A/N: Well folks, here is the collaboration between HeartofDarkess and I. We have had a great time writing this and bouncing ideas off each other to create a story that gives us an insight into how Alice came to be a vampire. I had the concept swirling around in my head and we decided to co-write this story.
I would like to thank my co-writer HeartOfDarkess and she will be posting this story in her profile as well. This story has been amazing for me to do with HeartOfDarkess because we both like similar stories, and we care about trying to write stories that our readers will find truly captivating.
Disclaimer: We don't own Twilight, or any characters, however we've only used one or two in this story and made up the rest!(so we do own them!..lol)
Please read and review as we've been burning the midnight oil on opposite side of the planet to collaborate on this story and would appreciate your feedback! We will add another chapter if you guys tap those keys! Enjoy!
Remember reviewing makes us happy!
Alice's POV
I needed to find out more from the woman who lay there, barely alive, her pained moans telling me she was gravely injured. Her body was mangled, every movement she attempted causing it to twitch. She looked like a broken toy, unable to be repaired by the most skilled of toymakers. I walked towards her, noticing that her eyes were barely open and her leg was twisted around the wrong way. How did I have the strength to do that to her? I looked at my hands, turning them over and studying them as if staring at them would somehow answer my question. Of course, I was still none the wiser.
I could hear her heart beating, its rhythm all over the place, the sound of it pulling me ever closer. How could I hear that? Why did these sounds seem so amplified to my ears? The smell of something rotting emanated from her body, and as she exhaled, the foul stench of her breath made me want to gag, but yet I couldn't gag. Instead, her scent permeated my every pore, causing my nose to wrinkle. Why did everything smell so strong? How was I so attuned to every sight, sound and smell around me? Instinctually, I held my breath, hoping to put a stop to this sensory overload as I crouched before the broken woman.
Her eyes fluttered open, her face contorting in pain as she shrieked, "What have you done to him? MURDERER!" She reached out and clutched her hands around my throat, although I felt no pain. A mild sense of concern ate into me as I brushed her hands away as if swatting away a bug. This woman was beginning to irritate me. At the very same time, I heard voices in the distance, their din and footsteps becoming ever closer to this place. I knew I had to cover my tracks. I also knew that I could not leave this witness to my atrocities alive, unless I wanted to be locked away forever. My mind scattered, thousands of tiny shards floating within my head as I detached myself, calmly realising what I needed to do. Coldly, calculatingly, I reached out to her and gripped my hands on either side of her head, her eyes widened with shock as she realised what I was about to do. Quickly, silently, I snapped her neck, putting the poor woman out of her misery as one would with a fatally injured animal. I was doing her a service, I justified without emotion. I was making it easier on her. I was.....taking a human life, the second one in as many minutes! I roared, a deep growl emanating from my chest, its guttural sound shocking me to the core. How had these hands snapped her so easily, as if she were nothing but a small twig?
The shock suddenly hit me as though lightning had struck my body, burning through the top of my head down through to the end of my limbs. I stepped away from the woman and turned to face the carnage that I had unleashed upon this place. I suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of fear, as I tried to comprehend what I had become. I began to sob, feeling an ache in my chest that could not be satisfied without the expulsion of tears. The tears refused to flow from my eyes. Why couldn't I cry? WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME? Was I that bereft of emotion that I could no longer express it? I so wanted to feel. To feel anything but the coldness and emptiness I felt now.
Faint, thudding footfalls that grew louder with every passing second brought me back to reality. As two uniformed men brandishing guns entered the house through the broken doorway, I ran past them in a panic, so quickly that they reeled. One man gasped, "Hey!" as I passed, my body slipping with ease through his attempted grasp. His touch felt feather-like. I couldn't believe they did not catch me, and surprised by not only how easily I got away, but the strength that now coursed through me as if I were invincible. Two gunshots rang out from where I ran, ricocheting off a tree, my body instinctually avoiding the bullets as if I had possessed some sort of second sight. I ran freely, the houses blurring by me as I entered the safety of the forest once again. As I ran, the greenery of my surrounds enveloped me, comforted me, every little leaf and branch lending me its detail, telling me its secrets, hiding me within its bosom. I finally felt safe, and stopped at the edge of a brook, its clear water trickling over undulating rocks. I could hear every sound that the bubbles beneath the surface made, the sounds of the forest battering my already heightened senses.
I took a deep breath, inhaling the scents around me, and walked slowly to the water's edge. I sat upon a boulder by the brook, lurching forward as if wanting to purge the sickening thoughts that now overloaded my mind. What had I done? I suddenly knew what I had become. I had become an animal. A monster that needed to be locked up, as I was a danger to anyone I came near. I deserved nothing less than to be destroyed for the abomination that I was. Under the protection of the canopy, I leaned down and picked up a sharp rock that lay within the shallows, taking it to my wrist in an attempt to end things here and now, the rock breaking into pieces as it hit my skin.
"What?" I said, my voice somehow musical. I had never heard anything so crisp, so clean, as that sound. I dropped the crumbled stone into the water and leaned in further, catching my reflection in the still water that pooled at the edge of the brook. I gasped, just as the sunlight hit me, its rays dappling through the canopy as the angle of the sun changed, causing my hands to glint as they had once before, and reflect like small droplets of water, but harder looking, like diamonds. I knew one thing. I wasn't human.
Death would have to be better than the horror I felt now. I was something that was against God's will. I knew it in my heart. I placed my hand over my chest and gasped, the stillness of my heart further evidence that I was not meant to be here. Whatever had happened to me before I woke in pain should have taken my life, but instead had sentenced me to this half-life. This purgatory. This.... living hell.
I closed my eyes, willing for this madness to disappear, but instead vivid pictures of a place that I had never seen before began to play their way through my mind. I felt my lungs take in extra air as I gasped, at the same time my mouth gaping open as this waking dream became clearer. I couldn't move from where I was. I found myself slipping away from the gentle, lulling sounds of the woods only to find myself thrust into room full of noise and chaos.
I could hear the loud muttering of voices all around me, tones varying from high pitched and grating, to low and gravelly. My senses were swarmed with a range of odours from the sickly sweet scent of cloying perfumes and harsh chemicals used for general cleaning, to the subtle smell of rich human blood accompanied by the aroma of various food items.
I scanned around, taking in the subtle nuances of where I sat. I was perched atop a high stool, at the counter in some sort of diner, a man nearby was reading a newspaper, the Philadelphia Inquirer, dated 1948. I glanced downwards and saw my face reflected in the chrome countertop, and my eyes were wide with excitement.
The room was full of customers laughing and chatting with one another while orders were shouted out to a man through a window into another room. The day outside was grey and overcast, but light enough that I could look outside and see people walking hurriedly by as the wind pulled at their clothing. I was not uncomfortable with sitting here and there was no burning in my throat. I was merely impatient, as if I was waiting for something to take place.
A sudden crack of thunder sounded outside and rain burst from above and poured down outside, tracing intricate patterns over the glass of the windows. The tinkling sound of glasses shattering drew my attention as a woman in a pink dress with a rumpled white apron dropped a tray of glassware on the floor causing a lull in the noise from the patrons of the establishment. The sudden decrease in sound caused the pealing of bells from the door being opened to resound throughout the room.
A tall figure eased through the door shrouded in a long coat, his frame willowy, but muscular. His face was hidden by a hat with a wide brim. The moment the door had opened it had released his scent into the room with the other aromas enclosed in this cramped space, but his wiped away all of the others as if they had never existed in the first place filling me up with the scent of honey and the subtle hint of mayflowers. I knew that he was like me...that he was what I was waiting for, that he was special.
Once he was fully inside he pulled his hat off in a graceful sweep of his long fingers. His other hand wafted up to rake through the shaggy blonde hair that was revealed as his hat was pulled away. His face was smooth and angular, his cheekbones statuesque, and his lips like that of Cupid 's bow, meant to be kissed. His eyebrows were highly arched and expressive, brooding over wide crimson eyes.
All of his visible features were covered with a delicate filigree of silver lines, crisscrossing and intersecting with one another, but these only added to his charm, making him more rugged and powerful. He was absolutely breathtaking.
I stood up without hesitation, and made my way towards him, manoeuvring easily around the humans who ate noisily around us. I could feel joy bubbling inside of me just from knowing that he was finally here, and that my waiting was over. I don't know why, but I loved him, and I knew that we were meant to complete one another.
He glanced at me unexpectedly, his eyes watchful and his expression seemingly belaying confusion, so I smiled at him. I smiled to let him know how happy I was that he had finally arrived, that he was here with me. I had never felt so euphoric. He shifted slightly, not taking a step, but looking as if he wanted to move, and so to ease his confusion I spoke.
"You've kept me waiting a long time," I said, inherently knowing that this had not been the first time I had waited for him here. With those words his eyes softened immediately and he replied in a warm, resonant timbre as he politely bent his head to me in greeting, "I'm sorry, ma'am. Jasper's the name....and you are?"
His words were like warm honey, soothing and sweet as they poured over me. They filled me with sensations I had never felt, and I knew that this moment would be sealing our fate together. I held out my hand to him my fingers splayed in a gesture of willingness and trust, wishing that he could feel everything that he made me feel inside. Though, somehow his eyes told me that he could.
"Alice," I replied softly as I allowed his presence to surround me, to fill me to the brim.
His body moved ever so slightly in my direction. I felt his fingers slip around mine, wrapping themselves firmly around my palm, sending emotions rolling through me. I felt hope spring forth deep inside as I looked from our linked hands into his deep, intelligent eyes. He was my future...my forever.
With no warning, I found myself jolted back to reality. The feeling of the soft blades of grass under my fingers let me know that I was back in the forest where I had fled after killing the two people. What had just happened? I had been somewhere else entirely, another place in another time. I could hear the sounds, smell the odours. Every second of it was etched into my mind, especially the face of the handsome young man that I would find there. It was as if I could see the future.
"This can't be happening!" I shrieked, the timbre of my voice high, the volume causing it to echo through the forest and return to me, and I flinched in surprise. What was I? How did I possess the ability of seeing things that weren't there? Every time I tried to decipher myself, something new would occur, surprising me and sending me reeling once again.
I sat on the boulder until night fell, my mind racing with a million thoughts while still having the room to listen and remain alert for any signs of danger, any threat or any scents that may cross my path. I could not work out why my senses were so heightened, but heightened they were. I did not know why my skin was so hard and resistant to outside forces, as well as being brilliant in hue. I could not fathom why I had drunk the blood of that man, the blood which somehow doused the flames within my throat. But most of all, I wondered about the man I had seen in my mind's eye.
The rain began to fall, wetting every part of my body. It did not feel cold, but the wetness did begin to irritate me. All of the animals scurried to their shelters and I sat there, thinking about what to do next.
Suddenly a gust of wind blew across the brook, and a strange scent crossed my path which smelled of sweet scents, dominated by a strong scent of cinnamon. It was quite pleasant, but did not attract me the way that the man's scent had. In the very same moment, I also heard distant voices through the sound of the rain. After killing those people, I could not trust anyone until I had some way of differentiating between friend and foe. I stood from the rock, backing away into the brush behind the trickling water and hid within the bushes there. I could not take any chances. My survival instincts kicked in, and I knew that even though I did not deserve to live, I now had a very good reason to. I had to conserve myself for that vision of a man, his face now burned into my mind forever. I remained silent, holding my breath as I listened intently, straining to make out what the faraway voices were saying. The rain grew heavier, threatening to drown out their sounds altogether as I tried to listen.
"My throat is still burning. When will it ever go away?" Who was this? And her throat was burning? My ears pricked. I needed to find out about this....woman. It seemed that she was like me.
Then a man spoke, his voice barely audible over the torrential rain now. "Never, though it will get better in around a year." A year? This burning would torture me for a year?
"I need....something....now! It burns!" the woman said angrily.
"We can't hunt here anymore. Don't worry, we will find something more when we leave this place. We just can't keep killing humans here with the fire. Mind you, that crazy one from the asylum that I found at the back of the chapel was asking for it. No-one will miss that madwoman. And now because of the murder of those two others, half the state police force is here." They knew about the murder! And they had killed too? In response to their words, I crouched further into the bushes, still holding my breath and listening intently.
"I don't care if I drink rat's blood....I need it NOW!" the woman yelped, her anxious yet musical voice penetrating the canopy above. As the voices had changed direction, I realised that these people must be moving quickly, and to my relief they became even harder to hear which meant that they were leaving.
"Stupid newborns. No sense at all!" the man replied in a rage. Newborns? What's a newborn? "Stupid rain! Always makes it a little harder to hunt," he added further in complaint. And then he continued, saying the most horrific thing I had heard since waking in this forest.
"Mmmm...I can still smell that child's scent, though it has faded with this rain. Stupid yellow eyed vampire that changed her! She would have made the most delicious meal, that Mary Alice. If I ever see her again, I think I might be tempted to finish her off. Stupid little vampire is nothing but a waste of space now!"
I gasped, instantly covering my mouth, hoping that I had not been heard. I was a vampire? A newborn vampire? And this unrecognisable man knew me and wanted to kill me? And who was the yellow eyed vampire who changed me? I knew one thing. I needed to find a safe place to hide and work out what to do next. I had the police and this man after me and could take no chances. I watched for any signs of movement and waited for the voices to speak further, knowing that I should wait until they left.
"We're not coming back? What about the apartment?" the woman asked.
"No, we're not coming back, so you can forget about your home. You're with me for the rest of eternity, and that means we travel," said the man. "Now, stop your whining and let's get out of here," he added, his voice fading into the distance.
I remained crouched in the bushes for what seemed an hour or two, the rain unrelenting as it hit me. Though I did not mind the rain, a dry place did sound inviting...and safe. My clothes were torn and also held the lingering scent of the blood of those humans, reminding me of the atrocities that I had committed. It would be a good idea to dry off and change, I thought. And then, I could run away from this place forever and leave behind the horror that I had unleashed.
The rain finally slowed and I realised that now, under the cover of darkness, would be the best time to clean up, change and escape here forever. I wondered if I could use the apartment that they spoke of, since it was now unused? I also wondered if I could find it. Then, I remembered the scent. If I headed into town and followed that scent of cinnamon, I knew that I would find it easily.
I headed through the main street of town, darting between buildings and hiding in the shadows. All was quiet. Not a soul was in the streets, to my relief. I did not feel the burn in my throat as much, but it was still there. Now that I knew what I was, I knew that I had to try to control my urges, especially if I was already being hunted down by the police and those other vampires. It was somewhat comforting that I was not the only one of my kind in existence, but I hated what I had become nonetheless.
I inhaled deeply, imbibing the scents that surrounded me. Once again I was on sensory overload as every scent of the town invaded my nostrils. I closed my eyes, trying to pick through each scent individually, searching for the cinnamon that I craved. I found it faintly and as I walked towards the other end of the main street, its strength increased.
I stared up to the apartments that were at the end of the street, sitting above the shops that lined each side of the street. I walked to the back entrance of the apartments, the scent at its strongest here as I took note of a set of fire stairs. I pulled the ladder down and climbed up, quicker than I thought possible, the scent growing stronger the higher I climbed. I reached the top of the stairs and found an open window, the scent overpowering me. My eyes darted around the abandoned hallway, and I climbed through the window with ease, ever-watchful of my surrounds. I listened, but could hear nothing but a few distant heavy breaths. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the draw that the breaths even had. I was grateful that the cinnamon dominated every other smell in this place.
The door was wide open to the apartment, and I knew that this was the place. I walked in the small space and noted everything about the room. It had a small table with one chair and a tiny kitchen as well as a chair in the corner with an empty bookshelf nearby. I walked across the room and through the doorway at the other end of the apartment. There I saw a bed which appeared to have been ripped to shreds, as though the occupant had met a violent end. I knew what it was. The woman had become what I was and had experienced what I had. I walked to the cupboard next to the bed and there hung a crisp white uniform with a stiff, white cap on the shelf above it, all of it smelling of some sort of chemical.
Next to the white dress was a beautiful lace dress which was lined with satin. My mouth gaped open. This dress was exquisite! I picked it up and walked to the drawers next to the door, opening them and taking out some undergarments. I left the bedroom behind and headed for the bathroom, and closed the door, switching on the light as I spotted the bath. The brightness overwhelmed me for a moment, and as my eyes adjusted I stood at the sink, and my eyes fixed themselves on my reflection.
"My-my eyes!" I murmured, once again my voice surprising me as my widened crimson eyes stared back at me. My eyes were a shock to my system, and though I was unable to remember what colour my eyes had been, I knew that this was not their proper colouration.
They were so deep, and so vivid they startled me into silence. I stood there on the tiled floor, contemplating my own reflection. The likeness of me that I saw in the mirror was in no way familiar, nothing seemed to bring forth any recalled information from my memory, nor did it aid to recollect anything about myself.
The image that mirrored me in the glass was petite, and delicately proportioned with full lips that seemed to curve into a natural smile. I let my eyes graze over the features that I saw in the mirror and I took in the straight demure nose that balanced out the wide eyes that had alarmed me. My skin was smooth and unblemished, though it was in need of a serious cleaning from the dirt and grime that marred it.
My face was framed with spiky black hair, that was cut in an odd style, but that suited the shape of my face. My hair was shiny, and glossy with health, and though none of what I saw seemed recognizable, I liked what I saw. I couldn't help but smile, and watching my reflection smile, I smiled even further giving myself a glimpse of perfect white teeth. I was really rather beautiful, if you could overlook my startling eyes.
I continued to look over my reflection, my newly enhanced vision settling upon the clothing I was wearing. I felt my lips curl up over my teeth as I took in the dingy greyish –white robe that wrapped around my small frame. It was disgusting, mud and blood splattered across the aged fabric only made it look even less attractive, if that was possible.
Looking at the tattered fabric made my body more aware of it, of how it felt against my skin. The cloth was rough, almost making my skin itch to be away from it. My eyes drifted down to the delicate lace dress that I held in my hands. The lace was finely stitched and sewn together, the deep blue material overlaying on a darker blue satin background.
I ran my fingers over the dainty loops that were intricately woven into the designs that made up the dress's fanciful surface. I could just imagine how marvellous the silky fabric would feel against my skin, and I knew that the dark blue would contrast beautifully against my pale colouring.
I gently set the beautiful garment aside, caressing it almost reverently as I folded it carefully. Then unable to stand the feel of it for another moment I ripped the fouled garment of my body, throwing it in disgusted away from me against a wall.
Next I turned to the task of cleaning and washing myself in the small bathroom. I relished being able to cleanse my body of the grime that tarnished its flawless skin, relishing in the feeling of being truly clean. I opened and closed numerous canisters and bottles, smelling them delicately, turning my nose up at some that seemed to have been well used and adding some that smelled pleasant into the water and inhaling the aroma as it wafted about the room.
I lathered up my hair and rinsed it under the water, appreciating the improvement in my mood now that I was cleansed thoroughly. I luxuriated in the water letting it sooth my senses, closing my eyes. I could hear the murmuring of voices coming through the walls, the conversations I heard let me know that evening was upon the city as people were eating and talking about the events of their days.
I let my mind follow the conversations, one woman with a high nasal voice was complaining about her day to her husband while a deeper voice sighed in the same room. In another apartment I could hear what had to be lovers as they kissed and moaned to one another, this one made me smile again. A third apartment had a baby crying and a mother who sang to the babe softly trying to sooth it.
I let the conversations lull me for a while, they were very entertaining, each on unique and original, though I had most enjoyed listening to the young lovers. They had constantly whispered words of love and adoration, and I had almost been embarrassed to hear them uttered, knowing that I was intruding, but I was unable to help myself from coming back to them, from hearing their hushed words, from imagining that someday someone would speak to me with such love, such desire.
It made me think back to my vision of the man in the diner.... "Jasper..." I whispered aloud, letting his name fall from my tongue like the sweetest of honey the world had to offer. Would he hold me and murmur words of love? Would his moans fill my ears as our bodies joined together in the bliss of making love?
I shook my head, trying to prevent myself from letting my mind wander where it had no right to be, but instead I turned my ears back to the couple, listening to their intimate words of love. I could hear them speaking together, their breaths coming more slowly now as the moment of passion seemed to have eased up a little. "Charlotte," the man spoke softly, "I love you so much...you have no idea how happy you have made me...I hope I can always make you happy... always make you feel loved...always make you glad that you married me......I just love you so much...I wish I had words to tell you..." he said, his words breaking off.
The woman's voice responded, and her voiced seemed to waver as she spoke, perhaps from the emotions of the moment. But her voice was sweet and endearing. "Lucas," she said softly, "You have made me whole, please don't thank me when it is my honour....no....my privilege to be your wife, to be the woman I knew I could be. Only you gave me that chance...the chance to feel worthy, to know that I was not a failure in everything that was dear to me...to see that I was worthy of being loved. I love you so much my gentle one, I never imagined that I could love another so deeply."
Her voice ceased suddenly and I could hear that they were lost to passion again as they became lost in one another once more, so I forced my mind away from their interlude. I left the bath, and dried myself with a soft white towel that I found on a small rack near the sink. I dried off all of the water, and then my hair, then turned to the mirror, determined to dress and leave here looking far better than I had when I entered.
I slipped on the panties that I had obtained in the other room, but it was pointless to wear the brazier that I had found, for it was far too big for my small frame. I chose to leave it instead, slipping on the dress.
It was like sliding into my proper skin for the first time. The feeling of the satin against my skin was almost surreal, like a warm embrace that wrapped itself around me. I turned to look in the mirror and smiled brightly at the stunning woman who smiled back at me. Hmm, I thought...clothes definitely make the woman.
I smoothed the fabric down over my gently curved thighs, loving how it clung to my small frame. Every inch of it showed off my body perfectly, from its sleeveless arms to its long bodice that ended around my hips before it flared out into a flapper style skirt of lace and satin the flared as I moved and turned. I looked as if I had just stepped off the pages of a catalogue.
I twirled around over and over giggling as my speed caused a breeze to ruffle through the fabric sending it flaring even higher. I stopped suddenly wanting to finish dressing now that I had started. I moved back into the other room, opening the drawers to search them thoroughly, after all the other woman was not coming back. I had heard that with my own ears. I found some stockings, and garters to hold them up and I slipped them on, feeling very feminine in my attire. Then I searched the closet for something appropriate to wear on my feet.
I found some flat white shoes that smelled of the same chemical smell that the white dress had, and I found a few pairs of shoes that were plain, or had seen better days, but I saw a box up above me on a shelf of the closet. Curiosity drew me to it, and I pulled it down holding it securely in my hands. I moved over to the bed in the room and I sat on it, the box resting on my lap. I pried open the lid of the box, and moved aside a few layers of tissue paper. There in a bed of white tissue sat a stunning pair of deep blue shoes. The colour was so vibrant that it made me inhale. The shoes were unadorned, and elegant, their beauty understated in their simplicity. I slipped one out of the box and placed it on the floor, slipping my foot in to see if it fit....and to my relief....it did.
I stood up and surveyed my attire, laughing like a child in my glee of having something so pretty, so sensual. It was the perfect wrappings for the package that was me, and it had me so excited that I was almost bouncing. I slipped back to the closet and grabbed a coat, not wanting to look out of place if anyone were to see me, and without another glance I slipped out of the small apartment determined to start myself on the path to this new life...the path that would lead me to the man of my vision....my Jasper.
The moon had begun to give way to the sun, the sky a beautiful deep blue, the stars still glistening in all their glory. I made my way down the street carefully, taking in every sound and movement around me, wanting to leave town before daybreak. My thoughts turned to my Jasper, and I knew that I had to find out where I was so that I could find my way to Philadelphia and wait for him. I knew one thing. I would wait forever if that's what it would take.
I passed a bakery as I moved, and it stood out in the quiet morning being a hive of activity as the people who worked there began to make bread, the smell of it wafting down the street, their voices tired as they spoke. I knew that as a human I would have enjoyed bread....but now? It just smelt like something you looked at rather than ate, its scent no more appealing than a clump of dirt.
A small truck made its way down the street and stopped outside a small shop on the corner at the opposite end of town. A man got out of the truck and opened the back door, his scent of spruce wafting down the main street of town and hitting my nose with a vengeance. I licked my lips, his scent calling to me as my throat exploded into flames again. "No!" I hissed to myself, the animal within threatening to take over once again. Instinctually, I held my breath as I watched him from afar. He grasped a pile of papers and threw them towards the doorway of the shop, checking his watch as he hesitated for a moment.
"You can do this," I said to myself, willing my body to stay put until the man was safely away, but without realising it, slinking towards him as he got back into the truck and started the engine. I suddenly found myself standing in front of the truck, and its headlights suddenly turned on, capturing me in their beams like a helpless deer.
"Miss, can you please move? I have my papers to deliver," he shouted from the open window of the truck. I slowly stepped aside as he revved the engine, trying with all I could muster to hold my breath and stop myself from killing this innocent man.
"Sorry," I whispered as I moved away from the truck and stepped onto the curb.
I watched as the truck pulled away, using every bit of my will to stay put and not pursue him. I found myself near the stack of papers, the word 'murder' standing out on the page. I crouched and tore away the string that bound the newspapers together, taking one in my hand and unfolding it.
My eyes scanned the front page as I stood to my feet, and I realised where I was. I was in Cedar Lake, Mississsippi. The date was March 14, 1920. "What?" I asked myself, realising that my vision must have been a dream. "How could my vision be so far in the future where I still look the same as I do now?" I whispered to myself, shaking my head as I tried to grasp the reality of the situation and make some sense of it.
The headline on the front page, in bold, black writing, said 'Murder in a Small Town!' I gasped, my eyes scanning quickly over the page as I read the first few sentences of the article.
A local doctor and nurse have been found dead in a home in the nearby town of St. Martin. A third nurse has also disappeared after a fire at the local asylum, which occurred under suspicious circumstances. Another doctor and some patients are also missing, presumed dead in the fire. Police are calling for any witnesses to either incident to come forward....
Then, my eyes scanned to the bottom of the page, and I gasped as the pictures of the two I had killed were splashed across it, along with a woman with beautiful flowing wavy hair, and a man whose name I did not recognise, but whose face somehow seemed familiar. A sense of déjà vu began to overwhelm me as I looked at their pictures and studied them with intent, the man's eyes somehow taking me in, almost to the point of hypnotising me.
The article finished without any mention of who may have committed the murders, and then I realised that the apartment that I came from had a nurse's uniform. I knew that I had been in the home of the missing nurse, and also knew that I could not return for fear of the police investigating her disappearance. It was time to leave. As I stood and turned to make my escape, watching for any signs of other humans, another fragrance surrounded me, its viscosity as thick as smoke. A combination of strawberries and an overpowering smell of musk, its sweetness nearly sickly, bombarded my senses. I clasped the newspaper in my hand, my body tensing in response to this strangely overpowering aroma and though it was appealing, it seemed to be dampened by the other scent that was smothering it. I heard footsteps approach from around the corner as the scent hit, the musk so strong that it nearly caused me to gag.
"Alice?" asked a young man as he approached me and stood near the pile of newspapers. I knew his voice as the voice of the man who was with his wife in the apartment building that I had just come from, but what was more worrisome was that he knew me. How was it possible that so many of these people knew me, but I had no memory of any of them?
I stood there silently, studying him with intent as I tried to search the dark recesses of my mind for an answer, but none was forthcoming. Though my instinct to attack threatened to bring me undone, a strange sense of curiosity briefly overtook my every other instinct. Whatever this scent was that masked his human one, it was saving his life at this very moment, my desire to feed from him hidden beneath the musky scent that seemed to stick to his skin cloyingly. I remained there, motionless and unable to utter a word to this unrecognisable man, yet the smell somehow brought back something from when I awoke on the forest floor.
I shook my head emphatically, refusing to let him know who I was, suspicious of the young man who stood before me. I knew that I needed to remain calm, and behave as normally as possible so as to not further arouse his curiosity. It seemed that many people in this town knew me, yet I knew none of them in return. I had to treat them all as a common enemy. I was, after all, a murderess and could trust no-one.
"It's me, Lucas," he said as he raised a hand indicating for me to stop. "Are you alright?" he asked.
I nodded yes, still unable to speak, the sweet smell of him overpowering me to the point of me being unable to move. Without taking his eyes off mine, he bent over and picked up a newspaper, quickly glancing at the headline and shaking his head in disapproval.
"I-I have to go," I whispered, his eyes widening at the sound of my voice as he tore them away from the newspaper and stared at me incredulously. "Please, just forget you ever saw me," I begged as I dropped the newspaper and backed away from him. And then, some sort of realisation hit him as he spoke.
"You're just like....like him now," he stammered as he stared at the newspaper and looked at me once again, his eyes darting back and forth between the paper and me. "But your....your eyes are different....."
"Just forget you saw me!" I repeated, emphatically this time in a high pitched tone.
His mouth gaped, and he was lost for words for a moment. He stared at the newspaper and frowned, shaking his head, finally muttering under his breath, "To the grave...." He folded the newspaper carefully and placed it under his arm as his face turned to me, his eyes sympathetic.
"Don't worry, Alice. You're secret's safe with me," he whispered caringly, a kindly smile crossing his face. I knew one thing. I could not kill this kindly stranger. There was just something about him that was so....compelling. I recalled how he spoke to his wife and knew of the love that he felt for her and knew that I desired this very same love for myself.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I refuted, shaking my head, my eyes begging him to forget that he saw me. I backed away from him further, not taking my eyes off him for a single moment.
"Alice! Wait!" he hissed. "Please?"
I shook my head once again and murmured, "I can't...." before my eyes fluttered closed and I was swept away from this place again. A flickered vision appeared before me, though this time it was different. I was not in the middle of this vision and it was not as clear as my previous one. There was also another difference. This time, I was watching it unfold before me, as if I was an outside observer, and not an active participant.
I found myself in an unfamiliar room, the green walls and linoleum floor indicating that I was in a hospital, the scent of roses and a cleaning chemical flooding the room. There was Lucas, standing before the bed of a woman, his face beaming as she presented him with a baby, which was swaddled in a blue blanket. "I am so proud of you, Charlotte. In honour of our lost friend, we will call him Charles William II," he said with solemnity as he took the child in his arms, his Charlotte nodding in agreement and smiling at them with a strong sense of pride, and an outpouring of love.
I gasped, and suddenly realised that I was back where I was previously, standing on the street of this town, and before this...this Lucas. He was still there, standing in front of me as if I had only been away a few seconds. "Alice, what's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing. I-I have to go. I can't stay here," I said, as I stared at him with confusion. I wondered if that vision would play out to be true, or if it was a waking dream. Tempted as I was to tell him of it, I could not trust anyone, even though I thought I could trust this particular human more than any other. I could not leave anything to chance, I decided. Besides, if that was his future, telling him about it would not change anything. Would it?
"Charles loved you, and if you want to stay with Charlotte and I, you are more than welcome," he stated.
Just as if the heavens were telling me what I knew was inevitable, the sun began to rise and voices in the distance indicated that the humans were rousing from their slumber. I knew I had to leave, and leave immediately. "I can't accept your offer. Goodbye, Lucas," I whispered to him as I felt my lips curl in to a small smile, the irresistible urge to inform him of what was to come overtaking me. "You will have a beautiful son one day," I added, unable to hold my tongue, causing him to gasp as the sun glinted on my skin. In a panic, I turned and ran across the street, the sound of him calling my name once again echoing through my mind. I could not turn back now, and though I wanted to speak with this man further, or even perhaps stay with him, I knew that that was an impossibility and that I had no choice but to leave now.
The burn in my throat began to take over once again to the point of discomfort, as the humans woke for the day and moved about their homes, and as the musky scent of Lucas faded. My eyes darted everywhere, as I tried to ensure that no-one could see me, knowing that I needed to leave urgently, knowing that I had to be away from these helpless humans. I knew that if I stayed here I would eventually work my way through each and every one of them without fail. I disappeared into the thickets that surrounded the town, leaving the only place I knew behind me, and heading for the sanctuary of the forest once again as I heard Lucas call my name one last time. There was no turning back now. I had to push on.
I ran for miles through the forest, heading due east towards the rising sun, daylight once again startling me as the sunlight hit my skin, sending rainbows dancing through the trees when the golden rays hit me through the dappled light of the canopy. Finally, I slowed to a halt when I realised that I smelt nothing of the humans....or of Lucas. I heard the roar of a river in the distance and followed the sound of it, its noise drawing me forward. I stood at the edge of the meandering waters, thinking once again about my plight, and thinking about the waking dreams that I had experienced. My visions appeared to be different each time, each one unique in length and clarity. My first vision was so vivid, so real, throwing me in the middle of a play, with me the central player. The second vision was muted, clouded and muffled, and I was a mere observer, watching it unfold before me like a flickering, moving picture with parts of it removed. "I don't understand," I whispered to myself. I realised that my voyage of self-discovery was far from over and wondered if it ever would be.
As my eyes scanned the surrounds of the forest, I knew that I would have to use places such as this to conceal myself by day, as my startling skin and eyes would give away what I was to the humans. I imagined that the authorities would be hunting me now, and knew that I had to keep moving. Night time was the time that I would achieve the most, as I could travel through towns that slept as I moved through them undetected. I would rest and sleep as needed, though I still didn't feel tired even though I had been awake for more than a day at this point. I knew that I would need to avoid the larger, more bustling cities and stay within areas that had less temptation and less chance of me being discovered. After hearing the other vampires speak, I also realised that I could not risk being near humans for at least a year, their scents too tempting to me, the warm glow in my throat now beginning to burn once again as a reminder of the abomination that I was.
I slumped to the ground, gathering my knees up to my chest and rocking myself soothingly, as my skin glittered in the light of day and the breezed swept my tresses over my eyes. The inside of my mind darkened and the face of a youthful man appeared before me, his blond hair and his warm golden eyes startling against the darkness that enveloped his handsome face. Relief washed through me as I caught a glimpse of what I knew was a better existence, and somehow this man held the key. "Who was that?" I said as my eyes opened widely, the rush of the waters returning to my briefly silent ears.