Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer. I do not own any of the Twilight characters. I only own Juliet.
AN: Thanks you guys for still reading my story!! I love the reviews!! Here's chapter 7. Kinda short but more to come next weekend. Hope you enjoy it.
CHAPTER VII – NEWBORN
Juliet remains in attack stance, coiled like a snake ready to spring, yet she does not move. Instead she stays crouched snarling at me, her eyes black with hunger. Fear must be the source of her hesitation, or maybe she has retained some control. Perhaps I can reach her. Hoping against hope, I slowly rise from my chair till I'm standing, but do not approach her.
"Do not be afraid, Juliet. You are safe here. It is me, Marcus."
I put my hands up showing submission and keep my voice calm. To my dismay she does not respond. I quickly remind myself that this is to be expected. Juliet is disoriented and her newborn instincts have taken over.
"Juliet, please try to remember me." As I keep talking to her I see her mouth beginning to soften shut and her jaw relax. "Juliet, no one will harm you. I will never harm you."
Blinking rapidly, I see the conflict in her face. Obviously she is trying to recall the most recent events before the change. Then I see a glimpse of the former Juliet beginning to resurface, but signs of distress are visible on her face. Swiftly her hands fly to her throat as she moans in pain.
"The thirst is causing the burning in your throat. Juliet, you must feed. Wait here. I will return." With all my strength I fly to the storage unit and remove several bags of blood from the cooler then return to the room.
As anticipated, upon opening the door Juliet is in a defensive stance again. She has not learned to differentiate by scent yet. "Juliet, it is alright. It is me, Marcus. It is alright." Again, my voice is low and soothing.
I do not advance in step until she completely releases from her stance. I wait till she finally melts into a sitting position upon the bed, then I slowly walk towards her. "Here I have brought you sustenance. You must drink."
I toss her a bag of blood. Of course she catches it with ease; her reflexes are acute now. At first Juliet stares in confusion but within seconds her sense of smell instructs her to feed. Juliet bites the bag and drains its contents within minutes. Without hesitation I throw her another and another until her thirst is appeased. I allow her to consume all the bags and maintain my distance so as not to alarm her. I wait for her to regain her state of mind. I watch as her unnecessary breathing begins to slow down; her eyes fade back to a scarlet; and her body language softens. I am comforted as Juliet is the one to break the silence.
"I do not remember much. I try but…" Juliet does not finish her sentence. Her voice is ragged. It is hard for her to explain herself. She bends over, grabbing the side of her head with one hand as if to physically will her mind to cooperate. Her inner conflict is painfully obvious and my heart swells with sympathy.
I try to make my voice comforting, but I cannot tell if my tone is appropriate; I fear I am sorely out of practice. "It is normal to feel…confused. Over time you may remember more."
Juliet is still grasping her head with her eyes clinched shut as she responds, "May?"
"Yes. For many of our kind, human memories are lost. Only fragments are recovered." Again my delivery seems inadequate to me, but since her response is not hostile or sorrowful, I see this as a good sign.
Juliet begins to raise her head as she softly utters, "I see." Decisively, Juliet turns to head to face me, crimson eyes boring into my own. Her facial expressions are indifferent, but calm.
I cannot help but ask the obvious, "Do you feel better?"
Her face is still composed and her voice is steady. "Yes. Thank you. I…I am sorry for earlier."
"No need for apologizes. I expected it."
"You did?"
"Yes. It is normal to react that way. Most likely you will repeat such behavior. Your emotions are amplified, you see. In addition, the hunger, the burning in your throat, it will be constant for sometime. You will need to feed frequently." In response to my last statement Juliet shakes her head angrily.
"No! I will not feed upon humans, no!" Her voice is booming and instantly she displays rage. Her hands roll into fists and suddenly her right hand flies into the nearby wall causing a hole. The shock at her new found strength rattles Juliet melting away her fury. She stares in complete surprise at the damage it has caused. She examines her unharmed hand in disbelief. After retrieving her hand out of the wall, she responds with her head bowed. "I…I am sorry…I…"
"It is alright, Juliet. Never mind the wall." Her head is still bowed and her eyes are furrowed. "Julie, look at me." My voice is firm but gentle. She slowly obeys as she turns to face me. "Juliet, I respect your choice to not feed upon humans, but understand that for the next six months the thirst will be unbearable. Animal blood will only lessen the hunger not satisfy it."
"I don't care. I will not kill people." This time she contains her anger but her tone is filled with venom.
"Please, be calm Juliet. You misunderstand my explanation as grounds for an argument. Nay, I will not attempt to change your mind. I simply want to prepare you for what lies ahead; to understand the full wait of your decision. You will be in pain. Understand?"
"Yes."
"I do not want to see you in pain. Will you accept bagged blood that I will acquire from a donor bank?"
"Donor? Acquire?"
"Yes. There is a devotee that works in a hospital where they store donated blood and synthetic blood. This is used as a last resort. Will you accept this option?"
"I will consider it."
"Thank you."
As the conversation ends, Juliet begins examining her new vampire body. Like an infant who has just discovered that they possess hands and toes, Juliet stares in awe at her rejuvenated form. Her eyes wonder aimlessly as her heightened senses soak in all the neighboring sounds and scents. I cannot help but feel warm at this display of innocence and I find myself watching her. Then, suddenly, Juliet's attention is focused on me.
"Why do you stare?"
Aghast at my obvious leering, I involuntarily clear my throat, "No reason." I advert my eyes taking her remark as call for discomfort. Then to my surprise I feel her eyes upon me. "Now why are you staring?"
"Because you look…different…yet the same." Juliet is completely unabashed and continues in her gaze.
Curiously I feel an itching throughout my entire body as her eyes seem to project a physical burning upon my skin. I try to mask my discomfort and respond with facts. "Your new vision is…clearer now, more advanced."
"Yes, it is."
I realize that Juliet's expression is no longer neutral nor inquisitive; rather she appears to be enthralled. I find myself swallowing hard and my throat feels tight. I can only assume that my uneasiness is obvious, but Juliet's gaze does not leave me. On the contrary, her eyes advance to slowly appraising my entire body. The itching intensifies and suddenly I feel a wave of insecurity as she persists in gawking at me. The harsh reality that she is no longer human is made apparent to me yet again as her expression alters to rapacious. Needless to say I do not appreciate being perceived as prey.
"You must be thirsty. I will return." Quickly I take my leave. Juliet does not make a sound or sign of recognition as I exit the room. Her eyes follow me out the door, burning into my back. I feel a strange sensation in my stomach and my head feels light. What is wrong with me? I quickly ignore these feelings and run to retrieve more blood bags for Juliet.
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