Disclaimer: Seriously? If you don't know it by now...

A/N: We are absolutely thrilled that you like it! And I'd like to point out that we don't hate Alice, honest. It's just that... she couldn't possibly be THAT nice. Nobody can be that nice and not have a really dark side. Plus, she has the misfortune of being paired up with Jasper and that really doesn't work for us. LOL

Ice Queen

When she embraces
Your heart turns to stone
She comes at night when you are all alone
And when she whispers
Your blood shall run cold
You better hide before she finds you

We've all heard the stories.

As children, it was just common knowledge.

Around every corner, in the darkness of your closet, or underneath your bed… there lurked a monster.

They came when we least expected it.

In our dreams.

Monsters were supposed to be these large, scary creatures that somehow knew our every fear and played off of it.

But, with one encounter, I knew that, somewhere along the road, someone got it all wrong.

No one ever mentioned that monsters were real.

They failed to mention that monsters can come in the middle of the night, while you're very much awake.

Those things that were only real in the movies and our nightmares truly existed.

The first time I had a run in with a vampire, I was eight years old.

It was late; I was supposed to be asleep like my sister. But, I've never been a deep sleeper and the sound of muffled voices woke me up almost instantly.

I tried to be quiet as I walked to my bedroom door and peered through the small opening. But, they all heard me and turned around.

"And who is that?" A woman's voice said.

"Oh that's Just Serena, my youngest daughter." My father replied. "Serena, come." My father waved his hand and I obeyed, walking out slowly towards them.

"Mira que preciosa." The woman spoke to me in Spanish "Oh please do tell me you have begun to train her?"

I looked at her. Her hair was long and beautiful. Such a deep brown color and was in contrast to her pale, almost transparent skin.

"Oh, well no I haven't. I didn't really intend on Serena…"

"On the contraire." The woman cut him off "she has so much potential, I can tell." She stood up and walked over and knelt in front of me.

"She is perfect." She tried to touch my cheek but I pulled away from her "Ay, mi amor don't be scared. I mean you no harm." Her voice was disturbingly sweet.

Her smile was just as wicked.

But, what I will never forget were those eyes.

They were blood red. They were terrifying to me and they would haunt me for a long time after that night.

"Now." She stood up and looked back at my father "I will make a bargain with you." She smiled once more.

"What type of bargain?"

"Train this beautiful little girl, and I will spare your family's lives."

"She is too young to kill." I looked up at my father. I didn't understand.

My father wasn't a killer. He was an honest man; And did honest work.

"At the moment. But, her scent is so enticing. She would be perfect…perfect for luring them in."

"But how?"

"Would you like me to show you?" she pulled out a sharp object and placed it against my upper arm. I screamed in terror.

"Stop." My father's voice was barely above a whisper but she just ignored him.

One swift movement and suddenly there was blood running down my arm.

I couldn't find the strength to scream. I was too shocked.

But, not more than fifteen seconds later, there was a lot of commotion outside.

The very distinct noise that could only be called a howl.

The woman's smile grew even wider as she heard the noise.

"You see? So quickly she could draw them in for you. It would make everything so much easier…you wouldn't have to waste all your time hunting. Not when you have your own personal bait right here."

"It would be easier." He sighed and glanced down at me, my face was covered in tears and I was still bleeding.

"Daddy, no." I sobbed. Before he could respond, the sounds of the two bedroom doors opening could be heard.

It was my mother and my sister.

"Send them back to bed or I will kill them." The woman hissed.

"It's alright girls. It's just me and Serena out here…go back to bed." He ordered them and, being the obedient women they were, they just did what they were told. Not even bothering to ask why I had screamed or who he was talking to.

"So, do we have an agreement?" the woman clapped her hands "You train her…and you all live. It's quite simple."

Without hesitation or thought, my father quickly agreed.

"I knew you were a smart man. Believe me when I say that your daughter is the missing link. She is exactly what we need to complete the task at hand."

My father merely nodded again.

"I will be back in a few weeks. By then, I expect her to be trained and willing to do what is asked of her. If I were you…" she leaned down towards me again "I would teach her to have a higher tolerance of pain. What I just did to her isn't even close to what she will have to endure." She waved the sharp object in front of me again.

"Until we meet again amor." She gave me a knowing look and, even at such a young age, I knew this was wrong.

Something bad was about to happen.

I didn't know it at the time but, my father had basically just sold my soul to the devil herself.

And that's when it all began.

For ten years, I did what was asked of me.

For ten years, I never questioned my father.

I never questioned her. Because, I knew at any moment, she could kill my family without even blinking.

I always thought I was doing this to protect my family.

I never could've envisioned what this type of life would lead me to.

They always told me it was my birthright, the way things had been done for centuries.

So, I should feel lucky that I had been picked to be a part of all this.

But, when I got older, I started voicing my questions.

They were met with either stony silence or thinly veiled threats.

"Do your duty or suffer the consequences." Is what they would say to me.

I was stupid. Naïve.

I never thought they'd turn on me.

I was wrong, horribly wrong.

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