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2. The Changing
Carlisle led everyone down the stairs and into a dungeon/basement type room. It was cold and drafty in here and I shivered involuntarily. Edward pulled me close to him, his arm around my shoulders and kissed my head.
"You don't have to do this, you know," he said to me quietly. "You can get out of this right now if you want."
I shook my head. "No...I want to do this, Edward. I need to."
Nodding slightly, he turned to Carlisle and Esme and the others who we re gathered around a long table-like thing. Almost like an operating table, except it was cold steel.
"Bella," Carlisle said quietly to me. "You will lie here while Edward...changes you. Then after he makes the change, he will take you to his room, that way you don't have to stay on this table. I doubt cold metal will make the process any easier."
I nodded. The table was at least three and a half feet tall. Edward picked me up as if I didn't weigh anything and set me on the table.
"Okay, lie back now," Carlisle instructed. I did as I was told, my head hitting the metal, I winced slightly.
Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper stood at the far end of the room, out of the way. Alice was on my left side, giving me an encouraging smile and holding my warm hand in her cold one. Esme stood above my head, a hand on my shoulder. I guessed it was so I wouldn't trash around.
Carlisle had Edward at his side, speaking to him quietly and clearly. Edward nodded every now and then, but didn't say anything. He glanced at me, he seemed paler than usual if that was possible.
After several anxious - more like impatient - minutes, Carlisle gripped Edward's shoulder in a father-like gesture and gave him a smile. I guessed that was so he wouldn't freak out.
Edward walked slowly back over to me and Carlisle stood at the end of the table, ready to hold my legs down if necessary.
"Ready?" Edward asked softly, taking my hand in his. I nodded defiantly.
Edward kissed my cheek softly and whispered close to my ear, "I love you."
"I know." I said, my eyes softening.
Edward pulled my hair away from my neck and hesitated only a moment until he lowered his lips to my neck. I closed my eyes and gripped Alice's hand tighter, preparing myself.
Then, I felt Edward's sharp fangs against the soft flesh of my neck; I held completely still. He hesitated again, then his sharp fangs pierced my skin.
I gripped his and Alice's hands so tight I could feel my fingers going numb. No, wait- my whole body was beginning to go numb.
I loosened my grip slightly when I couldn't feel anything anymore and relaxed. I could feel myself starting to go unconscious. Edward's hand was shaking slightly in mine and he stiffened it to make it stop.
After several minutes I could only feel his lips against my skin and then when I felt him pull back, I blacked out.
I don't remember much of the last three days. Only tears, thrashing around and agonizing pain. Edward never even left my side, he stayed beside me, stroking my hair, my pale, cold cheek, whispering soothing words in my ear, kissing my forehead.
It wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been with him there.
On the third day, seeming to be the millionth, I opened my eyes from my basically unconscious sleep.
Edward's head snapped around to look at me and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. I guessed he was relieved to see I wasn't screaming in pain anymore.
"Hey," he whispered. "How'er you feeling?"
I thought about it for a minute. "Fine, actually. Stiff, but fine."
He grinned and pulled me to him. I rested my head on his chest, breathing in his sweet scent which I could smell so much better now.
He rubbed the small of my back gently. "So..." he began softly. "You're...a vampire now."
I grinned and looked up at him, nodding. "Yup!"
He laughed softly. "Well, you're excited."
"But do you know what this means? Edward, before you couldn't really get all that close to me because you were afraid of hurting me. Well, you won't hurt me now. You can't. I mean, i'm, like, dead."
He smiled my favourite crooked smile and kissed the tip of my nose. "Yes, I can." He said softly.
He gently took my wrist and put a finger where my veins were. He waited the nodded. "No pulse."
I smiled. "Who knew being dead was so great?" I said cheerfully.
Edward laughed, his eyes lighting up with amusement.
There was a knock at the door and I raised my head up from the couch's arm to look at whoever was entering.
Alice walked in, a broad smile on her face. "Bella! You're awake!" She said happily, coming over and hugging me.
"Yeah," I said, then before I could get another word in, she started again.
"Carlisle asked me to come and see if you were up yet. How are you feeling? Anything hurt at all? Feeling...unvampiric?"
Edward and I both chuckled at how quickly she said all this.
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine." I confirmed. "I feel better than ever."
She beamed. "Great! I'll go tell the others."
"Wait," I told her and I saw Edward give me a puzzled look. "I think I'm ready to go see everyone."
She nodded cheerily and Edward helped me up, my stiff legs cramping slightly.
His arm stayed around my waist as we exited his room and walked down the stairs.
We walked into the living room to find Emmett and Rosalie sitting on the couch together with Jasper at the other end. Emmett and Rosalie were beginning to get kind of...touchy-show-your-feelings, so i guess Jasper was wanting to be as far away from them as possible.
Esme was sitting in a chair, her hands clasped together in her lap. Carlisle was no where to be seen, which was slightly odd, but I guessed he probably went out hunting.
"Bella!" Esme said warmly as I walked down the stairs with Edward and Alice. "You're awake, that's wonderful dear."
I smiled as Emmett gave me a friendly grin and Rosalie smiled slightly at me. Things weren't so...uptight between us so much anymore. Especially after she nearly caused Edward's 'death' by telling him I'd died.
Jasper gave me a nod in greeting as Alice went over and took her seat next to him on the couch.
Edward led me over to the other couch and sat down, pulling me on his lap. I rested my head on his chest and Esme asked me sympathetically, "Tired, dear?"
I nodded a bit, stifling a yawn.
"Yes, that will be a side-effect for about twenty-four hours, then...well, you won't sleep at all." Emse chuckled slightly.
"Yeah," I said, "Now i can stay up as long as I want and I don't have to freak about getting up the next morning."
Edward laughed lightly and kissed my cheek, giving my hand a light squeeze with his own.
"Are you feeling...hungry?" Edward asked me.
I was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Yeah, I am actually."
"Okay, well, let's go out into the woods. I'll show you how to hunt." He said and I got up off his lap.
"Well be back in a few hours." He told the others and they nodded. I could see his eyes beginning to turn a bit darker than usual too. I was sure mine looked the same way.
He led me out of the back door and walked swiftly towards the trees and the dark, dangerous forest.
He walked quietly and I did the same, taking careful steps to not step on any leaves that would give us away.
We walked through the forest for a good ten minutes before stopping just outside of a clearing.
"There's a bunch of deer that come through here everday, I figured it would be a bit easier to get one of those for your first time". Edward explained to me in a whisper, keeping his eyes on every corner of the clearing. "I'll take one down first, and you just follow my lead, but quickly so they don't all get away, all right?"
I nodded silently, looking around the clearing as well.
We didn't have to wait long; five minutes at the most.
Edward heard them coming only seconds before I did with our enhanced hearing. The leaves rattled and I could hear one of their antlers against a tree. That, I'l admit, scared me, but only slightly. I mean, I didn't want to me the next victim of those pointy antlers.
About five of them came through the clearing, very slowly. Two doe's, two bucks, and one young deer, all trailing after one another, not even scensing we were there.
"Okay, we never take the young ones and we leave the doe's if we can, but try to go for the other buck, okay?" Edward whispered quietly in my ear.
I nodded again, silent, my eyes on the deer. I could feel myself wanting to taste their blood very badly.
"Okay...one...two..." Edward counted for my benefit, then, "Three!" He finished in a hiss and took off quickly out of our hiding place, with me only a foot behind him.
He attacked the larger buck and I took the smaller one. I won't explain how we attacked them, it's a bit too...graphic, gruesome.
The other deer wasted no time taking off in the opposite direction, prodding the young one ahead of them.
Once we had the deer dead and on the ground, we lowered our lips to the deers' necks. This, I didn't need to be taught how to do; it came as instinct to me.
I opened my mouth, my fangs at the ready, and pierced the deers' thick flesh. Suddenly, I got my first taste of blood and I didn't want to stop, to even be distracted.
Its blood was sweet and thick. Good thing, because if it were thin, then it would take me all day to get full.
When we finished, we stood up and I wiped the back of my hand across my mouth, wiping away the blood and was starting to trickle down my chin.
Edward smiled when he finished wiping the blood away from his mouth, too. "I must say, you did better than I expected for your first time hunting."
I grinned, "Well, then, you underestimated me, Edward."
He chuckled and smiled that same crooked smile that I loved so much. "Yes, I guess I did. We should be getting back, at any rate. We've already been gone a little over an hour."
He took my hand and led me back up towards the house. I could see the sky as the trees began to thin. It was already beginning to get twilight. I time of the day I had come to love very much. Either it was Edward's influence or just finding the sky beautiful at that time of night, I didn't partiularly care. So long as there was twilight.
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And there's the second chapter. Review please and tell me what you think!!
