EPOV
Watching the tears fall over Grace's angel-like face was not something I enjoyed witnessing, though I'm sure she would think different. Like the first time I saw her, I couldn't help but stare at her and no matter how much I told myself to look away, I couldn't. Grace stepped forward slowly, her movements more like a humans than a vampires and her eyes began to scan the mess left by the air raids. I stepped carefully over the broken bricks and glass though each step we took was followed by the sound of the rubble cracking under our feet. It sounded louder than it should have but a deadly silence was in the air as we walked further. I made sure I stayed a few feet behind Grace and I stopped when she did. She bent down slowly, her soft hands moving some of the dust away from the area that had caught her attention. Eventually she stood up again and I waited for her to carry on moving forward, instead she turned around and in her hands I could see her holding a child's doll. Its clothes were torn and its face was cracked.
"How is it that another human could cause so much hurt to one of its kind?" Grace asked me in barely a whisper. I open my mouth to answer her but I soon realised that I couldn't. I didn't understand myself. Yeah, I had heard stories about our kind that would make a few of us shiver but when it came down to it, we were natural born killers...there was no escaping the truth. It was something all of my family tried to ignore but it was never far from their thoughts. But humans were meant to be the compassionate ones; the ones who could forgive easily...recent times had made me question that.
"We should keep moving" I say finally wary of what little darkness we had left. London was never that sunny in March, but none the less, I didn't want us to be caught out when the sun came up in a few hours time.
Grace began walking once more, taking in every detail around her. My thoughts betrayed me as I began to feel sorry for her.
"Why?" she asked suddenly. Her tone was off.
"Why what?" I ask back, confused at her sudden outburst.
"Why do you feel sorry for me? Why do any of you feel sorry for me?" Grace hissed. Okay, so I had hit another nerve.
"I um...I just..." my tongue felt heavy as I stumbled over my words. It was like I had forgotten how to talk. Grace's body doubled over and the doll she had been holding, dropped to the floor before her hands flew to her head. I could hear her taking deep breaths as her body heaved up and down. Without thinking I move over to her quickly, quicker than your average human, and touch her shoulder lightly. Just as my skin touched hers, she flinched away from me.
"GO!" she screamed at me, her voice twisted with pain.
"Grace...I...what's..."
"Argghhh!" she screams once more and I remembered the last time she had been hurting like that. It was in her bedroom, not an hour ago. And I had been the one to cause her pain, my uneven thoughts had hurt her but this time, it was a million time worse. I quickly calmed my chaotic thoughts and eventually managed to block them out completely. It was difficult, like turning your back to an enemy but not impossible, just unnatural. I watched Grace as she straightened her posture and her hands fell to her sides. She was still taking breathes like she needed them. Bending down once more, Grace picked up the doll.
"I'm sor-" I began to say but was quickly cut off by Grace.
"Do you hear that?" she said, again whispering. I frowned at how one minute she was ready to tear me apart and now, it was like none of it had even happened. Not wanting to hurt her again I closed my eyes and tried to focus on whatever it was she had heard. All around me I could hear something...the sound as the light wind changed direct...the sound of a stray dog walking over the bricks...and then I heard what Grace had been talking about it. It was faint...almost like it was really far away though deep down inside my instincts told me it was closer than it sounded. But sure enough, I could hear the uneven heart beat, followed by shallow breaths. I opened my eyes to see Grace watching me intently with softness to her eyes I hadn't seen before.
"Someone's still alive" she breathed quietly. Once more I closed my eyes and focused on where the sound was coming from. I found the location quicker than Grace did but as soon as she saw the image in my head of where the person was, she bolted over to the mound of rubble before I even moved one foot. I ran after her, catching up a few streets away. Grace had already begun moving the bricks, tossing each one aside. The whimpers got louder and I and Grace both looked at each other in shock once we realised there was a child buried below our hands. We both moved the rubble more carefully this time, not wanting to cause any sudden movement of the bricks. I could smell the child's blood and it started a raging fire, sliding all the way down my throat. I had noticed that Grace was no longer breathing like before. I follow her lead, shutting off my lungs to any ounce of air that might slip down as the child face became visible. It was a young girl, no older than five and as soon as she saw Grace, she started crying. Not for fear of looking at her, cause Grace did look like an angel on earth, but from the relief of being found. The young girl had a large cut on the side of her head and her once blonde hair was now stained red.
The girl lifts her arms out to me and I place my hands on her small body.
"Careful" Grace said so quietly only I would hear. I nod once before ever so slowly, I begin to pull the girl out from the debris. As I did the girl screamed, her small fingers gripping on my shirt.
"Stop" Grace said louder this time and I froze like a statue with the girl suspended in my hands.
I looked down to see a large splinter of glass penetrating the girl's tiny leg. Grace moved any obstacles out of the way before giving me the go ahead to move the girl once and for all.
"Well hello there sweetie!" Grace spoke in a slightly higher pitch voice. I now had the girl in my arms, cradling her carefully as she sobbed into my shoulder. Her tears head already soaked through my shirt. Grace moved behind me to see the girls face.
"It's alright now. You're okay, you're okay" Grace soothed the child and the loud sobs faded slightly.
"Edward, hold her for me?" Grace asked me as she took off her jacket and laid it across the girl. I lowered the girl, holding her head gently to make sure I didn't hurt her any more as she lent into my body. Grace then handed me the doll she still had in her hands.
"What's your name sweetie? Can you tell me that?" Grace asked softly. The young girl nodded, her face wet, bloodied and bruised.
"S-S-S-Sop-hie" the girl sobbed.
"Well that's a beautiful name! My name is Grace and this is my friend Edward" Grace said pointing to me. In Graces eyes I could her asking me to distract Sophie while she looked over her. Again I nod to show I understood. I try to smile at Sophie and hoped that I didn't scare her.
"Hello Sophie. See this little girl here?" I say holding out the doll. Sophie sobbed once more before nodding.
"Well, she's feeling a little scared right now and I think she would really like it if you looked after her. What do think?" I say making the dolls head move to make it look like it was nodding too. Sophie laughed a little before holding out her hands. Her hands were tiny and covered in cuts but she took the doll none the less and held it tight to her chest.
Graces hands worked carefully over the girl's body, bending each arm in turn, checking for broken bones. Sophie smiled happily at her new friend.
'We need to get the glass out' I say in my thoughts. Again, a slight nod gave me everything I needed to know.
"Sophie, what is your dolls name?" I ask Sophie as Grace began to examine the girl's leg. I needed something...anything to distract Sophie from what was coming next, though I knew that nothing I could do or say would make this hurt any less.
"Um...Grace!" Sophie smiled. I glanced at Grace at saw her lips tug slightly at the corners.
"Grace huh? That's a beautiful name, just like yours! So I think that Grace here would really like to hear a song. Do you know any?" I had never had any interaction with a child, let alone a human child so I didn't even know if what I was doing was right?
Sophie shook her head as Grace ripped the bottom of her top ready to place it on Sophie's leg.
"Do you like Rabbits, Sophie?" I ask her.
"Yessss" Sophie answered. Grace was almost ready to take the glass out of her leg.
"Sophie, I'm going to have take this big, nasty piece of glass out that's hurting you okay? But I promise you it won't hurt once I take it out. You ready?" Grace asked Sophie though I knew it was for me too.
"Let's see if I can remember that song" I take a deep breath ready to completely embarrass myself for the sake of this little girl. I take Sophie's small hand in mine before beginning to sing.
"On the farm,
Ev'ry Friday
On the farm,
It's rabbit pie day
So ev'ry Friday,
that ever comes along
I get up early,
And sing this little song..."
Grace pinched the glass between her fingers causing Sophie to being to whimper. Her small fingers gripped around my index finger. Grace pulled the glass shard out slowly as to not cause any more damage to Sophie's leg as possible but from the blood curdling scream that Sophie let out, any one would have thought she was being tortured. I continued to sing though I wasn't sure if it would help any.
"Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run
Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run
Bang, bang, bang, bang! goes the farmer's gun
Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run"
Sophie cried hard as Grace threw the glass to once side. I could hear Sophie's blood flowing from the wound and the fire raged once more. My eyes watched Grace's hands as she worked quickly and gently all at the same time to help this girl she didn't know. She ripped another length of her top away, briefly revealing her smooth, pale skin. Grace then tied the material above the wound tightly to stem the bleeding. Looking up, I see Grace's eye fixed on the cut as she focused entirely on saving Sophie.
"It's all over now Sophie! You were so brave!" Grace said as she applied the piece of material from her top and pushed it onto the wound. Sophie's crying slowed once more to a heartbreaking sob and I sung on, my fingers rubbing over her pale skin. Sophie closed her eyes as her chest jumped up quickly through her whimpers. I soften my voice ever so slightly.
"Run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run
Don't give the farmer his fun, fun,fun
He'll get by without his rabbit pie
So run, rabbit, run, rabbit, run, run, run"
I look down to see Sophie gradually falling asleep as I rock her gently in my arms. I looked down at her in awe. She couldn't have been older than five years old but she understood that Grace needed to hurt her, by taking out the glass, to help her.
"I need to get her inside. I've managed to slow the bleeding down but I need to close the wound. She's lost a lot of blood. There was a shelter nearby but I don't know if it was hit or not?" Grace said. I stand carefully and am happy to see that Sophie was still asleep as I began to follow Grace to the shelter...I just hoped it was still standing.
