Rae: Here is where the continuance starts! Hold on folks, we're taking you for a ride. Remember I'm doing EPOV and my partner in crime is doing BPOV. Thank you to LittleClareStar for her beta magic and Silver Sniper of Night for her letting us use her eyes for a pre-read.
Agora: I've been wanting to post this for a LONG TIME. Everyone that reviewed and voted for this during the contest rocks – uber thanks ^^ This wouldn't be here if it weren't for the people Rae mentioned, and more importantly, Rae herself. I hope you'll love it as much as I do.
Disclaimer: S Meyers still owns all that is Twilight. We're just making Bella less of a doormat, and a bit (ok A LOT) more evil. :)
Chapter 2 - Animal
BPOV
Boredom came often. It weighed heavily on me, bearing down from all sides, leaving me stiff with it. My stone muscles and steel bones were restless, even as I willed them still. I hadn't moved in almost a week, remaining still and searching through only sound and scent, for my next destination. It would have to be somewhere crowded. Somewhere I could blend. Somewhere I would have choices.
His eyes were green.
Sitting up abruptly, in a movement so fast it almost wasn't, I made the decision. I would go north. Because north smelled good today.
I dusted off my dress, making a mental note to pilfer a new one. I didn't need it of course, even in a paper bag they would come to me like moths to a flame, but still. Presentation was key. I stepped around the grave markers, smiling to myself at the irony. It was a little silly and dramatic to choose a cemetery to 'rest' but I couldn't resist the private joke. The hour was late, and the darkness deep for human eyes – a perfect time to run.
Thanks to all the things that had changed when I was turned, this was my favorite part. The run. The speed. I felt great, unstoppable, capable of anything when I could run so fast. The wind whipped past me, the world vibrant colorful details that would have been a blur had I retained my human eyes.
But I hadn't. My eyes, like my fragile skin and laughable naivety, were all gone, replaced by something better and stronger, harder and sharper and a thousand times more durable. Because I had eternity. And I had to endure it.
Alone.
Somehow, I found the reserves in me to push harder, and I flew faster. No one could catch me. I raced over distances that would have taken triple the time by car, even driving at above the speed limit. I was nearing my goal, and I would be there before sunrise for certain at the speed I was traveling. Even if there were humans out, and there weren't any for miles, they wouldn't see me at all, but merely retain the impression that they had missed something, and only the especially perceptive ones at that.
The scent of warmth and understated sweetness that had drawn me north grew stronger, and I slowed my approach, veering right and cutting away to circle around the suburbs surrounding the city. I crossed through the outermost houses, continuing along my sensory path until something special led me a little further north. I approached, no longer in the outskirts but not quite in the city proper. The sky was beginning to seep color, the inky black becoming a washed out navy tinged with purple. I didn't have much time, there would be activity in the streets soon.
Finally, I stopped near a cluster of old buildings, recognizing by scent alone that I was at some sort of university housing. Here the concentration of the sweet-smelling blood was strong, young, virginal drunks inside sleeping away the social toils of the day before practically oozing purity and vulnerability. But my tastes were specific; I only chose males.
Brushing my dress down over my hips, I sauntered casually up to the building. There was a night man slumped over in his chair, his heartbeats pumping steady, like that of a sleeping man. I entered silently, and he stirred but didn't give any indication of waking up. There was a bulletin board near the mailboxes, and I fingered a pale blue flyer. Keg party tonight. So typical.
I would go to the party. There, I would find him.
His eyes were green.
He would be perfect.
I walked silently up the first flight of stairs, pausing outside a door that held behind it a sleeping girl, young, not as intoxicated as the rest, her blood less diluted. She was sleeping deeply and muttering incoherently. I could hear her from outside. I smiled. So human…
Cracking the door open I inspected her living space. There were flowers, real flowers sitting on her nightstand. And a card. I read it from across the room, rolling my eyes at the unoriginal declarations of love scrawled by a nervous hand. Sitting on the desk there was a picture of the girl herself with her arms wrapped around a young man. I picked it up, frowning. His eyes were hazel. That would have been too convenient, wouldn't it?
Bored already, I put the picture back on the desk, walking to the small closet and flinging it open. The door squeaked, and I suppressed a snarl of annoyance. Didn't these humans know how to maintain the upkeep of anything? Cursing them inwardly, I waited for any telltale signs that the girl might have heard anything, but her muttering, which had increased momentarily, was back to its dull, low volume. Relieved – I hated killing females – I turned back to the closet, fingering the materials of some of the dresses hanging inside. There wasn't much, and her size was slightly smaller. No matter. I picked up a boring beige shirt and some decent jeans, leaving the closet door open and sauntering to the bathroom. A girl needed a mirror.
Dropping my dress in the bathtub, I picked up a hand towel and held it under the tap, using the moist cloth to brush away the more apparent pieces of earth and dirt that had found their way onto my skin. When I was presentable to my own eyes, I picked up the jeans, noting they were at least skin tight and flattering, then threw on the shirt, only bothering with two buttons. Let the boys have something to look at.
Satisfied, I flipped my hair over my shoulders, inspecting my reflection. It wasn't the greatest ensemble I'd ever stolen, but was certainly one of the fastest. She'd be waking up soon. The thought annoyed me, and I gathered my discarded dress and dirtied towel, leaving the room as silently as I'd entered and making my way outside to dispose of the mess in the dumpster between buildings. I slipped on the sunglasses I'd picked from her dresser on my way out to hide my red eyes. People were beginning to rise, a few sleepy forms moving around with the scent of exhaustion thick around all of them. I stuck to the shadows, making my way closer to the inner city where I was more likely to go unnoticed. Of course, I never went completely unnoticed, not with the way I looked or with my other gift, but there were ways to minimize unwanted attention, just like there were ways to maximize attention when I did want it.
One of the humans dragging his feet away from the building did a double take, staring at me with his mouth hanging open. I smirked a little, feeling his gaze on me. Amazingly the novelty never wore off. Maybe as a human girl I was just mousy little Bella, but now, not even Rosalie Cullen would have been able to command the attention of a man in my presence. Not with my gift.
I slipped into the shadow of the entrance to the public library just as the sun broke through the cloud cover. The elderly librarian unlocked the door for me, smiling politely but curiously. I smiled back, showing my teeth. Her smile faltered, and she shuddered and held her cardigan closed. Smirking, I passed her and went to the back, finding what I was looking for easily enough. I ran my finger over the spine of the book, sliding it gently out of place, staring fondly at the cover. Nietzsche. A mind so brilliant, he might not have been human at all. Amused by the thought, I flipped through the book's pages, letting it fall open naturally to a well-worn page.
This prodigious event is still on its way, still wandering; it has not yet reached the ears of men. Lightning and thunder require time, the light of the stars requires time, deeds, though done, still require time to be seen and heard.
I smiled involuntarily, flipping back to the beginning to read. Lost in the magic of the words, I barely noticed when people came and went, when the sunlight outside turned to unnatural light, and when people shuffled away because I stood so unnaturally still for so long. Once the book was done, I shelved it with a regretful sigh, looking at the large wall clock mounted over the front desk. It was time.
Stepping outside I hailed a taxi, realizing that it was faster than walking at human pace – which I would have to do with so many of them out and about now. The taxi driver took my directions despite his hammering heart, and I sensed his discomfort and attraction war within him. When he pulled up to the address, I brushed my fingers against his shoulder, and he smiled at me with love struck eyes and told me no charge was necessary.
Too easy.
At long last, I was there. A college party. A hunter's dream of a playground. There was so much life, so much blood everywhere, the venom pooling in my mouth before I even entered the crowded little bar. More than a few heads turned to see who came in, and most of those didn't turn away. They stared, and I held my breath as I scanned them for a face that would do.
Someone just right.
I moved slowly, gracefully through them, stepping around anyone I didn't want touching me even when it seemed it was inevitable. Every one of them wanted to be chosen, the ignorant fools. But I was choosy. I had specifications.
And then I found him.
He sat by the bar, enchanted as the rest of them, watching me with his mouth slightly agape. I smiled at him, not showing too much teeth, and walked confidently to his side, leaning forward and breathing against his face. His eyes glazed over, a delicious blush warming his cheeks. Perfect.
"Hello," I purred, and he grinned at me with joy and disbelief in his eyes.
His eyes were green.
:-:-:-:
EPOV
I sat stoically, unable to move thanks to the vision that presented itself so quickly in front of me. So suddenly it had appeared, knocking me off my feet before I could right myself and sit down on the cool ground. Blinking quickly, I honed in on the thoughts of the human, focusing on the sudden image of a beautiful brunette.
The face. The same face that had haunted me for over seventy years.
No, it couldn't be. It's not possible.
I allowed myself to peer further into the mind of the human. Ordinarily, I didn't allow myself the opportunity to do so. The thoughts of humans were typically predictable and mind numbingly dull. Only occasionally would I slip and peruse the thoughts of the humans around me, when the boredom just simply couldn't be bared any longer.
The brunette was stunning, and not only had the attention of this particular young man, but also every other man in the room. She moved with a fluid grace that was almost startling.
Her hair flowed in soft waves down her back and a pair of sunglasses was perched on her perfect heart shaped face.
Instantly, I knew that this woman was not human. The grace of her movements, the way every human in the room eyed her with both fear and awe. Everyone in the room wanted to either be her, or be with her. Such a typical reaction humans had to vampires. Instinctually, they knew there was something to be feared, but they were also captivated.
She stopped in front of the human boy, flashing him a sexy and devious smile. The human's mind was running wild with perverse thoughts. I had to roll my eyes at the predictability of the thoughts of humans. So typical.
"Hello," she purred at him.
The human's heart rate accelerated, from the obvious intentions of this inhumanly gorgeous woman that was paying attention to him.
Holy shit, this woman is fucking smokin'! Hell fucking yes, I'm taking her home tonight!
Again, I rolled my eyes at the thoughts of the human. Humans were only driven by one thing. Sex.
Mostly, the words that were spoken between this woman and the human boy were ignored. The words were not important. Through the eyes of the human, I watched as they talked, laughed and flirted unabashedly.
Briefly, I attempted to hear the thoughts of the woman, but was unable to come up with anything.
Silence.
No, no, no, no.
I watched in tortured fascination as she took his hand and lead him out of the bar and towards the dark alley behind the bar.
The boy's heart began beating erratically, most likely from the thrill and also the instinct of self-preservation. He had begun to realize that there was something not quite right about this woman, but hadn't been able to bring himself to care. She appeared to have some sort of seductive control over him. Although, this wasn't really out of the ordinary for vampires.
Roughly, she pushed him up against the brick wall. Fear flashed through his mind, then pleasure.
Fuck yeah, this bitch likes it rough, he thought.
I flinched reflexively at the word 'bitch'. I wasn't one hundred percent sure that this was her, the one that I had spent the last seventy years of my existence searching for, but the similarities were so uncanny..
No! I thought, pushing the idea away almost as quickly as it came to my brain. It's not her. It couldn't be..
He flinched as her hands touched the skin of his neck, her smile turning more dangerous looking. Fuck, her hands are freezing. That's not hot. I was both annoyed and thrilled to hear something break through the lust-haze of the human. Her fingers stroked his jugular, and his heart rate picked up, accelerated until he was panting. She inhaled deeply, running her nose up his neck and he laughed, slightly uncomfortable with this unfamiliar foreplay.
"What ya doing?" he asked hesitantly, trying to pass it off as a joke, but disturbed to a degree when she placed one cold hand over his heart.
She pulled back slowly and I tried again, furiously, to hear her thoughts. She lifted the sunglasses to the top of her head where they sat in her hair. The light of the alley was too dark, and the human's eyes were too fuzzy for me to be able to tell for sure, but they glowed a little red. I shuddered inwardly even as the human did the same. "I'm sampling the bouquet," she responded, and my entire bring ruptured.
It was her!
Like a sick fantasy, I saw in my mind the image of Bella, sitting on her bed that day after the meadow as I jokingly spoke those same words to her. There was no mistake. A thousand questions tore through my mind, festering and vying for my immediate attention, and I clutched my head in a rare instance of complete mental defeat. My head was hammering with why, why, why when something far more immediate and terrifying ripped through the human boy's mind.
He hadn't had time to realize what she was doing, but I knew the sensation he was experiencing, knew it from when I had hunted my own victims. She gripped his upper arm, yanking him closer to her, and something snapped with a sickening crack that had the boy gurgling for breath through his useless throat. She half-hummed half-groaned against his skin, a sound that chilled his heart. What is this? What's happening?
I wasn't sure if the thoughts were mine or his.
She gripped him tighter, wrapping her arms around his torso. He heard more cracks, and his vision swam. He whimpered, and a blurry image of an elderly woman floated through his mind. Nan. Who's going to take care of Nan? I'm going to die.
She squeezed one more time.
Pain raked through my body.
And then, his thoughts went black.
Rae: Short but sweet. Well what are your thoughts? Don't worry, they'll be reunited soon and *hint hint* It's not gonna be all rainbows and butterflies. ;) Leave us some love (or hate if that's your flava).
