Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or it's characters.
Her blood's scent was maddening, striking me from the second she passed me in the classroom. She smelled mouthwatering, and strangely floral. She smelled sort of like freesia, only a lot, lot better. Her scent, colliding with me, made me inhuman, my eyes piercing black.
I focused on why she moved my way, trying to distract myself from her scent, as if that was possible. She was going to say hello to the teacher and get her slip signed. She blushed. If it was one thing, other than bleeding, that she could do to make it even harder to resist killing her that second, it was blushing. The blood moved to her cheeks, causing me to be even more aware of her floral, delicious scent.
She tripped over a book and had to hold onto a desk to support herself. Weak.
Once her slip was signed and Mr. Banner handed her a book, he sent her to sit by me. She set her books down on her side of the table and didn't even bother to look my way. I was sure I scared her but I didn't care. Nothing, nothing, was more important than killing her now and drinking her sweet, sweet blood. Then, Carlisle and Esme's faces appeared in my head and I was coherent enough for a second, enough time to think everything through.
One hour. All I had to do was not kill her for one hour and I could escape and run away, cowardly. I wouldn't dissapoint Carlisle and Esme by doing so, and Isabella would be safe.
But that would mean giving up her blood. I didn't want to do that either, so I thought it through logically. If I did kill her now in a classroom with other students in it, I'd have to kill them all, and anyone who came to see why some people managed to scream before their life ended.
I could wait until class ended. I could wait until school ended, then offer to drive her home. I could kill her when I brought her to the forest beside her house. But could I wait two hours? No, it must be now. Even if I have to kill the whole school.
I couldn't though. I hadn't killed people in over seventy years and now I wanted to muder three hundred fifty three students, all the teachers, the secretaries, the principle, and maybe the police if they came. That's arouind four hundred people. I couldn't do that.
All I had to do was not kill her in one hour, and then I would run away. I tried not to smell her. I sat on the very edge of my chair, turning my face away, when I realized how stupid I was. All I had to do was not breath. I still leaned away from her. Even if I couldn't smell her, being closer to her wouldn't help my determination to not kill her in one hour.
But I could remember. I remembered the sweet, floral smelling blood, and I almost breathed. I'd do anything to smell it again and taste it.
I stopped myself before I could inhale. If I smelled her blood again, I would probably have to kill her. It was maddening.
I didn't even pay attention to the teacher, I couldn't let my guard down.
A brilliant idea suddenly hit me. I could ask Mr. Banner for permission to leave class. I could get out and not have to be in her presence.
I was just about to relax so I could raise my hand when I realized I would have to breath in order to talk.
I noticed that Isabella was trying to hide from me. Did I really scare her that much? She let her hair fall like a screen between us.
In that second, I didn't suddenly want to take her life. I had to keep distracting myself.
The next image that popped in my head made my craving even worse if that was possible. I pictured myself, seventy years ago. In a dark alley, hunting someone down. As if that would make me feel better, picturing myself, killing someone and how easy it was when the person who's life I was craving to end was sitting right by me. And I remembered how good a human's blood tasted. Much better than it smelled. Isabella's blood smelled better than anyone else's in the world. I had to drink it. It would taste even better than it smelled. Not helping!
I could kill her now and go out through the window before anyone even notices something was wrong. That would work and then I would only end one life instead of four hundred. But everyone kept looking at her. I had to kill her when no one was looking. This could take a while just to wait for everyone to look away from Isabella. Now was the perfect time. Everyone was looking at the teacher.
I pictured a pair of red eyes, staring at me before I could bend over and kill her in less than one second. I was disgusted with myself. Those were the eyes I'd have for drinking human blood. But the color would fade back to my regular golden tone!
That didn't change anything. I had ended human lives before, and never wanted to do it again. But her blood might be worth it. Just tasting her sweet blood might be worth the guilt that came with it.
Class was probably half over by now, just half an hour left. But what was I waiting for when class did end? Would I wait to kill her? Of would I wait to run away?
Of course I would have to kill her. I couldn't resist he blood and I wasn't even breathing now. I at least knew that whether it was today, or tomorrow, or in a few weeks, or even a few months or years, I would taste her blood.
So why not now? Why delay it if I eventually was going to taste her blood?
It was too risky, in a class full of children, to kill her. I could wait until after class ended. I could lead her in the wrong direction, pick her up when no one was around, take her in a forest or somewhere where there's no one near to hear her scream.
Alice. If I did anything to Isabella, Alice could see before hand. Unless I distracted her. If I got Jasper close enough to a human that smelled appetizing, Alice would get distracted and not see what I would do.
I couldn't believe I was considering risking someone else's life, Jasper's happiness, and the rest of my family's happiness for one unimportant girl.
An unimportant appetizing girl.
I couldn't risk looking at the clock. I might let my guard down once I saw the time and relax if there wan't a lot of time left and kill her. Besides, looking at the clock won't speed up time.
I looked at her once and she looked at me too but flinched away the instant our eyes met.
Just then, the bell rang and I rose quickly and got out the door as fast as I could while still going human speed.
I ran to my car, going a little too fast for a human, but no one saw me. I decided to skip Spanish next period.