Chapter Nine
–
Feels like the weight of the world,
Like God in heaven gave me a turn.
-Weight of the World, Evanescence
–
She remembered a story her mother had told her years ago, about a young boy believing the sky was falling. She had laughed, calling the boy a fool. The sky could never fall.
Standing on the rooftop gave her a whole new perspective. All around her, the sky seemed to be crumbling down and she stood at the center of it. She looked on in sadness as people ran through the streets, desperate for safety. She wanted to help them but knew she'd do more harm then good. After all, she was the cause of the violent storm.
As the wind whipped through her hair, she tried to gain control but it was too late. She couldn't put a stop to the storm and she wondered how many would now suffer because of her.
With a deep sigh, she took a step towards the edge of the building and let herself fall. The ground shook when she landed and she coughed as dust filled her nose and eyes. Standing up, she stopped at the sight of someone standing before her.
"That's not something you see every day. You just fell over ten stories and survived." He grinned and took a step towards her. Her nerves were on fire as red flags went up in her mind. No sane person would be outside, not when it was dangerous.
"Who are you?" She asked.
"Oh, I'm no one special. I'm more interested in knowing who you are. You're certainly not one of us. Nope, not with those eyes." Shiloh gasped when he seemed to disappear, only to reappear behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly, his breath trickling down her neck.
"You're a vampire," She managed to whisper.
The man chuckled, "Indeed I am, and you...are neither human nor vampire. So what are you?"
"That's none of your damn business." She spat as she wrenched herself away from him. Above her, thunder cracked and lightning struck the ground behind her.
"Well, I'll be damned. Quite literally, actually. You are one of them, aren't you? A Seraphim? No wait, you couldn't be. You lack their glow, but not their power. You're a halfer! A Nephilim."
She backed out away as he got closer to her. With lightning fast reflexes he reached out and grabbed her arm, but she wrenched herself away from him, sending him flying into a building with a blast of wind.
"Don't ever touch me again. You hear me?" She snarled at the vampire that was now sneering at her.
"Oh I hear you, Nephilim, loud and clear." He laughed and he launched himself at her.
Blood spilled from her neck where he managed to claw at her. This caused Shiloh to lose further control of her power and she found herself surrounded by a tornado of debris and electricity. Gasping, she tried to regain control over herself, but the vampire's continuous attacks prevented that from happening.
"Get away from me!" She screamed as she reached out and grabbed him. With a cry, she tore his arms off, eliciting a cry of pain from him. His eyes bulged as she pushed him away. Breathing shallowly, he made a move to charge her again, but a strike of lightning hit him just as he leaped into the air. With a scream, he disintegrated.
Shiloh breathed a sigh of relief as she fell to her knees, the tornado still swirling around her. Without realizing it, tears began to fall and she shook as the little bit of hope she had began to fade away. Closing her eyes, she wondered if she should just give in to her power and lay everything to waste.
"Shiloh!" Her eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice.
"Seth?" She stood up and her laughed in surprise when she saw Seth standing just outside the swirling wind. Worry was etched across his face as he looked for some way to help her.
"Shi? Can you hear me?" He asked.
"Yea! I can hear you, Seth." She called out to him, her heart aching for him even more than it had before.
"Okay, I need you to listen to me. I don't know what happened but you have to calm down. Okay? Just breathe, Shiloh and control your power." She heeded his words and closed her eyes again, willing herself to calm down. She took deep breaths and felt everything around her begin to change.
The sound of rushing wind died down and metal clanked around her as debris fell to the ground. A smile spread across her face when she realized she had done it. She had stopped herself and controlled her power.
"I did it!" She cried only to be engulfed by Seth, who had rushed over and threw his arms around her. She embraced him and tears flowed freely as they stood among the debris. Above them, the sky began to clear up and the sun peaked through the clouds.
"I missed you," Seth whispered in her ear.
"I'm sorry for leaving. I just...you were in so much pain..." She trailed off when he placed his hand on her cheeks and pressed their foreheads together.
"I know now, Shi, that you have a choice. And I know that no matter what choice you make, it'll be the best one for you. So don't worry about me, okay?" His eyes were pleading, "I just want you to home, where you belong."
Shi's breath hitched and she thought for a split second that Seth was going to kiss her. Unfortunately, they were interrupted by a a snarl. Pulling apart, Seth immediately phased at the sight of another vampire. Shiloh backed away as the two creatures circled each other. However, instead of going for Seth, the female vamp turned its attention to Shiloh and lunged for her.
"You bitch!" It hissed and Shiloh wondered if the vampire she had killed earlier had been this one's friend or mate. She didn't have time to relate the two as she ducked out of the way and the vampire sailed over her.
The female quickly recovered and rushed at Shiloh, teeth bared. Seth came to the rescue and knocked her out of the way, taking the force of the vampire's attack. He let out a whine and Shiloh tried to block out the deafening crack she had heard.
Seth collapsed to the ground and Shiloh was immediately at his side.
"Seth!" He whined softly as his eyes began to close, "No, you've got to stay awake, Seth. Stay awake!"
Behind her, Shiloh could hear the vampire as she charged at them. Fueled by anger, she stood up and with a swipe of her hand, knocked the female yards away from them. With a snarl, she sped to the vampire's side and pressed her foot hard onto the female's chest.
"An eye for an eye, right? I kill your friend so you kill mine?" She hissed.
"I'd like to see how you'd survive without your mate." The vampire growled back. Shiloh just spat on her and continued to press until she heard a crack. The female gasped as Shiloh crushed her ribcage in. Her eyes went wide and sightless and Shiloh stepped away from her. Summoning what little control she had, a blast of lightning engulfed the vampire and like her mate, she disintegrated.
Once the threat was taken care of, Shiloh was at Seth's side again. He was now phased back into human form and Shiloh took off her jacket and placed it over him. Around her, she could hear shouts as the people who lived in the city began to come back outside. Knowing that she had to get him hidden, Shiloh mustered up her strength and pick him up, bridal style, taking him into an alleyway.
There, she placed his head in her lap and whispered to him, urging him to stay awake. He mumbled something to her but it was too incoherent to understand, so she brushed it off as nothing. Finally, after nearly half an hour, Jacob found them.
Shiloh helped the pack leader put Seth into the backseat of the Rabbit.
The ride back to La Push was tense and silent. And when the got there, the tension got even worse. Jacob had called ahead, so Leah was waiting to meet them. Upon seeing Shiloh, she scowled and stalked over to her.
"You. He wouldn't have gotten hurt if it had not been for you." She snarled and pushed Shiloh out of the way so she could get a better look at Seth. When she had finished assessing his injuries, she rounded on Shiloh again. If looks could kill, even the Nephilim would have died right then.
"I don't give a damn if you are his imprint. I don't want you around him!" She all but screamed as she approached Shiloh until they were chest to chest and she was glaring down at the other girl. Shiloh took a step back and tried to steady her breathing, which had become shallow. Leah had every right to be angry, so she had to struggle to control herself.
"Leah, step off. Provoking her is not a good idea." Jacob interceded and shot a sympathetic look at Shiloh who was trying to get a hold of herself.
"It's not my fault she's a...monster." Leah hissed before turning and going to attend to Seth.
Shiloh watched in shocked silence as Leah carried her brother into their house to care for him. Her words still sinking in. As tears pricked the back of her eyes, Shiloh fought the urge to run away. Seth would only come after her again and she couldn't risk him being hurt again.
That didn't mean she had to stick around, though. Ignoring Jacob's calls, she turned and sprinted into the forest. She wanted get as far away as she could from her, the one who hated her. The who made her remember what she was.
A monster.
Without realizing, Shiloh stumbled unto the Cullen property. As she walked up to the house, she was greeted by Esme, who took her into her arms. Accepting the comfort, Shiloh began to cry. And as she cried, she remembered the story her mother used to tell her about the boy who believed the sky was falling. The sky may not have been falling, but even if it was,
Shiloh was in too much pain to notice.
Tense right? And of course, there's classic Leah. Gotta love her (or hate her, your choice). Anyways, I'm not one to beg for reviews but I've got like over 250 hits on this story and only six reviews. Come on, it doesn't take that long to stop and tell me what you think. I'd greatly appreciate it because it helps with my writing. So, please. Be kind. Leave a review.
Now, without further ado, a preview of the next chapter:
"I did what was best for you!" Leah growled at Seth as she watched him change into more decent clothes. As he moved to walk past her, she placed a hand on his shoulder but couldn't say anything. The venomous glare he was giving her stopped her dead in her tracks.
"No, Leah. You didn't."
~As the Rush Comes~