Chapter 2

I woke days later to find myself still in pain. I wondered if it was all just a bad dream… if my mother was still okay. I sat up and felt around on the ground. Where was I? Was I in heaven like I hoped? Mother? Are you there? I began to cry. The sun was at its highest… noon. I snapped out of my phase. I was still alive. I dug my fingernails into the dirt of the cold moist ground. I pushed into it, trying to stand. I was standing for a few seconds then I fell. I found that my boots were gone and my feet were blistered and bloody.

I lifted my chin and saw something in the distance. I crawled in their direction.

"Help me!" I yelled. "Help… please."

I came closer only to find that they were pale faces. I screamed and tried to crawl as fast as I could, though I sensed something different about them. Then I heard one of them speak. Her tone was soft and sweet.

"Wait… please" she said. "I'm Rosalie Hale. Who are you?"

I stopped crawling away. I turned around.

"Rosalie? I'm Ava Lynn Pierce. What are you?" I was so scared. Were they like the other two pale faces?

Rosalie stopped and looked at me. "You are like me Ava Lynn. We are both vampires…"

I began to panic. I lifted my hands to look at them. They weren't the tan that I last saw… It was flawless and smooth as a baby's bottom. It was pale though. I grabbed my hair. It seemed to turn from the light brown to a light blonde tint. I loved it. I looked back up to her. Then, a light blonde man spoke to me.

"Ava Lynn. Are you okay? What happened?" he said. He knelt down next to me. In his hand was a roll of bandage cloth. He wrapped my feet up. I was only twelve years-old… it could have just been my imagination… but I could never tell. So, I just told him what I remembered. I told him about the pale faces and my mother and the man who bit me. He listened intently.

"That is horrible. I think you are lucky though. Most times when a vampire bites a wolf like yourself, the wolf would either die or be paralyzed for life. Oh and I'm Carlisle" he said. I liked this vampire.

My mouth felt dry... very dry. I was very thirsty. I coughed. One of the other vampires, I soon learned her name was Alice, sat of the ground besides me. She wrapped her arms around me, giving me a tight squeeze. She looked to another vampire that was leaning against a tree a little ways back. I hadn't noticed him until Alice spoke to this handsome figure.

"Edward… fetch her something to drink. She is thirsty" she said.

Edward… this vampire's name was Edward. Edward started walking off to behind the tree. Then, in a flash, he vanished.

Carlisle came back over to me and picked me up. Alice stood. I felt as though I wasn't pulling my slack. I smiled at Carlisle. I knew that somehow I would get my pride back. He started walking like Edward had. I closed my eyes, expecting to vanish in thin air… but I didn't. Carlisle was running like the woman in the red dress… that had killed my mother. I began to cry at the thought of my mother. Carlisle stopped near a tree. My blonde hair flew forward and then fell back in place. He wiped my eyes.

"What is wrong?" he asked.

I just stared past his face. "I don't want to talk about it…" I complained. From there on he walked home like a normal mortal person. I enjoyed this. I liked this man. He was so caring and gentle with me. Though, there was also the fact that I was one of him… in a way… I was a hybrid. I was so different from him… yet he continued to care for me. Oh and there was the fact that I was only TWELVE! He had to probably. It is always that adults had to be nice to children.

We came to the stream that created the border between territories. He jumped down from the small cliff that separated the Forest from the stream's bank. He landed on his feet. He didn't even stumble. He stopped at the water.

"I'm going to set you down now. You and I are going to walk across the stream together. Okay? I have you" he said, setting me down and onto my feet. I crouched a little but I managed to stand. I slowly placed on foot in front of the other. One step at a time, I crossed the stream. The water cleaned my blisters. The water seemed to turn red after each step then slowly floated away downstream. I stumbled a few times but was caught by Carlisle. As I stepped onto the other bank, I transformed into a wolf. I whimpered and Carlisle picked me up again.

I was the size of the average puppy at the age of 18 months. I was so small and defenseless. My growl hadn't even come yet. I was like a lion cub without its mane. Carlisle scratched behind my ear. OH HEAVEN ABOVE! It was GLORIOUS! I seemed to purr like a kitten. I enjoyed it so much that my leg even started to shake.

"Aha," said Carlisle, "I have found your sweet spot." He smiled at me. I ADORED Carlisle! He was like the father I… never had.

He came to a small wooden house with windows and even a door! He brought me in. Alice, Edward, Rosalie, and two other vampires I had never met. Emmett was Rosalie's husband and Esme was Carlisle's Wife. I liked this family… my family. I was to be adopted by Rosalie and Emmett. I was happy to be with anyone who treated me so nice. Alice took me from Carlisle's arms and set me on the ground. I turned back human… well turned back to the thing that I was. I was still wearing my sheepskin dress.

"Rose… I'll go into town and get her something new to wear" instructed Alice. Rosalie nodded. I just sat on the wooden floor, Indian style. Emmett pulled me up by my hand and sat me on the couch. I kinda'… fell asleep in Emmett's lap. I was just very exhausted from the long day. I heard Edward whisper to Esme. I still have that deer in the kitchen. Esme looked into the kitchen and on the island was a dead deer with teeth marks on its neck. It had been such a tiring day that I forgot how thirsty I was… I was passed out.