BPOV

It seemed as though a hundred years had passed before the fire finally began to recede from my limbs. My heart began to race, faster and faster until I feared it may explode. And then, my heart stopped and all was silent. I figured I was in heaven now, about to be greeted by the mother I had never met. I was sure I had died when my heart ceased to beat. I opened my eyes, not knowing what to expect, and saw nothing but the tops of trees and the dark night sky alight with billions of stars. Everything was so perfectly clear. I could see each individual leaf on every one of the trees that towered over me. I took a deep breath and was immediately hit with dozens of different scents. The one that stood out the most was one that smelled of citrus and rose petals. I slowly sat up, looking through the trees ahead of me.

"Hello my dear." I moved so rapidly that a second I didn't even realize I had budged. I lowered into a defensive crouch, snarling at the man in front of me. Since when did I snarl? I instantly recognized the man as the one from my dream. His hands were raised, palms out in a surrendering gesture.

"Relax my child. I mean you no harm." His voice held that same honey-like quality it had had in my dream.

"Who are you?" I asked. I gasped at the sound of my voice. It was no longer the premature squeak of a young teenage girl, but a soothing sound that twinkled like bells that could have lulled even the most restless child to sleep.

"My name is Samson Martin. What is your name?"

"Isabella Swan." I answered, still amazed with the sound of my voice.

"Ah, the perfect name for you my beauty." He said with a soft smile.

"Am I dead?" this question made him chuckle slightly.

"No little one, you are not dead. At least not in the sense you are thinking. I saved you from that wretched fever."

"But how? None of father's doctors could cure me." This elicited a hearty laugh from my new acquaintance.

"Darling, I am nothing close to a doctor. I am but a humble vampire." He said with a cheeky smile and a deep bow, his long hair brushing against the ground.

"I'm sorry? Vampire?" I asked, now positive this man must be insane.

"Yes my dear, vampire. I am one, and now you are too. You see, I have been all alone for close to 200 years and I was in dire need of a companion. I have been keeping an eye on you for a little while. When I knew there was no chance of you getting better, it was all about waiting for the opportune time to make my move."

"But, why me?" that was the only question that had come to mind.

"I have a special gift for seeing the potential in people and I can see that you are capable of great things. You my beauty are one of a kind." He said, raising his hand to stroke my cheek softly. I waited for the blush to come rushing to my cheeks but it never did.

"So you made me a vampire?"

"Yes. I bit you and my venom changed you for three days, and now you are just like me, frozen in this picture of youthful beauty."

"How old are you?" I asked.

"I was frozen in the 22 year old version of myself." The burn in my throat that had started the minute I had woken was getting to be unbearable. Without even realizing, I had brought my hand to my neck.

"Oh how could I have forgotten, of course you must hunt. You must be parched!" Samson said with a look of concern flashing in his eyes. When he actually mentioned my thirst out loud, the fire in my throat kicked up another level.

"I'm sure we can find a stream for me to drink from somewhere around here." I said, looking around, again Samson chuckled.

"My dear, we do not drink water, we drink blood." I was sure he could see the hesitant look on my face. "Do not worry, I will teach how to hunt efficiently and without raising suspicion, but since this is your first meal, there is no telling what damage you may cause. You are to wait here and I will bring you something delicious." I nodded.

"I mean it Isabella; you are not to move from this spot, do you understand?" I nodded once more, rooting myself to the spot. "I will see if I can fetch you some appropriate clothing as well. I will be back soon." I nodded and in the blink of an eye he was gone, leaving only a slight gust of wind in his wake. I sat on a rock, listening to the sounds of the woods around me. I had been sitting for what felt like an hour when Samson came back with two things slung over his shoulders. The larger of the two I discovered was an unconscious young man. I was hit with his scent and felt my mouth pool with venom and I breathed him in.

"He's all yours my child." I felt slightly guilty, but that soon disappeared as soon as I sunk my razor sharp teeth into the fragile skin of the man's neck where his pulse was most noticeable. His blood was like nothing I had even tasted and I couldn't stop myself even if I had wanted to. He tasted like every wonderful taste in the world, all combined into one easy flowing liquid, soothing the burn in my throat. When I was sure I had gotten every last drop from the man's body, I let it drop to the ground, wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth delicately. The contradiction of my previous actions made Samson's musical laughter ring through the trees.

"Very good Isabella. Did you enjoy your meal?"

"Yes, very much. Thank you Samson." I said politely. He took the other object that had been slung over his shoulder and I realized it was a dress equipped with a stay and petticoat. The gown was a beautiful blue color that shimmered in the light of the moon.

"This color will look beautiful with your skin my darling." Samson said as he helped lace up my stay and lifted the petticoat followed by the gown over my head, smoothing it down.

"There are no shoes." I observed, looking around.

"Oh you won't need them my love." He said, running a small comb through my thick hair until the tangles were gone. "Simply beautiful." he whispered in my ear and I turned to smile at him.

"Now one thing you must always remember my dear is once you are finished with your meal, you must set fire to the body. We cannot have someone finding him and raising suspicion." I nodded in understanding. Samson was clearly a wilderness man by the way he was able to light a fire so quickly. The smell of burning flesh filled my nose as I stood, mesmerized by the flames.

"Where do we go now?" I asked, looking up into the glowing red eyes of my companion.

"Anywhere we wish to my child. We do not have the restraints of humanity holding us down any longer." Samson said with a smile paired with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

"May we go to Philadelphia? Father promised he would take me for my birthday, but we never got to go. I've always wanted to see it." I asked with a hesitant, sad smile as I remembered my father. He would be heartbroken that I was gone.

"I will go wherever you wish my darling." Samson said softly, as if he could sense my sadness.

"Do you have a coach? Or horses?" I asked. Samson shook his head with a chuckle.

"No my dear Isabella, we do not need such means of transportation. We can simply run." He must have caught the puzzled expression on my face for he elaborated. "We have inhuman speed, as well as beauty." He said.

I tested my speed out, lifting my skirt a little so as not to trip. Before I could even think of running around our clearing I had already made the journey and was standing in front of a now grinning Samson. I returned his smile with a large one of my own and we both broke into a fierce run. Samson led the way as I did not know which direction Philadelphia lie in. As we ran, we passed by a small brook and I paused.

I walked over to look into the water and gasped. Samson had been right, I was simply beautiful, there were no other words to describe me. The curves I had always wanted now shaped my frame. Though my waist was still as tiny as ever, my chest had grown to the perfect size to fit my gorgeously pale body. My face was smooth and free of any blemish and looked as though it were made of marble. My hair was no longer a limp, tangled mess but flawless waves of thick, lush mahogany hair. The reddish tint of my hair only helped to enhance the beauty of my glowing red eyes.

"You are a work of art my dear." Samson said from beside me.

"Thank you." I responded quietly. He pulled on my hand gently and we resumed our run down to the city of Philadelphia.