Chapter 11 (I think)

Another Jez and Morgead one guys! Sorry it's been so long. Don't forget to review! And requests are always helpful

Huntress never happened in this one by the way.

Disclaimer: I've totally given up with you; you know there not my books by now

I was seventeen, I was beautiful, I was the leader of a gang, I was surrounded by friends and I was a vampire. I thought I was invincible. I guess I was wrong.

Sunlight filtered through the dark trees while leaves and branches crackled underfoot, and yet no birds sang, they had long since fled. We crashed through the forest, loud and blundering and still our movements were graceful and precise. We laughed so hard we were nearly screaming.

"Hey! Guys slow down a bit! Poor little Thistle's almost a mile back!" Val crowed, laughing hysterically at Thistles fast but unfortunately small form through the trees, she screeched and fell backwards as Thistle leaped and tackled her to the ground. I watched the ten year old form of the sixteen year old girl thrashing around in the undergrowth with Val, both of them were laughing as they play fought. I was laughing too, so much I was almost in tears. Even Morgead was trying not to snigger.

I went to his side and bumped him lightly with my hip,

"Just because you're trying to keep up this whole 'I'm tough, nothing gets through me' thing, you can laugh once in a while ya'know?" he gave me this strange look, like I was right. I laughed it off before we were exchanging secrets and actually understanding one another, I had never got on with Morgead, well I had once but it was a lifetime ago. I spiralled away from him helping Val up from the floor as I went. Tears were streaming down her face as she laughed, leaves were tangled in her hair and mud streaked down her face, Thistle was in a marginally better condition but she was still on the floor curled up and shaking with laughter.

We had days like this often, but even then this was one of the best I could remember. Now I wonder whether I was truly happy or just drunk off the laughter. Because there had always been a part of me that had screamed, that had been horrified by what I was doing, of who I was with, of why I was here. My reaction to this feeling? Lock it away in an airtight, reinforced box.

We stood there, trying to contain our laughter enough to be able start walking again, but we were all having a hard time with that, as soon as we got near stopping someone would say something and we'd all be in tears again. Morgead stood there smiling and shaking his head as if to say "how do I cope with you lunatics?" as if he was the responsible adult, that only made me laugh more.

We laughed so hard none of us noticed the crack in the branches above us, no one heard the gentle 'twang' as a bow was released, we saw it though, not the bow, but the arrow. I gasped.

"Whoa! Were did that come from?" they were all searching, looking, prepared to fight, dodge or run, whatever they needed to. They were so preoccupied with looking where it came from no one thought to see where it went. Bent over the arrow that had pierced the thick black fabric of my corset, I grabbed it to try pulling it out, I opened my mouth to scream but blood bubbled up on my lips instead.

"Jez?" a frightened whisper came from Raven, "Jez!" she screamed as I fell to the floor. I felt someone grab me, and then everything went black.

….

I smiled, I couldn't help it. She wore all these corsets and short skirts but the most beautiful thing about her was her laugh. She looked up and caught my eye she smiled and came over. I tried to stay calm, tried to act as though I didn't want to tell her that I loved her so much.

"Just because you're trying to keep up this whole 'I'm tough, nothing gets through me' thing-" she was saying.

I froze, could she read my thoughts, my expression, that easily?

"-you can laugh once in a while ya'know?" I relaxed, she was right of course but not mind reading which was good, if she knew what I was thinking she laugh at me, hate me, I couldn't bare that. Then she laughed nervously, I wish I could understand what was going through her head it seemed so bright, but I'd catch glimpses of her when she thought no one was looking when she looked angry, hurt, even scared. I couldn't understand her.

Thistle and Val had stopped fighting now and the two were in hysterics, Jez went to help Val up, Raven laughed and grabbed thistles arm hauling her to her feet. The four started messing around again, laughing and joking till they couldn't move, I joined in reminding them of the time when Val had fallen down a cliff into a bramble bush and we'd spent hours pulling the splinters and thorns out of her arm.

When the arrow cut through the air, somehow I just knew that it wasn't a stray arrow from a hunter, this hunter was trying to kill us, I looked around keeping an eye on the cover spots but he was gone. "Jez? JEZ!" Ravens scream cut through the air and I looked back, I ran forward and caught her as she fell, blood was coming out of her mouth, it was the same colour as her lips. In mere seconds my world had crumbled. She was unconscious already and blood was quickly seeping out of the wound, I pressed my hand to it. I couldn't let her die. I couldn't lose her.

She woke up and screamed when I pulled the arrow out, I had carried her back to the apartment and lay her on the bed, I pressed towels against the wound but the blood just kept coming, she was coughing up the stuff too. I think the arrow had hit something, it was too far away for it to be her heart but that was only a small mercy. Her face was grey and sunken, and even though she was awake and in pain she didn't even have the strength to swear at me for pulling the arrow out. Her eyes were scared. I reached out and stroked her cheek gently.

"You ok?" I whispered,

"Do I. look. Fucking. Ok?" she hissed between gasps of pain.

"No, you look dreadful, but I figured you'd hit me if I said that" she smiled faintly

"Where is everyone else?"

"I sent them home. They need to sleep at some point, besides I didn't want any of them seeing…" I broke of realising what I'd said.

"Am I?" she whispered "going to die I mean"

"No. I won't let you"

"Your being really nice to me, you shouldn't I don't deserve it, and im scared of dieing, which is stupid because ive killed so many people. But they were vermin, they shouldn't matter, why do I still feel guilty over it?"

"Calm down, calm. You're babbling and talking too fast. And you're wrong, they do matter but you shouldn't feel guilty over what you've done. And you do deserve it." I snapped at her, she was panicking I could tell.

"But-" I kissed her then, mostly just to shut her up. She looked at me shocked.

"Did- did you just-"

"Yes" I said

"Oh" she murmured, she looked confused, she'd lost far too much blood. She shivered

"Are you cold?" when she nodded I placed her hand on the towel "keep pressure on that. I'll be back in a sec" she nodded again.

I came back in the room and dropped the blanket I'd been holding, I rushed to the bed and dropped to her side. She was shaking and her hand had fallen off the towel causing blood to come gushing out the wound, but the blood was thinning now, her heart was slowing. She was dieing. I could tell I couldn't save her. She gave me a pleading look. She was in so much pain. I whispered sorry to her, picked up the bloodied arrow by her side and plunged it into her heart. She gasped then fell back still and silent. There was a muffled scream behind me. I spun round.

"Thiss…." I warned but it was too late, she ran, throwing me a horrified look as she tore out the apartment. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. I hated myself, but I couldn't watch her die slowly and painfully like that. I bent over her and closed her eyes, kissing her softly. I picked up a stake as I left the apartment. I'd need it.

I really can't believe I just did that! That was so not the ending I planned! The other one was much nicer oh well….

Thank you all for reading and reviewing! x