Two days passed so slowly I thought I'd die a second time of plain boredom.

But I put the books in the room to good use and read a few of them, as a pastime.

After two days were up, I was free. I bounced down the stairs and smiled at everyone,

"Hi!"

Alice replied instantly, "You need to hunt, it's been four days."

That was very true. My throat was on fire. She offered to take me yesterday, but I was one third of the way through a good book, so I stupidly declined the offer.

Emmett and Jasper were the ones who ended up taking me. We made our way to a dense forest area.

Jasper asked, "So, what's on the day's menu?"

I could smell the various kinds of blood, three of them, but I didn't know the difference.

Emmett reported, "Elk to the east, wild boar up the north way, and if we continue straight I think there's like, wolf or something. I've never had one, I can't tell."

Jasper gazed at us inquiringly, "Well, which way are you two going?"

Emmett smirked, "I'm going for elk. It's mating season, the males are so much fun when they charge!"

He sprang away and I decided, "I'll go wolfing, you can have the boars."

Jasper went the other way and I bounced onward. I peered through the trees and watched a big house-dog ambling around. Behind him was his owner, a female not much older then me.

Maybe thirteen.

Too late the realization came, though. She was too close to me for me to resist.

I could already taste her sweet tang on the tip of my tongue.

I bunched up my legs and shivered in anticipation before I sprang. I landed on the girl and she shrieked loudly as she landed.

I hissed, "You shouldn't have done that!"

If she alerted anyone else, they will come and investigate, and then they will die too.

She looked like she was about to speak, but I didn't let her. I lifted her chin and bit her on her throat, starting to greedily suck up the flowery blood that drive me so insane with delight.

When I was finished with her, I had to bite her dog, because he was trying to chew my ankle off.

Laying his body beside hers I sat down and stared at the cold, dead, creature.

My common sense bgan to kick in.

#24.

I really was a horrible person. I just killed. When I was ever going to stop this? They promised me it would stop!

I let my hands fall onto my hands and I groaned.

I just sat there for a while, and eventually I heard the light shuffling of footsteps making their way towards me. After a second of silence whoever it was sat behind me and wrapped their arms around me.

Thin arms, not huge arms, it was Jasper.

I leaned back into his chest and after a long while I whimpered, "I'm going to become a monster."

He tightened his grip on me and promised, "No you aren't, Leo. You're doing great, a lot better then I did when I first started."

It's only been five days and I already killed another person!

My distress was great, and I am sure it was bothering him, but he didn't try to change it.

He was letting me sort this out on my own.

I looked up at him and asked, "How bad were you when you first started?"

He laughed heartlessly, "I didn't last a day and a half before I snapped and bit someone. I had been drinking as much as I wanted, as often as I wanted, for 105 years. It was very understandable that I had, well, no self control."

I sighed, "How long did it take for you to be able to be around them? To go to school and everything?"

He frowned, "Way too long. If I didn't have Alice and Edward here to constantly monitor me, I would never be able to do it. Alice has had days where she saw me going to give in and stayed home with me. Edward has suggested I leave sometimes when it's getting to be too much. I hate having to run away from it, but I would rather be weak then a killer again."

I glanced at the body lying at my feet and whimpered, "Yeah, a killer like me."

He gently, almost warily, ran his fingers through my hair.

"It isn't your fault, Leo. This is part of your life now, the thirst for it. It's the natural food source. You can't help it, you can only try to learn to resist the thirst and stick to the new diet."

I frowned and let my chin fall so I was looking at my latest prey again. I just wanted to get rid of it, so I didn't have to stare at the evidence anymore.

Just then the bodies sprang into flames. I scrambled backwards a little, pressing against Jasper in fear of it catching onto my feet. He moved a few feet away, and started to laugh a little.

"It looks like you are getting a better grip on that, Leo."

I couldn't help but smile a little bit, proud of myself.

I got slightly excited, "Let's go and tell Alice!"


I bounced into the house and Alice was waiting for me. She probably already knew what I was going to tell her, but I didn't care, I was going to say it anyway.

I jumped into her arms and she laughed, holding me up, "Hey, have a good hunt?"

I frowned a little, "Not really, but I learned how to make the fire come out, or whatever it does, anyway."

She smiled at me and praised, "That's wonderful!"

She spaced out for a second before grinning, "Leo, do you like baseball?"

Edward appeared in the room, excited, "Yes! It's starting to lightning to the west, it'll be perfect!"

I smiled and the whole family loaded into some of the cars, heading off towards a huge field. Our teams were as followed:

Team Jasper had Rosalie, Edward, and me on it.

Alice is the pitcher.

And Team Carlisle has Bella, Emmett and Esme on it.

We had an epic game, and after some disputing; which Alice had to sort out every time; our team crushed Carlisle's.

That's only because, even as a vampire, Bella has two left feet.