Disclaimer- I didn't write Twilight/ New Moon, those were written by the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. But I do own the character Sage.
Chapter 7- Relapse
Bella's POV
I watched Sage get up and walk out of the room, just as Edward was coming in. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he walked over to me. " What's up with Sage?" He asked. I shrugged my shoulders.
" I don't know. She was talking to Aro, then she started yelling and then she was gone. Something's wrong, I just don't know what. . " I replied. He wrapped me in his arms and we laid down.
" She'll be okay." He murmured and kissed my cheek. I smiled and snuggled in closer to him.
" Do you know who this guy is? This Cassio?"
" I've heard Sage talk of him before, but I've never actually met him before now. I kind of like him, aside from the whole human drinker thing, he seems a lot like Carlisle."
" How do you think that?"
" Well, he's calm, he seems fairly wise. I mean, I don't know. I just, I'm not worried about him. He doesn't seem like a bad blood-thirsty vampire you know?"
" Well he is, and I don't really like him. I mean, did you see his eyes? They're so dark. . . It's eerie."
" Out of everything you've been through, it's his eyes that freak you out? Bella, you never fail to amaze me."
" I know." I leaned my head towards him, kissing him gently. " Why does she argue with him so much?"
" Who?"
" Sage. Why does she argue with Aro so much?"
" It's hard, they have a very complicated relationship."
" Why?"
" Well. . . " He sat up slightly; I leaned my head against his chest- getting ready for the tale he was about to tell. " Sage is scared that if she stays at Volterra too long, she'll relapse."
" But she hasn't drank human blood in so long-"
" She drank it for close to 600 years. She's almost 800 something years old Bella. There's a lot you don't know about her, there's a lot I don't know about her."
" Well, what do you know?"
" I know, she doesn't lie when she says she was a hunter. Before she was turned, she killed many vampires. After she was turned she was stronger, more ruthless. People would hire her to kill someone and she would- no questions asked. She's spilled a lot of innocent blood, for a price. And that kills her. She was. . . Anyways, then she met Carlisle and he helped her to change. It was hard, for her to not drink human blood, it took a while to wean her off it."
" How many people did she kill?" I asked softly, I couldn't believe what Edward was telling me, was about Sage.
" Hundreds, none of them from drinking though. She never killed the people she drank from. . . They were, well you could call them donors. They felt honored to give her their blood."
" Wow. . . "
" Yes. Sage has had an incredibly difficult life and she's angry. She's angry at what she was. But, it runs through her, it's what she is. It's probably what she carried over when she was turned. Her strength and her pride. The fact that she could kill without a second glance. . . She's. . . I can't even think of a word for her. She isn't evil it's just, her actions weren't very. . . Good."
" Yeah. . Edward, could she relapse?"
" Yes. . She could. And she knows it." I gulped, the person Edward was describing, I didn't want to meet her. I could only imagine what would happen if she were to relapse. " If she did, nothing good would come from it." He sighed. " So, that's why she doesn't stay at Volterra. She's scared of herself. Scared of what she still is, and what could happen."
Sage's POV
I walked along the sidewalk, the sun shone down on me brightly. It was amazing what you could do with castle grounds, everything was so majestic. The best thing was, we could come out here and no one would see us over the high walls lining the back. We could walk freely, something I loved to do when I was first turned. Before I allowed the dark to rule my life. I sat down on a bench, my fingers trailed the pond water at my feet. Tiny fish swam freely; they made me smile. In the back I could smell deer and different game running around. I started humming an old tune my mother used to sing, being back home brought a lot of memories back. I looked at my watch, it was around 5, the sun would be setting soon. I heard a twig snap behind me and I whipped around, my pocket knife already out of it's case and held in front of me. Carlisle held up his hands in mock surrender. I scowled and put the knife back in it's usual place, in a strap around my arm. " What?" I asked him. He sat down next to me.
" Just wanted to see how you were doing, I know how mind boggling it must be. To be back home again." He replied. I sighed and nodded my head.
" You have no idea." I turned to him, looking at the way he shined in the sun. His blonde hair was mussed as usual, he wore a small smile on his face.
" What's wrong Sagelle? You look . . . I don't even know the right adjective."
" Ah, like you said, it's just being home has messed me up."
" It's more than that." I sighed again, then turned back to the pond.
" Cassio said something to me and-" He let out a tiny growl, grabbed my arm and turned me so I was facing him.
" Sage you shouldn't listen to him. Whatever he said-" I put a finger over his lips and smirked.
" Let me finish. What he said was totally and completely correct." I finished and removed my fingers from his lips. " Carlisle, I'm no different then I was when I first met you. Now, I go after people with animal blood coursing through my veins. I'm still a hunter, I still kill."
" But you hunt people who do-"
" Bad things? Carlisle it's the same exact thing. I assumed the people I killed then were evil, how do I know they were? Other then the fact that the people who wanted them dead told me they were evil, I didn't really know."
" You still blame yourself for what you did back then? You weren't yourself, you were-"
" I was completely and totally myself. I knew what I was doing! I knew I was murdering people! I knew it Carlisle and I didn't care! I was so angry and I was so. . . I knew everything I did. I heard the pleas and how people begged for their lives. I smelled the blood that spilled from them. I was fully aware, and everything was my decision!" I collapsed onto the ground, dry cries spilled from my body. Everything I kept inside for so long, I just let out. And it didn't do a damn thing. I felt Carlisle's hand on my back, his calming voice in my ear. But everything just made me angrier. I stood up in a flash and smoothed my clothes down, wiping away the non-existent tears. Carlisle went to wrap me in a hug but I pushed him away.
" Sage, please don't do this! Don't push us away! Don't push me away!" He pleaded, his eyes flashing with care.
" Your life was so much better before you knew me Carlisle! I made you miserable. I destroy everything I go near! I can't ignore that anymore! I know now that I cannot change who I am! I'm just like Aro, I'm just like Caius and Marcus and Cassio. I am the same! What can you tell me that will change that?" I screamed. I turned away from him and out of the corner of my eye I saw Cassio standing there, along with the Cullen family. Bella looked scared, Edward looked worried. Esme looked, well pretty furious.
" What are you talking about? You never made me miserable Sage. You-" Carlisle began but I interrupted him.
" Yes I did. I could never give you what you wanted. I was always screwing up, going back to Volterra only to come running back to you back I had failed, or come close. I'm not like you Carlisle. I'm not like any of you, I never will be." I walked away from Carlisle and over to Cassio. " You were right, it's been inside of me for all this time Cassio. You knew that. . . "
" I know you. I watched you grow up to be one of the best human hunters there was. Only to go on to be one of the best vampire hunters. It's what you are."
" No it isn't!" Carlisle shouted. " She isn't a killer!"
" You don't want me to be a killer Carlisle, doesn't mean I'm not!" I answered him.
" You have never hurt a single human since you met Carlisle! What's changed within you Sage to make you think all this now?" Edward spoke up.
" You never once tried to hurt me Sage. Never." Bella replied. I rolled my eyes and laughed.
" No one wanted me to kill you. Well, you know what I mean." I began to walk away, from them all when I heard someone snickering in the background. I slowly turned around, my stomach leapt up to my throat.
" Well. . well. . well. If it isn't the great and mighty Sagelle." Jasmine sneered. " Hiding away here? How. . . human." Cassio growled and stepped out of the safe shadows, his skin glowed in the sun. His teeth flipped over his lip, the low growl still emanated from his throat.
" How did you get here Jasmine?" He snapped. She laughed and stepped forward, her Egyptian like braid swung back and forth.
" Oh come on, I'm dedicated to this cause. Nothing's going to hold me back. You should know that."
" Leave her alone."
" Pity, you know you could be great if you would only align yourself with me."
" Go away Jasmine." Carlisle said, his voice strong and sure. I was sure of one thing, he was going to get himself killed if he didn't shut his mouth. She snarled and flew behind him, her lips almost touched his skin, but he didn't turn around. He held his stance.
" So this is the great Carlisle, you're the one who swept Sage right off her feet and made her an animal eater. Hmm, and here I thought you'd be a little more. . . Powerful. I can smell the weakness on you, it eeks off your skin."
" Your words don't affect me Jasmine."
" I don't care if they effect you, I just want you to hear them." She went around the group of Cullen's, her black eyes narrowed. She stopped at Bella and smirked. " You're a new one. I can smell your blood still in your veins. Hmm. You smell good." Then she turned to Edward. " And you, you must be Edward."
" How do you know my name?" He questioned her, his arms held Bella close to him in a tight grip.
" Ah, last time I checked in on dear ol' Sage, she was staying with Carlisle and yourself. One. . Big. . Happy. . Family." I lowered my head to the ground, I couldn't take it anymore. My angry pulsed through my veins and I felt the need to end this. Once and for all. Suddenly I felt her behind me, her hair laid gently on my shoulder. " Sage. . Sage. . Sage. . . " She whispered.
" Jasmine. . Jasmine. . Jasmine. . So, still holding a grudge? Want a sorry, fine I'll give you one. Sorry for killing your no good for nothing, sad excuse of a vampire, mate." I snarled. She growled and whipped me around then smacked me across the face."
" Don't talk about him like that."
" Don't talk to my friends like you just did, oh wait-"
" Your friends most likely don't know who you are, what you've done. Because if they did, they wouldn't even look at you with a shred of the respect they hold for you now."
" They know what they need to."
" Do they now? Do they know how you acted when you thrived on human blood?"
" No, you know I haven't had human blood in over two centuries."
" Well maybe it's time to change that. I don't want to fight you Sage, I want to fight who you were."
" Oh well, you're going to have to put up with me because I'm not drinking human blood."
" You don't have to drink it." Then she pulled me close to her and pressed her lips to mine. I instantly pulled away, but then felt a tiny sting. She smirked and reached inside her jacket, pulling out a hospital bag of blood. My vision swirled, she had blood on her lips. Human blood. She threw the bag on the ground- I could hear Carlisle's shouts from a distance, but everything was growing weaker. I needed the blood, it was so strong. Finally I threw myself on the ground and ripped the bag open, drinking the contents inside. I stood up and wiped away the excess red on my face, the blood pumped through my veins, I could feel myself growing stronger by the minute. Shock set in on what I had just done, I just drank human blood.
A/N Now, this story isn't over, so don't worry. It doesn't end with just Jasmine's maybe/maybe not demise. lol. So hope you like it so far. But, I do have a question. I already have an idea for another story, but I was wondering if you guys would want more of Sage. So, let me know! Thanks for reading, you all seriously ROCK!
Faith
Carbon- Yeah Sage is emotional, but she's got many layers and she's been through a lot. I may do a story where we're in the past, with Sage's life. So you can learn exactly what has happened to her. I mean, she's a very. . . complicated person lol.
