Chapter 12
Hazel's POV
Brandon hugged me closer as we walked along the street. It was early May in New York, it was cloudy and looked like there was a storm brewing. Rain was spitting from the sky, and droplets of water were sticking onto my coat and between the long strands of my hair. Today I had my first job as a model. Alexandra Whitman had called last week, and instructed me to see her in her office. Then she ambushed me by taking me to a photo shoot, it wasn't for a particular brand or designer, it was just to see how it worked out for me. I thought it went pretty well and I was actually having fun, considering I was practically shitting myself in the cab on the way there. Alexandra Whitman had said I had done pretty well considering it was my first time doing anything like this, she said she would send the pictures to see some designers and see if I got any offers. I wasn't sure about it, but I agreed and I guess I just had to see what happened from there.
Brandon and I had been going out for over six months and I knew we were going to last, I was falling for him in a way that scared me. I didn't trust people easily; my family are the only people I could even remotely trust, but I think I could trust Brandon, I just hope I wouldn't regret it. I felt Brandon's grip on my loose, though he still held me close as we walked into the bar. I was surprised no one asked us for ID, but we walked in unnoticed and leaned against the sparsely populated bar. The room had a lovely feel to it; it was warm and had a lovely glow to it due to the golden lights that hung from the chandeliers on the ceiling. Leather couches covered the floor of the bar, leaving an isle from the door to the bar with spaces left in between couches. Abstract paintings hung from the walls, I didn't understand what was so good about abstract art, and I mean it was just a bit of paint randomly splattered on a canvas. I preferred proper painters like Michelangelo, and Renaissance paintings and buildings. Two glasses of white wine appeared in front of us.
"Trying to get me drunk huh?" I said raising an eyebrow at him, taking a sip of the drink, grinning.
"Just trying to celebrate my girlfriend's achievements," he said chuckling.
"I wouldn't exactly call it an achievement," I told him, swishing around the wine in my glass.
"Course you could, well I think it is anyway. Look at it this way, you're getting somewhere in your life, something half of us at college wouldn't be able to do," he said, trying to convince me. He had a point; everyone at college wanted the same thing, fame and fortune. To make it anywhere in the world took a crazy amount of hard work, and I could be getting there sooner than I expected.
"I guess you could," I said, smiling a sad smile. Brandon studied Directing at college, he wanted to be a film director and despite it being a really hard industry to get into, he worked his ass off. And there was a part of him that knew he wasn't going to make it, despite how much I tried to convince his otherwise. But I suppose there's a part of all of us that thinks that we're never going to make it.
"I love you," Brandon stated. I stared up at him, eyes wide, from the painting I was staring at across the room. He was staring back at me, waiting for me to say something though he looked like he wanted to say more. "I love you Hazel Cullen, like no one I've loved before and... and... Well, that's it really..." he said.
I wasn't sure what to say, though I knew I had a goofy grin on my face. "I love you too," I said, feeling tears well up in the corner of my eyes whilst biting my lower lip nervously. Brandon's eyes lit up like a little kid whose birthday had come early.
"Really?" he asked, his voice hesitant. "You know you don't just have to say that right? If you don't feel that way, it's totally fine!"
"Of course I feel that way you idiot," I said punching him lightly in the ribs. "I really like you," I said blushing, planting a kiss on his cheek. The tips of his ears went an adorable shade of pink, which made me smile.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go to the restroom," I said, as he unwound his arms around my waist and walked into the ladies restroom. Once I had finished, I stared at my reflection in the mirror as I washed my hands. Well, I wasn't expecting him to say that. But I think I could finally trust Brandon and it was like a weight had lifted off my shoulders. I dried my hands with a paper towel and disposing it in the trash can on my way back to the bar.
But I didn't make it back to the bar. I was stood frozen, unable to move. Brandon was there. Just with his tongue down some girl's throat. I didn't know how to feel. Heck, I couldn't even register what to do, I just stood frozen. The rest of the bar buzzed around me, but I couldn't hear them. I just stood staring at Brandon and the girl. It wasn't until I focused on the girl, that I began registering her in. She was very beautiful, I was almost hypnotised by her, not in a sexual way or anything, but I was just drawn to her. She reminded me of my Mom, not because of her general appearance, but because of her beauty. She was dressed in black, with a fair amount of skin showing. The black stood out against her fair skin, both contrasting and complementing her skin. Brandon's fingers were intertwined in her long brown hair, which hung in ripples across her back. I tore my gaze away from my cheating boyfriend and his dark haired beauty, only to find my gaze locked with a cold blue gaze that belonged to Sam Collins, who was surrounded by a group of girls sipping from a glass. I sharply turned away, knowing that he knew exactly what had just happened. I stormed out of the bar, not wanting to spend a moment longer there. I was angry, annoyed and completely betrayed, I just wanted to run away and forget about the last hour.
The cold water hit my body as soon as I walked out of the glass doors, drenching me head to toe. Rain poured down from the sky and it made matters worse for me, I wanted to get out of here and just lock myself in my room and cry. I came here with Brandon, but I certainly wasn't relying on him for a lift, especially after he was playing tonsil tennis with someone who was not his girlfriend, who he claimed 'he loved'. There were no cabs around the street, which was surprising considering there were always cabs driving around the streets. I sighed in frustration as rain water poured down harder onto me, causing my hair to plaster onto the sides of my face. Seeing how my hair was ruined, I was soaked with rainwater and I had mascara running down my face, I just let the tears fall down from my face, never feeling so broken and alone before.
I was half way up the street, giving up with the hope of getting a taxi. I could feel the water soak my skin causing my clothes to stick to me like a second skin. I kept my head down feeling water trickle down my bare skin. I tried to ignore the world around me; I was doing a pretty good job until I felt a strong grip around my wrist.
I turned around wide eyed, to see a drenched Sam Collins standing behind me. His hair dripped onto his forehead and he stared down at me. I glared up at him, trying to get away from his touch, but he old gripped my wrist harder.
"Let go of me!" I snapped, through the tears. He stared into my eyes for a while, before letting go of me, causing me to stumble back. I mentally cursed him.
"Come on, I'll take you home," he said coldly, no emotion in his eyes of voice.
"I'm fine thanks," I said, turning around to walk the rest of the way home. I felt him grab me around the waist and push me against the brick wall of a nearby building.
"I'm not giving you a choice," he growled into my ear. I felt his hands snake through the top of my jeans, touching my bare skin. I squirmed against him, trying to get away, but he only pressed me harder against the brick wall, causing my head to hit the wall. I let out a scream, but his grip only got stronger and his hands moved further down my jeans, fingers clawing into my skin.
"Let go of her," a voice snarled from behind Sam. The voice didn't seem to intimidate him, as his grip on me got tighter, I let out a whimper praying that he'd let go. Sam was suddenly flung back, his grip on me gone and no longer touching me. I let out a sigh of relief, as I stared up at the dark haired, rain soaked stranger.
"Are you okay?" he asked me. I couldn't exactly see his face, but his voice had a European accent to it, almost British but not quite. I was too shocked with surprise to say anything, so I just nodded. I glanced down at Sam who was lying across the pavement, face down. I didn't bother to check if he was okay.
"Um, thanks," I said, looking back to the dark haired stranger. He simply nodded and walked away. I didn't look back at him; I simply just turned around and started the long walk home, tears rolling at a faster rate. What had just happened?! Oh God, I didn't even want to think about it. I fought back a shudder as I had a flashback of Sam's touch.
"You're walking?" said a deep voice. I turned around to see the guy who beat up Sam sitting in the driver's seat of a black car, driving at a slow pace beside me.
"Yes..." I said, keeping my eyes in front of me, instead of the stranger.
"Would you like a lift?" he asked.
"I don't accept rides from strangers," I stated, not looking at him.
"Well, it's either taking a lift from a stranger, or walk home in the rain..." he said as the rain pounded down harder on me.
I stopped abruptly to look at him through the window of the driver's seat. I was just about to tell him where to stick it when I got my first proper look at the stranger. Raybans covered his eyes, preventing me from looking at his eyes. His dark hair was damp due to the rain which fell across his face and onto his high cheekbones. Water droplets fell from his well defined jaw. He was pale and like the girl making out with Brandon, and for some reason reminded me of my family. I guess it was just a happy coincidence.
"Well, what's going to be shortcake?" he said both smirking and sounding agitated at the same time. I hadn't realised I had been gawping at him, until he popped my little bubble of thought.
"I don't take lifts from strangers," I told him stiffly, but I didn't drop my gaze from his glasses. I knew it would be a good choice to start walking, but I couldn't stop staring at him. He leaned over so his face was resting against the fully open car window.
"You know you're going to accept eventually, so you might as well get in now and save us both the energy," he said, his voice sent shivers down my spine, it was warm like honey and silk. "Come on shortcake, I won't bite," he said grinning. I looked around to see whether a cab had driven past, which would instantly be my getaway. "You know I won't back off until you get in." I glared at the gorgeous stranger, before getting in the passenger seat, seeing as I had no other choice.
I hadn't realised I had been holding my breath until I let out a deep sigh once inside. The guy instantly rolled up the windows, blocking the cold air from entering the car. I settled back against the leather chair, feeling the chair get wet from the rain water. Warm air filled the car and stopped me shivering from the cold; silence followed.
"Here," he said, shrugging off his leather jacket and putting it around my shoulders. His voice was surprisingly soft and gentle, whereas before it was cocky and teasing.
"Thanks," I muttered. His scent lingered on the jacket and it just made me wrap it around me tighter. It wasn't a very good conductor of heat, but the stranger's act of kindness somehow comforted me.
"So where to?" he asked, turning the key in the engine.
I muttered the name of a rundown diner at the edge of town that was a ten minute walk from my house. It was stupid getting into the car with a person who could be a modern day Jack the Ripper, but I wasn't letting him know where I lived.
The car ride was quiet; I stared bleakly out of the window feeling the buzz of the city around me. Tears escaped the corners of my eyes; I didn't bother wiping them away.
"You look like a panda," he said, chuckling. I gave him a death glare, pissed off that he seemed to find entertainment in my discomfort and sadness. "Here," he said, offering me a Kleenex from the pocket of his jeans.
I didn't mutter a thank you and instead just felt the tears roll down my face. I dabbed self consciously at my face, to see that mascara had stained the white tissue.
"So why are you out alone at night?" he asked, eyes on the road. I kept quiet, not wanting to speak to him but feeling the tears well up in my eyes. "And why are you crying? Boyfriend dump you?" his voice had no sensitivity in it and he was only angering me by talking. A few moments of silence passed. He sighed, "You're not very good at making conversation, are you?" he said skeptically.
"I don't even know you," I choked out, trying not to break out into tears.
"But that's the beauty about talking, you start to understand people," he said as if he knew everything. "Here we are!" I looked up to see that he had pulled up on the drive of my house. I stared at him surprised.
"This isn't where I asked you to drop me off..." I stammered, looking up at my house looming above us.
He snorted, "Did you really think I believed you about living in a diner? Go on, go get some sleep," he said the second part in a softer tone; I tried to believe he was trying to comfort me, but I couldn't imagine a complete stranger trying to comfort me. Instead I gazed up at my house and then back at him.
"Thank you," I said, looking at him with sincerity. He took of his sunglasses, so I could get a look at his eyes, but they only surprised me.
"Are those contacts?"I asked curiously, staring at his violet eyes with suspicion. He chuckled but didn't answer my question. "Go home," he told me, his eyes holding my gaze intensely. I quickly dropped his gaze and began to shrug off his jacket. "Keep it," I looked up, surprised. "I like it on you, and ugh you can keep the Kleenex too... Goodnight Hazel."
I gave him a small smile, hugging the jacket closer to my chest, inhaling his sweet scent as I got out of the car without another word. It was only when I got out of the car that I realised that I hadn't told him my name. But before I could re-open the passenger seat to question him, he was already out of my drive and driving away back into the city.
Alec's POV
Hazel Esme Cullen. The name rolled around the tip of my tongue as I drove away. She was different from what her Facebook page suggested, the cheeky party girl was gone and in its place there was a vulnerable little girl. Her scent still lingered in the car, which was also not what I expected. It was strong and potent and I had to force myself not to rip her pretty throat out in the car. It baffled me how the Cullens fought resistance, but they were human lovers. After getting a whiff of Edward's mate, I understood how they could stop their hunger with Hazel. Hazel had nothing on Bella's thick scent, but it was still enough to make you want her. I wanted Hazel's warm blood running down my throat as her body lay limp on the floor. All in all, I understood why Aro wanted her, but now that I had met her face to face, I knew there was something more to her, something special about her compared to ordinary humans. She wasn't a human who knew of the world of vampires, she didn't know about vampires, period. Her question about my eyes sprang to mind, if she had known of vampires then she would have instantly recognised me as one, but she didn't. Her eyes didn't spark with acknowledgement, they sparked with curiosity, just like any other human who would have seen my contact lenses over my red eyes.
Heidi instructed me to pick her up from the bar after I dropped Hazel back home. She had probably drained Hazel's little boyfriend and broken both Hazel's and her friend's heart simultaneously. A sudden surge of emotion swept over me at the thought of Hazel heartbroken, like I had a duty to protect her, which was ridiculous considering I had only known her for ten minutes. But I knew I needed to get Hazel's friends away from her to get to Hazel, and Heidi seemed like the perfect person. After all it was her power, alluring innocent humans; they followed her like a flock of sheep. The thought made me chuckle.
But there was something different about Hazel, and I intended on finding out what. The bright city lights blared around me as I felt the blue contact lenses disintegrate.
Sorry if this chapter was too long but I needed to cram a lot in. The story line should get much more interesting now that Hazel's met vampires asides from the Cullens, so no more partying, which I think some people will be glad to hear.
But poor Hazel, but Brandon couldn't help be attracted to Heidi, especially after she started using her powers on him.
Thanks for reading and please review! It would be great if I got some feedback about the story and writing in general, and I'd also love to know what people think of the Volturi's involvement in Hazel's life :)
