This one is a bit dark people, but it had to be done.

Vampires are dangerous creatures, even if in the end they turn out good.

They were all like this once. I want to start on her becoming good as soon as possible, so this one is officially out of the way.

TillITryIllNeverKnow ~ Robert is a bit like Carlisle, in that he cares about people's lives. However, I don't think he has the self-restraint that Carlisle possesses when it comes to humans, as he is a 'conventional' vampire. However, as in the story, he is important, so I think at one stage he was part of the Vulturi (even perhaps during these events), and he has a gift in that he can determine who deserves to die. So he feels it's his duty to protect Alice, but it is very hard for him to control his thirst. Hence why he doesn't breathe while he is around her.

Ainsaboo ~ I was going to keep it going until the beginning of Twilight, and maybe include 'First Sight' into it, just from Alice's perspective.

sprinkledwithtwilight ~ I'm glad you are enjoying it. Hope your last exam is okay and you have an awesome start to your summer.

emmettsmyfave ~ Good luck with your exams. I'll make sure the update is here for the end of them, so you have something to look forward to =]

I suddenly found my voice, and started to scream. James' hand was over my mouth at once, silencing my attempt to call for help.

"There is no help out here, Miss Alice. You are alone, and when you wake up, you will be alone; more alone than you ever thought. Because, to ensure my safety, I am going to make you forget everything." His face altered into a warped grin, before he placed his hands around my neck and turned it hard.

And everything went black.

Chapter 6

"It's always darkest before the dawn"

~ A Proverb

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I was aware of the intense pain, the fire that consumed me. I could feel the tongues of every flame lick and devour every inch of me. I knew I was once human. But that was the only real thing in life I knew for certain. Everything else was a blur of black and grey. I did not remember anything other than the darkness. But I was completely distracted by my entire being going up in flames.

I begged for death to come; to take me up and swallow me whole. To consume me and smother the fire. For anything that would stop the pain. I screamed loudly, yet no help came. I could not concentrate on anything, even if salvation did come. I was lost within myself, slowly being burnt to death. I did not know how long I lied on the forest floor, withering in pain, screaming for death. A day, a week, a year? I had nothing to judge time on. I simply continued to scream.

I gave up on screaming, as it did nothing to save me. I lay quietly, and concentrated on the areas of my body that seemed to be cooling; the fire was dying in my fingers and toes. However, once this began, the fire in my heart burnt hotter than before, even though I could not understand how that was even possible. I felt the fire race towards my thundering heart, as it retreated from my limbs. Soon I could feel my lower legs and lower arms. I knew that both my heart and the fire would eventually lose; the fire had all but consumed me, and my heart thundered as it attempted to escape its inevitable death. I intended to endure the pain as it increased, and wait for it to be over. And I did manage to. But it didn't stop me screaming.

After the pain had reached its peak, and my poor heart stumbled to its final beat, I lay still on the ground, eyes closed. The grass felt soft, and I could hear everything; the birds in the trees, the creatures in the far off brush land. I could even hear the soft noise that the water in the lake made as it brushed against its sand floor. I became aware that I was not breathing, and inhaled. The world tasted amazing, the scents on everything settled on my tongue, and I found that everything had a taste. However, the breath that I took felt wrong; there was no relief when the air reached my lungs. It seemed that now I would breathe only to taste and out of habit; apparently, I no longer needed oxygen to survive.

My world of sound and touch disappeared, and again I saw the mysterious face of a man I had never met. He was beautiful; there was no doubt of that. His skin was an impossible white, but it was scarred with marks; bite marks all over his body. A very obvious one was above one of his eyebrows. He had honey blonde hair, and he was muscular, but lean. He would tower over me; he was over six feet tall. But the most disturbing thing was his eyes; they were blood red. The imaged faded out, and I sighed. His face had been the first thing in my mind when the burning subsided. It had taken me a while to adjust to the fact that it was only in my head. At the moment, I could only see the image of him; not exactly what he was doing. But then, I was not trying hard to see either.

It disturbed me that I could see things that weren't there, but, oddly enough, it did not feel at all strange or unknown, as everything else did. I felt some kind of connection with being able to see this man, as though I had always had the ability to. But I could not be sure. I did not even know my name. I had no recollection of anything besides the fire. It frightened me.

I shifted a little, as the wind blew from a different direction, and unexpectedly my throat burned uncontrollably. My head was filled with a red haze of desire, and all reason evaporated from me. The smell was amazing; it clouded out every other thought. The birds and the grass were no longer of any consequence. My eyes flew open and suddenly I was on my feet. I did not remember moving, but I did not care. I was obsessed with the scent that flowed into my nose and mouth; flames raged inside my throat.

Suddenly I was running. I wanted whatever the delightful, desirable scent was. I could not command any reason within myself, nor did I want to. There was no need to. The scent ruled. I was only slightly aware of the speed I was travelling at, the clarity of the forest plants as I raced past them. But it didn't matter to me; nothing did. As the smell grew stronger, I raced faster on into the forest.

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A couple sat comfortably on the picnic blanket below the bow of the tree upon which I was now perched. He lay on his side, looking up at the girl who sat with her legs sideways, but still tucked up under her skirt. He reached up and stroked her face, and she blushed. That sight drove me to near insanity. The blood that flowed richly under her perfect face was fuel to the flames that were already all but consuming my throat.

My hunting crouch lowered; ready to spring down upon them. I looked around, and breathed in the scent of the air; there could not be anything that attacked me or my hunt. All I could smell was the delicious scent of the two humans that were completely oblivious to the danger they were in. It made me smile. The men slowly let his hand fall from her cheek down to her lap, then glide to the end of her dress, and ran his hand up the lower part of her leg. Her blush deepened, and I could not control myself anymore.

I adjusted myself slightly, before leaping onto the man from behind. He yelled in surprise, and attempted to stand up, trying to shake me off. His fair young maiden was rooted to the spot, her mouth trapped in a silent scream. I moved around the human easily; his body movements were to slow to catch me. I wound myself around and onto his shoulders, before sinking my teeth into his neck; it was the strongest source of the smell, and I could see the thick blood pulsing through the vein that lay just below the surface.

The taste was amazing, and it flowed down my throat, dousing the flames. But yet I wanted more. There was not enough to satisfy me; I needed his blood. The man made feeble attempts to get me off, to stop me. His hands tried to grip me, but their strength was that of a baby bird. I smiled to myself at the thought of this pathetic creature getting the better of me. It seemed insane to even consider it. I felt him collapse under me, and I continued to drain him of his blood long after he had died. Soon he ran die. Annoyed, I tossed the body away. I still wanted more. Even though I wanted, needed his blood, and had enjoyed the kill, I tried not to let my eyes rest on his glazed over eyes.

A small whimper caught my attention. The girl, who had just watched her lover be drained of every last drop of blood, was now in silent hysteria. Her eyes overflowed in tears, and her body shook uncontrollably. I breathed deeply; her scent brought back the flames in my throat, although not as intense as before. But it was enough to want her. I crouched down again, my hunting stance natural and thoughtless, and I crept towards her. Her eyes were not on me, but on the bracelet upon her hand. Perhaps it had been a gift from him; however it was irrelevant to me.

I moved closer now, learning to savour the scent, as it would soon be gone. An odd thought entered my mind, as I stalked closer. What must I look like to his fair young lady that sat before me? Was I hideous? A monster sent from hell to ruin her? But the haze that her scent swelled around me and the thought was pushed to the back of my mind for later. I crouched lower, and leapt towards her. She did not attempt to stop me. As I though her to the ground, and climbed onto her back, she simply went limp below me. This made things easier, and again my teeth penetrated human flesh.

The girl tasted so much better than her lover, and I savoured her taste while she let out a shrilled scream. I was more careful with her, as I did not wish to lose a single drop. I felt her body stop twitching, and her heart faulted, stopping as I drank. I drained her slowly, and the flames in my throat died down considerably. At last, once I had finished, I felt a little sloshy inside. I pulled away from the girl's lifeless body. Reason had returned with the absence of human blood. I looked down at myself. I was covered in the man's blood. I slowly removed the item of clothing I wore. It appeared to be a hospital gown. Carefully and very gently I removed the garments that the girl wore. As I shrank away from the corpse, and pulled on the dead girls clothes, for the first time, I saw what I had become.

I was a monster sent from hell. I was the one that people feared at night; that came and stole their loved ones. I was a cold one that the old men had spoken of. I was a blood drinker.

I was a vampire.