy's neck.
He stood up, walked to the street and then back to the alley.
"These are all ware houses, and factories. Accidents always happen where heavy machinery is operated," he told me.
I just stood there watching him.
He cleaned it up.
He created an accident scene in one of the factories. He took care of every single detail. Taught me how to clean up the blood in the alley and make it seem like nothing happened there.
I was on autopilot. I was listening, and understanding, but I found it difficult to believe that it was all happening to me.
Me.
I was aware of what was happening, but I was seeing it as if looking through someone else's eyes.
"Bella," he said trying to grab my attention, he had been calling my name for a while now.
"Yes?" I answered absentmindedly.
"You need to take this off," he told me, tugging at my bloodstained shirt.
I looked down. It was drenched. Completely drenched. Damon was impeccable. Not even a drop of blood on him.
He took off his jacket and then unbuttoned his shirt. He had a wife beater underneath.
"Here," he told me, handing me the shirt.
I stared at it.
"Bella, you need to change," He said again.
I nodded and turned around. I took my shirt off, and extended my hand to him, he handed me the shirt and I slid into it.
I turned around to face him. He walked closer to me.
"I told you I'd help you hide the body," he said smirking. I gave him a push. This was funny for him. Because he's always right. And before I turned and completed my trasnformation I had told him I would never kill anyone. Well, I was wrong. Leave it to Damon to try to make a snarky comment in the middle of a crisis.
"What do you say we go home, and get drunk?" he asked.
I gave him a small grin. I just wanted to forget this night had ever happened.
The drive home was a quiet one. Damon had not said a word to me since his little joke back at the factory. I just stared absently out the window.
When had I become this... this animal?
Why had I reacted that way? I should have only scared the guy, pushed him away. Scared him enough to leave the girl alone. I could have compelled him to never again pursue a girl like that. I had options. Why had I gone for the most violent one? Why had I ripped his neck open?
I knew self defense by now. Damon had taken it upon himself to teach me, and he had taught me well. Why had I blacked out like that? It was as if I had no control over my actions. Bloodlust just took over. And it scared me.
I had knowingly followed them. It was as if I had stalked my prey. I was an animal.
We arrived at Sage's and I immediately went up the stairs to my room. I went into the bathroom and looked at my face in the mirror.
Blood smudges on my cheeks. My hair was a mess, it was chunky and strands stuck together in some disgusting goo. My pants were ruined, I took them off and kicked them to a corner of the bathroom.
Then I looked up at the mirror again and saw my eyes, my eyes had more red streaks in them than ever.
I barely recognized my own reflection. I guess that was how Aro knew I wasn't really feeding directly from humans, my eyes.
A feeling of guilt ran through me and I sat down on the bathroom floor. I hugged my legs and rested my forehead on my knees.
What if he had a family? What if someone was waiting for him? What if he had children?
I had promised Charlie I would never kill people. Would he still look at me the same way if he knew what I had done? Would he have me locked up?
I was a killer. A murderer. A monster.
I was so deep in my own thoughts I hadn't even noticed that Damon was standing in the doorway. His arms crossed over his chest, staring at me, his eyebrows close together.
"I'm sorry," I told him quietly.
He walked over and sat next to me on the floor. Our backs leaning against the tub.
"It happens," he said shrugging.
I stared at the floor. My whole body felt heavy. I couldn't move. I just wanted to stay there, staring at the floor, letting time pass me by.
He took his hand and pushed my chunky hair away from my face.
"You should really wash that," he told me. I nodded in agreement, but couldn't find the strength to stand up and start filling up the tub with water. I just couldn't move. I wanted to throw up. I felt sick. I didn't want to go anywhere. I just wanted to stay here on the floor. I was... numb.
Damon stood up and turned on the spray nozzle. He climbed into the tub behind me, and gently lifted my hair, letting it fall into the tub.
I felt the warm water start to fall on my head and closed my eyes. I just listened to the water falling, and felt his hands running through my hair with such gentleness that I barely even noticed them.
I didn't want to be alone right now. I didn't trust myself. His company calmed me. Thank God he was here. I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't answered his phone and came to help me. I didn't know a thing about improvising an accident scene or dumping a body. For all I know, I could have left that poor girl very badly compelled and blown my cover.
With Damon I felt... safe.
I never expected him to take care of me like this. No one had ever taken so much care of me before. No one. No other guy had ever washed my hair either.
He applied shampoo and massaged it into my hair with his fingers in circular motions. Then he took the spray nozzle again and rinsed it out.
I was much calmer, and opened my eyes. I looked up at him, he winked at me.
"I never do this, so don't get used to it," he told me playfully.
"I never do this either," I told him, not referring to him washing my hair, but to what I had done tonight.
He gave me a weak smile.
"It was bound to happen eventually," he said as he took a towel and wrapped it around my head, and climbed out of the tub. His pants were all soaked. He sat on the floor next to me again.
"I didn't want it too. I, thought I was stronger than that. He wasn't even bleeding, it's not like he had an open wound and I couldn't stand the thirst," I explained.
"Then what was it?" He asked.
I frowned, trying to remember how it had happened.
"I was angry," I told him.
"Why were you angry?" he asked.
"He... he was creepy. From the minute I saw him, I felt it."
"You felt it? What do you mean by that? What did you feel?" he asked curiously.
"I don't know... it... it made me sick, the way he looked at the girl. He was looking at her in a way that gave me chills. Chills Damon, he freaked me out. He did not have the best intentions with her," I tried to explain.
"Where were you, when you saw him?"
"At a restaurant."
"And how did you notice him? Did you see him walk in or did you feel him?" he asked.
"Feel him?" I asked confused.
He nodded.
"I..." I didn't remember him walking in. He was already there when I got to the restaurant. I noticed everyone else because I had seen them walk in. I was studying my surroundings, just as Damon and Sage had taught me. I knew the guy was in the terrace, but when did I start to get that feeling?
"I... got to the restaurant, and started observing everyone, and then the girl came out to show me the menu..." I was trying to remember what had happened.
"Uh huh," he said.
"She came out and I felt it," I said looking at him.
"Like a vibe? Or a like a tug?" Damon asked.
I looked back at the floor. What had it been?
"It was as if I was being pulled to that part of the terrace. Like I had to look over."
"So it was a pull," he concluded. I nodded.
"Yes, but not towards me, towards her. It was as if he really wanted her," I said realizing what it was that I had felt.
"And then you followed them," he stated, wanting me to continue.
"Yes, he was following her, so I followed him. I did everything you taught me. I kept my distance, my head down, my pace steady, I changed route when he turned around and saw me, I threw away my jacket and let my hair down to cause a distraction. I did it all."
"Good girl," he said grinning.
"And then they were gone. So I tracked him. He had an awful stench Damon, it wasn't even difficult to find him. He had her pinned to the wall, his hand covering her mouth. She was... defenseless, so… weak," I said in a whisper.
"And then?"
"He was enjoying it, and I snapped. I don't remember much, just that I took him off from her and just... bit him."
"And that's all?" he asked.
I nodded, tracing the lines between each floor tile.
"He was a sicko Bella, you did the right thing. You saved that girl, you're a hero," he told me, leaning closer.
I shook my head.
"No I'm not," I said as a tear slipped down my cheek, "I killed him, and what I hate the most Damon is that I enjoyed it. I actually liked it, feeling him squirming beneath me, his accelerated pulse, his screams... I wanted him to suffer," I said between gritted teeth, finally admitting what was really bothering me and letting the tears come out.
"It's in your nature, Bella, you'd be a freak if you didn't enjoy the hunt. We are predators. It's what we do, it's wired into our very core."
I shook my head.
"I don't want it to be," I cried.
He put his arm around me and held me tightly.
"How do you do it Damon?" I asked him.
"Do what?" he asked.
"Kill people, and not feel remorse," I explained.
"Who says I don't feel it?" he answered, and then added, "I don't kill anyone who doesn't have it coming. You mess with me, you piss me off, you go behind my back, you're dead. Easy as that."
"But, what gives you the right to play God? Deciding if someone lives or dies?" I asked.
"Eternity. Boredom. Survivor of the fittest," he answered.
"I don't agree," I said shaking my head.
"It's either kill or be killed Bella, you'll get it in a few decades or so," he told me.
"I'll never kill anyone again," I whispered.
"Never say never," he said raising his eyebrows.
"You'll teach me how to control it," I told him.
"I'll teach you how to feed on someone without killing, but learning to control that rage that invaded you a while ago, is something that is ultimately up to you."
"What do you mean? I don't know what came over me, how am I supposed to control it?" I asked confused.
"That's what we have to find out," he said and playfully squeezed my nose.
How could he, in the middle of my drama, just turn the situation into a game? And more importantly, why was he making me feel like it wasn't that big of a deal?
"Now, I filled the tub for you. Clean up, and meet me up at the old barn..." he told me.
"Damon I'm not in the mood, I just want to stay here," I said shaking my head.
He leaned closer to me and whispered in my ear, "I stole from Sage's secret wine cellar, don't you want to get really wasted tonight?" He pulled away, stood up, and before leaving the bathroom wiggled his eyebrows and winked at me.
I stood up and whispered back to him, "what wine?"
"The magical kind," he whispered, as he slowly left, leaving only his eyes visible on the side of the doorway, and wiggled his eyebrows again.
"I'm coming," I said as I climbed into the tub. He closed the door and left the room, and immediately I sank in the tub, soaking the shirt Damon had lent me earlier.
I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews are better than Damon in a tux.
I'm on Twitter and Tumblr if you want to follow me. Links are on my profile page.
Oh, good news, I'm done with school and life is much less complicated so I'm guessing updates will hopefully be more regular now. Spread the word Lovelies!
