(By the way although sorely tempted I have NOT read Stephanie Meyer's novella "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner" simply because I want to make up her history and further personality on my own.)
(Bree)
I follow along behind the now human appearing werewolves as they carry their leader I'm guessing. The human girl called him Jacob. The one girl, I think her name is Leah, keeps glaring at me as though she would love nothing more than to return to her wolf state and tear my throat out. Or even not waste time changing and try to do that in her human form.
The urge to flee is nearly overwhelming. But I don't; I keep my eyes down and follow along as I was told. I have nowhere else to go but for the first time in perhaps my entire life (or is it lives?) I have a glimmer of hope. To hold on to that hope I do as I was told.
Doing what I'm told has always been my way. When I was still at home it meant that occasionally I could go entire days without being yelled at or cursed at or hit. Of course it didn't help most times. Because no matter how hard I tried to do as I was told it didn't help when my father had a bad day at work or the mail was late or a favorite TV show wasn't on. Regardless it was always my fault.
Running away didn't solve anything I was sternly advised by social workers and truant officers and family court judges. But it did, at least for a while. No matter the punishments I received when I was returned home the days or even once just the hours I had free from my home were worth it.
But the last time, wow, I don't know how to explain it all. Explain it? I don't even understand everything that happened to me after I met Riley Biers. It gets even more confusing, and terrifying, after he took me to meet the strange red-headed woman Victoria.
"What did you do to me?" I remember crying out after. After I was no longer human. They reassured me. I was now faster and stronger than any human. I could take vengeance on those who had hurt me.
Those comments were no reassurance at all. Nor were the training sessions were we were taught to fight, particularly how to kill other vampires. Victoria's supposed to be rousing speeches of our goals, our mission are no better. Vengeance, she proclaims, will be hers with our help.
I would have asked what the vengeance was for but I didn't care and still don't care. I didn't want to hurt anyone. Not the bullies at school and not my parents even though they made my life miserable. I just wanted...
Riley had warned us that our thoughts weren't safe. I believed him. So I kept my thoughts under control. It's surprisingly not that hard when you want one thing and that is never going to happen. So I just kept my attention on what was going on around me and nodded like a good girl.
I suppose I could have run away but what good would that have done? Where would I have gone? Although I've blocked my memories of the horrible things I took part in around and in Seattle I WAS there and part of it all. I couldn't control myself but is that any excuse for killing? And its aftermath.
Then Riley and Victoria assembled us all and told us it was time. Time to destroy our enemies. What enemies? It didn't sound like anyone I had ever heard of before much less needed to fight. Even the ringing declaration that they would destroy us if we didn't attack them first sounded hollow to me. How would those people, the Cullen s, even know of our existence?
One thing though. It took us out of the city and into the forests. Out there felt wonderful. When we burst into our attack run I actually felt something good inside. The air, the ground whipping by, the total freedom of it, it all felt amazing for a minute or two.
We burst into the clearing and there they were. Six of them. That's all? We were told each of us alone was nearly unstoppable; together we were a force nothing could withstand. Then they charged and it became obvious just who COULD withstand us.
Two of our group were destroyed in the first moments of the fight. The Cullen s worked together, protecting each other and aiding each other. They were a team and we were nothing but individuals. Then the giant wolves joined the fight and far from being an unstoppable force we were lambs led to the slaughter. Not only that, we were abandoned lambs as well because Riley and Victoria never appeared to help any of us.
I admit it. I hid. I didn't want to hurt anyone and I didn't want to be hurt. Simply, I was terrified. Although the other members of my group, my gang were terribly fast and strong they just were no match for the speed and skills of the others. They did amazing things and even with the wolves they worked together as a team, as a family. I think I knew the outcome from the moment we came out into the clearing and saw them standing there; side by side, poised and confident. And I was right.
When the fight was nearly over I decided NOW was the time to flee. I took no more than three steps from the tree I had been hiding behind and there they were. Two of them. A man and a woman and I had seen them act together to destroy one of the other girls in perfect tandem without needing words. All I could do was crouch and wait for my fate. But that fate wasn't anything I could have ever dreamed.
Instead of attacking they stopped and looked at each other. Then the woman asked a question that would have been perfectly reasonable at any time other than in a battle to the death. Somehow though it seemed to fit the whole strange situation.
"What is your name?"
I never thought of not replying.
"Bree, Bree Tanner."
"Why are you here Bree?"
For a moment I had absolutely no idea what to say. Then I saw the woman's eyes.
We had been told, among other things, that our "enemies" had yellow eyes. Her eyes weren't yellow. They were golden. They were deep. And instead of the anger and even the hatred that I expected to see in them they were filled with interest and something that for a moment I couldn't recognize. It was sympathy. It was care.
Why? Why would this woman whom I came here to try to kill care about me. But she did. I could tell. And the man beside her cared what she was feeling or he wouldn't have said what he did next.
"If you will surrender we will offer you asylum."
Nothing else mattered to tell them now. For the first time in a very long time I felt hope.
"Yes," I whispered. "Oh yes."
"Come with us."
I did and before I understood much more of what was happening (What are the Volturi? Why is everyone so afraid of them? Why would they want to destroy me?) they were making plans to keep me safe and here I am, trudging along behind the werewolves. They smell. The werewolves that is.
But for the first time in a very long time I cling to thoughts I haven't dared to have. Safety. Hope. And one more that even now I can barely even think about even after looking into the woman's eyes and seeing it.
Family. Please God? Please?
(To be continued)
