Twin Equinox

Chapter Seven - Who?

(Addie POV)

It was six in the morning when I awoke the next day. I knew I say I'd tell Bella about my past, but I just wasn't sure if I could handle it. I wasn't sure how she'd take me—if she'd just accept me, like she had the other monsters in her life, or if she'd be disgusted that her own sister was one. Or turning into one, anyway.

It was shining outside—no clouds, rain, or cold; a first since I've been here—so I decided to dress lightly. Anyhow, the temperature wouldn't have affected me. I dressed in black elastic low-rise Capri pants and a red cutoff camisole—and by cutoff, I mean that I had cut off the lower part, leaving my flat abdomen clearly visible. But I fixed that by adding a gray corduroy vest that reached a little lower and covered most of my lower back that would otherwise be visible. As soon as I tied on my black sneakers, I headed out of the house with the keys in hand—after I left a note telling Bella I'd be in La Push since she was sleeping, and that I'd be back later for our talk.

I drove down to La Push, as I wrote I would, and parked near the border. I wanted to walk, to test out my skills. They were developing quickly. Even now, I could see details in so many things that I couldn't when I was more human. I could see every vein on the leaves at my feet without having to bend down. I could see the ants scurrying about. I could even see the little pebbles in the dirt under my shoes.

My sight was near perfect, so my eyes would be done modifying. I wonder how they would look. Would they still be brown? What type of brown? Ever since the start of the transformation, my eyes changed. Sure, they were still brown, but they weren't the right brown.

A couple other things would change; I was sure of it. But I wasn't sure what else would come. I knew that I'd get super speed and strength, and probably grace. But what after? I wasn't sure what I was. I didn't know the name of what I was, seeing as I was probably and most likely the first. Not even the Volturi knew what was happening at first.

I closed my eyes and thought back to my past few years. Europe was fine. Everything, in fact, was going okay up until last year.

I walked through the streets of France. Surely, it wouldn't be too bad. It was night, sure, but I'd be fine. The Eiffel Tower wasn't too far from my hotel room, anyway. But, even with those reassurances, I felt uncomfortable walking through the empty streets at night alone. The moon was full, and it lit my way a bit more, but it still held few reassurances, and those that were there were all hollow. It was way past midnight, and I knew I wouldn't feel safe until I was back in the hotel room.

I heard a noise behind me as I passed an alley. It sounded like movement, but not average person movement. It sounded like something big, like something with sharp weapons. I resisted the desire to turn, to find out what was haunting me, and to see what was making me so paranoid. I couldn't resist it any longer—the fantasies that my imagination came up with frightened me a bit. I needed to check—just to check—to tell my subconscious to stop being so paranoid. But when I turned, I saw something I'd never in a million year thought I'd see.

An enormous wolf slowly stalked out of the alley, keeping its predatory glare on me the entire time. It's fur was a strange grayish-red, and its eyes were large, a yellow color with the pupils elongated to make for a feline look. But this was all canine, and it was dangerous. It stood at least three feet taller than me, and perched on its haunches, it would be around twice as tall. I didn't need to make sure that its claws were sharp, because I could hear them scrape at the concrete. I didn't need to check that its teeth were razor sharp as well, because I could see the wolf baring them at me.

It neared me, clenching its jaw. Soon, it was close enough that I could feel its warm breath on my head when it exhaled, and I could almost feel the fur against me. It lower its jaw to my neck, still clenched, and snarled. I could hear it unclench its jaw and exhale heavily; the sound sent shudders down my spine.

Then, before my eyes, the wolf changed. It snapped its jaw shut and backed off, throwing his head around and shaking—as if it had a seizure—and twitching. It let out a feral growl, and soon became man. And when the large shadow of the wolf was no longer on me, I could see that it was dawn.

The man stood tall, baring his teeth like a wolf, and looking absolutely ferocious. Then, when his convulsions ceased, he glared at me and stalked forward.

I was in too much shock to even move. My mind was blank, apart from the one word that seemed bolded in huge, black letters: Werewolf.

He reached out and clutched my arms, throwing them down to my sides and crushing them. I would definitely have bruises. He glared at me and dragged me off the sidewalk and into the alleyway.

NO! No! This does not happen to me!! I'm not the type who gets raped! I'm not the blonde, California-bumpkin, dumb girl that gets raped in alleyways in the dim hours of the morning.

But, apparently, the big brute couldn't see that. He just kept on dragging me roughly through the alley. It was pitch black, but the sky was illuminating with the dawn of a new day and I saw a couple different details. One, the walls were closing in. I wasn't sure if it was the walls or if they just gradually came closer because we were moving through the alley. Second, the alley walls weren't buildings. The building walls were left behind long ago. It was plain granite, rough and unpolished and worn out. And the last thing I noticed in that moment was that there was a dead end we were reaching, but there was a platform.

As soon as we'd touched the platform, he turned and angrily shoved aside a wooden door.

I winced. That year started out fine, but it only got worse. I thought that when the Volturi rescued me, I'd be free. Wrong. I was only changed of ownership. That's how I came to hate almost all mythological beings. They were all the same.

"Shut up," Luther commanded. "You should listen before you act, insolent child."

I was down on the floor of the dungeon, curled up in pain. Luther gave a harsh kick to my back, making me yelp out in pain. I didn't dare act again. That's what got me in trouble in the first place—trying to escape.

Luther crouched down by my face, glaring at me and baring his teeth in an ugly scowl. His tan skin reflected by the sparse candles only intensified his dangerous and angry appearance. Suddenly, his hard, muscled hands grabbed my arms and forced me up, lifting me above the ground. "You should be lucky to be alive, child," he spat. "I would've killed you the moment you stepped foot out of the castle, but since you're so very special, you survive—for now. Be grateful, wench!"

Then he threw me to the floor of the dungeon, slammed the cell door—bars, like a prison—shut, and left to who-knows-where. I lay there, on the dungeon floor, huddled in pain and afraid. I hated to admit that I was afraid—it was a weakness, being afraid—but I couldn't hide it; the fear was too great.

I wasn't scared of dying; on the contrary, I wished that I was dead. I was more afraid of what would happen to me if I weren't dead; what will be happening to me sooner or later. I was only human—what use could I be to them? Sure, I was a bit more gifted at guessing strangers' pasts than most—or all—of humanity, but why was this important? They should kill me already. I need the sweet release of death so I won't suffer longer.

But I can't give up! my other side complained. Then, for the first time in a long time, I thought of my sister. Izzy… I had left so long ago… I promised I'd return… If I died, she'd be mad at me, mad for not returning and for abandoning her.

But she'd be sad, too. I don't think I can handle that, afterlife or not. I made a promise to myself. If I got out of here alive, I'd see my sister—as soon as possible, no delays.

I sighed and frowned as the pain came back. It was never gone, though, just unnoticed. I breathed in and out sharply through my teeth, shutting my eyes as much as I could, as if that would stop the pain.

Locked up in a dungeon in a French citadel, taken captive by werewolves, wasn't exactly how I wanted to spend my life—or my last moments. I knew that escaping was no use—I'd known that before I even attempted to escape, but I just had to find a way.

That was when the Volturi came. Around that time, anyway. I was grateful. I thought, foolishly, that they'd save me. And then what? They wouldn't let me go. But I realized, a bit too late, that I'd been expecting that. No, they didn't let me go. If anything, they made sure to be as horrid to me as the werewolves. The only difference was the manner in which they tortured me. They wouldn't touch me, physically. But they had some vampires that could mentally cripple you. This is precisely what they did.

They took me from a French citadel with werewolves to an Italian cathedral—I think it was a cathedral, anyway—with vampires. Joy. Thoughts flowed through my head, reminding me of when they would torture me for, as they said, 'withholding information'. I remembered as the small blond vampire, Jane, grinned evilly at me, her piercing red eyes narrowed into slits. The pain came seconds after. Although I knew it was only an illusion, it was a pretty strong one. It hurt—only so much pain can be taken until you start to weaken, both in body and spirit.

I cringed as those thoughts flooded through me. I kicked the dirt in agony—hoping to find comfort. I had always been aggressive, it was what set me apart from even my own twin sister. It made me unique. Tears threatened to overflow—I blinked furiously. Now wasn't the time for crying. Someday, it will be time. As for now—I gasped air to try and get back to reality.

But is it really my fault if my mind kept going back to the reality I wanted? I always imagined my life if I hadn't gone to Europe. If I never broke the sisterhood that bonded Izzy and I. What if I had been smart and had not wandered through France alone?

I shook my head, trying to get rid of the haunting images. I stopped suddenly and realized I was not alone. My breath hitched and I relived the memories again. I was too afraid to turn.

I walked back to the car quickly. The person was clearly following me. How fast could I get away?

"Hey," a voice said. It was a young boy. My reflexes had not been that sharp. Or, at least, I must've been too distracted. I should've known better than to let my guard down when there were vampires and werewolves about. Too late now.

I spun around on my heel quickly, acting on instinct. The boy cringed as I hit him in the shoulder backhandedly. I faced him and straightened out. This was awkward.

"Hey," the boy said, clearly still in pain. Why, oh, why did I hit him? He seemed to recognize me. Had I met him in Europe? Probably not—I would have remembered that smile. A smile that could break your heart.

"Uhm... hi?" I managed to say. I felt my face burning, though I knew my cheeks were only tinged with pink—I, unlike my sister, could control my blushing...somewhat. "Sorry..."

The boy snickered. I'm guessing he was about 15—give or take a few years. His lopsided grin and the charm he possessed were overwhelming. He was the kind of kid I would turn to when I needed comfort. The brother type.

"How's it going Bella? I haven't seen you around in a while." Realization struck me. The boy wasn't being nice all of a sudden. He thought he knew me—that I was Izzy. I rolled my eyes at the thought. But, hey, might as well have fun while I can. Besides, I might get more info out of this kid.

Try to act like Izzy, I reminded myself."It's going great, um..." Stupid, stupid, stupid! I don't know his name!

"Uhm?" he repeated, frowning. Damn, This kid isn't leading me anywhere!

"Um, so," I said quickly, "how's everyone?" Good. This was a vague enough question to ask.

"Good?" He made it sound like a question. The kid was staring at me weirdly. I guess I might be the normal one of the family after all. Nah—I lost that race years ago.

I needed to keep him talking! I'd get nothing at this point! "Um, so, yeah," I said, trying to sound like Bella, but I've never tried to imitate anyone before. You'd think it'd be easier trying to act like your twin, wouldn't you? "But what's new? Anything happen lately?" I tried to give him a knowing look, though I really knew nothing. But, hopefully, he'd tell me something useful. And maybe I'm just a good actor.

"Bella, you call in everyday for updates," he stated. Then his brows pulled together in thought. "Well, except for just recently. You haven't asked for an update in a while."

Updates? Now we were getting somewhere. But updates? Updates on what? "Oh, well, did I already call today? I forgot," I lied. I felt blood rush up into my cheeks. Perfect—Izzy was always a heavy blusher. "What's happened?"

"Errr... besides the fact that Bella Swan is actually here in La Push? Nothing."

I groaned internally. I'm two minutes away from leaving in a fit of rage! I forced myself to remain calm and stoic. "No, about, you know," I said pointedly.

He looked around quickly, subtly, before his eyes flickered back to mine—I only now saw that they were a light brown. "Well, he's not much different," he said quietly, seriously. Suddenly, he'd aged into a full grown man in terms of behavior. He was completely serious, speaking as if he were talking of a comrade in a war or something. "But I think"—looked up at me, gauging my reaction—"that he's coming back."

Who? I stared at him for a second, blankly, thinking. Then the pieces fell into place. Updates. He. Coming back. I stood a step forward cautiously, but stubbornly. The boy raised an eyebrow in quick curiosity. I walked until I was only half a foot away. He was tall, very tall, but he looked young. I narrowed my eyes, calculative. I breathed in deeply, focusing only on my sense of smell. His body was sending off heat, and you could sense it if you inhaled. I could also sense the musky odor.

I grimaced and stepped back away defensively, crossing my arms over my chest. I remembered. Izzy told me, though I'd forgotten til now, that she was keeping tabs on a certain boy. "So, Seth," I spat, "how's the huntin`? Do werewolves eat humans here, too?"

Frocked: I feel proud. I failed the test and we managed to upload this story line by line. Impressive, Bee. M'kay so I won't bother all you guys about that stupid test and I'll leave you to you guys to reviewing. ;P

HunnyABee: For those of you who don't know (which is pretty much all of you), Frocked and I took the ACT today. Different high schools, sadly. :( We were in this program, called Duke TIP, where we can take either the SAT or ACT. Oh, and, did I mention, we're seventh graders? ^_^ Anyways, Frocked and I wrote this chapter..well, I wrote some, she wrote some, then we basically talked on the phone while taking turns writing line by line. HAHA! ;) Reviews are love.